#i gotta clock in soon but 👀

[tvrningout]

how about you like this and i bother your muses in some way after i get off of work 🌝

[f1byjessie]

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS ━━ LN4.

sometimes the right words are hard to come across, and sometimes everything you need to say can be captured in an image.

( lando norris x photographer!reader )

━━ part seven.

INSTAGRAM.

liked by mancity, oscarpiastri, and 431,912 others

tagged: mancity

yourusername february has come too soon… thank you to these wonderful lads for all they’ve done for me in the short time i’ve gotten to work with them. i’ve been a manchester city girlie my whole life, and getting to see the time and effort all of these men have devoted to this team and this sport ensures i’ll stay a manchester city girlie for the rest of it. but it’s lights out and away we go, and it’s time i get myself back into some papaya 🧡

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mancity Training won’t be the same without you!

↳ yourusername can’t say i’ll miss all the times i was nearly clocked in the head by a ball, but i’ll definitely miss all the happy smiles 🩵

↳ mancity And we’ll miss yours! 🩵

jackgrealish you better not forget about us

↳ yourusername as if i ever could!! i’ll even wear sky blue in the paddock on match days if i have to 🫢

↳ mclaren 😨

↳ jackgrealish real talk though, it was wonderful working with you. you’re an incredibly skilled photographer and having you around was loads of fun. we’ll miss you lots, but we’ll be cheering you on with the mclaren lads

↳ yourusername you’re gonna make me cry grealo 😭

erling.haaland we will miss you! 

mclaren Can’t wait to have you back in the garage with us Y/N! We’ve been missing you around here 🧡

↳ yourusername can’t wait to be back! i’ve missed you dearly mclaren admin

↳ mclaren Our love has grown stronger with the distance 😌

↳ yourusername that it has 😉

kevindebruyne great time working with you! best of luck with your future endeavors 😁👍

oscarpiastri you look better in orange anyways

↳ yourusername since when were you a fashion expert??

↳ oscarpiastri it’s better if i don’t say… 😔

philfoden you gotta come have one last celebration with us before you go!

↳ yourusername if i did that, i’m pretty sure i’d be too hungover to make it to my other job

↳ philfoden maybe that’s the plan 👀👀 if you can’t get there then you’re stuck with us

chloekelly come work with the girlies next time babes! we’re jealous the boys hogged you all for themselves 😜

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INSTAGRAM.

liked by oscarpiastri, yourusername, and 217,172 others

tagged: oscarpiastri, landonorris, yourusername

mclaren the muses and the artist

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yourusername i had no idea this was being taken…

↳ mclaren We felt the need to share your beauty with the world! 😁

↳ yourusername you just wanted to show me off and prove i’m back with mclaren

↳ mclaren And if we did? 😁

oscarpiastri when the photographer becomes the photographed

user THE LADS AND LADY ARE BACK

user y/n is my favourite part of f1 actually sorry mclaren 🫣🫣🫣

↳ user i think the admin understands with the way they flirt in the comments lmao

user 🧡🧡 MCLAREN 2024 WORLD SUPREMACY 🧡🧡

user i’ve been following y/n’s stint over with the football club and i’ve been so jealous waiting for her to come back to mclaren!! her photos are on a whole different level of skill and i can’t wait to see oscar and lando’s smiling faces in her style again!!

user awww i’m kinda sad she left man city, i really liked her work and it was like a crossover of my two favourite sports teams ☹️

↳ user me too, but if she worked during the off season with them then she might do it again next year or during the summer

↳ user i think the 24/25 premier league season starts up again in mid august, but the f1 summer off season is supposed to end in late august so i don’t think that would really give her enough time to start a gig

↳ user that’s a shame

↳ user not necessarily! footballers do get a bit of a break to take vacations and recover mentally and physically during the summer, but a lot of them are back at their clubs a good chunk of time before the new season starts. assuming man city makes it to the finals in the champions league, their last confirmed scheduled match will be on june 1st, and the 24/25 premier league season starts on august 17th, which means they’ll probably be back at etihad in late july/early august if not sooner

↳ user at the very least, i hope her time with man city has gotten more people interested in f1 🙌

↳ user i’m not too sure… when she started dating ward apparently there was lots of backlash from city fans so who knows what the overall perception of her is over there

↳ user still shocked about that, i had kinda thought her and lando were together since they seem so close 🤔🤔

user mclaren admin please post more y/n behind the scenes bc she doesn’t post herself enough and we always love to see her 🙏🙏🙏

↳ user REAL

landonorris looking good! 😁🧡

↳ user what a bland comment…

↳ user bro gives us radio silence for weeks and THIS is what he comes back with..?

↳ user trouble in paradise methinks 🧐

user haven’t seen any of the garrett ward stans causing a stir in these comments which either means war is over or the mclaren admin isn’t taking any shit and is deleting them, in which case good on you mclaren admin for defending your wonderful official unofficial gf 😩😩

↳ user mclaren admin is better at protecting their official unofficial gf than garrett ward is at protecting is actual official gf 🤨

There’s a certain sense of rightness that comes from being back amidst the McLaren staff dressed in the bright papaya orange. Manchester City had been a fun adventure, and you hadn’t been lying when you told the team you’d miss working with them, but Formula One is where you belong and that had become more and more apparent as the last days of January came to an end.

The last couple of weeks had been nice. The boys had thrown you a small party on your last day, with a cake that they all spent a good hour running off afterwards. Jack had made you promise to keep in touch, and you planned on holding true to that and keeping him updated with selfies from each of the Grand Prix locations at the very least.

The dates with Garrett had worked as planned, his agent was already claiming that just you two being spotted together more than once was doing wonders for his reputation, and Garrett had been treating you civilly since then. You still resented him for how exactly he’d forced you into this situation, but you’ve managed to find a middle ground of at least appreciating what the arrangement can also do for you.

As for Lando, you hadn’t yet gotten any confirmation about how things were going with your plan. Apart from refusing to meet your eye all day and resolutely staring either into the camera or anywhere that wasn’t you, he’d been professional.

Things felt like they did back in 2019━ back when you were convinced he was just an arrogant, pretentious, self-righteous prick with a complex. You’re torn between hating every moment of it and feeling wickedly vindicated by forcing him to acknowledge the consequences of his own actions.

At the very least, however, you have Oscar.

You’d gotten to know him relatively well in 2023, not to the same extent that you knew Lando of course, but Oscar had filled a brother-shaped hole in your heart that you hadn’t even known was there. His teasing was shy at first, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to act that way with you, but the ribbing you’d given back had been assurance enough and he’d been a steady presence at your side ever since, cracking jokes at your expense.

There’s an unspoken agreement between the two of you that you both act as an escape. It was never acknowledged, it kind of just came to be as you both got to know one another, but you’re to Oscar what Oscar is to you━ the person you can go to when you need to pretend your more serious problems don’t exist and when you don’t really want anyone asking questions.

That’s why it surprises you when Oscar asks, “What’s going on between you and Lando?”

There’s nobody else in the car park, the sky is dark and most of the staff have already gone home or━ in the case of a few engineers━ won’t be leaving until the sun is rising tomorrow morning. The silence makes Oscar’s voice sound a bit louder, a bit harsher, a bit more like being doused in cold water.

It’s easy enough to ignore the reality of the problems between you and Lando when you hide behind your frustration. It’s even easier when Lando is so frustratingly good at pissing you off and keeping you in a haze of annoyance that perpetuates your justification of letting the tension linger. It’s hard to miss the closeness when you’re too busy being angry at him.

But the quiet emptiness of the world around you now gives you nothing to hide behind and nowhere to run━ not from Oscar’s scary perception, which has never before been locked on to you.

“Not really sure what you mean,” you answer after a moment. “Me and Lando are fine.”

It sounds as fake as it is.

“Yeah,” he scoffs. “Because whatever that tension was today was totally ‘fine.’”

The only real downside to having Oscar fill the brotherly role in your life is that he can be just as annoying as one.

You heave a sigh and shrug, “I don’t really know what you want me to say.”

“Try starting from the beginning.”

You’re at your car now, with your keys in your hand. It would be easy to get in, drive away, and ignore it all. That’s what you and Oscar use each other for anyway━ it’s your dynamic. If you really told him to drop it, you know he would. A single word would make it all go away and you could show up tomorrow morning still pretending like nothing’s different.

But the only other person who knows about everything with Garrett is Jack, and you don’t have him anymore.

So you do. You start from the beginning.

“I’m not actually dating Garrett Ward,” you say. If Oscar’s shocked at the revelation, he doesn’t show it. His face is calm and blank, and it reassures you to continue. “He needed someone to be his pretend girlfriend so he could fix his reputation, and he blackmailed me into agreeing by threatening to make up rumors that would ruin my career.”

You lean against the side of your car, fiddling with your keys. “Right after it happened, I kept trying to reach Lando. Nobody else knew and I was alone and afraid━ I didn’t know what to do but I thought that he, as my best friend, would at least be able to help me calm down and rationalize. But he never answered me.”

Oscar hums.

“When he did finally call━” you bite down on your lip when you feel tears burn at the back of your eyes, “━he berated me the entire time and asked how dumb I had to be to date Garrett of all people. Then, he proceeded to tell me exactly what people online had to say about me and my choices. He didn’t even give me a chance to explain what was going on.”

You heave out a sigh and tip your head back until you’re staring up at the never-ending expanse of the night sky. The clouds from earlier are still there, blocking out the stars and leaving it all an abyss of black.

“He still hasn’t apologized,” you mutter, sniffling. “He hasn’t said a word to me since then.”

Oscar’s quiet for another moment. He’s got his hands shoved into his pockets, and his eyes are focused on where he’s kicking the toe of his shoe down against the pavement. The tap, tap, tap is all there is for a moment, and then he hums again.

“Lando can be a real twat sometimes.”

You burst into laughter, startled. You give Oscar an incredulous look, and he shrugs.

“I mean,” he starts again, “he’s a good dude, but sometimes he can just be stupid. He does something dumb and even though he knows he’s wrong, he doesn’t know what to do about it or how to make it better, so he doesn’t do anything and just hopes that it’ll fix itself on its own.”

You nod. “That sounds pretty accurate.”

Oscar lets himself rest beside you, pulling his hands from his pockets so he can cross his arms. “I’m not saying you need to let this go, but talk to him, yeah? He was able to dodge your calls and texts, but you’re here now and he can’t dodge a face to face conversation for forever.”

“I was gonna try and really sell things with Garrett to rub it in his face,” you admit.

It makes Oscar laugh, and then you’re both laughing and it feels good to have this again.

“You know,” you breathe out when you eventually fade back into silence. “I think I’m in love with him.”

“Garrett?”

“No. Lando.”

Oscar hums.

“I think one of the reasons his whole spiel pissed me off so much is that I’ve been pining after him for years now, pushing it down so that I don’t ruin things or make it awkward━ trying to get over him,” you rub at your eyes, pressing as if it’ll erase the memory of what Lando’s grin looks like and how warm it makes you feel when you’re the one who puts it there. "But then he goes and does things like this and it frustrates me but it also gives me hope that maybe he feels the same way, because why would he get so upset about this if he didn’t?”

“I think you should really talk with him,” is all Oscar says, before pushing off from your car and walking away.

━━ tags: @maih23 @urfavnoirette @leclercsluv @f1luvur @formulaal @a-disturbing-self-reflection @starlightpierre @chezmardybum @marshmummy @405rry @sideboobrry11 @d3kstar @mcmuppet @happylittlereader @casperlikej @5starl1ght @bellezaycafe @whentheautumnleavesfall @mess-is-my-aesthetic @ssprayberrythings @landosgirlxoxo @lifelessfan @81ja @wcnorris @a-disturbing-self-reflection (CLOSED).

━━ a/n: i have mixed opinions on how this part came out. it's a bit filler-y, but trying to include anything more would make this singular part longer than i want it to be. but it's also very late (early?) at the moment and i've been staring at this for hours trying to get it done up as fast as i can, so perhaps that's why. anyway, i hope you enjoy!

[sagesolsticewrites]

Reunion (Part 1) | Austin!Elvis x fem!reader

A chance encounter at work leads to a reunion with a childhood friend from Tupelo.

Request from @queenslandlover-93: Hello! I have a request for you…what would if Elvis runs into an old childhood sweetheart and they make it work with everything going on around them from his mother passing away to the ‘68 comeback special. I also want to see his sweetheart fight back for him against the Colonel. Can’t wait to see what you come up with! 😊

a/n: sorry this took so long darling! Thank you so much for the request, I hope you like it! The next part(s? 👀) should be out soon!

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: a couple swear words, I think that's it? As always, please let me know if I missed anything!

Hugest of shoutouts to @austin-butlers-gf and the EFC for letting me bombard them with snippets from this 🤍

Please like/rb if you enjoyed! 🤍

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

You fan yourself with your hand, the Tennessee summer heat close to unbearable as another hour of your shift at the convenience store slogs by. You’ve been the only person here practically since your shift started. Who in their right mind would be out shopping right now was truly beyond— 

“Just this please, ma’am,” a deep voice drawls, and you’re jolted out of your thoughts as someone places a bottle of Coca-Cola on the counter in front of you.

“Ma’am? Now I think I’m a little young to deserve such a title, don’t—?” Your teasing is cut off as you look up to see the prettiest blue eyes you’ve ever seen in your life, contrasted by a sleek wave of thick, jet black hair and a scattering of freckles. You blink as you take in the lace shirt and eyeliner smudged around his eyes and realize exactly who this is. In fact, you had been nodding along to one of his songs not 5 minutes earlier.

Elvis Presley (the Elvis Presley! In your place of work!) lets out a shy laugh, “Well, my mama raised me to be polite, and seeing as I don’t know your name…” he trails off.

You’re not quite sure what emboldens you to stick out your hand for him to shake and introduce yourself, but you know it’s worth it when you see that surprised smile light up his face. Taking it one step further as you ring up his Coke, you strike up a conversation. “You know, I used to know an Elvis Presley growing up back in Tupelo. Not quite sure how common of a name it is, but I think of him when I listen to your music.” you say with a self-conscious shrug.

Elvis is silent for a moment. You cringe inwardly, sure you’ve just ruined the entire interaction, until he speaks up. “Wait… Y/N. You wouldn’t happen to be the Y/N L/N who lived a couple houses down from us back then, would ya?”

You freeze, looking up to take in his features again. You couldn’t tell at first with the makeup and styled hair, but looking into his eyes you see the scrawny blond boy you ran around with in your neighborhood back in Tupelo. The boy who had been your best friend back then.

“Elvis?” you say in disbelief, moving around your little counter to pull him in for a hug, “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you! If I’d’ve known it was you making all this amazing music—“

“You like my songs?” 

You pull away to slap at his chest, playfully scolding him, “Elvis Presley, if you think there’s a girl in this town that doesn’t like your music you’re outta your dang mind.”

He laughs, and oh my goodness. He might have grown up a bit from the little boy you knew, but his laugh was still music to your ears. 

There’s a moment of silence before his gaze flicks over to the clock on the wall and his eyes widen. “Hey, I’ve gotta get goin’, but maybe we could catch up later? It’s been forever, there’s so much I wanna tell you about.” 

“I’d love that,” you nod, grinning. “I get off at 5, if you’re free then.” You say, scribbling down your phone number and address on a scrap of paper next to the register and handing it to him. You try very, very hard to ignore the butterflies that erupt in your stomach as your fingers brush.

“I’ll see ya then, darlin’” he calls, winking as he ducks out the door and leaves you blushing just as much as he had when you were kids.

••• 

Getting together after one of your shifts or one of his recording sessions becomes a regular thing for the two of you. You fill him in on how your father’s job transferred him to Memphis only a few years after his family had moved here, and he fills you in on the Hayride, the Colonel, his deal with RCA, and everything else that had happened since he moved away. The two of you grow closer, and eventually it’s as if the years you spent apart never happened. 

Unfortunately for you, the crush you harbored for him all those years ago also grows with your friendship. Every time he smiles, laughs, every time your hands brush as you walk next to each other on your way to some shop on Beale Street he wants to show you, the butterflies in your stomach come to life and you have to fight the urge to kiss each and every freckle on his face.

Elvis never notices, of course. You’ve learned to hide your feelings well. Why bother putting your friendship in jeopardy when you know he won’t feel the same? 

Something changes, though, as you’re sitting under a tree in his unreasonably huge yard reminiscing about your time in Tupelo.

“No, I remember it, clear as day, I absolutely won that race!”

“You did not! I remember, Sam tripped you or somethin’ and I beat you to that tree!”

“Okay, you are definitely thinkin’ of one o’ the other races because I’d have to be dead to forget that my prize was a kiss from you.”

His face flushes as he realizes what he just said, and he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “Ah, I mean—“

“No,” you cut him off, “I, um. I remember that race, too.”

“You do?”

“Well, yeah. It’s kinda hard to forget your first kiss.” you shrug, glancing shyly down at your shoes peeking out from where you have them tucked under your dress.

“Yeah,” he nods, “I, uh. I thought about that day a lot after we left.” he admits shyly.

You hum, unsure of how to answer.

There’s a moment of silence, and your head snaps up as you feel his fingers tentatively tangle in yours.��

“Y/N…” his gaze drifts down to your lips then back up, blue eyes meeting yours. He hesitates, then says softly, as if speaking too loud will break whatever force is locking your gazes, “I’d really like to kiss you right now, if that’s all right.”

Your breath catches in your throat as you nod. “I’d really like it if you did that,” you whisper.

His hand comes up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear and he cups your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb. He leans in slowly and presses his lips to yours, nothing at all like the shy, clumsy, fumbling attempt at a kiss you’d shared back in Tupelo. No, this was sweet and gentle and… there was no other word for it. It was simply perfect.

He pulls away just an inch, keeping his forehead pressed to yours. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he breathes, eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I kissed you after that race back in Tupelo,” you mumble with a small smile.

“Well then, it sounds like we’ve got a lotta time to make up for,” he grins as he eagerly pulls you in for another kiss, smiling against your lips.

•••

If your parents thought the two of you were inseparable before, they weren’t prepared at all for how attached at the hip you and Elvis would be once you finally admitted your feelings for each other. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to spend all day together, coming home after dark from one of your houses, and eventually it was accepted that your families — the two sets of parents becoming friends again as you and Elvis rekindled your friendship — would have dinner together at Graceland multiple times a week.

You finally got to meet the infamous Colonel as well, Elvis introducing you as his “other bestest girl” with a wink towards his mama. He was incredibly gracious to you, but something felt… off. You couldn’t put your finger on it, so you brushed it off as no big deal.

•••

You stuck by Elvis through all of the “Elvis the Pelvis” mockery, silently seething as the Colonel tried to force Elvis into a more “family friendly” image. The last straw for your boyfriend, however, was the Steve Allen Show. 

He had torn off for Beale Street after that argument with his mama, and after his parents had gone to bed you simply waited for him to return. You knew that oftentimes he just needed his space and would come home once he calmed down some. 

Eventually you heard the smooth roar of the Cadillac pull up. You strode over to the foyer as he opened the door and fell into your open arms, tucking his face into your neck and squeezing you tight. 

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that, sweetheart,” he says, voice muffled.

You shush him, stroking his hair. “It’s alright, baby. It’s frustrating, I know.”

“I just don’t understand why people have such a problem with me,” he mumbles as you lead him up the stairs to bed,” I told the Colonel before, my own mother approves of what I do!”

“If you don’t wanna change, then you shouldn’t,” you say. “You can’t let all these old people stop you from doing what you love.”

He laughs softly, “B.B. said somethin’ like that tonight. Said they couldn’t do nothin’ to me ‘cause I’m a famous white boy.”

“B.B., as usual, is right,” you reply with a smile as he plops down on his bed, tugging you down with him. You lean against his shoulder and whisper, “There are lots of people right now trying to tell you who to be. I think you just gotta listen to yourself; who do you wanna be.”

“Thank you, mama,” he whispers after a moment of silence, intertwining your fingers and squeezing three times— your own little signal for “I love you”. 

“Always, honey,” you reply. “Now,” you stand up, brushing your lips against his, “You’ve got a big show tomorrow, so you should get some rest.”

He nods tiredly, a sleepy smile on his face. “You sure you don’t want me to drive you home?”

You shake your head, “You just get some sleep, baby. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

•••

The next night, your heart swells with pride as you sit next to his parents in Russwood Park. You beam as he makes eye contact with you throughout his opening speech to the audience, throwing a wink your way when he says “but in the end ya gotta listen to yourself.” 

The Colonel urges you to get back in the car as Elvis’s performance escalates. You and his mother both fight through the crowd as he’s dragged away by police, Elvis urging the both of you to get back in the car, assuring you that he’ll be alright.

•••

It was not alright. A letter arrived soon after the Trouble incident, and the ultimatum was clear: jail, or the service.

As much as you and his family hated the thought of him joining the army, you all hated the idea of jail even more.

“I’ll write to you, and I’ll call as much as I can,” he assures you just before he leaves for basic, repeating the words he’d told his mother just 10 minutes earlier with one addition for you. “I promise, sweetheart, ain’t nothin’ gonna get in the way of us. Not even the damn Army.”

He leaves you with that promise and a lingering kiss, and you’re left juggling your little convenience store job, your worry over him, and his mother’s drinking.

Aaaand there we go! Part one is done! Hopefully y'all enjoyed. Sorry for the cliffhanger 😊 but part two is in the works now! Please let me know what y'all thought!

Read part 2 here!

[daydreamgoddess14]

Aspirations pt. 2

Sydcarmy Masterlist

Full Masterlist

Sydney Adamu / Carmy Berzatto - getting a little spicier this chapter but we're not quite there... yet 👀

Syd is 12 months deep in a crush she wasn't expecting, Carmy is 6 months into a relationship he doesn't want, The Bear is 4 months open and Nat is 2 months into motherhood....

~~~~~~

They’d come far in the 7 months since The Beef had closed and The Bear had started. The three month build period and all of its associated problems had also brought them closer as a crew and allowed many to flourish. Syd could hand on heart say that she and Richie got on better than ever - for the most part - and she and Carmy had only grown in confidence when working together. They spoke without saying a word, she’d only been half joking when she’d told him she couldn’t read his mind. She could read his working mind. They completed each other's sentences, anticipated each other's needs and had whole conversations with just one look. As Carmy had driven off down the alley to get Richie, aside from being utterly blindsided by his kiss - which he didn’t even appear to realize he’d done - she was terrified over doing a whole day without his input or quiet reassurance. Somehow on opening night, just knowing he was stuck in the walk-in was enough, she could still hear him hollering and banging. Today, she wouldn’t have that. She needn’t have been worried.

“Baby Jeff, c’mere - I got ya something.” Tina ushered her over when she’d finally convinced her legs to carry her back inside. She held up a small paper bag and watched with delight as Sydney opened it. It was a beautiful patterned silk scarf with purples, blues and fuschia pinks.

“T, what’s this for? I can’t take this -”

“You can mi niña - look,” Tina showed Syd the same scarf she’d tied neatly at her neck. “We’re a team - me and you, and we’re gonna fuckin’ kill it today - ya hear me?” Before Syd could clear the lump in her throat, Tina had her arms around her and lifted her clean off the floor.

“Thank you, Chef. Thank you.” She murmured, placing a kiss on Tina’s cheek. 

“También te amo cariño” The elder woman filled in, squeezing Sydney’s cheek. Syd quickly swapped the scarves over and assessed where they were with prep, clocking Nat in the office. She left Tina to check in with Ebra, and hovered in the doorway,

“You good, Nat?” Though Nat had been around since Mikey had been born, doing the weekly books and for general fleeting visits, she’d not done a full shift at work so far.

“I cried all the way here. This is the longest I’ve left -” she broke off with a sob, Syd by her side immediately taking her hands,

“I know, big day. We got you, ok?”

“What if I need to pump and we’re busy?”

“Then we’ll figure it out. I promise we’ve got you.” Syd told her, “I put some paper up on the window so you can have total privacy. I can’t offer you peace and quiet, but I can make sure no one comes in. I even put a ‘please knock’ sign up.” She held the door so that Natatlie could see the sign, which didn’t read please knock, it read ‘you better fucking knock’ in scrawled sharpie. Nat gave her a grateful, watery smile.

“Thank you, Syd.”

“I gotta get back out there, you gonna be ok?” Nat nodded in confirmation. Back at the expo, Syd felt her phone buzz in her back pocket and pulled it out to see a text from Richie.

fuckin’ kill it Syd

Thanks man - we will!

She fired off a quick reply and got back to work. It felt good, the original Beef team having her back. They threw the word ‘love’ around like breathing, actively telling each other regularly. It had started with Nat and Tina, and after years of a lack of real female company or support system, they soon had Syd doing it as well. She’d stopped short of saying it to Carmy. Tina and Nat had plenty enough to go around, and the last thing she needed was that word muddying the waters - even if they did all know it was meant in the familial sense. She stood next to Marcus and helped him prep peaches, needing to ground herself in actual hands on work. Once they were caught up, she moved on to review with Tina,

“10 minutes til doors, guys.”

“Yes, Chef.” Natalie came out from the office and stood alongside her, giving her hand a squeeze.

“We do this, we’ve earned a girls night.” She concluded.

“Yeah? We just take off and leave Richie and Carm to it?”

“Fuck yes, I’ll even donate Pete for reinforcements since he can’t survive without you.”

“Richie is getting better - we only fight every other day now.” “I meant Carmy, dickwad.” She rolled her eyes. “Right, let’s go?” Syd nodded,

“Let it rip.”

“Love you, Chef.” Nat gave her hand one final squeeze and pushed through the swing doors to unlock. 

*

It went perfectly. Syd, Nat and Tina were on cloud nine during clean down. Music blared and they sent Sweeps to the bodega down the street with strict instructions to come back with wine. By midnight, everyone had left for the day except Syd and Nat who’d taken up their usual table in the restaurant. Nat sat with her feet up on Syd’s lap and they both nursed tall stemmed glasses of wine. 

“I’m so fucking tired.” Nat mumbled sleepily.

“Don’t drive, I’ll book you an Uber.” Syd reached for her phone and went to pull up the app, seeing a message from Carmy as she did so.

22:25 Fak said you’re the dream team. Told me not to bother coming in Monday?

She booked a ride for Nat and was about to respond to the message when they heard the back door.

“You’re still here.” Richie grinned through the window from the kitchen,

“Syd’s just got me a ride, I can’t drive back.” 

“I’ll take you.” Carmy followed closely behind Richie.

“I’ll take the Uber for myself then.” Syd smiled, happy to not have to consider the L for a change. “How’d it go?” 

“No complaints. You?” Richie pulled up a chair the other side of Syd and nudged her,

“No complaints. Less shouting.” She ribbed him.

“You missed me. Both of us, I bet.” He pointed,

“Keep telling yourselves that.” Syd replied with a glint, catching Carmy’s eye over Richie’s shoulder. She'd managed to put the kiss to the back of her mind all day, grateful for once that he hadn't been around to remind her of it every passing second. Outside, the Uber made itself known. “C’mon mama, home time.” She moved Nat’s feet carefully from her lap and pulled her friend to standing. “I’ll swing by and clear this up in the morning.” She gestured around her at the couple of glasses. 

"Monday, we'll do it Monday." Carmy confirmed. Nat grabbed her bags while Richie went to lock up the back. 

“We missed you little brother, but fuuuuck we were so good!” Even through exhaustion, Natalie sounded jubilant, "you shoulda seen us!"

“I knew you would be.” He replied with a smile, eyes on Syd.

“See, you were stressing for nothing. Like Fak said, we’re the dream team,” she shrugged, trying not to crumble under the intensity of his gaze. “I gotta go before this Uber driver murders me cos I took too fuckin long. See you guys later, bye Rich,” she called out to the kitchen.

“See ya, Syd.” She tried to leave with just a wave but Nat pulled her into a bear hug,

“You were amazing! Can we do girls night next week?”

“Yeah, sounds good. Get some sleep, Nat.” The women parted and Syd found herself swept up by Richie instead, coming in from the kitchen. She moved to give Carmy a one-armed hug but he wrapped around her fully.

“Thank you for today,” he said quietly into her ear. 

“Night, Carm.” She tried to play it off like the open door and the cool fall air made her shiver, rather than his breath against her neck. Once she was in the car, she let out the breath she’d been holding. She held her phone in her hands, a habit picked up from years of needing to fake phone calls when being driven around late at night by a stranger. It vibrated in her hands with a picture and a message from Nat.

Home to my baby, thank you for looking after me today ❤

My favorite Berzattos - anything for you xo

Favorite. Sure, sure. ILY.

She shook her head with a smile. Her bond with Natalie had become one of the most surprising yet brilliant things to happen since she walked into the tomato splattered kitchen and saw a pile of cash on the floor. They fell into an easy friendship, and soon enough, Carmy wasn’t the only thing they had in common. She thanked the driver and stepped out of the car, her phone going off again. Carmy.

You get back ok?

Just got in. Going to sleep for 12h, eat, and then sleep again.

Her message got a thumbs up in response, and she wasted no time in doing exactly as she said she would.

*

When she stirred on Monday morning, it wasn’t to the sound of her alarm. She had no idea what had woken her, but it was early enough to still be dark outside. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she first assumed she'd had a nightmare. She took deep breaths to settle herself, trying to remember the dream. She'd been at work, in the walk-in - locked in like Carmy had been on opening night, but she hadn't been alone - and she'd locked it herself. She had her back pressed up against the cold door and Carmy crowding her, with one hand on her hip and the other at the nape of her neck. He was whispering in her ear something she couldn't quite make out, but the memory of how it had made her feel was all coming back. The way his lips had grazed her skin, his encouraging kiss. She closed her eyes and let her memory and her hand wander, wishing she could remember his words. She focused on how his hands had felt, fingertips finding the hem of her t-shirt and the delicious warmth of his palm on her breast. She nudged her underwear to one side and ghosted her index finger over her clit, 'I want to give you everything,' he'd said, 'you don't know what you do to me'. The dream was fading fast, leaving her tense and desperately seeking release. Her fingers moved on autopilot, she'd been single for a long time, knew the most efficient ways to get herself off, but it's just not… working. She couldn’t get there, thoughts of Carmy are too fresh in her mind, and it's like her body knows she could never come close to comparison by her own hand, so stubbornly gives up instead. With a groan of frustration, she threw back the covers and decided to head to work instead. She picked up breakfast on the way - sticky, sweet Portuguese tarts and fresh coffee beans. Surprisingly, she's not the first one there. The restaurant had been cleared of the wine glasses and plates she and Nat had used on Saturday, and music played from the radio in the kitchen. 

"You're early," he greeted, "I was making breakfast."

"Couldn't sleep. What'dya make?"

"Eggs benedict. What's in the bag?"

"Portuguese tarts." He took it from her and replaced it with her coffee cup, "breakfast dessert. Thank you."

"Every meal comes with its own dessert?" He grinned, 

"Now that's the dream." They ate while standing at the expo, she begrudgingly admitted that his hollandaise sauce was the best she'd ever had, and it had made him cocky until the Portuguese tarts had finally shut him up. Neither of them mentioned the kiss.

"How traditional do you want it to be?" He asked, bringing up the festive menu.

"Is it Scroogey to say not at all?" She mused, taping her pen against her mouth. 

"The holidays aren't exactly my favorite time of year, so I'm gonna say no… customers though?"

"They want to be slapped in the face by the holidays. They want synthetic pumpkin flavor pumped into every liquid available."

"We'll make that a Marcus problem." He grimaced, "synthetic pumpkin?" She laughed, 

"No, no I'm getting there. How about Tandoori Plaice and spiced Pumpkin as an appetizer?" She scribbled down ingredients, marking the ones she knew they didn't have to hand. "So it's like a spiced soup, with a gorgeous piece of fish on top, charred seeds and a little pumpkin oil?"

"Sounds fire, Chef." As usual, she was suckered in by his easy, generous praise. "Oysters?" He asked, 

"Dude, no. Oysters?! Are you gonna spend the next four months shucking them? Cos I can't do it for shit, I nearly cut my fucking hand off last time I tried. I hate doing them."

"You need a better fucking teacher then."

"Fine, we'll get some and you can show me. But if I lose my hand I'm definitely blaming you." She pointed her pen at him,

"Heard. I promise I won't let you lose your hands. They're too valuable." 

"They're not always that cooperative." She muttered, thinking back to earlier in the morning. They passed more ideas around throughout the day as they were joined by everyone else. “Hey, can I take Saturday night to hang with Nat?”

“Sure. We could do the menu at hers on Sunday? Cook everything, finalize it?”

“Yeah, that would be pretty great actually - helps her feel involved.”

“Heard. I’ll call her.” His hand brushed across her back as he moved behind her to get to the office. Syd was still staring at the door when Tina called out to her,

“¿Ves algo que te gusta, cariño?”

“Fuck off, T.”

~~~~~~~

[abattoirstars]

I will gain 🆕❗️ an extra life 1️⃣🆙, when I get the high score🔝👾. (You could respawn 🔄👼🏻 anywhere)

I am one with the furniture 🪑 , more inanimate 🕳️ than amateur 💪 (Like a television 📺 set!)

Gangrene ☣️ knuckle 👊 announced 🗣️ so audibly! 💥

I will boost 📈 my attention span 🤔📚, soon my clock 🕛 will have a minute hand ⏰ (You've 🫵 become a smithereen! 🤯)

I’m watching 👀 that foxhound 🦊 frolic 💃 on the abattoir 🔪🩸 floor

Up in heaven 🙏🌤️ it’s symmetrical 🪽😇🪽

Airbrush! 💨🖌️ What have you done ⁉️ with my father? 👴🏻

Why does he look 👀 like a carving? 🗿👨🏻‍🎨

I don’t wanna ❌ live 🫀in the present 🎁

I make 🤝 my own density 😶‍🌫️🫥

And ah-ah-ah! 😫‼️ Who did you photoshop 💻🥸 handsome? 😍

You ready for reincarnation? ⚰️😇

Gotta come 💦 back 🔙 as something❓organic 🥦

Or come 💦 back 🔙 as something ❓else 🧟‍♂️

Just come 💦 back 🔙 as something ❓else 🦾🤖

More dollar 📈💸, less scholar 📉👨‍🏫, less time 📉🕰️

[ccbb2222]

I absolutely see him sub too! And its canon that he is very generous 👀 Could I request a smutty heavy makeout/dry humping fic? Like maybe the reader works at Nelson Rd and they cant help themselves after the team wins a game 🥴

I dig this request! Left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, but hoping I got to what you were looking for!

Warnings: Smut

You bit your lip anxiously as you watched the final minutes tick away on the scoreboard. Richmond was leading by one, but Crystal Palace wasn't letting up.

Looking down from your seat in the box next to Rebecca and Keeley, you get a glimpse of Ted on the sidelines, clapping his hands together and shouting out words of encouragement to the players on the pitch.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the minutes of extra time hit zero, and the final whistle blew. You bounce around in joy with Keeley and Rebecca, hugging and cheering along with the rest of the crowd.

You quickly pull out your phone to send Ted a quick message: You: Meet me in my office ASAP.

Working at Nelson Road afforded you a handful of luxuries: free football games in the owner's box, a beautiful office overlooking the stadium, and the opportunity to flirt with the cute football manager.

It took Ted awhile to catch on that you were interested in him. He later admitted that he thought you, a woman nearly twenty years his junior, made your frequent locker room trips to get the attention of the players.

When you made your intentions clear one night, over too many drinks at a Richmond away game victory party, there was no looking back.

So as you waited in your office, staring out as the stadium slowly empties out, you thought back to Ted's surprised reaction, cut off quickly by you grabbing him by the shoulders and kissing the mustache off of him.

"There she is! The Rachel to my Ross...wait now. Those two were a little turbulent. I gotta think of something better." You turn with a smile as Ted enters your office, closing the door behind him and reaching for your hips. He places a gentle kiss on your lips, hand cupping your jaw. "That was an exciting game, wasn't it?"

"It was a nail biter," You agree, rubbing your hands down his shoulders. "Tell the boys to score more goals so that I don't have to keep nervously watching the clock."

Ted laughs, his eyes bright and joyful, "Will do, baby. I'll relay that information as soon as I can. Should we head home?" He asks, starting to pull away.

"Not yet," You say, pushing him slowly backwards until he falls gently onto your desk chair.

"Why's that, darlin'?" He asks looking up at you, half confused and half intrigued.

"I want to celebrate, and I don't feel like waiting." You reply, hitching up your skirt just enough for him to see a black lace garter around your thigh as you move to straddle him.

"Oh yeah?" He asks, hands moving to cup your ass. He moves his left hand to gently trace over the lace of your garter. "This for me, baby?"

You nod, moving your hips over him as you feel him start to harden beneath you.

"Hey Ted," You say once more looking down at him.

He looks up at you in response, his face flushing in arousal.

"I need to use you right now, seeing you out there made me want you even more, and I can't wait any longer."

He nods quickly, reaching his hand to once again cup your jaw, and pulling you in for a searing kiss.

You move your hips quicker against his arousal, his tongue sweeping across your own, and you let out a moan.

"Go on baby," he says against your lips, "Get yourself off for me." You feel the seam of his dress pants hitting your center in the most delicious way, causing you to remove your lips from his and arch your head back.

Ted takes this as an opportunity to reach for your shirt, pulling it quickly over your head, pushing the straps of your bra down your arms, and moving the cups down quickly. He latches around one of your nipples, suckling against you as your hips continue to quicken.

"Fuck, Ted," You moan, stuttering your hips, "Just like that, please don't stop." His hands continue to move your ass back and forth over him, and you feel your stomach start to tighten.

"You feel so good, baby." He says switching his attention to your other breast.

"I'm close," You manage to say, the combination of his mouth around your nipple and the pressure applied to your center was becoming too much. You feel him detach from your breast with a "pop" and he bring his face closes to yours once more.

"That's it," He encourages, his voice warm like honey, his eyes looking into yours. Ted presses his lips to yours again, swallowing your moans as they begin to grow in volume.

"I'm going to come baby," you whisper against him, holding onto his shoulders as you ride his lap, his fingers digging into your ass hard enough to leave a mark but giving you even more pleasure. Reaching your orgasm, your hips jerk against him a few final times, catching your clit on his dress pant seams again.

You catch your breath and lean your forehead against his, your arms reaching up to snake around his shoulders and hug him to you.

"Good, baby?" He checks, and you nod as you tighten your arms around him.

"So good," You affirm, kissing him once more before reaching for his belt.

"Now, let's take care of you."

[emiliasilverova]

WIP Wednesday

500! Words! Of WIP! Incredible, impossible, but true 🎉After running into so many walls to start goddamn chapter 2, I think this is it. I got it. I can do it. I can make those two fools rub at each other, and be like "hmmm actually not that bad innit 👀". Oh and yeah, WIP under the cut this time. Gotta quarantine the (slight) NSFW, you know how it is. And yes, I'm putting all 500 words of it, because I need to show off right now.

@mi6-cafe

James knew he was walking on very thin ice. He knew that Alec could always lash out and run away from him. Yet, his hands wouldn't give up on their task. James could sense the conflict boiling under Alec’s skin, of course—but he could also feel the tension slowly waning under his fingertips. Apprehension had largely turned into anticipation, he could tell. A most encouraging development… all the more since nothing went more against Alec’s nature than relinquishing control.

Although the clock was ticking, James had no intention to take shortcuts. If this were Alec’s first time with a man, as he suspected, patience and gentleness were non-negotiable. Besides, taking the time to relax meant they would both sleep better—not necessarily less.

James’ left arm was around Alec’s firm chest as he kneaded it. When an erect nipple brushed at the edge of his hand, his little finger stretched out to tease it. Alec jerked and grasped James’ wrist, but didn’t tear it off. He simply hung on as James kept going, sometimes letting faint sighs escape his lips.

Those became deeper and more frequent as soon as James’ right hand settled on Alec’s stomach. As expected, Alec’s other hand went over it at once. It clutched hard when James started to wander down, nails lightly scraping Alec’s skin as he did. When a twitch went through Alec’s leg, James smiled and burrowed his head into his friend’s shoulder. Alec’s reactions were all very entertaining, but more than that, James felt incredibly happy.

Alec had always been so guarded that James never managed to talk to him. About whatever was between them, that is. Before, James would have wished he were as gifted with words as Alec—but now, it was clear to him that words wouldn’t have achieved anything. To get to Alec, as James had just discovered, one had to pull him out of his head and into the moment. To talk directly to his more intuitive, sensual side, however well-hidden it might be.

As his hands kept working—and Alec kept sighing and squirming—it occurred to James that the hint of cologne on Alec’s neck was very enticing. He had never felt particularly attracted to men, yet being so intimate with one had never felt wrong to him either. Pleasure was pleasure, and sharing it with somebody else always made it better. Notably when it came to releasing stress… or just showing a friend his trust and care.

James gave a gentle pull at the hand that held his wrist. Alec seemed to understand the signal, as he let go without resistance. It allowed James to slowly drag his own hand away across Alec’s chest, until he gripped onto the material of Alec’s opened shirt.

“Shall I?” James asked.

Alec’s sole response was to lazily retract his shoulders. James brought his other hand to the opposite side of the shirt, and slid it off Alec’s arms. It was quickly discarded to the wooden floor.

[moving-to-sweet2tangy]

ahhhh how would you recommend to start a otome writing blog??? I really like yours and I wanted to ask you advice bc I’m thinking about it buut I don’t know howw 💕💕💕

Hello anon! 😃 Thanks for dropping in, I appreciate it lots! :3 Also I am so happy that you like my blog! It means a lot to me that you enjoy my stuff! 🥺💖

But anywho, you asked a really good question, and I just gotta say I feel so honored that you’d come to me for advice! 🤗💖 The answer to your question is actually pretty simple! So here’s my input:

I firstly recommend that you start off with an introduction and establish some rules. You don’t have to do anything too fancy (unless you want to of course 👀) but you can just stick to the basics:

Tell us a little about yourself (what you’d like to be called, what fandoms you like, etc)

Tell us a bit about your blog and what you plan on providing us with (fandoms you’ll be writing about, headcanons, art, fics, etc)

Provide us with rules that you’d like us to follow (how many characters per ask, what you allow/don’t allow, etc). You can always change/add/take away rules whenever you want! It’s your blog after all!

After posting your intro + rules, feel free to just start off by writing anything that comes to mind. It could be a random headcanon that just popped up in your head or you could post an entire fic. Just be creative and have fun with it! I promise, you will gain more followers and recognition sooner than you even realize!

Don’t feel afraid to communicate with your followers! You can form some pretty great friendships that way! There are so many supportive people out there who would always look forward to reading your amazing work! ^^💕

Also just one more thing: Please don’t ever feel like you absolutely need to answer every single ask you get within a certain span of time, or that you must answer an ask that makes you uncomfortable. You have a life too and nobody is entitled to dictating you on how to run your blog. Just remember that if someone gets on your case for not finishing their request as soon as the clock strikes midnight, tell them to kiss your ass (ok maybe don’t do that but you get my point!). It is the people who respect your time that are worth keeping around! 😉 (small shoutout to the kind patient people who are still waiting for me to finish their asks btw. They’ll be done I promise! ;w; 💕)

But yeah, that’s basically it! It all boils down to having fun with your ideas and sharing them with others! I’m sure that you have a lot of wonderful things to provide the fandom with, and I would absolutely love to read your stuff!

(Please let me know when you finally make your blog, I will definitely come and check it out!😘)

But anyways, I hope my advice was useful to you anon! Have a fantastic day! 🤗✨

[iclaimedtobethebetterbard]

I'd love to know more about you & i were fire, fireworks (that went off too soon) and/or morningstar 👀

-the-sympathetic-villain (this is my main blog 😆)

EEEEE okay cool cool SO

(also hi friend!! i am very silly and just realized i wasn’t following you?? i totally thought i was already omg hkfghsdkjghksdfgh) 

morningstar is currently very very vague and conceptual BUT. i am a patreon (im not about to say spoilers or leak content, nobody freak out) and on a recent-ish livestream that will eventually be a video on the ts & friends channel, there was a thomas & davi interaction relating to the sides that gave me some EXCELLENT ideas for some kind of intruality oneshot with like some very cute pet names and suchlike. so i am going to hold back this one and wait to publish it until that video is publicly available. but this fic is definitely happening at some point. im thinking i will maybe incorporate the specific ideas i got off the livestream into some kind of fluffy human au with some really cute trope like coffeeshop or florists or something like that. i am very excited about this one bc i have been WANTING to ship intruality for the longest time (in a “gotta catch ’em all” way, it was like almost the last ts ship i hadn’t figured out how to personally ship yet fkhdskjsd) but i just couldn’t quite conceptualize the dynamic in a way that i liked that also felt true to the characters, and im finally getting there i think!! like it’s not one of my top ships, but im starting to get a feel for what kinds of takes on it i like and would want to write. and im happy about that. and this story will be SO fluffy yall have no idea it will be the TOOTHROTTINGEST fluff hksfhjdfg

you & i were fire, fireworks (that went off too soon) is me being an absolute GLUTTON for any type of anxceit drama and angst, especially angst that features either mutual pining or else one-sided pining, especially especially if it’s from janus. i am of the firm opinion that fourth of july by fob is an AMAZING anxceit angst song & so this is a songfic i’ve been wanting to write for ages. in my head i call it a oneshot, but given my propensity to write literal actual novels at the least opportunity, i suspect it will not actually be a oneshot by any reasonable definition of the term. i would not be surprised if it winds up in the range of ~10k. it will be somewhat canonverse ish or adjacent. the premise is that janus stays up too late and, as people are wont to do when that happens, makes a somewhat poor decision; in this case, he takes a trip down memory lane while listening to virgil’s music to purposely make himself sad. so then there are a bunch of flashback scenes interspersed with lyrics and the readers get to see anxceit’s relationship progressing from “cute and fluffy and in love and they mean the world to each other” to watching them fall apart, until virgil angrily leaves. then we’ll jump back to the present for the final scene and janus will cry all alone in his room bc i am mean >:) 

here is a lil excerpt from the opening scene of that one: 

He knew it was late; the clock on the wall ticked faintly, a noise that was normally soothing but now made him squirm slightly with guilt as it reminded him, second by second, that he was violating his bedtime routine. He knew that—was well aware, even—and yet he remained seated, thoughts floating through his head that he didn’t quite dare put into words.

Melancholy, perhaps, would be a word one could use to describe his state of mind at the current time. No doubt made worse by the lack of sleep that he couldn’t get off his own back about, even as he did nothing to solve the problem. He knew the best option would be to go to bed, and he’d feel better in the morning or at least be in a clearer state of mind, but he didn’t want to do that.

What he wanted to do was very stupid and childish and beneath him. Obviously. And he wasn’t considering it even a little bit. He hardly even wanted it, anyway. It was really more of a whim. One he obviously could—and would—resist. Any second now.

Janus groaned and put his head in his hands.

ask me about my wip fic titles!