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#than have either driver be rolling over for the other/letting the team walk over them
f1-stuff · 1 year
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I'm nervous after today and the repercussions it can have in the Charlos dynamic 💔 things seemed tense already between them, the lack of challenges... and now this fall out. I'm worried for real.
I know teammates fight, Max and Checo had that thing in Austria, that they brush off immediately but is it even comparable? The relationships are polar oposites. I'm afraid either Carlos or Charles will take it personally... let's pray for the best 😔 (but I'm not very hopeful, with the addition of all the drama surrounding Carlos and Ferrari....)
Hi ❤️ I’m gonna reassure you on all the points you made, not just bc I’m trying to make you feel better, but bc I genuinely feel this way:
Charles and Carlos will be totally fine! They are experts at separating what happens on and off track, and have both said that obviously they want to beat each other extremely badly, but that’s also why they respect each other so much! I bet they’ve both already brushed this off tbh! And the reason (imo) the same thing doesn’t happen more often with other teammates is bc their teams usually manage the sessions a bit better…
Here’s a post with some links that gwen (monagasque) posted with the drivers talking about what happened today. Charles says there is no lingering resentment, and that the overtake happened bc everyone was worried about getting their lap in.
The reason we don’t have c2 challenges lately isn’t bc they haven’t been filming them LOL - we have photo evidence that they’ve been recorded, so it’s just a matter of time when they will be released. ☺️
And a final reminder: every time something happens on track with charlos, half the fandom thinks the world is falling apart, and then the boys reappear a few days later giggling, blushing, flirting. And everyone forgets there was ever an issue so 🤷🏻‍♀️
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formula-nyoom · 5 months
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Hello hello hope you are swell 🩵 I see you do platonic drivers 👀👀
Could it be possible to request a platonic! Reader who is a younger sister (that is also a driver, any team) to a driver of your choice who is given either a drink or meal before going on the race and getting a severe allergic reaction. Like rushed to the hospital asap reaction please 🥺
A/N: The only thing I’m allergic to is bullshit(and mosquitoes), so I don’t know what it’s like to have an allergic reaction to food. Hopefully I wrote this ok but do let me know if there are things I need to change. I decided to keep this as a blurb only because it's so similar to the last oneshot I wrote and I went with Oscar for this one
~~~
“Shouldn’t they be back by now with our drink bottles refilled?” Your teammate asked as you looked over some data. The race was set to start in just under an hour and the matter your teammate was more concerned about is the assistant that had gone to refill both your drink bottles rather than look over data with you.
 “They only left a minute ago. I know you’re used to everything going fast but they’re not a race car.”
 “Well they better be back soon with my energy drink. I have to drink one before every race. Helps with my performance.” Your teammate said. You just rolled your eyes. 
The assistant soon came back with both your drink bottles refilled. You thanked them and took it. As you were about to take a swig, your phone vibrated with a text from your brother, Oscar. 
Papaya-Bro: Chit chat before the race?
More often than not, you and Oscar would find each other in your respective drivers rooms to talk before the race. It was a small amount of time where the two of you would talk about anything but racing, giving the two of you a sense of peace before you had to face the chaos of Formula One. You sent him a text that you were on your way over and made your way to the McLaren garage. Some of the McLaren workers waved at you as you walked in, having gotten used to you making appearances in the garage to see your brother.
“Mom wants to know what she should cook for dinner when we come back home.” Oscar said, looking down at his phone while sitting in a chair.
“I’ve been craving her meatloaf for the past couple days. Ask her if she'll make that.” You said, taking a sip from your drink bottle. Your face scrunched up in disgust as you tasted something that wasn’t water on your tongue. You ended up swallowing whatever it was you just drank as your first reflex was to gag at the taste of whatever you consumed. It was sour, with a hint of fruitiness. 
 “What’s wrong?” Oscar asked.
“This isn’t water.” You said, handing him your drink bottle. “Taste this for me.”
You gagged again and then started to cough as Oscar took a swig of the mysterious drink.
 “Yea, that’s not water.” He said. “It’s got a–”
“--fruity taste.” You started to cough more violently while trying to gasp for breath. Your throat felt like it was closing in on itself as you struggled to breath.
Oscar didn’t have time to figure out exactly what the drink was. He was able to guess what was in it though as he witnessed you starting to have a severe allergic reaction to whatever the mysterious drink was.
 “I need medical assistance!” He called out into the hallway, hoping anyone heard him. Oscar quickly opened the front pocket of his backpack that always carried the spare epipen and grabbed it. By now you had gotten down to the floor, still struggling to breathe. Kneeling down in front of you, Oscar steadied the orange tip over your outer thigh, before having it make contact with the fabric of your race suit. He pushed the auto inject button till he heard the click. He then looked down at his watch to watch the seconds go by.
 “One…two…three…”Oscar then removed the epipen and checked to see if it went in. But to his horror, there was no puncture hole from the needle. Of course race suits that were designed to keep a driver safe from getting burned or injured in a crash can prevent a needle from going through the fabric. 
 “I NEED SERIOUS MEDICAL ASSISTANCE!” Oscar yelled again. This time someone seemed to have heard him as a McLaren worker came in with a medic right behind them.
“She’s having an allergic reaction! The epi pen didn’t puncture through the race suit!”
The medic took out a pair of scissors and an epi pen before they started quickly cutting the pant leg of your race suit and fire proofs. Once the material was cut away enough to reveal the skin of your upper thigh, the medic didn’t hesitate in administering the epipen, which successfully went through this time. Oscar helped steady the pen while the medic put an oxygen mask over your face to help you breathe while the medicine worked its way through your system. 
Eventually you were able to breathe again and your throat no longer felt like it was closing up. But you and Oscar both knew that you couldn’t just hop in the car and race. You’d have to be taken to the hospital to make sure whatever allegens you had consumed were fully out of your system. Oscar made sure one of the McLaren personnel went over to your team garage to inform your team that you had an allergic reaction and could no longer race today, before he helped you up off the floor and handed you off to the medical staff.
 “Kick their asses for me.” You said to Oscar before leaving, your voice raspy from coughing. 
“Will do.” He promised.
~~~
Oscar was a bit rattled throughout the race because of what had taken place just before it. That wasn’t the first time he had to administer an epipen for you, he’s seen you have allergic reactions before. But the fact that it didn’t work the first time is what really freaked him out. But knowing that you were ok and breathing was enough for him to score P3. And the fact that he beat your teammate seemed to make you happy so Oscar took that as a win.
“Because I saved your life today, can you let me freely pass you during the next race and defend me from the people behind?” Oscar asked as he drove you home from the hospital. 
 “You didn’t save my life. The medical staff did.” You said, playing with the medical band around your wrist.
“I attempted to! If our race suits weren’t made so tough to protect us from crashes, you wouldn’t have needed to be rushed here.”
 “That’s kinda a big flaw with the race suits. They can protect us from fiery crashes but prevent someone from administering an epi pen.” You noted.
 “I’ll talk with the FIA tomorrow to propose new safety regulations so race suits have to be made so a giant needle can break through the fabric. I’m sure that will go over well with the other drivers.” Oscar joked. Your phone buzzed and you looked down to see a text from yours and Oscar’s manager.
 “Mark just texted me. Apparently the energy drinks my teammate has before every race are now banned from the garage. Turns out it’s got lychee in it.” You told your brother.
 “Honestly they should have been banned from the start to prevent what happened today.” Oscar said. You nodded in agreement.
 “So you’re not going to let me pass during the next race?” Oscar asked. You rolled your eyes.
“Only if you defend me from my teammate if they end up behind you. Which is often.”
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theemporium · 1 year
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Sunshine comforting Daniel when he’s stressed 🥹
thank you for requesting!🫶🏽
.
Everyone had their off days.
He knew that. He really did. It was totally normal and human to have days where you didn’t feel the best, or didn’t work as hard as you could’ve. It was totally normal and human to have days where you just felt down or overwhelmed.
Daniel knew that.
But his bad days were broadcasted for the whole world to see, and it didn’t make things any easier. It had just been a series of events all fuelled by bad luck: a faulty car during practices, long pit stops, crashes caused by other drivers that left him as collateral.
None of it was his fault, but it didn’t make him feel any less responsible. He let fans down. He let the team down. He let himself down. The last stint of bad races were taking a toll on him, and bottling it up seemed to be working fine until now.
The smiles were harder to fake. The disappointment was harder to mask. The interviews felt like twisting the knife already jabbed into his stomach. And the comments from fans online only added salt to the wound.
It was media day. The start of a new race weekend. And usually, Daniel was good at letting things roll off his back and focus on the future. Until today, at least, when he found himself huddled in his driver's room, unable to find the guts to walk out to the rest of the paddock and pretend like he was okay.
It had been the PR manager who approached you. They couldn’t find Daniel. He wasn’t answering anybody’s calls or messages. And when they knocked on the driver’s room door, they received no answer even though it was locked.
They were worried, and if anyone could get through to him, it was you.
You didn’t think twice before you made your way over to the Red Bull motorhome. You ignored most of your colleagues, your one track mind set on finding your boy.
When you knocked on the door, nobody answered.
When you knocked again, you still received no answer.
It wasn’t until you spoke that Daniel finally opened the door.
“Danny? Baby, it’s me. Open up.”
The door flew open in less than thirty seconds, already shut and locked behind you before you even realised that he had dragged you into the room.
It took one look at your boy before you wrapped your arms around him, his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck and his arms wound around your middle to hold you close.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel sobbed, his words slightly muffled but it didn’t stop them from making your chest tighten. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Danny,” you whispered softly, pulling back enough to cup his face in your hands. “Sorry for what? What did you do?”
Daniel let out a shaky breath. “The last few races—” He choked out but he was unable to finish.
But you knew. You always knew when it came to him.
“Don’t,” you muttered, shaking your head as your thumbs wiped away the stray tears running down his cheeks. “Don’t apologise. Baby, listen to me. The last few races have been hard, but they are not your fault.”
He opened his mouth but you quickly interrupted.
“They’re not,” you stated. “And they don’t define you or your career. You’re a good driver, Danny. The grid knows it. The world knows it. I know it. And I’m not just giving you a pass because you’re sexy and my boyfriend.”
He let out a small laugh.
“You have no reason to apologise,” you said in a softer voice. “You hear me?”
“I just…ever since everything with McLaren, I feel like I need to prove myself,” he whispered, his words heavy and his eyes dark. “I need to prove I deserve my seat, that I deserve to be racing with the top teams—”
“You do. And the people who matter know that,” you told him, your fingers tracing soothing circles on his skin.
He nodded, his eyes falling shut as he leaned into your touch.
“And you don’t have to hide how you feel either,” you added after a few moments of silence. “Especially not with me.”
Daniel gulped, opening his eyes to find yours. His eyes were still a bit wet and glossy, but he seemed lighter than he did moments ago when he opened the door.
“I know,” he rasped. “And I’m sorry for not saying anything sooner.”
“We’re a team, remember? You suffer, I suffer,” you murmured.
Daniel laughed. “I’d rather neither of us suffer, Sunshine.”
“We take what life gives us,” you shrugged, something easing inside you when your boy smiled. “How about we chill in here for a bit before they drag you away to media?”
“Breaking the rules now? Who are you and what did you do to my Sunshine?” Daniel gasped, laughing when you jokingly slapped his chest. But he just pulled you closer, nuzzling himself against you once again. “Let’s stay in here forever, yeah?”
“It’s a little cramped but yeah, forever sounds good.”
.
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shaarlslec · 2 years
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„Come sit next to me, I promise I will not bite unless you want me to.” with max v x fem! teammate
look at me writing two max's stories already; thank you for your request and the au! let me know if you like it; masterlist here;
from mate to love
short-summary: in which you pretend to despise each other as teammates when in fact none of you does so;
words: 4682 & warnings: mentions of horner and driving for red bull (that's all), also slight sexual innuendos;
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„Come sit next to me, I will not bite unless you want me to.” Your teammate spoke into your direction out loud in the conference room not even moments after you walked in, much to every other driver present and the interviewers’ childish amusement – but not to you. 
You heavily rolled your eyes in front of Max as you passed him, giving him the normal sassy attitude that you had been giving him since last year when you two got paired after countless prayers of never being in the same team as Verstappen, “Tell that to the people you are dating, not to your teammate.” You replied, taking your seat in between Daniel and Alex, two chairs away from Max. 
“I am not dating anyone right now – interested?” Max uttered, causing Daniel a chuckle who was the one to take the stand being the one who departed the both of you. 
“You two have not started dating yet?” Daniel entertainingly spoke, glancing at you and then at Max, and then right back at you who was trying to find a comfortable way to lean into the chair pretending to play little to no attention to whatever was being discussed at your right, “Everyone in here is waiting for that to happen!” Ricciardo added, twitching both of his eyebrows into your direction who replied with yet another roll of eyes as your microphone was being fixed before the cameras rolled.  
It was yet another normal post-qualifying conference, the only thing that was different was the fact that most of the questions were addressed to you as it was your home grand-prix weekend. You answered them firm, as you always had done in the past, showing little to no enthusiasm at the teasing regarding your rivalry with Max who has been winning the last couple of races since the season has started with you being on the podium next to him most of the times, except for the ones where either Ferrari or Mercedes outraced you. 
“Do you think that Max will grant you any favors tomorrow?” One of the interviewers asked with curious eyes switching in between you and your teammate. This one question made your blood boil, and yet you knew that giving an out of the pocket answer will cause PR problems, driving for Red Bull at such high stake as this season also meant not causing any PR problems, amongst all the other things that you were subjugated to. 
“I don’t need any favors from Max or anyone else.” You replied with a short grin as you side-eyed Max, “Starting from the front row means a lot for this particular race, and I feel confident enough with the racing pace of the car that I can pull one or two moves in front of my teammate.” You cockily added, watching Max’s short smile spreading on the man’s face causing you to smile as well – nothing droved Max more than being challenged by you lately.
“Max, any comments on that?” The interviewer pleasantly inquired, all eyes on your teammate now. 
“I cannot wait to see her try.” He replied as the grin got wider while looking at you rather than at anyone else, “Competition can be good within the team more than the one outside of it, and I have been enjoying that lately.” Verstappen spoke, catching a glance of your own look on him now. 
The conference ended after quite a few questions were passed to the other drivers, and when it was time for you to stand up from your seat and return to the accommodation, Daniel’s inquiring look stopped you from doing so.
“What?” You laughed, watching the one with whom you got the most along with within the grid smiling at you from head to toes, “Did I say something funny?” 
Daniel declined with a nod, looking over his shoulder to make sure that Verstappen was meters enough away from you two, “No, I was just thinking about how easy you and Max can be over the whole “pretending not to like each other” phase if one of you would just go for it for real.” The McLaren driver commented, throwing you a sly little wink. 
“What do you mean by go for it, Dan?” You inquired, walking now side by side with Daniel as you were getting out the conference room behind Max, Alex and Lando who were engaged in a nonsense conversation about bevers. 
“I meant fucking, Y/N.” Daniel leaned close to your ear for the boys ahead not to hear bits and parts of your conversation as you were hearing theirs. 
You shook your head after having a good laugh, “The idea of me and Max sleeping with each other made you smile?” You inquired with your finger pointed to the man’s face, “You need to go and have a check-up here, sweetheart.” You amusingly demanded with yet another chuckle, tapping Daniel’s head twice before Max’s turned on one of his heels to you and two. 
“Walk with me to the garage, Y/N?” Max questioned, walking now backwards to catch your full attention without stopping your steps.
The laughs that Daniel caused you stopped, “No, thank you.” You shortly replied with a hasty nod, “I have to go meet someone for lunch before our meet, see you there, mate.” You added, gently caressing Daniel shoulder as a goodbye before taking a left turn as you three exited the building, leaving Max and Daniel taking one last look at your back before you took the next corner happily jumping on your feet to go.
“You know that adding a “please” to your invitations from time to time might convince her.” Daniel teased his ex-teammate, watching Max’s eyes still fixed on the corner after which you disappeared.   
“Who the hell is she so excited about meeting?” Max inquired Daniel, not even listening to the man’s last words, “I have never seen her so excited about going to meet people before, she hates people.” Max mumbled, much to Daniel’s amusement who decided that this was the perfect time to mess with Max.
“Probably the guy she has been seeing for the last couple of weeks.” Daniel nonchalantly replied as his shoulder shrugged, “I heard she invited him today – they used to be together in high-school or something.” Daniel added, greeting Max with a short wave of hands before leaving for his own garage, “Oh, and she does not hate people Max.” Daniel shouted back to him, snatching Max from whatever he was calculating in the back of his mind, “She just pretends to do so.” Daniel articulated with a loud click of tongue, before completely turning his back on Max on his way to McLaren’s accommodations.
There was no guy that you have been seeing for the last couple of weeks, and there was no high-school crush who was attending your home race that weekend. Daniel just loved to mess around with Max, and the Australian knew that Max would catch the bait in no time as everyone on the grid knew how close you and Daniel were since karting days, no one could have questioned the fact that you talk about your personal life with him.
Max went back to the Red Bull station afterwards, thinking about Daniel’s words as he signed autographs or took photos with the people that stopped him on the way to the team meeting. Each time he would sign anything that was related to you too, such as a cap or a t-shirt, Max could not stop looking around the groups of people that were ambushing him thinking that maybe, just maybe, he will be able to spot you with the guy Daniel told him about.
Mission was not accomplished thought, as you were nothing near the track at the time but outside of it meeting with your very dear best girl friend who passed by to bring you a home-cooked lunch – that was what enthused you that much after the post-qualifying conference. Daniel left Max hanging thinking that there was a man to make your feet dance that happy when it all reality it was all about girl talk and homemade dumplings. Dan’s trick worked tough, Max was now insanely jealous without even realizing it while you were having lunch, making him lose it with all people around him in searching for you. 
You and your friend were hiding in the parking lot in her car far away from prying snooping eyes of your fans, enjoying a short break of what was a packed weekend for you filled with pressure and high expectations. You needed those dumplings, and no one in the world made better dumplings rather that your girl who was now watching you engulfing them whole on the passenger seat. 
“So, about this Max guy.” Your friend spoke causing you a choke while watching you dreadfully glaring at her as you just told her that you wanted to talk about quite literally anything aside of the track and that you needed your mind off racing for a short while to fully enjoy the lunch, “No, no, no.” She laughed as she took another bite of the food, “I am not going to ask you something Formula 1 related,” Your friend paused watching you roll your eyes at her, “I was just curios what he has been up too – we two have not talked for a while about him.” 
“He is Formula 1 related.” You interrupted while pointing your fork at her, “Why is everyone asking me about Max today, even Dan did so a couple of minutes ago.” You huffed, sitting back into the passenger seat with your eyes closed, “He just told me that I might find Max a little bit less annoying if I fuck him.” You breathed opening one of your eyes to watch your friend giving you the same exact look as Daniel, “Not you too – please.” 
“I am not saying that you just straight up fuck him, I am just saying that he is the one you talked about the most in the past year and a half and it has been a while since the last time I heard you talking about a guy in such a feisty manner.” She commented, eyes on you and all, “Maybe this Daniel is right, you should go for it. It has been scenically proven that sleeping around with your co-workers helps with the work environment stress.” She added with both eyebrows twitched up like a pervert.   
You straightened your back, “I am only talking about him because he is annoying the hell out of me and beca—” 
“You might have a crush on him?” She interrupted, giggly looks and rubbing shoulders with you.
“I don’t have a crush on him, Max annoys me.” You muttered, only half-believing your own words. 
“When was the last time when you were into a guy who was not annoying you?” She questioned with the eyebrows still up, “This is how you liked it – tempting, burning, teasing, annoying.” 
You breathed, there was no way in which you could have counterattack your friend’s argument as she knew you the best. It was exactly like that, all the time. You picked the most soul-sucking, heart-breaking, mind-twisting type of men to date. It never turned out right, so why would you even consider going for that same type again? No. Max Verstappen was out of the question, you only had to race with and against him – no fucking happening. 
You returned to the Red Bull accommodation after your short lunch break, and once your eyes laid on Max, you felt your stomach turned upside down as it always has done when Max lionlike stare was focused on you.
Fuck, oh fuck.
You gulped, deciding to blame the dumplings and not the feelings this time. You quietly took your seat next to him, both of you watching and listening to your strategist revising the plans for tomorrow and all the scenarios that might play out during the race, and all the positions you were to play in each on them. Max was the favorite, as he had always been – and yet, you did not mind.
You knew how good he was on track, and that everyone cheered for him to win this championship too. You stood quietly and listened, the scenarios in which you would have been victorious tomorrow were little, but they did give you hope for what was about to come. 
“Save me a spot on the podium for tomorrow, mate.” Max spoke into your direction at the end of the meeting, throwing you one of his silly winks that you never quite got what was so attractive about them. 
You laughed at the use of “mate”, Verstappen never called you like that before and you were wondering what happened for him to use that, “It might be my home race, but you are still the favorite for the win, Max.” You added as you leaned your chin on one of your palms, looking at him with a titled head into the boy’s direction, “Just a warning tough for tomorrow, I am not going to switch positions if they asked me to.” You threated with a short smile, remembering the last two times when you got the call of letting Max pass during the end of some of your races where you could have easily taken the trophy instead of Max.
“That’s good to know, racing against you will make it even more exciting.” Max agreed with a nod, following your example suit and leaning towards you in the same manner with one arm resting on the table, “Would you switch positions if I were the one to ask you?” Max teased, both knowing that you were not taking about racing anymore. 
“That was such a corny and lame little line.” You added, two of your fingers shakily touching the bottom of your lips as you were maintaining the eye contact with Max. 
Max chuckled, “Yet, it worked – right?” He spoke, lifting from his seat in such a fashion only to lean towards you more in doing so. You shook your head; Max was getting on your other type of nerves now and you were vehemently so helplessly tried to not let that be seen. 
The next day’s race went great for both you and Max, Red Bull was in the first two positions followed by Leclerc, and then Sainz followed by Russell and Lando. You were behind Max who was taunting you as he was pushing even further ahead of you by two to three seconds during the last fifteen laps of the race.
You were not to give up, especially with all the energy that you have gathered from that morning by all the people present shouting and yelling your name, rotting for you to bring your second home trophy back where it belonged as last year you pulled a surprise for everyone present winning P1.
Your focus was Max, and although your radio was filled with your engineer voice telling you to take it slow as you needed to preserve the tires up until the end of the race and that the distance that you put behind you and Leclerc was safe for now for your podium, you pushed harder and harder as laps went by – you were not to be satisfied with only the podium this time.  
Max was happily grinning underneath the helmet once he has been announcing that you were only 0.5 seconds behind him now during the last four laps of the race. It was finally time for something fun to happen for him on this race. Three laps went fast with you overtaking him once you got into the DRS zone but being caught right immediately by him milliseconds after your success.
Max was not letting you catch a breath in the last lap as you were chasing him, but neither were you thinking about letting him have an easy win. None of you were listening to your engineers anymore in the last lap, and right after your cars slightly touched as you were trying to pass him in one of the corners, everyone in your team was with their fingers tightly clasped together praying for a crash not to happen seconds before the checked flag.
You disobeyed the orders’ team of slowing down, while Max was not even listening anymore to whatever his own race engineer was advising him – it was only you and Max, equally racing against each other in the last moments of the race. Cars were pushed to the limit, and so were both of you. Before the checked flag, there was a straight line and right there your front wings touched side by side as you were pushing to pass Max and he was trying to maintain the lead position. 
It was a photo finish, you two passing by the checked flag almost exactly at the same time – but with you being 0.012 seconds faster than Verstappen. 
“P1 Y/N, P1!” Your engineer loudly shouted to the radio, “You were faster than Max, but fuck never make us go through this ever again.” He then spoke, and you felt your heart bursting out of your chest with every second that passed until you reached the P1 position with your car, getting out of it to celebrate a hell of a win that was. 
“P2 Max, you are P2.” GP spoke into Verstappen’s radio, “Congrats champ, those were five amazing last laps.” 
“Y/N made them five amazing last laps.” Verstappen replied with a smile on his face, not even bitter about losing the main position to you in such a fashion, “Don’t scold us too much when we are out of the cars – that was a great show for the fans.” He then chuckled, and it was perhaps for the very first time when somebody had ever heard Max genuine laughing after a loss of points. 
The aftermath of the race was insane, you have never heard that many people clapping for you through your whole career. You enjoyed all the greets, slaps on your back, and hugs from the members of your teams and the other drivers after you got out of your car to celebrate the win.
Max’s way of congratulating you took you completely by surprise as he went out of his way to get out of his car in the P2 position and surprise you with a huge embrace, ungluing your feet from the ground and spinning you once in the air as your legs instinctively wrapped around the man’s waist in front of everybody to witness. Both of your helmets were still on, luckily enough for both of you that they were – everybody would have witnessed rosy cheeks too instead of just a spin. 
During the podium you kept glancing at each other, Leclerc and the other people on the podium with you feeling a little suspicious of the whole glaring at each other thing with huge smiles and burned faces being in the same spot as you and Max, pretending not to get you two all figured out right then and there.
Daniel clicked his tongue again as he was watching through the screen with Lando by his side, “These two really need to get at it right immediately.” He commented in loud voice, “I told Max that Y/N is seeing somebody yesterday, and now look at him now all smiley after she defeated him – there is something in there, I tell you.” 
Lando laughed at his side, “You are now finding out?” The British spoke in a mocking tone towards his teammate, “Max has a crush on Y/N since they were like fourteen.” Lando uttered waiting for Daniel’s eyes to widened in surprise, “Don’t look at me like that, you are not the only one to whom the Red Bull drivers come for love advice.” Lando blinked with one hand at his chest, watching you and Max getting down from the podium talking about the size of your trophies and childishly laughing at some sort of a joke. 
“Yours is big too.” You laughed, grabbing the trophy in Max’s hands with one of yours as you wrapped your fingers at the base of it, “Some will say that it is too small, but I think that for some people it is the right size.” You added, looking up at a very cheeky post-race Max whose hair was sweaty and face red part from the effort in the race, part from your silly dick jokes that made a grown-up blush. 
“If you think this is big enough, you should see my other trophies.” He then teased, making you burst into laughing once again. 
It was nice, that was nice. Laughing around each other like foolish teenagers at penis innuendos instead of pretending to hate each other just for the thrill of your rivalry and for the sake of hiding what everyone around you was pretty much aware of – your mutual crushes.
You two would have wished for this type of a thing to become a common habit, only if you were not to be grounded to the reality in no time after the post-race interviews where you were called for the debrief of the race. 
“You two should not have acted like brats in the last couple of laps.” Horner loudly spoke as he smashed the table in front of both of you with both hands, “We can let you race, but not when you are putting both cars and you in the danger of a possible crash.” He then emphasized with pressed words that spitted at the end of his tongue, looking over his shoulder where the last laps played in front of you two to see how close you really were during the overtakes, “And you should have not let her pass.” He then uttered, pointing to Verstappen. 
It clicked for you right then and there. Being caught amid the celebration after the race, you were not thinking even in the million years that the likelihood of Verstappen being the one to slow down for you to win as even a thing, “You let me pass?” You inquired; your neck dry now as your voice intoned the words. 
“No, fuck no.” Verstappen defended with a serious look on his face, “When have you ever seen me letting someone willingly pass me?” He then commented, turning his glare from you to Christian, “You should look over the analysis once again with all due respect, Y/N won fair and square.” He then ended with pressed lips, “I jus—” 
Verstappen words were interrupted by the loudness of your chair being pushed back, “I am sorry Christian, but I cannot listen to this discussion now.” You muttered with a shake of your head, “Fine me or whatever – I am leaving.” You announced, already storming out of the meeting room and back into your motorhome. 
“Fuck it; Christian.” Max almost yelled, going right immediately after you to calm you down, “Choose your fucking words better next time.” He then warned, slamming the door shut before running to you as he called your name down the halls, receiving no response from your angry self now up to the point you could not stand anyone around you curiously looking at a very worried Max chasing you. 
“You let me pass?” You inquired him once you dragged his wrist into one empty room of the Red Bull garage, “What Horner just said – it is true?” You asked Max, hands still tightly wrapped around the man’s wrist. 
“No, he got it all wrong.” Max firmly replied, one of his hands covering yours who was grabbing into him, “You were faster, you passed me, you won.” Max reassured you, unclasping your hand from him to hold it steadfastly into his, relaxed your muscles one by one with the man’s touch. 
“I need to look over your analysis during the race to believe you, mate.” You added as your stiffen expressions softened, “Do you understand how humiliating it would be for me to win this type of race only because my teammate let me do so?” You inquired while looking down at your and Max’s clasped hands that you tried to unglue but being forced not to by the man’s strength.
“I did not let you win, trust me when I tell you not to believe Horner’s words.” Max spoke in all sincerity, “Also, stop calling me “mate” – I fucking hate it, Y/N.” Your teammate then sighed, one of his fingers rubbing the back of your hand now in not-so-much-friendly type of way but in the want-to-be-more-than-just-friends type of a feeling. 
Your heart sunk due to the small touch, “What term would you prefer then?” You shyly asked, not trying to get your hand out of his anymore but just caving in the warmness of the touch. 
“I do not know that yet, but I have never heard you calling other drivers that. Daniel gets called “sweetheart” and I get “mate”? Verstappen articulated glare now on you, shaking you whole as you depicted the man’s jealousy into his eyes. 
You laughed, “Sweetheart is a term I use for my friends, I do not want you to be my friend like Daniel is, Max.” You added, taking one step closer to him now and guiding his arm around your waist with the one hand that was still into his. 
Verstappen has not moved an inch after your swift move. Even so, your teammate dared to grab even tighter your waist and to release your hand that was then comfortably sat on one of his shoulders while the tips of your fingers were touching his jawline, “What about love?” You teased, watching Max’s eyes broadened in a pleasant surprise. 
Max shyly giggled like a teenage boy, “What about your boyfriend?” He then added, “Would he be not pissed that you are calling another man that?” Max inquired, while the arm that was holding your waist pushed you into climbing the table behind you that up until then you did not even notice being there in the first place. 
“What boyfriend?” You confusedly inquired with Verstappen now fully in between your legs and both of your hands around your teammate’s neck, “I am not seeing anyone.” You explained, and that is when it clicked for Verstappen that Daniel was messing with his head the day prior. 
“I am going to kill Daniel.” Max then laughed before leaning in towards you for a much-awaited clasps of mouths. 
Both of Max’s hands went from your waist to your face, not wanting to waste any second of that kiss without touching your skin rather than the fabric of your racing suit. You laughed into the kiss, thinking about the fact that the racing suits are harder to be pulled down than normal clothes. 
“What?” Verstappen spoke inches away from your lips, breathing heavily right next to your mouth. 
“Nothing.” You replied as your hand went on the edges of the Max’s fireproof blouse, “I was just thinking that this is a little bit harder to take off.” You added with a short grin, placing your hand on the man chest now as you were looking at him. 
Max laughed after another short peak, “Let’s make a challenge out of it – who gets it down faster.” He then spoke, watching over his shoulder as two knocks were hitting the door from the other side, “Not here tough, we don’t have to give the team yet another reason to scold us.” 
You giggled too as Max made you room to get down from the table, “Everything has to be a competition to you, right?” You teased, arranging your hair and your suit for whoever was behind the door not to notice, but your rosy cheeks giving you two away anyway. 
“You are the one to make whatever competition even more interesting, love.” Max replied, his fingers brushing yours right before he went to unlock the door.  
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jumpywhumpywriter · 2 days
Text
A Life in the Hands of the Enemy -- Villain reluctantly saves Hero's Life part 22
Warnings: captivity whump, cruel Villain whumper, forced living weapon, captive Hero whumpee, shock collars
"These can generate almost as much heat as you can, upwards of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. So I have you to thank for the inspiration.”
Amber shivered uneasily, mind wandering to all the damage Zack could do with those after they beat Supervillain.
Her train of thought was interrupted when he handed her a leather mask that matched the suit she was wearing. "For your oh-so-secret identity," he teased.
Amber scowled as she fitted it on her face, and Zack put a matching one on his own, before walking over and opening the front door. He stopped Amber when she tried to walk out, expression more serious than she was used to seeing.
"Listen carefully. Don't use my real name in the field, and I won't use yours either. From this point onward, you are Hero, and I am Villain. Understood?"
Amber nodded grimly, and Zack stepped aside to let her out. He led her to a sleek black car that looked just like so many others, nothing about it screaming 'I belong to an evil crime lord'. Amber didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this.
"Fancy ride, isn’t it," Zack joked as he hopped in the driver's seat. Amber got into the passenger side with an exasperated eye roll. The instant she shut the door Zack hit the gas, tires squealing as the vehicle lurched into motion, speeding down the street.
"Pretty sure you're going double the speed limit right now," Amber harped angrily, struggling to get her seat belt on.
"I'm a villain. Laws don't apply to me," Zack answered flippantly.
"Ugh, you're so annoying," Amber groaned inwardly. "Do you even know where we're headed?"
"Yes. I was watching the news live and Supervillain is currently making a stand against authorities at that giant museum downtown. They're working on evacuating the surrounding areas of civilians because of how dangerous it's getting. And apparently Supervillain brought some friends with him. It's pure chaos, we're walking into a literal war zone between SWAT teams and Supervillain's goons."
"Great, as if the odds couldn't get any worse," Amber grumbled, bracing herself against the door of the car as Zack took a particularly sharp turn.
And when they arrived, Amber realized that Zack hadn't been exaggerating. The scene was hectic. Fleeing bystanders and civilians were running like mice away from the museum, screaming in terror. And the whole front of the museum itself was in shambles, collapsed from what looked like explosives judging from the damage. Armored SWAT vehicles were positioned outside the entrance, people in military gear taking cover behind them.
Zack jumped out of the car and Amber followed, shocked at the extent of the damage. Even some of the buildings surrounding the museum were partially or completely destroyed and collapsed.
"Here's what's going to happen," Zack said urgently. "You need to go and talk to the SWAT teams, get them to back off so we can go in and take control of the situation -- go clear a way for us to reach and fight Supervillain. I'll work on blasting a hole to get inside, it looks like Supervillain's barricaded himself inside the museum to buy time for whatever his plan is."
"I don't take orders from you!" Amber snapped.
"You will if you want to win this," Zack growled confidently. "SWAT will listen to you because you're a familiar hero. They won't trust me."
"Gee, I wonder why?" Amber drawled pointedly.
"Cut the snark. We need to have each other's backs here, even if we're rivals. Can you trust me, if I'm willing to trust you, just this once? We can go back to being enemies after the fight’s over. But we need to work together for this to work, or we'll both get ourselves killed. Can you do that?" He held out a hand, waiting for her to accept.
Amber searched his face for a lie, for any hint or trace of familiar manipulation, but all she could see was genuine sincerity for once, brutal honesty from him. She hesitated, the sounds of terrified screams piercing the background... before she shook Zacks hand with grim resolve and determination. "I'll trust you... once, only because I have to. After this, no more," she growled.
"Understood." Zack broke away and took off at a dead sprint toward the side of the museum, while Amber ran toward the SWAT teams.
⏪️ Back Next ⏩️
Masterlist
@scoundrelwithboba @lumpofsand @isikedmyself878 @iamheretohurt @fleur-a-whump
@ay5ksal @otterfrost @sausages-things @i-don't-know-sal @togzy
@whump-till-ya-jump @cravesunconditionallove @whumpwritinglover222
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whorekneecentral · 2 years
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helloooo, i’m carlos starved, again. SO LIKE OKAY OKAY IMAGINE IT, you and carlos have been like filmed with sexual tension, like you being a tease, and he breaks at his driver’s room, so he fucks you against the wall. again i’m extremely carlos starved.
okay perfect -- this is teammate!reader for even more drama 
Carlos shut the door to your driver’s room after he walks in. “What ?” You ask, looking up from the couch. “What, what?” He asks you, sitting next to you. 
Rolling your eyes, you nudge him with your foot, causing him to look up from his phone. “Did they see you come in here?” You asked him and his brows furrow. “Who?” 
“Netflix,” you groan, “we’re never gonna beat these fucking each other allegations.” You mumbled, making Carlos laugh. 
You knew Netflix has been focused on Ferrari for the weekend, but even when they weren't focused on the team, they tend to focus on you and Carlos. They made up some storyline last season that you and Carlos were hooking up, which was not true and never had been. 
Carlos was a friendly guy, anyone knows his love language was physical touch and yours was the same. And okay, yeah, you two flirted sometimes but there were no feelings behind it, you two were just friends. 
“Maybe we give them a real reason to think that,” he says and your brows furrow, “what ?” 
The Spaniard shrugs, “what if we actually make them think we fucked?” 
“Why would we do that?” You ask him, sitting up and looking at him like he was crazy. Carlos grabs your hand, pulling you onto his lap. His hand rests on your lower back as you look down at him. “Why wouldn't we?” He smiles. 
There was no denying that Carlos was attractive, you see how many people swoon over your Prince Charming look alike of a teammate and sometimes, even with all the cameras rolling, you find yourself swooning too. 
Hence why it wasn’t a big shocker to either of you when you kissed him. The man flipped two over so you were on your back and he was between your legs. Carlos tugs on your shirt, his hand resting on your torso before moving down between your legs. 
One of your hands was tangled in his messy hair, pulling him closer; now that you have him, it wasn’t enough.  
It had to be, you didn’t have enough time to actually do anything as you were both needed for press soon. 
He slips his hand down the front of your shorts and your hips jut towards him, back aching off the shitty couch. Your body responding exactly the way he wanted it too. 
There's a knock on your door, “y/n! we have press in 5!” Maria, your press officer shouts. 
“Coming!” You call back, groaning as you look up at him. Carlos smiles, “we have all the time tonight, I'll meet you at your hotel room.” He says getting up. 
You let him leave first and then you follow after but surely the cameras picked up that you both left the same room and the state you left it in; Carlos’s hair messier than usual, faint pink lipgloss smudged across his lips before he wiped it off with the back of his hand, your cheeks were flushed and red as you redid the loop on your shorts. 
If they didn’t think you were fucking before, they definitely thought you were now. 
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magicshopaholic · 2 years
Text
So Many Signs (Taehyung x OC)
Summary: Dilara tries to ignore the obvious, while Taehyung finally loses his cool.
Pairing: Taehyung x OC
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 13 K
Rating: 18+
Warnings: language, sexism, mention of assault, infidelity, longing, heartbreak
A/N: I didn’t think I’d be posting this so soon but I do want to reach a certain point in their story before I continue posting for other members. This one’s long, but I hope you like it! It takes place about a week after Chingu.
This is also a submission for the 2023 K-Pop Fanfic Bingo Event “The Sound of Music”, using the square with one of my favourite childhood songs, Moon Glow by Benny Goodman.
Tagging: @bbl32 @quarter-life-crisis2 @meirkive @dreaming-with-happiness @ananya1398 @kflixnet (drop a message if you want to be added)
Listen to: “moon glow” by benny goodman
taehyung masterlist | main masterlist
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It’s close to the end of the calendar once the Portuguese GP rolls around. It seems to have awoken both PR teams as well, for the schedule suddenly tightens up and two photoshoots, one advertisement and a Run episode filming are all squeezed into a single week.
The first of the photoshoots takes place in a nice, leafy garden in the outskirts of Portimao, rented for the entire day for the shoot. For once, the participants from the F1 side of things nearly match the BTS members in number, with not just the Red Bull drivers there, but also the AlphaTauri ones, along with Max’s girlfriend Kelly accompanying them.
Maybe it’s the peace of the outdoors; maybe it’s the fact that on the plane ride over, Dilara had a front row seat to the view of Taehyung sleeping as he hugged a pillow. Either way, for the first time in forever, Dilara realises she isn’t counting down the minutes until the shoot is over.
The next day, the Thursday before the race weekend, the same day BTS is meant to join as well, she goes for an early morning run at the paddock before her own team PR begins for the day. A Run episode is meant to be filmed on the circuit and wrap up before the other drivers arrive, and Dilara watches as the crew sets up at top speed, even before the members arrive.
After her run, she’s getting a glass of water in the Red Bull enclosure when she feels someone come up behind her. When she turns, she almost spills the water on herself when she sees maybe three inches of distance between her and Jaden Park.
“Shit!” she mutters, taking a step back right into the water cooler. Jaden grabs her arm to steady her and, when she tries to take it back, doesn’t let go for a moment. Dilara’s heart skips a beat but then he drops her arm and sort of forces a smile onto his face.
It does nothing to comfort her, and she suddenly wishes more than ever that Chris or Fred were here. “Hi - hi… Jaden,” she stammers, taking a deep breath to slow her heart.
“Hey.” Jaden shoves his hands into his pockets. “I, um… I saw you last night.”
“Excuse me?”
“At Albert’s Bar?” He nods, assuming her acknowledgment. “You were with BTS, right?”
Fuck. Aside from the fact that she had stepped out for drinks with her housemates the previous night that now seems to have been seen by people, she thinks she can predict what Jaden’s line of thinking is with this. 
“Um… yeah, Max and all of us did a photoshoot with them yesterday, so we went out for a drink after,” she tells him, pleasantly surprised at how normal she sounds.
“That’s nice. Feel up to going again?” He cocks one eyebrow and gives her a small smile.
Unsurprised and unimpressed, she exhales. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jaden,” she says firmly, not in the mood to try and let him down easy. She moves to walk past him but he blocks her way. Heart hammering, she looks up at him, slightly incredulous. “What are you doing?”
“So you can have a drink with seven guys but not one with me?” he asks, that strange frown still on his face.
Dilara scoffs. “I wasn’t having a drink with seven guys, I went out for drinks with a few colleagues,” she clarifies through gritted teeth, part of her wondering why she’s even giving this guy an explanation. “It wasn’t a date.”
“You really made up your mind about me after one date?” he demands, frowning. “It's… I mean, you're free to reject me if you don't like me but…" He shrugs, "... this just seems unfair."
She raises her eyebrows. "Listen, Jaden," she continues quickly, now reaching the end of her fuse, "I told you, alright? It's nothing to do with you. I'm just not dating. And I'd really appreciate it if we didn't have this conversation again." She moves to walk away again and, yet again, he steps in front of her. 
"Then what is it? The least you can do is give me an explanation, Dilara." He's dropped all pretense of politeness, practically glaring at her now.
She stares at him, contemplating. There's a hundred things she can rip into this guy regarding his behaviour, but she knows there's only one thing that will work with a guy like him - she hopes. 
"Look, I…" Dilara exhales, heavily resenting that she has to do this, "when you asked me out, I'd just got out of a relationship, okay? It was complicated and - and I was still working my way through it. There’s - there’s another guy," she clarifies, disgusted yet unsurprised at the sudden understanding on his face. 
"So… I was, what? A rebound?"
"No," she says immediately, sensing a bruised ego. "I didn't realise I was still… not over it until we went out. And I didn't want to lead you on any further," she explains, suddenly realising she’s not totally lying.
"Right." Jaden nods, jaw clenched. "And, uh… this guy. Your ex. Is he here? Is he in F1?"
It's a complicated answer, but Dilara is out of patience with him. "I don't think that's important," she says hastily, wanting to shut down whatever man-to-man ape nonsense is going on in his head at the earliest. "And, uh… yeah. So I think we can just put this behind us now? And be colleagues? Great," she says in one quick breath, and without waiting for him to respond, she sidles away, letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.
It rankles Dilara all day, how entitled some men are and how only the mention of another man can get them to back down. She takes it out on all the men around her, refusing to pass Max a bottle of water when he asks, and later in the afternoon, sniping at a reporter for asking her how she manages her personal life. She knows she’s not a good person to be around right now so when she goes back to the house, she heads straight away to the home gym to work out some of her frustrations before she snaps at someone else.
It works; she over indexes on the weights and barbells, working up a good sweat. She loses track of time, too; when she glances out of the window towards the end of her session, the sky is a dark indigo, almost black, and she feels a light and cool breeze blowing in, feeling incredible against her damp skin.
She runs into Jimin as she’s leaving, who offers her a can of beer and a smile.
“It’s a race weekend,” she says in explanation, her hands still in her pockets.
“You drank last night,” he points out. 
“Exactly. I think I maxed out my quota of booze for the week. Especially booze with this many calories,” she adds, tapping the can and moving to walk past him.
“No worries,” he says easily, falling into step beside her. The walk to the house is a few minutes away; Jimin manages to keep the silence going for about half a minute before speaking again.
“I don’t mean to… what’s the word? Pry?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I don’t mean to pry, but… you and Taehyung seemed to be getting along well yesterday.” 
Dilara looks up after a moment, surprised to see how hopeful his smile is. “Was that a question?” she asks after a moment.
“Um…” He looks mildly confused for a second. “Not really. It was nice, that’s all.”
She nods, not knowing what else to say. The last thing she wants is to mislead anyone - especially when she has no idea what she wants herself.
“Does that mean you’re…” Jimin trails off but when Dilara doesn’t respond, he sighs uncomfortably. “Do you think you might… I mean, will you two be okay?”
Deliberately not looking up at him, she responds carefully. “What does okay mean?”
“Just…” The leaves under their feet crunch in the silence. “Will you go back to normal?”
They’ve almost reached the house. She stops in her tracks a few feet away from the porch. “And by normal you mean… before we broke up?”
Jimin doesn’t say anything for a moment, and it’s apparent he’s already regretting bringing it up. “Maybe? It’s just… I mean, what more needs to happen? He can’t take it back, you know… what he did.”
“I do know,” she says forcefully. “And, yeah, a lot more needs to happen. Starting with him having this conversation himself,” she mutters, starting to walk away when he pulls her back. Startled at the second time today, she jerks back.
“S-sorry. Just… God, please don’t tell him about this,” he begs, eyes wide. “He’ll kill me.”
“Then why are you? Is he that miserable to be around?”
“Oh, yeah.” A brief smile flashes across his face before it fades. “But it’s not just him, okay? When I said it was nice seeing you together yesterday… I mean it was nice to see you like that, too.” His gaze falls slightly. “I think we’re friends, too, right?”
Dilara frowns, for she hasn’t the faintest where this conversation is going. “I - sure. But if you’re asking me if us having a conversation yesterday without breaking down means we’re going to get back together… then I don’t know what to tell you.”
Jimin sighs and nods. “I know it doesn’t. But… I don’t know, are you waiting for something?”
There’s something about that question that makes her bristle. “Waiting for something? Like I’m just sitting here, waiting for him to prove himself and pass some test so I can take him back? Do you think I’m having fun or something?”
“That’s not what I -”
“Because the answer is no, Jimin. No, I am not waiting for anything. I waited enough, alright?” she reminds him. “I waited a long time for him to say something before I blocked him and made sure he never could. All I’m doing right now is just… I’m just trying to not be so angry anymore. Because it’s not helping anyone.”
She starts walking backwards towards the house as Jimin processes this response, hoping he gets it. Just as she’s about to turn, he looks up.
“I’m sorry, Dilara. I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
“I’m not angry. That’s my whole point.”
He raises his eyebrows but thankfully lets it go. “Fine. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”
Dilara nods. “I’m not waiting for anything,” she repeats after a moment, a little calmer. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not… hoping for something.”
Jimin frowns. “Like what?”
She bites her lip before sighing. “Like - like a sign. Maybe. This is not an easy decision - not least because I don’t even know what he wants. It’s -” But she’s interrupted by his scoff.
“Come on, I’m sure even Max Verstappen knows what Taehyung wants,” he tells her, laughing softly.
Dilara narrows her eyes. “I wouldn’t take his word about this. He’s too complicated for me to guess.”
“Max?”
“No, T- you’re… V,” she stutters, rolling her eyes at the blatant slip. “He can’t just waltz back into my life because a PR plan forced me to let him back in.” She starts walking backwards again, careful not to miss the steps on the porch. “That’s what’s always happened. He’s just had to sit back and everything has fallen into place for him. I need an indication, at least, that it’s different this time. I don’t know what that is, I don’t know what it’ll look like… but I need -”
“A sign.” Jimin nods, looking at least somewhat as though he understands what she means. “I get it.”
“Good.” Hoping the conversation ends here, she turns on the spot and opens the door, almost getting a heart attack when she sees Taehyung standing there and pulling on a jacket.
“What - How did you -”
“Gwaenchanha?”
It takes her a moment to be able to answer as she catches her breath. “No, not really,” she gasps, wondering if all the men on the planet have planned to constantly startle her wherever she is. “I - were you standing here this whole time?”
Taehyung raises his eyebrows. A lock of blond hair falls elegantly onto his forehead, the rest of his face absolutely still. “What do you mean?”
Dilara stares at him, suddenly mortified at the thought of him overhearing her talk to Jimin about this, or worse, her need for a sign. “I mean… you know what I mean,” she finishes lamely.
“Not really.” He glances at Jimin behind her and nods in acknowledgment before turning back to her. “The team wants to take a couple of extra shots at night, so I’m heading there with Jungkook. You want to come?”
He asks so casually, as though he’s asking her if she wants to go to the grocery store with him, that her heart flutters unexpectedly. “I - your staff won’t like that,” is her first response, before she cringes inwardly. “And also… no. No… thank you.”
Taehyung nods, looking as though he expected it. “No problem. I’ll see you later.”
Dilara watches him leave in silence, his gait cool and smooth as he passes by Jimin, murmuring something in Korean before heading out. She tries to count herself lucky; it doesn’t seem as though he’d overhead her - but if he has, she may as well just begin avoiding eye contact with him for the rest of her life. 
Jimin, apparently waiting for Taehyung to be fully out of earshot this time, grins at her. “That kind of sign?”
“No,” she says immediately, entering the house. “Never that kind of sign.”
“Are you sure?” he presses, following her into the house and shutting the door behind him. “It’s him - he’s the sign,” he explains dramatically.
Dilara gives him a pointed look, stopping at the door to her bedroom. “Never that kind of sign.”
The next day when Dilara sees BTS in the paddock, her gaze goes straight to Taehyung and Jimin. They're walking next to each other, albeit talking to members on their other sides. She tries to look elsewhere; it's officially race weekend again and she can't afford to be distracted. It's hard, though, because her situation with Taehyung is complicated enough; the last thing she wants is for a private conversation to have been overheard by him, however accidental it may have been.
So Dilara avoids them all day, all of them. She tries not to make it obvious because she’s glad that they’re all finally getting back on decent terms, so she opts to spend time in the garage with the rest of the team, going over free practice times and tyre strategies for Qualifying tomorrow. Even when Jaden Park, who's supposed to be in Max's garage and not hers, accidentally-on-purpose bumps into her and she notices Seokjin looking at them and frowning, she keeps her goal in mind and handles it herself.
It’s a success, for the most part. Her car feels fantastic and the paddock generally seems more lively this weekend for some reason; she doesn’t know if it has to do with the nice weather or the fact that Portimao is generally an exciting race every year. Either way, it’s good for her because in her effort to avoid BTS and give them their space, she ends up spending time with all the other drivers.
Later in the evening, when the paddock is emptying out, Dilara is on her way to the Red Bull conference room for a team briefing when she gets a notification from Jimin. Heart hammering slightly, she swipes it open.
Jimin [19:52] Dilara. Please stop avoiding him because of me.
Dilara [19:53] I’m not? Why would you think that?
Jimin [19:53] Have you said anything to him at all today?
Dilara [19:54] I have gone many many days without saying a single word to him. Did you by any chance tell him what we talked about yesterday?
Jimin [19:56] Of course not. Please don’t avoid him because of that. He’s really confused - I can tell.
Dilara [19:56] Jimin. I’m not avoiding him. Really. I just don’t know what to say to him, to be very honest.
Jimin [19:57] What? Things were getting so much better between you two. 
Dilara [19:58] Well, sure. We weren’t throwing things at each other and screaming anymore. That’s a pretty low bar.
Jimin [19:58] Fair enough. Will you be joining us for dinner?
Dilara [19:59] Not sure. I have to go for a briefing. I don’t know when I’ll be back.
Jimin [20:00] Want me to tell him to pick you up? You guys could talk.
Dilara [20:00] Omg NO. Jimin!
Jimin [20:00} What? He’ll be happy to do it.
Dilara [20:01] I’m sure he would. Look, Jimin, I know you feel guilty about your part in this, okay? If this is your way of trying to help - you’re off the hook. I forgive you.
Jimin [20:02] Really?
Dilara [20:02] Yes.
There’s no response. Dilara slows down slightly, wondering if her hunch is actually right. She’d only said that to shut him up, but his silence seems to indicate otherwise.
Then -
Jimin [20:05] Did you kiss last week?
Dilara [20:06] I fucking beg your pardon?
Jimin [20:07] Hobi hyung said he saw you guys hugging. If I remember correctly, you two had no problem going further than that in public.
Dilara [20:08] Jimin. Shut up.
Jimin [20:09] Just a question. Jeez.
Dilara [20:09] I dare you to go ask him this.
Jimin [20:10] Well played.
Dilara [20:11] Look, Jimin, I have to go. Just… I’m not avoiding him, okay? And even if it seems like it, it’s probably for the best.
When Jimin doesn’t reply, she breathes a silent sigh of relief. She’s almost at the conference room now and she’s getting late, but she needs to know this conversation is closed. Then, just when she thinks she can move on with her day, a picture pops up on the chat. It’s of Taehyung, shockingly, in the backyard with his blond hair catching the setting sun as he points - her heart skips a beat - the Polaroid she’d gifted him at the horizon.
Realising with a start that she’s been staring at it for almost a minute, Dilara types out a reply, fingers shaking slightly. 
Dilara [20:15] What am I looking at?
Jimin [20:15] He’s been out there for an hour now. He looks like he’s in a k-drama.
If by that he means that Taehyung looks tall, handsome and tragic all at once, he’s right. Dilara feels a familiar rush of mild envy and pride all at once, and knows she needs to nip this in the bud.
Dilara [20:16] Well, he certainly acts well enough to be in one. I have to go. I’ll see you later.
All through the briefing, Dilara can’t help but think that her decision to avoid them is for the best, if Jimin’s reaction is anything to go by. Even after the briefing, she dilly-dallies near the enclosure, wondering how to kill even more time before she has no choice but to head back to the house. 
Dilara sighs and glances down at her phone. It’s barely seven; she can’t hang around here for five hours… she looks around, wondering if she can possibly hang around with her pit crew to fix her car or something, when she suddenly catches sight of a small group of them and sees Jaden Park in the middle of it. Her heart in her mouth at how narrowly she’s avoided him, she turns the opposite way and starts walking towards the parking lot.
Then, a miracle happens.
Dilara’s phone pings and she groans softly, not in the mood for more of Jimin’s guilt trip. Honestly, she’s glad that her confession of sorts seems to have indeed been kept from Taehyung, but she’s more convinced than ever that both of them need this space to clear their heads. 
Max [22:40] Komyshan. Heading out for a bite with Daniel, Lando and Charles. You’re coming, right?
Her heart leaps and she thinks if her taste were slightly different, she could kiss Max Verstappen. She types out a reply, not even trying to suppress the relieved smile she can feel on her face. Rapidly saying a quick yes, she skips over to the parking lot.
As she nears it, she feels something nagging at her, tugging at her heart. She reopens her chat with Jimin, slowly scrolling up until she finds it. 
He’s really confused - I can tell. 
There is no reason this should evoke any sympathy in her. She should want him to feel bad for everything he did, but that angry part of her feels like a past version, like a person she used to know. If anything, she knows how he feels, with the confusion - and she realises it’s not sympathy, but empathy she’s starting to feel for him, especially if he’s had Jimin breathing down his neck the entire time as well. 
Dilara scrolls further down to the picture Jimin sent her of Taehyung; of course he looks like a model, like a stock photo. Perfect body proportions, perfect jawline silhouette, perfectly falling hair, capturing perfect pictures, looking perfectly heartbroken.
She sighs again, struggling. Things were getting so much better with you two. It’s the validation she didn’t know she needed. She recalls how his unexpected appearance behind the front door had taken her breath away last night. 
Feeling apprehensive, she opens her chat with Taehyung to see only two messages, from the night Chris visited. She bites her lip, deciding that she needs to tell someone where she is anyway or they’re bound to get worried. Thumb hovering over the keyboard momentarily, she types out a message.
Dilara [22:50] I’m going out with some of the guys. Not sure when I’ll be back but let’s talk later?
Dilara hits send and immediately panics. Talk? Talk about what? She groans out loud, attracting the attention of her fellow drivers. When Max calls out “Komyshan!”, she waves back tiredly and walks towards them. After they’re all strapped in and Charles is reversing out of the parking lot, she receives a reply.
Tae [22:52] I’ll be waiting.
---
He isn’t, not exactly. 
It actually ends up being an extremely late night for them; Dilara and her friends go back to the same club that she’d gone to with BTS two nights ago and although they don’t drink nearly as much and definitely don’t dance, it ends up being a pretty fun night overall and actually succeeds in making her forget about her love life for a couple of hours. When it’s finally time to go, it’s almost one in the morning, just as she’d hoped. 
Dilara is pleasantly surprised when Max drops off the other three before driving her back to the house, remembering that they can’t let the group’s location be revealed to anyone. They don’t talk about it, thankfully, but when he stops the car and she’s about to open the door, he finally speaks.
“How’s it going, by the way?” Max points to the house. “Are you two good now?”
She shrugs. “No idea, honestly.”
He frowns, looking mildly curious. “Oh. Looked like everything was fine at the photoshoot the other day. You two looked like you were sneaking around again.”
We were? Dilara’s confusion must show on her face, for Max chuckles. “Obviously, I’m wrong. Anyway,” he says abruptly, and she takes that as her cue to step out, “good luck for tomorrow. Go get some sleep.”
When she enters the house, it’s to see all seven members huddled on the sofa, with Jungkook, Yoongi and Hoseok sitting on the back of the couch. She frowns and stares as the door clicks shut behind her, wondering why on earth they feel the need to pile on top of each other while there are two more perfectly comfortable couches right next to them. 
Then she spots the laptop perched on the coffee table in front of them and when Jin says something in Korean and a couple of them laugh and Jimin replies, she realises they're live.
All their eyes flicker up to look at her, though, before quickly darting back to the screen, their expressions carefully unchanging - all except Taehyung. 
He meets her gaze; with his long hair brushing his ears and a green cardigan making him look warm and inviting, it’s no wonder she doesn’t look away for a couple of seconds before he tears his eyes away to look back at the screen. 
Sensing this as the ultimate opportunity to avoid whatever conversation he has in mind, Dilara swiftly makes her way into her bedroom and quietly shuts the door. Hesitating for exactly one second, she crosses her bedroom and opens her tablet, the only device she has that still has the Vlive app, and joins the stream.
Taehyung looks up again in the direction of her room before turning his attention back to the screen, and for a moment it feels like he’s looking right at her. He glances vaguely over at the rest of them before he locks eyes with Namjoon and - it happens in a split second - Namjoon gives him an imperceptible shake of the head.
Dilara lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding, somewhat thankful yet regretful that she won’t hear a knock on her door right now. The next moment, though, she sees Taehyung look down at his lap again and pick up his phone this time, fingers flying over the screen. Right on cue, her phone buzzes next to her.
She scoffs quietly, ignoring how her heart leaps in spite of itself, unsurprised to see a message. 
Tae [01:10] How was your night?
Dilara [01:11] Tiring.
Tae [01:12] Still up for that talk?
Dilara [01:13] Aren’t you live?
Tae [01:13] I go live a lot.
Dilara [01:14] Namjoon looks like he could kill you if you left.
Tae [01:14] Hold on, are you watching?
Dilara feels like slapping herself. When she looks up at the screen, she sees his cheeks pulled back slightly, head still bent over his phone. 
Dilara [01:15] Just a guess. Can we take a raincheck? I’m pretty tired and I have Qualifying tomorrow.
On screen, he freezes for a moment and she thinks she notices his shoulders fall slightly. He types something before locking his phone and looking up at the camera, tossing his hair out of his eyes, face completely unreadable. Her phone pings, and her heart thuds softly at his reply. 
Tae [01:16] Of course. Sleep well. 
The next day, the flaw with her proposition comes to light when Dilara, once again, sees them in the paddock. She’s been in the garage for nearly two hours by the time Taehyung, Jimin, Jungkook and Namjoon arrive. Given the public setting, the most she can do is wave to them from afar and ignore Jimin giving her a pointed look.
She’d thought long and hard about it as she fell asleep last night, the content of their “talk”. We need space, she’d rehearsed in her head. Just to think. Just to figure this out. Short and vague, the best way to go. 
Of course, talking about space isn’t the best decision, especially since none of their conversations have ever gone as planned. They either fight or cry or both, and she’d really rather avoid any of that. As a result, she avoids all of them, specifically Jimin’s texts and even Jungkook when he comes up to her car, eyes shining in admiration. She engages with him while the cameras are on them but the moment they drift away, she immediately excuses herself and hurries into her changing room.
It’s Qualifying day, though, so there’s enough to do in any case. Dilara goes out for FP3, having long and serious discussions with Christian, all his attention on her for once since Max will start tomorrow from the back of the grid due to his penalty. 
Dilara feels strangely stressed, still. Part of it is Qualifying, part of it is having Max all the way back in P20 and therefore of no support to her, part of it is Jimin’s continuous texts, Taehyung’s presence, their impending conversation, and Jaden bumping into her yet again - except this time, he’s openly cold.
“Good luck,” he says shortly, brushing past her.
“Thanks,” says Dilara automatically, stumbling slightly while he continues walking.
“Pity you didn’t get the new engine,” he adds, turning around and walking backwards.
“Bite me, Park.” 
She shakes her head as he disappears around a corner, the competitiveness emerging in full force. One date, one date and this is the fallout she has to deal with. She makes sure to continue thinking about it, enjoying the anger she knows will help when she gets into the car and zooms into Q3, eventually qualifying P3 for the race tomorrow. 
Everyone’s happy; Christian hugs her, Max comes from inside the garage in jeans, hugging her for the cameras, and Natalie Pinkham interviews her, Lewis and George, all the top three qualifiers, one by one. 
Dilara still evades the group, though; she sees Namjoon smile at her from across the garage and tentatively smiles back, but looks at no one else. She’s aware of what a terrible job she’s doing with this; she doesn’t even want to imagine what Taehyung’s face looks like when she ignores him. But there’s only so much she can focus on during a race weekend, or at least that’s what she tells herself.
Dilara does have one moment of pleasure, though; on her way back inside for a shower, she passes Jaden again. 
“Looks like I won’t be needing that engine after all,” she says innocently, mimicking his shrug and ignoring his scowl as she walks away.
She manages to sneak away from the paddock without the group. There’s a sponsorship meeting they have with the Red Bull marketing team, which was the reason they even showed up today, and the moment she spotted them shuffling into the conference room between engineers and press officers darting about, she hurried away, keen to get back home and lock herself up in her room until she has to go to sleep.
The house is a fifteen minute walk from the paddock. Dilara tries to let go of everything else for a while and just enjoy the weather in silence, along with her P3 starting position and her jab at a bitter ex-flame. It’s peaceful, the last rays of the sun lighting up the sky while the cool breeze makes autumn leaves crunch under her shoes. The house is two minutes away now, within her view, when her phone pings yet again, followed by a series of pings.
Frowning - and panicking, slightly - she opens her phone to see eight messages on the most ridiculous WhatsApp group she’s a part of: Taehyung’s true loves, courtesy Jimin, who added her and Jungkook in an effort to convince her that their friendship is independent of her relationship with Taehyung. Neither she nor Jungkook had ever said anything on it, too awkward to, so eventually after a series of whiny messages, Jimin had stopped as well.
Dilara has no desire to start becoming an active participant now. With all the strength in her, she locks her phone and is about to slip it into her bag when it buzzes, the ringtone loud in the quiet of the street.
Huffing, she answers it. “What?”
“Dilara? Uh… have you left?”
“What… Jungkook?” Unexpected, to say the least. “What are you - I mean, yeah. I have. Why?”
“You should come back,” is all he says. “Taehyung hyung kind of… it’s a bit of a situation.”
This explains nothing. “What does that mean?”
“Um…” Jungkook’s voice moves away, as though he’s speaking to someone else. “I think he - I think punched your ex? That guy? Or - or he tried to, anyway. He’s not the best at -”
“He what?”
“Yeah, no, his stance wasn’t very good either and -” There’s a shuffle and she hears the phone transferred to someone else.
“Hey, Dilara,” comes Jimin’s voice, calm - and smug. “Remember when you said you needed a sign? I think you just got one.”
Her legs are starting to cramp but Dilara doesn;t stop, not until she gets to the garage. She spots Jimin and Jungkook hovering at the entrance, shoulders relaxing in relief when they see her.
“What - the - hell?” she pants, stopping for the first time since the phone call. 
“Holy shit, did you run all the way?” Jimin asks, ignoring her shake of the head as she tries to catch her breath. “Here, have some water first.”
“What happened?” Dilara asks desperately, reaching for the water anyway and downing half of it in one go. “What do you mean he - and who’s -” There are so many moving parts to it that she falters, her heart feeling like it’s going to fall out of her chest.
“Jaden,” answers Jungkook. “The pit crew guy. He said…” He swallows and looks at Jimin apprehensively.
Her heart skips a beat. “What? Jungkook, what?” Then she remembers. “Wait, where the hell is he?”
“The medic is trying to stop his nose from bleeding,” answers Jimin, sounding repulsed. “Hope it hurts,” he adds savagely.
Her eyes widen and she slaps him on the shoulder. “Not him!”
Jimin blinks, rubbing his shoulder absently. “Oh. Taehyung’s over there - but he’s really angry so be careful when you -” 
But Dilara ignores him, brushing past both of them into the changing room he’s pointed at. Kicking the door open, she sees Seokjin standing next to Taehyung, who’s sitting holding an ice pack over his limp hand, while Jin speaks rapidly in Korean, sounding rather like he’s lecturing him. Taehyung looks up mid-wince, face going slack when he sees her, as though he can’t quite believe she’s here.
Seokjin mutters something when he sees her and pats his shoulder before walking out past her, giving her a small nod as he does. Dilara doesn’t look away from Taehyung, though. For a moment, they’re just staring at each other, him with apprehension and defiance, and she with an overwhelming sense of anger… and fear. There’s so much she wants to say, yell, scream that she can’t choose. 
She walks forward until she’s standing right above him. “Give me the icepack.”
Taehyung’s face reacts minutely before smoothing back out. He looks back down at his hands and shakes his head. “No.”
Dilara stares at him, incredulous. “Give me the icepack,” she repeats. “And you better start explaining while you’re at it.”
“I don’t need to explain anything,” he mumbles, twisting his body away from her. When she lunges towards him, livid and missing his hand by inches, he looks up in horror. “What are you doing?” he cries. “Do you have any idea how much this hurts?”
Her chest constricts. She reaches forward and takes off his snapback, just for something to do. “Then give it to me!”
“What the - no! Go away!”
“No way. You don’t get to cause drama on my paddock and then tell me to -”
“Oh, so now this is about you?”
“Goddamnit, Tae! Why do you have to make everything so difficult!” she shouts in frustration. “Just give me the fucking icepack!”
Taehyung stares up at her, eyes wide. He takes a shaky breath and she realises with a jolt that for the first time since they broke up, she’s addressed him by his name. Tae… She hasn’t said that name out loud in months, not to Jimin, not to Lexie, not even to herself.
Silently, he raises his hand and hands her the icepack. Taking it, she kneels in front of him and takes his right hand, gingerly placing the icepack on it. He hisses but keeps his hand steady, and she carefully continues, trying not to think about how close they are, how she can feel him looking at her.
His knuckles are red and bruised, but thankfully not bleeding. She tries to hold his hand as gently as possible, but firmly enough that he can’t pull away because she really, really doesn't want to let go of him right now.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she demands in a low voice, not looking up. “How could you -” she breaks off, shaking her head.
It’s a moment before Taehyung answers. “It’s not important.” When her head snaps up to look at him incredulously, he frowns and looks away, shrugging stubbornly.
“How is it -” Dilara pauses with the icepack for a moment, exhaling through her nose. “You hit him. You punched him - apparently.”
He frowns. “What do you mean apparently?” he asks, sounding almost defensive.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she says sarcastically, holding up his hand and ignoring his dramatic gasp. “Look at this. Have you ever punched anything before?”
“Jungkook taught me once. Kind of.”
“That’s great. And now Jaden is with the medic getting his nose fixed! How is why not important?”
Taehyung scoffs in disgust. “There was barely any blood. Don’t worry, his stupid face will be fine,” he mutters scathingly.
Dilara glares up at him again, fighting the urge to smack the back of his head. “I don’t care about him!” She ignores how he suddenly looks up, as though surprised. “What about you? You - you hurt your hand!” She takes a deep breath. “What if he complains? He - he will complain and then Red Bull -” She gasps as something horrific occurs to her. “What if they - what if Big Hit gets involved? This - this is a PR disaster!”
Taehyung doesn’t seem to have heard most of what she’s said. “It - it will be fine,” he says finally, but she can hear an undertone of worry in his voice. “Namjoon hyung is talking to the team.” He swallows. “I trust him.”
Don’t we all. But Red Bull is a whole other matter. “God, Tae…” She drops her head before raising it slowly to look up at him. “Please tell me this isn’t about what you overheard the other night.”
He says nothing for a moment but then frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“The sign. When I told him that -” But it’s too much to explain and she doesn’t have the patience to get him to admit something he doesn’t want to - if he indeed has something to admit to. “Forget it. What did he say? Jaden?”
Predictably, Taehyunglowers his eyes again. “I can’t tell you. But he deserved it.”
“What do you mean you can’t tell me?”
“I mean that there’s no point if I tell you. He said a lot of stupid stuff but if I tell you, then it’s not - it’s not…” He sighs and looks away, and she knows he’s searching for the English word. “It doesn’t mean anything if I tell you,” he says finally, giving up.
Dilara stares. “Are you telling me… you punched a guy - badly - and hurt your hand and you can’t tell me because you’re trying to be chivalrous?” When his eyes light up at the sound of the word he was looking for, she snaps. “You - what? You jeopardized your career to - to defend my honour? Are you actually serious?”
“You didn’t hear him,” he states, frowning down at her now. “You don’t know what he was saying. And no, I’m not telling you,” he adds before she can ask again. “But, yeah. What he said was horrible. And…” He shrugs defiantly. “I didn’t like hearing that about you.”
She doesn’t know how to respond to that. She should be flattered, and she thinks she is, but it pales in comparison to how worried she is for him right now. He has no idea the power Red Bull holds - none at all. “You’re going to be in so much trouble,” she whispers. “He could press charges. How are you not more worried?”
Taehyung’s eyes flicker. “I don’t think he will,” he says, but his fake confidence doesn’t fool her. “I - I don’t regret it.” He meets her gaze. “Everything he said was bullshit,” he blurts. “He doesn’t know you at all. Seriously, I can’t believe you went out with him.”
Dilara raises an eyebrow. “You really want to go there?”
He frowns churlishly. “He’s an asshole. He -” Taehyung stops himself, biting down on his lip. “You are so out of his league,” he says eventually, looking away.
After a moment, she dips the icepack onto his hand again, slowly, concentrating on nothing else. “You’re an idiot,” she says quietly, her voice betraying her. “Such a drama queen.” 
Taehyung rests his other hand on her shoulder, brushing his thumb lightly against her jaw. She knows he’s doing it to comfort her, but she doesn’t think she’s the one that needs it right now. “I still can’t believe you did this. You’re going to be in so much trouble, Tae,” she repeats, looking up at him again. His eyes soften when she says his name again, and she can tell it means the world to him. But right now, she doesn’t care about that. 
“It won’t be as bad as you think. I told you, I trust Namjoon hyung,” he reminds her, eyes flickering to her mouth momentarily. But then a shadow passes across his face. “I just hope I haven’t got him in trouble.”
To that, Dilara has nothing to say. The ice has almost melted now; they’re basically just holding hands, but even the realisation doesn’t make her want to let go. “What did he say?” she tries again, deciding that disdain towards Jaden is better than this worry for his leader. “Jaden?”
Taehyung’s face twists in disgust; somehow he still manages to look handsome and sexy all at once. “I told you, I’m not telling you,” he says obstinately, a slight smirk appearing when she rolls her eyes. 
“I can’t think what would be so bad that you’d do this,” she confesses, shaking her head. “You never struck me as the violent type.”
He frowns. “I’m not. But you make me step out of my comfort zone quite a bit,” he adds, cracking a smile.
Dilara holds his gaze, not sure what about the situation today could have required it. It’s not surprising that Jaden would’ve said something, maybe even something really bad. Did he call her a bad driver? A slut? A whore? She’s mildly shocked at how little those words affect her, especially when it’s in comparison to the sheer terror she’s feeling for Taehyung right now.
She’s just contemplating how she will face him and the rest of the group if it turns out that she’s the reason BTS goes from seven to six members, when he bumps her forehead with his. “Stop worrying,” he chides gently. “It’s happened now. We’ll see how it goes.”
Even as her heart races at the momentary proximity of their faces, she glares up at him. “I can’t stop worrying. You should be worrying,” she points out, jabbing him in the chest with the hand holding the icepack.
“You - ugh, you’re getting water on my shirt…”
The door behind them swings open then and she sees Taehyung’s head snap up, face going smooth, before she turns to see Namjoon walking in, Seokjin right behind him. Both of them stand up in unison and before she can register what’s happening, Taehyung is ushered out and into a meeting room.
“Wait, wait,” she says quickly, grabbing Namjoon’s arm. “What’s - who’s in there?”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a couple of people from Red Bull and Big Hit,” he replies, in what she presumes is meant to be a reassuring tone. “They just want to know what happened. Although, Jaden is…” He trails off, and he winces uncomfortably.
“But what’s going to happen to - to Tae? What are they going to -”
“Dilara, relax,” says Namjoon hurriedly, starting to walk out of the room. “We have our reps. It should be over soon.”
That doesn’t sound comforting at all. “What is that supposed to - do they know it was Jaden’s fault? Apparently he said -” Here she breaks off, remembering suddenly that even she don’t know what he said.
Apparently taking advantage of her momentary silence, Namjoon starts to slip out. “He’ll be out soon,” he promises.
“Stop making it sound like prison!” she says loudly as they leave. Alone once again, she trudges out of the changing room to see…
“Shit,” she mutters, spotting her across the garage. “Vicki.”
Dilara’s press officer raises her eyebrows before beckoning her exactly like Namjoon did Taehyung, and just like her ex, she silently follows her into a secluded corner of the garage.
“Alright,” says Vicki, somehow managing to sound stern, knowing and worried all at once. “Please tell me you did not go out with someone from Max’s pit crew.”
“... and then he cornered me again yesterday to ask me why I wouldn’t go out with him -”
“Again?” Vicki shakes her head, incredulous. “Jesus, Dilara. Why didn’t you tell someone he was bothering you?”
“Because -” Dilara shrugs uncomfortably. “We’re racing. And it wasn’t a big deal.” When she catches sight of Vicki’s expression, she backtracks. “Okay, honestly? If he’d come up to me one more time, I probably would have.”
“You shouldn’t have to wait for that,” she declares in her usual business-like fashion. “But maybe you didn’t because he’s a member of the team…?” Vicki tilts her head knowingly.
Dilara’s face heats up. “I know it’s not technically against the rules,” she murmurs, only slightly guilty as she looks down at the floor. “But it’s stupid.”
Vicki observes her for a moment before nodding. “Still doesn’t give him the right to talk like an arsehole.”
“Okay, what did he say?” Dilara asks for what feels like the hundredth time. “Why won’t anyone just tell me?”
“Well, firstly because he said it in Korean,” she points out. “And secondly… you should ask your friends,” she adds, tilting her chin at something behind Dilara. She turns to see Jimin and Jungkook waiting at the end of the corridor, trying to look nonchalant but clearly waiting for her. The rush of affection she feels for them in that moment is overwhelming.
Dilara turns back to Vicki, not meeting her eyes. By the way she said “friends”, it’s clear she knows they aren’t just any friends. Or it’s because one of them hit a guy a member of the team. “What’s - what’s going to happen to - to Jaden?”
Vicki shrugs sympathetically. “They’re both in there,” she answers, and Dilara is grateful for how she includes Taehyung in it, too. “We’ll see. Don’t worry about it, Dilara. You have a race tomorrow,” she reminds her.
Dilara nods and watches as Vicki leaves after patting her shoulder, before turning around and walking towards Jimin and Jungkook. Suddenly aware of how much taller they are, she buries her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. “You guys want to go for a walk?” she asks in a small voice.
Even though they both nod instantly and Jungkook simply puts an arm around her shoulders, they only end up getting as far as the garage before Seokjin, who’s still outside the conference room, shakes his head silently as soon as he spots them. From this, she gathers that they’re still not in total privacy and she can’t be seen alone on a street with just two members and no production crew.
They slowly drift apart, taking seats on opposite sides of the garage. For the first time ever, Dilara initiated a conversation on Jimin’s silly WhatsApp group. Both of them reply immediately and she finally, finally gets the whole story.
They tell her how after their meeting, a couple of engineers had come in to use the printer for some data. One of them, Jaden, recognised them and greeted them in Korean, after which everyone else left, leaving only the eight of them in the room. It was small talk for a bit initially, with Taehyung hanging in the back and not participating at all, before Jaden really opened his mouth.
At this, Jungkook hesitates, wondering if Taehyung hyung should be the one to tell her. She informs them about the weird chivalrous trip Taehyung’s on and that she’s not getting a single answer out of him. After some silent begging and pleading from across the garage, Jimin visibly rolls his eyes and spills.
Jimin [19:41] He said he thought you were hot and it was good to finally having something nice to look at on the paddock
Jungkook [19:42] And he said that he went out with you in Yeongam and you… did stuff.
Dilara [19:43] Oh god. Seriously? He actually said that?
Jimin [19:44] Yeah. And then Namjoon said that we’ve all known you for a long time now and then Jaden asked if any of us had ever hooked up with you. Obviously we all said no.
Jungkook [19:45] Except Taehyung hyung. He just didn’t answer.
Jimin [19:46] Yeah, but Jaden didn’t notice. He said he thought you were cool initially but then you became kind of mean and you didn’t want to go out with him anymore.
Dilara [19:46] He said I was “mean”? That’s the word he used? 
Across the garage, she can see Jimin look up at her apprehensively before glancing at Jungkook, who simply shrugs uncomfortably. 
Dilara [19:46] Come on, what did he really say?
Jimin [19:47] He called you a spoiled brat… and a bitch. And he said that you turned him down after one date because you were still hung up on your ex.
Fuck. Dilara groans inwardly, Taehyung’s suppressed happiness and gentle yet confident caresses suddenly making sense. When she looks up at them, cringing visibly, she spots both of them biting back smug smiles. 
Dilara [19:48] Shut up. 
Jimin [19:49] Hilarious. Anyway, then Jin hyung tried to change the subject but Jaden brought it back to you again. He said if he’d known you were just good for one date, he would’ve gotten as much out of it as he could right then.
Jungkook [19:50] And then he… did a thing with his hand.
Dilara [19:51] So he’s a creep. Tae hit him because of this? Really?
Jimin [19:51] Well he said it in a lot more detail. But I can’t type that out.
Jungkook [19:52] Yeah, he called you a really bad word. And I can’t tell you. It’s in Korean and I can’t say it. It’s too horrible.
Huh. Dilara looks up to see Jungkook frowning at the screen, apparently troubled just at the thought of it. She wracks her brains for the worst thing a guy could call a girl in English. The more she thinks about it, the more she finds she doesn’t really want to know.
Jungkook [19:56] Anyway. Then out of nowhere, Taehyung punched him. Jaden got knocked back into the wall and I think his nose was bleeding.
Jimin [19:56] He deserves it. Who the fuck talks like that?
Dilara [19:57] And Tae? I saw his hand.
Jimin [19:57] Yeah, he was quite pissed. I haven’t seen him like that in a long time.
Dilara [19:58] Do you know what they’re talking about in there?
Jungkook [19:58] Not a clue. I think they’re just working on a way to keep it quiet.
Jungkook and Jimin launch into a discussion speculating what will happen now, whether their lawyers will get involved or whether they’ll try to resolve it right here, and if Jaden will try to make it a bigger deal. Dilara can’t participate; all she can think about is Taehyung in there, no idea what they’re talking about or what frame of mind he’s in. He’s smart and clever, but he’s also impulsive with his words. One wrong question or remark and he’ll respond with the snarkiest comment he can come up with, making the situation worse than it already is. 
Jimin [20:03] Don’t worry, Dilara. This wasn’t your fault.
Dilara shakes her head, not caring that she’s this transparent. Jimin’s words, while technically what she needs to hear, don't help at all because, really - isn't it her fault? Wasn't Jaden a dick because of her, because she turned him down? Wasn't Taehyung being reckless because of how far she’s pushed him? Because she entered his life in the first place? Her thoughts spiral as she imagines being the sole reason for BTS's negative publicity, for their hate, for their disbandment  -
Her phone pings again, but from a different contact. The moment she sees Namjoon's display icon, she dives for the phone. 
Namjoon [20:08] Hey. You alright?
Dilara [20:08] What is going on in there? How are you texting?
Namjoon [20:08] Hard to say. And Christian got a phone call that he had to pick up. 
Dilara [20:09] Damnit. How's Tae?
Namjoon [20:09] Pretty calm.
Dilara [20:09] That’s… not good. Right? Or is it?
Namjoon [20:10] No, he's not going overboard. I was there - I kind of get why he got so mad.
Dilara [20:10] Really?
Namjoon [20:11] Yeah. I mean, not mad enough to punch a guy in the face.
There’s a rolling eyes emoji at the end of the message. Dilara feels a tingling in her fingers and a prickle of defensiveness.
Dilara [20:12] I guess if a guy had said that about Kaya, you wouldn't have done the same. 
She doesn’t phrase it like a question; she doesn’t want it to seem like she’s challenging him… even though she kind of is. Dilara watches the ellipses appear to indicate that he’s typing. He types for a while, nearly a minute, pausing constantly. Finally, the message appears.
Namjoon [20:14] Yeah, I would’ve broken his face.
Mildly satisfied, she places the phone down and waits. Jimin and Jungkook have stopped their bickering on the group, too, but she makes a mental note to thank them later, genuinely and profusely, for being so nice to her when she’s been anything but.
It’s nearly thirty more minutes of excruciating waiting, with Seokjin, Jimin and Jungkook sitting with her. She hasn't the faintest where Yoongi and Hoseok are; she’s about to ask Jin about it, just to distract herself, when the door opens and Christian comes out.
Dilara leaps to her feet automatically, thoroughly relieved when his eyes land on her instantly and he beckons her to follow him. She jogs after him until they’re out of earshot and he turns to her, suddenly looking taller.
“Has Jaden been harassing you, Dilara?” The first question out of his mouth throws her for a loop.
“Has he -” She swallows, biting her lip. “Why - um, what have you heard?”
“That he’s been harassing you.” Christian folds his arms across his chest. “Vicki just told us. It changes everything.”
Her heart skips a beat. “Changes what? What - what do you mean? What happened? What’s going to happen to -”
“Well, Jaden has been fired,” he begins, placing his hands on his hips. “He was a good engineer, but…” He shakes his head. “We can’t have a person on the team who treats a woman like that. It would be a publicity nightmare.” His eyes snap up to her. “And it’s incredibly disrespectful to you, too, of course.”
Dilara nods, somewhat in a daze. “So, he’s… fired? Just like that? What if he goes to the press?”
“He’s signing an NDA. If he wants his severance and doesn’t want to be blacklisted, he’ll sign it.” Christian’s confidence seems dangerously unbalanced. “Plus, Big Hit would lose millions if they broke the contract now. And also, apparently, the negative publicity would be enormous if it got out that their employee was being punished for defending his… friend.”
By the way he says it, she knows she’s been made. “Christian…”
“He was the same bloke that miraculously found you on the middle of the road in Monza, was he not?”
Dilara swallows. “He was. Look, it’s not -”
“I don’t want to know.”
“No, you don’t -”
“No, I genuinely don’t want to know.” He looks at her knowingly - too knowingly. “It’s better,” he says, slower this time, “if I don’t know.” When she nods hesitantly, he pats her shoulder once. “Right. Your friend… I think he should be fine. But in the future, Dilara,” he adds, suddenly sounding tired, “do let us know if a team member is creating a hostile work environment, will you?”
Dilara nods silently as he walks away, at the last minute telling her to go home and rest for the race tomorrow. She has no intention of going anywhere, though, not until she hears from Namjoon himself that this is over. Not Christian, not even Taehyung - Namjoon. Only him.
The next two minutes are unbearable. She walks back slowly to where she was seated before to see Seokjin, Jimin and Jungkook waiting for her expectantly. 
“Well?” Jimin prompts urgently.
“Um… he’s - he’s signing an NDA,” is all that comes out of her mouth. When all three of them look completely confused, she doesn’t know where to begin. “He said Jaden - Jaden signed an NDA and I think he said that Tae -”
At that moment, the conference room door opens and three people spill out: Taehyung, with a Korean man in a suit next to him, and Namjoon a step behind. To her immense relief, the latter strides over to them first thing. He says something in Korean, to which all three of them sigh loudly in relief. Heart hammering, Dilara looks up at him and tugs on his sleeve.
“What?” she asks quietly, desperately.
“He’s off the hook,” says Namjoon in English, clearly trying to keep his own smile under control, even as the dimples pop on his cheeks. "He's going to get a warning from the company, but since it won't get out… it'll be okay. It’ll be okay,” he repeats, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.
Dilara swallows with difficulty, the words suddenly making no sense. “He’s -” She clears her throat, unable to tear her eyes away from Taehyung. His eyes meet hers for a fraction of a second over the man’s shoulder, but his expression is as unreadable as ever. “He’s not kicked out of the group?”
Namjoon raises his eyebrows. “You would think… but no.” He chuckles. “I’m kidding. We have some pretty good lawyers, you know?”
She doesn’t comment on how ominous that sounds. Next to her, Jungkook is rubbing his eyes, smiling in embarrassment. She can’t see what Seokjin and Jimin are doing behind her, and she only vaguely registers someone patting the top of her head.
Ahead of them, the man in the suit is finally walking away. Taehyung says something to him as he leaves but she doesn’t want to wait any longer. She turns to Namjoon.
“Can I… I mean, do you mind if we…”
Namjoon doesn’t look surprised at this unfinished request. He glances at Taehyung, who’s now slowly walking up to them, and nods. “Just… I mean, I don’t want to be that guy, but…” He shrugs apologetically “… one minute. We need to get on a conference call after this.”
She nods mutely and waits for all of them to vacate the garage before finally, finally facing Taehyung.
He stands before her, a respectful few feet between them, his hands in his pockets and looking breathtakingly handsome. He looks expectant, defiant - but above all, he looks relieved. It suddenly reminds her of how he’d looked at her nearly two years ago in the Suzuka paddock, before they’d ever exchanged a single word. 
Taehyung exhales shakily, and something snaps in her. All the anxiety of the weekend rushes into her chest at the same time and she tilts her head slightly, taking a step forward as though on autopilot. He nods silently and meets her halfway, and they wrap their arms around each other in an emotional hug.
Taehyung displays none of the hesitation he’d shown in the kitchen a week ago. His long hair brushes against her cheek where he’s buried his face in her neck, breathing now slightly uneven and she knows that despite his cool exterior, he was worried, too. She tightens her arms around his shoulders, gripping his shirt and pressing her forehead against his collarbone.
“You’re such an idiot, Kim Taehyung,” she murmurs shakily, savouring the familiar scent of lotion and spicy cologne. Christian Dior Sauvage, she remembers, tilting her face and inhaling slightly.
Taehyung nods, squeezing her waist with one hand. “I know,” he whispers against her skin, voice deep and reverberating in her ear.
Every bit of frustration, exasperation, gratitude and all the unnamed feelings she’s pushed deep down threaten to resurface. There’s so much she wants to tell him, and this is it.  She doesn’t know how to tell him more; when she feels his lips press against the skin just below her ear, as though instinctive, she feels an old familiar warmth in her abdomen and she doesn’t want it to go anywhere.
Dilara vaguely registers voices, a cue that causes them to begrudgingly separate. There’s some bustling; a phone call, some instructions in Korean, and Namjoon beckoning to his members. Dilara quietly takes her leave, trying not to think about how tightly she and Taehyung held each other or how her fingers slipped out of his hand when she left.
Dilara is woken by the sound of raucous laughter outside that abruptly dies down when someone shushes them. She groans softly; it’s still dark outside and the time on her phone indicates that she’s been asleep for less than an hour.
She hadn’t returned to the house after leaving the paddock. Too buzzed to be by herself, she’d headed straight to the hotel where the rest of the drivers were staying. A couple of the drivers had been playing FIFA and she’d piled on, making every effort to distract herself from the events of the day. She’d come back to the house an hour ago, sneaking in and going straight to her room and crashing. 
It was a fairly uncomfortable sleep, mostly because there’s something nagging on her mind, something she’s forgetting. Dilara can’t put her finger on it; she knows it has to do with Taehyung and what happened today, but everything else escapes her. She shifts restlessly in her bed, trying to go back to sleep - but the damage is done, and she’s wide awake..
Even after the voices outside dwindle down one by one before disappearing altogether and the light under the door turns off, she still can’t sleep. 
It’s after midnight when she checks her phone again, opening WhatsApp and checking for new messages. Apart from three messages from Jimin timed around the time they reached the house (Hey we got piri piri chicken! Okay Yoongi hyung just said you’re probably asleep. Good night :)), there’s nothing else. 
She thinks for a second, then goes onto the Taehyung’s true loves group. The last message is a joke from Jimin that he’d cracked to try and cheer her up.
Dilara [00:09] Hey guys. Just wanted to say thanks for today. I know I haven’t been the easiest person to be around but you guys were really there for me so… thank you.
Jimin [00:15] No need to thank us but fine, you can buy us ice cream tomorrow.
Dilara [00:15] I can? Aren’t you both dieting?
Jungkook [00:16] We can give it up for one ice cream. And you can join us in the gym when we burn it off.
Dilara [00:17] Deal. And um
Jungkook [00:17] What? 
Jungkook [00:18] Oh yeah. Taehyung was looking for you when we got back.
Dilara [00:19] Oh. Right. I was asleep.
Jimin [00:19] You’re not anymore. 
Dilara [00:20] And?
Jimin [00:20] And he’s awake too. 
Dilara can almost picture Jimin’s smirk as he dances around the topic. Fortunately, Jungkook comes to her rescue.
Jungkook [00:21] Yes but you have a race tomorrow, Dilara. You should sleep. 
Dilara [00:21] I will. Thank you Jungkook.
Jungkook [00:22] You’re welcome. And while we’re on the topic of thank yous, I think Taehyung hyung is the one you should really be saying that to.
Oh. Of course. Dilara sighs as it finally clicks, what she’s been forgetting. She’s snapped at him, confessed her worries to him, dropped her defences and embraced him - but she hasn’t thanked him, not yet. 
Now that she’s realised it, she knows she can’t sleep. She considers texting him, but she doesn’t know if that would seem too impersonal, especially after the emotional hug they shared. What does she do instead, though? Ask him to meet her outside? That feels like far too much pressure.
Jesus. Dilara climbs out of bed and heads to the kitchen, silently opening the fridge and taking her first drink of water in hours. This is Taehyung, she thinks, leaning against the kitchen island. Nothing about him warrants this much overthinking. Pulling out her phone from her pajamas’ pocket, she texts him.
Dilara [00:30] Hey.
Tae [00:32] Hey.
Dilara [00:33] How’s your hand?
Tae [00:33] Hurting a bit. Why aren’t you asleep?
Dilara [00:34] I couldn’t. You should stop texting though, if your hand hurts.
Tae [00:35] I can type with my left hand. Don’t you have a race tomorrow?
Dilara [00:36] Yeah. I’ve raced with less sleep though. Why aren’t you asleep?
Tae [00:36] I’m in bed.
A familiar flutter erupts in her chest, and her toes curl on the wooden floor. Without warning, an image of a shirtless Taehyung in boxer shorts, glasses on, lying on his side with his phone in one hand appears in her mind. She’s willing to bet a thousand bucks that that’s how he looks right now, before she remembers that a lot of things could have changed in a year.
Dilara [00:37] That’s too bad. We’ll talk tomorrow then.
Tae [00:37] We can talk now too.
Dilara [00:38] Nah, it’s more of an in-person conversation.
Tae [00:38] You know we live in the same house, right?
Dilara bites her lip, trying to stop the smile from spreading on her face. She starts walking towards her room, her heart suddenly beating faster. Stopping in front of her room, she leans against the closed door. 
Dilara [00:39] I’m aware.
Tae [00:40] But no. You need to sleep.
He’s flirting. It’s been so long since Kim Taehyung has flirted with her this confidently that she’s forgotten how much of a blushing mess she becomes, being thankful only for the fact that it’s never visible on her face. She gazes absently at the closet door in front of her, trying to think of a response.
Dilara [00:41] Yeah, I do. I’ll probably need to sleep after the race tomorrow too, because it’s always so tiring.
Tae [00:42] You can sleep on the train to Amsterdam. It’s going to be a long trip.
Dilara [00:42] Probably. I’m sure I’ll find someone to keep me company. 
Tae [00:43] Seven of us not enough for you?
I really only need one. But she doesn’t say it. It’s far too risky.
Dilara [00:45] That's a lot of talk for someone who barely escaped getting in trouble today. Or who knows how much you would've regretted it?
Tae [00:45] I won't regret anything I do for you.
Dilara closes her eyes and leans her head back against the door, suddenly feeling warm. She wonders briefly if the conversation is venturing into unfamiliar territory - or, rather, an all-too familiar territory. 
She stares at the closet door in front of ber, hoping for inspiration, when it suddenly opens to, once again, reveal none other than Taehyung himself, pulling on a white t-shirt as he steps out.
The combination of her surprise, his presence and the generous glimpse of lean, honey-coloured torso is enough to make her stumble and drop her phone. “Shit,” she mutters, averting her eyes and bending to pick it up. She looks up to see him frowning, knees bent as though about to help her up.
“Are you okay?” Taehyung glances between her and his door. “What were you doing outside my room?”
“I - that’s your room? I thought it was a closet,” she admits in slight embarrassment, feeling her heart rate slowly go back to normal.
He nods, looking amused. “You really couldn’t sleep, huh?”
Dilara tilts her head, twisting her mouth to hide her smile. “I thought we already discussed that.” She can’t stop looking at him, privately admiring how incredible he looks even in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, hair unstyled, face bare with a pair of black glasses perched on his nose. I was right, she thinks, mildly victorious. 
“We did. But now that you’re here…” He trails off pointedly, wiggling his eyebrows at her until she stifles a laugh. He grins, and her stomach does a backflip.
"I was just going to get back to bed," she tells him, and he simply nods. She doesn't move, though, and neither does he. His gaze is his usual intense one: unmoving, like a laser looking into her soul. She tries to hold it for as long as she can but when it becomes too much, she drops her gaze. "Can I see your hand?" she asks, mostly for something to say.
Wordlessly, he raises his right hand and she takes it. She can't really see anything; she brushes her fingers extremely lightly over his knuckles but he still hisses softly.
"Sorry," she mutters apologetically. "It's too dark here… can we go to the window?" 
He follows her a few steps away to the end of the hallway, where the house splits into a T, one room on either side. There's a window on the wall, though, wide and tall, with a near full moon causing a silvery light to stream in.
Dilara picks up his hand again and it makes sense now why he flinched. His knuckles are still an angry red, with scratches on the third and fourth joints. Her fingers ghost over his hand, but she’s careful not to touch him. When she hears his sharp intake of breath, she pauses before bringing both their hands down, fingers lightly intertwined momentarily before separating.
"I still can't believe you," she murmurs, shaking her head, but the disapproving tone is gone.
"I'm good at surprising people," he replies. He leans his side against the window and folds his arms across his chest, careful to keep his injured hand on the outside.
"Not just you." She doesn't look away from him. "Jimin and Jungkook told me what Jaden said." Predictably, his jaw clenches and his eyes blaze but the rest of his face stays unmoving. “I knew he was a jerk, but… yeah, I guess I’m surprised by how far he went.”
Taehyung observes her for a moment. “You still think he didn’t deserve it?”
Dilara reaches for his hand again, pointedly looking at his bruised knuckles. Thanks for defending me, she wants to say, but the words get stuck in her throat. 
“Can you even hold a mic with this hand? You’re performing in a few days,” she reminds him, referring to the charity concert in Amsterdam scheduled for the coming Friday - one she’ll be missing because of her race in Russia.
“Hm, let’s check.” Taehyung gently pulls away to pick up her hand, wrapping his injured hand around her wrist and showing her how his fingers easily meet.
“Is that how you hold your mic?”
He smirks and tugs, bringing ber hand right up to his face… right up to his mouth. “This is how I hold my mic.” There’s a moment where she thinks he’s going to kiss her hand and she feels her heart race in anticipation. But after a moment, he lets go, smiling wider as though he knows exactly what’s going on in her mind.
Dilara wants to playfully smack him. Thanks for making me laugh. He’s flirting so blatantly, and she has to remind herself that amidst all the shit Jaden said, he did basically confirm to Taehyung that she’s not over him. 
“Your fans will be very worried when they see you’ve been injured. I can almost see the hashtags on Twitter,” she continues, gesturing grandly. “Stay Strong Taehyung, or We support Taehyung and his gorgeous, injured, sexy hand.”
He laughs, and it suddenly feels warmer. “They will be worried,” he agrees, cocking his head, “but I’m sure even they’ll agree that it was worth it. You know, given that he’s been bothering you for weeks now, and today was just the finale.”
Dilara’s smile fades. “Vicki told you,” she guesses, sighing when he nods. “Well… yeah. Like I said, I knew he was a jerk.”
Taehyung shakes his head. “Jinjja, Dilara,” he says, and her heart skips a beat at the sound of her name on his tongue. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Oh, really? So I was supposed to come to you and tell you that this guy I hooked up with suddenly won’t leave me alone?” She scoffs. “That would’ve gone well.”
He shrugs. “Why not? Whatever happened between us, it doesn’t matter if something is making you uncomfortable. And besides, it didn’t have to be me, you know.”
She barely hears his last sentence. Thanks for caring about me. “Fine. The next time a guy starts bothering me, I’ll make sure to keep you updated.”
“Good. I’ll keep my fists ready,” he says wryly, bringing his thin fists to his face and blowing on them.
“Maybe I’ll actually get Jungkook to teach you how to punch by then.”
“I’d rather you teach me.”
It’s predictable but Dilara’s cheeks heat up anyway, and his face breaks into a gorgeous grin. She looks down at their feet, and realises they’ve sub-consciously moved closer to each other. The moment she thinks of it, the scent of lotion and faint cologne suddenly grows stronger, and she gets the urge to sink into his chest and spend the night curled up in his arms. The thought of waking up warm and cuddled makes her yawn, and she quickly covers it up.
“You really should sleep.” Taehyung reaches over and gently ruffles her bangs, his old way of playfully banter before doing something really soft, usually beginning with pulling her to him and hugging her while she jokingly protested. 
It makes her heart ache, the slow realisation that she still cares so much about him, that there’s nothing that can take away from the once-in-a-life-time connection they found with each other.
She still needs to thank him. Dilara can’t say the words, though; it seems inadequate somehow, given the risk he took, the impulse to do something so unlike him. She reaches up and slowly brushes a lock of blond hair out of his eyes, touching the corner of his glasses. 
They’re close enough now, enough that she won’t take him by surprise. She hopes she’s right when she brings her other hand up and gently holds the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his soft, long hair.
Dilara gives Taehyung a moment to catch on, noting how he swallows and all traces of joking disappear, leaving only an almost childlike hope and vulnerability. Then, rising on her toes, she gently pulls his head down and presses her lips to his.
Like the time they reached their understanding of sorts in the kitchen, it takes him a moment to respond, almost as though he can’t quite believe this is real. Dilara waits until he kisses her back, tilting his head and leaning in, before opening her mouth. His lips part with a sigh and she wants to do the same - so familiar and addictive is his taste. His king hair tickles her cheek as his hands come up to hold her, gently and tentatively.
Taehyung’s lips are everything she remembers them being; soft, energetic, loving. It’s a slow, savouring kiss. With how unexpected it was, they simply take the time to reacquaint themselves. Dilara is glad, she thinks as they separate to catch their breath and she presses a last kiss to his lips before pulling away, for if it were anything more, she doesn't think she’d be able to stop herself.
Taehyung looks… overwhelmed. His lips are slightly swollen and he absently bites his lower lip, his eyes shining with ten times more hope and pleasant shock than the photoshoot earlier this week.
“Thanks,” she says softly, not specifying what for. Taking a step back and trying to ignore how her heart is zooming, she starts walking back to her room, still aware of him watching her go. Just when she reaches her door, she remembers something.
“Oh, and, uh…” This is awkward, and her heart thuds. Trying to be casual and shrug it off in the face of his motionless figure, she speaks once more. “You can… Dilara sounds a bit weird. Lara is fine.”
Thank you for reading. Don't forget to drop a review :)
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lilghostiequinni · 4 months
Text
Before
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Main Masterlist Lando Masterlist
Pairing: Verstappen!female oc x Lando Norris
Warnings: None really, Fluffy(to me)
Part Summary: Before the people suspect anything, it was really what they wanted more than anything else. Wanted when life wasn't busy for either of them. Because when they first met their lives were hectic, but at least they had gotten each other out of it.
Prologue of the Wasn't Always series; prev. part & next part
Requested: NO / yes
A/N: This is essentially the prologue to the actual series and can be read as a stand-alone. There is no need to read this to understand the series.
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2019 Australian Grand Prix
"Oscar, I can't be here. I'm supposed to be getting ready to leave." Kaarina said to her best friend as he basically begged her to go with him to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
"Come on. Please, Mom says if you go, I can." Oscar tries to convince her.
"No, she didn't. Your mom wouldn't care 'cause she knows where you are if you did go and if anything, she would be worried about you getting in the suitcase of a driver." Kaarina says with a look of suspicion on her face as she analyzes the younger boy.
"Please, you don't have to leave until Monday; it's only Friday," Oscar begged even more, and for the first showing her the passes he had gotten.
Kaarina looked at the passes and then at the excited Aussie, "Max put you up to this, didn't he?"
Oscar froze and that was all the answer that Kaarina needed as she nodded.
"Of course, he gave you passes on the condition of getting me there." It wasn't a question, but Oscar nodded.
"Fine, which team are you supporting? I'll play fake girlfriend for your real girlfriend because Max definitely only gave you two passes." Kaarina told as Lily walked into the room.
Oscar's eyes got wide as he realized the truth of the matter: he only had two passes, and Max didn't give him a third.
Lily chuckled, just hearing the end of what Kaarina said and then the look in her boyfriend's eyes and the apologetic look he got when he saw her.
"It's okay; Kaarina will take care of you; she does it any other time. I don't want to go, but you do." Lily says as she kisses Oscar's cheek and lets out a relieved sigh.
Kaarina chuckles at the two; while she is a couple years older than both of them, she is still really good friends with the two as she and Oscar met when she lived in Australia because their parents knew each other.
"You know, sometimes, I feel that it's not my best friend and my girlfriend, but my girlfriend and my girlfriend's girlfriend," Oscar says as he looks at the two in front of him.
The two just chuckle at him, making Oscar roll his eyes.
"Which team are we supporting, you teit?" Kaarina asks between the chuckles and giggles.
"McLaren." Oscar dead-pans as he looks between the two, and Kaarina nods.
Kaarina went to change out of the comfy clothes she had on just as Lily started speaking, "You know that is basically your girlfriend when I'm not around, to make sure everyone knows you're taken and mine."
"I am, but there is no need for that." Oscar points out.
"Nope, you can't convince me otherwise. Rina is the stand-in girlfriend when I'm not around. Just know that it's the same when you aren't around when we go shopping." Lily tells him before following Kaarina, and Oscar just looks after his girlfriend in confusion.
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"So what was it my brother told you that you agreed to force me along to the race? Because I know it wasn't just the passes," Kaarina says as she walks next to Oscar in the paddock area, making their way around.
"He told me I could support any team; it didn't have to be Red Bull," Oscar said, then he looked over to his best friend, who had a very unimpressed look on her face, knowing that it was more than just that. "He also said he would get me to the next three races I was at, no matter how short the notice."
Kaarina just rolled her eyes.
"I still think you should have changed before we left," Oscar states.
"Why? What's wrong with my outfit? You said, McLaren," Kaarina says as she looks down at her outfit.
"Yes, but did you really have to put on the Max Verstappen Air Forces?" Oscar points out, looking at her shoes.
"Hey, I will support McLaren, but also my brother," Kaarina says as she pokes Oscar in the arm.
"Isn't Carlos McLaren?" Oscar asks her, even though he knows the answer.
"Yes, my cousin is in McLaren, and he understands; also, I am supporting him," Kaarina pulls up her sleeve and shows the beaded bracelets that she has either stolen or gotten from her brother and cousins to hold and just never given them back.
"Did you steal all of those?" Oscar accuses as they get nearer to the McLaren paddock which has the Red Bull paddock rather close.
"No, the three gave me a couple and just never asked for them back. Also, I bought like three," Kaarina answers a little defensively.
Oscar just shakes his head at her as he sees Max waiting rather close to McLaren for what is assumed as his sister.
"Wait here?" Kaarina asks as she sees her brother; Oscar nods and waits for Kaarina to get done talking to her brother.
"How come he can get you to come but not me?" Max questions as he catches his sister in a hug.
"Because he was bribed and really wanted to come, and no one else really did. Also, he can be very convincing when he wants to be," Kaarina says to her brother as she pulls away from him.
Max nods and then looks at his sister's outfit.
"You told him any team, and he chose McLaren. But I am supporting you," Kaarina said when she saw the expression that briefly crossed his face and then showed him her shoes.
Max chuckled at her again and just kissed her forehead as he saw his engineer wave him over, "See you later?"
"Yeah, I'll be here," Kaarina said, wishing he brother luck with a kiss on the cheek before returning to Oscar, who was joined by Carlos.
"Carlos," Kaarina acknowledges him and gives him a hug.
"Ah, McLaren today, yes?" He says, seeing the outfit she was wearing.
"Don't let the sweater fool you, Carlos; she has 33 Verstappen shoes on," Oscar points out to the Spaniard.
"That is okay, no one really looks at shoes," Carlos counters, making the blonde chuckle at her cousin.
Oscar rolls his eyes as he sees something making the Australian walk away from the two with a little pat on the shoulder to Kaarina as he walks that way.
"So, how's the new teammate?" Kaarina asks her cousin as she watches the Piastri boy walk off.
"So far, he has potential," Carlos says with a thoughtful expression.
Kaarina nods, she sees Carlos being waved to and points it out to him.
"Come," Carlos simply says as he makes his way over to the waving person.
"Lando, this is Kaarina Verstappen, Kaarina this is Lando Norris, the new driver," Carlos introduces the two.
"Like Max Verstappen?" Is all Lando can come up with and is cursing himself out in his head, 'That's it "like Max" really Norris.'
"Exactly, I'm his half-sister. We have different mothers," Kaarina tells him, as she holds her hand out to the newest driver.
Lando takes her hand and shakes it as Carlos starts talking again. After the two let go, Lando still doesn't let go of her hand.
"Don't you two share a birthday?" Carlos asked, but it was as though he just randomly, as the quiet settled in between the three, breaking the eye contract which was held by the younger two.
"We do?" Kaarina questioned, a puzzled look crossing her face as she looked away from Lando to her cousin.
Lando also looked away from the woman to Carlos, "What do you mean?"
"You were both born on November 13th, no?" Carlos asks, looking at the two, having no idea that they were not paying attention to what he was previously saying to them as they walked to and partially through the McLaren garage.
"Really? You were born on November 13th?" Kaarina asked with a smile spreading across her face as she watched Lando.
"Yeah, 1999," Lando says as Kaarina's smile gets bigger, making the British man smile, too, as he blushes at seeing the woman smile.
"Me too! Birthday buddies," Kaarina smiles even wider.
Lando smiles at her smiling face as Carlos closely watches to two who seem to have a staring problem.
"Oh, um... Carlos, Lando, I have to go. Time to see the other cousin, but I will be back," Kaarina kisses Carlos's cheek and gives Lando a side hug as she walks out of the McLaren paddock to the Ferrari one.
"You know she didn't have a boyfriend last I knew, but I would check with her friend, Oscar, or her brother, Max. But I guess you just have to ask," Carlos pats Lando on the back before going over to some fans he saw.
Leaving Lando alone to his thoughts.
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Kaarina sat with Oscar as she watched the race, as always rooting for her brother or cousins, but now also rooting for the newcomer Lando Norris.
Her mind was distracted by the color of his eyes and the beauty of his smile. He just wouldn't leave her brain or thoughts.
A classic, he fell first and she fell harder.
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Again, this, too, was mostly done before I accidentally posted it, twice. I'm just going to accept that I don't like how I end my posts because I'm not entirely happy with it, but I also think it makes sense for how I wanted it to go and how I want the series to go, but this doesn't need to be read to understand the full relationship in the series.
Tags: @samantha-chicago @hellothere9597
If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know so I don't keep tagging you.
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emmys-writing · 3 years
Text
I Can Help
Warning: Mommy kink, titty sucking, cockwarming, soft domme reader, super subby spence, riding, lactation by taking a pill.
pairing: spencer reid x fem reader
summary: Y/n and Spencer try out something new
The whole day you have noticed Spencer staring at your chest, which wasn’t unusual for him to do, but he was usually able to keep it to a minimum. He was also usually one to keep it as a private thing and not for a bunch of his profiler friends to see. The two of you had gone out for drinks with the rest of the team- Rossi was buying, why wouldn’t you? You knew your shirt was low cut and it made your boobs look good, it was the whole reason you bought it but you would definitely have to keep Spencers reaction to it tucked away in your memory. When you noticed everyone else in their own little conversations you leaned over to your boyfriend and whispered in his ear.
“I can see you staring” His cheeks heated up and looked down at his hands in his lap.
“‘m sorry..” He whispered back, leaning his head on your shoulder. “Just can’t wait to get home”
“I know bub, i know” You soothed, petting his hair softly and grabbing your purse. As soon as Spencer moved his head you turned to the rest of the group.
“Hey guys, I’m getting tired. I think me and Spence are going to head out” You smiled, standing up and Spencer following quickly.
The two of you said your goodbyes to everyone and thanked Rossi for being generous enough to pay. On the way to the car you hopped into the drivers side. Neither of you had to worry about being too intoxicated to drive because Spencer didn’t drink and you decided to just have some soda during your outting. After putting the keys in and Spencer putting his seatbelt on you noticed him become squirmy.
“What’s got you all worked up, sweetheart?” you tapped your fingers against the steering wheel.
“J-Just want you.. bad” he whined softly and put his palm on top of the bulge in his pants. You tsked and watched him from the corner of your eye, grabbing his hand that was working on his cock and holding it.
“You know better, baby. No touching for the rest of the drive and i’ll reward you when we get home” he nodded and held your soft hand.
If you asked Spencer that was the longest car ride of his life, longer than any jet ride he’s been on, and a longer waiting period than he’s ever had to wait. He usually was a patient person but when it came to you and your boobs he couldn’t get his hands, or lips, on them fast enough. Spencer bounced in his seat and kept his eyes on the road, becoming more and more antsy the closer they became to the house. He almost didn’t realize the car come to a stop.
“Go get naked, lay on the bed and i’ll be right in” You smiled, sending him on his way with a kiss to his lips.
Spencer didn’t have to be told twice before he opened the door and ran into the house and up the stairs. He stripped himself of the many layers of clothes he wore everyday and laid himself on the bed. Eventually you made your way into the room, a cheeky smile on your face when you saw him on the bed completely nude.
“Such a good boy for mommy, aren’t you?” You walked over, crawling on top of him and straddling his protruding hips.
“Yes mommy.. Can i get my reward?” He looked up at you with wide and hopeful eyes.
“Sure, sit up a bit” You removed your shirt and unclipped your bra, letting your breasts fall. You didn’t miss the intent stare from spencer as he sat up to be face level with them.
“Can i?” You nodded.
You watched as he leaned forward and took your nipple into his mouth, latching on and slowly sucking at one with the other in his hand. He rolled your other nipple between his fingers gently and moaned softly. Your skin was warm compared to his cold hands, the contrast making the sensations even more erotic for you. As your nipples hardened you could feel some liquid starting to form and being lapped up eagerly.
“You like it?” You whispered, playing with the hair at the nape of Spencers neck. He looked up at you and nodded a bit without removing himself. The nipple stimulation was great and felt amazing but you needed more, and you were sure Spencer wouldn’t mind getting a little friction on his cock.
“Hey baby, I got a better idea” You held his face in your hands, pulling him off your nipple and giggling softly at the excess milk on his lips. He licked his lips and looked up at you, a frown on his face due to being interrupted while doing something he enjoyed.
“Want me to ride you? Then you can suck some more after.”
“Okay mommy” he smiled and reached his hands down to unbutton your jeans. You helped him by lifting yourself off him a bit and shimmying out of your pants and underwear, throwing them off in the corner of the room somewhere.
“Already got Mommy so wet, baby.” you cooed, kissing him softly and grabbing his hand, placing it on your wet heat. He bit his lip and rubbed at your clit, feeling the wetness he caused. He slowly dipped a finger inside you causing a small moan. Soon enough he had three fingers pumping in and out of you, moans ripping through you and whimpers from him being desperate. His cock hurt from being so turned on, the tip was redder than usual and leaky, just begging to be touched.
“Okay i’m good, want me to fuck you now?”
“Yes yes yes please” he begged.
You chuckled, placing his cock at your hole and slamming yourself down on it. The both of you moaned and his back arched off the bed beneath him. You took a moment to get used to his size before slowly moving up and down on him. His hands wandered to your hips, gripping them harshly and pushing his hips up to meet your movements. Both of you were already so worked up from before you knew this wouldn’t last long, no matter how long either of you wanted to prolong it.
“M-M-Mommy i-i need to c-cum” He stuttered out, looking up at you with a blissful expression.
“Not yet, last a little longer for me and i’ll let you cum inside me. Be a good boy for Mommy” You bounced faster but sloppier, chasing your own orgasm in order to not make him wait too long. When you felt the knot in your stomach tighten you leaned down, kissing and nipping at his neck making him whine.
“ok baby, on 3 alright?” He nodded.
“1..2..3!” You came together, his seed filling you a few seconds off from at the same time but close enough for your liking.
“Good boy” you said breathlessly, a dazed smile spreading across your face. You stayed on top of his long and skinny body, recollecting yourself before pulling off.
“Wait here, i’ll go grab some stuff to clean you up.” He nodded, too out of it to respond but there enough to understand what you were saying to him.
You limped over to the bathroom, going pee to avoid any infection later on before grabbing a wash cloth and wetting it with warm water. Crawling back onto the bed you cleaned him up, avoiding his most sensitive areas as best you could. You placed the wash cloth into the laundry bucket and laid next to him, pulling up the covers to your waists.
“such a good boy for me, you can go back to sucking if you want” you whispered softly to him, running your fingers through his messy hair.
You weren’t given a verbal response, he just leaned over and latched onto your nipple sleepily. It didn’t surprise you when not even five minutes later you noticed soft snores escaping his lips around your puffy nipple.
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wastelandcth · 3 years
Text
i’ll always come back to you - cth
summary: Calum wore a skirt. A stage reveal happens. 
author’s notes: I have no excuse but I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 
warnings: Cal in a skirt (please it’s too good), car sex, PIV, calum blanks out a little, she’s back and better than ever!
masterlist || request || more doves
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“What do you think I should wear?” Calum asked softly, his hands running through the different items in his closet once more, “It’s a pretty big show, I can’t just show up in something shitty. All I’ve worn for the past two years is either baggy jeans and a t-shirt or shorts and no shirt.” 
It was true, ever since the world had shut down and the band’s tour had been put on hold more times than Calum could count, his passion for fashion and finding new clothes to wear had been put on hold as well. Comfort and trying to stay sane in the middle of a worldwide pandemic had left him reaching for any signs of comfort to hold on to and keep him sane. But with the band’s first show slowly approaching and Calum’s nerves returning in the form of playing a fake bass while he tried to calm his racing mind, he knew he’d have to find an outfit sooner or later, and it’d have to be one to make him feel good about himself on stage once more. 
“I mean, I don’t think anyone would personally complain about you showing up shirtless to a show,” Dovey teased, her eyes tracing the muscles in Calum’s back as she sat on the edge of the bed, “I certainly wouldn’t.” 
“Yeah, but you’re a pervert so you have no choice,” Calum chuckled and threw another shirt towards his loving wife. 
The days had gone by and Calum had been stuck at rehearsals, trying his best to find the groove the band had long for ever since the start of the shutdown, but eventually, Calum found himself at home the morning of the show watching from the green room as the concert went on around the world. His bag, which he’d packed and unpacked multiple times that morning, laid on one of the couches. He knew he’d made the right choice, the look on Dovey’s face when he’d packed away the black fabric before she could get a peek of it enough of a reaction to make him smirk before he had rushed out the door at the sound of Ashton’s horn. 
“So, did you decide on an outfit?” Michael asked as he sat down next to him during a break in their soundcheck, watching as Calum’s leg swung along to whatever beat Ashton was trying to work out with Luke, “Dovey has been texting me all day asking if I’ve gotten a peek at it.” 
“Tell her to fuck off,” Calum chuckled, “I told her she had to wait like everyone else did to see it.” 
“Alright,” Michael huffed, nudging him playfully, “But we’re going to be the first to see it then.”
“Yeah, yeah, and she’ll manage to bully you into telling her somehow.” 
Calum looked in the mirror, inhaling a shaky breath as he fixed the collar of his suit jacket once more as he heard his bandmates chuckling outside of the bathroom door. With one final look at his outfit he opened the door and stepped out, goosebumps covering his skin as the cold air of the dressing room brushed against his legs. 
“Woah! Calum!” Ashton grinned, his eyes wide and his head nodding, “No man, that looks sick! I love it!” 
“Oh man, your dad is going to freak once he sees you on stage!” Luke nodded, “You look so good!”
“Guys, Dovey is literally going to kill us all,” Michael whined and clapped Calum on the shoulder, “You look fucking awesome, dude.”
Calum’s cheeks flushed, turning hot as he chuckled and shook his head, letting the curls he’d been growing out swish against his forehead while he tried his best not to push away his very excited and very supportive bandmates. It wasn’t until the room, which consisted of the four of them and their photographer started chanting for him to do a spin that he’d finally told them to fuck off. But with a spin, and a small bout of giggles that left him when the material of his skirt brushed against the back of his knees, Calum had never felt more prepared to play a show in his life, especially when he knew that Dovey would be in the crowd singing her heart out along with them all. 
Dovey’s eyes watched the crowd around her grow restless as time ticked slowly, minutes dragging on until the show would start. Her adrenaline was high as she heard an announcer overhead shout that the show would start in one minute, the pit in her stomach thrumming with excitement and the thought of seeing her husband and his best friends on stage again after so long. She knew how much Calum missed being on stage with them, how much he missed performing to a crowd of people singing the lyrics back to them, and so she knew that tonight’s performance would be nothing but perfect. The hum of a guitar backstage and the sound of cheers around her had Dovey on her feet before she even knew it, her wide eyes searching the stage for the man she’d married. 
“Oh my god, he did not,” she gasped, her cheers and clapping drowned out in the rest of the crowd as she saw Calum walking out on stage, “That bastard!”
On stage, under the shining lights and for everyone to see, Calum Hood stood grinning as his fingers moved easily over the strings of his bass. The silver chains, which hung across Calum’s waist, shone like his eyes as the set started. Dovey’s eyes tried their hardest to focus, her vision blurred by the tears that sprung out as she watched the love of her life sing his heart out on stage after too many months of being away from the one place he was able to lose himself in. The skirt, which Dovey was already drooling over, swayed along with every movement Calum made as she found herself swaying along with it, stuck in a never-ending dance she wasn’t sure she’d ever want to end. But when Ghost of You played out and Dovey’s eyes found Calum’s it was like the large crowds that had given her anxiety ever since Calum had mentioned the show and the loud music had all disappeared. 
There was no one but her and Calum standing there, swaying to the song that had meant more to them than anyone could have ever imagined. 
She knew their kids were watching from home, giggling and dancing along in the safety of their living room while the sitter recorded them for Dovey and Calum to cry along to later that night. But right now, in the moment, all she could think about was how despite all the things that had gone wrong and how scary the world had turned, she still had her family and the love of her life was singing to her in a room full of people once more. The set was over before Dovey even realized, her legs carrying her back towards the dressing room she’d left not too long ago and towards her husband and his amazingly talented friends. 
The night had become a whirlwind of events, Dovey’s arms wrapping around Calum and stuttering through her praises as her hands and eyes took in his after-show presence. Her mind was distracted throughout the rest of the promo the band had gone to do with the view of him in the skirt and mesh shirt that kept peeking in and out of view from where she stood with the rest of their team. Her eyes never left his as she watched him smile and laugh with the band and it wasn’t until the car door closed next to her and she watched Calum walk in front of the car before sliding into the driver’s seat that she let out the soft breath she was holding in. 
“So, what did you think of the show?” Calum asked as he pulled off the highway, his grin wide as his eyes glanced over at Dovey, “Did you like it? I think we did great. Yeah, the set was short but I think it we-”
“Calum, if you don’t pull over right now I will literally crash this car,” Dovey breathed out, her hand reaching out and squeezing Calum’s thigh gently. 
The car screech to a halt, Calum’s soft gasp lost on Dovey’s lips as she pulled him into a kiss, Calum’s body leaning over the console to pull her even closer to him. He and Dovey might not have been a couple of a thousand words, but he knew exactly what she was doing when her teeth pulled gently at his bottom lip. He also knew that they didn’t have much time before their car was steamed up and their moans echoed against the tinted windows, so Calum had to work fast. 
“Back seat, baby girl,” he breathed out, his forehead resting against his wife’s for just a second before she sprung into action, her soft laughter music to Calum’s ears. 
“I am. So proud. Of you.” Dovey mumbled in between the kisses she was leaving on Calum’s skin, her hips rolling against his and pressed up silver chains of his skirt, “You looked so fucking amazing on stage I couldn’t help but think about all the things I wanted you to do to me tonight.”
“Yeah?” Calum breathed out, his hands squeezing Dovey’s thighs as he helped her push up the hem of the skirt she was more than likely soaking through if his leaking cock wasn’t already at fault for it, “Gonna show me all those things you were thinking of?” 
“Mhm, only have time for one of them right now though,” Dovey smirked, her hand taking his cock and stroking it a few times, listening to the soft whimpers that left Calum as her own hips rocked against his solid thigh, “Have to wait until we’re back home for the others.” 
Calum’s eyes opened enough at one point to see the steam from their act fogging up the windows, the beads of moisture dripping down their foreheads matching the ones racing down the window next to his head. Above him, Dovey looked like an angel, her closed eyes and barely opened mouth making Calum think he was the luckiest man alive. His fingers had dug into her hips, soft whimpers leaving them both with every rock of their hips and Calum wasn’t sure if he’d ever want this feeling to end. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get tired of the way Dovey felt wrapped around him. He’d happily get lost in her warmth and never find his way out again if he could, but the coil in his stomach kept stretching and stretching, threatening to snap as he listened to Dovey’s moans grow louder and louder as her hips rose and fell with every one of them. 
“Calum,” she gasped out, one of her hands finding comfort in the soft curls she’d been playing with ever since they’d grown out and coiled against his head. 
“I know, I’ve got you,” Calum choked out, his own high speeding towards him as he felt Dovey clench around him as her hips paused and her whimpers were soaked into by Calum’s skin, “Oh fuck, baby, I-”
“Calum,” Dovey whispered, her soft kisses on Calum’s skin making the blinding white stars beneath his eyelids clear slowly, “Hey, come back to me,” she mumbled, the feeling of her fingers running through his hair grounding Calum back to the backseat of his car. 
His lungs hurt, the panting breaths he was taking sounding over the muffled music playing from the radio in the front, and his vision was still blurred as he watched Dovey leaned back against his thighs, her hair tousled and her dress still rucked up over her hips. It took him a couple more breaths, the thick air coating his lungs until finally, Calum’s hand found Dovey’s in the darkness of the car and he smiled lazily. 
“You back with me, Hood?” she asked softly and smiled, the gentle squeeze she gave his hand making him nod. 
“I always come back to you,” Calum whispered, “Always.” 
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f3itansgirlygirl · 4 years
Text
drivers license - suna rintarou
part 2 right here
inspired by the song driver's license
his house is right there, right in front of me. 
sitting in the car biting my lip holding back the sob that threatened to escape, how did it become like this? how did i end up sitting in here alone while you went off with her? that was supposed to be me, you said you would wait? 
suna rintarou
a beautiful boy, his smile never failed to warm your heart. the way he would hold you in his arms, pout when you weren't paying attention, brush your hair behind your ear, the way he would kiss you and buy you your favorite drinks or take you to that little park you loved so much as you guys watched the sunset and fell in love all over again.
then how did it get like this? 
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“hi my name is l/n y/n and i'm your new manager!,” you introduced yourself. was a first year at inarizaki and needed to get into a club, atsumu decided to introduce you to the coach and give in a few words.
looking around the team you felt a nice presence, and that's when your eyes landed on his, those green piercing eyes. having his knees to his chest laughing at atsumu for trying to punch him for showing him something on his phone. 
the way his laugh died down but kept a smile as he looked at you. 
you blushed but became distracted as kita called you over.
“thank you guys for accepting me have a good night!,” you said grabbing your bag and leaving. “wait up i’ll walk with you,” you heard a voice behind you say. you turned to hear the voice and it belonged to him.
you guys walked under the stars, you shivered forgetting a jacket and that's when he looked at you and smirked. “the old jacket technique huh let me guess you want me to take mine’s off and give it to you,” 
you gasped and looked right at him, “no i actually forgot you weirdo whatever i guess i'll walk faster,” you said speeding up. “wait i’m just teasing here i have a hoodie it’s my sleeping in class hoodie so better not ruin it.”
you took it hesitantly but put it on either way, it was big and burgundy and my god the scent you can still remember to this day how good he smelled like. “looks good on you maybe i’ll let you keep it,” he said as you guys continued to walk.
that was your first interaction, your first words to each other and one of the many nights you guys have come to spend together
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everything else came easily, even though having a age gap it didn’t stop your feelings whatsoever, and also never stopped him from showing affection.
you still remember your first kiss
how he kissed you by surpised on the slide of a old park where you guys sneaked out to get ice cream.
still remember how he started bringing extra hoodies and hair ties since you had a habit of forgetting both.
still remember that night under the stars in the backseat of his car when he looked at you and told you he was in love with you.
you teared up staring at him as he giggled softly caressing your face, holding your waist even more closer to his chest as your bodies connected.
“i love you rintarou,” you smiled crying softly. 
he looked at you rubbing your tears away, “and i love you y/n l/n,”
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how it was such a good 6 months. looking back you should have seen the way you guys would only hang out around the night or weekdays. 
how he wouldn't hold your hand in school or only be affection around the team.
and how you guys weren't exactly official, never asked you officially to be his but hey because of the memories spent together you thought of course your his and he’s yours.
you first saw her when she came through the doors, holding his notebook as she apologized but nevertheless gave him a smile and he gave one back. she was pretty- like really pretty. 
pretty blue eyes, blonde long hair, beautiful body.
“so this is what overthinking feels like huh,” you mumbled as you shook your head and went back to setting the net up.
after practice you and suna as always walked home 
you guys decided to take a detour heading to your park where many memories were made. 
“hey rin,” you asked as you looked over the river that was by the bridge. “yes love?,” he replied. “what are we?,” you asked him.
please say im yours...
“well your younger than me, i want you to be mines and you already are, always and forever sooo how about this,” he turned to look at you and bent down so his head was right at yours. “when you become a 2nd year and get your driver's license we can officially be together yeah? i'll get down on one knee and ask you to be mine,” he rolled his eyes as you giggled. 
he stuck out his pinkie and you stuck out yours. “you’ll wait for me?,” you said.
he wrapped his pinkie around yours, “always, make sure you just don't crash don't want you dying before your mine but yes i promise i will wait for you l/n,” suna smiled grabbing you and pulling you in for a kiss. 
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finals came up and yes you and suna got distant due to you studying, yet you weren't nervous you were excited to finally walk down the halls holding his hand.
looking back you should have seen the signs of him not texting you often or wanting to help you, you shrugged it off maybe he was struggling in some classes too.
finally the day was here, texting osamu all morning about how you would pick them up for school so you can show off to suna. 
laughing driving up to school with the twins, you got out the car and seeing suna’s back against one of the walls
 you were about to call out for him until you saw her again. this time she was wearing the burgundy hoodie, and he was the one holding her hand. he was smiling? the smile he gave you specifically to you he was giving to her. 
tears filled your eyes. 
“y/n chan.. i’m-” , “its okay atsumu just get to class okay?,” you turned around hand shaking as you hold your keys, tears spilling down your eyes. “i'm going to be okay,” you smiled. “no, you’re crying,” 
“i said i’m okay, i’m just going to leave,” you said running to your car and getting the fuck outta there. 
leaving you saw atsumu go up to suna and scream at him. 
your heart felt like it was being pulled, this can’t be real? 
you headed home, slamming your door and falling to the ground, how could you rin? 
flashes of him and her passed your mind seeing how happy he was. 
you looked underneath and saw a photo on the ground. your grabbed it and sat on your bed, it was you and him in a photobooth smiling and then kissing. underneath in his handwriting he wrote “my love always and forever,”
you felt like throwing up, so this is what heartbreak feels like. 
you were hurt mad even at the fact that before anything was able to happen it was already ruined. you cried yourself to sleep wanting to ignore the pain/
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you woke up around 9 p.m, you were confused but remembered all that happened today
“so that wasn't a horrible dream?,” you tried to laugh it out but really couldn’t.
you needed fresh air, you changed into sweatpants and a baggy shirt.
going for a drive blasting music, you didn’t know where you were going but you just needed to feel the air flowing past you. you stopped at the red light, everything was getting blurry tears now leaving as you hit the steering wheel. 
you kept driving and ending up parking in this neighborhood, being very familiar but automatically knowing where you ended up. you looked to your right and saw his house.
you were about to get off trying to get closure you said, needing answers still trying to doubt everything and thinking maybe this was a horrible joke from the twins and him but then you got all the closure you needed. seeing as the door opened revealing the girl coming out.
your heart dropped seeing how happy they were and dare you say actually look good together. he smiled down at her and grabbed her for a kiss. 
you gasped as a heart wrenching sob escaped your lips, she walked away as he never took his eyes off her figure.
that was me.
 he then looked turning his head and made eye contact with you, you just silently laughed as you shook your head at him and turned on the car leaving. “y/n wait!,” you heard him say as you left.
you headed to the small park and sat in the slide looking up as you laid down and finally let everything out. “never knew your waiting was just a short trial did i have to pay for millions of hours?,” you cried as you looked up in the sky seeing your memories replay in your head
‘Cause how could I ever love someone else’ And I know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one
And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me 'Cause you said forever now I drive alone past your street’
your phone dinged as you look who texted you
suna rin: y/n we need to talk... suna rin: please, i am so so sorry just hear me out. suna rin: i really did wait i just, please let's just meet up.
you texted back 
“im really happy for you suna, goodbye rintarou.”
you then deleted his contact as you took a deep breathe and sat up.
“i still see your face
In the white cars”
you grabbed your head, “was i not good enough?,” 
“We crossed I still hear your voice In the traffic We're laughing”
flash back
“you know i think we're meant to be,” suna said from your bed as you were on your laptop finishing some things. “wow such a hopeless romantic,” you smiled at him as you were putting back your earphones. “just maybe right person wrong time,” he said softly. you looked back at him, “i'm sorry did you say something,” you asked him. he just shook his head, “nothing i was just saying your a nerd,” he said as he threw a pillow at your face. “you know what,” you got up and jumped on top of him both laughing.
flashback over
‘God, I'm so blue Know we're through But I still fucking love you, babe’
you finally realized what he said, right person wrong timing 
you looked up at the cherry blossom tree and softly smiled
“your right suna we really were meant to be just right person, wrong time.”
i guess not every love story is meant to be complete.
the end.
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choking-on-tae · 3 years
Text
Mafia ATEEZ Reaction to: You hitting on someone else
Anon asked: Could you maybe do a mafia reaction to y/n (female) hitting on (flirting, not actually hitting) someone else?
And if possible could it be mature? (Aka smutty)
A/N: This is gonna be spicy. Mafia ATEEZ will be so fucking jealous and possessive. This is already quite long for a reaction so if you want me to go more in debt I should probably turn this into a full AU. Anyways I hope you like it and as usual gifs aren't mine and credits to the rightful owners! x
Seonghwa
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Seonghwa gave you clear instructions when he left; Don't go anywhere and stay out of trouble. So when he comes back and sees you sitting at the bar with a stranger he feels angry. Especially when he notices the stranger's hand on your thigh.
Seonghwa makes his way over to you and rips the man's hand off your body, pulling you up and pressing you against him. "Hey man what are you doing? We were jus-" "-Stay away from my girlfriend." Seonghwa glares at the man, who in return raises up his hands in defeat and walks off.
When he turns to look at you it's your turn to be scared. If looks could kill you'd be long gone. "I asked you one thing, and you can't even do that."
You wrap your arms around his neck as you smile at him with a innocent expression on your face, but Seonghwa knows better.
"I got bored, and I missed you.."
"You missed me, huh? Can't even stay away from me for 5 minutes. Maybe I should remind you who you belong to."
"Please daddy."
Seonghwa's eyes widen at your words as he grabs your wrist, dragging you with him to the back where one of his private rooms is.
Hongjoong
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Hongjoong rolls his eyes as he watches one of his new men flirting with you. Clearly he hasn't told the man yet that you're already taken. It's when you laugh at a joke the man says that Hongjoong feels his blood boiling. Hongjoong glares at the man as he makes his way towards you both, grabbing your wrist and pulling you up from the stool you were sitting on.
"Enjoying the company baby?"
Your breath hitches in your throat upon hearing his voice, instantly knowing you're in for a long night. Hongjoong can be quite jealous and you're very away of the fact that you were laughing with the man.
"Hello boss, I was just talking to this lovely lady-" "-That lovely lady is my girlfriend."
The man's eyes widen upon hearing Hongjoong's words as he breaks out in a sweat. "I.. I'm so sorry sir I didn't kno-"
Hongjoong grabs the man's collar and pulls him up, glaring at him as he growls, "Let this be the last time I catch you talking to my woman. Get out."
As soon as Hongjoong lets go of the man he runs off, making him chuckle softly before turning to you.
"Now, what shall I do with you, hm? I believe you deserve to be punished princess. Don't you think so?"
Yunho
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When Yunho is angry he's a pretty intimidating man, his height only adding to that. If looks could kill the man that's softly touching your arm would be dead right now. He left you alone for 5 minutes and comes back to find you talking to a definitely drunk young man. From where he's standing he can hear the slur in his words as he flirts with you. Yes he's definitely drunk. Not that that makes Yunho feel any better he's still very much annoyed by the situation.
It get's even worse when he sees you helping the man when he almost falls over. That's the final drop for him. Yunho storms towards you and grabs your arm, dragging you away from the drunk man and pulling you into the nearest room, which happened to be the closet room.
"What the hell are you doing? I was ju-"
Your words die in your throat when Yunho's face stops about an inch away from yours, his hot breath fanning across your face as he stares into your eyes.
"I didn't like the way he was talking to you, or the way you helped him." "What was I supposed to do then? Let him fall over?"
"Yes!"
You roll your eyes at his words, which doesn't please Yunho. He backs you up against the wall of the small room as he closes the gap between you, crashing his lips against yours as he traps you between his own body and the wall behind you.
You tangle your fingers in his hair when you feel Yunho pulling away, grabbing both your wrists and pinning them above your head. A sinister smirk spreading across his face.
"No touching baby. I think I need to remind you who you belong to."
Yeosang
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Yeosang didn't like the new addition to the team. His eyes lingered on your figure too long for his liking, but the worst part was that you didn't even notice. In fact you seemed to have taken a liking to the new member and talked to him whenever you could. He was always the one to come to you but you never pushed him away, and it's exactly that that was bothering Yeosang.
He wasn't afraid to lose you to the other man. He knows that you love him more than anything and that you won't leave him, but he just didn't like the way the man looked at you. Only he's allowed to look at you like that.
It's a usual Friday night with all the members in the club when he notices the man wrapping his arm around your lower back. Yeosang's blood boiling as he doesn't hesitate to make his way over to you, especially when you don't push the man away.
Yeosang stops in front of you and clears his throat, making you both look at him. "Ah Yeosang, how can I help you?" The man asks. Clearly oblivious about everything that's happening.
"I need you to stay away from my girlfriend." He growls, glaring at you as you feel your heart starting to beat faster. Knowing you're in for it when you get back home.
The man looks at you before looking back at Yeosang. "I.. I'll just go." He says, his voice so soft you barely hear him as he sprints out of the club.
Yeosang sits down on the stool the man was previously sitting on and lifts your chin up so you're looking directly at him.
"I'll let you finish your drink princess. But be warned. Once we get back home I'll help you remember who you belong to."
San
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San was enjoying the situation a lot more than he probably should. Sure he felt jealous that the man was touching your arm, but now he had a good excuse to punish you for your actions. Since you weren't trying to get away from him at all. San smirks to himself as he takes a sip of his drink, thinking of all the things he's going to do to you once you get back home.
When your eyes scan around the room you find San sitting not too far away from you, a sinister smirk spread across his face. You swallow the lump in your throat as you excuse yourself and make your way towards your boyfriend. San smirks when he sees you coming his way and places his drink down on the table. His hands finding your hips once you're close enough as he pulls you towards him until you're standing in between his legs.
"Had your fun, baby?"
You nervously bite down on your bottom lip as you nod your head softly. Your plan had worked but now you were nervous about the outcome. San notices your nerves and smiles softly at you, tugging a strand of hear behind your ear.
"Don't worry baby. I won't be too harsh on you. After tonight you won't forget you're mine."
Mingi
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Mingi was pretty annoyed when he saw you talking to the bartender. Especially when he saw the way you were smiling at each other. He knew that you were just doing it to rile him up, and he hated that it was working. Mingi lets out a soft groan as he gets up from his chair and makes his way over to where you're sitting. The bartender notices him instantly and gulps softly. He knows Mingi is your boyfriend and that he's probably in some deep shit right now.
"Can I get you anything to drink, sir?" He asks nervously, trying to maintain eye contact with him but it doesn't last long before he turns to look somewhere eyes. Mingi's glare makes him nervous and rightfully so.
"No thanks. I think it's about time we head home baby, don't you think so?" Mingi turns to look at you, his smile a little too sweet for your liking.
You softly nod your head as you get up with your boyfriend. Once you're in the car Mingi pushes you down on the backseat, his body on top of yours as his hands rest on either side of your head. Thankfully the partition is up so the driver doesn't see what's happening in the back.
Mingi's eyes bore into yours as you feel so small under his gaze. "It didn't mean anything." You whisper, your voice so soft he almost doesn't hear you.
Mingi lets out a soft chuckle as he clicks his tongue. "I know that baby girl. Still you're mine and I think I should help you remind you that you belong to me."
Mingi's lips crash against yours as his hands find their way under your shirt, caressing your chest as you hold on to his shoulders when you feel him grinding his hips against yours.
Wooyoung
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Wooyoung knew exactly what you were doing. He had done the same about two weeks ago, but that was for a reason. He needed to get some information out of someone and best way to do that was by flirting with them. It worked. Wooyoung got the information he needed and never paid any attention to them ever again. It did make you upset but he tried telling you it didn't mean anything, still you wanted payback. So when you two went out for the first time in a while and a attractive young man sat down next to you, you didn't move away.
Even when he used one of his horrible pickup lines you till remained seated. Wooyoung chuckles softly when he sees you laughing with the man, or at him, he can't be sure since his pickup lines are so horrible they're pretty funny. He himself can't help but laugh at one as he makes his way towards you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder as he pulls you against him, staring at the man with a smile on his face.
"You're pickup jokes are so bad that they're hilarious. See, my girlfriend likes them too apparently."
The man turns to look at you before looking back at Wooyoung. Jung Wooyoung is very familiar in town so everyone knows who he is. The man gets the hint and gets up. Apologizing before disappearing in the crowd.
Wooyoung turns to look back at you and sees you smiling innocently at him. "Oh baby you can't fool me. Maybe I should remind you why you're with me and not with him, hm?"
Jongho
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Jongho would undoubtedly be the most reasonable one in this scenario. Just like Yeosang he knows that you love him and that you'd never leave him, and he also knows why you're flirting with the bartender. He's had a couple of missions in a row and wasn't home a lot, which made you pretty upset but you know your boyfriend's job is important. When he was finally home he decided to go out drinking with his friends, instead of spending time with you. The same friends that were in his team and he had seen every day of the week.
So you wanted to get back at him, by making him jealous. It didn't take long before Jongho realized what you were doing, and he decided to play along. When he saw you and the man getting up, ready to make your way to the dancefloor he felt like it was time to intervene. Jongho grabbed your arm and dragged you with him to a more secluded area of the club.
"What are you doing? I was just about to da-" Jongho interrupts you by slamming you against the wall, grabbing your wrists and pinning them above your head as he looks deep into your eyes. Your heart flutters at his actions as you can't help but feel aroused. It always turns you on when your boyfriend uses his strength against you.
Jongho smirks when he sees you squeezing your thighs together and moves to use one hand to pin your wrist together, while the other travels down your body, till he stops between your legs.
"What's it baby? Getting turned on from just this?"
When he doesn't get a reply he stops, his fingers dangerously close to where you need him desperately. He crooks his eyebrow as he stares at you, waiting for an answer.
"Tell me baby."
"Please.. Please Jongho I need you."
Jongho smirks as he pushes your panties to the side, his fingers spreading your wetness as he crashes his lips against yours. You moan against his lips as you feel one of his fingers slide into you, throwing your head back against the wall as he slides in a second finger. Jongho smirks as he moves his head to trail kisses down your neck, leaving marks that will probably stay there for a while.
"Remember baby. I'm the only one who can make you feel like this."
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Text
Playing the Part
~8300 words of steamy Loki tickle fluff
PG13 for this one, kids. Lots of making out.
CW: some swearing, suggestive humour, mentions of murder/death, alcohol consumption
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Every job has its ups and downs, and every employee their good days and not-so-good days. You’d hardly classify yourself as an employee because you didn’t get a paycheque, your entire occupation was a hazard unto itself, human-resources was punching it out on the sparring mat and your boss was either a 100-year-old super soldier or an eccentric billionaire, depending on the day and who was wearing what suit.
Wait… should I be getting paid for this?
Looking around your room that you paid no rent on, in a multi-billion dollar superhero compound, you decided that wasn’t a question you were ever going to ask. The question of the hour was which dress would best conceal your thigh-holstered gun.
Today, your job entailed one of those tasks that could be fun if you decided it would be, or hell if you had a bad attitude about it. You prided yourself on always being up for any mission, so that answered that question, though infiltrating some black-tie gala undercover was never as exciting as fighting alien forces.
You gave up feeling guilty about being a little excited when Earth faced threats long ago; no one had to know that impending planetary destruction was your favourite kind of mission to help out on.
Selecting a red strapless dress from the middle of your mission closet (which was differentiated because most of these dresses were bulletproof) you slipped it on over your underwear and thigh holster. A knock came at your door as you were reaching behind yourself to zip it up.
“Come in!”
“Agent, we- oh… Oh.” Loki’s featured turned from surprised to playfully smug in a matter of seconds.
“Can you get this zipper?” You winced at the stuck metal. He nodded and approached, you turned and held the fabric up. Before he even made it halfway to you he gave a brief wave of his hand and used his magic to unstick the zipper, bringing it to the top.
“Thanks,” you smiled, familiar with that particular kind of help from Loki. “Can you see my gun?” You did a little spin and he shook his head. “Great. You look nice," you commented, gesturing to his impeccable black suit.
“As do you.”
“Ready?”
”I suppose there are worse charades to play on a Saturday evening. Ones that don’t include fine wine and the prospect of a tussle with a Midgardian security man.”
You shot him a look as you two walked towards the garage together. “You said no Midgardian wine could be classed as fine.”
“Save for one region in Italy, I’ve discovered.” Loki shrugged, tightening the fastener on his cuff link.
You gave him a mock look of shock. “Are you telling me… you were wrong?“
“Smugness is not becoming, Agent,” Loki playfully warned.
“Hmm,” you narrowed your eyes. “Looks like I’m spending too much time with you.”
You bickered and bantered good-naturedly as you entered the garage, which was more like a hangar but only for cars. This mission would be you, Loki, Natasha, Sam and, strangely enough, Tony wanted to drive the van. He gave some excuse about wanting to test some new equipment and spend time with his team. Though you knew it was because Pepper wanted him to attend her aunt’s seventieth birthday, and Tony had a long-standing feud with that particular aunt ever since she went on a forty-five minute tirade about how much she hated Led Zeppelin. You weren’t sure if it was the sentiment behind it, or the fact that she could talk for forty-five minutes straight without the awareness to stop. Either way, Tony was on the job tonight.
“Black Widow is already onsite,“ Tony handed you three some photos as you entered and took your seats. “Your names are on the door, fake ones obviously, here they are.” Tony pulled up some information on the screens and then commanded the self-driving van to go with a few taps at a holographic control centre.
You went over the plan, the objective, who to avoid at all costs, where the gun was supposedly hidden. There was a gun used in a murder of a journalist - the employee of an old friend of Tony's, a young guy working on an exposé of a filthy-rich family dynasty in New York City. The journalist was sure the McDane family money came from arms dealing, but he was found dead just a few short months after he started investigating. The following week, Charles, the charming and likeable newly-married eldest son of the family, announced his run for mayor.
Whether Charlie McDane ordered the murder, or if he didn't even know it happened, Tony's source said this family kept trophies of their victories and the murder weapon would most definitely still be in the house.
On the face of it, it was an unusual assignment for the Avengers. If you didn't think that hard about it, you could have just sent Nat in alone. However, the McDane family was even more powerful than they loved to show on the surface, and this wouldn't be a simple theft. Hence, a small team was going in to avenge the fallen journalist.
Natasha had been planted on the inside, posing as an event manager for a soirée the family was hosting to celebrate Charlie’s birthday and, since he’d invited everyone in the political and social scene, it was the perfect chance to enter the mansion; there’s no way he’d know who each and every person was and should be.
As you walked down the road with your arm slotted through Loki's, you eyed the metal detectors at the front entrance. You gripped his arm and slid your hand into the pocket of your dress, but the pocket was hollow and only existed as easy way to grab your gun. Wordlessly, you passed it to Loki and he concealed it with his magic in the exact same way you planned to smuggle the murder weapon out later that evening.
Maybe it was Loki's elegance or your years of training that started when you were very young, but the way you two could instinctively weave around each other's thoughts, ideas and actions without so much as a glance was something special you didn't take for granted. You both had keen senses, but there was some kind of unexplainable energy that made them align perfectly.
You never let your mind wander on nights like these. On missions. Perhaps if you were less professional you'd take a moment to fantasise about what it would actually be like to go to a party with Loki. If the way he led you through the room with a gentle hand at your waist was more than a ploy to look like an adoring couple, or if he knew your favourite wine because he cared, instead of just having heard you order it a million times before.
He kept things light with jokes and little jabs, never once crossing a boundary when fake-flirting with you, but it wasn't lost on you that it was unusual to have this kind of working relationship that had all of the chemistry with none of the awkwardness. It was almost as if it was second nature now for him to pull you a little closer when you were in a nice dress, considering you'd only worn them in front of him on missions. And so he did pull you closer as you approached the bouncer to give your names.
You spied Nat at the front, leaning around a security guard's shoulder to point to something on his list. She always played her parts so well. She stole a glance at you and Loki through her fake glasses and that was it. No indication she knew you, no special treatment, no way she'd do anything to blow this. She walked up the outdoor staircase as you gave your aliased names to the guard and flashed fake drivers licenses that were pretty much real, considering the government had created them.
Loki declined the arrival champagne for the both of you, immediately leading you to the bar. You looked at him as if to remind him that you weren't here to drink, and his subtle smirk replied that he didn't care. He ordered two glasses of a merlot from the one region in Italy that'd won his respect, passing the glass to you once it was laid on the bar.
"To the finer things," he cheers'ed your glass and you scoffed with a laugh, taking a sip of the wine. The rich flavour burst through your mouth. It was dark and deep, spiced with... with... "Cedar," he offered, reading the analysis on your face. "Rosewood, cedar and some sort of stone-fruit."
"Nectarine."
He smiled and took another sip. "We don't have that on Asgard."
"This wine is good," you nodded as you two turned and deconstructed the room and all of its guests.
It made you kind of sick seeing all of these wealthy people in one place pretending to give a damn about Charlie McDane's birthday. It's not that you liked the guy, not at all, it just felt weird to know that every person in here was the exact kind of person you hunted down. Power-hungry. This mansion may as well be a lion's den. But full of naïve lions, who had no idea two apex predators just walked in.
Just when you started wondering how many people in your line of sight had also committed murder to protect their wealth and power, you saw Natasha give a subtle signal of which way the room with the safe was. Loki saw it too.
It was upstairs, but there wasn't much cover to get upstairs. The great foyer's ceiling was three stories up, the two floors above the ground floor you were on had square balconies that let the people upstairs peer downwards into the masses. Nat's fingers adjusting her hair told you that the room was on the second floor. Thankfully, there were guests on the second floor. Under the guise of admiration for the architecture and a desire to explore the great house, you pointed out works of art to Loki as you ascended the stairs together. When you walked past Natasha she smiled politely, like a good host, and asked if you were enjoying the wine.
"It's most divine. Though, I believe my beloved may be in search of a room to powder her nose."
You would have rolled your eyes at his usual choice of asking for information if you weren't aware that security's eyes were everywhere. Even on the event manager.
"You might find what you need up the stairs, down the first hall, third door on your right."
The way her hands were motioning didn't match her hushed description, so you followed the instructions in her voice instead of the way her hands were telling you.
You allowed Loki to lead you upstairs, down the first hall. When you two were certain there were no eyes, he concealed you two with his magic. The hallway was darkened. He pressed his hand against the lock and unfastened it with an unseen pure magic and you two slipped inside. It was a large office with grand mahogany furniture, decorated exactly as you'd expect Old Money Americans to decorate their office. Right down to the bear head above the fireplace and the first edition novels sitting proudly on the shelf, probably unread by their owners. That also made you a little sick: great words sitting unread as trophies.
Scanning the room for any obvious signs of the safe, your eyes settled on a panel in the wood on the side of the desk. There was a slightly smaller gap in the wood on one side, indicating hinges. You held your hands up to Loki and he conjured thin gloves to grace your fingers, then you pressed gently on the wood to engage the latch. The panel swung open to reveal the safe. Shifting out of the way, Loki took your place and placed a gloved hand on the dial. In less than three seconds, it spun rapidly in each direction before clicking open.
"We should really consider robbing banks," you whispered as the black metal door swung open and you were met with stacks of paper and envelopes.
"Need I remind you I am a Prince? If it's gold you want, darling, say the word."
"Eh," you shrugged, feeling around for the gun. "I meant more for the thrills."
Loki chuckled as your fingers found a familiar-feeling package. You pulled the envelope out and peered inside before showing Loki the sight of a small pistol. He nodded and took it from you carefully, then concealed it in some unknown magical space close to him.
You closed the safe carefully and then your gloves disappeared. Moving quietly back to the door, you listened for several moments to make sure no one was coming. Then, you both slid out and began walking down the hall like a loving couple.
Suddenly, a guard appeared at the end of the hallway. Thinking fast, you opened the closest door to you and pushed Loki inside. There was a shout you vaguely heard before you shut and locked the door again.
"Shit," you hissed. You were in someone's bedroom. Or maybe it was a guest room, considering how clean and un-lived-in it looked. There was a fireplace, like in the office, and a large four-poster bed against one wall. In the middle of the room were two plush couches that faced each other and were side-on to the door. You two walked over to them to get the vantage of being in the centre of the room and quickly searched for an exit.
"I'll cast an illusion," Loki whispered, ready to wave his hands and make it look as if you two weren't here.
"No!" You whispered, eyes wide. "They already saw us come in here. If we disappear, they'll know something's up and lock the place down."
"Then what do you propose?" He held his hands out, annoyingly unbothered by the prospect of blowing a mission. The doorknob twisted and you both snapped your heads towards it, then back at each other.
"Sit," you hissed and shoved him back onto the sofa right behind him. He stumbled and fell with a small indignant noise of surprise. You heard the tinkling of keys and your heart beat in your chest.
"Agent?"
Knowing the security team was about to enter, you acted fast. "I'll never hear the end of this," you mumbled before sliding forward to straddle his lap. His eyebrows shot up his forehead as you wrapped your arms around his shoulder and looked at him with nervous urgency. "Kiss me."
Loki didn't question it, and he certainly didn't need to be told twice. His hands found their place. One at the small of your back, one firmly gripping the hair at the nape of your neck. Then, he pulled you in for a fiery kiss.
You barely heard the door open as you lost yourself in the strength of his hold, the steady and eager grasp with which he held you. His hands found their places as if they'd been there a thousand times before, as if he knew exactly how you'd feel the safest, feel the most desired. You pulled him deeper by the back of his neck and could have sworn he made a small noise of satisfaction.
Oh no.
He kept kissing you, you kept kissing him, even after the head of the security team had cleared his throat a number of times. As much as you knew you'd already sold it, and boy you sold it well, you couldn't bring yourself to pull away. Were all Asgardians this good at kissing, or was it just Loki?
Oh. No.
"HEY!"
The sudden loud command pulled you away and, much to your internal mortification, you didn't need to feign how flustered you were.
"O-oh my," you squeaked and looked up at the man, blushing profusely.
Okay, the squeak was fake, but it felt almost real.
You stayed put where you were straddling Loki's lap and grimaced when you saw Natasha, still in character, entering the room. "What's going on, I need you downstairs to- oh!" She looked a little taken aback by your position atop the prince who, you were fuming to see from the corner of your eye, had the audacity to be smirking.
"My apologies," Loki drawled in his growly regal voice, trailing his hands around to your sides. "I simply couldn't control myself, seeing my queen in this dress..." He punctuated it with an "Mmph" and a firm squeeze at your hips. You flinched and squirmed a bit under the ticklish touch, trying to keep your composure but letting a small giggle slip out. Then, catching the pleased and mischievous glint in his eye, you dug your nails into the back of his shoulder to warn him off trying that again.
"This room's off limits," the guard tilted his head towards the door and you made to move your way off of Loki's lap. Instead, with his incredible strength, he stood with his hands still at your hips, lifting you to your feet before turning and wrapping an arm around your waist.
He looked the guard up and down, "Of course, good sir." You bit your lip and blushed, cowering in Loki's hold as you exited the room together. Nat smirked at you and winked before proceeding to fall back into character and tell the guards there was a belligerent drunk man downstairs needing to be kicked out. That man would be Wilson, who was playing his part as tipsy distraction.
Loki led you down the hall and you rounded a corner, then you broke off from him and held a hand to your chest. "That was too close," you breathed deeply once, then met his eye. You glared when he saw him smirking at you.
"Do I have lipstick on my face?" He asked, feigning worry.
"Oh, shut up," you swatted his shoulder. "I did what I had to do."
"I never knew you had the passion in you, Agent," Loki smirked again. You glared once more and peeked around the corner, only to jump and hold in a yelp as Loki's pinching fingers found your hip. "I also never knew you were so ticklish."
"That's not something people advertise- cut it ouhout!" You swatted his hand and squirmed away from him as he prodded his fingers into your side. "We have the gun, let's get out of here."
"Tsk, you're no fun," Loki scoffed.
You exited the party and made your way down the block towards the van, knowing that Nat's glasses had broadcast at least the last part of your little tussle with Loki. Steeling yourself as you gripped the handle, you reminded yourself that you were a professional, and this was sometimes a hazard of the job. You needed to play it cool when the eventual teasing came.
"Hey, lovebirds," Tony quipped the second he saw your faces.
"Hey," you chuckled, stepping inside and removing your heels the second you found your seat. "We got it."
"Here," Loki closed the door behind him and pulled the enveloped gun from the magical space he'd hidden it. "So you saw the Agent's display of passion, did you?"
"You wound me, Loki," you deadpanned. "I thought we had a mutual connection."
Perhaps those words were a mistake considering all the truth behind them. However, all the best lies were founded on truth, and for now you needed to convince everyone in the van that you weren't totally freaking out because you'd felt the most passionate attraction you'd had in years with a former villain. I mean... how predictable.
Loki looked at you suspiciously as he took his seat, but something in his gaze told you he wasn't going to prod deeper on this. Not right now, at least. Not in front of everyone.
Nat and Sam joined the fray five minutes later and you all got a move-on back to the Compound. Nat poked more fun at the position she'd found you two in, and you laughed good-naturedly at all their jokes. Loki was uncharacteristically silent, and seemed to always be looking at you when you laughed and instinctively checked to see if he was laughing too.
The jokes shifted to Sam and the wine he spilled down his shirt, then the conversation shifted to the next steps of what to do with the gun, then you all arrived back.
Tony got to work dismantling his rig, declining your help, and so you took your field weapons over to the cabinet to put them back in their places. As you were unclipping the magazine from your pistol, you felt a presence behind the door. You peered around to see Loki.
"What's up?" You raised your eyebrows and snapped the case shut, then closed the door.
He looked at you meaningfully, quizzically, but didn't say anything.
"Okay..." you chuckled uncomfortably and put the latch on the door in place. "I'm going to shower."
You made to walk past him but he grabbed your upper arm, stopping you by his side. Facing different ways, he leaned in a little closer and spoke quietly. "I can spot a lie from lightyears away."
Turning to look at him, you'd probably have been caught off-guard by how close his face was if it hadn't been for the events of earlier. You shrugged, pulling your arm from his grasp. "I didn't lie."
He scoffed and also turned to look at you, eyes flitting once down to your lips, then back up to pierce your gaze with his. "You know what I meant."
You were proud of how composed you kept yourself when you shrugged again and kept walking, swallowing hard.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Never one to waste water, you took an uncharacteristically long shower. Haphazardly smearing face wash over your skin to scrub the makeup off, scrub away the flustered energy. But no amount of scrubbing could help you forget the feeling of his kiss, and shampooing the hairspray from your head only made you remember the feeling of his fingers in your hair.
You reminded yourself that it had been a very long time since you'd kissed someone. You were probably just desperate, definitely a little touch-starved in general, so the fact that it was Loki didn't matter as much as the fact that it had happened.
That's what you told yourself over and over as you threw on sweatpants and a soft long-sleeved shirt. It was cold and the marble floors could be unforgiving, so you thought it best to go for fluffy socks, but then pulled some slippered boots over the top. You didn't bother brushing your wet hair, letting it fall where it wanted as you made your way to the kitchen.
"That smells good," you commented as Nat pulled some dish out of the oven.
"Mmm," she agreed with an excited smile. "Nico is my favourite," she admitted slyly, referring to one of the chefs Pepper would call in to prepare a bunch of heatable meals during busy periods. Delivery app drivers would probably cancel the order if you tried, thinking it must be a joke that a super solider was asking for a Big Mac to be delivered to the Avengers Compound. Besides, by the time it was scanned and made sure to not contain a deadly poison, it would be cold and stale. "There's enough for you too," Nat said, pulling out another plate and serving you a steaming slice of vegetarian lasagne.
"Thanks," you smiled, still a little distracted. Of course, with someone as perceptive as Nat, that wouldn't be allowed to slip by.
She leaned against the counter and poked at her meal, not meeting your eye to keep it less direct. "You alright?"
"Hmm?" You looked up, and so did she, then you looked back down to your food and shrugged. It was no use lying to her. "I think I'm lonely," you laughed humourlessly, nervously, sadly.
"The kiss got to you," she said knowingly, placing her fork down to give you her full attention. You didn't return the favour, nervous about what you'd say if you were really talking about this. Which, as long as you were here eating dinner, you weren't really talking about it.
"It's not like I haven't kissed a fellow Agent before to keep cover," you sighed a little, shaking your head. "It's just been a while, I guess, since I've had... anything... or, someone."
"I get that," she nodded, picking up her fork again. You two ate in silence for several moments. "This is really good," she declared through an extra-large mouthful. You chuckled and nodded, swallowing another bite. After several more moments, she said quietly, "It's okay if you felt something."
That made you choke a bit. Noticeably, unfortunately. You shook your head, but didn't deny it. "No. It's not okay."
"Why not?" She asked as if you were crazy.
"It's not okay," you repeated firmly, stabbing your fork again at the lasagna. "It's not."
Before she could attempt to pry for more information, Thor and Loki entered the kitchen together. Great.
"Good evening," Thor beamed a toothless smile.
"There's more in the fridge if you're hungry," you looked up at them in an attempt to not seem as regressed in on yourself as you felt. Thor looked at your plate and nodded in approval, opening the fridge. Then you looked at Loki, fully expecting to see some kind of calculating stare as before, but his expression was soft. He looked you over, probably noticing your out-of-character hunched posture and the way your head hung a little lower than usual, and he gave you a look that was subtly laced with sympathy.
Now that made your blood boil. Who was he to feel sorry for you?
He seemed to notice the way your jaw clenched under his gaze, and opened his mouth to say something but Thor spoke first.
"There's a film Stark wants us all to watch this evening."
Nat chuckled, finishing off her dinner. "You say that like he's showing us training videos. He's just trying to bond the team over some cheesy nineties movie." She looked at you and nodded to your clothes. "You look ready for a movie night."
Before you could explain that you'd rather go to bed, Thor beamed again. "Excellent, then! We'll all be there."
Thor was always kind to you, so you didn't want to disappoint him over something so inconsequential. You smiled warmly at him and nodded. "I'm gonna go claim a good spot," you excused yourself, aware it was almost time for it to start. You quickly did your dishes and left the kitchen, making sure to get a seat on a large armchair so you made it clear you'd rather have some personal space right now, even though it was the exact opposite of what you wanted. Maybe it would be good for you though, to remember that you were alone for a reason. That this life you chose wasn't kind too love.
Gods, love. Why did you think of that word, of all the ones out there. You were spiralling. Sentiment, you corrected yourself with a swift reprimand. Sentiment, loneliness, desperation.
You busied yourself chatting to Wanda as people filtered in, taking note of how she seamlessly wove herself in and around Vision as they sat on a two-seater next to you. Determined not to look at or think of Loki or romance or kissing or anything like that, you trained your eyes on the screen as the movie started.
But you spiralled.
There were these two main characters in the movie with this undeniable bickering co-worker chemistry that reminded you of Loki, the jokes he’d whisper into your ear during meetings, the harmless mischief he’d pull to make you laugh, the way his hand felt at your lower back- NO. You couldn’t think about that.
Wanda and Vision were in your line of sight from the corner of your eye and you saw her fingers lace through his, you then saw him place a silent kiss on the crown of her head. Biting down on your tongue, you remembered Nat and Bruce, Pepper and Tony, Thor and Jane, Clint and Laura. All those people who seemed to find love, even temporary love, in the midst of all this madness.
So maybe it wasn’t this life. Maybe it was just… you.
Biting your tongue a little harder, you reminded yourself how powerless you were compared to all these super-people. Sure, many of them were human like you, but all the other humans seemed to have someone who loved them.
It felt hopeless, knowing the only person in this room who you wanted close was so extraordinarily out of your league. He was a god. You were a human. Your life was a flicker compared to his, of course he’d never waste time indulging the likes of you.
But it felt real.
Halfway through the movie you decided you couldn’t sit there and see these buddy-cop characters fall in love. You couldn’t watch Wanda and Vision so enamoured with each other. What you needed was to hit something hard, and then go to sleep. So you excused yourself without a word or a glance at anyone. It was late, anyway. You weren’t even the first one to leave.
A turn of a black-haired form told you that Loki noticed you leaving, but the lack of footsteps behind you as you walked down the silent hall told you that he hadn’t followed you.
Slipping into your room and then into some workout clothes, you jammed your headphones into your ears and put on some classical music; you weren't sure you could stand to hear any words right now. You laced your shoes a little tighter than normal and practically sprinted to the gym, very unwilling to have anyone notice you were gone and decide to come check on you.
Hitting the bag felt good. It was the perfect consolation prize for what you'd actually prefer right now, but with every crushing of your knuckles against the thick canvas you found it easier to forget how it felt to have your fingers looped through his hair. The sweat dripping down your face replaced the feeling of his breath against your skin when you'd broken the kiss, and the aching in your obliques from your tensing and turning to hit the bag took the place of any memory of his hands at your waist. The aching was here, and he was almost gone.
After a half-hour of interval sprints, it was just past midnight and you were exhausted. Not knowing how you felt about no one coming to check on you, you traipsed back to your room in silence. The faint echoing of your footsteps through the hallways made you quiet yourself further, stepping as lightly as you could to prove to yourself that you were still a good spy. Good spies don't get caught up with feelings. Your footsteps fell, dead quiet, and you regained some confidence.
Your muscles stung the next morning but in a delightful way. You'd treated yourself to another hot shower when you got back to your room, so this morning it would probably be best to have an icy one.
As the cold water hit your skin, you felt okay again. The boxing and running last night had really shaken everything out of you, only the smallest lingering of lonely desire remained and it could easily be ignored. Of course, that was easy to say. The second you walked into the kitchen to see that Loki had heard you coming and poured you a coffee you felt a tug at your chest.
His hands closed around the mug to pass it to you and you remembered how his fingers had closed around your waist. He smiled good morning and you remembered how his lips felt against yours. Holding it all in, you smiled and took the coffee, then proceeded to have a short conversation with him like a normal person would. He made jokes about last night, but not about that, and you chuckled at them. After perhaps too short a time for how long you usually chatted, you excused yourself to go do some paperwork. You caught the way his brow furrowed a little, but he didn't question you.
The next few days were more or less like this. You'd try to engage with Loki normally but spiral a little more, convincing yourself that the more you continued like you always had, the more normal things would be again. But he was just so... beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful and now you couldn't help but notice.
One evening, nearly a week after you'd kissed, you were having a bit of a vulnerable day and you walked into the kitchen for some ice cream. Loki had just finished cleaning up after his dinner and turned to say hello, but you couldn't do it. You just turned and walked right back out again. He called after you but you didn't stop. It's not like you were going to cry in front of him, but you just couldn't do this right now.
Seeking refuge in your bedroom, you shut the door and slid down to the floor with your back against it. An immediate soft knock frustrated you, especially knowing who it probably was. You sighed and stood.
“Hey,” you greeted Loki with a nod when you opened the door, immediately turning away to make it look like you were about to do something else. “What’s up?”
Loki stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, which made you stop and give him your attention. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” you lied.
He squinted for the faintest second and smiled a little sadly. “Light years,” he reminded you how he could spot a lie without harshly calling you out. It pained you that he didn’t. That his lack of sarcasm indicated that he saw you as a bit fragile right now.
You sighed a little and ducked your head to the side, conceding the point. “I’m a little haywire,” you admitted. “I think I need to get some stress out and go to sleep.”
”What troubles you?”
Ah. What a question.
You didn’t want to shut him out, but you certainly didn’t know how to explain that one simple kiss undercover had brought a massive crashing wave of insecurity and anxiety that made you feel completely unlovable. Or... maybe you could just say that?
You were silent for so long that Loki spoke again.
“I’d like to offer my apologies,” he said very diplomatically. “If I overstepped the bounds of our relationship.”
“I’m the one that made you kiss me,” you winced. “I should be apologising.”
”I didn’t mean that,” Loki shook his head. “I meant after, when we returned. When I cornered you.”
You had to laugh. “You didn’t corner me, Loki. I appreciate you wanting to make me feel better but you have nothing to apologise for.”
”Very well. But you didn’t make me,” he replied firmly.
“I know, I know…” you rolled your eyes. “A god submits to no one, I just meant that I put you in a situation that I shouldn’t have. Believe me, I’m paying the price.”
That last part came out a little faster than you’d intended it to. In fact, you didn’t really mean to say that last part out loud at all. Or maybe you did. What a perfect Freudian Slip. Quickly collecting yourself, you spotted your headphones and went to pick them up but noticed that Loki was taking slow steps towards you.
”Paying the price?” He asked carefully. You stopped and folded your arms, shrugging.
“People poke fun, you know.” You bit your tongue. Then, you saw him smirk a little. Ah. Lightyears.
“I thought we had a mutual connection,“ he raised his eyebrows, teasing you with your joke from That Night. You gave him a firm stare, but couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t that far away now.
“Loki, that was-“
“A thinly veiled truth,” he interjected, leaving no room for debate. He also left very little room between the two of you. You opened your mouth to respond, seemed to not be able to, and he smirked at your speechlessness.
"Y-you can't." You shook your head. "There's no way."
"There's no way, what?" A smiled tugged at his lips at the way your eyes widened when he took a strand of your hair and wrapped it once around his finger.
"... Mutual?"
“Now that we won’t be interrupted…” he brought his hand up next to his face, flourished it, and you heard your door’s lock click shut. You held your breath as a mischievous grin graced his lips.
Oh gods, you were looking at his lips. You couldn't seem to look away.
He lowered his voice to a gruff whisper. “Might we finish what we started?”
With the smallest nod of your head, he immediately ducked his head to press his lips against yours. Your small noise of surprise made him pull away for a second and grin, before he playfully growled and lifted you from the ground. His eyes stayed trained on yours as he walked a few steps and firmly shoved your back against the wall. Your breath hitched as his hand found that place at the back of your neck, and this time, you kissed him. Eagerly, hungrily, feeling so overwhelmingly euphoric that this was even happening.
It had to be a dream, you thought as his lips trailed along your jawline, his hot breath hit your neck and his strong unwavering arms kept you above the ground and level with his gaze. He kissed you not just like a god or a great lover - he kissed you like he wanted you. Like he‘d also been waiting to do this for an unspeakable amount of time. It felt like relief.
Pulling you both back from the wall, Loki's lips didn’t relent as your fingers tangled once again in his hair. He walked backwards and found his seat on the end of your bed, sitting with you in his lap as he had at the party.
“Gods, you enrapture me,“ he pulled away, a little breathless. He grinned and his eyes were hazy. He looked at you intensely before looking back at your lips, subconsciously slipping out his tongue to wet his own. Before you could respond, he was kissing you again. You could have melted into his touch. In fact, you were fairly certain you just might.
He leaned back and you both fell onto the bed, you on top of him. You laughed at the sudden impact and you pulled away for a few seconds to catch your breath. You looked at his adoring gaze and blushed. “I never thought someone like you could want someone like me.”
He furrowed his brow, unsure if you were about to reference his nefarious past.
”You’re so… mighty. You’re a Prince, a god, you’re wickedly smart and powerful and… and I’m just a human.”
“Watch your tongue,” Loki scolded somewhat seriously and held you a little tighter. “Don’t speak of yourself as if you’re insignificant.”
You rolled your eyes and smiled, giving him a look. “You know what I mean.”
“Of course I do, I’m wickedly smart,” he smirked and you playfully swatted at his chest. He smiled contentedly and ran his hands firmly down your sides to settle at your hips. It was an innocent romantic gesture, one to position you for further making-out with Loki, but your eyes widened at the memory of his discovery the previous weekend and the assumption that the God of Mischief was about to turn the tables.
Unluckily for you, your flustered expression rendered it a self-fulfilling prophesy.
“Loki…” You warned as you saw the glint in his eye.
“That’s right…” His smirk widened to a devilish grin.
”How about you keep kissing me, huh?” You laughed nervously and leaned in closer. Loki laughed and nodded, bringing his hand up to cradle the back of your neck as you pressed your lips to his. Once your arms were around his neck, he deepened the kiss and rolled over, putting you underneath him. Still on the edge of the bed, your feet barely skimmed the floor. Then, he suddenly became the classic Loki you knew.
“Mmmhmhm!” You whined and giggled a little into the kiss as the fingers belonging to his arm around your waist started ever so gently scratching at your side. “Mmnnoho!” You broke away and gave him a pouting look. He lifted his head and smirked.
Gods. He’d never looked so unspeakably hot.
Messy curls framing his face, that look he gave you that said You’re In Trouble in his distinct Loki way, mixed with the desire in his piercing blue eyes; you’d gladly endure his torture if it meant he looked at you like that.
But maybe that’s because you had no idea what was coming.
“Darling,” he cocked his head and kissed your cheek before kissing just below your ear. “I am the God of Mischief….“ he kissed your neck in a way that you were sure was intended to tickle. You giggled and bit your lip. “And now that I've got my hands on you, you simply cannot expect me to not exploit this little weakness to its fullest extent.”
“L-Loki!” You blushed at the very real threat and he chuckled.
“How about you guide me, hmm? Where should I start?”
“I’m not playing this game,” you laughed nervously, squirming a bit underneath him and resting your hands on his shoulders to push away the ticklish kisses.
“Aw, come now,” he lifted his head and that same beautiful smirk made your heart beat quick. His hand behind your neck slid down under your shoulder blade until it sat at your upper ribs. You stole a glance down to where it may be, even though you couldn’t see it. He cocked his head again. “No? Alright, I’ll choose.” With a wink his thumb slipped around the side and up into the hollow under your arm.
“LOKI!” You gasped, clamped your arm down from instinct and immediately started squirming and giggling, even though his thumb wasn’t even moving. He grinned again and kissed your lips once more.
“You've been down all week, love. Let's have a bit of fun,” he whispered, then sprang his hand at your waist into action, scratching and grabbing at the soft skin hidden beneath your shirt. You gasped again and started laughing softly, then squeaked when his thumb started wiggling into the hollow under your arm.
"NOHOHO!" You shut your eyes and then squealed loudly when his fingers underneath you began clawing into the back of your uppermost ribs. Damnit, you thought he may start easy on you, not go for three different places at once. You were already in a desperate cackle, bubbling incoherent pleas spilling from your lips as you writhed underneath his amused self.
"I'm honestly delighted you're so ticklish," Loki teased with a chuckle. "It's adorable, really. So professional all the time, yet..." He finished his sentence by intensifying his touch and speed at all three sites of attack, drawing a small shriek from your laughing lips and a jolt from your body. "Has it always been this easy to undo you?"
“OHMYGOHOD!” You shrieked, throwing your head against the bed and trying to buck your upper body against him to no avail. He paused his torture and kissed you deeply again, lips curled into a smile as he pressed his lips to yours. You shook your head and broke away, still laughing. “Youhou’re ridiculous! We were hahaving such a nice moment and y-you ruined ihit,” you whimpered. He kissed to again to silence your complaints.
“What did you expect?”
“I-I expected a nice romantic moment!” You laughed and brought both arms between you and him to shove at his shoulders. “Now,” you gave him a stern look. “Do you want to tickle me, or kiss me? You can only choose one.”
He scoffed. “I don’t do ultimatums, darling.”
“You do now.”
“Bold.“ He stuck his tongue against his cheek then ducked his head to the side in consideration. He then looked at your face, which you’d been attempting to hold in some semblance of a firm glare. He lowered his lips to your ear and you heard him chuckle once. “Far too bold for someone so ticklish.”
He whipped his arms out from under you and pressed his weight down again, trapping your arms between your bodies as he clawed into the front and sides of your lowest ribs.
“NOHOAHAH!” You immediately fell into desperate belly-laughter as his fingers drilled and clawed into the spaces between your bones. Your feet kicked helplessly, merely grazing the ground as laughter kept spilling from you. “NOHO! NO! LOKIHI I CAHAN’T!” He shifted his hands further up your ribcage and snuck his fingers around to dig in at the back and, after one more shriek, your laughter went silent. It was trapped in your chest as his squeezing and vibrating fingers found every sensitive space on your ribs that made you want to melt into a little puddle. You were gasping for air by the time he halted his attack, squeaking and wheezing as you tried to regain your breath.
It was torture, but you hoped he wouldn’t ask you if it was worth enduring to have him this close. If he could spot a lie from lightyears away, how much easier could he spot it when he was close enough for you to see the flecks of green in his eyes.
”You’re… you’re gonna kill me,” you hiccoughed. He smirked and leaned in for another kiss. “Nuh-uh,” you pulled your finger up as much as you could from where your arms were trapped. “You made your choice.”
He grinned and slid his hands down your sides with a wink, "Oh? Then I'll gladly continue."
"W-w-wait! I dihidn't th-WAHAIT!"
His thumbs drilled relentlessly into your hips as Loki joined in with your loud laughter. You finally managed to wiggle your arms out from where they were trapped at your chest, shooting them down to grab at his fingers. Your feet having no traction and his near entire weight pressing you to the bed made it impossible to buck or lift any part of your torso, so you were completely trapped with nowhere to go as he gripped and grabbed at the skin of your hips, kneading at the pressure points that made you squeak and squirm beneath him.
When he tired of your fingers trying to grab his, he did a devilish swift lift of his own body and slotted his hands between the two of you, settling them palms-down over the majority of your belly. You made a huge gasping noise and started frantically giggling and squealing even before he'd moved his hands. You shook your head and begged for him to kiss you instead, nervous high-pitched giggles interlacing your words.
"N-noho, Loki just kihiss me, kiss me plehease! PLEASE!" You squeaked, cupping his cheeks and gently pulling him towards you. He chuckled and grinned, gently digging a few fingers in just once. You thrashed and renewed your struggling and squealing efforts. "Dohon't you DAHARE! I won't kiss you agahain if you do this!" You threatened. He cocked his head and leaned in a little closer to look deep into your eyes. Then, he grinned and whispered:
"Lightyears."
You thought for certain you'd pass out from laughter when Loki's fingers sprang into action and rippled against your hypersensitive stomach. You laughed loudly, completely powerless to stop his fingers from digging in wherever they pleased. After not much time at all, your laughter went silent and you weakly batted at his shoulders, sides, face, anything your hands could find for themselves since your eyes were shut so tight. Any words your brain even began to think of forming got lost as laughter ripped through your chest from the electric intensity of his fingers against your body.
When your hands finally found both sides of his face, you used all the energy you had left to press your laughing lips against his and, finally, he relented. You fell back with a loud gasp as he retracted his hands with an amused chuckle and took his weight mostly off you, propping himself up with a hand planted either side of your head.
"Alright there, darling?" He teased as you coughed weakly and wiped the tears of mirth from your cheeks. You gave him a scowl, but he found it adorable.
"Thihis isn't fair," you crossed your arms defiantly.
"No?" He smirked. "Pray tell, my love. What isn't fair?"
Oh. My love. His love.
That took any breath you'd managed to get back in your lungs.
"Y-you... you..." But your words were lost in the bliss of being his. He seemed to quickly understand how his words touched your heart, and it softened his teasing demeanour, and softened his smirk into a smile. "You found my worst spots so soon," you managed to murmur through rosy cheeks.
"Was only a matter of time."
"But now you have the upper hand."
"Dear heart, this isn't a struggle for power," he laughed heartily. "I do not seek to rule over you. Anything you ask of me, anything in the Nine Realms, I will give to you."
"Tell me where you're ticklish."
He chuckled and pressed a chaste kiss to your lips before falling down beside you. He hummed in contentment as he wrapped his arms around your waist to pull you as close as you could be.
"Anything but that."
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5-seconds-of-bucky · 3 years
Text
The Dock
A/N: So I’m writing for Bucky now...☺️ I wrote this for @wkemeup’s 9k writing challenge but also not? I’ve had the idea in my head for a while now so I thought I’d participate! I included the prompt, but it’s not so much the plot of the story so much as just part of it. Anyways, happy reading!
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Avenger!Reader
Summary: After a long time of mutual pinning, a night on the dock helps you and Bucky finally confess your feelings for each other
Word count: 4.5k+
Warnings: Swearing, reader gets catcalled, violence, excessive usage of the middle finger
Prompt: Character A is the target of harassment on the street. Shamed, they pretend it doesn’t bother them. Until it happens in the presence of Character B, who reigns hell on whoever dared to upset [A]
---
You awoke to your head bobbing on the car window and the sound of crunching gravel as the car pulled into the driveway of Tony’s lake house. Your neck ached from leaning over in a strange position for so long and you groaned as you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes.
Bucky grinned from the seat beside you. “Sleep well?” he asked, nudging your calf with his foot. “You got a little drool there.”
“Oh, shut up.” You stuck your middle finger up in his direction. “I slept very well, actually. Thank you for asking.”
“I can tell.” You lifted up your other hand to flip him off again, causing him to chuckle. “Ooh, two middle fingers. I’m really scared now.”
The two of you were too busy teasing each other to realize that the car had stopped and Sam and Natasha had already gotten out of it. A knock on the window your head was resting on made you turn around, seeing Sam’s face a little too close for your liking.
“Are you two gonna stop flirting and help us with the bags or should I let you bake in the car?” he asked. With a roll of your eyes, you opened the car door, making sure to bump Sam in the process. Bucky felt heat rise to his cheeks, glad that you weren’t looking over towards him to see it. “I’m taking this silence to mean that you do want to roast in the car.”
“Sam, would you shut up?” you laughed, casually sticking a middle finger up behind your back as you walked past him to the trunk.
“You and these middle fingers today,” Sam muttered.
“I have another one if you’d like to see it.” You grabbed your backpack and slung it over your shoulder.
“I’m good.” He picked up his bag from the ground before heading towards the house, which the rest of the team was already situated in. You went to grab your suitcase but Bucky swatted your hand away, grabbing it himself and closing the trunk.
“I got it,” he insisted like the true gentleman he was. As much as you wanted to argue, you knew it wouldn’t get you anywhere.
“Why thank you, good sir.” You bumped his shoulder with your own and walked ahead, jumping up the three steps to the porch and opening the door.
“All in a day’s work.” He lifted the suitcases up the steps with ease and slipped past you to get inside. The feeling of air conditioning inside the cabin was a major relief from the heat outside.
“Glad to see the lovebirds finally showed up,” Tony said once you and Bucky were completely inside the cabin.
“You better watch out, Tony. Y/N’s got middle fingers for days over there.”
“Shut up, Sam!”
A chorus of laughter rang out throughout the cabin and you made sure to shoulder check Sam as you passed him to get to the kitchen.  
---
“Okay, I have the perfect plan to get you and Barnes together this weekend,’ Natasha said as she pulled out clothes from her suitcase. You two were sharing a room for the week and you weren’t sure if it was a good thing or not. You loved Nat to death but lately she had been trying especially hard to get you to make a move on Bucky and it was only slightly annoying.
“The perfect plan, huh? Even more perfect than the last perfect plan?” You raised an eyebrow.
“I forgot to account for the fact you both have a tendency to wake up at ungodly hours in the morning last time. I promise it’s foolproof this time.”
“Well then, let’s hear it.”
“Alright. Before you got in here--you know, when you were busy flirting with Bucky.” She winked, to which you rolled your eyes. “Well Tony was talking about taking the boat out and going tubing. So what we have to do is get you and Bucky to go on the tube together. Tony’s a crazy driver so you’ll get thrown off pretty fast. Bucky will get so worried he’ll just have to confess his love to you.”
��Two issues.” You pointed a finger at her. “One, how am I going to get Bucky on a tube? It will be hard enough to get him on the boat alone. Two,” You held up another finger. “why would he confess his love at that very moment? That’s insane.”
“One,” She grabbed one of your fingers and put it down. “he’s whipped for you. I guarantee that if you ask, he’ll do it without a second thought.”
“Sure he would,” you scoffed.
“Uh, I know he would.” She gave you a knowing smirk. “Two, he gets worried about you all the time and I’ve seen him get close to confessing every time. We just gotta push him over the edge.”
“Bucky getting protective is just him being my best friend. He used to be just like that with Steve too.” You put your arm down, shuffling over to your own bed to take some clothes out of the blue suitcase on top of it.
“No, it’s definitely more than best friend love.” She moved to sit down on your bed.
“Either way, it usually ends in some kind of fight and I’d like to avoid that this weekend.”
“Who’s he gonna fight? Tony?”
“I mean, you never know.” It wouldn’t be the first time.  
~
“I can’t wait to get back and shove these things in my mouth,” you said with a grin as you exited the bakery behind Bucky, a bag of donut holes in your hand.
“Gee, really? It’s almost like you haven’t been talking about it for the past three days,” Bucky chuckled, reaching for the bag.
You pulled the bag away from him with a fake scoff. “Oh, I don’t think so, mister. We have to wait until we get back. The anticipation makes them taste better.”
“You’re insufferable.” He elbowed your side and you stuck your tongue out at him.
“Damn, you looking fine over there, mama!”
You took in a sharp breath. It wasn’t all that uncommon for you to get cat called while out and about. You were in New York City, for fucks sake. That didn’t mean that it made you feel any less uncomfortable, though.  
As much as it stung, you didn’t want to start anything. You stared straight ahead and prayed Bucky didn’t hear it. Much to your dismay though, he stiffened next to you, subtly glancing back to see who was talking to you in such a vulgar way. Damn that supersoldier enhanced hearing.
“Hey, sweetcheeks!” You felt a tug on your shoulder. “Didn’t you hear me?”
You huffed, shaking the harsh grip off your shoulder and picking up the pace. You expected Bucky to keep going with you so you continued walking, frowning when you noticed he wasn’t beside you anymore.
“Listen here, you little shit,” Bucky seethed, stepping in front of the man and blocking you from his sight. “She obviously doesn’t want to talk to you. Leave her, and every other woman you ever lay your beady little eyes on, alone.”
“And what’re you gonna do about it?” the man smirked. “She need her boyfriend to defend her?”
Bucky stepped closer, crossing his arms and giving the famous ‘Bucky stare.’ “Doesn’t matter who I am. You better back the fuck away before I make you life hell.”
A few onlookers started lingering around, some with their phones out and recording the scene, almost as if they wanted to see a fight break out between the two men. ‘Winter Soldier vs Everyday Pedestrian  was sure to be trending somewhere soon enough.
“Buck,” you said quietly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and ignoring the obvious stares you were receiving, most notably from the man whose face Bucky was ready to punch in. “Let’s just go.”
You could see the gears turning in his head, trying to decide if he should let it go or punch the living daylights out of the guy. He let out a soft sigh after a moment, relaxing into your grip. With one last look at the man, he turned around and placed his hand on the small of your back, gently pushing you forward.
“Aye, it’s all good. I’m sure I’ll see that tight ass ‘round here soon anyways.”
That was the last straw for Bucky. He growled with a ferocity you hadn’t heard before and whipped around, not even hesitating to use his metal arm to punch the guy. The crowd gasped, more bringing their phones out to capture what was sure to be a great fight.
“What the fuck was-” Bucky grabbed him by his collar, pushing him up again the exposed brick of a restaurant.
“There’s plenty more where that came from and, judging by the way you’re looking at me, I bet you don’t want to see it. So do the rest of humanity a favor and fuck off.” He let go of the man’s collar and stepped back, unclenching his fist and pivoting back towards you. “Come on, doll.”
You shook the shock off your face and fell into step next to him. His arm warped around you, pulling you into his side. You could feel the fumes radiating off of him as you walked back to the tower, choosing to stay quiet as you let him cool off.
You paused once you reached the entrance of the tower. Tony probably already knew about what happened and he sure wasn’t going to be happy about it. Bucky’s media presence hadn’t necessarily been bad lately, but it wasn’t perfect either. The public was still wary. To many, the Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier were still the same person.  
Things definitely felt off when you entered. You got the side eye from a few people in the elevator and you weren’t sure if it was because of the fight fiasco or because of how tightly Bucky was holding you to his side.
“Want to eat these in my room?” you asked once you stepped off the elevator.
“Sounds good.” His voice was distant as his eyes searched the room.
“Mr. Barnes,” FRIDAY’s voice startled the two of you, making you drop the donut holes. “Mr. Stark has requested to see you in his office.”
Bucky sighed. “I’ll be there in a few.” He picked up the bag and handed it back to you. “Apparently, I have business to attend to.”
You simply nodded. He went in the other direction towards Tony’s office pausing at the door before knocking. You sent him a thumbs up before he went in, but he didn’t look back at you to see it. You retreated to your room, placing your wallet on the dresser and popping a donut hole in your mouth.
“Maybe I should get a plate,” you wondered aloud. You needed to grab your water bottle anyways. Might as well make the trip. You put the donut holes on your bed and started making your way to the kitchen.
“She’s perfectly capable of handling herself, you know.” You couldn’t help but stop as you heard Tony’s voice through the door of his office.
“But she shouldn’t have to.” Bucky sounded stressed and you could only imagine the hell Tony was reigning on him. “Her ignoring him wasn’t going to do anything. I didn’t want to beat the guy up but he was harassing her and it needed to stop.”
“And this doesn’t have anything to do with any particular feelings you have for her, right?” The sarcasm was heavy in his voice.
“Tony-”
“I don’t want to hear it, Barnes. You know how the public sees you. I don’t know how we’re going to fix this.”
“That guy harassed her! I couldn’t stand there and just let it happen!” God, you wanted to give him a hug so bad right now.
“I don’t care what it was, Bucky. Having heart eyes for Y/N doesn’t mean-” You took that as your cue to leave. You grabbed a plate and two water bottles from the kitchen and made sure to take the long way around to your room in order to avoid whatever was going on between the two of them.
Bucky showed up a half hour later, plopping down next to you on your bed with a little more space than usual.
~
“I’m just saying, it could work.” Nat got off your bed. “The cookout’s starting soon. Put on something cute.” She was gone before you could respond, leaving you to look for an outfit that would, as Nat liked to say, “knock Bucky off his ass.”
---
“Ooh, Y/N, looking to impress someone?” Sam called out as you walked out into the backyard. It seemed that most everyone else was already out there, helping make dinner or sitting on the dock.
You stuck up your middle finger in reply, knowing exactly what he was trying to do.
“Oh stop it, Sam,” Wanda said as she walked towards you. “You look amazing!”
“Aww, thank you! You look absolutely stunning yourself.” Wanda reached out her hand and nodded towards the dock, urging you to come with her and join the group. You grabbed it and let her drag you down there, giving a small wave to Bucky as you passed him near the grill.
Bucky waved back, a grin spanning the expanse of his face at the sight of you. He kept his gaze on you as you made your way down to the dock, not even realizing just how intently he was staring.
“Someone’s staring at you,” Nat said with a suggestive smirk once you were close enough to the dock.
“He has a starting problem. We all know that,” you argued, sitting down across from her.
“I don’t know. He looks like he wants nothing more than to-”
“Nat, I love you, but please shut up.” She raised her hands up in the defense and Wanda giggled.
“I’m just saying.”
“You okay over there?” Steve shifted his focus from the burgers to his 100-year-old friend for a second, of course noticing the sudden silence that ensued the second you entered Bucky’s line of vision. “Buck?”
“Huh?” Bucky’s head turned sharply in Steve’s direction.
“You alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” A shy smile.
“Are you going to ask her out soon?” He flipped some burgers over and pulled the lid of the grill closed.
“I’m getting to it, yeesh,” Bucky chuckled.
“That’s what you’ve been saying since forever.”
“And it’s what I’ll keep saying every time you pester me about it.”
“Well if you don’t make a move soon, maybe I’ll swoop in-”
“Nope! You will not do that.” He nudged Steve in the shoulder and started making his way to the dock. “You absolutely will not do that.”
Soon. He was going to do it soon.
---
“Who’s next?” Tony called from the driver’s seat of the boat. You handed Sam a towel as he got back on the boat, drenched from flying off the tube a second earlier.
“You should go with Bucky.” Wanda nudged you with a teasing smile. You glanced over to the man in question, seeing him sitting next to Steve. He wore a t-shirt and swim shorts with a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose, and he looked damn good.
“I’ll go,” you announced, standing up and taking your t-shirt off, leaving you in your favorite swimsuit and a pair of shorts. You handed Wanda the shirt so it wouldn’t get wet. “Anyone wanna go with me?” Wanda jabbed your leg and gave you a playful glare.
“Go with her,” Steve muttered to Bucky, bumping his shoulder with his own.
“I don’t know, Steve.” Bucky sighed. Steve rolled his eyes, knowing that his best friend just needed a little push. 
“Bucky will go with you,” Steve said a bit louder than necessary. Bucky groaned quietly at his friend, taking off his sunglasses and putting them in his seat. He made sure to give Steve a certain look before making his way towards the back of the boat. You both grabbed your life jackets and started securing them as Sam moved out of your way.
“Cyborg!” Tony called out. “You going to take your shirt off?”
You felt Nat snort as she helped you off of the back of the boat and onto the tube. “Yeah, Bucky. Why don’t you show off your muscles for your girlfriend here.”
“Nat!” You paused for a second to look back at her with fake betrayal.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” He snapped the last clasp on the life vest and checked to make sure you were all the way on the tube so he could start getting on.
“Oh, come on, Buckaroo!” Sam laughed. He started a chant of “take it off” with the rest of the team (even you, though you’d never admit it).
“Fine,” Bucky grumbled, hastily taking off the life jacket and shirt. He threw the shirt to the middle of the boat and resecured the lifevest, ignoring Nat’s hand offered out for help as he climbed on the tube. His famous Bucky glare melted off his face the second he saw your bright smile and he found himself smiling too.
“I don’t know how well this is going to go but it’s gonna be fun,” you said as he grabbed onto the handles.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Tony’s a crazy driver and we’ve never been able to get you on a tube before. I’m betting you’ll fly off in the first three minutes.”
The tube jerked forwards before Bucky could say anything else. You started picking up speed quickly and soon enough, Bucky was holding the handles with a death grip. You ended up being right and about two minutes in, you hit a wave that threw him off.
“Are you okay?” you asked in between laughs as he struggled to get back on.
“Yeah,” he muttered, a hint of annoyance on his face. You threw a thumbs up to Tony, who nodded and started moving again. “It’s like he’s trying to throw us off.”
“Well half the fun is falling off.”
“You people have strange ways of entertaining yourselves on Sunday afternoons.”
“What would you suggest we rather do then?”
“I don’t know. Something that doesn’t involve giving myself whiplash for ‘fun.’”
“You’re such an old man.” You let go of a handle to smack his arm. Of course, at that exact moment, you hit a wave strong enough to throw both of you off. You shrieked as you flew off of the tube before smacking the water. Whether it was the lack of paying attention or a scheme by Nat and Steve, the boat kept going, leaving the two of you floating in the middle of the lake by yourselves.
“Where are they going?” You furrowed your eyebrows, though a grin was still evident on your face.
“Are you okay?” Bucky ignored your question as he swam over to you, worriedly grabbing your face and checking for injury.
“Buck, I’m fine,” you said, though you didn’t do anything to stop his injury check. He sighed and looked towards the direction the boat went. It seemed that they were already long gone.
“That shriek had me worried there for a second, doll.” His hands dropped from your cheeks and you found yourself missing his touch.
“No need to worry. I’m all good over here.”
“Good.”
A lull of conversation fell over the two of you as you treaded water. You slowly moved closer, noses almost touching when Bucky glanced down to your lips. You nodded. I want this too.
His lips brushed over yours: eyes closed and hands dipping under the water to grab your waist.
“There you are!” you heard Sam’s voice shout. You quickly separated, looking awkwardly down at the water as you tried to focus on anything but each other. “Thought we lost you. Didn’t interrupt anything, I hope.” He smirked at Bucky.
This time, it was Bucky flipping him off.
---
You tried to be quiet as possible as you tiptoed through the hallway, hoping that you wouldn’t step on any particularly squeaky floorboards in the dark. You started opening drawers once you made it to the kitchen in search of a flashlight. Did Tony even own basic technology like that?
“What are you doing, doll?” A soft voice broke you from your thoughts. A pair of blue eyes stared back at you.
“Did I wake you up?”
“No.” He shook his head.
“Oh, okay.”
“You look like a deer in headlights.” His lips turned into an almost smile. “Are you running away?”
“Just down to the dock. Need to clear my mind.” Nightmares.
He nodded. An unspoken understanding. Maybe that’s what made you such great friends.
“Mind if I join?”
“Sure.” You finally found a flashlight and grabbed it, sliding the drawer shut with your hip. You slid the glass door to the porch open, leaving Bucky to follow you out.  
Warmth surrounded you as you made your way to the dock. The humidity was atrocious during the day but at night, it was somehow comforting. The buzzing of bugs in the surrounding woods brought you a level of peace that the hum of air conditioning inside couldn’t. You sat down at the edge of the dock, dipping your toes in the cool lakewater.
Bucky sat down next to you a moment later. Your silence contrasted with that of the busy summer night, but it was comfortable. Nothing needed to be said; the presence of each other was more than enough.
“You know,” he started, his gaze not leaving the shoreline across the way. “I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”
You glanced over to him for a second, taking subtle notice of his features when his guard was down. The dark circles under his eyes mirrored yours, yet he looked relaxed.
“And what if I don’t?” The slight stain of your voice didn’t go unnoticed by him.
“I’m not going anywhere.” His head turned to meet you eyes. The soft upturn of your lips and content sigh told him that was the right answer. Your hand inched closer to his, your pinkies brushing on the splintered wood of the dock.
“How do you always know what to say?” Your gaze followed his across the lake, catching sight of a few deer grazing on the grass at the edge of the woods.
“I guess being alive for 106 years has to give me some kind of wisdom, right?”
You snorted, breaking the quiet atmosphere the two of you had created for the first time that night.
“I dunno. You’re still kind of a dumbass.”
“And you're still kind of a smartass, so where does that get us?” A grin spread across his face and there was no sight you loved more.
“God, I love seeing you smile.” A blush coated his cheeks at your words and he prayed you couldn’t see it in the dark of the night.
Your hands inched closer for a second time that night. A metal hand reached across to grab yours, his other arm going around your waist to pull you closer. Your head rested beneath his chin as he rubbed circles into your side.
“Thank you,” you mumbled after a few minutes of quiet.
“For what?”
“Your face.”
His chest rumbled with laughter and he squeezed you just the slightest bit tighter. “Glad I could be of service, doll.”
“Seriously, though . . .Thank you for being around. I know we joke around a lot but it really means a lot that you’re willing to sit out here with me.”
“I mean, technically, it was more of me inviting myself than putting myself through the torture of sitting here with you.”
You pulled away from his chest, shifting yourself so you could look at him better. “For real, Buck.” You put your hands on his cheeks. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Just do it, Bucky. Now’s the time.
He let out a breath as he smiled, looking anywhere but in your eyes as he contemplated what to do next. The hand not holding your waist came to brush back a piece of hair that had fallen in your face.
“Can I kiss you?”
You looked shocked for a moment, leaving him to wonder if he’d been reading it wrong all along. “Shit, Y/N, I’m so sorry! I thought that-”
You cut him off, pressing your lips against his. Your hands moved to wrap around his neck as his grabbed your hips. It was everything you needed and yet it still wasn’t enough.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this to happen,” you breathed once you pulled away. This grin on your face mirrored his as he pressed his forehead against yours, wanting to keep you as close as possible.
“Actually . . . I think I might.” He dipped back in for another kiss, this one a bit softer than the first, but just as passionate.
A sudden breeze swept through the night and you shivered. It would have been a relief from the heat if you weren’t already having chills due to the man in front of you.
“Let’s get you back inside, doll.”
You were reluctant to let go of him. The moment you’d been waiting for for so long finally happened and you felt yourself scared to be too far from him.
You shifted your weight back so he could get up, not realizing just how close to the edge of the dock you were. Bucky let go of your hips before you could warm him and you felt yourself falling backwards in slow motion. A small yelp left your lips and Bucky’s attempt to save you was futile as your hands slipped through his.
“Cold, cold, cold!” you chanted once you surfaced, barely hearing yourself over how loud Bucky was laughing.
“Are you okay?” he choked out in between his laughter, kneeling at the edge of the dock and holding his hand out towards you. You grabbed his hand with a glare.
“I have half a mind to yank you in here with me.” His eyes widened at your words.
“Don’t you dare!” You tugged his arm lightly, just enough to get his face closer to yours.
“I guess I can spare you. Just this one time.” You pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before pulling yourself up onto the dock. “But I think I deserve a hug for my troubles.”
“Can’t deny my girlfriend that, now can I?” He pulled you into a hug, cradling your head on his chest and pressing his lips to your hairline.
“I’m your girlfriend, huh? Damn, we’re moving fast! Do you have the wedding planned already?”
“Oh please. I think we all know we’ve basically been dating for a while now.”
“Perhaps.” The two of you stayed in that position for a moment longer before another breeze came.  “Should we go in now that we’re both wet and cold?”
“That sounds like a fantastic idea, doll.” Keeping an arm around each other, you slowly made your way back to the cabin, already making plans for a proper date once the trip was over.
---
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shemarmooresfedora · 3 years
Text
Sugary Sweet Apologies
Summary: You and Reid never really got along but when he saves your life, you decide to be the bigger person and thank him and hopefully start over. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader
Content/Warnings: light to mild angst with fluffy ending, swearing, spencer reid being an annoying bitch, brief mentions of case stuff (if you watch cm, you should be fine)
A/N: this is for @willowrose99 ‘s 1 year anniversary on tumblr writing challenge!! congrats! i literally wrote and edited this whole thing in less than one day because i got so excited, anyways i hope you enjoy!
Word Count: 1.8k
“Reid and Y/L/N, go to David Whitney’s house. He was the therapist of two of the three victims. He could have some insight into the victimology and know of any overlap between them. He has no criminal record of past aggressive behavior but we can’t rule him out as a suspect entirely,” Hotch stated.
“Hotch, you stuck me with her yesterday for the geographical profiling. Send Prentiss with her instead,” Spencer whined.
“I don’t mind going with Y/L/N. She is a great partner in the field,” Emily glared at Spencer.
“No. Reid, go with Y/L/N or be taken off this case. I’m a unit chief, not an elementary school teacher. I don’t have time for temper tantrums,” Hotch chided.
“Fine,” Spencer grumbled as you grabbed the keys to an SUV.
You don’t know what it was but ever since you started at the BAU four months ago, Spencer had never liked you which resulted in you disliking him as well. Everyone else on the team was super friendly and welcoming but Reid always was jabbing snarky remarks your way like “I don’t have time to explain it to you” or “This was in the FBI handbook. God, you need more training.”
Luckily, the others were quick to defend you. Once Garcia even heard him snip at you over the phone and as soon as you all got off the elevator after the case, Reid was being dragged by his ear into Garcia’s lair with him going “ow ow ow” behind her. So, you didn’t really pay much mind to him because you could deal with one annoying know-it-all to have such an amazing job with great coworkers minus the one.
“Look, I’m not happy about this either,” you said as you climbed into the driver’s side of the SUV, “But at least I’m not being a whiny bitch about it and being rude to the other person’s face.”
“Oh wow, I’m so sorry that I hurt your feelings,” Spencer mocked.
“Fuck you, Reid,” you shook your head.
-
David Whitney was on edge the second you arrived and showed him your badges. He was bouncing his leg up and down, he couldn’t sit still, and he kept avoiding eye contact.
He knew way too much about the other victim that wasn’t even one of his clients but you didn’t have anything solid on him. His house seemed very neat so you doubted he kept anything incriminating here. Organized offenders usually have a secondary location. So, you decided to push his buttons a little.
“I mean blitz attacks, leaving the bodies on the side of dirt roads,” you combed through the crime scene photos, “This guy was a real coward.”
Spencer picked up on what you were trying to do and his eyes widened, he was subtly shaking his head and mouthing “no”.
“Excuse me?” David asked.
“Well, I’m just saying a real man wouldn’t cower in the bushes and blindside a woman. He must not be very strong,” you stated, “He probably can’t even get it up.”
Before you even had time to react, David pulled out a switchblade knife from inside the couch cushions and put you in a chokehold, pressing the cool metal up to your throat. You closed your eyes tightly.
“David, you don’t have to do this,” Spencer stood with his gun pointed at you both.
“This bitch insulted me,” he snarled.
“She insults me too. That doesn’t make you any less of a man,” Spencer spoke carefully, “Just put the knife down and I’ll escort you out.”
David sighed, dropping the knife to the floor and releasing you.
Spencer put David in handcuffs and walked him outside as reinforcements came running in.
“Are you okay, Y/L/N?” Hotch asked.
“Yep, a little shaken up but fine. Thank you,” you stood.
“Let’s get you to the medics,” Morgan grabbed your arm to support you as you walked over to the ambulance.
Spencer never checked on you.
-
You knew your decision in the field was a little rash and you wanted to thank Spencer for essentially saving your life.
However, there was no way in hell you could verbally get out an apology while staring at his smug face, but you could bake. You settled on a note tucked inside a tupperware container of your Grandma’s special recipe of chocolate chip cookies. It was a good peace offering, maybe even a chance to start fresh.
During your lunch break, you took the tupperware from your desk drawer and approached the break room where Reid had entered about 5 minutes ago.
“I’m just saying I could not have been more clear in my message to her that it was too dangerous but of course, Y/L/N didn’t listen cause Y/L/N is going to do whatever she feels like,” Spencer stirred his coffee.
No one had noticed you standing in the doorway yet.
“Reid, you’ve got to be nicer to her. She earned her spot here just like the rest of us,” Emily defended you.
“Did she though? How much do we really know about her? She couldn’t even tell me how many pages the FBI protocol manual was,” Spencer said.
“That’s not a normal thing people know,” Morgan retorted.
“Well, I’m just saying the team was perfectly fine before her and it would probably be better off if she left,” Reid finished.
Garcia looked up from her yogurt to see you standing there, “Oh, Y/N”.
Spencer turned around in his chair as you angrily stormed up to him.
“Here’s your cookies, asshole,” you seethed, grabbing the note from inside and crumpling it up into a little ball and tossing it into the trash.
“Y/N!” Emily called after you but you were already gone.
The whole team glared at Spencer and picked up their lunches, leaving him alone at the table.
Spencer retrieved the balled up paper from the trash, having to fish through Rossi’s week old pasta and Anderson’s half eaten tuna fish sandwich.
Dear Reid,
Thank you for saving my life, I guess. These are my Grandma’s secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies so I hope you enjoy. I think we got off on the wrong foot and I would like to start over. I think cases would be a lot less miserable for everyone if we got along.
Thanks again,
Y/L/N
Spencer, you’re such an idiot, he thought to himself.
You never came back after your lunch break ended and Derek made Spencer go tell Hotch why it’s his fault you were missing the rest of the day.
He tried to call you multiple times but they always rang out before going to voicemail.
Spencer hesitantly knocked on Penelope’s door at the end of the day.
“Is she okay?” he asked softly.
“You don’t get to ask that as the person who hurt her in the first place. Also, she told me to tell you that don’t you dare go to her apartment to ‘check on her’. I’m headed over there myself actually,” Penelope collected her things and shut off her monitors.
“Will you at least tell her I’m really sorry?” Spencer followed her to the elevator.
“Absolutely not. I’m not doing any apologizing on your behalf,” Penelope huffed as the elevators shut.
-
You came in the next morning, keeping your head down. You grabbed a pen from your cup holder and the first folder on your stack before getting to work.
You were on the second page of the file when your clean, empty tupperware was placed in front of you plus another baking dish with aluminum foil over the top.
You glanced up to see Spencer guiltily looking down at you and you returned your eyes back to the file.
“I-I made you cinnamon rolls,” Spencer broke the silence.
“Are they poisoned?” you asked, not sparing him another glance.
“No, they’re not poisoned,” he assured you.
“I’m just saying how can I trust you as you have made it very apparent you would like me off this team.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Spencer was quick to reply.
“Then why the hell did you say it, Reid?” you slammed your pen down.
You grabbed your empty coffee mug and briskly walked to the break room but unfortunately, Spencer was right behind you.
“I didn’t eat any of your cookies by the way. Not that I didn’t want to but I felt like I didn’t deserve them so I handed them out to everyone else.”
“Oh how kind, taking credit for my work,” you tried to close the door in his face.
“I told them that they were from you,” Spencer insisted.
You rolled your eyes as Spencer grabbed the coffee pot before you could get to it, pouring your mug of coffee for you.
“What do you want from me, Reid?” you asked defeatedly.
“I want you to try a cinnamon roll and let me explain.”
“Fine but only because I didn’t have breakfast yet and I want to critique your baking skills,” you huffed, walking back to your desk.
Spencer gingerly placed one of the sticky frosting-coated rolls on a napkin and pushed it towards you. You tentatively bit into it. Damn it, it was actually delicious.
“It’s okay,” you understated.
You knew Spencer hardly ever used his kitchen let alone be up baking all night. He even chose a recipe that required more time and effort because the yeast dough would have to rise for a few hours.
“That’s good. The first batch didn’t come out as great...or the second,” he smiled softly.
“Well, the floor is all yours, Reid. Please explain to me why you talk shit about me to my co-workers when I’m in the other room,” you leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms.
Spencer muttered something incoherent.
“I have to hear the apology, you know,” you said, enjoying watching him uncomfortable.
“You’re intimidating to me because you’re intelligent, beautiful, and courageous. I think I was a little jealous that my spotlight as the ‘kid’ of the BAU was coming to an end so I said some harsh, completely untrue things and I’m sincerely sorry.”
“Oh my god,” you smirked, “Hotch was right, you are an elementary school kid.”
“In what way?” he curiously asked.
“You like me like like like me. You don’t know how to talk to the girl so you pull her pigtails on the playground,” you giggled.
“I take it back. You’re a horrible profiler,” Spencer was getting up from his seat, completely flustered.
“Awww,” you were laughing at Spencer’s bright red face as he went to go to the break room to fill his coffee mug.
When he got back to his desk, a sticky note was placed front and center.
In typical elementary school fashion…
Will you go get coffee with me?
Check:
Yes
or
No
Spencer smiled before picking up his pen and checking one of the boxes, crumpling the sticky note up into a ball and throwing it over to your desk.
“Good choice. See you Saturday at 9 at the cafe down the street,” you grinned.
“It’s a date,” he smiled.
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harleysarchive · 3 years
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To Fall in Love | Charles Leclerc
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Fandom: Formula one Warning: None, quite long around 4500 words, but I didn’t want it to end😂  Pairing: Charles Leclerc x f!reader, slightly Daniel Ricciardio x f!reader Summary: You and Charles are slowly falling in love with each other.
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A/N: prompts 22 and 23 from Screnwriters list . I had a bliss writing this, really pouring out my fangirl feelings for F1 at the moment. So sorry in advance for the mushiness. PLEASE correct my french sentences if I have written them wrong, it’s been ages since I studied it. 
You had just started to work for McLaren’s formula one team, and you were a personal assistant for Lando and Daniel. You really loved your job and the boys were amazing to work with, even after they had had a bad race. They loved you back equally as much. You and Lando had gotten very close during the different races, because he felt like he could vent out his feelings before or after a race to you without feeling judged. He needed that from time to time. 
Right now the biggest competition was Ferrari, because McLaren was currently ahead of them on the leaderboard. Which made the team, and you, extremely happy. It felt good to be ahead of such a great team. 
You were helping them before the race and went to get a bottle of water for Lando and Daniel. You were so focused that you didn’t look where you were going and you walked right into someone. 
“I’m so sorry.” you said and looked up to meet a pair of mesmerizing hazel eyes looking back at you.
“No worries at all.” he said and you instantly recognized him. It was Charles freaking Leclerc, one of the Ferrari drivers. Your eyes widened and you felt your cheeks turn red. 
“I did not see you and my mind was somewhere else a-and...” you rambled. He smiled, making his dimples visible for you and you felt your heart tug slightly.
“It’s fine, really.” 
He looked at you and you almost felt drawn in by his eyes. You didn’t want to break eye contact. But you quickly realized why you had gotten there in the first place and grabbed the water bottles and left Charles with a confused expression on his face. You hurried back to the garage and gave Lando and Daniel their water bottles.
“You look rather flustered (Y/N), what happened back there?” Daniel asked, which made your cheeks turn even more red.
“N-nothing.” you stuttered and tried to breath slowly through your nose to calm yourself down. It wasn’t even the first time that you had seen Charles, but it was the first time you had talked to him and been so close to him. But what you didn’t understand was, why did you react like a schoolgirl talking to her crush for the first time? 
Daniel gave you a look that said he did not believe what you were saying. You didn’t want to look at him to reveal even more of your flustered state and they didn’t have time to pry anyway because the race was soon about to start. 
You walked over to the room where they showed the game on a big screen and the camera glanced over the drivers and you felt your cheeks became flustered again when the camera passed number 16, Charles number. Then the race started. All of the McLaren team sat on the egde of their seats, hoping for a good race for Lando and Daniel.  
All of you were ecstatic over the fact that Lando landed on P3 and when the cars returned to the garage he ran up to you and hugged you tightly.
“P3!!”
“Can you believe it?” You screamed back with as much enthusiasm as he did when he came back from the race. 
“Not really.” he beamed with the biggest smile on his face. You were so proud of him.
“You are amazing, Lando.” you said and hugged him again. 
“What, no hugs for the P6 contestant?” Daniel asked when he had gotten out of his car.
“Of course.” you said and hugged him. He tightened the hug lightly just for you to notice and you made a mental note about it. Odd. He had never really asked about hugs before, why now all of a sudden? 
“You did great as well today, Daniel.” you said and smiled at him. He already had his signature smile on his face.
“Thank you, I did it because I knew you were watching.” he said winking at you and you just rolled your eyes.
“Now go you two. You stink.” 
Daniel just laughed and he and Lando left. Lando had to get ready for the podium and you got ready to join the team back there in just a few minutes. 
You stood by yourself outside the McLaren building and watched people go by, either talking to others or looking intensely into their phones. 
“Hello again.” you heard a voice say beside you and you turn around to see Charles stand there. Your eyes widened again, but more this time in surprise that he was here by the McLaren building and that he was speaking to you. 
“Hi.” you said, thankful that you could answer him without being a stuttering mess and you could feel your cheeks become red. 
“You left in such a hurry that I didn’t quite get your name.”
“Oh, it’s (Y/N).” 
“Well, nice to meet you (Y/N). I’m Charles.” he said and held out a hand for you to shake. 
“I know.” you said and shook his hand. But you wanted a hole in the ground to swallow you whole over that comment. Why did you have to tell him that you knew his name?
He just laughed, making his dimples visible again and your heart did that tugging thing again, what was up with that?
“You did great today, P4 is amazing.” you said, breaking eye contact with him to not get even more flustered than you already were. 
“Thank you, but I would’ve liked the P3 spot, but I’m happy for Lando.” 
“Yeah, he put up a good fight.”
You looked at Charles again and his eyes had been on you since he saw you standing here alone. He had felt weird after you had just left him in such a hurry before and he couldn’t quite figure out why. So, when he saw you again standing here by yourself, he had to at least know your name. Charles was just about to ask you something when you heard Lando call for you as he was on his way to the podium. You called back that you were on your way.
“Sorry, but I have to go.”
“No worries.”
And once again you left Charles in such a hurry and again he felt confused. But not the same confusion as before, now he was confused by his thoughts and feelings. His mind was asking him so many questions. Why hadn’t he noticed you before? How long have you been working for McLaren? What did you do for them? He wanted to know more about you. He felt like he almost needed to know more about you. 
You ran to the crowd of the McLaren team and you spotted Daniel waving at you to get over to him. You walked past some of the mechanics and stood next to Daniel.
“Hey, you.” He said and winked at you. 
“Hi.” you said smiling and ignored his wink. 
“You look flustered again, are you sure nothing is happening to you?” he asked again.
“I’m fine, but thanks for your concern Daniel.” 
The two of you cheered when Lando got up on the podium and you almost felt yourself tearing up when you saw how happy he was up there. He had worked so hard to get it and he honestly deserved it. You looked around in the cheering crowd and in the distance by the side of the podium you saw Charles again. He was looking directly at you. You smiled and waved at him, which caught Daniel’s attention so he followed your gaze and saw what it was you were looking at, or more whom. Charles had waved back at you with a small smile on his face.
“Ah now I understand why you have been so flustered all of a sudden.” Daniel smirked.
“Huh?”
“You have a crush on Charles, don’t ya?”
“No.” You said way too fast for it to sound believable. Daniel just gave you a knowing smile. You just rolled your eyes at him. 
“No, I don’t. The first time I accidently walked into him, when I was grabbing water for you and Lando. Which made me feel embarrassed because I walked into him and now we were just talking a bit.”
“And why were you flustered about talking to him?”
You couldn’t come up with an answer without feeling your cheeks burn again. Daniel laughed and pulled you closer to him and all you did was pout over his silliness. He glanced to the side to see if Charles was still looking at you. He was, which made Daniel feel a slight joy in his chest knowing that Charles had witnessed the move he just did.
Charles, on the other hand, had felt something sting inside of him when he saw Daniel bring you closer to him and he didn’t like it. He turned around and walked towards the Ferrari building, feeling quite grumpy and annoyed. 
Daniel felt a smirk grow on his face when he saw Charles leave and you were so close to him. Lando got down from the podium drenched in champagne and with a big smile plastered over his face. He hugged the team and they cheered for him. He kissed the trophy he had gotten and then turned to you and you knew exactly what he was gonna do.
“Noooo.” you said and tried to back away from him but you felt Daniel holding your wrists so you couldn’t move.
“Oh it’s coming love, just embrace the stickiness and smell of champagne and sweat.” Daniel said, trying his hardest to keep you still as Lando came closer.
“NooooOOOOO.” you shrieked as Daniel let you go so Lando could hug you. You felt champagne and sweat stick to your clothes and hair. 
“Ewwh. Not nice, not nice.”
“Now you know how we feel.” Lando joked with a grin on his face. 
“I could’ve lived my whole life without knowing how that felt and now I have to get changed.” 
You pushed Lando away and tried to look as angry as you could at the both of them. But that didn’t last very long, because you were too happy for Lando. 
“Hey, are you coming with us to dinner tonight?” Lando asked.
“What dinner?”
“It's a dinner for the drivers, the bosses, and some of the employees tonight, but I’m sure we can bring you with us. You are a part of the McLaren team.” Lando answered.
You bit your lip, thinking about this dinner. Maybe Charles will be there? You shook your head at the thought.
“So, that’s a no?” Lando said and you could hear the disappointment in his voice.  
“No, no. It is a yes.” you said and the two boys beamed with excitement.
“But you two are telling Zak that you are bringing me along tonight, while I go get something appropriate for tonight. What time is it?”
“It’s around seven but we leave the hotel at 6.30, so be ready before that.” Daniel answered.
“Good, I’ll see you after six.” you said and started to walk towards the parking lot to get a taxi to your hotel room. 
“(Y/N)!” 
You heard the familiar voice call for you but you didn’t quite believe it at first. Knowing your mind can play tricks on you. But when you felt a presence beside you, you turned around to see Charles stand there.
“Hey again.” he said with a smile on his face and he looked at your shirt. “What happened to you?”
“Lando, he likes to hug when it’s the least appropriate time for a hug. So now I smell of champagne and sweat.” 
Charles laughed and you felt a smile growing onto your face. His laugh made your heart tug again. 
“Are you heading back to the hotel?” he asked.
“I am, I need a shower and some new clothes.”
“I can drive you if you want.” 
“No need, she already has a driver.” you heard Daniel say behind you. He and Lando had just asked Zak for permission to bring you along tonight, which he thought was absolutely fine. You could see Charles' posture stiffen and his look hardened when he saw Daniel stand next to you. You felt a little uncomfortable by the situation.
“Okay, well I guess I see you around.” Charles said and left the two of you alone. You turned to Daniel.
“What was that all about?”
“What was what about?”
“You know what I mean Daniel.”
“Is it wrong of me to want to drive you to the hotel?” Daniel asked and unlocked his car. 
“No, but it feels like there is something else going on.” you said and jumped into the passenger seat. He started the car and you could hear the engine roar and the music started to play. 
“You just wanted to be driven by your crush.”
“I don’t have a crush on Charles.” you said and you started to wonder, why was Daniel being so overprotective of you all of a sudden? 
“Besides, I have to make sure that he doesn’t snatch you over to Ferrari. What would we do without you?” he said, looking at you, but you just rolled your eyes. But what you missed when doing so was the look Daniel gave you. He felt true worry that Charles would snatch you away from him, and Lando. 
The two of you talked as normal during the ride to the hotel and Daniel kept on cracking jokes to make you laugh. It was the best thing he knew, your laugh and your smile. It could make his shitty day turn around and he felt happy again. He parked by the hotel entrance and the two of you got out of the car and walked into the hotel and into the elevator.
“See you in the lobby in a while?” you asked when you got to your floor. 
“Sounds good.” he said and the two of you seperated. You hurried to your room to get ready. You were so nervous over this dinner that you could die, but you were so excited as well. Imagining yourself showing up there with all the important people, and hopefully Charles would be there as well. You opened the door to your hotel room and rushed into the shower. Then while your hair was drying you looked for an outfit and got yourself ready before the clock struck six. You looked at yourself in the mirror one last time and felt butterflies in your stomach when you remembered where you were heading. You put on your shoes and you were five minutes late.
Perfect, you thought and headed towards the lobby. You were also nervous for Lando and Daniel to see you all dressed up. They had only really seen you in your work outfit, casual wear, or some comfy outfits when you were traveling together, but this was a whole different story. The elevator door opened and you pressed for the lobby. 
Lando and Daniel were talking to each other when Lando’s eyes widened his eyes. His stare made Daniel wonder what was going on so he turned around and saw you coming from the elevator. You looked absolutely breathtaking and both of them just stood there with their mouths slightly open and eyes locked at you. 
“Hey guys” you said and you could feel their gaze on you. “How do I look?”
“Absolutely gorgeous, (Y/N).” Lando said and Daniel just nodded his head. You smiled at them. You talked for a while before it was time to leave.
“Shall we go.”
They smiled and you linked your arms with theirs and headed towards a taxi that waited for you. Zak was already waiting for you in the taxi. 
The ride over to the venue was pleasant, all four of you talked and joked together. When you arrived the waiter’s offered all of you a beverage of your choice. You looked around and all the drivers and bosses were there. You saw Max talking to Christian and Daniel soon joined them, Lewis and Toto discussing something not super serious because they were laughing, and Lando asked if it was okay from him to go talk to George.
“Of course.” you said and Lando walked over to the Williams driver. 
You let your eyes wander again and glanced over by the bar and you saw… your heart made a jump and butterflies were going nuts in your stomach… you saw Charles and Pierre joking with each other. He hadn’t noticed you yet, but you could see his dimples when he smiled over something Pierre said. You smiled to yourself, feeling the butterflies coming back. 
Pierre's eyes wandered around the room and locked eyes with you. You avoided his gaze, because he had caught you staring at them. You could feel yourself become flustered and focused on the drink in your hand.  
“Wow, she looks gorgeous.” he said which made Charles follow Pierre’s gaze. He almost choked on air when he saw you here and how beautiful you looked in your outfit. You felt eyes on you so you looked up to meet Charles' gaze. You smiled at him and gave him a little wave. Charles left Pierre by the bar and went straight to you. Pierre gave him a puzzled look but Charles didn’t care.
“Hey.” he said when he reached you.
“Hello again.”
“I didn’t know you would be here tonight.” 
“I wasn't, but Lando and Daniel invited me so here I am.”
You and Charles looked into each other's eyes, but broke off the stares when you heard the host announce everyone welcome and to enjoy the evening. Everyone clapped their hands and continued with their conversations as if nothing had happened.
“Do you want a drink?” Charles asked.
“I would love to.” you answered. You would be needing it to calm down your nerves. He placed his hand on your lower back to lead you towards the bar and Pierre, who was still standing there with a more amused look on his face now. You were very aware of where his hand was and his warmth felt so comforting. 
“(Y/N), this is Pierre. Pierre this is (Y/N).”
“Pleasure to meet you, (Y/N).” he said and shook your hand.
“The pleasure is all mine. You are an excellent driver.”
“Thank you very much.” Pierre smiled.
“So, what can I offer you to drink?” Charles interrupted, which made Pierre laugh. He hadn’t seen Charles act like this over someone before. 
“Champagne if you don’t mind.” 
“Not at all.”
“Vous êtes un connaisseur?” Pierre asked.  
“Well champagne is one of the few drinks that I enjoy and don’t get a nasty hangover from.” you answered.
“You speak french?” Charles asked as he handed you a glass of champagne. It tasted amazing and the bubbles went straight to your head, making you feel more confident.
“I studied it in school for five yeas but I can barely manage a conversation.” 
The two boys laughed at your statement. 
You continued to talk to Pierre and Charles for a while, explaining what you did for McLaren and they talked about themselves and racing - of course. Pierre heard someone call for him so he left you and Charles to yourself. He gave Charles a knowing look, which you didn’t notice but made Charles blush a bit.
“You look beautiful tonight.” he said, taking a sip from his drink. 
“Thank you, and you look great as well. But you always do.” 
WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?! you screamed at your brain, luckily for you Charles just smiled and blushed a bit. 
“Thank you.” he said, trying his best not to blush even more. He looked at you, examining your face and features. Your eye color, hair color and smile. It made him feel warm inside and he couldn’t deny the butterflies going wild in his stomach. How your outfit fitted you perfectly and how lovely your personality was. He was used to people making themselves better or fake around him to impress him. But it hardly worked because their true colors always showed in the end, but you were genuine. He liked that a lot about you. Your eyes met and you could feel how you were moving closer to him, until you heard a voice calling for you.
“(Y/N)! Come over here.” Daniel called, which made you take a deep breath. Why did he have to interrupt right freaking now? Classic Daniel. 
“I’ll be there in a minute.” you answered back and turned your attention back to Charles. He had a disappointed look on his face and his smile was gone. 
“I’ll see you around, Charles.” you said, not sounding too happy to leave him.
“Of course.” he said, as you were about to leave he grabbed your hand. Which he realized he did and he didn’t intend to do that. His surprised expression over his action made his cheek turn bright.
“A-are you coming for next week's race?” he stuttered, not letting go of your hand. You rubbed your thumb over his hand, making him melt on the inside.
“Of course. I’ll be in the McLaren building.” you answered and let go of his hand. He felt a mix of happiness and jealousy over your answer. Happy that you would be there, but jealous over the fact that you worked for McLaren and not for Ferrari. He imagined how it would be if you worked for Ferrari so he didn’t notice Sebastian coming up to him.
“So, who is the lucky lady that has the Charles Leclerc weak in the knees?” he joked.
“(Y/N), she works for McLaren.” Charles confessed, there was no denying it anymore and not to Sebastian. Pierre joined them too.
“I knew that you had a thing for her after the look you gave her before. God, I thought you would drool all over the place.” Pierre said and Charles just pushed him on the arm and rolled his eyes. He watched you as you conversed with Daniel. He had introduced you to Max and the Redbull team and Daniel had one hand on your lower back.This caused Charles to feel that sting of jealousy again and his facial expression couldn’t hide it either. Pierre looked over to see why he looked like he had sucked on a lemon.
“Ah.” was all he could say, because he knew exactly what he was feeling. “Jealousy is a cruel emotion, mon ami.”
Charles just huffed and turned away to talk to Pierre and Sebastian. You were talking to Max about the race today.
“Congratulations on your victory today, you were fantastic.” you said to Max.
“Thank you so much. It felt amazing to win here in Italy.” Max said and took a sip from his drink. “When did you start working for Daniel and why didn’t you work for us on Redbull?”
“I started this winter actually, so I’m quite new to the formula one world, but it has been a great time so far and I really enjoy it.” you beamed making Daniel smile even more. You could feel him pull you closer and again you thought it was odd. Then the host announced that dinner was ready and the crowd started moving to the tables further away.
“Where do we sit?” you asked.
“I think you can sit wherever.” Daniel said and pulled out a chair for you. You thanked him and watched Lando come over to sit by your side.
“Not sitting with George?”
“Noo, I’m here with you remember, and I want to eat together with you.” he said and smiled at you as he sat down next to you. Max joined your table with Sergio Pérez. Conversation flowed throughout the evening and you and Max got along well. He cracked jokes and talked about embarrassing things Daniel had done when he was a Redbull racer, which made both you and Lando cry with laughter. You almost felt embarrassed over how hard you were laughing at Max’s jokes. Your eyes looked around to ensure that no one was looking at your table with annoyance, but no one seemed to care, except for one table. 
Charles sat two tables behind you and he could hear your laughter, which again made him feel jealous that it wasn’t him that made you laugh like that. When dinner was over Daniel and Max continued with their conversations at the table with Sergio. Lando excused himself to talk to George again and you wanted a drink.
“Excuse me for a second, gentlemen.” you said and made your way over to the bar, hoping that a certain someone would join you. 
“Can I have a glass of champagne please?” you asked the bartender and he poured you a glass and you thanked him. Once again Pierre noticed you standing alone and poked Charles with his foot under the table. Charles gave Pierre an annoyed look. Pierre made a gesture with his head for him to look over at the bar. Charles turned and saw you alone again, but he hesitated to go over to you. You locked eyes with Charles and you took a deep breath before heading his way.
“Is this seat taken?” you asked when you reached the table.
“Not at all.” Pierre said. You sat down next to Charles and opposite of Pierre. You started talking to the boys. Charles carefully put his arm around your chair and you felt your lips tug upwards over his gesture. Your chest filled with a warm feeling. As if the gods had heard your wishes, Esteban called for Pierre to talk. He excused himself to leave you and Charles alone. You turned so you were facing Charles fully.
“Are you enjoying the dinner?” you asked.
“More now honestly.” he said and you felt his thumb grace over your shoulder. The warm feeling in your chest grew even more. “But it’s been enjoyable to hang out with Pierre and the other drivers.”
“It’s so surreal to be here honestly. To see you all in the same place and not competing against each other.” 
“Well we try at least to be civil.” Charles joked and you smiled. His other hand was on the table and you laid your hand over his. He froze for a second over your action but then carefully took your hand in his and caressed it with his thumb. You went even further as to intertwine your fingers together. Charles pulled you closer with the arm resting on your shoulders and you followed. The gap between the two of you closed slowly, but as if on queue to destroy your moment, Lando called for you that it was time to leave. You felt your heart break slightly over the fact that the evening was coming to an end. You turned around to tell him that you were on your way.
“Unfortunately I have to leave.” you said sadly, meeting his eyes. Your eyes were flickering between Charles eyes and his lips, that were so close to yours. 
“But I will see you next week in Portugal, yeah?” You tried to hide the sadness in your voice as best as you could. Charles didn’t want the evening to end either but his team was also on it’s way to leave.
“Of course you will.” he said and kissed the back of your hand. You just stared in shock over his actions and your mind couldn’t comprehend what just happened or anything that just had happened. You rose from the chair with a last goodbye and walked back to Lando. You could still Charles warm lips on the back of your hand, giving you almost a burning sensation that you didn’t want to fade. 
“So you don’t have a crush on Charles, eh?” he said and nudged your side.
“No.” you said and stole one last look at him before you left. He was still watching you and it made you blush. You smiled back at him and then turned to Lando.
“Yeah, whatever you say.” Lando said again grinning like a child and the two of you left the venue. Knowing Lando you would not hear the end of this. Pierre came back to talk to Charles one last time.
“Are you in love, my friend?”
Charles let out a deep sigh and looked down at the ground with rosy cheeks, smiling like a fool. He would repeat this evening in his mind the whole week until the next time he would see you again. He knew it.
“Oui.”
But next time his mission was to get a proper kiss from you. 
A/N: Thank you for reading if you made it all the way through! 🥰
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