#and I know I mentioned this before but to openly ship with him now makes me so happy I don’t think y’all understand

[candyheartedchy]

Just want to thank everyone who’s been enduring my Spo.ngeBob fixation these past few days.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 🔞 | Oneshot

"Does he even pay you?"

Tags/Warnings: Idol!Jungkook, fuckboy!Jungkook, friends with benefits situation, major angst, mentions of sex work, smoking, smut, god so much filth, Dom!Jungkook, big dick JK but what's new, did I mention angst?, protected sex, multiple rounds, multiple positions, a brief thighjob, so many feelings

Length: 7k+ words

There is no taglist for this fic. This is a Oneshot.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

"How does it feel to be a celebrity and ending up with me?" You wonder at him over the music, making him frown before he shakes his head, pulling you in by your hands he's holding.

"What're you talking about babe?" He argues softly, letting go of your hands to hold your waist now. "I've got the prettiest girl at my side, in my opinion. Can't complain whatsoever." He tells you into your ear, voice raised a bit and slightly raspy from his last smoking break.

You just shrug, enjoying the music when some people approach you, talking to Jungkook about something you don't listen in on, even though he's still holding you close. It's none of your business, you really don't want to get too involved with his work and everything around it, but it's clear that he likes to do exactly that.

Jungkook wants you around all the time. Doesn't matter if it fits the scene and situation, if he can invite you or bring you along, he will.

Fans don't know your connection to him. They constantly battle it out in comment sections that you're just a translator, nothing else, that you're staff so of course you have to travel alongside him. And just how they can seem to connect everything to dating if it fits their 'ship' they've got inside their minds, they're also talented in finding thousands of (sometimes frankly ridiculous) reasons as to why it cannot possibly be true either.

While before, someone wearing the same jewelry as Jungkook was a confirmation of a relationship, with you its just pure coincidence. You're an adult woman, you can choose whatever necklace or ring you want, that doesn't mean you're dating him. You're wearing the same t-shirt he wore just a day ago? Maybe you just own the same, or he was nice enough to lend it to you for one reason or the other. Seen near his hotel room? Well of course, you're staff!

The truth is, that you're not even staff at all- but you're also not dating him.

Jungkook has become awfully… comfortable in his trust that fans will brush off every rumor floating around. It's why he's shamelessly grabbing your tits from behind right now just for the fun of it, lips kissing your neck as you slap them off to hold your waist instead. "They'll call it AI-generated or something." He laughs, but you can't shake off the feeling of doubt about that. "And there's no one here filming anyways. It's a private VIP zone, so relax baby." He chuckles, swaying you with him to the beat.

He's right that this is a secluded zone- but that's never stopped anything ever before, did it. One random Instagram live where you're both seen in the background and it's over. For both of you.

"Let's go back to the hotel though. I'm horny as fuck." He laughs, making you roll your eyes with red cheeks to go with.

Jungkook is a shameless person- he doesn't see anything wrong with the things he says or does if they're not hurting anybody. He's got his own opinions and he stands by them, only ever shifting his stance if there's undeniable evidence of him being wrong shown to him. And he also enjoys the more physical aspects of love.

Jungkook enjoys sex to its fullest.

He used to sleep around quite often, his charm and also wealth and status enough to make the act of finding someone willing fairly easy. Most wouldn't be believed anyways if they openly said he'd slept with them- he made sure they never took pictures or god forbid videos, and he also never stayed the night, most of the time preferred the security of his own home where he could politely tell them to leave after the deed was done, his reasoning always having to do something with his work.

'I'm sorry, I got called up to the studio.'

'Fuck I forgot I had a flight early morning tomorrow.'

'I'm really sorry, ah this is awkward, but my manager just told me to a live now, and I can't have you being seen.'

You knew he did this. You were staff at some point, after all, even if not hired by his company but rather outsourced during a particularly demanding schedule and many other employees sick due to a viral infection going around in the office building.

You'd been just another victim of his. But somehow, he ended up biting down too hard- making him taste blood, Primal hunger awakened at the mind-blowing experience he'd had, an odd need to keep you just for himself having blossomed from it all. You were a keeper, you still are- and while it's not really love, it's good enough for him. Close enough.

He reminds you, regularly, that it's not love, with how he never claims to love you, avoids the topic altogether, always tells others you're just very close even when it's obvious just like tonight that you're a little too close to just be something casual. But he enjoys your presence nonetheless. Like a dear friend, just with some deeper layers to it.

Some staff call you his personal prostitute. And in a way, you do sometimes feel like that.

Jungkook is that kind of man who could have sex first thing in the morning. Doesn't even have to wake up fully- if you touch him just a bit, he'll come to life in an instant, if he's not sporting a boner already. He enjoys the exhaustion he feels afterwards, always pushes you past your first and second O, keeps his own saved up for the very last stretch all the time. He draws it out to high heavens, has trouble calling it quits.

Shower sex he's mastered, knows exactly where to step and what position to get into to make it as safe as possible. He loves having you on his large sofa, leather easy to clean after you're both done. Sixty-nine is his favorite dinner for two, though he has to admit that lately, he's been enjoying the more closer positions a lot more. Spooning from behind, lotus, you name it- you've become more than just an outlet for him.

He doesn't know what they call you behind his back. What your unofficial status is. They'd never admit that to him, because why would they? No one wants to get on his bad side if they don't have to.

He's on his phone, free hand on your thigh as you both sit in the back of the car that's driving him back to his hotel. He's gonna get out first, make his way inside, while you'll get in later from the back entrance to not raise any suspicion. It's normal. Routine. You've mastered it by now.

"I'll see you in ten." He winks before he makes his way out the car, rushing past some fans who've found out his location, bodyguards already there to guide him inside the lobby.

"Does he pay you?" The driver chuckles, and you shake your head. "Damn." The elderly man clicks his tongue. "Go find yourself an actual man, dear." He tells you as he parks behind the hotel, watching you move, your phone vibrating in your pocket, before it stops suddenly. "You know what they call you, right?"

"I know." You admit quietly.

"And you're okay with that? You're too sweet to let yourself be used like that. Have some self-worth." The man tells you with a kind tone. "I've seen you around long enough to know that you're kind, and a nice person. Trust me, you can and will find a proper man to love you right. But this?" He shakes his head. "You know he just wants you because you've become routine."

"I know." You repeat again, sighing a little.

"You're not what they say you are. You're just a little soft at heart, hm?" The old guy smiles over his shoulder, watching you unbundled your seatbelt. "Trust me, he won't be sad if you call it quits. I've worked for guys like this for more than thirty years- they'll just jump to the next." He explains, and you smile to yourself, before you nod towards the man. "Never mess with entertainers, sweetheart. They'll always break your heart." he offers.

"I know." You say once more, before you exit the car, and get on your way to Jungkook's hotel room.

You don't officially share one, but he still keeps you around for most of the night. You leave whenever he has to do a livestream or if he wants to go to bed, and you come back if he wants you to- but most nights you sleep alone, because he deems it too intimate for you to stay.

Apparently, sleeping in the same bed is more intimate than spitting on your cunt. Interesting.

When you knock on the door, Jungkook opens. Something's off, you notice it right away, but you don't dwell on it, don't answer. It's none of your business, and he won't tell you anyways, so what's the point in just further inducing his bad mood.

It's quiet as he moves around, since he doesn't talk to you, and you don't know what to say. You wait for him to make his move, and when he doesn't, you get up to grab your sweater you forgot in his room earlier, just to have him stand behind you, hands on your hips. "I didn't forget about you." He chuckles, and you let the fabric slip out of your fingers and back onto the floor as he kisses the crook of your neck.

Maybe jungkook is indeed using you. But you've started to use him just as much, if only to even out the odds, and make yourself feel more than just cheap company.

He slips out of his shirt. You raise your arms to help him take off yours, your naked skin at this point almost a requirement for him every time he takes you. He used to be satisfied with just fucking you somewhere quiet quick and simple to quench his thirst, but over the course of time now nearing an entire year, he's become more and more hungry. Like he wants to crawl underneath your skin at some point, the Idol constantly pushes himself more and more inside your body, not just in a sexual sense. He buys you clothes he thinks will look good on you, has a playlist just for when you're at his place filled with somber lovesongs more about heartbreak than anything else. He claims he didn't look up the lyrics, but you know he's lying. He knows a lot more english than he admits, just so he can pull the 'I don't understand' card whenever he's asked a question he doesn't want to answer.

He lets you wear his clothes without much comment by now, has gifted you jewelry he's worn and liked, laughs any mention of that being 'such a sweet gesture' off if anyone around him mentions it. He's not your boyfriend, but he surely is starting to act like it- maybe the lines are blurring for him just as much as they do for you?

People around you have started betting. On when he's gonna have another one, when you'll be 'swapped out' for something else, or at what point he's gonna make it official that you're indeed more than just nightly company. You don't await that day. It's never gonna come anyways.

"Turn around." He commands, and you do, because that's the easiest way to get where you want to be down the line. Head empty, no thoughts left, fucked stupid by a man who keeps you around for just your body and the familiarity you provide. You don't really mind any longer, long having stopped caring about emotions that are fruitless, bound to rot and die because Jungkook won't ever nurture anything you'd try and plant in his heart. He doesn't want it, and doesn't need it either- if he wants to feel loved, he just has to show his face to his millions of fans always on edge for more content. That's where he gets his love from. Maybe you're just there to feed other desires he can't have fulfilled like that.

He licks his lips as he gazes over your naked upper body, bra long undone by his hands on your back, fingers trained in the routine by now. You remember the surprise he'd shown you when you'd worn one with the clasp up front, face so soft and round for just a second that it felt like you'd just slipped into a dream- but his hunger had quickly returned, because Jungkook is a beast never satisfied. He craves more and more, constantly aims for absolute euphoria, never soft, never gentle.

Jungkook bites. He claims, grips, holds and pushes- he's aware over the physical strength he holds over you, and plays around with the fact almost every night. From tugging on your leg to pushing your head down whenever you decide to please him with your mouth instead for once. Something about the way you swallow around him and swirl your tongue always makes him feral, thighs trembling as the muscles spasm beneath the skin from the force of his orgasm. Maybe that's why he keeps you around. Because you can keep up.

His own shirt is shed, and his hands make quick work of his belt before he helps you out of your pants as well. He'd told you he didn't want to use the bed tonight, because asking for new sheets is always awkward, but he does it anyways- picks you up just to let you fall onto the bed, crawling over you. "What do you want?" You ask out of breath, but he just tilts his head in familiar habit, until it shakes no.

"Don't know yet." He answers. This is new.

Usually he always has a fixed scene set out, knows how he wants to take you right away, but this time he visibly seems unsure where to start. Almost like the first time.

He spits in his hand, doesn't bother taking off the rings, fingers working you up like it's second nature. He knows where to place them, how to move and what patterns to choose- and you don't bother thinking about the possible reason for it. Probably to get you wet and ready quick so he can get to the actual act itself, or maybe he just finds some sort of personal satisfaction from it. You're not sure- and neither do you really want to ask.

You're a little cold, but he'll warm you up soon. Hopefully you won't get sick like last time. Will he find someone else to fuck if you're unavailable?

Who knows. He surely has a lot to choose from, if he so much as asked.

He's got a question on his mind, but visibly contemplates on asking it. His teeth clamp down on his bottom lip, tongue playing with the twin piercings placed there for a second, before he leans in, kisses you. This is one of those things he does that are just outright cruel to you. His kisses full of fever and want feel so burning hot that you're sure you're marked by them for life. Like a signature he's inked underneath your skin almost he claims you again and again like this, with his tongue teasing yours, mouths open and ready to steal each other's breath.

He surely takes yours hostage, every time- and that's probably the smallest crime he commits.

"Have you eaten today?" He asks, and it catches you off guard, eyes opening again, painfully tugged back into reality where he lets his sticky hand run over your abdomen, just to settle on your hipbone. "Your stomach keeps growling." He teases, and you come crashing down. Of course. He'd never actually remember to ask that out of the blue if it wasn't for something reminding him about it.

"Not really." You respond, adjusting your position a little bit, legs trying to pull him closer. "Doesn't matter." You say, and he hums, leaning down again to mouth at your neck- probably marking his territory again, a joke made on a constant whenever you turn up with the blooming bruises on your skin, their origin more than obvious.

"Hm." He hums, almost dissatisfied, but you don't bother to think about it. He moves to lean off the side of the bed, pulling his suitcase closer to get himself a condom, opening the package easily before he rolls it over his length. He seems oddly soft tonight, in more ways than one. Is he still exhausted from the shooting? Could be. He never wants to admit himself that he has to take breaks, thinks that his body can just magically manifest strength from nothing but pure thought, and it used to irritate you, because you felt responsible, in a way. But that was when you still saw more in this than there actually was- nowadays, it's his business, not yours. He's got nutritionists and personal trainers who get paid for taking care of him. It's not your job.

What is your job, really?

Well, you're most certainly not working under his company any longer, and neither have you returned to your original agency either- simply because Jungkook's management deemed you too much of a danger in your position, after the idol had let it slip that you two were having sex on a regular basis. So you just signed an NDA, got paid for your silence, now earning a living by writing books. Modern fantasy novels, where the daydreams you once had can actually become reality, and your hopes and wishes can be dreamed of by other people who have the same.

It's good money. A hobby you cherish.

Jungkook has never asked you what you work as nowadays. He doesn't even visit your apartment, has never seen it before, and he doesn't know if you have family either. He just takes you as his, lets you live alongside him and entertains you whenever he's in the mood for it. And you let him, because these days, he's all you've got. There's not much else you can do than write all day at home or accompany him on his overseas schedules.

You're not sure why he always drags you along, when back home, he won't even call you for days. Maybe he doesn't have to? Maybe his bed at home is always warm. But if that's the case, why not take them on a trip once in a while? Does he have designated women for specific occasions?

Then who will the woman be he chooses to show to the public one day? Number three in his harem?

You can't even truly blame him. As someone he grew up in this industry, his view on the world is warped, shifted, not the same colors as yours. He doesn't feel the same worth in a simple banknote that you do, he can't understand the struggle of missing the bus or having to face an empty fridge.

"Sit up, baby." He tells you, chuckles when you struggle a little to do so- compared to him, flying around all the time actually does take a toll on you. And the petname doesn't make it any better in this moment, as his hands reach out to hold you steady, helping your legs over his thighs, before he guides the head of his cock into you. He wants you close tonight it seems like. Hopefully he keeps holding you, because you're not very energetic this time. "I've got you." He says, and you nod, resting your arms around his neck, hands faintly touching the skin of his back. "Are you cold?" He wonders.

"A bit." You respond. He's probably noticed your icy fingertips.

"I'll warm you up." He purrs, and you nod. You know he will. He always does- always hot hearted in everything he does, even in this. He holds you close, hands on your behind helping you move, your hips rolling a bit too slow for his liking, but he overlooks it for once. You're not sure what's up with him tonight. This isn't him. "You tired, baby?" He wonders, and you nod.

"Sorry." You tell him, but he shakes his head, moves to lay you down, knees pressed into the soft hotel bed mattress as he thrusts his hips forwards.

"It's alright." He brushes it off. "Flight was long as hell." He muses, lazily moving himself. You're enjoying this, even if it's odd for him to behave this way. "Wanna come over for breakfast tomorrow morning?" He asks, and you shake your head.

"Can't." You sigh, arms now moving to lay above your head, eyes closed in bliss. "I fly out back home at 8 tomorrow." You remind him, and you can't see the way his brows lower, face darkening as he realizes he didn't know that. You usually fly back after him. Why are you going home sooner this time?

"Why?" He huffs out, hands grabbing your legs as he pulls your thighs over his, pushing himself deeper now. "You always fly after me." He almost growls.

"I dunno.." You slur. "Management said." You just respond. Why does he seem so irritated by this? It's not a huge deal at all if you fly back sooner or later. He's not gonna call you up back home anyways, so why does it bother him so much.

"Management can go fuck themselves." He argues. "You fly after me. I'll book the flight myself if I have to." he demands practically, slight irritation causing him to have his energy boil up, position adjusted as he becomes more restless, balls smacking loudly against you cunt, pace a lot more ruthless now.

You're finally reaching it. Your head becomes fuzzy.

You don't notice Jungkook becoming almost.. satisfied from that sight of your tension finally leaving. You're nothing but whimpers of pleasure as he slips out of you, hands tugging and pushing your legs and body to have you on your side, the taller Idol now laying down on his side behind you to spoon you, dragging the head of his length through your soaked and slicked up folds. one hand holds up your thigh, helps in opening you up, though you're pretty much gaping from his girth stretching you out moments prior. His lips find your shoulder, your neck, as he pushes himself back inside with the help of your hands-

who suddenly do something new as well, tugging the condom from his cock, making him gasp out in sensitivity. "What're you doing?" He grows.

"IUD." You tell him. "Please-" You beg, and yet again he moves as if awakened from slumber, pushing you halfway on your stomach as he pushes the now bare head of his cock back inside you. This is most certainly new, and he knows for a fact, that he's never going back again.

"Fuck.." He almost laughs, leaning over you now, body covering yours as he just pushes himself in for a good moment, humming a sound of pleasure into your neck as he lets himself relish in the new sensation. "Ah-" He sighs out, before he clenches his jaw, thrusting hard as if to make sure your body will remember him for days to come.

It will. Sadly.

"God, fuck-!" He groans out, holding onto your body now, having turned you onto your side, hand reaching out adjust your arm so he can see your face. Your lips are parted, eyes closed in bliss, and he can't help but have his hand smack down onto your behind that's moving in a way that's way too inviting. He does it a second time, slap clearly heard as he smirks at the way you clench around his cock currently rearranging your insides. He moves your leg to rest over his shoulder, reaching even deeper, hand underneath your belly button pressing where he can faintly feel himself move.

No one can blame him for being absolutely obsessed with your body.

He can feel the way you begin to tighten, thighs shaking a little as you come undone, his hands moving your legs again to close them once more, holding them up, slipping out of your clenching cunt to push his cock right between your soft and wet thighs. it's enough for a moment, though you reach out to touch the tip poking through almost teasingly, making him laugh as he suddenly sighs out, groaning as he spills over your stomach and up your chest. You're breathing heavily, and don't notice you start to shiver, as he parts from you to turn on the light in the bathroom to clean up.

Aftercare is not really his thing- and you've come to accept that.

When you sit up, you stretch your arms in front of you, muscles slowly regaining strength as you wait for Jungkook to finish up, toilet flushing before he emerges again, shamelessly walking without underwear, gaze following you as you walk past him to use the bathroom yourself.

The moment you re-emerge to grab your clothes, he's sitting on the edge of the bed with his boxers back on, phone in his hand. "I booked the flight for you. Tomorrow at 12:30." He tells you as you slip back into your underwear, not bothering with the bra as you search for where he'd thrown your shirt. "Here." He offers- and you slip the garment on with a thanks, only noticing afterwards that that's not yours at all, oversized fabric reaching almost to your knees. "Cute." He comments way too quiet to be meant to be heard, so you don't mention it at all.

"Why is the flight-thing so important?" You wonder, slipping into your socks as he moves around to find the hotel room service menu.

"Because you always fly back after me." He repeats again, clearing his throat.

"…you already said that." You mumble to yourself, but he clearly hears you.

"Fuck alright, god damnit!" He whines in complaint, rolling his eyes. "If you were to fly back earlier, you'll run right into all the paparazzi and shit waiting for me. That's why you're meant to fly back later- so they're gone by the time you arrive." He explains, and you're stunned in the spot you're standing, watching him a bit confused.

So that's the reason?

"It's not like they know." You say, unsure why he's so adamant about it.

"Doesn't matter." He shakes his head. "I'm not having them jump you for whatever reason they might have." He denies, before he sits down in the seat near the window which blinds are shut. "Now what do you wanna eat?" He asks, and you shake your head.

"I'll eat something tomorrow morning." You deny, and he slumps back in his seat, eyes closed and tongue pushed against his cheek.

"What do you want to fucking eat, babe." He repeats, making sure to pronounce the petname before he looks at you with frustration.

"Nothing." You respond. "Are we done?" You ask him, and he shakes his head, setting the menu down before he crosses his arms.

"No." He denies. "What to they call you?" He asks, and you're not sure what he's getting at, shaking your head with brows furrowed in confusion.

"What're you talking about?" You ask, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"What do they call you?" He repeats. "I heard what you talked about in the car when I left."

"How?" You ask baffled.

"Telepathy." He jokes without humor, before he scoffs to himself. "I called you to actually ask you if you wanted to eat something- but you must've accidentally accepted the call without looking, because I clearly listened in on a convo I wasn't supposed to hear." He explains. "Either way, I want an answer. What. Do. They. Call. You." He demands, and you sigh.

"Why does it matter?" You argue, searching for your leggings in the room- finding them over the armrest of the chair he's currently sitting in. "I'm your personal prostitute, just without the pay." You tell him, and it takes him a second to realize that that's your answer.

Suddenly, he wants you out the room.

Not because he doesn't want you here any longer, but because the guilt is eating him alive with ever second he has to look at you. Because the more he think about it, the more it becomes obvious to him that this really must look like just that to everyone. After all, he's just taking you with him apparently for sex, and he's become so comfortable in it that he didn't think about it any longer. It's what you want too, right?

Jungkook has never really learned how to convey his emotions properly. He doesn't know what it's like to fall in love, has no idea what to look out for. He likes spending time with you, and enjoys the sex to the point that he's been monogamous with only you for the past year or so. It's nice to be in a relationship, even though he knows this one isn't normal. It's still okay, because down the line, you understand each other. He likes you, he just doesn't want people to use that against him or you at some point- so he keeps your status to himself. No one needs to know you're a couple. Only you and him. Because.. you know that, right?

"You know that's not what you are to me, right?" He asks, and you shrug.

"Does it matter?" You ask. "It's none of my business who I am to you, or whoever you screw apart from me." You say.

"What?" He asks, crossed arms unraveling. "I'm not fucking anyone but you." He says.

"Cool." You say.

"Cool? That's it?" He argues. "How can you be so calm about everyone else telling you I'm apparently cheating on you?" He worries, and you're yet again confused.

"What're you talking about?" You ask. "That's got nothing to do with cheating." You say.

"No no no no whoa there. Stop for a second." He holds his hands out as if to soothe a raging crowd of people, looking at the carpet. "You- you do know we're in a relationship, right?" He asks you, and your face tells him everything he needs to know. "Oh my fucking god are you kidding me…" He complains into his hands, covering his face in frustration.

"How the hell was I supposed to know?" You say, now with your own arms crossed. "Jungkook, you rarely even talk to me when we're back home. You only take me with you when you've got something up overseas, you constantly tell people we're just friends, you've never even asked me out in the first place!" You argue.

"We've been fucking each other for almost a year, I thought it was obvious I liked you?!" He whines, looking at you with what you realize are tears brimming on his waterline. Why is he so emotional now? "Have you- did you see anyone other than me?" He asks quietly, and you shake your head.

"No." You deny.

"Okay. Fuck- okay." He takes a deep breath, swallows down his panic. "I like you. I don't- I've got no clue if it's love or not because I don't know, alright? But I like you, a lot, to the point where I want us to be something permanent." He tries to explain. "Just us. You and me." He underlines, and you shrug.

"Jungkook, it's not that easy." You sigh. "If this has been what you think a relationship is like, then we won't work out."

"Alright, then what do you need me to do?" He argues, not letting go. "God- fuck, tell me what do I have to do to make you stay?" He asks, voice cracking.

"Jungkook, calm down-" You start, but he shakes his head, swallows thickly, bottom lip quivering for just a second before he licks over it, pulls it in between his teeth.

"I can't-! Not when it sounds like you're gonna leave me-" He worries.

"I'm not, don't worry. I'll stay. Just.. breathe for a second, alright?" You ask, getting up to walk closer, pushing his shoulders back to force him out of his slumped over position. "Hey- okay?" You ask, and he instead pulls you closer, sits you onto his lap, before he clings onto you, resting his forehead in your shoulder. "Why do you never reach out to me when we're home? You're confusing me." You gently tell him, and he shrugs.

"I'm scared they'll see you." He sniffles. "If they do- they'll tear you apart." He sighs. "When we're out here, like this- I can just.. claim you're staff, whatever. But at home- I can't.. I don't know how to protect you." He shakes his head.

"You should've told me." You sigh, leaning into him. "I was hurt, you know?" You tell him.

"I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm so sorry." He apologizes, pulls you just a bit closer. "I don't know what to do." He whines.

"What if you just visit me instead?" You offer. "They don't know where I live. And my windows are all mirrored so no one can look inside." You tell him.

"…since when?" he asks, leaning away from you a little so that you can finally see his face again, eyes red, a stray tear escaping him that you wipe off.

"Since a few months ago? Jungkook you don't even know my apartment in the first place. You've never visited me at all, ever!" You laugh, and he sighs.

"I know, and I.. always wanted to, you know, visit you.. spend time with you but.." He runs a hand over his face.

"You're okay. We talked about it now." You nod, an action he copies. "I'll come back tomorrow morning and we can have breakfast together, okay?" You ask, but he shakes his head.

"No, you gotta stay." He denies. "I don't care if you don't like that, but I need you close tonight." He says.

"Never said I don't." You say. "You just seemed uncomfortable with it." You wonder.

"Because I snore!" He whines, throwing his head back. "I snore, I move a lot, I might cling to you at night or I sweat, or whatever the fuck- I'm not as perfect as I'm made out to be." He complains.

"Jungkook sorry, but what the fuck." You laugh, and he can't help but smile at the sight and sound of you happy. "You can fart and burp like whatever, and I'd still stay. You're human, I'm not perfect either!" You explain, but he shakes his head, leaning forwards to kiss your already blossoming bruises on your neck.

"No, you are." He says. "You're absolutely perfect." He argues.

"Not really." You deny.

"Stop arguing." He complains, squeezes your waist a bit.

"What're you gonna do about it?" You tease, and he looks up at you with a heated gaze.

"Get me nice n' hard and I'll show you." He responds, making you giggle with eyes rolling, as you lean back to tug him out of his underwear, a hiss leaving him. "Fuck, baby your hands are icy!" He laughs, leaning back to hold your legs so you don't slip off of his thighs.

"That's cause it's cold in here!" You joke back, warming your hands up on his already heated length, skin already flushed and swelling as the blood rushes back. His hands travel beneath the shirt you wear, softly grabbing at the flesh of your chest, making you get up to shed your underwear and get back onto his lap.

"Think you can ride me on this thing?" He asks, talking about the seat he's sitting in. "Kinda tired right now, won't lie."

"Huh, making me do all the work now?" You raise your brows. "And here I thought you wanted to take us seriously.." You sigh, attempting to joke- but he clearly doesn't take it as such, face becoming serious again.

"Lift your hips a little." He demands, and you do so- unsure what he's trying to do, before he spits into his hand once more, feeling you up between your legs to check if you're ready. You are- quickly slicking up at the thought of him, and he guides his length inside of you again, stretching you out once more, but this time, it's not just sex.

He refuses to move. He just helps you settle on his lap, but holds onto your hips, keeping you from moving. "Jungkook-" You whine, but he shakes his head, and pulls your face closer to kiss you.

"No, I wanna stay like this for a bit." He denies.

"But I thought we wanted to eat something later?" You ask, making him roll his eyes.

"I'm trying to be romantic here." He complains.

"By putting your dick inside me?" You ask.

"Well I don't know what else to do!" He whines. "I.. I don't really know how else to properly express.." He falls deep into thought for a second or two, before he finally says it. "I don't know how else to make sure you can.."

"..feel how much I love you."

You're quiet for a good while, watching how he rather looks at your neck than at you in particular, avoiding eye contact as he continues to move his hands back to your sides underneath your shirt. "Jungkook…" You mumble, and he cringes.

"Don't-" He sighs, clicks his tongue in irritation. "-don't pity me or something-" He begins.

"No no no I'm not pitying you I just-" You cut him off, now your hands holding his cheeks to force him to look at you. Because you just realized something in the things he's said earlier. "Remember how you said.. you want me to fly back after you?" You ask, and he nods.

"Yeah." He answers, his way warmer palms now taking yours from his face, holding them in his. "Of course."

"That's.. something that also shows that you care about me." You say. "Because, you didn't say that you were worried about someone spotting me and putting your career on the line- but that you were worried about me being in danger." You remind him, and he nods. "Or how you noticed my stomach growling, and wondered if I ate today." You giggle.

"I already wondered if you didn't- cause I didn't see you eat anything." He shrugs.

"See?" You hum towards him, running your hand through his hair. "That shows you care, too." You say.

"But I want you to feel it." He complains stubbornly. "I want you to.. feel the same as I do when I'm around you." He offers.

"Horny?" You ask, and he rolls his eyes, throwing his head back.

"That too-" He laughs. "But mostly.. just, I don't know." He takes a deep breath. "It's hard to explain. It's like chest constricts when I'm not around you. Whenever I'm home, I miss you so bad that I sometimes go to sleep early just to avoid giving in and calling you. I have to distract myself just to not think about you- and yet I still do, almost all the time." He sighs, tucking your hair behind your ears. "When I wake up.." He hums, hands moving to your shoulders. "When I do my morning routine.." He explains, letting his fingers travel over the length of your arms. "When I work out.." He continues. "When I go to bed. It doesn't matter at all." He shakes his head.

"You know you don't have to make up something just to make me stay, right?" You ask him, and at that, his eyes immediately snap back up to you, panic returning.

"I'm not." He denies instantly. "I'm really not-" he urges. "-how can I prove it?" He worries.

"You.. listen, it's not something that you can just clear up in a moment." You sigh. "It's gonna take time. We're basically starting from scratch here." You explain, and he nods.

"Do you.. should we stop then?" He asks, glancing between your bodies for a second. "Until you believe me?" He wonders, and you shrug, before you shake your head.

"No." You deny. "I'd miss you too much-" You tell him, before you adjust your legs, arms around his neck. "-And you'd probably go insane without sex." You tease.

"Not without sex." He denies, watching how you begin to move your hips, letting him slip out until just the very tip remains inside you. "But without you." He clarifies. "It's not sex I want- that's a… I don't know. It's the closeness I feel, you know?" He sighs when you sink back down. "I just like touching you.. being inside you.." He hums, eyes fluttering closed as he leans back into the seat while your hands settle on his shoulders to keep you balanced, pace slow but fast enough to intensify the pleasure you both feel. "Just like that.." He sighs out in bliss.

"I have a really nice couch, you know?" You hum towards him, making him smile while his hands find your waist. "My bed is really big too.." You tell him, and he opens his eyes a little at that.

"Big enough for two?" He wonders, and you shrug.

"Guess we have to find out." You tease, and he nods, hands moving from your waist to your hips before one of them finds your heat between your legs where he can see his cock disappearing inside you.

"Is the couch sturdy?" He wonders, fingers playing with your clit now, making the muscles in your thighs twitch.

"Ah- yes!" You whine, picking up your pace.

"Hm, gonna fuck you on it then." He chuckles. "Stress-test it." He jokes, and you whimper as you come undone, your slick now coating his own legs, strings of the sticky fluid keeping you both connected, wet sounds echoing off the walls of the hotel room. "Break it." He growls, heels on the ground helping him in shifting his hips upwards into you, catching you off guard, your orgasm washing over you in a wave threatening to drown you.

You're shaking, but you still move, needing to feel him reach his high as well, and he does find his own release, spilling whatever he's got left to give, holding you close, kissing whatever skin he can reach from how you're hugging him now, breathing slowly easing again.

And he keeps you like this, uncaring of the food since it's by now too late to order any roomservice anyways.

And for the first time, he actually sleeps next to you, in the same bed-

promising himself to do everything he can to keep you this close, for now and as long as you'll have him.

[nahoney22]

Hello! I happened to finish reading your touch starved fics and it was phenomenal beyond words! ♥︎ If it's not too much trouble, I had seen your requests open and wanted to request a scenario if you're interested, if not, please don't feel pressured to act on this request :)

I had a small thought for a more platonic dynamic between the reader (fem or GN) towards all the batchers in the beginning. The reader sets boundaries for themselves to not fall for any of the boys with the thought of it being a distraction. Then their heart just goes DOKI DOKI whilst they unknowingly begin pining for one of the batchers (may be any of the boys of your choosing). It may be angsty, fluffy, or even bittsweet it aches the heart, whatever you choose I'll be rooting for you! Best wishes! ✌️💕

That Feeling

All Bad Batch Boys X F!Reader (but can probably be read as GN)

warnings: Echo’s, Hunters and Wreckers are mainly fluff, crosshair and techs are a little angsty. Brief mention of Order 66.

authors note: I know you said I could pick whoever but why not ALL? Sorry for the wait 💜 and thank you for the kind words.

Like you did with all of them, you closed yourself off to the Bad Batch in regards to intimate feelings. But, the more you grew to know them, the more of a challenge it became. Especially with…

Echo

Echo had always been the person you could talk to about anything without feeling judged. Despite his occasional gloomy demeanor, he exuded a calming aura that drew you towards him.

However, it became an issue on one particular day. After trudging through the snowy mountains of Hoth with Hunter and Crosshair, you returned to the ship. From a distance, you spotted Echo standing outside, and the mere sight of him warmed you despite the freezing cold.

As everyone prepared to board, you were the last to step onto the gangplank. Just as you set foot on the icy steps, Echo reached out his hand, cautioning you, "Careful, it's a little icy." Your eyes glanced at the shimmering surface before meeting his gaze, and gratefully, you accepted his hand.

In that moment, your heart nearly leapt out of your chest. It was an innocent gesture, but the touch of his hand on yours, even with thick gloves on, was tender and cautious as he guided you up the steps. It even sent a wave of panic through you. The intensity of your reaction caught you off guard. This could not be happening… you swore you wouldn’t get attached.

Once inside the ship, you couldn't help but notice that he allowed his hand to linger on yours for a moment longer than necessary before finally releasing it. With a smile and a nod, he advised you to warm up before making his way towards the cockpit.

Oh dear, something had shifted within you. The impact of that simple touch alone lingered in your mind for the next few days.

Hunter

You found yourself staring intently, almost transfixed. It wasn't until Hunter turned in your direction, flashing a warm smile and even offering a casual wave that you snapped out of your trance. Your face flushed as you quickly, though not so discreetly, pretended to be engrossed in something else, desperately avoiding the fact that you had been openly staring at Hunter while he trained.

Shirtless.

You were well aware of his attractiveness—no, you knew he was attractive—but it wasn't until now, witnessing his muscles straining against his skin as he moved through different positions, that your heart started racing.

He was your friend, for crying out loud! Yet, here you were, pretending to read a holobook while secretly yearning for him. Your heart raced, threatening to escape your chest, while his smile nearly caused it to stop altogether.

"Pull yourself together," you muttered quietly, cursing your own internal turmoil. Nevertheless, you couldn't help but view him differently from that moment on. He had captured your heart, and there was no denying it.

Wrecker

“Hey, I got ya something.”

You looked up to the sound of Wrecker’s voice as he approached you and sure enough, he had both hands full of what seemed to be a delicious delicacy on this backwater planet.

Wrecker usually got you something when you guys travelled around and the more he did it, the more your heart started to beat a little quicker in his company. At first you thought it was simply a friendly thing - a nice gesture from a friend - but you had noticed he didn’t do it for his brothers and only sometimes for Omega. It actually made you feel quite special.

Truthfully you were unsure of the reasonings behind his gestures but a part of you started to hope that it was more than just a friendly thing.

“Are ya gonna take it?” He spoke and you blush hard as you realised you had just been sat starting up at him with the dreamiest stare: because after all, he was very easy on the eye too.

“Oh, thanks.” You smile, taking the food from him and watch as he happily struts off leaving you a little confused to what your feelings now were.

Tech

You didn’t mean for it to happen, you didn’t mean to get so attached that your heart sped up a little bit more every time you were in his proximity but it did.

Tech had always been a good friend, always someone who had to have a say in something even if it didn’t involve him but always someone who gave sound advice. Over time, you became closer until you started to feel that fluttering in your chest whenever he looked your way.

You knew that feeling all too well and so you decided to distance yourself just a tad, swearing to not get too attached but it was far too late.

Your feelings grew and you harboured a strong longing for him but when you saw him with Phee, your heart shattered just a tad. At first you had just thought it was a one-sided attraction but then you saw the way he smiled at her. Heartfelt and warm.

You just knew that he would never smile at you the same way.

So, with every strength you could muster up you sat back, and kept your feelings locked in tight. He deserves to be happy.

Crosshair

It was too late.

Too late to say how much he meant to you and how much you wanted to be with him.

After reprimanding yourself for feeling a type of way towards the Marksman, you couldn’t hold it in anymore and you had to tell him how he made you feel, how your heart raced when he showed you his cocky smile or simple kindness of telling you ‘good job’ after a mission. You didn’t want to get distracted by him, always wanting to remain professional but he was impossible to resist.

But that day on Kaller brought everything to a halt. He was cold towards you, something he never was. Well, in a sense.

But when the Order came through it was like something shifted within him entirely. With his brothers refusing the order, going against him, you felt like the day would end in heartbreak. And it did.

He shot at you. A man who you saw as a colleague, a friend, and perhaps a lover shot at you.

You begged him to stop, to put down his weapon but he didn’t.

It was too late to tell him you loved him, and too late to save him.

Masterlist

Tags: @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @theroguesully @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @nunanuggets @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @ladyzirkonia @raevulsix @imalovernotahater @crystal076 @blustalker . @the-good-shittt @whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder r @mysticalgalaxysalad @photogirl894 @fantasyproductions @by-the-primes @the-bad-batch-baroness @sleepycreativewriter

[bonefall]

Since she was mentioned briefly in the previous post- can Fernstripe and Sunbeam have at least a single conversation together? Something like “hey, what were your trials like and what should I expect?” It doesn’t have to give anything away by having her go “my trials were done under Bramblestar, not Squirrelstar, I can’t promise our trials will be remotely similar”. Though I just want Sunbeam to have friends outside of her in-laws and it’d be cool to see Fernstripe do something outside of “oh yeah she exists” without her actually appearing.

Fernstripe and Shellfur got blorboified. They're one of my favorite background character ships entirely because of BB additions, lmao

They bonded over Shellfur asking her for "niceness lessons," because Spotfur wasn't going to have her husband's bully of a brother know his nespring if he didn't figure his shit out.

I used them for framing what a Gathering and Aftergathering look like at the Lake

Fernstripe can't cook for shit

I am once again, much like a firm guardian telling the kiddies to not get too attached to all of the foster kittens we're sponsoring, saying that I can't say how exactly I'll be using Fernstripe in ASC quite yet. But I CAN promise you for sure that she is going to have waaaaay more of a role.

Both as a fresh migrant to ThunderClan just like Sunny-B, and also as a member of the Graykin family through her mateship to Shellfur. The Graykin family gets a lot more focus in BB because I can't be normal about them.

Assorted thoughts;

I want Sunny to have a bit of a concern, through Fernstripe. See, SHE belongs because she's mates with Shellfur. But what would that mean for Sunny if Nightheart never comes back?

Fernstripe should be someone that Sunbeam gets to know very well, if I do end up going to her having more agency over "constructing" teams of cats for her trials.

And she explicitly should realize, "Fernstripe is my friend which makes me want to pick her; but she's intelligent, not powerful. I can't put her on any tasks that involve that."

"............or anything food-related. of course. good lord"

Someone will mention that Fernstripe was grandfather-claused under any revision that bumped up the 1 task to 3. Most of ThunderClan is pretty openly rolling their eyes about even the 1 task, so they're definitely not going to make Fern do 2 more.

It's funny that there are now 3 cats with Fern prefixes in ThunderClan lmao.

And there's been even more ferns, historically

Brackenfur was named after a type of fern. His daughter, Honeyfern, was named after him before earning that Honor Title

Ferncloud just died, Spotfur named a kit after her (not graystripe), there's also Fernsong, and now Fernstripe. In Clanmew these are all different types of fern, but they're still ferns.

It should be a running joke in other Clans that they use "fern" as the prefix for random hypothetical warriors.

Kinda like how if you're talking about Americans you'll be like, "John Hamburger visits 200 diners a minute and consumes half of the world's oil," or if you're talking about Brits you're like "Kingsley Bigglesworth is repelled by spice like a vampire to the sun, must have an IV drip of blended beans-on-toast to survive."

"Fernface hears a cat sneeze across the lake, arrives with 15 clerics and a bowl of fruit juice they call "soup", cries when you don't say thank you more than twice."

Fernstripe must have been mortified when she realized that her parents named her Fern and then she ended up joining ThunderClan, lmao

[loveyourownsmiilee]

If I’m not mistaken (it’s a long interview and I could have missed something) he didn’t really say anything about where Buck and Tommy could be heading. He talk more about the mechanics of it all. Figuring out how they were gonna bring them together so a kiss was possible and making sure Oliver and Lou were on the same page beforehand. Not really anything about Buck’s feelings for Tommy or whether or not the relationship has any longevity.

The Buddie question on the other hand, he reiterated that he’s all for it if that’s the path they go down. He made a remark on their chemistry (before in the same interview also mentioned that while he was playing bi Buck in earlier seasons he’d acknowledge the chemistry he had with other male characters, but of course didn’t give any names then, lol). Then he gives us the hurdle that the writers would have to overcome to make sure bi representation respectful and avoid stereotypes. Now we already see in the show how the writers are trying to work through that.

Hello!! Yes I agree with you in terms of what he discussed when he was talking about Tommy. He was speaking openly about things we very much are aware of. Both in the interview with Zach and the interview that came out yesterday I’m not getting much of a longevity for their relationship. Maybe that’s just how I’m interpreting things. Bc again I just find it strange that Oliver himself isn’t really promoting this new relationship himself. He’s shared many articles and brought attention to his characters storyline but it seems to lack the Tommy portion of it. And him saying he hopes that Tommy sticks around as a friend and somewhat mentor was strange TO ME bc why wouldn’t he talk about hopes of them furthering their relationship to some extent? Idk I’m on the same page as you.

In terms of him already playing into it regardless of Tim mentioning something before this season, I’m sorry but who was he going to play into with??? He didn’t even know Lou was going to be on the show until Tim told him. So who on the show was he planning on leaning it into with? But also who in the show was he having chemistry with in prior seasons that if you went back and rewatched, you’d see bi Buck??? Hmmm the only logical answer to both of those questions is Eddie lol. He even confirmed that both he and Ryan have that chemistry and he knows it comes off across to everyone watching. So again, why would he be playing into that aspect of Buck when he didn’t even know a potential new love interest was being introduced??? And everyone else on the show is already paired off so like…he basically gave us an answer without really giving us an answer. And I’m still choosing to focus on how much the topic of Buddie is being brought up everywhere. In every interview and all the comments and even the official pages constantly posting Buddie. It’s all Buddie and if we’re meant to stop giving that ship any attention and really focus on him and Tommy, like why isn’t there more hype for it? And I’m speaking in terms of Oliver, Tim and stuff. I just idk, to me this all seems like it’s eventually being set up for Buddie and we’re obviously taking the slow route there but yeah lol.

[obaex]

the one that chases you (four) - rafe cameron/jj maybank

summary: you learn the lengths that rafe has gone to chase you and make an important decision about your future together that has ripple effects across the island.

word count: 1.5k

series masterlist

It had been nearly four weeks of starting every morning on a run with Rafe. Despite the early starts, you found yourself jumping out of bed to get dressed and meet him in your driveway, eyes eagerly scanning the gate at Tanneyhill for his sauntering gait. It had quickly become your favorite part of every day. Your body had gotten stronger, allowing you to push your runs further, the prize of extending your time together the motivation that you needed. Well, that, and the bets you placed along the way.

"If I beat you to the next street, you have to run home shirtless" you panted.

"What?" he said - and you were off before he could register the challenge, your unfair advantage securing your win, enjoying your eye candy all the way home.

Mornings together turned into afternoons together, laying by the pool, riding in his golf cart or going to the beach with your friends who had all welcomed you back to the kook life with open arms. You weren't sure where things were headed with Rafe, but you could tell he was serious about you. You would catch him staring at you throughout the day, a goofy smile on his lips, not to mention he was very openly affectionate with you in front of everyone, touching you constantly, whether it was a hand on your leg, his arms wrapped around you, resting his head on yours, or peppering your face with kisses despite the teasing he endured from Kelce and Topper.

Before things went much further, you realized you needed to tell Sarah.

You caught up with her one morning after your run as you and Rafe were getting water in the kitchen at Tanneyhill. She came in the front door, a brief trip home to get a change of clothes before going back to John B's.

"Well hellloooo" she said, taking in the two of you in your sweaty running clothes.

"Hey girl!" you said, reaching over to give her a hug as she ducked away from your sweaty body, both of you laughing. "Can we catch up?" you asked, tilting your head upstairs and she agreed. You gave Rafe one last look as he shot you a wink and reached out to smack your ass on your way.

You lay flat on Sarah's floor, staring up at the ceiling, not wanting to get sweat anywhere as she walked around her room, swapping out clothes and repacking her duffle bag.

"So there's something I wanted to tell you" you started.

"I figured as much" she said, smirking at you.

"I'm kinda seeing someone" you admitted.

"Mhmmm" she said encouragingly.

"You know him, he's a really great guy."

"Yeah?" she said.

"Yeah. I'm really happy."

"I can tell, you are literally glowing Y/N, although that might be from the sweat?" you both laughed at that.

"Promise no matter what, you'll have an open mind?"

"Oh my gosh you can stop dancing around it already, I know you're hooking up with Rafe, the whole island knows."

"What!?"

"This is headline news! People have been shipping the two of you for years."

"Why didn't you tell me?" you said, cheeks flush with embarrassment that Sarah had heard so much about you both.

"Because he's my brother!? I don't know. It weirded me out at first when people started talking about it but at the same time, I know he's had a thing for you forever. I think it's kinda sweet. I mean I know I told you to wait for the boy that chases you, I didn't think you'd take me so literally" she laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Rafe hates running, hates it. Once he graduated and quit lacrosse he vowed never to do it again. But he saw you out on your run one morning and realized you did it every day, so he went out there and tried to keep up with you."

You sat up now, listening intently as she continued, her back to you as she rifled through the clothing in her closet.

"I don't know, maybe he likes it now? He ran every day while you were gone, too, even though he'd be moping around when he got home" she paused "I think he wanted to make sure he didn't miss you coming back."

The idea of Rafe Cameron waking up every morning for six months to do something he hated for the chance to spend time with you melted your heart.

"Thanks for your blessing" you said quickly, popping up to give her a sweaty hug despite her mock annoyance as you ran back downstairs.

You found Rafe in the kitchen leaning against the counter on his phone. He looked up at you as you entered the room, "How'd that go?" he asked, putting his phone down as you sauntered over to him, popping up on your tiptoes to slide your hands around his neck, pressing his back into the counter and kissing him deeply. You could feel his smile kissing you back as his arms circled your waist. "Mm, that good, gorgeous?"

"Sarah shared some pretty interesting information with me" you said mischievously. He stopped kissing you, eyes narrowing as he looked at you skeptically. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like how much you love running" you said.

An embarrassed smile came across his face as he hung his head in defeat. "Guilty as charged" he said. "I hated it. Seriously. Who would put themselves through that kind of torture voluntarily? It's so boring and tedious and painful."

"Why didn't you tell me!? We've been doing it for weeks!" you said, slapping his shoulder playfully.

"Because I know it makes you happy. Plus, I didn't know any other way to strike up a conversation with you at first without it being weird. Eventually it just became our thing and I grew to love it, love doing it with you..." he trailed off. He looked like he wanted to say something else and you studied him inquisitively, tangling your fingers in his, encouraging him. He looked down at your hands, avoiding eye contact, rubbing your knuckles gently with his thumb as he continued.

"The first morning you weren't waiting for me in your driveway, I didn't know what to do. I knocked on your door and no one answered. I called and you didn't pick up, so I ran anyway, thinking maybe you had started without me. But, no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't find you. It didn't even cross my mind that you just weren't going to be there anymore. I did that for a week and then weeks turned into months and then one day you're just back sprinting your brains out ahead of me. I thought I was delusional. I saw you slow to a stop and I didn't know what to do or say, I panicked so I kept running. I didn't make it another quarter mile before I turned around and ran after you, but you were already back in your driveway." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly a little embarrassed to admit that he had literally been chasing you around the island without you knowing it.

"That is the sweetest, saddest thing I have ever heard" you said, laughing kindly.

He lifted his eyes to yours, drinking in your face, your sweet smile. "Been chasing you for a while, gorgeous, just glad that I finally caught up" he said earnestly, pressing a kiss to your lips.

"Apparently the whole island knows" you muttered between kisses.

"Good" he said simply

"Yeah?" you replied

"Yeah, I want everyone to know you're my girl."

"Your girl?" you said eagerly, eyes twinkling, trying to play it cool, but the excitement in your voice extremely obvious.

"If you want to be?" he said, hesitantly.

"Of course I want to be your girl, Rafe Cameron" you replied.

He scooped you into his arms, your legs circling his waist as he kissed you deeply, his heart soaring.

The pogues were sitting around the bonfire at the chateau, Kie strumming her ukulele, Pope and Sarah deep in conversation, JJ laser focused on rolling a blunt as John B scrolled through his phone.

"Wait, what?" he said out loud before he could catch himself.

"What?" asked Sarah.

"Nothing, never mind" he said quickly, casting a knowing look at JJ.

Missing his glare, Kie insisted, "Well now you have to tell us."

"Not important" he replied curtly.

"What is it bro?" JJ asked, picking up on the tension.

"Here" John B said, tossing his phone to JJ, resigned, knowing that he was going to find out sooner or later.

JJ scrutinized the picture closely, face scrunching up in disgust as realization dawned on him and he looked over to Sarah, "So, what? They're together now? Is she fucking him?"

"Real nice, JJ" she sneered "That's my brother and my best friend you're talking about and you lost the right to ask that question two months ago. You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it."

Cursing loudly he stomped away from the bonfire, up the steps and inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

taglist: @louie-bug, @wh0reforbucknasty, @magnificantmermaid, @houseoftwistedspirits

part five

series masterlist

[onlyongallifrey]

can u do a 9th doctor x male reader smut?

Warnings: 18+ only, trans male reader so afab anatomy, reader has top surgery scars

a/n: Hell yes I can!! I love asks like this, short, sweet and to the point :D best part is I can write it however I want! Sick! Hope you enjoy this!

30 Minutes

Thirty minutes.

Thirty minutes was all the time you both had together, at least, alone anyways. You couldn't remember the last time the two of you were able to really be alone in the privacy and seclusion of the TARDIS. Hell, with the amount of adventures the Doctor loves to go on, not to mention all the companions he loves to bring along, you're barely able to even sit down. You had been traveling with Rose and Jack for so long and so often, you honestly forgot what relaxing even was. You were exhausted, and you could tell the Doctor was, too.

Rose and Jack left to go get food for everyone, and you got a call from Rose letting you know it would take about thirty minutes before they were able to get it and come back so you all could eat and relax together. You couldn't lie to yourself; you really didn't want either of them to come back. However, the Doctor seemed to feel the opposite.

You both were spent, exhausted after the last few back to back trips with so many people and barely any time together at all. Didn't help that the Doctor had to save the world almost every single time. Quite frankly, you had enough of all of this scurrying around and saving one world after another. You just wanted a bit of downtime with the man you loved, and now you do. But it's only thirty minutes.

"Only thirty minutes, can you believe that? Only thirty minutes of time. The hell are we supposed to do, talk the whole bloody time?" The Doctor openly complained, pacing around the center console while you sat down on a set of stairs. "Thirty minutes, that's thirty minutes of nothing! Time wasted! We could be several galaxies from here by now, did you know that?"

You chuckled a bit to yourself at his antics, as he was always so antsy. Always eager to go to a new place, never very fond of staying in one for too long. You, however, didn't enjoy the idea of going anywhere else at all at the current moment. And you knew that if you didn't do something, he'd probably end up attempting to fly the ship somewhere else in the universe before Rose and Jack could even come back. So, you took it upon yourself to offer him a pleasant distraction.

"Doctor?" You try to catch his attention, but he's still just pacing around, blabbing to himself. "...Doctor?"

He doesn't pause even for a moment. You know that you're going to have to catch his attention in some way or another. You don't really know how to go about that at first, until you finally get an idea. You smirk to yourself, knowing that this always works, every single time.

"Oh, Doctor? It's getting very warm in here." You say cheekily, and you take note of how the Doctor pauses for a second. "Oh goodness, I guess I'll just have to take my shirt off!"

You announce this loudly, making a show of lifting your shirt off of your body, feeling the cold air of the TARDIS start to hit your warm skin. You suppress a shiver, but you feel yourself start to warm up when he finally looks at you. A mere glance at first, but he does a double take and begins to stare at your body, your beautiful skin and the handsome scars on your chest. He takes a deep breath, which makes you grin. You love how you have this much control over him.

"Well...maybe it isn't really a waste of time after all, then." He says firmly, clenching his jaw before a wide grin spreads across his face. "You've been waiting for this, haven't you? Come to think, it has been a while since we've been alone, hasn't it?"

His voice is low as he begins to move toward you with an intense look in his eyes. God, you love when he gets that look. You remember all the times during dangerous situations when he'd get that look in his eyes. And now here he was, stalking towards you with that same look, like a predator stalking his prey. It makes you feel so much warmer.

"You're right, it is pretty warm in here, isn't it? Very stuffy." The Doctor says quietly as he stands right in front of you, still entranced by only your upper half. "I think you might need to take these off as well."

He tugs at your waistband, pulling you against him, beginning to unbutton them. You waste no time, letting them fall to your feet along with your underwear and kicking them away, the only thing you're left wearing is a pair of socks as you had kicked off your shoes a while ago. The Doctor has to suppress a groan at your nude body, realizing just how long it's actually been since the two of you even had a little bit of privacy. He runs his rough hands over your skin, the sensation making you shiver. His left hand grabs your chin and tilts your head upwards as he leans in to kiss you, the two of you unable to help yourselves as you both groan into the kiss, fully entranced by each other by this point.

You grip the sides of his jacket, the worn leather soft under your hands. His mouth quickly goes on its own path away from your lips and to your neck, starting to kiss and bite on the sensitive flesh. You moan loudly as his wandering hands begin to squeeze your soft bits, gripping your ass and thighs with a quiet desperation. He hasn't been like this in a long time, and fuck, do you love it. He begins to guide you down to the floor of the TARDIS, the metal frigid against your nude skin. This time you do shiver, but not only because of the cold chill, but also because the Doctor has begun to strip as well, tossing his jacket and shirt to the side and beginning to unbutton his pants.

Your breathing grows a bit more rapid, and you feel your sex start to pulse in anticipation. The Doctor doesn't take his pants off, instead opting to pull them down slightly, pulling his moderately large cock out from it's restraints. He's VERY hard, as his left hand moves to stroke it up and down. He looks down at you with both a loving and lustful look, admiring you intensely as his right hand creeps down your body until his fingers find the right spot.

You whine as he slowly pushes a finger inside, your sex already wet and aching with a need for something much bigger. Though, he doesn't yield, pushing one more finger into your depths and slowly moving them in and out, your body beginning to writhe at the cruel teasing. His thumb skillfully moves to your clit, moving around in circles in just the right way, your eyes squeezing shut as you take it all in.

"Look at you, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. Sometimes I forget about how irresistible you are." The Doctor scolded himself as his fingers still move within you, now starting to move at a quicker pace. "That's terrible of me. Have I reminded you of how absolutely gorgeous you are today? Well, you're getting it now."

His thumb moves at a pace that has you seeing stars, your teeth clenching before you moan aloud. You don't see it, but the Doctor is stroking himself at the same pace, watching you and your body intently, making sure that he was doing everything right and making you feel as good as you deserve. He can't help but watch you in awe.

"You're absolutely soaked down here. Are you really enjoying this that much? Do I really make you feel that good?" He comments, beginning to get even more desperate to have you. "Oh, you're such a good boy. Taking it so well for me. Don't worry sweetheart, I'll give you what you want."

He stops, pulling his fingers out from your sex which causes you to whine involuntarily. He tsks at you, before pushing the digits that were inside you into your mouth, making you taste yourself.

"Go on and clean me off, I'll give you what you want after. You'll be a good boy, won't you?" The Doctor speaks lowly, and you groan before beginning to suck on his fingers. "Very good, was that so hard? You're doing so well."

It doesn't take long before his fingers leave your mouth, that hand moving to grip your hip as he positions himself at your entrance. His cock moves in between your folds, pushing it back and forth, teasing you. Finally you can feel him beginning to press against you, and you bite your lip.

"That's it, slowly..." He says quietly, slowly beginning to push himself inside you, and you grit your teeth. "You're alright, don't worry love, just tell me if it's too much, okay? You're doing fantastic."

You let out a shaky breath as he finally sheathes himself completely within you, and your breath gets quicker as you feel a fullness you haven't gotten to experience in a while. He pauses, letting you grow used to his size again, even though it doesn't take you very long. You nod at him, smiling softly. That's all the confirmation he needs before slowly beginning to move, setting a nice, even pace.

Both of you are panting heavily, and the Doctor can't help but start to speed up, having been so deprived of you and your body for so long, he forgot the pleasures of flesh entirely until now. Now he just couldn't stop, pumping himself in and out of you like a well oiled machine, your hands moving to grip his shoulders as he moves to your neck, nuzzling his face into it as he fucks you hard and deep. Your nails start to claw at his back as he goes harder and harder, both of you getting lost in the sensation of your bodies.

The pleasure is intoxicating, so intoxicating in fact that you both completely lose track of time. You both don't even realize that time is even passing until you're screaming into nothing as he groans loudly, filling you to the brim with his cum. He moves to start again, cock still throbbing with a desperate need to continue, to keep going and never stop, the Doctor, he needs you, needs you constantly–

"Doctor! I think we've lost track of time!!" You say suddenly, bringing him back to reality, a look of panic on your face. "How long have we've been at it for–?!?"

The Doctor scrambles up, pants falling to his ankles comically as he runs to the console, checking the time. His eyes widen as he realizes it's been waaaay more than 30 minutes. He swallows. The Doctor swiftly moves to clean the two of you up as fast as possible and look even somewhat presentable before you both go out looking for Jack and Rose.

"I can't believe that happened, dammit, I should have put the TARDIS into stasis, that way this wouldn't have happened– oh I hope they're okay, you think they got lost?" The Doctor speaks to you in a panic, eyes frantic. "You don't think they got attacked, do you?"

"I'm sure they're fine, Doctor. Food was probably late being prepared, that's all." You say, fixing up your clothes. "Look, we're gonna go find them, okay? It's fine! Let's just go and–"

You open the TARDIS doors to see Rose and Jack right by it, sitting on a bench and eating their food, giggling when they see you and the Doctor leave the TARDIS. The Doctor looks at them puzzled, wondering why they're laughing to themselves as your face turns hot, realizing why they're giggling.

"You two have fun in there?" Jack asks, and Rose punches his shoulder before laughing even harder, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sure sounded like it!"

"What are you talking about–?" It takes the Doctor a moment to realize it, seeing you covering your face with your hands, but when he does, he pauses. "Oh! Oh. Oh no."

Even after the two of you get your food and go back into the TARDIS, Rose and Jack can't help but tease the two of you for the next few trips, while also giving you both a bit more privacy. It's embarrassing, but also refreshing, as you and the Doctor get a lot more date nights after that.

Guess thirty minutes wasn't enough.

~Fin~

[bbgem329]

Things Are Never As They Seem—Chapter Twenty Four

Pairings—Sebastian Stan x Actress!Reader, Sebastian Stan x OFC (PR relationship)

Summary

You and Sebastian Stan have been dating privately for over two years. Everything is perfect until he is coerced into a PR relationship when he signed with a new agency to advance his career. Trouble ensues…

Warnings

MINORS DNI!! 18++. Language. Angst. Fluff. Hollywood is shit. PR relationships. Spoiled brats. Mentions of bullying. Did I miss anything?

Series Masterlist

—————

May 12, 2021

You practically jumped, completely started, by the sound of the front door slamming. You slid your bookmark into place and leaned forward to set it on the coffee table as heavy steps stomped down the hall towards you.

You very well knew who it was and by the sound of it, they weren’t very happy.

Not at all.

There was barely any time to move your feet before your boyfriend was falling forward over the armrest, his face landing unceremoniously in your lap and his feet hanging over the edge, with a drawn out groan.

“That bud, huh?”

All you got in response was another muffled groan.

You bit your lip, biting back a laugh as your fingers weaved through his ink black hair, “Was the food good at least?”

“Mhmm.”

“Seb.” You rolled your eyes a little, huffing out a little chuckle. “I can’t read your mind. You’re gonna have to give me more than that.”

He lifted his head, “Just give me a minute. Let me lay here for a second and enjoy this.”

You laughed openly this time, fingers continuing their work on his scalp. “Fine. Only a minute though.”

He’d just come from having lunch with Catalina and of course it was a whole, big ordeal. His team hired a group of girls to take a few pictures of them from a few tables over and post them on twitter. The random sightings tended to do better and look more believable than a pap walk.

They really couldn’t seem to fake it or make it look even remotely real when it came to staged photos.

And by they—you meant Sebastian.

It was best to keep it blurry and somewhat candid.

And only one instead of the fifty a walk would produce.

It would save everyone involved a headache worth of embarrassment.

So he’d been required to sit through an entire meal with her. You couldn’t imagine that was very fun, especially not since she was more than a little pissed at him for attending your premiere.

The last two days had been filled with nothing but damage control for Sebastian and his team. Not only had fans absolutely freaked out (in the best way) over his surprise appearance on the carpet but now there were even more rumors flying about your relationship with him after a few leaked photos.

The photos weren’t anything too crazy.

You’d simply posed for a few shots together, some alone and some with a couple other friends, and they’d caught a shared smile. It wasn’t anything intimate—you weren’t kissing or even being overly touchy but you had to admit the way he was looking at you in a few of the pictures…

Let's just say Catalina wasn’t happy.

Not at all.

And fans definitely were on the ball with some of the rumors floating around.

You had no idea his fans would ship you together that hard but it was all they were talking about.

Hence the absolute need for damage control.

They had lunch today. Sebastian commented on another one of her black and white photos yesterday. And you were sure there would be more tomorrow.

“I’m just so tired of this shit.”

You chewed on your lip, watching him closely as he rolled over, finally ready to talked apparently.

“She’s so annoying.” He jutted his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout, “Being alone with her is the absolute worst.”

You offered him a sympathetic smile, combing his hair back from his face, “I know.”

“I got quite the lecture today.”

You frowned, eyebrows furrowing, “From her?”

He shook his head, reaching out to grab your free hand in his, pulling it to his lips to kiss your knuckles, “Well, she bitched the entire meal but I meant my team.”

You rolled your eyes, “What now?”

It was the same conversations over and over.

You understand they were in a bind when it came to Catalina. They were just doing their jobs, trying to make everyone happy and appease the spoiled brat at the same time. You can’t imagine it was an easy feat but they didn’t have to always lay into Sebastian.

They didn’t need to always demand he give something up.

Compromise went both ways.

You were sick and tired of Catalina getting her way.

His eyes scanned over your face for a moment, hesitating, “She’s making more demands.”

That didn’t really answer your question and you definitely didn’t like the sound of that.

You shifted uneasily, chest growing tighter with each breath, “Like what?”

He pursed his lips, so much guilt and remorse swirling in those cerulean eyes it made you feel sick. The way he was dragging it out, obviously reluctant to tell you made you anxious beyond words.

You knew whatever it was, you weren’t going to like it. Not one bit.

“Just spit it out.” You snapped, louder than you intended to.

“She is demanding more time here. A few times a week.”

You inhaled sharply, your heart felt like it was trying to claw its way up your throat.

Sebastian sat up, turning to face you on his knees so he could take your face in his hands, “I’m trying to work something out. I’m so sorry.”

Of course.

Of fucking course she was using this to her advantage. She’d been patiently waiting for something to dangle over his head—some sort of leverage to get back into your space and back under your skin.

You shook your head. More to yourself than anyone else.

Catalina was going to stop at nothing to make your life a living hell for the duration of this contract.

The thought of her remaining under the same roof, even if just for a few nights, made you feel physically ill. You already had bile crawling up your throat from just the idea alone, you can’t even begin to imagine what kind of shape you would be in when she was actually here.

“Baby.”

You blinked, eyes finally focusing on the man before you.

Why were you so panicked? Why did you allow her to have this much of an affect on you—this much power over you and your emotions?

Sebastian called your name, voice soft and low, “I’m trying to work it out. There is a lot of discussion and I won’t go down on this without a fight.”

“Sebastian.”

“I know.” He dipped forward to press a kiss to your forehead while simultaneously pulling you into his chest, “I know. I’m so sorry. I should’ve listened to you about the premiere. I should’ve been more careful and kept my distance–”

“Seb.”

“But I don’t regret it, sweetheart.” He ignored you, rambling as he combed his fingers through your hair and held you against him, “I’m so fucking thankful I got to be part of that for you. That I got to stand by your side and pose with you… I’ve always wanted that—Always wanted you right by my side, holding my hand at premieres and…” He paused, pressing a quick kiss to your head, “And I love that my fans ship us. This is going to make things so much easier when we decide to go public–”

You smiled, wrapping your arms tighter around his torso and burrowing your face against his rapidly beating heart. There was no interrupting this rambling rampage so you might as well buckle up for the ride and enjoy while you can.

“They love us, baby.” You could practically hear the smile in his voice. “They’ve been leaving comments all over social media about how perfect we’d be together and there is massive speculation about us dating in secret. It’s kinda insane. But I love it”

As much as you loathe to admit, you felt the same way.

Honestly, the love and support around your relationship was thrilling and it made you feel like you’d stuck it to her in a way. Like you’d won this round of whatever game she had started between the two of you.

You didn’t even have to try and his fans liked you better. They would always like you better.

You were better.

At acting. At relationships. At being a good person.

It wasn’t necessarily good thinking. You didn’t want to be that person—you hated that she brought out this side of you. It wasn’t nice and it brought you down to her level in the worst way.

“I’m happy that they seem to accept our relationship…”

“But…?” Sebastian added, tilting his head to the side with a raised brow.

“But I don’t want to tick her off anymore.” You sighed softly, “I don’t want her coming after us even more than she already is.”

He nodded thoughtfully, his thumb brushing over your cheek, “I know.”

You let out a heavy sigh, shifting closer to him and wrapping your arms over his shoulders, “I just wish this was over already.”

“Me too.” He mumbled, pressing his face into the top of your head as weaved his arms around you, pulling you into his lap as he sat back, “I’m sorry. I’m really trying to keep the peace—to keep her away from you.”

“It’s not your fault.” You said softly, voice a little muffled by his shirt. “We will do what we have to do to finish this and get it over with. I can suck it up for a little bit.”

He was quiet for a moment, fingers stroking through your hair, “They said if she were to stay here a couple times a week, they would have a couple other people stay with us so we wouldn’t have to be alone with her.”

“Okay.” Was all you could respond with–all you could offer at the moment.

“Okay?” He squinted at you, “Just okay?”

You didn’t necessarily want this but if it made things easier on him, you would do it.

You would put up with her for the next seven months.

Until the end.

You nodded, “Yes. Okay.”

—————

May 16, 2021

Focus on the page.

Words.

Words.

Read the fucking words.

“You’ve read the page like fifty times now.”

Your head snapped up to Sebastian sitting on a couch across from you, a glare already hardened across your face.

“I thought you liked that book.”

Before you could respond the timer you’d set on your phone went off.

You let out a huff, setting the book aside to remove the ice from your ankle but he beat you too. Placing it on the other end of the table before gently stapping your foot back in the walking boot.

“Thank you.” You smiled softly, “And you’re the one distracting me from my book. You and that damn drum stick.”

He threw his head back with a laugh, the sound making your belly flutter.

“I’m just trying to practice.” He breathed out, still laughing a little, “I am trying to take a cool video and post it.”

“What do you mean you need practice?” You giggled, waving a hand at him, “You’ve nailed it. It’s so distracting!”

He smirked, “Why?”

And then he started twirling the damn stick between his fingers again.

Effortlessly too, you might add.

“You know why.” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest.

“I don’t actually.”

You didn’t think it was possible for him to smirk any harder but you were wrong and his lips corked even higher in the corners.

You were going to punch that stupid, sexy smirk right off his face.

You felt your cheeks flame a little as you continued to watch him, his eyes growing hooded and tongue slipping out to skim his bottom lip in a very, very suggestive manner.

He knew what he was doing to you. He knew a little too well.

You snatched a pillow off the couch beside you and launched it full force at him. “Oh, fuck off.” You laughed, “You damn well know you’re hot and that you’re good with your fingers.”

“Oh, I know I’m good with my fingers, sweetheart.” He chuckled darkly, “The way you were moaning my name last night supports that–”

That earned him another pillow to the face, unfortunately he caught it before it made impact this time and threw it right back at you.

“I told you to never bring that up again.” You leaned forward to burrow your face in the pillow, hiding the red creeping over your cheeks.

You’d gotten a little loud last night and by a little, you meant Eli had literally banged on the door, hollering at you both to quiet down and then Sebastian had woken to a text from his manager stating that Catalina had complained about it too.

You were embarrassed.

Sebastian was smug.

And you’d been hiding out in the bedroom for most of the day.

Mostly to avoid Eli and Molly, you really couldn’t give a fuck about Catalina.

In fact, maybe it would help get through her thick head that Sebastian wasn’t interested and he was with you.

“Baby.” He rose from his seat and walked around the coffee table before crouching down in front of you, taking your face in his hands, “I promise you Eli doesn’t care. He hasn’t even said a word to me since.”

You jutted your bottom lip out in a pout, “That’s almost worse.”

He laughed, leaning forward to press a kiss to your pouty lips. “I promise everything is fine. Everyone in this house knows we have sex.”

“If they didn’t before, they do now.”

He laughed again, brushing his thumb over your cheek, “But wasn’t it worth it?”

You couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at the corner of your lips even if you tried, “Maybe.”

Sebastian grinned, all smug and sexy, “It definitely was.”

“Mhmm.” You leaned forward, brushing your nose against his.

“Admit it.” He whispered, cupping the back of your head, “Admit it was worth it.”

Your lips barely skimmed his, teasingly, “It was worth it”

He gripped the back of your head and finally connected your lips to his in a hard, desperate kiss. One you reciprocated wholeheartedly, arching up into him as your arms wrapped over his shoulders. Before you even knew what was happening he was pulling you up and tugging your legs around his waist. You clung to him as he plopped back on the couch with you in his lap and deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue into your mouth.

You openly moaned when his tongue tangled with yours and his hands slid down to cup your ass, kneading the flesh through your thin cotton shorts.

Your fingers tangled in his hair and you shifted your hips forward, grinding yourself against the growing bulge at the apex of your thighs, “Sebastia–”

The door swung open, smacking loudly against the wall.

You scrambled off Sebastian’s lap, fumbling with your hair and tucking your breast back into your tank top.

You shook your head to yourself, you hadn’t even realized that had fallen out.

“Sebbbyyyy.”

Your heart dropped into you gut as you looked up to find Catalina stomping toward you.

“What the actual fuck.” Sebastian hissed, rising from the couch, his hands held out on either side of him, “You can’t just barge in here. Have you ever heard of knocking?”

Catalina shrugged, completely ignoring your presence, her eyes immediately zeroing in on the obvious bulge in his black shorts, “I texted you I was coming in.”

He followed her line of sight, immediately reaching up to snatch the pillow off the couch and hold it over his crotch, “That’s not how it fucking works. Get the fuck out, dude.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, “I’m not a dude.”

“Oh my God.” He huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes clenched shut, “What the fuck do you want?”

You pulled your legs up to your chest and then pulled the blanket over your shoulders, suddenly feeling very exposed and raw.

This was one of your new problems since she’d started staying here. Catalina didn’t know or understand the term boundaries.

Or she just didn’t give a flying fuck about respecting them.

You were sure it was the latter.

“Two things,” She plopped down on the couch across from you, making herself at home, “When are you going to post your video? They said I could comment on it.” She leaned forward, stealing a strawberry from your bowl of fruit and you had to resist smacking her hand away and maybe her plastic face too, “And why aren’t you going to award thing tonight? Everyone is talking about how your friend Andew is going.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “Why are we not going, Sebby?”

“His name is Anthony.” You spoke up, tone harsher than you intended it to be, “Not Andrew.”

Finally she looked at you for the first time since rudely barging into your room and if looks could kill there was no doubt you’d be six feet under, “Was I asking you? No.”

“Do not speak to her like that.” Sebastian snapped, he took a hold of her elbow and gently pulled her from the couch, “You need to leave. They way you barged in here was inappropriate and if it happens again, you won’t be allowed to stay here any longer.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” She whined, yanking her arm from his hold and crossing her arms over her chest with a dramatic stomp of her foot. “I’m not leaving until you answer.”

You watched with a baited breath as Sebastian stormed over, grabbing his phone from the coffee table. He typed at the screen, his frustration evident in the clench of jaw. “There.” He tossed the phone back on the couch, took her elbow again, guiding her towards the door, “I posted the fucking video, go comment to your hearts content.”

“But what about the award–”

“We don’t do red carpet events, Catalina.” He grit out through clenched teeth, “It’s in the contract. So even if I went, you wouldn’t have gone with me anyways.” He paused, breathing heavily, “You will not attend any events with me, ever.”

You’re sure he didn’t mean it as harshly as it had come out. Or maybe he did.

She needed harsh if you were being honest. She really couldn’t take no for an answer and needed it spelled out for her more times than not.

“It’s good press.” She hissed, stopping at the door, “For both of us.”

“No, it’s not.” He gave her a gentle push into the hallway, holding the door so she couldn’t slop back in, “And I have an early shooting tomorrow and didn’t feel like going, not that I owe you any explanation. You don’t get to be a part of my life, Catalina. I do the stunts and show up when I’m needed. I’ve told you I don’t want to interact outside of that and you need to respect that decision. If you need something or have questions, go through my team.”

With that he slammed the door shut in her face and locked it.

“You okay?” You asked softly as he approached.

He fell back on the couch beside you with a heavy sigh, “Are you?”

You shifted, crawling into his lap, “I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, reaching up to run his knuckles across your cheek, no doubt noticing the unnatural flush there, “I should’ve locked the door. I didn’t think she’d do that.”

You shook your head, “It’s not your fault.”

“This is going to be a long summer, isn’t it?”

You chuckled a little, wrapping your arms around his neck and sliding back in the position you were in before you were rudely interrupted, “Probably but at least we have each other.”

“Mmmm.” His nose brushed against yours, breath hot on your lips, “Should we talk about his more?”

You nodded a little, eyes fluttering as his hands found home on your ass, “Maybe later.”

“Okay.”

He crushed your lips to his and you picked up right where you left off.

Everything Catalina could wait.

—————

Taglist

@justlovelifeblog @inlovewith3 @buckybarnesandmarvel @sleutherclaw @snugglingbucky @perlaluna @littlewhiterose

@idontwannagomrstarkk @abihaaa14 @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @sebsgirl71479 @getofffmydick @eccentricnos @barnesml @aira1995 @sweetwritingfanficfriend @dhoruwolfie @unaxv @nerdytif

[evilwickedme]

Losing my mind at the kids reading Bruce/Batman fic

No cause I actually think about this stuff all the time. The Waynes are celebrities!!! Depending on your preference they could be international celebrities or local celebrities, but Bruce and Tim have both been the CEO of an international conglomerate worth billions, Bruce at the very least has to have been on the cover of TIME magazine and had a billion interviews about how-to-be-successful even though, you know, he's the definition of a nepo baby. So between the Waynes and the Batman being two of the most important cultural exports from Gotham, and the fact that WE openly funds Batman, there's gotta be some really good stuff in the celebrity and superhero RPF fandoms, right? It's just sort of obvious that people will start shipping them

So. Who brings it to the Batfam's attention? There are several possible avenues. I personally think it makes the most sense for Tim or Steph to have found it. They're both around 17-19, they went to school and had friends, so yeah, they're on social media. Tim has to have an online presence that's semi professional and so has a secret second account on all websites and apps, but Steph goes full fucking feral on main. I think Tim gets @ - ed a lot by weirdos, including people tagging him in their Tim Drake/YN fanfiction (sidenote do not do this in real life. Please don't do this in real life), but for that reason it might actually be that his blacklist is a mile long. Like he simply cannot see the word fanfiction on his Twitter feed. So Steph is the one that finds the one million BruBats fanfiction. She sees it mentioned and hunts it down. And then she sends it in the batkids GC and shit EXPLODES

Dick is very much like, a person with better things to do than be a weird gremlin online and he's never actually seen a fanfic before. He's heard of it because he gets asked weird things sometimes, but this is effectively his introduction to the world of fic and he's horrified. He steals Damian's phone so he won't see it which just makes Damian all the more curious and determined to read it. It gets physical

Steph and Tim take turns reading it out loud to Cass (Steph does Batman's voice, Tim voices Bruce) who finds the whole thing a little baffling. Neither Brucie nor Batman are particularly similar to her adoptive father and the concept of fic is a little out of her wheelhouse, although Steph does a very good job explaining the basic terms and reasons for its existence to her

Babs knew all along. This wasn't new to her. She's read worse things while doing research for cases

Duke reads the whole thing in one sitting (ish, it's really long). It's actually really good and he leaves some really thoughtful comments on the characterization and slow burn. The author doesn't reply but does cherish those comments forever

Jason wrote it Jason doesn't interact with the GC but babs literally hacked his phone to prevent him from leaving it so he opens it once a week to mark it as read and leave and he happens to open it in the middle of this shit going down and decides to check it out. He accidentally clicks on the relationship tag however and sees things you can't unsee. He literally runs over his phone and vows to go off the grid from now on

[bakubunny]

Upset my brain didn't come up with this yesterday but better late than never ig 💀

Sukuna absolutely makes you call him King or Lord or Sire or something like that in bed.

I'm just imagining normal Sukuna but maybe he's been reformed or something. Kinda like Discord from MLP where they were like "Yo what if we get him on our side so this powerful being will use his abilities for good instead of harm—" Like he's still the King of Curses, he just works with the good guys now so Yuji is no longer his vessel because he doesn't need to be repressed anymore. And because of that, he still has his "True Form" that he shape shifts into when he's not out in public (as to not, yk scare people), and he obviously still has his personality because I adore when antagonists are reformed but still keep the personality they had before. (Idk I hate when they just all of a sudden turn super sweet and kind like smh sure make them nice but keep them snarkyyyy >:( )

He eventually finds a pretty little human and gets into a relationship with them after a long ass time of trying not to admit he's fallen for a human. Obviously he's sweet and caring in his own way but I 100% think he'd treat you like you were a peasant or something in bed. Like maybe it's a form of roleplay or maybe not but he'd make you call him your King and make you grovel and beg at his feet before he'd make you cum, all clad in his True Form and everything. Obviously all consensual! He gets off to knowing that being treated like you're inferior to him has the same effect on you as it does him. Maybe a size kink and a strength kink are at play too bc duh mans is massive.

Maybe it's him missing the days when he had all of his concubines and all the power he could ever want. Maybe he feels slightly bad about missing that life because he's reformed now. But after gently coaxing him into telling you what's wrong, you'd make him feel like it was ok and he'd probably fall deeper in love with you because of it; even if he doesn't show it very openly all the time.

Idk maybe this is dumb 🤷‍♀️

ok but here's the thing miz i am all for this. in fact, one of my most loved ships involves something v. similar and i... i won't gush about a ship from another fandom here but you get the point lol.

for sukuna, it's a power thing, and he loves it. he pretends it's not what makes him go soft but it totally is; the way the title catches in your throat, the pleading look on your face, your willingness to give over that much of yourself despite the fact that something like that is challenging to do. it's hugely vulnerable to get before him like that and grovel. and it makes his heart all soft for you before he even knows it.

eta: he tells himself it's all of the things you mentioned and scoffs at the idea of anything else. but aa;slkfja;lkgh

[blurredblu]

Okay okay real talk I'm gonna spitball on why I find sonadow in sonic prime so full of potential and I'll stick a read more before I mention spoilers for s2e1 of prime

Personally (personally!) I don't actively ship it in other sonic media not that ya boy hasn't read fic of it anyway, but I think Sonic's more hyper/puppydog characterisation in Prime lends itself soooo well to sonadow to work in Prime

Like, in the games' iteration of Sonic and the versions of him I tend to prefer, he's calmer, less easy to bother, and confident enough in his friendships to often go off and do his own thing. Prime Sonic would probably be prescribed ritalin. They are both lovable and very much not the same

Shadow, on the other hand, comes off as relatively consistent in his characterisation from what I know of him in the games honestly the trouble is I don't think he appears all that often but that's a separate thing - and he takes nooooone of Sonic's shit and is So Serious All The Time except the moments where his competitive and smug and slightly dramatic nature comes out and he's absolutely great

What I really love is that sonic remains as teasing and full of charm as ever but is more emotionally open and communicative than his game counterpart. It makes sonadow work really well, because you have this potential for intimacy and understanding to form between them on an emotional level in a way I don't think their game counterparts would facilitate as easily. Like, you have Sonic HUG shadow! And even nine in a snippet from the trailer! Game Sonic, my absolute beloved, is no hugger, and not nearly as effusive as prime Sonic is

And that I think paves so much potential for a sonadow dynamic that fits my tastes! Shadow is fiercely independent and, as s2e1 shows, more than ready to just handle things by himself unless he literally can't. For a game counterpart dynamic, in my mind, Sonic is too similar at his core—fiercely independent and ready to handle things himself if need be—for them to have a really solid chance to connect on deeper emotional levels (ntm you got Shadow working for the military(???) and sonic is as anti-establishment as i've ever seen him)

But this Sonic? He's so much more open and flawed and willing to shoulder his faults and fix them - and he loves his friends so much more openly and obviously, too! That's something that paves the first steps towards trust and vulnerability from Shadow, to me - and that's super exciting!

Not to mention their dynamic so far in the episode is so fun as a result! Having a much more emotional Sonic and both of them having streaks of immaturity or smugness to varying degrees results in them being able to grow by being alongside one another. They could already keep each other in check physically in the games, but the tweaks in characterisation here resonates with some more emotional chemistry to me now :))

[pinkandgoldensoul]

Already Home || Chapter 2 - Flying Dutchman

(gif and divider are mine. If you like them, you can use them with credits!) Navigation || Masterlist  Previous || Next If this is your first time here on this blog, please check the Disclaimers here.

pairing: max verstappen x female!reader, mentions of charles leclerc x female!reader genre: friends to lovers, kind of slow burn, angst, fluff and comfort !tw!: swearing, drinking, brief mentions of catcalling, insecurities, negative thoughts, mental breakdown (as a famous anonymous quote says, “All the time you need to read the disclaimers”) other notes: loosely based on the Dutch GP 2022 word count: 9.9k I wanted to thank you for reading and liking chapter 1! ♥ Hope you'll enjoy this one too!

Flying Dutchman: ghost ship destined to never come back but sail the sea unseen, alone.

«Here you are. Be careful, it’s hot!» «Oh, yes! Thank you!» «Where’s mine?» «Don’t be impatient! I only have two hands, give me a second!» «Why did you give it to him first?» «Stop complaining or it won’t come out good!» «Well, y/n, I doubt your hot chocolate could taste any less than excellent.»

At that compliment, you turned over to the Monegasque driver sat at the table and smiled. «Thanks, Charles.» «So? Is it ready?» Max peeked over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of the small pot containing the precious brown liquid, but you immediately shook him away. «No, and if you ask me one more time, I’m drinking it myself!» Defeated, Max fell back down on his chair, his head resting on his palm, annoyingly watching Charles blow into the mug and enjoy the drink. You definitely had a bias. Despite the thought, his eyes were automatically drawn by your figure and lingered on it: he couldn’t restrain himself from looking at your tied hair and the few strands framing your face, your arms confident in each movement and motherly at the same time. Max loved how happy you would be whenever you had the chance to put a mug of your hot chocolate in front of someone, waiting for feedback; you would grin so sweetly and a soft blush would cast over your cheeks, in the most delighted and bright expression he’s ever seen on your face. Max would secretly watch you cooking, enchanted, smiling to himself, each time as if it were the last you would ever offer him a cup. 

As he drifted his gaze, Max caught Charles spying on him with the mug still in his hands and a slightly raised brow, as to display a little bit of confusion and curiosity at the same time.  Before he could react to the Monegasque glance, you quickly motioned towards the table with the saucepan. «And this is for you, you grumpy.» you said, pouring the sweet liquid into an orange mug. «It’d better taste like a race win!» Max joked, finally content to have his drink. You rolled your eyes at him and ignored the comment, placing the dirty pan into the sink.  You then realized the kitchen counter was too messy to your liking; willing to clean it, you searched for a bin, with no results. «Max, do you know where the trash can is?» you asked him. «I think it’s outside.» he said, without making eye contact, too focused on his chocolate treasure. «Ok, I’ll go check!» you announced, bringing some trash with you. 

After you closed the door, the two drivers were left alone with their steaming cups. «You’re so lucky, mate.» Charles stated, stirring with the spoon. «Yeah, I know, her hot chocolate is on another level!» Max chuckled. Charles briefly smiled before letting drop his gaze. «How… How are things with Kelly?» Max shot his head back up and widened his eyes: Charles had never been so direct and never asked about Kelly, at least not this openly. Even though he was a bit surprised at the sudden question, he kept his cool. As always. «Really good!» he said, grinning. «What about you and Charlotte?»  «Oh yeah, yeah, all good!» Charles rushed, flashing a sheepish smile. Ok, this is weird, Max thought.  As awkwardness was now settled into the conversation, the Dutch decided it would be a good idea to change topic. «Which flavour did you choose?» Max said, clearing his throat before asking. «Salted caramel. The contrast tastes really good.» As Max started nodding, already running out of conversation prompts, Charles kept talking. «I don’t know how she does it, because I’ve tried at home and it was a mess.» he said, pointing to the mug a couple of times, emphasizing his resignation. «But hers is just perfect. She has a talent for it.» «Yeah, I think so. Look how smooth it is on the surface.» Max said, getting the Monegasque’s attention on his cup. «Ah, I wish I could make it at home, especially during the winter break. Sometimes I just miss the taste of it.» Then Charles, pondering his own words, furrowed his brows and looked back at Max. «Can’t you ask y/n the recipe?» «What?» Max asked, disbelieved. «The recipe, so that I can make it on my own!» Charles laughed. «Oh, mate, I’ve tried to discover her secrets, but it’s impossible. She doesn’t even let me get close to the stove!» «Because you would tell me I’m doing things wrong!» you snapped back at him, entering the kitchen. «Y/n, please, could you give me the recipe?» Charles chirped, eyes full of hope. You reflected upon his request, then looked back at the pair of drivers sitting in front of you: was it fair to reveal your secret recipe to one of them - given the fact that you had never let Max know and weren’t planning on doing that any time soon? No, it wasn’t, but Charles’ beautiful eyes were begging you to do so.

Still, you didn’t. You didn’t want Max to think you preferred Charles over him. Because it wasn’t true anyway. «No, Charles, I’m sorry. I can’t.» you answered, swiping the counter’s surface with some paper towel to remove a few wet patches. «Y/n, please!» Charles said, frustrated. «You two are truly a pain!» you chuckled. «Only because you refuse to share with us the recipe to the most delicious hot chocolate of all time.» «You know you’re not going far with compliments, right?» you said, turning around towards the Monegasque. «I won’t surrender, y/n, you have my word.» he stared at you, a small grin on his lips. «Then we’ll see who surrenders first, ‘cause I won't either, Charles.» The Ferrari driver, impressed by your resolution, turned towards Max. «Should I be scared?» he then asked. «Very, very scared.» And with that, Max firstly grinned at him, only to meet your eyes a few seconds later. You stared at each other for a while, before your phone alarm rang and echoed through the kitchen.  «It’s almost 2 p.m.!» you exclaimed, addressing Max. «Do you need help with the luggage?» he asked you, getting up from the table. Charles got up as well, shaken by your haste. «You’re taking a flight too, y/n?» Charles said, looking at you a bit surprised. Uncertain about the answer you should give, you turned to Max for help; he simply nodded, suggesting you go on. «Yes, I’m going to Monaco.» you said with an awkward smile. «Then we’ll be on the same plane! That’s so cool!» Charles remarked with enthusiasm. «Is it to relax a little bit?» he then asked. Mouth agape, unable to answer his question, Max jumped into the conversation and saved you from bashfulness. «No, she’s moving in with me and Kelly.» he boldly stated. Charles looked at you, only to see you nodding at Max’s words. «That’s amazing! I don’t even need the recipe anymore, I’ll visit you everyday during the winter break!» His excitement was contagious and got you all laughing.  There was no point in denying you were nervous about going living with two people under the spotlight, but you felt relief knowing you could count on the support and friendship of many, making it easier for you to embrace the new chapter of your life. Nothing was going to be the same ever again, no turning back. You knew that it could be your chance.

You and Charles agreed on heading to the airport together; Max followed you to the car and was kind enough to bring the suitcase for you.  «Kelly should be there before you arrive, but if she’s not home call me.» he told you. «I will.» you smiled. «See you soon in Zandvoort, then!» He grinned, and you waved at him while you got inside the car with Charles. Already missing the presence, you watched his silhouette gradually getting smaller in the rear-mirrors, until he disappeared. Distance, though, couldn’t erase the warmth his smile left on your blushing skin.

Moving in with Max didn’t take long: all your belongings always travelled with you inside a suitcase. That was all you had. Jumping from a hotel room to another, you never bothered unpacking; not that you had a lot to unpack anyway. Without money, you never had the chance to buy loads of new clothing pieces; you didn’t think you needed them and you were well aware that, even if you did, you simply couldn’t ask Max for those. He was doing way too much and you didn’t want to abuse his kindness. It was a cloudy day in Monaco, that Tuesday. Max had decided to book a flight for you, so that you could already settle in; he was staying in Belgium with his family for a while before moving to Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, for his home race. He reassured you Kelly would help you through it, but you didn’t think it was fair to her to be your guide: you were Max’s friend, not hers. She shouldn’t have been compelled to do anything for you. And again, there weren't a lot of things to settle, apart from yourself. Looking at the outside of the building, you checked the address a few times before ringing the doorbell. «Hello, who is it?» a feminine voice answered. «It’s y/n, Max’s friend.» «Come in!»

Since the lift could only be accessed using a key, you had to drag the suitcase up the stairs. So damn tiring. As soon as she saw you, Kelly came towards you to help you with the suitcase, probably expecting to see you with more than one, only to be caught by surprise. You had a single, small one. Once you made it on top of the stairs, you finally made eye contact with her and rapidly smiled, before dropping your gaze to the floor. «Let’s go in, I’ll show you around!» Kelly said, motioning for you to follow her. The apartment was modern but cozy at the same time; you could definitely tell she had chosen some pieces of furniture, since they looked classy and glamour, opposed to others which were neat and essential. Probably Max’s touch. «This is the living room and that’s the kitchen. Don’t expect Max to cook, though.» she warned you. «I know, I know!» you chuckled. Admiring the rooms, you got closer to a shelf near the tv and looked at some framed pictures. It was Kelly and Penelope, Penelope playing alone, Max and Kelly, all the three of them together. A family; maybe imperfect, but still a family. «Come, I’ll show you your room!» She interrupted your gazing session and guided you towards a corridor. «Here’s the bathroom, I’ve cleaned a bit so that you can put your toiletries.» «Thanks.» you softly said. «And this is your room.» Entering it, you stared in awe at the bright tones of the furnishings, the light coming through the curtains, the clean and harmonious look of it. You couldn’t believe it was a spare room for guests. «Do you like it?» Kelly asked, a pleased smile on her lips. «It’s… perfect.» You were about to thank her, when she took your luggage and dragged it into the room. «I’ll help you store clothes!» she said, opening the suitcase. You tried to stop her. «No, Kelly, it’s okay, you’ve done enough!» Your words coming out more aggressively than you intended, you corrected yourself. «I mean, you’ve already accepted me moving here with you and Max and… and you don’t have to help me even more. You’ve already done a lot.» She looked at you with a bright - almost practiced - smile plastered onto her face. She was beautiful. Stunned by her flawless hair, her mesmerizing eyes and enviable fit body, the success in her field and the allure she brought everywhere she’d go, you thought nobody could ever blame Max for loving her. As much as nobody could blame Kelly for falling in love with him. «I’m here to make you feel comfortable and to help you, y/n. You’re Max’s friend, so if he trusts you, I’ll trust you too. - As her white teeth showed once again, you smiled back full of gratitude. «So… Is this all you have?» she asked, eyeing the suitcase with a subtle and almost unnoticeable hint of disappointment. «Yes, that’s it.» «Okay, don’t move.» She stormed out of your room before you could say something. You took advantage of those moments to appreciate the view from your window: chic buildings slowly opened towards the deep-blue sea, creating a breathtaking scenery. Surreal, for someone like you. You heard Kelly’s steps getting closer to the door and turned around, your eyes growing wide. «Can you help me?» She had a ton of clothes in her arms and was barely able to hold them on her own; you rushed to her and took some, placing them onto the bed. «I was going to throw them away because I don’t have enough room, but if there’s something you like you can take it!» Feeling the various textures and carefully going through a few, you thanked her multiple times. Kelly then obliged you to try them on, to see the ones that suited you the best; she was way more excited than you were, but the minimum you could do to show appreciation was indulge her. Whenever something didn’t fit because of your different sizes, you simply told Kelly it wasn’t your style - which sometimes was the case, but most of the times it wasn’t. In all honesty, you could’ve never stood up to the challenge and you didn’t want to feel embarrassed. «You have to try this on!» she said, grabbing a short blue dress. Too short to your liking. «Uhm, I don’t think I’ll ever wear it…» you mumbled. «Why not?? This is brand new, I’ve never worn it but it’s super cute! Try it!» There was no real choice. Sure it wouldn’t fit you anyway, you changed in the bathroom with low expectations. To your surprise, the fabric glided over your skin without stretching. Pulling up the zip onto the side, you slowly raised your head to look at your reflection in the bathroom’s mirror. You looked beautiful. You felt beautiful. You normally wouldn’t even throw a glance over a dress like that one, but there was something that made you feel comfortable, almost at home. The color. That soft and rich tone of blue, familiar in the most literal sense. Similar to Red Bull’s. On your way to Kelly, you couldn’t stop touching and straightening the fabric in an attempt to make the dress a little longer, noticing how it would get even shorter while walking. Your arm brushing against the door frame, your gaze down, you heard Kelly gasp. «Oh my God.» she said, momentarily speechless. She got up from the bed and came closer, hands on your shoulder, checking you out with shocked eyes. «It’s yours.» Kelly stated. «Don’t you think it is a little too short?» you tried to stop her excitement. She simply gave you a look that wasn’t leaving room for discussions. «It looks amazing on you, y/n. You’re keeping it and you’re wearing it on Sunday night!» «Sunday night?» you asked, frowning. A warm and big smile crept over her lips. «On Max’s victory party.» At the thought, you grinned as well. The Flying Dutchman was coming home.

Zandvoort was invaded by the Orange Army. Everywhere you went, everywhere you turned around, every person your eyes were able to see even from a distance wore the Dutch colors or Red Bull hats and tees, screamed and drank in delight and excitement, lit up orange smoke bombs. There was no room for anything else, no room for anyone else: it was as bright as the day that those fans only cheered one driver, only worshipped one god, one king. And that was Max. The appreciation he was receiving in the country he chose as his was immeasurable; being a champion who made the Netherlands so well known all over the world and, as if that alone weren’t enough, winning a world title and placing the Dutch flag on top of the podium could only make way for an unconditional love and, on a higher level, led him to be appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau.  Max felt proud, grateful and compelled to keep giving his best, even though it wasn’t really necessary: there was no need to fuel a lion’s hunger.

Gear box’s problem during the first run of free practice didn’t ruin the mood: both crowd’s spirits and Red Bull’s didn’t loosen up, quite the opposite, they grew stronger in anticipation and excitement for a hoped feat, during a tricky and unpredictable weekend. Max seemed to have turned insensitive to pressure: his features were calm and relaxed as usual, a well-mannered and tolerant demeanor, but sharpness and determination still showed. Not even his father testing positive for Covid was able to break his impassivity, what could ever make him lose the newfound coolness, mastered throughout the years, and shatter his emotional stability? Nothing, right? # «I know everyone asks you and this might be annoying, but…» «Where am I going next year?» «Yeah…» «Trust me, y/n, I have no fucking clue.» As Daniel answered you with defeated eyes, a veil of sadness took over you.  One thing was Sebastian retiring after an amazing career and with high chances of seeing him coming back to the sport relatively soon; another thing was accepting the fact that Daniel had to end his F1 career way too early without any future plan, without the peak he deserved.  It hurt you, so you couldn’t even understand how much it could hurt him. Probably you’d never do. «I know where you are going, though.» he smirked. «Uh? What do you mean?» you asked, confused. A smirk appeared on his face. «You’re moving to Max’s house in Monaco, right?» You stared at him slightly taken aback. «Did Max tell you already?» you said, diverting the gaze. «Yes, and I was extremely outraged.»  You couldn’t help but smile at his teasing tone. «Why did you ask him? I live in Monaco too!» Daniel went on. «You’re telling me you would accept someone else living with you?» you raised your eyebrow, doubtful. You could see him thinking about it with the mouth slightly open. «No, you’re right, I wouldn’t, but you have to promise you’ll spend more time with me rather than with Max.» «That was obvious, Dan. You know you’ll always be my favourite Red Bull driver. » «Coming from someone who’s friend with the V-squad, it’s hard to believe you.» he chuckled. «V-squad?» «Vettel-Verstappen. That’s some lethal shit.» You bursted out laughing. «They're everything but lethal, Daniel!» you said. «Well, I see you know more than I do.» The fact that he'd been teammate of both was enough to suggest to you he was being ironic, but you suddenly realized that it could also be a simple statement: he'd been teammate of both, teammate of two world-title-worth drivers. A sense of guilt caught you: Daniel probably deserved more, but he'd never really shown his entire potential. What would've happened if he'd found someone who'd believe in him as much as everybody did with Seb and Max? No one would ever know, Daniel would never know; but he'd live wondering, eaten by hopes and broken dreams.  Well, it was better to enjoy what was left before it completely disappeared. As you were still talking with the McLaren driver, you heard someone calling for you from afar; turning around, you saw Carlos raising an arm at you as a greeting.  As he got closer, he quickly smiled at you and Daniel. «How's life in hell?» Dan asked, playful. «Better than you might think, Ricciardo.» Carlos teased him, emphasizing the r's in his last name.  After chitchatting a little, the Spanish driver addressed you. «Charles wanted to know if you're watching practice from our box.» Your thought immediately going to Red Bull’s garage and Max's fans all around you reminding you in case you'd ever forget about him, you gave an apologetic smile to Carlos. «I'm sorry, this is Max's home race... But I promise I'll be with you for Monza!» «You weren't with me in Melbourne, y/n. I would've never thought you'd picked favourites!» Daniel faked shock. «We all know y/n only has one favourite driver.» Carlos' knowing stare made you feel uncomfortable. Why did he have to be so intense in stating something you didn't want to hear out loud? Walking towards Red Bull's box, memories with Max unfolded before your eyes: you always struggled to see the evil character some people would portray him as. To you Max had a kind heart, had been hurt as everybody else, had hated and loved as anybody else; leading a life like his, probably would’ve led you to a breakdown, dreading journalists and their stupid or intrusive questions, whereas Max had learned to handle them and to accompany his words with a smile.  And he was just in his twenties.  Everybody seemed to forget how young he’d been and still was, but you couldn’t: the way his nose crinkled while laughing, his eyes squeezed, his laugh, held the fun, the joy, the purity youngsters have. That carelessness, spontaneity and freedom you only experience in your young years.  Max felt like a breath of fresh air. Oxygen to your lungs, to your suffocating life. You spent every single moment of Max being on track with Red Bull’s headphones on: you saw him conquer pole position, being cheered in a way you’d never imagine, overtaking Mercedes while you had your heart in your mouth, winning in Zandvoort and people in the grandstands going absolutely crazy.  You tried to push through the crowd to reach him, congratulate him, show you were there for him; you soon gave up, as a group of close friends and family members gathered around him.  Right before you could see Max and Kelly’s heads getting closer to share a kiss, your eyes were caught by a red fire suit passing next to you, drinking from a water bottle. Charles, noticing you, smiled and you both headed towards each other. «Congratulations, Charles!» you screamed, in order to be heard among the chaos. «Oh thank you, y/n.» he said, forcing a smile. You emphatically put a hand on his shoulder to console him; you could see he wasn’t pleased at all with the result, but you didn’t want him to dwell on it while going to the podium celebration. As you tried to comfort him a little, Max, who was searching for you, saw you consoling an unsatisfied Charles. Too impatient to wait for you to be over, Max closed the gap in a few steps and put your conversation with the Monegasque to an abrupt end.  Before you could say anything, Max pulled you in a hug, engulfing you with his adrenaline and happiness. You closed your eyes and let your hand wander through his sweaty hair, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of it. Your heartbeat raised to match his, a wave of overwhelming feelings messing with you.  «I won, y/n!» The sky behind him already sunsetting made an extraordinary scenery with warmth tones that suited the air filled with orange smoke; the blue of his suit and his eyes proved once again the theory of opposite colors being a well-chosen pair. It was true. Yes, Max had won. Your affection.

Laid down on your hotel bed, you stared at the ceiling, lost in thought: during the last week you’d managed to forget about your parents and you left behind the unhappiness of Spa, which had been replaced by the welcome Max, Kelly and everybody in the paddock had already proved you in the last months. You were grateful to have the opportunity of meeting people who worked in a sport you loved and were lucky to be able to call them friends. Deep down, though, you knew your soul still carried a void, you could feel it; but maybe it was time to forget, to let go of your past, or at least give it a try, and instead of mourning a love you’d never receive, enjoy the one you could actually grasp. You heard your phone vibrating in your pocket. “We’ll leave in 20 minutes.” Max was reminding you that he would give you a lift to a club they’d be celebrating at. And indirectly reminded you had only 20 minutes to get ready. You quickly replied. “Ok, take your time!” “Don’t tell me you’re still not ready” You smiled at it, then started typing. “Who knows… :D” “You’re unbelievable, y/n.” Getting closer to the suitcase, you thought of wearing a simple mise you would always choose for parties like those, but some blue cloth caught your attention: it was Kelly’s dress, the one she insisted on giving you, the one you had to wear for Max’s victory on Sunday. Well, it was Sunday. The perfect occasion to wear it for the first and probably only time in your life. The mirror inside the lift made you feel every second more insecure about your appearance: was it too much? Too revealing? Too inappropriate? It was a club night, though… Is there anything considered inappropriate in a place people go in order to be inappropriate?  As you tried not to compulsively pull the dress’ hem down, you headed towards the glass entrance door of the hotel. Outside, you could see a car parked right in front of the building, together with Max and Kelly talking on the pavement. Approaching them, you realized it seemed more like arguing. You immediately stopped, afraid of interrupting them, but Max had already turned his head towards you and acknowledged your presence. His features, from tensed and creased, gradually loosened while staring at you: he’d rarely seen you wearing dresses - especially short ones; rarely saw makeup on your face, rarely looked at much of your skin exposed. He’d rarely lost track of time and surroundings because of you. Because of how beautiful and stunning you were. It wasn’t just the shape or how the dress fitted you: it was you, shining and beaming like a precious star.  Max kept staring at you, unable to speak, still shocked by you and his own reaction. «Oh, here’s y/n.» Kelly said, with a pinch of annoyance. She immediately crossed her arms and got inside the car. Max, still dazed and fascinated by the way that blue color suited you and complemented your skin tone, regained composure and signaled you to get in the car without saying anything. You guessed his awkwardness was due to the conversation he’d had with Kelly; you didn’t say anything either, and got in in silence.

# Parties were not for you. It was something you’d started learning too late.  You couldn’t avoid celebrating the win of the person who was supporting you in every aspect.  Maybe him being a world champion and an astonishing driver wasn’t really helpful, but the problem clearly was only yours, since there wasn’t a single person not freaking loving him. Max got swamped by a sea of people, drenched in sweat and alcohol, torn and pulled in all directions because everybody craved him, everybody felt drawn to success. The dim lights made it hard for you to take in your chaotic surroundings and the loud music thumped in your chest, a tightening feeling taking over your lungs. Lost in the crowd, you frantically turned your head around to search for a familiar face, someone you could consider a friend. Once again, you found yourself realizing how lonely you were. Another victory party, another disaster. You ran towards the bar, grabbing someone else’s shot and downing it in a go. It tasted bitter and made your insides burn, flowing like a trail of fire, from your throat to your stomach: maybe it would be able to burn down all your thoughts as well? You decided to take another one, just to check if it worked. After all, Max liked getting drunk: there should’ve been a reason for it, right? As you settled into the bar area, two people you couldn’t make out the face of started talking to you and offered drinks non-stop. You could feel your cheeks flushing and loads of giggles would leave your mouth as your head began spinning: you were high and had gone way over your limit.  But you didn’t care. You had things to forget and if alcohol could help, then alcohol would be. Your overthinker mind couldn’t stand it, though. Eyes staring at the umpteenth shot, you seemed to sober up all of a sudden. Drinking was never going to solve your problems. You were just being childish, trying to ignore everything, thinking you could avoid dealing with people. It simply was not going to work. How stupid of you to think there could be such an easy and self-destructive solution. You got up, disgusted by your own actions, and tried to head over the bathroom; you quickly noticed it’d be a difficult task, since dizziness was making it hard for you not to swing and sway, trying to cross the dance floor full of equally drunk and sweaty people. Your stomach was twisting in shame and disgust.  Feeling unwell, you dead-stopped in the middle of the suffocating room and closed your eyes, hoping the dizziness would stop.  Why were you there? You opened your eyes and saw Max in the distance, laughing and dancing. You wanted to go to him. You needed him. Get away from that place, drive in the middle of the night without other people around. No chaos, no winners, no losers. Just you and him.  Before you could even try to move your body towards him, Kelly’s blurred figure ran to him, hugging him first and then getting lost in a passionate kiss. Weren’t they arguing before picking you up? Had they made up that quickly? Nausea got your feet moving. You hurried towards the bathroom and made it past people in line, too lost in drunk conversations to notice you passed them. Once you got in, you reached the sink and tried to calm down. Your hands, shaking, tightly gripped the edge, while you took deep breaths to prevent you from throwing up on the spot. You stared at your reflection onto the mirror, which was dirty and broken. Just like you. Eyes still piercing your own, you heard moaning noises coming from the toilet. You saw your own reflection having tears falling down its cheeks before you perceived the hot sensation against your skin. The image of Kelly and Max kissing stuck in your mind and you turned your head away from the mirror. You couldn’t stand watching your misery cross your face. Regaining confidence in your movements, you stormed out of the bathroom, mascara staining your skin, and left that place which smelled like sadness, vodka and loneliness. Streets were crowded, but nobody noticed your terrifying aspect.  You felt like a ghost wandering in silence, a light and invisible presence in everybody’s life. Your thoughts went to your parents. You were a ghost for them too.  You were nothing to them. You were already dead before even dying. Your steps became even more unsteady as new tears filled your eyes; without being aware of it, you started walking at the very edge of the road, cars passing by at moderate speed and dangerously close to you. You failed to notice. As much as you failed to notice a car slowing down, three young and wasted guys whistling at your exposed legs and shouting in Dutch. You did notice the sound of an engine revving getting closer and someone screaming against them, but you simply kept walking. «Y/n!» You didn’t recognize the voice, so you didn’t stop; scared, you tried to walk more rapidly, causing you to trip. You felt a pair of arms embracing you and sustaining you. As Charles said things you couldn’t muster, you crushed onto his chest and cried hard. He didn’t back off; he whispered something into your hair and tried to get you inside his car as fast as possible, willing to take you to a safer place. Speeding through the city, he would glance at you a few times to check if you were okay, if you felt sick and if you were still crying.  Rapidly parking along the street, he opened the car door for you and enveloped your back and right shoulder with his arm, in order to keep you up and guide you towards the hotel entrance. You mentally thanked him, as you didn’t trust your sense of balance. «Here we are, y/n. I’ll be back in a second.» he told you, carefully placing onto the bed and rushing towards the bathroom. Charles took some paper towel and opened the tap to get it wet, then came back to you, still sat on the bed, staring into the void. He had never seen you cry.  Somehow, though, tears weren’t the thing he was the most scared of; it was you being utterly drunk and totally disrupted.  That wasn’t you. You were the bubbly hot chocolate master who would joke with him and Carlos and cheer them up no matter how terrible the race had been. You’d never get drunk at parties, or at least not that much to sway and not be able to stand up on your own. He wanted to know, but he figured out that you didn’t need to be reminded of unpleasant memories, and neither did he need you to tell him; he could help you regardless of the things he could be told. He kneeled down and started swiping the mascara dripped onto your cheeks, in soft and feather-like motions. As soon as you realized what he was doing, you looked at him, a bit surprised, almost as if you were acknowledging his presence for the first time. He smiled back. «I’m almost done, I promise.» he whispered, focusing on the other cheek. «Charles…» «Be patient, y/n… Voilà, all cleaned up!» he said, checking one last time if he’d missed any parts. As his green eyes met yours, all the words you wanted to say died before pronouncing them: your mind wasn’t able to process everything that had occurred in the span of the last hours, so your primary needs took over. «I think I want to sleep.» you blurted out, tired. «Then sleep, y/n.» Charles said, softly rubbing one of your arms with his hand. You quickly laid down on the bed, nudging against the pillow, but feeling cold; you still had your short dress on, after all. Charles, foreseeing your desire, put a blanket over you.  «Goodnight, y/n.» You mumbled something that resembled a “night, Charles”, but it came out as an indistinct gibberish the Monegasque failed to understand.  Watching you peacefully drifting off, he grinned and switched the light off.

Max woke up with his usual hangover headache, empowered by the sun beams coming from the windows. «Why did you open the blinds?» Max grunted, covering his eyes with his palms. «Morning, love!» Kelly chirped by his side, leaving a kiss on his hands. «Morning.» Max turned to his bedside table and took the pill already placed onto it, together with a glass of water. Kelly always knew how to take care of him. And also knew how Max wouldn’t have limits when it came to drinking and having fun at parties, but she loved it. She loved him. No matter the difficulties and the arguments of the previous days, a F1 win could turn tables in any circumstance, and it did bring him and Kelly closer. The two of them cuddled for a while in silence, then Kelly broke the embrace to take her phone. «Did you have fun?» he asked her. «Of course, Maxi. Everyone had fun yesterday.» she said, mindlessly passing a hand through his hair. «Bet a lot of people down the paddock probably hadn’t!» Max chuckled. As he said that, Kelly wide-opened her eyes, staring at her phone, surprised. «I think Charles had fun, though…» she remarked. Max furrowed his brows. «Are you sure? He didn’t seem quite happy on the podium…» «No, look here!» Kelly showed Max her phone. There was an Instagram post showing a picture of Charles entering a hotel with a girl, while holding her arm lovingly. The description said: “F1 driver Charles Leclerc might have not had great satisfactions on track, but he definitely had behind closed doors! Discover who the mysterious girl is to this link!” Max didn’t need to read a shitty article to know who that was. That beautiful blue dress he had been captured by all night was yours. «Poor Charlotte…» Kelly said, sadly glancing at the post. «Her dress looks fire, though.» Not paying attention to her comments, Max couldn’t take in the information. You and Charles, together, in a hotel, at night. Nobody would’ve ever believed you were there just to have a cup of hot chocolate or whatever excuse was possible in that case; you could only be doing one thing only. Sleeping together. Max started putting pieces together: you not reaching out to him throughout the summer break while you supposedly “ended your apartment contract”; you catching up with Charles in Spa as soon as you could and disappearing for hours also when it wasn’t racing time; Charles asking him straight away after that race where you were in order to cheer himself up; you being smiley and flustered around him while serving him hot chocolate the past Monday, Charles being awkward speaking of his relationship with Charlotte; you flying to Monaco and arriving in Zandvoort on the same plane as him, having the opportunity to spend almost two days together; finally, you consoling him after the race before congratulating for the win, something you’d never fail to do. Suddenly Max had the entire vision of things in front of his eyes and all the answers he’d been searching for.  Charles was cheating on Charlotte with you. Was that the reason you had asked him about Checo cheating on Carola?  He felt an unexplainable rage, then replaced by disappointment: you really had a bias for him. Why was he being so dramatic? You were free to sleep with whoever you wanted.  It was none of his business. But out of everybody, why a F1 driver?  Why a Ferrari driver?  Why Charles? «Max?» Kelly shook him out of his trance state. «That’s disgusting.» he said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen. «Well, it also could be just a friend. Charles is a good guy!» she said, following him. «What if he isn’t?» Max asked, annoyance overflowing through his words. «I don’t know, Max… Maybe we miss some information. We shouldn’t judge him this quickly.» «I’m not judging him, I don’t care.» the driver said, sitting at the table and scrolling his phone. Kelly watched him trying to ignore his own disapproval and started getting breakfast ready. After a few seconds, Max's phone rang. 1 message from C. Leclerc The last person he wanted to deal with. Simply lovely. “Hey Max, y/n is with me in a hotel near the track but I need to take a flight to Milan in 2 hours. Can you please pick her up?” His grip on the phone tightened. “Yes, send me the position.” Then Max typed again. “By the way, I know she’s with you, hope you’ve had a good night” He threw the phone on the table, startling Kelly. As the notification sound filled the silent room once again, Max immediately picked the phone up. “..? She was very drunk, couldn’t even stand on her own and was wandering alone around the streets. Just wanted to make sure she was safe” Max was hit by the text: you drunk? To the point of needing someone else’s support? He didn’t even notice you drank last night, but he was pretty wasted himself. Max realized he had lost sight of you since the party started. But you could take care of yourself, he knew you didn’t need his help; in fact, you would always try to make him slow down with drinking and check on him often to see how bad his hangover would be. Max felt a tad bit of annoyment for the last part of the text - were you two that close? - but another message prevented him from dwelling on it any further. “And I slept in a different room, if that’s what you mean. You know I have a girlfriend, right? 😅” To say Max felt stupid was an understatement, but he still couldn’t shake uncertainty and doubt off his mind. “Ok. Send me the location”

You woke up to the sound of someone’s steps. Your head pulsing and aching, you slowly turned towards the middle of the room. There you saw a man bent over a suitcase, searching for something, and you quickly figured out what. Because he was shirtless. You couldn’t help but scream; the man, startled, pulled himself up together with a red shirt. «Charles!?» you yelled, bewildered, gripping the sheets. After rapidly wearing the shirt, he motioned for you to stay calm. «Yes, and I know it seems weird but nothing happened, don’t worry.» «N-nothing?» you asked, avoiding his gaze. «Nothing.» he said, with a relaxed and quiet tone. You let go of the sheets and noticed you still had your dress on, before taking in your surroundings. «Where are we?» you said, looking around. «In a hotel near the track. I brought you here because you were too drunk to go anywhere.» Charles sat down across the bed and watched you process the information. «Do you remember anything?» he then asked. «Not really, but I have a headache, so I totally trust your words.» you tried to smile, rubbing your forehead. «I don’t have pills, I’m sorry.» he apologized. «No worries, it’ll pass eventually.»  Getting up, Charles took a deep breath and glanced over at the suitcase. «Uhm, I have other bad news, y/n…» he said with a sheepish smile. «What is it?» «I need to be in Italy in a few hours. But don’t worry, Max is coming to pick you up!» As he said that, he got closer to the suitcase and closed it. Max. His name, instead of giving you a positive feeling as it always did, threw a weight on your chest that you couldn’t make out.  Then you began to remember. You downing drinks with no control because you felt left out once again, only to feel lonelier watching him and Kelly being a couple.  And a happy one. For unknown reasons, you didn’t feel ready to face him. You were beyond embarrassed: Charles had seen you wasted and God knows what you did once you arrived at the hotel; plus, Max was probably going to be disappointed and confused by your weird behaviour, because you would’ve never done that a few days prior.  What happened that made you snap? Before you could answer, a wave of nausea got you running to the bathroom and shutting the door with strength.  You were so not ready to meet Max. You heard a knock on the door. «Are you okay?» Charles asked with a soft tone. With your back leaned against the door and your hands resting on it, you closed your eyes in an attempt to regain composure. «Yes, just a bit nauseous.» «Well, I’d like to say that it’s fine but you’d probably disagree.» he said, chuckling a little. You smiled. «You can take your time, y/n, we’re not in a hurry. If you need help-» «Thanks, Charles, but I’d like to keep the scene for myself.» you interrupted him, laughing. «Okay, I was just letting you know!» he said, raising his hands in defeat. After a few seconds of silence, you spoke up again. «Charles?» «Yes?» «Thank you.» Even though you couldn’t see him, you could tell he was smiling. «There’s nothing to thank me for, y/n. With all the times you offered me hot chocolate, I’m the one in debt here!» At that, you both chuckled. «Well, that’s kind of true. But you don’t owe me anything, Charles, I was happy to do it.» «And so was I yesterday, y/n. Glad to help a friend.» With that, he moved away from the door and checked the room in order to leave it neat and clean. As you got out of the bathroom, Charles received a new text. “I’m here.” «Max is waiting for us, let’s go.» the Monegasque told you with a smile. You took a deep breath, collected all your courage and headed towards the elevator with Charles. He could tell you were uptight, but he didn’t know what to say to make you feel a little bit more relieved. He still wondered what had happened and, above all, what could have happened if he hadn’t been in the right place at the right time. He furtively got a glimpse of your standing figure: you seemed tired and still upset, gaze to the ground.  Charles could only hope Max would help you more than he’d been able to. Max was impatiently waiting for you in the hall, so that as soon as he saw you getting off the elevator he jogged over to you and carefully scrutinized you. He expected some sort of explanation, a greeting at least, but Max was only met with silence. You didn’t even dare to look him in the eyes, afraid of judgement, ashamed of your own actions. Charles, clearly aware of the taut atmosphere, broke the ice. «Thanks for coming, Max. I’d like to have a chat with you, but I really have to go… We’ll see in Monza!» he said waving at you and leaving. «Bye.» Max dryly said. Neither of you paid attention to Charles. You still had your eyes fixed on the ground, unable to raise them. «We have to go too, come on.» You heard Max’s steps getting further and further away; you immediately shot your head up and rushed behind him. The car ride was silent. You didn’t know what to say and, to be honest, you were feeling a little bit unwell, which made everything worse. Those minutes were a nightmare. Then they became hell the moment Max started talking. «Care to explain?» «Explain what?» you whispered, hands rubbing your temples in an attempt to soothe your headache. «I don’t know, y/n, anything, ‘cause I have no fucking idea of what happened and when I woke up this morning I expected all but picking you up with hangover.» His sharp tone cut you deeper than a knife: his words stabbed you in the chest, provoking a pang of guilt and disappointment in yourself. You didn’t know what to say. You couldn’t recall exactly every thing that happened either: the last image you had, engraved in your memory, was the kiss between Max and Kelly. Nothing else. It had been obsessing you since you had witnessed it. For no clear reason, it caused an incurable discomfort and uneasiness. You also felt bad about being accused. Accused of what? Of drinking? Was it a sin? Pride suddenly shook you from your mental and emotional numbness: was he allowed to be mad? «Well, you already seem to know I’ve drunk, so that’s not much left to say anyway.» you said in a low voice. Max tightened his hold on the steering wheel, clearly displeased with your answer. Stopping at a red traffic light, he turned his head in order to look at you, enraged. «Do you think I care?» he said, raising his tone.  Before speaking again, he covered his eyes with one hand with an exasperated motion. «Do you really think I care if you have a drink or not? Fucking hell, y/n, I get wasted every other weekend.» «Then what is it?» you whispered. «I just want to know why you drank that much, since you never did.» he said, softening his voice despite the frustration. «Did something happen?» Your eyes searched for an escape outside the window. «No, I… I just wanted to try.» Max didn’t say anything for a while, but you didn’t dare to turn and face him.  He knew you were hiding your reasons, he knew you didn’t want to be a source of problems and so, for the umpteenth time, he simply let the conversation drop. As the car began moving, you heard him speak again. «You could’ve told me. You know, to drink together.» You knew that was his attempt to save the situation and you mentally thanked him. He gave you the escape you needed. «Maybe we can do it next time?» he asked you. «I don’t think there’ll be a next time, Max…» you said, rubbing your temples again.  «That’s what you get when you’re not with the right people.» He turned to you with a smile that quickly made one appear on your lips as well. Typical Verstappen-like teasing.

«Max? Max! Where have you been?» As soon as Kelly heard the keys jingling and opening the lock, she rushed towards the door while addressing Max. Only to see you standing shyly next to him, wearing a way too familiar dress. Familiar not just because it has been hers, but because she realized it was the same as the one of the instagram post she saw that morning. All the puzzle pieces connected in her mind. You were that girl. Kelly struggled to picture you together with Charles, but she didn’t know you well enough to exclude it without any doubt. Not tolerating her piercing stare on you,  your body helped you run away from the situation. Placing your hand firmly over your mouth, you rushed towards the bathroom due to retching.  Max sighed with closed eyes and then braced himself to face Kelly. That wasn’t the first argument they were having since you moved in. Max couldn’t accept it, but they all happened because of you. «Charles had a flight, he couldn’t drop her here himself.» he plainly stated. «You can’t always run to her whenever something happens.» «What are you talking about? This is the first time.» Max remarked, starting to get irritated. As gagging noises could be heard from the bathroom, Kelly’s tone became harsh. «She isn’t independent at all.» «Kel, she owns nothing, she has nothing, what do you expect her to do? Found a business?» Max’s frustration grew stronger. «I expect she didn’t abuse someone else's money in order to live.» «She doesn’t abuse anything. She’s a friend of mine and if I want her to live in my house, she will.» «Ok, Max, the decision is yours.» Kelly said. «But don’t expect me to be okay with it just because it is.» She crossed her arms and walked away. Max stood in the hall, mentally swearing due to the situation he was in. Too much to take for a man with a hangover. On the same day, the three of you left for Monaco before heading towards Monza, as Charles already had. The tension between you was evident, but you tried to shake it off and avoid thinking of a situation that was making you feel bad about yourself. In order to offer your apologies to Kelly, you decided to go with an old and proven method of reconciliation: hot chocolate, of course. You wanted to show her you were sorry for breaking in her house and that there could be a way to make it work out. Max’s house, though, didn’t have the ingredients necessary for your recipe; you decided to go for a little shopping session at a supermarket and surprise the both of them. As soon as you all arrived in Monaco, you excused yourself and told Max and Kelly you had to go buy some medications. You left them in silence, unpacking the necessary in their bedroom, and once you came home you found them yelling and shouting at each other in the living room. «Why didn’t you tell me before you asked her?» «Because I thought you would either be happy or didn’t care at all! I don’t understand why she bothers you so much!» «Because you only care about her! Everything is about her! I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for her, but why can’t you see how difficult it is for me to deal with this situation? When did she become more important than us?» Leaning against the wall which separated the hall from the living area, you dreaded Max’s silence. Were you a threat to their relationship? How come you hadn’t noticed Kelly’s disapproval? All of a sudden, you realized you were the culprit: not wanting to abuse Max’s kindness, you ended up doing exactly so and you totally neglected the needs of her girlfriend, who was an important part of his life, only for your own benefit. You didn’t mean it, you didn’t do it intentionally, but even the way to Hell was made up of good intentions, after all. «You know what, Max... It’s okay, keep doing whatever you please. But I think I need a break. Once you’ve resetted your priorities, let me know.» And with that, Kelly stormed out of the house, not noticing you or maybe pretending not to see you. The shopping bag in your hand dropped to the floor; at the thud, Max immediately rushed towards the door and saw you standing. Chocolate bars on the ground, he eyed them and sighed. «Hot chocolate time?» he then asked. «Hot chocolate time.» you sentenced. After drinking it, you both lazily laid down on your bed, eyes gazing at the ceiling. «Why don’t you want to share the recipe for your hot chocolate?» «I don’t know.» you whispered. «Are you serious?» You softly smiled. «If I gave you the recipe, you’d be able to make it on your own.» «That’s pretty much the point, y/n.» Max laughed. «I know, but if you’re able to make it alone, then you won’t come to me and ask me for it.» Max turned his head over to look at you and finally started realizing why you wanted to keep it a secret.  It was a way to spend time with people, having them near you and being able to communicate with them: a mug of hot chocolate in exchange for the warmth of social closure. That was the secret deal you had been making with each single person you had prepared a cup for. Max didn’t avoid your gaze when it fell on him. You stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, before you diverted your attention to the furniture. You couldn’t bear the depth of his cold glance, it was too much for you to sustain: the sudden closure began feeling overwhelming, although it hadn’t been for the past minutes. Embarrassment and awkwardness got you flustered, as much as they caught Max the moment he noticed you were starting to feel uneasy by being so intimate. You both got up quickly, as if to erase the memory of what had just happened. «I… I think I’ll go to sleep.» Max said to you, unsure. «Y-yeah, me too!» your voice cracked because of nervousness. Once Max escaped to his room, you fell onto your bed, sighing.  Why did you start being uncomfortable so suddenly?  It definitely wasn’t the first time you were spending alone time with Max and neither was this the first time you were cuddling together. Well, the first time was in Spa.  But that was different, you’d just had a breakdown. And Max hadn’t just had a fight with Kelly because of you. You closed your eyes. Kelly. You felt so guilty of agreeing with Max’s idea, but you remembered her saying it was absolutely no problem and, moreover, she had helped you with new clothes. She was, or at least she tried, to come across as welcoming and happy to have you on board even though she clearly wasn’t. She put effort in order to please Max, but she had to compromise her own. You knew it wasn’t your fault, Max had just told you: however, you couldn’t help but feeling sorry for the problems you had caused and the idea of them breaking up or having other issues made you feel small.  In that moment, you realized you were being treated as a child: incapable of providing for her own needs, living with a slightly older couple under a roof that wasn’t yours and using their money.  Then, like a slap on the cheek, another name echoed inside your head. Penelope. The fact that such a young girl had to endure his parents' divorcing broke your heart; the idea of provoking another break up, shaking her life once more, had your hands cover your face, a frustrated whine escape your lips.  You desperately wanted to fix things, but you felt helpless. Would it be better to just move out? Try to become independent and fucking grow up without destroying other people’s life? What did you have to do with yours?  You didn’t know anymore. You grabbed the pillow and dug your nails into it, releasing all your frustration and holding back tears.It was going to be a long night. # 2.34 a.m. The sea was shining with the moon's reflection and the lights coming from the city indicated how lively and full of action Monaco was during nighttime. A light breeze would bring the echo of loud beats played in some club, cars still filling the road. You were sitting on a bench, watching life unfolding outside of you. You felt a little bit too cold in your shirt, but it was a distant sensation. As a shiver ran down your spine for the umpteenth time, you decided to go back home. But where was it home? You didn’t have one. Your eyes looked around. Where were you? Monaco was just a different name given to your loneliness. Your feet made you stand up and walk away, with no destination. You kept going until your legs soared, observing happiness from the outside: couples strolling by, friends drinking carelessly, families eating ice cream together. You stopped at a crossroad.  You were lost. You felt lost. Taking your phone out of your pocket, you opened your chats. You searched for Max’s contact. His profile picture was him and Kelly together. A tear fell onto the screen. Why did you have to ruin everything people had, everything you had? You pressed the call icon. Not that you were expecting him to pick up so late. «Hello?» Nothing. «He- wait, y/n? Why are you calling me, we’re literally in the same house…» Max said, voice hoarse and frustrated. As you watched a traffic light turning green, another silent tear fell onto your cheek. «Y/n? Hello?» «I think I’m lost.» you whispered. «Wha- Lost? Y/n, where are you?» Max asked, confused. Raising your eyes to the moon in search of an answer, your voice stuttered among sobs. «I-I don’t know.»

Hey!  Yes, you made it through all this suffering! Good job! The reward is a little meme. Probably I’m the only one thinking it’s funny. Whatever. Max in this chapter being like:

(Don’t own the credits for this picture)

AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! ♥ I’D REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU LEFT A NOTE FOR FEEDBACK, SO THANKS IF YOU DO! HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY! . · ˚✧

Previous || Next

[thestrangestthing89]

Obviously people can ship whatever they want. But it kind of irks me when I see El in a romantic relationship with other people. She doesn't know how to be in a relationship with anyone. Removing Mike from the equation won't solve her problems. It implies that Mike is the entire problem with their relationship when she is partly to blame too. She is just now for the first time learning how to be someones friend with Max. It's a new thing for her. She has no other friends and her and Max haven't spent much time together (Dustin and Lucas clearly didn't spend much time with her in S3). She makes a choice to continue that relationship with Max and takes positive action to include her in her life. But it took her a while to get to this point. She shut Max out completely when she first met her. She is learning how to be in different types of relationships - friends with Max (and Lucas and Dustin), familial relationships with Will, Jonathan, Joyce, and Hopper. These are all new things for her. She deserves a chance to have a stable home life and solid friendships. And of course she can have these things with a romantic relationship but there is no reason why this should need to be a top priority for her. People act like being single is shameful and constantly try to pair everyone off and it just isn't the best thing sometimes. She has no idea how to be in a romantic relationship and that's ok. She doesn't need to be. She needs to learn how to communicate better and be honest with people before she can be in a romantic relationship again. She deserves a chance to learn how to do these things and figure out what she likes and who she is. There are so many comments about how Mike is mistreating her and how she is going to go off and have a girl power moment and find herself a new boyfriend who treats her right but that's not at all what's happening here. She isn't treating him well and isn't suddenly going to learn how to do this with a new person. She is just going to have the same problems with someone else because she is part of the problem. People are so hesitant to blame her for anything and it does her no favors. She doesn't treat people well sometimes and it's entirely because she wasn't taught how to interact with people in a healthy way. She lies to both Mike and Will, she dismisses Mike's feelings, she spies on the boys and doesn't care that Mike is bothered by this, and she runs off and avoids Mike when he doesn't tell her what she wants to hear (she does this twice - once in S3 at the mall, and in S4 when she goes to the lab). Not to mention how she simply decided when they were breaking up and getting back together without talking to him about it. It was solely up to her and Mike's opinion didn't factor into it. She decides the state of their relationship and when Mike needs to tell her he loves her. It is really not ok that she decided they were getting back together at the end of S3, doesn't wait for a response from him about it, spends the next several months lying about her life, pretends their relationship is perfect and doesn't mention that she's upset with Mike until she's fighting with him, demands he say he loves her, then runs away from home and leaves him an emotionally detached letter fully expecting to not see him ever again (or at least not for a while).

It's the way she fights with people that for me is one of the biggest problems. Brenner and Hopper didn't exactly set the best examples here. Mike tries to talk to her and openly communicate in S4 and we see that he clearly knows how to do this because he does this with Will later. He knows how to have a conversation about a fight he just had with someone. But she dismisses any attempt he makes at connecting with her and completely changes the subject and starts attacking him for not saying he loves her. Forcing someone to say this isn't ok. He isn't an asshole for not saying it when it isn't true and him getting defensive is understandable. This whole relationship has been about Mike needing to give her whatever she wants even at his own expense. And I'm glad we are starting to see him not wanting to. Because it's not good for him. None of the ways she treats him are ok. I honestly can't think of a time when she did anything for him or showed that she was aware of his feelings/well-being. Mike has been shown to not get what he needs from her over and over again and a lot of this fandom completely dismisses this. Her having a different boyfriend won't fix any of these problems. She deserves a chance to learn how to make friends and build her family relationships. This is what will help her build a foundation for any future romantic relationship if she wants one. For the record, I love El. It's why I want her to learn from her mistakes. She is fully capable of being held accountable for this and growing. She should be allowed a chance to do this. But I really don't like how Mike gets all the blame for this relationship because she has not been treating him well at all.

[lostalienchild]

Erythrophobia

A fear of the color red

Characters: Beidou, Ningguangg, Kazuha

Warnings:dub-con, NSFW, non-con, mentions of trafficing, reader is GN

[heavy on the mind but light on the execution. This is just an idea that I have. Mostly a drabble. I want to continue the idea but I dunno. Reader is a victim of trafficking. Might include other characters later on? Might turn into a series might not idk. I'm a fan of time skips. Not proof read.]

Summary: Lady Ningguangg doesn't need to dirty her hands, even when the only way to get what she wants is surrounded by dirt. She just extends her right hand to finish the deal. Although she isn't too big on sharing.

Art belongs to :Kichirock

"A bass with all obsidian scales and golden eyes?"

"Yes, a miniature one."

Half moon eyes withered with age, searching for a punchline.

Ruby eyes, unblinking. The old man looked befuddled. Openly surprised he floppily regathred himself. "Well yes... We always have thoes on hand, but if I may ask, why would the Cruz require such a...a controversial item? Surely you have enough hands on deck? Wouldn't it cause unrest amongst the crew, let alone throughout Liyue harbor."

The towering woman responded. "Don't worry pops. This ain't the normal business deal. A rather important business partner of mine has been eyeing this shipment for quite some time now. As soon as the shipment came in as a matter of fact."

"I-I see. Well then, we'll make the delivery tonight at guyun. The usual time of course."

A sound of approval exited the woman's mouth. "Right, I'll see you then. Let's keep it quick. This is top secret. Not even the crew knows so keep a low profile."

-

On the shores of Guyun only the crashing of waves could be heard. Even the motor of waverider made little to no noise as it glided alongside the rocky shore line. The full moon would usually offer you some sort of comfort, but tonight its cold moonlight glared at you. Like a spotlight, it cast down its luminosity on you and you alone. It caused your skin to glisten and you practically glowed. You wished you could use the cover of darkness like most people, but with hands bound and being surrounded by ocean, the moon would not allow for that tonight.

You watched as two silhouettes, one tall and the other not as tall, exit the small craft and step into the waves. No one spoke which made the encounter all the more eerie. The men behind you that stood at attention released your forearms when they felt the woman was close enough. It gave you the briefest chance to run, but the idea of escape was never there, not unless you wanted to drown.

Up close the tall silhouette was clearly a woman, the shorter most likely male. With a nod the woman dismissed the other two men while pulling you towards the craft. You knew once you stepped into the waves that your chance of escape, even by death, would be squandered. But even in this moment death by a watery grave seemed scarier than the unknown than the ultimate unknown. The waves reached up to your knees before you were able to actually stepped into the water craft. Once in, the smaller figure offered you a towel. "I hope we didn't scare you too bad back there." You took the towel but didn't answer. Not because you couldn't. You could have screamed at anytime. Not that anyone would hear you. You just didn't know what to say, or why he would even bother speaking to you. "Welcome to the Crux. It's a bit uncomfortable, but it's only temporary."

You looked at him through the darkness. The lights of a larger ship began to illuminate the speakers face. Pale features and red eyes gazed back at you. The taller figure who was operating the boat spoke. "You're real castle will be a castle in the sky, but for now, you're a princess on a pirate ship." The words on their own made sense, but together they made none.

-

Once one the ship you were told to keep quiet. You were ushered into a simple room with extravagant items decorating the walls. Items crested in gold, mitachurl masks, swords adorned in jade and lapis, and the like. All for which we're impressive, but none provided any means of escape so we're quickly removed from your immediate attention.

"Sorry for the strange introduction, but these things need to be kept under wraps you know?" The sound of the door creaking shut behind you was interrupted by a commanding female voice, shutting off you're previous thoughts and your connection to the outside world. Your eyes saw red once again. From the red of her coat, to her eyes, and even the auburn of her hair kept all your attention.

Red.

The red covered you. It tickled your skin as strands of it cascaded upon you as it fell from her head, trapping you in a cage. Red stained your cheeks and tongue as you gasped for just a moment to catch your breath through the rapid pace. Her greediness, out of all the treasures in the room, centered on you. Consumed by red. Eaten by red. Red lapping at you and bring you to release after release. Red holding you down. Red slamming into you. Ramming in and out of you with little care for how your wails and screams try to touch the outside world. Red building up inside your stomach and releasing itself into the air through your mouth. And when the morning comes she finally names herself.

"Oh right," she said nonchalantly. She posted down at you through her hooded eyes, drowsy with afterglow. She held a warm smile that was wildly out of place. "Most people refer to me as captain, you can just call me Beidou."

She hummed softly when you squeaked when she casually teased a nipple.

-

When you floated on air red caught you once again. "Beidou, what did I tell you about touching things that don't belong to you?" White, gold, and red squinting.

Beidou scoffed. "I'm a pirate. It's my job to touch things that don't belong to me."

Fixing her gaze upon you, she relaxed her demeanor. "Welcome to the Jade Chamber. I am Ningguang."

[ask-elland-n-will]

William, wonderful William.

Name the last time you could not stop smiling!

[Previously]

This handwriting. Will's lips curl upward softly, still not over all the excitement of the date he so suddenly invited Andrew to. Will is not the one to invite people on dates; it's his boys who invite Will, not the other way around! And yet.

Will closes his eyes for a while, still smiling giddily. He knows the note meant for him to talk about the Honeydukes experience but truth be told, he hasn't stopped smiling ever since he got a reply from Monty earlier. The Ravenclaw has given him something no one has done before: he's given him true hope.

After almost two months of flirting and running around, the drinking night at the Three Broomsticks with a lot of happy encouraging touches and remarks, their walk back to the castle, and the recent jealousy realization at Honeydukes... Andrew is still here. They haven't even done that much yet! Anyone else would've already jumped ship after all that dancing around.

He tried to build relationships, and none took hold, his owls — lost or replied to so late that nothing spoke of rejection clearer than that kind of dismissal. His strongest feeling had no place in the relationship he's carved with Elland. Year five — too much has happened; there's pain and stress, and fighting for their lives. Year 6 — it's clear there's no response, no flirting, hidden glances, no hand to hold, but care and admiration, he'd never leave but won't together be. Now — maybe it is time, that show for Felix they put on, why did it hurt more than made him feel euphoric? He shouldn't have, and why'd he play along! There was no hope, there never was.

He tried to be casual with those he had no feelings for, and even then people left him, some after getting what they wanted, others openly saying it's a one-off thing. And then some — without even giving him a chance the moment they heard that there is one line Will won't cross without a relationship.

He tried to educate himself, and had more luck there: be it certain Restricted Section books or the help of his dormmates, one of which he had a mutually beneficial agreement with for a while. Oh, hiding crushes — hard a task but knowledge is a worthy prize. If there is more he wants to learn, perhaps it's Andrew who can show?

Andrew. Andrew, Andrew! Monty! His Monty. Grumpy wolf chasing a giggling fox.

Will sighs, coming back down to Earth. He can't lose Monty. Not that he can even imagine a reason that would make the wolf stop chasing him. But the longer they go on like this, living just on hints, and teasing, and touching, the more worried Will becomes on the inside. What if Andrew loses interest, dissatisfied with their eventual makeouts? What if he doesn't like the limits Will eventually sets for them for Will's own comfort? What if possibly even mentioning a relationship could cause a drift?

Montrose never said what he actually wanted from them. And Will cannot keep being the one to begin this kind of a conversation. He cannot. He won't be the reason for yet another downfall.

The prefect suddenly slaps his own cheeks. No. He cannot think like that. Monty isn't like all those other people. Things have been going so nicely, there is no reason for Will to worry. Natural progression. That's it. They'll get to it eventually. It's not like Andrew is hiding important things from him, right? They are going forward, each day, little by little. Ah, they pretty much almost kissed at Honeydukes! The hope is really there, for the first time in years, and for the first time in a long while it is not a bitter one.

Will re-reads the previous letter he got. And then this recent one. And then he pens a quick reply.

You, wonderful you. I am afraid there is no answer, for my heart hasn't stopped smiling since the moment I sat in your lap almost two months ago.

[Forward]

[mythvoiced]

-. Ji Hyun - Celebrity verse (Under Construction)

Manifesting Ferre and Alex's bullet points power abilities, I'm compiling this little post with things about Hyun for this verse before polishing it and eventually adding it to their about (and bothering the SHIT out of Lynnie's characters, I MEAN-); I just need to put the brainstorm brain bubbles somewhere, YAOH-

Hyun is human for this verse, so all details of her main verse pertaining to her gumiho nature are understandably removed (hehehe, past lives though?).

She's physically perma-fem presenting, but she/they genderfluid (closeted, I mean, consider the industry, leans slightly more into 'she') Pansexual, but still very much single-ship with @theimpalpable 's Yeong Boram, that's just... the way it be, I love love. (Which, by the way, means her boyfriend is a CEO~ PLEASE read up on Boram, I love him so mUCH)

Hyun is a 30-year-old super-model of sorts in the South Korean modelling industry, she's made her debut some-time in her late teens and has climbed the ranks of relevance, desirability and brand-deals ever since. Even at an 'old age' such as hers, her youthful appearance (and expertise within the industry) still garners her love and admiration from especially the impressionable female audience following her on social media, and agencies who like working with someone who knows what they're doing.

A few years prior to the 'present', Hyun has publicly announced her interest in venturing deeper into the entertainment industry and stepping out slightly from the beauty industry: not a very welcomed move. Models transition into acting relatively often enough, and actors are almost always simultaneously models, brand deals, ads, sponsorships, not to mention you can only truly make it into both industries if you flex your pretty privilege. Which is why it's so much easier for the populi to forgive a bad actor for being bad if they're at least pretty. Not to delve into how race plays a part in determination of beauty standards, Hyun was set out to make the transition just as easily... so what happened?

If there's one thing people hate about women and fem presenting people... is that they're women and fem presenting people. A woman is adored... until she does something someone else considers 'stepping out of line' and BOOM, dead in a ditch. Hyun does like stepping out of line: prioritizing brands and agencies she actually likes, refusing to work with people she doesn't, caring more about the crew than whatever fashion designer shows their face around, openly expressing her general distaste for the fashion elite, honestly... a bitch. At least according to the people, once news of her 'ungrateful, unprofessional, diva behaviour' started flooding the internet.

A scandal ruined her chances of an easy transition from modelling into acting.

You might argue, WAHOO, feminism~ Hyun is a hero~ No. A lot of people get hurt all the time, a lot of women and fem presenting folks have fought and lost these battles. Hyun never even took political stances, pretended nothing bad ever happened to the world in her bubble of notoriety and fame. The world has never helped her, what does she care about helping the world. But now that bubble burst. And while Hyun doesn't crumble with the lack of it, it sure as fuck pissed her off.

Problem is... she's just a model. Most people in the regular world know her as mannequin of expensive things, she doesn't manage her accounts, she doesn't talk to people, she barely even shows up to places: her beauty is the primary reason for her success, not her PR-ing. So... how to move on from here?

The scandal: I have NO IDEA yet, but I do believe she intended moving into acting for very specific reasons, either to get back at someone or destroy something from within, Hyun may not act like it in any verse but they do actually absolutely hold grudges, one of the things most debilitating to their mental health at times; so whatever happened, was orchestrated specifically to ruin her reputation.

Someone did something they shouldn't have, something he shouldn't have, a man most likely, maybe some kind of harassment, maybe something along the lines of Pro.misi.ng Y.oung W.oma.n but kept hush hush, maybe it wasn't anything that serious but definitely a personal attack against Hyun and Hyun simply snapped, either way... she's hear to make a few pigs squeal in pain.

Hyun also doesn't partake in 'scenes' and 'public scandals'; if she's attending some big social event (against all odds) and you start shit with her, throw a drink at her, she'll laugh in your face (if she can be bothered) and bill you the damages. Head held high, continues sipping on her drink. There's a good chance she just goes get changed and comes back. She is very condescending to people who try to start drama. I'm saying shit like 'oh sweetie, I don't play with kindergarteners' or instantly cutting all ties if she sniffs that kind of behaviour. If befriending Hyun elevates your status, best believe she does not care and will get rid of you if you start shit, good luck keeping that status. This also works against her, if you play your cards right, making her look even more like a diva.

Her way of putting you in your place is not even deeming you worth the trouble.

Now, the question: is this attitude always possible in these industries? Nay~ There are always consequences, there'll always be people stronger than you, with better ties. That's the fun of the plot, though~

She works in the fashion industry specifically and has had some minor cameos in shows as herself mostly.

I tried to sweet-talk around her demeanour but she really simply is a diva isn't she lmao at least she doesn't lose her shit as quickly as Some Celebrity Characters

YOU KNOW WHAT SHE'D DO? She'd help Kang Yohan. I don't know why I thought of that but she'd fuck around and find out and help TDJ's Kang Yohan if he needed a model's services, she'd be down to mess around there.

She's... odd, when it comes to how willing she's to fight for human rights, things she actually does secretly care about, feminism and classism and queer issues and systematic issues, but... she never EVER uses what platform she has. Ever.

Her Instagram handle is @/rubonyhyun which stands for Ruby Onyx Hyun (reference to a pet name Boram has for them in canon verse, I will name-drop Boram as OFTEN as possible) and her PR team runs it... most of the time, at least. She refuses to get a TikTok (she has one, but it's private for mindless scrolling), and her KakaoTalk is obviously private.