#truly the one day of the year we all get along because we don’t celebrate christmas lol (muslim tingz)

[sacredpit]

happy thanksgiving to all who are celebrating!! i hope you get to spend time with people you love today & find joy in even the smallest things to be thankful for. one of those things for me has been coming back to this community after such a hard time in my life and finding (& re-finding in some cases) such lovely people with not just beautiful writing & characterization, but such warm & kindhearted energy. i really feel welcome here & i’m having a lot of fun with both of my muses (even though giorno just got here lol, shhh) 🤧 i hope to write with all of you even more & to get to know you, too! 🤎🦃

[jamminvroomvroom]

4k celebration

congrats on 4k love - your writing is absolutely worth all of the hype and even more!!! i adore your work and so look forward to even more people discovering it.

i was hoping to request a lewis fic?? i’m such a slut for a good enemies to lovers situation, so maybe along the lines of reader is a fair bit younger than lewis, but there’s been all of this tension btwn them and it all boils over one night (smuttyyyyy) 🥴

we made up.

LH x fem!rival reader - 4k celebration

in which you can never just bite your tongue

eeeeek i love this request! thank u sm anon for ur sweet words, ur so lovely i hope i’ve done this justice for you! writing for lewis terrified me so this might not be my best work but we move! more lewis requests to come, let me know what you think <3

songs to set the mood: stargirl interlude by the weekend & lana del rey

warnings: 18+!! minors go away!! smut, swearing, degradation, praise, dom!lewis, some switch!reader, implied age gap, slightly inexperienced reader, enemies to lovers, blink n you’ll miss it size kink

2.6k words

you hide admiration with a scowl, curling into yourself, as far away as you can get from him. the couch seems to get smaller and smaller with every overly intelligent, carefully thought out word he says. each sentence seems to be coated in a thick layer of i don’t give a fuck. you don’t know how he’s so good a toeing the line.

after six years in f1, you still couldn’t work out why you didn’t like lewis hamilton.

maybe it was his cool confidence, the way he never lacked composure, while you were called an unhinged, delusional woman by every incel on twitter for so much as breathing. maybe it was his sky high stack of trophies, championships, podiums, wins. you weren’t even halfway close to touching his records. maybe it was the way he was diabolically, inhumanly gorgeous, a truly breathtaking creature. you paled in every single way compared to lewis, so how could you even begin to like him?

it was silly, really, pathetic even, feeling such childish disdain just because he was better than you. he was older, more refined, iconic in every single way that you weren’t. perhaps you’d get there one day, but you simply weren’t there yet.

you’re sat beside him in the press conference, sharing the couch with him, alex, lando, charles and max. it wasn’t the worst combination in the world, but anytime you had to sit in front of a gaggle of hawk-eyed journos and a million cameras with lewis, something unfortunate usually happened. never by design, but you just weren’t very good at saving face in front of the mercedes driver.

“do you think the podium is a possibility this weekend?” someone from autosport whose name you can’t remember asks.

“i’m hoping so, just need to keep the mercs behind us again, but i don’t think that will be that hard.” you respond, without even a sliver of a filter. the material of the sofa shifts as lewis tenses up beside you, inhaling sharply at your blatant disrespect. somewhere beside you, lando sniggers, and max is rolling his eyes.

it was no secret that you didn’t have the softest spot in the world for sir lewis.

“that’s assuming your car makes it to the end of the race.” lewis clears his throat, speaking with confident conviction. you turn you head to glare at him, painfully unable to take what you give. alex slaps his hand over his mouth.

“at least my car isn’t so bad that i’d rather go and learn the alphabet down at ferrari.” you scoff. you avoid the eyes of your comms officer, because if looks could kill, you’d be six feet under already.

“i think we’ll leave it there.” tom clarkson suggests, and you stand from the panel and storm away on trembling legs with a terrible ache throbbing between them.

there’s something about the pettiness, the reasonless back and fourth you two always seem to partake in that leaves you in need of a cold shower.

-

turns out, you have to apologise.

you spend the better part of an hour being bollocked by your press team, who, for some reason, don’t find it particularly amusing that you’d somehow managed to insult the lewis hamilton, ferrari, and mercedes in the span of two sentences.

so, there you were, begrudgingly trailing towards lewis’s hotel room. it’s on the top floor, because of course it is, it’s him. he oozes expensive exclusively, naturally above the rest. you twist your rings nervously, increasingly terrified of being in a confined space alone with the gorgeous brit. your knuckles rap gently against the wood of his door, intentionally weakly. you pray he won’t hear you and that you can just disappear back into the elevator and into your room, to pathetically let you hands wander between your clenched thighs.

but god laughs, and the door swings open. lewis seems startled by your presence, just for a moment though, leaning cooly against the doorframe. his lips pull into a faint smile. two things alarm you. first of all, he’s shirtless, bare from the waist up, a plethora of delicious tattoos on display for you to feast your eyes on. secondly, and somehow even worse, he’s panting, clearly just back from a work out in the gym. he glistens with sweat, and your mind goes blank, apologetic words die on your tongue.

“something to say, angel, or are you just here to stare?” lewis teases, the words rolling off his tongue smoothly. you pray for the ground to gape open, swallow you hole, suck you into hot lava.

“well, i was gonna apologise but i don’t think you deserve it.” you sneer, crossing your arms over your chest accusingly.

“didn’t think you knew how to apologise.” lewis grins sarcastically, mocking you.

“has anyone told you how arrogant you are?” you bite back, eyes narrowing.

“why don’t you come in here and i’ll show you just how arrogant i can be?” his voice has dropped a few octaves, seductive and low.

the proposition, the suggestion behind his words makes you fold immediately. you’d wondered for far too long about what he was like behind closed doors and under thick bedsheets, and if you had the chance at finding out, you’d be imbecilic not to take it.

you shove his muscled chest, pushing him back into his room. his hands find your waist, pulling harshly at the material of your loose t-shirt. he’s watching you intently, mesmerised by the angry flush on your cheeks tinging you pink. your eyes convey hunger, matching his, and you’re forcing him down to sit at the foot of his bed.

“why are you such an asshole?” you hiss, slotting your knees on either side of his so that you’re straddling him.

“probably the same reason you’re such a little bitch.” lewis growls, tugging you forward harshly on his lap. you feel his work out shorts ride up on his thighs, the material sensitive on your skin.

your pupils blow wide at his words, and you’re kissing him hard, teeth and tongues clashing messily. his lips are so soft, pillowy as they brush aggressively with your own and you lick wetly into his awaiting mouth. he’s addictive, minty, and you fall against his bare chest as he leans back into the mattress.

“i think you need to be taught some manners.” lewis grunts, flipping your bodies over like you’re nothing, and slotting against your body like a missing piece.

“i think the same could be said about you.” you breathe, sliding your hand under the waistband of his shorts. he chuckles quietly, the rumble reverberating through your own chest, cracking you open.

“try your best.” he whispers. your eyes roll back.

truth is, you’re not the most experienced person in the world. yes, you’re in your mid twenties, but a long term relationship with the worlds biggest loser and dedicating your life to a career in a boys club meant that you didn’t have the time to develop broadest set of skills. you didn’t have the luxury of letting loose in a nightclub with a stranger because if that information got into the wrong hands, you’d be slut-shamed off the face of the earth. so now, you found yourself a little bit lost under a literal sex god.

as if he can hear your thoughts, lewis pulls back.

“what’s the matter? do you want me to stop?” he’s softer than he ever has been with you, melting away in your hands, but you draw him back in, tightening your grip on the band of his shorts.

“no, no, i just…” the words die on your tongue. something in your eyes gives him all the information that he needs.

“do what feels right, good.” his nose brushes your jaw, kissing over it and you settle back into the moment.

“teach me a lesson.” you whisper, empowered in his hands, and he springs back into action, his demeanour slipping right back into what it had been.

“is that why you’re so bad in interviews? just want me to fuck some respect into you?” his lips tug amusedly when you nod rapidly up at him.

an experimental roll of his hips makes you keen, hand slipping into his braids and pulling hard. his eyes fall shut, lips parting to let out a soft groan, his eyebrows pinching from the rough pleasure. your fingers graze over the skin of his toned belly, finding sensitive skin that makes him shiver.

“you distracted, lew?” you taunt, with the only intention of riling him up.

his eyes snap open, hard and lacking any sort of warmth, and he tears your hands from where they rest on his firm body, swiftly pinning them above your head with one hand. he plants himself on one knee, balancing himself so that he can fiddle with the button of your shorts. he makes quick work of removing them, forcing the zipper down and skilfully manoeuvring them with just the one hand.

once they’re gone, along with the lace of your underwear, he forces your thighs apart, and slides his fingers along the seam of your cunt, slicking them up. you’re soaked and he momentarily falters, but he doesn’t let himself get too visibly affected.

“fuck, you’re so wet. been thinking about me, angel?” he teases mercilessly, as he rocks the first thick digit into you, twisting and curling until he finds the spot that makes you buck your hips.

“nothing to say now, hm?” lewis tuts, wetting his lips. the feeling of you squeezing so tight around just one of his fingers makes him choke out a moan. you can feel his hot breath fanning over your face, your eyes squeezing shut at the feeling of him filling you up.

“more.” you breathe, stuttering over just one word. he revels in how he’s managed to reduce you to this so quickly.

“you sure you can take it, angel? so fucking tight.”

“make me.” you plead, parting your strained thighs even wider for him.

he lets go of your hands, snaking down your body to get himself closer to where you’re dripping already.

“keep them there.” lewis orders, and you grip tightly onto the pillows to exercise restraint.

lewis presses his forearm over the plush of your belly, holding you down as he adds a second finger, watching in awe as it slips so effortlessly into your pussy. you’re mewling, fighting to buck your hips but the firm press of his muscled arm keeps you in place.

“so pretty for me, angel, soaking my fingers.” he notes, entranced at how responsive you are for him.

“want you inside of me, lew.” you whine, knuckles paper white where you’re fighting off the urge to reach down and touch him.

“wait.” he snarls, ramming his fingers even harder, grinding against the soft spot buried deep. “you’re gonna cum like this first.”

with that, he removes the barricade of his arm, bringing his spare hand to your clit, the pad of his thumb drawing calloused circles into the bud. you lose it, grinding down on his fingers like a woman possessed.

“that’s it, sweetie, fuck yourself for me.” lewis encourages, voice gravelly and low.

sparks shoot down your spine, nothing but white behind your eyelids as he lights you on fire. you can’t warn him, the words lost to the tense air of the room as you barrel towards your first release. he eases you through it, not letting up even a little bit, but it pays off when you can’t help but writhe against the cream of the bedspread.

“god.” you croak, flopping limp as he pulls out, crawling over you.

“learned your lesson?”

“not quite.” you flash an exhausted grin, abandoning your grasp on the pillows to slide them down his thick frame.

you trace the lion adorning his shoulder, the compass, each piece driving you further into utter delirium. your hands graze his waist, snaking around his abdomen until you reach the cross, tracing it until you reach words that keep him going.

still i rise the cursive reads, and he shivers as you rake your nails over it.

“fuck me.” you purr. your hands slide under his shorts once more, gripping at the curve of his ass. you push the material down over his thighs, and he happily kicks them away, his inked hands roughly spreading you even wider.

“desperate little thing, bet you go home after every race and fuck yourself silly wishing it was me, hm?” he adjusts himself between your legs, his thick cock nudging against you entrance, drenching himself in the mess he’d made.

you gasp out a moan as he slides deep, taking his sweet time. you can’t even comprehend his words, totally consumed by the brutally enticing stretch of him, your thighs shaking at the delectable intrusion. he hisses at the sensation of your tight warmth, his head falling to rest in the crook of your neck. lewis licks over the sensitive skin, trailing open mouthed kisses down to your collarbone. you feel the sharp graze of his teeth, gentle nips making you shudder on his cock.

“don’t leave a mark.” you choke, and lewis seems to get it, so he skims his teeth lower, sucking purple just over your heart.

you clamp down around him, allured by the tweak of pain, and it seems to spark something in him, his hips rolling into yours experimentally.

“you feel so fucking good.” lewis pants, his breath warm and wet on your neck.

“need you to move.” you plead, turning your head to capture his lips in an urgent kiss.

he pulls out, slamming back into you roughly, your tummy twisting with anticipation. lewis finds a rhythm that suits you both, hips hitting yours with every thrust, each one leaving you full and spent.

“gonna make sure you feel me for days.” he promises, yanking your legs over his hips. as he does, he hits deeper and you yelp, stars in your eyes. “when you sit in the car tomorrow, you’re gonna feel me and remember how to be a good fucking girl, not an attention seeking brat.”

you ramble his name, eyes flooding with tears of overstimulation, dumbfounded at how he seems to hit a new spot with every slide of his cock. he’s digging his fingers into the meat of your thighs, pulling your hips impossibly closer to his as he drives into you, as if he wants to become a part of you, moulded for an eternity. with the way your stomach knots, butterflies and adrenaline coursing through you, you’d comply; you’d let him do whatever he wanted to him anytime he wanted.

“‘m so close.” you whine, pulling on every part of him your hands can reach. a refreshed sense of determination builds in his eyes and he presses hard on your navel.

“so deep, can see it.” lewis slurs, eyes fixed on your belly.

those five words make you unravel, sending you hurtling over the edge. he can’t help but fuck you through it, hammering home while you spasm around him so tight that he struggles to move.

“fucking addicted to this pussy.” lewis groans, burying himself as deep as he can go.

you’re utterly enchanted as you watch him reach his release, gnawing at your bottom lip when his part in a moan, allowing gentle puffs of air to escape. his long eyelashes rest delicately over his cheeks as his eyes fall shut, your name spilling out of his mouth like a needy prayer.

you’re warm from the inside out, flushed and full when he settles, pressing his body weight into you completely.

-

two weeks later, you’re in japan, bored senseless in yet another press conference. lewis sits further down the couch, and you have to cross your legs every time he speaks. no one seems to notice, except him, of course.

when it’s your turn to speak, and you’re asked all about your little spat with sir lewis back in australia, you shrug, smirking.

“we made up.”

-

oof

-

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if you wanna be added or removed lemme know! :D

[norrizzandpia]

Based off of the song bags by Clairo. Lando and y/n are more than friends but less than bf/gf. Super flirty and touchy always. Both in love w the other but don’t want to confess in case the other doesn’t feel the same way. Ending however you want!

I LOVE THIS SONG

Can You See Me Using Everything to Hold back? (LN4)

Summary: Lando and Y/n have always been as close as can be, but unresolved and disregarded feelings threaten everything they thought they once knew.

Warnings: language, angsty but HAPPY ENDING, mentions about Lando’s weight

“Happy birthday to my best friend!” Lando cheered as he let his arm rest firmly on Y/n’s face, a quick kiss to her cheek.

The girl smiled through it. It was her birthday after all, right? No crying this time around.

However, Lando was making that promise to herself extremely hard. The soft fingers dancing along her back, the hugs where he would breathe her perfume in, and the glow to his eyes were just a few of the instances where Y/n felt like keeling over and vomiting all over the pristine marble flooring of the hotel Lando had rented out extravagantly for her. Her glossy eyes, some thought, were just a mixture of the alcohol and the exhaustion of partying until dawn.

Truly, she was grateful for what he had done for her. The surprise party with all her closest friends made it known how much Lando really listened to her. The wish to not spend her day with crowds of people who knew only the shell of her being had been accomplished as she looked on at the room in front of her. Adorned in each corner were people who knew almost exactly what it would be like to live in her skin… and then there was Lando.

Lando, her best friend, knew more than just living in her skin. He knew more than anyone in the room, they both knew that. Nobody knew why she had that random scar on her stomach or why hated blueberries, but he did. Random facts about her that only God would be able to answer, he knew.

…Not to say Lando was God.

Nevertheless, the point was made in her brain. She loved the people here, but she adored Lando. Maybe too much for friends, but, again, no crying on her birthday.

“When everyone leaves and you open your presents, open mine first?” Lando whispered in her ear. Chills down her spine and a flush to her cheeks are not from the drop in the AC.

She turned to him, their faces inches apart as her champagne sloshed over the edge of her glass. Her hair landed over her shoulder, which almost brought Lando to his knees. Her gorgeous hair, beautiful dress, and glowy makeup enhanced every bit of pretty Y/n had to offer. He was breathless at the sight of her. Smiling softly, Y/n tilted her head, “Are you not staying?”

He shook his head and her heart sank, “I want you to open your gift alone. Plus, I have an early flight tomorrow.”

She checked her watch, “Lando, it’s almost 4 AM. What time’s your flight?”

His head dipped down to stare at his shoes, “7 AM.”

Her mouth fell open, “Lando!” She smacked his shoulder as she scolded him, “Why the hell are you here and not sleeping?!”

He pulled her into him, his breath fanning over her nose, “Because I want to celebrate my favorite person.”

She softened, “Fine, I’ll let you get away with it this time.”

—

Can you see me? I’m waiting for the right time. I can’t read you, but if you want, the pleasure’s all mine. Can you see me using everything to hold back? I guess this could be worse; walkin’ out the door with your bags.

The small grouping of gifts sat next to Y/n on her apartment floor, completely alone without the company she craved. As he asked, she fished out the small box from the stack. She shook it around for a moment, a small clanging meeting her ears. Finally deciding the package could be fragile, she unwrapped it.

TWO YEARS BEFORE

“Can we please go in here, Y/n?” Lando pleaded with the girl as they stood on the street, his hand in hers as he pulled her one way. She rolled her eyes at him, “Lando, what are you buying at Van Cleef?”

He stuck his hip out while he let his bottom lip do the same, his usual ‘my way or the highway’ stance. She giggled before relenting, “Fine, but when we walk out empty handed and all the employees give us dirty looks, don’t come crying to me.”

He smiled at her before tugging her through the doors. Immediately, a woman approached them as she began welcoming them to the store. “If you need any help, just let us know.” She smiled and Lando nodded.

When they were alone, he turned to Y/n. She saw that mischievous look from miles away, “Look around, Y/n. Pick out your favorite thing.”

Her eyebrows raised, “You’re not buying me anything, Norris. Especially from Van Cleef.”

Lando’s look challenged her, “Uh huh, for sure.”

Deciding not to argue, Y/n let go of his grasp and let herself wander. Almost to the end of the store, nothing stood out to her. Everything was either quite popular and not something rather unique or not her taste and Lando was beginning to tell. Seemingly quite disappointed in her sudden lack of interest in Van Cleef Jewelry, his face lit up when she suddenly stopped at something.

A little gold necklace laid before with the quaintest red heart charm and there was nothing she loved more. Her eyes sparkled and her fingers ran over it on the glass. Lando loved seeing her fall in love with something beautiful. It paralleled something in his life.

“Like that one?” He whispered, his hands coming up to her waist as his thumbs began rubbing softly.

She twisted her head, “If I say ‘yes’, you can’t buy it for me.”

Lando pouted, “Why not?”

She sighed, “Because, Lan, it’s 2,000 euros. That’s way too much to spend on me.”

“2,000 euros is not enough.” He murmured and she chuckled. Suddenly, his hand tapped on the glass and he moved closer to her, “Tell you what, I won’t buy it for you right now, but I do get to buy it for you at some point.”

“What’s the difference from buying it now to buying it later?” She questioned and Lando’s eyes held hers.

“When I buy and give this to you, whether it’s a month from now or ten years from now, it’ll be my sign to you that I will never let you go. When this necklace ends up in your hands because of me know it is my tangible way of telling you that there is not a day I wish to go by without you.” He gazed upon her face in preparation for any kind of reaction. What he was met with was a slow smile that had his heart beating too fast.

She kissed his cheek, “I think I could get on board with that, Norris.”

PRESENT

On top of the Van Cleef box was a small, folded paper. Y/n let it unravel in her hands and staring back at her was Lando’s messy scribbling, however she could tell he had tried to make it nice.

My love letter to you. You’re better at words than I am. I know you’ll remember. Cheers and a happy birthday to everything you are and everything you will become. I know it’ll be great. You’re meant for something out of this world, Y/n. - L

A small tear ran down her face. She already knew what laid beneath all the ribbon. Her favorite heart necklace rested in her hands as she tried to take it all in. Her hands shook and her brain short circuited.

The only thing she could seem to remember were his words, “it is my tangible way of telling you that there is not a day I wish to go by without you.”

—

Lando cursed quietly to himself when his long awaited slumber had been stolen from him at the hands of his phone. Beside him, the device rang and rang annoyingly until his grogginess finally wore off enough for him to grab it.

Max, on the other side of the table, gave him a death stare. He had fully been asleep and any person knows that waking Max from any type of slumber is catastrophic.

Lando just smiled and shrugged at his best friend before answering the phone.

Crying is all he heard.

Pulling back the phone, he clocked Y/n’s contact. His mind raced. What had happened to her? He had watched her walk through her door the night before and lock it before leaving to get his luggage from his place. There was no time for her to be hurt. She was with him the entire night.

“What’s going on? I’ll kill them, Y/n.” That got Max’s attention.

”No,” She choked out before taking a breath, “It’s you. The necklace. It’s so sweet.”

“Oh,” Lando chuckled and Max continued to eye him weirdly.

“This is so much, Lan. I don’t even- Thank you. I thought you would forget or maybe never end up buying it.” She said, still breathing deeply through her past tears.

At the insinuation, Lando became rather confused, “I was always going to end up feeling this way Y/n. It was only a matter of time. It’s not hard to always want you around. You’re you.”

She was quiet for a moment, “The note, Lan. You say you’re bad at words, but that was perfect.”

He sighed dramatically, “Nothing will ever be as perfect as you. Crazy you don’t understand that yet.”

She smiled, “Still.”

He just shook his head silently and prayed that somewhere something, anything would give him the strength to be just friends with her. “Happy birthday, Y/n. I meant everything I said in that note.”

“Thank you, Lan.” A beat passed, “Well, I’ll let you get back to your flight. Be safe, please.”

He nodded, “Of course. Bye, Y/n. Love you.”

Her heart thumped in her chest. It always did when he said that. She whispered, “Love you too. Bye.”

Max sat with his arms crossed and his eyes trained on Lando. “What was that about?” He asked, although he had a small feeling he knew all too well what had just happened.

Lando coyly grinned, “Her present.”

“Which was what?”

Lando bit his lip, “That Van Cleef heart necklace I told you about like two years ago.”

Max stayed quiet for a moment, keeping his gaze on his best friend, before cocking his head. “Let me get this straight - you bought your best friend, who’s a woman, a Van Cleef necklace so she would know you never wanted to live without her. You got her this for her birthday as well?”

Lando just stared at him.

Max laughed, “Right. So, do you think she knows how in love you are with her now?”

“I hope not.” Lando rolled his eyes and swatted his hand in Max’s direction.

The man huffed, “Lando, sometimes you make me want to claw my eyes out with how stubborn you are.”

“I refuse to put my friendship with someone I cherish in jeopardy for some feelings I have that will surely go away soon.” Lando declared, his tone strong and direct.

But, there was no fooling Max.

“You do realize you just bought her a Van Cleef necklace, right?”

—

A triple-header was never easy. Especially when Y/n wasn’t with him for any of the races. Lando stared longingly at a picture of the two of them in London with chocolate smeared all over their faces, a cup of strawberries in Lando’s hand. They had been out wandering the city with a group of their friends that day and had shoved their faces with the most delicious food that Lando had gained so much weight, Jon had scolded him when he got back. Nonetheless, he adored the memories that came from that day. Which included this picture. Y/n was laughing and he was holding onto her by the waist, smiling at her widely. Lando never let her know this image existed solely because of how obvious his love for her is in it. His eyes twinkle and random dimples he never knew existed pop out and you can practically hear his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

It was too much for his liking.

In moments like these, when the yearning for her got too strong, Lando likes to think the days of them being friends are over. That they’re more than friends, soulmates or whatever his romantic mind would like to call it. It helps the pain of only being hers secretly subside.

“Are you gonna keep drooling at your phone like that or are you gonna call Y/n?” Oscar chuckled. The fact that the man couldn’t even see his phone yet knew he was looking at Y/n made Lando scream internally. He really needed to be better at not giving away too much.

Lando rolled his eyes, but his thumb was already pressing the call button. His phone rang as he put it up to his ear and Oscar tried to keep his smile unknown. Tried.

“Lando!” Y/n yelped. He could hear the grin in her voice.

He could feel the grin on his face, “Hi, Y/n.”

“What’s going on? What do you need?” She blabbered.

Lando’s eyes shot to Oscar, who was eavesdropping so obviously, and shuffled his body around to gain some sort of privacy. His head tucked down, he whispered, “I miss you.”

Y/n stopped her movements, putting down the yogurt she had been trying to put away. She smiled, “I miss you too.”

“Come here.” He begged, “Please.”

She sighed, “You know I can’t. I’m too busy here.”

He didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry, Lan” She whispered, guilt eating at her.

“I’m not mad… or disappointed at you. I just…” I love you.

“I’ll be fine, Y/n. I’ll see you when I come back.”

—

Tell you how I felt, sugar coated melting in your mouth. Pardon my emotions, I should probably keep it all to myself. Know you’d make fun of me.

Drunk was not what Lando should be after begging Y/n to come, practically declaring how much he wanted her, and getting denied. Yet, here he was with tequila sloshing over his glass as he tried to comprehend the words coming out of this woman’s mouth. She was standing in front of him, but all he could focus on was the fact that her hair wasn’t the same as Y/n’s and she didn’t smell the same.

Frustrated, he apologized, albeit slurred, to the woman and left her in the middle of the club. His vision was blurred slightly as he fell outside, the cold air going to his head.

Another call to the girl he’s always wanted. He counted that as two today and mentally scolded himself for being so obvious. At this point, everything he did was obvious. At this point, he couldn’t be just friends.

Y/n picked up, the grogginess in her voice evident. “Lando? Is everything okay? It’s 4 AM.”

“Y/n,” She could almost smell the alcohol on his breath, “I’m sick and tired of this.”

Her eyebrows furrowed, “Lando, you’re wasted.”

He shushed her before continuing, “Let me finish. I cannot do this with you anymore. It’s killing me.”

“You can’t do what with me anymore?”

“I can’t… I can’t…” Even in his drunken state, he knew it was a bad idea. He knew what was truly at stake. She was at stake. He just couldn’t ever risk that.

“Nevermind. I’m just really…” He tried to finish his sentence. Drunk? Yes. Upset? Yes. Angry? Yes. Annoyed? Yes. It was everything and nothing at the exact same time.

Y/n chuckled, “Drunk, I know. Don’t worry, Lan. You’ll just feel a little sick tomorrow morning.”

She hung up the phone, the last moments of it all being her laughing. His hands pulled at his hair and he couldn’t believe how close he had come to losing it all.

And how she had just laughed.

—

Can you see me? I’m waiting for the right time. I can’t read you, but if you want, the pleasure’s all mine. Can you see me using everything to hold back? I guess this could be worse; walkin’ out the door with your bags.

After his disastrous call, Lando went completely silent on Y/n. To the point that she dropped everything she was doing, at work and in her personal life, to go see him, to make sure he wasn’t dead.

When she showed up to his hotel, the concierge told her that seeing him wouldn’t be possible, no matter how close she said they were. Back and forth with the employee ended when Oscar walked through the lobby, Y/n calling out to him so loudly it earned her a few stares.

He looked at her for a moment, trying to decipher if what he was seeing was real, until concluding the woman screaming at him was in fact Lando’s best friend and the girl he had been trying to hide from all week.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, completely baffled, when he told the front desk she was with him.

Y/n huffed, “Lando’s not answering me and the last time I heard from him, he was absolutely shit faced. I’m worried, so I came to check on him.”

“So, one phone call and a few days without contact and you’re suddenly showing up halfway across the world to check up on him?” Oscar eyed her, his gaze pleading with her to just end this dance between her and Lando.

She coughed, “Yes.”

“Uh huh,” He smirked, “Well, Lando’s on the second floor in room 28. I think he’s there now if you want to go see him. He’s completely fine by the way. You could’ve just called me to ask. You also could’ve called Max… or Jon… or Andrea… or literally anyone because I know you have all their numbers.”

She blushed, “Stop looking at me like that, Piastri.”

He raised an eyebrow, “I’m not looking at you like anything, Y/l/n. I know nothing.” He shook his head and walked away.

Second floor. Room 28.

—

“Can I just be honest?” She blurted out when Lando opened the door. He stood motionlessly, looking her up and down as if he was trying to will her into existence.

“Y/n?” She pushed past him and turned around in a fury.

“Why the fuck have you been dodging me? What the fuck, Lando? You call me wasted and then ghost me for days on end. Did you genuinely think through anything?” She scoffed.

Lando shrugged, “I couldn’t talk to you.”

“Why?”

He couldn’t look at her, “Because.”

She groaned, “Jesus Christ, Lando, again with all the vagueness! Can you tell me anything? What’s going on?”

His head snapped to hers and he let his eyes warn her own. Warn her not to push this topic, not to make him say what he’s worked so hard to keep down. But, when it came to him and his lack of vulnerability, Y/n knew no bounds.

She sat down on the bed, knowing the aggressive approach was never the right call. She looked down and then up at him, “Please just tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t, Y/n.” He sat down next to her, taking her hands in his. Everything in him was screeching. He felt like he was being ripped apart by the two, conflicted sides in him. One wanted him so heavily to end the hell of being just her friend by telling her how he felt and the other willed him to remember the privilege of being in her presence, to not fuck that up.

She could see it as well, the quiet war in his mind. In trying to comfort him, running her hand on his back, she triggered him. He sprung from the bed, gaining as much distance from her and letting his head fall in his hands.

“Stop.” He pleaded, “You need to leave, Y/n.”

Her eyes watered, “Why? I don’t understand why you’re pushing me away.”

The waver in her voice made him grip the side table next to him. If he couldn’t hold on mentally, maybe he could physically.

But, no. One look at her defeated face made him lose all composure. And one small whisper of hers, “Please let me in.” became too much.

“I’ve always been so in love with you.” He breathed out. A relief fell over him, a truth that had been eating at him finally said.

Y/n froze, her eyes on her hands in her lap. When she gathered the courage to look up at him, she found the shell of a man.

In thinking he had let go of a truth, he remembered the risk that had been holding him back all this time. Gone was the relief and all that was left was pure terror at what he had just done.

She breathed, “You know when I got here, Oscar looked at me and almost mocked me for the reasons as to why I had come. He told me I had come here because of one drunk call and a few days of no contact. And, you know, I was looking at this necklace the other day,” She touched it as it laid across her neck, “and it almost felt like some sort of declaration of love. I thought I was insane, thinking you would see me that way, but I think it made me more inclined to do my own declaration of love. The whole grand gesture thing was never for me, but I think I’ve found myself there, no? I think this is my declaration of love.”

Lando gapped at her, “What are you saying?”

She smiled, “If you thought I didn’t love you too, then we were both dumb.”

He breathed out then laughed, falling next to her on the bed. She let her hand rest on his next to her and squeezed tightly.

“It sucks we waited so long, but at least it ended in neither of us walking out.” She murmured.

He sat up, letting his arms wrap around her waist, “I was never gonna walk out.”

“Neither was I.”

[godessanonymous]

Blame it on the Vodka - LN4

Request: No.

Genre: Fluffy (i guess)

Triggers: mentions of small injury

Summary: Partying in the Netherlands Lando gets a little injured. But you were there to fix it so its okay.

The picture of him on the boat inspired me to do this

Blame it on the Vodka – LN4 Martin Garrix had invited you to the king’s day celebration in the Netherlands, load so of people were there, famous influencers and artists and then there was you. Technically you could be categorized under the influencer division, yet you were nowhere as known as most the others here.

The invitation only got to you because you went to school with the DJ.

You were now a nurse working in a trauma center in the sunny state of Florida. A couple of years ago you and a friend started a podcast just for fun and your following on both the Podcast as well as your usual social media grew fairly quickly.

Though you were not even close to some of the people here it, your podcast and work was what made you happy.

The party was loud, you got on a boat around noon and were immediately greeted with a drink and an orange shirt to put on. You scanned the crowd around you once you had pulled the fabric over your head. The boat wasn’t huge, but It was big enough to fit a lot of people you didn’t know.

The whole city was a Party, boats on the water and orange things everywhere. You loved a little bit of partying so chances were you’d have some good fun out here. Able you probably needed a glass or two before you could truly come out of your shell.

You made your way through the dancing bodies, recognizing a face or two and giving people a big smile and muttered sorry as you squeezed past them towards the DJ Desk to greet Martin.

As soon as he spotted you his face lit up. Next to him was a familiar face, be it only from TV. F1 Driver Lando Norris, a glass in hand chatting to a girl next to him. You reached him and he immediately pulled you into warm hug. “How’ve you been? How is life in the sunny state?” he smiled.

“Oh its great! Work never stops, but I am really enjoying life over there. The Podcast has been going well.” You responded. That wasn’t the whole truth, your life was rather busy than chill and enjoyable. You were more or less working two whole jobs. Juggling being in the media and the chaos of the ER weren’t always easy.

“How’s Daniel?” he asked leaving you debating what to say. You and your boyfriend had recently broken up and it wasn’t a pretty one.

“Oh… yeah well I don’t really know” was all you said, pulling a confused look from Martin. “OK well I have someone id like you to meet, you still enjoy motorsport right?” he switched the topic. “Of course I do.” You said, you knew what was coming. He was probably going to call Norris over to the two of you. And that is exactly what he did. “Lando come over here really quickly.”

The Brit, clearly already a couple of drinks in waddled over, quickly excusing himself from the woman he was chatting to. “This is a old school friend of mine, Y/N. I think you two would get along well. She doesn’t know that many people here. Maybe you could put your chatty self to use and introduce her to some people around here.” He said half joking.

The curly haired man looked at you. “Well hi, I’m Lando and apparently I am your tour guide, its nice to meet you.” He smiled. “Well how about we go get you a drink.”

And with that you walked off with him to the bar.

“You strike me as a Aperol Girl.” He thought out loud. You chuckled, he wasn’t wrong. But you weren’t about to go easy today.

“Well you’re not wrong but ill take a Vodka-O, if I want to get through today ill need something strong.

“Alright then, ill take another one of this and a Vodka-O for the Lady please he told the man behind the tiny bar, sliding his empty glass over the counter.

You lost him on your way back towards the middle of the boat. The swimming party had set of and was cruising around in the calm water surrounded by a ton of other small boats with partying people on them. You had found some familiar faces to have small chats with but quickly returned to dancing to the music playing loudly.

At some point you were stopped and checked by some harbor police who wanted to make sure everything was safe.

The alcohol had started to make you feel just the right bit fuzzy.

You grabbed another light drink and walked back to Martin who was jamming out just like the rest. On your way back you noticed a small group of people all standing around one individual. You went closer to investigate whatever was going on.

Getting closer you were greeted with the slightly bloody face of the British man you were introduced to earlier. He was clearly more drunk than you.

“Well what happened here?” You asked. Still grinning he responded. “Weeeelllll, I was dancing and someone smacked their glass in my face and it cut my nose.”

Ok so nothing bad. “Well what do we do now.” Someone you didn’t know said next to you.

“Aright someone get me a first aid kit. That cut won’t need stitches.” You said grabbing a tissue.

“Mind if I have a closer look Lando?” He shook his head no so you stepped up to him and wiped a bit of blood away.

“Well at least its not in your eye.” Someone set down the first aid kit next to you. You quickly went through it checking what you got. Grabbing a little light, some gauze and tweezers you turned back to your patient.

“Aright let me just have a look.” You stepped even closer to him. He was sitting and you were not, so eventough you weren’t as tall he was looking up at you.

You just now noticed the pretty color of his eyes and long lashes that put most girls to shame. Now almost standing between his legs you shine the light at the wound. It looked fairly clean cut, though a small piece of glass was still lodged in the wound.

“There is still something stuck in there, ill have to get it out. Stay still.” You said before you grabbed it with the tweezers in one quick motion. It came out easily, it did also earn you a tiny wince from Lando.

“You look like you know what you are doing.” He said, eyes questioning.

“That’s because I do, I am a nurse.” You responded quickly while searching through the little medical bag for some disinfectant a bandage and some steri strips.

“Aright lets clean the wound quickly. Cover your eyes with you hands please. And this might sting a little bit.” You warned him before spraying to quick sprays of the disinfectant on the wound.

He flinched at the coldness.

In your half drunken state you rewarded him with a little pat on the head, like you would do to pediatric patients at your hospital.

You dried of the wound and leaned down a little further to better place the strips to hold the skin together.

“What a view that is.” Lando said, probably before thinking about it.

The comment made you blush a little. Your shirt was pretty but also warm and not too revealing but given the position you were in his eyes were on the same level as your boobs.

You quickly finished up placing a small bandage.

“Okay you are free to keep partying but watch out for dancing missiles.”

“Well thank you very much for your help miss nurse.” He smiled back.

“How about I say thank you with a dance.” A offer you could simply not decline. He didn’t waste any time pulling you towards a small free space to dance. His steps were a little wonky, but you got there eventually.

In all fairness the man knew how to dance, your bodies were getting closer to eachother with each song and the tention was getting stronger.

Maybe coming here, despite not knowing people, wasnt so bad after all.

[multiplicity-positivity]

Here’s some positivity for systems who are struggling with suicidal ideation!

It is a very unfortunate truth that many systems are at risk of suicide and actively deal with suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation poses a serious threat to many systems, and prevents lots of folks from leading happy, healthy lives. As a fellow struggling system, we are so sorry to say that we don’t have all the answers for you. We don’t know what specifically can help your system heal, give you hope, or find the strength to not only survive, but flourish and thrive. But we can encourage you to keep going, and reassure you that you’re not as alone as you may feel.

To those who have been suicidal for many years now…

We know firsthand how exhausting and soul-crushing this can be. We hope that you can find brief moments of reprieve, and find small things in your life that can bring a smile to your face. Changing your mindset is not easy, especially when it feels like the world is working against you. We hope that soon you can feel a cool summer breeze, listen to birdsong, witness a spectacular sunset, take a deep breath, and exist in the moment, as you are. You deserve to live. You deserve to, not only survive, but flourish and thrive as you are.

To those who are looking for a reason to stay alive…

Let this be it. Stay alive for your headmates, even if you struggle to get along. Stay alive for the sillies, to be cringe, to learn who you are and take steps towards living your life authentically. Stay alive for change, because what comes next in your life may not be better, but it will definitely be different. Stay alive for just one more day, then another, then another after that. Sometimes surviving from day-to-day can be a significant challenge, but we know that you are up to the task.

To those who have been keeping their suicidal ideation a secret…

Please, if there’s someone in your life who loves you, please reach out. Your loved ones want you around, they want you to be happy and healthy, and they may not even know you are struggling this much. If you genuinely can’t think of anyone who cares about you, guess what? We do. We care about you and more than anything we want you to live. Whether or not we share the plural community, no matter where your path takes you or where you end up, your existence means everything to us. Please keep going. Please don’t give up.

To those who feel worthless and hopeless all the time…

You don’t have to accomplish any great things in order for your life to have value. In fact, by simply surviving and trying to reclaim joy in your life, you are accomplishing a major feat of resistance, resilience, and renewal! Your life and the lives of your headmates have inherent worth just the way it is - you don’t have to change anything about yourselves in order to be valued, cherished, loved, and respected. And this means valuing, cherishing, loving, and respecting yourselves! We are so immensely proud of you for how far you’ve come, for not giving up, for taking things one day, one step, one moment at a time.

To those who feel trapped by their circumstances, by their history, by their own shortcomings…

There is nothing stagnant about life, and this includes your own! You won’t always feel trapped this way. One day you will be able to escape your abusive home life, your oppressive workplace, bullies, groomers, heartbreak, loneliness, isolation, or whatever has you pinned down. One day you will be able to start processing and healing from your trauma or your painful past. One day you will be able to recognize your shortcomings as strengths, as neutral, as a part of you, as something worth salvaging, embracing, or accepting. One day you will be able to spread your wings and fly again, and trust us, when that moment comes, it will feel amazing!

To any system who has ever felt suicidal anywhere, at any point in their lives…

The fact that you are still here is huge and is something worth celebrating! We truly admire your tenacity, your strength, your perseverance, your defiance, and your fight to go on, despite life’s challenges. We truly hope that life gets easier for you, and you are afforded a softness and gentleness that comes with rest, comfort, and joy. We wish for you unconditional love and self-acceptance. We wish for you hearty meals, laughter, intimacy, and a sense of pride and accomplishment in how far you’ve come. We wish for you the chance to slow down and catch your breath. We wish for you a moment to revel in the beauty of nature. We wish for you happiness, contentedness, and hope, always and forever.

Suicidal systems, we know that one post on Tumblr isn’t likely going to change your mindset or how bleak your future may look right now. If anything, please let this be a small reminder that you’re not alone. Let this be a reminder of your own brilliant heart and powerful spirit. Let this be a reminder that you have made it this far, and you do have what it takes to keep going. Let this be a reminder that there is good in the world, and good in you specifically.

We love you. We really do care about you with all of our heart. We know that things will get better for you in time, but until then, please keep fighting like hell. You’ve come so far, and even if you still have a long way to go, you can make it. We believe in you!

[rebelliousstories]

Childhood

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Poly! Lost Boys x Reader

Fandom: Lost Boys

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Mentions of Vampirism, Brief Angst

Word Count: 2,404

Masterlist: Here

Summary: It’s Christmas time in the cave, and the Lost Boys mate is making sure that nothing ruins it for Laddie. Nothing and no one.

Christmas in California. There is truly nothing like it. White snowy landscapes were traded in favor of warm white sandy beaches. Evergreens switched out for palm trees, and shorts and a shirt were considered instead of a winter coat. The boardwalk was as lively as ever. People looking to do their shopping and celebrate the festivities. And the infamous band of Lost Boys were there on the prowl. The boys rode up with their passengers, and scanned their eyes around. Far more locals were around this time of year, but that still did not mean that there were not plenty of tourists to feed from. It just meant they had to be a bit more careful. Star unwrapped her arms from around David and dismounted his bike, while Laddie was assisted off of Dwayne’s.

“Stay together this time. I don’t need Laddie coming to find us because you ditched him.” David called out before the duo left. Star turned back and shot him a dirty look, but said nothing as she turned her attention back to Laddie, and walked them around the boardwalk. Marko rubbed his hand across the arms that were wrapped around his waist from behind, feeling the jacket of his lover. She squeezed her arms around his once, twice, and then began to get off the bike with some assistance from the cherub faced vampire.

Paul came over quickly and stole the young lady away from Marko. Dwayne laughed at the pair as they briefly stumbled before moving to go down the boardwalk. She teased the lion haired man about messing up her makeup when he went in for a kiss, but it did not stop him from repeating the motion several times until he felt satisfied that he had gotten all the attention he deserved.

“Paul, you saw me a few minutes ago before we left.” She giggled out, as said vampire was placing many kisses to her neck and chest.

“Yeah, but Marko got to have you for the whole ride over. I missed my babe!” He exclaimed loudly, showing not a care in the world for anything around them.

“Paul, give her back!” And thus, a tug-of-war game was started between the terror twins of the pack. They kept taking the female from the other and fighting to keep her with them. This lasted for several minutes until she was suddenly taken away from the two. Her arms were secured around the naked chest of her dark haired lover. Dwayne embraced the girl and swatted away the hands of Paul and Marko as they tried to reach out. But before long, she was once again passed around. This time, into David’s waiting arms.

“Boys, behave.” He drawled at the two vampires who were still fighting nearby. They paid him no mind, yet continued to hit and grab at each other.

“Boys!” David barked, causing the two to stop in their tracks. Paul had Marko’s ponytail in his hand while Marko was wrapping him in a headlock.

“Stop fighting like children and get on with our night.” He stated slowly and calmly. The blondes released each other with a quick apology from one another. The group walked along the boardwalk once again. As they walked, the female kept switching whose arms she was in as to not have anymore instances like before. She kept watching families taking their children shopping for Christmas decorations, and kids lighting up when they saw toys they wanted Santa to bring them. It made her think about Laddie, the little brother of the pack. Her feet came to a halt as she watched little kids on the merry go round eagerly talking about Christmas Day. Dwayne came to stand behind her and rested his hands on her wait, his chin on her shoulder, and his eyes on the children.

“What’s eating your mind, princess?” He wondered quietly as he pressed a kiss to her neck from where his head was.

“Has Laddie ever had a proper Christmas?” She inquired of her lover, who was arguably the closet to the boy.

“I don’t think so. At least not with us. We’ve never really thought about it.” Dwayne murmured into his lover’s neck. She turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck.

“Why don’t we do that for his this year, huh? Presents, a tree, making him go to bed early so Santa can visit? He’d love it.” She gushed as the children in front of the couple continued to excitedly talk to each other.

“I’m all for it. I’m sure the others will be on board. Except we do have to deal with David.” Dwayne trailed off thinking about the bleach blonde vampire. They did not know how he would react to having a Christmas celebration but it was for Laddie; hopefully he would get on board.

Neither one brought up the subject the rest of the night. They did not bring it up when they returned to the boys, nor when Star and Laddie had eventually rejoined them. Laddie kept animatedly explaining how he actually was with Star the whole time, and they even took some spare change and rode a couple rides on the boardwalk. There was not much talking availability during the race down the beach, with everyone whooping and hollering as wind, sand, and sea water whipped around. When they made it down into the cave, Laddie had expressed an interest in going to bed early. The two women in there made sure he ate a little bit before tucking him in to bed together. When they returned, David beckoned their lover over and grabbed her hand before dragging her into his lap.

“Kitten,” he drawled out lazily, “Dwayne tells me you have something to ask of us?” His baby blue eyes pierced hers, and forced her to maintain eye contact with him. She could not look away from him even if she wanted to.

“Yes. Um, Laddie hasn’t had a proper Christmas, yeah? Not with us, or probably his original family. I just figured we could give him a good Christmas this time around. Plus it’s our first Christmas together. What do you say?” She looked out hopeful amongst the group of vampires and the one half. Dwayne looked pleased, Paul was calm kind of excited, Marko was chewing his thumb, Star was happy, and David was deep in thought. It was several minutes before anyone spoke.

“Well, is that all?” David piped up with. Her attention was brought back to the man whose lap she was stationed in. He held a small smirk on his face as he took one hand from his lover’s side and moved it to her face.

“If the kitten wants a Christmas for Laddie and us, who are we to deny her?” His words were so soft that her eyes shut without a second thought, and her face leaned deeper into the gloved hand against her face.

“Is that really the best idea?” Marko questioned from behind his hand that he was still chewing on. A pen drop could be heard throughout the cave. Turning around to face her cherub faced lover, she spoke up.

“And why would it not be a good idea to do this?” Her tone turned deadly as she stared him down. Marko sputtered and tried to come up with some sort of an answer but was unable to. She left her comfy vampire chair and made her way over to the fountain where he had found a spot to sit. Marko was still stuttering out a reply when she made it to him.

“Let me make one thing clear,” she placed her face right in front of his, “this is Laddie’s first real Christmas. This is my first Christmas with you guys. I want to see Laddie’s eyes light up when he gets presents and see that Santa has visited him. If anyone ruins that joy for that little boy o help me!” She hissed at her lover. Marko looked thoroughly scared for the first time in several decades. David began to chuckle which drew the pair’s attention to him. His hands clapped themselves together before throwing them open in a wide gesture.

“She’s in charge here, Marko. I wouldn’t question her. Kitten has claws it would seem.” He laughed, and lit a cigarette as he watched Marko nod and concede to their lover.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just haven’t celebrated in so long. I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how.” Marko dropped his eyes down to the floor as his thumb found its way into his teeth yet again. His lover’s delicate hand caressed his cheek, before dropping down to his chin and bringing it up to her eyes.

“It’s like riding a bike, Marko. You never truly forget.” He smiled as he took in her words. That one smile let her know; this was going to be the best Christmas ever.

~

“Will you tell me another story?” Laddie begged as he laid in his little nest in the cave.

“I’ve already told you three, little one. How many more can I tell you?” She questioned, dropping ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas down beside Laddie’s bed.

“Please! Just one more!” He pleaded, making his eyes wide.

“Oh no. Did Paul teach you puppy eyes?” She raised an eyebrow teasingly at the boy.

“Sure did!” The distant shout of said vampire made both of them chuckle. She reached down and picked up another Christmas book to read to Laddie.

“How about ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas?’” She asked, showing him the front. He nodded eagerly but quickly tried to hide a yawn that threatened to past his lips.

“Or, you can go to bed now, and Santa will visit you to give you presents?” Her request made Laddie yawn again, and snuggle himself further into the covers. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his head.

“They’ll come say goodnight. Don’t worry.” She left and quickly went into the main part of the cave where everyone was busy moving presents in under the tree. Dwayne and Star saw her leave the little nest, and quickly abandoned their presents in favor of going to say goodnight to the boy. Instead, she took over placing the last few presents from herself and the pack all around the tree.

The cave was decorated with tinsel and garland, and little stockings hung around the fountain. A big Christmas tree with pretty silver and gold decorations littered the area nearest the wall. Now, with the addition of the presents, everything looked like a proper family Christmas. Each of her boys came over to give her a kiss goodnight before returning to their perch. Dwayne was the last to come to her, and he lingered just a little bit longer than normal, but said nothing. Her boys retreated further into the cave to escape the rising sun, and she could not wait to see Laddie’s face in a couple hours.

~

Just before sunset, she was awoken. Not by anything in particular, but just the general excitement of the day ahead. She waited by the entrance of the cave for the day to end, and was pleasantly surprised when Marko was the first one to greet her as night fell.

“Good evening, Bella.” He whispered into her hair as he pulled her close in his embrace.

“Merry Christmas, Marko.” A look of realization came across his face.

“Merry Christmas. I had almost completely forgotten.” He admitted, before letting her go in favor of going into the main lobby to sit in front of the tree. Paul greeted her next, complete with his usual sloppy kisses when he did not see her or have her in his arms when they were apart for more than a minute.

“Merry Christmas babe!” Paul exclaimed loudly, and moved to go bother Marko in the lobby.

“Merry Christmas, princess.” Dwayne embraced her and pressed a soft kiss to her hair.

“Merry Christmas, Dwayne.” She leaned back and appeared her place in his arms. Just as her eyes slipped close, a hand came up to her face. Her bleach blonde vampire had finally awoken.

“Merry Christmas, David.” She wrapped one arm around her other lover while remaining in Dwayne’s arms. David slipped closer to the two in front of him.

“Laddie. Laddie, wake up little one. It’s Christmas.” The young halfling rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up.

“What? what’s going on?” He was still confused this early in the evening. Everything to him was still groggy.

“Merry Christmas, Laddie.” That seemed to wake up the boy quickly because the next thing the woman knew, was his arms wrapped around her neck.

“Merry Christmas! Did Santa come?” Laddie wondered excitedly.

“Why don’t you go out there and see?” She teased, and watched the boy excitedly sprint out of the nest, to the lobby. He let out a small yell as he saw what was before him.

“Dwayne!” He ran over and hugged the man, much like he had done to his lover before.

The rest of the day was spent with presents being passed around and opened. Laddie kept getting more and more excited with every present he opened. At some point, she ended up on the couch with all four of her lovers around her as they watched Laddie play with his toys near their tree.

“I wish every Christmas could be like this.” She said wistfully, eyes somewhat glazed over as she watched Laddie. David turned to Marko who left her feet briefly and returned with his hands behind his back.

“Maybe it can.” David smiled at her as he took the object behind Marko’s back, who returned to her feet as he was previously. A bejeweled bottle sat in his grasp, and intrigued her as he took his own swig. The ornate bottle was passed around the group of vampires before it finally got back to her. She stared for a long while at it, before turning to David who never strayed his gaze from her own.

“Drink, love. Be one of us.” He whispered. The request so soft, yet so filled with hope. She knew that every Christmas would be a chance for them to revisit their childhood’s as it was also a way for Laddie to stay with his. Every Christmas from now on, was going to be that much richer.

[v3nusxsky]

hey! :) im basically copy n pasting from my original request i hope that’s okay!!

could i request a smut of emily (cm) and a nonbinary (female body) reader who uses they/them pronouns? and it’s reader’s first time with someone sexually (bc they have body insecurities and never felt comfortable with anyone else - feel free to change that though!) and Emily just takes lead and spoils them! also reader has a mommy / praise kink n overstim ;)) dom Emily and sub reader if that wasn’t clear!

Princess Treatment 18+

*Authors note~ happy birthday to my darling girlfriend @just-your-casual-nerd !!!! I hope you're feeling 22 ;) a gift as simple as choosing your own Kinktober fic as we can celebrate in December.*

Authors note 2~ I kinda don’t like this and I’ve never wrote for gn r before so I’m sorry for my mistakes

Trigger warnings~ praise kink overstimulation kink dom Emily sub r gn (afab) r body confidence issues body worship oral sex sex toys

Prompt~ see ask^^^

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

Perfect is always such a strange concept for you. Really what is perfect? Just like the concept of normal. What would qualify? These questions were constantly swirling around your mind, but you were sure you didn't fit the answer for any of them. It's always so hard to see the models and celebrities, hell even the strangers on the street because to you, you didn't even come anywhere near close to them. And perhaps you never would. A fact you'd gotten use to, not really sure where you fit or in what box which had lead to deep rooted insecurities that would bubble away inside your heart and mind.

Emily, healed the pain in your heart. Especially on the bad days. She never pushed or got mad if you couldn't decide what felt you. Right even. Instead she'd sit with you and be your listening ear, guiding you through the waters of emotions that seemed to submerge you that day. Being Emily's partner was truly something you would've only thought could exist in dreams.

On the good and the bad days she was there, never asking for anything more than you were offering, and that helped for a while, but soon the fears of her getting bored by the lack of sex crept upon you. That's when you decided to work on feeling better, to be brave and attempt to make love to your girlfriend of almost a year. She was patient with you, only ever wanting your happiness even if that meant you never felt comfortable enough for her to touch you, it didn't matter, because she loves you for your heart and not just your body.

Today, Emily noted you were feeling a little more on the feminine sides of things, you would smile if she accidentally called you princess or her sweet girl, rather than recoil from those pet names and timidly inform her that today that just felt so wrong. And of course she respected your feelings and mostly stuck to gender neutral terms of endearments like "love, darling, sweetheart and baby." But today was the day, you wanted to finally let Emily have you, and for you to have her. To be finally one.

It all started with some drinks with the BAU to gain some courage before you started to get a little handy with the Agent. "My darling? Are you okay?" She whispered causing you to whimper and inform her you wished to hide in her neck. A small chuckle came from the woman as she resumed her conversation with Garcia and JJ. Soon enough you got bolder, simple kisses placed to her pulse point on her neck. The pure feeling and shock of the sensation had the dark haired woman choking on her drink. "My love" she murmured causing you to peak out from your hiding spot. "Mmm" you murmured, pupils dilating indicating to the profiler just what you wanted. "Are you alright?" Garcia was quick to ask you both. "We are okay arent we love? I just think they need to get some rest now, isn't that right baby?"

Following along with Emily's plan you bid your goodbyes, pleased at how everyone respected your pronouns of they/them, despite the slightly more feminine attire. "Emily" you whimpered on the drive back to your flat, you couldn't quite understand how you'd manage to survive so long without her touch. "Shush baby, almost back so you can change out of the clothes okay?" Change? No, she misread your signs, a slightly frustrated sigh left you. "I want to be yours properly not change" you whined quietly a beautiful blush covering your cheeks now.  Oh, the agent hadn't even considered that's what you were after, after all it wasn't uncommon for you to bestow kisses like you had in order to leave situations and keep up the pretence that you'd very much made love. "Okay my love, if your sure you want that. I want you to feel good sweetheart okay?"

That was how you found yourself, back up against the wall, as her lips roamed the smooth skin of your neck, biting sucking and kissing along their travels, Emily's hands trailing over your body as she murmured compliments for you. The woman had you feeling so good you couldn't wait for her to touch your bare skin. In fact you weren't below begging for it despite how much you didn't like your body, seeing Emily enjoying herself made you want, no need more. "Please Em, want you to feel good" you whimpered as she harshly sucked a nice sized hickey on your pulse point. "Oh darling, I feel fucking fantastic, let me please you? Please? I just wanna watch you so blissed out by my own hands. My perfect lover."

That was how you found yourself stripped bare on the bed, the self conscious feelings eating away at you now. But she chased them away. Hands and lips mapping your body as she spewed praise at every opportunity she could. "Please" you whined, now too far gone to care, just needing her. "Okay baby, just say the word purple and we stop okay?" She murmured and you nodded instantly. "I need words sweetheart" she chuckled still caressing your body. "Yes I will just for the love of god Em."

Emily's mouth was like no other, you weren't a virgin by any means, and you had your fair share of toys, after all you were human. But this with her was heavenly. Your own insecurities way to far gone to prevent you cumming on her tongue embarrassingly quick. "So good, you taste so good my pretty princess, so so sweet for me. My good baby" she praised licking her lips as you allowed your breathing to regulate, the brain function to be self conscious had been fucked away well and truly. "More?" You whimpered causing Emily's eyes to sparkle with delight. "Of course my lover. Anything for you my love, so Damn perfect; doing exactly as your told aren't you love?"

From here Emily introduced you to her toys, some were vibrators for your clit other dildos including a wireless controlled one, and did she enjoy telling you just how she planned to use it in you. Buy your favourite had to be her cum filled strap. Not something you were ready for, but the idea of soon was fuelling your intense arousal. Emily had you cum again for her by using her little clit vibrating toy, until you were screaming her name and your juices gushing from your core.

In the foggy haze you realised she hadn't cum, you hadn't touched her, yet she informed you that tonight's just for you. Her special love, and you can always touch her at a later date, right now she wants you to feel loved, wanted and so special. That's exactly how you felt falling asleep on her chest minutes after she finished cleaning you up and giving you some water. For once your insecurities were silent.

Word count~ 1314

Tag list

[greazyfloz]

Lovers & Strangers - Chapter 1

disclaimer: This series contains heavy smut, heavy partying, swearing & overall angst

Enjoy! :)

My life growing up in Northern Alberta was easy. I was giving an amazing life, my parents truly were the best. The best thing they gifted me was my best friend, Ethan. Ethan and I first met when I was only 8 days old. Ethan was only a year old when his parents brought him to meet me for the first time. Throughout the years we became closer and closer. 

In elementary school we would tell people that we were siblings throughout the early years. Then in the later years of elementary he would dress me up in goalie gear and practice his slap shot in his front yard. It was convenient that he only lived two streets over because we also fought like siblings. Ethan and I bickered like siblings throughout middle school but nothing lasted over 24 hours. 

Our families, along with a couple other families would get together for every holiday and make it our own special day. We would end and start every New Year together, have Superbowl parties, St. Patrick’s day, Canada Day, has ‘Friendsgiving’, Halloween parties, and would celebrate every Christmas Eve together. Every March Break and Labour Day weekend our families spent away on vacation, we truly were inseparable. As we grew older it became a series of the older kids staying for the first half of the parties, then heading out with their friends. As Ethan became more competitive with hockey the less he was able to attend the get togethers. 

When Ethan was 15 when he left our hometown to play hockey but we still were able to keep in touch because of our parents get togethers, and we went to the same parties during the summer months. Typically best friends don’t sleep with each other. Sleeping with each other didn’t really change our friendship, we never got jealous, and we still slept with other people. We really had that “if we both aren’t married by the time we are 30, we will marry each other” type of friendship. Ethan and I having sex was something people always thought we did, but would be shocked if they found out we actually did. 

Ethan and I are both Sophomores at the University of Michigan. Last year it was really easy to sleep with him occasionally because luckily my roommate dropped out a week in the first semester and I was never assigned a new one. Sophomore year was harder to keep a secret. We didn’t care if people found out but we didn’t really want people to know either but recently we haven’t really been sleeping together much or at all.

I love UMich so far, Ethan being on the hockey team allowed me to also have a whole team of automatic friends. Well a whole team minus one. From day one Mark and I could not stand each other. He was easy to ignore at first, but now I think he tries to get on my nerves. 

I walk into the sophomore house and find Mackie, Dylan and Mackie all sitting on the couch, “Hey guys! Eddy still not back?” I ask sitting beside Mackie

“Nah, he just left actually” Luke asks

“Fuck, I thought I would catch him after class”

“You can hang with us buddy” Dylan says

I decide to stay and hang out with the boys until Mark comes home. He comes in the house and sits in the room  beside Luke, “What are you doing here? Do you not have your own place?” he asks me

“Well I was hanging out with some friends but since you are here, I’m now hanging out with my friends and an egotistical piece of shit” I say giving him a sarcastic smile.

“Ouu burn” Mark says rolling his eyes, “Anyways, we are having the boys over tonight. I said we would throw the party for once” he says facing the rest of the guys. 

“Ugh no Estapa” Luke starts, “I don’t want random people in here”

“Too bad! I already told everyone” Mark says, “It’s just the usual gathering”

“That is a lot of people Mark” Dylan says

“Well yeah, but she won't be here so it’ll be fine!” Mark says pointing at me

“She…” I laugh after

“Oh you're a he? You know I always wondered”

“Mark, you’re such an ass” I say standing, “Tell Eddy to call me when he gets back” I say to Mackie as I leave the house, 

As soon as I got home I went straight to the bathroom and into the tub. I put a little bit of bubbles in and stirred the water around. As I was undressing myself, my phone rings. I answer seeing it was Ethan, “Hey Ed” I say into my phone. 

“Hey, I’m coming over” he says

“I’m in the bath right now” I tell him and he sighs

“Can I join?” he says almost defeated

“Of course, what’s wrong?” I ask

“It has just been a day”

“Aw Eth, I’ll wait for you. I locked the door cause my roommates aren’t home”

“I’m pulling in now” he says and I can hear the gravel of my driveway faintly crunch in the back of the call. 

“Okay, I’m coming” I say ending the call.

I take my housecoat and put it on as I run down the stairs letting him in. I pout my bottom lip and bring him in for a hug. “Come on” I say walking back up to the bathroom and he follows. We get into the bathroom and I take my housecoat off and step into the bathtub as Ethan sits on the toilet beside the tub. “You're not coming in?” I ask confused

“No” he says so I sink in the tub a little further

“Okay, then what's got ya down?” I ask him

“I failed that stupid test this morning which sucks because it was a make up test for one I already failed, but practice before that was tough, and I’m just stressin about hockey”

“Get in here” I say sitting back up so he can sit on the other side of the tub. Ethan sighs before answering

“Fine” he says, undressing himself before taking a seat across from me. I bring my knees together so he can stretch his legs out beside me then I stretch my legs out and lay them on top of his. 

“I take it you and Kennedy’s fling is over?” I say

“Yeah why?”

“You're in the tub with me” I giggle and he laughs too. Once we stop laughing I speak again, “So, I really hate Mark”

“I hate hearing that”

“He told me I was manly looking today after he told me that I wasn’t allowed to come over tonight, oh yeah you are throwing a party” I say and Ethan rolls his eyes

“Ugh why do you guys fight so much”

“I literally don’t even start it. Why wont you have my back ever when it comes to him?” I say and he shakes his head, “I’m sorry, I know you’re already stressed I shouldn’t have said anything but it pisses me off”

“Well we both could release some steam, come here” he says casually

I took my legs off his thighs and brought them in before turning my body so I was now sitting between his legs. I lean back and his hands wrap around me so each hand has a boob to hold. He began massaging my boobs and I leaned my head back so it was on his shoulder. He starts squeezing harder and harder, making me moan out slightly. 

“Sorry” he says then starts massaging them a little lighter but still hard

“No, it feels good” I say and he begins massaging them again harder. 

“Turn” he says, and I turn looking at him on my knees between his legs. He continues massaging my tits as he leans in, taking one in his mouth, sucking around my nipple. He then flicks his tongue up and down on my nipple taking turns between each of them. He then begins nibbling my nipples and I reach down and stroke his cock. Ethan’s hands travel down my body and I adjust my position so my knees are bent on his thighs as he enters two fingers inside of me. I continue to stroke him and he continues to finger my pussy until I cum.

He sits on the edge of the tub, “alright, I’m going to cum soon” he says stroking his cock as he waits for my mouth. I lean in and lick the base to the tip then enter him inside my mouth. I bobble my head up and down as his head falls back, “Fuck! I’m close” he says as I continue back and forth on his cock. “Take me all” he says and I begin slowly inching my way down his cock, until I am close to the base. I hold it then shake my head back to relieve my throat. I then take him in and out of my mouth fast as the loud throat noises that escape my mouth fill the bathroom. “A- Fuck-k-k!” Ethan moans as he cums in my mouth. I keep him in a minute to make sure he finishes cuming before releasing him from my mouth, swallowing before plopping back to my side of the tub. Ethan does the same across from me. We both laugh then continue our conversation from before. 

“Just stick with me tonight” Ethan says

“He will still bother me Ethan” 

“I don’t even understand why he wouldn’t like you” he says, “honestly I was terrified he was going to try and hook up with you or something. That would fucking suck” he says making me laugh

“Wow” I say laughing

“Well, we got something weird going on” he laughs

“Not really”

“We are currently bathing together Y/n” he laughs again and I laugh along

“Sooo. Some besties bath together” 

“Sure, but typically they have the same anatomy AND how many of them happen to have their dick slide down the others throat” he says making us both laugh. 

“Well don’t worry, I have no intentions on even being the idiots friend”

[growup-thatbeautiful]

kissin’ in the cold

Tags: Benny Miller x Reader, Holiday Fic, Triple Frontier Fic, Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Christmas Fic,

Warnings: Kissing, cursing, holiday angst

Word Count: 1.5k

A/n: merry christmas to those who celebrate!! and to those who don’t, here’s a wintery fic based on the song kissin’ in the cold (one of my favorites) i love all the triple frontier boys so much, and benny is no exception.

“Benjamin Miller,” you sigh, your hand cupping his cheek gently. You trace the laugh lines around his eyes and thumb over his bottom lip. He shines gold in the morning light, brazen against the cream colored sheets. His smile, though, is what has your attention, like it always has. It lights up your darkest days and makes your happy ones even warmer.

“Hi, honey,” he drawls, shuffling closer to you. “How are you this fine morning?”

You hum lightly and lean in to peck him on the lips softly. Instinctively, he wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you into him closer, signing into your mouth.

“Better,” you smile. Of course Benny knows, just from moments of being awake, that the holiday gloom has already set in.

The years you spent without him at home make this Christmas more meaningful, something you can appreciate, but there are other reasons that this time of year makes you feel a special kind of pain.

A lot of things have changed since you were a kid, young and in love with the same Benny. You used to be the one people looked at with envy, saying that you were lucky to have found someone so young who made you whole. At that time, Christmas meant time with family, laughing cuddled up in warm blankets, and home-cooked food. You could go ice-skating at the tiny, fake-ice rink in the town square with your hand in Benny’s and feel pride as the other girls stared at you with jealous gazes.

But things changed so quickly when Benny went away. You were happy for him, you really truly were, but it was hard being alone. While all of your college friends went out and meet new people, you were stuck at home, praying for a phone call or a text or anything at all from someone who was hundreds of miles away. So, Christmas meant being curled up alone in your childhood bedroom, those same blankets curled around you, but you were always missing the warmth of Benny’s form next to you, because it was so hard to be without something you had for so long. You didn’t go ice skating and the chill of the winter air was unavoidable without Benny’s jackets.

Then he came back, and he was still your Benny, still easy to crack a joke and be the life of everyone’s party, but he was also different. His laugh was more reserved and his hands shook when the sun went down. He started getting nightmares that woke you up in the middle of the night and sometimes, on the worst days, he doesn’t say a word to you.

You didn’t let that get in the way, though. He was still your Benny, still the absolute love of your life and the one person you reach for at night. It’s always been first nature to give Benny everything, and you don’t think that will ever change. No matter what happens, you’re going to love Benny endlessly.

“Care to share your thoughts?” Benny asks, cupping your neck. His hands are warm and safe, and they provide a feeling of comfort that no one else gives you. “I can see those wheels turning, sweetheart.”

You’ve never been able to hide anything from him, so it’s no surprise when your thoughts come bubbling out of your mouth. “Do you ever think we’re behind everyone else? Like, the world is moving on but we’re stuck in the same place we’ve been forever.”

“Maybe,” he admits, sitting up and bringing you with him, your backs to the headboard. The material of Benny’s t-shirt is thin and the chill of the morning air seeps through, but Benny pulls you in under his arm before goosebumps can skatter your skin. “But only if you look at it like that. Sure, there are people who have their shit together more than we do, but the way I see it, we’re further along than anyone else. I’ve known you’re the one for me since I was fucking thirteen, baby, and none of the other stuff matters. As far as I’m concerned, we can do anything anyone else can do just as easily.”

“You think so?” you ask, tracing patterns across his hand.

“Honey,” he drawls, “I know so. You’re the only person that I want to be with for the rest of my life. I thought I made that clear years ago.”

“Oh,” you say stupidly, a dumb smile on your face.

Benny must be able to see the loss of words on your face, because he nods definitely and tilts your chin up to him. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get the morning started.”

“It’s early,” you complain. “And the bed is warmer than anywhere else.”

“I’ll keep you warm,” Benny says with an over-exaggerated eyebrow waggle.

“Shut up, Benny,” you groan, climbing out of your bed behind him. “You’re the fucking worst.”

“Yeah, but you love me,” he grins, grabbing your hand and leading you to your kitchen. Your home is cozy, but it’s exactly what you want with Benny. You’re close to his family and Will, which is what’s important to him, and it’s far enough away from yours for you to feel independent enough. All of the rooms have huge windows that allow a great deal of sunlight through them, perfect for quiet afternoons.

“Coffee or tea?” Benny asks, rifling around the kitchen to find his favorite mug, a blue ceramic with bright yellow polka dots.

“Coffee,” you say, hopping up onto the counter across from him. “With lots of milk.”

“Fucking disgusting,” he chirps happily as he makes the coffee. “At least let me use the shitty coffee so you don’t ruin the good stuff.”

“All tastes the same to me,” you reply, swinging your legs. Benny’s shoulders shake with laughter as he shakes his head, and you grin even though he can’t see you.

“You’re insane, honey,” Benny says without turning around. Once the coffee maker is started, he turns around and faces you, his arms crossed across his chest. You take the moment to appreciate Benny; his broad shoulders and golden hair, the way it falls in front of his face when he hasn’t touched it in the morning, his blue eyes that are cunning and sharp, but also kind and joyful. The plain black t-shirt he’s wearing hugs his muscles beautifully and accentuates the V of his hips. As per your tradition, he’s wearing matching pajama pants to yours, a plain red and black checkered pattern.

“Do you like the view?” Benny asks, that smug grin you’ve come to love in his face. The coffee machine’s insistent beeping saves you from having to answer. He pours both of your coffee, dramatically adding sugar and milk to yours while rolling his eyes. She hands you the mug and you take a sip.

“Holy shit,” Benny breathes, his eyes somewhere beyond you. “It’s snowing.”

“Benny, I’m not falling for that. We’re in Texas, for fucks sake. It was forty outside yesterday.”

“I’m not joking, turn around,” he says, boyish excitement on his face.

“No way,” you laugh, looking over at Benny, who’s grinning conspiratorially, like he had anything to do with the weather. “No fucking way.”

“I wish I could claim this as part of my plan.” Benny drawls, “But snow in Texas is beyond my power. Shall we?”

There are excited tears in your eyes, ones that Benny definitely sees, because he makes a gentle soothing noise and wipes them away with the pads of his thumbs. “Come on, sweetheart. Who knows how long this is going to last.”

Both of you rush to the coat room and don your heaviest coat, which, for you, means wearing one Benny’s coat because you don’t have any coat that would be heavy enough. You can’t stop laughing while you get dressed, and Benny is looking at you with that fine look in his eyes.

Still dressed in your pajamas, you throw open the front door and promptly land on your ass in the snow.

“Shit,” Benny laughs, reaching for you and slipping himself. “I should have known better than to trust you with a task of balance.”

“Fuck off,” you say, grabbing the hand that he offers you and pulling him down next to you. Despite the fact that you know he could easily remain upright, he falls down beside you and splays his arms out wide.

“It’s really pretty,” you say, looking up at the sky, with the crystal snowflakes drifting down from gray clouds.

“Yeah,” he agrees, but you can feel his gaze on the side of your face, not up at the sky.

“You’re a cliche, Benjamin.” Your words lack any conviction whatsoever as you scoot closer to him, ignoring the melted snow creeping through your clothes.

“Only for you, honey.”

“Sap,” you accuse softly, leaning in and kissing him gently, your hand creeping up to cup his jaw.

“Your sap,” corrects Benny in between kisses. His hand taps you on the nose and you scruntch it up, making him smile wider.

Laying with him on the snowy concrete, it’s easy to forget the past; to forget all of the reasons you have to feel sad right now. Things can only be so bad if you have Benny by your side. “I love you, Benny.”

“I love you too, honey. For this Christmas and the next, I’ll love you.” By the scarf around you neck, he draws you in for another kiss, sweet and slow.

Maybe this year, Christmas will be okay, because no matter what, you have Benny here to kiss you in the cold, where snow falls into your eyelashes and turns Benny’s cheeks cherry red.

“Hey, pendejos, get a fucking room,” a voice calls from your driveway. You look over and see Frankie standing by his car, along with Will and Santiago.

“Glad you could make it,” Benny replies, absolutely no remorse in his voice. He pats your hip and helps you up before grabbing your arm and leading you to the group of men.

“Benjamin told us that you were getting the holiday blues, so we decided to come by and see if we could help,” Santiago explains, a knowing look in his eye.

“Although,” Will adds wryly, “It looks like he might be doing a good enough job on his own.”

“Nonsense. She needs us to make sure they don’t freeze out here. Benny could stay out here for hours without complaint,” Frankie quips, opening his arms for a hug, which you dutifully give. One by one, you greet each of them, ending with Santiago, who appraises you with an older brother’s gaze.

“Let’s get inside,” Benny says, leading the group through the front door. They follow his lead to the living room, where they fill in the mismatched sofas and armchairs, loud and boisterous and home.

You make your way into the kitchen and start a kettle for tea, which you know most of them won’t drink, but you can’t stop the hospitality that brews in you when you have guests. Benny follows behind you and traps you in against the counter, his hands coming to grasp your waist.

“Thank you for inviting them,” you say, your palms sliding up his chest. “You didn’t have to do that. Just you being here would have been enough.”

Benny shakes his head and kisses you the cheek, nosing along your jaw. “I don’t want you to just be okay, I want you to be better than that, and there’s no one better to cheer you up than the boys. It’s common logic, sweetheart.”

“You’re too fucking good for me, Benny,” you sigh. “There’s no way I deserve you.”

“I think you got that mixed up, honey,” Benny laughs, pushing off from the counter and leaning against the wall across from you. “Now, what did you plan on putting in that tea, because Pope won’t touch it unless it’s spiked.”

“I think we can find something,” you grin, looking through your drawers for the tea bags. “Oh, and Benny?”

“Yeah?”

“You have snow in your hair.”

[toppersjeep]

New Years- Lando Norris

Masterlist

Summary: (OC) Brielle Russell is a race engineer at Ferrari. She celebrates the new year but revealing her relationship with a driver on the grid. But many people thought it was going to be a different driver.

briellerussell✔️: 2023 was a wild year. But I’m so thankful to have had you by my side throughout all of it. Happy to be going into 2024 with you Lando. I love you so much. I never really expected to fall in love with you but it just happened. Now I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m really happy that you just randomly kissed me one day. Now here we are entering the new year together. I love you so much Lando and I just know this year will bring you many blessings. Thank you for loving me and giving me the opportunity to love you. I am so happy I get to wake up next to you. You are my everything I adore you so much. Here’s to many more memories together- tagged landonorris

Liked by 1 million

carmenmundt✔️: 🥹 I love this I’m crying and it’s not even about me.

pierregasly✔️: he fell first but she fell harder :)

georgerussell63✔️: love you guys! thank you for taking care of her landonorris

carlossainz55✔️: cute not jealous of you at all

charlesleclerc✔️: ❤️❤️

landonorris✔️: oh my love I love you so much you have no idea. you are the most important person in my life. thank you for everything that you do for me. I wouldn’t be me without you. can’t wait to make many memories with you this year. definitely gonna run to give you a million kisses because this is so sweet.

briellerussell✔️: landonorris : I will take all of the kisses you can give me in this world I’ll sit here waiting for you😙

mclaren✔️: 😍🧡🧡

landoxellie: finally omg we all knew 😭

charles16f1: wait?? how long have they been together ?? I really thought she was with Charles

l4xleclerc: charles16f1 I think Ellie mentioned she had a boyfriend like ten months ago. And she spent Christmas with Landos family in London. So I think like ten or eleven months?? and her and Charles are close friends

elleswife: shocked Lando kept a secret this long

ferrai✔️: so adorable

____

Elles POV

“Elle” Charles said walking over to me. “Hi Charles” I said. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here” Charles said. “Oh yeah I was staying with Lando as his place” I said. “Did you decide to move back to Monaco” Charles asked. “Uhh I’m thinking about it cause honestly I’m over California” I said.

“I uhh well how was your new years” Charles said. “Good” I said grabbing some flowers. “You” I asked looking at Charles. “Just spent it with the family and went skiing with friends” Charles said. “Haha yeah I saw you suck at skiing still” I said.

“Can I ask you a question” Charles said looking at me. “Yeah” I said as we walked back to Landos car. “Are you happy” Charles asked. “Is this about Lando” I said. “I mean yeah I just thought” Charles said. “Thought what” I said.

“Maybe I’m overstepping but I thought you had feelings for me” Charles said. “Do you want the truth or a lie” I said looking at him. “Ellie” Charles said. “I did but I wasn’t going to sit and wait for you” I said. “All I wanted was for you to look at me the way I looked at you” I said.

“So I stayed there waiting thinking maybe one day he’d notice” I said. “But then Lando came along” I said. “And I felt like finally someone noticed me” I said. “I didn’t know” Charles said. “That’s because you were too busy to even care” I said. “I do care” Charles said.

“Are you only asking this because I’m with him” I said. “I’m asking you because I wanna know if you love him truly” Charles said. “I do I wasn’t going to wait for you” I said. Charles looked at me sadly. “Hurts doesn’t it” I said. “Now you know now I felt every time you were with somebody” I said.

“But I love you” Charles said. “You should’ve told me a long time ago then” I said. “Because the girl that loved Charles Leclerc is the one whose heart you kept breaking” I said. “I’m sorry” Charles said. “You should be” I said. “Brielle I really am sorry” Charles said. “Hey Charles” Lando said walking over.

“Did you find that shop you were looking for” I said Lando kissed my cheek. “Yeah I did love” Lando said. “Hey” Charles said. “Well I hate to be that person but we gotta go” Lando said. “Right yeah” I said. “Where” Charles said. “My parents are at Landos so” I said.

“Well uhh have fun guys” Charles said. “Yeah you too mate” Lando said. We got in the car and drove back to his place. “What was that about love” Lando asked. “Just Charles asking how our new years was” I said. “Ahhh” Lando said.

“Nothing to worry about” I said. “You gotta let him go you know” Lando said. “I have Lando” I said. “He didn’t deserve you” Lando added. “I don’t know what I deserve” I said. “Someone who loves you and supports you” Lando said. “Someone who’d risk anything for you” he added I smiled. “I love you” I said. “I love you more baby” Lando said.

[episodeoftv]

Prelims, Vote 7 of 8

The top 4 finales will move on to be included in the main bracket

Propaganda is under the cut, may include spoilers

Friends - 10.17 The Last One

It's specifically part 2 I think qualifies here because that has the Rachel got off the plane thing and I think in 2023 we can all admit that was a mistake. she should've just lived her best life in Paris

Gilmore Girls - 7.22 Bon Voyage

No propaganda submitted

Gossip Girl - 6.10 New York I Love You XOXO

Chuck murders his uncle so the plot is that Chuck and Blair had to get married in a day and like flee the country. Whether you loved them or hated them, no one wanted them to get married in ten minutes on the street. Dan is revealed as Gossip Girl which makes ZERO sense because he sends tips to Gossip Girl and learns stuff from it ALL THE TIME. It’s literally impossible that he was Gossip Girl the whole time. There’s a timeskip and Dan and Serena are getting married, OH cause no one even cares that he’s Gossip Girl and has ruined their lives over and over, so Dan and Serena get married even though they haven’t been together since they were sixteen!! They don’t even like eachother at all by season six. Everyone else’s ending is just tragic. Nate’s whole storyline in season one was hating that his life was planned and he’s going to end up like his dad, and he ends up exactly like his dad and he’s in politics despite showing zero interest in it before. Every character didn’t want to end up like their parents and DID by the end

ReBoot - 4.08 Crouching Binome, Hidden Virus

It concluded with a cliffanger and a massive reveal (the nice BoB, Dot was about to marry was the bad guy all along) that left the viewer shocked as Megabyte (said bad guy) seized the center of Power and everything was about to be infected.

Shameless - 11.12 Father Frank, Full of Grace

Imagine a show going on for 11 seasons just for not a single one of the characters to get a genuinely happy ending. All the endings were open ended, but for every single one of them it was implied that bad things were coming (other than the character who died, obviously, because that was a true end). We spent 11 years getting attached to characters only for none of them to be truly happy and so many questions still unanswered.

Star Trek: Voyager - 7.25 / 7.26 Endgame

Throwing together Chakotay and Seven out of nowhere at the last minute; Janeway cavalierly rewriting decades of history to save them; everything relying on deus ex machina future tech; all these are bad. But the worst part is, "Endgame" ends before they get home! We don't see any reunions between the crew and their families back home, or how their homecoming is celebrated. After seven years, they get back to Earth, and it just...ends, without any real resolution.

Top Chef - 11.17 Finale

It's the end of a long season full of frustrating man children and delicious food in Louisiana. With our final two we have Nina, an award winning chef and fan favorite of the season who has been in the top ten challenges and the bottom only twice. She could be the first (and to this day would still be the only) black woman to win Top Chef. In the other corner we have Nicholas, who was in the top four times and the bottom six times and always blames other people for his problems. He yells at his staff and coworkers whenever things get tough throughout the season as well. They each get three sou chefs and Nina picks the two other strongest women of the season who both were screwed over by Nick earlier in the season, alongside her friend Travis. Nick picks three bros and there's a joke that it's Guys vs Girls because Travis on Nina's team is gay. Service is stressful for each team but they handle it in different ways. Nina readjusts her plans quickly and Nick yells at his waitstaff in front of everyone again. The judges eat at both places and we get an emotional interview with each contestant of what winning would mean for them. Judging time! Three of the judges think Nina should win because her food was the best of the night. Two judges think Nick should win because his food was better. One of the Team Nick judges is head Judge Tom Colichio and he speaks to the other judges like they're stupid. The judges start debating and the two Team Nick judges say, wait, actually both teams were equally good that night but Nina has always been that good meanwhile this is the best Nick has ever done so he should win. The judges argue more and at one point Tom Colichio says Nick yelling at his staff proves he's a passionate chef so he should win. They keep disagreeing with three for Nina and two for Nick. We don't see the end of the argument. Two Cheftestants stand before the judges with their families and all the former contestants of the season standing off to the side. The winner of Top Chef New Orleans is... Nick. Some of his fellow Cheftestants from the season are visibly annoyed and Nick gives his mom a sloppy kiss on the lips before giving a tearful confessional. The end.

[shessoft]

So I don't forget. Here is that Academy Bros AU fic that I wrote years ago. Not proofread. Rough draft. Maybe like 8th draft idk it was years ago. Anyway, here ya go!

and the birth of Academy Bros AU

Depression wasn’t something the Sawyers spoke about. In fact, to them it was something rich white people made up to get drugs from their doctors. So, when Adelina entered high school she had to double down and force herself to get through the day. As far as she knew everyone felt hollow and petrified all the time too. Besides she had her big brother’s shoes to fill, grades to maintain, and a family reputation to uphold. By the time she was 16 she had a three year old niece, Maggie, who she was determined to be there for. As long as she was ‘good’ then she was okay.

While Maggie looked like her mother’s mini clone, it was her father she took after in personality. Stubborn and competitive, and in spite of him she was loyal to a fault. Sawyer blood must have been strong because she seemed to take after her aunt Adelina as well, much to the family’s dismay. Adelina couldn’t keep Maggie from this thanks to her parents not checking the stairwell or around corners before discussing such matters.

“She’s too much like Adelina, it's not right.”

“What’s so wrong with my sister? She’s a free babysitter. We don’t have to leave Maggie with strangers.”

“She’s a stranger to me!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“She’s not right in the head, Berto, your parents have always said-”

“Now wait one minute-”

“Do you really want Maggie around that? She's taking the pills now. Did you know?”

Before Maggie knew it her grandma took over as her primary sitter and she only saw her aunt for the holidays. They said it was because Adelina was so busy with school but Maggie knew better, Adelina was in college since she was born and she was never too busy for her before.

Christmas Eve 

“Lina! You’re here!” As soon as she walked through the door and her voice was heard she had a tiny twelve year old in a dirty soccer jersey barreling towards her for a hug.

“Hey, Tink! I missed you, look how big you are! Gonna be taller than me soon.” She compares her height to her niece jokingly. If she grew any taller than Adelina it’d be a miracle.

“I missed you so so much! I have so much to tell you!”

“I bet you do! Let me guess, you...broke the world record for dirtiest child?”

“No, silly! I’m team Captain!”

“Ahh my little super star! I knew you would! Congrats, baby!” She sweeps her up into a great big bear hug.

“Thanks, Lina. I missed you.”

“Aw, my little Tinkerbell, what d’ya say we go sneak some of gram gram’s famous tiramisu to celebrate?”

“Yeah!” Maggie grabs her hand and leads her into the kitchen giggling the whole way. Effectively ruining the sneaking idea.

Maggie always knew she was different. When her parents used to talk about her possible future they always seemed more excited than her. Her Aunt Adelina, the youngest of the Sawyer family until Maggie came along, was ‘different’ too. Maybe that’s why they got along so well or maybe it's because Maggie’s mother was an only child and Adelina was the only extended family she had. Either way the two of them never truly fit into the polished family they were born into.

--

By the time Maggie was entering high school she saw her aunt less and less. In the words of her mother, “she refused to settle down and start a family. She’d rather live in sin with her boyfriend.” This seemed like a ludicrous reason to be angry with her but then again Adelina never did anything her family expected of her. She was even so bold as to decline her parents' dreams for her life and instead chose her own path. Maggie respected her aunt for living so fearlessly, in fact it's why she loved her so much. To her, Adelina was remarkable despite what her parents or grandparents said. She never treated Maggie like some stupid kid. She didn’t just love her niece, Maggie actually felt loved as she is. There was never any pretense with her aunt. She never felt she had to gain her approval or ask for her attention. With Adelina, it was all just given automatically and unconditionally.

So when Maggie’s dad caught her in the school parking lot with Wren, she called her aunt crying into the payphone.

“Hey, Tink! Sweetie, slow down I can barely hear you. What happened?”

“Dad-he-he said I’m gonna burn in hell.”

“Maggie, that’s not true. He’s just-”

“Lina, he kicked me out.”

“He what?”

“He gave me ten minutes to get my things and then he told me to get out of his house.”

“Where are you right now?”

“The bus station. I walked all the way here before I realized I left my wallet. Please tell me you’re still in town?”

“I’m on my way. Stay put, I’ll be there soon.”

She’s only been back to her parents house once. The same day Adelina picked her up at the bus station she drove her straight home. She was convinced her aunt was bringing her back to try to talk to her father into letting her stay. Instead she told Maggie to get the rest of her things, as much as she could pack. Maggie expected to hear her father and aunt yelling but it was eerily quiet. The silence that crept through the house broke her heart further. Her father had nothing to say. Didn’t even bother fighting his sister because he didn’t care about Maggie, not anymore. He just wanted her gone.

When she came down the stairs with her bag she found Adelina staring her father down as he stared out the back window.

“I’m taking her with me, Berto. If you come to your senses you know where we live.” Satisfied with her statement she turned sharply and stormed out the front door leaving Maggie standing in the kitchen doorway looking at her father.

“Dad?” Nothing. He didn’t even react as if he didn’t hear her. She knows he did, he just wants nothing to do with her.

“Please. I love you.” She chokes back a small sob watching him walk out of the room without looking back. She angrily wipes tears off her cheeks and secures her bag over her shoulder and walks out the front door. Adelina was waiting for her on the porch. She pretends she doesn’t hear her sniffling or see her puffy eyes as she takes the bag from her. Adelina wraps her arm around her niece’s shoulders and walks her to the car. As Maggie opens the passenger door her heart sinks again. 

This time it's due to her mother who just pulled into the driveway. Maggie barely had time to blink before her mom was practically leaping out of the car and walking straight inside.

“Come on, Tink let’s go.” At the sound of her voice Maggie’s eyes drift to her aunt and then down to her hand on the car door and she gasps. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath, as if she could control her mother's actions. They both climb into the car and once buckled Adelina pulls away.

“She didn’t even look at me.”

“Do you want to talk-”

“No.” She didn’t mean to snap but just the mention of talking about...any of it. The idea of telling her aunt everything that happened. She’s not ready to relive it all. “Not yet.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

The only solace Maggie had was the fact that it was almost summer. It didn’t take long for the news to spread through the small town of her disowning. Seeing as how her father all but dragged her away from Wren by her hair in front of half the school.

“You’re home early.”

“Well it's nice to see you too.”

“Don’t be fresh. I thought you’d be at practice.”

“I quit the team.”

“What? When?”

“Today.”

“What, Maggie, why? You love soccer?”

“No, dad loves soccer. He only enrolled me because when I was eight I kicked Travis in the balls.”

“Oh, I forgot about that. What the hell happened to that kid?”

“He’s somewhere happy probably.”

“Okay, Tink. Regardless of how you ended up playing, you love playing! Where is my little Tinkerbell who made captain three years in a row?”

“She’s in the picture frame on her parents mantle. Maybe even in the trash now.”

“Maggie, you can’t let them take something you love away from you.”

“Besides themselves you mean?”

“I’m-sorry that’s not-I know it fucking sucks. I wish I could fix it all, I do. I just don’t want you to give up everything.”

“You have to have something in order to give up something.”

“Please talk to me. Tell me what happened that day. It’s been months you can’t keep it in any more.”

“What do you want me to say? That I’m humiliated? That I feel disgusting? That it was all for nothing?”

“Oh, sweetie. Come here. Look at me.” She holds Maggie’s face in her hands. “If anyone should be humiliated, it's him! You are remarkable and loving and you are gonna do so much good in this world. Do you hear me?” 

“Lina, I’m gay.”

“I know, sweetie.”

“That’s the first time I said that.”

“I know.” She wipes away Maggie’s tears with her thumbs and pulls her into a hug. “Your love is not wrong. It's beautiful and real, and you will get to experience it one day the way that you deserve. Uninhibited and unconditional. I promise. Now, let's go have some dinner, yeah?”

Chuckling, “yeah.” Adelina stands up and physically shakes it out eliciting a giggle from her niece. 

Later that night after watching Rhoda reruns Maggie decides to tell her everything. She’s accepted the fact that this is her home now. That Adelina is her only family now.

“She’s on the team.”

“Who?”

“Wren. She was on the team with me.”

“Oh. And she’s the one-”

“My dad caught me kissing? Yeah that’s her.”

“So did you quit because she’s telling everyone you’re a bad kisser-” Just then she’s hit in the face with a pillow. 

“Shut up! No, I quit because I’m an idiot that misread everything and being around her physically hurts.”

“Ouch. I’ve been there.”

“Yeah right.”

“No, I have! Cross my heart. His name was Monty.”

“That fact alone is embarrassing. I guess I believe you.”

They ended up moving to Colorado at the start of Maggie’s Junior year when Adelina got offered  a nursing job she couldn’t pass up. The fact that it was a fresh start for both of them was a bonus. After accumulating credits at community college Maggie transferred to a University to complete her bachelor's.

“Are you sure?”

“Auntie, for the last time this is what I’m meant to do. I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

“Ugh I know, I know. You’re gonna be amazing! California is just so far away.”

“It's not that far.”

She never got the full story out of Maggie until she was wasted on her 21st. If she was being honest she wishes she never knew. According to Maggie, that day started full of promise. Wren had taken to leaving soft kisses on Maggie’s cheeks every time they said goodbye a few months into the school year. When Wren leaned in to say goodnight Maggie returned the gesture for the first time. Unlike Wren, she kissed the girl on the lips and then the world fell out from under her feet. It felt as if the moment their lips touched her father’s voice erupted from the sky. Before she really knew what was happening his hand was wound tightly around her arm as he dragged her towards his car and forced her inside. Too frightened to speak up, they rode in a tense silence back to the house. She could see his knuckles turn white as he gripped the steering wheel avoiding her eyes. They pulled into the driveway and as he got out he slammed the door and stomped inside. Once out of sight she let out a garbled sob before opening the door and grabbing her bag.

“Dad?” She walked into the kitchen to see his back facing her.

“Ten minutes.”

“What?”

“You have ten minutes to get your things and then I want you out.”

“What? What do you mean? Dad what did I-”

“Don’t you dare! You have the audacity to live under my roof and carry on like that?”

“Daddy, please I don’t understand!”

“You disgust me. You are a disgrace to this family. I will not have my daughter running around being a deviant!”

“I never even did anything!”

“Do not raise your voice to me! I know what I saw! I knew you weren’t right but I never thought it’d come to this. Maggie you are going where I cannot follow. I will not follow! You are burning in hell already my child. I will not stand by and watch. You’re disgusting. Get your things and then get out of my house. You are not my daughter.”

“Dad, please!”

“GO. NOW.”

That was over eight years ago. Now? Now she was about to start at the police academy. With high hopes of moving up in rank she put all her focus and energy into this one thing.

-----

Fresh from his college graduation, James wasted no time before applying for the police academy, much to his family’s chagrin. His mom, though she means well, couldn’t understand why he spent all those years working towards his BA in journalism just to go into law enforcement. Daniella, his baby sister, thought it was a dumb idea but she’s just glad he was relocating to California.

He thought he was in peak physical condition until he started training. He was paired up to spar with a woman who was shorter than his 15 year old sister. He’s not usually one to underestimate and after this 5 foot nothing had his back to the mat for the fourth time he vowed to never do so again. He was impressed, a little turned on and definitely intrigued. He initially thought she was just trying to prove herself to everyone by taking down the tallest guy but he soon realized she was enjoying kicking his ass. The Captain called her Sawyer which could be her name but everyone got last named here so he had to do some digging. He could just ask her but she was intimidating and didn’t seem to give any of the guys the time of day. He figured she had a boyfriend already or wasn’t interested in dating cops. If you asked his sister though he was assuming too much.

“Shut up, Dani.”

“Jimmy, you don’t even know her first name. Have you even spoken to her yet? It's been a month.”

“She always disappears after training.”

“Oh my god suck it up man, you’re an embarrassment.”

That's pretty much how all his calls home ended lately. Even his mom was calling him out. He really needed to stop sharing everything with them, even though they made a good point. He was teamed up with Sawyer again the following week and he realized the captain thought they worked well together. Now was as good a time as any. He found her hanging around chatting with Stevens, another female trainee.

“Hey, Sawyer. Wait up.” When she turns around he notices a look of annoyance cross her face but it's quickly replaced with a dimpled smile. As if the realization of the voice’s owner brought it on. He takes this as a good sign.

“It's Maggie, actually.”

“James Olsen,” he extends his hand, noting her firm handshake.

“I know. What's up?”

“Some of us are going out for drinks and food. Interested? Or do you have to run off as usual?”

“You been stalking me, Olsen?”

She’s smirking but he still feels called out. “I just noticed you’re not really involved, which is cool I get it. Just here for the job and all that but it's more exciting working with friends in my experience.”

“Yeah I guess I’m just used to being solo most of the time.”

“So is that a yes?”

“Yeah sure.”

--

“Come on, smalls. It's Thanksgiving.”

“I told you to stop calling me that. I don’t want to impose on your family holiday.”

“And I told you my mom wants you to come. Also, I’m your best friend. I'm allowed a nickname.”

“You’re not my best friend.”

His hand goes up to rest on his chest, “ I’m hurt.”

“Shut up,” she exclaims, hitting his arm.

“No, who is it? I want to know who is stealing my best friend from me.”

“It's Ferguson.”

“You’re best friends with the jerk that caused my ass kicking? Literally kicked in the ass because of him.”

“No you deserved that all on your own.”

“I was trying to help. He wouldn’t stop harassing you.”

“I don’t need that kind of help. You can’t just out people like that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize that's what I was doing.”

“You still never told me how you knew.”

“Smalls, we go out to bars together. I see who you check out because I’m looking too.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Too late, my family knows all.”

“You have the biggest mouth! You told them too?”

“I didn’t know! Ow!”

“What did they say?”

“They don’t care. They’re excited to meet you. Dani had a field day when she found out I was crushing on a lesbian.”

“You what?”

---

“Just consider it. I’m telling you, you’ll be thanking me.”

“You say that now but your track record for setting me up on dates is disastrous at best.”

“This time is different!”

“Because she’s your ex-fling's sister? Yeah, that is different. See also, messy.”

“You’re impossible, you know that? Just go on one date with her. I’m telling you Alex is a total catch.”

“Okay, gramps, what makes her a ‘catch’?”

“She’s brilliant and badass. Sexy and soulful and-”

“Then why don’t you date her?”

“Because I have Corrie, remember?”

“Shit! She didn’t dump you yet?”

“You’re hilarious. My little sister made the same joke already.”

“I know. We were making fun of you over skype last week.”

“Anyway! Alex is like family and also gay so I’m not really her type.”

“Just because I’m a lesbian doesn’t automatically make us a good match nor does it make me her type.”

“Technically no, but she thinks you’re gorgeous so…”

“Pfft gorgeous? Yeah, sure.”

“It's true! I showed her a picture of you and-”

“What picture?”

“The one from last Christmas...and others.”

“Jimmy! Christmas pictures are for family only! You know the rules!”

“Why do you care? You don’t even want to date her, remember?”

“I never said that.”

“I knew it! Trust me you won’t regret it.”

“You better hope I don’t.”

--

She hates this. She physically hates everything about what is happening and everyone in the room with her. She rolls her eyes at her aunt's smug face through Dani’s laptop, who has taken it upon herself to dress Maggie for her date with Alex.

“Stop sulking Tink! It’s just a date with a hot girl.”

“You don’t even know what she looks like, Lina.”

“But I do! James showed me her pic and I met her once, briefly. Trust me she’s hot.”

“Ugh will you two stop saying that. It’s unsettling.”

“Whatever. Here, try this on.”

“Dani this isn’t even mine it’s yours.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“Nothing if I was also 15.”

“Sounds like our Maggie wants to make a good impression on this Alex.”

“You know what Adelina I think you’re right!”

“I hate both of you.”

—-

“Olsen, if this blows up in my face I’m gonna kill you with my bare hands and no one will find the body. Call me when you get this.”

She wouldn’t say she’s freaking out so much as her family forced her on this date. God even mama Olsen gave her a hard time. Why couldn’t they just let her be?

It’s not like Maggie was opposed to the set up. In fact she was kind of excited with all the hype everyone put into building this woman up! Which was also the problem. What if they were over compensating or worse, it’s a pity date. She seriously doubts James talked her up successfully. He’s not the greatest wingman. The thing is she’s never actually had a serious relationship. Her romantic history was littered with hookups and flings and very few actual dates.

“Maggie?”

Oh fuck. She’s here. How did she miss the fact that she was standing right in front of her?

“That’s me!” Olsen was not lying at all. This woman is gorgeous. “And I’m hoping you’re Alex?” Maggie makes a mental note to try and get that smile to appear as much as possible.

—

“So you and Jimmy work together?”

“Sometimes but he actually works with my sister so we cross paths a lot.”

“Right, he mentioned that. The boy talks so damn much it’s hard to retain it all.” New mental note, make Alex laugh more.

“So how do you know Jimmy? He said you’re his sister but the last names seem suspect.”

“Oh! Yeah we met at the academy and-“

“He was in the police academy? You’re kidding?”

“No he definitely was. Obviously  he didn’t follow through with it but he was decent.”

“I never would have guessed! He’s not very…”

“Authoritative? Yeah no he’s artsy and soft.”

“I see. And what about you? Are you authoritative or soft?”

How the fuck does she answer that?

“Both?”

“I bet.” Why did she say both? Now she has to somehow be both? Pull it together Sawyer, she’s just a woman.

“Anyway, we met in the Academy and the Olsens are very welcoming people, you could say. Mama unofficially adopted me and Lina.”

“Lina?”

“My aunt.”

Definitely not first date conversation but Alex seemed fine when Maggie skated over the subject of her past and family. So the date wasn’t awful. Actually, it was amazing and she’s seeing Alex again next week, but she’s gonna keep that info to herself for the time being. Her family is cocky enough as it is.

----

Text from Jman

I just met you

Smalls

NO

Jman

And this is crazy

Smalls

Yes you are crazy

Jman

But heres my number

Smalls

Its 8am olsen wtf

Jman

So call me maybe

Smalls

I rather eat glass

Jman

Before you came into my life i missed you so bad

Smalls

I’m not above murdering you

Jman

I MISSED YOU SO BAD

Smalls

OMG

I missed you so so bad

Jman

Mission accomplished

Smalls

I fucking hate you

Jman

You love me

And you LOV--LIKE Alex

Smalls

Ugh go away

Jman

Not until you say it

Smalls

That you’re a horrible man and you’re gonna die alone?

Jman

AND ALL THE OTHER BOYS

Smalls

PLEASE NO MORE

Jman

Then say it

Smalls

Thank you. You were right, ALL MIGHTY ONE. The date was good. I really liked her.

Happy?

Jman

SO CALL HER MAYBE

Smalls

I’m deleting you

She could hear his smug laughter from across town.

-----

Group chat Lina Dani Jman Smalls

Dani

GUESS WHO HAS A NEW GF

Lina

James?

Dani

BAHAHAHA yeah right

Lina

Our little Maggie?

James

I resent that

DING DING DING

Maggie is officially with Alex

Dani

I fucking called it!!

So which nerd do we think is gonna propose first?

I’m taking bets

Lina

Maggie

Jman

Smalls for sure

Smalls

I hate all of you

---

4 months later group chat

Smalls

I fucked up i fucked up i fucked up

Dani

Did you finally murder someone?

Smalls

NO little one

Worse

Jman

What's worse than homocide? Shit homicide

Smalls

Telling Alex i love her

Dani

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jman

Holy shit

Smalls

HELP ME

Jman

Well...do you love her?

Smalls

Wtf does that have to do with anything jimmy?

Dani

Auntie it's everything

Jman

Yeah smalls stop being so scared

Smalls

You two are useless

----

Alex

Are we still on for tonight?

Maggie

If i didn’t fuck everything up yeah haha

Alex

You’re an idiot

Maggie

Thank you. I try really hard.

Alex

Good. Can’t wait to see you xx

--

Smalls

I am the shit

Jman

The what now

Dani

I have finals stop putting me in these group texts

Find friends your own age!!

Smalls

You know morally it's wrong to fight a child but i will

Dani

Shut up you couldn’t even reach

Smalls

You know what fine i won’t tell you about my love life anymore

Jman

Ha what love life

Dani

Shut up jimmy !!

WHAT HAPPENED

Smalls

You guys were right okay

About Alex

And she loves me back and that's all the info you’re gonna get from now on

Goodbye

Dani

Wait

No

COME BACK

MORE DETAILS

Jman

Damn i’m happy for you smalls

Dani

Be quiet James i want to know how she told her

Maggie??

Hello??

Smalls

Go study little one

[jennyboom21]

Dianna Agron is running late — she’s stuck on the subway. I have no problem believing this because I am on the exact same train a few cars away, as we learn when she sends me a heads-up text. My phone slowly receives a selfie of Agron waving through a grainy train window, face curtained by long light-brown hair, along with another message about how tickled she is that we’re sharing a classic New York experience. And it’s one we continue when we finally make it to The Odeon, the iconic Tribeca bistro. “It's been a staple since the 1980s, which is what I love about this place,” she says in her lilting voice as we mull over the menu. “This is a place that was happening when I was born and didn't even know that it would be waiting for me when I moved to New York City.” We get two dirty martinis and a plate of fries before gleefully cheering to being in our 30s. “I love this time, though,” she adds.

Agron has been thinking a lot about her 30s, and not just because we’re meeting up two weeks before her 37th birthday. Her new movie, Clock, out now on Hulu, is a sci-fi horror film that explores the immense societal pressures women, in particular those without children, face in that decade of their lives. But the film’s messages about making your own choices also resonate within the arc of her career. Agron spent six seasons on the pop culture juggernaut that was Glee — and enduring the intense public scrutiny that came with it — before more recently finding acclaim with a string of indie movies like Shiva Baby and Novitiate. With Clock, Agron pushed herself again. There are big action scenes (hanging from cliffs, elbow-deep gore), as well as dark emotional depths (involving painful family secrets coming to life). “Collected experience really does add up,” she says. “And I think that the life I've lived the last 10 years in some ways has been more magnificent and more challenging than my more formative years.”

Lanvin coat, SKIMS bra, Talent’s own trousers, Pamela Love earrings

Agron never thought she’d try her hand at horror, but the Clock script hit too close to home to resist. She plays Ella, a 30-something who doesn’t want kids but eventually gives into the pressure of prying family and friends and enrolls in an experimental clinical trial, under the leadership of Dr. Simmons (Melora Hardin), that promises to help women who don’t experience having a biological clock. “The moment I turned 30,” Agron says, “the amount of questions that I felt were far too personal — and from truly everyone — just intensified year by year.”

Even for an actor who came up in the Perez Hilton era of celebrity blogging and is used to skirting prying questions, Agron still finds herself surprised sometimes. Just last year, she was on a red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival promoting the sci-fi drama Acidman when a journalist asked her out of the blue if her mother’s name, Mary, would be “top of the list” for her. “I truly had no idea what she was talking about, so I asked for clarification and she said, ‘The top of your baby list,’” Agron says. “I said, with all of the kindness, ‘You have no idea what my personal journey is. And I'm quite surprised that you asked me that at my workplace when I'm here to discuss a film that I'm in.’” The message didn’t land. “She had no remorse. She just bopped along to the next question.”

Michael Kors Collection clothing and belt, Agmes earrings

Clock only took on more meaning throughout production. Agron was in Texas shooting the last day of principal photography when the draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade leaked. “It did not feel good, that's for sure,” she says. “But then felt in some ways good that we were making [a movie that speaks] to some of the perils of being a woman and making choices that are more aligned with your own sense of self, as opposed to making choices for other people.” She dips a fry into one of the many condiments we’ve ordered. “All it takes is a film or a piece of journalism [for people] to open their eyes to different experiences that they could never imagine for themselves and have no personal touch points for. As a woman and one who very much loves women and loves the immense and enormous abilities that we have to carry so much, I wish that we had to carry less.”

When writer-director Alexis Jacknow was looking to cast Ella, she knew what she wanted: “It was very important to me that that character just already have a natural, grounded nature, a gravitas to her.” And she knew right away after meeting her that Agron could deliver. “There was absolutely nothing she wouldn’t do,” Jacknow says. “She pushed me, and there was just no hesitation on her part. She showed up every single day, 110%, and gave us everything.”

That is not an exaggeration. During one scene, Ella cracks open eggs into a frying pan and begins to eat them raw with a spoon. Jacknow didn’t want anyone to flaunt food safety guidelines, but Agron thought the only way to sell the scene was to actually do it. “Beef tartare, a whiskey sour,” Agron says, listing all the indulgences with raw ingredients she already enjoys. (There are reasons those are safer than raw eggs, but just go with it.) Jacknow proposed a compromise: Agron could put the raw eggs in her mouth as long as she spat them instead of swallowing. Agron agreed — or at least pretended to. “I winked at our [director of photography] and motioned at him like, ‘Don’t cut,’” she says, laughing. “I go to pick up the egg, I swallow it and go to take another bite. And I just hear, ‘Dianna, what the f*ck?!’”

Dries Van Noten clothing, Khiry earrings

Agron hasn’t always felt such autonomy in her career. When she was in her early twenties, she booked a role in a “big studio film” that, though ultimately a positive experience, involved an eye-opening screen test. “It was like, ‘We don’t like her hair like that, we need her to be more girly. We don’t like those clothes,’” she recalls. “I kept getting moved off set, changed, put back on stage, taken off again. I didn’t feel that I had any say in the matter, even if I had suggested something nicely. I was just a product at that point.”

Glee did not exactly help things. Agron says she was the last person cast for the show and describes getting the job as nothing short of fate. She grew up watching musicals with her mother in hotels on account of her father’s job as a manager at Hyatt. “Look, I moved to Los Angeles and I set out to find a musical. They were my absolute bread and butter. I told anybody that would listen to me, ‘I really want to do a musical,’” she says. “And [agents] were like, ‘No, try to be on Broadway.’ I just had this staunch faith that I was meant to be in Los Angeles and I would find a musical. And then it happened.”

But while she credits the show with changing her life, the show’s explosive popularity tested her boundaries. “There was a moment in time where there was not only a lack of acknowledgement in respect to personal space, there have been times where I've been put in a headlock and kissed on a plane. There have been times where mothers were grabbing you by the arm to meet and take a photo with their child,” Agron says. “There were so many personal attacks in a way that are just truly not what you do to a human. That feels specific to that time and that intensity of the feelings that people were feeling watching the show.”

So she moved to New York in 2016, eager to escape Los Angeles and its “predatory nature of people with lenses down there that just doesn’t exist in the same way in other places.” For a few years, she split her time between London — from 2016 to 2020, Agron was married to Winston Marshall of British folk-rock group Mumford & Sons — but now calls New York “my only home.” “Following my personal life is really not going to yield anything that interesting,” Agron says of public attention. And it’s true, the few times I tactfully (I hope) bring up topics that might lead Agron to open up about other aspects of her personal life, she gently deflects them. It’s clear she’s figured out a way to maintain her privacy while still being incredibly personal in the context of her work.

In New York, she’s able to follow her muse more freely. She’s reconnected with music through a string of residencies at the famed Café Carlyle, where she’s performed jazz standards and ‘60s covers. She served as a producer on Acidman and would like to do more behind-the-scenes work. And she’s relishing the chance to be a “waving the Jewish flag” kind of actor, choosing projects like Shiva Baby and As They Made Us that let her honor and explore her heritage. “I went to Jewish weekend school and Wednesday school for my entire upbringing up until my Bat Mitzvah and spent a lot of time with Holocaust survivors,” she says. “So it was a weird experience to then have many people say [in Hollywood], ‘You don’t look Jewish.’ It is weird to have somebody deny you your own personal experience.”

Next, she’ll make her return to television with The Chosen One, a multilingual adaptation of Mark Millar’s American Jesus comic book that follows a 12-year-old boy who gains the biblical powers of Jesus after a freak accident. She’s bonded with the younger actors on the show who have asked her for career advice — a full-circle moment for the now bonafide industry veteran. They’ve even watched Glee and marveled to Agron about how young she looks and seems. Her response? “I am!” she says, laughing.

By this point, our martini glasses have long been empty. Neither of us want to brave the train again, so Agron walks me up the street and, like a true New Yorker, gives me directions with a McNally Jackson tote slung over her shoulder. She gives me a hug, then turns to head deeper into Tribeca, forging a path all of her own.

[prapasara]

Best Retirement Wishes

1. Retirement is the world’s longest coffee break. Enjoy your coffee! 2. Your someday is here. Enjoy! 3. Enjoy your days of sleeping late and doing nothing! All the best in your retirement. 4. I hope that your retired life is the best part of your life. 5. Happy Retirement! Enjoy the rest and relaxation! 6. Enjoy a long-overdue retirement. Now you can enjoy all the finer things in life. 7. Enjoy your retirement. And enjoy all of the exciting adventures ahead of you! 8. Now the fun begins! Happy retirement. 9. You got your life back! Enjoy every minute of your retirement. 10. Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you stop taking coffee breaks. Be sure to schedule me in! 11. Didn’t you only just start yesterday? Happy Retirement, friend!

12. I hope retirement brings you the chance to do whatever it is that you always wanted to do but didn’t get to. All the best! 13. I am a little jealous, to be honest! Enjoy your retirement! 14. Congratulations on your retirement! Wishing you the best of health, happiness, and success on your new journey in life. 15. Best wishes as you retire. Congratulations on the next phase of your life. 16. Have a restful but fun and active retirement! 17. You’ve reached the finish line! Enjoy your retirement and your next adventures. 18. The fun finally begins! Congratulations on your retirement. 19. You’ve been promoted to the retirement stage of your life! Congrats! 20. Retirement isn’t really all as great as it sounds. No pressure from the boss, zero deadlines, no company meetings to enjoy—how will you manage?

21. Happy Retirement! You’ll never have to ask for a day off ever again! 22. You have been great to work with and I will never forget all you taught me along the way. You are a great role model! Enjoy your retirement.

23. Kick back and enjoy—you don’t have to punch a clock anymore! Happy retirement!

24. I can’t imagine walking into the office and not seeing your face. Thank you for every single second you’ve spent with our team. It is truly appreciated!

25. Your new quarterly goal: avoiding anything that resembles work! Congratulations on your retirement!

26. It’s time to enjoy your life. Happy Retirement!

27. You’ve had such a long and successful career. Well done! Enjoy your retirement.

28. Well, at least now you can say this is the last job you will ever start new! Happy retirement!

29. We will miss seeing you every day here in the office, but we know how hard you’ve worked for this. Happy retirement.

30. You have been an amazing leader to us all, and we wish you all the best on this next chapter in your life as you celebrate your retirement.

31. Wishing you all the happiness and joy retirement can bring!

32. No one actually stops working, they just get a new job. I’m sure your wife will have plenty of work for you. Enjoy!

33. When you get tired of your two new best friends—the bed and living room recliner—remember to give your old friend a call!

34. I will miss working alongside you in the office but will miss your big bright smile even more. Thank you for being there for me all those years. Enjoy the retired life!

35. If you put in as much effort enjoying your retirement as you have working with this company, it is sure to be a success!

36. You’ll be missed! We enjoyed working with you and we thank you for everything you’ve done for us and the company. Congratulations on your retirement!

37. I’m smiling just thinking about you spending more time on the lake. Here’s to enjoying all your happy places in retirement!

38. Retirement: a six-month holiday, twice a year. Enjoy!

39. Who wouldn’t want the weekend life every day? You earned it! Happy retirement.

40. Wishing you all the best as you retire. Knowing you, you’ll still be busy as ever—but at least it will be with things you love doing!

41. Thank you for being a mentor, friend, and one of the hardest workers I know. Enjoy retirement!

42. Congrats on retiring—now you can do all the things you never had time for! Enjoy it!

43. Your teamwork and dedication to your staff are greatly appreciated. We hope to enjoy your retired life as much as we have enjoyed you working with us!

44. This is your chance to enjoy life after work! Best wishes for a wonderful and long retirement!

45. Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you can’t stop by the office every once in a while for a chat. Don’t be a stranger!

46. Just because you are leaving the workforce doesn’t mean you won’t have a boss. You’ll still have someone to tell you what to do at home.

47. Nothing but the best—that’s what you always gave. And that’s what you’re wished as you retire.

48. Congratulations on retiring! Make sure you relax, have fun, and stop by and see us sometime!

49. Enjoy the government money—you’ve contributed enough!

50. I cannot imagine the past 20 years without you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.

51. Retirement—the only time in your life when it’s okay to spend your entire life’s savings. Congratulations, you made it!

52. You made a really good decision on retiring. You best go now before they find all your mistakes!

53. Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something more amazing. Congratulations on your retirement.

54. Retirement is the reward you get for putting up with co-workers like me for many years. I wish you the best!

55. We hope your retirement is filled with nothing but joy and happiness.

56. Now that you reached your goal you can spend more time contemplating the meaning of life and all those other questions you’ve been too busy to answer. Congrats on your retirement!

57. I hope you’re looking forward to the feeling of never having to go to bed at night and set an alarm again.

58. So, that’s it? You’re leaving us just like that? Well… good for you!

59. Retirement is great—you can finally do nothing without being worried about getting caught.

60. You are one of the greatest bosses I have ever worked for! You truly deserve every little bit of joy retirement has to offer!

61. Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at living. Enjoy it!

62. Enjoy being the master of absolutely nothing.

63. Congratulations on your retirement! I know you’re really going to love having more time to spend with your kids and grandkids.

64. Statistically, you’re now more likely to die than if you’d carried on working. All the best!

65. Out of all the bosses in the world, I am honored to say I worked for you. May your retirement be even better than the time spent here!

66. Now you have all the time in the world for fishing, golfing, and sleeping in!

67. It’s great to see someone retire who is as deserving as you. Make sure you work just as hard at relaxing as you have in your long career.

68. So, you’re retiring, does that mean we can get lunch anymore? Our usual spot? Congrats!

69. Congratulations on your retirement! Although to be honest, I could have sworn you stopped working years ago.

70. Now that you are done making the world a better place through your career, you have bigger and better things to focus on. You can make a big difference in your grandkids’ lives. We’re looking forward to spending some of your extra time with you.

71. After climbing the mountain all these years, you can finally sit back and enjoy the view. Best of luck in this new chapter of your life.

72, Just when the wife thinks she got rid of the kids living in the house, the husband decides to retire. Have fun!

73. Bye-bye, early meetings… Hello, early bird special! Enjoy your newfound freedom!

74. Retirement can be a great joy if you can figure out how to spend time without spending money! Congrats!

75. Having a wonderful person like you as my co-worker has been a gift. I wish you a very happy retirement.

76. Good luck in retirement. We’re all going to really miss doing your work for you.

77. Goodbye tension, hello pension!

78. Remember 8:00 a.m. meetings and year-end reports? Well, now’s your chance to stop remembering them. In fact, forget all about ‘em. You’re free!

79. Congratulations! The money is no better in retirement, but the hours sure are.

80. May the retired life bring you all the relaxation and joy you can handle. Congratulations on your achievement!

81. How do you know it’s time to retire? It’s when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it!

82. Congratulations on extending your weekends by five days!

83. It's funny how young pensioners seem when you become one. Enjoy your new future.

84. Cheers to your second act! May it be even more fantastic than the first.

85. Enjoy your newfound freedom and make the most of it. Happy retirement.

86. Hobbies are important when you retire. 'Wine' doesn't count.

87. Extra hours, hectic Mondays, horrible coffee, and the endless countdown to the weekends. We know you’ll miss all of that, but it’s time to move on to something even more pleasurable! Happy retirement!

88. There are all sorts of things that you will have to learn how to do off the clock now, like making coffee.

89. Thank you for being a tireless professional, a helpful coworker, and a good friend. Now go and relax!

90. Get ready for endless weekends and unforgettable fishing trips. You deserve it!

91. When is a retiree’s bedtime? About 30 minutes after they fall asleep on the couch!

92. Retirement is the start of a new story. Make it a good one!

93. Well done on staying alive so long that your company had to force you to retire.

94. Congratulations on your retirement! If you get bored, you know you can call and hang out with us.

95. Cheers to your retirement! So, where will you be traveling to first? And may I please come with you?

96. We’ll miss you. You are one of a kind and not easily replaced.

97. Time to start ticking off the bucket list!

98. New places to go, new stories to live. Let the next chapter begin!

99. Congratulations on gaining two new best friends upon your retirement. Their names are Bed and Couch. You will be hanging out with them a lot.

100. Remember retirement is an adventure! Especially if you count trekking out of bed, climbing on sofas, diving into takeout… Have fun.

101. Now Fridays aren’t the best day of the week anymore… they all are!

102. I am so glad you’re retiring after years of dedication and hard work. Now you can work with me on ticking off our bucket list.

103. Expect me to drop your grandkids off a lot more often now that I know you will have a lot more time!

104. Congratulations on your well-deserved 7-day weekend!

105. When you retire you switch bosses; from the one who hired you to the one who married you. Enjoy retirement!

106. What do you call a person who is happy on a Monday? Retired!

107. Best wishes for your retirement. Here’s to watching your grandkids instead of the bottom line.

108. Retirement is like coming home one day and telling your wife, 'Honey, I’m home… for good!'

109. Just think, you’ll never have to sit in on another conference call. Enjoy your retirement!

110. I’m sure you never thought this day would come… Well, other than that calendar you had that counted down the last days until your retirement—hahaha! Enjoy yourself. You will be greatly missed!

Best retirement wishes

📚📌  Now's your time to shine! Congratulations on your retirement.

📚📌  May the years ahead be filled with new endeavors and happy adventures.

📚📌  Life begins now. Enjoy every minute.

📚📌  Cheers to the next chapter

📚📌  Caution: Retirement ahead.

📚📌  There are no ends or beginnings, just transitions that take us where we’re meant to go next. Happy journey, happy everything.

📚📌  Now that you’re retired, every night is Friday night. Enjoy the celebration and go make some noise!

📚📌  Good luck on the next chapter to a coworker who wrote the book.

📚📌  You brought joy when you came and are leave happiness in your wake. Best wishes and thank you.

📚📌  Best of luck to someone who clearly doesn’t need it! You’re on your way to bigger and better things.

📚📌  You came, you succeeded, you retired. Well done!

📚📌  Morning, noon and night, you were always here. What’ll we ever do without you? Good luck and take some well-deserved time just for you.

📚📌  Seasons come and go, but your legacy is forever. Thank you and best wishes on the future.

📚📌  Keep calm and golf on. Good luck!

📚📌  All good things must come to an end even when we wish they wouldn’t. Thank you for everything.

📚📌  When one door closes, another opens at a vacation resort. Enjoy an umbrella drink on us!

📚📌  What we leave behind isn’t nearly as important as what lies ahead. The best of luck to you on your next chapter.

📚📌  First one in, last one out. Your dedication knows no bounds and your contributions will be sincerely missed.

📚📌  If success is dependent on determination, then you showed us all how it’s done. Wishing you the very best!

📚📌  In these last years, you set the standard for loyalty, kindness and character. No one will ever be able to take your place.

📚📌  You never had to aim for success — you hit the target every single time. And we’re all the better for it. Thank you.

📚📌  Your contributions and laughter are the legacy you leave behind. Things just won’t be the same without you.

📚📌  Here’s hoping that the next chapter finds your toes in the sand, palm trees swaying in the wind and a whole lotta pickleball. Go get ‘em!

📚📌  When loyalty and dedication work together, expect a masterclass in success. And that’s exactly what you are. Congratulations.

📚📌  Happiness is knowing that you’ve achieved your goals and because of you, the world’s a better place. Or, at the very least, our place is. You will be so missed.

📚📌  There were a lot of meetings. A lot. Way too many. I only survived them because of you.

📚📌  May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back and may your RV never run out of gas. Happy travels!

📚📌  Never underestimate how much one person can touch the lives of others. Happy retirement!

📚📌  Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, the person that you are and the difference you’ve made in the lives of those around you.

📚📌  The amount of good luck coming your way is absolutely ridiculous! Now, go enjoy it.

📚📌  Congratulations on achieving the greatest accomplishment possible: no longer working here. Happy retirement!

📚📌  Now that you’re retiring, there’s going to be one extra doughnut on the break table. I’ll fight to the death for it. You’ll be missed.

📚📌  Just think, no one from IT is ever going to ask if you rebooted your computer again. Enjoy every single minute of it.

📚📌  Goodbye tension, hello pension! Let the fun begin!

📚📌  Coworkers by chance, friends by choice. I’ll miss you.

📚📌  I knew from the moment we met that we’d be more than just coworkers. I’ll miss you so much.

📚📌  Now that you’re retiring, there will be one less person to lean on for support, one less smile to light up the morning, one less email to add to “reply all.” You sure you gotta go? It’s not going to be the same without you.

Retirement wishes for a friend or family member

📚📌  Make new friends, but keep the old, working with you has been nothing but gold. Best of luck.

📚📌  Wishing you the best of luck on the next episode of “What Happens Now?”

📚📌  Some people come into our lives for a reason. Without you, I might never have known the true meaning of happy hour.

📚📌  Success comes from knowing you did your best to be your best. It should feel good knowing that you were at the top of your game. Congratulations!

📚📌  In my eyes, you were successful not only at your job, but at winning over my heart. I can't wait to spend more time together in your next chapter.

📚📌  Wishing you discovery, relaxation and joy in the years ahead. Enjoy every minute!

📚📌  Much like life, work is a journey. Now that this leg of the trip is over, I am so excited to see what comes next for you.

📚📌  Remember all the times you texted me “WTF” during meetings? I thought it meant “Where’s the fries?” Now that you’re retiring, I thought you should know the truth.

📚📌  Retirement checklist: Wake up whenever you feel like it. Relax over a latte. See the world. Read a book. Walk by the ocean. Spend time with loved ones. Repeat.

📚📌  Happy trails to you, my longtime friend. Wishing you clear skies and sunny weather ahead.

📚📌  I’d wish you good luck, but you aren’t going to need it because everything you are comes from hard work and not a horseshoe.  You’re going to be amazing.

📚📌  This isn’t just goodbye. It’s who’s going to pick up the tab at the next happy hour? You’ll be missed.

📚📌  You had me at “hello.” Best wishes and good luck on your retirement.

📚📌  Remember all the times you said, “Not my problem”? Now it’s official. Happy retirement!

📚📌  You’ve been a true inspiration and I hope the next stage of your life brings you all the peace and happiness you deserve.

📚📌  Friends don’t let friends retire without a good bottle of wine. Here's a toast to you!

📚📌  Thanks for being my work therapist. Now I’m probably going to have to pay someone. Happy retirement.

Retirement wishes for a boss or mentor

📚📌  You set the standard for the rest of us, and it won’t be the same without you.

📚📌  Congratulations to someone who made it all the way to the top — and made it look so easy. I can’t wait to see what comes next. 

📚📌  Caring about others and making an impact is exactly what you’ve done. You’ll be missed more than you know.

📚📌  When I think about what success means, I think of you. Congratulations.

📚📌  We couldn’t find enough words to thank you for being you, so we got you a gift card instead. Best of luck!

📚📌  You’re leaving behind some pretty big shoes to fill. Looks like we’re going to have to go shopping.

📚📌  Happy retirement to a boss that’s a tough act to follow.

📚📌  Because of you, we aimed higher, performed better and became the best version of ourselves. Thank you for all of that and more.

📚📌  You set the bar so high that none of us can even reach our drinks. How will we ever survive without you?

📚📌  To a boss that’s hard to beat, we wish you all the best that retirement has to offer.

📚📌  How do you tell the difference between a boss, a leader and a friend? When it comes to you, there isn’t one.

📚📌  The best things in life aren’t things at all — they’re having someone like you for a boss. I consider myself so lucky.

📚📌  You’re proof that it doesn’t take someone bossy to be a boss. Your calm reassurance and dedication will be missed more than you know. Congratulations!

📚📌  On your retirement, I wanted to let you know that there are great bosses and great people in this world. I’m so lucky that you are both.

📚📌  You're a rockstar in our eyes. Good luck on the next leg of your tour!

📚📌  There are bosses, then there’s you. I’m so grateful to have had you as a mentor, leader and role model. Happy retirement, you deserve it.

📚📌  It’s with the sincerest appreciation that I wish you the best of luck and thank you for all you’ve done for me. I hope you can kick back and enjoy the reward of a job well done.

Tailor your best wishes to the retiree as well as your level of relationship or appropriateness given your employment positions. If in doubt, traditional is always tasteful.

If you know the person well enough, a nod to a favorite color or pet or hobby bumps up the personal vibe of your greeting. 

A line of congratulations from you takes only a minute to add and makes your message memorable. 

Enjoy your retirement! Now the fun begins! All the best to you, Ed!

Retirement congratulations! It’s time to follow dreams long set aside and enjoy the rewards of work done well. Wishing you the best, Martin!

Woo hoo! Kick up your heels and enjoy your retirement, Alex! 

Every Day – Retirement Card

Happy Retirement Day! Happy every day of your Retirement, Carol!

Happy Retirement! Enough with your daily job. Now it’s time for your life’s work! Congratulations, Tom!

Happy Retirement, Terry! Who knows what new adventures lie ahead? Here’s to happy endings for them all!

Congratulations! Enjoy your retirement, Bob! All the best to you always. 

Rosy Future – Retirement Card

Best wishes as you retire, Susan. You’re such a gifted, creative person, your retirement won’t be dull for a minute! Congratulations!

Happy Retirement! Congratulations on this new phase of your life, Steve. May all your hopes and plans come true!

Congratulations! You got your life back! Enjoy every minute, Jim!

Libations – Retirement Card

Congratulations! It’s a very good year to retire, Pat! 

You’re free as a bird! You’ve earned your wings! Enjoy your retirement, Mary!

Finish Line! Here’s to your success and new adventures! Congratulations on your retirement, Sharon!

Congratulations, Mary, on your well-deserved retirement!

CONGRATULATIONS! Happy Retirement, Carey! 

Happy Retirement! It’s time to kick back and enjoy. You’ve earned it! Wishing you luck in all that you do, Sam.

Friendly Seas – Retirement Card

Retirement ahead! Looks like friendly seas from here on out, Charles! Enjoy the adventure!

Well Done. How satisfying to retire with so many successes to remember! Congratulations, Barb!

Congrats! Enjoy your retirement, Joy! You’ve made a difference here.

Sincere Congratulations! Your success has been fueled by your intelligence and energy, and you’ve earned our greatest respect. Best wishes in your retirement, Robin!

Earned Reward – Congratulations Card

Sharon, your leadership skills have driven our success. We’ll miss you, but we wish you all the best as you retire. Congratulations! 

All the best to you, Amy, as you retire. “The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest.” (Deepika Padukone) Enjoy the harvest of your many successes! 

Well Done. Savor and enjoy this worthy goal accomplished! Happy Retirement, Lynn!

Work won’t be the same without your sweet smile, but we all know how hard you’ve worked for this. Enjoy your retirement, Erin!

Retirement Quotes

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How to Send Retirement Wishes to Your Boss

Congratulate them on a successful career! This is a huge milestone in anyone’s life. Express gratitude for their hard work and dedication to the company and your team specifically. 

Share some of the things you have learned from them. Bosses are often mentors and this is a good opportunity to let them know what lasting impression they have left on your career. Let them know that you enjoyed working with them on a daily basis. 

Everyone loves personalization, so share a special memory or anecdote you have of them. Kudoboard even gives you the option of adding a photo to accompany that memory if you are looking for a little something extra. 

Let them know you are happy for them to begin their next chapter. If you are interested in staying in touch, this is a great time to provide your personal contact information.

 End your message with genuine well wishes and wish them luck! 

10 Best Retirement Wishes for Your Boss

“Thank you for your tireless efforts for our team. We will truly feel your loss but are so happy for you and your retirement adventure. Best Wishes!” 

“Your vision has shown us the way, and we were lucky to have you and will always follow your path. Have a great retirement!”

“Our loss is your family’s gain. Enjoy your new life of family and leisure. You deserve a fulfilling retirement!”

“Dear Boss, I will never forget the things you have taught me over the years whether in life or at work. You are one of the reasons I have fun working. Congratulations boss! Happy retirement!”

“I will think of you when I am still waking up to an alarm clock for the daily grind. Play an extra round of golf for me! Cheers to a fulfilling retirement!”

“Dear Boss, I hope you find time to fill your life with all of the things you love the most. Have a great retirement!”

“We have your wife in our thoughts and prayers. Now she has to deal with you all day! Just kidding, kind of. Happy retirement!” 

“Your new job is to guarantee that you enjoy your retirement. The hours are flexible, and you have complete autonomy. Congratulations on your retirement boss. I’m sure the retired life will look good on you.” 

“A good boss is so hard to come by and we are going to miss you. Congratulations on a well deserved retirement!” 

“Congrats boss! You made it to the corporate finish line! I am sad to lose an amazing boss but happy for your new retired life!”

10 Funny Retirement Wishes for Your Boss

“Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement! Now you can finally take those ‘long walks on the beach’ you’ve been writing about in your out-of-office emails.”

“Wishing you a retirement as amazing as your leadership skills. Remember to take all the naps you deserve – they’re not just for board meetings anymore!”

“As you retire, may the golf course be your boardroom, and your golf cart be your new company car. Fore cheers for your retirement!”

“You’ve spent your career putting out fires at work, now it’s time to enjoy roasting marshmallows by the fireside. Happy retirement!”

“Cheers to the end of office dress codes and endless meetings. Now you can finally embrace your true ‘business casual’ style – sweatpants and slippers!”

“Retirement is the only time when you can have a drink in hand at 10 a.m. without being called into HR. Enjoy your well-deserved happy hour every hour!”

“We promise not to call you for help on your first day of retirement… unless it’s a dire emergency, like figuring out how to change the office printer’s toner.”

“Now that you’re retired, you can clock in at the golf course bright and early.”

“Wishing you a retirement full of slow mornings, afternoon naps, and evenings out. Don’t worry, we’ll hold the fort… but could you leave us the office candy stash?”

“Retirement is the perfect time to start that ‘Save the Earth’ initiative by reducing your carbon footprint. For starters, no more daily commutes – your couch is the new office chair!”

9 Retirement Quotes for Your Boss

“The joy of retirement comes in those everyday pursuits that embrace the joy of life; to experience them with new eyes is to open the door to a whole new world of wonder.” – Michelle Hall

“Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.” – Unknown

“Retirement: It’s nice to get out of the rat race, but you have to learn to get along with less cheese.” – Gene Perret

“Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.” – Harry Emerson Fosdick

“Retirement is the opportunity to do nothing without worrying about getting caught at it.” – Evan Esar

“Retirement is not a time to retire. It’s a time to appreciate the quiet and joyous moments of life.” – Unknown

“Retirement: World’s longest coffee break.” – Unknown

“Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at living.” – Unknown

“Retire from work, but not from life.” – M.K. Soni

10 Sincere Retirement Wishes for a Boss

“Wishing you a retirement filled with relaxation, joy, and the fulfillment of your dreams. Your leadership has made a lasting mark on all of us.”

“As you retire, know that your legacy of kindness and professionalism will continue to inspire us. May your next chapter be as rewarding as your career has been for us.”

“Your dedication and vision have shaped the success of this team. We’re grateful and wish you a retirement rich with peace and happiness.”

“In honor of your exceptional career, we wish you a retirement filled with fulfillment and contentment, surrounded by love and joy.”

“Your impact and influence will always be remembered. Wishing you a fulfilling retirement surrounded by the love and joy you’ve shared with us.”

“Your dedication and mentorship have made a lasting impact on all of us. Wishing you a retirement as extraordinary as the dedication you’ve shown throughout your career.”

“Your leadership has been an inspiration to us all. Wishing you a retirement filled with joy, laughter, and fulfillment.”

“Your wisdom and guidance have shaped us into the professionals we are today. We wish you a retirement filled with every happiness and the realization of your dreams.”

“Thank you for your unfaltering leadership and support. May your retirement be marked by the same kind of courage, passion, and success that you’ve bestowed upon us.”

“Your retirement is a testament to your dedication and hard work. Wishing you a retirement full of relaxation, adventure, and every happiness that life has to offer.”

CR    ::    https://parade.com/1219083/michelle-parkerton/retirement-wishes-messages/  ,  https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/retirement-wishes-rcna45284   ,   https://www.greetingsisland.com/blog/50-happy-retirement-wishes-quotes/  ,   https://www.kudoboard.com/blog/33-best-retirement-wishes-for-your-boss/

[umichenginabroad]

So Long

Well, this is it. The last post that I will ever make. When I first arrived, I was anxious yet excited. I didn’t quite know what I had signed myself up for. I didn’t know if I would be able to get along with everyone else. I just didn’t know what I was in for. As I said in my first post:

“I’m gonna take that leap of faith and I'll take you guys along to see what's on the other side.”

First picture taken, just arriving in Berlin (left). Last picture taken, watching USA vs Bolivia in the Copa America (right).

Well, I think I’ve made it to the other side now. Along the journey, I’ve learned how fragile each moment is. During my time in my first semester in Ann Arbor, days would pass by like seconds and I wouldn’t take notice of it. However, being here in Berlin has changed my perspective because as we were only here for 6 weeks, each moment was extra precious and because I had gotten so close with everyone, I made sure to appreciate each moment that much more, and treasure each memory for what it was. Now coming to think of it, I only have 4 years in college and 1 year has already blown by. The remaining 3 years could be the same, but I’m determined to change that. I am determined to do everything as if it is my last chance because one of these days, it actually will be. 

To reflect on some things that I said in my first post, I can confidently say that my German has improved vastly, as I was even able to listen to German commentary for the Euros and understand a good chunk of it. I’ve been able to translate for my friends and even maneuver my way through tricky train delays speaking to native speakers who don’t speak a lick of English. Even though I was anxious in the beginning, I can say that I settled in quickly and had a blast with everyone that I met. Even though we had a very diverse group of people, we still had an absolute blast hanging out every day. 

However, after re-reading my first post, I noticed something magical. Taking the first letter of every paragraph, it spells out HOME. Home, sweet home. Although I am miles away from home, I realized that I also felt so at home, and that’s because home isn’t determined by where you reside, but where you live out your best life. I realized that even though Michigan is my true home, with this magnificent group of people, for 6 glorious weeks, my home was Berlin. 

As I wrap up this final post I must say that this was one of my favorite experiences that I’ve ever had. Everything from hanging out with friends after the lab, posting weekly blogs or celebrating a successful self-balancing robot, I just cannot say how much I’ve enjoyed myself here. There’s a quote that I live by Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” I look back on this experience and all the great memories and relationships that I have built up, and I can truly say that I will be smiling, even if it is through a stream of tears running down my face. 

Dervin Tian

Data Science

IPE: Engineering Laboratory Experience at TUB in Berlin

[lya-dustin]

All is Bliss

Chapter 39

Cw:mentions of death in childbirth and actual death(aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet)

Taglist: @mercedesdecorazon @darylandbethfanforever9 @aemondx @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @alexandria-millie @ewanmitchellcrumbs

Gif by @nastasyafilippovnas

They need the courtiers, the council and as many lords as they can.

Jena and Samantha brought the young women to her side with ease, but the older generations were very set in their ways.

Aemma had really given it her all with New Year’s Eve gifts, a special mass and ending the celebration with a tasteful feast.

Not that it moved the hags, most of them thought Aemma was too much like her mother to even give her a chance.

Free bread and ale were given to the smallfolk, servants and serfs were given a bonus and whatever complaint the Small Council had against the spending, the young queen would look at her husband or her lover and ask them if they remembered whose bright idea was to split the treasury.

For effect, Jena had recommended that she hold her hand over her belly now that she had begun to show.

And it had worked.

The Casterly Rock reserve had been recalled given the danger it posed to have the Red Craken getting it as he took Lannisport and used to replenish the stores for winter.

And, because Aegon wanted to throw a tourney in a week for Aemma’s eight and tenth nameday and he wanted to be generous to all and give the city something nice to say about him.

A wonderful thing Alicent will return to, a celebration thrown in someone else’s honor and Ser Criston being told that he must crown Aemma because his king commands it.

If Cole knows what’s best for him ---whatever arrangement he has with the Queen Mother hinged on his devotion to her--- he will lose the tilt and let anyone else win.

Jena’s money and emerald bracelet is on Aemond winning.

It’s the sort of bad luck these two lovers have around them like nasty perfume.

“Don’t wait up, darling. Kiss the children goodnight for me.” Jasper said as he hurried out the door and left her with an affectionate kiss on the cheek. “The prince has called for a meeting.”

“Will you tell me about it when you return, my love?” she asked, affixing his cloak on his shoulders before sending him on his way.

She had a hunch that Aemma would not be told of it, battles and things relating to the war are things that bar her from the small council on account of being the enemy’s figurehead.

“I will, make sure Prudence has her unicorn and Olyvar isn’t breaking into my solar again and we have a deal.”

Same deal as always, be the mother of my children, and I will be your coconspirator.

The Triarchy is closing in on the Gullet as they speak.

Sharako Lohar has been sent along with ninety warships to break the blockade and open the trade routes.

He had fought Daemon before, claimed to be behind a tear in Vhagar’s wings when he nearly shot Laena Velaryon out of the sky and promised to have control of the Gullet by the fifth day of the new year.

That was tomorrow.

Aemma’s nameday is the day after that, on the sixth.

Lohar hopes the king will have more than just the queen’s name day to celebrate.

Great fucking gift the Myrman has planned, with any luck he may only bring her brothers as hostages and not trophies.

“I think it would be beneficial for the queen’s health that she be told of this. The surprise may cause a miscarriage.” Orwyle is the only one to ring up the elephant in the room: Aemma. “Give her grace time to come to terms with their deaths instead of having it all done on her nameday of all days.”

It would have been better, but they’d never agree to it.

Aemond would have to be the one to tell her and he can’t face her when it would destroy her to know Lucerys and Jacaerys are dead when he doesn’t truly grieve their loss.

Jena would be the one to tell her, the look he shares with Ironrod says it all.

Oh, fuck.

Can’t even have a normal nameday in this family.

Everyone is acting strange around her, walking on eggshells and treating her as if she might shatter.

She is only turning eight and ten tomorrow. Sure, Daella Targaryen died at that age, but really, the young queen doesn’t know what’s going on with everyone.

Aemond had come to her bed after his meeting last night, not because he wanted to bed her, just to hold her.

For a man who claims not to have a romantic bone in his body, he was quite the romantic.

Jena has been trying to tell her something, but she cannot get a word in edgewise all day.

Now that she is taking a break from having her hair braided, Aemma finally gets to know what she has been trying to say before someone interrupted her.

“My husband and Aemond asked me to tell you before you learn of this tomorrow. The Triarchy has agreed to work with us, apparently Ser Otto sent ravens to them, and they have only just responded.” The blue-eyed woman looks at her with empathy and something that looks like pity.

Aemma hates pity.

“What?” Aemma asked, hoping she heard her wrong or that the fleet is still far far away from here.

“They are taking the Gullet as we speak.” Jena answered and Aemma feels herself grow faint.

But she doesn’t faint, no, she holds on to the back of her chair and prays the Kingdom of the Three Whores takes hostages instead of trophies.

If they were seeking Daemon, he was back at the Riverlands waiting for Aemond to come to him and fall into his trap.

He didn’t even want Aemond, he wanted Criston. Criston who engineered Rook’s Rest. Daemon may have been looked down on by Rhaenys and Corlys after Laena’s death, but Rhaenys still had been his only living cousin.

Fire and Blood extends to vengeance too.

“Where’s Baela, she needs to know as well.” The queen steels herself and has them summon her cousin and stepsister because she has to know that they may lose more family today.

There is smoke in the horizon by the time Baela comes, she spends time in the tiltyard whacking at strawmen with a wooden sword under the watchful eye of Willis Fell and Cousin Daeron.

“I heard already, they have set Spicetown on fire, they say, they say---” Baela cannot say the damn words and crushes her in a tight embrace and says the words they both had been dreading, “--- they, the Myrmen killed Jace.”