#Koala Protection

[bigvolcano]

Lismore Biodiversity News - Koala News

Water For Wildlife  Apply for a Water for Wildlife drinker now! WIRES, in collaboration with partners Reece, Wildsip, WWF Australia, PaddlePop and the University of Sydney, is offering a national project to support wildlife in drought and fire-affected areas. Eligible landowners can receive one of 800 free arboreal drinkers to provide supplemental water. Apply ASAP, and if selected, commit to…

[kingofanemptyworld]

I see we’re finally hitting the BL portion of this story proper (34 chapters in lmao), and of course it’s by introducing a second love interest (???) that Shane is deeply uncomfortable with

him calling out for meltier though that’s the good shit!! And meltier immediately locking the fuck in, hell yeah!!!!

perhaps the hottest meltier has looked since the start of this story

meltier’s going to murder this man at some point, he’s literally holding back just because the recovery time is going to tank Shane’s mana and stamina and he’ll probably pass out for a week

[allonepiece]

he's such a big brother, I love him

[ihearttseliot]

[demonio-fleurs]

saboala howls moving castle au

[cebwrites]

Unwelcome (Sabo's Tattered Invitation)

a/n: a lil smth smth for @raptures-finest teehee :3 and thanks to @skylerfox26 for the translations!!

oc x canon, oc-centric (not the same OCs) word count: 1.3k

It was a beautiful, quaint little thing.

Rio would have nothing less than perfection for that goofy doe-eyed kid and their daughter. They could be just as hard to please as their hubby about particulars of the smallest details as the wedding planners were loathe to find out. Well. They were getting paid more than fair also courtesy of Katakuri's treasure hoard so that should've been enough to cover any therapy costs needed.

What mattered was that Andy and Koala were happy and having the best day of their life. Rio even pulled Noire and Alto aside to help with the weather of all things. Absolutely nothing was to go wrong on today of all days.

What did darken the reception's doorstep, however, was something that Andy begged and pleaded for - Rio's initial response was an immediate and firm no, he could hear how uneasy Koala was over the phone in the conversation that ensued after, how Ace pleaded to vouch for his brother.

Despite all odds, Andy wore the two of them down. Sabo was allowed entry like an unsightly old toy dragged on the floor by a toddler to a fancy dinner if only to placate them and reduce the parents' headache.

When Dragon's dog walked in beside Fire Fist himself, taking the plus one of what would usually go to Yamato, Deuce on Ace's other arm, Rio downed another glass of wine. Ace at the very least had the decency to look sheepish under the warning look they shot him when he waved.

Keep him on a tight leash.

They'd send the Spade pirates home with a doggy bag and an extra bone for Yam as compensation. Right now Rio would have much preferred the rowdiness Kaido's son brought as opposed to the "guest" Andy personally wanted there.

Strawhat Luffy, of course, was banned altogether. Ace could vouch for one brother but he was fully aware of the chaos that the other brought, and no one here wanted to deal with the Marines' armed militia or some secret villain this island actually housed ruining the function.

Robin was allowed to bring her hubby because Koala wanted her there and Brook of course supplied the music for the night at Andy's request, both men openly sobbing at different points of the evening over "young love" - but three Strawhats were already more than Rio was willing to swing normally.

Andy and Koala had gotten them to sit down for a short forty-five minutes to eat and Rio even played the piano with Brook's accompaniment on the violin, stealing a kiss or two from their captain's table, letting Alba fix his dress shirt while they talked about where the kids would go from here with Violet, watching Katakuri and Kaku both flounder at social interaction under a little teasing.

From scrutinizing the catering's plating and flower arrangements clipboard in hand, to yelling at Ace for being faced down in his hors d'oeuvres. All of this between keeping a close eye on the happy couple, Rio would consider the night more or less a success.

As the festivities died down and Rio slipped away for a smoke, that damn toy finally crept out from the shadows. Sabo cleaned up nice in his freshly laundered three-piece with that ridiculous top hat and cravat he insisted on wearing everywhere but Rio saw right through him.

Buttons for eyes hanging lose on old thread, fabric thinned from being put in the wash one too many times, bits of stuffing trailing his every step. It was so worn and battered you'd think they'd let the family dog have a go at it before coming here.

Someone with no face in the mirror desperately cobbling together a human veneer.

"You've been avoiding me all night."

"Yet you still can't seem to take hint, can you?"

Sabo's expression pinched at the utter lack of emotion in that response, teeth set so tightly against each other he might just reset his jaw. He wasn't even worth looking at.

"Why."

"What?" Rio turned with their eyebrows knitted in the way that Sabo could recognize as annoyance. Okay, he could work with annoyance.

"I mean why are we always like this, why couldn't we just sit down and have a nice, normal—"

"I avoided you because I wanted to have a pleasant evening without any of this "nicety" nonsense," Rio flicked their gaze below to light up another cigarette, "you know I'm the last person that wants you here, so I don't understand why do you keep pushing."

When their eyes met again hers were once again cold and as Rio turned to leave. Losing that inch of expression that he managed to eek out from them, even if through irritation, Sabo felt his stomach hit the floor.

"I don't get why you keep running away from me, why do you hate me so much? Anything I do isn't enough for you, so just tell me how I can fix this! Why—Why did you abandon me?!"

Sabo laid chase. He was losing important ground, what exactly that was supposed to mean he couldn't quite parse right now. In a mild state of panic, he grabbed Rio's arm in an attempt to get them to stay. Instead, he felt the reflexive flinch, saw the look in her eyes, right before Rio yanked it away.

Oh.

"Rio, I-"

"Stop trying." They punctuated their words with a step back up the stairwell, until they stood at full height again.

"If you pulled your head out of your ass for as long as it takes you to lie to yourself non ti illuderesti che non ci sia una buona ragione per cui sei qui. You are here, because of whatever good graces luce dei miei occhi Constantine still has for your presence."

Rio always towered over Sabo even back when he was young and they still had a good relationship but little else made him feel as small as how he did in this moment right now as they walked him back to the railing.

"What you will not do, Sabo, is stand here and pretend that you are the most put upon man in the world because I won't waste my night listening to you blow smoke up everyone's ass.

We did our best to keep you out of Dragon's reach because she knew he'd turn you into a monster and we lost everything. I didn't have my future go up in flames just for you to destroy Andy's happiness on a selfish whim, quindi non puoi sederti qui and whine to me about being left behind."

For the first time in—fuck, forever, he guessed—Sabo saw what genuine anger looked like on Rio's face.

But for all the guilt and regret that he regularly tamped down beginning to swirl and spiral inside of him, the central emotion that maybe even protected his mind from the rest of those heavy feelings was confusion at one particular word.

""We"?"

Rio's gaze took on a frightening chill, like they'd accidentally exposed something precious and unfathomably raw, before it slipped back into that usual blank slate.

Just behind the shape of their shoulders, Sabo barely made out the glow of Haki in someone's eyes before an unbelievable pressure threatened to crush him. Rio simply turned with a passive raised hand, "I'm fine, Kat. Lets go back for dessert."

Sabo couldn't see her face anymore but he could almost hear how exhausted Rio was. And with a few clicks of their heels down the stairs, Sabo was left to catch his breath alone.

Slumped against the balcony while his best friend and the love of his life enjoyed the rest of their wedding.

[ayquebella]

Vintage Australian Koala Bear Pave Rhinestones & Silver-Tone Large Convertible Pendant Brooch - Signed OPC CN

This Australian koala bear pendant brooch is a stunner! The kind, gentle and caring koala is a marsupial that symbolizes peace, tranquility, empathy, and protection. This beautiful and large pendant brooch is covered in sparkly pave rhinestones, clear ones over its body, dark brown ones for its eyes, light brown ones in its ears and on its belly, and green ones on the eucalyptus plant leaves its tiny hands and feet are clutching. The koala also has a small black “bead” for its nose. The pendant brooch is silver-tone in the back and has a gold-tone finish on the eucalyptus branches on the front.

This gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous convertible pendant brooch can easily be worn as a brooch on its own or attached to your favorite necklace or chain. This beautiful pendant brooch will look be an eye-catcher with every outfit!

[httpiastri]

Okay no worries can I be 🐨 anon instead then ?? ☺️ - 🐨

you can, welcome anon!! 🤭 hope you’re doing good, i have managed to hide about thee pairs of scissors, it’s your turn to join me in the paddock and steal some 😁

[themorningnewsinformer]

Over 4,300 Koalas Discovered Near Newcastle by Drone: A Conservation Breakthrough

Introduction In an extraordinary discovery, researchers from the University of Newcastle have uncovered more than 4,300 koalas living in bushland on the urban fringes of Newcastle, New South Wales. This landmark finding was made possible using advanced drone and thermal imaging technology, offering new hope for koala conservation efforts across Australia. The study, which surveyed approximately…

[hedonicghost]

sometimes healing is realizing that your anxiety is more of an "antisocial creature trying so hard to get by" kind of situation than an "antisocial creature that wants to bite and kill and maim" one.

[sixeyesonathiel]

satoru kisses your forehead so often it’s starting to feel like punctuation. a period. a comma. a little smooch to end every sentence.

he is so tall for one reason and one reason only: to kiss your forehead whenever, wherever, without needing your permission. not that you’d ever deny him—how could you, when he leans down with that dumb little smile and murmurs, “hold still” like he’s about to perform surgery instead of smooch your skin?

you’ll be mid-rant about your day, pacing around the kitchen, flinging your hands everywhere, and he’ll just scoop you up and press a kiss to your forehead like it’ll soothe your soul—and honestly, it kind of does. it always does.

he does it when you’re sleepy and tucked under the covers, blinking up at him through half-lidded eyes. he does it when you’re frowning at your laptop and cursing your workload. he does it when he’s got to leave for a mission and you’re doing your best not to cry.

he does it in public too—especially, when you’re in public. you could be mid-argument in a parking lot and he’s still bending down to mwah your forehead like it’s his divine right. he’s kissed you in line at the DMV, in front of an entire wedding party (that wasn’t yours), even while you were holding a whole rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. no shame. no hesitation. he’s got a forehead-kiss quota and he’s not letting society stop him from meeting it.

“you’re not allowed to leave the house until i kiss you,” he says one morning, arms wrapped around your waist like a koala. “it’s for protection. a forehead blessing.”

and when you do roll your eyes and try to tease him—“what if i’m taller than you one day?”—he just smirks, tilts your chin up, and kisses you anyway.

“then i’ll climb.”

[f1lovr]

WE GOT A HUGGER! | LN4

note: i am such a softie for this gif bro, thank you for your service to whoever made it.

pairing: lando norris x reader

summary: in which your boyfriend loves hugs

warnings: none, tooth rotting fluff

if there was one thing that you didn't expect from lando when you started dating, it was his love for hugs.

lando's love for hugs wasn't something that was necessarily noticeable. no definitely not noticeable unless you were his girlfriend, who noticed he was a hugger to an abnormal amount.

not that you were complaining though.

you thought oscar was the supposed koala since he was australian but it was lando who was actually the clinger.

you didn't even know when it started, not until one day you had hugged him hello and he had hugged you a little tighter than normal. his hands splayed across your back, head resting on your shoulder, holding you a little longer than normal.

"are you trying to suffocate me norris?" you asked playfully. he only smirked though, moving to tuck his face into your neck like it was the most natural thing in the world for him, like he wasn't just holding you and not letting go.

and that's when you started noticing it. your boyfriend loved hugs a lot more than he had been letting on.

he had stopped hiding it eventually, even going as far to open his arms for you when he saw you, a silent invitation, and once you were in his embrace it was like he could breathe again.

then, you figured out that with each instance, for him there was always a reason to hug you, always a reason to have his arms around you. and from that you slowly started discovering the different types of lando norris hugs.

there was his 'i missed you' hugs.

these typically came in the late hours of the night, after lando gets in from his flight from long race weekends. you typically would have tried to stay up for him only for sleep to take you every single time.

and every single time lando would find you in bed, curled up and waiting for him. and every single time he dropped his bags on the floor of the bedroom you'd stir a bit, just enough that you could feel the way he would immediately climb into bed, his arms finding their way around you, pulling you against him so that you were flush with the rest of his body.

"lan, you're freezing," you'd giggle quietly.

"the plane was cold," he'd murmur into your shoulder, pressing soft kisses to it, followed by a soft and quiet, "missed you."

these types of hugs were all consuming, like in order to breathe properly every part of you needed to be close to him.

then there was the 'you're here and that's enough' hugs.

these were his lazy day hugs. his 'i'm content just where i am' hug.

typically it would look like you curled up on the couch, a book in your hand with a blanket tossed over your legs. lando would wander out from somewhere, looking completely and utterly content.

he wouldn't say a word, just move to sit down beside you, pulling you into his side. he'd exhale, almost as if you just being there filled an emptiness that had been sitting all day.

"everything okay? what's this for?" you'd ask looking up at him.

he would always shrug, his lips quirking into a lazy smile, "no reason, just like being with you," he'd say.

and so you'd sit, your head tucked into the space just under his chin, his arms tightening around you, just the two of you together.

there was also his 'i'm tired' hugs.

these hugs didn't even necessarily consist of just when he was physically tired. these hugs typically happened when the world felt heavier than normal on his shoulders.

he wouldn't ask for them. but the way he would walk, with his shoulders slumped and tired eyes, his hood pulled over his head like it could protect him from something, you would always automatically know.

you never needed to ask. instead you would just stand up, walking over to where he was and opening your arms for him.

he would step right into them, silent. his arms would find their way winding around your waist, like you were the only thing keeping him grounded to earth. his head would bury itself in your chest.

no words. no explanations. only the beating of your heart against his.

your hand would rub his back as you asked softly, "bad day?"

he wouldn't say anything in return, only nodding his head in return, but that was enough for him, enough for you.

you didn't need to fix him, he didn't want you to, you didn't want to. you only needed to hold him until whatever it was hurt a little less.

your personal favorite would always be his 'everything will be okay' hugs though.

these were never for a good reason. they were always when your world was crashing. your hard days where work would go for too long, or something would happen that stressed you out more than normal, everything eating away at you like you were some buffet.

you would put on a smile but lando would always see right through it.

you were always one step in the door when he was there, his hand catching the bag that you would drop onto the floor before it was able to make too loud of a noise or accidentally knock something over, his arms immediately wrapping around you without another word.

and you would break. your face would smush into his chest, your breathing unstable as you sobbed. he never asked. he never needed to.

his hands would run over your back, soothing you as you cried. he would always speak to you in a soft voice, one that was barely there, one that grounded you.

"i've got you. just breathe. you're okay. i'm here."

while the reasons were never good, they were always your favorite, because lando would always be home for you.

your boyfriend was a clinger, there was no questioning it. whether it be the random ones where you would be cooking breakfast in the kitchen and he'd give you a back hug out of nowhere, or where he'd physically demand for one from you.

you were stood doing laundry, just sorting the socks, not doing anything necessarily glamorous, lando leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

he wasn't saying anything, but he had that look on his face. his eyes soft, mouth just barely smiling.

"what?" you asked, your head tilting as you looking at him.

his arms opened, "come here."

you stopped what you were doing, dropping the socks you were sorting and made your way straight into his chest, his arms folding you into him, the only place you were meant to be. your ear pressed against his chest listening to his heartbeat as his fingers drew little, lazy shapes across your back.

"why do you like hugs so much," you asked tilting your head up so your chin was resting on his chest as you looked him.

he only shrugged, "i don't know, everything just feels like it's okay when i'm holding you."

"you're ridiculous," you'd giggle, your voice muffling as you bury your face into his chest again.

"and yet you still come running," he would say with a grin.

and that was lando.

he didn't just like hugs, he needed them. not as some sort of weakness, just reminding him of the different people and the places that grounded him onto earth.

nothing could compare to your arms around him, you in his arms. not the podiums or the wins, or the sensation of driving.

all because you were the safest place for him.

and to you? being loved by him like that, his arms always finding their way around you, it was everything you could ask for and what you never knew you needed.

[heartsiebyul]

Twisted Wonderland characters when their lover refuses to let them get up for school, clinging to them during a lazy morning in bed.

(Featuring: Riddle, Leona, Jack, Floyd, Malleus, Silver, and Sebek)

Requested by: @ghost3029

Riddle Rosehearts

You roll over and sling an arm across his chest the moment his alarm rings.

“Mmm... five more minutes...” you mumble, nuzzling into his neck.

“(m/n), we have to get up. You know we can’t be late—!”

But you're already wrapping your legs around him too.

He tries to sound stern, but his red face betrays him.

"You’re so irresponsible...” he mutters, but still doesn’t move.

He eventually sighs and adjusts the blanket over you both, whispering, “Just five minutes. No more.”

(You both miss the first class.)

Leona Kingscholar

You’re basically both professional nappers.

When you whine and say, “Don’t get up… just skip,” Leona snorts.

“Heh… who said I was getting up?”

He just throws his arm over you and pulls you flush against his chest.

“You’re warm. Comfy. And your whining is kinda cute. Go back to sleep.”

You don't need to be told twice. You fall asleep on his chest while he dozes with your hair under his nose.

Ruggie shows up 30 minutes later to drag him out, and gets a pillow to the face.

Jack Howl

Jack wakes up early. You do not.

When he starts shifting out of bed, you groan and pull at his arm.

“Stay… it’s warm… I need you here.”

His ears twitch. “(m/n)… that’s not fair.”

But he doesn’t resist when you rest your head on his chest and wrap your arms around his waist.

His tail starts wagging despite himself.

“Ten more minutes,” he says.

(You both fall asleep again and wake up 40 minutes later in a panic.)

Floyd Leech

You’re practically draped over him when he tries to sit up.

“Mmmh, don’t go…” you murmur.

Floyd grins, sharp teeth showing. “Eeeh~? Shrimpy wants to cuddle more?”

He flops right back onto you, limbs entangling with yours.

“Too bad. I was gonna go squeeze some boring students today, but I guess I’ll squeeze you instead~”

He nuzzles into your neck and traps you completely under his weight.

You don’t move for hours. Azul gives up trying to call him by noon.

Malleus Draconia

You cling to him like a koala, sleepily whispering, “Don’t leave me, it’s cozy…”

Malleus chuckles, low and warm. “If that is your wish my dear, I shall remain.”

He tucks a hand under your chin, brushing his lips over your forehead.

“Classes can wait. Time spent with you is far more valuable.”

He strokes your hair as you drift back to sleep, surrounded by his calm, protective aura.

Lilia thinks it’s adorable and takes a candid photo to tease you both later.

Silver

He’s used to dozing off accidentally, but he did try to get up early today.

You tug him back down with a pout. “Too early… just stay…”

His sleepy eyes blink open, and he hums, “(m/n)… you’re just like a warm spell…”

He lets you pull him back under the covers and smiles softly as he closes his eyes.

“We’ll rest… just a little longer.”

Sebek finds him still cuddling you hours later and yells for five minutes straight.

Sebek Zigvolt

He tries so hard to wake up and do his duties.

“Human! Release me this instant—! I must attend to Lord Malleus!”

But you just grumble, “Nope. You’re staying. I’m cold.”

His face goes crimson. “Th-That’s not my problem!”

You nuzzle into his shoulder and sigh his name sleepily.

He freezes. His heart does acrobatics.

“V-Very well… five minutes,” he mutters, as stiff as a board.

You end up asleep on top of him. He doesn’t move for an hour.

my first request~! I hope I did a good job! If you’d like to see the other characters too, feel free to let me know :3

[petalbcrnes]

✴ ‎ ❝ 𝓙𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 headcanons ❞

── SYNOPSIS: what is 𝓙𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐃 like when he’s jealous?

── 💬 a/n: finally wrote smút again,, anywho i’ve had this hcs idea stored in the back of my head for some time and here we are ♡⁠˖⁠꒰⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠⑅⁠꒱

⋮ ⌗ DIRECTORY .ᐟ.ᐟ b. wayne version .ᐟ.ᐟ

೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 ⠀. ᰋ ..

𝓢𝐅𝐖 ₊˚⊹

Jason is a man who has clawed to keep anything resembling tenderness in his life. He tries to keep anything soft and comforting to him close and away from prying eyes.

One of those things is you—you with your saccharine sweet words and smile, one you direct at him. Delicate hands you use to softly touch him and cup his cheeks as if he is deserving of it. You walk with him with hands intertwined and leaning into him, and he can't help getting addicted to that sweetness.

God forbid someone threatens the sanctuary he has found with you. It could be someone looking at you for a longer time than the norm. Or someone grazing you with their touch. Or them trying to make you laugh with jokes that seem a little too forced.

It's not as if Jason will use force right then and there. There's no overflowing feeling of anger there at first.

The first thing he feels is actually fear. Insecurities fire awake, and then that turns into a churning feeling of jealousy.

He'll make his way over to you, wherever you are. He'll wrap an arm protectively around you. His hand slowly drifts from your shoulders to your lower back, and you can feel him sink into your skin through the fabric.

Through a tense smile, he'll look at you, already feeling your presence soften him. "You alright, babe?" He'll put emphasis on the pet name and relish in the way the person's face morphs into a frown.

Though he quickly forgets them and sinks into your hold like a koala. You could tease him for it if you want to see him even more frustrated and flustered.

You could push him, and the patience he has might run out.

𝓝 𝐒𝐅𝐖 ₊˚⊹

When you two get home, Jason's not even waiting for you to lay down your belongings. He already has his hands pawing at your clothed skin, desperate and wanting more.

He'll break the contact once every few seconds to beg you to say you're his: "All of you, you're mine, right?" It starts off with a tone that borders on a whine, and then it slowly changes.

He would kiss you breathless. It's sloppy, teeth clashing into each other. It's desperate more than anything else. He wants and more so needs to prove that the two of you only belong to each other.

After getting your consent to do so, he has you thrown over his shoulder, already heading for the bedroom.

He has you mewling while his head rests between your legs like it's heaven. He eats like a man starved, chin drenched in your slick, even moaning into your cunt. He'll flick your puffy clit every second to feel you twitch in his hold.

He has his hands gripping your thighs. He'll encourage you to try and close them, feeling the soft skin around his head just eggs him on to devour you even more.

After he has you dizzy with pleasure just from his tongue, he climbs on top of you, and you realize he's not done with you yet.

He'll have you repeating his name over and over, asking him to finally bring you to that edge; the pleas escape your tongue so easily.

He could never say no to you.

Plus, the way you beckon him by wrapping your legs around his hips and lower back, bringing him closer to your weeping cunt, has him already seeing stars.

And when he finally feels your velvet warm walls wrap around his cock—Jason swears he can see galaxies under his eyelids.

Grunts, moans, and whines. He's more vocal than normally. The room sounds and smells like sex.

He thrusts into you like he's been pulled away from your cunt for months.

After the mind numbing climax, Jason will melt into you. He'll lay on top of you like a blanket. He'll hide his blushing face in the crook of your neck, only now realizing how desperate he'd been.

Though you couldn't really complain, and neither could he.

♥︎ . .. ♥︎ .. ♥︎

📞 © petalbcrnes | all rights reserved. even when credited, these works are not allowed to be reposted, translated, or modified. viewer discretion is advised.

[scudevils]

land down under — OP81

pairing: oscar piastri x irwin!reader

warnings: swearing, possibly the most fluff i’ve ever wrote, oscar and lando trying not to embarrass themselves in front of the irwins, i tried to make it as accurate to australia zoo as possible (even watched a walkthrough 😭😭, but alas i’ve never been so nothing is 100%), mutual pining altho no too much because i can’t do that to myself, not proofread!!

synopsis: during a mclaren media appearance, oscar can’t help but find himself interested in the youngest of australia’s royal family [6.4k]

a/n: this came to me after seeing the robert irwin bonds ad, i’m also rusty af i haven’t written since december so bare with me pls. although fun fact i have actually had a corn snake around my neck before so i’m twinning with oscar and lando!

MASTERLIST

an irwin.

that's what you were, the name that you carried, the real australian royal family some would call you, the lasting impact of your dad's legacy was something you took pride in, how he and your mom raised you, robert, and bindi to continue his work after he had passed, the importance of protecting the natural world and the role that we all had to play in the conservation of wildlife.

it was ingrained in you since you were a child, continuing what your grandparents had started with the australia zoo, ensuring the effort to raise awareness and preserve wildlife and their habitat, would not end with them. it would endure generations, their work would be worth it.

whilst robert followed in your father's footsteps, crocs and snakes being his speciality, you preferred the calmer residents at the zoo. since it's opening on your 8th birthday, the african safari exhibit was where you spent most of your time, the unofficial name in honour of you, if you had to choose it was easily your favourite place in the zoo, something so enchanting about it that had you spellbound.

it had been built to recreate the serengeti ecosystem, exhibiting how these species lived in harmony with each other, giraffes, one of your favourites since you were young, zebras and white rhinos, existing how they would in the wild together. further up the exhibit were the cheetahs and across from them the tigers, your favourite of the big cats.

the elephants were your favourite to sit with, captivating to watch, their intelligence that only few were blessed to see up close with their own eyes, how they played with the zookeepers, truly gentle giants.

it was your idea of wonderland.

which was why when you were informed the zoo would be hosting the mclaren f1 team as a media appearance before the upcoming race weekend, there was no doubt in anyone's mind you'd give that portion of the tour, including the koala's and kangaroos experience as those were your areas of expertise.

bindi and robert were more into the sport than yourself, both of them occasionally staying up for races that weren't as unreasonably late, and of course, thrived when it came to the races in your own timezone, but you'd have to have been loving under a rock to not know that the team had an australian driver, it was impossible to escape him during a race week, his face plastered across adverts, despite the race not even taking part in the city.

you hadn't expected how many would show up, obviously you knew it was going to be busy, social media a buzz at the fact two formula 1 drivers were going to be visiting, although the number was easily in the thousands, only to be cordoned off from them anyway by the mclaren crew. that was slightly annoying to you, even if they all weren't there to see the zoo, at least they were buying tickets and would hopefully give them a chance to take a look at the work you were doing.

the camera's were on before you realised, filming the two mclaren drivers walking through the zoo entrance as if they were anybody else, your eyes first spotting the one on the right, whose face you'd seen all over the country the past week, and you couldn't help but think 'cuter in person', his calm demeanour making him appear more approachable than his teammate. they introduced themselves to your mother, bindi and robert, finally landing on you, oscar gave you a warm smile and lando, you'd learned his name was, sporting what you could already tell was going to be his signature cheeky grin.

"okay guys," robert spoke a mix to the two drivers and the camera, "we're so glad to have you here, any place you'd like to go first?" he asked them, a part of him having a feeling he already knew what they were going to say.

whilst the attention wasn't on you, you tried not to stare, really, but you kept catching oscar in your peripheral that it was hard not to, the papaya-coloured top was just so eye-catching, was what you told bindi when she caught you.

"don't know about you osc, but i'm just here for the crocs" lando answered with a short laugh and a smile, not that you were staring (you were totally staring), but you'd caught his teammate rolling his eyes beside him, lando nevertheless looking over roberts shoulder at the map of the zoo, trying to find where the crocodiles were on it.

from the walk to the first exhibit, you quickly learned lando was a people person, and it wasn't just for the cameras, his energy was almost infectious and you were laughing along to his terrible jokes as you walked beside him and oscar, who was definitely more eager to take in what your brother was telling him about the enclosures you were walking past at the moment in time, something about irwin's turtles and the komodo dragons, you'd heard it all before, and really, you should've urged lando to listen.

the sight of the first crocodile seemed to finally be the one thing to shut lando up, as he got out his phone to take pictures, oscar still stood beside you fighting every urge in him to copy his teammate, he had to keep it cool in front of the irwins, nicole had urged him in her text earlier in the morning, sunglasses resting on his head. "he's gorgeous, isn't he."

oscar looked down at you, a look as if you were crazy crossing his features before turning back to the enclosure in front. "you and i have very different definitions of gorgeous."

you smiled at his joke, there was truth to his words, growing up around all the wildlife made you appreciate the beauty they had, even the ones with big sharp teeth. "he jokes! thought your teammate was the only funny one."

he let out an amused scoff, taking a closer look at weipa the crocodile in front of him, tuning back into what your brother was saying to the group about him, how your father had saved him from a croc farm before transporting him here for conservation.

you took the time to appreciate the way the team-coloured shirt complimented his tan, the australian sun can do real damage to some people, but not to him, noticing the moles on his neck and face as he continued listening to robert rambling on. or one of the first times in your life you were glad he could talk for days. his eyes were soft, kind-looking, the type that you could spend hours staring into and never getting bored, the way they crinkle when he laughs was endearing, almost too endearing that you wanted to look away but couldn't. maybe it was creepy how you noticed how his eyebrows knitted together when he focused on what he was being told, occasionally looking back down at weipa to make sure he wasn't going anywhere then back to robert. you were staring. hard.

bindi bumping into your shoulder brought you back to consciousness, finding lando and robert looking back at you for an answer. "sorry what did you say." you could feel the warmth creeping up your neck, your heartbeat thumping in your ear, already thinking how you were going to blame it on the aussie sun when bindi teased you for it later. "right yeah, he's only about 10ft when the males are usually around 13-16ft, a short king." that brought a couple laughs from lando and oscar, and you were thankful to move on to the next enclosure.

the walk was minimal, only a minute or two up the trail and you were already at the next one. "this happy couple is graham and bindi, two more saltwater crocs," robert pointed the two of them out, graham half in the water whilst bindi was up on the banks. "these two were a bit mischievous together, and were brought in as part of management program in the 80s together."

another zookeeper gave you the bucket that you haded to lando, pieces of various bits of meat in it, encouraging him to throw in two bits for them, seeing the way his eyes lit up at the snap of their jaws. "her names' bindi? like your sister?" oscar asked, a light tone to his words, he was so easygoing it made you scared at how someone could be so relaxed in this type of situation unless you'd grown up with it like you all had.

"can't you see the resemblance." that earned a laugh from him, it was so infectious and warm, that you wanted to make him do it more, his eyes crinkling, you couldn't help but join him, not catching the glare bindi was sending you from beside lando, who was too scared to laugh instead it be directed at him.

lando handed the bucket over to oscar who looked back at you, nodding in his direction and he proceeded with caution towards where robert had instructed him, a safe distance away in case anything was to go wrong. "this is the original bindi actually, she's definitely got a personality on her." robert commented as her jaws snapped around the piece that oscar had thrown in. "and this big boy, is the only one who managed to get a piece of one of us, poor wes got bit in the backside."

you couldn't help but wince at his words, the reminder of the danger of your jobs, anything could happen in a split second, no matter how long they were rehabilitated for, they were still wild animals and nothing could break their spirit. "on that happy note, acco?"

robert nodded, taking the bucket from oscar and handing it back over to one of the zookeepers in the back, before leading the way to the last of the crocodiles they were going to see. you felt oscar walking beside you, the warmth radiating off him in the already 25° heat. "do you ever get scared?"

his question caught you off guard, no one had really asked you that before, and if they had it came from the kids during question time than someone like him. "do you?" you redirected the question, and he took a second before answering, before nodding his head, adding a 'sometimes'. "i've been around these animals my entire life, i've been scratched more times than i can count, bitten by a few cubs before, but at the end of the day they're still animals. if i get hurt, it's because i made the mistake, they're just reacting off their instincts." you took a breath, thinking back to the time when you were 11 and you were handling one of the cheetah cubs, young and inexperienced and obviously not reading its body language enough and it took a nip at you, it was sore of course, but it was a learning experience you needed if you wanted to continue working with them. "so yes i get scared, but not of them, of making a mistake that could get myself and them hurt."

"i get that fear too." he admitted, his stride slowing down slightly to match your own when you looked up at him, the brim of your hat obstructing your vision of his face. "i can make the smallest mistake out on track, and it can have severe consequences for not only me, but other drivers."

he wasn't entirely sure the reason he was confiding in you like this, a strange feeling of trust with you despite only meeting, and you felt the same, like you could spill all your secrets and not feel an ounce of regret, but it had to wait as robert interrupted you. "this massive guy is acco, just around 16 and half feet long," looking up at oscar, you were about to say something when you saw how his attention was completely on what your brother was saying, like he was actually trying to learn more about the wildlife and the efforts you were doing there, and that brought a smile to your face.

visiting acco always made you a little emotional, his enclosure being where your father had proposed to your mom, it was always like a little bit of him was there when you went.

"he was a bit of a problem child who had a bad habit of trying to attack people. when my dad tried to catch him actually, he sunk the boat that he was in, but he managed to get him and transport him here where he's been ever since." the two drivers were silent as they watched the crocodile moving around the enclosure, the speed of him despite being such a large animal catching them off guard.

and just as quickly as that part of the tour had started, it was already ending, bindi leading the way towards the reptile house, named after your brother, only a couple minutes away from acco's enclosure. "i hope you're good with snakes." bindi jested, gauging from their reactions that they were most definitely not.

"we're not gonna get anything trying to kill us right?" lando questioned, hoping her response to be the one that he wished for. he wish didn't seem to come true however when bindi just laughed off his question, his eyes wide as he looked back at you and oscar, then to robert behind yous. the camera's picked up on his reaction, and you knew that he knew they did.

"it's australia, everything's trying to kill you."

the lighting inside the reptile house was dark, gloomy, save for the bright blue, sterile lights that lit up each of the vivariums, a placard beneath detailing the species they held inside. "that's a big snake." lando blurted out, his eyes wide as he saw the olive coloured corn snake coiled underneath the heat lamp, the background made out to be the australian outback.

"she's actually one of our shorter snakes," bindi guided them over to the glass, unlocking it with one of the many keys she had attached to her belt, before sliding the glass open. "this is sally, she's super chill, she's even met chris hemsworth."

"she's more famous here than you mate." lando bantered, placing a comforting arm around oscar's shoulders.

"you wanna hold her?" bindi had already started lifting her out before they could reply, careful to support her head body with one hand and her head with the other, a loose grip allowing sally to move around freely in her hands without the chance of falling. "she's very friendly," she commented, admiring the way the snake was coiling around her arm, getting comfortable in its new surroundings.

"promise she won't kill me?"

"she won't kill you, lando," you reassured him, carefully taking sally from your sister's hands and into yours, before you slowly started to drape her around lando's shoulders, telling him not to move so much whilst she got comfortable, you could see the fear in his face disappear as she settled, replaced with a grin as he got oscar to take about 100 pictures of him with her around his shoulders, as if he was in his very own jungle photoshoot.

oscar stayed a couple of feet back, he got out of australia early enough he hadn't developed the nonchalant attitude towards the snakes and spiders that resided in his homeland. "you're insane." he shrugged with a laugh.

you looked back at him, the apprehension clear as day on his face, but behind that you could see he was curious, watching the way his eyes followed the snake as it moved around lando's shoulders. "want to try?" you asked, trying to read him an answer.

for the first time since bindi had brought her out, oscar took his eyes off of the snake, looking at you, an odd feeling of trust in them as he hesitated, finally letting out a breath and nodding his head, taking a step closer to you before stopping. "can you hold her with me? please?"

you remembered the way he'd confessed his fears to you earlier, how vulnerable he'd been with what was a complete stranger before today, and nodded your head, already lifting sally off of lando's shoulder, and carefully settling her across your own and oscar's shoulders, feeling the way his stiffened, as if you could feel his heartbeat racing, you placed a hand on the small off his back, bringing him back to reality as he relaxed, the sensation of the snake around his shoulder being forgotten and replaced by the burn of your hand on his back.

"see, told you it wasn't so bad." you chirped, turning slightly to face him, slow enough you didn't disturb sally, to find oscar looking down at you, breathing steady unlike yours, realising just now how close you were to him, and neither of you were doing anything to change that.

"you're far too persuasive." oscar laughed, shoulders more at ease now, comfortable with the predicament that you were in, even more so when he felt the pressure of sally on his shoulder easing as bindi attentively put her back into her habitat.

"and you're braver than i thought." you teased him, bashfully admiring the way his face lights up when he laughs, the sound captivating, you found yourself absentmindedly smiling at it, both of you falling in the back of the group as bindi took everyone to the next terrarium, the poison dart frogs standing out from the rest of the animals there.

"don't let their good looks fool you, these guys are one of the most poisonous animals around, like most guys." bindi jested, despite being in one of the happiest relationships you'd ever seen, allowing lando and oscar to get a good look at the colourful creatures. "this one is wanda," she pointed out the one closest to the front of the glass, black and red in colour, "and that one is buzz." motioning towards the black and yellow one hiding behind some of the leaves.

they watch the frogs with growing intrigue, "it's crazy how something so small can be so deadly." lando remarks, another frog coming out of hiding, a completely different colour scheme than the other two before it.

"everything plays a part in the ecosystem, that's the beauty of it." you hear robert say, and every day you swear he sounds more and more like your dad.

bindi showed them around a few of the other residents of the reptile house, the different species of lizards and the rest of the snakes weren't ones they could touch, holding too much of a risk, so the tour went rather quickly, oscar and you talking amongst yourselves for the majority of it, a complete 180 as now lando was doing most of the listening. "you're telling me, you had a snake as a pet growing up?" oscar looked at you, raising an eyebrow as if you had any reason to lie to him.

"that is what i'm telling you, my little coco." you reminisced, she was a gift on your 9th birthday, named for her rich chocolate brown colour (you weren't very creative as a child). "she was a little princess."

"a scaly, cold-blooded, princess," he muttered with a laugh, a grin forming on his pink lips. he was enjoying talking to you, getting to know you as well as he could the more as the tour went on.

"she was a cutie."

"freak." he jested, tone light and almost breathless as he shook his head again, you could instantly tell there was no malice intended.

you bumped against his shoulder, a shy smile making its way onto your face, and you almost caught yourself blushing at the proximity, the normality of it all, as if you'd known him longer than a few hours at most.

finally, bindi was finished showing around the reptile house, passing the baton on to you to finish the race. "are you guys ready to see the best part of the zoo?" you asked, raising an eyebrow as lando eagerly answered 'yes', like he was on a school field trip, and your eyes drifted to oscar, rolling his eyes as he nodded with an amused smile.

you were immediately hit by a wall of heat as you left the air-conditioned building, taking a couple of seconds to adjust back to daylight from the dark, mood lighting inside, the air had a faint scent of eucalyptus from how close you were to the koala enclosures, a short walk through the birdhouse and you were there.

the first enclosure you came across was the kangaroo walkthroughs, pointing out the animals lazing under the sun. "he looks like he could knock me out." lando eyed up a particularly buff-looking grey kangaroo who was hanging out in the back of the pack.

"he definitely could." you retorted, grinning at the brits insulted expression as you handed him and oscar the cone full of 'roo feed, stifling a laugh at the way they were instantly flocked around as they stepped inside the pen.

following in after them, you bent down to feed one of the kangaroos that had come over to you, recognising her from her distinct markings. "this little girl is teal, she's a sweetheart who loves her cuddles." as if she was listening to you, she nuzzled against your hand, scratching between her ears as he nibbled at the pellets in your hand.

oscar smiled, crouching down to your level as another kangaroo came hopping over to you, this time it was melman, and you knew he wouldn't be leaving without oscar giving him some scratches. he was apprehensive at first, letting the animal sniff at his open palm before gathering some pellets for him to eat, following your instructions as you told him to scratch behind his ears. "i understand wanting to do this every day."

"it's definitely a perk." giggling, you looked up to find lando having what was practically a stand-off with one of the joey's from across the enclosure. "he's not going to punch you," lando nodded at your words, although still, he kept his distance, listening to you as you told him to kneel down slowly, holding out his hands to the little joey before taking a handful of the food.

"this might be the best thing ever." lando's exterior damn near melted as the joey grabbed a couple of pellets with his paws, looking back at you with a grin.

"better than winning a race?"

"it's up there." he laughed, reaching out experimentally to give it a scratch.

the mclaren media team were having a field day with the content you were providing them, of lando and oscar with the snakes around the neck, although the latter looked a lot more uncomfortable, and now lando feeding and cuddling a baby kangaroo, you knew his fans were bound to go crazy over the pictures.

unapologetically, your eyes drifted again, finding yourself subconsciously smiling at the gentle kindness of oscar in front of you, his touch soft against melman, as if he would break if he was any rougher, and when a joey approaches him, he's offering her food with so much patience that it makes a saint jealous, his smile soft and effortless you're not even sure he knows he's doing it. you can't look away, his calm presence, the way he respects the space between them, it's pulling you in more than you'd wish to admit, disarming any type of defence you put up.

you blink, remembering where you are, that you're surrounded by a camera crew, and your brother and sister, and clear your throat like that'll shake it off. "alright, koala time," you say, a little too casually, handing the now empty cone back to one of the zookeepers, motioning ahead as you start walking.

oscar falls in stride beside you, still grinning, and you swear you can feel that glance he throws your way like a spark against your ribs, he's joking with lando about something, and when you look up you see how the light catches his eyes, as if he was carrying a little bit of the sun with him.

the closer you get to the koalas, the stronger the smell of the eucalyptus, and you swear you need it to clear your senses. trees branches stretch overhead, looming over and shading the area. as you approach the entrance of the enclosure, you could already see a keeper holding one of the fluffy animals, awaiting the arrival of the two drivers.

"this is tilly, she's our go-to girl for this experience, super chill and great with people," you explain, introducing her to them as they look back at the koala with wonder, lando quick to volunteer to be first to hold her.

carefully, you show lando how to stand to hold a koala; his hands clasped together forming a sort of bowl for her to sit in, telling him to keep as still as possible and to try not to make as much noise as possible.

"if i knew this is what i'd take to keep him quiet i would've brought him ages ago." you stifle a laugh at oscar's words, seeing the glare that lando was sending him, about to say something back before remembering he was to try and stay quiet.

you scoop tilly from her perch in the other keeper's arms, cradling her with practised ease, you'd been around koalas your entire life it was almost second nature at this point, and gently rest her in the bowl that lando had created with his hands. his eyes go wide, looking between you and the animal in front of him and a grin spreads across his, her soft fur warm against his shirt.

"feel how soft she is?" you ask him, taking his hand in yours and guiding it over her back, letting her settle into his arms, and he nods. "she's got super thick fur to keep her warm and dry, even when it's raining!"

tilly cuddles up against lando's chest, allowing him to gently brush one of his hands against her back, smiling from ear to ear as he gets his picture taken, not wanting to let her go. "what's the fine if i steal her?"

"lifetime ban from australia."

"i can still win the championship missing one race."

somehow, after he’d put up quite the fight, you managed to get tilly out of lando's grasp, showing oscar how to hold her, just as you had shown his teammate, and before he knew it she was being placed into his arms, soft against his exposed skin, already making herself comfortable as she moved in his arms, cuddling up against his chest.

oscar was a little unsure at first, hesitating slightly, but once she's settled in his arms, a look of awe washed over his face, glancing down at the animal below. he barely breathes, eyes wide, the corners of his mouth lifting in a slow, amazed smile. "she's... so chill," he whispers, as if afraid to break the moment. his grip is careful, respectful—he can feel the tiny claws and the steady, slow rhythm of her breathing.

"they're super chill animals." you smile, admiring the sight in front of you, he was such a natural even if he didn't know or believe it. "if you were going to be any animal, it'd definitely be a koala."

"a koala?" he echos your words, with a bemused smile glancing down at the one in his arms as if he was comparing.

"yeah, you know." you shrug as if that was enough of an explanation. "you both just have this calmness to you, but can get shit done when you need it."

his laugh reverberates around your head, hearty, warm, and real. "i'll take it, could've been an emu."

"nah, too cute to be an emu." the words are spilling out before you can stop yourself, and when you realise what you've said its too late to take it back, your eyes slowly find his, cheeks feeling hot and you can hear the rush of blood on in your ears. "i didn't just say that."

an expression you haven't seen before crosses his features, he's smug, a type of smile you want to wipe off his face forming on his lips. "yes you did."

"shut up." you quickly suggest moving on to the final part of the tour, carefully taking tilly out of oscar's hands trying to make the least amount of eye contact possible, and when you're successful, you're already leading the way back to the where you were getting the shuttle to the next part of the tour, the mclaren crew letting you know you had to wrap it up soon as they were running out of time.

the wait for the next bus isn't long, although it feels like an eternity, lando happily talking away in your ear and you politely nod, throwing in a couple of basic responses here and there and a laugh when appropriate, but you have other things on your mind. so now. as you board the shuttle bus, the atmosphere is thick with unspoken tension, what makes it worse is it's just you three and the mclaren media crew, robert and bindi resuming their duty at the zoo.

with the cameras and at least eight members of crew, it's slightly crowded, and when it comes to finding a place to stand beggars can't be choosers, you found yourself squeezed up against oscar and one of the mclaren photographers. he's holding onto one of the poles in front of him, arm stiff and silently begging lando to stop making jokes about the driver's questionable driving skills.

you glance up at him, your hand around the pole just beneath his. the shuttle bus hummed as as it wound its way through the lush paths of the zoo, sunlight dappled across the windows, reflecting back on his features, the fresh sunburn across his cheeks highlighted.

it was hard to tune lando out completely, you'd be a liar if you said he didn't have some funny jokes, but you wished he's stay silent for a few seconds, take a lesson from his much quieter teammate, who was either doing a great job of ignoring you, or was deep in existential thought.

the driver called your stop and you all huddled off, the warm air brushing against your face as the distant call of exotic birds echoed through the trees. lando and oscar are close behind, both of them looking around with the kind of wide-eyed curiosity that everyone has on their first visit to the exhibit.

"alright, welcome to the best part of the zoo." you say, grinning. "welcome to our african savanna, we imitated the ecosystem that exists here," you lead the way down the winding path, lined with acacia-like trees and tall grass, oscar finding his way by your side meanwhile lando is taking more pictures than a mom during a graduation.

the large, serengeti-inspired enclosure stretches out before you, a herd of 4 striped bodies grazing lazily under the sun, a duo of giraffes just behind them, eating leaves from a tree. lando leans on the railing, squinting, taking out his phone and getting more pictures. "mate, they look like horses in prison uniforms."

"i'd like to see you try and tame a zebra," you chuckled, lando making a promise you'd see it one day, and that you'd hold him to it. "the one that won't stop playing? that's lucas, he's easily the cheekiest boy we have, bindi says it because he's trying to impress gigi," pointing over to the zebra by the water trout, you couldn't help but giggle at the fact this was essentially just gossip with but animals.

"i hope he gets his girl."

their attention turns to the giraffes towering over the rest of the landscape, how calm they move with a sort of elegant rhythm. one ambles over to the edge of the viewing deck where a zookeeper offers visitors leafy snacks to feed them. "that's how tall lando thinks he is." the laugh fell from your lips before you could help it, feeling lando's glare from one side and oscar smiling at your reaction from the other.

"that's forest." you motion towards the tallest one at the back of the group. "he's actually the tallest in the world, and he's quite the lady's man, but he's such a sweetheart."

a zookeeper from beside hands you a bucket of fresh carrots sticks and leafy branches, hearing the soft clatter of hooves signalling the approach of the giraffes; tall, graceful, and curious. "yous wanna give it a try?" you ask, demonstrating as one of the female giraffe come up to you, zuri, steps forward, her long neck swaying gently as she eyes the food outstretched in your hands, her tongue snakes out, wrapping around the offering, and with a swift tug, it's gone.

lando's jaw drops, a slight look of disgust crossing his features. "did she just lick the branch out of your hands?"

"her tongue's nearly half a meter long," you say, taking a branch out of the bucket and passing it to him, giving oscar a few of the carrot sticks. "totally built for plucking leaves from tall trees."

oscar gives it a go next, reaching out cautiously and zuri leans in, eyes blinking slowly. the carrot sticks are flat against his hands as he holds his palm out straight, her tongue wrapping around the food and its gone. oscar looks back at you, then laughs, wiping his hand on one of the towels given. "alright, that's cool. slimy, but kind of awesome."

lando's practically itching to have a go himself and just as he extends his hand, a second giraffe swoops in from the side, gently bumping him with its head to get to the food first.

"oi! no need to fight about me," he laughs, steadying himself and you hand over another branch. "there's enough of me to go around, ladies."

you chuckle at his oblivion. "except that's zeus."

"oh." the giraffes continue feeding, taking the branches out of each of lando's hands, their calm, unbothered presence setting a peaceful rhythm for the end of the tour.

you can see the mclaren team signalling to each other behind the drivers, already beginning to walk back to where the shuttle had gotten you from, the enclosure fading behind you, sun a little lower in the sky than before casting a warm glow over the zoo, distant sounds of birds singing to each other and excited passersby.

it's only one stop on the shuttle that the fuss of getting everyone on doesn't seem with it, you’re off just as quickly as you were on, dropped off almost exactly at the zoos entrance, and the excitement in lando's jokes almost simmers out as he realises the tour was coming to an end.

the iconic australia zoo sign comes into view, bindi and robert already waiting for you as you get off the shuttle, and are thanking the mclaren crew for coming one by one before reaching the two drivers.

"thank you guys so much for coming, it was amazing to have you both here." roberts tells them with a grateful smile, lando and oscar match his energy as they thank you all for having them, letting them interact with the animals and for all the cool pictures they got, lando adding the last part.

they're coming in for hugs before you realise, feeling lando's arms around your waist and he's still cracking jokes in your ear, teasing you about oscar and you stiffen, if he'd caught you, then most definitely his teammate had too.

oscar shifts his weight a little behind him, looking almost bashful, then gives you this soft half-smile and says, "hey, uh... i was wondering—if it's not weird—and you can totally say no, can i get your number?" he glances down for a second, then meets your eyes again. "y'know... in case i've got more animal questions."

you pause, that was the one thing you weren't expecting him to say, anything from how he thought you were weird for staring at him from the very beginning, or nothing at all just a simple diplomatic hug, but not this. he takes your silence as an answer of its own, and is about to walk away when you hold onto his arm. "yeah, of course, in case you get any animal questions." oscar smiled and you blushed, taking your phone out of your back pocket and sliding it over to him, looking around to see if anyone had noticed, when you find lando with a smug smile on his face you can't help but roll your eyes.

"come on romeo!" you hear lando shout from a distance, looking over his shoulder oscar gives him a look, one that seems to keep him quiet for a few more minutes.

as oscar slips his phone back into his pocket, something shifts, a moment of soft, mutual stillness between you., it’s not awkward, it doesn’t feel like anything with him could be, just charged in the quietest, most natural way. the kind that lingers, sticks with people.

you step forward, almost instinctively, and say with a little smile, "guess i'll see you around then?"

his eyes soften the more he looks at you, a blush dusting across his sunburnt cheeks, and he nods, just once. "yeah. i hope so."

and before either of you overthinks it, you lean in, arms gently circling around him, he meets you halfway, pulling you in with that calm steadiness he carries on track, nothing rushed or overdone, just warm and sure. he smells like sunscreen and eucalyptus, maybe a hint of whatever cologne he didn't expect anyone to notice, but you noticed, the way it complimented his natural smell.

he lingers a second longer than he needs to, and when he pulls back, there's a quiet smile playing on his lips.

"for the record, i think you’re cute too,"

[narxcisse]

★ — Their love language.

With: Viktor, Jayce, Mel, Vi, Caitlyn, Jinx, Ekko, Ambessa, Silco, Vander and Sevika.

CW: fluff

English isn't my native language

— VIKTOR

Acts of Service: He shows love through thoughtful gestures. He’ll fix things for you, build gadgets to make your life easier, or help with your projects, even when he's exhausted.

Quality Time: Despite his workaholic tendencies, Viktor makes time to share quiet moments, like stargazing on a Piltover rooftop or sharing ideas late at night.

— JAYCE

Words of Affirmation: He never hesitates to remind you of how amazing you are, always showering you with compliments and encouragement.

Physical Touch: Expect warm hugs, hand-holding, and soft kisses—He's physically expressive when it comes to love.

— MEL

Gift Giving: She spoils you with lavish and thoughtful gifts, each one a token of her affection. From expensive jewelry to custom art, she enjoys making you feel valued.

Quality Time: Despite her busy schedule, she prioritizes spending meaningful time with you, whether it’s an elegant dinner or quiet moments in private.

— VI

Physical Touch: Vi is all about physical affection—whether it’s playful wrestling, protective hugs, or holding your hand like it’s second nature.

Quality Time: She values time spent together, even if it’s just hanging out, talking about the past, or sharing a drink at a bar.

— CAITLYN

Acts of Service: She expresses her love by doing things for you, like solving your problems or using her status to make life easier. She’s always looking out for your well-being.

Words of Affirmation: Her words are genuine and tender, often leaving you feeling seen and appreciated. She believes in constant communication.

— JINX

Gift Giving: She gives chaotic but heartfelt gifts—explosive trinkets, odd art pieces, or handmade gadgets. They may be unconventional, but they’re always full of thought.

Physical Touch: Hugs that sweep you off your feet, cuddles where she clings to you like a koala, or playful pokes are Jinx’s way of saying “I love you.”

— EKKO

Quality Time: Ekko enjoys showing you his world, from the Firelight tech to their hideout. He makes you feel included in every part of his life.

Acts of Service: He loves to lend a helping hand. Whether you’re working on a project or struggling with a problem, he’s always there to assist.

— AMBESSA

Gift Giving: She expresses her affection through grand gestures and extravagant gifts, symbolizing her power and devotion.

Physical Touch: She's tactile and commanding in her affection—hand on your shoulder, brushing your hair, or kissing your hand with pride.

— SILCO

Words of Affirmation: Silco’s love is expressed through carefully chosen words that highlight his admiration and protectiveness. His compliments are rare but profound.

Acts of Service: He ensures your safety and well-being, often going out of his way to shield you from harm or provide resources to make your life better.

— VANDER

Acts of Service: He's protective and practical in his love, making sure you’re cared for in every possible way. He’ll cook for you, fix things, or keep you out of harm’s way.

Quality Time: He treasures time spent together, whether it’s sharing stories over drinks or sitting quietly in the Last Drop.

— SEVIKA

Physical Touch: Sevika’s affection is expressed through steady, grounding touches—a hand on your back, an arm around your waist, or a kiss that feels both protective and passionate.

Acts of Service: She shows love by being your steadfast protector, always ensuring your safety and comfort, even if it means putting herself in harm’s way.