#and yet they didn't put that in the season pass camera?!?!

[absolute-chaos-skykid]

TGC needs to add a setting to adjust the brightness of the game.

If they can make the light in the camera be adjustable, they might as well add that to the whole game.

Heck, if they can, make a toggle for the flight thing. Bring back the good old ✨sparkles✨ or something, so everyone's eyes won't have a stroke when flying in Golden Wasteland or Vault of Knowledge.

Goodnight skyblr. ✌

[thef1diary]

Baby Jr | One

— Friendly Banter

Series summary: The teasing, fleeting touches became much more on the night Carlos won, the sexual tension between you two reached a breaking point. Perhaps it was that night, or the many nights that followed, but you were pregnant with his child, putting you in a difficult situation.

Series Masterlist

© thef1diary 2024. all rights reserved. Do not copy, steal, translate, or repost any of my work.

pairing: carlos sainz x reader

Warnings: allusions to smut but no actual smut yet

wc: 2.9k

Note: here it is, the first chapter of many more to come. lemme know what you think, feedback is always appreciated.

You had caught the eye of a certain Ferrari driver from the moment you joined the team. He always looked at you in fascination, having the urge to find a way to figure you out but that's all it was for the longest time. Until it wasn't.

Carlos Sainz vividly remembers the first time he set his eyes on you. He was on his way to leave the headquarters in Maranello while you were on your way inside. Carlos' gaze was watchful, almost heavy with judgment as you hurried in through the doors with more items in your arms than you should've been able to carry.

He almost stopped you to ask who you were, but he noticed the badge clipped onto your jeans, media personnel. You had already passed him before he could read your name, and shook his head knowing that your name was the more important detail compared to your role.

You hadn't noticed him that day, but he noticed you.

He didn't see you again until the new season came around, having almost forgotten about your brief encounter at the end of the previous year. He had to do a double take once he saw you setting up the cameras for some content he was supposed to record along with his teammate.

It was a simple video that required the drivers to answer a few questions sent in by their fans, something that should've been easy since they've done it before. But he couldn't focus on anything but you. Given that you were the ones asking the questions, reading them off the short stack of cards you had in your hand, he wasn't outed for being distracted.

Knowing the drivers still had a busy day ahead of them, you began packing up the items once the video was filmed. Keeping your eyes locked on the task, you expected the drivers to be led away by their PR managers, so you were surely startled once you heard a voice acknowledging you.

Carlos stayed back, and roaming your gaze for a split second behind him, Charles had left. You knew who he was of course, after all you followed the sport for many years before you were given the opportunity to work for one of the teams.

"I don't think we properly met, I'm Carlos." He extended his hand out and you gladly accepted, shaking it while introducing yourself. You found it sweet that despite being one of the two faces of the team, he still introduced himself like you didn't know who he was.

As a junior media employee who was still relatively new to the team, you were informed in advance that you would rarely be interacting with the drivers.

So it wasn't surprising that while working in the same team, you rarely saw Carlos in person. Working under Silvia—the head of communications—you would usually be the one tasked to edit the challenge videos, creating enough content from various footage to keep the fans engaged. The few times you did see him in person was to conduct media challenges that the team planned every once in a while to give the fans a chance to know the drivers underneath their helmets.

As the season went on, you found that you were indeed given the wrong information; you did in fact meet the drivers again and again. You were given many opportunities to travel with the team, and it would've been absurd if you denied those opportunities—not that you had a choice since you were needed at almost every race.

You were glad to experience the thrill of Formula 1 from the front row seats, able to watch all the sessions in the weekend itself but also be a part of the journey with the drivers that not many people get to see.

It was inevitable to befriend many people along the way, especially with their welcoming nature despite some news outlets suggesting otherwise. Formula 1 could be considered as one giant family that obviously had issues every once in a while but no one outside of the sport could relate to them like each other. Especially since it was described like a traveling circus by a few drivers.

While you had befriended many other employees whether it was within your team or others, you also spoke to the other eighteen drivers often.

But no other driver invaded your thoughts like Carlos did.

You didn't know if you were overthinking it all, but you believed that Carlos was a tad bit too friendly compared to Charles or even any other driver for that matter.

Whether it was a compliment that left you a blushing mess, a lingering look that followed you until you left the room, or even a small graze of his fingers against your back while crossing your path, you couldn't think of anyone but him lately.

You heard a Monégasque accent calling your name and you slowed your pace, allowing him to catch up to you as you greeted without needing to look to see who it was, "Charles"

"Here, it's still hot," he was holding two disposable cups of coffee in his hands, extending one towards you.

You gestured to your own hands, carrying one too many things again.

He sighed, "I still don't know how you do that." He stopped walking as he neared a surface to put down the cups. "Here, give it to me," he spoke but didn't let you make a decision as he grabbed the various folders, a clipboard, and a tablet from your hands. You were still holding on to a tripod and a camera but he freed up one of your hands so you could hold the cup.

"I will have to let you know, that tablet you're holding, is very valuable to the team," you stated, mainly in a joking manner because you knew he wouldn't do anything to it.

"Oh is it now? What's on it?" Charles asked once you resumed walking, this time sipping on your coffee before answering his question. "First, perfect," you hummed, gesturing towards the cup. "Second, it has all the schedules for meetings, interviews, and everything that you or Carlos could possibly need a reminder for during the weekend."

He gasped, almost offended, "I do not need reminders for anything during the weekend, not like Carlos does."

Despite how it may seem, your role didn't entail being a driver's assistant. In fact your job was to manage a few social media accounts and create content that included the drivers as much as possible but every now and then you also helped the company keep the public images of the drivers reputable.

Lately, Carlos had been finding reasons to talk to you, and most of that time would be spent reviewing his schedule multiple times throughout the day.

"He can be a little forgetful sometimes," you commented but Charles shook his head.

"A little? He needed you to remind him what time the race was."

You grimaced, knowing Charles was correct. "Well, you're his teammate so you know him better than I do."

"Yeah, I guess I'll ask him, thanks for the coffee," Charles stated as you two entered a meeting room. There were still fifteen minutes before it started, but you preferred to use that time so you could prepare yourself for all the notetaking it usually required. Since you were still a fairly new employee, you wanted to absorb all the information like a sponge.

Confused, you responded back, "you're the one who got the coffee."

He placed the items he was holding on the table, then noticing the time on his watch, a brief gasp overtaking his expression. "Thanks for the company then, I'll see you later," he playfully winked like he always did before leaving the room.

Moments later, a knock distracts you from reviewing the previous notes and stats from the last meeting. Thinking it was Charles, you ask, "did you forget somet- oh, Carlos."

"Are you busy?" He asks as he leans his forearms on the back of a chair. Shaking your head you respond, "not really, what's up?"

"I forget how crazy the crowds can get outside, so can I stay here for a few minutes?" You smile, "of course you can, come sit." He rolled a chair out and sighed in relief after finally getting off his feet.

Carlos closed his eyes for a moment relishing in the moments of silence in his hectic life. It didn't last long as you hummed a random tune which you usually did while working. It was so faint but since it was completely silent otherwise, Carlos' ears perked up as he heard it.

Instead of looking for the moments of silence he thought he needed earlier to even do a simple task as breathing, Carlos leaned forward with his usual watchful gaze focused on you. "Are you planning on more ways for us to make a fool out of ourselves?" He asked.

You chuckled, "I would never do that." Carlos gave you a look that indicated he didn't believe you.

"The last challenge was planned by you, no?" He countered and when you sheepishly smiled, he knew he was correct.

"You know, Charles is right," you spoke after a few moments of silence.

"How so?" He leaned back, stretching his arms above his head for a moment that almost caused you to lose track of your thoughts. You've gotten better at keeping yourself calm and collected around Carlos lately, but you still took a little moment to appreciate how his muscles flexed in the full sleeved shirt he wore.

"There's a team debrief happening in about five minutes where you're needed, and it's a bit of a walk so I'm wondering if you're gonna reach in time." To confirm your words, he glanced at his watch, raising his eyebrows when he realized you were spot on.

"You know my schedule so well now," he couldn't help but comment, chuckling as he did so.

"Only because you forget it," you retaliated.

"Maybe I do that on purpose," he stood up, once again stretching to the point where the hem of his shirt raised a bit, revealing a sliver of skin that your gaze immediately shifted to. While you might've gotten better, you still needed a bit more practice every now and then. Carlos chuckled when you didn't have a response right away, knowing you were distracted but he didn't feel the need to expose you just yet.

As he pulled his shirt down, your eyes snapped to his, finally coming up with a response "and almost get me fired for making you late?"

He shrugged, "maybe." You knew he would never do such a thing that would jeopardize your job, so you shrugged off his comment.

"Go now, Sainz" you urged, waving your hand to emphasize your point.

"I'm going, I'm going, relax, cariño." You could hear his laugh as he left the room, and you didn't focus on the papers in front of you until his footsteps had faded away.

It was just friendly banter, you reminded yourself even after hearing the nickname he gave you. Sometimes your conversations were borderline flirtatious, but it was still fine. Until it wasn't.

As the year progressed further, you were no longer just an employee with a career in motorsport; you were a member of the team that celebrated each high while consoling and sticking together during the lows.

While your job wasn't directly connected to the race, nor could you help in changing the outcome like the mechanics and engineers could, you helped uplift the mood in the room on multiple occasions.

Which is why when Carlos stood on the top step of the podium, claiming his first place trophy that would eventually become a part of a larger collection, you felt like you won.

The spray of champagne reached the crowd of his team waiting below the podium. A laugh bubbled up your throat as Carlos tried to aim the spill of the drink in the team principal's mouth standing on the floor a few feet away from you.

A proud smile grew on your face as you watched the drivers and a representative from your team that collected the constructors trophy gathered together on the top step to take a photo.

The celebrations continued in the team garage, since both drivers made it on the podium. The energy buzzing through each member was noticeable, knowing that this win would be celebrated until the next. After the team photo was taken, the champagne popped once again.

A few people were able to get away from becoming soaked, others were being targeted. Charles managed to slip away, but Carlos couldn't. He happily accepted the spray, soaking his race suit further after the podium.

His eyes however, darted across the crowd and landed on you. Standing just out of reach of the champagne shenanigans but still close enough to celebrate, Carlos decided to pull you even closer.

Grabbing the bottle from the nearest person, he covered the top and shook it. Releasing his thumb, he let the fizzy drink spray out, directing it at you this time. "Carlos!" You shrieked, but laughing nonetheless.

Once satisfied, he took a sip from the bottle, his gaze fixed on you as yours moved down to his neck, watching his Adam's apple bob while he swallowed. Passing the bottle to you, you moistened your lips before tipping it up and sipping the cool champagne.

His attention was diverted as Charles had found another bottle of champagne, deciding to drench his teammate even further after the celebrations began to die down. You smiled as Carlos tried to run away, dodging the alcohol, but it quickly dropped once he used you as a shield.

"Oh, no, no, no," you held your hand out at Charles who smiled mischievously, stopping in his tracks right in front of you.

"You are a part of the team," he commented, and you almost ignored his words as you felt Carlos' hands rest on your waist from behind, feeling his breath on your neck.

The heat of your thoughts was ruined when Charles decided to rain champagne down on you, cooling you off instantly. "Charles," you groaned, knowing that it would be an excruciatingly long process to wash all the champagne out of your hair, especially if it began to dry soon.

The team began to disperse, rightfully so as everyone wanted to change out of their champagne soaked clothes, you included. Trying to wring out as much liquid as you could, you muttered a curse under your breath. This was the first time you ever experienced a win like today.

Speaking of, the winner of the race was standing off to the side, shirtless. Carlos had removed his fireproof top but still had his race suit zipped down to his waist and placed a cap on his head backwards to keep his hair out of his face.

You parted your lips and watched his back muscles flex as he moved around, then hastily looked away as he turned. You kept wringing your shirt as he moved past you, and despite the fact that there was enough space for him to pass you without touching you, his fingertips brushed over your back, down to your waist. He lingered on your hip for too long, but he didn't say anything, only smiled when you inhaled deeply.

You had returned to your hotel room and immediately rushed towards the shower. The champagne from earlier had dried, creating an unpleasant sensation as a layer of tackiness remained behind. Washing away all the sweat and champagne, you sighed in relief, standing underneath the shower for a few extra minutes to release all the soreness in your muscles.

You still felt the buzzing excitement of the day running through your veins as you dried and dressed yourself, but you were also exhausted, ready to climb into bed and drift away into the safety of your dreams.

That plan was interrupted as you heard a knock on the door. Pulling your shirt over your body, you peeked through the peephole, smiling when you saw him standing on the other side.

"Oh hello, don't tell me you forgot your room number," you greeted Carlos as you opened the door.

Wetting his lips with his tongue, he was transfixed by the sight of your hair, still wet from your shower, dripping down to your shirt beginning to cling to your body.

"I think I did, tell me you don't remember it either," his voice dropped an octave, and his stare was no longer calculating, but rather enticingly seductive.

"And why would I do that?" You almost whispered, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from him.

He stepped forward, leaning one arm on the doorframe while his gaze glanced over you to briefly look inside the room. "I'm sure yours is big enough for two people."

The corner of your lip turned up at his words, knowing it was just a ploy to let him in. The realization that he desired you just as much as you had grown to want him dawned on you as you stared at him standing in front of you.

Trapping your lip between your teeth for a moment, instantly attracting Carlos' gaze towards them, you nodded.

"Let's check," you stepped back, pulling him inside by the collar of his shirt.

——

Taglist is open!! Lmk if you wanna be added or removed <3

@xoscar03 @pierregazly @rowena-ravenclaws-diadem @lilymurphy03 @gay-hoes-blog @ilovethefruits @lewlew44 @luvvtrent @hc-dutch @fwhore1 @khaylin27 @lillyssh-tposts @thatgirlmj @ladyoflynx @tcfanmania @customsbyjcg-blog @sltwins @nonstopbookworm @glitterquadricorn @charizznorizz @mrs-bunny @moonliightbabes @likedbygaslyy @booksandflowrs @teamnovalak @formula1mount @gaviymarcsbride @gotthemilk-69 @bwormie @llando4norris @ellesssssxzxz @arian-directioner @lou-bean28 @depressedgiftedburnout @halleest @amberpanda99 @borapsycho @cosmoscoffeee @mycenterfold @67-angelofthelordme-67 @sugarvibez @mehrmonga @aadu2173 @bokutos-babyowl @teenwolf01 @presidentdangdang @mrswolffs-blog @khaylin27 @amyfelix14 @seasonswinter @amalialeclerc @amandadesantasworld @ystrolllll @xisab @doofenshmirtzevil-inc @pedrohoe04 @yagirlhayes @teamnovalak @jadaaasworld @mmack23 @shimmermotorsport

[coco-loco-nut]

Book Club - Part 5

Pairing: Lance Stroll x Reader, Grid x Reader

Summary: the wedding, not too much grid involvement (sorry!!!)

masterlist

________

You didn't expect planning a wedding to be this hard. You and Lance agreed on something more low-key, but that doesn't really happen when you are both famous in your own right and you are marrying the son of a billionaire, so you settled on a fancy but small wedding. Lawrence funded the whole wedding, wanting the day to go off without a hitch, besides you and Lance getting hitched obviously. Lance took care of planning the Honeymoon, leaving you and Lawrence to plan the wedding.

"Y/n, go take a break. You are stressing out over nothing my dear. Let me handle it, your wedding shouldn't be stressful," Lawrence rests his hand on your shoulder and you nod, taking a deep breath. Your soon-to-be father-in-law has done a great job so far at bringing your vision to life, so you trusted him to argue with the beach venue in Greece. You walked away and went to the mini library of the Switzerland home.

Your bridal party/mini vacation to a small beach town in Corsica, planned by none other than George Russell and Chloe Stroll, was fabulous. The weekend flew by so quick, and Daniel made it his personal mission to get you drunk off your ass 24/7. The whole book club, besides Fernando made up your bridal party, in addition to George, Logan, and Chloe.

“Y/n, you look beautiful,” Chloe and Claire help the stylists put finishing touches on you. The greek sun has tanned you perfectly the past couple days, and given you a beautiful glow. There is a knock on the door and Chloe is quick to open it. Your bridal party walks in, dressed in their tan suits.

“My daughter, you look stunning,” Kimi hugs you, he is giving you away on your request.

“Thank you,” you whisper. Your bridal party consists of Chloe (your maid of honor), the book club (minus Fernando who is with his teammate), George, and Logan. Logan’s groomsmen is also filled with drivers as well as Chloe’s husband Scotty who is serving as his Best Man.

“Alright, time for one last meeting before testing,” Checo says, one of your wedding photographers making sure to catch the moment on camera. An hour filled with laughter passes quickly and soon enough, Lawrence is guiding you to your first look with Lance. It was one thing that you and Lance were certain of, wanting the private moment for yourselves.

Lance is standing on the balcony staring at the ocean, waiting for you. You spot a photographer standing in a corner of the large space, trying to remain invisible as you slip onto the balcony.

“Come here often?” your voice shakes slightly as the breath leaves you. He looks utterly handsome in his suit and perfectly styled hair.

“I- you look- wow,” he says, taking in every inch of you. Both of you look at each other, tears pricking in your eyes.

“I can, and will, say the same thing about you,” you grin, stepping towards him. He carefully pulls you into him, kissing you.

“I can’t wait to make you my wife,” he rests his forehead on yours.

“Half an hour,” you could hear the sounds of your guests filling in.

“Then they will be able to see the most beautiful woman in the world,” Lance smiles, your heart racing.

“It will be a shame that they won’t be looking at you. How will they know that I am the luckiest girl in the world,” you return his smile.

“No, I am the luckiest guy. I get to marry a multitalented woman. You are an incredible racer, the most beautiful woman on earth, the kindest soul, and yet you choose me,” he continues his flattery.

“I am a good racer, not incredible,” you laugh. You aren’t like Max, Charles, Lando or Carlos, you don’t fight for podiums as often, but you do tend to hang around P4 or P5. You aren’t a world championship winning driver, it’s why Red Bull signed you to replace Checo in the upcoming season following his retirement. They need a solid second driver, and they know that Max will teach you more and push you.

“Nonsense, my baby is going to be driving for Red Bull, they chose you for a reason,” Lance reassures you.

“Y/n, Lance, one more minute,” Chloe interrupts.

“I’ll see you out there,” you squeeze his hands, a motion he returns. After a quick kiss, you follow him off the balcony. Your stylists do some quick touch ups before your party is escorted outside, you watch as the procession starts, Lance leading the pairs down the aisle. The grid takes the coupling in stride, holding arms with each other and making everyone giggle at them, including you.

“Are you ready, Kirppu?” Kimi asks, tears in his eyes.

“Remember, I’m training you for whenever those three get married,” you glance at your adoptive siblings.

“I know, they adore their older sister. Let’s not make Lance wait any longer,” Kimi sighs as you squeeze his arm. You and Kimi walk gracefully down the aisle, a wide smile on your face, and Kimi’s usually stoic face full of emotion. When the officiant, aka Sebastian Vettel, asks who is giving you away, he proudly identifies himself as your father, and when he sits down beside Minttu he is crying like a baby. The ceremony flies by, but you and Lance soak in every detail. Your vows to each other are short and sweet, not needing to say a lot to profess your love to each other.

“You may now kiss the bride,” Sebastian says, Lance wastes no time in wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into a kiss. The guys on both sides of you go nuts, Kimi cries again, and you pull apart with a grin. Lance picks you up and carries you down the aisle.

The reception takes place on the beach, you changed into a shorter, flowier, white dress for dancing and sand purposes, Lance’s suit jacket is off and the top few shirt buttons are undone. You and Lance entered first for the sole purpose of wanting to see how the ‘couples’ entered. Each driver pairing made the both of you laugh your butts off, very glad that there is video evidence of it.

You both refused to let Netflix film and other celebrity news outlets photograph any parts of the wedding, they weren’t invited and if they wanted media from it, they can pay the both of you a hefty sum. The security provisions for keeping away paparazzi meant that everyone was able to truly enjoy themselves.

“Family photo!” Minttu says, pulling you and Lance over as the reception starts. The first picture is just Robin, Rianna, and you carefully holding Grace, then Lance gets added in, then Kimi and Minttu join, then Lance leaves the picture so it is only you 6.

“My icecubes,” Kimi smiles at the pictures adoringly.

“One day we are going to drive for Ferrari together, just like Iskä,” Robin looks up at you and you smile, knowing that you will be far to old to do that when he is in F1.

“Heck yeah, little bro,” you hug him. Maybe you will get to be his race engineer, congratulating him when he wins his first championship.

“You two will be champions of the world together,” Lance winks at you and Robin.

“You look like a princess and a prince,” Rianna says, you pick her up and hug her. Kimi is silently combusting while watching his kids be cute together.

“That makes you a princess too, since you are my little sister,” you tickle her and she squirms out of your arms into Lance’s.

“I’ll protect you, don’t worry,” he angles her away from you as she laughs.

“Hey!” you laugh as well.

“Ok kids, let your older sister and brother greet their other guests,” Minttu says, Lances heart swells hearing himself included. You both make your laps around the tables, greeting the guests before dinner is served. The speeches are wonderful, and before you know it, you are dancing with Kimi for your Father-Daughter dance.

“Are you ok, Dad? You are crying more than I think you ever have,” you smile softly, as he uses a had to wipe his eyes.

“I just never expected to grow so close to you when I offered to mentor you, and now you are for all intents and purposes my daughter, and I’m so proud of how much you’ve accomplished this past year. If I had it my way, your last name would be Räikkönen, not Stroll now,” Kimi sniffles.

“About that. My new legal name is Y/n Räikkönen-Stroll. I talked to the family about it and they agreed, I was going to wait to surprise you,” you reveal, his smile quickly growing.

“I’m so happy to call you my daughter,” he hugs you as the song ends.

“No more happy as I am to call you my dad,” you squeeze him tight. As the night ends, you and Lance are whisked away to catch the private jet to wherever Lance planned the Honeymoon.

instagram

y/username now and forever Y/n Räikkönen-Stroll ily @/lancestroll

lancestroll can’t wait to spend forever with you ❤️

fernandoalonso félicitations , beautiful wedding!

kimiraikkonen Congratulations, Kirppu, so glad to have a new addition to the family.

y/username thanks dad!

sebastianvettel Congrats to the happy couple! Always a good wedding when Kimi cries!

logansargeant poor Nico, his grid wife has a grid husband now

nicohulkenberg No one can separate us, our love is eternal

y/username who said I can’t have both! 🥰

lancestroll @y/username …me, your husband???

redbullracing our favorite grid couple! p.s. let us know what name your are racing under - Admin

y/username Y/n Räikkönen, two Strolls on the grid would be too chaotic. love you admin 🫶

comments on this post are limited

[nouearth]

autumn reminders.

bruce wayne x male reader.

summary: in the start of autumn, you surprise bruce with lunch because he hasn't been taking care of himself.

wc: 1.3k. warnings: fluff, kinda angst(?), comfort! fic, established relationship, mentions of food, bruce is overworked, he's also horny, worried!reader, touchy!bruce, husband!bruce.

a/n: a short little one-shot because i miss writing for bruce! and autumn is finally here, so i can finally wear my sweaters!! idk, i feel bad for not updating as much, and i also didn't want to only update with smut, lol. but i hope you guys enjoy it! <3 maybe i'll write something about pumpkin spice coffee soon!

the building absorbed the heavy clacks of your suede oxfords as you ambled along the halls. tall windows lined by your side, illuminating you in the afternoon with every step, and occasionally, you’d pause to snap a photo at the autumn vista. it was approaching quick: the cooler weather, the stronger gales, and the changing leaves. while you loved the season most for bringing out your sweaters and coats—most importantly, the autumn season brought in curated festivals, decoration, and your favorite: the autumn menu.

“oh—mister wayne, do you need help with that?” an employee was quick to turn on his heel as you passed by him, but he caught in in four steps, wide-eyed when you turned at the sound of his voice.

“no, it’s all right! figured this would be my punishment for skipping out arm-day!” though you struggled maintaining the weight of several paper bags in your arms and two coffee cups, a smile of assurance and a thumbs up, barely visible in between the grasp of the cup and the height of the bags, reluctantly sent the employee on his way to his duties.

the smile on your face was radiant, much more than a few seconds ago. it’s been almost a year, but it hasn’t gotten old yet—being called mister wayne.

it only took a few more minutes, a fresh bruise to the elbow when you bumped into a wall, and then a scare when you almost dropped your coffee before you were at bruce’s door. before you could put the bags and cups down to open it, it flew open with a confident swing and you jolted from the gentle ambush, hugging the paper bags closer to your body to still the weight.

“why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” the ache in your arms was immediately relieved once you stepped inside bruce’s office, the latter taking a bag for himself and setting it on his coffee table after locking the door closed.

“were you watching the security cameras again?” you followed, setting the other bag next to it, as well as the two coffee cups before then stretching your arms above your head, a pleasurable groan kicking a strum from your throat.

“well, yes—wanted to see if you could make it up here without getting lost.” bruce chuckled, reaching out to firmly squeeze your tense shoulders twice. “but the secretary also told me you were heading up.” you groaned again, at the confession and the aggressive touch, playfully flicking his hands away while you were bent over to disperse the takeout from the paper bags. but bruce persisted with a firmer grasp, massaging your shoulders when he lined behind your figure. 

“you’re kidding! she promised me she wouldn’t!“ the rigid touch of bruce’s hands eventually wandered off into gentle squeezes to your sides, waist, and bottom. your chest rose for a deep inhale, glancing at the locked door as you stood straight again, and then deflated, exhaling, when a single hand found its home on your stomach, warm and heavy on the layers of clothing, only to escape when it took slow dive to the compress of your belt, nudging the sturdy leather with his fingertips.

there was a sudden weight on your left shoulder. he hooked his chin over the narrow muscle to peek over at his hands fiddling with the leather strap, kissing your neck in midst of the fidgeting. “shouldn’t have bought you this—it was easier when you had that cheaper belt.”

“I knew you’d come around to the idea of second-hand clothing!” the surge of veins in your neck as you laughed vibrated against his lips, and bruce joined you in quiet chuckles, his arms holding you tight when he finally unbuckled your belt.

there was a satisfied sound from bruce, sinking into your skin as he continued on kissing your neck, when he removed your belt, and as much as you wanted your husband right now, the ache down south aiding this frustration as it demanded you to ignore the smell of the cooling takeout, your stomach grumbled when the aroma of the sandwiches was resolute and stung your nostrils. the smell of deli meat unfurled in the air to claim its next victim, and the sound of bruce’s stomach groused after.

“lunch first.” you rolled your head back into his shoulders, matching his doting gaze with a smile as you admired his looks for the nth time since you’ve met him. “year is ending soon, so i know you have a lot of late meetings to attend to.”

bruce’s slicked-back hair revealed more of the fine wrinkles on his forehead and emphasized the sharpness of his features. you were embarrassed to admit that upon first meeting him, you were too intimidated by his presence to revel in his beauty like everyone else did. even when you’ve gotten to know him, it had always been his story that had stoned you by his side.

“i know, i’m sorry. I’ll try to come home early, but i can’t promise that.”

now that you’ve read every chapter of his life up to this point, you could finally take the time to appreciate how handsome he was. beyond surface level features, you could allude every small detail on his face to the novel of bruce wayne, down to every page, because you were a part of his life now. your hand cupped his cheek as your thumb laved over his eye-bags, tender in its warm stride. bruce hummed, leaning into your palm and watching you silently as seconds went by.

“don’t apologize! i’ll visit you when you have time, yeah? don’t overwork yourself too. alfred’s been nagging at me to bring you meals, so consider this part of your daily routine now! and you’ve been skipping out on dinner because of—”

it was like he knew what you were about to say, about his double-life as a vigilante. your gaze grew concerning. he had noted how your brows knitted together when you were reluctant to say something, when something had been bothering you. 

when the words caught in your throat, bruce seized the opportunity to kiss your worries away instead. it made him feel better—knew it made you feel better—even if it was temporarily, and he pressed harder into your lips, kissing every corner of flesh until his own worries regarding your safety had briefly perished.

bruce was never good with his words.

he pulled away with a delighted sigh, leaning his forehead onto yours once he turned you back around, and his palms immediately found themselves warming your flushed cheeks. "i'll be okay."

but he was willing to try, for you.

"i have no doubts about that. i just need you to be extra, extra okay." the image of a bloodied bruce months ago still haunted you in your wake, but it only took a gentle press of bruce's palms to reel you back into the haven of his arms.

bruce laughed, and upon noticing that it only raised another level of fret within you, a deeper ribbon threading your eyebrows closer, he pressed the tip of his nose to yours like he did the very first time he held you, and kissed your lips again.

"i'll be extra, extra, extra okay." he assured with your tired murmurs, and you sighed into them as if they were a lullaby, sinking into his arms completely.

your lips danced with his in a slow and calming waltz, and you shuddered when the breeze from the acceleration of your pulse surged though your chest. bruce held you closer to his body, pressing the swell of your heart to his own and puzzling every individual beat until they fused as one, pulsated into one another.

“so, sandwiches, huh? does alfred know that i’m eating terrible? something that isn't from his own hands?"

“not if you tell him, asshole.”

nouearth. please do not repost, plagiarize, or translate my works. and if you like this story, please reblog and leave a like! feedback is also much appreciated!

[chris-hallelujah]

HockeyPlayerBF!Chris who...

*Last one contains light smut MDNI

Word Count: 750

A/N: I've never done a head cannon before so we'll see if I do this right. Also, this was made with NHL/pro level aged Chris in mind.

Makes sure you always have something to wear on game days.

Your closet is essentially half full of Chris' hockey merch. Anything he gets is just as much yours as it is his. He makes sure you have anything you want from the pro shop. He comes home with something new for you almost once a week. Even though you aren't married yet, he loves seeing you in his hockey gear with his last name on it.

Is very aware of how passionate you are about hockey and him.

The referee blew the whistle and skated over to Chris calling a penalty. "Listen, kid, you gotta watch how you-" the ref started to explain.

"ARE YOU FUCKIN BLIND? HE DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH HIM!" You yelled from the bleachers. You had always loved hockey and were very passionate about sports, especially now that you were dating Chris and had some skin in the game.

Chris and the ref looked in your direction. "That your girlfriend?" he asked.

Chris chuckled, "Yes, sir, she gets very into the game." The ref laughed to himself and gave Chris a pat on the back.

"Good luck, kid."

Doesn't let his teammates talk about you.

Most of the guys on Chris' team were assholes. They had a great team bond, but they treated women like shit and often times passed around the same girl. Chris was different. You were different.

Chris walked into the locker room after the game. "Hey Chris, I saw y/n waiting outside! You think I got a shot?" one of his teammates teased.

Chris shoulder checked him, "Get fuckin' lost, that one's all mine."

Makes sure you have the best seat in the house

Your regular seat in the arena might as well have a plaque with your name on it. Chris had worked it out with the coach and box office that the same seat in the front row, lower bowl, middle of the ice was booked for you for every home game. He liked knowing where you were so he could catch glimpses at you as he played. This also made sure you had the best view to watch him play.

Was a bit needy during peak season.

Many nights a week consisted of you giving Chris a massage to help loosen up his sore muscles from a long practice or an aggressive game. You rubbed icy hot on the areas that needed extra TLC and you were happy to wrap up a sore ankle if needed.

Made sure people knew he was taken

Like most athletes, Chris' DMs were full of girls wanting a shot. It bothered you at first but you realized how much of an effort Chris made to let people know he was unavailable. Anytime Chris scored in a game, he immediately found you. If he had an extra second, he'd skate over and blow you a kiss through the glass, letting his hand linger so you could touch your hand to the other side. One time, after he scored the winning goal at a championship game, he threw his stick over the glass for you to catch. But, if there was a far away game or even if he just didn't have a second to break away after a goal, he'd make sure to catch the camera and blow a kiss or do a hand heart so you could see it wherever you were.

He also etched your initials with a heart into his stick and did a stripe of pink tape since it was your favorite color. He was obsessed with showing you off.

Let his game determine how sex would be that night

A winning game meant celebration in your house. After getting back from the bar, party, or however the team decided to celebrate, you and Chris had your own party in your bedroom. His favorite thing was to give you an orgasm for each point he scored that night.

"Come on, ma, I had a great game. You can take another, right?"

However, a bad game usually meant a cranky Chris needed somewhere to put his pent up energy. He'd bend you over whatever surface he decided. Sometimes the bed but usually a countertop. He would pound into you and pull your hair to keep you close to him. A sharp smack to your ass had you a mess and at his complete mercy. Of course you wanted him to do well, but maybe him losing wasn't too bad.

[buddiebeginz]

UGHHHHH I just hope that Tim and the writing team continues to make Tommy the plot device he was intended to be and don’t think the majority of viewers ship BT. Buddie or not I just don’t think Tommy contributes much of anything to the storyline or Buck! I just hope ABC and the writers don’t see those numbers and try and force the relationship in s8 because honestly the chemistry just is NOT there

If Tim had intentions on developing B*mmy more I'm positive we would have seen some of that in episodes 709 and 710. If it was just about waiting and seeing how the audience reacted to B*mmy to see if they wanted to keep him longer Tim had time to make adjustments to those eps. Yet he didn't and in fact I think T*mmy comes off in both eps (and the deleted scene) looking worse than ever.

Instead of giving B/T any scenes of physical affection or even having them use the word boyfriend in the last two eps they had T*mmy being dismissive of Buck's feelings "enjoy it while it lasts" and they had him making a sex joke when Buck was trying to be vulnerable. B*mmy fans also like to believe that Tim hates the Buddie fandom and really wants B/T to be endgame but all the evidence points to the contrary. In 709 we had the camera panning to Eddie (and Chris) when Buck got his medal. We had a Buddie having an important talk in Eddie's kitchen. In 710 we had zero sign of T*mmy until the end at that dinner and this is most important because it's the last scene the show is leaving us with (for B/T) before the next season. Instead of letting the audience see how things have progressed between them by this point all it showed is that their relationship is based mostly on sex and not much else. They could have shown T*mmy at the hospital with Buck they could have even had Buck say something about T*mmy when he was with Eddie but nope.

B*mmy stans act like their ship is endgame simply because it's canon but that's all they have on their side right now. So much more effort is being put into developing Buddie as a ship than is B/T. I wouldn't worry about what the numbers say. Tim and ABC know how beloved Buddie is and they know what's going to garner them the most attention. B/T might have gotten a little bit of attention but that's been primarily because this is Buck's first relationship with a guy. But it'll be nothing compared to what happens when Buddie goes canon. Having two main characters realize their sexuality later in life and then fall in love is not something any tv show has done especially not a slow burn like this. It will be ground breaking and has the power to change the way queer characters/ship are handled in media. Tim and ABC aren't going to pass up all the praise and attention that kind of storyline will get them for B/T. A ship that is already losing a lot of the momentum they had after the first kiss.

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

My Garden Flowers Part 4

All photos mine. The Pennsylvania pellitory is edited for because the plant app I took the photo in washed it out. The scarlet bee balm is edited for colour because that old phone's camera sucked.

In order of appearance:

091. Pennsylvania Pellitory (Parietaria pensylvanica) A common garden weed, but as it's native it can stay in some places.

092. Perennial Flax (Linum perenne) In spite of the name she sadly didn't come back or reseed. Shame because she looked really nice in that area. Oh well. I'll have to try in another spot.

093. Showy Tick-Trefoil (Desmodium canadense) She tricked me! I thought she hadn't made it as she hadn't come up by late June so I got another one and put her in a different area...only for this one to come up. And if you're thinking, oh, she's just a late bloomer, I should have waited, well, she came up in May this year. Because of course she did.

094. Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginiana) She smells like something you'd want to season steak or something with and would probably do very well at that but I've never cooked a steak before. Maybe I'll try her in pesto some day.

095. Devil's Tongue (Opuntia humifusa) She flowered for the first time last year and is flowering again this year!

096. Fragile Prickly Pear (Opuntia fragilis) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet. She's still quite little. I might break off a piece of her to try growing in that really tough spot. If she can survive summer to winter in a pot, surely that area shouldn't be too harsh for her.

097. Thrift Seapink (Armeria maritima) She's tough enough to survive winter in a pot and did so for three years, but last winter was apparently too much for her. Again, I think it was just too dry. She was pretty much only happy there in the spring and fall, though, so maybe it's just as well. The new one I planted elsewhere seems happy in all seasons.

098-099. Lance-Leaved Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata) Usually only the cultivars have those red markings! I'm assuming there's been some cross-pollination with other gardens because I did not plant that. My tickseeds are all straight amber. Unless she independently produced the colour on her own as a sport. Interestingly enough, none of them are showing that colouration this year.

100. White Sagewort (Artemisia ludoviciana) I wasn't actually supposed to have this one. I'd ordered the less aggressive A. frigida, but oh well. Maybe she'll attract American lady butterflies some year. Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet. She smells like something you'd use to season stuffing.

101. Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) After several attempts in different areas, trying my hardest to follow what the information online said she would need, but somehow failing, this one at last seems to be doing fine.

102. Dotted St. John's Wort (Hypericum punctata) I didn't plant that. Either a gift of the wildlife or a dormant seed came to life when I removed the grass.

103. Roundhead Bushclover (Lespedeza capitata) Another one I've had several attempts with, but she seems to like it there.

104. Curlycup Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa) Flowered nicely that year and I thought she didn't reseed because she didn't come up last year but there is a plant this year! It's good to remember that seeds can lie dormant for some time. :)

105. Upright Prairie Coneflower "Mexican Hat" (Ratibida columnifera) This is a cultivar and has since passed away during the winter.

106. Rocky Mountains Bee Plant (Cleomella serrulata) She reseeded for several years but apparently not this one. Hopefully they're just skipping a year and will come up next spring. If not I'll have to attempt a different area. Anyway, pretty much the whole plant is edible with preparation, and lots of insects love the flowers.

107. Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata) Beloved of many insects. Sometimes I just like to sit next to her and watch the activity.

108. Wild Black Sweet Tomato (Solanum ptychanthum) She began as a weed on this property, but not anymore. She is a welcome part of my native garden with her wonderful fruits in the summer.

109. Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) The wild type this time, but no evidence of reseeding this year. :(

110. Alpine Rock Cress (Arabis alpina) She flowers in April before most trees have even blossomed.

111. Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense) By the time I got to plant her in the fall some years ago, I was sure she'd die over the winter. She didn't but struggled through the warm months. But she managed to bounce back the following spring and makes a nice little carpet now.

112. Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

113. Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Finally decided to flower this year! She is the only orange species of milkweed native this far north.

114. Upright Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) The wild type. Didn't like that spot in the winter either, so I'm trying a different area this year.

115. Fringed Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum ciliolatum) Not the most colourful or compact, but makes a nice spray of pale blue violet over her dark green foliage.

116. Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet, but she's likely to this year.

117. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) She's been on the property long before I got here. Not pictured as I haven't gotten any pictures yet since she is very tall.

118. Field Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) Compact and low-growing foliage create a mat, with these delicate stems poking out with what looks like kitten toes that pass for the plant's flower.

119. Aster (Symphyotrichum) I don't know what she is yet, but she decided to take up residence with my pussytoes and I guess that's okay. Haven't gotten pictures of the flowers yet.

120. Dotted Blazing Star (Liatris punctata) Not pictured as she hasn't flowered yet.

[nightskylonging]

Nightsky's thought log of the Monaco GP 2024

That was an awful crash (Checo & the Haases), thank God everyone is okay.

Carlos and Oscar - that got overshadowed quick

KMag's getting a race ban out of this, isn't he.

I scrubbed through the red flag, why isn't Esteban restarting??

It's a good thing I didn't watch this live, I'd have had to leave for church in the middle

'This is the only opportunity' George your 40s fighter pilot is showing

Fastest lap to Carlos (lap 9), boys, play nice

Carlos Sr in the captain's chair (cry-laugh emoji)

Is it just me who gets kinda nauseous from the driver's eye camera? It's not so bad for this because it was a day race, but still

'Pootling around' Never change George

The top three are just juggling fastest lap like a hot potato

Oscar leave your father alone

And a decent pitstop for Sauber! That puts Valtteri so far back though

I don't know why but seeing the straight along the harbour suddenly awoke a distinct memory of watching Top Gear with my dad as a small child

Carlos is upgrading from strategizing himself to strategizing the whole team

nvm valtteri's about made it back up, he's just sailing along

Oscar! Leave your dad alone!

Jolyon it is too early (Lap 22) to talk about potential wins you will jinx it

George is just backing up the whole field, my goodness

Don't remind me that Carlos is leaving Ferrari, I'm not ready yet

Esteban had contact? With who? Gasly?

The camera directors have done this particular mirrored lenses shot (a marshal I think?) a couple times now, it's kinda cool

Lando?? (Lap 29)

Ayyy that was close to the wall

Are they playing Senna footage in the tunnel? For whose benefit?

'I wonder if Fernando's enjoying slowing everyone down' I mean, probably

Oscar's radios have been great today. Just calmly, slightly perplexed

'Charles, slow down please' *Charles does his personal best* help

¡Carlos, la pared por favor!

If Lance is gonna take this pit stop I think --- ah there it is

Very neat work from the Aston Martin team

Thirty seconds between Yuki and Lewis (skull emoji) ya gonna take that pal?

Matching carlando father shots (Lap 46) (laugh emoji)

'That's rude' tell 'em, Charles!

Annnd there goes Lance. Oof.

Jolyon! No! Jinxing! Shut up!

Hamilton in and out, he's gonna have no trouble keeping his place with that gap

Valtteri passed Logan I think?

They just showed the replay, neat work, that is

Much more and Lando's gonna have enough time for a stop as well if they want to take it

Max got fastest lap and the Jaws theme started playing in my mind

This undercut threat graphic is funnier than it should be for me, it makes me think of like. an inclement weather warning

Nice overtake for Lance there

Make that two, my goodness

Carlos is playing 5-D chess out here doing his own race and managing the thing as well

How much of the field has been lapped now? (Lap 61)

Okay why do they call it the swimming pool?

Jolyon! Jinxing!

They're finally letting Yuki go racing (cry-laugh)

Logie bear why are you saying you hit the wall.

Okay thank goodness it wasn't bad

Okay you can discuss the podium now I suppose

Only five more laps. Is it gonna happen? Is this it?

Logie bear past Zhou - Meanwhile, Fernando sails across the chicane (I think that was the chicane)

Not a single Piastri-Leclerc joke on the F1TV broadcast, missed opportunity

Mbappé - first flag waver I've recognized this season (I do not watch football, I don't know why I know him)

Here we go, final lap. Let's go, Charles!

The boats blaring their horns for Charles <3

YEEEEEAAAAHHHH

The curse is broken!

He's so happy augh he did it!

[wonderfuldeath]

.o| Seasonal Calendar |o.

Photo

• July 6 •

Warnings : Fluff, angst, screaming

Please, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi ! ♥

“- Don't move!”

The click of the camera catches him a little off guard as she has an amused laugh. Crystalline as the reflections of water, and he seems taken aback. The early summer breeze moves his hair, long enough to fit in a clip, honey-blond, with reflections of an ancient red. It takes his breath away, stretching him with the blink of an eyelash. Her purple dress, with a false tear to reveal the lace, seems quite short for a girl of her age, but he makes no comment. The black camera, a small professional camera that probably fit in the bunny bag on his back, reflects the reflections of the water, and for a moment, he wonders what she's just recorded.

“Thank you.

- Hm.”

With difficulty, the young woman passes the barrier, taking great care of the camera, surely to make sure she didn't damage it any more, obviously it had suffered a blow, the crack from the lens to the top button proves it, and his misplaced curiosity makes him wonder what could have happened to it.

“- A bad fall from a tree.

- Eh?

- The crack. The camera fell out of the tree.

- Oh.”

He looks away, as she seems to stare at the horizon as he does, the camera resting on her thighs proving that it wasn't the sea she'd photographed, but something around him. He couldn't help looking at her, petite, darkly styled, despite the Karakura heat, wearing black leather boots. Perhaps to enhance an already pleasant outfit, perhaps to make her more comfortable to walk in. He detailed every little thing about her, she had minty green eyes, she had a soft look, and she had a lot of trouble bending her left leg. Probably due to an injury. His light, resonant laugh again made him look away from her, completely.

“- Don't you want to see it?

- See it?

- The photo. Usually people tend to ask for it.

- I'm not interested.”

Another laugh, and he wrinkles his nose, but can't say anything. The unpleasant sound of the phone between his fingers rings and he doesn't really take the time to wait. She watches him run, then fixes the snapshot on the camera with a gentle smile.

-x-

“- Mily!”

The young woman looks up from her phone as she straightens up. The second time Hitsugaya had seen her, the second time he'd been struck by her. Her hair waved softly over her childlike face, and she had that mischievous, laughing look when she recognized him. Her black bunny bag was still on her back, and she'd swapped her dress for a more summery outfit, and he wondered how she managed to stay so untanned.

“- You're late, Ichigo.

- I'm sorry, we had a problem.

- So you need a roommate?

- If you don't mind.

- Visit and let me know afterwards.”

With a fluid movement, she swivels to accompany them to a small house, with a terrace, something traditional and modern at the same time. The front door seems abandoned, and she passes through the glass door, the one that leads directly into the kitchen, and into the living room. To the right, a corridor and several doors, and she opened the one furthest back, behind which was a furnished yet empty bedroom. It was pleasant, a bathroom just adjoining the bedroom, the rest was her corner.

“- Ichigo said you needed an office, there's an unused room just across the hall. The rest is my stuff. If you can't find me in my room, I'll be right across the hall.”

A nod, and she indicated that if he felt like it, he could live here. And he'd agreed, it would be nicer than putting up with Matsumoto's drinking parties. The blonde didn't seem to mind his somewhat forced flat-sharing, on the contrary, she tended to do a lot of things, taking on more provisions. She often asked him what he felt like eating and drinking. And even when he ran off, she didn't ask any questions, just watched him go, telling him to be careful. Hitsugaya had never really gone for a walk around the house; they had their own schedules, each on their own, and it suited her completely. When he went to the Soul Society for weeks, she still didn't ask any questions, just smiled at him when she saw him around the house. And soon he'd made his mark. There was snow falling timidly when he got home late, the month's mission was going to be a real problem, and it irritated him just to listen to the meeting. Usually, she was never there. Always locked away in her room or office, but this time, a whole pile of electrical equipment was spread out on the kitchen table, and on top of the laptop screen, the summer flow photo was displayed, digitally. The scene was rather mundane, yet breathtaking, and he didn't even seem to notice that she existed, lost in thought, watching the sunset from behind.

“- Ah, you're back? Are you hungry?

- What are these?

- Pictures?

- Of me.

- I asked if you wanted to see them.”

Touched, he looked at her, then at the computer, which she closed, leaving room for him to settle in if he was hungry. And it hadn't even really struck him, the idea that she'd taken so many photos of him, his brows furrowing, but she just has a laugh. The light one that makes him forget life itself.

“- Don't do so much, I'm not selling it on the black chew, no twisted will come to you for strange things.

- I hope so.”

The answer made her laugh again, and his fingers burned, the strange desire to run through it, see what she saw through the lens behind which Mily seemed to be growing. But he said nothing more, and scowled at the urge to open the screen, preferring instead to flee elsewhere, to his room, to start work straight away.

-x-

“- You're really unbearable, you know that?”

Her voice sounded a little raw, and Hitsugaya looked up from his eternal phone, abandoning the very idea of finding a Hollow for half an hour. He'd never heard her raise her voice, so he was surprised, curious as a magpie, and eager to know who the young woman was talking to, he'd come to see, just to be sure. And his blood had made a sharp turn, as he'd seen the frail body recoil, pushed back by the man's hand. The camera, obviously an object of discord, ended its life against the table with a clatter of glass, and he could hear Mily hold back a cry of terror. As if he'd just broken the neck of her favorite duck.

“But you're not well!

- I told you, cut the crap!

- Bullshit?! We're talking about my work!

- Your job? A utopia! You're a good-for-nothing!

- I…”

Anger and rage had overcome the man, and as he raised his arm, a crack as sinister as the camera lens was heard. The captain hadn't thought, he'd just reacted. A cry of pain rang out and the man turned, abruptly. A glint in his eye, the glint of the crazy people of the Eleventh, the glint of those who like to fight. Mocking and treacherous, it didn't even make him shiver.

“I can't believe you live with that loser.

- Don't you dare take it out on him!

- Your boyfriend just broke my arm!

- Because you tried to hit me!

- Maybe if I stab him, you'll change your mind!”

Horror, as he put his money where his mouth was. Mily's heart had almost stopped as she'd screamed. And he hadn't even touched her, his second arm ending like the first in one swift blow. Making him fall with a howl, a mixture of anger and pure pain. And Mily could only bring her fingers to her mouth.

“- Now beat it.”

The next day, Mily apologized, and he simply shrugged. When he returned late in the evening, the camera was there, lying with a crack showing the beast's entrails. And Hitsugaya still didn't know, even when he'd returned to the Soul Society, why he'd had it repaired before leaving. He simply left a note on it: “If he comes back, let me know. I'll take care of it. As a thank you, can I have the photo? The first one you took.” And he'd found it, nicely framed in black, with handmade snowflakes.

“- Captain, what is it?

- You don't see it Matsumoto ? A photo.

- Yes, I can see it… But…

- Don't make excuses for not working. Hurry up and make your report.”

[starry-mist]

S4e11 thoughts:

I can appreciate what the episode is trying to do. It's a very obvious homage to James Bond. I just feel like it tries too hard.

We have Bond (Charlie), Bond Girl (Trina), Moneypenny (Sarah), Q (Jesse), M (Joe), and an actual character named M who gets the very obvious line about MI-6 just in case the audience has somehow missed that THIS IS JUST A JAMES BOND STORY DONE HUDSON & REX STYLE.

Of all the places they could have chosen, they went with Hamilton? Seriously? I would have gone with Toronto. I know the whole trick was to have Rex jump through the O in the Hamilton sign, but I can confirm that Toronto has one of those two, with three O options...maybe a triple jump?

However, as I'm writing this, I'm remembering that they actually didn't film all that many scenes in Hamilton itself. The interior shots (both the Hall of Heroes and the fancy restaurant) were both filmed at The Rooms in St. John's. The absence of Toronto's recognizable skyline would have been pretty obvious with those huge windows. Hamilton's scenery isn't all that distinctive, and parts of it could resemble St. John's if you squint (hilly in some areas, and close to a large body of water.)

Charlie and Sarah in fancy dress but in separate places is a crime. I said what I said.

The introduction of Michael worked in this episode, the "she's not just that into you" vibes did not. It was a little too quick to hit that so hard. But given Andrew Bushell likely had limited availability, I'll chalk it up to them needing to move that story along within the time they had him.

Also the very obvious Sarah hiding Michael from the team... *cough* Charlie *cough*...it becomes even more obvious in episode 12, but anyway. Has apparently met her other friends, but she hasn't told her parents about him, and he's yet to meet the coworkers who are basically family...this was when I started to think our lovely Plot Device was toast.

When Joe asks Jesse about the report on the Iris Cross case, I feel the tiniest tease of season continuity, and I'm totally imagining that Jesse and Sarah share a quick glance and headcanoning that they covered for Charlie after that case and just go with it, okay?

Also, Joe. Quit shitting on Jesse. We're supposed to have passed that phase.

Trina. Your flirting skills suck.

(Charlie, so do yours.)

Look, irritating as I found it at the time, I am not going to begrudge Charlie a little fling, nor will I hold it against Sarah to be stepping into the dating world. These two have each been (presumably) single for a while. They deserve a little action. (Obviously I'd have preferred that action to be with each other, but...for now, let them have their fun.)

I expected Michael to be taller, blonder, and with just a hint of scruff. But seriously, track the development of his facial hair over his few appearances. There's a definite Charlie-esque trajectory.

I had always fixated on there being some sort of reason why the camera panned down to Sarah's phone as she puts it in her purse, but I could never figure out why it was important. Tonight I finally realized it's because she was checking for a message from Charlie. Duh.

To this day I can’t watch the scene where Charlie “pumps Rex’s stomach.” Cool that Sherri Davis is there, though, maybe to keep Diesel comfortable?

The contrast between Charlie losing his shit, and Rex basically being like “quit it, dumbass, I saved the day," as he casually trots back in after the bomb goes off amuses me.

And finally, on the subject of the awkward mess that is that ending kiss with Trina...Rex is judging you, Charlie. That whine says it all.

I'm still trying to manifest a "Charlie actually got Trina pregnant, then she turns up dead and he finds out he has a kid and oooh drama" storyline, but I feel like this isn't that kind of show. Might work in a fic someday though.

Anyway, I guess the episodes I like less somehow get the novel-length posts...Objectively, this is actually a pretty good episode, it just doesn't do it for me.

[mistahgrundy]

IRL - went outta town

ok so I was just up in Denton for a wedding. Very nice wedding, I wore a blazer, which was so nice to do. I hardly ever have a reason to dress up. Lots of fun. there's probably a photo of my husband pretending to hit me with a chair in the reception hall lol, I hope I get to see that eventually. We couldn't hear shit in there so we resorted to mime humor. violent mime.

I had hella travel anxiety because I uhhhh I don't like to travel!! I mean I have health problems and a cat I miss when I leave and it's tornado season and uh yeah. it's 90% illogical with some little for reals things thrown in.

So I didn't sleep at all the night before we left.

Then on the way up we had to drive past a tornado warned storm. TO BE CLEAR, we were in no danger. Absolutely none. We were on i35 and the storm was out kinda northwest of Killeen. Up by Gatesville. And if you're familiar with central Texas that should give you some idea of how far away it was. The red warning box wasn't yet touching where we were. But still I tried to see it from the highway to no avail. it's been a very long time since I've actually SEEN a tornado, and that last time was in Ohio when I was a little child.

It was fun to joke about flooring it when we got to Jarrell. Sorry Jarrell. You are central Texas's Moore. That's some person who watches a lot of weather related videos gallows-humor for you!

anyway it was a pretty uneventful drive tbh. It didn't even rain until we got up to Fort Worth basically, somehow. So I didn't get to roll down the windows on the south side to smell all the bread and beer factories.

Sidenote: when I was a little kid one of our field trips at school was to the Mrs. Bairds bread factory. I barely remember it.

Our hotel room in Denton was one of those weird ones that people can live in, so it had a little kitchen and a couch. Extended stay I guess. Those are nice but they are FULL of divorced dudes. Divorced men in Punisher themed trucks as far as the eye can see. When we pulled up Punisher truck guy was BBQing in his truck bed!! And later on when I was setting up the Roku we saw a wifi signal named Punisher. His very existence has owned us.

I did not sleep. Bed make back hurt. Weird room weird bed weird sounds.

At the wedding I had one job and it was to be the first to stand up when the bride entered so everyone else would see me stand and also stand and no one stood up!!! it took like... an agonizing amount of time for people to realize oh right standing. damn it guys. Oh well. Also around that time I realized I forgot to put on deodorant that morning. x_x I checked later though and it was fine, no smell.

A whole day running on two days of no sleep and barely eating I thought for sure the last night I will get some sleep. Surely! But no. I just laid there again for 8 hours like. ah. ok. cool. my brain is broken.

3 days of no sleep.

I bought a little metal sculpture for my yard in West at Slovacek's. It looks like a little piranha plant from mario 3. The little ones that would hop around. kinda.

So here I am woken up from a little 3 hour nap at home. Still exhausted.

Seth was telling me about Frenchy's when we were in Denton. I didn't grow up there so I don't know about this denton institution! There's all these little parked food lookin trucks around town that sport american flags and are all painted different. I passed a smiley face one and a remember our vets one and one about volunteering. It's just some cleaning company or something like that. Frenchy's! Some old Italian guy runs it named Frenchy. Then on the way out of town there was a billboard from Frenchy reminding us to get vaccinated. Done and Done, Frenchy.

Not Frenchy, just some ultra Texas looking old couple I snapped a secret photo of on the way out of Denton. His hands weren't grey, my phone's camera was just having a bit of a time.

Dude's rockin' a kerchief to the applebee's

[victorluvsalice]

And then they all settled into the break room to watch the latest Season Premiere! Yes, because it just so happened to be that particular pop-up holiday, and I was like, "Well, they have a nice big TV right here." XD They thoroughly enjoyed the shows on offer, though about midway through Smiler and Alice both got distracted by flirting with Victor. XD But they watched enough of them all to complete the tradition, and that's what matters!

And better yet, by the time they'd all completed their required watching, the blizzard had cleared up, and the snow outside was starting to melt as it was in fact now kind of warm! "All right," I thought cheerfully, "let's just get a picture of the trio in front of their new store, and then we can open!"

...yeah, uh, that ended up TAKING SOME DOING. The first issue I ran into was when I tried to set up the tripod myself at the edge of the lot and have Alice set the timer for a picture -- apparently it was too close to the front of the store, meaning that instead of standing OUTSIDE the store as I'd intended, the group went INSIDE and stood behind the flower-arranging bench in front of the windows. Which, might have been okay if I believe Alice hadn't been entirely blocked by the shelves of flowers. XD So I had to put the tripod and camera back in Alice's inventory and have her place them in the world in the middle of the road, hoping the tripod would face the right way when she did. Fortunately, she did put it down facing the store, yay. First hurdle passed!

Second hurdle -- uh-oh, Smiler is feeling the thirst. Well, fortunately, that is easily taken care of -- they always carry a bunch of plasma packs and plasma fruit. They sipped on that while Victor and Alice had a little make-out session, and ended up refreshed enough that I didn't have to worry about shitty needs while taking the picture. Second hurdle passed!

And then we came to the third hurdle -- ACTUALLY GETTING THESE IDIOTS TO TAKE THE PICTURE. Dear lord, this was SUCH a thing. Because either Alice would go to set the timer, and then just IDLE there for long enough that I would think something had gone wrong and cancel the interaction, or while "waiting for the photographer" Smiler would randomly wander off down the road, and if I tried to teleport them back into position by changing poses when Victor and Alice got in front of the camera, they would end up merged INTO Alice, which, not good. FINALLY getting the shots I wanted took so long that not only did I have to have them change clothes halfway through as they were too hot in their winter wear, it was SUNSET by the time I went "FINE I'M TURNING AUTONOMY OFF SO YOU CAN'T MOVE." *facepalm* Granted, I actually think the sunset photos look pretty cool, and I was happy with the photos once I got to take them, but cripes. Make me suffer for my cute threesome shots, why don't you, game?

[ticiie]

week 2: Everything is going to be okay

prompt from the off-season winter sport fandom challange

characters: Marco Odermatt, Chris Lödler, Zoé Chastan, Gino Caviezel

length: 597 words

January 2023, Kitzbühel

Chris noticed something was off the second Marco crossed the finish line. As far he could tell from the distance, it wasn't as bad as it had been the last time. Marco didn't break down crying, but he was still glad when Chris supported his walk and eventually helped him to take off the skis. The mixed zone turned chaotic as soon as the first journalist had spotted Marco's limp. Zoé helped Chris to shield Marco from the prying camera lenses and microphones as good as possible. They found the team hospitality to be almost abandoned which was good because Marco felt worse by the minute. He let himself fall on one of the plastic chairs, the injured leg stretched out because bending the knee did not feel alright at all, and buried his face in his hands. The adrenaline had worn off, the pain started to radiate up and down the whole leg and Marco hoped the feeling of a fist clenching around his throat would pass again quickly. The corner of his eyes burned.

“I need to get back, Alexis is still up at the start-”

“Don't worry, I got it. Go.”

Chris was reluctant to leave. Marco straightened his back and looked at him. “It's okay. Everything's going to be okay.,” he said. They had known each other for half an eternity now, yet Chris wasn't sure if he believed Marco's words. He left the room and hurried back to the skidoo-station. Meanwhile Zoé was organising a fastest possible transport back to the hotel while also keeping the team’s physiotherapist updated. Marco peeled the race suit off his body in order to examine the knee closer. The swelling was visible already yet it wasn’t bruised which Marco took as a good sign. It felt instable though, he didn’t want to put any pressure on it. The first doubts started to creep into his head: What if the injury was just a bit delayed? What if it really was the meniscus that had taken the hit again and was now fully blown, with no other option than to remove and replace it completely? That would have him in the hospital for a week and the season at its end, no world championship, no more competing for the big globe, let alone the small ones that he got a chance at, and don’t get started on the rehab, the last one had been terrible-

“Marco!”

Zoé’s voice ripped him out of the thought spiral. She was holding out her phone to him and he gave her a confused look but she just motioned him to take it. Marco took a short glance at the screen and recognised Gino’s name on it and suddenly, something inside of him sighed. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. Gino knew him well enough to talk first: “This is different. You’re going to be back on track in no time.”

“How can you be so sure?” Marco hated how fragile his voice sounded.

“I just am. There’s no way Loïc gets to be the only teammate challenging me for a medal in Schladming, I don’t begrudge him that sort of satisfaction.”

Marco laughed weakly. The door opened again and the physiotherapist joined their group, Marco clenched his hand around the phone a little tighter because he knew the upcoming minutes weren’t going to be easy on neither his knee nor his mind.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know more, okay?” he asked Gino.

“Of course. And Marco?”

“Yeah?”

“Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

[vaugarde]

hello! same anon that was asking moonscape about pmmm stuff. i've been looking through your pmmm-related posts a bit after i saw your reply and i love the way you talk about the characters and really seem to understand them! do you maybe have some more headcanons or general thoughts you'd want to share? i can never get enough of hearing fan's cool thoughts about the show

AHHH thank you!! im really flattered omg i'll put some general thoughts and rambles under the cut so my mutual who hasnt seen it yet wont see

-i know you said you saw my reply already but just gonna repeat it so its on my blog: homura was a foster child who lost her parents when she was young, and because of her heart condition she was passed around to several different (usually christian) families that usually didn't care much for her, only about the check. this led to her initial meek and self deprecating personality. the reason she latched onto madoka is because she's the first person to ever show her true kindness. when she changes her hair style, she cuts off from her current foster family entirely and lives on her own (and may have stolen the foster checks and other cash to do so)

-on top of that she struggles with her feelings with madoka and feeling like she's cruel and selfish for loving her because of her christian upbringing and going to catholic school. families likely didn't take well to her being gay

-hitomi is a closeted lesbian

-kyosuke gives me egg vibes so.

-im basic i like madohomu best but like polyam holy quintet is so real also

-people who say madohomu is one sided are so wrong. how do u explain any of madoka's actions towards homura when walpurgisnacht happens

-some of my favorite moments in the show relate to homura stuff bc GOD all of her scenes are just. enhanced by the plot twist

-wait ive mentioned this but people who think homura doesn't care about the other girls are so??? literally yes she does care about them, she loves madoka the most of course but she cares about sayaka's life when she goes to retrieve her soul gem and her telling sayaka she'll kill her to spare madoka the pain is clearly just her doing the worst thing she can to force sayaka to act. she's kinda distant from everything she's done at this point and is willing to act cruel to get what she wants.

-i kinda love that canonically mami is the strongest magical girl. mami is underrated tbh, i know she's a main character but her spinoff manga was SO good and she's such a tragic character in her own right. she's a deeply lonely person and even if i didn't care for magia record season 1, i really like the approach they went with her character there, where in this universe she's the one who convinced madoka and sayaka to contract, and when she learns the truth, she becomes ridden with guilt and joins the magias to save them because she feels responsible for their fates now. it's such a good place to take her character (and im kinda sad they eventually go "oh no it was brainwashing nvm")

-i absolutely adore this show's brand of horror. the entire thing is just Off in a lot of ways but it's in ways you struggle to place, and the whole thing is thanks to shaft's editing. there's a youtube vid i watched where like the tilting shots up to where the girls look down on the "camera" or random close ups on objects with quiet sounds adds to the feeling that something is wrong even when the show hasn't taken it's dark turn yet. i think focusing a lot of the actual horror elements on the terror of everyone's situation and gradually revealing how much worse everything is is so perfect, it's all paced perfectly to be as hard hitting as possible. and the actual violent moments are done well, none of them are really THAT bad but they're blunt and shocking enough to hit where it hurts. idk if im describing it right but augh its so good

-on that topic the theory that pmmm is framed as a stage show is also so good. i gotta find the post i reblogged about that bc man it adds to the show

[macgyvertape]

Shadowkeep Campaign Retrospective

I've been playing through the rest of the Shadowkeep campaign in the past day on Hunter and Titan, after having just done the first mission on those characters and completed the whole thing once on Warlock 3 years ago. I didn't play Shadowkeep when it came out since I had 0 interest in a 3 month then gone forever seasonal model vs a yearly pass, so it's hard for me to judge Shadowkeep in a vacuum.

Fandom rumor has it that Shadowkeep development was really negatively affected by Bungie separating from Activision, and that theory seems plausible when playing the campaign story years later and comparing it to Beyond Light which also had development hurdles due to covid. Despite the hurdles, Beyond Light felt like it had more stuff to do, helped by a new sublcass and new varieties of enemies like Brigs and Wyverns.

The campaign quests and post campaign activities (find 3 different types of collectables, Deathbringer quest, Alter of Sorrorws public event, do Nightmare Hunts again with champions) feel bare and closer in content level to the current seasons that started after s13 than expansions like Witch Queen or Lightfall. Nightmare Hunts even in the campaign only have a few lines of dialogue and some only have it at the end; the scarcity really stands compared to missions in later expansions and seasonal activities which while having a few lines have a lot of variety.

Most of the campaign levels are the "XYZ Hunt" that started in Forsaken with the Scorned Barons and continued through Beyond Light with the Empire Hunts, and wow are they short especially when above 1600 power level. I timed myself on the missions and it usually took longer to run to the boss than kill it (Phogoth: 4:30 to run there, 2:29 to kill him). Remembering that Armor 2.0 was introduced in Shadowkeep explains the design choice of why Nightmare Hunts have their own armor and Dreambane mod that only works on that armor; to introduce players to the new system so by the end of the campaign they have a full set of armor. However that mechanic has aged so poorly that it makes the Nightmare Hunts dead content; the Nightmare Hunt armor does not drop with good stats so doing post campaign Nightmare Hunts at higher difficulties means you are making a tradeoff between good gear vs bosses designed to be fought with multiple of the Dreambane mods equipped. Lightfall has put that dead content fucking 6 feet under: Legend and Master difficulties are now power capped so you can't power grind to get around the armor problem. If you haven't done the Team Flawless Master Nightmare Hunt triumph yet or the time trials, you're shit out of luck.

My favorite mission entirely because of the atmosphere and vibes was stealing the Cryptolith. Great sense of horror to be in the place Eris lost her fireteam as you stand on points with just your ghost as a flashlight as Hive come screaming out of the darkness, and then at the end where you have to run away as more and more Hive appear to chase you. The Cunning level in Witch Queen was very similar just with more development resources so there's a fun sparrow section.

A fun comparison: Shadowkeep's main protagonist is Eris with Ikora supporting, and Witch Queen's main protagonist is Ikora with Eris supporting. In Shadowkeep the parts of the campaign directly with Eris are phenomenal, I enjoy her character enough to be motivated to spend a few hours finding collectables which is something I normally skip.

The worse comparison is despite how most of the events of Shadowkeep were orchestrated by Savathun, unless you go reading through the lore (including not ingame weblore) you will never learn that vs Witch Queen where relevant info like that is communicated directly to the player. Shadowkeep ends on a deliberately ominous note as Eris stares directly into the camera after communing with Darkness, a plot thread that really went nowhere other than "is Eris evil?!?!" fandomwank, how I wish that had been a Savathun stinger reveal instead.

Shadowkeep also served as the prologue to the current Light/Dark storyarc, where the ending mission is finally exploring the Pyramid and briefly fighting the Hunt bosses over again as then mysterious presence (The Witness) talks about the flaws of the light. It's interesting to look at the fun ending scene in the Black Garden with our Darkness!pilled Doppleganger, and see the vague outline that over the course of 3+ years was developed into The Witness whose backstory was just revealed.

[finelinevogue]

keep on dancing

Description - you're a professional dancer on 'Strictly' and Harry's your partner

A/N - this is +9000 words of me wishing harry was on strictly. if it's not great i'm sorry! have a great day everyone!

warnings: swearing, angst, self deprecation 

[masterlist]

If there was one thing you were good at, it was dancing.

You were so good that you were classed as a professional. You were lucky enough to be a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing - the British version of Dancing with the Stars - and it was the best job in the world.

Every day consisted of something new and exciting. It never got boring. You got to dance all day and then chill in the evenings, with friends or family, and then sleep in the comfort of your old, but trusty, apartment. You'd bought it when you first moved you London. It cost you an arm and a leg, but your job had really helped pay off all debt.

When you started working on Strictly you were the third back-up dancer, meaning you'd only ever perform when they needed 3 or more extra dancers on the stage - which was very rarely. You stuck with it, though, because you loved dance too much to pass up the opportunity. It was a blessing you did stick with it, because now you were one of the most famous faces of Strictly professionals - not to blow your own horn or anything.

If there was one thing you found misleading about the show was the relationships that formed. Every other professional on the show ended up dating, or having a fling, with their celebrity partner but that never seemed to be the case with you. It wasn't because your partner didn't like you, it was because more than often got paired with the elder generation celebrities - the ones with a crippled leg or a wife - so you didn't ever have the chance.

Winning the show would mean everything to you. You hadn't got past week 4 yet, seeing as your partners were never in top shape - David Attenborough, being the legend that he is, had gotten you to week 4 once. You'd been kicked out in week 1 a few times. As a little girl all you'd dreamt of was winning Strictly, or at least going to Blackpool - the home of ballroom - but that looked like it was going to remain a dream rather than becoming a reality.

You'd just signed your contract for season 24 of the show. Hopefully this year would be different.

September was soon approaching and it was the time of year when you'd find out which celebrities were going to be on the show. You're best friend, Dianne, who also worked on Strictly, told you that she'd overheard that it was the best line up the show had had in over ten years.

As you entered the dancing studio, head to toe in gym clothes, you noticed the large curtain partition in the centre of the room. The BBC had all their cameras set up to record the reactions when professionals meet celebrities for the first time.

"Hey sexy." Dianne called, in her Australian accent, from where she was taking a swig off her water.

"Hey red." You answered with her nickname, seeing as she had the reddest hair you'd ever seen. You dumped your sports bag next to hers and removed your excess clothing, leaving you in your sports bra and leggings. You sat down to put on your ballroom heels. You desperately needed another pair, since these ones were falling apart, but bills this month were heavy and money was tight, so you'd have to hold off for a while.

"Excited?" Dianne asked happily - this girl never stopped smiling.

"Yeah, but also nervous. Just want to get a good partner this year." You replied, huffing when your shoe didn't comply with you to slip on.

"You will." She smiled, once more, and held out her hands to help you up to your feet. You thanked her once you were up and made your way to the rest of the group.

Right, front, and centre was none other than Roxanne, also known as Roxy. Roxy had come from America and was the face of Strictly. There were rumours she got kicked off Dancing with the Stars, but you never stopped to ask questions over it. She was the bitch of the group and was an even bigger bitch to you. You'd never done anything to her, but since you'd joined she'd picked on you, thinking she was the queen of the show.

Roxy had won 6 times and never let you forget it. That was another reason why you wished you were given the opportunity to have a good partner, so you'd have a chance of winning over her, for once.

"Oh look who it is." Roxy snickered, alone with her clique of other bitches; Cara and Jillian. Cara was relatively new, and from Russia, but she managed to get accepted into Roxy's little clan. Jillian was British and she was just as rude to you as Roxy.

You learnt to ignore all of them. You didn't need their negative bullshit. You had Dianne, along with the rest of your Strictly family, and you didn't need them to bring you down.

"Nice clogs Y/N." Jillian laughed at you, pointing out how your shoes were battered and bruised - much like your feet from dancing so often. Jillian knew that money, or the lack of it, was an insecurity of yours and never hesitated to put you down about it.

"Nice tomato stain." Dianne pointed to her lips, mirroring where Jillian did in fact have a bright red tomato stain. You chuckled to yourself, but not openly enough to get you in to any more drama. Dianne always had your back.

It wasn't that you didn't want to say anything back to them, it was more that you weren't a horrible person. You strove off being kind and polite - something Roxy, and her clique, could probably learn a bit from. You never wanted to be intentionally mean to someone, but then again maybe that's what made you such an easy target.

Tess and Claudia, the presenters of the show, started to walk over to your group and told you to settle down whilst they start filming. You noticed Roxy fix her hair and push her boobs up, which only made you roll your eyes.

"So let's let our celebrities meet our very own professionals." Tess threw some show-biz hands, and then they both walked off to the side.

A countdown started, from ten, and people were getting ready to lift the curtain. To say you were nervous would sound silly, but you were. Perhaps they were just excited jitters.

3, 2, 1...

The curtain got pulled away and everyone went crazy. You couldn't get a clean glance at all the celebrities, since some of the taller professionals were in your way, but soon you started to see familiar faces; Alex Jones, Rochelle Humes, Michael McIntyre, Graham Norton and so many others.

You mixed in with everyone and greeted people with hand shakes and hugs. Roxy was already closely chatting to Dele Alli, pushing her boobs ridiculously close to his chest.

After thinking you'd spoken to everyone you turned to head back to Dianne, and await further instructions, but you stumbled in to someone. Spinning around, fast to apologise, you swore you could've passed out then and there. Never had a celebrity made you so star-struck before.

It was Harry Styles.

The man you'd dedicated your inner-fan-girl-life to. His music, style, looks, talent, voice - just everything - were unmatched. You felt almost like you needed to be fined for bumping in to him.

"I'm so so— holy shit." You clapped your hand over your mouth to prevent any more profanities from escaping. Harry just laughed, crinkles next to is captivating eyes forming. You'd just made Harry Styles laugh... "Sorry. That's so uncool of me." You stuck your hand out for him to shake, slightly trembling with nerves.

"Harry." He shook your hand with a tight grip and a gorgeous smile.

"Y/N." You smiled back. "I'm sorry, again." You shook your head and ran a stressed hand through your hair.

"No bother, Y/N." He replied.

You two looked at each a little more, maybe for a few seconds, before you were rudely interrupted.

"Oh. I don't think we've been introduced yet." Roxy came tottering in, pushing you aside.

"I'm Harry." He politely held out his hand, as he'd done for you, except he was still keeping discreet eye contact with you.

"Roxy." She winked at him, and you swore that you could've tasted bile in your mouth from that single action alone.

"I see you've met our Y/N." Roxy let go of his hand, and he was more than happy to remove his too.

"Yeah." Harry awkwardly nodded his head after she'd stated the obvious.

"Hope you don't get paired with her." Roxy laughed, slapping Harry on his shoulder playfully. He looked from his shoulder to you, noticing you had looked down to your feet with a frown upon your face. He'd only known you for five minutes and he already knew he never wanted to see you sad. Ever.

"And why's that?" Harry asked, a little anger in his voice but luckily they didn't know him well enough to understand that.

"She never wins." Roxy laughed.

You gulped and looked up to smile bravely. You didn't want to look pathetic in front of someone you'd just met, and that person happened to be your non-secret guilty pleasure.

"Well hopefully I could change that this year." Harry smirked, knowing his comment would get under Roxys skin. He watched your face light up and you thanked him under your breath.

Roxy just laughed under her breath and walked off, humoured by Harrys answer. You nodded your head towards him again, in thanks.

"You want to partner up for practice?" You asked Harry, scared he may reject you if he already had his eyes on a different partner.

"Um..." Harry scratched the back of his head.

"Oh it's okay! You don't have to, don't worry!" You waved your hands in a 'don't worry' motion, and gave the best smile you could. You went to turn around and say your last goodbye when he piped up again.

"No, no, no. That's not not it." Harry grabbed on to your arm, stopping you from going anywhere. "That's not it at all." He repeated, grinning when he knew you felt the repeated sparks fly, as he did, when he touched your skin.

"Okay?" You warily asked.

"It's just I don't want to mess up in front of you." He blushed a bright red, shaking his head as he did so.

"You think i'm going to judge you on your dancing abilities?" You seriously questioned, finding his insecurity endearing.

"Maybe?" He lifted his shoulders in question.

"I would never. I'm here to teach you how to dance, not laugh at how you can't." You reminded him, taking his hand and leading you to where everyone else was forming a circle. "Now, come on."

"I never said yes, though." He slyly remarked, making you lose grip of his hand immediately.

"O-oh. Sorry." You pull your hands firm in to your chest, embarrassed for thinking he wanted to dance with you.

Harry laughed for a few seconds before grabbing on to your hands again, this time him pulling you towards the group of people.

"You're too cute, Y/N." He chuckled, still feeling those sparks against your hands.

"Wait.. So it is a yes?" You asked confused.

"A definite yes." He replied, making you blush like a cherry.

This lineup really was something else.

                                       ••••

1 month later

It was the recording of the first show tonight - which meant you were going to be partnered up.

The shows weren't live until Blackpool week, which was a bonus in case anything went wrong. The amount of times when there has been swearing slip-ups - mainly from Bruno, one of the judges.

Everything was go-go-go backstage. Hairspray and glitter everywhere. You bounced off the electric buzz, though, and found moments of calmness within the chaos.

You'd been in hair and make-up since three, this afternoon, and it was now six. Show time was in half an hour and the nerves and excitement of it all were kicking in. The spray tan had been lathered on your body - but not to the point where you were black-fishing. Some of the girls went completely overboard, and you thought it was wrong. You stuck to a simple tan that gave you a summer holiday glow. Your hair had been done very simply, letting it hang in loose waves. The hairspray was intense, but you also didn't want your hair to turn straighter than raw spaghetti throughout the evening.

All the professional girls were wearing similar outfits, since there was an opening number by which you all wore matching outfits. The celebrity girls got to wear an elegant gown, or sexy costume, of their choosing - depending on their level of confidence. You'd never been too self confident to the point where your ego was larger than it should be, but you knew you looked good for how you wanted to. You worked out, intensely, every morning and made sure not to eat a shit tonne of junk food. However, a cheeky maccies on a Friday night didn't harm anyone.

This evening you were opening with a musical number from 'A Star is Born', and so your costumes were designed around that. They were short and silvery, showing off your luxuriously long limbs and fresh tan. There were little holographic stars embroidered on to the dress and they were free to dance when you did. The dress was beautiful and you always felt expensive when wearing the costumes.

"Look at you!" Dianne screamed when you finally exited the 'finishing touches' room. Your silver heels clicked on the floor as you went over to her. She was sporting a similar dress to yours, only with long sleeves.

"No, look at you!" You retaliated, throwing your hands in the air to emphasise how gorgeous she looked. The dress complimented her red hair so well.

"Oh shush." She tutted and bent over, into her bag, to pull out a water bottle. "Want one?" She asked kindly.

"I'm good thanks." You politely declined, not wanting to need the toilet half-way through filming.

You both proceeded to backstage, where people usually gathered before walking out on stage. The main bulk of everyone was already there. The celebrities looked beyond nervous, bless. You fully empathised with them, because you used to be them.

You noticed how Roxy was wearing less than you, which you didn't even think was possible. Her dress was cut out in the middle section, exposing her midriff. She, also, one hundred percent had boob tape on, since they were practically spilling out her top.

"Evening ladies." A voice echoed from behind you. Turning around you had the pleasure of coming face-to-face with Harry.

"Evening Harold." Dianne taunted back, referring to a conversation the two had had when he'd overheard you calling Dianne 'red'. Harry threatened to also called her 'red', and so she in return started calling him 'Harold'.

"Hiya Harry." You waved awkwardly, missing the memo to tell each other good evening.

"Hi." He replied back, knowing it would make you feel less awkward.

Dianne started teasing Harry again which gave you the opportunity to stalk him with your eyes. He looked unreal. He was wearing high-waisted, black trousers matched with black ballroom shoes. On top he was wearing a white, ribbed, tank top with a sparkly, silver, short-sleeved shirt over the top of it. His arms looked so muscular and defined. He didn't even need a spray tan he was that naturally golden.

His fans were going to weep when they saw him. Hell, even you might.

"Y/N?" The questioning of your name brought you away from your angelic daydreams.

"Huh? Yeah?" You asked stupidly, looking between the two to check for what you'd missed.

"Harry asked for tips. You know? Considering it's the first big night." Dianne urged.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, um... Just- erm.. picture the crowd naked if you get nervous?" You blurted out after deliberating what to say. It wasn't your best moment, that's all you'll say.

"I give up." Dianne slapped her forehead as she groaned, walking away in shame.

"A naked crowd huh?" Harry chuckled. You bit your lip, trying to suppress the laugh that you wanted to let out. It was a stupid thing for you to have said, and you can see that now.

"I panicked." You giggled, shoving his arm lightly so he stumbled back a bit.

"Don't worry. You just got distracted by how sexy I look, that's all." He winked and pretended to give you a kiss with his puckered lips, before bursting out in to laughter.

"In your dreams, Harold." You shook your head, but on the inside you wanted to scream to him just how hot he did look.

"You know, Y/N? If I wasn't such a huge fan of yours I would take offence to you calling me that. However, since i'm your biggest fan, and it's impossible to get angry at you, i'm going to let that slide." He stated, crossing his arms over one another only making them more muscular.

"You are not my number one fan." You laughed, slightly turning red at how charming he was.

"Wow. I'm hurt." He placed a hand over his chest, and you wondered how you'd even gotten to this point in the conversation.

"You'll have to prove to me that you're my biggest fan." You challenged him, going along with this situation he'd created.

"Challenge accepted." He nodded his head and you both shook hands - as if you'd just sealed a billion pound business deal. "What about you?"

"What about me?" You asked confused.

"Aren't you my biggest fan?" He stupidly asked, already knowing the answer. When you'd met a month ago you talked to him, for an hour straight, about 'Meet Me In The Hallway' and yet you still had no clue who left him in the hallway.

"You know the answer to that." You squinted your eyes as you pointed at him accusingly.

"Prove it then." He replied, smugly, just as you had.

You rolled your eyes and held out your hand once more. He laughed as he shook it, whilst you kept a sour face on.

"This is so unfair." You mumbled, pouting.

"How so, Y/N?" He asked, intrigued.

"Because i've got to prove i'm the biggest fan against like +100 million people, whereas you are competing against yourself. It's an uneven scale." You looked at him and in to his dreamy eyes, getting lost in the sea of green for a moment.

"You have more than one fan Y/N." Harry shook his head at you.

Just as you wanted to answer Jillian popped in. You looked over to Roxy to see her intensely watching your situation - clearly having sent Jillian over.

"What are we talking about?" She asked with the fakest smile you'd ever seen.

"Fans." Harry answered vaguely, noticing how you probably weren't going to.

"Yikes, it's not like Y/N would know what they are." Jillian tried to turn it into a joke, but you knew it had been meant as a hate comment.

You weren't going to stand here and take her crap, especially on opening night. "See you later Harry." You smiled, genuinely, and left to find your friends.

"See you." Harry sadly watched you leave, wishing you'd have stayed. Truth was, even though he'd played to crowds of 40,000 before, he was so nervous for tonight and the rest that followed and you somehow managed to calm him.

He was even more nervous however, about the warm feelings he gets inside whenever he sees you.

                                      ••••

As the night progressed you became more nervous.

The opening dance had gone extremely well and you hadn't seen much of your "besties" throughout - which was a bonus.

Half of the male, and female, celebrities had gone through the pairing process. They all knew their professional dance partners and could now bond properly with one specific person. You'd spoken to all the male celebrities, trying to be smiley and make a good impression in case you got partnered with them.

It was now down to the last 5 male celebrities were waiting to be partnered up. You and 4 other professionals, including Roxy, stood waiting, under spotlight, on the dance floor - waiting to hear who you'll be teaching for the next couple of months.

Dianne had got partnered with Dele, so she was happy because she had someone fit and young to give her a strong chance in winning.

Michael gets paired with Natalie and Graham gets paired with Janette, before you're left with Harry and Stephen Fry left to get coupled, with either you or Roxy.

"Our next celebrity is one of the world's most handsome men. He's in the largest band on the planet and has recently been nominated for a Grammy with his second album, 'Fine Line', it's Harry Styles." Tess introduced Harry, and he jogged over to her with a big smile on his face.

"Hi." He hugged her and kissed her cheeks, like the gentleman he is.

"Hello Harry." Tess began. "How are you feeling this evening?" She asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm actually okay, believe it or not." He said, lying through his teeth.

"Ever danced before?" Tess questioned.

"I mean I prance around on stage a lot, but I wouldn't call that dancing as such." He rubbed his nose as he laughed, something that you'd picked up he did often.

"Well maybe you'll learn some new moves for the stage from Strictly." Tess commented.

"Yeah!"

"Okay. We have two professionals left. We have Roxy and we have Y/N." Tess stated, moving Harry so he was facing you both.

"Yeah." Harry added, putting his hands behind his back in a clasp, not taking his eyes off you. Tess wrapped on arm around his waist and turned to face the camera.

"Harry. Your partner is..." The lights went out and put a spotlight on only you, Roxy and Harry. The light was very intimidating.

You laughed to yourself at how you were so wrong about this year being any different. You knew you'd get put with Stephen. He wasn't going to make it past week 2, so you weren't going to have the chance to dance at Blackpool again, let alone lift the "Glitterball Trophy" when you win. Harry was going to go far though, but that meant Roxy was too. It was just your luck.

Just when you were sure Tess was about to say Roxys name she announced yours instead.

"Y/N!" Tess cheered, as do the loud crowds. Tess clapped for you both, having seen you two in rehearsal and knowing you two had something between you.

You went wide eyed and wide mouthed, completely shocked. Your mind was exploding with happiness and you almost forgot Harry was waiting for you.

You ran over to Harry and jumped on him, wrapping your arms around his neck. He must've been expecting it since he quickly lifted you up off the floor and spun you around a couple of times. You fluttered you legs in excitement as he did so, before carefully placing you down again. It was good to know this man had upper body strength too.

"Happy?" Tess asked excitedly.

"So." Harry smiled widely, holding his arm around your waist as you did his.

"Let's see what the judges think. Craig?" Craig was the mean judge - always had criticism. He was actually a really nice person behind camera, but on the show he was a different man.

You both looked at him, breathing heavily from excitement.

"Well, Y/N, all i'll say is you may actually have a chance at winning this year." Craig nodded, flicking his pen between his fingers as he did so. The crowd went wild, half of them probably being 13 year old Harry fans.

Harry gave you a tight squeeze at Craig's comment.

"No pressure, Harry." Tess laughed, making Harry chuckle also.

"Don't worry. I don't plan on letting Y/N down." Harry assured both Tess and you. You smiled to yourself thinking how did you become so lucky.

"I'll hold you to that." You added.

"You two are so lovely! Harry and Y/N!" Tess encouraged the crowd to cheer, which they did.

You both ran to the stairs, which led to the after-performance room, hand-in-hand. You couldn't stop smiling and the tingles in your fingers were so electric. You couldn't focus on anything other than Harry.

You went to go and sit on the sofa, Harry letting you slide in first. You sat down next to Claudia and Harry plopped in next to you. He slung his arm around the back of the sofa, and you felt his fingers brush ever so slightly against your exposed back.

"Congratulations." You felt Dianne whisper in your ear, in between you and Harry, so you could both hear. You knew she'd been rooting for you. "And fuck Roxy." She whispered again, causing Harry to laugh.

You'd been so caught up with Harry you hadn't even stopped to think about Roxy. She was now stuck with Stephen - which she won't be happy about.

"You look beautiful by the way." Harry whispered in your ear, this time, causing you to furiously blush.

At least you had a chance of winning now. You'd finally, maybe, win and get the Strictly queen title.

Harry was, now, set on winning something else though.

                                      ••••

1 week later

You'd been training for a week now and it was going really well.

The first dance you were doing was the Jive, and you happened to find that 'No Control', a song from Harrys One Direction days, fitted as perfect music to your routine.

The whole performance was so electric and you two were having so much fun practicing.

Luckily, for Harry, you weren't a mean instructor, so you didn't shout or get angry at him when he constantly messed up a step, or forgot part of the routine. He was a beginner and you gave him credit for that. The jive was a hard dance to begin with too. It contained a lot of technicalities that were tricky to perfect - but you believed Harry would pull through and be amazing come next week.

Next Saturday was show time. The first time the celebrities dance they get two weeks to practice. They need to be gently introduced to the hard work and dedication that goes into making the dances look effortless.

Harry had a really good grip on it though. He was always so enthusiastic and buzzing to learn, which made you excited to teach.

It was Friday evening and you and Harry were in the dance studio just finishing up for the day. It had been a really good day for routine improvement.

"I'm scared i'm going to drop you." Harry bit his lip, as he watched you tug a soft gym mattress from the corner of the room.

You were introducing Harry to complex lifts, considering he'd easily nailed the basics. For a man who danced like a jelly bean on drugs at bootcamp, on the X Factor, he sure knew how to move his body now.

"It's going to be fine Harry." You laughed, bringing the mattress over to him. After pushing it to where you wanted it you dusted off your hands.

"You have too much faith in me Y/N/N." He laughed to himself, shaking his head at your determination.

"Y/N/N?" Your questioned the nickname he'd given you.

"Yeah, Y/N/N. You can give me a nickname if you want." Harry shrugged his shoulders as if nicknames weren't a big deal, but to you they were. You'd known him a little over a month and you'd already entered the nickname phase of your, platonic, relationship.

"Okay. Umm..." You pondered for a bit but then went unoriginal. "People call you H, right?"

"Only my closest friends." He smirked, crossing his arms.

"Oh.." You blushed red in embarrassment. "Umm... uh..."

"Which is why you can call me H." He smiled cheekily, making you shake your head at him with a grin. He was evil for making you feel awkward.

"You're so mean." You teased. "As punishment we're doing these lifts."

Harry groaned but knew he had no choice. He was also secretly looking forward to hold you again, finding pleasure in the burning touch that came with feeling your skin.

You talked Harry through what he had to do, giving him clear instructions of where his hands had to be and at what time. Hopefully, if it went right, you would end up flipping over Harrys shoulder.

"Okay. I think i've got it." Harry tells you confidently, after 15 minutes of a slow walk-through.

"Okay. Let's do this!" You fist pumped the air. You started to go a little loopy at this time of night, after spending the whole week training.

Harry got in to hugs starting position, as did you. You ran and jumped up in to his arms.

"No, Y/N/N, wait!" Harry shouted, but you had already jumped.

"Shit!" You both shouted as you collided and went toppling down on the mat. You landed on top of Harry and he made a compilation of groans as you did so. You tried to soften your fall, the best you could, but you did a terrible job of it - kneeing Harry straight in the balls.

You were so thankful it wasn't filming day for you two, because the BBC would have a field day with this content.

"What was that, you idiot?!" You jokingly shouted at him, sitting up off his body so you were straddling him.

"I told you to wait!" He shouted back, cupping his lower region with his fist.

"You told me whilst I was mid-jump Harold." You retaliated.

"Oi, don't you start calling me Harold. I get enough of it from Dianne." He playfully hit you on your arm with his free hand.

"Are your?.. you know? .." You didn't know how to phrase your question.

"Yes Y/N. My balls are okay." He answered flatly, making you giggle.

"Phew." You sighed, crossing your legs to sit down next to him rather than on top of him.

"I'd sue you if you broke them." You gasped as he said that, not having the money to pay for how priceless he was worth. "They're hurting a little less now." Harry added with a smirk, making sure you didn't feel bad for hurting him. He didn't want to see you beat yourself up over an accident, which he, hand on heart, was the primary cause of.

"I was mid-jump." You told him again, stressing how his timing hadn't been great.

"I know, Y/N/N, i'm not mad. We should probably try again before the show though." Harry laughed.

"Maybe tomorrow... Let's let you rest tonight." You helped him up to his feet.

Once he was up you dragged the mat back over to the corner of the room. Harry wiped himself down with his towel and left it hanging over his shoulder. You walked over to your gym bag and threw the small CD player inside of it, in case it got stolen.

"Any plans for tonight?" Harry asked, wiping his forehead clear of sweat.

"McDonalds date." You replied, explaining your typical Friday night routine.

"Oh.." Harry went quiet for a moment before talking again. "Who's your date?" He asked nervously, hoping you didn't catch on.

You picked up your bags and headed over to the door, Harry following in tow. You flicked off the lights after you replied.

"Myself."

You were outside of the building before Harry caught up to you again, lightly tapping your shoulder to get your attention.

"What if you were offered some company this evening?" Harry asked, gym bag over his left shoulder.

"Oh yeah? Who?" You asked, pretending you didn't realise he was offering to spend the evening with you.

"Certain dude that someone may have just crushed in his man-parts." He shrugged and you burst out laughing.

You pretended to give him a look as if you were thinking hard about this, but really you were being ecstatic to have him with you.

"Please." His eyes young wider and looking criminally adorable.

You tapped your finger on your chin for effect.

"You owe me." Pointing to his dick with raised eyebrows.

"Maccies?" You asked after a moments thought.

"Maccies." He nodded, agreeing.                 

                                      ••••

6 weeks later

Never had you got this far in the competition. It was a miracle.

Harry was an extraordinary sport and such a talented dancer. He was so much better than he gave himself credit for.

Week 1 was still your favourite week so far. The jive had gone amazingly well, and with a little bit of practice the lift was perfect. No broken balls. The rest of the weeks seemed a blur, to you, they'd gone by so fast. You'd danced the samba, the salsa, the waltz, the charleston and, this week, you were performing the rhumba. It was the most slow and sensual dance there was.

Every week you'd cried about how you were blessed enough to be in to the next round. All thanks to Mr Harry Styles.

You were currently hanging backstage, waiting for your cue to come on and perform your rhumba. You were stood with Harry and he doing his usual thirty pushups before going on stage. He liked feeling as though he's just greatly toned his arms, before going to show them off.

You were wearing a long white shirt, but one that was easy to manoeuvre in, some gym pants and then no shoes. Harry was wearing black trousers and was barefoot too. The white shirt you were wearing was supposed to pretend that it was Harrys - it was all part of the story - which was why he wasn't wearing anything on top.

"Hey Harry!" You watched as Roxy rounded the corner and went to stand close to Harry. He got up off the floor and faced to talk to her, which gave you the perfect view to his back muscles.

"Hi Roxy." He replied.

Roxy had been eliminated, because of her dance partner, from the competition in week 2 and ever since she has been so much meaner to you. She has been sending you, borderline abusive, messages on social media and you thought she'd give up at some point, when she realises she's not getting a rise out of you, but no. Roxy has also been asking you questions about Harry, and even though you ignore her she continues to ask.

You didn't understand why Harry was being so friendly to her. Harry used to dislike her as much as you do. You started to think that Harry might've disliked her just because you don't, when in reality he doesn't mind her.

Over the past month you and Harry had become really close, and you don't think it's in a brotherly-sisterly way. Ever since Harry invited himself to your McDonalds date, you two had just really clicked. Harry had invited you out a couple of times and you were always so excited to go and just spend time with him. Harry was so kind and gentle towards you and, if you didn't know any better, you'd say you liked him. He was just so charming.

He won't see you the same way though.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck, cutie." Roxy walked up to Harry and brushed her hands all over his shoulders, before leaning in to peck him on the cheek - her lips lingering there for too long. You looked away because you saw the moment as quite intimate.

Surely Harry wouldn't betray you by getting cosy with Roxy? Was it even betraying?

Harry knew how much bad blood there was between you and Roxy. You explained how she was so rude to you for no reason and it made you feel really small. You hadn't told him about her recent messages, because you didn't want to cause unnecessary drama, but you'd hope he'd still take your side. Harry had bitched about her a lot before too, so you didn't understand why they were so chatty now.

"Thanks, love." He replied, your heart breaking a little. Harry had recently started calling you 'love' and 'sweetheart', instead of your name, and you thought it was only special to you - clearly not.

Roxy smugly looked at you from behind Harrys back and then she was gone, swaying her hips as she went. Harry kept his eyes on her ass the whole time.

"So you and Roxy, huh?" You asked, bending over to stretch your calves.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, flustered that you'd asked the question.

"Don't play dumb Harry." You scoffed.

"She's just been really nice to me lately." Harry nodded.

Of course. Roxy has won over Harry, just as she did everyone else. Soon, you'd fully lose Harry to her bitchy, and manipulative reign, and you'd be back to square one. You felt that you had something special with Harry, but maybe it was just one sided as suspected.

You just laughed at Harry, shaking your head, finding what he said humorous.

"What? What's funny?" Harry questioned, trying to think what he might've missed.

"You, thinking that Roxy is being nice." You chuckled.

"Why? Is that so hard to believe?" Harry started to get a bit defensive, which made you angry. Roxy was not someone who was worth defending.

You laughed at him, tutting as you did so. How could he have so quickly forgotten everything you'd told him about her. She was a living devil and yet he was sticking up for her over you.

"You're unbelievable." You shook your head as you scoffed at him, walking to the wings as you were on in the next minute.

"Wait Y/N.." Harry pathetically jogged after you, catching up to last second before going on stage. He grabbed your arm, but you didn't even turn or flinch. You simply shrugged him off and walked on stage. Harry had no other obligation other than to follow you.

You got in to starting positions and took a deep breath. The rhumba was a very emotional dance, but you felt like you were going to be crying for different reasons today. The first chord for the music started and you began to move expressively. Your heart felt heavy, knowing that Harry and Roxy could be an official thing but were just keeping it on the down-low for the moment. You were sure you felt a tear trickle down your cheek, but were quick to sniffle all the rest back in.

A few moments later you feel Harrys electric arms wrap around your body, both of you dancing in time to the music. You could feel the heart-wrenching tension between you two, making the dance so much more emotional. His touch on your skin burned, but in the best way. It was like ice against your skin on a hot summers day - it made you feel alive.

Your breathings increased as you danced, but also because you were being so expressive. Your facial expressions weren't put on for this dance, they were real, and you had a feeling neither were Harrys. At moments, Harry would wrap his arms around your waist and when he did you didn't want him to let go. He had such a comforting embrace that you wanted to be wrapped up in for the rest of your life.

Harry perfected the lifts exquisitely. He hadn't done a thing wrong and it was sure to get a high score.

As it approached the end of the routine you made eye contact with Harry. You looked in to his emerald orbs and he looked so lost. He didn't take his eyes off you though, even if you did him. He couldn't. He was too busy taking in your beauty.

You ended your routine with you both curled up against each other on the floor, kneeling to be close to one another. It allowed you to feel the heavy and desperate heartbeat of Harrys. His chest was rising rapidly.

As the audience rose to their feet to applaud you both, you and Harry raised your heads to look at one another. The first thing you noticed was the sorriness he was wearing in his eyes. His eyes were telling of a hundred more emotions than his words. He looked between your eyes and your lips, as if no one else was in the room. His lips looked so kissable and you'd have loved more than anything to kiss them, but Harry surely wouldn't kiss back.

You didn't give away whether you forgave him or anything. You abruptly stood up, leaving Harry to swallow back the silence of rejection. You held out your hand for him and he willingly took it. The fluttering feeling coming to life.

After getting an amazing score of 30/40 you were off backstage to clean yourselves up. You'd been in your room for all of twenty seconds before the door swung wide open - hard enough for it to then bounce back and close again. You only knew one person who'd do that.

"You little bitch." Roxy days from where she's stood in front of your door.

"Why?" You asked, growing tired of the constant accusations she makes of you, using a towel to dry your sweaty skin.

"I saw you in that dance. I'm not blind to not notice that you have very strong feelings for Harry." She shouted at you.

Your cheeks blushed red at her judgement, mainly because it is true. "Even if what you're saying is true, how would that effect you?" You asked curiously.

"Because you don't have a fucking chance with him, Y/N. He's beyond anyones league - especially yours. He's so much better than you and it's embarrassing that you don't see that."

"But—"

"No, you listen here Y/N. Harry likes me. Always has and always will. You're just too naïve and lonely to admit that. He could never like you. I mean just look at you.." Roxy looked at you with disgust, making you feel really low.

You turned to look at yourself in the mirror. Normally you see the shining and confident Y/N you are, but right now you are ashamed of the reflection.

A small, few tears trickle down your face - coming to the realisation that Roxy is right and you are just fanaticising over, yet another, dream.

"See Y/N. You need to understand your worth. Or should I rather say, lack of." Roxy smiled proudly before exiting the room.

You started to gather yourself together, wiping off the excess tears, making sure you didn't look like a complete disaster. Your makeup was still in tact and the only sign of you having a brutal harassing from Roxy were your red eyes.

Maybe Roxy was right. Maybe you were worthless. You could never find a boyfriend - ever. You could never win Strictly. Perhaps you were just one of those people in life that aren't meant to be successful, but more just plainly wander the Earth. You were the complete opposite of talented Harry, so it was no surprise that he didn't like you in the same way you did. He, surely, doesn't deserve someone like Roxy - he deserves so, so, much better.

The door to the room opened again and you were ready to stand up for yourself, not being able to take any of Roxys bullshit anymore.

You spun around to be met with Harry rather than Roxy, which you weren't expecting.

"Y/N listen... Woah, woah," Harry ran over to you within the first second of seeing you, "What's going on? What's wrong?" He rushed over to you, sweat and all, and cupped your cheeks. You sniffled before giving him a soft smile.

"I'm good." You breathed out and went to move past him, but he was quick to move his arms on to your upper arms - preventing you from moving anywhere.

"No, no. We aren't going anywhere until you tell me why you're upset." Harry sternly told you.

"It was... No never mind. It doesn't matter." You shook your head and wiped your eyes again, feeling the tears start to resurface.

"Yes it does." He retaliated, but you continued to shake your head. "It matters to me, love." He softly added, knowing that he'd got you. You could never turn him down when he was at his sweetest.

"I don't think I should tell you." You whispered, tears now constantly streaming down your face.

"Please, Y/N. For me." He came even closer to you, which you didn't think was possible.

"I'm going to quit." You stated, cutting right to the point.

"Ho... I mean... What?" Harry looked at you as if you'd just grown a third eye on your forehead.

"I'm going to—"

"No, no, no. I heard that bit. I want to know why." He shook his head, trying to understand what is going on.

"I can't keep doing this anymore, Harry. I.." You choked out a sob and Harry cupped the back of your neck, for what you assume was, for moral support, "I'm tired of always losing and bringing others down as the result. You won't win if i'm your coach. You won't enjoy your time on the show if you have me, knowing how much I hate Roxy and how you two love each other. I wo—"

"Stop. Hang on a second." Harry paused to think things over, you practically watching the cogs working in his brain. "You think I love Roxy?" Harry stifled a small laugh afterwards.

You didn't know what to think of that. Were you wrong?

"So... so are you in love with her?" You carefully asked, through a sniffle, because you weren't completely ready to hear the answer.

Harry came closer to you, still warming the back of your neck with his large hand. His other hand scaled around your waist to pull you the closest you'd been to him, feeling his damp skin against your shirt. You hadn't even been focusing on his chest because you were too captivated over his words.

He looked between your eyes and you noticed how there was a little fleck, or two, of orange around the pupil. It looked like a small, burning, fire lost in the deep green forests - kind of how you felt in this moment.

He leant down to your left ear, still awaiting his response nervously, and whispered, "I'm in love with you." As he pulled back he left a little kiss on your earlobe. He moved his head up to rest upon your forehead, the feeling that should've felt so foreign but actually felt so familiar. "So don't give up on me. At least not yet. I need you, to win this competition. I need you to get me through my day. I need you, Y/N L/N. Not Roxy. You."

"You c-can't be. I'm not.. I'm—"

You were cut off by Harrys lips latching on to yours, so desperately. Even though he was so close to you, you were still unprepared for him to have kissed you like this.

His lips were like no other. Second to none, you'd say. They tasted minty, but with a hint of sweetness somehow. It was refreshing and it made you feel alive. The tingle that would once be caused by his touch, was now by his lips and it was so much better. It was an indescribable feeling and one you wish to never end. The lips you'd dreamt about were now touching yours and they couldn't be more magical.

His blissful lips had managed to stop your crying, but in replacement turned your heartbeat into a fast-beating drum. He was no longer the reason for your tears, but he was the reason you'd most likely have a heart attack.

When his lips left yours you felt empty, like there was a large void. You noticed him smiling when the sound of smacking lips detached, and you vouched, in that moment, that you'd never let that smile leave. He looked so happy - and that influenced you too.

You hated the feeling of his lips not on yours so you leant forward to kiss him again.

"Hey, hey, stop. It's okay. We have time for all this. It's just we have to be back on set now, okay?" Harry spoke quietly to you, capturing your cheek in his hand - to prevent you from continuing your make out session.

"But—"

"I promise I will kiss you after this show is done today." Harry hovered his lips over yours but refused to let them touch again, knowing you'd both get carried away and such.

"Like at least twenty times." You exaggerated, earning a laugh out of him.

"Hmm.. Maybe even twenty-one." Harry made you chuckle.

You hugged him, and he returned the squeeze, and then you both left to re-join everyone else.

                                     ••••

After the show hard finished recording, you headed straight to the changing room to get dressed into your sweats.

Harry tried his best, throughout the show, to keep his hands off of you, but you think he might've been a little more obvious than he meant to be.

Getting changed only took 5 minutes and then it took another 2 to get to where Harrys changing room was. The celebrities all get their own changing room, whereas the professionals have to share.

As you approached his dressing room you noticed Roxy hanging around outside of it, along with her minions. You tried your best to ignore her, but she was too quick to acknowledge your presence.

"What are you doing down here? Outside Harrys room more specifically?" Roxy asked.

"I guess I could ask you the same thing." You felt proud of your comeback.

"Because we're—"

The door opened and Harry came out in his sportswear, bag over his shoulder. "Umm.. Hello?" Harry asked awkwardly towards Roxy and her posse.

"Hi Harry!" Roxy smiled, pushing her girls out of the way. They huffed and went and sat on a bench to the right of the, dully painted, corridor.

"Hi..." He raised his eyebrows in annoyance and then turned to face you with a smile.

"You ready to grab some tea, Harry?" You asked him, fumbling with your fingers. You weren't shy but you certainly didn't like being affectionate in front of other people - especially when them people were your worst enemies.

"Oh, Harry. Thought you might like to come out with us instead?" Roxy twirled her hair around her finger, Harry shuffling closer over to you.

"I'm good. Y/N is treating me anyways." Harry nodded in thanks, but even you could tell that it was a sarcastic nod.

"What! To McDonalds?!" Roxy joked, but what was funny was that you actually were. It was your ritual and you weren't giving it up just because Roxy was saying so.

"Yes actually." Harry crosses his arms, getting pissed off at her now.

"Well I could treat you to a 3-course dine-in meal." Roxy flexed, showing that she clearly had a lot more money than you did.

"You could. But I prefer McDonalds. And Y/N."  Harry stated, making Roxys jaw drop wide open. You hid your smile the best you could, but Harry blatantly put on his.

Roxy huffed the loudest you'd ever heard someone huff and then she stormed off, her girls practically running after her.

You turned to Harry and smiled - him knowing it was to say thank you. He quickly pulled you back inside of his dressing room, closing the door behind him. He pressed you up against the door, pinning you there as he did.

"Wh-what are you doing?" You asked timidly.

"Can't wait another second to kiss those pretty lips." He told you in a hushed tone, before setting his lips back against yours.

                                        ••••

5 weeks later

You had never been happier.

Everything was perfect. More than, in fact.

Harry had asked you to be his girlfriend, expressing how strong his feelings were for you. He loved you more than anything and he did everything he could to prove it to you.

He now paid for your maccies dates. He brought you flowers ever week to freshen up your apartment. He chipped in to your bills, where he could - which wasn't very often because you hated him paying for you. He cooked for you every time you stayed over at his. He'd bought you a house plant and helped you grow and nurture it. He was so perfect and you always felt like he did so much more for you than you could ever do for him.

That's why winning was so important to you.

You wanted Harry to win in order for you to give him something. Harry was in the final, which you'd cried about more times than deemed sane. You were so proud of him, but you didn't realise just how much more proud Harry was of you.

Today was your last rehearsal before the final show and you were shitting it. The shows had been live since Blackpool - which was the best night of your life, for more reasons than one - and you couldn't stop thinking that you'd mess something up.

It was hours before showtime and you kept messing up.

"Fuck!" You shouted to yourself as you tried to remember the steps. Your brain was so set on winning, and making Harry proud of you for something, that you kept on missing out steps.

"Looks like someone's not going to win." Roxy came up behind you.

You rolled your eyes and stood back up from where you'd just fallen over.

"Just go away Roxy."

"No. This is far too entertaining." She laughed as she clapped her hands in humour. "It's funny to see you try so hard when you know you're going to fail. You're trying so hard to prove your worth, but I think it's time you just accept that you haven't won, and never will."

You looked at her with red eyes - knowing that she is right.

"You're ju-just jealous." You muttered out.

"Ha! You wish Y/N. I have everything and you honestly have nothing. What do I have to be jealous over?" She laughed, crossing her arms in defence.

"Harry." You proudly stated.

"Not for long." She mumbled under her breath, but you still managed to catch it.

"Sorry?" You asked confused.

"I mean. How long do you think he'll stay with you for, really? He's only with you until the end of this show, Y/N. He's going to win and then leave." She looked at you in sarcastic pity.

"You're wrong." You told her, but there was a feeling that she could be right.

You knew you weren't the dream girl for a lot of men, but you thought maybe you'd been it for Harry. He was your first love, and now you believed that he could be your first heartbreak. Your heart already pulled slightly and you weren't too ready to hear it from Harry.

You felt a warmth behind you and refused to turn around, knowing that it would just be Roxys posse here to harass you some more.

"So fucking wrong." A deep male voice appeared instead. One that sounded a lot like Harry.

You didn't have to turn around to know that you'd been correct though.

"H-harry..." Roxy uncrossed her arms as she gulped, signifying she was nervous.

"Leave, Roxy." Harry demanded and she instantly left, probably scared of Harry. You'd seen first hand how intimidating he could be - like the time you were about to steal his last profiterole.

You immediately broke down, not being able to take anymore of this. Your shoulders slung down and started shaking as you cried.

"Hey, hey. It's alright my love." He cooed, turning you around to pull you in to his embrace.

"No it's not Harry. I-I ca-can't do the d-dance. I- We need t-to win Harry. Shit." You cursed at yourself, whilst Harry rubbed his hands up and down your back to comfort you.

"It's okay darling. We're going to be great. You are going to be even greater." He comforted you.

"But you're g-going to leave me." You said from the depths of his chest.

"Not true. I'm never leaving you, Y/N/N. I can't. You mean too much to me. I'm so in love with you." He reassured you.

You lifted your head out from his chest. "But Roxy..."

"Fuck Roxy. Don't listen to a word of what that girl says. I love you and that's all that matters." He reminded you before pressing a deep kiss on to your forehead.

"And I love you." You told him, kissing the area where his heart would be.

"I know, baby. I know."

                                        ••••

The dances tonight had been the best ones you'd performed to date.  

You and Harry were second on the leaderboard though, because the judges thought another couple were slightly better. However voting was all down to the public, and, you didn't want to sound cocky, but Harrys fan base are borderline terrifying when it comes to voting and helping Harry win stuff. You'd be lying if you said you weren't one of those fans at one point...

All three finalists were now stood underneath the intimidating spotlights, the Glitterball trophy standing proud in front of everyone.

You were shaking so much that even Harrys embrace couldn't help you. He was tightly holding on to your hand, stroking softly over the skin to calm you the best he could.

"And the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2020 is..." Tess started, drums starting to bang as you awaited in suspense.

"I love you no matter what." Harry whispered in your ear from where he was stood behind you. His words made you more nervous though, because you wanted to win so badly. Not only to prove yourself to Harry, but to prove yourself to you.

The drums beat for another ten seconds.

"Harry Styles and Y/N L/N!" Tess cheer abs the audience went fucking mental.

You dropped down to the floor, not believing that you'd just done it. All these years and you'd finally done it.

Not only had you win Strictly, you'd won Harrys heart - and that was enough to make you happy for the rest of your life.