#((hopefully i can stop job HUNTING and start job DOING today))

[purlturtle]

I have a toothache.

i have a headache.

I am exhausted.

So far in this rehab, I've had 6 out of 8 days be godawful, with migraines, overwhelm, meltdowns.

I also have the shits.

My neck and shoulders are hard as granite from tension; they crackle and groan constantly, and the bed here is shit.

I have tinnitus, both constant and stress-induced spikes.

No one can tell me what is going on with me; my bloodworks are clear, my blood pressure is fine, my EKG is fine, my lungs are fine; there's nothing "physically wrong" with me.

And yet I lasted only fifteen minutes in aqua gymnastics today because it was so so so so much too loud. (I have since spoken with the doctor to see that aqua gym is taken off my schedule henceforth.)

And yet every single meal in this place's food hall makes me feel like a hunted animal because it is so so so much too loud. (I have since learned that I can take my meals back to my room, but for that I still have to go in there and grab them.) (Food can make me so happy, but the food here? Is not happy-making.)

And yet art therapy is literally grating on my nerves because people work with soapstone and that means: grating. Constantly. Sometimes drilling, too. (I'd love to do more art and there's free workshop use that you can sign up for but so far I haven't been up to it.)

And yet half of the other gym and yoga classes I've been able to take so far (I had to cancel so many already because of "feel like shit" disease), have given me muscle cramps and soreness that led directly to yet another migraine. I *kinda* have an idea which exercises in particular are bad, but when there's a new one on the list, obviously I only know it was bad for me when I'm in bed with another migraine. I don't even know if that aqua gym fiasco described above is gonna be worth anything or if *that* is gonna give me a migraine too. And I can't relax in bed because bed uncomfy. You feel me?

And yet group therapy is counterproductive because, one, I *already know* all that stuff and feel like I'm in a language 101 class except my skill in that language is like 401. And two, seeing as I am a social worker and also hyper empathic, listening to the others means my brain analyzes and commiserates and comes up with ideas for solutions and diagnoses and that is not my fucking job!!! But it's also not something I can just stop doing!!! (I've since talked with the therapist that it doesn't make sense for me to go to group therapy anymore.) (Also, I get 1 session of 30 minutes per week of individual therapy, which is the only thing that I feel helps but is obviously nowhere near enough.)

I'm here to find help, to destress and *learn* how to destress, to hopefully handle my life better because right now I can just about handle everyday things if I don't have to work, but working is kinda a prerequisite for life, because with no diagnosis whatsoever I also have no chance to be eligible for disability pay.

And yeah it's only been one week out of five but GOD I am tired. I am so done. And it's hard to keep up hope in the face of all of the above.

(I don't think it's Chronic Fatigue; I have no PEM that I'm aware of. Two separate doctor's practices have ruled out ADHD. I've seen several therapists and psychiatrists and have gotten a different diagnosis from each of them, with the rider of "doesn't really fit but we have to put *something*." I have no idea what's wrong with me or what to do about it or how to get better, and that is no help at all whatsoever, either. If I at least had *something* to go on, but nope. My best guess is that this is a prolongued high stress situation that's out of control and impacting all kinds of bodily systems and balances, but that is not a diagnosis either. I feel like I don't even have any straws to grasp, honestly.)

Someone give me 5 million dollars so that I just don't have to work anymore; I think that would be a start.

[illegallyexisting]

First Visit to the Geiermann Asylum

(but like, longer)

Prologue

Laysha was practically beaming with joy, bounding downstairs at the ripe time of seven in the morning. It was bright with orange light beaming through the windows. She instinctively covered her eyes with her arm as she entered the clustered living room. Laysha dodged the random books and broken charger chords as she went for her coat.

She rushed over to the wooden coat rack, grabbing her dark purple jacket off the hook and hastily putting it on. Her mind was racing and flooding with thoughts, but shockingly, not bad ones! At least not yet. It’s been how long since she and her friends got a call (or text) to go ghost hunting- Helping? Same difference for everyone else, not so much for her. But she was excited! Finally, getting to do something instead of being cooped up all day and not doing anything or being talked about behind their backs or... A lot of other not so cool things.

There was a crudely hung-up calendar right next to the coat rack and Laysha was studying it furiously. Was it the right date? It had to be, bright red x’s counting down to today were not hard to miss. She repeatedly pointed to the dates, counting down... Double checking, triple checking, quadruple checking, on and on. Now the bad thoughts started to kick in. Now she has something to worry about. Great. Wonderful.

By now, it was around 7:30. A knock on the door snapped her out of it as it slowly opened, “Hello! Am I interrupting anything?” The quaint voice floated through the room.

“Nope, come in, Vix!” She smiled. Vixen sported his worn-out blue coat and some average black pants. Laysha wondered when the others were going to come down or come over from next door... Her alarm should have been loud enough to wake up Jesse in the other room, but who knows with him.

“What are you doing?” Vixen quizzed.

“Oh, just making sure I got the date right. It is today, right?”

“Yes, September 29th,” He walked over to her and patted her on the back, “Don’t worry about it, it’ll be fiiiinneee. Maybe. Hopefully.” He chuckled nervously.

“Very reassuring, man,” Laysha rolled her eyes in a playful manner, “Anyways, is Elliott gonna be over soon? I dunno when Jesse’s gonna wake up.”

“Give ‘em a few minutes, I think he still might be picking out a sweater-”

Barely finishing his sentence, Elliott let himself in, struggling to put his long, bleached hair up in a ponytail. They dawned their average white sweater with a small pumpkin in the middle and large black sweatpants that practically swallowed their shoes. Perfect outfit for the Autumn season.

Walking towards their friends, they finally spoke, “Did I miss anything yet?”

Laysha gave him a half smile, “Nope, just me, uh, worrying.”

Elliott shrugged before sauntering over to the couch to sit down, “Waiting on Jesse?”

“Yup...” Laysha let out a sigh of defeat, weighed down by even the simplest of things. She wouldn’t need to get Jesse herself, right? Right? What if she forgets or everyone else forgets and then by the time they remember it’s already past time to meet up? What if they don’t get a chance to do something like this again and it all goes downhill from here? What if they lose their business and the houses? Or worse, get an actual job! Well, not too much of a problem for Vixen, she thought. But what about her or the others? They already had proof that ghosts exist, yes, a LOT of proof. What if people still didn’t believe them? What if?

As her mind flooded- finally- Jesse came waltzing down the stairs as casual as can be. Laysha snapped her head towards him, fast enough to warrant a slight jump back from Jesse.

“Did I do something?” Jesse’s eyes widened as he stopped mid step.

“Nope! Just was waiting for you, but now that you’re down, we gotta MOVE!” Laysha hurriedly put her shoes on, sloppily tying the laces together before flying out the door.

Everyone else simply watched in stunned silence before continuing with her.

They all hopped in the car as Laysha started it up, well, waited for it to start up. It was an older Camry that they decided to buy after very little thinking and not a whole lot of money. It would have also been a bright idea to either buy another, slightly better car, and sell the one they had or just schedule some maintenance on it, but they didn’t. Laysha anxiously waited for the car to start. She continuously turned the key, on and off and on and off and mumbled “C’mon, c’mon...” under her breath. Nobody else appeared to be paying attention, talking, and asking about food or if they’re going to stop somewhere on the way.

“Isn’t it a thirty-minute drive to there?”

“We can just find a gas station or fast-food place.”

After a solid minute of trying to turn it on (and distracted chatting), it finally started up and she stepped on the petal, and they took off from the driveway.

[legends-of-time]

Thorn Bush (Doctor Who Story)

Chapter 18: The Witchfinders Part Two

Masterlist

"Keep running. This clearing, through here." The Doctor says to her companions, Kathy, Willa, Becka and King James plus his guards as they run through the forest.

"I don't think they're following." Yaz calls to them, causing everyone to stop.

"If they're not following, what are they doing?" The Doctor questions.

"They know we'll come back." Kathy says.

"Want us to go and look?" Ryan suggests.

"We escape from Satan, and you wish to go directly back into battle?" King James cries in disbelief.

"We need to know what they're up to. Make sure no one else is in danger." Ryan explains.

"I'll go too. Keep an eye on my... underlings." Graham adds.

"Very well."

"Me and Kathy will stay with Willa. Be careful!" The Doctor says. Ryan, Yaz and Graham run off. Hopefully, Kathy can stop the Doctor from being arrested for being a witch in the meantime though she's not sure how.

"What were those aberrations?" King James asks.

"It is the work of Satan." Becka replies.

"It wasn't Satan or witches or Willa's granny." The Doctor corrects. "Those creatures were being controlled by something in the mud, something not of this earth. Something beyond your understanding."

"Something from hell." King James concludes.

"More like from the heavens." Kathy retorts.

"It chose to kill Alfonso when he was a threat, but in other circumstances it fills the bodies and uses them as vessels. I don't know why. To lure us you say Kathy? Maybe only when they're dead." The Doctor rambles as she tries to think.

"No, it attacked me too." Willa pipes up.

"And why today? Cos this is my problem. I can buy that this is the biggest ever witch hunt in England, or I can buy it's an alien mud invasion. But both on the same day? Kathy, you said they're linked." The Doctor continues. Kathy winces. Maybe the Doctor is rambling too much.

"Why does the lassie speak of commerce?" King James wonders.

"I don't know." Becka whispers.

"Oh, wait. Unless they're connected." The Doctor turns on Becka. "Your witch hunts been going on a while now, so there's no way that mud has just rocked up today."

"Um, Doctor, maybe you shouldn't—" Kathy tries to stop her but she continues on with her accusations.

"What do you know, Becka? What's going on here in Bilehurst Cragg? A woman who keeps an axe by her bed. What have you seen?"

Becka goes in to attack. "I have seen you and Katherine with your wands, raising your kin from the dead."

"Yes." King James murmurs.

"What?!" Kathy exclaims. "No! Hold on—"

"You, Doctor, are no witchfinder's assistant and she's no underling." Becka continues. "You are Satan's acolytes."

"We are not." The Doctor argues.

"That's why it is happening today, because you are here, as you say, to take over this village. Katherine Davis has simply been here to prepare for your arrival."

"You know that's not what I meant." The Doctor says accusingly. Kathy knows Becka is only doing this as she's afraid they have worked out her secret. "We do not have time for this."

"Mistress Savage is correct. It is your fault that Alfonso is dead." King James accuses, pointing at Kathy with a small pointy pin.

"I tried to save him." Kathy argues.

"You saved them from being shot." He persists. "You said this evil fell from the heavens. Oh yes, it fell, like your lord, Lucifer!"

"Honestly, if I was still a bloke, I could get on with the job and not have to waste time defending myself." The Doctor complains to Kathy.

"Again. This how I feel." Kathy retorts.

"Oh, you bewitch us with your alluring form and your incessant jabber, but I knew you were unnatural from the very start. And now I see you for what you really are." King James declares.

"They were trying to save us, sire." Willa pipes up fearfully. While Kathy appreciates the effort, she knows Becka and the King will make her back down by twisting it.

"Thank you, Willa." The Doctor says enthusiastically.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken, Willa? Or are you in league with the witches as I first suspected?" Becka accuses.

"They said they wanted to help me."

"Who do you trust to save you? Your King? Your family?" Becka says pleadingly. "Whatever I have done, I did to save all of our souls." It's the softest Kathy has seen her.

The Doctor opens her mouth to speak but Kathy quickly interrupts. "Don't Doctor. You'll make it worse."

"Well? Tell the truth, lassie." King James orders the shaking Willa.

She looks between the two groups in front of her. "I-I did think it was strange when they said her name was the Doctor and how Katherine defends her." Willa admits. Kathy feels annoyed with herself, she should've remembered that! She could have avoided this if she had made sure no one called the Time Lady Doctor.

"Like Doctor Dee. A necromancer. That seals it." King James declares. "Arrest the witch!" Guards grab the Doctor. "Arrest her too. I have seen how these two lassies whisper to one another." More guards grab Kathy.

"Now hold on!" Kathy cries indignantly. Great, not only has the Doctor been arrested, but she has as well.

"I... I am not a witch!" The Doctor splutters.

——

The Doctor and Kathy have been tied to a birch tree in the village with their hands above their heads. They are on either side so they can't see each other.

"You know I came into this world while you were still the current Doctor in mine." Kathy recalls.

Kathy hears what sounds like the Doctor trying to move as if trying to see her. "And?" The Doctor eventually asks after huffing to herself.

"Well, one day I won't know what's going on or who you are maybe. What use will I be to you then? What use am I now? I couldn't stop us from getting arrested." Kathy rambles exasperatedly.

"Oh, Katherine Davis," the Doctor murmurs, "you, as you always have, will be a massive help and I don't need to see into the future to know that."

Kathy smiles at that. She keeps on wondering what use she is when she can't change things but perhaps she'll be alright considering this is an older Doctor.

They are interrupted when King James stalks over. "Comfortable, witches? I do hope not."

"Come for a visit?" The Doctor remarks irritably.

"I shall take my opportunity to converse with an agent of Satan." King James declares.

"If we were Satan's agents, do you seriously think rope would stop us?" Kathy retorts.

"It's just a bit of rope! I say a bit, quite a lot. Tightly bound. It's pretty painful. They know how to tie a knot in this part of the world." The Doctor rambles.

"Not helping." Kathy admonishes.

"I am an expert on witchcraft, Doctor, Katherine, but I wish to learn more." King James declares, ignoring the rambling. "Before you die, I want answers. Your wands. How do they work?" He has the sonics in his hands.

"Why do you want to know?" The Doctor asks instead.

"I wish to know all the secrets of existence." King James answers.

"Don't we all? But true knowledge has to be earned. Tell you what. I'll trade you my wand for answers to as many questions as you want to ask." The Doctor offers.

"I'm not a fool, Doctor. I am King James, Satan's greatest foe." King James persists. Kathy rolls her eyes, annoyed.

The Doctor is also annoyed as she says, "Yeah, yeah, I know. It must be comforting playing that role, hiding behind a title."

"Just as you hide behind Doctor, perhaps. And Katherine hides behind her name." King James counters. Kathy winces, feeling uncomfortable with his words.

"Who are you, really, behind the mask, the drama? What does it say on your garter?" The Doctor questions him.

  "Honi soit qui mal y pense."

"Evil be to him that evil thinks." Kathy translates. She's quite proud of how her language skills have developed with the advantage of more time and more roaming about.

"You wear it like a hero, even though you're killing and scapegoating and stirring up hate." The Doctor accuses. "And you wonder why the darkness comes back at you."

"There is no darkness in me." King James defends. "I quest for goodness and knowledge, beauty and art, all of God's virtues."

"Your own mother was scapegoated." Kathy interrupts causing him to turn to her.

"So, how do you square that with your witch hunts?" The Doctor adds.

"What do you know of my mother?" King James asks threateningly. He leans close to Kathy's face.

"We know a lot." Kathy replies strongly, trying not to look uncomfortable with the close proximity. "For example, you had the chance to see her before she died, but you didn't want to. Why?"

"She left me when I was not even one year old." King James answers, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "What kind of mother does that? Why would I wish to see her?"

"Nobody will ever know why she left you, James." The Doctor says sympathetically. "But you can't go hurting people just because you're scared to face up to the darkness inside you." King James turns away from them and sits further away as if to hide his emotions. "You have to be better than that."

"Who are you both? How do you know these things?"

"We know because we're all the same." The Doctor replies. "We want certainty, security, to believe that people are evil or heroic. But that's not how people are. You want to know the secrets of existence? Start with the mysteries of the heart. I can show you everything if you stop being afraid of what you don't understand. If you trust us. We are not witches. But if you want to defeat evil, you have to let us go. Now. Please, sire."

For a moment Kathy wonders if they have gotten through to him until he strides toward them. "I do not know what you two are. And there is only one way to be certain. Guards! Summon the villagers."

Kathy slumps in defeat.

——

The Doctor and Kathy are brought to the river by guards along with Becka, towards the stool. King James and Willa watch on from the other side with the villagers that have gathered. Kathy remembers how Ashildr and her had recently been drowned for being witches after saving a village. Now Kathy risks the same fate again.

"See you brought a gathering. Thanks very much." The Doctor remarks casually. "Mind if I take off my coat? Lots in my pockets, might stop me floating. Course, as a woman, you don't get to have pockets for a while yet." Becka doesn't look impressed.

"Debatable sometimes." Kathy adds, trying to be light hearted like the Doctor.

"Ah yes, true." The Doctor agrees before turning back to Becka. "A girl called Izzy Flint bullied my friend Yaz, so no one would pick on Izzy." She dumps her coat on the ground. "That's what you're doing. Pointing the finger at other people, so no one points it at you. But what I don't know is, why? What are you hiding, Becka?"

"Sit down. Or would you prefer a hanging?" Becka growls. They chain up the Doctor. Kathy held to the side. "Do you know why the ducking stool was invented, Doctor? To silence foolish women who talked too much."

"Do you know why they invented the guillotine? To lob aristocrats' heads off more efficiently." Kathy retorts pettily. No, it doesn't really make sense for the situation but it's literally the first thing that came to mind. Why does humanity have to come up with so many different ways to harm each other simply because they disagree?

"Good point Kathy! This stool is daft, cos talking's brilliant. Like, if you talk to me now, I can help. You've ducked thirty six people already, and whatever it is has only got worse, hasn't it?" Becka touches the wood and sparks fly. Kathy smirks while Becka looks fearful and the Doctor is shocked. "What was that? It reacted to your touch. Why?"

"I warned you to keep quiet." Becka snaps but Kathy can tell she's breaking.

"Rather we asked Willa?" Kathy retorts.

Becka's head snaps towards her. "Silence! Or I shall duck her too." She cries.

"Last request. I definitely get a last request. Lend us your hanky." The Doctor says casually.

Becka steps back looking alarmed and confused. "I don't have one."

"There's loads in your room. And an empty medicine bottle. What were you taking the medicine for, Becka?" The Doctor questions.

"Know this, Doctor. Once I have dealt with you, I shall go after all of your friends." Becka threatens.

——

The Doctor on the ducking stool now sits above the river.

Becka speaks to the crowd, "Satan has made our crops fail, bewitched our animals, and brought the sickness. His agent sits before you, the most evil witch in Christendom, and she would call herself the Doctor." The villagers jeer. "We bring her and her accolade to justice, in front of our great Majesty, King James. Give the word, sire, and we shall duck the witch and save our souls from Satan, once and for all."

King James looks uncertain as his eyes meet the Doctor's before eventually saying, "Duck the witch."

"Duck her!" The villagers cry.

Mud tears dribble from Becka's eye. She wipes it away but Kathy and the Doctor have already noticed.

"Doctor! Kathy!" Kathy hears Graham yell and turns to see the said man, Yaz and Ryan running up on the other side of the river.

"Guys, you need to get her up!" She yells to the companions. While the Doctor, and Kathy, can hold their breath for longer due to their respiratory bypass system, which Kathy had learnt she had inherited, she doesn't want to risk it too much.

"Guards! Duck her now!" Becka cries. There is a splash and the Doctor is under.

"Bring her back up now!" Graham yells.

"What've you done?" Ryan demands from King James.

"We will see the result." King James shakily replies.

"I'm the Witchfinder General! I'm giving you an order!" Graham shouts to Becka.

"I obey only my King!" Becka declares. Kathy notices the mud is smudging around her eye.

"Sire, please order her to be raised." Ryan pleads.

"She and Kathy are not witches. They're your only hope of getting out of here alive," Yaz adds. Kathy twists in the guards' grip anxiously.

"They're witches, sire, all of them. It's Satan testing us!" Becka announces.

"Get her out of there."

"It has been long enough." King James declares.

"No, it hasn't! We must be certain!" Becka insists. Honestly, Becka should be glad Kathy is tied up as it means Kathy isn't over there right now, throttling her.

"Bring her up now. Now!" Graham orders but King James hesitates.

"Please, Your Majesty." Ryan pleads.

King James listens and gives out his order, "Raise the stool. The trial is over." The dead tree is raised and the chains are empty. Kathy slumps against her guards in relief. The Doctor got out just as Kathy knew she would.

"Where's she gone? What's happened to her?" Ryan asks.

"No. No!" Becka cries.

"But where is she?" Yaz questions.

"Looking for me?" They all turn to see the Doctor squelching out of the river further down.

"Doctor!" Yaz cries in relief. The other companions sigh in relief.

"She truly is a powerful witch." King James gasps.

"No, sire. I am no witch and neither is Kathy. I'm just good at holding my breath, and getting out of chains, thanks to a very wet weekend with Houdini." The Doctor gasps out before turning to the three companions. "Hi, team! Gang! Fam?" She gets a few shaking heads. "No."

"Needs work." Kathy remarks with a beaming smile.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor, Kathy. I was scared." Willa calls over.

"See? That's all it takes, Becka. Start there. Tell me the truth." The Doctor orders. Becka seems to be covering her mouth as if she's going to be sick.

"She survived. She is a witch." Becka declares.

"No, we're not." Kathy counters. The guards don't protest as she pulls away from them. "And despite all appearances..."

"Doctor! Kathy!" Yaz yells.

"Neither are they." The mud women are behind Becka, slowly approaching. The one looking like Old Mother Twiston carries the axe from under Becka's bed.

"You might want to come and stand with me, Becka, cos they look like they've come for you." The Doctor warns the woman. People are running and screaming.

"I will be with you. In the water, in the fire, in the air." Old Mother Twiston gurgles.

"Stop. Just stop." Becka orders and the mud women do just that.

"They're obeying you." The Doctor murmurs. "Why are they obeying you? What happened, Becka? I thought they'd come to kill you. Which is a fair assumption given they're carrying an axe. But they haven't, have they? Of course. They've come to join you. Kathy said you're going on this crusade and why you killed your grandmother is because you have a secret. Something alien."

Becka is coughing and choking into the handkerchief she said she didn't have.

"It's in you, just as it's in them. And none of you can hide it anymore." The Doctor concludes. 

"In the earth..."

"Tell them what happened Becka." Kathy tells her.

"I cut down her favourite tree." Becka replies.

The Doctor frowns. "What? I don't understand."

"It was spoiling my view of the hill. But something lay beneath it. I awoke Hell. Satan himself attacked me, poisoned me." Becka explains. "That night I felt it growing inside me. The mark of Satan. I fought it. I took medicine, I prayed, but it grew. I did God's work in the hope that He would save me."

"You killed people to try and save yourself." The Doctor accuses.

"All these witches! All this evil!"

"You knew they weren't witches!" The Doctor argues. "The only thing you feared was yourself. Did your granny know what you needed the medicine for?"

"Not to start with, but then I had to tell her. I needed her help, I begged for it, for her to lance this evil out of me. But she was too weak." Becka admits.

"So, you killed her by ducking?"

"I had to. She knew. I can't fight it any more, Doctor." Becka defends. She gasps and bends over in pain. The three companions, King James and Willa join them.

"You cannot fight it, because you are the witch." King James declares.

"I have let Satan in. I have failed you, sire. Yes, I am the witch!"

"Everyone, behind us. It's Becka they want." Kathy tells them, pushing them all behind her and the Doctor.

"But why?" Ryan asks.

"What's happening to her?" Yaz asks as Becka collapses to the floor.

"I tried to hold Satan back. I'm so scared. Please forgive me." Becka sobs. She screams and turns into a mud woman.

"What is happening?" King James wonders. "She is possessed by Satan."

"Not by Satan." The Doctor replies.

"Then by what?"

"Something not of this earth." Kathy answers. Becka has been transformed. Her skin has become hard mud.

"Morax." Says the Morax Queen in a deep gravelling voice. The mud women gather around it.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asks.

"Hand me your King." The Morax Queen orders instead.

"What?!" King James exclaims.

"What about your own King?" Kathy asks pointedly.

"He waits. We have all waited for too long, trapped in the hill." The Morax Queen declares.

"Pendle Hill." The Doctor realises.

"Our prison. The mighty Morax army, captured and imprisoned on this pitiful planet, for war crimes." The Morax Queen spits.

"Pendle Hill is a prison for an alien army." The Doctor realises.

"Ah well, it's obvious when you put it like that." Graham remarks.

"Imprisoned no more. The lock was broken." The Morax Queen continues.

"What lock? How was it broken?" The Doctor questions.

The Morax Queen ignores her. "Now the Morax army shall rise again and take form. Your King shall be filled with our King, and we shall be free, to fill all of you. To fill this whole planet with rage and force and hate and Morax!" It sends an energy blast at the group, knocking them out before Kathy can even say a word of warning.

——

They wake up to find the Morax Queen, the mud women and King James gone.

"Zapped by Becka Savage, Queen of the Morax. She's taken the King, knocked the rest of us out." Yaz is explaining to a dazed Graham as she helps him up.

"Okay."

"Quite a blast, that." The Doctor says as she and Kathy push the ducking stool back onto shore. Kathy had told her that they need this to help stop the Morax. "Haven't had a hangover like this since the Milk Wars of Keston Five. Kathy, you have a lot to look forward to."

"Great," Kathy mutters. Her head is going to burst with all these future hints.

"What are you doing with this thing?" Ryan asks.

They load the dead tree ducking stool onto a hand cart.

"Tell them what Bilehurst means." Kathy says to Willa.

"Sacred tree on a hill." Willa explains.

"The tree Becka chopped down because it was obscuring her view. The tree this ducking stool is made from. A tree that isn't a tree." The Doctor's sonic scan lights up the wood as green.

"It's ancient alien technology, beautiful and broken." Kathy continues. "A very old, very advanced bio-mech security system that locked away the Morax Army. Becka's touch made it react because of the Morax infection inside her." She enjoys it when she and the Doctor are able to bounce off one another.

"So, Pendle Hill's a prison?" Ryan concludes.

"From what Becka said, I'm guessing the Morax are royals with soldiers." The Doctor adds. "Pretty brutal ones at that. Presumably exiled for war crimes, scrambled down into their primal form."

"And they stay imprisoned until Becka Savage goes at that tree." Yaz realises.

"It can't be much of a lock if she can break it." Graham points out.

"Locks can erode even if it takes billions of years." Kathy argues.

"She must've broken it enough for part of the queen's form to escape and infect her. According to my calculations, this ancient alien wood is like Semtex to Morax. That's why it made such a good lock." The Doctor explains. "Right. Help me break it up."

"Break it up? Why? What for?" Yaz questions.

"We're going to stop them." Kathy declares.

——

They cut up the wood into torches and Graham, Yaz, Ryan and Kathy light them in a brazier, which makes them burn green.

"Anti-Morax weapons. The smoke is toxic to Morax. Should be enough to fend them off so you can rescue King James and I can get to the tree." The Doctor tells them. She sonics a small piece of the wood.

"Then what?" Ryan asks.

"She fixes the lock putting all the Morax energy back in the joint." Kathy informs him.

"One more thing, Doc." Graham puts the hat on her head. "Morax-finder General, back in command."

"It's a very flat team structure. Ready for battle?" The Doctor asks.

"Yes, we are." Willa says as she nervously approaches them.

"You don't have to, Willa." Yaz reassures her.

"It's time to stop being scared." Willa counters.

"Little bit of scared isn't a bad thing cuz your cousin ain't much compared to the Morax." Kathy warns her.

"Only I know the path up the hill, so you need me to lead the way." Willa argues.

"She's right." Graham agrees.

"There are more powerful people here than kings and queens. There's us, together." Willa deck. She lights her own torch.

"Lead on, Willa Twiston. Onwards to save the King." The Doctor replies. They March off after Willa.

——

They reach the top of Pendle Hill to see King James on the floor cowering in fear while surrounded by the mud women and the Morax Queen looming over him. A tendril is sprouting from the hollow of the tree stump.

"May the Lord save me!" King James cries as a face appears on the end of the tendril and hisses at him.

"Or alternatively... Witchfinders United, at your service." The Doctor announces their presence.

"Yeah, mate, you better back off." Yaz warns.

"Let him go, Morax." Kathy orders. "You can't have King James or this planet."

"Get away from the King!" Ryan thrusts his torch at the tendril, which recoils.

"The torches are working. They won't come near the flames." The Doctor observes.

"I've got you, sire." Ryan pulls him from the tendril and to his side.

"My protector!" King James cries as he cowers by Ryan.

"Willa, watch out for your granny!" The Doctor cries as the mud women roar ferociously at them.

"You're not my granny. Let her rest." Willa declares, waving her torch.

"And you, Morax, back into your cell. Now, please." The Doctor orders.

"Those flames don't scare me, Doctor. Nothing scares me now." The Morax Queen retorts.

"I know you're in there, Becka. I know you're scared." Willa tries to get through.

"Nothing of that pathetic woman remains. No fear, only power. We will fill your King and kill you all." The Morax Queen declares. Meanwhile, Kathy slips behind them to get to the prison.

"Afraid not, Morax. I'm here." Kathy calls drawing the Morax's attention. She throws her piece of wood down into the stump.

"Everybody back! Kathy has reactivated the prison." The Doctor cries. "Back you go, King of the Morax." The thrashing tendril is pulled back into the stump. The face on the end looks a bit startled. Green lines illuminate the hill. "Jail reenergised."

"No! My King! What have you done?" The Morax Queen cries mournfully.

"Feel that security system kicking back in, sucking every Morax cell back. Back down into Pendle Hill. Back out of the bodies they hijacked." The Doctor continues. The corpses of the women fall to the ground.

"Have peace." Willa murmurs.

"No! I will not go!" The Morax Queen cries.

"Yes, you will. Burn the witch!" King James declares, taking Ryan's torch and marching over.

"No, sire, stay away!" The Doctor tries but King James thrusts his burning brand into the Morax Queen, and it screams as it turns into a green flame and goes boom, knocking them back. There's a peal of thunder right on cue, and down comes the rain.

"What, woman?" King James asks when seeing the Doctor's face. "She was a witch. She confessed."

"So, you got what you came for." Kathy retorts with a frown.

"I have vanquished Satan." King James declares joyfully.

The Doctor returns his Witchfinder hat to James. "No more witch hunts."

——

They go where the TARDIS sits. Kathy happily strokes her as King James pleads with Ryan to get the Doctor to talk to him but Ryan tells him no. She smiles when she hears the TARDIS making noises, almost purring.

"What apparition is this?" King James murmurs when his eyes land on the TARDIS.

"Just another inexplicable wonder of existence you're not going to be able to tell anyone about." The Doctor replies sharply."Doctor, I understand you are displeased with me." King James says. "And I owe my life to you. Not one word of any of this shall ever be spoken. And even the name Bilehurst shall be erased from all records."

"As long as all the villagers make it out alive." Graham argues.

"What will you do, Willa?" Yaz asks.

"Find a new home. Take Granny's potions and be a healer. Be a doctor." Willa declares.

"I'll help," Kathy adds, "but I'll have to leave one day so you have to promise to write to me." Willa smiles and nods.

"I reckon you'll be good at that." Yaz says.

"One final command as your King." King James turns to Ryan and pleads, "Come back to London with me, Ryan. Be my protector."

"I mean, it's a kind offer, sire, but, er, you know... I've got stuff to do." Ryan pins the brooch on the King's jacket. "But I'll keep my eye on you. So, you... behave yourself."

"Or else, we will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger." Graham quotes.

"Ezekiel." King James says.

"Tarantino." Graham corrects. He enters the TARDIS behind Ryan and Yaz.

"What are you all doing?" King James questions.

"A brilliant man once said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. We're just about to prove him right." The Doctor says. "Bye Kathy." Kathy gives her a nod and the Doctor goes into the TARDIS and it dematerialises.

"Where did they go?" King James asks while Willa huffs a laugh.

"Off and beyond." Kathy says.

——

1634

After the adventure, Kathy travels to Paris and lives there for the 1620s and 30s. Carlyle joins her in the second decade as he and Ashildr have a falling out.

There is more to Willa Twiston's life than what Kathy had seen on the show. Carlyle suggests to his mother, as they read a letter Willa has sent them (Kathy had suggested to her that she should keep writing and alert her to anything she can help with) that perhaps she should look at her scan of Willa once again. Kathy looks over her sonic screwdriver's readings of Willa, which reveals the girl's blood to be slightly abnormal from her years of having recipes made from the Hill's trees.

Kathy declares that she and Carlyle should go and tell Willa of this. They hurry to Willa's location to find that Willa has been accused of being a witch in the new trials. She is rescued at the hands of Kathy and Carlyle.

But that was not to be the end of Willa's adventures. Willa is moving through the woods, collecting materials when she hears whirring sounds. The sound she had last heard more than 20 years earlier. She turns excitedly, expecting the blue box but instead appears a building she does not recognise or understand. If she had knowledge of the future, she would have recognised it as a diner.

A mysterious figure steps out, it is a young woman in her late 20s, small in height and with a bob of brown hair. The woman smiles at her despite the frown she receives from Willa and cries cheerfully, "You must be Willa!" She then turns to look through the door she had stepped out of. "The coast is clear! You can come out!"

Then people Willa knows very well emerge except for one, a woman with long brown hair. "Katherine, Carlyle!" She gasps. "But you were..."

Katherine chuckles. "Oh, it's been a while for us Willa. A very long time though longer for Carlyle here."

Willa steps closer and takes in the three people's appearances. Her eyes widen when she takes note of the fact that their eyes are so much older than they were when she last saw them and the woman with long brown hair and eyes is ancient. This is funny because they, along with the mysterious woman with them, all look physically younger. Instead of panicking, Willa smiles and gives each of them a hug as she's pleased to see them despite it.

Carlyle laughs. "Let me introduce these two." He gestures toward the mysterious woman. "This is Clara. She's from the early 21st century. She used to travel with the Doctor. And this is Ashildr, my wife."

While Willa knows there's something more to what they are saying, she brushes it aside as it is none of her business.

Clara offers her hand for a shake. "Hiya!"

Willa smiles gently at the bubbly woman and shakes her hand. "Hello." She also shakes Ashildr's hand. "Why are you all here? Am I in danger again?"

"Oh no, no." Katherine says, waving her hand dismissively. "We thought we'd ask you to come with us."

"With you?"

"Yes, we think you deserve it." Ashildr explains.

Willa doesn't quite understand. "Go where?"

"Anywhere in time and space. That's what a TARDIS is for." Clara explains.

"Anywhere?" Willa asks in disbelief.

"Anywhere."

There is only one answer for Willa.

"Yes."

——

A/N: Don't know if anyone can guess where in her timeline Clara is 😉. I am happy to have her back even though it is brief.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was looking forward to writing this Doctor.

It's hinted in this chapter but because Kathy travelled to this world while the Thirteenth Doctor's run was still going so won't know anything after season 12 so she'll meet Dan and have no idea who he is, which will be scary for her.

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[insidekaz]

It's Been 4 Months...

First off, let me start off with a classic "Howdy everyone." It's me, your favorite enby who's the envy of every man, woman, and other on how I wear my beanie. (I mean, it's less of a beanie and more like an elongated stocking cap, but who's really fact-checking here?) I know that it's been a good four month since I've made any kinds of update here, which I do believe an explanation is in order for such. I'll just give you the quick TLDR:

October:

Started Unemployment

Got laid off, haven't been called back since, so they're probably not going to call me back

Excessively cleaned the apartment

November:

Still unemployed

Fully accepted that I'm not getting called back, expanding job hunting searching to a wider range

Looked into remote jobs I can do from home

Stopped excessively cleaning

December:

FINALLY GOT A JOB AT A HARDWARE STORE

Christmas

Got a new alter, their name being Source (alter #10)

New Year's

Back to work again

This brings us up to speed for January, specifically today being January 30th, where just before 8 this morning I was unceremoniously fired by one of the two managers that work there. I've never wanted to make any of my blog post rant post, nor am I going to start now. What I am going to say, however, that I was fired for what I believe were bullshit grounds, said reasons that were given to me being listed below.

I missed the third day I was suppose to work, reason being that the two days before hand they had me carrying lawnmowers, weed trimmers, and other heavy lawn care equipment up two flights of stairs for eight hours a day. This resulted in my already bad knee getting worse and me needing to purchase a bracer for my knee

What he described as my "general attitude" towards him. When I asked him to clarify on that, he refused to do so, telling me that "he shouldn't have to explain."

Afterwards, I was escorted to the back room to grab my things, given my most recent paycheck by the assistant manager (who was also taken by surprise), and then escorted by the manager out the back door where we take out the trash, door closed swiftly behind me. (I wasn't even given the usual "wish you the best" schtick that other businesses will hit you with.)

Now listen, I don't wanna play the race card, but if I were to list all the minor incidents and slight verbal altercations that happened between the two of us, it would be clearly outlined that said manager did have very glaring negative details of his personality. Honestly, the fact that he waited until after I had changed into my work vest and already made my way to the cashier at the front of the store only to turn me back around and kick me out says a thing or two. He always did like to blatantly waste my time.

So, where does this leave me exactly? Well, as of right now, I'm currently unemployed. I've got about 4 and a half hundred with this paycheck that they gave me, another 6 bands dropping into my account next week, and about 2 hundred in my checking as we speak. I've got enough towards bills and such for a at least a bit. I'm still living with my partner, so not everything is terrible.

Still, I'm not gonna turn into one of those guys that just sits at home and refuses to get a job. My partner is already starting to pull 10+ hours at the factory so that all of our income isn't going straight to bills and other necessities, which I do feel terrible about. They keep telling me that "it isn't my fault", but I can't help but still feel like it is, ya know? They shouldn't have to pull extra hours just so that we can get by. I've already started looking into a new job, applications already starting to be filled out the moment that I got home and sat at my computer. I'm gonna find another job soon, hopefully by the end of this week. I'll try to keep this blog updated with more life changes in the future.

Here's what I've been listening to. As always, don't do anything I wouldn't do. If you do, at least make it cool.

[darksonofsparda]

The way she stopped in her tracks, Vergil assumed she was going to do just that, turn to shake his hand to make it official, but she stopped midway as their eyes spotted it at the exact same time. There it sat, a large demon nest, created by some demons under a building, it was a good thing these demons didn't really pay much attention to their surroundings as they picked their destination for their base. If these demons were going to make dumb choices that would make things easier for them and their devil-hunting jobs, then business was looking very good.

[{ 🗡️ }] - "Ah, ah,. You don't seem to get it, Lady." He waves his gloved finger around, a small grin on his lips.

[{🗡️ }] - "No handshake, no deal. A verbal agreement isn't worth salt by itself, but a handshake? That's what makes it a deal." He teases.

It was clear he was having a fun time with this all. Fun was a word Vergil never really would use too often, but even he had the capacity to joke around, Fifty dollars was easy, he wouldn't have a problem with that. The first job reward money was all hers' as promised, but for this next mission afterward, they would probably be able to split it an even fifty-fifty, a worthy cut since she would be doing an equal amount of work, after today, the duo would definitely be a bit richer, this would be quite the productive day.

As the raven-haired devil-huntress lifted her infamous Kalina Ann version two. Blue eyes watched as she effortlessly hoisted it off of her shoulder and carefully took aim -- the sheer experience of her constant use of the Kalina Ann showed in how easily she was able to lift and take aim over the years of her use of the explosive. Despite her slender body frame, he could easily see the toning of her arms, and the abs on her lean and athletic midriff, only then did Vergil realize just how closely he was observing her features, so he quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere -- hopefully she didn't catch him looking at her.

Once the trigger was pulled. He watched the five rocket shells rise up from her weapon and hit the weak part of the ruined building, the structure immediately collapsing down onto the nest, severing its power and killing all the other demons who couldn't escape. As the dust cleared, the teleporter demons that managed to avoid the collapse began to emerge from the cloud of dust walking towards them.

Looking over at Lady, he catches her smile, prompting him to stop and look at it for a second before he caught her request. His lips curved into a smirk as he pushed up the blade from the scabbard with his thumb, a small flash of silver as the light reflects off of the bit of steel.

[{ 🗡️ }] - "I think I can do that." He agrees, keeping the playful vibe going between them, something that was very slowly starting to feel normal for them, of course, there was still a lot more to it, but they were off to a great start this far.

Stepping forward, he unsheathed his blade fully, and right before the Chaos demons even had a chance to begin their roll-out attack, his blade sliced right through them, the sword causing them to freeze in place, in his eyes, he was swinging his sword in a rapid slash pattern, one he was used to, through his own eyes, he could see the demons moving extremely slow, allowing him plenty of time to pick and coordinate his attacks right.

Once all the demons that attacked suffered a slice, he dragged the blade along the side of the sheath, removing the blood before he fully sheaths his blade in a flash of silver, and a click, the demons exploded into several pieces, blood and visceral as their chunks fell to the ground, turns into red orbs and then to dust.

[{ 🗡️ }] - "Another demon nests down. There should be two more left. Let's keep moving." As he made his way back to Lady's side, he reached into his wallet and handed her the fifty dollars she owed from their little unofficial bet.

[{ 🗡️ }] - "The one one should be in the plaza. It's a larger area, but we'll be able to find it. Other nests aren't usually that far from each other, just hidden in clever locations."

"Consider it done!"

Lady had been about to turn around and clasp Vergil's hand to seal the bet, but confirmation to her suspicion was confirmed before she could. Ah, well the point was still there, she would have shaken on it gladly!

Coating multiple floors of the inside of the still intact side of the building was the fleshy foul-smelling demon's nest. And of course, it was absolutely crawling with demons of all shapes and sizes. So many, in fact, that the devil hunter was surprised they weren't suffocating under each other's weight. It certainly wasn't comfortable accommodation.

"Ha, you still owe me fifty!"

At least Vergil seemed to approve of her plan.

After a moment of examining the structure her double-hued eyes quickly found what was likely the best places to strike to create structural weakness.

Lifting Kalina Ann onto her shoulder she took aim. Five shells were fired.

BOOM!

In explosions of fire and concrete, the crucial support of the building was taken out. The building began to buckle and bend under the demons' weight before collapsing on top of the beasts, crushing many of them instantly.

The ones that could fly or teleport escaped the collapse unfortunately, but that was to be expected. Lady knew it wouldn't get all of them, she was just trying to work smarter, not harder.

"Not too shabby, huh? Mind cleaning up those stragglers?"

[dcarhcarts]

Interview round 2!!!

apparently they tell u immediately if they’re gonna hire you after this so I’m

DRESSED UP SOMEWHERE TO GO WE’LL PUT ON A SHOWWWWWW

[ladyelissarose]

‘Trust Me’

Johnny ‘Soap’ McTavish x female reader -callsign ‘Leopard’

Summary: After Graves turns his back on the 141 Task Force, Soap and Ghost spread out to hide. But Leopard, who is on Graves side finds Soap first, will she do her job and kill him, or be convinced to stick by his side and trust him, no matter the cost.

 The wind whistled loudly through the broken windows of the church Soap hid in, it was sorta haunting to hear it but not understand it. Pain rippled up his arm to his collarbone for the shot he took from Graves, with his hand he had tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, but there was only so much it could do before it seeped through his fingers and painted his hand in a dark shade of red. In agony he prayed to whoever listened in the moment that Ghost would find him, and being them both to safety. He sat there for a moment to try and forget the pain, replaying everything that happened just moments ago,

  ‘I should’ve known somethin’ was up with Graves! Of course he’d be on Shepherd’s side, what a fuckin’ bastard!! Now they’r killin’ ev’ry thing that moves and breathes... hunting and searching through every comer of this God forsaken place to find us!!!’

 Leaning his head back against the concrete wall his back was up against, he sighed lowly while trying not to hiss loudly in pain. He grabbed his radio again and tried to call for Ghost in ragged breaths,

  “G-Ghost? This is Bravo-1, do you copy?? Agh- G-Ghost?”

 Clenching his jaw tight Soap frowned in despair as he only got static in return, Ghost’s thick accent hadn’t come through verbally yet, and that only made Soap more nervous and slightly afraid that perhaps he was on his own now. The smell of rain began to leave his nose as now a rustic scent clouded the atmosphere, the rustic scent came from the blood that continued to pour out from his arm through his fingers. Soap then decided that he couldn’t sit there for long, he had to get up and move, find safe shelter and something to bind his arm, he thought that hopefully on the way he’d find his partner, Ghost. Ghost was the only person Soap was dying to see, though Ghost was kinda cold hearted and silent most of the time, it was his mere presence that made Soap feel safe. Ghost could be trusted and protected him at all costs and Soap knew that, he couldn’t forget Ghosts wide eyes that watched him be shot by Graves as he screamed for him to leave. Seeing the panic in Ghosts eyes was a first he had to say, meaning that things must be definitely down bad. Standing up slowly while trying not to bump or use his shot arm too much, Soap finally stood up straight and hissed under his breath for the new pain that shot it his stiff legs,

  “I need ya to find me Ghost, I can h-hardly fuckin’ move.”

  Turning around to start walking out of the room he was in, he was mid stop by a figure that stood in the doorway, pointing a large rifle right at his head, Soap’s heart dropped as he heard her familiar voice speak coldly,

  “You’re hoping he finds you first so I don’t kill you before, huh?”

 Soap locked eyes with one of the other ‘very few’ people he grew to trust, Leopard, or as he called ‘Leo’ for short. Leo came from a terrible background of being trafficked by the military undergrounds and was forced to be used for her special skills when it came to weapons, her speed, stealth, and undeniable beauty, hence why she was given the name Leopard. And for the most part they got along real well while they worked together in the 141, they had each other backs and grew closer as the days past, but today that changed when she stuck by Graves side as they took Alejandro and shot at Ghost and Soap. He was utterly struck in the heart for her actions, and felt betrayed more than anything, but in the moment of trying to run away and not get shot again, Soap hadn’t had the chance to think about the heavy rock he felt in his throat, along with the pain his heart felt every time he took a deep breath. But now it all came into place, and his mind began to register and remember everything that had happened, and his blood began to boil as he seethed,

  “Why did you betray us! We’ve done nothin’ but have your fuckin’ back Leo-“

 Leopard stepped closer as she spoke sternly,

 “It’s Sergeant to you, McTavish. Now shut the fuck up and get on your knees.”

  In the darkness of the church they were in, he couldn’t see her face, the very little light was illuminated in the building was through the cracks and broken windows that surrounded them, but none hit in her direction, though Soap wished it did, so he could see her face and see if it was actually her who was going to kill him, deep down he really hoped it wasn’t, because he had secretly grown to love her too. Soap then lifted his hands slowly and tried to negotiate while saying softly,

  “Sergeant, listen to me eh? This doesn’t need to go this far-“

  “I said shut up and get on your knees Johnny!!!”

  ‘Johnny? She only calls me Johnny when she scared.. she told me so..’

 Soap wanted to speak again but was ushered to his knees when she took a quick stride towards him threatening by her actions that she’d take him out sooner than was expected in the moment. But when Soap got down on his knees, a soft blue light hit his face perfectly, pointing out the layer of sweat he sported, and beamed against his blood-soaked shirt, along with his hands that were painted. At seeing this she immediately lowered the gun, and lowered herself to her knees, so she was at his level. In the position she was in, her face got illuminated by the light that was cast in the area, and Soap got to see the look of devastation on her face, and couldn’t be more confused as she spoke with a hint of concern in her voice,

  “You got s-shot?”

 Soap read the pain that began to cover her eyes, and replied back,

  “Y-Yeah, me arm got hit by Graves while I tried to get ou’ of there.”

  “oh..”

Her ‘oh’ came out breathy as she moved to sit on her heels, clutching onto her gun tightly as she eyed Soap’s injury with furrowed brows. Soap could read her face and behavior, and could see that her heart and mind were troubled greatly, fighting a battle with one another between life and death choices. Soap for once chose to stay quiet and let her settle her own thoughts before making a decision that could either end or save his life, his heart pounded louder by the minute and soon the pain he felt was numbed by the tension of the room that was thick and heavy. Soap caught on to how her fingers trembled slightly over the trigger of her gun, and hitched his breath nervously when he heard her voice come through her lips that had begun to quiver lightly,

 “I-I can’t do this Soap... I d-don’t know.. what to do.”

  Soap took this moment as the right time to speak as he said plainly but seriously,

  “Do the right thing Sergeant. Just do the right thing-“

  Huffing out angrily Leopard stood up and took steps back as she pointed the gun at his head again as she shouted with pain in her voice,   

  “What is the right thing Johnny?! Huh?! Tell me?!”

  Sitting up Soap voices out reason with a question,

  “Sergeant, what do ‘you’ believe is right?”

He heard a soft sob break through her throat as she replied,

  “I said I didn’t know... but I have to kill you McTavish, I was told I had to, if not there would be terrible consequences.”

  “Like what kind?”

He was met with silence as she eyed the gun then his face, and took a couple more glances back and forth before she replied,

  “They said that if I didn’t kill you, they’d find me and kill me first, then use my DNA to track down my family and kill them next. And it’s not their fault I couldn’t do my job, I can’t let that happen to them.”

  Slowly sinking into the reality of Leopard’s predicament, Soap realized that maybe she’d have to kill him, so that her family could be spared and saved from injustices’ harm, it was quite a selfless and wrong thought, but it also felt so right to him, because he loved her. Looking up to seek her face Soap gave her the get go,

  “Then go ahead... do it. It’s ok, trust me.”

A small gasp left her mouth as she asked confusingly,

  “wait what-“

 “Do it I said, make my death short n’ quick to save you and your family’s life-“

  “But I can’t!!”

Frowning in confusion at her words and actions Soap then shouted frustratedly,

 “And why not?!-“

 “Because you saved my life Johnny!!”

Johnny was taken aback by her answer,

 ‘I What... how?’

The gun in Leopards hands was lowered again as she rubbed her face before saying,

 “You saved my life Johnny, and because of that I promised myself that I’d never lift a finger against you, ever. I promised Graves that I’d kill you, but I promised my heart that I’d protect you. And I want to believe that my self promise matters more, because you saved me.”

 Soap watched her sink to her knees and hold her forehead as she looked down and let out soft cries, her shoulders shook slightly and the gun in her hands slipped out of her hand. Soap couldn’t help but ask,

  “How did I save your life?”

The light found her face once again, but his time Soap saw tears that covered her cheeks, and witnessed how her eyes weren’t cold and hateful anymore, but instead reflected brokenness, as she asked with a voice that was above a whisper,

  “Remember the first time you met me Johnny?”

 Of course Soap remembered, it was the best night of his life, and for the first time ever he had felt seen and heard, so he replied,

  “I do, quite vividly actually.. I met you at the bridge while you were taking a smoke from the cigar you stole from Price.”

  Letting out a soft laugh from being called out for stealing, Leopard then replied,

 “Yeah, well... about that.. I wasn’t there because I was taking a smoke... I was going to jump, Johnny.”

  Johnny’s eyes widened at the realization, that night when he found her at the bridge, he recalled telling her to step away from the weak walls she leaned on, but she swore she was just looking at the river that flowed below which was about 100 feet away from where she stood, but now he knows the truth, she was actually seeing how far the drop was, to see if her pain would be ended quickly. Soap’s heart sank as he took in her next words,

  “Your stupid jokes and company made me step away from the wall Johnny, there was something about you that just made me decide to stay on my feet. I thought my life was going to continue in hurt and destruction, but that thought changed the minute I laid my eyes on you. And sense then every action I’ve done for you, is my way of paying back for every day I get to live, because you saved me.”

  Soap didn’t know how to respond verbally, worried that he wouldn’t say the right thing, so instead he opened his arms for her, and immediately she moved towards him and sank into his embrace as he enclosed his arms around her tightly, and he didn’t care about the excruciating pain he felt in his arm, because he loved her. He cradled her head with one hand and rubbed her back lovingly with the other, as she cried into his neck, he cooed softly against her ear,

  “I’m glad I saved your life lass, if not I would’ve never met ya.”

 Leopard pulled away slightly just so she could hold his face, as she said,

  “I want to stick with you Johnny, I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

 He covered her hands with his own as he promised,

 “And you won’t go anywhere else, I’ll protect and keep you. I promise. Ok?”

Leopard nodded as he then held her face gently, looking into his soft blue eyes she then asked him shyly but boldly at the same time,

  “Can you kiss me Johnny?”

 He sighed softly as he replied instantly,

  “Of course, lass”.

He got her face between his hands and brought her in for a strong kiss, Leopard tilted her head trying to go deeper, but then he squished her jaw lightly so she could opened her mouth, and give him entrance to seep his tongue inside. She moaned lightly at his dominance, but only held him tighter against her as their mouths danced with one another. When air was needed before they could suffocate in their own love, they pulled away but leaned their foreheads against one another’s, taking in the moment, and hearing their ragged breaths coming from the intensity of their love-pouring kiss. 

  But then they heard a loud crash outside the church, and both stood up in sync while Soap caged Leopard between his arms, holding onto her body tightly as she said, 

  “I was sure I wasn’t followed. Did you have anyone coming?”

 Soap shook his head as he stepped in front of her to shield her from danger as they began to hear heavy steps approached the place they were in. Soap then whispered to Leopard orderly,

  “Be prepared, I got ya back.”

 “Copy. I got yours, Johnny.”

Both went back to back as they raised their weapons and held position, waiting for the intruder to bust inside so he could be taken down. Soap could hear Leopard’s breathing softly right behind him, and was comforted to feel her there with him. Leopard could smell Soap’s strong cologne right behind her along with the blood that was on his skin, it was a musky smell, but she’d rather be around his scent than anywhere else in the world. They got closer to each other seeking coverage and comfort when the door that was in front of them soon opened and a large person came through holding a large rifle. Soap and Leopard were on the verge of firing at anyone they saw, but held back when they saw the familiar skull masked face turn towards them. They immediately dropped their weapons when Ghost practically scolded them,

  “Don’t ya dare think about shootin’ at me mate. I’ll murder you both before you even have a chance- wait.. what the fuck is she doing here?!”

  Before Soap could even explain why, Ghost brushed past him pushing him aside and grabbed Leopard by the collar of her vest jacket and slammed her back against the nearest wall, using his height and strength to his advantage when he held her above ground and held her face to face. Soap grabbed Ghost’s shoulder and began to panic lightly when he saw how Ghost held pressure around Leopards throat,

  “Ghost let her go she’s on our side!!-“

 “Bullshit Soap, stay away from her, she’s dangerous, she shot at us and is only tryin’ to bring us to Graves so he can kill us.”

 Leopard gasped for air as she tried to pull off Ghost’s hands from her neck when he began to crush harder, but stopped and held the same pressure when Soap screamed,

  “SIMON LET HER GO!!!!”

Ghost turned his head slowly and faced Soap as he asked coldly,

  “And why would we save her? She’s our enemy-“

  “She had all the time in the world to kill me and yet she didn’t. Graves threatened to find and kill her family if she didn’t kill us when she found us.”

 Ghost thought to himself for a mere second as he turned his gaze back to Leopard who’s face had turned red as well as her eyes which grew watery and spilled tears. He could read fear and even smell it off of people, and he was certain with himself that that’s all that radiated off of her body. He wanted to believe Soap, who was his most trusted partner, but couldn’t help the fact that he had trust issues, so he questioned Leopard sternly,

  “Why should I believe him and trust you?”

 He let her throat go slightly so she could answer him clearly, and she did when she replied,

  “I’m your only chance, Ghost. And I have intel that you need. I’m just as good as you Ghost, if I wanted to kill you I would’ve done it a long time ago, but I didn’t because I trust you.”

  Ghost hardly ever had people tell him that they trusted him, only Soap and maybe Price had said those words, so when Leopard said it, he had to believe it. He then let her go and dropped her to her feet, watching her rub her throat as she added,

  “I know where they have Alejandro, but we can’t go get him now, they have too many people all over the place looking for you guys, and me now.”

  Ghost shook his head approvingly before saying,

  “You better be right lass. And speaking of Alejandro.. he had a safe house for us. We can lay low there for the night then leave in the morning to get him. So let’s go before we get tracked.”

 Soap walked up to Leopard and raised his hand to touch her neck, rubbing it softly as she reassured him,

  “It’s ok Johnny, he didn’t know. So don’t hold this against him.”

 Soap listened but shook it off, Leopard then insisted with a caress to his face,

  “Please Johnny, he only did to to protect you. Ok love?”

 Soap closed his eyes when she ran her hand through his hair gently, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Soap knew she was right, and it was confirmed when he heard Ghost’s voice say lightly,

  “I’m sorry for hurting her Johnny... I didn’t know.”

 Soap turned around to face Ghost who was holding his eyes on Leopards throat, Soap grabbed Leopard’s hand as he replied,

  “I know Ghost, you only did this to protect me, ya didn’t know what was happening. But now we’re all together, right?”

  Both Leopard and Ghost nodded,

  “”Yeah””

A few hours Ghost led them all safely to Alejandro’s safe house, after going through a couple more shootouts and running away from hungry killers. They all were tired and sighed loudly once they were in the comfort of the house, it looked like it needed a lot of work, but it also looked very comfy and safe. All three kinda stayed quiet for a moment as they sunk into the comfortable silence of the house, looking around in every room checking for security and blankets. Ghost only found two large blankets, and called the other two’s attention when he asked,

  “Did any of ya find something else?”

Soap and Leopard came to the livingroom empty handed as Leopard replied,

  “I didn’t find anything. But you Ghost and Soap, take these and I’ll make do here with my jacket, I’m an uninvited guest after all, you guys didn’t know you’d be stuck with me, it’s only fair.”

 Soap right away stepped up as he said,

  “That’s none sense lass, you’ll be freezing-“

  “No Soap, it’s ok.-“

 Ghost then held his hands up to stop the two from bickering as he suggested,

“Why don’t you two bunk together? And share the blanket, I’m sure you both wouldn’t mind right?”

 Soap and Leopard stayed quiet and got shy as Ghost eyed them both curiously, but Ghost insisted as he added,

  “You two held hands the entire way here, so don’t get shy on me now. I’ll be on watch for about a few hours then we can switch. Go to bed.”

 Soap grew confidence and grabbed Leopards hand as he thanked Ghost,

  “Thanks mate, wake me up first when it’s my turn eh?”

  “I will.”

Leopard sent Ghost a smile in gratefulness for him trusting her, and she could swear he smiled back under the mask when his eyes crinkled slightly. 

 Soon Soap got on the crinkly bed that was there, and as he waited for Leopard to finish showering, he tried to make the bed look as comfy as possible. He then pulled on his hoodie and got under the covers, trying to warm up the space before she got back. The door to the room opened and Soap’s face grew a smile when he saw who it was, Leopard closed the door behind her before walking in and climbed into bed quickly after putting her things away. Soap opened the covers and let her slip inside, then covered them both as she cuddled close to his body. He felt happy to feel her against him, and see that she was happy too. Soap wanted to wrap his arms around and pull her impossibly closer to him but he first asked sweetly,

  “Can I hold you, love?”

Leopard moved her head away from his chest as she replied, 

  “Sure, c’mere.”

Soap opened his arms but went still when Leopard quickly moved and unexpectedly put herself inside of his hoodie, and poked her head through the head as she wrapped her arms and legs around his body, pulling him almost on top of her. Soap hugged her tightly and kissed her head,

  “This is perfect.. thank you, love.”

 Leopard lightly chuckled when she said,

 “I kinda figured that you wanted to be really close. And so did I... thank you Johnny for saving me.. and for keeping me safe here with you and Ghost.”

 “You’re welcome love, I’m glad you’re here with me.. remember that I love you.”

  He felt her peck his neck with sweet kisses as she then cooed,

  “I will... remember that I love you too, Johnny.”

 About three hours later Ghost walked into the room quietly to get Soap so he could take his turn in watch, but stopped in his tracks she had saw how Leopard and Soap were cuddled tightly, in a deep, peaceful sleep. Ghost was really sleepy and needed his sleep, but he couldn’t get himself to wake them up, so instead he walked to his room and got his blanket, walked back to their room and closed the door. He took off his heavy gear and makeshift his jacket as a pillow when he laid on the floor, right in front of the door, blocking it from anyone coming in, and also so he could be the first to hear if something was happening outside. He felt content with his decision and at peace that his pals were sleeping peacefully, and knew he would too once he got comfortable. Ghost knew that Soap was in love with Leopard, and was glad for him, to see him still soft and not as hard hearted as he was, but either way he still made sure to tell his friend to be careful, though he only did that to keep Soap safe, because everything that happened to Soap mattered to Ghost. But now, that he trusted and believed in Leopard as well, he knew he’d protect her too, and keep her safe at any cost, because he knew she’d do the same for him too. Plus, his partner Soap, was in love with her, and even though Ghost didn’t believe in such, he knew that it’d be selfish to take that away from someone who still did, so yes, at all costs he’d protect them both, even that meant he got to see them happy and in love.

[mysticalrambling]

Missing You (T.H)

Tom Holland Fan fiction (Fan fiction Masterlist)

Summary: Tom is away for shooting and he is missing his daughter’s first easter. You and Sophia miss him terribly and he feels terrible for missing it. Sophia gets hurt during the egg hunt and Tom flies back to be with his family.

Warnings: Angst and some fluff.

._._._._.

“Daddy?” You had been folding your laundry because it was a therapeutic chore. The maid always left it for you by the end of the day because she knew that you enjoyed doing it. Your moment was interrupted by your one year old daughter barging into your room with only one question on her mind.

She had recently started walking and you were silently thankful because your over protective husband wouldn’t let her touch the ground in the fear that she would hurt herself. It even came to the point that Sophia started becoming agitated whenever he interrupted her progress. She would scream Bloody Mary when she saw him approaching with his arms outstretched. You sat him down one day and gently explained to him that we have to let her explore the world. If she falls and gets hurt, then it was our job to take care of her but we could not protect her from everything in advance.

The moment she took her first steps, they were towards Tom. You were there to record the moment and you guys were so glad that Tom had backed off a little bit. He would be there for his little princess every step of the way. If she wanted to leap, she could and he will be there to catch her if she started to fall. Sophia was the most important person in his life after you.

“Daddy is going to be here before your first Easter, bunny. Hopefully.” The last word was more of a mumble for yourself because you really hoped that he would be here. Sophia was born a few weeks after Easter so this was her first one.

“Daddy?”

Sighing, you said, “Let’s just get ready and see how cute you look in your new costume.”

“Bunny!” She ran off to her room to put her name on the and you opened your phone. Your husband told you that he would drop a text at approximately this time if he was going to make it back before the party. Disappointed, you just put the phone back on the side table.

“Okay, you need to sit tightly so that I can make your braids.” She was a hyper ball after she found the candies on the coffee table that you were going to give it to her at the party. Allergies to nuts was one of the many things that she had inherited from Tom and you never liked to take chances regarding their health. “No more sweets for you today, miss.”

“Nooooooo. Daddy!” Sophia’s voice trembled in the end because she knew that her dad would defend her. He was her knight in shining armor.

“Daddy is not here so let’s stop screaming now.” You were already in a sour mood as your husband was not with you on an important milestone. And Sophia was not making things easy for you either.

“No!”

“You are ready. I am going to give you your coloring books while I go get ready.” You did not listen to her small sniffles and went to take a shower while keeping the door open so you could keep an eye on her. When you got out, your phone was ringing and it was Tom.

“Hi. I am so sorry I can’t make it today. I tried my very best to get done with filming but it was not possible. So sorry, darling.” There was a crack in his voice that let you know that he was devastated about it.

“It’s okay, baby. There will be other Easters and you will be there for all of them. Don’t be sad, please.” You  tried cheering him up but it was not working.

Tom was always big on firsts; your first date, your first I love you’s, Sophia’s first kick, Sophia’s first tooth. He kept a record of all the moments and he was incredibly sad that he did not get to witness his child’s first Easter. Acting was something that he really enjoyed but he hated it right now. It was keeping him away from his family. He had planned everything out from where to hide all the eggs to where to buy the small bunny cupcakes that he would give to his little girl at the end of the day. This was not right but he was helpless. He could not do anything because he had an obligation to his fans as well.

“Is she wearing the costume that I ordered her?” When you mumbled out a yes, he asked, “Can you please send me a picture?”

“Soph, come and stand here. Pose for daddy.” When you sent him the picture, there was no response from his side. Seeing the picture, Tom choked back a sob. His little bunny looked incredibly cute with a white dress and a bunny ear headband. A pink tint graced her cheeks which meant that she had some candies and she had a toothy smile. Before he could say anything, the director called him back to shooting. “We will talk to daddy later. He might be busy right now.”

Tom’s mom had planned a party at her house and the whole garden was prepared for the egg hunt. You both wanted to host the party this year but Tom had to go to Cardiff last minute because of his shooting. Your siblings and nieces and nephews were all going to be there. You were happy that you got to spend this occasion with your family but you were miserable right now. Tom was not here.

“Hi. Who is this little rabbit here?” Nikki leaned in front of the toddler and squished Sophia in one of her famous bear hugs.

“Sophia Anne Holland!” There was a proud undertone to her voice because she could speak her whole name now.

“You are the cutest bunny ever.”

“I know.” You all chuckled at her haughty admission and watched as she skipped towards her cousins.

“Tom isn’t going to make it today?”

“Um no. He could not get away from work and he said to apologise on his behalf.” It was like something was missing and you didn’t want to indulge in that feeling.

“I am sorry, darling but he will make it up to you and Sophie.” You wanted to divert the topic so you started to talk about the guests and the decorations.

Pretty soon, you started mingling with the people and they always asked about Tom. You either replied to them or politely redirected the conversation. It felt weird being at a gathering without Tom. You haven’t done that from the past five years and you realised you didn’t much enjoy it now. Keeping an eye on Sophia was hard because it was usually Tom who performed that duty. You were given a free pass at parties from all the responsibilities and were allowed to enjoy every moment. He was always considerate towards you and that is why you loved him to death.

“Sophia, you can not go near the pool.” You caught her in your arms before she could fall in.

“Dada swimm- swimming.” Tommy was the one who was teaching her to swim because it was a hobby that he wanted his daughter to adopt from him. When she saw the water, she thought that her dad will be there to teach her.

“When dad comes back, you can go swimming.” Sophia still kept looking around for her father because this is the longest she has been away from him. Her toddler mind thinks that if she goes to do things that they do together, he will come to her. You couldn’t even get angry at her for wandering around the house without anyone. Hugging her, you tried to distract her, “Now, granny is having an egg hunt and we need to win it, okay bubs?”

“Win!!” You took her in your arms and went towards the garden where all the people were.

“Look, Tom. (Y/N) is here.” A phone was shoved in to your face by Sam and you saw Tom’s face on the screen.

“Hi. I was calling you and you didn’t pick up. I wanted to see Sophie on the egg hunt.” There was a look of longing on his face.

“I was busy with your daughter. She was running near the swimming pool and wanted to get in because she thought that you would be there to teach her.”

“Is she alright? Let me see her.” You angled the phone towards your shoulder where she was leaning on him. “Hey, baby.”

“Hi. Back?” Tom wanted nothing more than to hold his daughter in his arms and his heart broke when his daughter asked him that question. It meant that he was away too long because she never asked that question before. She didn’t need to.

“I’ll be back in no time and then we will go swimming. Promise.”

“Yes.” She hopped down from your arms and went to the start line of the race.

“How have you been?”

“Just missing you a lot and handling Soph is getting harder by the day.” You moved to a more secluded place on the ground so you could talk to your husband.

“I am sorry, darling. When I come back, you can have the whole weekend off.”

“Just come back. I want to spend sometime with my husband.”

“That is a tempting offer but I have to stay here a little longer. But when I come back, we will do more than spend sometime together.”

“I will look forward to it. The game is starting so I have to go.” You were about to end the call but he stopped you.

“I want to see her and I have a break for another twenty minutes.”

“Okay.”

The race soon started and among all her cousins, Sophia was the youngest and the most hyper. You cheered her on with her grandparents and Tom. She was about to win the race and you were more excited than her. Tommy wanted to be there to witness her first victory but he settled down for seeing it on the phone. However, she stumbled on some rocks that were on the trail and she fell hard.

“Oh my god! Go to her, (Y/N).” Tom’s voice broke you out of your horrified trance and you went in to autopilot. When you reached near her, you gave the phone to someone behind you and kneeled in front of your daughter. She was crying really loudly and her arms was bent to an odd angle. Cuddling her in your arms, you picked her up and went towards your car. “What is happening? Mum, tell me!”

“I think Sophie’s arm is broken. (Y/N) is taking her to the hospital right now. I will keep you updated.” Nikki was moving quickly towards her car while she gripped the phone in her hands.

“Mum, I want to talk to my daughter right now.” He didn’t even realise that he was pacing and his hair was all messed up because he ran his hands through it several times.

“Tommy, I will keep you updated. Right now, she is a lot of pain and she is scared.”

“Please keep me informed.” This was one of the worst moment in his life because he wasn’t there for his girls. You both needed him right now and he wasn’t there. He decided then and there that he was going back to London.

Meanwhile, you reached the hospital with Sophia wailing in your arms and Sam driving like a cray man. You were sure that he would have multiple speeding tickets waiting for him when he gets home. The E.R was busy at this time of the day and you just laid your daughter on one of the beds while Nikki went to go get a doctor.

“Honey, it’s going to be okay. Please be strong, baby girl.” There were tears in your eyes as your daughter’s face turned red with all the crying and screaming. The little girl was in too much pain.

“Daddy, plea- please. Hurts a lot.” Hiccuping in the middle of the sentence, you looked at your brother in law helplessly. She wanted Tom and he wasn’t here right now.

“We will talk to daddy after the nice doctor here checks you out, baby.” She wouldn’t let anyone near her or her arm and kept asking for her father, She was inconsolable.

Sitting in front of the bed, the doctor asked, “Hi, I am Dr Ana. What happened to this little bunny here?”

“She, uh, she fell during the race and I think she broke her arm.” You stood on the foot of the bed as you shakily explained the whole situation. “Soph, let her check your boo boo please.”

“Daddy, please.”

“Okay, let me call your dad and you can talk to him.” Nikki interjected when she saw that the conversation was not reaching any end point.

“Okay.” You wiped her snot with your sleeves as she clutched her broken arm in pain.

“Tom, talk to Sophia. She is not letting the doctors treat her.” Putting the phone on speaker, Tom’s voice filtered through the phone.

“Hey bubs. You need to let the doctor check you and make the boo boo alright.” His soothing voice brought tears to your eyes as you wanted nothing more than to hold his hand right now.

“It hurts. Back please?”

“I am coming back right now so you need to let the doctor check your arm. I will be there in no time.”

“Okay.” The moment the doctor started examining her arm, you took the phone from your mother in law.

“It’s going to be okay. You don’t have to come back.” You sniffled a little as the doctor got a portable x-ray to check up on Sophia’s arm. She held on to your hand tightly as even the little movement hurt her.

“I am. In fact, my flight is already confirmed. I will be there in four hours, tops.”

Tom declined the call as his manager called him downstairs. Getting in to the car, he just prayed to God that his little girl would be okay. He swore mentally that he would never let Sophia run. He should have been there and he was going to never leave his family’s side ever again.

“I have given her some pain meds for her pain so she should be settling down now.” Sophia was moved to a pediatric room and now she was calming down a little bit. “What color cast do you want, Miss Holland?”

“Pink.” She stated as a matter of fact and you lightly laughed. Nikki and Sam were in the room as well and they were staying till Tom got here. The pain medication slowly started working and Soph drifted off to sleep with Mr Fluffs in her arms.

“We are going to get coffee and then we can get you a change of clothes. Do you want something else?” Whispering, Nikki placed a hand on your shoulder.

“I am fine. I just need the clothes and can you please bring some for Tom as well. I know he would come straight here from the airport.”

“Okay, darling. Take care and call us if something happens.”

“Okay, thank you.” You put your head on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Tom entered the hospital and the receptionist guided him towards Sophia’s room. Quietly steeping in there, he saw his two girls sleeping. Sophia looked so tiny in that patient bed and he never wanted to see her there. When he got close, he saw dried tears on his little girl’s cheek and his heart broke when he thought about the pain that she was in. The pink cast was set on her right arm and he want to her side and gently kissed it.

“I am so sorry baby, I wasn’t here. I won’t ever leave you again, I promise.”

“You are back.” The commotion in the room woke you up and you saw your husband right in front of you.

“Just got in.” Tom’s eyes never left the tiny human being laying underneath the sheets. “(Y/N), she is never running again.”

“Honey, children get hurt all the time. She will recover in no time.”

“But-”

“Dadda!” Your baby jumped in to his arms before any of you realised what was happening. Her cast bumped on to the iron rod of the bed and she let out a blood curling scream.

“Call the doctor. It’s okay, bubs. You are going to be okay.” Kissing her cast, he tried to calm down the crying toddler. Meantime, you went to call Dr Anna so that she could check Sophia’s arm.

“It is all fine. You just need to be really careful with that arm. We are going to keep her here for one day and then you both can take your little girl home.”

You took Sophia from your husband and told him to go change in to comfortable clothes. When he came back, you both settled on the small bed and your daughter told him all about the injury and the pain. You both signed her pink cast and Tom also drew some rainbows and birds on it. Soon, it was time for her to take her medicines and you had to bribe her with chocolates, She always got her way.

“I love you, baby. Go to sleep now.” He wrapped the blanket around her and switched off all the lights.

“Love you. Be here?”

“Yes, I will be here darling. Now, sleep.” Sophia soon drifted off to sleep and Tom sat beside you on the couch.

“I missed you, Tommy.”

“I missed you too and I am never leaving you both for this long. Now, let’s go to sleep. It has been a tiring day.” Pecking him on the lips, you both laid down and just basked in each other’s warmth. Contented, you drifted off to sleep with your husband and child in the same room. Everything was going to be okay.

Hope you guys enjoyed it!!

._._._._.

A/N: I loved to write about Tom Holland as a family man. Tell me how you guys feel about it and I am open to requests regarding dad Tom. If you want to be added to my tag list, comment down below.

Like, comment and reblog.

._._._._.

[sweetcathedral]

Note: First Toji story! Your "mom" that I had in mind for this one is basically a female Nanami, and your adoptive mom. Tried my best not to get burnt out from this one, so it might sound a bit rushed and repetitive, but I’ll be taking a two week break after I post Gojo’s sometime this week (hopefully tomorrow or the day after). Enjoy !

⚠️: 18+, raw, bulge, plot (?), voyeurism/exhibitionism (phone), eating out, fingering

It was obvious why Toji was around your mother lately, and why your mother still bothered keeping him around.

“Cut the sweet talking and just say you’re broke again,” you overheard your mother say. There wasn’t any anger or resentment in her voice, she didn’t need any sweet talking for her to lend Toji money again ‘cause she was also someone without any need for attachments. In fact, your mother hated attachments, so her pretend relationship with Toji was perfect. Not only did he fuck her any chance he got, but your mother even asked if he could take you into his place until you found a suitable apartment close to your university (of course he’d be getting paid double the amount for the hassle).

“I don’t have an extra room, so take mine for now. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“You sure? I don’t mind taking the couch instead,” now that you’re finally facing him, you take in the details of his gruff features, hardened by whatever work he does for a living.

“Something wrong?” he cocks his head to the side and rubs his hand at the back of his neck.

“No. Sorry, it’s just—it’s my first time properly seeing you,” you can feel the heat rise up in your body.

“Oh, I guess it is,” he walks up to you and looks down, realizing how big he is and that you’re no longer looking at him from afar. “You’ve changed from the last time I saw you though,” measuring you against him, using his hand to see where your height compares. He smelt of smoke and something metallic, a foreign scent your memory had nothing to contrast to. A dark red smear on his forearm catches your attention. You thoughtlessly brush your fingers on his arm, triggering him to grab your wrist. His eyes widened in a wilderness you’ve never seen before with a hint of panic.

“Um . . .” you didn’t know how to react.

“Sorry,” he clears his throat and collects his composure back, “I’m gonna go take a shower first. Make yourself comfortable.”

The grip around your wrist lightens, leaving a red imprint that’s a bit sore to the touch.

Fuck. Toji had been too caught up with the bounty hunts he took that he forgot you were temporarily moving in with him today. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. It was his calendar app that reminded him, in the middle of a fight with a curse user, that he quickly finished the job and rushed back home to see you already standing at his door. Patiently waiting for him to answer the first few knocks and hesitating to knock again, which he found cute. He didn’t even have time to clean his wounds up when he snuck in through his back window.

Once Toji strode into the bathroom and locked himself in, he took off his shirt, thankful for the black shade concealing the blood slowly oozing out of his wound on the side of his torso. “Tch, for fuck sakes,” he mumbled before cleaning off the excess blood and throwing his shirt in the garbage. He thought his forearm was wounded too, the pain concealed from the rush of adrenaline he still had from running back home, but it was just the blood from his torso.

Toji wasn’t sure how to react when he’d see you again, especially as a proper person, since he has never paid any attention to you back then, until now.

“Take in my daughter until she finds her own place. She’s currently shopping for ones near her university since the other one had a person who died in the building,” your mother told him over the phone, neither sounding like a question or a demand.

“Huh? You have a kid?”

“Are you blind now too?”

“Don’t give much attention to kids.”

“Well she’s an adult now, so how ‘bout it?”

“What’s in it for me?”

“Money, of course.”

“Heh, deal,” he answered, not giving much thought to the details as long as he’s getting paid for it.

“Now you’re making it sound like I’m selling my daughter off to the Devil.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”

“She’ll be coming over in two weeks time,” your mother sighed in relief before hanging up.

Toji pulls himself back to the present hearing the faint scuffling of your feet across the floor, probably carrying your boxes and luggage into the living room. I should help her out. He carefully lifts the towel off his wound to check if the bleeding started to slow down. He lost track of how long he’d been in the bathroom, so he went against the thought of stitching it up and just slapped on some gauze for now. It’d be suspicious if he holed himself in the bathroom for too long. As Toji inhaled his breath to pull himself together, he raised his head, losing his sense of his equilibrium.

“Shit,” he softly chuckles, seeing his blurry reflection in the mirror falling out of the frame and hitting the floor. His body goes limp as his mind slowly succumbs to the darkness, only the sound of your frantic voice through the door being the last to leave his senses.

When you finally busted the door open, Toji was shirtless and laying on the floor drifting in and out of consciousness. You flipped him over to see that he was trying to patch up his wound. “We need to get you to a hospital,” you started dialing 911, but his heavy arm stops you from doing so.

“. . . don’t . . .” he desperately said through ragged breaths before going limp again.

“Fine, but I need to at least get you to your room. I’m not strong enough to carry you,” you try to heave him up to his feet, lugging his arm over your shoulder, opposite from the side where his wound is.

Once you managed to get him in his room, you guided him to his bed before rushing through your boxes to find your medical stitch kit. Although it was hard trying to disinfect his wound before stitching him up and placing a clean gauze over it, you managed to help him dodge the hospital bills he wanted to avoid. Cheapskate, just use the money you get from my mom.

You let out a sigh, tired from the nervousness of moving into a new place shared by a man with a mysterious background, and the panic that ensued when Toji looked like he was knocking on Death’s door. Peering up at him from the side of his bed, you take in his other scars along his body; there’s a jagged one on his chest, a couple clean slits along his shoulder, and some small rigid circular ones scattered over his stomach. You lightly run your fingers over the soft pink flesh like tracing a roadmap of his past life, his scars standing out like checkpoints.

“Home. My father threw me into a . . . fighting pit,” the rough vibration of his voice startles you, breaking you from your trance.

“Sorry, I—!” you pull away, retracting your hand back. But instead Toji grabs it back, unfurling your fingers to place them back on his scar.

“Also home. A fight with my cousins . . .” he continues guiding your fingers throughout his body, dragging you from scar to scar and telling you the story of his past, like there was nothing to hide. “And finally,” he gently places your palm on his fresh wound, “. . . another bounty hunt . . .” There was a moment of hesitation in his voice, his eyes laid on your hand as he thumbs over your knuckles, twiddling with your fingers before firmly yanking you over him onto the bed.

His finger traces up the curve of your spine, the small of your back, feeling the bulge form under his joggers—nudging at the plump bulb of your cunt through the thin fabric of your satin shorts. Keeping yourself calm and collected, you push yourself up from his shoulders, his muscles tensing up from your touch.

“Toji, I don’t have money to pay you. The medical courses in university are expensive already.”

“Who said I was asking for money?” he traces down your neck with his eyes before bringing you towards him, rubbing a lock of your hair between his thumb and index finger as he kisses your neck.

“You’re hurt and acting delirious from the pain. I’ll look through my boxes to see if I still have painkillers,” you huffed, trying to fight through his strength and the aching need to continue to see through to the end. It felt wrong, but his desperate hands kept you from making the right decisions.

“Don’t leave, stay,” he whispered between kisses, now trailing down to your breasts, sucking at your nipples. The straps of your tank top and bralette slip from your shoulders as his fingers softly drag down your back, your garments now clinging to your waist. Your soft moans bounce off the walls of the room. Your fingers laced through his hair, continuing to tease your nipples and thoughtlessly riding your hips on his bulge, leaving a wet stain through your shorts and his joggers. A wave of shame clashes over your need to have more of him, but the movements of his hands, arm, tongue, body keeps you from turning back.

“I can’t take it anymore,” you moaned through huffs of breaths.

“Then, what are you waiting for? Do it. I’m right there,” he valiantly bucks his hips up, pressing his erection into your pliant cunt, holding your thighs down on either side of him.

Your fingers reach for his cock from under you, molding around the shape of him as you push his joggers further down his hips. There was already precum dripping down his cock, painfully pulsating at your soft touch. You hold the tip at your entrance, glossy and slippery from your eager juices, and slowly ease yourself onto his cock. Toji groans at your plump walls hugging him and pulling him deeper inside of you. Your body blooms into a lustful behaviour that even he was surprised in awe at the honesty, forming a bemused grin across his face.

When your hips started to tremble beyond control, Toji continued, propping himself up with his arms and careful not to bust the stitches you gave him. At this point his pain had melted into pleasure, gratefully thrusting into your cervix and feeling the satisfaction of the shape of his tip protruding from your lower abdomen. You wrap your arms around him, spreading your legs wider so as to not touch his wound.

“Ngh, I think I’m about to pass out,” you bit back a moan, struggling to keep from cramping.

“Heh, that’s cute,” he rammed himself harder into you, the sound of slapping intertwining with your moans & grunts. Your body twitches in intervals, keeping up with his rhythm, nearing your climax. Toji grasps onto you, clamping you down on him as his warm cum fills up your womb, unable to keep the excess from flowing out.

“Shit, sorry,” he reaches down to touch your vulva, the tips of his fingers feeling at his thick substance leaking out from you..

“Mm-mm, it’s fine. Infertile,” you said, trying to catch your breath.

“Did you cum yet?”

A giggle fell from your lips, “not yet—!” he flips you over before you could finish whatever you were about to say, switching places so that you’re laying on your back now. He wasn’t gonna take that for an answer cause he always finishes what he started.

“Allow me,” his head settled in between your legs, hands firmly placed at the back of your thighs. You sharply inhaled at the soft velvety feel of his tongue to your sensitive clit, and the strong feeling of his fingers pushing through your swollen walls. Your head falls back into a lustful daze, allowing him to do whatever he wants to do to you. Only the sound of your rapid breathing and cute moans fill the air of the room, as Toji satisfies himself with your lewd expressions and lolled out tongue.

“Did you make it safely to Toji’s place?” your mom asks through the phone.

“Yeah . . . everything, went well,” you bit your tongue, flailing your hands behind you to try and get Toji to slow down.

“Are you okay? You sound too out of breath in the morning.”

“Yeah—! I just, just came back for a—jog,” he thrusts harder into you, having fun watching you try to keep your composure. Ready to hear a moan slip out from your wet lips. “Anyways, I need to, to go, bye mom!” you hung up before she could say her goodbyes.

“Someone held up pretty well,” he chuckles at the nape of your neck before leaving his marks along it.

“Fuck you,” you pant, hating yourself for obliging in this situation, but loving the hard feeling of his cock splitting you apart. He hooks one of your legs up to the kitchen counter, your other fighting to stay on its tippy toes as you reach your morning climax—squirting on the kitchen floor.

“I’m not done with you yet,” he growls in your ear, flipping you over and stirring his cock back inside of you. “Get ready to go rounds with me.”

[hansoulo]

whisper scarcely breathing

part four of “Pillar of Salt”

Pairing: Boba Fett/Princess!Reader (she/her pronouns, no Y/N)

Warnings: NC-17, NSFW, explicit language, mentions of canon-typical violence, fluff, hurt/comfort but without the hurt, bathing and/or being bathed, choking, female-receiving oral, loss of virginity, unprotected M/F intercourse

Word Count: 6.1k

Image Credit: (x) by @/365filmsbyauroranocte, not meant to be a representation of the reader

A/N: this one is for the boys with the boomin’ system 😩💦

༓ series masterlist ༓

The datapad that you’d left in the garden was thrust back into your possession one morning by the hurried hands of a maid. Truthfully, you had forgotten all about it. The mind, when faced with matters as pressing as the press of a mouth, tends to forget about inconsequential objects.

You’d never met the girl standing in front of you before, and she avoided your eyes while passing over the small screen. She seemed eager to be rid of it. You couldn’t say you blamed her. “‘S yours, miss. The bounty hunter said you’d lost it.”

Did he, now?

“Thank you,” you replied sincerely, careful not to let the datapad drop to the floor as you tucked it back into the deep brocade of your gown pockets. You didn’t have the wherewithal at first to ask her when he’d found it or found the time to return it. But you also didn’t have the common sense to keep your mouth shut. “Could I ask when he gave it to you?”

The servant ducked her head. “This morning, your Highness. I- I was in the loading bay when they left, think he was tryin’ to get a hold of you but didn’t have the time, told me- told me to keep quiet ‘bout it.” A bob of her throat signalled a nervous swallow. “Princess.”

Poor girl, you thought to yourself absentmindedly. Boba probably scared her half out of her wits.

“Really, I can’t thank you enough.” You touched a soft hand to the servant’s shoulder in an misguided attempt to soothe. She returned the action with a nervous smile, eyes still downcast and trying not to shy away.

You never realized how afraid they all were. Of you.

The realization made your tongue tangle in your throat, tripping over some lie about a fever and champagne-induced amnesia as explanation for your exchanges with a man so ill-acquainted.

Hopefully, the maid didn’t make a habit of gossip.

Hopefully, you stopped making a habit of Boba Fett.

⫸———————————————— ⫷

A chaincode, a datapad tracking number, and the rest of your life flashed in backlit neon. You silently cursed yourself for not putting an opening passcode on anything, including the datapad that you now held with slightly tremoring hands.

In your defense, it’s not like it held anything of interest. Mostly just holonovels and some pictures of things you found intriguing enough to want to paint or draw.

But now there was a thing of veritable interest stuffed into a new folder titled “Your Highness” and glowing in galactic basic.

BF-18378-3263827

You stared at the numbers until they morphed into a strong, stern-featured face, muddy in your imagination against the ink night invading your bedroom. Boba left his tracking number there for you. If you wanted to, you could use them to message him or comm him or leave a holoprojection message. Whenever you wanted. Right now, even.

When did he even find your datapad? Why he found it (and why he returned it with the aforementioned numerical contraband) was probably a more apt question.

There was quite a lot to think about. Best to take stock of the present moment, lest you lose your head and go completely mad. As if you hadn’t already.

The facts repeated themselves in a half-conscious mantra, screen slipping out of your hands and onto the pillow beside your head. Facts. Facts were good. What were the facts, again?

Boba Fett was arguably the most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy.

Boba Fett was not much of a talker.

Boba Fett was a piss-poor dancer.

And Boba Fett was an unfairly good kisser.

The beginning three points held little negative sway, with the first adding much more appeal than it should, the second a welcome relief, and the third being… sort of endearing.

It was on the last point that your mind lingered the longest.

You didn’t even realize you’d copied numbers into the screen’s communications system until its microphone crackled to life.

One breath, two breaths, stuck in your sleep-thick throat. No words from either side yet. Did you get the tracking code wrong? Maybe. Maybe.

Maybe you were dreaming already, imagining the wind outside to be the quiet, husky inhale that sounded from the other end of the receiver.

“Not falling asleep are we, princess?”

Your eyes shot open. “No. No, I’m…” the words croaked themselves out as you fought down a yawn, “I’m awake.” His low chuckle. “I called you didn’t I?”

“That you did,” Boba assented. Quiet amusement colored his accent. “And you called because…”

“I wanted to,” you said simply, without room for teasing. You were too sleepy to be ashamed of admitting you sought out his company, as foolish as doing so was. No use in hiding what both parties knew to be true.

He let out a noise of soft approval and it rumbled a pleasant sunburst between your ears. “You seem to want a lot of things, don’t you?”

Makes me want… want…

Want what, Princess?

Want you.

You can have me.

The memory snaked a fever flush down your neck, over the still-tender skin and lightly mottled marks. Boba was remembering it just as well as you were. You knew he was.

It gave you a rush, a weird sort of power trip. Because as stupid as you felt doing this, wanting this, he wanted it too. Enough to let your hands thread through his hair and around his arms, then to the scar above his left brow and across his mouth. Enough to let you do it again at the risk of being caught. Enough to leave you his tracking number, like you were two teenagers trading love letters and not legal adults with judgement better enough to do otherwise.

You stayed on the comm for two hours, and only went to sleep because Boba threatened to cut your link off if you didn’t.

⫸———————————————— ⫷

It had been almost five standard months since the first time you’d spoken. Typed words continued to be exchanged under your covers, day after day, night after night. Sometimes you’d fall asleep talking, peppering him with questions about his ship and his job until your throat ached with the effort of keeping yourself awake. Sometimes you did more than talk.

He never fell asleep. Never seemed to sleep, period.

What a strange man. Strange, dangerous, interesting man.

You often missed each other by a hair’s breadth. Courtly flurry and galactic bounty hunting didn’t make much space for private conversation. Boba was still taciturn. You were still naive.

And yet…

You liked him. He listened when you talked about botany and painting, neither of which you imagined interested him. He was arrogant and cocky and insufferable sometimes, but he listened. He told you about his job and regaled your sheltered curiosity with lurid, gory details. He told you about his father.

And one day he somehow, miraculously, had a set of Nabooan watercolors left for you in the garden.

Biting down a juvenile grin with every new message, you watched the quiet ping! of the datapad.

hi

Hello

are you busy?

In a way

how so

Had a brush with Hutt’s rancor

poor thing

Don’t get soft on me now

wasn’t talking about you

Very funny

I’m very, very sorry

Should be. The bastard nearly tore up my flight suit

… show me?

⫸———————————————— ⫷

BF-18378-3263827 HAS ATTACHED 3 FILES

⫸———————————————— ⫷

HOLOCALL DURATION: 02:45:35 HOURS

SAVE CALL RECORDING? PRESS YES/NO TO CONFIRM

Your damp hands tremored.

YES

⫸———————————————— ⫷

Six months, four days, and 20 hours. That’s how long it took for you to see Boba Fett again.

You’d started to think the entire ordeal was a mirage, an illusionary experience your brain conjured up for you as a one-time brush with what your life could have been. Who it could’ve been with.

But you did see him again. Foolhardy, reckless, and unplanned.

You didn’t listen to his explanation about having to leave in the morning, taking some third-rate bounty as an excuse to come back to Quas Killam for the first time in what seemed like ages—practically eons since his mouth had last been at your neck. He appeared on your bedroom balcony near midnight like an apparition, mounted by a still-burning jetpack that shut off with an arc of smoke.

You’d been sleeping, albeit fitfully, and woke the minute his knuckles rapped against the glass. You didn’t remember ever telling him where your bedchambers were, but given… everything… you couldn’t say you were surprised he knew. When he crouched down to shed the helmet, it made a soft thump on the plush carpet.

And then you kissed. And kissed. And kissed.

Boba’s fingertips dragged fire across your prickled skin with every pass. Whose breathing was whose didn’t matter. It was hard, heaving, and shared. Eyes closed, lips raw, every part of you dizzy. Dizzy.

The sneeze that left you was loud enough to knock his forehead against yours. Hard.

Feet stumbling until your legs hit the bedspread, you let your weakened knees carry you down into a sitting position atop the covers and tried to catch your breath. Boba only chuckled, seemingly unperturbed by the mild injury.

Of course your body had picked today to come down with a cold. And of course you’d forgotten to tell him.

In your defense (you seemed to do a lot of self-defending these days) you didn’t know Boba would be coming tonight. When you asked him a week ago—the last time you’d spoken—he’d said “soon.” Whatever “soon” meant, you hadn’t anticipated it being now. Your rumpled nightgown and deteriorating personal hygiene was evidence enough of that.

The day had passed in fitful naps, with you waving away all attempts at help until the servants who usually tittered about decided to give you a wide berth until tomorrow. They’d left the door locked and your curtains drawn, thank the gods.

“A hello would’ve been nice,” you mumbled. The lingering taste of him in your mouth mixed with the bitter medicine that you’d forced down a few hours ago.

Boba didn’t answer at first, only stalking forward with his silhouette glowing in light of the full moon. You brought your knees up to your chest to make room for him to stand in front of you. Every movement was bathed in slowness, in the reverence of caution and night-time silence.

His gloved hand brushed against your chin and tilted it upwards, thumb rubbing a small circle into your jawbone as he moved your face in one large grip. Left, inspecting a swollen mouth and puffy eyes, then right. Up to see the column of your exposed neck. Down to meet his bare, dark face.

He kissed you again, more gentle this time. “Hello.”

A soft whimper left your throat.

Oh, you hated it. Hated the way you sounded when he touched you, small and pathetic. Needy.

The balustrade doors were still open, and this fact was made known by a particularly biting gust of silver wind.

“You’re cold,” the man standing close to you noted with a deep downquirk of his mouth. Boba never had to conceal anything; his helmet did that for him. But when it was off, every thought flickered past his face in evening technicolor.

Your hands paused in their run up your arms to hold petulantly at your elbows, covered only by the thin fabric of your shift. Goosebumps rose against your neck with a new breeze and you fought down the urge to shiver.  “M’not.”

“And stubborn.”

You glared at him, but it held no real venom.

“I appreciate the concern,” you sniffled again and your body trembled slightly. “But I’m the picture of health. I really have never been—” here you sneezed rather violently, crumbling any remaining sense of composure and making the final words thick with congestion, “—any better.” Boba hooked two strong arms underneath your knees and around your shoulders. “Wh- what are you doing?”

“C’mon,” Boba grunted and lifted you to his chest in one swift, easy motion. “Up.”

“I’m already up,” you grumbled, a headache you’d thought was all but gone now throbbing from the quick movement. Armor pressed to your cheek and you let yourself go pliant, curling up into Boba’s broad chest. He smelled nice. Like the outdoors. The real outdoors—not manufactured gardens or stone courtyards. No, dangerous things. Like deserts and leather and guns.

You queried him as he walked in long strides across the room. “Where are you taking me? Should have you—” another sneeze burned your airways, “—have you arrested for treason. A high crime or misdemeanor of some sort, kidnapping royalty...”

He only scoffed, shifting your slack body into his one-armed grip when he arrived at the entrance of your adjunct refresher. The door opened with a soft click. “You talk too much.”

Your head rolled back to face him, pressed so close already that the attempt made you cross-eyed. “And you,” a polished finger jabbed lightly at his chest plate, “are up to no good.”

You were only joking, but Boba didn’t deny it.

Green was your favorite color, even before you met him. It was the color of gardens. Of mint leaves. Of insects and jewels. Of him.

Gods, he was beautiful. Did he know that? Would he ever believe you if you told him? He was achingly, painfully, humanly beautiful. It hurt like needles.

The man set you down to your immediate protests. Funny how quick you seemed to change your mind. “Don’t whine,” he chided when you did just that, pushing you forward by the small of your back.

You walked into the refresher confused, that same confusion compounding when Boba strode over to the marble bathtub in room’s center with a surety that belayed the fact he’d never once stepped foot inside here. Were all bounty hunters this self-assured? Or was he just so full of bathroom bravado that your sprawling floor-plan didn’t faze him?

Whatever the case was, said bounty hunter was now crouched down on the tile floor and twisting the tub faucets until they sprayed out a gush of hot water, quickly filling the room with heady steam.

 “Hot water helps.” A still-gloved hand dipped an inch into the filling tub and deemed it acceptable. “The steam’ll clear up those sneezes of yours. And the headache.”

“How did you know I-” your mouth opened and closed before you realized you didn’t do a great job of hiding your symptoms. Maker knows you looked a sight, all mussed and tired and sticky with cold sweat. He should make a run for it now, you half-joked to yourself. He’s only ever seen me stuffed into a corset and done up half to death.

He got up with a grunt and turned back towards you. Beskar and durasteel and tactical fabric suddenly made you feel, for the first time in your life, underdressed. “‘S not hard to tell, princess.”

“Oh,” was your only response as you pushed off the sink counter, fisting the fabric of your nightgown in an unconscious display of hesitancy.

Boba’s heavy boots made for the door.

It was probably just to leave you some semblance of privacy, but you panicked, not wanting to be left alone now that he was finally here. “Wait!” you burst out, reaching a palm onto his shoulder before he could exit. “Wait. Can— can you stay?” Of course he won’t stay, you dolt. He probably came to sleep with you, not babysit you. “Please?”

Both of his hands curled into themselves when he turned back to you, their leather squeaking in the tight flex. Then, they released limp by his sides. Each word was carefully measured, slow-simmering like a pot about to boil over. Like a trigger finger twitchy on a blaster. “If you want me to.”

You answered with a bobbing nod and a swallow. “I do.”

⫸————————————————⫷

Boba Fett had long since forgotten he was a man. Instead, he was armor. He was a code, a set of  strict (albeit grey) morals, the steadfast honor he’d been imbibed with from the years with his father and then the years of tearing emptiness after.

Bounty hunters had no time for attachments. They couldn’t afford to humor every batting eyelash with more than a self-serving flirtation, and he’d had his fill of those already. He’d overflowed his cup ten times over with shallow pleasantries and quick release.

But those days were long-gone. Had been for years now. Now he was practically puritanical.

Had been, anyway.

He didn’t like thinking of himself as impulsive, wanting to leave the trait behind in his younger years but not being old enough to shake it off completely. But he wasn’t impulsive anymore. He wasn’t.

You were going to destroy him.

Low-ranking royalty on some Imperial-occupied factory planet; sheltered and pretty. You had the brightest eyes he had ever seen and a temperament that took no prisoners, and you were going to destroy him.

Boba thought you’d make him leave, but you didn’t. You wanted him to stay and told him so.

So he stayed. His armor was peeled off in your presence for the first time— carefully placed on a chair in your bedroom—and he walked back into the refresher to see you untying your flimsy nightdress like it’d done you a personal wrong.

When it dropped beside your feet, it took every ounce of self-control Boba possessed to stop himself from eating you whole.

He heard you kick it to the floor (his eyes had since been very determinedly fixed on a fascinating piece of groutwork near his left foot) before you stepped into the bath, sighing in a way that made breathing a work harder than it should’ve been.

His looking away wasn’t a request on your part, you didn’t seem to mind either way, but he didn’t trust himself to do otherwise. Not until the sounds of splashing had subsided somewhat, signalling your stilled motion. “Boba?”

Now there was permission to walk. Look down. Right foot, left foot. Right foot, left foot. Right foot, the clawfoot of the bathtub. He had reached his destination.

A wet hand tugged at his belt loops and he finally allowed himself to look, meeting the sight of you sitting bare in the clear-blue water with legs pulled up to your chest. The arm not touching him was roped around your calves. Your chin rested on the wide, curved lip of the tub.  

If Boba had any self-respect, it had been snuffed out the first moment you opened your mouth, six months ago in that cavernous palace hallway with your failed attempt at bravado. It was haughty, short-lived, and adorable.

Maker, you were beautiful. Did you know that? Would you ever believe him if you told you? You were blindingly, effervescently, humanly beautiful. It hurt like needles.

The position of your chin forced your lips into a slight pout. As if you needed another weapon in your arsenal of ways to make him question his judgement. “Could you bring me the tray on the counter?”

Of course he could. He could bring you anything you liked. He would bring you a rancor, a dozen rancors, a fucking sarlaac if it meant you would smile all soft-like the way you just did when he answered yes.

Boba Fett, mercenary feared farther than he would ever live to travel and hunter too expensive for the Imperial payroll, was now a bath attendant. It was torturous in its sensual irony.

The tray was brought over in short order, cluttered with tiny vials of Maker-knows-what and bars of who-knows-how. Individually they probably all smelled nice, but crowded together the heavy scents only made his head spin. He set the tray down on the floor with a rattle and held up each mystery soap for your inspection. No. No. No. No, not that one. Gods, you were picky. No. No. Yes, please.

You were Miss Manners tonight apparently.

“It’s floating archidia,” you told him, mind running through an endless backlog of plant indexes as he handed over the soap. You sounded clearer now, less congested and more alert. Needed to drink water, though. “The flower that this is made with, I mean. Native to the planet Nubia, rumored to have euphoric properties.” You snorted and ran a thumbnail along the bar’s waxy edge, bringing up a curled pink piece. “Whatever that means.”

“Do you think it does?”

“Have euphoric properties?” you hummed, considering it for a moment. “Maybe. But maybe it’s just wishful thinking.”

“Wishful thinking,” Boba parroted.

The meaning of words can change when they’re repeated. Neither of your minds were on flowers.

His jaw tensed when you reached your other hand to his forearm, baring the rest of your body to the dim orange of the refresher lights’ night settings. The water rippled, warm now instead of steaming, and your fingers curled around the scarred skin of his wrist. “Take off the gloves,” you echoed, your voice suddenly desperate and distant as you traced over pale leather seams. “Please.”

He had refused the first time simply to toy with you. You weren’t used to being told no, and it showed. But he let you take off his helmet in a moment of thoughtless self-indulgence, scratching the part of his subconscious that itched to be touched, stroked, held. Shedding the helmet in front of someone else didn’t really mean anything in an honorable sense—at least not to Boba. Nothing tied him to the habit except a desire to keep himself and his motivations unknown. It was easier that way. Less messy.

He acquiesced. "Since you asked so nicely."

Wrinkling your nose, you guided newly-bare palms to knead gently at your shoulder blades. The skin there was soft and warm, pliant under his sandpaper touch. "Keep mentioning it and I'll go back to being difficult."

The soap made foamy bubbles across your back, over your arms and the velvet slope of your hips. Fingertips ghosted through the space between your jaw and ear, where he remembered sucking in a soft bruise.

He liked being known by you.

⫸————————————————⫷

You clambered out the tub with all the grace of a baby krugga deer and about as much shame. Which is to say, none at all. The subsiding cold had left you tired, bones like jelly and mind sloshing its thoughts around with no real order. Boba was here. Had stayed. Was standing in front of you now, watching tiny water droplets trail down your feet and letting you balance on his arm to keep you from stumbling.

A towel was wrapped around your shoulders. The press of his hot mouth against your forehead followed close behind. “Go sit on the bed.”

For some reason, you didn’t mind listening to him this time. Chalk it up to moldable exhaustion, you thought. Definitely not the fact that his voice sounded especially nice tonight, or any number of other questionable reasons.

He was going to ruin you. Or you would ruin yourself. Any way it was construed, Boba would play a part.

Still only in a towel, you drank the stale tea that sat on your bedside table and watched in mild interest as the mercenary’s shadow emptied out tepid bathwater with the thick glugluglug of the drain. It washed down soap and all your shared secrets.

Was it wrong that you still wanted him? More, now that he’d done this for you? Now that it wasn’t just cruel kisses and groping hands? What sort of a person did that make you?

Your mind whispered it when Boba walked back towards you. Someone lonely.

He helped you slide a new chemise on when you asked him to, quick and steady over the thin linen ties. I bet you do that with all the girls, you’d teased. No, he answered simply. Just you.

He was going to ruin you.

“Do you have to go yet?” you asked quietly and climbed under the covers. They were green today. Life enjoyed coincidences like that.

Boba crouched down on the floor beside your lying figure and shook his head. A wide fingertip smoothed away the crease between your brows. He was doing lots of touching. You were not complaining. “Not ‘til morning.”

“You might as well then,” you mumbled and lifted up the embroidered blankets with a sleep-slack hand. “No one’ll bother us, I promise.” you answered the empty air, too heartsick to comprehend any possible insinuations and too tired to realize the fingers tracing your brow bone had paused. “I told them all not to come back until tomorrow.”

His shirt and pants were shed in an unceremonious pile. You were already half-asleep when he climbed into the other side of the bed, slotting his legs against yours like puzzle pieces. Two question marks curled into each other, his chest to your back and his lips brushing your head.

“Goodnight, princess.”

⫸————————————————⫷

You were dreaming about him.

He was the burning sun that every single one of your thoughts had orbited around for the last six months and now he was invading your subconscious, dream-talons taking the form of dark hands rubbing soft circles against you and then invading your open mouth.

In your dream, Boba touched you softly and not at all, a tease even in your self-serving imagination.

Then you woke up, and it wasn’t a dream anymore.

Two thick arms encircled your waist with a grip unyielding in their strength. They’d pulled you impossibly close, pressed up against his sleeping body until every ridge of his muscled stomach could be felt against your back. Something else was against your back.

Your head reeled in its effort to sludge through the fog of sleep and reach the reality of masculine hips. They shifted in an unintentional grind against your legs until you couldn’t bite back the gasp that bubbled out from your voicebox, the sound quiet, keening, and lost in the shuffled sounds of fabric. It was still dark out. The water-clock in the corner of your room read 01:25:02.

You hadn’t put on anything underneath the new chemise. Why bother, when he’d already seen everything? Your body had grown to be a thing for display, a clothes-hanger and object to be prodded by strangers, and you’d long since rid yourself of any precocious modesty.

But this was different.

When Boba touched you, it wasn’t to sew flowers in your hair or drape a sash over your chest. It was simply to touch. The thought made you light-headed with newfound embarrassment, wiggling in his grip until you turned to face his sleeping form.

All the heavy things he carried on his shoulders during the day were gone now. His bottom lip pillowed out when he slept and he looked younger, the perpetual downturn of his lips now settled below the black hair at his temples. You felt a sticky sort of fondness settle in your chest.

“Boba,” you whispered, two hands placing themselves on his tanned cheeks. They traced the divots of scars and premature lines with all the reverence of worshipfulness.

“Mmm,” his voice rumbled with eyes still closed. A warm mouth kissed the side of your palm.

“Boba,” you repeated, more desperate this time but not knowing what you were desperate for. The space between your legs already knew what it wanted, hot and pulsing with a familiar dampness. Traitor.

“What do you need?” The question wasn’t accusatory, nor annoyed at your waking him. It was known that he would give you whatever you liked. Eventually.

You. Just you.

“I don’t,” you huffed, the fabric sticking uncomfortably to your now overheated body as you squirmed, “I don’t know.” Lie.

“Think about it and tell me,” he whispered, eyes opening in their dark, heavy-lidded expectation. The moon and stars suspended outside offered light enough to see the smirk on his face. His skin was the color of burnt earth and of gods. Somewhere, far away in the canopy of carefully pruned trees, a single lark let out its warbled cry.

There was an old adage about being like a lamb to the slaughter. You’d never touched a lamb. Never seen a slaughter. But somehow, you knew it was true.

This lamb, dumb and tender-hearted, was willingly sacrificied.

"I...'' the word left you in the arc of your exhale, one whoosh of air that rattled your chest already wracked with fevered tremors. "I- want you to-"

"You want me to what, pretty thing?" His voice was low, dangerous. It made every part of you want him more. "Say it."

You weren't used to cursing. It was never tolerated and you barely ever heard it, but you'd learned enough to know what he wanted you to say. Which word he wanted to hear, and what it'd mean he would do.

"F-fuck. Me." you choked out, biting your lip to muffle the embarrassment of having to speak it out loud. The word was filthy and raw between your teeth. "Please?"

⫸————————————————⫷

You were dying. Possibly had already died. Were ascending up or barrelling down, you didn’t care as long as his wet mouth stayed between your legs and never, ever stopped.

Wide hands cupped at your skin and kneaded wherever they could reach, simultaneously rough and supplicating. Every pass of his tongue was enough to make you feel possessed. He was killing you.

“Good. Good girl.” he said against your swollen skin when your hips arced off the bed, your spine and toes stiffening for what seemed like an eternity during the damp lightning finish. It sounded like a growl, animalistic and vibrating. A burning, sweet hurt.

Some people call it “little death,” a lady’s maid once whispered underneath her hand in a giggle. “Little death?” you repeated incredulously. That seems a bit dramatic, don’t you think?

You understood now.

Boba didn’t let up, never once letting his touch waver even as you buckled and swayed, all sense lost and all sensation compacting.  “Another,” he ordered. Your body listened, bending to his touch without complaint with eyes rolled back into your head.

You were dying.

⫸————————————————⫷

Boba let you lay against him in the downturn, rubbing mindless shapes into the bone of your wrists as you struggled to breathe. Your neck was cradled in one of his broad, bronze palms. It gave one tiny, imperceptible squeeze. An accident. A test.

You pawed at the hand resting heavy on your nape until it moved to leave completely, but was caught instead by your fingers and guided—slow and curious—to cup at your bared throat.

“Dirty,” the man noted in a dark rasp and rolled over to face you. There was a slight smirk in his voice, but that could’ve just been your imagination.

“I don’t see you...” your voice trailed off into a wheeze as Boba’s thick fingers pressed into the sides of your neck, “—see you complaining.”

He kissed you. And kissed you. And kissed you. An eternity was spent opening the seam of your mouth while he choked you softly, baring your pulsating soul with only your bedroom walls as witness to the present depravity. The air was filled with begging and grunting—simple noises that stuttered and left your sheets ruined.

You wanted more. You couldn’t help it.

His chuckle morphed into a groan when you reached down to touch him with widening eyes, squeezing him curiously after pulling down his boxers. “You’re a brave little thing,” Boba noted with a hint of greedy pride. “Never done this before, have you?”

Your own hands served as poor substitutes all these years. You shook your head no.

“D’you want to?”

Of course you did. This was the only thing you wanted. The only thing you would ever want, over and over until your body turned to dust under him. A million grains of fizzy, burning blaster powder. A million comets passing by a supernova.

You nodded and tucked your face into the space between Boba’s shoulder and neck, rolling onto your side and hooking a leg over his hip. Your chests met, damp with sweat as cool air flowed over bare skin. The covers had long since been pushed aside. “Safe,” you said in a heady moan over the shell of his ear. “Implant.”

Thank goodness for modern medicine.

⫸————————————————⫷

It hurt a little at first, but most of the discomfort melted away as he whispered to you, sweet and cloying praises alongside filthy things that you’d be hard-pressed to repeat in public. They wove together in an endless stream of baritone vowels, lapping over each other like ocean waves until everything was a gyrating, syrupy playback.

He let you move against him, mouth open and sloppy against your temple when you whined at the stretch. The hands at your back didn’t push. Only placated. “I know, I know,” Boba assured you with fingers rubbing sympathetic desire into your flesh. It would bruise, but you’d come to like the marks. Your hips bucked at their own accord when he pressed up against something tight, the friction burning a bright, numb spark. “Slow down,” he mumbled into your hair, “You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Never in your life did you think this was how it would be. Your first kiss, more of a battle than it was a kiss, served as fuel for the expectations of your first time. Never in your life did you think he would be the one telling you to go slow.

It was for your sake, you knew that. But it was still surprising.

You huffed and bit the shell of his ear in childish revenge, blowing a puff of air where you knew it would tickle. Boba only growled and tightened his arms around your waist, rocking into you slow and deep. “Don’t tease,” he warned.

The new movements robbed you of the ability to speak until all you could do in response was lift your head from where it had rested on his shoulder, meeting impossibly dark eyes in lust-addled vision as a building pressure colored the entire world in shades of black, red, and green.

In a moment of complete and utter lack of propriety, you leaned forward, smiling like a woman deranged, and pressed a kiss to his nose.

Boba came undone the same minute you did. It was a rush of wet, rocking pleasure, spreading like thick webs of lighted fire from inside your blood and out to fill the room with quiet devotion. Panting, bursting, close, messy. You’d never felt so whole.

Your foreheads met and you went cross-eyed trying to look at him again. That’s all you wanted to do. Look at him. Uttered underneath his jaw, where the skin was smooth, was your finishing admission. “I love you.”

You didn’t say it to hear it repeated. It was just to give it a shape. Make it concrete. Said more to yourself than him, really.

But Boba did repeat it. Over and over and over. In the tangle of your arms. I love you. In the kiss to your breasts. I love you. In the towel brought between your legs. I love you. In the settled silence of new sleep. I love you, I love you, I love you.

⫸————————————————⫷

The watery light of dawn melted through heavy curtains and you awoke, body weighed down with lead and gold. Sweet soreness had made its home in your muscles and you were loath to get up, but the man you’d been using as a pillow had very rudely left his post.

“I have to go,” he said, already awake and standing sentry by your bed. You raised your head up from the pillows in groggy protest to meet his blurry figure. If you squinted, there were three of him standing there at once.

A shake of your head rid your vision of the doubles, leaving the lone man. He kissed you—quick and dirty, with tongue—and squeezed your exposed breast, prompting a low moan to tumble from your mouth before he slipped his blaster into the holster at his hip. It wasn’t even 6 in the morning and you were thoroughly debauched. What a scandal, you thought (not for the first time) with passing amusement. A bounty hunter and a princess.

Watching in a dim haze as Boba finished strapping on his amor, you tracked the reflection of the sun in the metal’s lazy movement.

He leaned over you. “I’ll be back soon.” Soon. What did soon mean? Another kiss, slow and careful on the bow of your mouth. One more on the slope of your forehead. For luck, you supposed. Whether it was for you or him didn’t matter much. “Promise.”

Slowly, as he climbed out onto your balcony and was gone with a flash of jetpack light, you wondered if it was a mirage; a dream, maybe. The entire night a hallucinatory haze, a figment of your overactive imagination and reckless romanticism.

But the towel left discarded on the floor and the pulsing ache between your legs was very, very real.

[comfortwriting]

Best Friends Boyfriend - G.W

Masterlist, Requesting Rules, Writing Prompts

Part 2 of my slow burn mini-series, inspired by and dedicated to @amourtentiaa , want to be tagged? Let me know!

This chapter is inspired by @amourtentiaa ‘s Owlery which you can learn more about and access here.

Please read Part 1 if you haven't already!

George Weasley x Fem Reader slow burn 

Warnings: Fluff.

You couldn’t get last night out of your head, the sound of George whispering to you, asking you out on a date, how his beautiful face looked from the amber tones coming from the flames that radiated against his face, the way he smiled and licked his lips.

Laying in bed wide awake you kept your hand over your mouth, trying to hold in your giggles so you wouldn’t wake up Hermione and your other dorm mates. You couldn’t believe it - you’re going on a date, with George Weasley, the lad you fancy more than anyone else in the world - the only problem, your best friend, George’s younger brother, Ron, wouldn’t approve and would do anything to make sure the two of you keep well away from one another.

Throughout the whole day, you played it cool when passing George in the common room or the great hall, but as the day moved on and afternoon turned into evening, you couldn’t stop the giggles of excitement from bursting out, and the tint of pink to spread across your cheeks.

You had two hours until you were meeting George, for now, you sat in the common room with Ron and Hermione whilst Harry had Occlumency lessons with Snape.

“What d’you keep giggling about?” Ron hissed at you, scowling “you’ve been at it all day and you’re freaking me out.”

You covered your face with your hands, taking a deep breath and trying to calm the bubbling of nerves and excitement.

“N-Nothing” you replied, “I think I inhaled a dodgy potion somebody was brewing in the second-floor toilets this morning” you lied, avoiding eye contact with your best friend and his crush, Hermione.

Ron gave you an odd look and flashed his eyes to Hermione, who glared at him and shrugged her shoulders.

“Shouldn’t you go to Madame Pomfrey?” she suggested, knitting another hat for the house-elves.

Nodding your head, you got out of your chair and pursed your lips, “yeah, I think I will” you lied again “let me go and get freshened up, she might want to keep me in overnight if the giggles get worse” you smirked, chuckling.

Leaving your friends behind, you hurried off to your dorm room, getting your makeup, clothes, and shoes ready to put on after your shower, placing your clothes and makeup bag on the bed, kicking your shoes on the floor beside it.

“I dunno what's up with her” Ron huffed, slouching in his chair beside the fire.

Hermione continued knitting “Well, hopefully, Madame Pomfrey can sort her out, uncontrollable giggling can get you sent to St. Mungo’s.”

Ron focused on the bobble hat coming together in front of his eyes, trying to make sense of your behaviour today and if there was something else going on after his brother played Hero during the end of your horrific date.

Wearing your best black denim front pocket Pinafore dress over your red and yellow striped turtleneck and black tights, you stared at yourself in the mirror, blushing slightly at the thought of George seeing you dolled up just for him. You pouted, deep in thought and unsure of what hairstyle to do, checking the time you were cutting it close and decided your go-to natural, no school but not overdoing it hairstyle would be best.

“Tomorrow night, where we first met” you reminded yourself, hearing George’s voice inside your head.

Thinking long and hard about when you first met George and where, you closed your eyes and tried to focus, all of your memories whizzing around in your head - you couldn’t help but feel your heart flutter knowing that not only did George remember, but he also perhaps thought of that day often.

Hurrying out of your dorm and back into the common room, Harry now sat down with Hermione and Ron, they all seemed taken aback by your appearance, furrowing their brows at you.

“You’re a bit dressed up for a doctors appointment, aren’t you?” Hermione called out.

Ron looked at you from head to toe “I think you’ve overdone it, mate-”

“See you later!” you giggled, a spring in your step as you left the common room, going through the portrait hole.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione exchanged looks, none of them knowing what to think or say was becoming a reoccurring factor today.

“Something isn’t right at all” Ron muttered “she’s up to something”

Reaching the owlery, you felt your excitement and nervousness compete against one another inside of you, being a few minutes early, you had enough time to admire all of the owls around you who were getting ready to go out hunting. Each of them unique and calming to look at, stroke, and hear a hoot. The memories finally coming back to you more clearly.

Your first week at Hogwarts went more awful than you ever imagined, you had got lost on the way to your classes, got into trouble by Percy - your houses Prefect and due to your terrible potion skills Snape put you in a weeks detention, your parents were so angry you received a Howler before anyone else in your class.

Feeling lost, alone, and in need of a friend, you wrote out your worries, concerns and everything else you were feelings into letters, addressed to your friends attending other Wizarding Schools (like Ilvermorny) across the globe.

Writing about your feelings, life, and anything, in general, helped to make you feel better, heard, and less isolated from the impressive and promising classmates that surrounded you.

Walking up the long and steep steps up to the Owlery, your heart melted at the Owls, some sleeping, some bobbing their heads around, and others appearing to be smiling at you. You felt connected to them in some sort of way, and spending time with them, knowing they didn’t care about your house, or how well you could make a feather float in the air made you feel more at ease.

You stared and smiled at your Tawny owl named Penny, you approached her trying to avoid the owl droppings and rat carcasses and stroked her softly, handing her your letters.

“Please deliver these safely,” you told her, tears filling your eyes again “it’s taken a lot for me to write them”

Penny accepted the letters and understood how important this job was, and how much it would mean to you, she pecked at your cheek, little kisses against your tears before she flapped her gorgeous wings and took flight.

Not wanting to go back down to your Herbology class to be a laughing stock, you stayed in the owlery, falling to the floor and weeping.

“If these reports get sent home mum will kill us” once voice spoke out, panting up the stairs.

“Well” replied a similar voice, also panting “we need to change our grades and get one of these owls to send it to her for us, it's why I made a fake replica”

Their voices and footsteps came closer.

“As long as Errol and Hermes aren’t delivering it, we’ll be fine Georgie.”

Two tall twins with ginger hair walked into the Owlery shiftily, both of them stopping in their tracks, noticing you crying on the floor, drowning in your robes.

George’s face and heart softened, he mouthed to his brother ‘leave it with me, I’ll get it sent, let me see why she’s upset’

Freddie nodded and slowly left the Owlery, trying not to make a sound.

You missed Penny with all your heart, after many trips she became so sick and injured no magic, and no amount of Hagrid’s care and love was enough to fix her wings and bring her back to life. When you lost Penny, you lost part of yourself, the Owlery wasn’t the same without her and each time you visited, you would break down into tears.

“You made it, early” George called out, pulling you out of your trip down memory lane, causing you to jump slightly.

You blinked back the forming tears and turned around to face him, the moonlight illuminating his best features through the open arches. “Didn’t want to be late” you replied, smiling nervously, stroking one of the owls.

“You were so little” George chuckled “but even after growing up so much somethings never change”

You cocked up an eyebrow and smirked, slightly confused “what do you mean?”

“The owls” he replied “your love for them, the time you make for them, it’s beautiful”

You could feel your cheeks heating up, your heart rate elevating.

“They’re special to me” you replied, trying not to come across as too shy.

George blushed too, his cheeks mirroring yours as he stepped closer, so close you could count each individual freckle across his face - something you had only done from across the halls or over the table.

“that’s why I asked for us to meet here,” George said softly, stepping closer to you, his breath brushing against you “because you’re special to me”

George took hold of your hand, tracing stars into your palm with his thumb, his eyes taking in your hair, your makeup, your outfit, and shoes. He started to lean in, as did you, your soft lips brushing against his cinnamon scented ones, but pulled away before you could share a kiss, smirking and winking at you.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said nervously “I’ve been trying to give her to you for a while now, but whenever I’ve tried, Ron always got in the way”

You rolled your eyes “he always does” you replied “he doesn’t like the idea of us being together” you frowned, looking away from George and lowering your head, deciding to examine your shoes.

George lifted your chin up with his thumb, smiling at you “he doesn’t have to know” he paused “stay very quiet and follow me” he whispered, still holding your hand.

George walked you over to a very tired looking owl, her wings and body covering something small underneath her. George whispered to the owl “It’s George, she’s ready now”

The tired owl opened her googly eyes, staring at George, slowly and reluctantly moving away from her precious possession underneath her motherly wings. Underneath the wings lay a tiny owlet, its large magnificent eyes opening wide and staring at George, then you.

“I know he’ll never replace Penny” George murmured, wrapping his arm around you “but I want you to have a safe space here, I know how much of that Penny provided for you and I know how much of that changed when she passed away.”

You reached out your hand to stroke the baby, “it’s okay” you reassured his nervous mother “I’m not going to hurt him”

You ran the back of your finger down the Owlets fluffy back, its face showing signs of enjoyment and comfort, something rare amongst owls.

George watched in awe, the memories of you when you were much shorter and quieter flashing before him, now you were a beautiful young woman, with the same heart full of love and nurturing.

Tears of happiness streamed down your cheeks, you leaned into George and cuddled him, your face pressed against his chest, the scent of the burrow engulfing you.

“George - I - thank you, he’s beautiful”

George closed his eyes, taking in your face against his chest, his hand stroking your hair.

“I care for you, Y/N” he spoke out again “I know we were never that close, but you’re not just my little brother's friend to me”

You pulled yourself off his chest, looking up into his gorgeous eyes.

“like these owls, you’re unique, you’re special” he whispered.

“What’s your obsession with these owls anyway?” the tall boy asked, fiddling with his fake report.

“They’re unique” you replied quietly, walking around “they’re special”

George looked down into your eyes, his nose poking yours softly, leaning in, you didn’t pull back and allowed him to pull you gently into him.

His heart and yours racing, as your hand rested upon his chest, and his arm around your waist, your lips grazing against each other, turning into a deep, soft kiss.

Tag list: @amourtentiaa @reeophidian @inglourious-imagines @slutforsebstan @alwaysnforeverfangirl @horrorxweasley @xmalfoyweasleyx @freddiemylovelg 

[lovely-necromancy]

A Cure for Insomnia CH.2

Getting back to your little one story cottage, you can only manage to rush in and run about in a mad dash as you try to accomplish getting ready for work and getting something to eat. Running through choices in your head as you change and freshen up, nothing sounds good. There's not much time since your shift starts at nine and to make it to the store you need to leave by eight twenty. You got home at eight fifteen, and while Nate, your manager, has never seemed to give a fuck what you did at work you're still in your probationary period and would like to keep the easiest job you've ever had.

It's a really simple gig, seeing as the store you work at is actually a front for some illegal activity. The variety of crime you aren't sure of, but you are aware there's no way you guys do no business and yet they can afford to pay thirty dollars an hour. Thankfully just keeping your mouth shut and being nice to little Jo, the owner's daughter, is enough to keep you in the cushiest job in the world. The store's front is a regular old book store, all the books are real, the registers work, you're able to sell books and you've run to the bank to do the weekly deposits twice for Book & Nook. The front is very legitimate or it would be if the amount of customers ever equaled the sales made.

Again you don't ask questions, because for thirty dollars an hour you get to goof off for a couple hours a day, plus you get a bonus when you watch little Jo at the shop. She's a real sweet eleven year old, she's got tourettes and took a shine to you the first time she saw you tic. While you both might not suffer the same disorder she finds the common ground nice, like it's not just her. It's not even hard to watch her or enjoy her company, she'll come bouncing in with her excited chittering and hands clapping spilling all the latest gossip that comes with being in middle school. And boy is there a lot of gossip.

It's really nice seeing that Jo has friends at school and is even considered a “popular” kid. You remember how tough school was because no one understood you and teachers never cared enough about your personality to bring up the fact that it was clear to most faculty members that you had Autism. You excelled academically so what did it matter if you got picked on for oversharing information or for finishing assignments the minute they were handed to you. As bittersweet as the parallels are you're so glad Jo doesn't have to go through that. Never would have thought a southern school could be so accepting, much less a middle school at that.

Tearing through the kitchen you honestly can't find anything that you want to eat right now. And even after a long night of hiking/dissociating you don't think you're that peckish at all. Figuring it's best to at least take something to quell any future nausea you grab a Pedialyte Pop from the freezer. As fast as you entered your home you left, and not before ensuring twice that the door was locked and secured. While living on the outskirts of town saves you from many potential robberies, and worse salesmen, there's still the chance of some lunatic with an ax hiding out in a closet to murder you. Better safe now than sorry later.

Pulling into park behind the shop right at nine is a blessing. You run into the shop to clock in blurting out a quick 'Morning' to Nate, who was carrying a particularly large box, as you passed by him. In a flash you were back at your car retrieving your newly prized deer skull. Lungs burning a bit from the all out sprint you just did you took a little extra time to close the trunk and lock your car up to catch your breath, and avoid any light headiness you might get from the empty stomach workout. Eager to share the wonders of death with your best work friends, and by that you mean Nate your manager...and only other coworker, you rush back into the building.

The shop was quiet as usual as you made your way through the door though you were in the back room where only employees could roam you had the slightest suspicion that the front of shop was just the same. It's there you find Nate, now lugging a medium sized box around to a side table. He did this a lot you suspect some type of smuggling but hey plausible deniability and all those legal matters. The taller dark haired man sees you and just as he's about to wave you over, notices your prize with a raised brow.

“The fuck d'you bring in the store?” he doesn't seem amused by whatever it is he thinks you're up to. “Deer skull.” Lifting it up in one hand and pointing at it, “Found this guy on my hike last night...or rather this morning actually.”

“YN, we talked about this, you said you'd get some sleep last night. No adventures remember.” he's only two years older than you and yet he acts as if he's ten years. He must be an old soul, or enjoys the role of care giver...or you're making him go gray prematurely, anything's possible.

“Eh, I remember saying I'd 'try' and get sleep.” for someone who's body is running on fumes your cheekiness is astronomical, “operative word being 'try', remember.”

It's a long silence as Nate decides if he wants to deal with your bullshit at this moment. After a minute or so he concedes leaning back on the table behind him. “Let's hear it.” and you perk up immediately.

“Cool, so I was walking along the tree line and spotted him, tried to find more but seems there's only one piece. Judging by the size of his antlers I'd say he was nearly fully grown. Now my plan is to do whatever treatments taxidermists do to bones and,” you continue to word vomit at the tired twenty-six year old in front of you, about the joys and wonders of taxidermy and the likely hood of ever finding a skull so nicely preserved.

“I can do that in here right?” even though it's been phrased as a question, you aren't asking permission, you're just being polite and letting Nate know the storage room will house your creepy deer skull antics for today...maybe the week you need to find a taxidermist book to figure out what you need to do.

Nate gives up and leaves with his box of new books to let you have full run of the back to do your weird vulture culture shit. He figures he's just too old to understand the new obsessions with the macabre. He hopes his cousin won't take to shit like this, the kid's weird enough as it is, no need to put another target on her back. Nate sets off to take down the Harry Potter sets in favor of this new comic series little Jo wanted.

Already taking his silence as the go ahead you place your found skull on the table and rush off into the store front to find a book on taxidermy and hopefully more specifically about bones. The set up and organization of the store reminds you a lot of the scene in Brendan Fraser's The Mummy 1997 where Evie is on the ladder and somehow causes all the book shelves to fall like dominoes. So unsafe, yet all book stores and libraries seem to have this set up. With the tall shelves it makes it difficult to accurately get a read on the spines. You don't even know what section taxidermy actually falls under, education maybe?

“Nate, where do you think a book on taxidermy would be?” you called out as you passed by him.

“...hobby?” that didn't sound right but you'd give it a shot anyway.

This should be fun, the hobby section was so disorganized and it took up nearly half the store too, Book & Nook had everything from fishing, to crochet, cooking, the art of film making, hell even had a cryptid hunting book a book that you may have to look into a bit later. You closed your eyes and let your intuition guide you, when you looked up you saw a thin black...vine, no whisp? It undulates in less than rhythmic movements nearly like a snake but it has no head, and not unlike a tentacle but without suckers. It's another hallucination so you were keen to ignore it until it stretched past your head, giving you an added auditory hallucination where you swore you could hear wind rushing past your ears, it swirled around you until it flew to the shelf and tapped on a book. Cautiously you walked over to it, it's never good to play into these delusions. Once you got close enough the black shape was gone but on the shelf was a creme colored paper back titled “Manual of Taxidermy: Complete Guide of Preserving Birds and Mammals.”

Walking to Nate with the book in your hands you asked him to read it and make sure you weren't having an episode and making everything up right now. You'd have to try harder to go to sleep tonight if that were the case.

“Oh you found your book huh?” he said looking down at the title.

Well this is getting weird fast, but you nod nonetheless. Might as well thank the weird hallucination gift right. Leaving him to do whatever it is he plans on doing the rest of the day, you go to the back. And just as the book instructs you set to cleaning the skull by setting it in some water and changing it as many times as the water runs murky. The book is quiet helpful to a beginner like yourself but it does seem a bit outdated from the bits of information you know from taxidermists blogs and vulture culture posts on the internet. Reading it in between water changes is a great way to pass the time though, not like you guys get any real customers anyways.

The bell rings as the front door opens and closes alerting you to someone's arrival on your third water change. Needing a little bit of mental stimulation you walk out into the front where Big Jo and Little Jo are talking to Nate. Little Jo sees you and skitters away from her father to rush you, she stops about a foot away and holds her arms wide open. She's a hugger but upon meeting you had never even thought people could be touch adverse so keeping in mind that you might not want to be touched she's learned to invite you into hugs and it's your choice to allow it or not. Placing a hand on your bicep you give a squeeze, checking your tolerance you find the thought bearable. Placing your arms outstretched at your sides Jo rushes your torso for her hug.

After she nearly body slammed you into the wall, and  let her death grip go she was off on a tangent about so many things. Her excited rapid blinking tic, one she developed after meeting you, triggering your own.

“Ok so you remember how last week I told you that Jessie Kinsleton said that Micheal Saleisa told Gigi B, not Gigi S. that Meghan,” you had no clue the lives of eleven year olds had gotten so complex, from the gossip you heard from Jo it seemed that the school's sixth graders were plotting for a war with an ice cream parlor up the street. No clue why, maybe just to fuck the system, kids are weird, preteens are weirder...and angry.

But you nod to Jo listening to her every word, and trying to calm your eyelids so you could actually open your eyes. After being told the sequence of events that would happen in the Tween Armageddon, something to do with Marco Salvator ordering three dozen donuts and a flock of geese, your eyes finally gained their ability to see back. Black whisps, much like the one from earlier, wandered all around your vision, it looked like a  dark smoke had settled eye level within the shop and was snaking through the isles.

Catching the movement of your eyes Jo looked around the shop too. Seeing nothing she turned back to you concerned, “Hey it's okay, nothin's there.”

Hearing the drop in volume of the normally chatty tween, Big Jo and Nate pause their conversation to turn their attention to you and follow you're gaze.

“Kid, you ain't sleepin' again?” Big Jo can already gauge by the bags under your eyes but he's a polite man so he feels the need to ask rather than state his assumptions.

“Day 6.” You answer simply, ever since you've started at Book & Nook the whole Cowell family became acutely aware of many of your disorders. By their record your longest time spent awake was ten days, you however adamantly say that you were an hour's mark away from ten full days so the longest you've been up is nine days in a row. And those are just the cases they know of since you've moved to Kepler.

Big Jo shook his head as a stern father would, which he is, “I have half the mind to send you home to rest.”

“That won't work.” you really don't mean to sound so coarse but it's so irritating having to go over this at least once a week.

“What about those gummy things Dia got you?”

“Long term that kind of stuff has no effect, sure it'll make me drowsie for an hour or two but even if it made me sleep one night I can't use it all the time. And before you ask the same questions again, caffeine has no real effect on me so limiting my intake will do nothing and weed doesn't do a thing for me either.” you state plainly, monotone as you present facts that everyone in the room already knows.

Looking at the stern face of Big Jo's and the exasperated face of Nate you continue, “I know it must be frustrating for you to not be able to help, but I'm content living like this. I like my late night adventures and when I do sleep it's really pleasant.”you threw in a smile for added comfort.

“Kid tha's not the point, there's somethin' wrong with you, medically I mean.” he's pinching the bridge of his nose, probably counting to ten to calm himself from raising his voice.

“Tons of people suffer from insomnia and there isn't anything a doctor could do for me except look for underlying conditions.” Big Jo's about to retort when you continue with, “Plus my dad and uncle both have insomnia as well so my case is due to the genetic lottery I lost.” You say with a hint of finality of your situation, you had to come to terms with this condition all the way back in high school. Having a decade to get used to your strange condition and the limitations it places on you from time to time. Whereas the Cowell family's only had two months to process this information, and you understand it'll take awhile before they stop being concerned. Same thing happened with you parents and friends back then too.

For now you're only met with more head shakes as if they were saying 'what are we going to do with you'. Leaving your medical issues aside Nate and Big Jo continue to talk shop, when the set up Nate just put on display catches Jo's eye.

Like lightening the tween was away from your side and by the new display shelf it looked like it held graphic novels. That's a first since you've been here, you walk over to join Jo knowing the second you do she'll start on about what's got her so excited. Most people might say you over indulge the child and coddle her but you actually just think it's really important to take interest in what makes kids happy. It helps them find their voices and also shows them that it's normal to get excited and like things.

“We got the TAZ graphic novels in?!” you hate rhetorical questions but smile and nod at her anyway.

“Have you read them? No, well you've listen to the podcast...what omg! Ok so there's these three brothers and their,” Jo begins regaling you with tales from the podcast known as The Adventure Zone and how fun they've made dungeons and dragons seem with their amazing story telling and funny characters.

You aren't sure if a show where the main group of heroes being called Tres Horny Bois is exactly age appropriate but when you look to Big Jo he kind of just shrugs it off. Turning you attention back to Jo who's now monologing about mongooses you just smile at the weird family you've found yourself in.

Let it be said that a tween with a slightly unhealthy fixation on something can find anyway to drag it back to that fixation. The day flew by with Jo explain the inner workings of dungeons and dragons, fifth edition, to you, her father, and her cousin after you mentioned why she didn't play. Apparently she'd love to but wanted a story fitting for her friend's to adventure. So being the good older cousin, father, and weird family friend you all were you came up with a story plot for her to use with her campaign.

The Jos had a lot of fun bonding over this little workshop and you guys even had food delivered so you and Nate could stay later. What was meant to just be a quick workshop turned into a mini family game night after you made several nearly impossible puzzles that wouldn't be used in Jo's campaign due to no one at the current table understanding how to solve it even after you showed them several times.

Overall it was fun and you think you might actually be tired enough to go to sleep tonight. You tried to stay and help clean up but Big Jo put his foot down and told you to go get some rest, he'd seen the way you occasionally look around the room as if something was moving behind them all. You may have started off as a cashier two months ago for him but his daughter has opened up a lot since meeting you and discovering that tics aren't so uncommon and there are people who wouldn't care or make a big deal out of them. Because of that you've earned your keep in his family, he already has you down on the list for Christmas cards.

Knowing you can't fight the six foot four man you roll your eyes and bid everyone good night, little Jo coming in to steal another hug from you and thank you for helping with her game. Checking on your skull you see the water's clear and dump it in the sink of the break room before leaving the skull to dry overnight, it's for sure gonna make Nate scream tomorrow, you can't help but chuckle at that.

Leaving through the back door and into the dusk colored parking lot you notice your trunk is popped open slightly. You definitely heard it shut earlier this morning. You blink before your head jerks to the right, unsettled by possibility of a break in and not risking it you head back inside.

“Hey, I think my car may have been broken into.” you stand awkwardly in the door way unsure of how to proceed.

Big Jo and Nate are out of the door as fast as they can. They find your car unlocked with the trunk popped, you know they weren't trying to brush you off when they asked several times if you did in fact lock your car this morning. After hearing your affirmative response each time, they began to inspect your car checking to make sure all wires are properly secured under the hood, Nate even retrieved the jack out of his own car to take a look under the car, ensuring the brakes hadn't been messed with. They started the car up just fine and it didn't appear tampered with. Even though nothing looked out of place and Nate's car, sitting in the same parking lot, hadn't been touched you appreciated them checking to make sure you were alright.

Knowing you're perceived as a woman by most, even outside of this small town, makes you uneasy when it comes to terms of abductions and violence. You know the chances and hear the stories whether it's from the victim's mouth or a podcaster's telling the story the dead can't. Nate offered to follow you home and make sure you were ok but you declined and said you'd call them both when you got home. Big Jo said to just call his home phone because Nate would be coming over tonight anyway, and if they didn't make it there before you called Dia was already at home and would pass the message along. You'll probably still try and give the shop a call if Dia answers, it wouldn't sit right with you if you wound everyone up just to not and at least try to settle their nerves.

With one final check of you car, the men even going so far as to lift seats up and feel under them, they sent you off. You drove carefully on the road tonight, ready to pull off into the shoulder at the slightest hint that something was wrong. Not even the radio was on something that you really didn't like driving without, but if there was the chance for you to catch a shift in tone of the machine you wanted to. Eventually you did end up making it home in one piece and you had called the Cowell family home, from the safety of your car, and got a spazztic eleven year old asking if you'd made it home alright. It took a little bit of coaxing but Little Jo calmed down and shouted to her parents that you were on the phone and alright.

“Kid,” looks like Big Jo took the phone away from Little Jo, “Everything ok on the drive.” Big Jo could hear the movement and shutting of your car door, he'd have to say he was relieved you waited until you were on the phone before exiting. He knew you lived out past the quiet zone in Old Lydia's house. A fact that did little for the unease he felt when he thought you were being watched.

“Oh, yea drive was fine, too quiet but fine.” you said simply as you began circling the cottage. Nothing seemed out of place on the outside, even looking above eye level where people tended to get sloppy in stalking or home invasion cases, everything seemed fine.

“Hope you don't mind if I keep you for a bit.” You had just unlocked your door and stepped in.

“Nah, kid 's fine.” you give a hum of acknowledgment as you look through the kitchen in cabinets, under cupboards, and even under the table.

“You're a smart kid.” he's taken that fatherly overtone that makes you roll your eyes. You understand the sentiment of parents and parental figures having pride in their child or ward but it's always been so weird to you when they feel the need to bring it up. Especially when they bring it up in situations that are dangerous, like can you not make it sound like someone's about to die.

Finding nothing in the living room, hall closet or bathroom you make sure all the windows are locked and dowels are in place to keep them from opening. And you double check that both the back and front doors are secured. You can hear the hushed whispers on the other end of the line, Dia must have just found out about your car, as you rustle through your kitchen utensil drawers taking out two forks before you make your way to your bedroom.

Once in your room you checked your closet and under your bed. Finding nothing you  went to the window in your room, the one right by your bed, you checked the lock, secured it in place with two dowels, and then covered it throwing a thick blanket over the curtain rod to ensure no one would be viewing you in your sleep or the precautions you were about to do. Turing around and locking your bedroom door you then jam one fork into the closed door crease, right below the locking mechanism, and jammed the other fork perpendicular through the prongs. You attempted to open the door with all your weight but only could get an inch in before the forks would stop more movement.

“Kid you alright over there?” it's rushed, he probably heard the commotion with your make shift lock.

“Yea, just had to add another lock to the door.” you trust the Cowell's but you understand how stupid it'd be to let them know exactly how you were defending yourself. Even if it wasn't them there's no telling if the person who broke into your car was outside and just good at hiding. You could also be too jumpy from your true crime shows but you figure it's better to be safe.

“I think everything's good Big Jo.” taking a final glance around your room eye's landing on the bed, “Think I'm even ready to go to sleep tonight too.” a small half laugh leaves your mouth.

“Alright kid, you call if you need anything got it.” it's an order not a request.

“Got it, good night.” Big Jo might think that'd been rude coming from anyone else but from you he can only roll his eyes at the brevity and the dial tone he's met with. He has his own sweep to do, if they were targeting his employee there was a reason. He hasn't had any problems since coming to Kepler but someone always eventually comes along who can't take a hint.

Even combing through your home with Big Jo on the line you didn't feel safe having your bed by the window anymore and moved it away and in front of the closet door. You'd rearrange your room later but for tonight this would have to do. By some grace of god you were actually able to shut your brain down tonight and rest. Maybe it was the excitement and merriment from hanging out with the Cowells or more likely the situation you find yourself in of perhaps being a target for something insidious.

Whatever the case may be you are off to the land of dreams before you know it. And unbeknownst to you the same eyes from this morning watch your home. They may not have seen what you did in there but they'd be sure to catch you when you come out. They'll wait all night to catch you if they have to.

[bouncingkadachi]

Blessed Rain

Summary: A Hunter’s weapon of choice says a lot about them. OR: Kyle upgrades his weaponry and gets caught red-handed in the act. Luckily (?) for him, only Tsukino seems to know exactly why he's having an emotional crisis over this.

Word count: 3,260

Note(s): set post-game

Also available on AO3!

Kyle’s had his new bow for a good couple of weeks before the feel of the limbs and the weight of the draw became comfortable enough for him to consider upgrading it. If he’s going to be injured, he reasons, he’d rather it be purely by way of monster and not because he pulls a muscle wrestling with a bow that hasn’t been properly broken in. His wallet despairs as he forks over the zenny, but this’ll hopefully let him take on some of the bigger hunts like the ones that Reverto goes on. It’ll all be worth the investment up front once he has his completely finished bow and restocked his coatings and finally drops the last of his coin on a couple new talismans.

He refuses to think about the implications of his reasoning with a literal coin, rolling it around and around his fingers as he pushes through the market throngs towards the smithy’s. Perhaps he ought to have a change of scenery—the fog-shrouded summits of Terga were said to be particularly beautiful at this time of year, and the heat in Lamure was becoming just shy of unbearable.

The final product that the blacksmith puts into his hands when he finally makes it to collect is nothing short of gorgeous. Blessed Rain is sleek where his old Rex bow was bulky, far lighter and certainly not as clunky. The upgrades on the riser gives the entire weapon a pleasant solidness in his hand, yet the delicately reinforced plating on the limbs doesn’t retract at all from its flexibility. The decorative grip protector gleams. Just looking at it makes Kyle excited to shoot.

“Bring her back if you’re finding that you need anything adjusted,” the smith tells him after Kyle’s diligently inspected every inch of the bow. “Kept the poundage the same for you, but added another inch to the draw length like you asked.”

“Thanks,” Kyle says. Eventually, he’d like to work up to the point where he can up the poundage again. Even just another five pounds would be good. He can do most of the hunts in his skill range alone now, but extra firepower would make him just that much more efficient, or that much of a better support for team hunts. 

The smith laughs when Kyle sheepishly admits this. “Well, I always like to help a Hunter improve, and you know where to find me,” he says cheerily, clapping Kyle enthusiastically on the shoulder. “Come by again anytime if you need a tune up or want to test out something new.” 

And with that, he waves Kyle away so that another Hunter can step up, holding a tired-looking sword and shield and looking equally exhausted. “Aye, rookie Hunter?” Kyle hears as he wanders off to find a more relaxed corner of the market in which to admire his new bow some more. “If you’ve got the materials I can repair and upgrade that for you.” The conversation peters out and melts into the general din of the marketplace as Kyle slips into the crowd, taking care to step out of the way of a Felyne carrying an absolutely massive basket groaning with produce. He watches the precarious load totter away, trying and failing to locate Tsukino in the brief respite the parted crowd affords him. They’d split earlier that morning and he hasn’t seen her since.

He still hasn’t managed to find even a whisker of Tsukino’s whereabouts by the time he settles into a decently quiet nook next to a stall selling all manner of spices. Pity, because the dappled light spilling through the colorful drapes of the marketplace catches so beautifully on the milky-white sheen of the bow, and he’d been looking forward to showing it to her. As a Hunter, Kyle will always care more about weapon practicality than aesthetics, but as a normal human being he certainly won’t turn down the opportunity to have both an aesthetically pleasing and perfectly functional weapon. He’s still grinning a little when he goes to strap the bow to his back, and it’s in the process of looking up that his gaze catches onto wide eyes staring plainly at him from across the street. 

He freezes, arm suspended awkwardly halfway to sheathing. His beautiful bow glints damningly in the bright Lamure sunlight as his unexpected friend wades through the throngs of people towards him, gesturing for him to stay put with a wave of her hand that really can’t be mistaken for anything other than a greeting.

“Hey,” he says cautiously and lamely when she finally reaches him. Belatedly, he remembers to lower his arm. He is momentarily thankful that she doesn’t try to reach up for his face in the Mahanan greeting, although his goodwill evaporates when she leans in to inspect his bow, body thrumming with unexplainable anticipation.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” she says finally. Kyle can’t help himself from preening just a little, shifting his grip so that she can get a better look. After all, what was the point of spending all that money and materials if there was no one to excitedly show the end product off to? Besides, it’s been a while since they last saw each other. Last he heard, she had been traveling, keen to finally see the world on her own terms and at her own pace.

“It’s fresh off an upgrade,” he answers smugly. “Easier to handle than the Rex.”

“Slightly less intimidating though,” she chimes in, and Kyle bristles, not liking where this conversation is going. And true to form, she goes in for the kill: “Mizutsune? I recognize the plating.”

Kyle can feel the flush crawling up to his ears. Logically, he knows that there’s nothing for him to be embarrassed about. It’s a mark of good smithing that one can tell at a glance which monster a weapon was inspired by, and a Mizutsune was both powerful and extremely iconic. This bow in particular had good stats and the ability to fire rapidly, which admittedly took him some time to get used to after focusing mostly on piercing shots. The paralysis coating that works so well on this bow has also already saved his skin on more than one occasion. There is little more a career Hunter can ask for out of his weapon. It’s not like he’d been heading out to Pomore Garden at any given opportunity and holding onto an increasing multitude of Mizutsune materials just because he wanted some physical reminder of what was probably the most pivotal moment of his life, something that never failed to put a very complicated and jumbled mess of emotions deep within his chest whenever he thought back to it.

He’s starting to feel very, very hot under his collar. The sun is terrible. He resolves that his next big hunt really needs to be somewhere outside of Lamure.

His friend, however, just looks more and more baffled as he launches into an unprompted defense of his newest purchase. Every time she opens her mouth, Kyle talks a little faster. Eventually, she doesn’t even bother trying to interject, which is arguably worse, because instead she just looks progressively more and more thoughtful. Kyle wished desperately for Tsukino to peel away from whatever hidey hole she was tucked in. Then, his train of thought screeches into a rude and abrupt halt.

“What,” he croaks. “What are you doing.”

One of her brows quirks up. “I sure hope your eyes are still working because that’d be a detriment to your job,” she says plainly. “What does it look like I’m doing? I promise it’s not a trick question.”

What she’s doing is holding Kyle’s hand—the one not clutching his new bow—the one that had apparently been waving about with increasing agitation as he jabbered on and on. What Kyle doesn’t understand is why. It’s not like he just did some impressive shot to give them the edge in a battle or anything else that was cool and hand-holding worthy. He’d just been yammering about bow mechanics, and maybe embarrassingly dipping into his talisman hopes and dreams. He stares a little helplessly at his trapped hand. Her kinship stone winks up at him.

“Look,” she says patiently, when it becomes very clear that Kyle is going to need a moment before he can get his brain back online. “There’s nothing wrong with a bow made from Mizutsune parts and I am the last person who will ever turn down pretty things. What I was going to say was that this is an interesting departure from your whole—” She pauses, as though looking for a specific word. “Well, your whole image as a very grown-up and serious and intimidating Hunter or whatever it was you were trying to convey with that scowl you used to like so much. And you weren’t letting me get a single word in.”

“You’re getting plenty of words in now,” Kyle scowls, just to be contrary. “And I’ve grown since then.”

“Someone’s in a mood today.” She smiles, crinkle-eyed, up at him. Kyle very seriously debates wrenching his hand out of her hold like he did the last time this happened and then pointedly doesn’t act on the impulse.

“Why’re you in Lulucion?” he asks instead with a truly remarkable level of self-restraint. “Thought you’d never want to come back again after what happened.”

She shrugs, the greatsword on her back heaving with the movement. “Guess I’ve grown too,” she says loftily, though she sobers quickly. “I was actually visiting my grandfather. He used to go back to Mahana around this time of year… he can’t do it anymore of course but I’ve got Ratha now, so I figured I could do it instead. And then I figured I’d stop by Rutoh before going home, to see Ena and Alwin and wheedle a few more stories out of them.”

She lets go of Kyle’s hand. He tries not to miss it. “Even Ratha can’t make the trip in one go, and Lulucion was closest, so we’re stopping to rest. I dropped by the Scrivener’s Lodge earlier because I was hoping Reverto could give me a few weapon pointers as I’ve saved up just about enough for an upgrade, but they told me that he was out on an urgent mission and wouldn’t be back for a while.”

“Oh,” Kyle says, a little stung that she hadn’t come specifically to see him first, out of all the Hunters in the city. He’s slightly mollified when she grins at him, though.

“And then I met Tsukino by the cannons. She said I could find you here, so here I am.”

“I don’t know anything about greatswords,” Kyle blurts out, and immediately wants to kick himself. She blinks at him, and then bursts into laughter.

“I was just going to ask the smith,” she wheezes when she’s got herself somewhat back under control. “Can’t I see a friend just to say hi to him anymore?” Kyle stares very intently down at some of the finer detailing on his bow.

“Where is my Palico anyway?” he finally settles on, falling into a tried and true grumble. “I haven’t seen her all day.”

She waves her hand vaguely in the air. “Navirou said something about getting donuts. I wasn’t really listening.”

But there was a donut stand right here in the marketplace, Kyle wanted to cry out. He should have seen Tsukino by now if they’d really been going to buy snacks! And how was it possible that he had missed Navirou in his entirety, between the Felyne’s penchant for wearing ridiculous little outfits and his inability to shut up?

“Why? You have a hunt you need to run off to?” 

“Yes,” Kyle says hotly. It’s a lie. He’d accepted a subquest that wouldn’t depart until later that evening for the sole purpose of testing out his new weapon in a relatively stress-free environment. Before that, he’d just planned on hitting up the shooting range in the training arena to break in the new string. His schedule was very, very free. Tsukino was perfectly aware of that.

His eyes widened. Tsukino had been with him on every excursion into the Gardens. She went where he did (usually), and it’s not like Kyle would ever begrudge her a visit home. But she’d been with him every step of every single Mizutsune job he’d ever taken—had watched him craft traps when he needed to capture and had kept watch for opportunists hoping to sneak up as he’d carved. She’d been the one who’d recommended the spinner for all the excess purplefur he was ending up with. At first, he’d simply thought that she’d wanted the thread to mend some of her own items, or to send back home to her brethren, but instead she’d tucked each skein of vibrant, silk-soft thread into the bottom of his pouch with gentle paws, cryptically talking about how strong a material it was, and how nice it looked when woven. Kyle has never touched a loom in his life, but now he’s looking at someone who he definitely knows has.

His stomach drops. Hadn’t Tsukino looked particularly smug ever since he’d lingered on the blueprints for Blessed Rain after getting a look at its stats and required materials?

“She got me,” he groans. His friend just looks at him bemusedly, though perhaps with a touch of wariness at his ferocious frown. Hastily, he tacks on: “It’s nothing. I, uh—I just remembered that I needed to tell Tsukino something. Important. Later, when I find her again.”

“Alright,” she says, though she doesn’t quite look like she believes him. “A quest’s a quest, though, so I won’t keep you here. The bow really is pretty though. I know I just said it doesn’t match your image and all but I really don’t think you can go wrong with something you like. You’ve got the skills for it, anyway.”

“Thanks,” he croaks, feeling a little overwhelmed. He manages two whole steps out of the nook before he pauses, worrying at his lower lip. “Actually,” he says sharply, spinning around on his heel and nearly causing his friend to startle right into a spice display. “How long are you staying for?”

“However long it’ll take to upgrade my sword, I guess,” she says after she collects herself, the words lilting into a question. “Three days or so, I guess?” She skirts nervously away from the glaring vendor, careful not to overbalance on her greatsword.

“Cool,” Kyle says with a nod, steeling himself. “Great, even. Look, how about this. Your last visit to Lulucion was terrible—” an understatement, “—so when I get back from my hunt I’ll show you some of the better sights Lulucion has to offer. There’s a hole in the wall that I think you’ll like. Dad used to take me after hunts—they grill really nice queen shrimp. And the parapets—you can climb them, and they’ve got all these little carvings in the stone that you can search for like a scavenger hunt.” He’s keenly aware that he’s rambling again, but she looks interested, so he barrels on. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow just as soon as I can get a nap in. We can stay in the city or take Ratha out to the Barrens, down by the water. Just make a day of it.” He’s pretty certain that he looks at her with something akin to hope as she considers. It feels like a lifetime before she finally comes to a decision. 

“I want to take Ratha out in the evening,” she says finally. “I don’t want him to be cooped up too long here ever again.”

“Yeah,” Kyle breathes out, the word rushing out of him in a flood of relief. “Yeah, I can work around that.” She beams at him.

“I’ll look forward to it,” she says, sincere and looking more than a little surprised despite herself at the prospect of looking forward to doing anything in Lulucion. “I’m staying at the inn closest to the stables. Pretty sure I’m the only Rider there currently so they’ll know who I am.” Kyle nods, and lets himself get his hand squeezed again, though not without her hands first hovering in an instinctual bid for his cheeks before she remembers herself.

“Good luck on your hunt. If I see Tsukino I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”

“She’ll show up in due time,” he mutters darkly. “I’ll let you know if Reverto gets back early or if he’s just been loafing around this entire time. For your next upgrade or whatever.” She laughs, bright, and then slips off into the crowd to wrestle her way into the smithy’s queue. Kyle is left staring in her wake before his gaze is drawn back down to his bow.

“This is all your fault,” he tells it. Predictably, it doesn’t answer. Also predictably, Tsukino takes that exact moment to drop down from seemingly nowhere. 

“I didn’t know we had another job lined up,” the Felyne says delicately, carefully brushing crumbs off of her coat. Kyle groans, sheathing his weapon.

“Don’t tease me,” he huffs. “I’m going to the shooting range. Are you coming?”

“Hmm,” says Tsukino. “I suppose I can spare the time.”

“Of course you can spare the time!” Kyle hisses, indignant. “You just spent the day eating donuts and eavesdropping!” He pointedly doesn’t look towards the smithy, where his friend was patiently browsing the display while another Hunter was getting their hammer looked at.

“One must always be prepared with the latest intel,” Tsukino says mildly. “I’m glad the upgrade went well.” 

“It’s got good stats,” Kyle protests weakly in what is quickly becoming a tired argument. “The rapid shots have been going very well. And I had a surplus of Mizutsune parts.”

 “Yes,” his hunting partner agrees readily enough. “Have you thought of what you’re going to do with the thread?”

“This conversation is finished,” Kyle says abruptly, making a very determined push towards the market’s exit. “Either come or don’t, so long as we meet at the gate for tonight’s hunt.”

Tsukino looks at him with exasperated fondness, which is frankly a little insulting, but readily falls into step next to him. Kyle wonders how many rounds he’s going to have to shoot in order to clear his head again and rid it of thoughts of Hazepetal Garden or Mizutsune or high-grade thread that he’ll never use himself. He’ll examine them again someday—because he’s not a coward—but that day is most certainly not today.

He does his rounds in the training arena and marvels at the way the string slides off his fingers with a satisfying twang, even though it’ll still be a good few days before it’s fully broken in to his liking. Tsukino’s saved him a donut, the cakey sweet sticky with honey and practically melting in his mouth. He’s got some free time even after stocking up for the evening hunt, so he takes a few minutes to browse the quest board, taking careful note of the jobs that were situated near the Harzgai Rocky Hill, or the ones from further afield in Alcala that’ll take him closer to Rutoh. And when he leaves the city, he pointedly doesn’t look up at the familiar shape circling in the dusky sky, even as he knows that they’ll surely see the last rays of the setting sun winking off of the plates of his bow like a beacon.

[beskarhearts]

Bounty (Din Djarin x Reader)

Connection series Pt. 8

Pairing: Din Djarin x f!reader (no use of Y/N)

Warnings: cursing, death (choking), fighting, anxiety, nightmares

Word count: over 8.0K

Summary: Din has a bounty to catch, leaving you and the child alone on the Crest.

Notes: This chapter almost made me cry writing it so I wish you all luck. I also started writing part nine today and ooof... buckle in folks.

Previous Part ____ Next Part

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You couldn’t help the bout of laughter that escaped your lips as Din walked up to you. 

“Are you ever going to stop laughing about this?”

You doubled over in laughter even more, clutching at your stomach which was beginning to literally hurt from your laughter. “I can’t believe you never told me.” You wheezed as the man stood in front of where you leaned against the wall, placing a hand on his hip.

“It’s not even funny.”

"You know, I feel like you should of told me about it. Like that should of been the first thing out of your mouth when we first met. It would have told me everything I needed to know.”

“The fact that I wear suspenders would have told you everything you needed to know?”

You let out a loud cackle at his statement, causing him to shake his head at you. “Absolutely.”

“I wear it because it’s convenient. I don’t know why it’s funny.”

“Do you think your bounties would be considerably less scared of you if they knew you wore suspenders? Because I think they would.”

“Sweet one...” You smiled as he let out a small sigh, but deep down you knew he was smiling under the helmet.

“You should consider wearing less armor and letting the suspenders show more. The ladies would love it.”

Din cocked his helmet at you, stepping closer to you. “Oh, really?”

“Absolutely. Suspenders are just irresistible.” You let out another giggle, smiling widely as you expect an exasperated sigh from the man of beskar.

But instead he brings his hands up, putting them against the wall on either side of your head, boxing you in. You let out a small gasp, not having expected Din to get so close to you. “Really?”

You tried to hide how flustered you were with a small smile. “Would it break your heart if I said that the suspenders didn’t do anything for me?”

“Probably.” You heard Din let out a chuckle and you laughed back.

“Well then I love them. They are super good looking. One would probably describe them as sexy.”

Din just let out a grunt and shook his head at you. “That didn’t sound convincing.”

“I wonder why.” You teased, ducking under one of his arms, escaping his hold on you. Din turns around, leaning against the wall exactly where you were and crossing his arms. 

“I should probably get going.” You let out a groan at his words. You guys had left the planet with the flowers a couple days ago and went straight into hyperspace. Din had explained that he had a bounty to catch. It was an underground job, meaning no one would know it was him and he wasn’t risking Moff Gideon finding out about it. He just had to stop on this planet, catch his bounty, and turn them in for some much needed credits. It wasn’t supposed to be too dangerous but he still insisted on you and the child staying behind in the Crest. He didn’t want to risk anything or anybody seeing the kid, even though the planet you were on was relatively deserted. 

“Din, are you sure we can’t go? I’m pretty good with a blaster, y’know?”

“I know, cyar’ika.”

“Then let me go.” You knew you were whining and probably sounded like a child, but you didn’t want him to go. Ever since you joined, you guys haven’t really separated and you didn’t want to be alone.

“This should be a quick one.” Din didn’t even bother to entertain your statement. You had already bothered Din about going and he was being stubborn. There was no way he was going to let you go but you could still complain about it. “Hopefully it will only be a day or two.”

“Two days?”

“You whine a lot.”

You roll your eyes, crossing your arms over you chest. “I just want to go. I don’t want to be alone here.”

“You won’t be. You have the kid.”

You hated how literally Din took things sometimes. You didn’t know if it did it on purpose or if it was just how he was. “I could help.”

Din sighed, shaking his head. “I think I’ve got it covered. I’ve done this before.”

“Yes, but have you ever done it before with me by your side? No. We could probably catch this poor schmuck in less than a day if I tag along.”

“I forgot about all your experience in bounty hunting.”

You knew he was teasing but you still narrowed your eyes at him. “I would probably be great at it.”

“You aren’t a very subtle person.”

You let out a small gasp. “What does that mean?”

Din stepped towards you, putting both hands on your shoulders. “It means, you tend you gather peoples attention. And that isn’t good when hunting.”

“Maybe you can teach me how to do it then. You said this bounty isn’t too difficult so this would be the perfect opportunity.” 

“You do know nothing you say will make me bring you along?”

You let out a grunt, pulling away from Din. “Fine. But you’ll regret it when you realize just how much you miss me.”

“Of course, cyar’ika.” Din sarcastically responded and you huffed.

“You are going to be chasing after this stupid bounty and thinking about how much you miss me and my pretty hair and my wonderful humor and-”

“I’m starting to think you are in love with yourself.”

You flash him a devious smile. “I mean, I am pretty great.”

Din shakes his head and pulls his body towards you. “You know what I’ll enjoy most about this?”

You frown, already prepared for a sarcastic response. “What, Din?”

“Some silence.” 

You roll your eyes and back away from him, only for him to take a step towards you. “Yeah, right. You love when I talk.”

“You love when I talk.”

Another step backwards for you. And another step forwards for Din. “Hmmm... not really?”

“Sweet one, you already admitted you like the sound of my voice.” You back up one more time and feel yourself bump into the wall behind you, to which Din chuckles. “See? You are clumsy. I can’t bring you.”

You push against Din’s chest with your hands. “You should go before I kick your ass.” You try to hold back the smile but fail to do so.

“Alright.” Din grabs his bag from the floor and strolls towards you. “Keep the door shut and if anything happens, use the radio I gave you. But only for emergencies.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

“If it takes longer than two days, I’ll radio you and let you know I’m fine. If you don’t hear from me and I don’t respond to you, get out of here.”

“Din, I’m not leaving you behind-”

“Please just agree to my terms.” 

You nod your head, knowing you’d never actually leave without Din but not wanting to stress him out. “Fine.”

Din brought a hand up to your cheek, grazing it lightly. “Be safe.”

“We will be fine, Din. Like I said, I’m handy with a blaster.” You give him a lopsided grin, wanting to ease his worries. 

“Okay. Goodbye, cyar’ika.”

“See you soon.” 

Din dropped his hand, opening the hatch to the Crest, and stepping down it. He turned back to look at you, giving you a sharp nod of the head, and you watch him walk off as you close the hatch of the ship.

_____________________

The child was sat in your lap, fully awake to your dismay. He spent the first half of the day whining and crying because his dad was gone. He would look up at you with these big, dopey eyes and his little bottom lip puffed out, looking like somebody had done the meanest thing to him. You’d explain to him that Din was just doing a job and he’d be back soon, but you think the kid either didn’t understand you or didn’t care.

Then once the kid finally got over his pity party, he was absolutely wired. All he wanted to do was play and you swore he was trying to drive you crazy. At one point, you had tripped over something the kid had dropped and he absolutely lost it, thinking it was the greatest thing he had ever seen. In hopes of tiring him out, you had purposely started ‘tripping’ on things, each time warranting the same ecstatic response but not proving to tire him out at all. 

So that led to where you were now. In the cockpit of the Crest, with the kid held in your lap, as the two of you looked up at the stars in the sky. You had hoped a calming activity like this would make him sleepy considering how late it was and how he hadn’t taken any naps. But all he was doing was intently staring at the little metal sphere in his hands that he stole from the Crest’s dashboard, completely transfixed by it like it was the most exhilarating thing in the world.

You on the other hand were on the verge of sleep. Your eyes were drooping and you kept yawning. Taking care of the kid was a tiresome task, especially when  you didn’t have Din around to help at all. You were sat in Dins seat, letting yourself fall into it. You missed him, which sounded silly considering he had only been gone for less than twenty-four hours. But you had to fight back the urge to radio him in, just to hear his voice. You had gotten used to his constant company and being in the Crest without him was odd. He was just an overwhelmingly sweet presence for you and without him, it felt a little less safe and a little less warm. 

Your dreary eyes drifted down to the child, who was sat in your lap and looked up at you, showing you the ball in his hands. You nodded slowly, your mind seeming to process things about ten times slower than usual. “Very neat, booger.”

The kid looked away from you, seemingly satisfied with you acknowledging his metal ball and looking back down on it. You let out another loud yawn, your eyes slowly drifting closed. You were just going to relax, not sleep. Just rest your eyes for a minute...

Then there was a loud clatter than woke you up. Your body lunged forwards and you looked to see that the kid was still awake, sat in your lap,  with the ball in his hand, but his ears twitching and his vision direction towards the ladder leading down to the hull of the ship. “Anybody there?” You called out.

You picked him up, pulling him close against your chest as you approached the ladder. You peaked down into the hull, your head hanging a little from your position. You looked around. The latch of the door was closed, nothing seemed out of place.  “Hello?”

No other noise was made, no response meaning Din wasn’t back yet to your dismay. You looked over at the kid, who was intently staring into the hull of the ship, his ears still twitching like he was listening for something. “It’s just us kid. This piece of junk ship just makes noises sometimes.” The kid looked up at you briefly before turning back to the hull. “We should get some sleep.”

The kid still seemed totally fine, no hint of fatigue on any of his features. You let out a small sigh. This was going to be a long night. You carefully stepped down the ladder, making your way towards your cot when you heard another noise. You whipped your head around, identifying that it came from the refresher. You put the kid down on your cot quickly and lifted up a finger to your lips, hoping that the kid would understand and be quiet. He simply looked up at you and you turned around, your right hand resting on the blaster kept on your side. You made your way towards the refresher, hoping it was just Din who saw you asleep and didn’t want to wake you up to let you know he was back. But deep down, you knew it wasn’t Din. And he had told you this planet didn’t have a big population and you were far from any towns where there would be people. Meaning if there was someone in the ship, it was probably either Din or his bounty. 

You stopped walking, considering your options. You had your radio, maybe you could call Din in. But if there was someone there, they’d probably hear you do it and then what would you do? And what if Din was far away and couldn’t get back quickly enough?

Or what if this wasn’t his bounty and something else entirely? Din didn’t have a tracking fob this time, just a location. You knew Din was good at his job and if his bounty was here, he should be here. So if he isn’t, maybe there was someone else in here.

You turned back to look up at the kid, to check if he was still in the spot where you left him, only to find he wasn’t. “Shit.” You whispered under your breath. You looked all around but couldn’t find the kid. Sometimes he liked to hide from you, thinking it was great when you found him, but right now was not the time for hide and seek. “Kid, where are you?”

You turned around completely, back facing the door to the refresher as you ducked to see if he was below your bed. No luck. You let out a sigh. You couldn’t do anything without knowing where the kid was. That was too risky. “Womp rat, where did you go?”

All the air left your lungs as you felt a huge slam into your back, bringing you down onto the floor. You landed face down, your whole body pulsing from the pain. Your body throbbed from the impact and your hands just barely reached out to stop you from slamming your skull into the metal floor of the ship. You quickly pulled yourself up and turned to see a Klatooinian staring back down at you. His face bunched up into a growl and he snarled at you, glaring at you with a fierceness in his eyes. “What the kriff?” You yelled out.

The creature held a blaster right at your face, not bothering to say anything, and let out deep breathes, his chest heaving. You quickly popped back up on your feet, trying to knock the blaster out of his hand. But instead the man fired a shot, hitting the floor of the ship as you jerked out of the way. Your head turned quickly, just to make sure the kid wasn’t anywhere near the blast. You were satisfied when you found no kid, but also worried as to where he could be. You didn’t want him getting caught in the cross fire. And you certainly didn’t want this creature finding him. You needed to get rid of him, before he hurt the kid or you.

Your hand reached for the blaster on your side, just starting to curl around the smooth metal of it, when you heard a small noise emit from behind the Klatooinian. The man and you both turn to look in the same direction, your vision landing on the child who stood in the corner of the room with the ball in his hand. His face was crumpled up into a little frown, clearly not too pleased by the presence of the man before him, but he didn’t do anything except just stand there. “Shit.”

Your fingers just started to pull on your blaster, not even able to pull it out completely, before the man turned back to you, snarling again and rising a leg to kick one of your knees, your leg buckling in on yourself and dropping you against the floor. You let out a yelp from the pain, your right hand still itching towards your blaster, but your other hand landing on the floor beside you, trying to steady yourself. He spat into your face and a thick glob landed on your cheek that you wiped away with a growl. He turned back around towards the kid, stomping closer to him with the blaster aimed at his little body. “You son of a bitch!” you yelled out, trying to distract him, just do anything so he wouldn’t harm the kid and the kid could scurry away. He turned to look back at you, letting out a harsh laugh.

There was no way you were going to let this man hurt the child. Din trusted you to protect him, so you were going to do it. You rise to your feet again, your landing a little sloppy due to your knee, and you go to reach for the blaster when you feel a tingling sensation through your whole body. The fatigue and pain fades away, and for a second you think it’s just a rush of adrenaline from the situation until you realize you’ve felt this feeling before. It’s been a very long time, but it is strong and it is undeniable.

You feel an energy fill every part of your body. It seems to fill your pores, soak into your bones, and lift you up. It penetrated every part of your being and you feel more powerful than you had in a very long time. You haven’t felt the Force flow within you for many years, but the feeling is just as intoxicating as it was before and it seems to clear all your senses. Your right hand eases away from the blaster on your side and instead you bring it up, your body seeming to work on its own without a second thought. You watch as the Klatooinian stumbles back slightly before you curl your fingers a little. One of his dirty hands reaches for his throat, trying to tear something away from it, as the blaster in his order hand drops to the ground. You squeeze your hands together a little tighter to which the creature let’s out a ragged gasp, his other hand reaching up as well as shock paints his face. You don’t even fully realize what is happening, just letting your powers take hold of you. The man begins to lift a little from where he stood in the hull, his feet dangling slightly in the air as he continues to gasp and take in shallow breaths that are beginning to fade. 

Your hands tighten up even more and you watch as his face begins to turn into a shade of blue, his eyes bulging from the pressure as you continue. It seems like only mere seconds until he let’s out one more choked breath before falling limp. And like you had been on the verge of choking as well, you let out a loud gasp as you drop your hand, and the creatures body falls to the floor right in front of the child and you. You feel like time finally resumes to normal after it was going at warp speed. You had felt like time was just flashing in your face and you weren’t even able to realize what was happening until it was too late. You look at the body on the ground before you and you let out a choked sob, crumbling to the floor. The fatigue from earlier settles back into your body, but now tenfold from the energy you just exhausted. You let out a whimper as the child begins to waddle towards you, walking around the body. 

What had you done? You hadn’t used the Force in years because the last time you had, it had resulted in a dead body as well. You swore to never use it again, in fear you’d use what was supposed to be this precious gift to harm somebody. You hadn’t felt that feeling in so long and the first time you had after all these years, you had used it to kill. You can’t stop the tears falling down your face or the way you let in small, panicked breathes. The child finally makes his way over to you and goes to hand you his small metal sphere, something to comfort you. You let out a small noise as you look down at him. He looked up at you with complete trust in his eyes and you wonder if he understood what you did, if he had felt the Force like you had. If he understand the harm you had caused with it.

A pop of static pops through and it takes you a second to register that it is the radio Din had given you earlier. “Cyar’ika, you there?”

You are barely able to turn, but you look back at your cot and the radio you had tossed on it earlier in the day. You reach a shaky hand out, your fingers, the same ones you had squeezed the life out of the man just minutes earlier, wrapping around the device. You turn it on, trying to control your breathing as you let out a small, “Yeah.”

You hear him panting and you can tell he is running. “The bounty is heading towards you guys right now, I think. Lock everything down and get your blaster. I’ll be there in a minute.”

You feel a tear roll down your cheek. “Din, he already came here.” You drop the radio, ignoring as Din continues calling through, repeating your name. The kid tries to climb in your lap and you limpy lay a hand on his little body, your gaze never moving away from the body.

_____________________

“Cyar’ika, what happened?”

You looked up to see Din standing in the hull of the Crest, standing in front of the body and looking back and forth between it and yourself. His chest was heaving and small pants made their way through his modulator. He had ran the whole way here, worried sick after you had spoken with him. Your hands were still shaking so badly and your whole body felt fatigued. If you weren’t so wired from the anxiety, you would probably have passed out by now. You slowly brought a trembling hand up to wipe away at your tears, a fruitless effort because more just ran down your cheeks. The child shuffled off your lap, starting to waddle towards Din with his arms reached out for a hug. You sniffled, looking at Din and the child and the ship. Anywhere but at the creature laid out on the ground before you.

“H-he came here.”

Din let out a loud sigh. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

You got annoyed at yourself for the frustration you felt at what he said. Din didn’t know about your powers. Hell, you didn’t even know you still had this in you. He also didn’t know the bounty would get to you before he caught him. It wasn’t his fault. But you had pleaded with him to take you and if he had, you wouldn’t be in this mess. The worst thing that would of happened was the Crest would of been robbed. There wouldn’t be a body in front of you. One you had killed in such a grotesque way. You wouldn’t feel this self hatred seeping into you.

But instead of yelling at Din, you just pulled your legs up against you, wanting to block yourself from this moment. You choked back some sobs rather pathetically, small whimpers still drifting from your lips along with sniffling. “I d-did it. He had the blaster aimed at the k-kid.”

“It’s okay. You did what you had to do.”

Yeah, you did what you had to do. But you didn’t have to do it like that. You remembered the first time you had used the Force to kill someone. You watched the life drain from that Imperial officers face as he tried to block you from your parents. The pit in your stomach was so heavy, it felt like it was weighing you down. Your grandmother had taught you how people used the Force to harm and kill, and how the power that came with it drove people to the dark side, to madness. You remembered her telling you how she had never used the Force to kill and making you vow the same. And you had broken that vow, multiple times now.

This wasn’t supposed to be you. The Force, and the power it gave you, was supposed to be pure and good. Used to heal and connect. Used to help you and aid you, not coldly strike down your enemies like they were nothing. Because if you did that, how were you any different from them? And how far would you go? What if one day you couldn’t control it and accidentally hurt Din or the child?

That thought forced a sob out of you and you let yourself fall apart. You buried your face in your legs, not wanting Din to see you like this.

“Kriff, what happened?” You heard Din step towards you and bend down at the knees, resting a hand on your back. “Sweet one, talk to me.”

You looked up at him, seeing your reflection in his helmet and wincing. You looked away from him.

“I choked him.” You left out how, just letting him assume you had done so with your hands. You watched his helmet turn to the body before it drifted to the blaster still attached to your hip. You knew what he was thinking. Why wouldn’t you had just used the blaster? “I had to.”

That was a lie. But Din didn’t need to know that. Din couldn’t know that. “Okay... that’s fine.” Din brought his hand up to the helmet to rub at it, like one would do with their temple when having a bad headache. “This is okay. You should go shower and calm down. I’ll take care of... this.”

You felt even guiltier. Now Din had to deal with your mess and you didn’t even know if he was supposed to bring the man in alive or not. What if you had messed up his bounty? “I’m sorry.”

Din shook his head. “Don’t apologize. You protected the kid. I’m proud of you.”

You tried your best not to cry at his answer. Din shouldn’t be proud of you. What you had done was not honorable. Not something to take pride in. Instead you wiped at your face, nodding. “Okay.”

Din stood up, holding his hands out for you. You grabbed onto them and he helped you rise up from your place on the floor. You fell into Din, feeling extremely weak and like your legs were numb, your knee still throbbing from earlier. You let out a reassurance that you were okay to Din, feeling his concern washing over you, and forced yourself to let go of him. You trudged away to the refresher without another word, wanting to wash away what had happened, even though you knew it would haunt you.

_____________________

When you finally walked back into the hull of the ship, you were shocked by how spotless it was. Din had cleaned up anything that had been tossed about during the attack. The kid was in his hover pram, asleep and letting out little snores. Din was sat on the floor, now in what appeared to be his pajamas, the only piece of metal on his body being his helmet. Most notably, the body was gone, now frozen in carbonite instead of laid out on the floor. You were glad to not see it but it still didn’t settle the uneasiness you felt.

“Hey, sweet one.” You closed your eyes at Din’s words, letting them soak into you. You needed Din right now, as much as you shouldn’t. He was like a life preserver while you are drowning. You weren’t sure if you deserve it, but you were going to cling to it.

“Hey.” You whisper out and Din rises from the floor, walking over to where you stood. He didn’t say anything, just pulling you into his arms as he embraced you. You knew Din wasn’t used to affection like this, perhaps never having gone out of his way to hug someone before you, and you were so grateful he was willing to do it for you. You allowed yourself to be swallowed by his large frame, your arms wrapping around his lower back. You rested your head on his shoulder, your wet hair probably getting his shirt soaked but he didn’t seem to care.

You finally pulled away and Din’s helmet looked down on you. “You look exhausted.”

You were exhausted. Absolutely drained in every way: physically, mentally, spiritually. Using the Force earlier had emptied you of all the strength you had, and the emotional turmoil after that had just piled on top of it. But you also didn’t want to sleep. You didn’t want to lay on your cot on the floor alone, where you could replay what had happened time and time again. Where you could drift into a sleep that would remind you of the horrors of your past or of today. Sleep already didn’t come too easy to an individual like yourself and todays events would make it even harder. “I’m okay.”

“It’s late. You should sleep.” Din gestured over to where he usually slept. “You take my bed tonight.”

“No. I’m fine.” You honestly didn’t plan on sleeping. You would probably trudge your way up to the cockpit and just stare out the window, thinking and dwelling on your mistakes. On the person you had become.

“You need to rest. I will sleep on your bed.”

“Din, I barely fit on that cot. You won’t fit. And you’ve been up all day. You need proper rest.”

Din shook his head. “You had a rough day today. I’ll be fine.”

You let out a sigh. “I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Not after... not after today.”

“What if I make you some tea? You can relax and you’ll eventually drift off.”

While the idea of Din making you tea absolutely melted your heart, you shook your head. “Tea won’t help.”

“What will?”

The only thing that helped was standing right in front of you. “You.”

Din nodded and one of his hands reached out for yours, grabbing it. “Come on.”

“What-”

“Shh. I got you, sweet one.” Din walked around, turning off all the lights on the Crest besides the small one right above his bed. Dins grip was strong, reassuring, and he let you drift with him towards the bed. You wanted to argue but your body was so tired and so was your brain, and Din was so strong right now. “Lay down.”

You nodded hesitantly, crawling into his cot and laying back into it. It wasn’t comfortable per say, but it seemed heavenly compared to the cot you usually slept on. It also smelled like cinnamon and something like bark. It was Din: alluring and inviting and primal. You let out a hum, letting the padding of the mattress envelope your frame. You then felt some shifting and lifted your head slightly to see Din crawling in besides you. “Din, what-”

“Scoot over a little, cyar’ika.” You shuffled, almost pressing against the wall. Din’s cot was very small, making it so you couldn’t help but to feel him press up against you as he settled down next to you. “I’m going to turn out the lights and then take my helmet off, okay?”

You let out a hum, looking forward to hearing Dins voice. The light went out and you couldn’t see anything, not even your hand in front of your own face. It was completely pitch dark, nothing to see. But even when you heard the click and hiss of the helmet being removed, you still closed your eyes, just in case. You felt Din shuffle around some more, clearly trying to give you enough space. But with the tight quarters, you could still feel his legs nudge against yours and his shoulder touch your back a little. Part of you wanted to lean into him but you didn’t want to invade his personal space more than you already were. “Are you okay with this?

You smile as you hear his voice, feeling so incredibly grateful that you were privy to it. That Din trusted you enough to let you in and take his helmet off around you. You were sure it wasn’t an easy feat. You nodded, but realized he probably couldn’t see you, so you let out a small, “Yes.”

You lay there in silence for a little while until you shift to your other side, no longer facing the wall. You come to the realization that you are probably facing Din, not being able to see a thing but knowing his face was so close to yours. You could probably reach out and touch it, feel the angles and curves of it. “Sweet one?”

“Yeah?”

“You know you never have to hide anything from me. Right?”

The question alone makes your heart break, and the inflection in his tone adds to it. It is heavy and curious. You know Din is an exceptionally smart man, more intelligent than most people would realize. And you also knew that he knew you very well, more than anybody else. Of course Din would notice how bizarre your reaction to todays events had been. He knew that wasn’t your first kill and knew that you were always willing to do what you had to do, especially if that meant protecting someone you loved. His curiosity was only natural. But you also knew you couldn’t tell him and that hurt him. He’d wonder why you couldn’t trust him with something but he also didn’t know how substantial the secret you were keeping from his was. You just whisper out, “Of course.” and feel like you wanna crawl in on yourself. Din trusted you with so much but you couldn’t tell him this. And that broke you.

“Okay.” You know he doesn’t believe you, that he knows you are keeping something from him. But he doesn’t push you, which you are thankful for.

“You know you mean everything to me, right?” His voice is so soft, his words melting in your ears, and you feel your heart clench. You knew deep down, in every way, you were in love with Din Djarin. It wasn’t a matter of maybe or one day you could be. You were head over heels for the man and everyday your affection for him grew stronger and stronger. And he meant everything to you. You’d do anything for him - even if it meant making tough decisions.

You didn’t trust yourself to not say anything stupid, so you simply scooted closer to him. Din slowly reached an arm out to you, bringing you in closer to him. You felt your body press against his and felt so secure. Even though he didn’t have the armor on, you felt safer in his arms than anywhere else. Your head rested against his shoulder and you closed your eyes. “Thank you, Din.”

You felt his chest rumble with a little hum and placed your hand on it, over his heart. You felt his chest rise and fall, giving you peace. You then drifted off, falling asleep in the arms of the man you loved for the first time.

And the last.

_____________________

Din was back in the field of flowers, sitting on top of a blanket with the warm sun shining on his face. He took a deep breath in, inhaling the scent of all the flowers. He could hear children’s giggling somewhere from behind him, knowing they were playing. He reached his hand up, realizing his helmet wasn’t on. He wasn’t actually in any armor: just a pair of pants and a plain shirt, no shoes, and his hair wildly tossed about on his head. The thought of not wearing his helmet, or his armor for that matter, usually terrified him but he felt as ease, knowing he was completely safe.

“Din, the child is trying to teach our son to eat butterflies.” He whipped his head around, watching as she approached his spot on the blanket, sitting down next to him. She has a bright smile on her face and wore a white dress that was flowing in the breeze. A few flowers were stuck in her hair which was pulled into a beautifully braided bun. Din’s eyes followed down to her hands to see a ring on her finger. He looked at his hand to find a matching one, made of the same metal: beskar.

“W-what?” Din mumbled out, seeming shocked by the sound of his own voice. He felt at peace but he was also confused. This wasn’t his life. But maybe he could pretend it was for a little bit.

She reached her hand out to brush back some of Din’s hair, her fingers brushing past his cheek as she brought it back down. He swore he almost fainted at the feeling of her touching his face. It was so soft and loving. A feeling he could never get sick of. “Isn’t this nice?”

Din nodded, feeling a smile grace his features as he kept looking at his cyar’ika, not wanting to tear his eyes away. “Yes.”

She let out a small chuckle and Din reached his hands out. He cupped her face but froze when the smile on her face dropped, her features melting into sadness. “Sweet one, what’s wrong?”

Tears surged at her eyes and Din felt something begin to crumble. That’s when he realized she was literally crumbling away before him, her body falling apart. “Too bad you couldn’t save us either.”

“No. No, no. I can. I know I can.”

“It’s too late.”

Din felt a sob crawl up his throat as she disappeared right before him, turning into nothing but a pile. He turned to look behind him, to where he heard the children laughing, but realized he was no longer in the field of flowers, but in Aq Vetina. Everything was being destroyed in front of him. “No. Please. I can protect them.” He didn’t know exactly who he was pleading to but he felt every bone in his body fill with dread. Din had only ever felt this kind of fear once before, when he had lost his parents in this very place.

“Din, you took your helmet off.” He turned around, to see The Armorer from Navarro. She stood, towering above him, her golden armor seeming to be the only color anymore. She shook her head disapprovingly, and Din felt like a child in The Watch again, being degraded for something he had done wrong.

“I need to save her.” He begged, looking to where his riddur was and finding absolutely nothing. He let out a choked sob as he looked back up at the Armorer. He needed her help. More than anything. He didn’t know what to do without his sweet one. And his child.  “And the kid. I can protect them.”

“You broke your creed.”

“I did it for her.” Din knew he’d do anything for her, even if it meant losing himself.

“And now you lost her. Just like your family.”

Din felt tears fall down his cheeks when he heard a loud bang behind him and the ground shake. He turned to see the droid, the one that had tried to kill him when he was young and locked away in that hatch before his parents died. But this time, Din knew there was no Mandalorian coming to save him. And just like everything around him, he was going to be destroyed.

_____________________

Din let out a small gasp as he jerked awake. He heard a small sigh next to him and suddenly realized where he was. He was on the Crest, in his bed with her. She was asleep next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and hand placed on his chest. Din let out a sigh of relief when he realized that she was safe. It had only been a horrible dream. Nothing more.

Her body against him was warm, the blanket strewn lazily across their legs. His bed wasn’t very large which made it so they were in very close proximity. He couldn’t see much in the dark, more accustomed to it than she was but still feeling partially blind. He knew she couldn’t see a thing with the door to his cot closed, making it pitch black. Part of Din wished he could have just the smallest bit of light so he could look on her, but that was too risky when he didn’t have his helmet on. He could feel her anyways, and that was good enough. The feeling of her chest rising and falling with each breath she took was a reminder she was alive and there, with him. And with his arm around her, he knew she was safe, even if it was only for this moment.

But then he remembered earlier. He shouldn’t have left her alone. He should of given in to her nagging and let her come with him. At least he would of been able to keep an eye out for the kid and her. Keep them safer than he had. The first time Din left them and somebody attacked her. The very bounty he was meant to catch had found her and she had to deal with the repercussions of that.

Din felt horribly for the way she felt. The guilt seemed like a blanket weighing down on her and Din had to admit he was slightly shocked by her reaction. He had trusted her to stay alone because he knew how strong she was and that she could take care of what she had to. Din had seen her before, knew she wasn’t afraid to do what it takes to protect herself and the kid. The first day they had met she had killed in order to help the kid and him and it didn’t seem like she was phased at all by it.

But today was different. He could tell that killing that Klantooinian had done something to her. But Din couldn’t tell why. It wasn’t just her being shaken up. And Din didn’t even think she felt guilty per say, like she shouldn’t have killed him. He was a danger to the kid and she was a fierce protector, much like Din. So what had bothered her so much about it?

Din thought maybe it was the way she killed him, having to do it with her hands instead of the blaster. But even the manner of death confused him. Ever since they had been attacked weeks and weeks ago, she had always kept a blaster on her side, attached to her hip like it was just a part of her. She slept with one under her pillow, kept one in the refresher even, just in case. And when Din walked into the Crest, the blaster had still been on her hip. It hadn’t been lost or used against her. She could of used it instead of choking him. It would of been easier and considerably less strenuous.

But even if she was in a situation where she couldn’t use it, Din didn’t know if he believed she had choked him. The creatures neck had no markings. If she had choked him enough to kill him, it would of required a lot of pressure. Enough to bruise him and leave a fresh mark of finger prints against his skin. But there was none of that. His neck was a little red, but not enough to indicate that anything substantial had happened. Choking a man like that also would of required a lot of strength. And while she was strong, he didn’t know how she would of had the ability to overpower him and keep him down long enough to get the job done.

So Din was left contemplating what else may of happened. He considered that maybe the child had used his abilities. He had seen the kid try to choke Cara that one time. But the kid looked like he was going to pass out before he could finish the job. And if the kid did do it, it made no sense that she wouldn’t tell him about it. She knew about the kids powers and knew that Din was aware of them. She would of been shocked by them, but she wouldn’t have lied to Din, not told him about what the kid had done. And when Din had come back, the child was wide awake, bustling with energy. It didn’t seem like he had exerted any energy and every time the kid used his powers, it took a lot out of him. The kid hadn’t looked like he had lifted a finger.

Which meant it was her. But, how did she do it? Din had looked over the body and there was nothing. No blaster marks, no stab wounds. No bleeding or bruising. No marks. Nothing. As far as Din could tell, the guy had just dropped dead. But that was impossible. Something had to have been done. Something she did. But Din couldn’t think of what it was.

But, the thing that was driving him crazy the most was that she wouldn’t tell him. He knew that she trusted him on some level or another. But perhaps he had overestimated how much she had. Maybe a woman like her would never trust a person completely. And Din couldn’t blame her for that. But it also hurt because Din trusted her with ever fiber of his being. So why couldn’t she tell him? What was she keeping from him?

Din shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. It would do him no good to dwell on it. It would only drive him nuts. Maybe one day he would ask her about it or maybe one day she would trust him enough to tell him. Din could wait for that day. For now, Din was just going to thank the galaxy that she was okay. Din pulled her in a little closer, hearing her let out a little noise but not waking her. He nervously placed a small kiss on her head and closed his eyes. And he whispered one thing, one thing he didn’t know if he’d ever have the strength to tell her while she was awake.

“I love you, cyar’ika.”

_____________________

Din was in the shower and had just turned on the water, which meant if you were going to do this, you had to do it now.

You haphazardly threw all your important belongings in your bag. Din had mentioned his bounty had a small ship of some kind and it wasn’t too far from the Crest, perhaps only a few hundred feet. It would be hard but if you ran fast, you might be able to make it before Din realized what was happening. You had told him to take a nice, long relaxing shower and he had said once he was done, he had to go into hyperspace to turn in his bounty on some planet.

You heard a little squeak behind you and paused. You turned to look over at the child, who was sitting upright in his hover pram and staring straight at you. You swore that the child knew what you were planning, his face turned into a contemplative frown, his eyes looking at you with confusion. He reached a hand towards you and you turned away, knowing you couldn’t look at him more. It only made what you had to do harder.

You had to leave. For so many reasons.

You couldn’t help with the kid in the way you needed to. In the way Din didn’t even know you needed to. You were a Jedi, but a weak one. One who didn’t even want or really know how to use her powers anymore. Only using them for violence. You couldn’t trust yourself with your ability. You would never harm a hair on the child or on Din, but you feared so badly you would lose control like other Jedis had done before. That you would hurt the very things you loved most. And that wasn’t a risk you were willing to take.

You also knew how close Din was to you. How much he trusted you and the risks he was willing to take for you. And you weren’t worthy of that. And Din deserved someone better. Someone who didn’t have so much baggage and someone who didn’t need for him to constantly be there. He should be showing his kindness and compassion to someone who deserved it. And the longer you stayed, the longer you’d be dragging Din further into your mess. He would open up more and more, only to be hurt. Because you knew you couldn’t keep this secret forever. And this secret would hurt him.

You considered yourself a strong woman, even from a young age. Your family taught you to be resilient. Your grandmother taught you to not take shit from anyone, to be a force to be reckoned with. Your mother taught you to be kind but to also protect yourself. Your father taught you to be a hard worker and an honest person. You were usually able to protect yourself from others and make the right decisions. And a moment like this required you to be strong against your own emotions and feelings. You loved Din. You loved the child. You wanted nothing more than to stay with him and be with him. To protect and cherish the little family you had been given. But, you needed to make the right decision. You had to protect Din and the kid from yourself. There was a reason you were alone for so long on Yungbrii. Because everyone you loved got hurt. And nothing had led you to believe that the same thing wouldn’t happen to Din and the kid, whether it was by your hands or someone elses.

You slung your bag around your shoulders. It was heavy, but you tried to take only the necessities. You avoided the child’s gaze as you turned. “I’m sorry, kid. I really love you. And your dad. But I need to go.”

You felt tears prick at your eyes as you reach one hand up to the necklace around your neck. You pull it over your head, looking down at the sigil. You turn it over, reading the engraving on the back one final time. Your eyes close and you take in a deep breath. Your feet stumble over to go to Din’s cot, turning off the light and laying the necklace on his pillow, the very one you both had rested your heads on last night. You close the door, hoping that maybe Din would just think you were sleeping a little more. You turn towards the hatch of the Crest, taking a step forward when you hear the child let out another small noise. But this time you don’t turn around. You just open the door of the Crest.

And run.

Tag List: @ilikethoseodds @dindaddy @poguesvixen @starspangledwidow @fangirlalexia @the-scandalorian @ka-x-in @keepcalmandblogstuff​

[manifestingmatcha]

Okay, so my team lead (47m) was making me (26f) super uncomfortable touching and caressing me every time he walked past my desk. He’s always given me a gross vibe since we’ve been here but today he really turned it up cause it’s his last day before changing sites. I dreaded asking him for help and the last time I did he came and laid his head on my shoulder and asked to see me without my mask on and was just wildly inappropriate. He KNOWS I don’t like it, I always pull away and am visibly disgusted and say stop! We are independent contractors doing travel contracts 🌎✈️, and getting someone in HR’s attention can be so tedious. Pretty much a different state (or 3) each month. I tell the girl next to me who I had befriended that he was making me uncomfortable and she just gives me a blank stare and as soon as I take my lunch she ran to him to tell him and warn him of any repercussions if i were to take action! I was shocked. Turns out altho she has a bf she cheats on him constantly and I think she may be fucking the team lead as well. Things I wish I had taken note of that may have tipped me off that we were incompatible as friends and do not share the same moral compass before I befriended her:

- she prides herself on being tomboyish and LOVES sports and watching the game at bars with men like ‘one of the guys’. When we went out to a bar she was screaming at the tv watching the game like a man.

- I now realize she thinks it’s cute to have a roster of men (low value included) and to have sex with them on a rotation, like being a player or a pimp. Female pumps are so classless and tasteless to me. She was annoyed one of her bfs was sending her paragraphs of adoration and asked me if I WANTED him. Like an old pair of sneakers! Just offered up her boyfriend 😨

- she constantly says she is ‘so private’ but you can learn way too much from her IG bio and posts!

- she thinks it’s cute to be in her mind 30s and constantly clubbing and bar hopping

- yesterday she tried to make me feel bad for not being ‘hood enough’, speaking proper English and overall being bougie and constantly commented aloud and drew attention to how I’d drink Diet Coke, avoid processed sugars/junk food, and I eat charcuterie boards. So I started hiding my Diet Cokes in my lunchbox.

I thought because we are both in a six figure job and starting up small businesses that we’d mesh well and just have different personalities. But I may be wrong and I think it’s time to reel it in and re evaluate friendships on my journey. I have a very small circle with only the closest of friends and I think this was a reminder to continue to focus on me in my journey. The wrong friendships can cause us to regress.

Do you have any advice on approaching friendships and relationships as a young and affluent hypergamous woman from your experiences so far? It’s okay if not! I am the youngest by far on every travel contract and only older nasty men seem to have eyes for me, and it’s difficult to find equally minded young women to befriend. I am luxury apt hunting now, and looking to build my social circle to debut as an artist in a nicer area soon hopefully, and am trying to become a full time content creator eventually.🤍 and thank you for listening because I’m so private and this was really my only way to vent to someone🤍✨ have the *best* day.

Tbh I had to google the definition of hypergamy I don’t really subscribe to labels. I think it’s a red flag that she went and told your boss about the inappropriate conduct like women are supposed to support each other. There’s no such thing as being “not hood enough” or “too white” you’re literally just being yourself. She sounds like a toxic pick me that should mind her own business. I would just keep your distance from her keep it professional and cordial don’t tell her anything more than she needs to know. Focus on yourself your work and cultivating your other female friendships. I hope this helps good luck with your work and finding a beautiful apartment.🤍

[darylsgirl]

You take my breath away - Teaser

A/N - Hey guys! here's a teaser of something I've been working on not sure if i should continue with this, It hasn't got any smut yet but will do if i continue on it. Please please please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Apologies for any mistakes i haven't edited this or read it over!

Love Jen :)

He was the most incredible looking man you had ever seen, Walking through the gates with that possum in his hand, He was definitely a little disheveled, Looked like he was in serious need of a shower but gorgeous nonetheless. Your mouth going dry the moment you saw him, Feeling the now unfamiliar fluttering in your stomach as he walked by you, Not sparing a second glance in your direction.

His eyes alert and suspiciously taking in his surroundings, You watched as he handed his crossbow over, Fingers twitching as it was moved further away from him. Aaron leading them to Deana’s house. Where they will no doubt be being interviewed on camera, Just like all the newcomers were. Just like you had been three months before, Looking over the others in the group seeing their wary eyes the exhaustion showing through the cracks in their demeanor.

Letting out the breath you weren’t aware you had been holding you watched them disappear around the corner. As you were turning to go back into the house you were stopped by Olivia. Rushing from the direction the strangers had gone, a huge basket full of linens in her arms.

“Hey Y/N Are you busy? Any chance you can give me a hand? Deana has asked me to set up the two houses down the street for the new guys” Looking at you with those hopeful puppy dog eyes, She knew there was no way you could say no to her.

“Fineeee, But Jessie’s helping too!” You groaned turning back towards her and down the front steps.

“Thank you Y/N! Jessie’s already there loading some supplies into the cupboards” Her pace was getting faster now, Half running to keep up with her frantic walk you let her continue.

“Could you please start on the beds, That would be a HUGE help. Here take this” Offloading the basket to you she turned back towards the garage that held all of the town's supplies.

“I’m going to grab some more linen, I'll be back in a few!”

Groaning again at the weight of the basket you walked up the steps of the house Olivia had specified. Spotting Jessie in the kitchen immediately.

She laughed at your sour expression “She roped you into this too?” You nodded in reply carrying the basket up the stairs and starting in the first room you came too.

Picking up the first bundle of sheets, Finding a little note attached ‘Single’ Pushing them to one side you picked up the next ‘Double’ Taking the note off and putting it back in the basket you made your way to the bed. Pulling the sheets on and making the bed easily you continued into the other three bedrooms upstairs, Finding one set of double sheets remaining.

Walking down the stairs you passed Jessie again in the Kitchen, Stopping for a moment you took a glass of water from her mumbling your thanks, “Just the basement left! Has she come back yet?”

“Mhmm She left that for you” pointing to a basket of towels. “And she said she’s left the next bunch of sheets and towels in the next house ready”

“And what pray tell is olivia doing while she’s got me sweating like a Whore in Church”

Jessie choked a little on her water trying to suppress her giggle at your words. “Beats me! Tried to ask her, She ran off looking very important” She giggled again.

“Best get on before she finds more jobs for me!” Jessie agreed to grab the towels and put them into each bathroom, Snagging two from her you took it down to the basement with you.

This place was lucky really, There had been a hotel nearby that was just about to open as all hell broke loose that had stacks of linens, Plates and silverware. Enough to fully stock this place for a long time.

It seemed silly to you at first for this to be a huge concern but the longer you stayed here and the more you got used to the little comforting things like the Clean bedding and actual utensils the more important it had started to feel. It made you feel normal, Civilised. Like the world hadn’t just thrown a tantrum. Sure it never lasted very long but the comfort you got from these little things was priceless.

Once you had finished the bed down stairs you and Jessie made your way over to the second house repeating the jobs, Smiling as you left. Hopefully the comfort the little things had on you would also reassure and comfort the new guys. If only just a little. Being out there for so long yourself you knew how hard it would be for them to adapt.

When Aaron had first brought you through the gates you thought you must have died. Everything was so….Normal, The houses all pristine. All happy smiling faces welcoming you to the neighbourhood. It had taken you a week to speak, Sometimes you still weren’t sure if it was real at all, Maybe this is where your consciousness goes when you were walking around as one of those dead but not dead freaks.

Walking back home you spotted Olivia, Saluting her “All done El capitan!” She laughed as you walked by purposely not slowing in case she thought of another job for you.

Sinking back into your couch and grabbing the book you had discarded earlier when the commotion at the gate started, You had been out hunting the day before, Which meant today you could take the next few days easy.

Reading the Hobbit for the millionth time, You easily slipped back into that familiar world, Only stopping when it got too dark to see the words on the page. The next day was much the same head straight back into your book escaping the real world as long as you could. Not realising how long you had been sat there, The sun was low on the horizon when you were pulled from your favourite book.

Opening the door you were greeted by a smiling Aaron. “Hey Y/N I can’t stay gotta get back to Eric, Deana is throwing a welcome party for the new guys, Since you’re our newest person besides them, She is pretty insistent you attend!”

Rolling your eyes “Insistent hm? I think I’ll give it a miss..But thanks for the invite!” Trying to shut the door hoping this conversation was over when the door was stopped on his foot.

“C’mon Y/N a little more socialising won’t kill you! You’ve managed to come out of your shell to me Jessie and now Olivia! A few more wouldn’t hurt right?”

The puppy dog eyes. How did every fucker in here know that was your weak spot.

“Ughhhhh Finee! Only if you're going to be there?” He nodded happily turning and stopping on the steps “See you at 8 wear something pretty” He winked, Taking off before you could change your mind.

Pretty? You weren’t even sure you owned anything that could be classed as pretty. Storming upstairs like a toddler having a tantrum you stripped quickly showering the sweat from yourself before stepping out wrapping the fluffy towel around you.

Walking over to your closet you pulled at the pile of dresses you had haphazardly thrown to the bottom of the closet when you had moved in, Never thinking in this new world there would be a place for pretty dresses.

Separating the sizes you pulled the few that would fit you to one side throwing the rest back in a heap again. Holding them up to your chest you decided on a black figure hugging one with a slit up one side. You guessed this would be kind of functional too. The slit certainly gave you enough room to move if you needed to. Picking up a pair of almost matching wedges you threw them both on the bed. Turning your attention to your hair as you tried to tame it.

It was a shame this new world didn’t include bloody straighteners. Groaning at yourself you couldn’t believe that had just crossed your mind. There were more important things to worry about besides your hair!

Running the brush through it once more, It would do. Your mother certainly would be happy. She loved your naturally wavy curls. You felt the twang in your heart as you remembered her, She had lasted 6 months after the fall before one wrong step sent her into the arms of a walker taking her from you. Rubbing your eyes gently. No you wouldn’t cry, If she was here now she’d be giving you an earful about it, Demanding you enjoy your night and your freedom.

Looking over at the tiny clock on the side 8:15 shit you were late. Pulling the dress over your head and heels on your feet you spared your reflection one last look smoothing the dress down on your stomach nervously. You can do this. It’s only people right?

Slowly descending the stairs and making your way out the door, Your feet dragging as you headed closer to the party. Stopping outside the door, Hearing the laughter from the other side.

Before you knew what you were doing you were spinning back around back up the street when a light fell over you.

“Sneaking away before they can see you huh Y/N?” Giving him a guilty look.

“I tried… Tried and failed. Oh well maybe next time!” You chuckled.

“Oh hey, Daryl right?” Turning and following Aaron’s gase you spotted him again. So the possum guy’s name was Daryl.

Giving him a small smile “I guess those kinda things aren’t for you either?”

Not quite looking at you he gave a non committal grunt.

Deciding to take Aaron’s earlier advice, Taking a deep breath.

“You eaten? I’m making spaghetti if you're hungry?” He shrugged again.

“C’mon, She makes some pretty serious spaghetti” Aaron teased, raising his eyebrow at you.

“Guess I could eat” He mumbled, still looking more at his feet than you. Aaron gave you a wink as he went back inside giving you both a wave before shutting the door.

“C’mon it’s this way. Just down from your house. I guess you could say we’re neighbours” He fell into step with you still staying quiet the entire way. As you opened the front door you looked backwards seeing Daryl looking between your open door and his own house.

“Come in, Food won’t be long!” Holding the door open Daryl finally made his decision, his feet carrying him swiftly up the stairs and inside. Flicking the lights on as you followed him.

“Kitchen’s that way, I’ll get you a drink. Whiskey ok?” He finally looked at you.

“You guys have Whiskey?” A shocked expression crossing his face. “Yeah i found it out there still unopened a while back, I was saving it for a special occasion, But shh don’t tell olivia or she’ll add it to that list of hers!” He gave you a small smile as you poured a glass for each of you passing it to him.

“Make yourself at home! I’ll get this started” He took a seat at the breakfast bar rolling the glass around in his hands whilst you busied yourself in the kitchen pulling out everything you would need and quickly getting it started.

Turning back to the breakfast bar you grabbed the loaf of bread slicing a few pieces and covering them in some oil and wild garlic you had found on your hunt yesterday. Popping them into the oven. He spoke again “Why’s it a special occasion?” He mumbled.

Grinning at him and taking a sip of your whiskey. “It’s not everyday I get to cook my serious spaghetti for just anyone!”

You could see the blush rising in his cheeks as he took a long swig of his whiskey. You leant over to top his glass off, Before turning to the cupboards and grabbing placemats, Plates and cutlery.

“Here let me do that” He tried as he moved towards you.

“Absolutely not! My mother would roll over in her grave if she knew i put a guest to work” Smiling sadly as your mother popped into your head again. Setting the table.

Turning your attention back to your meal you strained the pasta, Popping it into a dish before dishing up the sauce too. Taking them back to the table and returning to the oven to fish the garlic bread out.

Once everything was on the table you both took a seat. Reaching over you served him a large portion popping a few pieces of garlic bread on his plate before serving yourself.

“Dig in” You insisted before turning back to your plate. He watched you take the first few mouthfuls before reaching for his own fork.

After a few minutes of silence you spoke up again “So what do you think of Alexandria?”

“I think it ain’t real”

“I thought that for a long time, Hell I’m still not convinced and I’ve been here 3 months”

“So your not...uh...Not from here. Like the others”

“I’m from out there I guess. Asheville Georgia originally”

His eyes went wide at this “Me too, Sorta. Lived up near the mountains in Georgia”

A huge grin crossing your face “So we’ve always been neighbours then! How strange that we would meet here in DC! We must have been in the same places a thousand times! I used to go hunting in the mountains with my daddy”

He shrugged “Alotta my group from near there, We met in Atlanta……” he trailed off mumbling “Ya wouldn’t have noticed someone like me anyway”

Trying to get him to meet your eyes over the table, “Oh i most definitely would have noticed YOU Daryl”

He cleared his throat awkwardly, the tops of his ears peeking through his shaggy hair going beet red, his face lowered, he turned his attention back to his food.

Realising you had probably gone too far, Afterall you didn’t really know anything about this man, You had only seen him once yesterday morning before tonight, You weren’t even sure if he was single. Or straight for that matter. Trying to ease the awkwardness that had now descended in the room you tried a quick change of conversation.

“How are your group feeling about being here? Did you and your partner manage to sleep okay?” Hoping your not so subtle way of asking him if he were single wouldn’t be too obvious.

“Partner? Rick’s the Cop not me” He grumbled. Okay maybe not as obvious as you first thought.

You shook your head slightly, his obliviousness was strangely endearing, “Sorry no i meant your girlfriend, Wife” When he didn’t reply straight away you figured you must have missed the mark. “Boyfriend?” You questioned.

He snorted at this “I ain’t gay, Aint got no woman either” Not able to contain the gleeful smile on your face. Not that it would matter his eyes were fully trained on his meal as he started devouring it quicker, Reaching for his glass he drained the remaining dregs of the whiskey.

“Oh really? I thought for sure you’d have been snapped up by now!”

The blush returning to his face again he gave you a noncommittal grunt, Waiting a moment you realised he wasn’t going to answer. Not much of a talker. You were probably being too pushy, Small talk was hard to do after seeing the things he no doubt had seen out there, The things that man had probably had to do just as you had, Suppressing the shudder that threatened to run through you as your mind conjured up the images.

Standing quickly you walked back to the kitchen grabbing the bottle and refilling his glass and in turn your own.

Taking a deep gulp of the whiskey and then quickly finishing your own meal in silence, Both finishing your meal at the same time, Daryl raises the plate to his mouth to scrape the last bits of pasta into his mouth.

“Still hungry? There’s plenty more if you would like some more?”

Shaking his head no “ ‘M good.” He grunted. Taking his plate from him and collecting your own you took them into the kitchen dropping them in the sink you turned to retrieve the serving bowls, Almost crashing straight into Daryl, Your hands flinching up and landing on his chest steadying yourself.

He caught the bowl just in time surprisingly before any of the remaining food managed to spill on the floor.

Feeling the blush on your cheeks now as your hands lingered a moment longer than they should have done, Enjoying the firmness of his muscular chest under your fingers.

Dropping your arms to your sides. “I’m sorry! Thank you, Let me take that” Taking the bowl and turning your beetroot red face away from him you found a tupperware box in the cupboard filling it with the leftovers before turning to the sink and washing the dishes.

When you turned back to him he was watching you silently, Studying you it seemed.

Picking your glass back up you motioned to him “Should we finish the bottle or do you have somewhere to be?”

When he made no move to leave you picked up the bottle and motioned towards the living room letting him follow behind you, Taking a seat you finally kicked your uncomfortable heels off, Your feet instantly throbbing grateful to be out of their confines.

Propping your feet up on the coffee table in front of you, You sank back into the plush cushions behind you with a happy groan, Daryl stood awkwardly next to the couch glass hanging from his fingertips gasing at you with a softness in his eyes, The redness rising again in cheeks once he realised you had caught him gazing at you.

Smiling at his warmly “No need to stand on ceremony, Take a seat” Patting the chair next to you from emphasis. “More?” You asked, shaking the bottle at him. Taking it from you he filled his own glass before turning to yours and topping yours up also.

Clearing his throat awkwardly. “So...Are ya people here too?”

Dropping your eyes from him you shook your head sadly “Just me…They’re all gone….” The alcohol was taking over your words as you mumbled “Shouldn’t have been me…” Feeling a tear escape your eye as you thought about the countless lives you had watched taken before their time. People who would have been the greatest asset in this new world...Gone, Some died saving you. For what.. They should have let you die.

Pulling your mind from those thoughts, It didn’t do anyone any good to dwell! Wiping the tear quickly from your cheek grabbing your drink and gulping it down in one.

Turning back to Daryl you shifted a non convincing smile back to your face.

“How about you? Your group seems very close almost like a…”

Finishing your sentence for you “A family…...Ya know i look around and i think about the people that are gone, And the people that are still here and it aint right...Aint fair..But yer gotta keep goin for em”

Smiling at Aaron’s name “Yeah i wouldn’t be here either if it wasn’t for him and Eric, They’re good people. Most of the people here are good people. Too innocent to the world as it is yes, But good people..”

After sitting in silence for a few moments when Daryl broke the silence. “Well i should...I should go….They’ll be wonderin where i am”

Standing with him you walked him to the door.

“Thanks. Thanks for the-”

“Your welcome Daryl….Maybe you could come again? It was nice to have company” Smiling you opened the door for him letting him linger on the threshold.

He let out another noncommittal grunt as his eyes lingered on you. Leaning against the doorway you followed his eye line down your body, smirking slightly you swayed your hips watching as his eyes followed your movements.

Darting forward you swiftly kissed his cheek. “Goodnight Daryl” The blush on his face matched yours as he turned and stomped down the steps rushing towards his own house.

Daryl

Holy shit she was perfect.

Good food, Great Whiskey, Perfect body. That dress…. He had never met anyone like her before, She hunted too. But a woman like that would never look twice at a man like him.

A dirty good for nothing redneck asshole, He didn’t even know why she had been so...so nice to him tonight.

Carol was waiting for him at the door. Puckering her lips at him she made a lip smacking noise “Kiss Pookie” She giggled.

“Shut up” He mumbled, heading straight for the stairs to the basement. He needed to be alone for a little while as he processed these thoughts. Locking the door behind him he took a few strides over to the bed and flopped down on it.

In the dark of the room the thoughts became more obvious. Throwing an arm over his face he groaned. From the second he had first seen her standing so beautifully in front of Aaron’s house he had a tightening in his stomach. He couldn’t have said no to her invitation if he tried.

If Merle had seen him tonight, Blushing like a love sick little girl, He would have had a right laugh, It was like he could hear his voice. “Oh Princess, Got a crush? Man up Baby bro, Go get that cooch”

Did she mean it when she asked if he could come again? He shook his head. She couldn’t have, she was just being nice. His mind couldn’t stop thinking of the way she smiled at him, The way her hair fell in front of her eyes when she laughed, The curves of her as she swayed in the doorway…. His pants were tightening at the thought. He would have to take care of that before he could fall asleep.

Imagining his hands were roaming her body he pulled his throbbing member free, He wouldn’t last long as he thought about her hands on him, While his hands roamed up those beautiful milky thighs. That beautiful mouth gasping for him.

God that did it, Groaning he let himself spill into his hand, Grabbing a rag at the side of him he wiped it from himself, Ashamed he turned over throwing an arm over his face before drifting into an undisturbed sleep at the thought of her.

Over the next few weeks he saw a lot more of Y/N, As they were the two best hunters in Alexandria they were often thrown together to head out of the walls.

Even in her half ruined Jeans and Walker splattered Shirt she was still gorgeous. On days like today when they’re outside the walls he noticed how her face changed from the strained smile to a relaxed free look in her eyes.

She was scanning the underbrush now checking the traps they had left the week before. He felt the blush on his cheeks when he realised he had been caught staring again.

“Everything okay?” She asked spinning around in a circle, her body tensing looking for the Danger.

He cleared his throat, “Yeah all good. Anythin in the trap?” Blush rising in his cheeks at being caught staring. After that they headed back to the town in comfortable silence, Walking side by side both carrying the day's hunt, Y/N stopping every few minutes to forage things on the way.

Once back inside the walls, She came with him to his house as they always did now Only stopping to share the hunt with Olivia to share around the town, Y/N spent a lot more time around him and his group. Seeming to slot seamless into their messed up dynamic.

Just like every night she helped Carol prepare the dinner while he retreated to the porch, Cleaning his bow and bolts, The door open letting her musical laugh wash over him as he worked.

He could have listened to her all day, Before long he forgot what he was meant to be doing and just closed his eyes, Head leaning back against the house, Fully relaxed for the first time being in Alexandria.

He groaned inwardly opening his eyes to see who was disturbing his peace.

“Hey…” Rick took a seat next to Daryl on the porch nudging his knee and pointing towards the house.

“Y/N been spending a lot of time here...What’s going on with that?” He asked, giving you a knowing look.

“Why yer asking me?” Daryl huffed. “Shouldn’ yer be askin her”

Rick sighed before giving him another knowing look. “I seen the way you look at her, You sweet on her?”

Daryl wasn’t sure how to respond because of course he was ‘sweet’ on her but there was no changing who he was, A beautiful woman like that could never be interested in him, So there was just no point admitting his feelings to his friend as he knew you would never reciprocate those feelings.

Just as he opened his mouth to reply your beautiful song filled voice broke interrupted at just the right moment. His heart pounding, blush spreading across his face as you smiled at him, He was grateful for the darkness to hide this from you.

As he stood he felt her fingers brush his arm as she gave him an inquisitive look.

Y/N

You felt the electricity hum between you as your fingers found his arm, You had both been taking as many opportunities as possible to get closer to each other, So grateful when you were partnered together to hunt.

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