#.... nevermind the command meeting. THIS is the worst moment of my life.

[ltgeorgehodgson]

Lieutenant.

If you obeyed my orders and did not view any recent posts of mine, you may burn this missive. In fact, I would encourage it.

If you have, though, disobeyed me— I owe you an apology. If this is the case, find me on the foredeck of Terror. I will be taking sextant readings. We should not be disturbed.

Sincerely meant,

F.R.M. Crozier

.... I did not mean to disobey you, sir. But enough people were talking about your posts that I felt.. obliged to view them, as it was concerning me.

...

I will.. be there presently, captain.

[bradenthompson]

The Starfield Experience: Crimson Fleet

Never before have I been so mixed on a video game. And that's really something, bc I'm a little shit who isn't happy with anything.

I thought, rather than attempt to "review" Starfield, I'm just gonna catalogue my journey through the respective faction questlines, culminating in actually doing the main story. To star: Space Pirates. Yo ho hohohohohohohohohohhoohoohohohohooohoohhohohhhohohhhhh

Of course it's a pirates life

so two things motivated me going evil mode: for one thing, I like pirates already. Second thing is feeling out the game's morality system. Are we getting Skyrim-style slaps on the wrist or can I be, if you will, the king of the pirates? I had been talking in some Discord, doesn't matter which one, about morality choices in video games, and decided, since I was agnostic to Starfield, I would stress test the system by being the worst guy possible. And the Crimson Fleet, the game's premiere bandit faction, promised to get me there.

The way you initiate this quest is kind of funny and also immediately disappointing. I can accept having to join up in some way other than asking the first pirate who doesn't immediately open fire, but... okay so like--

The first time I was arrested in Starfield (it can be for literally anything) instead of being taken to jail I was instead taken to the UC Vigilance, a giant space cop flagship, and interred under Commander Ikande. He made me a deal: rather than serve my sentence, I can instead become a dirty filthy stinky RAT. He wanted me to join up with the Crimson Fleet and find out whatever they're up to because they were apparently real excited about something. You can refuse him, and I guess proceed to jail, but I wanted to be a pirate anyway and accepted, planning on cutting Ikande off the moment I could***************

What sort of crime did I pull? Failed a pickpocket check. Intentionally. Because by then I had already killed like three people unnoticed, one of which out in broad daylight trying to get caught but New Atlantis clearly doesn't do "see something say something." By then I just wanted to see what jail looks like, man. Now I did pick the "Gangster" trait at the character creation, a background picked up by Ikande in dialogue. So that was cool. Idk what he brings up for players who didn't pick that. "Based on your failed attempt to steal a lollipop, I think you're just who we need to infiltrate the Turbo Murder Gang."

Turbo Murder Gang

The Crimson Fleet initiation was deceptively simple. I first meet up with first mate Naeva Mora. She sends me off to kill a Crimson Fleet deserter named Austin Rake. Zooming off to his location, I discover Rake had shacked up with a civilian ship. Boarding, I ask for Rake, they say they don't have him, I say I'm going to shoot everybody (evil character), they say "oh nevermind he's right here," he shoots everyone, and then I shoot him. Yo ho.

After that, Naeva decided I was one cold sonofabitch and invited me to The Key, Crimson's Fleet main hideout. Here I met their leader, Delgado, and realized terribly quickly that things were gonna be a lot less violent than I was anticipating.

Before setting you loose, and constantly as you report back to his bitch ass, Ikande urged me to avoid killing anyone. Seeing as he was a space cop, I ignored this. I'm about to join a gang of space pirates whose canned NPC text is twenty four variations of "hmm I think I'll have murder for dinner." Odds are slim we avoid violence.

Delgado's grand plan is finding the Space One Piece. Legend has it an old banking ship crashed out in wildspace some years ago, and the credits (bc we're in space) inside would set us up for life. It's very pirate-y to be hunting for treasure, okay, I get it. But space pirates? We'd be robbing a bank with extra steps. We're really building to a bunch of credits? This is not a game where money is hard to come by; half the NPCs are walking about with 1000 bucks minimum, and baby I'm running a pickpocket build.

ugh, fine, okay, treasure hunt. But I better get to plunder a few ships along the way.

Ice Planet with a bunch of bug enemies

(I didn't take any screenshots and couldn't find any online, so here's a picture of Greenland)

Our first mission was to go to the ice planet The Key orbits in order to find some leads on the ultimate treasure. This ice planet prison does lead to some lore on the Fleet, but man I was pitching a fit the whole time. I wanna plunderrrrrrrrrruh. Suffice to say my first impression of space pirate questing was not too exciting. All the enemies here are native bugs you gotta aim at the floor to shoot. Felt very wimpy, even when the big one showed up for a boss fight later.

But that's ignoring this quest's diamond in the rough, a man named Mathis:

He's also a Crimson Fleet initiate, just like me. When we landed on ice planet the game started feeding me all these dialogue options to antagonize Mathis. Unprompted, mind you. It's always trying to underhand me some bad guy options, and this time they were all "fuck Mathis" flavored. I thought it was funny, so I picked them every time. This got Mathis quite heated with me, and to put the candle on this filler episode birthday cake, Mathis and I found ourselves on the other side of a cave in, separated from the rest of the pirates. Here's when he dropped all the antagonism and immediately dealt me into his plan: kill Delgado. Why he wanted to do this, I still don't know. Why he would invite me in on the plan, even though we hate each other, I wish I knew. But I wasn't exactly loyal to Delgado, by any means. That, and when Mathis brought this up I started to turn around on the guy. Thought "wow, Mathis doesn't fuck around. Maybe he's alright."

From then on, Mathis and I were pals. We killed bugs, found sick gamer loot, and he was over the moon when I told (lied to) Delgado he was one hell of a pirate. Not that killing bugs in a space prison would prove this, anyway. But Delgado was happy with our work, and from then on we were Crimson Fleet bona fides (the way I'm pronouncing that is a secret, oohohohohoho). Soon after this, Mathis pulled me aside and suggested we drop that "killing Delgado" business. It was never brought up again. Still dunno if I would've gone through with it or not. Probably would've.

Siren of the Snores

(not my screenshot)

I haven't been super clear on what this ultimate treasure is, and I have to be now for any part of this next mission to make sense.

Kryx' Legacy is the name. All I knew at the start was it's a bunch of credits. Come to find out, Kryx is the founder of the Crimson Fleet and Legacy is the name of a GalBank ship lost in an unknown nebula. I said this earlier but I wanna be super clear right now. A high ranking GalBank executive, with the credentials needed to get inside the bank's archives (housing the final known location of the Legacy) is currently lounging on a big space yacht. This is the Siren of the Stars and my goodness is it a snoozer of a quest. And it shouldn't be! It's perfectly in line with my character build! Even so! Even sooo!!!

It's a whole process just getting to this executive guy. Gotta talk to all the patrons until one of them decides to tell you something useful. Then you talk to his mistress, then you talk to some third guy, then you talk to... whatever his name was. It's talking in circles with one--maybe two--persuasion checks. On one save, I went postal. Killed everyone on the stupid ship and got the info I needed. Only to discover my Crimson Fleet contact inside the ship, guy by the name of Rokov, got scared(?) and locked himself inside a room I couldn't open??? Sorry, Rokov the space pirate, is this not your speed?

Ugh. Loaded a save and did the quest orthodox. After one lap of this damn boat I was sick to death of it. Seven laps later I was thinking of quitting the Fleet. They talk a big game. You're in for life or you're dead, sucker. Or else what, Naeva? You're gonna send three ships at a time every six hours? Execute this (picture me flippin her the bird. Hell yea).

Quick thing about Naeva Mora: she gave me an optional goal in this quest. Steal an expensive award set with precious space diamonds. Only one woman on board had access to the award. But I, the silver tongued devil of the stars, was able to persuade her into giving me the key to the vault. You ask, how. How did you, a space pirate dressed in rags, convince a stuffy lady on an expensive pleasure cruise to just give me her multimillion dollar trinket? I don't know. This is the most absurd persuasion check in the game, so far.

From there I jetted over to New Atlantis and snuck my way inside the GalBank archives. There was less money to steal than you would think but I suppose this isn't the vault. Killed some mercs, got the location.

How are we doing on heist missions over here?

So we've got the location of the Legacy, but no way to get close. See, it's in a hazardous nebula that'd fry any normal ship that dares approach. The cynical man would assume the game's solution was some novelty ship part that protects from the nebula and has zero function outside of this questline. And sometimes cynics are correct.

We need the ComSpike, dammit! What's a ComSpike? I forget. Protects ships from bad nebula juju. I'm not knocking the story for details that I forget, to be clear. Nor was I happy that the pirates were sending me off on another secret heist. In fairness, I didn't have to do these missions the way the game suggested. I could go postal on every facility I'm told to infiltrate (more on that later). But because I was so oddly punished for doing so on the last quest, that led me to assume some approaches were preordained. The Crimson Fleet has connections to uphold (WHY).

Whatever. I go to New Atlantis and talk to Huan Daiyu, pictured above. She's a smuggler, owns a pretty cool ship called the Jade Swan (am I a bad person for predicting her ship would be called the Jade Something?). I'm gonna bum a ride to her next dropoff, dropping off myself and sneaking aboard a research station that just so happens to be working on that ComSpike technology. In the opening steps of this quest, I encountered the first real Bethesda Moment of this game.

Picture this: I'm on the intercom with Huan. She tells me I need to find a keycard to get to the next level of this station. In her dialogue, explicitly, she suggests picking someone's pocket. Well, you read my mind, Huan. Just so happens I've been dumping skill points into pickpocketing...

Imagine my deflation when I had checked every pocket in that damn storage room, only to find the keycard was on a table and only accessible by talking to multiple guards in a specific sequence. Let's be really nice and say not all of Huan's suggestions are going to work. Dynamic world, indeed! I'm gonna throw myself out the airlock!

Throughout the infiltration I was only answering Huan's calls to be nice. Couldn't trust one bit of advice from her after that. She's not a reliable source. So I throw on a security uniform, talk my way into the engineering bay, find the ship fitted with the ComSpike, and perform a high-precision shipjacking outta there. Not an ounce of booty plundered, not a doubloon to be seen. What a life, the pirate's life.

We have Night City at home

It only occurred to me in this mission. Something that should've occurred to me about three heist missions ago.

The NPCs in this game are so fucking mean, all the time.

It's not even prompted. Mathis, I get. I was busting his chops something fierce. But everyone else is just off rip "wassup dickshit, I'm Suzy Cosmonaut, and you're dirt on my boot. Hows about you go find a USB stick but hey don't forget to kiss my ass on your way out."

What am I supposed to do? I say something rude back. What, I'm supposed to take that? My dream was to fill my ship with my best buddies in the galaxy but I think I mostly hate all of these people.

Ugh. I fly off to Neon. Great city name, guys. This must be the criminal underbelly. Where do you think they shack up? The part of Neon literally called the Underbelly? And what do you suppose this crime syndicate is called?

Neon is a city built out of placeholder names. Indistinguishable from any cyberpunk town in all of fiction. Uninspiring place. One of my character traits is being from here, which is more embarrassing than the city I'm actually from irl. But fuck it, whatever, let's ride.

Estelle Vincent is my contact in Neon. She knows where I can find the schematics for the conduction grid the Fleet will need to access nebula space. But she won't give that info for free! Nothing comes cheap in Neon, baby!

I was in full Fuck It mode by this point of the questline. My promise for this quest was to kill everybody I could get away with killing (more, on, that, later). So when Estelle wants me to go talk to Generdyne executive Ayumi Komiko about gaining access to their computers, well... sorry Ayumi. Victim of circumstance.

After Ayumi was super dead, I stomped over to Generdyne with her access card and opened fire. Terrible scene, no survivors, yo-ho-ing all the way. One must imagine justice served somewhere in this--no doubt cancelled out by the rest of the carnage. But whatever. This is the piratiest I've felt so far. I shoot my way to the top floor, where the brother of the CEO just gives up the computer. Turns out he hates his stupid CEO brother and I should probably kill him too. Noted.

When I go to meet back with Estelle, that Generdyne CEO is sitting in her place. He offers me a deal to sell out Estelle, which I refuse. Estelle was my test subject, to see if I could make someone less mean to me by sticking my neck out. I lied and said it was all me, he didn't believe me, I put a shotgun to his temple and realized he's an essential NPC and cannot be killed. Party's over.

After this, would you believe it, Estelle did like me! I only had to sell myself out in her place and pay her like 9000 credits for like no reason. But I turned someone around. Now it was time to finally get me treasure.

The One Piece Is Real

I'm gonna bring this up now before I forget. Periodically, after every heist or so, I was instructed (by the quest markers, not anyone else) to report back to the UC Vigilance and Commander Ikande. Because this is also Point Break and I'm technically a government agent. Despite me showing no loyalty, lying to his face every chance I had, insulting him and his crew, and straight up shooting his flagship twice, I was Ikande's spy on the inside and expected to give report. The whole questline I was looking for outs. Some reason to cut these dorks off and go full pirate. To my knowledge, there's scarce ways of doing this. Won't say there isn't one, just nothing immediately obvious.

Until now.

I'm called to the bridge and Ikande's super pissed about my Neon killing spree. Just steaming mad. So mad he's ready to terminate this deal and send me to jail. I give his crew the rope-a-dope and run back to my ship, just barely shootin out of there. Exciting! Felt appropriately climax-ey, and it's genuinely cool that was a moment I could orchestrate with my own choices.

No time to lose. I'm off to Kryx' Legacy while the rest of the Fleet at the Key gets ready for the UC Vigilance to come knocking. Should've guessed I'd also be getting the ultimate treasure alone. This was so far the most impressive setpiece of the game. The thundering of the space lightning outside while I navigated the dead stranded spaceship was sufficiently immersive. I was immersed, for the first time in this game, and I was savoring this moment. The flashlight was on, people.

It's sci fi, so all this treasure is loaded onto an external hard drive. Look, I didn't need a big wooden chest with gold doubloons spilling out but I shouldn't be able to fit a bajillion dollars in my backpack. As soon as I have the treasure, the ship is critically damaged and I gotta skedaddle. I'm always down for a "flee the facility" type mission and this one delivers. Hop back in my ship, make just enough distance to avoid the magnificent explosion of the Legacy, and now all that's left is to get the gold home. Easily the best quest in the Crimson Fleet, no contest.

And now, the worst quest in the Crimson Fleet

angry emoji angry emoji devil horn emoji angry emoji

Right when I get back to the Key, Delgado tells me the UC Vigilance is knocking at out doors. It's now or never, them or us. Turns out, had I not burned that bridge earlier, I would've had the choice of fighting for either the space pirates or the space cops. My decision had been made hours ago, and that aforementioned bridge was aforementionably burnt. We're fighting for the pirates, gah dammit.

Oh my god

Who playtested this. Still riding in the starter ship, I was now tasked with fighting off like a half dozen ships double my level and working off WWII flying ace AI. I died, and I counted, nine times. Half of which in the first two minutes. oooooh, gamer rage. By attempt ten, and sorry for breaking my own immersion, by I jumped outta that part of space, over to a shipwright, and got my weapons upgraded along with a new shield. I could barely squeeze out a win with this boost. No I did not lower the difficulty because I shouldn't have to, dammit, and yes this put and impenetrable stank on the final leg of this questline.

One silver lining to all this: I'm a reincorporation loving person, and was delighted to see all those pirates I had worked with across the questline suddenly swooping in for the final stand. Cinematic stuff, I loved it. Mathis was there, Rokov was there (who?), Huan was there, Estelle was there. Even Adler Kemp was there. I didn't even mention him, he seemed so inconsequential. But he showed up! Love that sort of thing.

We in tandem blow away the auxiliary space cops (not for lack of gamer rage) and board the Vigilance to kill Ikande. High energy firefight, this. I'm constantly impressed by the number of players in any one fight, in this game. Back in the Skyrim xbox 360 days, I remember doing the civil war questline and going "wow, there's like twenty NPCs in this thing." In Starfield, that number's the standard. Truly next gen, amiright guys.

Me and my friends blow our way through the Vigilance, I spend like ten minutes looking for a healing item of some sort, free some prisoners, and eventually we're at the bridge. The game even leaves in some briefs moments where I can chat with all the friends[citation needed] I made along the way. Me and Huan high five. There wasn't an animation for this or anything, but I imagine we did a jumping high five. Excuse me for roleplaying. Me and Mathis bump hips.

At the bridge, and really I should've seen this coming, there's a dialogue with Commander Ikande. The honorable man he is, Ikande calls for his crew to abandon ship and plans to self-destruct the Vigilance with all of us on it. There's precious little time to talk him out of this, and scarce options for doing so. But I'm a gangster, and have exclusive ganger dialogue options. So I have the option of telling Ikande "hey, cancel the self destruct or we're gonna torture your crew," thinking this would open up more dialogue.

But he chickens out right here. Goes "okay, fine, I'll cancel it just don't hurt my crew." And like, dude. We've been hurting your crew. They're all dead, actually. This is the most empty threat possible in this situation and this disciplined space cop chief buckles at my first threat. What a guy. We take him prisoner and the Vigilance is ours. Supreme Victory.

I deeeeed it

Here comes my favorite part of any Bethesda questline epilogue. When all the celebration dialogue is exhausted and all the NPCs just start to aimlessly wander away, throwing out a few more canned "wahoo we did it" lines. It's a joy, I'm so glad Starfield still does this.

Delgado gets me my cut of the Legacy: 200k credits. This feels like a lot of money for this point in the game. I have seen ships that cost twice this, but it's a decent reward all the same. That, and I had picked up plenty of paychecks along the way, so my ultimate takeaway is bigger.

Best of all, Naeva doesn't think I'm lower than dirt anymore. She gives me a cool Crimson Fleet jacket and a room on the Key. I promptly placed one chair down in the dead center of the room. Home. Naeva's a classic NPC who talks a herculean game and does jack shit the whole questline. I warmed up to her.

With my new credits, I bought a Crimson Fleet Phantom ship, and hired my first crew member. Finding him piss drunk in the Key's bar, I threw my arm around the shoulder of good ol' Mathis and offered him a place on my ship. He agreed, now my best buddy and no longer wishing to kill Delgado. I also tried to get Huan on my crew, but I guess she's got her own thing going on. I wished her well, Mathis and I cleared out bounties, and we took off for our next adventure.

Crimson Fleet: In Conclusion

Pretty mixed on this. While there's a pretty strong ending despite the awful awful HORRIBLE ship battle, everything leading up to this felt distinctly un-pirate. As if the game wasn't comfortable with me going morally undercarriage. Odd stance to take, with the space pirate questline, but this is the studio that watered down the Dark Brotherhood (I said it). While the gameplay loop is showing me some promise, I was always feeling like I had to fight the game to play it my way. Maybe I take this as a lesson: I gotta commit to the type of character I wanna be. The game will attempt to lure me away, but I gots to be evil.

My next questline is the Freestar Rangers, and only because that's the first major one I was introduced to apart from the main quest. See ya there, I say shooting away in my new spaceship which you're gonna have to imagine.

[nothing-but-dreamy]

STUBBORN

Pairing: ADAM JENSEN x GENDER NEUTRAL!READER

Words: 1.733

Warnings: angst; mention of blood; fluff

Synopsis: Adam Jensen got shot and asks you for help but sometimes he is too stubborn because of the wrong reasons.

"Adam, please...", you said softly, reaching out for the stubborn man.

"No!", Adam hissed.

"Just.. just let me see your wounds.", you tried again.

"I said no.", Adam called out and looked at you with a stern expression.

"Well, okay, then, I will leave you alone, you idiot. But next time, if you need help, think twice if you really want to call me. Maybe I won’t be there anymore.", you said angry, asking yourself why he even called you when he acted like this then. You stormed to the front door, grabbing your things, keys, smartphone and jacket while you were raging with anger about this unrelenting man.

Adam watched you walking away. He knew you for more than six months. The two of you had met in the dog park where Adam was with Kubrick before the dog got back to Megan in Washington. Kubrick had toyed around with his old but beloved ball until he kicked the ball with one paw too far away. The dog ran after it and Adam after Kubrick but it was already too late. As Adam reached the dog, the ball had landed in the purse of someone, of you, who were sitting on a bench with a book. You looked bemused at the dog who was burrowing through your bag with his big head to find his ball.

And since then, Adam and you had met for coffee, you two had lunch together and you also could convince Adam to watch a movie in the cinema with you. He was a depressed mess after everything that had happened. Meg and the changes on his body… but you were able to drag him out from his rabbit hole and to let him feel more human again.

Your light friendship, your innocence and golden heart got through his tough demeanor. So, as he got shot earlier that day, the first thought that had struck his mind was you. Several times before, he had caught himself thinking about you. Maybe he already saw you as more than just a friend. But as you were there, in his apartment and as he saw how you looked at him with those big, innocent eyes, worries and fear written all over your face because of his wounds and his whole appearance with all the blood and dirt, he knew that he didn’t want to have you being a part in such a life. With him, you would always be worried…

The moment you reached the door, Adam snapped back to reality and grunted because of pain as he stepped forward slowly. He knew he had to make a fast decision or you would be gone forever because you stuck to your words, "Wait.", he whispered, pleadingly. For a second he feared it was too low but he could see how your hand stopped in the air over the doorknob, staying where you were to wait.

"I need your help.", Adam whispered a bit louder.

Hearing his weak voice caused you to turn around to meet his gaze, finally. You could tell that Adam was in pain. His breath was strained, his chest was moving unevenly and you were sure to see some beads of sweat on his forehead. Without another thought, you hurried back to him and that right on time. As you reached Adam he collapsed into your arms. You struggled with his weight but you were able to place him on his bed properly, "Hey, Adam, can you hear me? Adam?", you asked, kneeling in front of him with a concerned expression. With your hands on his face, you forced him to look at you.

Weakly, he opened his eyes and managed to meet your concerned glance with a soft smile, "I am fine.", he whispered low.

"Liar.", you said smiling. You were relieved to see that he was still awake, "What was the matter in the first place anyway to send me away after you had called me for help?", you asked to keep him awake.

Adam chuckled low and shook his head, "I... I realized that I don't want you to see me like this.", he admitted.

"Like what? Hurt?", you asked confused.

"Weak.", he whispered.

You looked surprised at him but you just shook your head about his ego and kept your mouth shut. The last thing that came to your mind when you were thinking about Adam Jensen was weakness. From the beginning, you were impressed by his presence. This tall, dark haired and mysterious man was for you the epitome of authority and strength. As he had called you for help, you were surprised that he trusted you this much. Mostly, as you saw that the help was because of two bullet wounds in his right shoulder, "Okay, come on, you have to help me a bit with this coat.", you commanded and Adam moved willingly.

He let you undress him piece by piece until there was just the black, well-fitting t-shirt left. Hesitantly, you grabbed some scissors to cut the fabric open because with the gunshots, Adam couldn’t undress it properly. You were happy that Adam couldn't see you or otherwise he would have seen your reddening cheeks.

Adam winced as you brushed across the wounds accidentally and you flinched quickly before you continued. As his upper body was naked, you let your eyes roam over his several augmentations. Most prominent were the shoulders and arms. He had told you about them, maybe to scare you or to see your rejection but it didn’t work this way. You were curious and now, where you had the sight in front of you, you were even more impressed. You were one of the few people who had no problems with augmentations and the people who would use them. You also saw those people still as human beings with a soul and not as cyborgs like others did. The next ten minutes, you were busy cleaning and examining the wounds, "Alright, I have one good and one bad news."

"One bullet is still in there, right?", Adam asked, panting for breath.

"Y-yeah.", you admitted, knowing what this meant.

"Then get it out.", Adam said quietly and already snatched a bottle of Whiskey from a spot next to his bed. He looked at the bottle, that was one important thing he didn’t want you to know: his coping mechanisms. His weaknesses. But now was not the right time for such thoughts. He knew it would be painful. Therefore he took a big gulp of the golden liquid and swallowed it slowly.

You stared at him in shock, "I- I can't.”, you breathed, “Adam, this will hurt a lot. You need to go to a hospital. I am not a doctor. I am just a vet."

"Just do it. I trust you. I can handle the pain, don’t worry.", Adam said serious after the next huge sip of alcohol.

You tried again to deny it but Adam just waited and you knew that you had to move quickly to get the bullet out. It was still possible that the projectile could move around and cause even more damage.

**

Ten minutes later, Adam, you and the bed were a mess. You got the bullet between your bloody fingers and you were sure, just for a split second, Adam had been passed out. You cleaned everything and patched him up.

As you walked from the bathroom back into the bedroom, Adam sat there on the rim of the bed, looking at you with a soft smile. He was totally exhausted but he was also smiling, "Thank you.", he said low, still breathing with some problems.

"Always, Adam. You just have to ask. Forget what I have said earlier. I was just angry. I’m always there if you need me.", you promised him.

"I guess you are the only friend I have left.", Adam said low and watched you with a mixed expression.

You stared him straight in the eyes and for a short moment you were brave enough to say what was on your mind, "Just a-", you stopped yourself as the courage left you again, "Nevermind. You need to rest. I will come tomorrow to see after you."

You were about to leave but Adam stood up and stopped you with his hand softly on your shoulder, "What was it you wanted to say?"

"I…,” you paused, something in his eyes told you to continue as if he was just waiting for a sign from you, “I don't want to be just a friend for you, Adam.", you said while avoiding his eyes. You couldn’t look into them in fear to see denial. The pause he created left you feeling humiliated and so, you just wanted to leave.

But Adam held you back once again, "YN, I... my life's a mess. Look at me. I am a mess. You deserve someone better. Someone who is easier to handle than I am. You deserve a normal man.", this time, Adam needed a moment to look you in the eyes. He was afraid of what he could see. The worst thing would be if you would even agree with him in the end.

"I don't want any other man. In my eyes, you are perfect.", you whispered and looked straight into his eyes to underline the meaning of your words and your seriousness.

"You really think that about me?", Adam whispered insecurely but with a small smile. Hope was kindled in him.

"Yes. I always did.", you answered truthfully with a nod while Adam watched you with a stern, unreadable expression. You began to feel uncomfortable under his intense glance but before you could say anything, he brought you closer with one arm around your waist and tangled the fingers of his other hand carefully with your hair.

He paused and looked into your eyes but then, he just kissed you slowly and passionately without a second thought. All doubts were gone. He had made his decision. You melted against Adam and snaked your arms carefully around his middle to bring him closer. The kiss became even stronger until both of you were panting for air. While Adam rested his forehead against your, you were just standing there in the middle of his apartment, smiling softly at each other while thick droplets of rain were drumming against the windows.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Clarice Starling

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(I forgot that I had a crush on like literally everyone in this movie. Yes, even Buffalo Bill.)

- You met Clarice while attending the same university. She was a long ways from home and needed a cheap place to stay so when she saw your name and address on the University bulletin asking for a roommate, she was keen on taking you up on your offer.

- She called you from the schools payphone that same day and you invited her over straight away, taking an instant liking to her the moment she arrived. The deal was made quickly and soon enough, she was moving her things into your little apartment.

- The two of you became fast friends and before you knew it, you felt as though you’d known her your entire life. Over time, things escalated from there. A special look here, a lingering touch there, a resentful expression while looking at each other’s dates; your friendship was beginning to change form, becoming something far greater than what you once thought it was.

- You’d been friends for a good number of months before something of great value actually happened. The two of you had just finished eating dinner together and were washing up the dishes and cooking utensils. She’d flicked water at you and you’d flicked a little back.

- This little game of yours went on until you were practically soaked, the floor wet beneath your feet. When you moved, you slipped and lurched forward, laughing hysterically alongside her as she caught you by the arms. You opened your eyes after a hard burst of laughter, joyful tears blurring your vision momentarily before your eyes focused and realized how close the two of you were.

- Both your laughter died down slowly as you remained somewhat hunched, her grip on your arms not loosening, unwilling to let you go. Before you knew it, you were both leaning forward and, with hesitance, you connected your lips. It was soft, gentle, experimental; it felt right, felt normal, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

- As you pulled away, you weren’t sure what to say. What do you say to your friend who you just kissed? Nevermind the fact that she was a girl, not exactly normal in your day and age, now was it?

- Even so, you couldn’t deny that you’d felt something between you, your lips pressed against one another’s. Without even thinking, the two of you leaned in once more and remained that way for a long moment.

- You have your first date at a bar and grill. To the outside world, you’re just two friends having a good time but you know better. If anyone were to look closely, they’d see the look in your eyes as you gazed across the table at each other.

- She asks if you’re together as you drive home from your third date and it doesn’t take you long to respond. She smiles at you for a moment before her eyes move back to the road and you just admire the way the streetlights bathe her face in neon colors.

- Because of her line of work and the fact that you’re relationship that isn’t exactly looked upon as being normal, she likes to keep pda down to a minimum or nonexistent. She wants to make sure you’re safe, she doesn’t know what she’d do if you got hurt for being close to her 

- Long and gentle kisses. 

- Forehead kisses. 

- Hug from behind. She likes to lean her chin on your shoulder or press her cheek into your back, depending on your height. 

- She likes little trinkets. She mainly just likes having things since for a while, she really had little to nothing. A bracelet, a figurine, a box of ornate buttons; doesn’t really matter what it is. 

- Getting called darlin and sugar. They just feel natural coming off of her tongue. 

- You call her “birdie” on account of her name. She rolls her eyes but deep down she thinks it’s cute. 

- She can be particularly charming when she wants to be which usually corresponds with her complimenting you and hugging you from behind. 

- She’s pretty much up for anything when it comes to dates; she's really not picky. Want to go out to eat? See a movie? Go roller skating? It’s all fine by her. 

- Going out to dinner together. Your dates can range from an upscale restaurant to a comfy diner to a bar and grill; it all just depends on the mood.

- She likes fun dates: carnivals, bowling, arcades, amusement parks. She didn’t get to do a lot of it as a kid so she’s started to make up for that lost time, with you by her side of course.

- Getting ice cream together. The two of you will usually buy some and take a nice walk together. 

- Going jogging together. It sucks to  get up early in the morning but at least you get an extra hour with her before she leaves for work.

- There’s nothing better than showering together after a long day at work, washing each others hair and skin gently as you try to relax. 

- She’s a shorty, standing at just 5′3, and spends most of her day having to act all tough so it’s nice to come home and be babied a little. You think it’s cute to watch her melt in your arms.

- She likes being the little spoon whenever the two of you cuddle. 

- She wears a lot of comfy sweaters so she’s pretty much always soft to the touch and since they’re big on her, you can usually fit into all of them. 

- Late night conversations. 

- Calm evening together. Her days can get pretty hectic so sometimes it’s nice to just wind down at home with you.

- Curling up on the couch with some ice cream and a comedy movie/sitcom playing on your tv.

- Sometimes, she’ll come home and just pull you into a desperate kiss, pulling off her jacket and pinning you against the walls of your apartment. 

- Kissing bruises. 

- Flat tire? She’s got it taken care of. Leaky faucet? She’s got it taken care of. Lightbulb need changing? Just let her know. She’s been pretty much alone her whole life so she’s had to learn how to take care of things herself and not rely on people. 

- She probably installs, or gets someone else to, a security system, “just in case” she tells you. 

- Going grocery shopping together. She likes to get out of the house and run little errands with you, it’s a nice break from her wild life. 

- Zipping up each others dresses and clasping each others necklaces. 

- Goofing off with each other. She’s serious all day, she’s glad she can come home and be a dork with you. 

- Dancing together, whether it’s slow dancing or just sliding around on your kitchen tiles. 

- Polaroid photos of the two of you scattered across your apartment. 

- Standing with your arm around her shoulder and her arm around your waist. 

- She craves your praise and affection. She takes whatever you’re willing to give. 

- Sometimes, after a particularly crazy day/week, she’ll thank you for sticking around and putting up with her insane life. You’ll just kiss her and tell her that she’s not gonna get rid of you that easily. 

- Being there to congratulate her when she gets her badge.

- She hides it fairly well but she does get jealous, certainly not often but not rarely. She can keep her composure but there’s an underlying hostility to her and her words are slow, carefully chosen. 

- Obviously, she’s incredibly intelligent and good at solving problems so if you have one, she’ll have a way to fix it. Just ask her for some advice and she’ll figure out what to do, you’ll never have to worry. 

- Helping her study and train. You mainly just read from a list of commands she needs to learn and let her tell you what they are. 

- Tight hugs after a rough day at work. Sometimes she just wants to be held in silence and you’re more than willing to oblige. 

- Listening to her recount tales of her early childhood fondly. You’re pretty much the only one she shares her stories with. 

- Comforting her she has one of her nightmares.

- She’s extremely protective of you. She’s seen some of the worst things that could ever happen to a person and she doesn’t know what she’d do if anything even close to the things she’s seen happened to you. 

- You don’t fight very much at all, she’s pretty good at remaining calm and the two of you pretty much just get along perfectly fine. If you have an issue, she’ll talk with you about it very calmly before it becomes a whole big fight. 

- She isn’t above apologies. She’ll tell you she’s sorry or do something to show that she is. You mean too much to her for her to hold a grudge against you so she’ll accept your apologies with little fuss. 

- She says “I love you” quite often. She doesn’t have many people in her life so you mean a lot to her and she wants you to know it. 

- Being the ambiguously gay neighbors™.

- After a rough few years, she’s finally content. She may be in a rough line of work but she has you by her side and that’s enough for her. 

[ticklikeabomb]

Birth in Reverse - Part 8 (Finale)

Pairing : Plus size Reader x Bucky Barnes ; Nadia (twin morphed into Y/N) x Thor

Warning : Language, Angst, Death of Character

Word Count : 1.7k

She couldn't sleep that night, several emotions crushing through her. The day spent with Pepper was nice but Nadia still felt out of place. Physically, emotionally and mentally. The fact she hasn't heard from you since the mission made her tense and stress even more. 'Y/N? You there', she whispered in the partially lit room. No response. 'Come on please. I…I nee… nevermind', she sighed. Standing up, she put on a sweatshirt and headed to the compound's kitchen. She stopped before entering, feeling a presence in the room. "It's just me", his voice filled the place. She entered and saw Bucky. "Can't sleep either?", he asked and saw her shake her head. "Yeah me neither. You want some hot chocolat?", he asked. "Is it good?", you asked intrigued since you never had it. His eyes locked with yours, a hint of pain crossing his. "It's the best", he replied a small smile crossing his features. He served her a mug before serving himself. "Thanks", she mumbled. "You're welcome." "I'm going to the roof, you wanna join?", she asked him. He nodded and followed her, taking place on one of the couches, the warm beverage battling the night's colder breeze. 

She broke the silence and told him, "I get why she likes you so much. You're a pure soul, peaceful. You have that sort of hypnotic vibe going on, attracting everyone when you arrive in a room." His eyes widened at her words, shocked at her description. He never thought that of him, always seeing himself as a damaged man, the murderer unworthy of second chances. "Wow…I ehm thank you I guess", he stuttered. Nadia chuckled and confirmed, "Like I said pure soul." You both continued sipping on the excellent chocolat. After a while she told him, you weren't reaching out to her for a while now. "There's one thing I would like to try and see if she comes back but I don't know if it's a good idea", exclaimed Nadia nervously. "Tell me maybe I can help", he leaned forward concerned. "I want to provoke her feelings by…kissing you." "What?"

"Maybe if I kiss you, she'll come back", Nadia told him and looked at his reaction which was between shock, concern and uncertainty. "Look if you don't want to, I'll try something else", Nadia stood up about to leave back inside. Before he could protest, Bucky's body jerked up and asked her to wait. She turned around and looked at him, seeing him nod. She put her mug down and stepped closer, her lips inches from his. Their breath fanning each other's faces. A second later, Nadia closed the gap and caught Bucky's lips with hers. Bucky felt the difference, even if it was the same body. Her’s was raw, fiercer, desperate while yours was sweet, slow, passionate. The kiss got feverish, Bucky's hands squeezing her hips when suddenly she jerked off him and slapped herself. 'BIIIITCH HOW DARE YOU?'

"Y/N? Finally", chuckled Nadia out of breath. 'WTF??' "It was the only way to get you back. Why did you stop interacting", asked Nadia desperately. 'Why you kissing my man? You are in so much trouble ! HE IS TOO!'. Nadia turned to Bucky and told him what you just said and saw his Adam Apple bubble up and down. "Sorry", he mumbled under his breath. 'YOU WILL BE', your angry thoughts surfacing your shared mind. "I'm gonna go", said Nadia and headed to your room. "Why have you been MIA?", she asked you. 'I didn't want to interfere'. She shook her head not understanding, "Interfere in what? I don't get it". 'On you getting a life, having a chance for happiness', you replied with a small but firm voice. "Oh", she breathed out, not expecting that. She felt her eyes getting wet and declared with a shaky voice, "I can't be happy if there is a missing part in it. I - I can make it if you're not in it. We're sisters. We're connected for the best and the worst." Your body began to tremble, too many emotions crossing your souls. You spent the rest of the night figuring a way out of cohabitation without one or the other let go. 

——

"Just a sec", shouted Nadia across the room. She was finishing doing her hair when the knocks on her room door echoed. She reached the handle and opened, facing Happy. He presented a bag to her and told her it was from Pepper. She thanked him and went back in the room. Inside was a note saying 'The party won't be the same without you in this dress' and Nadia reached the dress in question. It was the one she tried on during the shopping spree with her aunt. 'That's nice of her', you said. Nadia nodded amazed. She put it on and looked at herself in the miroir, feeling beautiful. 'They're not ready', you said amusement laced in your voice. "Hell no they aren't", smirked Nadia. The next firm knocks told Nadia that Thor stood behind the door. It was their official first date. They wanted to keep it among the compound and that's how they decided one of Tony Stark's parties would be the best. Not a traditional first date and probably not the most romantic one but you were beyond that at this point. When he saw her/you his eyes sparkled. "You look ravishing Lady Nadia." 

"Please just Nadia and you look amazing too", she commented flirty. He presented his arm and accepting it, they joined the others at the party. They spend the night chatting, dancing and laughing with the team. You and Nadia never felt so much love in a room, wherever it was amicably or romantically. Eventually the party ended and Thor insisted in bringing Nadia to her room. "I've had the best night ever, thank you Thor", she told him. "The pleasure was all mine." Their eyes kept switching between their lips while closing the gap between each other. When their lips collided, Thor's lighting prickled Nadia's skin deliciously. They kissed like there was no tomorrow : wild, passionate, desperate. When they disengaged, Nadia felt her hand tickle and her eyes widened. "Oh no", she whispered before her hand smacked Thor in the face. 'Payback's a bitch !', you exclaimed amused. Nadia caressed Thor's face and apologized. "Sorry long story. Y/N says hi." He frowned but smiled that dorky smile of his and shook his head, "No problem I understand that Lady Y/N's heart is on someone else." Nadia bit her lips from smiling so hard and kissed him once more before telling him goodnight and head inside her room. 

It's been two days since the party and Nadia tried to share her time between Bucky and Thor. You were in the middle of training when Fury called an emergency meeting. He told the team, they were seeking a Hydra attack bigger than they ever had. Everyone was called on the mission and suited up as quickly as possible. Hydra managed to infiltrate two severely protected nuclear weapon sites. It turns out some of the commanders were Hydra members. The team was split in two to cover both of the sites. You/Nadia were with Bucky, Thor, Tony, Wanda, Vision, Rhodes and Peter while Steve, Sam, Natasha, Bruce, Scott, Tchalla, the Dora Milaje army on the other. 

"Be safe people", commented Tony through the comms. Nadia, Bucky and Thor all shared a look. And the fight began ; the order taking out every Hydra agent without mercy and at that you were the best. You all fought for what felt like hours. You ended up in the room here the nuke was being prepared for launch. "Get away from that controller", she screamed at the man, who only laughed loudly. "Make me", he challenged her. She groaned in rage and ran towards him. She quickly disarmed him and killed him. She heard the panel light up and saw the building's roof open up. She tried to stop the countdown and was succeeding when the sound of shoots echoed in the room. She reached out to her stomach and saw her hands filled with blood. It all came like a violent wave crushing her, she fell on her knees. Bucky and Thor entered the room, their faces screaming horror. They saw the previous hidden Hydra agent stand behind her and pull the trigger one last time. The last thing she remembered was them. One final good thing before the grand ending. 

Bucky ended by tacking the member out while Thor fried the panel's system. They turned her around, her pulse weakly bumping their final moments. "Stay with me Y/N, please. You can't leave me", cried Bucky. "Nadia, my queen keep fighting. Please don't go", echoed Thor same feelings. The last thing you felt was levitation and then blackness. 

You woke up, your face sweaty, gasping for air. "Good Lord you scared the hell out of me", you heard beside you. You turned your head and saw Nadia sitting beside you, a worried expression on her face. "Nadia", you whispered in shock. You touched her arms and copped her face in disbelief "You're here with me." "Ok you're starting to really freaking me out. Chill, you fell asleep on the desk", she replied her brows still frowning. "You had a nightmare?", she asked. You looked around and found yourself in the college room where you had the bomb vision. Lost, you declared "Yeah I think I did but not everything was terrible." A man in his 50 entered the auditorium and began his speech. "You ok? ", whispered Nadia in your ear. You nodded and quickly replied that it just felt so real. 

"I have the pleasure to introduce to you the Avengers who kindly passed by to share some advices with you", said the Dean making the room roar in anticipation. You saw every member of the team enter, the team that you were still a member of a few minutes ago. Your eyes landed on Bucky while you heard Nadia's sneaky comment about Thor, "He yummy". You couldn't keep your eyes from him and he must have sensed it because they lock with yours. He frowned slightly and you truly knew that all of it was only a dream. Feeling caught, you fixed your eyes at the window waiting for the bomb to explode the building but it never happened. It was just another (bitter)sweet summer day. 

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[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 24

Last time: Lan Fan gave Bradley a hand, May finally showed up again but at the worst time possible, and Gluttony did some home redecorating. Onwards!

Looks like Envy’s having a snack. Or dropping food off? Oh! Doctor Marcoh, you’re alive! Ergh, but he’s a sacrifice candidate, being kept prisoner by the Goths in case their Protagonist prospects don’t work out. Aha! Called it! Way back when Hughes was investigating, he was hunched over a map with circles, I said that the Goths were going to make a giant TC like Mr. Freeze did in the first episode. Only this won’t be limited to just one city, but the entire country. Wait, what? “So close, not quite. But you’re on the right track.” If that’s not their plan, then what is? Envy you jerk, threatening Marcoh’s village if he doesn’t cooperate with them. Although it’s kinda a lose-lose scenario for the Doc: Refuse to aid the Goths and his village is destroyed, help the Goths and the entire country including the village gets the ax. Envy taunts Marcoh for not doing the “logical” thing, saying humans put emotions before common sense, like- [Envy]: “I killed a man who was like that once. All I had to do was make myself look like his wife, and he was helpless. He couldn’t even fight me.” Yeah you can just shut up right now. Episode 24 - “Inside the Belly” In Central Bradley’s taking a nighttime stroll when wait what’s this? [Pride]: “The humans seem to be giving you quite a bit of trouble lately, don’t they… Wrath. Hm?” Hello, we’ve got a new Goth? The last of the Seven Deadly Sins, in fact! Sounds like a kid. Pride seems curious that Wrath is in a good mood, the Fuhrer is actually sounding kinda wistful, saying that as powerful as he is and how things have gone according to Father’s plan the Protagonists still have them “scrambling in circles.” I’m getting some Worthy Opponent vibes from Bradley here, he actually talks about moving over for the younger generation. Huh! But Pride chides him for his foolishness, that Father could see such comments as treason. Setting aside this new Goth for now, we’re back at the country house where Riza’s looking in shock at Gluttony’s new doorway. Yikes ok, Gluttony’s gotten a bit of a power transformation, you may wanna step back and let the Alchemists deal with this one Lieutenant. Ling grabs Lan Fan while Mustang musters the others to attack; despite the effort it took to catch Gluttony he’s free now and knows their identities, they can’t let him escape. Mustang casts Fire!... and Gluttony just swallows it and burps. Uh oh.

[Ed]: “Hey, that worked well!” [Roy]: “Think you can do better? Be my guest!” Into the forest, split up! Gluttony’s still after Mustang, but Riza’s caught up and is distracting it with headshots. Oof, but Roy’s injuries from Lust are acting up, good guys don’t get healing like the Goths do. Goths r OP, plz nerf. Doc (the military one, not Marcoh) is going to drive the Xinglings out of there, but there’s a red-eyed dog watching? A Goth chimera? Uh, Roy? Roy, Gluttony is right behind you, you may wanna move Roy you need to move now Oh! Phew, Roy sacrificed his coat for a decoy, the gang’s all at the car now. The Elrics toss “the invalid” in, saying that he’d just get in the way with his current injuries. Besides, there’s that whole “Our Supreme Leader is a Goth” thing, Roy might want to get on that. The Elrics and Ling are staying behind to get what they can out of Gluttony. Riza holds out one of her pistols for Ed, Al says oh for- seriously?! Not getting into the Gun Debate here, but regardless of killing people/protecting your lives we’ve seen what guns can do to Goths (jack all), better to just use Alchemy… ah. Ok, I get it now. [Flashback!Ed to Winry]: “It’s your hands… They weren’t meant to kill.” This is more than just taking a weapon, it’s taking the responsibility. Second Rule of Firearms, after all; “Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.” As powerful an Alchemist as Edward is, he’s never done anything more than injure enemies and scare them off, I don’t think he’s even ended another life. But that may not be an option with Gluttony. Edward Elric takes the gun. Ling tells Riza to look after Lan Fan, and the three run into the forest. Back to Gluttony and his Eraser Gun, no way our heroes are going to be able to face him head-on. So what’s the plan? Apparently step one is to cower behind some trees sweating nervously and having second thoughts. [Ling, master of the understatement]: “He seems to be a bit angry.” Rustling in the bushes? Ominous music?

Wait, what?!

Aw crap, it’s Envy. Ed is immediately on the offensive after yet another “pipsqueak” comment, Envy… doesn’t want to fight? Just here to get Gluttony back? Ah right, they’re still holding out on Roy or the Elrics being their Sacrifice, Envy’s gotta get Gluttony back under control before he harms potential resources. And with two Goths now, I’m thinking they might just have to let them go. At least Ling’s been able to identify Envy as another Goth with his Homunculus-Sense, he can- run away as fast as he can, since he doesn’t have the same Potential Sacrifice protection that the Elrics have. But hey, the Goths aren’t allowed to hurt the Elrics, which they take full advantage of to separate the two. Ling v Envy and Elrics v Gluttony, go! Aw, cute family time at the Fuhrer’s, he’s having dinner with his wife and (adopted) son. We keep cutting between them and the Goth fights, and dammit I keep waffling on Bradley. Despite what this kid thinks, he is not a good man, he has killed Leto-knows how many people for whatever this plan of Father’s is, including poor Martel. But out of all the Goths, he seems to be the most human. Back to the fight, crud Ling’s been caught by Envy’s transformation abilities no wait nevermind he just kicked Envy’s ass. Respect to the Xing Prince! Meanwhile on the Elric’s side all Gluttony can do is dodge and whine about how he can’t eat them. Until they get tossed into the wall uh oh Ling you may wanna run. Ok no you’ve still got time Envy’s on the ground finish them- Wow. Envy, you’re a jerk. Taking Lan Fan’s form to make him hesitate? Rude. And aw crap Gluttony’s here Ling’s not looking- WHAT NO WHAT THE FUCK Ok so Gluttony prepared his Eraser Gun for Ling but Ed jumped in to grab him which freaked Envy out so he reached out to grab Ed but then Gluttony attacked and the beam erased Al’s left hand but Ling and Ed are gone and all that’s left of Envy is a dissipating lower torso. Gluttony’s gone quiet, saying that he swallowed them and can’t let them out. What. Um. Are we looking at a Kamina situation here? Is this what’s happening? We’re back in town now, Lan Fan’s set up at the Doc’s house (and is having to deal with the whole arm-loss thing now), Roy and Riza are heading back to Command despite Doc going full McCoy on them. But Roy’s not about to sit back and do nothing after leaving children behind to fight. Seems the first step is for Roy to meet up with the local General (Raven), who has a reputation as a General who takes care of his troops. They get to chatting and take a walk, Roy tests the waters by saying there’s a street rumor that the Fuhrer is a Homunculus. Raven just laughs at Roy’s poor sense of humor, drags him along to tea with- uh oh. Aw, crap. Crap crap crap! Roy just got put in front of what I gather to be the top dogs of the military, and General Raven prodded him to tell them his “little joke” while looking pointedly at the poor Colonel. What the Leto dude, I actually liked you! Ok, so- [THIS FUCKER]: “What, Colonel Mustang? Cat got your tongue?” SHIT. “Let’s suppose for a moment that I was actually a Homunculus as you say. Well now… would that be so bad?” Yyyyyeah… this ain't good. [Roy, in a bad spot]: “Well, Fullmetal, it looks like we’ve landed ourselves in the pit of hell.” [Ed, in another bad spot]: “Where in the hell am I?!”

[storyknitter]

“To you, Master Jedi.”

Hey, so remember when I wrote this angsty mini-fic and then @commanderlurker asked if Sanna ever found Theron’s drunken “I miss you, but you’re dead” message? (The answer’s “yes,” by the way. She totally did.)

21 ATC

Soft footfalls approached the War Table, where Theron studied the data retrieved from the Star Fortress formerly above Belsavis. A small smirk crept onto his face, recognizing Vassanna before she even spoke. “Hey,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “What's up, beautiful?”

The endearment was still a bit clunky on his tongue, but her reaction was worth any awkwardness he might have felt: A flush crept into her cheeks and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

“This hasn’t worked since they rescued me, and Lana said you might be able to help. Apparently,” she said, an impish grin lighting up her face, “I'm not the only one who reacted poorly to carbonite.”

His heart stopped at the reminder of how he'd almost lost her a second time, before he'd even had a chance to see her, hold her, kiss her again. He shoved the memory of those dark days aside and did his best to focus on Sanna: she was holding out a small, banged-up holocomm, an expectant look on her face, that smile of hers doing things to his lungs.

Dammit, he couldn't breathe when she did that.

“I’m not sure exactly how much can be retrieved or salvaged,” she said, “but I had some old messages saved that I’d really like to keep. If it’s possible, of course.”

Theron smirked and raised an eyebrow as he took the comm, trying to recover his balance. “What?” he asked, feigning disbelief as his fingers brushed hers. “A sentimental Jedi? Not possible,” he said, shaking his head.

Hurt ghosted over her features and Vassanna slipped on her Jedi mask. “Nevermind, it’s fine.” She reached for the comm, but he tightened his grip.

“I never said I wouldn’t do it,” he said, holding the comm above his head. “I was just giving you a hard time.”

She eyed him warily and he immediately regretted his retort – this must be more important to her than he’d thought.

“I’ll understand if it can’t be done. I won't hold you responsible if it never turns on again.”

“I’ll do my best, Vassanna. I promise.” And he meant it, even if he had to stay up all night to make it happen.

Sanna thanked him with a smile so bright it took his breath away again.

–––

That evening, Theron sat at the new desk in the Commander's quarters, pieces of holocomm and wires littering the space, and stretched the kinks out of his neck. He'd found the problem – a broken connection or four – and had finally managed the repair after cannibalizing parts from his spare datapad. The comm itself wasn't fit for daily use, especially with the days that Sanna always seemed to have, but as long as she didn't toss it around, message playback was possible.

Well, theoretically. He hadn't tested it out, but found himself hesitant to invade her privacy by going through messages deemed important enough to save during her years as a Jedi. Justifying the need to snoop (he had to be sure it worked properly after all), he chose a file at random, pressed play, and found himself face to face with an older Mirialan male covered in tattoos, his features pulled into a smile.

There was something familiar about his eyes...

"Happy birthday, Sanna," the man said in Mirialan. Theron's implants translated for him and he froze, curiosity warring with his conscience – he'd started calling her 'Sanna' after a few weeks on Odessen and hadn't ever heard anyone else use it as a nickname.

“I don't know where you are or what you're up to,” the man continued, "but I wish you many happy returns. I do hope you're enjoying this beautiful day with your crewmates. Here, the sun is shining, the winds are singing softly, and we're having your mother's sweetcakes in your honor tonight. But don't worry, Star-Blossom: I'll be sure to sneak one into the freezer for you. Though you know they only last for so long, so hurry home. We miss you, daughter, and–"

Theron turned off the message abruptly and glanced at the file's date. After a bit of mental math and cross-referencing her history, he realized this message was from when she was... off the grid. Vitiate's thrall, his mind supplied helpfully, his stomach twisting as he remembered her quiet, shame-filled confession just before she'd gone off to Wild Space.

Missed birthday greetings from the family she loved, while she was going through one of the worst times of her life – no wonder she had wanted to save some of these messages.

“How goes the surgery, doctor?” Sanna's voice came from the door and Theron startled, so lost in his own thoughts that he had missed her arrival. “Were you able to save the patient?”

The hope on her features did something funny to his stomach – he wanted to give her the galaxy on a string, to make her smile, to never disappoint her. What the hells was wrong with him? Focus Shan, he thought, irritated.

“Yeah. Yeah, I did, actually,” he said, trying to play it cool. “I wouldn't recommend taking it on any more missions, though – it's too fragile. I think leaving it on the desk is best.”

Vassanna gave him that damned smile again and before he could blink, she was in his arms, squeezing him close, her face buried in his chest.

“Thank you, Theron.” She glanced up, blinking away wetness at the corner of her eyes. “So much. I–”

Unwilling to see her cry, he kissed her, his hand curling behind her neck to hold her close. She tasted like caf and something sweet – juna berries, maybe – and the smell of her shampoo wafted past him. When he pulled away, he nuzzled her nose and excused himself, fabricating a meeting to give her some time alone with her precious memories.

He'd gotten as far as the War Room when something prodded at the back of his mind – he was forgetting something, something important. Then it came to him: the remnants of his extra datapad. He'd left a mess of connectors, processor parts, and wiring all over her desk, but he didn't think Sanna would mind too much. Just to be safe, he sent a quick message letting her know he'd tidy up the desk when she was done.

–––

After an hour or so, Theron arrived back at the Commander's rooms (which were also his, at this point, though it still seemed a bit odd), dinner for them both in hand. He knew she hadn't eaten dinner yet and was willing to wager good credits that she'd skipped lunch, too.

Knocking with the toe of his boot, the door slid open on its track and he saw Sanna sitting at the desk, entranced by a recording, her arm slowly drifting back to her side after opening the door for him with the Force. She met his gaze over her shoulder and stood up, her features unreadable – some combination of shock, regret, and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Had she been crying? As she crossed the room, he saw a blue-tinged image of himself projected above the desk, a half-empty whiskey glass raised in salute and grief plainly etched on the hologram's features.

Shit.

Shit shit shit. He'd completely forgotten about that comm message. How drunk had he been that night?

Theron had no time to feel embarrassment or to worry about what she thought: Sanna took his face in her hands and pulled him to her, capturing his lips with a kiss – hard, demanding, desperate – as though trying to make up for lost time. Their sandwiches fell forgotten to the floor as he slid his fingers into her hair, loosely pulled back in a braid, and returned the kiss.

Breathless moments later, she leaned back, meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry,” she gasped out, eyes shining with emotion. “I’m so sorry. I should have been more careful. I promised you I would and then–”

Shaking his head, Theron gently rested a thumb on her lips. “Stop. It's...” It wasn't okay, but it wasn't completely her fault. And to be fair, he knew – he had known in his heart before she even left for Wild Space, before Ziost and Yavin – that she would have done everything she could to protect people, including sacrificing herself.

His stomach twisted, aching, and his head swam as though it were five years ago and Rineth Nabeshin had just shared Sanna’s parting words to him. Hells, he couldn't do this. The air in the room disappeared and he was drowning.

Five years. Five years. How had he made it so long? And how had he let himself get so wrapped up in one person, to begin with? And a Jedi, no less. An attachment-avoiding, logic-driven, practical, and self-fucking-sacrificing Jedi.

Well, maybe that description wasn't entirely accurate: she had been close with her family (before being trapped in carbonite, at least), saved old messages, and cared for people – cared for him.

A thought struck him, one that had crossed his mind any number of times since he’d met Master Vassanna Nabeshin – Hero of Tython and Upright Paragon of the Jedi Order – all those years ago:

“I’m so screwed,” he murmured as he pulled Sanna close. She was soft and sweet when he kissed her and, gods help him, this felt so damned right. She might be an optimistic, overly forgiving, stupidly self-sacrificial Jedi, but she was his optimistic, overly forgiving, and stupidly self-sacrificial Jedi, dammit.

And he didn’t plan on letting her go any time soon.

[thedistantstorm]

Day 18: “Secrets? I love secrets!”

Fandom: Destiny

Pairing: Zavala/Female Guardian

Warnings: mild sexual content, alcohol use, one unhappy, over-bribed Lilith

-/

Miyu belches by way of greeting, Shaxx whacks her on the back with a thick hand, and they both laugh heartily. "Sid'down, Lillie," She gestures to the empty seat beside her with a slosh of her mug. "Nightss only getting started."

Lilith-2 almost wonders for a moment if she's going to blow a bulb in her optics. This is not the strict, gentle teacher she trains with nearly every morning. This warlock is flushed with a pretty blush, doe-eyed and flailing wildly for Lilith to join her.

Miyu is plastered.

This is going to be so much fun, Lilith thinks.

(And it is, until it really, really isn't.)

-/

 "When I was her age-"

"No," Miyu looks like she's slapped Shaxx, but it's very unlikely he's even felt it. Or, if he did, he likely enjoyed it. Lilith can't tell. "Don' finish that. You're a bad influence."

"Bad influence?!" Shaxx bellows in Miyu's face. "I'm a bad influence? You've drank half the bloody bar dry and I'm the bad influence?"

"You're not recounting the Dark Ages to my protege," Miyu snips back, lips plump and pouting in full force.

"Just because you were lost for half of it-"

"Ignore him," Miyu says, slinging an arm around Lilith's shoulders. "Do you need another drink?"

"Still good," She chirps, having never fully recovered from her first social outing. She'd meant to meet Bertie here for dinner and a drink, but he'd gotten caught up on patrol with a new Titan. Was just as well. This was fantastic entertainment, and she wasn't very hungry, anyway.

"You don't need to hold back on my account," Lilith watches Miyu swing her feet - the stool is too high for them to touch the ground - and hum idly. She waves down the bartender for another drink and elbows Shaxx when he focuses too hard on a Crucible replay, mouthing his own commentary.

"Please. At this stage," Shaxx covers both of Miyu's ears with his monstrous hands, but she's too concerned with the frothing ale placed before her to stop with the giddy smile, "She doesn't have a filter." He removes his hands. Miyu is still happily glugging her drink, "Zavala has another thing coming if he thinks I'm taking her home."

"Z'vala?!" she turns and looks over her shoulder, lip curling outward. "Aww, I thou' he wuss here," She slurs. "Damn." She very earnestly informs them both, "I love him. He's incredible," And then sighs like a teenager with a crush.

"You're a terror. He puts up with so much."

"He does not!" Miyu glowers at Shaxx and he cackles. She rounds on Lilith, who covers her mouth with both hands. "Don't you dare," She pokes Lilith in the chest, "Yer s'posed t'be on my side!"

That does make Lilith laugh, and she accepts a high five from Shaxx for it that night have shattered her hand. Nizana, her Ghost, runs an internal scan. Seems he's shorted out her neural sensors on impact, but everything is fine.

"He doesn't mind. I'm a cute drunk," She insists, hiccoughing once, with a petite shudder. "Makes me seem younger."

"You are too much," Shaxx agrees, clinking his mug to hers. "I'll drink to that."

"How good're you at keeping secrets?" She nudges Lilith, some time later.

"Secrets? I love secrets." Lilith makes an x over her chest plates, where a heart would be.

"Zavala. I'm like, phoo," She leans back, swaying as if her mind is blown by the idea. "I'm centuries older than him and he has no idea."

Lilith tilts her head. "Really?"

"Uh huh. He's so sweet, calling himself 'Old Man' like he's not a baby himself. This oaf, too." Miyu elbows him as punctuation for her words. "He's alright once y'get pass' the yell-y parts."

"Quit elbowing me, woman!"

-/

The next day, Lilith wakes up to find out her morning training session is cancelled. No surprise there. She dresses, gets ready, and heads into the Tower, ready to throw herself into something that will make up for the lack of structured activity this morning.

Shaxx is irritated - she understands it as hungover - and louder than usual. Arcite is humming the song they'd been singing when Zavala arrived after his shift to take Miyu home. Talk about irony, Lilith thinks.

She doesn't want to poke the metaphorical bear, so she trudges quietly over to Zavala's post.

He does not turn from his viewpoint over the City but acknowledges her approach. "Guardian."

Lilith's reply is equally as neutral. "Commander." She waits for a beat and when he does not reply she asks, "Do you have any ops or patrols I could do? My morning appointment was… uh, cancelled."

"Ah," He muses, a hint of amusement hinted in his voice. "My breakfast plans were… dashed, as well," He shares with something like amused exasperation. "I could find something for you, if you'd like. Any preference on location?"

She shrugs. "Didn't know you have people a choice," She concedes.

"I do not, usually. However," Zavala regards her with that serious blue stare, "I require information and am willing to barter for it."

"Commander?"

"Miyu said she told you a secret, last night. She would not divulge the nature of it, but challenged me to figure it out on my own."

Lilith gulps. She should have risked going into the Crucible. Hungover Shaxx seems a hell of a lot safer than an inquisitive Zavala.

The man in question lifts his chin, his eyebrows doing this strange lift and drop whilst he tucks his hands behind his back. Without a hint of foreboding - somehow, that makes Lilith even more frightened - he apprises her.

"And you are going to tell me."

-/

Four patrols in the EDZ later, he comes across the comms for her specifically.

“Nizana, don’t answer that.”

“I know. I pinged back our coordinates and said we were in the middle of a firefight.”

Lilith creates a grenade in the palm of her hands, solar energy blazing across her gloves. She throws it into a nearby cave, and picks off the Cabal that come rocketing out of it.

-/

“Sir, I can’t tell you. Miyu swore me to secrecy.”

He paces before her, but it’s not anxious to anyone but the Exo left to watch him contemplate in motion.

“Is it related to her Light?”

“No.”

“The Dreaming City?”

“No.”

“Drinking?”

“No.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell me?”

“Maybe she’s embarrassed?”

“Of what?” Zavala inquires so innocently that Lilith almost answers.

“Oh-noooo. Commander, come onnn,” She whines. “This is mean. Miyu is my teacher.”

“And I am your Commander.”

Lilith, having nothing left to lose, flips a switch. “How does that work, anyway? If she’s seeing you and you live together, isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

“Alright,” He hedges, unsettled. “Dismissed.”

The Exo doesn’t waste her time, escaping while she has the chance. “Oh, thank the Traveler.”

-/

Miyu guides her through the first four stances of a new set - Lilith had been begging to expand her repertoire - and watches as she flounders the fifth. Her teacher’s diamond eyes follow her line of sight up to a watching Zavala, who is studying Lilith intently. 

“Leave her alone,” Miyu calls up to him. “This is my time and you’re making her uncomfortable.”

“You could tell me yourself.”

“Not in this life or the next, Anata. Now shoo,”  She waves him off with a suggestive smile, threatening, “Or I’ll tell her another secret about something you really won’t want me sharing.”

Zavala leaves immediately.

“I don’t actually know what I told you,” Miyu admits softly, apologetic. “I was really drunk. Hopefully it was something juicy.”

“You don’t remember?!” Lilith screeches. “You are the worst drunk in the history of drinking!”

“Says the Exo who crashed on her Commander’s couch the first time she touched a pint of ale.”

“Ooooh, you’re mean. I should tell him for that.”

“You really, really shouldn’t,” Miyu says, and produces a new sword. “Give it a spin. If you like it, you can keep it.”

Lilith doesn’t look convinced. “You’re bribing me?”

Miyu shrugs, saying softly, “He’s withholding sex. I need leverage.”

“I did not need to know that.” She blinks back at Miyu. "If you don't remember, why-"

"Pride. And also he's so cute when he's focused. And his jaw does the thing."

"The thing?"

"The thing," Miyu confirms. Lilith doesn't get it. "Ugh, nevermind." 

-/

At the end of her wits, Lilith throws open the door to Zavala’s office, letting it bounce off the wall. She throws him a scathing glance at having been summoned for the twenty-seventh time this week. “Shaxx also knows. Miyu gave me a sword and I’d like to keep it. Go ask him.”

Zavala considers. “He won’t tell me, I’ve already asked.”

“What does she have on him?” Lilith flaps her arms, exasperated.

“Apparently they go way back,” Zavala says, with a roll of his eyes.

Lilith freezes.

“That’s a clue,” Zavala reasons, immediately. His eyes widen, then narrow intently.

Lilith smirks. “You got it from Shaxx, not me.”

The Commander nods. “Indeed.”

-/

“The next time someone tells me a secret,” Lilith tells Bertie, laying in a field of redgrass near a Vexmilk stream on Nessus, “I’m going to tell the first person I see. I’m done with this. She throws her new sword into the stream and doesn’t look back.

Nizana scoffs. “Good riddance.”

-/

“Ikora, how does one escape a difficult situation?”

“By making a choice.” She narrows her golden irises on Lilith. “Is this about the secret?”

“You know about it, too?”

Ikora harrumphs. “I know everything that happens in this Tower.”

“So you know that Miyu gave me a sword-”

Nod.

“Because Zavala is-”

“Unfortunately so.”

“Would you please just tell him? He won’t leave me alone.”

The Warlock Vanguard sighs. “I did tell him.” She crosses her arms. “Several times, in fact. He does not believe me.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I am not.” Ikora smiles.

Everyone wants to see Lilith suffer, it seems.

-/

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Guardian?” Kadi looks at Lilith with a blink, the postmaster terribly confused. “But-”

“I’m sorry,” Lilith shakes her head. “Throw it all away.”

The post frame takes a moment to process, then tries again. “For Guardian Lilith, from Commander Zavala. Very nice man.”

“You’ve never been on the receiving end of him when you’ve got classified information. Return to sender, Kadi. Please.”

“But Guardian, it’s busy.”

“I’m sorry, but this is just out of control. You can give that gun to the next warlock you see, okay?"

-/

Half a week later Lilith slams the door shut behind her, causing a rather comical reaction. Miyu is paused, drink - it better not be alcohol, Lilith thinks - just shy of her lips, and Zavala's eyes narrow in thinly veiled irritation.

"You interrupted my dinner, so I'm interrupting yours."

"I have to be in Command in half an hour for a strike operation. I do not have time for-"

Lilith smacks her fist on the table, leaning forward, bellowing at him, "You interrupted my dinner, called for me sixty two times-"

"Seventy one," Lilith's Ghost interjects.

"And you've been making me out to be the biggest jerk to the postmaster. No more gifts. No more favors, no more secrets." She looks to Miyu. "Ikora said she'll teach me to be a Voidwalker, and Shaxx said he'll teach me swordplay. I'm this close-" Lilith holds up two pinched fingers to use as a meter, looking between them, "To taking them up on it!"

"Easy, Lillie."

Lilith snarls, waving her hands. "Oh no. You don't even remember it! I can't believe you!"

Zavala stares at Miyu in shock. Miyu flushes. "What?" He snaps.

Miyu flushes and shrugs. “I had a lot to drink?” She reminds them, sheepishly.

Lilith makes a flapping, exasperated gesture, and finally caves. "Look. She's older than you. By a lot. Apparently she feels younger when she drinks away her brain cells, and thinks you're cute thinking you're all old because she's like twice your age."

Miyu tilts her head. She and Zavala share a glance before he speaks. "This is a blatant fallacy, Lilith. She's pulling your le-"

One eyebrow goes up in a bold impersonation of the Commander's signature eyebrow raise.

"No," He says, scandalized.

"Yes," Miyu confirms. 

“That’s impossible.”

"Not at all,” Miyu shrugs. “Lilith?"

The younger Warlock takes a heaving, exhausted, aggravated breath. "Yeah?"

"I'll take it from here. Training in the morning. Don't be late."

"Don't go out drinking," She throws back, petulant. Miyu doesn't spare her a glance. They both know the other will be there.

"Go collect all that stuff from your postmaster. It you don't want those robes, I'll take them back. He tried bribing me with them first and they’re really nice." She winks.

Zavala glowers at Miyu, but he doesn’t deny it.

"For Light's sake," The Exo grumbles, rolling her optics so hard she fears they might pop out from the strain. "I'm keeping them now, for sure."

[draconida]

Shance Fic Recs (Part three)

More Shance! With Kuro and Sven too. 

82- Mysteries Become Reality by FullmetalDude1 [M/M/M/M, Sven and Kuro]

The world is full of mythical creatures that are slowly but surely being integrated and accepted into society, but a couple of hate crimes and BS still happens.

Lance is a human in this world, doing his best to help Mythics out even if he's got a bad history.

Then he meets 4 super hot Mythics in collage and he is gone, but he'll never admit that.

At least, not until he's been held for ransom by a gang of haters.

83- i don't have too much but i know enough by quiddative

Lance shot a panicked look at Keith but the asshole just laid there uselessly. “Don’t look at me like that,” he snorted. “They’re your kids, after all.”

What?

“What?” Lance and Allura yelled.

Allura turned to Kolivan with narrowed eyes. “Explain,” she demanded.

Kolivan looked very much like he wanted a drink. “The two of them appear to be the Red and Black Paladins’ children from the future.”

(Or: Lance and Shiro's children appear from the future and emotions ensue.)

85- Remember Me by boredomsMuse

Back before Kerberos, Lance and Shiro had been close. Boyfriends, type close. Boyfriends who'd meet each other's parents, all of them, type close.

Except, none of the Paladins know that. Not even Shiro.

86- Starlight Starshine by stirlingphoenix

'He’s beautiful', was the only thought Shiro’s mind could process as he watched Lance in person for the very first time. Those two little words repeated themselves on a loop over and over, making sure he’d never forget this moment. He’d always thought Lance to be exceedingly attractive, but seeing him in real life, as opposed to the TV screen or a movie poster nearly blew his mind.

Shiro had every intention of getting out of there before he ended up doing something embarrassing. Nevermind the fact that Lance wouldn’t know who he was, he still wasn’t too keen on potentially making a fool of himself. But just before he could make a beeline for the exit, the sound of his proper last name echoed throughout the air, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks.

“Excuse me, Mr. Shirogane?” The nervousness that plagued his caller’s voice hit Shiro’s ears wrong, yet it was still oddly familiar to him, as if he’d heard that same tone over a hundred times before.

As it turned out, he had, just never like this. Turning around, he came face-to-face with the lead of the production, the one and only Lance McClain himself, standing before him with a curious, perhaps even anxious expression covering his face.

87- Hi by Nevermoree

"in a world where you have your soulmates’ first words tattooed in your skin, he, obviously, has… well, that."

88- Te prefiero a ti by Nevermoree [Explicit and only spanish]

Lance has been in love with Shiro since he can remember, so when he have the opportunity to spend the night with Shiro, he have decided not to waste it. It's supposed to be a one-night deal, but things do not always work out the way you plan.

89- How to get a hot, shape-shifting dragon-man to fall in love with you by charlotteXOyates [Explicit]

Discovering a new species is a dream every reptile expert can relate to, so Lance's excitement upon meeting Shiro, a man with scales and a dragon tail, is understandably through the roof. What's less understandable, however, is Lance's sudden desire to help the dragon-man with his rut…

90- Daycare, Toddlers, and a bit of Love by starryrosez

Lance falls in love with the father of a boy he looks after in daycare.

91- Claws by AshesTheTerrible [Explicit and omegaverse] Lance had clawed his way through the Galra military ranks. This was the most important day of his entire existence. He was being assigned to a commander. One of the most ruthless commanders in the Empire. He had to make a good impression.

It would be just his luck that he'd be stricken with the beginnings of a ruthless heat. He knew the suppressants made him sick, but he took them anyway. Anything was better than a fucking stupid heat. He couldn't very well look strong with his heat boring down on his shoulders.

But puking at the feet of your new commander doesn't exactly make you look like a model Galra either… hindsight Lance supposes. 92- Lance's Guide on How to Embarrass Yourself in Front of Your Insurance Adjuster by Eilera

“This is for my mama, Hunk. She was so worried about this whole thing. They just finished renovating. I’m not gonna let her down. If my name isn’t Lance fucking Hernandez Martine-holy fuck he’s gorgeous.”

“Oh no. No. Lance do-“

Lance didn’t even hear him because there was a fucking gorgeous god walking up the path to the front door.

(In which Lance is helping his mama with an insurance claim and he was not prepared for the smoking hot insurance adjuster.)

93- designated drivers anonymous by kalakauuas

"It’s halfway through his sixth attempt at a puppy-filter pic that the bathroom door whooshes open wider than Lance’s mouth trying to prompt the puppy tongue onto the screen. Right when Lance screeches in surprised terror, he takes the picture.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was occupied,” says the person who threw the door open, his hands rushing to cover his eyes quicker than Lance would run from his mom’s chancla.

The good thing is, aside from vaguely humiliating selfie poses, there’s nothing to see here."

Lance and Shiro meet through a shared hobby, if you consider hiding in bathrooms during house parties a hobby.

94- Tris for Guys by quiddative

“Um, my name is Lance McClain-Reyes and I have a personal training session,” Lance said, though it came out as more of a question than a statement.

The girl hummed and typed something on the computer. “Ah, right on time,” she said. “Looks like you’ve been paired up with Shiro. If you’ll just take a seat, he should be out in a few minutes.”

Shiro?, Lance thought as all the gears in his brain suddenly screeched to a halt. I must have heard wrong. There’s no way—

“That’s okay, Pidge, I’m already here,” said a deep and familiar voice just behind Lance.

(Or: What do you do when the guy you've been crushing on turns out to be your personal trainer for the day?)

95- easier to lose by quiddative [Explicit]

Shiro is at the peak of his NHL career. Unfortunately, being famous has its downsides, particularly when it comes to dating. And that’s on top of the fact that he’s still in the closet. However, a chance meeting with college student Lance, who seems to be the only person in the entire city who doesn’t know who he is, gives him hope that maybe he won’t die alone after all. Just as long as he can keep his identity a secret.

96- A Halloween Tail by Cathwren

Lance just wanted to have a fun Halloween night, but when homophobic idiots give him trouble he makes a new friend in the dashing young knight that swoops in to save the day. Secrets are shared and Lance can easily say he got a night to remember...and maybe even a boyfriend.

97- 13 stories for Halloween by liddie [Explicit]

A collection of 13 Shance stories for the month of October featuring (but not limited to): vampires, kitsune, werewolves, demons, cursed scarecrows, ghosts, merpeople, oni and whatever else comes to mind!

98- Head Start by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit]

Werewolves. If there was one scent Lance knew above all else, it was Werewolves. Being born from a werewolf father and a human mother Lance knew werewolves. So when he got to the Galaxy Garrison and smelled werewolf in his class his first thought was to make peace with the other wolf.

Sure, Lance was only a half blood, and the closest to transformation he'd ever gotten was sharpened canines and claws during a full moon, but he was still wolf. As such, wolves should stick together. He left his family pack behind to come to the Garrison, maybe he'd be able to form a new pack here.

99- Forgotten Gods and Scales Like Jewels by keir [Explicit and Dubious Consent]

Lance has spent his entire career searching for the elusive and forgotten god of war and lust, a god made of part man, part snake. The pieces are there, and once Lance puts them together, he and his team discover the long forgotten temple dedicated to the naga god, but more lies in store for Lance than he could have ever dreamed of discovering.

100- Of God's and Fae's by MommaVanillaBear

A fae of the ocean, casted aside and alone made the dangerous trek to the festival of lights, and though the way back should have been easy, his steps become lost and the ocean he searches for is replaced by thick foliage and towering trees. Caught by a creature that claims to be an Earth fae, the one of the ocean must spend a month living in the forest or else the God who watches the forest will become aware of him. And there was no way the ocean fae could fight or hope to escape the wrath of a god.

101- Pornstar Lance by Ryuani [Explicit]

Lance used to work as a pornstar but space kinda stopped that.

102- Take a Chance by nuuuge [Fem!Shance]

Lance really just wants the hot Basketball prodigy to notice her.

103- Yearning Touch by CirqueBordello (CircusTalia) [Explicit and Sven]

Sven volunteers to be part of an experiment. But when that experiment makes a change in his body, Lance is there to support him but also realizes he likes the new Sven.

104- The Shirogane Triplets by MermaidLance [Explicit, Trans Lance and the title]

Three Boys

One Lance

He's in for an adventure.

105- Next Time, Pack Them Separately by Quiddity

“So, uh, you in Detroit on business?” Lance asks. The guy glances at him and for a second Lance thinks that he’s terribly misread his mood and he’s about to be snubbed in the worst way. Then he notices the dark circles under his eyes. The man’s totally exhausted. “No,” the man says, shuffling together his papers and securing them together with a wicked looking alligator clip. “I’m headed to New York.” Lance perks up. “Oh! Me too! I’m headed there to meet up with- uh…” Lance is cut off when his neighbor unbuckles himself, stands, and pushes into the line of passengers with a muttered apology. Lance sits there, dumbfounded as the man opens the overhead compartment and pulls down his- Nope. That’s Lance’s bag he’s strapping over his shoulder. That’s his palm tree name tag, that’s his laptop, that’s his senior film project he’s been working on for the past six months and his external hard drive with only back up of three hundred hours of work just shambling down the aisle and off the plane. Oh no.

106- The Knotty Omega by keir [Explicit, omegaverse and little All/Lance]

Lance never saw himself doing porn, but the opportunity fell in his lap with a wicked smile and the smooth talk of Lotor, a producer. The omega finds himself at the center of attention for many horny alphas as he does the most taboo and engages in heat sex for the camera.

107- Double Trouble by liddie [Explicit, Kuro and Shiro]

When Lance agreed to help out at his grandma's flower shop during summer break, he didn't know that it meant managing the shop singlehandedly for months while she went adventuring off to Europe.

Sure, he needs to practice his magic with living things...and yes, plants are a good way to do that without bodies stacking up if something went wrong. But Lance can't even keep a dandelion alive to save his life, so how the hell is he going to keep the entire stock of his grandma's enchanted flower shop alive and healthy for four months?

The answer is simple. He's going to summon himself some help using the dusty old spell book he found in the attic.

It's too bad Lance's handwriting looks like chicken scratch on a good day…

108- To Drown In You by Val_Creative [Explicit and Trans Lance]

Humans are a fearful race, unable to conjure anything other than simpler, volatile emotions, or so Shiro’s mer-clan has taught him. Lance’s compassion and his openhearted empathy deepens Shiro’s need for more. And he’s only know Lance for the turn of a moon.

109- How Deep is the Love We Think We Know by mizufallsfromkumo [omegaverse]

It had been a considerable while since Shiro nested.

So long in fact he didn’t even realize he was doing it.

Until he yanked one of the Castle’s lounge couch cushions out from behind Pidge. No regard for the fact that she was using it. He just knew he needed that one because it was the softest of all the other cushions. Pidge’s surprised squeak as she toppled to the side didn’t even register with him for a moment.

Or at least not till Keith called him out.

110- Repayment by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit and omegaverse]

“I need you to do me a favor Coran.”

“Anything for you, son.”

Lance stepped forward, digging his wallet out of his pocket and slamming it down on the desk in front of him. “There is a man here, an alpha named Shiro. He lost his arm in a car accident.”

“Yes, Takashi Shirogane. It’s a shame what happened to him.” Coran looked away sadly.

“I want you to take this credit card and give him everything he needs. The best, top of the line products.” Coran looked down at the credit card pressed between Lance’s hand and his desk then back up at Lance. “Please?”

111- Dream a Little Dream by thinkpink [Explicit]

Shiro is an adult- he knows how feelings work. He definitely knows his own feelings. Right?

112- Telltale Blush by thinkpink [Explicit and Dubious Consent]

“So why don’t we just skip the part where you throw lines at me and I pretend not to be interested, and you can suck my dick instead.”

113- Dress to Impress by thinkpink

How did Shiro even get sweatpants in space? And why are they so god damn thin!

114- A Dragon by liddie [Explicit]

On the day of his wedding, Prince Lance is carried away by a fearsome creature of old. The remote island is a prison and the dragon his keeper, although Lance is not completely alone. A mysterious man named Shiro is also a prisoner of the dragon, but as Lance learns just who he is, he comes to realize there is more to Shiro than he first thought.

115- In Flagrante Delicto by gwendy1

in flagrante delicto (adverb)

Definition of in flagrante delicto: 1 : in the very act of committing a misdeed : red-handed 2 : in the midst of sexual activity

116- Black's Deal by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit and little Klance]

I’ll give you what you need to get what you want, but you only get two quintent. Do you agree?

“Yes.”

Or the story of Shiro taking over Keith's body in the time of his disappearance between seasons 2 and 3.

117- The Beast Of Pirate's Bay by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit and Major character death, but don't scary you. Happy ending]

A loud shriek filled the air, causing him to fall back onto the damp metal of the ship floor. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered, covering his ears as the sound continued to ring out.

As instant as the sound came it quickly disappeared, leaving Lance to tentatively uncover his ears. “Please,” he begged, tears escaping his eyes as he looked over the side of the boat again. “I won’t even enter your territory if you just bring me a juniberry flower!”.

118- The Lion, The Witch, and the Cursed Ghost by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit]

When lance goes to Kogane forest in search of the cat he saw plastered all over the news he ends up with a lot more than he bargained for. But he's not complaining.

The ghost floated up, arms crossed as he looked over the trees. “I’ll make you a deal.” Lance’s eyes brightened, he knew his excitement was obvious. But, he didn’t care. “If you can find me in this forest before the sun sets, I’ll take you to see Shiro. If not, you will leave this forest without a fight.” He turned and lowered down to Lance’s level again, holding out his transparent hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Shiro must be the cat.

Lance reached out, taking the hand, surprised when he actually felt contact. “Deal.” Before he could even shake the hand properly it was gone, along with its owner, only the flutter of leaves in the air showing he had even been there. Snatching up one of the leaves, Lance grinned. This ghost vastly underestimated him.

119- That's not a phone by CrypticGabriel [Explicit and Trans Lance]

Lance had a part-time job at the movie theater. During his job, he liked ogling at a frequent flyer named Shiro. But he never expected to catch him doing the unthinkable while watching a movie. And no. It didn't involve a phone.

120- Let's Play A Game by liddie [Explicit]

About to leave for a little vacation time at his grandfather's seaside cottage, Shiro gets a text from Allura asking if he can drop her friend Lance off at the beach on his way. He agrees, but is entirely unprepared for everything that Lance is.

121- How Do I "Casual"? by The_Busy_Beee

Sometimes Lance loves living in the same building as his best friends.

Sometimes he hates it with a passion.

Usually only when Keith's involved, however.

Or:

Lance brings home a guy and isn't sure how to handle the "morning after" situation. Keith is exhausted and thinks Lance has murdered somebody.

122- Spilling Secrets by The_Busy_Beee

Everyone knows the past never stays in the past.

Or:

Shiro finally meets the Blue Lane crew, Lotor is a shit, and Lance really just wants today to go well.

123- Good Girl by strawberrylovely [Explicit and Fem!Lance]

Shiro hears Lance masturbating in the team bathroom. He’s not sure whether to help or run away, so Lance makes the decision for him.

124- Beautiful Breed by Blue_Queen662 [Fem!Lance]

Kept in captivity for years, Lance had not had any contact with others like herself in a long while.

Shiro had been gone from the sea for years. From being separated from his pod for a long time, he had forgotten how it feels to be loved by a mate.

Shiro has been chosen to be Lance’s mate. For his strangth, speed and intellect; it was decided amongst guests at a dinner party that the Champion will mate with Zarkon’s prize pet.

125- my boyfriend's back (and you're gonna be in trouble) by heavenlyrare

The Galra and the Alteans haven't been at each other's throats, thanks to Prince Lance's and Commander Shiro's relationship.

Unfortunately, the rest of the universe doesn't seem to know that.

126- Missing Pieces by AshesTheTerrible [Explicit]

Shiro comes back from two tours overseas a changed man. He has one less arm and a lot more nightmares. His best friend Keith convinces him Yoga is the perfect form of meditation to help with his PTSD and he's skeptical at best....that is until he sees the instructor and is instantly in love.

127- Full Moons and the Mornings After by Impetus

Lance really needs to stop letting stray wolves into his apartment.

128- My Best Friend's Brother? How Cliche by orphan_account

Lance has been pining after Shiro since he was 14, and the last time he saw him before Shiro left to go to veterinary school had been embarrassing as hell. But, things were different now. 3 years had passed, Shiro was back, and Lance was a new and improved version of himself. This time, Lance wasn't afraid to do what he wanted to.

OR that one where Lance hasn't seen Shiro in years but when he goes to drop some food off at Keith's house he walks in on Shiro working out.

129- How To Use a Long Rest by avoidingavoidance [Explicit]

In which the team's game of Monsters and Mana isn't actually a game, and Lance takes good care of Shiro. Several times.

130- Just Take That Breath in Your Lungs by mizufallsfromkumo [Omegaverse]

When Shiro was younger, and freshly presented as an Alpha, he use to think about how things would be when he claimed his mate for himself.

Ideally it would be their wedding night, but it wasn’t a necessity. Shiro was fine with whenever moment arose and felt right. And when his intended mate would find it, Shiro would turn on soft music. They’d maybe dance a little, or speak soft words of love. Then the night would progress in a slow, gentle, and loving path towards claiming.

Because yeah, Shiro was a hopeless romantic at times.

Sue him.

But that was the furthest thing that was happening, Shiro thought as he and Lance flopped into the nest both of them had constructed over two weeks ago.

131- Can You Find the Path that Leads Back to My Heart by mizufallsfromkumo

Lance was just left to sulk in the cockpit. And wonder just where his relationship stood with his mate, who had his soul transferred and fused into a clone's body. A clone Lance had just continued on courting like nothing ever happened, because he didn’t know his mate had even died in the first place.

Lance never thought going to space would be filled with so much drama.

Much less, drama that made his life sound like really bad telenovela plot line.

132- Some Good Shooting by AshesTheTerrible [Explicit and Trans Lance]

Lance and Shiro had been nothing but a hurricane of spats and frustration since the switching of lions. And then quite suddenly...they weren't anymore. Hunk couldn't figure out what had changed between the blue and black paladins but the rest of the team just seemed happy the two were working together. Maybe a little too well in fact.

Unbeknownst to the others, really all it took to change the two paladin's attitudes toward each other was one hard kiss in the hangar doors.

Parts 1 / 2 / 3 

[soaringlanddormitory]

and ;w; if it's okay, May I also ask for: “i don’t need a man.” for Miyoko & Kuga (can be romantic or platonic whatever you prefer ;w;) and “i wouldn’t dare let you down.” for Yuki/Marui, aaand maybe “is it tears or just the fucking rain?” for Nene/Eizan

Yes!! Of course!! This will be the first time i’m writing Miyoko though ahhh but I hope you end up liking it!!

Miyoko/Kuga

The Chinese Cuisine RS had been busy for the past couple of weeks and it was mostly because the Moon Banquet Festival was coming in soon. Kuga, as always, was the one leading the research society because he was the president of it. He commanded each one of them and continued to watch the synchronized movement of everyone inside the place. “Alright! One! Two! One! Two! Do it faster!”

He stopped yelling at his men for a second once he spotted someone entering the place. He actually expected it to be someone from the Elite Ten to call him for a meeting because he has been ignoring the messages they sent him for almost the whole day but he saw someone else. Someone who he didn’t expect at all. A grin got plastered on his face and he called out to her. 

“Miyoko-chin!” He raised his hand as he began going to her. “Is there something you want to tell me? Hm? Hm?” He was pretty excited to know the reason why she was here since she didn’t come her too often because she knew that he would end up questioning her just like this. She sighed before rolling her eyes.

“Nothing, really.” She replies, a bit uninterested. “If you expect me to ask if I could join- you’re wrong.” She states this bluntly before she crosses her arms and looks over at the men who were working their asses off for the next Banquet Festival. “I only wanted to observe how your men worked. You’re graduating soon anyway.” 

He wouldn’t openly admit he was confused, but what was she talking about? He could only make intelligent guesses, so he placed his hand under his chin, imitating the post of the statue “The Thinker”. Once he made a guess, he brought it up. “Are you actually planning to be the president once I graduate, Miyoko-chin?”

She stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes. “Maybe, who knows?” He pouted because of her reply- he hoped for something more direct. Not something like this. She ended up opening her eyes again, but it was to only focus on the people who were currently cooking.

“You’d need a lot more men if you want to actually beat me! The Chinese Cuisine RS loves their ever-so-great leader!” He gestured to himself and Miyoko only gave him another stare- well, it was more of a glare. He waited for her response to his comment, a bit interested on her sudden reaction.

“I don’t need your men to add up. I’ll make it change in a different way while you’re out of Totsuki.” She squinted at him. “In fact, I don’t need a man. I don’t need them in general.” Once she says these words, she ended up leaving the place with only a few word left to him. “Enjoy your reign while it lasts.”

Kuga stood there silently, but a tiny smirk began forming on his lips. “Miyoko-chin is always so interesting.” He went back to his place, but there were thoughts that invaded his mind that he chose to ignore. “Enough of being so casual, let’s get back to work!”

Yuki/Marui

How many days were left again before they reached the deadline of looking for evidence? Oh… It’s not days left, it’s just hours. Marui was currently panicking because of the deadline that was nearby while Yuki only looked around the place to look for any possible clues. The whole place was filled with clues that were missing, so they couldn’t make any assumptions just yet.

“Oh god, we’re too near the deadline…” Marui mumbles as he looked around the house to look for more clues. “We might end up disappointing the head chief because of this!” Not going to the deadline as planned wasn’t always a good thing- but of course, extensions were accepted. The problem was that Marui never went pass a deadline his whole life, and he didn’t want a criminal case to be the first.

Yuki only tried to look for more things that seemed out of place, and she admitted that the criminal did a really good job in keeping themselves clean. “Don’t panic, Zenji!” She tried to reassure him. “We can do this!” Her positive atmosphere was always a perfect match for someone who was worried about almost everything.

He sighed loudly, showing a little sense of giving up. “We can’t do this within 4 hours, Yuki…” He brought up what he thought were facts. “This house is too big, if we explored this place for 4 hours, it would only be half of the house. According to my calculations, we’ll need 8 to 10 hours… We can’t do it!” He had to point out things he thought were true and Yuki began pouting at her partner before slapping both of his cheeks with her hands- cupping them seconds later.

“I think it’s best if you stop panicking first.” She brought up her side of the whole thing and he knew he had to listen to her. “You’re one of the smartest people I know, and that isn’t a joke! We’ve been friends for so much years and I still haven’t found anyone who has matched your skill.” She voiced out what she held in. “So don’t panic because I know you can do this. I trust you! Completely!”

She was the person who knew what to say in the worst times, and he was always relieved that he ended up with someone like her, partner in work and of course, his partner in life. He began calming down, and he ended up gaining confidence again. “Thank you, Yuki…” He thanked he before he began smiling. “For calling me the smartest person you know. Now… I wouldn’t dare let you down. I should show everyone that you’re right.”

Yuki began grinning before nodding her head. “That’s right! Prove to everyone that you’re the smartest detective in the world and that the books in your room mean something!” She cheered for him and before they could actually get serious, he spoke up against her.

“Of course they mean something! Why would I buy them if they didn’t mean anything?!” He ended up fixing himself after saying that before he pushed his glasses up, “Nevermind, we’ll talk about that later. Pass me my magnifying glass. We have a case to solve.”

Yuki felt proud of herself and she wanted to savor the moment. She was able to make him gain confidence even in situations like this. She handed him the magnifying glass. “Here it is! Now…” She brought out her own tools to start on the serious part of her work. “Let’s do this!”

Eizan/Nene

It was pretty dark because of the weather- and it was actually something that suddenly happened. The weather forecaster said that the rain would stop a couple of minutes and soon it would be sunny again, but there were people who were in a hurry to go to places on time. 

Eizan was lucky enough that he had an umbrella so he could go to the Elite Ten Council Meeting in peace. The main reason why he had an umbrella was because he didn’t bring it out of his bag from two days ago because he decided to keep his thing in tact as he believed that he had no reason to change the things he brought in daily life.

However, there was someone else who wasn’t lucky enough... and that was the surprising thing. Nene Kinokuni didn’t bring an umbrella, but this was mostly because she was in a hurry ever since she woke up. She didn’t know why or how she woke up an hour later than usual, and she ended up not being fully prepared for the day.

He was walking to his destination but he immediately stopped walking once he saw a girl covering her body with a school bag to avoid getting too wet by the rain. “Kinokuni?” He mentioned her name to himself, and after focusing harder at the figure that was pretty far away, he confirmed it was her. Shit! It is Kinokuni.

He may have had a crush on her and he would rather choose to not show any kind of gesture to make it obvious, but he didn’t want to be straight-out evil and leave her alone she can be soaking wet. Yeah sure, he was evil- but not that evil. He grumbled and sighed, giving up on thinking what he should do. He ended up going to her to shelter her with his umbrella.

“Eizan?” She looked up at the male who was currently looking away from her direction. Even if he wasn’t looking at her, she was already able to tell it was him by the figure. “... Thank you.” She muttered softly and he looked back for a moment, noticing that her face was all wet, and that her clothes weren’t the only thing drenched by the rain.

“Tch. Whatever.” Even if that was his initial reaction, he began worrying for her a bit more because of how there were also some drops of liquid on the corner of her eyes. Did she cry? He didn’t want to show any portion of concern so he ended up wording it horribly. “Is it tears or just the fucking rain?” He wanted to punch himself on the face for the question he just asked.

Nene didn’t respond for a moment while they continued to walk together so they could both end up in the Elite Ten meeting. “It was the rain.” She soon answers his question, even if it sounded pretty unpleasant to the ears. “Thank you for worrying though. I truly appreciate it.” There was another moment of silence between the two until Eizan shrugged.

“You’re welcome, I guess.”

[thenugking]

The Adventures of Mary Suesland Chapter 1

Here it is start of the worst thing i have ever written

Warnings for abuse from parents (of the “evil for no reason” kind) and cheating, homophobia (gay men are hot, lesbians are gross), unrealistic sex, and just the fact that this fic is really bad.

(Disclaimer: Make all the mary sues and self inserts u want, do not take this as me saying it’s bad. i just wrote this fic bc it was fun.)

CHAPTER 1

“You’re ten minutes late home, Emelerana!” my mum said accusingly.

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “Something really upsetting happened.” I didn’t want to tell my parents, because I knew they’d just make fun of me for it, but I’d discovered that my boyfriend, Chad was cheating on me with my best friend, Kylee. The two people I thought cared about me most in the world had betrayed me! Kylee had always teased me meanly, but we’d been friends since nursery, I never thought she’d do something like this! And I’d thought what I had with Chad was special. He’d seemed such a sweet guy and had told me he loved me. I’d even given him my virginity! It felt like such a waste now!

“That’s no excuse!” my dad said. “You’re grounded for a week!”

I tried to object that most 18 year olds don’t have such strict curfews, but they just glared at me and locked me in my bedroom in the basement. I felt my eyes well with all the tears I’d kept in after seeing Kylee and Chad together, I hadn’t wanted to look weak in front of them, but now I began to sob.

I gazed into my mirror sadly. My violet orbs were filled with tears and they were running down my porcelain skin. I was so plain-looking and ugly compared to Kylee! My cascade of raven locks just couldn’t compare with the golden curls of her hair, nor her big blue eyes. And while I was curvy, my body was petite. She was almost a foot taller than me and had slightly larger boobs. I sighed, knowing I could never be as beautiful as she was.

I raised a hand to wipe the tears from my eyes and took a deep breath. I had to be strong, and get through this! I just needed to take my mind off the pain of the betrayal. My parents had cut off my access to the internet the other week, as punishment for doing badly in english literature. I’d told them it was just because my teacher hated me - for some reason she’d always picked on me, ever since I started the class, maybe because I seemed to understand the reading better than she did - and gathered proof that she was marking me badly for no reason, but they’d just laughed cruelly at me. Not that I could have used my computer to contact anyone, without Kylee or Chad I didn’t have any friends.

I decided that instead, I would play Dragon Age Origins. I’d always loved the Dragon Age games, even though I got bullied a lot for being a nerd for liking them. But when I was playing them, it was like I was transported out of my nightmarish life and into the magical world of Thedas, and surrounded by real friends. I decided I’d start a new game, as a human noble. That was always my favourite Origin story.

I was torn between playing a male or female character. I usually played female, and female human nobles were the best because they could marry Alistair and become Queen, which was the most amazing and romantic ending. But on the other hand, maybe I should play a male character for a change. Then I could romance Zevran, because he liked other men, and that would be really hot. I’d never romanced him before, I tried sometimes but then I’d meet Alistair and just fall in love all over again. But before I could make my mind up, but computer suddenly broke down! I gave a cry of despair, today was truly the worst day of my life.

I threw myself down on my bed and fell asleep, sobbing.

When I woke up, something felt different. My bed was really hard and uncomfortable, but not this much, it felt as though I was lying on the floor. And it felt like I was in a much bigger space than my tiny cramped basement bedroom. I opened my eyes and gasped, I really was somewhere else!

I sat up and looked around and realised I was in Castle Cousland! Bryce, Eleanor and Duncan were standing in the Great Hall looking at me. I gasped.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?” Bryce asked.

“I’m Emelerana,” I said. “I come from another world. But I know all about you! You’re Bryce and Eleanor Cousland, and Warden Commander Duncan! And...” I looked around. “Wait a minute!” I gasped. “If Duncan’s here, this must be the night that Howe betrays you!” And maybe that was how I’d ended up here! The betrayal I felt at Chad and Kaylee was so uniquely strong, it had connected me across worlds to the Couslands, who were also about to be devastatingly betrayed!

“Howe wouldn't betray us!” exclaimed Bryce. “I’ve known him too long. He’s my best friend!” I shook my head. “No, his men will attack the castle tonight and kill everyone. Only your child survives.”

Bryce and Eleanor looked at each other. “We can’t possibly believe her,” they said. “But she seems so nice. We must look after her.” They called Ser Gilmore to take me to a guest room. I gasped. He was even more handsome than he was in the game.

“I’m Ser Gilmore,” he said.

“I’m Emelerana,” I said.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Emelerana. If you don’t mind me saying, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

I blushed and kissed him. Then, he took me to my room where we got undressed and fell upon each other in a passion. I gasped when he pulled out his throbbing manhood and moaned as he slid it into my channel of love. Then, I felt it bump against something. I gasped again, in surprise, rather than lust this time. My hymen had grown back while traveling between Earth and Thedas! I would be able to give Gilmore my virginity! He thrust in and out of me passionately and I moaned in pleasure, my breasts heaving. This was my first time having sex and I would always remember this moment, not least because Gilmore was incredibly talented. We cried out each other’s names as his manliness exploded into fireworks inside me, making my heart flutter in my own passion. Afterwards we lay in each other’s arms happily.

Suddenly, I remembered that Ser Gilmore died in Howe’s attack and burst into tears.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me.

“I don’t want you to die!” I said. “I don’t want anyone here to die! Howe’s going to kill everyone but no one will believe me!”

“I believe you,” Gilmore said. “I’ll help you tell everyone.”

I kissed him again happily. Then, we went to tell all the castle’s guards that there would be an attack tonight, and to make sure they were ready for it. While Gilmore was talking to some guards, I looked around and realised Lady Landra and her son and lady in waiting were standing nearby. I remembered that you could have sex with her son. (And with her lady in waiting, but I didn’t do that because I’m not a lesbian.)

“Hello,” I said to Dairren. He said hello back.

“Would you like to join me in my room tonight?” I asked.

“Of course!” he said.

We smiled at each other. Then, Elissa arrived. She was so beautiful, I was sure Dairren would choose to sleep with her instead. I turned away sadly.

But then, Dairren yelled, “No!” and glared at her. He put his arm around me. “I can’t believe she tried to get me to sleep with her!” he said to me. “What a bitch!” 

Elissa glared at me and instead asked Iona to join her in her room. I grinned smugly back at her. She reminded me of Kylee, and I was really pleased she had to have sex with Iona instead of Dairren. 

I was on my way back to my room to wait for Dairren when someone else turned the corner towards me. Oh no! I thought. It was Howe.  He pointed a dagger at me.

“How dare you tell everyone of my secret plans!” he yelled. “Nevermind, no one will believe you, and I will kill everyone here!” He laughed cruelly.

“No!” I yelled back, tears streaming down my face. “I can’t let you do that!” I ran away, hearing him cursing after me.

I ran into my room and collapsed on the bed crying. I couldn’t let him kill all these people! I had to do something! Then, I heard a knock on my door and Dairren came in to have sex with me. I was so happy to see him, and excited about losing my virginity to him, before I remembered that in the game, Howe’s soldiers killed him if you had sex with them.

I put my hand on his face. “I’m sorry,” I told him softly. “We can’t do this. You’ll die.”

He gazed at me sadly. “But I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” I told him. “But that's why we can never be together.”

I kissed him sadly, knowing it would be the last time I could, before running out into the hall to go and stop Howe.

It was night now, and I could hear screams and fighting everywhere. Howe’s attack must have already started! I ran along corridors, throwing open doors, trying to find the Couslands so I could help them. Then, I found Elissa’s room. I cried out in horror as I looked inside, Elissa and Iona were dead! Howe had already killed them. I clenched my fists. Elissa had been horrible to me, but I had to be compassionate to look past that. I would avenge her death!

I ran on, returning to the Great Hall. Ser Gilmore was in there, lying on the ground, with blood running down his chest.

“No!” I yelled, falling on my knees next to him, remembering our stolen evening of pleasure earlier. “Please don’t die!”

He looked at me. “Emelerana...” he said. “I didn’t think I could go on, but you’ve given me the strength to keep fighting!” He stood up and stabbed another of Howe’s guards. I cheered him on.

“I have to find Bryce and Eleanor,” I told him.

“That will be dangerous,” he told me, “But you’re strong and brave enough that I’m sure you can do it!”

I found Bryce and Eleanor huddled together next to the escape route in the kitchen, but they weren’t alone… Howe was with them too!

He was pointing a sword at them and laughing evilly. “Now I will kill you both! And Castle Cousland will be mine!”

“No!” I yelled, running towards them, feeling so angry and sad.

He turned to sneer at me, but as he did so, something happened. Fire shot out of my outstretched hands, shooting towards him. Now that I was in Thedas, I must be a mage! Howe screamed as it wrapped around him and fell down, dead.

“Thank you Emelerana!” said Bryce, running towards me and hugging me. “You saved our lives!” “We’re so sorry we didn’t believe you earlier,” said Eleanor, also hugging me. “We were so stupid and wrong!”

I hugged them back. “I forgive you,” I told them kindly. “But something terrible has happened… Howe killed Elissa.”

“Oh no!” Eleanor said, crying.

Bryce looked at me sadly. “It’s our fault Elissa died,” he said. “If we had believed you in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. But… we’ve lost our daughter and you are alone in this world. Perhaps we could adopt you?”

Eleanor gasped. “That would be wonderful!”

“Yes please!” I told them. “My real parents on earth were really horrible to me, I’d much rather you were my parents instead!”

They beamed at me. “Good!” said Bryce. “Then we should go and celebrate you saving our lives, and our castle!”

We went to celebrate in the Great Hall with everyone else, hardly anyone had died in the attack because Ser Gilmore and I had warned everyone in time! I was kissing Gilmore happily when Duncan approached me.

“I saw you kill Howe,” he told me. “I’ve never seen such powerful magic. And I was very impressed with how brave and resourceful you were, saving everyone. I came here looking for a new Grey Warden recruit. And I would like to recruit you.”

I gasped in surprise. “Oh yes,” Gilmore told me. “You’d make an amazing Grey Warden, you should definitely do it! Although it would hurt so much to lose you.” “It would hurt me too,” I told him. “But Duncan is right. Being a Grey Warden is my destiny.”

I sadly hugged my new parents goodbye, but I promised to come back soon. I remember that in the game, Grey Wardens don’t usually go back to their family after getting recruited, but Duncan promised that I could, since he couldn’t bare to take me away from the Couslands forever. Before I left, they gave me Elissa’s mabari as a gift. He was the most beautiful dog I’d ever seen and when he jumped up and licked me, I knew he’d imprinted on me as his new owner!

“He never actually imprinted on Elissa,” Bryce confided to me. “I think he was just waiting for you to come along.”

I smiled and hugged him and Eleanor again, and kissed Ser Gilmore goodbye. Then, I set off with Duncan to be a Grey Warden.

[sophiemoreaux-blog]

challenge 5

a/n: so this is late and bad im sry and its unedited im the worst

The palace had turned into a morgue. In the aftermath of Haiden’s birthday party and the traumatic events that had taken place, all the Selected had retreated, myself included. As I walked down the halls, all the faces I passed were blank. There was no life in this stone cage anymore. It had all died with the queen.

I blew out a breath, closing my eyes for a minute before setting out to find Haiden. It wasn’t that hard.

“Haiden, I… are you alright?” His skin was dangerously pale, his eyes hollow.

“Oh,” he said. There wasn’t any emotion in his voice. “Hi.” I wanted to go to him, to hold his hand, to do something. All I could come up with was a muttered, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s… uh, thank you. How… how are you?” It was just like Haiden to ask about someone else when clearly he was the one to be worried about.

“Shocked, I guess. Do you… do you need anything?” My words sounded shaky. I didn’t know how to handle things like this. But I’d be damned if I didn’t try.

“I’ll be all right. It’s… strange, you know?” I did, a little bit. But not enough.

“Do you want to talk? Not necessarily about this,” I added quickly,” but just… in general. It’s just… well it feels like you’ve spent more time with the other girls and I’m not trying to take advantage or anything I just— “

“It’s okay. I can talk.” He said, cutting me off. I hated myself. I was taking advantage. We decided on my room and I carefully slipped my hand into his to lead him there. It was suprisingly warm. He didn’t let go.

“Before… things happened,” he said cautiously,” you wanted me to come by to talk to you. Everything all right?” No.

“I just wanted to see you,” I said with a shrug.

“I’m glad.”

“Are you?” I opened the door to my room and made some sort of gesture like after you. “I mean… I know you said you’re sticking it out or whatever but… Nevermind. It’s stupid and sappy.”

“It’s okay. It’s hard, you know, but we all have different ways of dealing with things.” Idiot, I wanted you to tell me that I’m here for a reason.

“Yeah, I guess so.” We both sat on my bed and he talked about Eloise for a while and the hole she’d left. He was too young to have so many holes. I laced my fingers through his.

“Is this okay?” Haiden nodded. “Did you know that my friends and I worshipped your mom?”

“A lot of people did.” He didn’t smile. Didn’t react at all, really.

“My best friend has four different posters of her. She was everything I wanted but never really could be. I never… I never thought I’d be here, in this position. As much as I loved your mom, I never thought I wanted this part of her life.”

“Me neither.” He hadn’t gotten the hint.

“And now?” I asked.

“It’s coming faster than I’d like.”

“Yeah,” I said quiety, rubbing my thumb along his hand. His hands were soft, too. “Might as well enjoy as much as you can, yeah?”

“I don’t know how to enjoy it.” The hollowness was back.

“What do you like about it?”

“Meeting all of you.” All.

“So then… I don’t know, focus on the best parts of your relationships with us.”

“What’s ours?” Haiden asked. He didn’t look at me.

“Um, I don’t know.” I stumbled over my words, blushing and looking down at our hands, twined together. “There are a lot of good parts.”

“That is true.” A shiver ran up and down my spine.

“What do you think?” I asked in the most seductive voice I could muster. I think it just came out pained.

“I like that we can get drunk together or be perfectly sober and act the same.” I fought back a smile.

“Me, too.” I did like that. I liked spending time with Haiden, I liked talking to him. Hell, I even liked looking at him. I let the thoughts swirl in my head for a minute before I turned to look at him.

“Do you want to kiss me, Haiden?” It wasn’t meant to be an invitation, just an honest question.

“Maybe,” he said, after a second. “What about you?”

I looked into his eyes, like chocolate, and said, “What do you think?”

He slipped his hand out of mine and I almost flinched at the loss of contact before he brought his hand up to my cheek instead, leaning closer to me. I could smell his colonge from here. It smelled nice.

“Is that a yes?” He asked.

“Don’t be stupid,” I said and closed the distance between us, pressing my lips to his. It started innocently, slow and soft, but it quickly turned to something darker. Haiden laced his fingers through my hair and pulled me towards him. Eager. I smiled onto his lips and brought my hand up to the back of his neck.

He pulled his lips from mine only to move them to my jaw, kissing his way along it and resting his hands on my shoulders.

“Not too bad, right?” I mumbled, breathing hard.

“Not bad at all.” I smiled and used my hand at his neck to pull him back to me, kissing him harder than I had before. Haiden wasted no time pushing me back to the bed, resting one of his hands on my waist. I felt like I was burning. His lips pressed to my ear, his hot breath making my back arch.

“What do you want from me, Lady Sophie?” My breaths were still shallow.

“Anything,” I muttered. “Everything.” He trailed a finger lightly down my neck, settling it right at the base as he smirked at me.

“You’ll have to be more specific.” I leaned up to kiss him again instead, but he leaned away from me. “Tell me,” he said, the command of a king. “What do you want?”

I looked up at him, and he looked down at me, and everything was fire. His touch, his gaze, his lips. I took the hand that rested delicately at the base of my neck and moved it further: to my throat.”

“This,” I said. I kissed him once more. “And this.” I trailed my hand down his chest, stopping at his stomach. “Definitely this. I want whatever you want.” Not very feminist of me, but it was true. I wasn’t going to force Haiden to do anything he didn’t want to. But I wouldn’t have stopped him if he did.

In response, Haiden pulled off his suit jacked and began unbuttoning his crisp, blue shirt.

“Let me.” I pushed his hands away and looked him straight in the eye as I worked his buttons off. In one motion, he shrugged the shirt the rest of the way off and kissed me. My hands found their way back to his chest and I ran my hands down it again.

“Thank God for gymnastics,” I mumbled. He chuckled. His hands traced my sides and he sat up.

“As much as I love that dress, I’d like it much better on the floor.” Smooth. I grinned and pulled it over my head with Haiden’s help. He tossed it behind him.

I kissed him again, flipping our bodies so he was underneath me, my legs on either side of his hips. He pulled away too quickly.

“Are you sure you want to do this here?” Haiden asked, the worry clear in his voice. I kissed his jaw carefully.

“I told you I want what you want.” But he hadn’t really been talking about me. I pushed myself further up. “What about you?”

“Sophie…” My name fell from his lips and it was strangely beautiful, the regret in it, the timbre of his voice dancing across the vowels. I set my hand on his cheek.

“We don’t have to. It’s okay.” He sat up slowly, resting his head in his hands. I was still in his lap.

“I-It’s not you, I just…”

“I know, I know,” I said quietly. I kissed him once more, quickly and softly.

“I feel like a really bad person. I’m sorry,” he said.

“You aren’t a bad person. This is enough for me.” I rubbed my thumb along his jaw, catching the slight stubble left over from a day without shaving.

“You know, I— I just keep thinking… my mother won’t even see me get married.” His slight stutter was back. I rolled off him, finally.

“I’m so sorry, Haiden. You don’t deserve any of this shit.”  Haiden shook his head and wiped his eyes. My heart pulled in my chest.

“She loved all of you, you know. Even… the worst of you. She was so excited to meet the woman I was going to marry.” It was silent for a while. He got up and swiped his shirt and jacket from the floor. “It’s probably better if I go.” He was already on his way out.

I only nodded as he shut the door behind him.

~

The funeral was a blur. People were crying and hugging one another and all the Selected stood together to comfort each other. And I stood apart, my black dress hanging in the most unappealing manner off of my body, and stared straight ahead. The other girls didn’t bother talking to me. They never did.

I don’t think I cried, though it’s hard to tell. I felt numb. I’d never been to a funeral before.

Eliminations had already come out.

“I’m still here,” I said to Haiden a few days later.

“Yeah…” He looked… worried.

“I’m glad.” I hoped that would reassure him.

“You… aren’t mad? At me, I mean.”

“I don’t have anything to be mad about.” And I didn’t. If anyone was at fault, it was me. I had known Haiden was hurting and I’d used that fact to my advantage.

“I thought…” I trailed off. “I don’t know what I thought. I really like you and it scares me sometimes. Everyone always tells me I don’t show my emotions enough and I thought maybe… I couldn’t think of any other way to let you know how I felt.” The words tumbled out of me like a river.

“I understand. I’m… scared, too. But I’m glad you showed me. I maybe not have been ready, but I least I know now, right?”

“I don’t think I was ready, either. I think I just wanted to be.”

“Then it’s better we didn’t. Plus, if there’s no guarantee that…” His words slipped off. I felt anger, and disappointment, boil inside me.

“That I’ll win?” I snapped. Haiden looked down.

“Yeah.” We were silent for a moment.

“Do you think you have to know someone’s past, know all the big things, to know them at all?” I asked.

“In a way. But the futures important as well. Which makes me think, I’ve never really asked what you wanted in life.” I smiled as I told him about my dreams to be a politicial or a civil liberties lawyer.

“But you can’t do it?” I grinned.

“Oh, I will do it. There isn’t a single barrier that can stop me from getting something I’m determined to get. And then after crossing those barriers, I’ll get to help break them down.” I paused. “I guess a potential future queen shouldn’t say stuff like that.” If I even still was a potential future queen.

“No, no, it’s okay. I like it. It shows you have a mind of your own. I hope you do succeed, you know.” I swallowed my hurt.

“What if that’s not my only goal anymore.”

“Then what else is there?” Dumbass.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled.

“Then there’s that. I don’t think I’d hate it. Being Queen. I don’t know if that makes a difference.”

“Really?” There was true wonderment in his eyes.

“Really. I like it here.”

“You do?” He asked, as if it wasn’t impossible not to love him.

“I do… I like it here with you, if that wasn’t clear.” I added.

“I… like it, too.”

“Can I kiss you?” I asked. He was quiet for a moment before he nodded.

“Yeah.” So, I did. I kissed him softly, my hands still glued to my sides. Haiden sighed and brough his hand up to up my cheek. He kissed me harder and I set my hand over his. When I finally pulled away, I rested my forehead on his, my breath a little unsteady.

“This got us in trouble last time, if I remember correctly.”

“I’ve got a clearer head this time, don’t worry. We won’t do anything we’ll regret.”

“I don’t think I can regret anything about you.” I meant it.

“Not yet, but someday maybe.” I shook my head.

“No, not even then.” I brought my fingers up to caress his cheek. “Not if you kick me out, not if one day I’m sitting next to you on those hideous thrones. I won’t regret being here with you.”

“Sophie…” He said quietly. And this time it was with reverance, with awe.

“Don’t… don’t say anything. Just kiss me.” So, he did.

[storyknitter]

The Old Guard (3/7)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

The ‘message received’ notification pinged Theron’s implants as he was finishing up a meeting with one of his Zakuulan contacts. When he saw who the message was from, he fought to keep a smile off his face.

When you get back tomorrow, would you like to have dinner? I’ll be reviewing reports (ugh, forever) in my quarters.

-Sanna

Theron tamped down a swell of impatience as he dragged his focus back to the rest of his mission. It would be stupid -- not to mention dangerous -- to get sloppy simply because he wanted to see Sanna. As soon as he was able, he responded:

Wouldn't miss it. I should be back on time, so I’ll grab us something from the cantina on my way in. Then we can both deal with reports, but hopefully it won’t take forever.

T

Theron had been off-planet for almost three weeks at this point; he also knew that more likely than not, he was going to be heading out again shortly after his arrival. Sighing with disappointment, he tried to think positively -- until a few months ago, he hadn’t seen Vassanna in five long years and had believed her to be dead for two of them.

Knowing that Sanna was only a holo-call or text message away didn’t completely ease the sting of being away from her -- she still felt just as out of reach during those nights as she had been while in carbonite. Theron knew it wasn’t true, but damn, he wanted to see her for more than just a few days at a time. If this intel panned out, though, the two of them would be heading to Zakuul -- together. Yeah, it would be for Alliance business and yeah, it would be dangerous... but it would be just the two of us. I could deal with that.

Despite his frustration, Theron couldn’t keep a smirk off his face for most of the shuttle flight back to Odessen. All that he really wanted to do was spend time with her... and it appeared she felt the same.

By the time Theron arrived on Odessen, the dinner rush was already over; the only food he was able to acquire were cold sandwiches which, while still good, weren’t quite the same as steaming hot nerf burgers and fries. It didn’t help that practically every person he’d walked past needed “just a minute” of his time, for one reason or another. Food in hand -- finally -- he turned towards the elevator leading to the Commander’s quarters.

Theron sighed in relief as he cast a glance around the War Room and found it nearly empty. I swear, if one more person stops me, I’m gonna punch ‘em in the teeth--

“Theron! One moment, if you please,” called out a very amused-sounding blonde Sith, as she walked in from Aygo’s military wing. He paused, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, and turned to meet his cohort.

“Lana. Good to see you.” His smile was more forced than he thought, judging from Lana’s raised eyebrow and the glimmer of mischief in her golden eyes. “Uh, hang on a sec, I have that intel we discussed...” Theron handed her one of the drink cups and began shifting around the rest of the food he was holding, attempting to dig out a data spike from one of his many jacket pockets.

“Excellent. What else did you find out about this Firebrand character? I’d love a summary of your trip, if you can spare the time.” Lana said, seemingly ignoring Theron’s clenched jaw. “We can discuss it over dinner, since you’ve so kindly brought me a sandwich. How did you know that I hadn’t eaten yet?” she asked, chuckling at his narrowed eyes. “Oh, just go have dinner with Vassanna already. She’s missed you, you know.” He fought down a broad grin as the blonde Sith handed him back the drink container.

“We can discuss business tomorrow morning, Theron. Shall I find you in the Commander’s quarters, as per usual? Perhaps 0930? I trust you won’t be as... distracted as you’ve been on prior occasions.” Theron shot Lana a look that would have melted durasteel as a flush of embarrassment crept up his neck. His relationship with Sanna -- whatever it was -- had to be one of the worst-kept secrets on base. And Lana had a front row seat.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” he said, voice strained. Lana gave him an innocent smile and bid him a pleasant evening, the emphasis she placed on her words causing the blush to inch up into his ears as he walked the last few meters to Sanna’s room.

Stacking the cups on top of one another and balancing the wrapped sandwiches in his arms to reach the keypad, Theron opened the door and walked in, a greeting dying on his lips. Sanna was fast asleep, balled up on the couch and lightly snoring, datapad on the floor. The corner of his mouth quirked up, realizing she was wrapped in his old red jacket, though it was far too large for her: her head was pillowed in the collar and shoulder, arms tucked to her chest, and green fingers peeked out of the sleeves, curled delicately around the edge of the cuffs.

The sound of the door latching into place behind him was enough to wake her from her nap. Vassanna’s eyes flew open with a sleepy gasp, before breaking into a sweet, contented smile when she saw Theron. She sat upright with a yawn, stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Mmmm... hi,” she said in a quiet, drowsy voice.

“Hey. Nice jacket you’ve got there,” the spy said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. He set their dinner on the table and took a seat next to her as she glanced down, blushing furiously and biting her lip when she realized what she was still wearing. “It suits you, Sanna.” He ran his thumb along her jaw and leaned in, her cheek still sleepy-warm under his lips, imprints from the jacket seams sharp on the side of her face.

She snorted, a wry expression on her features. “Please. While that’s sweet of you to say, the combination of green skin and red leatheris makes me look like a Life Day decoration.”

Theron chuckled and couldn’t contain a grin. “Well,” he drawled, “you look like a very pretty Life Day decoration.”

Sanna rolled her eyes with a smile as he tugged gently on the collar to pull her into another kiss. His hand slid to the nape of her neck as his other reached for her waist, slipping under the jacket and drawing her closer. With a contented sigh, she shifted and swung her leg over, straddling his lap. Lips still pressed to his, her hands found his face, one drifting back to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck.

The flare of possessiveness that Theron felt went hand in hand with the smug satisfaction of seeing her wearing his clothing. It -- whatever this relationship was turning into -- felt more real for some reason. As though it were a display of her feelings, that she’d chosen him, nevermind the fact that he hadn’t really worn said clothing in ages. You’re really reading too much into this, Shan, he thought. It’s just a jacket. He gently broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her, smirking to cover his thoughts.

“Just out of curiosity -- is there any reason in particular you raided my closet instead of your own? I don't mind, but if you were cold, I know you've got a handful of sweaters that actually fit you and aren't monstrously huge,” he said, flicking back the edge of the collar. “And yanno, there are blankets.”

“First of all, you left it here,” she said defensively, brows furrowed, and gestured to her quarters. Glancing at him briefly, Sanna bit her lip before dropping her eyes and nervously scratching the back of her ear. When she finally spoke, it was quiet, faltering. “It... your old jacket I mean, it’s-- hmm. It’s comfortable? And it still smells like you. Just a little. Just enough.” She picked at the shoulder seam of his current jacket in an effort to avoid looking at him.

There was a pause that felt like an eternity before she spoke again, her voice low and timid. “And it makes it easier to fall asleep when you’re not here. I could just be making this up, I don’t know, but it feels like I--” The words tumbled out in a rush, the self-conscious blush creeping back to her cheeks as she spoke. “It feels like I dream less and sleep more.” Theron ran his thumb along her jaw again, eyes softening as he gazed at her.

“Well, if that’s the case, I did promise you that I’d keep things running smoothly. I’d say that requires a well-rested Commander, don’t you?” Vassanna peeked up at him, violet eyes meeting his below long dark lashes, and his heart stuttered as she gave him that warm smile of hers. “I’ll make you a deal, Sanna. You can keep the jacket, wear it whenever you want.”

“And what would you like in return?” A raised eyebrow accompanied her question.

You, he thought. Just you. “How about dinner?” Theron suggested.

A blindingly bright grin appeared on Sanna’s face before she kissed him soundly. “You drive a hard bargain, Theron Shan, but you’ve got yourself a deal.”

That evening on Odessen was the beginning of a small and lovely -- yet mostly unspoken -- ritual between the pair: anytime that one had to go on a mission without the other, or would be apart for more than a day or two, Theron would wear his old jacket around their quarters so she could wear it when she was on her own.

He pretended it was solely for Sanna's benefit, but inwardly knew the truth: he was being selfish. He rested easier and worried about her less, knowing that she had some small comfort when he wasn't there. Maybe Vitiate wouldn't torment her as badly while she slept. Maybe he still would, but hopefully, she'd feel better after waking up alone.

Theron had promised Sanna that he would take care of things, herself included, and he was going to do his damnedest to keep that promise.