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youresodarkbabe · 9 days

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i'm listening, ready to learn (prof!a. turner x reader)

smut.

warnings: prof!al x reader (yes this is influenced by the recents), age gap, piv, dom-ish al, oral (f!receiving)

word count: 2.6k

took me a while but im back!! hi :)

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"it's definitely not the worst i've seen."

those four words were like a knife to the heart. you put everything you had into those pictures, worked on them for weeks, refining, editing, reshoots, and that still didn't please him. you gave him everything you had to offer, and it still wasn't enough. you could cry on the spot, but his voice pulled you out of your mind's abyss.

"do you want a second chance? i mean, i think you could do much better than this, not to be too harsh."

you had to stop yourself from showing your sheer happiness, you couldn't believe this. you try your hardest to compose yourself before speaking.

"yes, please," you mutter quietly, your voice coming out almost like a squeak. he found it endearing.

he sets your portfolio on his desk and stands up, sliding it over to you with a smile before taking a sip of his coffee.

"tell me if this crosses a line, but would you like to do the shoots at my studio? i have everything you need and more there, i think it'd be very useful."

reality hits you hard. you and your professor at his studio, all alone. if you weren't already trying to conceal your emotions, you were definitely doing it now. ignoring the heat pooling between your legs, you nod, not trusting yourself to speak, afraid of what would come out of your mouth.

"alright," alex grabs a pen from his shirt pocket and jots down his phone number and studio's address on a post it note and sticks it on the top of your portfolio, "how's this friday? is 7 good for you?"

you nod again, eyes fixed on his. "'s perfect, sir."

the sun was shining perfectly, his eyes illuminating like gold. he was so, so beautiful and it took everything you had to break that eye contact and walk out of the class.

come friday, and you're already panicking. you can't find any of the things you need, your reference pictures are shit in hindsight and your roommate had accidentally broken the lens you needed for your camera. regardless, you show up to the studio twenty minutes too early with all you could carry, hoping he wouldn't hate you for your lack of equipment.

he opens the door in a red shirt, a few buttons undone. you couldn't help but picture what he'd look like with the shirt off.

"you're early, doll," he lets you into the studio and shows you where to keep your stuff. "i would've rushed a bit more when cleaning if i knew you'd be so early."

your cheeks heat up as you take in his words.

"i can always come back later?" you say, almost immediately packing your stuff back up, only for alex to stop you with a hand holding your wrist firmly in place.

"it's fine, promise. just a tad unexpected."

he gives you that classic smile and all the worry in your heart seems to melt away. he asks if you'd like some space to set up, and as much as you want to spend time with him, you know it'd be best if you focused, so you say yes. alex darts off to the other side of the room where you see him fiddling with the portfolio from your previous meeting. you tear away your focus from him and set up your camera and all you'd need for the shoot.

he shuts it abruptly, the sound making you jump, his voice instantly soothing your mind.

"did you bring any references?"

shit, you think to yourself. you hated the references you originally had, you left them at home. you had absolutely nothing.

alex tuts, setting the portfolio back down and walking to you, tapping your chin so you'd look up at him, which you do.

"i can see you gettin' in your head. you don't have to worry, we can figure this out, okay?"

"okay."

you and alex stand there for a moment, faces so close, almost close enough for you to close the gap— to kiss him, but you choose against it. alex again seems to be the one to snap out of the haze first, taking a few steps away, clearing his throat. "i, uh, have some pictures you could use as a reference."

right. the photoshoot. that's why you're here.

"you wanna go get 'em for me?" alex asks as he sits down on the chair in front of your camera. you say yes, waiting on him to tell you where to go.

"just that shelf there, the gray one."

you hold the hefty photo album in your hand and hand it to him, standing behind him, leaning in to look at the pictures.

calling them gorgeous would be an understatement. you had been passionate for photography for as long as you could remember and you had never seen pictures that had captured the human essence that beautifully.

alex points at a specific picture and looks up at you, beaming.

the photograph looked simple enough, but there was something to it, something that made it transcend normalcy, the model looked ethereal. it was in black and white, and the standout feature was the bright red lipstick mark on the model's neck, you could immediately picture alex like that, he'd look so perfect.

you try ignoring how wet just the thought of him like that makes you and as if on cue, he says your name, you look away from the picture and back at him.

"i can see the ideas in your eyes, i think we'd best get started, hm?"

you let out a shaky breath and are about to go to your camera, before you pause and turn to him.

"am i.. do i have to take the pictures of you?"

and for the first time, you see a blush grace your professor's perfect face.

"that was the plan, yeah. we can always find a different picture to replicate if you want, it's fine, i don't mind—"

"no! i mean, it's fine. i'm alright with taking the pictures of you, sir."

alex runs a hand through his hair and licks his lips, "alright, okay,". he smiles at you again, making your heart melt and you feel yourself getting soaked. "think i should change this shirt, though. what do you think, sweetheart?"

based on the look on his face, you can tell he didn't mean to let the nickname slip. you'd be lying if you said you didn't love the way how naturally it rolled off his tongue, though. his accent made the word go straight to your core.

"you can change if you'd like."

he mumbles a quiet 'yeah', and goes off into the corner of the room, unbuttoning his shirt as he walks, unaware of how your eyes are fixed onto him. he slips the shirt off and turns to you, holding two shirts in either of his hands.

"black or white?"

you eye him up and down, replying despite being completely distracted.

"white."

he puts the shirt on as he walks back to the seat, you avoid eye contact because who knows what he'd say if you kept staring.

he sits down and you look back down at the reference picture, one question filling your mind.

"sir?"

he hums in response, fixing the camera slightly.

"the lipstick mark. do i have to—"

"if you want. it's not needed, you don't have to."

the second you hear alex say you can kiss him, you grab your red lipstick and apply it, not noticing how enamored alex is. he watches on as you swipe the lipstick along your bottom lip, wanting nothing more than to feel them against his, but at the same time, terrified that you don't see him the same way.

you stand in between alex's legs, one of his hands on your waist as you lean in and press your lips to the side of his neck, under his jaw. you hear his breath hitch as you pull away, the grip on your waist getting firmer.

"it doesn't look good, can i redo it?" you ask, just so you could kiss him again. alex nods and hands you his old shirt to wipe the lipstick off with. you kiss his neck again, this time with your lips parted, your teeth lightly grazing his pulse point.

alex's eyes fall shut and his mouth hangs open, a quiet groan gracing your ears. with his eyes still shut, he moves his other hand to your waist, pulling you closer to him. "that one good enough for you?", he asks, his hands moving to your back, wrapping around you.

"no, i think i need to kiss you again." you mutter, dipping your head even closer to his. alex doesn't hold back, this time. he leans in and kisses you, standing up and pulling away to kiss your cheek, laughing at the slight red tint he leaves.

"'m i right in assumin' my lips are red too, now?"

you nod as you tangle your hands in his hair, kissing him again, deeply, tongue and teeth clashing with no regard for anything but each other.

alex's hands slip down to your thighs, tapping on them and instinctively you jump into his grasp, letting him carry you with his hands planted firmly under your ass. he pulls away again, dipping his head to your neck, sucking, biting, licking— anything that makes you feel good. you feel how hard he is through your jeans, and you grind against him, making him moan along your collarbone.

"d'you wanna go to my room, baby?", he asks in between kisses. your mind is too overwhelmed with him to respond, so you just tug on his hair, hoping he'd take the message, which he does.

you can barely focus on where he's taking you, working on unbuttoning his shirt, not realising what alex takes with him into his room.

he lays you down on his bed, it dipping when he settles on his knees by your side, letting you unbutton his shirt. he shrugs it off, smiling at how you look at him, completely obsessed with you. he slides his hands under your shirt, waiting for you to let him know it was okay to take it off, which you do with a moan. you're grinding against his thigh now, letting him take your shirt off. while he's there, he also takes your bra off, swearing under his breath at the sight of your tits. he cups them, twisting your nipples between his fingers, watching as they harden, taking one into his mouth.

he sucks on it before pulling off with a pop, kissing all over your chest until he reaches the waistband of your jeans. he undoes the button and pulls them off slowly, along with your soaking wet panties, both joining the growing pile of clothes on his floor.

alex runs a finger through your folds and pops it into his mouth, humming as he tastes you.

your hips roll into his as you whine, "sir, i need you, please," you begged, and alex simply couldn't say no to you.

alex strips down fully in front of you, and just the sight of his cock makes you squirm. he was bigger than you'd imagined him being. trying to convince yourself that you could take him, you watch as he slides back in between your legs and places his arms on either side of your head. you can't help yourself from reaching out for his cock, stroking it and playing with the tip. his arms almost give in as he groans straight into your ear.

he moves one of his hands to pry yours away from his cock, "if you pull somethin' like that again, i'll make sure to leave you here, just like this. got it?"

the harshness in his voice makes you clench around nothing, you nod rapidly, biting your lip to keep quiet.

"good girl," alex mutters as he aligns himself with your aching hole, pushing in as slowly as possible, both of you moaning as he bottoms out. his hand goes to your clit, rubbing it in figure eights as slowly as possible as he pulls out almost completely, only to slam back in.

your hands go to his back, nails digging into his skin as he thrusts. he had a plan— he was going to take it slow, be as gentle as possible— but it all went to shit the second he saw the way your tits moved with every thrust.

he speeds up, going faster with every thrust, eyes flitting between your face and your tits. his fingers work your clit like magic and your back arches into him, tits pressing against his chest as he hits the perfect spot. you moan his name loudly, biting into his shoulder to muffle your noise. he strokes your hair softly, slowing down just a bit to kiss your cheek.

"feel good, princess?" he asks, his voice sweeter than sugar.

"so, so, so good, fuck—" you feel yourself getting closer and closer and alex can feel it too. you clench around him before you see white, the pleasure of it all taking over as you cum hard. alex fucks you through it, getting closer and closer to his peak.

just as he's about to cum, he pulls out, slightly too late. his cum spurts all over your thighs, stomach and cunt, but you're too fucked out to care.

"that was so good, love, you did so, so well for me."

he kisses your collarbone again, moving lower and lower, eventually settling with his face in between your thighs. he pushes the cum off of your stomach and thighs and into your cunt with his fingers, twisting them inside you. surprised, you tug on his hair, pulling him to look at you.

"i got you, good girl, don't worry, okay?"

you nod as alex pulls his fingers out and slides them into your mouth, making you suck them clean— which you do.

he kisses your inner thigh before finally licking a stripe up your worn pussy, making direct eye contact as he does so. his lips attach to your clit, teeth grazing against it as he flicks it with his tongue, eventually moving his thumb to do that job for him. he slides his tongue into you, tasting you as best as he can, moaning into your cunt. the vibrations drive you crazy, hips bucking into his mouth as he licks into you relentlessly.

his nose nudges your clit as you feel your peak getting closer once more, legs wrapping around his head as you cum again, letting him clean you up with his gentle kitten licks. alex looks up at you through his messy hair, laughing as you pry him away from your overstimulated cunt. he eventually gives in, moving away and kissing his way back up to your face.

the two of you sit there in silence for a while, the only sounds you hear is alex's quiet breathing as you run your hands through his hair.

"'m sorry," he mumbles against your lips. "you're my student, this isn't right, i shouldn't have—"

you press your lips against his once more, softer this time, less starved, less desperate. you kiss him as if you can see more of these kisses coming your way in the future.

"i can see you getting in your head, alex." he chuckles at the callback to what he had told you earlier, hiding his head in the crook of your neck. "i want this to work. i think if we tried, and if we're careful, it will."

alex takes a deep breath in, sitting up next to you, gently stroking your stomach as he presses another kiss to your neck.

"it better work, doll."

you feel yourself starting to drift asleep, only waking up to the feeling of alex's body leaving yours.

"what are you doing?" you ask quietly, voice too hoarse speak normally.

alex grabs what he took with him earlier, that object you couldn't quite make out, and waves it in front of your eyes. that fucking camera.

"just stay still, love," he says as he snaps a few pictures of you, smiling at the stills.

"so.. are those getting me my A?"

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anyways.. sextape fic soon!!

#alex turner smut #alex turner fanfic #alex turner fic #alex turner x fem!reader #smut #cookie cooks #alex turner x reader #alex turner x you #youresodarkbabe #prof al smut

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obae-me · 22 days

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I saw your post about the characters with a traumatized MC and the part about the angels made me start thinking about how they'd handle an MC who has religious trauma (because I thought that was where it was going in your post)

MC avoiding Simeon and Luke because everything related to heaven creeps them out (they're legit scared of angels, god, etc) and feeling way too comfortable living in the devildom and being around demons because they "always knew they were going to end up in hell when they died" because that's what was hammered into their head growing up or something

that would sure change the cast's views on human religion huh?

Yes, absolutely. I can't remember if I mentioned it before or just kept that brainworm tucked safely inside my skull, but I think about this a lot. Namely, because I have SO much religious trauma (yippie!).

I've thought a lot about how the Celestial Realm harbors a lot of the same toxicity that certain organized religions have the tendancy to exhibit here on good ol earth. I mean, we've seen some things in game that suggest that things aren't all rainbows and roses up there. The way that Luke talks early game suggests a lot. And so I'm sure a religiously traumatized MC would have SUCH a hard time around the angels at first. (I actually had my own reservations with the angels when they were first introduced and I even kind of disliked Luke a ton before I eventually took a step back and thought about the fact that he's just a BABY who is just spitting out ideals that were shoved into his head. It's not his fault, and I think his character development is something that the fandom does not address enough. I'm so proud of him!! Having your expectations of the world be broken and then having to relearn everything you thought you knew is actually SO hard.)

MC getting along well or feeling more comfortable with demons because they don't feel like they're being judged or under the watchful eyes of others.

MC talking about "not being as afraid to come back" VERY early on in game and the other characters taking WAY too long to realize they mean come to purgatory after they pass, and the demons themselves don't feel good about knowing that.

MC avoiding certain sins/pleasures/temptations due to the fear that's been embedded in them over it. Even if those things are COMPLETELY normal and harmless to enjoy.

All of the characters being extremely patient and understanding about this sort of thing and very slowly chipping away at certain stigmas they still hold onto, making the human feel safe while they do.

MC avoiding Simeon because of mixed feelings of shame and maybe a bit of resentment and then eventually learning that he's actually such a down to earth and sweet guy and spending more time with him just to learn that he's been in many similar situations is so...so good to think about. Learning that he'll never force certain ideologies onto them, that he doesn't see them as someone who needs to be "saved". A human and an angel sitting together and discussing what being "good" really means. Sharing confessions to each other that they've both held on their backs for such a long time because they've been too ashamed of themselves and confused to heal from it alone. They're not a sinner and a Saint, they're just normal people who make mistakes and want to do good in the world.

I do have many thoughts on this clearly...

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me shall we date #asks #anon

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xhoess · 1 month

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Fashion and design

Masterlist

Hongjoong!model x fem Bod! Fotographer

Summary: Hongjoong is a model and has his own clothing line, you are his fotographer for the day. When you saw that you got a chance to shoot hongjong you didn't believe it. You have been a fan of his clothing line for a while and are absolutely obsessed with it, but what you don't know is that he has been following your work since that day you started to post your photos.

Genre: romance(?), mature content

Warnings: without protection(wrap it up!!!), hongjoong down bad for you

You where sitting on your bed with your laptop, checking if you have anymore jobs for the next weeks. You see that next week on Wednesday you have a shoot scheduled with the Kim hongjoong. Designer and model. Your jaw drops in shock, why did he chose you to be his photographer, he has never even met you?

You quickly pick up your phone and dial your friends number.

"Jongho you will not believe who I will be shooting next week" "you sound exited, so probably someone famous?" He guesses. "Well yes ofcourse someone famous but I'll give you a hint, he is one of my top 3 designers in the fashion industry right now" you hear jongho think on the other side of the line, "hmm, is it Kim hongjoong?" He asks "YES it's fucking the Kim hongjoong, how did he find me I'm not even that famous I only had a couple professional collaborations" "I don't know y/n but I do know you definitely need to accept this, this is such a huge opportunity" He said "you're right, but I would never in a million years decline this anyway" you laugh.

You and jongho talk for a couple more minutes before you hang up to get ready for bed. But before you get up to wash your face you quickly accept the job offer. You can't wait till next Wednesday.

You were ready to lay in bed but your phone pings, you got an Instagram DM of a online friend you made recently, he was the absolute sweetest and helped you with a few dilemmas. You've told him almost everything that happened in your life the last few months and he's a good listener.

The week goes by very slow but it's finally Wednesday. You grab your stuff and drive to your photo studio. You've never felt so nervous to do a shoot, but it's logical, it's the biggest one yet.

Once the door is unlocked you turn the lights on with the light switch, you always forget how bright that light it's. Especially when it's still dark outside, which is right now because you need to come at least 2 hours early to set everything up.

About 1 pm there was a loud knock on the door, you rushed to the front of the studio to open it. "Hi, come on in, I am y/n l/n I will be your photographer today!" You say kindly, trying not to freak out in the meantime. "Hi y/n, my name is Hongjoong. I am glad you excepted my request, I love your work" He says while bowing slightly to greet you.

"You're kidding, I absolutely love the clothing line you have going on right now. Is it true you design every piece by yourself?" You ask. Hongjoong nods "yes, and I absolutely love doing it. Maybe I do it a bit to much, it causes a lot of stress but at the end it's all worth it" "I'm sure it is" you say.

A few minutes later you showed Hongjoong the dressing room where he could change clothes in private. While he was putting on the first outfit you put on some music, if it's silent you can't function properly.

When he came out of the dressing room you sure you stared a little too long at him "you like it?" He asked, smiling slightly. "I swear it's the best one yet, I love it when there is a lot of accessories in a outfit" you say. "I know" Hongjoong said, you were confused, what does he mean he knows? But you let it slide. You where not gonna let this get awkward. You told him to stand in front of the camera and the rest of the shoot went by quickly.

It was now 3 pm, the shoot was done and hongjoong went back to the dressing room. But he forgot his phone on the table next to the camera. When you picked it up to give it to him you saw a message from yourself on his phone. When i say your heart dropped it was not an understatement. Did you send him a instagram message? You questioned yourself so you went to double check on your own account. But no, the only one you had texted was your online friend. It couldn't possibly be him right?

You knock on his dressing room door and he sticks his head out, "y/n, what's up" "can you explain why you have a text of Me on your phone?" You say. "What? Where you going through my phone" "no you left it on the table next to my camera and I send a text message to what I thought was my online best friend but then your phone pings and I saw my username pop up. So explain, why were you being someone else?" He sighs "Come in please"

Once you've settled on the couch he begins explaining, "look, I can't follow you with my real account, people would've start questioning things and they would've started texting you about me. It was never my intention to Lie to you about it. But I love your work and I just wanted to contact you about it at first" he explained. You get it, you really do but you start to think back to all the conversations you had with him. And you remember one very clearly, last week when you hung op on jongho you texted him saying 'omg I am gonna photograph Hongjoong, now I am gonna see if he's really that hot in real life'

"I texted you ABOUT you, I've said so many stuff about you? I'm so embarrassed" you say and you can feel your cheeks burning. "You are embarrassed? I am the one who should be embarrassed" Hongjoong said, he sits down next to you and tries to make sure you have nothing to be ashamed of.

"But am I as hot as you thought I should be?" You don't answer. "Too shy to say it now, you said worse things about me tho" you looked at him "don't remind me hongjoong" you say, clearly ashamed of what you said. "Yk it's kinds hot when you told what you find hot about me like 3 monts ago, haven't stopped thinking about it since. Oh and the way you send daily vlogs about your day to me is so adorable, it's the highlight of the day. But when you send me that one outfit haul with the black long dress for the party, the one with the split and the cleavage was showing. I would be lying if I didn't get off that night"

"Are you serious?" He nods "yes, you have nothing to be embarrassed about y/n. I'm worse" "you're not worse" you state. While he was talking you where staring at his lips. "What compliments did you like the most then huh?" You say.

"When you said my hands would make a pretty necklace, got my head spinning while thinking about it" He said. "Let's make it happen then" you say.

Hongjoong lips attached to yours, the kiss wasn't so loving, it was rather hungry and messy. He pulled you on his lap and, he groaned in your mouth when you moved your hips downwards. His hand creeps from the back of your neck to the front, he disconnected the kiss and looked at you. You already looked fucked out and he had barely even started.

"Just as pretty as I imagined" He said. "Just shut up and fuck me already" you whined. "I'm taking my time with you" "well I am not taking my time with you" you slid of his lap and sat on your knees in front of the couch, in-between his legs.

You buckled his belt lose and in the process your hand brushed against his hard on, he bit the inside of his mouth to stay silent. His eyes stayed on you the whole time while you were u dressing him. Now he is only left in His underwear.

You get up and sit on his lap again, you connect your lips together and slide your hand from his torso to the waistband of his pants, you slide your hand in his underwear and you wrap your hand around his cock, you can already feel the precum comming put of his tip.

You start stroking your hand up and down, hongjong needs more, he bucks his hips upwards and moans in your mouth.

You get down on your knees again and take of his underwear in the meantime, his cock springs free and your hand is around it again in no time. You lower your head and lick his cock from the bottom to the top, he throws his head back and cursed your name. Once you reach the top you take the tip in your mouth and swirl your tongue around it.

He grabs a fistful of your hair and pushes you down a bit, you give in and start to bob your head up and down in a smooth motion. After a few minutes Hongjoong pulled out of your mouth "I can't hold it any longer and I want to be in you when I cum" He says, out of breath.

He lays you down on the couch and starts to prep you, he wets his fingers by sucking on them and God that looked hot. He first fingers you with two fingers but he soon noticed that you're so wet that he can easily add another one, you moan at the stretch when he adds the third finger.

"I'm ready joong" you manage to get out, and he does not need more consent. "Do you have a condom?" He asks, you shake your head "shit" He curses, "I'm clean" you say, looking at him with big eyes, "me too, you wanna do it without?" You nodded at him.

He hovers above you and lines up, he moves his hips slowly to let you adjust. Once you've adjusted fully he bottoms out slowly just to quickly push his cock back in. He looks at the way your boobs move when he pushes himself back in and decides to grab one of them, gently squeezing it.

"I can't hold it in much longer baby" He whines, you clench around him and he fastens his pace, his hand wraps around your neck and squeezes it, not to hard but hard enough to feel it. "You where right, pretty necklace" He says out of breath.

"I'm cumming" you moan, and a few seconds later you do, while you cum you clench even harder around hongjoongs cock and you moan out his name. That sends him over the edge and cums too. His semen is spilling out of you because it's so much.

Both of you are laying breathlessly on the couch, rethink about what just happened.

I just had fucking sex with Kim hongjoong, was the only thing you could think about.

Leave a like if you liked it!!! X.R

#ateez smut #smut #ateez #ateez fanfic #hongjoong smut #hongjoong #kim hongjoong

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writingquestionsanswered · 4 months

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I feel as though my writing skills aren’t right and I struggle with believing that I should even be a writer at all which is causing me to slowly lose passion over my dream. How do writers push themselves to keep going even after so much self-doubt?

Pushing Through Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is normal for writers, but a big part of why it exists early on is because we're not doing enough to move forward.

Reading a lot of books, consuming stories in other formats, reading craft books, and seeking writing advice are all great ways to improve your craft, but if you really want to get your skills where you want them to be--and gain the confidence that comes along with it--you need to seek outside opinions on our writing. This is why it's so important to seek out writing groups, writer friends, critique partners, alpha readers, beta readers, sensitivity readers, writing coaches, and editors. Only by getting a wide variety of opinions on your writing can you start to get an idea of where your strengths and weaknesses are generally as a writer and in your current WIP.

You don't necessarily need to seek out all of these, obviously, but the more sets of eyes you have on your writing, the more you can tell the difference between personal opinions and general sentiment.

And yes... you will absolutely get criticism and that can be challenging and can rock your self-confidence a bit, but confidence is gained by learning your flaws and overcoming them. If you seek out a few critique partners and they all say your world building is weak, that's frustrating, but now you know to do the work to improve your world building. And when you get another round of opinions on your writing, and no one complains about your world building being weak--or, better yet, they say your world building is amazing, it boosts your confidence.

This is how it works, and I'm not gonna lie... it's never fun to get criticism. But, it gets a little easier as time goes on, and as your confidence in your skills begins to build. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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howtofightwrite · 1 year

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Sorry if this has been answered before. Would it be possible to have a character who learns how to use a sword skillfully in less than a few years (if taught by an expert)? If not, what are some alternatives for a protagonist who needs to learn swordfighting for plot reasons?

Yes, but...

So, this is a little harder to answer than it initially sounds, because there's a few extra things to consider.

I'm going to spitball this, but I suspect you could get someone up to speed with a sword in a few months, probably less than that, depending on how much time they spent training, and how seriously they committed to it.

The issue is, combat training isn't (usually) about getting to baseline proficiency, it's about being more effective than your opponent. So, if your character spent a couple years learning to fight with a sword, and they're taking on soldiers or other characters who didn't spent that much time training, or learning, they'll probably have an advantage. If they're training to go after an enemy swordmaster who spent decades matching wits and blades with their expert mentor, their skills not going to be sufficient. (Though, to be fair, if someone spent most of those two years in intense training, their skills would be pretty formidable.)

One exception here is that soldiers are often trained to proficiency, and nothing further. It doesn't mean they're not dangerous, and their ability to work together can quickly turn them into an insurmountable threat for your character, but, you're not going to be finding a lot of swordmasters mixed in with the rank and file infantry, even if they've spent longer training.

Combat experience is (generally) more valuable than training. So, if your character's been practicing to use their skills, but never been in a real fight, that's going to hamper them. Now, it's likely that their mentor would be fully aware of that, and those years of training should probably include some practical experience of some variety.

It's also likely that if your characters is engaged in intense training for that long, there may be other skills getting mixed in, to give them a better combat base. It's hard to say exactly what those skills would be, though depending on the setting it may include things like armor, or the use of alternative weapons such as daggers and cloaks. (I realize, we haven't talked about this in a moment, but a heavy cloak can be an extremely effective parrying tool when dueling, particularly against light blades like the epee or rapier. Once the blade is wrapped in a heavy fabric or leather, it can take a bit of effort to get it free again. It's not a huge detriment, but it will leave the sword's owner without the use of their weapon for a few critical moments, which is the perfect time to end them.)

Of course, if you're training a Zorro style pseudo-superhero, then things like acrobatics and (anachronistic) parkour are also options.

Depending on the era you're going for (particularly 17th and 18th century) do not overlook the effectiveness of opening a fight by pumping a musket ball into your opponent. Early, smooth-bore, pistols weren't particularly accurate at range, and were downright anemic in comparison to modern bullets, but it will still seriously mess up an unarmored fighter. Similarly, in a situation like that, your character would have to be pretty careful about not getting shot. It certainly doesn't invalidate the sword (that would come later with repeating firearms), but it will make their life a lot more perilous. (Read: interesting.)

So, could someone take a couple years to train with a sword? Yeah, absolutely, and if they committed to it, and had a good instructor, they could come out the other side of that with some fairly significant skills, and as a legitimate threat.

-Starke

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#how to fight write #Starke answers #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips

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lollytea · 5 months

Note

(About the Dana post)

ALSO LIKE. THE WAY HE WAS PROBABLY IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING ELSE AND THEN JUST. DID THAT.

Like he's holding a clipboard! I'm willing to bet Willow just slid under him with some encouraging chant to hype up the team, and Hunter just went "ah yes spot for me"

What if I explode

YEAHHHHH!!! Talking about this sketch and the implications makes me very unwell. Also the little gesture of happily resting his chin in her palm is just like something a sweet doggy would do before looking up at you with confused yet earnest eyes and then wagging his tail hopefully. He's so doggy like to me. Do you know what I mean? You know what I mean <333

Agsbdjnk the clipboard. A silly little sketch but with visual storytelling. It's absolutely tryouts or something similar. I imagine that Willow is the only EE player that is dedicated to playing longterm while the others have a lot of fun during their time on the team but eventually move on to other ventures after a year or two. Once Boscha improves her behaviour after FTF, I could see Skara wanting to return to playing grudgby. She seemed to really love it. So Willow and Hunter are on the ball near immediately to find a replacement. And with the Flyer Derby renaissance Willow has lowkey started at Hexside, there's a way bigger turn out than the last time she needed recruits.

Judging by Hunter's level of relaxed contentment and Willow not giving it much notice, a good chunk of time has passed since the events of W&D. They're very attuned to each other, having probably been joined at the hip for a while now.

(We're gonna ignore the fact that Hunter doesn't have his post TTT scars. Presumably Dana just forgot agsbdjk.)

Definitely post grom I imagine. If you compare Hunter's body language in both pics

In the left pic, I don't think he's unwilling to be touched. He's definitely excited about wherever the FUCK this is going. But he looks stiff and his smile is twitchy, clearly nervous. Which implies that he's not that used to Willow being so touchy with him and he's a little out of his depth. My headcanon is that grom was when they officially got together, after months of situationship shenanigans. With that little idea in mind, this is just the beginning of their relationship.

When it comes to the pic on the right, I imagine it's also quite early in the dating stage. Early enough that they've only just broached the exciting world of more intimately affectionate touches. Which Hunter has evidently not built up an immunity to yet. Still melts every time.

Yeah that is definitely a boy who has only been in a relationship long enough to discover that he loves the feeling of his face being held, but also a boy who's so comfortable in his relationship that he's not shy about seeking out affection when he wants it. Even in public.

So he's still swoony but not shy about it anymore. So I'd say a few weeks-a month or two into dating.

(Also the haircuts align with this little timeline I've made up in my head. Willow has cut her hair short for grom, while it's in the season 2 short stubby braids during tryouts. So it HAS grown out but only a little. Meanwhile Hunter's hair has grown out a bit during grom, but looks recently trimmed during tryouts. There's no real significance to this. I watched a Dana livestream once where she said she'd rather just draw short hair Hunter because the long hair noodle is annoying to draw. But asgbknk! I like to make up implications where there are none. Anyway my hc is that Willow and Hunter do not just decide on a signature hair length and keep it forever. They spend the next three years bouncing back and forth between long and short styles.)

ANYWAY Willow is absolutely hyping Hunter the fuck up as the Golden Star of her team!! The best and the brightest!! Her pride and joy as a Captain. The purpose is to get the candidates all excited to do their best to get a spot on this epic team so they can play alongside him, but Hunter misinterprets Willow's praise as sweet talk and smiles and blushes appropriately.

Agsbdjnk it's so funny. He totally understood that the goal was to get their potential players PUMPED and he was excellently playing along with riling them up. But that glowing review of his character distracted him and now he thinks they're flirting. So the super cool badass disposition he had adapted for the newbies was promptly thrown out the window because hehehehe my girlfriend is so nice to me 🥰 Bro has forgotten where he is. Head empty.

So when Willow juts out a hand to aggressively present ✨️Him✨️ to the audience, Hunter's already gooey brain just says put chin in hand because sweet girl soft girl my girl.

Willow is a little thrown off but when she feels the weight of his face but just rolls with it and keeps going. She even gives him an affectionate little caress. I think she recognizes that he's misunderstood the tone a bit and has decided to not tell him. He usually gets very embarrassed when its pointed out that he's made a social error and she doesn't wanna do that to him. It's harmless and its cute, who cares? He's a little confused but he's got the spirit.

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sharedramblings · 1 year

Text

Morning Kisses

Summary: You finally decided to act on it.

Author's note: Did I made a side blog just to share this? Yes. Do I think it's good? No. Am I a good writer? Also no. Will I still post it despite that? Yes, absolutely. This isn't beta read, just so everyone knows. Criticism and feedback are definitely welcome.

—-—-

You stretched out your limbs as you slowly woke up from your sleep, hands grabbing Larissa's pillow.

"Good morning" you muttered sleepily, inhaling the scent that lingers on the soft cushion.

"Good morning, darling. Do you feel rested?"

You just hummed in return, blindly searching for your phone to check the time. Still a bit early.

You sat up slowly, shaking the remnants of sleep out of you. You stare at her covered back first, moving to her face which you could see through the mirror. She already showered, and was currently preparing herself for the day. She fixed the last of her foundation before she regarded you in that same mirror.

"Is everything okay?" You smiled and gave her a nod.

"Just got mesmerized with your beauty" Now it's her turn to smile, despite the eye roll she paired it with.

You decided to get up and leave the bed as it is. You'll tidy it up later. For now, you have something else in your mind.

"Do you need to leave soon?" You stopped in her back, hands resting on her shoulders. Larissa picks up her phone and you wait for her answer.

"I have time to spare. Why?" She resumed with what she was doing, letting you massage her shoulders lightly.

"May I?" You gaze at her lovingly, chin resting on her shoulder while your hands are fiddling with the tie of her robe.

"Darling, we don't have enough time for that" She replies back, her face alight with a barely held back smile, eyes shining with playfulness.

You understood what she was pertaining to, but that wasn't what you were after. Not today at least.

"That's not what I meant," You kissed her temple, short and sweet. "Can I show you instead?"

Her gaze stays on you, the playfulness giving way to curiosity, before nodding her head in a silent go ahead. You smile at her before finally untying her robe. Your hands went back to her shoulders, slowly peeling it off of her. Your eyes went down to the newly exposed skin, placing the first kiss on the junction where her neck and shoulders meet. Your quick and soft kisses followed the length of her shoulder, some are fleeting and others with more pressure.

Larissa lets out a contented sigh, her skin abuzzed where she can feel your lips venture next. She can't decide how she wants to savor the way you seem determined to kiss every inch of her skin– if she wants to close her eyes or watch your every move.

"What's gotten into you?" A soft smile overtakes her features while you pepper more kisses on her shoulder blade.

She can feel the ghost of a smile that must have been in your lips before she heard you utter, "Courage"

She turned her head to regard you, "Courage?"

You hummed, lips going back to the upper part of her shoulder to travel down the joint that connects to her arm.

You pause your ministrations for a while, hands busy taking the robe off of her arms. It's your turn now to look at her, the distance between your faces almost nonexistent.

"I've been meaning to do this for some time now." you whispered, not wanting to disturb the serene atmosphere surrounding you both in the early time of day.

"And what made you act now?" Her voice is deeper, richer than her usual timbre.

"I can't put it off any longer. I'm afraid I'll go mad if I won't have the chance to do this at least once"

Her heart thunders in her chest. You've always watched her do her morning routine, and while she loves your unwavering attention on her during those times, this– the way you kiss her body with so much devotion– she loves even more, she decides.

"Besides, you told me you have a few minutes. That's a very clear cue if I'm being honest, one that I'll gladly take"

When Larissa's robe lies on her hips and she sits half-naked, you embraced her and held her chin with your forefinger, indirectly ordering her to look in the mirror. You caught her eyes, a question rolling off your tongue.

"Will you allow me the chance, my love?"

You've been dreaming of kissing her just like this. You dreamt of worshipping her in such an intimate way. Not that you don't on any chance you get, but you want to show it in every possible way you can think of. She is the love of your life, the one you want to spend the entirety of it with, your constant and your favorite; you are hers in any and every meaning of that very word, and you want her to always remember that.

She whispered her approval, loving the way you held her still. She made a remark of not wanting you to go mad, which made you chuckle a little. Then you smiled and thanked her, but before going back to what you were lovingly doing, you told her, "By all means continue with your make-up, I'd hate to be the reason you'll be late"

You both know she hates it. She does not like tardiness because time is of the essence. But... maybe, maybe just this once she will allow herself to be late. There's always a first for everything, she supposed.

"I believe that's impossible" You've resumed showing your love with your lips on her upper arm now, one hand on the other to caress and squeeze.

"Just try" You muttered in between kisses. You let go of her arm so she can move freely, as freely as possible while you occupy the other.

And she did. Larissa did try. Yet she can't bring herself to focus elsewhere when you go kiss after kiss without pause and break. Your movements were gentle, loving, and unhurried. It feels like time isn't something you're bothered by, that you'd truly rather spend every second kissing her entirely than do anything else. You showed your admiration not only with the kisses you showered her, but also with the open fondness evident in your eyes, as well as the way you lovingly hold her hand in yours.

She opted to watch you, not daring to try again with the supposed task at hand. She watched you place kiss upon kiss in her skin, how your eyes drink everything that is her, how your fingers rub at the back of her hand– and all at once the warmth your actions provided feels overwhelmingly pleasant and addicting, a feeling she knew would be committed to memory.

Soon, your journey has you in its end. Her palm facing your lips as you pressed the last kiss on the center. Her fingers twitched, and you smiled as the movement caught your attention.

Larissa thought you were done, but then you turned her hand and kissed the back of it. Your eyes were closed, lips still pressed on her hand, and she took the moment to bite her lip. The happiness which envelops her can't be sustained. You savored the moment and inhaled, opening your eyes to stare at her sapphire eyes. "I'm forever yours."

With that, she pulls you close to her, lips seeking yours in a languid kiss. You accepted her every move, relishing on the sweetness and the affection laced in it. It feels like you've been blessed by a divine being, one you've devoted all your time and effort to.

You two were catching your breaths when you reluctantly pulled apart, eyes immediately searching for the other's. You wanted to live in that bubble for a little longer, but you still have to continue so you gathered yourself before starting on the other side of her body. This time you paired it up with sweet nothings in between kisses, and you love how her current blissful state intensifies even more.

Maybe this could be more of a usual occurrence than a one time thing. Who knows. If a few more minutes before officially starting the day consists of such a tender moment, then you're both willing to modify a couple of things in your routine.

#larissa weems #larissa weems x reader

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illicitlimerence-writes · 2 years

Text

a conversation stuck in your throat | m. verstappen

pairing: max verstappen x singer!actress!reader word count: 8.3k words request: yes, by anons: “hii! i absolutely love looove looooooooove the soft!boyfriend!max fic you posted! could you do one where him and y/n went from friends to lovers and it's y/n's first time (so their first time together as well) and max makes sure it's as sensual and loving as possible (he just wants to spoil her and show her how much he loves her)? basically lots of fluff (and smut I guess lol) 💕💕💕” & “hii hope you’re doing good! can I request a jealous max please? maybe he gets possessive and protective and it ends fluffly? idk I’m not too good at this lmaoo. thank youu <33” & “desperate making out w max v in a club? reader and him are together/best friends” & “I have a desperate need for a blurb with sick!reader and soft max taking care of her/them 🥺” & “hi babes 💗 i hope its okay to request this. i have an idea for a max v fic, inspired by dress by taylor swift? maybe they started off as best friends and then they started dating but they didn't announce it to the public so everyone just thinks they are best friends still? and maybe the golden tattoo he left on her as a mark is a tattoo reader got for him? either 'max' or '33' in golden ink? idk if this exists in real life lol. and reader is a singer and actress? this fic could maybe be little moments between them? like with time jumps but this is just an idea feel free to make it yours 💗” those were a lot of reqs wow. i hope you all like it!!!!!!!!!!! warnings: smut (18+ only, minors dni), language, christi*n h*rner (only for a tiiiny bit tho), (legal) drinking, i'm sure there's more that i missed lolol. a/n: this is one of my favorite pairings i’ve ever written. i swear. i already want to write more for these two. as always thank you to my cousin @ireallydontknowdudee for helping me proofread<3

my masterlist / / click here to read part one ‘superheroes and flat caps’ (you have to read that one first, otherwise this one won’t make much sense lolol) / / click here to listen to the playlist i made for these fics

june 30th, 2021. spielberg, austria.

the club was dark and the music was loud. there were bodies pressed together, people grinding on each other. the alcohol was present and common sense was long gone.

she had been a little apprehensive at first, she wasn’t too sure about the decision to drive to the club a few miles away from their hotel, but max had convinced her. and she’d do pretty much anything if it made max happy.

it was their first time clubbing together, and she was curious to see what type of drunk max was. since they still had to drive back, and she had to be up and presentable early the next day, they had agreed to not get too drunk. but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have fun and enjoy the night celebrating her and her achievements.

“another one?” max’s breath on her ear made her skin get goosebumps, since the music was deafeningly loud, he had to lean incredibly close to her so she could hear him. she turned around and acted as if it didn’t affect her.

“i want tequila,” she replied, standing on her tiptoes to reach his ear. she leaned back and watched a smirk appearing on his lips. since they’d arrived max had been asking her to do tequila shots with him, since he claimed he knew a perfect method for it. she’d refused, sticking to drinks that weren’t so strong. but she wanted to please him this one time.

“i knew you’d change your mind, come on,” he was quick to grab her hand and lead her away from the crowd of people dancing. they reached the bar and max asked for four tequila shots to be sent their way. they walked to their private booth, where they’d left their coats and her bag. the security guard that looked after that section let them in without too much trouble, they were the only vips of the night.

she sat down first, sliding on the seat until she was pressed between the wall and max’s body. she laughed at his actions, he was behaving like an excited, hyperactive kid. he leaned in to kiss her cheek, something he always did when they were alone. since the beginning of their friendship she started noticing that there were certain things that max only did with her. touching, or showing any type of physical affection was one of them.

she didn’t find it weird or anything, she was familiar with the different types of love language, she just figured that touching was max’s. plus, she wasn’t complaining. she liked feeling loved, and that was how max made her feel. despite the short amount of time that they’d known each other, they’d grown to call each other ‘best friends’ rather quickly.

“so, what’s this great new method you were bragging about?” she leaned close to his ear.

“ah, impatient, much?” he grinned, she rolled her eyes, nudging his ribs with her elbow. “there’s really not much of a difference. it’s salt, shot, lime,”

“you do your shots with salt and lime?” she teased, raising her eyebrows, “pussy.”

“what?” max asked, taken aback.

“the best part of tequila is the burn. the ache that makes you want more, that feels so great once it’s gone, but is what keeps you going.” she spoke about tequila like one would talk about a lover, she made it feel intimate. “but fine, we’ll try your way,”

“well now my way sounds like bullshit,” max laughed, and she chuckled, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

“we’ll do both,” she declared, watching the bartender drop off the tray with the hard liquor. “you go first,” she encouraged him. max nodded, grabbing the salt and a slice of lime.

“your hair,” he said, she frowned, “move your hair out of the way,” she did, throwing her hair over the other shoulder. “lean back,” he told her, holding her chin and tilting her head back, exposing her neck.

“what are you doing?” she asked.

“do you trust me?”

“of course.”

in the dark of the club, max held the sour lime between his fingers, then ran it up and down her neck, twice. she gasped, and max could feel her breath hitching as he touched her. next, he grabbed the salt. he poured some over the line of lime juice he’d just drawn.

she turned her face lightly to see him. his eyebrows were drawn together in concentration, she could tell, just by the way he was pinching his lips together, that a million thoughts were running through his head.

“don’t chicken out on me now,” she said, and max let out a breath of relief, he thought maybe he’d crossed a line. yes, they were close, but they’d never done something like this.

he did it. he leaned forward, licked a stripe up her neck, felt her quickening heartbeat beneath his touch. he brought the liquor up to his lips, downing it all in one go. her soft hands grabbed the lime from his hold and lifted it up to his mouth. he sucked on it, opening his eyes after wincing as he tasted three different things in a really short time, one after the other.

she was breathing hard, staring at him, the skin of her throat was tingling, she got lost in the blue of his eyes, which under the neon lights and combined with the darkness of the room, looked crystal clear.

“you’re up,” max said, she smiled, and just like that, they were back to normal.

they stumbled into her hotel floor, max was holding her waist, keeping her stable, her legs were like jello, so she kept her back pressed against max’s chest.

“i told you…” she paused to giggle, “i couldn’t drink too much,” she smiled, slapping max’s chest lightly. he was grinning, too, he had one arm around her middle, pushing her against his front as his other hand slid inside the pocket of his jeans to grab the key to her room.

“and i told you to quit after shot number three,” he raised an eyebrow as she rolled her eyes.

“boo, you whore,” she moved her head to the side so he could see her, and stuck her tongue out, max just laughed as he shook his head. he unlocked the door, opening it and letting her in first. he turned on the light, and watched her flinch and cover her eyes with her hands, “nooo, it hurts,”

“what hurts?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows at the thought of her in any sort of distress.

“my eyes, turn it off,” she peeked between her fingers, and was suddenly engulfed by darkness as he obliged, “thank youuu,” she sang, stretching the last word. “you’re the best. you, maximilian verstappen, are the best friend anyone could ever ask for.”

“thanks, right back atcha. but, you got my name wrong,” he approached her. there was light coming from the city outside, which helped guide him to her.

“what?” she frowned, tilting her head to the side.

“it’s not maximilian, it’s max emilian.” he said, slowly, and watched as her eyes flickered down to his lips, “two words,”

“hmm…” she narrowed her eyes, “i like it. emilian. it’s cute.”

“well, thank you,” he smiled. and she smiled. “now, come on, let’s get you to bed, you’ve got a big day tomorrow,” he placed his hand on her shoulder, she sighed and started walking, holding her arms out in front of her to prevent stumbling into something.

“can you come with me?”

“to bed?” he asked, chuckling. she rolled her eyes.

“to atlanta,” she sat on the bed, crossing her legs beneath her. “i’m going to be all alone over there, i’ll have no one and i need my best friend,”

“well…i don’t think i can make the trip to and from in time,” even in the dark, he could see the way her face fell, “but i can drive you to the airport, would that be okay?”

“i guess…”

“hey, you’ll be fine. i have more i’d like to say but we’re both too drunk, so i’ll tell you in the morning… okay?”

“okay. in the morning.”

“yeah,” he smiled, then took a step back, “i’ll pick you up tomorrow, then,”

“no,” she said, and extended her arm, “stay.”

“well, i don’t really want to sleep on a couch, but…”

“no, dumbass,” she laughed, dropping her back down against the soft pillows and mattress, “here, the bed is big enough,” she patted the spot next to her. she was right, this bed was one of the biggest he’d ever seen.

“but you- i-”

“it’s fine. i don’t mind. as long as you don’t snore,”

“you’re lucky, then.” he gave in, climbing into bed next to her.

september 1st, 2021.zandvoort, netherlands.

“why is three your favorite number?”

“what kind of question is that?” he asked. lifting his head from the arm of the couch.

they were in zandvoort, just in time for the dutch grand prix, max’s home race. it was the first time he was racing there, and he needed a good result. she’d been with him since last week, the italian grand prix, one that she hadn’t gotten to enjoy as much as she wanted to, given max’s sad result. she knew that it had gotten in his mind, he was at a critical stage of the championship, and every point counted. hence, why they were now in his hotel room, enjoying the last day of peace and quiet before the chaos that came with a new grand prix weekend.

“i’m just preparing you for the weekend,” she responded, a smirk on her face as he rolled his eyes. she liked this, the teasing back and forth, the jokes. the trust they had on each other.

“i swear, if i have to answer ‘what do you expect from this weekend?’ one more time i’m gonna…” he didn’t finish, just shook his head as he huffed.

“they’re just doing their jobs,” she reminded him.

“i know that. but why can they come up with new questions, actually interesting ones?”

“i don’t know dude, i haven’t done interviews in a long time,”

“lucky you,” he sighed. “it gets old, answering the same thing over and over again. and there are some people that- the way they ask, they want to get a reaction out of you. and of course i’m not going to give them the satisfaction.”

“but you’re not going to let them treat you that way,”

“yeah.”

“that’s why i like you. you have so much pressure on yourself right now, i know you feel it so don’t even try to deny it. but you’re capable of pushing it aside, that’s a great skill to have being who you are,”

“who we are,” he corrected her, “don’t forget you’re famous too, my friend,”

“yeah, whatever, but people don’t stop me for pictures as much as you.”

“give it a few months,”

“no thanks,” she laughed. “i like my life just the way it is,”

“really? you wouldn’t change anything?”

“no, i don’t think so,” she shook her head.

“nothing?” he smirked, she frowned, watching as he raised his eyebrows. “not even your… condition?”

“condition?” she asked, “i’m not sick or anything…”

“no, but you are a…” he raised his fist to his mouth, covering it, “virgin,” he coughed as he said the word.

“oh my god,” she rolled her eyes, grabbing a pillow and throwing it his way. he could’ve moved, could’ve dodged it, but he let it hit his face, he grabbed it and put it on his lap. “emilian, shut the fuck up,”

“i just can’t believe you-”

“so i haven’t met the right guy, so what? it’s not that big of a deal,”

“if it’s not that big of a deal why haven’t you-”

“because it doesn’t matter! the concept of ‘virginity’ is such bullshit anyway. men and society have ruined sex for many of us, it’s gotta be more than just physical desire. and i’m not saying there’s nothing wrong with that, you do you, do whatever the hell you want to with your body and partner, or partners, as long as it’s consensual,” she ranted, the words were leaving her lips quickly, he didn’t know this was a sensitive or important topic for her, since he found out about her lack of sexual experience one time when they were joking, as they usually did. “i'm just not like that, i want it to mean something, not just because it's my first time, that's bullshit, but because the other person loves me and cares for me enough to know how to treat me and cherish me the way i deserve."

"you want the whole… flower petals on the bed? lit candles thing?"

"shut up," she groaned, "i just want to find the right person. and once i do that, i'm sure everything will just… fall into place," max felt bad, he didn't mean to upset her at all, she'd told him that not a lot of people knew about her lack of experience, and some of the people that knew told her she was being overdramatic.

"well… i think it's nice that you're waiting for the right person. just make sure they're clean, though,"

"don't worry," she laughed, "i will."

“you'll have new material for songs after that." be pointed out, she smiled. "how’s the album going, by the way?” he asked, sitting up, with his back against the arm of the couch.

“meh, it’s going…” she dropped her head down, looking up at the ceiling. “inspiration’s not hitting me right now,”

“well… what do you usually do to get out of this…”

“writer’s block,” she finished for him, then sighed, “i don’t know. i’ve never experienced this before. words always just seemed to… come to me when i needed them. but now it’s… they’re gone,”

he raised his eyebrows, he could tell that this was something new to her, he saw the way her left leg was shaking, something she did when she wasn’t comfortable.

“i’m sure you’ll figure something out,” he smiled, she lifted her head from the pillows to smile at him, too.

“you didn’t answer the question,” she reminded him. “why is 3 your favorite number?”

“i… i don’t know. i’ve always liked it. i like the fact that if you complete the circles it becomes an 8.”

“oh, you’re right,” she nodded. “next question…” she said, turning on her side, “would you ever get a tattoo?”

“hmm… maybe?” he looked up at the ceiling, “i think it depends on what it is. you?”

“same. i saw online something about golden ink, not yellow, gold. with sparkles.”

“you like sparkles?” max smiled teasingly.

“i love sparkles,” she chuckled.

his phone buzzed, and he unlocked it, seeing a text from one of the media guys, who’d sent him a link to a youtube video. he tapped it, and the app loaded, he read the title and a big grin spread across his face.

“look at this,” he stood up, walking to the bed and sitting down on it, they were sitting shoulder to shoulder now.

“it’s up?” she asked as she read the title.

"uh-huh," he projected it onto the tv in front of them, their smiling faces plastered on the flat screen.

june 24th, 2021.spielberg, austria.

they arrived at the track, the red bull ring. he’d made her drive, of course, to get her used to being behind the wheel, as he’d claimed.

“are you ready?”

“no.” she rolled her eyes, opening the door and stepping out. max followed her, a grin on his face as he threw an arm around her shoulders.

“come on, it’s just going to be us,”

“yeah, and everybody else working here, fans waiting outside the track, everyone will see me crash that car and you,” she slid his arm off her, “are going to pay for it,”

“you’re not going to crash. it’s not that difficult,”

“yeah, you drive cars at ridiculously high speed, you don’t get to tell me what is or isn’t difficult.”

“noted,” he said, his arm finding her shoulder again. she left it there this time, she needed the comfort. they reached the red bull hospitality, dropped their stuff in his room and walked downstairs. “i have to go do the conference thing… won’t be more than thirty minutes,” he said, she nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile.

“i know, we’ve been through this before, max,” she told him, “i’ll be fine, i’ll look some videos up to refresh my memory,”

“okay. don’t be nervous, it’s just gonna be us, remember?”

“yeah, i know. just us.”

they were approached by the red bull team principal, she immediately took a step to the side, she didn’t like him that much.

“car’s ready, cameras are ready,”

“cameras?” she asked, looking at max.

“why cameras?” he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“marketing thought it’d be great for publicity, your friendship has a great presence on social media.”

“i told you this was a bad idea,” she told max, taking a step away from him.

“well, i didn’t know they were going to turn this into a media thing. but it’ll be fine, i promise,”

“yeah, now the entire world will watch me destroy a car,”

“i’d appreciate if you didn’t-” horner interrupted.

“oh, don’t worry, your golden boy will be paying for it,”

“and i told you you’re not going to crash, you have enough space to drive safely here.” he reassured her, sliding his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her against him, “but if you feel more comfortable without the cameras i’m sure we can figure something out,”

“it’s gonna get out anyway,” she sighed. “fine, let’s do this,”

“look at your face!” max laughed as he pointed at the tv. she cackled, too, watching her past self holding tightly to whatever surface was near her when max sped up as he followed the curves, instead of slowing down.

“my heart was pounding so hard,” she rested her head against max’s shoulder, “and my stomach was down to my ass,” she continued laughing.

“yeah, i wasn’t helping either,” he admitted, and she rolled her eyes. “you had fun, though,”

“i did. i did, it was fun. but we’re not doing it again,”

november 23rd, 2021.monte-carlo, monaco.

she could barely keep her eyes open as she walked to the door, the sound of the doorbell ringing made her head pound.

“i waited for you for like half an hour wha- whoa, you’re sick,” max said as she opened the door.

“oh, god. i forgot about the… i’m sorry-”

“no, no, it’s fine. are you okay?” he asked, lifting the back of his hand and pressing it against her forehead to check her temperature.

“fine, just… a cold,” she said as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her. “you should… probably leave now, i don’t want to get you sick,” she brought the inside of her elbow up to her mouth, covering it as she coughed into it.

“that’s not a cold,” his eyes widened, and he put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back inside her house.

“wh- what are you doing? you have to leave, you’ll get sick too!”

“yeah, well too bad, i’m already in.” he shrugged his shoulder as he dropped his hand to his sides, he extended one arm, touching her hand. “and i’m taking care of you today,” he stated. it wasn’t a question, and he didn’t leave her room for complaints. “because i’m your friend, and that’s what friends do.” she smiled, holding back a cough, “and you look like hell. i want to get material for blackmail,” he raised his phone quickly, snapping a picture of her.

“stop it!” she cackled, hitting his shoulder. her laughs were interrupted when she started coughing, “i hate you.” she leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder. he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing up and down her back with one hand. “thanks,”

“anytime.”

“i’ll pay you back when you get sick,”

“i never get sick,” max said, raising an eyebrow confidently.

“we’ll see about that,” she said, coughing into his shoulder.

“fuck you,” he laughed.

“thank you.”

“have you gone to the doctor?” he asked her after a few seconds.

“i facetimed my friend. ordered the meds. shit, that reminds me, i have to take my meds at 6,” she thought out loud.

“okay, that’s good. now, let’s go sit, you need to rest.”

“that’s dumb,”

“you’re dumb.”

“you’re being aggressive.”

“i’m allowed to be aggressive.”

“why? cause you’re sick?”

“exactly.”

“it’s still dumb.”

“he loves her,” she explains.

“then why doesn’t he say it?” he asked, frowning at the characters in the movie they were watching.

“cause he’s nervous! and he doesn’t want to risk their friendship by telling her.”

“but she clearly loves him too. why doesn’t he see it?”

“because boys are… dumb,” she gave in, agreeing with max. “they don’t see what’s good even if it’s right in front of them.” she said, shaking her head.

“that sounded personal… you alright?”

“fuck off,” she laughed, then broke into a fit of coughs. “i think you’re making me more harm than good,” she said once she recovered. she heard max chuckling under his breath, saw him leaning forward to grab a glass of water that was on the coffee table in front of them. he handed it to her, “thanks,” she whispered as she drank from it, taking a deep breath after she was done.

“nurse max at your orders,” he said, leaning back against her soft couch, “i love this thing,” he said, running his hand over the back of it.

“what?”

“your couch,”

“it is my proudest purchase,” she smiled. her eyes drifted back to the tv, seeing the girl on the other side of the screen watching the love of her life walk away. she rolled her eyes, her head drifting to the side, she leaned it against max’s shoulder.

“you tired?” he asked, not daring to move, as it would disturb her.

“a little.” she answered, being interrupted by a yawn.

“go ahead, i’m not going anywhere,” he said, she smiled.

“good.”

loud blaring woke her up, she sat up, looking around as she tried to locate the sound. she turned to her left, seeing max rubbing his eyes. he’d fallen asleep as well.

“what’s that?” she asked.

“sorry, i fell asleep. it’s the alarm,” he grabbed his phone from the coffee table turning the alarm off. “come on,” max got up, extending his hand out to her.

“why?” she grunted, grabbing his hand and letting him help her up, they walked to her kitchen. max grabbed a new glass and filled it with water.

“it’s six. time for your meds,” he said, sliding the cup her way. she frowned.

“you set up an alarm… to remind me to take my meds?” she said, slowly, the words sinking in as she spoke.

“yeah, he shrugged, like it was nothing, “i want you to get better soon, and you need your meds for that,”

“aw, you care about me,” she teased, popping the pill in her mouth and downing the glass of water.

“duh,” he rolled his eyes, walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

she held back a grin, biting the inside of her cheeks. she thought back to atlanta, when max surprised her not once, but twice. he’d done so much for her in the time they’d known each other, he knew her better than anyone else, better than she knew herself even.

max verstappen had turned her world upside down the moment he walked in.

or, she’d changed his the moment she stumbled into him.

maybe that’s why the shift from being friends to lovers was so smooth.

december 12th, 2021.abu dhabi, uae.

she held the bottle of vodka in her hand, she tried to keep her hands steady, but she was laughing too much, which made her shake.

“just go for it!” max said. she nodded, and max leaned his head back, opening his mouth, waiting for her. she tilted the bottle down, and the hard liquor started pouring down, into max’s mouth. his friends around them watched expectantly, waiting for him to declare when it was enough. she waited to feel the squeeze on her hip, but it never came. so she stopped. “that’s enough for now,” she said, max leaned forward.

“more,” he said. she shook her head, smiling.

“let’s do tequila shots instead,” her words caught his attention, and max’s eyes seemed to shine brighter than they did when he jumped out of his car earlier that night.

he grabbed her hand, walked to the bar and asked for a bottle of tequila, limes and salt. she hung onto his arm, wrapping her free arm around it as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

“come on, let’s go upstairs,” he told her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. she leaned back, a small smile on her face as she looked up at him.

“i’m so proud of you,” she said, letting go of him, lifting her hands and placing them on his cheeks. “you deserve this championship.”

“thank you,” he moved his head to kiss the palm of her hand. she chuckled, taking her hands off to help him with the bottle of liquor. “let’s get wasted.”

she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been waiting for this moment since the first time back in austria. sometimes, if she closed her eyes and thought back to that night, she swore she could still feel his hot breath against her neck, his wet tongue gathering the salt, his lips barely on hers as he collected the lime. she wanted to feel that again. she wanted it every day.

they slipped away unnoticed, everyone was way too drunk to notice their absence, which was odd since they were all there to celebrate max. but they didn’t care, this wasn’t something they wanted everyone else to see. max sat down on a stool, a table by his side. he placed a plate with limes and the salt shaker on it, and watched her place the bottle there too. she stood in front of him, and he put his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him.

“sit,” he said. she raised an eyebrow. she placed her hands on his knees, pushing his legs together. then, she climbed on his lap.

“better?” she asked, her voice breathy.

“better,” he confirmed. she smiled, and everything she could see was blue. the blue of his eyes that never left her face. they stared deep into her, as if he was meeting her for the first time, as if she were the only thing that existed at that moment. she watched his eyes move slowly, they inspected her, memorizing every inch of her. she saw as a corner of his mouth twitched, her eyes went to his lips.

she loved his lips. she’d never told him that, but she liked that they were full and thick, and fit him perfectly. he took a deep breath as he noticed her eyes drifting down, his lips parted, and she felt his breath hit her chin, since she was on top of him, she had to look down to see him. she wanted to taste his lips, she decided at that moment.

she placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning forward. the hands on her hips gripped tighter, and max straightened his back, it was almost an automatic response when he felt nervous, and it brought him closer to her faster than either of them expected.

“m-max,” she whispered, her eyes on his. she saw as his eyes drifted down to her lips, “can i-”

she couldn’t finish her question, she was cut off by that pair of lips that she’d been dreaming of since they met, they were on hers, kissing her hard. a whimper escaped her throat, being swallowed by him as he tilted his head to the side and leaned forward, pushing her head back. one of his hands left her waist, he placed it on the back of her head, keeping her there. her hands were on his face now, and she felt him shudder beneath her touch.

later, as she found herself unable to sleep, she’ll think about this. how max basically melted under the touch of her fingertips against his face. she held him gently, compared to the rough battle their lips had at that moment.

max swore he was tasting a piece of heaven. when he was younger, he’d had to convince himself that he was in love with his partners. but the truth was, no one could make him feel the way she did. his feelings for her were strong and true and real. he didn’t have to convince himself this time. he knew it. and it scared him.

the kiss was growing desperate, one of her hands slid down to his neck, and she could feel his rapid heartbeat beneath the layers of skin. he leaned back, looking up at her through his long lashes, his lips parted as he breathed in. she felt goosebumps running down her back as she saw him in that state. his hands slid down to her waist again, and this time, she grabbed him by his perfect ashy brown hair and brough his lips to hers.

she wanted him. that was a fact that she’d tried to fight since it first came to mind. she wanted to blame the alcohol in their systems, but she knew it just gave her the courage to do it. these actions were all hers.

she broke the kiss, her hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating quickly beneath her touch. she leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. these actions were all hers. and that scared her.

“i can’t- i-” she panted, her chest heaving as she breathed in and out. she was afraid to open her eyes. what if-

“(y/n)...” his voice was breathy as he said her name. she felt chills, she felt time stopping as he called her name. but she could feel fear creeping up her back.

“no, max- we- we’re friends…” she opened her eyes, looking down. his hand went up to her chin, he leaned back but kept her in place, “we can’t-”

“cause we’re friends. i know,” he said, she saw him blinking twice, he swallowed a lump in his throat. she was right, they were just friends, and their friendship was too valuable to risk it.

she closed her eyes, swallowing the words, the conversation stuck in her throat.

december 13th, 2021.abu dhabi, uae.

she woke up with max by her side. he was warm, she liked that he was warm. she smiled as she placed her head on his chest, throwing an arm over his stomach as she snuggled against him. somewhere between the hours of 1 and 3am, they’d thrown all cautions out the window.

‘i love you, and not like a best friend. i don’t want you like a best friend.’

she was in love with max verstappen. and somehow, he was in love with her, too.

“do you not sleep?” she was startled as she heard his voice. it was deep and rough and raspy, and she wanted to hear more of it.

“did i wake you?” she whispered, looking up at him.

“well considering the fact that you’re squeezing me to death, letting me unable to breathe, i’ll say that was a great factor to me waking up,” he dropped his head down on the pillow as she chuckled, holding onto him tightly.

“can you blame me?” she asked, daring to place a kiss on his chest.

“no, i can’t blame you,” he smiled, sliding an arm beneath her, he moved her so she was now sitting on top of him. she raised an eyebrow.

“you like me being on top, don’t you?” she teased, leaning down, her lace covered breasts touching his chest, her lips hovered over his.

“it’s the greatest view,” he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. she breathed in deeply, her hands going up to his face. she loved the feeling of his lips on hers.

“so much pining, anticipation…” she said as she breathed, diving back in, “desperately waiting.” her lips went down to his neck, where the evidence of the night before was littering his skin. they hadn’t had sex, max knew that had to be her choice, and he sure as hell didn’t want their first time together to be like that. “you know i woke up late… that day we met,” she said, her nails running up and down his stomach, where she could feel his muscles tensing, “or maybe… i woke up just in time to stumble into you.”

she sat up, looking for his hands. he laced their fingers together, keeping them by her sides as he sat up as well, coming face to face with her.

“and now… i get to wake up by your side.”

“my hands shake,” he said, “i’ve noticed that… whenever i know that i’m going to see you, my hands start shaking. and since last saturday, they never stopped shaking, because i didn’t know when i would see you again.”

“and now you know,” she said, bringing his hands up to her lips, between them, “you know that i’m never leaving your side.”

“good.”

“you’ve changed my life. i didn’t know i could connect with someone, so deeply and real, and i’ve loved being your friend, but now… i want more.”

“i used to be lucky enough to call my best friend, way back before you were my everything,” he said, making her breath hitch, he leaned in, letting go of one of her hands to move her hair away, his lips touched her neck. “now i’m sucking your neck,”

“you did that before, though,” she said, sighing at the feeling, “with tequila,”

“it’s different now,” he continued, “now, i just want to lay back, and watch you pin me to the bed,” he confessed, “and we’ll get as far as you want to.”

“give it time,” she said, kissing his cheek as she obeyed, she pushed him back against the bed, one of her hands slid up to his throat. “is this what you imagined?”

“this is much better,” he smiled, “and no pressure. you’re the boss here.”

he waited. she waited. they waited until she was sure she couldn’t fall more in love with him, but she realized that day would never come since max found a way, each day, to make her feel like the only girl in the world.

so she tried.

february 14th, 2022.monte-carlo, monaco.

she sat on top of max, with her knees on either side of him. she held his face with one hand, the other was curled around his soft strands of hair. their lips were tangled together, and even with that certainty that they were as close as possible, she could still feel max’s hands shaking on top of her hips.

“i want-” she started, breaking the kiss to speak, she pressed her forehead against his, “i’m ready.” she said. “i’m ready. i want you,”

“wh- you-” max started, but was cut off by her lips on his again.

“please. it’s valentine’s day, and- and i bought this new dress, that i know i look hot in,”

“so hot,” he said, kissing his way down to her neck.

“and i bought it… just so you could take it off. so, max emilian verstappen,” she pulled him by his hair, making him look at her, “take this dress off, and fuck me like you love me.”

she was breathing hard, and she could feel the way her words were affecting him. she’d gotten used to teasing him, learning what he liked, what made him sigh and beg for more. she wanted him to be the one begging, but if things went well that night, she’d hopefully be hearing that soon.

“i love you, deeply and true. it’s real and intense, and passionate. it’s full of desire and complete love. i don’t think there’s another word to describe it other than… love. so, no, i won’t fuck you like i love you… i’ll worship,” he kissed her neck, “i’ll cherish,” he nipped at the skin, making her sigh, her hips moved forward involuntarily, “i’ll love you that way.”

max took his time with her. her mind had gone blank, she let herself just feel.

he continued biting, sucking her neck. he could feel the way she was breathing fast, he lifted his hand and wrapped it around her throat, his lips met hers as he flipped both of them over, setting her over the covers softly. the red dress she wore made her look like a goddess. a goddess of seduction, temptation. her hair framed her face, in a way that made him want her more. her eyes looked brighter, her skin was glowing, her lips were full, swollen.

desire turned her into a whole different woman.

no, desire brought out the goddess hiding inside the woman.

“come,” max said, grabbing her hands. he helped her up, they stood in front of the other, max brought his hands up to her face, holding her gently. “i love you. i’ve loved you since the first moment. let me love you how you deserve to be loved.”

“please,” she whispered. he leaned closer, and they kissed, slow, deep. he slipped the straps of her dress down her shoulders, his hands moved to the back, finding the zipper. “take it off,” she sighed.

“patience,” he said, pecking her lips.

“i’m done being patient. i’ve already waited long enough to have you,” she said, max wanted to smirk, wanted to keep the game going, but this wasn’t the time.

he started pulling the dress down, and as the fabric abandoned her body, he made sure to cover it with kisses. his lips met every inch of skin that was available to him. he paid extra attention to her breasts, played with them and relished in every sigh, whimper and praise that left her lips. that made max work harder. he didn’t want to stop hearing those words coming from her.

minutes later, max couldn’t wipe the grin off his face as he climbed on top of her, his lips were glistening, and she was biting her lips as she watched him. she held his face and pressed their lips together, tasting herself as well. she was still coming from the highs of her orgasm when she felt his fingers on her core again.

“max, please,” she whispered. his fingers were replaced by his cock, and she bit her lip, hissing.

“no turning back now,”

“i’m not even going to try,” she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

adrenaline, lust, love was rushing through their veins. this feeling was inescapable, not that either of them wanted to be somewhere else, feel something else. this was better than anything they’d ever felt, experienced before.

when they met, not even a year ago, they didn’t imagine that they’d be there at that moment.

“i love you,” she said, feeling another orgasm approaching as max gently moved his hips.

“you’ll love this,” he said, grabbing her hips and flipping them over, so she was on top.

“oh,” she whimpered, this new position gave her all the control, it let her feel everything. "oh, wow,"

“it's your turn now," max smiled, feeling her nails clawing at his chest, "what was it that you said? fuck me like you love me."

“fuck yes,” she whimpered, feeling max burying his hands on her hips as she started moving back and forth, getting used to this new sensation. “fuck, that feels amazing,” she threw her head back as she placed her hands on max’s chest, when she was ready, she raised her hips, then sank back down.

“god, you are amazing,” he grunted, helping her fuck herself on his cock. he laid back against the pillows, in awe of the beauty that was her. her, wrapped up in the bliss and pleasure that she was getting from using him.

“so, so good,” she whispered, furrowing her eyebrows as she leaned forward, pressing her lips against max’s, their sweaty foreheads colliding as she sped up her movements.

“i can feel you…” he paused, grunting, “your walls tightening around me, fuck,” his voice was deep and rough, she shuddered as she heard him, unaware that she’d been doing it.

“that’s… good?” she asked between sighs, max had planted his feet on the mattress, raising his hips to meet her thrusts.

“it’s great, so great,” he panted, her movements were becoming uneven, she was getting close to another sweet release. “i got you,” max said, taking charge of the thrusts.

her fingers were wrapped around his hair, since he didn’t have that many public outings at that moment, he’d let his hair grow freely, she loved it. she loved all of him, every piece, every imperfection, everything.

he loved that he’d let her learn what she wanted, what she liked, to make this moment, one that he knew meant a lot to her, the best and most perfect experience.

june 12th, 2022.baku, azerbaijan.

“shit, shit, shit,” she muttered as she almost ran to the garage. it was fifty minutes before the race, and she was late. so, so late. max had been texting her every five minutes, texts she’d received about thirty minutes ago, when her plane landed.

perks of being famous and rich, a helicopter ride solved most of her problems.

she made her way through the people, fans, and other random vip guests that crowded the paddock. once she was inside the red bull garage she leaned against a wall to catch her breath.

“finally! he’s been driving all of us crazy,” she heard someone talking to her, and she sighed as she saw max’s race engineer, gianpiero with an exhausted look on his face.

“i know,” she breathed, “i know, but my flight got delayed, and then the-” her words were cut off when suddenly a body almost jumped on top of her. she wrapped her arms around max, “hey, i’m so sorry i’m late.”

“it’s fine,” his words came out muffled, he had his face hidden in her neck.

“were you terrorising everyone without me?” she snickered.

“can you blame me? you were supposed to be here yesterday, i was bored.”

“oh, so i’m just something for your entertainment?” she laughed, max leaned back.

“maybe…” he smiled sheepishly, she rolled her eyes and grabbed his face, leading his lips to hers.

“i want to show you something,” she said once he leaned back, letting her see his eyes for the first time in three weeks.

“max, come on, time to head out,” someone said, and she groaned internally.

“i’m sorry, i-”

“go, go, i’ll be right here, okay?” she smiled, pressing her lips against max’s one more time. “good luck, champ. this win is yours,”

“hopefully.” he chuckled.

“i’m sure of it, and i’m never wrong,” she raised an eyebrow.

“whoa,” he laughed, “i can count at least fifteen times you’ve said that in the past six months and… surprise, surprise, you were wrong,” she laughed, slapping his arm.

“go. before i leave you unable to drive that stupid car,” he grabbed her hips and brought her close, connecting their lips again.

the feeling of being right is one that she loved. she liked being smug for once, to look someone in the eye and say ‘i told you so’.

she was prepared to do that, but then she saw max wink at her from the podium, and she was fine with it.

she made her way back to the paddock, but someone sliding their arm around her shoulders made her stop.

“it’s been a while,” she looked to the side, smiling as she saw charles.

“hey! it’s good to see you,” she hugged him. “how are you feeling?” she asked, this race hadn’t been the kindest to him.

“i just… wish this bad luck could stop now,” she nodded, understanding his frustration.

“i know. i’m sure you’ll figure something out soon,”

“yeah, hopefully,” he sighed, shaking his head. “so, where has max been keeping you captive? you basically disappeared after miami,”

“shut up,” she laughed, elbowing his ribs, “i have a job, too.”

“i know, i know,” he laughed, “i’m just joking. don’t forget about your friends, though. you can’t abandon us just because you have a pretty new boyfriend now,” she narrowed her eyes.

“did you just call max ‘pretty’?” she laughed, and charles groaned, realizing he’d probably used the wrong word, “and don’t worry, i know how to balance my time with the people i care about.”

“well, why don’t we go out for drinks or something?” he said.

“sure, next week?” she lifted her brows.

“sounds like a plan,” charles smiled.

“what plan?” max asked, materializing in front of them.

“hey, champ!” she grinned, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing his cheek. “you did amazing out there.”

“thank you,” his cheeks blushed under her stare. “what were you two planning?” max asked, and she could feel his hands holding her tighter against him, could see the way his eyes changed when his eyes drifted from her, to charles.

“oh, just going out for drinks next week,” charles said, and his voice sounded small, like he was intimidated. good, max thought.

“great, we’ll see you there,” max smiled, a forced smile that she knew all too well, the one reserved for interviews.

charles gave them a tight-lipped smile, nodding.

“there’s this place with a… uh- rooftop and-” charles said, blushing.

“that sounds great, she loves rooftops, don’t you, darling?” max grinned, and she pinched his side in return.

“uh, i guess i’ll- see you there,” charles smiled before making his way to his own motorhome.

“couldn’t you be a bit nicer? he’s been struggling non-stop these weeks,” she bit back a smile, knowing that max was jealous, even though he had nothing to worry about.

“i know, i already talked to him in the media pen,” max rolled his eyes, “why did you talk to him before you talked to me?” he almost pouted.

“ah, because everyone wanted to talk to the winner, the championship leader and current world champion,” she placed her hands on his face, squishing his cheeks together, “i could wait,”

“well, i’m not making you wait anymore. come on,” he grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, he walked her to the red bull motorhome.

hours later, they sat on max’s jet, the seats were incredibly comfortable, perfect for the long journey ahead. since the time difference would be quite significant, they decided to head to canada as soon as possible to get used to jet lag.

“hey, you were going to tell me something,” max remembered, “what was it?” he asked.

“oh,” she felt nervous, all of a sudden, “yeah, show you something, actually,”

“okay, what is it?” he asked, reaching for her hand.

“don’t freak out,” she started, biting her lip. “i did something,”

“o-kayy,” he frowned, “tell me now because i’m starting to worry,”

“you know how… i told you about the sparkly ink?” she started, and continued when max nodded, “i got a tattoo,”

“what?” max asked, reaching for her hands with his, pulling her to his lap.

“yeah, it’s… something small, but, you know, it’s important cause… it was my first,” her voice was small, shy.

“where did you get it? can you show me or…” he leaned close to her ear, “is it somewhere private?” she could feel his breath on her skin, it made her laugh, it helped dissipate the nerves.

“it’s here,” she pointed to her wrist, that was decorated with bracelets. max’s eyes went down to her hand, he held her arm running the pads of his fingers over it.

“can i?” he asked, holding one of the bracelets. she nodded and turned her wrist, so he couldn’t see the tattoo just yet. he removed them all, sliding them one by one and placing them on her other arm.

“before you see it i… i just want to say that even though it’s soon, i already love you more than i’ve ever loved anyone, anything. and i don’t… want to think too much about the future, but- even if we don’t end up together in the future,” she said, and felt max’s hand holding hers tighter, clearly not comfortable or too happy with the idea of them being apart, that made her heart beat faster, “i will always have love for you, you’ve marked me, inside and out. you’ve changed me completely, and i’ll never be the same person i was before i met you. you’ve brought out the best of me, and that’s why…” she cleared her throat, “i have this, to remember you, anywhere, anytime.”

she turned her wrist, there, right in the middle, a golden number 3.

she was watching him expectantly, waiting to see a reaction, but all max did was blink.

“and- and the good thing is, like you said- that- the three can turn into an 8. and if you turn it around the- the 8 can become an infinite. you- you know, the symbol for-” she rambled, but was cut off by max’s lips on hers. he held her face with both of his hands, and kissed her with such force, in a way that let her know that he wasn’t upset.

“there’s no need. no need for you to change it. i love it, and i love you. and you have nothing to worry about, cause you and i-” he pressed his forehead against hers, “we’re forever.”

@lovingroscoee

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mikodrawnnarratives · 6 months

Text

TW IMPLIED CHARACTER DEATH

TW BLOOD

(Just like last time, it isn't really graphic but I'm tagging just so you know)

@naffeclipse

Part 1 | This is Part Two | Part Three | Extra

It. Probably won't need a part 4

I'm doing this all on one cps file so I sure hope so kjlfdkfljs

i'm at like- 750+ layers i'm so sorry my file

...there might be a part 4 but it'll be small sketches and aftermaths

Once again, long post under the cut:

I am not the only traveler, who has not repaid his debt.

I've been searching for a trail to follow again

Take me back to the night we met

- The night we met by Lord Hurdon

Alright, I didn't make too much of an effort to hide it but how many of you guessed it was gregory and how many of you didn't see it coming?

Gee I wonder who Gregory's companions are

Okay if you don't have a nugget of who these companions are then my rambling below makes it a little more obvious

Anyway, this little comic of self indulgence to mend my broken heart says "YO what if Gregory and other characters saved Vanessa like they did in canon"

It certainly would NOT be easy for Vanessa once she wakes up to that realization. But there are factors that make it a little bit easier for Vanessa to cope compared to other children.

Since Gregory and others proved they could fight and free her as Vanny, it gives her mind a little reassurance that they aren't completely helpless.

Plus, I like the idea of the GGY story (Dr Rabbit) existing as this au's equivalent of the same experience, that would mean Gregory has had his own bad experiences with Glitchtrap and so it wouldn't be like some random kid going against a threat he was unfamiliar with

She still distances herself a lot earlier on and the more time passes, the older Gregory gets, the less he looks and sounds like a kid.

Those make it much easier for Vanessa to stand being around them as time goes by. Earlier on, she only really interacted when absolutely necessary. But she did grow a small soft spot for them.

She remained pretty closed off about herself over the years and never delved too deep about her past. Ness left frequently for her own hunting jobs and at one point Gregory asked where she went. Somethings made it seem like these hunts weren't just random and different

He didn't get an answer of course. But later that day, Vanessa told him about Y/n. In vague terms. This is the most information he ever gets about Vanessa's past.

So Gregory's got no idea who to expect to see showing up to the gravestone ltr on and is just like

Gregory: cool, ur mysterious enough for it to be believable ur related to my mysterious older sister/mentor figure Wanna hear a story

Y/n: ...yes.

Forgive him his brain is ever so foggy from grief and no slep

Anyway, Y/n picked a day to visit Vanessa when they knew they were stable enough not to lash out and attack any humans that may happen to also be visiting the graves. They had eaten pretty recently but not so recent that they were vulnerable.

It's pretty early in the morning where it is still dark and the rain provides some more protection.

If you couldn't tell before, many MANY years have passed since Y/n has been human. Think somewhere between 20-30 years. And while, they still hate who they are now and aren't mentally okay, they've gotten a semi-solid understanding of their limits and what they can and cannot tolerate and when.

And, even though they are nervous, they can manage to have this conversation with Gregory for now.

Why are they talking to Gregory so willingly? despite the risks?

well

the next part will explain that

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ohcorny · 5 months

Text

i need to post loic soulsov character analysis because if i don't i'll die. he's been plaguing my thoughts for *checks watch* like three to four days because we get SO much information about him and who he is in just this one nugget of the game and i'm spinning out of control about it.

spoilers for the most raw bits of the prelude so obviously go play the game first and then come back and read me ramble and make wild assumptions about this man and the direction of his character

so i have been obsessed with this (paraphrased because i'd have to whip through nearly the whole game again to correctly quote it) exchange between the voice and loic:

"Are you prepared for the world Ysme would create?" "Could it really be any worse than this one?"

and god. bro. bro. the absolute devastation necessary for this man to feel this way, about a woman who lied to him from the moment they met (which he clocked! very early on!), mugged him with a gun, SHOT him with that gun, and then when she became his ghost-god immediately realized she could force him to commit suicide by cop if she wanted. this woman did all of this to him, and when given the opportunity to just let her die--arguably justifiable given her goals and how she threatened him and the fact her death was entirely of her own doing--he doesn't. even though "don't let this woman die", a morally good thing on its face, is actually "let this violent, selfish woman become god with the ability to remake the world in her image, while also becoming her slave" and he knows it.

because to him, that's preferable to the world he lives in. your world has to be so bad for that to be the case.

and it is! his world is that bad. not the physical actual world, which yes, is harsh and cold and dangerous outside the mosaic, but his world, his daughter, in an incurable coma. there is a cruelty to somebody you love being incurably sick. to the selfish, hurting heart, it can be worse than if they were just dead. you can mourn somebody who's dead, and move on from your grief, but as long as they're still living, you're shackled to hope, constantly grieving. there is no moving on, there is only waiting for it to end. you might bargain, as loic does in his search for the flower to cure her, but it's still just waiting.

and when ysme comes into his life, he gives up on waiting. he has been haunting his own life until then, doing good at lamplight because it was within his power while he was there, but i don't think it was ever with dedication. it was something to pass the time as he looked for the flower. essentially selling his soul, surrendering his free will to ysme, this incredibly dangerous, selfish woman, is better than living as he has been. because he's selfish too.

what i like so much about loic is that he's presented as this very kind, soft, unassailable dad who wants to do the right thing. A Down to Earth Good Guy, to contrast with the chaos of ysme, but he's fucking selfish! while he couldn't have predicted the raw physical power of exalted ysme, he still knew she would receive the power to remake the world. and he still decided: fuck this world.

the natural assumption is that his kindness will balance out ysme, and i'm here for that narrative, but honestly. i think she's going to make him worse. the seed of selfishness is already in him, and he's indulged it by giving her power over him, and that must be in some way a relief. he's effectively surrendered responsibility for himself and his actions over to her. he can no longer be fully blamed for anything now that she has power over him.

and i think he's tired of being nice. i think he's ready to go apeshit.

.........and while that would make a good button to end this on, i have to mention: there is a non-zero chance he thinks she's hot and the idea of being a goddess' slave is hot. he's a grown ass man who we know for a fact HAS fucked, and while ysme was like "i thought you were a dead wife guy. i guess you still could be" my money is on divorced. my theory is lia was going over to her mom's house in that flashback.

like yes, all of that above is the main motivator, but i'm not ready to discount sex. loic wants to be lifestyle dommed. because what i just described about surrendering his free will is literally the appeal of being a sub: giving somebody else control, so you don't have to feel the weight of it. this is a story for adults about adults and it is on that le guin shit of linking a sexual fantasy inexorably to the world building and plot thrust, and i am ESPECIALLY here for that.

and i think that's everything i had to say about loic soulsov. i am exorcised. i'm better now.

#soulsov #soul of sovereignty #i wish i could bring this energy of analysis to my fuckin book club but i'm here writing essays about hot dads instead

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hyperfixatedfandomer · 7 months

Note

Okay, I can't stop thinking about Richter getting a little bit older. He's in his early teens, like 13-14 and gets a puppy crush on someone. And he just like, absolutely cannot figure out how to navigate that.

So either,

1. He indirectly asks Olrox for advice. In that roundabout way because he is shy about that one thing. And will not admit he needs help.

2. Olrox notices himself

How Olrox goes about this I leave it up to you.

I'm obsessed with this AU.

(Young Richter gets captured by Olrox as revenge: a bittersweet found family AU introduction post)

Ok before everything let’s establish how Richter would have looked when reaching an older age in Olrox’s captivity care:

(Art by me obv)

As you can see, our peepaw’s influence is all over the place. He turned a rugged kid who likes running in the mud into a fine little gentleman (that still likes running in the mud, but Olrox holds out hope that he grows out of it), so normally Richie wouldn’t feel insecure about his looks, until he met her that is.

It was a girl his age, working part-time at her father’s bakery in the settlement near which he and his kidnapper father lived in their estate. They quickly grew fond of each other and proceeded to hang out almost every day, which alarmed Olrox at first, but seeing his son being happy out-weighted the anxiety and he let it go. Of course he did have certain suspicions, especially when Richter began spending a little too much time twirling in the mirror and fixing his hair, but still gave the kid benefit of the doubt. Until today.

“Um, papá…”

Olrox looked up from his paperwork. “Yes, Richter?”

“How do I look?”

The man almost did a double take. Alright, that was new.

“Perfect as always, my son.”

That seemed to give Richie some confidence, but not enough.

“Are…are you sure?”

“I haven’t gone blind just yet. I’d say I am.” He smiled.

“Okay, good, that’s…good. Anyway, I’m going to Elyna’s place, don’t expect me til’ dinner!” He turned on his heel.

Olrox smirked. “Can’t live without your little friend, huh~?”

Richter whipped his head. “I-we’re not a thing!”

“Didn’t say you were.”

Silence.

“Are you sick by any chance? Your face is burning.”

“You just love getting your nose into my business don’t you.” Belmont hissed.

“My child, you made it excruciatingly obvious what the business was. It’s not my fault you can’t hide your feelings to save your life. I won’t be surprised if Élyna already knows all about your crush.”

“What!?” Richter stared, wide-eyed.

“Although I’d say you’re safe, judging by the dreamy looks she keeps giving you.” Olrox propped his chin on his hand, paperwork completely forgotten.

“…wait, really?”

“Have you not noticed?”

“No!?”

“Or the way she keeps carving out more and more time for you?”

The boy’s jaw dropped to the floor as the puzzle assembled in his head and Olrox couldn’t help but laugh at it.

“Oh my sweet boy…” He sighed. “You know what? Take the horse. Ladies love animals.”

“Wait, really? I can take Carter??”

“If you’re planning on winning her heart, might as well court her properly. In addition, witnessing that you keep a steed will put you in favour with her father. He’ll be more lenient if he sees that her daughter’s suitor has a wealthy family.”

“Oh my—we’re not gonna get married!”

“Give it a week and you’ll see how quickly you change your mind.” Olrox smirked. It’s just how childish crushes went, after all.

#castlevania #castlevania au #castlevania fanfiction #castlevania nocturne #castlevania richter #richter belmont #nocturne richter #castlevania olrox #nocturne olrox #Olrox

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heyidkyay · 1 year

Text

Who can say no to bridezilla? |

Part one

I had to write another after seeing the love the last one got, thank you btw! I've actually missed writing a fair bit so I'm glad you enjoyed it.

> With this one, I started and just couldn't stop, so I might make it into a couple of parts? Maybe? Idk, let me know if that's something anyone would want:)

Summary: With no date to your sister's wedding, what are you to do? No worries though, she's already got it covered, well, sort of...

Masterlist

"It's just annoying. I mean- don't get me wrong, I'm proper chuffed you're finally tying the knot and all, but it's just a shitty situation.” I huffed defeatedly as I leant up against the cabinet, watching as a grey sky crept by my kitchen window.

“I know,” I heard my sister sigh, her voice soft even through the phone’s tinny speaker. “And I’m sorry, but you know what mum’s like, y/n/n. She’ll be devastated when she finds out you’re coming alone! That, and the fact that if you don’t end up bringing a plus one, all of my wedding photos will turn out uneven… And I really, really need this day to be perfect! I want you to think its perfect! To enjoy it! Not just be sat there on the sidelines, watching.”

I closed my eyes for a long moment as I ran a hand through my hair. It was in dire need of a good wash, but between my job and the stress of having recently moved, I hadn’t found the time to even sit down. Still, I could understand where my sister was coming from, and I really wanted her to have the picture perfect day she’d always dreamt of too. But, we both knew that she was laying it on thick now, and with me being the eldest, we both also knew I’d do just about anything to make her happy. This though, was a big ask.

“Listen, yes things ended badly between Alex and I, but now that it’s all finally over, I just don’t think I have it in me to try and force myself to find someone else to replace him. Not yet, anyway.”

Alex, being my most recent ex. We’d parted ways about three months ago now- though ‘parted’ definitely wasn’t the term I preferred to use. But how else was I supposed to describe him cheating and me having to walk in on it happening? With my best mate of all people, too.

Yeah, that hadn’t been the easiest of transitions, especially since I’d also been flat-sharing with the pair of them.

But my sister knew all of this already.

“Mum will just have to worry about me being lonely a little longer, y/s/n, and I'll just have to prepare myself to deal with her constant fussing over me for the entire evening.” I attempted to cajole, not wanting to outright deny her. “As well as the rest of my life, I suppose.” I added unhelpfully under my breath.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love my mum, God, she was just about the only person who truly understood me. That, and she’d done absolutely everything within her power to make sure that her kids had gotten everything she'd never had. She was an utter saint. But saying that, she could also tend to be a tad bit… overbearing.

“Ah come on, she won’t be that bad!” My sister fired back before she then paused, as though she’d only just understood the words she’d spoken. I couldn’t not let out an airy chuckle when she sighed, “Alright, fair enough, she will be. But! If you just ask someone along, you won’t have to spend my entire wedding day avoiding her!”

I groaned, rubbing at my face.

“It’s been months since I ended things with Al- mum knows that, babe. I’ve had her on the phone almost every day since, hassling and FaceTiming me constantly to make sure I’m still alive. She even sends down little care packages in the post! Care. Packages. Y/s/n.”

I actually looked over towards the most recent arrival which had awoken me early the previous morning. It was still where I’d left it, chucked beside the foot of the sofa, barely opened.

Again, I adored the woman, but she tended to be a fair bit dramatic. I could really see where my sister got it all from.

“Besides, how am I supposed to convince her I'm perfectly fine with someone I've only just met hanging off my arm?” I added, puttering on over to the sink to fill the kettle. I think I could feel another migraine coming on.

“I get it, y/n, I do. And I’m also sorry for suggesting it, but if I knew of an easier solution that would magically solve all our problems, then I would. But I don’t, and even though I want the biggest day of my life to go perfectly, I also want you happy.”

I could hear the sincerity in her voice and as I picked up my mug and tossed a teabag inside, I could also picture her sat at the dinning table back home, foot anxiously tapping away in an attempt to conjure up a better idea. She was a nitpicker, right down to the very bone, and I could only guess the amount of stress she was putting herself under in order to make sure that her wedding went off without a hitch for all those involved.

After a few moments of shared silence, she spoke again, “To be honest, I can’t believe you stuck around as long as you did.”

My mind wandered back to all the time I’d wasted on Alex. We’d met growing up, he’d been our next door neighbour. We went through all of primary school despising one another, only to end up in the same friendship group come secondary. It didn’t take much more than that for us to suddenly become joined at the hip. He’d been my best mate, and when we finally got together, I’d pictured the rest of our lives spent with one another.

He’d honestly really fucked me over in the end. I hadn’t just lost my boyfriend that day, but both of my closest friends, as well as a few others who’d taken his side in the awkward aftermath that came when most relationships ended. But that being said, I felt more at peace now than I had in a long while. With every relationship came troubles, and by the end of ours, I guessed we had more than most. That wasn’t me making excuses for him though- nah, he was still a massive prick.

“Yeah, me either.” I admitted, a breathy chuckle slipping from my lips as I softly shook away the rest of my thoughts.

“I am proud of you though, for moving on as well as you have. Always knew he was an arse.” Came my sister’s voice and I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me.

I grinned, so very thankful for her.

“God, was he!” I agreed instantly, listening to her giggle as I laughed, “A right tit.”

“Oh!”

I blinked at the sudden exclamation heard from down the phone and furrowed my brow slightly as the last of my laughter tittered out, “You alright there?”

“Uh, yes! I’ve just had the most perfect idea!” My sister declared, not even giving me the chance to question her before she was off on a tangent. “Forget about having to chat anyone up, or having some godawful colleague of yours to pose as a fake date- I’ve already got the perfect person for you!”

I felt my mouth part slightly in confusion and was just about to speak up when she beat me to the punch, seemingly excited about whatever plan she’d formulated in her head.

“Right, okay, just listen. I know this guy, a friend of Adam’s, yeah? He’s been off of relationships for a little while now, not really looking for anything at the moment ‘cause he’s been away for a bit. Busy, and what not. But y/n, he’s a right charmer, proper looker, too! He also happens to owe Ad a big favour!”

I closed my eyes for a moment, frowning. “What are you getting at here, y/s/n?”

The huff that sounded then, all but echoed in my ear and I couldn’t not roll my eyes at her dramatics.

“He can be your date, y/n! I know he’d be well up for helping us out if I give him free-rein to do what he pleases, always up for a laugh, and he'll be able to keep mum off your back about finding someone new. Plus, I can guarantee you a good time because I just know that the two of you will instantly hit it off.”

“What?” I squawk, far beyond perplexed. “You can’t just ask some randomer to pretend to be my date to your wedding, y/s/n! Are you actually insane?”

“He’s not some randomer though! I know him through Adam, and Adam’s known him since school!” My sister pestered, and I could practically feel her excitement bubbling up from down the phone. “He’s well lovely, nothing like He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named— Plus! When we were first introduced, I’d had the thought of setting him up with you, but well, you know, you were still with What’s-his-face and you seemed happy enough.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, to be frank. And went to say as much, when she cut me off again.

“Come on, y/n/n! It’ll be so great! And besides, who would it hurt? You’re both single, not looking for any sort of commitment, and both without dates to my wedding. Mum’ll be over the moon about it, too, once I let her know! And this way, I won’t have to fork out God knows how much on another two plus ones.”

“I’m really not sure about- hang on, he’s already going?” I questioned, confusedly.

“He’s Adam’s best mate, of course he’s coming!”

“I thought Ad’s best mate was George?”

Her eye roll was implied when she retorted. “You can have more than one best mate, y/n. Look, you worry too much. I’ll have Ad phone him now and ask, yeah? If he agrees, I’ll get him to message you.” I was still beyond fucking baffled and could hear the obvious delight which lined my sister’s tone. “That settles it, I’ll do it right now. So talk to you later, yeah? God, I'm so excited! Love you lots!”

Then she was gone.

I let the phone fall away from my ear and stared down at the blank screen with vacant eyes.

What the fuck.

“What the actual fuck?” I found myself asking my empty flat aloud. I rubbed at my forehead tiredly before I ultimately tossed the device onto the pile of cushions perched on the nearest armchair, leaving it there to hopefully die, or something.

Didn’t quite turn out that way though. I ended up fishing it out about an hour later when I’d started running a bath, needing it for it’s musical capabilities.

It was then, after the tub had filled and I’d slipped into its mountain of bubbles, that a notification disturbed the perfect playlist I’d curated.

I grumbled as I pulled myself up and out of the water.

It was a text from an unknown number, I frowned as I unlocked the device.

“Oh, for fucks sake!”

I hadn’t actually believed that she would do it. Ask someone to be her sister’s fake date to her own wedding! But I really, really, really should’ve known better.

And so I tossed the phone back on the side, submerging my body in its entirety back under the soapy water in hopes that I might just drown. She was so dead.

—

Maybe I’d been a tad bit hasty in scheduling the perfectly timed event of my sister’s impending death.

Listen, I could admit when I was being a total drama queen, but my sister had well and truly pushed her luck this time around, and so I’d been quick in my judgement of the situation. Perhaps a little too quick.

Several weeks had passed since that day and in the time leading up to my sister’s wedding, I had spent a good portion of it texting Matty back and forth.

That was his name, by the way- the poor bloke my sister had roped into accompanying me on her big day. And if I was being honest, I was rather grateful for the fact that she’d chosen to stick her big nose in where it wasn’t wanted and set the whole thing up. Though, I might have been better inclined to admit so if she’d been a whole lot more normal and just introduced the two of us in a much more conventional way.

When Matty had texted me that first night- rather delighted by the fact that he’d been gifted the privilege of a front row ticket to the shit-show I was still calling my life- I’d been dreading the entire thing.

He had taken the utter piss out of me in all truth, and had then proceeded to rinse the shit out of the entire situation for all it was worth. But, strangely enough, he’d done so in the very best way.

I can honestly admit that I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard as I have than when I’m messaging Matty. He was everything my sister had described and more.

He knew how to have a good laugh, when to flirt or to tease, and he was pretty open about the things that mattered most to him once you’d bartered your way past that overzealous ego of his. He also appeared to love music almost as much as me, which was honestly saying something. And he spoke highly of his family and friends, in length too when they had come up here and there in conversation.

I really hadn’t expected to have grown so close to him in the time we’d spent texting back and forth, but there was just something about him, in his nature maybe, that just made things feel so easy.

It was so, so strange, because I hadn’t even seen a picture of the bloke, and I’d only ever heard a few short snippets of his voice through the odd voicenote we'd shared here and there, but I’d openly call him a close friend to any one who now asked. It was as though we’d known each other for years.

And I really wasn’t one to let many people in, I liked the small family I had created for myself, one full of friends I’d known for eons, and relatives that meant the world to me. So to have Matty slip by all of my defences so effortlessly, was something I thought a lot about.

“Oi,” Jamie suddenly prompted with a bright grin, a jabbing finger to my side untangled me from my thoughts. "You ready for the big day?

I’d been stood a little way a way from the chapel’s entrance, waiting for everyone else to arrive, and was seemingly a little lost in my own head. Apprehensive, maybe. Jamie had startled me slightly as I’d not even heard his approach, but I allowed myself to relax somewhat as I gave him the once over.

“Just about.” I replied with a teasing smile, “Clean up nice, Jim. Loving the suit.”

Jamie was my cousin, but we were so close in age I practically saw him as another brother. We’d grown up together, which also meant that he’d been close with Alex too.

Though, he’d actually been one of the few people who had taken my side after everything that happened, even with the two boys having been rather close since they were kids. I was glad to still have him, so glad, even if it did mean that I still felt a little guilty about the whole thing from time to time.

“Don’t look too surprised.” Jamie laughed at my light jab as he pulled me in for a short hug. “Though, you are looking good too, I suppose.”

I swatted at his shoulder when we parted. “Don’t be a twat, you know I’m the best dressed here.”

“Oh yeah…” He dragged out sarcastically, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Definitely ready to upstage the bride.”

I just rolled my eyes as I laughed. “Where is bridezilla anyway?”

“Just saw her with your mum, actually. They were fussing about something or other, but I reckon they ended up sorting it out.” Jamie replied with a small shrug as he pulled on his lapels.

I let my eyes roam around the surrounding area again for a brief moment as he did, skirting over the mass of maple trees, which were now in full bloom, and the familiar faces that crowded the gravel drive.

“Exactly why I can never see myself going through with any of this.” I commented offhandedly, too preoccupied with the anxiety of finally meeting my so called date.

My gaze found Jamie’s again when he wearily voiced, “What- even when you were with…?” His voice held a hint of genuine curiosity.

I shrugged, in truth, I’d never really given it much thought, my wedding day. Even after having been with Alex all that time. I could just never see it happening for myself.

“Not really.” I said, “How about you though? Can you picture yourself all kitted out and waiting at the end of that aisle?”

Jamie laughed, his eyes squinted. “Not too sure about that. I mean I like the sound of it, spending forever with someone and all, but I dunno who’d be brave enough to have me.”

I snorted as I clapped my cousin’s shoulder in condolence. “They’d have to be a tad bit mental, Jim. But they’d also be fucking lucky too. You’re a gooden.”

“Love you.” Jamie smiled as he enveloped me in another hug. He was a lot taller than me now so he all but squished me into his side, but I couldn’t bring myself to mind even as I jokingly shoved him away.

“Stop, you’ll ruin my hair and makeup.” I scolded lightly, wrinkling my nose.

Jamie just chuckled, “Since when have you cared about any of that crap?”

“Never.” I grinned back at him in retort, “Just didn’t want you sliming all over me, snail-face.”

“You’re a right fucking weirdo, you know that?”

“I do, Jim, I do.”

I fixed the side of my dress whilst my cousin just rolled his eyes, seemingly content with waiting beside me now.

When I’d made sure that I was still somewhat presentable, mostly for both my mother and sister’s sake, I allowed myself to reevaluate the rest of the oncoming arrivers. Still no sign of that date of mine.

I sighed quietly, checking the time on my phone again to make sure I hadn’t missed a text.

“You all good there?” Jamie questioned quietly after a few minutes, I looked up to find him staring down at me with a concerned frown.

I hummed, “Fine, why?”

“Just seem a bit nervous, not like you that.”

I huffed a light laugh before shooting my cousin a somewhat strained smile. “Yeah, maybe a bit. It’s just I’m waiting for my date to arrive and-”

As I uttered that sentence Jamie’s eyes all but boggled out of his head, “You never said nowt about a date!”

I gave him a sheepish grin, I hadn’t really mentioned Matty to anyone. Only having allowed my sister to pass on the message that I wasn’t turning up completely alone to my mum. I’d not given much thought to anyone else’s reaction.

“Um, yeah.” I replied, feeling a little uncomfortable upon having to mentally decide whether I should let Jamie in on the truth or not. The kid had always been a massive blabbermouth though, he just couldn’t seem to help it, but I knew he’d understand wholeheartedly. “It's new, but it’s going good…”

Jamie’s smile was wide enough that I could practically see either side of his molars, a megawatt sort of thing.

Immediately I felt my stomach churn. There was that guilt again.

“I’m well chuffed for you, y/n/n! Can’t wait to meet the lucky fella- when’s he set to get here? Didn’t you come together? Where’d you even meet him, anyhow? Does y/s/n know you’re bringing him along?”

Fucking hell, what was with the twenty-one questions?

I swallowed thickly. I hadn’t realise how hard this was all going to be. Was the rest of the day going to be like this? All consuming guilt?

“Er, should be here soon enough, I think.” I found myself saying, playing with one of the rings on my left hand. “Something came up last minute- his mum needed him. Urgent, you know how it is… and he’s a right mummy’s boy that one! So I suggested he just meet me here, and well, he was grateful. Felt really bad though. Promised he wouldn’t be late and all that.”

Jamie seemed to be eating it up and just kept nodding along, making me feel as though I had to continue on.

“We actually met through y/s/n, weirdly enough. She introduced us when I’d popped round to surprise her a while back. He’s close with Adam, best mates and that. We just hit it off I guess.”

I silently cursed myself and my ability to not know when to stop. fucking. rambling. But I was too nervous to think up a believable enough lie and so I’d decided to just tangent off from the truth. It was close enough, I figured.

“Awh, I’m so happy for you, cuz. Congrats!” Jamie said, obviously thrilled for me, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “Know why you’re so wound up now, your mum will be on your case all night!”

We shared a laugh. Because wasn’t that the fucking truth.

I tried my hardest to hide my slight grimace though as I allowed my cousin to congratulate me. During a few shared conversations with Matty, we had thought up a convincing enough plan, but now that it was time to put it all into action I wasn’t sure we’d actually be able to pull it off. Especially with the reminder that we’d be lying to my mum of all people.

“Oh shit, there’s Laura! Best head on over.” Jamie suddenly announced, his eyes focused on a brunette in the distance, far enough that I had to squint to even make out who he was referring to.

But before I could comment or question Jamie’s twenty/twenty vision, my cousin was already bouncing on the balls of his feet, all but ready to run off.

He turned to me before he did though, squeezing my shoulder slightly. “Make sure you come find me with this date of yours, yeah? Gotta make sure he meets the mark.” I smiled, a little touched. “But I truly am buzzing for you, y/n. After everything, you deserve someone good.”

My chest ached and as my cousin gave me one final grin I couldn’t help but feel a little like the grinch, my heart had to have shrunk to half its size at the very thought of having just lied to Jamie.

I couldn’t linger too long on the regret I felt though as my phone buzzed in my hand. Immediately I peered down at it, chewing on my lower lip.

As the screen lit up, I frowned. What the fuck had I gotten myself into?

Matty had just messaged, but before I could even think up a reply I heard a few of the other guests around me start to whisper. I glanced up and over to where I then heard a muffled squeal. I pulled a face as I watched one of my younger cousins, Arielle who’d just turned fifteen, jump behind Jordan, her older brother.

I shook my head and pivoted slightly, eyes scanning over the rest of the guests who had yet to make their way into the chapel. A few of the women were openly staring down the gravel drive, gossiping amongst themselves, and I couldn’t not follow their gaze.

I was really confused, everyone’s attention seemed to be drawn towards the figure who was wandering closer. He was decent looking, I supposed, clad in a fitted tuxedo he'd paired with a black bowtie and an uncaring expression, but he was no James Dean. So I couldn’t quite get my head round why they were all so bothered.

As he grew nearer, I took in what I could. The dark narrowed eyes hidden beneath a pair of furrowed brows, the cropped cut of the hair he’d greased back, the handful of silver rings which cluttered his fingers. What caused me to pause though was the cigarette, which hung effortlessly from his bottom lip. Because, shit.

Instantly my focus moved back down to where my phone screen was now dimming and I quickly tapped at the home screen to view the last message I’d been sent.

Keep an eye out for the oncoming smoker, alright x

My heartbeat quickened, and my gaze flitted back and forth between the approaching figure and the text. Surely it couldn’t have been anyone else.

“Sweetheart?” A voice called out with a sure northern twang, erupting goosebumps up both of my arms. I glanced up.

Sure enough it was him, he’d been the only one to ever call me that.

My throat grew dry, “Fuck me.”

“Little early for that, I reckon. Heard about there being an open bar though, buy me a drink and we can talk again later, yeah?” The man ribbed, smirking as he plucked the fag from his lip. He drew closer and I was taken back a bit from how confident he appeared, almost identical to the way he seemed over the phone. But now in tenfold.

"God, sorry.” I laughed, covering my face with the back of my hand as I shook my head to try and cover my reddening cheeks. “Didn’t expect, well- this.” I added, only furthering my embarrassment by vaguely gesturing towards him.

Matty’s grin dimmed almost immediately then, and I frowned.

“Hang on, you are Matty, right? The same Matty I’ve been messaging for weeks. The guy who texts me at all hours of the night going on about how ripe a banana has to be before you can eat it… and who sends me little voice memos of theme tunes he’s rewritten so that they sound aesthetically more pleasing?”

The man looked confused for a moment, and his brown eyes surveyed me before he ultimately chuckled. I blinked at the sudden change in behaviour.

“Guess you could put it like that.” Matty laughed once more, this time a little more airily. And God, did I want to listen to it on repeat. I’d thought about it once or twice, what it would be like to hear him laugh, to listen to him talk. “Hope you weren’t half-expecting some model to come waltzing in here. I mean, I’m fit but I can only do so much, babe.”

It was said jokingly and though Matty was probably one of the most vainest people I’d had the pleasure of meeting, I also knew that there was some genuine apprehension in his eyes. Almost like he’d been both dreading and craving this moment as much as I had.

“Fuck off! Model.” I scoffed, and laughed alongside him as I shook my head. But then I peered around at the few who were still staring and was now suddenly hyperaware of them all. I didn’t really think too much about it as I stepped in closer to shield him somewhat. “Christ, Matty. Feels like you’ve just walked off an album cover or something, with the way you’ve got everyone leering at you.”

And wow. I watched in slight disbelief as Matty scratched at the back his neck with a small, almost bashful smile. I took note of the small hoop he had cuffed around his lobe.

“Piss off.” The man chuckled, finding his feet again as he realised the proximity we now held. “Reckon they’re all looking at you though.” He commented, looking me over with a sly smile. “Hann painted a good picture, but you’ve exceeded all expectations, darling.”

I couldn’t help but smirk, regaining my usual confidence. “Spent a lot of time thinking about me, have you Healy?”

Matty’s tongue darted out to wet his lower lip, his unlit cigarette dangling between his fingers in the small space that separated our bodies.

“You’d know all about that, babe. Your first words, if I do recall, were 'fuck me'. And though I’d be happy to comply with your reasonable request, I don’t think Adam, or your sister, would very much approve of me taking you in front of all these lovely people.”

I hummed mischievously, eyeing him. Yeah, this was my Matty alright.

“Can’t say I’ll come to regret those words.” Then, before Matty could even think up another retort, I wound my arm around his and started leading us in towards the chapel. “Best play the part, yeah?”

And I had to dampen my grin when I heard the man’s joyous laughter sound beside me. Ignoring all of the other onlookers to sneak a peak over at him, I found myself loving the squinted grin he made as he tucked his cigarette behind his ear.

This night would definitely be memorable.

Part two >

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