Thunderbolts* (2025) dir. Jake Schreier
one thing about orpheus and eurydice is you guys are all like âiâm different i wouldnt turn to look at herâ because you are all familiar with the story of orpheus and eurydice. but orpheus wasnt familiar with the story because he was in it lol.
Summary: Whenever your soulmate sings a song, the lyrics would appear on a random place on your body, and disappear soon after the song ends. For you, your soulmate sings a lot, like A LOT, and itâs always Queen songs. So, you set off for a Queen concert, hoping to run into your soulmate. And when you finally find your soulmate, thereâs only one thing you could do.
Word Count: 3064
Warnings: Swearing
A/N: So I know Roger doesnât the whole time during concerts cause you know heâs up there drumming but weâre going to pretend he sings along the whole time while heâs drumming (although not in the microphone) for the purpose of the fic. I am devoted okay I looked up the set list for A Night At the Opera Tour so I could be accurate. Please tell me if you liked this because Iâm genuinely not sure about it, so please please please give feedback. Also, itâll be a bit boring in the beginning just bear with me :)
You smoothed out your white floral dress as you looked the mirror, and zipped up your knee-high tan suede boots. Your hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, with tiny curls sticking out. You were wearing minimal makeup; you had to look perfect tonight. You took one last look in the mirror, playing with the silver butterfly necklace that hung around your neck. âHow do I look?â You turned around with a grin on your face.
Your best friend, Kathleen, frowned as she sat on the bed. âDonât get me wrong, you look amazing but⊠Weâre going to a rock concert Y/N.â She said.
âI know I know, but what if I see him there? Itâll be his first time seeing me and Iâve got to look amazing.â You sighed. âMaybe I shouldnât go, maybe Iâm just getting hopeful⊠I just feel stupidâ You said, sitting down sadly on your bed, right next to her. You had gotten ready together at your apartment before leaving. Kathleen turned to you, and grabbed your hands.
âY/N, youâve been so excited to go, and youâre not stupid for wanting to find your soulmate. Iâve been talking you into going to this concert for weeks, trust me, youâre going.â Kathleen said, determined. âNow,â she held out her hand to you as she stood up. âWe have quite the drive to the venue, so letâs go.â
With an eye roll, you took her hand and she pulled you up. You followed her out to the car, the cold Chicago air nipped at your exposed legs. When Kathleen saw your slight shiver, she laughed, âTold you not to wear that⊠Although⊠You do look cute, your soulmate is going to go crazy.â She smiled.
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Pairing: Max Verstappen x Reader
Summary: Touch has always been your love language, until one overheard conversation makes you question everything. When you start to pull away Max realises just how deeply heâs come to need it.
2.7k words / Masterlist
Max always says youâre like a blanket come to life.
You cling. You cuddle. You drape yourself across him the second the opportunity arises. If Maxâs lap is free you claim it without hesitation. If heâs stretched out on the couch, youâre pressed against his side before he even blinks. Your hand finds his thigh during dinner, your fingers sneak into his back pocket when youâre walking together, and every morning, like clockwork, your nose tucks into the curve of his neck.
Itâs not something you think about, itâs instinct. Itâs how you express the things you sometimes struggle to say. How you offer comfort. How you say I love you.
And for the longest time Max never says a word about it.
He lets you curl up beside him during movie nights. He leans into your touch when you rub lazy circles into the back of his neck while heâs gaming, or when you lace your fingers with his under the table at dinner.
So you think, this is us. You think, this works.
Until one night, when you overhear something you werenât supposed to.
Itâs nothing serious. At least, not really.
Youâre padding back from the kitchen with a cup of tea, bare feet muffled by carpet when you hear Max talking on the phone on the balcony. His voice is low, casual. Heâs talking to Daniel you think. Laughing at something.
And then you catch it.
âYeah, you noticed huh? No sheâs super touchy, always has been. Like, always on me.â
A beat.
âNo, I donât mind it. Itâs just... Iâm not really used to it, you know?â
You freeze, feet still against the carpet. The tea sloshes slightly, forgotten in your hands.
He laughs again, easy and relaxed. âSheâs like a human magnet. If Iâm sitting, sheâs sitting on me. I swear sometimes I think sheâd climb into my skin if she could.â
Daniel says something you canât hear. Max chuckles. âNo, sheâs not annoying. Sheâs just... really affectionate.â
You donât stay to hear the rest.
Your fingers tighten around your mug as you quietly retreat, heart a little heavier than before. You curl back into bed without saying a word, staring at the ceiling while your tea goes cold on the nightstand.
Youâre not angry. He didnât say anything cruel. Not really.
But for the first time questions being to lodge in your chest like a thorn... do I touch him too much? Does he just tolerate it because he loves me?
And just like that, something in you begins to shift.
You're still beside him. Still laughing at his jokes, still making him breakfast. You kiss him good morning and smile across the table. From the outside nothing changes, but the little things in all the tiny invisible places, the things that used to come so naturally they stop.
You donât climb into his lap while heâs watching race replays, donât tuck your face into the slope of his shoulder like you used to. You donât slide your hand beneath the hem of his hoodie when you hug him from behind in the kitchen, fingers sneaking against warm skin. You donât curl into his side when the movie starts, donât tuck yourself under his arm like you belong there.
Instead you sit beside him on the couch with your legs tucked neatly under you, wrapped up tightly in a blanket like armour. A careful distance. A subtle retreat.
You keep your hands in your lap at dinner. You nod and listen and smile, but your fingers donât find his thigh. You donât reach for his hand beneath the table.
You still want to. God, do you want to.
Your whole body aches to reach for him, to run your fingers over his jaw, to smooth back his hair, to trace lazy shapes across his stomach. You miss the warmth of his skin, the steady beat of his heart under your cheek.
You miss being held without thinking twice, but now that youâve heard him say it out loud, that heâs not used to it, that heâs not like you, you canât unhear it. It loops in your mind when the silence stretches between you.
Slowly you start to convince yourself youâve been suffocating him. That maybe the way you love is too much for him. That maybe softness, when it clings like yours does, feels like smothering.
So you pull back, quietly, carefully, and hope he doesnât notice how much it hurts. Or worse that he does, and lets you do it anyway.
Max doesnât say anything at first, but after a few days he starts to notice.
A few inches of space on the couch. Your hand not finding his like it usually does. The way you don't crawl into his lap during breakfast, don't lean into his side during movies, don't rest your hand on his leg during long car rides.
At first he tells himself maybe youâre tired from work. Maybe itâs just one of those quiet moods that passes like the weather. He gives you space, the way people are always saying partners should.
But the distance doesnât fade.
It expands.
One morning he slips behind you in the kitchen to steal a piece of toast. Normally youâd laugh, youâd wrap your arms around his waist and bury your nose in his hoodie, but this time you step aside without touching him.
He frowns, just a quick flicker, then hides it, but his stomach twists violently anyway.
Itâs not like Max to spiral. Heâs not wired for emotional uncertainty he prefers problems he can fix with strategy, planning, control.
But this?
This isnât a problem he knows how to solve.
The way you sit on the far end of the couch, legs tucked under you, scrolling on your phone like itâs more comforting than him. You barely brush his arm when you slip into bed at night. When he tries to kiss your neck absentmindedly like he always does you duck away, not unkindly, but enough to make him panic
He tries not to panic, but thatâs what this feels like panic.
It gnaws at him over the next couple days. The silence between your fingers and his. The distance that didnât use to be there. The way you wonât look at him for too long, like he might read too much in your eyes.
Max isnât good with emotional guessing games. Heâs never been the type to bottle things up or pretend everythingâs fine when it isnât. He doesnât do insecure. He confronts things. Fixes things. Puts it all on the table and makes it make sense.
And Max doesnât know how to read silence the way he reads telemetry. He doesnât know how to fix something when he doesnât know where the break is.
He replays your interactions hunting for the mistake. Did he forget something important? Miss a signal? Are you sick or bored?
Is she pulling away because sheâs planning to leave?
The thought stops him in his tracks. His chest aches with it, sharp and sudden. He sits with it, stunned, rubs at his sternum like he can soothe the ache.
Youâre still sweet. Still say good luck before he gets into the car. Still text him updates about your day, what podcast you listened to, what ridiculous thing your coworker said. Still fold his shirts when he leaves them in a pile at the foot of the bed. Still laugh at the stupid jokes he makes when heâs overtired. You're still there.
But itâs different. Your body has gone quiet, your touch has gone still. Less warm. Less you.
And Max, who never thought heâd crave something so soft, so intangible starts to feel the absence like a phantom limb, it feels like someone turned off the sun and expects him not to notice. And it terrifies him because he doesnât know what he did to lose it, or how to ask for it back.
You can feel the ache in your chest growing stronger every day.
You donât want to stop touching him. You miss touching him. You miss his warmth, the way he instinctively leans into your touch even when heâs focused on something. You miss curling into his lap without thinking, his fingers combing through your hair like itâs second nature.
But now? Every time your hand so much as twitches toward him, doubt rushes in like cold water.
Am I smothering him again? Is this too much? Is this what he meant?
You thought you were just adjusting. Giving him the space you assume he needs. You told yourself it was mature, respectful, kind, but itâs starting to feel less like an adjustment and more like a punishment.
Every second you donât touch him? It hurts. In tiny, deceptive ways like a thousand paper cuts.
By the end of the next week, youâre sitting on the hotel bed in Jeddah, scrolling through your phone in silence, without reading a word, wrapped in one of his hoodies that still smells like his aftershave. Max pauses when he sees how far youâre sitting from the edge of the mattress. From him.
Thatâs when he finally speaks.
âDid I do something?â
You blink. âWhat?â
âYouâve been...â He trails off, eyes searching yours. âDistant.â
You hesitate. âNo, Iâm just tired.â
He studies your face for a long moment hoping youâll offer somthing more, but when nothing comes he doesnât push. Just nods slowly, then climbs into bed beside you.
You donât cuddle him that night.
You face the other way, pretending to scroll while your chest feels like itâs being wrung out.
Max doesnât say anything, but you feel the shift, the slight dip of the mattress, the warmth of his body inching closer in the dark, not quite touching. He stops just shy of you, like he wants to reach out but doesnât know if heâs allowed to, like heâs hoping youâll turn around and meet him there.
It takes until Sunday night, after the race for everything to crack open.
Youâre both back at the hotel. Max steps out of the shower, hair damp and curling slightly at the ends, sweatpants slung low on his hips. Youâre perched on the window seat, knees pulled to your chest, phone resting forgotten in your lap as you stare out over Jeddahâs lights.
You think maybe youâll just go to sleep early. Then Max sits beside you.
He doesnât say anything at first. Just sits close enough to feel the heat off your arm. Heâs never been good at this part, the vulnerable bit. The what if itâs in my head bit. The what if Iâm asking for something she doesnât want to give me anymore bit.
The part where he has to name the thing thatâs been gnawing at him for weeks. The part where he has to admit he's scared heâs already lost something and just hasnât caught up to it yet.
Heâs spent enough time memorising the way you speak when you're lying. You donât flinch or fumble. You just get quieter. Softer. Like youâre afraid the truth will hurt more than the silence.
But he needs the truth now, because heâs been tying himself in knots trying to figure it out. Replaying conversations in his head, wondering if he forgot someoneâs birthday or crossed a line or said something he shouldnât have.
And now all he wants is to be close. To be touched. Held. Seen.
âAre you sure youâre okay?â he asks, voice low, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.
âYeahâŠâ you say, trailing off.
And then, when you donât say anything else, something in your eyes flickers and he just knows.
Maxâs heart kicks hard in his chest, the kind of lurch he only gets right before lights out. He swallows, throat dry, like heâs one bad move away from losing something he doesnât know how to live without.
âI miss you,â he says, voice quiet. âEven when youâre right here.â
You close your eyes. Then you look at him, really look, and something in you gives. Like youâve been carrying a weight for days and itâs finally too much to hold, too much to hide.
âI heard you,â you say.
His brow furrows. âHeard me?â
âOn the phone,â you clarify. âWith Daniel. A couple of weeks agoâ
Maxâs pauses for a second, trying to remember, and then his stomach drops.
âYou heard that?â
You nod slowly, eyes still on the window. âYou said Iâm always on you. That Iâm really touchy. That youâre not used to it.â
His expression shifts, jaw tight, eyes suddenly filled with something that looks a lot like guilt.
âI didnât mean to eavesdrop. I wasnât trying to. But after that...â You pull your sleeves over your hands, voice quieter now. âI started wondering if Iâd been overwhelming you. If I was too muchââ
âWait, babyââ
âI didnât want to make you uncomfortable, force you into something you donât want.â you rush on. âSo Iâve been trying to give you space. I thought thatâs what you wanted.â
Maxâs heart actually hurts.
He didnât even realise how it mightâve sounded. He remembers the conversation now, half-distracted, casual, him laughing while Daniel joked about your human magnet tendencies. It hadnât meant anything to him, just a passing comment⊠but it had meant everything to you.
âHey,â he says, reaching for your hand. âLook at me.â
You look up. Maxâs brows are drawn together. He looks devastated.
âI swear I never meant that in a bad way,â he says. âI wasnât complaining. I was just⊠explaining it. Iâve never been with someone as affectionate as you, it caught me off guard at first sure. But I love it. I love the way you love me.â
A beat. His voice softens.
âWhen you stopped reaching for me, I didnât know what to do. Iâve been going crazy wondering why it felt like you were slipping away.â
You bite your lip, blinking quickly. âI thought I was just annoying you, that you were putting up with it because you love me, not because you wanted it.â
His forehead drops to yours, hands sliding to your waist, holding tight. âNo. God, no. Baby, itâs the best part of my day. You crawling into my lap, always reaching for me. It makes me feel wanted... like I matter, like I make you feel safe.â
He leans back just slightly, fingers sliding to your jaw, cradling it gently.
âIâm so sorry,â he says, eyes locked on yours. âIf I made you feel like you were too much. If I made you doubt what we have. That was never what I meant. I hate that I hurt you. I hate that you thought you had to pull away from me just to make me comfortable.â
Your lips part slightly, like you're shocked by the weight of his words.
âI didnât know what to do,â he admits. âWatching you pull away, thinking maybe Iâd done something. I was scared I lost you and didnât even know when it happened.â
âI wasnât,â you whisper. âI swear I wasnât pulling away from you⊠at least not like that, I just thought I was doing the right thing.â
âI know that now,â he says. âBut please donât stop. Donât ever stopâ
Your arms are around him before he finishes the sentence.
He exhales into your neck, like heâs been holding his breath for days. Pulls you into his lap like heâs afraid youâll vanish again. His hands spread across your back, and for the first time in a while something in him settles.
You crawl further into his lap like itâs where you belong. Arms around his neck. Fingers threading into his hair. He exhales like someone finally handed him back something precious.
âI missed you,â he murmurs, voice muffled against your skin.
âIâm right here.â
He pulls back, eyes soft. âDonât stop being you, okay? Promise me.â
You nod. âPromise.â
Later, curled up in bed, you trace lazy lines across his chest with your fingertips.
âYou really donât mind?â you ask sleepily.
âMind?â he echoes, mouth brushing your forehead. âI crave you.â
You smile into his skin, small and shy.
He kisses your hair again. âYou ruined me.â
âGood,â you murmur, already drifting.
Youâre here. Wrapped around him, where you belong.
And Max? Max feels like he can finally breathe again.
Youâre in love with him, and heâs in love with you, and itâs like a goddamn tragedy, because you look at him and see the stars, and he looks at you and sees the sun. And you both think the other is just looking at the ground.
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