#it came up when the french girls said it was rude to look at other women when the man was in a relationship

[ifindus]

Itabros birthday today! Can you make a fanart of them? ❤

Of course! ✨

A nice opportunity to mention the most Italian thing I've ever come across. This was said by an Italian exchange student in Glasgow when asked if he would still look at other women when he had a girlfriend;

"If I see a work of art, of course I will admire it"

[worldofkuro]

Painted Smile

Painted Smile I

Pairing: Alastor x Female!Reader

Next Chapter ->

Summary: You couldn't wait to meet new friends. What you didn't expect was this smiling little boy, only one year older than you, that would take such a big place in your life.

Notes: It's going to turn dark very quickly, but let's enjoy childhood innocence heh... It's my first time writing for Alastor so I hope I'll do him justice.

“ Do you promise to be a good girl, love?”

You gave your mother a beaming smile while she was doing your hair in front of her vanity. You were trying not to bounce with excitement , your parents have decided to move to New Orleans, in Louisiana,  thanks to your dad's new job. Your mother was born there and she was talking about a friend that she couldn’t wait to meet again! 

You couldn’t help being happy to see your mother so cheerful, even more so when she told you that this particularly cherished friend of hers had a child around your age!  You had to say goodbye to your playfellows in your old country so you were eager to make new friends here.

Once your mother finished styling your hair, you jumped off the chair and gave a little twirl in your new dress, making your mother laugh. She took you in her arms and kissed you on both cheeks as you giggled. You turned your head towards the door as your father came in with a tired smile. He went to kiss your mother then yourself on your forehead.

“ Are the most beautiful ladies in town ready ?”

You blinked as you looked at the trees surrounding the house that you were walking toward. Your mother held your hand while chatting eagerly with your father who had a fond gaze as he was admiring her. She stopped once she saw the door open and a black woman ran toward her, your step on the side as she gave a crushing hug to the lady. 

You tilted your head, watching your mother’s friend. She had a beautiful smile, dark hair held in a bun with a red ribbon and eyes that looked like they were made of chocolate.

“ Oh , I’m so happy to meet you again Marie! Look at you, glowing like the sun! But where are my manners? You already know my husband of course, but let me introduce you to my sweet little girl !” Your mother exclaimed as she pushed you toward the lady who smiled widely as she set her gaze on you. 

She crouched before you and kissed you on both cheeks just after you introduced yourself. You blinked, confused but the lady explained it was a french custom called “ La bise.” 

“ Oh dear, you are just the cutest ! Please do come inside, I’ll call my son so you two can play together !” Marie said as she clapped her hands together, inviting you to enter the house. 

You bounced into the house, excited to finally meet your future friend, what kind of game will you play? Tag? Hide and Seek? You were unbeatable in those games. Nobody could catch you, you were like the wind, untouchable, uncaged… You look around the living room, as the adults did their things, and look at a picture: it was obviously Marie with a man and a little boy. You took the photo carefully and examined it, the boy had a wide smile, similar to Marie’s,he had glasses on. He looked small–

“  Do you not know that it is rather rude to touch others' belongings?”

You squeaked and turned around to find the boy in the picture in front of you, the photo hidden behind your back. His arms were folded in front of his torso, one eyebrow raised up with a closed smile and eyes staring at you, unlike the photo he wasn’t wearing glasses and his skin was almost …caramel like? He was a tad smaller than you…Wait, what did he say?

“And it is rude to come unannounced behind a lady!” you replied making yourself even taller than the boy in front of you. It was embarrassing being catched red handed like that! He tilted his head, never losing his smile.

“ I see no lady.”

“ What-”

“ Alastor, mon coeur, there you are !” Marie came into the living room with your mother, smiling. She kissed the boy's forehead and looked at you. “ This is my son, Alastor, he is nine years old. Bébé, I hope you were polite and said hi.” You saw the boy- Alastor's smile twitched a little as he looked at his mother. You were going to show him that you knew your manners, you were not rude! You kissed him on both cheeks just like his mother did to you a few minutes ago. You took a step back to introduce yourself  but you saw him looking at you, eyes wide open, his smile frozen and… was his cheeks-

“ Oh, excuse my daughter ! Sweetie, you don’t just randomly kiss boys like that!” your mother said as she apologized to Marie who was just laughing, commenting on how cute you were. Dang it, did it make you ruder to Alastor’s eyes ? As both of your mothers went into the kitchen Alastor walked closer to you, his face way too close!

“ It’s rude to look at someone face this close!”

“I need to be close to see when I’m not wearing my glasses, if not, everything is… Blurry. So I'm not rude… ” He said with a polite smile, taking a step back from you. Maybe you judged him too quickly, he didn’t know what you were doing with the photo, when he said that he saw no lady, maybe it was because he couldn't see so–“ But now that I have seen you up close I can clearly say… I see no lady.”

“ You–!”

“ Kids, time to eat !”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 You stared at Alastor as everyone was enjoying the food - which was delicious -, he was smiling as he answered your parents' question or even helped his mother. You were a good girl, no question asked here… But this boy, saying you were rude… You were just curious and bored! You watched as your mother asked Alastor what he liked to do. As he opened his mouth to answer you fake a sneeze and hit him in the shin with your shoes. 

You looked up to see Alastor staring at you with a wide smile. You waved at him, apologizing, smiling sweetly.

��� You have such a polite daughter!” Marie said as she patted your head.You beamed at Alastor, take that! You opened your mouth to say a heartfelt thank you but Alastor kicked you in the same place that you did. Your knee flinched, hitting the table making your glass fall, the water inside it wetting the table. You panicked as you said sorry trying to prevent the water from falling on the floor.

“ Excuses accepted !”

You looked up to Alastor's voice, as he gave you a big smile before drinking from his glass as the adults laughed at his answer to your panicking apologies. You were fuming, it was your moment! The adults were giving you their attention, their compliment, you were making your parents proud but he stole it from you, so easily !  

“ Why don’t you both go play outside ? We will call you when the desert is ready.”

Alastor stood up from his chair, smiling at you. “ I know many games we could play.” You nodded and followed him outside.

As soon as you were out of the house you tried to kick him but he avoided it so smoothly you just stared at him in shock. He looked at you with a beaming smile.

“ So unladylike.” 

“ You know what, we’re going to play games, and you should go wear your glasses because you won’t see my victory coming!” You said, stomping your foot on the floor, your fist clenching.

“ I don’t need to see something that will never come.” he chuckled as you stuck your tongue at him, he couldn’t even see you properly so who cares. You stopped as you saw a swing attached to a big tree. You ran toward it with an excited smile, it’s been so long since you saw one! You sat on it and began to swing, higher and higher. You closed your eyes as you tilted your head backward, bending your back toward the grass.

“ Jump.”

You blinked and dug your feet into the ground, dirtying your shoes in doing so. You looked at Alastor who was in front of you.

“ I beg your pardon?”

“ No need to beg “ what a smartass “ When you reach the highest spot in the air, jump.”

“ And why should I do this ? I could hurt myself and dirty my dress !”

“ Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were scared, my mistake.” he said, looking bored still smiling. You didn’t know why, but you didn’t like this expression on his face, even more that it was destined to you. You squeezed the swing’s ropes.

“ Don’t stay in my way, I’m doing it.” You watched as his face wore an expression of surprise. He stood on the side as you went higher and higher. You had a weird feeling in your stomach as you looked at the ground underneath you as you prepared yourself to let go of the ropes and jump… You looked at Alastor who was watching curiously, you knew he didn’t trust you to actually do it. Well, maybe he saw you as rude, but he will not see you as a coward ! 

You let go of the rope and jumped.

It felt like time had slowed down, you felt like floating for a short moment, you could feel a warm feeling in your body before dropping to the floor on your hands and knees. You didn’t move, even when you heard Alastor’s step stopping next to you. It felt.. good ! You stood up excitedly.

“ Wow! Did you see that Alastor ! I did it ! Haha ! That was super amazing !” you said, jumping around while clapping your hands together. You turned to him, pointing your finger in his direction. “ Now it’s my turn to find a game!” Alastor nodded, still smiling, waiting patiently for your instruction. You looked at the tree and grinned. “ Climb that tree without falling!” He looked up at the tree than at you, shrugged and began climbing. 

You looked at him as he climbed the tree easily, sitting in a branch, smug.

“ I should thank you, now that I’m here, I don’t have to see your face.”

“ My face is pretty !”

“ Pretty ugly.”

“ Alastor !”

You played all afternoon together, laughing and teasing each other. You laid on the grass, trying to catch your breath as Alastor was sitting next to you, out of breath too. You stared at him and grinned 

“ I have another game… Ready?” He nodded as you sat up. “ You need to put your hands on the other person’s face and tell a secret.” He raised one eyebrow, his smile twitching. “ For example!” you placed your hands in front of his eyes, making him more blind than he already was. “ I… I had a great time with you.” You kept your hand on his eyes, smiling. “ And when I take off my hand, it’s like you've never heard anything.” 

You took off your hands as he nodded slowly. He stared at you and looked away “ Do you know another game?” You blinked, a pang of disappointment in your heart, didn’t Alastor have a great time with you..? You looked at him, biting your lips. 

“ We can play.. Hide and Seek..?” Alastor turned his eyes toward you with a glint. “ But without your glasses I don’t know if you would be able to catch me..” you sighed but he stood up, excitedly. 

“ No worry, go hide, I’ll come find you.”

You were hiding behind a tree, not because you didn’t find a better hiding spot, but because you were sure of your skills and Alastor was blind as a bat. If he happened to see you, you would just run out of his… vision perimeter. And furthermore, you wanted to see him look for you and fail to find you. You were still hurt that he didn’t tell you a secret like you did, so you wanted to win this last game before going home. 

You smiled as you saw him walking towards the bushes. You put your hands on your mouth, trying to stifle your giggles. You were going to have so much fun. He wasn’t in much hurry, and you were beginning to be reckless. It was becoming boring… you looked at the orange sky, it was going to be night time soon…You closed your eyes. Should you claim your victory before Alastor lost himself in the dark woods? Yes, it would be the safest–

“ Found you.”

You opened your eyes and saw Alastor face above your face with a big smile. As his hand came toward you to catch you,claiming his victory, you ran. You looked behind you as Alastor gathered himself, he seemed shocked about your reaction, but he was soon running after you. You couldn’t help but laugh as you ran toward the house, you felt free knowing that he could never catch you.You saw your parents outside and stopped once you were near your mother and turned toward Alastor with a beaming grin.

“ I won. You found me, but didn’t catch me.” you said, out of breath.

“ It’s a tie then..” He sighed with a knowing smile as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“ I’m happy that you both had a grand time. Look at your clothes, sweetie…”Your mother tried to wipe some dirt from your dress but she couldn't do anything about it. “ We have to go sweetie. Say your goodbye.”

 You felt a pang of sadness as you realised your parents were ready to leave. You walked toward Alastor, pouting.

“ Well.. Goodbye…” You looked at the floor, tears in your eyes. You didn't want to go, you had so much fun with Alastor. You flinched when you felt his hands covering your eyes.

“ I had fun and… you are pretty.” You froze as he kept his hands on your eyes. You wanted to see if he was still smiling, or.. was he teasing you… But the rules of the game are clear. You will not talk about it even if you wanted it badly. Maybe you could arrange some other rules?

You opened your eyes once you felt his hands moving from your face. Alastor was already next to his mother. Marie kissed your cheeks, promising that you could come whenever you wanted. You felt a feeling of relief knowing that it wasn’t the last time you could play with Alastor.  You waved goodbye to Alastor and Marie before going home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After your bath you chatted with your mother about your afternoon with your new friend.

“ He can’t see from up close ! I hope he will wear his glasses next time” you said as your mother put you to bed. She tilted her head, confused.

“ Alastor can see up close perfectly fine darling, he has some problems seeing far away but it’s mostly when he is tired. So, don't worry too much.” she kissed your forehead, wished you goodnight and left.

He can clearly see up close…

He can…

You screamed his name with anger in your pillow. It wasn’t a tie and he knew it. He won the game! You could almost hear his giggles! Next time you see him, you’ll show him!

[doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou]

Protecting French Fry

Oiled Paintings (1)

> melissa schemmenti x fem!reader

> requested? maybe?

> content/warnings: mentions of violence

> a/n: this got me staring at the wall for 4 hours 😭 i rlly don't know if this can compete with the first part

Contrary to popular belief that French people were extremely rude; Mr. Morton thinks that the lone French in their school have been nothing but nice and cheerful. Unfortunately, Mrs. Microft and most of the 7th to 8th grade teachers did not share the same sentiment. Thus, leaving them to tolerate the rude welcome and treatment of the senior teacher towards you, and that went on for the whole five years you’ve been in Abbott.

“Good morning, Mrs. Microft!” You greeted the senior teacher with a smile. And although she paid no attention to your presence and your greeting, you maintained your composure and left your lunch inside the fridge, then went on with your day.

Yet, when you came back to the lounge for lunch, you found no remnants of your lunch; even the container was gone. Deciding to let this slide, like the other mistreatment you got from the senior teacher, you sighed and took your purse to eat lunch at the coffee shop near the school.

“Damn, Y/N. That is wild; I didn’t think white racism would be prominent here; guess I was wrong.” Ava gave you a pat on the back while sipping her coffee. “This coffee is also wild! Y’all gotta try this new coffee maker I got for the school!”

Barbara and Melissa gave Ava a look before giving you sympathetic glances. This made you roll your eyes at Ava. “Stop looking at me like that; that was about three years ago.”

“If y’all ever want to plot revenge, I got her address somewhere in my office. I ain’t helping you look though,” said Ava, leaving all of you to think for reasons you haven’t reported her to HR yet.

“I’m just glad she left; with no one to torment me now, maybe the other teachers will also treat me like a colleague.” You straightened your posture and gave a clap. The smile on your face was so contagious, it took Melissa turning her back to you and looking at Barb to hide her smile.

“Doubt that.” Mr. Morton always knew when to rain on your parade. His comment made Melissa’s face turn serious.

“And why’s that, huh? Y’know any more teachers that’ll torment French fry here?” Melissa tilted her head towards you while still looking at Mr. Morton. While the protectiveness was appreciated, you couldn’t help but blush at the nickname that the redheaded teacher gave you. Ever since knowing that you were French, the Italian made it her daily routine to criticize your lunch, whether it was homemade or a takeout from the local French restaurant.

Sitting down on the nearest chair, Mr. Morton nodded and opened his lesson plan. “That girl, new hire, Charity Microft.”

The hand supporting your face fell on the table with a bang, making Melissa and Barbara look at you incredulously. With your eyes as wide as saucers, you gave Mr. Morton a horrified look. “What do you mean, Charity Microft? As in, Charity Microft the girl I talked to you about? Or Charity Microft the successor of Mrs. Microft the she-devil?”

“Both.” Letting out a cry, you hid your face from your ‘friends’ if you could call them that and huffed.

Janine, the ever-caring human that she is, caressed your back for a solid second before she saw Melissa giving her a glare, making her pull her hand away from you and whisper something to Jacob. Whatever Janine said, it made Jacob choke in fear when he glanced in Melissa’s direction.

As Barbara was about to say something to Melissa, the bell rang, making the kindergarten teacher sigh and give Melissa a look that said. ‘We’ll talk later’.

Nodding her head, Melissa stood up and pulled your arm. "C'mon, French fry, let’s get you to your classroom. We’ll talk later.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your ‘talk’ didn’t happen. In fact, Melissa left before you and Barb could even catch her. She only saw Ava before leaving with a grin.

“What do you mean she left flexing her arm?”

Sighing, Ava dropped her foot from the table and leaned forward. “Look, I ain’t snitching why she left that way or why she went here before leaving.”

Huffing, you crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow. “And why is that, Ava?”

“She’ll beat my ass,” Ava said before shooing both of you out of her office.

Pursing her lips, Barbara turned to you and gave you a pat on the shoulder. “Now, I need to leave. My Gerald and I have a schedule at that French place you told us about. But after that, I’ll try to get a hold of Melissa, and then I’ll call you to tell you what I gathered.” Then she left, leaving you to contemplate whether to call Melissa on your own or wait until tomorrow. You decided on the latter.

Groaning, you stomped towards your Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250. Your mother harbored great disdain for your choice of vehicle, and your father was extremely happy when you told him you bought a bike rather than a car. He even went all out to message you every detail about riding motorcycles in America and how it differed from riding a motorcycle in France.

As you drove our normal route, you thought you saw Melissa’s car parked on the street a block away from you, but you shook your head and thought there was no way she lived that close to you. Parking your vehicle in front of your house, you jumped repeatedly, a tradition you caught on to because of your father back in France. Your father told you that jumping just outside your home left the awful things that latched onto you that day outside.

Stepping inside your house, you were greeted by your cat purring around your leg and nipping your toes to get your attention. Laughing, you gave your cat a pat on the head. “Okay, okay. Mommy’s going to give you treats once she gets out of these uncomfortable clothes.”

But you didn’t get to change your work clothes. A knock souned through your house walls before you could walk into your room. "Oh, come on!” You stomped towards the door and pulled it open. “What do you want?”

“Hey hon,” said a redheaded woman holding a baseball bat covered in shards of glass and red paint. What you hoped was red paint.

[kiwisa]

grid dynamics ✩ the harpy

F1 Grid x Fem! Driver! OC

⏤ series masterlist

✩ GEORGE RUSSELL

#GEOSTRÉE... ıllı NOW PLAYING: You’re My Best Friend, Queen !

George was the first person to welcome her, to reach out to her. If their meeting seems to have been determined by the fact that Astrée debuted with Williams, the extent to which her teammate went to put her at ease shows the sincerity of his intentions. Very quickly, their collegial relationship turned into a true friendship that kept growing until Astrée came to consider George as her best friend. If it is usually complicated for her to open up to others, George soon imposed himself as an obvious choice.

He has in a way become her pillar in Formula One, being her protector and mediator on the paddock, whether with the press or the other drivers, both of whom can sometimes take Astrée's unintentionally rude gestures badly.

George is always pushing his friend to try new things, dragging her into messy plans like post-race parties where the alcohol flows freely or holidays spent climbing mountains—Astrée hates hiking.

Since Astrée's transfer to Red Bull and George's to Mercedes, the two former Williams drivers don't see each other as much as they used to, but they take advantage of the races to catch up and they sometimes even fly to see each other, either in Monaco (where Astrée lives) or in London. At each break, whether summer or winter, they spend one or two days together. It has become a tradition that has yet to be broken.

✩ CHARLES LECLERC

#CHASTRÉE... ıllı NOW PLAYING: Bad Liar, Selena Gomez !

It took Charles a long time to dare to approach Astrée. He was intimidated by her. It must be said that he is perhaps one of the only drivers to have followed her career closely, and not only when her arrival in F1 was announced. The many praises he heard from his brother Arthur in F2 didn't help either to shake off the image of Astrée as a racing prodigy. The first time they really spoke was when Astrée congratulated Charles on his podium finish at Silverstone⏤which ended with a DNF for the woman⏤three months after she had joined the grid. If Astrée hadn't made the first move⏤which in itself is a miracle⏤they could have gone on for a long time without talking to each other.

The reason for this is very simple. Although he will never admit it, even under torture, Charles has developed a little crush on the French girl since he discovered her existence. Unfortunately for him, not admitting it doesn't mean he doesn't show it: this boy has no concept of discretion. Looking at her with puppy dog eyes and blushing every time she deigns to speak to him are not the definition of "secret." Internet users put two and two together rather quickly and, since then, ship them together.

Excluding his inability to function normally around her, the two French speakers have managed to build a strong friendship, which is underrated on the paddock and internet, perhaps because we see her more with George or Lando. Yet, Charles is the mediator between her and Max and perhaps the only one who gets them to talk to each other without insults.

✩ LANDO NORRIS

#LASTRÉE... ıllı NOW PLAYING: True Love, Pink !

Lando is the perfect example of the bad first impression Astrée can trigger in others. Outwardly cold, as she is reserved and cautious by nature, Astrée was immediately intimidating to the young Britishman. Although they are almost the same age, Lando's reactions to Astrée suggest that he is much younger than she is. Fearful of confronting her on the track, of talking to her, the driver is never at ease when the Frenchwoman is near him. Even the simple fact of being in the same room as her terrifies him: Astrée is silent, cold, charismatic, unpredictable and Lando hates it.

However, what started out as a distance between the two due to shyness on Astrée's part and some form of intimidation on Lando's has evolved into a friendship with a unique dynamic that many internet users love for the content that emerges from it. Lando and Astrée are like cat and mouse. And Astrée is definitely not the mouse.

Numerous videos⏤there would be enough to make an hour-long compilation (fans often have a field day doing precisely that)⏤have captured all the times Astrée has terrorised Lando. If at first she didn't realise it and just found this Englishman rather strange… she soon understood what was going on and learned to use it to her advantage to get her daily dose of happiness. There's something hilarious about seeing an almost 25-year-old man screaming because of her "hello." She can't help it: her sadistic side comes out with Lando.

If the latter is the victim of her numerous attacks, he can count on his tormentor to also be his defender. Every time someone other than her dares to make fun of the McLaren driver, they are violently put in their place by Astrée.

Even though Lando still fears the woman, he knows that these seemingly sadistic gestures are actually a way for her to express her friendship (he would prefer words of affirmation or gifts but, as the famous saying goes, it is what it is).

✩ DANIEL RICCIARDO

#ASTRIEL... ıllı NOW PLAYING: Here Come The Sun, The Beatles !

No one thought these two would get along, but they proved to everyone that opposites can sometimes be a good fit. If one is the sun and the other, the moon, their differences allow them to reach a certain balance that just works. They complement each other so well. Daniel can drop his constant positivity around Astrée for a few moments without her judging him and Astrée can, for once, let down her guard.

Astrée is never as smiley as when she is with Daniel, and everyone sees that ⏤ drivers and internet users alike. Many times, the woman has been spotted bursting into laughter. This is rare in the paddock and when it happens, you can be sure that Daniel was the one to tell the joke. Like George, Daniel pushes Astrée out of her comfort zone and shows her that showing positive feelings is not a sign of weakness but can become a strength.

Since he has become Red Bull's reserve driver, and therefore they don't see each other at every race⏤running into each other once in a blue moon at the HQ is not the same⏤, many people notice that Astrée has turned in on herself, and smiles even less than before. The one who managed to calm the storm is no longer there to chase away the clouds, to the great displeasure of the others who thought they would see a lull on the paddock and track. This does not mean she tried to dissuade Daniel from making this choice, however. On the contrary, it was she who convinced him to leave McLaren: Astrée always has his back and will not stand to see anyone disrespecting him.

✩ LEWIS HAMILTON

#ASTRIS... ıllı NOW PLAYING: Your Song, Elton John !

Their beginnings were somewhat catastrophic, full of awkwardness, embarrassing moments, and sickly shyness (see their first conversation after the Imola GP) which can be explained by the great esteem Astrée has for Lewis. If he is not the one who inspired her to start racing⏤she owes that to a certain Michael Schumacher⏤he was the one who proved to her that everything was possible even when the world was against you. Lewis is, therefore, the only person who manages to intimidate Astrée. Normally, the exact opposite occurs (see Lando or Charles' personal experiences).

Astrée took a long time to get over the fact that yes, she knew The Lewis Hamilton and that, yes, this same Lewis Hamilton wanted to get acquainted. Their friendship was one that happened in private, away from the cameras. If various interactions on Twitter or comments on Instagram showed everyone that they are friendly acquaintances, the outings to Monaco, the skydiving, and the few holidays spent together were kept secret.

The transition from friendship to love went smoothly after a year of a somewhat ambiguous connection. These two are very much in love but remain hidden, for the same reasons as their friendship was: apart from the desire to keep it to themselves, they want to avoid hateful comments on the internet. They have no plan to launch their idyll any time soon, preferring to enjoy each other's company without being judged by strangers. They are well aware that their considerable age gap would be a bone of contention.

If they⏤and particularly Astrée⏤are determined to protect their relationship, it is because the latter acts as a true protective bubble for both of them. Astrée is the only one who understands Lewis and manages to take the weight off his shoulders. The opposite is also true, but, above all, he helps her to get past the criticisms which, despite two years, continue to persist.

No one knows about it, except for George who has become their diversion, but some suspect it. Probably because Astrée is shipped with every driver. Perks of being the only female driver, I guess.

✩ MAX VERSTAPPEN

#MAXÉE... ıllı NOW PLAYING: Me And The Devil, Soap&Skin !

Many thought that these two would get on well together. Two drivers with a sharp competitive spirit and a cold appearance: it seemed written in the stars. Their way of being on and off the track is quite similar. Perhaps a little too much so. For many, it is this very similarity that is the source of their discord. Rather than seeing the things they have in common as an opportunity for friendship, they become a weakness, a mirror held up to them that they would rather ignore.

They make everyone’s—the other drivers included—heads spin as their relationship constantly oscillates between hate and friendship. Many paradoxical gestures do not help internet users to determine what is going on between them. While Astrée abandoned her race at the 2021 Silverstone GP to help Max and suggested that two of the season's best drivers were getting along, the Frenchwoman's past tweets criticising him and the many jabs at each other in press conferences suggest otherwise. The chaos that was the 2021 Netherlands GP gave the final blow to what might have been.

For these two, the professional ruins the personal. It is impossible for them to get past the status of rivals and bond. Every time they interact, each other's victories and defeats come back to the front like bad memories—which they essentially are.

Astrée's transfer to Red Bull did not help. On the contrary, it has reinforced the immense rivalry between these two: neither of them wants to be the second driver. What was supposed to be a dream team—made up of two exceptional drivers that everyone expected and feared—quickly turned into a nightmare where chaos and quarrels coexist, much to the dismay of one Christian Horner who would very much like to send them to couples therapy.

✩ taglist !

@xcharlottemikaelsonx @i0veless @simping4marauders @muglermami @fxllfaiiry @exatse @lilsiz @iloveandsuffer @notaceventura @missamericana69 @kageyamama-hinatatata @gentlemonsterjennie1 @sad1esgf @16solace @kenanlotus0 @till1am @itsnotgray @starkwlkr @missflobelova @mehrmonga @crimeshowjunkie @anicega @kosmosgalore @lovemarvel16 @charles-dimple @hiding-behindmy-glasses @serenityleah @flowerchild-96 @hopiiex @ivegotparticulartaste @jivas0 @screechingtrashkid @gxp30 @lauren--maex @idkiwantchocolatee @javden @lighttsoutlewis @rowansshit @like-fire-love-blog @ironmaiden1313 @tpwkforevermore @thydarkestknight @almostjollypizza @sunfairyy @scuderialavender @erinisrightheree @f1version @motorsp0rt @mango-bear @xoxmariaxox @rippl3s @mactavishly

[nctangelz]

( 💌 ) LOADING . . . MONIQUE WITH NCT 127!

TAEYONG

MOM AND DAD!!! everyone always jokes that they are the parents / stressed mom and dad / co-leaders of NCT. taeyong said he offered the leader role to monique pre-debut, but she declined because she insisted that taeyong was the one who earned it 🥺. moni and taeyong are always seen watching in the corner as chaos begins…waiting together until they have to intervene.

tae + moni are probably the closest out of everyone in NCT, they grew up eachother living as neighbors, so they go WAY back. they love sharing stories from school to nctzens! moni always jokes that taeyong will be the one to walk her down the aisle when she marries (since yk, her dad left to get milk and never came back 💀), and taeyong doesn’t believe it…but she really does mean it! their relationship is just so precious, we love to see it!

JOHNNY

BESTIESSSSS, johnny & monique just clicked when they met as trainees, and instantly hit it off!! they bonded over the fact they were away from home, and they both taught each other things about their country! moni even successfully taught johnny how to speak in french somewhat! she accidentally switches from english to french when she’s have conversations w/ johnny, and johnny just stands there like 🧍‍♂️ i have no idea what your saying.

johnny loves to take moni on little adventures and they are always going sight seeing or going to other cities to explore whenever they have downtime! she is often a guest on JCC … even if she isn’t tagging along for the activity she finds a way to be in it, even if she’s unwilling. they always have a blast together! it’s so easy for moni & johnny to talk to each other and moni loves that she gets to relax around johnny and know she’s going to have a good time!

YUTA

THE BADDIES of NCT. lemme tell you, yuta & moni? baddest besties alive, they look like the could kill you, but actually are the sweetest duo known to earth. they are always hyping each other up and whenever they go out, they are DRESSSSEDD. they love to express themselves in anyway, and they are each other’s biggest supporters.

the two of them are always stirring the pot whenever they are eachother, they love to make stuff up and convince everyone it’s true and just mess with everyone…it’s typically doyoung or taeyong that realize their antics and in moni’s words “ruin the fun” they are also always just doing crazy things and the members are lowkey scared of them, esp moni. yuta brings out the chaotic side of her members never thought could ever exist 😭😭

DOYOUNG

doyoung just wants to worry and care for moni like a gentlemen, but moni makes it SO HARD. she’s always harassing him and making fun of him, and doyoung is just like 💀 girl be so for real rn. he would be in the middle of doing something for her like opening a chip bag and moni just starts screaming “YAH, DOYOUNG, DO YOU THINK IM INCAPABLE JUST BECAUSE IM A WOMEN? YOU DONT THINK I HAVE MUSCLES? HOW RUDE.” and doyoung is like WTF. he just looks at her with his crazy eyes and gives up 😭😭

but dw, doyoung will harass her right back and moni will giggle and say sorry. he always worries about her and makes sure she’s eating and drinking and will always try and prevent her from making self-sabotaging decisions…but does she listen? 9 times out of 10 she doesn’t but yk, he tried!!

JAEHYUN

moni is sooo affectionate around jaehyun, he just looks so cozy and comfy! whenever she sees him she loves to tackle him in a hug and lay her entire body weight on him. jae is dying while moni is in her own world, happy as could be. jae & moni are inseparable once together though, once they hang out and spend time together; there’s no going back. they will spend time together until moni passes out and takes a cat nap…and jaehyun just goes back to playing games.

moni & jaehyun are such a great team when playing games, because moni is really good at creating strategy and working out puzzles, while jaehyun has the muscle to actually execute the mission. moni always takes his strength to her advantage, for example having him carry her bags or even her when she’s super tired…not that jae minds though. he likes that moni allows him to protect her!!! if someone were to mess w/ moni…you better hide from jaehyun, he is moni’s #1 defender.

JUNGWOO

jungwoo LOVES to listen to moni. whenever moni needs someone to talk to to either vent or just talk about built up ideas in her head, she goes to jungwoo. he loves listening to his older sister talk…even if he’s worried for her mental health. he will always be moni’s shoulder to rest on! he will listen and let her talk, and then the two of them will work it out together…or just do something to cheer themselves up!

moni adores jungwoo with all her heart, she will spoil him always. if he briefly mentions wanting something one day, she’ll buy it and hide it until his bday/christmas. she would do anything for woo, and it’s so precious! all the members complain that jungwoo is her favorite because she always is doing stuff for him, and she will swear up and down she doesn’t have a favorite….but jungwoo knows he’s the favorite <3

MARK

mark is moni’s child - she’s always worried…she’s worried about his health but also worried about just how he acts. mark will say some weird stuff and moni is just standing there like 😀 should i be concerned? but besides her worries, mark makes her laugh SO MUCH. she will try and hold in her giggles..but mark makes it impossible 😭

make probably visits moni’s apartment the most out of 127, he likes to come visit after a long day when he needs to just power down and be in silence for awhile. moni always lets him crash in her bed and let him relax….she will usually just sleep on her couch or spend time in her studio. she will always make him breakfast before he leaves too! moni will always understand and let him come over when he needs to be alone…but he also comes and visits and watches movies with her! he tolerates her movies as long as she makes him food 🥺

HAECHAN

haechan will harass moni just like he will the other members, but moni just smiles and pats his head in response. moni will always have a soft spot for her younger members, and they can’t help but crumble under her love <3. moni will always be there to gently pat his head and tell him it’s okay…which causes him to be even more chaotic 💀, haechan just sticks his tongue out at moni and carries on

but haechan loves loves loves moni, he will always hug her and cling on to her, and moni just smiles and wraps him up in her arms. she took care of him and the dreamies a lot during training days because they were so young…so moni is lowkey haechan’s 2nd mom. haechan always knows he can rely on moni to save him whenever he is loosing or getting picked on too!!! moni will defend haechan until the day she dies <3

tags :: @yjjnfied

[emwritesfootball]

Jersey Jealousy | Benjamin Pavard

smut with Benjamin Pavard where he becomes jealous when he sees you wearing a jersey of his teammates

Warnings: Spanking, fingering, blow job, begging

- - -

You walked into the Stade de France, the ‘Mbappé 10’ burning a hole in your back. It wasn’t like you’d necessarily chosen to wear this kit - the product of being the loser of your friend group’s fantasy football competition last season. When the punishment had been made, you had cackled at the thought of one of your friends wearing a kit that wasn’t their boyfriend’s to a match, but your cockiness had gotten the better of you and now you were paying for it. 

You watched as Benjamin warmed up with the rest of the team but you couldn’t help noticing Kylian who caught your eye and gave you a knowing wink. You responded with an eye roll and a rather rude hand gesture that had him laughing. This, of course, alerted Benjamin, who looked over and narrowed his eyes as he looked from you to Kylian. You blew Benjamin a kiss, hoping to smooth things over with your boyfriend. 

“What was that all about?” Benjamin asked before making his way into the tunnels, giving you a hug.

“Nothing, just lost a bet.” You could feel his hands on your back, touching the vinyl letters and numbers printed on the jersey you were sporting that definitely didn’t spell ‘Pavard 2’.

“A bet, huh? Turn around.” When you didn’t comply, Benjamin turned you himself, letting out a curse in French when he read the back. “Some bet, chérie.”

Your stomach dipped at the promise in his voice. Benjamin didn’t get jealous easily, but you had never shown up a match not wearing his kit before, so you didn’t know what to expect.

He was gone before you could say anything, not giving you his usual quick kiss for good luck. You watched the match with bated breath, cheering harder for your boyfriend than you ever had. The only time you slipped up was when he assisted Kylian on a goal and you couldn’t help shouting for the striker as he celebrated the goal. 

“I saw you cheering for Kylian,” Benjamin whispered in your ear after the match. France won, another of many in their collection of wins on the road to the next Euro Cup. 

“He scored a goal.”

“I assisted.”

“I’ll see you at home.” Benjamin stood back, his eyes raking over the kit. “Keep that kit on.”

You sat on the sofa waiting for Benjamin to arrive, nervous and playing with the hem of the kit, hoping you weren’t in too much trouble.

The sound of keys in the door made you jump, and you raced to the door to greet Benjamin. You threw your arms around his neck, pressing kisses to his skin. 

“You still wearing Kylian’s kit?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Good.” 

Benjamin took your wrist and walked you back over to the sofa, sitting down and quickly tugging you over his knees. He hiked the kit up to expose your ass, and you couldn’t help letting out a whimper as his hand connected with your skin. “What’s the number on the back of this kit?”

“Ten.”

“Count.”

You counted each smack until you hit ten and then Benjamin’s fingers found their way between your legs, his thumb brushing over your perineum before pressing against your asshole. His middle finger slipped into your pussy as his other hand gently rubbed circles over your stinging ass. “Good girl.”

“Please, Benjamin.”

“Please, what?”

“Please fuck me.”

The second the words left your mouth, Benjamin took his fingers out of your pussy. He made you suck your juices off his fingers. 

“Maybe later. On your knees.”

You did as he ordered, watching as he freed his cock and started to stroke it while holding eye contact with you. When you finally got your mouth on his cock, you sucked him off until he came down your throat, hoping that by doing a good job, he would give you the reward of an orgasm. 

“If you want your own, you’re going to have to work for it,” Benjamin said, reaching down and slipping two fingers inside of you. You were still kneeling at his feet, your ass brushing against the carpet as you tried to ride his fingers. 

“Who do you belong to?”

“Y-You.” You gripped his wrist, holding his fingers in place so you could rub your clit on his palm.

“Not Kylian?”

“No. Not Kylian. Only you.”

“Take off the kit and you can cum.”

You took off the kit so Benjamin could ogle your breasts as you rode his fingers until you came.

“Good girl. If you ever wear another player’s kit in the stadium, I’ll have you like this in front of the team.”

[canonicallysoulmates]

J2 Main Panel SFCon 2023

Look at these cuties 💖

Would Jensen consider doing a musical? And would he ever tour with Radio Company?

He has done a musical. In high school, he was in West Side Story, he had never sung in front of anybody before and he played Tony who is singing all the time; he would definitely entertain the thought of doing something like that again but he does mention it's a lot of work. As far as touring with Radio Company they've talked about it, he's not sure about a regular tour like hopping in a van and cruising down the highway but maybe setting up a few dates in a few different cities. And it's so cute when he says this Jared goes fingers crossed.x

What's the wildest thing they've ever experienced?

Jared shares the story about how the last time he had been in France, a couple years ago, they had been staying at a hotel with a beautiful view, and he and his friend Josh were hanging out when their wives came running up to them and told them there was a guy outside who looked like he was about to beat a girl up. So Jared and his friend run out to intervene, and it seems to be a couple and they're yelling at each other, so his friend stands next to the girl and Jared stands in front of the guy. And the dude is aware of his presence but he's not looking at him, he and the girl keep screaming at each other in French until the girl storms off down the road. After the girl storms off, Jared tries to ask him if he's good and the man looks up at Jared, pauses, and goes, in French, 'Supernatural?' and Jared replies "oui", and the guy goes "bon" (meaning good) starts to walk away with his friends then stops, looks back at Jared and goes "merci, Sam Winchester."

The fan who asked this question said that originally they were going to ask something else that was mind-blowing but he forgot so Jensen jokes that's the wildest thing that has happened to him. That poor dude took a roasting 😆

Of all the places they've traveled to which has been their favorite? Excluding Italy and France. And what's one place they'd love to go to that they haven't been yet?

Jensen says Jared is just as good in Italy as he is in France, and he tells the story about how one time they were eating this amazing meal in Italy and the chef came out to ask how their food was, and Jared unknowingly did a rude hand gesture, which is basically the equivalent of flipping the bird in Italy (because in Texas this gesture means something else), to tell the chef the food was good! And Jensen was like 'that's not what you think it means', grabbed his hand, slowly put it down, and told the chef it was delicious thank you, and the chef walked away with a frown on his face. I highly recommend taking a look at this moment because it has heart eyes, some hand-holding, and they sound like such husbands! x

To answer the question, Jensen says Switzerland. Japan is also one of his favorites. A place he hasn't been to that he wouldn't mind checking out is the Maldives. Jared semi-echoes, saying he loves Switzerland, that he went there the first time because between s1 and 2 Jensen talked about going there so Jared and his brother went on route to China, and he's never been to Japan but he'd like to go. x

Is there a song that whenever they hear it it's ingrained that they associate it with SPN?

Brothers in Arms absolutely guts Jared. And Space Oddity will forever make him think about Dean chasing a fairy, basically, any David Bowie song will make him think of that.

Jensen mentions the Heat of the Moment by Asia and Jared tells him that at least he was dying instead of watching his brother die. Jensen also says his daughter found an older pop song and kept playing it on repeat in her room for like a week or so, so now he associates it with his daughter. The song in question is Sk8er Boy by Avril Lavigne. That kid has excellent taste 🎶

Out of any creature, existing, extinct, or mythical which would they like to saddle up and ride?

Without a second of hesitation, I think the fan hadn't even finished the question, Jared answers dodo bird and Jensen Liger. Then Jensen changes his mind and says Falkor.

And then, for some reason, he decides to basically serenade Jared by singing a little bit of Neverending Story which is very sweet and cute 🥰

Jared also says save a horse, ride a Winchester 😏 And the husbands continue husbanding cause the fan says they would want to ride a T-Rex and Jared does the little T-rex arms and is rubbing against Jensen (I don't know how else to word it okay) and Jensen just goes '15 years' and Jared replies '18'. They are so married, I can't deal with them. x

After years of Ken jokes on SPN were they disappointed to not be cast in the Barbie movie? And if they had gotten cast what Barbie would they have wanted their wife to be aka what career?

They are both so confused by this question, they don't know anything about Barbie. Jensen didn't even know Barbie had a career he thought she just shopped! And when I tell y'all I gasped literally gasped when I heard this man say that, Barbie has had over 200 jobs!

Anyways, Jensen does say that if can work with Margot Robbie he's happy. And Jared says he knows what career he wouldn't want his Barbie to have and it's deep sea exploration. I'm not explaining that joke but I had to pause I was laughing so hard I almost ended up in tears 🤣

What is their favorite department, or most important department when working on a film set?

Jensen replies that all departments are important, film and tv shows cannot be done without all departments every one is a link in a chain. That being said he would be very sad if the weakest link in the chain was catering cause there's nothing like breakfast coming off a truck like that and keep in mind breakfast is the first meal of the day, when you're filming a lot of times throughout the week the call times keep rolling later and later and later so by Friday you're not showing up to work sometimes until the sun's going down so like 7pm or whatever and then you're filming till 2, 3, or 4 in the morning but when you show up at 7'oclock they're serving breakfast out of the truck. In all seriousness, you can't do anything without the camera department, without the grips, the electrics, the props, everybody is integral, it takes an army of people to do what they get to do, and it's sad people don't get to see all of their faces because nothing gets done without them.

Jard says probably two of the most important but maybe get the least credit for what they do are the writers and the editors. It begins with the writers and it requires grips, electrics, actors, and wardrobe, and it ends with the editors.

Jensen says he knows Jared's favorite crew position: the onset carpenter. Because he breaks sets constantly it's like putting a real-life moose into a set he just breaks stuff all the time and Dave, their on-set carpenter, always had his belt ready to go and just follow Jared around putting more screws in things as needed; Jensen started noticing things were being much more greatly reinforced.

The person who asked this question is in film school and Jensen advises them to do as much as they can because the more cross-department they can work in, the greater their knowledge of how the whole thing works then they can really pick and choose where they want to be. x

What's their favorite gag reel that did not make it into the bloopers?

They think for a minute, then Jensen answers there were quite a few, that they've often said there could be a six-hour cut-together gag reel per season. They would have enough for a whole season of gag reels after two episodes.

Jared says that when SPN started back in '05 they were shooting on film so they would have to print the film, send it to get developed, then send it down to LA but in later seasons they were shooting digital so it was on a memory card and to save gags on the memory card is much easier and less expensive and time-consuming than on actual film to get processed so that's one of the reasons why they became longer.

Another thing is that when you're on set and they call action, they start rolling the camera, whether it be on digital or on film, and something goes sideways and it becomes a gag of some sort when they call cut unless the director says to print it meaning save it essentially then it's lost forever. And sometimes, directors, because they don't want to seem like they have no control on set just won't print it because they don't want to send down 30mins of the boys horsing around even with it coming under budget and under time and all that cause it makes it seem like they just let them fool around. And because they weren't producers on SPN they couldn't say when to print a gag so he thinks they lost a lot.

Jensen says there was a lot of trying to get each other to break out of character while the cameras were rolling, it was a game they did quite often and was so fun that a lot of the crew would join them, they wouldn't print that cause the crew could get into more trouble than the actors but there was one time where Dean was on the case (this makes Jared go "tell me more"- gentlemen what is with you this con) and he had to go down a basement. He opens the door and down the stairs in the basement were the camera operator, their focus puller, and their camera assistant all in their undies and there were sex toys in the basement that they adorned on themselves so he opened the door and what made him crack wasn't them doing that because he was used to them pulling that stuff it was that the guest star had no idea yet he didn't react.

Jared says MC and Alex were the easiest to break, Jensen is very difficult to break but there is one person who was undefeated: Jim Beaver. So much so that he's not sure if this made it into the gag reel but when Bobby is in the hospital and Sam and Dean are standing at the foot of the bed talking to him, Jared realized the camera was below the chest area and he reached under the sheet and started pinching Jim Beaver's toes but he didn't break so Jared grabbed his other hand to secure his right hand and pinched as hard as he could on Beaver's big toe but he still didn't react until they called cut and he called Jared a damn idiot 😂 After that Jared gave up on trying to make him break. x

Next fan volunteers at a non-profit dog rescue, called doggie protective services! And they use themes to come up with names for the puppies they rescue so could they come up with a creative theme and a handful of names for the puppies? Requirements they have to be G rated and no SPN because they've already done that theme.

Jared says Barbie professions like Astronaut the chihuahua 😂 I actually really like that name for a chihuahua not gonna lie.

He also suggests favorite amendments, and Jensen jokes 5 doesn't talk much, that's hilarious! Then Jared says but one won't shut up and Jensen replies one won't shut up so two shot him these men are on point today with the jokes 🤣

(For the international fans the fifth amendment is the right to not self-incriminate, the second is the right to bear arms, and the first is free speech)

Jared also suggests favorite vice presidents...from colonial France. Jensen suggests colors with a Mr. or Ms. in front of them, but they've done that already, and the same with breakfast foods. Jared says conspiracy theories, Jensen says James Bond villains but Jared reminds him that's not always G, and the jokes they make leave me in tears x

During the final question, the fan compliments both of them and Jared replies that Jensen is a handsome dude, and Jensen says staring at Jared is like looking into the sun awww Jensen! That's so sweet 💛

The last question is basically if Jensen's hair is longer than Jared's now, he says no but the fans are not so sure; he also comments that actors a lot of times don't cut their hair or shave until their next role cause then it's easier to cut it and do what's needed for the particular character. x

And with that, we wrap up this panel, and let me tell y'all I don't do justice to how married they were acting during this thing it was wonderful.

J2 Main Panel SFCon 2023

[realhotgirlshitah]

Interview with Jack and Liv

Jack Champion x black! fem oc

(warning: attempt of humour and fluff)

In which these two idiots can't even answer one question seriously in an interview.

"Ready Champion?"

"Whenever you are Thompson,"

"Right, let's get started,"

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

"Mind control would easily be my first choice," I immediately answered.

" You answered that a little too quickly, Liv, pretty scary if you ask me,"

"Lemme guess, your choice would be the ability to fly?"

A long pause.

"No it wouldn't," he glared at me, obviously mad that I'd figured it out immediately.

"Don't even try lying Jack, it's old and borderline basic, just like you,"

"Okay first of all rude, second of all, I wouldn't choose that first I'd actually choose-

"Super strength?" I cocked an eyebrow at him in amusement.

Another long pause.

"Next question please,"

What were your first impressions of each other?

"I thought she was really intimidating to be honest," Jack admitted.

"You're joking," I laughed.

"No, I remember we were working on the movie and for the first two weeks, you were really serious, like I never saw you smiling,"

"I was in the middle of preparing for my exams back home!"

"I didn't know it at the time! I genuinely believed you didn't like me at all,"

"Looks like I'm not the only over thinker here," i grinned.

"Leave me alone,"

"Well at first I thought that J was really arrogant, loud, boisterous, immature and annoying,"

Pause.

"But?"

"There isn't a but, that's it. My feelings have not changed in any way whatsoever,"

"Oh fuck off,"

What's Olivia's best quality and feature?

"Well along with being crazy smart, Liv's hands down the most hilarious person I've ever met, I'm never not laughing when she's around, as for her best feature, she has really nice eyes,"

"That's a bit of a basic one," I complained.

"But it's true, you have really nice eyes, they're super dark and mysterious with an alluring aura radiating off of them,"

"Did you read that in a book and decided to finally use it in an interview to sound smart?"

"Ding ding ding, you caught me," he put his hands up in defeat before giving me a cheeky smile, I meant what I said though,"

"Of course you did Champion," I deadpanned with an eye roll.

What's Jack's best quality and feature?

"He can be quite thoughtful, a year ago, we were drinking a salted caramel iced coffee which I mentioned ONCE that I loved and for my birthday two months ago, he got me five boxes full of the syrup they used,"

"Oh that was fun,"

"In regards to best features, I'd say your lips, they're quite nice,"

He smirked smugly and tilted his head to the side before responding.

"You know, they're not just aethestically pleasing, there's a lot of girls who rave about how good of a kisser I am,"

"If you carry on talking, I will kick you in the balls so hard you'll want to die,"

What's your favourite thing to do together?

Me and Jack looked at each other trying to think of an answer.

"We haven't really got a specific activity that we do consistently together, do we?" he asked.

"No, we don't, but my favourite thing to do with you is listen in on your French work when getting ready for an exam or something, your pronunciation is atrocious, Jack"

"It's not that bad! I'm an A plus student!" He replied indignantly.

"That's because to pass languages all you have to do is not be complete dog shit and just wing an answer, I can guarantee if you came over to the UK and took A Level French, you’d despise it,"

"My favourite thing to watch you do is study for a theory test for your licence, you suck at it and you suck at driving too,"

"How would you know?"

"I've seen the look on your instructor's face after a lesson, Olivia, I hope you pay for his therapy afterwards,"

"Oh suck it sideways,"

What is the most annoying thing about Olivia?

"Ooo this'll be a fun one," Jack rubbed his hands together in anticipation before letting out an almighty yell when I thumped him in the arm. "I haven't even said anything yet!"

"The look on your face said it all,"

"Apart from her tendency to go straight to violence, her ability to speak five different languages is excruciatingly annoying, I can't do my French work around her at all,"

"There's no switching to German, Mandarin, Spanish or Japanese either," I winked at the camera.

What's the most annoying thing about Jack?

"Where do I even start?"

"Hey! Keep it short and mean," he crossed his arms at me in annoyance.

"It's always girls following him everywhere we go, I dragged him to go shopping with me just last week so he could carry my bags and as soon as we arrived, a group of girls just materialised out of nowhere???"

"What can I say? I have a very magnetic aura that people tend to gravitate to,"

"You are a literal joke,"

What's Jack's type?

"Me," I mouthed to the camera earning a very dirty look from Jack. "What? Fucking hell tough crowd,"

"You're a nightmare, Thompson, answer the question properly,"

"Jack likes girls that are funny, intelligent, match his sarcasm, loyal and sweet,"

"You didn't quite make that cut at that last part did you, Liv?"

"Ah so you admit that I'm funny, intelligent and loyal," I grinned at him devilishly

"Next question please!"

What's Olivia's type?"

"Oh gosh," I covered my face in embarrassment.

"Intelligent, Liv loves smart guys,"

"Who doesn't love a good nerd?"

"Funny, matches her energy, loyal, charming, sharp, good hair, a good listener, and kind,"

"Very specific, Jackson,"

Well all I had to do was describe mysel- WAIT LIV, COME BACK,"

Olivia's celebrity crush?

"Do you want just one, or do you want me to list the 50 she comes up with every day?"

"You're such a bum,"

"Well apart from me, Pedro Pascal, President Fitzgerald Grant the third, Megan Thee Stalliom, Kehlani, Daniel Kaluuya-

"Okay Jack-

"Ooooo Letitia Wright-

"THAT'S ENOUGH JACK, FUCKING HELL,"

Jack’s celebrity crush?

"Me, I'm his celebrity crush,"

"Yes Olivia, I'm hopelessly in love with you,"

"There's also SZA, Angela Basset, Margot Robbie, Bella Hadid, Serena Williams, Lizzo, Naomi Campbell- she was his first one, Beyoncé-

"Okay I think that's enough," Jack scratched the back of his neck bashfully.

"Ooo Coco Jones, also Megan Thee Stallion, Duckie Thot, Marsai Martin, Anok Yai, Ice Spice, Madelyn Cline-

"OLIVIA!"

"What? TRUST I was gonna get my lick back,"

What’s your party trick?

“Well apart from showing off my gorgeous muscles, I’m a pretty good dancer,” Jack smirked.

“Show them your moves mama,” I mirrored his smile knowing exactly what was coming.

The entire studio watched in amusement as Jack got up from his chair and started to do the dougie. Was it predictable? Maybe. Was he fucking that shit up? Oh absolutely.

“Ouuuuu go on, don’t hurt em now white boy,”

“Liv also taught me how to throw it around in a circle but we’ll save that for next time,” the brunette panted while getting back into his chair.

“You know you not that bitch or nothing but you still ate that lil one thing,” I quoted with a grin.

“I know that’s right!”

“Y’all will never guess who taught him that,”

“This gal!” Jack pointed at me enthusiastically.

“You’re so corny,” I laughed adoringly at him.

Olivia what’s your party trick?

“Knowing every Megan thee Stallion song bar for bar, word for word, the woman does no wrong in my eyes,”

“Can confirm, we put it to the test while filming, it’s very impressive,” Jack nodded.

“I can also take my box braids down REALLY quickly when I’m focused,”

“The problem is she struggles to focus when undoing her hair, so I help her take it out,”

“You like taking it out and detangling it though,” I pointed out.

“Very true, I think it’s incredibly therapeutic,”

If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?

"Hmmm, that's a tough one," I said, tapping my chin. "I think I'd switch lives with Jeff Bezos and donate a bunch of his money to charity,"

"Wow, you're such a saint," Jack said sarcastically. "I think I'd switch lives with Elon Musk and take his Tesla for a joyride,"

"You do realize that's technically stealing, right?"

"Yours is technically embezzlement," he shrugged.

I shook my head. “That’s not fair, I’m giving it to people who need it more!”

“Tell that to the judge, Thompson,”

You're impossible,"

"That's why you love me," he replied with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of my lips. Despite his borderline obnoxious personality, I couldn't deny that Jack was one of my closest friends and I enjoyed his company more often than not.

“Is there one last thing you guys would like to say before we cut?”

“Olivia Tinashe Thompson is the best person I’ve ever met and worked with, I really hit the jackpot when this one decided to become my friend and I honestly hope this isn’t our last time working together, even if I can be a pain,”

I was taken aback by his earnest confession and glanced at him to find out he was already staring at me with what one could only call adoration and love.

“You really have a way with words don’t you?” I smiled softly.

“What can I say? You bring it out in me,”

Finally the interview was over and we said our goodbyes to the crew and staff before making our way out to exit the building.

“When we get home, could you help me take these braids out? I have a hair appointment tomorrow,” I smiled sweetly at him as he held the door open for me.

“I’ll do you one better and wash you hair for you when we’re done,”

“Are you just saying that to get in the shower with me?” I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

“My girlfriend knows me so well,” Jack grinned at me before wrapping his arm around my waist as we left the building. I couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected friendship (and poorly kept secret of a relationship) that had blossomed between me and Jack. Maybe we were both idiots, but at least we were idiots together.

My first one shot, pls be nice y’all i promise i’ll get better lol.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Game over, you lose!

Que sera, sera

(Bound, but the string wins.)

Marinette was a normal girl with a normal life.

Two bakers for parents, a job that she had followed them into instead of going to college. A coworker that was also her best friend. A ‘mild’ coffee addiction that had become so expensive that her parents had added coffee to the menu so they could use it as a business expense. Really, there were a million other girls like her in Paris.

Well, other than the fact that she had a soulmate.

She hadn’t found them yet, even at the ripe age of twenty-five, but she was willing to wait. Her parents were soulmates, and they were so happy that she knew it could only ever be worth it.

But, for now, she must wait.

Do her job, like the normal girl with a normal life that she was.

Like now. She stood behind the counter, giving the American tourists their weirdly early lunches. At least she was almost done with their lunch rush. Just a few customers more before she could switch with Adrien and let some of her frustration with rude customers out on some dough.

“Alright, I’m at the front, I need to order,” the last man in line said. “I’m just going to stick you into my pocket. Hold for a minute?”

Marinette’s eyes caught on the man’s when he shoved his phone into the breast pocket of his business suit, and for a moment she swore she knew him. She swore that he knew her. Because there was something there, a moment where they scrutinized each others’ faces, in that way you only do when you recognize someone but can’t quite place who they are or where you’d met. But how could they have met before? He was American, she was French. So, she looked away, down at the cash register.

“Can I take your order, sir?” she asked, putting a little bit of an extra accent into her English. She found that it often pleased Americans to have a sense of ‘authenticity’, and was happy for the extra tips.

She felt his gaze linger for just a moment longer before he looked away as well.

“Well, according to a random old guy on the street, this is the place to come for croissants and coffee,” he said, and she was surprised to find that he spoke perfect French. “So, I guess I have to try those.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You take the advice of random people on the street?”

He shrugged, a small smile on his face. “He was very convincing. And it’s not like I would know any better than the locals.”

“Mmm. Maybe I should send Adrien out to try and nab tourists, then,” she said, her eyes gleaming with mirth as she set his order on the counter. “Thanks for the business idea.”

He swiped his credit card without even waiting for her to tell him the price.

“It’s what I do,” he said, lifting the cup to his lips.

Her eyes widened, and she reached a hand out even if she knew she couldn’t reach him in time, trying to warn him that the coffee was still hot.

But she was too late, and the man was burned.

And so was she.

He gave a small hiss of pain. She mumbled a curse, her hand flying up to her mouth as something bitter and way too hot curled itself over her tongue.

Neither of them cared that much, though.

Because their eyes locked once again, and suddenly the familiarity from earlier made so much more sense. Of course they had felt that they had known each other despite never having met, they were soulmates. People always talked about how eyes were the windows to the soul, and theirs must have recognized each other.

Marinette slowly reached down and pinched herself.

She was awake. And, from the man’s slight wince, so was he.

Slowly, he lifted his phone back to his ear. “Actually… I think I’ll call you back.”

He set his phone down on the counter, and sent her a tiny, if awkward smile. “You know, when this day came, I always thought I’d be… smoother.”

She giggled. “If it makes you feel better, I had a whole speech prepared.”

“If you want to tell me when your break is, I’d love to hear it…” His eyes flicked down to her nametag. “Marinette.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Well…”

“Tim,” he offered.

“Well, Tim, I get off in about two hours, if you want to go get lunch with me. Though I’m not sure either of us will be able to taste it now that you’ve gone and burned us.”

He laughed, and she wanted nothing more than to make him laugh like that for the rest of time. Wanted to bottle the bright look in his eyes and the faint blush dusting his cheeks.

He leaned forward, his chin coming to rest in his hands, a smile on his face.

And, for just a moment, the world around her changed. It was still Tim, but he was younger now, probably just out of high school. It was still Tim, but now there was a mottled bruise forming on his jaw. It was still Tim, but his face is twisted with anger and there was very real hatred darkening his eyes.

But she blinked, and it was gone.

He smiled at her still, and she returned it, however hesitantly. She had never met Tim before, so her mind must have conjured up the image as a form of self-sabotage. Or something like that. She wasn’t exactly all that well-versed in psychology.

She didn’t have to be to know that the look on his face at that moment was nothing but kind and, possibly one day, loving.

“It’s a date, then.”

“Sounds like it is.”

[meat-the-sullivans]

Candy just be sending Cade texts during school complaining how boring it is without him and keeping him up to date on annoying kids and teachers lmao

but also positive stuff, like immediately letting him know when she got a good grade in French or a teacher told her she did a good job

and obviously stuff like

"bully X was super rude to person Y so I shared some bonbons with them 🥰"

"also, kinda off-topic, but later that day they were send home due to stomach cramps and vomiting 🤔"

ooor

"someone's been stealing my food, and today I took some chocolate I made myself, but it disappeared from my bag 😩"

"either way, this one kid apparently shit his pants during an exam after lunch lol"

Cade rolls his eyes at his phone, sticking it back into his pocket. A certain headsick, cotton Candy girl had been texting him all afternoon while he was stuck at work with his brother.

He chuckled under his breath as he went back to skinning the deer head he was working on. Demetri poked his head in through the back, checking in on his younger brother.

“I’m pleasantly surprised to see your almost finished” the older man commented.

“I’m not incompetent, you know this.” Cade glared at his brother.

“It was a compliment, but if you’re going to be hostile about it-“

“What do you want Sully, or did you come back here just to shadow me?”

Sully lets out a sigh.

“I was going to tell you perhaps I was too harsh the other day. You’ve shown initiative and have taken this first week of suspension quite well. All things considering.”

“But I had to go and run my mouth, got it. So what, now I have to work here when I’m back at school too?”

Demitri slowly pulls the clever out of his hand and places it flat on the metal table. Forcing the youngest boys attention to be solely on him.

“You done?”

Cade just nods, letting out a huff.

“A friend of mine brought it to my attention, that perhaps it would be beneficial for you to socialise more with other children your age. I didn’t have many friends when I was your age either, and it’s not fair of me to keep you locked up in here all day. You’re free to go.”

Cade fidgeted with his hands, missing the weight of the heavy knife in his palm.

“What’s the catch?”

“You help on the weekends, so I can spend more time with your niece. She’s acting up in school as well and refusing to speak English. Dipper requires more attention.”

“What is with these Americans, now it’s wrong to not want to speak this stupid language? Dipper didn’t do shit.”

“I’m not saying I agree with them, but we have to follow the rules if we want to stay here Cade, you know this. Stop being facetious, you’re plenty old enough to understand how these things work. You remember what father taught you?”

“Of course I do, he only beat it into me everyday.” Cade hissed, “fine. Can I go?”

Sully looked toward the doorway to dismiss the younger boy.

“Tell miss Walker I said hello.”

Cade paused in the doorway, not bothering to look back at his brother.

“How did you-“

“Your ears flush pink when you’re thinking about her- you’re not as immune to human emotions as you think…”

Cade grumbled under his breath, shoving the door open with force and ripping off his apron, throwing it down on the counter. Few people got under his nerves as consistently as his brother and came out of the interaction unscathed.

Cade decided it was best to lay low for a while, and stay on Sully’s good side. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun. He pulled out his phone to text the one person who was worth anything in this town.

Candy:

Those idiots deserved it, nice work by the way. The test and those goons. Study session in the park tonight.

It wasn’t phrased as a question and he hoped Candy would understand that. He wanted to see her tonight, but he knew much studying wouldn’t be done. Cade needed to decompress, his annoyance was on high and she’s the only thing that made a lick of sense to this boy.

[hyacinthian-chateau]

Hello!

Congratulations on 200 followers!!! ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ ♡

Can I request a matchup please?

I’m gemini, ISFP and i can describe myself as a person who have trust issues, so it’s hard for me to open up to people at first. Despite of this i love affections in various expressions. Compliments, hugs, smooches - I really like to show attachment to my family and friends! Even if it seems so clingy tbh.

Sometimes i'm overwhelmed by emotions and i became rude and harsh in communication, for which I later regret. Let's says my mood always changes by unexplained reasons, yeah…

I'm a bit sarcastic and also unconsciously criticize myself by making self-destructive jokes, thanks to my past, but however my small circle of closed friends says that I mostly looks like a chihuahua - just as small, chaotic and bitey in a good way tho. Even if i more on introverted side i'm eccentric and active in some ways. I mean who one day came to work with invoices mustache and beard just because wanted to? Yep, me. A little weird me.

I have specific tastes in everything from eating french fries with ice cream as sauce to non-standard combination of clothes and colors. It maybe sounds oddly but i like strange and absurd memes, dumb puns and black humour, and i quite often use them in conversations.

I adore astrology and mysticism. Some kind of mystery of the world attracts me, gives me ground for reflection, thereby forcing me to spend almost all my free time on it, and I find it really interesting. I also like everything related to maritime culture and mythology. Warm rainy days, autumn season and evening time of day when the sun slowly sets over the horizon. And I also really like such simple little things as cute pebbles that can be found not only on the beach, but also on an ordinary street, key rings and other seemingly unnecessary trinkets.

What about dislikes? Well, at first it’s wasps. Thank God that I didn't have to come into close contact with them. In my opinion, it's better to run from a flock of geese than from a gang of wasps. The second is acute. I can't and don't like too spicy food and dishes. One day I ate very spicy noodles and my lips cried from burning for half an hour. Not a very good feeling, especially when they are cracked...

When I was a little girl, I attended every school circle, but I didn't stay in any of them due to my frequent variability in both character and interests, and it's a little difficult for me to understand which hobby has sunk into my soul more, heh. I knitted, drew, and excelled in sports - everything in a row, but a little. If singing in the bathroom is considered a hobby, then this is one of them that stayed with me throughout my growing up, ha ha. I will give preference to drawing and writing more, perhaps.

I'm sorry, if it came out quite a lot, but I was happy to share! Thank you for your work, I hope you have a lovely day! ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)

Kaeya, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

You and Kaeya unintentionally become entangled with each other.

The Cavalry Captain is an admired figure within the City of Freedom. People who have had the pleasure of either meeting or working with him would describe him as a charismatic and skillful man who could charm anyone. And yet behind the handsome face and flirtatious smile lies much more once when you dig deeper.

Kaeya would have mistaken you for an adventurer when you first met as you dressed so differently--stylishly, if he says so himself--compared to your scholarly counterparts. In the beginning, the eye-patched man barely had the opportunity to speak to you as you were mainly either conducting an experiment, assisting both Albedo and Sucrose in the lab, or busy collecting data in the field.

At first, you've remained cautious of the eye-patched man and maintained a cordial relationship with him like everyone else, that is, until you finally snapped one day. The said man enjoyed stretching your patience as he constantly pokes fun at your shorter stature, which earns him a sarcastic response. At the same time, you attempt to avoid his attempt to use your head as an armrest. From there on, Kaeya decides that you are someone he wishes to banter with more often; He's found another person to annoy, next to Diluc.

Despite all your ribbing, the two of you get along quite well, and the navy-blue-haired male has taken the initiative to become your close associate. He is mindful and learns of your tendency to be moody, leading you to become agitated. He exercises patience and tries to cheer you up in various ways: From treating you to some Sticky Honey Roast, to telling an outlandish story that leaves you doubting the credibility of it all, or inviting you to go for a walk along Cider Lake when twilight approaches. At some point, you had suspected that he had left the Windwheel Asters on your workbench after a hectic work week.

It's sooner rather than later that Kaeya becomes a kindred soul and dubs you a 'Genius' when he gets to taste the mix of alcohol you had been concocting. The two of you also tend to frequent the various taverns with either Rosaria or Venti within the city walls. Despite his relatively high tolerance for alcohol, the sword wielder tries his best to listen when you go on a tangent about Ancient Maritime countries within Teyvat. Still, he can't seem to concentrate on your words when you look so animated under the dim tavern lights; He can't help but think you're absolutely striking as he shoots you a cheeky smile.

The slight change in the Cavalry Captain doesn't go unnoticed. Jean has caught her subordinate staring at you from a distance while you were busy speaking to Mona, a frequent visitor who became your fast friend. She's glad he's taken a liking to you but gently reprimands him when he takes too long to focus back on the task at hand. The resident librarian is also well aware of the fondness Kaeya has for you. Lisa, being the prodigy that she is, has roped several female members of the knights, which even included Outrider Amber and even Captain Eula, into creating a secret couple name if you two ever decide to get together.

The tanned man always offers to let you work within his office when he discerns the first signs of exhaustion on your pretty face. You've always been a lively person, but it's during this time that he doesn't talk much but instead lets you share what's on your mind--Whatever the circumstances are, the said man is more than happy to receive you if you ever decide to visit. By the end of your visit, he finds himself enveloped in a brief hug and a light peck on his cheek as you give him your thanks….If you ever bothered to look back, you would have been greeted by the sight of the usually confident Cavalry Captain's ruddy cheeks as he attempts to process what exactly had just happened.

It is somewhere along the line that Kaeya can't help but feel an odd sensation bubbling in his chest when he thinks about you; He's been experiencing it constantly nowadays. He's observant and calm, but he can't help but dive head first when it concerns you. He knows that despite building a façade, he unconsciously drifts toward you and doesn't understand why exactly. He's also somewhat changed as he allows himself to be genuine with his words and actions while wishing to be the closest to you. Slowly but surely, he's unsure when exactly you started to become a part of him.

There are a lot of hurdles to overcome, but your slight air-headedness whenever he tries to flirt with you somewhat dampens his spirits. Maybe he'll invite you to watch the stars at Starsnatch Cliff tonight. And perhaps even adopt a more direct approach this time around?

Huh? You say he's been acting a bit odd lately? Oho~!☆ Then you should speak to him about it if you're so worried.

Oh, but don't worry. You don't need to search too hard…

╰ ☆☆☆☆╮

[calyxthenerd]

i used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along

“Ey, Poet! carry me, I’m tired!” Aurore demanded

“You know, I’m beginning to think you only like me because I can carry you when your little princess feet can’t handle walking anymore” Luka complained, but complied with her request, as the rest of their friends just watched, curious, at this exchange

“Yo, Luka, are you and weather girl dating?” Nino questioned

“I have name you know?!” Aurore protested, as Luka, Alix, Juleka, Rose, Alya and Zoe burst out laughing

“What’s so funny? It’s a genuine question!” the DJ exclaimed

“It’s nothing, we just thought the answer was really obvious” Alix responded, the ones that knew the truth exchanging secretive glances, remembering their little deal

—————————————————————

A few weeks earlier

“So, we’re all in agreement?” Alya asked, a smirk plastered on her face

“Yup, we’re all going to act like we’re Luka’s partner, except My Chemical No-mans, of course, because that would be gross, we confuse everyone, then, when everyone is tired of our shit, we’ll reveal the polycule” Alix replied, displaying an even bigger smirk, as Rose, Juleka, Alya, Aurore, Luka, Zoe, Kim and Max nodded

—————————————————————

“Ugh, I’m so beat, I need to sit down” Alix whines, promptly flopping down on Luka’s lap

“Okay, what? I thought you were dating Aurore?” Marinette questioned

“I literally never said that” he retorted

“Yeah, Marinette, don’t make assumptions, Marinette” Alix taunted

“Lynx, don’t be mean, I’m sure she wasn’t trying to be rude, right, Marinette?” Aurore chimed in

“I am so confused” the Chinese-French girl let out, looking a little dazed

—————————————————————

“Blue, can you score me an interview with you dad?” Alya asked Luka, when everyone was hanging out at the liberty

“Anything for my favorite girl” he blows her a kiss

“Okay, what the heck?” Adrien was very confused

“What? Can’t I just blow Alya a kiss?” he raised an eyebrow

“No, you can, it’s just- who are you actually dating?”

“Who said anything about dating?”

“So you’re not dating anyone?”

“I didn’t say that either”

“You’re so frustrating!” He grabbed at his hair, grunting

“Thank you, sunshine” he winked, and a few seconds later, his phone went off, with a text:

The Gaang (paris version)

Toph: something you want to share with the group?

Yue: actually, no, there’s nothing I feel the need to share (I’ll update yall if anything comes out of it)

“Well, uh- It wasn’t a compliment!” Adrien stammers, flustered

Katara: he’s gonna be our Teo

—————————————————————

As he arrived to the park where the hangout was scheduled, Luka saw a banner with the word “intervention” written on it, he looked at the other members of the polycule, and they all just shrugged, before Marinette started talking

“Luka, we’re holding an intervention for you, you’re not leaving until you tell us who you’re dating” she explained

“Oh that’s easy, he’s dating me” Aurore stood up

“And me” Alya followed

“And me” Zoe continued

“I’m his queerplatonic partner” Alix chimed in from Kim’s shoulder

“We’re Alix’s queerplatonic partners” Kim supplied, patting Max’s knee

“We were dragged into it” Rose said, pointing at herself and Juleka

“Yeah, I was wondering why you were flirting with me, while we were all sure you had a girlfriend, but now it makes sense” Adrien rubbed his neck nervously

“We talked it over, and… I’d really like you to be my boyfriend, sunshine, if you want” the blue haired boy looked at Adrien

“Of course I want that!” He jumped on the taller boy’s arms, grinning

“And that’s how you fix that” Marinette said, looking directly at you reading this

—————————————————————

The names of everyone in the chat:

Alix: Toph

Alya: Suki

Aurore: Katara

Juleka: Mai

Kim: Aang

Luka: Yue

Max: Sokka

Rose: Ty Lee

Zoe: Zuko

Bonus:

Adrien: Teo

[tehuti88-art]

3/3/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Cities In Western Germany." I had to not think about this too much. Straight lines drive me crazy.

...

This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Lance Corporal Mahogany Rat. He's better with numbers and lists than with people, but he means well. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding his design, I wasn't entirely committed to his appearance yet so gave him longer fur to set him a bit apart.

TUMBLR EDIT: I haven't a lot of background info on LC Mahogany yet, as he's not a major character. I know more about his current personality than anything.

I'll say upfront that Mahogany is on the autism spectrum, though of course he has no official diagnosis considering the time period of the story (1930s/40s); his behavior and abilities are just considered "quirks" of his personality by everyone around him. (He shares some traits with SS commandant Konstantin Klaus, one reason Klaus's unusual ability to recall long lists of numbers and data resonates with him, though unlike him, I don't believe Klaus is on the spectrum, he's just asocial and has this one weird talent. I could always be wrong, though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) He's not good with people as he just doesn't "get" them, thus he often does or says things others find hurtful or offensive, without realizing it; when called out on it afterwards, he feels remorse, as he really doesn't mean to be rude, just that he's painfully honest and can't understand why others wouldn't be. This rules out him being prime soldier material, but it does make him good behind the scenes, dealing with the massive amounts of data and information the other Rats, such as Silver, bring back to Headquarters. The Rats are constantly dealing with both large numbers of refugees, and secret information on the Nazis' medical projects; somebody has to keep this stuff sorted out. Much of this falls on Mahogany--and while he may suck at dealing with people, he's excellent at dealing with information.

Mahogany is one of the characters in the opening chapters of the attempted reboot in the early 2000s, when he was a relatively new character (he didn't exist in the original version). I'll here include his introductory chapter. The woman he's dealing with later came to be named Helena Urbach, and she becomes a recurring character of mild importance herself; though as you can see, originally she had a different name and mildly different circumstances. I believe in the current version she's seeking her husband, not a little girl, though it's still a developing storyline. (I may end up having her looking for both.)

Here is that entire chapter; incidentally, it was the final chapter finished before I stopped writing. More info to follow.

14: MAHOGANY

THE RAT DRESSED in dark blue held a megaphone to his mouth with one hand, gesturing with the other hand in the air. He pointed to his side in a sweeping motion and his voice carried across the giant room.

"Everyone entering please form a line to your left." He repeated the sentence in German, then in Polish, Romany, French, Russian. Following this, the majority of people milling about drifted to the left of the room, though their looks were just as confused as before. Even with the megaphone he could barely be heard above the noise. Down in the corner, a small tumult started, and he lowered the megaphone, craning his neck to see.

Another Rat, his cape a reddish-brown, stood at a long table bent over a stack of papers. He rolled his eyes at the noise and let out an irritated sigh. "Now what?"

"I'll go see," the Rat in blue said, jumping down. The second Rat lifted his head and waved his hand.

"Whenever you or anyone else gets the chance to get out of here, go find whoever's in charge of typing out those forms! I should have had them hours ago. If we had them now we wouldn't even have to be going through all of this!"

The Rat in blue just waved back at him and pushed his way toward the commotion. He started talking in German, only to realize that wasn't the language being spoken; as soon as he recognized it he grimaced and glanced back at the second Rat.

"Romany. I only know a few words. If you want a negotiator, you want Copper."

Another grimace. The second Rat had to yell to make himself heard. "Just make whatever you can out of it and get the line moving!"

The Rat in blue shrugged. He turned back to the woman who talked loudly, almost shrieking. He used hand gestures more than once. From what little Mahogany knew of Romany, he could tell...Sapphire knew just about as little as he did.

"Problem?" Sapphire said in German, then grimaced and snapped his fingers a few times. "Trouble?" he said in Romany. A few more snaps. "Line to left, give name. All in order. In line."

The woman, noticing he was talking to her now, grabbed onto his cape and started yammering in his face. She was short and stout, with dark hair and a round face, but Mahogany could tell her grip on the taller Sapphire was a powerful one from the panicked look the Rat got. He grasped her hands and tried pulling them free, attempting to cut her off a few times. Only a few of the words she cried out made it through to either of them, but they eventually got the message.

"Ah, boy." Sapphire made a face. "You might want to hurry up on those papers! She's looking for her daughter. I'm not sure if there's another by her name. I'm not even sure I got what her name is!"

"Just TALK TO HER while I try to get this all sorted!!"

Sapphire rolled his eyes and sighed. He managed to get himself free of the woman's grasp and started snapping his fingers, a habit of his that Mahogany had noticed whenever he was trying to think of something. He managed a few more snippets in Romany, lapsing into German every so often in the hopes the woman would understand. Mahogany growled to himself and picked up the megaphone the other Rat had vacated, blaring over the crowd.

"SOMEONE FIND ME COPPER AND GET HIM IN HERE NOW!"

The megaphone whined with feedback and everyone cringed. A few Rats who had been directing traffic near the back of the room shook their heads, wincing, but vanished outside. Mahogany dropped the megaphone back onto the table and continued pushing through the stack of papers.

There should have been a lot more of them, and some of them should have been seriously updated. Some of the records were older ones they'd managed to find before the successful raid on the concentration camp. Names, ages, relatives, who knew what was correct and what was erroneous. The Nazis had always been very good at record keeping; that was the one thing Mahogany had to admire about them. They were anal to a fault, and at the moment he did not have the benefit of their analness.

"Those papers should have been here HOURS ago," he muttered to anyone who might be close enough to hear him. A couple of Rats who had appeared near the table to try to help sort out the mess cast him furtive looks but said nothing. "How am I supposed to even get this sorted out if I don't have the right records? I thought Silver was in charge of that?"

"I heard he handed it on to Copper, Sir," a private said.

"Then where is Copper?"

"I...um...heard he handed the job on to Corporal Gold," another Rat said meekly.

Mahogany grated his teeth. "Then where is Gold? And don't even tell me HE handed the job on to someone else!"

"The last I knew he was away from the main office, Sir...I don't know where he went."

Mahogany's teeth felt ready to break off. "Maybe we should just recruit the NAZIS to take care of our records for us!" he snapped, slapping the papers back into a dissheveled pile as if he were beating a sullen mule. "Maybe THEN we'd get something done!"

The two Rats gave him odd looks but again said nothing.

A dot of blue appeared in the sea of drab colors, and Sapphire waved his hand and pointed. Mahogany spotted Copper trailing after him, nudging his way through the crowd; he stood up and waved the other Rat over and practically had to yell at him to make himself heard.

"A woman over there, speaking only Romany. Sapphire seems to think she's looking for a relative. Where are those papers I was promised? How do I end up with the refugees but not the papers?"

"Gold was taking care of them. The last I heard, he was having trouble with the typewriter."

Mahogany bared his teeth this time. "Just call in someone who reads German well and screw the damn typewriter! He can transcribe the stupid things LATER! And for the love of God, try to figure out what that woman is talking about, already!"

Copper shrugged and stepped away. Sapphire waved to catch Mahogany's attention.

"I can read German!"

"Well GOOD FOR YOU," Mahogany barked in response. "You make your country proud. Track down Gold and get those papers and make yourself useful for a change!"

Sapphire looked offended. "Hey, I was useful..." But Mahogany didn't catch the rest of what he said, as he turned away muttering to himself, vanishing back into the crowd. The other Rat let out a sigh and slumped back in his uncomfortable metal chair, pulling loose a few papers and trying once more to make sense out of them.

When the refugee area had been set up, nobody had been incredibly willing to take over the duties of admitting the freed prisoners of the camps. Now, it was obvious why. Overseeing the admission of refugees was probably the most stressful and frustrating job in the entire battalion, and most days Mahogany couldn't even remember why he'd taken it. He guessed it was simply because if he hadn't, no one else would have. By now he practically dreamed in terms of long lists of names and numbers. Whenever he closed his eyes that seemed to be all he could see anymore. There weren't any faces attached; he didn't bother looking at them, for the most part. There were just too many to keep track of; names and numbers were more efficient than dealing with the actual people. He preferred to leave that to the others; they could deal with the refugees as much as they wanted once he was done gathering their information. Most of them stayed only a few weeks, at the most, before being moved out to make way for new ones. The Rats had just about perfected a way of getting them out of the country unnoticed, not that that was any of Mahogany's business. Names, numbers, birthdates, this was all he dealt in. And even that was hard enough.

He could hear Copper talking with the Gypsy woman, calming her down, and the other Rats worked to get the lines moving smoothly again...at least, as smoothly as they could. After a few more moments Sapphire reappeared with some papers--again, not nearly as many as Mahogany knew were warranted, but at least it was a start. He could always send him back for the rest of the records when they ran out.

Sapphire started calling names, and one by one people started coming forward. Mahogany wrote down their names when they were called, then spoke to them tersely when they approached.

"Number," he said; an arm was held out toward him and he looked at the number tattooed upon it, jotting it down and moving to the next line in the record. "Age."

"Forty-three."

"Move along." He waved to the right and Number 317409, Age 43, disappeared from his view. He wrote down the next name Sapphire called, even without really listening to it--he never listened to the names aside from writing them down. It was too easy to get caught up in names.

"Number." He glanced at the arm held out before him. "Age."

"Twenty-seven."

"Move along." Another jotted annotation in the records. This went on for a while without further incident. One by one the refugees pulled up their sleeves to show their arms and then moved along. He could have identified them by the numbers marked there, but not by their faces. It didn't matter much anyway, as they would be out of here soon enough; copies would be made of their records, and it would be up to whoever's hands they fell into to sort out where they should go afterwards. None of that was Mahogany's concern.

He jotted down a name. "Number."

A slender arm was presented to him and he wrote down the number. "Age."

"Twenty-three."

"Move along."

"Ex...excuse me..."

Mahogany blinked, his bland concentration broken. The numbers weren't supposed to speak aside from answering his questions. He lifted his head and saw a young dark-haired woman staring back at him, her eyes shadowed and her face gaunt. She was still holding out her tattooed arm, so yes, she was in fact the one who had spoken.

"What?" Mahogany asked with a twinge of irritation.

The woman hesitated a little bit. "I'm...I'm wondering if anyone else with my name has come through here...in particular a little girl..."

"Name?" He looked down at the record and read the name he'd written down automatically a moment before. Kurtzer. Then he snapped himself out of his daze and pushed the record aside, picking up the next. Sapphire looked down at him as if wondering whether to continue calling. "Hundreds of people pass through here every week, ma'am. I only take down their records. I can't keep track of everyone's name. Next."

"I...I see." The woman cast her gaze down and turned away, pulling her sleeve back over her tattoo. "Thank you anyway," she added, before following the line. Sapphire called out the next name, which Mahogany wrote down.

"Number. Age."

"Fifty-two."

"Move along. Number. Age."

"Forty-four."

"Move along. Number. Age..."

Eventually, as expected, Sapphire's stack of papers ran out, and he had to interrupt the proceedings to go get the rest. Mahogany took a moment to take the growing stack beside him and set it in a basket under the table so it wouldn't get knocked over. The rest of the refugees stood on the other side, milling about uneasily; Copper had made his way to the very back of the room and had apparently spoken with everyone who still had some lingering doubts as to whether it was better to be here or back in the camp. At least no one was screaming anymore. Mahogany rubbed at his head and wished for some aspirin. He felt tempted to glance up to see how many were left to be processed, but stopped himself from doing so lest he see their faces looking back at him. Instead, he found himself reaching into one of the other metal baskets that had previously been filled with personal records from the rest of the week. It was almost overflowing, and would need to be put in order and sent out soon with the latest batch of freed prisoners.

He picked up the stack of papers and set them on his lap, paging through them. They had been placed in alphabetical order, and he headed for the K's. Once he reached them he slowed down a bit to look more carefully over the names he'd written there himself. Katzenberg. Kirsch. Klein. Kozminski.

No Kurtzer.

Mahogany blinked. He sighed in irritation, shaking his head, and dropped the papers back into their basket, pushing it back under the table. It had been a stupid thought to follow anyway. Numbers were easier to deal with--cleaner, more efficient, and without faces and thoughts attached. He hated dealing with names. Another batch of papers was arriving from Headquarters, and he waved at the refugees again, directing them to get back in line until they were done.

He didn't lift his eyes from the paper aside to look at the multitude of tattooed numbers being flashed at him, and he didn't remember a single one of the rest of the names called out that night.

All righty. LOTS of that is hopelessly outdated, though this scene is still meant to take place. Current Mahogany is not nearly so much of an a-hole. He's flustered and frustrated and terse but not a jerk like this. (He also doesn't tend to order others around like this older version, he's a follower.) Gold still has trouble with the typewriter (partly because he's bad at typing, then later because the replacement "typewriter" he's given from a Nazi raid is in fact something called an Enigma machine). The character later named Helena Urbach, not Kurtzer (older than 23, BTW!), still stops to ask Mahogany if anyone else named Urbach has passed through, this time, an older man (her husband, though she doesn't say this). This line, which perfectly encapsulates Mahogany's thought process, still occurs: The numbers weren't supposed to speak. Mahogany still brusquely, though without malice, informs Helena he can't help her and she moves on; he does a quick search, finds no other Urbach. Tells himself to move on too.

Except the woman sticks in his head for some reason. At one point when he mentions how the people passing through HQ are just lists of numbers to him, Gold takes him to task for it: "You're thinking like THEY think!"--"they" meaning the Nazis. Mahogany, deeply wounded by this comment, denies it, but the longer he thinks about it, the more it grows on him that, well yeah, that IS how the Nazis think. And that bothers him so greatly that he goes digging through the records the Rats keep, then, finding nothing, he looks through the multitude of Nazi records which Silver has stolen and brought to HQ. At last, he comes across an Urbach who fits the details the unnamed woman provided: He died in the camps. Mahogany enlists Copper to help him locate the woman, still being held with the other refugees in Trench Rat custody, and excitedly tells her what he found. He fully expects her to be grateful to get the information; he doesn't understand why her face goes gray as soon as she learns the news. She murmurs a numb "Danke" before leaving. Mahogany's confusion only grows when Copper grasps his arm and hisses under his breath, "Are you some kind of ghoul??" Mahogany asks what he did wrong, he was just giving her the info she was looking for. Copper replies, "You just told her the Nazis murdered her husband. Like you were giving her a present!"

Of course, Mahogany is mortified--it hadn't even occurred to him WHY she would be asking after someone with the same name as hers, but it makes sense in retrospect, and he knows it should have made sense long before now. He confides in Gold about it; although his opposite in many ways, Gold seems willing to put up with him, and doesn't try to make him feel like an idiot. Gold just confirms what Copper implied and Mahogany is starting to figure out: "You're on a whole other wavelength, you know?" He waves off Mahogany's discouragement with the comment that that's not unique, all of them have their quirks, such as Doomsday, and Burgundy, and Turquoise; they've figured out how to deal with others (or not deal with them, as in Turquoise's case), surely he can too. Apologizing to the refugee lady might be a good start.

Mahogany does so the first chance he gets. He explains his reasoning, feels wounded all over again when the woman says his way of thinking of people like numbers is exactly the way the Nazis think. She seems to understand, however, when he tries to describe his difficulty dealing with faces, names, personalities--he means no harm, lists and numbers are simply what make the most sense to him, though he knows now how that can be offensive. Unlike the Nazis, he knows there are actual people behind the numbers, he's just not sure how to deal with them. She accepts his apology, adding, "If you want to better know a person behind a number, it's all right for you to ask." She tells him her name--Helena--so she's not just a number anymore. And makes sure he knows that, despite his sh*tty delivery, she really is grateful that he went to the trouble of finding out what had become of her husband. Mahogany is curious, and asks her: "Does it make it hurt less...? Now that you know?" Helena pauses a moment before replying, "Nein...it hurts the same. But it helps."

Mahogany doesn't really get it. But he decides to take her word for it.

Mahogany gets many chances to see the awful realities of the war firsthand, many times over, in his dealings with the people the Rats rescue. He has an advantage over the others, and it shows up over time--despite all the awful things he sees, it doesn't wear him down the way it wears down the others. He's able to keep a healthy sense of distance and offer his observations without an overly emotional aspect. He isn't emotionless--far from it--but things don't get to him the same way they do to others. This puts others off if they don't know him well, but the other Rats realize how useful it can be, the main reason he often accompanies Gold or others in their dealings with strangers or unpleasant situations so he can give his impartial impression of things. He still has no real clue how to best deal with people without inadvertently offending them, though he starts to learn how to hold his tongue when in doubt.

Mahogany has to gather and go over the records and files the Rats get hold of as a result of their final raid on Project Doomsday headquarters. The fallout of this raid is massive and unexpected; the Rats end up with not only the gruesome death of Dr. Kammler, the one in charge of the project, but with a valuable prisoner--SS Captain Otto Himmel--and two rescuees, Lance Corporal Teal Rat and Corporal Drake Rat, who've been in Nazi custody for years. Despite his position as project supervisor, Himmel quickly proves cooperative: He wants to see Kolten, a Doomsday test subject previously rescued by the Rats, and then he'll tell them everything they want to know. Mahogany got to meet Kolten before he was relocated to a safe location; the Nazis' "superweapon"--a person with excessive strength, stamina, ability to withstand pain, and an imposing size and violent temper to go along with it--turns out to have the mentality of a child. His violent fits are merely temper tantrums akin to those a toddler might throw--it's just that they're a lot scarier when it's a hulking adult with artificially enhanced strength throwing them. Black Rat figures this out first; Mahogany has to deal with him a few times, and sees a bit of himself in Kolten's detached view of the world. When he's not lost in his own thoughts, or in the middle of an angry fit, he's very observant, and displays savant-like skills. Mahogany is one of the voices to suggest that Kolten isn't a threat when handled properly, and he should be able to tolerate living with the host parents who agree to take him in. Kolten indeed does well at the Albrechts' farm, readily settling into a life of simple routine--like Mahogany, he's most comfortable when things are laid out for him and he knows what to expect. The Rats go a long while without hearing about him.

So of course when Himmel requests to see him, it catches Mahogany's attention. The others assume he's simply interested in how the project turned out, but Mahogany senses something else. He just doesn't know what. The Rats press Himmel a bit harder but he shuts down and refuses to answer any questions, so they ponder granting his request--as project supervisor, he could be full of priceless information regarding the experiment and its victims. Mahogany knows Kolten can likely handle the situation, but Himmel is a wild card. He and Turquoise Rat stop by the SS officer's cell to get a look at him. The Rat keeping watch says Himmel hasn't slept, hasn't eaten, has barely touched his water, hasn't moved from his seat. Mahogany peeks at him before Himmel sees they're there, notices the look on his face as he stares across his cell; as soon as the two Rats step into view, his head pops up, and his expression changes--spite and resentment. Mahogany asks if he wants to see Kolten, takes note of the flicker in Himmel's eyes; then asks why he wants to see him, and takes note of the hardness that covers it up again. Himmel simply echoes his request, adding, "Tell your supervising officers that until then, I have nothing more to say," and clams up once more.

Mahogany reports back that he believes there's no way Himmel will talk unless his request is granted--but it isn't mere interest in the project motivating him. He has some sort of emotional attachment, even though Mahogany can't tell what it is. Turquoise, who's skilled at picking up on others' feelings, confirms this, adding that whatever Himmel's connection is to Kolten, it's a very close one. (Turquoise actually had a run-in with Himmel earlier in the series and already knows there's more to him than it appears, including his connection to Kolten, but for reasons of his own he keeps specifics to himself.) They both agree: Himmel is likely to keep his word if they grant his request. The Rats accordingly take Himmel out to the farm where Kolten is staying, and the two meet face to face. I don't think Mahogany is there but he of course learns of it afterward; Kolten is Himmel's son, who was forced into the project against Himmel's wishes. Himmel never tried to have him rescued following his capture by the Rats, as he knew he was far safer in their custody--the Nazis, and the SS in particular, make a routine of murdering the mentally infirm, and Himmel's entire existence revolves around keeping Kolten safe. Just as theorized, once Himmel gets to see his son and know he's doing well, he keeps his promise, and starts telling the Rats everything he knows. And he knows a lot.

The rescue of Drake and Teal, meanwhile, is a very big deal. They've been held captive by the Nazis and also forced into the Doomsday Project despite not meeting its standards; Drake theorizes that Dr. Kammler was acting out of pure spite. He talks to them without any teeth--Kammler had them all pulled, sans anesthesia, just because. Drake is obviously badly traumatized by his years of mistreatment, but is better equipped to handle it than Teal, plus, as a Jew whom Kammler outright despised, he never went through the same level of gaslighting and emotional torture that Teal, who was designated a special status political prisoner, suffered. Drake has always been considered solely a victim of the Nazis. Teal is an utter mess. It wasn't just that, as a special detainee, he was granted certain rights AND subjected to torture at the same time, hopelessly confusing him--upon his rescue and Kammler's capture, he first embraced the captive doctor and cried, then after learning the project was ended, pulled out a shiv and stabbed him to death. It's also that, for a long while, he was believed by the Rats to be colluding with the Nazis, providing useful information such as the location of Headquarters. (Corporal Anna Julian was in fact the one who did this.) While Teal admits he did help get Silver Rat temporarily captured and tortured, he denies any other sort of collusion right up to the end--asking Burgundy, the chief surgeon, to apologize to Silver on his behalf, before grabbing a scalpel and jamming it in his own neck.

Gold (who's assumed command of the Trench Rats following Black Rat's death) and Mahogany head to the medical ward upon being called, finding Lance Corporal Lyndsey Skye tending to a rattled Drake (in the bed next to Teal's, he witnessed the whole thing), then a pale-faced, blood-spattered Burgundy, and medic LC Amaranth, standing by Teal. The other two Rats are caught off guard by the gruesome sight; Burgundy explains that when he tried to stop Teal first from stabbing himself, then from pulling the scalpel out, Teal made eye contact and shook his head, yanking the blade from his neck and quickly bleeding out despite Burgundy's and Skye's efforts. The look he gave was plain--he didn't want Burgundy to help him. Burgundy requests that they go through the Trench Rats' records and ascertain Teal's religion and next of kin, if he has any preferences regarding disposal of his body. Gold and Mahogany depart, mute, though as they walk away Mahogany murmurs, "Why did he do it?--do you think?" "Guilt," Gold says. "But he was a prisoner, he had no choice," Mahogany says, to which Gold replies, "Exactly."

Mahogany doesn't really get it, but he can tell Gold is bothered--indeed most of the Rats are feeling guilty over the fact that they effectively wrote Teal off as a traitor, and didn't try as hard as they should have to free him--so volunteers to search the records himself. Teal was one of the original Battalion, and many of their records were damaged or lost in the same Nazi attack that was blamed on him. If there's anything to find, though, Mahogany will find it. He buries himself in the records, comes up for air some hours later, vaguely discouraged. He did find Teal's records, but there was very little to find. Teal has no religion listed in his file. Even worse, he has no next of kin, no family listed. Even the Trench Rats, whom he'd fought for and refused to turn on all those years, didn't miss him when he was gone. Drake had his faith, somebody who loves him, and the support of his fellow soldiers to keep him going, but Teal had nothing. Mahogany finally thinks he understands why, so soon after gaining his freedom, he just gave up. In addition to his guilt over Silver's capture (the one thing for which he WAS responsible), he didn't have anything to live for.

Mahogany presents Teal's sparse records, asks what do they do now. After some thought, it's decided to bury Teal in Germany, as the Rats can't justify the difficulty of transporting his remains through enemy territory when he has nobody to take custody of them. Mahogany offers to help Gold find a location out of the way somewhere. They bundle up Teal's body, place him on a cart, and head into the woods. While they're scouting around for a decent location, they run across a rat dressed in a German uniform and gas mask; he startles them at first, before they remember who he is. His identity is unknown but he's assisted them several times in the past; they assume he's a partisan who wishes to keep his identity secret, perhaps to unnerve the Germans the same way the Trench Rats once did with their Prussian-style uniforms. He gestures at the cart they're pulling, seeming curious about what's upon it. Despite their unease, they pull back the sheet enough for him to see Teal's face. The stranger in the gas mask seems dismayed; though when Mahogany mentions why they're transporting him through the woods, he gestures for them to follow him. Puzzled, they do so...and end up pulling, pushing, lifting, and dragging the cart over and under hillocks and roots and boulders and pits until a splashing sound catches their attention. Ahead is a fall of water descending from a high crevice in the limestone and forming a shallow pool below. Gold and Mahogany admire the sight for a moment before Gold says, "What is this place...?" The stranger in the gas mask replies in a muffled voice, "He's [Teal's] the one who found it."

The two Trench Rats are startled--the stranger has never spoken a word before now. He takes off his gas mask and Mahogany excitedly grasps Gold's arm. Although Gold doesn't recognize the stranger, he does, from his previous search of their records. It's Sergeant Camo Rat, who was captured at the same time Drake was, yet had escaped Nazi custody not long after. He's informally connected with the resistance effort, who advised him that if he returned to the Trench Rats too soon he might attract another attack; he decided to work from a distance trying to keep the Nazis away. Now that he's learned his corporal has been rescued and Project Doomsday dismantled, there's no point maintaining his disguise. He's on hand later when the Rats interrogate Himmel, as shortly following their capture, Himmel had shot and killed Anna Julian in front of Camo and Drake and Camo wants to know why; Himmel reveals she was the traitor, not Teal: "That poor Sonderhäftling [special detainee] you were all so quick to blame? He had nothing to do with it. He was just your perfect scapegoat. All those years loyal--for nothing. You rewarded a traitor instead."

Gold, Mahogany, and Camo bury Teal near the waterfall. After the war's end, the Rats disperse, most heading back home to the US, though a handful remain in Germany to sort out their final affairs. Himmel is tried by a military tribunal, which finds him guilty of belonging to a criminal organization (the SS) but clears him of other charges, even his extrajudicial killing of Julian, as she'd been turned by the SS herself, led to the death of scores of Americans, and according to multiple witness accounts was going to be involved in more. (Himmel actually killed her to protect Kolten.) Stripped of his rank and honors and left without a home, he returns to the Albrechts' farm to see his son. Gold (a sergeant now) and Camo are left in charge of going through the property and vast number of records left behind by the Allgemeine-SS; Mahogany again volunteers. He visits Himmel's old office at project headquarters, is surprised that most of his worldly possessions consist of books--in multiple languages, some banned by the SS--and notebooks of drawings by Kolten. (When Himmel departs after his trial, all he requests are the notebooks, and a single book, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The significance of this isn't lost even on Mahogany.) He then tries to make sense of the SS records; they kept files on most German citizens and on many enemy parties, including the Trench Rats. The records were left in general disarray as the SS fled, but many escaped destruction, and Mahogany does his best to sort them out and put them back together.

He's joined in his efforts by a surprising party: Helena Urbach, who, following her rescue by the Rats, decided to join the Diamond Network and aid the resistance. Learning of the Trench Rats' attempt to sort through the SS records and try to aid remaining survivors, she arrives at the newly repurposed project headquarters and offers her services. Mahogany is glad to learn she's made it, and grateful for her help; the two of them get to know each other better as they sort the records out and locate survivors. She meets Camo Rat as well; the two of them bond over their shared experiences (both lost their spouses and were victimized by the Nazis) and start a tentative relationship.

A few of the Rats who have no strong ties left in the US, and/or who formed close ties in Germany, decide to stay permanently as the country is divided up by the Allies. Drake heads to France with Papillon, a partisan who'd frequently aided the Trench Rats, to recover from his experience; Gold settles down with Mirela, a Romani partisan whose father he and Mahogany had located in a camp. (See Mirela's entry.) Camo stays with Helena, and Burgundy and Skye pair up as well, continuing to provide medical care for those who need it. Himmel moves into an abandoned mansion near the Albrechts and keeps in touch with partisan leader Didrika, former Wehrmacht sniper Ratdog, former Project Doomsday subject Jakob Wolfstein, and the remaining Rats; his home itself becomes an informal gathering place for them all. Mahogany decides to stay as well; despite how scattered everyone becomes, these are the people he knows best, the ones who connected with him and who, like Gold and Helena, accepted him and taught him how to connect in return.

[Mahogany Rat 2023 [‎Friday, ‎March ‎3, ‎2023, ‏‎4:00:19 AM]]

[spideyanakin]

spice up your life (p.g)

horner!reader

requested by // anonymous - the reader is daughter of christian horner and started working for redBull when he was driver. They had some tension between them and when he loses his seat at RB he blames her, but in reality she was arguing with her father to keep him since she saw the potential in him. Later on she also goes to work for AlphaTauri and they don't have good relationship but the truth comes out they have a new start and at the end they end up together.

thank you so much @illicitlimerence-writes for being my beta reader and giving me feedback before I posted it <3

back to main masterlist

pierre gasly masterlist

Oh Pierre.

You didn't even know where to start when it came to him.

Working for your father at Redbull was supposed to be the dream. You'd get to spend more time with him, time with the team. Meet new friends and probably get along with the new promising driver - Pierre Gasly.

But oh boy you were wrong.

Your first day had seemed to go well though.

"Mini spice!" You flinched at the nickname and side-eyed Max in a way to shed your embarrassment, he just grinned at the nickname; it was your dad's favorite thing to call you.

"DAD!" You chuckled, cheeks heating up at the embarrassment. He didn't seem to care, and wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

"You haven't met Pierre yet have you?"

Everything had started off so well. He was so nice, so sweet, so handsome - everything you'd dream to see in a guy.

So you fell for him... and hard.

But little by little he became rude.

You didn't know how or why, but every time something went wrong he would blame it on you.

He'd crash and oh: your fault.

The tiniest problem on his car, he would always blame on you. Tinest frustrations with the team and you'd find yourself with a shower of anger from the french.

Things only got worst when your dad wanted to fire him. Even with the amounts of conversations you'd had with him, about how he should just give him a chance, about how it wasn't entirely his fault everything was going to shits.

But it was useless, and his contract was ended in no time.

And of course he blamed it on you.

He blamed it on you when all you did was trying to make him stay.

So you shoved your feelings for him as far as you could, and blocked out every time your heart did loops when you looked at him. Every time you'd get butterflies in your stomach when he gaze landed on yours.

But new season, new everyone. Pierre was now far from the Redbull paddocks, and you could finally focus on your work without his constant moods.

"Hi honey!" Your mom walked into the kitchen and you turned around, smiling as you handed Lando a water bottle.

"Hey mom."

"You must be Lando, it’s nice to meet you," she greeted and you watched as Lando's face slowly twisted as your mom walked in. You wanted to laugh, you'd never seen Lando starstruck before, and the sight was quite funny.

"Lando-"

"Oh my god it's Ginger Spice" He squealed making your mom giggle.

"Oh well, do we have a fan?" She smirked and Lando furiously nodded his head.

"CAN I GET YOUR AUTOGRAPH!?" You slapped your forehead.

"Sure, darling," your mother chuckled as she grabbed a post-it note from the far end of the counter, signing it before handing it to Lando.

"Than- thank you," he stuttered.

"It's no problem." She smiled, the same charming smiled she used back when she was a Spice girl. "I'll see you two around. Hopefully we will see each other next time race," and then she disappeared again.

"My mom is going to go crazy. Y/n you're like the best friend someone could have."

"Yeah, yeah," you rolled your eyes.

"F1 dad and Spice girl mom. Best of both worlds," Lando gushed.

"Did you just make a Hanna Montana reference?"

"No? I use to watch Jessie." He rolled his eyes and scoffed before showing you his post-it note like a trophy.

"Ok. I got to go," he looked at his watch. "Am I picking you up or is Super Max?." He made eye contact with you for confirmation.

"Max said he'd come," you smiled. "He and my dad have something to talk about apparently."

"Ok," he smiled. "See you at 7 then."

"Yeah." You gave him a thumbs up. "See you at 7."

~

A few hours later and you found yourself waiting in a pretty blue dress and pretty heels, a fancy purse accompanied by your favorite jewelry.

Your father started at you up and down as you walked into the living room.

"Supporting Alpine all the sudden?"

"No," you chuckled. "Far from it actually."

"Hmm," but his thought process was cut off by the sound of Max's race car coming into your driveway.

Your dad gave you a weird look as he spotted the Dutch driver exiting his sports car - his outfit almost as fancy as yours.

"If you finish the night with one of my drivers I swear I will fire you from Redbull."

"Dad!"

"Scratch that - any driver of the grid," he tapped your shoulder and left to open the door.

You gave him a weird look before following him. Max had a bright smile on his face and an envelope in his hand. They shared a joke before Max handed him the orange envelope.

"Is this why you came instead of Lando?" You raised an eyebrow. "A piece of paper?"

"An important piece of paper," your dad continued as he read the label and started opening it.

"Why you're not happy to see me?" Max pouted.

"I am. Don't think I'm not. But Lando lives 10 minutes away from here - the trip would have been easier for him than you."

"Ah well," he grinned before placing an arm around your shoulders - something he often did just to annoy your dad. "Here I am."

You made eye contact with your dad who was already burning holes through Max's head. "He has a girlfriend, dad. And it's not me, so no need to get mad," you shook your head.

"I know. Anyways, have fun." he leaned to open the door for the two of you. "But not too much. Max, I'm putting you in charge of watching over her."

"More like me watching over him," you grumbled.

"I promise I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Well, that promise would soon be easily broken.

Before you knew it you walked into to the club, Max's arm loosely wrapped around your shoulders.

"Hey no one warned me she would be here, and looking this hot." The second you stepped foot into the place and found your friend group - your were quick to be greeted by Lance.

"You did know I was coming, and you have a girlfriend," you replied as you hugged him for a greeting. "So don’t try to seduce me for a Redbull seat."

"Mini Spice!" George came straight to hug you.

"Saturday man."

You greeted the rest of the group until you were face to face with Pierre. You froze. He seemed to do so as well.

You didn't know why you couldn't even bring yourself to say hi. You could usually pretend at least. Kiss both his cheeks in his usual french formality, and pretend to get along for the rest of the group's sake. But something in the air felt different tonight. Maybe it was in the way his gaze on you seemed more intense, deeper. Or maybe it was in the fact that you hadn't seen him in weeks. That he had barely left your thoughts.

Maybe it laid in the fact that you had tried to hate him with everything in you, that you had walked into that club tonight promising yourself that you didn't like him anymore. That your feelings were long gone, that they were buried twenty thousand feet under the ground.

In the promise you had made to yourself that you hated him. Like a mantra that played on repeat, you hated him and he was just another one of those stupid guys that you'd end up forgetting in a few years.

But dammit his eyes made it hard to remember your promises. Top of his shirt left unbuttoned and hair brushed to the side. All the air was taken from your lungs and you couldn't move. The anger that you had for him bubbling up, but another feeling you really didn't like was getting in the mix.

"Y/n, will you come with me to get a drink?" A sigh of relief escaped you as Max's voice broke the silence.

"Yeah," you didn't look back as you followed him to the bar.

Hours later and you were all dancing, trying your best to get Pierre off your mind. Everyone had scattered around the club, glasses had been emptied and refilled multiple times. You didn't know why you tried to avoid Pierre as much as you did tonight. You could usually stan at least being in the same room as him. So you clung to Max, almost like a koala, terrified of him leaving you alone and potentially having to face the french man.

"Are you trying to actually date me, because I'm sorry to tell you Y/n/n, but I have a girlfriend." Max joked and pointed with his eyes to your hand that gripped his back.

"No," You shook your head and looked around, the quick move making you dizzy with the amount of drinks you had chugged down. "I- just- there's someone I don't want to bump into and I don't want to lose you in case I do indeed bump into them," your drunken state caused you to grip the back of his shirt a little tighter.

"Hmm," he raised an eyebrow - knowing very well who you were trying to avoid. Before he could say anything, Lando waltzed over, drink in hand and a mischievous glim in his eyes.

"Oh, what did you do?"

Before he could answer the DJ started to scream for all your attention.

"Someone has just Informed me that Geri Halliwell’s daughter was in the crowd." The DJ grinned as he looked around. No one seemed to know it was you but they all cheered. "She was also known as Ginger Spice. So as a beautiful tribute, here is one of the most iconic songs ever."

"I hate you!" You screamed to Lando who furiously giggled into his glass.

"You love me!"

"Oh my god," you whined as the familiar notes played.

"C'mon mini spice." Max winked and bumped your shoulder to push you further onto the dance floor.

Your hand lost the grip it had on him, and panic flooded you when you lost sight of him. Instead, you met Pierre's eyes - anger and resentment flashing through you. He nodded towards the dance floor as if to tell you 'go on'

This made your blood boil and a wish to prove yourself flooded through you - but that might have just been the alcohol in your system. How dare he challenge you like that?

You chugged the last of your drink but maybe that was the one thing not to do. Max had finally reappeared next to you and you grabbed him by the arm, dragging him onto the dance floor.

You didn't know why you had chosen Max as your dance partner. Maybe because he had been was the closest dance partner you could find. Or maybe it was your poor, ridiculous attempt at making Pierre jealous, but that would be stupid--everyone knew you and Max were like siblings.

But you didn't care, not right now. Not when you knew Pierre's eyes were on you, and the alcohol had seemed to take over.

That's when everything started to get blurry.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT" The lyrics left your lungs by themselves.

You danced with Max but you were both so drunk you quickly got new dance partners.

You didn't know how it happened - or probably why it happened. He was probably too drunk to control his actions and so were you. But soon enough Pierre's arm wrapped around your waist and you turned around to face him, and suddenly you were dancing together.

That damn song.

"If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends," you giggled as you sang the lyrics.

Pierre seem to take the lyrics to heart, but so did you.

"Make it last forever, friendship never ends - If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give - Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is" your hands had seem to find their way to his hips.

"Is that so?" He drunkenly whispered in your hear as he took your hand in his and twirled you around.

After your twirl, you were back in front of him - so close your lips were about to touch.

This time when you met his eyes you felt bolts of electricity passing through you. Your anger faded away and you were left with that same feeling you dreaded so much. The butterflies you had caged bursting out and fluttered harder than ever in revenge. You gulped.

You didn’t know what took over you, swaying your hips side to side as you felt his hands travel on your body, pulling you closer to him.

"So, here's a story from A to Z" you sang again, looking at him with a certain seriousness in your eyes. "You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully," you pointed to his chest "We got Lando in the place who likes it in your face, You got Max like Charles who likes it on a, Lance doesn't come for free, - and as for me, ha you'll see" You both chuckled at your change of lyrics.

Before you could sing again, he leaned in and kissed you.

"I think I can deal with your friends." He whispered on your lips, and the worst part was that you kissed him back. You kissed him back with everything in you.

You didn’t know how the rest happened.

Maybe it was the way his lips moved on yours, or the way the DJ chose a set of songs to go after this one that didn’t help your desire for him.

But you did end up finishing the night with a driver.

~

You both pretended that night never happened.

You left his hotel room before you could even share a word, and after that, your death glares and bad attitudes toward each other seemed to only get worst.

What didn’t help is that your dad had changed you to Alpha Tauri a month later. He said they needed more help on Alpha and you had spent too much time at Redbull already, and a so-called 'change of scenery' would do you good. So you obliged to his will - not being able to tell him why you truly dreaded going there.

"Hey Yuki." You fist bumped with him and his bright smile warmed your heart from your dreaded workplace.

You continued your way toward the coffee machine, eyes still stuck on Yuki as you threw funny faces at each other. Making you not look in front of you where Pierre was coming back from the coffee machine himself. But he wasn't looking where he was going either, and you collided into each other, hot coffee spilling on your white sweater.

You squealed as the warm drink came in contact with you, causing you to break eye contact with Yuki.

You lifted your head to meet the eyes of the person you bumped into - and your blood started boiling when you met the electric blue eyes you passed your days trying to forget.

For a second his eyes were soft, he wanted to apologize but all the words died in his throat. Suddenly his gaze hardened and he remembered that he lost his Redbull seat because of you. That you hadn't fought for him when his dad was beating him up for his mistakes. That he wasn't given a second chance because you didn't help him, and you probably wanted him out of the team so your best friend forever: Max, could have all the glory

"You could watch where you’re going." his tone was dry and hard, it hit you right in the chest.

"Im not the one who should be careful! You're walking with boiling coffee!" You screamed and walked away towards the office around the motor homes where they kept the extra Alpha Tauri gear for staff.

Pierre still stood frozen as tree. Yuki who had watched the whole scene clicked his tongue and shook his head at the French.

"Bad."

"I know," Pierre's shoulder slacked in defeat. He couldn't help it. He wanted to be nice to you, but he knew he had to protect himself. He couldn't allow himself to fall for you, he couldn't take the jump, knowing you wouldn't catch him on the other side. You were Horner's daughter, of course, it was in your DNA to hate him and be on your dad's side. So he had to find a way to push you away.

"AGH" you wanted to scream, cry--anything to get the frustration out of your system.

You got changed, still grumbling from how mad Pierre had made you, and came back just to sit in the back of the paddock, trying to get as much away from Pierre as possible while still attempting to do your job and help the team get ready for the race.

"Drive to survive comes out tomorrow," one of the mechanics grinned as he took a seat next to you, fixing his shoelace.

"Yeah, I’ve heard." You tried to smile as you placed your hands in your pockets.

In all truths, as much as you loved the show you didn’t know if you could bring yourself to watch any episodes that featured Pierre.

And it was a shame.

~

What you didn't expect was to be woken up by a call from your father the next morning. Your phone buzzed and you frowned when you saw his name.

This made you double check the time - no you weren't late for work.

Weird.

"Hello?"

"Y/n," he never called you Y/n - this must have been bad, really bad.

"Oui?"

"Stop speaking French! This is not helping your case!"

"Sorry?" You chuckled.

"Have you seen drive to survive? Checked Instagram? Twitter? Tik Tok? Facebook?"

"Dad who still uses Facebook?"

"Not the point."

"Ok dad what did Netflix do this time?"

"I'll let you check for yourself."

"Dad? Hello?" Too late. He hung up.

You furrowed your eye brows as your fingers flew to check what he was talking about.

What you didn’t expect was every single social media platform you owned blowing up with the same messages.

Crying at the fact that Y/n did everything to make Pierre stay but her dad still said no 💔

Omg new ship unlocked Pierre and Y/n

DO YOU THINK THEY'RE DATING!?

OMG IF YOU CHECK LANDO'S STORY FROM LAST MONTH YOU CAN SEE THEM DANCE TOGETHER IN THE BACKGROUND

The last one made your heart drop to your stomach. 'fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck'

You scrolled through some posts, and fell on that same video everyone was talking about.

You scanned the video. Lando was probably too drunk to realize what he had done - but it was flagrant. You were in the background - the same hair, the same blue dress you posted a picture of that day.

And you were dancing with Pierre. The worst part of all is that it looked like more than just a dance between friends.

His hands were dangerously low on your back and your faces were too close. If Lando had continued the video he might have even captured the kiss

OH MY GOD THEY'RE DEFO TOGETHER, HOW DID WE NOT SEE IT!

Your palms we're getting sweaty, and your breathing uneven. No one in this world knew about that night apart from you and Pierre. This was bad, very very bad.

Especially when Netflix made you look like you were totally in love with him and ready to do anything for him.

~

You got dressed and flew towards the Red Bull paddocks. The second your dad spotted you - his face fell.

"So you spend the night at Max's after that party?"

"I did dad." you lied.

"Really?"

"Yes!" You didn't know if he was going to see straight through your lie or not, but you were slowly dying on the inside with the way he looked at you. It reminded you of how he would stare at a driver who wouldn't fulfill Redbull's needs.

"Max!" He turned around and called out - your entire body tensed up. "Max can you come here for a second?" You watched as your best friend jogged to you.

"Hey mini spice." He smiled. "What's up, boss?"

"Remember that night I asked you to keep an eye on Y/n?" He wondered and Max didn't flinch or show any weakness - he just nodded.

"Yeah."

"Did she spend the night at your place?" you pleaded him with your eyes. You thanked the heavens that he understood.

"Yeah, I drove her and Lando back at mine after the party."

There was a silence. He stared into Max's eyes and back to you.

"I think you're telling the truth." Your entire body relaxed and you let out a grateful breath.

"Dad nothing happened between Pierre and I." You continued to lie. "I was probably to drunk to remember anything - Max can probably tell you more." Max made a face towards you you would have laughed at in other situations.

"Yeah- I remember." he raised an eyebrow toward you and crossed his arms. "Pierre got a new dance partner and I dragged her out of the club soon after."

You mouthed a 'thank you' when Christian wasn't looking and Max shot you a warning look.

"Can I get back to work now dad?"

"Go on." he sighed and gave a death glare towards the Alpha Tauri paddocks.

Max grabbed your arm once Christian was far off into the distance.

"Is that where you were?" His face lit up with a huge grin. "I thought you hated each other.

"Not the time Max." You shook your head and walked faster, ditching him somewhere between the Red bull and Alpha Tauri paddock.

You kept your head down, trying your best to avoid Pierre's gaze. He had probably seen everything that was blowing up on social media, and that didn't help the nervousness you were feeling.

You greeted Yuki, and checked in with the team - falling into casual conversation with them, but the more you talked the more you felt two eyes burn holes through you back.

You tucked your hands in your pockets again once you were done talking, and made your way towards your new destination. What you didn't expect was the hand that grabbed you and pushed you into a hidden place.

At first you didn't know who it was, but your eyes were quick to focus on the body in front of you.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Pierre's voice shouldn't have affected you that much but it sent a shiver through you.

"Tell you what?" You looked away and shoved your hands back in the pockets of your Alpha tauri jacket.

"What you did for me." He took a step forward and as much as you wanted to take a step back your entire body was telling you to move closer.

"I didn't think it was relevant," you moved your hands from your pockets and toyed with your finger tips. "You wouldn't have believed me."

"Maybe I would have..." He placed a hand on your shoulder, the gesture sending a wave of sparks through your arm. His gaze wouldn't leave you, but you looked down to your shoes--your heart jumping in your chest at the thought of meeting his piercing eyes.

A moment of silence fell in between you and you sighed, closing your eyes.

"I didn't know Netflix had filmed it," you muttered, barely above a whisper.

Pierre chuckled, squeezing your shoulder as he did.

"They film everything, Love. Their job is to get the drama," the smile in his voice was almost contagious, and somehow you felt stupid for not thinking of that sooner.

You finally got the courage to lift your gaze up to meet his.

"I-"

"I'm sorry," he cut you off.

"Please don't apologize-" you put a hand on his chest so he wouldn't continue talking. "I should have told you, explained-"

"No," he shook his head, "let me talk." He squeezed your shoulder again, trying to make his point come across in any way possible. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been rude to you. I blamed it on you because- because it's hard when you're in love with your boss's daughter, and your life is turning to shits on the side." Your heart did a thousand leaps in your chest, all your jumping thoughts freezing--your heartbeat climbing up to your cheeks.

"In love with me..?" You had to make sure you heard him right.

"I didn't show it much, did I?" He looked away, blush creeping on his own cheeks.

His gaze fell back upon yours, sparks flying as your eyes met. Suddenly the hand that was resting on your shoulder felt ten times heavier, while the hand you didn't even remember you still had on his chest felt like it was leaving a burning mark.

"I was dumb. I thought that if I ignored you or pushed you away my feelings would disappear."

You barely managed to process the information, but your body was working faster than your mind. You grabbed him by the shirt and pressed your lips against his.

For once it felt right, like two pieces of a puzzle coming together. A different sparkling feeling than the last time you found yourself in this situation.

"I think I'm kind of in love with you too... I've always been Pierre."

"Now you tell me that you're falling in love, well I never ever thought that would be"

"Are you serious right now? Spice girls lyrics?"

"What? I thought it was relevant!"

[xoxo-teddybear]

Competition - Bakugou Katsuki - Victorious Inspired

Bakugou x f!reader

Warnings: Cursing, Fluff(ish), Crack, Jealous Bakugou, tatted Bakugou Cuz we love a lil spice

Summary: You were doing homework online with your friends when a needy Bakugou wanted your attention and was pouty when he didn’t get it. After Mina slipped up and said something stupid, Bakugou assumed horrible things and went over only to find out something so very comical.

BAKUGOU’S MASTERLIST

You were in your second year of college and the work was killing you. Thankfully, this time around, your assignment was the slightest bit easier, as it was a group project. You, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina were currently working on the project through the computer while being on video chat. The night was still young and you still had plenty to do.

“Okay, after I type in this paragraph, what should the next section be abou-“ You were cut off by the sound of a little French bulldog barking and scampering your way. The cute little black dog jumped onto your lap and made itself comfortable, causing you to look down and smile at it before petting it’s ears.

“Awww, look at the little puppy!” Mina said.

“He’s cute, right? I’m watching him for my neighbor while he’s at his football game.” You explained.

“You live next to a football player?!” The pink girl exclaimed.

“I do,” you said with a smile.

“Figures. I live next to an old man who likes to throw lemons at me!” She ranted. The group all laughed at her before continuing the job.

You all worked and finished about 4 pages of the assignment. While in the midst of the 5th page, your boyfriend requested to join your video chat. “Oop, hold on. Suki’s asking to join.”

You added your junior high school sweetheart to the call and was met with a frustrated pout. “Hi babe!” You squealed.

The group all tried to say their greetings to their friend but he spoke before they could. “Where have you been?”

“What? At home.” You said.

“I’ve been calling you, texting you, and basically blowing up your phone, and you haven’t been answering for hours!” He whined. His friends got a small kick out of seeing their tough friend be a softie for his girlfriend and remained quiet to enjoy the show.

“Sorry. I’ve been doing homework and-“

“What is that? Why do you have that animal on you?” He interrupted and asked as he slanted his eyes towards the small canine.

“It’s my neighbor’s dog,” you said with a pitched voice as you cradled the pup closer, almost like you were defending it’s honor.

“Her neighbor, the football player.” Mina mentioned with a sly voice. You shut your eyes and released a slow sigh as you knew what was coming.

“Football player?!” Bakugou shouted.

“Why? Why would you say that?” You said to Mina with a disappointed tone. She was one of his friends, she knew what the reaction would’ve been.

“Sorry,” she genuinely said.

“Why are you doing favors for some football player and what is he doing for you?” Bakugou seethed.

“There’s nothing going on, he’s just-“

“I’m coming over there.” He blatantly said.

“No- no. You don’t need to-“ without letting you finish, Bakugou signed off and went to get ready for his leave. You sighed at your jealous boyfriend and threw shady eyes towards Mina.

—

Some time had passed and your group had finished the 7th page. Almost done! Thank god for this being a small little assignment. Unfortunately, your boyfriend’s little fuss put you all behind schedule a little and it didn’t help that he finally made his arrival to add a little more drama to the show.

A bang was heard at your door. “Open up Y/N!”

“Uhh, I think you’re getting robbed Y/N.” Kaminari said.

“Nah, it’s just Suki.” You said to the blonde through the screen. You then turned to your front door to speak to your boyfriend who was on the other side. “You’re being ridiculous!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! “I need to talk to you!” He said.

“Sorry, door’s locked!” You replied. Unfortunately, the door busted open and you sighed in frustration. “And now it’s not.”

“He has a key?” Kirishima asked.

“No, he has a foot.” You said and then turned to your boyfriend with a sarcastic but also genuine smile. “Hi baby.”

And now here stood your angry boyfriend, Bakugou Katsuki. He was dressed in his combat boots, a pair of black jeans and a white tee. He held a dark green bomber jacket in his hands that he wore due to the slightly cold weather out in the night. With the jacket off, his fully tatted arms were exposed along with the few tattoos that adorned his neck. He had his silver chain on along with a few rings and his cross piercing on his left ear and a few other random ones on his right. To anyone else, your boyfriend looked like a ruffian especially with his motorcycle that was surely parked out front. He definitely was an attractive man. Girls wanted him, guys wanted to be him, and you felt so blessed to have him and have him want you and only you.

He looked like the typical bad boy who was mean as fuck and also happened to be good at everything he did. In reality, he was just your Suki who was a softie that can be a little tempered at times. Like right now.

“What is going on?!” He asked in frustration.

“You just kicked my door open!” You said as you pointed to the evidence.

“Put the dog down and tell me about this football asswipe who lives next door!” He demanded.

“No! I will not put the dog down!” You said, cradling the sweet baby even closer.

“Oh you’re not?!” He said in a threatening tone but you knew your boyfriend would never do any real harm.

“No! If you want to meet the football player then you can wait to talk to him when he gets back.” You said.

“Then I’ll wait for him!” He said, taking a seat a little bit behind you from your setup on the couch’s ottoman.

“Fine!” You said, turning back to your friends. After a second, you realized something and turned back to face him. “No kiss?”

He only stuck his tongue out at you to which you pouted in anger and did the same before turning around. However, you smiled once you felt him come up from behind you and place a peck on your cheek before going back to his spot on the couch.

“Awwww,” your group of friends cooed to which you and Bakugou both smiled and rolled your eyes.

—

Some more time passed and eventually, Mina and Kirishima both grew too tired (thanks to that college schedule) and signed off for the night. Surprisingly, Kaminari was the one who stayed up with you to continue to do the work and was more than happy to help.

“Guess it’s just you and me.” You said to the electric blonde.

“And me.” Your boyfriend said with sass in the background of your screen.

You and Kaminari continued to work until you got to the 15th and final page. Like what was previously said, very easy, very simple, very short. All you had to do was finish this last page and you’d be done! Unfortunately, the universe had different plans and an expected knock was heard at your door.

“Ouu, is that the football player?” Kaminari cooed and teased knowing Bakugou would hear.

“Yeah,” you laughed. “Come in!” You kindly called.

“Yeah, COME IN!” Your boyfriend rudely said, setting himself up to sit a little straighter and look a little meaner.

To his surprise, in came a young boy who was dressed in his school representative hoodie and a pair of sweats. “Hi Y/N!”

“Hi Ryu!” You said to the young boy who took a seat next to you. “Katsuki, this is my next door neighbor, Ryu. Ryu, this is my boyfriend, Katsuki.”

“Nice to meet you mister!” The boy said with excitement as he looked towards your “scary” boyfriend in the back.

“Hello Ryu.” Your boyfriend said in a defeated tone that he hid with a smile and wave towards the little boy. You smirked at your boyfriend as you recognized his tone. The tone he usually had when you proved him wrong. Ryu being the sweet boy he is also waved towards your friend at the camera to be polite.

“What’s up little man,” Kaminari said as a greeting. Ryu turned to you to pick up his little frenchie.

“Thanks for taking care of Natsu!” He said sweetly.

“Anytime kiddo!” You said, giving him the dog. Ryu pet his pup for a second before looking back at Bakugou and whispering to you. Luckily, it was loud enough for Bakugou to hear.

“Your boyfriend looks really cool!” He whispered excitedly.

“I know!” You whisper-yelled back with a smile. Kaminari let out a little laugh while Bakugou had a sad face. He felt guilty for wanting to come here to beat the shit out of a football player, only for that football player to be a cool lil kid who thought he was pretty cool too.

“Well thanks again! Bye now!” Ryu said before getting up and leaving with his dog. You waved at them until the door shut, you crossed your legs and smiled as Katsuki got up with a sigh and took Ryu’s seat next to you.

“Wow Bakugou, looks like you got some competition!” Kaminari teased. Bakugou only sighed and rubbed his temples with one hand before feeling you push on his shoulder.

“You gonna say you’re sorry~” you teasingly asked.

“You didn’t tell me he was 9!” He argued.

“You didn’t give me a chance!” You laughed out. Bakugou flopped onto his back as he began bantering with you. You both went back and forth and Kaminari chuckled to himself before signing off to let the cute couple have their time in privacy.

Bakugou remained on his back until you poked his face and he grabbed you before flipping the both of you over so that you were under him. He flopped down onto your body, getting comfortable on your chest as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You giggled and ran your fingers through his hair in a successful attempt to soothe him.

“Just wanted some attention from my baby.” He muffled out with a small blush. You smiled and looked towards your screen.

“Well Kaminari signed off, Natsu’s gone, and it’s just you and me. You now have my undivided attention, Suki.” You said. Bakugou sighed in content before going up to place a kiss on your lips.

“Good.” He said before tucking his head into the crevasse of your neck. You held him close while he played the small spoon and you both cuddled up nicely. If it was attention he wanted, it was attention he’d get.

Tag list: @sxcker4you @aomi04 @tessabrown101 @ebiharachan

[the-al-chemist]

The Beginning of a Symphony - Chapter 17

Summary: Jim is once again suffering the consequences of Ethel’s antics, but it’s not all doom and gloom…

OCs featured/mentioned: Siobhan Llewelyn and Lavinia MacMillan @kc-and-co

Warnings: conspiracy to commit dragon-based mass treason, almost offensively bad French.

April 1896

Jim’s mind was made up. Never again would he let himself be roped into one of his sister’s ploys. Really, he didn’t understand why he had ever permitted himself to be roped into this particular ploy; by now he should have learned that nothing good ever came from any of Ethel’s escapades.

Effy’s latest scheme had been the formation of a society to help Muggle women obtain the right to vote. It was a noble enough endeavour, Jim supposed, however, the means that Ethel and her friends had proposed in order to achieve this end were definitely lacking in propriety. Not to mention that it transpired towards the end of the meeting, when Professor Macmillan returned to the schoolgrounds, that the Herbology teacher had not, in fact, authorised the society’s use of her favourite greenhouse for the meeting, contrary to Ethel’s claims two and a half hours previously.

Perhaps they would have gotten away without punishment for that, were it not for the professor having also discovered the meeting’s minutes, which detailed the society’s proposed plans to support the Muggle suffrage movement. As punishment for plotting no fewer than eleven infarctions of the International Statute for Secrecy in her classroom, Professor Macmillan had given all the members of the Society for Witches in Support of Women’s Suffrage detention, and bade them all write lines.

I shall not endeavour to attack the Houses of Parliament with a Common Welsh Green Dragon, Jim wrote out, yet again. He paused to take count of how many times he had done so. Ninety-seven. Only fifty-three more times remaining. He had thought that he had made rather good time so far, but beside him, Siobhan Llewelyn was already packing away her quill and ink.

“Are you finished already?” he asked her, and she nodded her head.

“Aye, Hexley,” she sighed, and held her parchment up for him to see. “One hundred and fifty times, done and dusted.”

Jim frowned and cleared his throat. “Siobhan, you… er, I think you might have… There’s a slight error here.”

“Is there?”

“Yes, you appear to have, uh… See, you’ve written that you ‘shall endeavour not to’ rather than ‘shall not endeavour to’.”

“Oh no, Hexley,” said Siobhan, rising from her desk with a bright smile. “That was not an error.”

Jim’s mouth opened slightly as he watched Siobhan leave the greenhouse. On the other side of her now empty seat, someone else was watching her leave. Héloïse Perrault. Jim swallowed and made a conscious effort to keep his gaze firmly on his parchment. It was rude to stare, after all.

Still, keeping his eyes downwards took far more concentration than he realised. By the time he had finished writing his fifty-three remaining lines, only he and Héloïse remained in the greenhouse, and even then, she put down her quill and rolled up her parchment while he still had seven more lines remaining. He ventured a smile at her as she rose up from her seat, and he returned his attention to his parchment.

Almost a minute passed before he dared look up again, realising that although Héloïse had finished writing and left her seat, she had not yet left the greenhouse. He frowned, and turned his face upwards to see the French girl standing so close beside him that he jumped; she was so silent that he had not known that she stood so very near. He gave a second jolt as he realised what she was doing, or rather, what she was looking at.

His sketchbook.

She had opened the cover, and was slowly and gently turning the pages with a single forefinger, her head tilting slightly as she gazed at the open pages with a passive expression in her dark brown eyes.

But she did not look for long. Before Jim had even fully registered the fact that the girl was making herself privy to his most precious and most private possession, he had reached across the table and slammed the cover shut.

Héloïse snatched her hand back from the book, and her eyes widened, making Jim immediately regret the haste with which he had acted.

“Je suis désolée.”

“I’m sorry,” Jim cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean… It’s just that they’re, well, private. They’re not improper or anything, I assure you… It is simply that, um…”

“Ils sont très bien faits, ces dessins.”

“Well, it’s just that they are not very good. My drawings, that is.”

Héloïse was quiet again, and she looked from Jim’s face to his hand on top of his sketchbook. She nodded, and smiled.

“You are Jimmy?” she said, slowly and deliberately, with a heavily accented voice.

“No. Well, I suppose… But only my family call me Jimmy. Everyone else calls me Jim. I actually prefer Jim,” Jim stopped abruptly, seeing that Héloïse’s eyebrows were knitting together. She didn’t understand, he realised, and he took a deep breath. It was time for him to practise the French Brady had been teaching him. “Je m’appelle Jim.”

Héloïse’s eyes brightened. “I am called Héloïse.”

“Yes, I… Oui. Héloïse. I know your name, it’s a pretty name. Um… Your name. Votre nom. C’est joli.”

“Merci.”

“Tu es… um… welcome.”

There was another pause in which neither Jim nor Héloïse spoke. When they did, they did so in unison.

“Alors, je dois trouver les autres.”

“Anyway, you probably want to go and find your friends.”

“Yes. Friends,” Héloïse smiled. “Je pense qu’elles m’attendent.”

“I expect that they will be waiting for you. You mustn’t dally on my account,” Jim cleared his throat, again realising that the girl must have no idea what he was saying. “Um… Les filles. Shiv and Gwen. Elles… veut… que tu… aller à le… um… Great Hall. Probably.”

“Yes,” said Héloïse, frowning slightly. “C’était un plaisir de te rencontrer.”

“It was nice to meet you properly. Au revoir.”

“Goodbye.”

Héloïse stepped away from Jim and his sketchbook, and started to walk out of the greenhouse. Jim called out after her.

“Wait! Héloïse!” he blinked as she looked back at him expectantly, and realised that he had not actually known what it was that he had intended to say. “Um… My friend. Mon ami, Brady. I think you might know him, actually… Anyway, he is… Well, I am trying to learn to speak French. Er, moi… Je parler le français. Trying to parler, anyway… and I just thought that perhaps that you might be able to help, as well. Uh, tu… aider… je parler français.”

Héloïse’s lips pursed and she tilted her head at him.

“Tu veut savoir parler français?” she asked, and Jim nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure what she had just said. “And… you want… me to be Professeur?”

“Yes, please. Uh, oui. S’il vous plaît,” when Héloïse said nothing, Jim continued to speak. “I like hearing you speak. I would like to hear you speak more… Je veux parler avec tu… en votre… language. If you like. If tu voulez.”

It felt like an age before Héloïse uttered one single word:

“D’accord.”

“Um, yes?”

Héloïse shrugged. “Oui.”

Jim’s heart seemed to lift in his chest, and he felt his lips being pulled into a smile.

“Um…” he searched his head for any day he could remember the name of in French. “Uh… Lundi?”

“Oui, lundi. Torre d’Astronomie?”

“Astronomy tower? Yes. Yes, thank you. Merci beaucoup.”

“De rien. You are welcome. Goodbye, Jim.”

“Au revoir, Héloïse.”

“C’est Professeur Héloïse pour toi,” muttered Héloïse, with a small but pointed smirk that made Jim laugh out loud as he returned to his parchment, ready to finish his final few lines.

It was scarcely believable, but for the first time in his life, something good had come from one of Ethel’s escapades.