#As long as you remember the proper tags and what they do you're golden
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I have a huge problem!
Tonight, for funises, I've decided to watch a 'How to code in HTML' tutorial (The one I'm watching is almost a decade old and most likely outdated but it's fine.). However, when I tested out the code in the video, it loaded onto Opera.
('2014_fishshop.html' is the name of the file and it's written in my hopefully-not-bugged [Microsoft] Notepad app.)
Now, this post is not meant to insult Opera fans or claim that it is bad browser and its users should be sent to Super Hell or anything like that but let's just say I had a mini meltdown.
I do not want Opera on my desktop.
My younger sibling practically forced me to download it, claiming it is a good browser despite my general disinterest, and I had deleted it months ago. Cleared it from my trash and everything. However, for some reason, despite my attempts at deleting it, it keeps reappearing like a fucking ghost.
This is most evident when my computer restarts and Opera boots up unprompted and from no-where but, when the HTML file loaded onto the browser, that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
(The only file of Opera I have on my desktop, which is my practice HTML file copied from the above mentioned tutorial.)
(What the loaded file looks like. I guess this is what I get for using a decade-old tutorial)
So, can anyone please explain why this is happening and how I can finally scrub Opera off my desktop?
My best guess is that Opera GX (A browser that I basically never use and is collecting dust) is somehow involved but I have no clue what is going on.
Also, if anybody has any probably-not-outdated HTML tutorial suggestions, please let me know. I would genuine appreciate it Ë·ÍàŒÂ·ÍË
#opera#computer troubles#html#htmlcoding#key's post#I haven't even finished the first proper episode of the tutorial and already I'm having problems#(and it seemed like a simple step-by-step process!#As long as you remember the proper tags and what they do you're golden#or at least that my VERY BASIC current understanding)
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Julian Peyton
Yandere golden boy beginning
Male original character x gender-neutral reader
SFW, 2.0k+ words, angst, addiction, trauma, reader, and OC are 18+!
Summary: Did you not wish for his suicide to happen due to wanting to offer proper help or because you didn't want to die selfishly?
Trigger warnings: Dead dove, do not eat for all warnings!
Suicide, suicidal thoughts, mentions of self-harm, depression, mentions of bullying, loneliness, academic pressure, guilt, implied addiction, implied turning yandere/obsessed, manipulation, victim blaming, trauma, abuse, implied childhood abuse, childhood trauma, child abandonment, child negligence, drug addiction, drug dealing, alcohol addiction, cigarettes addiction.
The reader has suicidal thoughts and trauma regarding some of these tags. If any of them trigger you, don't read!
As much as it seems, this isn't a self insert from me, Y/N is their own original character.
For any confusion, this is before he went yandere, became a golden boy, and why.
You are entirely responsible for what you consume.
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!
If you're conscious enough to live, at least at some point in your life you have thought of how quick and easy it would be to bring about your demise.
Grab a knife, cut the neck in half, or take a step off at the edge of a building. Simple and efficient. It's not as painless as some would wish, but it's the most reliable for someone in dire need.
When you have problems you aren't aware of how to solve, suicide just seems like the solution at the moment. Why keep going through the pain when you can just make everything stop and end in black there?
Julian was never one to think of committing suicide. It had crossed his mind before whenever hearing about a self-death headline but never to be the one at the edge of death.
His life was a simple chess game with the Devil to put it generously. He couldn't remember the names of his birth parents, only of the new son they had, he couldn't remember the last time his grandad taught him something but could decipher what drug he was using by the way he acted. It was never too obscure behavior and just made his grandad, Mason, spill honest secrets and opinions. Regardless, it hurt his heart to hear what a failure he was to him.
There never was a time of growing up to him. He was born, abandoned, and then perfected to act depressed for the rest of his life as it should be.
To cope with the loneliness, Julian found comfort in cigarettes. The smell of nicotine brought him back to a time when his grandad was still functioning and meaning someone to him. Someone special, someone valuable, and someone irreplaceable. Despite that, he should've learned from his mistakes that once you aren't meaningful to someone anymore, you become dispensable.
At the age of twelve, he couldn't remember what grades he had in school but could instead remember the various names of alcohol brands his granddad had. They were stored on the top shelf of the pantry and some were in the fridge, all decorated in rainbow colors. Back then, they looked magnificent since Mason always forbade him from touching them. Nowadays they stay piled on the floor of his grandad's bedroom, some empty and some bottles broken never to be cleaned.
Drugs were never an unfamiliar aspect of his life. The minute his grandad was gone, off to drink at a bar, he'd sneak into the basement where they were and gather whatever he could to sell. Julian never found out how his grandad had those, just that they appeared on Monday and were all used by Thursday. Mason was reckless if what he was doing was illegal, as long as the cops or Julian didn't rat him out, he'd be content letting his mind dwell on drugs.
It was no wonder why someone like Julian, who was socially awkward and unpleasant to look at, was bullied all his life in school. People either forgot he existed or made sure Julian knew others would forget if he stopped existing. Any time he made an effort to find new friends, they'd look at him in disgust upon smelling his dark cigarette clothes. There was no direct proof but everyone knew of Julian's addiction to cigars and that he probably used drugs on himself too. His blonde hair was always greasy paired with nerdy glasses that only highlighted his purple eye bags to others. Everyone knew he was a failure and that his life would end in failure no matter what.
You saw yourself as no different than Julian. He was a classmate of yours in school, sharing only a couple of classes. You never spoke with each other and never looked at one another. You doubted he cared anything about you but oddly enough... you seemed to care about him. There was just something pulling you to him, some undeniable force that made you feel emotionally connected to him. Maybe it was the pity, the empathy you felt for him, or... the way you thought he was similar to you.
You were someone who grew up in a rather loving family, unlike Julian. You had three young caring step-sisters, a father you never met, and a mother and stepfather. Although your parents' love was sometimes not present, your childhood wasn't the worst or the best. Your earliest memory was when your first adoring sister was born, when you had to take care of her and the same goes for the rest.
Your parents never were really involved in your life. They had to work plenty of hours to take care of your family tree and you had to take care of your sisters in exchange, watch them evolve, and be their guiding light. You never felt like an older sister, more like a parent who guarded them 24/7.
To make your parents notice you for once, your academics stood second in your biggest priorities. Night and day, day and night spent at your desk, unexpectedly was your friend group of friends small and so was your social life. Painful eye bags staining your face and skin pale as a zombie, people worried if you were dead or alive. The only reassurance you had for continuing was a promise for a better present time than your past in a completely new setting.
Despite always teaching your younger siblings to never bottle their emotions, it was only advice you hoped you could follow yourself. They were too young to understand your problems, the pressure, the loneliness, everything. Your parents weren't the ones you could freely open up to without feeling like a burden to their already busy lives. Your couple of friends looked up to you for advice and without anyone to usher you, who was there to tell you suicide wasn't the choice?
You never earlier put your head on suicide and always reassured your peers never to do it. It wasn't the right decision, there were plenty of other ways to go about it, you'd always say. But with always being the one to comfort, to collect their tears that soon poured into yours, you never thought you needed to feel comforted.
Many indifferent moons passed by your window at your desk, contemplating and crying in fear of losing your place in academics. Once you mustered up the courage to find the time and speak to your parents about your fate, they barely took a glance at your words. You put your heart into explaining what you wanted for your future, why you fought so hard, and that you wanted to make this family proud. Nor did they consider it, your mother took her time to carefully choose where to stab you next, calling you an ungrateful brat for not even thinking about your younger sisters.
That night, the cap broke off the bottle and your tears stained your face for hours. Their words clouded you, their words were becoming a reality to you. It felt childish to cry over nothing, it was childish no matter how you put it. How dare you even cry after acting so selfishly?
When the sun came, it settled in you how much you wanted to break your own rules and punish yourself. If you weren't to have a good destiny, what difference would ending it now have? All you've ever wanted was to be certain you'd have brightness along your path of life, to not end up marrying off to a rich man like your mother had to. All you've ever wanted was gratitude for your achievements from people who should've been giving it to you for free.
Those thoughts stayed long in your mind and long enough to realize how your mother was right. How selfish would you be to dedicate yourself to ending it now of all times? Who would take care of your family? Who else would provide for your own blood?
You were no one to decide on what and when your death would be. To be one would mean your soul would succumb to sinfulness and stay like that by all who knew of your existence.
Being a mother figure all of your life, you immediately knew what was happening with Julian. Over the years, he grew pathetic in trying to go against his bullies' self-harming suggestions. There were no tears smudging his dorky glasses anymore, no guilt on his face, anger, he just looked emotionless and numb. He, to put it simply, took the pain and walked away without trying to heal.
The day you finally decided to befriend him, the day his tormentors came to convince him, was the same day he wanted to make ends meet.
During lunch, you searched for him at his usual spot in school, on the rooftop. The whisper-like wind hugged your body carefully and to no avail, he wasn't staring at absolutely nothing on the bench, his bench you came to view it as. So many times he was caught bawling there he practically claimed it as his own.
Upon spotting his thin form at the edge of the rooftop in front of the railing, looking down at the ground and contemplating his life's choices, your heart felt devastated. To anyone it would be obvious what was going to happen, to you, it was clear who had to prevent it.
You couldn't let this happen to him, he never deserved anything in his life and if there was no one else to help him, it would be you. Either you put an end to his problems or put an end to the selfish life you wouldn't live for too long after.
His name echoed in his ears when you yelled out to him, was it his imagination? He turned his body around, his watery eyes landing on your blurry figure, and for the first time, he felt something other than nothing in his life.
âListen, I've come here to help you, okay?â Your voice was soft as sunlight behind stormy clouds. Nevertheless, even with the reassurance, looking over your nervous body, he still felt out of place. Like an animal caged behind a railing as you cautiously stepped near him.
It took you slow breaths to at last muster up your words. âI know life may seem tough for you now but..â There was a smile on your face, it was forced and comforting at the same time. âWe can both get through this, alright? We can both help one another in passing through this pain.â You were closer to him now, he could tell by seeing the sun reflect your skin golden. You were glowing and through his tears, he couldn't tell if you were an angel or not. âBut I can't help you if you end it all now, I can't help you if you can't help yourself in what you truly want.â Julian eyed the ground under him again, a teardrop falling from his eye and landing beneath him.
It took several moments for his quiet sobs and sniffling to be heard by you. âW-why are you doing this?â Scratchy as it was, it felt good to finally hear his voice.
âBecause I know what you're going through, I know how hard life has been for you and I want to make it better for you.â Julian's brown eyes couldn't help but wonder where you were standing, your delicate hand put out for him to grab. He felt every worry in his life disappear and could only focus on nothing but you. âPlease, Julian, let me help you.â
Medusa's beauty referred to snakes acting as something they were not, would her touch also feel like scales belonging to filthy deceivers? Your hand looked preciously dainty and skinned with thin glass, a couple of visible cuts on the wrists. Your eyes captivated him, desperation or precise manipulation in them. Your aura, your soul, your everything had him infatuated in a matter of seconds.
As much of an alluring snake you seemed, he's learned his way around them and he was going to make sure you would be the last he's ever met. It would be the last time he'd ever wailed for someone and missed them to death.
Julian would certify he has collected every last remaining lie in your shedding skin, morphing it into whatever he wanted to believe, before ensuring you never leave him. Never leave, never abandon, never disappear from his life, and never not be fully dependent on anything except him.
Masterlist for Julian
For any confusion, this is before he went yandere, became a golden boy, and why.
I'm open to all constructive criticism, not bullying!
#julian peyton#sockslikeautumn#yandere#yandere x reader#yandere oc#yandere male#yandere x darling#yandere golden boy#oc x reader#male oc x reader#oc#original male character#male original character#yandere original character#original character x reader#original character#x reader#reader#reader insert#suicide#depresion#mdni#minors do not interact#dead dove do not eat#dead dove fic#fanfic#fanfiction#yandere imagines#angst#golden boy
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Crossroads: Chapter 8
The Core
Summary: Rayne brings Din and Yadier to Coruscant to meet some old friends who can help them on their way. Turns out one of them is Rayneâs ex. And Din had a run-in with the other several years priorâŠ
But itâs fine. Really. Itâs fine.
Rayne pulls off a little espionage. Din gets to tune up his Amban.
Din struggles with closing the triangle of his family and learns a lesson on the value of life-long friends.
Notes: Canon-compliant through Season 1, alt version of Season 2. Posting some old fic before the sequel, which will hopefully be complete by the end of Season 3. Start now so you're ready! AO3 link in the Source at the bottom.
Tags/Warnings: Angst, Din gets tipsy
Rating: Mature
---
Iâve been away and Iâve seen too much Looks like Iâve been moving on as well And when I started to not really belong I suppose I was unable to tell But I ainât sad and no it isnât bad Itâs just one more thing Iâm coming to know
Blues Traveler, Back in the Day
---
Din settled down in his seat on the flight deck with his breakfast and coffee, helmet on the console, the blue and white ripples of hyperspace streaking by over his head.
Leaving Methuselah had been difficult. He was going to miss it, and the look on Rayneâs face as the ramp closed for the final time nearly broke his heart. Heâd brushed the back of her hand with his and blurted out âMaybe we could come back sometime,â before heâd even known the words were in his head.
It wasnât like him to blurt.
It particularly wasnât like him to blurt out sentences containing the word âweâ with regard to future commitments, but heâd gone and done it.
Her response had been even enough, that half-smile of hers as she met his gaze. âMaybe.â
Methuselah had left its mark on all of them. Din took his gloves off to reveal hands that were a proper golden brown again, a color he hadnât been since his last summer before⊠before. Rayne found a great deal of amusement in the fact that the only tan lines he had were on his temples from the sunglasses sheâd given him, even if she had to take his word for it. For her part, Rayne had gotten a few shades darker, her hair a few shades lighter. Theyâd both put on a few pounds of muscle. Even Yadier had taken on a brighter, more vibrant shade of green. Neither one of them had any idea if that was actually ok; the kid looked almost radioactive, but he showed no indication of peeling or discomfort, so they fed him one last frog for the road and called it good.
Din ate his breakfast, listening to Rayne and Yadier exchange in their own way as they ate theirs below, through the closed door of the flight deck. Heâd heard adults speak to children before, but the conversation between his son and his sonâs mother was nothing like those at all.
âYes, we brought some frogs with us.â
âBrrrpllllp.â
âTheyâre more of a lunch thing. You do better when you have the green stuff for breakfast.â
âEh! Rrrraaaallllll.â
âNo, you shouldnât eat the wrench. Remember what happened last time?â
âHeeheehee.â
âFunny for you, maybe. Your dad was furious. I had to bill him extra to replace it. No way I was gonna use that one again.â
âMmmm eh brrreep!â
âYeah, you can float the other tools after breakfast. Your record is fifty. Weâll see if we can get you a new PR today.â
âThhhh, buir!â
âWeâll go up and bug him once heâs done eating.â
Din sipped his coffee as he considered the ridiculous pragmaticism going on in the hold below, the things a parent had to negotiate with a Force-sensitive toddler who thought frogs were the most delicious things in the entire galaxy and could lift a starship when properly directed. Rayne just rolled with it like it was nothing.
RayneâŠ
Theyâd arrived on Methuselah as father, son, and⊠engineer/tutor/whatever long list of Force-sensitive sorcery she was, and had left the planet as father, son, and mother.
An actual family.
An actual clan.
It still seemed unreal to him as he brought a hand up to the cowl, feeling the beskar casing underneath it, against his throat.
The bonds between the son and his mother and father were unquestioned. Din was bound to him through honor, creed, and shared saving of lives. Rayne was bound to him through the Force.
What, exactly, held Yadierâs parents together?
Dinâs gaze fell to his almost-empty cup, swirling the contents around.
They were bound by an ancient history of struggle. Everything about his training, everything about his armor, everything about The Way was in direct opposition to everything she was capable of and everything the Jedi believed. His people had gained strength in the face of hers, but hers had not backed down.
At the same time, they were both victims of Empire pogroms, both the survivors of their respective purges. Order 66 was an amplified echo of the Night of a Thousand Tears. As sparse as the Mandalorian diaspora was, at least it was viable. The Jedi Order was wiped out entirely, and Force-sensitives were, apparently, vanishingly few. The Empire was their mutual enemy. It had taken everything from them.
Now, its remnant threatened their son.
He wondered if the opposing strengths of the Mandalorians and the Jedi could be brought together. It had been done before, at least in the form of Tarre Vizsla. Could two people with opposing but complementary skillsets form a new Way?
He backed away from the thought. It wasnât his place to question his path. Rayne had done it, had tossed much of the Jedi dogma out the window, but she had no one else to hold her to it. Din still had⊠somewhere out there⊠he had others of his kind to hold him to the Creed. Heâd still sworn his soul to the manda. That was a done deal.
Despite (or because of?) all of these complexities, many things between them clearly worked well. Really, really, well. He allowed himself a smile as he looked back up to the windscreen, watching the flow of hyperspace once again. Theyâd been together for just over a month, now. The fact that Rayne had adopted his son so quickly was way more than he had ever expected. Hoping for anything more at this point felt like over-reaching. He was content with what they had now, even if he couldnât put a name to it, and he wouldnât push it any harder.
The fact that he was content at all was startling.
He downed the rest of his coffee, slid the helmet back on, and opened the door so the rest of his family could join him if they wished.
---
âSo who exactly are we meeting on Coruscant?â
Din was in his seat, swiveled back so he could watch Rayne and Yadier Force-toss the bearing between them from the port and starboard jump-seats, respectively.
âTheir names are Zavin Reps and Reesha Shalente.â Rayne let the bearing bounce in the air for a bit before tossing it back to Yadier. âThey have space for the Razor Crest at their residence, so we wonât have to worry about docking records.â
âIs that safe?â
âReesha is an intelligence officer with the New Republic. She wonât be questioned.â
Din gave a long exhale, crossing his arms over his chest, indicating everything Rayne needed to know about his confidence in the New Republic.
Rayne gave him a sidelong look. âShe was also a Fulcrum during the Rebellion. Sheâs the reason Iâm even able to function in society at all. She set me up with a chain code during the war.â
âYou didnât have one before?â
âI had one that was on record at the Jedi temple. Itâs tied to my real name. Iâd have gotten executed within three hours of using it for decades after Order 66. It would probably still be a horrible idea to use it. Rayne Rollins didnât officially exist until twelve years ago.â
Din gave a conciliatory shrug. âSo they know youâre Force-sensitive.â
âYes. She has access to Jedi records that might point us in the right direction to find Yadierâs people. The tough part will be pulling shenanigans to cover the fact that weâve accessed the records, but weâll nail that down when we get there.â
âAnd Zavin?â
âReehsaâs husband. He works in starship design.â Her tone was hesitant.
Din took the bait. âAndâŠâ
Rayne took a measured breath. âAn ex.â
âHm.â
âItâs fine. We were friends for a few years before we got more serious. We joined the Rebellion together. He actually introduced me to Hayes a few months after we broke up. I introduced him to Reesha. It all worked out.â
âWhy the breakup?â
She gave him A Look.
âI need to know what Iâm getting into,â Din responded.
She broke his gaze with a âfair enoughâ shrug. âHe⊠didnât feel the same way about me that I felt about him. Heâs⊠honest, though. Even when the truth hurts. I always know where I stand with him.â She looked back over to Din. âYou will too.â
âCan he take what he dishes out?â
âYes.â
âThen itâll be fine.â
Except it wasnât quite fine. Zavin was alive and Hayes was dead. Zavin still had Reesha and Rayne had⊠a brand-new wayward alien baby son and his Mandalorian dad. She had turned back to face Yadier, and Din realized that she knew how precarious her position in his life was. How circumstances had continuously removed people from hers, if not completely, then at least from places she would rather have kept them. And he had put her in the position to lose again, had asked her to adopt his son with him, knowing full well they would have to give him up.
Would he exit her life at that point as well?
Would she even want him around after losing their son? A reminder of a part of her life that she would never get back?
He shook his head, trying to focus. âWhat do they know about us?â He knew Rayne had gotten a message back from them earlier in the day.
âThey know Iâm with the Mando from Nevarro â youâre apparently a thing, now. They know that Yadier is the same species as Yoda. I donât know if Reeshaâs figured out your name yet.â
âLetâs stick with Mando unless they make it clear that they know it.â
Rayne nodded.
---
The Razor Crest dropped out of hyperspace at Coruscant. Rayne was in the starboard jump-seat with Yadier strapped to her in the birikad. She watched through the windscreen as Din guided the ship to the coordinates, watched the unbroken cityscape slip by, watched the ruins of her childhood home rise up around them as they dropped altitude. The baby burbled as she ran an absent finger along his ear, sensing his motherâs unease.
Din was unused to the heavy traffic of a core planet, but he was able to slide the old gunship into the lanes regardless. He landed when they reached their destination, peering out with uncertainty as the Crest settled on its gear. They were parked on one of the higher towers in the area, and the structure before them was an opulent, glass and steel-frame home. An awning extended over the Crest to obscure the view of it from above. âAre we in the right place?â
âYep. Welcome to the club, guys.â
So many clubs, lately.
Zavin and Reesha were approaching the ship as Rayne lowered the ramp. She waved as soon as she was visible, and started walking as soon as it was down, Din a few paces behind her.
âOh, shit.â His voice was just barely audible over the modulator.
âWhat? Whatâs wrong?â She turned back to face him.
âIt⊠might be nothing. Just fly casual.â
âOokaaay.â She turned and continued, but noticed that Din had slowed his pace.
âRayne!â Reeshaâs greeting was open-armed and warm. She knew that Rayne wasnât much of a hugger, but she hugged her and the baby anyway. âItâs been too long.â
It had been three years. âYeah, I guess itâs been a while.â
Zavin kept his distance, hands in his pockets. He gave her a nod. âGood to have you back.â
She returned the nod. âGood to be back.â
Reesha took a step back to get a good look at Yadier. âAnd this is your son.â She lifted an eyebrow. âI never pegged you as the mothering type.â
Rayne shrugged. âStill not, but I made an exception for this guy.â She patted the bundle and he looked up at her and smiled, a quiet âbuirâ purring out of him.
Reesha ran a finger along his ear and he burbled. âWell, weâll try and get things figured out for you, little guy.â
Din hung back, raking through his memory. Reesha was familiar, and not in a good way. Dark skin, almond-shaped eyes, tight curls, high cheekbones, willowy build, on the tall side. Heâd seen her before⊠sheâd been a bounty. Oh, god no⊠sheâd been the New Republic bounty heâd picked up four years ago, strict orders to bring her in warm, a request not to put her in carbonite if possible, but heâd been low on rations so heâd had to freeze her anyway. The whole thing had seemed off, somehow. So far off that heâd left that Guild contract entirely a week later, transferred out of the local covert and gone to a different system altogether.
Now here she was, his sonâs motherâs ex-boyfriendâs wife.
Sometimes the galaxy was just too goddamn small.
Reesha caught sight of him, tilting her head. She spoke to Rayne in measured tones. âThis is the Mandalorian from Nevarro?â
âYeah.â
âHis armor. Itâs different from what he looked like in the news footage.â
âHe just painted it.â
âI see.â Reesha stepped around Rayne and approached the Mandalorian before her, the Mando in russet-red armor. The armor itself was different, significantly upgraded, but the color was the same. The head-tilt was the same. The way he carried his arms away from his body was the same. The boots with the disruptor shells just below his right knee. All the same. She came to within two meters of him and stopped. âDo you remember me?â
â⊠Yes.â
His voice was the same.
He was the one.
Rayne mouthed a âWhat is going on?â to Zavin. He seemed to consider for a moment before a look of recognition appeared on his face. He replied with a small smile and a wink. Hang on and watch.
âHow much did they pay you?â Reesha directed to Din. âWhat was the price of my capture?â
âYour bounty fed three foundlings for a year.â
â⊠What?â
âPlus a monthâs worth of fuel. You were worth a lot to somebody.â The same, surprisingly soft tones from before.
She smiled. âThatâs good.â
â⊠What?â
âCome in, please. Iâll explain.â Reesha took Rayneâs arm as she passed by and guided her inside. âYou sure know how to pick them.â
âYeah, he sorta picked me.â
âDoesnât look like you put up much of a fight.â
âPoint.â
When they were all inside, Reesha cast a conspiring gaze to Zavin. âRemember when you hired a Guild bounty hunter to bring me in from the field?â
Zavin crossed his arms. âSure do. Is this the guy?â
âThis is the guy.â
Din tilted his head. âI was part of your retrieval chain?â
âYes. Getting brought in by a Guild hunter was the safest way.â
His shoulders relaxed. âWhat was with theâŠâ he mimicked the hand gesture she had made when heâd frozen her in carbonite, with her middle fingers extended.
âOh that,â she laughed. âYou didnât leave a mark on me and I had to make it look better than that, soâŠâ she shrugged. âWe tried to hire you to bring me in again later but you were nowhere to be found.â
He breathed a sharp exhale. âYour little display guilt-tripped me into leaving that Guild contact. I bounced the system and never went back.â
Reesha rolled her eyes. âYou wouldnât believe the bullshit I had to put up with after you left. Anyway, weâll let you get settled. Will your usual room still work for you, Rayne?â
âYep, it will.â
They brought a few bags out from the Crest and Rayne led Din up to a suite on the second floor; two rooms, a proper bathroom, and a sweeping view of the skyline from floor-to-ceiling windows. The interior walls were decorated with framed design blueprints for starship engine parts, signed by the designer. Din took a close look at one of them, finding the style familiar, recognizing it from Rayneâs work with the fob scramblers. He read the name signed in the corner. âRyan Robbins. Let me guess. You have a third chain code.â
She smiled as she placed Yadier in his crate and unpacked. âThat one is number four, actually.â
âDo I want to know what number three does?â
âNumber three got pinched by the Imps, got away, and is officially at the bottom of the ocean on Naboo.â
âSounds fun.â
âIt wasnât, but it makes for a good story after a night of heavy drinking.â
Once they unpacked, Rayne took a moment to crawl onto the bed. âOh god⊠a real bed. Itâs been forever since Iâve slept in a real bed.â
âItâs been a month.â
âForeverrrrrâŠâ She sprawled out on half of it, buried her face in a pillow, and let out a long moan. Yadier pulled himself out of his crate and onto the bed, then romped around the perimeter of it, unfamiliar with the give of an actual mattress. He giggled as he bounced on the firm foam, testing the surface.
Din took a seat on the edge, considered for a moment, then pulled off his boots and stretched out on his back. âOh.â It really was a nice bed. âOkay. Yeah, I get it.â
âWeâll have to make good use of this later.â
Her suggestive tone did not elude him. âYes. We will.â
They allowed themselves a few minutes to relax, then headed back downstairs.
---
Zavin pulled Din and Yadier out onto the balcony so the women could get to work. Reesha already had a terminal set up in the office.
âSo whatâs the plan?â Rayne asked.
âI was able to get a location on several Jedi historical texts and registers for the last thirty years of recruiting before the fall of the Republic. Between those, we might be able to find something useful. The good news is that itâs all been digitized and youâll be able to copy things over quickly.â
âThe bad news?â
âItâs all located in the Imperial Palace.â
Rayne blew out an exhale and closed her eyes. The Imperial Palace. The former Jedi Temple.
âSeriously?â
âI know,â Reesha put a hand on her arm. âYouâre a Sentinel, Rayne. If anyone can do this, itâs you.â
âThe last time I was in that buildingâŠâ
âYou were a ten year old Youngling. Now youâre going back as an ass-kicking infiltrator.â
Rayne threaded her fingers through her hair. âUrrrrghâŠâ
âI know that groan. Thatâs the, I donât want to do this even though I know I can groan. Seriously, itâs been five years. Youâve been hiding out for too long. When this is all done, the New Republic could use someone like you.â
âWhat do you mean, someone like me?â
âSomeone who can hack a security system, fly and maintain a ship, and break someoneâs neck all in the span of five minutes.â
âMaybe. But this kid⊠heâs powerful. This is a lot bigger than me. Seeing this all the way through might be a longer game. But anything that brings balance to the Force is in the best interest of the New Republic. In that sense, you still have my loyalty.â
Reesha relented. âFair enough. Letâs run down the security protocols youâll have to deal withâŠâ
---
âCan I get you a beverage?â Zavin offered. âI managed to find a whiskey that goes down well with a straw.â
âNo thank you.â
âSeriously, do you have any idea how hard a whiskey-straw pairing is? I spent days on this.â
Din allowed himself an exhale for a laugh. âI appreciate the effort. Maybe later.â Din craned his head to look at the opulent home behind him. âNo kids of your own?â It seemed odd to him, given that they so obviously had the resources to have as many children as they wanted.
Zavin gave a slight shake of his head. âI was standing next to a hyperdrive reactor when our carrier got hit with Imperial cruiser fire and things got a little crazy about twenty years ago. I wasnât quite shooting blanks after that, but the results wouldâve been⊠bad. SoâŠâ He made a snipping motion with his fingers.
Din was shocked at Zavinâs frankness, but he realized it lined up with what Rayne had told him. âIâm sorry.â
Zavin shrugged. âWeâre not parent types, anyway. Reeshaâs workâŠâ He turned his head to gaze out at the skyline. âIt wouldnât be fair.â It wouldnât be fair to have kids when there was a decent chance they would lose their mother.
Din dipped his head in a single nod.
Life in the Core, while more comfortable, wasnât all fun and games either, apparently.
He used the moment to take Zavinâs measure. He was about Dinâs height and build. He looked like the type of man whoâd been a soldier in his younger years and kept up with the exercise habit. He was fair-skinned, green eyes, with long, straight sandy hair pulled back into a ponytail. Zavin leaned back on the rail. âIf Iâd known it took a Mandalorian bounty hunter to pull Rayne off that dustball planet, Iâd have looked a lot harder to hire you again. She doesnât get around here much.â
Din looked down to his son. âI think Yadier did most of the convincing.â
Zavin took a swallow from his drink. âHowâs she been?â
Din tilted his head. âWhat do you mean?â
âLast time she was here was two years after Hayes died. She was still kind of a mess. Better than the first year, butâŠâ He shrugged. âNightmares. Forgetting to eat for a few days in a row. Drinking too much.â
Din nodded. âSheâs healthy. Nightmares are an occasional thing.â
âSo youâre sleeping with her.â
Thank god Rayne had warned him. âYes.â
âHow are you handling theâŠâ He scratched the back of his neck.
God, this guy. âItâs fine.â Itâs excellent, actually, but Iâll be damned if I discuss it with you.
âWhat is she to you?â
No wonder they broke up. They must have riddled each other with holes asking pointed questions. âIs this an interrogation?â
âYes.â Zavin rested his elbows on the rail. Din had never been so closely questioned before by someone who was so clearly at ease. Zavin was not only on his home turf, but he also figured that he was under Rayneâs protection, so long as he didnât do anything too outrageously stupid. Zavinâs eyes met the visor in a cool, collected challenge. âRayneâs my friend. Her husband was my friend. He saved my life the day he died. And when he got blown out of that hangar, he took a piece of Rayne with him. Iâve seen her once in the five years since. And now she finally shows up with a Mandalorian whoâs wanted by an Imperial remnant for kidnapping a baby, having apparently adopted said baby. So yeah, Iâm curious about your relationship with her.â
Yadier burbled in a manner that seemed to say, Heâs got a point.
Din gave a conciliatory sigh. âSheâs the mother of my son.â
âThatâs her relationship to your son. Whatâs your relationship to her?â
âOur son is our primary concern. Anything else between us isâŠâ He didnât know, actually. âBonus.â
That sounded horrible, but the words were already out.
âDoes she know that?â
âWe havenât discussed it. Yet.â
Zavin raised an eyebrow.
âI havenât made any promises I canât keep.â
âCan I give you a piece of advice?â
âSure.â
Zavin took another swallow of his drink, collecting his thoughts. âDonât string her along. If you plan on parting ways once you get Yadier settled, tell her now.â
âI havenât⊠thought that far ahead, yet.â
âOkay. But donât take more than a couple of years to figure it out.â
âThat what happened with you?â
Zavinâs eyes met the visor for several moments before he gave a slight nod and cast his gaze back out over the view. âMore or less. We hit it off well enough. Things were as good as could be expected in the middle of a war. Two years later she slips up with the âLâ word, and I⊠didnât.â
âWhy not?â
Zavin allowed himself a grim smile, taking what he dished out. âNot sure, really. Chemistry just wasnât there for me.â
Din was by no means an expert on this type of thing, but he knew code for âsomething about her wasnât good enoughâ when he heard it. He decided not to press the issue; people were allowed their preferences, and he knew he may well end up on the receiving end of similar judgment himself. So he limited his response to a single nod.
âI guess I could go for that drink after all.â
---
Reesha turned as Din and Yadier followed Zavin into the office while Rayneâs attention was focused on a holoprojection of digitized code as it scrolled before her. Din watched her slide pieces of it out with the touch of a finger, grab other pieces from the side, and slide them in to replace what had been removed. He knew security protocols when he saw them, and he tilted his head toward Reesha in a silent question.
She joined them at the two small couches facing a low, round table in the back of the room, taking the glass that Zavin offered. âSome prep before Rayne retrieves the data tomorrow. So she can deactivate certain cameras at certain times.â
âIs she going in alone?â His tone was more curious than alarmed.
âNot entirely. Iâll be plugged into the system here to guide her along.â
âWhere is she headed?â
âThe Jedi Temple.â
Zavin let out a long sigh. Din couldnât blame him. Being with others who knew Rayne so thoroughly was intimidating and comforting, by turns. So much could be said with so few words, and everyone knew what it all meant.
Reeshaâs eyes drilled through both of them, one after the other. âSheâll be fine.â
Rayne dropped into the couch next to Din, leaned forward to take the drink offered by Zavin, knocked half of it back, and sighed. âAll set.â
âDo you want backup for this?â Din asked.
She let her hand fall to his thigh. âWe have bigger plans for you tomorrow, buddy. If youâre interested.â
âIâm listening.â
âTomorrow,â Zavin started, âI go to the New Republic Military Engineering Division as the face of Ryan Robbins and make a deal for the patents that Rayne put together over the last three years. I walk in with a stick of data, and I walk out with a stick of financial transfer codes for 2.5 million New Republic credits.â
Dinâs vision blurred a little at hearing the number, but he pulled it together. âYou need an escort to make the deposit.â
âI do. You have a bigger gun? Something everyone can see?â
âI do.â
âBring it. I donât know that youâll need it, butâŠâ
âItâll be a good show.â He bounced Yadier on his knee. âWhere does this guy go while all this happens?â
âHeâll be safe here with me,â Reesha said.
Yadier gave a contented giggle, as if to say that was ok with him.
A tone on Reeshaâs wristband beeped. âExcellent! Dinnerâs ready.â She watched as Dinâs shoulders dropped just the slightest bit, a motion that most people outside of her line of work would miss, preparing to banish himself to the ship or ask for a different room. âStay put, Mando,â she said as a droid rolled in with a tray filled with five smoothies and set it down on the table. âWeâre all drinking our dinner with straws tonight.â
Both Din and Rayne deflated with gratitude at the gesture. The possibility had, of course, been open to him all along, but something about using straws in front of other people had always struck him as undignified. Childlike. But here, with friends, and despite the fact that they were so new to him, their raw honesty with him and their long history with Rayne made them his friends too, and the fact that they were all sharing it with him⊠made it ok.
His first meal shared with other living things in more than thirty years. He felt Rayneâs arm drop over his shoulders as he lifted the glass from the tray with shaking hands, threaded the metal straw through the channel in his helmet, infinitely thankful for the protection it gave his expression when he couldnât keep from closing his eyes as the taste of meiloorun flowed over his tongue and down his throat.
His mind drifted to two weeks prior, sitting by the fire under the stars, when Rayne had confessed to him her raw passion for chocolate. He had reciprocated, telling her his memory of his father bringing him to the market and letting him pick out the two best meiloorun fruits he could find, one for him, one for his mother, for it had been their mutual favorite. Once home, she would show him how to peel and de-seed them, and they would sit in the sun together to share.
It all washed over him again. He let it come, knowing it would only take longer if he fought it, and soon enough, it passed. He turned his head to Rayne, seeing that her smoothie was, indeed, chocolate.
Oh, this woman. This woman and her conspiring, incredible friends.
She could feel his trembling through the beskar, could feel the wave of nostalgia roll off of him. âEverything ok in there?â
He paused, embarrassed at almost losing it over a fruit smoothie. These simple pleasures she brought him that threatened to undo him.
âWe gotta get a blender.â
---
Rayne came up to their rooms later on, pausing outside of the main door as she heard her son squeaking and giggling from the other side.
âYaaaadierrrrrrâŠâ Dinâs voice was a low, playful growl, rolling the R at the end of the name as Yadier let out an unbridled laugh.
She opened the door to find Din sitting on the edge of the bed, tickling their son, fresh from his bath. Din had already shed the beskar, gloves, and boots, his shirtsleeves pulled up to his elbows, fingers light over Yadiâs bright green, apparently ticklish belly, tiny arms and legs flailing in joyful protest. âYaaaadierrrrr,â he growled again, thick with his Mandoâa accent, renewing the tickles, and the baby let out another peal of laugher.
Who knew this was what happened when you poured three shots of whiskey into a Mandalorian?
âYou wanna cover story and bedtime while I take a shower?â
âSure,â Din said, voice breaking after all of the play growls.
âShhhhhoooo buir!â the baby followed.
By the time she came back out, the lights were dimmed but not off, Yadier was already snoring in the other room, and Din was on his back, down to his helmet, shorts, and the beskar casing on its leather string around his neck. His hands were folded over his chest, legs crossed at the ankles. She paused for a moment to watch him breathe, his skin dark against the sheets, and she had the sudden realization that she was quite possibly looking at the only Mandalorian in the galaxy with a fresh suntan.
A deliciously even one, at that.
She slid into bed next to him. âStill awake in there?â
âMmhm.â He reached for her hand, found it, and pulled it to his chest. âYour friends seem like good people.â
âThey are. You passed inspection.â
âYaaayyy,â he deadpanned, voice low, trying to sound like he didnât care even if maybe he did. âZavinâs worried about you.â
âMm. I probably gave him reason to be. Heâll get over it.â She pressed her lips to his shoulder and he sighed into it. âStill up for making good use of the accommodations?â
âI can be convinced.â
He traced her ribs as she moved above him, eyes locked on the bullet casing he had given her as it hung at the base of her throat, Zavinâs words from earlier in the day coming back to him. âWhat is she to you?â
Any attempt at an answer was lost as she tipped over the edge and her mind dragged him along with her.
---
Breakfast was straw-friendly yogurt. Din wondered how many meals they would be able to accommodate in this way. His second favorite was rare-cooked steak, and he couldnât think of a pleasant way of getting that through a straw.
He came back from the Razor Crest, Zavin smiling at the Amban slung across his back as he handed Rayne her lightsaber. Zavin and Reesha sat at the table that was off to the side of the mostly open main level. Zavinâs hair was braided and wrapped into a bun at the nape of his neck, his hand turned palm-up as Reesha ran a pen-like instrument in slow passes over his fingertips.
Again, Din tilted his head in a silent question.
âAltering his fingerprints,â Rayne answered. âHeâll have my prints for the next three days.â
âWhat about retina scans?â
âTook care of that last night,â Reesha offered.
âBlood type?â
âEasy. Weâre both O+ to begin with,â Rayne said.
âHuh.â Despite the fact that the identity was a fake one, the very real act of Rayne loaning it to her ex, and his wife facilitating that act, struck him in a profound way. The level of trust the three of them had for each other, the level of trust Reesha and Zavin showed him just by allowing him in their home, their incredible hospitality towards him, was like nothing he had ever seen.
And then he realized. This is what it meant to have long-term friends.
Not business partners. Not people who would cooperate with you only when it behooved them to do so. But people who you could actually trust. Who had your back. Who did it because they liked you and cared about you.
Would he and Cara ever have something similar? Would they both survive long enough for that? And if they did, could they tolerate each other for the duration?
He dared to hope so.
âSo what exactly are you two breaking into today?â
âThe New Republic recently came into possession of archives that were thought to have been destroyed by the Empire in their various pogroms,â Reesha answered. âSome of the Jedi records and texts were among them. Access is still highly restricted â even Iâm not supposed to know about this, so we have to be sneaky.â
âYouâre stealing information from your own side.â It wasnât a question.
Reesha shrugged. âMore or less. The restrictions are in place to protect any remaining Force-sensitives. Itâs⊠unwise for me to put anyone in the position of doing me the favor of granting me access at the moment. But Rayne can pull it off so that no one will have any idea she was there.â
âAnd the penalty for getting caught isâŠâ
âExecution.â
âMechanic, engineer, and espionage agent.â Dinâs tone was incredulous.
Reesha looked to Rayne, who had her head down as she pulled her gloves on. âYou didnât tell him.â
Rayne shrugged. âDidnât come up.â
âTell me what?â
Reesha rolled her eyes. âThe Jedi knights were divided into three general branches. The Guardians were the warriors, channeling the Force through themselves and their own physical abilities for combat. The Consulars were the peacekeepers, using the Force to heal, gain wisdom, and draw prophesy. Grand Master Yoda was a Consular. The Sentinels were somewhere in-between. Rayne would have been one of them.â
Rayne was still fussing with her gloves. âIâm a mediocre fighter and a middle-of-the-road prophet.â
Reesha took a long breath. âThe Sentinels were the balance between the Guardians and the Consulars. They were often known for their technical capabilities and their ability to mix them with combat and knowledge of the Force. Strong, smart, and stealthy. The perfect spies.â
Rayne looked up. âYou done?â
Reesha crossed her arms and smiled. âYes.â She turned to see Din looking at Rayne, head tilted, his posture betraying a mix of consideration and admiration. âDid you have any idea who you scooped out of that hangar, Mando?â
He took a measured breath. âA little.â He shifted position. âThis archive. You said it had information from other Imperial pogroms. Does it include Mandalorian records?â
Reesha lifted an eyebrow and flicked her eyes to meet Rayneâs. Rayne tipped her head.
âYes,â Reesha answered.
âWould it be difficult to lift those as well?â
âI can swing it,â Rayne answered, once again returning her attention to her gloves.
---
Din waited for Zavin outside of the fresher at the main promenade. They had arrived separately, and the plan was for Zavin to do a bit of a change-up in the fresher so that their motions wouldnât be traced back to their home. Din had his doubts, but when Zavin emerged with his hair unbound, flowing and curly as a result of his earlier braiding, with a set of thick glasses to top it off, Din had to admit that the cover was a good one. He stepped forward. âDr. Robbins.â
Zavin tipped his head. âMando.â
They walked to the Engineering Division, a half mile away. Zavin knew the drill. Keep the chit-chat minimal so Din could concentrate and do his job. Din appreciated that Zavinâs eyes did a regular sweep of their surroundings as well, not leaving everything entirely up to Din. When they arrived, Zavin pressed his thumb to the scanner and the guards let them through, Dinâs admission implicit as the protector of what Zavin carried. What Rayne created.
The ride up the elevator was silent but relaxed as Zavin straitened his tie, checking the fit of his suit in the reflection of the walls. Clearly used to dealing with corporate types.
Din followed him to an expansive boardroom with a panoramic view of the Coruscant skyline, the rest of the twenty or so participants already seated. âDr. Robbins,â one of them said, greeting them at the door. âYouâve returned to us after three years with good tidings.â
âI have,â Zavin said, with a decidedly central-Core accent that Din couldnât place. âLet us begin immediately. I do not wish to stay any longer than necessary.â
---
Rayne crept through the darkened halls, the Imperial Palace only now partially occupied by New Republic agents as the central government began its slow recovery. Her childhood home. Once the Jedi Temple. Desecrated by Imperial occupation. New Republic occupation wouldnât exactly restore it to its former glory, but it wouldnât be any worse.
She was shrouded entirely in black. A Youngling returned home to reclaim her history.
And, for better or worse, the history of the father of her son.
The halls were only vaguely familiar. Thirty-four years of history separated her from the memories. But she remembered enough.
âNext junction is in forty meters,â Reeshaâs voice whispered through the com in Rayneâs ear.
âI see it.â Rayne closed the distance, but stopped just before getting within range of the security cameras around the corner. She closed her eyes, reached out with her mind, and found all of the cameras along the intersecting hallway. She put a mental finger on each one, resting against the vulnerabilities she had inserted the previous night. All at once, she flicked them all on a continuous loop of the last ten seconds. Opening her eyes, she slid around the corner. âHow do I look?â
âInvisible.â
âCopy.â She paused once more to release the cameras in the hallway she had just exited, and continued.
---
Din walked behind Zavin as they exited the protection of the Engineering Division.
The next mile to the bank was all on him.
Zavinâs performance before the Board had been impressive, highlighting the novelty of Rayneâs work, the benefit it would bring to the New Republicâs heavy cruisers, and thus, the New Republic itself. The guy knew his stuff.
The guy knew Rayneâs stuff.
Now they walked with orders for a three million credit transfer in Zavinâs pocket. Zavin had bargained high and managed to get it. The street was crowded with traffic, both pedestrian and motorized, which was both good and bad. It provided a fair amount of cover, but made it difficult to see what might be coming. The buildings were towering high-rises; it would take a skilled sniper to be effective from their rooftops. Zavin was good about following close behind the people in front of him, using them as unsuspecting shields from a frontal attack, and not minding Din close at his own back. It helped that they were the same height, that their strides matched.
âWeâre being followed,â Din said, voice calm.
âWhatâs my exit?â Zavin murmured back, just as calm.
âCan you cover fifty meters in ten seconds with this crowd?â
 âSure. I havenât noticed anyone ahead of us.â
âMe neither. Iâll tell you when.â
âCopy.â
Working with someone who knew what they were doing was⊠kinda nice, actually.
Their tail fell in twenty meters behind Din. When he closed to within ten, he whispered the signal. âNow.â
Zavin broke into a run.
Din reached for his Amban and swung it around his shoulder as he spun and caught a blaster bolt in the chest, deflecting off the beskar.
Civilians screamed and dispersed, Zavin melting in among them as Din stalked toward the assailant, two more bolts ricocheting off of him. The mark looked like a typical merc, and when he realized his blaster would do him little good against a wall of Mandalorian Iron, he holstered it and drew the saber from the scabbard across his back.
How quaint, Din thought as he swung the Amban through to parry the attack from the saber. He saw another flash from the side and caught the blaster shot from a second merc in the back. Okaaayyy. Now it was interesting. He parried one more saber swing before jamming the Ambanâs electrified prongs into the first merc, waiting for the scream to end before disengaging, then thrusting the butt of the rifle backwards into the second merc as he came rushing in. Din spun again, bringing the rifle to bear, but caught a bolt to the face before he got the chance to do much else. It blinded him for a moment, the merc already up by the time Din shook it off. Din tracked the assailant by the scrape of a boot against the pavement, knowing everyone else had vacated the scene, and he jabbed forward with the Amban once more, finding his mark, debilitating him with just enough voltage to put him out for a couple of hours.
Finding the street abandoned, Din straightened and slung the Amban back over his shoulder. He checked the bodies for tracking fobs. Discovering none, he continued on his way.
Fifty meters up, at the next intersection, he found Zavin leaning against a wall, checking his watch. Din inclined his head. After you. Zavin returned the head-tip and fell back into place.
Together, they continued.
---
Rayne turned the corner and found herself in one of the few places she remembered clearly from her childhood at the Temple.
The Jedi Archives.
Before, even if the place had been quiet, it had always been bustling. A courteous quiet. Several people always coming and going at any one time, always minding their noise to minimize disturbance. An alive kind of quiet.
Now, it may as well have been a tomb.
Its many volumes mostly destroyed.
Its many patrons mostly murdered.
Now, a New Republic officer occupied the central reference desk. She approached, and was ready when he lifted his head from his work. âHey! Who are you? This isnât a public area.â
âGo to sleep.â
He cocked his head to the side. âWhat? Iâm not tired. What do you think youâre doing?â
Woops. This guy actually took his job seriously. Actually cared about what he was doing. She paused, reached behind her, and activated her lightsaber as she brought it forward.
âOh. Oh, shit.â Clearly, the officer had every idea who he was dealing with.
âIâve come home,â Rayne said. âIâve come to get whatâs mine. And youâre going to let me do it. And then youâre going to forget all about this.â
âUm, yeah.â He stood, hands held aloft in surrender. âYep, that sounds fine. Iâm ok with that. Iâve left the terminal on. Iâll um⊠Iâll just stand in the corner over here.â
âThank you.â She watched as he did exactly that, back turned. She deactivated the saber, took a seat, and dove in.
---
Once more, Din found himself standing guard outside of a fresher at the promenade while Zavin made one last appearance change. When one person came up to use it, he crossed his arms, not moving out of the way. âIs⊠um⊠is this the line for the fresher?â
Din tilted his head in as slow and menacing a manner as he could manage. âNo.â
The other man stood there for a moment, shocked. âUm. Ok thenâŠâ He paused for one more moment, almost as if he expected more elaboration, or at least an explanation. When it was not provided, he wandered off.
A minute or two later, Zavin walked out, wearing his third suit of the day, with his hair buzzed short and wearing a pair of sunglasses.
They exchanged a nod and took their separate ways home.
---
Zavin and Reesha once more sat at the table on the main floor, exchanging their tales of the day. Zavin held an ice pack in each hand, fingertips stinging, a delayed reaction from the replacement procedure. He watched the Mandalorian through the window outside, sitting on the bench, cleaning his rifle, waiting for Rayne to return. Yadier sat on the ground at his feet, clutching his rubber frog with one hand, the other arm wrapped as far around his fatherâs leg as he could get it.
She wasnât due back for another half an hour at least, but they waited anyway.
The baby started to bounce about five minutes before she was due back.
When time was just about up, Rayne appeared, coming around the Razor Crest. Din stood, slung his rifle, scooped up the baby, and walked out to meet her.
Zavin watched as the Mandalorian stood close to her, dipped his head, slid his free hand to her hip.
He sighed as a little bit of the guilt fell away.
---
Note: I imagine the Mando'a accent to be a mix of NYC and Spanish, because Pedro. :)
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I only bought this dress (So you could take it off)
(The gif is not mine. Whoever made it thank you)
Summary: Reader has been in love with Spencer Reid for way too long, and she has to take it off her chest and thereâs just one way to do so.
Warnings: 16+, hints to sexual activities, mentions of alcohol.
Couple: Spencer Reid x fem!reader
Word count: 2731 words (or so)
Tagging: @doctorspenceryeet, @ssavanessa22, @alexontheinternet and @all-tings-diego if you wanna join my taglist please press the butterfly -> đŠ
Y/n doesn't exactly remember the exact moment when she fell for him.
It was tricky to decide, and if you ask her, she can give you many moments where she knew she had fallen, but none of them was the exact moment. She had been in love with him for two years already, and two years of being his best friend.
The world is full of clichés but nothing like the classic "I'm in love with my best friend" one. She had read that cliché in her life thousands of times and even watched movies about it, but nothing seemed like the pure reality of what she lives in.
But who couldn't fall for him? That was the real question. She knew many people liked him, and even fell in love with him. He was kind, intelligent, funny, interesting, caring, and the list goes on and on.
Maybe it was his golden eyes⊠those full of sparkles, and you could get lost in them, made of pure gold, or perhaps those golden curls, his golden-brown curls she wished to touch all the time, and she had, and they felt like clouds. They were the softest, and he smelled like apples and vanilla. The angels sighed every time she thought about doctor Spencer Walter Reid.
He made all the love songs make sense.
Sometimes I wonder; when you sleep Are you ever dreaming of me? Sometimes when I look into your eyes I pretend you're mine, all the damn time
And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years? Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home
He built a fire just to keep me warm All the drama queens taking swings All the jokers dressin' up as kings They fade to nothing when I look at him
Yeah, he made all those lyrics have a reason and feeling, and even a name. She never thought she would feel this way about someone, mostly someone who she wasn't sure if the love was reciprocated. It hurts to think that maybe she's the only one with these thoughts, the only one who melts down, and the gold rush comes in every time he walks by, his curls falling down⊠he was a daydream.
She sighs and shakes her head, looking down at her desk and her work, something she hasn't even started because she was in Loveland.
"Hey, pretty girl," Morgan greets with a smile.
"Hey," she smiles, looking up at him.
Morgan sits on her desk, looking down at her paperwork, "The surprise party for you know who is still in line, right?" Morgan asks, whispering so pretty you know who doesn't hear.
She nods, "Yeah, why?"
"I don't know. I was just wondering if I could take my plus oneâŠ" he innocently smiles at her.
Y/n rests her back on the chair and crosses her arms with a suspicious smile, and she knows Derek Morgan. He doesn't take his usual, nothing serious dates to family events.
Family events, as in Spencer's birthday was coming, and Y/n wanted to make him a proper surprise party because Spencer deserved to know he was loved and because he never had one.
"So, who is she?"
Derek sighs, "Her name is Savannah, and I really like her, she wants to meet you guys."
"Hello," the beautiful and unique voice of doctor Reid does its appearance behind Morgan, quickly smiling at the girl, but it's enough for her heart to start beating faster. "What are we talking about?"
"Morgan has a girlfriend," Y/n softly sings, and Derek rolls his eyes.
"Oh, a girlfriend," Reid says, crossing his arms just like the girl.
Morgan lifts his arms in a sign of innocence and stands up to leave, "I can't talk to you guys," he says, turning around and walking away.
Spencer frowns with a soft smile while Y/n laughs, "She can come, though," she says.
"Where?" Spencer asks, looking at her.
"Inquisitive mind, doctor Reid," Y/n says before grabbing the papers starting to work. Â
"Oh, come on⊠I need to know."
"Secrets secrets, who would we be without them?"
Spencer opens his mouth in disbelief, "You're my best friend, you can't keep secrets from me."
Oh, only if he knew.
"You'd be surprised," she teased.
"Y/n," Spencer warns.
"Spencer," she says back, looking at him.
"Which secrets are you keeping from me?"
The only one is that I've loved you for two years.
"None."
He narrows his eyes, "Fine, this is how you want it to be then," he says, sitting on his desk, next to hers.
"I don't want anything."
"Mhm," Spencer says without looking at her and finishing his paperwork.
She laughs at his reaction, Spencer tries to keep the smile in. He can't pretend to be mad at her, not when she laughs. He shakes his head and tries to keep a straight face, finishing his paperwork.
Y/n stares at him for a little longer, the way he's biting his lips, so he can't let a laugh out, his cheeks blushed, and he moves his nose, his little tic she had been obsessed with. The way his hands and eyes move doing his work and a slight frown on his face. He's perfect.
"You're staring," he speaks.
"Oh, I'm sorry, your majesty," she teases and rolls her eyes at him, hiding the warm feeling of her face from being caught.
"Yeah, that's right. Call me your king."
She almost chokes, but tries to hide it behind a frown," When did you become cocky all of a sudden?"
He shrugs, "It's always been there, I guess, angel," he looks at her and winks.
She rolls her eyes while he's laughing, and she looks down.
She wishes to be called angel by him, and not be a joke or teasing.
He's been calling her angel for way too long, but she knows he doesn't mean it, and it hurts her, but sometimes she pretends, and pretend it's better than the truth.
âŠ
"So what are you gonna wear for pretty boy's birthday?" Penelope says.
Y/n frowns, "Why would I wear something special?"
Garcia rolls her eyes, "Cause it's your man's birthday, duh."
Y/n chuckled, "Yeah, because Spencer Reid is in love with me."
"Well, he is!" She said like it was the most obvious thing ever said.
"He's not... He's my best friend."
"Yeah, but you don't want him just like a best friend."
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean he feels the same," Y/n said, getting annoyed with the subject.
Talking about Spencer's feelings and what he might or might not feel whatsoever made her really sad. It hurt her like a knife digging into her skin. She came to terms he doesn't, and will never feel what she does for him, and she was fine with it, yeah, it hurts her, but she can't do anything about it.
Pen looked at her with disbelief in her eyes, "Y/n come on."
Y/n rolled her eyes, "Can we please stop this conversation?"
Pen sighs, "Alright, alright."
The two women were in Y/n's apartment getting some things ready for the special day, while they drank a little bit of wine, or well, Penelope did.
Y/n's phone buzzed. She picked it up and smiled.
Spencer: I'm gonna know your secret, angel.
Y/n: Yeah, I wanna see you try, pretty boy.
Penelope saw the little smile on her friend's face and the light-up face with sparkly eyes. She knew who was on the other side of the line, who was texting her. The smile and love on her face were pretty obvious, Pen smiled for herself, knowing the love she had for him. It was like a kid seeing the Christmas light of a village for the first time, like eating your favourite food⊠It was like those sweet memories deep down. She loved Spencer, and it was so obvious for everyone but him.
 At the end of the night, Y/n couldn't decide between all the dresses she bought, even though she said to Penelope her clothes weren't as important, that was a lie, maybe for everyone else but mostly for herself, to be completely sincere, she wanted to look pretty for him, for his special day so he can have his eyes on her, that's all she ever wanted.
She looked at the dresses, they all seemed dull, except one.
A thigh red dress, which gave her mind the time and place to wander between thoughts and memories, to one specific.
"You look gorgeous in red," That was the voice of the young doctor, "Red is your colour," he added.
Red was her colour, and that was what he thought.
Red was her colour.
And without any more thoughts, she knew that one was the dress.
She smiled, she wished for him to notice her specific election of colours.
âŠ
The moon shone above the clouds, and the wind blew on her hair, making a path of goosebumps all over her delicate skin. The night was finally there, and she couldn't be more nervous and excited. She made sure everything was perfect for him. Everything had to be perfect for him.
Derek was the one with the assignment of bringing Spencer to the place, one she knew Spencer liked once they went to an event together. It wasn't huge, it was rather more personal, and only his family were there, the team who loved him so much, and her who loved him more than anything.
The decorations with tenuous lights because bright ones hurt the doctor's eyes, the music wasn't loud, and his favourite food was in place.
"You did a great job," JJ approached the woman who was dying of anxiety.
Y/n smiled, "I just hope he enjoys it."
That's all she ever wanted.
JJ smiled, "Oh, as long as you are in the place, he will," she winked and left to go to Will.
Y/n frowned, not knowing what that meant, but she couldn't think too much about it because Penelope walked rapidly, "They're here," she announced, and everyone went to their place.
The girl wiped the sweat out of her hands on the soft fabric of the dress while her heart beat faster and faster, wanting to get out of her chest.
"I don't know why we are here, Morgan. I don't like social eventsâŠ." Spencer complains.
Y/n smiled hearing his voice, and all her worries and anxiety faded away.
"I'm pretty sure you're gonna like this one," Morgan said while they both entered the room.
"Surprise!" Everyone said, and Spencer slightly jumped to smile then, looking over at his family.
But his eyes only looked for once, and he had a few seconds knowledge where she was before JJ hugged him thigh, and he hugged her, and when he thought he would finally go to the pretty girl with the red dress, everyone else went and hugged him, congratulating him for one more year on earth.
He sighed when there was no one else to hug, and walked where Y/n was, "Pen said you did this all for me," he spoke.
She shrugged, "You once said you never had a surprise party, and I couldn't live with that fact."
Spencer smiled at her words, looking at her eyes and down at her dress, she was wearing red, and she damn owns that colour, his cheeks blushed, almost matching her clothes, "You, uh, you look gorgeous⊠You look great in red."
She felt her cheeks getting warmer, "Thank you," she softly spoke before they were interrupted.
"Time to sing!" Penelope excitedly said.
âŠ
A bunch of songs later, and even more shots drank, people drunkenly singing, Morgan finished his serenade to his girlfriend, who looked at him with a smile. She was the sweetest.
"Now I'm gonna give space to the one who made this possible, please make some noise for agent Y/n Y/L," Morgan said, and some whistling were heard in the place.
She rolled her eyes and stepped on the stage, taking the mic in her hands, she felt nervous, but at the end of the night, it was her family.
Spencer smiled from his table. She looked beautiful.
She sighed and lifted the mic to her lips, "So I first wanted to say to doctor Spencer Reid here, happy birthday and thank you for pulling up with me all these years," she chuckled, and Spencer smiled with blushed cheeks looking down, "You mean the absolute world to me and, I'm so proud of you."
"Yes, right there," Penelope drunkenly exclaimed, making everyone else laugh.
The girl shook her head, "I'm not a great singer, but it's Taylor Swift, and this song means too much to me, more than I could ever explain with simple words."
It was the time.
Our secret moments in your crowded room They've got no idea about me, and you There is an indentation in the shape of you Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo
All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from holding back from all this (ha, ha, ha, ha)
Everyone was too drunk even to notice the lyrics and the meaning behind the song, all of them but him and her.
She looked at him, who had a frown trying to understand what that whole thing meant. He wasn't good with hints, yet what was about to happen was the confirmation of his suspicion.
Say my name, and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off Take it off
Everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing about
All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from holding back from all this (ha, ha, ha, ha)
Say my name, and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off Take it off
âŠ
Y/n successfully avoided Spencer for the rest of the night, it wasn't that difficult due Pen and Morgan being all over him telling him how much they loved him, and she was busy talking to Blake and Savannah, but they were some glances, some stares that said more than words, but it wasn't enough.
Everyone left, or that was what she thought.
She picked cups and organised the place, "You mean it?" Spencer asked.
She jumped in her place, she thought she was alone, "You scared me⊠I thought you left."
"I couldn't⊠not without answers," He spoke, stepping closer to her, "I know I'm not good with social cues, or with hints, but you looked at me dead in the eyes when you said those words."
"Spencer-"
"I'm not finished," he said, and she nodded, "Tell me now, did you actually buy that dress so I could take it off? Because if I'm being honest, that was the only thing I thought throughout the night, but if I'm mistaken and you didn't mean what the song said, I can leave now, and we can forget about this because either way, I don't wanna lose you."
She couldn't speak, she wanted to let the confirmation out, but her voice wasn't working.
Spencer nodded, taking that as his answer, and turned around to leave.
"Spencer," she said.
He looked back at her.
"I don't want you like a best friend, and I only bought this dress so you could take it off."
Spencer smiled, walking to her, "I don't wanna disappoint you then, angel."
Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me Flashback to my mistakes My rebounds, my earthquakes Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth of me And I woke up just in time Now I wake up by your side My one and only, my lifeline I woke up just in time Now I wake up by your side My hands shake, I can't explain this
#criminal minds#spencer reid#dr spencer reid#doctor reid#spencer reid x you#spencer reid x y/n#spencer reid x fem!reader#criminal minds fanfiction#spencer reid imagine#Spencer x you#spencer x fem!reader#spencer x y/n#spencer reid self insert#dr Spencer Reid imagine#Spencer Reid fic#spencer fanfic
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Well Helloooo Nurse
Pairings: Will Miller X Gender Neutral Reader ( Nurse Lark but goes by the name of Birdie)Â
Word count: 1887
Author's Note: Good Evening all, welcome to the Will Miller show. Please be gentle as itâs my first time writing for him. I also have no idea how the inside of an ER works, iâm just winging this whole thing lmao  I hope whoever stumbles on this enjoys it :)Â
Hope you donât mind the tags: @lilacyenneferâ @cinewhoreâ @dignityneeded
Thanks to his idiotic brother, Will ends up in the ER. Benny in an attempt to make amends, tries to be his wingman.Â
Throwing yourself down into your chair, you let out a small cry at the relief at finally being off your feet. To say it's been a long week is an understatement. Your back is in agony, your stomach won't stop growling  and there's a throbbing pain behind your eyes . The ER has finally quietened down after a disastrous morning and you're counting down the minutes until it's home time. Â
'Is it just me or is time moving slower?'
You glance at the clock. Another 20 minutes  and you are free for the next two days to do absolutely nothing. Closing your eyes you smile at the thought of the large glass of wine, warm bath and take out that awaits you when you get home. Your happiness is short lived though when you hear your name being called out.
'Urghhh, just leave me alone'
"Birdie, my good friend. How are you? You are looking fiiinnneee today, is that a new pair of scrubs."
Opening your eyes, you glare at your friend Letti who is currently batting her eyes at you. You scoff. You  know for a fact you look like shit. Your hair looks like a bird's nest ( no pun intended) and you're pretty sure that your scrubs have seen better days.
"What do you want?" you narrow your eyes at her.
"You know how you're my absolute best friend and you love me so much? Could you find it in that golden heart of yours to stay on just a little longer and cover the end of my shift. It's only a couple extra hours. I wouldn't normally ask but Scott has managed to ship the kids off to his mum's tonight and it's been so long since we've had adult time, if you catch my drift. Please. Help me out here Birdie I am dying" She begs.
'Pfft least you're getting the option for adult time' you think to yourself. Â You watch as she clasps her hands to her chest and starts to give you the sad puppy dog eyes .You can feel your resolve start to crumble. Groaning, you throw your head back in defeat.
"Fine, but you owe me one and you better believe I will collect" you sigh. Letti fist pumps the air before grabbing your face and giving you a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I fucking love you Birdie. I will name my next child in your honour" Â she promises.
"Yeah like I haven't heard that before" you snort, wiping your cheek. Letti suddenly thrusts a clipboard into your hand before rushing  you through your next patient, eager to get home to her husband. You're not really listening to her, nodding along  every so often as you try to decipher the chicken scratches on the paper in front of you. Â
' Did a child fill in this form?' Â
You hear snippets of what she is saying: "Hotter than sin..... If I wasn't married... Â wouldn't be able to walk straight"
You are finally able to pick out the important information: Â
Exam Room 3 - William Miller, 40, laceration to left arm.
'Ok I can work with that'
Calling out your goodbyes to Letti  and telling her to have a good time, you make your way to exam room 3 to get started. Drawing back the curtain, you step into the room and  call out
'Mr Miller?'
"Yes?" two voices answer at the same time. Â
" They are talking about me Dumbass, I'm the one that's currently bleeding no thanks to you. Please excuse my brother, he was dropped on his head a lot as a child"  your patient apologises to you. You let out a snort at the quip.  It's not until you get a proper look at his face that  your laughter is quickly cut off.
'Oh' is all you can think before your mind goes blank. Sitting in front of you is a man you can only describe as an Adonis.  Even though his face is twisted slightly in pain, you would gladly stare at him  for the rest of eternity. Beautiful  blue eyes, soft blond hair, a well groomed beard. Your mind  takes you to some bad places when you think about that beard.
'Hotter than sin indeed...." Â
A choked out laugh causes you to tear gaze away from William and over to the other man in the room who waves at you looking far too amused.
'Oh god, he knows I was checking out his brother' You cringe internally.
"Hi I'm Benny in case you were interested" the other man jokes. He is also a fairly attractive man  -you can see some similarities between the two. However, Benny has nothing on his brother. You shyly nod your head in greeting before making your way to Will's bedside.
"Ok Mr Miller, I am Nurse Lark. From what I could make out from your form, it says that you have a laceration on your left arm. Is this correct?" Â you ask the older Miller.
"Yes that's right. Sorry about the scrawl, Benny didn't make it past the 3rd grade."  Will  teases.
"Fuck you dickhead" Benny hisses back.
"Boys, settle down, this is an ER  not a playground " you interject. Both men mumble their apologise and you try not to laugh. Gently picking up Will's arm, you turn his arm left to right to get an idea of  the extent of his injury. He's lucky in the fact it's not too deep. Unfortunately it cuts directly through the tattoo on his lower arm. Potentially a future scar but that was out with your control. Raising your head, you notice how close you are to each other's faces. Will stares back at you and you lose yourself for a minute.
"For fuck sake, get a room" You hear Benny mutter behind you. You cough and busy yourself getting the equipment you need to start patching Will up.
"I'm sorry but this might hurt a little" Â you warn him in advance.
" Don't worry about me, I'm tough as nails " He smiles reassuring you.
You nod before getting started. So focused on your work, you didn't notice Will admiring you from where he sat. He liked the way  your eyes never wavered from your task despite Benny blabbering on in the background. How your nimble fingers made quick work of his wound. He thought the way you stuck your tongue out slightly in concentration was the cutest thing.
Benny was quick to notice his brother's heart eyes and started snickering.
" You know what Will? Maybe if you're a good boy the nice nurse will kiss it better once they are done"
You glance up in time to see Will's face turn scarlet.Â
'Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter'
"That's it, Benny get out now!" Will  growled.
Benny sighs dramatically and sulks out the room but not without muttering "just trying to help you get laid dickhead". You glance back at Will who is now staring up at the ceiling, looking as though he wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
"It's days like these I really wish my parents had got me a puppy instead of a little brother"
"Well from what I've seen of him so far, the man is basically a gold retriever in human form" you joke back. The laugh he lets out catches you off guard.
'I Â could get used to that sound.'
You had to stop yourself from sighing and scolded yourself for acting like a love sick fool instead of the professional you are.
The conversation came easy for you both after that. Â You started by telling him your name before the both of you shared little tidbits about each other. Will seemed like an interesting man from what information he gave. He was funny and incredibly smart.
'He's perfect' Â is all you could think. However, it didn't take long after Benny got asked to leave to finish patching the rest of Will's arm up. Â
"Well Mr Miller, I guess that's you done. Please make sure to keep the area as clean as possible and have someone help you change your bandages"
You feel sad at the idea of him leaving. It is evident that he feels the same by the way he stalls collecting his things. He looks like he's debating with himself before he finally turns to you looking determined.
" Would you maybe like to go to dinner with me sometime? I know we haven't met under the best circumstances but I had a really great time talking with you. I'd end up hating myself if I didn't at least ask"
Your heart races at the question and you don't hesitate to tell him yes. His face lights up and you find yourself falling a little more for Will Miller. Grabbing a pen from your top pocket, you hastily write down your phone number and hand it to Will. You both wish each other goodnight before parting ways. You find yourself grinning and bite your lip to try and contain your glee.
" Guess  I will be naming my first child Letti"
 Outside the hospital
Benny leans against the wall (pouting like a child) and waits for his brother . He still can't believe he got thrown out of the room. It feels like forever and a day before Will finally makes his appearance with a smug grin on his face.
'He looks like the cat that got the cream'
' What's with the grin man? Did they give you the good shit for the pain or something?"
Will shakes his head before showing Benny the piece of paper in his hand. A set of digits.
"William, you sly dog" Benny laughs in delight before he slaps Will's arm. He's quick to realise his mistake when his brother grunts in pain clutching his bad arm. Benny panics and makes to touch him but is stopped in his tracks.
"Don't . Fucking . Touch me. Â Just get in the fucking car. " Will hisses. He marches off to the car park, swearing under his breath.
'Well that victory was short lived' Benny thinks, following his brother.
Bonus Scene - Date night
'Is it just me or is time moving slower?'
You glance at the clock for what feels like the millionth time. Another 10 minutes before Will is suppose to arrive. It's been so long since you were last on a date and you can't remember being this nervous. You look down at your outfit and run a hand over it to make sure there wasn't any creases. Will had text earlier to let you know to dress casual for your evening out but wouldn't give you any more information. The sound of the doorbell interrupts your thoughts and you let out a nervous giggle.  Trying not to seem too eager, you give yourself a beat before  opening the door. You feel yourself go weak in the knees. Will is dressed to impress - A black leather jacket over a soft grey t-shirt with a nice pair of black jeans that does wonders for him. He lets out a soft laugh at the way you are blatantly eyeing him up before doing the same to you. He lets out a low whistle.
"Well hellooo nurse"
#Will Miller#william ironhead miller#will miller x reader#Triple Frontier#Benny Miller#ben miller#william ironhead miller x reader#hello nurse
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The Wrath of God, Ch. 1: Roadtrip
by @finney13s
Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: General, M/M Fandoms: Preacher (TV) Relationships: Proinsias Cassidy/Eccarius Characters: Proinsias Cassidy, Eccarius, Jesse Custer Additional Tags: Domestic fluff Author's notes: This story is still evolving. Rating, warnings, characters, relationships and tags are due to change as the story continues so check them before reading.
"The Wrath of God" is the 2nd part of "The Chronicles of Cassidy and Eccarius"
[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]
Summary: Even though Eccarius had solemnly swore that he wouldn't try to pursue Les Enfants or killing people (or other vampires for that matter) Cassidy wasn't still fully convinced. It wasn't guaranteed that Eccarius wouldn't get tempted to fall to his old ways. Cassidy had to come up with something to get Eccarius distracted of his temptations and concentrate on something else.
[A short clip below the cut as the whole chapter won't fit into one post here, read the full story on AO3]
Raindrops drummed the roof in the hot New Orleans night. Cassidy and Eccarius were laying in their extra large coffin after having sex, spent and sweaty listening to the rainfall. Cassidy was resting his head on Eccarius' chest and playing with Eccarius' black hair.
âAy, what do you think if we took off for a while?â Cassidy asked. âWhere would we go?â Eccarius replied sleepily. âNew Orleans has everything we could ever need. Why would we want to leave anywhere? Not to mention it is a nuisance to travel like normal people when you could travel among the stars...â âWhy don't ya first listen to what I have to say and then make up yer mind!â Cassidy interrupted annoyed. Eccarius turned his gaze to Cassidy and his face softened. âI apologize, my love. Please, go on.â âI was thinking that we could take a road trip. You know, you and meâ Cassidy said and paused. Then he continued: âAnd Jesse and Tulip.â Eccarius frowned. â With Jesse and Tulip? I thought they both hated me for stealing you from them?â âNo they don't hate you for that. They never did. And besides, you didn't steal me from anyoneâ Cassidy said and got up to sit and turned to look at Eccarius. âBut they're... vary of you. You have killed a lot of people and you haven't been the most reliable person in the history of mankind, you know. They do have a good reason for not trusting you." Eccarius turned his head to look out the window and sighed. After a while he said: "I suppose I deserve that.â They stayed in silence for a moment, then Eccarius continued turning his head back to Cassidy: âMaybe they could change their mind if they spent some time with me? Got to know the new me?" âThat's more like itâ, Cassidy said and smiled. âWe could leave tomorrow morning.â Eccarius' eyes grew wide. "Tomorrow morning? Are you mad?" he asked astonished. Then he narrowed his eyes and continued with a smirk: "You cheeky man. Tell me you haven't planned all this without consulting me first?â âErm... I kinda thought this would be a nice surprise, ay?â Cassidy said sheepishly. âOh well, I guess we don't have anything better to doâ Eccarius sighed. âCome here, my loveâ he said and pulled Cassidy back into his arms. They laid there for a moment snuggling. Suddenly Eccarius froze. âWhat am I going to wear? What are WE going to wear? We can't get any new clothes by tomorrow morning. I have to find something to wear for the trip!â he moaned and got up shuffling to his wardrobe naked and opened the massive doors fully open. Cassidy sat back up. âWell, at least the scenery is niceâ he chuckled admiring Eccarius' buttocks. âCassidy, this is seriousâ Eccarius shot back rummaging around his closet âI have an image to maintain. I can't just go out there, I need to plan these things!â Cassidy dropped himself back down and laughed: "You're insufferable!â âWell, you do like my sexy pirate look, don't you, hmm?â Eccarius replied and looked at his image in the mirror holding hangers with two coats in front of him and trying to decide which one he would choose.
Cassidy had fell asleep at some point and woke up to the smell of fresh coffee. Which was odd as Eccarius didn't usually make coffee. His go-to breakfast was a chalice of blood, first warmed to human body temperature in bain-marie. He was very specific about it so coffee made Cass curious. He got up, put on Eccarius' frilled black morning gown which was too short for him - but he didn't care as it smelled like Eccarius - and went downstairs.
Eccarius was sitting by the kitchen table dressed on point and making notes and taking sips from a steaming mug of coffee. âWell, good morning sunshineâ he said cheerily and toasted his coffee. âI have packed our luggage and we are ready to go.â âWhat the hell do you mean?â Cassidy muttered trying to wipe the remains of deep sleep from his eyes. âWe are fully equipped for all occasions and any weatherâ Eccarius said and got up. âI just made final checks and we are ready to go.â âChrist. Did you sleep at all last night?" Cassidy said and poured himself a large mug of coffee. "You know you get a tad hyper when you don't get yer full night sleep" he continued and turned to lean on the counter. Eccarius got up and spoke as he walked to the hall. âI was up all night making sure you and I have outfits for all possible situations. We do have to reuse some costumes in some occasions but I'm willing to do that this time as we probably won't stay in the same location for long. Am I right?â Then from the hall he yelled: âBesides, I am not hyper. I am, and I am using your own words here, a highly functioning maniac." âYes that's exactly what I'm worried aboutâ Cassidy sighed to himself closing his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. Then he shook his head and thought as if to remind himself, once again, why he was there in the first place âI have chosen this man myself and he comes with flaws 'n frills 'n all. At this time of day it is mostly flaws, but I have chosen that myself, too.â Eccarius came back to the kitchen and stood at the doorway. "So when do the chariots arrive?" he asked excitedly. Cassidy took a good look at him and frowned. âHold on. Yer seriously wearing that for a road trip?â he asked when he saw Eccarius wearing his best golden embroidered silk suit. âYes, why should I not?â Eccarius asked baffled and looked at himself. âIt's kinda in the name of the thing, you know â road trip. You drive a car on a road. Yer going to sit in the hot backseat for a long time. Are ya sure you can manage it in that? Not getting too hot and bothered?â Cassidy winked and smirked. "Well, if I remember last night correctly you did state that you enjoy my scenery without any clothes." Eccarius smiled. "And I can take my top coat off if it makes you feel any better. But if I got to worry about you getting all excited over it I might then just have to keep it on" he smirked and shook his finger at Cassidy. âAy, come 'ere my pirate manâ Cassidy said softly, put down his mug and spread his hands. Eccarius walked to Cass and they hugged tightly. "You know, I had never a proper wardrobe before. Now I have more than ten sets of every possible rag there is and I don't even know if I'll ever have the possibility to wear 'em all." Cassidy laughed. "Well, sir, I must show my love somehow and let the world know that you are all mine" Eccarius replied and kissed Cass.
[Read the the rest on AO3]
#preacher amc#preacher fan fiction#preacher fanfic#cassidy#proinsias cassidy#Eccarius#Cassidy x Eccarius#fan fiction#joe gilgun#adam croasdell#the chronicles of cassidy and eccarius#preacher
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Loki x Ailey hc! part 1
I was watching Thor Ragnarok with some friends (over zoom ofc) and then It popped up in my head a conversation that I had with @melyaliz and Alex (ig: shir.0_guru) a while back, and I couldn't shake it off my brain as I was trying to write some other thing. So hopefully writing this down would apace my mind.
TW: Arranged marriage, depictions of emotional/psychological abuse
Summary: Eris and Odin find a solution to what's been threatening their domains, an alliance between 2 of the most powerful families, but Ailey and Loki don't seem so keen about it.
Disclaimer/notes: Ailey is my OC! You can learn more about her in here!
Ailey has finally been reunited with most of her family and entered the realm of gods in this AU.
Samaras is the last name of the Eris family, they are rulers of Thera (Eris kingdom) and each member bears a royal title.
Ailey is the only demi-goddess in her family, Demigods are seen as shameful in this AU and usually they have a birthmark and a weakness that distinguishes them as such. In Ailey's case is her golden rose hair once she transforms in her god-form and her weakness is her allergy to gold, it practically burns her skin, debilitates her magic and herself, is like kryptonite for her.
ââââââââ
The only reason they even know about the other, is because of their parents: Eris had been in conflict with Ares lately, and one of his recent attacks greatly debilitated her army and Odin had trouble with a few of the realms under his command forming complots against him and the safety of Asgard.
Both rulers found themselves in need of the other: Odin had the greatest warriors and military at his service, and Eris being the goddess of discord could easily rise or disipate any conflict that may come her way (except for Ares ofc), an easy way in or out of war.
And so, they decided to form an alliance; But Odin being the wise men he is, knew better than to trust blindly in the goddess of chaos, after all...Eris was known for being a backstabber who acted only to beneficiate her own interests.
To prevent that, Odin decided to make the alliance under the condition that one member of the Samaras family must marry the second son: Loki, God of mischief. And so, Eris agreed and offered her youngest daughter: Ailey goddess of ruin and folly.
God it was an absolute mess since the beginning!
Frigga was the one to inform Loki, who immediately went to Odin to protest, but like always his father ignored him, shutting him down by comparing him to his brother and how he would do anything to protect Asgard but Loki was being selfish.
Ailey in the other hand was kept ignorant of such decision and only knew about it a few hours before the engagement party began and only because a servant accidentally told her.
She was furious and much like Loki tried to protest but Eris couldn't care less about her daughter's opinion.
Ailey could rage all she wanted, Eris wasn't even paying attention, the only thing she was accomplishing was in making her angry.
âChild, I think you tend to forget your place in this world, you see: among humans you might be...special but in here... you're just an idiot with too much privilegeâEris had a way with words that could make them feel like poison, creeping in to the insecurities of one's heart.
âIf it weren't for me and your brothers, you would be Hera's new toy, so please remember, dear. You not only owe me but to your brothers and this kingdom as well.
Ailey headed back to her room feeling ashamed and angry, she felt her mother's words had some truth in them, seeing as how different she was viewed here in comparison to the human realm.
When the time came for the engagement party and for Ailey and Loki to meet for the first time, is fair to say neither of them were in a good mood.
Even though deep inside they knew both of them didn't have any say in the matter and were pretty much in the same situation; they still felt irrationally mad at each other, that's why since the moment they met to the end of the ceremony they would throw little passive-aggressive remarks at each other.
She viewed him as a pretentious asshole, and He saw her as a spoiled brat.
Almost near the end of the celebration and no announcement had been made so Eris took it upon herself to throw them into the spotlight.
âI believe you two have something important to share with all of usâher face was smiling but her eyes were threatening.
Ailey bit the inner side of her cheek, rolled her eyes as she turned to face Loki who only gave an exasperated sigh before speaking in a monotone voice
âDo you want to marry me?âhe didn't even bothered to get on one knee and just extended the ring for her to take.
Ailey felt tempted to say "no" and walk away gracefully but doing that would probably have a negative impact on Thera, so after a long pause she answered.
âWhateverâand put the ring on, herself.
Clearly a good start :) .
I think they didn't saw each other that much afterwards and when they did it was mostly for wedding arrangements in which they continued with the passive-aggressive comments but this time about everything the other would pick.
The mood was so uncomfortable every time they were together everyone around them was like:
I think that sometimes they would have moments where they realize they had been too harsh with the other and would tone it down a little but treating each other like that was the only way of protest that was allowed for them.
Specially for Loki since he constantly had to travel to Thera bc for some reason unknown to him Ailey refused to go to Asgard, which only made his negative opinion on her grow.
In his mind, it was probably because she thought she was too good for Asgard but the reality was: Asgard is practically a death sentence for Ailey since 90% of every building in there was made of gold.
But she will never tell him that.
I think their first "moment of closeness" came to be purely out of the realization neither of them had any option other than get married or see their domains destroyed.
So, they decided to call it a truce: both would play along with the whole marriage fiasco for a while until things died down and then they could divorce and pretend they never even met.
And so, the passive-aggressive comments slowly died down, not that they started acting like lovers all of a sudden, instead they acted like they were just... co-workers or something.
They would greet each other in a formal manner and then only talked about the arrangements and left, nothing else.
But then, inevitably they started to get closer.
It was something so gradual none of them really knew how it happened.
It started off with small comments about decoration ideas for the venue, it turns out they both had quite the interest in interior design.
Eventually those small comments became lengthy conversations about which combination of colors would look the best.
When it came down to learning about the nobility attending the wedding on each side, both would spend a little more time together. Studying the proper way on how to address them and their interests all for the possibility in forming new alliances.
But I feel like instead they would roast the hell out of them, like they would be going through a list of the Asgardian nobility that were to attend and Ailey would just point at a picture of a random Asgardian noble and go: "Oh. My. God. what is he even wearing?"
And Loki would try to force back a smile or a laugh but eventually he would just give in and start joining Ailey in the roasting.
They also have a very similar sense of humor, but Ailey is just more blunt and open about it while Loki isn't, I feel like most of the time he has genius comebacks to stupid comments people make but he's a gentleman and normally just keeps it to himself or would only say it in a polite but slightly aggressive manner, so when Ailey just bluntly says something similar to what he was thinking he can't help but laugh a bit (he won't admit to it though)
Other things Ailey and Loki have in common is their love for drama and spectacle, while Ailey is more of a ballet/dance-based plays person, she understands Lokiâs enthusiasm for theater and books even sharing some of it herself.
Not only they enjoy these things, but they also found comfort in them: For Ailey ballet began as something her mother forced upon her but transformed in an outlet for her emotions and a way to connect and control her powers.
For Loki theater was a form of escapism since he was a child, every time he felt like he didnât belong he found a safe place in countless stories of the misunderstood heroes.
This only makes their bond grow deeper; up until this point they never had anyone to talk to about their interests in such depth, so now they talk all the time about it, sometimes they would surprise themselves looking forward to the next meeting just to gush about a new play or book they just saw or read.
I feel like Loki mightâve even lend Ailey some copies of his favorite books and Ailey as a âthank youâ decided to sneek out with him to the human realm to watch "Tristan und Isolde".
Everyone is able to notice the change in attitude of these two, especially Thor who only had heard about the girl but could tell how happy she made him every time Loki would mention her.
And he was happy for his brother but felt curious about his soon to be sister-in-law.
So, it was only natural when Thor asked Loki if he could tag along the next time he went to Thera.
He said no.
Thor went anyways.
When Ailey met him, she could only think about one thing: "he himbo" which she thought was cute btw.
Thor could see why Loki liked this girl so much, they were practically the same, which he found sweet yet amusing.
âLady Ailey, a pleasure to meet you, mi brother has told me a lot about you!âhe stated.
âReally?!âAiley questioned directing an incredulous glance at Loki.Â
âHe askedÂâLoki tried to defend himself by downplaying his brother statement.Â
âNo, I didnât.âThor retaliated with a mocking smile, he could tell his brother felt embarrassed so he decided to tease him a bit more.Â
âIn fact, he wonât shut up about you.Â
âThatâs not true, heâs just..Â
âNo, heâs all the time saying Ailey this, Ailey that. It peaked my curiosity and so here I amâŠÂ
âBrother, Could you shut up?âAiley could only smile and hold back a laugh at the brothers spontaneous quarrel.Â
Truth is she thought it was sweet of Loki to talk about her with his brother. And teases him about it afterwards.
I think Thor might talk privately with Ailey and would ask her to take care of his brother.Â
âI know Loki can be a bitâŠdifficult, but have patience with him, I can tell he really likes you.Â
And Thor was correct, Loki really did like her. But it might take a while for him to come to terms with his feelings, and would only manifest in small gestures towards Ailey, like: tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, subconsciously offering his arm for her to take as support when walking down the stairs, placing a hand on the small of her back as guidance whenever they were in a crowded space, sneaking small glances at her, etc.
Overall, he starts acting a lot softer with her, a lot more caring.
Ailey might be a bit oblivious to this (since sheâs only used to overly sexual advances and has a difficult time understanding genuine affection), but she appreciates it none the less.
And both might even find themselves thinking that maybeâŠjust maybe spending the rest of their lives together isnât a bad idea after all.
#ailey#oc#dc#dc comics#oc edit#loki laufeyson#loki imagine#loki headcanon#loki hc#loki x reader#loki x oc#loki x ailey#yulia rose#tom hiddleston#loki
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