Camera Man and Mystery Girl
Pairing: Jude Bellingham x Norris!Reader
Warnings: Cursing, hate comments
Notes: I am the opposite of locked in
Requested: Yes/No
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littlenorris
liked by landonorris carlossainz55 and 111,888 others
littlenorris swimsuit season 🐠👙
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user1 so prettyyyy ☺️
user2 love
littlenorris no u 🫶
user3 my British queen
liked by littlenorris
landonorris put some clothes on lad
littlenorris ur not my dad
landonorris no but I’ll tell him to tell you
littlenorris he likes me better than you
landonorris :(
user4 omg wait is this lando’s sister 🤩
user5 yesss
user6 3 different vacations but she's serving in all of them 🙂↕️
liked by littlenorris
user7 we all know who took these photos…
user8 Mr camera man ofc 🙂↕️
user1 🤩🤩🤩
maxfewtrell what do I comment on this
littlenorris just press send on an emoji and move on
maxfewtrell ☀️
littlenorris thanks mate
user9 living the life
user10 photographer face reveal when
littlenorris not until he's trained
user10 is he a dog?? 😭
littlenorris acts like it 🤩
user10 lol and the fact he can't even defend himself 😭
liked by littlenorris
user11 she's legitimately fine asl I'm not kidding
user8 its the return of Mr camera man!!!!!
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littlenorris
liked by trentarnold66 alex_albon and 102,009 others
littlenorris dumplings 🥟💜
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user12 she's so pretty
liked by littlenorris
user13 I love that shade of purple
user15 the outfit and the rings matching the dumplings???
user16 do we think she did that on purpose???
user17 had to have!! Its too perfect 🙂↕️
user18 the difference between camera mans hand and y/n’s is so funny
liked by littlenorris
user19 just all the rings and nails and the sleeves vs one bracelet 😭
trentarnold66 🥟
likes by littlenorris
user20 camera man is Trent, dhmu 🫣
user21 that food looks so good 😭
user22 where'd you get your rings???
littlenorris camera man picked them out at a little thrift shop in London 💂♂️🌺
user23 they’re adorable
landonorris bring me leftovers
littlenorris I’m in Asia dumbass
landonorris I can wait 🤷♂️
user24 she looks so good 🫦
user24 BAEEEEEEE
liked by littlenorris
user25 loml fr fr
mclaren hey queen!
liked by littlenorris
carlossainz55 what is it the kids say? “Hey bestie”?
littlenorris hey bestie boo 🫦
carlossainz55 I feel slightly intimidated
littlenorris good, luv u 🫶
user26 HAWT 🫦
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judebellingham added to their story
landonorris
Is that my sister????
Where’d her hair go 🤨
judebellingham
Idk mate
It walked away
landonorris
I am going to kill you
judebellingham
Ily2 future brother-in-law
landonorris
Gross
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littlenorris
liked by landonorris maxfewtrell and 145,007 others
littlenorris blue 🫐
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user27 ATE
liked by littlenorris
user28 SHE LOOKS SO GOODDDDDD
user29 my favorite blueberry 🫐
liked by littlenorris
landonorris oh no… no no no no no no no no no
littlenorris kys, papaya boy
landonorris 😦
user30 my beautiful Smurf queen
liked by littlenorris
user31 who did ur hair bestie???
littlenorris camera man 🙂↕️
user32 guys… I love camera man and we’ve never even seen his face 🫣
littlenorris me too girl, dw
user33 never seen someone looks so good with a buzzcut
liked by littlenorris
landonorris keep those clippers to yourself from now on
littlenorris ur next, mullet boy
user34 did she dye her hair just to match the outfit???
user35 I’m gonna hold ur hand when I say this…
user35 she definitely matched her outfit to her hair… not the other way around…
user36 PRETTYYYYY
user37 it actually looks so good, I need camera mans tea fr
liked by littlenorris
oscarpiastri for the record, I think it looks nice
littlenorris thank you, new bsf
user38 queen shit
user39 with the short hair you can tell just how pretty she really is
liked by littlenorris
littlenorris I love you 🫶🥹
user40 hot girl shit
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TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
judebellingham
liked by trentarnold66 kylianmbappe and 12,000,999 others
judebellingham 304
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user41 he was in Miami during the Miami gp and we didn’t see him at the race??? lol????
user42 so sorry??? What is going on in slide two???
user43 it’s the soft-launch he’s been doing for months and months and months 😭
user43 he stopped doing it for a while in the time he was getting more popular but it seems mystery girl is back 🙂↕️
user44 my man my man my man
user45 he’s so fine I actually can’t
user46 why tf was this man not at the Miami gp I’m fuming
user47 he’s dodging these races like his life depends on it
user47 Trent should’ve dragged him to one by now
landonorris it was nice seeing you bro!
judebellingham it was hard to miss you with all that partying 😅
landonorris we’re a bit loud, I’ll give you that 😅
user48 Lando x Jude??? Wasn’t expecting that tbh
user49 slide three???? Fine asllll
user50 mystery girl??? lol??? Who tf is that? 🤨
trentarnold66 🔥
liked by judebellingham
user51 THAT SHOULD BE ME HOLDING YOUR HAND THAT SHOULD BE ME MAKING YOU LAUGH
user52 yeah good cover photo, thanks Jude
user53 now who tf 🤨
rodrygo yes man 👏
liked by judebellingham
user54 do any og Jude fans know who the girl is?
user55 no one has any idea 😭
user55 past glimpses say she might be brunette??? But we’ve also seen blonde???
user55 moral of the story is, no one knows like… at all…😔🤞
user56 my fav Barca player or wtvr
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judebellingham added to their story
user57
Now sir, who took this
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user58
OH MY GOD???
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user59
The return of mystery girl, we love
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user60
Bitch you think ur slick????
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landonorris
Let me tell you
this was the worst thing that could've popped up FIRST on my stories
I did NOT want to see this
judebellingham
Cope
landonorris
Bitch 😒
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TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
littlenorris added to their story
user61
Camera man is back 🙂↕️
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user62
Sincerely hope camera boy took this
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user63
Y u write like that
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judebellingham
I'm such a good photographer ofc 🙂↕️
littlenorris
Yes u r baby
Tysm 🙂↕️
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yourusername
📍Barcelona, Madrid
liked by landonorris oscarpiastri and 3,777,115 others
yourusername whats pottery in Spanish
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user64 ceramica 🙂↕️
liked by littlenorris
user65 the jump in likes from last post to this one is actually insane
user66 MY versace brand ambassador
user67 I don't understand how becoming a brand ambassador made her so much more popular???
user68 its a mix of that and dts and some of her photoshoots going viral on tiktol
user68 I also think some people are just now realizing Lando's even got a sister lol
user69 ily queen
user70 in Spain for what
user71 my bilingual icon
user72 girl why is she not responding to a single comment lmfao
user73 she's ghosting us 😭
user74 my new fav Norris
landonorris put ur ass away
liked by littlenorris
user75 not even Lando gets a response???😭 lol???😭
user76 I hate her
user76 overrated asf, just a nepo baby who's only talent is having a pretty face
user77 y'all rly scared her off I can't believe this
user78 usually someone would ask about Mr camera man and she would respond but I don't want to embarrass myself by asking and getting ignored lollll
user79 it girl
user80 but can we talk about the fit 🙂↕️🫣
user81 I miss my relatable indie model girlie 🥲
user82 no fr, I can't tell if a social media team got to her and took away her commenting privileges or if she's just been scared away by the amount of people 😔
user83 she doesn't deserve her fame
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judebellingham
liked by vinijr landonorris and 7,888,234 others
judebellingham calma
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user84 yassssssss bilingual king
user85 he's so fine 😭
user86 disappointed in the only picture of him being the first one
user87 every time I swiped I got sadder
vinijr ceramica?? 🪴
judebellingham im a man of many talents 🤞
user88 has Lando found his new bf
user89 for the record, that's Barcelona, not madrid
user90 I take it he's enjoying his summer then
landonorris my man 👊
liked by judebellingham
user91 lol’ing at a footballer having a peaceful summer break instead of partying in Ibiza or something
user92 Jude, Dortmund misses you
user93 where's mystery girl
user94 anyways, how have he and his gf not been papped a single time, I feel like they've been together for like 4 years or something like that
user95 they got together when he was still playing in England so like 5 years
user95 or at least that's when he first posted her/ the earliest his current Insta posts go back
user94 exactly like… ur telling me these 16 year olds were secret enough to not be photographs?? I don't believe you
user96 I believe it was some also-famous teenager who kept it a secret
user96 because why else would a teenager keep their relationship with a Birmingham player a secret
user97 I think maybe y'all think about Jude Bellingham too much
user98 anyway, I'm in so much love with him
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littlenorris added to their story
landonorris
I don't believe you
littlenorris
stfu lad
u can ask him
he lost by so much
landonorris
Yeah idk
He plays for real Madrid
He doesn't seem like the type to lose 🤷♂️
littlenorris
he watches you enough to be familiar with the concept by now
you fucking loser
landonorris
Hello?????
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littlenorris added to their story
user99
Lol, Lando being up high somewhere and you being in the crowd is so funny to me idk why 😭
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user100
yassssss my humble queen mingling with the peasants 🌺❤️
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user101
Supporting ur country we love to see it 🙂↕️
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user102
Yeahh…
Viva la espana
Sorry queen
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TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
littlenorris added to their story
landonorris
Hope ur having fun in Ibiza bitch
Wish I could've been there but you chose a week where I have work
littlenorris
That was on purpose
Leave me and my bf alone
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user103
Wait we love Spain
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user104
Losing the euros to Spain and then immediately going there??? Lol??!!
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TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
littlenorris
📍Ibiza, Spain
liked by judebellingham landonorris and 12,888,009 others
littlenorris not a lot going on at the moment
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user105 girl gtfo of here the swifties don't claim you
user106 ugly bitch
user107 and that's why her hair looks like shit
user108 y'all r being so rude to this girl for no good reason
user109 idc I don't like her
user110 lol she's so lovely y'all need to stfu
user111 my beautiful beautiful queen
user112 Jude deserves better
user113 girl shut up, Jude ain't gonna fuck you
user114 trying to act like she didn't just get papped and posting like normal is actually crazyyyy
user115 and if she including him y'all would hate her all the same and try and say she was using him
user115 now what.
user116 I've met her like six times and she is the nicest person on the entire planet. Some of y'all need to get it together.
landonorris I love you
littlenorris I love you too
user117 they're both being nice to each other. Do y'all know how bad the situation has to be for them to be kind to the other?
user118 free my girl from the shackles of these crazy fan girls
user119 no literally, these ones are worse than the dts ones
user120 like she legit got attacked for “flirting” with Daniel at a race when all she did was stand near him 😭
user121 but then they were never seen together again, we lost 🥲✊
user122 both norris’s are washed
user123 fame fuckerrrrrr
user124 they've been together since they were 16 be so fr
user125 I can not stand any of you.
COMMENTS ON THIS POST HAVE BEEN RESTRICTED
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judebellingham
liked by littlenorris landonorris and 15,888,998 others
judebellingham for the past seven years, y/n has been my best friend and the love of my life. She has been by my side since day one and I would give anything to keep her there. She's been here through the ups and the downs, through the wins and the losses and not once has she faltered in her love and loyalty to me and our relationship. I don't think there's ever been a person I had more trust in that wasn't literally related to me. I love her with my entire being and I know I always will.
When we got together, y/n had already gotten a slight taste of what fame could bring with Lando’s involvement in racing. Because of this, we decided to keep our relationship to ourselves and away from the public opinion. It was never out attention to hide from anyone but, instead, to be able to love and have something without anyone trying to ruin it.
That being said, the hate y/n has been receiving these past few days is unacceptable. The only thing she has done is be in a relationship, a fact that has been known for as long as she has been a public figure. The only thing bringing this hate one is the knowledge that the person she loves is me. In case you need it, here is a reminder that you do not know us. You don't know our life or our relationship and this is the reason we were a “secret” for so many years. You can not call yourself a fan of mine if you are sending hate to the person I love most in the world.
And if you're someone who's hoping we break up, trust me, I fully intend on spending the rest of our lives together. So don't hold your breath.
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user126 CLOCK THOSE HATER-ASS BITCHES JUDEEEEE YASSSS
user127 oh he's so lovely
user128 🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️
landonorris no one is rather have marry my sister
judebellingham is this me getting your blessing
landonorris mate you've had my blessing since you got drunk on your birthday and babbled about marrying her for like an hour
judebellingham you need to never tell that story again
landonorris too late 🤷♂️ its already in my best man speech
user129 “don't hold your breath” omg welcome back unfiltered footballers
user130 he ate that little one thing
user131 get yourself a man who defends you like this
user132 awww I'm in love with them
user133 oh to be jude bellinghams “best friend and the love of my life”
maxfewtrell hey, i know her
judebellingham she says she doesn't know you
maxfewtrell tell that lying bitch I'm coming for her
user134 I feel so bad for y/n
user135 I feel like Jude definitely recognized that he got zero hate for this
littlelando I love you 🌺💕😭
judebellingham 💕
user136 ok wait they're adorable
user137 AWWWWWW
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littlenorris added to their story
judebellingham
Yeah I am 🙂↕️
littlelando
I love you so much you dork
judebellingham
I love you too
Always and forever, don't even worry about it
littlelando
Trust me, i wasnt worried 💕
——
Tags:
@c-losur3 @llando4norris @lokideservesahug @casperlikej @evie-119 @awritingtree
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— READING BETWEEN THE LINES
pairing: suguru geto x f!reader
tags: dc, noncon, fingering, forced orgasm, pwp, use of pet names (sweetheart), suguru being condescending lol
wc: 1.4k
summary: Breaking up with Suguru doesn't go as well as you had hoped.
a/n: idk what possessed me ngl! writing warmup that got out of hand ig lol. dividers by @/adornedwithlight! ao3 link here.
This is always the worst part, the anticipation of the unknown. You dragged Suguru into a private corner of the monastery, stating that you needed to talk to him about something important. Part of you hopes he won’t notice that something is clouding your mind, but another part of you knows how perceptive he can be – of shifting eyes, a nervous shake of the leg. Anything he sees can be interpreted and used against you. It’s just too much for you, to constantly live under his judgment and surveillance.
Once inside the room, you ask Suguru to sit down in an armchair in the corner, because when he’s at a lower height you can convince yourself he’s not nearly as intimidating as he actually is. He almost looks normal when you look down at him. But then his amber eyes catch yours, and you feel like a deer in headlights.
Breath, hold, let it out slowly.
“I think we should see other people,” you say, nearly hushed.
Suguru takes a moment to pause, before looking up at you with a smile. It’s not the reaction you wanted.
“You think?” he asks, a teasing lilt to his voice, “you wouldn’t do all of this to tell me you’re thinking of doing something.”
He’s right; you don’t like that. It only makes you uneasier, inhale shakily and exhale just as unstable.
“We should see other people,” you sigh, a knot tightening in your chest. You can’t bring yourself to look at him, opting to stare down at the ornate patterns on the carpet, anywhere but him.
“Where’s your spirit?” he asks, pouting and high-pitched, as if he’s talking down to a child, “you sound horribly unconvincing.”
You were foolish to ever think you would have an advantage against Suguru in a war of words. He’s always a few steps ahead of you, quick to retort any thought that takes days for you to mold and craft. Still, you do your best. This would be the last time anyways.
“W-we should see other people,” you repeat, attempting to sound resolute only for your voice to betray you, wavering like a tree branch in a windstorm.
“We both see plenty of people here,” he says, leaning back into the chair to sink into the fabric, his posture even more relaxed than before, “I don’t see why you dragged me in here to say this.”
For the first time, frustration overwhelms your nerves, swirls in your chest and manifests into something loud and impulsive.
“Suguru, I’m breaking up with you,” you blurt out.
An uneasy silence permeates through the room, and you feel the need to smother it. Unfortunately, any semblance of a coherent thought, much less a sentence, eludes you.
“Tell me what you really want.” Suguru says, the first to break it. You start to think the silence was better.
“I am.”
“No, you aren’t. I know you aren’t,” he says so matter-of-factly you’re close to believing him, “say it again.” Suguru shifts in the seat until he’s leaning forward, hands intertwined and planted in his lap.
“N-No, you’re just messing with me,” you say, backing away from him.
“That should be my line,” he sighs, standing from his seat. He takes a step towards you and your heart trembles. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, I just-”
“Nothing’s wrong but you want to break up?” he interrupts, crossing his arms as he glares at you.
“No, I mean-” you fumble your words, unsure how to mitigate the situation. Suguru takes another step towards you, and you take another one back.
“Mean what?” The corners of his lips upturn, and you both know he has you cornered.
You stand there, finally at a loss for words. Even if you were able to articulate your thoughts, you know that Suguru would twist them in his favor.
“See? You don’t even know what you want,” he says, condescension dripping from his words before he softens his tone into something gentler. The way you would speak to a wounded animal. “But it’s okay, because I do.”
Suguru takes the opportunity to close the distance, taking your hand into his and pulling you into a kiss. His lips crash into yours and you writhe under his touch, desperately pushing him away. But all you get is an arm latched around your waist, the sensation of your bodies pressed together in a suffocating heat. His lips finally part from yours, and you rush to turn your face away from his.
“Suguru, please stop,” you whimper.
“Why? You’ll just lie again,” he answers, his hand reaching for your chin to turn you towards him, “don’t you know how much that hurts me?” he asks, voice too sweet to be genuine.
You do your best to keep your eyes away from him, the only form of protest you can afford right now. He’s unphased by it, releasing his grip on your chin to lift the hem of your skirt and trace the undeniable wet spot on your underwear.
“And it seems like your body is more honest than your words,” he whispers dangerously low in your ear, as if it’s a dirty secret he had the privilege of uncovering. You don’t want to give him the satisfaction but you don’t have much of a choice.
He pulls your underwear down, lets it fall unceremoniously onto the floor. Before long, his fingers find your clit and you wince at the contact. You bite down on your lips when he starts drawing lazy circles, not wanting to give him any more ammunition to use against you.
“You don’t actually want to leave, do you?” he whispers sweetly, and it makes your breath catch for all the wrong reasons. His fingers slowly but surely pick up the pace, and it gets harder to choke back your moans. You attempt to maneuver yourself away from his touch, but that only makes him press himself harder against you, tightening his grip against your waist.
“You’re just misbehaving because I haven’t given you enough attention, right? Then I’ll give you all the attention you want.”
“Suguru, please, I don’t want this,” you cry, and it’s nowhere close to convincing, too high-pitched and whiny.
“We’ve got to work on your communication skills, sweetheart. They’re a hallmark of a good relationship, you know. And I only want the best with you,” he coos, almost songlike. His fingers build up to a steady pace and you feel your muscles involuntarily tighten, prepare yourself for the climax to come.
“We can even try it now. Tell me, how does this feel?” He slips a finger in and you writhe under his grip.
“Suguru, stop!” you squeal, tears forming in your eyes, making the colors of the room blend and blur together.
“Don’t think that’s the right answer,” he says in that patronizing tone again, and you can hear the pout in his voice. As punishment he slips in another finger, and within moments he’s bullying the spot that has you crying from pleasure like he’s done so many times before. Your fingers grip around his arm, nails digging into his skin and leaving crescent indents in his skin, but Suguru is nothing if not determined.
“I just don’t see why you’d want to leave when I do all of this for you.” The arm around your waist finally releases, only for his other hand to trace the curves of your body until it reaches your clit. He starts building the pressure again, slow circles to contrast against the rapid pace of his fingers.
Your breathing destabilizes as your muscles tense up again against your will. You know you’re getting close, which means Suguru knows as well.
“Let it all out for me, sweetheart,” And you do, body shivering and walls clamping around his finger like a vice. The rush of heat and pleasure running through you is too much, and you fall back onto old habits, closing your eyes and moaning his name like a mantra as he guides you through your climax. Suguru only pulls himself out of you once your breathing stabilizes, when you finally come out of your postorgasmic daze and the tears start running down your cheeks.
He gently holds your face, rubbing the tears with his thumb before laying a soft kiss on your cheek.
“If this is what you wanted, you should’ve told me. Spare me the theatrics next time, okay?”
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Rated G
At AO3, or under the cut!
“Oh, I am going to murder the new guy,” Buck hisses under his breath.
Taylor looks up from the paperwork on her newest sale with an arched eyebrow and sighs.
“He’s literally just doing his job, Buckley. Like I’m trying to and like you should be.”
“He stole her right from under me!”
“You mean he smiled at her when she walked in, and she made a beeline to him?” Taylor asks, smirking.
“Oh, Eddie, what a handsome boy you are! My granddaughter would love you!” Buck mocks in an irritated whisper.
“Buck,” Taylor sighs. “I know you have an appointment in ten minutes that you haven’t printed anything for. And I also know that you’re just jealous you aren’t the only pretty boy on the block anymore.”
“I’m not a pretty boy,” Buck says, pouting prettily.
“Go away and let me finish this,” Taylor says. “You’re never going to win that contest if you spend all your time whining about how Eddie is better at his job than you.”
“Oh, I’m winning that SUV,” Buck says darkly. “It’ll be the best wedding gift for Maddie and Chim, especially with the baby coming.”
“You know,” Taylor muses dryly, “If you’d been even half this determined in our relationship, we probably would have dated more than two months.”
“Low blow, Tay,” Buck scoffs. “Low blow.”
Taylor just glares.
“Ok, ok, I’m going!”
He hurries off to the back to print the welcome packet for his next appointment, the image of Eddie’s annoyingly charming smile burned into his brain.
“What’s that for you, Diaz?” Buck asks as they’re all headed out for the night. “Two today?”
Taylor looks between them for a moment before rolling her eyes and striding for the door, leaving Buck to his weird one-sided pissing contest.
“I’ve told you to call me Eddie,” Eddie says calmly, ignoring the baiting tone. “You know that. And it was three, actually. Mrs. Allen bought that little red Nissan for her husband’s birthday.”
“I hope they get full coverage,” Buck says, frowning at the memory of Mr. Allen test-driving a few of their cars previously.
Eddie laughs and shakes his head, remembering the same day. “I hope she makes him go to the optometrist.”
Buck smiles for a moment before remembering he’s annoyed at the man, and scowls again.
“I’m still going to win that contest,” he says. “You’re good, but I’m in the lead.”
Eddie just gives him an unphased look and shrugs easily.
“There’s still two weeks left, Evan,” he drawls. “I guess we’ll see who comes out on top.”
He holds the door open for Buck as they leave, biting back the amused grin that wants to spread onto his face as Buck stomps out the door like he has his own personal raincloud hovering above his head.
“Drive safe,” he calls out to Buck’s retreating form, just like he does every other night.
And just like every other night, Buck ignores him.
Buck spots them coming in a few days later, an easy sale if he’s ever seen one, and speedwalks as inconspicuously as possible to the door. An older but stunning Hispanic woman looks around as she enters, a young boy moving along with the aid of arm-crutches by her side.
“Welcome!” Buck says as he approaches, giving her his sunniest smile. He waves down at the boy. “Hey, buddy. You look a little young to be buying a car already!”
The boy giggles, looking up at Buck with bright blue eyes beneath his red plastic eyeglasses.
“I’m not buying a car,” he says, somewhat stiltedly but clear. “I’m here for my dad.”
“Oh?” Buck asks, straightening back up and looking at the woman. “Who’s dad? I can track him down for you.”
“I think we’ll be ok,” the woman says warmly, looking over Buck’s shoulder at someone. “He found us.”
Buck turns, and just barely stops himself from scoffing. Because of course it’s Eddie.
“Tia?” Eddie asks, with a concerned look. “Is everything ok?” He holds his arms out for his son and scoops the boy up, swinging him around until he shrieks before holding him against his side with one arm.
Buck narrowly dodges one of the swinging crutches, but finds he can’t be mad when the kid looks so happy.
Tia relays something to Eddie in rapid Spanish that Buck can’t really keep up with, his limited Spanish language skills stalling out after basic bar talk. But he knows the words for both hospital and grandmother, and he’s frozen in place awkwardly as Eddie’s face darkens with worry.
They seem to be arguing about something now, and Buck still doesn’t understand most of it, so he busies himself by making silly faces at the boy, who also doesn’t seem to be getting most of the conversation. The boy is too old to play peekaboo, but he still makes silly faces back, laughing as Buck pulls out his old party trick of wiggling his ears.
“Buck,” Eddie says, and Buck startles, looking over at him sheepishly.
“Sorry,” he says. “I was just goofing around.”
“No, it’s fine,” Eddie says, looking harried. “My abuela fell off her porch, and I need to get to the hospital. Do you think you could take my last two appointments for the day?”
“Don’t you want to reschedule?” Buck asks before he can help himself. “You’ll lose the commission.”
“I don’t have time to call them right now,” Eddie sighs, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “I need to tell Bobby I have to leave, and might need a few days off, too.”
Buck wavers, looking at the clock on the wall, knowing he has nearly a full hour until his next appointment is even there, and knowing Taylor will be more than happy to snag any walk-ins that come their way.
“Get me the names,” Buck says, finally. “I’ll call them and reschedule for a week out if they’re up for it. You talk to Bobby and then go take care of your family, man.”
“Wait, really?” Eddie asks, stunned. “I’m basically handing you two sales here.”
“Are you complaining?” Buck asks, only a little testily.
Eddie shakes his head and hands his son off to his aunt before clapping Buck on the shoulder.
“Thank you,” he says sincerely. “I’ll grab the sheets when I’m in the back office.” “I’ll be right back,” he says to his aunt, leaving her and his son standing with Buck.
“I’m Buck,” he says, giving them a little wave.
“Pepa,” the woman introduces herself, before jiggling the little boy. “And this little man is Christopher.”
“Nice to meet you,” Buck says. “I, uh, I didn’t know Eddie had a kid.”
“My nephew can be private,” Pepa says. “Annoyingly so, sometimes,” she adds with a resigned sigh. “But Christopher is his world.”
“I’m sure,” Buck says, smiling at the adorable boy. “I bet you’re what, twelve years old?” he asks with a completely straight face.
That sets the boy off into giggles as he shakes his head. “I’m seven!” he says.
“Well, you fooled me!” Buck says, grinning.
“Come on, Mijo,” Eddie says as he gets back to them, taking him from Pepa and giving Buck another appreciated nod along with his contact sheet as they head off.
“Thanks again, Buck,” he says, and Buck just waves them off, feeling suddenly wrong-footed and not sure why.
Buck is surprised when Eddie is back the next day, and even more surprised when he spots Christopher beside him. He watches from the break room counter as Eddie gets the kid set up at one of the tables with assorted snacks and an ipad, before speaking to him quietly and kissing him on the head as he straightens up and meets Buck’s eyes.
Buck, caught staring, manages a strained smile and takes a long and very hot sip of his coffee to avoid having to speak. Unfortunately, Eddie heads for him anyway, facing the counter as he pours himself a cup of coffee. Buck suddenly regrets standing so close to the damn thing, as he can practically touch Eddie’s arm with his own.
“Thanks again for yesterday,” Eddie says quietly. “Bobby said Chris could hang out here until I get a better babysitter situation for the rest of the summer.”
“No problem,” Buck says. “It’s good that you’re back. I’d hate to win the sales contest by default.”
“Liar,” Eddie says with an amused scoff. “You’d still love it.”
“Yeah, well,” Buck says, fighting off a grin. “It wouldn’t be as fun as winning fair and square.”
“You know,” Eddie says with a growing grin. “I bet the soccer moms would love to see how well their Chris-sized kids fit in the minivans…”
“Cheater!” Buck gasps. “You can’t use an adorable face to sell cars for you!”
“Why?’ Eddie laughs, “you do it all the time. I’ve seen those little old ladies literally pinch your cheeks.”
“Better than my ass,” Buck says, cringing as he thinks about the hassling Taylor has dealt with since she joined up. “Tay kicked a guy right in the balls once though, before you were here. It was great. He threatened to sue.”
“How’d that go?” Eddie asks, delighted.
“Bobby dragged him over by his ear to watch the security footage of him grabbing Tay, and told him if he ever stepped foot in the building again, he’d have his wife arrest him.”
“Damn,” Eddie says with appreciation. “Nice.”
One week before the contest ends, Buck checks the board in Bobby’s office, finding that Eddie is just one sale away from tying his lead. He glares at the board for a long moment, as if the smudged white plastic somehow made the numbers up instead of just recording them. Shaking his head, he decides he needs more coffee before he can deal with the day.
“Hi Buck!” Chris calls out from his usual place in the breakroom as Buck walks in, waving at him excitedly.
“Hey, buddy,” Buck says, heading over to the table and sitting down across from Chris. “What are you working on?”
“Paint-by-numbers,” Chris says, frowning down at his ipad, stylus in hand. “It’s to try and help my motors.”
Buck watches him fondly as he swipes with the stylus with determination, worrying his lip in concentration.
“You mean your fine-motor skills, maybe?” Buck asks.
“Yeah,” Chris nods, “that was it.”
“Your dad with a customer?” Buck asks, realizing the room is empty besides the two of them and wondering where Eddie had vanished off to.
Chris shakes his head, still looking down at his ipad.
“He’s on the phone outside,” he says, looking up briefly to give Buck a sad look. “He doesn’t want me to hear him yell at the army people again.”
“Army people?” Buck asks.
“He got hurt in a war,” Chris says. “So they made him come home, and now he’s angry at them all the time.”
“Oh,” Buck says, quietly. He doesn’t know the whole story, sure that Eddie will have given Chris only the abridged, child-friendly version, but it’s enough to make him frown in thought. “Well, I know he’s happy to be back with you, even if he’s angry at the army.”
“Maybe,” Chris says, shrugging without looking up, and Buck feels his heart breaking for the kid.
Eddie reappears in the break room before Buck can say anything else, face flushed red with irritation that he’s trying to smother as he heads towards his son.
“How’s it going, baby?” he asks Chris, a forced lightness to his voice as he peers down at the ipad painting.
“The leaves are tricky,” Chris frowns. “They’re really small.”
“Just do your best,” Eddie says, ruffling his hair. “It’s ok if you can’t do everything all at once.”
“That’s a good lesson,” Buck says, ostensibly to Chris, but starting right up into Eddie’s surprised brown eyes.
Eddie drops his gaze, avoiding Buck’s eyes, and pretends to watch Chris painting until Buck finally looks away.
“No Chris today?” Buck asks the next day when Eddie shows up alone.
“Pepa has the day off,” Eddie says. “So he’s hanging out in his pajamas on her couch instead of at one of our shitty lunch tables.”
“They are so wobbly,” Buck agrees.
Eddie hums, heading to the back room to grab the paperwork for his first appointment. Buck follows before he realizes what he’s doing, and leans against the wall by the printer as Eddie waits for his documents.
“Chris said something about the army yesterday,” Buck says, “you got hurt?”
Eddie sighs tiredly but nods.
“Yeah,” he says. “Fucked up my shoulder pretty bad, among other things.”
“Shit,” Buck says. “I’m sorry.”
“At least I made it home,” Eddie shrugs with forced nonchalance. “Now if only the VA would actually help me with the kid they made me leave. That would be great.”
“Is Chris ok?” Buck asks with concern. “He told me he has C.P. but he seems basically alright, all things considered.”
“He’s great,” Eddie assures him. “He just needs to find a school that will actually be able to accommodate him and still give him a decent education. And that shit is so expensive.”
“And the VA doesn’t have any resources?” Buck guesses, frowning.
“They might,” Eddie says with a sigh. “But I’m so overwhelmed with it all, between the move from Texas, and finding a place for me and Chris, and starting this job, I just now started the process.”
“You’re from Texas??” Buck asks, incredulously. “How has that never come up?”
Eddie shrugs.
“No offense,” he says, “but you’ve pretty much hated me from the day I started. I didn’t think you’d want to compare backstories.”
“Oh,” Buck says, feeling all at once like an absolute buffoon. “I don’t hate you,” he says.
“Then what was with the attitude?” Eddie laughs, as the printer finally finishes collating his papers.
“It’s dumb,” Buck says, ducking his head. “But I was just jealous you swooped in here with your stupid pretty face and stole all my customers.”
“You know,” Eddie says, “Taylor did tell me you were just jealous, but I didn’t believe her.”
“I get too caught up in competition sometimes,” Buck says, sighing.
“Little bit, maybe,” Eddie says nodding. “So, you uh, you think I’m pretty?”
“Oh, we are not having this conversation,” Buck says, pushing himself off the wall and fleeing, leaving an amused Eddie laughing after him as he goes.
“Did I ever tell you about my ex, Abby?” Buck asks the next day he finds Eddie alone at the front desk. It’s a slow day, and Chris has managed to pull Taylor and Ravi into a spirited game of Go Fish in the breakroom.
“You barely spoke to me for the first two months I worked here,” Eddie says, giving him a sassy look. “So no, you haven’t told me about your ex.”
“She was a little older than me,” Buck says. “Was taking care of her mom before she died, and it was really rough on her, you know?”
“I’m sure,” Eddie says, the question of but what does this have to do with anything clear in his tone.
“It didn’t work out,” Buck says, surprised to realize it doesn’t sting as much as it used to when he says it. “But I did meet this really great woman because of her.”
“Ok?” Eddie asks, amused but still lost.
“I think you should call her,” Buck says, handing Eddie a mint green business card.
“I’m not looking for a girlfriend, Buck,” Eddie says, glaring at the card with an inordinate amount of offense, in Buck’s opinion.
“Don’t worry,” Buck says earnestly, “she’s married.”
“What is happening here?” Eddie asks with exasperation.
“She was their home health aide,” Buck explains. “She calls herself ‘red tape’s worst enemy’”, “and I bet she can get you and Chris the help you need with his school before your head explodes.”
“Oh,” Eddie says, looking up at Buck with badly disguised wonder. “You really think she can help?”
“Definitely,” Buck says, grinning. “She’s a miracle worker.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” Eddie hesitates for a moment before pulling Buck into a brief one-armed hug. “Thank you.”
“It’s uh,” Buck stammers, face flushing, “it’s nothing.”
Eddie shakes his head and claps Buck on the shoulder, leaving his hand there as he looks at him for a long moment.
“For Chris?” Eddie says, squeezing Buck’s shoulder, “this is everything.”
The bells on the door chime as a customer walks in, breaking the moment, and Buck takes the opportunity to escape to the bathroom.
Eddie can take the sale.
“You were right,” Eddie says, as Buck opens his apartment door and looks at him with bleary eyes. “It wasn’t nearly as fun to win that SUV by default.”
Buck groans, wondering how Eddie even found out where he lives, but moves back to let him in.
“It’s not my fault I got a stupid awful cold in the middle of August,” Buck sighs. “Corporate should take sick days into account.”
“Probably,” Eddie agrees, handing Buck a round Tupperware container that’s still warm. “Tia Pepa made it, it’s chicken soup.”
“You brought me soup?” Buck asks, feeling inexplicably like he might cry at the gesture. “You don’t even like me.”
“I never didn’t like you!” Eddie says, rolling his eyes. “Your beef with me was entirely one-sided!”
“Don’t be mean to me,” Buck whines, “I’m sick.”
“Lucky for you, I’m a pro at dealing with sick babies,” Eddie teases, leading Buck towards the couch he spots. “Sit down, I’ll find you a spoon.”
Buck tries to glare at him on principle but finds he doesn’t have the strength. Instead he lets himself be guided to the couch and settles down, tucking his bare feet up under his criss-crossed legs and securing the couch blanket around his shoulders.
“Chris says thank you, by the way,” Eddie says from the kitchen where he’s opening random drawers to look for spoons. “For the new car.”
“Hmm?” Buck asks, tired brain failing to understand what Chris has to do with the contest.
“My old car is on it’s last legs,” Eddie explains, “and even with our discount, I wasn’t going to be able to get anything better or bigger anytime soon. But the SUV holds his security seat and gives him plenty of room to stretch out his legs.”
“I didn’t know that,” Buck says. “You should’ve told me before.”
“I didn’t want you to lose on purpose,” Eddie says as he walks over and hands Buck the spoon before settling down on the other end of the couch. “A pity win is even worse than a win by default.”
“I wouldn’t have lost on purpose,” Buck says, the lie obvious even to his own ears.
“Sure, bud,” Eddie says, smirking. “You keep telling yourself that.”
“I hate you,” Buck groans. He takes a careful spoonful of the soup and hums happily. “But I love this soup. I guess it evens out.”
“I can live with that,” Eddie says, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. “So, what are we watching?”
Buck shrugs and pulls the Tupperware bowl up to his mouth to sip from directly, breathing in the steamy goodness.
Eddie can figure out the rest.
“Why didn’t Taylor win, anyway?” Eddie asks when Buck is recovered and back at work. “She’s killing it out there.”
“Tay goes for the high-priced sales,” Buck says. “Luxury cars and stuff. She’s good at it, and she definitely makes more money than both of us. But the contest was for the most individual sales, not the overall sales amount.”
“Well, I’m glad,” Eddie laughs. “Chris loves the car, he wanted to camp out in it the other night.”
“Adorable,” Buck says, fondly. “But not great for anyone over five feet tall.”
“I told him I’d take him camping before school starts,” Eddie says casually. “Next weekend maybe.”
“That’s cool,” Buck says. “You’ll have to make smores! It’s tradition.”
“Is that what you did with your family?” Eddie asks, looking concerned when Buck’s expression shutters for a moment.
“My parents aren’t really the family activities type,” Buck says. “But Maddie, my older sister, she would camp out with me in the backyard, and we’d make smores and tell ghost stories.” He smiles at the memory, despite it all. “She’s really great.”
“Maybe you could come with us?” Eddie asks, almost shyly. “We can make smores and roast hot dogs. Chris is excited to build the fire.”
“Yeah?” Buck asks, “I wouldn’t be in the way?”
Eddie shakes his head, giving Buck a soft smile.
“Not at all,” he says, “you should definitely come.”
Buck smiles again, feeling the blush creeping all the way up to his hairlines, but nods in agreement.
“Can’t wait.”
“I can’t believe it’s nearly Christmas,” Buck says as they’re leaving one Friday night, he and Eddie locking up as they go. “Not that it ever gets cold enough to snow here.”
“L.A. cant even handle rain,” Eddie says as they head to the employee lot, “we don’t need them trying to drive in snow.”
“Truth,” Buck agrees, shuddering at the idea.
They make it to the cars that are parked side by side, each pulling out their keys before facing each other.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Buck asks, knowing full well that Eddie has been planning their planetarium trip for literal weeks.
“Obviously,” Eddie says, grabbing Buck’s shirt collar and tugging him in for a sweet kiss.
“Drive safe,” he says, like he has every other night.
Buck steals one last kiss for the night, laughing against Eddie’s lips as he finally says it back.
The End
Notes:
Honestly, what am I even doing with my life? ^_^
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