#anyway really excited to finish this one!

[jakedustry]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 - 𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐀 𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐈

popular!riki x fem!reader

in which after many of your protests, your friends manage to convince you to go to your school prom, reminding you you don't need a date to have fun, and you even believe them for a second – until you are left alone at your table, with no one to talk to. Fortunately, your close friend shows up right in time to show you prom can be funny after all.

wc 2.8k

warnings none (me thinks) except for kissing

↪ izzy adds... I wrote this a year ago on my wattpad account but thought it would be nice to bring some riki fluff on my tumblr too :)) This is only vaguely proofread!

“I don’t want to go,” you whined, grabbing a hair tie from your table before turning to face the group of girls sprawled on your bed again. “I am serious. First of all, I don’t have anyone to go with, and second of all, I don’t have a dress either,” you explained your reasons when you notice the looks on your friends’ faces. 

“But you have to go! Prom is so much fun!” One of the girls exclaimed, ready to argue with you. “It might have been fun if someone asked me to be their prom date,” you mumble, sighing. “Or if you guys were still in school. I don’t want to go alone!” You complained. 

Honestly, you didn’t care much about not being asked out for prom. What bothered you more was that none of your friends would be there with you. You were the youngest in your friend group, and with all the girls being a grade above you, it meant there was no one you could talk to. 

“People are blind. I don’t get why no one asked you out.” 

“It’s whatever. I am not going anyway,” you repeated, sitting on your bed between the two eldest. “Everything got far worse after you left. The girls in my class keep laughing at anyone who breathes. I don’t need them making fun of me because I don’t have a date.” 

“You don’t need a date! You can go alone and dance with whoever you want! I swear prom is super fun!” Your friend kept trying to convince you. “And I already finished your dress,” your best friend joined the conversation, making all of you look at her. “What? Really?” Your eyes widened. 

She had decided to study fashion design after finishing high school, and she had been promising you she would make a dress for you since the first semester started, but you knew she was busy, so you never paid much attention to it, thinking she wouldn’t have time for it. 

“Why haven’t you shown us earlier?!” 

Your best friend unlocked her phone, scrolling through her gallery to find a picture. “I thought I told you about it before. And I wanted to bring it tomorrow to see if it needs fixing,” she shrugged. “Here it is,” she turned her phone towards you so you could see first, showing it to the rest of the group afterward. 

It was a long midnight blue v-neck piece with a fitted bodice and a sweeping skirt, and you absolutely loved it. Even though you always preferred pants and shorts over a dress or skirt, you could see how much work she had put into making it for you. Seeing the dress made you feel a sudden wave of excitement. You wanted to wear it as soon as possible. 

“You are so good!” The oldest gasped. “It’s nothing,” your best friend chuckled, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. You knew she was proud of her work, too. “It really does look gorgeous, though,” you assured her, still in awe.��

“Well, now you just have to go.” You sighed, “Alright, I’ll go, but you guys have to promise we’ll get an ice cream and sleep over at mine after it.” The girls grinned, agreeing immediately. 

♡⸝⸝ 

You looked into the mirror again, fixing your hair with a smile. Even though you didn’t feel super excited to go out alone, you must admit, you felt pretty tonight. The dress your best friend designed fit you perfectly, and once you put your hair up and let her do your makeup, you found yourself looking forward to the dance more. 

“You look stunning,” your best friend assured you, her smile so genuine she might also make you feel like the prettiest girl in the world. “Should we go?” She asked, offering you her arm. You giggled, wrapping your hand around her arm and leaving your room with her. 

“No boy will be able to resist you tonight.” You couldn’t hide your smile as you heard your best friend, your confidence slowly building up. You nodded, following her to her car. 

Your confidence, however, dropped down again as you ended up alone at your table, staying the only one not dancing. 

You ended up sitting at a table in the far corner with a few of your classmates, looking around the place as soon as you sat down. You must say, they did a great job with the decoration. “I am going to get something to drink. Do you guys want anything?” One of the girls asked, putting her handbag on her chair and looking around the table. One of her friends stood up, too, saying she would go with her when their other friends asked for drinks.

You just watched them, not saying anything. They weren’t your friends. Honestly, you barely knew them, so you didn't want to bother them with getting you a drink. It felt awkward sitting there with them, but there was nothing you could do. It wasn't like it would feel any less uncomfortable at the other tables. 

Half an hour later, the dance floor was already occupied, with almost no space for any more pairs. You saw a few of your classmates here and there dancing or sitting at their tables and talking to their friends, but you didn't dare to walk up to any of them. 

So you ended up sitting alone at your table, watching everyone else enjoy themself while you had nothing to do. You knew you shouldn't expect much when you didn't have a date, but you got your hopes up when you talked to your best friend, and now it made you regret coming here after all. 

You shifted in your place, staring at the almost empty glass of coke you got earlier. Playing with your straw, your thoughts drifted away to your friends again. To your actual friends, not just your classmates. You remembered how your best friend would laugh at the stupidest things whenever she was around you and how the eldest in your friend group would always talk about her boyfriend, to the point it annoyed all of you. 

You sighed, closing your eyes for a quick second so tears wouldn't fall down your cheeks. You just wanted to be with them.

“How come you are here alone?” You opened your eyes upon hearing the familiar voice, quickly blinking to make all the possible tears disappear before they could even show up. “I thought I was too late,” he mumbled so quietly you almost didn’t hear him. Almost. 

“It’s weird that none of the guys here asked you for a dance yet. They are missing out,” he grinned, sitting on a chair beside you. “How long did it take you to learn those lines, Riki? Do you go around asking every girl?” You teased him but couldn’t hide a smile. 

You watched him, taking a proper look at what he was wearing. All the boys had a specific dress code: formal pants and a button-down. A vest or a suit jacket were optional, so most of them weren’t wearing them. But he was. He had a black vest on his white button-down, and you could swear he looked better than ever before. It was somehow attractive seeing a man wear a vest even though he didn't have to.

You knew he was attractive. You would be a fool to deny it when all the girls in your grade and the grade under you had a crush on him at one point. But still, it felt as if your eyes had opened only now. 

“Now seriously. Why did you reject everyone? I thought you wanted to dance tonight,” he questioned, looking around the place. You shrugged, looking the same way he was, “No one asked me yet. I didn’t get the chance to reject anyone.” 

You had met Nishimura Riki last year for the first time. You were running through the school hallway late in the afternoon, being one of the last students still in school. Lessons ended more than an hour ago and you had lost track of time while studying in the school library. It was a pure fate that the two of you met, really. You weren’t planning on stopping. If anything, you almost sped up to get out of school as soon as possible to catch your bus, but you ended up slowing down instead when you heard your favorite song coming from one of the classrooms. 

You glanced inside, wondering who was stupid enough like you to be still hanging out in school at this hour. That was when you saw him dancing in the middle of an empty classroom to your favorite song. Back then, he obviously had no idea it was your favorite song, and you had no idea it was one of his, too. 

He noticed you standing at the door and froze, a sudden wave of embarrassment brushing over him. He turned the music off immediately, watching you apologize for interrupting. You felt as embarrassed as he did but didn’t move right away. You lingered in the silence, keeping eye contact with him until you felt a blush creeping up your cheeks. You apologized again, running off before he could say anything. It was a chaotic first meeting, but you still managed to get stuck in his head. 

You didn’t have a proper conversation with him that day or any of the days prior, but you started greeting each other in the hallways since then, exchanging small smiles or glances from across the room. 

It went like so for weeks, with neither of you walking up to each other to actually say something. You didn’t know his name, and you assumed he didn’t know yours either, but you still found yourself looking forward to seeing him between your classes. 

And not so long after, when your best friend wanted to introduce you to her boyfriend’s friends, you finally got to hear his name. You stuck together with Riki most of the afternoon, only exchanging a few words with his other friends. It was Riki who your eyes landed on, unable to look away as you found yourself getting lost in your conversation. 

You considered him your close friend since. 

Riki looked back at you, confused if you were telling the truth or joking. “No one asked you for a dance?” You shook your head at his question, looking down at your glass again. “I swear everyone is blind,” he shook his head in disappointment. “You look amazing today,” he assured you. “You look amazing all the time, actually,” he mumbled, making your cheeks turn pink. “Thank you,” you muttered shyly. 

He hesitated for a second, encouraging himself before he stood up. “Do you want to dance?” Your name rolled on his tongue so easily, as if he had said it a million times before. You smiled, looking up at him again. His hand was reached towards you, and he averted eye contact. For the first time in the year you knew him, you saw him without his usual confidence, and it might have been making you more nervous than him. Everything about him tonight made you nervous. The way he stood, talked, and dressed. It all made you weak in the knees. 

You carefully took his hand, already worried your hand was sweating. He looked you in the eyes again, holding your hand properly as he took you from the table. The current song was ending, but he still had the next one and hopefully a few songs after that, too. 

Riki awkwardly waited for the song to end before looking at you again as he heard the last line. “We are going to kill the next song,” he proclaimed, making you giggle. 

“How about something slower for our pairs this time?” His eyes widened, terrified, as he looked at the DJ. Everyone cheered for him, but Riki couldn’t. Not when he wasn’t sure what you would think about dancing with him to a slow song. 

He glanced your way again, his eyes scanning your face and trying to see if you were still up for a dance. You looked him in the eyes, trying to figure out the same thing. Eventually, you decided to take the first step and put your hands on his shoulders. He stepped forward, making it easier for you to reach him before he placed his hands on your waist, a sheepish smile on his lips as he looked at you with nothing but love. 

It wasn’t a secret to many – actually, he was pretty sure everyone except for you knew – that he had a crush on you for as long as he could remember. Since he saw you in the hallway, with your hair tucked behind your ear, he couldn’t stop thinking about you, and it has been getting worse and worse ever since. And seeing you so close now, trying to keep eye contact with him even though your cheeks were getting hotter the more you looked at him, only made him love you more. 

“We can’t really kill this dance,” you mumbled with a smile, trying to ease the atmosphere so it wouldn't get awkward. He chuckled, nodding before he leaned down to you, stopping once his lips reached your ear. “But we can be the best-looking pair.” His words sent shivers down your spine, making your cheeks turn redder than ever before. You stepped closer again, laying your head on his chest so you wouldn't need to look him in the eyes. 

You nodded, slightly squeezing his shoulders. “Thank you,” you mumbled. “For dancing with me tonight.” You looked up for a second, assuring yourself he heard you. You had underestimated his visuals, you realized. Now that you were standing so close to him, your bodies touching, seeing him bite his bottom lip at what you said in the purple lighting above the dance floor has made you go crazy. 

You felt girls looking at you, trying to murder you with their stares, but you didn’t mind. You couldn’t even think about them when you had a handsome boy right in front of you. Especially when you knew his eyes were on you only. 

Your eyes widened in question when you heard your name leave his lips, questioning what he needed. He hesitated for a moment before moving his right hand from your waist to your face, lifting your chin with his thumb and index finger. You were too pretty for him to be able to think straight, no matter how much he tried. “Please don’t kick me for this,” he whispered, leaning down again, this time connecting his lips with yours. 

You moved your hand to the back of his neck when you felt his lips on your, pulling him closer to yourself. You were both aware of people staring your way, whispering about god knows what, but you couldn’t care less. This was your moment. 

Riki grabbed your hand again, exchanging one look with you before he took you from the dance floor, rushing to the main hall outside where you all left your jackets before. You didn’t question anything and followed him, keeping your eyes on your intertwined hands. “My things are still in there,” you reminded him, having no idea where he was heading. He didn't answer anything, though, not looking back for even a split second. 

As he stopped in the middle of the hallway, finally looking at you again, you realized he was looking for a quieter place without so many people around. Honestly, you didn’t care where you were. He could take you anywhere, and you would go with him. Because all you could think about at the moment were his lips. 

“I’d kiss you again if your lips weren’t so high up,” you mumbled, creating a grin on his face. He pulled you closer again, leaning down so you could do as you wished. “I thought we were just friends,” he whispered against your lips, making you shiver once again. The look in his eyes, combined with his deep voice would be the death of you soon. You were sure of it. 

“You kissed me first,” you reminded him, breathing on his lips so he could get a taste of his own medicine. “So maybe we aren’t really just friends, pretty boy.” 

“Definitely,” he agreed, his hands cupping your cheeks as he kissed you again, this time with more passion, making sure you could feel every last bit of his love on your lips.

✧˖°. izzy's tags @beomiracles @adel222 @hwanghyunjinismybae ✧˖°. want to get notified? join taglist here!

[merryslilhobbit]

There are so many things about the Daniel Ricciardo situation that frustrate and anger me, so I'm getting them off my chest before I lose the plot. I'm sure other people have said the same things, but here we go.

Horner made a whole big show of picking Daniel up after the McLaren debacle, bringing him back into "the family". Made himself out to be some sort of saviour. Rebuilding Daniel's confidence, his physical and mental health. Got a dig in at Zak in a press conference about "feeding Daniel up" because he was skinny. Invited DTS to see his return at Silverstone 2023. So to kick Daniel to the curb just a few races before the end of the season? Because they have "a lot of data on Daniel" and need to see other options for the future? Hypocritical c*nt.

Next, replacing him with someone they're not confident enough in to give a contract to straight away? Yes, Liam did a good job in Daniel's absence last year. This is absolutely not me shitting on Liam - I like him, and I think he and Yuki will be good teammates. But he's been out of full time racing for a while. Allegedly RB weren't overly excited about his testing times in the summer. While it will be interesting to see how he compares to Yuki, why are RB hanging onto Liam when they don't seem confident enough to give him a full time seat? Why are they so determined to keep pushing this one? (Yes I know the answer is probably contracts, but still.)

Then there's the fact that Daniel has actually outperformed Yuki in 6 of the last 9 races (since the start of the European leg). In the same period, they've scored the same number of points. Daniel has also been more consistent in his finishing position than Yuki. In terms of form, Singapore excluded (but I think we can forgive him that one, given the media shitstorm), he's been the better of the two and isn't it meant to be that the first person you need to beat is your teammate? There's only so much you can achieve in a tractor.

And we can't forget the Checo situation. Following the first six races he's bombed in comparison to Max. He's probably cost Red Bull the Constructors'. He was given a few races to improve, didn't and then was kept anyway (probably because of money and the Mexican GP). He often qualifies further behind (in time) Max than Daniel does Yuki. I know Red Bull are coming out now and saying they found a problem with their design from Barcelona last year, when Checo first started reporting issues but frankly I'm calling bullshit on that. As mentioned, Checo had six very good races and results at the start of 2024. And some decent ones at the end of 2023. At one point there was speculation that Daniel might even replace Checo mid-season (some reports say it was a done deal), so in the space of a few weeks to go from that to being dropped himself? I have whiplash.

And I think that's the hardest part. A lot of people were probably aware that it could be difficult for Daniel to get a seat for next year. But at no point was there any suggestion that he might get replaced mid-season. Not even in the middle, six races before the end. When Red Bull confirmed in the summer break that both Checo and Daniel would see out the seasons in their current seats.

Red Bull have created an absolute PR disaster and they deserve it. Driver of the Day, amongst many other things in the last 48 hours, reflects the love and respect so many people have for Daniel. People who see how emotional he was, who see that he didn't have an opportunity to say goodbye properly (fuck, even McLaren did that - remember the Monza 2021 photo on his steering wheel?). People who recognise that dumping him so close to the end of the season is ridiculous.

In the end, I hope that Daniel really is at peace with it all and is in better shape than he left McLaren; that he can be proud of all of his achievements in the sport. Drivers come and go, but very few make their mark in the way Daniel has done. He may not have broken records or won championships, but the fact that he will still be remembered for a very long time despite those things is a testament to his character, to the sort of person we all know and love.

[samandcolbyownme]

ZACH

okay girlie I've got a juicy one here so cute fluff into fucking filthy smut.

So basically Zach invites you onto the podcast (Jared is the only other person there and maybe Skylar idk anyway) and throughout you two are just flirting with eachother and you eventually go and sit on the couch next to Zach and he places his hand on your thigh and like stares into your eyes anyway I digress when the podcast is finished all of you go out for drinks and both you and Zach end up getting really drunk and end up getting a taxi back to your place and well you know and then after you two are just snuggly and it turns into cute fluff again

LOVE YOU POOKIE 🖤

Warnings: SMUT18+, strong language, friends to lovers, mentions of drinking, being drunk, heavy flirting, kissing, hair pulling, biting, scratching, hair pulling, oral (both), fingering, unprotected sex, creampie, filthy fluff

Word Count: 4.6k | unedited

I also wrote it as they walked home, no taxi, but that’s the only thing I changed. I realized after I wrote all of it.

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

“Hello, hello, and welcome back..” Zach starts out, “..For another episode of Dropouts. Today.. oh boy, today we have the lovely, the talented, and the beautiful..” he gets closer to the mic and mumbles, “I must add..”

He leans back and you roll your eyes with a smile as he continues, “Y/n y/l/n everybody.”

Everyone there claps and you sigh, “I was wondering when you were going to text and beg to have me on.”

“I..” Zach laughs, “Listen, I did not beg, okay.”

You furrow your brows and tilt your head, “Yeah, okay. Sure.”

“Okay, I may have… what’s the word?”

“Embellished?” Jared asks with a laugh and Zach snaps, “That’s the word. I may have embellished the idea of her coming on today and guess what. It freakin’ worked so.”

“Yeah yeah.” You laugh, “what’s the plan for today?”

Zach shrugs, “You wanna meet Lady May?”

“She’s here?!” You ask, sitting up with excitement, “Fuck yeah I do. Bring her out.” You look around and Skyler stands up with her, “She’s taking her afternoon nap.” He says as he stands up to walk over to you.

“She can afternoon nap on me all she wants..” you gasp as he hands her to you, “Look at her! She is so sweet.”

“So, going back to that afternoon nap thing..” Zach says and you look over at him, completely oblivious to where this is going, “Yeah?”

He chuckles, watching you as you’re starstruck by this tiny creature, “Is that open to anyone or just..”

“Zach. Quite trying to sleep with all the guests.” Jared shoot and Zach scoffs, “I’m not trying to sleep with her I’m trying to sleep on her, god, Jared. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

You look up at Jared, laughing at him and you look at Zach, “you being both of your dogs and you might have a good chance.”

“That.. still doesn’t..” Jared sighs, “I’m just going to stop because I’m never going to get through that titanium skull you must have.”

“You get points for trying.” Zach finger guns him and sighs, “If my dog goes missing I know exactly where I’m looking first.”

“Good thing I’m smarter than you.” You smirk at Zach and he furrows his brows, “Mm, give me a second. I’m trying to figure this one out on my own.”

“Are you saying… that you won’t keep the dog at your house.” Zach points to you and you lift your hands and gently clap, “Wow, you must have been hitting the books last time I saw you.”

“You saw me last night, what are you talking about?”

“Whoooaaa.” Jared and Skyler yell at the same time, “Breaking news.” Jared laughs and Skyler scoffs, “So it wasn’t Zach just shaking hands with the milkman, alright.”

“Oh.. my god..” you close your eyes, laughing as you shake your head, “I didn’t.. need to know that, but okay.”

“I was actually in bed by eight p.m last night, alright. There was no shaking of the hands with anyone who delivers milk.”

You laugh, running your hand over the small dog laying in your lap.

“So, y/n.” Jared starts out, “I heard you got a brand deal with Huda Beauty? Going to be in some ads, huh?”

You nod, “that is correct.”

“What’s that, like makeup?” Zach asks and you nod, “Yeah, foundation, fragrances, beauty tools, all that jazz.”

“They’re going to make you play a saxophone? How cool is that!?”

You stare at Zach for a few seconds, blinking before looking at Skyler and Jared, “He amazes me with how fucking quick he is with this shit.”

“That’s just how my mind works, baby.” Zach claps his hands together, “So when does this brand deal go into effect?”

You lean in, “Hopfully next week-“

“Oh, hold on.” Jared points, “I think her mic stopped working.”

“That’s okay.” You get up, holding the dog as you maneuver around to sit next to Zach, “Does this work?”

“Oh yeah.” Zach nods and you smack his arm, “Not what I mean, but okay.” You look down at Lady and shake your head, “She’s just so cute.”

He smirks, “Yeah, I know, but do you have to be so conceited, I mean there’s an almost as cute of a dog sleeping on your lap.”

“Zach.” Skyler groans, “Would you stop flirting with the guest, you’re going to scare her away.”

Zach leans into the mic, “Um, I’m not flirting, okay. I’m just being nice to someone who just so happens to be extra gorgeous.”

You side eye him smirking as you shake your head.

The podcast continues to go good. There’s laughing, Zach being, well, Zach, and you get to talk about what’s going on with you in the next few weeks.

As Jared is talking, Zach slides his hand over, gently scratching the dog’s head, “She’s such a good puppy, isn’t she?”

You nod, “a hundred percent.”

Zach answers to Jared, but he doesn’t move his hand, he just rests it on your thigh, and honestly, it kind of turned you on.

Zach had pretty hands, which only made it harder for you to concentrate, but luckily, Lady was a good cover up for your eyes being on your lap - Zach’s hand.

Every now and then, his fingers would run up and down your jean clad leg, drawing circles and honestly, you didn’t think he knew he was doing that.

You guys were having a serious conversation, or trying to, at least, but you didn’t mind it.

Soon the podcast ended, and Zach wanted his dog back.

“No!” You whine, “I just want to cuddle her.”

“Come by later and you can have all the cuddles you want.” Zach smirks and you roll your eyes, “From you or the dog?”

“Whichever you prefer, my darling.” Zach lifts his hands and drops them back down, “No, but serious. We’re going out for drinks and we want you to come.”

“Fine.” You sigh, giving Zach back his dog, “This better be worth giving up that cute little thing for.”

“I will aggressively cuddle you to make up for it.” Zach walks up, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and you laugh, “Oh, no. That’s not-“

You laugh and shake your head, “Who’s driving?”

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

“How’s it goin’?” Zach asks as he leans against the bar in front of you. You laugh, “It’s, uh. It’s goin’.”

“Need another drink? You can put it on my tab.” Zach waves over the bartender and motions to you. You order your drink and smile at Zach, “I think.. I’m about done.”

You laugh as Zach groans, “Oh don’t say that.”

“I’m just not.. I don’t know.” You look around, “Theres just.. a lot of people here.”

“Well, y/n. It is a Friday night and it is a public and popular place to go on said Friday night.”

You grab your glass as the bartender sets it down and you stop him, “Wait, can I get two tequila shots please?”

“Tequila? Oh girl, you’re trying to get me drunk, aren’t you?” Zach laughs and you shrug, “If I go down, I’m taking you down with me.”

“Oh no, no. That wasn’t the deal.” Zach laughs and you shrug, “it is now.”

Two shots turned into four and four turned into six.

“Holy shit.” Zach groans as he slams the last one down on the bar, “I need to get away from you.” You laugh and motion, but he shakes his head, “Correction I need to get you away from this bar.”

He grabs your hand and pulls you with him, stopping when he sees Skyler and Jared, “Hey look our people. Our good, friends, hey friends.”

Jared looks at you, “Is he drunk?”

You nod, “Yessir.”

“So is y/n. Where is she anyway?” Zach looks around before looking down at you, “Ohhhg shiiiit. There you are!”

“I never..” you laugh, “I never left.”

“Wow, that’s great, I-“ Zach walks away and Skyler laughs, “I’ll follow him.” You watch as he walks away after Zach and you shake your head, “I shouldn’t have drank so much.”

“Feeling sick?” Jared asks and you shake your head, “More like.. in my feels right now.” You laugh it off and Jared sighs, “You know what can help that?”

“What?”

Jared points behind you and you turn around to see Zach holding two bottles up and pouring them in his mouth.

“Oh..” you laugh, “No, no. He’s going to regret that.” You look at Jared, “That is so fucking funny.” You lay a hand over your mouth and follow him through the crowd over to Zach.

Zach sets the bottles down and everyone around him cheers. He looks at you and points, “Get over here.” He gives you a come here motion and you groan, laughing as you walk over to him.

He lifts the bottle up, giving you a shot straight to the mouth.

“Whoooa!” Zach cheers and he quickly gets the crowd to start chanting your name.

Everyone know who you were which made it more fun, in a way.

“Come on.” You laugh, stumbling down off small stage with Zach in your grasp trailing behind you. You turn around, “I think I’m going home.”

“What?” He sounds so sad, “Why?”

“I’m.. jus’not feelin’ it anymore.” You laugh slightly, “Im getting sad, I think I miss Lady.”

“Well, I have a solution.” Zach leans up against the wall and tilts his head, “ya wanna hear it?”

You laugh, nodding your head, “Sure, Z.”

“Maybe making out for a few minutes will help us figure things out.”

“Figure what out?” You laugh and he shrugs, “I don’t know, but it sounded good, didn’t it?” He raises his brows and you roll your eyes, “Fuck it. Why not.”

“What?” He looks shocked, “Really? I don’t think that would work.”

“Fucking kiss me before I walk aw-“

Zach cups your cheeks, his lips on yours and you drunkenly make out with each other as you lean against the wall.

Your hand slides up to grip his sweatshirt, pulling him closer, “Zach..” you mumble against his lips, “I think.. we need to.. go.”

“Go?” He pulls his head back, “Why?”

You raise your brows, smirking up at him and he gasps, “Ooohh, ohh, oh.” He nods, “Yep. Yeah, let’s..” he looks around, “They’ll figure it out.”

“Don’t you need to get your card?” You point to the bar and he groans, “Fuck, yes.” He grabs your hand, fingers interlocking with his and he pulls you with him.

He gets his card, signs the receipt in a drink scribble and you leave the bar.

“My house is just a block away. We can walk.” You point, laughing as you stumble down the street with him.

“Oooh, taking me to your house on the first date huh.” Zach looks over at you and you laugh, laying your hand on his chest, “Oh my god, that was not a first date.”

“I dunno..” he sighs, laughing, “With how much you stayed with me.. sure felt like it.”

“I was making sure you didn’t pass out and face plant, Zach. You’re not much of a drinker.” You shake your head, pulling away as you do a spin with his hand in yours above your head.

“Whoa, someone call dancing with the stars because this star, is dancing!” Zach announces as he points to you. You slap his hand down and laugh, “Will you be my partner?”

“Oh I don’t dance. I can’t to save my life.”

You step in front of him, taking his other hand, “You just.. it’s easy.. look..”

He tries, but he ends up tripping over your feet and his feet and he’s on his back looking up at you as you sit next to him on the sidewalk absolutely losing it.

“Are.. oh my god.. are you.. are you okay?” You ask as you continue to die laughing, “Fuck, Zach! I should have listened to you.”

Zach lays there laying, his one hand over his face as his other rests on your thigh. You look down, tilting your head as your laughter comes to a stop, “You have very nice hands.”

“Yeah?” He sits up, “That why you were looking at them instead of the dog in your lap during the podcast today?”

“How did you know?”

“I didn’t until just now.” He smirks, slowly standing up before pulling you to your feet, “But you didn’t push it away so I figured you had some sort or liking for it.”

“You’re annoying when you’re drunk.” You roll your eyes, walking away from him and he chases after you, “Yeah? Is that because you know I’m right?”

“Shut up.” You laugh, smiling up at him as you gently push him away.

“Where the hell is your house, y/n. Feels like we’ve been walking and falling forever.”

You start to laugh again, thinking about how Zach ate the pavement, “stop it that was so funny!”

“It was not!” He argues, fighting back laughter, “Okay. Okay. Maybe it was.”

You point, “my apartment is in that building.”

“My god you’re rich.” Zach shakes his head, “I’m jealous.”

“You have your own house, the fuck you mean you’re jealous.” You laugh as you walk up the steps to the door. Zach follows, “This is a lot prettier than my house.”

You roll your eyes, shaking your head as you unlock the door, “I’m on the top floor.”

“Is there an elevator, please don’t tell me we have to walk up all these steps.” Zach groans and you point, “Of course there’s an elevator, Zachary.”

“What did I tell you about calling me that?”

You furrow your brows, “That you like that I’m the only one who calls you that?”

He nods, “Yes ma’am.”

“You never said that.” You laugh as you push the elevator button, “But I’ll take it.”

Zach laughs, wrapping his arms around you, “I had fun tonight. Thanks for coming out.”

“Why do you sound like I’m dropping you off from a date?” You walk into the elevator, his arms still around you, “You came home with me.”

“Oh right I did.” He laughs and you spin around in his arms, leaning over to press the button. His arms tighten around you and you sigh, “I think we drank too much.”

“Why do you say that?” He looks down at you and you slowly look up at him, “I think I’m starting to spin.”

“Uh oh.” Zach leans back, “If you need to puke, do it away from us please.”

“I’m not going to puke.” You laugh as you step off of the elevator, “Follow me.”

He follows you down the hall and you stop to unlock the door, “Here we are.” You push the door open and walk in, “Home sweet home.”

You set your bag on the counter and Zach walks in, pushing the door closed behind him, “Woooow.” He looks around, “This place is nice.”

“Hey thanks.” You walk back the hall and turn around, “Are you coming?”

He raises his brows, “Is this the part where I get to aggressively cuddle you now?”

You scoff, laughing as you tilt your head, “Just get your ass in my bed.”

“Yes ma’am!” He salutes you with a serious look and you shake your head as you walk into your room. He walks in, kicking his shoes off as he holds himself up with his hand on the wall.

You walk over and grab a pair of shorts and a new shirt, “Im gonna change quick.” You can’t help but giggle as you watch Zach fight to not look at you, “I don’t care if you look, Zach.”

“Didn’t want to make anything weird.” He laughs as he takes off his shirt. You slip on your new clothes, “Zach, we’ve known each other for years, I don’t think anything can be weird.”

“Yeah, plus.” He kicks off his jeans and walks over to lay on the bed, “You had your tongue down my throat a few hours ago.”

You take a deep breath, nodding slowly, “That I did.” You laugh, walking over to sit next to him. He opens his arm, “C’mere.”

He lays his arm over you, pulling you back towards him.

You lay your head on his chest, your arm over his abdomen and you let out a content sigh, “Are you still drunk?”

“Uh huh.” He laughs, “Are you?”

“Uh huh.” You answer, tilting your head up to look at him, “Who was your favorite guest on the podcast?”

He laughs, “Now, I just feel obligated to say you.”

You smirk, “You can. No one’s stopping you”

“Yeah but then, mm.” He tilts his head, “Now that I think about it.. I think you’re my favorite.” You squint your eyes, “Is it because you’re sleeping here tonight?”

“Whaaaat? Nooo. No. Not at all, why would you ask that?”

You laugh, “Zachary.”

“You’re my favorite because you’re you.”

You smile, “I think you’re just saying that, but alright.”

“I’m not.” He brushes hair from your face, “You’re my favorite person.”

“Oh gosh. Okay. Now we’re getting all mushy gushy.” You scrunch up your nose, “I was already in my feelings once tonight, I don’t need to be in them again.”

“Why were you- are you good?”

You nod, “Just.. a lot of stress and shit, you know?”

He nods, “Yeah, but you know I’d drop everything for you. Hell, I asked to make out because I finally had the confidence to do it.” He laughs slightly, “Thanks alcohol.”

“I would have done it sober, Z.”

He looks shocked, “What?! Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“You never asked!” You laugh, rolling over onto your back. Zach rolls over, his face above yours, “Well, I may not be sober now, but do you wanna make out again?”

You reach up, pulling his head towards you. Your lips meet his and move in such a perfect sync.

You bite down on his lower lip, tugging slightly and he gasps lowly, “You really wanna go there?”

“I’ve been waiting to go there.”

“Oh shit.” Zach clears his throat, “Why didn’t you just say so.” He moves his body over yours and your knees rest against his hips.

He kisses down your neck and you drag your nails up his back, “Zach.” You whimper as he bites and sucks at your skin, “Fuck, I need you.”

He kisses back up, connecting his lips with you before sitting up. He works to take off your shorts and underwear as you pull your shirt up over your head and throw it.

He leans down, kisses down your chest. You pant as he takes your one nipple into his mouth and moan as he sucks, “Fuck, yes, yes.”

Your fingers lace through his hair, tugging as he gently bites down, “Fuck.”

He kisses down your torso, over to your hip and he brings a hand up. His fingers circle over your clit as his lips trail up and down your thigh.

He turns his head, his breath fanning over your needy core as his eyes lock onto you.

You stare down at him, lip pulled between your teeth.

His head dips down, tongue licking up through your folds and your back lifts from the bed, and moans escaping your lips.

You tilt your head back, the heel of your foot digging into his upper back as you whine, “That feels so good.”

His fingers and tongue switch places, causing your body to arch with pleasure as his fingers slowly slide in and out.

“F-fuck.” You gasp, your walls clenching around his fingers, “shit, shit, yes!”

Your hips roll and your fingers tug his hair. Your moans fly from your lips as he guides you through your first high.

His tongue circles your clit, flicking against it as his fingers slowly come to a stop.

You drop your hand to the bed, looking up at him with a smirk, “My turn.” You point with your thumb to the bed beside you and Zach raises his brows as he leans up, moving to lay next to you.

You push your self up, your fingers slipping into the band of his boxers. He lifts his hips as you pull them down, biting your lip when you see his cock resting against his pelvis.

You glance up at him and he smirks, flicking his brows up.

You smirk back, leaning down and situating yourself between his legs before dragging your tongue up his cock.

He gasps out, bucking his hips, “goddamn.”

You slide a hand up, wrapping it around him. Your lips attach to the head, tongue flicking and swirling around which earns low moans and groans from him.

His eyes flutter closed and his head tilts back as you start to bob your head, finding a good rhythm. His hand finds the back of your head, sliding down to brush your hair out of his view, “God, fuck.”

He bucks his hips, moaning as you work to take in as much as you can of him. Your eyes squeezing shut as you dig your nails into his thigh.

You move up a little, continuing to bob your head as he moans, “Fuck.. That’s my girl.”

You lift your head, looking at him as your tongue rests on the underside of the tip. He tilts his head, biting his lip as he takes in the imagine before him, “You are so hot.”

You smile as you lean back, crawling up to straddle him, “Says you.”

You align your lower half with his, sinking down on him with a loud moan. He pulls you forward, his arm wrapping around your waist, “you feel so fucking good.”

He moans as you lift your hips and sinking back down, moaning yourself, “You’re so big, baby.” You lick up his neck, moaning in his ear, “I feel so full.”

He moans at your words, his hands sliding to your ass to grip, guiding you up and down, “I swear..” he groans, his grip growing tighter, “You were made for me.”

“Fuck.” You groan, pushing yourself up. Your hands are planted flat against chest, nails digging into his skin as you bounce your hips fast.

Your eyes roll back and your head tilts to the side, “Fuck, fuck, yes yes.” You pant, eyes opening to look down at him.

He watches up at you, teeth sinking into his bottom lip as his fingers squeeze your hips, “That’s it, baby. Just like that.”

You keep your pace, moans growing louder by the second, “F-fuck.” You lean forward slightly, “I-I’m so..” you gasp, sinking you hips all the way before continuing to bounce them, “Fucking close!”

You lean down, your lips crashing onto it. He swallows each one of your moans, exchanging some of his own in between, “Cum, baby, cum for me.”

You moan against his lips, eyes fluttering shut as you guide yourself through your own high.

Once your hips slow down, Zach rolls you over, his own thrusts picking up where yours left off, “so pretty when you do that.” He whispers in your ear, “You’re gorgeous.”

You moan, arms wrapping around his neck, “Feels so good, Z. Feels so fucking good.”

He kisses up your jaw line, connecting his with yours, “You have me so close, baby.” You moan at his words, your legs tightening around his waist, “Need all of you, baby. Please.”

“Yeah?” He groans, his thrusts slowing down, “Tell me what you want.”

You gasp as you feel him thrust in, holding it there as your walls clench around him, “I-I, Fuck..” you whine, “Cum inside of me, baby. Please, please.”

Zach groans, kissing back down your neck as his thrusts pick up, “Feels so good.” He connect his lips with yours, your moans mixing together as his thrusts grow sloppy.

His thrusts slow down and he moans lowly, “Fuck, fuck.”

His cock twitches inside of you and you moan at the feelings, clinging to him as you feel him filling you.

You slowly make out, gasping quietly as you feel his cock slip out of you.

He rolls over and you turn your head to look at him, “ten out of ten.” He laughs and nods, “I gotta agree with you on that one.”

You smile and stand up, “That kinda sobered me up a little. I think I’m going for a shower.” You tilt your head, “Wanna come?”

“I don’t think I can do that again right now, but yeah, I’ll shower with you.”

You laugh, shaking your head, “Just.. let’s go.”

He follows you to the bathroom and you turn on the shower, stepping in once the water is hot. Zach follows you in, sliding the door closed behind you and his hands are on your hips, “Why haven’t we ever thought to do this sooner?”

You shrug, “No idea, but I kinda don’t want it to stop.”

He nods, “I can agree with you on that, too. Damn, we are on fire tonight, baby.”

You laugh, shaking your head as you reach for the shampoo.

After showering, you make your way back to the bedroom and you look at Zach, “Okay.”

“Okay .. what?” He asks as he dries off his hair and you drop your towel and climb into bed, “Now is when you can aggressively cuddle me.”

You smirk as his face lights up and he laughs, “Oh fuck yeah.” He drops his towel and gets into bed, moving over to lay right behind you.

His arm is under your head and his other is holding you close to him, “do you think there will be an outbreak of us making out in that club?”

“I’m going to die if there’s a picture of you lying on the cement.” You turn your head towards him and you both laugh.

“I’m sure there will be.” He scoffs, “I think us making out is better than me eating the sidewalks, you know?”

You nod, “Oh yeah, much hotter, but then again..” you try to hold back your giggle, “I had you on your back and that was a whole lot hotter than just kissing you.”

“Whoa, okay. Settle down, sparky. We’re cuddling.” Zach laughs, kissing the back of your head, “Mm. Your conditioner smells good.”

“Thanks.” You laugh, “I think we should try and sleep.”

“I don’t know, I like talking to you.” You can tell Zach was smiling, which only made you smile bigger, “I like talking to you, too.”

After two hours of just talking about anything and everything, you both passed out, tangled in each other’s embraces and as close together as you could possibly get.

Once you woke up, you rolled over, a relieved feeling washing over you when you realize Zach was still there.

His back was facing you, so you moved over, kissing over his shoulder which made him stir, “Hey, you’re still here.”

You laugh, “This is my house.”

He laughs and rolls over, “Just testing you, calm down.” You smirk and lean in to kiss him, “You hungry? I can make us a hangover breakfast.”

He nods, stretching his arm out, “I am, but I think it’s for something else.” He raises his brows and rolls over, “Spread’em for me, baby.”

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

Thank you so much for reading! I love you all soooo much. My apologies, this is a lot longer than I thought it would be but I fell in love and couldn’t stop writing! Hope you enjoyed and I’ll catch you in the next one! 🖤

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[babacontainsmultitudes]

RIP Will Campos the only person who was murdered this episode.

[hellspawnmotel]

I finished wild arms yesterday! what a great game

[turtleblogatlast]

Things I make for myself when insomnia kicks in

Just a chart about what I wanna change up and keep consistent in my art - I mainly wanna draw Raph with a tail because he deserves one, it fits too well. Donnie gets a long tail too because I didn’t realize how dino-like he looks until I gave him one, and now it’s a must for me haha.

[sysig]

Simon Petrikov is a service top and you can fight me about it (Patreon)

[mueritos]

its my bday today so heres a new meet the artist :3

[appallinnballin]

MFM kiddos using Ruv as a mattress cuz he’s warm and soft :3

I feel demons are more susceptible to the cold.. he is the family furnace

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Junicrane/Starstruck Ramble

I will not be brief, all under the cut

To clear some things right off the bat:

No corpse, no proof with Juniper. Obligatory this is set in a canon where he's alive and adjacent to the agency in some way.

Reggie & Juniper are just gay to me, but I don't mind any interpretation of their sexuality

The games are set in 1967/68 to me (based on a couple bits in game) which is before it was legal to be gay in America at least (1971), which is relevant to how I interpret canon as being somewhat grounded in reality, despite unrealistic elements.

This is just an insane amount of headcanons/elements of and AU all culminated into one post. I will talk about some headcanons like they're just facts because they are established in my head, and it saves me over explaining literally everything, however I will explain some parts a little bit for clarity.

Alright. Actual beginning of the ramble:

Juniper is a character to me who had gotten so lost in his job as an actor and a social presence that in the end his whole life revolved around that 'role'. Because of this, by the time he's put into the situation where he's around the Agency, he basically knows nothing about himself, though he doesn't realise at first. Furthermore, what little identity he had has changed in so many ways. He's no longer a beloved famous actor in the prominence of public light, he's legally dead and he tarnished his career just before he was supposed to die, with the bonus of that making him lose the majority of his estate. From that, he also has horrific facial scarring from the electrical burns from literally having his face fried. I believe a friend of mine made a post about this a while ago (I also think they were the first to think it up also), but, to me, Juniper has a permanent trimmer in his right arm (aka his dominant hand) from the electrical current and it is messing with his nervous system.

All in all, he's not doing great, but he's too proud to admit that he's not doing great, because if anything, what's left of his ego is all he has as a defense since he's deep in unfamiliar water.

Before ending up around the agency (I have multiple interpretations of this, so I'm just going to bring it up generally), he'd never actually seen Reggie, and his only impression of him is a single voicemail, which was his only reference he had to later impersonate him. Juniper probably has very little feelings other than the ones he projects onto him because of Phoenix and that, at the very least, he's physically attracted to Reggie to some degree (that's like the beginning of how everything else would tumble into place in this sort of interpretation at least).

And on Crane's side? His feelings towards Juniper are probably very intense and muddled. On the one hand, he adores musical theatre, and that's his now ex-favourite actor. The thought of just casually being around him blows the bit of fanboy in him away at first because THAT'S the GUY, plus the inklings of a celebrity crush which still poke at him. And then there's the rational side of him, which knows Juniper has committed absolute atrocities on the side of Zoraxis, and hates him for that. Then there's how much Juniper comes off as an asshole at first because he refuses to cooperate with anything the Agency tried to put in place. He finds Juniper endlessly frustrating, and yet he's stuck working with him since, afterall, he's the one who knows the Agency's history with Juniper the best. I imagine him acting a lot like how he does IEYTD 1 around Juniper.

At this point, I'm just describing the pitch for a romcom.

I think the start of their relationship with one another largely started with Juniper trying to wind Crane up. It was a way of getting his attention, and I don't think Juniper knows why he's so dead set on that at first, because I don't think he realises he has a crush on 'this grump' at first. (I think that's actually the fun part about these two, because it's almost like a role reversal of the celebrity crush dynamic. This ex-big name actor has a TERRIBLE crush on an average joe and it is KILLING HIM.) But of course the Agency keeps them together because Juniper is at least conversing with Crane, so it's a start.

Through one way or another, they actually get talking casually, at least mildly at first. It takes Juniper a long time to fully deconstruct the wall he's built, and the thing is, Crane isn't the one trying to deconstruct it, at least at first, because yeah, Juniper realises if he wants Reggie to actually like him in any way, he can't keep winding him up. So they talk. Small talk at first, something rhythmic and almost easy to keep to a script. And over time that turns into actual conversations. Genuine ones in which Reggie rips out the occasional one of his jokes which Juniper is endlessly endeared about. The way he smiles just before he makes them, like he wants to chuckle at what he's about to say before he says it. That's probably when Juniper realised that he does have some vague crush on him, and that it wasn't going away.

This is what kickstarts John I can't-buy-you-things-to-impress-you-so-acts-of-service-it-is Juniper to do little things for him. It mostly starts off as him trying to make Reggie his tea how he likes it. However, the nerve damage in his arm makes that hard, as the weight of the kettle and trying to pour is hard all of a sudden. And he refuses to accept that, so he tries for a very long while. Long enough that Crane would go to investigate what was going on. And when he does see Juniper leaning over a cup with the kettle as he uneasily tries to pour it, and when Crane asks Juniper responds so matter-of-fact that his intention is nothing but genuine. And it catches Reggie off guard because Juniper hadn't done anything like that up to that point, and his very apparent vulnerability is so clearly on show.

It shifts something between them.

From that point on, conversations are longer, more familiar. Both of their attitudes soften, and Reggie makes more jokes. Juniper learns how to better use his left hand while strengthening his right back to a point where it could be used again. Slowly, they're both spending time with one another not because they have to, but just because they can. Little bits at first, not too far outside what they already were doing, but those little bits turned into long bits to a point where the other person's company was genuinely desirable.

As time passes, Juniper probably realises that he doesn't genuinely know much about himself or what hobbies he's into, because he never really had the time when he got big, and his home life in his youth wasn't bad, but it wasn't picturesque. I think Reggie would pick up on it, and absolutely try to introduce him to some things he's into. Some things stick, other things don't (corn husking very much stays Reggie's passion, and John will go with him sometimes because it's him, but it's not something he strongly cares for). Crane introduces him to a lot of music, and it's something that becomes a staple between them, with tracks they listen to more than others (tragically, I know relatively little about 60s music so I couldn't really say what). Occasionally they dance, never anything intense, think slow dancing, but the closeness is nice.

Through all of it, Juniper is battling the worst crush of his life, and he can't stand it, because I think he struggles to read people since he doesn't have anything like a script or a director to refer back to, so he has no idea if Reggie likes him back or if he's just desperate for that to be true. I think because of that any sort of confession between them would be incredibly raw, not only because of the time they live in making it hard for them to be truthful about how they love, but because it's a complete show of Juniper who's worked to be this better person. I don't exactly know how that would go, mainly because I don't have one set version of their dynamic, this post is just a generalisation of main consistent points.

Reggie does like him back, because he's gotten used to Juniper being just this guy, not a figure in the public eye, not a Zoraxis lackey, and not any sort of Agency operative (despite being under their care to some degree). He's someone he genuinely cares for, because they've given one another the time of day to learn one another, and I think because Reggie was a field agent, he was a lot better at reading Juniper than Juniper was at reading him. Eventually Juniper's company becomes something he could see around him for the rest of his life, and I think he accepts that he likes Juniper a lot more gracefully.

I think any affection directed at Juniper would at first be met with him feeling a little muddled. Reggie was a very physically affectionate person when he could be, and sure the initial flirting with one another came with the occasional little touches, but everything now was so deeply intentional. I also don't think Juniper would almost ever get over the novelty of being able to kiss him, or many other gestures, because it made the fact that they were together so very real, and it was great. I do think it comes easier to Reggie, and it's a big way of showing how much he cares, so it's important for Juniper to try and show it back because he knows how much it means to the other.

I like the idea of them eventually living with one another, too. I think Juniper would have always had a quiet little daydream of sorts where he does just live a domestic quiet life, and he can with Reggie (well, as close as they can get between the Agency and Zoraxis always being at odds), and he loves that, and he loves him, and it's immense.

I think they cook for one another a lot, it helps Juniper work on his dexterity in a controlled environment, which means a lot because it's a huge point of insecurity (that and his scars). He does improve, and Crane is proud of that and shows it and it's great. I also think they'd probably cook together too, because they can deal with being in the kitchen together and they work well with one another. It's probably a good way for them to unwind because over time they can do it in relative silence.

As I said before, I also think music is a staple in their household, and that Reggie listens to things on vinyl almost all of the time because he likes the background noise. Sometimes Juniper will catch him chuntering along to the music which he finds endlessly endearing. I wouldn't put it past his dramatic ass to also join in to fluster Reggie, but I also don't think Reggie would mind that terribly because Juniper has listened to the music enough to know the lyrics, and that's huge to him.

I don't think they are without rough patches, no relationship is, but I think the good part about them is that they're willing to talk about it (... eventually). They're used to long conversations, and while they're often less fun conversations, they're needed and they know that, and it works out.

Alright. I think I'm done for now. I haven't mentioned everything, but this definitely got the worst of it out of my system. If you ever want to hear any specific thoughts my ask box is open but other than that, behold my general dynamic for these two which has been festering in my head for years. I think they're great

[raiiny-bay]

wip

[every-sanji]

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

💚 Keith main route: romantic end spoilers ⚠️

[ebonytails]

Hiii, I’m currently revamping some of our old pride animal designs :-] i’ll post the LGBTNRD soon! Lots of animals to draw

[maphel-n-doodles]

snippets for wips I was going to do for Hashimada week. Whether or not i actually finish these is up for debate :,)

[shima-draws]

Me, sketching out charm designs: Fun!! Ehe! So fun!!

Me, lining charm designs: Why did god put me on this earth. Why was I put here only to suffer. Such a cruel fate has befallen me

Me, coloring and shading charm designs: Fun!! Ehe! So fun!!!