loved your Beckham!reader instagram au! could you do a Messi!reader one (maybe even post we?) anyways, love all your insta sis they’re literally the best quick reads ever
y/nmessi posted a story
y/nmessi
Liked by scuderiaferrari, carlossainz55, and 1,731,894 others
y/nmessi this weekend did a pretty good job at winning me over
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carlossainz55 including me?
y/nmessi wear a messi jersey to the next race and the answer will be yes
carlossainz55 there’s some lines i just can’t cross
scuderiaferrari so can we consider you a ferrari fan now?
y/nmessi still to be decided depending on what carlito does next 😉
y/nmessi
Liked by carlossainz55, antonelaroccuzzo, and 1,825,763 others
y/nmessi i might not like his choice of team but he does have some redeeming qualities
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carlossainz55 thank you i think?
y/nmessi it’s a complement … mostly
carlossainz55 i’ll take it for now knowing your stubbornness
y/nmessi if i’m stubborn, you’re even stubborner
carlossainz55 that’s not a word
y/nmessi see what i mean?
saintlysainz like his abs
feralferrari and his thighs
chillipepper and his face
y/nmessi yes, yes, and yes. plus it doesn’t hurt that he can make a mean paella
carlossainz55
Liked by y/nmessi, landonorris, and 896,237 others
carlossainz55 opposites really do attract
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y/nmessi the comfiest pillow 🫶
charles_leclerc “opposites” he says
landonorris carlos acts like they aren’t pretty much the same person outside of their football fandom
y/nmessi but football is life so we are opposites where it matters
carlossainz55 exactly! y/n gets it
charles_leclerc you just proved our point
carlossainz55
Liked by y/nmessi, leomessi, and 1,285,409 others
carlossainz55 recharging in the city of love
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leomessi fue genial conocerte, che
*translated from Spanish it was great to meet you, mate*
carlossainz55 avísame cuando estés libre para venir a una carrera. me encantaría recibirlos a todos
*translated from Spanish let me know when you are free to come to a race. i would love to host you all*
y/nmessi look at my two favorite boys getting along 🥰
mbappemclaren my worlds are colliding 😵💫
offsidef1 this is my multiverse of madness
y/nmessi
Liked by carlossainz55, leomessi, and 1,752,438 others
y/nmessi mi amor ❤️
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carlossainz55 come back to the garage
y/nmessi i haven’t even been gone for five minutes. the line for gelato is really long
carlossainz55 but i need my y/n time before the race
y/nmessi you will get your y/n time when i get my gelato
leomessi don’t try to fight her when it comes to sweets, dessert will always win
f1wagupdates them getting together is still a crazier plot twist than anything in game of thrones
messinews i feel like i’m in the twilight zone every time they post about each other
i love u vampires. i love u gothic romance. i love u fangs in the neck. i love u coffin cuddles. i love u centuries-long yearning. i love u all consuming love. i love u hunger as desire. i love u monstrous intimacy
grabbing every 13 yo girl by the arms and yelling "YOU LOOK FINE !!!!!!! DON'T SPEND UR ALLOWANCE ON CONCEALERS GO SEE A BAD MOVIE INSTEAD !!!!!!!!!!! BEAUTY IS POETRY AND SONGS AND LAUGHTER W FRIENDS AND COLORFUL LEAVES !!!!!!!!!! GO READ A MARY OLIVER POEM AND YOU'LL BE OK!!!!!!!!!"
dream a little dream of me...
...the one where chan arrives home just in time to kiss you to sleep.
this one is for @knowbites <333
chan and his big feet try hard, but they're never really quiet. you hear him before the door clicks like it’s trying not to wake the house. considering the house has you and a little black cat inside, its already up.
you roll over, one eye barely open, the other still dreaming.
there's a rustle, a sigh, the sound of a jacket hitting the back of the chair, a whispered swear under his breath when he hits his toe against a piece of furniture. classic chan.
he enters the space where you lie and immediately steps into the bathroom, fresh clothes tucked under his arm. the shower starts with a soft spray, steam curling under the door like it's saying hi. like it's chan's way of saying he missed you.
you let your arm flop across the empty side of the bed.
warm now, because you always leave the blanket turned down for him.
like a note.
like: come home soon, okay?
he does. eventually. because home means you.
he pads into the room with damp hair and tired bones and that goofy boyish smile that shows up just for you because he knows you're awake.
“hello, mysterious lump in my bed,” he whispers with a giggle.
“are you accepting snuggles or are you strictly here to haunt me?”
you stretch one arm out without opening your eyes.
“bring offerings first.”
“what kind?”
“compliments. forehead kisses. percy.”
the black cat, as if summoned, meows sleepily from the foot of the bed. the kind of meow that says he's disappointed by chan's attempt at keeping it down when he entered the house.
chan gasps.
“betrayed by my own son.”
you giggle, and that’s all it takes for him to crawl under the covers, a little cold and a whole lot adorable, wrapping himself around you like a sloth that missed you all day.
“why do your toes feel like icicles?” you mumble, letting him settle into you.
“because i walked through the tundra to get to you.”
“baby, you parked in the garage.”
“emotionally, it was a tundra.”
you let him press his face into your neck and inhale dramatically.
“you smell like the lavender detergent," you mumble without having to sniff him closely.
“you smell like sleep and the leftover scent of your conditioner. and love. and also possibly… cat fur?”
“he sheds when he’s proud,” you yawn before kissing chan lazily. “you should’ve told him he was handsome.”
“i did. he blinked at me slowly. i think i’m forgiven for the tuna thing from monday," he mumbles against your lips, very dedicated to the kiss and telling you about percy's recent behaviour towards him.
chan shifts closer, lips now brushing the shell of your ear.
“did you miss me or just the foot warmer function?”
“mostly the foot warmer. but also your stupid jokes. and your arms. and that thing where you kiss my shoulder like it’s the most interesting place in the world.”
he kisses your shoulder now, slow.
“it is the most interesting place in the world. all the best dreams start there.”
you giggle again, sleepy and full of that dumb, glowing joy that makes your chest feel fizzy.
he rubs your back lazily, half a circle, then stops before kissing the corner of your mouth.
“i told hyunjin i missed your laugh and he told me to write a poem about it and sell it on etsy.”
“i would buy that. do you think it comes with a scented candle?”, you ask against his lips.
“probably in the scent of ‘emotional stability and forehead kisses.’”
“i love you all silly and tired like this.” you whisper, sinking into him as your words start to slur with sleep.
he smiles into your hair, kissing your hairline now. god, this man and his kisses will be the death of you.
“same. now go to sleep before i start reciting sonnets in my worst australian accent.”
you snort, already half gone.
outside, the city hums like background music.
inside, he holds you like a pillow he never wants to give back.
and just before you drift completely, you hear him say, quiet and grinning:
“goodnight, lovebug. dream a little dream of me. featuring lots of making out. and percy.”
you fall asleep with a smile. like you always do when you're in his arms.
ARGENTINA MENTIONED !!! 🇦🇷 🇦🇷 🇦🇷
summary; just charles and his love for his girlfriend ( and the wonderful pastry from her country of Argentina , medialunas )
fc; emilia mernes
warnings; ?
taglist; @namgification @louvrepool @locelscs @thehufflepuffavenger1
notes; requested ! something abt writing latina! reader is so comforting to me even if its abt a different country🥹
masterlist !
⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆
liked by charles_leclerc, lilymhe, and others !
yourusername: back home con mis amores🥰 [with my loves]
tagged; charles_leclerc
charles_leclerc: i 🩷 you, luna, y medialunas
yourusername: AWWWHHH i love u , luna, y medialunas too🥰
username: not y/n getting charles hooked on medialunas
username: his french ass probably just thinks they’re croissants
username: uhmmmm aktshually he’s from monaco 🤓☝️
username: omg charles is in argentina? STOP
lilymhe: WOAH hello gorgeous 😏😏😏
yourusername: WOAH hello pretty lady😉😉😉
username:those look so good wtf
username: THE DOG😭
username: charles looks so bf material here
username: mis padres😣 [my parents]
username: charles entering his latina eraaa liked by yourusername !
⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆
charles_leclerc uploaded to his story !
[caption 1; 😍😍😍😍] [caption 2; i sincerely apologize to my trainer but i can’t physically stay away from medialunas😇😇]
⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆
yourusername uploaded to their story!
[caption 1; picking up medialunas for the baby🤓] [caption 2; the whiny baby who needed medialunas to make it through the night 🥸🥸]
⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆
liked by yourusername, carlossainz55, and others !
charles_leclerc: so grateful to explore the beauty of argentina with the most beautiful woman by my side. te quiero ❤️ [i love you]
tagged; yourusername
yourusername: ay charles 🥹🥹 te quierooo
yourusername: and those medialunas aren’t even half of what you consumed these past 2 weeks
charles_leclerc: i consumed an embarrassing amount of medialunas, i think even your mother was concerned ….😬😬😬
yourusername: she was concerned that you’d get sick w the amount you were eating every morning 😭
username: tears not y/n getting charles hooked on her medialunas obsession
username: ARGENTINA MENTION 🔥🇦🇷
username: i love them ur honor
username: did u see messi
username: she’s such a beauty
carlossainz55: i’m snitching on you🤣
charles_leclerc: please don’t i’ll bring you medialunas back😞
yourusername: he’s lying he’ll just eat them all😁
username: he’s argentine now no questions abt it
username: my latino king 💆♀️💆♀️
Vintage James
pairing: lando norris x reader, pierre gasly x reader part 7 (final part) to better left unsaid (the better series)
time passes, feelings changes and sometimes they grow stronger. do you attempt to return to the history you know, to what once made you feel comfortable? is it even possible for you to love again, but more importantly, are you ready to be loved?
word count: 6.6k tags: heartbreak lmao but its not all heartbreak, or is it idk all i know is im team max
Two Months Later
Pierre should have been ecstatic as he crossed the finish line in Abu Dhabi. It was his last lap, his last race of the year. He finished in the top ten in the driver standings, ahead of his team mate, which was something he should have been proud of, and he was.
He was also proud of the fight he put in this season, especially when the points became close, specifically with Lando. The two of them spent the better part of these last two months battling it out for the same finishing positions.
But competition with the British driver had been tense ever since Monza. While it was unspoken, they both took their frustrations out on the track. Both of them blamed the other for why you weren’t there.
Fans had picked up on it. Noticing that the two of them didn’t interact as much as they used to. There were no inside jokes shared in the paddock. They barely glanced at each other if they had press conferences lined up. There was a clear line drawn between them and that line was you.
Pierre told himself that you were at home watching the races, that you were still cheering him on, but there was no way of telling if that was true or not.
He had thought about inviting you to the last race of the season, just out of kindness, but he didn’t want to push you further away. You needed time.
So there was no one to congratulate him at the end of his last race. No one to drive back to the hotel with and reminisce about the season's highlights and no one to accompany him to the club where everyone was celebrating. It didn’t help that the girlfriends of other drivers were all there as well and Pierre just had to smile and greet them, pretending he wasn’t jealous even though all he wanted was you at his side.
Pierre stepped up to the bar. He’d be blind not to notice the tall blonde girl sitting on the stool wearing a tight black dress that made her legs look even longer. She eyed Pierre up as he approached, a coy smile on her face.
Pierre was polite, he smiled and nodded. She could have been a fan of motorsport for all he knew, he wasn’t going to be a prick. He rested his forearms against the surface of the bar and when the bartender approached, Pierre ordered a rum and coke. He didn’t need anything fancy tonight, he just wanted to get drunk.
The girl next to him adjusted herself on the seat, nearly slipping off. Pierre glanced in her direction, strictly out of concern, “You alright?”
She let out a breath of a chuckle, “Yeah, all good. Just-” she glanced around, but Pierre knew these tactics, he was familiar with them. “-just waiting for a friend, but I think I may have been ditched.”
Pierre hummed, turning his attention to the bar again, tapping his fingers against the counter as he waited. It was rum and coke. How long did it take?
He froze when he felt a freshly manicured hand rest on his arm. He glanced at the contact, trying not to let the distaste show, but why was this girl touching him?
Since you left him in Monza, Pierre hadn’t even bothered looking at another girl. He’d go out with his friends and other drivers, but he’d always end up back at his hotel room alone. He no longer cared about the chase, he didn’t care about getting in a quick fuck.
If he was being honest, there were dozens of nights where Pierre hovered his thumb over your contact name, debating calling you after a long day. He wanted to hear your voice, even if it was just for a second, even if you didn’t answer and he was left with your voicemail, he just wanted to hear you.
But he never called. He didn’t text. Didn’t even like any of your photos on instagram, giving you the space that he knew you needed. Granted, you made it clear it was Lando you were trying to distance yourself from, but Pierre knew that trying to interfere while you were in the process of moving on wouldn’t be beneficial.
So he waited, in the hopes that you would call. Or text. Or like one of his fucking tweets, literally anything. Anything to show that you still cared. That you weren’t done because he certainly wasn’t.
No one compared to you, and Pierre had known that for a while, long before that night in the club.
Ever since Lando joined F1 and you showed up at his side, Pierre took an interest in you. In the beginning, he didn’t know what sort of relationship you and Lando had, so he kept things respectful so as to not cross a line.
But he could hear your laugh from halfway across the paddock and instantly recognize it. Your smile lit up whatever room you walked into and it wasn’t long before Pierre came to realise that he wanted to be the reason for it.
So he tried talking to you, but at that point, he already had a reputation. You were polite, sure, but you didn’t give him the time of day that he wanted and your attention always went back to Lando.
Pierre noticed it pretty quickly, how in love with him you were. He could never figure out why, he still couldn’t. You deserved someone better than Lando, someone who put you first in their life.
And even when you started to see that someone else could love you, that Pierre could possibly love you, you still went back to Lando.
Pierre should have accepted this as something that would always happen. He should have gotten over you and flirted with the girl next to him in an attempt to forget you ever existed.
But that just wasn’t possible. You had made too much of an impact on his life and left too large of a gap when you left.
“You seem lovely, but I’m really not looking for anything,” Pierre let this girl down gently, slowly peeling her fingers off of his arm. He turned his head forward before she could say anything else and it was only a second later when she hopped off the seat and walked away.
The bartender came and placed the drink in front of him, apologising for the wait. Pierre brushed it off, it was a busy night in this club. He reached for his wallet to pull out his card and start a tab, knowing he’d be here for the next little while.
But the bartender shook his head. He wasn’t about to take the payment.
Pierre chalked it up to him being recognized. Not that it happened often, but every now and then he’d get a meal comped or his drinks paid for if the employee or manager of the establishment was a fan.
“Thanks mate,” Pierre put his wallet away and grabbed the rum and coke.
The bartender only nodded his head towards the opposite end of the bar, “Don’t thank me. Thank her.”
Pierre’s smile dropped. If it was that blonde girl again trying another move he would feel bad because he’d just have to let her down a second time. Pierre took a sip of his drink before working up the courage to look towards the end of the bar.
But that blonde girl wasn’t there. In fact, no one on that side was even remotely paying him attention, all focused on their own drinks and conversations or trying to shout their orders to the bartenders.
Pierre didn’t let himself think too much about it.
Until he felt a tap on the back of his shoulder.
He sighed, “I already said I’m not looking for anything.”
Pierre turned around, fully expecting to come face to face with the girl from earlier. He was bracing himself for the tight dress, shy smile and long blonde hair.
What he didn’t expect was you.
Standing there wearing a baby pink long sleeve shirt with a neckline that showed off more cleavage than normal and a white skirt that sat high on your hips, giving you a very barbie-esque sort of feel, especially with the coloured heels to match. The lights from the club were flickering, highlighting the features that Pierre had burned into his mind. Your full lips, the small birthmarks you tried to hide with make up and your eyes that weren’t as important in colour as they were in the way that completely absorbed him.
You were standing right in front of him.
You glanced at the rum in coke in his hand, that familiar charming smile appearing on your lips as you darted your line of sight upwards to meet his own eyes.
“I owed you a drink,” you said, then you swallowed, eyebrows pinched together. “Or maybe I just owed you a thank you, I couldn’t remember.”
It was a cute call back to that night in the club, the first time you had given him more than just a friendly smile. He charmed his way in that night, and the rejection from Lando made it all the much easier to agree to leave with him, but you were thankful the night didn’t end with the two of you tangled between the sheets.
A relationship started that night. It started the second Pierre bought the drink for you, knowing he’d have an excuse to approach you later. Neither of you could have predicted how the next few weeks would follow.
Now here you were, after avoiding him for two months. And Pierre wasn’t one who often found himself speechless, but there were no words in any language that could describe how he was feeling.
He wanted to be happy to see you. He wanted to pick you up and spin you around and kiss you like no one was watching.
But the fact that you were in Abu Dhabi and he wasn’t the one who invited you, the door creaked opened for more insecurities to slide in.
If you weren’t there because of Pierre, you were there because of Lando.
Two Weeks Earlier
You flipped through a manila folder, slowly spinning back and forth in your chair. Recently you’ve been dedicating more time to your job and it was a helpful distraction. Most of your coworkers knew you had connections in the F1 world, but none of them knew what was going on behind the scenes.
And because this motorsport series was so popular, you found yourself walking in on various conversations. Someone asked for your input on the Circuit of the Americas and you said about five words before changing the topic. Someone else asked what your thoughts were on the unexpected Alpine podium and you just shrugged and smiled, saying something along the lines of it was well deserved. When another coworker asked about an incident Lando faced during the qualifying session in Mexico, you said that it probably wouldn’t affect his race and then you pulled out your phone to tune out the rest of what was being said.
You couldn’t escape these drivers, you couldn’t run from this sport. The most you could do was at least try and avoid the conversations about them.
But when your coworker, Sam, walked by your desk at the end of a work day, he did a double take and knocked on your cubicle wall.
“Hi,” you glanced up from the documents in your hand. “Heading out?”
“Yeah, but I meant to ask-” Sam looked over your head at the row of windows on the opposite side of your work station. “Since when does Lando Norris let you borrow his cars?”
You scoffed, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“There’s a McLaren 720S outside,” Sam pointed out. “Isn’t that what he drives?”
“I don’t know what Lando drives but I can assure you, that man wouldn’t let me behind the wheel of any of his cars,” you spun to face your computer, wanting this conversation to be over. You wished no one knew you were friends with him.
Sam didn’t leave though. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. You could hear the keyboard sound effects as he furiously typed away before shoving his phone in your face. It took you a second to understand what you were looking at, but on the small screen was an image of Lando next to a blue McLaren 720s, a huge smile on his face.
“What am I supposed to do with this information?” you looked up at Sam.
“It’s the exact same car that’s outside.”
“Well I didn’t drive it.”
Sam’s eyes widened, “Is he here? Is he picking you up from work? Do you think I could-”
“Okay slow down,” you laughed, trying to make light of this situation but internally you were panicking. Was Lando here? In London? “I’m sure he’s not the only one who owns-”
You couldn’t finish your sentence. Not when the man of the hour himself came walking around the corner, being escorted by two other employees who were undoubtedly fans. Why else would they have let him into the employees only area? Lando wore a baggy jumper, his hands tucked into his pockets as he looked around with wide eyes until he finally spotted you.
Sam’s jaw dropped and you understood why. You never tried to hide your friendship with the driver, but him showing up at your place of work was not something that ever happened. And you couldn’t understand why it was happening now.
Lando’s feet shuffled against the floor. He thanked the two employees for showing them where you sat, but they didn’t return to their work, they just hovered a few feet away, curiosity getting the better of them.
He nodded at Sam, offering him a smile as well and when Sam glanced your way you nodded your head for him to get the hint, hoping he’d give you at least a bit of privacy. Sam cleared his throat, still starstruck, but he walked away, joining the other employees who stood near the corner.
Lando stepped into your cubicle and leaned against the desk. You weren’t a fan of the height difference and you didn’t want to feel as though he was talking down to you, so you stood up from your chair. You leaned against the wall opposite of him, making sure to keep as much room between you as possible.
“This part of the gallery usually isn’t open to visitors,” you pointed out, not even bothering with an actual greeting. You didn’t like that he used his status to enter this side of the building.
“Look I said I was fine waiting for you to get off work and they just-” Lando glanced over his shoulder and at once, the three coworkers of yours all scurried off in their own directions. Lando sighed and looked at you again, “I needed to talk to you.”
It had been just over two months since you last spoke. Since you left Monza without giving him an explanation. Since you stood in his driver's room and said ‘this ends here’. You were firm with that statement.
Lando respected that, for the most part. He gave you space. He didn’t call or text, even though Max told you that there were a handful of times when he almost did and he had to physically force the phone out of Lando’s hands.
But he should have waited until you decided you were ready to reach out again. He had no reason for showing up at your place of work.
Now that he was here, you felt so unprepared. You didn’t know what to say to him, you didn’t know what he was going to say. Usually you worked your way up to any difficult conversations but Lando showing up out of the blue completely blindsided you.
I needed to talk to you, he said. You hated that. The word need. Lando always needed something from you. He took so much. Your energy, your time, your love, and never gave any of it back and you put up with it for way too long. He didn’t have the right to need anything from you anymore.
“This couldn’t have waited?” You asked, gesturing to the work space around you. “Better yet, you couldn’t have waited until I wanted to talk?”
“No, because I was starting to get the feeling that time would never come.”
“So instead of respecting the space I asked for, you decided that what you wanted took priority?” You crossed your arms over your chest, “Do you sort of see how that’s not fair? How it’s selfish? Or have you just not learned anything in my absence?”
“I learned you don’t need me,” he shrugged his shoulders, as if that conclusion was one he could just brush off, like it still hasn’t fully resonated with him.
But it was a true statement. Your silence said it all.
Lando nodded slowly, “So you don’t- you don’t miss me at all?”
That’s where you still conflicted.
You did miss Lando, there was no denying that. He was your best friend, you shared hundreds of memories with him and it did feel like something was missing in your life these last few months.
But you needed him gone to get over him.
Being in love with him took so much out of you. Knowing that he didn’t, and never would, love you back was something you needed to accept and grow from. Taking this step back, you realised just how much of yourself you dedicated to Lando and to his life.
So you kept taking those steps back until he was no longer within reach. You needed to keep putting the distance between yourself and him. You needed to be your own person. You couldn’t just be Lando’s best friend anymore. As much as he wanted that, it wasn’t doing you any favours.
“Of course I missed you,” you dropped your head, jaw tightening for a second. “But I don’t love you anymore, Lando.”
Again, Lando nodded. If you were looking up, you would have seen the way his features softened, making him look so much younger than he actually was. He always had a boyish charm to him and when he was hurt or unsettled, those young mannerisms in him jumped out.
“Sort of feels like a break up,” Lando forced a smile on his face, as if it made this any easier.
But he was right. This was, in a sense, your relationship coming to an end. There was a dull ache in your chest as it hit, but deep down you had known this was coming for a while. The conversation, the confrontation and eventually, the conclusion.
You once loved Lando. How could you not?
You once loved everything about him. From his different types of laughs to the way you could tell his smiles apart better than he could. You supported him for years, you were his rock and one point, you thought that he was yours.
But he was a crutch. Something you could learn to live without. Something you didn’t need, but was too scared to give up.
He would always be someone you cared about, but his place in your life meant something different now. More importantly, you took away his ability to crush your heart in his hands without so much as a second thought.
You both noticed a few employees sliding on their jackets and heading for the door. Lando ran a hand through his hair before glancing at his watch, “Did you want a ride home?”
“No, I’m meeting a friend for dinner,” you denied his offer, but you noticed the way his eyebrows momentarily raised. You rolled your eyes, “It’s not a date if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“No I-” Lando stammered over his words. “I mean, it’s natural to be curious. But you’re allowed- obviously you can date whoever-”
“Lando,” you cut him off before he could say something stupid. He instantly closed his mouth and let you speak. “I’m going to walk you out, okay?”
And that was that. You grabbed your jacket and turned off your monitor. Lando grabbed your bag for you and waited until your coat was on before handing it over. The two of you walked side by side towards the doors of the gallery, elbows brushing occasionally.
As you stepped outside, you were thankful that the silence wasn’t heavy. There was nothing left for you to say and Lando knew he couldn’t change your mind. Your friendship, while not completely destroyed, was certainly tainted. The space between you might become less distant over time, but it was permanent.
You could still watch the races and support him, but on your own accord, the way you decided to. There would be no more McLaren paddock passes. There would be no more hanging out in his motorhome, you would just be a friend who could cheer him on from afar.
Sure enough, Lando’s McLaren was parked outside. You walked with him towards the driver's side door, but you weren’t surprised in the slightest when he made no effort to get in or say goodbye.
He inhaled a heavy breath and you just knew whatever words were to follow weren’t going to be good.
“What if things were different?”
You had spent so much wondering about the what if’s that hearing Lando ask it now was almost humorous.
“That’s a dangerous game, Lando.”
He leaned against the side of his car, “What is?”
“Asking what if.”
Lando chuckled, dipping his head momentarily. “It’s a genuine question, though. What if things were different?”
“But they’re not,” that was all you could say. It was the truth you accepted and now it was his turn to accept it as well. “Things will never be different. You don’t love me, you never loved me and that’s all I wanted from you. I can’t hold that against you and in return I need you to be okay with me taking a step back from your life.”
There were so many thoughts travelling behind those bright eyes of his, you could tell he was trying to figure out which one to land on.
You made it easier for him, “Why did you come here?”
That seemed to catch him off guard, “What do you mean?”
“Well I know you didn’t come here to ask me what if things were different so why are you here? I mean, you have two races left. You’ve gone this far without me. If you’re trying to pull some sort of grand gesture, could you not have at least waited until the end of the season?”
Lando hesitated before answering you, thinking of the right words first before just opening his mouth, “I won’t lie, Y/N, I wanted to see how you were doing. I think part of me expected you to come back or reach out and when you didn’t-” he shrugged, he always shrugged. “I just wanted to check in. No grand gesture, don’t worry. I know where you stand, but I’m allowed to still care about you.”
A gust of wind hit your back, blowing a few strands of hair in front of your face. It was early November, not an ideal time of the year to be standing outside and having a conversation, but this might be the last opportunity you two had to air things out.
So you sucked it up and dealt with the cold, shoving your hands in your pockets and watching as Lando licked his lips. He also avoided your eye contact, something he only did when he was nervous.
“I also want to apologise.”
Your eyebrow twitched, “For what?”
This man definitely owed you a few apologies, but you didn’t know what was going to come out of his mouth next.
“Everything, really,” Lando laughed softly and it almost made you smile in response. You were only human, you could miss his laugh.
You nudged your foot against his, “I’m going to need a little more than that.”
He finally looked at you. There was a time when his grey eyes would have floored you, but not anymore. You were still standing.
“Everything,” Lando repeated, quieter this time. “For taking you for granted. Your friendship, your support, everything you gave me. For not appreciating you how I should have. For leading you on. For getting in the way of you and Pierre. For not loving you the way you wanted me to- I could go on, Y/N, but I need you to know I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you needed.”
Maybe he did learn something in your absence.
You didn’t know what to say. There were no words that could show your appreciation for his growth, for his ability to take responsibility and acknowledge what went wrong.
So instead of trying to rely on words, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him. Lando hesitated, unsure if he was even allowed to hug you back before slowly raising his arms and snaking them around your waist.
He knew this would be the last time he’d get to hold you like this.
You knew this would be the last time you’d ever allow yourself to be this close to him.
So there was no hurry to pull away. You could feel Lando’s heartbeat against his chest, his body heat pulling you in like a moth to a flame, his heavy breath as his face dipped right next to yours.
You held each other for a minute, maybe two. No more words were exchanged, but you and Lando had a bond that couldn't be described by anything the English dictionary had to offer.
Even in these uncertain times, you could count on his embrace to make the world around you freeze. You both had your own problems, your own reasons for needing space from each other but in his arms, they didn’t matter. You felt safe, comforted, this was the Lando that you had loved and it was hard to believe you weren’t going to have this anymore.
And then it was like Lando knew he had to be the one to let go. He had to be the one to release you, to stop giving you a reason to hold on.
He dropped his arms, both of you deciding not to speak about how painful this was, but your staggered inhale of a breath said it all. The way he sniffed and rubbed the back of his neck told you that this wasn’t any easier for him than it was for you.
For a brief second, you were almost crazy enough to apologise. It always hurt you to see Lando struggling, but your absence was something he was going to have to learn to live with. You didn’t need to apologise for it, for trying to better yourself.
“There is, actually, one more thing,” Lando suddenly said, reaching for the handle of the door, propping it open. You watched as the door to his luxury car swung upwards instead of out as Lando reached inside and grabbed an envelope. When he turned back around and handed it over, it was impossible to tell what it was.
Lando didn’t say anything as you opened it. His lips curled upwards when the realisation of what was inside slowly hit you.
“A Paddock pass,” you swallowed, recognising the lanyard.
“And plane tickets,” he added. “And a hotel booking. For Abu Dhabi.”
“The last race.”
“You should be there,” he said, taking in a sharp breath. His shoulders tensed, like he was suddenly debating if this was the best idea.
“Lando I can’t hang out in McLaren,” you sighed, wondering if the last five minutes of your conversation had already escaped him.
“No, you should be there for you,” Lando clarified. “You love the sport, Y/N, you’ve always attended the last race of the season. That shouldn’t change.”
You pulled the pass out of the envelope and twirled it around your fingers. The bright font of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stood out along the black and you had to admit, it was a kind gesture, a selfless one for a change.
“You should be there,” Lando repeated. “And I’m not the only one who thinks that.”
Your eyebrows pinched together as you looked up at him again, dropping the pass into the envelope. “What do you mean?”
This man actually had the audacity to look at you like you were stupid.
“Oh come on Y/N,” a chuckle passed through his lips. “Pierre?”
You hesitated, “What about him?”
“He wants you there.”
“We haven’t spoken in weeks.”
“He still wants you there.” Lando shook his head, putting a stop to your doubts before they could creep up. “He’s just got more restraint than me and isn’t about to reach out or make you feel like you have to be there.”
You shrugged your shoulders. There was no question about it, you missed Pierre, but you were the one who ended things with him. You weren’t sure if you had the right to go back to him now and ask for a fresh start.
“Think about it, okay?” Lando extended his hand to give your arm an encouraging pat. He then made the move to get into his car and you took a step back to give him space. His eyes raked over you once more, probably wondering if this was the last time he would see you in the next little while, but he didn’t comment on it. He chose not to acknowledge it either, instead saying a quiet, “See you later,” and hoping those words would come true.
You had a few weeks to decide if you wanted to attend the last race of the season. You wanted to be strong and stay home. You nearly ripped the tickets up at one point, thinking it would make the decision easier, but everything was digital nowadays so it wasn't like that gesture mattered.
You wanted to watch the race. You wanted to cheer on your favourite drivers. You wanted to see Pierre.
And eventually it was your desire for all of those things that overpowered the distance you knew was better for you.
So you found yourself in Abu Dhabi that last weekend in November. You walked into the paddock when you knew the drivers would be busy with their teams and headed straight for the Paddock Club, choosing to watch the race from there. You kept your sunglasses on and made yourself as unapproachable as possible as you silently watched and rooted for the French driver.
When word got out of a few drivers heading to a specific nightclub, you knew that would be your chance to talk to Pierre. After the race and before he got drunk.
You weren’t even sure what you were going to say. Lando said he would want you to be there, but you still had your fears. You had called things off and there was no guarantee that he would want to pick things back up, that he would be so open to letting you back into his life.
When he ordered a drink, you saw it as an opportunity. When the bartender was near you, you quickly paid for Pierre’s rum and coke. He didn’t question it and neither did Pierre.
You walked around the side of the bartop, behind all of the other patrons and watched as Pierre tried to look for who had paid for his drink. You thought about saying his name to get his attention, you even thought about just walking away because was this really a good idea? But when his back was towards you, something in you pulled you forward, just enough so you could tap on his shoulder.
He turned around, wearing an expression you couldn't quite read. Maybe this was a bad idea.
“I owed you a drink,” you blurted out, thinking of the first night you finally decided to give him more than thirty seconds of your time.
Pierre had approached you in the bar and bought your drink, telling him that you could thank him later. His words were laced with dirty intent, and while you were nowhere near as charming as Pierre was, you still tried.
“Or maybe I just owed you a thank you, I couldn’t remember,” you quickly added.
Pierre was silent for a few seconds, mouth slightly agape. He certainly hadn’t expected you to show up and now he was speechless. There had been hundreds of things he wanted to say to you over the course of the last few weeks but for the life of him, none of them came to mind.
You had no choice but to take control of the conversation for a change, “It was a good race. Good job. A top ten finish, and you beat the McLarens that must-
“You watched?” Pierre asked. He hadn’t meant to cut you off but he was still trying to process that you were actually right there and now to find out you were also in the audience watching? He was about to implode.
“Of course,” you nodded. Someone tried to step past you so you moved closer to Pierre to make room. And it was like nothing had changed, Pierre raised his hand to rest on your waist, automatically feeling that urge to reach for you, to be touching you.
He quickly put the drink down on the bartop, he had no desire for it anymore. The absolute last thing he wanted to do right now was get drunk.
With his other hand free, Pierre raised it to cup the side of your face. He tucked a few strands of hair behind your ear, his thumb tracing over your cheek. You were really there.
“Chérie,” he spoke so quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the music playing from the speakers around you. But you watched his lips as he spoke, taking in every word, every breath. “You don’t know how bad I missed you.”
That was a weight lifted off your shoulders. Lando was right, Pierre did want you there.
And you could have said you missed him too. You could have laughed it off and teased him for it. You could have rolled your eyes, something he was all too familiar with seeing.
But instead of doing any of that, you grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt and closed the last bit of space between you. You kissed him like you were making up for lost time, you basically were. Pierre’s hand slid to rest where your neck met your jaw and there was a desire to rush, to taste every bit of his tongue against yours, to let him intoxicate all of your senses, but Pierre’s moves were slow. He wanted to take his time, relish in this moment and to keep you in his grasp for as long as he could, until you were both desperate for a breath.
Pierre pressed another kiss to your lips, and then another, and another and then to your cheeks and your forehead and every visible spot on your face that he thought needed some attention. You giggled like a schoolgirl as his arm slipped around your neck, pulling you tight into his chest to hold you, hug you, feel you in his arms.
“I missed you,” Pierre said again, still quiet but there was no underlying ache in his tone. He missed you, but he didn’t have to anymore. You weren’t going anywhere.
Neither of you cared that you were sharing this embrace in the middle of the club, but other people certainly didn’t like it. When someone made a playful 'get a room' comment, Pierre laughed into your ear. God you never wanted to go two months without hearing his laughter ever again.
“Let’s get out of here,” Pierre suggested, placing his forefinger under your chin to tilt your face up. He kissed you again, his hand slipping into yours before turning around, his eyes set on the door. You happily followed.
The club was crowded. You recognized a few paddock employees and members from various teams and of course the drivers who were out partying, but everyone was in their own little world as the two of you walked past.
Well…
Not everyone.
It happened so fast. You turned your head at the right second and caught Lando’s eyes from where he sat in a booth. Not only was he watching you, he was watching you leave with Pierre.
Someone walked in front of you, cutting off your line of sight for a brief moment. You felt Pierre’s grip on your hand tighten. Looking up, and saw that Pierre was staring straight ahead. If he noticed Lando, he didn’t hint towards it.
Glancing back at Lando one last time, you watched as he lifted the drink in his hand and nodded once, a toast-like gesture, but in this case it was so much more than a little congratulatory one-sided cheers.
He released his final hold over you. There were no more strings tying you to Lando. He wasn’t going to get in between you and Pierre. He was going to let you be happy with the French driver.
Lando would still continue to want what was best for you, but that wasn’t him anymore. That was Pierre.
So he watched as a sliver of a smile appeared on your lips, so quick he almost missed it, before following Pierre outside. You were gone.
Feeling a nudge on his arm, Lando turned his head and met the concerned eyes of Max. Max, someone who had been a witness to everything these last few months, was definitely happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“You alright?” Max asked him and Lando just nodded, glancing at the spot you just abandoned.
“Yeah,” he didn’t sound very convincing, but Max knew that eventually he’d say it and mean it.
He brought his drink up to his lips, “I guess the best man won.”
Lando rolled his eyes, shoving Max with his elbow. Not hard enough to hurt him but enough that he spilled his beer over the front of his shirt.
“It was never a competition you numbskull.”
Max plastered his best dumbfounded look on his face, “Oh, you mean Y/N? I’m not talking about her. I’m talking about the driver standings.”
Lando snorted, knowing that Max was most definitely not talking about the driver standings, but it was a good retort to fall back on. Pierre had beat him in the last two races, putting him ahead of the two McLaren drivers in the championship.
Lando put up a good fight throughout the season but towards the end he managed to come to the realisation that no matter what, he wouldn’t pull ahead. Beating Pierre wasn’t in his cards.
Neither was keeping you.
But not all hope was lost. Lando would fight even harder next year. This year’s competition made him a better driver. And motorsport aside, he knew he’d still see you around. At a distance, only in passing, and most likely with Pierre, but you’d be there.
Losing you forced him to grow up. He had no choice but to better himself, and he would.
The what if’s would continue to haunt him, they would haunt all of you. The ghosts of what could have been. The paths you never took. What if Pierre hadn’t hit on you that night in the club? What if Lando spoke to you the morning after? What if you spent the summer break alone? What if what if what if.
The thing was, though, none of it mattered.
You were happy. Lando would learn to live without you. Pierre played the long game and it worked out in his favour. The lingering questions didn’t matter. The only thing left to do was look ahead. The past held nothing, whereas your future, all of your futures, were brighter and better than they had ever been before.
why am i crying lmao
and with that, the better series comes to an end :') thank you everyone for reading and for sharing your thoughts and being so invested in their silly little lives.
i will most definitely be writing another mini series, and if you have ideas or see something on my prompt list, pls send me a request here! i can't promise it'll turn into a 7-part fic but i do love getting requests and who knows?? maybe i'll write a lando fic and turn u all back into lando girlies??
love u all so much and for the record, i was always team pierre
𐔌 방찬 .ᐟ ꒱ ─ stay a little longer
BANG CHAN! ⓘ when you're in the quiet of midnight, tangled in music, moonlight, and a love worth fighting for.
⌣ ﹒ ✿ ﹕ idol𝑏f!chan ₊ 𝑓em!reader ˙ . ꒷ g. fluff, angst, comfort, emotional ! 6600wc. ⎯⎯ ᒪIᗷᖇᗩᖇY ⟢ cw. pure love, slight crying, intimacy, family pressure, some jokes, lightly forbidden love? ┆ 🍡 ⋮ drabble, timestamps .ᐟ
𝑦𝑎𝑛𝑖'𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𓈒 𓈒 ⭑ christopher... my baby, my love, my everything. :[ i love this man so much. i love love so much (2). i genuinely teared the fuck up while drafting this. i feel like this may be one of my favorite fics i've written, ever, honestly. sucker for channie, angst, and love !!!! happy reading <3
skz studio, jype building. 12:41 am. tick, tick, tick..
the room is dim, lit only by the soft amber of the desk lamp and the dull blue glow from two computer screens, their pixels dancing in sound waves. the speakers hum low, a heartbeat of synths and snare, looping a melody that hasn’t been named yet. it’s slow. dreamy. a little unfinished—just like the two of you.
the air smells faintly like fabric softener and coffee from hours ago, now cold in the cup beside his keyboard. you’re curled up on the studio couch, legs tucked beneath you, wearing one of chan’s crewnecks that swallows your hands. the cotton is worn soft from too many washes, oversized and comforting, and it still holds the ghost of his cologne—cedar, musk, the kind of scent that lingers long after he leaves a room.
he’s quiet.
not in the brooding way, not in the overthinking-every-note kind of way either. just… quiet. his fingers tap lightly against the desk as he listens to the loop again and again. his chair is tilted back just enough to see you in his periphery, and you know, because he’s been stealing glances between each pass.
you pretend not to notice.
instead, you let your fingers trace invisible patterns into your thigh, resting your cheek on your hand as you watch him from under your lashes. the way his black hoodie bunches at the elbows. the curve of his jaw when he’s focused. his mouth, slightly parted. the tip of his tongue resting in the corner, a habit. the faintest scruff on his chin from a day he forgot to shave. or didn’t care to.
you sigh, almost smiling. “you’re squinting again.”
chan’s head tilts. “huh?”
you point lazily at him. “your eyes. when you concentrate. you look like a suspicious grandpa decoding secret messages in morse code.”
a laugh bubbles out of him—short, breathy, surprised. “wow. thanks.”
“you’re welcome,” you say, smug, leaning into the armrest. “you should really consider reading glasses.”
he narrows his eyes at you on purpose now, making a dramatic point. “i will literally end this song right now.”
“you won’t.”
“no, but i’ll pretend i did and pout about it for forty-five minutes.”
“pouting’s a great look on you,” you hum.
you expect him to roll his eyes. maybe throw a crumpled napkin at you. but instead, he just leans back in his chair, legs stretched out, arms folded across his chest—and looks at you.
fully.
the studio is quiet except for the looped track. and chan’s gaze? it softens. like the way light filters through curtains. gentle, warm, and far too much.
“what?” you whisper, feeling your face heat.
he shrugs, lips twitching into a small, sleepy smile. “nothing. you’re just really pretty when you’re bullying me.”
you squint back at him. “you’re not even trying to win this argument.”
“that’s ‘cause i like losing to you.”
your heart stumbles. you mask it by pretending to cough into your sleeve. he sees right through it. smirks wider. turns back to the screen like he didn’t just ruin your entire nervous system.
“asshole,” you mumble.
“mmhm.”
he slides his headphones on again, adjusts a few sliders, then clicks the spacebar. the track starts over. he listens. edits. rewinds. rests his chin on his palm.
you let yourself stare a little longer this time.
there’s something about watching chan work that feels like worship. he’s quiet with it—not boastful, not performative. just intensely focused, endlessly curious. you can see him thinking—layers of intention behind every adjustment, like he’s shaping sound into something that can hold meaning.
you never feel more drawn to him than in moments like this.
“c’mere,” he says suddenly, pulling one side of his headphones off.
you blink. “why?”
“just for a second.”
you raise an eyebrow. “this is how you trap me.”
“yup.” he doesn’t even deny it.
still, you rise, stretching your arms over your head with a small yawn, then pad over to his chair. he grabs your wrist lightly and tugs you down, guiding you gently into his lap like he’s done this a hundred times before. like your body fits there. like it’s second nature.
his arms wrap around your waist automatically.
you settle back against his chest, your head resting beneath his chin, your legs slotted between his. the sound from the speakers is low now—background music to the quiet closeness you’ve both fallen into.
“this part’s new,” he murmurs near your ear, hitting play again. “i wrote it thinking of you.”
you freeze just a little. then slowly glance up at him.
he’s looking at the screen like he didn’t just casually say that.
“…chan.”
“mhm?”
“you wrote the chorus with me in mind?”
“pre-chorus, actually,” he says, lips twitching. “the chorus is about ramen. but the pre-chorus? that one’s you.”
you lightly smack his chest, laughing. “you suck.”
“do not.”
“you literally labeled the file ‘yn_ver2_emotionsfix.wav,’” you accuse, voice barely hiding your grin.
chan gives a dramatic sigh. “it was either that or ‘track_56_final_final_real_final_edit.wav.’ i went with art.”
you shake your head, settling into him again. he smells like warmth—like cotton, and hours of focus, and something softer beneath it all. his hands splay against your hips. secure. careful.
you close your eyes.
“you tired?” he asks quietly.
you nod against him. “but i don’t want to sleep yet.”
“why?”
“‘cause you’re not done loving me tonight.”
that catches him off guard. you feel it in the pause of his breath.
then—arms tighter around you. his chin tucks into your shoulder, and his voice is low. honest.
“i don’t think i’ll ever be done, y/n.”
the song loops again. a soft echo in the dark.
and neither of you move.
“something like home.” (12:59 am. still just the two of you.)
your feet are bare.
there’s a stray thread at the hem of your sleeve, and chan’s fingers have been absentmindedly twirling it between his thumb and forefinger for minutes now. the song plays in soft loops, fading into the walls like wallpaper music. you’ve stopped noticing it. or maybe it’s become a part of this moment.
you’re still in his lap, curled into his chest like the world forgot to pull you apart. he doesn’t seem to mind. his chin rests on your shoulder, and his hands are warm on your sides. his thumb strokes lazy, back-and-forth shapes over the fabric—like a lullaby with no melody.
you yawn. then mumble something.
“what?” he whispers.
“i said… i think i’m starting to melt.”
he chuckles, the sound low against your back. “melt?”
“mhm.” you nudge your nose into his hoodie. “i’m too comfortable. i might dissolve. evaporate. just… become one with the hoodie.”
chan hums, tilting his head to press a small kiss into your hair. “then i’ll carry you in my pocket.”
you pause, smiling into his chest. “you’re such a sap.”
“you love it.”
you twist just enough to look at him. “you say that like you’re not the clingy one.”
“i’m not clingy,” he says, indignant. “i just… like you close.”
you raise an eyebrow.
he holds up a finger, serious. “okay, hear me out. i didn’t ask you to stay over because i’m clingy. i asked because—”
“you missed me,” you cut in, sing-song.
he scoffs. “no—well, yes—but—listen. i knew you’d be annoying about it. that’s the real reason.”
“wow. you invited me over just to be bullied?”
“you’re better than caffeine.”
you blink.
he grins, smug. “and cuter.”
your chest does that thing again—that quiet, involuntary ache. like your ribs are expanding too fast for your heart to keep up.
you try to hide your face in his hoodie. “stop it.”
“no,” he says softly. “not when you look at me like that.”
you glance up. “like what?”
“like i’m the whole night sky.”
there’s a beat. long enough for your throat to close around it. you laugh, a soft, shaky breath. “that was corny.”
he kisses your temple. “did it work?”
you don’t answer. you don’t need to. the way your fingers curl into his sleeve is loud enough.
you eventually slip off his lap, legs stiff, your body slow with sleepiness. but you don’t go far. just settle beside him again, letting your head fall onto his shoulder.
chan shifts, pulls the blanket from the couch, and drapes it over your legs without a word. then he leans forward and clicks a few keys. the track pauses.
“what happened?” you ask, voice small.
he shrugs, adjusting the volume. “nothing. just wanted to sit here.”
you smile. “is the genius producer taking a break?”
“genius producer,” he echoes, a grin playing at his lips. “i like how that sounds.”
“it’s true,” you say, poking his cheek. “you’re brilliant. even when you forget to eat dinner.”
“someone’s trying to soften me up,” he teases.
you lean closer, your voice a playful whisper. “is it working?”
he turns his face toward you—slow, like the moment stretches around the movement. his eyes flicker between yours, soft and unreadable.
“yeah,” he says quietly. “too well.”
you don’t kiss him yet. but the space between your faces is small enough to feel the promise of it.
“can i tell you something weird?” he asks a little while later.
you nod, half-drowsy, eyes fluttering shut.
“i think…” he hesitates, then laughs under his breath. “god, this sounds stupid.”
you look up at him. “nothing you say to me is stupid.”
he’s quiet for a beat. then-
“i think my heart memorized you before my brain did.”
it’s barely a whisper.
but it slices through the quiet, delicate and sure. your breath catches.
“i don’t even mean that in a romantic movie kind of way,” he adds, rubbing the back of his neck. “just… every time i see you, even if i’m tired, even if the day sucked, something in me just—relaxes. like it knows. like you’re what it was waiting for.”
you don’t respond with words.
you just reach out—touch his face gently, like he’s something precious. your thumb runs along his cheekbone. then down to his lips.
chan closes his eyes under the touch.
“you always say these things like you don’t realize what they do to me,” you murmur.
he opens them again. they’re deeper now. fuller with something unspoken. “what do they do?”
“you make it really hard to breathe.”
“then hold on to me,” he whispers.
so you do.
“in the quiet, i love you” (1:17 am. again, just the two of you.)
it’s late. but that kind of late where the world feels paused. no ringing phones. no outside noise. just the low hum of equipment, a single dim lamp in the corner, and chan’s hand resting over yours like he’s scared the moment will slip away if he lets go.
your head is against his shoulder again. his hoodie sleeve is bunched between your fingers, and you’ve long since stopped trying to pretend you’re not holding on like he’s your anchor.
“wanna know something?” you say softly, tracing small shapes into his palm.
“always.”
“i used to think love would feel loud.”
he doesn’t speak. just waits.
you smile at the ceiling. “like fireworks. or movie kisses in the rain. or fighting, dramatic, over-the-top things. but this—” your hand squeezes his. “this feels like… the space between notes in a song. quiet. but there. and if it were gone, you’d hear the difference.”
chan swallows, his voice a hush. “you’re gonna make me cry in my own studio.”
you giggle, turning toward him, noses almost brushing. “no tears allowed. you’re the genius producer.”
he fake-sobs dramatically. “the genius producer is in shambles.”
you cover his mouth with your hand, laughing now. “stop. you’re gonna ruin the mood.”
he grins under your palm. then kisses it. soft. warm. so soft it makes your throat catch.
“wanna hear a line i wrote today?” he asks, voice lower now, fingers lacing between yours.
you nod.
he glances at the monitor like he’s nervous, then looks back at you. “it’s not for the track, just… a thing i wrote.”
he clears his throat.
“if i could fold myself into your pockets i’d live there quietly, beside your pulse where your heartbeat becomes my soundtrack and time forgets how to hurt.”
your eyes sting.
“chris…”
“it’s dumb,” he says quickly, eyes darting away. “just a line. you don’t have to—”
you cut him off with a kiss. it’s soft. barely there. just the press of lips against lips, the kind of kiss that says, i understand you even when you think you don’t make sense.
when you pull back, you’re both blinking too much.
“was that okay?” you whisper.
his voice cracks when he speaks. “i don’t think i’ll ever forget it.”
the next hour passes in fragments.
you try on his headphones and gasp when you hear how clear the track sounds. he records you saying random phrases to sample your voice—half of them silly, the other half secretly tender.
“say something sexy,” he grins, mic already on.
you squint at him. “like what?”
“i don’t know. just say whatever comes to your mind.”
you lean in close to the mic, lips parted. “christopher, i swear to god, if you don’t drink water within the next ten minutes i’m turning off your computer.”
he throws his head back, laughing so hard it shakes his shoulders.
“you menace,” he wheezes.
“you asked for it.”
“not the hydration threats—oh my god.”
you’re both giggling too much to care what time it is. he turns the mic off, pulls you back to him, and presses his forehead to yours like it’s instinct.
“hey,” he whispers.
“yeah?”
“i don’t think i’ve ever felt like this before.”
you meet his eyes.
“i think…” he pauses. “i think i trust you with parts of me i didn’t even know i had.”
you nod, tears threatening again.
“you can keep them,” you whisper back.
later, he reaches over and grabs his phone, unlocking it with one hand, still holding you with the other.
“what are you doing?” you murmur, sleepy now, blinking slowly.
“i want a picture.”
“no,” you groan. “my face is puffy. i’m tired.”
“you’re beautiful,” he says immediately, no hesitation.
you glare. “you can’t say things like that so easily.”
“but they’re true.”
“still.”
he snaps one anyway—your face buried in his hoodie, his hand covering half your cheek, both of you in soft shadows. when he looks at it, he smiles like he’s looking at the beginning of something.
“can i post it someday?” he asks gently. “not now. but when it’s not just ours anymore.”
you nod.
but neither of you say when that might be. because for now, the secrecy is sacred. the studio is a sanctuary. and this—this hush, this touch, this late-night wonder—belongs to you both.
right?
“we talk about everything, and nothing, and it all matters.”(01:58 am. the world is asleep, but you’re still here.)
you’re half on the couch, half on chris. the blanket has migrated around both your shoulders now, pooled at your waists like it’s tucking you in on behalf of the moon.
the studio lights are dim. the glow from the monitors is faint and flickering. the music is paused. you aren’t.
chan’s fingers are threaded through yours again, resting on your stomach, your hands fitting like they’ve known each other longer than you’ve been alive. his head is tilted back. yours is on his chest, listening.
every so often, his heartbeat skips. you never point it out.
“do you think,” he says suddenly, voice hushed like he’s afraid to wake the air, “that people always end up where they’re meant to be?”
you pause. “you mean, like fate?”
he nods, slowly. “yeah. or something like it.”
you think for a second.
“i don’t know. i think maybe we end up in the neighborhood of where we’re meant to be,” you say softly. “but the exact house? the one with the red door, or the one with the leaky ceiling? i think we choose those.”
he hums. “i like that.”
“why’d you ask?”
he’s quiet for a moment. “i just keep thinking.. if i hadn’t chosen this path—music, the hours, the pressure—i don’t know if we’d be here. but sometimes i wonder… if it’s too much. if i’ll burn out.”
you lift your head slightly to look at him.
his gaze is on the ceiling. like he’s asking the stars above the insulation to answer for him.
“i think about it too,” you admit.
his eyes flick down to you. “you do?”
you nod. “not just about you. about me. about everything. what i want. what i’m allowed to want.”
the way you say allowed makes him tense just slightly, but you don’t dwell.
you rest your cheek back on his chest. his hand finds your shoulder, slow and soothing. “tell me,” he says gently.
you take a breath.
“i used to think i had to be perfect,” you say, voice low. “or at least harmless. make everything easy for everyone. be sweet. be smart. never ask for too much. never make things complicated.”
chan’s hold on you tightens almost imperceptibly.
you keep going.
“but i’m learning that love… real love… lets you take up space. even the messy parts. even the loud parts. i’m still trying to believe i’m allowed to ask for things. to say ‘i want this.’ even when it’s scary.”
he’s silent, but you can feel the emotion rising in him. his fingers brush your hair back from your temple with a kind of reverence.
“i’m glad you said that,” he whispers. “because i want you to ask. always. for anything.”
you nod, eyes stinging again.
after a pause, you murmur, “what about you?”
he exhales. “i think… i used to believe i had to earn love. like, i had to constantly do something to deserve it. be productive. be valuable. make music. fix things. be strong.”
you shift slightly to see his face. his eyes are unfocused, turned somewhere inward.
“but lately…” he goes on, “with you, i’m starting to believe that maybe i don’t have to prove anything. that maybe i can just be. and that’s enough.”
you press your lips to his jaw, a soft silent thank you for letting you see that part of him.
you stay like that for a while.
just breathing.
just existing.
“i want to grow old with you,” he says suddenly.
you blink.
“like—not in a cliché way. not just the cute stuff. i mean i want to still know you when we’re tired and wrinkly and grumpy and our backs hurt when we laugh too hard.”
you smile against his hoodie.
“i want that too.”
he looks down at you. “you do?”
you lift your chin just enough to meet his gaze. “i want to see what kind of old man you become. i bet you’ll still wear these black hoodies and cry when the guys bully you for actually being old.”
he groans. “don’t expose me.”
you giggle, tucking back into his chest. “you’re adorable.”
you both fall into a comfortable silence again. the kind where the silence isn’t empty—it’s full. of safety. of things you don’t have to say.
and then…
“hey,” you whisper.
“yeah?”
“if we ever get a dog, can we name it something stupid like toast?”
he snorts, nearly choking. “why toast?”
“i don’t know, it’s cute. imagine yelling ‘toast! come back here!’ in the park. it even matches with berry. like.. berry toast.”
he’s laughing now, full and quiet and real. “okay. so berry can bond with a new sibling then. over names. well.. toast it is. but only if i get to name the next one pancake.”
“deal.”
eventually, you both go quiet again.
there’s a weight to the room now—but not heavy. just… full. like the whole place is holding its breath around you, content to let you exist in each other.
you listen to his breathing. he listens to yours.
you both listen to the invisible thing being written between your hearts— soft and slow and definitely.. real.
“the song you weren’t supposed to hear.”(it’s still the middle of the night. and his heart is ready.)
the night has settled into the kind of stillness that only exists between 2 and 3 am—where the world outside is paused, like it’s holding its breath just for you.
you’re both now completely on the studio couch, your legs lazily tangled over his, the blanket from earlier now messily draped across your laps. the air smells faintly like jasmine from his candle stash and whatever conditioner he uses that clings to the collar of his hoodie. you’ve been tracing little nothing shapes on his arm, neither of you talking for a while—not because there’s nothing to say, but because being this close is already saying enough.
chan’s fingers have been fidgeting. not nervously, just… thinking. tapping little beats into the fabric of the couch like he’s composing something in his head he doesn’t want to forget.
you’re the first to break the silence.
“your brain’s loud again,” you murmur, smiling without opening your eyes.
he huffs out a quiet laugh. “always is, when you’re around.”
you lift your head, eyebrow raised. “is that a compliment or are you blaming me for your overworked neurons?”
chan grins. “little bit of both.”
you roll your eyes affectionately and nudge his shoulder. he watches you for a moment—eyes soft, dimple barely showing—and then he shifts. gently untangles himself from you and gets up, barefoot steps soundless on the floor.
you sit up slowly, watching as he walks over to the computer, clicking something open with a hesitance that’s uncharacteristic of him.
he hesitates a second longer, one hand on the mouse, the other in his curly hair.
“can i show you something?” he asks, voice low, unusually careful.
you straighten. “of course.”
he doesn’t look at you when he speaks next. “i wasn’t gonna. i wasn’t ever going to, honestly. but i feel like… if i don’t now, i’ll never get the courage again.”
your heart stirs—soft, curious.
he opens a folder.
one you’ve never seen.
the name of it is just a single word: "maybe."
he clicks on a file. the project loads slowly. your eyes flick over the screen. it’s dated from almost two years ago.
the first out of a gazillion track's name? “she’ll never know (demo)”
he doesn’t look at you. just presses play.
the room fills with the sound of chan’s voice. not the polished, practiced version. not the stage-ready delivery. this is raw.
the acoustic guitar is gentle, almost sleepy. like the song was written late one night, maybe one just like this, with him hunched over his desk and the words falling out of him before he could stop them.
and then— the first line.
"she walks in like the sky turned soft just for her—""doesn’t notice the way she makes silence feel warm."
your breath catches. your boyfriend doesn’t turn around. he’s sitting at his chair now, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as if it held answers to his shower thoughts.
the song continues—delicate, bare-boned. there’s a melody that rises like a question and falls like an answer. his voice cracks a little in the second verse. not from poor singing. from too much truth.
"she calls my name like it was made for her mouth—and i swear, i’d give her every version of me she asks for."
you bring your hand to your chest without realizing it.
your throat is dry. your eyes aren’t.
and then— the bridge.
it’s not perfect. the production cuts slightly. but the lyrics?
"if she knew i wrote her into every song i couldn’t finish,would she stay long enough to hear the chorus?"
you don’t breathe.
he lets the track end without speaking. the silence that follows is thick and tender.
and finally, finally, he turns to look at you.
you’re still holding your hand to your chest. you can’t find words.
“i wrote that before,” he says, quietly, “before i knew if you’d ever… look at me like that. before i thought i’d get to call you mine. i wasn’t gonna play it. felt like—it was too much.”
you shake your head, eyes glassy, voice cracking. “no, chris. it’s not too much. it’s—god. it’s beautiful, channie.”
you cross the room slowly and kneel beside his chair, hands reaching for his. “you loved me then, didn’t you?”
he nods. “i think i always did.”
the air feels like it might break from the softness.
you press your forehead to his. close your eyes. he does the same. his hands slide around your back, pulling you into him like he needs to feel you breathing.
“can i ask you something?” you whisper.
“anything.”
“when you wrote it… did you ever think i’d hear it?”
his voice is almost inaudible. “no. but i wanted you to feel it. even if you never knew.”
you kiss him. not rushed. not fiery. just… full. full of every quiet word you’ve ever shared, every moment your bodies spoke before your mouths did. full of everything that’s always been there.
when you pull back, you whispered.
“thank you for writing me into your world.”
he smiles, presses his lips to your hair.
“you are my world.”
“you and me, in a song.” (almost 3am. but none of you seem to care.. because it's just you two.)
your knees are folded up on the studio couch now, hoodie sleeves past your hands, hair a little messy from where he’d had his fingers in it. chan’s laptop is dimming from inactivity. that song—the one he never meant to play for anyone—is still echoing in your chest.
there’s something quiet between you two now, but it’s not tension. it’s the kind of silence that follows honesty. like the air has finally settled after a truth landed and made its home here.
he’s lying on the floor now, one arm tucked behind his head, the other outstretched, hand palm-up like he’s waiting for you to hold it. you do. of course you do.
“you’re still thinking too much,” you say, squeezing his fingers gently.
he gives a tired smile, turning his head toward you. “i know, baby. i can’t help it. my brain doesn’t have an off switch, y'know.”
you glance down at him, at the boy you love who writes heartbreak into bridges and hides confessions in chord progressions.
“wanna distract it?” you ask softly.
he raises an eyebrow. “you got something in mind?”
“let’s write something,” you say, voice picking up in excitement. “together. something stupid and sweet. corny. cheesy. but something that sounds like us.”
he sits up, instantly intrigued. his eyes are sleepy but alive now, warm like melted chocolate in low light. “you sure you’re not tired?”
“i’m very tired,” you say, already reaching for a notebook, “but i’m also in love, and this feels like something we’ll remember.”
he exhales a quiet laugh. “okay,” he murmurs. “let’s make it ours.”
the guitar is perched on his knee now, and you’re tucked beside him, the notebook resting across both your legs. you can barely see the lines under the yellowish desk lamp glow, but that somehow makes it feel even more intimate.
“okay,” he says, strumming a slow, dreamy chord. “tone check. what are we going for?”
“something soft,” you say. “not too polished. something that sounds like—like a sleepy love letter or something?”
he nods, repeating the chord progression, slower this time. “mmm.. like this?”
you hum in approval. “wait, yeah. genius! that feels like us. okay, first line.”
he laughs at the page. “you go.”
you pause, chewing your lip. then, with a grin..
“you looked like a dream at 3 a.m., with sleep in your eyes and my name on your lips.”
your boyfriend's pen freezes.
he blinks.
then he gives you the kind of look that belongs in poems—stunned, a little helpless, a lot in love.
“that’s not fair,” he mutters, writing it down. “you’re gonna make me fall harder than i already have.”
you smirk. “your turn, loverboy.”
he strums a chord and speaks more than sings.
“you whispered forever in the way you laughed, and i started believing it might be real.”
your heart flutters.
you grab the pen and underline that line twice. “you’re disgusting,” you whisper with a grin.
“i learned from the best,” he grins back.
you spend the next hour like that—passing the pen, trading verses, scribbling out and rewriting lines until your fingers are smudged with graphite and the paper is creased from how many times you’ve folded it to your chest in giddy disbelief.
at some point, chan turns the mic on. just to catch what you’re doing. just in case.
he doesn’t warn you when he starts singing.
you’re halfway through doodling stars and hearts in the corner of the page when his voice fills the air again, soft and sleepy and devastatingly sweet.
he sings the first verse.
your verse.
you look up at him, startled.
his eyes are on you, and he doesn’t look away when he reaches your line:
“…with sleep in your eyes and my name on your lips.”
you smile, caught.
when he finishes the chorus—messy and still incomplete—you exhale slowly. “you made it sound beautiful.”
chan shrugs, pretending to be casual. “t'was already beautiful. i just put a melody on it.”
you reach for his hand again. he lets you take it, always lets you take it.
“is this the first song you’ve written with someone you’re in love with?” you ask quietly.
he pauses.
then smiles, shy and soft. “yeah. and i hope it’s the only one.”
you press your forehead to his shoulder.
“i think we just made a cheesy memory,” you whisper.
he turns slightly to kiss the top of your head. “then let’s keep making them. cheesy and all.”
the clock reads 4:12 a.m. now. the first version of the song is saved in a folder called “us.” it’s not finished. it might never be. but it doesn’t need to be perfect. it just needs to be yours.
you curl into the corner of the couch again, eyes fluttering shut- not to sleep, but maybe to rest them. chan hums the chorus under his breath beside you, fingers mindlessly playing the chords like he’s serenading the night itself.
before you drift off, you mumble one last thing:
“you’re my favorite song, chris.”
and he whispers back. he always does.
“you’re my reason for every one of them.”
“the part i never said out loud.”(a still hour. 4:41 a.m. the quiet isn’t peaceful anymore—it’s holding its breath.)
he doesn’t notice it at first. the way you’ve gone quiet. maybe you were asleep.
but it was not like before. not sleepily. not wrapped in awe from a new lyric or his voice in your ear. this silence is different. it’s sitting heavy on your chest. and he only realizes when he reaches out to run his thumb gently over your knuckles and you flinch—barely, but enough for him to notice.
he turns to you slowly.
“hey,” he says softly. “hun, you okay?”
you blink at him. you were looking at the studio wall—at the sound panels, the gold record in the frame, the corner where your folded lyric sheet sits untouched. you weren’t really seeing any of it.
“yeah,” you say. but your voice betrays you. too thin. too quiet.
he sets down the guitar and shifts closer. his brows furrow, but not in frustration. it’s concern. that same warm, earnest gaze he’s always given you.
“you can tell me anything,” he says. “you know that, right?”
you nod. and then you nod again. because it’s true. you know it’s true. you believe him with your whole heart.
that’s exactly why it’s so hard.
“i didn’t want to ruin tonight,” you whisper, “but i… i think i’ve been avoiding saying something.”
he doesn’t rush you. doesn’t press. just waits. lets the silence expand around you until you’re ready.
you take a breath. and then another.
“it’s my family,” you say finally. “they don’t… they don’t like that i’m with you.”
chan’s head tips slightly, like he didn’t hear right. “what?”
you wince.
“they think it’s unstable. unrealistic. that… that i shouldn’t be dating someone in the industry. that i’m just a phase to you. or that it’ll always be long-distance and lonely and that i’ll be the one waiting while you live a life i can’t be part of.”
you can’t look at him.
“they think loving you is… irresponsible,” you say, voice cracking.
for a moment, there’s nothing but the soft buzz of equipment around you. the hum of the silent studio. the absence of sound.
and then—his voice. low. steady.
“do you think that?” he asks, gentle but serious.
your eyes snap to him.
“no,” you say immediately, like it physically hurts to even have him wonder that. “no, god, never. i love you. i love you more than i even know how to explain. i just—”
you break off, pressing your palm to your forehead.
“i hate that i feel like i’m betraying them just by choosing my own heart.”
he doesn’t interrupt. he doesn’t get defensive. he doesn’t ask for promises or ask you to pick sides. he just reaches out and cups your face in his hand, thumb resting softly against your cheekbone.
“you’re not betraying anyone by being honest about what you want,” he says. “and if that’s not me, i’ll understand.”
you finally cry.
not hard. not dramatic. but silent tears spill, and you don’t even try to stop them.
“but it is you,” you whisper. “it’s always been you. that’s the whole problem.”
chan pulls you into him then, holds you so close it feels like maybe you can hide there for a while. maybe forever.
his chin rests on top of your head as your hands grip the fabric of his hoodie. you can feel his heart against your cheek.
“then we’ll figure it out,” he murmurs. “whatever it takes. i don’t care what the world says. you’re my home.”
your breath stutters.
“i don’t want to lose you,” you say.
“you won’t,” he replies, like it’s fact. “even if the world ends. even if i’m across the globe and you’re under a hundred rules, i will still be yours.”
you don’t realize how hard you’re clinging until his arms tighten in response.
“i’m so scared, channie,” you whisper.
“i know, baby. i know.”
and then, quieter.
“but i’m not scared. not if i’ve got you.”
somewhere between the crying and the quiet, you fall asleep against him.
your dreams are a blur of chords and warmth, of light through a studio window that doesn’t exist. you dream of melodies that sound like safety.
and even though the world outside might never fully understand it—might never fully approve—you wake up knowing.. this.
your heart knows where it belongs.
and it’s right here, in the quiet thrum of a boy who wrote your name into every note before he ever said it out loud.
“no matter the ending, it’s you.”(the sky is beginning to lighten, barely. that liminal hour between night and morning. somewhere between dream and day, where truth feels soft enough to hold.)
you wake up first.
chan’s head is tilted toward you on the couch, cheek pillowed in the mess of your hair. he’s asleep — properly this time, breath slow, mouth just barely parted, hoodie slightly askew around his collarbone where you clung to him in your sleep.
the studio is still quiet. the monitors are off now, the soft blue light from the mixing board the only thing illuminating the room. your bodies are half-covered by the denim blanket he keeps for emergencies, the air conditioner humming gently in the background.
and your heart — somehow — is steady.
not because the fear is gone. not because the world has changed overnight. but because you’re still here.
and so is he.
you lift your hand and gently brush a strand of hair from his forehead. his lashes flutter. then, without opening his eyes, he whispers, still half-asleep:
“are you leaving me?”
you smile, sad and sweet, your thumb tracing the shell of his ear.
“never,” you say softly. “even if i have to pretend in front of everyone else. even if i have to keep you a secret just a little longer. i’m not leaving you.”
his brows twitch — a quiet expression of protest even in sleep.
“you shouldn’t have to pretend,” he murmurs. “you deserve to be loved out loud.”
you press your forehead against his.
“i am loved out loud,” you reply. “by you.”
that makes him stir. he opens his eyes now, sleepy and glassy and gold in the low light.
“you’re sure?” he says.
you nod, then softly: “i’ve never been more sure of anything.”
he sits up slightly, blinking, hair a ruffled halo.
“you don’t have to protect me from your world, y/n,” he says, voice gravelly. “i’m strong. i’ll stand there with you. whatever people say. whatever your family thinks. i’ll wait however long you need. i’ll earn every inch of your life.”
your throat tightens.
“i don’t want you to wait,” you say. “i want you in it. not waiting at the edges. just… just give me time to show them. that it’s you. that it was always you.”
he leans forward and presses the softest kiss to your temple.
then, he says the same thing he whispered into your hair the first night you ever stayed this long in the studio, months ago, when he was shy to admit how badly he wanted you to stay:
“i’ve got all the time in the world.”
you let out a breath. a small one. a real one. and for the first time in days, the ache in your chest eases.
you end up sitting side by side on the studio floor with mugs of tea he brewed on the tiny electric kettle under his desk. you drink in silence for a few moments, legs pressed together, heads leaning against the wall.
then you speak, softly, barely louder than the hum of the outside wind through the sealed windows.
“do you think this lasts?”
he doesn’t ask what “this” means.
he just looks at you. and smiles.
“i don’t think love ends,” he says. “not the real kind.”
you swallow, slow.
“even if it changes?”
“it might change,” he nods. “it might grow, or shrink, or stretch itself around the seasons of our lives. but it doesn’t disappear. and mine for you… isn’t going anywhere.”
you close your eyes.
“i want forever,” you say, and you mean it. not in the dramatic, fairy tale way. not as a fantasy. but as a promise. as something simple and raw and real.
and he reaches out and takes your hand like it’s instinct. like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“you have it,” he says.
outside, the world begins to stir. trains groan in the distance. the city starts to wake.
but in here, in the little universe you’ve made with him under dim lights and scattered lyrics and the leftover scent of jasmine tea, everything is still. everything is soft.
and maybe the world still won’t understand.
maybe your family will take time.
maybe you’ll both carry the weight of being two people in love who don’t fit the boxes you were given.
but you’ll carry it together.
and that’s all you need.
𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑛𝘵 𝘵𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝘵 ୨ৎ @cosmicalily @hyunjiiza @modesttiger @woozarts @katsukis1wife @shotngun @reignessance @peskybirdysya @honeyybbuubblleess @ellemir2404 @4ng3l-ch1ld @urlocalmultigroupfan @its-stayville-forever @ashtxrie @minlixyaoi @shuuporanglinos @bobaluvzz @yourfavoriteakutagawakinnie @mhluvie @channieschocco @m-325 — fill out this form to be added !!
comments, likes, asks and reblogs are always appreciated !! req. are officially closed till the month of june. thank you for reading, hope you liked it <3
Nico Rosberg:
Translation: Congratulations on your last world title for now
Romain Grosjean:
Lewis Hamilton:
Adrian Sutil:
Translation: Seb, I congratulate you on your fast title no. 4. For that you speed away in every race, as if the rest of us are not even in cars. You deserve great respect for your performance and your talent. Nobody has given you anything. But please, in the future let other people win so that the sponsoring will stay on the track.
Jules Bianchi:
Daniel Riccardo:
Mark Webber:
Sergio Perez:
Jean Eric Vergne:
Charles Pic:
Esteban Gutierrez:
Since it was hard for me to read at the beginning so “ Congratulations for your 4th title… Don’t do more! All the best my friend.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL as Barbie (2023) movie posters
just thought this was worth seeing tbh 🤷♀️