#sorry to make you insane michelle

[cherienymphe]

Basic Training (Peter Parker x Reader)

Warnings: NON-CON, DUB-CON, MURDER, violence, minor character deaths, kidnapping, captivity, public sex, degradation, forced pregnancy, forced marriage, stockholm syndrome, ptsd, housewife kink, cop!Peter

➥ banner by @vase-of-lilies​ | divider by @whimsicalrogers​

➥ series masterlist

summary: A pit stop during a road trip ends tragically when a small town cop sets his sights on you. You’re the newest addition in a long standing fucked up family tradition.

~

You browsed the shelves with a deep frown, the sounds of your friends’ laughter in your ears as they searched for their favorite snacks too. You guys were halfway to Florida, the excitement in the air contagious as you embarked on the road trip that had been in the works for almost a year. You could hear Wanda telling you to hurry up, something about making the process rocket science.

“Sorry,” you dragged out, joining her at the counter. “…but I think what snacks you choose for an hours long car ride is pretty important.”

“We’re literally going to eat right after this,” a familiar voice said from over your shoulder as MJ pulled up beside you. “…and shopping too.”

She grumbled that last part, and Wanda chuckled.

“The whole point of this trip is to have fun,” the redhead reminded her.

“In some small rinky dink backwoods town?” Michelle murmured. “They don’t even have a mall.”

The man working the counter gave her a look at that, and you nudged her with a look of your own. You definitely had similar thoughts of your own when Pietro stopped here, Wanda’s brother voicing his desire for something to eat. It certainly wouldn’t be your first choice, but it had its charm you could admit. Everyone seemed nice so far, and you were quick to scold Michelle when you made your way out of the gas station.

“Don’t be so snobby,” you told her. “Besides, we’ll be leaving in a few hours anyway.”

“Finally,” you heard Pietro groan as the three of you approached the car. “I was about to leave you.”

Wanda lightly pushed his head as she slid into the passenger seat, you and Michelle settling into the back. Driving from Maine to Washington to Florida sounded like an insane thing to do when it was first suggested, but the more you and Wanda had laughed about it, the less funny it became. Michelle pretended to need her arm twisted into going, but it was obvious that she was into it. Once Pietro offered to be the main driver, the plans were set.

“I was googling restaurants here while you three were taking your sweet time,” he said, pulling onto the road.

You watched Wanda snatch his phone, scrolling through what he’d pulled up.

“We should see the Statue of Athena when we get to Tennessee,” Michelle suggested, looking out of the window.

Pietro mumbled something unintelligible, but Wanda voiced her agreement. You were mostly quiet on the way to the restaurant, but it wasn’t a long drive. Michelle was right when she said the town was small, and the restaurant that was decided on took no time to get to.

It was a quaint place, nothing too extraordinary or even huge. There weren’t many cars in the parking lot, and the only notable vehicles were two police cars near the building. Wanda and Pietro were going back and forth about what the restaurant may or may not serve while Michelle slid some shades onto her eyes to block out the sun.

There was a bell above the door that rang when it opened, and you looked around the establishment as Wanda talked to one of the waitresses. As the woman led the four of you to a table, your gaze passed over four cops seated in the corner of the restaurant. You didn’t know if they were on break or officially done for the day, but if their table was anything to go by, they’d been eating here for a while.

When the waitress came back with menus and glasses of water, you asked her if there was a bathroom.

“Oh, sure, honey,” she sweetly told you, pointing towards a hallway over her shoulder. “Just through there.”

“Why didn’t you go at the gas station?” Wanda wondered as you stood.

“…because it was probably ten times more disgusting than this one could be.”

You told Michelle what you wanted to order just in case you weren’t back by the time the waitress returned to get orders. You hurried into the hallway, finding the bathroom with ease. There was only one, and you were relieved when your knock on the door was met with silence. Like you predicted, this bathroom was cleaner than you expected the one at the gas station to be.

You’d drank a lot of water since the last stop, and you didn’t even try to hold in your sigh of relief as you peed. Just as you were pulling your pants up, you heard a knock on the door, and you hurried to button them and wash your hands.

“I’ll be out in a second,” you called.

With one last look in the mirror, noting that car ride sleep was doing more wonders than sleeping in your own bed, you opened the door.

You were startled by the sight of one of the cops you’d seen earlier. You blinked at the sight of him, noting how boyish he looked up close. He seemed just as taken aback by you, although why, you didn’t know. You had the stray thought of wondering if he was even old enough to be a cop, and you shook it away. You knew guys from back who started making moves to be one the second they turned eighteen.

“Sorry,” you apologized for almost running into him. “It’s all yours.”

You sent him a polite smile, the smile dropping some when he didn’t really…move. A few seconds passed of him just looking at you, and after some time, he finally blinked himself, shaking his head. You noticed some strands of his dark hair move with the action.

“Sorry.”

Now, it was his turn to apologize.

“I shouldn’t have been standing that close,” he said, finally moving out of your way so you could walk out. “Enjoy your food.”

You sent him another polite smile at that, returning to the table. Pietro told you that they’d ordered when you sat back down, Michelle confirming that she’d ordered for you. When you made yourself comfortable in your seat, you glanced around again, your gaze catching an unfamiliar blue one. It was one of the cops at the table, a blond man with an intimidating build, and you quickly looked away.

“I kind of don’t want to skip North Carolina,” Wanda said, and both MJ and Pietro sighed.

You chuckled, already knowing why she wanted to go there.

“Outer Banks is just so far out of the way, Wanda,” you told her.

“Yes, but it’s a road trip,” she quietly whined. “The whole point is to see things and have fun. Besides, it’s not like we have a set date on when this is supposed to come to an end. It can end whenever we want, right?”

None of you had an argument for that, and she smiled, almost triumphantly.

“Okay, don’t get ahead of yourself. We all still have to agree,” Michelle said, but she couldn’t fight back her small smile.

“…but I’m driving,” the only man of the bunch spoke up, and Wanda flicked his arm.

“There are three of us and one of you. Hush before we put you in the trunk,” Wanda teased.

The waitress brought your food over before another word could get in, and you glanced up to thank her. As you did, your eyes passed over that same cop from earlier, the one you’d ran into outside of the bathroom. Your gazes briefly connected, and you had an odd reaction to it, a shudder traveling down your spine.

You frowned a bit as you gave your attention to your food. It wasn’t that weird, you guessed. It was a small restaurant after all, and aside from them and your friends, there were only about three other people in the building. It was probably your own bias to be honest. Men in positions of authority never bode well with you, and policemen were at the top of the list for a multitude of reasons.

You guys discussed the rest of your trip over your lunch, making a list of things you wanted to see. Pietro huffed at every third suggestion. When there came a point where you could feel yourself getting full, you peered around for the waitress. With no sign of her, you decided to just go to the counter and ask for some takeout boxes. What you presumed was the owner nodded at you.

“Yeah, give me one moment…”

When he walked away, you pulled out your phone to see if there actually was any place decent in town to shop at. Worst case scenario, you guys would wind up at a Walmart or something. Google was just pulling up some results when you felt a shift in the air, a shift at your side. You glanced over and was shocked to see that same cop from before next to you.

You didn’t acknowledge it outside of that, facing forward again just as he spoke.

“Hey, Nick! Bring some out for us too,” he called.

Your attention was drawn to your fingers on the counter, tapping them and drawing circles into the wood. You could feel the heat of a gaze on your face, and you thought that maybe you were imagining it until the man next to you spoke up.

“Are you and your friends new in town?”

You were startled by the question, by the act of him talking to you, and you looked at him just as he spoke again.

“…or just passing through?”

There was a small smile on his lips as he said that, the corners curving upwards ever so slightly.

“Just passing through,” you finally answered. “Road trip.”

He hummed with a nod, gaze passing over you.

“My buddies and I went on a small road trip a few years back. It was pretty fun.”

You gave a tight lipped chuckle at that, looking towards the kitchen and wondering what was taking the owner so long. You both felt and heard the cop move closer, and you glanced at him out of the corner of your eye just as he spoke again.

“Our town isn’t much, but there’s a few nice shops and boutiques around here,” he said, making you look at him in wonder.

“Oh?’

“Yeah,” he said, pulling out a pen and paper. “I’d hate for you to leave here with a bad impression.”

He chuckled, and you eventually joined in.

“We need you to come back. How else will we make any money?”

“Right,” you lightly said with a smile.

You took the list from him with a thanks, and he held it for a few seconds longer than necessary before finally letting go. You folded it up as he introduced himself.

“Peter,” he said, holding out his hand.

You hesitated, eyeing the appendage for some reason.

Peter seemed nice enough, maybe overly so, but again. That was probably just your own bias. Besides, even if he was a little strange to you, you would never see him again. You guys would be leaving in a few hours and heading further south. On the off chance that you did ever come back to visit, the chances of running into this same cop were low.

You gently shook his hand, introducing yourself too.

The owner finally returned then, bringing a bunch of carryout boxes with extra to keep at the counter. You took a few, thanking him and leaving the man Peter without another word. Your friends were in a discussion about Pietro’s ex-girlfriend when you returned. You told them about a list of shops in town as they packed up their food.

“That cop told me,” you told Wanda once she asked, walking outside. “The youngest one.”

You didn’t think of him again once you were in the car and driving down the street. Wanda was happy with the suggestions, finding at least two things at every shop. You and Michelle stopped for ice cream while Wanda went into some mom-and-pop pharmacy. Pietro was by the car and on his phone. While Michelle complimented the chocolate mint she got, you glanced up and caught sight of a cop car slowly passing by.

You only gave it a second glance when you recognized the cop in the passenger seat as the same blond from the restaurant. You frowned a bit, Michelle’s words fading to the background. You reminded yourself that it was a small town, and while the police department back home had hundreds of cops, the one here maybe had a total of fifteen. It was probably normal here to see the same cop several times in the same day.

You and Michelle met Wanda back in the car, Pietro telling you guys to get a move on. You were texting your mom, telling her you guys were on the road again as Pietro started the car. You loved her, but she worried too much, and while you didn’t mind placating her and keeping her up to date on where you were, it still made you roll your eyes.

After eating and walking around for a bit, you could feel yourself getting sleepy. It was to be expected. All of that combined with the smooth drive was really doing you in. Wanda and Michelle’s conversation became nothing more than a soft hum, and you were drifting more and more, but you knew Pietro hadn’t been driving long when you felt him starting to slow down.

You didn’t think a thing of it at first, not until you heard him curse anyway.

“What’s wrong?” Michelle wondered.

“The engine is cutting out,” you heard him say. “There’s…the gas. It’s gone.”

You opened your eyes at that, peeling them open just as the car came to a complete stop on the side of the road. You blinked, rubbing them and sitting up.

“What?” you heard Wanda say.

“Didn’t you just get gas?” you wondered.

“Yeah,” Pietro scoffed. “What the hell…?”

He tried to start the car a few more times with no luck, and only then was that when you started to get worried. When the twins got out of the car, you followed with a frown. Michelle poked her head out of the window as Pietro popped the hood.

“We had a full tank and then suddenly it just dropped,” he said from under the hood. “It has to be the fuel line…”

Wanda leaned against the car, and you pulled out your phone. You started texting your mom, and after a while of it not going through, you realized you must be on a bad stretch of road. You were holding your phone high as Pietro tried to figure out what was going on with the car. Wanda was trying to make a call too, and you’d just dropped your arm in frustration when the sound of a car reached your ears.

“Someone’s coming. Maybe we can get them to call someone or bring us some gas,” you suggested.

As the car appeared at the top of the hill, you realized it was a cop car. You weren’t sure if you should feel relieved about that, and you sank your teeth into your lip. Without even needing to flag them down, it started to slow, and you moved closer to the rental as it stopped right behind it.

You didn’t really know how to feel when a familiar face rose out of the passenger seat.

It was the same cop from the restaurant.

Peter.

The one who rose out of the driver’s seat was at the restaurant too. You remembered him, skin dark and hair cut low, and you wrung your hands together, frown deepening. You wondered how many coincidences became weird, became something that was no longer a coincidence.

“Hey,” Peter waved to you, that friendly smile on his pink lips.

You could feel your friends’ eyes on you, and you sent the cop a tight smile.

“Hi,” you nervously breathed.

“Car trouble?” he wondered, moving closer.

His partner lingered by the cop car…watching. You crossed your arms over your chest, feeling weird all of a sudden, and you glanced over your shoulder. Pietro was peering from around the hood, and Michelle had gotten out of the car, now.

“Yeah,” you finally answered. “We think it’s the engine or…something. One minute we had a near full tank of gas and then nothing.”

You shrugged as he neared the front of the car, peering under the hood. You glanced back at the other cop nervously, unable to help feeling like something was off. Peter didn’t remain under the hood for long, straightening and sending a nod to his partner. You heard the other man speak into his radio, and Wanda spoke up.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re just going to give you guys a ride back to town,” Peter said, and that didn’t relieve you.

“What about the car?” Michelle wondered.

“We’ll get someone to come and get and take it to a shop,” the other cop finally spoke up.

All four of you looked at each other. You still didn’t know what exactly was wrong with it, so it made sense to have it looked at, but this was definitely putting a dent in your plans. Not to mention how off this all still felt to you.

“There’s four of us,” you commented. “Honestly, if you could just call for a tow…”

“Well, that’s why I called for backup. That way we can give everyone a ride,” the other cop replied.

You looked to your friends, trying to gage how they felt about this. This just didn’t feel right to you, but you guys were stuck practically in the middle of nowhere with no gas and a faulty car with unknown reasons as to why. You didn’t want to be the one to disagree if everyone else was okay with it, but Wanda spoke before you could.

“Actually, I think we’ll just keep trying to call a tow.”

You could see another cop car coming over the hill, now, and you moved closer to Michelle. Peter, the only cop whose name you knew, was near you again, and he sent you what was meant to be a comforting smile, you were sure.

“It’s no trouble. Just let us drive you back to town and-.”

“Thanks, but we’re just going to decline,” you told him. “That’s nice of you though…”

You made to get back in the car when Peter stopped you. You were startled by the feel of his hand on your wrist, looking at him with wide eyes, and Pietro’s voice reached your ears.

“Hey,” he called, nearing you both. “We appreciate the offer, but we’d rather just call a tow truck, alright?”

He grabbed Peter’s arm, the action drawing his attention to Pietro, and you used the opportunity to stumble away. Peter looked at your friend with a gaze in his eye you couldn’t name, but it unnerved you, cementing that odd feeling you’d felt since they’d arrived. Peter didn’t look so boyish, now, so…nice. His dark eyes studied Pietro’s hand on him, and the other cop car had slowed to a stop, now.

“I could arrest you on assaulting an officer,” he quietly said, and your heart skipped a beat.

“You grabbed our friend first,” Michelle argued, the concern that you’d been feeling all along now reflected on her face.

“Pietro,” you said, reaching for him and trying to get him to back up.

He did, but you had a feeling that the offense was already done.

“He shouldn’t touch you like that,” he spat, and Wanda was now standing with you three.

You didn’t like the way Peter was looking at Wanda’s brother, and you looked over as the other officers got out of their car too. Your lips parted, chest clenching painfully as your eyes landed on that same blond-haired, blue-eyed cop from the restaurant. The brunette at his side had been there too, and you sharply inhaled.

Something was very wrong.

The blond was quickly approaching, speaking to Peter as if the four of you weren’t even there.

“What’s the problem?”

Peter spoke before any of you could.

“Car trouble. We tried to offer them a ride back to town, but their friend here thought it was okay to assault an officer.”

The way Peter spoke to the blond, it made it clear who was the higher up of the two, and you scoffed at the words leaving his mouth.

“That’s not true. You grabbed her and Pietro-.”

“Pietro, is it?” the blond cut Wanda off, approaching her brother. “You have the right to remain silent...”

“Wait,” Wanda cried. “This is insane, he barely touched him. Your buddy-.”

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney.”

You blinked in disbelief, unable to understand how some simple car trouble had escalated into Pietro getting arrested. While Wanda was trying to argue with the cop currently putting Pietro in handcuffs, you didn’t notice Peter moving closer to you until his hand was on your arm.

“We’ll drive the rest of you back to town…”

“No!” you pulled against his hand, shocked when he didn’t let go. “I don’t want to go anywhere. You can’t arrest him, he didn’t do anything!”

Panic filled you when Peter appeared to be stronger than he looked, practically dragging you away, and Michelle called out. It had gotten Wanda’s attention too, and they both ran over.

“Let go of her,” Michelle cried.

In all the commotion, you didn’t realize the other two cops had come over too. There was too much going on, and in the chaos, you found yourself tripping over your feet and out of Peter’s grip. Your chin knocked against the pavement, and you winced. You pushed yourself to your hands and knees, glancing up just in time to see that blond cop reach for his gun.

Your lips parted at the sight of Pietro pushing against him, unaware of what was about to happen.

You screamed his name just as the sound of the gunshot rang through the air, and you felt your skin grow cold at the sight of your best friend’s brother going…limp. Blood had never bothered you before, but in this context, it was the worst thing you’d ever seen. Wanda’s scream brought tears to your eyes, and you heard Peter curse.

“What the hell, Steve?” one of the other cops said, and their cavalier attitude about it had you stumbling to your feet.

The blond cop, Steve, finally spoke up.

“It was going to happen now or later, right?”

You looked at him, horrified, and you mindlessly reached for Michelle’s hand, but she batted it away. You looked at her, meeting her dark eyes as she seemed to have come to some conclusion you hadn’t yet. She looked disturbed, and she wouldn’t take her eyes off of you.

“Run,” she whispered.

Obviously, you guys were going to run, but her hand was pushing on your arm, pushing you away. Wanda was a screaming and crying mess, detained by the brunette who’d come with Steve, and more than you wanted to run, you wanted to hold her. What had just happened didn’t quite feel real, and you had a hard time convincing yourself that this wasn’t some awful nightmare you’d conjured up while falling asleep in the car.

Pietro was dead…and your eyes studied the way his blood crawled away from him. It made your stomach turn, and Steve’s next words took what little breath you had left.

“Peter…are you taking her or not?”

He sounded irritated, frustrated, and you slowly looked from him to Peter. His eyes met yours, and you took a step back as several things happened at once, too fast for you to comprehend, but just slow enough for you to witness.

The other cop, the brunette with hair that brushed his chin, took out his gun, and suddenly Wanda was just as dead as her brother. Steve was grabbing Pietro like he was nothing, the fourth cop was reaching for Michelle, and Peter was taking a step towards you. You didn’t even have time to react to it, Michelle grabbing your hand and taking off.

You couldn’t quite register that you were running, feet moving so fast and clumsily that it was a wonder you didn’t fall. Grass and twigs were scratching at your ankles and branches were snagging on your clothes. Witnessing the death of two of your friends wasn’t something you were able to process, too in disbelief, too in denial.

Michelle’s hand was tight in yours, and then it wasn’t.

You stumbled to a stop as she collapsed, your wide eyes falling to her frame. She was gasping and clutching her chest, a horrifying gurgling sound leaving her lips. Blood was soaking her shirt in a terrifying capacity, and when you fell to her knees beside her, her bloody hand pushed at you. Against your better judgement, you pressed your hand against her chest, but you knew it wouldn’t do any good.

Every cough coated her lips in more red, and you could hear the hurried footsteps approaching.

You felt like you couldn’t breathe, and even though Michelle couldn’t speak, her dying action was to harshly shove you away. You glanced between her and the approaching cops, and feeling like your body was working on autopilot, you struggled to stand. It took you too long to take your eyes off of her, breaking out into a confused run.

You didn’t want to die, and you didn’t know why this was happening.

Michelle’s blood was on you, all of your friends were dead, and you were being chased through the woods by cops you had never even seen before today. Your vision blurred from your tears, and you felt like you weren’t getting air fast enough. You couldn’t hear anything else outside of your breathing, ears deaf to all other sounds.

You had never been particularly athletic, but the adrenaline coursing through your veins had your legs pushing farther than they ever had. Your mind couldn’t focus on anything beyond the sight of your dead friends, fear tightening your chest at the thought of ending up just like them. You thought you were running fast enough, but maybe it was silly to think you could outrun a cop who’d trained for things like this.

You hit the ground hard.

Truthfully, you didn’t even understand why you’d fallen at first. You’d just started flailing and screaming, and in the commotion, sometimes your hands or feet would connect with something. Or better yet, someone. Your nails broke skin, and you couldn’t tell what blood was MJ’s and what blood was…Peter’s.

“Hey, hey,” he gently said, trying to shush you, pressing his body against yours and trying to get his hand over your mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

You didn’t believe him. Why would you believe him? You couldn’t stop crying, couldn’t swallow down the heavy sobs that kept climbing out of your throat. Every swipe of your hand got more of Michelle’s blood on his face, and the visual made your stomach churn. You were pushing your arm against his throat as he reached down, and so sure that you were going to die, you were shocked by the feeling of being shocked.

The taser made you jerk, halting your movements long enough to allow Peter to grab your arms. Your body was still shaking some when he turned you on your stomach, and you squeezed your eyes shut, your breath moving dirt. You couldn’t stop crying even if you tried, and you wailed at both the feel and the sound of the handcuffs clicking into place.

“Sam,” you heard him call, his breathing just as heavy as yours.

Peter was sitting on your lower back, knees pressed into the dirt on either side of your waist. You felt him pull the back of your shirt down, a pinch making you wince, and you didn’t miss the way the hand that held your head down was massaging your scalp with its fingers. It was almost soothing, or maybe that was just from whatever was in the syringe.

Your body felt weighed down by more than just the grown man holding you down, and when he moved, starting to lift you, you confirmed that. You stumbled, vision tilting and spinning, and Peter leaned you against him. You could feel his arms holding you as your knees buckled, and you blinked up at him, your breathing shaky. The corners of your vision were going dark, and a few more tears escaped.

“I don’t want to die,” you heard yourself whisper.

You could make out his frown, the way his dark eyes ran over you. You shuddered at the feel of his fingers on your cheek, brushing a tear away, and you swallowed when he shook his head.

“You’re not going to.”

The stench of blood was the last thing any of your senses registered.

#peter parker x reader #peter parker #dark!peter parker #dark!peter Parker x reader #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfiction #marvel #marvel fic #cop!au

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

The Other Half Part Twenty

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Pairing: Bruce Wayne x Reader

Warnings: Fluff; very light angst; implied sexytimes; Jealous and Protective Bruce

Summary: The sound makes your stomach swoop, and you whirl around, stunned. Of all of the people that Michelle had mentioned inviting, there had been no mention of your ex making an appearance.

“It was nice of Michelle to invite me,” Bruce comments. 

“Of course she invited you. She likes you,” You insist. Your gaze is set on yourself in the mirror as you put in one of your earrings. Your outfit is cute, but casual—far less fancy than what you often wear for your nights out on the town with Bruce. Well, it would be odd to turn up to Michelle’s birthday party in a gown. It’s going to be a low key affair at one of your favorite bars near your old shared apartment. 

“Really? Since when?” 

You roll your eyes a little, eyeing Bruce in the mirror. He’s still leafing through his closet, trying to find a shirt to wear. You straighten up, turning to watch him as you put on your other earring. 

“Since she decided you weren’t just toying with me.” 

“And when was that?” 

“Around when you got all protective of me with the press.” 

You see Bruce’s gaze narrow slightly, the muscle in his jaw tightening just a tick. You sigh softly, adding, “Bruce, it’s been months.” 

“I know that.” 

“So you can turn off that guard dog part of you.” You walk closer to him, cuddling against him from behind and wrapping your arms around his middle. You press your face into his shoulder, drawing in the scents of his body wash and cologne.. “I’m used to it now, it’s fine.” 

“I can’t just turn it off.” 

“...I know.” 

“And I don’t like that you’re used to it.” 

“Better that it happened sooner than later, right?” You turn your head, pressing a gentle kiss to his shoulder. He grunts, taking a shirt down and looking it over before tucking it away again.

“I guess.” 

You roll your eyes, giving him a gentle squeeze.

“Just wear a black t-shirt and a pair of pants. You’ll still look insanely hot.” 

You begin to pull away, but Bruce catches hold of your hand, turning and drawing you into his chest. You smile, resting your hand on his chest and humming against his lips. 

“We're supposed to be leaving in twenty minutes,” You mumble. 

“You still haven’t learned a thing about being fashionably late.” 

“Maybe you need to teach me again,” You giggle as Bruce steers you back toward the bed. 

--  

A sort of hush falls over the little table at the bar patio when you and Bruce finally turn up, but it’s shattered as a tipsy Michelle springs up and crows, “Brucey!” 

You smile as Michelle half-tackles Bruce in a hug, and as Bruce takes the hug in stride, patting her back. 

“Happy birthday, Michelle.” 

“I’m glad the two of you could descend from your tower to join us,” Michelle teases, letting go of Bruce to hug you. 

“Sorry we were late,” You hug her in return, “There was—” You cast an eye toward Bruce, “Traffic.” 

He grins almost roguishly at you as he rests his hand on your lower back, beginning to steer the two of you toward an empty couple of seats near the end of the table.

“I don’t get a hug, too?” You hear just behind you. The sound makes your stomach swoop, and you whirl around, stunned. Of all of the people that Michelle had mentioned inviting, there had been no mention of your ex making an appearance.

“Wyatt!” You laugh shakily, “I—Hi!” 

“Hey,” He grins. He hooks his arms around your middle, tugging you away from Bruce and into a hug before you could make any sort of move. You pat his shoulder, desperately trying to gather your thoughts as you draw away. 

“It’s been a while,” He adds as he lets go of you. 

“I, uh—Yes, it certainly has. I didn’t even know you were back in town,” You agree. 

“Just visiting. I'll be here for a couple of weeks.”

“Bruce Wayne.” Bruce’s hand enters your periphery, and you glance back at him. 

“Oh! God, yes, um—This is my—This is Bruce,” You wave between Bruce and Wyatt. “Bruce, this is Wyatt, he, uh—” You clear your throat, face going hot at the combined weight of their gazes. “We—Um. I knew him.” Knew him? Damn, you’re scrambled. 

“Nice to meet you, man,” Wyatt shakes Bruce’s hand. 

“I’m sure it is.” 

Your brow furrows at the prolonged handshake, and you glance between them before you look at their hands, eyeing their whiting knuckles as they tighten their grips. 

“Okay, well, Wyatt, this has been fun,” You reach up, patting Bruce’s forearm and taking hold of his hand when he lets go of Wyatt’s, “But we’re gonna sit down now.” 

“We should catch up,” Wyatt insists, gaze set on Bruce. You watch Bruce’s smile stay in place, though his eyes narrow a bit. 

“Sure! Later, but right now, um—These shoes are killing me,” You fib, adding, “C’mon, hon,” As you turn, tugging Bruce’s hand and guiding him toward the seats that you’d been diverted from. You plop down next to Michelle, giving the surrounding party polite waves before you lean into her. 

“Thanks for the heads up,” You grumble, plucking her glass from her hand before taking a swig. 

“I didn’t even know until this morning.” 

“You still had time to warn me.” “If you’d known, you wouldn’t come,” She pouts. You sigh heavily, leaning back in your seat. You feel Bruce’s arm slide around the back of your seat, fingers curling gently in the fabric of your shirt. You lean into him, resting your hand on his thigh and rubbing gently. 

“You alright?” You murmur.

“Fine.” 

Your brows arch at his slightly clipped tone. 

“I thought you and Wyatt were going to snap one another’s hands off.” 

Bruce grunts, picking a piece of lint off of his shirt and flicking it away. Your brows raise further, your head tipping to try and catch his eye. 

“Bruce.”

“Hm?” He gives you a vacant, expectant expression, and you roll your eyes, sighing again as you turn away from him. 

“Never mind.” 

--  

It’s a long night. You wind up going to three different bars with the entire party in tow, dodging Wyatt every chance that you get, and trying to goad Bruce into having a good time. His mood does seem to lighten as the evening goes on, but every time you feel him go tense, you're certain that he’s caught Wyatt’s eye again—especially when he tugs you closer to him just a moment later.

--  

“Are we going to talk about it?” 

You don’t even give him the chance to get his jacket all the way off before you ask. The elevator doors to the penthouse haven't even fully closed behind you. Bruce raises a brow, hanging his jacket up. You watch him turn to you and frown as he kneels down in front of you. The frown is flipped as he undoes the buckle on your shoes, helping you out of them. You wiggle your toes as your soles press into the cool marble floor, and lean in as he straightens and pecks your lips. 

“Water?” He offers. You grunt, following him.

“And some toast.” 

“Sure,” He chuckles. You push yourself onto the counter, swinging your legs as Bruce heads to the fridge. 

“...I wasn’t expecting Wyatt to be there,” You offer. “Michelle didn’t tell me—Like, on purpose.” 

Bruce holds out a water bottle, and you murmur your thanks as you take and open it. 

“Why were you so pissed?” You add, meeting his eye before taking a drink. 

“You didn’t introduce me.”

“I was in shock.” 

“He was pretty quick to hug you.” 

Your brow furrows, heart leaping into your throat. 

“And that—...Oh, my god,” The realization dawns slowly, making you grin. 

“What?” 

“Were you jealous?” 

“Pfft. No.” He avoids your gaze as he opens his own water.

“Oh my god!” You laugh, setting your water aside. “Bruce fucking Wayne was jealous. That is crazy. That is rich.” 

“Why is it rich?” 

“How many of your supposed exes have I had shoved in my face by the media for not measuring up to your usual standards?” 

Bruce’s lips press into a thin line, his jaw going tight again, and you groan softly. 

“Baby,” You loop your arms around his shoulders, drawing him closer, “If I’d known he’d be there, I would’ve warned you.”

“I know,” Bruce sighs, setting his water aside. “So…You went out with him.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Serious?” 

“...Yeah,” You admit quietly, lowering your gaze to his chest.

“How serious?” 

“Like…'Meeting the parents and talking rings’ serious.” Saying it aloud makes your stomach twist. You haven’t spoken to Bruce about your other relationships before, and it feels odd. Bruce smooths his hands up over your thighs, giving them a gentle squeeze. 

“...Can I ask what happened?” Bruce plies softly. You shrug a little. 

“He moved to Center City for work. I didn’t want to leave Gotham, neither of us were willing to deal with being long distance, so…We called it.” You meet Bruce’s eye, and find him searching your face contemplatively.

“You ever regret it?” Bruce asks. 

“Breaking up with him? At first, yeah, but…” You trail off, shaking your head. “But I haven’t thought about what that life would’ve been like for a long time.” You raise your hand, cupping his cheek. “And I’m still not thinking about what that life would’ve been like.” 

Bruce smiles, turning his head and pressing a kiss to your palm before he leans in. You press your lips to his, smiling as he uses his hold on your thighs to tug you closer. 

“Besides…All of that,” You murmur against his lips, “Did you have a nice time?” 

“Yes.” 

“Really?”

Bruce hums affirmatively, breaking your kiss and resting his forehead against yours.

“I always do when I’m with you.”

Next Part

#Bruce Wayne x Reader #Bruce Wayne x You #Bruce Wayne/Reader #Bruce Wayne/You #Bruce Wayne fic #Bruce Wayne imagine #The Other Half

[harrysfolklore]

Harry Styles and YN Get Ready for the Venice Film Festival | Vogue

The video starts with the both of you opening the door to your shared hotel room, you're wearing a white robe and Harry is shirtless, just a few seconds into the video and you already know the fans are going insane.

"Hi Vogue, come get ready with us for the Venice Film Festival" you said with a cheery voice and doing a sign with your hand inviting the crew to come in, Harry only gave his million dollar smile to the camera and moved inside the room

The camera followed you both inside the room, showing pieces of the clothes you were set to wear for the Don't Worry Darling premiere red carpet, then the video cut to Ayae, Harry's hairstylist, getting on with his hair for the evening.

"This is my first Venice Festival" he said with a nervous tone on his voice "It has been fun so far, I'm with my fiance, running into some really fun people and having your best friend next to you makes it less anxious, less nervous" he smiled a little while Ayae continued working on his hair "You know, this is absolutely massive and It's such an honor to be invited"

The video moved to show you in a vanity chair, still with your robe and with your make up artist getting on with her work "It's such a beautiful event and It's so exciting, this is my third time here, first one with Harry, and I'm so happy we get to do this together" you smiled fondly at the camera, then it moved to show your dress for the evening "I'm going to be wearing custom Gucci by Alessandro Michele, who me and Harry love" a clip of Harry and Alessandro hugging, followed by one of him adjusting the back of your dress were shown, then the camera showed both you and Harry in your vanity chairs next to each other.

"Harry and I are actually like an old married couple" you said into the camera and Harry nodded with a smile "We get in bed very early, cause we normally have work super early. So this is like, exciting for us" you looked at him before he spoke "This is also like, our first outing as an engaged couple, which we're very excited about" he looked at you and smiled, before leaning down to kiss your cheek "I love you" he said with a dreamy voice, and you could only imagine the gasps and squeals that moment would cause "Not the makeup! Kate's going to kill you" you joked, playfully pushing his face away "Oh shoot, sorry. Here" he leaned down again and pecked your lips, making you smile and wonder how many times fans would rewind that moment in the video.

The camera moved around the room with an upbeat jazz music playing on the background, showing Harry's toned back while Lambert, his stylist, helped him put on his navy blue blazer, he wiggled his eyebrows to the camera when it was in front of him "How do I look?" he asked with a smirk and gave the camera a cheeky wink, his charming self shinning through.

Then the video cut to you standing in front of the full length mirror while your stylist fixed the back of your sequined dress, Harry in front of you looking completely smitten, "Hey Vogue!" you said looking at the camera from the mirror and blowing them a kiss.

The next clips shown were you and Harry posing for a mini photoshoot, both of you in the balcony with a gorgeous view of Venice in the background, Harry grabbing you by your waist and you placing your hand on his chest, looking like a million dollar couple, the Harry proceeded to grab your hand and place a kiss on the back of it, making you smile while Anthony, his photographer, snapped pictures left and right.

"Okat let's get going, I can't wait to see Miss Flo's gown" you said giving a cocky smile to the camera, knowing your words would make some fans go crazy and grabbing Harry's hand to guide him out of the room, your crew and the cameras following you closely.

The video finished with you and Harry on the carpet together, hundreds of paparazzi snapping flashes at the both of you and fans screaming at the sight of their favorite couple.

It safe to say that the video became one of the most viewed ones on Vogue’s youtube channel.

//

here it is, my attempt to write an actual blurb 😳😳 pleaseee with me your feedback about it, and i hope you like it <33

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[mexicangela]

okay. so. about tedbecca.

this is long and i apologize i just have thoughts. first, the fakeout in the beginning was cruel. BUT i was willing to forgive because tbh it was kinda funny and i’m not convinced that the “morning after” tension between ted and rebecca didn’t make everyone, everyone, think for just a second that they had slept together. y’know, like, if there was never any chemistry there, why the fakeout to get tedbeccas excited/cut them down and antis worried? did the reason for ted, beard, and jane being there really make a ton of sense? no. therefore, it really does feel like it was just something they wrote in to be mean and, like. come on, guys. why be mean? second, their talk in the stands??? you gotta be fucking kidding me. rebecca welton poured her fucking soul out to ted and he didn’t have a thing to say about it other than that “i’ve already made my decision” bullshit? didn’t even offer her a hand or hug of comfort? how out of character was that? he seemed so stoic through the whole episode, like he was stunted. which, maybe has to do with his being sad about leaving but still it threw me off. jesus, talk about “subverting expectations” or whatever. also, the things rebecca was saying? “you go, i go”? the ultimatum of “either we both stay or we both leave” and then her saying they’d both go only to take it back in the end? be so fucking for real right now. the offer to pay him insane amounts of money then telling him there was really no kind of monetary compensation that could represent how much he meant to the club (and her), the proposed solution to bring his child and his child’s mother over to london for him to stay (it is one thing to offer to get henry over, but to extend the offer to michelle is something else)? those aren’t things regular old friends say/do for each other, i’m sorry. listen, i love my friends but that’s a lot to offer anyone. you really have to love someone to be willing to do all that and cry real tears while begging them to stay, to choose you, to choose the home you’ve made for yourself. third, the airport scene gutted me but AGAIN i was kind of at peace with it. it would have at least left it super open ended and allowed the fanbase to imagine what could have happened afterward, y’know. like the whole “rom-com leave-cute” thing was another mean thing to do because where was the rom or the com about that?? why do that? but like i said, i would have been at peace with it because, dear god, the way rebecca was looking at him (again, ted gave us almost nothing but whatever. not even a tear? ugh.). i mean, she was looking at him like she wanted to say “stay. choose me. choose your own happiness.” also i know she’s loaded but WHO BUYS A FIRST CLASS TICKET JUST TO GET PAST SECURITY ONLY TO SAY GOODBYE TO A GOOD PAL? doesn’t make sense to my little pea brain!!! sudeikis, make it make sense (unfortunately for me and everyone around me i still love him)! there really should have been an “i love you” and not even necessarily in a romantic way. these two are supposed to be soulmates, cosmically connected, there’s not supposed to be one without the other and all we got was…”thank you” and a head nod? like, yes, thank you. thank you for showing me warmth and kindness and grace. thank you for reminding me what my strength looks like. thank you for being there for me. yes, yes, yes, thank you! but an “i love you” really would have been wonderful and i’m actually sad they didn’t get to hear it from each other. fourth, the way nameless boat dude came back in like a fucking generic ass early disney prince was just lame. i thought it was lazy. here we have a rebecca who is devastated that this weird, funny, kindhearted american football coach who shoved himself into her life and her heart has just left to go back to kansas and this little dutch girl trips and suddenly rebecca’s found happiness? it’s frustrating. really, it is. like i’m happy rebecca has a shot at happiness and a family, but she just as well could have had it with ted, who is admittedly very similar to this dutch man. i don’t get it. this is where it well and truly lost me. fifth (this one’s a three parter, sorry), where’s ted’s happy ending? because i don’t think it’s a life of volunteering to coach children’s soccer. i know people have been implying/worrying that ted and michelle reconcile but i don’t see that happening. ted, at his core, is still the man michelle left. he’s still overly optimistic (although we didn’t see that in the finale, like what?), he’s still punny, and let’s be real, he’s still a mess. i didn’t see the resolution to his arc. in fact, returning to kansas feels like a regression. he literally ran from kansas. that’s the whole reason he went to richmond in the first place. what changed? why is he going back now? for henry, yes, of course, that’s understandable. and at the same time, within the show we’ve been shown that the bond of a father and child is not always enough to get dad to stay/be a good and decent father (i.e. ted’s father, i.e. james tartt sr., i.e. rebecca’s father). this isn’t, of course, true for ted and henry, but i think it’s a point to make concerning everyone saying things about the child-parent bond being end-all, be-all. for some people, that’s true. for others, it isn’t. it isn’t a jab at anyone or the parent-child relationship in general, it’s just the truth. this is a coin that has two sides, y’know. got off course there but anyway, henry also could have gone to london, which i think might have been the best thing for him anyway, he seemed to have a good time there and he would have had a whole band of new brothers with all the himbos. michelle isn’t a bad mother by any means, but she’s got her own shit to work through if the whole doctor jacob thing was anything to go by. i also don’t think the show did all that great of a job showing us that henry had this super deep connection with his dad, but maybe that was just me lol. regardless, i still understood the bond and its importance and of course ted wanted to be there for his child. that part does make sense. the way it was gone about felt like a disservice though. ted’s expression at the end there doesn’t scream happy. he looked rather sad to me, like something was weighing on him still. and i’m sure there was. i don’t think he’s at peace with himself yet, or happy. maybe he’ll get happy in kansas. i hope he does. but getting to see rebecca’s “happily ever after” and not ted’s hurt my heart. guess i was hoping they would actually subvert the expectations and have him stay in the home he’d made for himself instead of going back to the place where he lost so much. why did he have to give up his found family and the job he loved (and was still actively learning about!! offsides!!) and the best friend he made and the support system he found (which, no matter your age or your progress, you always need a support system) and the community that had come to love him andandand- all ted did was sacrifice to make other people happy and better and this feels like another sacrifice because his mom guilt tripped him by saying something he already fucking knew (sorry i’m not a fan of dottie). i just don’t get it. how is his happy ending going back to the root of all his problems and staying there? just sucks, really, even if it was always the obvious outcome. sixth, i’m just mad all the signs lead to nowhere. the matchboxes, the army man, the bantr fakeout (will never, ever be over this one), the hotel room fakeout where they cut from rebecca to ted in the room and then he opens the door and it’s sassy, the romcommunism, the soulmatism. it wasn’t all for nothing, of course. their friendship is so important and i love it, but this ending felt like a big fuck you to it too because ted was so…distant. it almost felt like he didn’t care that much that he was leaving rebecca and it makes me super upset. all of this is based on the one-time watch from last night but tbh i don’t know if i can handle watching the episode again right now. it really did hurt, especially the way rebecca looked at him at the airport. tbh nothing can convince me she wasn’t at least a little bit in love with him. and, yes, i know. henry is ted’s everything and that’s so admirable and it’s not all about romance, and it’s not. but just let me believe what i want to believe. let me find the joys in the media i consume and if it’s the hope that two attractive, single, middle aged leads could have gotten with each other in the end and figured out how to be happy together, then so be it. i just hate seeing the hate from all sides, honestly, and a lot of people are legitimately really mean about it when this show is all about being kind. ted lasso is a beautiful series and, at the end of the day, it’s just another piece of media that the audience is free to interpret and pick apart however they want to. me, personally? i will continue to live in my delusional little world where ted and rebecca figure out that they belong together/i will pretend the last 10 minutes of the finale didn’t happen. thanks for coming to my tedtalk.

#ted lasso tv #ted lasso #rebecca welton #tedbecca #ted x rebecca #rebecca x ted #3.12 #so long farewell #ted lasso spoilers #i am so sorry about the longevity of this post #i had so many thoughts #and honestly i have more #i won't lie i am a little scared about getting bullied lol #seriously can't we all just be kind to one another #and appreciate this wonderful series for everything that it was #for everything that it gave us

[atlafan]

No Complaints - Part One

a/n: hellloooooooo the fic you’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Based off these posts, you all wanted a full fic, so as per usual, first part on here, the rest on patreon. I don’t think I’ve ever written this much smut in one fic, so buckle up. I honest wasn’t sure what I wanted to name this fic. I kept calling it ‘happy himbo’ but that didn’t work. He’s sort of just like a polite dirtbag, but with an endearing twist! You’ll see the theme with “no complaints” throughout the fic. I spent way too long on this banner. I photoshopped that bottom half onto that woman and I also created that entire wall because I’m insane. ANYWAYS PLEASE REBLOG AND LEAVE NOTES AND COME TO MY ASK BOX AND JUST PLEASE GIVE ACTUAL INTERACTIONS WITH THIS PLEASE I’M SO TIRED also there are some strong sex and the city inspired vibes

Warnings: just...a ton of filthy smut, anal, public sex, dominant and submissive vibez...just...yeah

Words: 11.6K

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With the way Layna’s cheeks went bright red when she glanced at the text that just came in on her smart watch, each of her friends put down their forks and stopped paying attention to their delicious brunch food to ask her what just got sent to her, and by who.

“Who just made you make that face?” Christine asks with a smirk.

“Hm? Oh, no one.” Layna waves her off. “Anyone want another mimosa?”

“Don’t change the subject.” Serene says. “Is it a guy?”

“It is, but it’s no one special.”

“Then you can tell us what it said.” Michelle says.

“Please don’t make me show you, it’s embarrassing.” Layna groans.

“Wait, is it the himbo from your gym?” Christine asks excitedly.

“What himbo from your gym? You’ve never mentioned a himbo from your gym.” Serene says.

“Okay, okay. There’s this really hot guy that works at my gym. He’s sort of like a trainer, but he does other maintenance stuff too. We’ve hooked up a couple times. It’s not a big deal.”

“What makes him a himbo?” Michelle asks.

“Um, well…” She looks down at her phone and flips it over. She unlocks it so her friends can see the text he sent her. “He is a big fan of emojis, types with the worst grammar, and well…he’s basically just a polite dirtbag.”

Her friends all look disgusted as they look up from Layna’s phone.

“I’m sorry, but why are you bothering with this idiot?” Serene asks.

“Because the sex is incredible. I don’t think a guy has ever made me orgasm as often as this guy has, and he’s so attentive. He’d go down on me for hours if I let him.”

“When and how did this all start?” Christine asks. “Because the last you told me about the dude was that you just thought he was cute, but you hadn’t even spoken.”

“Alright, I’ll start from the beginning. But I need more alcohol.”

**

A few weeks ago…

Layna started going to a new gym. She could afford to go to a better one with more space that is closer to work so it’s easier for her to go after a long day. It helps to clear her head. The life of an art dealer seems glamorous, but it’s a lot of work. You are constantly schmoozing with artists to get them to have a show at your gallery, and then you have to market that show to all the right people to make sure the art is actually bought. Not to mention working with a catering crew, lighting experts, and having to smile the entire time because you need the commission from the sales. It’s a lot of long hours and working on the weekends. So having a good gym close by that Layna can go to on her way home is super helpful.

The locker room is extremely clean and sanitary. There’s even a steam room! Not that Layna has a huge desire to sit naked in a pool of her own sweat with a ton of other naked women around her, but a good steam after a particularly grueling workout is nice. The lockers are spacious enough for all her things. She changes, wipes her makeup off, throws her hair up into a high pony and makes her way out to the main area.

Layna likes to warm up on the treadmill. She doesn’t run, but she works her way up to walking at a faster pace and at an incline. She only does about a mile, it’s enough to get her muscles warm and ready for the strength training portion of her workout. She doesn’t love using machines. She never feels like she knows what she’s doing, but it can be boring to do the same things with the same weights. She keeps looking over at the leg extension machine. It seems simple enough, but she’s honestly a little too scared to use it. So she doesn’t.

She sticks to her normal routine, goes for a relaxing steam, and then takes a quick shower before getting ready to go home. As she’s leaving, she notices a very cute guy going around wiping down machines and collecting rags and towels people have left behind. He’s wearing a shirt with the gym’s logo on it, so she assumes he works there. He looks up and over at her, making eye contact for only a moment, but the way he grins at her makes her blush and smile nervously back at him before leaving.

She goes most days after work, and it’s the same thing. She does her usual routine, but looks off at the machines she’s too afraid to use. It takes about a week of stolen glances, but by Saturday morning, when there are less people around, the very cute guy approaches Layna before she can take any weights off the racks.

“Hi.” He says. “You’re a new member here, right?”

“Yeah.” She nods, smiling. “Is it that obvious?”

“No.” He chuckles. “I work a lot of hours here and I hadn’t seen you before this week, so I just assumed. I hope this doesn’t come off as creepy, but I see you looking around a lot. Is there something you want to try that you might feel too nervous about?”

“Oh, gosh.” She slides a hand down her face. “Yeah, I want to try some of those leg machines, but I hate being the person that takes up time learning how to use it when other people are waiting. They’re sort of intimidating.”

“You’re allowed to take up space, so don’t worry about that. It’s less busy today, I could show you how a few things work if you want.”

“Are you a professional trainer?”

“You mean do I have a college degree in athletic training with a ton of certifications? No, but I am a personal trainer, and I do have the certifications to train others. We all learn how each machine works so we can teach you all.”

“Alright, then, yes I would appreciate some help. Um, what’s your name? You’re not wearing a tag or anything.”

“M’Harry.” He extends his hand, and she takes it to shake.

“I’m Layna.”

“That’s a really pretty name.” He smiles. “Come on, I’ll show you the leg extension machine first.”

Harry has Layna sit down, and he goes over what a good amount of weight to start is his, and how many reps she should do how many times to see improvements. She’s a little embarrassed using it since he’s watching her, but she calms down a little when he gives her shoulder a squeeze and tells her she’s doing it perfectly.

“Is it alright that I just touched you? I should have asked first, I’m sorry.” He tells her after taking his hand away from her quickly.

“It’s fine! I don’t mind if you touch me.” She says with a flirtatious glint to her eyes that he picks up on right away.

She does fifteen reps, three times, then Harry takes her to the leg curl machine. She’s in a much more compromising position now because she’s laying on her stomach with her ass in the air and the backs of her legs have to lift up the weight. Harry watched her form, but wasn’t shy about checking out her ass either. The third and final machine he shows her is the hip abduction/adduction machine. He explains that there are different muscle groups worked depending on if your thighs are on the inside of the pads or on the outside.

Opening and closing her legs like this in front of him really shouldn’t have been such a turn on for either of them, but it was. The eye contact was strong, and Layna could feel herself getting worked up. When she’s done, she wipes off the machine, but makes no move to walk away from him.

“I don’t usually advertise this, but one of the perks of working here is that we get a private bathroom that you need a key to get into.” He tells her lowly so no one else around will hear. “If you grab your stuff to shower and meet me by the employee door on the inside of the locker room, I can let you in.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” She nods.

“Yeah?” He asks for confirmation. “You want to fuck me?”

“Jesus!” She shushes him, making him laugh. “Yes, you didn’t have to ask.”

“I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page and that you didn’t think I was just going to let you have a more private shower.”

“I understood from your tone. Give me five minutes to grab my things.”

Mid-morning delight isn’t something Layna takes part in very often, but this guy is fucking hot, and he wants to fuck her, so she’s going to let him. She gathers her things and discreetly makes her way to the employees only door at the back of the locker room. Harry cracks it open just enough to see her, then opens it fully to let her in. She follows him down the hall past a large laundry room, and to the right. He scans his keycard on the lock and opens the door for her. When he closes it, he flips the lock so others will know the bathroom is otherwise occupied.

There is a stall to one side with a toilet, and a large sink counter across from that. Harry goes to turn the water on in the large shower on the other end of the room. Layna sets her gym bag down on the counter. Harry comes up from behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso as he starts to kiss on her neck. Normally, she would care that she was sweaty, but she made sure to wipe her neck down and pat it dry before meeting him at the door. He sucks a bruise into the space behind her ear, causing her to gasp and hook her around his head to tug on his hair. He presses himself against her ass, and she feels how hard he is.

Harry parts from her and turns her around. They launch at each other, teeth clanking as they kiss, each wanting to get their tongue in the other’s mouth. Harry’s hands are all over Layna. He grips the hem of her shirt and pulls it off of her. They clumsily make their way over to the shower as they continue to strip each other of their clothes.

“Wait!” She says just as he’s about to rid her of her leggings. “Shower shoes.”

“Oh! This bathroom gets cleaned like five times a day, it’s all good.”

“Okay.” She nods and lets him proceed.

Once they’re both naked, Harry all but throws Layna against the tile wall of the shower. They’re both under the water, which makes her feel better about his mouth exploring her chest. She nearly loses her balance when he starts sucking on one of her nipples.

“What’s okay and what’s not okay?” He asks her after leaving a nasty bruise on the top of her breast. “Where can I touch?”

“You can…you can do whatever.”

“Layna, I wanna know what makes you feel good or this won’t be any fun.”

“I want you to use me however you like. You can touch wherever you want.”

His lips slot over hers as his hand makes its way between her thighs. His fingers rub through her folds before slowly inserting his middle finger up inside of her. Her head falls back against the tile, and Harry takes the opportunity to kiss on her exposed throat, working his way to the crook of her neck to bite and suck on. She reaches between them to start fisting at his cock, swiping over the tip to spread his precome. He groans into her hot, wet skin, and bucks into her hand. He slips his ring finger inside her, and lifts one of her legs up to rest on the hinge of the arm he’s not using to thrust.

“We need to be sort of quick, so I’m sorry if this gives you whiplash.” He warns her.

At first, Layna is very confused. If he has to fuck her quick and hard, then that’s totally fine. This doesn’t need to be a whole two-act production. She figured since he lifted her leg that he was getting ready to stick his dick in her, but that’s not what he did. Once his fingers were sunk deep inside her, he took a deep breath and started pumping into her at lightning speed. Which, usually that would not feel good, but his fingers pet and drag against her front wall as he’s thrusting in and out, so it feels incredible. He’s not even doing anything to her clit and she feels like she could come from this alone.

“Jesus, fuck!” She nails sink into his shoulders as she holds onto him.

His mouth crashes to hers, probably to help keep her quiet. He swallows every moan, every whimper, every muffled grunt of his name. She’s not sure how his arm isn’t getting tired, but she’s not complaining. No, she feels good, so fucking good, better than she’s ever really felt, and there’s the most perfect amount of pressure in her lower stomach.

You would think with the sound of running water and the fan in the bathroom going that you wouldn’t be able to hear much else. But Layna can hear how wet she is. There’s a squelching sound with each thrust of Harry’s fingers. It’s making her dizzy. She moves to bury her face in his neck so she can breathe a little easier. Her nails are now digging into his back.

“Doing so well being quiet for me.” He says into her ear. “Next time we can go somewhere less public so you can let out all those pretty noises.”

“I’m getting close.” She warns him.

“I know, I can tell.” Normally something so arrogant wouldn’t turn Layna on, but for whatever reason, Harry’s cockiness is doing it for her. “You’re dripping down my wrist, you know that, right? You’ve squirted like two times already.”

“Please, I...Harry, I need to come.”

“So come.” He nips at her earlobe. “Come for me.”

That was all the encouragement she needed. Her back arches, and it feels so good that the noise that falls from her is silent. Everything goes white. She can tell that she’s gushing around him. He takes his fingers out to watch the rest of it drip out. He slips them back in, almost in a tender way, just cupping her pussy and rubbing it to soothe her and help her calm down. He sets the leg of hers he was holding up down and kisses her.

“That felt amazing.” She breathes. “Want me to do you now?”

“Please. Just jerk it, you don’t have to put your mouth on me this time.”

Layna nods, happy to not be blowing him. She usually prefers to kneel on a pillow, not hard, solid tiles. They continue kissing and licking and nipping at each other while she pumps him. She ends up using both of her hands, and she swears she could have come again from the way Harry moaned in her ear. She lets him come on her tummy, and even scoops some up on her finger to suck on, just so he would have no doubt that she’s a good girl.

They clean each other up and get out of the shower. Harry watches as Layna pulls herself together, and slings her gym bag over her shoulder.

“So, can I get your number?” Harry asks her as he opens the bathroom door to lead her out.

“Um, sure.” She blinks. “Just for sex though, right? I’m not really looking for anything serious right now.” They walk out to the main area of the gym. It’s gotten busier.

“Yeah, just for sex. I’m not looking for anything serious right now either.” He runs a hand through his slightly damp curls. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you since you started coming in. You’re so sexy.”

“The…the feeling is mutual.” She tells him, feeling her cheeks heating up. “Here’s my phone, you can put your contact in.”

Harry takes her phone and creates his contact. “I just put ‘H’ as the contact name. That’s what most people call me.”

“Cool.” She smiles. “So…I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, see you around.” He smiles back.

He seemed nice enough, and he turns her on, so Layna felt good about her new fuck buddy. There’s no harm in it. They’re both adults, if they want to stop, they’ll stop.

**

“I’m sorry, you let a strange man finger fuck you in a completely secluded area?” Serene asks.

“Yes.” Layna confirms. “It was like something out of a sex novel, you know? I wanted him, and he wanted me, so I figured what the hell?”

“Have you hooked up since?” Michelle asks eagerly.

“She sure has.” Christine grins.

“Why does Chris get all the juicy gossip?” Serene asks.

“Because she’s the least judgmental out of the three of you. Besides, I haven’t actually told her anything, she just has a sixth sense for this stuff.” Layna answers bluntly. “I knew you wouldn’t approve of me being so reckless, and I knew that Michelle wouldn’t approve of what he does for work.”

“Well, if you’re just fucking him, then it doesn’t matter. Just don’t catch feelings and continue seeing men with good jobs on the side.” Michelle shrugs.

“Why is being a personal trainer not a good job?” Christine asks. “He knows everything about the body, that’s hot.”

“He doesn’t know everything. He just knows how to train people. He never went to college or anything like that.” Layna explains. “Which is fine. That’s all I really know about him. We don’t talk unless we’re fucking.”

“Do you fuck at the gym a lot?” Serene asks.

“No, that was the only time. He didn’t want to risk getting in trouble, which I totally understood.”

“I’m dying to know more, so please continue.” Michelle says.

“Okay, so the second time it happened was about a week later…”

**

Hey, u up?

It was Friday, now technically Saturday since it was two in the morning. Layna would normally be asleep, but she was at work late for a show at the gallery, and she was still feeling riled up from that. So she texted him back.

Hey, yeah I am

Wut r u up 2?

Layna furrowed her brows at the text. Is he drunk? Who over the age of sixteen texts like this? She panics for a moment. What if he’s only college aged. She’s twenty-nine.

That depends…how old are you?

29 how old r u?

Twenty-nine

So r u dtf or nah?

Yeah, wanna come to my place?

Send me the addy

Layna can’t believe she’s about to let a guy who texts like this come over and fuck her. But he made her come so hard last week without even touching her clit! And she gushed and gushed. She wants to see what he can do without a time constraint.

Twenty minutes later, Layna is unlocking the door to her apartment. She lives in a four-story walk up, and she’s on the fourth floor. It’s a pain going up and down the stairs all the time, but she gets the rooftop all to herself, so she can’t complain too much.

“Hey.” Harry gives her a ‘sup’ nod as he comes in. He’s wearing an orange hoodie and black basketball shorts. “Where’s your bedroom?”

“Hi, um, it’s right over there – oh!”

He had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. He finds her bedroom and tosses her onto her bed. She had put on a cute set of pj’s, a silk spaghetti string top and shorts to match. But she realizes she could have been in a paper sack and Harry still would’ve fucked her. He peels his sweatshirt off before climbing onto the bed. His lips are on hers only seconds after that.

Layna likes the way Harry kisses. He’s needy and aggressive without it being too gross and sloppy. His tongue is soft and precise, and his lips are smooth and easy to bite at. He definitely uses chapstick regularly. He tastes like mint, like he had just chewed a fresh piece of gum, and he smells woodsy with a hint of cinnamon. It’s all doing wonders for her.

His hands slide up under her shirt and he gropes at her breasts. He tweaks her nipples and grinds himself into her, making her gasp. He’s already so hard. He must be sensitive. That’s hot. He pushes her shirt up over her breasts and wraps his lips around one of her nipples. Her fingers card through his hair as she arches into him. He kisses down her stomach and drags her shorts down her legs.

“I’m glad you didn’t leave your panties on. Next time just open the door naked.” He smirks as he pushes her legs open. “You good if I eat you out?”

“Mhm, yeah. I want you to use me, remember?”

The lights in the room are dim, but still bright enough so Harry can see what he’s doing. He licks up her slit with a long drag of his tongue, then he spits on her before doing it again. Over and over, he kitten licks at her, getting her wet with his spit and her own slick. Even though it feels good, Layna is about to tell him her clit is a little higher up, but she doesn’t get the chance. He found it on his own. He looped his around her thighs, and yanked her to him before he started sucking on her clit.

“Oh, fuck that feels good.” She fists at her blankets and throws her head back.

His tongue flicks back and forth on her clit, then he goes back to sucking on it, welling up his spit every so often to keep her clit wet and comfortable. One of his hands smooths up her stomach, landing on her chest. Layna takes the hint and sucks on his middle and ring fingers. When she’s done, Harry brings them down to her center and sinks them inside. He moans against her when he feels how wet and warm and tight she is.

“Are…will you…shit.” She can’t even speak.

“Tell me what you need, baby.” He says lowly, giving her clit a breather while he continues to fuck her with his fingers.

“Will you make me squirt again?” She whimpers. “It felt so good the last time.”

“Yeah? You like getting pounded into hard?”

“Mhm.” She nods. “It feels so good when it hurts a little.”

Harry grins wickedly at her, then brings his mouth back down to her clit while he gives her fast, shallow thrusts with his fingers, finding her g-spot easily. Her hands find his hair again and she tugs hard on his roots. Her hips roll up towards his face, but his free hand pushes down on her lower stomach to keep her in place.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come!” She cries out as she makes a mess around his fingers. He moans as he licks her clean and sucks on her pussy. “Fucking hell.” She breathes, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Harry kisses up her body, then licks into her mouth while he takes his shorts and underwear off.

“Sit up.” He tells her and she does so, so he can take her shirt off. He slips his thumb into her mouth and Layna closes her lips around it. “You’re so good. You want my cock?”

She nods as she continues sucking on his thumb. He pulls it from her and gives himself a few pumps before lining up with her. Normally she’d ask a random guy to wear a condom, but she’s on the pill and right now she doesn’t particularly care. She would hope a twenty-nine year old guy would be honest about not being clean. He slowly pushes inside of her, and both of their mouths fall open.

“Jesus Christ.” Layna gasps out as her nails rake down his chest. “Please tell me it’s in all the way.”

“It’s in all the way.” He chuckles.

“Good, I don’t think I could handle much more. Can feel you in my guts.” She half jokes.

“It doesn’t hurt in a bad way, does it?”

“No! No, just give me another second to adjust and then you can move.”

“Layna?”

“Yeah?”

He brings a hand up to cup her jaw, letting his fingers sift through her hair before getting a good grip on her and yanking her head back. “I’m gonna blow your fucking back out.”

**

“Oh my god, he actually said that to you?!” Christine squeals.

“Mhm.” Layna nods.

“And did he?” Michelle asks.

“Yeah, don’t stop there.” Serene says.

“Okay, okay. So, yes, he actually said that to me…”

**

Layna tightened around him after he said that to her, which Harry takes note of. He starts to move, rocking and rolling his hips as he thrusts in and out of her. She wraps her legs around his waist, leaving her feet to rest on the base of his spine. Harry comes down chest to chest with her so he can grope her breasts and kiss on her neck.

“Okay so far?” He asks her.

“Yeah, you feel so good, you’re so big.” She musters out.

He pecks her lips before sitting up and throwing her legs over his shoulders. She grips at his thighs as he fucks into her hard and deep. Her back arches and she reaches for her clit. He drops one of her legs to swat her hand away from herself. She looks up at him with a pout.

“Did I tell you that you could touch yourself?” He says. “I decide when you come, understand?”

“Yes, yeah, I’m sorry.” She says quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I won’t do it again, I’ll wait for you to do it. I just felt so good I wanted to feel-“

“Shut up.”

Layna closes her mouth and lays back into her pillows. In her every day life, she would never let someone get away with speaking to her like that. But Harry? He can say and do whatever the fuck he wants to her.

He leans forward and drives his cock in deeper. He grips the top of her headboard and beats into her. He licks his fingers and starts rubbing her clit. Layna isn’t sure what to do with her hands, so she just scratches at his chest. He seems to like it because he’s moaning pretty loudly.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” She pants.

“Beg me for it.” He tells her. “Beg me to come.”

“Please, please let me.” She whimpers. “Please, I’m so close Harry, please.”

He smirks down at her. “Go ahead.”

She smiles at him and lets herself go. Moaning out and grinding up against him. When she’s done, he comes back down to her to kiss her and give her slow rolls of his hips.

“Say ‘thank you Harry’.”

“Thank you Harry.” She says weakly.

“God, you’re so fucking good.” He groans. “Can I fuck you from behind?”

“Yes, please.” She nods rapidly. “That’s my favorite.”

He nods and pulls out so she can get into position for him. He slides back in and reaches up to grip the top of the headboard with one hand, and the back of her neck with the other. And then he’s off. He pounds into her. Layna presses her hands flat to the headboard to brace herself and to stop her head from knocking into it. She moves her hips in circles and fucks herself back on his cock to meet his thrusts.

“Fuck, Layna.” Harry moans.

“Shit, please don’t stop, you’re hitting it.” She grunts. “Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.” She has a few stray tears rolling down her cheeks as she whimpers and whines.

“Are you gonna come for me again?”

“Only if you’ll let me, but I don’t know how long I can hold it.”

The bed is shaking and the headboard is knocking against the wall from the force of Harry’s thrusts. Harry’s hand slides from the back of Layna’s neck to the front, and he yanks her up and back until her back is pressed to his chest. He moves his hips in circles along with hers. One arm wraps around her chest, and the other around her waist so he can rub her clit. She slides his hand from her chest back to her throat and presses down on it.

“You’re so fucking perfect, Jesus.” He growls into her ear. “You like being choked?”

She nods and whines as she starts to feel herself getting close again. He stopped right before she could get there a moment ago. She hopes he won’t stop this time. Her head rolls back to his shoulder and her eyes flutter closed. His cock feels so good, it’s sliding in and out of her perfectly. And his fingers on her clit are like magic.

“I want you to come.” He tells her, nipping at her earlobe. “Give it to me, now.”

Layna doesn’t need much more encouragement than that before she loses it. He continues rubbing her clit, making it last as long as possible. When he feels her start to loosen around him, he pushes her to lay on her stomach. He pulls out of her and comes all over her ass and back, not holding back his moans and grunts and groans. When he finishes, he lays on his back next to her to catch his breath. She turns her head to look at him, and he looks at her.

“That was all okay?” He asks softly.

“I liked it, I really liked it.” She breathes. “I like being good. I…I like being called a…a good girl. You’ve almost said it a couple of times, but you just say I’m good. You can call me a good girl.”

“Yeah?” He turns onto his side, smiling at her. “Do you prefer praise or degradation?”

“A mix of both. I really liked the way you spoke to me. It was hot.”

He smirks before leaning in to kiss her forehead. “You’re a good girl Layna.” And with that, he gets off the bed and grabs his clothes.

He doesn’t put them on though. Layna can barely move, but she knows she should get up to go to the bathroom and rinse herself off. Only, when she props herself up on her elbows, she hears the distinct sound of water running. Is he taking a fucking shower? He’s in and out in five minutes. She listens closely and hears him go into her fridge, and then he leaves.

**

“So, he made good on blowing your back out, showered, and then rifled through your fridge before leaving your apartment?” Michelle asks.

“Yup.”

“What did he even take?” Serene asks.

“My last black cherry Bubbly!”

“He took a seltzer water from your fridge and dipped?!” Christine can’t help but laugh. “Why did he think he had the right to just do what he wanted in your apartment.”

“I don’t know…but as weird as it was, it kind of turned me on.” Layna giggles.

“So, have you seen him since last week?” Serene asks.

“At the gym during normal work hours, but we haven’t hooked up again. We’ve just been sort of…sexting.”

“Honey, this isn’t sexting, it’s hieroglyphics.” Christine says, and everyone laughs.

“I know, it’s totally not sexy to use eggplants and finger emojis, but at night it works for me. He doesn’t usually text me this early in the day. He must want to get together, right?”

“This is a cryptic ass message, so who knows.” Serene says.

The girls finish their brunch and part ways. Serene is going in the same direction as Layna, so they walk together.

“I can feel your judgement, it’s radiating off you.” Layna says to her friend.

“I’m all for having a fuck buddy, but some guy that works at your gym? He sounds like a loser.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s a loser or not, he’s fucked me better than anyone I’ve ever slept with, and it’s only been two times. We’re on the same page about not wanting anything serious. This could work for a bit.”

“And what happens when you inevitably catch feelings? Are you going to have a guy that lives in hoodies and basketball shorts to one of your showings?”

“I’m not going to catch feelings for him. I barely know anything about him, and I intend to keep it that way. We don’t speak about anything other than working out or sex. It’s perfect.”

**

Hey, u up?

It’s 2:30 in the morning on Thursday, now technically Friday. The buzz of Layna’s phone wakes her up. She must have forgotten to put it on do not disturb before she went to bed. She doesn’t have to be at the gallery until 1PM tomorrow, so it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to get her shit rocked at this hour.

Just barely…did you want to come over?

Yeah, I want to 👅🍑

Jesus fucking Christ.

I’ll unlock my door so you can just come in. How long will you be?

10 min

Okay, see you soon!

👍🏻

Layna gets up to use the bathroom and freshen up quickly. She spritzes some perfume into her hair and dabs some on her wrists. The last time Harry came over, he told her she should just wait for him naked, so that’s what she’s going to do. She gets the lighting just right, then lays on her tummy with her back arched and her head resting on her hands. She hears her down open and close and butterflies soar through her stomach.

“Layna?!”

“In the bedroom!”

He comes in wearing a black hoodie and black joggers. He smiles when he notices that she’s completely naked.

“You’re in the perfect position for what I want to do to you.” He tells her as he takes his hoodie off, revealing a white undershirt.

“And what exactly might that be?” She bats her eyelashes at him sweetly.

“Couldn’t you tell from my text? I’m gonna spend some time on your ass tonight.”

“Oh, right.”

“You good with that?”

“I’m good with whatever you want to do. You know that already.”

“I don’t want to do anything that you’re not into.” He sits on the edge of the bed and feather lightly strokes her back with the tips of his fingers.

“I’m into it. I would say if I wasn’t.”

“Would you?”

“Yes.”

“Great, then stay just like that.”

“Wait. Could you kiss me first?”

He smiles and bends down to pecks her lips, lingering for a moment to let her deepen it. He kicks his sneakers off and gets himself behind her on the bed.

“How do you feel about spanking?” He asks as he kneads her asscheeks with his large hands. “I’d love to see my handprint on you.”

“Do it.” She tells him, looking back at him over her shoulder. “Do it hard.”

Harry lifts his hand and brings it down hard to her skin, causing her to jolt forward. He pulls her hips back so she’s up on her knees, and he spreads her apart. He spits down onto her other hole, and watches as it drips down over her slit. He starts by just rubbing his thumb around the rim, getting her used to him being there. He repositions so his body is more so next to hers with his top half leaning over her ass. He starts tonguing at her hole while he works his middle finger into her pussy.

There aren’t a lot of guys that Layna has let lick her like this. Only a few. And it never felt this good. Harry’s heart is in it. The way he grunts and moans and laughs lowly against her as she squeaks and bucks and grinds backward against him is so wonderful. It’s sending her into a state of pure bliss.

He slips a second finger inside of her, and starts thrusting them in a little faster and deeper. Layna’s mouth hangs open as she grips at the blankets and just enjoys the way everything feels. He pulls his fingers from her, licks up from her pussy to her other hole over and over before fucking her with his tongue.

“Oh, shit.” She groans. “Harry, I’m getting close.”

Harry’s large hands keep her cheeks spread so he continue doing as he pleases to her. The noises he’s making are encouraging her to come, so she does. Her eyes roll back and she smiles at the feeling. Harry turns her over with no warning, and crawls up her body, licking into her mouth. She toes his joggers off, getting them down just enough to get his cock out. Neither of them bothers with taking his shirt off, it doesn’t matter. He paints his cock along her wet slit before pushing inside of her.

Her heels rest at the base of his spine as he fucks into her with ease. His lips sponge along her neck and chest. He pulls out of her abruptly and sits up. Layna whines and juts her bottom lip out in a pout.

“Relax.” He takes his shirt off and rids himself of the rest of his clothes. “Come here, ride it.” He says as he sits back on his hands with his legs spread. Layna scrambles to get up, but she’s soon straddling him and sinking down on his cock. She feels like she can barely breathe. “There we go, just relax baby.” His hands smooth over her breasts, around her back, and down to her hips.

“You’re s-so big.” She presses her forehead to his.

“I know I am.” He coos. “Probably won’t ever be able to get it down your throat.”

“That’s not true.” She pouts as she starts to move up and down slowly.

“No? So if I stuffed my fingers down your throat you wouldn’t choke right away?”

“I guess…I guess you’ll have to do just that and we’ll see.”

Harry grins as Layna opens her mouth. He sticks two fingers into her mouth and down her throat until she’s choking and gagging and spitting up. He wipes the spit from her chin and brings his fingers down to her clit to rub while she moves herself up and down on his cock.

“You’re such a good girl, Layna.”

“Do you like it better when I’m messy?”

“Yeah.” He smirks. “Sex is more fun when it’s messy, don’t you think?”

She nods and slots her mouth over his. She wraps her arms around him, letting her fingers tangle in his curls. She starts bouncing up and down on him while his fingers continue to pay attention to her clit. He rubs it hard and fast.

“God, that feels so good.” She slams down on him harder, making him moan out loudly.

“Fuck, Layna.”

“Please come, I wanna come with you, please, Harry, please, please, please.” She’s rambling and and totally lost in her lust. But he loves hearing her beg.

The bed creaks from the force of their bouncing, and it all suddenly stills as they come in unison. Layna goes slack against Harry, kissing on his neck and shoulder lazily as she basks in the warmth of his come filling her up.

Layna lifts herself off of him, and goes to use the bathroom. When she comes back to her bedroom, Harry is laying on his stomach, bare ass out for all to see, and he’s snoring. She was only gone for five minutes, how the hell is he already snoring? She’s too tired to care at this point. So, she grabs a bed shirt to throw on and gets back into bed. She wasn’t expecting him to stay since he didn’t the last time, but it’s not a big deal. She turns over to face away from him to use her phone. Just as her eyes start to droop from reading a Wikipedia article on the invention of the aglet, she feels a strong arm wrap around her stomach. Harry pulls her to his chest and shoves his leg between hers.

**

Later that morning, at a more reasonable hour, Layna’s alarm goes off. She blindly reaches for it on her bedside table, almost knocking it over, but she’s able to turn it off. She knuckles at her eyes and sits up. The space next to her is empty and cold. How long ago did he leave? She grabs her phone and her eyebrows raise when she reads a message from Harry at around 5AM.

Had 2 head out. I used ur shower, and helped myself 2 a cliff bar. Left u some $$ on ur dresser for a plan b. Lmk when u get ur 🩸

She looks to her right and sees three, twenty-dollar-bills on her bureau. She blinks a few times and then gets out of bed to start her day.

**

“He used your shower again?” Christine laughs over a late lunch with Layna later that day.

“Yeah! I don’t really care since water is included in my rent, but still! There’s a shower at the gym, use that if you can’t wait until you get home.”

“At least he told you what he took from your kitchen this time.”

“True.”

“Do you feel like a hooker since he left you cash?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Why would he even leave you money for a Plan B if you’re on the pill?”

“I never told him I was on the pill, and the last two times we’ve fucked he hasn’t worn a condom. The first time he pulled out, but last night he came inside me.”

“Not to pull a Serene, but could you not make him use a condom?”

“I don’t know. I wanted to feel him, and I just get the vibe that he’s the type of guy who would say if he was clean or not. And he’s obviously covering his tracks. So, I’m gonna pocket the money and I’ll tell him when I get my period like he asked. Funny enough, I started my placebo week two days ago, so I should be getting my period either today or tomorrow.”

“I kind of like a man that carries cash. It’s like an emergency fund, you know? Maybe he’s keeping it on him for an unexpected cover charge, or needs to leave a generous tip.”

“Right? Nothing wrong with being proactive.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun with him. I feel like you never just hook up anymore. Not since Mark, anyways.”

“I was feeling like I was too old to just be hooking up with random guys. And when I was with Mark I liked having the consistency. I’m not sleeping with anyone else, so I don’t see the harm of having a consistent fuck buddy.”

“I’m never one to rain on someone’s parade, but do you at least know if he’s sleeping with anyone else? It might be good to ask so you’ll know if you should really be using condoms or not.”

“No, that’s a good point. I don’t want to catch anything.”

“I’m always up front with the guys I sleep with that they’re not the only one.”

“You don’t always use condoms though.”

“No, but nine times out of ten I do.” Christine shrugs. “I also have no way of getting pregnant, so I don’t care as much.”

“But you could still catch something.”

“I’m not catching a baby, so I really don’t give a fuck.”

Layna bursts out laughing at that. She can always count on Christine for zero sexual judgement.

**

Hey, you wanted me to let you know when I got my period…so this is me letting you know I got my period

It was a text she hasn’t had to send to someone since college, but she wanted go give him the courtesy since he left her $60 in cash.

How many days u 🩸4?

What in the actually fuck?!

Who are you, my gynecologist?

LMAO

No

I just wanted to no when I can 👅🍑💦👉🏻👌🏼 u again

Certainly it must take more effort to type like that because of autocorrect, right??

I’ll let you know

U better

And if I don’t?

U wouldn’t b a very good girl if u don’t

Don’t u want 2 b good 4 me?

It’s usually four days, I’ll text you next week

Good girl

**

Layna’s never been the jealous type, and she’s not sure if she’s just horny and hormonal, but she doesn’t like the woman that Harry is assisting at the gym. She’s been all over him since the second she got there, and Harry didn’t seem to mind. Layna only uses the treadmill when she has her period. She doesn’t like doing anything too strenuous with weights or machines because you just never know if your tampon is going to leak or if your pad is going to move and then all of a sudden your leggings are blood stained.

She was trying to be discrete with her glances, but the look of disgust on her face wasn’t discrete. And after a while it was clear Harry had other things to do, but the woman wouldn’t leave him alone! Layna has noticed that in the evening hours, Harry mostly wipes down machines and collects towels. He does more of the one on one training in the early morning and afternoon. So why wasn’t this woman taking the hint?

When she’s had enough, Layna hops off the treadmill and goes to refill her water bottle. This is also the area where people can put towels in hampers. Harry comes up next to her to tie up one of the hampers to bring to the laundry room.

“You’re not subtle, you know.” He says without looking at her. “You have major resting bitch face.” Now he looks her, the side eye makes Layna laugh.

“I don’t usually.” She takes a sip of water, then twists the cap back on the top.

“So what’s different about today?”

“Would it be anti-feminist to blame it on PMS?” Normally a rhetorical question like that would make someone laugh, but it seems to go right over Harry’s head. “Anyways, it was just sort of distracting to see that girl follow you around like a lost puppy. I was trying to focus on my walk.”

“You should make a better playlist.” He turns to face her and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m not sleeping with her, if that’s what you were wondering.”

“It’s really none of my business.” She assures him. “You’re a good looking guy, I’m sure you have a lot of girls on rotation.”

“I’ve had a lot less since I started up with you.” He blushes ever so slightly, but his tone is turning her on so she doesn’t notice the rouge on his cheeks. “I don’t usually sleep with girls from the gym.”

“Ah, separation of church and state.”

“Sure?” He runs a hand through his hair. Jesus Christ, he’s dumb. But it’s so hot.

“I think we should probably use condoms if you’re seeing multiple people, just to be safe.”

“Are you not?”

“Am I not, what?”

“Sleeping with other people.”

“Oh! Um, not really. Like, I honestly haven’t had time. Long story, I won’t bore you.”

He narrows his eyes at her for a moment. “What brand of condoms do you like?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m allergic to latex so I have my own on hand.”

“I don’t like lambskin.”

“It’s not lambskin, they’re still rubbers, but the latex ingredient that I’m allergic to isn’t in it.”

“Are they big enough?”

“The smallest condom can stretch to fit around someone’s foot, you jackass.”

“That’s not very nice.” He smirks, and takes a step closer to her. “Am I gonna have to bend you over the next time I see you?”

“Maybe.” She blushes.

“You’re still on your period?”

“Yes.”

“Damn.” He sucks his teeth as he looks her up and down, very obviously objectifying her. “That’s too bad.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget to put you in your place so you don’t talk to me like that again.” He smirks, grabs the hamper full of towels, and disappears into the back of the gym.

“Cold shower.” She says to herself. “I need to take a very cold shower.”

**

Layna, Serene, Michelle, and Christine are all out for drinks on Friday night. It’s 9PM, and they’re all laughing and giggling and discussing what their plans for the rest of the night are.

“I have a party to go to for a client.” Christine says. “They loved my service so much that they want to introduce me to their friends so I can do some schmoozing.”

“I have a date with HBO and my couch.” Serene says.

“Ooh, a threesome. Good for you.” Christine jokes, making everyone laugh.

“I have a FaceTime date with Andrew.” Michelle smiles. “I thought him being in London would suck, but it’s actually been really romantic making time for each other like this.”

“That’s sweet.” Layna smiles.

“What about you?” Serene asks. “We could make my date a foursome.” She smirks.

“Actually, um…Harry is coming over around eleven.” Layna tells them.

“You’re still fucking that guy? He doesn’t even know what feminism is!” Serene says, annoyed.

“I made a joke and he didn’t think it was funny, it doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. He’s just not as educated as the rest of us, and there’s nothing with that.”

“Besides, he’s knowledgeable about what matters most.” Christine grins. “He’s made Layna squirt.”

“Shhh!” Layna hushes her friend. “I’m an open book, but I don’t want to talk about the fluids that have left my body.”

“I still can’t believe he made that happen the first time you hooked up.” Michelle says. “Vaginally.”

“I get dizzy every time I think about it.” Layna says. “He’s wild. And his dick is huge. I’ve never fucked a guy with such a big dick before.”

“I recall you mentioning Mark’s was decent.” Serene says.

“Mark had girth and that matters a lot more to me, but Harry has girth and length. And he’s been able to get my g-spot every time. Mark always had to rub my clit to get me to come.”

“Good for you.” Michelle smiles. “You deserve to have crazy hot sex with a himbo.”

All the girls laugh. They have another drink each before parting ways.

Layna takes a shower when she gets back, wanting to be as fresh as possible for her handsome himbo. She moisturizes, blows out her hair, and puts on a set of lace panties and bra. She feels giddy knowing she’s at the top of Harry’s rotation. She wonders what exactly he meant when he told her he was sleeping with less women since he met her. It’s none of her business, but she can’t help but be curious.

She grabs some condoms from the drawer in her bedside table and sets them down. Her phone buzzes at 11:05.

Here

She makes her way to her front door and opens it to let him in.

“Hey.” He gives the ‘sup’ nod but stops short when he looks at her. “Holy shit.”

“I hope you like red lace.” She smiles sheepishly. “I haven’t worn this for a while, but I th-oh!”

Harry pushed her up against the nearest wall after kicking the door closed. His tongue is down her throat, and his hands are sliding around to her ass to the backs of her thighs to hoist her up. She wraps her legs around his waist, and sucks on his tongue while he carries her to the bedroom. Tonight, Harry’s wearing a grey hoodie that has the word ‘DAMN’ on the chest, paired with navy basketball shorts. He gets them both on the bed, with his body still on top of hers. He bites on her bottom lip and sucks on it harshly, making her moan and arch into him. He grinds against her so she can feel how hard he already is. He pulls her hands from his hair and pins her wrists down on either side of her head and looks at her. Her chest is heaving.

“You wore this for me?”

“Well…yeah.” She blinks. “I wanted to look nice.”

“For me.” He confirms.

“Who else would I put this on for?” She asks innocently. “I told you last week I wasn’t sleeping with anyone else.”

He continues to look at her, staring into her soul. “Keep your arms where they are.” He tells her and starts kissing down her neck. His hands grope at her breasts over the lace material. His warm mouth licks and sucks on her nipples, dampening the lace. He drags his tongue down her stomach until he’s kissing over the wet patch covering her center. He strokes her softly with his thumb, teasing her. He brings his mouth back down to her, kissing and licking, teasing her even more. She squirms underneath him, but she knows she needs to stay put like he told her. She knows she’s still in for it since she called him a jackass. Her toes start to curl and she bites her lip and does her best not to whimper and whine.

“You were rude to me last week, when all I did was ask an innocent question.” He says as his thumbs start to massage the inside of her thighs. “I wasn’t trying to be a jackass.”

“It was the way you asked it, I’m sorry.” She sits up on her elbows so she doesn’t have to strain as much to look at him.

“You’re always telling me how big I am, I figured you’ve only fucked guys with chodes or something. I want you to be comfortable, so I just wanted to make sure you had the right condoms.”

“Okay.” She nods. “Are you still going to…to bend me over and put me in my place?”

“Is that what you want?”

“I’m afraid to say yes because then you’ll do the complete opposite to keep teasing me.”

“Alright, listen.” He sits up on his knees, placing his hands on top of her knees. “That kind of stuff is supposed to feel good. I’m not going to bend you over my knee and make you count to ten. I am going to spank you, but only because I want to watch your ass ripple while you’re wearing these panties.”

“You can do whatever you want. I want you to do whatever you want.”

“Mhm, I know. You want me to use you like my own personal plaything.” He pulls his hoodie off and tosses it to the floor. He moves to sit on the edge of the bed. “Come here and lay across my lap.”

Layna crawls over to him and does as he says. He’s sitting far back enough on the bed so that she’s not dangling off of it. She’s actually pretty comfortable. She feels his finger hook into the back of her panties to pull them to the side. His fingers gently rub through her folds. Then he drags his fingers up the back of her ass cheek before groping it. He lifts his hand and brings down on her hard, making her jolt forward.

“Was that too hard?” He asks as he rubs over the pink welt forming.

“No, that was perfect.” She says after she catches her breath. “You can even do it harder.”

“You’re a dream, you know that?” He smiles at her, then pushes her head back down. His hand goes up, and he swats her ass hard.

He switches from spanking her to rubbing her from behind with his fingers until she’s dripping and sticky between her legs. He lifts her up just enough to get out from under her, then gets behind her. Her kisses on her ass, where his various handprints are, in an attempt to soothe her flaming skin. He grips the waist of her panties and drags them down her legs.

“Should’ve taken these off before and stuffed them down your throat while I was spanking you.” He sighs, disappointed with himself. “Next time.” He tosses the garment to the floor and spreads her cheeks. He licks up from her slit to her ass, then crawls up her body, licking up her back and kissing on her shoulders. She likes having his weight on her. “What do you feel like doing tonight since I’m here at a better hour?”

“Hmm…” She taps her chin and he gives her the room to roll onto her back. She smooths her hands over his shoulders before pecking his lips. “You’re a real ass man.”

“Guilty as charged.” He smirks. “You’ve got great tits too, though. Think I really like your whole body.”

“I like yours too.” She giggles.

“Seriously, Layna, how do you want it tonight?”

“I feel like you’re asking because you have something you wanna do.”

“Guilty again.” He sighs. “I want to fuck you, like normal…and then I was wondering if we could go a second round, but that time…could I fuck you in the ass? How do you feel about anal?”

“I like it!” She blurts out. “I really like it. It feels good. I have a, um, a, uh vibrator that you can put inside me and then you’ll feel the vibrations too while you’re fucking me and it’ll feel really good for both of us.”

“So, you’ve been fucked in the ass before?”

“Mhm. Well, not with an actual dick. It was with a butt plug, but it was pretty big and I used it a lot.”

“I’ll loosen you up with my fingers while I fuck you from behind.”

“You’re gonna have to take your shorts off to fuck me.” She grins.

“Not yet I don’t. I just got your panties off, I’m gonna go down on you. You made a fucking mess while you were getting spanked.”

“I thought I was gonna squirt. My pelvis was right on your thigh, it felt so good.”

“Well, we’ll just have to make sure that happens. I didn’t mean to deny you of anything.”

He kisses back down her body and gets right to work. He sucks on her lips, spits on her, then starts fucking her with his tongue while his fingers take care of her clit. She tugs on his hair and her thighs shake when he starts sucking on her clit. He moves his tongue around it in circles and keeps it wet. He presses his hand down on her lower belly and fucks into her with his fingers.

“Oh, shit.” She gasps. “Fuck, fuck! You’re so good at this.” She throws her head back and lets the waves crash over her. She makes a mess between her legs for him, and he gladly cleans it up. They both sit up and rid themselves of the rest of their clothes. Harry sees the condoms on the side table, so he grabs one to roll on. “Hey, wait.” She puts her hand on his wrist.

“What?” He looks at her with a frown. “Do you not feel like it now? It’s okay if you don’t, I’m obviously not going to force you, um, I can le-“

“Harry, calm down.” She chuckles. “I very much still want to fuck. I just…you’ve never let me…I’ve only ever given you a hand job.”

“Oh.” He rips the foil packet open and rolls the rubber onto his throbbing cock.

“You’ve had me choke on your fingers, and you know how good I am with my mouth. Do you not want my mouth on you there?”

“It’s not that.” He knees onto the bed and maneuvers her to lay on her back. “I guess I’d just rather put it in you here.” He pushes inside of her and she swallows him whole. “Nothing feels better than this.” His hand slides up her chest until it’s gripping her throat.

“I – fuck – I just want you to know I’ll do it. I think I’m one of the few women out there that actually likes having someone’s dick in their mouth.” She rubs his forearm up and down while he gently squeezes on the sides of her throat. “I want to reciprocate.” She manages to say.

“I’ll think about it.” He grunts as he thrusts in and out of her.

With him sitting up and choking her, and her laying on her back with her knees bent, it’s not long before Layna’s bed starts to shake, and her headboard starts banging against the wall.

“Can I rub my clit?” She asks faintly.

“Fuck, yeah, you can.” His free hand reaches to grip the top of the headboard. “You’re such a good girl, Jesus Christ. I want you to come. Come whenever you want, you don’t have to hold it.”

“Fuck, Harry, thank you.”

She reaches her hand to rub at her clit, and she melts further into the mattress. Harry gets distracted from watching her touch herself, and ignores the popping sound he hears between them. He starts panting, and so does she. Her back arches off the bed as she comes, and he follows behind, filling her up.

He lets go of her throat and comes down to kiss her. Layna moans into his mouth as she calms down. They both start smiling and giggling.

“Nothing’s even funny.” She continues giggling. “That just felt really fucking good.”

“Yeah, it did.” He smooths some hair away from her forehead.

“Will you fuck my ass now?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He pecks her lips and pulls out of her.

“Do want, like, a banana or anything to help you bounce back?”

“You have bananas?” He asks excitedly.

“Yeah! They’re in the kitchen in the fruit bowl.”

“Sick.” He gets off the bed, and tosses the condom in her trash. “Do you want one?”

“No, thanks. Maybe…could you get me a glass of water? Throat’s a little sore.”

“Shit, I didn’t do it too hard did I?”

“No! Oh my gosh, no. It was perfect. I can’t wait to see the bruises on my neck in the morning.” She blushes.

“You’re perfect, you know that?”

He pecks her forehead before leaving the room. He comes back shortly with half a banana in his mouth, the other half in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Layna takes the glass and slowly sips on the water. Harry tosses the banana peel in the trash before getting back on the bed.

She looks down and sees that he’s still plenty hard. He notices her looking and then raises an eyebrow at her.

“What, do you not like the way I have it shaved?”

“Huh?” She snaps out of her trance. “No, I just…how did you get hard again so fast?”

“It never went down.” He shrugs. “I have pretty good stamina. I’ll be sensitive, but that’ll be better for you so I won’t have to be in your ass for that long. I know it feels good, but a long round of anal sex can feel not so good the next day.”

“That’s so true.”

“How much prep do you think you need? Will you open right up for me?”

“I’d really like to.” She chews on her bottom lip, and leans over him to grab her bottle of lube out of her drawer. “This should help, though.”

“Ah.” He observes the bottle. “This is good stuff.”

“Yeah, I prefer the water based lube, it’s less messy and feels more natural.”

“Get on your stomach, I’ll start getting you ready. Put your ass up in the air.”

Layna listens to him and gets into position. He squeezes the bottle and lets the lube drip and slide down her hole. He gets his middle finger wet, and rubs it around her rim. Layna sighs contently into her pillow. Harry works his finger into her slowly.

“Harry, my vibrator is in that same drawer. Could you grab it and put it inside my pussy?” She looks back at him over her shoulder. “It’ll help me relax a little more for you.”

“Yeah, one sec.”

He pulls his finger from her and leans over the edge of the bed to rummage through her drawer. He find the vibrator. It’s in the shape of a penis, and is simple. Harry gets some lube on it before turning it on and slipping it inside of her. She sighs and relaxes a little more. Harry rips open another condom and rolls it onto his cock.

“I’m gonna start.” He tells her, rubbing her hips and asscheeks.

“Could I…could we switch positions?”

“You wanna ride my dick while it’s in your ass?”

“Yeah, sit on the edge of the bed.” Harry does as she says, intrigued by it. Layna gets off the bed, holding the dildo inside her, and backs up until she’s sitting on Harry’s lap with her back to his chest. “This is more comfortable, and with my legs on the outside of yours, I’m spread a little more.”

“I didn’t think most women knew how to take it up the ass without doing doggy.” He grips himself and paints his cock along her hole. Layna reaches behind and helps him slowly feed it into her.

“I guess I’m not most women.” She grunts. “Ew, I didn’t mean that in like a ‘I’m not like other girls’ way.”

“I knew how you meant it.” He holds his breath until his cock is all the way inside of her. He keeps his hands on her hips, but they both just sit for a moment, the sound of the vibrator inside Layna filling the room.

“I feel so full.” She sighs and hooks an arm behind Harry’s head. “You can move.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm. Give it to me.”

Harry starts to move Layna for her, controlling the pace. She’s not complaining. They get a good rhythm going after Harry squirts some extra lube on her ass. He moves her legs so it’s like she’s straddling him. It gives her some leverage to start moving herself while Harry thrusts up inside of her and rubs her clit.

He watches as sweat falls down her spine. He leans forward and kisses on the back of her neck and shoulders. It’s a slow grind, a good groove. Layna hasn’t felt this good in a long time. She’s never told any of her friends, not even Christine, that she likes anal sex this much. It’s so taboo and naughty and she can take it so well. She’s not sure what it is exactly, but she just likes feeling full. Not to mention, she loves the way a man reacts to it. Harry is breathing heavily and moaning and pressing his sweaty chest to her back. His hands are groping her breasts, she’s got a decent grip on his hair, and it’s all so deliciously overwhelming.

“Layna, I’m getting close.” He warns her.

“I’m almost there.” She pants.

His fingers go back to her clit and he starts rubbing at rapid fire. Layna starts moaning loudly and spilling out expletives. Harry places one of his hands behind him for leverage. His own back is arching, he can feel his orgasm at the base of his spine. He can’t hold it.

“Fuck!” He cries out, then bites down hard on Layna’s left shoulder.

That pushes Layna over the edge, and she makes a mess all over Harry’s thighs. He holds her to him as they both try to even their breathing. Layna lifts herself up a little, and Harry makes a panicked noise. She hasn’t heard that noise come from him before.

“I’m just taking the vibrator out, don’t worry.” She slips the toy out of her and tosses it on the bed, then leans back into Harry. She turns slightly to look at him. “Are you alright?” She asks gently.

“Yeah, that was just really amazing.” His arms are tight around her tummy. “I need a minute, sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m comfortable.” She pecks his lips, and that turns into a very searing, deep kiss from Harry.

They stay like that for around ten minutes, and then Harry lifts Layna off of him. She tells him she’s gonna go use the bathroom. He notices that the this condom popped as well. They must be expired. He grabs one of the wrappers and shoves it into one of his sneakers so he’ll know what brand to pick up the next time he’s at the drug store.

When Layna’s done, Harry goes to use her bathroom. As he comes back to her, he smirks. She’s wearing an oversized T-shirt, but that’s it. So he can see everything while she’s changing her sheets. She jumps when she sees him standing in the doorway.

“The sheets were soaked.” She explains.

“I know.” He grabs his boxers and pulls them back on. “Do you always have that much to give when you squirt?”

“Sometimes it’s only a little, and then other times it’s a lot.” She shrugs as she finishes making up the bed. Harry crawls into the side he slept on the last time, and Layna slips in beside him. “Well, goodnight.”

“Night.” He reaches over her to turn her lamp off, then pulls her in close so he can spoon her.

She’s not complaining.

**

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles x y/n #harry styles y/n #harry styles x oc #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #fic #smut #fluff #angst #trainer!harry #himbo!harry

[familysickness]

hii would you have any book recs similar to the carnivorous lamb? just finished it recently and i literally cannot stop thinking about it......

wish i could rec u something that will hit as hard as carnivorous lamb does. but i cant. nothing can compare (in my opinion) but i can rec u some books depending on what u liked best/what u enjoyed in carnivorous lamb:

incest:

gemini by michel tournier - hard to get into but very worth it

house of incest by anais nin - short but so good u'll tear your hair out afterwards

ada or ardor: a family chronicle by vladimir nabokov - cant believe nabokov invented real love w this one

catholicism:

the sparrow by mary doria russell - book of all time & although i obv wouldn't call it a catholic book, i still think someone that liked carnivorous lamb would love this.

concerning the eccentricities of cardinal pirelli by ronald firbank - currently reading this & dont yet fully know what to make of it but its definitely interesting enough to check out.

fascism:

(bit of a disclaimer: none of these are specifically about spanish fascism. sorry. if you're really interested in the franco regime u could read george orwell's "homage to catalonia" but other than that i got nothing for u there)

fear and misery in the third reich by bertholt brecht & the resistable rise of arturo ui (also by brecht) - this is me pushing my brecht agenda (even tho these r plays and not technically books). love brecht's depictions of fascism though, esp in fear and misery

on the frontier: a melodrama in three acts by isherwood & auden - another play

death in venice by thomas mann - alright so this one's a bit tricky. its not technically about fascism (it was written in 1912) but i've seen a number of academic essays that make a case for reading it that way -> the degeneration of europe into fascism. in any case, great book, great prose and although its not actually incestuous, it v obviously plays with the theme of incest

fathers:

incest: from a "journal of love": the unexpurgated diary of anais nin - a classic.

winter of artifice by anais nin - no one got it quite like she did

mathilda by mary shelley - anon, listen to this: "I copied his last letter and read it again and again. Sometimes it made me weep; and at other [times] I repeated with transport those words,—"One day I may claim her at your hands." I was to be his consoler, his companion in after years."

dreams of clytemnestra by dacia maraini - a play again. but trust me on this one, it'll drive u insane.

mothers:

milk fed by melissa broder - actually havent read this one but my (redacted) loves it and it does sound rlly interesting (also i dont know any other books specifically about mothers... sad.)

#(redacted) -> bc im not saying the word situationship in a serious tumblr post lmao #also anon look into the comments. some v good recs there #anon we're suffering from the same carnivorous lamb induced disease. theres a reason y i've read it three times. #i'll come back to this if i find more books #also anon. listen to chapel. married in mount airy. and heart shaped bed by nicole dollanganger. trust me #ask

[bienbala]

HOW WE MADE IT FOR A LIFE TIME

I was heading fast, moving past the aisle, trying to sweep my way from the crowd to reach the entrance of GALLERIA, the opening ceremony was about to begin and I was already late as Geo asked me to be early to handle the guests. Oh, geo is by the way my friend, struggling artist finally going to make her break through,opening her own gallery. Not right to say that though,she gained recognition years back but she always yearned to leave a mark of her talent. Her work was insane, had caught plenty eyes before too, and so was the crowd there. She is gonna smack me in the face. There was Julien Barbieri, her mentor, THE JULIEN BARBIERI, what he wants to be acknowledged as. Oh there's Michelle, of course to promote his upcoming film, I never liked him either as a person, he bought Geo's favorite work forcibly only to get it auctioned. And many more famous people. Finally I reached the entrace. "Georgia, oh dear, so sorry it was urgent", I gave in a tight hug, pulling back I could see her glare. She pulled me to her side handing me the guestlist. "I know, I don't mind it, check this out for me now"

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Julien was bestowed with bouquet and requested to cut the ribbon of the gallery. I was barely looking there, as my mind was puzzled by looking at all the names and the tiny tick-marks near it, the job was already done, Geo, classic Geo, she understands all but can't back off from her tantrums. All cheered and clapped, I came back to my surroundings, and started clapping though my hands were already full, and here all it wents, my handbag slipped off and so did the bouquet and gift i bought for Geo. I bent down to get hold of everything amongst the stampede heading inside, a long arm reached out, clasping the bouquet before it got smushed under someone's feet. God, nobody cared afterall except this gentleman.

I turned around, kneeling, balancing on my heels, about to trip, but soon he grasps my elbow with his other hand. WHY?? I thought to myself after looking at that unrealistically handsome dude, and realising who actually he was, why it had to be a fussy situation on first meet. We both stood up. How tall he was, gosh, and how hopeless were you darling yourself. "Hi, Carlos Sainz, you seemed in a hurry." "Oh...yeah..I...jus-just...", I was trying to dust off the dirt from the hem of my dress, and also terribly looking for an answer, it wasn't that hard but I could just mouth words and there was no voice.

"Here let me hold it for you", he took my bag and and the tidily wrapped gift. I adjusted my dress to fit and took all my stuff back, "I was just, you know not aware of the gathering here, this huge, and was late too, I messed up", I shyly laughed it off. "By the way nice to see you here, thanks for visiting, Geo would love it" Carlos was so calm, it help me hold on my nerves and allow me to be straight forward, nullifying the awkward.

"Ah, it's fine. And you are ?", sticking his hand forward. I shook his hand "I am Geo's friend, and somewhat the organizer here too, an irresponsible one though", he smiled on my sarcasm, oof how good am I with guys you know... Oh no, oh no. Again a miss, I need to be inside checking the arrangements. "I'll see you again, later, I gotta go inside"

"Yeah su-", before he could complete I just passed a smile and ran inside.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

There were a lot of people, a lot of noise, though feeble, I couldn't hear much from every group surrounding Geo's work. But I surely needed a break, looking that everything was going well, a successful evening, I thought of escaping into the balcony. I surely had a heavy day. I rested my arms on the rail, and felt someone just came around. It was Carlos. "Hey..." I tried to give it all to my smile.

"You seem so done, you aren't a party person?", he said teasing me.

I smiled, "Not really, it is just work that exhausted me today, but here it feels okay, seeing Geo happy, it completes the purpose. And I don't like partying" He chuckled listening to you. "What do you do?" "I am a surgeon, and today I had a surgery to perform, I got...late because my patient was almost...." I paused as I just couldn't carry on the conversation. "I am sorry you didn't ask for that much, I just exaggerate sometimes just to be honest". He didn't seem to get bothered that much, "So you had a long day huh? That's impressive"

"Having work load impresses you?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"No, the work load, not that, but you surely, I don't know what happened with your patient, God forbid anything bad would have, but after that you are here attending your relations as well your job, with the best you could, it's impressive" I was mesmerised at his emotional tuning,he knew what the person next would like to hear, "First of, my patient is healthy, I am a reliable doc, and I surley do try my best to be omnipresent"

He nodded and went off, "And the second thing?"

"I, impress you?,how could i come to your liking so fast huh?"I smirked giving him a side glance. He looked down smiling then looked towards me, " Why would I not? You have an attractive persona and you gave me flowers on our first meet"

Flowers? hm? He bent down to pick up the bouquet I bought today from the stand beside him. Really? I was so in hurry I even forgot I left the flowers with him. He raised the bouquet upto his face and peered from behind raising his eyebrows. I COULDN'T HELP LAUGHING, rather, SCREAMING INTERNALLY!! He laughed too. "I am so sorry again, to leave you with this", he gave me the bouquet. I pushed it towards him. "I believe you should have it". He held the flowers scanning them, "Aren't these for Geo?" "Yes but I think, you should have it, it is a token for your kindness today" "Oh, so now you find me kind?", he was looking at me playfully.

"Okay... so now I can't justify more mister, but yes you were kind to me, and these are to remind you to be kind always." OMG, I could see him blush!!! " Okay, then, thank you for the honour", He craddled the flowers in one arm, he was gleaming like a kid. IS MISTER SAINZ INTO DARLING??? I DON'T KNOW. HE INTO ME?! GIRL HOLD YOUR HORSES

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

We both walked inside to find only a few people left here,and then we bumped into Geo. "Hey, you people, so you have met, but as a host let me introduce you again", Carlos and I exchanged glances.

"Here, this is Carlos, Carlos Sainz, the driver" "F1 driver Geo-" "Yup whatever, and my childhood friend" "She would never take me seriously, will you?

" I giggled covering my mouth. "Nope I won't, and this is my dear friend, very close one from the past four years, since she moved here, Y\N, she is a surgeon, so smart and very much single" GEO! this girl never stops, I hit her at the elbow throwing a stare but she didn't bother. "Hi, Y\N", Carlos moved his hand forward, only for me to realize I haven't introduced myself by my name. "Nice to know you" "Same here" giving an awkward smile I shook hands with him.

Amidst all this Geo disappeared, wow. And was so hungry, I decided to leave now. I turned to him," I think I should be leaving now", his face washed off. "Yea- sure, I could drop you if you want to?"

"That really won't be a problem, I am staying at a hotel nearby, I can reach there, thanks though" "Okay then" We both reached the entrance together, I waved at him before we headed to the opposite direction. I felt something weird down my stomach, an anxious feeling as he went out of sight, but I rather kept moving as I couldn't stand there anymore, my hungerpangs were so severe I could really eat a meal for two! That could have been really strange in front of him, for a first time meeting, that's why I didn't dare to ask. I was socially drained and wanted my peace and so I hurried to the nearest restaurant, and after that I reached my room and slumped over the bed. I could only think about what all happened today. His face, him kneeling down to help me, his eyes, his voice, every single thought about him. But the thoughts were so heavy I dozed off.

(please share reviews!)

#carlos sainz #F1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 #carlos sainz imagine #carlos sainz x you

[souryogurt64]

Sorry but who is The Mighty Fall about…

I think The Mighty Fall is about Ashlee, I have accidentally stumbled into a large volume of Insane Wentzlee Marriage Lore during writing my unhinged bandom manifestos

I thought it was initially about Ryan because it says the "12 steps in Malibu" thing and TYV were founded in Topanga which is near Malibu and Ryan did Alcoholic’s Anonymous, however I thoroughly investigated this and became convinced it was 100% about Ashlee. 

“Bel Air” is in LA and “Bel Air baby” basically means rich girl probably, Ashlee moved to LA when she was 15 and was a child star so obviously there’s money happening there.

It was rumored Ashlee was an alcoholic hence the “12 steps in Malibu” thing. Center passages Malibu is a famous luxury rehab center. 

Ashlee was supposedly caught on camera drunk in inappropriate situations, including yelling at someone in a McDonald’s in Canada or something, and supposedly according to gossip outlets (Huffpost, celebitchy, daily star, etc), she and Pete were fighting over this in court because of the custody thing. 

At one point she allegedly started an altercation with Michelle Trachtenberg over Pete and was like drunk and yelling and gave him a lap dance or something, and it got reported by gossip outlets they got in a fight outside of Angels and Kings at some birthday thing or something. 

One article speculating on Ashlee’s excessive drinking was by “MTV News Staff.” Hmmmm. 

ANYWAY, the “gutter” thing I think is interesting because it’s pretty widely speculated their relationship was a little questionable as she gave birth like 7 months after they got married and her dad was a pastor, and had not been exclusive for very long before that— from what I can gather in very blunt, rude, and brief terms, it seems like Pete was a casual fan that got famous and got her pregnant. 

The “coming clean” thing, Pete is notoriously possessive, delusional and paranoid so it doesn’t matter if she cheated or didn’t or whatever, but there were incredibly vague rumors she cheated. And also that he cheated on her. Someone who was NOT “MTV News Staff”, but appears to have written for MTV, appears to have said she cheated at one point but it’s gone now. Which is. Again. Hmmmm. 

It also got reported that she would leave him voicemails or something which ties into the phone call aspect of the song. They also stayed friends which makes sense in the context of that verse. “Don’t call unless you’re dying” seems like an ex-spouse co-parent thing instead of a regular ex. 

The “addict/a dick girl, addicted to you” and “screws missing” line— it was getting reported by gossip outlets that she filed for divorce due to his “erratic behavior” and (less reputably reported) his pill abuse.

Granted all of that is Big Sean’s verse, but whatever haha 

Also they both went from like tabloid darlings to punchlines in a matter of months, hence “The Mighty Fall” haha 

#zeldascott fitzgerald vibes if you ask me

[big-barn-bed]

which Paul basslines make you crazy insane when you listen to them?

Oh my gosh I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner!

There’s so many, but the ones that make me most feral are probably Goodnight Tonight (fucks you like a rotating rabbit vibrator), Michelle (goddamn stupid how talented he is. no one would ever play that as the bassline! and to sing the melody against that as you’re playing it?? way trickier than it sounds), and Nowhere Man (hilarious to think of the song probably maybe being about paul, and there he is literally being as blind as he can be just bopping and jazzing and bouncing and sucking and fucki-)

#ask

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hi! I'm the anon who is broke I figured if you're being so kind as to help me I'd message off anon. £16,000 for 11 hours of work is going to drive me absolutely up the wall really? Seriously? That's insane. Last week someone broke my phone and it cost me about 14 hours of labour (£130) to get emergency repairs done which were necessary (work ID is a QR code lol) and left me unable to afford food!!! It's horrendous thinking about the disparity especially when there's people struggling so much.

Anyway you've very kindly offered some help and thank you so so much for offering to help and bringing this struggle to light. If you wouldn't mind helping spread around my PayPal is https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/quillaux and I've attached the sorry state of my bank account to let you know I'm being genuine. I had to choose paying my rent over eating for the next week- I think that should be considered criminal when people like Michelle Donelan can make more than I do in a year in less than two days.

The real kicker? I work in special needs education, which is currently getting severely defunded. What a comparison.

Anyway thank you so much for offering to help even if this goes nowhere I want people to know this is happening in 2022 and the UK is in no way better off than anywhere else a majority are still picking between housing and meals while the government makes ludicrous amount off people suffering.

Welp, that's horrifying.

Okay! Everyone, I am so very appreciative of all the KoFi tips you're giving me because you're all lovely and wonderful people, but if you're considering donating and haven't yet, please consider donating to this wonderful human being instead, who is working in education when all their elected representatives in the Department of Education are quitting and fucking off. Assuming you can comfortably afford to as well! It's a very shit time, there's no shame if you're facing your own crises rn and can't.

Take care of yourselves lovelies

#asks

[starcastlesinthesky]

Libraries are for EVERYONE

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from librarian Jo Godwin:

"A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”

Insane that someone would just go ahead and keep on with the fake narrative that libraries are only bastions of liberal ideas only. I beg people to come here and look at our library, and the books that we have. There are so many that I roll my eyes at. But hey, that means that those books are not for me.

I had a woman who called the library today when I was working the phones. She was immediately irate about the fact that she had to wait since December to read a book on Libby. She started reading it last month, but only got 43% of the way through it in 21 days. (That's definitely not a fault at all.) She has to turn it in tomorrow because there is someone on hold for it, and she is incensed that she has to wait to finish reading it again.

I explained to her how the holds process worked, especially regarding rechecking a book, and how it has to go to the next person in line. I let her know that she can get back on the hold list again, so that when the next person is done, she can get it back.

This woman, who I've never spoken to before nor did I recognize her name as a regular patron, proceeded to yell at me that "this library has such a liberal bias, because there's only one copy for this book, but 14 copies of Michelle Obama's book!" and "They knew this book was going to be popular, so they should have asked for as many as they got of Michelle Obama's book!"

The book she was reading is The Great Disappearance: 31 Ways to be Rapture Ready by David Jeremiah. She was comparing this book to The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama.

I kind of let her rant for a little bit, but as I tried to suggest things to her, she raised her voice at me, yet again. If you know me, that's one of the worst things you can do. I used to cower, but I've learned how to deal with people like that.

I told her the following when she finally took a breath:

"I am sorry for how frustrating this is for you. I would like to offer you what assistance I can, but I will only do that if you can calm down. If you are still this upset, I will disconnect the call."

I reiterate her about going back on hold for the book, how long at most she can expect to wait for it, then suggested to come to one of our library Board meetings. They are open to the public, and she can sign up to make a public comment to the Board.

The call ended with her crying because she was so frustrated that there "weren't as many religious books as there are liberal books" and "it's such a liberal agenda." I again apologized for her frustration, and directed her to attend a Board meeting, followed up with:

"If you have felt this way for a long time, it's best to actually say something rather than not saying anything at all."

She stated that nothing will change, but that I was right. I told her it helps to have others that feel the same way involved in a Board meeting. That's the best way for them to be heard.

*Now, time for my personal thoughts on the incident*

You cannot seriously tell me that you think that a pastor, who goes by Dr. but has only an honorary doctorate, is going to sell more books than a former First Lady. According to her, we should have as many books by this man as the former First Lady.

Also, if it was that important to her that she read it, why not buy it? Looks like a book that, as a good Christian, you would want to have. Then again, evangelical Christians are something else. A lot that I have met have been lovely, but more than that have been stupendously judgmental and racist. Some of them have learned, and many have not.

But I'll tell you this:

It's so important, as a public library, to have things for EVERYONE. And we really do. But if it's a matter of how many much media we have available for a certain item, that's determined by how much the author is checked out. If not many people are checking out this author's books, it's obvious that we're not going to order as many copies that we did a book by Michelle Obama. I guarantee the numbers are very different. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with subject, and all to do with popularity. If the community isn't interested, we won't have it.

#public libraries #public library #fake book embargo

[scorchieart]

AAAAAAHHHHH I'm so excited! I love the prompts so much!! I hope these aren't taken but can you do Yves & Chevalier/ prompt 1 / angst / 1st pov Yves? A story where Yves has to stand up to Chevalier but he's so scared, but he does it anyway. I'm typing this so fast in case it's gone. Thank you writer!!!💕💕

Characters: Yves Kloss & Chevalier Michel

POV: 1st person (Yves) Genre: Angst

Prompt #1: "What are you waiting for?" "That, I cannot say."

Wordcount: 1047

A/N: This was my reaction when I read the request: 🤩😲😢 Yes, I am aware I went over my own imposed wordcount limit, but shhhhhh....Angst and adventure tied in the poll, so strap your boots for next time!

He will arrive at twilight — the man whose reputation preceded him, yet I only understand fragments. The man who held his quarry captive with silken threads bound by mystique and promises. The man whose name alone evoked despair. Like a pestilence. Like a curse. Like me.

I run my thumbs across the braided handle of the basket in my lap to keep my hands occupied, but my tapping heel ruins all hope of maintaining covertness. The sound ricochets off the crumbling soot-stained walls like crows accosting one another, and though it’s slowly driving me insane, I don’t stop. At the very least, I feel a little less alone.

Aside from my horse, I truly am alone here. I arrived mid-afternoon to scope out the place, though I was ill-prepared for the actual size. The way Clavis described it, the castle ruins were a broken shell of supposed former glory. A motley of derelict pillars and archways encircling rotting rooms picked clean of treasures and life. Yet I could still spot its majestic ramparts on my approach, saluting me as the dying sun pressed me forward.

Clavis said we would meet in the throne room, and even though I could tell where it was the moment I stepped inside, the first room to the right, I saved it for last. I wanted to make sure we would not be interrupted, yes, but more so I was curious to learn of a people who coexisted on a land undivided by borders. My search yielded naught; those bandits left no decrepit corner unsullied.

Sunset blares deceptive crimson through the glassless windows as I wrap my riding cloak more tightly around myself. We are not yet in the thralls of winter. Could I even survive in the land beyond the ruins? I hear my horse whinnying sadly, and I open my basket, produce the sack of sugar cubes, and cross to the exit, still swaddling the cloak around my body. A fresh set of apologies wets my freezing lips as I round the corner to the castle entrance, but both the “sorry”s and my legs stop short when two horses come into view over the threshold. 

I release the cloak and reach for my saber, but I already know it’s too late. The twisted solace I find in the moment is the icy tip on my nape is familiar.

“What are you waiting for?” Chevalier’s voice and his sword release a new chill down my spine that paralyzes me so firmly the sugar sack slips out my grasp. 

“Th-that… I cannot say,” I whisper, my racing heart doing nothing to bring back my senses. I can’t turn to face him, but it doesn’t take a genius to tell he’s not pleased.

“You cannot by choice or coercion?” he growls, pushing the sword harder against my neck, but I know he hasn’t broken skin; I would have felt the warmth of blood.

“Did Clavis tell you?” I ask. Somehow, the thought of Clavis watching, turncoat smirk and all, brings me a sickening sense of comfort. It would mean I’m not alone with Chevalier.

“He didn’t need to,” says Chevalier, maintaining the same pressure on my neck. “You are more aloof than usual, barely speaking at mealtimes and retiring earlier in the evenings. Not a single tea party was held this past week, and you were almost always absent from the kitchens. Sure enough, your horse was missing in the morning.”

I swallow my breath, and it lands in my stomach like a hunk of lead. “You have been watching me?”

“Don’t act so surprised. The movements of every person entering and exiting the palace are under my purview. Especially those who wish not to be seen. Ah —” He lowers his sword, but I am no less tense as he passes me into the throne room. He reappears with the basket, inspecting the contents like he’s just got his hands on a limited edition book series.

“A worthy effort. Though poisons will not suffice on him,” he says, holding a gingersnap biscuit to the horizon.

“They’re not poisoned!” I blurt out, swiping the basket and hugging it to my chest. “You can eat that one to check.”

“Then you do not deny they are meant for someone else?” he says, tossing the cookie at me. I take my time catching and replacing it in the basket to avert my eyes. 

“I will not contradict you, Prince Chevalier,” I say, pretending to rearrange fudge squares, “but this is a matter beyond your purview. Kindly leave.”

“You are aware you speak with the leader of Rhodolite’s foreign affairs faction while standing on the border with our greatest adversary?” His voice is level and without malice, yet my toes still curl reflexively.

“Yes,” I say.

“Then I ask once more, and pray I do not repeat a third time,” he steps directly in front of me. “What are you waiting for?”

I bite my lip to stop my jaw from trembling. My eyes sting with the woes I’ve locked away for decades. The ones Clavis weaseled out of me when he discovered my correspondence last week. The ones I will not compromise even for the Brutal Beast.

I inhale deeply, raise my head, and glare back at Chevalier. “For you to leave… please,” I hastily add on.

He regards me in silence, like a hunter watching a dying animal, contemplating whether it would be kinder to end my misery than watch me suffer.

“He cannot give you what you seek. He was a child himself when she came to Rhodolite,” he says morosely.

I grip the basket so tightly splinters dig into my palms. “Even still, I must know what he can tell me. It is more than you or your books ever could.”

He breaks eye contact first, opening the basket and picking a gingersnap. “I’d like to know, too,” he says, biting down brusquely. He then retrieves the fallen sugar sack and walks off, and I catch my breath as warmth refills my senses.

“What are you waiting for?” he calls to me from the dilapidated doorway. His blade gleams under the rising moon as he produces it once more, and it is only then that I notice the navy tinge of evening has enveloped us all. What he says next makes me immensely relieved I am not alone.

“He is here.”

Mark my words, the day when I properly write Gilbert into a fic is approaching. It's just not today.

Tagging:@atelieredux @queengiuliettafirstlady @violettduchess @venulus @thewitchofbooks @leonscape @rhodolitesrose @venti-tangents @dear-sciaphilia @ikesenwritings @myonlyjknight

If you would like to be added or removed from my tag list, please send me an ask or a message.

#ikemen series #ikemen prince #ikepri #yves kloss #chevalier michel #ikepri yves #ikepri chevalier #scorchie writes #grab-bag prompt list

[ariadynamics]

snippet for daniels tell all book pls!!! genius idea

Sorry this took a while! I mostly had scattered notes and chatfic for this, but I had a chance to sit down and organize my thoughts earlier.

I hope y'all like it!

---

It’s Thursday, and Daniel’s in love.

Daniel knows the inherent insanity of falling in love with your plants, but these are his babies. They’re a product of his hands, of hours under the inescapable heat of the Australian sun, and he loves every petal of his Canberra bells. Loves all of his babies, even the variety of tomato he planted late last season that still refuses to bear fruit.

His family hadn't been extremely religious, but he remembers a verse from the Vacation Bible School he’d been forced to attend when he was younger.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It keeps no record of wrongs.

Daniel’s patient and kind to the plants in his garden, and in return, they keep no record of his wrongs. Sometimes it takes a while for one of them to bloom, like his tomato plant; with patience, they eventually take root and grow.

They just need some extra love, that’s all.

So Daniel gives it to them.

He’s busy weeding his vegetable patch when his nephew barges out to the backyard from the kitchen.

“Uh, Uncle Danny? There’s someone here to see you,” Issac says tentatively.

It pings alarm bells in Daniel’s head. Teenagers are never tentative. “Everything okay? Did they say who they were?”

Issac shakes his head. “He just said he wanted to see you. And he wasn’t leaving.” He makes a face, reminding Daniel of the time Michelle first let him try a lemon. God, Daniel feels so fucking old.

Daniel hums, wiping the dirt off his hands on his apron. “I’ll be back, fellas, don’t go anywhere.” 

“You are so weird, Uncle Danny,” Issac says. 

He ruffles Issac’s hair. “Yeah, but I’m the weird uncle who’s taking you on a trip to Rotorua, sooo.” Daniel kisses his cheek and laughs when Issac makes an offended noise. “Thanks for getting me. Can you water the roses?”

Issac nods, and Daniel smiles his thanks.

He slips off his shoes when he walks back into the kitchen and hooks his apron on the wall. His schedule isn’t as jam-packed these days, but he still keeps an updated calendar on his fridge. There isn’t anything scheduled for today, so Daniel’s at a loss at who his visitor could be.

He grabs an apple from the counter and takes a bite as he opens his front door.

“Daniel.”

He stills, but his heart feels like he’s just finished a race. “Max?” 

Max is standing there, his eyes wild and red, like he hasn’t slept in days. There’s a backpack slung over his shoulders and a thick pile of A4 paper in his hands. Daniel catches the text on the first page.

DNF: In Daniel’s Words

By Daniel Ricciardo

He doesn’t see it coming when Max slams the stack of papers on his chest. 

“You fucking asshole. You told me before you couldn’t love me. That you didn’t love me,” Max says, his voice trembling. “What the fuck is this, Daniel?”

#maxiel #my fic #wip: daniel tell-all #wip snippets #asks #anon

[lilyrizzy]

i’ve finally finished the wip i’ve had since january :) to celebrate here is a snippet 

warnings: mentions of minor character death 

“I need to tell Zak,” Daniel says, later, after they’ve sat in more silence for what feels like hours, but Daniel knows can only be a few minutes. He wants to live in this moment forever until it will feel like it was for something.  

“Do you- do you want me to call him?” Max offers, tentative.  

Daniel’s fingers flex on impulse, he has to force himself to unclench them from around Max’s arms, has to force himself not to snap again, to take a deep breath. He thought- He thought holding Max was proving to Max, to himself that he can do this, can cope with this. This is his practice, his chance to make sure he can step up for Michelle, for his mum, when he gets to Australia. It’s what his dad would want from him.  

He pushes down the part of him that wants to snap that he’s not a child.  

“Nah,” he gets out after he’s unclenched his jaw. He forces his voice to stay even as he shakes his head, “I should do it. Besides, weren’t you going to sort our ride.” It’s a weak attempt at teasing, but Max smiles at him. He slides off Daniel’s lap, going to find his phone, Daniel presumes. Before he leaves, he presses a kiss against Daniel’s curls and Daniel forces himself not to flinch.  

Alone again, Daniel looks out at the blue-green waves lapping against the superyachts below, listens to the distant and gentle thrum of music already coming from them even though it’s barely 8 am. Come evening, they’ll be in full party mode, thumping bass and out at sea somewhere.

He never took his mum and dad on a superyacht. He’d had the opportunity to, in 2018 after his win here, but they’d insisted that he go on partying without them. His dad had always thought they were gaudy, a stupid way to show off how much money you have. What’s wrong with just a yacht, Daniel? He’d always ask in the early days, teasing, when Daniel first started in F1 and would phone them every week with new stories. One day you will grow up. He knows his dad had never meant it unkindly, but it stung then and it stings now, to think about. His dad is never going to see him become the man he wanted Daniel to be.    

He’d always thought he’d get them on one if they ever watched him win the WDC. 

Now his dad would never get to see that either.  

Squinting against the sun begins to hurt his eyes. It’s the first physical feeling he can place since Michelle called. Pain. If this was real, wouldn’t he feel something else? Wouldn’t there be some scar on his body he could point to and say, I got this the day my dad died.  

His fingers reach for the back of this thigh, to stroke across the handle of the dagger there, the word “Papa.”

He picks up his phone, and he means to find Zak’s contact, he does-

“Hello, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.”

“Hi,” Daniel begins, but his voice cracks so he has to clear his throat, “sorry- erm. I was wondering if you could help me. I’m- I’m looking for my dad, I think he might be a patient? He- he had-“

“Name, please, ”this polite but clipped voice interrupts. She sounds like home.

“Giuseppe Ricciardo,” then after a moment of listening to her clicking keyboard, “He might be under Joe?”

She hums. “I don’t see anyone by that name, sir. What did you say he came in for?”

Daniel feels a lightness rising in him, so fast it’s dizzying. “Heart- Heart attack.”  

She hums again. “Nope. No record. You should try Royal Perth Hospital if you’re not sure where he might be.”

He says goodbye, relief flooding through him. Maybe- Maybe  Michelle got it wrong. Maybe she’s confused- Maybe she’s going insane, and this is all part of some weird mental breakdown she’s having because she’s stressed, maybe-

“Hello, Royal Perth Hospital.”

This time it’s a man on the other line, who still sounds like home. Daniel’s palms are sweating, making it hard to keep his grip on his phone, as he has almost an identical conversation.

Almost identical.

“Yes,” the man begins, “I can see we have him in our-“ he breaks off abruptly. “Did you say you’re his son?”  

Daniel swallows. His hands are shaking. “Yes, I-“ I’m Daniel Ricciardo he wants to say, like a fucking idiot. Like that means anything right now, as if this man might be a fan and tell him what he wants to hear instead of the truth because of it.

“Let me put you through to the Doctor,” and Daniel hates the sudden softness in his tone.

“Wait,” Daniel protests, “Is he, is he dead?” The words sound crude like he’s just sworn at him.

“I can’t give that information over the phone,” the man is saying, so calmly it’s eerie, “I’m just the receptionist, mate.” If Daniel’s dad was alive, he’d just say no.  

“Are you- Are  you sure?”

“Yes I’m really sorry, I’m not allowed.” But that’s not what Daniel was asking. “Let me put you through to the doctor, yeah?”

Daniel hangs up the phone.

The lightness from moments ago sits like a lead stone in his stomach, an embarrassing reminder of what a fucking fool he is. His irrational hope for better things, the belief that he was special, it’s always threatened to bleed him dry. As an empty shell, he’ll be no good to anyone. He needs to be better.

He puts his hand in his hair, wraps a curl around his finger and pulls, hard, for as long as he can stand.

Then he opens his phone again and calls Zak.  

#look man idk #this fic is for me and maybe the three other people that like angst (with a happy ending) #also the finished product is currently 41k and will be posted god knows when #thank you to the light of my life for betaing this for me #yes the fic is daniels dad dying and him going back to perth with max #fic #max/daniel

[whatisreggieshortfor]

After Vaanu

Five years after you left with Vaanu, they’re ready for you to come home.

Jake x M!MC

Their faces flashed in front of your eyes. Diego’s bright eyes as he talked about some movie you had never seen, Grace’s cautious smile as she talked about something she was afraid no one would find as interesting as she did, Michelle’s concentration as she worked to help dress wounds on the others, Quinn’s unwavering optimism even as her body fought against her, Jake’s lazy grin as he asked you to marry him- even though no one imagined they’d actually get out alive.

Five years, my child. You are living in your memories again?

“Huh- Oh, uh, I’m sorry, Vaanu. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate that you allowed me to continue living with you, rather than absorbing my energy back into yourself. But I-“ You shook your head.

You miss your friends. You miss your love. I understand. I could not fix the world if I left you behind. My essence needed to be cleared for the world to be repaired.

“It’s okay, Vaanu. They got their families back. They got their futures back. And I- well, I still carry them with me.” Your mind once again filled with memories of laughter, and love. Fear and bravery.

Vaanu looked over at its missing piece, watched the love and grief that filled your eyes, and wished it could be honest about what it knew. But then the surprise would be ruined.

“To five years, everyone.” Diego raised a toast as the rest group raised their drinks in return. The nine other former Hartfeld students, the pilot, and the former Vaanti ely’shar sat on a beach together, reminiscing, “And to Y/N.”

Jake’s eyes were misty, the ghost of a smile on his face, “Do you think Boy Scout’s happy?”

Quinine gave him a gentle smile, “I want to say yes. He made the decision he did to give us a chance to see our families again. And think about what we’ve managed to do since then? Grace and Aleister got married and had a baby. Zahra and Craig, Sean and Michelle, Diego and Varyyn. I think he’d be happy to see us now. And he loved you so much-“

“Loves, Quinn.” Grace interrupted quietly, “Don’t forget that Y/N didn’t die that day. He just left with Vaanu.”

“Right.” The redhead gave a firm nod, “He loves you. You finally got to make your case and earned your freedom to be able to see your family again. I’m sure he’d be overjoyed to know that you finally got to make Rebecca proud.”

“If only he could know, Ariel.” Jake sighed.

“There is a way for him to.” Aleister interjected, gently, as if trying to gauge response.

“What are you talking about, Malfoy? My husband’s lost somewhere in space. We got no idea where. So unless-“ Jake narrowed his eyes at the poorly hidden excitement in Grace’s face, “Unless you two have something to share with the rest of the class…”

“Oh, Aleister, I can’t wait any longer. Can we please tell them?”

The taller man sighed happily as he gazed at his wife, “I suppose we have to know. Zahra, if you would please join us over here while we explain.” He paused as the three of them stood in front of the rest of the group, “Over the course of the last five years, Zahra, Grace, and myself have been at work. As my father was deemed insane by his spouting of Crystal people, I was able to use my access to his DNA profile to assist Zahra in hacking into his systems. I’ve inherited Rourke International. With my financing, Zahra’s technical skills, and Grace’s gift for science and mathematics, well…”

“Last week, we were able to finally track down the end of the trail of Vaanu’s energy!” Grace excitedly interrupted, “Zahra and Aleister have been at work for years developing a ship that will take the willing parties into space. We can get Y/N back!”

Jake’s face was slack, disbelief clear as his eyes welled with tears, “If you’re pulling my leg, Brain Trust, I swear-“ His voice cut out, a choked sound leaving him as Michelle and Sean reached over, each gripping one of his shoulders.

“I assure you, we are quite serious.” Aleister answered, a small smile on his own face, “I will not be taking the mission, as I promised Reginald all the love and care my father would never give. Grace and I agreed that one of us should stay behind with our son.”

“But I rigged up Iris’s old hologram program, made a few adjustments to it, and a piece of Grace will stay behind with him. The hologram will also serve as our communication system, and I’ve updated her to understand your pop culture nicknames. The real Grace will be riding as my copilot, so to speak.” Zahra smirked. “But we aren’t sure how long this will take, so if any of you don’t want to go, or if you can’t get away from responsibilities-“

“Ah, Skrillex, you already know my ass’ll be on that ship. Even if Vaanu absorbed Y/N back into itself, maybe it’d let me see ‘im again one last time.” Jake couldn’t help the hopeful smile on his face, “The rest of these guys might have things they need ta do, but me- I just gotta let my sister know I’ll be back this time.”

“You’ll need a doctor for this trip, no doubt. Space does funny things to the human body.” Michelle grinned, “I guess I can tag along.”

Estela shrugged, “I just took down a dictatorship, I need to get away for a while anyway.” The others blinked at her, unsure if she was serious, before deciding it best not to question it. “Besides, Vaanu may not be the only alien form out there, and most of you are probably still useless in a fight.”

Diego snorted, “I’m coming! That’s my best friend!”

“You’ll need someone to cook food every day! So I’m in! Resident chef back in the hoooouse!” Ran cheered.

“I think all of us are.” Craig and Sean grinned.

Aleister nodded, “For all of you that will need to step away from work, my assistant is already preparing documents to show you taking part in an outreach through my company. There will be virtually no existence of this trip.”

Jake just gave him a watery grin, “When do we leave, Aleister?”

Within two days time, the eleven of them were onboard a shuttle that seemed impossibly large. Grace defended that by saying that Aleister insisted each couple have separate rooms, in case they were on different watch shifts, to ensure one didn’t interrupt the others sleep.

“Okay, everybody!” Grace spoke enthusiastically, “For the beginning of the trip, we’ll just take turns running the show, but after a couple of weeks, we’ll be taking turns in the hyperstasis tubes that Rourke designed to save oxygen and food- but don’t worry! Zahra and I changed them so there won’t be any medical issues upon awaking, and the two of us will be alternating our shifts so that one of us will be able to operate them safely!”

It wasn’t long before they were breaking atmosphere, most of them marveling at the stars, except for one.

Jake sat almost completely still, nearly looking like a statue as he sat in the seat Grace had guided him to. The others shared worried looks, wondering if he was okay, before Quinn finally decided to voice their concern, “Hey, Jake…” she waited, but it was as if he didn’t hear her, “…Jake?”

Sean looked a little concerned, but Diego’s eyes lit up with an idea, before anyone could question it, he called out, “Yo, Top Gun!”

Jake’s head snapped over immediately, retort ready, the old nickname sticking in his instincts to respond before he realized who it was, “What’s up, Pop Culture Petey?”

“Quinn called your name a couple times, dude. Wanna tell us what’s on your mind?”

Jake looked almost pained, like he was still wrestling with the idea to open up to them again, but the words seemed to dislodge from his throat as he realized how much he trusted them, “…what if- what if he doesn’t remember us? Remember me? What if he- what if he doesn’t feel the same anymore?”

Various ranges of shock filled their faces, before a snort rang out and everyone turned to see Zahra trying to hold in her laughter. Craig was the first to follow suit, until eventually everyone was laughing as Jake scowled at them. Quinn took his hand, giving him a bright smile, “The chances of Y/N not still loving you, are about as good as the chances that I had a healthy childhood.” Jake’s scowl vanished at the mention of her Rotterdam’s, but Quinn continued, “From the moment he entered that cockpit to check how much longer the flight would be, we could all see it. The way you both looked at each other. And I know you know that. You two are meant to be.”

“Heh.” The pilot cracked a small grin at her, shaking his head, “I said that to ‘im once. After me and Katniss over there found ‘im, when we got separated after the whole MASADA b.s.” His eyes took on a nostalgic appearance, “We were sittin’ in a time rift of a place that looked like home. You’re right, Ariel. Guess I’m jus’ nervous.”

“And that’s okay!” Quinn beamed, “We’re all right there with you!”

When the hologram announced what would have been night time for them on Earth, Diego wandered over to Jake as they joined Varyyn, Zahra, and Craig for the first watch. “Jake…I’ve got a question for you. And I don’t want you to feel like you need to be defensive or- I mean he’s been gone five years and-“

“You wanna know if I saw anyone else while Y/N was gone. That right?”

Diego gulped back a small number of nerves at the look in the pilot’s eye, “….yes.”

Jake sighed, “I ain’t been with nobody since he left. My sister set me up on a date. Once. About two years back. But I made ‘im uncomfortable. He could tell I was comparin’ ‘im to my husband. He left within the first ten minutes. She ain’t tried since. I’ll be honest with Y/N about it.”

Diego nodded seriously, “I don’t mean to make it seem like-“

Jake shook his head, “Naw, I get it, Petey. He’s your best friend, you’re just looking out. Just…let me wait for a day before I tell him. Just enjoy seeing him first.”

Diego shook his head, “As far as I’m concerned, that wasn’t anything. But I trust you to know what’s best for the two of you. Even if you had- ya know, I think he would have understood. He’s been away…gone, for five years. I don’t think he expected you to go through life alone when he left.”

“I ain’t been alone.” Jake shook his head, smirking, “I’ve had the Odd Squad backing me up.” Your best friend laughed, knocking his shoulder against the pilot’s.

They were getting closer, following the trail Grace had mapped out. It was close to three months, floating around in space and taking turns in hyperstasis. Michelle insisted on staying out of the tube, just in case anyone had any medical issues that would need tending to, and no one was dumb enough to fight her about it. Sean was on watch when a beeping on the control panel snagged his attention, “Hey! Grace, what’s this indicator?”

Grace hurried over, looking over the instruments before beaming back at him, “That means it’s time to wake everyone up.”

You were lost in your memories again when you heard it. The voices, talking to each other as they seemed to be searching for something. Climbing onto a crystal formation, you followed the sound until you saw them. “Vaanu! You promised you’d stop with the mirages!”

It is not me, my child.

“If it’s not you then what else-“ the words lodged solidly in your throat as you stared back at Vaanu.

They have traveled a great distance for you. Are you not going to greet them?

You vaulted off the crystals without another word, racing across the planet’s surface, until you collided with the first body you could reach, “If this is a dream, I never wanna wake up again.” You muttered desperately into their chest.

The laugh that rumbled through felt like your memories, as did the arms that wrapped around you, “Come on, Y/N! We came all this way, let us see your face!”

You pulled back to look your best friend in the eyes, grinning at him with a watery smile, “You’re- you’re real this time.”

“Aw, you’ve been dreaming about us again?” You turned to see Sean, and sped over to wrap him a hug as well, when he pulled back he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, “Come on, now, the others are over this way. We split up to search.”

You couldn’t focus on how long the walk was as you followed the two of them, but you heard Craig clear as day, “Chyeah, boiiiii! Y/N!” He rushed over to you this time, lifting you off the ground, while Zahra offered you a lazy fist bump. Though even she couldn’t hide her grin.

Estela and Quinn were next, and you lifted Quinn onto your back to keep moving when it became clear she wasn’t going to let go on her own. Grace wrapped both of you in a hug when you found her and Varyyn.

“I can’t believe you guys came all this way…” You sniffled, happy but tearful to be reunited with so many of your friends.

And then you heard him.

“Believe it, Boy Scout. I told ya I’d cross every mile of space to get ya back.” You barely registered Sean lifting Quinn off your back as you blinked, trying to clear away the daydream.

“Top Gun…” Your voice was choked, and your feet moved before you could tell them to, carrying you into his waiting arms. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I didn’t want to leave you- but it was the only way and-“

“Shhh, baby, I got you.” Jake pulled back long enough to wipe your flowing tears with his thumbs, even as his own streamed down his face, “I get it. Yeah, it sucked. But at least I wasn’t alone. Thanks to you, we all found a family to hold onto. People we could remember ya with. I would’ve given anythin’ to have ya with me, but thanks to the Brain Trust and Skrillex over there, I get to have ya back in my arms where ya belong.” You sniffled, at a loss for words, and just wrapped yourself firmly around him. Belatedly, you noticed Michelle watching the scene with her own teary smile, and you reached out to clasp her hand in your own, hoping she understood how much you loved her as well without letting go of your long lost husband. To your mild surprise, she threw her arms around the two of you, and you felt the others join, until you were in the center of a group hug of your favorite people. Pulling away, you dabbed at your eyes, keeping a firm hold on Jake’s hand, “I missed you guys more than you could possibly imagine. Vaanu tried to help- it used to make visions of you, but I couldn’t hold them.”

Vaanu floated over, I apologize. I thought it warranted the surprise this time.

“Whoa! Poltergeist can talk!”

You snapped your head over to Jake, “You guys can understand it?”

Unlike on Earth, here in my home planet I can project my words directly to each of you.

“Speaking of your home planet, how is it that we can all breath here and stuff?” You had never really pondered Craig’s question before, assuming that you could because Vaanu could.

Y/N has a body developed for Earth’s conditions. To sustain his form I had to alter the conditions here to match.

“Vaanu…” You hesitated in asking your question, unsure how much the answer would hurt, “How long can they stay here?”

You watched as the ghostly shape cocked its head, They can survive here as long as they like, did you not want to return with them?

“I-I can go back?”

It nodded, and you could almost feel it’s happiness, I could not take you back, without risking leaving an imprint of my energy again. But they have found you. They can take you back.

You looked into each of their faces, tears still streaming down your cheeks. Jake gave you a smile, “What d’ya say, Boy Scout? Ya ready to go home?”

“Home…” you mumbled the word to yourself, “I don’t think I have one.”

Diego shook his head, “Course you do. You’ve had one this whole time, it’s been waiting for you.”

Your brow furrowed as you looked at him, and he just sent a pointed look at Jake. You smirked, “That sounds pretty good actually.”

Jake hadn’t let go of your hand the entire trip back to the ship, until he handed you a bag. You looked at him curiously, noting the way his cheeks flushed and he wouldn’t look at you, “It’s- it’s your clothes and shit from the island. Kept it in case.” He shrugged, but you surged forward and pulled him into your arms. He inhaled shakily, tightening his hold for a few seconds before he pulled away and cleared his throat, “Julio Child is toiling away in the kitchen. Hurry up so we can get down there.” You snorted to yourself, turning around and pulling some clothes from the bag, not particularly caring which outfit you chose, before starting to pull the old clothes off. You heard his sharp intake of breath as you pulled on new pants and tried to find the front of your new shirt, and attempted to suppress the smile you felt twitching onto your face as he fingertips brushed with a featherlight touch over your back. “This is…this is new.”

“Vaanu did it. So I could carry everyone with me. Everyone that had my back is immortalized on it.” Neither of you spoke above a whisper as he marveled at your tattoos.

“There’s Petey’s dog…Katniss’s dragon…Cap’s Eagle…Ariel’s mermaid…Malfoy’s snake…” you followed the pattern in your head as he whispered each one, and you could almost feel the frown in his voice when he reach the end. “You- There’s no wolf?”

You felt your lips curl into a smile as you mused out loud, “That pesky lone wolf. Where did he run off to?” You turned to your husband, face twisted in faux concentration, finger tapping your chin. You recognized the moment he saw it, his eyes alighting on the wolf design emblazoned on your chest, as his fingers slowly reached out to trace it.

Jake groaned, low in his chest, as he buried his face in your neck, “Ya makin’ me not even want to join the others.”

You chuckled to yourself as you brushed your fingers through his hair, “Just for a little while, please? I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

He heaved a sigh, “The things I endure for ya. Fine. But no shirt. Let them see your pretty new ink.”

You laughed loudly as he pulled on your hand, dragging you out into the hall and toward the dining area.

You felt light for the first time in five years. Back with the people that brought you to life, and gave you the love that made it worth living.

Masterlist

#endless summer #choices #choices fanfic #choices endless summer #choices es #jake mckenzie #Jake McKenzie x mc

[zwedexx]

Hiii! Omg i gotta Ask . Is mtl truly that bad? Like I’ve heard there’s some fun things to do but your recent post got me thinking hehe. Sorry if I’m intruding

As someone who has lived there my whole life I don't realise how fucking insane it is until I go on vacation.

Here is a short list of weird, fucked up and only in mtl can you find these things:

Language wars. Ya. We get ultra heated about this shit. The PM of Quebec can literally pass one of the most racist laws of all time and get less backlash than if he 'favoritizes' one language over the other

English speakers are slowly loosing rights (mostly education rights) because French Canadians are still paranoid 400 years later that they will go extinct.

Our metro is literally a flaming piece of garbage fire

Our Olympic stadium took 30 years after its creation to finish paying off, (by our taxes)

We have a whole other tax on top of the Canadian tax

Our drivers are so bat shit crazy that driving anywhere else seems like wonderland

We hate everyone who is not us

It is so easy to get vapes, cannabis, alcohol, drugs without IDs. I can tell you right now that if you go to the dep (corner store) right outside of the Lionel-Groulx metro, the store owner used to sell all that shit (not the drugs) to any kid who came in without id.

We are so afraid of being assimilated that we hold onto our cultures like our bloodlines depended on it. Montreal Italians are still making wine, cheese, sausage, prosciutto, salami, and tomato sauce in their garages.

You may not be pick pocketed but you will be chased by homeless people (85% of the time on drugs) for your money. Small piece of advise, there is a pimp on Green Ave who harasses school age girls for money. There is a homeless lady at Atwater metro who will chase you. There is a guy who takes the Green line everyday with his rats. Charlevoix station is so badly lit that it looks like its part of a horror movie and if you were to get attacked the camera's wouldn't be able to see it.

Our gay village has like -1 gay people living there anymore because homeless people with drug addictions flock there because there is a building that provides drugs with proper equipement. Also murder in the gay village is so common its not funny. I was trying to do a project on the first movie theater in Canada who's building is in the gay village (now transformed into an A&W) and there was an active murder investigation going on when I arrived.

We purposefully create our own ghettos. Italians used to have St-Leo (which is where I'm from) and Little Italy and now have RDP, Lasalle and Laval. St-Leo is now considered little Algeria. St-Michele is for the ultra poor italians and the greeks. The Rich English live in Westmount. The slightly less rich english live in TMR. Trashy white people that aren't ethnic enough to live anywhere else live in DDO and Pierrefond. Ritzy French and some students live in Le Plateau. Jewish people live in Mile-End.

Sorry this is quite a bit but I have more if you're interested.

#canada #mtl #montreal