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silksandcravats · 4 years ago

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All Tied Up - Viscount!Kylo

Once again I find myself taking my sweet time with the backstory kylo piece so in its place please accept another piece of viscount!kylo smut <3

Lady Ren stumbles across a rather indecent piece of literature which leads to her taken certain sexual liberties with her husband OR reader insert ties Kylo to the bed.

masterlist

Warnings/contents: fem!reader, bondage, PIV sex, unprotected sex, regency era, reader still has limited sexual knowledge, historical inaccuracies probably

You fidgeted with the ribbons in your hand, turning them over and over again. Blue felt like as good a colour as any to use. It was a wicked idea, surely not one that might be expected from a gently bred lady such as yourself. But then, the idea wasn’t originally yours, that terribly indecent book was to blame. And it’s not like you sought the book out! You had only been seeking out the newest Jane Austen novel, which had the town abuzz (though the opinion of the female author herself was rather mixed).

You, unfortunately, had been rather late to hearing about the work, meaning there was not a copy to be spared in all of Mayfair. Not to be deterred, you had linked arms with your ladies maid, and bribed one of your coachmen a whole two pounds to take you into the city. (The act of bribery had become necessary after the man expressed concern that the Viscount might not approve of your excursion, he was right of course but you were not easily dissuaded.)

Whilst scouring the shelves of that London bookshelf, you noticed a book at the end of the row had been turned down so the spine was hidden and pushed back slightly as if someone had been trying to hide it. Upon further inspection you found the title to be, “The art of Basketweaving”.

How curious, you thought to yourself, turning the book over in your hands. Why would anyone have need to hide this?

It took only a brief look inside for you to realise the book had nothing to do with baskets at all. Your cheeks grew very hot and you slammed the book shut, not wanting to be caught reading it, at least not here. And so in the end you returned to Mayfair with a very different sort of book.

Which lead you up to now, sitting in your bedchambers, awaiting your husband who should return from parliament any time now. You turned the book open to study the position once more. It was the most devious, most erotic drawing you had ever seen. The way the man’s wrists had been crossed over and snuggly tied to the bedpost, the way the woman on top appeared to be lowering herself onto him, you had to admit you hadn’t even known it was possible!

You slammed the book quickly when you heard approaching footsteps you knew belonged to your husband. You hid the book in the top drawer of your writing desk, beneath loose stationery, and pushed the door shut.

The Viscount used your first name to greet you, coming into the room just as you tossed the ribbons onto the bed.

“Hello darling,” you smiled turning to face him. You felt slightly nauseous as you watched his eyes flicker briefly to the ribbon on the bed. You made yourself take a deep breath as he turned back to you, trying to force your nerves to calm, he didn’t know what you were up to, he couldn’t.

“I did not expect to find you here at this time of day,” he spoke walking towards you. You hated when he looked at you this way - like he already knew all of your secrets, but you knew you couldn’t look away, that would be as good as branding yourself with the word “guilty”.

“I was hoping we might enjoy each other’s company for a while, before dinner,” you did your best to sound innocent, snaking your arms around his neck.

“Is that so?” He queried, his hands coming down to grasp your waist.

“Yes,” you breathed, tipping your face up to meet his. He kissed you briefly, before pulling back.

“And what might be the occasion?”

“No occasion,” you shook your head, tugging slightly at his cravat. He hummed thoughtfully but didn’t reply, allowing you to pull the material free. You knew he was suspicious, but he didn’t push, allowing you to pull through his layers. His hands roamed you, undressing you at a much slower pace than you were him. And so when you finished you splayed your hands across his chest, and leaned forward, kissing slowly up his torso.

“You’re very eager,” he noted, finally removing your drawers.

“Is such a sin to want one’s husband?” You looked up at him through your lashes, hoping to replace his curiosity with lust.

“Not at all,” He smirked, pulling your now naked form closer to him and kissing you again. You knew you had to be careful here, one wrong move and you would end up below him, and then you might as well forget your plans. You let your hands roam him a moment longer and slowly, slowly backed him up to the bed and then-

“I know you left Mayfair today,” He broke away, speaking down to you. Your brows furrowed.

“How did you-”

“I gave him five pounds.”

He then took you by surprise, dropped back on the bed, and pulling you along on top of him. This was good, now he was right where you wanted him.

“Five?” You gasped, trying to linger on the topic of staff rather than your unauthorised outing. “We shall be out a coachman when he runs off with his new fortune.”

His fingertips grazed the flesh of your hips, tracing your skin, his touch was sinful but you couldn’t allow yourself to bask in it now, you needed his hands higher up. Your situation was still quite precarious after all, he might flip you onto your back at any moment.

“I don’t know what was more foolish, you leaving Mayfair or thinking I wouldn’t know,” he admonished. You grasped his hands, feeling pleased when he cooperated, and dragged them up slowly.

“I did bring Daisy along,” you pointed out, frowning innocently.

“I’m beginning to believe I allow you too many liberties, perhaps I ought to take you in hand,” He spoke suggestively, the meaning of his words not lost on you. His eyes were darkening, you were running out of time, if you were going to act it had to be now.

“Actually,” you leaned in.

All at once, you took over. In a speed even you hadn’t known you possessed, you snatched up your hair ribbons, which were already within arms reach, and shoved his wrists against the headboard, tossing one over the other and tied them to the spot, quickly and firmly. You prayed it was tight enough.

“I should like to take a few more liberties before the day is through,” your lips ghosted over his, your stomach lurched at the boldness of your actions but you held your composure.

“You devilish woman,” he pulled his head back from you, leaning against the pillow to look up at your handiwork. He survived the bonds for a moment but made no effort to yank free, instead he sighed.

“That was very clever of you darling,” he admitted, turning his gaze from his hands to meet you again. “But what do you plan to do now that you have me?”

“A great many things I should think,” you spoke boldly. You reached down and grasped his length, first loosely, then you tightened a bit, give him a few teasing strokes. You watched proudly as his already partially hard cock grew firmer in your grip, fully standing at attention now. Still in the first bloom of marriage, you hadn’t mastered his body yet. You were still learning the best ways to touch and tease.

A few drops were beginning to collect at his tip so you swiped your thumb along his slit, collecting the moisture, the contact making him hiss. And then, feeling incredibly vulgar, you lifted your thumb to your mouth and licking slowly. Kylo let out a shameless moan in response, watching you with great interest. This was going very well indeed.

“And where might my sweet little wife get such a wicked idea from?” He quirked a brow, watching your hand work him. Even now, bound to the bed he looked calm and collected, and perhaps even somehow still in control. In fact, he looked almost as if he was lying in the garden of your country home, basking in the summer sun.

You didn’t answer. He was fully and entirely erect now and so you pulled away, leaning up on his thighs and looking down at him with determination. Your hand slipped between your legs and you touched yourself, pushing two fingers inside of yourself and moving them in a sort of scissoring motion the way Kylo always did before he took you. It wasn’t the same of course, your fingers were smaller and you couldn’t work yourself open the same way, but you did your best given your position.

“If you need help wife, you need but ask,” he chimed, watching you touch yourself. His demeanour was still collected but there was a hunger in his eyes, clearly you weren’t the only one who wished it was his fingers plunged inside of you.

“That’s quite alright husband,” you shook your head, pulling your fingers away and moving above him. You grasped him again aligning himself to your opening and taking a deep breath.

“Go ahead, darling.”

Perhaps he was asking you to hurry along because he was eager, but it was also possible his words were encouraging, and you couldn’t have him thinking you were nervous, so you briskly lowered yourself all the way down, filling yourself to the brim. You both moaned loudly at your action.

You hadn’t been able to open yourself up as well as he does, so the stretch of him burned more deeply than you were used to causing you to wince. Being on top you knew you had all the time you would like to adjust, but you couldn’t give your husband the satisfaction of knowing how affected you were.

And so you adjusted slightly and, -consequential soreness be damned- you began rocking yourself on top of him, up and down. The third time you moved you went too far and he slipped out of you. You nearly cursed but instead you simply repositioned and tried again.

It took you a few tries to set a rhythm, and Kylo, knowing when and when to not tease his wife, kept his amusement to himself as best he could while you gathered your bearings. Finally, you slipped into a fluid pattern, bouncing on top of him rather pleasantly.

Whenever Kylo bedded you, he fully sheathed himself with every single thrust, knocking against something deep inside of you, and he couldn’t help but notice that now that it was your turn you made sure to never drop all the way down. Not because you didn’t enjoy the feeling, he knew you liked it quite a bit, but rather he realised it was too intense for you to subject yourself to.

It felt wonderful to have him this way, but it was taking quite a bit of energy to maintain your pace and you were beginning to develop a newfound sense of respect that he was able to ravish you so frequently and for so long. You knew you’d be able to finish this way, and you were fairly sure he could too, and so you willed yourself to carry on. It wasn’t until you begin to pant softly that Kylo couldn’t resist speaking up.

“You seem to be overexerting yourself, dear, shall I take over for you?” He cooed, his voice sweet and heavy like honey. It was a tempting proposition, to roll over and let him have you, but you finally held power in your grasps, and who knows when you might have it again?

“N-no,” you shook your head violently, picking up the speed even though your muscles were screaming, begging you to stop.

“Very well, come here then,” he nodded once, urging you toward him. You complied, sliding your hands further up his chest and leaning down to kiss him. Once he had your mouth on him he began to move beneath you, rocking up in time with you so that the next time you came down he slid farther inside of you knocking against your cervix making you screech his name, and then he did it again, and again.

“Touch yourself for me,” he groaned against your mouth. And so you did without thinking, having to shift in the process so you could reach, which only allowed him to further space to thrust up into you. You couldn’t believe it, he was topping from the bottom?

“Oh Kylo!” you exclaim, jolting when your fingers found your own little bud.

“That’s it darling,” he groaned, his own composure beginning to cripple, “come with me.” Your chest tightened, your rocking had grown sloppy and he was doing the bulk on the work now, he pushed up into you once, twice more and then your world shattered. Your eyes squeezed shut and your head tilted back, your mouth falling ajar. You felt him finish inside of you, gushing around your walls.

You were breathing heavily, even after the effects of your release had faded, feeling utterly and completely exhausted.

“That was excellent my love,” he spoke, and before you had the chance to free him, he tugged away from the bonds all on his own. The ribbons fell to the bed and you realised he had merely been allowing you to believe you had him subdued. He leaned up to wrap his arms around you, pulling you down to the bed. In instant, you were lying on your back and he on his side, holding you tenderly and wrapping you up in sheets.

“But in the future, I should think it better suited if you were the one in bondage, dear wife.” He dropped a swift kiss on your cheek. “And we will be having a discussion later about your little trip.”

TAGLIST - @mrs-zimmerman @maryforyou @ellenmunn @tashastrange89 @morby @clydesfavoritegirl @mariesackler @fizzywoohoo @reyloaddict55 @the-unmanaged-mischief @loganluckylover @boltonbritreads @cornmousequeen @lessismorestuff @icarusinthesea

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click here to join the taglist!

#visocunt!kylo #kylo ren #kylo ren smut #kylo ren x reader #kylo ren imagine #kylo ren fic #regency!kylo #regency au #kylo ren x you #adam driver x you #ben solo #ben solo smut #kylo ren writing #adam driver smut #ben solo writing #kylo ren fluff

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sofijaeger · 4 years ago

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hey, it's my first time doing any request so i'm little embarrassed but i'm excited too!! i love your writing so much<33 i had this in my mind for a while

Eren's s/o kissing his palms/hands or the spots where he usually bites his hand when he's about to transform

it can be anything(like drabble/headcanons etc. i hope you get me😭) once again I LOVE YOUR WRITING SM!!

that is so frickin adorable STOP I LOVE YOU AND YOUR BRAIN🥺 you can always request things to me, i’m not sure how soon i’ll get onto them but i will try my best and i love hearing from you!

okay i’m actually really proud of this one haha! the drabble will take place during the reclaim of shiganshina arc if that’s alright, and psa i scared myself writing a certain line because i had no clue how i was going to proceed after implying a major death LMAO. i think you’ll know what line i’m taking about but don’t worry nothing happens lol.

warnings: angst... IM SORRY🥲

words: 1.1k

kissing vow ~ eren x reader

Dawn quickly rose over the well-known territory. The part of land that was whispered upon for years ever since its fall, and a place strangely familiar to all your ears and hearts even if you hadn’t traveled there yourself. After the trip into the midnight wilderness you had arrived for a mission far greater than any other, and it was clear there were no visible signs of doubt from anyone.

Except for of course, the young boy with more pressure on his chest than anyone, one you cared for very dearly who’d call almost every shot with his actions. He was frightened beyond compare, so as the last few squads stood atop Wall Maria, urgently waiting for any signal, Eren was practically pissing himself right then and there. He had returned, devised a plan with all the leading commanders in just a few days, and was now preparing to risk his life for his homeland and people. There was no moment of rest for him or any of you. Besides the constant worry of succeeding the mission this very well may be the last time any of you see each other again.

You shout out his last name, once, twice, as he was too far in his own head to hear your first call and jog to him, gripping your delicate fingers over his shoulders. In the years you’ve spent together as scouts those small releases of tension-touching had become a clear sign you wanted each other’s attention, and you both caught onto the gesture quite quickly. Eren softened his eyes in your presence to notion just how focused he was on you. His subconscious would always allow his gaze to wander to you and what you had to say, he felt calmer that way.

“I already see you getting all inside your head, I thought talking about this on the journey here would be enough for you?” you whisper, leaning your head a little closer in attempt to understand what possibly was rumbling through his mind now.

“What if we lose”

“What?”

“I can’t bear to see us all lose! If we waited a little longer, a few more days, maybe we could have advised a plan that wouldn’t risk half the corps’ lives!” He tangled his hand in his hair, gripping the shaggy strands already coming loose from the stress he overdrove himself into. Your hands soften against the thick cloth of his cape, frowning at the few tears pricking his eyelids.

“Er, you’re more than welcome to cry to me later, just not now.” you chuckle.

“How are you so sure there’ll be a later y/n.”

You mouth opens before you can process your words, watching his cheek crane over to rest on the back of your hand that still lay against his collar. Here was humanity’s savior more worried than everyone minutes before call, but that you were perfectly fine with. This side to him was all the more proof that he was human, no matter what people labeled his being as.

“How am I sure? Bold of you to question my predictions Jaeger.” you exaggerate, placing your hands on your hips in a sneer. “I’m certain i’ll come back alive, and why? Because your protecting me with ever passionate fiber in your body, just as you will everyone else. You’re fighting for our justice against these monsters, the ones with no mind or cause. You have a cause to fight Eren and you have a heart too, a damn big one if I do say so myself. It’s the reason we support you with in the entireties of our own.”

With that, you intertwine your fingers around his right thumb, softly calloused to the touch he notes time and time again, and place it in front of your mouth to kiss. His body tenses at the feeling, but his eyes widen when he realizes where exactly you’ve placed it, your trust in him, where you’ve unknowingly hinted your years of growing affection for the boy in the heap of a split second.

Over the bitten scars littered down his radial.

He looks at you in confirmation of what he thinks it meant, and smiles into those fierce doe eyes of yours. A genuine emotion he hasn’t felt in months through grieving and loss, but could so easily melt into again with you.

So yes, he held a dangerous power, but it was all his. Something his true self was a part of that no one should ever neglect, and he found all the support he needed within the soldier right before him.

“Knock em dead Ren, do your best for everyone who’s lived and who will continue to. None of us would be standing here without you, so your presence alone is precious to us...

...We all believe in you, I believe in you.”

You guide his palm to your cheek, nuzzling into its claminess. As he engraves the plush feeling of his fingertips to your skin, a green smoke signal is fired.

And even when Eren was positive not everyone could be saved, he was reminded the ones following the biggest goals in the end would persevere and care for each other just as you had for him. He was confident you’d all succeed that way.

Like Armin now does over Commander Erwin,

Or little Gabi rather than Sasha, no matter what unjust brainwashing she believes.

But him or you, who would risk their own life caring for whom they loved most?

That was one thing he never wanted to find out.

Now he slouches in a rotten, stoned cell, contemplating what could’ve changed if only he had tried a little harder, or had this all been fate from the start?

His hand resting in his lap catches his glance, peering down at the bite marks still evident across his thumb. Surely if the marks he made as a teen persisted your kiss would too.

He slowly brings his hand up, cautious of any guards mistaking the move for another transformation, and presses his lips against the same spot you had. He closes his eyes at the warmth, sensing it was still emitting from your own lingering touch years ago. Unfortunately there had been no more little kisses, subtle clues of affection from either of you ever since. He liked those hints he really did, but now he was sure you stood a few floors above him, devising a plan to put an end to his scheme rather than caring over his emotions.

Weren’t you the one who told him to keep going though?

Perhaps if he had told you his motives beforehand rather than keeping them inside. How he appreciated every act of tenderness you gave him, more than anything he’s experienced before, how all this time he’s fought on this battlefield people called the world, for you and everyone else. Maybe then you’d stay out of his way and let him succeed, but his actions had no time for feelings or explanations. The freedom he desperately searched for in the future held no care for the past.

Yet he could never lie to himself and think you didn’t love him still, even after all this time. And Eren couldn’t deny anything about his own feelings for you, it’s what kept him going.

#JUST BUSTED THIS SHIT OUT MAN FEELING PROUD #sofi drabs #eren x reader #sofi time #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #anime #eren yeager #eren jaeger #eren aot #snk eren #eren x you #fanfic #eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager x reader #eren yeager x you #eren jaeger x you

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bexalex · 1 year ago

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alex laughs, well accustomed to ren's dry sense of humor. honestly, he likes it. it blends well with alex's own humor, somewhere between lame dad jokes and a matter-of-fact delivery that's not quite as 'dead inside' as ren's can be. more than having good chemistry as teammates and collaborators when they streamed, they made good friends. it's probably why ren was the only ex-teammate alex managed to stay in close contact with since his contract with g-force was terminated.

"sorry grandma, you might need a new home," he pats the box just solidly enough to make a good noise against the cardboard, though not so much so that he'd actually break anything. he might pretend to be an asshole sometimes but he's not a total dick. "please tell me she was a sweet old lady who donated her last penny to charity before kicking the bucket. i really want to feel like a piece of shit today," he jokes, taking ren's fictitious tale and running with it until he drives the bit into the ground.

despite the conversation taking on a more serious tone, alex remains fairly lighthearted. he doesn't like playing pretend or keeping anything suppressed or hidden about himself, not on a normal day at least, but he's playing his emotions pretty close to the chest right now. it's not his own feelings that he wants to figure out right now. he's reading ren instead and trying not to influence his reactions with any perceived prompting.

he scans ren over during the silence, noting the genuine surprise, how no one seemed to have told ren what they were planning to do once he's suddenly whisked out of the g-force family and into idol trainee life. why would they? ren is an outgoing captain, leaving his team in the middle of the season. it's not like they could count on him to help the other, younger members of the crew through the transition; he's the one leaving after all. there's some relief in knowing that ren hasn't kept any secrets from him, but alex isn't really sure what to make of his response anyway.

"what are you sorry for?" he half-shrugs, the question genuine. "unless you think it's a bad thing," he manages a joke and a half-smile, though the tension still sits in his jaw, just behind his lips.

ren asks him the question he's been asking himself over and over again, and alex can only sigh. if only he knew the answer, if only it were so simple. "i don't know," he decides honesty is the best policy. "i loved this team, you know. but i'm getting kinda old for esports, and i haven't really touched overwatch since i left. and i'd have to leave my new team. it'd be... different. you wouldn't be here." he shrugs again. he wonders if ren will understand what he means; the space left behind by the captain is not one so easily filled even by an ex-teammate and ongoing friend. he knows he'll feel the emptiness of the spaces ren used to take up in this team, not to mention just the... general weirdness of coming back to something that's not quite the same.

"plus," he scowls this time without hiding his disdain, "i'm not really sure i can trust the manager, y'know? they might just use me to plug the hole and then replace me with someone younger next season anyway. they dropped me so quickly once." he shakes his head, no loyalty. but alex still felt loyalty to g-force, so much so that he couldn't bring himself to play the game professionally with a different team. the difference might be what makes him still feel uneasy now.

and here he'd thought the surreal whirlwind of next gen's influence would have ended with the season. yet here he is, moving out of the only home he's known in korea in a stark reminder that he has always existed on the peninsula as a contracted asset to one company or another. but even as nothing but a former employee of his esports team, it feels strange to leave this compact family, to watch the young players he's come to know as brothers file out of his old room, each one laughing and joking over the cardboard boxes they carry to the building's lobby below.

he doesn't want to leave them, but he knows he has to. he was living on g-force's dime, and now he will live on studio delta's instead. it's just that delta's dime feels significantly smaller.

"just my great grandma's ashes," he jokes morbidly in return, tone deadpan and unbothered, just as his closest friends are used to, in a way that would be difficult to determine as humor to anyone a little less experienced with his fatalistic nature, "nothing too important."

it must be even weirder for alex, who had to make this exact move-out, only to find himself on another team, in another esport altogether. they used to share this room, and now they'll leave it starkly empty when they're done. it's just a box of notebooks and sheet music, but it suddenly feels even heavier in his grasp.

then alex pipes up with something that is definitely not a joke, and it makes ren pause: nobody informed him they were looking at alex as a replacement. shouldn't he have a right to know, as exiting team captain? he could have warned alex first, or talked to him himself, or braced the team just in case he refuses. then he remembers how abruptly his own contract was ended, right in the middle of the season, leaked to the public before his teammates could even be properly informed, bought out by industry money that'll only add to his inevitable trainee debt. ren decides he's lucky they didn't just shove all his belongings in trash bags and pile them up on the sidewalk.

"oh," it's all he can manage at first, adjusting his hold on the mid-sized box in his arms and tucking it snugly under his chin, "'m sorry. i didn't know."

then he asks, because he can't help it, because he has to, because he can't think of anyone he'd rather attempt to fill his shoes, "are you gonna take it?"

#p: moving on #renxbe #reminder im on the new post editor so can only use xkit rewritten trim reblogs

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shadowgeist-stars · 3 years ago

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Ren x Gakushu: Nightmares

Ren was standing in the Chairman's office, watching the man pace around him, Araki, Seo, and Koyama with practiced, measured steps. His words were almost entirely unintelligible, but his voice was just like always. The same eerie, low tenor that made his skin try to crawl off his body, like he suddenly had some kind of flesh-eating disease.

Suddenly the monster struck. A huge fleshy mass with eyes so big that they overlapped one another on its face. A mouth so wide and sharply fanged that it could swallow anyone whole and shred them apart in its jaws anyway. Before he knew it, there was an agonizing sting at the back of his head and the better part of his back. Ren was somehow thrown against the wall, pain tearing against his sternum and surrounding ligaments making it nearly impossible to breathe. The others were no different, as if they were flung just as woefully unprepared into the same MMA fight that he was in.

Then he realized all of their bodies hadn't even moved.

For all intents and purposes, their minds had been violently punted from each of their bodies, leaving them as empty shells that did nothing but chant an insatiable desire to kill E-Class. If Ren didn't have trouble breathing before, he was all but suffocating now. It only got worse when Gakushu reentered the room, only to call out to Ren and the others in horror. The mix of anger, disgust, and outright fear with which he stared at his father and his pet beast nearly wrenched his racing heart clear out of his chest.

“Gakushu, please… I'm right here…”

He forced his ghostly form to stand up. Dizziness spun his vision every which way. His shaking feet didn't feel anything close to steady as he tried to stumble toward his friend. The monster over the principal's shoulder only pounced again, painfully crushing his throat in its clawed grip as he could only face that menacing, unnatural grin. Darkness was beginning to dot his vision as it blurred with tears. He reached helplessly for his best friend with whatever vanishing strength he had left, as it all went cold and dark and --

Ren's eyes shot open with a gasp, heart pounding and breathing as if he'd just endured one of Gakushu's soccer games. He lay frozen and tense in his bed, clutching his bed covers and staring at nothing but his own bedroom floor as he slowly willed himself to calm down.

After he finally deemed himself calmed from the nightmare, (and telling himself that No, panic-brain, my blazer that I keep hung on my door is not a monster that's here to kill me) he sat up in his bed and checked the time on his alarm clock.

Only a few minutes after 3 o’clock, in the morning.

Ren grimaced to himself, running a hand through his stupid bedhead. Either Seo or Koyama would probably laugh about some kind of joke related to the time that he’s almost certain he’d rather not hear. However, he just thought it was too darn early to be up, even with something like a very graphic memory/nightmare to blame.

The principal monster from his nightmare flashed behind his eyes, in its own twisted "speak of the devil." What better way of being told by one's own brain that going back to sleep at that moment was not an option?

…Maybe a cup of tea or something warm (and uncaffeinated) would settle him down enough to help.

With a sigh, he got out of bed, pulled on a shirt, and headed to the kitchen.

He knew the house well enough that he didn't have to turn on the lights. He knew every place where the floors creaked, exactly where to stick to the walls and where to simply keep a light foot. The tiny nightlights in the halls kept it just visible enough that one didn't have to stumble around in complete darkness.

Many years ago, traversing his house at night was a game to Ren. One where his eyes sported beams of light to help him see. A game in which the dark wasn’t a monster to fear, but his playmate.

When he reached the kitchen, he breathed a soft sigh of relief. He grabbed a mug from the dish cabinet, but before he could do anything else, he noticed a light.

Light that was coming from the living room TV, partly shadowed by a figure on the couch.

Ren had a feeling he knew who that was. Guess I’m not the only one having a rough night.

With that in mind, he grabbed a second mug before pulling the jar of dried chamomile from the back of a different cabinet, fixing some tea with it.

The person on the couch didn’t respond to any noise he made, which meant one of two things: he was either quite aware of his presence and simply waiting for Ren to reveal himself, or he was out of it to the point of somehow not noticing the brunette was even there.

With someone like Gakushu Asano, there was no in-between with those two possibilities.

The moment the tea was ready, Ren poured it into the two mugs, a small voice in the back of his mind reminding him to put some sugar in Gakushu’s mug. He likes his tea sweetened a little. It’ll help him calm down more easily if he’s tense or had a nightmare, and right now he's possibly both.

He glanced at whatever he was watching on TV, which was turned down so low he couldn’t quite hear it. A documentary: his go-to for calming down from a bad dream. Crime or historic ones usually mean something relatively tame. But this one’s a nature documentary; he only goes to those things when it’s really bad.

The taller boy took a deep breath before heading over, humming a familiar tune and making sure to seek out the one floorboard he knew would creak. A word of advice from a friend, so as to not scare him once in his line of sight.

The redhead made an almost unnoticeable jolt before bright purple eyes met his. (So he really was out of it to a point he didn't know I was there, or at least hyperfixating on the TV.) He was wrapped in a throw blanket and had his legs laid across the length of the couch; he was probably planning on sleeping there if he was able to calm down enough.

“Ren… How long have you been up?” he asked, shifting around to sit properly on the sofa.

He chuckled, setting down the mugs on the coffee table until he was sitting down beside his boyfriend. “Obviously not as long as you.” His smile became a frown when he got no snarky response. “Nightmares keeping you up, too, huh?”

The shorter boy only nodded once, taking his mug when it was offered. “I hoped to be able to sleep again, after getting my mind off of it… And I didn’t expect to be discovered."

Ren hummed, sipping his own beverage. "…It was the brainwashing incident on my end… Araki saying it felt like an out-of-body experience was pretty accurate."

The ginger didn't seem too surprised. "…It was partially that exact incident for myself… and also the immediate aftermath of the pole-toppling match. I still find it hard to forget how badly Kevin and the other exchange students were injured, because of him… it was so severe that they all had to return to their home countries, once they'd recovered enough to do so."

The others didn’t hear much of that when it happened beyond when the paramedics showed up at the school. At the time, they all knew better than to ask while the wound was still fresh. Then again, it wasn’t like he would’ve been coherent enough to elaborate on the situation anyway, given how he fell asleep on the ride home.

"Least they don't have to worry about him hurting them again now…" he replied finally, "or anyone, to be honest. Especially not you." He pulled the strawberry blond boy into his side. "I think you remember well enough… how worried I was when he hit you in front of everybody."

The shorter boy’s exhale reverberated with exhaustion as his head drooped on his lover’s shoulder, followed by the sound of him emptying his mug. “Not as much as I wish I did… but at the same time more than I care to admit. It’s exhausting just thinking about it.”

The brunette smiled sadly at the sheer amount of fatigue in his tone, giving his shoulder a squeeze before finishing his own drink. "All the same, we can say that we're safe from him, and that in itself means a lot… By the way, I would've been alright with you coming over to my room after you woke up from your nightmare."

That only earned him a sleepy, yet sour look. "Why would I do that? I'm not a toddler, Ren."

The brunette snickered, using a thumb and index finger to get the other to face him. "Maybe not, but it's not childish to be afraid or need someone else, even for just a little company. Haven't you felt any better since I came out here?"

Gakushu tried to avert his face. "I suppose you could say that…"

Begrudging victory; I'll take it.

He smiled as he leaned in to kiss the shorter boy. He slipped his tongue in easily, tasting the chamomile's aftermath and practically feeling the remnants of Gakushu's tension and traces of his own nightmare disappear into the documentary's white noise. The ginger all but melted into his arms, the long and lazy kiss bearing down on his eyelids with sleep in a wave of honeyed warmth. Pulling away showed a pair of hazy purple eyes struggling to open again, on an adorable, blushing face.

“I love you, Gakushu; sweet dreams.”

The shorter boy gave a slow, cat-like blink, snuggling further against the taller boy. “Hmm… love you too… Ren…”

Ren chuckled at his slurred speech as he took Gakushu's empty mug from his hands, placing it and his own mug on the coffee table. Afterwards he turned off the TV, pulling Gakushu along as he shifted them around, until they were now both laying sideways on the couch, with a red-haired head on his chest. He managed to resituate the throw blanket over them both, draping long arms over his beloved; one settling across his waist, the other scratching his scalp in rhythmic circles.

He leaned into the crevice between the couch cushion and backrest with a contented sigh. With the weight and warmth of his boyfriend in his arms and the steady whispering breeze of breath in his ears and over his chest, the image of the former principal and the big-eyed monster was nothing more than a fading memory. They were both safe here, in this homey little bubble. Pressing a final kiss to his boyfriend's crown, he laid his own head down and closed his eyes, letting sleep carry him away on a far more welcoming cloud.

It wasn’t the first time they had such nightmares, and it may well be far from the last, but for now, they could sleep without fear, and that was enough.

#assassination classroom #gakushu asano #ren sakakibara #ren x gakushu #rengaku #asaren #asano gakushu #sakakibara ren #ansatsu kyoushitsu #i like rarepairs okay?

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djarrex · 4 years ago

Text

Countermeasures || 4

Diversion

Fives x ofc!reader

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| main masterlist | series masterlist | read on ao3 |

Rating: 18+ only

Word Count: 6.8k

Warnings: hella sexual tension yet again, some violence (feat. hand-to-hand combat Fives #King), a hint of fluff (really a hint of softy Fives)

chapter summary: You know something strange is going on, and that becomes even more clear upon Tup’s passing. You’ll both need a diversion to kickstart the investigation, so the truth behind Tup’s death - and the tumor - can be uncovered.

note: Okay I’m not confident in my writing of fight scenes so bear with me. This is the longest chapter so far and there were some parts in here I really struggled with so I’m sorry if things are written weird. I removed an entire scene and replaced it with something different. Hint: it was spicy, but turned into fluff. Slow burn... am I right?

***

It was the morning after Tup’s passing and Fives’ simultaneous arrest. You got ready for the day, running on empty fumes and barely any sleep. That night you had tossed and turned, unable to relieve yourself of the guilt flooding through you. You weren’t even upset you were reassigned – you were too distraught from watching Fives get taken away as he shook his brother’s lifeless body. It was a scene straight from a depressing holomovie, and it burned in your brain, playing on repeat.

You reached for your lab coat on the way out of your quarters, but hesitated. Did you even need to wear it now? You’re going to be skimming through reports all day for the rest of your internship. Hardly the occupation that warrants the donning of a medical lab coat. Hand still floating in the air, you dropped it and shook your head. No. You do not deserve to wear that.

Your feet dragged as you headed the familiar way to the archives; a path you thought you wouldn’t have to walk again. As you approached a trisecting corridor, you heard hushed voices - those of the Kaminoans. You stopped before reaching the corner, steadying your breath to zero in on their conversation, attempting to remain undetected.

“We can not let that clone leave. Not after what he has seen.”

“Now that CT-5385 has passed, we can begin the autopsy. We do not have a need for CT-5555 anymore.”

“You may be correct, but we mustn’t leave anything to chance. I suggest we wipe his memory and keep him here indefinitely so that we can easily monitor his behavior.”

“I agree.”

“Doctor, I will gather the guards and escort CT-5555 to the reconditioning center.”

You had never turned around so fast in your life.

You wanted to run, run as fast as you could through the bright corridors, but you couldn’t. It would raise too much suspicion, which wasn’t something you – or Fives – could afford right now. Instead, you maintained a brisk pace, slowing it slightly when others came into frame. You needed to get to Fives. You had no idea how long he had – they could be on their way there right now.

Fives’ room came into view – no guards standing outside. That was a good sign. You slammed your fist against the buttons and the door whisked opened. Fives sat in a familiar distraught position on the cot with his head hung low, but instantly snapped up to the sound of your frantic voice as you rushed into the room.

“Fives! Thank the Maker you’re still here.” You quickly turned to shut the door as Fives jolted up, confusion written all over his face.

“Still here? What are you-”

“You need to leave. Now.” You were a tad bit out of breath. Fives just stared at you, wide-eyed.

“Ren, hey. Just breathe, and tell me what’s going on.” Fives’ arm outstretched and a warm palm landed on your upper arm, squeezing tight with reassurance, pulling you to sit down on the cot with him. You kept your head down, staring at your dangling feet to calm yourself.

“I overheard them talking… they- they said they were going to wipe your memory. They’re not sending you back to the 501st, Fives. I don’t think that was ever their intention… and now, after Tup, I- I don’t think it’s going to be good.”

“Who said that?” You looked up to meet Fives’ eyes, noting how the previous look of confusion and concern jumped out the window and was replaced with caution and curiosity - maybe anger, too.

“Nala Se, and- and some other Kaminoans. I think I heard the Prime Minister’s voice, too.” Fives hand jumped to your thigh, giving a modest squeeze as he leaned in close.

“Did they see you? Please tell me they did not see you.” Worry accompanied his tone - worry for you.

“I don’t think so. I didn’t hang around for long. I- I heard them say your name, then something about an inhibitor chip, and the reconditioning center, and- ”

“Hey, Ren. Look at me. It’s going to be okay, alright? They can’t do that. There’s no way they’d get away with that if Rex or General Skywalker have anything to say about it.” You knew of Rex, but nothing about this Skywalker guy. Whoever he was aside, Fives didn’t quite seem to understand the urgency of the situation.

“Fives, you don’t know. They’ve been acting strange ever since we found the tumor in Tup. I- I don’t think that was something any of us were supposed to find. Not me, and especially not you. There’s something strange going on here. I can feel it!” You stood up and paced over to the counter, arching forward with your elbows resting on the cool top. Fives shuffled around as you heard his footsteps approaching, making you turn around to face him.

“What do you mean?”

Fives didn’t seem to be in any rush to leave - his stubbornness was insane. Fuck. Time was running out. They could be here any second. Anxiously running your fingers through your hair, you started, “When we did the scan on Tup and removed the tumor- Nala Se acted as if none of it mattered. She told me over and over that the scan was incorrect, but we know what we saw. We held the evidence in our hands. Something not right is going on around here, Fives. You and I may be the only ones that know about it. I gotta get you out of here.” Fives’ eyes remained locked with yours as he silently took it all in. He wasn’t saying anything, until -

“Well, what about you?” Fives’ hand reached forward and locked into yours. The warmth coming from his rough hand soothed you for a moment as you collected your thoughts.

“I’ll be okay so long as they don’t know I’m working with you and I... stop asking questions. They didn’t dismiss me like I thought they would, so I still have a chance of finding on what’s going on from the archives. They think they can cover their assess by keeping me compliant and reconditioning you-”

“Do you know how long I have until they ‘recondition’ me, whatever that means?”

“I ran to find you as soon as I heard they would send the guards to escort you out... Fives, they could literally get here any second. I’m supposed to be in the kriffing archives, but I am not letting them do that to you.” You grabbed his other hand and squeezed them both. Looking up at the vent, you nodded up at the ceiling. “Common, you know the drill.”

***

You had been crawling through the cold durasteel ventilation shafts for a while now. In your exhausted state you had forgotten to put on your chrono this morning, and you were sure Fives had no current concept of time. Coming up on a trisecting shaft, you ceased crawling.

“Do you have any idea where you’re going?” It had to have been at least fifteen minutes when you finally broke the silence. Fives came to a halt in front of you and turned his head around over his shoulder.

“Uh, yes?” The obvious lie seeped its way through the raising pitch in his voice. Rolling your eyes, Fives added in, “I need to get to the hangar so I can create a diversion.” Fives resumed crawling, but you remained still.

“A... diversion? What are you thinking of doing at the hangar?” As your voice became more distant to him, he paused again. Fives peered over in your direction behind him, nodding for you to come along. You sighed, but continued forward to catch up with him.

“I need to make it look like I’ve escaped, that way they don’t come looking for me here.” Once you were close enough behind him, he started crawling again - but you paused, again. What in the hells-

“Make it look like you’ve escaped? I thought I made myself very clear when I told you that you need to leave.” Fives sensed that you halted once again, coming to a halt himself and backing up a few paces.

“I can’t leave yet, Ren. You said so yourself – something strange is going on here, and I need to get to the bottom of it. I need to know more about the tumor you took out of Tup.” There was definitely no arguing with a man like Fives. With a defeated sigh, you bowed you head for a moment, contemplating the next move. Well, Fives might as well hide out for a bit until enough of the heat has been taken off him. It wouldn’t help the cause if he got captured right away.

“Okay, fine. But it’s too hot down there right now. I’m sure they have troopers searching every room and hall in the medical wing for you once they realized you weren’t where you were supposed to be.” You narrowed your eyes at him, which you know he couldn’t see from his position - you hoped he felt it, though. “You’ll need a safe place to hide in the meantime, then we can dig deeper into the tumor.”

“We? Renna, I’ve already asked too much of you, and nearly got you dismissed from my actions.”

“Not your actions, Fives. I’m the one who agreed to help you, and I still want to help you. You’re not the only one who wants to figure out what the fuck is going on around here.” If Fives wouldn’t escape Kamino, then you would help him the best you could.

“Alright, alright.” Fives chuckled at your tenacity, “Where would be a safe place to hide in the city? I’m not exactly fond of staying up in these freezing vents for the rest of the day and tonight.”

“I mean…” You paused, contemplating if you really were about to say what you were going to say, “You- you could lay low in my quarters. No one of importance goes to that side of the city anyway. They would never think to look there. It would just be for the night – it would probably be okay to head out to the hangar by morning.” Yeah, you said it. The thought of Fives being in your room - just the two of you - sent heat all over your body, warming up the exposed skin that was pricked with goosebumps from the freezing vents. Fives’ head turned towards you as far as it would go, most likely straining his neck. You could make out his raised eyebrows as he let out a grunt. Somehow you figured he wouldn’t say no to being invited into your room. Fives - ever the stubborn man - was an arguer, though.

“You can’t get caught help-”

“Don’t argue with me.” You raised your brows, mimicking him, earning a chuckle your way. “I have some food, and I’m sure you’re about starving right about now.” Letting out a heavy sigh, Fives nodded.

“Alright, lead the way, ma’am.” Fives scooted as far as he could to the right, allowing you to pass by him. Fives didn’t start crawling right away, but you didn’t stop; you allowed yourself to imagine that he was checking out your ass again. A few more moments went by until you finally heard the sound of Fives tailing you, when he sighed again, “Please don’t tell me all you have are protein bars.”

***

You must have crawled for another silent half hour by the time you reached the vent leading to your room. Opening it carefully and quietly, you hopped down onto your bed. Fives followed, with his guard clearly held up high as he automatically scanned the unfamiliar room.

“So, uh… this is where I currently live.” You tied your hair up into a ponytail and smiled at Fives after he finally dropped down. “It’s going to be fine - I promise.” Plopping down on the edge of your bed, you patted the mattress and gestured for Fives to join you. This whole thing – Fives in your room with you – was a fantasy that guided your self-pleasure for a couple nights; you finally had true alone time with him, and you wanted to do what you could with it.

“I can tell you made this place your own. Better than my bunk in the barracks that’s for sure.” Fives rubbed the back of his neck and offered you a sheepish grin, plopping down on the bed right next to you. You felt the heat radiating off his body; Fives was sitting very close to you. There was silence for a minute until you realized you had forgotten to offer him anything.

“One protein bar, coming right up!” You jolted up and off the bed and headed for the small kitchenette by the front door. You heard the sound of Fives readjusting on your mattress but remained focused on getting him something good to eat. Opening cabinet after cabinet, shaking your head at the sight of each one, you finally found something you think he’d like. You called over your shoulder, “Have you ever tried macarons? They’re not exactly full of nutritional value, but they’re really good.” No response. You held the half-full box of the sweet cookies against your chest and turned around; Fives made himself perfectly at home. His head rested on your favorite pillow and his legs were sprawled out, taking over the entire bed. His head was tilted towards you, a grin on his face.

You felt your body get pulled by him, mindlessly walking over to your bed, sitting down on the edge near his knee. The box of macarons still in your hand, you pulled one out and passed it to Fives. He took it, staring at it before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. You couldn’t help but giggle at his facial expression when his tastebuds activated, signaling the rest his body of just how delicious those cookies were. You raised a brow with a large smile on your face, nodding to him as he swallowed.

“Another?” You laughed as Fives quickly grabbed at the second macaron you held out to him. You chewed one down with him, and after a few minutes of nothing but chewing sounds, the box grew empty.

“What do you usually do for fun when you’re not out doing medical stuff?” Fives had just swallowed the last macaron, smacking his lips and savoring the flavor. He was still sprawled out on your bed, looking extremely comfy and content. You smiled at him as you thought about your life before coming to Kamino.

“I used to go out a lot, back on Coruscant. I made a lot of friends at the academy, and they always wanted to go out and drink and dance. It was fun.”

“I guess there’s no club or cantina here, is there?”

You laughed. “Nope. It’s quite unfortunate.” You let your hair loose and combed at the slightly tangled strands with your fingers. “What about you? You know, when you’re not out doing ‘war stuff’.” Fives laughed at his own phrasing being thrown back at him, but was fixated on what you were doing with your hair.

“I enjoy going out with the guys. Rex, Kix, Jesse. I have a lot of brothers, but they’re the closest ones to me. Well, what’s left of them anyway.” Removing your fingers from your hair snapped Fives’ attention back to your face. You hated to admit that you had almost forgotten about Tup. You didn’t know exactly how close they were, but the bond was clear when you saw the lengths Fives had gone through so far for Tup.

“I’m truly sorry about Tup, Fives. This whole thing... it- it just isn’t right.”

“It isn’t just Tup - before him, it was Hevy, Echo, Hardcase. All good soldiers - good brothers - but they’re gone. We were born to die in this war, and I’ve come to terms with that... it doesn’t mean I can’t miss them, though.” It was hard to imagine yourself in Fives’ shoes, well, any of the clones’ shoes honestly. They were bred specially for this war, right here. You didn’t think about that fact too much before meeting Fives, but now...

“I only somewhat met Tup, but I know for a fact that all your brothers were and are the greatest men in the galaxy. If they’re anything like you.” You caught yourself blushing like a fool, turning your face away from Fives’ gaze. Fives lightly chuckled, his hand coming up towards you when-

Knock knock knock.

Fives looked back and forth between your frozen form and the door with wide eyes. You quite honestly froze. Who in the fuck would be paying you a visit - today of all days?

“Aren't you going to get that?” Sarcasm, even through a whisper. Shaking your head in disbelief, you slapped Fives’ thigh and motioned for him to get back up into the ceiling.

“Miss Renna?” The unmistakable voice of a Kaminoan came from the other side of the door, followed by a couple more gentle knocks.

“I’ll be right there!” You called in that direction, lightly smacking Fives’ legs to hurry up as he finally disappeared from the room and into the vents. Brushing off your clothing and giving yourself a onceover in the entry mirror, you took a deep breath and hit the button to open the door. Two Kaminoan doctors stood just outside looking innocent enough, datapads pressed into their slender torsos.

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, “Good evening, doctors. Can I help you?”

“We did not see you in the archives today, Miss Renna. We know you worked with contaminated clones for the past few days, and wanted to make sure you were feeling alright.”

“I appreciate the check-in, doctors, but I am feeling fine. I suppose I am a little shook up after watching one of the patients pass, however.” You weren’t exactly lying.

“I understand,” the second Kaminoan chimed in. “It does not get easier - to have a patient die on you - but it becomes bearable. If you want to become a doctor, these are things you will need to get used to.” You managed a weak smile and nodded to them.

“Thank you for stopping by, doctors. I will be sure to get some sleep tonight. Have a nice evening.” The two long-necks nodded and headed down the corridor. You peeked your head out and watched them until they turned the corner and were out of sight. Shutting the door and leaning against it, you let out a breath you were unknowingly holding in

“That was a close one,” Fives peeked out from the vent with a huge grin on his face. You looked up at him, shaking your head at his smartass comment. Even in times like these, Fives still had a sense of humor and let it shine.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Looks like I completely disregarded and forgot about my duties for the day.”

“I’m sorry.” Fives descended from the ceiling and sat back down on your bed.

“No! You do not need to be sorry. You aren’t making these decisions for me, Fives.”

“Well... at least let me apologize for something. I’m sorry you met me? Or, sorry that you helped me even though you said it was 100% your decision? Does that work?” Fives’ cheeky grin made you chuckle as he teasingly patted the space next to him. You obliged, sitting right on the bed where he was motioning for you to.

“I’m not sorry that I helped you. If anything, you helped me. Not only were you my first patient, you helped me see you clones in a different light. I’ve seen things with you that I would’ve never seen in any reports or files. I’m not sorry that I met you, Fives. I don’t think you realize how you’ve changed my life in only a few days of knowing you.” All those words flew out of your mouth like vomit, spewing out before you could even think about what they meant or how they would sound. Fives’ silence made you feel anxious. You obviously had feelings for Fives - both emotional and physical - but you were sure he only knew about the physical ones. Was he turned off by the accidental oversharing of your emotions? You looked down at your feet, digging your heels into the carpet when you felt the mattress move up and down - Fives was bouncing on his butt like a youngling.

“Your bed is probably the most comfortable thing I’ve ever laid on. Us clones basically sleep on duracrete blocks, you know.”

Okay, Fives didn’t exactly acknowledge your heartfelt word vomit, but he didn’t ignore it, either. He just... played it cool. That’s okay, you can work with cool. Another bolt of confidence surged through you when his hand came up and rested gently on your knee.

“Well, why don’t you sleep on it tonight.”

“No karking way, this is your bed. Where are you going to sleep, on the floor?”

“No, I would never sleep on the floor in my own room,” you jested, rolling your eyes at him. Your ever-increasing confidence encouraged a ploy - an idea that would have you sleeping together for sure. “I offered you to take my bed and was planning on joining you, that okay?” You raised a brow and smiled at Fives. His eyes widened and his signature cheeky grin crept on his face.

“Yeah- yeah that is definitely okay.”

***

Lights out.

The position you were in was not the most comfortable in the world; your bed was designed to only sleep one, so you were angled nearly on top of Fives while he was scooted all the way against the wall, laying somewhere in between flat on his back and on his side. Fives had pulled you into him, his thick arms hugging you from behind.

Your room was pitch black and silent - save for the steady breaths coming from the both of you, alternating but in sync. You were frozen, held tightly in Fives’ arms, unable to move a muscle - it’s not like you minded, really. It had been a long, long time since you’d been held like this. You had a feeling it was the same for Fives, too.

“Fives?” A broken whisper escaped your lips and his breaths paused for a moment in response, letting his grip on you loosen just a little bit.

“Sorry... I-” He caught himself before continuing, “I just-”

“It’s okay,” You interrupted him with understanding, placing your hands onto his arms to secure them against your stomach. You get it.

You were sure Fives wanted to do more than cuddle tonight - as did you - but sleep quickly overcame him; hearing his breaths become more shallow as quiet snores erupted from his nose made you smile. You weren't disappointed, not at all - in fact, you were completely content with the sweet intimacy being shared between the two of you, knowing that it was something you both desperately needed. If you two were meant to go beyond this - beyond flirtatious words and touching and cuddling - then it will happen. For now, letting Fives hang on to you while he slept - you were basically acting as sort of a security blanket - was more than okay.

***

Your eyes opened to complete darkness and you were slightly confused on where you were and why there was an intense pressure wrapped around your body. You tried to sit up, but the way you were effectively held in place kept you from moving. Panic soared through you in your groggy, exhausted state as you tried to wiggle free; your breathing picked up in your struggle until a familiar voice coming from behind grounded you as the pressure was removed from your torso, allowing you to finally sit up.

“Renna, it’s okay! It’s me, it’s me.” You felt a palm rest atop your shoulder; you sighed and went back to laying down as you lifted your own hand to rest atop his.

Chuckling nervously, “Ha, sorry. I guess I haven’t slept next to anyone in a long time and my brain forgot what it was like. Sorta went into panic mode.”

“Yeah,” Fives chuckled and caressed your cheek with the back of his hand. “I got that impression.” It was silent for a minute when you snapped yourself out of the bliss.

“How long were we out for? Kark, you probably need to get going.” Wait - shit, did you just sound like you were trying to get rid of him? A moment of panic. “I just meant-”

“It’s alright, I know you’re not trying to kick me out of here.” He snorted. “I do need to get going.” Fives sounded... hesitant. A beat. “I wanted to ask... never mind.” Fives finally sat up, shuffling off the bed and somehow finding his way through the dark to turn on the light. The new brightness blinded you for a moment as you shielded your eyes with your arm. You sunk deeper into the bed when Fives came to sit back down on the edge of the bed next to you.

“What? What do you wanna ask?” You removed your arm from your face and noted the look of hesitation - and... admiration? - in his eyes as he looked down at you. You more than likely didn’t look very nice at that moment since you had just woken up; you felt loose stands of hair sticking to your cheeks, your eyes were half open and crusty, and your breath more than likely reeked.

“I just- I want you to come with me. I realize that you have other duties here, and that I’ve already asked so much of you and-”

You sat up. “I already told you I’d help you, Fives.” You had told him while still crawling in the vents, but you were hesitant on being physically by his side during the tumor investigation - you were planning on helping from the sidelines in any way you could, like offering up your room for him to lay low in, or finding out what you could in the archives for example. Your mind was changing, though. You whole heartedly wanted to be by Fives’ side through this thing. “I’ll go with you.”

Fives’ eyes lighted up with your admission, but his happiness was quickly replaced with hesitation. His face showed every emotion he was feeling so clearly - it was one of the things you liked the most about him, how expressive Fives can be.

“Renna... I’m just worried about what would happen if you were seen with me. This time, I mean. You weren’t dismissed before, but-”

“Mister stubborn ARC trooper, please stop arguing with me. Fuck my duties, let them dismiss me. I don’t want to keep interning here anyway.” That was the absolute truth. You placed your hands on Fives’ shoulders, pulling him closer to you (oh well to your stinky breath) so you could get it into his thick head, “I am going with you.”

***

Reading the time as you put on your chrono, you realized how it was still very early in the morning; most of the staff was more than likely sleeping, making it the perfect opportunity to head out. The two of you could probably evade the straggling troopers roaming the corridors.

Opening the door to your room and peeking his head out to scan the area, Fives nodded at you and waved for you to follow. “I need to check something out first. It shouldn’t take long.” You nodded. “Stay close to me.”

You tailed Fives as close as you could without tripping over him, keeping your guard up high while constantly looking behind you as he headed in the direction of the medical wing. What exactly did he need to check? The medical wing was too risky right now, even if it was early in the morning-

“Oh, skrag.” Fives halted, making you bump into him while your head was turned back. You whipped around, quickly noticing oncoming troopers who were being waved over by a couple Kaminoans passing by. Fives was quick to get into an attack stance, his arm shooting out to keep you behind him. You put some distance between you and Fives, realizing what was about to take place. Time to put on the innocent and frightened medical intern act.

“There he is!” A guard called out while one long-neck hurried over to the large button protruding from the wall, slamming it with his palm. The alarm sounded, filling the corridors with sirens, lights turning from bright white to red. One guard immediately aimed his blaster at Fives; Fives turned around like he sensed it, smacking the weapon out of the guard’s hands and punctuating with an uppercut to the underside of his bucket. Another trooper ran into the scene - weapon aimed and ready - when Fives rushed over and grabbed at it. The pair fought for the blaster, but Fives gave the trooper a knee to his side, leaving the blaster up for grabs. Fives took it and slammed it over the trooper’s head, rendering him unconscious. One more trooper entered the ring as Fives ran over towards him and chucked the blaster he won from the previous trooper into the third trooper’s bucket, catching him off guard, then grabbed at his blaster, swinging it into his legs to knock him off his feet.

The Kaminoans in the area fled the scene, holding on to each other as they scurried away. Confused medical droids floated nearby, unsure of how to calculate what had just taken place. You were frozen, leaning against the wall to the right of Fives, watching him kneel to catch his breath then gazing over the three defeated troopers who lay sprawled out, knocked out. Finally unfreezing from your spot, you ran over to Fives and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t believe... what you just did.” You didn’t make your comment sound accusatory, but there was a hint of shock and admiration in your tone as you let out a quiet chuckle to yourself. Truth be told, seeing Fives in action like that was extremely arousing. You’d never seen what he was capable of with your own eyes before - just things you read about in his files. Here he was in front of you, and he had fought hard using nothing but his pure strength and agility. What an absolute turn on.

“They will not erase my mind.” Fives shot up and turned around to face you, grabbing your face and cradled it in his hands after tugging a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “They won’t get near me, and they won’t get near you.” The warmth of his hands - the same hands that just assisted in kicking three armed troopers’ shebs - were warm against your cheeks. You could stay in that moment forever, but the alarm blasting over the overcomms faded back into your ears. “We gotta get out of here.” Fives released your face and tugged your arm, guiding you down the hall in a sprint; you would be struggling to keep up with his enhanced speed if his hand wasn’t latched around your forearm. With his free arm, he swung droids out of the path left and right, sending them in spirals against the wall. He led you to his old room - a room where you definitely should not be camping out in.

Confusion and fear set in as you approached the closed door. Hopefully there weren’t any troopers inside waiting, though after what you had just witnessed you knew you’d be more than okay with Fives at your side.

“Why are we here?” Fives pushed the button and ushered you inside, and headed straight to the counter where a closed case sat atop of it. Instead of answering you, Fives opened the case, brows furrowing and eyes narrowing at what was inside. You recognized it instantly - it was the tumor you had removed from Tup.

“I knew it. Nala Se switched the cases.” Fives grabbed the encased tumor and held it up in front of you. “She’s trying to hide something. You were right, Ren.”

“Fives, what are you talking about? ‘Switched cases’?” Stitting on the cot, you tugged at Fives’ free hand and pulled him to join you. “Hey, tell me what’s going on.” Fives kept his gaze locked on the tumor, holding it tightly against his palm. You reached for it; Fives didn’t hesitate when you grabbed it from him as you held it up to examine it. With a sigh, Fives looked up at you.

“The long-necks and the General came to my room before you did yesterday morning. I was waiting to hear what the Chancellor had to say about the tumor... General Shaak Ti told me that he wanted the tumor and all the intel gathered sent straight to the Grand Republic Medical Facility back on Coruscant. I figured I’d be going back to Coruscant as well, but because of you, now I know that the long-necks had other plans for me.”

You met Fives’ eyes and smiled, reaching down to lay your hand atop his. If you had kept walking, or even left your quarters a minute sooner or later than you did, Fives may not be himself right now. Things could have been very different.

After a moment of silence, Fives continued, “I saw Shaak Ti place the tumor in a case identical to that one,” He nodded to the tumor in your other hand, “Sitting right next to it. The case with the tumor was handed to a droid by Shaak Ti, telling it to prepare the tumor and all data for transit to the Jedi Temple. Nala Se and Shaak Ti argued about where the tumor should be sent first - the medical facility or the Jedi Temple...” Fives didn’t need to finish for you to catch on. You had a bad feeling about Nala Se’s reaction towards you discovering the tumor since that afternoon you had removed it from Tup. Shaking your head in disapproval, you frowned and handed the tumor back to Fives.

“Shaak Ti told me I had one more physical to pass, then I’d be back with my brothers in the 501st.” Fives’ sounded... betrayed. He had put his trust in the wrong beings.

“I didn’t realize Shaak Ti would be on board with having you reconditioned.” You stood up and moved to where the empty case lay.

“I don’t think she was. The long-necks probably had her fooled. Makes sense, since they switched the cases and sent an empty one to the Jedi Temple.” A beat. “I thought I saw that droid purposefully pick up the wrong case as they left me alone in the room, and turns out I was right.” Fives stood up and joined you, closing the decoy case and grabbing your hand to place the tumor back in your palm.

It was clear that Nala Se could not be trusted. How many other Kaminoans were in on this? What about the Prime Minister, Lama Su? This had to go all the way up to the top, since you were sure you had heard Lama Su’s voice along with the others while you were listening in. The tumor was back in your possession - now what?

“Well, what are we supposed to do now? The entire city is looking for you - well, us.” You tucked the tumor securely into the pocket in your leggings - where nothing could ever slip out. The look in Fives’ eyes was telling - he definitely already had a plan.

“We’re gonna need a distraction. Remember how I mentioned that I needed to get to the hangar?”

***

Running down glowing red corridors with alarms blaring while in tow with a man who was now labeled as a fugitive was something you never pictured yourself doing.

You’d only ever visited the hangar once, and that was over six months ago when you first arrived on this gloomy and stormy planet. Fives apparently knew where he was going, though - not surprising. Large and open bay doors came into view after a few minutes of running. Entering the hangar and seeing what lay in front of you was quite the opposite view of that of a medical facility. Cranes hovered about, their claws grasping shipping pods and moving them around. Seeing troopers wearing yellow jumpsuits and silly hats threw you off guard - you were only ever used to seeing them plastoid or the red Kaminoan clone outfits - as they directed the cranes and the small, spherical Kaminoan pods into their rightful places.

It seemed at this point that Fives was making no attempt at being stealthy as he casually strutted through the open hangar to the other side nearest the port. You followed behind him, attempting to be casual as well. Some heads turned in your direction, though, and that was probably because you of all people were tailing this trooper.

Fives approached a pilot descending the ramp to a ship; the pilot respectfully saluted at him and Fives reciprocated.

“I’m sorry sir,” the pilot’s hand shot up in front of Fives, ceasing his strut towards the ship. “All ships are locked down during the emergency.” Emergency? Obviously the clones working in the hangar had no idea what was actually going on, since none of them had made an attempt to attack Fives or call for help.

Fives looked over at you, raised a brow, and shrugged. You were motionless, but noted Fives’ look in his eyes. Nope, a locked down ship won’t do.

“Oh?” Fives pointed behind the pilot, “What about that one?” The unsuspecting pilot whipped around; Fives took the opportunity to send a hard punch right into his gut, knocking him unconscious. There was that raw strength again. Your eyes widened as you looked around the hangar, checking for heads turned in your direction. The coast seemed to be clear; Fives swung the unconscious pilot’s arm around his shoulders and dragged him over behind a crate. You heard him mumble a “sorry, brother” as he slid his helmet back on the slumped over pilot.

Just as Fives was standing back up, a distant voice shouted, “There he is!” You froze again, watching Fives’ reaction to the incoming guards.

“Tell them you found me,” Fives hissed over to you. “Grab my arm.”

“What?” Fives’ glanced down at your hand, eyebrows raising. You got the hint, and reached down to tug at his arm.

“Pull hard. You won’t hurt me, Renna.” You pulled as hard as you could, Fives making a show of playfully resisting. You smirked at him and you nearly fell on your ass from how hard you were tugging on him, adding your other hand and digging the balls of your feet into the duracrete to keep up the act.

“I’ll be back soon. Tell them you found me here. Go!” Fives snatched his arm out of your grasp and ascended the ramp to the ship, sending you falling flat on your tailbone. The ship shot out of the port, leaving twin prink trails in its wake. A arm reached down to you, fully covered in gray and white plastoid, and helped you stand upright. You mumbled a “thanks” to the trooper, realizing Fives’ idea had worked - they had no idea you were helping him. You rubbed your surely bruised tailbone and lower back, wincing at the sensitivity.

“I found him, General. I tried to stop him-”

“I want him brought in alive,” Shaak Ti interrupted you as she commanded the troopers that surrounded. “Have that ship tracked.” A trooper nodded, running off in the other direction with the rest in tow, leaving you alone with the General. She turned to you, a look of discern on her face.

“Did Fives say anything to you?”

“No. No, ma’am. I caught up to him as he knocked out the pilot,” you pointed to where Fives had rested his unconscious brother behind a crate. “I figured I could reason with him. Since, you know, he was my patient and all.” The need to keep your voice steady was never more important. You were speaking to a Jedi. Any waver in your voice - or even a nervous thought - could give yourself away.

“You tried your best, Miss... Renna, is it?” You nodded, dry-swallowing a clump of air. “Thank you for your efforts.” With that, Shaak Ti turned and headed towards the bay doors, leaving your alone to stare off into the early morning sky, following the pink trail coming from Fives’ ship as far as your eyes could see.

You’d wait for him to return.

He said he’ll be back.

***

tags: @bvcketfvcker @deewithani @chromia7567 @cyaniderainfall

#djarrex writes #countermeasures series #arc trooper fives #arc trooper fives x reader #arc trooper fives x you #arc trooper fives x oc #fives x you #fives x reader #fives x oc #fives smut #arc trooper fives smut #conspiracy arc #the clone wars conspiracy arc

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melon-wing · 4 years ago

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Chase Me [Grian x Doc]

[Fanfiction Masterlist] Happy Birthday @gridoc I can finally share this! Thank you for spreading the gridoc love. This day should totally be the unofficial official Gridoc-Day ;) I commissioned a picture and wrote this story for the picture! (maybe you are lucky and get to see it ;D) Also there’ll be another Birthday story later today!!! ~

Doc sat straight up, when sirens blared all around him, red lights flashing. It took him a moment to gather his surroundings. He was still in one of the Area 77 labs, his equipment right in front of him on the table. One of the glass vials had spilled, leaving the whole table covered in a brownish liquid. He must have fallen asleep in the middle of his experiment. Damn. That meant he'd have to start the whole thing all over again. Why hadn't Scar woken him up? He usually did when something like this happened and then scolded him for not going to bed.

Doc rubbed his eyes, trying to chase his tiredness away. The alarm was still going. It took unusually long. Why wasn't Scar...?

Oh, right. He remembered. Scar wasn't here, because he had left the day before to get together with Cub. Something about a meeting, that Scar had postponed one too many times and him 'having to make it up to his husband‘. He wouldn't be here for the next few days.

Doc sighed. He felt a pang in his chest when he thought of the Convex. Those two were truly made for one another. Even when he would never admit it out loud, hearing Scar talk about Cub as if the whole universe revolved around him, made Doc feel a longing ache. He had been happy on his own for so long. He'd been alone ever since the disastrous end of his engagement to Bdubs back in their old world. He had thought he'd be done with love and relationships. He had thought that no relationship was made to truly last.

Seeing Cub and Scar, hearing Scar... He wanted that.

Doc shook his head to rid himself of that line of thought as he hurriedly walked through the corridors. He didn't have time to go all sentimental now. He blamed the dream he just had awoken from. The dream that kept repeating over and over again.Though he couldn't quite remember the details, only being locked in a heated embrace with someone, lips pressed together. A small giggle, fleeting touches, sky blue eyes, but when he tried to remember the face of the person, his mind drew a blank.

"Oh god damn it! Concentrate, Doc!", he scolded himself, voice echoing off the walls. This situation needed his full attention now. It wasn't the first time the alarm had been triggered, but most of the time it had just been large animals wandering past their body. It was probably some stupid cow again. Or one of those overly annoying traders with their idiotic lamas, trying to sell him some trash for ridiculously high prices.

Doc yawned, grabbing a few emeralds and wheat from one of the chests before finally getting to the lever that turned off the alarms. The silence after helped him to clear his head a bit faster. The lights stopped flashing and with one last sigh he stepped outside, following their main path through flower filled grass and... wait.

Flowers?!

Those hadn't been there before... And Scar couldn't have been the one to plant them, which meant somebody else had been here. But what kind of intruder would just run around and plant flowers?

And then he heard a giggle.

A giggle that felt so familiar, as if he had just heard it a few minutes ago. A giggle that made his chest ache in a weird way. The same way it felt when he looked at Scar and Cub.

"Who's there? Show yourself!", he shouted, taking his trident out and scanning his surroundings. His foxes had also risen from their sleep at the entrance and were now jumping in between his legs in nervous excitement. There was a flash of red in between the trees next to the border and another giggle from the same direction that seemed to echo over the flowery field. Doc let his trident soar through the air with perfect accuracy. There was a loud high pitched sound of surprise, and then more giggling as the intruder kept running in between the trees. The trident must have barely missed them.

Doc made a gesture with his hand and the trident came flying right back into it.

"Go get them, boys.", he growled and the foxes darted forward, Doc right on their heel.

Who was it?

He swore he knew that voice.

He had heard it before.

His foxes easily darted between the trees, leaving Doc a bit further behind, but he was still running. There was a loud shout and a heavy thud and Doc grinned. He put on another burst of speed and when he passed between the next row of trees he stopped. There on the floor right in front of him lay the intruder, his foxes had their claws and mouths all over their legs, clawing and biting into the fabric. Doc whistled and the foxes let go, returning to his side.

Doc looked at the figure on the ground for a few seconds and suddenly his eyes went wide, when he recognized them - him.

“Grian?”

There was a groan and Grian turned onto his back before sitting up.

Doc’s breath hitched as Grian looked up at him, eyes wide, cheeks flushed from running away. His hair was a bit messy and a crown of flowers sat a bit tilted on his head. He looked… adorable. Like some otherworldly being. Doc almost expected to see pointy ears. He couldn‘t believe how attractive Grian was.

Doc felt heat rushing to his cheeks at that sudden thought popping up in his mind and he cursed his own mind.

“Well, looks like you caught me, Agent Doc.”

Doc felt more heat rising to his cheeks, when Grian all but purred the greeting and especially his name. Going by the sudden gleam in Grian’s eyes and his lop-sided grin, he knew exactly what he was doing to Doc‘s head.

When had that happened? When had Grian been able to get to him like that?

Certainly not during the Civil War.

“What’s wrong, Agent Doc. Fox got your tongue?”

There it was again. That teasing tone of his and finally Doc was able to get at least a part of his composure back. Enough at least to stop standing around like a statue.

“What the heck are you doing here? And what‘s up with the flowery get up? Were you the one planting those flowers?”

The way Grian’s smile widened already gave Doc the answer to his last question. Only Grian could manage to look so innocent, yet quilty at the same time.

“Well. A certain someone stole my time machine, so I‘m here to get it back.”

“That really doesn‘t explain the flowers.”

“Oh, that. I thought who better to fight a secret government facility than some Hippies? I thought you might appreciate a little gift to celebrate getting new neighbours.”

Grian kept smiling, even when Doc stepped closer, the trident pointed right at the center of his chest.

Doc was torn between feeling flustered, frustrated and completely enraged.

“Well, good to know”, he growled low in his throat. “Means I gotta build a nice prison cell for you.”

Grian‘s smile turned into a smirk, his eyebrows rising slightly. “Yeah. You really should. Might wanna invest in a better security system as well.”

Doc looked at Grian in confusion. His security system had worked pretty well in catching Grian after all. But just as he was about to voice this thought, a loud explosion shook the ground, the sound coming from the direction of the main building. He stared at Grian open mouthed for a second, as a satisfied grin spread on the other’s face.

“So… Do you wanna take care of that or do you wanna have me as your prisoner? I do think I‘d look pretty out of place in a cell.“

“Stay there. I am not done with you!“

Doc cursed under his breath and then turned around, sprinting off towards the explosion. With a loud whistle the foxes ran alongside him. A light giggle faded into the distance as he kept running and he knew that Grian wouldn‘t be there when he came back.

When he reached the site of the explosion, he saw Ren running off in the distance. So those two were working together now? Damn. He hated fighting Ren… And fighting Grian? Well that was frustrating and kind of exhilarating at the same time. Things always got exciting when Grian got involved.

Doc stood in between the flowers, smoke rising from the slightly damaged wall, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. He was really looking forward to this.

~*~

Doc awoke with a start, sitting straight up in his bed, his brow drenched in sweat. He kept having those dreams. The body pressed against his no longer some vague figure. It was weird. He just couldn‘t get Grian off his mind and he followed him into his deepest dreams.

Doc groaned, burying his head in his hands. This was so annoying. The things they had done in his dream last night... Dear Lord. It was getting worse and worse each time he and Grian interacted. Which they did quite often recently.

The things he wanted to do to Grian every time he looked at him with those sparkling blue eyes. Every time it got harder to resist, harder to hold himself back. But he had enough restraint. He wouldn’t act on these thoughts. It wasn’t like Grian ever showed any interest anyway. He was just into it for the fun and the time machine. Doc sure as hell wouldn‘t push his affections onto someone who was unwilling.

With a yawn Doc walked into the lab. Scar took one look at him and sighed, pointing to a table by the side.

“Coffee is ready. You look like shit. Did you dream of your sweet little angel boy again?”

Doc grumbled in annoyance and went in a beeline to the coffee, pouring himself a cup and immediately draining it. He would need more than a few cups of coffee to get this night‘s dreams off his mind. He also regretted telling Scar about them that one drunken night. The teasing never stopped.

“Must have been a lot of fun. I heard some rather interesting sounds coming from your room when I got up.”

Doc whipped around so fast he almost spilled his coffee all over his suit. “Sounds? What sounds? There were no sounds! I didn’t…” The way Scar was grinning at him made him glare. He had really fallen for that one.

“So I was right after all. Thanks for confirming. You should really go get him and tell him how you feel.”

Doc sighed, leaning against the table and letting his head hang, staring into the black shining surface of his coffee. “He’s not interested, Scar. Have you seen the way he looks at Impulse like a lovestruck puppy? Ever since Impulse joined all I ever hear him talk about is how amazing Impulse is and how glad he is that Impulse joined. He keeps complimenting Impulse on his redstone skills. Did he ever once stop to look at the redstone circuits I‘m building?! Do I have to challenge Impulse to a redstone competition to have him talk about me like that?”

Scar‘s smirk faded, but the look of pity he had on his face now was even worse. “Doc… You’re seeing things, mate. I told you before when you thought he was so into Ren. It wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. I was right about Ren having the hots for Iskall… But the moment those two started dating you thought Grian was after Impulse. Why can’t you just spare us both the discussions this time and believe me when I tell you that Impulse has an enormous crush on False?”

Doc rolled his eyes a bit. Sure Scar had been right about Ren and maybe he was right about Impulse, but why would that matter. “Well I didn‘t say they were in a relationship this time. Impulse going after False doesn’t mean that Grian can‘t fall in love with him.”

Scar shook his head, throwing his hands up. “I give up. You’re too stubborn for your own good. Mope around in self pity if you want to. But I swear the next time Grian crashes our base because he wants your attention, I won‘t throw his sorry ass off our property again. You can do that all on your own. I swear the next time those sirens go off, your ass can go out there and get rid of all of those hundreds of flowers. He leaves them for you anyways!”

Doc took a deep breath. He hadn’t meant to piss off his partner, but talking about Grian had just become a really sensitive and annoying topic for him.

“Scar I’m-”

He never got to finish his apology. As if some divine being was making fun of him, the sirens started going off, red lights flashing in their laboratory. Doc prayed. As he turned at the screen on the wall he was begging the fates, that it was just a trader or maybe Ren or Impulse. Please, anything but Grian. His eyes scanned all the small tiny camera images until they landed on camera 5. Grian’s red sweater stood out glaringly among the greenery. The fates must really hate him.

“I’m going to get rid of that hippie. And no. I‘m not talking about any unnecessary feelings with him, don’t get your hopes up.”

“I bet if you two would just get it on, we’d have no more Hippies to fight.”

Doc threw Scar one more annoyed look before grabbing his trident and rushing through the halls to get outside. There were flowers all around, a huge bouquet of red tulips lying right in front of the main entrance. He didn‘t know why, but he made sure to take a big step as not to trample them, but didn’t have enough time to think about the meaning behind those flowers. Going by the surveillance Grian had been east of the facility.

Doc ran through the trees, jumping over roots and rocks. He cursed the fact that he had thought a suit was the appropriate attire for this job. Well, in his defense, he hadn’t planned to be chasing Hippies through a thick forest when all of this had started. He really should have changed his working clothes when this had begun… but there had been that one time Grian had complimented him on it and ever since that day… gosh, Doc really had it bad.

Grian’s delighted giggle seemed to bounce off all the surrounding trees, echoing through Doc’s head, taking hold of every part of his mind. This time Doc wouldn’t let him get away. This time he’d end it once and for all. No more Hippie shenanigans driving him to the brink of insanity. Maybe if he locked Grian up, he‘d get at least one night of peaceful sleep.

He saw a flash of red between the trees and let his trident fly. There was a shout and when the trident came back, a small piece of red fabric was pierced by it. So close. It was always so close. He always had Grian almost in his grasp and somehow every time Grian managed to slip past their border back to the Camp.

That’s when it hit Doc. He needed to get to the border. Quick. Grian was moving all over the place, no predictable route, but they were gradually getting closer to the border. If Doc just ran straight ahead he could get him.

Doc whistled and his foxes sprinted after Grian, while Doc himself turned a different way. Hopefully Grian would hear and see the foxes and think Doc was a bit behind them, still chasing.

Doc rushed straight to the border and grinned when he reached it. No sign of Grian. No sign of red in the forest, except for a few of the flowers that were planted everywhere around the border. Doc had given up getting rid of them around the edge of their property. They just kept popping up.

His eyes kept scanning the tree line. And then he smirked when he heard his foxes yipping in the distance, chasing Grian his way. He was really happy that they were so smart and knew what he wanted them to do with just one whistle.

Doc walked over to one of the trees, hiding behind one of the thicker ones. The rushed steps were getting closer and closer. He counted the estimated seconds down in his head. And when he hit zero he let his arm fly out, just in time to grab Grian around the waist as he ran past the tree.

Grian gave a surprised scream and fell to the floor from the sudden impact, taking Doc with him. But that didn’t matter. Doc was on top of him. There was no getting away now. He’d just need to get some cuffs on Grian and all of this would be over.

Before Grian could snap out of his confused daze, Doc grabbed his hands and pressed them above his head with both hands, putting his weight behind the grip. He would not let Grian get away this time.

“Look at what I caught. Things didn’t go as planned this time, did they? You really should have stopped coming here without backup.”

Grian finally blinked and looked at Doc, the look of confusion fading and turning into a smirk. But Doc could see the insecurity hidden beneath it. Grian smirked and smiled at him so often, he could tell the smallest differences in those expressions.

“Who says I don‘t have any backup? Who says I’m not just a distraction so Ren and Impulse can get into your facility.”

“Scar”, Doc just replied flatly “You know we have cameras. He would let me know if there was anyone else. And if there was you sure as hell wouldn’t have mentioned the possibility. You are way too predictable Grian. Fighting you has almost become boring. Just a routine now.”

The smirk fell and Grian huffed in annoyance. “Well took you long enough to catch me then if I am this predictable, agent Doc.”

Before he could stop himself, Doc let out a low growl at the way Grian said his name. Grian seemed startled, eyes widening, breath hitching. Doc only now noticed the slight flush on his face, the way he was out of breath from the running. They were so close. Doc could feel the heat of Grian’s body even through the suit. So close… Doc leaned in a bit, his body moving on its own accord.

Doc felt his own breath stop for a few seconds. The light shining through the leaves of the trees made Grian’s eyes sparkle as if they were a pair of blue gems.

Damn. ‘Self restraint’, Doc reminded himself. He needed to resist the temptation. He was too close.

Grian’s look of annoyance went away and he was staring at Doc in confusion, his lips slightly parted. Doc’s eyes kept being drawn to those lips, pink and oh so soft. He wanted to kiss them. He wanted to touch Grian, to claim him, to make sure he‘d make him his own, before Impulse got a chance.

“Doc?”

The quiet question ripped him out of his thoughts and he suddenly felt disgusted at himself and his train of thought. Grian was a human being, and here he was, thinking of him like some piece of meat. He should be ashamed.

“Sorry. I…”

Doc stopped. Grian wouldn’t know what he was apologizing for. Grian was always so oblivious to his advances. There had never been even the sliver of a chance for him, and Impulse joining the hippies had lowered them even further.

Doc moved back a bit with a sigh, almost ready to let Grian go altogether, just to get out of this awkward situation.

“Don‘t stop”, Grian said, his voice sounding soft, but commanding at the same time and Doc raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I am not supposed to stop arresting you…? Did I hit your head a bit too hard?”, he tried to joke, almost desperate to return to their usual mood, but Grian didn’t seem up for the bickering and just shook his head.

“Kiss me.”

Those two small words… Doc swore those simple words shut down his brain completely. It seemed like it took forever for those words to process and only when Grian let out one of his small giggles, he snapped out of it.

“Come on, Agent. I know you wanna do it. I’ve noticed the way you always look at me. Don’t tell me you are too scared of a kiss.”

Doc growled, but a small smile crept onto his face as he moved down again.

“You wish.”

Doc moved down, only stopping a breath away from Grian’s lips, hesitating for a split second before pressing their lips together. He had never imagined their first kiss to be so soft. He let one of his hands wander from Grian’s wrist down his side and in return Grian took a hold of his cheek, gently pulling him in more, leaning up a bit into the touch.

Doc took hold of one of Grian’s legs, pulling it up a bit and leaning into the other’s body even more. He needed this. He needed to feel Grian. He needed to feel the heat to know that it was real, that it was not just another one of his dreams.

After what felt like an eternity, Doc finally moved back, opening his eyes to look at Grian, whose eyes were still closed, blushing, lips shining wet and slightly red. And the knowledge that it had been Doc who had put him into this state, made him feel so warm inside.

When he didn’t resume the kissing within a few seconds, Grian let out a needy whine, opening his eyes, looking back at Doc. He smiled softly, but didn‘t say anything, slipping his other hand out of Doc’s weak grasp and putting it on the back of Doc’s head to pull him into another kiss, this one less soft and more passionate.

They broke apart again, when one of Doc‘s foxes made a little noise. Doc turned in its direction, noticing the way the animal looked up into the tree. Doc followed his gaze and stopped when he looked straight into the lense of one of their cameras. Fuck. Scar. He was never going to live this one down.

“You do know Scar is probably watching us right now?”

Grian giggled.

“Nope. I didn‘t know that. But if that‘s the case… Let‘s give him a real show.”

And before Doc could say another word, Grian’s lips were pressed against his once more, their bodies so close together, that Doc felt as if not even a sheet of paper could fit in between them anymore. It was nothing like he had imagined this confrontation ending, but he sure as hell wouldn‘t complain.

#🍉 stories #hermitship #hermitshipping #gridoc

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andromedasstarship · 4 years ago

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faceless, nameless - the prologue

gif credit - @kylos

pairing - kylo ren x reader

warnings - canon-typical star wars violence, depictions of death/violence, fighting (verbal + physical), loosely implied physical intimacy (really up for interpretation here), angst, tension, implied mild love triangle, kylo ren betrays you

summary - For four years, Kylo Ren considered you to be many things: his right hand, his confidant, an irreplaceable strategist, a friend and most importantly his equal. It all ended when he left you with a blaster shot to the stomach on a near deserted planet. On the brink of death, a rather dashing Resistance Pilot stumbled upon you, saving your life.

Donning a mask to hide your identity, you’ve grown to become the most fearsome Resistance fighter they have; bewildering the First Order as to how you always seem to ruin their plans and avoid capture. Kylo Ren is a different man from when he left you two years ago, so how will he react when he accidentally finds you alive and well in Poe’s memories?

masterlist // series masterlist // read it on ao3 here

next chapter

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the prologue - the sun

On Starkiller Base, there were plenty of rumors as to why Kylo Ren kept you around. Some said it was because of your extensive training in hundreds of different languages, both spoken and signed. Others were sure it was due to your diplomatic upbringing that came with countless connections and near endless wealth. Or, maybe it was due to your more than adequate ability in battle that served him the most. Even some people thought you were a kept woman, who only existed as a way for Kylo Ren to blow off steam behind closed doors. Your favorite rumor was that you were actually a high-ranking Resistance spy who was tasked with infiltrating the First Order at the highest level and that Kylo Ren had become weak because of you. Had it not made you laugh so much the first time you heard it, Kylo would’ve crushed the windpipe of the lowly officer who created the elaborate lie.

Of course, there were some truths in all the rumors, but none of them exciting. You were in fact trained in hundreds of languages and that training was a product of your diplomatic upbringing. You were exceptionally trained in various forms of combat, but that was something that came after you met Kylo; he had always been afraid of you not being able to properly defend yourself. You were most certainly not a kept woman, not that you and Kylo weren’t intimate, but certainly not in the type of dynamic people thought. You absolutely were not a Resistance spy, but even though neither of you said it aloud, Kylo Ren was definitely weak for you.

How it actually happened is quite boring. The two of you met when Kylo had just turned 24, still more Ben Solo than Kylo Ren. You were recently 23 at the time, head of a diplomatic welcoming committee that met with Kylo as part of his first official diplomatic endeavor as ‘Kylo Ren’ the soon to be Commander of the entire First Order. He quickly became enamored with you and the way you commanded a team full of older men who clearly didn’t approve of your position- whether it was due to your age or gender he didn’t know- but still treated you with respect; in short, you radiated a confidence and power he desired. For you, it was quite the opposite, Kylo Ren still wasn’t sure of himself and at times still acted like the awkward lanky Jedi boy who had never spoken to a girl outside of school purposes. He was a fresh and welcomed change from all the annoyingly rich and cocky men you met with on a daily basis.

Him and his team stayed on your home planet for nearly three months. Countless delegates from various planets flocked there for balls, meetings, conferences, and more. Your connections ran deep and you directly aided in the First Order’s successes during those three months. For the first few weeks, you and Kylo skirted around the obvious pull between the two of you. He wasn’t exactly sure how to ‘woo’ a girl, nor was he even sure if he was allowed to. His lack of action caused you to regularly doubt if he also felt the spark, or if it was completely one sided on your end. Weeks of longing gazes and accidental brushes of fingertips finally came to an end when the two of you were sitting on your private balcony, overlooking the well kept grounds, discussing the conference that had just ended. It was a roaring success for your planet as well as the First Order, both of you securing mining resources at an exceptional locked rate for a minimum of fifty basic years. You made the first move, he was irresistible under the moonlight, closing the space between you on your bench and pressing your lips directly on his. In his hesitation you thought you had completely misread the past month, but it was only a moment later that his hands found purchase in your hair, pulling you closer. The two of you were nearly inseparable for the rest of his trip.

It was difficult, when he finally had to return to his new master and some massive ship that would be lightyears away from you. Unspoken promises were made the night before he left, declarations of love and devotion made behind closed doors. He was still far from truly becoming Kylo Ren, had copious amounts of training to finish before he would see himself be fitting for someone like you. If he was nothing else, Kylo was desperate for loyalty and when you watched his ship leave you had no doubts he would come back.

And he did, nearly an entire standard year later. You almost didn’t recognize him when he stepped off his personal ship. All broad shoulders and shrouded in layers of black, with that intimidating mask covering his face. He was proving to be quite the warrior, the tales of him and the Knights he commanded reaching the farest edges of the galaxy. When the welcoming festivities had ended and he removed his mask in the privacy of your room, you found a mature face that had lost the softness you once knew. It was no matter to you, flinging yourself into his arms and vowing to never let go.

This time, when he left, you went with him of course. Kylo had been shocked when Snoke approved it, but Snoke, ever the manipulator, knew the growing attachment between the two of you would inevitably prove to be valuable in controlling Kylo Ren.

Moving into a giant spaceship wasn’t easy for you. The dark, cold and everlasting expanse of space was a sharp contrast to your warm ocean planet. You missed the sun on your face and your people, but when you vowed to never let him go, you meant it. As time went on, you grew accustomed to the ship and then eventually Starkiller- which was an entirely different battle, that piece of ice had you complaining for months-, and soon enough you couldn’t imagine a life not in space.

Most of your days were monotonous, not that you minded. From the first day you stepped foot onto base, Kylo began training you himself. He never wanted you to feel as hopeless and afraid as he did when he woke up to his uncle ready to kill him in his sleep. So he trained you, and he trained you hard. You could wield a lightsaber well enough, as he argued that should anything ever happen to him- a thought you hated entertaining-, his saber would be the best weapon you had available. You were smaller than him, so close combat was a challenge but you learned to use your size and agility as an advantage. What you specialized in, was the staff. It allowed you to give a larger opponent at a safe range until it was possible to take them down. Kylo had a special one created just for you, with double edged electrical ends that you could easily turn on or off. It was rare that he actually let you on a battlefield with him, but when he did you were unstoppable. Not that you minded, you quite enjoyed working behind the scenes, forming battle plans and leading diplomatic endeavors for the First Order.

Other than Snoke, no one out ranked you, not even Ren; a fact he had been extremely particular about after a visiting diplomat made the excuse of outright ignoring and belittling your presence in a meeting. You were equals in everything, even going as far as taking on the ‘Ren’ moniker.

Among First Order subordinates, you were fairly well liked, and not just because it was unspoken that anyone who thought badly of you would probably die at Ren’s hand. The people actually liked you. Ren was cold, you were warm. When he was sharp, you were soft. It worked well, his ability to command troops and fuel the fires of war was complimented perfectly by your ability to talk nearly anyone to your side.

You never wavered in your support for him, ever loyal by his side no matter what he did or who he killed or how many villages he burned to the ground. You stood next to him, never behind, when new planets presented themselves as potential allies. You watched from above when he burned villages, that dared aid the Resistance, to the ground. You cleaned and healed every single wound he received from Snoke’s brutal training. You held him together when the pull to the light made him feel weak and undeserving.

Anyone could see that you were the sun that Kylo Ren revolved around.

So, when he came back to Starkiller on that fateful day, covered in blood- your blood-, announcing that you were dead- and he was the one who killed you-, and that your name was never to be uttered on his base or by any First Order subordinate ever again, no one knew what to do.

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a/n - hi!!! im so excited for this story, ive never written star wars before and my lore knowledge isnt the best ill admit, so please excuse any minor bits of pieces i may get wrong! comments/likes/reblogs always appreciated. if you wanna be added to the taglist, just ask and ill make one! :D

no permission is given to copy or republish my writing on any other platform or account. if you see this story outside of my blog or my ao3 it is stolen work. i do not own nor claim to own star wars or any of the character involved in it.

#kylo ren #kylo #ren #kylo ren x reader #ren x reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren/reader #kylo ren/you #kylo x you #kylo/you #reader insert #star wars fanfiction

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bytheangell · 4 years ago

Text

I Don’t Want to Say I (I Want to Say We)

( @shadowhunterbingo square: Arranged Marriage) (Read on AO3)

“What do you mean we don’t count?” Alec demands, voice rising to a near shout. Andrew keeps his expression as professionally neutral as possible at the outburst. It’s a closed meeting, and outside of the two Council members who requested it, the only person besides Alec is Andrew. This isn’t uncommon for them - Alec often brings someone else to meetings that could just as easily be entirely private, if only so he has a friendly face in his corner when dealing with some of the more antagonistic Council members. Andrew has been that ‘someone else’ for quite a few meetings that Izzy or Jace couldn’t make it to.

“Your marriage is hardly a sacrifice made in good faith,” Blackridge points out. “The warlocks feel the same. With how quickly - and willingly - Bane left with you for Alicante, they aren’t positive he won’t side more with you than his own people. He’s done it before. And so have you for him.”

“Everyone knows your allegiance is more to each other than each other’s people,” Lydia Branwell reluctantly adds. Andrew can tell that she doesn’t want to be here, and probably is only because the Council thought the news coming from her might soften the blow, given her history and connection with Alec. “Both sides want a newly arranged marriage to seal the agreement. Something purely symbolic.”

Andrew watches Alec silently struggle to keep his expression impassive, but he knows Alec well enough to catch the way his hands clench into fists at his side, nails digging into his palms as he considers the orders he’s being given. Andrew is impressed to hear Alec’s voice is almost even when he finally speaks.

“I can’t ask anyone to do that,” Alec says finally, shaking his head.

“You won’t be asking them, you’ll be ordering them. This isn’t a debate, Lightwood,” Blackridge tells him, with a smirk. “Trust me, I doubt Rey is any happier about being on the other end of this.”

Andrew, who’s remained otherwise silent this entire meeting, can’t help but react now. His eyes widen for a moment in surprise, gaze flicking from Alec to Blackridge in an immediate shift of interest. “Lo-- Mr. Rey is choosing the warlock?”

Blackridge laughs. “No, Mr. Rey is the warlock. The warlock council from the Spiral Labyrinth is likely informing him as we speak.”

Andrew’s blood turns cold. Lorenzo. Lorenzo is the other end of the arranged marriage.

A lot of thoughts go through Andrew’s head at that moment, but he can’t say any of them because no one knows about the relationship he’s had with Lorenzo for the past six months. A relationship Andrew almost could’ve pretended wasn’t that big of a deal if it wasn’t for the violent churn in his stomach at the thought of seeing Lorenzo with anyone else, or the sinking weight in his chest at the idea of losing him now, even if it was over something entirely out of their control.

No, that somehow only makes it worse.

“If you can’t do it, someone else will do it for you,” Blackridge adds to Alec, entirely unaware of the internal crisis Andrew’s having, suddenly realizing that Alec being in control of this situation is the only way Andrew has a chance of coming out of this with his heart intact.

“He can do it,” Andrew says suddenly, drawing three sets of surprised eyes in his direction.

“Andrew, I can’t-”

“You can do it,” Andrew repeats pointedly, hoping his tone and the pleading look in his eyes are enough to convey to Alec that he’s not just spouting generic ‘you got this, buddy!’ reassurances.

Alec looks him over curiously, but Andrew doesn’t risk being more insistent than he already was, not wanting to look suspicious.

“Alright. I’ll choose someone,” Alec agrees slowly. Andrew feels his shoulders sag in visible relief.

“You have three days, Lightwood. Or we’re stepping in,” Blackridge says, and a minute later he and Lydia are gone from the room.

Once they’re definitely alone again, Alec turns to Andrew.

“You gonna tell me what that was about?” Alec asks him.

Andrew hesitates. What is his plan? To stall in the hopes of Lorenzo refusing on his end? To make sure he can at least get a say in who is about to step in and ruin the best thing that’s happened to him in years? Or to be bold enough to put himself in a position he isn’t sure he’s ready for, in a declaration he is equally unsure Lorenzo will appreciate, or even agree to?

“I volunteer,” Andrew says before he can change his mind.

“You what?” Alec nearly chokes on the words.

“I volunteer. I’ll marry Lorenzo,” Andrew repeats.

“No. You don’t deserve that - no one deserves this,” Alec shakes his head. “I didn’t walk out of my own political marriage just to force one on someone else.”

“You aren’t forcing me. It’s fine, Alec. I’ll do it.” Andrew, Raziel help him, still can’t bring himself to admit why. He isn’t sure if it’s to protect Lorenzo and honor their agreement to not let anyone find out about their secret relationship, or because he’s afraid that admitting it wouldn’t be a true ‘sacrifice’ would force Alec to choose someone else. No matter the reason, he hesitates, guarding the truth even now.

Alec looks him over closely.

“You keep calling him Lorenzo,” Alec observes cautiously. “Are the two of you…?”

“Quite close already, Sir. Yes,” Andrew confirms without saying the word boyfriend. He knows he can trust Alec, but he also knows that Alec is bound, to a certain extent, to following orders. The less he knows the more plausible deniability he has later if questioned on his choice.

If he chooses Andrew at all.

“I see,” Alec’s expression softens.

“I can’t let it be anyone else. Please, Alec, let me do this,” Andrew says, openly pleading now.

“I still don’t like it. Give me those three days to see what I can do. But if it has to be someone… you’re certain you want it to be you?”

Andrew nods. “Yes.”

Alec sighs. “Alright. Thank you, Andrew.”

It isn’t until they’re both back at the Institute and Andrew receives a ‘We need to talk’ text from Lorenzo that a thought occurs to him for the first time:

What if Lorenzo doesn’t want to marry him?

They’re dating, sure, and Andrew would like to think that there’s something there between them… but dating and marriage are two very different things. What if Lorenzo would prefer someone else? What if he liked Andrew for now but had no intention of keeping him around forever? They’re doing fine now, but what if this offer is too much? What if this breaks them?

Andrew is a mess of nerves the rest of the day, barely able to fill out basic reports without his mind wandering until his shift is finally over and he immediately makes his way to Lorenzo’s. He walks, hoping the fresh air will calm him and clear his head, but it does neither.

The anxiety must be written all over his face, because the moment he steps through the door Lorenzo takes one look at him and says, “You already know.”

Andrew nods.

“It’s ridiculous!” Lorenzo exclaims. “Do you know they had the audacity to tell me it wasn’t even a sacrifice for me!? ‘What’s a couple of decades?’, they said! As if-” he words break off then, surprisingly emotional. “As if losing the time I’d have with you wouldn’t be a sacrifice.”

Lorenzo thought he was losing him. Of course he did, Andrew realizes. Because he expects that the Shadowhunter chosen would be forced into it, the same as him. And maybe if anyone other than Alec were in charge, that would be the case.

“You don’t have to lose me, Ren,” Andrew starts, but Lorenzo cuts him off before he can finish.

“Damn right I don’t, because I’m not doing it. They can find another High Warlock if they have to.”

“Well,” Andrew says. “That would make the fact that I volunteered to be the Shadowhunter in the arrangement a bit awkward, then.”

Lorenzo, who’d been pacing back and forth in his barely contained frustration and anger, stops dead in his tracks. “What?”

“I was with Alec when they told him what was happening, and I… I volunteered. I couldn’t exactly stand there and listen to them discuss my boyfriend marrying someone else.”

“Andrew, I…” Lorenzo starts, but his words trail off. The silence that follows while Lorenzo processes the new information puts Andrew back on edge.

“If you don’t want to, that’s… well, I suppose it isn’t fine, but I’ll understand,” Andrew’s voice is quiet but at least it fills the silence. “We hadn’t really discussed our future that far before.”

“I don’t want you to marry me out of obligation,” Lorenzo points out.

“I’m not. For me, at least, it’s… well, if things kept going well that was always the endgame, wasn’t it? We’re just accelerating the timeline.”

Andrew can feel his heartbeat in his chest, the pulse points in his neck and wrists seeming to quicken with every passing second that he waits for Lorenzo to say something, anything, about whether or not he wants to marry him.

“You would really want to marry a warlock?” Lorenzo asks him, and the hint of disbelief behind the words guts Andrew. Lorenzo puts on a front so often that sometimes even he forgets how vulnerable his boyfriend can actually be.

“I would really want to marry you, Lorenzo,” Andrew corrects, taking a step toward Lorenzo to reach out his hands. He doesn’t take Lorenzo’s, however. Not yet. Andrew stops halfway to his boyfriend and waits.

For a moment he’s afraid Lorenzo isn’t going to move, but then he’s closing the space between them, ignoring Andrew’s outstretched hands to wrap his arms around Andrew’s waist and pull him flush against his body, lips meeting in a deep, emotional kiss.

When they finally part for air Andrew looks into Lorenzo’s eyes to see the faint shimmer of unshed tears there before he blinks them away, smiling.

“Is that a yes?” Andrew asks, not wanting to leave anything up to assumptions at this point.

“Yes,” Lorenzo confirms, nodding. “I want to marry you, too.”

Andrew beams. “This isn’t exactly how I imagined proposing. I don’t even have a ring,” he laughs.

Lorenzo smirks. “I could do something about that,” he says coyly. There’s a wave of golden yellow magic, and then two beautiful golden bands rest in his open palm.

“Of course you would have engagement bands just sitting around for anyone,” Andrew laughs.

“Not just anyone,” Lorenzo admits.

Oh. “Oh, Ren…”

“You weren’t the only one hoping maybe someday…” Lorenzo’s words trail off as he looks up at Andrew with a soft smile. “I just didn’t expect to need them so soon.”

With any last lingering doubts or hesitations gone from his mind, it’s Andrew who closes the space between them this time, knowing they’re going to be just fine.

#reyhill #andrew underhill #lorenzo rey #alec lightwood #shadowhunters #ShadowhunterBingo #hmdiscord #it's been a hot second since I wrote Reyhill and I still love them #elle writes a few deadbeat lines #long post

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elmidol · 4 years ago

Text

Error: Program Not Found - Eighteen

Summary: You are in charge of programming the droids that work most closely with both General Hux and Kylo Ren. Unbeknownst to you, each of these two men have it in their heads that your relationship extends beyond the workplace. This causes things to escalate quickly when your two apparently secret boyfriends compare notes on their respective partner who is far too similar for their liking.

Read on AO3

Chapter Warnings: none (I think?)

Side Notes: Contains all three routes, divided by breaks

Error: Program Not Found

“Once I knew you, I never wanted to know anyone else.” – Leo Christopher

Eighteen: Intimacy

[Kylo Route]

It had felt natural to head in the direction of Kylo Ren’s quarters following your interactions with General Hux. Your mind buzzed as your feet carried you forward; your surroundings were blurs, unfocused due to your mental fixation with your destination. Relief had flooded through you subsequent to your conversation with Armitage, however that buzz threatened to fade away. A new stage had been set. The budding relationship that you were beginning with Kylo would, indeed, change things no matter how you worked to keep things the same. That growth period, you wanted to put it off for the time being. Rest was a reward that you desperately wished to claim for yourself alongside comfort.

His very presence would offer you that, as it often did. You turned down the final corridor down which Kylo Ren’s quarters were contained. Five stormtroopers marched past you, the white of their armor drawing your gaze and causing your eyes to focus your surroundings for more than a fleeting second. Some of the tension in your shoulders melted away. You rolled them, reaching to your right shoulder with your left hand and giving a quick squeeze to tackle a knot.

You drew short at the door. Sucking in air through your teeth, you spared a quick glance over your shoulder. As you had begun to expect, two of the stormtroopers had paused to turn and consider you. Rumor fodder. Your lips quirked at the sides, and you rolled your eyes while shaking your head. There was no way around it. You returned your attention on the door, stepping forward and sighing as it slid open before you could knock.

The notorious mask most often seen on Kylo Ren when he stalked through the halls or fought on the battlefield lay on the chair atop the man’s cowl. You stared directly at the mask’s visor while stepping into his quarters. The door slid closed behind you the exact moment that you were out of its path.

Kylo lingered in your peripheral vision. Neither of you made a point to directly face the other. There was no need for that. Already more of the tension had slipped away. A lightness in your chest allowed you to breathe more easily.

“Eddard is officially on the project,” you said, finding it easy to speak of work without fearing that you would insult him. Kylo grunted by way of reply. The sound had not been dismissive, which encouraged you to continue. “Things are far from perfect, however I think they are on the right track.”

“These feelings extend beyond work.” You nodded, and here you did look his way. Those dark eyes met yours, a lightness to them that highlighted a warmth not present for others.

You walked to the chair without looking away from him. Your fingers skimmed along the metal surface. The mask contained smooth portions and rigids that alternated, making your movements jerky. The cowl provided a contrast in texture that encouraged you to lift your other hand. You bunched up the material, working it out from underneath the helmet and up into your grasp.

Kylo stepped nearer to you. “Cold?”

“No.” You ran your tongue along your lips. “You wear it often. I suppose I was curious how comfortable it was.” Kylo did not nod, nor did he stop walking closer. He set a hand atop the cowl though he did not remove it from your possession. “Do you need to train?” Whatever sentimental value the cowl had for him, you did not want drawing attention to it to cause him to withdraw from you. On that same note, however, you wanted to give him an out. He could rescind the invitation to his quarters without insulting you.

Instead he leaned forward, his mouth claiming yours. You stiffened in surprise before relaxing into the kiss, which grew in intensity. His demands were not concealed in the least. Kylo groped at your hip with his free hand before trailing it upwards towards your breast. You ground your hips into his, the bundle of his cowl a ball between you but doing nothing to keep you apart. Kylo’s hand shifted off the cowl and seized your upper arm. You allowed him to turn then steer you backwards without complaint.

He spread you across his bed. The cowl remained tucked against your stomach though he seized your wrists into one hand pinned your arms above your head. You sucked in air greedily during the brief interlude when he positioned your hands. Then he claimed your mouth again, his tongue working against yours. You rolled your hips upwards, whimpering at the feel of his cock through the layers of clothes that you both wore.

“Not yet.” You could have kicked yourself for the words you spoke. Kylo grunted against your lips, his nose skimming yours. His eyelashes fluttered, tickling your cheek. “I would like to be in my quarters when we do. That way I can curl up and rest afterwards. We do not have to spend the night together.”

“Mm.” It was a softer grunt than the first, and Kylo’s body rocked into yours. You sighed in contentment, relishing in the feel of him. “I will come to your quarters later.” You laughed before you could stop yourself.

Shielding your face with a hand, you worked to calm your laughter. Kylo did not let your amusement detract from his pleasure. He kissed the back of your hand, grazing the flesh of your wrist with his teeth. It sent a pulse of delight through your body like a shockwave.

A chime from the left caused all movement to cease. Kylo released a puff of breath, the only sign of his displeasure over the interruption. You, meanwhile, considered that it had been a good thing that you had put a stop to what activities might otherwise have been occurring. Him being called away during the first time you had sex, that would have left a sour taste in your mouth. Kylo extricated himself from the tangled mess of your entwined limbs. He lifted the comlink, his back to you. His body shielded you from view of the officer that spoke, stating that the Supreme Leader wished to speak with him.

After the communication ended, he murmured that he would come to your quarters. You nodded though he could not see you. The flutterings in your stomach did not cease; you were touched that he did not wish to alter his plans if he could help it. You stated that you would see him then whilst rising from his bed and smoothing out your clothes.

[End of Cycle]

Echoes of heavy footsteps resounding the corridor outside of your quarters announced the inevitable entrance of Kylo Ren. You considered the MSE droid that presently hid in one of the room’s corners and found yourself smirking. Your finger touched the icon on your datapad to open the door in time with Kylo’s arrival. He had chosen to redress in his full attire including his mask, the visor of which briefly met your eyes before his attention trailed towards the droid. You would have paid quite a few credits to see the expression on his face. You imagined that he had drawn his eyebrows towards one another in mild confusion.

“You kept it.” The vocoder aided in transforming his statement into something rather toneless. It failed to completely erase the edge of curiosity that you picked up from your history with him.

“I did,” you said as a grin spread across your features.” He grunted in reply while you continued to speak. “It is quite a trip hazard, I’ll admit, however I am enjoying the challenge.” It was, at the very least, no longer slamming into people. Instead the MSE droid had been stopping suddenly, which resulted in a reverse effect: you collided with and tripped over it. You had done just that earlier upon reentering your quarters. “I can be stubborn.”

“Mm.” This time his grunt, deepened by his mask, vibrated through you. You bit down on the insides of of your cheek if only to keep from seizing your lip. Anything at all to hold in the moan that threatened to rise from you. Kylo Ren, nevertheless, seemed to know what his noises did to you without any verbal confirmation. He stepped into your quarters enough that the door closed behind him. “You wish to know more of the Force.”

The statement prompted a nod from you, which he mirrored rather than speaking immediately once more. The amount of speaking he had already done since entering your quarters impressed you; he was not one to hold a prolonged conversation. That he did so with you caused your heart to flutter and heat to pool into your face.

Kylo moved within the room, his visor pointed at the MSE droid, which had rolled forward only to move backwards in retreat. It stuttered forward for a second time. Your lips quirked towards one side and you wrinkled your nose. You truly did enjoy the challenge, more due to not being critiqued on your progress. That did not eliminate the frustrations that arose in you with the multiple issues you had encountered since first bringing the droid into your quarters.

Kylo lowered himself once he was in front of you. His current seated position did not differ from when you had joined him in meditation on previous occasions. A surge of pride burst through you at the knowledge that he was comfortable with you to this extent. Kylo tilted his head to the side, as though curious about something that you could not place your finger on. After a moment, he held out a hand with its palm up, and your datapad lifted out of your hands to hover in the air between the two of you.

He made it look so simple, so natural. As though everyone in the galaxy should have been capable of this feat. The datapad curved in its path, twisting around in a circle before descending to return to your possession. You cupped it with both of your hands. Kylo’s hand had not moved, his fingers had not twitched. You wondered if he was required to use his hand at all, or if that had been for your benefit.

“The Force is more than parlor tricks.” The laugh that erupted from you caused your face to heat up further. You lifted the datapad to momentarily hide from him, your shoulders shaking. Warmth spread throughout the rest of your body. He had been intentionally funny, and it was intimate to you, special. His snark, such ironic statements, more often ventured on a path of deprecation. This had not been that. This was kind. In his way, it was sweet. “You may ask two questions regarding the Force, and I will answer.” This he stated after you managed to regain your composure and lowered the datapad.

You paused to think about what you might ask him. Misinformation about what the Force could do ran rampant, yet such questions might be vague or try his patience. The conversation that he proposed did not need to be a singular event. You tapped three fingers against your lips while replaying the act he had mere moments ago completed. You placed each of your hands on a leg.

“I want to ask a question about the questions, yet I am unsure if you will count that against me.”

Kylo lifted his hands to his helmet, unlatching it. The hiss of the pressure release never failed to evoke the need to suppress a shudder. There was something about that sound that you could not describe. Anticipation would be understating things. You were aware that you would see his face. Which he did to certain prisoners, from your understanding. Kylo placed the helmet on the ground to his left. He did not once break eye contact with you.

“I will not count it against you.” You traced every mole on his face, the thick lips that you wanted to feel on you. Then drowned in the depth of his eyes.

“If a question has two parts to it, does that count as the two questions?” He hummed by way of reply. You waited, beginning to hold your breath, and realized quickly that he was not going to offer a full response. You released a strangled noise as you worked through how to elaborate. “Nothing extensive or that requires multiple explanations.” He gave a nod and waved his hand before himself, as though giving you permission. “I am assuming that the physical gestures when one uses the Force aids in control, correct?” Another nod. “Does that change when one’s mastery of their abilities improves?”

“For some.” He shifted forward a fraction, his knees closer to yours. You curled your toes. A moment later, you pushed yourself nearer to him, finishing the contact. His desire to touch you, to fuck you, had not faded. Whatever Snoke had kept him occupied with, you assumed that he required more time to unwind from it. Nothing carnal, no violence. Mental work, you thought as you blinked.

You replaced your hands on your knees, the backs of your fingers on his. It dawned on you, the question that you wanted to ask. Whether it was too sentimental for him or not, you would leave that to chance. He was under no obligation to answer. There was no agreement stating that he could not reject one question and pose the opportunity for an alternate.

“How do I feel in the Force to you?” Your heart pounded in your chest as you asked the question aloud. Its beating echoed loudly in your ears, and for a second you swayed in place. Steadying yourself, you swallowed thickly and hoped that your reaction had not been off putting.

Kylo opened his mouth without uttering a word. His eyes raked along your face then caressed upwards. He lowered his gaze once more to settle on your lips. “All beings are specks of light. Yours is brighter to me due to familiarity.” You held your breath, waiting for him to say more simultaneous to expecting nothing. Kylo rested his forearms on his thighs. His hands dangled in his lap, near his ankles. “It is better if we wait.”

“Do you have to go?” you blurted, the muscles of abdomen tightening. He shook his head in unison with the moment the MSE droid rolled forward. It bumped into TeeArr, who startled from his rest. You sucked your lips into your mouth and waited for TeeArr to say something, anything.

The droid did not disappoint you. “Commander Ren! Do you require more training droids?” It could have been worse. Kylo tilted his head to the side without looking at TeeArr. There were no traces of annoyance on his face.

You debated answering the droid’s question yourself, however decided that it was better to not open that can of worms. You scratched at the bridge of your nose, broke eye contact with Kylo, and checked on the MSE droid. It stuttered when attempting to move. Sighing, you moved away from Kylo, breaking off the minute amount of physical contact you had with him, to power down the droid.

“Just focus on recharging, TeeArr. Next cycle is going to be plenty busy.” TeeArr did not argue with you; when it came to recharging, the droid rarely contradicted you. He powered down himself, his optics dimming before shutting off completely. Only then did you return to your previous position.

Kylo had not budged an inch. His knees were warm against yours, prompting you to scoot even closer. He rearranged his legs, and you shifted again so that you were between them. You extended your legs a bit, working to find a comfortable position that did not detract from his comfort. Kylo worked his hands along your shoulders once you were situated. He familiarized himself with the layout of your body, freely exploring with not traces of shyness that you could find. You let him, relishing in the feel of his touch as well as the knowledge that this was the man you were in a relationship with.

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[Hux Route]

Before the cycle ended, you decided to venture towards Armitage’s quarter. You had shot him a message indicating your desire to see the TIE cat bed in person, and he had stated that you were plenty welcome. You fought to keep the grin off your face as you walked through the corridors. Despite the grim task of rejecting Kylo Ren officially, you were pleased overall with how the day had gone. Of course, heading towards Armitage’s quarters now that you were in an official relationship with him would have brightened your day regardless.

The stormtrooper that stood guard outside Armitage’s quarters stepped to the side when you arrived; that the trooper was aware of your permission to be there heightened your joy. Heat spread throughout your body, and you idly wondered how apparent the pleasure was to those around you.

You pressed in the entry code then stepped inside, offering a soft greeting to Armitage upon seeing him. Your eyes then scanned the circumference of the room. Seeking out the TIE cat bed took no more than a few seconds. You spotted it in one of the corners and found that Millicent was curled up there. Her purrs echoed, her contentment enough proof that you had done a good job. Normally Millicent might have skittered away or become playful when you arrived; that she was exhausted, likely from extended play with the toys the TIE provided, served as further proof.

“I wonder if I will have to come during the day to see it. She is usually more active around lunch.” You tilted your head, looking at her from a new angle.

“Yes, although she is also quite active during the night cycle.” You grinned widely at the tone of his voice, a cross between affection and exasperation. Armitage extended a hand towards you, and you stepped nearer to him. Your breath nearly caught in your throat as his hand made contact. His touch was gentle though firm. He had only recently ended his work shift; though, realistically, he could be called away at any second. “I acquired a list of other works by a newer poet I believe will catch your interest.” You released a hum in response, wondering what it was he believed you would enjoy.

Armitage slipped a finger under your chin, turning your head slightly to one side as he drew lazy circles along the area and stared into your eyes. Your stomach fluttered, and you found yourself yearning to touch him as well. It was more intimate now than when you had been in his office. You set a hand on his bare wrist, thinking how scandalous the sight had been in its own way. He covered so much of his body so often. You imagined that he could see the amusement in your gaze, as his expression further relaxed.

He leaned down and captured your lips in a brief kiss. It ended before you had a chance to respond, and you furrowed your brow. Armitage traced your jawline with his fingers before cupping the side of your face and moving in for a more proper kiss. You returned this one, melting into the sensation of that soft mouth melding with yours. Once he pulled away this time, he led you towards one of your preferred locations in his quarters.

You curled up on the blue couch beside him, both of you sitting comfortably. Armitage grabbed a datapad from the side table once the two of you were settled. He powered on the device and began to flick through files until he located the one he sought. You rested your head on his shoulder as you watched him.

He pulled up a new poem. It was structured differently than the other that he had shared with you, and you could tell by the word choice as well that it had been penned by a different poet. This individual also compared metal and nature, although their preference was more difficult to discern. They merged the two, entwining them and speaking of their coexistence in romantic analogies that caused your breath to hitch. It was ideal to you, the picture that the poet had created in your mind with their words.

“I thought you might like that.” You could only nod in reply to Armitage’s words, your hand placed on his arm. There were so many things you wished to properly express, however words did not spring to mind. Not the ones you would want to use, at any rate.

You curled your body more tightly against his. With this close proximity, every breath you took allowed you to drag in the scent of his soap. He smelled so clean, and you surmised that he had recently showered. A quick glance at his hair did not reveal any strand out of place. It was gelled, which you doubted he would do directly before bed. You reached up for the top of his head. Armitage did not bat away your hand or pull from you. He searched through more files, likely for another poem, and allowed you to touch him. His hair was surprisingly damp. Not by much, yet enough that you realized water was what held those locks in place instead of gel. You smiled at the softness of it.

“I am very fond of both,” you said at last. Order and chaos. Nature and machines. Hair gelled in place or else free to do as it pleased. Your gaze slid away from him to land on Millicent, who remained asleep. “The poem made me think of home, of when I first began working with droids.” Your smile grew as you pictured it, ran through the memory as though it had happened just the previous day. “My parents preferred that I worked on them outdoors. We had grass in the yard, and I would take a blanket to sit on. Some of my neighbors avoided using droids.” The pair of you chuckled. “I try to respect it, however I never have understood the aversion some people have to droids.”

He hummed in thought, his fingers pausing to hover above the datapad. Armitage pursed his lips forward a fraction, opened his mouth, and released a noise that sounded like the first syllable to a word. What word it would have been, you did not know. He closed his mouth again, and he grunted while letting his head fall back so that he could look at the ceiling. You said nothing, allowing him this time to think. You were plenty content to inhale deeply again, to enjoy the smell of him, his presence.

When he opened his mouth again, Armitage successfully spoke. “There are many reasons for it. Some come from families that dealt with the Trade Federation. I am certain you’ve heard of their discourse with Naboo.”

You worried at your bottom lip, bobbing your head in a nod. You had heard of it along with other planets that had dealt with Separatists and their droid armies. Mistrust stemming from trauma did make sense to you on some level. Yet you wanted to argue; you were biased, you well knew, and you wanted others to accept droids. In the next moment, your thoughts came to a harsh pause. You were aiding the First Order in designing assassination droids. It would help to sow seeds of mistrust.

“Maybe it is not as good a day as I thought,” you murmured. Armitage said nothing. You glanced up at him and found him staring at you in return. You debated saying nothing. He might well think your concerns foolish or, given that you worked for the First Order, treasonous. The relationship you had with him was new. If it started off with mistrust and paranoia, where was it to go? You would rather he chastise you here, whether you agreed with him or not, than let negativity fester.

He listened until you were done speaking, which did not take much time. Armitage patted your hip. His hand shifted up and down along your side. “There are no easy answers when it comes to the gray area of war. Your droids will hardly be the first to work towards assassination.” In another setting, and from another mouth, you might have taken insult to the second statement. Instead you thought on it, considered the reasons why you were working for this goal. In part it was to have your other project approved, the one that would help save others. The one that would enrich their lives. Gray area indeed.

In the seconds that followed, Armitage resumed his search for another poem that had been saved on the datapad. It was strange to you that it took him so long; normally he would have a better filing system for documents. That was proof enough that the datapad in his possession at the moment was used for things unrelated to work along with being a device he did not often use in general. The alternative would be that he had more works saved on the datapad than you had guessed. He never appeared to you as having a generous amount of freetime, which had caused you to assume that he did not purchase or save many works of fiction, or even non-fiction pieces for that matter.

Your budding relationship meant that you would learn a great many things about him; details that you had previously neglected to note would be granted new light. You touched Armitage’s arm at that thought, feeling the muscle beneath his shirt. He was lean in some regards, however there were tell-tale signs that he ensured he was fit to serve on the battlefield if the situation called for it. Or at least inasmuch as what would be required for him to survive. You equally preferred to remain behind the scenes. This was in contrast to Kylo Ren, and you supposed that such differences had been part of the causation that you had, in the end, felt more of a connection with Armitage.

After locating the second piece, he read it aloud just as he had done with the first. You closed your eyes to allow the words to wash over you. You could spend days listening to his voice regardless of what he was saying. It had a charm to it. Every inflection was perfect, his enunciation one that your academy teachers had worked to instill in all students. He paused in the proper places when coming across a comma, period, or similar breaks. Armitage’s voice lended itself well to evoking the correct emotions from you that the poem had been designed for.

This particular piece had a different focus than the previous works that he had shared with you. It ignored nature and machinery alike to instead focus inwardly. It painted emotions in various shades of color, each serving a purpose for stages in life as well as different experiences that one might go through. It was a longer poem than the others as well. Love had a multitude of shades; the poet explored familial, platonic, and romantic love by giving them separate turns. On occasion they overlapped, creating new hues.

Familial love was the first time you heard a quiver in Armitage’s voice that you could not shake away. When he fell silent upon completing the poem, you sat there and replayed the moment in your mind. A part of you wanted to say something, while at the same time you worried that he would become more guarded and wish for you to leave his quarters. You doubted that you would be spending the entire night—you were not quite ready for that, although perhaps soon—but that did not mean you wanted to leave just yet.

“It’s a very sentimental piece,” he said once more time had passed without you saying anything.

You nodded, pinching at the material of his shirtsleeve and rubbing it together before releasing your hold. “It is not wrong. Harnessing our own emotions, mastering them, helps us in many ways throughout life. Love can be a weakness or a strength. It comes down to not allowing yourself to be blinded. To see the larger picture through all those hues.” You glanced at him and saw his throat bob as he swallowed. “What do you think?”

It was an innocent enough question, and allowed for an assortment of answers.

“I think the hues offered may differ from person to person. Some may never see certain colors in their entire life.” It was like a punch to the gut delivered in unison with someone gripping your heart. You ached for him, for the vulnerability he displayed while he did not divulge everything that had happened to him.

It was common enough knowledge that Brendol Hux had been less than pleased to have Armitage as a son, but the exact depth had been unknown—at least to you.

You readjusted how you sat, slowly working your legs across his lap and bending them at the knees. Armitage curled an arm around you, bringing you closer. The contact was one that he needed as much as you did, one that he yearned for. How long had he yearned for it? How many would he have allowed himself to drop his guard, even a fraction, for? The emotional abuse he had endured in life had left him with scars that you were now catching glimpses of. You suspected—Maker, you hoped that you were wrong, yet you doubted it—that there had been physical blows alongside those emotional cuts.

“This is meant to be a positive experience,” he said, amusement slipping into his tone. It brought a new smile to your face, and you felt the minute amount of tension that had begun to build fade away. You rested your cheek on his shoulder while staring at his face. Armitage returned your gaze. He leaned forward, your mouths meeting. “I am satisfied with the colors I have seen.” You tried not to laugh, but failed. You snorted, covering your face and shaking your head, unable to contain your mirth.

The sound woke Millicent. She released a noise containing a meow and something of a squeak. She might have yawned mid-meow, however you were not certain. You lowered your hands from your face to look at her. She rose and stretched, arching her back and turning her head to assess all occupants of the room. Seeing that it was you, she meowed again then trotted over to her water dish to rehydrate.

You slipped off of Armitage’s lap and walked in the direction of the TIE cat bed. Noises behind you indicated that he shifted as well, though you were uncertain if he had risen. You knelt in front of the bed, reached to the side, and hit a switch that allowed you to give it voice commands; this feature had been added after one of your discussions with Aelin. It was quick to install and did not weigh much at all. You instructed the bed to convert into its other mode. The TIE’s transition was smooth, a blue beam of light running along its outside the entire time. That sensor would aid in preventing injury to Millicent if she ever came near the TIE mid-transformation. It would freeze until the area was clear.

This feature was one that you hope to improve upon in the coming weeks if given any downtime. It might help you work on the MSE droid that you were still tinkering with; remedying one issue always seemed to reveal another. This made your moment observing the TIE cat bed in action all the more rewarding. It was smooth, transforming into play-mode and dangling a cat toy from one of its wings as it hovered.

Millicent darted over to the toy, batting at it and rolling onto her back. “You do great work,” Armitage said. More movement, and you heard footsteps drawing closer. He knelt down next to you, the pair of you watching Millicent play. “I hope to get her on more of a schedule so that she does not interrupt my sleep.”

It was rare that he received decent sleep, although you were not about to say that. Instead you tapped a finger against your chin. “Creating a smaller model that works alongside this, one that is devoted to extra play, may help with that. Essentially it will be nothing more than a hovering cat toy, I suppose.”

“It sounds perfect.” Affection and pleasure tinted his voice. You thought again of the poem. Glancing at him, you took note of the love in his eyes for the small cat. She was his form of family, and she gave him her love unconditionally in return. Pitying him would have been an insult; you empathized with his struggles in his life, specifically his early life, but you marveled at the man he had become.

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[Poly Route]

After spending your time with Armitage then with Kylo, you found that you were more exhausted than you had been in quite a while. Of course, you mused, there had been the presentation before either of those. That had been easy from an emotional standpoint. Mentally it had been taxing. That covered the emotional and mental exhaustion, you thought, and worked to discover what had you so physically tired. It was likely a byproduct of the pair.

You laid on your bed with your hands resting atop your stomach and stared up at the ceiling. TeeArr and the MSE droid were recharging. No one else had entered your quarters since Kylo had left. You were alone. That was not always as bad as one might think. It gave you time to run through all that had occurred, and sort through what you wanted to plan for the following cycle. Work was of the utmost importance. Socially, however, you had to figure out how to divide your free time between two men. They both had stated that they were open to this polycule. The questions as: for how long? You did not want to grow comfortable with one arrangement only for one or both of them to yank the metaphorical rug out from under your feet.

For a moment, you did nothing more than breathe and trace patterns with your eyes along the ceiling. Anyone could drive themselves bonkers with negative thinking, with theories as to how a relationship would go. Even if you had been dating only one of them, there were potential factors that could shake things up. That was how life worked.

You rolled onto your side to give yourself a better view of the MSE droid. A little after Kylo had left, you had tinkered with some of its coding again, finding more flaws. Flaws that had not been there before, which indicated a potential virus. Wiping the droid clean and starting its programming from scratch would be less of a hassle. Finding a means of countering the virus would be more helpful, however, in that the repair could be replicated should it occur in other droids. You first had to ensure that none of your equipment had been damaged by the potential virus; you would use your spares when you began work in the coming cycle.

Perhaps thoughts of code-related projects should not have calmed you as much as they did. It was what you did for work. This was different though. It was personal, it was for yourself. You smiled, thinking of it along with Kylo’s reaction to seeing the droid. Next you thought of Armitage and Millicent in her TIE cat bed. Being with both of them made you genuinely happy.

Stretching, arching your back, you altered your position once more, scooping up a datapad as you accomplished this shift. You had not yet finished winding down from your day, and you had enough of your wits about you to compose a message to each of them. Something simple though nothing cheesy.

You tapped your fingers against the side of the device. The drumming held no true rhythm, although you did not particularly care. You made the decision to not open the replies no matter how soon they came. Only then did you begin to write a message to Kylo Ren, inquiring when he would be able to have a meditation session with you. It was something that would not interfere with his work or training while for you it offered a chance to clear your mind of mental tasks while enjoying his company. Dating on starships was an interesting affair to say the least. For Armitage, you hoped to join him for tea, one of the new flavors that you had purchased. It would be soothing, and was also something you could do while in his quarters. He was always most at ease there.

Once you had sent the messages, you powered down the device and tucked it away. You then slipped out of bed. Your feet pattered on the ground, taking you towards the MSE droid, in front of which you knelt.

People so often took droids for granted, and you honestly did not understand it. Some hated droids. Others preferred droids that could not communicate in Basic. They chose to purchase droids that spoke only binary, which they often failed to learn. You rolled your eyes. What people wanted were mindless slaves. Drones were different than droids. You wished that more people understood that. That more appreciated the gift that droids were, that they would cherish them. It was in part programming, however many droids learned to adapt so as to best serve their masters and partners.

Your gaze flickered over to TeeArr. That was what he was to you, you thought. He was more of a partner. Or a child, as he had somewhat implied. The people in your life influenced him as much as they did you. And he cared for you. His concern had so much to do with his programming, however what had first sparked the idea to allow room for personality had been the early stages of his adaptation into your work life.

His relationship with Kylo and Armitage will be different. I need to ensure it does not interfere with work. Should he become too casual with them… You quirked your lips towards one side. TeeArr had enough history working with diplomats that you worried less than you otherwise may have. Still, there would be work to be done. Which meant ensuring that you had free time between cycles and dates with your boyfriends to devote to yourself and to TeeArr. Evenings will be best.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you rose to your feet again and slunk back to your bed. The covers were invitingly warm in comparison with the light chill of the room. A low buzz emitted from the air vents.

Aside from running through codes, another means of relaxing yourself before bed was to recall some of your fonder memories. At present those were of previous interactions with Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux.

Early on, when it had come to speaking with political figures, you had been frustrated with Armitage—General Hux back that to you. He had given only clipped greetings, if he greeted you at all, and referred to you by your job title rather than name. That had gradually changed. One incident in particular had been when the politician had spoken over you during a discussion about Imperial droids that were, to many, obsolete. You had felt that some of their programming would be useful in newer droids. The politician had pretended to listen for roughly one sentence before he turned to Armitage and began speaking as though you were sitting there silently.

Maker, you had grown so flustered. It was the first time that you had wanted to sock someone so badly that you shoved your hands under the table to hide your fists. Armitage had, in turn, ignored the other man in favor of looking your way and requesting that you repeat yourself, because he did not believe the knowledge you were attempting to share had been heard. It was hard to not respect him in those moments. Whether you butted heads on opinions or not, he showed you professional courtesy and respect that you had worked your ass off to earn.

Next you considered one of the times you had spent nearly an hour with Kylo. Neither of you had spoken for the better part of fifteen standard minutes. You had discovered a viewport with a gorgeous view of several constellations along with a distant moon. It had given you pause, stolen your breath away. You had walked closer to the transparisteel, and stood there with your arms dangling. Kylo Ren had already been present, although you barely noticed him. He spoke first. He told you that you would be late. You hummed in absent acknowledgment, the words not registering until nearly a half hour had passed. Then you had uttered out a swear.

At that point you left the viewport and headed in the direction of the meeting room that was filled with officers awaiting a presentation from you. You worked hard to think up an excuse, anything to save face. Nothing sensible sprang to mind. Thus you entered the room to receive glowers and glares. A snarl wrinkled the face of the lead officer, who began to open his mouth only to release a strangled noise of surprise before he uttered Kylo’s name. And Kylo Ren spoke for you, stating that you had been with him. That was all. Four words. She was with me. No one had questioned it, and any animosity aimed at you had left.

They were both kind, you thought. It was in their own way, however in retrospect they had been more human to you than the majority of those you had had contact with in the First Order. You had paid that in kind, too. Had treated them with respect. Had spoken with them, smiled at them. Had unknowingly been falling in love with them, or at least parts of them.

You lifted a hand to your mouth, your eyes widening as you faced the depth of your feelings for them. It explained so well why you had faced such difficulty when believing that you would have to choose one or the other. You would have been lying to yourself to say that you could have done so. Just as you had lied to yourself, making that decision to not read the replies until the next cycle.

You grabbed at the datapad again, fingers trembling a little as you pushed the power button. There was much that you wanted to share with each of them, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Physically. You bit down on your bottom lip and barely suppressed a shudder.

There were two messages waiting for you. Both Armitage and Kylo had replied not long after you had sent each of them their message. It caused the already-present thrumming in your body to spread.

You opened the message from Armitage first, as it was the one on top. He enjoyed the idea of having scheduled tea sessions with you on an ongoing basis. It would allow you to monitor the TIE cat bed, perhaps also allow you to design more droids appropriate for her care. No one could say that either of you were wasting time being idle. That was a risk that an officer of his rank dealt with in the First Order. It was ruthless, this organization. He had a list of three times that would work best for his schedule, and you replied back indicating the two that would work for you, stating that you would give him a definitive answer partway into the next cycle. You imagined that if things changed on his end, he would message you if possible.

With that reply sent, you opened Kylo’s response to your message. The laugh that leapt from you made you glad that you were essentially alone at the moment. He had inquired if you meant for a meditation session in his quarters or in the training room. It was impossible for you to not smile over the fact that he was seeking clarification over whether or not you were using code. Truth be told, you were plenty willing to partake in either form of ‘meditation’ he had been considering. You worked to keep your wording from being too forward. Leave room for a little bantering, you thought.

This time when you powered down the datapad and found a more comfortable position to rest, you were determined to avoid further distractions from sleep. Plans outside of work were developing. You had to get your sleep for that, to have the proper amount of energy to fully appreciate your time with Kylo and Armitage.

The humming of the vent lulled you into a deep sleep. The dreams you had were vague, but with an air of pleasantness. Familiarity. Arms wrapped around you. A person beside you. Laughter, yours and two other distinct voices. You did not dream of the presentation, as you sometimes did following such meetings. Only of them.

#errorpnf #kylo ren x reader #general hux x reader #kylo x reader #hux x reader #kylo ren imagine #general hux imagine

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wu-sisyphus-gang · 3 years ago

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Motion Sickness Chapter 34

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I was a part of something bigger, made of something bigger. When I opened my eyes, Ruby was there. All of RWBY was there in fact, JNPR too. And CRDL even. Everyone I had ever met and, you know what, everyone I had ever not met was stuck too. Not just humans but faunus too. All Cetra in one giant groaning mass.

It was everybody. It was everything and at the center of it all was a mad god and the distant sound of flute playing. Out of tune. Out of beat. It was a horrific whistling sound like if somebody tortured the wind and made it shriek wildly in the abysmal mass.

And we were made out of it. And we were trapped in it.

We were all there and made and trapped in this stuff. I tried to move but I was stuck in it. Like I’d been cemented into place in this wall. But the stuff wasn’t cement, it was flesh. It was both human and Grimm flesh and I was stuck inside of it. When I looked out beyond there was only one thing that wasn’t stuck in the goo, only one person.

A woman.

I knew her. Her straw-blonde hair and pale skin stood out to me. Her sharp facial features were a match for my own. I had her nose and eyes a few shades darker than hers.

“Mother!” I called out. “Mother save me!” With pale eyes, she turned towards me.

She walked towards me and cupped my chin with ghost white hands. “Of course, my child. I will save you. Hush now.”

With one gentle pull she ripped me free of the wall into her ghostly white arms. I shuddered as she cradled me.

This isn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t what I had in mind. I was a tentacle. I was merging in my flesh with my mother and becoming one with her. I wasn’t saved here. I was just as trapped.

When I woke up, Ruby’s arms were tight around me. Her face held the exact same soft expression it had when she was stuck in the wall. I couldn’t look at her. Especially as she sighed softly and nuzzled her face into my shoulder.

There had been cries for help. People sobbed in the wall. But I knew that no one made it out of the four and a half billion year deep corpse pile. I screamed and something had looked at me. I called out in pure instinct for my mother and something had answered. It was alien, foreign. It was not like us.

My mouth opened in a silent scream in the real world, I’d drooled all over my pillow and sheets. I flipped the pillow over and laid my head back but I knew I’d never get any sleep now.

All I could think was that she wasn’t my mother.

Ruby hushed me and rubbed my chest softly. Harsh red and orange scars stood out across it. She mumbled softly in her sleep. I watched her adjust her position across my chest, her hands taking mine in hers as she did.

I relaxed but only slightly. The sight of the woman’s eyes were burned into my mind.

I checked my scroll. It was three thirty in the morning. Way too early to go about waking Ruby or any such nonsense. I slid out of bed carefully, avoiding any movement which might wake Ruby and slid my pillow into my place. She adorably wrapped her arms around it and I couldn’t help but brush her hair back and kiss her forehead.

I made my way over to the minifridge and helped myself to some of the icecream Ruby had bought and binged to make herself feel better. Strawberry sherbet. Fitting. And for breakfast no less. I sighed and wiped my forehead.

“Jaune…” A quiet whisper. I’d failed and been caught. Ruby came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. There was a mirror which ran across our wall in which I’d failed to notice her creeping up behind me within. Her tight pjs pressed against my back and her fingers traced about the scars on my chest.

“It’s nothing, just a bad dream.”

“You’ve been having a lot of those.” She almost scolded me. But if it was a scold I wanted to be scolded again, it was so gentle.

“They’re nothing,” I tried.

“Not nothing," she denied easily. "Tell me about them,” she murmured. Her voice like a shallow creek. “Are they about Tyrian?”

“Who? The scorpion?”

I felt her roll her eyes against my back. “His name was Tyrian.”

“He doesn’t deserve so much as a name. Calling him ‘The Scorpion’ is already too good for him.”

“Tell me about your nightmares, Jaune.” She was impossible to distract, it would seem. That’s why I loved her; I think. Not only was she a sweetheart, she was unrelenting. It was unbelievably attractive.

I told her about the mound of human and faunus flesh. But I didn’t mention my mother pulling me out of it and into her arms. I didn’t mention how I became one with her instead. I told her about how I saw her sleeping in the massive wall. Just another person shaped tentacle.

I shuddered as she ran her hands through my scars, the warmth of her fingers rocked me to my bones. The feeling spread across my ribs as I turned around and wrapped her in my arms. Her arms stayed tight within mine and she leaned her head against my chest again.

“Jaune...”

“I’ll be okay Rubes. Pinky promise.”

She wrapped her hands around my neck and kissed me.

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Ruby went back to bed. I could not. I was awake and out and about. And if I had another dream like that one I never wanted to sleep again.

Weiss was the first one up. It was early too when she joined me in the living spaces. As in, it was like five in AM. She must be an early riser. Maddening.

“Jaune…” she murmured my name sleepily. “What’s got you out of bed so early.”

“Bad dreams. Family problems probably. Couldn’t get back to sleep. Why are you up so fucking early?”

“I’m always up this early.”

“Why?”

“I like the mornings. If you’re up early you can get a lot done. Coffee?”

“I made a pot already. Help yourself.”

“What a gentleman.”

“I guess.”

“So, family problems,” she muttered. “I know a thing or two about that.”

“Ruby mentioned you did. Not any of the specifics,” I said hurriedly when she turned swiftly in my direction. “Just that your parents were mean to you.”

“Well. ‘Mean.’” She managed. She thought for a moment. “My father was physically and emotionally abusive. My mother was a drinker and was totally absent in any way that matters.”

“Mean,” I leveraged. “My parents were… I don’t know how to describe it. They didn’t believe in me. For one thing. My father especially didn’t. He thought I didn’t have a prayer. Especially at being a huntsman.”

“But you showed them. You’re quite the huntsman now.”

“Yeah. I guess. Wait until my sisters find out. That will mean something.”

“How many sisters did you have again?”

“Seven.”

“Seven?!” She asked as she sat down on the couch opposite me.

“Seven. I’m the oldest. They matter to me. Are you close with your siblings if not with your parents?” I asked.

“Maybe with Winter. So maybe one. But she’s distant. It’s a part of who she is. It’s also a survival trait in a family like mine. My brother on the other hand…” she trailed off but I just waited. “My brother is like my father,” she decided.

“Bad, then.”

“Bad,” she agreed.

“I was the oldest by quite a bit. And I was the only guy. So… I was excluded from stuff. But not intentionally. You know? It’s just how that goes.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed. It was a pleasant sound in her throat. I stared at her neck for a moment. Her early morning clothes were a soft grey and blue gown that showed off all the way down her collar. I glanced away as my eyes trailed a little lower than her collar.

Girl’s in their pajamas, man. Something about it… What was I to do?

“But I’ve got Ruby now. She believes in me,” I continued. “I mean you and I both do?”

She choked a little on her coffee. I stared. “I’m sorry?” She wondered. “What do you mean?”

“She’s your partner. You two are like, besties or whatever. I’ve never really had that either.”

“Oh. That’s… that’s what you meant. Yes, I suppose. We’re good friends. I… I never really had that before Ruby. A best friend.”

“Me neither. I’m none of my best-friends’ best friends. It’s a bit of an insecurity of mine. Yeah I’m dating Ruby but…”

“But that’s different,” Weiss whispered. “What you and Ruby have is different from what Ruby and I can have…”

“Yeah. I mean, I guess. What is friendship anyways? I was close to Pyrrha but I wouldn’t say we were best friends like you and Ruby are. We also were never a couple. And Ren has Nora so while he’s definitely my bro, he’s not really my best friend.”

“When did you find out that Pyrrha liked you?” Weiss murmured.

“She… she kissed me before she went to fight Cinder. So… she had to be pretty obvious. With Ruby, too. It was that way. Or I never would have found out. I’m… for someone who is… I don’t know… I’m kinda smart. Right?”

“Yes, you’re smart. You fight in a way that’s about the mental battle as much as the physical. Like your empty hops. You’re always trying to psych your opponent out. You’re pretty smart. We pretty much all go to you for plans.”

“Right,” I agreed. “But holy fuck am I dumb. You get what I mean?”

“Well…”

“I mean I went after you instead of Pyrrha who was right there in front of me. I didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell with you. But my dumbass just kept tryin’.”

“ Well …”

“So man, am I dumb. You feel me? I’m too fuckin’ dumb to be this smart.”

“A little , but what makes you say you didn’t have a chance with me?” Weiss rubbed her coffee cup and stared into the liquid distantly.

“Did I have a chance with you? You can answer that.”

“Not when you were putting on that act, no.”

“There you go then. Not a prayer. And Pyrrha was right in front of me. Am I blind? What’s the matter with me?”

“Well, yes. Okay. So you don’t have experience with girls…”

“No experience with girls-I have seven sisters! What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded. “Seriously what’s my excuse? I’d like one.”

“I… I have nothing for you. You’re pumping in a dry well.”

“Yeah. So that’s what’s wrong with me.”

“Oh is that all?”

“Probably not but let’s say it is. So what’s eating you?”

“Nothing. Why would you say something’s eating me?”

“Okay. Nothing’s bothering you.”

“No seriously was it something I said?”

“Well a little. Something seems up with you. You’re actually talking to me.”

“You’re actually talking to me,” she pointed out. “None of the fake stuff.”

“The fake stuff got me nowhere fast anyway. Good riddance to that sweet trash.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

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“Things aren’t looking good, Oz.” I overheard Qrow from the kitchen beside Ruby.

“Ever the optimist. Even with the strides in progress we’ve made with you recently.” Ozpin was in control so I suppose it was he who I heard take a sip of coffee rather than Oscar. “While I would not say our current predicament is ideal I think we can both agree the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force.”

“Oz. Pro-huntsmen don’t just bite it like that all at once. Salem’s powerful and it seems like her reach is growing by the day. What does that say about humanity?” I shuddered. I thought of my mother and sisters who were out there somewhere right now. Ruby set her arm on the small of my back and I gave her a firm nod. She sighed and turned around and paced away from me.

I hated to see her leave but I loved to watch her go.

“That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn’t take a great number of people to cause harm but I believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it.”

Ruby paced over to join her uncle and Ozpin for their discussion. I loomed in the doorway, against the garden glass. “Um excuse me?” She was still a tad shy where her own leadership was concerned when things weren’t in the heat of battle.

“Ah Ms. Rose and Mr Arc, join us.” I snorted and stayed standing. Ruby took the red love seat next to her uncle. “We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps.”

“Oh, uh, great.”

“Something on your mind kido?” Qrow asked.

“Well if it’s okay to ask…” Ruby trailed.

“Of course,” Qrow encouraged.

“Well we’ve been talking about the relics, Jaune and I that is, and if they have the fall maiden…”

“Cinder,” Ozpin clarified.

“Doesn’t that mean that they already have the Beacon relic?”

"Very astute Ms. Rose. I was wondering who would be the first to ask. It's true that the Haven relic, the relic of knowledge, is very much at risk, and for now that should remain our primary objective. Let's just say I made finding the relic at Beacon a bit more challenging than at the other schools."

"Ah, that's good to hear."

"It is. But let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us."

"Oh well I did have one more question."

"No my cane is not a relic."

"I have no more questions."

They shared a polite laugh and I snorted again at my girlfriend's antics from my spot in the corner. Arms folded I still eyed Ozpin warily.

"Yes while this cane is indeed very precious to me it is only that, precious to me. And while it still has a few tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say being a relic is not one of them."

"Now why don't you run and get the other students."

Ruby gave me an indecipherable glance as she walked past me to gather our friends.

"Now something we can help you with, Mr Arc?"

"You let me into your school." It wasn't a question. "I have to know why. Why you took that risk over other applicants. I can't trust you otherwise."

"Yes. You did stand out to me at Beacon. Glynda, too. Your records indicated someone with shall we say more skill than you displayed."

"That charade should have lasted all of five minutes into initiation. I didn't even have aura."

"I took a calculated risk."

"You thought I was Salem's. My records didn't fool you."

They shared a glance. "Now is this the source of your hostility towards me. I thought it had its origin in my selection of Pyrrha as the new fall maiden."

"That too. Her blood is on your hands." I looked to where I wore Pyrrha's banner on my bicep. "How many others have you gotten killed that I don't know about? How many people have you had die? How old are you really? And why did you let me get past you?"

"Very well, if you'll allow me to tackle the questions in order?" He seemed to be actually waiting for me to answer so I nodded. "Many. Too many to count for the first two. I suspect you know something about that. It has escaped me." I shuddered again and nodded. The exact number of people I have killed has run from me, after all. "I am very old. I predate modern Remnant by a few thousand years. And yes I thought you were an agent of Salem's. I'm glad to see that you aren't given the alarming competence you've shown me these last few weeks. I took a gamble and I'm happy to see it paid off."

"So you didn't know what I would become? This… this thing?"

"I saw potential in you, if that's what you're asking. I was hardly the only one. You were willing to put in the work to catch up to your peers. And you're hardly a monster, Mr. Arc." He gave a little laugh.

"I could have been one of Salem's agents and you still let me in. I could have killed someone. I could have been anything. You made the wrong choice."

"Even with the benefit of hindsight?"

"I could have been anything. You took too serious a risk where my friends are concerned. I think you have a bad habit of playing fast and loose with other people's lives, given that immortal perspective and all."

"Perhaps I did.” He confessed, maybe conceding the point. “What would you have me do?"

"Be more careful. We're counting on you."

"You don't seem pleased by it."

"I don't have any other choice."

Qrow's scroll buzzed. He'd been watching our exchange with a sort of jealous attention. I had the feeling I'd asked questions he himself wanted answers to, like I had said things he wanted to be said. He looked at the device.

"It's Leo, hang on." He opened the communication. "Yeah? Okay. Yeah, we'll be there."

"And?" I pressed.

"He says he had a break-through with the council. Said he might just be able to put that raiding party together and that we should join him tomorrow evening to talk about it."

"Perhaps time was all Leo really needed." Ozpin sounded like he didn't believe it.

"But you doubt it," I said.

"I do. Leonardo disobeyed direct commands I had given him. You yourself are suspicious of him, rightfully so. As am I, as you were suspicious of me."

"Are,” I corrected. “I am suspicious of you. Do you really think you’ve won me over. I know you have designs for my friends as pieces in your game.”

“And what about your role in the games I play?”

“I can eat shit, and die. And I totally fucking will. My friends. They actually matter. Their lives have real value.”

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-WG

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