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honeyhotteoks · 11 months

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this night together - chapter seven (j.yh + s.mg)

chapter seven: any time now

chapter summary: things are finally back to normal, but how long can that really last?

warnings: references to a/b/o dynamics such as heat and knotting and designations, general reader horny thoughts, masturbation

notes: major love for everyone who's been so patient while i worked on this chapter and this fic in general. i've been going through it recently, but hopefully this is a little fun one before we get back to the smut and angst ♡

pairings: alpha!yunho x alpha!mingi x omega!reader.......... but we're also featuring some alpha!seonghwa x reader, omega!wooyoung x reader (platonic)

genre: smut, a/b/o/omegaverse, angst, fluff, romance, polyamory

word count: 9.7K

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“No, no I’m telling you,” Hongjoong asserts, his eyes full of passion as he leans across the table, “Bowie was the greatest artist of our time. Period.”

It's at this exact moment that you can see Seonghwa’s eyes go fuzzy as he realizes he’s introduced two of the more argumentative and passionate people he’s ever met to each other, and now he has to live with the consequences. And it’s not even like you and Hongjoong disagree, in reality you’re mostly just agreeing with each other - just loudly and with excitable hand gestures.

You start going down the deep rabbit hole of Hongjoong’s musical preferences again and Seonghwa starts to look for a natural place to cut in, you can see it on his face, but you’re too focused on debating which of Bowie’s albums is actually the greatest of all time to even care. It’s only the second time you’ve met him, but it clicked with him quickly, and despite barely knowing him, here you are.

“Favorite era?” Hongjoong recaptures your attention and you lean back in your seat.

“This is hard,” You admit.

“Mhm,” Hongjoong takes a sip of his drink and leans forward on the table, “there’s a right answer.”

“Are we talking style or music?” You counter back.

“You two,” Seonghwa groans, “I’m getting a headache,”

“Shush,” Hongjoong slaps his friend’s arm softly, “you wanted us to be friends, right?”

“At what cost,” Seonghwa smirks as he knocks back his drink.

“Style or music,” You repeat, nudging Hongjoong.

“Style,” He narrows his eyes.

“Thin white duke,” You answer with zero hesitation.

“Oh,” Seonghwa laughs, “you would,”

“What?” You laugh, “What could that possibly say about me?”

Seonghwa shrugs but Hongjoong nods, “He’s right,”

“Sure,” You roll your eyes.

“You like a man in a suit, that’s what it says,” Hongjoong laughs, “but I would have picked Berlin era.”

“So we both like a man in a suit,” You nod at him.

“You got me there,” He laughs, running a hand through his shock of blue hair.

“I never hear music like that anymore,” You comment and Hongjoong smiles.

“I’d love to produce something like that,” He admits, “but you need someone with a much stronger vocal range for that.”

Seonghwa nods along, and it’s clear it’s not the first time he’s heard this sentiment from Hongjoong.

“Stronger than the idols KQ has now?” You ask, your eyebrow raised.

He nods, “It’s not that they’re not good, everyone’s very talented and I enjoy working with them… but the chance to work with someone one in a million is different,”

“I could see that,” You concede. You don’t know much about music production or vocal performance, but you know a one in a million voice when you hear it.

“You won’t have to wait long from the buzz I’m hearing,” Seonghwa drops his voice to a bit of a hushed tone even though there’s considerable space between your table and anyone else.

“I’m not holding my breath,” Hongjoong says, “I don’t want to get my hopes up,”

“I know it’s a longshot,” Seonghwa offers, “but I’m hearing good things,”

“Me too,” Hongjoong says, “but nothing’s on paper yet, so you know how these things go.”

“So…” You give them a pointed expression.

“Right,” Seonghwa leans in, “KQ is currently courting a big name from a group that just disbanded,”

“To take on a senior group?”

“No,” Hongjoong shakes his head, “just one of the members, as a solo artist.”

“Oh,” You drop your voice, “who?”

“You can’t say anything,” Seonghwa makes a hand gesture as if to say you’re dead if you do, “but Choi Jongho,”

The pause between the three of you seems weighty, but you don’t know him and you have to admit it with a little shrug, “I’ve never heard of him,”

“What?” Hongjoong shakes his head in disbelief, “I mean that’s crazy,”

“I don’t keep up with it as much as you’d think,”

“I mean,” Hongjoong blinks, “he’s the one in a million, he’s the voice.”

“I believe you,” You nod quickly, “I just don’t know him.”

“Well,” He sighs, “hopefully you will. If our CEO can close the deal,”

“You really want to produce for him that badly? He’s that good?” You ask.

“Without question,” He sighs, “I would kill to write him some R&B,”

“Oh, now there’s a thought,” You lean in.

“You just need so much more vocal texture,” Hongjoong explains, “but if you heard him, you’d get it.”

You nod along.

Hongjoong sighs and leans back in his chair, running a hand through his hair again, the silver of his many rings catching in the overhead light, “If he signs we could get an album together for early next year,”

“You really want to work with him that badly?” You nod, “He must be amazing.”

“He is,” Hongjoong hums, “so cross your fingers.”

You do and show him your hand, “Done,”

The server passes by your table and smoothly passes the check towards Seonghwa, but Hongjoong intercepts it with practiced ease and slips his heavier credit card into the billfold before returning it to the server’s waiting hands.

“Thank you,” The server nods, “I’ll be right back with this.”

“Thank you, Joong,” Seonghwa smiles, “next time on me,”

Hongjoong waves his hand and you realize it’s much the same as the last dinner. You wonder just how well producers are paid if this is his casual attitude towards a bill for three people eating rich cuts of meat and having crafted cocktails, but judging from Hongjoong’s lack of concern at the check’s total, he’s paid pretty well.

“Thank you, Hongjoong,” You echo.

“Of course,” Hongjoong smiles, and then the bill is back in his hands to sign off before you’re all up and away out the door.

You walk a little ways with them, in the direction of a much busier block so you can catch a taxi home, all the while Hongjoong and Seonghwa chat about people you’ve yet to meet at the company and old times. They’ve been friends for years, you could gather that even without the download of information Seonghwa gave you after your first dinner out with them. They have an easy way about them that makes you smile, and even though you’re not in on any of these stories or jokes, it still feels comfortable. They both exude cool, in their style and the way they walk and talk, their handsome smiles and the cut of their clothes, but they never stray too far into pretension and it makes you like them both all the more.

When Hongjoong checks his phone briefly as he walks and hums quietly, Seonghwa makes a disappointed noise with his tongue against his teeth.

“What?” Hongjoong glances up.

“Stop thinking about work,” Seonghwa interrupts his brain, “it’s ten o’clock,”

“Normally I’m still working, you know,” Hongjoong tucks his phone away and makes a face.

“You do that to yourself, Joong,” Seonghwa comments.

“I know, I know,” He shrugs, “there’s nothing wrong with working hard.” He swivels his head to you at the same time Seonghwa does.

“Don’t look at me,” You throw up your hands in surrender, “I can’t help you, Hwa, I’m at the studio late every day.”

“I have to stop attracting friends who do nothing but work,” Seonghwa says, but he smiles despite his words.

“Speaking of work,” Hongjoong grins conspiratorially at you, “he said you’re on the choreography team for the new tracks,”

“Yes,” You catch Seonghwa’s pleased eye, “I’m assisting with it,”

“How do you like the title song?” He asks.

“I think it’s an earworm,” You admit, “I’ve been hearing it in my head for days,”

“Not too commercial?” He asks.

“I said it was going to be popular,” Seonghwa groans, “not that it’s commercial,”

“I’m just asking,” Hongjoong throws a hand out to his side to smack Seonghwa’s arm.

“It’s not,” You shake your head vehemently, “it’s just good, and catchy as hell,”

“I can’t wait to see what your team does with it,” Hongjoong admits with a sigh, “I’m proud of this album,”

“I’m looking forward to hearing the whole thing,”

“When it’s finished you should come to the listening party,” He offers, his steps slowing as you make it to the curb of the busier street.

“I would love to,” You smile, and Seonghwa nods.

“You’ll be alright to get home?” Hongjoong asks, turning towards you.

“Absolutely,”

“Let me,” Seonghwa steps past you to the edge of the sidewalk and raises an arm out to beckon a taxi over, and a yellow cab flicks its occupied light on and smoothly cuts over to the side lane.

“Thanks, Hwa,”

“Come out again soon?” Hongjoong asks, “I didn’t even get to my thoughts on 90s music,”

“Anytime,” You smile as Seonghwa opens up the taxi door for you.

“I’ll send you some albums,” He adds.

“I love it,” You nod and move to the open door, catching Seonghwa’s eye as you do.

“See you tomorrow,” He says as you slide into your seat.

“Tomorrow,”

He waits for you to swing your legs inside the car and then shuts the door tight, tapping on the hood and backing away to stand next to Hongjoong. He waves, and as the taxi pulls away they turn to walk back the way you came.

Things stay perfectly in this new status quo for weeks, your life so much fuller and richer than the first few months you worked at KQ and tried to find inroads of friendship. Now you have dinner from time to time with Seonghwa and Hongjoong, drinks with your new dance troupe trio, workouts with San, coffee breaks with Wooyoung, and a growing sense of normalcy with Yunho and Mingi as you get back to work with them.

You’re just starting to get comfortable when your phone reminds you that normal never lasts.

As ever, things change.

The shift starts with the first real peace offering you get from Yunho, weeks after the first night back in the studio with them. You’re buried in your phone trying to map out the dates of your next heat, paying exactly zero attention to your surroundings as you go through the app on your phone that tracks out your cycle symptoms. One that sends you painfully patronizing push notifications like - Hey girlie! Your heat is scheduled to start anytime in the next two weeks! Be sure to drink lots of water!! - complete with a panting red faced emoji. The last person you really want to see at this second is Yunho, or Mingi for that matter, and to be reminded of everything that happened a few months ago, but you’re never quite so lucky.

Yunho’s hand enters your eyeline, dropping a coffee on the table in front of you and you jump at the sudden break in your concentration as you snap your phone lock on and let it slip through your fingers.

“Sorry,” He smiles, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” You take a steadying breath as you watch him reach for your phone that skid across the floor, “I was just lost in thought,”

“Mm,” He passes the phone back to you and you’re infinitely grateful for your panic response that locked the phone and darkened the screen to save you any more embarrassment, “is everything okay? You seem a little stressed,”

“I’m good,” You assure him.

Adjusting the cap on his head he gestures to the coffee, “Well, either way you looked like you could use one of these,”

“Thank you,” You smile, trying to let the moment be normal. You had missed him bringing you little things. Before your heat he was always checking up on you, delivering water bottles and protein bars and iced americanos. You can’t help but comment on it as you lift the coffee and give it a shake, “it’s been a while,”

“I know,” He grimaces, “I’m sorry,”

“Don’t be,” You brush him off, “I just meant it’s nice, I’m really glad we’re friends again.”

He swallows a little tightly, glancing to his side, and you know being vulnerable like this isn’t really his favorite thing but he’s trying, “I am sorry though,” he says finally, “Mingi and I shouldn’t have let things get so weird. That was… I mean, this is work. We shouldn’t have let it interfere like that, we should have just talked to you.”

“Me too,” You murmur, letting him off the hook, “it goes both ways.”

“Yeah,” He breathes, and then his eyes come up, “but friends? That’s what you want?”

“Of course,” You nod quickly, the sharp idea of going back to barely talking or looking at each other making you queasy, and the past few weeks of working together with them has felt like a weight off your shoulders.

There’s a beat between you, and a noise to your right as the door to the break room opens and bodies spill in. Someone shouts your name, but your eyes are holding so tightly to Yunho that you don’t even know who it was, you don’t really care. You need to know that he’s on the same page.

Yunho nods finally and smiles, “Good, okay, friends,”

Mingi crashes into him from the side with an arm slung over his shoulders and his face lit up in a bright smile, “Hey,”

“Hi,” You smile, watching as Yunho crosses his arms loosely and lets Mingi stay clinging onto him. You catch Mingi’s eyes, “You’re in a good mood today,”

“I guess so,” He shrugs, “it’s a good day,”

The chair to your side moves and your head snaps over to see San flopping down, a freshly mixed protein smoothie in hand, “You’re late,” he comments and you snap a look to your watch.

Fifteen minutes late to your training with him, and you grimace, “Shit, I’m sorry,”

“It’s cool, I’ll just have to remember this when you’re begging to get out of the last set,” His eyebrows quirk up at you playfully.

Mingi makes a quiet noise and when you look back up at him he’s pouting, “You never let me give you training tips,”

“That’s because you hate the gym,” You laugh.

His nose crinkles, “True,”

Yunho laughs at the exchange and shrugs Mingi off and he looks like he’s about to add something to the conversation, but the door opens again and Dahan and Yujin cut their way through the dining area.

Yujin catches your eye and smiles, “Ready for today?”

You nod and try not to seem too terrified, “Definitely,”

“See you at four,” She says, brushing past your table and heading for the coffee stations at the far side of the room.

You let out a shaky breath, one you didn’t know you were holding quite so tightly in your chest and Yunho’s brow knits together, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” You assure him, “it’s just a big day for me,”

“The meeting?” He asks, referring to the session later today where you and the rest of the crew will meet with the girl group members for the first time. You’ve been elected to run them through some of the point choreography, and while everyone will be working together, you’re first and that level of spotlight makes you buzz with anxiety.

“Yeah,” You shrug, trying to stay casual about it, “it’s not that big of a deal, I know, but I’m still nervous,”

“You’ve been working like crazy,” San cuts in, smoothing a hand over your fidgeting fingers to calm you down, “you’re going to be fine, when have you ever choked?”

“You’re right,” You breathe, pulling your hand back and pushing your hair away from your face, “Yujin and Dahan are just very good.” You don’t elaborate, but the idea of teaching choreography in front of them makes your heart thump loudly in your chest.

“You’re very good,” Mingi dismisses instantly with a noise in his throat.

“Thanks, Mingi,”

“It’s first time jitters,” Yunho smiles, “I get them every time we do something new,”

“You do?” Your eyebrows shoot high.

“Mhm,” He nods, “actually, I have an idea,”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go for a run,” Yunho checks his watch and then nods.

“Yunho,” You glance to San, “I don’t know,”

“It clears my head every time, trust me,” He presses, “something about running outside… it’s definitely going to get you out of your head.”

“Go,” San nods, brushing off your unspoken concern about ditching him.

“You don’t mind?” You check with him.

“Nah,” He grins, pushing himself up to stand and offering you a hand to help you to your feet too, “I’ll just go bother Wooyoung,”

“I’m sure he’ll thank me for that,” You laugh.

“He should be so grateful,” San brushes your arm lightly with his fingers and then gives you a warm smile, “but you go, relax, and text me later.”

“I will,” You nod, and he jogs off.

You twist back to Yunho and Mingi at the sound of a throat clearing and Mingi shifts from foot to foot, “I’d join you on the run, but,”

“You hate running,” Yunho finishes for him, “you’re good,”

“Yeah,”

There’s a beat of silence between the three of you, and then Yunho clears his throat again, “Meet me out front in ten? I just need to change,”

“Sure,” You have to do the same, and idly in the back of your mind you wonder if he’s a good runner, the kind of person who makes it look easy.

“Great,” He smiles and then he’s off.

Mingi watches him go and then shifts his attention back to you, “You’ll be great today,”

“You think?” Your nervousness slips out.

“I know.” He nods, pointed with no room for discussion.

You swallow tightly, but agree anyway.

Mingi guides you back out of the pull of your own thoughts when he claps a hand down on your shoulder as he moves past you and around the table, “Just chill,”

“Chill,” You repeat dumbly.

“Mhm,” He shrugs, quirking up an eyebrow at you as he pushes through the door and away.

You’re used to his naturally flirtatious energy, but even a look that intense from him can send your stomach into little flip flops. Your phone dings again in your pocket, the familiar sound of your cycle app sending you another reminder and you don’t even bother to look and see what it says, your lingering gaze on Mingi is enough to tell you.

Alone in the break room you sigh and run your hands through your hair before shaking the little interaction off and heading out to meet Yunho. By the time you’re out front he’s already there, and you think it’s quite possible that this is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made when you lay eyes on him. He’s dressed comfortably, in shorts and running shoes, but it’s the sleeveless black top that makes your pulse quicken.

“Alright,” He says as he sees you approaching, “let’s do it.”

“Okay,” You stretch out your arms in front of you and do your best to focus on your own body and not his and all the ways you’ve seen it move before.

He waves you along and then starts to run.

You set a pace together with ease, and you’re not sure if it’s Yunho accommodating you or you accommodating him, but either way you fall into step smoothly as you start jogging through the streets of Seoul. He adjusts the black cap on his head and settles his arms into a comfortable running position and he slowly starts to increase the pace, but you match him smoothly right back.

“Do you have a route?” You ask between controlled breaths.

“Yeah,” He nods, gesturing up ahead, “just follow me,”

You murmur your agreement, and then refocus your eyes ahead and not on the man to your side. He’s right, you do need this. Your shoulders have been tense with stress for days, your body tired and feeling jittery, but the steady steps over the pavement and the cool air have your muscles relaxing already. You stay focused on your breath and the rest starts to melt away.

“This way,” He directs after a little while heading straight, and he takes a smooth left turn across a busy intersection where the walk signs are lit up for you.

In the distance is a block of trees marking the start of one of the riverside parks, and you’re sure that’s where he’s running to. You can feel him glancing down at you every so often, making sure you’re still at his side, and it’s oddly comforting to run with him and not alone for once. It’s been a while since you’ve been out like this, you’ve taken to sticking with San in the comfort of the KQ gyms, but with Yunho at your side it feels comfortable and right.

“Good?” He asks as you push over the next street and into the entrance of the trail, hooking through two lines of trees.

“Good,” You confirm, “you?”

He smiles and laughs a little, but keeps running, “Definitely,”

You push on and keep pace, moving down the pathway through the trees, nothing but the sound of each other’s breath for company. Being cocooned in trees, this close to the water, makes you feel insulated from the city and with every step your worries about the meeting later have started to fall away.

You glance to Yunho and see that his eyes are still focused ahead, but you swallow hard at the pink blush across his cheeks and collarbones, the sweat now visible on his tanned skin. You have such a clear image of him above you, broad hand on your cheek and cock buried inside your body, looking flushed and sweaty just as he does now.

“Feeling better?” He asks, not slowing his run at all.

His voice jolts you out of your meandering thoughts, “Hmm?”

“Are you feeling any better?” He tries again, “less stressed?”

“A little,” You concede.

He nods, but keeps moving. The lack of conversation between you both normally feels tight and unnatural, but lately it’s started to feel safe again. He’s always been a person you can just be around, nothing extra, just existing. It finally, finally feels right again.

You make your way a little further into the park until it starts to curve around with the bend of the river. Yunho gestures up ahead to a block of benches that overlook the water and he glances down at you, “Let’s take a breath there and then double back,”

“Yeah,”

As you approach the benches and start to slow, Yunho grins, “It’s gorgeous today,”

“It really is,” You agree, chest heaving a little at the effort from the run and you focus on deep steady inhales and exhales.

He walks past the benches and up to the railing at the water, leaning down and resting his elbows on the dark blue painted steel, “That looks fun,” he comments, gesturing towards a group of boats on the water.

“Mm,” You sigh, leaning next to him, your arms nearly brushing, “especially on a day like today.”

He nods quietly, his eyes closing for a moment as he soaks up the warm sun, and then he turns towards you and leans against the railing with his hip, “So,” he says, “is it first time jitters, or is something else going on?”

“W-what do you mean?” His words break you out of your thoughts again, and you didn’t even realize your mind was slipping away somewhere else, but every time he interrupts you it’s painfully obvious to you that you can’t stop worrying.

“I’ve seen you nervous,” He comments, “this feels like more,”

You shift towards him and look up, “A little, maybe,”

“Tell me,” He prompts you, extending his hand for a fraction of a second before he lets it drop back to his thigh.

Your first thought is that you want to touch him too, but you resist it.

“Teaching these girls,” You trail off, dropping your eyes again to the ripple of the water as it kisses the rocky shore, “something about doing it in front of Yujin and Dahan… and even you,”

“Me?” His voice runs high.

“It’s just scary,” You admit, “I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

“I don’t want to make you scared,” He murmurs.

“It’s not that,” You glance up at him, but it’s safer to keep your focus on the water, “I just…. I don’t know if I belong in that room yet, and today all the attention will be on me. I’ve never taught anyone like this before,”

“Yes, you have,” Yunho finally does touch you, nudging your arm and getting your eyes back on him, “you came up with good stuff for this routine. You taught all of us, and I saw you practicing everything together to show them. You’re ready,”

“You really believe that?” The words slip out.

“y/n,” His brow furrows, “of course I do, I wouldn’t have suggested you in the first place if I thought you couldn’t do this.”

He’s right, you can do this, and with flying colors too if you really set your mind to it, but the question still brews in the back of your brain and you have to ask. “Yunho,” You sigh, “why did you suggest me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“We weren’t talking,” You explain, “we were barely looking at each other in the studio, but you still pulled me into this project. Why?”

He’s still for a moment, his eyes flicking over your face and then he sighs, “Because you’re good, and because I know how hard you were working even when we weren’t talking. And because,” he pauses, “because I wanted you there,”

“For me or for my skills?”

“For your skills,” He nods, “the fact that it’s you… well, that just made my choice easier.”

“You really mean that, don’t you?” You murmur.

“I do,” He nods, “so be regular nervous all you want, but never doubt your place in the room, okay? I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Thank you, Yunho,”

He nods and looks back out to the water before checking his watch and taking a deep breath, “You ready to head back?”

“Let’s do it,” You agree with a sigh, shaking out your limbs.

“Did this help?” He asks as he pushes off the railing.

“Yeah,” You smile, “I mean, I’m still a little terrified, but I think that’s normal.”

“Mhm,” He smooths his hand across your shoulders and gives you a squeeze, “plus, I promise you can dance circles around these girls any day of the week,”

“Oh, shut up,” You roll your eyes, “now you’re laying it on too thick,”

“I don’t lie,” He grins, “you know that already,”

You open your mouth to retort but he takes the wind right out of your sails when he starts to jog backwards and he sticks his tongue out to tease you. As he twists around he calls back over his shoulder, “Race you back!”

You scramble forwards, “Hey! No fair, you got a head start,”

He keeps running, but you hear him laugh, “Catch up then!”

You pump your legs harder, moving as fast as possible as you try to reach him. You watch as he glances back over his shoulder, goading you into pushing yourself harder, something swells in your chest. He’s close, if you just pick it up a little more, focus a little more, you’ll reach him. Maybe pass him.

“You still with me?” He shouts back, voice light.

Your heart is pounding in your ears, blood rushing loud, and your chest is screaming with the effort of working your body this hard but you don’t care. You want to win, you need to win. You pump your legs harder, clear your mind, and race. You gain on him inch by inch and you grin when you hear him laugh again, catching you in his peripheral vision as you scream up next to him. He says something but you miss it, your head too focused on every step in front of you.

When you finally make it back to KQ you all but skid into the back entrance with him, colliding shoulder to shoulder and having to brace yourself on the entryway wall so you don’t pitch right over onto the hardwood floor.

Yunho’s hands close over your hips to steady you, and you hear his heavy breath above you before he laughs, “Jesus, you’re fast,”

“You annoyed me,” You wheeze, pressing on your side where a painful, sharp stitch has taken up residence.

Your fingers brush along his for the barest of seconds and he pulls his hands back instantly before giving you an apologetic smile and pulling off his ball cap to wipe the sweat off his brow with the bottom of his shirt. The quick flash of his abs makes you dizzy.

“I still won,” Yunho sighs, leaning against the wall.

You shoot him a look, but you’re still catching your breath and at this point it’s not even worth the fight. As you raise your head to look at him, you suddenly notice the crowded hallway towards the side of the door. Wooyoung and San stand close together, angled towards you but clearly just in halted conversation with Minseok, Yujin, and two of the other dancers.

Wooyoung gives you a single pointed eyebrow raise.

“Were you racing?” Minseok asks, glancing between the two of you.

You make an affirmative noise, all you can do while you recover.

“Fun,” Wooyoung laughs a little to himself and if you had the energy you’d smack him, but you can’t even bother.

“Why?” Minseok asks.

“Why not?” Yunho shrugs and then turns his attention back to you, “Good?”

“Good,” You nod.

For a second he looks like he wants to say something else, maybe give you one last encouraging speech, but he just settles on a smile, “See you in there,”

You nod, smiling back up at him, and then he pushes through the little pocket of your coworkers to get back to the locker rooms. You take another second to catch your breath against the wall, Wooyoung making an expression you need to roll your eyes at, but then you realize. You feel great.

The nerves from the whole day have dissipated, the surging rush of endorphins from pushing yourself so hard, drowning out anything in your body except adrenaline, joy, and a little exhaustion. You could kiss him.

At four o’clock, when you walk into the room, you do it with a clear head. In the back of the studio, Yunho smiles.

***

A week later, your app dings again and this time it’s right on the money.

You submit the paperwork on Thursday after practice, another lozenge tucked into your cheek as you start to feel the first signs of your upcoming heat. It’s already better than last time, a more familiar kind of cycle than what you last experienced. You’re used to it being mostly mild, a few times a year leaving you achy and sore, and insatiably horny, but nothing like the desperate cramping from before.

This time you have things down to a predictable science, and though you might have a few moments of serious weakness or deeper feelings of heat, you’d be fine. This time there would be no dizzy desperation, no crying into your pillow in hopes that an alpha would soothe you and take it away. No begging to be claimed. It would be fine.

You should be fine.

You leave the paperwork on the back desk and hurry out to catch a ride back home before you start to really feel it, but all you can imagine is Yunho’s face when he picks up the papers and you need to not be in the building when that happens.

At home you set yourself up for the next few days. Bedroom door locked, a stash of water bottles, a stack of towels, and a bedside table full of charged and ready toys. You get undressed out of your restrictive leggings and tighter clothes, and pull on a simple pair of sleep shorts and a loose oversized top. Fabric that won’t cling or make you hot, just comfortable enough to relax and take it easy as your body starts to sink into heat.

For a while things are normal and fine, regular aches and pains. You watch a show on your iPad and zone out the feeling, but eventually every little shift of your hips feels sharper, and a low throb starts to pulse inside you. It’s evening when you start to lose focus on the drama you’re watching. Something about the male lead seems familiar to you and your mind keeps drifting.

You settle back into the cushions to get more comfortable and to try and refocus on the show, but the ghost sensation of lips on your throat makes your eyes drift closed.

Your hand is pushing under the elastic of your sleep shorts before you can even think it through.

Your mind keeps replaying the image of Mingi pushing his glasses up into his hair and smiling, the way his hands ran over your body and landed firm on your hips. Yunho’s head between your thighs. Both their fingers searching your body, pushing inside you, pulling you apart over and over again. Their hot breath on your throat. Pretty omega, they called you. Something tumbles in your chest, knots build up in your stomach. Your fingers feel good but they pale in comparison to what you had before and you work yourself up and up but nothing quite comes close to the edge of pleasure you’re looking for.

You’re my best girl.

You bite back a moan and push two fingers inside yourself.

You can almost feel their hands on you, their hot kisses, gentle nips of your skin, but you can’t find the feeling of them inside you. You quicken your hand and replay the images faster in your mind. You miss them, you need them, you want them. You come hard and fast with a shudder, your eyes snapping back open.

There she is. That’s our girl.

“F-fuck,” You breathe to yourself, pulling your hand out of your shorts. Your chest is heaving, a light sheen of sweat over you, and your core throbs like your body wants you to go again.

“Oh my god,” You breathe, pushing yourself off the bed and stumbling into the bathroom, “what is wrong with you, get a grip,”

You shake it off, trying to ignore the fact that you just thought about them while you were getting yourself off. It’s just heat, that’s all it ever is with them, that has to be it. Hot alphas will always scramble your brain at a time like this, you just have to listen to yourself and get a grip.

With a sigh you wash your hands, crawl back into bed, and try to just fall asleep and ignore the images still looping in the back of your brain.

You don’t sleep though, you can’t.

You toss and you turn, and you ache, but you don’t sleep.

Around the third hour of trying to soothe your cramps with a heating pad that you decide to say fuck it and ask for help. You have a small window of time to get to wherever you’ll be spending the duration of your heat, and even though you know with your suppressants this won’t be quite as bad as before, your body still wants.

For a second you think about Mingi. You miss his hands, his easy smile, the way he would slowly stroke your back and massage your hips. You miss his scent, his warmth, and his all encompassing comfort. But things have just started to get back to normal at the studio with him and Yunho and you can’t let a moment of heat weakness lead you back.

You open your phone, flipping through social media in an attempt to distract your mind but before you know it you have Yunho’s contact open and you’re fighting the urge to call, just to hear his voice for a second.

Your finger hovers over the button, you can hear his voice in your mind.

Sweetheart, just tell me where you are, I’m coming to get you.

You can see it.

But it’s just your heat. No matter how much Wooyoung likes to tease you about having a crush, it’s just this. Biology you can’t control rewiring your brain and telling you that they’re your perfect match. But you don’t believe in perfect matches or scent pairings. You don’t.

A particularly tight cramp ripples through your middle and you clench your fist through the pain, shifting in your bedding once again, sweat building at your brow.

In a flash of genius and panic, you close Yunho’s contact card and open another.

The phone rings and rings.

He’s busy, you’ve probably missed him, and when he offered he was drunk anyways so he probably doesn’t remember but then suddenly the phone clicks and connects and his warm voice fills your ear, “Hey, y/n,”

“S-Seonghwa,” You sigh, trying to sound as put together as possible, “hey,”

“Is everything okay?” He checks, and you hear a little background noise and hope to god he’s not still at the studio.

“Definitely,” You press your eyes closed and bite the inside of your lip to keep from making a tight, stressed sound.

“Okay…” He waits a moment and then adds, “then what’s going on? You never call,”

The cramp passes and you take a breath, “Sorry, are you busy? I can call later,”

“No, no,” He says, “I’m just grabbing a drink with Wooyoung and Joong,”

“Is that y/n?” You hear Wooyoung in the background, “Tell her to come meet us!”

“Woo,” Seonghwa’s voice sounds a little far from the receiver and then he comes back on the line, “If you’re free, you can come meet us? We were just thinking about dinner, Hongjoong has a new project for us, you might be interested,”

“Oh,” For a second, in the space between your cramps you forget why you called in the first place, “a new song?”

“Two,” You can practically hear the smile on Seonghwa’s face.

“Exciting,” You smile.

“So what do you say,” Seonghwa says, “come out?”

You would, you wish you could, but you shake your head, “I can’t, I actually… I’ll be out for a couple of days. I submitted the paperwork this morning,”

“Are you going somewhere?” He asks, not yet picking up on the obvious.

“Leave,” You smile at his question.

“Leave,” He repeats, “oh, oh leave!”

“Say it louder, Seonghwa,” You groan.

“Is that why you’re calling?” He says, and a little blush creeps into your cheeks at the thought that he’s with other people and talking to you about this like it’s nothing.

“Kind of,” You admit, “I don’t know, you’re busy I just remembered what you said, but you don’t have to,”

“How are you now? I’m at least thirty minutes away, is that too long?”

Warmth blooms in your chest, “I’m fine, honestly, go have dinner,”

You can practically see him rolling his eyes when he says, “Stop being a martyr. Listen, I’ll call you right back, okay?”

“Okay,”

“And don’t worry,” He assures, his voice honeyed and warm, “I will call, I’ll only be a minute,”

“Okay,” You manage, “thank you, Hwa,”

He says something more but you miss it with the light commotion in the background, and then the line clicks dead.

It takes two minutes, but he calls you right back.

“Hey,” You sigh into the receiver.

“Can you text Woo your address?” Seonghwa asks first, “We’re grabbing a cab,”

“Oh,” You flip the phone on speaker and start typing, “okay, yeah, I’m… Seonghwa, are you sure?”

“Mhm,” He replies, “as long as you are.”

“Give me the phone,” You hear Wooyoung and immediately laugh.

“What do you want?” Seonghwa says, clearly not talking to you.

“Phone,” You hear him say and then after a brief groan, Wooyoung’s voice is in your ear, “Hey, you,”

“Hey,” Something about him calms you instantly.

“How far gone are you? Should we pick stuff up on our way or can you come back to my place?” He’s straight and to the point but still gentle, and you’re starting to feel glad that you called them and not anyone else.

“I’m fine,” You assure him, “I can make it to yours. My roommates are here, I think it would be….”

“Got it,” He says, “well just rest, we’ll be there soon,”

Tears well up in your eyes and you sniffle softly, trying to keep it to yourself.

He picks up on the soft sound immediately, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”

You swallow and wipe away the gathering moisture, “Nothing, you’re both just being so nice,”

“Aw,” He murmurs, “jagiya you’re one of us now, we always take care of each other.”

“Is she crying?” You hear Seonghwa’s voice raise an octave in the background.

“She’s good,” Wooyoung brushes it off, “alright, twenty minutes okay, get your stuff, take a deep breath, and I’ll text you when we’re downstairs.”

“Thanks, Woo,” You manage.

“Deep breaths,” He reminds, and then he’s gone.

You must be insane. You must be fully crazy to invite this type of chaos into your life twice with yet another group of men, but something about this feels right. It feels safe and sure, and something about Wooyoung being an omega too is just making all of this feel so much simpler than last time. At least where your heart is concerned.

It takes you all twenty minutes to get your things together, but you decide to focus on this instead of what all this chaos might mean. You pack a bag of necessities and then change into something loose but more presentable than your sleep clothes. When your phone buzzes again you don’t even look down at it, you just know that it’s Wooyoung arriving right on the dot and you slip out of your apartment as quietly as you can.

Downstairs a car waits across the street and when Seonghwa emerges to greet you, he rushes forwards to take your bags. Your cheeks light up with blush and you have to take a half, staggering step backwards, already being outside and in the presence of an alpha your subconscious mind is reacting to him.

“Let me get these,” Seonghwa says, pulling the bags from your hands, and the touch of his warm skin along yours has a shaky breath leaving your lips.

“Thanks,” You murmur, watching him pack them into the trunk of the cab, and then he turns.

He takes a good look at you and nods, “Yeah, let’s get you to Woo’s,”

“Is it obvious?” You cup your cheeks.

“Not too much,” He assures you, extending his hand for you to take, “but let’s not waste time,”

“Let’s go,” You nod, and he tugs you forwards gently to get you into the car. You settle into the middle seat between Wooyoung and Seonghwa easily.

“Doing good?” Wooyoung asks you, trying to be subtle in front of the driver.

“Mhm,” You nod, and you smile when he laces your fingers together and gives you a squeeze.

Seonghwa gives the next address to the driver and you’re away.

It’s quiet at first, all you can focus on is the way the miles slowly tick down on the map the driver is using, and you try to breathe through your mouth in the closed car full of competing scents but it’s nearly impossible. Seonghwa’s scent envelops you easily, especially in the closed air circulation of the car. Warm, like freshly brewed coffee. You close your eyes as a cramp passes through you and you try not to think of him even though his leg keeps bumping into yours every time the car takes a turn.

The automated sound of a window breaks your concentration and you glance to your side. Seonghwa isn’t looking at you, but he’s cracked the back window a couple of inches, and the pulse of clean air leaves you able to take a shaky inhale and exhale. Wooyoung squeezes your hand again.

The mileage counter keeps clicking down. Seonghwa’s scent stays present in your mind despite the fresh air. Your stomach tightens. The car takes a particularly curving turn and your body is pressed against Seonghwa’s from knee to shoulder and you squeeze Wooyoung’s hand back instead of letting the whine in your throat bubble out.

Your stomach clenches again, and then you feel it. A rush of slick as your body prepares, a flushing flood of hot warmth rolling up your body and through your cheeks. Seonghwa’s arm crosses over you like a seatbelt and he closes his hand over your left thigh, his thumb drawing slow circles to keep you steady and protect you from anyone noticing.

You let yourself glance up at him once more, but he’s still focused out the window, doing his best to comfort you without drawing an ounce of attention.

“Out front?” The driver asks suddenly, and you realize the building ahead across the intersection must be theirs.

“That’s perfect,” Seonghwa replies smoothly, “thank you.”

The minute it takes to cross the intersection feels never ending, and then suddenly things start moving at two-times speed. As the heat cramps increase, Seonghwa’s arm is around your waist and Wooyoung is left hauling your stuff up into the elevator. They get you inside smoothly and as the doors close, Seonghwa lets out a sigh of relief.

“I thought I was going to have to fight every alpha in the lobby,” Seonghwa laughs as the elevator begins to climb, “are you sure you’re on suppressants?”

You can’t help but elbow him slightly in the ribs, “Yes,”

“I’m kidding,” He squeezes you, “you just smell like an extremely edible cake,”

“Mm,” You murmur as a small cramp passes, “well, you know, this is why I’m on the strong stuff,”

The elevator doors open and Wooyoung steps out before you, glancing to either side down the apartment hallway before beckoning you both forwards. He gets out his keys and glances over his shoulder at you both, “Which?”

You tell him the brand as you lean harder on Seonghwa who hushes you softly with a comforting squeeze.

“Ah,” Wooyoung nods, “no wonder,”

You open your mouth to ask him what he means by that, but he’s too busy pushing open the door to his apartment and opening it up for you both to slip inside.

His place is overwhelmingly simple and clean, utilitarian with dark black furniture and gray moody accents, but it suits him. He drops his keys off on the kitchen island and beckons you inside, “Come on in, get comfortable,”

Seonghwa steers you to the couch and settles you down on the middle cushion, “So, where are we at?”

Settled onto the couch now, you honestly feel fine. Your back hurts a little, and your joints are a little stiff, but the aching, pulsing pain you felt back at your apartment has mostly dissipated, “I think I’m fine,”

“Yeah?”

“I mean,” You cross your legs, your hands itching to wrap a cozy blanket around yourself but finding none, “off meds I was practically feral, this is…. manageable,”

“Manageable is good,” Seonghwa smiles.

Wooyoung settles his hand over your yours, soothing your little trembles and then he dips his head to catch your eyes, “I have a room all set up,”

“You do?” Your eyes widen.

“Mm,” He tangles your fingers together again and gives you a squeeze, “I used to have a roommate but when he moved out I just converted the second bedroom,”

“Oh,” You breathe, and you can’t imagine the expense to maintain an apartment large enough to have your very own heat sanctuary, but you dream of the day you get to.

“Let’s go relax in there,” Wooyoung nods, “maybe you’ll like it and get a little sleep,”

“Should we talk?” You glance up at Seonghwa.

“We will,” Seonghwa assures you as he shrugs off his blazer, “but go get comfortable, I’ll start setting up,”

“Setting up?” You ask, confusion evident in your voice.

“Ah,” Wooyoung bumps you with his shoulder, “our Seonghwa takes his caretaker responsibilities very seriously,”

“You’ll want for nothing here, jagiya,” Seonghwa smiles and takes a slight bow, “Wooyoungie is the most pampered omega in Seoul, it will be nice to take care of someone less bratty for a change,”

You laugh sharply and cover your mouth with your hand, “What have I gotten myself into?”

“A fun weekend,” Seonghwa smiles, “now relax, let Woo show you the place.”

Already this feels less stressful than before, and maybe that’s the level of your heat or maybe it’s them, but it feels easy. Wooyoung pulls you up and watches you carefully as you stand to make sure you’re feeling well, and then he guides you down the hall.

Wooyoung’s nesting room is exactly what you’ve been looking for. The bed in this room isn’t necessarily large, but what it is, is covered in blankets and plush pillows. The second bedroom of his apartment has been so smoothly converted into an office and omega haven that you almost wish you had been here for your last, harder heat.

“Okay,” Wooyoung walks you in, “there’s a robe on the back of the door you can use, the mini fridge is pretty stocked, and on that shelf by the bed there’s lozenges, wipes, towels, you name it.”

“Oh my God,” You breathe, scanning over everything as he gestures.

“And over in that bedside table,” He points out the single nightstand, “there’s pretty much any toy you’ll need.”

“Oh,” You blush.

“Hwa and I will be here, of course,” He assures you, “but I like a little extra something,”

“Right,” You smile, “of course you do,”

A gentle knock on the door behind you brings you out of your focus, studying every inch of his perfect heat sanctuary and you turn to see Seonghwa leaning against the door frame.

“How are you feeling?” He asks gently.

“Like myself,” You tell him honestly, “it’s starting, but it doesn’t feel too bad.”

“Mm,” He nods, “it probably won’t be quite as bad as last time, but I’m certainly here for whatever you need,”

“Thank you, Hwa,” You smile, “I can’t thank you enough,”

His eyes light up with warmth and then he looks over you both, “This is nice,” he comments, “the two of you in here,”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Wooyoung laughs as he leans against the desk, “no one’s ready for your knot yet,”

A throb pulses through you, but blissfully no one notices.

“I just think it’s nice,” He shrugs, “two pretty omegas,”

You blush.

“Oh,” Seonghwa smiles as he notices your pink cheeks, “you liked that,”

“Hwa,” You protest weakly.

“Ignore him,” Wooyoung cuts in front of you and leads you back to the bed, “get cozy, you’ll love this.”

He all but puts you in the bed himself, but in minutes you’re relaxed against the cushions, under cooling sheets and downy comforters. Seonghwa waits in the doorway while you get settled, but once you are he smiles and crosses the room to sit on the edge of the bed.

“You’re feeling alright?” He asks, reaching for your hand.

“So far,” You nod, “and this bed is wildly comfortable,”

“Good,” Seonghwa’s fingers smooth over your wrist, slowly stroking your gland and easing you further, “I’m going to go fix you both something for dinner, and if you need anything in the meantime Wooyoung will be right here,”

“Okay,” You breathe.

“I’m going to give Sannie a ring too,” His voice evens out in his chest, low and warm and tender to keep you melting into the bed under you, “is it okay if I tell him you’re here?”

“Sure,”

“Alright then,” He smiles, “just relax,”

“Feeling pretty relaxed,” You tell him.

The sound of your phone vibrating on Wooyoung’s desk draws your eyes, but you focus back on Seonghwa when he says, “I’m sure we can relax you more, don’t worry.”

“You’re forward,” You nudge his thigh.

“And you called me for sex,” He shrugs, “who’s forward now?”

Wooyoung laughs sharply and claps his hands, “This weekend is going to be very fun,”

Your phone buzzes again, then again, and your brows draw together as you look towards it, “Could you,”

Seonghwa doesn’t let you finish your sentence, he crosses the room quickly and then passes your phone over to you, “I’ll be back in a little while, okay?”

“Thank you,”

He nods with a warm expression, and then leaves you and Wooyoung be inside this little cocoon.

“Glad you called?” Wooyoung grins, cheeky and teasing.

“Mm,” You sink deeper into the pillows behind you, “I might have to move in, just for this bed,”

His nose crinkles, “We’ve got to update your space, you should have somewhere like this too,”

“I’d like that,” You sigh, “someday,”

Your phone buzzes again.

“Soon,” Wooyoung dismisses, “until then you can always come here,”

“Well, that’s really nice of you, but,” You tear your eyes away from him to finally illuminate the screen of your phone and your words die on your lips when you see the messages.

Yunho’s name on your screen makes your breath quicken and you open the chat.

hey I got your paperwork. of course it’s fine, but would you please let me know you’re somewhere safe?

I probably shouldn’t have asked that.

I just want to make sure you made it home safely, that’s all. If you need help getting home, you know I’m only a phone call away.

Just… please let me know.

“y/n?” Wooyoung’s voice breaks through your buzzing brain as you read Yunho’s messages over and over.

“What?” You manage, glancing up for the briefest second to catch his worried expression.

“What’s going on?” He asks softly.

“Um,” You murmur, but then your phone buzzes in your hand again, this time not a message from Yunho at all.

He’s freaking out a little bit, but I told him you’re probably already home and sleeping.

Which you are, right?

The two texts from Mingi hang in front of you and a tense feeling knots up in your throat.

“Hey,” Wooyoung interrupts again, pushing his way into the bed beside you without preamble and sidling up to your side, “are you crying?”

“No,” You shake your head, “sorry, I just,”

He waits, holding your gaze with his warm brown eyes and attentive nods, and before you know it you’re letting the phone fall into his hands.

He reads the texts quietly, and then hums, “They’re worried,”

“I know,” Your voice is small.

“Do you want to respond?” He asks.

“I don’t know,” You confess honestly.

“You don’t owe them anything,” He murmurs quietly, locking your phone and setting it to the side so he can turn to you, “I know I keep teasing you about it, but if you wanted to be with them you would have called them. You know how you feel, not me,”

He smooths your hair back and cups your cheek, gathering you a little closer under the covers. You take a deep, shaky breath, and the sudden scent of him all around you feels like a blanket. Fresh linen and summer salt, like falling into bed after a long day in the sun on the beach. His skin is warm against yours and familiar.

“Do you really think that?” You ask.

“Mhm,” He all but whispers, “and either way, you don’t owe them a response right now. You owe yourself rest,”

“Yeah,”

He gives you a minute, and then rubs his thumb over your cheek, “You want to watch something dumb? Maybe fall asleep on me?”

You nod, lips locking tight as your throat stays tense. You feel like if you talk about anything else you might start crying, so you let him pull you closer and grab the remote for the TV mounted on the far wall. He doesn’t ask you what you want to watch, he doesn’t push you any further, he knows you need him to just take care of things before you crumble and text them back.

He selects something funny without putting too much thought into it, and wraps his arm around you as you settle your cheek onto his chest. This was what you were missing so much the last time you went through heat, the steadying comfort of another omega. Your fluttering nerves fall away, and his scent makes you feel warm and your eyes heavy.

“Woo,” You murmur into his shirt.

“Yeah?”

“You’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” You confess.

He sighs, fingers finding yours under the comforter, “And you’re mine,”

You snuggle into him a little more, fingertips brushing the warm hollow of his throat and your heart slowing to a steady, easy rhythm to pump in time with his. Distantly as you fall into sleep, you feel the buzz of your phone again somewhere halfway across the mattress, but this time you don’t even open your eyes.

Wooyoung silences it when it buzzes again, his words soft against your hair when he says, “It’ll all wait until tomorrow, babe, you just rest easy,”

You nod, a yawn taking over you and he chuckles.

“Just sleep,” He murmurs softly, and you do, their messages left unanswered.

#this night together fic #ateez ff #ateez fic #ateez smut #yunho x reader #mingi x reader #seonghwa x reader #wooyoung x reader #yungi x reader #yunho #mingi #hongjoong #seonghwa #wooyoung #honeyhotteoks fics

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canisalbus · 7 months

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Just recently discovered your tumbler and I love everything about it. Your art style, the time period you have chosen, the background you are building for the characters. Top notch.

Though I do have a question : going back through all the asks people are tending to focus on sunny boi Vasco supporting nerve wracked Machete but a relationship needs to be equal so, what's the turn around?

When/how does Machete say 'don't worry babe, I've got this'? He is after all a very accomplished and competent person inside his areas of expertise.

Because of his trusting and altruistic nature, Vasco has been burned in relationships before. Even though he's good at reading people and might sense that he's being treated unfairly, he endures it because he doesn't want to be the bad guy and upset the other person. He's from a well known noble family, he's affluent and he's considered to be very good looking. Over the years he has met countless people who wanted to take advantage of him, his status and his assets in a way or another, and he has hard time tolerating that kind of greed and dishonesty. Machete has never been interested in his pedigree or wealth, and the way he's utterly devoted to him makes Vasco feel confident and secure.

He's been forced into various boxes and moulds all his life, his family had high expectations for him and did their hardest to whip him into a shape that satisfied them (now that I think about it, Vasco's parents probably would've been proud if their son turned out more like Machete, hard working high achiever). He tries to not let it bother him, but on some level he does feel guilty for letting them down. Machete is Vasco's biggest fan, he earnestly believes in him and loves him the way he is. He feels like he doesn't have to pretend to be something he's not around him, but at the same time Machete's influence makes him want to be a better person. Vasco admires his ambition, knowledge, diligence and perseverance. Machete tries very hard to be a good person and do a good job, but because he's so difficult to get close to and puts up such a cold facade, his efforts tend to go unnoticed. Vasco sees this side of him and finds it very charming.

Machete could use a lot of tlc and Vasco is happy to be there to provide it. The fact he's able to have such a profound positive effect on someone and their quality of life makes him feel needed, he feels like he's contributing something good to the world and that gives him strength. It's not like his only job is to pat Machete's head and tell it's going to be alright though, they enjoy each other's company and feel at ease together. In a way Machete also has a calming effect on Vasco. On his good days he can be very pleasant company, he's interesting to talk to, he's kind and gentle and even awkwardly funny at times, he has an eye for beauty and is able to appreciate small good things in their lives. He isn't an expert in expressing his affection physically, but when he does, Vasco can trust that his attempts are authentic.

Machete may not always know the correct words and gestures to comfort him, but he's a good listerer and does his best to be there for him. He never belittles or makes fun of him, he's patient and forgiving when Vasco makes mistakes, and will drop everything if he's ever in a need of help. He often makes Vasco feel seen and understood like no one else. Machete is good at solving dilemmas and coming up with working solutions (or preventing problems from ever arising, more often than not), and Vasco has the nerves of steel to keep him grounded and stable at a time of crisis. Together they make a very efficient and resourceful team.

Their jobs are very similar, Machete works for the church and Vasco is a secular politician, but they both deal with diplomacy and foreign relations. They end up working together often, and since Machete is very competent in what he's doing, he often ends up helping and advising Vasco.

I think despite their differences, they're just very well in tune with each other. In the ways that actually matter, they have common interests, tastes and worldviews. They enjoy similar things. And the parts that differ tend to augment them instead of driving them apart. A lot of their fondness stems from the fact they have a lot of shared history, they met at a young age and their friendship-turned-romantic was a very formative experience for both.

Should it be necessary, Machete would face God and walk backwards into hell to protect Vasco.

#that's how I see it at the moment #I mean there's probably more but this is already a wall of text as is #I'm imagining Vasco asking Machete's help in doing his taxes and Machete just flipping through his papers in aghast disbelief #like oh my dearest light of my life you're wonderful but this is some sloppy bookkeeping #answered #fantacyjunky #Vasco #Machete

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genericpuff · 12 days

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saw a post criticizing lore rekindled a while back, and one of the points made was "it's unfair to rachel that someone else can profit off and make money off her work"

do you profit off lore rekindled??? i don't remember if you ever said that you were monetizing lore rekindled, so i'm unsure where this piece of information came from

I literally do NOT profit off Rekindled in any way shape or form, it's a Tumblr comic that's free to read, zero subscriptions, paywalls, or ads.

I did just recently open a Patreon and apply my Twitch channel to become affiliate, but 1. my Patreon doesn't have any paid members yet , 2. my Patreon won't be offering rewards that limit the reading experience of Rekindled (it's gonna be like random doodles n junk), and 3. I haven't even streamed since I applied for Affiliate and people are watching the streams for art and lo-fi, not for any sort of exclusive reading experiences that wouldn't also be accessible on Tumblr (you just get to watch me slowly work on Rekindled while playing FF XIV LMAOO) All of these restrictions I have in place is to prevent exactly what folks assume or accuse me - profiting off Rachel's IP. At the end of the day I just wanna create an AU fanfic project, even if it's created out of disappointment for what could have been.

I *do* spend a few hundred a month though for my assistant. So I'm working on Rekindled completely at a loss, out of my own pocket. So in that regard, even if I were to monetize any part of Rekindled... it wouldn't be for my own profitable gain, I'd maybe be able to cover some of my assistant fees 🤣 (but that's just hypothetical food for thought, because as I said above, I don't want to monetize Rekindled because of the potentially legal and ethical issues in doing so. Making money is also just not why I'm making Rekindled because it's something I wanna just do for fun! Money complicates things, turns shit into a job :'0) And let's be real, in that hypothetical scenario, I don't think any money I could generate on my free to read Tumblr project would come anywhere close to threatening Rachel's bottom line 🤣

And this isn't to throw anyone under the bus but when people get suspicious of Rekindled profiting off LO, I can't help but think of the actual fans of LO selling handmade LO merch on Etsy and LO-style adoptables and other arts and crafts dedicated to their favorite comic. And I'm not gonna judge them for that, more power to 'em if people wanna buy their cool stuff (and some of it is really REALLY cool, like I wanna buy their stuff too LOL), I just think it's ironic that people separate the two because... I'm not a diehard fan? Or because Rekindled has gotten popular here. Beats me. All that "popularity" is still just a niche remake of a niche comic in a niche medium. It's not Spiderman Lotus levels of big 🤣 but I know it probably feels that big to people who are engaged with this fandom and spend a lot of time in it.

There's an opposite side of being a yes man that perpetuates similar behavior on the other side - when you come up with reasons to rag on someone just for the sake of it because you can't rationalize them NOT being the all 100% pulp of evil LMAO (and I see people do this even to Rachel and it's not fair imo, like people who use the Lolita thing as a way to accuse Rachel of being a legitimate pedophile? Like no, I don't think we should be normalizing serious accusations like that. I think she's just misinformed in a lot of ways at worst and suffering from dark romantasy porn brainrot at best LOL).

Like, as an example, I've also seen people claim stuff like I'm in the fan spaces telling people not to read LO and to read LR instead? Which like... why would I do that, LR isn't for the fans anyways and I don't gain anything by being a dick in their space 🤣 If my own readers are doing that, that's out of my hands (but respectfully don't do this please!!! there's a reason I don't use the standard LO hashtags and only stick to the anti ones!!!!) but again (and this is a big assumption so take with grains of salt) I think people just like to claim these things because they feel it's just naturally the right thing to do when someone who has opinions they don't like actually puts them into action. Because now they can't say shit like "well if you think you're so much smarter than Rachel why don't YOU write the story!" and "you don't know what it's like to manage a comic!" so they grapple onto whatever other argument they can even if it's misconstrued or entirely pulled out of thin air and not backed up with any legitimate evidence.

Their perspectives make sense to them. My perspective makes sense to me. I don't blame people for being suspicious when they see someone like me pour this much time and effort and money into a project like Rekindled, they assume it HAS to do with something they can rationalize from their own point of view, like wanting to "steal" Rachel's work or profit off it or take it for myself out of "jealousy".

Sorry to disappoint y'all with a boring answer, but I'm just someone who was once a huge fan of LO and couldn't let it go. I'm just someone who's way too hyperfixated, with a lot of passion for making comics and experience to match. I'd still be making it even if I didn't have an assistant. I'd still be making it even if I was stuck working with nothing but paper and pencil. Because I love making it and I love what it means to me, and I love that it makes other people feel the same way I do about it.

And that's really all I have to say on that.

#ask me anything #ama #anon ama #anon ask me anything #lore rekindled #lore rekindled ama

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drdemonprince · 4 months

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Recently, I've observed a pattern in my friendships where I connect with people who tend to be people pleasers or are less confident in expressing their thoughts. Given my neurodivergence and direct communication style, I've received feedback about sounding righteous, making them feel unsafe to share. How can I navigate these situations more effectively or seek out individuals with stronger personalities who appreciate straightforwardness?

P.s. it makes me feel so bad every time this happens, it’s not my intent to hurt people and I feel very rejected.

I have a bit of experience with this dynamic myself. Those of us who are read as negative or difficult to please can unwittingly be appealing to people pleasers, because it reminds them of people who have genuinely mistreated them and fraught family or relational dynamics of their past that have dug a real deep groove into their brain. Unfortunately the very qualities that feel familiar to them also burn them, because they want to win us over and soften us, but we're already just being ourselves and not abusive and don't need to soften. I've honestly been on both sides of this dynamic -- the person who keeps accidentally hurting someone's feelings and the one getting hurt with glib comments, incompatible communication styles, or whatever else.

That's just one of many dynamics at play of course. We're both traumatized, othered groups of people who may gravitate to one another because we share so many struggles in common -- but our triggers and sensitive points can be incompatible. When someone expects me to read their mind and pre-empt their needs, for example, it freaks me the fuck out because I've put a lot of work into no longer being that kind of person. At the same time, it's okay and normal for a friend to want you to understand the basics of what makes them comfortable and uncomfortable and to consider their feelings and needs.

Sometimes it's just a conflict one needs to talk through. I have plenty of cherished friends who are sensitive or people-pleasing in nature, and we can make it work because they don't view me in a negative light -- they fundamentally see me as someone they care about and like, and so even if they suddenly feel like I'm making fun of them or have left them out, they are able to check that instinct against the reality they know of me and we can talk about it or they can work on the feeling on their own as the case warrants. If I do say something hurtful or miss the mark, a lot of my closest friends are the types who can tell me, and then it's my job to not freak the fuck out on them or to feel controlled or penned in by them sharing that intimacy with me... sometimes I'm still not the best at it. but lord have i gotten better.

I think one has to just keep endeavoring to be oneself and to communicate early and often. I don't think the solution is ever to censor oneself or to feel that your true self deep down is too cruel or wrong for people to love. I used to really feel that way and still struggle with that sometimes, especially when I hurt people. It can be easy to feel, if you're a kind of negative/blunt seeming person like me, to feel that any time a person shares with you that they are hurt, that they are trying to censor or control you. Sometimes that very much happens. But it isn't always the case. Sometimes a person just wants reassurance that you like them, that you didn't mean the remark in that way, or even just acknowledgement of their pain and that they aren't crazy for feeling how they feel. Not everyone who gets hurt is a crybully or manipulating. Just as not everyone who accidentally hurts people is abusive or cruel.

I used to really gravitate only toward other negative prickly people. I still like that "type" a lot. But there is no type that is wholly trustworthy or safe. I got burned plenty of times by trying to win over the friendship of someone who I thought surely would "Get" me, because they were also blunt and to the point, and I assumed that made them "real," but in actuality they were manipulating people and steamrolling people and trying to make people feel bad. Some people can only be "real" about candid negative opinions. They can't be really contrite. Or curious. or humble. or even tell you directly when they are hurt. They might only be passive aggressive and barbed instead (i have also been that person).

As always I think it's most important to look to a person's actions and the impact they have on others, as well as their own capacity to both self-advocate and to admit fault. Can this person reflect? Can this person say they were wrong or that their opinion changed? Can they own that they might see things in a biased way? That they have their own triggers? That they need things? Do they help people the way those people want to be helped? Do they behave in accordance with a consistence values system you can admire? Do you like how they think things through? Can they understand their own emotions to at least a responsible extent? Etc etc etc. Some people who tick off all the right boxes on these questions will be someone who is pretty sensitive and people-pleasy but working on it. And some of them will be people who are patholdogical demand avoidant naysayers with a chip off their shoulder but who can also be vulnerable. And most of us are all of those things I think.

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karaokebearwithal · 1 month

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Mutuals Mutuals Come one COME ALL!!!

Put your various sona's and appendages together for the unveiling of a lil' something I've been working on while being distracted from animating Dame Aylin's wings (Its long, hard, fun as all hell but the concentration required to do so seems physically impossible for a beast of my genus)

I drew all my moots tavs/pseudo-companions!!! It took a bit, but it was well worth it! Everyone's design is so unique and fun to figure out. (10 is a big number of moots)((which I am very grateful to have :3)) So without Further Ado!!! (there will be so much more Ado):

(page break cuz the images are 400x400 each but 10 times, I also go on for a bit about how much I like each Tav/pseudo-companion character) ((if anyone can give me tips on how to size pieces in a normal style digitally i'd be very grateful))

First of all is Sivvus the Fey Prince (he/him)! This elusive Eladrin Tav belongs to @thedomesticanthropologist! A gorgeous yet seemingly cold-hearted druid who tends to keep his cards close to his chest. Though if you want the challenge you can see for yourself if you can try and get close to him to see if Sivvus is as closed off as he seems to be. To be quite honest, Sivvus really grew on me. A very fancy Eladrin with a high society (fey society) upbringing ( with very good looking mood boards to match) and the like only for him to be thrust into the bg3 world with a worm to boot. He is charming! Also his backstory? <3 Defienetly go read it! 10/10 would draw the snob again :)

Second off we have Gum (He/They)! A Githyanki Cleric of Mystra. Being @piipaw's Tav you'd find this charming fruit lover trying to live a peaceful life after escaping from the creche that raised them. I like Gum a lot as the concept of a githyanki trying to find their own way in Faerun while also having no idea about any of the social customs is very gripping to me. I recommend greatly to check out the blog for Gum fics, fanart and a very cool moot . :)

Next is H'rayn of Verkos (she/her)! Now different from all the character's I drew, H'rayn is not a Tav! She's actually a pseudo-companion character with a lotta lore and history! She even has her own quest, party banter, approval and disapproval things. It's the whole deal!! @githkisser made an amazing post all about H'rayn . If you want a ton of indepth and fun info that's really really well documented, I cannot overstate how much you should it check out! I find myself going back to learn more about H'rayn as she really is as well thought out as in game companions! It's quite fun thinking up of ways tavs can interact with her and the art is mwah!!! very good indeed :3

4th! Tavern (Tav) the Bard! (they/them) This darling bard ran away from the circus.....from birth! Created by @avocado-writing, Tavern plays their way into your heart with their silly antics, warm heart and eldritch pocket dimension in their chest!

Tavern is a doll to doodle and I am amped to draw them even more in the future. The heterochromia and the inclusion of instruments does make them a fun challenge (i will draw instruments accuratley with these paws eventually). Go check them out!! :D

5th! Hvinidyr the Barbarian (he/him)! @star-bear-art (I just realised after all this we aren't actually mutuals. Which is funny since we kinda have the same name and theme with the bear thing XD) If you wanna see wonderous art of Hvinidyr as well as the other companions, go look right over here!

Winnie (Hvinidyr) has a lot of forms depending on the time period you wanna look at. The one I chose was the most recent with the large scar tissue all over the left (right? I'm horrible at directions, my paws don't make an L shape for me to tell). He was really fun to sketch out (and probably later colour in) and has a really unique design that I appreciate :)

6th Vierlin the Enchantment Wizard (and a lil' bit rouge)!!!(she/her) @sybaritick's Tav!!! Now!! This classic drow has a keen intrest in enchantment magic, teaching her crafts to nobles in Amn. After the whole tadpole fiasco, she also finds another use for her multitude of arcane skills. Most notabley depicted with a local wizard.

Now I won't get ahead of myself here but the fics that Sybaritick wrote about Vierlin are like....licking a warm pan of thickened maple syrup or a fancy meat meal with so much demi-glaze you're left smacking your lips for at least 20 mins after eating. Its indulgent. And I couldn't recommend it enough!! Read it!! (it took me a good 8 times to get the 'ie' part of Vierlin's name right, the letters look the same to me)

7th Fink the Spores Druid (they/them) belonging to @causticcontemplation! They're a pretty short Tav a 2.5ft and have a whole modern AU fic about them!!! You can read all about it here! (the pun name is amazing!)

I found it cool to use the fic to figure out how to colour them in, I ended up sending an anon ask instead and it helped great! Lovely Tav 10/10!

8th Korydass the Druid!! (She/her)!!! Conjured by @cfcreative, this seemingly non-emotive bronze dragonborn lights a spark in viewers as her tail and love for nature portrays otherwise. Art of Kory is many and also very good. Reading through her lore is fun watching her dynamics with the different origin characters change as she opens up to the party.

Now I do have slight bias, I like drawing Kory the most since her head shape is less humanoid. It's just so satifying, also her design is crazy awesome to work with so all around its great recommend I like her a lot :3

9th Asheera the Paladin (she/her) produced by @optiwashere.

To be quite honest I wouldn't even have a blog if it wasn't for Asheera's fics. They are EXCELLENT. If you want to go through a journey of a half orcs struggles, successes and gripping romance with Shadowheart, VAULT YOURSELF into Opti's A03 page and devour. You will have negative regrets about it just like I! Asheera is great I love her a lot I am the most normal about her.

(I'll keep it brief since this post is long enough to cross a river)

10th Quin the Bard (he/him) composed by @quinthebard (who'd have known?)

This darling plucky bard is the star of an ongoing comic that is very dynamic and very gripping. (My fave panel is this one). Despite being 100, Quin still maintains his joyful and kind nature when traveling with the tadpole gang.

Definetly one of the most friendlies Tavs out of all the ones i've drawn. (he was also the first i drew out of all of these!) He's a delight!! Go check him out! Thanks to all my moots for giving permission, having such great characters and being such lovely moots! <3 <3 <3

(Any pronouns or other changes that want be changed, feel free to DM about it. I love those! )

#Any spelling mistakes #incomplete sentances or nonsense words found in the post shall be fix post-posting.#Re-reading my work make my eyes glaze over and that doesn't help anyone #bg3 #bg3 tav #not my tav #not my TAVSSSSS #Also not my pseudo-companion #To be honest this took longer than actually animating Dame Aylin #But it was far more fun so it felt quick #Like i'm making art for moots!!!#What tops that????#feel free to DM me about your Tavs #Or to rp! i wanna try that!#Okay I'll be in my torpor if anyone needs me

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kingspacebar · 8 days

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Is there any particular artist, show, game, or movie that inspired ur art style? It’s so pretty ^^

I have so many!!! I definitely can't name every single one but heres a few that have been extremely influential to me!! This took me 2 hours to write i am SO sorry lmao

Puyo Puyo (Specifially Fever, Quest, and Tetris)

CUTESY BRIGHT BRIGHT COLORS!!!!!! Thats everything I love!!!!!! I'm pretty sure I talked about this when I first got into puyo puyo but I for SURE instantly decided that yep Im steering my style in this direction sorryyyyyy!!! I just think its so fun and silly and cute and rahhh it makes me so happy.

Especially for the work I do most often, which is character portraits without backgrounds, I will often look at puyo puyo posing just to get ideas!! (I've drawn Arle's dumbfounded pose 100000000 times becus I love it so much). The puyo puyo anatomy has very noodly arms and legs but with big ass shoes and accessories which is probably my favorite design thing in the world....

I seriously recommend just looking through the Puyo Puyo Nexus wiki for pose ideas (if you want something cute/silly of course) because every single one is just perfect. I am trying to get out of some dumb art habits of my own right now, but hopefully in the future you'll be able to see more goofy poses with sillier effects :3

Muse Dash Again I want you to look at the COLORS. Its so bright and this time you can really tell where I took my shading style from. I dont want my shadows to be dark I want them to be PINK or PURPLE. thank you. For my own art, I really try to make it so the darkest "black" is actually a deep purple or blue, and as I keep making art that dark color keeps getting just a bit lighter haha...

This is also the reason I color my lineart the way I do. I just really want to add as many colors as possible into the image. And if the image looks a bit more pink after that then thats just an extra perk!!

I also need to bring up the animation because they're just so bouncy and alive!!! This is like an instant stunlock for me, I have to look at them, theyre so BOUNCYYY!!!!!! I don't do much animation but every other week I get the sudden urge to try tweening again just to eventually get to the point I can make something similar to these for my own ocs lol

Great Pretender This show has some of the most gorgeous art ive ever seen. All the backgrounds are so bright and colorful. I dont usually draw art with backgrounds anymore sadly, but when I used to I really tried to study these for them. And I hope in the future I can make more art and show how far I've come.

Though I;ve changed to a more chibi style in recent times (thanks puyo puyo), this was still one of the first times I had ever watched a show and said "Oh my god I love this artstyle I need to get better at art" and Its always in my mind for that reason.

Ive definitely stolen lots of elements from the style. Though they've gotten more subtle over the years. I dont really know how to describe it any further but I hope you understand what I mean by looking at these screenshots,,,

#theres a TON more but I these r my favs!!!!#asks

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irish-dress-history · 4 months

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Have you got any good resources for men’s clothing in Ireland (or even Scotland) during about the 1400’s-1600’s?

I have been trying to find anything that can give me better insight so I can recreate the clothing but so far I’m mostly seeing cheap rubbish costumes that are very clearly the generic “medieval” style that everyone goes to when they want to convey a vibe but don’t feel like doing historic accuracy.

Not to say there’s anything wrong with that but I’d like to really impress people in future gatherings that pertain to this time period

This is a tough one, unfortunately. The 2 best books for this have been out of print for decades and now sell second hand for $100+ USD. Your best bet for getting a hold of them is interlibrary loan. Neither of these books contains sewing patterns or construction information. They are:

Old Irish and Highland Dress by H. F. McClintock, 1st ed. 1943, 2nd ed 1950

Dress in Ireland by Mairead Dunlevy, 1st ed 1989, 2nd ed. 1999

The one book I know of that's still in print is Before the Kilt: How the Irish and Scots Dressed in the 16th Century by Gerald A. John Kelly. I haven't actually read it. I've heard it has some issues with the images being low resolution (probably because it was printed by a small press), but it does contain good primary source research. The only place I know of that sells legitimate sewing patterns is Reconstructing History. I haven't actually bought any, but I have heard that their sewing directions are not the easiest to follow, and some people have issues with the size grading. Their patterns for the wool garments are all based off of extant period garments. Based on more recent research, I don't their léine patterns are completely correct, but they are at least better than some of the léine patterns out there. (Avoid anyone who tells you to put drawstrings in the tops of the sleeves or that a man's léine should be hip-length.)

Websites of reenactors and historical costumers who have put serious research into their outfits:

https://saffroncloth.wordpress.com/

https://www.wildeirishe.com/

http://matsukazesewing.blogspot.com/2014/06/16th-century-irish-dress_19.html

https://www.thelastprince.ie/

http://www.claiomh.ie/

A couple of decent videos on 16th-early 17th c Irish dress:

Traditional Irish Clothing in the Gaelic Period

Depicting and Describing Dress in Early Modern Ireland by Dr. Katherine Bond

If you're planning on doing the 16th c, definitely check out Susan Flavin's research. It has great information on what types of textiles, dyes, and trims that were available in 16th c. Ireland. You can download a pdf of her dissertation here.

I'm sure you already know that 1400s-1600s is a long time period for dress history. Irish dress changed a lot during that period. If your goal is to make a single, well-researched outfit, I would recommend picking a period that's somewhere 1500s-1600. There are a lot fewer primary sources (extant garments, art, documents, etc) for 1400s Ireland. On the other hand if you enjoy making educated guesses, 1400s might be more fun. Just check out this neat 15th c. outfit from Strade Abbey, County Mayo:

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask. I can't guarantee I have answers, but I do have a bunch of random Irish-dress-history related articles for this period on my computer.

#asks #irish dress #historical men's fashion #research help #historical dress #dress history

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littlexscarletxwitch · 1 year

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Hi! I have a request for Florence. Can you you write one where the Florence is away filming and her and the reader are really missing each other, so either Harry Styles or Emma Watson helps the reader surprise Flo on set. You bring Billie as well. After shooting is over for the day they go back to the house Flo is renting, and just cook dinner and cuddle. For the rest of the week, the cast can see Florence is so much more at ease with the reader visiting. :)

── ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿

paring: florence pugh x fem!reader

tag(s): fluff, a bit of spice but sfw, short blurb, established relationship

warning(s): grammatical error, unedited, not proofread, alutions to sex

word count: 1,800

note: The whole set thing was really hard to picture, since I've never been to one, so the whole thing could be inaccurate, but just go with it (?). Apart from that, it was kinda fun. I really hope you like it. Also you just gave me the best excuse to add Mr. Harry Styles. (Should I write for Harry? I luv him so much). Also, let's pretend that Flo and Harry are the best of friends because I said so (*cries*). [By the way, should I try writing smut. I feel like I'm ready but I'm not 100% sure.] I'm not a native english speaker, so please let me know about any sort of mistake. Hope you guys enjoy <3

requests are open! <3

Waking up everyday and not seeing her stupid cute face made your heart ache.

It’d only been a month since she left to start shooting her new movie, but it felt like it had been years since you last felt her touch, heard her laugh or felt her lips against yours. Yes, you two would facetime every morning and every night, but it wasn’t enough. It never was. You needed her close to you, you needed her hugs, you needed her to cuddle you to sleep. You just needed her badly.

And she wasn’t coming home for at least one more month. You didn’t know how you were going to be without her for so long. You could tell that Billie missed her too, and that only made your heart ache even more.

“You miss mama too, don’t you, babygirl?” she gave you the most heartbroken sad puppy eyes. “Yeah, that’s it. We are going to visit her, would you like that? Would you like to go and see mama?” as if understanding exactly what you were saying she started to bark at you, her tail swaying back and forth.

So it was settled. You and Billie were going on a road trip. You knew it was a long ride for her, but she actually liked being in a car. Plus, she was a great companion.

[...]

You didn’t know this, but Florence was missing you like crazy as well. She loved working, she was really excited about this new project of hers, she just didn’t expect to miss you so bad. She had grown used to waking up to your face, you making her breakfast when she had to leave for work early, or just taking Billie out for a walk with you. She missed all of those things.

If she didn’t have to shoot a scene, she would spend all her time rumbling about you to her castmates or crew. Especially to Harry Styles, who she had grown close to. He knew how she felt since he missed his partner as well. So they would spend their time telling eachother everything about their amazing lovers.

Talking to Harry about you made her missing you a little bit easier. But still it wasn’t enough. She needed to feel you again, to smell your scent, to sleep next to you. She needed you badly.

What she didn’t know was that you and Harry had spoken recently. He knew about you coming to visit your girlfriend, and was excited about his blonde friend's reaction when she’d see you. You had called him the night before, telling him your wonderful idea, he immediately agreed to help you in any way he could. You told him that you would be on your way the next day, and would probably arrive by 12 P.M. All he had to do was keep Florence off of her phone, so she couldn’t call you and you wouldn’t have to lie to her over the phone, since you were terrible at it.

[...]

You guys woke up the next morning, everything already packed and hit the road at 8 AM. It was going to be a four hour trip to Las Vegas, where the shooting was taking place. You had about four stops, so both you and Billie could go to the bathroom and stretch your legs. And by 12.30 P.M. you arrived in Las Vegas. You thought Billie would be stressed by then, but she was actually having the time of her life sticking her tongue out the car window.

Once you arrived, you called Harry and asked him about the set address, which he texted you immediately after ending the call. He told you that distracting Flo had been really easy since she had a lot of work to do, but by the time you would arrive at the set she would be free to spend some time with you.

After another 20 minutes in your car, you arrived at the set. You were scared that the security guard wouldn't let you pass, but Harry was waiting for you outside, so you didn't have any issue with that.

Once you got out of the car, Billie trailing behind, you made your way to him and hugged him. Over the past month you guys became some sort of online friends. You would always see each other while you would facetime Florence, and somehow developed a friendship once exchanging phone numbers.

You pulled apart from the hug and that’s when it hit you. After being away from your girlfriend you were actually going to see her. Billie could tell your excitement, her tail swaying back and forth. You smiled at her. She was as excited as you were.

“Okay, so she’s in her trailer right now. I believe she has a half an hour break. Let’s take you to your better half before they need me on set.”

Harry quickly made his way to this sort of parking lot filled with lots of caravans. He stopped at the first row and pointed to the fourth one.

“That's hers.”

“Um, can you tell her to come out for a second?”

“Sure thing.”

He made his way to Florence’s trailer door, knocked and just opened the door. He stuck his head inside, and you heard him muttering something to her. Once he was done, he gave you a discreet thumbs up and stood next to you. He was as excited as you and Billie were, he noticed Florence's mood changed ever since the shooting had started, and knew that seeing you would make her really happy.

The first thing Florence noticed was a white and brown blur coming her way. She didn’t realise it was her own dog until Billie was licking her face.

“What are you doing–?” She started but cut herself off once she saw you next to Harry. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

She gently put Billie down and ran towards you. She hugged you and lifted you up from the ground, spinning you around. You both started to laugh. Once she put you down you rested your hands on her cheeks and smashed your lips against hers. It was a much needed kiss, showing each other how much you have been missing the other. You both heard Harry had said something about he had to go, but you two weren’t actually listening, too absorbed by each other.

[...]

After what felt like hours, you and Flo could finally head home. Well, it wasn’t actually home, it was just a flat where Florence was staying until she was done shooting. You guys were all over each other as soon as you got there. Kissing and touching, making up for the lost time. But with Billie present, demanding Florence’s attention as well, you couldn’t do much more.

Florence wanted to cook for you. She wanted the both of you to feel at home. So she made one of her favourite recipes, which was obviously delicious. Florence's cooking abilities were like heaven itself. During dinner she told you the things she could about the movie she was working on, how excited she was to work with Greta Gerwig, since she was a remarkable film director. You listened to every word she said carefully, not getting enough of her raspy low voice you’d been missing for a whole month. You told her about your work, that you asked for a week off so you could do this trip. How the idea came to your mine all because of Billie, which upon hearing her name started to howl. You both laughed at her.

After dinner, you were the one cleaning everything up, since she did the cooking and you didn’t mind washing the dirty dishes. There was something relaxing about washing the dishes for some reason. You actually zoned out, lost in your own thoughts about how much you had been missing her, how badly you craved her. Florence noticed the shift in you right away.

“What’s up in that head of yours?” she asked softly in your ear, her arms around your waist.

“I was just thinking of how much I had been missing you,” you chuckled.

“And how much is that?” she said as she buried her head in the crook of your neck, leaving small bites and kisses here and there.

“Oh, you have no idea,” your head lifting upwards giving her more access to your sensitive skin.

“Then show me,” you could hear the grin on her face even though you weren’t facing her.

You quickly washed your hands, turned the water off, turned around and smashed your lips against her. You could taste the wine in her mouth, making you feel a little bit dizzy. But it didn't compare to how she made you feel. You felt the butterflies in your stomach erupt, heat creeping all over your body. It was as if it caught up to you all that time being away from her. Missing her in every way possible.

You two made your way to your now shared bedroom and made uo for the lost time.

[...]

You ended up in her arms for the rest of the night. Her holding your waist tightly as if never ever letting you go again. It was the first time in a month that you two could actually get some rest. You felt at ease with her being this close to you. That was what you had been missing, those little moments when it was just you and Florence. The rest of the world didn't matter, it was just the two of you. And Billie, of course, who was sleeping at Florence’s feet.

[...]

For the rest of the week, Florence’s castmates and crew could tell that something had changed in her. She was less stressed, she appeared more rested and she wasn’t on her phone as much as she used to. They soon realised that you were the reason why once you showed up on set trailing behind her and Harry.

They all immediately knew that you were Florence’s girlfriend. They already knew how you looked, since Florence was constantly showing you off, but it wasn’t your face that gave you away. It was the fact that Florence couldn’t get her hands nor her eyes off of you.

Which everyone thought was really cute and hilarious. Especially Harry, who would constantly tease Florence about it. But they were all happy that she was back to her regular self.

When you left, everyone thought that Florence would go back to her grumpy self, but she actually didn’t. She knew the shooting was almost done, so she was just counting the days to see you again. Only one more week and she could wake up to your cute snoring face.

Likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated! <3

-M

#florence pugh #florence pugh x reader #florence pugh x you #florence pugh x y/n #florence pugh x fem reader #florence pugh imagine #imagine #florence pugh fluff #fluff #littlexscarletxwitch's fic #requests by lovely anons ‘๑’#your fav florence pugh blog <3

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dipplinduo · 3 months

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I love your writing style so much!! Do you have any tips for new fic writers?

Awww, thank you so much!! <3

I feel like there's a ton of things I could say, but I'll boil down what has helped me most to keep in mind, and I'll throw in some examples from the fic to better illustrate what I'm trying to say:

Remember that you're essentially helping the reader paint an image in their head - especially with action and scenery. If you have something specific you want to convey, assume your reader has no idea what the image in your head is and put that detail in. I do that a lot with Kieran/Juliana physical interactions.

If you're writing in a character's POV, remember that you're writing in their perspective. Their perceptions and thoughts are going to be limited and colored by their own judgement (all narrators are unreliable in their own ways!!) Sometimes another way to bring a deeper connection to your character's POV is to describe things the audience already knows if it's new to the character (e.g. a recent example I have done of this in S&S D is by spending time describing Chargestone Cavern. I know the readers are familiar with it, but it was Juliana's first time experiencing it. It also showed how beaten down she was from her sickness because her scenery utterly floored her once she did register where she was. Meanwhile, Kieran is unfazed since it's more of a familiar environment & he's more numb to what's around him in general, so we don't get any of that romanticized language or much acknowledgement about the scenery at all from his POV.)

On a similar note in the unreliable narrator category: if there's something you want to convey to the audience only from a character's limited POV, make the detail suggestive enough for the character to note, but not suggestive enough to the character for them to give it much thought (i.e., maybe it happened to quickly, maybe the character doesn't know something important that is already established, maybe the character makes an incorrect judgement call, etc.) Recent examples I've done of this include Drayton kicking Crispin under the table to go along with his setup of getting Juliana to call Kieran "Kiki" (Juliana was somewhat skeptical, but didn't give it too much thought) and the end scene of Chapter 6 when Kieran encountered Ms. Briar (since Kieran was literally compromised, we only get the snippets he was mentally present for. Kieran has already been established as having a debatable visual perception given what's going on with him, and the specific detail about Ms. Briar not being around when he awoke on a Saturday in an empty office hallway was deliberately designed to rile up the audience and call for speculation. Was she really there, and left? Was she never there at all? Giving your readers the chance to theorize and make sense of breadcrumbs can give your fic more momentum and make it more enticing. Your audience will have a reason to want to continue to the next chapter because they want to know what happens! And this can also apply to fluff, btw.)

On a related, personal bias and perhaps somewhat diabolical note: I also think some of the best storytelling is a bit of a give and take. Give your audiences the expected satisfying wins at times, but also don't be afraid to cop them out and take them somewhere else than they're expecting to make a stronger or more impactful point. I love doing this (sorry not sorry ;D) - whether to make a moment more cute than you'd expect or to pull at heartstrings and create more emotional investment for a character (e.g. there was a reason we got the Kieran/Sweet Applin moment right before...welp, rather than at any other part of thus far). Mostly because I think it's a more fun emotional journey as a reader!

If your character is experiencing an emotion, don't just tell the reader that they are. Describe how that emotion manifests in them to the degree of its intensity, and remember that emotional experiences are often somatic and can look different from character to character. One technique I use to further emphasize this is to use certain diction depending on the narrator (i.e. the language used to depict Kieran's experiences of embarrassment has some differences compared to how Juliana's is described when she feels it; that being said there is deliberate overlap I put in from time to time in the way they think to show some of their likeness.)

Make sure you're having fun and writing things you're feeling passionate about! I, for one, have enjoyed doing this via interactions with readers & the community. Receiving feedback and hearing about what my audience is thinking is very helpful in both constructive and brainstorming kind of ways, and some of my favorite moments have been built around learning more about my audience/having a sense of what should be improved or expanded on. That being said, it's also important to stick to what you know you want to stick to if it's something you're confident about - even if it's different than what people might be expecting or hoping for. At the end of the day you are the writer and this is your story. You always get the final say-so. I also tend to keep this integrity in tack by limiting my awareness of what other fic writers are doing with related ideas so I don't feel unconsciously influenced in any way when I'm actively writing (I very much dislike doing this, but feel it helps me).

Wishing you the best luck in writing!! And happy to talk one on one, too. I'm no expert by any means - writing is more of a hobby and this is just some things I've learned along the way. I always appreciate learning from others too and I guarantee you that you have your own natural instincts that will be great insight for me and many others!!! <3

#asks #my fics #this was an awesome question

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phantom-of-the-501st · 1 year

Text

Sad Domino Twin Stuff

I haven't posted a whole lot on here recently but it's because I've not had much to discuss. My rewatch of TBB ground to a halt after 1x1 because of uni stuff getting in the way (I'll get round to it eventually).

But to fill the time, here's a depressing hypothetical Tales-of-the-Jedi-style episode I came up with about the Domino Twins! Because I'm nothing if not a consistent source of chaos and misery :)

Gonna tag @saturn-sends-hugs and @phis-writing for funsies but they might both hate me after this <3

Okay, so imagine this:

The episode opens and we're on Kamino, with Echo and Fives in an empty bunk room talking about an upcoming mission. Echo's feeling particularly nervous about this mission (cue an "I've got a bad feeling about this" reference) but Fives reassures him that it's going to be fine. They got through Rishi and the attack on Kamino, they can get out of this mission okay (throw in a little bit of sibling banter as Fives tries to get Echo to relax a bit). Echo finally loosens up and Fives states that they need to get moving before Rex has to come and find them because "Jedi Master Piell isn't going to rescue himself". (Don't think it isn't going to get worse from here. It will). The scene ends with the door closing on them as they leave the barracks.

The setting doesn't change. Instead, the next scene starts with the same door opening, but rather than both twins, it's just Fives, shoulders slumped and helmet on. He sits down on one of the beds and clenches his fists. After a few moments he takes his helmet off, staring at the design, tears in his eyes, lump in his throat. In a sudden burst of anger he flings his helmet across the room and puts his head in his hands. This is how Rex finds him, sat on the bed, sobbing. We spend a few moments with Rex and Fives as the Captain sits next to him and tries to comfort his brother (and himself). This would be a good chance to throw in some dialogue about them reminiscing: Rex picking up the twins on Rishi, their promotion to ARC troopers etc.

Rex then pulls Fives into a hug before we cut to a close up of Rex's face (just his face, nothing else. This is going to be relevant in a few seconds). Heartbroken and cradling his brother, Rex simply says "I'm sorry" and closes his eyes. And then when he opens them again he says "I'm so sorry, Echo". We zoom back out, but instead of hugging Fives, he's hugging the other twin.

Same room, same position, but we've jumped forward in time to after Echo's rescue. Instead of apologising to Fives, the captain is now apologising to Echo, having just told him what happened to his brother. Eventually, they get up to leave and the episode ends with the door closing on them the same way that it closed on the Domino Twins earlier on in the episode.

So uh... have fun with this I guess! Or yell at me. That tends to happen when I bring up sad Domino Twin stuff :)

When I tell you that this has been floating around in my head for a while... For months (months!) it has kept coming back to me. But now I've finally written it down and you all get to share in my misery with me! <3

#did I just come up with an entire episode set in one room?#and for it to be nothing but depressing?#... apparently so #finally getting this written down after it's been stuck in my head for who knows how long #thoughts on tbb will hopefully start up again at some point #but I don't know when #so just enjoy whatever depressing thing this is instead! :)#the domino twins #arc trooper echo #arc trooper fives #captain rex #the clone wars

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formula-hamilton · 1 year

Text

Nothing New (Pierre Gasly x Reader)

Pierre Gasly x fem!driver

A fic loosely inspired by the song Nothing New by Taylor Swift. I included some of the lyrics, but not all.

Summary: A dramatic night out brings two Alpha Tauri drivers together.

Word count: 6k

Warnings: Angsty reader, throwing up, bad self-esteem, mentions of sex, alcohol, some miscommunication, fluff at the end.

Note: First fic I have ever written (apart from a Harry Styles fic 10 years ago). Honestly, I could not decide who the love interest should be. I almost chose Carlos, but I felt like Pierre was a better fit. I hope you enjoy! Feedback is appreciated!

They tell you while you're young "Girls, go out and have your fun" Then they hunt and slay the ones who actually do it Criticize the way you fly when you're soarin' through the sky Shoots you down and then they sigh, and say "She looks like she's been through it"

The long hallway towards the meeting room was lit by fluorescents lights. The door is slightly ajar and whispers can be heard from inside the room. Silently, you stopped just out of sight from the people sitting at the conference table. You couldn’t see who was in there, but you quickly realized they were talking about you.

“She is too inconsistent. She has had one too many chances. It wouldn’t surprise me if Franz dropped her next year.”

“I feel like she shouldn’t have been signed. There must have been better options.”

“Apparently not. Pierre outperforms her virtually every race weekend. Why even bother racing when you’re performing so poorly?”

“Did you see her this morning? She looks like she’s been through it. She definitely knows that Franz isn’t satisfied with her performance.“

You wanted to tell that them that Pierre had five years of experience, where you were still a rookie. You wanted to tell them that you were the F2 champion last year and that you were deserving of your seat. You wanted to tell them that there were times where you were ahead of Pierre, but the team screwed you over with strategy. You wanted to tell them that at least you had managed to score points in a couple of the races.

You wanted to, but you didn’t. You never did.

You could feel the tears prickling in your eyes. Footsteps from around the corner was heard and you quickly blinked, took a deep breath and stood up straight. Franz Tost, your team principal, appeared behind you and put his hand on your shoulder.

“Ready?” he asked. You nodded. It seemed like he didn’t notice your anxious state of mind.

Lord, what will become of me Once I've lost my novelty?

The meeting only took 45 minutes. As you expected, they weren’t satisfied with your performance. Talks of who’s driving where next season were flying around and people kept telling you that you had to do better for the rest of the season to be put in consideration.

The first half of the season was over and the summer break was approaching with only one race left. All that talk about your seat next season, and you weren’t even sure you wanted to race in F1 for another year. You had never felt so emotionally drained in your life. On top of that, you normally enjoyed your own company, but recently you were starting to feel lonely.

Lying in bed that night, you thought about what you wanted in life. You thought of all the hard work you and your family had put in to your career. You thought about missing out on social events. You only had a couple of close friends left and you couldn’t even say when you lost the others. But you understood them. You would have cut you off too if you were them. It’s not easy being friends with someone who never has the time. Who never puts in the time.

You knew you could have done more these last couple of years to maintain the friendships. On nights like these, with tears streaming down your face, you wish you had. You also missed you ex-boyfriend. Or maybe you didn’t. Everything was so confusing. Maybe you just missed having someone holding your hand and telling you that everything would be okay.

You felt like you knew everything when you were 18. You were driven and knew that you wanted to be the first female Formula 1 world champion. Now you didn’t even know if you wanted to step foot in a Formula 1 car ever again. The fear of failing was all consuming.

Hungarian Grand Prix

The practice sessions went alright. Fortunately, the team seemed to agree, which calmed your nerves a bit. You knew that being calm would improve your performance, but being calm was not possible for you most weeks. The stress of what people were saying about you behind your back, was really getting to you. You didn’t understand how the other drivers managed to block out the world.

Worst of all, your own doubts were creeping in a little too often. A good night’s sleep was much needed, but not achievable. Unbeknownst to you, people had noticed your tired eyes and forced smiles. The dark circles were hard not to notice at this point.

Your teammate Pierre had tried to talk to you many times. He was worried. Especially after what he went through at Red Bull a couple of years back. He knew how you felt and he wouldn’t wish anyone to feel those things.

You and Pierre got along well. You wouldn’t consider him a friend, but you enjoyed talking to him. He was always sweet, but you couldn’t help but notice the pitiful looks he gave you after a rough race. Sometimes, he asked if you wanted to get dinner together or wanted to hang out with him and some of the other drivers. You always declined.

Pierre didn’t understand your reluctance to socialize with any of the drivers. When the two of you spoke, you were talkative and funny. Always reserved, but not rude. He had seen you with some of the others and with them you acted the same. At first he thought your reluctance was rooted in shyness, but that clearly wasn’t the reason. However, he had noticed a change in your behavior since the beginning of the season. You appeared more closed off. Your eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle.

Pierre walked past your drivers room before qualifying and saw you sitting with your eyes closed and air pods in your ears. He could see on your face that you were tired, but you still looked breathtaking he thought. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt nervous about approaching you. Charles had suggested that they invited you along for the celebrations after the race. It being the last race before the summer break and everything.

Pierre had told Charles that it would be of no use inviting you. You had always turned him down when he asked you before. And honestly Pierre’s ego was quite bruised from your lack of interest in his previous invitations.

“Give it a try again. Use some of the Gasly charm,” Charles had told him. “Everyone can see that she needs to have some fun and let loose a little. It can’t hurt to invite her”.

Pierre had signed and finally agreed. So here he stood knocking on the door frame. You opened your eyes, took your headphones out and nodded at him.

Pierre shuffled into your room. “I hope I’m not disturbing you?” He started. You just smiled and shook your head. “Good. Well, me and some of the others are going out tomorrow after the race. They wanted me to ask you… no erm, I wanted to ask you if you would like to join us?” He almost rolled his eyes at his own awkwardness.

You were surprised. It had been a while since he last asked you to join them and you assumed that he had given up on trying to have you socialize with them. It was very sweet of him, you thought. A small part of you wanted to say yes, but a larger part of you wanted to have an early night with self-pity, after what you could only imagine would be a dissatisfactory race.

You smiled at Pierre, but he saw how it didn’t reach your eyes. “Thanks a lot for the invite, but I think I would prefer a quiet evening watching Netflix,” you told him. “Maybe another time?” you asked him.

You always suggested doing it another time, but then always declined when he had asked again. Today Pierre was more stubborn, and frankly he didn’t want to tell Charles that you said no.

“Come on, I think it would be fun for you. I know that people would love to get to know you better,” Pierre said, trying to convince you. “And I would also like to get to know you better. It’s good to hang out outside of work”. If only you knew how much he hoped to get to know you better, he thought to himself.

You looked down on your feet nervously. You knew he was right, it would be good for you. But you didn’t feel good and the thought of going out and partying was almost making you nauseous. This wasn’t you. You knew that. But still, it consumed you so much that everything else felt impossible.

“Ah Pierre, I don’t know,” you said quietly and looked in his eyes. He looked disappointed and gave you a tight lipped smile. You felt guilty. “I will think about it,” you smiled at him. You knew that the answer tomorrow still would be a no, but you hoped that he would have forgotten about asking you by then. Hopefully too caught up in other things.

Pierre accepted your answer. He felt hopeful that you would change your mind. You chatted shortly and wished each other good luck for qualifying before you both had to hurry and get ready.

P6. P fucking 6.

You don’t know what happened in qualifying, but you were flying. For once, the car felt good. On top of that you also felt quite good. Well better than usual. It was your best starting position so far and the team hugged and congratulated you. You smiled. This time it reached your eyes Pierre noticed. He only managed a P12, but he truly felt happy for you. He wished you never stopped smiling again.

I've had too much to drink tonight And I know it's sad, but this is what I think about And I wake up in the middle of the night It's like I can feel time moving How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? And will you still want me when I'm nothing new?

Despite the happiness you felt, you still didn’t sleep well. Your heart was beating too fast and your thoughts were all over the place. You felt nervous and you felt a new type pressure. The team expected you to finish the race in the top 8 and you honestly didn’t know if it was possible for you to meet those expectations.

You thought back to the beginning of the season. How everyone had been so thrilled for you. Had so high hopes. All you have done is let everyone down. You thought about Pierre. You had let him down too. He deserved a better teammate. You knew he had more fun with Yuki the year before you joined. He probably missed that. The fans certainty missed that and they weren’t afraid to let you know.

When you woke up the next morning you felt nauseous. You barely slept and felt incredibly anxious. You went and ate breakfast and almost instantly threw it up again. You then ate again and this time managed to keep it down. Looking in the mirror in your hotel room, you tried to give yourself a small pep talk. It helped a little bit. Finally, your trainer came and picked you up and you left for the race track.

Walking into the paddock you tried to radiate a confident energy. Fake it till you make it, you thought. When you walked by the Ferrari motorhome, Charles spotted you immediately. He jogged towards you.

“So I hear you’ll be joining us tonight?” Charles grinned at you. “I was very happy when Pierre told me”.

Bear in mind, Pierre only told Charles that you would think about joining them. But Charles was sneaky. He thought he would give you a helping hand.

You looked at him surprised.

“What?” You didn’t understand how Pierre had misunderstood your answer. For you, it was a hard maybe.

“We were thinking we would meet around 9 p.m. Just in the hotel lobby,“ Charles said. He didn’t want to give you the option of declining. “That fine?” he asked you.

You just looked at him at nodded. From the look on your face, you were not pleased with the situation, but Charles chose to ignore that.

“Perfect! Good luck today Y/N!” Charles said.

“You too,” you muttered. You certainty needed the luck, you thought to yourself.

Walking into the Alpha Tauri hospitality, you spotted Pierre. You almost went up to him and confronted him, but you didn’t want to create tension between the two of you. You opted to go get ready for the race instead.

Crossing the finish line, you couldn’t believe it.

“That’s P5 Y/N! Fantastic job! What a way to begin the summer break,” your engineer yelled on the radio.

You smiled. “Thank you so much! Thank you to the whole team! Where did Pierre finish?”

“Ah, let me see… P8, he finished P8! Very good points for the team,” he told you. You smiled again. You were happy for Pierre and for everybody working hard to see the team do well.

P5 felt good. It was your best ever race finish, but you couldn’t stop feeling more pressure on yourself. You felt bad for having these thoughts whilst you should feel happiness. It made you feel like a spoiled child. Before stepping out of the car, you pushed your stressful mind aside, wanting to put on a happy face for the team.

You jumped out, pulled your helmet off and went to hug your trainer and the members of your team who lined up outside of parc fermé. You felt a tap on your shoulder and looked to see Pierre. You could see him smiling through his visor.

“Huge congratulations!” he said excitedly and pulled you into a hug. Falling into his arms, you felt at ease. Finally, you could breathe properly again. You pulled back and looked up at him. This was a new feeling to you, but you didn’t think much of it.

“Well done to you too!” You grinned at him.

“I hope to see you later,” he told you. “It’s a night for celebrations!” He ruffled your hair, pulled his helmet off and went to hug the team. You wondered why he would say it like that if he was under the impression that you already would be joining them.

You couldn’t help but stare at him. He looked so happy and confident. So at ease. You almost felt envious. You knew that Pierre was a favorite among the female fans. You would be blind not to notice. Obviously he was quite charming and handsome, but you never thought much about it. Suddenly, you understood the fascination the women had.

Before anyone noticed you staring, you shook your head and tried to brush the thoughts away. You felt silly. Pierre often invited women to the paddock. Beautiful women. The kind you never would dare compare yourself to because they were in a league of their own. It was no secret that Pierre enjoyed the company of these women. Who could blame him?

It was lonesome traveling and being away from loved ones most of the year. You rarely had someone keeping you company in the lonely hours of the night, but fully understood the need Pierre must feel. Most of the time you were content with your own fingers, but every now and then, you also invited someone to stay with you. However, it was a rare occurrence. And you never felt the need to publicly display them at your workplace like the other drivers. But that was properly the difference between men and women.

Back at the hotel you lied in bed while talking to your parents. They praised you for 20 minutes straight and then buggered you about going out with the guys, saying, “go out and have your fun!”

You still didn’t feel like it, but at the same time you didn’t want to let Charles down. Putting the phone down you stared at the ceiling contemplating what you were going to do. One night out couldn’t hurt right? It was the summer break now after all. Also, you couldn’t stop the thoughts of Pierre racing through your mind. Suddenly you couldn’t get the image of him in his fireproofs and racing suit around his hips out of your head. What the fuck is wrong with me, you thought to yourself.

Pulling yourself up you ruffled through your suitcase trying to find something suitable. You assumed that the guys had planned to go somewhere extravagant. You pulled out a silky baby pink mini dress, but frowned when you noticed its wrinkles from not having been stored on a hanger.

Sighing you continued your search. Finally, you found a black mini skirt and a blue halter neck top that you knew complemented your tan skin well. With a pair of strappy heeled sandals, you assessed that it would be acceptable for a night out.

You quickly did your make-up, straightened your hair and put on a layer of lip gloss. Glancing at your bed you slowly regretted your decision to not stay in tonight, but looking at the time, you realized it was too late to back out now. You gathered your things in a small shoulder bag and put on your heels with shaky hands. Closing your eyes, you told yourself to calm down.

In the elevator you tried to steady your breathing and ground yourself. Trying to remember what your therapist taught you. The doors opened and you quickly put on your best smile before walking out.

Pierre, Charles and Carlos stood by the entrance to the lobby and chatted. Carlos discreetly nudged Pierre and glanced at you walking over. “I didn’t think she would come,” he whispered. Pierre and Charles turned to look at you. Pierre looked you up and down and widened his eyes.

“Me neither,” Pierre whispered back, genuinely surprised to see you. Charles smiled to himself, feeling quite satisfied with his plan succeeding.

You looked beautiful. The skirt showing off your athletic legs incredibly and the top hugging your figure well while showing a tad bit of cleavage. Pierre didn’t know why he felt so shocked seeing you like this. You were a professional athlete for god’s sake, of course the body underneath the racing suit would be fit. Nonetheless, he could not stop staring. He always knew you were beautiful, but tonight you looked incredibly sexy.

As you finally approached, you smiled and greeted them before hugging each of them.

“It’s great to see you Y/N,” Charles smiled at you. “We’re happy you wanted to join us! We’re just waiting for Lando and then we can leave.”

The elevator pinged and Lando started walking towards you. You all chatted shortly before stepping out and stepping into the car parked outside.

The drive to the club was short. You sat in the back and looked out of the window while the others talked and joked around. Normally, you felt okay talking to them, but today it felt strenuous. Hence the silence from you.

Your silence didn’t go unnoticed by the other drivers, but they didn’t want to push you knowing you were out of your comfort zone. When you arrived at the club, Lando, Carlos and Charles walked in first with you and Pierre following behind.

While you and Pierre walked in silence, the three guys in front of you quietly talked to each other. What neither you or Pierre knew, was that the other person was too nervous to say anything to the other.

“She looks amazing, don’t you think? Like, don’t get me wrong, she is a pretty girl, but she looks really hot today,” Lando grinned at Charles and Carlos.

Charles rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah. But I think we should take care of her tonight. She clearly feels nervous and I don’t want this to be the last time she joins us.” Charles said.

“I bet Pierre wants to take good care of her,” Lando laughed. It was no secret amongst the friend group that Pierre had a crush on you. Charles rolled his eyes again.

You all walked to the back of the club to your VIP table. Lando sat beside you and nudged your shoulder before handing you a glass of champagne.

He started asking about your plans for the summer and soon you felt more comfortable and found yourself enjoying the conversation. The champagne definitely made it all easier. You told him about your plans to visit your family and how excited you were for travelling to Greece with your girlfriends. In return he told you about his plans and you both found yourself laughing and refilling your glasses numerous times.

The champagne quickly turned to cocktails and the cocktails turned to tequila shots. It was safe to say that there was no need for the others to worry about you enjoying yourself. Enjoy yourself you did. Maybe a little too much.

Soon you were on the dance floor and you found yourself dancing up against a stranger with your back against his chest. He held your hips while you swayed and you teasingly pressed your bum against his crotch. He groaned and whispered dirty promises in your ear. You couldn’t help but giggle. Maybe this was just what you needed.

Across the dance floor, Charles and Pierre stood with their drinks and watched you. Lando was at the table flirting with some woman and Carlos was nowhere to be found.

“Well, I did not expect this. At all,” Charles laughed at Pierre, while still looking at you. Pierre clenched his jaw and stared blankly ahead. He didn’t find the situation funny. Charles continued talking: “Maybe this is just what she needs. Some good old fun without any commitments.”

Pierre snapped out of it and looked at Charles weirdly. “Mate, you can’t be serious. This is definitely not what she needs! That guy is taking advantage of her!” Pierre said.

Charles chose to ignore Pierre’s words. He could hear the jealousy in his voice, but he also knew that if you weren’t there, Pierre would be distracted by some random girl. You owed him nothing. He laughed and answered: “If anyone is taking advantage of anyone, it’s Y/N. Look at her, she has that guy wrapped around her finger.”

Pierre looked over at you again. Now, you had turned around dancing chest to chest with the guy. Your lips were on his neck and your hands were sliding up and down his body. It was obvious where this was going and it made Pierre grip his glass so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Noticing Pierre’s serious irritation, Charles faced him and looked puzzled at him. “Pierre, what is going on? I remember you being in that guy’s shoes when we were out after the last race. With that blonde girl from Germany.”

Pierre looked down and swallowed. He knew the feeling in his stomach was uncalled for. You were in your full right to enjoy the company of whomever you wanted. You weren’t his even though the often wished you were.

Pierre looked back up. “Yeah I know, I just don’t want her to do anything she regrets. She has had a lot to drink and she doesn’t strike me as the one night stand type of girl.”

“Are you sure that’s all?” Charles frowned at Pierre. “To be honest, I don’t think she’s too drunk to know what’s happening. When I talked to her 30 minutes ago she seemed fine. And I know that Carlos has seen her bring a couple of different guys to her hotel room over the season. So, I don’t know, maybe she just has a side we haven’t seen as much?”

Charles words surprised Pierre. He had never seen you with anybody. “Yeah, you’re right, I just worry about her you know? She is my teammate after all,” Pierre replied, trying to shut the conversation down and desperately trying to push the thoughts of you with other guys away. Why wouldn’t you have casual sex? If most of the single men on the grid did it, himself included, why was he so shocked that you did as well?

When Pierre looked back at the dance floor, you were back to grinding against the guy again. You suddenly looked up and your eyes locked with Pierre’s. You blushed and quickly looked away again. Pierre hurriedly looked away as well, feeling embarrassed getting caught watching you.

Charles went and refilled their drinks while Pierre tried to have a conversation with a woman who was in town for the Grand Prix. However, he kept getting distracted by you. He needed to see what you were up to, and make sure that you were okay.

His eyes followed you as you walked hand in hand with the guy towards the bathrooms. Fuck, he thought to himself. He quickly excused himself to the annoyed woman. She was not happy being discarded. Before he could think, he followed the two of you.

He quickly pushed through the crowd and silently stood and watched you in the corridor. The guy was cupping your ass while kissing you and you had your hands in his hair. You stumbled and giggled and resumed to kissing his neck while the guy looked for the toilets.

It didn’t matter what Charles had said. You were wasted and Pierre did not like the idea of some random guy taking advantage of you in a club bathroom. As you were about to enter the bathrooms, Pierre hurried to you and grabbed your arm. You gasped as you turned around and looked at Pierre with wide eyes.

“Y/N, you can’t be serious,” Pierre desperately told you. The guy on the side awkwardly looking between the two of you.

“What do you mean?” you slurred while trying to keep balance in your heels. Seeing you in this state, confirmed Pierre’s suspicions. You were very drunk.

“This isn’t you. Fucking some stranger in a club,” Pierre growled, trying to convince you to let go of the guy. “Don’t do anything that you will regret tomorrow.”

“What a you talking about? You don’t even know if this is my boyfriend!” You boldly answered.

Pierre suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment flood over him. What if you had a boyfriend that he didn’t know about? You weren’t exactly close, so why would you have told him about it.

“Is it?” He whispered. “Is it your boyfriend?”

“Yes.” You answered proudly, but Pierre wasn’t convinced. Pierre glanced at the guy, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

“What is her name?” Pierre asked. The guy looked at you with nervous eyes and gulped. You rolled your eyes and let go of his hand.

“Fine, he isn’t my boyfriend, but it’s still none of your business Pierre,” you crossly told him. “What if I like getting with strangers in clubs? What if I like having sex in toilet stalls? You didn’t even know whether he was my boyfriend or not, so I think it’s safe to say that you don’t know me at all!”

“I think I will go now,” the guy said with a tense voice. “But, erm, I hope you get home safely”, he said with a pitiful smile. You rolled your eyes again as he walked away.

“That was uncalled for Pierre. Why is this such a big deal to you? From what I hear from the others, you’ve done far worse things,” you said while trying to get his hand off your arm. Pierre let go of your arm, but stood blocking you so you couldn’t leave.

“You’re right, I don’t know you. But honestly, I wish I did,” Pierre quietly said. “And I’m sorry for interrupting you and him, but it wasn’t right. You’re clearly too drunk right now to actually consent to whatever you were about to do.”

You looked down, feeling bad about the turn of events. You felt your cheeks turning red from shame. You knew that Pierre was right. You closed your eyes and felt you head spinning.

“I don’t feel good. I think I had too much to drink,” you confessed, looking up at Pierre with teary eyes. Suddenly you turned around and ran to the nearest toilet. Closing the door behind you, but Pierre could still hear you emptying you stomach.

He went after you and pushed the door open. Kneeling behind you, he held your hair and rubbed your back while whispering comforting words in your ear. He felt awful when you looked up at him with crying eyes.

“I’m really, really sorry Pierre,” you cried, feeling absolutely awful for your current breakdown and ruining his night. You sat down on your ass while leaning against the bathroom wall. Your drunkenness making you not care about the disgusting floor.

“It’s okay ma belle,” he whispered to you while rubbing your arm, trying to soothe you.

“No, it’s not. I’m a fucking mess. I’m a grown woman unable to handle myself and it’s so embarrassing,” you said while rubbing your face. “And I saw you talking to that pretty girl. I’m really sorry to ruin your night with her.”

“I’m not sorry about that,” Pierre said and smiled at you. You looked confused. “I didn’t want to go any further with her. In fact, it’s funny that you saw me talking to her, when in reality I spend most of night looking at you.”

Your eyes widened and you accidently let out a small gasp. “What do you mean?” You whispered.

“I’m so infatuated by you Y/N. The thought of you with someone who’s not me is honestly fucking me up. I had zero interest in that woman.” Pierre looked at his feet while scratching his beard. “I know you don’t feel the same, but I just want you to know that I think you’re so special.” He didn’t know where this sudden confidence came from. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that you probably wouldn’t be able to remember anything the next day.

Pierre’s words didn’t make any sense in your head. “You like me?” You asked with wide eyes. It didn’t add up.

“Why do you think I asked you out so many times?” Pierre asked as if it was obvious.

You stared at him in disbelief. “Asked me out? As a date? I thought it was just to bond because we’re teammates. Are you serious Pierre?” Pierre laughed at your words.

“Of course I’m serious! I can’t believe you thought me inviting you for dinner numerous times was normal teammate behavior,” Pierre playfully rolled his eyes at you.

You were at a loss for words. This was very shocking to you and honestly you had a hard time believing him.

“I wanna go home,” you whispered while closing your eyes. You felt incredibly overwhelmed all of the sudden.

Pierre couldn’t help but feel disappointed by your lack of response. He didn’t expect you to reciprocate his feelings, but he at least hoped you would have said something. “I’ll find a cab for us,” he said and pulled you up.

While walking out, he discreetly texted Charles to let him know you were leaving. The two of you silently waited for a cab and on the ride back to the hotel you fell asleep. The events of the day and night having drained you from all your energy.

Walking into the hotel, Pierre was barely able to keep you on your feet. You were half asleep and half awake. After being unable to find your keycard and you being unable to help, Pierre decided to bring you to his room instead. Tucking you into his bed, he took the sofa. He was very anxious about what was to come the following day. He hoped you would have forgetting everything.

8 hours later

You were mortified when you woke up the next morning. Your head was spinning like crazy and your mouth was so dry you could barely swallow. You were still wearing yesterday’s clothes. Unfortunately, you remembered everything from the night before. Fortunately, that meant you remembered Pierre’s confession.

What you didn’t remember was how you ended up in Pierre’s bed, with him on the sofa snoring softly. You felt awful for how the night ended. You knew that you handled it all very poorly. Fumbling your way to the bathroom, you peed and quickly downed a glass of water. Afterward you gurgled some toothpaste in your mouth in an attempt to freshen up. When you appeared back in the room, Pierre has woken up and was now sitting in the sofa.

“Morning,” you softly said. You shuffled to the sofa and nervously sat beside him.

“Morning,” Pierre answered. He wasn’t able read your face and was not able to know if you remembered anything. He hoped you didn’t

You looked at him with your hands in your lap. “Did you mean what you said last night?” You almost whispered the words. Pierre looked at the ceiling, trying to calm himself down.

“Yes,” he finally said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that, that wasn’t fair.”

“You don’t have to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I’m really sorry for my behavior and for not saying anything after what you said.” You could feel tears welling in your eyes. You blinked them away, feeling so tired of crying. “I just,… you took me by surprise I guess. But I’m really happy that you stopped me from hooking up with that guy. And honestly, I’m really happy that you told me what you did.” Your words were barely audible, but Pierre heard you clearly.

He stared at you. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m kind of a mess. You probably already noticed that,” you chuckled. “But I’m tired of feeling like this. And I’m infatuated by you too Pierre. I wanna feel better again and I want to get to know you better as well. I never realized you were asking me on dates. I would never have been so distant if I had known.”

Even though you only saw Pierre in a different light yesterday, you felt incredibly sure that he was worth a chance. It was time for you to enjoy your life a little.

“So what are you saying?” Pierre asked, wanting to be sure he didn’t misunderstand you. His heart was going crazy in his chest.

“I would love to go on a date with you,” you smiled at him. “If the offer still stands of course.” You looked him in the eyes hopefully.

Pierre smiled as well. “Of course it still stands! It would be an honor to take you out.”

You glanced at his lips and quickly looked him in the eyes again. Pierre caught on to your intentions and smirked. He teasingly lifted his eyebrows, almost daring you to do what you both knew you wanted to. You pulled closer to him and wrapped your arms around him while softly putting your lips on his.

The kiss deepened and your body was tingling from excitement. Eventually, you both needed air and pulled away while still embracing each other.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked him after pulling away. He nodded, too lost in you to say anything. “Why would you tell Charles that I said yes to come yesterday?”

“What? I didn’t,” Pierre said looking perplexed.

Your eyes widened before you suddenly started laughing. You almost felt stupid for not realizing before that Charles had tricked you. Of course he did. Pierre kept looking at you without understanding what was going on. You just pulled him closer and connected your lips to his while still smiling. For the first time in months you felt like you were where you belonged.

What a way to begin the summer break, you thought to yourself.

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