#who is notorious for having shit drivers

[slythereen]

charles leclerc has survived five years with ferrari... yall really think helmut marko is going to break him? please

#dont get me wrong i get WHY ppl are opposed to seeing any driver they even remotely like in that 2nd seat #bc red bull is notoriously brutal #but tbh aside from the fact that all of rb seems to like charles #i dont think theyd want the bad pr of shitting on charles like they have other drivers? #not that rbr cares much for pr......... #but lbr they havent yet had a driver next to max as beloved as charles #aside from danny ric who chose to dip #idk i just think charles would prob be okay even in that messy ass team #charles leclerc #f1 #*delphi #rbr charles

[dear-ao3]

Sorry i tried to scroll past but, i know nothing about f1 other than max verstappen is fast, my dad doesnt like lewis hamilton, fast car goes in a loop and sometimes expodes. Could you give me a crash course in f1 drama? Im very intrigued. Whats the tea as it were?

a terribly loaded question, but i will do my best. i’ve talked about some of the drama before like the red bull second seat and the chronicles of haas but allow me to briefly try my hand at explaining the nightmare that is the upcoming silly season

under the cut we go

silly season is when the drivers go through contract renewals, extensions and switches. usually it’s confined to the first half of the season (march-july) but it has been known to extend all the way to the last race of the season and they like to switch people around at random sometimes. driver contracts are complex, there’s a lot of money involved and basically You Are The Face Of The Team so if you have a shit season then you make the team look bad. but at the same time you could have a shit season because you have a shit car. it’s sticky stuff.

so. there are only twenty seats in formula 1. 10 teams. each team gets two drivers. (there’s also reserve drivers but we’re not going to get into that). who ends up with a contract is largely up to the teams, they can pull the contract out from under people they can also cut you mid season. they’ve done it before.

of the 20 drivers on the grid, 14 of them have contracts expiring at the end of the year. yes. 14. you see how this could get complicated.

so let’s meet the teams.

red bull racing. they came first this year (and last year) in the championship. like aggressively first. like they won the championship by over 350 points. they are definitely the team to beat. but if you end up with a seat at red bull, you do have to deal with max verstappen being your teammate and he won all but three of the races last year. he’s the golden boy. red bull are also notoriously silly when it comes to contracts and famously swap people mid season who aren’t performing.

mercedes. merc is home to 7 time world champion lewis hamilton and they have won the championship a great many times, though not since 2021. they are kind of in their flop arc and their car the last 2 years has been pretty garbage, but they have still made it work because they were able to come in second last year.

ferrari. god help the poor little meow meows with a ferrari contract. ferrari is a notoriously great team and they’re trying to get back to the top again but their strategy every single time has fallen short. to the point where their drivers are the ones doing the strategy in their cars while driving. they came in third last year and have been decently consistent at getting first in qualifying and then getting beat by max verstappen on race day.

mclaren. they’ve definitely worked their way up over recent years. they ended fourth last year and have had some championship wins before but not nearly as many as say merc and ferrari. their team ceo (owner? director?) is a little interesting and their car started out a pile of flaming hot garbage at the beginning of the year but they did manage to get their shit together.

aston martin. they are owned by canadian billionaire lawrence stroll, father of lance stroll (one of the drivers for the team). they’ve undergone several name changes over the recent years (force india, racing point, etc). they positively slayed at the start of the season and then one day they sucked. they finished fifth in the championship.

alpine. the frenchest french team. they’re (i think?) still partially owned by the french government. both of their drivers are french. (their drivers also hate eachother but we’ll get to that. just know they’re in the middle of a modern french civil war). they had the opportunity to have a good rookie driver (oscar piastri) this past year but in a thrilling twitter battle, he publically flamed the shit out of them and went to mclaren instead (and slayed). they're usually solidly middle of the pack. they ended sixth in the championship.

williams. williams has been one of the back of the grid teams for the last many years but they have finally started to get their shit together and don’t quite suck as much as they used to. all of the points this year were scored by only one driver though (except one but we’ll get there). they came in seventh.

alpha tauri. they are the sister team of red bull. so technically redbull owns both teams (meaning they can swap drivers between teams. they like doing this.) they’ve just kind of been There for awhile but they did slay towards the end of the season when one of their drivers led the race for several laps. basically tho, this team is the gateway to redbull. they came in eighth.

alpha romeo. recently renamed to stake f1 team (but sometimes they are going to be called kick sauber. this is a whole other drama post and i’m not getting into it). they’re also just kind of there. generally unproblematic. seems that really great drivers who get ixed out of a contract for a younger driver end up here or young drivers who are in their early years are here before they go to a better team. they ended ninth this year.

haas. oh haas. goofy team. they suck. point blank they suck. they keep loosing sponsors because they suck, they don’t win ever (one time they came first in qualifying last year). they cursed themselves in australia in 2018 by not tightening their tires and its been downhill ever since. they came 10th. their team principle got let go (fired?) who’s to say today.

so those are the teams. it is important to note that:

-there is a cost cap. each team is allowed to spend no more than 135m per year.

-not all cars are equal. some things are standard. they all undergo the same testing. but the cars are all very different. so you can be a good driver but stuck in a shitty car. which makes it impressive if you are doing well in a shitty car.

let’s meet our drivers!!!

starting with the guys who’s contract is not ending in 2024:

max verstappen. 3 time world champion. 26 years old. general beast on the track. he dominated the whole season. he’s currently racing for red bull and has a contract with them through 2028.

lewis hamilton. 7 time world champion. 39 years old. he drives for mercedes. he will not leave mercedes until he retires. he really really wants to win an 8th world championship and is willing to stick it out a few more years as long as merc still believes in him. his contract expires in 2025.

george russell. the other merc driver. 26 years old. hes aggressively british and says thinks like blimey unironically. walking meme. got his merc seat in 2022 right when they entered their flop arc by getting his tractor of a williams to finish second in qualifying in the middle of a rainstorm. his contract expires in 2025.

lando norris. mclaren driver. 24 years old. he has notably never won a race in his five years of formula one (mostly because right when his car finally was good enough max verstappen was 20 seconds ahead of anyone) but he is regarded as Very Good. he has only ever driven for mclaren. and even though there is another year left on his contract there is mass speculation that he will not renew his contract with mclaren after it expires and he may move up to one of the top teams (red bull, merc, ferrari) (tho i think he doesnt hate himself quite enough to go to ferrari). his contract expires in 2025.

oscar piastri. the other mclaren driver. 22 years old. this was his rookie season and he positively slayed. like people compared his rookie season to lewis hamiltons rookie season. he also had the positively funniest start to his rookie year because alpine announced that he would be driving for them (he had been their reserve driver and in the alpine academy) and he posted a tweet that basically said yeah thats false i never singed anything with you and im going to race with mclaren instead (he dodged a bullet) and then alpine tried and failed to sue him for $4m USD. he signed a contract extension with mclaren this year and his contract expires in 2026.

lance stroll. aston martin driver and son of the aston martin owner. hes doing ok, tho there was conspiracy that he wanted to quit and have a tennis career awhile ago. but basically since his dad owns the team it seems that hes guaranteed a seat for as long as he wants one.

so now. moving onto the good shit. the people who have contracts expiring in 2024. hold onto your hats people.

charles leclerc. (everyones favorite slutty little soup can). 26 years old. he is currently at ferrari and he has been since 2019. notably, he was given the longest contract in the history of ferrari after a stellar rookie season at sauber (renamed to alpha romeo, renamed to stake f1) where he got the tractor of a car consistently into the points. having the longest contract in the history of ferrari was a flex at the time, but now its likely how he will introduce himself at therapy sessions. ferrari have fucked this man left right and center up the ass with a plastic lunchroom spork. hes talented, he can drive, and he can drive well. but the strategy that ferrari has absolutely sucks. either something is wrong with the car (see him blowing out his gear box on the formation lap in monaco, his car completely crapping out and spinning into the barrier in brazil before the race even started) or they fuck up his pit stops or put him on the wrong tires and honestly its just frustrating. but will he leave??? likely not. you'd have to pry ferrari out of his cold dead hands and at this rate that might be where this is headed though there has been some minor speculation of him going to another team like merc or red bull, but merc doesnt have any open seats and red bull is a whole other dumpster fire of drama. ferrari are going to have to pay him a boatload of money to make him stay.

carlos sainz. the smooth operator. 29 years old. ferrari driver. previously carlos was at toro rosso (renamed to alpha tauri), renault (renamed to alpine), and mclaren before signing with ferrari. he has been at ferrari since 2021 and has voiced that he would like to stay with them for however long he can. there is speculation that lando might replace him at ferrari (but landos contract is not up until 2025) and there is also some speculation that alex albon might replace him. while charles is clearly the golden boy at ferrari, carlos is slightly slower but also definitely consistent. he was THE ONLY non red bull driver to win a race this past year, in Singapore after max verstappedn was knocked out of qualifying by alpha tauri reserve driver liam lawson (more on him later) and because he basically came up with his own strategy in the car while he was driving.

sergio perez. aka checo. red bull driver. 33 years old. and oh boy here's where we open the can of worms. checo was previously at racing point (renamed aston martin) and it was very near the end of the 2020 (?) season and he was out of a contract. he had a bonkers race where he was knocked to the back of the grid and then overtook everyone and somehow ended up winning (there is more to that story but just trust me) and christian horner, red bull team principle, mr ginger spice and definite disney villain called him and said congrats sir you have a seat at red bull! well. fast forward. hes been causing problems. problems as in crashing a lot, generally not doing great and pissing the crap out of red bull. it is basically guaranteed at this point that he will not be getting a contract extension. there was actually talk this year of him losing his seat mid season to one of the alpha tauri drivers, because remember, red bull owns both teams and they can switch them whenever they want to (and they have!) but ultimately this did not happen. even though checo has a seat at red bull until the end of 2024, its mass speculated that he is going to get switched with an alpha tauri driver, probably daniel ricciardo (more on him shortly) mid season because there is a speculated clause in daniels contract that says that if checo isn't performing well in the first few races daniel is getting his seat.

daniel ricciardo. 34 years old. alpha tauri driver. man oh man what a guy. outside of being the prankster of the paddock, he has one of the most batshit careers of anyone currently on the grid. he started out at red bull and was showing real talent and skill and was on track to win things (and was!) and was there until the end of 2018 when max verstappen (his teammate) started getting preferential treatment and also red bull started having a lot of problems with their engines (which were being outsourced from Renault (now alpine) and another team on the grid) and well very very long story short he made the surprise move of the century and decided to sign with Renault (which makes no sense they're the one with the engine problems) and was there for 2 years before moving again to mclaren where he was reportedly not treated very well and had a hard time driving the car so they mutually ended his contract with them early and he basically retired at the end of the 2022 season and became a red bull reserve driver. then halfway through the 2023 season alpha tauri ixed one of their drivers, nyck de vries, because he wasnt doing well and promoted daniel back up to a full time driver at alpha tauri (which we know is only a step down from red bull) but then he broke his hand in a crash in zanvort (?) and then he was replaced for a few races by formula 2 driver liam lawson (who we will also talk about) and then he came back to finish out the season in alpha tauri after he was cleared. daniel has admitted openly that he never should have left red bull and he was given bad advice to do so. hes towards the end of his career at this point and its well known that he Really Really wants to finish out his career at red bull again. he and max have already been teammates before and they do work well together and daniel is great driver (see his comeback in texas (or maybe it was brazil?) this year). so. Pretty Sure that daniels going to get either an extension at alpha tauri or go up to red bull. thats what we all want. get this man in a red bull we need him there biblically.

liam lawson. now technically liam is not actually a formula 1 driver. hes a formula 2 driver, but he was daniels replacement for five races and there has been some speculation and some confirmed news about him so hes getting included. when he was racing for f1 he was at alpha tauri. hes 21 and looks like he belongs in the movie grease. no one was expecting him to slay in formula 1 and he positively knocked everyones socks off. the scene: Singapore. which, if you'll recall, is the one race that a not red bull driver won. this was largely because liam lawson slayed the absolute game in qualifying. the qualifying part of racing determines what order the cars start in on the grid for the race and theres three parts, the first two parts the bottom 5 drivers each time get knocked out and then the top 10 complete for the last 10 spots. liam lawson knocked BOTH max verstappen and checo perez out of qualifying in the second round by going very slightly faster than them, effectively fucking up red bulls race and allowing carlos to win. and he also scored points in that race, which no one was expecting. now thats all fine and dandy, but here's the speculation: hemlut marko (im pretty sure) (who is somehow decently involved in the decision making at red bull though i couldn't tell you how) said that he thinks that liam lawson will be in an f1 seat no later than 2025. meaning that he will probably get offered a contract this year. and hes already raced for alpha tauri. red bull have sunk a good amount of money into him. they clearly want him. so if he gets offered an alpha tauri seat in 2025, that means theres a good chance danny rics is going to red bull. do you SEE how the plot here is THICKENED

yuki tsunoda. age 23. currently at alpha tauri. and fun fact, the only alpha tauri driver to race there the whole year. he had three separate team mates. he is slaying and hes often slept on. he has a bit of a temper and likes to shout on the radio and also hates working out (they had to force him to move to italy or something to work out, long story) but hes been kinda killing it. he led several laps in the abu dhabi race this year and hes decently consistent. people think theres possibility that he could get moved up to red bull on account of the fact that he is younger than daniel and clearly has more years in him,, but there is also possibility that he might not because red bull like to make stupid decisions. and if he doesnt get moved up to rebel, will he stay with alpha tauri? we don't know.

alex albon. age 27. currently a williams driver. alex albon is another one with a batshit career. he started out his rookie year in 2019 at alpha tauri then got moved up to red bull halfway through the year when red bull decided that pierre gasley wasnt doing a good enough job (more on him later) and stayed with red bull for a solid year and a half until he lost his seat in 2021 to checo. he has been with williams for the last two years and is basically carrying the team. like. williams as a team scored 28 points this year. and alex albon scored 27 of those 28 points. and as we know, williams is still kind of in their shit arc (though they are doing much better. they didnt score any points for a solid 2 (?) years. so this is an improvement.) and if you can get a shit car to perform you catch the eye of bigger teams. now, alex has already been a red bull driver. and he was on the cusp of podiuming two separate times when lewis hamilton ran into him. this (among a few other things) basically killed his chances at getting resigned at red bull because he wasnt ""performing"" and red bull are bitches who love to win. but some people think that red bull should give him another shot. like daniel, hes already been max's teammate and he can definitely drive. but theres also talk he might go to ferrari because ferrari think that he might compliment charles's driving style (or something). but going to ferrari at this point is kind of suicide. so.

logan sergeant. age 23. the only american on the grid. the other williams driver. he just finished his rookie year. he scored a grand total of one single point this season, in texas, and it was because charles leclerc and lewis hamilton both got disqualified because the floor of their car had more wear (by literally less than millimeters) than it was allowed to, bumping him up from 12th to 10th. he has never done better than alex albon. he was also the very last driver to get a contract for 2024, with williams waiting until i think december of 2023 to announce his contract extension. clearly, hes on thin ice. but people have also said that he needs time to get used to formula 1 (other people have pointed out that oscar piastri slayed his rookie season this year and this statement about needing time is largely false). where logan ends up next year though will largely depend on how well the 2024 season goes for him.

fernando alonso. 42 years old. many people like to point out that oscar piastri is actually younger than fernando's racing career. he won tiktok creator of the year (somehow) and is also a 2 time world champion. he retired a few years ago, just to show back up again and slay. during the first half of the season when aston martin had a zoom zoom car he killed it, and then they had problems on top of problems and he didnt do well. except for that one race in brazil where he came in third, beating checo by literally .05 seconds. he hasn't really made any hints about retiring a second time and he is kind of carrying aston Martin right now (he scored 205 points this season, coming in 4th and tying in points with charles leclerc, lance stroll only scored 74 points this year.) and they did have their best year yet this year. (though they are relatively new).

pierre gasley. 27 years old. french. drives for alpine. the french team. previously he raced with toro rosso (now alpha tauri), then got promoted to a red bull driver in 2019, then halfway through the season they decided he wasnt doing a good enough job and he got demoted back down to alpha tauri. then he won a race with alpha tauri just to stick it to red bull. after the great oscar piastri contract twitter war, he was signed as alpines second driver, with Esteban ocon being the other driver (more on him soon). estie bestie and pierre (both french) were childhood friends and now hate each other for unknown reasons and basically feuded on the track for most of the season. french civil war at alpine. he scored 62 points in 2023 and came in 11th. not really sure where he will end up, it is possible that he will stick it out at alpine.

esteban ocon. 27 years old. also french. currently driving for alpine. another one with a silly bonkers career. he started out at force india and had a baller few seasons there but his teammate at the time was checo, and checo didnt really cooperate with him too much and caused some drama that cost estie bestie some places and some points. max verstappen also beat him up in the garage once. thats not really relevant but it did happen. anyway, after the owner of force india was arrested for .... i don't remember what maybe it was embezzlement or bankruptcy or something money related, the team was backed by lawrence stroll and became racing point. but all of that happened mid season and lawrence was basically like look ill back you guys for now but next year my son gets a seat (lance) so one of you two (checo and estie bestie) have to go. and ultimately they let estie bestie go even though he was more consistent because checo had more sponsors and they needed money. so he was out of formula 1 for a few years (but was a merc reserve driver) and then went to Renault, which then became alpine. he did come in 12th though overall this season, just behind pierre. so. will alpine keep both him and pierre and keep the civil war going? whos to say.

nico hulkenberg. 36 years old. haas driver. in his 200+ f1 races he has never been on the podium and he really really wants to be on the podium. unfortunately this will never happen in a haas because haas fucking sucks. and everyone knows it. he is getting towards the end of his career though. though! stake f1 will become the mario Andretti and audi team in 2026 (don't question it) and they have supposedly voiced interest in nico. so we will see if he hangs on that long to end up at audi. for now tough, hes definitely hating it at haas. though, haas are going to have a different team principle next year so maybe that will change things. i have a sneaky feeling through that haas will probably end up with another 2 rookie drivers because everyone else is smart enough to not race for them.

kevin magnussen. 31 years old. haas driver. hes another deeply interesting character. he has had one podium. in his rookie season. in his first race. and none since. kevin started at haas in 2017 and then left at then end of 2020 when he basically got kicked off because the team needed money and they wanted to bring in drivers with more sponsorships. these drivers were mick schumacher and nikita mazepin. so kevin basically was forced to retire after the 2020 season. this went decently well for haas. until russia invaded ukraine right before the start of the 2022 season and, well, nikita was Russian and it was never distinctly proven that his dads company (who was sponsoring the team) wasnt also funding the invasion. so nikita got fired and they were literally like 2 weeks out from the start of the season, down a driver. who are you gonna call? kevin magnussen! and hes been back ever since. but hes clearly getting annoyed with haas. there was one great clip from this year where his car caught on fire and he kind of just stared into to, clearly hoping it would burn for a long time. so the likelihood of him extending his contract is looking slim.

valtteri bottas. 34 years old. currently a driver for stake f1 (alpha romeo, kick sauber, whatever you wanna call it). previously, he was a mercedes driver and notoriously helped lewis hamilton win a great many championships, until he lost his seat to george russell in 2022. there was a rather awkward part of the 2021 season where valtteri knew that he was out of a merc seat the following year and kind of just chose violence. he slayed. then he went to alpha romeo, grew a mullet and made a calendar of his ass. quite the glow up if you ask me. hes also very interested in cycling. honestly though, i have my own personal speculation that hes going to retire at the end of this year.

zhou guanyu. 24 years old. driver for stake f1 (alpha romeo/kick sauber, etc etc). hes doing alright. he just finished his second season, in his first season he was majorly out qualified by valtteri but this past season he managed to out qualify him a good 6 times. which is decently good for the tractor of a car hes driving. its possible that he could get a contract extension, but like logan, its probably going to depend on how the 2024 season goes for him.

and thats all the drivers. theres also a few others i didnt talk about, like some other f2 drivers who want seats and mick schumacher, who is currently a merc reserve driver, all of which could be contenders for f1 seats. but one things for sure. this is going to be the silliest fucking silly season.

feel free to add on and peer review me

#not a tag #from saph #f1 #:) #silly season #my beloved!

[nohoney]

there’s knocking at bakugou’s front door that he assumes is from you, probably too drunk from your girls night out to get your house keys out from your purse. imagine to his surprise when he opens the front door and he sees three of your girlfriends carrying you together while the fourth one was the one who knocked on his door and you’re knocked out.

“hey bakugou, (name) is home safe and sound!”

he’s gotta hand it to your friends, they’re good ones for carrying you all the way up to the front door.

“thanks, you can give her here. i got her.” bakugou offers up his arms for your friends to relieve them of carrying you.

“no we can take her in, we just wanna kiss her goodnight.”

god the amount of affection you and your friends have for one another once you’re all wasted is something else. but bakugou has long gotten used to it too so he steps aside to let your friend group in. even as your head lolls, one of them carefully readjusts so that your head doesn’t hang at an awkward angle. it sort of reminds bakugou of the one time sero had to carry kaminari over his shoulder after getting too wasted at a house party.

you’re laid down on the big couch you and him purchased together recently, all of them gathered around you and making sure that you’re comfortable. it must be some sort of intuition you have to know that your girls are about to leave that you suddenly open your eyes, still pretty drunk, and you open your arms for your girls. bakugou watches as you and your friend group drunkenly voice your love for one another, smirking a little when one kisses you on your mouth and the other one playfully grabs at your tit with a compliment of how hot you looked tonight.

“bakugou, this is our girl okay? you better take care of her!”

“yeah katsuki!” you join in on hanging up on him, “if you do some stupid shit, they’re gonna get you!”

oh he has no doubt about it; one of the girls in your group is somewhat notorious for petty revenge and even he would not be up for that.

bakugou bids your girlfriends good night, watching from the front door as they all gather into their car. he waves them off as they drive away, the friend that knocked on his door being the designated driver to take the others home. he shuts off the porch light and locks his front door, already knowing the drill of what you want when you’re this drunk at this hour.

“tsuki, i’m hungry and i want-“

“macaroni and cheese with fries. i know baby.” bakugou finishes your sentence, kneeling down to take off your high heels first and then holds the palm of his hand up, watching as you carefully peel off your fake eyelashes and you place them in his hand. “you gonna clean these or toss them?”

“toss.”

into the trash your lashes go and bakugou brings out the boxed macaroni and heats up the air fryer. you go into the bathroom where your makeup remover and all your skincare is already laid out for you, taking in a breath as you gather all two brain cells you have left to clean your face and at least do a body rinse in the shower.

food is ready by the time you exit the bathroom but you haven’t sobered up quite yet. while you eat your usual drunk-past-midnight meal bakugou comments, “i like your friends.”

“yeah, they’re great aren’t they?” you agree with a nod before munching on a crinkle fry. “they like you too. they say i should marry you.”

“really?” bakugou chuckles, “and here i am thinkin’ that my girl is gonna leave me to elope with her girlfriends instead.”

“they’re gonna be my bridesmaids when we get married.”

your words bring a fuzzy, sentimental feeling bloom in his chest. he knows that you’re drunk still and you possibly won’t remember this conversation, but he wants to hear more of what you have to say. “is that so? you talked about our wedding already?”

in drunken detail and while eating your food at the same time, you go over how each of your girlfriends will help support you in planning your supposed future union with bakugou. he listens, not bothering to hide the smile on his face as you go on and on. you talk more about how your friends will be involved rather than you and him but bakugou likes it. he likes how your friends like him and that they’re the most supportive group of girls he’s ever seen.

“you’re gonna wear a orange tie, mmkay? and we’re gonna have a mango cake!” you start to go off about what kind of food will be served at the wedding as bakugou cleans up the plates before you abruptly declare, “katsuki, you’re the only guy my friends like. the only one so don’t fuck this up, okay?”

“i won’t sweetheart, not with your gals ready to hide my body if i break your heart.”

you don’t remember the conversation the next morning when you wake up with a pounding hangover. but bakugou does. he remembers it as he gazes at you with a drink hand, wearing the orange tie you told him to wear and little bites of mango cake having already been fed to him by you. he watches how you hug your bridesmaids, your best friends, the girls who carried you home when you got too drunk and supported your relationship with him.

bakugou remembers how he waved off the girls that night as they drove back to their houses, and now they’re the ones waving you off as you and bakugou get into your car together to head to the airport for the honeymoon.

“you know my girls told me that i should marry you?”

bakugou plays dumb to the question, just only to hear the story from you again how he earned the seal of approval from your closest friends. he owes a mountain of gratitude to them because you and him probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.

they were the ones who told you to go up to him after all.

#bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugou fluff

[marvelfilth]

The Witches Trap

Part 2

Pairing: dark!Wanda Maximoff x f!reader

Warnings: ghosts, description of death, paranormal activity, gore, blood, a bit of horror ig, typical ghost hunting stuff, nothing too scary tho

Words: 5.5k

Summary: you go ghost hunting with Peter, Yelena and Kate. What could go wrong?

A/n: first time trying out some spooky stuff, so bear with me. Heavily inspired by Sam and Coby on YT.

Masterlist

The way Yelena drives is far from smooth and sound, but she vehemently refuses to let Peter behind the wheel, so here you are, yelping and griping the sides of the driver's seat headrest like your life depends on it. You hiss when your head meets the roof, and Kate sends you another toothy smile from the front seat, her eyes flickering to look at Yelena every few minutes. You look to your right to check on Peter, but he is busy fumbling with equipment, his camera carefully stored away in a bag as he keeps checking the microphone.

You sigh and relax against the seat when the road finally smoothes out, and think about why you even agreed to this. Peter asked you to tag along for a new video for his YouTube channel, and by asked you mean begged you with his best puppy eyes and a bag of goodies in his hands. Apparently, if you agreed to go, Kate will go too. And if Kate goes, he won't even have to ask Yelena.

He was right.

So now the four of you are on the way to one of the most haunted places of America - Westview hotel.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Yelena asks, turning her head left and right.

"Yes," Peter answers, glancing up for a second.

"Honestly, this is too creepy already," Kate mumbles, her eyes locked on the numerous dolls pinned to the trees surrounding the road.

"The owner probably made someone do that. No way they had this type of dolls back in the eighteenth century." You try to reassure Kate as much as yourself.

"Actually, the first doll like that was made-" Peter finally looks up with an excited glint in his eyes, and you immediately press your palm against his mouth, "No. I don't need to know that."

"Ha! Little Y/n is scared," Yelena laughs, but her laughter is cut short when a twig hits the side window, making her shriek like a maniac.

"This never happened," she grumbles when the laughter finally dies out.

Relaxing against the seat you try to remember everything Peter told you about this hotel.

It got notoriously famous in the late eighties, when a high schooler got possessed by a demon and later died in a psych ward. The room the girl stayed in was closed off for twenty years after that. You wonder if Peter managed to book it.

Another thing you remember is numerous sightings of a dark, cloaked figure appearing in most random places, whether it's a supply closet or a presidential suite. It always managed to scare the shit out of anyone who was unfortunate enough to catch its interest. You shudder at the mere thought of encountering that particular entity.

"We're here," Yelena cuts off the ignition, and leans against the wheel to take a look at the building.

Your breath catches in your throat the second your eyes land on the magnificent hotel. At seven stories high it stands proudly on a hill, overlooking the vast grounds. The facade is noticeably worn, but no less majestic - a blend of dark wood and stone, a balcony stretching along its entire length. A dark figure on the corner of the rooftop makes you squint, and you gasp when you realize it's a gargoyle, albeit a very rickety one. You make a note to yourself not to walk under it.

Yelena ushers you along, shuddering as she notices the stone figures. “The air here is kinda thick,” she mutters.

You nod, feeling your chest tighten. She's right - the air grows heavier with each step you take. You hope the hotel itself is ventilated enough.

When you finally step inside you take a deep breath, looking around the foyer and spotting who you presume is the owner.

"Welcome to Westview Hotel! My name's Agatha, I'm the owner of this happy little place and your guide for today. Hope you have the worst time of your life here!" Her voice is too cheerful for the late hours, and you cringe at the full on villainous laugh she lets out.

Peter goes to speak with the woman while the rest of you look around. Yelena plops on the loveseat, her backpack thrown on the carpeted floor near her feet, and Kate just stands beside you with her mouth hanging open - you're sure you're wearing a similar expression.

While the outside of the hotel looked somewhat old and weathered, the inside completely blows you away with its beauty. It's elegant, if a bit eerie, with a grand chandelier and high arches that make the space feel even bigger.

You frown, sensing someone's eyes on you, and notice Peter glancing in your direction every so often. You send him a questioning look, but he only shakes his head, his lips pressed together and his cheeks puffed.

"Do you think he's going to sacrifice one of us to that witch? Scarlet Witch, right?" Yelena muses.

"Yeah, but I don't think you're her type." Kate winks at the blonde.

You snicker at her annoyed expression, and stumble back, accidentally bumping into someone. You turn around, an apology on your tongue, only to choke on your words when you are met with an empty lobby.

Your friends stare at you quizzically, but Agatha seems to be lost in thought, her eyes trained on the space right above your shoulder, then she slightly shakes her head, her lips pressed in a tight line.

"Sorry. I thought I bumped into someone…" You trail off, your back burning, an eerie feeling settling in your stomach.

"Sure thing, buttercup." Agatha winks at you, her mood changed back to normal in an instant.

You shudder, looking back at your friends. Yelena whispers something in Kate's ear that causes the younger one to chuckle, and Peter has his camera pointed at you.

"We already got some paranoid activity ten minutes into the night," he blabbers behind the camera, motioning for you to explain what happened.

"Um... It felt like I bumped into someone?" Talking to a camera is weird, but you manage to explain what you felt. "... I think it was nothing though, just my nerves acting up." You force a chuckle, your eyes moving to meet Agatha's stare.

She moves closer to be in the frame, and tells everyone about how much the Scarlet Witch loves to mess with younger women, her favorite pastime in this hotel seems to be entertaining the ladies. However, her idea of entertainment slightly differs from yours, and you gulp when Agatha mentions her choking sleeping guests and locking them in elevators.

"This is going to be incredible, guys," Peter says to the camera, his excitement too contagious for you to worry about your safety.

×××

The next two hours are spent walking behind Agatha and listening to her stories about various tragic deaths that occured in this hotel over the past hundreds of years. She stops every ten minutes or so in front of different rooms, each story worse than the previous one, and you shudder when she tells you a story of a woman buried alive in one of the walls, Agatha's hand casually resting on said wall.

She is telling you another story about a guy that danced on a ledge to impress a girl and fell on one of the spikes in the lobby, when you suddenly feel a tug in your chest. You stop, checking to see if anyone else felt that. Kate is staring at the ledge with her mouth wide open, Peter's busy filming Agatha and butting in with commentary (much to Agatha's displeasure), and Yelena grips Kate's hand so hard, you are sure she couldn't possibly see anything other than the wall in front of her.

You exhale and look around, trying to spot anything interesting, even though you've been looking at the same set of stairs for the past ten minutes. Strangely enough, you notice a door that surely wasn't there before, because you would've noticed it right away if it was.

While every part of this hotel was renovated, this door looks like it belongs in the past, with heavy iron hinges and a weird looking handle. There are no signs on the door, nor any numbers or words, and when something tugs on your hand, you follow the feeling.

You walk almost in haze, your friends' voices blurred in the background, unfamiliar warmth surrounding you, your chest lighter than it ever was and your mind in a euphoric state. You turn the knob and it gives in, the door rattling loudly as you tug it open, but before you could even glimpse inside, a hand slaps harshly on the wood, the door closing with a loud creak.

You blink owlishly, warmth gone and your head suddenly clear, as you take in Agatha's furious expression.

"It says 'Employees only'," she hisses through gritted teeth, and you step away from the woman.

"No, it doesn't, there's noth-" you choke on your words when you look back at the door, because now it looks like every other door in the room, 'Employees only' written in bold.

You look back at Agatha and apologize, but it seems like she doesn't hear you, her brows furrowed and her eyes flickering between you and the door.

"Okay that's hella creepy," Kate breaks the silence, her unoccupied hand digging in a pocket of her jeans to present a cross. "God will protect us." She puts it around her neck, and nods to herself.

"You don't even believe in God." Yelena jams her in the ribs, not letting go of the brunette's hand.

"You really should," Agatha casually advises, tugging at your elbow to move you further away from the door, "follow me, I'm going to tell you the story of the Scarlet Witch."

You cast one last look at the door and follow her down the hall to the very last room, something warm pressing at the low of your back to lead you. Shuddering at the feeling, you wonder why it is only you who feels something weird. Kate keeps sending you worried looks, but, other than that, she seems okay with Yelena's hand pressed firmly into her side. Peter isn't fazed at all, excitingly recording everything in sight.

Exhaling, you try to relax. If something here wants to harm you it wouldn't use such a gentle approach.

Or maybe it's just luring you in.

When you finally stop in front of room number 208 you feel a poke in your ribs, Yelena nods her head for you to look at Agatha, and you confusedly look up. Apparently, she wants you to open the door. Gulping, you move forward, your hand reaching on its own accord. You turn the doorknob with some hesitation, your hand trembling slightly. When you're met with a sight of a regular hotel room, you let out a quiet breath.

The walls are painted an unassuming beige, with green and brown accents, the earth tones bringing a feeling of calm. The four poster bed is pushed against the farthest wall, with nightstands on either side, and you could already imagine how soft it would feel to sleep in it. But the only thing that truly gets your attention is a floor to ceiling window and a french door, which hopefully leads to a balcony you spotted from the outside.

Agatha walks past you into the room, resting her weight against the foot of the bed. "It was locked," her eyes seem to be glued to yours as she speaks, "second locked door you opened today. I find that… interesting."

You are aware of Peter's camera being shoved right in your face, you're aware of Kate's hand reassuringly clasping your own, aware of Yelena's calming presence, but you are focused on something else entirely. There is this feeling again, now familiar warmth taking root in your chest, almost singing to you. You briefly close your eyes, savoring the sensation, wishing you could feel more.

"This is our most active room," Agatha says, "last year some teenagers decided to use a Ouija board in here and it got even worse. So you're in for a wild ride."

"This is nuts," Kate says from the other side of the room, trailing her hand over the painting of a burning witch.

"Oh, this actually happened here," Agatha drawls, taking note of your surprised faces, "almost a hundred young alleged witches were burnt at the stake here, on these grounds…" Agatha continues on with the story, but your eyes are stuck on Kate, on the other side of the room, your body frozen in shock. You can still feel what you thought was Kate's hand on your own, but with her standing on the other side of the room, and Yelena looking at you like you've grown two heads, you decide it's enough.

"Can you tell them to stop?" you shriek, stepping further into the room.

The warm feeling in your chest intensifies, the ghost of a hand sliding up your arm to settle on your cheek, turning your head to look at the painting. It's so gentle, so soft, it makes you lean your head in search of more.

"Them?" Agatha's voice grounds you. "I believe there's only one witch who is interested in you."

"What's going on?" Kate asks, moving away from the painting. Panic starts to rise in your chest, making you struggle to breathe. "Y/n, are you okay?" Kate's by your side in an instant, hands rubbing your sides, and you lay your head on her shoulder, silently reminding yourself that no ghost can hurt you.

"I thought you were standing beside me, I felt you take my hand, but you were on the other side of the room," you whisper against her shoulder.

"No. We're going back home." Yelena pales and tugs at your elbow, smacking the back of Peter's head with her other arm. "Your idiotic idea is going to give her a heart attack," she hisses and leads you to the door, hurriedly turning the knob.

It doesn't turn.

"What the fuck." She tries to open it again, and again, and again, until Agatha gets pissed and yells at her for trying to break the door.

"If she wants you to stay, you'll stay." She places her palm on the wooden door, and gives everyone a stern look.

"Say the word and I'll break that door open." Peter reappears by your side, looking guilty as ever, his camera now hidden away.

You take a deep breath and look around, now feeling much safer with all of your friends (and Agatha) by your side. The room looks like no one has touched it in years, and the warm, calming feeling in your chest only intensified after your little break down.

Maybe the witch just wants some company.

You meet Peter's eyes and manage a smile. "I survived Yelena's driving, I'm sure I'll be fine after this."

"Are you sure?" Yelena and Peter ask you at the same time.

"Yes, guys, I'm fine. I'm just not used to it like you are," you smile at Peter, and he nods in understanding.

He spent his college years filming in haunted places, a little hobby turned into a full time job as his channel grew bigger and bigger. Usually he invites his friend Wade to film together, but this time he really wanted you to come.

"Glad we settled that. Now sit," Agatha commands.

You take a seat on the bed, Yelena and Kate immediately placing their arms around you. Peter settles in a comfortable looking chair by the window, and Agatha stays standing, clearing her throat before venturing into the story of the Scarlet Witch.

"I'm sure you know that being a redhead, green-eyed, and exceptionally smart young woman in the 17th century meant one thing."

"Barbecue," Yelena mumbles, earning a scathing glare from the older woman.

"Yes. But here's the thing - the Scarlet Witch was never burned at the stake, and not because she was so good at staying hidden, but because she has never had a physical presence in this world, at least one that we know of. There's no proof of her existence, no paintings and no pictures, no sightings either."

Yelena shifts beside you. "Then how do you even know-"

Agatha cuts her off with another scathing glare, before continuing on. "We know because every single one of these poor women cried out her name before their inevitable death. They begged her to save them, but she never did."

"That still doesn't-"

"For the love of god, just shut up and let me finish!" The older woman shrieks, throwing her hands in the air. Momentarily closing her eyes, she clenches her jaw. "She never saved any of these poor girls, feeding on their fear, anger and desperation. She enjoyed what was happening. Hell, she spurged it on, manipulating minds, changing people until they became unrecognizable, and after this hotel was built she took charge, driving owners and residents away, leading people to their inevitable death, and lately possessing unsuspecting women. All of those poor people had one thing to say - 'it was the Scarlet Witch'." She shifts on her feet, turning to look out the window. "Hundreds of years of terror, but there was one good thing she's done. There was a particularly nasty witch trial, the poor girl was accused of seducing a priest's daughter. Imagine the horrors she was bound to be faced with if they got their hands on her. They never did, she escaped their clutches, and every single man involved in the hunt on the girl was brutally murdered. The girl died of old age in the safety of her own home, forever protected by the magic of the Scarlet Witch." Suddenly, her eyes lock on yours. "There's no trace of the Scarlet Witch, but there's a painting of the woman she saved. I'd show it to you, but for you it'll be the same as looking in a mirror, so I'll save myself the trouble."

Peter suddenly sits up straighter, nodding along to Agatha's words.

Kate slides her hand away from your shoulders. "Don't want to make her jealous or anything," she whispers, looking around.

"Do you say this to everyone or..?" You hesitantly speak up.

Her eyes turn serious, causing a chill to run down your spine. "Oh no, buttercup, you're a spitting image of the only woman she deemed worthy enough to save."

"She's not lying," Peter says, "that's actually the reason why I asked you to come." He sends you a sheepish smile, and shows you a picture on his phone. It's an old painting, weathered by time, but undoubtedly beautiful.

The woman looks just like you.

You gulp, your heart hammering in your chest. "Well, I'm not her."

"Maybe not. It's not like it matters." Agatha mumbles, standing up, a faraway look in her eyes. "She must've had her reasons to save the poor girl, and I suspect they were far from noble. Be careful." She looks at you one last time before turning to Peter. "Well, it's been fun entertaining you, but it's nearing midnight, so I'll leave you to your ghost hunting, or whatever it is that you're doing." Her lips purse at the numerous cameras Peter's unloaded from his bag.

"Wait!" You jump up, stalling Agatha. "How do you even know about what happened at the trials? Is there some kind of document?" You're aware of the absurdity of your questions, after all you are the one who experienced all of the activity so far, and while some of it could be blamed on your nerves or your brain playing tricks on you, the door accident still burns at the back of your mind.

"You don't believe me?" Agatha smirks, making you shift uncomfortably. "Don't worry, you'll see, you have a long night ahead." She sends you one last look, and easily opens the door before disappearing behind it.

You fall back on the duvet, pressing your palms against your face. The past hour puts an uncomfortable weight on your chest, and you struggle to wrap your mind around the fact that you're probably going to be targeted even more as the night goes on, either by your terrified, overly anxious mind, or the Scarlet Witch.

The warm feeling you felt when you first stepped into the room slowly disappeared, leaving you to wonder if it's done its job in luring you in.

"Okay, it's time to-"

"We're not using a Ouija board."

"- light up some candles." Peter says, looking quizzically at Yelena. "I'm not stupid, you know." He huffs, rolling his eyes.

You snort, shaking your head at your friends' antics. "Why do we need candles?"

Peter rolls his eyes. "To communicate with ghosts."

"Don't you have some fancy tech for that?"

"I prefer to keep it simple," he shrugs.

You share a look with Yelena. "And we'll be left talking to the AC," you mumble loud enough for Peter to hear and send you a middle finger.

"There's no AC in this room. Some people use flashlights, but I prefer candles. We'll also use a spirit box."

"We're not catching any spirits in a box, right?" You sit up, eyes darting between your friends.

Peter sighs and goes on a rant about his tools, explaining how everything works. To your great relief, you won't have to catch anyone, just put on a blindfold, some noise canceling headphones, and let some spirit talk though one of you.

"Sounds fun," Kate gulps.

"I'm not doing that." You shake your head, crossing your arms.

Peter looks up from the floor, where he adjusts the rem pod, the piece of equipment going off when he touches it with a tip of his finger, calibrating the sensitivity. "Yelena will do that."

It's almost comical how far Yelena's jaw falls. "And why is that, Parker? Why don't you let some spirit use you as a radio?"

"Um… my tarot reader told me you'll do best out of all of us."

Kate starts cackling like a maniac, clutching her stomach and bending over. You can't help laughing either, burrowing your face into the pillow to keep quiet.

Yelena continues arguing with Peter, and you decide to leave them to it and satisfy your curiosity. You smile at the questioning smile Kate sends you, and gesture to the balcony door.

You were right, it is the balcony you saw from the outside, stretching all the way to the other side of the hotel. You sigh and lean against the railing, taking in the view. If you thought it looked terrifying on the way here, it looks even worse from high up. Moonlight shines on crooked trees surrounding the land around the hotel, dark and menacing, broken branches hanging on the last threads. There is a well within walking distance, not too far away from where you parked the car. You swear to yourself you won't let Peter drag you over there, it looks way too creepy.

You finally relax, letting your eyes fall shut for a second, but a blurry movement to your left forced them open. You grip the railing, squinting.

Nothing.

"What the fuck." Kate's voice sounds from the inside, and you rush back just in time to see her exit the adjoined bathroom, snapping the door shut with a terrified look on her face. "No. Oh fuck no. Oh no, no, no."

Peter sits up, alarmed. "What is it?"

"There's blood on the mirror," she whispers, her hands shaking violently, "and in the tub, and on the floor."

Peter immediately gets up, taking the only camera that's been filming the whole time with him. You follow your friend, not paying attention to your shaking hands and your hammering heart.

When the door opens you see a pristine bathroom, so clean it's almost mocking. He inspects every corner from every possible angle, only to come up short.

"Guys?" Kate calls out from behind the door. "Are you good?"

"There's nothing he-" you freeze mid sentence when your eyes land on the mirror.

It's fogged up, one word clearly written.

Your name.

You reach out - not of your own violation, your hand guided by some unseen force - and touch the reflective glass right where your name is. You're hit with a vision, bits and pieces of what feels like distant memory escaping the prison your mind put them in.

You see a wrinkled face of an old man, his expression pure disgust as he spews something right in your face. The scene changes abruptly, and now you're in a dark cell, with only the moon to keep you company. Your heart clenches at the pure anguish you're hit with, the desperation drowning you, leaving you no room to breathe. There's a sudden blur, and everything turns blinding white, and then… you feel that warmth again. A woman stands in front of you, reaching out, her eyes glinting red. She looks ethereal, her skin pale, almost sheer, her unruly hair pushed back by a red tiara. You gulp, feeling the power radiating from her, chest aching with the need to submit to it.

You stumble away from the mirror. There's no warmth in your chest now, only pure, unconcealed dread. You lean against the door, palms pressed to your face. Peter doesn't dare breathe, his hands only shaking slightly as he makes sure to get it in the frame.

"Where did you just go?" He whispers, not daring to speak any louder.

You shake your head, blinking back tears. "Tell me you did this. Tell me it's a prank."

He looks at you, eyes full of fear. He bites on his lower lip, eyes wide. "I did this. I totally did this." He nods rapidly, ushering you out of the room.

Kate and Yelena wait on the other side, each holding a candelabra. You don't even bother to ask where they found them, heading straight to the balcony for a breath of fresh air while Peter explains what happened.

You look at the full moon, rubbing your chest in tight circles.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Again, and again.

The floorboards of the balcony creak, along with the railing, and you wonder if it's all gonna fall to the ground, and bury you in a mess of wood and cement. Maybe that's what the witch wants - for you to stay here forever.

You feel the remains of that need, that hunger for the witch. You long to see her again, even if it's just a glimpse, a whiff of her presence.

When you come back, the lights are off, and Peter is already asking questions, Yelena's terrified expression telling you everything you need to know about the answers they've been provided with.

The candle on the nightstand goes out, and Peter blinks, looking at you. "Weird."

"What?" You ask, looking around, hair on the nape of your neck standing up.

"He asked the ghosts if they wanted us to leave." Kate answers.

"That means they do." Yelena points at the candle.

You shiver, a breeze from the balcony making you curl in on yourself, eyes flickering to every dark corner of the room, flinching whenever you see shadows from the moonlight that look a little too ominous.

Someone is watching you, you're sure. A part of you hopes it's her.

"And why is that weird?" You ask Peter, watching as he collects the candles. You sigh in relief, glad to have missed the conversation.

"I thought they liked us - you - at least," he mumbles.

"Maybe they want us gone so the witch can have some alone time with Y/n." Yelena's brows jump up and down suggestively, and you can't help, but laugh, some of the tension finally seeping away.

That is, until the last candle on the nightstand lights up again, completely on its own.

Peter staggers back, dropping the stack in his hands. "No fucking way," he whispers, "that never happened before."

He pulls back to check the camera, making sure it's still recording.

"That's a yes, right?" Kate gulps, looking at you with wide eyes. "She wants you wants you. It's not a coincidence."

You take a seat on the rocking chair in the corner and close your eyes, reminding yourself that nothing here could ever hurt you. It doesn't really work when you still feel eyes on you. Your hands tremble, and your legs feel too heavy to stand on. Every sound is amplified, your senses going into overdrive, so when a clock stops ticking, you immediately notice.

The clock reads 12:08, the hands still for a moment, before resuming their course.

You're slowly starting to wish you never agreed to come to this place.

Agatha's words ring in your head. What if the witch thinks you're that poor girl? That'll explain the witches' interest in you. Maybe she made you see those visions to help you remember.

But… What if it's not even her that's been following you? What if it's one of the dark entities Agatha told you about? The thought makes you even more uncomfortable - you'd prefer the Scarlet Witch to haunt you instead of some dark, trapped soul, no matter how absurd it sounds.

"Hey," Kate approaches you.

You blink, and offer her a hesitant smile. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" She bites on her lip, her hands on your knees.

You nod, and take her hands in yours. "I'm fine. Just a bit shaken up."

She sighs heavily, head falling to rest on your lap. "Same," she mumbles, "I feel like a prey."

You rub her shoulders, hoping to ease some of her tension. "We'll be out of here in the morning."

She looks up, smiling. "Actually, we're not sleeping here. Peter said we'll try to talk to them one last time and then go."

You hum, wondering why the information makes you feel worse. Shouldn't you be relieved to leave earlier?

"Okay, come here," Peter calls, putting noise canceling headphones on Yelena's head.

Kate jumps up, her eyes lightening up at the sight of Yelena sitting rigidly on the chair, a blindfold and headphones in place. "Oh, this is gonna be good," she smiles, settling in front of the blonde.

Peter looks at you. "I think you should ask the questions."

You nod, biting on the inside of your cheek. You think of something appropriate to ask - something that would reveal information without offending any of the spirits here.

"Are we here alone?" You ask, and everyone turns to look at Yelena, awaiting an answer.

Yelena's head bobs up and down, like she's listening to her favorite song, but you know for sure it's just white noise.

"Hello," Yelena says, smiling slightly.

Not alone, then.

You nod, and Peter gestures for you to continue.

"My name is Y/n, what is your name?"

It's quiet for a little while, occasional squeaks from the balcony making you jump up and look around.

When Yelena doesn't answer, Peter decides to speak up. "Did you follow us here from the lobby? Was it you-"

"Shut up," Yelena barks.

Kate stumbles back on the floor, and settles against the foot of the bed. "Oh fuck."

Peter takes a step back, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Sorry." He nods at you, urging you to continue.

"Do you not like him?" You ask.

"In… in the way…" her voice is unsure as she trails off.

"Peter's in the way? In the way of what?" Kate speaks up, looking at you.

"Deal," the blonde whispers, "owe."

Peter frowns. "You made a deal and you owe someone?"

Yelena purses her lips, tilting her head to the side like she can't quite figure out what is being said.

The bathroom door slowly creaks open.

"Are you in the bathroom?" Kate's voice shakes, and you take her hand, shuffling closer to the girl.

"Blood."

You exhale, looking at the open doorway with wide eyes.

Kate nods rapidly, her hand trembling. "There was a lot of blood. You scared the shit out of me."

Yelena chuckles, "Feed."

So whatever is here has been feeding on your fear.

"Who are you?" You ask again.

"You know," Yelena replies. "You all do."

"What's behind that door?" You have the strongest urge to go back there.

Yelena chuckles, shaking her head. “Go see for yourself.”

Light starts flickering, tears spring to your eyes, and you fight the urge to curl into a ball and cry. Yelena turns her head and sits up, leanings towards you.

"You forgot."

"Forgot about what?" You shudder, eyes darting between the door and Yelena.

"Our deal."

Peter darts to the other side of the room and snaps the door to the bathroom shut, his mouth set in a flat line. "We're leaving."

"She can't," Yelena singsongs.

"There's no deal. You're mistaken," Peter snaps, collecting the equipment.

"What deal?" You hesitantly ask.

Lightning strikes outside, a loud boom of thunder following. The painting of the burning witch falls.

"I own y-"

Peter tugs off the headphones, Yelena's mouth snaps shut. She tugs off the blindfold and blinks, brows set in confusion. "Are we gonna start any time soon?"

Kate groans, falling face first to the floor. "Fuck my life."

_______________________

Before you yell at me - yes, there will be a part two

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x female reader #scarlet witch x reader #scarlet witch x you #scarlet witch #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x y/n #scarlet witch x y/n #scarlet witch x female reader

[audhd-nightwing]

steve and robin go to a gay club in indianapolis and steve cannot stop staring at this guy with long dark curls that’s wearing chains and a leather jacket (which steve thought was the opposite of his type but apparently not).

steve himself is wearing a croptop and high-waisted jeans that “make his ass look amazing” (according to robin) and he even let them put some sparkly shit on his face because why the fuck not at this point. he’s been covered in blood and monster guts, he can handle wearing makeup.

anyway, the point is steve knows he looks good. its not him bragging, it’s just a fact of life. the sky is blue, water is wet, and steve harrington is hot. that’s just how it is.

so when steve sees the hot guy across the room, he doesn’t doubt that they’ll think he looks good. it’s just… steve, despite being a notorious playboy, is actually fucking awful at flirting.

because of this, steve decides to simply pine from afar and mope while robin is having the time of their life (sometimes he really hates being the designated driver, but alas, he’s the only one that can actually drive).

robin, being the amazing and observant friend they are, immediately notices this and begins scheming. when steve looks away to ask the bartender for a coke (poor guy), robin meanders their way through the crowd and over to the guy steve was eyeing up.

they tap him on the shoulder and the guy turns around, cocking his head in question.

“hey, my friend over there thinks you’re hot but is terrible at flirting so i decided to be a good friend and wingman for him,” they yell over the music.

the guy blinks, looks from them to steve and back, before whipping his head around again to gape at steve. robin isn’t sure how to take that until the guy asks, incredulously,

“is that steve fucking harrington?”

robin panics because oh shit this guy knows steve which means they accidentally outed steve to some guy who apparently knows him?? (and who is still staring at him dumbstruck). robin squints their eyes suspiciously and replies

“…and what if it was?”

the guy snaps his attention back to robin and open and closes his mouth a few times before blurting out

“do you- does he not know who i am?”

now it’s robins turn to be confused because why the fuck would steve know this guy? the man obviously reads this in their expression because he drags a hand down his face before stating

“i’m eddie munson. the ‘freak’ of hawkins high? king steve’s number one rival?”

“don’t fucking call him that,” robin spits out venomously. they’ve had to help steve out of self-deprecating panic attacks too many times because of that fucking title and will not hesitate to punch this guy for using it.

“okay, jeez. but seriously, do neither of you recognize me? i don’t know if i should be offended or not,” eddie ponders aloud.

robin huffs and rolls their eyes. steve really knew how to pick ‘em (aka snarky and a bit cocky).

“whatever, he’s changed a lot- obviously- so if you’re not a dick then the offer still stands,” robin responds.

eddie looks over at steve again and sighs to himself. he never would’ve guessed he’d see steve fucking harrington in a croptop, let alone a gay bar, let alone interested in him.

and eddie was never one to waste an opportunity so…

“i’ve been into him since the moment i fucking saw him at hawkins high, there is no way i’m refusing that offer,” he replies.

robin laughs and pulls eddie through the crowd and towards steve. eddie kinda feels like he’s dreaming when steve looks over at him and blushes, pink splotches decorating his face.

wow, eddie thinks, he really is the stuff of dreams

#steddie #steddie mini fic #steddie ficlet #steddie drabble #steve harrington #robin buckley #eddie munson #stobin friendship #wingman robin #they/them pronouns for robin #nonbinary robin buckley #mlm steve harrington #gay eddie munson

[silvervioletvalentine]

❣️! Wildcard!❣️

Pairing : Mick Schumacher X femOC (Cherrie!)

Word count : 5.3k

Summary: Mick has scary dog privileges but instead of a scary dog it’s his girlfriend Cherrie.

Mick couldn't help but smile when the reporter said his girlfriends name, making him sit up straighter in his seat without him even realising it.

Just Cherrie's name already being mentioned made his face light up like it was Christmas , there truly was no one else that he liked to gush more about and he would take any opportunity to do so, not matter how much of a lovesick fool it made him look like.

He just couldn't help it. He was dating the woman of his dreams , who didn't want to brag about something like that?

"There has been a lot of talk online about your relationship with Cherrie Lynn , who is notoriously known as being a 'ice queen' who doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. You could say that the two of you are complete opposites when it comes to personalities , do you agree?" The man questioned him.

Just as confused as the rest of the world as to how the hell a man like mick was with a woman like Cherrie , who was the exact opposite of him in nearly every way.

And mick couldn't help but laugh a little at that question. Because he wasn't exactly wrong.

His girlfriend was known for being a blunt, obnoxious nutcase who came across as though she had no worries in the world and if she did have one, she would simply just eliminate them without batting an eyelash.

She was this cool and untouchable woman , an absolute spitfire , someone that shouldn't have even been in his league , never mind being his girlfriend .

He also knew that most people found his girlfriend to be a little too scary to handle , despite the fact that most of the other drivers had a little crush on her too .

He didn't blame them. She was so fucking beautiful that sometimes he found it hard to catch back his breath whenever she even smiled at him.

She just wasn't afraid to put anyone in their place, and if she had a problem with someone then they would be quick to know about it. Because she didn't mess around, she got shit done and simply got rid of anyone that was standing in her way.

Mick thought she was the most amazing woman in the world , even though sometimes her confidence intimidated the shit out of him too.

It only made him love her more. And everyday thag passed he could feel himself being more outspoken and confident too, as though it was a side effect of being with someone who simply didn't give a shit.

It had started to rub off on him a little , he really wasn't complaining .

So mick simply shrugged his shoulders at the mans question , still smiling at the very thought of her.

"There's no denying that we're very different but I think that's why it works so well.." he mused honestly , while tapping his fingers against the table thoughtfully .

"We balance eachother out. She helps me to be more confident in myself because if she ever see's me putting myself down she would slap me over the head and make me believe in myself till I was crying about it . She won't rest until I do.." he chuckled fondly as he recalled the way that she had looked at him with narrowed eyes when he had called himself stupid for crashing his car again and DNF'ing.

Mick had thought for a fearful moment that she was going to slap him.

She was furious. The most angry she had looked at him in a long time.

That one look had served to shut his mouth up real quick.

She had stood in front of him with her hands pressed to her hips, huffing like an angry bull at him.

And if she hadn't completely scared the shit out of him when she was pissed off, he might have laughed a little at how cute she looked with her cheeks all red and pouty lips being thrown at him. Clearly displeased.

"The only thing that's stupid is the words you're saying!" She had snapped at him.

Tough love being the way she rolled. She didn't lie to him, didn't try to sugarcoat the situation just to make him feel better.

Instead she was blunt but believing as she continued to speak.

"Yes you fucked up. And it's sucks that this has happened but you can't change what has been done." She told him seriously as she reached her hand out to push his sweaty hair away from his flustered face .

"-but what you can do is practice and learn to nail those corners better. You can change what's going to happen Mick . By becoming better and winning. So you can shove it in the stupid faces of those who have doubted you." Her voice was harsh and eyes dark but he felt himself relax at her odd way of encouraging him.

And he knew that she was right , so that's what he did.

Then the following week came by and he won. And so did Cherrie they had sprayed each other with champagne and celebrated on the podium together , Cherrie with a knowing and smug smirk on her face while mick just beamed down at her and kissed her champagne coated lips .

Overflowing with happiness and knowing that he owed his win to his tough love girlfriend who had pushed him into being greater. Who had believed in him without any hesitation even through all of his set backs .

She had his back. She always did.

The reporter smiled "a lot of people like to joke that she's more like your bodyguard than girlfriend. She seems to get herself into a awful lot of trouble over you. She reportedly had a dead pigs head delivered to the door of one of the drivers who had insulted you. Is that right?" He amusedly brought up the insane situation of ... last week.

Mick tried not to laugh, he really did but he just couldn't help it as he recalled how smug Cherrie had been when she returned home to casually inform him of her visits to the local butchers.

Having been beyond fuming when she got word of another driver smack talking her sweet boyfriend who could do no wrong in her eyes.

She knew that she couldn't just go around throwing punches like her first instinct to was, she was already in the shits for getting into a bar fight a couple of weeks ago when some drunk asshole had spilt his drink on Mick and then proceeded to try and pick a fight with him once he realised who he was.

What the asshole hadn't realised was that Cherrie went slightly bat shit crazy when anyone even dared to upset the love of her life.

So with a glare of fury in her eyes, she had simply picked up a barstool and threw it at the asshole's head , knocking him straight out on the sticky floor.

Then she had grabbed ahold of Mick who had been frozen in shock with wide eyes as he gaped at her in amazement , before quickly dragging him out of there before she could get them in to any more trouble.

It was also the night that she learned that her boyfriend found her knocking out guys twice her size incredibly hot.

He hadn't let her leave the bed the whole weekend.

Mick pursed his lips to try and hide his grin at the pigs head reminder .

"That has nothing to do with Cherrie . She wouldn't do that." He blatantly lied .

She would do that.

That was exactly something that she would do. She was beyond petty when somebody pissed her off.

So mick hasn't felt too surprised when she admitted to him that she had bought a pigs head from the butchers and gift wrapped it for the driver who has insulted him so carelessly.

She had been so casual about it too, simply pulling an unimpressed face . Still pissed off as she told him "that if he wanted to act like a stupid pig then she was going to get him one." Then she had smirked like the mean little bitch she was and added.

"Plus it'll be good for him to see what happens to unlucky pigs like him. He won't be saying a bad word about you anymore.." she had wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned up at him like she was an innocent Angel.

Devil in disguise . He had thought amusedly when he gazed down at her Angel like face with a shake of his head .

It always was the prettiest ones that were the most crazy.

"Otherwise I'll turn him into that poor pig." The threat was a casual promise .

Mick had sighed in utter adoration as he picked up his crazy girl and took her back to bed.

She was scary as fuck but holy fuck did she turn him on when she got like this.

Mick then continued to answer the reporter again.

"I think it's funny that they all call her my bodyguard because they're not wrong." He breathed out a slightly shy laugh at the reminder of who wore the pants .

Usually it was the man in the relationship that played the over protective role but Cherrie beat him to that by a long shot.

He was the lover in their relationship while she was definitely the fighter.

He would be the one stood back with his nails between his teeth biting down on them like a nervous squirrel while his girlfriend pushed him back and confidently told him that 'she would handle it.' By that she meant that she was going to go absolute apeshit.

She didn't even let him walk on the outside of the path either .

Instead she would grab ahold of his waist and yank him over to the inside of the path instead , keeping her body closest to the road while he shot her a unimpressed look. Despite the way he would flush red at her protectiveness .

Because at the end of the day all of her actions only

Made him love her more . Because she loved him and she wasn't afraid to show it.. in her own little unique way.

Most couples showed affection by holding hands or saying sweet things to each other.

Not Cherrie.

She showed him her love for him by storming into the hairdressers after they had fucked in his hair so badly that they had left him with a small bald patch at the back of his head.

Mick hadn't complained , too shy and uncomfortable to cause any drama. That just wasn't his thing. He had been ready to just deal with it and spend the next few weeks wearing his hats again till it grew back.

But his girlfriend had took one look at his hair and shook her head in pure disbelief .

Then he had turned around and she had been gone. Poof! Apparently fury made her run like a trackstar.

By the time that he had catched up to her again He had found her in the barbers with a hair clipper in her hands as she threatened to shave off the hair of the man that had done this mess to her sweet boyfriend.

Mick had to actually throw her over his shoulder and haul her away like a naughty child after she refused to stop waving the clippers in their scared face's. Giving a apologetic grimace to them as she continued to call them every curse word under the sun, even after they had left.

Huffing and puffing about how she had it 'all handled' and that 'she wasn't actually going to do it.'

Mick had rose his brows at her in pure amusement , laughing at the blatant lie she gave him before leaning over the car console and giving her a kiss.

So overwhelmed with love for his little psycho that always had his back , no matter what.

"I like that she's so protective of me. It means that I never have to worry about anything because Cherrie will sort it out for me ." He said , grinning happily.

Laughing to himself as he thought about how their date night a couple of weeks ago had gone .

They had been dining at some expensive restaurant that was ridiculously overpriced for the small portion of food that they were given.

The kind of dishes where you would have to order about six of them to actually feel full by the end of it.

Cherrie had ordered a chicken salad while he had went with the pasta without mushrooms , because mushrooms always gave him a rash and made him sick.

So when his plate had finally been put down in front of him after a ridiculously long waiting time , showcasing pasta with plenty of mushrooms throughout it , he had just sighed in defeat.

Not bothering to tell the waiter their mistake before he walked away.

He had started scraping them to the side of the plate with his fork, resigned to just eat the pasta that the mushrooms hadn't touched before Cherrie had finally noticed what he was doing.

Her eyes narrowing in confusion as she looked between his upset frown and then at his mushroom ridden plate.

"What the fuck? You told them no mushrooms!" She had exclaimed . Pulling the plate away from him aa though she was afraid he was just going to get sick from just looking at them.

Mick had hushed at her, telling her to keep her voice down. Not wanting to cause a scene.

Which he should have known was impossible, he had momentarily forgotten who his girlfriend was.

"It's no big deal I'll just-" he tried to calm her down but he should have known better really. Their was no way she would let this slide.

She had merely rolled her eyes at him and called over the waiter again. Ignoring him hissing at her not to do it with panic written all across his face.

"Cherrie- I'll just eat the pasta that the mushrooms haven't touched! It's not a big deal!" He had tried to persuade her quickly .

She had looked at him like he was the insane one. Glancing down at his tiny plate in disbelief.

"What? The last three pieces of pasta that'll be left? You paid a fucking fortune for this shit Mick. It's bad enough that it's only a baby sized portion. I'm not letting you waste your money like this." She had stubbornly shot back at him before plastering a smile onto her face once the waiter had reached their take again.

Mick couldn't meet his eyes. Instead he played with a napkin in his hands, flushing red as he tried to disappear from his seat, slumping his body down and wondering if he could fit under the table till it was over.

"He asked for no mushrooms. He's deathly allergic." She exaggerated to the concerned waiter without any shame . Nodding towards his plate with a deep frown of her own .

Mick had glared at her , more than flustered.

"Cherrie-"

The waiter looked mortified "deathly?" Before quickly picking up the plate from in front of him with a rush of apologies already escaping his mouth .

Mick had grimaced "I wouldn't say deathly-" he had started muttering , hating himself for feeling a little amused at how serious she had made herself look within seconds .

You would think that they had just tried to deliberately poison him from the look on her pretty face. Most of which he knew that she was definitely putting on.

There was nothing that his girlfriend loved more than being an impromptu actor at his expense .

Mick was sure that she just enjoyed making people uncomfortable.

She thought it was funny to see people shit themselves over things she said , because his girlfriend was an absolute menace to society.

"I would. He almost died last time from just touching a mushroom on accident. Never mind being given a plate full of them. " She had cut him off with a dramatic flare of her eyes . Even sniffling for added affect.

Clearly Trying not to laugh As she peered over at him in 'concern' , stroking his arm gently in comfort as though he too was traumatised from an I didn't that never even happened.

Mick could see the way her lips twitched once she saw the annoyed look on his face, shaking his head at the way she had absolutely No shame .

In the end he has been given a new, larger plate of pasta without mushrooms.

Alongside a slice of chocolate cake as the owner came out to apologise and tell them that the whole dinner was on the house.

Cherrie had been more than smug as she ate the free cake with a pleased little hum. Mick just rolling his eyes at her playfully , unable to scold her .

Because at the end of the day she had scored them a free date worth hundreds.

He couldn't even get mad when she started 'proposing' to him in expensive restaurants with a plastic ring she had found on the floor one time while they were out on walk together.

Having learnt that they would give free dessert out whenever someone proposed in their restaurant.

Mick had known that she would pull a stunt like that since the moment he watched his girlfriends eyes light up when her friend had did the same thing . Only their proposal had been real.

Cherrie didn't care though , she just wanted free cake.

Hence the tradition was born of her proposing to him at every five star restaurant that there was.

She got them free cake and he got to play pretend with her for a couple hours as he daydreamed about what it would be like when they finally did get engaged and married.

So, he really couldn't complain.

Despite the short flush of embarrassment he would feel when she got down on one knee and loudly started reading out some disgustingly cheesy poem to him in front of everyone while he tried not to cry tears of laughter and give their charade up.

Mick smiled brightly and tilted his head as he continued to gush about his loca girlfriend.

"Plus I know I'm a hundred percent safe when she's with me. She really isn't afraid of anything or anyone. No matter how scary the situation is , she doesn't ever hesitate to sort it out." He mused fondly to the reporter.

Hearts In his eyes as he recalled their visit to her small hometown.

The night that he realised that his girlfriend really was untouchable to anyone but him.

They had been taking a late night walk around her hometown where she had showed him all the spots that she spent her time at as a little kid. Even showing him the spot where she had broken all of her fingers after punching a boy for calling her a freak .

Mick had been having the time of his life , laughing at all the stories she told him of all the trouble that she got into when she was younger . And about how she had to move to three different schools because she kept getting suspended all the time.

Mick wasn't surprised at all. It seemed that his girlfriend had been a troublemaker since the day she was born.

He could only hope that when they had kids of their own together , that they wouldn't be as much of a nutcase as she was.

They had been hovering by his car , just chatting and looking up at the stars in the sky when he had spotted a man with a balaclava slowly edging towards them. Clearly wanting his expensive car.

He had cursed at himself for parking in such a darkened street.

Unfortunately Where Cherrie had grown up was known for its high crime and terrible violence . As well as plenty of car jacks .

It was why she had grown up to be so fucking tough, she had no choice to be.

He had felt his heart race in his chest with panic as he tried to subtly judge Cherrie to warn her of their impending attack , still keeping his eye intently on the man that he now noticed had a small hammer in his hand as well.

Jesus Christ . Fuck!

He almost passed out right there and then . He wasn't equipped for this at all! He had never even punched someone before! What the hell was be going to do?

"There's a man coming to the side of us with a hammer in his hand. What do we do?!" He had hissed at her underneath his breath in pure panic, sweat already beading at his hairline in fear.

He had almost gasped out loud when Cherrie had simply rose her brow at him before turning around so that she was facing the man as well.

Not even flinching at the sight in front of her .

"Cherrie-" he had almost wheezed. "Don't-"

His girlfriend simply let out a annoyed sigh and popped the boot of his car open casually while mick looked between the man that was quickly approaching and his girlfriend in fear.

Not understanding how she looked so fucking calm when they might have been about to get murdered by some maniac in a balaclava.

But what he had stupidly forgotten for a moment in his panic , was that his girlfriend was also fucking crazy. That she had grown up surrounded by situations  like this.

She also was the youngest of three older brothers and a father who had a career as a underground fighter when he was younger.

She knew how to defend herself . Knew how to scare even the strongest of man.

So he shouldn't have been as shocked as he was when she let out a loud laugh and grinned at the man brightly .

"Don't even try it bitch! Unless you want to lose all the bones in your pathetic body!" She had almost sang. Hand grabbing something from inside his trunk that he couldn't see.

Mick had thought that he was about to have a heart attack then .

Unable to believe that she was crazy enough to square up to a man with a hammer.

The man clearly thought so too as he scoffed out w laugh at them , holding up his hammer threateningly in their direction .

Mick took a step closer to Cherrie till their sides were pressed together , feeling faint and a little like he was going to be sick.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it you little bitch? Flick your hair at me?" He had stupidly mocked her , waving his hammer at them tauntingly .

Cherrie had just laughed even harder and then proceeded to casually pull out a sledgehammer from the boot of the car . One that he had definitely not put in there .

Making his eyes widen in disbelief as he wondered when the hell she had put that in his car. It hasn't been there the last time he had checked!

Holding up the biggest hammer he had ever seen in his life , she took a step towards the man with a amused giggle escaping her when he suddenly started to back off.

Looking rapidly between the sledgehammer in her steady hands and the tiny hammer in his shaking ones.

It was obvious who would win that fight.

"Well bitch my hammer is bigger than yours! I was thinking about using it anyways to see if it works good , so really you'll be doing me a lovely favour!" She had lifted his the hammer at the criminal threateningly .

More than Happy to have the opportunity to hit him with it.

The man ran off before mick could even form any words . Not that he felt like he was able to then, utterly speechless by what he had just witnessed.

All he was able to do was sag against the side of his car in pure relief as he placed a shaky hand over his pounding heart , gaping up at his girlfriend in pure disbelief .

She was still shouting and cursing out the man , even though he was long gone now . Not ounce ounce of fear or worry on her pretty face.

She just looked annoyed . Irritated that their stargazing had been interrupted so rudely .

"Fucking coward! Just wait till I find out which asshole you are! I'll break your legs and then tell your mama about what you did!" She yelled out loudly to the now empty streets.

Her childhood town was small enough that she knew nearly everyone that lived there. Mick had no doubt in his mind that she would figure out who did it by the end of the week.

She always did.

In the meantime he cautiously approached her and then carefully took the sledgehammer from her hands , swallowing audibly as he eyed the furious expression on her face.

Taking in deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

Realising then that if he didn't have his fucking fearless girlfriend with him , who was ready to hammer a mans head in with no hesitation , he would have been absolutely screwed.

He had then kissed her till his jaw ached and his fingers went numb from the cold.

Murmuring over and over again about how much he loved her. Sweet nothings against her lips as his heart finally settled back to peace .

His mind only thinking one thing then.

She was the one .

No doubt about it she was his ride or die.

Which was why he had burst into happy tears when he woke up up one morning with his head lying on her bare chest and a new gold engagement ring on his finger that she must have slipped on him during the night sometime .

Peering up through his wet lashes to see that Cherrie was already smiling down at him affectionally with a matching ring on her finger too.

Gently stroking his hair away from his face as she kissed away his tears , the both of them laughing a little breathlessly when he tilted up his chin and kissed her like it was the first time all over again.

With stampedes of butterfly's and the whole damn zoo filing his stomach and chest as he cried, so utterly in love that he didn't know what to do with himself.

So he just kissed her instead .

"We're getting married during the summer." She whispered to him a little time later after he had showed her how much he loved her without words needing to be spoken.

Sweaty and dazed , with his head back on her heaving chest as they both tried to catch their breath back from their sudden workout .

He had just laughed , smiling like a fool in love as he whispered back a truthful,

"I can't wait." Unable to help himself from teasing

"I'm surprised you didn't do it at a restaurant. We missed out on free cake!" He chuckled amusedly .

Cherrie just smirked mischievously , giggling sweet as she held him close , gently drawing patterns on his back as he kissed at every piece of soft skin that his mouth could reach without moving his body from ontop of her, too lazy to move.

"Reservations at six." She then informed him cheekily , meeting his amused gaze square on.

Unashamed as always. Free cake was free cake.

"You ready to be proposed to again?"

Mick sighed as though it was going to be such hard work sitting there looking pretty in his seat while she got down onto one knee and publicly declare her love for him.

Unable to stop laughing as he buried his face Into her neck with a grin, beyond happy.

"Suppose so. At least it'll be half real this time."

Cherrie smirked "it was always real those were just practice . But then I realised that you don't need me making a scene for the real thing.." she admitted to him, unashamed .

"Plus I already knew your answer." She arrogantly added as an after thought .

Making him snort out another laugh, pinching her side till she slapped his hand away with a giggle.

"Am I that obvious?" He whined a little, embarrassed by how unsubtle he was about his feelings for her.

He still blushed like a teenager with his first crush whenever she was near . Unable to look away from her when she was doing the most simple of things.

She took his breath away and Mick was convinced that with every day that passed by , she was getting more and more beautiful by the second .

Meanwhile the love of his life was the coolest and most unbothered woman he had ever met . The two of them couldn't have been more different if they tried , yet it worked .

It worked so fucking well. The way that they balanced each other out the love between them never faded , never dimmed.

It only intensified . He hadn't known it was possible to love somebody so much until he had her in his arms , smiling her dimpled smile at him like she could do no wrong.

Cherrie just smiled fondly down at him , gently stroking his cheekbones with her fingertips .

Smiling to herself when she watched goosebumps spread across his skin from her light touch.

"every time I touch you your face goes red. Even after all this time." She informed him as though he didn't already know of that fact , utterly flattered by his reaction to her .

Mick just chuckled and shyly shrugged his shoulders , blowing a raspberry between her breasts to make her laugh again.

Then he rested his chin on her chest and smiled . His eyes tracing over her perfect face . The face that he was going to wake up to for the rest of his life.

Kissing down The soft slope of her nose and the freckles across her cheeks.

The way her eyes were so warm and inviting when she looked at him , her perfect lips quirked in a soft smile that she only ever gave him.

"Because I'm in love you and you make me happy. You're the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course I'm gonna go red." He murmured against her skin. Snuggling Into her body , craving her embrace .

Cherrie just tilted her chin down and kissed him again.

No words needing to be exchanged as he intertwined his fingers with hers so that their engagement rings were pressed against each other before he rolled her to be back underneath him again.

All the while wondering to himself how he had managed to get this fucking lucky.

And when his birthday rolled around and he found himself gazing into his girlfriends eyes while he blew out the candles .

He made a wish.

I want our love to last forever.

Then he blew out the candles and kissed her to the sound of their friends cheering.

The both of them laughing breathlessly against each other's lips as she whispered that she loved him over and over again.

Mick promised to himself that he would make sure that his wish came true .

She was his life. His soul and his Heart, he was never going to let their love go to waste.

The kind of love they had was rare , one that came around only once in a blue moon.

And he was going to treasure it like he treasured her.

Forever.

#mick Schumacher imagine #mick Schumacher x reader #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula one imagine

[artiststarme]

Highway to Hell

Just another fun little story based on a random sentence song title that came to mind. I hope you guys like it and please leave a comment below!

~*~*~*~

Steve was a really bad driver. He knew it, his high school friends knew it, and the police knew it. He didn’t mean it in a technical way, he was perfectly capable of driving a car and not crashing it. Admittedly, he was reckless and he found driving laws to be more of a suggestion than a rule. Steve had his reasons though. 

There was very little to do in Hawkins for any sort of entertainment. One could only go to the arcade or go swimming at the lake so many times before it became boring just like everything else in the town. When the excitement surrounding fun activities wore out, Steve turned to racing down empty country roads and skidding down the highway to feel a thrill. 

And he liked it. The feeling of the wind tearing through the open windows, the exhilaration at the threat of danger, and the delight that came with gaslighting the cops that pulled him over. There was nothing better. 

All of that changed when the kids started hanging around though. Steve couldn’t race down the 25 mph roads at 70. He had to slow down and protect his precious cargo. As such, the only people that didn’t realize he was a notoriously bad driver were the kids and Robin. They considered him the safest driver they’d ever been around. He followed the speed limit to a T, didn’t have road rage like their parents, and always stopped at stop signs. What more could they ask for?

It lasted for a while, his good driving habits, enough that Hopper, Powell, and Callahan all took a sigh of relief. Not having to worry about Steve Harrington doing his darndest to wrap himself around a tree allowed them to let their guard down. Granted, it coincided with strange happenings, disappearances, and murders, but still, it was one less thing on their plate.  

When he started hanging out with Eddie after the events of Spring Break, Steve relaxed a little bit. He didn’t have to be so stringent with his driving and could start letting loose again. So he did. Whenever he was alone or driving somewhere with Eddie, he’d speed like a bat out of hell, ignore the recommended stop signs, take turns too fast, everything he shouldn’t do. 

Hopper was the one who pulled him over first after he illegally passed the police cruiser going 60 mph in a 45. 

“Harrington, what the hell? I thought you were done with this shit,” Hopper grumbled. His face was exasperated which made sense since his pseudo-son was being a little shit again. 

Steve just sent him a chagrined smile, “I’m sorry Hop, I didn’t mean to speed. I’m rushing Eddie back to the trailer because he’s feeling sick and I don’t want him throwing up in my car. I love the guy but not enough to deal with vomit, you know?”

Hopper just shook his head at him and waved him off. “Next time I catch you speeding, you’re getting a ticket. Go the speed limit, Steve.”

“Of course you won’t catch me again, Hop! I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow. Bye!” He called as Hopper walked back to the cruiser. He looked at Eddie in the passenger seat to face a deranged glare. “What’s up with you?”

“Me?!” Eddie shrieked. “You’re the one speeding like you have a death wish then blaming it on me to my future father-in-law! You’re not winning me any points here, Steve!”

“Wow hey, Hop likes you just fine. Also, future father-in-law? Let’s go back to that, as far as I know, you haven’t even proposed!”

“Gay marriage is illegal! Otherwise I would’ve-”

~*~*~*~

The next time they got pulled over, Steve blew through a stop sign. That one, admittedly, was his fault. He’d been too distracted with Eddie’s hand rubbing his thigh that he’d driven right through it. Luckily though, it was late and no one was out and about. Besides the police cruiser that was parked out of sight in the dark. 

As soon as Powell saw it was him, he told him to keep his eyes on the road and walked back to his car. He’d dealt a lot with Steve Harrington and he wasn’t willing to put up with the headache at 2 AM on a Tuesday. He’d get him next time, he was sure. 

~*~*~*~

Steve had a tactic for dealing with Callahan. His big brother could be a bit of a dumbass and as long as you muddied the situation enough, he would drop the lecture and ticket out of confused rage alone. It had worked with him every single time thus far and it wouldn’t fail him now. 

So, when he and Eddie got pulled over for speeding down an empty country road, Steve mustered up his bitchiest face. As soon as Phil walked up to the window, he started his act. 

“Phil, what the hell? Why are you pulling me over? I’m just trying to get home after a long day.”

“You were going 30 mph over the speed limit which is considered reckless driving. I should write you a ticket right now,” Callahan spoke with an air of cocky arrogance that was sure to fade. 

“Who says I was speeding? You were the one that had to speed to catch up to me. Why were you driving so quickly? Some might say that’s reckless.” The smile dropped off of Phil’s face immediately and he became defensive. 

“I’m a police officer, I’m allowed to speed.”

“Ohhh, so you think you’re above the law because you have a badge?” Steve raised an eyebrow and could only watch in delight as Phil’s face became more and more red.

“That’s not what I sai-”

“That’s awful, Phil. What would mom say right now? Or worse, what would Hopper say about his deputy mistreating the badge?”

Phil just looked at him in shock before he blinked. “How the hell do you do this every time? Do you know how many times you’ve tried to trick me when I’ve pulled you over?”

“Phil, that doesn’t sound like me at all. Why are you really pulling me over today? Are you trying to pull the annoying big brother card? Is this a prank?”

“You know it's not a prank, you were speeding!” He yelled at him.

“You were speeding!” Steve screamed back, pointing a finger at him accusingly. 

“Jesus Christ, just go home and stop fucking speeding! Fuck Steve, every time!” Phil screamed in fury before stomping back to his cruiser. 

Steve merely rolled up the window and turned his head to look at Eddie. He was once again shocked with his mouth gaping open. 

“Oh yeah, did I tell you that Phil’s my brother? Small world, huh?”

~*~*~*~

Of course no one in the Party believed Eddie when he told them that Steve drove like a maniac on crack. Every single person he told just shrugged it off and it was driving him insane. He even tried to convince Hopper to talk to the kids but he refused to get in the middle or risk fighting with his kid. 

To this day, the Party still doesn’t believe Eddie when he says that Steve is a reckless driver (and it’s infuriating because Steve smirks arrogantly anytime it comes up).

Bonus: Eddie knows Steve before the Upside Down because he almost hit him with his car when Eddie was walking home one day (Steve gave him a ride after but the damage was done)

That’s how he knew he could handle driving the RV and why he decided to throw him the reins. 

Permanent Tag List: @doubleb11 @nburkhardt @zerokrox-blog @newtstabber @i-less-than-three-you @carlyv @pyrohonk @straight4joekeery @ksherlock15 @conversesweetheart @estrellami-1 @suddenlyinlove @yikes-a-bee @swimmingbirdrunningrock @perseus-notjackson @anaibis @merricatty @maya-custodios-dionach @grtwdsmwhr @manda-panda-monium @lumoschild @goodolefashionedloverboi @mentallyundone @awkwardgravity1 @anzelsilver @jestyzesty @gregre369 @mysticcrownshipper @disasterlia @lillys-weird-world @messrs-weasley @gay-stranger-things @pnk-lemonades @coolestjoy30 @strangerthingfanfic @dangdirtydemons @bookworm0690

#Yes he crashed the Toddfather but that doesn’t count #Hopper finds out that no one has ever given the manipulative little bastard a ticket before and pins Steve with one the next time he catche #Callahan reads him the riot act because it was a ‘targeted ticketing’ that his brother didn’t deserve #stranger things #steddie #fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #chief jim hopper #phil callahan #officer callahan #officer powell

[pinksturniolo]

Robbers - A Chris Sturniolo One Shot (AU) Preview

Chris Sturniolo x Fem Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend Chris Sturniolo is a part of The Disciples, one of the most notorious Portuguese gangs in Boston. For the past year and a half, you’ve witnessed him take part in the most dangerous crimes. But what happens when one day, you're forced to participate with him? You know it’s extremely toxic and goes against all your morals. Despite that, you just can’t help the way you love him, the way you would do anything for him. Even rob a gas station.

Content Warnings: smut, raw penetration, fingering, oral receiving/giving, themes of criminal activity and violence, mentions of shooting, guns, and blood. descriptions of gunshot wounds, gun play, drugs and drug use, smoking, use of alcohol, murder, robbery, toxic relationship

a/n: I do not condone any actions in this story or promote gun violence. I do not intend in any way shape or form to offend anyone. This is one is a little dark and has a lot of mature themes as well as a gun kink, which can be uncomfortable for people. Please only read what you can handle. <3

Watch this music video before reading, just trust me: The 1975 - Robbers (Official Video) (Explicit) (youtube.com)

Bam!

The sound of the gunshot rang out, making you lose your ability to hear for the next few seconds as you watched Chris go down, clutching his stomach in pain. Blood started to spill out on his hands, staining his shirt a crimson color. The gas station clerk was as shocked as you were, standing there frozen, gun still pointed.

You don’t know how or why, but you just knew you both wouldn’t get out alive from this if you didn’t do something.

So you shot back, aiming for his shoulder. It hit him right where you intended as he doubled over immediately, screaming in pain.

You grab Chris who was still on the floor, helping him stand up. “Baby, come on. Please, we have to go now.” You plead. He grabs onto you, able to stand as you lead him out of the store.

He’s moving as fast as he possibly can, one arm around your shoulder, his other hand covering his wound. You see the van pull up on the other side of the street, your heart beating out of your chest.

You’re trying not to panic, looking up and down the street for any signs of police. There was hardly anyone out. Chris almost falls, shouting out in pain. “Fuck!” He yells and you stop him from falling.

You can barely hold him up, but you use all your strength to make it the last few steps to the van.

“I know baby, I’m so sorry. We’re almost there, Chris, just a few more feet. You can do it.” You say, and he’s shaking, still gripping onto you for dear life. You finally make it to the van, the door sliding open, Tommy helping you both in before he quickly shuts it and then hops back into the driver seat, taking off down the street.

“Holy shit, what the fuck happened in there?!” he says, looking at both of you with wide eyes.

“Shut the fuck up. I need to stop him from bleeding out. I’ll tell you later.” You snap, taking off your hoodie and wrapping it around Chris’s torso. You apply pressure, glancing at him.

He’s pale, breathing rapidly and panic in his eyes as he looks at you. You grab his face with your other hand, brushing his hair back. “It’s okay baby. Don’t worry. We’ll get back to the house soon and get you bandaged up, okay?” You reassure him, trying to keep yourself from crying.

He nods his head, grabbing your hand tightly as he winces in pain.

What the fuck did you just get yourself into?

side note: should I actually post this, yes or no? it’s a little crazy but I feel like it’s a good concept, im not sure if anyone has written something similar. Or is it too much? lmk please. you can leave anon msg if you want.

#chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #sturniolo smut #sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo fanfic #chris sturniolo oneshot #chris sturniolo smut

[cocained]

crime plots part 3: (part one | part two)

tw: drugs, guns, mention of murder, etc.

two people who are drug dealers, but together! they run a successful business and besides being colleagues, they are also highly in love with each another.

a group plot kinda based on baby driver where a bunch of criminals are brought together for robberies, or anything really, and splitting the money in the end. they all know each other because they worked together before or just met somewhere down the line and they all have different talents and connections (friendships, love, exes or rivals). the team usually changes depending on the job, but the boss think this particular team works well so it becomes a consistent. they work different together on cases, things go wrong and sometimes it goes really well. this can go many ways! hook-ups, break-ups, arguments, saving each other’s lives, almost getting caught, etc!

a world infamous hacker is known for their ways that are impossible to crack. their activities could vary from hacking notorious businesses to darker stuff like having their own cyber criminal organization or working with the most dangerous people in the world. either way no one knows who they truly are, until the hacker gets hacked and receives voice/video calls or even a package or a visit to their house! from there on things could go either way: working together, threatening to expose one another, wanting to learn from one another... bonus: after a while they fall in love but it’s long distance so what they do is they hack into each other’s phones and toy with each others lives bc they have no idea what privacy is and omg imagine the angst!

i’m a gangleader and you’re a rookie trying to prove themselves and i have a soft spot for you because you’re cute, so i help you out. i teach you things and bring you along to places just so i can have your back. and people in the gang start talking shit, but i get highly defensive and if anyone else tries to make a move on you i might lose it. plot twist: i get injured and you’re taking care of me.

we’re both part of a different crime family and to settle the decade old war we are forced to marry each other. but we spent our entire life hating each other because people that we cared got killed because of this war and for years i was under protection so i could never do what i wanted because of you. now muse a is a little bit scared of muse b bc they’re just normal and muse b is a lot more involved in the industry, killed people and god knows what. muse a also had to break up with their previous partner because of the arranged marriage. and let’s be real, this was never meant to last and at some point they’re starting to cheat on each other and that’s when the possessiveness begins and arguments turn into them slowly starting to care about each other.

i’m a stripper/prostitute working for you and honestly i don’t love doing this, but i need the money and it’s the only way to get close to you and i’m honestly breaking my own heart having to see you with other entertainers bc let’s be real, you barely know i exist

i work in the emergency room and you keep coming in with bullet/stab wounds and crazy stories about how you got them and i don’t believe you so i confront you one on one and tell you what i think is really going on here, you’re a criminal aren’t you?

someone close to me got killed and in order to find answers i dive into their world, only to find out they live a double life full of crime. no one knows i’m going undercover as an innocent rookie and i try to get close to the people involved to get answers. of course, i meet a love interest that either i get along with from the start and helps me with adjusting into this new life or it’s like an enemies to lovers sorta thing. only to realize after a while that it’s too late to go back to normal and now i’m the one that’s living the double life and as though that’s not enough, the answers i’ve been looking for are not what i expected them to be...

muse a is a detective in a murder investigation, they always give it their all, but this time they’re told to do so by all means necessary. a murder of someone ‘important’ or maybe an expected serial killer! muse b is an inmate charged with murder and they’re highly intelligent, very cooperative and their murder is just very similar to the one that just occurred. hence the reason muse b is asked to become the criminal consultant for a reduced sentence, helping muse a with their investigation because who can think like a criminal better than a criminal? optional: muse b is sending help from the outside world to help with the investigation there too (and protect the detective!)

i’m rich as shit and when they say you don’t become this rich by being an good person — they’re right. a lot of it is drug money (or something else?) and it’s a secret i’m planning on bringing to my grave until one day my house keeper/pool boy/gardener/??? overhears one of my phone calls and instead of them taking the hush money to keep this between us, they want to go on a date.

#indie rp #independent rp #⟨ ♦ | desired plots ⟩

[apomaro-mellow]

Steddie Nature Doc 1

When asked why he was suddenly carrying a camera everywhere, Dustin simply answered that having record of their daily life seemed prudent, considering how much weird shit they saw. Looking back on the tapes would remind them they indeed had normal lives. Or he’d actually catch some of the stuff they do for proof. It was getting a little annoying saving the world and not getting any credit honestly.

And Dustin did record mundane things as well, getting a few tips from Jonathan. It was why, right now he was recording the dash while Eddie drove him to Steve and Robin’s new job at the arcade.

“If that one fucker is there, I’m gonna lose it.” Eddie’s voice came from the side, in the driver’s seat.

“You mean Jake?” , Dustin asked.

Eddie practically hissed at his name.

“Do you hate him because he’s in a slightly different counter-culture than you? Or because Steve likes him?”

“Steve doesn’t like him!”, Eddie said a little too quickly.

“He said his hair is cool.”

“....Shit.”

Dustin didn’t think Eddie had anything to worry about when it came to Steve. But it was entertaining to see him squirm after all those times he rolled his eyes whenever Dustin would talk about how cool Steve was. Now Eddie was penning lyrics to wax poetic about his boyfriend’s eyes and worrying if Steve thought he was cool. How the tables have turned.

They entered the arcade and Steve was behind the ticket counter. And Jake was in front of it. Dustin made his way over to Will and Lucas, who were finishing up a game of air hockey.

“Even a mated pair can find trouble in paradise in the form of a rival”, Dustin narrated as he shot the older teens. Steve was having a casual conversation with a guy who wore his hair in a mohawk.

“This particular rival has impressive plumage. An attractive attribute, as it implies a regular hair care regimen. Something creatures like Steve value.”

Eddie was watching with jealousy in his gut. Still, he noticed the way Steve lit up when he saw him. How his hands twitched to reach out to him before remembering where they were. Eddie leaned against the counter, fighting the urge to hip check Jake who just never seemed to get the hint.

“I thought this counter was for tickets, not attention”, he teased to the punk that had been a thorn in his side for weeks.

Dustin grinned from behind the camera. “A smile is usually meant to disarm. But in this instance, Eddie is baring his teeth. A challenge. His species and Jake’s are notorious enemies, often fighting for niche space in environments as small as Hawkins. Who will Steve choose?”

“I’m just here for a prize”, Jake said to Eddie before giving Steve a wink. He slid his small amount of tickets over and picked out a little prize.

“Better luck next time”, Steve said.

“I’m counting on it.”

From the viewfinder, it looked like Eddie literally wanted to bite his head off, even as he walked away Eddie glared.

“The competitor retreats for now. But he is undeterred.”

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

"Maybe if you lick him, Jake’ll get the hint”, Dustin said derisively.

Eddie didn’t look away from them. They’d come to the park to meet up with some of the others before going to the baseball field. Both he and Dustin sat atop a picnic table. Meanwhile, Steve was talking to Jake. Why a punk was just strolling around the park, Eddie had no idea. But Jake had seen the bat and just started chatting Steve up and now Eddie was left simmering.

“I’m not gonna lick him. I’m not a child.” Still, some kind of brand on Steve would be nice. But hickeys went away and no one would be able to tell it was his without knowing they were involved already. The cold February breeze came through and Eddie got an idea. Dustin was already turning his camera on as the other hopped off the table and walked off.

“It appears that Eddie is finally about to stake his claim.”

Eddie looked as casual as ever while he sauntered up. The only thing betraying how he felt about Jake was his tight smile. He put a hand on Steve’s shoulder but really he wanted to run it down his back.

“Wait, is he...? Unbelievable”, Dustin said as the scene unfolded. Eddie shrugged off his leather jacket and put it across Steve’s shoulders. “In no uncertain terms, Eddie has officially marked Steve, signaling to his punk enemy that he is not available.”

Dustin zoomed in to catch Jake’s expression, eyes looking back and forth between Steve and Eddie before recognition set in. And then he left. Dustin deftly set the camera down as his friends turned towards him and walked back.

“Still a heart breaker, huh Steve?”, Dustin grinned.

“What’re you talking about?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Forget it, Dustin. This guy can’t tell someone’s flirting with him until they write him an entire song.”

“Pretty rich for a guy I asked to help with my pipes and thought I meant actual plumbing.”

“You guys are both idiots”, Dustin said. “That’s why you’re perfect for each other.” And he had the video to prove it.

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

Once again, Dustin was spying through a crack in a doorway. “Grooming is a common way to show affection for one another”, he whispered. Through the crack, it was clear that Eddie was sitting on the bed, Steve behind him, brushing through the long curls.

“A ritual that is both intimate and occasionally a prelude for-” Dustin stopped when they started kissing and Eddie pushed Steve onto the bed and that was his cue to get out.

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

“What sort of stuff do you get on camera anyway?”, Steve asked one day.

“A lot of things”, Dustin said cryptically. 

“Liiiiike what? Do you film your campaigns or something? Or do you just record random stuff and send it to your girlfriend?”

Dustin had in fact sent a tape to Suzie once. “I get some DnD stuff. Some friend stuff.”

“Do you ever record Eddie?”

“Yyyyyes.” Dustin wondered where this conversation was going.

“Would you happen to know his stance on Valentine’s Day?”

“If I give you a hint, what do I get?”

Steve rolled his eyes. He didn’t know where Dustin got it from. “Free rides for a month.”

“I’ve never paid you.”

“I mean I won’t complain for the whole month.”

“Free rides and 50 free tokens.”

“Rides for two weeks and 10 free tokens.”

“Rides, 20 free tokens, and I’ll show you exclusive footage of Eddie.”

Steve was enticed by that and it was clear on his face. What could be on that camera. He held out his hand to Dustin. “Deal.”

They shook on it.

“He’s thinking of getting you a ring.”

“A WEDDING RING?!?”

“Keep your head on, Jeeesus”, Dustin groaned. “You’ve been together barely two months. Not even Eddie is that fast. Like one of his rings. He thinks you like ‘em.”

Steve bit his lip. He did like those rings. And those fingers. And those hands. And th- ”Okay. I can plan for that.”

When February 14th came, Steve found that Dustin hadn’t been entirely truthful. Eddie did give him a ring. He did it right as a gig ended. After singing a song about an unstoppable warrior. Eddie tossed the ring right at him in the audience. Steve’s eyes never broke from Eddie’s as he kissed it.

And Dustin got the whole thing on camera.

Part 3 FINAL

@henderdads

#apo writes #stranger things #fanfiction #steddie #dustin henderson #im thinkin of possibly one more part #that's just dustin chronicling their wedding day #leading up to the reveal of this video

[oneforthemunny]

I should be asleep right now but I thought of this dialogue for an argument between NB and RS Ed and had to share it, I hope that’s OK 🙃

“Out there, you’re outrageous Eddie Munson. Notorious EX-Groupie Fucker and professional fool. In here your Ed, husband and father so don’t pull that shit with me. I don’t care if you played to 10,000 or 100,000 people last night. Get. Over. Yourself. Make yourself useful and go change your daughters diaper”

I imagine him having a huff about something like Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street when Margot Robbie throws the water in his face. Maybe he went a-bit too hard with the guys the night before after a local show and came home fucked up, waking the girls up and causing chaos at 3am.

omg. please always share the dialogue bc this is so good.

he went out in the afternoon, was out all night, stumbled home and almost woke up the twins in their cribs and the other girls bc he was so shit faced.

you were livid beyond belief. eddie had a few bumps in the road but mostly when the girls came along he sobered up. too scared of fucking them up and being like his own dad.

you knew he’d drank, you could smell it, and by the crusted blood around his nose he’d snorted something.

the baby monitor shrilled and he laid unmoving. you stood at the door of the bed, watching him, jaw clenched in pure rage. “get up.” you barked, yanking the covers off him.

he groaned, low and miserable, muttering. “get the fuck up.”

“what the hell-“

“-no, don’t you dare.” you snap, lifting a finger at him. “go say bye to the girls. we’re leaving.”

eddie’s blinking awake, confused and a little jostled. you glare at him so furious so careless and he knew how that made you feel. being so drunk he was incoherent and around the girls?? he knew that was a sensitive spot for you, reminding you of your own childhood.

“baby, wait. let me explain-“

“- I don’t want your explanation. I don’t want shit from you right now but to get out of my house.” you snapped. “you have ten minutes and I’m taking the girls to farrah’s for the weekend so you better go.”

you don’t give him a chance, turning on your heel. eddie is sick, and not just from the hangover. he feels guilty enough to cry, hugging the girls tightly and whispering that they’ll have the best girls weekend with auntie farrah. they’re too excited, too young to know why they’re really going. he looks at you, all sad eyes and downturned lips. he tries to kiss you, but you turn walking to the driver’s side.

“you better remember who you are now, munson. not who you used to be. you’re a different man and you better act like it.”

then you’re gone. gone with his babies. furious and hurt, and he’s miserable, racked with guilt and regret.

eddie starts going back to his therapist after that, back to his meetings, back on track. even if it was just one night… he wants to keep it that way.

he doesn’t show up, miraculously. he knows that would make you even more furious. he calls the girls at night to hear about their day and tries not to sob when you refuse his calls. he sends you a bouquet to the house, big and over the top, a letter that’s four pages long of ramblings and regrets, his heart poured out on every line.

#oneforthemunny #munnytalks #rockstar!eddie munson

[darkkryptonian]

Summary: The reader is a notorious assassin and demands to go on a date with Natasha in exchange for intel. She agrees and well, stuff happens.

A/N: Well, this is not the stupid shit I always write. It's just a bit better. I guess I don't know. Well, you tell me.

Also, I would love to hear your ideas if you have any. So, keep me posted on those as well. The secret codeword is, Please Daddy. I am kidding.

T/W: Ambiguous mention of suicide

_____________________________________________

To say she was enamored by your presence will be the understatement of the century. You were an enigma walking through the Avengers compound. You were also one of the most notorious assassins known. Besides her, of course.

She had different expectations when she saw you. Your age is what stumped her. She imagined a little, even scared, 23-year-old kid. 

You were anything but scared. You walked across the room confidently in those handcuffs and even winked at Wanda which now she noticed flushed furiously when you did.

She shook her head with disdain before asking Captain America to give her a chance to interrogate you. She stepped into the cell you were kept in.

“I do not enjoy wasting time during these. I just need information on American Bureaucrats who were part of the operation you were running. The sooner you give out the names, the better it will be for you.”

You smiled, looking at the redhead in front of you.

“I do not enjoy wasting time either. But, you, Black Widow, might just make it worth it. If I give you the required information, what do I get in return?”

She smirked back and there was a staring match for a moment before she looked down into your file.

“How about I let you live?”

“Offering me something I do not desire? Pass.”

She looked at you with surprise in her eyes, but your smile was still the same. She cleared her throat.

“What do you want?”

“One evening. With you.”

She laughed at the request. She laughed audibly and looked up. Checking for any dishonesty in your request. But, there was not. You were serious.

“Why?”

She asked and you didn't need any context to understand what she meant to say.

“You are the one I desire the most, Black Widow.”

You pointedly looked at her and you could see her mask breaking a bit before it was back in place.

“One evening? And you give me the names?”

“All of them. But, there is one condition.”

She looked at you, permitting you to continue with her eyes.

“No work talk. I will give you the names as soon as our date ends. But, till then, I want you to be with me as Natasha Romanoff.”

She nodded knowing you had the upper hand in the situation and your smile widened just a bit as she agreed.

_____________________________________ 

“Do you know how hard it was to catch them, Nat? No, we are not letting them go.”

Steve was furious at the fact that she said yes to your demands.

“It is the only way.”

“There are other ways. So many other ways. Don't you usually use intimidation tactics? You made that dude cry the other day just by looking at him. What happened to that?”

“They are trained by one of the most notorious criminal syndicates in the world. Intimidation wouldn't accomplish anything with them. We need to play by their rules if we need the information. It is the only way.”

He knew better than to try talking to her about anything after that.

_____________________________________ 

On the day of the date, you appeared wearing a beautiful Black suit paired with similar color tones throughout. She looked at you when she stepped out of the compound and was surprised to see you in that outfit.

“Where did you-?”

“Trade secrets.”

You said and offered your hand. She looked at it for a bit before rejecting and you motioned towards the car that was provided by the Avengers. 

You knew they were tracking your every move. But, all you cared about was the woman with you.

You opened the door for her and then got into the car yourself. Natasha instructed the driver to drive to the designated place.

“So, Ms. Romanoff, other than arresting and interrogating people, what are your hobbies?”

You broke the silence in the car and she looked up.

“I enjoy reading, sometimes.”

“Ah, Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”

“The Fault in Our Stars.”

“Indeed. I do not possess the prowess to create something that profound. Turns out, it doesn't matter if you ask for it time and again. It has to come from within you.”

She smiles and looks at you.

“That was extremely profound.”

“Emotions tend to be profound when put in the right words. Yet who is to decide what is right and what is wrong?”

“Killing people for money is wrong.”

“You should know better than anyone else it was not for money. It was never for money. I only killed the people who deserved to be killed. Granted, I took money from the people who also deserve the same fate. But, never was an innocent on the other end of my gun.”

She sighed and looked down.

“Is that what you tell yourself? To sleep at night? To find peace?”

“What do you tell yourself?”

The retaliation was sudden and Natasha was drawn in deep thought. She looked up after a minute and had a few unshed tears in her eyes.

“I believe you cannot afford the luxury of sleep either.”

_____________________________________ 

The rest of the car ride was silent and despite your previous conversation, it was still comfortable.

The car came to a halt and before Natasha could open her door, you stopped her, holding her wrist.

“Let me, please.”

She looked at you and placed her hand back in her lap. There was a clear smile on your face now and you walked towards her door. You opened the door for her and offered her a hand.

She hesitated a bit before sliding her fingers into your palm and you grazed them with your thumb slightly. She stood next to you as your driver drove the car away and you both entered the very high-end restaurant.

“I have heard it is extremely hard to get into this place.”

She said as you entered and were escorted to your seats by the concierge.

“Well, when you do enough dirty work for rich assholes, it's not that hard.”

For the first time this evening, she has a semblance of a smile on her lips and you count it as a win. You motion the restaurant staff behind her to move away and pull her chair out yourself.

“The place seems quiet today.”

She notices the lack of customers in the restaurant as you are taking a seat opposite her.

“I may have booked the whole place.”

You say casually and her eyes widen in surprise.

“Whole place?”

“I wanted to be away from the scrutinizing stares of people for an evening.”

“I thought no one knew the way you looked.”

“I wasn't talking about me, Black Widow.”

You say and smile at her. She had always come to expect a twinge of bitterness along with that name. But your tone was nothing but pleasant and teasing and she let herself soften a bit.

The rest of the meal was spent conversing. You held your hand out for her as soon as you were finished with the dessert and escorted her to the open area nearby.

The restaurant was situated near the beach and you could see the waves lit up by the moon crashing against the shore and taking a little something with every turn.

“When I was a kid, I had the greatest fascination with the ocean.”

You said, leaning on the metal ledge that separated you from the sea.

“Seems like you still do.”

“I just knew it would accept me.”

“Accept?”

“I have never belonged, Natasha, and I know with all the things that I have done, I do not deserve it. But, I still believe if one day I had to walk into the ocean, it would accept me.”

Your eyes were still on the ocean but for some reason, Natasha couldn't take hers off of you. She saw a small tear escape the corner of your eye and wiped it with her thumb before she could stop herself.

“I think you will find a place you belong. Soon.”

She said confidently and you finally looked at her, hoping to find pity or even disgust. But all you could see was genuine confidence in her words.

All you could think was she was even more beautiful in person. You caressed her cheek with your thumb and slowly leaned down. She closed her eyes and traveled the remaining distance to place her lips on yours.

For the first time in your life, you felt so much with just one kiss. You refrained from drinking, but you knew this is what it may feel like to be intoxicated. You pulled the redhead closer by her waist and deepened the kiss.

After a few minutes, both of you pulled away for a breath and all you could do was stare at the assassin in front of you.

“I can't.”

She said and tried to pull away. But you stopped her by her wrist and pulled her in again. Now you were holding her waist from behind and your grip on her strengthened.

“Why not?”

She couldn't answer. As soon as you bit her earlobe, she hissed, and a shiver went down her spine.

“I want you, Natasha.”

You said and she turned around in your arms.

“We should go back. I need that information.”

You looked down at the clear dismissal and your grip on her loosened.

“Sure.”

You said and started walking towards the exit of the restaurant. She followed you and your car was right there. You opened the door for her again and realized that she had goosebumps on her arms. You promptly slid your jacket off and put it on her shoulders before getting in the car yourself.

“Thank you.”

You said a few minutes after the car started.

“For indulging me, I mean. I had a great time.”

She interlaced your fingers above the center console of the car and looked at you.

“So did I.”

You handed her a thumb drive as soon as you reached the Avengers compound.

“All the information about every person who has ever hired me.”

She nodded at you thankfully before Captain America escorted you to your cell block. You smiled at her as you were leaving and she responded with a soft smile of her own.

_____________________________________ 

Tony was ecstatic at the names that popped up on the list given by you.

“This is fantastic! We can hold all of these bastards accountable now.”

Natasha was still lost in your thoughts though. She skimmed through the names once and left Tony and Bruce to tinker in the lab.

As soon as she exited, she was drawn towards your cell. She walked towards you and looked inside to see you were reading a book.

“What are you reading?”

She asked and you looked surprised.

“I thought I was never going to see you again.”

You said closing the book and placing it by you. It was “On Earth, we're Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong.

“When does a war end? When can I say your name and have it mean only your name and not what you left behind?”

She recited a quote from the book and you smiled.

“My name can mean whatever you wish for it to mean, Natasha.”

You assured her and she used her fingerprint to open the cell. She knew it was a risk. She knew your hazel eyes were drawing her in since the moment they had met hers. But, she couldn't resist you anymore. She couldn't think of anything else until she had you and that is what she did. She opened the cell door and stepped in.

It was locked as soon as she got in and she looked at you with hunger in her eyes.

“I want you to help me forget.”

She said and you nodded as you stood right in front of her. Sometime between your date and now, she had kicked off her heels and your height difference was even more apparent now.

You leaned down again, capturing her lips. It felt like you could breathe again like you had found a place where you belonged. She got closer to you and you pulled her onto the small bed in the corner.

You pulled off your hoodie and she gently caressed your toned abs. You held her wrist and pinned it over her head, accompanied by another, and kissed her again.

This time it was harder and more passionate. She held onto you by your neck and almost whined when you pulled away from the kiss.

You smirked and started kissing and biting down her neck. You felt as if a primal desire to make this powerful woman yours had consumed you. So, you ripped her dress off and threw it in some corner.

You knew your display of strength had aroused her as you could see a clear wet patch on her red panties now.

You pulled them off and kissed the middle of her thighs before placing a very soft kiss on her hooded clit.

You went up and held her throat to bring her closer to you.

“I want to taste you. May I?”

You asked and she nodded enthusiastically. You placed her head back on the pillow before traveling down, placing kisses on her boobs, and her stomach.

You looked at her, and she was looking at you in anticipation. You softly pulled the skin that hid her pleasure center from you and revealed her clit. You softly took it in your mouth and started suctioning it.

Natasha arched her back, but you grounded her by placing a firm hand on her pubic bone. You kept on eating her out till she came and you inserted two of your fingers into her to help her ride it.

She hissed at the sudden intrusion. But was pleasantly surprised when you started kissing her while you pumped your fingers in and out of her.

“Fuck me, please.”

She pleaded and you increased your speed. You added one more finger and she arched her back. You kept on pumping in and out of her till she came again and again.

She was on her fourth orgasm for the night when she held your wrist and stopped your movement.

“Too sensitive.”

She muttered. 

“Just one more.”

You replied and took off her bra and started kissing her boobs. Your fingers were now hurting her and you could see it. You needed to be done sooner, so you started playing with her clit and pumping in and out of her.

In a few moments, she came undone with profanities, and you finally stopped all your moments, spooning her from behind, keeping your fingers in her, knowing it will hurt her if you removed them right away.

She pushed herself into you and whined when the moment moved you in her.

“Shh, baby. I got you, I got you. Sleep.”

You muttered in her ears as your other hand held onto her boob and in a few moments, her breath was evened out. You also felt safer with her by your side and started dozing off.

She was in for a lifetime of teasing for fucking and possibly dating the most notorious assassin known to mankind. But, for today, it was all worth it.

#bottom natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha x you #top reader #the avengers #natasha romanov #fanfiction #Well #they fuck #And they talk

[theweirderstuffblogdontlook]

Got two fanfics below the readmore, and a closing comic strip at the end of the fanfic showing what happens afterwards. So make sure to at least scroll to the bottom!

Sitting at the bar, a gay bar mostly frequented by lesbians which they had visited without incident a few times prior, Caprica alternated between sipping a drink, looking at her phone, and keeping an eye on Bob. Bob being currently disguised as Barbra, her "girlfriend" and former truck driver from out of town who’s been recovering from a car accident at her house.

It seemed everything was going pretty well. Bob's done a good job not being too suspicious and not breaking character, so she's been exploiting the bar over the past couple of days to keep Bob busy, and give herself a break from having the undivided attention of her obsessive stalker.

Though the unfortunate (in her opinion) trade off of being in a public location, is that sometimes people other than Bob will also take the initiative to bother her.

Case in point, as a lady sat in a barstool beside her, gesturing to get her attention and get Caprica to lean in a bit closer.

Saying in a bit of a hushed tone

"Hey, sorry to bother ya honey, but I figured I'd ask you instead. But Barbara's a Trans woman right?"

Oh… guess they clocked Bob. Still, that's a lot better than assuming he's a notorious criminal hiding out in disguise. 

She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Uhhhhh…. Yeah. She… uhhh, she'd rather not talk about it."

"Yeah I understand. Just figured I'd ask since we've got a support group coming up, in case she wants to participate. You can let her know just in case I don't get the chance to talk with her privately for a minute."

"No, it's probably best if I let her know myself, so she won't… uhhh… I'll let her know."

"Alright, just get back to me if Barb is interested or not. No pressure though if she isn comfortable bringing it up."

"Yeah, we'll let you know."

And she got up and left to go mingle, leaving Caprica alone with her thoughts.

Damn, she should probably get ahead of this before Bob does anything too suspicious.

Sometime later, she and Bob sat in the big truck that used to belong to her grandfather, getting ready to go home, though she got Bob to pause for a bit for a chat. 

"So there might be something we should go over in regards to your Barbra disguise. So just in case someone asks, let's go over what transgender means, and a few other relevant terms you should know."

"Well alright. If ya think it'll help."

(One explanation later…..)

"Alright, now say it back to me. Someone asks if you're a Trans woman, what do you think that means?"

Bob, with a bit of excitement in his tone, replies

"It means I'm a lady who hasn't chopped off her dick yet!"

"...."

"...."

"You know what, we'll work on that."

And they head home.

Another day, another time, but the same place, Caprica and Bob (disguised as Barbra) are sitting together at a table at the lesbian bar, sharing a plate of nachos. 

Though Caprica was more eating a small bowl of jalapeño rings that came with the nachos than the nachos themselves.

And Bob was more enjoying teasing and flirting with his grumpy unsociable girlfriend than snacking.

Until they are rudely interrupted.

Two men, acting tipsy either from alcohol or their own egotistical self satisfaction, sleased over, one of them leaning against the table beside Caprica while the other stood behind her.

"Hey cutie, how'd you like to get with a real man?"

"Yeah, we’d be happy to show what you’re missing, hanging out with a bunch of slutty rug munchers like these."

Without skipping a beat though, and more of reflex than anything, Caprica deadpanned,

"Dude, this is a gay bar…. For gays. Quit flirting with people like me and go suck each other's faces instead."

And reached to take a sip of her drink.

Before her eyes glance over, and notice Bob's hand balled into a tight fist, which shook slightly with rage.

Caprica choked on her drink

OH SHIT RIGHT BOB!!!!!

These guys just… Oh shit. Right in front of Bob.

Trying not to let the nerves show in her voice, she says

"Okay, you…. You guys need to leave…" 

Obviously not successful in putting up a brave front.

And the guys just leaned in a bit closer. Pitching their voices a bit lower to make it harder for any lookie-loos to hear them over the background music.

"Awwww, but we just got here! And somebody's gotta set these dykes straight, might as well be a couple of good Samaritans like us."

"Yeah, we'd be happy to show you chick's what dick tastes like."

SHIT what can she do!! These guys are literally digging their own graves! Eyes widening further in fear she glances between the guys and the barely disguised ball of murderous rage that was Bob. 

Probably the only things keeping these two guys alive right now, was one… Bob being a bit of a slow thinker, taking a minute to figure out how exactly he was gonna murder these two. And two, that she makes him leave his knives at home when they go out in disguise so he couldn’t impulse stab as easily.

She makes a snap decision. 

Maybe if she can make a scene first, Bob won't get the opportunity to do something drastic and reveal his identity in public.

She turns to glare at the two men, raising her voice to draw more attention and maybe get someone else to intervene first before any blood gets spilled.

"I am literally here with my fucking girlfriend!"

She says gesturing at Bob.

"Now unless you two assholes want the only thing you're ever known for around town, is that you two are the kind of guys to hit on other people's girlfriends, you'd better walk out those doors and never let anyone here see your faces ever again!"

And good lord, the condescending smugness of these dudes was palpable.

"Hey now, no need to get all hysterical on us."

"Yeah, how are we supposed to know if it's your time of the month or not?"

And the two snicker dumbly, while Capricas eyes dart around. 

Two of the women from the dance floor, who were regulars at the bar, seem to have gotten the hint that something was up and were heading this way.

Though the two guys then continued, clearly trying to cover their ass now that there was a risk of witnesses.

"Hey, if you… two aren't in an uhhhh… open relationship you coulda just let us know and not get all upset over nothing.

"Besides, with how gross, fat, and hairy your girlfriend is, maybe you don't need a guy after all!"

Their condescending laughter peters out with a squeak of Bob's chair as he stands. The two men's courage faltering for a moment as they see his stature dwarfing the both of theirs.

The two women who had been making their way over also pausing at the sight, the anger in Bob's posture being clear even from across the room.

Though he keeps his tone even, and thankfully doesn't drop the feminine affect in his voice (and thus his disguise). And with a slow, controlled movement, he takes off his sunglasses, folds them, and hangs them on the collar of his funny 'my other ride is your mom' novelty shirt.

He then leans over, resting one hand on the table, and staring down the men with his big crazy eyes and deranged grin.

"You boys know what happens when you try hitting on another man's girlfriend right in front of them?"

One of the men puts up his hands in a timid ‘alright, calm down’ sort of gesture. Trying to be sassy as he says, "Hey, no need to HURK!!"

Bob snatched the man by the throat, cutting him off and startling his friend, along with Caprica 

"HEY HEY HEY!!!"

"BARB DON'T!!"

Caprica shot up from her seat, as Bob calmly made his way around the table, gaze hungrily fixed on the choking man clawing at Bob's hand, trying to break the grip around his neck.

Though he's knocked out of his focus as the assholes friend winds up a punch, and clocks Bob in the face with an accompanying shout of,

"LET GO OF HIM YOU BITCH!!!"

Bob staggers at the hit, then stills, and turns his attention to the other man. Who's angry expression falters with fear as Bob meets his gaze.

Caprica scrambles over, trying to get between Bob and the man, but he is able to move past her easily to punch the guy in the gut, and he crumples, wind knocked out of him. 

As Caprica, in a hushed worried tone, pleaded,

"Barb, we're in public Barb, people are watching, Barb. You know the rules, don’t break character."

And Bob, appearing not to listen, grabbed the other man by the collar of his shirt as he wheezed and tried not to fall over. Bob not obliging this man's attempt to stay upright, kicking out one of his legs so he tumbled, and the only thing keeping his head from smacking on the ground, being the shirt collar Bob held. Letting the second man be pulled along like a struggling sack of flour, all while still pulling the first man along by the neck, and starting to walk. Caprica still panicking in a hushed tone as by now the attention of the whole bar was on them, and a number of bystanders got closer to get a better view of the action.

"Come on Barrrb, think about you're doing, if you hurt them we can't come back…."

Bob started dragging the two men towards the front door of the bar, wide manic grin still on his face with each heavy step, and Caprica following along beside him, frantically whispering.

"They'll come and find us at the house, they might figure things out before we even get a real chance to run. Don't do this."

Bob kicks the door open, dragging the two struggling men out with him, letting one of the guys get smacked on the doorframe on the way out, and letting the door swing shut behind him.

Leaving Caprica looking nervously across the audience of mostly lesbians, many of whom were now chatting amongst themselves conspiratorially.

Caprica being too stressed to get a read on how the audience might be feeling about the whole affair and if they’ve turned against her and Bob or not.

But she does take a moment to consider since there weren't any windows to look out of, either on the door or the adjacent wall, maybe if she just stood here she could keep people from going out and witnessing Bob ripping them apart and calling the cops and escalating the whole thing and everyone finding out about Bob and Bob grabbing her before she can run and him getting taken to prison while she’s still stuck inside him and…

There's entirely too many people looking at her, so she goes out the door in a hurry.

She finds Bob standing there calmly, hands in his pockets, looking out across the street. His eyes glance down at her when she asks

"Where are the!!!!"

But she's interrupted as Bob gestures slightly with his head in the direction he'd been looking before, and Caprica can see the two men shambling off, one supporting the other with their arm across his shoulders to keep them steady.

Caprica lets out a huge wheezy breath, bracing against Bob with one hand as she doubles over and says,

"Oh thank fuck."

And Bob looks at her with a sly cheeky grin. 

She takes a few more deep breaths to try and steady herself, Bob saying a teasing

"Y'all right there sweetiepie?"

"I'm just…. Wheeze, shit Bob…. Just…"

"Spooked ya good didn't I?"

She glares at him.

"Don't you go acting like some bastion of self control now you fucking asshole. I know you were barely an inch from ruining everything."

"Yeah, but it's still fun to watch you get mad about it."

Caprica presses her face into her hands and lets out a long annoyed tone to try and get the stress out,

"HHHHHRRRRRrrrrgggggg…. Come on…. We still gotta go back in there and sort this out. You're stable enough right?"

Bob chuckles in response.

And Caprica stands up straight with a clap of her hands and says

"WHELP! Alright it's settled! Let's just leave and never come back, and never speak of this again!"

Bob leans in, wrapping an arm around Caprica's shoulders tenderly and nuzzling against the top of her head while saying apologetically.

"Awww darlin, come on, you'll be okay, they ain't gonna…"

Bob's interrupted as the door beside them opens, it's the bouncer, who was looking thoroughly apologetic, along with someone who normally is working the bar, but from the more authoritative tone, they were probably a more managerial type on top of pouring drinks.

"Are you two alright? From the sound of it, one of them tried to grab Caprica and the other ended up punching you when you tried to stop them."

It not being lost on Bob that the events were already getting spun to make him and Caprica look more innocent and non-confrontational than they had been. Clearly, the community was gonna be much more invested in looking after their own than being sympathetic to a couple of assholes. And Bob was happy to lean into that impulse of theirs. After all, he quite liked it here too, even if it meant agreeing to expand his ‘dont eat the neighbors, that’s too suspicious’ compromise with Caprica to include ‘don’t eat anyone who’s clearly a lesbian. It is not a large community and word travels fast and it’ll be too suspicious’. Taking on a warm tone and shifting back into his feminine Barbra affect, he stands back to his full height, though keeping an arm around Caprica, and responds,

"Yeah, we're alright. Don't-chu worry."

"How about the two men?"

"I gave 'em an earful and let 'em limp off with their tail between their legs. Hopefully we won't be dealin with those two again any time soon."

The manager seems relieved, taking up a bit more confident, even somewhat protective tone as she responds,

"Alright, if they show up again and start getting butthurt about things and trying to twist everything around, we've got a bar full of witnesses to let the authorities know how big of a creep those guys were. And of course, it should go without saying that those guys are banned for life."

The bouncer holds open the door for them, the manager trying to usher them both inside.

"Come on, I'll give you both a free drink, or maybe something to eat to help ya calm down, or heck, both if you want. And let's get you an ice pack for that bruise Barbra."

Though with Caprica being obviously the more nervous of the two, the bulk of the fretting quickly turned to her, giving Bob a moment to fidget with what he had in his pocket.

The source of why Bob was able to do an emotional 180 so quickly, and turn so calm and confident after the insults and the jealous, possessive rage.

Taking them out covertly for a moment to examine.

Two leather wallets. And flipping open the top one, a drivers license can be clearly seen in the transparent pouch, belonging to the man he had threatened to strangle to death.

A drivers license and thus, a name, and an address.

Bob's grin widened with sinister glee, before he stowed the mens wallets away, and followed the group inside.

Then, the following night...

#bob velseb #spooky month #fanfic #comic #art #spooky month bob #inner demon #au

[dominimoonbeam]

Practice Makes Perfect - 7

the college au. from the start on ao3.

haha this fic started off as pure smut but has turned into complicated as hell relationships and emotions...

David/Asher, Milo/Sweetheart, Gavin/Huxley

Practice Makes Perfect - 7

Somewhere between the locker room confession and getting out of the showers, most of the team had decided they all needed breakfast.

Asher tried not to sneak glances at David… or outright stare at him. He’d said he liked him. In front of everyone. And as much as Asher’s mind tried to convince him he meant it as friends or was trying to patch up the awkward situation between them… he knew that wasn’t what David had meant.

Asher was pulling his hoodie from his locker, the team already talking food and carpooling to the diner. David came up beside him, their lockers side by side like always. He palmed the back of Asher’s head, ruffling his wet hair before sliding his hand down to give the back of his neck a subtle squeeze that sent chills through Asher’s whole body. “Ride with me?” he asked.

Asher almost bit his damn lip, nodding. He liked the public affection, subtle but somehow screaming loud. They’d always been touchy, but this was different.

They needed to talk but right now, this was nice. This was fucking perfect. Maybe Asher didn’t want to talk. Maybe talking would ruin it. Asher tended to ruin shit by talking…

They all made their way out of the locker rooms, into the morning air, spilling toward the parking lot.

He stopped, forgetting all his own shit when he spotted Huxley and, of all people, Gavin talking just up the path. Hux had taken off quickly. He did that sometime and Asher still hadn’t figured out if he should stop him or not. Maybe he needed to get away from the crowd? Maybe he didn’t want to hang out? As much as Asher would respect that, he just wasn’t sure that was it.

There was something awkward about Gavin and Huxley’s conversation. Hux was twisting the strap of his back and edging a step back, to the side, like he didn’t know how to get around the man in front of him… who was half his fucking size.

“Huxley!” Asher shouted, smiling and peeling away from the group. “There you are! Fuck, you left in a hurry.” He stopped like he was surprised to see Gavin. “Hey, Gav. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you up this early…”

Whatever strange nervous look had been on Gavin’s face was gone, replaced by the smooth flirt Asher had known for years. “Oh, I think you have…”

Asher grinned and leaned up to throw an arm over Huxley’s shoulders. “We’re going to get breakfast. You coming with, Hux? I’m trying to get a pancake eating contest going.” He nudged his chin at Gavin. “You want to come too, Gav?” He was already turning Huxley toward the parking lot and the team.

He was more than a little surprised by how Gavin hesitated. He even asked Huxley if it was okay. What the fuck was going on between them? And when did that even happen?

Milo spotted Gavin and the team was soon cat calling and begging the notorious art major to join them, some offering to win the pancake eating contest in his honor and others trying to talk him into joining. Gav flourished under the attention, even pretending he couldn’t figure out Milo’s helmet, getting him to put it on for him.

Asher still had an arm over Huxley’s shoulders, but didn’t catch any signs of jealousy. In fact, it was Gav sneaking peeks at Hux, not the other way around. What the hell was between them? “If you really don’t want to hang out, we can drop you at the dorm, but you should come! This place has the best pancakes.”

Huxley nodded. “Sure. Yeah, I mean if you guys don’t mind,” he said.

Asher grinned, steering him straight for David’s truck.

Darlin was pitching a mock fit about Gavin stealing their ride on Milo’s bike and asking why he never buckled their helmet on for them.

“If you don’t move your ass, you’ll be walking!” David warned, hitting the button to unlock the truck just before he reached the driver’s door.

Darlin whined but sulked to the back seat.

They all climbed in, Hux in the back and Asher sitting shotgun.

David waited pointedly until the last of them, Darlin, buckled up, and then pulled out of the lot.

Milo zipped around the truck, earning a hard scowl from David for dangerous behavior that Asher just knew would come up later and already laughed about.

“So,” Darlin spoke first. “What’s up with you and Gav?”

Asher twisted around to look at them, torn between scolding Darlin and really just fucking wanted to hear the answer.

Huxley shrugged. “Nothing. Why?”

Darlin laughed. “Nothing? Are you serious? Because it looked a lot like he’d been waiting for you to get out of practice to talk to you.”

Huxley’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? No, he wasn’t.”

David tipped his head, focus still on the road, but Asher saw it. David definitely thought Gavin had been waiting too.

“When did you two meet?” Asher asked, making it sound casual rather than the fucking interrogation Darlin was launching. They had the subtleness of an avalanche. “Do you have a class together?”

Huxley shook his head. “We talked at that party last night.” Another shrug.

Darlin waited for more.

David repositioned his hand on the steering wheel. He knew something…

“Well, you must have made an impression,” Asher said.

“He wasn’t waiting for me,” Huxley said again.

“You just talked?” Darlin asked, still hung up on that detail.

Asher laughed.

David nudged his shoulder. “Sit forward,” he complained in a low mumble.

Asher was still laughing when he dropped back onto his ass in his seat, facing forward again. David had a thing about car safety and though Asher was inclined to laugh in the face of safety rules most of the time, this was not one of those times.

“Are you not into…art students?” Darlin continued to puzzle out the situation, grinning around their words.

Huxley blushed, Asher saw it in the rearview mirror. “It’s not that. It’s not… anything. I just… He wasn’t waiting for me,” he said, always in that chill, deep voice, making Asher think he might actually believe it.

Darlin sputtered, ready to argue.

“I’m starving!” Asher whined.

David scoffed. “That’s not new.”

“Your hook up last night didn’t give you breakfast?” Darlin asked, attention shifted, they grinned at him in the mirror.

Asher smirked back through the glass.

“So, who was it?” Darlin leaned forward, against the back of David’s seat to look at Asher, waiting for the story, daring him to tell it. Darlin had a real shit starter streak.

Asher shrugged, ready to take that attention to give Hux a little respite.

“Oh, come on! You can’t all be this tight-lipped.” Darlin froze, a little smirk pulling at the corner of their mouth as they tried to come up with a joke. It was there in “tight-lipped” waiting to be found.

They pulled into the diner parking lot and before the truck was off, Darlin’s door was open. The team was gathering on the sidewalk, Miguel trying to negotiate waffles instead of pancakes for the challenge.

Darlin practically dragged Huxley out of the truck with them.

Asher waited, expecting David to be grumpy now or ask him about the guy last night. Nothing had happened, but it wasn’t like he knew that.

David turned off the truck and looked at him, eyebrow raised in a silent question of why they were still in the car.

“You’re not going to ask?”

David unbuckled. “Ask what?”

Asher smiled, the moment alone growing until he realized it was the first time they’d been alone since last night…since everything went to shit. “So, we’re… okay?”

David looked at him, surprise flaring behind his eyes. “Ash…” He reached out and touched the side of his neck, thumb stroking under his jaw. “I meant what I said. I like you. You’re my best friend and…more.”

Asher bit the inside of his lip to try to stop the creeping smile and the urge to ask dumb questions. Questions like, “are we dating?” which might land him right back where they were last night—in a state of awkward nothing.

David frowned at him. “You’re quiet.”

Asher blinked, realizing David still had his hand on the side of his neck, even with the team right there on the sidewalk roughhousing and laughing with each other. He was suddenly afraid to say anything because it was definitely going to be the wrong thing.

David’s frown smoothed out, serious but no longer scowling. He dropped his hand, like he just realized it was there. “If you’re uncomfortable with PDA—” he started.

Asher laughed, surprising them both. “Sorry. No. What?”

David went back to frowning but it looked like his usual grumpy face, not the real one. “You’re acting weird, Ash. If this was too much or—”

“It’s not too much!” he burst and then felt the heat rush to his face. Fuck. He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s perfect. It’s great. It’s… I don’t know. I don’t want to say the wrong thing again or assume too much.”

David stared at him, shaking his head a little. “You never said the wrong thing. I was just surprised. I hadn’t really… thought about changing things between us. Which is stupid because we’ve been messing around and that’s sort of changed things already, only… it didn’t really. It’s always been you and me.”

Asher nodded, his heart pounding in his ears.

David raised an eyebrow. “You’re… Ash, you’re still not talking.”

“Are we dating?” Fuck! The words jumped out of his mouth.

David grinned like he’d won something and nodded. “Obviously.”

Obviously? Asher leaned across and kissed him like he’d wanted to since last night, definitely since he’d been thinking of kissing him since he touched his wrist and said he liked him in the locker room. David groaned when Asher tongued him before breaking the kiss and sitting back—keeping it short and sweet because they were, in fact, still sort of visible to anyone trying to peek.

“So… If I pretend I have to go to the bathroom, will you follow me—”

“No! Gross. A public bathroom? Fuck off.”

Asher laughed and opened his door, hopping out of the truck. “I can pretend to drop a fork under the table and—”

“Shut the fuck up!” David grumbled.

-

Milo and Gavin had been the first to reach the diner, because this wasn’t the first time he had Gavin on his bike and he knew the other guy wasn’t afraid of speed.

Gavin hugged him from behind. Milo remembered the first time he’d given him a ride more than a year ago. Gavin had grinned like a wolf at the bike and Milo offered him the helmet and a ride. He perched on the back with his hands behind his hips and his teeth nipping his lip, unsure but excited. Milo had gotten on and started the engine.

“Don’t fall off,” Milo had told him then.

“I’ve never fallen off,” Gavin replied instantly with that sharp note of innuendo. They’d met at parties but that had been the first time it was ever just the two of them. Gavin’s chest touched his back and then pulled away, trying to figure out how to keep his seat on the bike without wrapping around him maybe? “Um…”

Milo had never heard Gavin hesitate. He waited, ready to turn the bike off if he’d changed his mind.

“How handsy am I allowed to get with you here?” Gavin asked, playing it off with charm but a note of real uncertainty there.

Later, thinking back, Milo knew that was the moment they became friends. He looked back at him and smiled. “As long as we don’t crash and you stay in your seat…”

Gavin beamed, slid that inch forward to press against his back and curled arms around his middle.

Milo parked right in front of the diner. Gavin unraveled arms from his chest, dropping one to give Milo’s thigh a flirty squeeze before sliding off the bike. “I really love that thing,” Gavin admitted, looking at the bike while unclipping his helmet.

Milo killed the engine and got off, taking the helmet from him. “Should I be jealous?”

Gavin sputtered. “Definitely.”

Milo held the door for him, the diner mostly empty as a trail of vehicles rolled into the parking lot behind them. He smiled at the waitress and told her how many they were going to be and that they could take a few tables and booths together since there wasn’t going to be a table that big.

Gavin followed him to the table rather than ducking back out to the sidewalk and the gathering team. He and Gav got along great, but it wasn’t like him to pass up a chance at playing around with that many rowdy jocks.

“So, what were you doing up this early?” Milo asked, sitting next to him on the same side of the booth.

“Hm? Who says I went to sleep?” Gavin countered, sliding in across from him. He looked out the windows, smiling at Darlin’s antics before his expression wavered, serious and uncertain, eyes following Huxley.

Milo blinked. Had he been waiting to talk to Hux? Huxley was nice. Like, really damn nice. He couldn’t imagine there being bad blood between the two. What could Hux possibly have done to upset Gavin?

The doors chimed when the group started pouring in, the tables and booths around them filling up. David slid into the booth across from them, settling into the corner with Ash right next to him. Menus were being passed around, laughter filling the room. David stretch an arm along the back of the seat, behind Asher. It wasn’t really anything he hadn’t done before, but Milo bit back a smile. Those two idiots had been stumbling around each other for years. He was happy to see them finally sorting it out.

Huxley seemed to be one of the last ones standing, looking for a seat.

Milo would normally point out the ones at their table and encourage him to take them, but suddenly he wasn’t sure. What if something had happened between him and Gavin?

“Huxley,” David said, holding out a menu.

Asher scooted in, giving him plenty of room on his other side.

Gavin sat up a little straighter, suddenly interested in his own menu.

Milo had seen Gavin mad at plenty of people and this definitely wasn’t that. He looked across the table to catch Asher’s gaze, something exciting glinting there like he too had noticed something. Milo shrugged.

Darlin practically threw themself into their booth, pushing Gavin into his side. “I’m starving!”

“I fed you before practice,” David reminded, monotone and disinterested.

Milo’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, checking the message.

-It’s not a date. You better show up with ideas for the final or I’m dropping you.

He smiled out of control. They’d texted him first.

-I’ll bring a notebook and an extra pencil.

Dots.

His heart pounded. Had they been up for a while thinking about this or was it their first thought? It was definitely a date.

-I’m not joking.

He texted back. No hesitation.

-Me neither. I’m never going to give you a reason to drop me.

Gavin whistled, low and right next to him.

Milo’s head snapped to the side to see the other man looking at his phone. He didn’t say anything—didn’t point out what he was texting about or to who in front of everyone, he just smiled and nodded and then perked up to order when the waitress came over.

-

Gavin wasn’t sure what he was doing.

He was at a table of jocks, crashing a team outing, and none of that was really out of place. But he wasn’t flirting, not really—not like he might usually. This was… different. Why? Just because Huxley had rejected him? Or because he didn’t understand why?

It didn’t really feel like he’d been rejected so much as it felt like Huxley just didn’t believe him?

Gavin had never been unsure about how anyone felt about him before. He was pretty direct and people tended to either hate him or want to sleep with him. Huxley didn’t hate him… But he wasn’t looking at him or bumping his knee under the table or anything.

“Gavin,” David said after they handed away their menus. “What are you doing for your final? You do an exhibit, right?”

Gavin looked at him, feeling casual attention turn his way as people waited for a reply. He was used to attention and almost grinned and said something about how he regularly does exhibitions and inviting David to come... But those dark eyes were staring back at him, waiting, and seeming to try to convey something in that signature silence and patience.

“Um… Yeah. I’m kind of on the fence between using stuff I’ve got or doing a new series. I’ve got time but…” He shrugged, surprised how self-conscious he felt. Why would anyone care about this but him?

“But what?” Huxley asked, hanging in the answer.

Gavin found him looking back at him, those eyes so open. “I guess it’s an issue of inspiration? And, you know, I know the professors have liked some of the pieces from my last series, I should probably just go with those.”

Huxley nodded. “Yeah. I mean, you could have that to use if you want to, but still try something new in the meantime? Or… is that not how it works? What kind of art do you do?”

The waitress brought coffees and teas. Gavin found himself talking about art and blushing a little when Asher and Milo pulled out their phones to show Huxley pictures they had from his last exhibit. He hadn’t realized they’d taken pictures, let alone remembered them. And Huxley seemed honestly interested, saying he didn’t know anything about art but really liking the pieces with hints of nature in them. Gavin suddenly wanted to paint more flowers…

#redactedverse #fanfic #college au #no magic #so much emotional mess #we're trying to do relationships over here #dominimoonbeam #<3 #david/asher #dash #milo/sweetheart #gavin/huxley

[fortyfive-forty]

I was reading what u commented on the break point cancellation post and I found so interesting what u were saying in regards to Drive to Survive, but u stopped because it was long (which never bothers me with tags btw) so I wanted to ask u, if u can, to expand on why u think Break Point failed, I think we might agree but I wanted to know where u stand 🥰

lmfaoo yeah i went over the tag limit 😭

what i was saying was essentially that break point is just not a good representation of the sport.

i mentioned this before but genuinely the match recaps that natasha does in the kasatkina zabiiako vlogs (now what the vlog but it's still kasatkina zabiiako in my mind) are better than the shit they did in break point. it seems like they were edited by someone who's never watched tennis before in their life, there's no sense of rhythm or momentum...which like, i understand it's hard to condense usually 2+ hours of tennis into just a few moments, but what they were rolling out was just not at all representative of what watching tennis is like. it's not even just that watching live is more enjoyable, it's that the break point recaps were actively unhelpful in the context of their episodes. it was more informative for me to listen to the players/coaches/commentators etc. talk about the match than watching those highlights bc of how bad they are.

on top of this, there isn't a lot of like...tennis specific conversation? i'll admit i didn't watch all of break point, maybe 5 or 6 episodes across the two seasons (i think only one of those was from season two bc. gross), so maybe i just missed all of it, but most of the time when they talked about the actual tennis, it was super basic stuff that even someone with very little technical knowledge (i.e. me) already knew. which like, if i'm watching a docuseries ABOUT TENNIS, i'd love to, you know, hear a bit...about tennis? there were some bits that they did include, mostly about tennis mentality (the curse episode) but the rest of anything they mentioned was very player specific, which is not really helpful if you're an inexperienced fan and want to know more about the sport as a whole.

(compare this to drive to survive, which can be dramatic and gimmicky, but actually helped me TONS to understand some of the basics of how the sport works, so i wasn't just thrown in for the first race not knowing what a soft tire vs a hard tire is.)

another thing i think i mentioned drive to survive has going for it (which i think i did mention in the tags) is that aside from all of the drama and seriousness, there's also a lot of fun silly bts bits they include, so even if you're not into the format, there is still a motivation for fans to tune in to see their favorite drivers messing around. break point had...some of that...but not enough imo to make it worth gritting through, and again, it's tough because there are just so many players to cover that the likelihood or your favorite player being included is just not that high.

basically, break point doesn't appeal to any audience. i'm not even sure what it's target audience is. experienced tennis fans (or even tennis fans such as myself who aren't experienced but have at least WATCHED live tennis) find it poorly produced and uninteresting. unexperienced tennis fans have little or nothing to gain from watching it. there just seems to be zero purpose for it to actually exist besides a sort of faux-behind-the-scenes docuseries for the sake of saying they have one about tennis.

but the thing that frustrates me is i think there could be an audience for it! like, i love docuseries formats, especially in sports! but break point just seemed to be so poorly thought out. and look, if you can't appeal to all audiences, that's fine! but chose a target audience and actually try to cater to them. and i think that's where netflix notoriously goes wrong time and time again, is they're just very out of touch with what their audiences want, and then proceed to whine that no one is interested and cancel everything when their shitty poorly thought out products do poorly (or even when good products do well). but like i said, i think if more care was put into the product, if they paid more attention, asked more questions, they could actually develop a show that more people would want to watch. but i think the way break point was set up, it was just never going to succeed like that.

TL;DR: drive to survive appeals to multiple audiences, with difference experience levels, with a little bit of something for everybody depending on a fan's watching preference. break point appeals to..........................?

and netflix doesn't seem to realize that sports fans generally want. uh. sports. to be shown accurately in a docuseries about. uh. sports.

#long post #i am so sorry 😭 #i hope this makes sense? i tried to keep it concise #yes this is concise #i could ramble on for much much longer about this because i have so many thoughts about the mismanagement of tennis's publicity #but this was the gist of what i was saying in the tags before tumblr killed them #though i definitely expanded more here i'll admit #to make myself more clear

[lestappenforever]

Hi. Someone just posted how they were watching Team Redline yesterday and people were spamming the comments section with “Lestappen” and mentioning Max’s lisps. I don’t know how to feel about all this because allegedly someone who was posting about Lestappen got blocked from the comment section after 20 minutes.

What scares me is that of course Max knows what Lestappen is now if he didn’t before, thanks to his team posting it. And of course, Redbull would never post something their golden boy hasn’t approved but that doesn’t give anyone else the right to ask Max about it. Max is not Charles tbh (not that Charles should be asked about it either) but Max is the kind of person who never talks about these kind of things. If he gets pissed, he’ll just stop streaming altogether or ask his team to shut it down (by it I mean Lestappen) because it’s getting out of hand. Charles faces issues head on (like that time he asked fans to stop camping outside his home because it was making him uncomfortable).

I would also like to point out it is not necessarily Lestappen girlies in the comments but rather people who have no boundaries whatsoever or people who want Lestappen girlies to look bad. I was once in a fandom that had no boundaries whatsoever and it ended badly and the ship can’t be mentioned without people wanting to pull out their hair. It’s just sad that Max has to deal with all the bullshit and that’s why he hates social media and being in the spotlight. Can we just enjoy what he and Charles offer us and in extension Redbull and F1 (sometimes even Ferrari) without making it weird? Thanks.

Hi anon!

I didn't watch the stream yesterday, but I can't say I'm surprised at what you're sharing. Now, I am absolutely certain that Max knows very well what Lestappen is, and has known for years. And even though I also believe that Max is also the type of person who doesn't let things like that really get to him, I am still of the opinion that it's a line you shouldn't cross.

Shipping is a thing that belongs in fandom. Sure, the social media teams of their teams see the appeal and know they can make a huge profit from using certain parts of shipping in their own channels, but that is something very different to people spamming comment sections with those types of things.

It should be (and for the most part, it is) common knowledge that you don't bring up those parts of fandom to the real-life people involved in those ships. The way I see it, there is absolutely no reason to try and shove those parts of fandom down the throats of the people involved, which is unfortunately exactly what is being done when you spam a stream, a comment section or anywhere else with shipping content, etc.

The majority of Lestappies are without a doubt reasonable, respectable people who would never even consider bringing those things to Max and Charles. But, as it sadly is with every fandom, there are going to be a minority of people who don't understand, care about or respect those boundaries. And then there are people who aren't even part of the fandom who just take some weird pleasure in being cringe and disrespectful towards drivers, and for some reason try to make it their life's mission to try and expose drivers to parts of fandom they shouldn't be exposed to. And as much as we wish it wasn't the case, those people are always going to exist. And they are always going to be loud about it.

Now, I personally don't think we need to worry about Max getting upset by any of this at all - he is notorious for not giving a shit, and I highly doubt Lestappen would be the thing to change that. I'd honestly be more worried about Charles being affected by it than Max, but I don't see it becoming a big deal for either of them. But that doesn't mean that people should try to shove Lestappen down their throats, either on social media or in real life. It's just a matter of common decency and being respectful towards other human beings, which unfortunately seems to be a bit too complicated a concept to grasp for a select few individuals.

Keep shipping and those parts of fandom away from the drivers, and enjoy it where it's meant to be enjoyed - such as in our delulu world of Tumblr. It's that simple. Nothing good is going to come from trying to force the two together.

#Asks #Anon asks #Lestappen asks