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starkwlkr · 3 months

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bitch, i’m a mother! | f1

female driver x f1 drivers (platonic) the reader is around the same age as daniel. i like that almost every story i read about a female driver her team ends up being porsche and I’m not mad about it :) so for this fic, the reader is driving for porsche lol also I’m just making up names for the engineers and team principal. also because I’m in love with charlie hunnam, my man is gonna make an appearance

part 1 part 3

Y/N BEING THE MOTHER OF EVERY DRIVER IN THE PADDOCK

“Y/n is so great, you’re going to love her. She’s the best.” Oscar listened to his new teammate as they walked into the Porsche hospitality. The rookie immediately felt out of place with him being the only one in papaya colors while Lando was in casual clothes.

“Hey, Lando!”

“Lando! How’s it going?”

“Norris, hey!”

Lando greeted most of the Porsche team with a smile while Oscar nodded at them. “I hang out here sometime if you couldn’t tell.” Lando joked.

“So if I can’t find you in Mclaren . . ”

“There’s a big chance I might be here.”

Oscar nodded once again. “Noted. Where’s Y/n?”

As if on cue, Y/n walked into the Porsche hospitality with her team principal by her side. Once she spotted Lando, she called out his name. As the Brit approached the driver and team principal, he gave her a big hug. It was the start of the 2023 season and they hadn’t seen each in a while, of course he was going to give her a hug.

“I’ll see you around, Y/n. Nice to see you, Lando, and you must be mclaren’s rookie. Welcome to F1, I’m Adam.” The Porsche team principal greeted Oscar.

“Thank you—” before Oscar could continue, Y/n cut him off.

“I’ve heard so many great things about you! And you’re an Aussie too! What is it with Mclaren and Aussies? Whatever, I’m glad you’re here, Oscar. I hope you enjoy yourself. Have you eaten yet? I was just in my way to get breakfast. Let me tell you a secret, the Porsche hospitality has the best food in the paddock.” Oscar instantly felt at home with the female driver. She had a comforting presence that Oscar immediately took notice of.

“Told you she’s the best. Just wait until it’s your birthday. She bakes you a cake.” Lando told Oscar.

The entire grid was together for their drivers briefing early in the morning. After going over every detail of the upcoming Grand Prix, the race director decided to let the drivers voice their concerns.

“Does anyone have any questions?”

Y/n raised her hand. “I wanna know who banned the pit wall celebration.”

“Anyone else?”

“Yeah, I’d like to know as well.” Lewis added.

“We can discuss pit wall celebrations at a later time. Excuse me, I am needed somewhere else.” The race director excused himself.

“Don’t worry, I don’t care about being banned. I’ll be there like a proud mom taking millions of pictures of you when you win.” Y/n whispered to Lewis as she layed her head on his shoulder.

“And I’ll be doing the same when you win.” Lewis replied.

“What about when I win? I also want millions of pictures taken of me and the exact same chocolate cake you baked for me for my birthday a year ago. Extra sprinkles please.” Lando smiled innocently.

“Fine, win first then I’ll bake. Shouldn’t be that hard unless you got a tractor for a car.” Y/n teased. “I love you, Lando. Of course I’ll take millions of pictures of you when you win.”

It was a perfect day to race in Silverstone. Like always, Lando had his family in attendance. He was in the mclaren garage when he spotted Y/n on one of the tvs being interviewed by Lissie.

“Hey, that’s my grid mum!” He told his engineer as if his engineer didn’t already know. His smile quickly faded when a blonde man appeared behind Y/n in sunglasses. Lando then watched as the man’s name appeared on the tv.

Charlie Hunnam, actor.

Who was he and why was he with his grid mom?

“Hey, that’s the dude from Sons of Anarchy! My wife watches that series.” Lando heared someone say. He continued to watch the screen as Lissie asked Charlie a question about Y/n.

“She’s incredible, absolutely amazing. I’m happy I finally get to see her talent in person.” Charlie replied, smiling at Y/n which made her blush.

“He’s British . . ” he mumbled.

After Lissie thanked Y/n and Charlie for the interview, the camera kept rolling on them as they walked away. That’s when Lando saw Charlie hold Y/n’s hand then pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“She’s dating a British man and she didn’t tell me?!”

Lando immediately walked out the garage and straight to the Porsche garage. He had a strong feeling Y/n would be showing her new lover around so he started there. He soon spotted the couple talking with the Porsche team principal, Adam.

“Oh, hey Lando! I was about to look for you. I want you to meet Charlie.” Y/n excused herself from Adam and introduced Charlie to her grid son.

“It’s very nice to meet you, mate. Y/n had told me a lot about you.” Charlie smiled.

“Yeah, I’ve heard nothing about you. Nada, zero, not a single thing, zilch.” Lando then turned his attention to Y/n. “I think we need to talk.”

“Okay . . ” Y/n said confused as she turned to Charlie to tell him she would be right back. Lando took her hand and dragged her to a corner away from Charlie. “Lando! What’s wrong? Are you nervous about today?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?”

Oh.

“You always tell me everything and now I kinda feel betrayed. Especially when i also found out he’s British!” Lando said dramatically.

“Lando, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it just sorta happened. We met a few months ago and he’s made me the happiest ever since. I wanted to introduce you properly today.” Y/n explained.

“He makes you happy? Like genuinely happy? Because if he doesn’t I will run him over repeatedly.” Lando warned.

Y/n laughed and brought Lando in for a hug. “I know you would, but there’s no need for that. I think he’s the one.”

“Before you leave, there’s actually one more gift for you and you don’t have to guess who it’s from.”

Logan was confused, but happily accepted the gift. It was the annual F1 secret santa and he had just finished unwrapping his present. A gift wrapped perfectly with a blue bow was placed in front of him. The tag read ‘From Y/n’ in neat handwriting.

“Thank you, Y/n! I don’t even want to open it, it’s wrapped so good.” Logan chuckled.

Every year, anyone who got a nicely wrapped gift knew it was from Y/n. And any year that someone new entered the season, Y/n would give them a gift during secret santa. She did it for Lando, George, Alex, Charles, Yuki and Guanyu when they were rookies and now she was doing it for Logan and Oscar. She had even sent Nyck a present as well, she wished he was in the paddock doing secret santa as well though.

“Okay, I’ll open it, I’m too curious.” Logan finally unwrapped the present and saw it was a Miami Heat jersey singed by LeBron James. Logan almost freaked out when he saw the signature.

“Holy shit! Wait sorry, I can’t curse, but holy shit!” He took the jersey out of the box and admired it. “This is incredible.”

“You love it?” He heard the familiar comforting voice of Y/n from behind him. “I hope it’s the right size.” She joined Logan in front of the camera.

“It is, don’t worry,” he chuckled as he gave her a hug. “Thank you so much, I love it.”

“I think you just adopted another son.” The camera man told her.

“I love all my grid sons equally.”

#formula 1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 imagine #f1 imagine #f1 x you #f1 driver!reader #f1 one shot #f1 #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #platonic #f1 x female reader

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lovewithmary · 6 months

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(not) moving on — a max verstappen x stark!oc x charles leclerc series

★ fc: madison beer ☆ summary: evangeline "evie" stark is in love with her best friend, max verstappen, but he tries his best to keep her at arm's length. but what happens when she starts to get close to his fellow drivers in the paddock? ★ notes: kinda short chapter but the reconciliation chapter may or may not be coming soon. either the next chapter or the chapter after that. we'll see though

previous next series masterlist

"How much do you think it costs to buy an F1 Team?"

"Papa, you can't buy Ferrari—"

"Why not? As much as I hate to admit it, I actually like your boyfriend and he seems talented enough to win a WDC, if it wasn't for the shit tractor and shit strategies," Tony said.

Tony, as much as he wanted to hate Charles, had been won over by the Monegasque. Even if Tony was rooting for Max, he wouldn't be too mad if Evie would end up being with Charles. Or, better yet, he'd be happy if she would end up with both of them.

"Tony," Pepper warned.

"I'll wear you out about the F1 Team eventually," Tony said.

"Just like you did when you asked her to marry you," Evie commented, making Pepper smile and Charles stifle a laugh out of shock from beside her.

"Okay, that's it. Your name won't be on the F1 Team when I buy Ferrari," Tony said.

"I'm a Stark, my name would be on the Team name regardless," she shot back at her father.

Before Tony could say something back, Pepper had dragged him away, leaving Charles and Evie alone. "Would your dad actually buy Ferrari," Charles questioned, making her sigh.

"Who knows at this point. Papa's got more money than he knows what to do with it and he's always wanted a team," she told Charles.

"He seemed to like you, though,"

"Really? I didn't think he knew who I was until he called me your boyfriend,"

"Trust me, he does. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't offer to buy your team. It is Tony Stark's love language; giving gifts to tell people he likes them," Evie said.

"I noticed it's also yours," Charles commented, having received a watch from her that costs more than his Pista, and he nearly dropped the watch at the sight of it.

"I suppose I do like you as well. Just a little bit though," she teased, putting her hand up and moving her pointer finger and thumb as close together as possible without touching, signifying how "little" she liked him.

"Oh, just a little bit, amor? You weren't saying that last night," Charles teased back, grabbing her waist in order to pull her close to him.

"Leclerc! Just because you're dating my daughter does not mean I should have to see you commit cannibalism on her!" Tony called out, making Sam and Bucky ooh and ahh at them like they were children.

Pepper tried stopping her husband but the people around them were already looking at Evie and Charles. Meanwhile, Steve was trying his hardest to give the couple some kind of semblance of privacy, turning around to not look at them in the eye. Wanda and Natasha were explaining to Thor and Vision that Charles wasn't actually trying to eat Evie. And Peter was trying his best to not let Morgan run away and explore.

Evie rolled her eyes, and rested her forehead on Charles' chest, groaning at the absurdity of her family. "They're your family. You love them. You love them." She chanted, trying to remember or else she might end up killing them.

#f1 imagine #f1 instagram au #f1 x oc #f1 ig au #f1 smau #f1 oc #f1 social media au #f1 x y/n #f1 x reader #f1 x you #max verstappen smau #max verstappen x oc #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen fic #charles leclerc smau #charles leclerc x oc #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc fic

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leclerc-s · 5 months

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big reputations - part seven

series masterlist // previous // next

sabrina carpenter LET'S GO DANNY!! GET THAT FUCKING TRACTOR IN THE FUCKING POINTS BABY!!

charles leclerc so just fuck the rest of us right? sabrina carpenter oh, i'm sorry, i wasn't aware that you were coming back to racing after being on medical leave?? charles leclerc you're right, as you were.

daphne jones don't worry charles, we're all praying ferrari doesn't fuck up your race.

max verstappen that's just not possible. it's ferrari we're talking about

charles leclerc ok fuck you. you don't even get along with your teammate away from the cameras. oscar piastri could never be me sabrina carpenter we know they don't call you oscar 'heart eyes' piastri for nothing

daphne jones you're all children

sabrina carpenter your* children

sabrina carpenter anyways, max what are your thoughts on seven by daphne?

oscar piastri GET HER OFF OF TWITTER ALREADY!!

sabrina carpenter NO!!

daniel ricciardo i don't get it, what does seven have to do with f1 twitter??

charles leclerc even i know what it means

max verstappen i also don't get it

sabrina carpenter charles and oscar get it that's all that matters

max verstappen you're a very weird person

sabrina carpenter at least none of my exes have looked like they could be my parent or my sibling

charles leclerc

oscar piastri

charles leclerc as the children say, gagged him.

max verstappen i literally hate you

sabrina carpenter that's okay. i hate you too.

daphne jones everyday i begin to question why i'm friends with any of you.

daniel ricciardo i agree. none of you are normal.

oscar piastri starting with you two.

oscar piastri i thought the worst thing about this weekend was going to be my dnf. but jesus christ, how could i be so wrong??

sabrina carpenter permission to attack?

daphne jones permission denied sabrina carpenter but mom!

max verstappen well oscar’s a fucking psychic

daniel ricciardo do you want to talk about it buddy?

charles leclerc if i fucking talk about it i think i’ll cry. so no, i don't.

oscar piastri reputation era incoming?

daphne jones not the time osc

charles leclerc it’s fucking bullshit

sabrina carpenter if i had a nickel for every time carlos inherited a position after a disqualification i’d have two nickels.

sabrina carpenter no i swear to fucking god if i see one spanish media headline bashing on charles i will be attacking, permission or no permission. sabrina carpenter why is this guy treated like the second coming of jesus christ in spanish media when fernando alonso is right there? the 2x world champion, the 106 podium placer. sabrina carpenter sainz has 18, compared to fernando it's fucking nothing

max verstappen i thought you knew that it's rumored that carlos’ family has an in with the spanish media? that’s why they love him so much.

sabrina carpenter i’m biting fucking ankles. i hope charles manages to overtake him in the driver standings just shut them up.

charles leclerc at this point it'll take a fucking miracle. lando overtook me in the standings. lando, who had a horrible fucking start to his season and was barely managing to get into the points. says a lot about my season and myself as a driver doesn't it.

daphne jones were you not the vice champion last year? you're a great driver charles, you've just had a horrible season. you've made some mistakes but the majority has been ferrari's fault. if they could just get their shit together you'd have a better season.

charles leclerc thanks, i really needed to hear that.

daniel ricciardo besides, hasn't max constantly said that he enjoys fighting on track with you? i think you're one of the few who he likes fighting with on track. last year was great for you two, maybe we'll get a repeat of it next year.

oscar piastri you're 26 charles, you've got plenty of time to get a wdc, one shitty season isn't going to change that.

sabrina carpenter i will be manifesting a podium for you in mexico to make up for this shitty weekend

charles leclerc thank you sabrina

taglist: @glow-ish @agustdpeach @msolbesg @spilled-coffee-cup @1nt3rnetgf @six-call @smol-scream @fernandoswarcrimes @arieltwvdtohamflash @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @chiliwhore

strikethrough means i couldn't tag you

¡leclerc-s speaks! i have a lot of grievances about texas this year, in case you couldn't tell. realistically i know them performing at the vegas ceremony doesn't work because it clashes with eras tour dates but can we pretend the brazil shows are a week later?? i'm realizing i now have to come up with a nonsense outro for vegas, any ideas?? i did take some creative liberties with the points during the us grand prix, sorry to pierre but someone had to be sacrificed. sorry in advance for portraying carlos the way i did, BUT IT'S FOR THE STORIES PURPOSE!! I PROMISE I LIKE HIM!!

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet. enjoy!

#leclerc-s #big reputations series #daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo x female oc #formula 1 #formula 1 fic #fanfic #fanfiction #f1 #f1 smau #f1 social media au #f1 instagram au #f1 fic

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intheshadowsbehindyou · 6 months

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Okay, got a weird one for ya~ So I have ASD, meaning I can sometimes react oddly to social things, or actions. One of these is that whenever I see seggs scenes in movies, I start laughing. Like seggs in movies, even if it’s not meant to be funny, is just HILARIOUS to me. Sometimes I even explain between laughter why it’s so hilarious, like “Oh my gods WHAT IS THAT NOISE??? MY GUY, you a tractor or some sh!t??? HA!”. Would you be willing to take a request for mercs having movie night, only for their crush to start wheezing and laughing so hard they can barely speak at the seggs scene in the movie?

The TF2 Mercs with somebody who thinks actors acting sex in movies is understandably hilarious

WARNING: sex!!!! (Funny)

Scout:

- Confused at first. Jeremy’s the type of person to taunt the characters and make clever quips during the whole movie to make you laugh. Nothing comes close to your laughter at this sex scene though. Suddenly he picks up on it and begins laughing too. Your reaction is kind of understandable. It seems to be a very forced and over the top performance.

- “Holyyy shit, I wanted to be an actor as a kid, but i’m not one for those frickin theater kid losers. Kinda glad I didn’t go through with it, now.” Typical scout acting like a highschool bully. You can tell he was the type of sportsy jock to shove nerds into lockers. He takes great pleasure in roasting the people on screen with you.

- Overall a solid 9/10 experience. One point taken away because he’s a massive prick and goes way too over the top with his cruel jokes sometimes. You have to lightly slap the side of his arm at one point because he’s somehow coming up with new slurs for hollywood goers that don’t even exist in the english dictionary to begin with.

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Soldier:

- Ayo?

- Lifts his helmet up and looks at you for a second. “What’s so funny, private?” He asks, and but of course you’re laughing so hard you fall onto his chest and cling to him. Your laughter is very much appreciated nonetheless. Seeing somebody he loves so happy is causing butterflies in his stomach. Even if he doesn’t quite understand it. Laughter is a beautiful and positive thing.

- He’s a very aged man, and surviving WW2 gave him a lot of life experience. Essentially convinced that sex jokes are somehow crude. But let’s be honest, this is soldier we’re talking about here. He never keeps his word and although he tries to keep a straight face, his younger self comes through and he has to let out an unholy burst of laughter in response to hearing the girl’s performance upon getting her titties gripped. Congrats on cracking his US Army General persona.

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Demoman:

- Too drunk to even process why you’re laughing for a spilt second but then it suddenly dawns on him you might be reacting this way because your brain chemistry is different than his. Demoman is more of an explosives chemist guy, but he’s somewhat taught that people act differently due to neurological function. Chemicals, brain shit, and whatever the hell else. He’s too tired to remember. He begins wondering what would happen if brain chemicals were flammable. That would be quite unfortunate. Fortunate for him though.

- You fall onto his lap laughing and that’s what knocks him out of his incoherent descent down the stupid idiot rabbit hole. He puts his hand in your hair and smiles warmly. Dazed, and barely even awake. He even chuckles a little with you despite his exhaustion. Movie nights always seem to get him tired because it’s usually at the end of a hard work day.

- “I can show you a time more embarrassin, tho. In the morning.” He flirts. Knowing full well he’ll have such a bad hang over, he won’t even consider getting his ass up to kiss you. You glare at him, and you wonder just how the hell a sex scene in a movie out of all things can get him horny. The look in his eye doesn’t lie though. Wow, he sets some pretty low standards for porn. Also, you’re really scared what he means by more embarrassing.

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Engineer:

- He looks away during the entire sex scene and that’s essentially what makes you laugh even harder. His southern upbringing is honestly borderline sad. The idea that he can be “impure” for witnessing such “sacred” acts. Even when somebody’s pretending for a movie. You make fun of him and he’s just sitting there grumpily shielding his eyes with his gloved hand. It’s not even an explicit scene.

- Suppressing something doesn’t help, and everybody knows that quite well. He looks between his fingers to see if the scene has ended yet. Maybe just a peak wouldn’t hurt? He’s an adult after all! ARGH! NO! He covers his eyes again… Okay maybe just another peak. He thinks your humor is just juvenile and there’s nothing wrong with that in his opinion. it’s always admirable when somebody decides to maintain their innocence. There is absolutely no judgment from him.

- Over time he gets more used to watching stuff like this with you, but he never laughs. He acts like a deer in headlights the entire time. Overall, if you act like the quote on quote “way you shouldn’t” then I assure you he’ll be understanding and keep an open mind.

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Heavy:

- Laughing at a sex scene? Eh. He doesn’t care what you laugh at or why. He finds plenty of stuff like that funny but ceases to laugh sometimes. He can laugh for certain, but for some reason there are moments where he doesn’t act accordingly and laugh at a joke. Perhaps you two are the same in that regard?

- Stares blankly at the screen the entire time despite finding hilarity in your response to the poor performance. He’s internally laughing on the inside but it just won’t come out of his mouth. As a result he’s kind of offended at his brain for failing him once again. You stop for a second and wonder if he’s annoyed, but then he turns and says “Sometimes Heavy laughs on the inside and he doesn’t know why.” His expression lacks emotion as always. “That’s fine.” You say, shrugging. This finally gets a response out of him and he looks to the ground and frowns.

- He feels frustrated and kind of guilty he can’t emote like he used to as a kid. This type of deadpan behavior moreso comes from his traumatic life. He’s unconsciously taught himself to stay stoic. Even when he’s supposed to be having fun with you. You lean on his arm to rest assure him you struggle with it differently. In verbose, he’s not mad at you. He becomes angry at himself.

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Pyro:

- You’re laughing so hard that they find your behavior adorable. They find you quite stunning in this moment and immediately hug you to fulfill that random need for physical contact. He can’t help it! You’re just so cute when you laugh! You’re like a small kitten to them. Fuck the stupid movie. Both their eyes are on you right now and they don’t want them to be anywhere else.

- They are baby talking you, and calling you petnames. This sudden shift in Pyro’s behavior makes you laugh more due to the absurdity of their cute aggression. Who the hell finds their crush laughing at a sex scene to be attractive? Apparently Pyro. Pyro’s not really one to pay attention during scenes like this anyway so they find it quite easy to do so. It’s always just pointless filler to appease the horny people. Not to mention sort of setting unrealistic expectations. (Yes, Pyro is smart enough to know this. They are smart enough to run a company, therefore smart enough to harshly critique the movie industry.)

- It is absolutely nothing but sunshine and rainbows to them when you’re happy. It’s lighting up the fiery flame in their heart to see you so satisfied. The scenes are absolutely embarrassing as shit and Pyro hates them, but they’d be glad to show you more bad movies and eat candy while basking in their favorite sound: your happiness. Everything is better with someone you love.

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Sniper:

- Um.. Is this guy even alive right now? Hellooooo? Sniper? He isn’t reacting to anything at all and you have no clue what’s happening behind those sunglasses of his. Why’s he wearing them inside, anyway? He claims it’s because the TV hurts his eyes but he’s so timid that, that has to be a lie. You’re laughing your ass off, meanwhile this guy’s brain is in outer space or some shit.

- In fact you get kind of concerned and stop laughing. “Mundy?” You ask. Your concern grows when he doesn’t move. Then his head sloooowly cocks to the side to look at you. There are some big exasperated/disappointed dad vibes coming from this man. “You can’t be serious, you actually find this funny?” He asks. He’s just messing with you of course and it’s obvious his behavior isn’t meant to be taken seriously.

- “Yeah!” You respond, laughing even more as he rubs his own temples and leans his face on his own hand. The way he’s responding like he’s in love with an idiot is kind of funny. Behind that rough exterior of his is somebody whose actually quite relieved you’re enjoying this in the first place. He often thinks his own company is quite boring.

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Medic:

- Actually immediately starts laughing too. He’s had sexual encounters before and knows how procreation works. (Not to mention the behavior of women.) Girls in movies like this are depicted as so two dimensional he knows full well the people who made this movie must’ve never spoken to an actual woman before. Reminder TF2 takes place in the late 60s so these are some very stupid ass corny romance films.

- He laughs so hard he actually starts coughing. Holy shit. How is this man not dying at this point? He’s screaming something you’re certain is insults in german at the TV. But even if you speak the language it’s not like you can understand between his fits of chaotic laughter. He’s so queer that romance movies make him short circuit.

- “Well actually you see; realistically she has a very high chance of getting pregnant now because he didn’t use a condom. Even know they said they don’t want a kid. Not to mention!; He didn’t use any lube which can be quite painful. Surprised there wasn’t a doctor’s visit after this.” He goes on and on about how stupid and corny this shit is and you can’t really blame him. Although now you have to sit there for hours and listen to him ramble.

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Spy:

- Visibly offended you’d laugh at such a beautiful display. Sex to him is like an art piece. Intertwining bodies and becoming one with your other half/halves. Puts his hand to his chest and glares at you with disgust. You don’t care of course, Spy is a drama queen and always has been. His judgmental expression wasn’t because of your strange behavior, in fact. In any other situation he just wouldn’t care if you acted differently than most people. But he draws the line when you laugh at GORGEOUS SEX. How dare you!!!?? For shame! FOR SHAME!

- “Rest assured, Intimacy can be more than this. I can make you feel pleasure that these two on screen could only dream about if you keep an open mind.” Of course Spy turns this into something horny. He looks rather serious about this and points his cigarette to the closet. Unbeknownst to anybody but you, Spy has a museum’s worth of sex toys in that thing. The offer immediately made you stop laughing. “Oh.” You say.

- Spy is satisfied with your red face and timid attitude towards the question. He watches you and takes a huge drag of his cigarette. “Hmm?” He raises both eyebrows and pouts, mockingly. Like a wolf who cornered a lamb.

#team fortress 2 #tf2 #medic x reader #demoman x reader #heavy x reader #spy x reader #tf2 x reader #tf2 x you #pyro x reader #sniper x reader

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plussizefantasia · 6 months

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Good Punkins

Flufftober Day 21: Pumpkin Patch

Steve Rogers x f!mom!reader

Word Count: 2.7k (actually the longest fic I've written to date)

Warnings: reader is a mom in this one, she is referred to as Mamma several times so if that's not your jam don't read this.

AN: Holy crap this went way beyond my original plan but I just love Steve and little man so much now. This story does have a part two coming later (on day 30). Feedback and reblogs are always encouraged! Thank you for reading.

divider credit @royallaesthetics

Steve was an amazing husband. The two of you were married six years ago and within a year you were expecting. Nine months later, Caleb James Rogers was born and you realized something amazing. Steve was an amazing husband, but he was an even better father.

Little Caleb wanted for nothing, but he wasn’t spoiled. He was adventurous and kind and everything that you could ever want in a child. Even as a baby, he wasn’t very fussy. When he was all it took was Steve lifting him into his large arms and cooing at the infant to get him to calm down. At first, you were a little jealous that Steve seemed to have the golden tough when it came to your son, but you couldn’t help the overwhelming feelings of adoration for your husband every time you saw the two of them together.

Caleb was an extremely curious child, he also didn’t like being left out. When you had driven the two of you home last week after picking him up from and he had seen the new decorations your neighbors had put out for Halloween it was no surprise when he asked, “Mamma, why dey have punkins?” You dread the day when he’s able to say the word pumpkin.

“Why do you think they have pumpkins, baby?” You returned.

“Dunno Mamma, but they gots faces in them.”

“Some of them do yeah,” you opened the door to your house and watched as Caleb climbed up the singular step that led up to your door. You don’t know who designed it, but your little tyke has tripped on it more than once and you’ve made sure to be very watchful every time he tries again.

At the sound of the front door opening, Steve made his way towards the entryway of your home. He looked soft, as he usually did nowadays and you couldn’t love it more. Steve had hung up the shield when Caleb was born and since then he let his hair grow out, and bought a few more pairs of sweats and at your insistence shirts that fit him. He didn’t have abs anymore but that didn’t mean the strength had gone away, just that he was more worried about his family and being there for every moment than staying in peak shape.

“Buddy! How was school?” Steve got down on one knee in order to intercept the charging little boy.

“It was so funs Daddy! I got to play on the park and Mrs. Hilly gave me two gold stars today.” Steve lifted Caleb off the ground and cradled him against his hip. He began walking the two of them towards the kitchen.

“Two stars? That’s great bud.”

“Yeah and on da way home I saw punkins on the ground. Mamma says some of them face faces.”

“Yeah, it’s October buddy, that means some people have started decorating.”

“Decorating for what Daddy?”

“Decorating for Halloween.”

“Can we decorate for Halloween?”

“I don’t see why not, do you want to get a pumpkin and put a face on it with me?” Steve smiled at his son and shifted his eyes towards yours.

“Yes! Can we go gets one now Daddy?”

“Not now baby, we can go this weekend though.” You interrupted, noticing the look on Steve's face. He had a hard time saying no to Caleb and you knew that he was about to go put his shoes on and drive thirty minutes away to the nearest pumpkin patch just to see his little boy smile.

‘But I wants to go now, Mamma.” Your little boy whined.

‘I know baby, but if we go now we won’t have enough time to do all the fun things there. Don’t you want to be able to do all of the things they have?”

“What else do the punkin people have?”

“Um, well they usually have a corn maze and tractor rides. They might have a big ol’ room of corn that you can play in as you do at the park. And they might even have animals you can pet.” You said, thinking back to your childhood memories of going to pumpkin patches with your family.

“They have all of that?” His eyes had gotten wide.

“Yeah baby, they have tons of stuff but if we go tonight we won’t have time to do any of it. But if we wait until Saturday we’ll be able to spend the whole day there.”

‘I want to spend forever there!”

“I don’t know about forever buddy, you still have to go to school but we can spend the whole day on Saturday how does that sound?” Steve asked the little boy.

“Sounds good Daddy.”

And so, three days later your little family of three loaded into the SUV all bundled up for a cool day at the pumpkin patch, and made your way further out of town and towards the fall-themed activity.

Your little boy was in the backseat singing along to the songs on the radio and occasionally asking nonsensical questions to either you or Steve. And both of you tried your best to answer them as seriously as you could.

Half an hour later you pulled into the farm and Steve rolled around the dirt parking lot looking for an open spot. It wasn’t too busy which you were grateful for, Steve may not exactly be Captain America anymore but that didn’t mean that he doesn’t still get recognized.

Steve parked the car and jumped out before you could start unbuckling Caleb. You rounded your way to the trunk to grab the backpack you had packed full of some extra snacks, a light blanket in case anyone got cold, and a hat and scarf for Caleb in case he needed it. Your husband and son joined you a moment later, Caleb holding onto Steve’s hand and practically bouncing in place.

“Alright baby, we need to go get our tickets to get inside and then we can do whatever you want.”

“Otay Mamma.”

You passed through the ticket line with ease and without much time passing at all, you were inside. You checked your phone for the time, 10:30.

“Alright baby, what do you want to do first?” You asked, looking towards your son and patiently waiting for him to make his decision. Caleb scanned his surroundings taking in all there was to do and weighing his options carefully. His eyes landed a little ways away at a large pile of hay that several other children were climbing on top of and running up the side.

“Look, Daddy! A mountain of straw!”

“I see buddy, you wanna go play?” Caleb screamed his assent and grabbed his father’s hand pulling him towards the miniature mountain. You followed behind them and took a seat on a nearby bench to watch your boys have their fun.

Steve would lift Caleb into the sky so he could get to the top and then the little boy would count down and push himself down the hill like a slide. Several times, he would just run straight at the pile and bury himself in the looser straw on the surface. At one point Caleb, convinced Steve to climb to the top of the pile and all at once all of the children playing tried to push him off. You laughed loudly and took pictures the entire time.

Eventually, though your baby boy got a little tired and made his way towards you. He was breathing heavily and his entire body was covered in straw. You pulled a few stray pieces from his hair and offered him one of the juice boxes you had packed.

Steve too came towards your sitting place, also covered head to toe in straw. When you arched a single eyebrow at him and looked him up and down, a small plush, and sheepish expression crossed his face and he looked down at his shoes.

When Caleb’s breathing returned to normal you asked him what he wanted to do next and he immediately perked up.

“You said there would be animals to pet Mamma?”

“Yeah, baby I think they have some goats if you wanna pet those.”

The rest of the day followed similarly. Caleb running from activity to activity. Sometimes you joined in, sometimes Steve, sometimes both of you. He was having a blast and you were so happy he was getting to make these fun memories like you had.

Caleb played in the corn pit for a little while, he fed the goats and took a ride on the mini-tractor coaster for the kids. He also had his face painted and the three of you had your photo taken next to the sixteen-foot-tall scarecrow. You all had hotdogs and apple cider for lunch and Caleb insisted that he wanted to go play on the hay pile again.

“When can we get out punkin Mamma?” Caleb said after his third yawn of the last hour. Your little man was fading and fast.

“Right now Baby, let's go get in line for the tractor ride and then we can go out and get our pumpkins. Caleb turned towards Steve and lifted his arms at his father, asking without words to be picked up.

Steve hoisted your son into his arms and the three of you made your way to the actual line to go into the patch. It was nearing time for dinner and you wanted to be able to get your pumpkins and go home before Caleb completely conked out.

One short tractor ride later and the three of you were immersed in the sea of orange gourds. Caleb seemed to perk up when he saw all of the pumpkins and began excitedly running from row to row inspecting them.

Steve and you strolled hand in hand along with him, both of you with soft smiles on your faces as you watched the little man you created having a wonderful day.

“Thank you.” Steve had said, breaking the comfortable silence between the two of you.

“For what?” You laughed.

‘For this” He gestured towards Caleb, also lifting your intertwined hands and placing a kiss on the back of yours, “I never thought I’d get this, so thank you.” You leaned in and softly kissed him, taking your time to let him know through your affection that you’d do just about anything for him.

“Well then, Thank you too.” You said as you pulled back.

“Mamma! Daddy! Come on, come look!” Your attention was drawn to your son, jumping up and down next to a couple of pumpkins he seemed to have lined up.

“What did you find bud?” Steve asked when the two of you got close enough.

“Good punkins, we can put faces on dem.” he pointed at the three pumpkins he had lined up. You had to admit, it seemed like Caleb had a knack for picking pumpkins. The ones he had grabbed were practically perfect, with only one of two spots on them.

“Good job, baby these are great ones.” You ruffled his hair. “Alright, we gotta bring them back to the tractor so we can take 'em home. You wanna grab one?” He just nodded and went to grab the biggest of the three.

“How ‘bout Daddy take this one and you can take that one,” Steve said pointing toward the other pumpkin on the ground.

“Otay Daddy, but if you need help let me know.” You both softly laughed at how sweet your little boy was.

“Sure thing, buddy.” Steve hiked the largest pumpkin onto one shoulder and went to grab the stem of the one in his arms.

“What are you doing?” You asked him as he lifted the pumpkin from your hands.

“What was the point of marrying a super soldier if you don’t take advantage of the strength.”

“I didn’t marry you for your strength, I married you for your rugged good looks.” You responded and he let out a large guffaw followed by a smaller stream of laughter laughter.

Without your arms full you were free to take pictures of the father-son duo carrying their pumpkins side by side toward the tractor. You helped Caleb load his pumpkin up into the wagon that the passengers rode in and watched as he climbed up the steps into the wooden structure. Steve followed after you and the three of you in the corner with the pumpkins at your feet.

When the wagon started moving it began sort of rocking side to side, lulling your little boy closer and closer to sleep. You were sort of impressed that he had lasted that long and pulled him into your lap so that he could be more comfortable. Not even five minutes later he was asleep with his head rested against your shoulder and his arms around your neck.

The tractor pulled back into the main area of the farm and you had to disembark and grab your pumpkins so that other people could have their turn.

Before you could even start to get up with your sleeping son in your arms, Steve had taken him and lifted him onto his shoulders. He had one of Caleb’s legs on either side of his head and the torso of the little boy was leaning on his head, his little hand resting on Steve’s forehead.

Since he had taken the boy you went to go grab one of the pumpkins but Steve had beaten you to that too. In some miracle, Steve had managed to hold onto not only the sleeping little boy, but all three pumpkins and get off the wagon without jostling any of them too much.

“Steven Grant, let me carry a damn pumpkin.” You chased after your husband, attempting to relieve him of at least one of the decently sized pumpkins.

“Let me think about that.” He kept walking.

“Steve seriously, I look so mean making you carry everything.”

“You’re not making me do anything Honey, I’m doing this of my own free will.”

“Well, will your free will at least let me grab Caleb.”

“He’s comfy up there”

“Yeah mamma, comfy” a little sleep-riddled voice replied from your husband’s shoulders. And Steve let a smirk of victory cross his face.

“Whatever.” You huffed. Following next to your husband and hoping that nobody else thought you were some kind of nightmare woman who made your husband carry everything.

It was a short trek after that to the car and you began to increase your pace so that you’d be able to open the door for Steve to be able to transfer Caleb back into his car seat, but Steve matched your pace easily and you watching as his smirk continued to grow.

He got to the car first and instead of depositing the pumpkins in the trunk, or going to put Caleb in his seat, Steve opened the passenger door for you and gestured for you to get it.

“You’re kidding.” You deadpanned.

“I got this Honey, just get in the car.”. You didn’t argue just shook your head with exasperation and climbed into the car. Turning the heat on and getting the directions home pulled up on your phone.

Meanwhile, Steve, who you’re now convinced was a juggler in a previous life is opening the hatch of the trunk and placing all three pumpkins plus your backpack that you didn’t even realize he had into the space. He pulled Caleb down from his shoulders and placed a kiss on his head. Closing the trunk, he made his way around to Caleb’s door and opened it without moving the sleeping boy an inch. Steve flawlessly deposited him into this seat and buckled him up with astonishing speed and you had to admit to yourself that watching Steve do all of this was turning you on more than you thought it would.

Finally, Steve opened his door and climbed into the car, starting the engine and looking to you for the go-ahead to leave.

You just leaned across the consul and placed a large kiss on his cheek. Making him smile like a schoolboy.

“I love you.” You had said.

“I love you too.” He had replied before shifting the car into reverse and beginning the half-hour drive home.

You looked into the back seat at the tuckered-out boy in his car seat and thanked the universe and Steve all over again for giving you such an amazing little gift.

#fanfic #fluff #x reader #marvel fanfiction #flufftober #plus size reader #plus size!reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x plus size reader #steve rogers x you #captain america #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fandom

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satureja13 · 23 days

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Good news: Both, Bunny and Vlad survived the night! (And of course Diablo too :)

Vlad slept like the dead (that he actually is) even though he only had a quarter of an inch hay between him and the hard, cold soil. After he woke up, he felt like he'd been hit by a tractor - twice. He moaned and crawled up like an old man. Apparently Diablo woke him.

Diablo: 'Omg, get up already! Finish your job and let's leave this foul place! They devour me with their eyes!' Vlad, barely awake and full of aches: "Sure, pal. Let's get this over with. Keep your distance to the village until I finish work."

Diablo: 'You betcha.'

Vlad shuffled over to the sculptor's shop. From what he sees, he is a master of his craft and he has no idea why no one wanted to work for him. Well, he'll soon find out. Not that he cared much. This is just a game and he dealt with harder tasks. He'd even been to hell and back. So one day working here won't kill him. It's for Ji Ho and Saiwa - and his best friend Jack after all. There was music playing in the shop, so the sculptor is already there too, despite the early hour.

'Enjoy what'chas got, not what you have not 'tis a weak heart lamenting with sorrow When the days seem cursed, it could always be worse Fight depression with sword and arrow'

The Sculptor: "Good Morning! You're early, that's great. Take off your shirt and let's start right away. The queen is eagerly waiting for her statue!"

'When the zeppelinous clouds of trouble abound And thunder is clapping and lightning strikes ground Just when yer thinking this may be your last Throw a lash 'round the mast, hold fast!'

Eh - take off his shirt? He knows this voice. It belongs to the very person who always demands him to take off his shirt!

'When the world ain't right, and it smithes ye with strife Ye can now buckle down, it's a test they call life Very soon you will see what kind of animal you'd be Taking the bite outta life'

Leander! Vlad's nemesis! The very man who never fails to make him lose his composure! The red-haired devil who wanted to marry him. Yeah - he only cursed Vlad and dragged him down to his hell to protect him - but that does not mean he'll ever forgive him that he touched Ji Ho and almost drowned him! (Which actually wasn't Leander's fault either...)

'When they're testing the gallows, yer hung like a dog Or they're marching us out to a firing squad We just smile and recall all the good times we had It's the best 'til tomorrow It's the best day 'til tomorrow'

But of course NPC Leander did not recognize him. Because this is just a game. A stupid game! He'll have a word with Tiny Can when he's back, that's for sure... Leander: "Ah the gods sent you! You're beautiful - the Queen will be pleased! Sit over there."

'No considering surrender when yer down in the dregs If ye look down and notice you still have your legs So stand up and fight you just might seize the day It's the best day 'til tomorrow'

The Real McKenzies - Best Day until Tomorrow If you happen to like punk: this song is really good! I just found it by chance and it fits so well!

And so Vlad took off his shirt (and his pride) for Leander - again... He grit his teeth and tried not to freak out and kill this annoyingly oblivious NPC. And he reminded himself over and over again that this is just a game. And for whom he does this. Ji Ho. Jack. Saiwa. Just. A. Game.

(It seems like NPC Leander ist just as full of himself and annoying as real Leander and therefore the village folks avoids him ^^')

From the Beginning ~ Underwater Love ~ Latest 🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

#therapy game #underwater love #The One #vladimir tepesz #leander belgraves #the game #Spotify #ts4 #Goldshire #diablo #old new henford #simlit #sims 4 vanilla #sims 4 #sims #henford on bagley #simblr #sims 4 story

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my-rose-tinted-glasses · 4 months

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2023 Naughty list

There have been a lot of lists and I have a real problem narrowing down my faves, so I'll start with a less than positive list because honestly it's just easier for me to bitch about things. I need to get this one out of my system to get to the good stuff.

Characters that had me seriously consider my stance on violence

This guy (they don't deserve names) - Love Tractor

HOW DARE HE??? I seriously wanted to reach through the screen and hit with something heavy. He made my baby Ye Chan cry and for that alone I will not never forgive nor forget.

This guy - Happy Merry Ending

I see him on a street, I'm running him over with my car. Period.

This pretty guy - Never let me go

I think the fact that several of us wanted Chopper to shoot him kinda says it all.

This guy - Unintentional Love Story

Won Young is a better person than me. His speech was awesome but for what he did to TaeJoon he deserved more.

That guy ( no pic necessary) - Bed Friend

Running him over. Twice. Maybe 3 times.

This guy - Sing My Crush

He made Ba Ram cry and stole his song. I wanna get that stupid smile of his face. Perhaps with a bat. This guy - I Feel You Linger In The Air

Prison is too good for him.

Ok. There are more but I'll finish here. I'm sure I forgot a bunch and I'm sure someone will gladly remind me.

Shows that had me pulling my hair, screaming at the screen or were a challenge to my completionist nature

The Promise

Anyone who saw this show knows why it's here, and whoever didn't, well I envy you. I wanted to slap Phupa on a weekly basis and was screaming "Nan, why do you like this guy??!! at regular intervals.

I think the only good thing that I can say about this show (other than Party) is that I think it was the first interaction I had on BL tumblr and it was with @respectthepetty that like me was suffering through it weekly.

Absolute Zero

What is there more to say that I haven't said? As @twig-tea and anyone who read my recaps knows, I started really liking this show, and my discussions with Twig about the time traveling aspect in the beginning were great. But halfway through, the show trough any logic out of the window and I began eye rolling and screaming at the screen at an increasing rate.

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2

These two were my lifeline. I apologize to the fans but I was already getting tired of Minato when they threw the amnesia plot in there so I was pulling my hair in the final episodes when Asuka and Shu weren't on screen.

Shadow Part II

THIS COULD'VE BEEN SO GOOD!

Other Mentions: What did I just watch? Why am I watching this? Why did I not drop this? Love Syndrome III , Tin Tem Jai, Past-Senger (that ending...); House of Stars (Thailand) and You Are Mine (Taiwan)

Now I can get to my other lists. I won't tag anyone but please tag me if anybody makes a naughty list.

#Rose Recaps 2023 #rose rambles

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russellius · 1 year

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THE TIMES: The Formula One driver and his father, Steve, on failed driving tests and sleeping in horseboxes

George

My earliest memories are of living in a mobile home while my parents built a house in a field in the middle of nowhere, near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. I rode a pedal tractor around the site, hurtling through corners and reversing with a trailer.

At 25 I am the youngest of three. Cara is 37 and works as my personal assistant. Benjy is 36 and caught the karting bug when he was just 11. He was a brilliant driver, becoming a national and world karting champion. Unfortunately, even starting at such a young age, it was already too late for him to have a professional career. I took up karting when I was six and he helped me a lot. Benjy was like a mentor. He eventually gave up racing at university, so Dad’s focus was on me.

I didn’t see much of Dad during the week. He got up early and came home late running a business selling seeds and pulses. As a kid you miss having your father around, but it’s only now that I appreciate he was doing it so I could race at the weekend. Dad didn’t come from a lot and did well to create a successful business. We weren’t poor but we weren’t wealthy like the families of some F1 racing drivers now.

After long hours at work Dad drove us in a camper van to racetracks around the country. It was very much a family affair. Dad was the mechanic, Mum did the cooking and collected data on my driving. When I drove well, there were celebrations and the mood was great but because everyone was so emotionally and financially invested, when I suffered a poor weekend the mood was bad.

Dad has always been hard on the ones he loves. As a young kid, that was difficult to deal with. The pressure didn’t just filter down to me, it affected the whole family. I felt the weight of failure and expectation. If I made a silly mistake and spun off the track, I can now understand why Dad might have thought, “What the hell am I doing this for?” He had to work his arse off to support my racing, so if I didn’t put in enough effort, it must have been hard.

I now live in the world of F1, where tens of millions of pounds are spoken about like peanuts. Even in Formula Two or Three, every driver has to find huge amounts of money to get on the grid — it’s just crazy. When I was 16 and moving up through the ranks, I realised Dad didn’t have that sort of capital. I thought, “Oh shit, if I can’t find that sort of sponsorship or get picked by a team, my F1 dream is gone.”

Winning the F2 championship in 2018 was a big moment but I’ll never forget the day I signed for Williams F1 in September 2018. I was racing in F2 in Sochi, Russia, when Claire Williams, the deputy team principal at the time, called me in and offered a deal. Mum and Dad were the first people I told and they both cried. I told them to save their tears for when I won a race.

I joined Mercedes for the 2022 season, alongside Lewis Hamilton. It was a huge opportunity for me to learn and grow in F1, as well as show what I’m capable of. It was not an easy season for Mercedes but I feel very fortunate to be in this position, plus Lewis is such an incredible bloke on and off the track. He is so experienced, whereas I’m a 25-year-old who is just totally focused on trying to be the best F1 driver I can be. I’m pretty inspired by what he has achieved.

Dad is a strong character but he has become more emotional since his children have left home. He’s also friendlier now and doesn’t mind making a fool of himself from time to time. My only regret is that F1 doesn’t leave much free space to see each other but we do speak on the phone all the time.

Of course he still watches the pennies and will only fly economy — he won’t let me pay for their flights either. I know my parents can afford to fly business but it’s the principle for them. I want to make sure I reach a position with my racing where I can afford to give them the best in their retirement. They totally deserve it.

Steve

The F1 guys are OK on the racetrack but they are never as good as their dads on normal roads. George is always telling me to slow down as we approach a junction, though his mum thinks it’s fantastic when he takes her out and drives quickly.

There was just one occasion when George didn’t put the full effort in and it caused quite a commotion. He failed his first driving test at 17 because he thought that being a great driver on the track was good enough. He came home fuming that the examiner was wrong. We had to go back to the test centre in King’s Lynn so George could confront him. That didn’t go down well.

George was a cheeky little boy, a bit of a comedian. I worked a lot but it’s strange that I can only remember the racing side of his life, not watching him grow up at home. We enjoyed a nice life but had to work hard for it. I came from a family of farm workers with very little money and wanted to get away from agriculture and better myself but I ended up owning a wholesale seed business.

My wife, Alison, and I knew George was going to be a racing driver at the age of two. He was born on the track, coming to races to watch his brother and help out in the garage. He had a toy tractor that he rode around the pit lane and collected stickers from each race to stick on his “George Russell Racing” tractor.

As George progressed through the racing ranks it became more and more expensive. We invested in a motorhome to travel to races — before that I would sometimes sleep in a freezing horsebox. There were sacrifices. Alison and I didn’t go on our first holiday together until two years ago, on a trip to Lanzarote. By then we had been together for 38 years. People think that now George is in F1 we hang out with Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff, the Mercedes principal, every weekend in the sunshine, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Now Alison and I rarely go to races because we don’t want to interfere.

It was hard letting George fly the nest because we had been a close family, always doing our racing together. He is methodical and organised but his feet are firmly on the ground. There are plenty of people in the family to put him straight if needed.

There’s no magic wand to become an F1 driver — it takes hard work and dedication. It was only when I stood on the track with George before his first grand prix that I looked up at the enormous crowd and thought, “Oh my God, we’ve actually got here.”

#george russell #f1 #*m #q #23 #(oh brother)#:)#ch

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weirdly-specific-but-ok · 4 months

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The Cishet 1990s American Father-Son Movie, Good Omens triggered.

For those who are confused, @howmanyholesinswisscheese made a heartbreaking Good Omens post. Read it and weep.

The reblogs however degenerated into a Cishet Father-Son saga, since you maggots are all my adoptive parents. Here is a more polished version of my latest contribution to the hellsite.

[Opening credits play over highly saturated, sundrenched midwest farmland. Bob Dylan's Sara plays and the title appears as the camera slows to a halt in front of a sprawling house.]

[TITLE: Farewell, Iowa, We'll Meet Again, a Gus Van Sant film]

Art 'Greeny' Matthews, a man who does an honest day's work in the farm and is pretty darn proud of it, wanders through his house. His wife Darlene just left him (hence the opening song), and he is faced with the prospect of raising his only son, a ten year old lad Asmond 'Mond' Matthews, on his own.

Greeny takes Mond along with him as he works in the farm on holidays, riding in the tractor. Mond cries about Darlene, who didn't even leave a note, the hussy, and Greeny comforts him as much as he can. "It'll be alright, son," Greeny says on Mond's eleventh birthday, as they sit in the stable with a badly made cake on the wobbly stool. "Just you and me, eh? Not bad!"

"I hate chocolate," Mond whispers miserably, and the birthday party ends in more tears.

When Mond is thirteen, he starts to grow more closed with his emotions, just helping his dad around the farm. They're making a huge profit, and Greeny has business deals and free time, and makes an effort to bring Mond along to golf games and such. Mond is being bullied in school for being caught writing poetry, but he refuses to tell his dad why he comes home with a black eye every other week.

"I'm always here if you want to talk over a game of catch, son," Greeny tries one day. "No thanks, dad," Mond says, and wanders away into the stable. At fourteen, Greeny tries to bring him on fishing trips to discuss his feelings, as they used to do back when Darlene lived with them. Mond swallows, but shakes his head.

Finally, Mond can't keep it from him anymore, and when Greeny finds out, he goes into a rare fit of temper. "Just like your mother, boy!" he says, hand rattling his mug of ale. "A wanderer and a careless fool, that's what you'll turn out to be! There ain't no place in this world for people livin' in their heads."

Mond doesn't write poetry anymore.

As Mond grows, though, he helps out more with the farm, and they bond over hopes for future profit, and joking about golf, which they both find pretentious. "C'mon, champ, let's go play golf," Greeny says while they watch suited businessmen make their way to the house, out of place amidst the yellow-green farmland. "What's your favourite golf club?"

"That a literal club, or the thing they whack the ball with, dad?" Mond responds, and Greeny chortles. "I taught you better than that, son."

He has high hopes for Mond, he will take over the farm. Greeny is growing weary of his duties, he married late and had Mond even later.

[Montages of sunlight days ensue, intercut with shots of Mond, who always has a melancholic air about him. His mother was a dancer, and that rebellious spirit, so long dormant, is beginning to stir as he enters his twenties.]

On his twenty-first birthday, Greeny has baked him a cake, not chocolate. Mond barely sees it. His father doesn't know him. Not really. Not at all. When Greeny says he is handing over the farm to him, and starts to give him instructions about the responsibilities, Mond has had it.

He picks up the rucksack he's been storing by the umbrella stand for weeks, and shoulders it as Greeny pauses mid-lecture. "I'm sorry, dad," Mond says. "I'm going away to be my own man. This was your dream. Not mine."

Greeny is too frozen to stop him.

[Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan plays with another montage]

Mond travels the States, far from home and Iowa, and after a year of struggle finally publishes his first anthology of poetry. Hoping to make his dad proud, he sends a letter home asking if it imperative he return, since he's too ashamed to say he wants to. The reply is a brief but polite no from the housekeeper, saying his father wishes him well but does not require that he return. Assuming Greeny wants nothing to do with him, Mond stays away, bitter and homesick.

He is called home a few months later, and when he arrives, he is met not with Greeny, but with the housemaids and farmhands in black, and the housekeeper teary-eyed as she guides him to the back garden and a lonely gravestone. Greeny, heartbroken by his son leaving the same way Darlene his wife did all those years ago, declined in health, but he kept up the farm till the end, all ready for Mond should he want it after all, and for the head farmer if he didn't.

Mond, still carrying his book hoping to have shown his dad at last, stares in shock at the gravestone. He thinks even at the end Greeny did not know him, thought he would want the farm. Until he reads the inscription. Art 'Greeny' Matthews, friend to all, loyal husband, and most of all, proud father of a poet.

His father knew, Mond realised. His father knew what he'd been doing.

"Are ya proud, dad?" Mond whispers, dropping the book and kneeling down before the stone. "Are ya proud? It was all for you."

[The camera pulls back to show the farmland, scattered with people in black going about their work because business stops for no one, and a solitary figure by the gravestone. Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind plays as the end credits roll.]

"How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?

How many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?"

The end.

@howmanyholesinswisscheese The challenge has been issued.

#good omens mascot #90s movies #cinema #cinema parody #gus van sant #good will hunting #my own private idaho #weirdly specific but ok #asmi #creative writing #writing #film writing #film parody #maggots #bob dylan #blowin in the wind #sara #father and son

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respectthepetty · 4 months

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Hi Petty! Totally random question that came to me...do you have any favorite series with obvious character color coding? And by obvious I mean like...Power Ranger color coding obvious.

TLWR: I can't answer this.

@negrowhat, This isn't random because you were just reblogging Y Destiny posts, and that show was Power Rangers color coded!

So it shouldn't be surprising that Y Destiny's director is Cheewin since most of Director Cheewin's shows are extremely color coded like Middleman's Love, You'll Never Eat Alone, and Bed Friend.

And although Playboyy isn't unmistakably color coded, it still has color coding, and Cheewin won't let us forget that.

Hell, look at the description of his upcoming series Deep Night which states that "[The characters] aren't the only ones bringing colour to the club" so I'm guessing it, too, will be color coded.

I think Cheewin really enjoys color coding, which is why Domundi continues to hire him since Domundi wants color coding in its shows like Cutie Pie and Naughty Babe! And it's probably why Cheewin gave me one of my favorite noticeably color-coded shows, Secret Crush on You, where Phaya and Dr. Cocomelon (as you call him) were the bestest color-coded friends ever.

Everyone was color coded in that show, even the fairy godmothers.

But outside of Cheewin, I LOVED Destiny Seeker!

Which is why it won a Colors Award for Best Group Effort since it played into the traditional way of color coding with the main characters, but gave the side couple an interesting color dynamic, then had the younger third couple color coordinate.

It was fascinating, and I wish it was more easily available internationally, so others could enjoy it!

Japan leaned into obvious color coding with I Became a Lead in a BL Drama

And I loved it!

However, I also feel like another one of my favorite shows from Japan, My Love Mix-Up, was obviously color coded.

While others seemed shocked by me stating that even though the promo material was color coded, which is something I found out after watching the entire series.

So although I know what you're asking, it's slightly difficult for me to answer because (and this isn't me bragging), I find most color coding obvious, like in another color-coded favorite from Korea, Love Tractor, I understood it was color coded from the trailer, as I do many shows.

Yet I got a few questions about it because others did NOT easily see that Yechan was a Green Guy and Yul was a Blue Boy even though I believed it was blatant color coding with no room for confusion.

Much like how I picked up from the trailer of another favorite Korean series, The Eighth Sense, that Ji Hyun was light coded and Jae Won was dark coded. This shot was in the trailer with several others similar to this color scheme, yet it was just me out here seeing what I believed to be very recognizable color coding.

So, to me, most color coding is Power-Rangers-level obvious. And I love seeing people slowly figure that out nine episodes in, when I had it pinned down before the first episode even began.

Or in some cases, by the second episode because the first episode only showed the characters in uniforms or only had one scene with them.

Which is why people are still flabbergasted that I knew Way and Charlie were lying without the subtitles even though Way, a blue teammate, looked like this in episode three of Pit Babe, and Charlie who supposed to a Blue Boy was red in the first episode.

So to answer your question in the longest way possible, if a show has color coding, for the most part, it's obvious to me. I struggle sometimes figuring out what the colors mean like with The Sign and Last Twilight, but I still notice the colors, and it's funny since both shows use blue, green, and orange, which were the same colors I struggled with in Our Dating Sim since the orange threw me off (it represented uncertainty).

I like writing about colors so much because what I think is Power-Rangers-level obvious is not obvious to others, and what I struggle with, some of you see clearly.

And I love when people tag me and say they noticed colors but "they were so obvious it was impossible to miss them" because it proves this point! Colors aren't obvious until we are actually paying attention to them. I'm positive someone watched Y Destiny and didn't even notice the colors. I'm just as confident people watched I Became a Lead in a BL Drama and didn't realize it was color coded.

And I hope you nor anyone else who reads this takes this is a mean-spirited dig about not noticing color coding. It's not much like my post about some folks not being able to tell the difference between Sprite and Zee in Twins. We don't notice the obvious when we aren't looking for it. You notice people's hands on others' throats. @colourme-feral notices locations. @dribs-and-drabbles notices clothing. Yet none of those things are obvious to me.

And that's why I can't really answer this question because the colors are obvious to me.

. . .

But Live in Love, if it gets made, will be Power Rangers color coded.

That's obvious.

#the colors mean things #color coded boys in love #it's obvious to me #and if it's not‚ I'm crowd sourcing it #we all notice something that others don't #what is obvious to you is not obvious to me

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bijoumikhawal · 2 months

Text

Bite the Hand That Starves You: Chapter Eight

Fic as of the chapter contains: discussion of abortion, references to drug use, intersex and trans characters, torture/graphic violence, colonialism and its aftermath, implied sexual violence, disassociation, kidnapping, explicit sexual content

Kardasi: -ijje: an affectionate Kardasi suffix. One adds it to a shortened version of a name. It is inappropriate to use this for a person you aren't very close to.

Whoo, final chapter! The sex scene here is the section that starts with "Garak had wanted to be alone, Julian guessed."

---

“We're within range to transport.” Garak rolled his shoulders, sitting up. “Alright. Do you have any questions about the sensor scrambler, or anything else I'm leaving with you?”

“I don't know if you should be going alone.”

“That's a no, then, I take it. I can't explain your presence if I don't. At best, Lokar will deny any knowledge of Dr. Bashir.” Garak began patching in a comms signal. “Besides, if I know Lokar- and I do- he'll try to sabotage the ship. Someone needs to keep an eye on it. And you have 15 seconds before they start getting video of this room.”

Sisko narrowed his eyes, but left quickly. Garak suspected there'd be… an interesting debriefing, after this.

Sisko had no qualms about strong arming others for a good cause, but he rarely appreciated it himself.

Garak was put through to a secretary he'd never seen before first, standing over the shoulder of a traffic controller. “Ship 5371-B, state your purpose. You are not scheduled to be here, and without good reason and authorization, you will be subject to detention until trial.”

Garak smiled. “Of course. Tell Barkan Lokar that Elim Garak has come to pay him a visit.”

She gave no sign of recognition. “What nonsense is that? Elim Garak is not on our list of those with authorized access.”

“-if you tell him that,” Garak said, cutting off her next sentence, “I think you'll find I have an appointment. And do tell him it was very rude to schedule one without asking me about it first.”

She bent and pressed some keys on the console, sighing. Garak felt the shift in gravity and momentum as a tractor beam took hold. “I hope detention is worth your little prank, sir.” The video switched off. Presumably, she was double checking his statement.

Typically a secretary would not be immediately available to traffic control. Barkan had not mentioned him by name, but clearlh he'd told his staff to expect someone. This was going well, so far.

Garak got himself a glass of rokassa juice.

The video came back on, though the tractor beam didn't turn off. Garak expected as much- odds were they'd set up a stasis lock, or potentially tow it into dock. The secretary was good. Her face betrayed no sense of shame or embarrassment. “Get on the transporter pad and you'll be beamed in.”

Garak bowed his head to her with a smile. “Thank you.”

Barkan and a helmeted guard were waiting for him. Garak gave the latter a curious look. “Updating the uniform, are we?”

Occasionally Cardassian units used helmets, but they didn't look like this, with a full face cover- giving no indication of who was underneath. “Something like that. Why don't you sit, Elim? It's been so long since we talked.”

Garak did take the offered seat. “Has it.”

“Within the bounds of the Union, I mean.” Barkan amended his statement. “There's something freeing about being here instead of on enemy territory, isn't there?”

“I don’t know. The line designating “the Union” and “enemy territory” simply passed over me one night- I didn't find much difference in how I spoke in the evening or the morning that bookended it.”

“How about the evening and the morning that bookended the last time we spent a night together?”

Garak let himself tense. Better to make Barkan think he really had the advantage, to let him revel in it. "I was interrogated after, you know. I imagine you find that funny."

Barkan laughed. "You make me so cruel in your imagination, Elijje. Sometimes I worry I won't meet your expectations, and leave you disappointed."

"I find you meet them effortlessly."

Barkan sat, resting his head in his hand. "You're wanting your Terran doctor back, I take it. Have you ever noticed how similar they look to Bajorans? It's uncanny."

Garak rolled his thumb over the transmitter in his pocket. "They also look much like Vulcans. I wouldn't have come for anything else, Barkan."

"So we're back to first name basis, then." Barkan smiled. "Perhaps you'll be amenable to my suggestion, then."

Garak didn't bother to respond.

Barkan's mouth twisted. "Obviously, I don't want your doctor. He means less than nothing to me. Palandine has… gone missing, while I've been away. And as I've made clear, I do not consider our partnership annulled."

Garak had long suspected such was the case with Palandine. His few contacts didn't run in her circles, but they had heard nothing of her- and no news had remarked on Kel's emergence party. A girl of her standing would have a public one, and to not have it would normally make the news as well. The confirmation made his stomach drop all the same. It dropped further knowing their disappearance had not, as he had assumed, been at the military's direction.

"My brother died in the war with the Federaji, as you know. I am the last Lokar."

Garak flexed his hand in his pocket. It was a quiet admission regarding Kel, but a quiet admission was still terrifying. "It always comes back to this with you."

"I can end your exile."

Garak’s tongue stuck.

Barkan smiled. "Yes, even considering that incident on Bajor."

Garak centered himself in his mind. The cost of ending his exile this way was being alone with Barkan. Without the Order behind him. And if he struggled to conceive… Lokar would not examine himself. Besides, he surely wanted revenge.

But, to be on Cardassia again… and he still had contacts outside the Order… he could even find Palandine, he was smarter than whoever Central Command had assigned to look for her.

If it was Tain before him, he knows he wouldn't bother weighing the options. No matter what he'd asked, Garak would do.

He will still have to earn Tain’s forgiveness if he accepts. Until then, he will still treat Garak as a traitor and enemy. And Garak knows- Tain prides himself on outliving his enemies.

“You seem overwhelmed.” Barkan stepped behind Garak, squeezing his shoulder ridges- not in a way appropriate to do in one's office. “I'll let you sleep on it, hm?”

“In a cell?”

“Hardly.” Barkan’s grip eased, hands sliding down Garak’s shoulders. “Second. Show Elim to our guest quarters.” The helmeted guard nodded.

It was a cell. A comfortable cell (not silk quilt comfortable), the one you got when you fucked the warden, but a cell nonetheless. He couldn't leave, after all.

But if he was smarter than Barkan, he could get out. And if he could get out, he could trust himself to take the deal and come out on top.

---

Julian laid on the floor of his cell, pressing his swollen cheek to the cold tiles.

After Lokar was satisfied with himself, the helmeted guard took him back here. According to his internal clock, it was well into the night.

He turned, giving his the other side of his face a chance with the tile. Left-down, left-up, right-up...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet.

Earlier, a medic had come to see him, and promptly left upon being satisfied that Julian's injuries wouldn't kill him. He'd expected to be left alone for some time after that- it had only been three hours.

Julian kept still, closing his eyes most of the way.

The security field's hum ceased abruptly. Whoever it was walked in, stopping by his hip- Julian could just make out the toe of a uniform boot. Not the medic again, then, or anyone else interesting.

"Preparing for death." The helmeted guard muttered to himself. Julian heard him sling his rifle onto his back, out of immediate reach.

Nothing for it.

Julian braced his arm against the floor and swung his legs up and forward, catching him below the knee.

It wasn't his best, but it worked- knocking the guard off balance and having him flail a bit, hands away from his gun.

Julian got up, grabbing the rifle and strap. It wasn't that hard to tear the two apart- there was decent give, and the snapshot unfastened easily.

The guard spun on his heel. Julian hit his side with the rifle, between his ribs. Unfazed, the guard grabbed Julian by his shirt and hauled him forward. Julian hit him on the side of the head with the rifle, then jabbed him in the front of his neck with his elbow.

The helmet was more about secrecy than armour. The guard grunted in pain. Julian hit him again, then threw the rifle, skittering, across the room.

The helmeted guard slammed him against the wall. Julian grabbed for his throat, shaking off the dizziness.

At first the guard ignored it, slamming him again. Julian's grip did not break.

It was a common misconception that you couldn't strangle a Cardassian, because of the shape of their cervical vertebrae. It was certainly near impossible to break a Cardassian's neck- the force required would decapitate most. But strangulation simply required one to know where to put pressure- just below the corners of the jaw.

Two more slams, a little more panicked, then the guard grabbed his wrists, trying to break his grip.

This wasn't the time to worry about being found out.

Julian threw the guard to the floor once he slumped against him and began stripping his uniform off.

If nothing else, he could get word back to Deep Space Nine about where exactly he was- though Barkan wasn't too unlikely of a who, narrowing things down still would take time, and wouldn't help them much. It wasn’t exactly easy to get prisoners out of the Union even during scheduled exchanges.

The fit wasn't terrible. Fortunately, most Cardassians were Julian’s height, or a bit taller.

Now he just had to hope Second was the one monitoring his cell.

He pulled Second under his cot, so it wouldn't be too obvious who was laying on the floor looking in from outside. Pressing a fob hidden in Second's pocket rematerialized the security field.

Julian took a second to breathe, and turned. Would he be able to send a message from Barkan's office? That was where he knew to go- if nothing else, it'd be safer than wandering around.

Julian adjusted the strap of the rifle, and began heading for the first locked door. Before he even got there, he ran into trouble- not for himself, thankfully.

The first tell was that the lights were darkened- someone had cut the power here. Julian steeled himself, pressing onwards.

Garak was a welcome sight, even when fighting a guard by himself. Neither paid him attention- Garak was focused on winning, and the guard had his back to Julian.

Julian had never seen Garak get physical while in his right mind before. During his withdrawal- well. It hadn't come down to it, but Julian had been afraid of hurting him precisely because Garak was too strong to easily subdue.

The guard lost.

Garak faced him, and stood, approximating a stance. "Well, Second. I didn't expect a friend of Barkan’s to be so chivalrous as to wait his turn."

Julian took off the helmet and allowed Garak’s genuine surprise to warm him.

"Doctor." Garak stared a moment longer. "I was coming to get you- but it seems you only needed some help, hm?"

Julian touched the bruises on his cheek. "These are from earlier, actually."

Garak raised his brow ridges. "What a busy week you've had."

---

Julian had let Garak take the lead on their detour, though he wasn't entirely happy about it. He said nothing, but it showed in his posture.

Garak had never been to this particular prison before, but he was familiar with the particulars of their construction. Seperate maintainence corridors with manual locks were necessary- not too unlike the station's, though with more vertical space.

"May I see that?" Garak held out a hand beside him, eyeing the lock. Julian handed him the rifle.

Breaking it was a little louder than Garak would have liked, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Garak had Julian slip inside before him, and urged him to walk a few meters before leaning against the wall to rest.

“You don't seem surprised to see me.”

Julian looked up, having chosen to sit on the floor. “Should I be?”

“We fought the last time we talked.”

Julian managed not to laugh, but couldn't help a smile. “Garak, anyone could tell that fight wasn't about me.”

Garak narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance. Yes, it hadn't been his best showing.

Julian looked down. "Besides, practically speaking, there's not many people who would get here so quickly. The rest of the senior staff, you, Odo... you're about it."

And it hadn't been so long that a quick rescue was utterly improbable to him, compared to drawn out negotiations, or no rescue at all.

"I presume I make that list because of my connection to Barkan. After all, compared to the rest, my qualifications are lacking." Lying was always easy for Garak, even silly, obvious lies.

Julian looked up again, this time serious. "Barkan isn't going to leave it at this. He knows where you are." He stood.

“I know.”

“So we can't just escape.” The hall was narrow, and Julian’s expression was made all the more intense this close up.

“What else can we do?” Garak raised his eye ridges. “I got caught trying to get to you. You only haven't gotten caught yet because you got lucky with the uniform and you have decent aim. Do you think assassinating a warden is a spur of the moment decision?”

“What's your plan, then?” Julian didn't hide his frustration.

“To get out of here alive, just like it was when I beamed down. We are in his territory, doctor. He has the advantage. That's why you were brought here. I am far safer on the station than just about anywhere else in the quadrant.”

Julian covered his eyes with his hands, frustrated. Garak, being the one who lived this careful balance, had a point. Even if Julian didn't like it.

Garak took his transmitter out of his pocket and began adjusting the dials on it.

Julian looked up again, probably in response to the clicking Garak himself only barely heard. “What's that?”

“A transmitter. We'll have ten minutes to talk when it's activated.”

Julian stared at him. “To who?”

“Commander Sisko took your disappearance personally.”

“Ah.” Julian paused, clearly reasoning through it. “By himself?”

“He didn't want anyone else in trouble if things went poorly. I only barely convinced him to stay on the shuttle.” Garak stopped for a moment. “The only things of use on you are that uniform and rifle, correct?”

“More or less.”

Garak nodded to himself and hit the last button. “Commander, can you hear me?”

There was a slight crackle on the other end. “I can hear you. Do you have Dr. Bashir?”

It'd ended up more the other way around- “I'm here.”

“I take it Lokar isn't simply handing you over.”

“No. We're going to need to break out.”

A moment of silence. “Alright. What are we working with?”

“I've got a uniform with a helmet and a rifle. And I stole some gloves from the medic who they had look at me earlier.” Julian shifted to rest against the wall.

“I have everything I beamed down with: this transmitter, a spare knife, nothing else interesting.”

“Did you find an angle with Lokar?”

“No.”

Julian looked at him with a tinge of suspicion. It almost made Garak feel better. “Nothing?”

“He wants revenge. Unfortunately, I can't give that to him- and if I did, I don't think he'd let you go anyways.”

Julian accepted that, but his brow remained slightly furrowed.

“I don’t think your suspicion of possible sabotage is wrong, Garak, but so far nothing has happened up here. They did weaken the strength of the tractor beam, but that’s all. And judging from what I saw of the engine earlier, it won’t be able to break the hold on it’s own.”

“That won’t be a problem. Remember what I told you about the triangular device?"

“The one you clearly soldered together on the way over? Yes.”

“In…” Garak checked the time on the transmitter. “Half an hour, attach it to the spot I told you about. You won't need to worry about the tractor beam once its active.”

“That's me taken care of. How are you two getting out of there? You don't know where the transporter room is.”

“No need.” Garak said quickly. “We just need to get to Barkan’s office. They beamed me directly down there. Many in administrative positions have the transporter block stripped from their offices for convenience. It seems he picked up the habit.”

“Do you know how to get there?”

“Of course,” overlapped with Julian’s “Yes.”

“He had me brought in a few times to harass me.” Julian gave as explanation.

“That explains your face,” Garak said to himself, then spoke louder, “Once we're in, I can signal you on the other transmitter. The transporter controls aren't too different on the shuttle compared to what you're used to. There shouldn't be any other life signs to be confused by once the signal goes up.”

“And if you don't get there?”

“It's still what we agreed to on the station.”

“Alright. I'll be waiting for both of you.”

Garak ended the transmission, looking down the corridor as he put away the transmitter.

“What did you agree to?”

Garak looked at him, managing not to startle at Julian speaking so close to his ear that he could feel his breath across it. “My dear doctor. What do you think?”

---

They couldn't get to Lokar's office from the maintenance corridor, unfortunately, but it did let them bypass most of the locked doors.

Garak peered out in the hallway first. "Clear, so far."

Julian put the helmet back on before stepping out after him. There was another door, a few meters away, not locked, and then they'd be at Barkan’s office.

Foot steps sounded. Quickly, they turned to each other- Julian grabbing Garak roughly, and Garak putting up a theatrical struggle.

It was one of the normal guards. He laughed, amused. “I heard the warden had a guest. Did he not like his accommodations?”

“Not at all.” Garak snarled. “One is hardly a guest in a prison."

Julian jerked on his arms, pulling him down the hall.

“I am not going back in there!” Garak was testing the limits of of the strength Julian normally allowed himself to use, but not too badly. “Central Command will be hearing about this!”

Julian raised his eyebrows. Banking on the guard not knowing how nonsensical that statement was wouldn't have been his first choice. He kept pulling on Garak, they were almost to the door, and-

“Second, since when do you wear gloves?”

Julian kept pulling on Garak. He'd hardly premeditated all this- he wouldn't be able to imitate Second’s voice on his first try.

The guard raised his rifle. “Second.”

Julian stopped. They did not have time to get to the door before the guard fired his gun.

Unfortunately, the very act gave him away.

“Well, at least he won't be such a smug bastard after this.” The guard advanced.

Garak was clearly thinking too much to admonish him for the potentially fatal error.

“Take off the helmet or I'll shoot the other one.”

Slowly, Julian did so.

“Ah. That's why you're a special interest prisoner.” He laughed.

Julian hadn't turned around yet, but it sounded like he'd walked until he was just out of arms reach.

“You do know he was planning to go back to the warden, don't you?”

An odd look entered Garak’s eye, then- he yanked the helmet out of Julian’s hand and lunged forward, pushing Julian aside. He swung down first, nearly knocking the rifle from the guards hands, then at his head.

There was a loud crunch.

Julian grabbed his own rifle from its holstered position and aimed. His parents had gotten their money's worth. Sometimes he was even glad of it.

Garak stalked back to him, pulling the helmet down over his head.

“You aren't taking his…”

“We can't shoot our way out, doctor. We have to keep up the charade successfully if we run into someone else.”

Julian felt a hot rush of shame, but Garak seemed content to leave it at that. He pushed past Julian and through the door.

---

The hall to Barkan’s office had not been busy before, so Garak didn't expect to see anyone. At the same time, the absence of others had him on the knife's edge of aware and nervous.

"You didn't happen to get Second's access fob, did you?" Garak asked.

"Actually..." Julian stuck his hand in his pocket. "I might have." He handed something over.

Garak looked at the polymer in his hand.

There was such a thing as too easy.

There was, also, no other good path out of here. He'd failed the parameters of his own test- he couldn't stay, take his chances with Barkan, and leave Julian in custody. Especially not after Julian had attacked Second.

Garak pressed the fob up against the door's scanner.

The door opened to a dark room. The power hadn't been cut- if it had, the door wouldn't have opened, and there would have been emergency lights. Garak shut the door behind them and pressed the button on his transmitter, letting Sisko know they'd reached their goal.

Julian stood in place, shifting his weight. "Something isn't right."

Garak didn't reply. Hopefully, this part would be fast, and the rest would catch up with them after they were on the runabout-

The door creaked behind them.

Garak kept still as light cut across the floor.

"Second? Did our guest get antsy in his quarters?"

Barkan’s tone was easy. He assumed he was still in control.

Garak saw Julian’s fingers tighten on the rifle. Don't, he thought, wishing it could be heard. You won't be able to commit. The fallout will spin out of control immediately. Don't.

Luckily, Second was a somewhat quiet man, and Barkan had interpreted the finger tightening as a "yes, something like that". He circled around them, sitting at my desk. "Am I lucky, Elijje? Have you reached a conclusion about my proposal?"

A good Cardassian doesn't believe in fickle luck, Garak thought. "Perhaps."

Barkan’s smile broadened. Naturally, he assumed his offer had been too tempting for Garak to refuse him. "Are you always shy at times like these?"

Garak almost laughed at him. He'd been acting both times- was Barkan not suspicious of the first?

He replied easily, "Perhaps not all of me has outgrown being Ten Lubak."

There was no way to signal to Sisko that they'd been interrupted. He would know soon enough, in any case. Julian remained tense beside him.

Barkan let out a soft laugh. "Ten Lubak could be rather shy, couldn't he? Back then, that was... alluring."

At what point, Garak wondered. Their first two meetings had been marked by scorn.

The trouble with transporters was, without a badge, the operator had to select individuals manually, going off life signs- species, age, height, and weight. Barkan was taller, but otherwise, he and Garak had similar readings.

Barkan's desk terminal beeped, indicating an incoming call. Barkan pressed the button to answer it.

"Warden, that Federaji prisoner you were interested in has escaped. We just found Second on the ground in his cell."

Barkan and Garak both reacted quickly. Barkan lunged for Julian, and Garak lunged at Barkan, throwing him back into the wall.

Garak’s stomach lurched, and he had enough time to be grateful Sisko had chosen correctly even with unfamiliar controls before the sight of Barkan’s office faded.

He and Julian had been of the same mind, it seemed, as each had a hand on the other, keeping them supported as they rematerialized on the runabout.

Sisko turned his chair to face them. “Next time I'm bringing the Defiant.”

Julian took off the helmet and looked at Sisko. “What do you mean next time?”

"It's good to be prepared, doctor." Garak let go of him. "Thank you for all your help- I'll take over here for awhile, commander." He leaned over the console. "You and Dr. Bashir should get some rest."

---

Garak had wanted to be alone, Julian guessed. And he was- for as long as it took Julian to take a nap.

He woke up to the sound of Sisko getting out of his bunk. "Commander?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Julian. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine. I expect you're probably going to order me away from work when we get back anyway." Julian sat up. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. However, I expect Garak didn't sleep during the time he beamed down, and I know he didn't sleep beforehand. I'm going to relieve him in a bit."

"In a bit?"

"I'm going to shower first."

Julian got out of bed. "Don't use the water setting. I'll go tell him."

Garak leaned over the console, carefully going over every readout he could get displayed, it seemed.

"Sisko's in the shower. He wants to take over once he's..." Julian trailed off.

Garak had turned to look at him. Very... particularly. Julian’s hand had come to rest on the back of the pilot's chair. Garak’s own hand crept up to cover it. "Yes, doctor?"

"Uhm. He'll be out in a little. I warned him off using the water setting. I know the temperature can be difficult." Julian backed up a bit, his mouth dry and face growing warm. "He had the top bunk, but we can swap if you want."

Garak kept staring a moment. "I'll decide after I get a look at them."

Julian nodded, and retreated to the sleeping cabin.

He laid back down on the bottom bunk, facing the wall. His heartbeat was fast and his cheeks stayed flushed with heat, even as he heard Sisko pass behind him into the cockpit, the door opening, closing, and opening. And closing.

He was able to feel that stare again.

The mattress dipped behind him as Garak slipped under the covers. Things were quiet for a moment.

“You said you didn't want anything else, that night. Have you never wanted anything else of me, doctor?”

“Garak,” Julian started, then cut himself off with a gasp as Garak's hands slipped under his shirt, pulling him close.

“Yes?” Garak

"I- we-"

"Surely, you know why Barkan focused his attention on you, doctor. The conclusions he jumped to the second he saw you."

Julian closed his eyes. "Yes, I suppose it's rather ridiculous." A faint dissuasion.

Garak was quiet for a moment. "To be condemned for something you haven't done yet, yes, I suppose it is."

Julian opened his mouth, then closed it. He turned in Garak’s arms to face him.

Garak shifted back slightly. “Just once. We don’t have to think on it ever again.”

Even Julian could appreciate that it was a pretty lie, even if it wasn't a happy one. It was his move- Julian leaned forward, tilting his head to kiss Garak.

"I'm still not safe." Julian reminded him as he broke away.

"How convenient. So am I." Garak nudged Julian onto his back, rising up over him. "It's nice to be on the same page." He pulled Julian’s pajama bottoms down to his knees.

Garak’s gaze had dimmed in intensity somewhat, but Julian still felt pinned. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling. One only had to look down to confirm that. He kicked his trousers the rest of the way off and began pulling at Garak’s tunic- fair was fair.

Garak let him, but pulled his own trousers down. He leaned down, blanketing Julian and pressing him onto the mattress. Garak kissed him as he shifted into what Julian guessed was a more comfortable position.

Julian’s cock slipped between Garak's thighs, and groaned into the other man's mouth as he jerked upwards against him. Noticing, Garak pressed his thighs together. Julian let out a choked moan. Apparently Garak had been anticipating this for some time, as the soft flesh between his legs was slick.

Garak grabbed Julian’s knee and pulled it to the side, spreading his legs apart.

Julian broke the kiss. "Garak-? Oh!" His head fell back as Garak- it was, what he could best describe as a thrust, with Julian's cock trapped between his thighs. Julian grabbed his hips, letting out a string of breathy moans as he tried to meet Garak, thrust for thrust.

He'd certainly never tried intercrural like this.

Garak’s teeth grazed his earlobe, making Julian flinch away.

Garak pulled back, and Julian stroked his shoulder, trying to soothe him.

"It's alright, you just- startled me." Cardassian front teeth were sharper than many other species, despite not looking so obvious.

Julian’s hand tightened as Garak's teeth met his skin again, this time the soft flesh neat the hinge of his jaw.

No longer occupied by kissing, Julian looked down at the shoulder in his grasp, watching the deepening blue color spread over the ridge, and the shift of muscle under the skin as Garak kept thrusting against him.

Garak's teeth traveled down his neck- never biting down fully, as Julian half expected. Only grazing, nipping- almost like a tease.

Julian’s cock slipped out from between Garak's thighs as Garak groaned into his collarbone. A rush of warm wetness spilled forth, and Julian felt something new sliding out of Garak, prodding against his stomach.

Garak’s breaths changed as he ground his cock against Julian’s. Julian could feel ridges, though instead of the scales he was used to, they were of soft flesh that reminded him of the inside of a body. It also felt teasing- brushing against his cock, but more forcefully against his stomach, leaving wet trails.

Julian slid a hand down between their bodies, wrapping his hand around both of them.

Garak shuddered above him, halting for a moment before fucking into Julian’s hand, against his cock, with renewed vigor.

---

Garak would die before saying so, but having had his cycle hit its peak after the removal of the wire violently confronted him with the fact that while he certainly felt arousal, orgasm carried shockingly limited pleasure for him now. Perhaps it was temporary.

Pleasure hadn't really been the point, of course. And the rest of it had still been nice enough.

They had had to part to clean up- tired as they both still were, neither had really wanted to go to sleep like that. Julian was in his arms now facing the wall of the bunk in a mirror of before.

Garak had known the vagueries of the human body, but of all the aliens he'd met, he'd never seen one naked before. Some parts were unremarkably similar to other species- the same body hair he could expect from dozens of others, the nipples, the navel indention.

What had stuck him was, though the muscle of Julian's body was lean and hard, his skin was delicate. That the graze of his teeth had caused such a reaction, on unbruised flesh... and of course, the sight of darker bruising on Julian’s face and chest.

He could see the marks he'd left with his teeth now, a few above the collar of Julian’s sleeping clothes. They were superficial enough to hopefully fade over the next few days. Enough not to come up when Julian would surely be physically examined and debriefed regarding Barkan.

Barkan...

“You were thinking about going back to him. Weren't you.” Julian spoke, evidently not asleep. It was almost like the thought had drawn his attention.

A snarled feeling rose in Garak. “Who?”

“Lokar. He offered you something, didn't he?”

There was that infuriating pity again. “It doesn't matter.”

It was quiet for a moment. "Alright."

If Barkan persisted, Garak would refuse. He couldn't rely on himself to deal with the man- he'd proven that twice now. There were other ways back to Cardassia, and this wasn't the first time an opportunity was simply untenable.

He just had to be clever in the future.

#cipher talk #Fic: bite the hand that starves you #ds9 #garashir

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ecoamerica · 25 days

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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invisibleraven · 5 months

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Haunted Holidays

December 8: Fuzzy Socks <-AO3 link!

Set in my 'I am The Willies' Au!

Willie whistles as he puts the bread in the toaster-he is still amazed by the machine, whose sole function is to make bread warm and crispy. His species doesn’t have bread, or food really, but he has come to quite enjoy eating.

“Mmm Morning sweetie,” Reggie mumbles as he snuggles into Willie’s back, still half asleep.

“Good morning,” Willie hums as he stirs the eggs.

“See you and Petunia are getting along better,” Reggie says, his voice still sleep rough and with his lips brushing Willie’s neck, the whole effect makes him shiver.

“We’ve reached an understanding,” Willie replies, even if he’s still a little scared of the chicken, she at least now grudgingly lets him take her eggs without pecking his hands.

“You milk Daisy?” Reggie asks.

“And fed Ferdinand,” Willie says. “It’s been a year, I do know what chores need doing by now.”

“I know you do babe,” Reggie says, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Just wanted to see if I needed to let go.”

The toast pops at this moment, and Willie snorts as the sound makes Reggie dislodge anyways. “You can make the tea.”

They found out early on that coffee does not mix well with Willie’s alien physiology so he sticks to tea. Reggie likes both, so he’s fine switching over, and he gets the kettle going as Willie plates up breakfast.

They play footsie under the table as they eat, Willie talking about the new book he’s started while Reggie tells him about the tractor he has to get fixed today, and finishing the winter preparations.

Willie had loved winter last year, delighting in the snow, in the celebrations, the chance to wear the socks Reggie got him. He was looking forward to doing it again soon.

But this year, he’s determined to get Reggie a gift. He has money now-he has a gift for languages so he does translations through the computer that Reggie has, even if it was a bit tangly getting him a human identity at first. He is now officially Willie Shotton-the last name thing was super weird, and Reggie had explained he needed one. Finding out he wasn’t the only Willie in the world had almost given him a crisis.

“There may be a lot of Willie’s out there,” Reggie conceded, “but no one like you-you’re the best of all the Willies.”

So he had taken the last name of Reggie’s nona, which made him secretly wonder why he didn’t just share a name with Reggie, but he kept that question to himself.

Now though, how to get Reggie a gift? He knew how to buy things off the computer, Reggie had taught him how, after explaining money and the like. He had quite enjoyed shopping ‘online’ as it was called. Especially the skateboard he had gotten since he refused to learn to drive Reggie’s truck.

It wasn’t that he was scared of driving-it just wasn’t his favourite thing. The day they installed an auto pilot into his ship was one of Willie’s happiest-third to meeting Reggie, and discovering he could make a choice to stay with Reggie.

Willie knew he could buy Reggie something online, but you could never be sure of the quality, plus Reggie might open the package and spoil the surprise. Which meant going into town.

Willie had gotten used to town by now-he still didn’t love the crowds, but he had become friendly with a few of the locals. Who called him “Reggie’s young man” and delighted in showing him interesting books or knick knacks for the farm.

He bundled up-his human form doesn’t get cold quite as fast, but the humans look at him oddly when he shows up in a crop top and shorts in a blizzard. Grabs a few reusable bags, and heads out.

Skating into town, Willie hums to the music in his head, a tune from his homeworld-human music just doesn’t compare but he does enjoy some of the stuff Reggie plays. He stops at the little general store, strapping his board to his back, and begins to browse.

He picks up some chocolates, a rare treat they both enjoy but Willie tends to overindulge in when given the chance. A sensible pair of work gloves-Reggie’s were falling apart. A nice journal with a set of pens so Reggie could write down his poems, songs, and important notes.

Then he saw them- a huge display of fuzzy socks. All knitted by the older ladies in town, some with lining, some without, and all in a variety of patterns.

Willie wasn’t a fan of clothes, but socks he loved. So he might have picked out a pair or two for himself, both in vibrant colours. Reggie is a bit more monochrome, so he sticks to the more festive options, though he does giggle at the ones covered in knitted lights saying Get Lit on the bottom.

Having gathered his spoils, Willie then ensured he grabbed anything they needed around the house, plus a loaf of Old Lady Gibson’s raisin bread. That stuff was to die for.

He skated back home, a little slower as he was more weighed down now, but he still got home long before Reggie. It gave him time to hide the presents before putting away anything perishable.

Christmas morning dawned cold and grey, but Willie didn’t mind. He left his ship, tended to the animals who didn’t mind his natural form, then shifted and went inside the house to start the cinnamon rolls. He had taken to baking, so they were his latest experiment.

Reggie was always eager to be a guinea pig for anything Willie made-well once he learned measurements and temperatures were more a rule than a suggestion.

Reggie came down and greeted him with a kiss, starting the tea right away. There was no need to speak as they enjoyed breakfast, enjoying the quiet companionship as the fire in the old wood stove cracked and popped.

“Presents?” Reggie suggested. Willie nodded enthusiastically, and practically dragged Reggie to the couch. Then shoved the package into his hands.

Reggie beamed as he tore into it, delighting in each piece, laughing uproariously at the socks, even pulling on the Get Lit ones and grinning as he wiggled his toes. Willie was next, and he opened his bag-more chocolate and treats that he loved greeted him. A pack of stickers to decorate his board, a nice pair of gloves so he could make a snowman later.

And a pile of fuzzy socks-including a matching pair to the one Reggie was currently wearing. Willie laughed and pulled them on, tugging Reggie into a kiss until they were intertwined on the couch, their socked feet tangling together and indistinguishable from one another.

#jatpadvent2023 #wiggie #julie and the phantoms

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dr-spencer-reids-queen · 9 months

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Paradise: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Summary: Spencer finally meets your parents, but it doesn’t go as well as you thought it was going to go. Are you a bad girlfriend for letting your dad treat him that way, or is it completely out of your control?

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

"A fool's paradise is a wise man's hell." - Thomas Fuller

The bruises still linger on your face from when Ben hit and slapped you. The pain is long gone, but whenever Spencer sees them, he can't help but feel guilty all over again. You're sitting at your desk at the end of the work day, applying makeup to cover the bruises. Spencer sits at his desk, but instead of finishing his work, he's staring at you.

You can feel the waves of guilt wash over him, and your hand shakes as you try not to feel his guilt as your own.

"Stop doing that, Spencer," you mutter and finish putting on eyeliner.

"What am I doing?" he asks innocently.

"They don't hurt anymore."

You finish with your eyes and dab some powder foundation on your chin.

"Why are you doing your makeup this late at night?" Derek asks as he passes by your desk.

"Spencer and I are having a date night. I want to look pretty."

Spencer gets up and walks over to you before stopping at the back of your chair. You tip your head back to look at him, and he smiles lovingly.

"You're already pretty."

He leans down and kisses you, Spider-Man style.

"Where are you guys going?"

"I know a pretty good Indian restaurant that's open all night. She's never had Indian food, and I need to introduce her to a whole other world."

"You two have fun. I have my own date to attend to," Emily says and puts on her jacket.

"You got a date? With who?" Derek asks.

"My hot tub."

"Now that sounds like a party."

"You're so not invited," she says playfully.

JJ walks through the two glass doors with her hand on her pregnant belly. You can't believe she is having a baby, but you're so excited. You're going to spoil the shit out of her baby whether she wants you to or not. She might be happy about having her baby, but she isn't happy with the news she has to give her team.

"Hold up, guys. Change of plans. I'm glad I caught you."

"Is everything okay?" Emily asks.

"I've been on the phone with a sheriff in Nevada. There's been a series of suspicious accidents in the Reno area that may be connected."

"JJ, can't this wait until morning?" Derek sighs.

"I don't think so. If I'm right about this, I think we'll be leaving first thing tomorrow. Sorry."

She leaves the group and heads to the briefing room, and Derek and Emily head to their desks to unpack their things. You turn to Spencer with an understanding frown.

"Looks like date night will have to wait."

"We can go after this case," he says and pulls you close.

"You got it," you grin.

You lean up and kiss him but keep it short and sweet. You two head to the briefing room and take your seats while JJ starts.

"Three nights ago outside Reno, this car was hit by a tractor-trailer."

She pulls up a picture of a wrecked car on the side of a highway.

"Any survivors?"

"The truck driver walked away unharmed. Jonathan and Rebecca Gallen, the passengers in the car, were DOA. When the local sheriff arrived on the scene, he noticed several things: no blood spatter inside the car, no seat belt burns, and no lacerations from the airbags."

"They were dead before the accident," Spencer confirms.

"The autopsy confirmed that and the cause of death. Blunt force head trauma, and evidence of rape and torture to the woman."

"The unsub wasn't very successful at hiding the fact that he murdered two people," Hotch sighs.

"There's a chance he has gotten away with it before. After I spoke to the sheriff, I had Garcia look into any similar accidents near the California and Nevada border. She found two with a similar MO in the past couple of weeks. Both were couples in a car hit by a tractor-trailer. It's always a man and a woman stopped right in the middle of the road, and it's always at night on a remote highway."

"It can't be a coincidence the victim type and this very specific MO are the same in all three cases," Rossi says. "Was Garcia able to find any connection between them?"

"One thing they have in common is that they all disappeared for forty-eight hours prior to the accidents."

"We know what he does to his victims during that time. We just need to figure out where he finds them."

The briefing wraps up, and you all shuffle out of the room to gather your things for the long plane ride to Vegas. Your parents have been living there since they moved a couple of years ago. They were always moving across the country when you were younger, so hearing about this doesn't surprise you.

Maybe Spencer can finally meet them.

"Hey, wait a sec," you stop Spencer from going to his desk. "My parents live in Vegas. If I call them, and they have the time, do you want to meet them? Maybe we can have lunch or dinner together. I've met your mom, and I'd really like for you to meet them."

"That sounds awesome. I'd love to do that," he nods with a smile.

"Great," your eyes light up. He leaves your side, and you take out your phone to call your mom. She doesn't answer, but she might be sleeping since it's late where she is. "Hey, mom. I know it's late, but my job is taking me to Reno if you and Dad have some time to come up there? Maybe we can do lunch or dinner? I want you to meet someone. I love you!"

With that out of the way, you're able to gather your go-bag and meet everyone on the plane. It's just after dawn when you're at a cruising altitude, and JJ takes out some over-the-ear headphones to place on her growing belly.

"JJ?" Emily asks, looking at the headphones in question.

"It's so the baby can't hear."

"What is he listening to?"

"Beethoven."

"I personally preferred Mozart, myself," Spencer says. "Be careful to limit his exposure to one hour a day. Amniotic fluids have a tendency to amplify sound."

"Thanks for the reminder, Doc," she chuckles before getting down to business. "Okay, so, all three crashes were on highways outside of Carson City, Lake Tahoe, and Reno."

"All cities with a large and diverse transit population. Not to mention the thousands of locals mixing with seasonal workers. It's an endless pool of victims to choose from."

"Rebecca was beaten badly," Hotch notes about the victim. "Her ribs are broken ante-mortem. He'd need time and privacy to do this. That would suggest the killer either lives or works in the area."

"He's going to such extremes to try and hide the murders. Maybe he has a connection to the victims?" Derek wonders.

"What does the press know?" Rossi asks JJ.

"All media outlets are reporting an accident."

"The one thing going for us is the killer has no idea we know. That helps us."

"JJ, when we land, would you explain to Sheriff Bruner and his deputies how important it is to keep this quiet? If the unsub finds out we're here, all bets are off. He could change his MO or just pick up and find his victims somewhere else," Hotch asks.

And JJ did just that once you landed. Sheriff Bruner waits for you at the Reno police department, and he shakes hands with Hotch once you get in. The other officers don't know why you need to keep this quiet, so the Sheriff addresses them.

"From this point on, the company line is simple. The FBI is here to investigate a missing person."

"You may be thinking, if the public knew the truth, they might be able to help us," JJ says. "However, we can't risk this getting out because this killer needs to believe he's getting away with murder. Any future calls related to this investigation can be directed to me or Agent Hotchner. Remember, if we can just keep a lid on this now It'll only help us later. Thanks."

The other officers go back to what they were doing before. The Sheriff walks you to where you'll be set up.

"It's not much, but it's a place to hang your hats."

"All we need is a table and an evidence board," Hotch says.

"Sheriff, if you don't mind, some of us would like to go to the site of the accident," Rossi asks.

"I'll have a deputy take you. Rebecca's father is coming in to claim the bodies."

"Do you have any aerial photos of the crash sites?"

"We didn't think to get any."

"Not a problem. I'll have our technical analyst get some from the NSA. I'd like to see what the areas surrounding the highways are like."

The Sheriff brings over a map of the area where all of the crash sites have been. The map is unmarked, but Spencer grabs a pen to mark down the spots of the accidents.

"The first victims, Fritz and Johanna Dietrich were found ten days ago after visiting from Germany. Their accident site was on Highway 50 just south of Lake Tahoe."

Spencer marks that on the map.

"The second couple, Melissa and Tom Taylor were from Oregon. They were found on the 267, northeast of Lake Tahoe, not far from the interstate." Spencer marks that as well. "The latest victims, Jonathan and Rebecca Gallen were from Arizona. Their accident occurred between Reno and Carson City on Highway 395."

"All three couples were staying in the area without reservations, and the only transactions on their credit cards were from gas stations hundreds of miles away," JJ says.

"The common theme here is no paper trail. If no one can contact them or trace them, they become the perfect victims."

Before you leave, Rossi gets those satellite photos from Penelope, but he doesn't look at them right away. He wants to wait until he's at the crime scene to compare them to the area.

Hotch and JJ stay behind to talk to Rebecca's father, Spencer stays behind to work on the profile, and the rest of you are taken to the newest car accident site. The truck driver who rammed into the small car is still on the side of the road talking with the officers since it's still so new. Jonathan and Rebecca's energies are faint because they didn't die here. They were placed in that car and left to be hit well after they died.

You're not sure you can see what happened before they died or where they died.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go home now and tell my wife that I didn't kill that couple," the older truck driver says once you get there.

"Sir, we're gonna have to ask you not to do that."

"Everyone believes I killed them. You don't know what that feels like."

You do, but you're not going to tell him that.

"We understand what we're asking of you, but this is an extremely important part of our investigation," you say. "We need the public to continue to believe this was an accident."

"Mr. Jones, we will catch this guy," the sheriff assures. "When we do, your good name will be vindicated. I promise you that."

"Fine," Mr. Jones sighs. "If I can think of anything that would be of use to you, I'll let you know."

"Thank you for your time." Mr. Jones heads back to his truck. "This guy could've left the bodies anywhere."

"He didn't, and there is a reason for that. This behavior tells us the risk of leaving the bodies where he killed them is greater than the risk he takes staging these accidents." Rossi takes out the file containing the satellite photos. "Here are the satellite photos."

He lays them out on the hood of the police car so you all can see. Each accident site has curves winding around them so a car or a semi-truck wouldn't be able to see them until it's too late.

"Look at that. All three accident sites have similar blind curves," you point out. "What are these areas just off the highway?"

"Some are fire roads and some are trails for off-road vehicles such as ATVs."

"We know this guy's organized. It looks like he plans his escapes in advance."

"I found something, boss," one of the officers says as he jogs away from the crushed car. He hands over the item he found that's in an evidence bag. "It's a matchbook."

The matchbook is from a diner called Flo's, and you, Derek, and Emily decide to go over there and see if you can't get some intel.

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

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multifandomworldsposts · 8 months

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The Boy From Bomont

pairing: willard hewitt x fem!reader

warning: sexual harassment/assault, fighting

A/N: basically footloose 2011 in a different way.

Y/N’s POV

I don’t what it is about Bomont, it’s odd to me, we’re not allowed to listen to music including dancing. I’ve never been to a place like this or live in a place like this. My aunt, uncle, my cousins and I have to go to church, I’m not really a religious person but I’ll try to respect the church if I can.

I go to Bomont High School which their traditions at this school is nothing what my last school had. No school dances and no music allowed anywhere at this school.

I meet Ariel and Rusty in my ELA 3 class and Ariel reminds me of a girl who I went to school with, really rebellious, not a goody-goody I can tell, and has a boyfriend who looks like a college kid. Rusty is like me, not what Ariel is.

Rusty took me to the drive-in and everyone was really nice and really dirty minded, like my friends back home. I met Willard, he reminds me of a boy from my last high school. Really southern and really kinda has a good heart.

“What do want from the menu?” Woody told me.

I look at him about to speak but his girlfriend interrupted me.

“Leave that girl alone, so there’s a lot of good food on the menu, I suggest the hot dog.” She says.

I chuckle, “I think I’d like the hot dog with nothing on it.” I said to Claude.

Claude gives me the hot dog and says to Woody, “Now, I don’t want a fine, and you don’t want to get another ticket.”

“Wait, you got a ticket for dancing?” I asked Woody.

“He got two tickets for dancing, one more then you’re off the team!” Woody’s girlfriend said.

I get my stuff and go outside to see what’s going on, I hear music from the speakers.

“Holy.” I go to where Rusty and the rest of her friends are at.

Everyone continues to dance and I’m amazed by this, everyone hates the fact that dancing is against the law.

“Y/N, come on let’s dance.” Woody’s girlfriend says to me, leading me to the middle of the huge crowd of people dancing.

I start to dance and I get into it and I hear people cheering, I don’t know why for me or for another person. I continue dancing and noticing no one is dancing, just me. I got kinda nervous but I continue to dance. Ren starts dancing with me, I follow his lead, until I notice Ariel so I stop and faked a reason why I’m going to Rusty and the rest of her friends.

“Attention. Attention. Ariel Moore, will you please come to the front of the diner? Your daddy is here for you.” Claude says in a speaker.

Ariel leaves with her dad. “Daddy’s gon’ take her out to the woodshed.” Willard says.

“What does that mean?” I said looking at him.

“It means she’s in deep shit.”

What is wrong with the county?

I got to know Rusty friends a lot better, especially Willard, he told me about his personal life and what even happens at this county. I can’t stop looking in his eyes but I can’t help it. He seems like a sweet guy to me.

Ren gets in an invite to go to the speedway and Woody, Willard, Rusty, Woody’s girlfriend and I go to support Ren and I notice the gang, they are creepy to me. I get uncomfortable by approaching them and Willard notices me get uncomfortable so he holds my hand. The words I’m even hearing right now get me uncomfortable. I don’t want to be here.

“I love that lil dance you were doing last night. Noticed that you can swing your hips like, what are they called, a stripper.” Chuck says to me.

He’s friends giggle.

“Thank you, didn’t notice a maggot was looking at me being a pervert.” I said back.

He wants to kill by the way he’s looking at me.

“Now, how about you start dancing with this.” Chuck says to Ren getting in a tractor.

I hate this.

The race starts and I get nervous because some of Chuck’s gang get in three buses. I hope Ren survives this. My friends and I get up to where the flags are at.

“Go Ren!” We all say.

Ren is winning but we saw the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen. The buses tipped over and destroyed. Ren tries to stop and Woody and Willard goes out there to save him. Ren jumps out with Willard and Woody.

“Holy shit!” I say. Rusty laughs at my comment.

THE NEXT DAY

I get to the library to study for some things in some of my classes and I notice someone in the corner of my eye and it’s one of the guys from yesterday.

“Can I talk to ya.” He says.

I ignore him.

“Listen, yesterday was cool wasn’t?”

I stay silent.

“You’re actually kinda cute. Wanna somewhere more private?” He says.

“I don’t want to.” I said to him.

“Come on, a girl like you, might get a baby in her belly.” He says with a disgusting smirk on his face.

“I gotta go.” I get my things and try to leave but he stops me and tries to touch me.

“Let go of me you creep!” I struggle and kick his dick.

“Excuse me?” A librarian says.

I look at him and he takes me to the principal’s office.

AT THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE

“Now Ms. Y/L/N, why did you kick Rich?” Principal Roger says to me with the librarian and a cop in the room.

“Rich tried to touch me! And he, he wanted to rape me.” I said.

“Now Y/N, tell us the truth, what did he do to you to make you hit him.” Principal Roger says.

“What I just said.” I say looking in his eyes.

“Well he said that he was trying to help you with your homework.” He says to me.

“He’s lying!” I kinda yells.

“Now Y/N-“

“He told me that a girl like me can get pregnant!” I interrupt him.

“Then why did you kick him?” The librarian says.

I make a big sigh and say, “He sexually harassed me!”

“I know Rich won’t do that.” The cop says.

“Are you kidding me? Does anyone in this town understand about sexual harassment or assault?” I question.

“We do Y/N.” Principal Roger says.

Bullshit.

“Y/N, here’s your ISS slip and have a good day.” He says.

I take the slip out of his hand and look at it and look at him.

“You guys really don’t know what’s going on with women today don’t you?” I says and walk out of the office and went outside to get out of this hell hole.

“Y/N/N!” Ariel says to me but I ignore her.

“Y/N, what’s the matter?” She comes close to me.

I look at her, “Had the worst god damn day of my life.” I say.

“You wanna talk about it?” She says.

“I prefer not to, you won’t believe me.” I walk away.

“What happened?” She yells at my direction.

“You won’t even care!” I yell back.

I get in my car to drive at some abandoned warehouse. I get out of my car and start to get out and then start to think on what just happened at school.

“HE ASSAULTED ME, HE TRIED TO TOUCH ME AND I GET DETENTION!” I yell.

“IM NOT A STRIPPER CHUCK, ASSHOLE!” I yell again.

I start to cry and I sit on the floor and bawled my eyes out. Why do people don’t take women seriously? I curl up in a ball and cry to myself. I hear some footsteps, I look where the noises are at and it’s Willard.

I whimper a bit.

“What’s wrong?” Willard said walking up to me.

“I got in school suspension.” I wipe my tears off my face.

“What happened?” He sits next to me.

“That guy yesterday, Rich, he tried to touch me and he, he told me I would look good pregnant, and when he was trying to touch me, I kicked him in the ball sack.” I look at him.

“And you got suspended?” He questions.

I nod.

“Y/N/N, I’m sorry that happened to you.” Willard says and hugs me, I hug him back, I cry again.

“Those guys are assholes.” Willard whispers in my ear.

I giggle. “They really are. Does this town even care about women’s rights at all?” I stop hugging him and look at him.

“Apparently not.” He says.

I look down at the ground and Willard makes me look at him. I look at him with teary eyes, he kisses me. I kiss him back. He’s the only guy I can trust to be around me including Ren and Woody.

We stop kissing and he gets my hair away from my face.

“I wanna go home.” I said.

“I’ll take you home Y/N/N.” He says.

“Really? I mean I can drive myself.” I said.

“No, I insisted Y/N/N.” He holds his hand out for me so he can help me back up on my feet.

He helps me up and I give him my car keys. I get in the passenger seat and Willard gets in the driver’s seat.

“You ready?” He says looking at me.

“Yeah.” I look at him.

He drives away from the abandoned warehouse, I can’t believe what happened today. He pulls up to my driveway but we stayed in my car for a few minutes.

“I have a question Willard.” I look at him.

“Yes Y/N/N?” He looks at me.

“Why aren’t we allowed to dance or play music whatsoever?” I ask.

“Um, Ariel’s brother, Bobby and some of his friends went partying, they were drinking and driving, and they got in a car accident on a bridge.” Willard told me.

“Is that why Ariel is the way she is now?” I ask.

“Yeah, she used to be a goody two shoes back when we were freshman and sophomore and now she’s a rebellious girl who goes to church.”

“I met that type of person and she’s my friend since elementary school and she reminds me of Ariel.” I said to him.

“And she’s the preacher’s daughter.” He says.

I can’t believe that I just heard that, I never knew about that but I remember seeing her at church but never got to meet her.

“And she hangs out with those creeps and the one who tried touching me?” I said.

“Yep.” He says.

“Willard, do you want me to drive you home?” I said.

“My house is three houses down, you know that Y/N/N.”

I never noticed whatsoever.

“Oh I forgot about that Willard.” I said.

“It’s okay.”

Willard and I get out of my car and I walk up to him, he gives me my car keys.

“Again thank you for driving me home Will.” I said looking up at him.

“You’re wel- Will?” He questions.

“Am I allowed to call you that? You can tell me if you don’t want me to call you that.” I say.

“It’s fine. It’s cute that you just said that Y/N.” He gets closer to me.

“I-I love you.” I said.

“I love you to.” He smirks.

We kiss again. I hear giggling and it’s my cousins watching us. I look at them kinda embarrassed. Willard laughs at them.

“Again thank you for driving me home Will.” I said to him.

“Once again, you’re welcome.” He smiles.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at school?”

“Hopefully all because of your stupid in school suspension dates.” He says.

“Don’t remind me.” I said walking to my car to get my book bag and the slip.

“See you tomorrow Y/N/N.” He says about to walk away.

“Hopefully Will.” I said back.

I show my aunt and uncle the slip and obviously they get angry but I tell them the full story and they agree with me but they want me to do the suspension days. I’ll do it but I don’t deserve to go to detention for what that asshole did to me.

I eventually showed and told Ariel the ISS slip and the whole story on what Rich did to me and Ariel confronted Chuck and Rich about it and Chuck beats her up. She tells her father and he slaps her because she’s not a virgin. When she came to my house, I call Rusty to come over and I patch her up. The three of us stayed up talking about my situation including Ariel’s as well but besides that, we talked for hours until we fell asleep on my bedroom floor.

A FEW WEEKS LATER

Ren is teaching Willard to dance. Woody, Ren, his cousins, my cousins and I help Willard to dance and he kinda got the hang of dancing. He asks me to dance with him and I join him. Ren and Woody notice us kinda flirty.

“You guys! There’s children here.” Ren says.

“Oh we caught them kissing a while back.” Sarah, my cousin, says.

“She just exposed you two.” Ren laughing.

We kinda get embarrassed but sometimes we don’t even care what people think of us.

Ren and I keep on helping Willard to dance, he kinda got confused but then one day he danced like Ren. Ren and Willard practiced a dance a week or so and Will finally did it!

A few weeks later, the county including students from Bomont High School and parents went to the county courthouse to talk about why dancing isn’t a crime. I sit with Willard and my aunt, uncle and my cousins sit next to me. Ren talked on the bench and a few hours later, dancing isn’t against the law anymore! So the whole senior class goes to the abandoned warehouse that I went to, to cry my feeling out but this is about Bomont’s first dance. We get decorations up on anything that involves a wall.

THE NIGHT OF THE DANCE

I get my dressed for the dance I hear a knock on the door and it’s my aunt.

“You look beautiful Y/N/N.” She says tearing up.

“Thank you Y/A/N.” I hug her.

“Someone’s waiting for you.” Y/A/N smiles.

“Willard?” I smile.

“Yeah Y/N. He looks really cute.” She whispers in my ear.

I look down, I think she can tell I’m blushing.

“I’m going downstairs, don’t stay up here too long.” She says walking out of my room.

“I will.” I said.

I fix my hair and walked downstairs and see Willard. Looking like country boy. I can tell he looks so happy.

I approach him and he has a crossage in his hand, I believe that my uncle gave him that.

“You look beautiful.” Willard whispers in my ear.

“Thank you.” I say.

He puts the crossage on my wrist and it matches my dress.

“Now you two, have a fun time and if something happens, call me.” My uncle said.

“We will Y/U/N.” I said.

I hug my aunt and uncle including my cousins and Willard drives us to the warehouse.

When we got out of the car we see Chuck, Rich and this other guy approaching us.

“Look who it is, the school’s slut and the school’s cowboy.” Chuck says.

“Let’s not fight alright, Rich how’s your small dick.” Willard says.

“It’s fine. Listen, you need to pay my medical bill.” Rich says directly at me.

“Let’s go Will.” I whisper to Willard.

We try to walk away but Chuck and Rich grab me and the other guy grabs Willard and I try to fight back but they were too strong.

“Do something Willard!” I scream.

“I can’t fight Y/N!”

“Fight Will!”

Willard starts fighting the other guy and I start to fight back Chuck and Rich. Ariel, Rusty, and Ren comes out to us fighting.

“Get your damn hands off of her!” Ariel screams at Rich and Chuck.

I fight with Ariel and I notice that Willard, Ren and Rusty is fighting the other guy. When everything was over Willard approached me.

“Are you okay?” Willard says touching my cheek.

“I’m okay, are you?” I question.

“I am Y/N/N. Let’s get in that warehouse.” He says grabbing my hand and taking me to the door.

Ariel, Ren, and Rusty join us and told us if we’re okay. When we got in the warehouse, music began to play, we danced like it was the last day on earth dancing.

Bomont isn’t that bad, except me getting suspended. I made good friends with the best humans I’ve ever met and I have a boyfriend who’s the most sweetest boy I’ve ever met as well.

Ariel told me this quote one day, ‘Dance like no one’s watching.’ And that’s what I did, danced like no one’s watching.

#fanfic #fanfiction #miles teller #footloose #footloose 2011 #miles teller x reader #willard hewitt #miles teller imagine #willard hewitt imagine #ren mccormick #kenny wormald #ariel moore #dance #willard hewitt x reader #2011 #1980s #willard hewitt x fem!reader #miles teller fluff #kenny loggins

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pacifymebby · 7 months

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t r o u b l e/ chapter twenty six

Tommy

I was circling the countryside, tracking down country lanes in a spiral back towards Arrow House. Back home, without my little sister. Feeling defeated. Frustrated. Feeling the nauseous chill which sets in after the panic has passed. When you've burnt through all that fight or flight, when all the adrenaline you wasted has amounted to nothing... all that buzzing static, that rushing blood, all those racing thoughts for nothing because in the end they hadn't mattered either way. She wasn't here. We'd lost her.

We'd be lucky if we ever got her back.

"Jesus Christ," I growled to no one but myself through gritted teeth, "Jesus fucking Christ!" I spat eyes squeezed shut as I let my head fall down against the steering wheel. Driving blind down the road until I heard a tractor and swerved into the closest pocket, a cattle crossing with a rusty old gate.

I had that lump in my throat like I was about to cry. Hadn't done that for a long time, knew it wouldn't do me any good now anyway. Wouldn't bring her back. A useless emotion, a useless habit to get into.

I sucked in my cheek instead, bit until I drew blood and kept my eyes wide open until I felt the dry sting. The tears receding, the hurt swallowed down. The only way I knew how to handle it. Locked it away, started the car and did a U-Turn. No more slow spiral home. Accepted the truth of the matter, the dreary, bleak reality. The facts.

Sylvie had snook away from us. Been too clever, too quick... too much like her brothers. Too much perhaps like me.

She wasn't coming back by herself and she was already beyond my reach. I'd lost her.

When the phone started ringing I moved listlessly. Didn't rush to answer, much to the caller's disgruntled amusement.

"You know Tommy if it was my family yeah... if it was my little..."

"Enough Alfie," I groaned, "spare me the concern eh, I'll run my family my way yeah, you can do whatever you like with whatever I've got..."

"Well," he said, a darkness in his voice that didn't sit right with. Me didn't worry me as it should have because I'd already decided Sylvie was lost to the world. Gone for good. "Well," he said, "that's just it right, that's just it mate... what have I got Tommy... What have I..."

"I don't know Alfie what have you got eh do us both a favour would you, keep it short an sweet... I'm driving I can hardly afford to fall asleep at the..."

"She's safe Tommy," he said, his words not quite registering with me as I trailed off, as I swallowed the sprout of hope, tried to ignore the little bud about to open because this was Alfie Solomons and he'd never delivered good news to me before.

"She's what?"

"She's here mate, she's here and she's safe and..."

"Jesus Christ Alfie why the fuck didn't you just say that..." I shook, my chuckle a little breathy, disbelieving though I should have believed it. "What about Isaiah?"

"And..." he cut my smile short, "she wants to stay here with me...if that's alright with you of course mate..." the sound of his smile got under my skin, pissed me off more than I should have let it.

"What?" I frowned turning the car down a sharp winding lane, headlights on to cut through the mist. I should have been paying attention to the roads, not to Alfie. Should have been watching for lights in the fog. Should have been thinking about every possible threat. But I wasn't.

"Oh who? The lout? He's fine too, fuckin annoyin cunt but... I ain't harmed the lad yet..."

"Alfie... what the fuck did you just say to me..."

"She came here Tommy, I didn't even have to go lookin for her yeah... she brought herself all the way here and you know what she did mate? You know what she did... seriously mate I don't know what the fuck you're doin up there, how you're raisin the kids but fuck me... you've gotta change your fuckin ways cause this one's fucked in the head," he said, this amusement mixed up with his warning. I could picture him grinning, could picture him leant back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, smoking a cigarette and grinning down the line, waving one hand about his head, the other holding his phone to his ear.

"Look mate if she's broken somethin I'll pay you back whatever I don't care..." I started, trying to focus on driving, trying to control the hope in my chest, the warmth which had returned to me when he'd said she was safe. Just because she was safe didn't mean she was going to stay safe. Not when it was Alfie who had her.

"Broken somethin? Mate she's the fackin broken one..." he said, "seriously..." he said, I could picture his eyes popping, could hear the shock in his voice and it made me smirk, "she's a fuckin sociopath Tommy..." he said.

"So melodramatic Alfie..." I mused, "go on then enlighten us, what's she done?" I asked with a sigh knowing that this would be a long story either way I played it. That I just had to humour him because for as long as he had Fen with him I was in his pocket.

"She fuckin came in here right, fuckin barged in here yeah, poor Ollie couldn't hold her back mate, poor boys traumatised Tommy, he'll need fuckin therapy yeah!"

"She's a teenage girl Alfie..."

"She's a little piece of hell is what she is Tommy, she's got a little piece of hell in her eyes... I looked into em yeah, I looked right into em an you know who I fuckin saw?"

"Go on..." I sighed, I already knew the answer. I needed a cigarette so I pulled up at the side of the road. Shouldn't have done.

"I saw you Tommy..."

I had to laugh then, had to let out that short disbelieving breath, had to smile and shake my head because if I didn't he'd know I believed him. He'd know I saw it too. He'd know that that was what really scared me.

Not the thought of little fen out on her own, lost and helpless, but the thought of Sylvia just cunning enough to weasel herself into a place she couldn't escape. And perhaps she'd already done that.

"Then why do you wanna keep her Alfie?" I asked forcing myself to relax, concentrating on my shoulders, rolling them once, twice. Focussing on my temples, forcing myself to feel them relax too as I exhaled slowly.

"Because..." he said, "and you'd know this right if you'd let me finish my fuckin story yeah Tommy, patience remember is a virtue... you still believe in them yeah? Virtues?"

"Finish your story Alfie, I'm not stopping you..." I said watching the rain which thrummed against the windshield, flicked my wipers on. Watched the leaking grey sky, the thunder would roll in from the hills soon. I needed to be home before the roads flooded.

"She fuckin barged into my office yeah and she danced for me..." he sounded astounded. I didn't feel half as surprised as I should have done.

"She danced?"

"Yeah!" He cried, "she stood on my rug right and she did a little dance... swan lake I think mate... it was fuckin holy mate... bought a tear to this cold man's dead fuckin eyes..."

"Right," I nodded thinking of my little sister, trying to picture the scene. Her e'n pointe in the middle of Alfie's old persian rug. A rug I'd stood on many times, a rug I'd once thought I was going to die on. I tried to imagine her dancing, the graceful, fae like way I'd been watching her dance since she were only a little girl. "So she danced for you..." I said turning onto a wider road, one which wasn't just a dirt track, "and now you want to keep her?"

"Nah," he frowned, "nah.. you my old friend are deliberately misunderstanding me ain't you... trying to make me sound like a fuckin nonce yeah? She told me she wants to stay in London... under my protection..." I could tell he was grinning , revelling in his own amusement at my expense. I shouldn't have let it get to me but it was, getting to me that is. "And she wants you to let her twin sister come to stay too..."

"Not happening." I said it a little too quickly, probably shouldn't have said anything at all because Alfie was most certainly trying to press my buttons but the words had left my lips before I'd had the chance to think.

"No? Well that is a shame mate cause I've already got one haven't I... she's gonna be awful lonely on her own ain't she... be a shame to keep em apart, twins ain't 'sposed to be split up for too long... woulda thought your lot woulda known that mate... really..."

I cut the engine, lit up a cigarette. Cut the headlights too so that my car was swallowed up for a minute or two by the gloom. For a second I could pretend that I too had been swallowed whole. That none of it mattered anymore. That it was all already over. That I could float about in it, the darkness, the gloom, the vapour that makes up the rain cloud when it's still just a cloud.

"Forget it Alfie, Sonya's stayin right here... and I'm coming to get Sylvie, I'll drive down today, pick her up ton..."

"Hold your horses gypsy boy," chuckled Alfie infuriating me then. A spark of rage shooting through me as I sparked my lighter and watched the flame lick at the tip of my cigarette once more.

"My little sister ain't a piece in your chess set Alfie..." I warned him but he only smirked again, all melodramatic reassurances.

"I know I know mate," he said, "listen Tommy... when did you get so distrusting eh? When did you get so suspicious of everyone... even your oldest pals? Now you tell me yeah... you tell me what reason I'd have for wanting to hurt your little Sylvia? Now think about it good and proper for a minute yeah cause I want a good fuckin answer... cause hurtin little girls mate, there ain't no good reason for that as far as I'm concerned...it's fuckin disgustin right...now really I thought you and me were on the same page there Tommy..."

"Yeah alright Alfie.." I said raising my hand to silence him, waving away the smoke from my cigarette before gripping the steering wheel too tightly seconds later when I realised he was reeling me in again, that I was falling for his oldest trick. "I agree with you alright, that's why I'm gonna come pick my sister up tonight yeah, bring her home... don't want anyone gettin hurt eh?"

"Tommy, Tommy, you ain't listening to me mate, you ain't usin them ears are yours Tommy, listen to me right cause I've told you once and I don't wanna keep goin round in circles with you yeah.. I phoned you right... to let you know that your little sister yeah, little Sylvia is a fucking sociopath... I just thought I'd remind you of that yeah... cause you don't seem to realise just how fuckin insane she is right.."

"So she's insane," I shrugged, doing my best to deaden my tone, let him know I wasn't bothered. Let him know that I didn't believe a word he was saying to me. "People say that about you too don't they..."

"Yeah..." he said leaning on the word, still grinning down the line, "yeah they do and insane right, recognises insane... an here I thought you already knew that Tom my old mate... I always thought that was why we were such good pals..."

"Fine," I said with a small smirk, "I'll bring me straight jacket.."

"Tommy mate.." he said again, that apologetic tone he kept putting on driving me insane, "look am sorry mate but she don't wanna go home... she wants to stay here..." he sounded like he was going to carry on, sounded like he had something else to tell me, some bargain to make. But I wasn't in the mood for cutting deals. Now my mind was racing, the cogs turning, the plans falling into place. I would go back to the house, I'd tell Arthur and John what was going on. Then I'd drive to collect Sylvia myself, I'd being her home and I'd throttle Isaiah for being so fucking irresponsible and stupid.

"She just don't wanna go home..."

"Yeah well you tell her from me right, you tell her you can't always get what you want," I said finally, determined that that would be the last we spoke on the matter, "it isn't up for debate Alfie I want her home..."

It was only when I hung up the phone and looked out into the murky afternoon that I sensed it. Something wrong.

Something out there in the fog, a shadow... someone watching me and my cigarette. Someone I could only hope hadn't been able to see me clearly through the mist.

There was a car stopped a little way behind me, their lights off but their shadow still palpable from certain angles when the light hit through the vapour.

When I started the car I felt the low warm rumble of it coming back to life vibrate through my body. I sat listening carefully to the heater turning on, I watched the condensation on the windows clear slowly.

And when I pulled away I kept my eyes on the rearview mirror, watching for movement in the mist behind me. Swallowing a lump in my throat when I saw it, a car following me from a short distance down the road. Stalking me silently as I drove towards the house.

So I couldn't go home and I couldn't turn and head for London as I'd just informed Alfie I would. Instead I had to lead them somewhere else. Lure them out of the winding country lanes, to somewhere I knew better than them.

"Arthur..." I spoke into a burner, "tell John to secure the house then meet me at the Millers Rest, come strapped..." I said carefully, quietly, listening to my brother's breathing on the other end of the line, waiting to hear his grunt of agreement, waiting for the question I didn't want to answer.

"You found her?" He asked, the edge of hope in his voice difficult to swallow when I knew I was about to crush it.

"This ain't about that... Arthur I need you focussed yeah... forget her, focus on this..."

I knew my words would cut him, that they'd leave a nauseous taste on the back of his tongue, green and guilty. But in our family someone had to be heartless, someone had to have clarity, someone had to be able to see the bigger picture always and that was me. I had to be this way because neither John nor Arthur would ever be capable of it.

So even if the words sounded cold, even if they sounded like they came from that part of me I loathed, I had to say them. Had to get him to focus on the task in hand, that is to say living through the next hour.

The Millers Rest was an inn abandoned way out in the middle of the peaks. We'd taken over it many years ago because it was tucked away in the valley between two hills, on the edge of a woodland, far from the city but also miles from any of the little villages and hamlets nestled between the peaks. It was the perfect place to disappear, the perfect place to make other people disappear too. So I drove slowly, uncertain when exactly I'd collected my hanger on, refusing to change my behaviour. Pretending I was still searching the winding lanes for Sylvia.

Sylvia who was fucking miles away, doing fuck knows what because she was stubborn and childish, because she was scorned and pissed off with me. Endangering her life because I'd told her no.

As I drove I watched the shadow moving through the rain carefully, noted how it stopped and started every now and then, trying to keep a safe distance. Trying to remain shrouded completely.

They probably thought it would be easier to stay hidden because I wouldn't be looking for them. Because I wouldn't be paying attention to them. Now I had to hope they weren't paying too much attention to anything but me. Had to hope they wouldn't notice that I was no longer driving them to Arrow House.

If they followed me to the Millers they'd follow me to their death.

I sped up at the last minute, racing around the final corner and up the straight line of road which ran past the inn. Swerving the car to a sudden stop in the middle of the road I abandoned it and ran to join my brother where he would be waiting. In the line of trees at the edge of the woodlands. Strapped and waiting for me or for the enemy, whoever turned up first.

"The fucks all this about Tommy, am fuckin soaked waitin here for..." started Arthur as I snatched a loaded assault rifle from him. He didn't question that, just picked up the other which rested at his feet. Prepared himself.

"I've been followed," I panted a little out of breath from my sudden sprint to the trees, in truth i had hardly noticed the rain when I'd run across the grass, "fuckin don't know who it is but theyve followed me all the way fuckin here through the rain and they'll be here any fuckin second now so be ready..."

"How do we know they're Italians?" He frowned, setting his weapon up and standing back against the tree trunk. The rain had come down hard on him and his red hair was dark and hanging limp and dripping in his face.

"We fuckin don't but whoever they are... they ain't our fuckin friends..."

"Nah," he shook his head, his eyes narrowing. I offered him a tight smile, a nod of approval because it reassured me to see his cogs start turning, the gears shifting. In a few moments time he wouldn't be Arthur Shelby anymore, something else would take over and he would keep us safe, that feverish streak of rage inside him, foaming at the bit, only ever held back by the thinnest of threads.

"Fuckin ain't our friends," I said again my own eyes darkening as I saw a black rangerover roll to a halt. As I saw two men jump down from either side of the car. I raised my hands to hush my brother but I didn't need to. He was watching them, silent, his cheeks flushing with the first shades of anger.

"Fuckin... how dare they come here threatenin my fuckin family..." he growled, his voice low but not low enough. The men weren't looking at the trees however, weren't listening for men hiding in the trees.

"Hush Arthur... Wait a moment eh," I said with a small smirk, watching as the two men knocked on the Inn door. They waited and, just out of sight, we waited.

"Fuckin c'mon lets just kill em," grumbled Arthur growing all the more impatient.

"Nah," I whispered, "not yet eh, wanna see what they do..."

And what they did surprised me.

"What the..." I mouthed, refusing to blink as I observed with wide eyes the strangest thing I'd ever seen two men do. They waited for a moment and then, when no one answered, they returned to the car and took out two shovels.

"Arthur... give me you phone..." I held my hand out waiting to feel the weight of it in my grasp. I closed my fingers around it and then held it up, using the camera to zoom in and record them as they dug their shovels into the ground and began digging.

"The fuck are we waiting for Tommy?" Grumbled Arthur, hushed by the hand I waved absently in his direction. "You wanna let them dig their own graves?" He smirked shaking his head, "you sick fuck."

"Shhh!" I hissed growing impatient, watching them dig, "I said wait Arthur, so just... wait." I held my fingers to my lips, holding the camera steady, trying to get a view on their faces. But they were wearing hoods under their jackets and they had scarves wrapped around their faces so all I could see was a blur of skin and wool shadow.

"Don't think that's a grave.." I said when they dropped their shovels two hours later, they stood hands on their backs, panting. One of them lit up a cigarette as the other crouched at the side of the hole.

For another minute or so they just stood, one out of breath, complaining to the other in Italian, the other on the floor swearing back.

"Wop bastards," murmured Arthur, "c'mon Tommy what are we waitin for?"

"You hear me Arthur it ain't a fuckin grave..." I said raising my finger to quiet him, "so we're waiting..."

"Fuck sake Tommy I don't like this..."

"Don't be so impatient brother," I smirked watching the men through the camera on Arthur's phone. "Look.." I said doing my best to focus the camera on the edge of the hole, "dumped somet I reckon..."

"So fuckin what!" Snapped Arthur, "cunts were following you fuckin home... we should just fuckin..."

"Shh!" I hissed when one of the Italians turned their head sharply, their eyes scanning their surroundings. They'd heard him.

Behind me Arthur hushed and raised his gun.

I held my hand out to steady him, to calm him down.

"Hold fire..." I murmured. Waited...

For a second all was still. The Italians, Arthur and I, the car they'd left idling. The rest of the world carried on, the trees moved under the best of relentless rain. The mud shifted, gathered and collapsed washed down the side of the hill in dirty rivulets.

Not us though.

It was as if we were disconnected. A switch flicked.

I weighed up our options... considered their unusual behaviour, the mystery I wanted to unpick. Considered how badly I wanted those answers. And then I nodded.

"Alright," I said lowering my hand, raising my own gun in time with Arthur as we fired in unison.

The first shots flew and wounded the man who had been standing, the one who had heard us. We didn't give them a chance to understand, a chance to defend themselves. Just approached slowly, a malevolent shadow emerging from the undergrowth, spraying bullets across the field, shattering the windows of their idling rangerover. Shattering the windows of the inn.

Firing until we were certain that both men on the floor were no longer men but corpses. Lifeless sacks of blood and bone and muscle tissue.

I lowered my weapon, pointing my barrel down at the paling features of the dead man at my feet. Looking down at him I felt nothing but the usual hollow, a mild disgust at the speed the soul leaves a body. How fleeting the moment at which we become a shell.

I kicked at his shoulder and watched the blood which stained his shirt wash away in the rain, replaced moments later by a constant blossom of red. I emptied his pockets, found ID, keys, cash and a burner phone that was probably already useless.

The lad wasn't even a Sabini, wasn't a Changretta, just some poor lad from the bottom rungs, a Conti trying to make a name for himself.

"Alright," I said plainly, turning away from the dead Italian to face my brother who was still looking down at the other.

"Alright," nodded Arthur his rain soaked hair falling across his face despite his repeated efforts to push it back. The rain was cold, ran in thick streams off our coats.

"Get your shovel Arthur," I said with an ironic half smile, shrugging my long black coat from my shoulders, abandoning it on the front door step.

Arthur didn't say a word, didn't complain though digging graves in this weather was sickening work. Just grunted and accepted his task, taking it just as I was. As penance for the evil deed we had just committed.

For hours in the rain the only sound either of us made was to grunt with exhaustion, a growl of frustration every time we lunged into the earth, hitting the shovel against the sludge, heaping it like shit behind us. It was relentless, the rain coming down so heavy that any progress we made felt trivial when every wrong step too close to the ledge of the hole saw the wall shift and then slide in on itself, filling the grave with mud before we could dig deep enough.

"Fuck this Tommy we're gonna be here all fuckin night!"

"If we're here all fuckin night we're here all fuckin night!" I growled bringing my foot down on the shovel and pushing with all my weight to try and shift as much soil as I could. "Fuck your comfort brother, we've killed these men so we'll fuckin bury em..."

And we did, but it took all night.

The sunset and we hardly noticed, the moon rose and all we felt was the chill, the burn in our muscles enhanced by the stinging of our chapped skin.

By the time we returned to Arrow House the following morning we were both pale and sheer as ice, bodies sore and stiff from a night of digging, of hauling dead men through the mud.

Our clothes were heavy from the rain, not a hair between us spared. We were soaked through, shivering with bloodshot eyes. Two stray dogs who had dragged themselves to the only safe place they knew.

The door closed behind us with a thud. The house hadn't been quiet but when the echo ricocheted down the hall the house fell silent.

Then there were footsteps. So light I'd have missed them had I not been suffering such a manic rush of adrenaline.

"Tommy!" Cried Sonya, her voice frail as she threw herself at me, her arms wrapping around me so tight that for a moment - once I'd adjusted to the initial shock of proximity - I struggled to catch my breath.

I took a step back, trying to balance myself where she'd knocked my center of gravity, my arms closing around her petit frame slowly, hesitant at first but firmer when she nuzzled into my chest and I heard the first sob.

"Alright Fen, it's alright..." I sighed, voice as gentle as I could manage, trying to hide the grazed way my throat felt when I spoke.

"Oh..." smirked Ada from halfway down the stairs, she was wrapped in a silk dressing gown, a pair of thick woolen socks on her feet miring the glamour of caramel she'd draped herself in, "look what the cat dragged in..." she narrowed her eyes but she couldn't hide the relief she felt so I knew she was glad to see us home. Not that it mattered much because I couldn't stay.

Still, I held onto Sonya and let her cry into my soaked shirt, stroked my fingers slowly through her long hair which she'd let fall down for once, blond locks uncombed, falling down around her waist. When she pulled away her eyes were wild with love and she couldn't have known it but had it not have been for the dye in her hair she'd have looked just like our mother.

She watched me with those wild wide eyes, tears still gathered in her lashes. Concentrating, studying me and then Arthur for injuries, for blood.

But the rain had washed most of the blood from our hands and the stains on our shirts were pinkish and faint.

"You two took your time, where were you?" Asked Ada observing us from a distance. Like she knew not to get too close. Like she knew what we'd been doing and didn't want tainted by the curse we carried.

And when I thought of that I flinched, dropped my hands from Sonya's shoulders and took a step back.

"Fuckin weathers fuckin awful," grunted Arthur, guilt radiating from the two of us so that even innocent Sonya bristled.

She looked up at me with dark, sorry eyes, eyes which asked me to shake my head, asked me to tell her that it really was just the weather that had left us like this. Washed up and late home with nothing to show for it.

So I shook my head.

"Sylvies in London," I said, "she's safe for now, Alfie's given me his word that he will look after her until I am able to bring her home..."

Sonya gasped, held her hand over her mouth to mute the choked sob of relief. I couldn't help the tug of a tender smile on my lips then, a momentary warmth which touched my heart. At least there was one Shelby who still knew how to feel.

"Alfie Solomons is 'looking after' her?" Ada scoffed, "Are you kidding Tommy? Alfie fuckin Solomons! He tried to kill Arthur!" She was looking at me not just with disbelief but disgust too, her arms folded, her teeth catching the light when her jaw hung slack and stunned.

"He is..." I said nodding, "and he did once try to..."

"twice," coughed Arthur, "it was twice actually Tommy remember..."

"he has tried, on multiple occasions... in the past, to kill our brother Arthur but... Alfie's an old fashioned man and he has a policy doesn't he..."

"A policy?" Ada scoffed, "a fuckin policy Tommy..."

"He has a policy of not hurting women and children, so our Fen will be safe with him and Isaiah until I go to London... I'm leaving today, she won't be waiting long..."

"For god sake Tommy look at you," derided Polly, her slinking figure materialising in the kitchen doorframe, a lit cigarette between her fingers which she looked down to focus on me, "you're not going anywhere in that state and you know it..."

"Can't wait I'm afraid Pol..." I started only to be silenced by my sister.

"Pols right Tommy look at you both for fuck sake, you're soaked to the bone... you look like you haven't slept all night... you can't go to London in this state, it's not safe.."

"Ada's right Tommy, you'll need your wits about you down south... won't be a youngen in London won't be looking for a shot at a peaky blinder to earn a bit of clout with the Italians..." Said Esme, her feet padding down the stairs as she carried the baby in her arms. She too looked tired, she too wore her concern on her sleeve.

"Enough mithering eh," I said with a lighter smile, trying to shrug their concerns off, turning to Arthur with a grin so that he would play along. "We're fine aren't we Arth, ain't made of sugar, a bit of rain never did anyone any harm..."

"That's right," agreed Arthur gruffly, pushing his sodden hair from his eyes once more. The blood under his nails caught the light, reminded me of the graves we'd left at the foot of the valley beneath the Miller's rest. Reminded me why I felt that tight burn across my shoulders, why standing up straight ached right down to my thighs.

"Nothin a hot shower and coffee won't fix..." I said, "Ada if you're worried about your big brothers I'll let you cook us breakfast if you like... how about something hearty eh?" I asked her with a teasing smile, relief washing over me when she gasped, astounded and biting back a giggle when she hit me with the baggy sleeve of her dressing gown.

"Get fucked Tommy..."

But our jokes weren't enough to quell Aunt Pols concerns, not enough to pacify her and so when Arthur and I headed for the spa to soak ourselves in warmer water, thaw our batter bodies out for an hour, she followed me, rushing to keep up with me as I tried to lose her.

"Thomas! Thomas I don't like this... this is a bad idea Thomas.."

"Pol," I sighed, "Pol following us in here is a bad idea..." I said resting my hand on her shoulder in the doorway to the health suite. My grip was light but firm and it stopped her. Left her looking up at me stubborn and shadowy as ever.

"You won't get her back if you go tonight..." she said finally, holding my gaze, threatening me with her coal black eyes.

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