#this is about getting stood up twice in one night. in case you thought something actually important happened. nothing big. but annoying

[neverendingford]

.

[propertyofwicked]

SECRETS part 2 - LN

lando x fewtrell!reader

no content warnings in this part, i promise the next part will have some actual fluff to it

part 1 -> part 2 -> part 3 -> part 4 -> part 5 -> part 6 -> part 7!

y/n was easily won over by chicken nuggets and a diet coke - a fact lando knew too well. both he and max had both spent almost hundreds on the food combo every time y/n was roped into one of their plans. whether she was lying to her parents to cover up where max had been all night, or even just being asked to hold a camera or a boom mic for a quadrant video, she was always rewarded with 6 chicken nuggets and a diet coke.

lando had in fact not included max in his late night plans, and very quickly made it known as to why.

“so, how’s uni?” he asked, warming her up for the incoming conversation, turning onto a side road and pulling the car to a stop.

“yea it’s good thanks, how’s driving?”

“could be better, i could be better,” he smiled sadly, but glad she asked about driving as she fell directly into his trap, “why did you stop coming to races?”

“lando,” she sighs his name, almost disappointed in him for even asking, “university’s a lot of work you know. i can’t fly around the world to watch you drive a car. and, i still watch the races - just from home.”

“so it’s nothing to do with me?”

“well ignoring me for a year doesn’t help your case, but no, it’s not to do with you. you know i’ll always be there when i can. when im invited,” the emphasis on invited hung like hot air in the car, and created and unsettling silence.

“lan, can i ask you a question?” she said, breaking the awkward atmosphere in the car.

“mhm, anything.”

“why did you stop talking to me? i know we’re not as close as you and max,” she adds, lando almost wincing at the mention of his best friend, “and i know you were busy being, you know, a superstar and that. but even over your break, i saw you like twice in passing.”

“im sorry y/n, honestly it wasn’t intentiona-”

“bullshit, try again norris. the truth this time.”

lando breathed in deep, as if to lock and load his next statement.

“max he, uh, he told me he’d seen some pictures of us. you remember that club in monaco?,” she nodded in response, remembering the encounter with lando that night in somewhat drunken detail, “he wasn’t happy with me. thought we had something going on behind his back. y/n when i say angry, i mean he was one step away from beating me up and then keying my car.”

“but there was nothi- i mean we weren’t d-”

“i know, i tried to tell him,” lando sighed, “he gets a bit, let’s say ‘over protective’ with you i guess. doesn’t trust me maybe? i don’t know.”

“so instead of letting me discuss it with him, you refused to acknowledge my existence for a year? yeah that’s mint, let’s do that,” she said, the sarcasm rolling off her tongue.

“i was a dick, ok - i’m sorry. but your brother is slightly terrifying when he’s angry. think he’s realised he was wrong - that’s why he let you come to the race im guessing.”

he was wrong - but was he? was max completely wrong to assume what he had? she thought the feelings were mutual but clearly lando had other ideas.

“can i drive your car?” y/n asked, smiling over to lando in the drivers seat. he’s started driving around aimlessly again, deciding to put an end to the conversation about where they stood with each other. his head whipped around to look at her, his eyebrows quirked up in a mix of confusion and immediate refusal. he wasn’t even driving one of his more expensive cars, as they all stayed in monaco. but of course, lando norris needs a high end car in every country.

���please, lan,” she said again, eyes widening in attempt to tug on his heart strings, “please. i miss driving, i haven’t driven since like, christmas since my car died and went to car heaven.”

“y/n, angel,” the nickname wasn’t something new, but it still flipped something about in her stomach, ”if anything, that makes me want to say no even more. besides, it’s automatic - you drive manual.”

“oh come on, it’s literally just a pedal for stop and go. please.”

“not tonight,” he said, looking at her to show his sad frown as if that would make her happy about the rejection, “if i get podium tomorrow, ill put some money towards getting you a new car.”

“lan, please you don’t have to do that.”

“i know i don’t have to. i want to. besides, if i get podium i think i owe my lucky charm something to show my gratitude, no?” he said. y/n knew this was an argument she wouldn’t win, so she smiled up at him, nodding slightly.

the car fell back into a silence, comfortable this time, with only the sound of lando’s music playing quietly out of the speakers, and the odd whooshing of a car driving past.

the car came to a still, the red light reflected on the their faces as they waited for the light to change.

“the stars look pretty tonight,” she said absentmindedly. y/n was never one to sit in silence without at least attempting to fill it.

“yeah, they do,” lando responded, although he wasn’t looking at the stars, moreover, he was staring directly at the light reflecting onto y/n’s face. his own mouth curling up into a smile when he saw your soft features grinning contently at the sky.

it was around 1am when y/n and lando returned to the hotel car park, casually discussing life at university and where y/n saw herself using her degree in the future.

“i think it’s better if we don’t tell max about this,” she mumbled, tilting her head to the side, catching lando’s eyes. her own eyes blinking slowly in exhaustion.

“i think so too. are you going to tell him what i said?”

“not right now. but i refuse to let him believe has any right to threaten his own friends in a bid to control my life,” she says, her body now twisted fully to face him directly.

“just,” he sighed, “dont get violent,” his hand reaching over to rest on her knee.

“me? violent? that is a bold accusation, norris.”

“y/n - i know you. just don’t be too harsh, he thought he was doing what was best.”

“thinking is always max’s downfall,” she responds with a snort. she turns her body back, arm reaching to grab the handle when lando catches her other arm, forcing her to look at him again.

“i’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“i’ll be there.”

sneaking back into a room was usually y/n’s specialty, but she’d never attempted to sneak past max before. rather, her teens were spent sneaking back into the house with max. unlocking the door and pulling the handle down, y/n pushed softly on the wood, but the creaking was so loud in the silence of their hotel room. the floor boards to her bag of clothes seemed to have a vendetta against her today too, she could’ve sworn they did not creak when she had walked across them earlier.

the bathroom tap decided to splutter loudly and spit freezing cold water down her, and the door to slide back open and allow the stream of light to fall directly on max’s face.

“y/n?” her brother groaned, “you just come back in?”

“yeah, sorry - i tried to be quiet,” she whispered back, turning the bathroom light off and stumbling gracefully through the dark room to the sofa.

“it’s 1am? you were in the gym for 3 hours?”

“erm, yeah,” her voice wavered in the lie, “i got distracted on the treadmill. tired myself out though.”

max grumbled something in response, too sleepy to say anything further.

the next morning max walked down to the hotel lobby, passing the gym in his journey for breakfast.

open 7:00 - 23:00

hang on, he thought to himself, shut at 11?

where had his sister been? she couldn’t have been in the gym till 1am, so where had she been, and why had she lied?

★ ☆ ✦ ✧ ✩ ✶

tag list: @harrysdimple05 @scopeiguess @hiireadstuff @landosgirlxoxo @natt9598 @phantomxoxo @val-writes

[reiderwriter]

♦️Pardon The Way That I Stare♦️

Chapter 8 of That's What You Get

Prev Chapter || Next Chapter

Summary: After some encouragement from Emily and Penelope, you try to explain your reaction to Reid at work. Until you find yourself reacting to him more and more, distracting you from doing your job. Warnings: Alcohol consumption, mentions of sex, Reader is just really horny for Reid (REAL). A/N: We're getting closer to the climax and I'm SO beyond excited for everyone to read the next chapter because I think it's going to be so good but also so evil and I enjoy that very much. If you like the series, let me know by dropping a message in the replies or in my inbox, and follow my other account @reiderslibrary for just fics from me without my random thoughts and bullshit in between... You can find masterlist here, and the series masterlist is linked here!

You were stupid, there was no other logical explanation for it. Staring at Emily on your doorstep as your brain stood there, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, trying to process the words she’d just said to you, there was really only one thing running through your brain.

“I’m a fucking dumbass.” you groaned, your hands coming up to your head as you pondered your next move.

“There’s no chance that you’ll believe this was all just one practical joke that I’ve been playing to test how quickly you could turn up at my place with wine?” You looked up hopefully at Emily, and she returned with a concerned look of her own, that silently communicated ‘No, I wasn’t born yesterday.’

“Worth a shot, come on in.” You opened the door wider for Emily and grabbed a second glass from your kitchen to share the wine before she could start her interrogation.

“So,” she prompted as soon as you returned to the couch, and you sighed heavily as you nodded and began.

“I married Reid in Vegas.”

“Yes, I got that from the text, what I didn’t get was why, what, when, where, who, and how! Question words, Y/N, important information if you please.” You chuckled at Emily’s tone, and you melted a little into your couch. Just like with Penelope, letting others know had comforted you. You’d never been one to bottle up your emotions, and you couldn’t exactly tell Spencer how you felt about him, so your dearest FBI-assigned best friends were a welcome compromise.

“You promise not to tell anyone? Penelope knows, and so does Rossi, but no one else does. Well maybe someone else but I don’t know who that someone is - long story.” You rambled, still aware of the promise you’d made with Spencer, and knowing that you’d actually broken it twice now.

“Scouts honor, now get on with it.”

“You were never a scout.”

“That’s beside the point, Y/N, now spill!”

“Do you remember when we finished the case in Vegas last weekend, and we all wanted nothing more than to go home, but the jet was landed?” A small nod encourages you to continue. “Well, Reid offered to show me this bar that he thought I’d enjoy, and honestly, I’d had a tense phone call with my mom and was feeling a bit crappy, so I thought a drink wouldn’t hurt.”

“A drink might get you married though.” You glared at her at the interruption, and she held her hands up in surrender as you continued.

“The bar was amazing, and he noticed I was feeling down, and I don’t know, he just has this way of making me feel calm and fully together. I was a mess earlier that day, but with like one short conversation, he kind of turned my mood entirely around.” You flushed then and decided to ignore Emily’s next interjection.

“Oh god…”

“Apparently after that, we went to a casino or another bar or something, but honestly, I drank so much I don’t remember any of that. But at some point, we bought a very expensive engagement ring, made our way to the Bureau for Wedding Licences and then a chapel and now we’re legally married.” You tried to end your story there, but Emily wasn’t having that.

“No, you’re not stopping there. You said you kissed, and you ruined everything, and you mentioned a wedding night in that text, do not shortchange me now, Y/L/N. Wait, should I be calling you Reid now?” She grinned at the flush that coated your entire body with that, and you buried your head in your pillows.

“Okay, okay. Well, we’re trying to figure out who the witnesses to our wedding were. We know that two team members were there, and Penelope was one of them, but Spencer doesn’t know that yet. Again, another long story.” You let your words sink in as you realize the tangled mess you’d spun for yourself in the last week.

“We spent some time researching our options on Saturday night, to see if we could get our memories to come back and I might not have left until a couple hours ago?”

“Y/N! You’ve been banging Reid for the last three days?”

“No! No, nothing like that, we didn’t- well, we did just not at his house, but also I don’t think you want to hear about that.” You spilled all the details about your last few days with Reid, his touches, his care, the dates you’d been on, the way you’d wrapped yourself around each other in your sleep, but still woken up to an empty bed, all the way up to that fateful kiss and your stupid reaction.

“So there, I’ve ruined it.” Emily looked at you pityingly and started to say something when your doorbell rang a second time.

“That’s reinforcements,” Emily said, standing and moving to greet the newcomer herself. You were relieved when Penelope Garcia came marching through the door, ice cream in hand and mouth already moving.

“Have no fear, your guardian angel is here. Emily texted me en route and I disentangled myself from my plans with a now very suspicious Derek Morgan to race over here. I think I managed to throw him off the scent by mentioning my ukelele lessons with Sam though, he always kinda glazes over whenever I go into heavy details about that.” She perches herself on the couch beside you and starts organizing things on the table, pulling out three tubs of ice cream and locating adequate spoons in the drawer.

“Pen, you didn’t have to do all this…”

“Yes, I did. Emily tell her I did. I need all the details that you suddenly remembered Y/N or I’m going to go crazy, and let me tell you, I am not an effective tech analyst when my mind is all aflutter with wonder.” You smiled awkwardly at the situation. You’d glossed over the details of your wedding night with Emily, going no further than insinuating that you’d had sex, but now the pressure was on.

“We just want to help you, Y/N. And we’re morbidly curious.” Emily joined in. Both of their eyes were trained on you in a hopeful expression, leaving the ball firmly in your court as you fought down the embarrassment rising from the back of your throat.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath.

“I think it was the best sex I’ve ever had in my life,” was all you managed to squeak out before they were reacting, asking twenty questions each in the space of a minute as your body both caught fire at the memory and shrunk down to the size of an ant at the attentions.

“Calm down, calm down, I’ll tell you more but you have to calm down.” They stilled themselves and bit their tongue, and you continued.

“Well I don’t want to get into the, uh, specific details, but let’s just say that he’s very good at putting theory into practice. That or he’s actually very experienced in sex and nobody ever realized, because the things he was doing were like, expert-level maneuvers. I didn’t think I was that flexible until he was hitting from-”

“OKAY not that much detail, this is still Reid we’re talking about.”

“Sorry,” you giggled sheepishly and decided to spare them all the details. “All I’ll say is that we both finished multiple times. And I might have stupidly let him finish inside of me.”

“Y/N, you should know better! Safe sex is really important, especially if you’re fucking in a hotel room in Vegas.” Emily half-chastised you, but you could hear the humor in her voice and just rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly having sex with a stranger, I was having sex with my husband.” That got you a teasing cooing from the two women and you buried your face in your hands again.

“So he’s your husband now, is he? How long have you been married? Like three days?”

“Five. Fuck, we’re running out of time.” The length of time that had elapsed since you’d walked down the aisle shocked you as soon as you’d acknowledged it, and you downed your glass of wine as your brain ran rampant.

“Rossi said that if we didn’t tell everyone in a week, he’d do it for us so we didn’t lose our jobs, and we need to file for an annulment soon so we don’t have to get a divorce but there’s like… a one week window, and it’s already been five days. Shit. shit shit shit shit.”

“Hold on, Y/N, you said he kissed you earlier today, right? I wouldn’t exactly recommend getting married and then dating your partner, but it sounds like you both at least like each other enough to pursue this relationship, why would you need an annulment?” Emily’s confusion only served to remind you of the reason they were both here in the first place.

“That’s the problem. I think he thinks I don’t like him like that. And it’s totally my fault that he thinks that, because when he kissed me I didn’t react well and then he just left, and I think I ruined everything.”

“Define not reacting well,” Emily probed further.

“I pushed him away and slammed the door in his face. But that was only because I remembered everything that happened between us on our wedding night, and remembering the most satisfying experience of your entire existence while face-to-face with the man who you’d hitherto never thought capable of that, and having it occur in like 0.02 of a second is a paralyzing experience.”

“Oh my god, you’re an idiot,” Penelope whispered from her side of the couch and you nodded heartily in agreement.

“And what, he just left?” Emily asked again, tone incredulous with all the information she was receiving.

“Well when I’d had my moment and realized what I’d done, I opened the door again and he wasn’t there. And that was only like a minute later. He messaged me this after he left.” You grabbed your phone and opened it up, showing the girls the message and noting their winces in reaction to his words.

“It’s bad, right?”

“No! No, this is salvageable! You just have to… be brave?” Penelope didn’t seem to believe her own words as you pulled your phone back and poured yourself another glass, ready to drown your sorrows once again. Emily was a little more confident.

“Okay. Here’s what you do. I’m going to talk to Rossi for you tomorrow morning at work, get him to hold off on his big reveal while you go and explain everything to Spencer. How does that sound?”

“That sounds doable, I guess.” You sniffled a little, rereading the text having made your emotions jump back up to the surface again as you fought off tears.

“Brilliant. And then you can stay married and continue having wonderful sex, and make some genius babies and make me their godmother.” You threw a pillow at Penelope that she was just too slow to catch, and filled the rest of your evening with wine, ice cream, and good company.

–X–

Emily sends you a thumbs-up text after she talks to Rossi the next morning, and a weight falls off your shoulder. One step down, one to go right?

You’d arrived at work probably a little bit too early, having spent the night tossing and turning and playing every possible outcome in your mind over and over again. It had been half an hour before the next person turned up, and Hotch had only given you a confused half-nod in greeting before secluding himself in his office. Rossi had been the next to arrive, about twenty minutes later, and he too had questioned your presence but not in so many words.

“Early morning, Y/N? Settling into new routines in your newly-wed life, are we?” You’d stuttered out an answer but he was halfway up the stairs by the time you finished, obviously meaning the comment to be rhetorical.

Morgan, Emily, and JJ were all next, showing up only a few minutes before your shift officially started, but there was no sign of Reid, and you were running out of time - and privacy - to talk to him.

Then at 9 sharp the elevator doors opened, and from your seat at your desk, you watched him step out, feeling your tongue grow thick and your heart beat faster as he made his way into the office. This wasn’t how you were supposed to feel, this was cartoonish like a teenage boy in a brat pack movie watching the hottest girl in the school walk down a corridor. This was Spencer, your husband, and your best friend, and here you were feeling giggly and shy.

You almost felt like texting Emily back, telling her if you started giggling and twirling your hair, to take you out back and put you out of your misery.

He didn’t make eye contact with you as he settled into his morning routine, pulling off his scarf, putting his bag away, and then moving to the kitchen to fill up on his morning coffee. You did your best to covertly follow him, trying not to alert the others to your heart eyes as you looked at him and forgot everyone else.

“Spencer, can we talk?” You blocked off the entry to the kitchen as he spun around to face you, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips.

“Sure, Y/N, what’s up?” His voice didn’t betray any of his emotions, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and you could tell you’d hurt him the day before. You took a deep breath and walked closer to him as he continued making his coffee, again refusing to look you in the eyes as he continued as normal.

“It’s about yesterday-”

“We probably shouldn’t talk about this here, right?” He cut you off in a whisper, his voice sending shivers down your spine as you gripped the countertop beside him for support. You’d gotten closer than you expected at first, somehow magnetically drawn to him, your body language just as open to him as he was closed to you.

“I think we need to, Spence. I’m sorry, I panicked.”

“No, it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have done that-”

“Spencer I got my memory back.” His eyes widened and he blossomed in front of you again, attention entirely on you now as he took in your words.

“You did?”

“Partially, only the… Only the memories of your hotel room.” His eyes darkened in understanding, moving unconsciously closer to you, placing a hand next to yours on the counter as he effectively trapped your body in.

“Oh. Those memories.”

“Yeah. So you can see why I was a bit distracted.” He nodded at your words, but he was still coming closer to you now. Your body felt weak underneath you, entirely reacting to his closeness, the warmth rolling off his body, the electricity sparking between you despite him not touching you anywhere.

“Distracted?” His eyes darted to your lips as he grew closer, and your legs chose that exact second to give in underneath you.

Your knees hit the ground uncomfortably, as he reacted to your sudden movement, trying to grab you and pull you up, but only managing to grab the hand that was already holding the counter above you, awkwardly twisting and pinning your arm up.

“Oh my god. Oh my god, I’m sorry, I think… I think I should go,” you were face to face with his crotch, and looking up at him in that position was certainly giving you unwholesome thoughts. He jumped back as you scrambled out from underneath him, begging whatever god was out there that none of the profilers you worked with would question the dazed state that would follow you for the rest of the day.

–X–

Despite your need to straighten things out with Spencer, you’d avoided him for the rest of the day, and, having been called out on a case, you spent the better part of the week avoiding him as well. After literally falling for him, you’d decided that maybe in your newly weakened lovesick stage, it was best for everyone on the team that you try to stay as clear-headed as possible.

Not everyone on the team, though, agreed. He’d trailed after you like a lost puppy for days now, and you wanted nothing more than to give in and throw yourself in his arms. But there was a murderer on the loose and you needed to give your entire attention to it.

He’d tried multiple times to get you to help him with some work, suggesting that you go through some files together, or check out one of the witnesses together, much to your discomfort. Luckily, Hotch had picked up on some of the discomfort between the two of you and had kept you somewhat apart, not asking questions.

But the last night on the case, he’d cornered you, and you had to work twice as hard to extricate yourself from the situation.

“Y/N, why are you avoiding me?” He’d caught you alone in the hotel lobby, pulling you into a dark corner without much foot traffic to confront you. “Is it because of the kiss? Because the way you talked about getting your memories back the other day made me think we were okay about that again, but if we’re not then I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not the kiss, Spence, and we really shouldn’t be talking about this here.” You tried to turn and leave, but he grabbed your elbow and spun you back into him, bodies pressed flush up against each other now.

“Spencer let go, someone could see us.” Even you knew your voice sounded half-hearted, not really wanting him to stop touching you at all.

“If it’s not the kiss, then why are you acting like I don’t exist?” His face was close again, and you felt your body reacting the same way it had done in the staff kitchen. Your knees went weak again, but he was prepared this time, holding you up in his arms, gently maneuvering you so you were pinned against the wall.

“Is this it?” He asked, letting his hands trail over your body as you whimpered under his touch. “Your reactions?”

Your brain was empty of a response, so you just held still, desperate to see what he would do or say next.

“You know, the deadline on our annulment has passed. It’s been over a week now,” he said, his forehead resting on yours as he brought his hips ever closer.

You were the one that gave in first, pushing your head up to capture his lips in a crushing kiss, needing him the way you needed water, food, and sleep. You’d deprived yourself for so long, and now you were hungry, ravenous, and he was the same. Your lips opened, and soon his tongue was snaking in, caressing you in ways both familiar and new, and your entire body heated up to its boiling point.

You moaned under his touch as his hands wandered, silently begging for more of him. Your brain only kicked back into gear when you registered the sound of voices about to turn the corner. Quickly pushing him off, you pulled yourself together just as JJ and Morgan found you there.

“Y/N, Reid, Garcia got a positive ID on our unsub, we’re about to go SWAT his house, get your gear ready.”

Either you were very good at masking your emotions and the physical outburst you’d just shared, or Morgan was just too caught up in getting his job done that he didn’t look too closely at the way Reid’s tie was half undone, your lips were pink and swollen and that both of you were breathing abnormally. Whichever it was, you were just thankful that neither of them questioned you as you all left to go and do your job.

–X–

To your detriment, you’d avoided him on the jet back as well, choosing to wrap a blanket around yourself and sit in a single seat at the end of the plane rather than risk his hands on you again like last time. You already couldn’t be trusted around him, and you wanted to take no risks with everyone else present.

He’d sat in your line of vision purposefully though, making eye contact every now and then to remind you that he was still watching you. You’d feigned exhaustion and pretended to sleep in the end, despite the flight duration only being a measly two hours. He’d let you exit the plane alone though, and said a general goodbye to the team upon landing, giving you a second look and wave before taking himself home.

The ball was firmly in your court.

“What the hell was all that?” Emily whispered in your ear as you both watched him leave alone. “What happened to the plan?” You smiled awkwardly, not wanting to admit how fucking horny the man made you feel, and how it was affecting your work performance so badly that avoiding him was the only way to keep your job.

“We had the talk, everything’s fine.”

“The two of you aren’t walking out of here hand in hand, so obviously everything is not fine, Penelope, tell me I’m wrong.” The other woman had stumbled into the bullpen upon landing and Emily had immediately drawn her into your hushed conversation as soon as Morgan had made to go home as well.

“What’s going on, hot stuff, I thought you’d be enjoying every second of your marital bliss by now.”

“He’s too distracting.” You whisper shouted at him. “He kissed me again last night and I almost let him take me in the lobby. And Morgan and JJ almost caught us, so yeah, he’s too distracting.”

“Oh god, you’re horny for Reid.” Emily laughed slightly at the implication as if it had just dawned on her and you hadn’t had an entire conversation where you fawned about how good in bed he was.

“Yes, I’m horny for Reid, okay, now please stop laughing, I’m in pain.”

“Well you know there’s only one solution, right?” Penelope said as if it were clear as day. “You need to go have sex with him again. See if you can be normal with him when you’re not so pent up.”

“I don’t know, Pen….” You were still staring at the elevator doors, even after it had been so long since he’d left.

“What is there to not know? You like him, he likes you, you’re married. Like you said before, it’s not like you’re having sex with a stranger, he’s your husband.” Having your words thrown back in your face gave you the boost of confidence that you needed, and you sprang from your chair.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Emily repeated and you looked back down at the two women.

“Okay, I’m gonna… I’m gonna go seduce my husband, I guess?” You turned on your heel and left, marching out to the sounds of whoops and cheers from the two women behind you.

🏷️ @w-windyy @multifandom-on-the-side @reidandhotchsgirl @babybluecakes @hugyourlungs @prentissesredtanktop @reidscaffeine @bethanyhaas01 @average-sunflower @academiareid @sailortongue @daddy-dotcom @high-functioning-cosplayer @anniewhalelover @abbyshmaby @isabel-ffl-xoxo @sujan39 @frxcless @bluestuesday @busy-buzzing @breadbrobin @maxinehufflepuffprincess @l0v3cam @booksandwonderlands @myescapefromthislife @ferrjulie @scoobydoopoo @aelinismyqueen @littlesingingbean @jamiemuscatosslut @xohoneybun @anchovy89freya @dysphoricsanity @ghostheartbeat @casss2111 @rebloggiest-reblogger @wishyoudaskme @imawhoreforu @academiacoffeelover @softservepunk @andiebeaword @r-3dlips @wakaladjarin @ratbastardchild @mcira @danika1994 @stargurl99 @whovianwholikesgirls @its-not-too-late-for-coffee

[pricesbeltbuckle]

i’ve had this in my notes for so long but smut with Price?Reader is a new recruit and Price took a personal liking to them.

Favortie - Captian John Price

Pairing: Captain John Price x Recruit!GN Reader MDNI

Warnings: Degrading words, Breeding kink??, Slight humilation, Quickiy?, After care, Smut-fluff. MDNI 18+!!

Honestly he thought it was just a small crush, it would probably go away after a couple of months. But it’s been 3 months and it’s still there. He despised himself for it. I mean you’ve only been there a short amount of time and he’s taken quite a liking. Other recruits even call you “Cap’s favorite” Not even your own name. He never denied the rumors and just let them poke fun at you because they weren’t wrong.

“They started it!!” “I didn’t even mean to bump into you, I said sorry and you hit me so I punched you.” Price was holding the bridge of his nose as he looked across his desk,he looked at you,you looked calm and collected and the girl next to you had a black eye and a bloody nose. “Alright, alright. Just be careful next time.” “Will do Cap.” “THAT’S IT? I HAVE A BLACK EYE AND-" "You started it by hitting em’.” And with that she angrily got up and mumbled. “Only because they're your favorite, I’m done.” You rolled your eyes and watched her leave.

You looked at your captain as you began to get up, he stopped you. “We actually need to talk.” “Hm?” “Come back here, 12:30 A.M. sharp.” You looked at him confused but just nodded as you walked out, you wondered what he could want. It was 12:32 A.M. and you knocked on his office door quietly in case anyone was awake. He opened the door for you and motioned for you to come inside, you took a seat at the usual seat across his desk and he sat at his. “So…What did you need this late at night?” “For no one to be awake, strip.” Your eyes widened noticing he was completely serious “What? I’m sorry-” “Well I figured since you wanna act like a brat, I should treat you like one, yeah?” You gulped a bit and rubbed your thighs together as you unbutton your pants. You felt so embarrassed exposing yourself like this. And he just watched. “When you're done, bend over my desk, be good.” You just nodded and finished undressing and bent over before him as he stood up and licked 2 fingers and shoved it into your tight hole. He watched you squirm. He chuckled darkly, like something you’ve never heard before. “Well now what’s the problem? I always let you off easy and now you act up again hm? You trying to get my attention baby?” In all honesty it was, but it was sure as hell shameful admitting that I mean he was twice your age and you’re thinking about him like that? Entirely inappropriate. But what you’re doing right now? Lets pray no one hears you. 

“Mhm! All for you attention m’sorry please…Need more.” He chuckled at your response as he pulled out his fingers and you whined. “Oh poor baby I'm so sorry, you’ll only be empty for a minute.” Was he mocking you right now? But you had little to no time as he slammed his full length into you. It was painful and it stretched you out. You winced in pain but he let you adjust for a moment.

Once you gave him the go ahead nod he went at it hitting every spot you needed with ease as your hollow and low moans were let out into the room he covered your mouth with his hand and tugged at your hair.

“Do you want everyone to hear who’s making you feel so good, Hm?” You nodded your head yes and with that he slapped your ass, hard enough to leave a handprint but you’ll worry about that later. You were about to finish and he noticed so he let you and he came soon after.

His cum leaked out of your hole and he chuckled as he wrapped a blanket around you and picked you up. “You’ll stay in my bedroom tonight, anyone asks you’re gonna tell ‘em you’re sick yeah?” “Mhm..” “Good.” He opened the door and laid you down on the bed as he got a warm rag and cleaned you up. He then laid down with you and whispered sweet praises to you until you eventually fell asleep. He smiled to himself and fell asleep with you shortly after. 

This wasn't proof-read I'm too tired sorry <3, I hope you enjoy !!

[theold-ultraviolence]

Bestie your HCs give me lifeeee, your modern Aemond literally gives me my serotonin boosts I need to feel motivated to go the work to get this degree 😭 pls give us modern! aemond when his daughter starts dating, also if it hasn't been done yet, HCs when reader is pregnant.

Love ya <3

Hello my dear, thank you so much for this!! I’m thrilled this is giving you serotonin boosts because writing them does so for me too 😫 I posted the dating ones here, but was saving your ask for the pregnancy ones! This is extremely new territory for me because I've never written about pregnant!reader but in this case, I just couldn't say no! so I hope this doesn't suck lol!

Cw: pregnant!reader, brief mentions of an itty bitty breeding kink, mentions of pain and unease during pregnancy, pregnant sex.

Modern!Aemond Targaryen x pregnant!reader hcs

You had already talked about taking that next step with Aemond; not really planning for a child, but, being in that stage where, if it happened it happened. You continued on with your sex life, only now you weren't using protection.

In retrospect though, you suspect you know exactly when it happened.

Something had just hit you, and you were crazy horny - crazy desperate to get Aemond on top of you, and he gave back everything that you gave with twice the passion.

Aemond had never been one to get feral about cumming inside of you, but that night...fuck. He had your legs hiked up on his shoulders, and he was so, so fucking deep, pistoning in and out with a frenzied speed as he grunted in your ear, 'you want me to fill you up? you want me to breed you with my fucking cum?"

You had moaned lewdly as you clawed at his back and urged him to go faster, nodding madly in between whines as he kept taunting you.

He kept on going on and on until he spilled himself right inside of you, and kept you all stuffed with his cum until he made sure that not even the smallest drop spilled out of you.

Oh, that just had to have been it, you thought, hunched over, sitting on the toilet and waiting with the pregnancy test in your trembling fingers.

You had attributed all your nausea, headaches, and muscle pain due to stress, as it was such a common thing for you to experience when undergoing stressful seasons at work. It all clicked when Aemond called you, as he was on his way home, and asked if you needed anything from the store. You were going to ask for pads/tampons but then it hit you like a ton of bricks that you were late. You asked him instead, with an uneasy tone, to pick up a pregnancy test from the pharmacy.

He looked like he was in a trance when he came home and handed it to you, making you afraid that he was regretting all that talk about having a child together.

You stepped into the living room, where Aemond was sitting expectantly, not really paying attention to the movie playing on the TV.

"Aemond..." he turned immediately, fingers tensing around the remote. "It came out positive. I'm pregnant..." saying it out loud felt so surreal. You had never really considered children, until Aemond. And now there you were.

Aemond stood and came up to you, hands framing your face, gazing at you with a mix of hope and anxiety. "You're pregnant?"

You nodded and showed him the test. When he looked up at you he just smiled - hidden dimples in full display - before he wrapped you up in a hug that expressed everything that he couldn't say with words. Always a man of a few words, your Aemond. And at that moment, you just knew. You were safe, you were wanted and loved.

And most importantly, from that love had blossomed something so, so special. Your own little family - that had once felt so complete with your dogs, Vaghar and Patch - would welcome another addition.

Aemond stayed up that night, immediately making doctor's appointments regardless of the late hour. He wanted to make sure you had access to the best possible care ever, and this was exactly when his last name came in handy.

The pregnancy was tough. You felt exhausted all the time, felt so weird and uncomfortable with your body; your back ached all the time, your headaches never seemed to ease, your feet were swollen and it hurt to stand for long periods of time. You felt hormonal and emotional all the time, and finding a good position to sleep during the night was just not possible.

You've never cried this much in your lifetime, cried about absolutely ridiculous things, or cried for no reason at all. Cried because you forgot to say goodnight to Aemond one night, or one time Aemond yawned and it messed up his eyepatch.

Never felt hornier either. Fuck, you were absolutely insatiable. And Aemond certainly wasn't complaining. He went down on you, and made you cum once with his fingers, and twice with his tongue deep inside of you while his thumb rubbed torturing circles on your clit, pinched it, and sucked your life out of it. A third time, with your thighs suffocating him as he finger-fucked you and slurped and devoured your clit like a starved man. And still, it wasn't enough until you came three more times on his cock.

You were hungry for more, and more, and more, you even growled and cried and pressed Aemond's face to your fluttering cunt after he'd cum.

One time, you cried because your back hurt too much, and your bump had gotten so big that Aemond couldn't quite reach the spot he wanted if he fucked you in missionary. But then sighed with relief when he turned you over on your sides, fitted himself behind you, and hooked up your leg atop his hip. He plunged in deeper that way, making love to you slowly, deliberately. And you were so sensitive all the time that you could feel every single throbbing inch inside of you all the more intensely - his hands squeezing and kneading your tits alone could make you cum.

You swear the only times when your tits didn't hurt was when Aemond was massaging them this way. Because otherwise, they itched and felt too heavy.

But for every uncomfortable moment, there was also happiness. Pure, unadulterated happiness. Because there was this sense in the air that something truly special was going to happen.

You loved taking pictures of your growing belly, and now there was never a time when you didn't have your hand on it. You also felt so loved every time Vaghar and Patch laid their heads on it, and when Aemond rested his hand there when you made love, or on days spent curled on the couch watching films.

Aemond switched up his early morning runs and hikes for easy walks to the park with you. He loved walking with you, especially as your belly started to show. He just felt so proud to be seen with you, and also fiercely protective.

Every weekend, you took trips to the mall to start buying things, and you just know Aemond insisted on buying the most expensive, fanciest things for the baby.

He made sure that you were as healthy as ever, making sure to cook nutritious meals, to be constantly giving protein shakes/juices, and making sure you took your vitamins. And he never missed a doctor's appointment. Never.

The most adrenaline-inducing appointment was when you were going to find out the sex of the baby. Aemond gripped your hand the entire time as you both looked at the grainy sonogram. And he squeezed your hand, the second you heard the ob-gyn say, "Ah, I see it now, there she is. Congratulations!"

That night, the both of you lay in bed, with your hands lovingly rubbing on your belly as you went over names.

"I'm thinking Lucy, or Sophie, Lilly, Vaella, Elaena..." Aemond murmured idly.

"What about 'Amaelia'? with an 'Ae' to keep up with your family's tradition..." he looked down at you and smiled amusedly before nodding, testing the name out. "Amaelia Targaryen. It's brilliant."

Amaelia Targaryen was born after a very long and painful labor, one you thought you wouldn't survive if not for Aemond's encouraging words right in your ear, forehead kisses, and his iron grip in your hand.

When Amaelia is placed in your arms, everything makes sense. Everything feels beautiful and so precious. She's so precious. The most beautiful, tiniest little thing in the world.

With her flushed, wrinkly face, and a faint tuft of silvery hair, like Aemond's.

If she looked tiny in your arms, she looked even tinier in Aemond's, which filled you with an immense sense of unconditional love like you'd never felt before.

When you were resting after the labor, laying on your side, you could see Aemond sitting by the bedside with Amaelia in his arms, whispering sweet nothings and promises of being a better father than his own.

Promising that she'd always be loved, and never alone.

He never ever broke that promise.

Madness came later, when Aegon burst into the room and cradled and lightly bounced Amaelia in his arms. Someone usually repelled by kids, now grinning excitedly at his niece as he claimed his role as her favorite uncle.

[peachhcs]

Could we get kinda what we go from “Sammy how she was really that Will was work it” but in this case how Will was also in a dilema because it’s his best friend and it take him time to understand but he is also willing to sacrifice everything because it’s Sammy his best friend the girl he loves.

the 3 times will's confused about his feelings and the 1 time he isn't

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

will's pining after his best friend, but is he really willing to risk their entire friendship for a relationship?

5.9k words

woo second longest fic of the series and i'm finally doing a request! guys if this is bad, i'm so sorry. i got a bit carried away and i don't like the ending but that's fine lol i'm still working through my requests but feel free to send more and i'll get to it at some point :) this also isn't proofread so if you see mistakes my bad i will try and proofread this soon lol

au masterlist

ONE

the first time will's heart skipped a beat against his chest when he wasn't drunk enough to play off any of the feelings trying to make their way to the surface was watching samy's senior send off for her last homecoming. there were probably over 30 families in the small drive trying to take photos together along with couples everywhere navigating their way through the crowds. knowing the last homecoming was a big deal for samy, will convinced gabe and ryan to drive down to see her off knowing she'd really appreciate having them there.

the three stood with ellen, jim, and luke in a small corner of the lot watching the youngest hughes pack herself together with all of her friends for pictures. there was something nostalgic about all of it considering the boys didn't get things like this when all of their focus was on hockey most of the time. even if they denied it, they secretly loved getting to be a part of samy's senior year.

gabe and ryan talked mindlessly with luke and while will stood in their small circle, he definitely was not paying attention to what was being said. instead, his eyes lingered on his best friend. she stood some feet away from them immersed in her own conversation filled with laughter and large smiles with no idea that a pair of eyes couldn't leave her no matter how hard they tried.

for the entire day since they got to samy's house, will's eyes kept finding samy even if she wasn't looking at him. he'd be standing with ryan and gabe and his gaze would just drift away from them to samy whenever she was in the same room as them. even when she was just walking by, will's eyes followed every single move.

he didn't get it. it couldn't be because of her curled hair, sparkly dress, and makeup.

he's seen her dressed up so many times over the summers because their parents would drag them out to eat at a fancy restaurant no matter how many times they said they didn't want to. it happed at least twice in the three months they spent together, so will didn't get why he just couldn't peel his eyes off the girl.

there was another reason and one that the blonde hadn't fully come to terms with yet.

her date was this guy she'd been talking to on and off over the summer. will met him once when he stopped by in august to take samy out for their first date. he seemed fine—soccer player, good grades, a swimmer on occasion. nothing special, but not some jerk at least. samy liked him and that was all that mattered.

what no one knew was that will didn't fall asleep that night until he heard the front door closing and soft footsteps padding up the stairs where samy's bedroom door shut seconds later meaning she made it back safely.

the guy clung to samy's side the entire time taking pictures. his arm was wrapped around her waist at nearly every second like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go. that gesture, seeing him grip samy's waist like that, had will's chest tightening into knots and his heart skipping a beat. something in him popped open—a feeling. an urge.

a jealousy.

as soon as those thoughts mixed into the blonde's consciousness, his face whitened even more than it was. his jealousy quickly faded into confusion then back to jealousy then back to confusion the back to—

"you okay?" gabe's voice broke will's thoughts. he snapped his gaze towards his friend who already looked at him expectantly. ryan and luke raised their eyebrows, but tried not to act like they were staring at him.

will's jaw immediately loosened and the color in his face quickly returned to normal as if the feelings in his chest moments ago were never there in the first place.

"yeah, why?"

gabe paused. he looked at his friend a bit longer before slowly shaking his head. "no reason. you looked lost there," the dark-haired boy shrugged.

"think i'm just tired," will forced a yawn to make it more believable.

he knew gabe was studying him like he didn't quite believe what he was saying. next to samy, gabe probably knew will the best which meant he knew when the entire truth wasn't being told. feeling a bit flustered, will drew his gaze away from gabe, but unfortunately, it led itself right back to samy and her date hanging off her side.

something inside of will was screaming as the warmth in his skin returned and his jaw unknowingly clenched seeing them so close together. the feelings returned along with the battle in his mind between jealousy and confusion.

was that why he couldn't peel his eyes away from her all day? because of her date being at her side at every single second and staring at her in a way that made will's stomach drop not because he didn't like the way her date was looking at her, but because he wanted to be the one looking at her like that—

"will! get over here!" this time samy's voice broke the boy from his racing thoughts.

she found his gaze, a soft smile on her lips motioning him over. his nerves eased and a smile replaced the confusion on his features as he shuffled towards her. ellen already had her camera out as samy's date (finally) dropped from her side and will took his place.

samy, who was as oblivious as ever, tucked her head into the blonde's shoulder while his arm found the same exact place on her waist. her touch shot a fiery sensation through will as he mustered up his best smile for ellen 's phone.

"you guys look adorable. i'll send these to your mom," ellen beamed before ushering gabe and ryan into the photo as well.

ryan grabbed samy's other side while gabe hooked himself onto will's side. the four of them scrunched together with wide smiles, but all will could think about was samy's hip pressing into his own marking just how close they were and the explosion it sent throughout the boy's body.

"so, so cute, i'm so glad you guys drove down," ellen said and finished taking pictures for now.

the three broke apart, but lingered close by as samy grabbed her phone to check her makeup. "i think you've looked at yourself twenty times in the span of fifteen minutes," ryan laughed.

"shut up, leonard," the brunette eyed him.

"i'm just saying. you look fine. stop worrying," the taller boy said in a more softer tone. samy rolled her eyes before her gaze fell on will, seeking confirmation because she knew he'd be honest with her.

will's poor blush got worse under her stare, "don't listen to leno. you look good."

his words made samy grin, "thanks, i trust you. thanks for coming down. it means a lot." she ruffled up some of his curls that surprisingly weren't hidden by a baseball cap for once.

"yeah, of course. wouldn't miss it for the world, hughesy."

her smile had will's heart skipping a beat for a second time and something in him wanted to make her smile like that all the time.

the reality of everything set back in when samy's date returned to her side and started whisking her away as everyone began leaving. the girl rushed out her goodbyes and thank you's before disappearing into a car.

"you guys are more than welcome to hang around the house for the night if you don't wanna drive back. dinner, too," ellen extended her offer to the three boys hanging around still.

"anything made by mama hughes is an automatic yes," ryan grinned making the others laugh.

"i'm flattered. you can follow us back up to the house," the older woman beamed.

later that night after the boys ate as much as they physically could, gabe found will sitting on the back deck looking blankly ahead. the dark-haired boy shuffled his way towards the edge of the deck using his foot to poke will's back, announcing his presence.

"what are you doing out here by yourself?" gabe wondered. the sun hadn't set yet, but the air was growing cooler as october drifted into november and there wasn't much to look at besides a playground and the family pool.

"just..thinking," will answered.

for a moment, gabe wondered if he should keep prodding because he definitely knew what will was thinking about. he saw it when they stood in the lot watching samy take pictures with everyone. he saw it in will's face when him and samy took pictures together.

"about?" the boy sat on the step above the one will was on.

"just stuff," the vagueness had gabe rolling his eyes.

"about samy?"

sure, the guys teased the two all the time about having feelings for one another, but it was never serious. they were always joking and will knew that which was why he could brush their comments off. this time gabe was being serious and they both knew that. will couldn't push his questions or comments off.

the silence from the blonde told gabe everything he needed to know. he saw right through will.

"seeing her with her date..i don't know. i didn't like it. it felt wrong. i-i think i felt jealous? like..like maybe it should've been me instead?" will hardly ever opened up about his feelings, especially regarding samy, but he knew gabe wouldn't stop asking.

"do you know why you felt jealous?" gabe wondered.

the words were on the tip of will's tongue, yet he couldn't bring himself to say it. those words have bounced around in his head since that stupid truth or dare game where samy kissed him in the bathroom. they were there when they were drunk and made out with one another, yet neither of them talked about it after. they were there when samy was the first person he went to after a game.

it was all there, but will couldn't say it.

"no, i don't."

if he said it, it made the feelings real and in will's mind, they couldn't be real. she was his best friend. that was all she'd ever be.

TWO

no one spoke a word in the locker room after coach's harsh lecture. the loss sunk into everyone's skin, especially since it was their first loss of the season and they were supposed to win this game. no one did anything right which was why they gave up three points to the other team. the buzz of adrenaline that usually danced across every guy was replaced with solemn and disappointment. will felt it extra hard after his coach pulled him aside to give him an extra lecture.

he was one of the team's best, the coach's favorite, the team's favorite, yet he let everyone down giving up those three points.

no one dared speaking to one another as everyone slowly drifted out of the locker room once they were showered and redressed. will hardly moved from his stall, though. his head fell into his hands along with a bitter line of frustration towards himself.

he couldn't step out of the locker room with the knowledge his parents were waiting probably disappointed in him and another harsh lecture to follow. the boy couldn't handle that right now. he needed to focus on breathing before he punched something and got into even more trouble.

a small knock caught his attention. will lifted his head fully expecting his dad, but when he saw samy lingering in the doorway, everything about his demeanor shifted.

"oh will," the brunette frowned seeing his state.

she went to him, hands pulling his own away from his hair and wiping the tears will didn't even know was falling down his cheeks. "ryan and gabe said you were in here still," the girl explained her presence.

"we fucking lost," the boy choked out.

"i know. i know. it sucks," she pulled him into her so she could run her fingers through his hair and massage the spots he pulled at in frustration.

something about her soft touch and soothing voice had more tears spilling out of the boy as he buried his face into her chest.

will was by no means a vulnerable person. he had a hard time being emotional with people, but everything with samy was different. he could cry in her arms for however long he wanted knowing she wouldn't ever judge him and let him cry for as long as he needed.

her gentle fingers wound around his curls which was a stark contrast to the way he roughly pulled at them minutes ago. they just sat there on the bench while will attempted to regather himself so he'd stop crying, but samy hardly minded. she hummed some mindless tune and everything about it had will's head spinning.

those feelings he had a few weeks ago were back and a lot stronger than before. jealousy, want, and need mixed themselves together creating a pretty lethal combination building in the boy's chest, but again, he couldn't understand it.

why, why, why, why, why.

"wanna talk about it at all?" samy wondered after some more silence.

will slowly lifted his head up so he could meet her gaze. he probably looked like hell, but if he did, samy didn't any anything.

"i let everyone down. coach is mad at me and i'm sure my parents are gonna give it to me once i go out there," the blonde frowned a bit making samy frown as well.

"you didn't let people down. you played your heart out. tonight just wasn't your night," samy said softly.

"but we lost a game we should've won. everyone was counting on me to prove that i'm good at his and deserve a spot on a d1 college team," will continued.

"this one loss doesn't mean you're not good enough. you are good enough. a bad game isn't a bad career. i think you're good enough."

i think you're good enough. her words tightened will's chest along with the way she stared at him—so loving and so sure of his abilities.

"you're just saying that because you have to," the boy almost scoffed.

"i'm not, i promise. i've always thought you're good enough, will. you lost a game and that sucks, but it's not a bad career. no one hates you because you did your best," her words warmed the hockey player's heart.

she wrapped her arms around his neck for a tight hug. will's own 'arms tightened around her waist and buried his face into the crook of her neck. if someone walked in who didn't know them, they'd definitely think they were dating just based on the way they were wrapped around each other.

will never wanted to let go, but he knew he had to eventually, so he drew back. samy smiled, placing a gentle kiss to the boy's forehead. she's done it before, but right now it meant a lot more to will than before. the gentleness of her lips had the boy wondering what they'd feel like against his own lips when neither of them were drunk to even really remember what happened the next morning.

"you wanna go out there together?" samy wondered.

the blonde nodded. he collected his things and wrapped his arm tightly around samy's shoulders as they finally faced his parents waiting for him. they spotted them a few feet outside of the locker room and will braced himself for the worst.

will's mom saw her son's state—dreary eyes, teary cheeks, messed up hair—and placed a hand on her husband's arm before he said anything he was planning on saying. colleen knew another lecture wasn't what her son needed nor wanted. she saw samy hanging off his arm knowing she probably calmed him down in the locker room and she hated disrupting the peace samy brought to him in whatever way.

instead, colleen stepped forward to collect will into a hug. "you did your best, yeah?" she whispered into his ear. all will did was nod.

"you wanna join us for dinner, samy?" colleen looked over at the girl.

she was about to decline the offer until she met will's gaze that said something like please stay and she couldn't ever say no to him when he looked at her like that.

"yeah, i'd love to. thank you."

with that, the four piled into the car back to the house. as soon as will got situated in the back seat, he reached for samy. the girl laid herself in her arms and for a second, everything felt okay. the feelings racing through his chest eased while those three words crept up further and further up.

after dinner, will dragged samy to his room to watch a movie while trying to avoid his dad's lecture for as long as he possibly could. they didn't even get 20 minutes in until samy was falling asleep against the boy's chest. it was a pretty regular occurrence, especially over the summer, but right now will was terrified to even move because he didn't wanna wake her up.

he found his phone, clicking into gabe's contact and staring at the chat for a moment before typing something. he stared a his message for a moment, debating on sending it.

if he sent it, his feelings became real. could he actually do that? could he actually admit something that's been plaguing his mind for months now?

what if everything went wrong?

before will could even think about sending it, his phone started buzzing in his hands as grace's contact flashed across the screen. he grabbed his airpods just as his sister's face appeared.

"hi will. i heard about your game," the older smith smiled gently.

"it was a shit show," will whispered.

"it looked like you were playing well though?" grace offered, but the boy only shrugged.

"i don't know. i guess?"

"why are you whispering?" grace wondered quickly making her brother's face flush.

he carefully directed his camera down to where samy could be seen sleeping at his side. the look on grace's face was a mix between surprise and a small smirk because she also knew all too well about her brother's feelings even if he didn't say anything.

"so when are you finally gonna ask her out?" grace teased.

"stop," will rolled his eyes.

"what? i'm not sure cuddling in your bed is something just friends do," the older girl stated.

"or drunk makeouts?" will muttered that part, but grace heard him nonetheless.

"drunk what?" she sounded nearly flabbergasted.

"never mind," the boy shook his head.

"seriously, will. you obviously like her. what other reason is there for feeling jealous of her homecoming date?"

grace stumped him with that one. will's gaze drifted down to the girl still sleeping peacefully beside him. his fingers found a place in her hair and gently wrapped it around his fingers like she had done for him. the blood roared in his ears along with a feeling of warmth spreading all across his chest watching samy sleep so soundly at his side like nothing else mattered.

"what if i'm scared?" will finally said.

"scared? of what?" grace grew confused.

"if i admit how i feel, it makes it real and i'm scared of making it real. she's my best friend, grace. i'm not supposed to feel this way," the blonde's admission had grace's expression softening.

"i think that's all the more reason to feel this way. the most unexpected feelings come from the most unexpected people, will. i doubt she doesn't feel the same way too."

when the siblings ended their call, will went back to him and gabe's chat feeling a bit more sure than he did before grace called. his message still sat in the box waiting to be sent. with one final look at samy, will hit send and he knew everything after this was gonna be as real as it could get.

from will i think i like samy

THREE

a loud buzzing pulled will from his sleep. the boy jolted, bleary eyes trying to adjust to the dark and find the source of the incredibly obnoxious buzzing. his eyes flicked around his room until his phone screen lit up and he finally realized someone was trying to call him.

he grabbed his phone, not even hesitating as he lifted it to his ear and sounds of a party came through on the other end.

"hello?" will rasped out, sleep laced deep in his voice.

"w-will? hey!" marcie's voice came through. the boy raised his eyebrow trying to remember if he ever gave marcie his phone number.

he pulled the phone away to read the screen, but nothing answered his confusion seeing samy's name on the screen. "marcie?" the boy mumbled.

"hi, hey. yes. sorry. i'm sorry for calling so late..i..jesus.." she stumbled over her words and for some reason, that woke will up more when he heard the slight slur in her tone and her fast talking.

"are you okay?" the boy sat up in his bed.

"yes. maybe. so..we're at this party..we're like..30? maybe? minutes from you? samy drank a little too much..and i-i didn't know who else to call? her brothers would've definitely killed her and..and you were like the first person on her emergency contact list. i know it's late..but like..could you come down? please?"

marcie didn't even have to ask twice as will jumped out of bed and got himself dressed as quickly as possible.

"i'm on my way. can you send me your location?" he was out the front door a second later with keys in hand to his car.

"yes, i did. don't freak out, she'll be fine i just..i have no idea where to take her," marcie explained.

"i'll be there as quickly as possible, okay? just keep her awake and make her drink water," will rushed and the two said goodbye after that.

about 100 thoughts ran through will's head all at once as he definitely went over the speed limit. something in him paled at the idea of samy at a party getting too drunk that she couldn't make decisions for herself. he wondered why she didn't invite him? or why she was drinking that much in the first place?

"just breathe, will," the boy muttered to himself before he gave himself a panic attack.

he made it the house in record time probably going the fastest he's ever gone in a car to cut the trip down. marcie and samy were on the front lawn where will rushed to them as soon as the car slid into park.

"hey, you okay?" he hugged marcie first.

"yeah, i'm fine. i'm sorry again. it's so late and i..i don't know why i didn't..i'm sorry," the girl became flustered and embarrassed she even let her friend get so drunk.

"don't apologize. it's not your fault. has she been drinking water?" will gazed down at the brunette on the ground.

"yeah, i've been giving her a little bit."

samy's eyes gazed up at will while a hint of recognition flashed through them before she literally jumped into his arms.

"willie! hey! what are you doing here?" the girl exclaimed as she practically clung onto him.

"came to get you. you doing okay?" will pulled his gaze down to hers.

"mhm, yeah. perfecttt," she dragged out the t.

"i'm glad you're perfect. wanna get in the car?" samy gave him a half nod as him and marcie helped the girl into the back seat. she practically collapsed onto the entire back row with small fits of giggles leaving her lips. 

marcie and will got back into the front. the first five or so minutes of the drive became filled with silence besides the soft hum of the radio and samy's quiet mumbling to herself. will glanced at her through the rearview mirror every five seconds probably—worry etched into his features and the hundred thoughts racing through his mind again. 

"i'm sorry again. i don't know why she got so drunk," marcie broke the silence, her voice small. 

"don't apologize. it's not your fault," will said. his words didn't convince the girl because she just shook her head. 

"i don't really know the details but i think her and kevin stopped talking. she was briefly talking about it with me the other day and then she proposed going to that party i think to get over him.." marcie's voice faded off into the deafening silence in the car. 

kevin was samy's newest guy—the same one she went to homecoming with. they had been talking for quite a long time with an implication of a relationship soon, so will wondered where it went wrong. 

"i don't know if i should be telling you this either, but samy started rambling on about you. it was broken sentences, but she kept saying how it's been you all along, even kevin knew. something like that," the girl's words tightened the blonde's chest into the familiar knots he's become acquainted with over the past few months. 

"oh." 

"i mean come on, will. you guys are so obvious yet so oblivious at the same time. why else do you think she kisses you in the bathroom?" there was something about driving down backroads at almost three in the morning that brought out the most vulnerable in people. 

"i-i don't think that really counts. she's drunk. i'm drunk," will swallowed nervously, his eyes glancing up at samy again. 

"well, yeah, but aren't drunk words, drunk actions sober thoughts? you're always the one she goes to by the end of the night," the two met each other's gazes. marcie had a pointed look on her expression that will tried not to read into too much. 

"i don't know. it still doesn't feel genuine though?" 

"what about the time you guys kissed sober during that truth or dare?" that was the only time him and samy were sober and kissing. will thought about that moment a lot. 

another silence filled between them. the boy's glance landed on samy who was close to sleep and everything marcie just said replayed over and over in his mind. there was a tug at his heart thinking about samy having him as her first emergency contact and another tug at the smallest idea that she might actually like him back. 

"you like her, right?" marcie spoke again. will's gazed flick over to hers momentarily. 

"yeah," the boy whispered knowing samy was too out of it to understand what they were talking about. 

"i know your scared about ruining everything with her if you did date, but i know you guys care a lot about each other to ever think about hurting one another. when i first met you last year i immediately saw your relationship. i saw the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you. i don't think i've ever seen a guy care that much about her before and that's coming from someone who's been her friend since middle school. you mean a lot to her, will. like a lot," marcie rambled on, but her words had a deep blush spreading across the boy's cheeks. 

will led marcie to the guest room while he sat samy down on the couch. he wanted to sober her up before he let her go to bed knowing she'd have a killer hangover in the morning and he feared she'd throw up in her sleep. 

"thanks for calling me, mar. i'll make sure she'll be okay," will said before the girl went to bed. 

a soft smile appeared on her lips, "i know you will. thanks for coming and getting us. i hope your parents won't hate you." 

"they won't. i'll explain everything and make sure you guys won't get in trouble," the two exchanged warm smiles. 

will returned his attention to the girl on the couch. he grabbed water, a snack, and tylenol in hopes that it will sober her up some more. samy gazed up at him as he came back into the living room, a smile on her lips. 

"aww, you're so sweet willie. i love cheez-its," the brunette hummed. 

"i know you do," the boy chuckled. he poured a few into a bowl, not wanting samy to overeat and make herself sick. 

"you should've been at the party. it was sooo much fun," the girl gushed. 

"it looks like you had fun." 

"i dumped kevin," her bluntness caught will of guard. he's never been around her when she was this drunk and was quickly learning that samy said anything on her mind. 

"i heard," the boy hummed. 

"i didn't really like him that much anyway. he kept arguing with me about stupid stuff. he thinks you like me! isn't that hilarious?" soft laughter tumbled from the girl's lips, but will wasn't laughing. the only thing he could hear was his pounding heart beating a bruise against his chest. 

"i started thinking about it a lot, actually. maybe it's part of the reason why i broke up with him. i don't really know. dating your best friend? that seems scary to me," she kept rambling and will had no idea what to say. 

he wanted to confess everything to her, but he knew she definitely wouldn't remember any of this in the morning, so how true was it really? it brought will back to all of the times they woke up the morning after drunkenly making out, but samy never said anything about it. they just acted like nothing happened. 

"yeah, it does seem scary," the blonde managed.

"i mean would you date me? i'm saying all of this and i don't even know if you like me," the girl laughed again. 

will's heart clenched, biting his tongue to keep from saying anything, "how are you feeling? it's getting late. maybe you should try and sleep?" 

"you're right. i'm exhausted and i'm gonna feel like shit in the morning," samy mumbled. 

"is sleeping in grace's room okay?" will collected her things, extending his hand out to help her up the stairs. 

"mhmm, sounds perfect." 

the two tiptoed up the stairs to the older smith's bedroom. will helped take samy's shoes off and he attempted to wipe some of her makeup off before laying her down. the girl smiled lazily at him. 

"thanks for taking care of me, willie. you mean a lot to me." 

"of course. i'll see you in the morning," the blonde returned her smile, but as soon as he faced away from her, it faded. 

once the bedroom door was shut, will leaned himself against it to just recollect himself with the ache in his heart that samy wouldn't remember anything about tonight. hell, marcie's words were probably just drunk rambling. 

THE 1 TIME

goosebumps ran up will's skin when a delicate hand ran across his arm, pulling the blonde from the book he was reading. he lifted his head, a soft smile appearing on his lips seeing samy peering down at him. "hi," will said. 

"hi, pretty boy," samy returned his soft smile with one her own. hearing that pet name roll off her tongue directed at him was something will would never get used to. even though they've only been together for a month, he'd nevr get tired of hearing it. 

"what's up?" the blonde wondered as he reached his hand up to run across samy's skin. 

"just wanted to come say hi. you looked so cozy up here," the girl giggled. 

"wanna sit?" will offered the tiny space next to him. samy swung her legs over, basically landing in his lap because the seat was definitely not made for two people—or a 6'0 hockey player and his girlfriend. 

"how was golfing with jack, quinn, and luke?" the guys went out early to get a game in and samy did not like golf that much to get up as early as they did. 

"it was fun. i think luke killed all of us, but i think gabe and ryan had fun," the blonde laughed. he caught sight of his teammates down in the yard trying to play volleyball. 

"i swear, my brothers' profession would be golfing if it weren't for hockey," the girl giggled which was like music to will's ears. 

"you should come next time. i think you could definitely beat luke," will lovingly squeezed part of her leg that rested atop his lap. 

"are you just saying that because you want to see me in a skirt?" samy teased a bit which caused will to blush a deep crimson all the way to the tips of his ears. 

"shut up. that's not what i was implying," he playfully rolled his eyes. 

"i know, i'm just kidding. my brothers are way better at golf than i am, so i definitely could not beat any of them." 

a comfortable silence settled between the couple. will's gaze lingered on samy who glanced at her phone, so she missed her boyfriend's loving stare until she looked back up and flushed when he was already looking at her. 

"when do you leave for boston?" she changed the subject for now. 

"august 12th," will answered with a hint of sadness laced in his voice. the idea of leaving hurt will a lot more than he thought it would. especially after finally getting the girl. 

sure, he'd have all of his teammates following him, but the one person he wanted to always be around wasn't coming. 

"three weeks away?" samy wondered and the boy nodded. 

"i can't believe it's already here," will mumbled earning a tiny frown from the brunette. 

"you're gonna do so awesome at boston, will. i'm really proud of you." 

samy shifted so she could wrap her arms around his neck. he buried his face into the crook her neck, placing soft kisses against her skin. "i wish you were coming with me," he mumbled. 

"me too. i wish we got our act together and got together a lot sooner. maybe if i wasn't so afraid of my feelings and kept pushing them away," samy rolled her eyes, but will pulled back. he raised his eyebrow in confusion. 

"wait, how long have you known about your feelings?" 

samy's face flushed, "well..i kept pushing them away every time we drunkenly made out at parties. i don't know. prom i knew i had feelings, but i was scared and stupid." 

"so you did remember the next morning after the party," will chuckled in mostly amusement. 

"uh, yeah. i did. i never said anything because i just..i don't know. i didn't know how you felt. i didn't wanna make it weird and we had a thing going," she shrugged a bit.

"it wasn't obvious to you how i felt after?" will smiled a bit with a small tilt of his head. 

"looking back, yeah it was obvious. i was stupid," the girl flushed again. 

all will could do was laugh and pull samy closer to his chest where he never wanted to let go. everything they went through was worth it in the end to finally have the girl will's always had feelings for. for once in life, he was finally sure about something besides hockey. 

hockey's been a constant and he was too dumb to realize he had another one right in front of his face all along. 

as the hot summer sun danced between the clouds, will had everything he could ever need. samy laid against his chest and what was better than having his favorite girl beside him all the time now? he truly couldn't ask for anything more. 

[yourmomxx]

Heyyy omg I saw you looking for criminal minds requests. Would it be possible to request something for derek morgan?? Maybe a protective derek where he's freaking out after hearing that reader is hurt (reader can be bau as well or just regular civillian, it's up to you) and ends up smothering her. Thankyouu so much 🥺💞

a/n: I totally could see Derek Morgan do this, honestly, this is so good. Anon, thank you for your request, I really hope you like how it turned out!

"Derek, seriously, I'm fine!"

"Uh-huh, sure. Tell that to the x-ray the doctor made of your double fractured ankle."

You tried really hard, you did, but at the end, couldn't resist the urge of rolling your eyes.

Derek - your dear, caring, passionate boyfriend, who you loved endlessly (most times) - had acted this way for the past few days. Four, to be exact, four and a half if one counted the day he spent in the hospital with you, not leaving your side even to get coffee.

It had been, a few days ago, that you had broken your ankle.

Fractured, twice.

It happened while you were coming down the stairs, you'd slipped on a patch of the sleek wood and tumbled down the remaining three quarters to the bottom.

It was the most stupid and idiotic way to break a bone, honestly, but it had happened to you either way.

You'd known Derek was out on a case, somewhere in Milwaukee, you honestly didn't remember all the town's names all that exactly, which is why you had satisfied yourself with only sending him a quick text after an ambulance had shuttled you to the nearest hospital.

The doctors had told you that you would be fine, just that they were pretty booked this time of year and your treatment could take longer than usual.

It's why you stayed the night.

When you had woken up the next day, mind still a bit foggy and ankle swollen and hurting more than it would any normal day, you had never expected to actually see your boyfriend earlier than that evening.

But you'd been wrong.

Because there he stood, Derek Morgan, in all his tight-henley, muscular glory, talking with one of the doctors who'd briefed you about your condition the day before, an invested look on his face, just a few feet outside your open hospital room door.

The clinical, white sheets rustled as you straigthened yourself up.

"Derek?" The soft call of his name made your boyfriend look up, just as the doctor stepped away.

A smile played around his lips as he made his way over to you. You were still baffled about his showing-up, when he leaned down and pressed a greeting kiss to your mouth.

"Hey, sweet thing," Derek mumbled.

With a grunt, he sat down in the worn-out, yellow cushion chair and regarded you with deep concern in his dark eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

You tilted your head.

"Like I fell down the stairs and double-broke my ankle not even twelve hours ago."

Derek's mouth left a soft chuckle. You grinned.

"What are you even doing here, I thought you had a case?"

He raised his hands in a defensive manner. "Whoah, now don't be too excited." There was no bite behind his words, or the eyeroll you gave him in response.

"I'm serious, baby," You said. "You didn't have to be here, I'm totally fine."

Derek leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His gaze didn't leave yours.

"We closed the case about two hours after you sent me that text," He explained. "When I read what happened, I pushed everyone to pack their things just a bit faster than normal, we took the jet, and now I'm here." He opened his arms. "End of story."

You cocked an eyebrow. "How much faster?" You asked.

Derek weighed his head. "A lot faster."

You let out a laugh. "God, you are crazy," You breathed out, cheeks pushing your eyes closed with how wide you were smiling.

Derek reached out and took your hand into his, the warm weight laying comfortable in your palm.

"Only for you, mama."

His hand squeezed yours and you smiled.

Turns out that hospitals were the. worst.

At first the willingness with which all staff was tending you with, it felt like a blessing, for once not having to do the most mundane tasks by yourself - because honestly, who wouldn't want that? - but as time passed by, it all seemed to weigh down on you.

You were practically chained to a bed that wasn't yours, and therefore in no possibility as comfortable as the mattress you were used to. The clinical smell of sanitizer started burning in your nostrils, and your eyes felt blinded by the exact same shade of white that covered every wall, surface, and sheet in your sight.

You almost groaned when a white cast was put on your leg to stabilize it. Derek had just grinned at you and promised to bring Penelope over at some point, with a set of acrylics, glue, and rhinestones.

That's when it had started. The Doctor had told you to rest up for a while, don't put too much weight on your left foot where you had broken your ankle, and come in for regular check-ups.

You should've known then, that you were doomed. Because since you had left the hospital that afternoon four - three and a half - days ago, Derek had not once thought about leaving your side.

For anything.

Any. Thing.

He was being so sweet with it, of course, because Derek Morgan didn't know to be anything else, but over time, having this constant worry hung at you for tasks that should have been the simplest of everyday life was draining, and made you grow agitated.

If you needed to compare it, it felt like being sixteen and your parents checking in on you while you were at a friend's birthday party every hour on the clock, all over again.

You were standing in the kitchen right now, spatula in one hand, the other perched warningly at your hip, a pan on the stove ready to be heated up and a disapproving look on your face, staring down Derek Morgan who stood accross from you with his arms crossed and an almost stronger "Don't try me"-attitude than you had.

Almost.

"Baby," You said, slowly dragging out each syllable. "I understand and do appreciate your concern, but I am fully able to cook lunch."

"The doctor said not to put too much pressure on your foot," Derek shot back. He gestured towards the kitchen island. "Scurrying around for at least half an hour without a break is what I call 'too much pressure'."

The only pressure you were feeling right now was the exasperated groan that you fought back of pushing out your chest.

"I feel alright," You reassured him. "And if I really feel like it's too much, then I'll sit down and take a break."

Derek shook his head. "Will you, though?"

You sighed and put the spatula in an empty space on the kitchen island.

As smoothly as you could, you walked over to your boyfriend, supporting the weight on your unmoving leg by leaning your hand on the kitchenette, as you had discarded your crutch on the other side of the room.

Derek raised his eyebrow at that.

Finally reaching your boyfriend, you put your unoccupied hand on his cheek and let your thumb softly stroke over the stubbled skin.

Derek ever so slightly leaned into the touch.

"I'm just worried 'bout you," Derek murmured quietly.

You nodded slowly. "I know."

You did. And you understood. With all the death and hurt he saw, day by day, night after night, how could he not be?

"But baby, you gotta believe me when I tell you that I can take care of myself. That I know my limits." You gestured around vaguely. "That I can cook lunch for myself and my beautiful, kind boyfriend."

A hushed laugh escaped Derek's chest. His dark eyes found yours and the glimmer in them softened, turned a whirl of worry into a smooth tide.

"You just gotta watch out for you," Derek said. "I know you like to push yourself, don't like admitting defeat."

His hand came to rest on your forearm of the hand that was still tenderly lingering on his cheek. The soft tickle of his thumb drawing absentminded circles seeped through the thin layer of your clothing.

"But taking breaks is okay. There's a difference between being weak and just taking care of yourself."

Derek dipped his knees slightly when he noticed your gaze flashing to the floor, to catch your attention again.

"And I have never, not once in the time I've known you, known you to be weak. Alright, sweetheart?"

The warmth was radiating off his strong body, and infiltrating every single one of your concious senses. Unaware you were doing it, you leaned closer to him. The breeze of his cologne wrapped around you in pure comfort.

"Alright," You said. "Alright, I promise I'll take care."

Derek held your gaze. His fingers pushed a loose strand of hair away from your forehead. "That's all I wanted to hear."

The quick peck you pulled him in for by the neck quickly turned into an open-mouthed kiss, Derek's tongue circling yours for the briefest of moments, before finally gaining dominance.

You attempted to press further into him, but your hard time keeping balance wouldn't allow it.

He pressed one last, small kiss to your nose before backing away.

You smiled at him cheekily, still supporting yourself on the cold stone of the kitchenette, and laboriously turning around to finally get to make the food you'd fought so hard to be able to cook.

"At least let me work the stove."

"Derek!"

[vettelsvee]

FIRST VICTORY (PART 2) | Sebastian Vettel

f1 masterlist | history series masterlist

history series season 1: part 1 | part 2.1 | part 2.2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

summary: seb and di wake up together after spending the night in di's hotel room speaking and getting to know each other more. rumors start going around the paddock about both of them being something, and people start making theories about that... including hanna, sebastian's girlfriend.

word count: 7050

warnings: translated german. race strategies that might not seem accurate but i tried my best. sexism, lots of sexism. bad language, curse words. mentions of sex and cheating. seb being a man; everyone being the man (friendly reminder that whatever you read here is fiction, and nothing that happens here or how characters act is real)

taglist: [@theseerbetweenus @annewithaneofthegreengable @vincentvanshoe] if you wanna be tagged in each part just tell me in the comments <3

¡! you can read the fanfic as diana or y/n, but the faceclaim will always be my girl emma stone :)

feedback is truly appreciated!

September 14th 2008

Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Sunday

A buzzing sound echoed over the wood of one of the nightstands, followed immediately by an annoying melody that cut off after a few seconds.

Diana, still immersed in the dream she had where both her sister and her were attending a Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button's partners, abruptly opened her eyes. She didn't recall the time she fell asleep, but she was aware that Sebastian did so before her.

Paling at the thought of the German sleeping next to her, she blinked rapidly, hoping to discover that everything was part of the alternate reality she lived in during her short night.

Realizing she couldn't move, she turned as much as she could, surprised by the scene not only in front of her but also of which she was part of. Sebastian laying beside her, arms wrapped around her as if he didn't want to let go. His hair was completely disheveled, and his mouth was slightly open, letting out occasional snores. The Austrian blushed and tried to prolong the moment, but a flash of light from Sebastian's mobile phone interrupted.

Once again, the ringtone filled the room.

"Seb, wake up, please," the blonde began, pushing him gently to awaken him. "You're getting a call, and I won't be the one to answer."

All she received from the driver were drowsy grunts and a request for five more minutes of sleep. The girl, a bit fearful and curious about whether it was someone important, approached the device and saw the name Hanna on the screen.

Hanna, Sebastian's friend. The one he stood up after the press conference.

Would a friend call you at eight-thirty in the morning on a Sunday? Shouldn't she be at church, studying, or something like that?

"Sebastian," Wagner whispered firmly into the blonde's ear, "Hanna is calling you."

The news seemed to surprise the boy, who quickly bounced out of bed, answering the call. Diana could see desperation in him but chose not to ask where he was heading when he took the phone in his hands and left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

Sebastian ran out, head down in case anyone from the media recognized him. Hanna had called him twice, and he didn't answer either time, so he assumed she would be worried. He didn't want to imagine how she'd react if she caught him sleeping in his his new friend's hotel room...

No, he hadn't done anything wrong, so he shouldn't panic.

"Hello, Hanna!"

The German greeted his girlfriend, trying to sound as calm as possible, aware that the attempt was in vain. At the same time, he kept moving constantly through the corridors of the third floor.

"Hello, sweetheart! It took you a while to wake up today, right?" Prater replied sweetly, sensing her guy's nervous breathing. "Is something wrong? You sound a bit tense."

"No, no. I just went to bed a bit later than usual preparing some strategies with Alex for today's race," he explained, briefly altering what had actually happened. "I overslept, and they're about to close the buffet, so you might hear me a bit muffled."

Hanna, despite trying to believe her boyfriend, wasn't entirely convinced. She had known Vettel since they entered school. She could tell when something bothered him, especially when he lied. She would venture to say that this was one of those moments when Sebastian preferred to put on a mask and play the actor, as he did every weekend when he had to race.

That was what she liked least about her boyfriend being a Formula 1 driver, and it had become one of the reasons she didn't attend his races, along with the privacy they, especially her, wanted to maintain.

"Are you sure you're okay, Seb?" the German insisted. "Are you worried about today's race, or is there something else?"

"The race is the least of my worries, liebe," he quickly responded, trying to steer the conversation away from that topic. "I'm just nervous because the expectations on me are very high, and I don't want to disappoint anyone. I have so much on my mind right now..."

And that was true. Not every day did you race from your first pole position. Nor did you wake up in a girl's bed, holding her as if your life depended on it, especially when she wasn't your girlfriend and you had only known her for a few months.

The German sighed over the phone, knowing that if her boyfriend was nervous, there was no way to get him to talk. He tended to keep a lot of his feelings to himself, and this seemed to be one of those moments.

"Okay, but if you need to talk or anything, you know I'm just a call away," the girl said affectionately.

"I know, Hanna," Seb replied gratefully. "Don't worry, really. I promise if I win, I'll dedicate you the victory."

Prater accepted her partner's words though she knew something was amiss. Avoiding a conflict, she decided to move on without making a big deal out of it, discussing other matters such as his upcoming return home, whether he felt like going to the movies when they met again and, especially, when they would visit the apartment they had planned to buy in Berlin and liked so much last month.

Throughout the call, Seb tried to stay calm and, especially, forget about the great night he had spent with Di. He knew he had nothing to worry about because he hadn't done anything wrong, but the feeling of guilt for partially hiding the truth from Hanna didn't disappear, no matter how hard he tried.

His girlfriend wouldn't make a scene if she found out, but he was fully aware that it would hurt her because there was nothing she wanted more at that moment than to be there, in Italy.

With him.

Finally, after a few more minutes of conversation, the couple decided to end the call. As soon as he hung up the phone and put it in the back pocket of his pants, Sebastian quickly returned to Diana's room. She welcomed him with tiny spots of partially applied foundation all over her face, especially under her eyes. Their eyes met, and they couldn't help but smile at each other with a hint of shyness.

"We should hurry, Di. We can't waste too much time."

Vettel smiled at the girl and immediately entered the room to see if he had left anything behind. Diana still stood at the door, a bit embarrassed and, let's face it, confused by the pilot's behavior. She simply watched him while he carefully checked if he left anything. She didn't know if it was because of the race, the call from that Hanna person, or the night they had spent together, but the blonde felt the tension running through the guy in front of her.

"Everything okay?" she asked, finishing applying simple makeup while her gaze followed the German's movements. "You seem... I don't know... strange? You usually make jokes at all hours, but today it seems like you've had thirty coffees."

"Yes. Everything is... fine," the blonde replied, although Diana knew his words didn't convey sincerity, especially. "It was just a call from my friend Hanna. Nothing important for you to worry about."

You're acting as if this Hanna is more than just a friend so yes, I should be worried, thought the girl to herself, knowing there was more to that explanation. Even though she wanted to know more, she decided it was best not to press the guy. If he wanted to share something with her, he would do it when he felt comfortable.

"Are you ready to go?" Sebastian asked to change the subject.

"Yes, of course," Diana assured. "While you were on the phone I went down to the buffet and brought you something to eat," she pointed to some plates on the desk with croissants, cold cuts, some seasonal fruit, and two coffees. "I didn't know what you liked, so I chose a variety within your strict diet," she laughed. "I know you like to be calm before a race, and you wanted to leave already, but you should eat something before you go," the girl explained seriously. "I don't want you to leave with an empty stomach."

Sebastian laughed at the childish tone the blonde used while touching his stomach shyly. It reminded him of his mother when he was a bit younger, forcing him to eat before any karting competition.

Nodding in gratitude, the young man took a piece of pastry and filled it with a slice of mortadella. He took his coffee and sat on the bed, trying not to stain anything and eating more slowly than usual for someone in a hurry. Diana sat next to him, with a small glass in her hand filled with the same drink he was having.

"Aren't you eating anything? Do you want a piece? I can share with you. This is way too much for me" he offered, making a motion to cut his breakfast in half.

The girl shook her head and hands, thanking the driver for his offer.

"I already ate something downstairs before," Diana declared with a not very convincing sound. "Anyway, I wasn't very hungry."

Sebastian continued devouring his croissant as if his life depended on it. It seemed he was hungrier than he initially thought because he ended up eating the remaining loose pieces of cold cuts and even an apple and some peach slices. Diana seemed to have read his mind, even though she didn't want to admit it initially.

"Now we really should go, Di," Vettel said, getting up quickly and picking up everything from the belated breakfast. "If we keep delaying, Franz is going to kill me, and Alex, you."

"Do you think Fiori would be capable of killing me?"

Sebastian Vettel smiled at the girl as he put on his coat and took the belongings the girl usually carried with her.

"You have no idea what that man would be capable of, Di," he said, avoiding eye contact at all costs. "But you can't imagine what I would do to prevent that at all costs."

[…]

The journey to the circuit felt longer than the return to the hotel the previous day. This time, there was no soothing rain in the background, no blasting radio with Coldplay music to unwind and drift away. The only thing piercing the ears of Diana and Sebastian was the sound of the car engine, filling the silence within the vehicle.

Well, that and the cheers of thousands of fans waiting outside the circuit, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite drivers speeding by in a car. Well, and also photographers, journalists and anyone eager to extract interesting information or, which was the same, create chaos.

As flashes from cameras began to burst, reflecting on the car windows, Sebastian paled, knowing that what would come out of there wouldn't be good. Diana didn't know what to do. Anxiety attacked her gradually until it became almost unbridled. She had never experienced anything like it and she wasn't enjoying any part of the experience. As she watched Vettel rummage through the belongings he seemed to have in the glove compartment, she focused on taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly. She had had so many anxiety attacks since her early teenage years that she knew exactly what to do and how to do it to calm them as quickly as possible, even though it didn't make them easier to endure.

Fans, upon seeing the pole man arrive, started screaming uncontrollably, making it impossible for Sebastian and Diana to hear each other.

"What's going on? Could you tell me what you're doing, Vettel?"

The blonde raised her voice as much as she could so that the German could distinguish what she was saying. However, he didn't utter a word and continued searching for the unknown until he pulled out a pair of sunglasses, which he hurriedly handed to Diana. Slowly, they were entering the lion's den, and the blonde was aware that if he didn't do anything to remedy it, rumors would start spreading like a pandemic.

"Put this on, please."

Sebastian's face pleaded for mercy. Wagner, who understood nothing of what was happening and even less the mystery the driver had in his hands, just made a disgusted face.

"I'm not putting that on," the girl clarified. "So, don't even think about forcing me to."

"Di..."

The entrance to the paddock parking was getting closer and, with it, the possibilities of getting into trouble. The Austrian persisted, trying by all means to get Sebastian to drop that idea, who became fed up and a bit enraged.

"For God's sake, Diana!" he shouted, still trying to remain calm. He couldn't risk his relationship with Hanna that way, especially for going to a race with a friend, only that the friend was a girl. "I've met journalists in the hard way and I don't want you to become their invention of me hooking up with a girl and then brought to the race, okay?"

Relaxation exercises weren't working at all and, more than anxiety, what Diana was feeling at that moment was pure panic. The feeling of claustrophobia was growing, and if before she felt like she was suffocating, now she was sensing her death right there if no one hurried to help her.

Drawing strength from where she didn't have it, she took those glasses and put them on, lowering her head. Sebastian was right: a girl seen with a driver became the subject of rumors that they had hooked up and brought to the race. Diana Wagner was much more than a mere sex toy, although at Toro Rosso people thought otherwise.

The blinding lights passed quickly until they faded along with the cheers and chants. They had finally entered the private parking of the circuit, exclusively reserved for drivers, demonstrating the amount of security gathered in one place.

Diana hurriedly got out of the car, needing to breathe some fresh air even though they were underground. Sebastian spent a few seconds staying inside the car, trying to calm down from the madness they had experienced, and above all, hoping they hadn't taken a photo of him with his companion with enough quality to cause a sensation in news around the world.

"That was crap, Seb," the girl told him as he got out of the car. "Seriously, I don't understand how so many people can be gathered in one place. I'm sure they couldn't breathe! And isn't there any security? At least an ambulance should be there. You know, someone could..."

"Miss, can I know who you are?"

One of the security guards, of considerable stature and a very robust appearance, approached the girl aggressively.

"I'm Diana Wagner, sir. Race engineering intern, part of Toro Rosso's internship."

The firmness with which the Austrian said that while showing her ID was quickly blurred by the laughter of the men present there, except for Vettel, who wanted to say something even though he knew it wasn't the most appropriate. Finally, the twenty-year-old succumbed to the pressure and the murderous looks, joining the laughter even though he tried to do the opposite.

"Oh, I see," one of the men retorted, "Alex's little bitch. Isn't that right, Vettel?"

"Well, she's much more than that. If it weren't for her..." the German replied, cowed.

"Don't tell us stories, Vettel," another of them, albeit slightly more disheveled, approached the mentioned one. "Let's hope you made her scream so much last night that those are the same screams you make when you win today. And then you make her scream again tonight."

Maybe the intention was to say it in a whisper and keep it between them, but Diana heard it all, just like the rest of those present. Bewildered, she looked at Sebastian, who didn't know how to react, ashamed of his behavior and, above all, wanting to apologize to the girl. Then, she ran towards the team garage, trying not to be run over by the cars that were arriving.

Tears ran down her face as she went through the paddock, trying not to collide with anyone who got in her way. The curious looks didn't leave her alone, and Diana noticed that she didn't want anything more than to become as small as an ant and have everyone ignore her or even trample her, because that's what she felt they were doing. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when she felt someone grab her arm.

"Who made you cry, beautiful?"

It couldn't be true.

It couldn't be Rosberg again.

Wouldn't he get tired of receiving a no for an answer?

"You as soon as you opened your mouth, to be honest," Diana said sarcastically. "Leave me alone, I already have enough dealing with a German, blond, blue-eyed idiot. I don't need to be enduring another one," she replied, changing the language to perfect Spanish and leaving Nico somewhat perplexed, even though he partially understood what she was saying.

Fernando Alonso, who was talking with Felipe Massa nearby, just laughed quietly, earning a few unfriendly glares from the German and a confused one from the Brazilian. The pair decided to approach the younger ones, who were engrossed in a heated argument.

"What are you talking about?" Felipe asked curiously, interrupting the conversation between the German speakers. "Is it about the rumors that have started circulating?"

"What rumors?"

Rosberg seemed to be having a great time trying to annoy Diana. The girl's face, due to anger, had turned a reddish shade similar to the color of the suit worn by those belonging to Ferrari.

"Those saying that Vettel and you spent the night together," added Alonso in his mother tongue. "I don't know the details, and I don't want to know them, but people can't stop talking about it. Be careful, Diana: what starts well, ends badly."

"And why the hell does anyone care who I spent the night with?" Diana shouted a bit louder than expected in perfect Spanish. "For God's sake, Sebastian and I are just friends... I think," she clarified. "There will never be anything between him and me because... I don't have to give you explanations. I'm done with the conversation."

"Can you talk in a language we all understand perfectly?" Nico pleaded, supported by the Brazilian driver. "Please."

In a matter of minutes, Wagner had gone from sadness to irritability, and in that situation, all she wanted was to hit someone. She didn't want to, of course, but containing her aggressiveness in those moments was becoming an impossible task.

Her entrance to the Toro Rosso garage was nothing special either. As always, glances over the shoulder and gossip was what she received from her colleagues. That day, more than sinking Diana's self-esteem a bit more, they managed to make, for the first time in the entire season, the blonde think about herself and go directly to where she usually spent most of her time inside, ignoring everyone.

As the hours passed, the garage filled with engineers engrossed in their monitors, mechanics focused on preparing the cars in perfect condition, and even some random celebrity who had no idea about the sport but was curious and eager to fiddle with everything, becoming a nuisance.

Wagner, absorbed in telemetry to see if she could come up with a plan B in case Alex messed up, despite the shitty behavior the German had had with her on arrival, began to notice that everyone's attention shifted to the entrance of the box. Curious, she decided to ignore Sebastian's data for a moment and imitate the rest.

Sebastian Vettel, already dressed in the appropriate attire to get into the car, entered the place confidently. Despite being hurt by his behavior, Diana couldn't help but make direct eye contact with the blonde, who gave her a remorseful smile. She did no less: smiled back at him.

Sometimes, she hated being a woman who succumbed to the slightest charms of men, especially when they were blond, of medium height, with clear eyes and, especially, treated her well.

Next to him was a man of short stature and a chubby figure, with little hair and a thick beard that gave him a Santa Claus vibe. By his side, tightly holding his hand, was a girl with long jet-black hair, shy and embarrassed in the crowd around her.

Vettel ignored all the calls directed at him and went straight to Diana, eager to introduce her to two of the most important people in his life:

"Di," he began in German, "let me introduce you to a quarter of my family... I think, Maths has never been my strong suit. This is my father, Norbert," he said, pointing to the man, who quickly shook her hand, "and this is Lara, my little sister," he added, pointing to the girl, who shyly nodded her head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the girl replied, nervously touching the headphones resting on her neck. "I hope today is lucky and you can see Sebastian take home his first victory."

Vettel's father nodded, very convinced that it would indeed happen.

"I trust my son more than the bank that gave me the loan to pay off our mortgage," he said, patting Seb on the shoulder. "And that's saying something when he's a useless twenty-one-year-old! Plus, having you as an engineer I'm sure everything will go great. Finally I see a girl doing something other than wearing suggestive clothes and applauding these Neanderthals when they step onto the podium!"

"Dad, behave yourself, please," Sebastian forced with a smile while not-so-subtly elbowing his father.

"I'm not Sebastian's engineer, Mr. Vettel," the blonde clarified hastily. "I'm just a team intern. I can't do much, but I promise I'll do my best to ensure your son's race goes as smoothly as possible and, above all, that you enjoy it to the fullest."

Suddenly, Franz appeared and got between them, putting his hands on the shoulders of father and son and leading them away. Sebastian's sister stood in front of Diana, wondering why her brother's boss was so stupid.

"I really wanted to come to a race, but it's all very weird. Mom warned me that this wasn't a good place for a girl like me, and now I see why! Everyone Dad and Seb have talked to seems very silly," she vented, "and you're the only one who has looked at me."

Finally, Lara had gathered the courage to talk to the blonde girl. In response, the girl crouched down to her level. She didn't know why, but that girl, who, despite being of the same blood as the driver, seemed to be the opposite of him, had taken quite a liking to her.

"You get used to it... Lara, right?," the girl nodded, seemingly happy. "I don't usually get much attention, but your brother always manages to make me smile and make me feel valued."

"What does it mean to make you feel valued? Is it something that cost money?"

"It's when someone puts in a lot of effort and you let them know," Sebastian said, reappearing. "Like when your Maths teacher puts a happy face sticker on your notebook when you solve an exercise correctly."

The conversation continued between the siblings and the intern in a more lively and relaxed manner. Lara started to feel more comfortable with the girl, even asking her a few questions about Formula 1 that seemed trivial to Vettel. "What happens if they run out of gas?" or "Can they stop if they need to pee?" were two of the many questions Diana had the pleasure of answering for the ten-year-old until they were interrupted by Alex, who informed Seb, ignoring the two girls, that he had to get into the race car and position it on the starting grid.

The driver apologized, quickly taking Lara's hand to lead her to where Norbert was. Diana simply returned to her seat and hid her head behind one of the screens, but before she could Sebastian spoke to her:

"I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you. I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I felt incredible pressure, even more than when I'm on the track! I know it's not an excuse because I could have shut them up as I always do, but...

Diana remained static, unsure of how to answer.

"Aren't you going to say anything?", Seb replied, trying to get a response. "I need my paddock girl to bring me good luck."

"Go get 'em, tiger."

"So now you're Mary Jane Watson, huh?" Sebastian confronted, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep Diana's shyness from escalating after that statement. "I didn't think you liked the geek with glasses who shoots webs, which I love, by the way," he explained, "I saw you more as Gwen Stacy actually. You know, since you're blonde and intelligent as fuck..." he pointed to the girl's hair.

Wagner refrained from biting her tongue. She wished she could tell him that blonde wasn't her natural color and that she was a redhead like Peter Parker's girlfriend, only that the insecurity created in college about her hair color had led her to dye it that platinum almost monthly. Also, she was sure that if she decided to go back to the coppery tone she loved so much deep down, they would say it was just for attention, and that was the last thing she wanted.

She hated hiding her true self, but she hated even more the fact that there was a high chance people would like her for not being herself.

Acting was not a profession that particularly appealed to her, but if she had to dedicate herself entirely to it to get what she wanted most, she was more than willing to continue playing the role of her life.

[...]

The starting signal was about to be given, and in the Toro Rosso garage, everyone was aware of it. The rain was the main cause of this, which had started just moments ago and had suddenly poured down all at once.

Everyone was on their feet, watching Sebastian on the large screen hanging on the wall, eagerly awaiting his start. Even Fiori wasn't positioned in front of his computer, and that had never happened.

The expectations for the German were too high, and he could hear it through the comments filtering through his radio. He began to feel nervous but forced himself to calm down: he not only had a team that had trusted him watching him but also his family, the girl he loved, and possibly the entire Heppenheim. Diana kept her eyes on the screen, not taking them off unless it was to see the seconds remaining for the start.

The thunderous sound of the engines took over everyone's attention when the red lights came on, and after the lights went out, the race cars shot off toward the first turn. Wagner held her breath and crossed her fingers, mentally praying to whoever God might be that Sebastian would have opportunities to win despite the rain, which now seemed to be working against him.

After the start, the Toro Rosso garage began to fill with activity. Mechanics returned to their respective positions, waiting for either of the two drivers to make a pit stop, and the same happened with the engineers, who hurried back to telemetry with their helmets on. Diana also did the same and returned to what had become her corner of confidence, immersing herself in the battle through the team's transmission. The buzz of voices and data filled her mind as she followed the race, while she began, as in any other Grand Prix, to develop her own ideas to improve Vettel's performance even if they were in vain.

In the midst of her thoughts, a familiar voice slipped in. Sebastian had started singing a low melody that didn't quite reach her while maintaining the lead. The intern couldn't help but let out a silly smile at the German's antics that had given the team so many headaches.

"Sebastian, I need you to focus on what's around you, not to think you're Freddie Mercury at Wembley."

As the laps went by, and information exchanges continued, the rain increased simultaneously. Although the intermediate tires were suitable at the start of the race, the weather conditions were worsening, affecting Sebastian's performance. Diana could see on her monitor how the sector times for her driver were deteriorating compared to most of the other drivers, especially Barrichello, who was rapidly closing in.

Vettel seemed to be aware of the issue because he repeatedly urged Fiori to make another pit stop, only to receive rejections from the engineer. The blonde continued analyzing the data, and her mind began to develop a strategy that, while not the best and could risk everything, she knew was the most appropriate.

Even though Diana was just a mere intern, or more of a gofer, with no voice or vote, seen only as a pretty face to showcase that women could be part of motorsport, she knew perfectly well that the data Alex was providing lacked cohesion, the strategy hadn't been properly designed and all of it would end in the greatest disappointment for the German driver if something wasn't done.

"Mr. Fiori," she cautiously began, "I think we should consider thinking about a different plan to maximize the chances of success."

Sebastian, who was holding onto the lead as best he could, started listening to the conversation, quite interested in what the girl was saying.

The Austrian had minimal hopes that her boss's response would be appropriate, but it wasn't. Instead of considering the girl's suggestion and seeing what they could do, Alex looked at her with disdain and began a string of derogatory comments that only soured the intern's day even more.

"Do you think you know anything about strategies?," he replied with disdain. "Girls like you should stick to shutting the hell up and stop spewing shit about something you don't know," the glares were starting to focus between the two of them. "If you're still here, it's because you bring us good reputation, not because you're fit for this," he said, pointing at the data. "I'm sure you have some little task to do right now to earn your salary because you're not doing anything here."

"You don't know that because you haven't given me a damn chance to prove what I'm capable of."

The Italian went cold at the response from the subordinate girl. Even Sebastian, who was listening attentively to the discussion they were having, was impressed by his friend's response, though very proud that she had finally decided to stand up for herself.

"I'm just asking you to make one more pit stop and change to wet tires," Diana explained, ignoring the man. "We would stop in the next two or three laps," she calculated. " Then Sebastian would come out, according to my calculations, from the tenth position onwards, and we wouldn't have to stop again because fuel would be just enough, which would even increase the speed of the race car in the last laps."

"Since when do interns think they've been working in Formula 1 for twenty years or so?", he answer with a completely sarcastic tone. "Wagner: you either follow my rules, or you leave. A girl like you shouldn't tell me what to do to get victories for the team, clear?"

"No, actually," Diana replied, not allowing herself to be intimidated and ignoring the man's last words, "but what is clear is that Hamilton, Button, Alonso and Räikkönen have switched to wet tires and are improving their times. That should also be clear to you, just as information."

Alex looked at her with anger. He wanted to kill her at that moment.

"Look, little one...", he commented, approaching the girl intimidatingly. "Stay quiet in some corner like the whore you are. I'm sure the next time you open your mouth, someone, I hope not to be me, will shut you up in ways you won't like. Or maybe you will."

If it hadn't been for her self-control, Diana would have given the man in front of her the beating of his life. She could hear Vettel's voices in the background, very coupled, and how he demanded Alex to leave the girl alone. The twenty-year-old sounded very frustrated, and she completely understood: they were ruining his race.

But Diana Wagner wasn't going to let that happen.

Just as she was about to say something more, Franz Tost appeared, approaching Fiori and whispering something in his ear that none of those around them could hear. The engineer looked at the team leader and simply nodded his head before disappearing from there together.

"You better hope this isn't broadcasted on television, Wagner." Fiori threatened as he disappeared. "If it is, you'll pay dearly."

At that moment, the blonde's adrenaline was so high, even though she felt like shit, that she didn't stop to think about her boss's words, quite the opposite: as quickly as possible, and making sure no one saw her, she took Fiori's headphones and began giving orders to the driver:

"Seb, I don't know if you trust me, but I need you to do the following, so listen to me, please," Diana ordered, drawing strength from where she didn't have it. "You're going to stop in the next lap, change to wet tires and they will give you enough fuel to finish the race with a margin," the urgency in the girl's voice was evident. "Weather conditions are getting worse, and so is the track. If you stick with the intermediates, you risk losing the victory."

The blonde's intervention completely caught Vettel off guard, but he began to mysteriously relax.

"Di, are you sure about what you're saying? Do you think it's the best option?"

She nodded, even though the guy couldn't see her.

"The majority have already stopped and, if my calculations don't fail me," she began to review the telemetry, "you, Bourdais and Webber are the only ones who haven't made any tire changes. All you're going to achieve is gaining grip on the track, getting more speed and securing a victory."

Sebastian took a deep breath, and his response was immediate:

"Okay, Di. Hey... thanks for standing up against Alex," he confessed. "Sometimes he can get a little crazy with all this and loses his nerves under pressure."

"You don't have to apologize," she said affectionately. "I'm here for this, and I'd rather end up on the street than not being able to help you to show what you can do."

One pit stop, about seventeen more laps, and some struggles that kept hearts pounding until the end, Sebastian Vettel was the first to cross the waving checkered flag of the circuit. Everyone from Toro Rosso began running euphorically to the fence to greet the guy, still racing in his race car and already heading to parc fermé. Cheers and applause began filling the air, and all eyes were on the young German driver who had achieved his first victory.

Sebastian, with his helmet still on, ran towards his mechanics and even to his engineer, who celebrated the victory as if he had been part of it. The blonde's face was infected with a smile that seemed unwilling to disappear; his arms, raised in a sign of victory, were followed by what, from that moment on, would become his characteristic celebration: his index finger pointing straight, indicating that he had finished first.

Diana, who was watching everything from the box, witnessed the scene with a series of conflicting feelings. Before the German was taken by some responsible people to the podium, she saw how their eyes met, and Seb articulated a thank you in their native language, intended only for her; he even blew her a kiss and winked at her, but she didn't give it much importance because he did the same on the podium many times, looking directly at his team.

Everything happened very quickly. The podium ascent after the post-race weigh-ins. The German anthem in honor of the champion, immediately followed by the Italian anthem; the trophy presentations and the corresponding champagne celebration, concluding with an interview where Sebastian couldn't stop thanking Tost, Alex, and the team in general.

As the girl expected, there was no special mention of Diana Wagner; just a note on the floor of her hotel room that welcomed her as soon as she crossed the door.

Thank you for making this possible, newbie. I apologize for the haste, but Horner has arranged a dinner with Tost and a couple of others to discuss my Red Bull contract more seriously. I wanted to see you, and no matter the excuses I've given, Britta has forced me to go. You should see how ridiculous I look in a suit. I owe you a dinner and, above all, my life, I would say. 

P.S.: The kisses I threw were for you, each and every one of them; without you, none of this would have been possible. 

P.S.2: I owe you a dinner, how about at the end of the season? That way, we avoid surprises :) 

P.S.3: I don't know if roses are your favorite flowers, and I don't know if you like chocolate, but... I hope you at least like the small detail you have on your desk. 

The surface where that morning she had set the breakfast for the German was now almost completely covered with a large bouquet of flowers and various types of Italian sweets.

Diana Wagner was slowly sinking into quicksand, and she wasn't even aware of it yet.

[…]

Sebastian Vettel detested nothing more than meetings, especially after winning his first victory when he could be out getting drunk with shots and various drinks, leaving him vomiting and hungover the next morning.

Or having a quiet dinner with Diana in his room as a thank-you for what she had done for him.

God, how much he loved that girl.

He emerged from the bathroom with disheveled hair, wearing only a towel around his waist. Small drops of water fell down his bare chest, but Vettel was so eager to talk to his girlfriend that he took a shower of less than a minute, dried off quickly, and rushed to his backpack to grab his laptop and call Prater on Skype.

Hanna appeared on the screen, but not her exactly. Instead, there was photo she had taken for her university ID. It was strange for the German to have the camera off. Normally, after a race, she was always eager to see Sebastian to chat or even do something crazy.

"Sorry for taking so long, love," Seb started saying. "Britta, as we know her, forced me to go to a dinner with..."

His words were interrupted by the arrival of two photos his girlfriend had sent through the app's chat. His gaze shifted to the blurry, thumbnail-sized images that were downloading. When they opened, he could clearly see himself holding the steering wheel with one hand while the other reached for a blurry face, one he knew perfectly was Diana's.

Damn.

This couldn't be happening.

"Were you busy with dinner or that blonde who looks so much like me and clearly isn't me?"

The question was directed straight at the German, who began to get nervous. No matter how much he tried to stay calm because he hadn't done anything, he couldn't help his pulse skyrocketing uncontrollably.

"Hanna, listen, it's not what you think," he began to explain, searching for the right words for her to listen.

She, now with her camera activated, stared at him through the screen, her blue eyes reflecting only disappointment.

"Seb, I need you to tell me the truth."

"Liebe, I promise there's nothing between that girl and me," the German's thoughts began to jumble. "It's Diana, I think I've told you about her. The intern. It was just pouring rain and I wasn't going to let her walk alone to the circuit."

Hanna interrupted him:

"I understand, darling," she said, "but I don't understand why you're smiling. Do you feel more comfortable with her than with me?" The girl began to cry. "Damn it, I'm so insecure. You dedicated today's victory to me with those kisses..."

Vettel ran his hand through his wet hair, completely desperate with that situation. He knew Hanna was very insecure and that what bothered her the most when he was away was the people he associated with. For that reason, they had had a thousand and one fights that kept happening despite the driver assuring her that she was the love of his life and the only person he had eyes for.

But that didn't mean he wasn't guilty of the events of the previous night and the accumulating lies, like the dedication of the victory.

It wasn't for Hanna but for the girl who seemed to be slowly becoming his girlfriend's replacement in the paddock.

"Hanna, I promise you have nothing to worry about," the blonde said, feeling great guilt because the photos were taken with the intention of creating misunderstandings. "My relationship with you is the most important thing to me. Besides, Diana probably has a boyfriend. She's just a mate, and if it makes you feel better, I'll talk to her to avoid misunderstandings," he let out. "If you allow me, of course."

The girl seemed to consider it for a moment until she finally agreed.

"Okay, Seb. But I want you to swear to me, for the sake of everything you hold dear, that if something changes between you two and you start to be more than friends, you'll tell me. You know you have my trust to do so."

Sebastian nodded seriously, swallowing at the same time to contain the question that was eating him up inside these days.

Why had he grown so fond of Diana Wagner in such a short time?

[booboodaddysblog]

Disappointment

Part three

Warnings: smut, p in v, fingering, arguing, crying, slapping, drama

Words: 3242

———

Colin woke up and looked at his watch. It was 4 in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Marg lying next to him. She was sleeping peacefully. Her lips were slightly parted. He was tempted to touch her lips. He was already about to do so when he remembered what time it was. He couldn't wake her up after all. There was nothing left for him to do but watch her beautiful face and listen to her quiet breathing.

He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. He didn't understand how she could sleep so peacefully after what happened last night. He himself didn't know what it was. An argument? Or maybe it was just... the fear of letting her down. He wanted to give her so much of himself... and yet he screwed up. On top of that, twice more during that evening.

Colin hardly slept at all that night. His thoughts were running wild, trying to find a solution to the situation. Everything he thought about was negative. He was immersing himself and putting himself in a bad mood. He knew this was not good. He knew that nothing good would come out of this. It would only get worse and worse.

He desired to be happy. He desired to have a family. And that was going to happen in the near future. But... the longer Marg stayed in his house, the worse he felt. He was used to being alone, to living alone. He did not feel at ease now. On the other hand, however, he felt good with the knowledge that when he returned from work someone was waiting for him. It's an amazing feeling when you open the door and a loved one hugs you. All the stress and fatigue floated away as if by magic.

His thoughts were one big mess. He didn't know how he should deal with it. He was beginning to understand why his ex had left him. Probably because he acted the same way he does now with Marg. She had given up and left. She was really trying to save their relationship. She tried to talk to Colin... but he was closed off and focused more on work than his personal life. With Marg it's different, she understands his work... they work together. She can see what it all looks like. Stress, fatigue, thoughtfulness... trying to solve another case at work…

He looked at Marg again. She closed her mouth. Maybe she could feel him moving. It was almost 5 a.m... maybe they could try to fix their mood a little... just how... he looked at her again and smiled. He got up gently from the bed and stood in front of it. He started to go under the quilt from the side of Marg's feet. He hoped that what he wanted to do would succeed. He sighed quietly at the sight of her legs. He lightly kissed her left calf and moved higher. Suddenly he froze, Marg moved slightly and rolled over onto her back, still immersed in sleep.

- "That's even better” - he thought and licked his lips.

He started kissing her thighs, inch by inch. This was what he needed. He felt a hunger. He gently moved his hands over her smooth skin. He felt Marg move slightly and sighed in her sleep. Maybe she was dreaming of something really nice.

He was already really close to the spot between her thighs. He closed his eyes and kissed her there. He tried to spread her thighs slightly, but felt resistance.

- What are you doing? - said Marg in a sleepy voice, lifting the quilt to see who was disturbing her sleep.

- I... got hungry - he smiled innocently.

- And you claim to find something to eat here? - she said yawning.

- Of course - he whispered and moved his index finger across her stomach, sliding it lower.

- Okay, let it be - she sighed and lay on her back draping the quilt over Colin again. She pressed his head against her stomach. She heard muffled laughter.

He separated her legs and inhaled the sweet scent of his favorite place. He purred. He kissed her sweet and juicy pink lips. He felt her tremble. Her body was very sensitive to his touch, she felt everything with redoubled power. He sucked on her lips. He had to hold her legs because she wanted to escape him.

- Colin, oh God I can't stand it! - she moaned loudly and grabbed Colin's hair, forcing him to come out from under the quilt.

- What happened? - he asked surprised while licking his lips and wiping his nose with the top of his hand.

- I can't handle it. What you're doing is too strong for me. I almost peed myself - she whispered the last sentence.

- Oh... then how can I please you if you don't want to feed me? - he said pretending to be offended.

Marg pulled him close and pressed her mouth into his mouth. She kissed him deeply and passionately.

- I love your lips - she returned to exploring the inside of his mouth with her tongue.

An uncontrollable moan escaped his lips, and they were both breathing heavily. Colin, not knowing what to do with his hands, began to move them down her body. She wriggled under him feeling what he was doing. She moaned into his mouth and trembled even though he hadn't done anything yet.

- Oh you are so hot and wet - he moved his fingers over her clit - and hungry... - they kissed continuously.

- Yes... yes... Colin... - she moaned into his mouth.

- Yes?

He slid one finger inside her, with his thumb he continued to make circles on her pleasure button.

- Fuck me, Colin! Deeply! I need you there! Now! - Marg broke the kiss and drove her nails into his shoulders.

- Oh... okay... - he settled between her legs and spread them more.

Marg grabbed his dick and started moving her hands over it wanting to warm him up more.

- Oh my... Marg... - he closed his eyes and tilted his head back in delight.

- Enough of this, fuck me! - she pulled him to her and kissed him again.

Colin slid into her with a quick movement and immediately felt her clamp down on him. He moaned loudly and began to move. He didn't do it slowly, he was as hungry as Marg.

- Do you think our bean will be okay? - he asked, struggling to catch air.

- Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Fuck me! - Marg clung to his lips again. She put her arms around his neck and held him tightly.

Colin didn't say anything anymore. He carried out the request. He did not need to be told again. He moved quickly and entered her deeply. They both trembled in each other's arms. They felt they were close to fulfillment. They moaned loudly.

- Colin... I'm about to... - her back arched uncontrollably. She surrounded Colin's hips with her legs to pull him closer to her - deeper!

He entered her as deeply as he could. This made Marg scream and she reached the gates of paradise.

- Wow, that was fast - he stared at her without stopping moving inside her to give her even more sensations.

He didn't last too long. The sight of her trembling body and loud moans made him come deep inside her. He parted his lips and stared into her eyes reliving his orgasm. He fell back exhausted and sweaty on her still trembling body. He snuggled into her neck and kissed her lightly. He closed his eyes trying to catch his breath. They both slowly calmed down.

Marg stroked his back with her fingertips.

- Colin? - she asked quietly.

- Yes? - he answered still with his eyes closed.

- I have to go to the bathroom, my bladder is about to explode - she whispered.

- Haha, of course - he laughed, kissed her neck one last time and got off her laying down next to her.

With a smile, he watched Marg get out of bed, wrap a blanket around herself and go to the bathroom. He sighed loudly and rolled over onto his side and began to stare out the window. He was again consumed with overthinking. All the time these intrusive thoughts kept him awake. As if his brain was trying to tell him something. It was as if he didn't approve of what was happening in his life right now.

- Hi - Marg returned from the bathroom and lay down in bed again cuddling up to Colin's back.

- Hey... - he said quietly.

- How did you sleep today?

- Not good... and not the worst though... I’m not sure, and you?

- What happened? - she sighed.

- Just... I'm just upset about what happened yesterday...

- What happened yesterday? - she teased him.

- You know exactly what happened yesterday... - he sighed loudly.

- Can you remind me?

- Are you serious... Do I really have to? - turned his head slightly toward her and furrowed his brow.

- Yes, please.

- Fine... you know how... how did we have our little “fun”?

- Do you mean mine? You were just watching me… - she sighed.

- I didn't just watch... you know what happened before... before we even got to that part...

- You know what?! I was trying warm you up, but then you said “no”. I really tried my hardest. You just pushed me away. I wanted to pleasured you. I was so horny. Those fucking hormones! You didn’t even try to help me! You was just only “don’t touch me” - she started crying - I was so mad at you!

Marg sat down on the bed and moved away from Colin.

- I was trying to protect myself at that moment! And you just didn't give a damn about how I felt! - Colin also sat down.

- You were just tired! It's no big deal! - she shouted at him.

- And not just tired…

- And what else?!

- You really don't know why I didn't want you to touch me at all... - he whispered.

- So tell me!

- No... you'll get mad again...

- Tell me! - she slammed her fist on the quilt.

- No…

- Speak!

- Alright, fine…

- Go on! - she was at her limit.

- I don't want to tell you until you promise to stay calm - he said calmly.

- I am calm! Don't you see! - she shouted even louder.

- Please don't get upset with me for this.... it's just... it's really embarrassing... I warn you... - he watched her carefully.

- Gosh, say it… - she was a bit calmer.

- Do... do I really have to tell you about this? Won't you hate me for this?

- Colin…

- Okay... fine… but... but I told you... you have to promise to listen and not react until I'm done.... right?

- Okay… - she rolled her eyes.

- So... when I was younger... I... okay… so, I was very insecure and thought I was ugly and felt that no one could ever love me or think I was attractive... Then I entered puberty and my body started to change so much... and I really dealt with it badly.... I thought about many things related to my body, I felt that I was disgusting... I was ashamed of myself... - when he said this, he was not looking at her, he was looking at his hands, in which he was squeezing the quilt.

- Aha... that's it?! Colin, we fucked a million times! I saw you naked! This is nothing new for me! - she wasn’t calm, not at all.

- I know that, but it's still... - he sighed - still embarrassing for me to talk about it with you... Don’t you really understand? It's just still so hard for me to talk about it...

- Don't be afraid to talk to me. I’m here for you after all - she said a little more calmly.

- I know about it, but it's hard for me to say it now.... can you... can you be quiet and let me finish?

- I’m quiet - she rolled her eyes again.

- Okay... - he took a few deep breaths - can I... hold your hand?

- Okay…

He slowly took her hand, gripping it gently to make sure he wasn't squeezing it too tightly. He didn't want to hurt her.

He held her hand, letting his other hand also rest on her leg. He wanted to say something more, but couldn't get the words out. For a moment he watched them hold hands, enjoying the moment, which made him feel a little better.

- You are silent....then I have a question....

- Go ahead…

- Do you still love me? Do you still want to be my husband? Do you still want to have this child? I'm asking because you changed when we found out I was pregnant - she said, getting quieter and quieter.

- Of course I still love you... you know I do... and yes, I still want to be your husband... - he sighed quietly - as for the baby... honestly, I don't know why I act like I don't want to keep it... it's a very important thing for me, but I still don't know if I'm ready for it...

- You know… it's a little too late to say “I'm not ready for a baby” - she didn't look at him.

- I know... I realize that... but... I just don't know how I'm going to deal with it.... how do I even find time to take care of it, I barely have time for myself or you... - he looked at their hands.

- It's true, you don't have time for me... - she said with a sad face.

- I... yes... yes I know... I try to talk to you as often as I can... and I'm sorry if that's not enough....

- It’s not enough, Colin. I feel so alone…

- I know... I shouldn't have disrespected you like that when we found out.... I don't know why I did it.... I... I want to be there for you.... but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed that I don't know what to do about it... or how to behave... - he squeezed her hand lightly.

- Maybe I should go back to my place... to my home... - she whispered feeling tears coming to her eyes.

- Do you think it would really help you... or maybe you just feel that I haven't treated you the way you deserve to be treated? I've noticed that you've been upset with me all the time lately. I don't know what to think about all this myself... I wish I could just focus on you and the baby, but I can't... - he felt Marg trying to pull her hands out of his grasp.

- I feel that... you don't want me in your house - she whispered.

- I... I... but I want you to be here.... I'm sorry if it seems to you... - it was hard for him to say it - as if I didn't want it.... I just think I've been focusing too much on work....

- "I've been focusing too much on work”... What about me? - she looked into his eyes.

- That's the problem... I know I need to focus more on you and the baby... but I'm just trying to make as much money as possible so that we can have some peace of mind once the baby is here...

- Can't work remotely sometimes? - she looked at him hopefully.

- I could... sometimes... but would... yes, I would like to take care of you - he smiled slightly.

- I would take care of you too, you know it well.

- I realize that you may feel worse. Pregnancy has just started... God, it still doesn't get to me... - he groaned in displeasure.

- Yes, I'm still learning all about it too... we can do it together…

- I would like to make you breakfast and make sure you take all your pills - he laughed.

- I’ll cook, no worries. And I always remember about my pills.

- Oh… but what if you forget or something happens and you accidentally take a double dose?

- Colin… I won’t…

- But we still can't be too sure.... What if we accidentally end up in the hospital because of something like this?

He tried to sound serious, even if it was a pretty lame explanation. He really wanted it to sound more like something that might happen, rather than overprotective.

- Colin… stop…

- I... I can't help it... I... I'm so worried about you... and the baby... I just can't help myself...

- My pregnancy has just started, at the moment everything is fine.

- I know... It can be good all the time.... but what if it doesn't happen? Should we just sit here like this and wait, instead of preparing ourselves... mentally?

- I'm a positive person and I know that everything will be fine.

- I know this... but still....

It seemed hard for him to explain why he was so worried about it. There was really no reason to worry, maybe he was just overreacting. But it made him worry even more. He didn't like the thought that something could go wrong. Is that why he has been acting so strangely lately?

- Okay, stop thinking. Just hug me - she extended her arms toward him.

- Okay… okay…

He did as she asked. He hugged her. He tried to stop thinking about all the possible bad things that could happen.

- Everything is and will be fine - she whispered in his ear.

- I know... but I just wish I could get rid of these feelings, intrusive thoughts... I wish I could focus solely on you - he closed his eyes and savored her closeness.

- I love you…

- I love you too…

Colin sighed loudly and snuggled tightly into Marg.

- I guess, I have to go to work...

- Colin, I know - she whispered.

- I'll be back soon.

Reluctantly, he released Marg from his grasp and got out of bed. He went to the bathroom.

Marg didn't answer anything. She lay down again and covered herself with the quilt, listening to Colin's every step. When he returned to the bedroom to get dressed, she watched him. She still didn't say anything. She was sorry that he had doubts about their relationship and the baby. She had no choice, but to be patient.

Colin kissed her gently on the forehead, then on the lips. He put his hand on her belly and smiled.

- See you soon my love.

She smiled at him and watched him leave the bedroom. Then she heard him close the door behind him and start the car. She was left alone again.

——————

Part one

Part two

Part four

@robnovetre

[l0ves1ckf0ol]

PATCH UP . . . . george karim x gn!reader

"maybe i've taught you manners too well haven't i?"

when you were a newbie for lockwood and co, you did not expect to find comfort in it. but you did. you found that lockwood is a funnily hilarious guy, that would do anything for his loved ones. he also got quite the charisma. and george. ohhh you hated george. him and his unfiltered reactions and remarks kept you awake at night planning murder. you were annoyed by him. but the sooner you got along with him, the sooner you started falling for his meals, his disheveled hair, his lazy outfits when he's at home, and his silly ramblings of the problem. you've learned to love it all.

you thought you didn't have a chance. till he started showing strange behavioral patterns that wasn't himself. usually he would just blurt out the most weirdest and stupidest shit ever. now he watches himself around you, refraining from insults and sarcasm, he listens to you.

"would you get me a coffee y/n? please?" lockwood asks you after you announce that you would get yourself some apple juice. "yeah sure, what about you georgie?"

"tea."

you did not move instead you put your hands to your hips and tilt your head to the side, you are getting increasingly shocked at how snobby he sometimes is. not even a please??? he looks up at you, about to complain. "tea what??" george blinks and shuts his mouth "please." he says embarassingly, looking away as lockwood chuckled. "wasn't that hard was it?"

you spoke to lockwood about it and he laughed and said: "he's probably into you, y/n."

it was around midnight, lucy and lockwood fell asleep on the dining table after doing heaps amount of research for their next case. george was busy brewing up warm tea and coffee for the both of you.

when he finished up he gave the mug of coffee to you, you smile at him lazily as you took it, blowing off the heat before taking a sip.

george sat next to you, he was a mess. the countless research this boy could do without a case was about as much as they were with one. so he looked tired and irritated but he still felt warm inside for being within your presence. though as he looked out on to the fireplace, you knew something was bothering him.

"you okay george?" you ask him, george looks at you from zoning out and nods a bit. although his face was telling a different story. you leaned forward towards him and he scoots away, "be honest with me." you told him. "i'll get fired if i do." he mutters putting down the cup of tea and fumbling with his fingers. you knew exactly what he was talking about, you raise an eyebrow. "lockwood isn't looking."

"i'll still get fired." he mumbled "have i read the situation wrong or are you just a coward?" you ask him rhetorically. normally you like straight forward people, you didn't know why you were still chasing around george karim. for someone who's knowledgeable, he's worthless and hopeless when he likes someone.

"lucy and lockwood are probably a couple behind our backs, does that not bother you?" you ask him, george just sighs. "listen- why do you even like me? i'm weird and crazy about all the-"

"i like crazy nerds who talk about the problem that's what. jesus. what do i need to do for you to just spit it out?"

george looks dumbfounded. "pardon?" he blinks twice as you took another sip of your coffee. "i'm not dumb george." you told him. "and i know you're not." george looks around the room, avoiding your eyes piercing through his soul. "i'm giving you this one chance. say it right now or you've totally had sent the message that i just read the situation wrong." you warned him, george is still and doesn't move for the next 30 seconds.

"sorry." he stood up and returned to the library.

that was it?

then there was this miserable feeling of your stomach dropping with humiliation. you sighed. "godamnit george." you mutter to yourself as you went to the phone to ring up a previous caller.

"are you sure about this y/n?" lucy asked you as you were packing up gear for a mission that they were asked to go on, alone. george and lockwood were busy with an ongoing case and it would be nice to have some quick cash for the agency right now.

"yeah don't worry about it." you huffed hastily. as you zipped up the bag and grabbed it by the straps. then you heard shuffling from the library and now george decides to pop up.

"what are you-"

"i called the person who asked lockwood for help, got a job in like an hour." you answered without letting him finish. "well lockwood specifically told you that you didn't need to. you would be insane to do this y/n." george argues, you glared at him. "yeah but who're you to care?" you smirked at him as his frown grew even deeper.

with that you left.

after battling a very resistant type 1 you came back home in one piece. you got done at like 4 in the afternoon, george was cooking lasagna in the kitchen for dinner and you could smell it as soon as you snuck in quietly. george was blasting adele from his speakers that was probably propped on the table right now.

you went to the kitchen to go down the basement to drop odd the equipment. your left arm still hurting as you accidentally scratched it with your rapier from earlier's events. george was busy humming to "make you feel my love" as he stirred a pot of tomato sauce, back turned to you as you made your way downstairs.

you drop the duffel bag of stuff, lucy and lockwood were busy sparring with each other with dummy rapiers. you'd think they would have a thirst for winning against one another but they look awfully giggly.

you just sighed after you dropped the duffel by the shelves of information you made your way back up. it is february after all, you wouldn't be surprised if they got together around this week.

with lockwood and lucy your imagination runs wild. they could confess accidentally in a near certain death situation or

now george was putting in the raw platter of lasagna in the oven to bake, there was no adele playing. probably because he did not want to miss the alarm on the oven. you smiled at that thought.

he turned some knobs and when it was finally set he laid back on a dining chair and turned to look at you. he was wearing his usual red apron, which was stained random cheese and tomato blotches. you grab a can of apple juice from the fridge, opened it and drank some. refraining to look at george in the eye.

"are they still not done?" george asks, referring to lockwood and lucy, breaking through the silence. "nope." you said, standing up again from your chair to open the cabinet, where they put the first aid kits. you grab one and set it on the table.

you put up your left arm on the table and once you were about to patch yourself up, george slapped his hand on the pouch of first aid supplies. "i'll do it." he told you, with a demanding tone.

you raise an eyebrow at him, wating for something else. "please. " george adds. he sits in front of you now, tending to your cut.

"why are you so stubborn?" he asks you, clicking his tongue as he cleansed the wound. "you could've gotten hurt. there's four of us for a reason you know." george goes on. "you're not supposed to be out there fighting ghosts alone, y/n. you know that. you're not stupid." he huffs these words, as if holding himself back to fully scolding you, taking a bandage out.

"mhm, what am i then?"

"you're an idiot that's what. i swear to god."

"i'm not dead, george it's just a scratch." you assured him as you watch him fumble through the bandage box trying to pull out only one. once he did he struggled ripping it open. you grabbed his hand to slip off the bandage from him. you tore it open yourself.

"thanks but i'm not going to spend the rest of my life if you were to die after i-" then silence.

"after...?" he takes the bandage and placed it against the wounded flesh.

"after i lied to you." he mumbles, looking at your covered injury. you lean closer to him, tilting your head to catch his gaze. your arm was still on the table, so was his. you slowly let your fingers rub against his.

"about what?" you ask him.

"about how i don't like you." george looks up at you. you could almost grin, but you kept your cool. "then what do you like about me, georgie?" you ask him in a whisper. his hand scooched towards yours, holding your fingers together. "everything." he breathes out.

"that wasn't so hard was it?" you told him he leans closer, his eyes leave yours for a moment to stare at your lips. you felt your cheeks heat up, "may i kiss you? please." he politely says. you smiled, "maybe i've taught you manners too well haven't i?"

"well- i needed to be taught plus consent is-"

your lips were on his, your other hand cupping his cheek. shutting him up and finally you were relieved. your stomach did somersaults and acrobatics and your heart was quickening and set aflame.

[stars-of-kyber]

Kanthony + 38?

38- “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

Ok, Anon, you inspired me.

Let's see Anthony and Kate and their completely crazy first date.

PS: I am a teacher. I am most certainly NOT a doctor nor do I claim to be. Most of the medical advice in this story came from @mimix007 who was a queen and helped me with the basic of humans.

Also, I NEED to thank all my girlies who read this but specially @waterlilyrose who embarked on this journey with me when I got the little lightbulb moment and sprinted and cheered me on me as I went through this whole mess today. Thank u <3

Enjoy!

If 24 hours earlier, someone told Kate Sharma she'd be sitting in a hospital room in the early hours of the morning, still in her nice green dress, heels and fancy lacy lingerie, her hair and make-up done, she would have called the person crazy. Maybe laughed to their face. 

And yet, there she was.

She’s been set up on a blind date by Ben, her coworker from the gallery. Apparently, she reminded him so much of his brother and he imagined they’d get along famously. 

Kate did not have the best track record with men, especially posh guys with more money than they knew what to do with, which was Ben’s family’s case, but her friend had shown her a photo and, well… the man was hot. Not just handsome. It was almost unfair how one man could be so sinfully attractive. 

Even if the date didn’t go anywhere, at least they could have a bit of fun. He looked like a guy who knew how to pleasure a woman in bed and Kate most certainly could use a guy like this in her life right now. Plus, Ben wouldn't set her up with someone who was a complete arse, would he? They were friends and he was a nice person, he wouldn't do something like that. 

Or maybe he would. Because Anthony Bridgerton seemed like a huge jerk. 

Anthony, that was Ben's brother's name, showed up to their date late, looking a bit worse to wear. Don't mistake her meaning, he was still one of the hottest men Kate'd ever lay her eyes on, but there were dark bags under his eyes and he looked pale and sweaty as if he was fighting off a nasty hangover. The first few buttons of his dress shirt were undone and his hair sticking up a bit as if he had run his hands through it a few times. She wouldn't judge him if he did though, his hair seemed perfect to run your hands through.

He didn't seem to be drunk. There was no telling alcohol smell and his speech was clear. But he wasn't really alright either. He pushed his food around on his plate without really eating and he barely touched a drop of the wine he had asked for. Hungover for sure. Kate tried interacting with him, asking questions and offering information about herself but Anthony looked distracted, taking a long time to answer her, if he listened to her at all.

By the time Anthony started excusing himself to go to the toilet,  Kate stood up as well. She was ready to tell him she was leaving and that if he hadn't wanted to have a date with her, he could have told her so and she wouldn't have wasted her time and energy trying to look her best. She really would have been less offended if he had just told her to her face he didn't want to meet her than whatever was going on that night. 

But before she could get more than two words out, Anthony's face went ghostly pale, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed against her. They both went down, his skin clammy and feverish under her fingertips, his breaths heavy and raggedy. 

Kate was doing her best to remember the few first-aid lessons she'd taken in uni, but she wasn't sure how good that would be. The first step was always don't panic and she was already failing in that quite spectacularly. 

Perhaps he wasn't just being a rude arse, after all. 

Kate had yelled for someone to get an ambulance, they had patched him up in a gurney and Kate hadn't even thought twice before accepting the paramedic's help to climb in after him. 

Anthony had been rolled straight to surgery as soon as they rolled into the A&E and Kate was shown to a waiting room, a kind nurse telling her someone would give her an update soon. She tried calling Ben, to let him know what was going on, but somewhere during the chaos, her battery had died. She had Anthony's phone in her purse, but he had a password and all Kate managed to do was to block his phone for a full hour trying to guess it. 

It had been a couple of hours of waiting nervously when a doctor told her he had a problem with his appendix, but the surgery had been successful and her boyfriend would be up to a room soon and she could wait for him there. 

Kate only thanked the man and followed the nurse towards the lift without another word. What was she supposed to say? That they were on a sort-of-blind date, meeting for the first time and she had been sure he was a huge jerk until he passed out in her arms? 

No. That wouldn't do at all. Kate was just going to go along with it, wait for him to wake up and managed to call on a family member and when he was properly accompanied, she'd go home. That sounded like a reasonable plan.

And that's how Kate found herself half-dozing off on a not-very-comfortable hospital sofa on the sickbed of her sort-of-date as the first strakes of daylight started to colour the sky. 

That would most certainly be the craziest date Kate had ever been to. She doubted anything could ever come close to that. 

From the bed, Anthony groaned, squirming on the mattress before his eyes slowly started blinking awake. 

"What..." His voice was husky as he looked around, completely confused. "What happened?"

"You fainted…straight into my arms." Kate was up in a flash, reaching for the cup of water the nurse had instructed to give to him slowly. "You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

 He started to chuckle, which quickly turned into a pained whine, as he clutched his stomach. "Oh, ouch." 

"Oh God, I'm so sorry." Kate looked around desperately for something she could do to help, but of course, there was none. Damn her and her smart mouth. "I was trying to lighten up the mood."

"S'alright." Anthony waved her apology away. "Water?"

"Oh, yes! Here." Kate reached the side of the bed, helping him gently plop up enough to be able to sip on the cup. "Just go slow, the nurse said drinking too fast might make you sick.

"Too late for that, I guess." Kate looked up at him desperately, ready to bolt out to the corridor and find a nurse if he was feeling unwell, but instead, Anthony was smiling humorously at her. "Since I fainted and all." 

"That's not funny." She huffed, pushing the hair away from her face. 

"It is a little bit." 

"You had to have surgery!" She stared at him with narrow eyes. "Your appendix was inflamed. Or burst. Or something." 

"Which one was it?" Anthony groaned in pain as he let himself fall back against the soft hospital bed. "I think one of those things is considerably more severe than the other." 

"I don't know. I went to art school, not med school. " She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively. "The doctor didn't tell me much and I was kinda nervous at the time to pay too close attention."

Kate thought he'd call her out on her stupid comment, or say anything about the situation he was in, but instead, he just turned his eyes on her and asked: "Can I have more water please?" 

"Right. Sure." Kate took the plastic cup back to the jar in the corner of the room, clearing her throat nervously. "I"m sorry I didn't call your family, by the way. My battery died and I couldn't unblock your phone."

"Thank God," Anthony whispered with a sigh as she stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Please don't call them." 

"What do you mean?!" She squeaked. "You had surgery!" 

“Do you have any idea how much I'd hear for this?" Anthony looked at her face and then at the cup clutched to her hand. 

"Right, the water, sorry." Kate was back by the side of the bed. "What do you mean how much you'd hear?"

"I have a large family." He gulped the fresh water, sighing appreciatively. "My mother is... She's great but she's been telling me I need to slow down for a while now. If she learns I was sick and didn't get checked out, I wouldn't have a moment alone in the next two months."

"Trust me, I get the feeling. My stepmother is just the same." Mary Sharma was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be. She'd probably place Kate under house arrest and she didn't live in her family home anymore. "She'd probably force feed and not allow me out of the bed." 

"I have seven siblings." He chuckled and groaned again at her surprised face. 

"Seven!" 

"Yup." 

"I have one and she drives me insane." 

"My mum could have someone on every hour of the day sitting with me. I'd never be alone again." He told her dramatically. "I'd not put past her grounding me and taking away all my electronics." 

"I understand your suffering." Kate nodded sympathetically. "But I'm not letting you check out without anyone to watch over you. Is there a friend you can call?" 

"This would be Simon." Anthony shifted in bed with a whimper, trying to find a more comfortable position. "But he's gone and got engaged to my oldest baby sister, so I can't really trust him with it." He sighed. "He'd tell on me the moment the phone was off and Daph's almost as bad as my mother."

"Well, that would be less than ideal, I guess."  

"The only person I could trust to keep this quiet is Hyacinth, but somehow I don't see a 10-year-old being much help in this situation." He gave a half-shrug, clearly trying to keep his abdomen from jostling too much. "Well, her and Fran, but she's in Scotland and I won't have her miss classes to come watch over me." 

"Can't you talk to Ben?" Kate rested her elbow on the mattress next to his arm and her chin on her palm as she watched him gingerly reach up to muss his hair. 

"Ben's a tattletale and momma's boy. Mum can break him in less than a minute." 

"What's the least worse option, then?" 

"You really won't let me go on my own, will you?"

"Absolutely not." Anthony seemed to consider that for a moment before sighing defeatedly. 

"I'll end up calling Ben." He sighed dejectedly. "He'll probably be able to hold Mum back the longest. At least he's got a flat I can hide on for a bit."

"Sounds like a plan." They sat in companionable silence for a moment, Anthony's face twitching with discomfort as Kate chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of what to say or if she even should say anything at all. "I'm sorry for the date thing." He told her, the tip of his ears turning pink. "I promise I usually behave much better."

"Well, it is a bit funny... After all the panic passes, anyway." Kate chuckled awkwardly. 

"At least it's a story for the ages." His smile really was quite dashing, she had to admit. 

"That it is."  The silence that settled on them for a moment was a bit more light-hearted than the one before as Kate tried to gather the courage to speak. "Sorry, I really have to ask..." 

"Hum?"

"People say... Well, my sister had an inflamed appendix and that's a really painful thing." Anthony raised his eyebrow at her but did not speak. "And for you to faint, you were probably feeling pretty shity..." She trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "Why didn't... You could have just rescheduled the date, you know?" 

"I mean... yeah, I guess." His shrug was a bit self-conscious. "But I'm kinda used to some pain in my daily life. Like migraines from lack of sleep or gastritis from spending way too much time without eating or whatever stupid thing doctors like to go on about." Kate had to press her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing at the dismissive roll of his eyes. "And... I don't know... I really wanted to meet you. Ben talked a lot about you and, I'm not trying to be disrespectful or crude in any way but you're really beautiful." Kate felt a blush rise to her cheeks, unable to keep the tiny smile from creeping into her lips. "I wouldn't let a bit of normal pain get in the way of that." 

"I'd say you underestimated the levels of what's normal pain a bit there, didn't you?"

"I'll admit I didn't imagine it would get so much worse so fast." He admitted with a grim nod before his eyes softened as he turned them to her face, making heat pool even hotter in her cheeks. "Please tell me I didn't ruin things and I'll get another chance?"

"Well, that depends." Kate grinned, her eyes alight with mirth. "Will you faint on me again?" 

"Nop, never again." He shook his head, wincing as the movement sent a flare of pain up his side. 

"I suppose we can work something out then." His smile was so bright Kate desperately wished to feel it against her mouth. To feel if those lips were as soft and plump as they looked. And so, to hell with it, she did. 

Kate blamed the lack of sleep and the adrenaline and nerves from the night before for her poor impulse control. She leaned forwards, careful not to jostle the mattress too much and risk hurting him, and she pressed their lips together in the gentlest of kisses, just a brush followed by a little pressure before she pulled away. Anthony tried to chase her mouth, leaning forwards before grunting in pain. 

"Down boy." She laughed, something stirring at the pit of her stomach by the way his eyes darkened. 

"Come back here." His words were half a command, half a desperate plea. "Please." 

"You just had surgery." She reminded him with a gentle pat on his hand as she settled back on the seat, trying to ignore the spark of electricity that went through her arm at the touch. 

"One more." He pleaded, lacing their fingers together. "To help me heal faster." 

"Na-hum. You'll have to wait." She tutted at him. "I'm not having a doctor call me out for opening your stitches or something.”  

Anthony let his body rest in the bed, sighing in defeat, but he did not let go of her hand. Outside the window, the sun was slowly starting to show its bright face, making the sky turn a hundred different hues of blues, oranges and pinks. 

"Will you at least tell me how much the dinner was so I can refund you?" He asked and Kate froze in the spot, her eyes growing triple the size of her face. 

"Oh God..." She choked between a laugh and a desperate sob. Anthony's head snapped to look at her.  

"What?!" 

"You fainted and the ambulance came and they were taking you to the restaurant and I..." She covered her mouth with her hand, her face flooding with colour. "I didn't pay the bill." 

They stared at each other for a few silent moments before they burst out in laughter, Anthony clutching his side with a grimace. 

"Oh God, I can't believe I dined and dashed." Kate wanted to shove her head under a pillow, her face flooding with colour and her chest heaving from giggles she couldn't quite control. 

"Please stop making me laugh," Anthony begged, although it didn't seem he was having any success in stopping it either. "I just had surgery and laughing hurts."

"Hell! Sorry, oh my..." She snorted, burying her face in her palms, trying to control her breathing. "That's so embarrassing, oh lord..." 

And although it had been most certainly the weirdest date Kate had ever been to, she was quite certain it was one of the best ones, in the end. Well, after the panic passed, of course. 

Ben arrived a little more than two hours later and the moment he crossed through the room's large door, Kate was sure Anthony had made a mistake calling his brother and not his best friend because Ben looked livid. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The tallest man cried in a harsh tone, sending the two other people in the room, who had been talking since Anthony had woken up jumping in surprise. "Hey, Kate." He looked at her, his entire posture shifting for a moment. "Thanks for sitting with him." 

"S'all good, mate." She replied, blinking at the sudden change, and then Benedict's attention was back on his older brother, the sweet, funny man absolutely fuming. 

"I cannot believe you, Anthony Bridgerton! I don't even...." The painter breathed in deeply, making a visible attempt to calm down. "You had surgery...."

"Emergency surgery." Anthony corrected, which did not help at all in his brother's attempt at remaining calm. 

"You had SURGERY to remove your goddamn appendix and you didn't..." 

"It was my fault, Ben. My phone was down and..." Her friend stopped her words with a raised finger. 

"You did nothing wrong Kate, I'm actually really grateful for you sitting with him all night." His narrowed eyes didn't leave his brother's face. "You, on the other hand..."

"I am sick," Anthony warned. 

"How long have you been sick, you stubborn idiot?!" The youngest of the brothers roared. "That's why you looked like shit in Greg's competition last night!"

"I..." 

"And on Hyacinth's match!"  He looked accusingly at Anthony, who had the decency to look ashamed. "How much did you eat in the past two days?" 

"I don’t really see how..." The words were so low and jumbled Kate couldn't understand any of them. 

"Anthony!"

"Alright, you're annoying, Christ!" The eldest sibling finally spoke up. "I didn't eat anything, alright? I was feeling nauseous, couldn't keep anything down anyway." 

"You were drinking black coffee!" Benedict threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Why didn't you go to the goddamn doctor?! Are you trying to die?"

"You're being dramatic." 

"I'm so mad at you right now, I could punch you." 

"I didn't go to the doctor because I had a lot of shit to do, Benedict," Anthony spoke slowly. Apparently, his patience had run out. "I had a pile of documents waiting for me at work. There was Hy's game and Greg's swimming and Daphne's wedding planning. I sometimes have a stomachache, because according to that doctor you forced me to go, I have gastritis."

"You have gastritis because you spend days without any proper food, running on coffee and self-sacrifice, you pompous arse!" Ben retorted with a huff. "Hy and Greg would have understood if you missed ONE game or swimming competition. Daphne's wedding is more planned and organized than my life has been in the past, I don't know, ten years! And you haven't had a day off in three years, Anthony. The last time you did was because Hyacinth got a broken arm when she was seven." Ben clapped his hands in front of his face as if praying for something, although Kate wasn't exactly sure what. 

She couldn't judge Anthony too much. She worked two jobs and used to work three until she had a burnout crisis the year previous and Mary forced her to quit one, kept track of Edwina's grades, helped Mary with the house and the bills and still walked Newton every day. Her sleep schedule was erratic at best and she ate only because her stepmother called her periodically at meal times. 

Maybe Ben did have a point when he said she reminded him of his older brother. 

"I don't know why you're so mad at me." Anthony insisted. 

"You don't... You know what Ant, I'll tell you." The tallest brother lowered his hand with a strange fire in his eyes. "I'm mad because you think you are indestructible and you don't give a shit about your own health although you can spend literal hours lecturing us about ours. I'm mad because it didn't occur to you, at any point in the past week, to turn to me and say 'Ben, I'm feeling overwhelmed.' and..."

"I wasn't overwhelmed," Anthony scoffed in annoyance. "I had appendicitis." 

"It didn't occur to you, at any point, to turn to me, or to Simon, or to Daphne, or to anyone, to say 'I'm having a very strong pain in my abdomen and I can’t keep food down' and any of us would have gladly stepped up to help you with all the shit you needed to get done while you went to a goddamn doctor instead of having to get an emergency surgery in the middle of your date!" 

"Alright Benedict," Anthony mumbled with a mocking roll of his eyes. "next time I sneeze, I'll let..." 

Kate understood the reluctant feeling in Anthony's tone. It was hard to ask for help, especially when you had people depending on you for a long time. How did you turn to someone that came to you for absolutely everything for years and years and said 'I have too much on my shoulders, I need help.' without feeling like an absolute failure? And at the same time, without making them feel like failures because you never told them you were overwhelmed. 

Kate was also very, very bad at asking for help. 

"You know what, Anthony? I'm not going to try to reason with you. There is no point, you won't listen." Benedict sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily. "I'm taking you to Mum's." 

"You're absolutely not." Anthony scoffed, trying to cross his arms stubbornly in front of his chest, but failing miserably when his entire face convulsed in pain. 

"I can't see how your sorry arse is going to stop me." Ben looked triumphantly at this older brother. "You are going to mum's and you are staying there until you are 100% recovered from your surgery and maybe  an extra week to be safe and you are going to eat three proper meals a day and work regular hours if mum allows you to work." 

"You're going to have to kill me," Anthony told his brother completely determined. 

"I am considering it." 

"I'm not going." 

"Oh, you are." Ben nodded his head and his grin was absolutely diabolical. If Edwina was looking at Kate like this, she'd probably have run for cover and it was clear in Anthony's face he would agree. "Please ask me how." 

"I'm not giving you the pleasure." Benedict just waved his grumpy brother's words away completely at ease. 

"It's not a problem, I'm telling you anyway." He rubbed his hands together and in Anthony's eyes, Kate could see he was considering just jumping out of the window not to suffer whatever fate his brother had planned for him. "Because I’ve already called mum," Ben lifted a finger, as if counting. "and Daph," One more finger up. "and I called your work and told them you're taking the next week as sick leave and are not to be disturbed." A third finger was lifted but he was clearly not done. "I have also already bribed Eloise with something she wants quite a whole lot so I think you'll be hard-pressed to get her to cooperate with you." With each finger that went up, Anthony's eyes went wider. "And to finish it off, I've spoken to Hyacinth and Greg." Benedict looked triumphant with his entire palm open in front of him. 

"What did you say to them?!" 

"I might or might not have implied that you are really sick and that if you don't rest, you might have a big health problem that will be a risk to your life." The taller man seemed to be feeling pleased to see Anthony so shocked in a way only a younger sibling could. "They're really scared, you know?" 

"So, you lied!" Anthony accused.

"No, I didn't, you lout! If you don't fucking rest you're going to rip a stitch and bleed inside out or something!" Benedict stormed. He had also been to Art school and was certainly not a doctor. "And honestly the worst they'll do is spend a shitton of time around you and you'd never complain about that." Anthony did not seem to have an answer for that. "What you really should be worried about is Daphne. She was talking about taking a few days from work to look after you." 

Honestly, if Anthony made an attempt to jump out of the window, Kate would probably help.

Anthony had been released from the hospital and into Benedict's clutches in the afternoon, with a list of medicine and doctors' orders to follow and several overprotective siblings to look after him at home. Kate did not envy him at all. 

She had awkwardly stood there as Anthony signed a pile of forms under his younger brother's watchful eye and asked them if anyone could call her an Uber, since her phone was dead, which immediately prompted Ben to offer to just drop her home. And that was how she found herself sitting in the back of a car with Anthony Bridgerton as his brother drove. 

He was sitting half-bent in what looked like an uncomfortable position, his mop of brown hair falling to his forehead, dark circles under his eyes. Kate just felt the desperate need to curl around him, have his arms around her, holding her tight. He had quite spectacular arms, really. 

She managed to fight back that one impulse, too afraid to hurt him if she tried. It didn't keep her from reaching out to his hand, lacing their fingers together. Anthony looked from her face to their joint hands back to her face, a tired but bright smile blooming on his lips. 

From the rear-view mirror, Kate could see Benedict's smirk, but she ignored it. She'd let him groat, at least for a little bit. He deserved it. 

The car pulled at the curb in front of her small block of flats and before she could think twice about it, Kate leaned forwards, kissing Anthony with another of those ridiculously soft kisses, their lips brushing together gently for a moment before she pulled away. 

"I thought you said I'd have to wait?" He asked, a satisfied smile gracing his lips as he looked at her. 

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you'll need something to help you keep sane in the next week." Kate giggled as he groaned. "And something for you to think of, you know? Until our next date. Once you're better." 

"I can't wait." 

And really neither could she.

Anthony was a model patient. An annoying one, the biggest pain in his siblings arse he could manage to be, but a good patient none the less. He took his meds, ate his food and rested. He complained and bitched and moaned every second of it, but he was doing it. He and Kate texted everyday and seeing a message from him light up her phone make a silly smile take over her face like a stupid teen with a crush. 

And finally, three weeks after their disastrous first day, Anthony got the all clear from the doctor and he was waiting for her at the door of a fancy restaurant, looking exactly like that hot, hot man Ben had shown her in a photo that had convinced her to accept the date. 

"You're not going to faint on me, are you, Mr Bridgerton?" Kate asked, with mirth on her smile as she approached him, enjoying the way his eyes raked darkly over her purple dress. 

"Not a chance, Miss Sharma." He barely got the words out before pulling her into his chest and finally, finally, kissing her properly. 

It was a kiss worth waiting for.

And a year and a half later, Anthony's eyes were still raking over her, this time with tears pooling on them as her mother walked her down the isle, the flowy white dress contrasting quite beautifully with her raven dark hair and the henna tattoos on her skin. 

"You're not gonna faint on me now, are you, Mr Bridgerton?" Kate asked for the thousenth time, smiling up at him as she let go of Mary's hand and took his. The smile he offered back was as bright as the sun. 

"Not a change, Mrs Bridgerton." 

Truly, that first date had been one of the best things in her life, after all. 

[gurugirl]

so i'm so happy about mcc harry update. it was so so so good. you really put me in the story every time. i love you, guru!!

BUT BUT what about this stepmom fic you're writing? Remember it was either mcc harry update or stepmom x harry with that poll and i'm so curious to know more.

will that one be posted soon? would you offer us a small little sneak peek for it? if you can!

so glad you liked the mcc check in! it was fun to write :) :)

As for stepmom x harry 👀 well i have been working diligently. I'm at about 7.5k words in and for those of you into that kind of thing (I know I am) I think you'll love it.

And for those wondering - y/n is married to harry's dad - met harry when he was 19, and is shy of 7 years older (in case any of that is important or makes you want to not continue reading).

Here's a small peek at what I've got at the moment. Enjoy!

. . .

Josh was the bartender that evening. A cute college-aged young man with a bright smile who always remembered her name.

“Of course, Ms. Y/n. Will swap these out. As usual.” He winked.

She leaned over the bar as she took a quick sip of her martini while Josh went to retrieve Cyndee’s card. She looked down the bar at the faces of other patrons and suddenly was met with the clear green eyes of Leo’s son, Harry. Her stepson. She wasn’t sure if he’d seen her and it wasn’t as if Y/n had done anything wrong but she just hadn’t expected to see him there.

She leaned up again, peering around the woman sitting on the stool to her left and her eyes landed on the young man. Freshly shorn dark curls and a soft pink smile crooked up as he spoke animatedly to the guy sitting next to him. And just as she assumed he hadn’t seen her he turned and looked at her squarely, nodding in acknowledgment before pulling himself off the stool he was on and making his way across the bar to her.

“Is that Harry?” Marla spoke as she leaned in.

“Yes, it is.”

Harry was a nice young man. He was polite, sometimes overly polite she thought, and he was charming. Y/n liked Harry. She didn’t know him all that well. He lived on campus at the university so she saw him rarely. But she did recognize that he’d cut his hair. He had long dark curls when she first met him. He looked like a bad boy, covered in tattoos with a permanent smirk on his face. But once she got to talking to him, she realized, he was a big sweetheart really. The long dark hair and tattoos were just a look. A style. Harry was a nice young man.

The truth was, all the girls joked about how attractive Leo and his son were. Both men were quite handsome. Y/n couldn’t deny that. Harry was tall like his father and built nicely. Long legs and a well-muscled chest. A great jawline and crystal green eyes that allured.

“Hi, Y/n. Marla,” Harry spoke as he looked from Y/n to Marla.

And that was another thing about him. He always remembered everyone’s name. He had met Marla maybe twice, yet here he was drinking beers at a bar and remembering the name of Y/n’s best friend whom he barely knew.

“Hi Harry,” Y/n smiled up at him, “Like the hair,” She reached up and whisked a finger into a short curl before bringing her hand back down into her own space.

Harry smiled broadly, a glorious dimple digging into his cheek as he raised an arm and ran his long fingers through his soft dark hair, “Oh! Yeah. Thank you. Got it cut a few weeks ago. Still getting used to it. Um, how are you doing?”

“Good. Girl’s Night, you know,” she shrugged and looked over at Marla who stood next to her, “We’re here every other Friday for some dancing and drinks,” when she turned her gaze back to Harry’s his soft eyes were intently watching her as she spoke. “Um, yeah. How are you? How’s school?”

Harry tipped himself forward to his toes and then lowered back down to his normal height, “Good. S’good. Already looking forward to Spring break,” he chuckled.

“Oh yeah! Me too. I’m not even in school and I’m already making plans,” she chuckled.

Suddenly something dawned on Y/n. Her eyes went wide and then she squinted as she looked at her stepson, “Wait. You’re not 21. You’re too young to be here, Mister.”

Harry snorted a laugh and nodded, “I know. I know. But I’m turning 21 in two weeks. Figured I’d try my hand at underage drinking once in my life. Before it’s too late,” he grinned.

“So you’ve never done this before?”

“Nope. First time. And of course, my stepmom is here when I do. Just my luck.”

Feedback/Thoughts 

[haee-elia]

1x04 - plain sight

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader (reader is non-bau agent)

summary: in which spencer reid gets some advice to ask out his best friend as a gift on his birthday

word count: 3684 (HOW DO THESE JUST KEEP GETTING LONGER)

warnings: mentions of tommy killer (he r*ped and killed) although no mention directly of his crimes. no gore or descriptive language

a/n: wow! i’ve written so much in these past few weeks, wowee! i’ve planned the next few episodes and i’m really excited to get started on a few of them. i am currently rewatching criminal minds and planning as i watch each episode again (this is my third time going through the entire series)

i just wanna say, thanks for so much of the support whether you’re a lurker, you’ve liked, reblogged, or commented. i very much appreciate just overall any love on my writing!

here’s the masterlist of the rest of the one shots

and here’s the premise of what i’m doing

You had a very large smile on your face as you stood behind Spencer, standing next to Elle, JJ, and Morgan singing the BAU’s resident genius a very, very happy birthday.

Although you weren’t part of the BAU team, you were extremely close to all the younger members of the team. So much so that Agent Gideon and Agent Hotchner didn’t even blink twice if they saw you in the bullpen, accompanying one of the team members. You had first met the BAU team members through one of your best friends at the bureau, Penelope Garcia.

Outside of the office, you enjoyed baking pastries, desserts, and other goods and you would often bring them to work and drop them off in the various break rooms around the buildings. You didn’t realize that Penelope enjoyed your cupcakes enough to devise a hunt on who was leaving the baked goods and to say you were mildly surprised that random Tuesday morning bringing in brownies after baking them the night before.

It was safe to say you became fast friends with eclectic and funky technical analyst. Penelope then introduced you to the BAU and you found that you fit right in. You and Morgan often reminisced about both of your fathers that died on duty to their respective police departments. You and JJ enjoyed organizing a 1 on 1 game of soccer to get a quick workout in. You and Elle, the newest addition to the BAU team, traded family recipes, both coming from Spanish households.

However, there was one member of the team that the moment you met, you just clicked with, even more than Penelope. That member was Dr. Spencer Reid, the young 23, now 24, year old genius who was a better expert in anything than anyone you had ever met.

On weekends when the BAU didn’t have a case, you and Spencer would get a coffee and walk around bookshops in the D.C. area. If you saw a documentary or play being held nearby, you would check with Spencer if he wanted to join you. When he found out you couldn’t ride a bike, he offered to teach you and took you to the park where you spent the day laughing and bonding over scrapped knees. Sometimes, you would walk into the bullpen and Spencer would have a new factoid about baking and others, he would have a whole new recipe that he thought you might like. You two just meshed together really well.

Spencer, who seemed more awkward and shy at first, quickly opened up to you once you made it known that you didn’t care if he rambled on about something new he learned or that you didn’t find it weird how he could read quickly yet didn’t fully trust new technology.

You, who struggled with people pleasing and perfectionism, weren’t afraid to show flaws and mistakes in front of Spencer who encouraged you that your slightly lopsided souffle still tasted great and that the neighbor at your apartment complex who you had spent a year and a half to befriend wasn’t worth your time or effort anymore.

Unfortunately, being so close with Spencer meant you knew all of him and it was impossible to squash the blazing crush your heart and mind had set on him. Both of you were single and it technically wasn’t prohibited to date within the bureau if you were on different teams, like you and Spencer are, but after knowing the man for about a year and a half and spending so much time with him, you were almost sure he wasn’t interested in you.

He hadn’t made any move to ask you out or turn any of your regular outings into a date and you were being incredibly not subtle about your affections on the young genius to the point that you would definitely question his ability as a profiler if he wasn’t able to pinpoint your adoration and crush on him.

The smartest thing for you to do would be to distance yourself from Spencer and maybe try and get over him by going on dates, but everytime you thought about doing so, you would get a call from Spencer and it was like your heart couldn’t tell him no.

Which brought you to present day, singing happy birthday and celebrating Spencer’s 24th birthday with the rest of the BAU team. Spencer, dressed in a checkerboard light blue shirt with a ridiculous birthday hat shaped like a cartoon birthday cake that Derek had bought for him, was sitting at his desk in front of a cake you had made him.

As you ended the celebratory happy birthday song, you watched as Spencer went to blow out the candles and they kept relighting.

Derek was jokingly mocking him, telling him he was full of hot air, and JJ and Elle were laughing quietly as Spencer kept blowing at the candles.

You decide to take some pity on the situation and tell him, “Spence,” You address, not noting the way Spencer immediately looked towards you when you called him, “They’re trick candles that Derek bought. No matter how much blowing they’ll never go out.”

Derek awed now that his prank was done and JJ left briefly to go get a cup of water to be able to put the still lit candles out. You just came up closer to Spencer.

“Happy birthday, Spence!” You wish him as you wrap your arms around his shoulders and hug him from behind. It was a bit awkward since he was sitting down and you were standing up, but his height made it easier.

As JJ came back and took off the candles, Elle was ready with the cake knife that you had brought along with the cake, paper plates, and utensils.

“Aw, come on,” Derek playfully complained as he saw the inside of the cake, “Vanilla? Really, that’s so boring!” He said even though his eyes told a different story.

You chuckled and patted Spencer’s shoulders with your hands before moving to help Elle get slices cut for everyone, “Alright, Derek. When it’s your birthday, you get to choose the flavor.” You reprimand him, equally as playful in tone.

“And,” You add, “Vanilla isn’t boring. A good vanilla is the best flavor there it.” You hand off one of the paper plates to Spencer who looked ready to dig into his favorite flavor of cake.

He nodded along to what you were saying as well, “Did you know that when vanilla first left Mexico in the early 1500s, it was thought to only have value as an ingredient and aromatic in perfumes? It wasn’t until 1519 that it was discovered to the Spaniards to be useful as a flavoring.”

You smiled, “No, I didn’t know. That’s really cool. Vanilla is one of my favorite flavors to bake with.” You say, “Did you know that vanilla is still the most popular ice cream flavor in the U.S?”

Spencer nodded, his mouth chewing the moist vanilla cake that you had made the night before in preparation of his birthday.

In fact, he was actually over at your apartment as you baked his cake. You at first argued against him being there, wanting his cake to be a surprise, but he convinced you that you were only baking the cakes that night and you were going to wait to frost it in the morning. And of course, you couldn’t say no to Spencer so he sat on one of your barstools as you mixed up ingredients for the vanilla cake batter. He also licked the spatula and bowl clean afterwards and you allowed it because he was the birthday boy (you also couldn’t say no to Spence).

“Oh my god,” You heard Elle say, “This is the best cake I’ve ever had.”

JJ and Derek chuckled and you beamed under the praise, “Just wait until your birthday, Elle. I’ll make you that Caramel Flan recipe you gave me.”

“I would literally kiss you.” She stated, her eyes widened just with the thought of the delicious Cuban dessert.

“Pucker up,” You joked and turned your cheek to Elle, leaning your cheek closer and tapping on it. All of you laughed and JJ and Derek broke off in conversation with Elle about the other cakes and desserts you had made them for their birthdays.

“I don’t think I’ve told you thank you,” Spencer says to you while picking at his cake slice, “Thanks for making my cake and for doing all this,” He gestures to the small birthday decorations around his desk.

You shrugged it off, “Spence, you are my best friend, of course I would do all this. Plus, it was my treat.”

Spencer blushed, an easy and common occurrence, “Don’t let Penelope hear you call me your best friend.” He playfully warned, pointing the end of his fork at you jokingly.

You both chuckled, “I would never hear the end of it, that’s for sure.” You stand up straighter and exclaim, “Oh!”

You move around Spencer’s desk and he watches as you bend down and reveal a bag, being grasped in your hand.

Spencer once again pointed his fork at you, “We agreed on no gifts.” He stated, eyeing the bag you were holding that had a big happy birthday text on the front surrounded by glitter.

“You agreed on no gifts.” You replied, handing the bag off to your best friend, “I said no such thing.”

He pulled the first thing out of the bag, it was a pack of socks. Funky socks that you had found at different thriftstores.

“That’s just to add to your sock collection.” You say as he inspects them, you point down at his own socks that he’s wearing right now, “You can mix and match them all you like.”

He grins and compliments your taste, looking at the cool patterns, before reaching again into the bag and pulling out a navy blue neck pillow.

“For the long plane rides. So your neck doesn’t ache as badly.” You explain.

He thanks you and places it on his desk, pulling out the next gift. It was just a simple Barnes & Noble gift card. You made sure you didn’t pick a card that would show the price because you knew Spencer would scold you for giving him $100 to spend on books.

“You’ve mentioned some new books coming out soon.” You simply state. “There’s one more thing in there.”

The last thing in the gift bag was a special item, something that you would never dare tell Spencer what you paid for it. It was a book light, one that could be wrapped around his neck and then beamed warmer light, not fluorescent brightness.

You smile, “You told me about how you had to get reading glasses the other day because your eyes were straining a lot when reading. I saw this and thought the warmer light could help with the eye straining and you could read better.”

He returned your smile, looking down at the light and checking it out.

“It’s some new technology or something, but I swear it’s super simple. All you have to do is press the button on the side and it uses batteries. I think you can dim it too.” You explain.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” He stutters, “This has to be the most thoughtful gift I’ve gotten in a long time.” He says.

You don’t say anything, knowing he was probably thinking about his mother and how she is living in the care facility all the way back in Las Vegas.

You kiss the top of his head, “Happy Birthday, Spence.” You say.

The birthday celebration is shortly lived when Agent Gideon and Agent Hotchner walk over to your group gathered at Spencer’s desk.

“Sorry, guys, the party’s over.” Agent Hotchner says, “We’re going to San Diego.”

The team sulks and wishes Spencer once more, a happy birthday and then splits off, going to get ready to fly out. You clean up the mess from the cake left behind and smile at Spencer as he also debates on leaving you here, alone.

“I’ll see you when you get back, Spence.” You say, gathering used plates and utensils, “We can go grab some takeout or something.”

“I-I’d love that.” He says as he grabs his gifts and his satchel bag, “I’ll, um, call you when we’re landing.”

You nod and wave to him as he leaves the bullpen area, leaving your aching heart behind as well.

Later, Spencer sits with Elle waiting for the unsub to call into the San Diego Police Department tip line after claiming they made an arrest to the Tommy Killer. An arrest that the BAU team knew they could orchestrate to lure out the real Tommy Killer.

Spencer ponders outloud, “Do you think it’s weird that I knew the ballad?” He asks Elle.

Derek had made a comment that Spencer knew was supposed to be a joke, but it still made him wonder. Is his vast database of knowledge a factor in why he doesn’t date or get dates? Does it make him unattractive or undesirable? Is it an annoyance? Do people just tolerate him?

Elle shakes her head, “I don’t know how it is that you know half the things you know but I’m glad you do.” She replies.

“Do you think it’s why I can’t get a date?” He prods again, wanting her opinion on the subject since she is a woman.

“You ever ask anyone out?” She prods back.

Spencer shakes his head, “No.” He responds.

Elle points at him, “That’s why you can’t get a date.” She states.

Spencer furrows his eyebrows, “How would one go about that?” He inquires, “Asking one out on, uh, on a date.” He shyly implores.

Elle seems a little shocked before she looks at him questioningly and sees him fiddle with his hands and then look down at his feet and smile. She follows his line of vision to see that Spencer had changed socks, specifically into the ones you had just given him for his birthday.

“Oh my god,” She says, realizing what Spencer was inherently asking, “You wanna ask out-”

She nearly points it verbally and Spencer sits up straighter and tenses up knowing what she is going to say, but he is saved by the bell, or at least by the ringing of a phone.

“Detective Martin.” He hears the man introduce himself to hopefully would be the real Tommy Killer. Spencer moves out of his seat quickly and towards the detective on call, leaving Elle speechless and a little bit flabbergasted by the deduction she made. His heart slowly calms down and he wipes his hands on his pants before gladly moving focus to the case.

God, he’s never been so thankful for a rageful unsub.

And finally, at the end of the Tommy Killer case on the plane with the rest of the team in bound for Quantico once again, Spencer sat against one of the comfortable BAU jet seats. It was a longer flight back home, from San Diego, California to Quantico, Virginia, but it sure did helped that they rode in style and comfortably.

He looked out one of the small airplane windows to see the night sky. He was putting your gifts to good use as well. The neck pillow was around his neck in a bulky manner, his socks that he wore were from the variety pack you had gotten him, and as Spencer rifled through his satchel bag to grab a book to read for the rest of the flight, he also gingerly took your gift in hand.

Spencer took the neck pillow off of the back of his head and stuffed it into his bag before taking out his latest book and the book light you had gotten him.

He was just setting it up to read his book when he heard a mix between a chuckle and a scoff from somewhere else on the plane. He turned to see Derek.

“Sorry, pretty boy,” Derek said, although his tone wasn’t sorry at all, “It’s just-” He gestured around his own neck and pointed at Spencer’s.

“This whole thing? C’mon boy genius, what even is that?” He asks while stifling a laugh.

Spencer can feel his face turn beet red and he quickly goes to defend his new gift, a gift that you gave him, “I-it helps reduce eye strain when reading!”

JJ pipes in and playfully shoves Derek’s shoulder, “Oh come on, Derek, lay off him. You know who gave it to him.”

Then Elle interjects, “Could this be the same person who Spencer wants to ask out?” She asks the group.

“Ask out?” JJ reiterates before getting a confirmation in the form of Elle nodding, “Oh my gosh, Spencer, you should totally ask her out!” She encourages.

“Do you even know how to ask someone out, pretty boy?” Derek teases. Spencer’s face, if possible, turns even more red as he goes to avoid the question.

The group took Spencer’s silence as a cry for help apparently, because next thing Spencer knows, all three are giving him advice on how to ask out someone. Advice that Spencer really didn’t need solicited to him.

“He should invite her over to his place!”

“No, no, no! Take her to a classy dinner!”

“What about a movie date?”

He sighs and puts his book and his new book light (which doesn’t fail to bring a smile to his face everytime he sees it) back in his satchel bag and gets up from his seat. The group of three don’t even notice Spencer walking to the other half of the plane, the more quiet end housing Hotch doing paperwork and Gideon sitting in front of a chess board.

He takes a seat in front of Gideon and inspects the chess board and the current state of both sides. Chess with Gideon made sense. He didn’t have people in his ear telling him what to do or nervousness creep up on him every time he saw a board. He knew chess. Chess was much more simple.

Gideon looks at Spencer for a bit and the two interchange pieces quickly and it isn’t long until half the board is gone and the game slows down a bit.

“Oh,” Gideon says before reaching into his pocket, “I almost forgot. I have something for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Spencer acknowledges, mostly focusing on the chess game at hand.

Gideon hands Spencer an envelope, “Forgot to give it to you at the party.” He simply explains.

Spencer is a bit confused, “But you don’t give birthday presents.” He states as a fact.

He opens the envelope and finds two tickets and he reads the header text on them out loud, “Sir Law Table?” He says. It only makes him more confused.

Gideon corrects his pronunciation with a smile, “Sur La Table.”

Spencer’s eyebrows furrow as he tries to make sense of the gift, “Thank you so much.”

“It’s a 6-week cooking course.” Gideon explains, “For two.” He adds. “Do you cook a lot?”

“I can’t say that I do.” Spencer responds.

Gideon waves off his confusion, “You’re gonna love it.”

“Sure,” Spencer replies, “Are you a good cook?”

“Yes, I like to think I am.” Giden chuckles, “But those tickets are not for you and me.” He points out.

Now this leaves Spencer even more confused, “They’re not?”

“No.”

“Who for then?” He inquires.

There’s a glimmer in his eye, a youthful and playful one that Spencer doesn’t quite recognize in Gideon, “For the only person in the world that calls you Spence.”

It leaves Spencer speechless, still holding the two tickets in his hand. Just at the mere mention of you, his hands start to clam up a bit and he can feel his heart starting to beat a little faster.

Gideon smirks, “It’s a perfect way to ask a girl out on a first date.”

“W-wh-what?” Spencer stutters. “B-b-but how do I-- what do I--,” He clears his throat and tries to verbally put together his racing thoughts, “What if she says no?”

“She won’t.” Gideon simply states. He leaves Spencer to the rest of his thoughts as he moves a pawn on the board.

It seems that Spencer has calmed his mind and thoughts as he glances at the tickets again, rubbing his fingers between the paper of the two raffle style tickets.

Gideon can see the cogs turning in the boy genius’s mind slowly start working at a normal speed again and it seems like Spencer has made up his own mind when he turns his attention back to the board, but only for a small second.

Spencer moves his bishop across the board and pauses to look up at Gideon with his own playful sparkle now in his eye, “Checkmate.” He says and then leaves Gideon to the thoughts of the game before returning to his own seat where his bag still stays.

Gideon watches as Spencer waves off the three younger BAU members and whatever they were wanting to say to the youngest member of the team.

It’s only a few hours later and after the BAU jet lands that Hotch, JJ, Elle, Derek, and Gideon gather around waiting for the elevator to arrive that they all turn around to now face the glass doors that enter into the bullpen to watch a very happy sight.

Spencer approaches you and says something that the group can’t quite make out so far away with some type of paper or papers in his hand, but its clear what the reaction is when you nod your head and gleefully respond to something that looks like a large yes and launch into Spencer with a gigantic hug.

You and Spencer are still intertwined in your hug when Spencer spots the rest of his team outside, watching through the glass doors. He gives Gideon a nod and mouths a thank you just as the elevator arrives to bring everyone home.

[egipci]

Hi Em!!!! Happy Dadfucker Friday <3

There’s a very popular picture in the John/Dean community of a guy with a dirty boot print on his chest. Can you tell us a little bit about how that boot print got there? (Eg. was it consensual? Was it a punishment? Was it a sex thing? Did Dean ask for it? etc.) Thank you!!! <3

Cannabutter

What happened was, the first time, they were somewhere in rural Colorado, like near the mountains, and Dad had been gone for a couple of weeks on a case, and there was a girl. This girl, let’s call her Maggie, she was over one night in the little townhouse where they were staying, and she’d brought these brownies with her. And the brownies were really good, like objectively very fucking good brownies, fudgy at the center, etc., and Dean was hungry, had been eating mac and cheese everyday for a week straight, or you know, like feeling snacky or whatever, and he was seventeen, plus the girl was hot, and they were sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch and he had sort of a lot of brownies. Like, half a sheet of those things. So good were these brownies he was like, “Yo, these brownies are so good. What’s in these brownies?” and it was all the usual stuff, of course, eggs, cocoa, sugar, etc. but you had to use brown sugar, that was the key. “You get the brown sugar,” she said, “and then you whisk in the cannabutter,” and he said, “A canna what?” And she said, “The cannabutter,” and he said, “Oh,” and as he said that he felt it, his heart banging against his ribs and face warming up, a shiver between his shoulder blades. And she was like, one of those hippy chicks with hippy parents and she and her parents smoked pot together or whatever, like they grew it themselves and made butter and tea and whatnot. And he said, “Oh, cool, my dad and I are really close too. He’s coming back soon,” except he couldn’t be sure if he’d actually said any of that or if he’d only thought it, and he must have been freaking out a little because she put her hand on his arm all fucking solicitous and asked, “Are you okay?” and of course he said yes, because she was hot, plus the roofies had felt different. And when he smiled at her she kissed him and pushed him to his back and got on top of him, put her hands under his shirt. And that was nice for a while, making out and her kissing up on his neck and pulling his shirt off.

Then: the sound of the car, and the girl whispering conspiratorially, “Is that your dad?” And at that point he was shaking and trying not to shake and he said, very seriously, “You have to go now,” like a freaking chick from a movie where the dad chases away all the boyfriends. And then he was vaguely aware of her getting up and putting on her shoes and saying something to Dad on the way out, and Dean thought if he got up he might throw up or something and Dad would find out how fucked up he was. So he just stayed there very still on the floor in front of the couch. Pretending to be asleep so that when Dad saw him he’d just leave him there. And Dad was moving around, taking off his jacket and washing his hands, etc., and Dean could feel him coming closer, to kill him or something probably, his boots making the floorboards creak, until he stood right there over Dean, and then he bent down with a grunt and stood up again, his knees cracking twice. And of course, because it was Dad and he’d been away so long, Dean opened his eyes and looked up, overjoyed to see him, having missed him so much, and Dad held the ziplock with the rest of those brownies up to his face, and he said, “Oh, man,” and just his voice made heat flash everywhere, sent Dean white-hot like a magnesium flare. “Dad,” he said, and Dad said, “Come on, dude. Get up.” And Dean said, “Dad. Dad, I’m so high,” and saying more than three words sent him laughing hysterically that something popped in his neck, or almost, and Dad toed his shoulder, said, “Get to bed,” except even then he didn’t sound super serious, like if Dean could see his face he would find him smiling, because he can tell things like that just by hearing Dad’s voice. And then, out of nowhere, Dad just put his foot right over Dean’s chest, almost straight across, but diagonal a little, with his boot still on, and like, shook him, like you would put your hand on someone’s shoulder and then rattle them a little. And the ridges on the sole were hard and wet from the dewy soil outside, but Dean’s hand latched around Dad’s ankle, over the boot, and then up around his skinny shin under the leg of his jeans, and Dad let him, just pressed his foot down hard. Not hard enough that Dean couldn’t breathe but there, good, like when he’d hold Dean down with his hands on his chest or his back, except even better because he was high as shit and the tip of Dad’s toe was grinding against his nipple, painful almost, but he could feel it everywhere, like this current to his balls, but it wasn’t just that, it was that it was Dad standing there over him, holding him down, watching him, and he made this embarrassing sound, whiny, so humiliating he couldn’t even do anything about it except call out for Dad again, and Dad said, “You’re good,” and his voice was so low it made Dean shiver, because he liked watching Dean and he was watching him now, even spread out pathetic on the floor Dad liked watching him, wanted to watch him even like this, even as he held onto Dad’s leg with one hand and unbuttoned his jeans with the other and pulled his dick out and his balls over the elastic of his boxers and came so hard in twelve seconds flat, even then Dad liked him.