Tumgik
#matching couple outfit ideas ❤️
theotherrichardpapen · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
43 notes · View notes
redbullgirly · 3 months
Note
Can you do a Lewis Hamilton smau where she is basically like Barbie? I feel like since Barbie is a fashion icon and so is Lewis, it would be a match made in Heaven. I read your pinned post and tried to make a request based on your rules. Sorry if it isn’t good enough
HI BARBIE! HI KEN! [part 1, LH44 smau]
Lewis Hamilton x reader
Masterlist & Hi Barbie! Hi Ken! [part2, LH44 smau]
Summary: Lewis Hamilton is part-time Formula One driver and full-time fashion icon. And so is his girlfriend, Y/N Y/L/N, who's also known as a real life Barbie.
Warnings: None... but a lot of pink XD. Also this story is set in December 2023, so no broken hearts over Lewis going to Ferrari... actually maybe just a little teaser.
Author's Note: Hi Anon! This request is great and thank you so much for it, it definitely is good enough! :) I had fun writing and creating this, even though at the end it's kind of different than what I firstly intended to do. The original idea was to make Y/N very Barbie coded, but at the end I'd say she's Barbie inspired and I focused more on the fashion icon part of the request. Though there's a sweet storyline about why her nickname is Barbie, so I hope you won't be disappointed! :)
lewishamilton posted on instagram
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by naomischiff, pierregasly, mercedesamgf1 and 1,089,234 others
tagged: yourusername
lewishamilton A lot happened in 2023 season and there was also a lot of outfits 🤞🏾✨
view all 7,867 comments
user1 MY GOD THIS MAN IS BEAUTIFUL!
yourusername this was definitely one of my favs 💝
liked by the author
lewishamilton What can I say... pink is the color of real men 🫶🏾
yourusername but do i still wear it the best?
lewishamilton Of course ma'am
user2 I love them sm 😭
user3 can we talk about the fact they're the best couple ever?!
user4 so sweet🥰
user5 And the fact she's literally the only person he interacts with in the comments...
user6 You are the best Lewis, can't wait for another season 👏
user7 🔥❤️
mercedesamgf1 Did someone say Barbie and Ken?💘
user8 YES
user9 admin you're so real for this... they literally ARE our barbie and ken 🤭
user10 The only question is who is the Barbie and who's the Ken? xd
user11 lol imagine barbie lewis💀
user12 GOAT ⬆️♥️
carmenmmundt Me and goergerussell63 when?
gourgerussell I don't really think pink is my colour...😬
yourusername don't worry honey, if he won't wear pink w you i will 😘
carmenmmundt Oh I knew why you're my favourite Y/N 😘
georgerussell63 No wait I changed my mind darling!!
carmenmmundt Hmm now I'll have to think about it 🤔
georgerussell63 Y/NNNNN
yourusername 😌😚
user13 i love how he always manages to get y/n into his posts
user14 The power boyfriend Lewis has over me😩😩
user15 RIGHT?!
user16 he's just so... asdgsagfsgd 😫
user17 I literally need this version of him to live!!!
user18 i'm weak for bf lewis🥵
user19 Y/N looks SO GOOD in that coat
user20 I need to know how she does it
user21 fr
user22 The best driver and a fashion icon... damn he's got some talent 🙇‍♂️
yourusername posted on instagram
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by lewishamilton, alexandrasaintmleux, arthur_leclerc and 321,873 others
tagged: lewishamilton and mercedesamgf1
yourusername great season and now it'll be even better winter break w my love 💋💞
view all 1,092 comments
f1 Our own Barbie🤩
liked by the author
user1 yeeeees
user2 Wait I'm new in formula one, why do we call Lewis Hamilton's gf Babrie??
user3 idk user2 she just gives off the energy 😆
user4 Actually I think Lewis himself once called her Barbie in an interview when there were rumors about them dating and then it just stuck with her 🤷‍♀️
user5 oh really?!! tbh i had idea he ever called he barbie himself... y/n is just iconic xd
user6 IT'S Y/N'S WORLD AND WE'RE JUST LIVING IN IT 🗣🗣
lewishamilton Can't wait to spend the winter break with you ✨
yourusername *mwah*
user7 pls I'm so excited for them!!
user8 the vacation photo dumps are gonna slay🤭
alexandrasaintmleux stoppp you're so pretty!🎀
yourusername nooo you are alex 🥹🫶
user9 they could never make me hate these two just 'cause they're dating the hottest drivers on the grid🫡
user10 The outfit in the second photo? HELLO?!
kellypiquet 🤍
liked by the author
charles_leclerc I see you like the Monaco circuit very much👀
yourusername i see you're stalking my photo dumps very carefully charles leclerc 🤨
charles_leclerc Well I have a feeling we'll see each other more often soon so I have to get to know you better😉
this comment has been deleted by charles_leclerc
charles_leclerc Caught in the crime😂
user11 WHAT WAS THAT CHARLES?!
user12 omg I wasn't the only one to see it? I'm not delusional right?🫣
user13 idk what you saw 'cause i didn't but this interaction is so funny to me XD
user14 mommy- sorry... MOTHER
user15 ❣️❣️
user16 y/n & lew >>>>
twitter
Tumblr media Tumblr media
yourusername posted on instagram
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by f1, lewishamilton, maxverstappen1, oscarpiastri and 874,012 others
tagged: lewishamilton
yourusername i'm barbie. he's just a ken (and he won some trophy for p3 in the championship... idk where it is) 💖💄
view all 9,237 comments
user1 I live for Lewis leaving the trophy there💀
user2 and the way y/n basically confirmed this by saying she has no idea where it is😭
lewishamilton You're everything. I'm just Ken 🙏🏾✨
yourusername exactly... though you're the best ken ever 💞
sebastianvettel Isn't he more like Allan then?
yourusername ohhh true seb 🤭
user3 YOU WANNA TELL ME THE SEBASTIAN VETTEL SAW BARBIE
yourusername yeah we made him watch it and he cried during gloria's speech 💓
sebastianvettel I'm not ashamed about it.
yourusername and that's why i love u seb 🫶
user4 why aren't all men like sebastian???😩
user5 I love these three with all my heart y'all don't understand
user6 my fav driver watching my fav movie and crying during speech about feminism is my roman empire
user7 AAAHSDFHFGSDHSG😍
f1 If there was a prize for fashion icons, the Hamilton household would definetly win it! 🏆
liked by the author
user8 not admin calling them hamilton household🥹
user9 Lol that would be the only fairly given trophy this year
user10 OMG I just realized that one day Y/N and Lewis WILL be both HAMILTON😭😭
user11 I'll tattoo the date of their wedding on my arm fr
user12 that's real dedication user11 💀
user13 TRUE DEFINITION OF A QUEEN... LOVE YOUUUUUU
kellypiquet Gorgeous darling!💖💖💖
yourusername we both babeee 💖🫶
user14 the IT wags casually supporting each other
user15 I love they're still friends even though their bfs are probably the biggest rivals xd
user16 not the shade about the trophy💀
user17 Waiiittt what happened?
user18 someone who was at the ceremony said lewis gave him the prize 'cause he didn't want it😭
user17 Oh and Y/N wrote in her caption she doesn't know where it is?
user18 exactly😭
user17 Whoops... I love her, she's queen for that
user19 and the fact fia tried to deny these rumors💀
user20 Absolutely love this look 🤍
user21 you and lew are just such a good looking couple
user22 THE DRESS I REPEAT THE DRESS🥰
lewishamilton posted on instagram
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by charles_leclerc, yourusername, scuderiaferrari, valtteribottas and 1,233,490 others
tagged: yourusername and roscoelovescoco
lewishamilton 🇲🇨 with the best company.
view all 15,322 comments
roscoelovescoco Mom's look's so handsome's ☺️☀️
liked by the author and yourusername
lewishamilton Agreed
yourusername awww my boys are too sweet 🥹💕
user1 lewis complimenting his gf not w one but TWO accounts makes my heart melt
liked by yourusername
user2 I want a man like him🤧
user3 WE LOVE ROSCOE CALLING HER MUM
user4 Lewis, Y/N & Roscoe are the best trio ever🥰
user5 parents and their son
user6 literally omg
yourusername wow who's that handsome boy laying on a couch 🥴😻
lewishamilton Handsome you say?😏
yourusername yeah, right next to u 🥰
lewishamilton Oh no, I should've seen that coming😒
roscoelovescoco Thank's mom's I'm handsome's boy's 😊👅
user7 these interactions give me the will to live
user8 I love the Hamilton family🥺
user9 lol y/n calling roscoe handsome xd
user10 The funniest part about this is that Lewis manages Roscoe's profile😭
user11 omg yes user10 not him playing being offended on his main and then being all sweet as roscoe...
user12 Love forever ❤️
user13 Y/N is so beautiful I can't believe my own eyes
user14 the two belong together forever 🙌🫶♾️💫
user15 fr
user16 If they ever break up I'll stop believing on love
mercedesamgf1 Mr. & Mrs. Mercedes
user17 pls give him decent car in 2024 to win another championship🙏
user18 The most iconic couple in history of motorsport 💅
user19 ❤️😍
user20 what's Ferrari doing in the likes?🤨
user21 lol calm down... he's literally lewis hamilton🤣
user22 No but it's weird... they never like other team's things
user23 and after the rumors during monaco gp too 🥸🥸
user24 I think this photo dump caused global warming... like daaammmnnn they're both so fine 🥵
user25 let's just say roscoe isn't the only one calling them mommy and daddy-
user26 lmao
user26 but true🫢
yourusername posted on instagram
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by lewishamilton, isahernaez, neymarjr, haileybieber and 511,309 others
yourusername barbie has a great day everyday... especially when she gets pink mercedes she wanted 🛍🤍
view all 2,546 comments
lewishamilton Seems like Ken is good for something
liked by the author
yourusername maybeeee
lewishamilton You want pink Ferrari too, don't you?
yourusername ☺️☺️
user1 ohhh to have a man like that
user2 OMG LEWIS PLS GET HER PINK FERRARI
user3 Yeah, Y/N will slay in that car😌
user4 i wanna be barbie too if she gets pink mercedes
user5 but first you'll need to have a ken like lewis hamilton
francisca.cgomes this barbie is so prettyyyy
yourusername love u! 💓
user6 Okay okay I NEED the bikini😫😍
user7 QUEEN
user8 Y/N looking gorgeous like always🫶🏼
user9 gold digger alert!!!!🤮
user10 Girl go away, you clearly know nothing about their relationship xd
user11 jealousy alert!!!
user12 the first pic does something to me 😩
user13 The most beautiful woman ever
user14 Lewis won lottery w her
user15 yes she's literally so pretty and they seem so happy together🥰
user16 fr I don't think I've seen him this happy before
user17 yeah he looks so much calmer and even younger when y/n is with him at event and gps...🥹
user18 Plus the OUTFITS?! I love them sm
user19 Where is Lewis 🙂?
user20 c'mmon he doesn't have to be in every post she makes🙄
user21 stunning as always 💘
user22 SLAYING AS ALWAYS
twitter
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Y/N’s interview
photo 1: Y/N: How did you and Lewis meet?
Y/F/N: Oh, you guys'll love the story!
photo 2: Y/N: It was actually in a toy store. Lew was there with his niece and I was there because... [laughs] Let's say I still like to collect dolls and lego, sue me.
photo 3: Y/N: Anyway, Lew's niece saw me, thought I'm a real life Barbie and wanted to say hi. [laughs] It was honestly so sweet that I didn't have the heart to tell her I'm just a normal girl.
photo 4: Y/F/N: So does she still think you're Barbie? [laughs]
Y/N: Yeah, I think so... She calls me Auntie Barbie! [laughs too]
photo 5: Y/N: But back to Lewis - I didn't recognize him and just thought he's really cute. We talked for few minutes, though then I had to leave and didn't have the courage to ask for his number.
photo 6: Y/N: But few days later he followed me on Instagram and I was just like - yes!
Lewis’ interview
Interviewer: Lewis, you recently followed a known influencer and model on Instagram. Is there something going on between the two of you?
Lewis: Are you talking about Barbie? Oh, shoot, sorry... [laughs] I mean Y/N?
yourusername posted on instagram
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by nina, lewishamilton, emmawatson, alex_albon and 728,196 others
tagged: lewishamilton and roscoelovescoco
yourusername aesthetic life w the best man, cute son and lots of flowers 🌸💖
view all 2,340 comments
roscoelovescoco I got's mom's the's flowers's 😊🌷
liked by the author and lewishamilton
yourusername thx roscoe baby!! 🫶 guess daddy will have to learn from you 😌🤍
user1 ... are we gonna talk about the fact y/n just called lewis daddy?
yourusername ... no please don't, you know what i meant 😭🙈
user2 Too late Y/N, the twitter girlies are going to go nuts about this (me included)
landonorris Awww look at that grumpy little dude 🥺
liked by the author
pierregasly Mate are you calling the seven world time champion grumpy little dude?🤣
user3 lando tf-
user4 This is so funny for no reason😭
user5 Lewis being called grumpy little dude wasn't what I expected from this winter break tbh
landonorris ROSCOE
landonorris I WAS TALKING ABOUT ROSCOE GUYS
user6 💀💀
pierregasly Lol
yourusername why did you even think it was about lewis peirregasly ??🧐
landonorris YEAH MR. TRIPOD TELL US
pierregasly Goodbye...👋
user7 u and lew are so sweet
user8 MOTHER IS MOTHERING 😍
alexandrasaintmleux Shining like a star✨💖
yourusername and you're my sun ☀️💖
user9 I want a man who gives me so many flowers!!!
user10 yeah and they're beautiful and tasteful too
lewishamilton So lucky to have you darling! 🫧🫶🏾
liked by the author
yourusername we're both so lucky lew 💗🫶
user11 and i'm lucky i was born in the same century as you so i can witness this love
user12 I LOVE Y/N & LEWIS🥰
user13 I'll ask again... When is he going to put a ring on it? 💍 C'mon Lewis you obviously love her sm
user14 Your guys love is so special ❤️
user15 if this is the content we'll be getting during winter break, i don't think i want it to end
user16 races are great... but boyfriend material lewis hamilton is better🤤
user17 REAL
THE END
Author's Note: Hi and thank you for reading! I'll be glad for likes, reblogs, comments, follows and any other ways of support. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT PART 2! I really enjoyed this version of Lewis and Y/N... and perhaps I have a lot of pictures that unfortunately didn't make it to the story because picture limit isn't very friendly. Love you and have a great day! :)
1K notes · View notes
old-lorarri · 3 months
Text
꒰꒰ ‧₊˚𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ─ 𝐂𝐋𝟏𝟔 ˚₊· ꒱꒱
Tumblr media
─ summary . . . ❨ in which a series of texts shows the time line of a 5 year long relationship and how somewhere along the line it all went wrong ❩ ─ pairing . . . ❨ charles leclerc x fem! ex gf! reader ❩ ─ genre . . . ❨ social media file ❩ ─ author note . . . . ❨ this is a bit more angsty than I'm use to tbh so I hope you guys like it also before you ask they may be a part 2 if you guys can give me enough motivation / ideas to write on so anyway enjoy! ❩
Tumblr media
❨ taglist | masterlist ❩
Tumblr media Tumblr media
31th march, 2018
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
hey it's charles 👋
I really enjoyed haning out with you tonight 😊
Y/N 💋
hey charles 👋
yeah me too 🥹
hope we can do it again soon 🫡
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
actually that's what I wanted to talk about...
would you maybe consider coming to the monaco grand prix
and then maybe after I could take you on a date
as more than just friends?
If you don't want to then that's fine
sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable
Y/N 💋
don't be silly charles 😭
I would love to come to the race
and go on a date with you
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
thank you so much
I promis you won't regret this
Y/N 💋
charles don't worry
I know I'm not gonna regret this 😌
10th june, 2019
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
hi mon amore
happy 1 year aniversy ❤️
sorry I had to leave early this morning
but to make up for it I tried to cook breakfast
failed 😞
and then orderd you fav pastries you like with your coffee 😌
your gifts are in your walk in closest 😉
Y/N 💋
omg charles
you got me the dress 🥹
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
ofc baby I know how much you wanted it
and what kind of boyfriend would I be if I couldn't get my amazing beautiful stunning girlfriend everything she wanted and more
but that's not all
I also got us a reservation at that new restaurant you have been eyeing for the last week
so have your sexy ass ready by 8 and I'll be waiting to pick you up 😉
Y/N 💋
god I love you so much ❤️
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
I love you too baby ❤️
15th august, 2020
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
happy birthday my special girl!
still can't belive you are mine
remind me to send some flowers to your mother for carrying you for 9 months
Y/N 💋
WOW
you really want my parents to like you huh?
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
is it that obvious?
Y/N 💋
charles baby if I've noticed it
they have defiently noticed it
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
It's just if I wanna marry you someday I have to have your parents blessings
Y/N 💋
baby
ofc they like you (and if they don't I will force them to like you cuz I cannot imagine a day without you in my life)
I love you ❤️
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
I love you too mon amore ❤️
21st september, 2021
Y/N 💋
hey baby I'm waiting for you at the resturant
where are you?
it's date night remember
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
mon amore I'm so sorry
I have ateam meeting right now that's running over time
and I won't be albe to make it
maybe another night?
I promis I'll make it up to you
I love you ❤️
Y/N 💋
okay
I love you too ❤️
delivered
25th november, 2022
Y/N 💋
charles baby
are you coming home tonight?
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
no
alot of work left to do at the factory
I'll see you tomorrow
Y/N 💋
okay stay safe
I love you ❤️
read
december 31st, 2023
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
hey do you have your outfit picked for the ferrari new year party
we need to match cuz
for photo's and stuff
Y/N 💋
hey charles we need to talk... I wish I could do this face to face but I don't have the heart to.
I wanna break up
I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore
CHARLIE BABY ❤️
baby what's wrong
I can fix this
please
Y/N don't do this
what's wrong please talk to me
is there somone else
do you want me to buy you that new rolex you wanted
we can do couple therapy we can work through this
please Y/N let me make this right
don't leave me
I love you ❤️
Y/N 💋
I'm sorry Charles
but this is goodbye
98 missed calls from CHARLIE BABY ❤️
32 voice mails from CHARLIE BABY ❤️
Y/N 💋 has blocked CHARLIE BABY ❤️
Tumblr media
─ requested by . . .
anon ─ Hello, how are you? I wanted to know if you can write an imagine where Charles and reader have been together for years, but the relationship is not going well, they don't see each other every day, he stands her up on dates, doesn't keep his promises and stuff, so reader gets tired and ends the relationship.You decide if it has happy or sad ending 👀.Thx ✨(Sorry if there are any mistakes, but English is not my first language)
634 notes · View notes
lomltrentarnold · 10 months
Text
sweetness — jobe bellingham ₊˚ෆ
Tumblr media
warnings : insta au/smau, crack/humor, my awful attempt at being funny, a lot of 💀 jokes, everyone has a crush on her <3 faceclaim is marsai martin!
🍓hana’s notes : for my beloved @iissza <3 thank you for the ideas sweet cheeks love you lots <3 pls tell me what yall think since a lot of you are excited for this 😭 || MAIN MASTERLIST
Tumblr media Tumblr media
┆ ° ♡ • ➵ ✩ ◛ °
[ Y/N L/N EXCLUSIVE! ]
“So Y/N, since the fashion show is over, what are some of your favourite outfits?”
“Oh! Good Question! My obvious favourites were Zendaya and Beyonce’s!”
“But also I love my boyfriend’s look, he looks very handsome.”
“Who’s your boyfriend?!”
“Someone.”
• • •
footballcelebritynews just posted!
Tumblr media
footballcelebritynews Football youngster Jobe Bellingham was seen leaving with upcoming model Y/N L/N after the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring-Summer 2024 Show. Let us what you think about this couple!
view all comments!
user8 heart been broke so many times 😔
user7 cats out of the bag 🤭 that’s actually me guys
⤷ user6 ur mom would’ve been more believable
user9 thats my hand he should be holding
user12 Once in an interview she said that she’s currently with someone who plays on the pitch!!
⤷ user4 omg!!! they are always liking each other’s posts 🤭
⤷ user3 and she once post that she was at a match he was playing in!
⤷ user2 how do yall know all this shit 💀
• • •
yourinstagram just posted!
Tumblr media
yourinstagram lv babyyyy 🧸📸
view all comments!
jobebellingham 😍
isabelamerced So beautiful!!
hallebailey 😍😍😍!!!
user1 QUEEN IS SLAYING
user2 mother is mothering!!!!!!
user9 whats jobe doing here 🤨?
user3 marry me pls 🥹
user4 shes so gorgeous i might cry
user5 is this the girl that was seen with jobe???
user6 how did jobe bag this beauty??
⤷ user8 i honestly have no idea 🤣
user7 jobe must a rizz master
user8 the comments are killing me lmfaoo 💀💀
• • •
jobebellingham just posted!
Tumblr media
jobebellingham Happy 1 year my love ❤️
tagged; yourinstagram
view all comments!
judebellingham ❤️❤️
yourinstagram my love 🫶 but why that last picture babe???
⤷ jobebellingham Cause you look too cute 😘
user2 AWW OMGG
user1 GUYS??? WHAT IS THIS???
user3 my heart 🥹🥹
user4 she’s so lucky!!!
⤷ user5 no jobe is lucky!!! she’s so pretty!!
user8 no jobe dont do this 💔
user6 what if this was my last straw
user7 i’m not even mad bro she mad pretty
user9 HERE WE GO!!!!
• • •
yourinstagram just posted!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
yourinstagram 1 year with the loml 💌 (pls let me take a proper pic of you later 🥹)
tagged; jobebellingham
view all comments!
jobebellingham Love you ❤️
judebellingham love you guys 🫶 (especially y/n)
⤷ jobebellingham I’m blocking you
⤷ yourinstagram hey!!! don’t be mean to him 😡😡 (we can do it tomorrow)
⤷ jobebellingham I’m blocking both of you
⤷ yourinstagram aw baby come here lemme give u a kiss 😘
judebellingham just so you guys know he immediately lit up and ran to meet her
user1 aww thats so cute let me check if my toaster is waterproff
user2 You guys are adorable 🥰 (laying on the highway)
user3 y/n?? What is this? I thought we had something 😔
user5 you don’t have to lie y/n we all know you’re with me 😘
user7 you guys are goals!! get it? cause he plays football 😀😀😀
⤷ user8 you should erase your whole existence
⤷ user9 That joke deserves an award 😂
⤷ user10 the contrast between the two comments lmfaooo
user11 this is so sweet my teeth started to hurt
Tumblr media
522 notes · View notes
stylessatellite · 11 months
Text
Style’s Stylist
a stylist!y/n blurb
Warnings: fem reader, implied harry x reader (mentions it like twice)
Face claim: Jihoon Kim
A/N: k, so I lied and I’m posting my stylist!y/n blurb early. I got bored with dealing with my extended family so I finished up the piece instead. also for the authors name, I used a name generator, so if it’s your name i’m sorry.
- Feel free to like and reblog <3 | masterlist
Tumblr media
Liked by river_johnson and 70,424 others
harryflorals: FIRST LOOK AT HARRY FOR COVENTRY NIGHT 2! via: user 1
view all 423 comments
user2: omg, praying he unzips the jacket
↳ tpwksunflower: me to 🕯️
Tumblr media
Liked by river_johnson and 98,765 others
voguemagazine: @/river_johnson sat down with @/yourusername to discuss styling for @/harrystyles for his final leg of Love On Tour. Check it out with the link in our bio. 
view all 1,247 comments
ynfan1: so glad to know it technically wasn’t y/n responsible for some of the horrendous looks lately
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Liked by river_johnson, harrystyles and 798,764 others
yourusername: sat down with @/river_johnson from @/voguemagazine to talk about styling our fav @/harrystyles. check it out here.
view all 638 comments
harry_lambert: lovely dear ❤️ see you soon
maneskinoffical: that’s our stylist! ti vogliamo bene 🩷
↳ conangray: you mean our stylist?
↳ harry&ynfan: not maneskin and conan arguing abt y/n and harry’s here enjoying his trophy boyfriend status.
harrystyles: love being each others muses ❤️❤️
article below | word count: about 1k
Styles’s Stylist
River Johnson | VOGUE
Many of you know the singer/songwriter Harry Styles. Whether it be his music, looks or daring fashion sense. Not many know the person who makes him look that good. With the last leg of Love On Tour having kicked off a couple days ago, I sat down with Y/N L/N to discuss styling for the past couple years. As one of Style’s stylists, L/N shares this position with Harry Lambert. Her other clients include Conan Gray and Måneskin.
L/N herself is dressed in custom Bode with a mint plaid set with a pair of baby pink converse to match. It’s clear that she’s planning on looking up to par with the hoards of fans outside of the stadium waiting to be let in for the second show in Coventry. She’s making me feel underdressed in my beat up air forces and dungarees. She assures me that a boa and a matching cowboy hat would have me fitting right in.
“So how has styling him been different post COVID? Have any of your creative processes changed?”
“It hasn’t been all too different from before I suppose. His looks have definitely changed, but a part of that just came with the album. Really the only difference is there’s less interviewing looks to put together because it’s only waist up now. I just have to make sure his shirt doesn't have wrinkles or a stain on it. Which is pretty easy considering we share the same wardrobe.”
“How do you come up with the different looks for each album and show? And does this differ from awards or appearances? Are there different processes? Acceptable designs?”
“I mean the process definitely depends on the event. His looks for the album are based on what he feels the mood of the album is and wardrobe is based on that. For the album he said he wanted to be more colorful and fun, so that's how we got the varying patterns. So don’t blame us for the mis matching looks, blame him (Harry).
“So I'm assuming his tour outfits are the same?”
“Yes. At the start of each leg, we’ll go through possible designs and what we feel will work best from both our (stylist & artist) sides and his opinions. Gucci and I will sketch some ideas and it’ll get sent to the group chats on which pieces we like, then we'll play mix and match and the night of the show it’s pretty much chosen by the band and him.”
“Elaborate on the band. Because I've noticed that they always seem to coordinate.”
“Yes, certain looks from the band go with certain outfits of his or at his request. If he’s wearing all black then he likes the band to wear pink for some reason. Or if some of the band's looks aren’t ready, then we’ll move that look to a different day and pull a different one.”
“Speaking of different days. I imagine it was quite the switch between show looks and award looks.”
“Oh, it actually wasn’t too bad, it was more of the execution. We had had the outfits planned for months, it was just a matter of making sure the tassels didn't tangle and the (red) carpet look came in on time. Show looks require less coordination because normally it’s just the people here”
“He also had a few outfit changes between the two events, he had what six outfits? What was that like?”
“Yeah no, he had six official outfits plus if he chose to change for an after party, which is all on him to decide, and I don't remember if he did.”
“Do you have a favorite look of his?”
“Are we talking shows? Or award wise.”
“Either”
“I mean any of the ones with the decals. It was really fun coming up with all of the different designs. Tonight’s also might win for this leg so far.”
I then proceeded to ask for a sneak peak but she just laughed me off saying how it’ll ruin one of the best parts of the show, the reveal. Upon more pestering, she revealed that color wise they were matching, which if you follow L/N tour looks, you already know. “Back to the decals. You came up with these designs? I thought you were taking a break from that?”
“I was meant to but then the idea was brought up from all of my doodles during the meetings. Plus I was working on Conan’s and the band’s (Måneskin) looks for their tours, so I was ‘cutting back’ on some work.”
Just then the fans started getting let in and I noticed just how seriously some fans took their outfits with a perfect recreation of a previous outfit or on the other side of the spectrum, various fruits. “How do you feel about the fans' outfits?”
“Oh my gosh. We all love them. They make the whole thing better and sometimes we steal inspiration from them. I swear some of the fans could steal my job and I’d be happy to let them.” She then proceeds to show me the album that she has of the fans outfits ranging from recreations of the Coachella outfits or the custom shirts with funny pictures of the band on it.
Upon wrapping up, she asks if I’m doing anything between now and the show starting. I wasn't, so she took me backstage to get a sneak peak at some upcoming outfits and let me tell you something, L/N really went all out for this last leg. The sequins, tassels everything.
Upon seeing tonight's show, I definitely agree with L/N on tonight's look being a favourite and the decal on the back making the outfit. I can definitely say that his outfits make him shine brighter and you should go see if you can snag a ticket to one of his shows to just watch how L/N’s designs enhance his performance at the very least.
A/N: lemme know if you wish to be added to my tag list
228 notes · View notes
pensat-i-fet · 1 year
Text
Wrong player, right time: Part 1 (Pablo Gavi, Pedri x Reader)
Tumblr media
Part 2
**Hi! 😊 So...I was asked to write some sort of love triangle and while I liked the idea, I thought I could do something a bit different. Hopefully you like it. And because this ended up being so long, it’s divided in two. The next part will be posted tomorrow so not a lot of waiting 😉 Enjoy!! ❤️**
Word count: 5177
Masterlist
Wattpad
“I got a present for you”.
Your mum’s words made you look up. “Why?”
“For passing your exam. And it kind of is related to that”.
You frowned slightly, smiling at the same time. Last year, you decided to retake a few classes to get a higher grade and study the major you really wanted to study in university. It had been a crazy decision to many but you were sure of it and it paid off. You got the grade you needed and were accepted at the university in Barcelona.
“Ok, tell me!”
“You are going to Barcelona this weekend. I want you to be able to know the city better and to see the area where you’ll be living”.
“Mum! Oh my God!”
Getting up, you ran to hug your mum.
“And…I might have gotten a ticket for the football match too”.
“Stop! You’re the best! Thank you!”
“You’ve worked hard and deserve it. Once you start the uni year, there won’t be time for much fun”.
There was no time to waste. It was Wednesday and your flight was on Friday, so you needed to pack everything and start planning. You had been to Barcelona before but never for too long, so this was a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the beautiful city.
The weather was supposed to be good, so you packed a lot of cute summery outfits. The sun didn’t bless you with its presence as often in your home city of Santander, so it was also something else you could enjoy during the weekend.
You barely got any sleep the night before your trip and after checking you had your boarding pass and your ID about seventy times, you made your way to the small airport.
The flight was quick and soon you found yourself on your way to the hotel you would stay at the next couple of days. You pretty much threw the suitcase on the floor and went out again to see the city.
And that was how you spent the Friday and Saturday in Barcelona, trying to see as much as you could and visiting the student residence where you were going to live once you moved there.
Sunday was going to be your last full day there but it was also the most exciting. Finally, you were going to visit the Camp Nou. Actually, you visited it as a kid but couldn’t remember being there. But now it was time to fully enjoy the experience.
The atmosphere was incredible. You usually went to watch matches when Racing de Santander played at home but your main team was Barça. And, funnily enough, a former Racing player was now playing for Barça. You had met him a few times but doubted he would remember you. Players met so many people every day.
“First time?”
“Pardon?”, you asked, turning to look at the man on the seat next to yours.
“You look like it’s your first time here. And like a kid in a toy store”.
“Yes”, you laughed. “I’ve been wanting to watch a match here my entire life”.
“Well, let’s hope it’s a good one”.
While it wasn’t the match of the century, it was quite entertaining. Barça went 2-0 up early and got to play a bit more relaxed after a couple of not-so-great results.
The second half meant a few players you didn’t get to see up close before were now playing near the area where you were sitting. One of those players was the famous Gavi. You couldn’t lie and pretend you weren’t one of those girls who thought he was really cute. But the one you liked the most, Pedri, was injured. So it was a bummer you didn’t get to see him play. Oh well, Gavi was a good substitute.
“Gavi! Look at all the space those defenders are leaving near the box. Use it!”
You didn’t even realise you were yelling. You never did. And it’s not as if the rest of the fans were quiet but Gavi was very close to your seat and heard your words.
“Ok, coach!”, he said, looking at you and smiling at your surprised face.
“I…”.
“You’re blushing”, laughed the man that had introduced himself as José. You had been chatting a bit during the match.
“I feel so silly. I never realise they can hear me. I’m too used to screaming at the tv”.
That only made him laugh more.
A couple of minutes later, the ball fell on Gavi’s feet again and the defenders left the same space you had warned him about before. And he took the chance to run to the box and give a pass to Lewandowski that gave Barça their third goal.
Everyone got up to cheer and when you finally sat down, you saw Gavi walking towards you, a big smile on his face.
“Thanks for the heads up!”
“Eh…you’re welcome?”
José’s laugh could probably be heard back at your parent’s house. God, you were so embarrassed.
The match ended with a 3-0 win for Barça and you couldn’t be happier with that result. It was the perfect ending to your weekend. But…there was more that was going to happen before you went back home.
“Someone wants to talk to you”, said José.
“Who?”
You looked at where he was pointing and saw Gavi walking towards you while taking his shirt off. He gestured for you to get closer so he could give you the shirt and you walked almost not believing what was happening.
“For me?”
“Yes. We wouldn’t have scored that third goal without your advice. I’ll tell Xavi that if he needs some help, I know the right person”.
You giggled, blushing. “I’m free for the next match if he needs me”.
“I would love to see you on the bench. You wouldn’t be as far from me then”.
Not knowing what to say, you extended your arm to get the shirt. And once you had it, Gavi left to join his teammates.
“He was flirting with you”, said Jóse, making you blush even more.
You put the shirt on your face, trying to hide. But it was too late. The cameras had seen it all.
                                   **
Gavi expected you to post something about getting his shirt on Instagram, so he kept checking the photos he was tagged in on social media…but nothing. You were nowhere to be found.
He was used to hearing things yelled at him at the matches. Often insults and usually it was men who did it. So when he heard your voice, it caught his attention a bit more. And what you said actually made sense. He had noticed what you pointed out and was thinking about telling his teammates to try and take advantage of that defensive weakness from the other team. But it was hearing you say it that made him do it before he even told the others. He wanted to impress you.
What he didn’t want was for the entire country to know about the interaction but he should have known better. All eyes were on him at matches and, of course, the cameras had picked up everything that happened.
“El día después”, a football programme that had been created before he was even born was very famous for their section “Lo que el ojo no ve” (What the eye doesn’t see). They usually caught funny moments of the matches and put them together in a video. People loved that. And this time, they found the best clips for it at the Barça match. They filmed all of your interactions with him and subtitled them.
Gavi was rewatching the video in the training ground with some of his teammates, and they all teased him when the guy who was next to you told you that Gavi had been flirting with you and you blushed and hid your face. He hadn’t seen that when it happened and it made him smile knowing you seemed to like him too. But still, no post on social media.
“She’s gorgeous”, said Pedri.
“I know”.
Gavi couldn’t stop smirking and daydreaming about you showing up at the next match.
“What are you all doing?”, asked the other Pablo, Torre, when he got to the dressing room.
“Watching a video of Gavi’s girlfriend”, said Ferrán.
“You have one? I didn’t know”.
“She’s not my girlfriend, Pablo. Don’t listen to them. But come watch the video”.
Gavi played the video again and when the camera showed you, Torre asked him to pause.
“I know her”.
“You do?”, Gavi couldn’t believe that. He might be able to find you after all.
“She’s from Santander, like me. I saw her at all the Racing matches”.
“Do you know her name?”
“No, but….”, he took his phone out and went on Instagram, “I took a lot of photos with her and she tagged me on Instagram when she posted them, so we should be able to find her”.
“I love you, Pablito”, said Gavi, kissing his teammate’s head.
“Save the kisses for her, bro”.
It took longer than they expected but there it was, a post you made on Torre’s final match for Racing. Gavi took a screenshot of it so he could send you a message later. But if you were from Santander…well, that complicated things a bit but it didn’t make anything impossible.
He spent some time looking at your posts and then had to go to training. There was time to keep stalking later. But when he finally got home and went to check your profile, it was private. That was odd.
                                  **
The last thing you expected after your trip to Barcelona was for a video of you to go viral. When you were sent the youtube clip, you couldn’t believe it. And the comments…they made you want to never check your social media again.
But then you noticed a lot of notifications on your Instagram. How on earth had Gavi’s fans found your profile? It was too much. So you privated your profile and removed all the new followers you got. You were just a normal girl and didn’t want to be involved in any drama.
Your mum found out what had happened and invited you to go out with her to stop overthinking. You turned the wifi and data off and forgot about all of it.
But then you got home and the wifi connected to your phone and one of the notifications caught your eye immediately. Why was Gavi sending you DM’s on Instagram?
[Pablogavi]: Hi! Sorry about all the drama that the video has caused. You ok?
How did he find your Instagram? But it was really nice to see he actually cared.
[You]: Hi! I’m alright, don’t worry. Thanks for asking.
[Pablogavi]: Let me know if you need me to say something on social media or whatever.
[You]: I will, thanks.
[You]: How did you find my Instagram?
[Pablogavi]: Torre recognised you on the video and helped me find you.
[Pablogavi]: Does it sound stalkerish? 😶
[You]: A bit 😂
[You]: But I’m glad you contacted me.
How had your life become so surreal so quickly? All because of a silly comment you couldn’t help but scream.
[Pablogavi]: Feel free to be the one who contacts me if you ever come back to Barcelona.
[You]: I’m moving there soon. For uni.
[Pablogavi]: Best news you could give me 😀
“Who are you talking to?”
Your mum’s voice startled you and made you almost drop the phone. “Nobody”.
“Right. Why were you blushing and smiling then?”
“Just watching some funny videos”.
You didn’t normally keep secrets from your parents but what were they going to think if, after what they saw on that video, you told them Gavi was flirting with you on Instagram?
So you didn’t tell them but kept on speaking with him. And you kept thinking about going to Barcelona before you had to move there…so you could see him. You had seen some comments online about how you had made your account private right before he started to follow you and that worried you. As exciting as talking to a cute football player was, you didn’t want people harassing you because of it. And now it seemed like so many people had already decided you were his girlfriend.
“Will it be ok for me to go to Barcelona this weekend?”, you asked in the middle of dinner three weeks after your previous trip.
“What for?”, asked your dad. “Do you need to do any uni stuff there? I thought you could do it all online”.
“Yes, it’s not uni related. I just wanted to go again and…meet some friends and stuff”.
“You have friends in Barcelona? Since when?”
Your mum was suspicious and for a reason. The way your face got all red while you were lying to them didn’t help.
“Honey, we might not use social media but we aren’t dumb. And when people talk about your daughter, you listen. Is it Gavi that’s invited you to go see him?”
“Yes, but it’s not what you think”, you rushed to say.
“We weren’t born yesterday. Of course it is what we think it is. But…you aren’t a kid anymore. We can’t forbid you from going and you’ll move there soon anyway. But please be careful”.
“I always am”.
“We know”, said your mum, holding your hand. “You are smart and we trust you. Do we trust a football player’s intentions?”
“We don’t”, answered your dad.
“Keep trusting me, then”.
                                    **
“Someone’s happy…and in a hurry”, said Pedri, sitting down next to an already dressed Gavi. “I’ve never seen you get ready so fast”.
“I’ve got plans”, smiled his friend.
“I can guess which type of plans”.
“My Santander girl is coming to Barcelona again”.
“I still think she’s too pretty for you”.
“Don’t be jealous, Pepi. She’s an only child but we might find a pretty cousin for you or something”.
“Is she staying with you?”
“No, she’s staying at a hotel but we have a couple of dates planned. And she might change her mind about where she stays after that”.
“Or she might run back to Santander after talking to you for more than 10 minutes”.
Gavi laughed and left the training centre to go find you. The taxi was waiting for him already.
Once at the train station, he tried not to be recognized but it was always a lost battle. It was while taking some photos with a kid that he saw you.
“Sorry guys, I have to go”.
You were looking around and smiled when you finally saw him.
“Hi”, you said, hugging him. “So good to finally see you in person”.
“Yeah, same. Should I take you to the hotel so you can leave your suitcase? Then we can go grab some food”.
“Sounds good”.
You did just that and soon found yourself walking around Barcelona, on your way to a restaurant that was great, according to Gavi. Well, at least you were learning about where to eat for when you moved there.
The food was great. The rest of the date…it wasn’t his fault. Or yours. But there was no spark. The excitement you had felt while you texted was gone. And he was feeling the same way. Well, that was disappointing.
Gavi had planned on trying to ask you to go to his place after dinner but what was the point? He wouldn’t be surprised if you actually ran away home like Pedri had said.
And when you got to the hotel, you buried your head in the pillow, feeling so stupid about how wrong it all went.
                                  **
“Someone isn’t looking so happy today”.
“Stop”, said Gavi, putting his hands on his face.
“What happened?”
“The date was a disaster, Pedri. A disaster!”
“What did you do?”
“Why does it have to be me?”
“You’re more likely to mess up”, he shrugged.
“It’s just…there was no connection. And it’s not as if she isn’t an interesting person”.
"Or gorgeous”.
“Yeah, that too. But we just felt so uncomfortable in each other’s company. It was so weird”.
“Are you seeing her today? Maybe things change”.
“Well, I have to see her. She is here because of me, I can’t just leave her alone. But…could you maybe come with us?”
“I don’t want to third wheel”.
“It wouldn’t be that. Just, I don’t know, maybe having someone else there helps”.
Pedri didn’t want to tell his friend but the only reason why he accepted was a very selfish one. He wanted to meet you. Every time Gavi mentioned you or showed the boys a photo of you, he cursed his back luck. Maybe if he hadn’t been injured, it would have been him who talked to you at the match.
You were waiting for your “date” to arrive, checking your phone nervously. Maybe the second date would be better than the first. There was some hope.
But then you saw he wasn’t alone and that confirmed he had a terrible time with you too. You tried to see who it was he was with and then realised it was Pedri. The player you actually had a crush on.
“Hi. Do you mind if Pedri comes with us today?”
“No, not all. Hi!”
You tried not to be too obvious but could tell Gavi was looking at you funny. And when Pedri smiled at you, you just knew you were blushing.
“Nice to finally meet you”.
“Nice to meet you too”.
Soon, it was Gavi that felt like he was third wheeling but he didn’t really mind. It wasn’t as if his friend was trying to steal a girl he had a chance with from him. It was clear you two were not meant for each other, but maybe Pedri could be a bit luckier.
“Sometimes I feel like I just signed for Barça because of the beach. I wouldn’t be able to live in Madrid or somewhere without a beach”.
“Same”, you laughed. “I can’t wait to visit all the beaches here. It’s going to make me feel less homesick”.
“Pedri can show you his favourite one”, said Gavi, making you both look at him. Had you forgotten he was there? Kinda.
“That’d be nice”, you said.
“The one near his house is really pretty. Why don’t you go today? The weather is great”.
Pedri looked at his friend, a bit confused. But when he saw the way he raised his eyebrows, he got it.
You quickly finished your dinner and made your way to Pedri’s house, where he parked his car so you could then walk to the beach.
“Sorry about today”.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“Well, Gavi sent you to babysit me and you probably had other plans. It’s just…I guess he could tell it wasn’t working between us or whatever. You didn’t have to look after me. It’s fine”.
“I’m not doing anything I don’t want to do”.
You looked down, biting your lip. And feeling all the butterflies you expected to feel with Gavi but that never showed up.
The silence that accompanied you while you walked on the beach wasn’t a bad one. It was nice.
“I like to sit there and just look around. It sounds a bit boring, I know”.
“We could do that”, you said quickly, not finding the idea boring at all.
“Come, I’ll let you sit on the comfiest stone”.
That made you laugh.
“It’s a shame you and Gavi didn’t work. He was very excited about seeing you”.
“Yeah. I guess it happens”.
“You could still be friends when you move here, though. He’s a good guy, he’ll be happy to help you with whatever you need”.
“Can I ask for your help too?”
“Of course”.
Sitting there with him was making you feel a bit more bold. Having a crush on someone you didn’t know personally could lead to disappointment when you got to spend some time with that person. But with Pedri…it was the complete opposite.
“You know. I had a crush on a Barça player but it wasn’t Gavi”.
Pedri looked at you after that comment, frowning.
“Torre?”
“What? No, why would you…”.
“Well, he’s the one who recognized you. And he mentioned you asked him for photos a lot. I just guessed”.
“Do you want to guess again?”
“Can I get a little hint? Blonde or brunette? Spaniard or from another country?”
“I’ll give you the best hint. No way you don’t guess right after that”.
He turned to look at you when you didn’t continue talking and you leaned to kiss him. You could tell he was surprised at first, but he responded to the kiss quickly.
“Can you guess now?”
“I might need another one of those hints…”.
You laughed, moving to kiss him again. Yeah, he didn’t disappoint.
"Does this count as stealing my friend's girl?"
"I don't think so".
"Good".
                                  **
Your final day in Barcelona was spent with Pedri and it was perfect. You kept making promises to each other but you weren’t stupid. The summer holidays were coming and you wouldn’t be with him. So you decided to not try and date until you moved to Barcelona in August. Mostly to save yourself the heartbreak if you opened Instagram one day to see him with another girl while on holiday.
Your parents didn’t buy that nothing had happened with Gavi when they saw the way you looked when you got back home. And after some pestering, you told them what really happened.
The holidays were pretty uneventful for you. And by the time they were almost over, you just spent your days packing your things and getting ready for the big move.
[Pedri ❤️]: will you be in Santander next week?
What an odd message. You had been texting non-stop but you didn’t expect that question now.
[You]: yes, why?
[Pedri ❤️]: I’m coming to see you 😉
He what?
[You]: you don’t have to. We’ll see each other in Barcelona soon.
[Pedri ❤️]: I want to see you. Is that ok?
[You]: of course. I just didn’t expect you to come to see me here.
[Pedri ❤️]: I’ve been dying to see you since the day you left.
And you had been dying to see him since that very same day too. So you planned his little trip, still not believing this was happening.
“Hey!”, you waved at him at the airport, feeling overwhelmed by his presence.
“Don’t go all shy on me now, mi amor”, he said, hugging you and not caring about the looks you were getting from people. “Missed me?”
“Maybe a little”.
“Liar”.
More people started to look at you, recognising Pedri. So you took him to your car to drive him to his hotel.
"My parents want to meet you", you blurted out, afraid of scaring him.
"Ok".
"You're ok with it? I mean, we aren't even dating officially but…you know, they just want to take the opportunity of having you here to talk".
"Yes, it makes sense. And you keep saying we are not dating but that's not how I see it".
You looked at him quickly before looking at the road again. "How do you see it?"
"To me, we started dating the day we met. We are just waiting until we live in the same city to see each other often and I guess do more couple stuff".
"So should I introduce you to my parents as my boyfriend?"
"It'll probably be nicer for them to hear that than calling me the guy you hooked up with once because you actually didn't like my friend".
The laugh that came out of you scared you and you gripped the steering wheel tighter while trying not to laugh more.
But on that first day, you didn't see your parents. You spent the whole day with your boyfriend and if that was an indication of how life was going to be in Barcelona, you couldn't move there fast enough.
Pedri charmed your parents too when he met them and you could tell they were a bit less worried about letting their daughter hang out with a football player.
"I'll see you in…10 days", you told Pedri when you took him to the airport. He started preseason the next day.
"10 loooong days. I might not survive".
"You'll be fine", you hugged him tightly, not ready to let go. "I'm the one who will struggle".
"We facetime every day, ok? I need to see your pretty face".
You nodded, kissing him before walking to the security area with him.
"See you soon".
                                  **
Your dad was helping you take the last box from the car to your room when you heard screaming in the hallway. Was this going to be a daily occurrence?
"It's Pedri! And Gavi!"
"Oh no…".
You got out of the room and saw your boyfriend walking towards your room. He had promised to help with the moving but ended up having to stay longer for training. But there he was, and Gavi was there too, making every girl in the building go insane.
"What are you doing here?"
Your dad told them to get inside the room and closed the door, so people wouldn't see you.
"No kiss?", he asked and then looked at your dad. "Sorry?"
But your dad just shook his head and Pedri gave you a quick kiss and hugged you.
"Did you bring Gavi here to see if I had changed my mind about who I liked?"
"So funny".
"I was brought here for my muscles", said Gavi, flexing said muscles.
"You are here because I have to drive you around and I didn't want to waste more time going all the way to your house".
"I can help anyway".
When everything was in place, you decided to leave. Your dad wanted to take you to dinner before leaving. And now both Pedri and Gavi were invited to that dinner.
On the way out, you tried to keep your distance from your boyfriend, not wanting to create rumours on your first day there. But the problem was that it was Gavi who walked by your side and that didn't create a rumour. It only made the one that already existed bigger.
Some of the girls took photos of you two walking together and laughing and posted them on Instagram.
"Ok then. You can't visit me if this is what's going to happen".
"You ok?"
You nodded, not feeling sure about being ok. You were dating one person while everyone seemed to think you were dating his best friend. It was…weird.
And it wasn't the last time something like that happened. You started to go to every Barça match at home, wearing your Barça shirt but not showing the back. So, of course, everyone assumed you were wearing Gavi's.
It got to the point where you didn't want to post about the matches. Your account was private but someone was clearly posting your photos with other accounts and you didn't know who it could be. So no posting was the solution. Every time you posted with Pedri, it was stories for your close friends. And those were never leaked, thankfully.
                                  **
"What happened?", you asked one of the girls that lived with you when you got there and saw all the people on your floor.
"A pipe burst and we have no water. And the water messed something up and half of us have no electricity".
"Huh…we can't stay here, then".
"Where are we supposed to go?", she asked. "Not all of us can go to our rich boyfriend's mansion like you will".
"Whatever", you rolled your eyes and went to your room to pick up some clothes and your books.
"Say hi to Gavi from me!"
You were still shaking your head when you closed your door.
"Hi! You're on speaker. I'm driving to the stadium".
"Sorry. I've got no water or electricity at my place. Can I stay with you until it's back?"
"Of course", said Pedri, not doubting his answer for a second, which made you smile. "And for the record, it wasn't me who did whatever it's that happened just so you stay with me".
"Don't believe him".
"Hi, Pablito! And don't worry, I don't believe him. I'll see you after the match, ok?"
"Looking forward to it".
"Good luck boys!"
                                    **
After the match, you waited for the boys near Pedri's car. They didn't take long to get there and you hugged both of them to congratulate them for the win. But your boyfriend got a longer hug.
"Sit behind him", said Pedri when you walked to sit behind the driver's seat, his seat.
"Why?"
"So I can see you while I drive".
"Oh my God", Gavi was rolling his eyes and Pedri glared at him.
But you did as he said and he started to drive. You could also see him better like this so you weren't going to complain.
When you were getting out of the stadium, you saw all the fans waiting. You put your hood on and tried to hide from all of them but they were surrounding the car.
Looking up from your phone for two seconds, you saw all the people trying to get a good look at you.
"It's her", you heard them say, "the girl Gavi is dating".
"See? I told you they were together".
You saw Pedri's jaw clenching and Gavi told him to drive so they wouldn't make you uncomfortable. He turned to see if you were ok and dozens of phones were out to film the interaction.
"Oh my God, he's so sweet looking after her", was the last thing you heard before Pedri drove past all the fans.
"Sorry about that", said Gavi.
"It's ok".
But you knew it wasn't ok. Because your boyfriend didn't say a word the whole drive to Gavi's and barely acknowledged him when he said goodbye.
You quickly moved to the passenger's seat and tried to get his attention but he wasn't in the mood.
"Are you ok?", you asked him when you got home.
"No, I'm really tired. Tired of everyone thinking my girlfriend is dating my friend".
"Who cares what they think? It's just because of that video. But you know the truth. We know the truth".
"What truth?", he said, raiding his voice. You had never heard him speak like that.
"What do you mean?"
"The truth about how you two spent weeks flirting and then you came here to be with him?"
"Are you for real?", you couldn't believe him. "You know how that ended. Why are you bringing that up now? I'm here with you, am l not?"
"Maybe you should just go with him. Everyone seems to think that".
"I don't think that".
But no matter what you said, he wouldn't look at you. It was breaking your heart. So you left…and there was only one place you could go to.
189 notes · View notes
gelus-ugs · 2 years
Text
Reki/Langa with a s/o who has a good fashion sense
—————————————————————
RekixReader, LangaxReader, & Poly! RengaxReader
—————————————————————
Tumblr media
Reki Kyan
He loves it
He always looks forward to hanging out because he knows you’ll look great
He loves your creativity and the way you express yourself through fashion
You don’t even have just one style either, you constantly switch and you look good no matter what you have on
He absolutely loves seeing the outfits you come up with
Sometimes he asks you to chose his outfits so he can look good too B)
If there’s anything special going on and he can’t wear his usual hoodie w/ jeans, he’s immediately going to you
You know how to hook him up 😮‍💨
He always takes photos of you bc he wants to cherish every badass fit you have on
He’s always praising you and he brags about you to everyone
“Oh yeah? Well can your significant other actually dress and look good in everything?”
He’s your #1 fan
Have a social media where you post your outfits? Oh god, it’s over
You’re going to have a spam of notifications just from him alone commenting on/liking your posts
He lowkey made a fanpage of you and posts videos/photos he takes of you 🤦🏾‍♂️
Mf started a whole fanbase n everything
Tumblr media
Langa Hasegawa
He’s so proud to have you as a s/o
You’re just so..attractive
And he’s just so..meh 😃 (in his opinion)
Y’all both are the power couple
He’s naturally pretty and you’re so attractive and have good style
You decide to pick out matching outfits for y’all? It’s all over
Everyone stops and stares bc y’all are so damn attractive and fit together perfectly
Y’all run a social media page together where you post pics with the two of y’all and every single post goes v i r a l
Y’all fit together so well, and everyone knows it too
Langa takes secret photos of you all the time bc you’re so captivating
He’ll stare at the photos whenever he’s not with you because he’s obsessed with you<3
Tumblr media
Poly! Renga
They have no idea how the hell they managed to get you as a s/o, but they’re so greatful they did
Reki and Langa are your hype boys
They’re both obsessed with you and it’s so cute
Reki is constantly complimenting you and is all over you, the blush on his cheeks forever there
Langa just stares at you with a fond smile on his face like a lovesick puppy
They love when you pick out their outfits - matching or not - because they know they’re gonna look fuckin amazing
When you post something on social media, Reki and Langa compete to see who can comment quicker 💀
Your notifs are just FILLED with Reki and Langa hyping you up
But they both do it differently
Reki is the type to use all caps and a whole bunch of emojis
“YESSS SLAYYY 🫶🏽🫶🏽”
“THATS MY BABY RIGHT THERE ❤️❤️”
Langa is more chill with it, and compliments you
“You look amazing :))”
“I love your outfit, like always ❤️”
The two of them collectively make a fanpage of you and post photos/videos they take of you
People legitimately got concerned cuz they began to think that you had a stalker 💀
When the three of you go out with matching outfits? The public is done for
Y’all are so powerful together
Reki is cute, Langa is pretty, and you’re hot and confident
All three of y’all go together so well and everyone is like “DAAAAAMN 👀”
556 notes · View notes
Note
hey! i saw the hcs for Sakura, can i request the same for Yunjin? ^ ^ thanks in advance!
Le Sserafim headcanon: Yunjin as your crush, girlfriend and wife
Requests are open
Hello Anon! Thank you for requesting this headcanon. It's funny because this was the most requested idea, I mean also other 4 or 5 people requested this headcanon. But honestly legit, because Yunjin deserves all the love in this world. I hope you enjoy it ❤️
Le Sserafim Yunjin X GN!Member
SFW Content
As your crush
Tumblr media
You remember clearly when years ago you spent your days watching Produce 48
And how hard you were simping on this woman
And how upset you were about her being eliminated from the show
So imagine your surprise when she was seated next to you in an american college
You were like "Excuse me, but wtf?"
But honestly you didn't mind having her as your first friend there
In fact you didn't lose time in creating a friendly relationship with her
Even if people always thought about you two as lovers
Because both of you were so touchy and affectionate
Countless night spent together
Talking about your past and future
One of these night you were kinda drunk
So you confessed to her
You were so afraid to be rejected by her
Luckily that night she kissed you
As your girlfriend
Tumblr media
The next morning you were two blushing mess
But at least you had the courage to take the lead and ask her to be officially your girlfriend
And guess what? You became the IT couple of the college
No, but seriously you two were the embodiment of the couple goals
Always wearing matching outfit
The most aesthetic photo to post on yours profile
And photo of each other as wallpaper of your phone
Cuddling before sleeping is a must
She needs to hold you to have a good sleep
You always tease her for being such a "Yas girl"
But actually you love this side of her because she always boost your confidence
As your wife
Tumblr media
One though she received a call
And holy sh!t, it was the Hybe
And they wanted her to be part of their new girl group
She wanted to accept so bad, but she also didn't want to leave you behind
But you actually encouraged her and proposed to move with her
That was the moment where Yunjin understood you were her person, the only love of her life
Obviously she couldn't make you immediately the proposal
But after years of work with Le Sserafim, she finally did
You were officially hers and she was your partner for life
And for some reason now Eunchae is yours daughter, but hey, how could you say no to that baby?
NSFW Content
Tumblr media
Now, talking about the spicy things
She's the biggest brat in bed
Always teasing you about not being good enough to make her satisfied
And every single time, after a couple of hours she squirted even her soul
Often wearing only lingerie in your house
And you're like "Alright, now we're gonna fuck"
Also very attentive to make you feel good too
Even though she needs to tease even in those moments
"Look at you, cumming so hard for me"
So it's only right to tease and edge her in exchange
She becames such a whining mess
Almost begging you to make her cum
After though she's a supporter of cuddles and aftercare
Tell her you love her, even if just minutes ago you were calling her a slut
255 notes · View notes
anxious-witch · 4 months
Note
inspired by my recent trip to Ljubljana where I saw the holiday lights: Kris taking Bojan to see the holiday lights (they are magical and fairytale esque, can provide references) and they totally kiss in beautiful magical nighttime Ljubljana
Good god, sorry this took so long, this writer's block plus all the decorating has taken a toll. Here it is finally, so I hope you like it ❤️
Being back home was odd. Not that Ljubljana didn't feel like home anymore, no. But Bojan felt like it had been years since he was there, his apartment strange and unfamiliar. 
The city, that used to feel too small for him and all the dreams he had, somehow seemed to have grown while they were away. Full of wonder again.
Bojan looked out of the window, at the snow gently falling down. He was startled out of this thought by Kris’ arms wrapping around his waist. Kris leaned his chin on Bojan's shoulder, looking through the window as well.
“What got you so lost in thought?”
He shrugged.
“I was just thinking of how strange and different everything feels now. Like, it feels like home and it also doesn't. Y'know what I mean?”
Kris hummed, kissing the side of his neck, which made Bojan breathe in sharply. He turned in his arms and pulled Kris down into a kiss.
He kissed him back, but he almost seemed distracted. Bojan pulled back, a pout already forming, when Kris spoke.
“How about we just go for a walk and go on the advent? It's beautiful every year and now we have a fresh perspective of sorts.”
Bojan blinked at him. That…wasn't a bad idea at all, especially with the snow outside. It would be truly like something out of the movie. Bojan grinned.
“Yes! I love that idea!”
Kris chuckled.
“Let's get dressed then. It is pretty cold.”
Bojan didn't run to the bedroom to change, but it was a near thing. He got dressed quickly, picking a nice beige sweater he knew Kris liked, and black pants.
Then he saw what Kris was wearing and burst out laughing. He opted for a black sweater with beige pants, making them look like opposites. Like they had matching couple outfits.
Kris turned to see what he was laughing at and when Bojan pointed at their outfits, Kris chuckled too, shaking his head.
“We might not wear very festive colors, but at least we match.”
“Well, won't we look like a proper pair of fools,” Kris said, but Bojan saw the way the corner of his lips curled into a smile.
He was pleased. Bojan knew he would never admit to being possessive at times, but he knew him well enough to tell.
He wanted people to speculate if they were together. Bojan could give him that. He grinned and grabbed Kris’ hand pulling him towards the dood.
“Let's go then!”
“Bojan! Don't forget the jackets!”
Right. Would have been the smart move, he supposed.
Once they finally made it outside, Bojan was practically hopping around, making the dents in the fresh snow.
Kris had to pull him in the right direction several times, until they made their way to the main square. Bojan's eyes widened, as if he was seeing it for the first time.
It almost felt like it.
The trees, the buildings, everything was covered in Christmas lights and Bojan couldn't help but be in awe. It was like the whole world had become brighter for a time and his chest felt lighter, too.
Bojan turned to look at Kris after being mesmerized by the lights for some time. Instead of finding him admiring the square the way he had, he found Kris already looking at him.
“What? Do I have something on my face?”
Kris shook his head and gently pushed Bojan's hair back. Bojan leaned into the touch, briefly closing his eyes.
“No. It's just really nice seeing you so excited about everything.”
Oh. Bojan felt his cheeks grow warm at that. Kris didn’t have a habit of outright admitting things like these, so he always felt a bit caught off guard when he did. So he blurted our the first thing that came to mind.
“Can we go get something to eat and drink from one of the stands?”
“Sure.”
This time, Bojan was the one tugging Kris in the right direction. He got them mulled wine and they took one of the tables nearby.
He watched Kris under the twinkling lights and felt an odd sense of Deja-Vu. If he squinted, he could see all the younger versions of Kris as well.
Remember all the times they came to this very square, even the times before they could even drink mulled wine and instead drank hot chocolate.
An annoyance. A friend. A band member. A crush. Annoyance again. Then a friend and a band member again and I'm the end, boyfriend.
He couldn't believe he almost gave that up. For a chance to maybe have a solo career. Bojan suddenly felt tears sting his eyes.
 He reached for Kris’ hand, gently squeezing it.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just…thinking. Of how we got here. How I could have left the band and we never would have…”
“Hey,” Kris gently cupped his face, his blue eyes laser focused, “it's okay. We are here now.”
Bojan swallowed past the lump in his throat.
“But we almost weren't. And I keep thinking how long I've known you and how much time it took us to get here and-”
He pursed his lips, and tried to breathe. Kris stroked his cheek, seemingly lost in thought. Bojan waited for him to speak.
“I think it would have happened either way. Even if you left the band for good. I don't think I could have let you go, even then.”
Bojan laughed, more in shock than anything else. 
“You called me a dumb asshole that wants to chase fame. I very much doubt that.”
Kris leaned closer. Dangerously closer, since they were in public. Bojan's breath stuttered, his gaze skittering around, making sure no one was paying attention to them before settling back on Kris again.
“Oh, I was mad, don't get me wrong. But if it was permanent, well. I would have found the most dignified way to start talking with you again.”
This time, Bojan's snort was genuine.
“The most dignified?!”
“Well. I wouldn't want you to think I care that much.”
Bojan rolled his eyes.
“Naturally.”
It did make him feel better, though. That, no matter what arguments and obstacles they had, they would have still ended up together, sooner or later. It was not a matter of fate but rather, of the fact that they simply couldn't stay away from each other.
His anxiety slowly dissipated, leaving only a warm feeling in his chest. Kris pulled back and they finished their wine in an easy conversation. 
Then, an idea struck him. He grinned up at Kris.
“Do you want to go into the alley and makeout like we are teenagers?”
Kris choked on the last of his wine, coughing violently.
“You are insane,” he said, after finally catching his breath, “if anyone sees us, we'll be all over the portals.”
Bojan shrugged.
“What's the point of sneaking around without a little risk? Com'on, it'll be fun!”
Kris narrowed his eyes at him and Bojan made his best begging expression. It lasted a few seconds before Kris sighed.
“Fine, you absolute menace. But if someone takes a picture, I am blaming this on you.”
Bojan grinned again.
“Deal.”
The city he grew up with might feel strange, and the decorations might look brand new, but Kris would still be Kris. And Bojan would love him just as much as he did at seventeen, and twenty and twenty four. With any luck, he might still love him just as much in all the years to come.
That was something that would always feel familiar. That would feel like home.
32 notes · View notes
shiroganeryo · 3 months
Note
Hi there. So don't mind me, I was going through your dazatsu art a while ago (both you and your husband I think?) and also saw some of the captions. You said you two met when you were cosplaying dazatsu? I don't mean to sound stalkerish so please feel free to ignore me, but that is about the sweetest thing I have ever heard😭❤️ I would like to draw one of your cosplays as our favorite couple. You could send me a picture you like- paint over your faces if you don't feel comfortable or-
And again and I emphasize, feel free to straight up reject this or ignore it, because I know it's odd. Just wanted you to know how you warm my heart, and I love your artwork as well<3
Have a nice day or night
Hello there! First of all, don't worry about "sounding stalkerish", it's very sweet of you to drop by just to let me (and by extension, us) know about your thoughts! 😊 The thing is, it's not that we met when we were cosplaying; perhaps me saying we weren't a couple yet gave that impression, but since you asked, I might as well tell you the full story?
You may want to sit, it's a little long (though I'll do my best to be brief) 😅
We already knew each other, we had been acquaintances for a long while, actually! We met when we were 14/13 or so (we're 31/29 now, I'm the older one). We weren't really that close, but we were on friendly terms and all that.
I'll skip the very personal bits which includes (but is not limited to) us getting closer to each other and stupidly pining mutually, but the sequence of events that led to it is one (!) of the reasons why I tend to say we're a "dazatsucore" couple. Because:
He was into me > I noticed on the spot, and did nothing > I was into him > he didn't know because I hid the fact > leads to him blurting out a confession thinking he'd be turned down > I do not turn him down but ask for some time to think things through because I want to be sure of my feelings first > not too long after I have an answer.
By the way, everything I'm saying gets even better (and funnier) when you consider I'm the "Dazai" one, while he's the "Atsushi" in this.
Anyways, about the cosplay shenanigans you inquired about; back when we were getting closer to each other (2016ish), I had become interested in BSD but knew nothing about it; I knew he had watched it, asked what were his thoughts on it, he said it was nice, recommended it, etc. He then commented that he planned to cosplay Atsushi, showed me the character and shared his cosplay plans.
I had only watched the opening so far (the thing that led me to ask him if the anime was good), and Dazai was the one who had caught my eye the most, so I said, very offhandedly, that 'hey, I'd be down to go with you to the con, I do entertain the idea of cosplaying Dazai'.
He was like 'woah, really?! That would be so fun!' but also got extremely nervous on the spot. I obviously noticed. You see, my spouse isn't really the type of person who can hide his feelings very well + I'm good at reading through people. We've always been a funny match in that regard, ngl.
From a quick Google search I did to gather references for the outfit, I could tell the two characters were a somewhat popular pairing, so I made 2+2, I also already knew he had a crush on me and just did nothing about it, like I explained above. So he had gotten nervous that people could mistake us for a couple because the two characters are (were? sadly) a popular pairing.
Which I did know... And again, did nothing about because while my suggestion to cosplay together was sincere, having no intentions of manipulating him or anything, that did work in my favor as well so two birds, one stone.
In the meantime, what I told you above happened and we started dating. And, for obvious reasons, we decided to go ahead with the cosplay plans 😌 I've never posted a clear picture showing our faces because we're not the best photographers out there, but here's one of the least terrible ones:
Tumblr media
The icing on the cake, that doesn't have much to do with us, but is still something we remember about fondly: we're Brazilian, and Brazil is a very big country. The anime con we were going to attend was the biggest in our country but also some good hours away (a 9 hour travel away to the capital, to be more precise), so we took a bus ride with some people headed there as well. It's common for people to make these "con attendees" group rides and they're always really fun experiences + very cost efficient.
One of the people we befriended on the ride was this girl who, coincidentally, was cosplaying as Chuuya. Since we're a queer couple (nb sapphics who go by he/him pronouns) we didn't know what amount of gay was okay in public, but this one girl knew we were a couple, 100% sure of it and it was genuinely beyond funny seeing her and her friends waiting on us to just do something, anything, that gave the answer away.
We kissed like... once, when they were nearby, and the reactions were priceless, ngl. The euphoric I KNEW IT faces.
Back then we weren't married yet, so no telling rings or anything, but this Chuuya had gotten the vibes somehow. When I asked her how she knew before we even did anything, she said, just like this: 'it's the way you look at each other 🥺'.
I need you to imagine Chuuya Nakahara saying this, with this expression. Makes it all 20x funnier. Also the reason why I usually write him as a wingman/enabler in my fics.
Oh, and about the "he had no idea I knew all along", I did tell him... last year 😂 We were reminiscing about things and he went on a tangent saying something along the lines of 'I feel kinda bad because it was selfish of me but I liked the idea of us being seen as a couple back then so I didn't tell you the characters were a popular ship'.
To which I replied: 'Oh, I knew, don't worry.'
Cue shocked Pikachu meme for my spouse's reaction. I then explained that I was fully aware of everything all along, and he was like 'thank GOD you decided to play along then because I had no idea how to charm anyone' 😂
It feels good to put our silly story out there, I had told this story only to one person in the fandom so far (I won't tag her, but Katsu can confirm we're two dumbasses in love) because I don't usually talk about personal stuff publicly like this unless on a whim but also because, like I said, it's a very long story even with skipped parts.
I hope this was fun to read, at least? 😅
As for what you asked about drawing us, I'll apologize, but neither of us understood exactly what you want to do. If you could elaborate more on it, we'd be grateful and could give a proper response! All in all, thank you for sending the ask, it was really lovely of you to stop by just to say that! 😊
23 notes · View notes
cheesybadgers · 8 months
Text
Narcos Fic: Old Habits Die Hard (Chap. 20)
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24
Read on AO3
Masterlist
Pairing: Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo
Words: 12,880
Summary: An invitation takes Horacio and Javier back to Medellín, a city that has changed as much as they have since they were last in it. Amongst the celebrations, can they find a way to reconcile the old with the new?
Warnings: 18+ ONLY. Emotional smut, religious themes, discussions of canon-typical violence and past trauma, grief, healing, allusions to period-typical prejudices, smoking, drinking, swearing.
Notes: So, this chapter took on a life of its own and ended up a lot bigger than it was originally supposed to be, oops lol. The initial idea was for this and chapter 21 to be chapter 20, but, as you can see, it didn't quite work out like that 😂
The majority of chapter 21 is done, I just need to finish it off but life (and covid...again) have been getting in the way lately.
After that, I just have chapter 22 and a short epilogue to do, then fin. So, I promise we are very nearly there now! Ideally, I'd like it all done by the end of autumn, but that might not be possible...let's see how it goes.
Thank you once again to anyone still reading and waiting for updates, your patience is greatly appreciated (as always, please feel free to drop me a line if you’d like to, I love hearing from you!)❤️
I’ve also added to my OHDH trivia post to cover this chapter if anyone is interested (and there's quite a few new points for this one, as I ended up doing a lot of research lol).
Chapter 20: Something Old, Something New
Dappled light filtered through the Venetian blinds, splintering across the polished wooden furnishings and along the plush carpeted floor, bathing the hotel room in tints of gold. No traces remained of yesterday’s rain after a warm start to the morning, and the forecast miraculously looked promising for the hours ahead.
Horacio stood facing a floor-length mirror, his fingers wrestling with his jacket and a Cattleya orchid buttonhole until he tutted and gave up. It was the final addition to his outfit: a three-piece mid-grey suit, a pale olive green dress shirt, a bottle green tie and dark brown shoes.
“Come here.” Javier abandoned fastening his burgundy tie, letting it hang untied and loose around his neck. Instead, he took the buttonhole from Horacio and delicately pinned the flower on his left lapel. It matched the one already placed on his navy blue three-piece, which he had teamed with a rose-pink dress shirt and black shoes.
“Thanks. It’s been a long time since I’ve worn one of these. I’m out of practice.” The last wedding Horacio attended had been a friend of Juliana’s, and for some reason, attaching a flower to his jacket was trickier than his CNP lapel pins.
“At least the last time wasn’t your own wedding…which you never actually made it to.”
“Fair point.”
Javier smoothed down Horacio’s lapels, slow caresses on either side, chestnut lost in charcoal as he took all of him in. “Beautiful.”
“Likewise.” Horacio’s fingers slid up to Javier’s tie and worked their magic, managing a knot neater than Javier could ever make. He positioned and repositioned it at the collar until it was symmetrical.
“Satisfied?”
“Hmm, not quite.” He took hold of the length of the tie, pulling Javier down a couple of inches to his height, fresh mint and aftershave hitting their senses as they settled into it, careful not to squash the flowers at their breast.
Javier breathed hard against Horacio’s mouth. “I take it we haven’t got time for—”
“Absolutely not.” Although Horacio was panting as he re-straightened Javier’s tie, the sight of each other in formal wear a distracting novelty. “We’re meeting Steve downstairs in 5 minutes.”
“Shame. I miss Madrid already.”
“Our bed will still be there when we get back.”
“Who said anything about a bed?”
“Come on, we can’t be late,” Horacio reiterated with great reluctance, avoiding the look he knew Javier was giving him. “You ready?”
Javier took a deep breath and picked up the invitation from the nearby nightstand, his eyes scanning over the details one last time.
Juana Marisol Vargas Restrepo
Y
Felipe Gabriel Trujillo Rojas
Con la bendición de sus familias, te invitan a celebrar su boda
(With the blessing of their families, they invite you to celebrate their wedding)
El sábado, 21 de enero de 1995
(Saturday 21st January, 1995)
A las tres de la tarde
(At 3 in the afternoon)
Iglesia del Señor de las Misericordias, Manrique
(Church of the Lord of the Mercies, Manrique)
Recepción a seguir en el Jardín Botánico de Medellín
(Reception to follow at the Botanical Garden of Medellín)
“I think so. Of all the churches in Medellín, though.”
Horacio let out a wry huff to match Javier’s. “I know. The bride’s choice, apparently. Plus, it’s close by for the reception.”
Javier hummed, his eyes still glued to the invitation as if the antidote to the discomfort simmering in the pit of his stomach was hidden between the lines.
“You okay?”
“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine. It was always gonna be like this. Wasn’t it? Being back here.”
“I don’t think there’s a way around it. But at least it’s a celebration this time.” Horacio placed a gentle kiss on Javier’s forehead. “And it’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”
“I know.”
------------------------------------------------------
After locating Steve, they shared a taxi to the church, where they met Connie and Olivia on account of Olivia being in a particularly fussy mood.
“I think it’s the travelling and being out of routine. She was up early this morning. So, of course, she’s tired now.” Connie gestured towards Olivia, fast asleep in her dad’s arms, before hugging Javier and Horacio.
“You look stunning, love the dress,” Javier said, noticing he owned a shirt in the same shade of turquoise.
“Aw thank you, you all look so handsome!” Connie stood back to admire them then leaned in to kiss Steve. “And not hungover?” she added with a raised brow, rubbing away the smudge of lipstick left behind on his cheek. “I take it I need to thank Horacio again for keeping you in one piece?”
It took Horacio a second to get what Connie was referring to. But then he remembered a paralytic pair of DEA agents slumped in the back of his car, alongside practically carrying Javier to his bedroom, removing his outer layers and plying him with water, then lying him on his side with a pillow behind his back.
Horacio had been heading for the door when a slurred noise over his shoulder stopped him. One that sounded suspiciously like “Stay.” He couldn’t prove it or ask for clarification. But nor could he leave. So, he stayed until he was reassured Javier was safe and sleeping soundly. Then he tiptoed home, relieved the next day to find Javier had no recollection of any of it.
“I don’t know about that,” Horacio said in the here and now. “We were all on our best behaviour for today.”
“Yeah, Murphy needs his beauty sleep these days. Isn’t that right?” Javier threw a wink in Steve’s direction and wondered if Connie’s choice of words meant what he thought they did.
“Well, some of us actually have to go to work, Peña,” Steve shot back with a self-satisfied curl of the lips.
Connie playfully slapped Steve on the shoulder. “Ignore him, he’s just jealous.”
“Can’t even deny it.”
------------------------------------------------------
Guests began to file up the stone steps into the church, the Murphys following once they had roused Olivia awake, with Javier and Horacio hanging back at the top of the stairs.
Their arms rested over the balcony wall as they surveyed the road beneath. There was no CNP vehicle parked up this time, but instead, a hive of activity with guests being dropped off and a space reserved for the bride’s imminent arrival.
“It feels like a fucking lifetime ago, doesn’t it?”
“It was.”
“I, er, never saw her again. Helena, I mean. I secured her a visa – figured it was the least I could do after everything. But she took her kid and ran before I could give it to her. Her neighbour said she was staying with her sister in Peru, but…who knows?”
Javier wasn’t sure if she even had a sister, but he always hoped it was the truth. He always hoped she and her family were safe and that she found the strength to put what happened behind her. But of course, he had no fucking clue if these were comforting lies he’d told himself over the years. It wasn’t love, whatever they had. Far from it. He knew that back then let alone now. But for a short while, they cared in their own way, and as much as their circumstances and jobs allowed them to.
“Probably for the best. It wouldn’t have been safe here.”
“No, I made sure of that.” Javier’s hand dug harshly into the jagged stone, leaving dents in his skin until the subtle and discreet touch of a finger made contact with his own, pulling him out of his spiralling self-flagellation. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t plan on bringing all this up. Especially not today.”
“It’s okay. And it’s not like we ever really talked about it at the time.”
It had been a sore point for Horacio, not that he understood why back then. Of course, he knew Helena wasn’t the first or the last, but he could see whatever they had, however short-lived, went beyond the mere transactional. He’d never seen Javier so worried for an informant, and as it turned out, he had every reason to be. Then, she stopped being a threat and became yet another victim.
“Funnily enough, no. You just took it out on Steve instead.”
A knowing look eased the tension in an instant.
“Could you blame me?”
“Absolutely not. Especially when he was encroaching on your territory.”
Javier couldn’t resist a wink, which caused a muttered “Fuck you” followed by their shoulders shaking in unison.
Once calm was restored, Horacio turned to face the church, the wall bearing the brunt of his weight. “Looking back now, though, I don’t think I should’ve been so surprised by what you did for me in Cartagena and Tolú.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I did the same for you that night here in Medellín.”
Javier joined Horacio; both now stood side by side, their gaze meeting in an acknowledgement of the rich history that existed between them that no words could ever fully convey.
And with the scattered remnants of their past now confined to distant memories they could at last put behind them, they made their way into the church. 
------------------------------------------------------
A waterfall of roses, carnations and orchids tied together with matching ribbons cascaded a rainbow of purple, yellow and white down the rows of pews. The flowers were supplied by the mother of the groom, who conveniently was a florist by profession. Every August, Medellín burst into bloom for Feria de las Flores, so if anyone was going to be in charge of the arrangements, it was her.
Candles lit a path from the aisle to the altar, reminding Horacio not only of Día de las Velitas but of his and Javier’s recreation of the festival during their first Christmas in Laredo. He was about to take a seat when he caught a flash of green dress uniform in the wings of the church and a pair of dark eyes picking him out of the congregation.
He excused himself to the sacristy at the side of the altar.
Trujillo peered out to the pews as his hands alternated between fidgeting with the knot of his tie and his cufflinks. “Is she here yet?”
“Not yet.” Horacio straightened Trujillo’s tie knot. “But it’s still early.”
“Yeah.” Trujillo nodded and took a deep breath.
“She’ll be here before you know it. So relax. I think we’ve been through worse.” Horacio’s lips stayed neutral for an impressively long spell until he caved.
“My hand was steady as a rock on that rooftop. But today?” Trujillo held out his hand to show the hint of a tremor.
“You ended something once and for all on that rooftop. Something that needed ending…for your father, Alfredo and Sebastián. For you. For Colombia. But today is the start of your future.”
“I always thought they would have been here for this one day. So, thank you. For being here instead. For coming back...after everything. For all those early morning drills and target practice. And for the free drinks.”
They laughed at the fact Horacio was a man of his word and hadn’t let Trujillo buy a single drink since arriving here.
“It’s the least I could do. And if you ever need anything, Felipe, don’t be afraid to ask.”
“Likewise…Horacio. That goes for Javier, too.”
Their silence was an acknowledgement that they had just shared an ending and a beginning of their own, no longer comrades in arms or superior and subordinate, but something different again, something equal.
“I thought my ears were burning,” came a voice from the doorway.
“Great way to kill the moment, Peñita.”
“Sorry. I wanted to wish you luck. And offer you some Dutch Courage, if you're interested?” Javier produced a hip flask from behind his back. “A present from Search Bloc,” was his answer to the quizzical looks he was met with.
“Just a taste, then. I don’t want Juana thinking I’m drunk.” Trujillo took a restrained swig. “Any last-minute advice?” he asked Javier, passing him the flask.
“You want marriage advice from me? Er, don’t do a runner before she gets here?”
“Good one, brother.”
“He did warn you,” Horacio added, shooting Javier a pointed look.
“True. Although,” Trujillo lowered his voice and glanced at the doorway, “neither of you might be married, but…you’ve been through a lot together. And I think it’s made you stronger. So, you must be doing something right.”
A wordless nod and one last swig for good measure were exchanged.
Javier and Horacio were unsure if it was the alcohol or something else causing the heat to rise in their cheeks. But either way, they were in quiet agreement with Trujillo’s assessment.
It wasn’t long before the words “She’s here!” were whispered with barely contained glee from beyond the door, and it was time to take their places.
The ceremony, even the drier elements, passed quicker than most weddings Javier and Horacio had been to. It was the first one Javier had attended since…well, not even his own now he thought about it because he never made it to the church. He never saw Lorraine’s dress either, as, unsurprisingly, she had changed out of it by the time he was forced to explain himself. Not that Javier really could explain at the time. But then, it was much easier to understand something was wrong once he knew what was right.
Between Felipe’s pristine uniform and Juana’s mantilla veil, memories of Horacio's Mamá wearing a strikingly similar black veil to his Papá’s funeral came to mind. But once upon a time, they had also stood at an altar like this with their shared life ahead of them, and even though the injustice of it being cut short would always linger, on this occasion, Horacio chose to cherish the fact it existed in the first place.
Furtive glances travelled between him and Javier as they bowed their heads to pray during the candle ceremony and for the exchange of rings and arras coins. It was a silent confirmation that whilst these rituals weren’t an option for them in the eyes of the law or church, their unofficial versions were no less significant. 
------------------------------------------------------
They moved on to the reception at Jardín Botánico de Medellín in the evening, a place Horacio hadn’t been to since his youth. The wedding meal was to be served under a spectacular orchid-shaped wooden canopy in the centre of the gardens. Tables dressed in white linen were decorated with flower arrangements to match those at the church, and favours included coffee beans and orchid seeds.
The newlyweds sat at the top table surrounded by close family and their padrinos and madrinas, the echoes of war still loud and everlasting given the notable absences. Javier, Horacio, Steve, Connie and Olivia sat on the next one, along with some familiar Search Bloc faces and Carlos Holguín staff.
At the adjacent table were Martínez Senior and Junior. Horacio and Martínez Senior had only crossed paths at occasional ceremonies and dinners, even though their fathers worked more closely in the past. As the war on drugs kicked in, it became apparent the two men had polar opposite approaches to their jobs. And whilst Horacio made Escobar his mission, Martínez took a different path, specialising in FARC operations in the jungle instead. Until their paths converged, that was.
“Do you think he knows?” Javier muttered over the rim of his champagne flute after Martínez Senior’s eyes briefly fell on them.
“About us? Why would he?” Horacio replied into the palm of his hand as he scratched his upper lip.
“I dunno. He knew about everything else. And he must have questions.”
“I’m sure he does. But do you think he’ll even want to speak to us? I already know he hates my guts.”
“He might be pleasantly surprised you’re not dead. You never know.”
Their hushed conversation was thankfully drowned out by Olivia interrogating Connie about everything from the guests’ outfits to the flower arrangements and when the food was coming, whilst Steve caught up with Jacoby.
The tables were soon full of plates and dishes bearing carne asada, lechona, patacones, arepas, tamales, milhojas, concadas, cuajada con melao, fruit salads and the centre piece Torta Negra Colombiana, decorated with flowers to match the colour scheme.
The cutting of the Torta Negra followed before the space was re-arranged, guests spilling out into the surrounding gardens, refreshing their drinks at the various pop-up bars or walking amongst the flowers and trees.
By dark, a dancefloor was unveiled in the centre of the canopy with a band playing cumbia, vallenato, merengue, bambuco, salsa and beyond.
Once the bride had thrown her bouquet, the single male guests gathered to place a shoe beneath her dress. Javier managed to escape the ritual in favour of sitting back and watching from the sidelines. But at the risk of inviting prying questions from his former colleagues if he did the same, Horacio reluctantly added his shoe to the pile. Typically, his was chosen by Juana, which, as per tradition, meant he would be next to marry.
From several feet away, Horacio could see Javier’s suggestive eyebrow and overt smirk, and they were even more brazen close up when Horacio re-joined him.
“Should we pick out rings, or…?”
An eyeroll was the only answer Javier was ever going to get to that question, and it came right on cue.
“Because, er,” Javier continued regardless, clearing his throat and casually glancing around to make sure no one was in earshot, “seeing you in your shirt stays this morning got me thinking how fucking good you’d look in a wedding garter.”
As Horacio was hit with a barrage of mental images and a dry mouth, a large cheer erupted as the next tradition got underway. This time, all male guests – not just the single ones – were rounded up to remove their belts, the idea being that the man with the longest belt was the winner. Of what exactly, Horacio was never sure when this had played out at past Colombian weddings he’d been to.
He stood opposite Javier as they fumbled with buckles, unhooking the leather straps from their belt loops and pulling them off in one swift motion. Their eyes remained fixed on each other from start to finish, an act fuelled by Javier’s last words.
The sound of cheering pulled them back with reluctance to the proceedings, and even though their belts were probably slightly longer than they used to be, they weren’t declared the winners. 
------------------------------------------------------
As the drinks flowed, so did the dancing, regardless of whether the paired-up guests knew each other or whether they could actually dance.
Javier’s next partner was a familiar face, though, who had at least taken a few dance classes to get to know some locals when first arriving in Colombia.
“Is Steve with Olivia?” he asked, grateful for a slower number so he could catch his breath and talk.
“Oh, no, she’s with the Jacobys. She’s made friends with their daughter, Chloe - they’re around the same age.” Connie twirled underneath Javier’s outstretched arm and back around again. “Steve is conveniently helping Horacio with the next round of drinks. He always did have hips as stiff as a board. I had to practically drag him up for our first dance.”
“That…doesn’t surprise me.”
“And what about Horacio?” Connie whispered into Javier’s shoulder as their feet slid across the floor in time with the music. “Does he need to loosen his hips, or is he a dark horse?”
“You should know a man never dances and tells. But…” Javier spun Connie on her heel again, pulling her close so his head was near her ear this time. “I can assure you there’s nothing wrong with his hips.”
“That doesn’t surprise me either. When did you say you were heading to Manizales?”
“In a couple of days.” Javier swallowed hard now the subject had been raised.
“How’s he holding up?”
“Okay. We’ve not really talked about it since Madrid. Figured we’d deal with it after the wedding, but -” Javier scoffed, cutting himself off mid-sentence.
“Now it’s nearly here,” Connie finished for him.
“Exactly. But I guess we couldn’t hide in Spain forever.” As tempting as it was some days.
They somehow made it to the other side of the dancefloor, narrowly avoiding multiple couples before escaping back to their table once the song was over.
“How’re you finding being back again?” Connie asked.
“Weird.”
“Yeah. Definitely weird at first.”
Their shared laughter came like a sigh of relief, a release of tension now they had spoken the truth out loud.
“But different.”
“It’s not like last time, right?” There was uncertainty in her unblinking eyes, a plea not only for reassurance but for honesty as well.
“Trujillo said anyone left from the cartel with half a brain cell skipped town or went underground before Pablo’s body was cold. They’ve been tracking down anyone dumb enough to have stuck around. So, no. It’s not like last time. I promise.”
His tone was soft but he looked Connie in the eye until she nodded, needing the conviction as much as she did.
“I know I never visited Madrid like I said I would – blame your ex-employer for that, by the way – but for what it’s worth, I don’t think Medellín’s the only one who’s different now. So, whatever happens, Javi…”
“I know.”
His hand found its way to hers on the table and gently squeezed. An acceptance that there was no denying traces of the past, as they had already discovered, but a translucent overlay had been placed on top of it now. Whether the two could co-exist in the long run, nobody yet knew, but at least it was finally the chance of a future for them and Medellín. 
------------------------------------------------------
Horacio picked one of the quieter bars, reeling off a list of drinks to the bartender and perching on a stool while he waited for his order.
“Thought you might need a hand.”
Before Horacio could respond, Steve had already sat on the adjacent stool, his back to the bar to accommodate his long legs.
“You sure you’re not just avoiding the dancefloor, Agent Murphy?” There was a hint of a mock interrogative tone to his voice as he turned sideways to face Steve.
Steve held his hands up in surrender. “You got me there. Although…” He dipped into the inside pocket of his black suit jacket and pulled out a couple of cigars. “Courtesy of the groom, if you’re interested?”
Horacio broke into a laugh. “He paid up, then.”
“Damn right.” Steve held one of the cigars closer to Horacio, tempting him despite the conflicted look Horacio was giving it. “I won’t tell Javi if you don’t tell Con.”
Horacio sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He put the cigar between his lips and took the lighter from Steve, hovering the flame near the foot until it took.
Steve did the same, a woody haze soon encircling them.
The bartender appeared with a trayful of drinks and once he was gone again, Horacio lifted a beer bottle and slid it across to Steve. “I never got a chance to say thank you.”
“For what?”
“Stechner.”
A scowl stormed across Steve’s pupils, and he took a quick hard swig from his beer bottle, placing it back on the table with a little more force than intended. “It was my fuckin’ pleasure. You should’ve seen his face. Covered in blood and tears in his eyes when my hand squeezed his throat.”
He swapped his beer for his cigar, relishing in that sweet memory as a ring of smoke hovered above his head like a misplaced halo.
Every now and then, Steve still surprised Horacio. Because occasionally, Horacio caught glimpses of the turbulence that raged beneath the surface. It was a clumsier, more unrefined version than he was accustomed to, but he recognised and understood it nonetheless.
“Not sure I’d have been able to stop squeezing,” Horacio confessed.
“It was touch and go for a minute. But rumour has it, the new Country Attaché, Alana Cortés, and Messina were roommates all the way through their Academy days. And for a few years after…before Cortés took an assignment in Mexico out of the blue. But now she’s back.” Steve toasted the air with his beer bottle. “So good luck to our old friend, Bill, trying to pull her strings.”
Horacio raised his glass to meet Steve’s bottle, although there was an ulterior motive to leaning forward a fraction. “I take it you’ve heard nothing else about the photos?” His words were delivered towards the floor in case of the minutest likelihood anyone around them was the world’s best lip reader.
“Not a thing. But I’d handle it if something did happen; you have my word. Cali’s beyond my remit, but I’d put good money on Stechner’s attention being there now he can’t use us anymore.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Oh, and you were right, too.”
“About what?”
“Javi tryin' to shut me out.”
“Well, thanks for not letting him.”
They bowed their heads and returned to their cigars, a surprisingly comfortable silence sitting between them.
“How was he in Madrid?” Steve asked in the end.
“Good, mostly. There were bad days, obviously. But he sleeps better now.”
“He’s not the only one.”
“No. I think there’s a lot of that going around.”
“It’s weird though, right?”
“What’s that?”
“Being back. Like it was all just some fuckin’ dream. Like it wasn’t really me on that rooftop. Like everyone knew it should’ve been you in that photo instead.”
Horacio might not have been there for the final showdown, but he'd seen enough newspapers and bulletins to know that photo well. The one where Escobar’s limp body was held up to the camera like a trophy, now the hunt was over.
“Yeah, well, I made sure it wasn’t me, didn’t I?” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ve had to make my peace with it. And so should you.”
“I played out that moment so many times. Thought about all the ways we’d catch him. Over and over, I let it run through my head. But I wasn’t expecting him to look so…pathetic. Like any other son of a bitch criminal runnin’ scared when his time’s up.”
“Because that’s all he was. But it was real. And he’s gone. No matter what happens, they can’t take that away from us.”
“But now what?”
“Now, we live our lives. We don’t forget, but we move on.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
Just as they toasted their drinks, they were rumbled.
“Might’ve known this is where you’d be hiding. Found them!” Javier called over his shoulder.
Trujillo followed behind Javier; his police uniform now exchanged for a lightweight guayabera. “Anything to avoid a dancefloor. Blondie, are those my cigars?”
“I think you’ll find they’re mine now, Major. I might have a couple of spares lying around, though.” Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out more like he was performing a magic trick.
Trujillo rubbed his hands together. “Now you’re talking.” 
------------------------------------------------------
Once Steve had braved the canopy to pass Connie her drink, the four men retreated to a deserted part of the gardens where pine tables and chairs with canvas covering them were dotted amongst the trees. White lights hung across the branches like fireflies and lanterns lined the decked walkways, the party and dancing reduced to a murmur in the distance.
The quartet sat around one of the pine tables, the first time they had been together like this since the old days back at Carlos Holguín.
“Can you believe we’re finally here?” Trujillo asked, savouring the spicy scent of his cigar as it combined with the fresh floral notes of the forest.
“At your wedding? Barely.”
Trujillo rolled his eyes at Javier’s teasing and shook his head. “You can tick comedian off your list of career options.”
Steve sucked in air through his teeth at their war of words. “See what I had to put up with.”
“Says the white boy who needed me to be his fucking translator 24/7.”
A collective braying sound travelled around the table this time before it morphed into laughter and Steve making use of any Spanish swear word he could think of.
“But in all seriousness...no, not really,” Javier replied in earnest after they returned to their cigars.
“Sometimes when I wake up, it takes me a minute to remember he’s not still lurking out there somewhere.”
“But he’s not.” Horacio’s eyes glowed with steely determination, needing to put a line under this once and for all. “You made sure of that. You gave Medellín a future. And now it’s time to start yours.” He raised his glass to the centre of the table. “To Juana and Felipe.”
“To Juana and Felipe!” Javier and Steve echoed as their drinks clinked with Horacio’s.
“And to Colombia,” Felipe added.
“To Colombia!”
------------------------------------------------------
Once the cigars were stubbed out, Trujillo and Horacio were pulled away for a Search Bloc reunion, leaving Javier and Steve to their drinks.
“I was telling Carrillo about Cortés earlier.”
“How did you find out about her, by the way? You never said on the phone.”
“Just some good old fashioned slightly off-the-record detective work, that’s all.”
“You covered your tracks, though, right? Because they’ll know it was you who gave her my intel. Even if they can’t prove it.”
“’Course. Although it wouldn’t take a fuckin’ genius to figure that out. Same with Stechner’s busted face. Don’t think anyone bought it was your handiwork.”
“To be fair, there’s a critical shortage of geniuses in the DEA. Present company included, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Steve retaliated by raising his middle finger in response to Javier’s trademark wink. “But most people hate Stechner as much as we do, so no one came asking. Never saw him around the school again after that, although I’m sure he must’ve been prowlin' about somewhere.”
“More than likely. So, er…no one’s mentioned the photos either?”
“No. And like I told Carrillo, even if they did, I’d handle it, Javi. I promise. There’s more shit on Stechner out there, I fuckin’ know it. Messina was getting too close, remember. I don’t think I’ll have to dig deeper, but look at it as an insurance policy.”
“Makes sense. And thanks, Steve. For Stechner. For the intel. For reassuring Horacio, apparently.”
Javier laughed at the thought of them engaged in something resembling a heart-to-heart. But if truth be told, it brought warmth to his chest to realise the two men could be considered friends-of-sorts these days. Not that he dared tell them that.
Steve gave a lazy salute with one hand whilst the other took a swig of his drink. “Don’t expect that to become a habit, by the way.”
And there it was, right on cue, just as Javier anticipated. “Oh, no, of course not.”
“It was a one-time-only Wedding Special kinda deal.”
“Right. Exactly.”
Javier took a long sip of his drink to hide the smirk threatening to explode into an undiplomatic laugh if he wasn’t careful.
“Any idea when you’re moving back to the States?” Steve asked, seemingly oblivious to Javier’s impressive restraint.
“Not really. It depends on Horacio’s visa. We haven’t decided on the best route yet. I’d forgotten how much fucking paperwork’s involved.”
It was no wonder Javier held such disdain for bureaucracy when the wrong piece of paper was the difference between crossing a border and not. When someone’s life was reduced down to a list of rigid criteria without much consideration for the sacrifice and hardship it often took to get to that point in the first place. It was why he had done his best to help informants get an American visa wherever possible, even if it meant bending rules until they snapped.
He knew Horacio had more options than most – more than his grandparents’ generation did – and they had been lucky with their past visas. But he tried not to think about the fact their future would be in the hands of an officious government administrator. One most likely not prepared to bend any rules in the slightest.
“You got that right. Don’t s’pose he’s thought about law enforcement?”
Javier shot Steve a sharp look. “Hilarious.”
“I thought so. And what about you? Any ideas what’s next?”
“Me? Fuck, I dunno, man. Guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
“You’ll both figure it out, y’know.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. You always do. You’re like me and Con. We’ve had our rough patches, several of ‘em while we were here – and a few more since we left, come to think of it – but somehow, we get through it. Same as you and Horacio.”
“You drunk, Murphy?”
Steve contemplated that as though he hadn’t considered the possibility until now despite the array of empty glasses covering the table. “Fuck, I think I am.” He let out a loud snigger before hushing himself. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“My lips are sealed.” For all of Javier’s stoicism, he stood no chance, and it wasn’t long before they were giggling like schoolboys.
“About the rough patches, though…” Steve said once they had calmed down. “Any tips?”
“Someone once told me it’s okay to not always be in the same boat even if you’re in the same storm. Sometimes, you just need your own boat. But as long as you’re trying to sail in the same direction...and want to be in the same boat as much as possible, you can get through it.”
“Huh. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but that actually makes sense. Who do I need to thank?”
Javier smiled, almost able to smell fresh churros if he closed his eyes hard enough. “Someone a lot older and wiser than us.”
“Figures. And my point still stands, by the way.”
“What point’s that exactly?”
“You might not have worked out the finer details yet, but…” Steve gestured for Javier to move forward as though he was about to share highly classified intel. “The worst’s over now. We don’t forget, but we move on.” He nodded sagely before dropping his voice to little more than an alcohol-infused rumble. “This is your happy ending, Javi. Go live it.”
As they returned to the party, Steve alternating between leaning against Javier and patting him enthusiastically on the back whilst attempting something vaguely resembling Spanish, there was no doubt in Javier’s mind that Steve was wasted and probably had been for most of their conversation.
But when it came to the sentiment behind Steve’s garbled words, something told Javier that didn’t matter.
------------------------------------------------------
Maybe it was Horacio’s age or the quiet life he had become accustomed to, but he couldn’t keep up with Search Bloc’s drinking. The aguardiente shots were in full flow when he left them to it, doubling back towards where he had left Javier and Steve.
He made it past the bustle of the bar and round the corner towards a small rock garden with a walkway to the trees lying beyond.
“So, the rumours were true, then.”
Force of habit made Horacio momentarily reach for where his gun holster used to be as he spun around to face the voice from the shadows of a wooden bench.
“Depends which ones you’re talking about,” he replied in a measured tone now he knew the source of the voice. “You can’t believe everything you hear.”
“Well, let’s put it this way...you certainly look well for a dead man, Colonel Carrillo.”
“You almost sound disappointed.”
“Not at all. Vengeance isn’t my style.”
“Nor mine these days.”
“So I’ve heard. Congratulations on your retirement. I’d say that beats jail, wouldn’t you?”
Horacio scoffed as he sat on the opposite end of the bench, his brow flexing at such an expertly delivered blow. “I guess I deserved that.”
“I think we both know what a man deserves and what a man gets are rarely the same thing.”
“True. But you’ll always be Colonel Martínez: the man who stopped Escobar.”
“Perhaps so. But was death not the easier way out?”
“Easier than what? Vengeance?”
“Justice.” Martínez gave Horacio a long look from his end of the bench. “Gaviria was the one who wanted him dead. It’s no wonder you two got along so well.”
“I did my duty. As Gaviria did his and you did yours. We played the hands we were dealt.”
“Yes, and he dealt mine well when he signed my son up to Search Bloc before offering me your job.”
Realisation slowly spread across Horacio’s face, and without meaning to, he gave Martínez a look tinged with pity. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I kept him alive. He was transferred to a new intel unit instead…where he intercepted radio transmissions from Pablo the day we caught him.”
A curve of a smile formed on Horacio’s lips. “Funny how it works out sometimes.”
Horacio was reminded of his own double-edged sword of a path to becoming leader of Search Bloc. The journey began with Javier and a briefcase full of cash being deposited in the lap of General Jaramillo, forcing the General’s greedy hand to appoint Horacio as head of the anti-drug squad and make him a Colonel. A job that was already a poisoned chalice on account of his predecessor winding up dead at the hands of the cartel.
Javier using gringo money to buy Horacio a promotion had been a bone of contention between them back then. Too many heated discussions under the influence led to an argument where “Everybody works for somebody" and “Don’t ever mistake me for one of your whores again” were the last words to hang between them in a heavy fog of smoke, whiskey and undefinable tension for several weeks. During which time, Horacio was even more ruthless than usual. And as if to prove a point, Javier practically became a temporary resident at his favourite brothel.
The hypocrisy of the situation had sat uneasily under Horacio’s skin when he had always taken such a hard line on bribery from the narcos. Was this really any different?
But conversely, if he hadn’t been allowed to build his own force of incorruptible men, he would never have led the operation on Gacha. He would never have ended up in those quarters in Tolú with Javier. On his cot with Javier underneath him.
“Yes, it is. I did tell Gaviria I would bring Escobar into custody unless he resisted. But of course, he resisted.”
“Then maybe Escobar didn’t care about justice as much as you think he did. And there’s nothing you could have done about that.”
“Aren’t we supposed to care about justice, though? And I don’t mean the vigilante kind you and Los Pepes were so fond of administering.”
“You sound like the gringos I used to work with.” A surge of nostalgia rose in Horacio’s chest, and he’d have been surprised if it wasn’t showing on his face. Although, of course, it was one gringo in particular he had in mind.
“If you think I wanted Escobar to be extradited to an American jail, you’re mistaken. He was our problem to deal with, not theirs.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t give a fuck about a corrupt form of justice. How would that have been better than what I did? So many judges, politicians and journalists were bought or killed alongside our men. He wanted Colombia to bleed, and he’d have done whatever it took to make sure he didn’t remain in a cell. You, Trujillo, Search Bloc…you cauterised the wound that no one else could.”
“For now. I think we both know this was something of a Pyrrhic victory. And not the end.”
“Two things we can agree on.”
Reluctant smiles crossed their faces despite everything.
“I think our fathers managed a few more.”
“So I was told at Papá’s wake. How is your father doing these days?”
“He’s fine. Retired now but relieved the hunt is over. I think he hated watching from the sidelines.”
“I know the feeling.”
The distant drumbeat of the live band carried on the gentle breeze through the garden, whispering like ghosts through the plants and trees surrounding them.
“I may not have agreed with your methods, but I was very sorry about your father.”
“Me too. And for what it’s worth, I think my father would’ve been sorry about my methods as well.”
“I cannot imagine how losing a parent so young would have changed my path. And to be clear, this isn't to be taken as an excuse, but by your own ethos, you played the cards you were dealt, did you not?”
Horacio laughed. “Something like that.”
“I must admit, you were a tough act to follow.”
“Was I?”
“Yes. The level of respect you commanded from your men wasn’t easy to replicate.”
“You still got invited here, though.”
“True. And I accepted the invite despite my suspicions the groom was assisting Agent Peña before his departure.”
Horacio’s jaw ticked in anticipation of the treacherous tightrope he would need to tread here. He and Javier were out, done, without their badges or weapons. But Trujillo wasn’t.
“Suspicions or evidence?” he settled on in the end.
“Suspicions based on what I witnessed. But I think there’s irrefutable evidence his and Peña’s unfaltering loyalty rested with you rather than with me.”
“Trujillo also fired a bullet through Escobar’s skull.”
“Yes. An act I don’t judge him for in the circumstances. And rest assured, I have no intention of reporting my suspicions to anyone. Major Trujillo’s motives aren’t the ones still eluding me.”
Horacio swallowed down the dread burning the back of his throat like bile that was in danger of choking him if he didn’t get rid of it quickly. “What are you talking about?”
“You never struck me as a man afraid of death. And whilst I can understand the ambush might have made some reconsider their career choice, I wouldn’t have put you down as one of them.”
“Do you really think there was anything left for me in Search Bloc? My superiors already had your name on their lips to replace me long before I was shot.”
“In Search Bloc, perhaps not. But I’m sure the CNP would have allowed you back once the dust settled. They forgave you for far worse than being shot.”
Horacio huffed sarcastically despite how unwise it was to get sucked into the conversation. “I can assure you my decision was never about them. And it’s nothing you didn’t do for your son.”
That seemed to be the winning blow as Martínez nodded in concession. “True. We can’t afford to be afraid of death in our profession. But when it comes to the people we love, I must confess…I can’t apply the same rule.”
Horacio gripped the edge of the bench and focused intently on his feet, fearing even glancing in Martínez’s direction would fill in the few remaining blanks. He managed a minimal grunting noise in his throat that he hoped sounded like agreement.
“However, many times, I’ve asked myself why a man such as Peña would have destroyed his career so recklessly, and so close to the finish line. But I’ve been unable to settle on an answer.”
It wasn’t quite the change of subject Horacio hoped for. “Well, for starters,” he began, raising his gaze from his shoes at last, not out of a newly acquired sense of bravery but because he knew he needed to be convincing. “I wouldn’t read too much into Judy Moncada’s Get Out Of Jail Free Card.”
“Oh, I didn’t. I know Peña’s role was only a small part of something a lot bigger than he, you or I could control. But I have to wonder what leverage they had over him to make a deal with the devil impossible to refuse.”
Horacio had no intention of engaging further, but it wasn’t the first time he had wondered about the gap he left that was hastily – and bloodily – filled by Los Pepes. Would they even have been necessary if he'd never left? Or would they have tried their luck in approaching him with the offer of an allegiance? It caused his stomach to swoop if he focused too much on the people involved in that hypothetical scenario. But then he thought of Javier, and he knew with every fibre of his being if their roles had been reversed, he would have done the same.
“I’m sure every man has his reasons if the price is high enough.”
Martínez cocked his head in Horacio’s direction with a creased brow, holding eye contact for a fraction longer than Horacio was comfortable with. “Quite.”
Drunken laughter followed by a sniggered hush abruptly cut through the loud silence. The two Colonels – past and present – turned around to be met with the sight of Javier trying to control the swaying bulk of limbs belonging to his former partner.
Javier spotted them first and halted in his tracks, hoping the dim lighting hid the flash of horror on his face at the sight of two parallel universes colliding in front of him on a garden bench.
Steve apparently was oblivious to what they had stumbled across as he carried on along the path back to the party with just about enough of his faculties remaining to reunite with Connie.
“Everything alright?” Javier asked, fingers twitching on his right hand as he looked from one side of the bench to the other, then back again.
“Yeah, fine.” But Horacio’s eyes found Javier’s in the flecks of light from the lanterns hanging amongst the tree branches and told a more complicated story. “We were just comparing notes.”
“Oh yeah? Any interesting findings?” Javier’s eyes stayed fixed on Horacio’s or the floor for the most part, only risking a brief glance or two at Martínez.
“A few,” Martínez chipped in as he studied them more carefully than they were likely aware of. “Some that I will never be able to excuse or forgive, but I think I understand one thing more clearly now.”
“What’s that?” Horacio asked.
“I always believed there were two types of people in this world: those who rely on hope and those who rely on faith. But now, I see some rely on both.”
Before Javier or Horacio could formulate a response, Martínez announced it was time to locate his son as they had early shifts in the morning.
Their farewell involved little more than a handshake, a stern nod and an exchange of “Good luck.” But it was a necessary formality for all parties. A mark of mutual respect that wasn’t quite an offered or accepted olive branch but at least a truce. And that was enough. 
------------------------------------------------------
“You okay?” Javier asked once Martínez had disappeared from view.
“Yeah. Well, I guess it was inevitable at some point.”
“Didn’t expect it to go like that, though. What the fuck did he mean? Just before he left. Does he know?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t think he’s telling anyone anything either way.”
“Agreed. We don’t have to stay if you’d rather -”
“No.” Horacio was quiet for a second, craning his ear towards the sound of the band behind the large cluster of trees they had sat amongst earlier. “I’ve got a better idea.”
He looked around them in all directions, twice, to be on the safe side, then took Javier by the hand and escorted him along one of the walkways. However, they branched off in a different direction than before, Horacio surprising himself with childhood memories of the layout of this place that he assumed were lost to the sands of time.
“What are -?”
“You’ll see.”
The path spiralled in circles, leaving them surrounded by greenery until they arrived at a softly lit water fountain in the centre. They were somehow closer to the sound of the music, even though they had moved further away from the party.
As they stilled, Javier looked expectantly at Horacio, who was already removing his jacket, placing it carefully on the ground and rolling up his shirt sleeves.
Javier did the same, still not understanding what this was all about, but the look in Horacio’s eye made him want to find out.
Horacio stepped closer, moonlight casting reflections from the fountain, illuminating the spark of hunger glinting in his pupils. “I’ve spent all night watching you dance with half the wedding party.” One hand dropped to Javier’s waist and tugged him forward into his hold. “It’s my turn now.”
Javier’s breath hitched as Horacio pressed them together, his hands automatically falling to Horacio’s hips to steady himself. “You only had to ask,” he said, the smoky timbre of his voice vibrating against Horacio’s ear.
“I thought line-dancing was more your thing.”
Javier nipped at Horacio’s earlobe in revenge. “That was when I was a kid. And you weren’t complaining about my dancing skills on our anniversary.”
Horacio let out an agreeable sigh as he chased the scrape of Javier’s teeth. “No, I wasn’t. But as nice as that was, we were hardly moving.”
“True. And if you must know, the Texas Two-Step got me several phone numbers back in the day. Lorraine’s being one of them. She was more into it than me, but it was actually kinda fun…for a while anyway.”
Memories of Saturday nights spent at old Texan dance halls and barn dances suddenly filled Javier’s mind. The faded aroma of leather and iron rust lingered alongside stale Lone Star beer, cigarette smoke and overpowering perfume as he led his partner across the worn wooden floor in time to the likes of Laura Canales and Hank Locklin.
His gaze would travel around the room – which was easier during a do-si-do – sometimes to make sure they didn’t collide with other dancers, sometimes to give anyone who caught his eye a discreet once-over. If he happened to hone in on a male dancer's tight-fitted jeans and fluid hip movements, it could easily be disguised as admiration for his female partner.
Not that it ever led to any encounters. Not there anyway; it wasn’t anonymous enough. But it was still a temptation. And yet another instance of feeling caught between two worlds: to have the tangible heat and beauty of a woman in his arms whilst fantasising about a mysterious, alluring man from afar, knowing he could never do the same with him in front of an audience.
“Juliana taught me to dance too. Or tried to, at least. She competed a lot when she was younger.”
Horacio smiled at the unexpected memory of them practising in her parents' kitchen, her father watching them like a hawk, glaring every time Horacio put a foot wrong or his hands fell lower than her waist despite the fact she was a grown woman. And his hands had already done much more than that whenever they had the place to themselves. His relationship with her father was the polar opposite of his relationship with Chucho, now he thought about it.
It wasn’t Juliana’s fault, though. And when they were alone on a crowded dancefloor, before his job and life came between them, before he understood the strange, borderline resentment twisting in his chest if he clocked male dancers with a particular look or build, they were content.
One of their favourite clubs ran a cumbia contest on the first Saturday of each month. The prize was tokenistic, free drinks on their next visit, but that didn’t matter on the occasions they came first when Juliana would tell her parents the good news at church the following day. The look on her father’s face as Horacio tried and failed to stifle a smug expression at her side would always be priceless.
“You ever danced any cumbia?” he asked Javier now.
“Some. At parties, weddings, quinceañeras…but that’s going back before I came to Colombia.” There might have been a few hazy nights in clubs and bars over here as well, but dancing hadn’t been his modus operandi in those days.
“So, you’ve never done it with a Colombian?”
Javier’s brow quirked of its own accord, and his tongue swept deliberately across his top lip. “No, er, you’d be my first.”
Horacio kept an impassive expression with his mouth, but his darkening pupils gave him away. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”
“You know that won’t be necessary.”
Somewhere in the middle of their flirtation, they loosened their embrace, one hand linked in the space between them as their feet stepped back and forth, then side to side, their movements mirroring one another. Quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow.
Without warning, Horacio pulled Javier across his body and under their arms, spinning him around with force, then bringing them face-to-face again.
“Lucho Bermúdez was one of the great musical legends here in Colombia. Still is after his death last year. Mamá and my Abuelas listened to him all the time whenever the whole family got together. Do you know the name of this song?”
Horacio waited until their noses were almost touching to ask as their feet subconsciously glided over the paving stones beneath them.
Javier merely shook his head, their legs intermittently brushing together as their hips popped to the beat before he was spun once, twice, thrice until he was dizzy and out of breath.
“Tolú,” Horacio whispered as they reconverged, his lips skimming Javier’s and his eyes flickering shut as flashes of them on his cot in their shadowed quarters flooded into view.
Javier teased his bottom lip over Horacio’s, moustache swiping back and forth until they shuddered, a different first time as fresh as if it happened yesterday.
But they never stopped dancing. Horacio looped through their arms until he had his back to Javier, one hand each gripped at Horacio’s waist. They shimmied sideways, their free hands entwined by their shoulders to guide them back and forth, switching their hold each time they travelled across the floor. Another spin, another brush of legs, or an electric look making it clear which memories of Tolú they were thinking of.
The song ended, leaving only their charged breaths and the evening breeze rustling through the maze of trees protecting them from prying eyes.
Then, the band struck up again, so they kept dancing. Their bodies and minds synchronised as they paid homage to the country that had brought them together in the unlikeliest circumstances, Horacio interjecting with memories from childhood whenever old classics were played. He was even forced to swear on the cross between their chests that he had nothing to do with the band playing Noches de Cartagena of all songs.
------------------------------------------------------
By the time Javier prised his eyes open, unwelcome rays were already bursting through any gap in the blinds they could find. He craned his neck above Horacio’s still form, his watch on the nightstand reading 8:45am; ouch.
He’d survived on minimal sleep plenty of times, but he couldn’t remember getting home from a wedding past 5:00am before. If he was honest, they were tempted to call it a night once their private party for two ended. But it would have been rude to miss out on the dancers – professional this time – costumes and confetti of La Hora Loca. When in Colombia and all that.
They still had a few hours before they were to reconvene with the wedding party for the ultimate hangover cure of bandeja paisa, so Javier’s nose and moustache brushed over the nape of Horacio’s neck, arms slotting around him from behind.
A serene purr soon followed as Horacio stirred and leaned into Javier’s touch.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
Javier’s lips now worked their way to the side of Horacio’s neck, concentrating on a sweet spot below his ear.
“Liar.” Although Horacio’s whole body arched and his head tilted to give Javier what he wanted.
“Surprised I was awake before you, to be honest.”
“It took me a while to get to sleep…all of two and a bit hours ago.” Horacio winced into the pillow at how little rest he’d actually had.
“Everything okay?”
“Hmm, yeah.” He raised his head and shifted so he was lying face-to-face with Javier. “I was just thinking about my family.”
“Makes sense.”
“When we arrived, we were so focused on the wedding. I didn’t let myself think about what comes next. But now…”
“I said the same to Connie last night. But…maybe we’re ready to rip off the band-aid.”
“Maybe. Part of me just wanted to get it out of the way when I was lying awake. But you nodded off in record time.”
“I think you wore me out.”
“But you enjoyed it, though?”
“It was perfect.” Javier closed the space between them, seeking out Horacio’s lips until he was met with a hum of agreement.
Javier pushed his luck, ducking below Horacio’s ear and descending over the column of his throat. Testing the waters to see if Horacio wanted the distraction Javier was more than willing to provide. “And how’s this?”
“Pretty fucking perfect too.”
Their kisses started languorous due to their lack of sleep, building to something fervid as Horacio nipped at Javier’s pout, catching it between his teeth until it was plump and swollen.
Javier retaliated, coaxing Horacio’s tongue towards his with expert flicks, tasting faint traces of last night’s cigars, until he captured it and sucked, long and thorough.
Limbs tangled between bedsheets soon became Javier whimpering facedown into a pillow whilst Horacio dipped and devoured, creating a slick glide between Javier’s thighs, the relief visceral when lining up and pushing forwards.
Horacio experimented with bracing yet measured rotations as he mouthed along the expanse of Javier’s trapezius, lost in a sea of broad muscle. He’d always loved watching the fabric of Javier’s shirts stretch and strain at his upper back, an eye-catching contrast to the narrow hips his jeans hugged oh so tightly. And now, the shirt wasn’t required, and he was the one setting Javier’s skin alight, triggering a visible response to every touch or movement like putty in Horacio’s hands.
Javier loved being vindicated that there was nothing wrong with Horacio’s hips whatsoever. Of being denied any forewarning of what came next from biting down on a pillow with his eyes screwed shut, the only way he could avoid prematurely spilling all over the sheets beneath him. It was a close call several times, calming breaths required to refocus, a request for Horacio to stop or slow down needed before it was game over.
Knowing he reduced Javier to begging because it was too much put Horacio on thin ice, and any more pleas like that would have finished him off. But the throbbing of his cock was in sync with his pulse, loud and insistent, and keeping still wasn’t having the same effect anymore. The salty taste on his tongue as it swiped over the nape of Javier’s neck where the silver chain still remained was an aphrodisiac he couldn’t ignore.
“Fuck me,” he rasped against Javier’s ear.
Without hesitation, Javier flipped onto his back, the loss of contact causing an ache of frustration. But it was replaced by straddling, groping and grinding, propelling Horacio up the mattress until his thighs were encased around Javier’s head.
Now it was Javier’s turn to feast, spreading Horacio with vigour, darting, licking, kissing, leaving trails of saliva, moaning as his cock was engulfed and fingers danced over his balls.
The scratch of nails scored Horacio’s ass as he worked Javier over, lapping with greed, hollowing his cheeks, bobbing his head and switching up the strength of suction, putting everything they had learnt in Madrid into practice.
They pulled off before it was too late, grabbing the bottle of lube and lying supine across the mattress with Javier underneath Horacio.
Javier’s feet were planted flat on the bed, giving him enough purchase to buck upwards with force, one hand holding on at the waist whilst the other roamed freely across the plains of Horacio’s chest, kneading fistfuls of pectoral muscles and skimming over his rib cage down to his thighs.
Javier caressed each thigh in turn, circling and massaging with his thumb, marvelling at how the span of his hand only reached a fraction of the way around them. “I meant what I said last night. About how good a garter would look on you.” His glutes clenched as he propelled upwards for extra emphasis.
The seed was sewn in Javier’s head as he watched Horacio dress for the wedding. It wasn’t the first time Horacio had worn what was a standard part of his dress uniform. A trick of the trade amongst police and military to avoid sanctions for a creased shirt. But it was the first time Javier had seen the shirt stays sitting snugly around Horacio’s muscular thighs. It was the first time he wanted to slip his fingers underneath the neat straps, maybe twang them or pull them tighter with his teeth whilst on his knees. Or as Horacio rode him with his back to Javier, one side of his shirt unclipped, underwear and a single garter tantalisingly removed, the other kept secured in place.
A guttural groan rumbled through Horacio’s chest like he had read Javier’s mind. “What kind?” he breathed out, surprised by his eagerness to indulge Javier and how fast his hand shot to his cock.
Javier choked back expletives at Horacio’s question and the sight above him. “I was thinking something leather…with a buckle…to match your belt and boots.” Each punishing thrust broke up his speech with strained grunts as he spread Horacio’s thighs wider, manoeuvring him up and down at the same pace. “Maybe one on your arm too….and a harness…to go with your hat…cowboy.”
“Fuck,” Horacio panted into Javier’s mouth at an awkward angle on the pillow, stroking himself roughly. Sparks of arousal multiplied with each wrist jerk as he pictured the look Javier gave him during the belt contest. Imagined him buckling the firm yet supple material until it bound tightly against Horacio’s sensitive skin like armour only they were allowed to put on or take off.
Javier’s hand replaced Horacio’s as he let his cock be held in stasis, basking in the heat and comfort of their joined form. His fingers journeyed back to Horacio’s mouth, tracing over it until Horacio parted his lips for Javier to feed two, then three digits inside.
Horacio sucked down, tasting himself as well as Javier as he swirled and licked, swallowing past the knuckles; faster and greedier. But it wasn’t enough.
Maybe it was the false pretences kept up the previous day and night combined with what lay ahead, but Javier seemed too far away. He always did when they were in public, but even more so when wearing a three-piece suit at a romantic wedding that wasn’t and couldn’t be theirs. It was why they still relished the time they could spend alone. And why they had needed Madrid. Because all those hidden looks and blink-and-miss, ‘accidental’ unseen brushes of hands could only be suppressed for so long. Last night, it had spilt out as inadvertent foreplay. But now, they needed more.
“Turn around,” Horacio said after releasing Javier’s glistening fingers.
They lay heart-to-heart, Horacio on his back, legs wrapped around Javier. Javier’s tongue skimmed across the breadth of Horacio’s chest, taking his sweet time working over each nipple, the scrape of teeth causing Horacio to lift upwards until Javier plunged him back down again.
And Horacio didn’t resist, his mind and body in free flight as the weight of Javier anchored him, allowed him to feel each and every nerve vibrate, his arms sliding above his head in complete surrender, offering them for Javier to claim.
Javier plotted a course across any patch of bare skin he could reach, licking up and down Horacio’s underarms, inhaling the musky scent of sweat before switching to his triceps, then biceps. On the left, he mouthed his way along the muscles; any marks left intentional reassurances and promises for their present and future, their bodies mapped stories of their lives.
Along the right, he eased up when he came to the faded scar at the mid-point of Horacio’s shoulder, placing tender butterfly kisses over the blemished skin, blinking away visions of a bullet tearing it open and taking care not to let his teeth make unwanted contact with their past.
He gradually dragged his mouth away until their gaze met, the rise and fall of Horacio’s chest compelling Javier to lay his head on it, soothed by the steady beat and the massage at his scalp.
Satisfied, Javier lifted Horacio’s arms back above them, sweeping over the peaks and troughs of fortified shoulders, forearms and wrists until they slotted through fingers that clamped around his like a vice.
Javier rocked in a pounding rhythm, Horacio’s legs rising higher, pushing Javier deeper as compensation for being unable to reach out and touch. Horacio honed in on the lifeline at his fingertips, the stimulation against his prostate and the safety of Javier’s forehead, all thoughts about the upcoming days put on hold.
But Javier could sense Horacio needed more again. It was written all over the beautiful agony of his face and the silent request in his eyes.
So, hands unlocked to let fingernails brand skin, tug at damp strands of hair and graze over stubble, the metallic ice of the cross contrasting with the fire burning in the core of their chests as they danced more synchronised steps only they knew.
A change in angle caused a slow build of release to skirt the edges of Horacio’s limbs, toes curling as jolts of pleasure transformed into overflowing currents. The fuse was lit, a chain reaction of heat stoking a fire in the pit of his abdomen on the cusp of burning him from the inside out.
Another snap of hips, his own hand jerking his cock in a frenzy, a rush of white noise, shuddering, shaking breaths and a release of molten bliss across their stomachs.
The ripples kept coming as every sound, quiver or fluttering around Javier’s cock pushed him closer to the edge. With one final thrust, he finished inside Horacio, a desperate growl tearing from his throat, the brunt absorbed by Horacio’s left shoulder.
They didn’t move, preferring spent velvet kisses, the world now in slow motion.
Javier concentrated on Horacio’s nose and forehead, pouring everything into each gesture of affection until he whispered, “I love you. And it’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”
“I love you too. And I know.”
------------------------------------------------------
They dozed a little too long after wearing each other out for the second time in 24 hours, so Horacio went ahead first, leaving Javier to shower and join him afterwards. But it made little difference to the proceedings as plenty of other guests were slow off the mark, too.
Tables were laid out around the nearby restaurant owned by Juana’s parents, leftover flower arrangements used as decorations because it would have been a shame to waste them. It was a much smaller space than the botanical gardens, but not all guests from the night before were expected to attend. A fact that brought immense relief to Horacio because he wouldn’t have to make conversation with a certain Colonel again.
Whilst waiting for Javier, he worked his way through his belated first coffee of the day and took a bite out of an arepa.
“Is there room for two more?”
Horacio raised his head to find Connie with Olivia in tow. “Of course.”
Connie did her best to encourage Olivia out of her hiding place behind her legs. “Come on, sweetie. Do you want something to eat?”
Olivia peeped out from behind Connie, eyeing Horacio with suspicion.
“Don’t mind her; she’s just a little shy and overtired this morning.”
“Some arepas are going spare if that helps?” Horacio kept his voice low and gentle, peering around Connie until he drew a curious expression out of Olivia.
Olivia looked up at her mother, who nodded for reassurance.
“Go ahead.”
Olivia left her hiding place and took the chair between Horacio and Connie, mumbling a thank you as she ate.
“Help yourself, too.”
“Oh, no, thanks. I’ll wait for Steve, whose painkillers should hopefully be kicking in about now. I don’t feel too bad, but I left him groaning into his pillow. Were you and Javi in the same state this morning?”
Horacio fought down a smirk with every strength of his being. “Something like that.”
“I knew it was a smart move to travel to Cartagena tomorrow instead.”
“Where are you staying?”
“A resort just off La Boquilla beach. Steve and I would’ve preferred something quieter, but there’s more to keep kids busy where we’re at.”
“I don’t know the area well, but it is a nice coast up there. With plenty more arepas.” Horacio directed his last sentence at Olivia, who had already made a start on her second.
She slowed her chewing before smiling at Horacio, who had remembered a trick or two from the younger days of dealing with his nieces and nephews. If all else failed, food usually won them round.
“I’ve only seen Medellín and Bogotá, so it’ll be nice to get out of the big cities for a change.”
Horacio cleared his throat and took a long sip of his drink. “Yeah, it will.”
Connie leaned across the table to retrieve a freshly replenished pot of coffee and poured into her cup. “It’s a shame we won’t get a chance to see Manizales this time. But we’ll be thinking about it anyway.”
Horacio was startled out of his own coffee and met Connie’s eye, unsure how to respond before settling on a silent nod of thanks. “Maybe next time if all goes well.”
“I think we’d like that. Breaks like this are few and far between now we’re both back working.”
“How’s Miami these days?”
“Busy now we’re juggling our schedules with Liv’s. And we still have bad days sometimes, of course.” Connie gave Horacio a pointed look when talking of bad days, choosing her words carefully with Olivia in earshot. “But things are better now we’ve got more routine again…more stability.”
“Sounds familiar. I find being in the same country helps, too,” Horacio added with a wry smile.
“Exactly. Now we’re out the other side.”
“Yeah.”
They shared a knowing look, not wanting to say too much in front of Olivia about everything they had been through. It was hard to believe how much had happened and changed in the last few years, and it was clear everyone was still processing it all.
“How’s your arm doing now?” Connie asked in a hurry, keeping the mood light for the sake of her daughter. 
“It’s as good as new. Well, almost. The ranch kept me moving. I think I built back more muscle than I had before. And I kept up strengthening exercises in Madrid.”
“Wow, you’re doing better than most of my patients. I never had to tell you off once.”
“I don’t follow many orders, but it wasn’t worth my arm – or life – to ignore yours. So, thank you.”
“Try telling that to Steve...or this one here. But seriously, I’m just glad I could help. Especially when I hear you might be making ranch life more permanent?” There was a conspiratorial tone to her question. A question she clearly knew the answer to already but was having fun asking regardless.
“That’s the plan, hopefully. Madrid was always supposed to be temporary.”
“But it helped?”
“Yeah. It was exactly what we needed. And maybe you’ll find Cartagena is what you need.”
“I think we will.”
There was that look again, one that spoke volumes about their shared understanding, even if their experiences were different.
Horacio’s gaze drifted up to Javier, who still wore his aviators until he flopped down at their table, already reaching for a cup and the coffee pot.
“Morning.”
“Afternoon, Javi,” Connie greeted with a wink.
“Very funny. But looks like I still beat your husband.”
“Don’t suppose you saw him on your way over?”
“Nope. I’m sure he’ll appear once the food does.”
Javier was right, of course. A worse-for-wear Steve arrived as the bandeja paisa was brought to the tables before they tucked into huge hot trays of beans, rice, chicharrón, chorizo, carne en polvo, plantain, avocado, fried egg and more arepas.
They ate in comfortable silence, letting the food work its magic and fill them up for the rest of the day, highlights from the reception still fresh in everyone’s minds despite their current weariness.
Before long, it was time to wave the newlyweds off on their honeymoon to Bequia. Their goodbyes were short and sweet, knowing they would be keeping in touch long after the celebrations were over, especially when Trujillo’s parting words were, “I’ll be waiting for my ranch invitation in the post.”
And even through the loud crowd of well-wishers, he managed to hear the mumbled “Cheeky fucker” echoed back at him in unison.
------------------------------------------------------
Javier and Horacio stayed to finish their coffees once the beeps of the wedding car disappeared into the distance, the majority of the party now dispersed and leaving them sat alone.
“Pops rang just before I left the hotel. Think he wanted to check in before…well, y’know.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, fine. The only bit of news he asked me to pass on was about him being offered first refusal on Ciro’s and Malena’s place.”
The fact the Ortegas were selling up wasn’t a surprise. Javier and Horacio had spent last Christmas in Laredo again, where Ciro and Malena had brought around a fresh batch of sopaipillas over the festive period. In the preceding months, they had gone back and forth on moving, but by December, they were set on putting the farm on the market in the New Year.
Horacio nodded slowly, his brow drawn tight across his forehead as he considered this new development carefully. “Makes sense.”
“Do you think he’ll seriously consider it at his age?”
“I think he has to. We buy the majority of our feed grain from them. Selling to an outsider could risk price hikes and shortages, or the new owners might want to supply to someone else. It’d be a big gamble. But if your father bought them out, then kept their staff on, used their expertise, maybe even increased the livestock with some of the extra land…I think it could be workable.”
Horacio was aware he was being watched and glanced up to face his audience. “What?”
“Nothing.” Although Javier knew his face told another story. “I just don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak such fluent cowboy before.”
“I’m not a—”
“Not yet,” Javier finished for him. “And I never said it was a bad thing.”
------------------------------------------------------
After every funeral, an additional service was held exclusively for CNP officers to attend. Whilst gravestones were located across Colombia in countless cemeteries, a modest wooden cross bearing a name was planted for each loss in the consecrated soil around the corner from Carlos Holguín.
Horacio had paid his respects here more times than he wished to remember, but he still wasn’t prepared for how vast the sea of the dead had become since his last visit. It was a silent expanse covering the grass for as far as the eye could see, the sole sign of life the weeds and wildflowers shooting up between the rows he walked through.
He recognised some names and could clearly picture their ashen-faced relatives as though it was yesterday when he stood on their doorsteps, hat in hand and solemn expression fixed in place. Others were indistinguishable from the rest. An indicator of the extent of the collateral damage and how long he had been away now.
As he stood in his civilian clothes, he felt strangely underdressed. But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to wear his usual ranch attire since being back in Colombia and had returned to the beige khakis and polo shirts that felt like an unofficial uniform of their own. One that allowed him to get away with wholly unofficial business in the past, but today wasn’t about him. Today was about them. All of them. No matter who they were.
Perhaps against his better judgement, with the help of Trujillo, he had located the graves of Diana Turbay and Carolina García Velásquez. He didn't allow himself to remember Carolina’s name at the time, even though she had been plastered all over the papers alongside mysterious references to an “unidentified officer of the National Police” leading the raid on La Dispensaria. A story eerily repeated with Diana’s death.
He didn’t linger at their gravesides. But on those occasions, just like this one, Horacio bowed his head, recited a silent prayer and made the sign of the cross.
“Lo siento,” were the only words spoken before he retreated from the churchyard.
He had done all he could here for now, and it was time to…not forget but to move on. It was time to face his fears and look to the future. It was time to let old ghosts rest once and for all.
50 notes · View notes
the-kr8tor · 3 months
Note
Didnt you one day say that the stuff you write with dad hobie was hinted to be TTN hobie. And now it just get thoughts since that one story of r and hobie visiting auntie janet (i think thats her name) again. And how she though hobie got reader pregnant. But like my mom goes to how shed feel about the actual precious babies when r is pregnant with billie and mona! Or after a bit and the babies are a couple months old or when they are 3! And r and reader go and get fabrics for the babies new clothes that r wants to make her babies. WAIT FUCK I JUST HAD AN IDEA
READER MAKING HER BABIES OUTFITS THAT THEY LEAVE THE HOSPITAL IN WITH HER AND HOBIE. LIKE SHE MAKES MULTIPLE DIFFERENT VERSIONS SINCE EVERYTHING FOR BABIES CAN CHANGE AFTER THEIR BORN BUT SHE PUTS THEM IN THE OUTFITS SHE MADE AFTER🥹🥹🥹 HOBIE DEFINITELY HAS PHOTOS OF ALL FOUR OF THEM AND OF READER PEACEFULLY SLEEPING. NOT ONLY THAT BUT THEIRS PHOTOS OF HOBIE HOLDING THE TWINS BY HIMSELF AND READER. AND AND THEM JUST BEING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY WHILE THE BABIES ARE IN THAT OUTFIT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IMAGINE READER AND HOBIE WOULD MAKE PLUSHIES FOR BILLIE AND MONA TOO GOD IM GONNA 😭😭😭😭
MY PRECIOUS BABIES ID MAKE THEM CROCHET PHOTOS AND MAKE THEM REGULAR STUFFIES GOD DAMN. OMG IMAGINE HOBIE FINDS HER WORKING ON THEM EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS TRYNA SURPRISE HOBIE AND SHES PREGNANT WHILE DOING IT. I LOVE IT SO SO MUCH IMAGINE HOW HAPPY HED GET OR HOW HED FEEL ABOUT IT. WHAT IF READER MADE THE WHOLE FAMILY MATCHING OUTFITS/STUFFIES! BRO THESE IDEAS ARE KILLING ME NOW
Anyways hi katy im sorry for whatever chaos i brought upon you this time, just take care of yourself<3
Yes! I sometimes imagine them being the same Hobie whenever I write a dad hobie fic ❤️
Oh Auntie Janet will be the first to know and the first person to bring gifts even before the girls were born. And yes r definitely makes their clothes! Like I imagine that even while she's in labour and literally laying down on the hospital bed, she's still knitting or stitching up clothes for them, meanwhile Hobie's like: that's my girl, pushing out babies and making clothes at the same time. But inside he's panicking bc the babies are coming! And R's like: this is fine 🙂
AHHHHHH THE FAMILY PHOTOS!!! They'd look so cute in the outfits r made! (Even her outfit and Hobie's matches the girls' onesies)
Also r making her own maternity clothes while she's still not showing and Hobie watches on with a fond smile 🥺🥺🥺 or that's how he finds out that she's pregnant bc he comes home to r making new clothes and making baby booties 🥹
OMG AND THE STUFFIES TOO?!! Oh Billie and Ramona will be so spoiled ❤️
Hi, angel!!! Dw I loved this!!! More pls you've fed me well thank you ly ❤️❤️❤️
24 notes · View notes
fountainpenguin · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
Cover image for a super self-indulgent Double Life songfic of mine... The final chapter went up this morning, so here's its Tumblr post!
---
"Here's to the Health of Married Men"
... and their lovers! (x)
❤️ Read on AO3
💛 Complete! - 7/7 chapters - 42k words
💚 More Pixels Imperfect 'fics
Inspired by the song "The Duel" from the musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Ballroom fluff, introspection, and angst <3
---
Synopsis: Scar guides us through an end-of-series party held in the server hub, where everyone's a little tipsy. While the desert duo may not always get along, they do their utmost to enjoy themselves...
... until Ren challenges Grian to a duel over his secret soulmate affair with BigB. Scar watches from the sidelines... and lets it all play out.
Check it out! (First 1,000 words under the cut)
---
Here’s to the Health of Married Men
“… and their lovers~”
- “The Duel” - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
💙  🧡  💚
Ren and BigB arrive at the ballroom in colors that complement, but don't quite match. Maybe that should've been the first clue that trouble still lurked in paradise, tucked underneath the visible lingers in their touch… BigB's hand less steady where it lies pressed against Ren's chest than Ren's firm arm behind his lower back.
(It's not a real ballroom. More of a convention center? Two floors: one of them full of dancing party guests and the mezzanine balcony a floor above. It's shady in here and lit with several dozen tiny lanterns strung on leads. Honestly, Scar isn't sure. It's a Jimmy event, or at least a Jimmy invitation. No one pulls the strings and gets a party or game night together quite like Jimmy; don't worry about it.)
Eyes turn to track the Box Boys as they make their way up the curled stairs together. BigB's vest is dark purple and accented in faint silver leaf patterns with a bow at his neck to match - rip him open like a present; expose bare stomach and rip that open too - and his wild curls are actually tamed back today. He trimmed his beard. Fancy-schmancy moth hybrid of a man. Not hard to tell what Grian sees in him. Scar leans his arm a little farther over the balcony. One of Ren's ears twitches in his direction, as do both BigB's fluffy antennae… though Scar's pretty sure he didn't make a noise. At least, no noise louder than the sweep of feet and skirts down below.
Aw, Ren's all sunshine and phoenix fire. He's dressed just as nice. Look at him, so snug and comfy in that outfit! The pale yellow vest hits like buttercream and cake frosting. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. He matches the light walls, though his dark brown hair sets him apart like a statue full of shadowed creases. Took his shades off and everything, but replaced them with neat spectacles.
Scar half-turns, addressing everyone either standing or sitting around the tables behind him. "Hey! Our guests of honor have arrived. Let's make them feel welcome, shall we?"
No one's really listening. Maybe a couple of his friends, who nod absently or turn to catch sight of the stragglers in question. The conversations carry anyway. Their volume doesn't falter. Neither does the music, but that's only fair. The piano's downstairs. And a trumpet? There might be a trumpet; he isn't sure. So Scar doesn't grab his cane or push away from the banister. This position gives him a nice angle to oversee the room anyway.
I'd like to see Grian make a move on his 'secret soulmate' tonight of all nights…
Scar almost dressed in yellow too. For a while, he toyed with the idea of a light shade to match his zookeeper shirt… but this is a Double Life afterparty. Tonight, he and Grian are freshly on their red lives (after a doozy of a session with back to back deaths). While Jimmy had confessed he suspected at least one person to get knocked out of the series today, he probably hadn't anticipated four perma-deaths and the last greens of the server getting knocked down to red.
So in the sparse moments between logging out and arriving here, he switched to wearing black. It's thumb- thneed- thematically appropriate! The shirt cuts a V straight down his chest, exposing at least a little of his pecs. It's actually lacy, showing a lot more of his torso and his arms beneath his sleeves than anything most of his friends are wearing. And he didn't skimp on the fake silver gemstones either. Blue and purple flowers coat one side of his hair, mostly attached with barrettes.
Is this the right fit for a ballroom party? Probably not. But it's accented with black and white, like his on-server red life skin, and that's good enough for him. Scar lifts the wooden cup in his hand to his lips again. Raw binary code prickles on his tongue. He went half and half on this fill, working his way out of 0s and up to 1s. Some of his friends are drinking their 1s straight already. No surprise. They've been here 40 minutes, chatting and laughing even without BigB and Ren around. Maybe the Box Boys feared they'd be overshadowed by Jimmy and Tango. Those two have certainly stolen the evening tonight. But then, Jimmy deserves to. Out of everyone here tonight, he does.
BigB and Ren aren't even halfway up the staircase yet. They take every step together, moving in their ghostly whispered way. Ren keeps a light grip on BigB's wrist. BigB's antennae roll inward. They glint silver in the lantern light. Scar watches his eyes slip sideways. How strange to see him with his chocolate-brown eyes here in the Between dimension, no longer under the influence of a life either yellow or red. It's been a while.
Maybe tonight, he and I can finally talk face to face… without him trying to kill me.
Scar takes another sip of binary, this time more slowly. The 1s prickle and pop against his lips. Why not? BigB's out of the game now. No further need to dance around it, delaying his own gratification with pretty lies of I'll catch him next time; I'll do it on-camera; I want Grian to be around for this.
… He'd maybe like Grian to be around. Just, y'know… if it comes up. Grian's two tables away, one leg stretched out pretty far. His twin's with him… They've been talking for ten minutes by now. Scar can't help but wonder if it's all a front to prevent anyone else starting a conversation.
Or at least one person from starting a conversation.
You know… He and Grian never really did sort out the whole red life thing. If, like, he's mad.
BigB's fingers close around the collar of Ren's vest. He pulls him down, speaking words Scar can't make out from here. They look as though they're spoken through gritted teeth. Ren listens, pointed ears twitching, and finally rasps his tongue up BigB's cheek. BigB sighs, but doesn't say anything else. He leans that cheek on Ren's shoulder. Ren pats his arm, leading him up the stairs again with all the grace of a king.
I wonder if he's told BigB anything about his status as a king back on Hermitcraft. BigB's into history or something, right? Maybe he'd find that neat.
Scar isn't the only one watching the Box Boys from the balcony. As Scar tilts his wooden cup back and forth, debating whether it'd be a bad idea to get another refill, a finger reaches out to tap his shoulder. Oh? Scar turns his head. He's greeted by a face similar to his own, smiling grimly… Similar buff body, well taken care of, though this man's dressed in silver instead of red. He's partly translucent, flickering when you look at him head-on… but then, he sort of always is.
"What?"
BadTimeWithScar tips his head towards one shoulder. He lifts his wrist, indicating his communicator. Scar's eyes fall to his own.
"Oh. Sorry, hang on…"
He presses a couple buttons, pulling open the messages on his comm. The swelling music's incredibly loud right now. But there's a note from BadTime waiting for him, plain and simple. Scar studies it for several seconds, rearranging the blurry letters in his mind.
BadTimeWithScar: tag team the grians? BadTimeWithScar: i mean if youre not going to make a move for us… BadTimeWithScar: I will ;)
30 notes · View notes
isaactheterrible · 1 year
Text
Tf2 Mercs Ideal Dates
(Disclaimer: That's what I think the ideal date would be for the TF2 Mercs based on their personalities in the comics. These are just my personal opinions, don't take it too personally)
1.Soldier
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Hold up bucko you're in for a tough one
-Congratulations you're going on a mission!
-Are you stalking random strangers because Soldier convinced himself their spies?
-Did the two of you get roped into fighting an evil wizard or a crooked corporation?
-Either way you're trauma bonded to Soldier now and he had the time of his life
-He's gonna be bragging about this mission for decades but after countless retellings it's gonna sound nothing like what actually happened
-You love him anyway
•Gift:
-What do you think of necklaces and human ears?
2.Engineer
Tumblr media
•Date:
-What do you mean staying at home and binge-watching shows isn't a date?
-Oh well
-It's a picnic!
-He baked you both of your favorite deserts
-If the two of you don't die of heatstroke while out in the texan sun you'll have a wonderful time!
•Gift:
-The countless stuff he baked for you, quit being an ungrateful asshole
3.Demoman
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Bar date, duh
-The bartender treats you nicely cause demo's a good tipper (and a regular.)
-The two of you have the time of your lives chatting and drinking the night away
-Taste test different recipes for the bartender
-You barely manage to stumble your way back home
•Gift:
-One of those mix tapes they sell by the side of the street (y'all got scammed)
4.Heavy
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Library date!
-Heavy's the sweetest
-They two of you will talk for hours about your favorite books
-He's incredibly intelligent and a perfect gentleman❤️
•Gift:
-A copy of a book he thinks you'll love 💕
5.Pyro
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Amusment park date!
-It's wonderful and you're all having fun
-Their favorite game is bumper cars
-Security tried to kick you out (Key word: Tried.)
-The amusements park's on fire by the end of it
-Congratulations! You're a felon now!
•Gift:
-Plushies from one of those shooting games (They got frustrated and burned the booth down and stole all the plushies)
6.Scout
Tumblr media
•Date:
-I hope you like sports
-You're going to the stadium to watch Scout's favorite team
-Shitty overpriced hotdogs
-Matching couples outfits! ...Of identical sports merch
-Both of you will scream yourselves hoarse cheering by the end of it
•Gift:
-Ice cream while he walks you home!💕
7.Medic
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Movie date!
-If you can get this man off his work long enough to ago on a date with you, the two of you go to the cinema to watch a movie... Human centipede it's human centipede
-You try not to worry about him getting inspiration
-Thankfully once you leave the cinema he rants about how unrealistic and stupid the idea was
-You sigh a sigh of relief as you go to bed
-You think you're safe now
-You think you're safe
•Gift:
-When you wake up in the morning you find a letter, it's a cute love note!❤️ (Good ending)
8.Spy
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Romantic diner
-Basic french bitch
-Pays for dinner + brings you flowers
-Spend the night wining and dining away!
•Gift:
-An expensive piece of your preferred jewelry, probably something with a gem on it
9.Sniper
Tumblr media
•Date:
-Time to meet your in-laws
-If you made it to this point congratulations! You're leaving here either engaged or broken up with (or dead)
-He doesn't trust anyone so to have him introduce you to his inner circle is a huge deal!
-Having his special one meet his parents is both an incredibly stressful and rewarding thing to do!
-If you get along with his parents he decides he'll marry you right then and there
-Still gonna background check you for the 743859th time to check if you're legit
•Gift:
-Just you wait and you're gonna get a ring around that finger
73 notes · View notes
kellterntempest · 6 months
Note
But yeah just slightly more on the love at first sight before contagion thing for westobotnik:
Just robotnik and wesker absolutely being that overly sweet couple to one another. Like cheesy pet names, matching outfits, never shutting up about the other. And just like Stone is right there in the middle of it and he's kinda confused because he loves the doctor he definitely does and ever since the doctor met wesker he's been a lot sweeter to Stone as well but it's also followed by wesker being sweet on him as well which he doesn't have a frame of reference on though the longer this courtship goes on the more he really likes being flirting with and above by the other two.
Meanwhile robotnik and wesker definitely have a slight competition on who can make Stone give the gooiest smile at something they said because true love is best expressed through and at the agent
AAAAA I love this idea 👀🥺🥰 robotnik and wesker trying to show each other up on the most extravagant shows of flirting. Gifts, over the top acts and gestures of romance... Etc ✨
What if... Robotnik and Wesker make Stone come with them on their "date", and Stone is so crushed on the inside because he thinks he's being third wheeled on purpose as a cruel joke... But it takes Robotnik yelling at Stone to make him realize HE'S part of it too! "No, you IDIOT we WANT you here too! This is all for you!!"
Cue Stone's "OH❤️!!" Moment.
I just imagine Wesker kissing Stone's hand like a gentleman and Stone can't help blushing 🤩
Love is stored in the agent !!!!!💖
14 notes · View notes
pensat-i-fet · 1 year
Text
Jealous for a reason (Rúben Dias x Reader)
Tumblr media
**After a couple of weeks of fluff, we got some jealous Rúben that was requested. I had an idea for this but then started to write and it all went in a completely different direction but I like it. So I hope you all enjoy it too ❤️**
Word count: 1686
Masterlist
Wattpad
"Rúben!"
"What?", he says, walking inside the room.
"Can you help me choose my outfit? I don't know what to wear".
"Sure…what about this dress? You haven't worn it recently and it looks great on you".
When you pick up the dress he mentions, you frown.
"It's a bit small on me now. I bought it before I put on some weight".
"Try it on. I'm sure it still looks perfect on you because guess what?"
"I am perfect?", you say rolling your eyes at how cheesy he could be.
"Exactly!"
So you take your shorts and top off and put the dress on. It does look amazing on you but you didn't lie. It's a bit tight on the chest area.
"See? It looks bad".
Rúben starts to stare at your cleavage which looks even bigger thanks to the size not being the perfect one for you at the moment.
"I like how it looks a lot".
"Well, it won't be just you seeing this, you know? Aren't you worried about the looks I'll get? This is a bit much for what I usually like to wear and to show".
He turns you so you can see yourself in the mirror. "If you like what you see, wear it. I'm not a jealous person, you know that".
You do like what you see, so you decide to stop overthinking and start to look for some matching shoes to wear with the dress.
                               **
The restaurant Rúben picked is amazing. And before your table is ready, you go have a little cocktail. Well, he has water and you have a cocktail. It’s the middle of the season.
“You sure you don’t want a little sip? It’s really nice”, you say, pointing the straw at him.
“Too sweet”, he grimaces after trying it.
“I like sweet”.
The waitress comes to pick you up before you are done with your drink, so you take it to the table with you.
“My colleague will be here in a second to take your orders”.
“Thank you”.
“You happy?”, asks Rúben, holding your hand.
You nod, smiling and scrunching your nose. He loves when you do that.
“Good night, may I take…no way! Hi!”
“Oh my God, Joel!”, you say, standing up and hugging the waiter, leaving Rúben very confused. “Joel, this is my boyfriend Rúben. Rúben, this is a…friend from uni. We haven’t seen each other in forever. I wish we could catch up”.
“Well, not right now or I’ll get in trouble”, he laughs, making you join him. “But I can give you my number so we can do that catching up any other time. It’s so lovely seeing you. But sit down again, I need to get your orders. And your boyfriend’s…Ron, right?”
“Rúben”, he says, starting to get annoyed.
“Yeah. So, what would you guys like to drink?”
But Rúben can tell Joel has zero interest in speaking with him. He’s too busy speaking to you. And staring at you. He could at least be a bit less obvious because everyone can tell his eyes stay on your face for two seconds before going back to your chest.
“Rúben?”, you say.
“Huh?”
“What would you like to drink?”
“Just water, please”.
“Be right back”, said Joel, winking at you.
You look down, almost hiding your smile. What the heck?
“So, who was that?”
“Joel? Um…a friend from uni”.
“Right”.
“What?”, why was he acting so weird all of a sudden?
“Did you sleep with him?”
You let out a dry laugh, rolling your eyes at the same time.
But your lack of an answer annoyed Rúben even more.
“So yes”.
“I forgot about how you were an innocent virgin when you met me. My bad”.
“It’s not that. But…would you like to meet the women I’ve been with?”
“I mean, if they meant to you the same Joel meant to me, I wouldn’t care. We used to see each other at parties and hook up. Big deal. He never even took me on a date. You can’t compare that with what we have”.
“He would love to take you on a date right now”, he mutters.
The little argument is interrupted by Joel coming back to your table with your drinks.
“Ready to order?”
“I am. Rúben?”
“Sure. I’m ready too”, he says, even though he has barely looked at the menu, so he just picks a simple dish that he should always like.
While Joel is writing down Rúben’s orders, you pick your drink again to have a sip. Rúben notices Joel has stopped writing and when he looks up from his menu, he sees him staring at you drinking from the straw and biting his lip.
“I would like some bread too”, he says, a bit loud, which catches your attention.
Joel swallows and goes back to writing down the order.
“You got it”.
You can notice Rúben’s uneasiness and can’t believe he is acting like this. So much for the guy who isn’t jealous.
“Can you stop behaving like a kid?”
“Me? This guy was eyefucking you while you sucked on that straw but I’m the problem”.
“Oh my God. He wasn’t. Stop ruining our date”.
“Like he wasn’t staring at your cleavage before. Come on!”
“I thought you didn’t mind other guys looking at it”, you tell him, still annoyed by his childish behaviour.
“I guess it’s different when it’s one that’s already slept with you and it’s trying to do it again”.
“I’m going to the toilet. Count to ten while I’m gone and relax, ok?”
Rúben stares at your disappearing figure, feeling stupid but also justified in his behaviour. And when Joel starts to come back to the table, he notices him staring at you as well.
“Where is she going?”
“None of your business”.
“Excuse me?”
“I would appreciate it if you stopped looking at my girlfriend like she’s a piece of meat you want to eat. Because that won’t happen again”, says Rúben, keeping his voice low.
“You never know. She also had a boyfriend in uni and that didn’t stop her”.
When Joel leaves, Rúben has to hold onto the table to avoid going after him. How dare he speak about you in that way?
“You feeling better?”, you ask when you sit down, ready to eat your meal.
“Yes”, he lies.
You both eat in peace since Joel doesn’t come back to bother you the whole time. But the tension is still there.
“I was really looking forward to tonight, you know?”
Your words make him feel so bad. “I’m sorry. I just…it’s not about you. It’s him. The way he’s been acting and while working too. It’s disgusting”.
“He was just being nice to an old friend, Rúben. It’s you that read too much into it”.
Rúben clearly disagrees but doesn’t say more because he doesn’t want to ruin your night even more.
After you finish your main courses, it’s time for dessert. But before you order it, you excuse yourself again to go to the bathroom. And on your way back, you find Joel who is also going to your table to ask if you wish to order anything else.
“Ready for dessert? You used to love it”, he says, in reference to your past meetings. A bit odd to say that but…he’s just being friendly. Right?
“Yes, we’ll order something. Or maybe just me. Rúben isn’t into sweet things”.
“Too bad when he’s got the sweetest girl by his side”.
You side-eye him, starting to wonder if Rúben might have been right. And then when you get to the table, he moves your chair to help you sit and you smile at him…until you notice the way his hand is touching your bare back.
“Any dessert?”
“I’ll have the lemon soufflé. Do you want anything, Rúben? You can have a bit of my dessert if you don’t want to order anything”.
“Yeah, I’ll have a bite of yours. That’s it”, he says, looking at Joel like he wants to murder him.
Once Joel is gone, you grab Rúben’s hand from the table.
“I’m sorry, you might have been right”.
“About?”
“Joel”, you say. “I guess he might be too friendly”.
“He…he also said horrible things about you. I didn’t want to bring it up before because I don’t think you would have believed me”.
“What did he say?”
“That you were sleeping with him while you had a boyfriend. So you could still do that despite dating me”.
“What?”, you say, a bit too loud. But, what the hell? “That’s not true!”
“Hey”, he says, caressing your hand. “I know you wouldn’t do that”.
But those words still hurt you. How could someone make up those types of rumours?
Rúben notices how affected you are and squeezes your hand.
“Do you want me to beat him up?”
That makes you laugh. “I rather be the one who does it”.
“I can hold him while you do it”, he suggests, bringing another smile to your face.
You then see Joel approaching with your dessert and a note.
“My number, so we can catch up”, he says and starts to leave.
“Joel, can you please come back?”
He turns, smiling at Rúben as if saying to him that his theory has been proven right. But then the smile is gone when he sees you ripping the piece of paper and putting it in his hand.
“I would appreciate it if we could have another waiter for the rest of our time here. You know, one that doesn’t make up rumours about the clients and harasses them? I’m sure you can find one before I ask to speak to your manager”.
He nods, leaving quickly.
“That was so hot”, says Rúben, making you roll your eyes.
“Did I prove to you there is no reason to be jealous, then?”
“I was jealous for a reason, you saw…”.
“You might have been angry for a reason…but the jealousy was still ridiculous. Do better next time, babes. Because I’m loving this dress and I plan on wearing it a lot”.
300 notes · View notes