#and blake would be a bull

[avonsnumberonefan]

2 - animal features

I will never rest my case on avon being a perfect kitty character

[arc-misadventures]

Beware The Bull

Jaune: (Sniff Sniff!) Hmmm...?

Coco: Is something wrong, Love?

Jaune: I smell... something...

Pyrrha: What do you mean?

Jaune: I am smelling something... It's like a blend of a dozen different spices, and floral scents all blended together. I'm smelling this mass of smells, but I can't pick out any single sent in all of it.

Pyrrha: Like walking through a store's perfume isle, you get overwhelmed with so many smells it hurts?

Jaune: I think that's mostly because of the chemicals used to make those interacting with one another. But, yeah, pretty much.

Coco: Maybe it has to do with the faunas.

Jaune: What makes you say that?

Coco: Because we got a pair of, Queen's, and a kitten walking towards you right now.

Jaune: What? Oh. Oh no...

Kali: Hello, Jaune~!

Sienna: Hello, Jaune.

Jaune: Hello, Mrs. Belladonna, Blake. And, hello, High Leader Khan. What can I do for you this day?

Kali: We would like to apologize to you.

Jaune: Apologize? Apologize for what?

Sienna: It's my fault, Kali, I should be the one to apologize to him, not you.

Kali: No, I should have informed them that, Jaune would prefer if he was left alone.

Jaune: Informed who?

Sienna: These people are under my command, I should have done something to reign them in; the fault lies with me, Kali

Kali: Not all of them are under your command though, Sienna.

Sienna: Yes, but you know we are seen as fanatics by the world, and you, and I both know that there is truth behind that statement.

Jaune: Fanatics? Okay, hold up! What's going on?

Blake: Allow me to explain: What my mother, and Sienna Khan are explaining: They are sorry because there is a mass of faunas woman, most likely a majority of them are no doubt members of the, White Fang, have arrived here today to see you.

Jaune: ...

Jaune: Ehh...?

Sienna: The female members of the, White Fang learned about your existence, and after a power point, along with a bunch of pictures...

Jaune: Oh, so that's where, Nora got all that money from.

Sienna: So many of them have come here to see the, Dragon King, and...

Jaune: Seduce me?

Sienna: Yes...

Jaune: Oh gods...

Pyrrha: Here we go again.

Coco: Hey, hopefully we'll get another hot babe to share~!

Pyrrha: Only if they love, Jaune for who he is, now what he is!

Coco: Like, Glynda, and Sienna!

Pyrrha: Correct!

Sienna: W-W-What?!

Kali: OH~? You're odds are better than expect~!

Jaune: Please... All of you... Shut up...

Blake: What about me?

CP: ...

Coco: She's got a nice ass...

Pyrrha: Jaune's more into thighs, and boobs though.

Coco: True.

Blake: Ohhh...

Jaune: Can you all... Stop. Talking. Please?

CPB: Sorry...

Jaune: Haa... Okay, Can you two go see these, White Fang members, and try to at the very least, pardon the expression, put a leash on them before they go do something.... stupid.

Kali: I think that would be for the best.

Sienna: It is. Causing anguish to, Jaune is one thing, but to the staff of, Beacon Academy is another thing entirely.

Kali: We best make sure they do not cause any problems. The Vital Festival is fast approaching, Atlas, and their military will be coming here soon.

Sienna: Ironwood throwing a fit about the, White Fang is the last thing I want to deal with.

Jaune: Yes yes yes. Atlas has a stick up it's bum about the, White Fang... Enough! Get going, before...?! (Sniff... Sniff...?) Huw...?

Pyrrha: What is it, Jaune?

Coco: What is it boy! What do you smell?!

Jaune: Okay, no nookie for you.

Coco: What, why?!

Jaune: You acted like I was a bloodhound again.

Coco: Shit!

Pyrrha: But, what is it that you're smelling.

Jaune: It's a very strong smell; It smells like milk, beef, and... hormonal.

Coco: That's an oddly specific list of smells...

Kali: Milk?

Sienna: Beef?

Blake: And, hormonal?

KBS: Oh no...

Jaune: I take it by your reactions that you know someone that smells like that?

Blake: We do, and if it's who we think it is, things are about to get very... uncomfortable...

Jaune: Okay...? So, who is coming?

Blake: She's a cow faunas names...?!

: Hello, Blake~!

Blake: KHAAAA~?!

: Oh my~! You've certain gotten bigger; Both upstairs, and downstairs~!

Blake: EVE?! Get your hands off of me?!

Eve: I can't do that darling~! It's been years since I last saw you, so I need to do a goods inspection~!

Jaune: A cow faunas...

Coco: You smelt milk, and beef, and it turns out she's a cow faunas. That certainly explains things, but nonetheless; You smelt milk?

Pyrrha: I was confused when he said, hormonal, but...

Blake: NYAA~?!

Eve: Oh you still make the sweetest of sounds~!

Pyrrha: That... That certainly explains a lot...

Jaune: Can one of you...?

Sienna: Right, sorry...

Eve: Oh, I can't wait to tell, Adam I got to cope a feel of his 'beloved.' He'll be so...!? Hey?! Heyeheyhey?! Quit pulling my horn!

Sienna: Hello, Eve.

Eve: Oh... Hey, Sienna...

Sienna: I thought I told you to stay in, Menagerie? What the hell are you doing here?

Eve: I'll explain, but please let go of my horn!

Eve: Ahh~! That's better! Now then, we, my sisters of the, White Fang are here to pay homage to our new king, Jaune Arc the Dragon King~!

Sienna: Homage?

Eve: Yes, homage~!

Sienna: ...

Eve: ...

Eve: You don't believe me do you?

Sienna: No, because I know you, Eve.

Eve: Okay! We're here to seduce the guy, and have his adorable faunas kids!

Sienna: Of course...

Eve: What?! That's why you two are here! You want his kids, Sienna, and so do you, Kali!

Kali: I admit, I do find him to be quite the fetching, and respectable young man. If I wasn't married I wouldn't hesitate to throw my hat into the ring. I'd most certainly have better luck than my daughter...

Blake: Mom?!

Kali: But, my goal was to establish positive dialogue between the, Dragon King, and the people of Menagerie.

Sienna: And, I admit... I also find, Jaune quite fetching, and I wouldn't mind improving my relations between myself, and Jaune... But, my duty foremost is to the, White Fang. Not to my heart...

Sienna: So, I came here to talk to the, Dragon King, and establish positive relations between him, and the, White Fang. And, you coming here, bringing with you dozens of female members of the, White Fang here. All in the vain, let be know an extremely vain attempt to get into his pants has placed all of this in jeopardy!

Eve: Oh? Because, I'll stop from you getting into his pants~?

Sienna: No, because he finds someone like you to be off putting.

Eve: Oh? What's so off putting about my...

"BOING~!"

Eve: Assets~?

Jaune: The person they're attached to...

Eve: Hmm? Who said...? Oh? Hey~! Hello your majesty~! My name is, Eve Taurus~! The poster girl of the, White Fang~! It's a pleasure to meet you, your grace~!

Jaune: 'The poster girl for the, White Fang?'

Sienna: Self proclaimed, poster girl.

Jaune: Ahh... I thought you or, Kali would be the poster girl for the, White Fang because of their beauty, charm, and raw charisma.

Sienna: B-Beauty...?

Kali: Oh, I do wish I could throw my hat into the ring now~!

Blake: Mom?!

Jaune: But, I see you more as the pinup poster girl if anything else, based upon your character...

Eve: Oh? You see me as a pinup girl~? Would you like to join me in a photo shoot your grace~?

Jaune: Haa... I'm leaving now. I need to stop my mother from meeting all these hormonal faunas. I will see you ladies later.

Kali: Goodbye, Jaune~!

Blake: Mom?!

Sienna: Till later, Jaune.

Eve: I'll see you later love~!

Jaune: Oh. Eve?

Eve: Yes~?

Jaune: I know your proud of your assets. But, I've seen bigger, and better. And, she's a human~!

Eve: B-B-Bigger? And, better than mine?! And, she's a human?! How is that even possible, that a human can have better boobs than a literal cow faunas?!

Pyrrha: Human...? Oh he's talking about her!

Coco: Her?

Pyrrha: Oh you haven't met her yet. She's this sweet shy girl from, Vaccuo. She's interested in, Jaune, he's show interest in her too. Would you like to meet her? I was interested in offering her an invitation to join us~!

Coco: Damn girl~! You've gotten nasty since you I joined in on the fun~!

Pyrrha: No, you just showed me how fun it all is~!

Sienna: ...

Sienna: Well, way to go, Eve... You've set back all of my progress with establishing a healthy, and positive relationship with, Jaune in five minutes!

Eve: Oh, you know I didn't destabilize anything. You saw how he looks at you, I saw how his nosed flared. He likes you, he likes you a lot~!

Sienna: Shut up!

Kali: I don't know, Sienna it's pretty obvious to me you have a thing for the young man. Why, I bet if the two of us worked together, we would bed him within the day~!

Sienna: KALI?!

Kali: Ah-hahaha~!

Blake: Fuck... At this rate, my Mom's going to seduce, Jaune before I do...

Eve: MmmmHHH~! That's hot~!

Blake: Shut up, Eve...

[callmewrinkles3]

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - DR3 X Fem!OC

Summary: Fighting takes it's toll on everyone, and eventually Dan's just too tired to do it anymore. And that's ok.

Words: 7.9k

Warnings: Mental health discussion, Singapore 2024 (it deserves it's own warning we don't care), VCARB bullshit.

AN: Surprise? I think? But yeah. If you knew how long we've wrestled with this, how much we've tried and failed and... This was our white whale. This entire damn moment. And we hope it lives up to hype. Dan and Em's story isn't over yet if people want to hear more. See u soon.♥️

September 2024

In his heart and soul Dan always thought that Em would be the reason he decided to stop fighting for his seat. But he wasn't surprised that Lulu ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back. It wasn't the fact that Red Bull had all but told him he was getting thrown under the bus this weekend. It wasn't that he was fed up of the internal politics. It wasn't even that he didn't trust anyone anymore because they'd told him it was his seat and then ripped it away from him.

It was because his daughter needed her daddy. His family needed him, and on a hot and humid night in Singapore where his daughter just yelled for him it made him decide he wasn't fighting it. It wasn't worth fighting anymore. Luna was the happiest baby in the world, but teething and timezones was taking it out of her. It was putting Em through a toll he never wanted her to pay, exhaustion clear. Her idea of mostly parenting on her own was a good idea on paper, but it was hard. It wasn't just race weekends, it was the weeks before and a few days after too. Dan didn't want her to deal.

The last few weeks had been slow torture. Constant questions about his seat and his future and the lack of answers. He wanted to yell that he'd been promised he'd be in a different garage now, that it was all but confirmed. Instead he'd had that stupid ass meeting, Laurent and Peter genuinely sorry but their hands were tied. He knew they were. He'd seen it on his first merry-go-round in Faenza with Franz, this was the same.

He could take the jabs from the media, the constant "can he still drive?" questioning. He could ignore Jacques and his bullshit in Canada. He was used to it, his skin was thick by now. But it was hurting his wife and his daughter and that shouldn't happen. Emmy was back to being nervous and unsure. He could see the way his wife's confidence was eroding - slowly at first but it'd been faster and faster recently. Lu was unsettled in a way she'd never been before. When you added it all to the teething she was going through it was a mess.

Dan didn't blame his little girl who had no idea what was happening, who kept trying to grab onto him every day and he had to just kiss her head. He couldn't blame his poor wife who was exhausted dealing with Lu and life on the road and making sure Blake and Charlie were doing ok with their news. He blamed himself. He'd promised Lu when she was born that he'd be a present dad, that she'd come first, and he was breaking that promise.

He should be helping Em put Lulu to sleep, reading a story and crooning a lullaby to her against his chest. Instead he was in the comfy bed in their suite, Em and Lulu in the small attached living room. The second Lu had begun to stir with pain in her gums Emmy had gotten up, whisking Lu into the living room to try not disturb Dan. But he was too used to waking up to Lu's movements, to Em getting out of bed. Instead he lay there, part of his pillow over his ears, hating that he wasn't there helping. This time it was even worse, Lulu angrily yelling her favourite word.

"Papa! PAPA!" She yelled as Dan lay there with self loathing through his veins.

"I know you want him baby girl. I know you do, but Papa has to sleep, ok? He's gonna get in the car tomorrow. Just a couple of nights baby girl, I promise. You can have him in a little while, just have to take your medicine." He could barely make out Em's low voice through their daughter's sobs, but her crying never changed. "I know it bothers you baby, I know it does. I know you want Papa and not me, but Daddy needs to go fast tomorrow. We gotta let him get some sleep, baby. I've got you."

"PAAAAAAPPPPAAAAAA!"

Dan couldn't take it any longer. The third time he heard Luna yelling for him he got out of bed, opening the door to find Em standing in the middle of the room, rocking their baby against her chest. Lu's face was trained on the door and the moment she spotted him her tiny arm was out to grab onto him.

"I'm so sorry, babe. She just won't let me help. She doesn't want the painkillers and she won't let me put the gel on to calm her down. I'm trying, but it's a bad night." Em babbled her explanation, looking exhausted and sorry in every possible way. He knew his wife's makeup had been getting thicker and thicker to cover the dark circles that having a teething infant caused, but now her face was clean he could see it. Emmy was the most beautiful woman in the universe to him, but she was tired and he could see she was near breaking point. He didn't care about the deal they'd made, he was breaking it right then and there.

"I've got her, don't worry," Dan murmured as he grabbed under Lulu's arms to fully take her into his. "And don't be sorry, Wrinkles. This isn't your fault."

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"Emmy, I'm fine. Go to bed, ok? I've got her. I'll be back when she's asleep."

It said everything to Dan that his wife didn't fight him on this. She was exhausted and worn out, kissing him quickly on the lips before putting another to Lu's forehead and whispering she loved them both before she went to bed. He watched her walk back inside and realisation was thick in his stomach that he was done. He wasn't fighting anymore.

Everyone said that the smallest Ricciardo was every inch her father, but it wasn't quite true. The biggest similarity she had to her mother was that when she was truly upset about something the only one who could calm her down was her dad. Lu was equally in love with both her parents, but the times when all she would do was cry? That was Dan's time to shine with her. It was one of those nights, finally taking the syringe into her mouth for the medication before Dan rubbed teething gel along her teeth. It took another ten minutes for the medication to take effect, her red cheeks lightening and Lu relaxing against his chest. It only took a cuddle and a very out of tune rendition of Pink Pony Club before his daughter was asleep peacefully and with that Dan's decision was made.

This was going to be his last race.

The meeting had been perfunctory. Him and Blake in the room. Emmy would have been too if she was still working with them, but she was being Supermum. Laurent and Peter apologising. That his "performance hadn't been where they wanted it". He knew the truth. Liam would get the two seats he'd been promised, and Optus wasn't as much money as they wanted. He got it, as much as he hated it.

And then getting sent out to the media where everyone fucking knew and he was stuck there laughing and joking. It wasn't even like Nat was there so he could have a friendly face. Of course it was one of the few races she didn't attend.

He'd broken his hand for this team. He'd given them everything. And now he was being sent away because they thought it was past it. It fucking sucked. He'd been a shit husband and an even shittier father for the last seven months for them, and instead he was getting turned out on his ass without so much as a by his leave.

But if this was it? If a humid ass Singapore was his final ever Formula 1 race? He was going to enjoy every moment of it and then get on a flight home to Perth with his wife and daughter. He hadn't told Em yet, hadn't known how to. Blake agreed to not say anything until he had. So he stood carefully from the couch holding the greatest achievement of his life in his arms before putting her back in her crib and getting back into bed.

Emmy was still awake, eyes half open as she looked across at him before Dan slid next to her and pressed his head to her collarbone.

"Lu asleep?"

"Fast asleep. She's had her meds and she's off to dreamland. Baby...I. Fuck. I need to tell you something." He could feel her stiffen, an arm wrapping around and holding him tightly as Dan tried to decide how to tell her, before deciding just to blurt it out. "Sunday's my last race."

"What?" The shock was clear and he looked up to see worry across her face.

"I can't keep fighting it. Got called into a meeting today and they said Sunday's my last one. I'm ready, Emmy. I'm just tired. I'm so tired of fighting and trying and being ignored. I just want you and Lu and to relax." A tear slid down his cheek before another joined it. Saying it out loud made it real. He was so fucking tired all the time. The summer break hadn't really been one because of stress. The only bright spot had been Blake and Charlie's wedding, watching their best friends get married and say their vows together was a joy. But now with Blake not able to travel as much because of Char and the baby it was too much. He didn't want to drive any longer. Driving and racing wasn't the most important thing for him, and that was fine.

"Want me to call everyone? Get your mum and dad out for a goodbye? It's a short flight, they can be on one in the morning."

"I can't." His voice cracked as he spoke, but he couldn't face disappointing his parents again. They'd been in Abu Dhabi for the shit weekend with McLaren and seen how he was. He just couldn't face his mum crying and his dad puffing out his chest and being proud when being fired was nothing to be proud of. None of it was worth it. He'd rather go home and see them. "The guys are here, they came out for the annual trip and to meet the potato princess properly. Having the lads who were there to say goodbye to me in the airport when I moved to Europe for this here at the end feels right, y'know?"

The only noise in the room was Lulu's breathing, Emmy holding him tightly and kissing the top of his head.

"You know if you want to keep going we can. We had a timeline and I'll support whatever decision you make. Don't do this just because of us, ok? I don't want you to regret it." Em's voice was low but Dan shook his head against her chest, feeling the tension drain from him.

"I don't want to. I remember when Seb told me he knew he was done. I'm done. I'm good."

"So we go home then? Try to be a normal family?"

"If that sounds good to you." He could hear the cautious optimism in Em's voice.

"We'll be as normal as a family can be with a go-kart and motocross track in the back garden. But it sounds good to me, Baby. I'm proud of you."

He didn't think he'd sleep that night but he did, feeling Em's arms around him while he slept. He woke up the opposite of refreshed, but ready for the weekend ahead. Keep a grin on his face, pretend it was fine, and then go home. He could do it.

The first job was to tell the guys. Blake got a text asking to come over with Charlie and Steve, and the lads got one to come over twenty minutes later. It felt impossible and tough but he had to do it. He had to tell them.

Watching his best mate and wife come into the suite with Steve right behind them just made it crystalise that it was the right decision. Charlie was showing, a little bump already visible that she kept a hand on at all times. He couldn't wait for them to have their baby, and he didn't want to make them travel with an infant. This he could fix at least.

"What's up? What's going on?" Charlie looked from him to Em and back again, red painted lips frowning. "I'm worried about you, is Lu ok?"

"Lulu's fine. She's asleep, I'm gonna get her up in a few minutes." Dan took Emmy's hand as she spoke, running his thumb along her knuckles. Taking a deep breath he just said it.

"Sunday is my last race. Laurent and Peter told me yesterday."

There was consternation, there were arguments, but Blake knew him too well and knew he was done. His best mate gave him a hug and promised that he was proud, Charlie following suit. Em kept a hold of his hand as he spoke, watching them all. It was really happening. He was retiring.

He'd never thought he'd be retired at 35. That sounded fucking insane, retired at 35 years old. His dad was twice his age and wasn't retired. But this was his chance to go enjoy being a dad and a husband. To finally give Emmy everything he'd promised her for their year off that she gave up.

Telling the guys was easier now he'd said it once. It was asking if he was sure and giving him and Em a hug. Lulu was awake by then and excited by everyone who was in the room, giggling and bubbly compared to how sore she was the night before. It felt like another sign of how this was right. He was making the right call.

On the way to the track he held Em's hand as he drove, Lu in her car seat in the back. He got this. It'd be fine.

---

Em watched her husband as he did what he always did, grinning and answering media questions as if their hearts weren't breaking. She kept to herself, only speaking to Pierre and the mechanics from the team. Peter had tried coming over to her, but one look made him stop, nod, and turn away. She wouldn't have held her tongue if he'd spoken to her.

At least Grace and Joe were on the way. Dan had said no, but she knew full well he'd want them there when he got out of the car. Blake had organised a charter to keep it hidden, Cal and Ryder getting on the plane too. They were due to land after FP2, meeting them in the hotel. Grace had promised that she was looking after Lulu even with the teething. Em couldn't be thankful enough for her parents in law who loved her with every fibre of their being.

She knew she'd lost weight. Her belts were pulled tighter, tshirts looser. It happened whenever she was stressed. She stopped eating and lost weight and she'd just hoped she could last until the end of the season. She was barely even breastfeeding Lu anymore, relying on formula and the purees and baby food her daughter had started eating so she didn't have to force herself to eat to feed their daughter. She knew the thoughts were bad and she should have said something, but she couldn't.

A horrible, bitter part of her was delighted that Dan wasn't racing after this weekend. She hated that piece of her so much. She truly wanted her husband to do what he loved and be happy but she couldn't deal with it any longer. Even a smaller series would be better. It wasn't not trusting Dan in the car - Em trusted every single inch of him - but it was the media. The world was invested in knowing everything about who she was and who their daughter was and she couldn't cope much longer with it. She was used to the media. Dan had inadvertently signed up for it. She sort of knew what she was getting into. Lulu didn't have a choice in any of this. She was born into it and that wasn't right.

All Emma wished for was that Dan had made the decision and it hadn't been forced on him.

Blake stood beside her for every session, Steve on the other side of her. Even when she'd sworn to never trust anyone the way she'd trusted Michael after how he'd hurt them, Steven had just wormed his way into her heart. She trusted him with all of her and her family and he understood how careful that was for her. So she stood for the final Friday with the blue earphones on her head as she listened to Dan and Pierre.

Keeping the secret from Dan that everyone was on their way felt impossible. Michelle and her family couldn't come but she'd promised Em they'd be at the airport to see them all home when they arrived in Perth. Instead Em focused on their daughter and making sure Lu took the baby painkillers which stopped her from sobbing as much.

When they arrived into the suite the lights were on, Joe and Grace sitting on the couch there. Em watched as Dan stopped still, staring at them for a moment.

"Mama? Dad?" He sounded like a child and it barely took a moment for him to reach out to clutch them. Em closed the door behind them and took Lu out of her carrier as Dan held his parents. A sob emerged from her husband and she watched as Grace somehow got him to the couch while Joe came over to take Lu.

"We'll head in the bedroom, yeah? Give them a minute." It was easy to follow her father in law into the other room and sit on the edge of the bed while he followed suit, waving at Lulu who smiled with a drooly grin. "She's teething?"

"Yeah. Had a meltdown last night with it. I don't even know how she's smiling with how she was."

"Cause she was probably picking up on Dan's tension. How are you doing with everything? It's a big change." Em sighed and twisted her wedding and engagement rings around on her finger.

"Part of me is happy? Just to be out of the circus. But he doesn't deserve this. They're not even giving him Austin, Joe. That kills me. We've the pop up ready to go and he won't be there." The unfairness of it all hurt. The Longhorns helmet ready to go for Austin, Dan already plotting his facial hair for it. Christian's smarmy looking after Dan. The as good as signed contract after Spa and the celebration. And then nothing. From getting the Red Bull seat to unemployed in three races. The idea of Max's reaction made her smile a little.

"Who knows?"

"The heads, Liam, Blake, Charlie, Steve, and the guys. Dan's telling his mechanics after the race. He doesn't want people to know it's his last race, he just wants to do it and we'll go home." Joe put a hand over Em's, stilling her anxious movements.

"Take a breath, Emmy. We've got you, Sweetheart. We've got you and Danny and Luna. I promise. You don't have to be the strong one here. Let us support you."

"I'm just so angry." Her anger dissolved into tears as she leaned against Joe and cried. Anger for their dreams. Anger for their plans. Anger that they didn't have the good grace to let him finish the year. Anger that they didn't just get rid of him in the summer. It hurt her heart in all the wrong places and she couldn't help but sob it out. Joe's arm went around her shoulders and rubbed her arm, and she could feel him whispering to her as she cried.

"It's my fault." The words were quiet as her sobs lessened, Em needing to get it out. "It's my fault the start of the season was so bad. How was he supposed to do a better job racing when he had a newborn daughter and a mess of a wife? I couldn't remember anything. I left our hotel keys behind us before. He had to fix all that, of course it made his work harder."

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped." The kind words made the guilt thicker in Em's throat, swallowing to get the words out.

"Cause I felt awful. I've always relied on my brain and it kept betraying me. It's better now, but when I was pregnant and after having Lu it was so so hard. I was a bad mum."

"Grace was like that after she had the kids. Especially Chelle. One day she called me from the neighbours in tears because she walked out without her keys while four month old Chelle was in her crib. It's not your fault Emmy. I promise. Everyone goes through it. It doesn't make you a bad mum, it makes you human. And if Danny didn't help you I'd kill him for not. I promise he doesn't blame you."

"I just want to go home, Dad." The guilt surged through her as she spoke. "I want to go home. I want to be at home on the farm and just be a mum and a wife and watch Lu there. I want her to grow up with family the way I never did."

"Then we're gonna go do that." Joe was soft, supporting Em as his words fixed in her mind. Going home. Home.

"What if Dan doesn't want to?" It was the biggest fear she had. Dan not wanting to go home, wanting to stay travelling the world.

"He wants you to be happy. We'll have the three of you back home, and Lu can have the time of her life with good parents and the family she's got. You're such a good mum to her, Emmy. She's so loved. And we're proud of you for it. I know how hard it's been and you're so good at it. Maybe we don't tell you enough."

"You do." Every phone call they said it. But her brain just hated the thought, didn't believe it often. She still struggled. "Just my ridiculous brain not believing you."

"You still in therapy?" Joe's voice was quiet as Lulu moved in her crib.

"Yeah. Twice a week on bad weeks." Mildred was truly a godsend for her.

"Still taking your medication?"

"Mmmhm." The tiny pills she took every morning with her multivitamin and the smoothie Dan made her. She hated them but they helped. It was worth it. "Psychiatrist every month. Plus blood tests every month too. We upped my dose last month. Plus he...he gave me a diagnosis. PTSD. I didn't think that happened to people who didn't deal with war."

"It happens to people who deal with hard things. You spent all that time trying to protect yourself, you didn't have anyone to help you. Now you do, kiddo. You're doing a good job, sweetheart. I promise. When we all head home how about you and Dan and Lu stay with us for a week? Let us look after you." The smile in his voice was clear and Em looked up at him, a watery smile spreading on her cheeks.

"I'd like that."

"Even parents need parents. C'mon and I'll tuck you in and send that husband of yours in. The two of you need sleep, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't remember the last time someone looked after me like this." She hugged her father in law tightly before Joe pulled the covers back on the bed, helping her in and covering her up. It was a kiss to her forehead and Em could feel sleep overtaking her, the stress weighing on her finally starting to disappear.

She woke up too early the next day to her husband wrapped around her, a noise from the end of their bed startling her slightly as she went to get up.

"Just me, Emmy. I can hear my smallest grandbaby mumbling, getting her some fresh teething gel. Go back to sleep, baby." Grace's hand ran over her arm as Em lay back against Dan, letting sleep come over her again.

Their alarm went off too early, Em stretching against Dan and kissing him before slipping from bed. The anguish and despair from the night before had turned back to anger at Laurent and Peter for what they'd done. At Marko and his bullshit. At Horner and his lies. So instead of getting comfy, Em prepared for war.

A hot shower and putting on clothes that made her feel good, mixed with the pair of patent leather wedge heels that came around the world with her as a just in case pair of shoes. Every single thing she wore - from the lavender underwear to the navy blue jeans - were gifts from her husband. Her jewellery was classy, understated, and gifts from him too. The world thought of her as his wife, and she was going to play the part in this meeting. And take VCARB for what she could get.

She changed from this armoured woman to a melt in a blink, Lu reaching over for a cuddle from her mum. Em's lipstick left a pink sheen against her cheeks, Lu grinning at the unusual feeling and grasping dark brown strands before Em untangled her hair from her daughter.

Dan raised an eyebrow at the makeup she wore, fully aware why she was doing it. Two hours before practice was the meeting that all three of them would be in - her, Dan, and Blake. Just Blake was doing the final meeting with Red Bull, but they both wanted her in there for this one.

Sitting in the small office as the F1Academy cars trundled around on track, Em sat straight up. Laurent looked at them, but before he could speak she opened her mouth.

"I get the realities of this sport. I've been around here for long enough, and I'm not a stupid woman. I also know Horner won't show his face in this meeting. But promising Daniel that seat and taking it away? It's disgraceful. And now you're kicking him out because you're too afraid to upset a billionaire and you're dragging my husband's name through the mud." Her heart was thundering as she spoke, Dan's hand on her thigh.

"Emma-" Peter began to speak, a cajoling tone as he said her name but she wouldn't take it.

"No. Don't you dare 'Emma' me. You know very well what you're doing and the things you're saying. And you know what you promised him, and you promised me. Last year in Silverstone, Peter. You looked at me and you told me you wouldn't treat him like McLaren, but you ended up being even worse than them." The words hit where she wanted them to and she could see the shock on his face.

"We're no-"

"For all the bullshit with Zak, he never said he was happy with his performance. Never. You did."

"We were." Laurent tried to cut in but Em wouldn't let him.

"Stop lying. I highly doubt you have any right now, but if you have any dignity at all please stop lying. Not only to my face, but to my husband's face." She could feel the way Blake stiffened beside her but he didn't cut her off, letting her keep her nerve. She knew if she stopped she wouldn't speak again.

"Emma we were. There were circumstances be-"

"Circumstances like what? A cracked chassis? Red Bull being worse than Alpine at contracts? I know the situation, and you want to get out of here with some reputation intact. No fuss. No big show, no announcement. Retirement announced on Wednesday so we can be at home and away from the bullshit."

"We were planning a-"

"No." Her voice was firm. If they were firing her husband she wasn't letting them use him as a show pony again.

"But we thought-"

"No. You don't get to decide my husband's career. It's over. Dan is making an Instagram post on Wednesday. You can do whatever you want, but we don't want any fuss, no nothing. If you had the decency to let him finish out the year then this would be a very different conversation, but now I don't want to hear those plans. We're doing this our way." She took a slow breath as she tried to hide her anxiety. That stupid feeling of anger and fear filled her as she breathed it out. This was for Dan. His hand squeezing her thigh slowly was a reminder that she was doing the right thing.

"Daniel, are you not going to speak?" She could tell as Dan took a breath before he responded.

"Em is saying exactly what I'd say, except a hell of a lot nicer than I would. Why the fuck would I want to do donuts in Singapore when there's six races left. I'm getting the helmet I had ready for Abu Dhabi flown in so I can use it." The conversation was going nowhere and she was done. This was pointless. Before she could speak Blake did and she was so happy he knew her so well.

"Since you clearly have no power here I'm discussing the buyout with Red Bull. But things are happening the way Emma said. Dan's right, you're lucky she's the one speaking in this meeting because she's being way nicer than you cunts deserve right now."

"Blake, we can-"

"Anything else you want to say Em?"

She took a deep breath, looking at the two men. For the first time she could see guilt in their eyes, but she couldn't care anymore.

"You made us a promise. And I know in F1 that promises aren't always kept, but you didn't have to lie to us. We're all fucking adults here. We won't speak badly about the team as long as you all keep Daniel's name out of your mouths. Including Helmut. And before you say you can't do it, that's what's going to happen. If he starts criticising we can talk."

When she finished speaking she stood, her husband and brother walking back with her. They made it back to Dan's driver room and the three of them hid in it. Quiet for just a moment was what they needed before Blake spoke.

"Most of the contract is organised. No ambassador role, no sponsorship. Full payout for two years. It's me and Horner, and I've enough fucking dirt on him to bury him. We promised no lawyers in the room. Anything else you want?"

"Silverstone replica." Em's voice was low but she swallowed and said it again. "His ninth win. Silverstone. He did that in that car. Dan. Same way we got the Monza one?"

"Got it covered, Timmy. Promise."

The silence was still with them before Dan's sigh broke it. "I was in his fucking wedding. I hate this. I hate all of it. It just hurts."

She turned on the small sofa to face him, legs hooking over Dan's lap. "We do this. You get through practice and quali and then we go hug our baby girl and be loved by our friends and family, ok? You've got this. I promise you can do it."

It hurt to watch Blake walk out the door, and it hurt for Em to have to leave the room to let Dan and Steve get him ready for practice. But she did what she had to do, standing up and going down to the garage. Em knew the cameras would be on her, and she had to pretend nothing was happening. So she did.

Qualifying was painful. She held her head up high and watched as Dan was barely caught out, Pierre turning his head and mouthing his apologies to her. It wasn't Pierre's fault. She wouldn't blame him. He'd been nothing but supportive and friendly to them, making Lulu grin when he came over to wave at her and treat her like his own niece. She knew she could rely on him.

That evening as the paddock emptied out the three of them snuck into the garage. It was just them, a couple of lights on in the garage. One of the first photos they had was of Lu sitting on the car, and she wanted one of the three of them with it. This was real. Her husband had driven in over 250 Formula One Grands Prix. He'd scored points. He'd run the Mercedes domination close in a car that shouldn't have. They'd travelled the world with their infant daughter and she needed proof that it was real.

As Dan went to set up the small tripod he'd brought with him, a movement startled Em. Stepping out from one of the aisles was Pierre, a frown on his face as he took in the sight in front of him.

"It's true, then? I didn't want to believe the rumours. It isn't right." She could see the dismay on his face, barely nodding while trying to keep her composure. Dan stood and nodded, the engineer walking over and wrapping Dan in a hug. When they separated, he came over and kissed Em's cheek, placing one on Lulu's forehead too.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so sorry." It was the first apology she'd received from anyone in the entire team that actually felt sincere.

"Thank you. Pierre, can you do us a favour? We wanted a photo of the three of us. Could you?" He smiled and nodded, taking Dan's Leica from his hands and getting them to stand and smile. The flash went off and it healed a piece of her battered heart. Even in the bullshit, here was someone who had loved her husband and cared about her. That was special.

They thought the hotel suite would be quiet when they got back, but instead everyone was there. There was a takeout feast spread out across the table, Dan's arm keeping Em upright as she saw all of their loved ones there. Dan's family, their friends, Blake and Charlie, Charlie's brother Cal and his boyfriend. All there to support Dan because he was their Dan too. It was a room filled with love and she was so happy to have them even under such awful circumstances.

When they'd all finally sat down Charlie held her arm out, pulling Em into a side hug and kissing her temple. They'd barely spent time together this weekend, Em's world revolving around finalities. But her best friend was still there, holding her and that meant everything.

"Love you Ems." Charlie whispered, before lowering her ear to Lu. "And you too, Miss Lulu. Come here and let your parents eat. I've got her."

"Morning sickness bad?" Em asked as she watched her daughter settle easily.

"All day sickness. It's ok. But I've been eating all day I can't face a proper meal. I'll eat later, Blake will make me." She grinned wickedly before picking at some chips on the table, making Em smile back. God she was lucky.

The atmosphere started forced, but it lightened as conversations began. Dan kept his hand on Em's thigh and she could feel the pressure lighten as he relaxed too, chatting with Cal and introducing him to the rest of their friends. It was what she needed, just to be calm and unwind and feel the love that surrounded them. Nearly everyone at the table knew them before they were Dan and Em. Knew Dan before he was Daniel Ricciardo. They had all of this to look forward to as some of the guys played peekaboo with Lulu, making her grin and wave at them.

As everyone left the room hugs were exchanged, Em watching as Cal and Ryder hugged Dan. She could barely hear the words exchanged, but they filled her heart to overflowing as she strained to hear.

"Why the fuck did you two cunts come all the way here?" Dan asked, cursing hiding the nerves.

"Because I wanted to support you." Cal's honesty was quick and easy. "I told you when we met. You made me love racing. And now I get to call you my friend too. I want to be here to support my friend and my hero, I get to do both at the same time."

Tears were shed as his words sank in, Dan clutching the younger men in a hug before letting them go. It was heartbreaking and hopeful. He'd really, really changed lives. He'd inspired kids. That...that meant something. It really did.

Em watched her husband get into bed first, holding his arms out for a half asleep Luna. Lu stirred slightly as she got comfortable, watching Dan with curious brown eyes. She was growing into her face, a Ricciardo more and more every day. Once Em put her stretched out Race Service shirt on she crawled in beside Dan, her book in her hand. His arm wrapped around her as she got comfy and began to read out loud to her babes.

"Chapter One. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole. And that meant comfort."

As she read her husband and daughter to sleep, even with the confusion around them, Em relaxed beside them. They were her comfort, and they'd get through it all.

If she was honest, Em barely remembered the race. She knew all of Dan's friends were around them, sandwiching her and holding her up when she just felt sick the entire time. She remembered the roars they let out when he had his pitstop, the confusion on that final lap stop and the realisation that it was to take fastest lap from Lando. Watching him do it to perfection, showing that even when he was down he wasn't out. And that final message the feed shared, Max saying he owed Dan a Christmas present.

It was done. Her husband's final Formula One race, coming last and hopefully helping Max win his fourth championship. He'd done it. Two hundred and fifty eight races. Nine race wins. Four pole positions. He'd won Monaco, Silverstone, and seven other tracks. She was forever proud of all he'd accomplished. She always would be. The way it was ending was undignified and heartbreaking, but he was her Danny. Her boy from the Perth suburbs had fought and had an eleven year career in the sport that chewed up and spat people out too easily. She couldn't be happier for him.

The walk back to hospitality was short, everyone there surrounding her and buoying her spirits. Em just let their words wash over her, delight in that even with what had happened, this was what mattered. That right here were people who loved her and Dan and their daughter. No matter what, they would always have that.

Seeing Charlie's brother made her want to cry, the younger man looking bittersweet. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling into a hug.

"I'm so glad you both made it. Seriously. It's wonderful." He smiled at her words, nodding and watching the scenes as people started packing up.

"You ok?"

"We will be." And it was the truth. Dan would come back after media, after having to deal with ridiculous tributes to a career that everyone knew was dead and buried but couldn't fully admit it yet. He'd arrive back and be loved by all of them, and they'd go back to the hotel. And in the morning they'd organised a plane for everyone to head back to Perth together. There'd be family waiting at the airport and then it was to Grace and Joe's for a few days to be looked after. Phones off, family time.

Finally back with everyone Grace handed her Luna, half awake and happy that her mama was there with her. Lulu just wanted a giant cuddle from her mother, held tightly and confused at being up so late, but loving all the new uncles she'd gotten to know. The guys had all talked about Lu meeting their kids, being part of the gang that now came to every formerly drunken barbecue that had kids toys and bottles of milk instead of vodka. It was a new life for them, but it'd be a good one. Em knew it would be.

"He's coming, c'mon!" It was Joe who nudged her out of her thoughts, pulling Em up with Lu in her arms as the group ran outside hospitality to welcome Dan back for the final time.

Em stood there cheering, Lulu against her not knowing what was going on but yelling just as loudly. The moment she realised it was for her dad she got extra excited, a kiss against their daughter's head the final thing Dan did before going inside. Instead of going in Em stood there in the Singapore heat, looking around. It was over. They were done.

"Pass her over to uncle Blake?" Em turned to where her affectionately nicknamed Tall Blake was, holding out his arms to take Lulu. She'd been passed around Dan's friends and their family all weekend, the men taking turns to tire her out. She didn't know what she'd have done without them there to help and make things easier.

"I think she's about ready for bed."

"Perfect. Charlie's tired too, so we were talking to her and Steve. The group of us are gonna leave with Lu and head back to the hotel. You and Dan and Blake stay here as long as you need, soak it in. He knows we're all so fucking proud of him, right?"

"He knows." Em blinked back her tears, grinning and kissing Lu's cheek. "We all know. Thanks for being here. We needed people."

"Any fucking time, you know that. We all adore him."

Em hugged everyone goodbye, waving to an already napping Lulu. They were so goddamn lucky that even on a day filled with sadness and awfulness that they were so loved. That somehow her little family was filled with all these people who adored them and took her in and let her just be. It meant the world.

It was a slow walk upstairs, nodding at Dan's mechanics. They and Pierre had always, always been on his side and she couldn't thank them enough. She couldn't be grateful enough that even with the bullshit they were there and supporting them. But she finally made it up, knocking on the door and going inside. The room felt empty, the photos on the wall gone. Just blank walls and Dan's backpack sitting on a table.

"Where's Lu?" Her husband's first words are as he reached out and pulled her into his lap.

"With Char and everyone. They've all gone back to the hotel, told me to tell you to soak everything in and they're proud of you. We love you."

"Love you too."

"It's over, Memy. It's actually over. I didn't think..." His voice trailed off and Em just leaned against him as she felt the tension leave Dan's body.

"Do I want to know how you feel?"

"Worn out. Won't sink in till the announcement I reckon. But I don't want to leave yet."

"Then we can stay."

She watched Dan get changed in near silence, his pink helmet from the race sitting on the small table. The little symbols that told their story - a lemon, water, the sun. A paper plane. A bow for Lu, a pair of glasses for Blake and Charlie's red lipstick immortalised. The tiniest pair of blue booties hidden in the design for their still cooking godson. There were so many tiny references in it that she loved as she'd watched Dan design it and get the references just right. He handed the still slightly damp one to her as she watched him pull the spare out, writing on the tearoff and turning it for her to see.

Pierre - what a damn run, eh? Sorry for breaking my hand and not getting a podium for us. Thank you for everything you've done for me and welcoming me, and merci for not punishing my awful French. Second best engineer I've ever had. Love - Daniel

The first tear fell as she read the message he'd left for Pierre, Em grinning through it. She wouldn't change it. Even with everything that had happened, even with the hardship and difficulty and pain and frustration. She couldn't change it because that would make it not what they'd lived. It'd make it fake.

It wasn't the only message she'd watched him write that weekend. One for Steve, one for Blake and Charlie. His race worn one was going on their helmet wall, the final piece of the design.

The door opened, Blake coming in with a smile on his face. It was the three of them together in the end. Standing in a tiny driver's room, looking at each other.

"Got it all. The Silverstone trophy's being delivered next week. All of it."

It was a hug for her big brother and a gasped thank you as Em forced all the love and thanks and grace she had left in her body to him, determined to make him feel it. He'd done it and gotten Dan what he deserved in the midst of a shit situation, and that was another silver lining. She could deal with all of this.

"Where is everything?" The words slipped out before she could stop them. "The photos, Lu's stuff? all your stuff?"

"I got Char to do it during the race. It's all packed away neatly to unpack at home. I couldn't do it, Emmy. I couldn't watch you do it." She held his hand as Dan pulled her back to him, the three of them sitting on a too small couch as they waited for everyone to be ready to leave. The paddock was emptying, getting quieter and quieter as they listened.

"I think I'm ready." Dan broke the silence, his bag in his hand. This was it. The final walk.

So Emma Ricciardo took her husband's hand and walked out of the Singapore Grand Prix paddock beside him. Just before they stepped outside she took one final look back at the lights, at the nearly empty area now most of the staff had gone home.

"Any regrets?" Blake asked the two of them. She knew Dan's - not staying at Red Bull to fight. Not winning a championship. Being too loyal and not moving to Mercedes. But her? She wouldn't have changed it. She paid the highest possible price, but she'd gotten everything she'd dreamed of.

"I got my husband, my daughter, and my brother from this. It's worth the trade."

And with a final beep as she scanned her pass, Em left the paddock.

Taglist

@dr3lover @sabrinaselina55 @majx00 @tall-tanned-tattoo @lovingdennishauger @lauehr @msolbesg @f1medlife @idkwtfimdoing2 @leclercsbae @hiphopdancer101universe @mehrmonga @lewispool @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @coldheartedmar @sugarbabygirlofdaddy @nonsensical-nonce @a-distantdreamer @tita010 @leslizzle @javden @mloyer @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @magical-imagination-kgp @danarysstormborn @kakorrhaphiphobia @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @elizanav @neiich @luckyladycreator2 @scotlynaurora @belledawnidk

[maxybabyy]

part four to my max run club verse (slightly au of the orignal plot)

Daniel is three drinks deep and spilling his fourth when he sees him.

He’s taller than Daniel thought he would be, probably has an inch or two on Daniel, long limbs stretched out where he leans against the bar. There’s a smile on his face, and Daniel catches himself leaning in, squinting to find the tiny dot just above his lip.

The mole is there. It hasn’t somehow disappeared between now and the video he had watched before bed, Scotty asleep next to him.

That isn’t always the case, he knows. Sometimes they remove it. But it makes the fans freak out so someone must have told them to leave it. Daniel probably wouldn’t do it now, but he had done it like maybe once. Drunk off his ass asking Red Bull Running what the fuck they thought they were doing, editing people’s faces like that.

Blake had made him delete it, but his point still stood.

Daniel watches Max laugh with his entire body, one arm thrown around his waist as the other grips the bar. He throws back his head as his shoulders shake, and Daniel cannot look away, perversely obsessed with this new side of Max that he hasn’t seen before.

His chest burns with heat, with the thought that maybe he’s the only one to see Max like this. Other than like, Max’s friends and family. But of his fans, Daniel could be alone in this.

He hadn’t given it much thought when Scotty had asked him to come, “There’s like this Red Bull thing that I have to go to. It’s in Austria, but it could be fun. Do you wanna come with?”

He thought maybe Scotty would make them go skiing, and Daniel would do a slope or two before going to work on his tan. At night they would fuck in the hot tub, laugh about the mess, and then do it again the next night. A chance to reconnect, Daniel had thought, and wouldn’t that have been nice?  

Now someone brushes against him, and it makes Daniel jump.

His drink is empty, but it wobbles in his hand, threatening to spill when someone wraps their fingers around his. Long elegant fingers stretched around him and the glass. Trim nails prick his skin, and a shiver runs down his spine.

“Nice catch, mate,” Daniel says and flexes his hand, testing a grip that doesn’t relent.

“Hello,” someone says, and the voice is so fucking familiar that it makes Daniel’s head whip up to look at the man in front of him, at Max. “I brought you a drink.”

There’s an open bar, still Daniel takes the drink without complaint. Max doesn’t let go of him, and Daniel doesn’t move, their hands cradled awkwardly between them until his fingers start to twitch. Even then, Max is slow to step back, hands shoved loosely into the pockets of his jeans.

“Thank you,” Daniel says and takes a sip. It’s a gin and tonic, light on the tonic. Max had smelt of it too, the pine sticky on his lips. Daniel licks them again, tries not to imagine if Max would taste like it too.

“You were staring,” Max says tells him.

“Yeah, I was, kinda,” Daniel says with a laugh. Now when he looks at him, Max is watching him back. That’s another thing the videos hadn’t prepared him for, the unrelenting eye contact. For once, he doesn’t squirm under the weight of his stare. Instead, the feeling in his chest grows, preens at the attention. “Bit of a fan, actually.”

Max’s eyes crinkle at that, and Daniel’s breath catches in his throat.

“No, I’m serious,” Daniel insists. For months, he had been saving videos of Max on a playlist to watch later –  most of them of him running, but some of them not – only to find that other people were saving the list. Now, ‘mv jom’ has been privated but it still lives at the top of his page. “I’m like, a big fan of your moaning.”

Max’s laughter is loud enough that the people around them turn around to watch. GP, who must have travelled with Max, stares at them from across the room, and Daniel wants to die.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. Your running, that’s what I’m a fan of,” Daniel says while he waits for the ground to swallow him. “Helped me out big time while I was rehabbing.”

“Your knee, no?” Max asks. “From the accident?”

Blood rushes in his ears, and Daniel swallows what’s left of his drink. He has to focus to ease the frown from his face, but confusion still pricks his skin, and even the softened look on Max’s face doesn’t soothe him. “Yeah, how did you know?”

Max’s tongue traces the corner of his mouth, and when Daniel mirrors him, his tongue comes away wet, “Maybe I am a big fan also.”

Daniel tries to laugh, but his mouth feels too dry.

Max steps closer, the tips of his shoes touching the insides of Daniel’s, and offers him the rest of his drink. Daniel takes it, hand shaking as he replaces Max’s mouth with his own.

“Actually, I thought you were of course staring because you wanted to fuck me,” Max tells him then.

“What?”

But Max isn’t done. He takes another step, and their knees bump against each other. Daniel feels Max’s breath on his skin, and the mole he had squinted at before is now close enough to touch. “It is of course better like this, already you know that I am very flexible,” he adds. Casual, like that isn’t the exact thought Daniel’s been trying to squash since he first saw him.

Because Daniel does already know how Max looks on his knees. Bent over so deeply that his chest had pressed against the floor, thighs spread obscenely wide – “Big breath here, just a little deeper. For me, please? You can do it.” – to get the right stretch.

It wouldn’t be hard to fuck him like that, he reckons, Max’s body loose and malleable underneath his hands. Not like how Daniel’s knee still aches when Scotty tries to fuck him from behind.

“I mostly just listen to the audio guides,” Daniel lies, voice faint.

“Always I can just show you instead,” Max offers. His thigh presses in between Daniel’s, and his jeans feel rough against Daniel’s dick. “Like this, it will be so lovely also.”

Daniel chokes on his spit, and Max must be close enough to hear the awkward clench of his throat. But maybe he doesn’t notice, too busy touching the shiny lapels of Daniel’s suit jacket. He doesn’t quite tug at the fabric, but Daniel leans in anyway.

“I did not know that you were sponsored by Red Bull,” Max says. The intensity of the eye contact doesn’t ease up close, and Daniel’s chest feels dangerously tight. “I have not seen you here before.”

Daniel licks his lips, “I’m not.”

“Are you here with someone?” Max asks.

He thinks of Scotty watching them from across the room, of all the shit he had talked about Max after finding the videos. He thinks of how Scotty had fucked him then, hard and fast, biting marks into his neck like they were nineteen and sleeping with other people. He thinks of Scotty behind him, arm around his waist as he watched Max with dark eyes, “Who’s your friend, DR?” He would ask like he didn’t already know.

But most of all, he thinks of Scotty fucking Chloe Stroll in their LA home. Of finding out via texts Scotty had been dumb enough to keep.

Everything gets a little easier after that.

[keyaho]

IDKWYLM PRESENTS:

summary: a night in becomes a night of interrogation. co-writer: @zillasvilla

NEW TAGLIST:

@nayaesworld || @overrboarrd || @sillyteecup || @novahreign

@ranikyani || @theogbadbitch || @kumkaniudaku || @that-one-anxious-mango

@luvrsluxe || @zunibugsiren || @wabi-sabi1090 || @ovohanna24 || @trippiexlove

@queenofklonnie22 || @queeny23 || @simplyzeeka || @kaylalb || @cheriealya

@bigjuiciisushii || @talkswithdesi || @onherereading || @heytaewrites || @playgurlxoxo

Blaire's smile could hardly be contained as she half ran through the house to the living room. Setting up, Brennan and Ciara were swaying to the raunchy musical playlist. 

"Josie is coming!" Blaire blurts out. 

She already had her phone turned for Brennan to see it. Their older sister, Blake, was a world traveler. After finishing college with her Masters in Business, she decided to just travel and in that time managed to create a successful international real estate business for two years now. Their father had been a big investor and with his connections to construction companies and other manufactures, it just made sense. 

Blake had kept in touch regularly, but this would be the first time she's had some real downtime. 

“Bull! She told me she was going to Italy for a few weeks!” Brennan grabbed the phone in shock, “First of all, why didn’t she put this in the group chat!”

"She wanted to surprise Mom and Dad! Shut up!" 

Ciara looked up from the large balloons for one of their games, caught off guard. "Blaire, thats some foul language." 

"Brennan talks too much," she explained. "She would have told them as soon as Josie told her." 

Brennan rolls her eyes, and hands her back the phone to grab her own from the coffee table, “Daddy hates surprises. I would’ve hinted at it.” 

"Daddy also hates when you eat his snacks. You would have told him." She stomps. 

“Matta-a-fact, where’s Terry?” 

Before Blaire could respond the back sliding doors were opened, and shoes were kicked off. “Yo!”  Terry’s voice could be heard first as the steps got closer. Both dressed in just sweatpants and black tees, Aaron and Terry had interrupted their moment.  “Where are Marcus and Angela.?”

“Working.” Brennan moves around Terry to step into Aaron’s open arms. “Dad is helping a friend move-in and mama is at some awards show doing hair.”

Blaire closed out the text thread after sending Josie a reply. Her vision suddenly changed when Terrence tipped her head up so she was looking at him. That same goofy smile on his face. He winked and his never ending need to woo her made her give a half smile. 

“So, y’all are here alone?” Aaron asks after placing a kiss on Brennan's cheek. 

“Ain’t none of that cause they are coming back tonight,” Ciara cuts in. “Plus their sister is coming.”

Aaron and Terry shared a look. They had heard of their older sister, but hadn't met her before. Usually, she'd pay for Brennan and Blaire to fly to wherever she is and those times Terry and Aaron opted to stay home. They could afford it, but it was rare they had that kind of time together. They didn't want to intrude too much. 

"Blake is coming?" Terry asks. 

Blaire nods, her smile spreading at the mention of her sister. "I asked if she could get me some pointe shoes!" 

In her excitement, she held her hand out for Terry's, pulling him towards the kitchen area. 

“I need your help.” Aaron whispers as Brennan drags him upstairs to her room. 

It was on rare days when both of her parents were working and she could have him upstairs in her room with the door closed. So whenever she had the change, she took it. . 

“Well forget me then,” Ciara throws her hands up in a ‘what about me motion'.

“We’ll be back in 30 minutes Cici,” Brennan says. 

"The kitchen is an open concept," Blaire says. "I'm right here!" 

"Blaire, you ain't gotta yell at me," Ciara pretends to cry dramatically. 

Brennan stops at the balcony that looks down into the living room, she looks at Ciara with her left eyebrow arched. “Really bitch? Just call Tyreek.”

“Ion want that nigga.” Ciara stops in disgust, “boy is still on a second grade reading level.” 

"That is unfortunate." Blaire adds while pulling the honeydew melon from the freezer. 

She had prepared her watermelons and sugary pineapples earlier. Most of the snacks tonight weren't textures she liked, other than the massive bag of rice cakes and plain ruffles. She was sure Terrence and Aaron ordered wings. She pushed the melon towards Terrence so he could cut it. 

"I have to start the cinnamon rolls. Do you want to help me?" Blaire asks, looking towards Ciara as she turns on the sink to wash her hands. 

Terrence huffs, but cuts the melons down for her. Ciara jumps up from the floor and skips into the kitchen to wash her hands. 

"Bet." 

Once she set Ciara up with the recipe, Blaire slid onto one of the stools on the opposite side of the island. Their notebooks were open to a math problem from their calculus mock exam. The questions would be very similar to what's coming up on their unit test. Blaire loved the order of numbers. Everything had it's place, but she hated trying to understand that order. 

Next to her, Terrence had already worked through the problem. He understood the order a little bit different. He'd had always been more math inclined. He leaned in, throwing his arm around the back of her chair after pulling her closer. He read the question to her. Right in her ear with a soft tone. 

"I know what it's says, Terrence," Blaire huffs. 

"Start over," he replies, "I'll talk you through it." 

Ciara cleared her throat, hand over her chest as if she was appalled. "In front of my cinnamon rolls?" 

"Close your eyes then," Terry replied. "Mi ke hinka mi lenga den su boka," he grumbled. 

Blaire turned to him with wide eyes. She'd been learning a little bit of his native tongue, but this was the first time she understood the whole sentence. 

"Bo ta komprondé mi?" He asked. A slow smile spread across his face. 

"Yes." 

"Blaire." He leaned in again. "Bo no tin niun idea kon largu mi a warda riba esei." 

Aaron pulled out his history homework from his book bag he left the night before by her desk. While he was a straight-A student, anything related to the subject has never been his thing. History was his current block from maintaining an all A report card. Brennan loved all things history and it was currently the only honors class she had with him.

“This is easy Aaron.” She says from his lap with her own completed homework in front of  them on the desk. “You’re just going over how Jim Crow laws affected the Black community after the Civil War ended, plus knowing the history behind the 13th, 14th & 15th amendments that were put in place.”

Their teacher had assigned a history paper on topics they learned throughout the year or on a topic they felt so strongly about. Aaron had chosen to write about the effects of Jim Crow and the disadvantage it put Black Americans in. While she wanted to focus on the impact the Harlem Renaissance had on Black-American culture. 

“The books in the school libra-”

“Those have been outdated for years and the librarian refuses to order new ones. Blaire and I go to the public library.” She gets up from his lap to get a book from her dresser. “I was using this to help study for finals.”

It had been a reference book that was thicker than their textbook. Each page went into detail of all the laws and amendments put in place and how Jim Crow laws came to be. 

“The material she gives us in the packets is dumbed down.” 

“You’re a lifesaver, you know that.” 

He grabs the book and her hand before she could sit on the bed and pulls her into his lap. A quick kiss was placed on her cheek and she watched him flip through the pages and jot down a few notes. He would finish the paper later, though he always likes to prepare himself and find all of his resources before starting. Ten minutes later he had packed his things up and tossed it by the window to grab on his way out.

“Excited to see your sister?” 

“Always.” She mutters. The last time she saw her they spent a week in New York for Fashion week for Brennan and Broadway shows for Blaire. “It's been a while since she came to the house.”

He nods, and rubs his hands up and down her sides gently–feeling her relax into his touch. Aaron presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth before whispering, “How much time we got left before they come looking?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Josie’s here!” Brennan was the first to notice the sleek matte blue Aston Martin pulling behind the house to the garage. Her and Blaire had been quick to slip on some shoes mid-game of uno and race to the door. 

Blake had pulled into the garage to hide her car before their parents got home. Before even shutting off the car, the door had opened and there stood her younger twin sisters.

“Shit–scared the hell out of me.”

“So,” Brennan moves her hands around dramatically while making a face. “Why didn't you tell me you were coming?”

“If I wanted you to tell mom and dad I was in town, then I would’ve told you.” She pops the trunk to grab out her luggage and several shoppings bags. “Be a good little sister and help me please.”

"I told you!" Blaire adds. 

“Whatever.” Brennan waves them off and heads to the trunk, “What did you get me?”

Blake shakes her head and steps out with her brown louis vuitton bag and motorola razor.

“Can we go in the house first?”

They helped Josie get settled into the main house in her room first. They were glued to her side as they walked back towards the poolhouse. To Brennan and Blaire, Josie hung the moon. They had been eight when she graduated highschool and left for college. She came home sporadically, but they could tell the wandering spirit was starting to bloom. One night she called home saying she was in Ireland for a semester. After that, Josie had visited six countries by the new year. 

"What do I keep hearing about these boys?" Josie stops them outside the poolhouse door. "Sneaking into your bedrooms? Hiding in the closets?" 

Blaire bit down on her bottom lip. "Terrence uses the door sometimes." 

Brennan rolls her eyes. "That's not what she meant." 

"They're twins?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Who is who?" 

Brennan looked over Josie's shoulder to the two figures peeking through the curtains at the windows. They noticed her and jumped back, their shadows scattering away. 

"Aaron is my boyfriend. Terry," Brennan trails off with an eye roll, "you'll know which one he is." 

She looked to Blaire. "Is he your boyfriend?" 

Shaking her head, Blaire wrung her hands together. "No." 

It was hard not to laugh and Josie turned towards the poolhouse. "Yeah, right." 

“If it acts like a duck, looks like a duck, then it's a boyfriend.” Brennan walks ahead of them inside.

"He's not a duck." Blaire whispers as she follows behind them.

“It's a figure of speech Blaire,” Josie explains.

"But ducks can't be boyfriends." She rationalizes. 

"That's why it's a figure of speech. Not a fact." She looked to Brennan and then the poolhouse. 

Ciara had been pulling out the cinnamon rolls per Blaire’s instructions when she saw Terry and Aaron off playing in the family room like they hadn’t been watching them through the windows. She knew enough about the older sister, and had even met her a few times, when she was in town. 

“Blaire, you made cinnamon rolls?" Josie made a beeline to the kitchen the moment she smelled the sweet treat coming out of the oven after opening the door. “Hey Ciara,”  She was quick to grab a paper towel and cut out a corner piece–forgoing the homemade glaze that was being warmed up. 

"Hey Blake! And I made them.”

Blaire purses her lips, “you almost burned them.” She didn't want to start a second batch, but her hands were on the flour container before she realized it. 

“Listen here,” Ciara throws her hands up! “Y’all got a fancy ass oven timer, ever heard of a regular kitchen timer?"

Blaire glanced down at the timer. "It's not on." 

"Why are they hiding?" Josie asks. 

“Terry’s a scary ass anyway.” Brennan goes over to the couch they were sitting on, "Aaron.” She coos as she walked up behind him where he was sitting on the couch pretending to read something.  

He tilts his head back to look up at her with a soft smile.

“Come in the kitchen."

Aaron nudged Terry to follow behind him, both brothers slightly nervous to meet the oldest sibling. Josie eyed them both, staring at the very different twins. Then she thought how they were paired off and it made sense. She watched Terry make his way to Blaire's side, standing slightly behind her.

“Blaire is not the shield you think she is,” Josie bites into the roll and glances over at Aaron who had a death grip on Brennan’s hand. “What, y’all think I’m like my mama?”

Aaron nervously rubs the back of his neck, “Hi, I’m Aaron.”

"This is Terrence," Blaire points to the boy heavy breathing behind her. 

"Terry," Terry says, glancing to Josie. "She won't call me Terry." 

Blaire dumps the flour into a sifter with the baking soda and small pinch of salt. "Your name is Terrence." 

“So, ya'll the boys mama says been sneaking in their rooms.” Josie nods between bites. “Interesting. Oh Cici, I have a surprise for you.”

Ciara perks up, and instantly rushes to her side. “What is it, a bag, a car, a house in Greece?  The cover of Essence magazine?”

Aaron and Terry weren't sure what to think about Josie. They heard a lot about her from the girls, but in person they didn't know what to say. 

“I won’t even buy Brennan a Van Cleef set,” She shakes her head and looks out the kitchen windows to see the tall figure walking up to the door. “You think imma buy you a house? 

“Which aint nothing but a check that you’ll make back the next morning.“ Brennan pouts. 

"I'm not buying yall spoiled asses shit," she replies. "Carson is coming!" She paused. "We're, um, close." 

“Ugh that nigga,” Ciara dramatically whines, but was more than happy to see her older brother. She shrugs at Blake’s last comment. “I knew that already. I saw you sneaking out the back door last summer when I went to visit.”

The wings arrived as the spades table got loud, Josie yelling to Ciara about her books, Terry and Brennan-for once-working as a team. The bowl of money next to the table was filled to the brim as neither one of them wanted to be outdone by the other. 

Blaire sat on one side of the coffee table, setting up her side of the chess board. The maroon chess pieces were new, she didn't like the plain black and white that was considered "classic". Opposite the maroon set was a dark olive set she ordered a few weeks ago. Her and Aaron were co captains for their schools Chess Team and competed regularly. This game was a strategy session. There was a tournament coming up and they were trying to figure out how to win against their rivals from Hillcrest. Currently, they were 2-3 against them, losing their last tournament to a scholars mate set up. The four moves haunted Blaire and Aaron the entire ride home as they tried to recreate the pathway to it. 

Blaire began rearranging the pieces to mimic one of the strategy they used, she'd work backwards to figure out how to counter it. Aaron preferred to work from top of game to the end, so they often met in the middle. Carson had been sitting next to Blake with his hand on her thigh while keeping score with his own laugh. “You should’ve played the King the last round, Peanut.” He looks over at his younger sister. “Even I know that.” 

Carson was Ciara’s older brother who went off and joined the Marines before she could turn five. Though he made sure to write and call her whenever he could, sending pictures and souvenirs from all the places he visited. In return their parents would fly her out some weeks of the summer when he had the time. Though it had been a complete surprise to learn his little sister was bestfriends with his girlfriend’s sisters. 

“Hollon, hollon, how was I supposed to know Brennan had that ace of spade!” Ciara defends after throwing out her only spade left, a king.

Josie shakes her head, “That’s the first card you look for!”

Between the two teams Brennan and Terry had eight books and a possible, only to come out with ten books at the end of the game. So far they were at a total of 214 points and needed at least another 300 hundred to win the bowl of money. 

“I thought she played it!” 

“Ooh, sucks to be you Ciara.” Terry laughs and begins shuffling the deck to start a new game. 

Josie shakes her head and looks back at her youngest sister, playing a game of chess with Aaron, which made her wonder about the dynamics of the twins' relationships.  

"Explain to me," Josie says, "how that," she points to Aaron and Blaire focused on the chess pieces, "and ya'll, don't work?" '

Brennan cuts the deck after Terry passes them to her so she could deal out a hand. “Terry’s a fuckboy.” 

Terry cuts his eyes at Brennan. 

"Oh," Josie says.

"You get on my nerves," Terry replies. 

He glances at Blaire who is focus on the moving pieces. He himself knew how to play, but Blaire usually beat him in under five minutes. She could be super competitive when she wanted.

“He smells like ass,”

“No he doesn’t,” Blaire sighs from her seat. 

Carson looks up, “So, y’all just fight like cats and dogs?”

“Pretty much,” Ciara chimes in. “It’s verbal today, tomorrow? We’ll never know,” she shrugs, "but, I'll break it down because they are going to argue. Blaire wanders and the one time Aaron had to go find her he was stressed out." 

“I was not stressed.” Aaron looks up after moving one of his pieces. “She was over stimulated and trying to regulate. I'd never seen her like that before!" 

“Aaron, baby.” Brennan shakes her head like he was naive. “You also started to get over stimulated. You called me stressin' because she was stressin'." 

Ciara hides her laugh. "You aren't as stern as Terry." She looked at her cards as they were dealt. "He can be too much," she says, using Blaire's language to describe the rougher twin, "but he can get her attention." 

Aaron shrugged. "She doesn't make noise when she walks off. She just…" 

"Vanishes," Josie laughs. “Trust me, I know.” 

The few times she’s watched them, she noticed her younger sister's ability to go very quiet. She used to get worried when she would wander off while they were out eating or shopping. 

"Aaron and Brennan work best because she likes to fight. Aaron is non-confrontational." 

Carson points between Blaire and Terry at the table. "But Terry isn't Blaire's boyfriend?"

"No!" Blaire huffs. "Terrence is not." 

Terry smirks with his own head shake. “Yet.”

Carson. “Ciara, do you have a boyfri-”

Ciara holds a hand up to cut him off. “We not talkin about me right now.” 

“She dumped her last nigga cause of his reading level” Terry snickers. “Ole boy reading l-l-like th-this-” 

“Please don’t remind me,” Ciara groans. “It wouldn’t be bad if he didn’t write like a four year old.” 

“I tried to tutor him.” Aaron pushes his glasses up and watches Blaire’s next move. He followed her strategy quickly and was already thinking of his next move. “Nigga just dumb.”

“Such potty mouths y’all have,” Josie stifles a laugh at the highschool drama.  

Always ready to poke fun, Ciara pointed towards Blaire. "She called me a bitch this morning." 

Sliding her piece into place, Blaire looked up at Ciara. "No. I said beach! Specifically because we were planning a beach trip."  

Brennan smiles. "At the end of the day, I like my nerd." 

While the girls had changed into their pajamas for the night, the guys had cleaned up and chose a movie to watch. Josie took this as a chance to sit down and talk with the twins. 

“Aaron, Terrence,” Josie waves them over. 

She had been sitting under the back patio checking some emails when she noticed them emptying the trash and recycling. The brothers looked between each other nervously and headed her way. 

“Sit, I'm almost done.”

The twins sat across from her as she finished out the last of her emails and set up her calendar for the next few months. She would soon need to book flights, but that could wait as she closed her computer and pushed her glasses over her head.

“Despite my sisters thinking they grown, my parents have said nothing but nice things about you two." Josie leaned back in her chair. "Even my Mom, but," She trails off. "Brennan and Blaire both require more care." 

"They are pretty good at managing themselves," Aaron says. 

"They have too. Mom and Dad taught them to take care of themselves, sure, but we know they are on opposite ends of the spectrum from us." Clasping her hands together, Josie eyes the two boys in front of her. "Brennan is more impulsive, blunt, sporadic, but she easily forgets things and has difficulty organizing her thoughts. She gets the 'blank face' and zones out while she tries to remember why she came into a room." 

"Oh,' Aaron says. 

"She'd light a candle and put it next to a hanging towel." It was an extreme way to view Brennan, but not far off from her childhood behavior. "She hides it well. Brennan is more self conscious about things. She wants to be seen as normal as possible." 

"I've never seen that part of her." Aaron says, "I mean, she rambles a lot but I just thought it was a girl thing." 

Josie turned her attention to Terry. "I'm not sure how you do it, but Blaire isn't a talker." 

"She talks to me," Terry says, "I mean I bug her, but she talks. A lot really." He scratches the back of his neck. 

"Do you like her?" Josie asks. 

"Yeah. I do." 

"She barely acknowledges him." Aaron snorts. "He's ignored more often than not." 

"That's how I know she's overstimulated. I leave her alone and she comes and gets me when she's ready." 

"But," Josie prods. 

"She can be mean." Terry admitted. "When she's aggravated or something is bothering her that she doesn't want to talk about it." 

"She has more needs and she more reserved than Brennan. You've seen her meltdowns?" 

Terry nods, though it didn't turn him away from Blaire. If anything, he wanted to be around more. 

"Yeah," he whispers. "I have once. It came out of no where. She was exhausted after it. I didn't talk to her for a few days because she wanted to be alone." 

Josie leans forward, her hands clasped together.  "She gets embarrassed about them. We aren't sure what triggers her." 

Theres a break of silence between them before Josie looks at the house.

"I know my Dad gave you the talk about them. They both get attached quickly and Blaire isn't a fan of change so she's going to push back with you Terry, but, I say all that to say, tread carefully." She paused. "Very carefully." 

[rachetmath]

Jaune: That is Jessica?

Ruby: Yeah.

Jaune: In her actually form?

Weiss: Yes Jaune.

Jaune: You’re kidding me right? You’re pulling my leg.

Blake: Jaune that is Jessica.

Yang: Why are you finding this hard to believe?

Jaune: She looks even better than the first time I met her. How did y'all get this?!

Ruby: We were the Justice League’s world.

Jaune: What?!

Ruby: Yeah, they needed our help.

Jaune: Why didn’t you take us with you?!

Weiss: Jaune, come on, we just got back. Aren’t you happy we're safe?

Jaune: I mean sure, but I would have loved to see Jessica again!

Yang: Okay, wait a minute, why is Jessica your main concern right now?

Jaune: I don’t know Yang. Maybe it’s because, unlike all of you, I spent the most time with her!

Yang: Oh.

Jaune: Yeah not only that I open up to her., especially about Pyrrha, who I don’t talk about as often, and how I miss her.

Weiss: Ouch.

Jaune: And at least she may have been the first girl I ever saved with my ability while others died. D. I. E. D.

Ruby: Oh.

Blake: Dark.

Jaune: So yeah, it would have been good to see and talk to her again. Considering, that I have been gone for years only to be brought back and act like nothing has changed besides me being older than all of you right now.

RWBY: *silent*

Jaune: Man, this is some bull. I can’t win for shit!

Ruby: Jaune it’s going to be okay.

Jaune: It is times like this I wish Pyrrha was alive.

Yang: Jaune, calm down! You are mad over pussy right now.

Jaune: Speak for yourself at least you can get pussy.

Ren: Look Jaune-

Yang: Ren you have no right to be in this conversation. Considering you fumbled the bag with yours.

Jaune: Damn straight. You had a 99% to get to business and you were riding on dick the whole time.

Ren: Okay, that was not needed. And not true.

In the Hall of Justice

Jessica: *sigh*

Dianna: What’s wrong?

Jessica: I just miss Jaune. I wish I could see him again.

Dianna: I don’t understand what makes him so special. He seemed average compared to the others.

Jessica: So when I was looking for my ring, the core to my powers, you just went off and left me.

Dianna: Oh.

Jessica: Plus if wasn’t for Jaune I wouldn’t have been able to use my powers which saved your lives.

Dianna: Fair point.

Jessica: Plus you're talking about average when you dated two normal men before Superman. Still, I hope he’s doing okay.

Dianna: Unnecessary to bring up but again, fair point.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 1B

*poll was supposed to say (author unknown). thank you typo for implying that I secretly know who wrote The Epic of Gilgamesh but I'm just not telling

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Epic of Gilgamesh (author unknown)

Endorsement from submitter: "Enkidu, my friend, who chased wild asses in the mountain, the panther of the wilderness, we joined together, and went up into the mountain. We grappled with and killed the Bull of Heaven, we destroyed Humbaba who dwelled in the Cedar Forest, we slew lions in the mountain passes! My friend, whom I love deeply, who went through every hard- ship with me, Enkidu, my friend, whom I love deeply, who went through every hardship with me, the fate of mankind has overtaken him. Six days and seven nights I mourned over him and would not allow him to be buried"

Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as much as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, is the world’s oldest epic, predating Homer by many centuries. The story tells of Gilgamesh’s adventures with the wild man Enkidu, and of his arduous journey to the ends of the earth in quest of the Babylonian Noah and the secret of immortality. Alongside its themes of family, friendship and the duties of kings, the Epic of Gilgamesh is, above all, about mankind’s eternal struggle with the fear of death. The Babylonian version has been known for over a century, but linguists are still deciphering new fragments in Akkadian and Sumerian.

Classics, poetry, epic, adult

Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson

Endorsement from submitter: "Black, gay teen recovering from a liver transplant discovers that he can time travel. One of my favorite fictional MCs!"

Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant. He's ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected...in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael. And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect—the ability to time travel. And they've tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift. Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and future. Between Michael and Blake. Michael is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre's donor, keeps him at arm's length despite their obvious attraction to each other. Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs—and more importantly who he wants to be—before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good.

Science fiction, time travel, romance, historical fiction, 1960s, young adult

[john-laurens]

For a while I've been intrigued by this line from John Laurens and the American Revolution by Gregory D. Massey (2000):

On one occasion [Gabriel] Manigault and Francis Kinloch, who had also left Geneva, walked to Chelsea to have tea with Martha [Manning Laurens]. (p. 106)

A confirmed Martha-Francis meeting piqued my interest, so I decided to find the source of the information and see if there was any further description of the meeting. Massey gave the source as the Gabriel Manigault Diary, and I requested scans of the referenced pages from the South Carolina Historical Society. The diary has since been fully digitized, so you can read it for yourself here. Shout out to Gabriel for having the cutest diary in the colonies:

And thanks to @my-deer-friend, whose recent post about Gabriel Manigault and Francis Kinloch reminded me of the fact that I even had these scans in my possession.

As for the Martha-Francis meeting, I found this entry dated August 7, 1777:

Dined at Mr. Bicknell’s Senr._ Walked to Chelsea with Mr. Kinloch, where we drank Tea with Mrs. Laurens.

It's a very brief mention, but it's a confirmation nonetheless. One can only imagine what they might have discussed. Presumably, Francis met Martha and John's daughter Frances as well (she would have been around 7 months old at this time). It's possible that Francis met with Martha and her family at other times, but we only know of this meeting where he was accompanied by Gabriel. Coincidentally, it was around this date that John Laurens joined Washington's camp.

Gabriel seems to have spent a lot of time with Martha Manning Laurens, the Manning family, and Francis Kinloch, as they all received frequent mentions in his diary. I've compiled the mentions of these parties below. These were taken from the select scans I received from the SCHS, so there may be more mentions throughout the diary - feel free to look for yourself, and let me know what you find! I also included a mention of a woman who dressed as a man and served as a drummer in the army, which I found to be quite interesting.

June 1777:

June 21st. Went in the morng to Mr. Manning’s who invited me to stay at his house till I could get lodgings.  Went to see Mr. Gibbes. 22d. Dined with Mr. Manning, at Mr. Deacon’s at Hammersmith. returned to London in the Eveng. 23d. Went with Mr. Manning in the Aftn. to Mr. Bicknell’s 24th. Went to see Mr. Kinloch in the Morning.

July 1777:

19th. Went in the Morning to see Mr. Simpson, & Mr. & Mrs. Milligan.  Dined at Mr. Manning’s.  Drank Tea at Mr. Izard’s. 23d. Drank Tea at Mr. Manning’s. 24th. Dined at Mr. Blake’s, in Compy with Mr. & Mrs. Izard, Mrs. Laurens, Mr. & Mrs. Temple & Miss [illegible].  In the Eveng w[ent] with Mrs. Blake to accompany Mrs. Laurens to Chelsea. July 27th. 1777_ Went with Mrs. Bicknell to the Asylum Chapel, & afterwd. walked in the Park.  Dined at Mr. Manning’s.  Went in the Aftn. with him, & Miss E. Manning to see Mr. Bull. 29th. Walked to Chelsea with Mr. Bicknell where we breakfasted with Mrs. Laurens.  Went with Mr. Bicknell to Doctors Commons.  Went to see Mr. Kinloch.  Went in the Aftn. to see Mr. Pringle.  Drank Tea at Mr. Savages. 31st. Went with Mr. Kinloch to see Mr. Bull, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Milligan, & Mr. Blake.  Dined with Mr. Kinloch, & went in the Evening with him him to the Theatre in the Hay-Market, where the 1st. Part of Heny 4th. & the recruiting Sergeant were represented.  The Part of Falstaff, by Mr. Henderson_

August 1777:

Augt. 1st. 1777_ Dined at Mr. Blake’s, in compy with Lord Wm. Campbell Miss Stead, Mr. Kinloch, Mr. W. Izard & Mr. Stead. 2d. Walked with Mr. & Mrs. Bicknell to Chelsea where we drank Tea with Mrs. Laurens, & walked back to London. 3d. Dined at Mr. Manning’s. 7th. Dined at Mr. Bicknell’s Senr._  Walked to Chelsea with Mr. Kinloch, where we drank Tea with Mrs. Laurens. 8th. Dined at Mr. Manning’s, in company with Mr. Taylor. 9th. Dined at Mr. Blake’s.  After dinner went to Mrs. Laurens’s, where I drank Tea, in Company with Mr. & Miss Shad, & Mr. W. Izard, with whom I went & returned.  Supped at Mr. Blakes. Augt. 11th. 1777. Went at 11 o’clock to Mrs. Laurens’s at Chelsea, from whence I accompd. her to Mr. Bicknell’s, & returned home with her in the Eveng. 12th Drank Tea at Mr. Manning’s 13th. Dined at Mr. Blakes, in Company with Mrs. Laurens, Mrs. Simpson, Miss Stead, Lord Wm Campbell, Mr. Pringle & Mr. Stead.  Supped there likewise. Augt. 14th. 1777._ Drank Tea at Mr. Manning Afterwards went to Mr. Blake’s, from whence I went to Vauxhall, in Compy. with Mrs. Laurens, Miss Stead, Mr. Blake, Mr. Stead, & Manning. 19th. Drank Tea & supped at Mr. Manning’s 21st. Breakfasted with Mr. Kinloch.  Dined at Mr. Manning’s, in Compy with Miss Stead, Mr. W. Izard, & Mr. Stead.  Went with them & Mr. Manning’s Family to Vauxhall.  Left it at 10 oClock, & went to Mr. Blake’s where I supped. 23d. Breakfasted at Mr. Kinloch’s.  Went to see Mr. Pringle.  Walked in the Evening with Mr. Kinloch._ 25. Breakfasted with Mr. Kinloch.  Went to see Mrs. Vanderhost.

October 1777:

October 25th. Drank Tea at Mr. Manning’s, in Company with Mr. & Mrs. Bicknell, & Mr. Kinloch. 26th. Dined and supped at Mr. Manning’s 28th. Went with Mr. Kinloch to the Theatre in Drury Lane, where the Roman Father & Selima & Azor were performd Mrs. Baddeley did the Part of Selima exceedingly well. 

November 1777:

2d. Walked in the morng in St. James’s and Hide-Park with Mr. Kinloch

June 1778:

26th. Went with Mr. Andrews to Cox’s heath In our way we saw a Woman in the dress of a Man, with a Drum on her Shoulders.  She had been five years in the Army as a Drummer, and her Sex was never discovered till she was wounded in her Thigh at the Battle of Fontenoy

July 1778:

July 5th. Dined at Mr. Bull’s, in Company with Mrs. Laurens, Miss Stead Mr. Stead & Mr. Johnson.  Supped at Mr. Stead’s. July 18th. Dined at Mr. Steads, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Needham and Mrs. Laurens._ Went in the Evening to Vauxhall with Mr. Bicknell’s Senior’s Family. 19th. Went in the morning to Mr. Steads House at Woodmans lane, in compy. with Mr. and Miss Stead, Mrs. Laurens, Mr. Reynolds, and Mr. W. Izard. 20th. Returned to London with the same Company.

[eichornia]

So I had a thought:

- It's 2024. Daniel is back in the grid, his hand is completely healed, his curls are thriving. He feels confident again and he's happy. He's in a low dose of antidepressants and the therapy does wonders. 2022 seems really far away.

- He's starting the season in a good mood, flirting his way through the paddock, joking with the Netflix boys. It's Thursday and they're in Australia. Australia, baby, his favourite place in the world. His family is coming to see him race, Isaac being old enough to really enjoy being in the garage. He's curious and funny and Daniel misses him a lot when he's away. He loves Isabella too, she's his princess. But she's not really interested in the sport (yet) and she's in a hardcore Bluey phase. So Isaac asks him if he can go with him to the garage and when they're there, he asks if they can go visit the Red Bull garage because he's obsessed with the RB and to be honest, with Max too. Just like his uncle, Blake likes to say. Usually that makes Daniel to show his karate moves but not for long because Blake is a scary motherfucker sometimes even if he hides it well.

- So to the RB garage they go. They chat with Christian for a bit (Do you want to run for us when you're big, Isaac?, he asks) (And Isaac says yes, yes, yes) and they dodge Helmut when he appears in the garage because he's scary and not in a nice way. (Isaac says he smells like moths and Daniel has to fight really hard not to laugh) and then they spot Max. He's talking with GP but when he sees them, he waves smiling and he talks with Isaac like he's an adult (and even invites him to look into the car and explains to him everything, twice when Isaac asks again about some things).

- And yeah, Daniel has feelings. Like, he knows he had feelings for Max since... Well, a long time ago. He knows but he was scared of being bisexual (thanks Josh Allen for fixing that) and older than Max, and he was scared of being reciprocal because yeah, like Max was his teammate? His hot, younger, faster teammate.

- But now Daniel is (even) older and has learnt to not give a fuck about what people thinks. And yeah, watching Max with his niece? It's doing things to Daniel's heart.

- So yeah, Australia is awesome, racing in Australia is even better, getting points in Australia is a dream come true after these past years. He's high on endorphins and that's his excuse to intercept Max when he's on his way to his driver room after the podium. (Hey, hi, Maxy, Maximus, I was thinking, like, congrats in the podium, by the way, good trophy and all that, but I was thinking of asking you if you wanted to come to Perth?)

- The craziest thing to happen is that Max says yes. No doubts at all, just his big smile that makes his eyes go small and a 'yes, Daniel'.

- PERTH. It goes like this: Max comes to the farm, falls in love with Daniel's house, Daniel's falls in love a bit more with him. And Max knows nothing about it because Daniel is a bit immature but he's not stupid (not about this anyway) and Max is one of his best friends and he doesn't want to ruin their friendship.

- So he says nothing and he enjoys having this week with Max in his home. They race dirt bikes, they cook together (well, they try) and they play with Isaac and Isabella when they come to visit. And then it's Sunday, a whole week has passed and they're going to fly together soon to Japan. They're enjoying the hot tub after having a nice dinner and Max is laughing at Daniel's impression of Toto and Daniel feels like his chest is filled with helium, feels high, lucky, funny. And that's his excuse to kiss Max.

- Max doesn't stop laughing for a second even in the middle of the kiss and then he stops moving and breathing and Daniel is panicking a bit. Because he knew it would ruin everything, this thing he feels for Max. But then Max's hand is in his neck, drawing him against his lips again, magnets in the dark.

- So yeah, that's a thing they do now. Making out. Heavy petting. Every time it happens, Daniel wants to flail his arms, run in circles, scream like fucking Tarzan. It's like getting a podium over and over again, it's like champagne bubbles getting trapped in his chest. Max kisses him like he races (point-blank, non-stop, making him weak at the knees) and he likes to make Daniel straddle him and he likes to caress his thighs, draw his tattoos again, the three against his lips before kissing each of his fingers.

-It makes Daniel effervescent with happiness and when they're racing in Japan, he's fourth in the race, almost a podium and he comes back to the garage and hugs everyone and laughs and almost cries because he's coming back, baby, he's so coming back. And he goes back to the hotel and doesn't go to his room, he goes straight to Max's room and he doesn't stop to think because he's going to chicken out otherwise.

- And he's on his knees.

- He's on his knees for Max, and he puts his forehead against Max's tummy and kisses his belly button and blows a raspberry against his hip and Max pushes his head away, silly-laughing, and Daniel says let me, let me, please, I won't do it again, Maxy, but let me and Max touches one of his brows and touches his hair and then brings him against his body.

- And kissing Max is like getting a podium but blowing him is getting second place, getting drunk, getting sweaty, getting high-high-high.

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

You can read the continuation here.

[toasttt11]

she chose him; vince dunn

summary: blake ellington a famous person in the formula one world and the fiancé of vince dunn.

blake ellington x vince dunn

Blake Ellington a name well known in the Formula one world. Having joined the sport in 2018 with Red Bull and coming second in the Drivers Championship and having won multiple races as a rookie the world knew she was going to become big in the sport. Her second season in 2019 she became the first ever female World Driver Champion. She shocked everyone by announcing her move to Mercedes and she only signed a one year contract she easily won the championship that year and She shocked the world again and announced her move to Ferrari Formula one team, in 2021 She came second in the Drivers Championship and Max Verstappen won his first Championship. In 2022 she became the first Ferrari World Driver Champion since 2006. Before deciding to continue her career with Mclaren Formula one team in 2023, quickly leading the standings within the first few races.

Blake was born in Ontario, Canada growing up next to the Dunn family, being two years younger than Vince made him very protective of his best friend, for years the two danced around their feelings for each other. Blake not wanting to mess anything up with their friendship thinking he would never feel the same, and Vince being so in love with her he thought she only saw him like a big brother.

Vince in 2017 got really drunk after a game with his teammates and ended up leaving a long voicemail for Blake, confessing all of his feelings for his best friend, not even knowing he sent the voicemail.

Blake woke up the next morning with a voicemail from Vince, who was confessing his love, luckily for them he was coming home the next day in which he was welcomed by a smack on the head and a kiss from her and from them the two have been together.

October 21, 2023

Vince has always noticed over the last few years when he went to Blake’s races that Lando has always been around and Vince never saw any problem with that as Blake has been very helpful with Lando since he joined formula one and has been good friend to Lando, no the problem Vince had was Lando’s looks that he sent his fiancé and the touches Lando always tried to pass off as platonic, of course Blake always just thought of Lando as a friend to in love with Vince to even think Lando could be in love with her.

Vince and Blake’s schedules have always been very hectic and a lot of times there schedules are never free at the same time, Blake is usally around the world in a different time zone and Vince is around the states, but that doesn’t mean they don’t try to always see each other as much as possible.

Vince took a flight right after his game that night right to Austin Texas, having two days off before he next game and wanting to be there for Blake when she clinches her fourth World Championship, he was exhausted after he got off the plane but it would be worth when he saw his fiancé. He got an uber to the hotel and went to the front desk telling his name and they gave him the key card to their room.

It was already midnight when he got into Austin and he knew Blake would try and stay up to see him but would end up falling asleep, he dragged his suitcase to the hotel room and quietly opened the door, he saw Blake peacefully sleeping in the bed in his hoodie, he smiled softly as his fiancé as dropped his suitcase sliding off his shoes and set his phone on the nightstand before sliding into the bed next to his beautiful fiancée.

“Vinny?” Blake mumbled her eyes fluttering open and she naturally cuddled up closer to him.

“Hello my darling, go back to sleep i’ll be here when you wake.” Vince softly cooed wrapping his arms around and pressing a soft kiss to the crown on her head.

“Mmk love you.” Blake mumbled quickly falling back to sleep.

“I love you too.” Vince slowly dozed off content with his girl in his arms.

October 22, 2023

Blake woke up feeling arms wrapped around and happily hummed as waking up with Vince meat to her is her favorite way to wake up. She gently leaned her chin on his chest tracing her fingers against his face, feeling the light stubble on her fingers, she leaned up pressing a kiss to his nose, and then his cheek and then his lips, Vince’s hand came up to the back of her head holding her to him as he kissed hee back.

Vince pulled back cupping her face smiling at her, “I missed you.” Vince pressed a soft kiss to her head.

“I missed you too.” Blake kissed his cheek, “But soon we won’t be apart as much.”

Blake had decided she didn’t want to keep racing after this year feeling she accomplished everything and more that she wanted to in Formula one and besides she kinda wants to just live her life and be able to enjoy life without Formula one. And she wants to plan her dream wedding and she wants to be able to have kids with a Vince one day.

“You know you don’t have to retire.” Vince wanted her to know she didn’t have to retire just to see him more.

“I want to, i am honestly really kinda done with racing.” Blake loved racing she always has but the passion and fire it once gave her has faded over the years.

“Okay it’s your decision.” Vince nodded kissing her.

“Come one we’ve got to get ready.” Blake pulled Vince out of bed and towards the bathroom where they got ready.

Blake was wearing a pair of jean shorts, a white flowy tank top and white cowgirl boots, she slipped her engagement ring onto her necklace, before looking over at Vince seeing him on his phone in black jeans and grey t-shirt with grey vans.

They got in car to drive them to the track, Vince got out first holding a hand for Blake, they walked hand and hand pass all the camera ignoring them as they talked to each other.

Lando who was sitting outside the Mclaren moterhome waiting for Blake scowled when he saw who was with her this weekend. Lando who has been in love with Blake for years now.

Oscar who was the Mclaren Reserve driver this year shook his head at Lando, wondering when Lando would understand Blake has always been in love with Vince nothing is going to change that.

Vince stayed with Blake as she warmed up and did all her Pre race routine and before she knew it she was zipping up her race suit and Vince was holding her blue helmet, as blue has always been her favorite color and blue reminds her of Vince. Vince gently slid her helmet on buckling the straps before pressing a gentle kiss on the helmet where her forehead is, “Go drive my love.”

Vince stood in the garage watching her get on the track and getting ready to race.

Before Vince knew he was cheering with the whole garage as Blake finished first winning the Championship for the fourth time, He rushed out with everything towards Blake.

Vince proudly smiled as watching Blake stand on top of her car with her hands in the air, Blake took off her helmet setting it into her car and hopped off her car and running straight to Vince, she pulled him into a passionate kiss hearing the thousands of clicks coming from all the cameras but she didn’t care.

Vince breathlessly chuckled as they pulled away from each other, “I’m so proud of you.” Vince whispered to his fiancé getting a beaming grin in return, he let her go to let her celebrate with her team.

Vince watched her walk last and onto the top step, Vince proudly smiled the whole time at his beautiful girl. Blake happily grinned on the podium looking down towards Vince the whole time not even noticing Lando trying to get her attention.

Blake lifted her trophy in to the air hearing all the cheers, she was covered in champagne by the end of the podium.

Blake nodded at the interview letting them question her after her win, they asked is she had anything to say as most were wondering if she was staying with Mclaren next year or joining another team, “Ah, i would like to thank all the teams that have welcomed me into their families, coming next year i will no longer be racing in Formula one, here is my official statement of my retirement.” Blake smiled simply ignoring the loud disappointment coming from the crowd or the millions of questions from the press walking away.

Vince saw Lando’s face drop and he couldn’t help but smirk seeing Lando realize Blake wouldn’t be around much anymore. Vince has always been jealous with Lando around because Lando never respected the fact Blake didn’t feel that way with him and Vince hated that Lando never acknowledged Blake was in a relationship. Vince trusted Blake but he never trusted Lando.

Blake walked to Vince wrapping an arm around his waist, “Ready to go home?” Blake smiled at Vince, Vince looked down at Blake who was smiling at him and knew whatever jealousy he felt because of Lando faded away as she always chose him.

“Let’s go home.” Vince pressed a kiss to the top of her head as they walked out together.

[scham-wcan]

Cinder: Ruby has bought us tickets for a ‘family event’ she says

Winter: Alright, well why do we need tickets for a family event?

Cinder: Well, by the way she has said it, it sounds like it’s her family… On Patch

Winter: ….

— Two Weeks Later —

All in Rodeo Outfit

Ruby: LETS GO SIS SHOW THAT BULL WHAT FOR

Distant Yang shouts and Blake panicking noises:

Tai: I am swell happy you all managed to make it out for this, we’ve been missing y’all since Ruby left us permanently

Ruby, happy noises:

Weiss, somehow happier noises:

Winter, in white cowgirl hat and somehow still a uniform: How in blazes did we get tied up in this?

Cinder, black outlaw fit on fleek: Well I wasn’t about to miss out on watching the yellow one be throttled, and Ruby invited me out of interest, you get lonely, and I thought Weiss would be less than enthused about a western fair ground

Winter: Bah… Are those speared apples covered in caramel?

Cinder: Alright maybe the ingrate’s family and people are onto something

[righteous-r0de0]

i saw a bunch of other people doing this so

random redacted headcanons!

- vincent can’t handle spicy food very well, even post-turning

- ivan hates fishing

- david loves egg salad sandwiches with hot sauce (it’s his favorite comfort food)

- caelum has never had cotton candy and freelancer is pretty sure if he ever did, he would implode

- gavin doesn’t like snow

- lasko on the other hand LOVES spicy food and testing his tolerance to certain things

- damien doesn’t drink coffee or tea or energy drinks, this man is just out here raw-dogging life

- kody still tries to look at all the damn crew’s socials, even though they all have him blocked

- huxley (opposite of damien) gets his caffeine anyway he can but his favorite are the caffeine pouches (similar to zyns (these are also my favorite))

- asher loves watching mma fights and tries (gently) to recreate the moves on babe (“i could have dropped you just then! you gotta keep your guard up!”)

- james “i’m exploding you with my mind” redacted

- marcus begged his mom for a mohawk in middle school but he didn’t have the right texture hair for it and she refused to buy him all the hair gel necessary to make it a real mohawk so they just had to shave his head (kids thought he had lice)

- anton loves sending and receiving physical mail. he knows it’s impractical in comparison to texting or calling, but he loves it

- ollie has a favorite blanket, pillow, and set of sheets. he’s very particular about his bedtime routine

- elliot however could drop anywhere at anytime. and that’s nothing to do with him being a dreamwalker. he’s just a fantastic sleeper

- brachium has never had candy, but he’s curious about it

- avior really really likes classical music and it’s brought him to tears multiple times (especially jupiter comp. by gustav holst iykyk)

- milo holds the door open for everyone whenever he can. sweetheart once thought he was following them for like fifteen minutes but he was still stuck at the door

- cam loves fresh produce and is a frequenter of any local farmers market

- blake had a phase in middle school and early high school where he was super patriotic and right-wing leaning and he hates when people bring it up

- aaron actually knows most of the shaw pack boys. he tried to hire them for an event before realizing they were an empowered company. david thought he knew

- sam showed pigs and sheep when he was younger. he kinda misses it but he doesn’t have the room for livestock anymore

- vega in all his years of existing both in aria and on earth has never been truly hugged

- before falling, regulus lived on earth with his charge. they had two cats

- xavier used to travel ridiculous amounts of miles to go to food festivals around the country. he took the team with him once or twice

- geordi never deleted any pictures of him and cutie. he’s still hopeful that things will work out and he doesn’t want to get rid of older memories with them

- guy was friends with a lot of the unempowered boys in school, but lost touch with them in college

- morgan is very into hair-care. his shower looks like an apothecary shop full of mystery vials and oils. he knows what everything is and how to use it though.

- porter loves classic literature and translating latin to english. it’s one of the few hobbies he allows himself to have

- hush once traipsed into doc’s apartment, mud up to his knees and all over his face and hands, holding a bull frog. he only came to ask what it was.

[maxybabyy]

the wildest loveliest girl

loose sequel to this girl!max fic and this edit 🥵 (also on ao3)

When Max brings it up, Daniel thinks that she’s joking  

No, that’s not true.

The first time she mentions it, her cheek is resting on the inside of his thigh, “I told the guys I will do a stint for the 24-hour Nürburgring stream in Imola.”  

Her mouth is still wet, loose and red from where his cock had just been inside her. Her lips are swollen, and Daniel thinks maybe if he kisses her now, she will taste like him too – and she does.

She comes easy when he coaxes her into his lap, hands spread wide over the skin of her hips, her ass. “That’s nice, babe,” he tells her and takes off her shirt, the fabric tacky between his fingers.

If the world knew about them, if Max cared any less about her privacy, maybe Enchanté would become a Team Redline sponsor. Make an entire line of cropped racing tops and those tennis skirts with built-in shorts that she wears to padel now.

Practical, but so fucking hot.

“GP tells me of course I am crazy, but it will be, I think, so lovely,” Max says, and if it wasn’t for the hitch in her breath, how her thighs squeeze around his wrist, you wouldn’t know he was three fingers deep inside her. “And when we win –“

Daniel feels her come around him, the teeth in his throat, tiny moans silent except for how they make his skin vibrate, his name falling like prayers from her lips as she comes down.

“What then, Max?” He asks, voice soft as he pulls her to his chest, kissing her until she kisses him back, eager. Indulgent.

“It will be so good, Daniel,” she tells him with a grin, kisses him again and then – “Not of course like this, but very good also.”

“Hey, Blake’s asking if you wanna come to the sponsor dinner after quali?”

They’re both lying in bed, still naked with the door closed so the cats won’t sneak in. His sex playlist has shuffled from sexy bangers into something corny that he hasn’t listened to in forever, but Max is humming along and that’s almost better.

“Maxy?” He asks again. His cheek is pillowed on her boobs, so it’s barely a thought to poke out his tongue, licking at the sensitive peak of her nipple. “Dinner?”

Her eyes move from her phone to Daniel’s face, hand frozen on the screen. Her other hand tugs at his hair, fingers tangled in his curls as she hums, “I could of course eat.”

He keeps her eyes on him, closing his lips around her nipple and bites down with the softest of teeth.

“I know, babe. But do you wanna come to dinner with me and the team after quali?”

She’s done it before, prefers it to some of the shit Red Bull usually has her do. At least like this, she gets a nice meal and Daniel is around to do most of the schmoozing.

“When?”

“In Imola,” he tells her and watches how her eyes flutter shut.

“Can’t, ‘m driving.”

Her legs are wrapped around his waist again, and Daniel is quick to fuck two fingers back inside her, thumb on her clit as she whines.

“It’s after quali,” Daniel says and leans up to kiss her, cheek cradled in the palm of his hand as she thrashes in his arms. “Blake already has a car and everything set up so –“

Her orgasm is barely a shiver compared to her first two, teeth sharp as they bite into his lip.

“Fuck,” Max moans and goes loose-limbed underneath him.

Her eyes are closed, and her breaths turn steady, hair spread out across the pillow. Daniel almost thinks she’s fallen asleep when she digs her icy toes into the back of his thigh.

“I’m doing the iRacing event after qualifying, maybe just an hour or two, but.”

Daniel kisses her face, her nose, “But like – in Imola?”

Max leans into his touch, chasing his mouth with hers. They are slow, lazy kisses that leave their lips wet and swollen, and Daniel loves them so much.

“Yes, it is of course online, so I will go from qualifying to the race. And then in the morning maybe before the race,” she tells him and kisses him once more before she reaches for her phone. “Now, what do you want for dinner?”

In the weeks leading up to Imola, Daniel barely sees her.

Max had told him that she would be busy and not maybe respond to texts during the day but if he installed discord, probably she could send him an update sometime.

Daniel doesn’t know if his Mac can even handle that – wouldn’t know how to do it if it could – and decides instead to move into her apartment for a bit. It’s not – they usually stay at her place when they have the time because of the cats.

But they’re not like, living together yet.

Or at least, Daniel still rents a place in Monaco where he keeps the shit he hasn’t brought to her apartment. But it’s fine, real estate is a great investment and all that.

Being physically closer doesn’t change that much. Max is still busy setting up the sim and testing what car they should use in the race.

But at least like this, he gets to see her at night when she turns everything off and crawls into bed with him. He’s there when she comes out of the office to make sure the cats are taken care of and if she can, steal one of them back in with her. He brings her food and a bottle of water when she gets thirsty, rubs her shoulders when the hours in the sim rig leave her body stiff and sore, and coaxes her into the shower just to have another moment alone with her.

One afternoon, he steals her away to play padel with Lando and Alex. The exhaustion doesn’t improve her already shit aim and they only win one round, but Max is having fun.

They’re meant to go to lunch all four of them – maybe George too if Alex can get him to come – but Daniel’s been half-hard since Max poured the rest of her water bottle onto her head, and when she pulls him into one of the private stalls, Daniel comes easy.

If Team Redline didn’t already know they were together, they definitely do now with how many times Daniel has walked in on their video calls to check up on Max.

Today, he comes in with Jimmy in his arms cradled like a baby, hovering awkwardly until Max notices him with a smile, “What’s up, Daniel?”

She taps her keyboard before she twists around in her seat to look at him. She’s not wearing the team shirt, so at least he knows she isn’t streaming, but he can see the tiny video boxes on the screen – the suffocating feeling from 2020 already itching in his throat making him feel ill.

“Just, like. Wanted to make sure this fella’s been fed because he keeps whining,” Daniel says and holds Jimmy closer to his chest. It’s unfair really, to blame Jimmy when he’s been such a good sport, napping on his chest until the incessant need to be close to Max had overtaken him.

Jimmy, probably sensing the offence, wiggles out of his arms and jumps into her lap, sharp nails on pale skin. But Max barely notices, kisses his head and coos, “Hi baby, are you being a cunt to daddy?”

Daniel kicks out his feet, locking his knees to keep him from stumbling to the ground. He fucking hopes Max put the call on mute when he came in.

It’s not like, a sexual thing – not by itself at least. She’s never called him that in bed, and with Jos and their complicated relationship, Daniel isn’t sure that’s something he wants to explore. But like, still.

One day she had just – said it.

Talking to the cats about how he was going back to Australia for a bit and that, “Daddy will be gone so you of course have to be nice to him,” and now she just always calls him that, two fucking hell-spawn somehow adopted by proxy.

Jimmy meows in her arms.

“I think he is so sleepy, he would not even eat right now,” Max says with a frown and kisses the space between his ears.

“Huh, that’s pretty weird,” Daniel tells her lamely and leans down to get a kiss of her own.

“Crane says hi,” Max says with one hand on Jimmy as the other reaches for him.

“Oh, uh –“ he says and squeezes her hand. His other hand twists the length of her hair, pulls it tight around his palm until a noise falls from her lips, like when she’s on her knees for him, sucking his –

It’s getting longer now, her hair. Almost below her chest. So different to how it was when they met, how she wore it when they first got together. Daniel doesn’t really care about how her hair looks, thinks she looks just as pretty with her balaclava on, sweat seeping into her hairline as her face flushes with heat.

“Tell him I say hi back,” he says and waves to the guy he’s pretty sure is Crane. “Alright, didn’t wanna disturb you. Let me know if you need anything.”

Max hums, stretching her neck and smacking her lips until he leans down to kiss her, “’kay, love you, Daniel.”

“Yeah, love you too, babe,” he says and leaves the room with Jimmy still in her lap.

Daniel is a tiny bit tipsy when the car comes to pick him up.

Dinner had gone well. Qualifying had left him with a rush, excited for Sunday, and his good mood had rubbed off on both the sponsors and executives, calling out toasts to the success of the team, Daniel’s future with them, to Max’s chances for tomorrow.

He hasn’t seen her since this morning, swept away by her team to prepare for the race, but he watches her now, the stream pulled up on his phone. He doesn’t have the app, and Twitch keeps crashing and reloading, but there she is in the tiny box in the corner of the screen.

Even in the fucking awful team shirt that everyone wears, Max looks beautiful.

She’s barely visible in her sim rig, tucked away behind the wheel. It’s not unlike how she looks at home, at the factory with GP always close behind. But it feels different to be on this side of it, watching her with 20.000 of her fans, unable to reach out and touch her.

He left his headphones at the track, so he plays the sound over the speakers. But even as he keeps pressing the volume button, he cannot hear Max. When he asks in chat – twice, and then with a donation – Crane just shakes his head, “It’s a live race, mate. What do you want us to do? Should we pop in on her chat with GP tomorrow too?”

It’s not the same, Daniel doesn’t think.

But maybe it is to Max.

Daniel nods to the group of guys dressed in Team Redline merch hanging around the motorhome and goes to slip past them when one of them stops him

“Sorry, mate. No access,” the tallest of them says, a bright orange MV1 hat shoved onto his head.

“What?”

The guy stares back at him, no recognition in his eyes as he makes himself bigger to block the doorway. It barely makes a difference, but Daniel hangs back. “I can’t let you in,” he adds bluntly.

“Are you for real?” Daniel asks.

He’s still dressed for dinner, dress pants and a nice shirt with his jacket hanging over his shoulder. He’s not wearing his fucking paddock pass or the VCARB merch, but his entire outfit is sponsored by Hugo, the brand subtle but visible on his chest. And like, they’re at a fucking F1 circuit. Shouldn’t they at least know who he is?

“Sir –“

Someone pokes their head out of the door and looks at Daniel, looks at the other guy with a sigh before he pushes the door wider and gestures for him to come in, “Daniel, right? Come on in.”

“Cheers, mate,” Daniel says as he shuffles past the group.

“I’m Jack, I work with Max and Team Redline. It’s nice to finally meet you,” the man says, and Daniel does vaguely remember the name from one of their conversations about the stream. “Max’s still online but it shouldn’t be long now. The mic has quite the range but if you stay here, the camera cannot see you.”

“Thanks, man.”

Jack slips away to take a phone call, so Daniel watches from the doorway as Max parks the car, relaying information to the guy driving the next stint.

“I will – tomorrow, I will do another stint. Before of course the race. Yeah, good luck!” Daniel must make a noise because she turns to the door and beams when she sees him standing there. “Daniel!” She says and reaches for him.

She melts into his arms when Daniel touches her, head heavy against his chest. Her groan is muffled against him, and Daniel knows she must be tired. He’s just about to nudge her towards the bed shoved in the corner of the room when Jack walks back in.

“Crane is asking if you’re coming on stream, do a little interview maybe?”

Max’s body shakes with an exhale. Her hand curls in the fabric of Daniel’s shirt and he moves with her pull until he’s sat almost in her lap. “Fine,” she finally says. “But only five minutes.”

“Did it go well?” Daniel asks when Jack leaves again. “I watched a bit in the car, you looked good.”

“It was good I think also,” Max says as a wide smile breaks out on her face. “The other car had of course some problems but it is –“ Her hand wobbles in the air, weaving through the other like traffic.

“Yeah? I’m proud of you, Maxy.”

Max’s face softens and she reaches for him, pulling him down for a kiss. Her lips are dry and taste so much like Red Bull that he knows she probably hasn’t had anything else to drink tonight. But’s it good, tastes like Max. His tongue licks into her mouth, hand playing with the tacky fabric of her shirt when there’s a noise from her headphones.

“Hey Max, you’re still on cam.”

Daniel feels how she freezes in his arms before she leans back to glare at the camera. And there, in the tiny window in the corner of her screen, is a man watching them back. But she doesn’t move away, keeps herself pressed against Daniel.

“The stream is down so it’s just me and the guys, but I thought you should know.”

“Next time probably you should start with that,” Max says as her eyes roll to the back of her head.  “Okay, I will leave then, see you tomorrow, Crane.”

“He’s kinda intense,” Daniel says when Jack leaves for the night.

“Hmm? No, he’s fine, I think,” Max says, distracted as he kisses her face, her cheek, her lips.

Daniel goes down on his knees, mouth wet on her skin as he kisses down her body. He shoves the fucking Redline shirt out of the way and touches her boobs with gentle hands, mouth chasing the noises that fall from her lips. She’s wearing a flimsy pair of shorts, soft and silky, and maybe she already knew she would go straight to bed after. Now, Daniel drags them down her legs, teeth teasing the tender skin of her inner thigh.

“Daniel,” she begs and buries her hand in his hair.

“Of course, Maxy.” So he puts his mouth on her and licks into her, wet and swollen, the taste of Max so heavy on his tongue.

She’s always been responsive, loud and direct in what she wants, shifting her hips to press into his mouth. How she moves him by his hair until she’s grinding onto his face. But he loves her like this too, lovely and oh so soft. Her body light with pleasure as she loses herself in the feeling.

He slips two fingers inside her, wet and warm, and he thinks if she wasn’t about to come, he would taste her there too. His jaw aches but Max shivers against him, her cunt clenching around his fingers until she falls apart.

Max is already up when Daniel wakes.

He watches her with tired eyes back on the sim, sipping another can of Red Bull as she talks in clipped words with her race engineer.

She had been almost liquid in his arms when he had moved them to the bed the night before. Had clung to him desperately as he had fucked her through another orgasm, the tiny bed barely big enough for one of them.

On the brink of sleep, he had watched her pull out her phone and put on the fight, balancing the screen against his head where it rested on her chest.

“Go to sleep, Daniel,” she had shushed him softly, one hand touching his cheek as the other turned down the volume until he could almost pretend it wasn’t there.

Daniel doesn’t know when the fight ended or how long she had stayed up after, but she doesn’t look tired, drives with the same steady confidence that has won her three titles and more wins than either of them had ever dreamt of.

His phone buzzes with a call from Blake.

He doesn’t know how much the mic would pick up, so he doesn’t answer it, typing out a quick reply that he’s on his way instead. He redresses in yesterday’s clothes and runs a hand through his hair, trying to make himself look somewhat decent on his way out.

Max must notice him moving around because she takes a second to smile at him off-camera, eyes soft as she slow-blinks at him.

“Love you, see you later,” he whispers and blows her a kiss.

Daniel doesn’t need to look to know that she’s leading the race, the Team Redline boys chatting excitedly when he walks past them, but he does anyway, pulls up the stream and watches her build up another winning gap.

[logansargeantsbabymom]

A Love Worth Fighting For

Bodyguard!Lando Norris x Fem!Actress!Reader

CHAPTERS 3, 4 & 5

Genre: Forbidden Bodyguard to Lover

Warnings: Smut (Not yet), This is (MY VERSION of) a Slow Burn story!

Follow my instagram account (THATS STRICTLY FOR THIS BLOG) for updates on when i post and fun stuff like that!

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Chapter 3: Lando

From the moment I was assigned to protect Y/N L/N, I knew this job would be different. She wasn't just any client. She was one of the most famous actresses in the world, a superstar known for her roles in the Avengers movies and her solo Marvel films. But beyond the glitz and glamour, she was also a target. There had been multiple kidnapping attempts, and it was my job to ensure her safety at all times.

When I first met her, I was struck by her beauty and poise. She was everything I expected and more. But as the days turned into weeks, I began to see the real Y/N – the woman behind the fame. She was kind, compassionate, and surprisingly down-to-earth. And despite the walls she had built around herself, I could see glimpses of vulnerability that made me want to protect her even more.

But no matter how strong my feelings grew, I had to remind myself of my duty. My job was to keep her safe, not to get involved. And as long as I was her bodyguard, I had to maintain a professional distance, no matter how difficult it became.

Chapter 4: Lando

Y/N had a close-knit circle of friends, and one of her best friends was Daniel Ricciardo, a driver for Red Bull Racing. When she told me she wanted to attend one of his races, I knew it would be a logistical nightmare. But I also knew how important it was to her, so I did everything in my power to make it happen.

The day of the race was hectic, to say the least. Security was tight, and the crowds were massive. But Y/N was in her element, cheering for Daniel and mingling with other celebrities. I stayed close, my eyes constantly scanning the crowd for any potential threats.

As the race ended and we made our way back to the car, I couldn't help but notice the sparkle in her eyes. She was genuinely happy, and it was a sight that warmed my heart. But as we drove back to the mansion, I couldn't shake the feeling that this happiness was fleeting. The dangers that came with her fame were never far away, and it was my job to ensure she stayed safe.

That evening, as we were leaving things took a turn for the worse. A group of men, clearly intoxicated, approached us with aggressive intentions. They recognized Y/N and started hurling insults, their behavior quickly escalating.

I stepped in front of her, my body tense and ready to defend her at any cost. "Stay behind me," I instructed, my voice firm.

The men continued to advance, their intentions clear. But I wasn't about to let them get any closer. With a few swift moves, I managed to subdue them, ensuring Y/N's safety.

As the police arrived and took the men away, I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. This was exactly why I needed to be by her side at all times. The world was full of dangers, and I couldn't let anything happen to her.

Chapter 5: Y/N

The next few days passed in a blur of interviews, photo ops, and public appearances. Lando was always by my side, his presence a comforting constant. Despite the hectic schedule, my mind kept drifting back to the confrontation at the race track. Lando's bravery, his unwavering dedication to my safety – it all made me see him in a new light.

We were back in my mansion, preparing for a quiet evening. I had invited Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Taylor Swift over for dinner. They were my closest friends, my support system, and I needed their company now more than ever.

As we sat around the dining table, laughing and sharing stories, I noticed Lando standing discreetly in the corner, his eyes never leaving me. It was like he was always on high alert, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice.

Taylor leaned over, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "So, Y/N, how's it going with your dashing bodyguard?"

I blushed, glancing at Lando. "It's...fine. He's very professional."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Professional, huh? Is that code for 'I have a crush on him'?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "No, it's not like that. He's just...different."

Ryan chimed in, a grin on his face. "Different how? Come on, spill the beans."

I sighed, feeling the weight of their curiosity. "He's always there, you know? Always looking out for me. It's...reassuring."

Blake's expression softened. "It sounds like he cares about you."

I glanced at Lando again, my heart skipping a beat. "Maybe. But he's made it clear that he's just doing his job."

Taylor placed a hand on my arm, her voice gentle. "Just be careful, Y/N. It's easy to confuse gratitude with something more."

I nodded, appreciating her concern, but deep down, I knew that my feelings for Lando were growing stronger with each passing day.

After my friends left, I found myself alone with Lando in the dimly lit living room. He was standing by the window, staring out into the night. I walked over, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Lando," I began, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just wanted to thank you for what you did at the race track. You saved me."

He turned to look at me, his eyes softening. "It's my job, Y/N. I would do it again in a heartbeat."

I took a deep breath, my heart racing. "But it's more than that, isn't it? I mean, you could have been hurt."

He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

I stepped closer, my eyes searching his. "Why?"

For a moment, he hesitated, as if weighing his words carefully. "Because I care about you, Y/N. More than I should."

My breath caught in my throat. This was the moment I had been waiting for, the moment when he finally acknowledged what I had been feeling all along.

"Lando, I..." I began, but he held up a hand, stopping me.

"We can't," he said, his voice firm. "It would compromise my contract. And more importantly, it would put you in danger. My job is to protect you, not to be with you."

I felt a pang of disappointment, but I understood. He was right. Our relationship was complicated, and there were too many risks involved.

But as I looked into his eyes, I couldn't help but hope that one day, things might be different.

And with that thought lingering in my mind, I knew that this was just the beginning of a long, complicated journey. A journey that would test our resolve, our feelings, and ultimately, our fate.

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

Feedback and Suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed.

Taglist:

[blamemma]

today i'm just overwhelmingly sad tbh, more than i have been since singapore. bc if stories are to believed, checo is about to leave and liam is next in line. nothing he has done has justified him getting the red bull seat and even despite that, daniel still has no in. and idk what happened there obviously but no matter how DONE daniel was, he really really wanted that seat and this has to be awful for him. i hate it here.

yeah, i'm right with you. i think a lot of people have found peace in the idea that they don't want daniel in that red bull seat anyway because red bull have shown their true colours, however he performed he would have been scrutinised, the cars becoming a midfield car anyway etc etc. and i'm happy for those people, because i do not know peace, that does not lie inside me at all. if ur of that opinion, i don't understand it, but i respect it.

you can laugh at this situation today really and go well, that's it. but fuck me i can't laugh. it makes me want to genuinely cry. it makes me want to scream and fucking shout because daniel never did anything wrong. he waited, and he performed, and he dragged that tractor to places it never should have gone. do i think daniel would have got points in qatar yesterday? no. but that's the point. that car is arse, especially in the straights, the strategy team just roll the dice and hope something sticks, and their shoving upgrades on that car that have done nothing miraculous for it. it was a losing battle in that car, but sometimes, daniel won. liam and yuki have done nothing more and nothing less. but what you would have had in daniel is a reliable pair of hands who would have performed well and wanted very similar things from max, in a year (2025) where the battle is going to be sO tight and that car needs to be perfect to be able to fight. i think the influx of rookies heading into f1 next year has made red bull feel safer. they think that they can put liam in that red bull because oh mercedes will have a rookie and lewis and charles will take points out of each other and mclaren will mclaren. they think they'll be safe. but they won't be.

this will forever be baffling to me. this will forever fucking suck. for as long as daniel stays silent (and i'm not saying we're owed anything blah blah blah, i'm just saying that his silence isn't conducive to any answers emerging) then it's always going to be a mountain of what if's and what could have been's and what went wrong. where did it all change. where did it go wrong.

i simply care too much to be able to forget about that seat. if i got a formula 1 breaking notification tomorrow that announced daniel for that seat i'd shed my first happy tears in months and i'd feel no shame about it. it was his dream. it's where he wanted to end his career. bottas, zhou, magnussen and idk maybe even fucking sergio if he gets his head out his arse, are all going to get respectful and warranted goodbyes next week. my guy had blake and fucking kym illman stalking him out the paddock. that's never going to feel conducive to peace for me. that's never going to feel okay for me. and if blondie does get that seat. that's going to be an even bigger kick in the teeth.

[howlingday]

...ok I said I would do Oscar. And I will. But I might as well get the most controversial change out the way because if Ren was a redo? Then Adam is a WHOLE RESET.

Mainly because I tossed a lot of cannon because quite frankly.. look I hate cannon Adam with a passion and I want nothing to with that incel... So I only really kept the white fang aspect and the pieces I liked. He's still Adam.. kinda.. maybe.. ok not really but like can you BLAME ME?!

Alright me playing victim aside. Here's the Adam of RWBY: fate.

Adam Suzanne Taurus-Khan

Age: 19-21

Sex: male

Aura color: crimson and dark orange

Faunus trait: The horns of a bull before gaining the legs and a tail of one once he is saved by Blake and rebuilds himself

Semblance: “moon breaker”. Adam can absorb any form of energy into any weapon he wields before releasing it as a kinetic wave that deals extreme damage and temporarily causing the sky to go red for in a fifty mile radius to how much force the Kinect wave releases. Adam can use his semblance with any weapon due to the fact this is done by coating his aura around a weapon. He theoretically could do this with his bare hands however the pain mixed in with the amount of aura he'd be wasting healing and when he releases the kinetic wave would not be worth it. 

Weapon: wilt. (At first a simple katana that Adam took very poor care of, however after Blake tuned it up, its sheath now has a trigger which usually fires a blank, sending the hilt of the blade flying at the jaw of the unlucky victim that I was pointed at. Adam can use this as a quick draw method to quickly deploy and strike whoever is the opponent. However if Adam loaded a dust crystal or round not only would wilt fire from its sheath but also absorb the energy released by the firing, allowing Adam to get a quick charge at the start of a fight.)

Background: Adam was surprisingly a normal person, he originally had the opinion that humans and faunus are equal since there was barely any difference between them. This was taught to him by his adoptive mother, Sienna Khan. While the two would receive some judgement even amongst a few faunus for the lack of blood relation, sienna still taught Adam some principles he would try to stick to. As he would grow he would be friend Blake, at first having a small crush on the girl before it changed, to be more of care. However eventually when Adam joined the white fang, they would take a mission, to one of the mines of the sdc.. Adam wound cocky and get caught. Before he remembered they did, the burning iron, the blazing scorn from that metal, THE CACKLING OF THOSE GUARDS- THE SCREAMS ADAM RELEASED AS THEY BRANDED HIM LIKE CATTL-.. Adam.. Adam changed that day, for a while he truly thought mankind was the faunus's equal. That there should be unity.. but then he felt the scorn, the hatred of humanity that branded itself upon his face, blinding him in one eye and forever marking him as a human's property- everything became clear. Humanity was not an equal. It. WAS. FILTH.. so Adam had a change of mentality. If humanity wished to make his people suffer, if they wished to wipe his people off the map, than he would wipe them out FIRST. However fate has another plan, if Blake has the heart to keep a man she called her friend from falling into being a monster, then perhaps Adam could be pulled out from the hate he was spiraling towards… or perhaps fate truly is cruel and turns even the most good of intentions, to monsters.

Oh joy... ADAM. Yeah, this one I would say DEFINITELY needs a reboot because, let's be real here; NOBODY liked Adam's reveal in Volume 3. NOBODY liked Adam's comeback in Volume 5. And NOBODY liked Adam's "defeat" in Volume 6. And by NOBODY, what I mean is NOBODY that I can think of.

By the way, I don't think you explain why it's called RWBY: Fate.

...SUSAN?!

Oh~? By the way, is there a particular bull you intend to make Adam? Because when you say "bull horns" I remember that Adam also had "bull horns" that didn't really look like "bull horns".

Ooh~... "When I strike, the sky itself bleeds..."

No Blush? No. NEVER blush for Adam. But in seriousness, I think applying Dust would be a sick application, especially for keeping the edge in the fight... Pfft...

Sienna adopted Adam, and he believed humans and Faunus could be equals... Until he joined the White Fang and was tortured by the SDC. Honestly, it kinda reminds me of Eren Jeager of Attack on Titan; he believed in living a quiet life until, due to tragedy, he chose to fight back against his opressors (humanity for Adam and fate itself for Eren).

I'm genuinely curious where you go with this idea. Because, let's be honest, Adam as a creepy, stalker ex DOESN'T WORK.