#I am going through second-hand horrors on behalf of them. what

[constantlyquestioningg]

i finished. catching up. ha. haha.

[misty-doodles]

Wrote a small Punznoblade drabble for the lovely @bubble-popping , who is holding this ship on her shoulders. Except I'm only good at angst so apologies in advance. (Also I am stealing ur formatting cause it's pretty)

"Don't do this," Punz loosely held onto the edge of Techno's blood red cloak, eyes shining with worry in a way that made his skin crawl. Punz didn't do anything vulnerable. It was a death sentence in his line of work to show even the slightest hint that he cared about another. But he cared. He cared so fucking much.

Now here he stood, the dying embers of a once roaring fire illuminating his back as he stared up at the man to have broken down his walls. Techno stood before the door, right hand still hovering above the gold colored handle, expression hidden beneath the boar skull he wore. 

"Please, I changed my mind, I don't–" words tangled themselves in his mouth as terror wrapped around his throat and squeezed. They knew, shamefully, what the burn in their eyes meant, but there was little they could do to stop it.

"I have to," Techno quietly responded, and his hand came to cover Punz's, not removing his death grip on the fabric. "I can't just leave the Teletubby hanging,"

"It's a trap," Punz insisted, because it had to be. Dream, even in his most vulnerable, most hurt, wouldn't risk everything like this. Such a letter was so far below what they knew their Dream to be capable of.

"I know that, I knew the second Quackity of all people delivered it," 

"So why–"

"Because no matter what, I will not leave an alley in danger when I can potentially fix it. Dream has never done me wrong, and I will not do him wrong now," there was a certain bitterness beneath it all, a stab at the perceived betrayal on Punz's behalf that very nearly sent him over the edge. He didn't know –couldn't know– the depths of how deeply he cared for Dream. But he cared about the other, enough to walk head first into a trap. 

"Just–" shame and horror painted their face when their breath hitched, hot tears welling in their eyes that quickly tried to hide. He would give anything in the world to have Dream again, to be held in his strong arms and feel, even for a moment, that he was safe. Anything except for the man before them, the one who found a place in their heart. 

A hand found his cheek, and although the claws could easily rip through flesh, they cradled him like he was something special. Something worthy of love and care. The mask had been pushed aside, and Techno pressed their foreheads together, striking red eyes staring deep into their own.

"Come back, I can't lose you," he whispered like it was some safely held secret. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they lost yet another person to that damned prison. Tears dripped down their face as they leaned into Techno's touch. 

"Of course, nerd, no need to worry so much. I ain't worried about that warden," Techno grinned, but it held a softer note. He nuzzled him with his nose, a piglin sign of affection that had the hybrid melting in his arms, never wanting to let him go. Yet, in the end, he knew the other was right. He couldn't continue to wait for Dream to find a way out when the days turned into months. 

"I'll be back before you know it, darlin'"

Punz wished they could believe that.

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 33

welcome to the thirty-third fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

1. Rose-Colored Boy by melancholymango

“I missed you, you know.”

“Yeah?” Lance sighed, warm and giddy, clearly not absorbing how serious the words truly were. Keith nodded his head for a few seconds, not trusting himself to speak around the size of his emotions. He was suddenly brought back to the years alone on the whale, when all he’d had to keep him going was memories of his friends, of Lance.

“Yeah.” Keith said, more certainty in his voice now. He reached down, hesitantly threading his fingers through Lance’s and giving his hand a squeeze. Lance tensed next to him. “I still do.”

“I mean, I’m right here.”

“Are you? You still seem pretty far away.”

again i know im not really big on those fics that make the team out to be deliberately cruel, but sometimes its cathartic tbh. sometimes you remember canon and ur just like yeah what if he got angry. what if someone got angry for him. what then. and mango gives us that

2. Swamp of Sorrows by SwissArmyKnife

Pike gets exposed to acidic ooze, which leads Block (& Keith) to make a few discoveries about their party’s rogue.

“We can't leave them like this,” Meklavar said of Valayun and Pike, who’d been laid beside the fire. "Look at how bad those welts are." She came up with a bottle of oil and a cake of soap. "I can smell water nearby. We can get them washed and roll them in a blanket to sleep off the spore. What do you think?"

"I think it's our only choice," Takashi said.

monsters and mana fic!!!!! everybody say YES to righteous anger on pike’s behalf. and also say yes to pike bc i love him. this fic is interesting bc its a little tense and awkward bc this ragtag team of misfits doesnt quite trust each other yet but they also cant quite stop themselves from caring about each other. so even though they dont all agree on eveyrthing and dont agree about all, they do agree that pike needs more care than he got. also unrelated but the fact that shiro’s m&m name is fucking takashi kills me every time like man just wants to be himself 💀

3. Beneath the Champagne Sea by SwissArmyKnife

The paladins make a diplomatic visit to a planet with sexual dimorphism roughly opposite that of Earth. Women are larger and more powerful, while men are leaner and smaller. Cue their horror at gaunt, sickly Pidge and mild disgust with the ’womanly’ Shiro. Lance hits the sweet spot. He's got the build and features to draw the eyes and the charm to keep them. Their hosts are quite taken with him, in particular the daughter of the queen, whose forwardness is a comic reversal of Lance’s usual dynamic with women. Lance likes the attention and finds her intriguing, but eventually things take a discomforting turn.

Lance tried to step around her, wanting to walk away from a conversation that seemed less and less likely to end well, but Leh’n seized his wrist before he could. Her grip was tight, and freeing himself would require an act of aggression, which he still wanted to avoid. ‘Think of the mission, of how important it is to get the castle up and running again,’ he coached himself.

Still, that did nothing to stop his blood pressure from skyrocketing as Leh’n leaned closer and said. “I am not accustomed to reluctance.”

i swear to god that ive recced this before, but i couldnt find it in my records so here it is!! this fic is endlessly fascinating. the exploration of gender roles is super interesting, considering who is impacted in this fic and how. the discussion about beauty standards, power imbalances, the alien wrench in things was so cool! and i think lance, who is very much someone who rides that gender lines in terms of presentation of hobbies and even chracter traits, makes sense as the main character here. interesting think piece. 

4. you had me at merlot by @ryomakun

“Oh my God,” Lance says as he covers his face. Keith’s tinny voice blares from his laptop speakers: “What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.” See, this joke might have been funny if someone charismatic and charming had said it, but Keith’s flat voice and even flatter expression effectively kidnaps, tortures, and then decapitates any chance of it being remotely humorous.

--

Keith accidentally starts a YouTube channel. Lance, of course, refuses to be left out. It goes about as well as you'd expect. (Ft. copious amounts of wine and a truly shameless number of references to MyDrunkKitchen, DailyGrace, and general pop culture)

this fic is HILARIOUS. its one of the firsts i ever screenshotted for the scrapbook i have of fics that made me laugh out loud. i offer you this one part that really made me giggle: 

““It tastes good,” Keith says petulantly as he glares at the accusing finger Hunk has pointed at him. “No offense Hunk but that stuff you gave me for my twenty-first tasted like feet and antiseptic.”

“That was a merlot,” Hunk wails. “The good kind, too!”

Ignoring them, Lance stands in front of the rum selection. This is why he didn’t want to bring anyone. They might call him loud and embarrassing, but at least he doesn’t yell inside WalMart about the virtues of a “real red wine.” An elderly couple passes through, eying the bickering three. Lance resolutely pretends he is here shopping by himself.“

the way they are so ridiculous that LANCE of all people is embarrassed of them...cinema. also this fic is peak bc it has klance as enemies to lovers and childhood friends to lovers at the same time. iconique

5. Flayed by @admiralcanthackett

Lance gets hit with a face full of spores and it leaves him wracked with pain. Touch is the only relief he can find.

yes i know i tag this author all the time but in my defense there was a point in my life where i was OBSESSED with faer fics. truly. anyways this one has unexpectedly protective keith, like to a very high degree, and im loving the heavy themes of trust and emotional as well as physical vulnerability 

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[bosstoaster]

12, 16, 77 for the fan fiction asks:)

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

So, short: yes, and pretty detailed. I will go through scene by scene to get an idea of everything I need to include and write down details like dialogue or specific actions.

I have tried and mostly failed to explain this before, lol. Mostly, I try to include anything I have that want included or that's needed to explain the story. That way I can also see where there are dead ends or details don't match up before I even start.

The easier way is just to show it. So, here's the outline for the Vampire fic sequel. Spoilers if you care about that sort of thing, b/c it's the fic.

If you've read it, you can see where I deviated, where I kept it the same, ect. This one actually did have a lot of deviations in the structure, which is unusual. There used to be a whole extra chapter, but I collapsed some of Vamp's torture techniques together because it was getting really repetitive.

16. Do you write by hand, on your phone, or on your laptop?

Computer, always always always always. I cannot stand writing on my phone at all. I barely use discord and the like on it. And my hand does not write nearly as fast as my brain and I just get frustrated and achy.

77. Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

First: Because I love the characters and I want to see them do more fun stuff in situations I personally get to tailor for my sicko enjoyment. And I get to decide when they kiss and how much dirty sex they have. So there.

Second: I genuinely enjoy the act of writing. I like the craft of taking what's in my head, the stuff that I feel on behalf of the characters, and inflicting it on other people.

Third: Having pre-established characters means I can skip the exposition and dynamic building and get straight to whatever the point of what I'm writing is. For example, the Vampire AU is a romantic horror about being the singular strand of morality for someone who could be a genuine monster if they so choose. The sequel is about being that monster and choosing goodness anyway: because of your person and because you don't want the alternative. No world-building or character dynamic set-up required! It's all there already.

Fourth: When people like character... and I write character... I get juicy juicy validation. I feed off being told I am Very Good At Things and also making people cry. I need both to keep my nose wet and my pelt shiny!

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) Vol. 1 Author: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu Genre/s: mystery, horror, queer romance, historical Content/Trigger Warnings: homophobia, body horror, death, violence, consumption of alcohol Summary (from publisher website): Wei Wuxian was once one of the most outstanding men of his generation, a talented and clever young cultivator who harnessed martial arts, knowledge, and spirituality into powerful abilities. But when the horrors of war led him to seek a new power through demonic cultivation, the world’s respect for his skills turned to fear, and his eventual death was celebrated throughout the land. Years later, he awakens in the body of an aggrieved young man who sacrifices his soul so that Wei Wuxian can exact revenge on his behalf. Though granted a second life, Wei Wuxian is not free from his first, nor the mysteries that appear before him now. Yet this time, he’ll face it all with the righteous and esteemed Lan Wangji at his side, another powerful cultivator whose unwavering dedication and shared memories of their past will help shine a light on the dark truths that surround them. Buy Here: https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation-mo-dao-zu-shi-novel-vol-1/ Spoiler-Free Review: I was peripherally aware of the xianxia/danmei boom some years ago, which was led by this series in particular. I remember the hype and excitement when the animated series came out, then when the live action version came out on Netflix. But despite all the hype, I wasn’t that interested; I had other things on my mind then. Recently, though, one of my close friends managed to talk me into giving xianxia a shot, and after attempting to sell me on a handful of series, I decided to try this one. It was the one that appealed to me most when she started selling me on the genre, and what better place to start than the series that catapulted an entire genre to popularity, right? And I have to say: I am HOOKED. Not so much on the pairing, though I can see why the entire fandom’s latched onto them and is very invested in them. Wei Wuxian is pretty entertaining, not least because he loves to stir up trouble, while Lan Wangji makes such a wonderful foil for him that the two of them are pretty fun to read about. I wouldn’t say their characterization is very deep, at least not yet, given that this is just the first volume in a series of five, but even if their characterization isn’t all that complex they are still fun to read about, and capable of holding the reader’s attention. But what really made me latch onto this series were the world-building, and the plot. I am INTRIGUED by the world in which this is set, which is familiar to me from watching historical wuxia movies, but the fantasy-related touches connected to cultivation make it stand out in a different way compared to, say, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (though technically they belong to two different genres, and not just because one’s a book and the other’s a movie). And the plot is VERY engaging: it’s basically a series of supernatural mysteries, with the resolution of one mystery leading into another, with two or three overarching mysteries that will likely stretch across the entirety of the series. I am a SUCKER for that kind of story, and this book structures them in a way that is basically like candy for my brain, and makes me want to keep going. Which is what I’ll be doing: I’m hopping right into the second volume as soon as I’ve gotten my mitts on it (which won’t be long, thankfully - this is why I got into ebooks!), and I’m going to keep on rolling with this momentum because I REALLY want to find out where this whole thing’s going! Rating: five sacred swords

[crimsonophelia]

hi basil !! can i request for an imagine with zhongli and an adeptus reader? the reader has been in love w him since the archon war but never told him bc they were scared, and when rex lapis “dies” they’re absolutely crushed. but when they see a certain funeral consultant preparing his funeral, they tell him about their friendship w rex lapis and how they regret never telling him how they felt. thank you!

featuring: zhongli x gn!reader

warnings: angst, a little suggestiveness, some god complex stuff if you squint hard enough, typos lol

published: may 14, 2021

form: imagine

a/n: hi anon! thank you for the request~ i’m assuming reader recognizes zhongli in his mortal form and confesses in that way! in canon, it’s kind of dubious whether or not zhongli explicitly told the adepti that he actually isn’t dead, but i’m going to take some creative liberties and assume that he tells some of his adepti friends that he’s alive in person, like so~

Time slowed to a halt, as the body of the magnificent dragon, Rex Lapis, plummeted to the earth from the heavens, like a meteor summoned by Celestia. You felt like it was all a cruel, eldritch dream that the Archons had cursed you with, frozen among the crowd of onlookers, as the body tumbled, tumbled, and fell in a lump at the alter. Not a single sound emerged from the crowd, as they all stared in horror.

To them, their deity, their Archon who had pulled Liyue from the depths of the abyss and ascended it to wealth and prosperity, had come crashing down to earth in front of their eyes. But to you... Rex Lapis was your world. It was not Liyue that he saved from the grasp of darkness, but rather, you, you were the one he rescued. It was you to whom Rex Lapis had shown more compassion than you had ever thought possible coming from any living being—warm hands grasping your cold limbs, pulling you up, up, and up, into the light of day, giving you a purpose. A reason to live.

The body lied there, as Lady Ningguang acted fast, trying to ease the onlookers, her own horror still painted visibly upon her usually cold and composed countenance. The corpse of your god still retained some semblance of life, you thought, scales still glimmering with a slight sheen, mane fluttering in the wind of commotion, almost as if he were glowing with vibrant life not a few moments ago.

Please. Rex Lapis. Please don’t leave me. I have so much left to tell you. 

*****

“Master!”, you called. “Wait for me!”

You ran to catch up with archon, who had begun his daily routine of assessing the growth of his blossom trees. Tianheng Shan was a favorite location of Rex Lapis, particularly in the springtime when all the flowers on the treas began to bloom, and the glowing flowers that sprouted from the ground took root and broke up from beneath the soil.

Rex Lapis, hands locked behind his back, looked back at you, as you joined him at his side.

“Hello there, [y/n]. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The archon really did behave like an old-spirited mortal, you thought. He had the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies down to a tee, certainly the polar opposite of the likes of Barbatos.

“I was just about to view the blossoms as well! They should be in season within a week or two”, you responded innocently. This certainly wasn’t an opportunity purely to spend time alone with Rex Lapis. You would never be so silly.

The both of you strolled along the banks of the river, eventually reaching an opening where tens, even hundreds, of pink-blossomed trees wove their way about the bottoms of the cavernous cliffs, some delicate petals already beginning to fall, sprinkling upon the river like memories across the stream of time.

Rex Lapis proceeded past you, craning his neck upwards to get a closer look at the blossoms. As he did so, the hood of his robe fell back down onto his shoulders, revealing long, silky locks of earthy amber resting upon shoulders as hardened as Cor Lapis.

“Quite lovely, aren’t they?”, he mused, almost absentmindedly. “These yinghua are often mistaken for taohua—yinghua do not produce fruit, and their blossoming period is much shorter.” For some reason, you thought, the archon’s gaze seemed to stray elsewhere, somewhere beyond the mass of trees.

“That is why the yinghua is renowned for its beauty. Its life is fleeting, yet so utterly captivating.”

Now, it was all gone. All that was left was a husk—a shell of the god you loved and devoted every ounce of your existence to. A mere gnarled tree that once possessed a beauty that transcended seasons.

*****

You entered the foyer of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, hearing the bell jingle solemnly as the door closed behind you. The place seemed to be rather empty, with nobody manning the front desk. Assorted coffins and various floral wreaths adorned the rooms of the parlor, a rather gauche little showroom of death. The taste and aesthetics reflected quite well the nature of the parlor’s director.

You treaded through the silent shop, wood creaking beneath your feet. The building must be quite old, you supposed.

“Hello?”, you called out. “Is anybody here?”

Before you could take another step, you heard a man’s voice coming from a back room, tucked away behind the main desk and obscured by a curtain.

“Just a minute, please. I will be with you shortly”, the voice called back.

After some further rustling emitting from what you guessed was the storage room, a man stepped out from behind the curtain, slightly ducking below the doorframe due to his rather imposing height.

Dressed in sharp formalwear, hair tied neatly behind his head in a long ponytail, he stepped forward from behind the desk. You noticed a geo vision dangling from the belt at his waist. How familiar, you thought. Something about him tugged at a string deep inside you, but for the life you, you couldn’t put a finger upon it.

“Greetings, how may I be of service to you?”, the man queried, amber eyes penetrating into you. There it was again. Maybe it was his voice, or his gaze, or perhaps just the way he carried himself, that felt so awfully familiar. His words seemed so... warm, even. Like some fond old memory that is slipping off the precipices of your brain. I must be going mad, you thought. One thousand years and still fawning over every handsome man I see.

Clearing your throat, you replied, “Yes, I am here on behalf of Lady Ningguang and the Qixing. We are looking for a supply of flowers to send off Rex Lapis at his funeral next week.” The man eyed you, curiously. “I was wondering if perhaps you could suggest a suitable flower wreath, preferably something in-season.”

Without a response, your odd companion began to walk towards an adjacent room attached to the lobby, hands crossed behind his back, quite like an old man, although he looked to be in his early thirties, at most. Assuming you were to follow, you stepped into a side room filled with vibrant flower wreaths of all sizes and colors.

The man begun to the scan the selection closely, as you stood to the side and watched him work. Oddly enough, the silence in the room wasn’t awkward, but was even quite comforting, in the same way a blanket warms a body.

Settling upon a modest, pink-flowered wreath of bouquets, he turned to you, indicating that he has decided upon a suggestion. He turned to you, those same eyes once again boring into you. Those were not the eyes of a young man, but something much, much more ancient, and for a moment, you stood frozen, frightened.

“Might I suggest the lovely yinghua? They are a personal favorite.”

White. White was all you saw for seconds, and when you opened your eyes, everything looked crisper, like a veil had been lifted. The world felt clearer, your thoughts came at you with greater clarity, but above all, it was no longer the funeral parlor manager that stood in front of you.

It was him. Rex Lapis.

The room started to twist and warp again, but this time not because of the spell of fog that the archon had cast to maintain your ignorance, but rather because of the salty tears clouding your vision, and the pressure of pure relief, joy, and utter agony that brought you collapsing to your knees, right then and there.

You couldn’t believe it. What about the body? Was that a mere fabrication ? Or was this vision before you an illusion, an echo of the past that had somehow manifested itself in front of you? Why would Rex Lapis do this to you, make you endure such pain? If he knew how much you loved him, how much gratitude you felt for him, how much you didn’t want to move on without him—

“Oh Archons, [y/n], please, I’m so, so sorry—”, he uttered. You felt a soft pressure surrounding you, as you became vaguely aware that the man you loved was now embracing you, the both of you huddled on the floor. “Please forgive me, I hate myself for it but I had to do it, and for the pain I have caused you, I’d much rather die, myself. ”

You could barely understand his words over the sound of your own weeping, forgoing all manners and letting your tears run free. You felt your master tighten his arms around your middle, as if scared to let you go, after already sacrificing you once.

You mustered up the strength to look up at him, seeing that now the dragon’s eyes themselves had become watery with emotion, something you had never seen in the archon before. The regret you felt was threatening to burst from your throat, a lump preventing you from being civil, or talking like a proper adeptus, or confessing your feelings to the man who you owed your life to. No more. No more weakness that plagued your heart for centuries. You may never have this opportunity again.

“[y/n], I beg of you, please forg-“

You pulled your savior’s face towards you, and without hesitation, placed your lips upon his. Too long, had this moment been forgone, and the both of you knew it, as the archon gradually deepened the kiss, intertwining his hands through your hair. This was life. The clarity of it all, the energy surging into you from the points where your skin touched, the infinity of your lips melding against his. This is the god you worshipped and would lay your life down for. Without him, there is nothing.

His lips, initially hesitant, grew more confident, more desperate as they clung onto yours. His fingers were soft as they traced the back of your neck, as if trying to memorize each one of your vertebrae. A feral yearning, something only a dragon was capable of, was unhinging behind Rex Lapis’ ministrations, as you proudly latched yourself deeper into him. The silence of the parlor was now filled with heavy pants and the rustling of fabric, as the two of you clung onto each other, one not wanting to depart before the other.

As you felt the breath in your lungs dwindling, having given all of your life and energy to Rex Lapis’ mortal body, you pulled yourself off of him. Streaks of wetness along his cheeks glinted in the late afternoon sunlight filtering through the windows. His hair had become undone in the minutes where he had been attached to you, and his face showed something of a quenched desperation. He was mortal, and he was perfect.

“Promise me. Promise me, that you will stay by my side forever.”

a/n: ohoho i hope you like it anon~ this is a little bit spicier than i usually write but tbh i kinda vibe w it

[wicked-storybrooke]

7, 9 (for Kathryn), 10, 12, 13 and 21 for the OUAT asks!

Thank you!!

7) Character you'd love to punch in the face

Oooh, good question! I'm a pacifist so I could never actually do it but I mean, I would choose Viktor's dad but I think Gerhardt well and truly took care of that! I guess I'll go with Gothel because it would be funny. Honourable mentions are George, Isla, Arthur, Glinda (but not Wicked's Glinda. I would never do that to her) and Killian as an act of vengeance on my boy Will's behalf for those extremely uncalled-for punches in 'The Apprentice'. Oh my God and Zelena's dad! He infuriates me! Also, if Tamara wants she can fight me. I'd be very much okay with that!

9) Headcanon about Kathryn

I believe she and David become close friends and develop a sibling-like relationship. I like to believe it was already like that for them in the EF and I hope she became good friends with Snow too.

I like to believe she got the therapy she needed after being drugged and locked in a basement because that must have been so traumatic! And I'm conflicted about what would happen with her relationship with Regina. I want them to make up and be friends or even lovers (that would be pretty awesome) but Regina wanting her dead is such a betrayal. Still, she's a very forgiving person, so I can see her accepting a much-needed apology.

10) Favorite backstory

This is a difficult question and one I struggled with when writing my ideas for a gif set for the upcoming ouattober event. I was going to make the set for Alice Jones but then I realised the major reason why I love her backstory is because of fanfiction and headcanons! We don't get that much of her in 'Knightfall'. It's mostly centred around Wish Hook. And I love him to bits but my favourite parts of the flashback portion of that episode are by far the father-daughter moments and the part where he's banished from the tower. The pirate-y stuff doesn't interest me as much. So my favourite backstory is Alice's but only with the addition of fanfictions and headcanons I've accepted and confused with canon. But I believe overall, going solely with canon, my favourite backstory is Red's in Red-Handed. I was so obsessed with the twist of her being the wolf when I first watched. It made me love the show even more. I hate horror but I love the horror themes in this episode. Snow and Red's friendship in it was so cute and Granny is just awesome and has an intriguing dynamic with Red. Red and Peter were adorable and my heart fell through Australia when the poor, sweet guy got eaten.

12) A line/quote that you connected with the first time you heard it.

Ooh! I love this question. Let me think back. I believe it was "People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. "You just gotta punch back and say, "No, this is who I am". You want people to look at you differently? Make them!" I really took it to heart. But as time has gone on I've come to realise that you don't need to make others look at you differently. You can't control how others look at you. Someone can be the most confident person in the world and someone else out there probably sees them as nothing more than a clown. The important thing is that that person is confident- for the sake of themselves, not others. It doesn't matter how others see you. There's no point trying to control that. Life isn't about impressing others. It's about finding contentment from within and forming and discovering your own identity in a way that is satisfying and in a way that fosters joy.

13) Most powerful scene

This one springs to mind.

21) If you could remove or alter any one episode's backstory, which would it be, and why?

Oh my God, Ill-Boding patterns. First of all, why and how did Baelfire get a curly perm?? (/jk. You rock those curls, Bae! You can borrow my mum's curling iron. Though not sure where you can plug it in the Enchanted Forest!) Second of all, what does that title even mean?? And third and most importantly why would you assassinate Baelfire's character like that??!! He would never, ever murder someone- at least not at that age. It goes against his whole character and everything he stands for. I was absolutely speechless and so ridiculously upset when it happened. Just, no! And the way he became so ludicrously blood-thirsty after that! It was bizarre! The whole thing was obviously made to shock the audience but it wasn't worth it at the expense of making a character with such strong moral values (at that age, at least) so absurdly ooc. I'm still so mad about it and point blank refuse to accept it as canon. I don't know who that kid was but he clearly kidnapped and stole Baelfire's life and Rumple just hadn't noticed because his Lizard contact lenses were obstructing his eyes!

I would have made it so that Beowulf would see Baelfire had the dagger and upon realising what it could do, he would threaten the boy with a sword or just his extremely imposing height and Rumple would straight up murder him to protect his son. And he would relish it, which would make Baelfire feel unbearably guilty, further supporting the reason for his determination to rid his father of the darkness. He would feel like it was his responsibility because he didn't stop his father from murdering Beowulf in cold blood when he had the power to, which would have cemented Rumple's bloodlust and descent into darkness. Or heck, just have Baelfire order Rumple to cut out Beowulf's tongue. I don't think he'd do that either but literally anything would have been better than what happened.

[antebunny]

Hello yes this is a skit based on the Maleficent AU over on @angstymdzsthoughts because I am sad and I enjoy making my favorite characters sad when I am sad:

It is dark in the Cloud Recesses when Wei Wuxian loses his wings.

He stumbles through this darkness, because his legs are shaking so bad that he cannot run or walk properly, and he must run because he can no longer fly. His hair is wild and messy, spilling over his back without anything to hold it up. He’s only partially dressed, because he was only wearing his under robes when it happened and his hands were shaking so bad that he couldn’t manage to pull on his outer robes before he heard the sound of Lan Zhan’s footsteps returning, and then he lost all semblance of logic and ran.

Now, the wind rustles through his inner layers and he shivers, even though with his level of cultivation he isn’t cold. Wei Wuxian has made the journey from the Jiang guest disciple quarters to Lan Zhan’s Jingshi so many times after dark that he knows the path by heart, and that is the only reason why now, with his mind in a total state of panic and his legs barely functioning, he doesn’t get lost on the journey back.

It’s barely past five in the morning, so his siblings are both fast asleep when he throws open the door and falls to his knees. But Jiang Cheng is a light sleeper, and he stirs at the noise.

“Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng says blearily, voice rough with sleep.

When the only response is Wei Wuxian’s heavy breathing, as if he’s just run a marathon, Jiang Cheng rolls over and rubs his eyes. Without sitting up, he lights a talisman. The light illuminates Wei Wuxian, frozen in the doorway, cheeks stained with tears he doesn’t remember shedding, shaking like a leaf. Missing his signature black wings that make–made–him the crow spirit.

Jiang Cheng bolts upright, all traces of sleep gone. He unfurls his massive white wings, tossing the blankets off. “What happened?” Jiang Cheng demands loudly. Without giving Wei Wuxian a chance to answer, he turns and runs to the other side of the room, past Wei Wuxian’s bed which he hasn’t been in more than a handful of times since he got engaged, to where Jiang Yanli is sleeping. “A-Li. A-Li! Wake up!”

Jiang Yanli wakes slowly, but she too bolts upright when she hears the panic in her brother’s voice. “What’s wrong?” She asks.

Jiang Cheng lights another tailsman. “Look!”

Jiang Yanli follows his pointed finger to where Wei Wuxian is still kneeling on the floorboards, shivering and shaking and wingless. “Oh no,” she says tremulously. She almost falls out of bed in her haste to get to Wei Wuxian’s side, and when she does, her hands flit helplessly over his shoulders, unsure of how to comfort him without hurting him further. Eventually, she grips his shaking hands in her own steady, warm hands, and peers into his bright silver eyes. “A-Xian, what happened?”

Wei Wuxian closes his mouth and tries to summon words from his dry throat. When he opens his mouth, his lips are shaking so bad he stutters over every word. “L-Lan Z-Zhan…”

“Lan Wangji?” Jiang Cheng repeats. He stands over his siblings, brow drawn in confusion. “Did something happen to him?”

Wei Wuxian shakes his head jerkily. “N-no,” Wei Wuxian says weakly. “L-Lan Zhan, he…” Wei Wuxian swallows hard and tries again. “He c-c-” His teeth clack together, and he can’t get the words out. His eyes squeeze shut, and more tears escape. “H-he c-c-cut–”

Jiang Yanli actually gasps in horror at that. “He cut off your wings?”

Eyes still closed, all Wei Wuxian can manage to do is nod miserably, tears falling anew.

Jiang Cheng makes a snarl nearly incoherent with rage. “He did what,” the youngest Jiang demands, while Jiang Yanli squeezes Wei Wuxian’s hands tighter and presses their foreheads together. “Why?” Jiang Cheng continues furiously. “He’s your fiance!”

Wei Wuxian can’t even shrug with his shoulders shaking so much, so instead he remains kneeling there on the floor, still wracked with sobs.

“I’ll kill him,” Jiang Cheng snarls, already grabbing Sandu.

Wei Wuxian flinches at the sound of Jiang Cheng unsheathing his sword. In his mind he’s back in Lan Zhan’s bed, face down when Lan Zhan rolls him over, half-asleep and dimly hearing Lan Zhan unsheathe Bichen, and then–

“A-Cheng, wait,” Jiang Yanli says, before Jiang Cheng can go running off in the dark to challenge the Second Jade of Lan to a duel to the death. “We have to take care of A-Xian.”

Jiang Cheng stops, albeit grudgingly. He sheathes Sandu and watches as Jiang Yanli carefully peels the top half of Wei Wuxian’s robes off, revealing his bare back. All that’s left are two black mounds where his proud wings once were. Jiang Yanli’s own white swan wings instinctively unfurl when she sees this, automatically going to wrap her A-Xian in them.

“But why,” Jiang Cheng says, frustrated. “I thought he–I mean, you’re–you were going to get married!”

Wei Wuxian shakes even harder at that. “I d-don’t k-know,” he sobs. “I don’t know.”

Jiang Yanli makes the connection first, eyes widening in horror once more. “A-Cheng,” she says. “What was the name of Qingheng-jun’s wife?”

Jiang Cheng frowns, thrown off by the seemingly random question when all he can do is stare at the horrifying scars on his brother’s back. “Madame Lan,” he says uncertainly. “I don’t…why?”

“What about the Sect Leader Lan before him?” Jiang Yanli presses. “And before that?”

Every generation, a Jiang has gone missing. Some on night hunts, some from their rooms in various sects, but always in the human realm. And every year, the heavenly Jiangs send a delegation to keep up relations with the human cultivation sects. Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian warned the delegation this year to be on their guard, because it had been about one human generation since the last Jiang, a rogue cultivator from Yunmeng named Zhang Jue, disappeared. But Wei Wuxian and his siblings had never imagined that it was the Lans all this time who’d been making the Jiangs disappear.

Jiang Cheng thinks back to all the lessons Lan Qiren has given on the history and the rules of the Gusu Lans, during which he must have at some point mentioned those names. “I don’t know,” Jiang Cheng realizes, stunned. “Do you mean…this was all a plot?” He grows furious again, shaking with rage on behalf of his brother. “The only reason Lan Wangji proposed was so that he could do this?!”

Wei Wuxian sobs even harder in Jiang Yanli’s arms, devastated by the thought that his love for Lan Zhan had never been returned. Jiang Yanli cradles his head in her arms, desperately trying to soothe him.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Jiang Yanli says. Her voice shakes but her tone is stone-cold resolute. “A-Cheng, get all of our disciples out of the Cloud Recesses,  now. I will fly A-Xian up to Lotus Pier and explain everything to Mother and Father.”

She helps Wei Wuxian to his feet, and pulls his robes back over his shoulders. Gradually, his breathing evens out, and he wipes the tears from his face with his fists.

“And then,” Jiang Yanli continues, once both of her brothers have nodded, “we’re going to get A-Xian’s wings back.”

[adcfan]

WARNED

He could clearly tell from the slightest wrinkle of irritation adoring the top left of her pale forehead that she is beyond annoyed. How could he blame her? After all it was him who lured the bird out of its comfortable nest in the middle of a tough night. From the height he could perceive the darker shades of her shadows dancing along the way she traced making him more curious to explore the limit of the demon’s braveness.

The edges of his lips pulled up to carve an honest smile as his eyes momentarily rested on the dagger resting against her waist that he once offered her in the middle of a battle, a year ago.

With a loud thud he made his presence noticeable startling her to the core in the process. His armor blazed a bright shade of jade green, bathed in the late moonlight that managed to get the taste of his attire. His eyes searched hers involuntarily, seeking to find any glimpse of game she or the titans might have planned to play on him. But all he could find was curiosity.

Curious? Is she really curious?    

“So, you decided to show up in the middle of a young, wanting night, far from your protective shell behalf of a demons’ call”. If it wasn’t for the mask he is wearing, she could see the imperceptible grim plastered over his face with ease. “And here I thought ravens aren’t creatures of the night”, his brows made a childish hunch testing her temper further more than she could actually take.

“What do you want?”, her voice remained cold as she tried her best to control all the urge to take him down on the very spot. His cape danced in unity with her robe as he approached her a little more without her noticing for a very long second. “Aren’t you forgetting a very special day, beloved?”. And that was definitely a hint of sadness that was sprinkled all over the Al Ghul’s tone.

Right, as if he could actually feel sad over anything with all the blood in his hands.

“I am not in for a game, Al Ghul. I have got a whole city to save and a good night’s sleep to resume, but here I am, in the middle of an abandoned area with a ruthless assassin who threatened to explode the best half of the city and what’s next? Seizure?”. Almost a devilish chuckle escaped his lips as if he had conquered the entire world.

“Oh for gods shake, little bird. Do you really think I will abandon the best of all nights in Nanda Parbat to blast a worthless city like Kansas?”, now he is definitely getting on her nerves. “But I must say, I had half a mind to blow the Titans bridge five minutes ago”, his all time devilish smile still painted his arrogant look. Raven barely recognized how Damian managed to corner her against the cold wall whose uneven surface pressed itself against her flawless skin dripping it with the night’s best dew.

“I am not asking you again, Ra’s. Tell me what you want with me before I banish you into a dimension of never return”.

“You hurt me, beloved. Don’t you remember the anniversary of our marriage?”

Married? With him? A year ago?

“If this is some sort of silly joke, you better stop it right now, Ra’s. It’s definitely not funny.”, her voice trembled with doubts by each passing second. She lingered over her left ring finger as if she has seen her own hands for the first time in all her life. No ring? Well that’s a relief.

He is just kidding or may be…

Or may be not

“Do I look like one who makes senseless jokes like the green monkey your tower owns”. 

Thanks to Gar, at least his pride is hurt a little.

“I didn’t say that, but if you insist on it… I may”, and she sure as hell liked hurting his weak point - his pride.

“Then how about I insisting on maintaining a decent distance between Conner and you, beloved”, for the first time in almost half an hour his words had the true taste of jealous.

“You are my wife and it is my business to keep flirty hybrids like him away from you. Well, if you don’t have to do it the easy way then I will have the pleasure of teaching him decency in my own way, beloved”. Is the night getting unnaturally warmer or…

Oh no! When did he get this closer to her.

And how the hell she didn’t notice it for this long.

If not for the pitch dark night sky, she could actually feel herself blacking out.

“If it is Conner the one you have your problems with then why the hell did you make me come here?” To reveal that she may be married to the Ra’s of League of Assassin’s a year ago? Probably, yes.

“I thought you would never ask. Let’s say I am here to get a gift”

Right, she barely knew that she got married and now he wants a gift in the middle of a night?

“I don’t have a ring”, the words spilled out even before she could realize it.

May be she lost her brain just like Beast Boy.

“I don’t think it is mandatory for a married couple have to propose during anniversaries, beloved”, his breath flowed through her entire being warming up all her dark desires that might love to make him hers and only hers even if…

Stop. Stop right there Raven.    

“I mean, I don’t even have a ring and how could I be your wife when I don’t even have a ring”

Way to go Raven, what’s next a Priest?

“The dagger, Raven. It means a sealed bond in my heritage. A bond made between a husband and a wife, which you willing took to save the pathetic Titans a year ago in the League of Shadows base.” His voice grew more husky and his breathe drove her senses away as he nibbled at her ear lobe. She was supposed to be mad, she was supposed to blast him to pieces and scatter every inch of his being at different dimensions for revealing something as important as being married, but his tone - well, that’s definitely not helping.

“What now? You want me to quit being a Titan, take sides with you and go against them?”

“Baby steps, beloved. Baby steps”. His left hand toyed with the hem of her dress, further breaking the already half broken control towards her urging needs that pooled in very being.  

“Just a kiss and a promise to keep that coward Conner away from you will do”.  She could feel the cold air of the young night kissing her wide spread pale skin that already missed the warmth touch of the assassin.

“And if I resist?”

“You really think you could resist me, beloved? Since it is our anniversary I will be generous enough to make another request”. His eyes grew darker with every words as his katana slightly battered against the cold wall.

“How about blasting the Titans tower to the ground while that stupid Gar and Jaime are trying with their half-celled brains to defuse the bomb or how about giving black fire all the 18 ways to kill Kori like a true assassin in the middle of their fight right now in Kansas or how about giving Slade Wilson the true identity of Dick Grayson and his fellow bat clan or how about letting Conner suffer in the hands of Bizarre Superman, left alone to die by a Kryptonite stabbing.” He hummed the last few parts as he withdraw from the spot he previously stood.  

“On second thought how about all of the above?”

“You are kidding. I would have received an alert signal at least if one of these is happening right now”.

“You mean this?” Damian raised a small communicator from his pocket still humming like an undisturbed teenager enjoying his long drive to no destiny at all.

“Give it back”. She raised her hand trying to snatch the communicator but in vain.

“Did I forget to mention that you have to be a grown woman to snatch a stuff, beloved”. His eye brow arched itself up.

That’s it. She could bear all of his sarcasms, all of his threats and even all of his flirts but not even for the shake of Azar would she let this damn Demon Spawn comment on her height and hurt her pride in nothing more than mere seconds. That’s not going to happen. Not today.

Raven rose to her tip-toes grabbing Damian’s collar to support her in the process but accidentally twirled their legs and slipped right on top of him. Their lips were locked like the mere existence of one depends on the other, when Raven realized the state she has put herself into.

Yeah, that’s how you snatch a communicator from a tall guy, who threatens to blast your whole family.

She would be cheating herself the entire time if she hesitated to accept that she did like the Demon’s head for a reasonably long time now. But she is definitely not going to let her pride get hurt.

“So, you got your gift. Now defuse the bomb and un-mess every mess you made”

“And all it took was calling you - short”. Damian let an almost an inaudible chuckle escape his throat.

He pulled out the dagger from Raven’s waist band and seethed it properly. “Don’t hurt yourself playing with this doll, beloved”.

“My team…”, Raven question was cut short by Damian as he spoke.

“They are safe. For now”

BOOM…

From the frequency of the sound wave she could say that it was near the Titans Tower.

“Well, except for one I guess”

With one last peck on her lips he disappeared into the shadows as if he never existed a few minutes ago.

--

Thank Azar!

There was not a single scratch on the tower. Not even one. At least he kept few of his words.

But the real horror stroke her when she felt no living presence inside the tower.

“Umm.. Rae what are you doing up late in the night?”, Dick asked as he and the other Titans entered the tower with handful of shopping bags. “You are all fine?”. She will never spell it out loud but deep down she knew that she couldn’t stand their loss. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“Yeah, we are fine. It’s a little cold out there. But don’t worry we won’t catch a cold, Rae. If that’s what you are worried about”, Gar uttered with no care in the world as he glanced through the contents of the fridge.

“Where have you been?” was all she managed to ask when she realized that she wasn’t dreaming.

“We were out…”, Kori barely had a chance to finish when Raven added “Crime fighting?”

“Ah… shopping, Raven. I don’t think it is a custom on Earth to crime fight every time you step out into the public, is it Dick?”.

“Unless or otherwise you are in Gotham, no”, Dick replied as he loaded the fridge with the contents of the grocery bags.

“So, where is Conner?”, inquired Jaime as he entered the main hall. “Isn’t he in the tower?”, Kori added.

“There wasn’t anyone in the tower when I arrived”, Raven replied as a loud thud followed their conversation.

“Conner!”, Gar yelled as he reached him. The rest of the Titans followed by.

--

“What the hell happened dude?”, asked Gar as he tried to touch the bruise near his right eye.

“OUCH!”

“That’s just a small bruise, Conner. I have seen worse”, Dick replied while analyzing his wounds.

“And a broken wrist”, Conner added trying to rise his wounded hand but in vain.

“It’s just a minor injury, amigo. You will be alright as soon as the Sun’s back”, Jaime reassured him while attending to his wounds.

“Here, let me heal you”, Raven offered taking a step towards but the wound deepened as if it was being cut from inside out. Conner could barely resist the urge to break the table he sat on.

“Raven, is that a Kryptonite you are wearing?”, Dick pointed at the green stone that somehow perfectly settled around her neck.

“If that’s causing our flirty Superboy to yell like a mad man then it is definitely a Kent-repellent”, Jaime added.

“A kryptonite? Not again”, Conner banged his head against the wall as if that would make his day any better.

If you don’t have to do it the easy way then I will have the pleasure of teaching him decency in my own way.

“Raven, I know you mean no harm but I don’t think Conner could take any more kryptonite today. So, would you mind…”, Gar tried to get rid of the kryptonite that adorned her neck.

“Here let me try”, Kori flared a small star bolt which seemed to have no effect on it either.

“It seems you have to stay away from Conner for a few days until we find a way to remove that thing off your neck. By the way, it seems to have no effect on you Raven. You may leave, we will take care of Conner”

Seems like he played a particular demon played his part well at keeping Raven away from Conner.

Raven made a short nod and walked towards her room. In the background, she could clearly hear the boys filling Conner with questions about the attack.

“So, was it Bizarre the reason behind this?”, Dick asked as he finished cleaning the wounds.

“No, it was a masked man with a Katana”, Conner replied.

“And you - a bullet proof being got this from a Katana?”, Gar’s curiosity reached its peak when Conner made Kryptonian curses under his breathe.

“Stop touching my wound, Gar”

“You call yourself a super but you can’t stand a broken wrist” Gar arched both of his eye brows wanting for a genuine explanation.

“I have not even once been injected, Pea-brain” was all Raven could hear, when she disappeared into her own shadows. 

                                                                 - Samuel Damian Fernandez

Hi, everyone! This is just a one shot, not a great one but worth giving a try. Like I have mentioned before English is my 8th priority language. So, if you find faults in my work just let me know. Also, share your thoughts on this one shot, so I may get an idea for future modifications. 

Punardarśaāya 😉 👋

[wolvesandpetals]

Loki x Sylvie fanfiction: Playing house (Rated T, Humor) Part 1

In which the ones at the end of time place them in a reality where they are a married couple in a suburban town, à la WandaVision.

Master list of my Loki x Sylvie fanfiction can be found here.

---

They didn't know what to expect at the end of time. But they certainly didn't expect to open the door to the citadel and walk into a town.

"This must be an illusion", Loki says in horror as he takes in his new surroundings- two storied houses in every shade of pastel, gardens of roses, lillies and lilacs, wide open roads, pavements lined with freshly cut bushes. "This isn't real."

It looks real enough though. It feels real too.

This is the quintessential suburban town. And they are in a quintessential suburban house.

"They have trapped us in a nightmare", Loki concludes, scanning the new neighborhood again, this time spotting the children playing tennis in the front lawn of the house next door.

Sylvie touches the door frame with the words "Mr. and Mrs. Low-key" etched in the wood in gold. Her fingers trace the letters. It feels so surreal and impossible, yet it feels just as real as she is. "Apparently, we're married in this reality."

"It's not all bad then", he concludes cheekily.

She gives him a death stare. "I don't have time to play house with you right now."

He shrugs. "Until we find a way out, we have to." He checks out the neighborhood one last time for any identifiable imminent threats, before walking back into the house- their house. Holding the door open, he gestures to Sylvie. "Coming?"

She smooths the wrinkles in the sundress she has ended up with, vowing to definitely kill the bastards that did this.

-

The interior of the house does not suit two gods of mischief at all. It's all very... quaint. The sofa is soft and snuggly, the telly hanging from the velvet painted walls is huge, her wardrobe has way too many dresses and skirts, and the knives in the kitchen look like they'd be hard to kill a man with.

"Can you conjure me up something less-" she vaguely gestures at her figure, her lips arched in an angle that spells distaste.

He understands exactly what she means, but does exactly what he wants. With a snap of his fingers, he conjures up an entire rack of clothes for her.

She checks them out one by one, noticing how every jeans, every top is designed a specific way. "These look very tight."

His grin tells her it's intentional.

"You know I can still wipe that smug look off your face in this reality, right?" Her voice expresses how serious she is.

He waves his hands again, and this time, a second rack of clothes materialises, ones which are more functional.

She picks a jeans and oversized top and disappears into the bedroom.

He plops down on the sofa, staring at the Van Gogh hanging from the wall, wondering what their next move should be.

---

The ring of the doorbell breaks them out of their contemplation.

Sylvie grabs every single knife she can find in the kitchen drawers, Loki grabs the mop. Gesturing to each other, they open the door at the count of three, to find a woman standing there with a casserole in her hands.

"Hiya neighbor", she says cheerily. "I heard that you two just moved in. Oh my, that's a lot of knives."

Sylvie holds one up to her throat. "Who sent you?"

The woman grimaces, keeping her eyes fixed at the spot where the knife touches her skin. "My husband. He thought we should welcome our neighbors."

"Liar", Sylvie barks, and increases the pressure on the knife. "Tell me who sent you here before I cut your tongue out and feed it to the cats."

It's at this moment that Loki decides he has to intervene before the situation escalates to unnecessary murder.

"Sylvie, Sylvie, honey", he coos, slowly guiding her away with a gentle touch to her shoulders. "This lovely woman is not the friend I was expecting." He pushes her inside the house, at a safe distance from the lady, before throwing a charming smile in her direction. "I am so sorry. My friend was supposed to visit, I asked my wife to help me play a prank on her. She thought it was you. It's all a giant misunderstanding. Allow me to apologize profusely on behalf of my wife."

Sylvie switches between glaring at the lady and at her "husband".

The lady laughs nervously. "It's quite alright."

Loki extends his hand. "Hi, I'm Loki." He wraps his other arm around Sylvie's waist to pull her close. She tenses, and for a moment he thinks the knife will end up aimed at his throat, but she relaxes a little and gives the neighbor a tiny smile. "And this is my wonderful wife, Sylvie."

The lady shakes his hand. "I'm Agnes. So nice to meet you. Where are you from? Low-key, that sounds Nordic. Are you from Norway?"

"No."

"Yes."

They answer at the same time, then glare at each other, as if their answer was the only acceptable one.

Loki rushes to fix it before Agnes gets suspicious. "What my wife means is, we are from Norway originally, but we moved here from Alabama."

Agnes smiles. "That's a long way from home. Welcome to the neighborhood."

---

Sylvie erupts the moment the neighbor leaves and their doors are closed. "Why the bloody hell are we playing along with this ruse?"

Loki looks at her seriously. "What is the alternative? Murder our way out of here? Slaughter an entire innocent town?"

"No, no, no no." She paces till she is standing directly in front of him, holding her chin up in a posture of challenge. "Why slaughter a town when you can rule it, right?"

He lets out a sigh. Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, he takes in a deep breath. He needs all the strength in the world to reason with her. He opens his eyes again and begins. "We don't know how we got here. We don't know what dangers are here. We can't plan an escape like that. We need to gather information and learn everything we can about this place."

"This place is clearly hell", she roars, letting out a scream that shoots a wave of energy out of her hands and shatters the coffee table.

"Perfect", he mutters under his breath, as he picks up the mop.

---

"I'm hungry." She announces after an hour of sitting on the sofa, sulking, while going through the hundred different channels and trying to pick even a single thing worth watching.

"Oh yes, me too." He agrees quickly. "Starving, actually."

She motions at the cell phones on the table that the house came with. "I suppose we should order something like humans do."

"Yes, of course." He nods in agreement. He picks up the phone closest to him, swipes up the screen, and sees the wallpaper of him and Sylvie, on a beach, hand in hand, in matching Hawaiin shirts, with matching grins on their faces. He knows this isn't real, this has never actually happened to them, but it makes him smile anyway. Swiping to the side, he notices the phone comes with too many games. There are also apps that he knows from advertisements. Opening one that promised good food in no time, he stares blankly at the incoherent list that pops up.

She gets impatient after a few minutes. "Well?"

He purses his lips. It's difficult to admit defeat. "I don't actually know how to order."

She blinks in disbelief. "What?"

"I don't know how to order food." He repeats.

"How can you not know how to order food?"

"Well, I've never had to do it myself." He says, irritated, before his tone turns boastful. "I've always had someone do it for me." Food was never even a concern in Asgard. On earth, he has always had some human gladly do it for him. No God would ever bother with the trivial details of food ordering.

"Lucky you." She says dryly, before snatching the phone out of his hands. She pauses to look at the wallpaper as well, at the waves and the sand and the two happy people that represent a life that they can have if they choose to. Before the thought can take its root in her mind, she quickly focuses on ordering.

He stares at her in awe. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"I didn't exactly grow up in an Asgardian palace." She rolls her eyes. "I had jobs, Loki. I know how to look after myself."

"I am so glad I'm stuck here with you." He says with a grin. "It makes everything easier."

"It's not that easy. We still need to pay for the food." She points out. Then a horrifying thought occurs to her. "Do we even have money?"

He wants to point out he can just conjure some, but before the words can form in his mouth, she rushes to the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers. He follows, and opens the refrigerator, staring at the inside of the freezer.

"People don't keep cash in the freezer, Loki."

"I knew that." He lies.

She switches to the bedroom, and he follows her there as well. She looks through the dresser drawer, the wardrobe, and searches under the pillow. He looks under the bed.

"Look at us. Searching for money to buy food with. What a shame." He muses out loud. "Mortals used to offer food to Gods."

"Food and virgins." She spits the words out angrily. "I hate these archaic ways."

"Oh, me too, me too." He pretends to agree. He likes being worshipped. He likes the food and the offerings. The virgins? Well, he took virgins in a very different, very alive way, and they were all very willing.

"I don't think we have money in this house." She announces, sitting down on the bed with a huff. "Is this his masterplan? Make us starve to death?"

"Allow me." He snaps his fingers, and wads of cash appears in her hands. This is what he was going to do before Sylvie started searching and he decided it's best to first find out what useful items they have in this house.

"That's handy", she notes. "I suppose it'll be easy for you to do chores around the house."

"I don't do chores." He declares.

She glares at him.

"I don't know how to do chores." He clarifies.

Her glare never loses its edge. "Well you better figure it out soon then, before I cut your fingers off."

---

They eat in complete silence, adjusting to this new reality they have found themselves in. Loki tries to make conversation, tries to tell her a story of banquets in Asgard, but she stares absent-mindedly into the distance, and he takes the hint.

Night arrives quickly.

"I'm exhausted. We should sleep." Sylvie admits. She gets up, ready to change into something more comfortable for the night.

He gets up too, and heads in the direction of the other bedroom. Of course, all he wants to do is snuggle up close to her. He can think of a hundred excuses to talk her into it too. But he holds back. "Well, I wish you a very merry slumber."

She doesn't want to focus on why she does it, but she calls out to him. "We should stick together. Just in case the enemy decides to attack while we're asleep."

He stops in his tracks, smiling like a fool. "I agree. Clever plan."

Ten minutes later, they are both awkwardly lying side by side in bed.

Sylvie stares at the ceiling, at the glow-in-the-dark stickers that are shining. "Is that what people's ceilings look like?"

"Mostly children's."

"The constellations..." She notices. "They're slightly different."

"Yes." He smiles. "This is the view from Midgard, not Asgard."

"Oh."

It's quiet for a while. Loki wonders if she fell asleep. Then he hears her whisper. "I hate this."

"Why are you suddenly acting like this?" He finally asks. "You have been patient your whole life, planning everything for years. You always have a plan, and a good one. Now you're suddenly in a rush to get out of here. Why?"

She doesn't answer. She doesn't even open her eyes. With her focus on the darkness behind her eyelids, it is easy to forget that this is the most peaceful evening she has ever had, that this is the life she always wanted, the life she has been fighting for.

He studies her features, memorizing the way she looks when she tries to fall asleep. Tentatively, he touches her hand. Her fingertips twitch involuntarily, before she responds by taking his hand. He gives it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll get out of here, I promise you."

---

(To be continued)

[theredsuzuran]

Douma x reader - Innocence

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Took me a long time to upload a new content am so sorry for the delay I was really busy with school assignments therefore I cannot manage the time to write. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors on my behalf, I hope you enjoy.

Warning : Dark themes like gore, blood and violence, degradation and swearing, mature content.

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The moon shone brightly above the sky as it's light leak through the branches illuminating the famous building of the eternal paradise cult. A new set of followers rushed into the dwelling in hopes of fulfilling their selfish desires, diminishing their agonies and enriching their possessions. However a particular human with her tattered kimono seem not to be interested to convey anything although the people around her would die to witness even a glimpse of the charismatic leader as for now she was busy running along the wide long corridors

The sound of thumping footsteps echoed throughout the building as a herd of followers attempted on catching the miscreant who disrupted the peaceful atmosphere prevailing over the supreme cult. The already annoyed and frustrated people were all worked up to catch the energetic human who on the other hand have thoughts of escaping this place they called paradise. If only she was careful enough to notice her mother's strange behavior soon as they entered the place but how can you possibly blame an innocent little girl like her, or so she thought. Afraid she might lose sight of her treacherous mother who abandoned her just moments ago she desparety stumbled her way out although that didn't concerned her simple thinking process but that's exactly how complicated the situation was.

Turning one last time to look behind if those weird people were still following her or not when suddenly she bumped into a Tall muscular figure standing infront of her soft delicate frame she must have missed him approaching while focusing on looking behind. "Please just leave me alone!" The girl fumed coherently still overwhelmed by the amount of people rushing towards her like waves something that she was not accustomed with as for eighteen years she lived indoors interacting rarely with anyone and playing with dolls most of the time.

"Watch your tongue brat" one of the men standing beside the tall man spoke with disgust hinted in his voice. "Crouch down you insolent woman, where's your gratitude it's because of lord Douma's benevolence that you are still here or you'd be rotting in the street thanks to your mother", the people around her started whispering and murmuring behind her back but she was not bother since her senses were filled with newfound wrath how dare they insult your angel like mother? No longer able to contain your anger you shouted with tears "Then take me to my mother, I don't want to stay here alone".

"Your mother abandoned you here so shut up and deal with it, now move your way for master" the man grunted irritatedly motioning the other followers to grab her and take her away.

"No don't touch me" she wiggled under their grip rushing towards douma blocking him from entering the room by grabbing his arm tightly "I am not going anywhere until I know where my mother is" she cried loudly making the demon flinch with surprise, how pitiful the creature looked in his polychromatic eyes. He have seen many humans crying before him for obvious reasons which honestly have become his monotonous routine but somehow this girl acted quite weird being her age, interesting him enough to investigate. As he was about to speak the man beside him pushed the girl hashly making her lose her balance and fall on the wooden floor.

"How dare you touch master with your filthy hands bitch" he lift his hand to slap her tight in the face but someone grabbed his wrist just in time to save the girl from further humiliation.

"Silence" all the questioning glances, judging looks and whispering stopped at once as douma spoke nonchalantly making the latter shiver in regret.

"I am sorry douma sama" the man uttered in pure horror having no intentions to displease his beloved lord. "I was-"

"I don't want to see that happen again, understood?" He replied coldly still maintaining his wide smile as the previous chaos shifted into complete hush. The man lowered his head down with shame nodding silently. Douma averted his attention and glanced at the figure underneath making the girl jolt a bit but his once frightening demeanor changed into a cheerful and optimistic one in matter of second upon seeing her.

"Please take her to my chamber and treat her wounds" the man clapped with a wide grin plastered on his face. A group of female servants came rushing to help picking her up. The girl being too bewildered did not protested and simply follow his tone as if she was hypnotized by his neatly decorated persona.

The girl was immediately taken away without delay and as per douma he needed to attend his cult duties. First of all she was washed and changed into a beautiful kimono as soon as she stepped inside, then she was escorted into a room filled with antiques and lavish items which she have never seen. Her face lit up with fascination as she began venturing those decorative pieces.

"Looks like you have ease down a bit, good good" A familiar tone struck in her ears startling her a bit only to turn back and view the handsome cult leader although it was a bit strange because she did not heard anyone approaching.

"Aww did I scared you?" He laughed covering his face with golden fans.

"No I was just- you came in without a warning, I was taken aback" she explained blushing trying her best not to act immature to which douma laughed uncontrollably as he found this human's expression adorable say entertaining in his words.

"D-dont laugh at me" she pouted crossing her arms in the attempt.

"I am sorry (y/n), you really amuse me" he replied still grinning. However there was a moment of awkward silence between them as he uttered her name abruptly.

"I didn't tell you my name.." after a long pause she replied to him with a confuse look in her face.

"I know everyone's name who are living under my supervision including yours besides what kind of cult leader I am if I don't have basic information about my fellow followers. Oh look I have been talking to you without giving the chance to let you talk my bad" he laughed again waving his fans creating another awkward situation. Causing you to sweatdrop on his remark.

"Say (y/n) how old are you?" to which she replied enthusiastically "I am 8 years old and will turn 9 soon"

"Ah you don't look like one" douma grinned closing his eyes in the process.

"Yeah I get that a lot" she remarked shyly.

"Your mother is one of my followers" he continued

"Really?" her eyes sparked with hope as she approached douma with anticipation grabbing his arms for the second time starling him, she really like holding hands eh? he have experiences like that but somehow this girl made him feel different so he allowed her but then she stopped halfway through her words "I really miss her it's been a week since she left me here" her voice dropped with sadness.

Douma felt no sympathy for humans or anything as such, he have learned to fake his emotions from a very tender age eversince he was born to the extent that even seeing his mother killing her husband mercilessly failed to evoke feelings within. He clearly did not understand what she was feeling he just stared at her with a blank expression only to replace it quickly with a grim look even faking few tears. "(Y/n) chan you know its okay you will still have me" he patted the girl in an attempt to comfort her.

"Friends?" (Y/n) replied between her tears.

"If that's how you want us to be" douma smiled at her gently shocking himself for a second because he didn't think of smiling?

Things escalated soon after that incident, (y/n) was a kind and compassionate person from inside and out and in not time the cult followers started loving her presence. As often douma would let her accompany him and most of the time she stayed by his side following him everywhere and he didn't mind that at all moreover he appreciated her company. (Y/n) was like a fresh bud to him who depicted innocence and purity he loved spoiling her with expensive gifts yet she never showed signs of greediness and genuinely appreciated his thoughtfulness slowly forgetting the past life she was in and cherishing her friendship with douma. At first she was reluctant and didn't like getting so much attention but in the course of time she bonded better with everyone and was quite content with the life she was leading. As for douma he began to depend on (y/n) to the point that not seeing her face for even one day would make him go insane and he didn't understand why not like he want to because all he cared about was how she made him feel so many varieties of pleasant emotions he wish he could feel. Eating her was out of context.

However all good things must come to an end for he is someone to not rest in peace after the sin he have committed for centuries. Seeing douma paying her more attention, spoiling her with a ravish lifestyle and even letting her stay by his side all the time made some of his cult members terribly envious they wanted to punish her for taking their chances of stealing the spotlight. There was this one room that he forbade his followers to enter for obvious reasons and specifically for (y/n) because he didn't want to repeat the same mistake. This was exactly what they wanted (y/n) to do break the rules and Douma's trust. Like that there would be no more favouritism on her with others.

"Ah (y/n), there you are" one of the female member approached her one fine morning.

"Yes how may I help you?" She asked cheerfully

"Lord douma have asked for your presence in the forbidden room tonight and he said its urgent"

"Aren't we all prohibited to go inside"

"Oh (y/n) it's true master have arrived today and he wants your presence"

Upon hearing that news her heart elated with happiness, it has been two weeks since he last saw douma around and she missed him but something felt off about the whole situation douma always sees (y/n) first before tending his followers then why did he not come meet her did he not miss her like she did?

She was lost in her thoughts until she found two hands waving and snapping infort of her face.

"Don't be late, okay?" With that said the female hurried back into other room leaving (y/n) behind even though the situation seem kinda odd maybe douma was busy afterall.

At night (y/n) went into the restricted area. She stood infront of the shoji door in absolute dilemma debating whether or not to enter the room or go back. There was her desire of meeting douma on one hand and not breaking his trust by entering the room on the other. In the end she decided not to but as she was turning back she heard someone grunting in pain behind the closed doors being a compassionate person, she decided to open the door and enter into the darkness adjusting her eyes in the process, a pungent smell hit her nostrils making her cover her mouth and to her absolute terror the scene infront of her made her puke in disgust.

A pile of Mutilated bodies, mostly women laid around lifelessly on the blood stained tatami mattress. Many having no limbs, some headless and organs missing from their body as if someone had ate all of that. The whole room was a mess full of unfortunate people. She felt sick and began crawling down her way back from the corpses. However she felt a tight grip on her left foot upon looking down she witness the sight of a woman her intestines oozing out of her stomach begging for help. (Y/n) stood there perplexed unable to say anything chocking through tears.

"I told you not to come here, why?" (Y/n) turned her head violently to see douma standing in a distance his countenance cold and sinister evident that he was highly displeased upon seeing his innocent flower disobeying his instructions.

"It's not... like... what you see" (y/n) cried fearfully but douma didn't seem to buy it well in a blink of an eye she found herself in Douma's arms as he aggressively dragged her out of the room.

"What's going on douma" no word came out from the usual lively douma.

"It's hurting me your grip" no reply again to which she forcefully tried to stand still with all her strength. This time douma stopped his features hidden under his bangs making her unable to figure the expression he was carrying.

"Is this why douma forbade us to enter the room" no reply

"Are you responsible for murdering those innocent people?" No reply

"DOUMA" she shouted

"Why you want to join them?" Douma finally looked at her his eyes glowing dangerously proving his existence to be something unnatural. (Y/n's) eyes widen at his remarks as tears rolled down her visage.

"I hate you.." she murmured

"What?" He tilted his head letting his guard down a bit at her hurtful comments.

"I HATE YOU" she pushed douma roughly and flew from the place running deep into the forest for she knew who he was and what he is capable of doing. Tearing down she constantly reminisce the moments she shared but she cannot allow herself to sympathize his heinous crimes. Why is it that the people I love are always taken away from me? She thought. Exhausted from running she halted in order to catch her breath while glancing back to see if he was following, there was no one indeed so a sudden feeling of relief gushed in her body. However turning her head back she saw him standing inches apart from her face which made her shiver and fall onto the knees.

"Why are you running away from me (y/n)" he said apatheticly his head lowered at her level. She did not reply and stayed quite.

"Is it true that you don't love me after all the things I did for you?" Covering his face with one hand his eyes glowing under the moonlight a look of dejection written on his face. There was complete silence in the forest except the sound of rustling trees.

"Answer me" holding her face now firmly he growled making her flinch under his breath. In one last desperate attempt (y/n) tried to stab douma with a tree branch she found laying on the ground but unfortunately douma was faster and easily dodged the attack and in a swift motion he hit her with immense strength causing her fragile little body to tremble in pain as she coughed mucus mixed with blood.

"How foolish of you" he crouched down her height staring intensely at the quivering figure of the miserable girl. As for (y/n) her body ached but more was the tightness in the chest that she was experiencing in the moment.

He pulled her by the hair roughly making her scream in pain although at this point all she could manage with her cracking voice were inaudible screams.

"Why did you disobey me? (Y/n)..." who knew beneath that friendly kind face was hiding a undeniably deadly and calculative demon and at this point it was clear for her that he was anything but human.

"Who are you?" these few words manage to escape from her shaky lips in between low grunts.

"I am the leader of the eternal paradise cult"

"Wrong" to which he tightened his grip making her shriek again.

"You humans are so dumb believing in the existence of primordial deities where in reality its just a myth, a fairytale, created for pleasuring the sufferings of mere human. Being superior than you mortals I wanted to make these pitiful existence happy and that's why I was born and what you saw there" his lips curved into a cheeky smile revealing his deadly fangs creeping the shit out of the already scared girl. "I eat them so that they can always be with me and attain salvation" a sinister laughter escape from his mouth as he covered it with his golden fans. (Y/n) unable to process the new sets of information knots formed in her stomach making her sick in the guts.

"I ate your mother too, oh she was ungrateful after all the things I did to her just like you" protruding her eyes with pure shock she felt her veins popping out and blood boiling in pure rage.

"You are a monster, you think your stupid morals would persuade people to think like you do, I despise you douma I thought we were friends and you took away the one I cherished the most?"

"You think your mother loved you?" Douma snapped. The duality of this was man was insane, all the things he does or says are plastic.

"She never cared for your life, you want to know why? I will tell you since you insist" douma dragged her out of forest holding a fistful of her hair tightly inflicting great discomfort to the girl while he continued with his harsh statements and deliberate insults.

"You were just a burden, behaving like a fucking child with the alluring body of yours"

"No my mother promised me..she would protect me.. you are lying"

"While you were crying everyday inside my shrine that lowly woman enjoyed her life indulging in adultery with various cult members leaving her sick husband and mentally retarded daughter in the dark" every word he uttered spread vemon into her ears.

"Still she wanted more and more and more, what a greedy whore" douma continued.

"Do you know how much difficult it was for me to control myself around you? While you sway your hips and act innocently making those hungry men lust over you, how much dumb can you be?"

"What do you mean I don't understand.. douma"

"I did everything I can for you yet you remain ungrateful, disrespectful? Well guess its runs in your blood and I thought you are innocent but it turns out that you are just like the rest of them, naive"

Her eyes widened with every hurtful remarks he made about her and she did not understand why she felt that way shouldn't she be resentful towards him for killing her beloved mother but here she is weeping constantly because douma was treating her like he never did before.

"But that's fine (y/n) I can not bring myself to hurt you I love you and we shall always be together whether you like it or not" nothing reached in her ears anymore as her body grew numb. Her eyes shut as she carried the unbearable pain in her heart slowly loosing consciousness and remaining sanity.

It would have been easier if she died but alas a mere human like her is doomed at his mercy.

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Monkey-Business - Chapter 2 - Bananas

Modern!AU Hobbit

Characters: Ori x OC, Kíli, Fíli, Thorin

Words: 4.8k

Warnings: strong language

Teaser ¦ Chapter 1

“I…,” Eli started clumsily, “I do not want to go home for the holidays and the only reason for my absence that my mother would accept is a romantic entanglement, so I lied and pretended to have an interest in someone. I was naïve and thought she’d respect my privacy, which – obviously – she does not.”

Ori started, visibly taken aback by her words, before asking if she had not been able to think of anyone else rather than him to use as a patsy.

“I am sosorry; I was just standing outside the library when she called,” Eli tried to justify her tasteless plot, “and I actually could not think of anyone else; I see you most days here and I thought – again, stupid of me – that it would provide me with a cover to do and go as I please.”

She understood that she was taking advantage of him without his knowledge and – right now – probably against his will, but she had never meant for things to go this far or get out of hand like this

He looked pensive rather than angry though and Eli dared throwing sidelong glances at his calm demeanour every few seconds fretfully, waiting for the clouds to part and the storm to burst forth.

“Alright, so your mum thinks you’re dating me?” Ori tapped the empty fork against his lower lip, deep in thought.

“No, she thinks I’m unhappily pining for you,” Eli corrected him quickly; even she was not so brazen to run off and make up a whole relationship with someone she hadn’t known the first name of until the previous night.

“And she bought that?” He looked highly doubtful which insulted Eli on his behalf.

“Yes, of course she did,” she snapped, her voice cracking like a whip in the eery silence of the closed and deserted library.

“Hmmmm, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ori smiled indulgently, “but here’s an idea. Why don’t we make it ‘happily in love’?”

Eli’s face melted into an incredulous expression; for the love of all that was good and holy in the world, she had no idea what he was getting at.

“How many days with your family are you trying to skip out on?” he asked in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Three, why?” Eli’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Would you trade them for one night?” he asked, a hint of nervousness vibrating in his voice suddenly.

“One night where?” Eli asked, the feeling of being in business negotiations once again growing stronger by the second.

“My family,” he replied, “it’s but one dinner with my kin. I’ll be your excuse with your parents, and you’ll be my fake date with my cousins, deal?”

“Your…what?” Eli gasped, horrified by his readiness to not only be in on her ploy but to expand on it; new avenues and possibilities unfurled before her, growing roots and branches at the speed of light until she could not see the wood for the trees anymore.

“I have been asked if I would bring a girl more than once and – this far – I never have. It’s not that I want to deceive them, they’re great, you’ll see, but I’m tired of their well-meant pity,” he explained, flushing bright pink with embarrassment.

Eli was overcome with a searing sensation of envy that washed through her like acid, leaving her soul bleached and burned in its wake, upon hearing the evident affection he harboured for his family; he tried to alleviate their doubts and soothe their worry which made her feel all the worse for running from her own parents like a girl in a horror movie flees the haunted manor.

“How many people are we talking here?” she asked to carve out a moment to think this over.

“Thorin, his wife, Dís, Fí, Kí, their partners, and probably a good many others; we’re a big family,” he replied, his hand coming to rest just alongside hers. There were ink stains on his index and middle finger where a pen had leaked and – in the oblique light – she could imagine that there would be tiny freckles dusted across the backs of his hands as well.

How puny her own plot appeared to her now; she had made up a half-cooked crush such as one would imagine in a cheap young adult’s book whereas he was drawing up plans for a full-fledged fake relationship.

“Pining is easier to pull off than dating, though,” Eli mused aloud, focusing on her fingers to keep them from drumming against the table in an expression of her barely contained nervous energy.

“I don’t think so,” he demurred, “all you have to do – one way or another – is to pretend that you like me.”

His tone betrayed a certain fear that this would be too much of a challenge for her, which was ludicrous; this far, Eli found him very likeable indeed.

“We can send your family pictures of us? They might leave you in peace until the new year?” he positively hummed, leaning forward, and Eli could feel his warm breath ghosting over her face.

The image took shape inside her mind: winter walks, a family dinner with a man and his kin; he was right, her parents might well back off if they so much as only started to question the – shameful truth that she had merely lied to get out of their own family festivities.

“Okay,” Eli surprised herself by agreeing to his new and improved con; she would not only pretend to be crushing on the small librarian, but she’d outright feign being in love with him.

“Maybe, we should go on a date then?” she proposed, “Tomorrow?”

He blinked owlishly at her before turning beet-red and nodding eagerly: “Yes, yes, sure, where do you want to go?”

She told him about the small pub across the square where she usually ate her dinner.

“That’s Bofur. He’s part of my kin actually, but yeah, that is perfect,” Ori tapped the side of his nose with a wink.

This was almost too easy, Eli thought, they’d cement their backstory by being seen in public. Moreover, they could tell people it was all very fresh which would – maybe – account for some of the irregularities that would inevitably come up.

“Alright, Ori – the librarian – I’ll see you tomorrow after work then?” Eli patted his hand thrice and got up slowly.

“Good night, Eliana,” he breathed and smiled in that warm, discreet fashion that was part of the reasons why she loved being here so much.

“My friends call me ‘Eli’,” she declared as if she had any real friends besides the handful she hadn’t heard from in months anyway, “I’d think that my…loverwould as well.”

“Eli,” he let the word roll off his tongue, “that is good, kurkarukê.”

Eli had no idea what he had said, but with a low sigh, she muttered: “This is mycircus, this is my monkey.”

“I’m fine with that,” Ori grinned and waved at her as she made her way down the already darkened corridor.

As she stood in the main door, cold wind stabbing with icy fingers at her face and hair, Eli turned around one last time to look at his pleasant, placid face framed by the worst haircut she had ever seen.

“Good night, monkey,” she giggled and burst into a peal of laughter when he simply blushed and grinned.

“Alright, girl,” Eli gave herself a pep-talk, “you’re about to go on a date with a man you’ve only ever really looked at twice but whom you’re also already fake-dating.”

It sounded absurd; it felt even worse, but it had been her own idea and she would not pull out at the last moment.

From the instant she had opened her eyes, Eli had not been able to think of much else than the frumpy librarian and his pretty mug; she was – right now – wearing a nice, black dress that had attracted many an annoying comment at work and freshening-up her make-up in the company bathroom.

She was dolled-up, for heaven’s sake, for a casual dinner with a man she had no honest interest in.

One had to keep up appearances, she tried to convince herself, but – deep down – she knew that it was her own vanity that had motivated her to look her best on a weekday.

He had seen her haggard, tired, and overly stressed; her hair had often been bundled under her beanie or tied together haphazardly and she had never before made any effort to look in the least eligible herself.

It was silly of course, but she yearned to show herself from the best side – at least visually – to alleviate the regret he must have been feeling already; he did not strike her as the kind of man who was a semi-professional criminal.

Her stomach was rumbling and growling in protest, but it would be another hour at least before they would have dinner; despite the appearances, Eli was aware of the opening and closing schedules of the library.

She had not been sleeping well, hence why she had gone into work much too early and now, she was already done with her day.

Not wanting to look too eager, she had idled away another half hour tidying her desk before proceeding to freshen up her looks in the bathroom leisurely, trying to make the time fly by faster.

Time to go and feed the monkey, she thought, finally!

The seconds crawled by so slowly that Ori had taken off the wall clock thrice already to put it to his ear and check if it hadn’t stopped while he had been otherwise occupied.

He didn’t even have Eli’s number. What if she had changed her mind?

It was a terribly slow day and Thorin had called him during lunch break to ask again if he was going to come to the Christmas dinner; it had taken all his courage and three of the cookies C had brought to cheer him somewhat to muster up the nerve to tell his uncle that indeed, not only would he attend, but that he’d also have a plus one.

“Is that so? Kí didn’t say so,” Thorin had said, mildly surprised but much too controlled to lose his calm over this new piece of information; he was the kind of man who quietly collected data before speaking up or out in any way.

“Yes, it’s all very new,” Ori stammered, blushing furiously, and even though Thorin could not see him, he knew.

Ori could hear it in his voice as he took his leave; by now, he was almost certain that his cousins would show up at his workplace in hopes to catch a glimpse of the girl who had settled for him.

1 hour to go, he told himself after checking the clock again, 1 hour. Hopefully, Eli would turn up within that hour. Or would they meet in front of the restaurant? Should he have bought fake flowers for the fake date with his fake girlfriend?

The door swung open and so did his jaw.

Eli was wearing a black dress under an elegant coat that was hanging open, and she looked beautiful. It took a moment for him to take in her picture and pinpoint what was different today: her hair was fluffed up and curled nicely around her face that looked paler and more expressive tonight.

She was wearing make-up, he realised, her eyes seemed bigger and rounder, and her mouth was a deeper shade of red.

“Good evening, monkey,” she smiled nervously.

“Hi Eli. I was not sure you’d come,” he admitted, pulling awkwardly on the cable knit sweater Dís had offered him last Christmas.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve invited you, after all,” she grinned cheekily and threw a glance at the clock.

“Do you…do you want to go up and read or…?” he asked, cocking his head, unsure what other options he could offer her.

“Will you come up?” she asked back with a wink that made him blush.

“Erm…yes…” he said after a moment and nodded at the cart full of books that needed to be returned to their spot.

Eli nodded and went to take her usual spot in the reading room, but the words kept blurring in front of her eyes as she tried to listen for his quiet steps. Her mother had called, and it had been a delight telling her that not only had she a date with Ori that very evening, but that she’d also probably spend Christmas at his family’s place.

Come to think of it, all her lies had turned into half-truths; the facts were all straight. They were of course neither in love nor a real couple, but he was a pleasant person to be around, and she could have fallen on someone much less agreeable in her blind panic.

He looked nice today, she had to admit, the taupe sweater complimented his complexion and the dark jeans hugged what little curves the man had in a most interesting way; she was not interested in dating, but by Jove, she was not dead and buried yet either.

“I think I can close up on time today,” a soft voice resounded behind her, and her head snapped up from an article about the reproductive organs of wild rodents.

“As my only late-night customer will leave with me,” he grinned, “I think we can make it on time.”

“I am so sorry,” she muttered, taking her book, and putting it back neatly herself.

“Let’s go,” he said gently, “zip up your coat, it’s wicked cold outside.”

“Kid!” A man came out from behind the bar with a warm sparkle in his eyes.

“Cousin Bofur,” Ori sunk into the uncharacteristic hug easily, “this is Eliana, my favourite patron at work.”

For a second, Eli was almost tempted to curtsy, but then she found herself in a tight hug that smelled like warmth and onions.

“Well, we’ve known each other. Eliana, huh? I’m Bofur. Ori called, I’ve kept my best table free for you, if you’d follow me!” With effortless grace, the man led them down to a secluded part of the pub she had never been in before, relieving her of her coat and chatting merrily all the while.

“She’s also one of my regulars,” Bofur confided, “but I’d never would have thought that the library is where a girl like that is taking off to after her dinner.”

The wink he gave her was good-natured and open, a stark contrast to the hidden barbs her mother loved to spew, and Eli found that she was not in the least offended by hisinnuendo.

“The usual?” Bofur asked and Eli nodded; usually, she had the soup of the day and a sandwich with a pint of stout.

“Me too,” Ori smiled and opened the satchel he had slung around his shoulder.

“So, you know Bofur,” he grinned mischievously as he set down a large book that suspiciously looked like a photo album in front of her, “these are the others.”

Oh my God, Eli thought, she was about to get a lecture about his family.

As soon as the first page was revealed, all her dismay evaporated though as she stared at the face of a man so incredibly handsome, it made her rub her eyes a few times in wonderment.

“Thorin,” Ori grinned, “my uncle.”

He was used to the reaction women had to Thorin; he was at least 15 years older than her, but his deep, blue eyes and the resolutely serious cast of his fine, noble features never failed to impress women of any age and origin.

Next to the man, his dark, wavy hair partially braided and partially flowing over the dark suit he was wearing, stood a beautiful woman in a red cocktail dress. She was considerably shorter than him and looked like she smelled like wildflowers and rushing rivers, Eli thought, and that made them the most stunning couple in the history of mankind.

That man, Thorin, seemed the imperious type; he had his hand slung around the woman’s hip protectively, but the smile she sent up at his – probably perpetual – half-scowl was full of love and tenderness. Eli could not remember ever having seen her own parents smile at each other like that, and it made her sad to know that they had all missed out on this kind of self-evident, casual love.

“My cousins,” Ori went on, turning the page, “whom you may meet sooner than expected if I had to guess.”

Eli gave a strangled gasp; did all the men in his family look like they were cut out of a magazine? She even lifted the edge of the photograph to check if it was a cheap manipulation that only passed the test because of the lack of sunlight in this pub?

“Fí,” Ori said, tapping the picture of an athletic-looking man with long, flowing, honey-golden hair who had his arm possessively draped around the waist of a woman – of roughly the same height this time – whose chocolate-brown hair was a beautiful contrast to his own. They were laughing – loudly by the looks of it – at something outside of the frame.

As majestic and brooding as the first couple had looked, as full of life and vitality these two younger people struck Eli to be.

“And Kí, he’s our baby,” Ori went on and touched the picture of a younger man with dark, messy hair and a twinkle in his eye that made the photo feel like a video; every moment, Eli thought, it would come alive, and he would pounce on the unsuspecting freckled girl sitting in the foreground, reading a book, while he was approaching her silently.

“They are stunning,” Eli breathed, utterly confused, “is that normal?”

“Ah, bane of my existence, unfortunately, it is!” he laughed, “moreover, they’re genuinely lovely people: kind, brave, and loyal to a fault.”

Again, the love in his eyes and in his voice chased a cold shiver down Eli’s spine that she now recognised as unmitigated envy.

They went through his brothers, his other cousins, and his different uncles until her head was spinning.

“I am an orphan,” he said with calm resignation, “or maybe I’m not, Dori wouldn’t tell.”

Her first instinct was to tell him that he might well be lucky, but he was faster than her, taking her hand and letting it rest in his solid palm motionlessly for a second.

"I have always imagined mothers to be wonderful; I am sorry that yours – apparently – is not.”

Jesus, Eli thought, he had just revealed to her that he had grown up without parents and still, his first instinct was to comfort her for the frosty relationship she had with her own; Eli knew for a fact that she was not innocent of that situation though.

She had not been the best daughter to her parents; she was well aware of that, but – hearing these warm words – she thought for the first time in a long while that she might want to make an effort to understand the people who were her source and her roots a little better.

Impatient by nature, Eli had left her family behind when she’d moved to another city to hole herself up in that comfortable loneliness that was her shell and her home.

“We are just very different people, which is funny really as I am her only child, but don’t go thinking that it’s all her fault. I am a liar – as you can tell – and I deal very badly with the emotions and needs of other people. Only child, selfish and unkind, you choose your cliché, and I will fulfil it.” Eli was ashamed to admit those things, but this dinner had been meant to get to know each other a little better after all, and he deserved to know what he was getting into.

It turned out to be a pleasant evening, much to Eli’s surprise; Ori was funny in a quiet, deadpan way, and he asked good and poignant questions.

"What is it exactly that you dislike in your own family dinners? I just want to know so I can warn you if there will be much of that,” he asked as he discreetly slipped his card to Bofur and ordered a coffee for himself, asking her if she’d want one.

“Do you have macchiato?” Eli asked in a tiny voice, ashamed of her childish tastes; usually, she didn’t drink coffee that late in the evening.

“Yup, I can put a shot of nut-syrup in for you?” Bofur winked, remembering that the only thing that ever tempted and seduced the quiet woman who came in like clockwork was cake, and that nut was her favourite.

“Oh, that would be so wonderful,” Eli quickly agreed; she had given up on much sleep this night either way, she already knew that she would be too excited to fall asleep.

“Let me see,” she turned back to Ori then, “my father is a kind but very quiet person. I guess, it’s the boredom, the silent judging, and the aching knowledge that we have nothing in common.”

He pondered her words for a second and then replied: “We have kind and quiet people, well, even the quiet ones are not all that quiet now that I think about it…there is no silent judging, but there will be barefaced questioning.”

He laughed at his own words and his features mellowed as fond memories washed through his mind; it made Eli smile without her noticing or deciding to do so. Ori made her smile – spontaneously and genuinely – a lot, she found.

“I am sure you’ll find things in common with a lot of them; we are very different from each other,” he affirmed.

“What links you then?” Eli asked, interested in his family who looked like a bunch of supermodels and sounded like a looney-bin.

“Love,” he stated very soberly, “no matter how annoying they are, we love each other fiercely.”

“Are you an outdoorsy person?” he then asked, apparently not needing a notebook to keep track of the information about herself she was providing.

“Depends…what do you mean?” Eli was wary once again, shaken to the core by the honesty and depth of his feelings that ran so close to the surface and painted the delicate skin of his face a beautiful cherry blossom pink.

He turned another page in his photo album and showed her a glorious mountain lodge that looked like it was cut out from a fairy tale, snuggled against the rocky cliff and covered in powdery snow, or manifested inside a dream.

“Erebor,” Ori said, “Thorin’s lonely mountain. We can take the sleigh out, but you’ll have to race Kí. Fí’s fiancée can take you riding. If you’re into that kind of thing, you can go hunting with the boys as well.”

“Sounds unsafe,” Eli murmured carefully.

“Oh, no, you’d be nothing but safe. ‘Safe’ is Thorin’s middle name; he’s the head of a private security firm,” Ori protested with more vehemence than she would have expected, evidently, he took great pride in his family’s business, “I know this is just a lark, but trust me on this: no harm will come to you while under our roof.”

Eli was horrified to find that she – indeed – did believe him; she had gotten to know him very little, but Ori did strike her as a deeply reliable person who did not go back on his word.

“Well, we’ve better practise then, why don’t you come for dinner tomorrow evening? I’ll have the afternoon off, and I can cook,” Eli said and – once again – her brain was horrified by the words tumbling out of her unruly mouth. Clearly, this had not come from the rational part of her consciousness, so she wondered where those thoughts had been brewed up instead.

“Me? Oh…yes, well listen, if you cook, maybe you want to come to mine instead? I’ll do the washing-up and the preparation then? Except if what you make cannot be heated up?” Ori stammered, his head falling to the side in excited puzzlement which made him look like a startled owl more than ever.

“Lasagne?” she offered cluelessly and his face lit up as he nodded eagerly and promised to get a cake for dessert.

This fake relationship seems fairer and more successful than any real one I’ve ever had, she thought, slightly dismayed by it; it felt like seeing an amazing menu in a pub where one found oneself to only have a snack before or after a mediocre dinner.

The bill had been paid and his coffee had been drained. It was time to go, and Eli frowned as it dawned on her that she somewhat regretted that fact; it had been comfortable, and she had not felt lonely or out of place for a few hours.

“Good night, monkey,” she said, some real affection creeping into her tone; she would have liked – after this was all over – to stay friends with the wondrous creature who inhabited her favourite space in this city for he was an endearingman.

Leaning over, Ori breathed a coy kiss onto her cheek and gave her a demure smile as he said his good-byes.

It was all for show, Eli knew, but she couldn’t deny that it felt kind of nice to feel someone else’s lips on her skin.

Pushing a cart through the aisles – that felt like the Wild West in her sleep-deprived and rather anxious state of mind – Eli threw random items into it, having to return to the same spots several times before she deemed herself ready to check out.

It had been months, nigh on a year, since she had last had a date – real orfake – with a man, hence her mother’s nagging and whining; so, she had to admit that there was a certain level of nervousness that buzzed low in her gut.

The temperatures had dropped, and it really started to feel a lot like Christmas, she thought, as she watched the swirling snowflakes alight breezily on her windowsill while she was cooking a dinner she would not eat in this kitchen. No doubt, it would be freezing outside, and she wondered if Ori had his heating on already.

On nights like this one, she usually curled up under a plaid on the couch and read while the frosty night sang with angels’ voices of the endless emptiness beyond the darkness. Today though, she would pack her things and the lasagne she had prepared with her own two hands – only cutting herself once – and go sit in someone else’s living room. Oddly enough, she was looking forward to it.

Ori regretted having invited Eli to his home; he had left work early for the first time since starting the job as head-librarian and was now stuffing things into cupboards frantically.

When the doorbell rang, he was about to have a nervous melt-down; she was much too early, and he had not yet cleaned the kitchen.

Upon seeing his cousins, apprehension and relief flooded him simultaneously, the dread being drowned out within a second by his despair. “Make yourselves useful, Eli will arrive here within the hour and…” he exclaimed and waved at his perfectly orderly flat.

“Eeeeh, Eli, yes?” Kíli asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge, and leaning against the counter calmly.

“Kí, take a cloth and wipe the counter please, please?” Ori called from the living room where he debated whether he should make the plaid, presently draped messily over the back of the couch, disappear into the bedroom or if he should fold it up and leave it there at her disposal.

Despite their jeering, his cousins could be counted upon and within 20 minutes, they had cleaned up the whole flat until it looked welcoming but perfectly tidy. Fí understood that this was the first time Ori’s lady was to come to his place; he thought back to the time his beloved had been but a pleasant dream in his loneliest nights and took pity on his poor cousin.

“Chill,” Fíli laughed as he took the beer his brother handed him after having – dutifully – wiped the counters and the cupboard doors, “it looks nice; you’ve lit some candles, I see. I don’t smell food though…”

“You have to leave, I swear, thanks for the help, but you have to leave,” Ori stammered, glancing at his wristwatch nervously, “she’ll be here any minute now and…”

He was interrupted by the doorbell and – for a second – he genuinely wondered if he could stuff the two youngest Durins into a cupboard as well for the evening

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Chapter 3

[firstofficerwiggles]

Chapter 8: Desperately Seeking Mandos

Link to Chpt. 7, Link to Masterlist

Pairing: The Mandalorian x female reader

Rating: M/E, 18+ only

Warnings: SMUT, oral sex (F and M receiving), explicit description of sex (still romantic smut though), canonical violence

Word count: ~11K

Author’s Note: This chapter took a bit longer than I originally planned, but my semester has reached its busiest time and it’s harder to carve out as much time as I’d like to write. So, thank you for being patient with me. Also, I would like to send a special thank you to @imthemandalornow​ for being an excellent source of inspiration -- you’re the best, darling. As always, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

You sit in the passenger seat of the Razor Crest as you stare out at the blue glow of hyperspace, normally you find it pretty and rather peaceful, but today you’re sitting tense and fraught with worry. Din monitors the scanners regularly and it appears as if you have avoided detection by any Imperial vessels. Still, the feeling of unease stays with you. Din talks to you about some possible planets you could try to avoid detection, but neither of you seem very sure about what your next move should be. You’re distracted from having to decide when the comm dings with an incoming transmission.

“Princess and Mando, are you there? It’s Mistress Eira.” Her image comes in over the holo and she looks distressed.

“We’re here, Eira,” Din replies. You come over to stand close to him so you can see the holo better.

“I’m so glad to hear your voice, Mando, I was so worried for you both, something terrible has happened here,” she tells you in a serious voice. “There were ex-Imperial officers here; they killed Mistress Sigrid.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Eira,” you tell her with a heavy heart, “Was anyone else hurt?”

“No, but, honestly you shouldn’t shed any tears over Sigrid,” Eira sounds angry now, “She had some type of deal with them, apparently she was helping them find you. I’m calling to warn you.” You gasp at this news, you didn’t expect such treachery from Sigrid.

“Eira, do you know who any of the Imperials were?” You feel like you already know what her answer will be.

“Yes, the man that killed Sigrid is a Commander Kerrick Hoven, we have security footage of their interaction and then the shooting,” Eira confirms your worst fear, “I have to tell you, Princess, the man seems obsessed with you, the footage of him is unsettling, he was… talking to you, well, an image of you.”

“I’m sorry, Eira, I had no idea he was looking for me, I haven’t seen him in years and I never would have thought that I was putting anyone in danger,” Ok, technically you did know there were Imps after Din and the baby, but not you too. But who could have predicted that they’d find you on Angel One of all places?

“It isn’t your fault,” she says, “We’ve discovered that Sigrid has been in contact with the Empire for years making many underhanded backdoor deals.” Eira pauses for a moment and then says, “Listen, I’m going to send you the security footage, I think you should see what I mean about this man, you need to know what he’s like.”

“Alright, thank you, Eira, any information we can get about him will be helpful,” you say.

“Do you have any information about their ship?” Din asks Eira.

“Oh yes, I’ll send all that we have to you now,” she replies.

“Eira, thank you for helping us, you’re a true friend,” you tell her before she ends the holo.

A few minutes later, the files she promised come through. Din reviews the information for Kerrick’s light cruiser and confirms that it was the one the scanners detected as you were leaving Angel One. After he’s stored all the pertinent details about the ship, you know it’s time to see the second file.

As the holovid begins to play, you watch as Kerrick goes from an icy calm officer, to an angry bully, and then to a disturbing ex-lover. You clutch Din’s hand as you watch and you cringe in horror, as it continually gets worse. When Kerrick finishes his creepy soliloquy to your image, you feel ill.

“Oh, cyar’ika, come here,” Din stands and pulls you into his arms, “Don’t cry, my love, you’re safe here with me.”

You didn’t even realize there were tears streaming down your cheeks until he says that. You let your arms come around him tightly and you try to even out your breathing. Din rubs your back and murmurs soothing words to you and slowly you feel yourself calm down. With your face still pressed against him, you say,

“I had no idea Kerrick still thought about me, let alone that his feelings for me have become so twisted, ugh and he still calls me his ‘doll’, I always hated that, even when we were a couple… I can’t believe we ever were,” your voice shows your disgust.

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep him from you,” Din pledges to you.

“I know that you will, Din,” you murmur against his chest. You hear a sad little coo and look over to the child who is looking back at you with teary eyes.

“Oh sweetie,” you say, and you go over to him, pick him up, and hold him tight to your chest, “I’ll be alright,” you look back to Din, “We’re all going to be alright,” you promise.

“Maybe you should take him downstairs and try to get some more rest?” Din suggests his voice full of concern, “I’ll reach out to my contacts and work on finding us our next destination.”

You’re feeling exhausted and so you pull Din into a hug with you and the little one, before heading down the ladder and crawling into your bed. You don’t bother to put the child in his hammock and instead let him cuddle up next to you. You rub his back as you watch his tiny face and see as he slowly drifts off to sleep. Eventually your own eyes start to feel heavy and you fall asleep too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frustrated, Din ends another holocall without much to show for it. He’s been at this for almost two hours now and he still has no idea where to go, or what the best course of action will be. He knows he needs to be more patient, he’s made the calls for assistance and now he has to see what comes from them. Still though, the churning in his gut keeps him far from patience and instead brings him doubt and worry. It doesn’t help that he can still hear Kerrick’s disgusting words in his ear, calling you his ‘doll’ and promising to rid you of the ‘vile Mandalorian’. He’d never wanted to shoot someone through a holopad before, but as he watched that holovid his fingers were itching to pull out his blaster. When you first told him about Kerrick, Din had thought about tracking the man down, thinking maybe he’d help you get a little revenge on the man who broke your heart and betrayed you. Later, he realized that was just a silly fantasy to make himself feel important to you, but once Din understood how much you’d come to care for him, he had stopped thinking about your ex-lover altogether.

Din sighs, rolling his neck and stretching the muscles there. He’s wishing he could go down and join you in some sleep for a few hours, when the holo dings.

“Din Djarin, I hope you are well,” he hears as the Armorer’s image glimmers into view, “Word has reached me that you are being pursued once again by Imperial forces.”

“Yes, that is correct, I am seeking shelter for a few days to formulate a plan,” Din replies.

“The Covert has regrouped and joined with another,” the Armorer tells him, “You will join us here and we will assist you in your strategy.”

“I- I do not wish to endanger the Covert, I should not come to you,” Din responds, his tone regretful as he remembers all that the Covert has sacrificed already on his behalf.

“By its very nature the Covert is always in danger, it is a fact that we accept,” she states calmly, “We are gar vode, your brethren, and we welcome you in your time of need. We are always here for you. This is the way.”  

“This is the way.” Din responds and he enters the coordinates she gives him into the nav. As he does this, he tells her about you and the latest trouble that has managed to find you both. Din feels comforted by the Armorer’s genuine interest in you as he tells the story, and he greatly appreciates her willingness to help you.

Feeling a sense of relief Din after his conversation with the Armorer ends, he switches on the autopilot and heads downstairs. When he sees you and the child sleeping so soundly, Din feels a sense of contentment wash over him. As he snuggles up next to you in the bed, he knows that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep you both safe and that it will be worth it no matter the cost.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Din explains that you’re heading to his Covert, you feel reassured at first because you know how formidable your Mandalorian is and you can’t think of safer place to be than surrounded by a whole group of them. Nonetheless, it dawns on you that this is Din’s family that you’ll be meeting and you find yourself wishing that you were getting to meet them under better circumstances. You also start to feel a tad nervous about making a good first impression.

The Covert is currently located on Dol’har Hyde, a planet almost entirely covered in dense forests. When you land in a clearing that is just large enough for the Razor Crest, you wonder if the coordinates were correct because you can’t see any type of settlement or structures of any kind. You follow Din down a narrow forest path listening to the birds singing and enjoying the natural beauty of the place. It’s soothing and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think the planet was uninhabited. The further you go down the path, the thicker the forest becomes and it seems as if you are walking in twilight as the multitude of leaves above you block out more and more of the sun’s rays. Finally, the path appears to end and you see the opening of a cave.

“This is it,” Din says, and you look up to see a small carving of a mythosaur in the stone entrance. You get no more than five steps into the dark cavern when two Mandalorians appear out of nowhere asking you to identify yourselves with blasters raised. Different from Din, their armor is decorated with paint, one in orange and the other in blue. Once they recognize Din, they lower their weapons and greet you.

“Welcome home, Djarin,” the Mando in blue says as he thumps Din’s pauldron in greeting, “Still getting into trouble I see.”

“Vizsla, still a pain in the ass I see,” Din replies curtly.

“I’m afraid the trouble is my fault,” you speak up, not wanting Din to take the blame for your past catching up to you.

“Well hello,” Blue Mando welcomes you with a pleasant tone, “The Armorer mentioned Djarin was bringing someone with him, who knew you’d be so pretty.”

His compliment surprises you, and you stutter out, “O-Oh, thank you.”

Din makes a grunting sound as he places his hand on your lower back and steers you past the two guards, “We’re going to see the Armorer now,” he informs them.

“I’ll take you to see her,” Orange Mando offers.

“Thank you,” Din responds.

“I guess I’ll see you later then, pretty one, you too, Djarin,” the Blue Mando chuckles as you walk deeper into the cave.

As your eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting of the cave’s passageway you can see that there are drawings on the walls, many featuring Mandalorian helmets. They look like they could be children’s sketches given the simplicity and the height of most of them. It makes you smile, knowing that you’ll be somewhere with families, maybe your own little one will be able to make a few friends while you’re here. Eventually, you can hear the sounds of other people and when the passage opens up to a large room in the cave you see a comforting and homey site.

This part of the cavern has a small pool in the middle and it creates a beautiful soft glow as the water reflects back the artificial lights that have been arranged throughout the space. Around the room, there are small groups of people chatting with each other, playing sabacc, helping children with schoolwork, polishing armor, and performing all sorts of small domestic tasks. It makes you smile to yourself. Everyone here wears helmets, including the children, and all of the adults wear armor too. You notice a few helmets turning towards you as you move past the groups and you wonder if you must seem odd to them with your face uncovered.

There is a second passageway on the other side of the room and you follow Orange Mando down this next path. As you walk, you can feel a hot wind run through the tunnel and you hear a metallic clanking in an almost rhythmic pattern. The noise grows louder and soon you reach a warm room where the Armorer is working. You are mesmerized by her striking golden helmet and the graceful but powerful movements she makes as she forges a piece of beskar armor. When she sees Din, the child, and you, she pauses in her work and nods in your direction. Din motions for you to sit on a stone bench and the three of you sit patiently as she finishes her work.

“I see your foundling is doing well,” the Armorer comments, “And this is the caregiver.” She looks over at you and you offer her a smile and a nod. She rests her tools on her workbench and comes over to you. Din stands and you mirror his movement. The Armorer offers you her hand and welcomes you to the Covert.

“Din Djarin tells me that you are a very special woman, it is clear you have been a positive influence in his life.” The Armorer speaks in such a deliberate way that you feel honored to hear such praise from her.

“Thank you, I’ve tried to do my best to help him and we’ve grown very close, but I feel such regret that it’s my fault we’re in trouble now,” you admit to her and you know your face shows the guilt you’re feeling.

“It isn’t your fault,” Din corrects you, “You have no control over Kerrick’s actions.”

“Din is correct,” the Armorer affirms his statement, “You are not responsible for the actions of an evil man who seeks to control you. We will do all that we can to assist you. This is the way.”

“This is the way,” Din repeats.

“Thank you, I am beyond grateful for your help, and for making me welcome with your tribe,” you tell her.

“You are welcome,” she responds, “I must ask now though to speak to Din alone with the other members of our tribe, if you do not mind.”

“Of course.”

You hear footsteps behind you and you see that several other Mandalorians have joined you. Several of them give you a nod in greeting in your direction and a woman with purple armor steps forward.

“I can take you and the child to the place where you’ll be staying while you’re here,” she offers. You turn to follow her, but before you can, Din reaches out to give your hand a squeeze and says, “I’ll find you later, cyar’ika.”

Din watches you leave and then turns back to the Armorer, feeling a little nervous now that he is alone with her and those who remain in their tribe. His own feelings of guilt rise within him as he looks around the room and realizes how few their numbers have become.

In a low voice full of shame and remorse he says, “I am sorry for Nevarro. I can never thank you enough for helping me and the child, but I--”

“Have nothing to apologize for,” Paz interrupts him in a gravelly voice laden with emotion. Din turns his head toward him in surprise.

“We were honored to help you and we would make the same choice again,” a female member of the tribe speaks up.

“It was our duty and our privilege to fight alongside of you in Nevarro,” another tribe member says.

“You are ner vod, an important member of our tribe and we are here for you,” yet another person tells him.

One by one each tribe member speaks up to reassure Din of his place in the tribe and to express that none of them hold him responsible for the attack on the Covert in Nevarro. His eyes fill with tears and he can feel them slowly gliding down his face in response to their acceptance and love for him. He’s felt so disconnected from the tribe since being forced to flee but being with them here now, and hearing their words of support makes him feel like part of a family again. It is so much more than he could have asked for and it means everything to him.

“Th-thank you,” Din chokes out when the last person has spoken, he wants to say more but his emotions are causing a tightness in his throat and it’s all he can get out now.

“Now, let us discuss the threat against your companion,” the Armorer says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purple Mando leads you to a small room with modest furnishings where you are able to stow your bag of belongings. She asks if you want to rest, but you tell her that you’d rather spend time with the others if that’s alright.

“I know that little one would love a chance to run around a bit too and maybe play with some other children, if he can,” you suggest.

“That sounds like a nice idea, and you can meet some of my tribe members.” Her voice has a pleasant tone and her friendly demeanor puts you at ease.

When you’re back in the larger cavern that seems to serve as the common room for the Covert, she introduces you to a group of her friends.

“Look at your little foundling, what a cutie he is,” one of the women coos at the kiddo.

“He’s a sweetie,” another one says, “He’s welcome to go play with the other children, here, I’ll introduce him to my two boys.”

“Thank you,” you reply and you put the child down so he can toddle over to the other little children who are playing with blocks. “Be sure to share, buddy,” you call after him.

“Oh, is he in the ‘mine’ phase?” Purple Mando asks you.

“It’s hard to tell really, it’s more that he doesn’t have much time to spend with other children so he’s used to all the toys being his,” you explain.

“Ah, I see, well I’m sure he’ll be just fine,” she says in a reassuring manner.

“So, will you tell me a little about your tribe? I’ve only ever met the one Mandalorian.” You’re really curious to know more about their way of life.

“Sure, we’re happy to tell you anything you want to know.” Her friends make positive sounds and nod their heads in agreement. “But you also have to be sure to tell us all about you and your Mandalorian,” she says with a small chuckle.

You agree with a smile, and the women proceed to tell you about the tribe. They’ve been here in this Covert for quite some time now. On the other side of the cavern system there is a settlement where they can go for various necessities. Unlike Nevarro, there is less threat here so they are able to leave the Covert in small groups. The adults in the tribe have one of four principle jobs. The protectors assist with guarding the Covert and training the others in fighting techniques. The hunters are responsible for bringing in fresh meat from the surrounding forest. The crafters make weapons, vibroblades and other knives in particular, that they sell to help earn income for the tribe. Finally, the caregivers are responsible for the domestic tasks including maintaining a large garden to grow food for the tribe. There are also a few members who have special jobs like the tribe’s two healers, the Armorer, and the beroya, a bounty hunter, like Din.

“Although we hear your beroya is more skilled than ours,” one of the women says, hinting a little at the subject of Din.

“Well, he isn’t one to brag, but he always seems to be successful in catching his quarry, at least as far as I’ve seen,” you explain but you can’t keep a note of pride out of your voice.

“His tribe has only been with us for a few months, but we have heard stories about him,” Purple Mando tells you, “And they were very pleased to hear that you were coming to stay with him for a bit.”

“Really?” This surprises you because you wouldn’t have believe that Din’s tribe would give too much thought to you seeing as they’ve never met you.

“Mmhmm, yes, apparently he’s never been serious about a woman before, so they’re all wondering if he’s finally ready to settle down,” she laughs lightly as she says this and tips her helmet in your direction.

“Oh I- I don’t know about that,” you stumble over your words a bit, feeling flustered at the implication, “He um hasn’t said… I mean, I wouldn’t assume anything… I-”

“Don’t let her tease you,” another woman pipes up, “She’s a hopeless matchmaker.”

“Oh c’mon, what can I say, I just adore love and a riduurok,” Purple Mando giggles.

“What’s a riduurok?” you ask.

“A marriage ceremony,” she tells you, “When two people become each other’s riduur, or spouse.”

“Well, I appreciate learning new words in Mando’a,” you say with a chuckle, “But I don’t think there’s going to be a riduurok any time soon, unless one of you are getting married this week?”

The women laugh with you and you feel a contentment that you haven’t felt in days, it feels like you can let your guard down with them. As much as you enjoy spending time with Din, you’ve missed having friends. The afternoon passes quickly as the women fill you in on the gossip in the tribe and you watch the child playing happily with the other kids.

When Din returns to your side with several members of his tribe, he introduces you to many of them although all without names as per their tradition so you continue to refer to them in your mind by the colors of their armor. Even though some of the colors are repeated, the patterns of the paint vary sufficiently that you can easily tell everyone apart.

One woman with pink armor seems very chatty and interested in you. She asks you all about your work with languages.

“Oh, how did you know about that?” you ask surprised.

“Din told us of course,” she says pleasantly, “He’s very sweet on you and talked at length about your many accomplishments while we were catching up.” As she comments on Din’s affectionate side, she nudges him slightly with her elbow and it’s clear she’s teasing him. It’s cute and it reminds you of the way you used to tease your brother about girls.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” you whisper conspiratorially to her, “I’m sweet on him too.” You hear Din let out a chuckle at that and he rests his hand on your knee. He’s relaxed here in a way you’ve not seen before and it’s nice.

“Oh, but yes, languages have always intrigued me, I love figuring out how they work and learning about new ones,” you explain, “I’ve even learned several words in Mando’a today.”

“Which ones?” Pink is curious to know.

“Well, beroya, talking about Din, of course,” you say with a smile, “And then a few related to families, ad’ika, aliit, and buir, oh and then riduur and riduurok too.” You’re just happy you remembered all the new words.

“Hmm, riduur and riduurok, talking more about Din, I suppose?” she giggles.

“Oh! No! I- I didn’t mean in reference to him, it- it just came up…” you trail off embarrassed to have implied such a thing. You’re thankful that Din is deep in conversation with one of the other men and doesn’t appear to have heard that.

“Don’t worry, I’m only playing,” Pink reassures you, “I’m just so happy with my own riduur. It’s only been eight months and I’m already expecting.” She tells you this excitedly and places a hand on her lower abdomen tenderly where you can see a small baby bump.

“Congratulations!” you beam at her with delight, “That’s so exciting.” You ponder her news for a moment and then ask, “What’s it like? Being pregnant, I mean? I’ve always been curious.”

“Well, at first I just felt really tired and I could throw up at a moment’s notice,” she explains, “But now, I’m further along and I just feel really happy and excited. Plus my riduur is just so proud and happy too.” She points to a man in black armor. Then she leans in closer to you and drops her voice low as she whispers, “And honestly, the sex has never been better. You’d think he was trying to get me pregnant twice.”

You laugh merrily along with her, not realizing that you’re drawing Din’s attention back to you when you pipe up to say, “I’ve always fantasized about being pregnant, it seems like such a special time, knowing that a new life is growing within you.” Your face takes on a dreamy, wistful look as you say this to her. But then thinking about your reality, you say, “I guess it’s just a far-off wish, but it’s fun to dream about it.”

Din’s helmet snaps to look directly at you when you say this, and, as it turns out, so do several other curious helmets. Something deep inside Din’s chest pulses with a desire to make your wish come true. Suddenly he can see what you would look like round and swollen with his child, the beautiful glow you would have, the tender way you would look at him when he’d caress your belly, and so much more. He wants to say something, anything to you, but he can’t think of the right words, especially not in front of so many people. Happy giggles from you and your new friend distract him from these thoughts.

Pink giggles at your statement and then leans in to stage whisper, “You should be careful saying that around a bunch of Mandalorians, one of them might take you up on it and put a baby in you tonight.”

Her statement is rather blunt, but it just makes you laugh along with her. After the stress you’ve been under all day, you’re enjoying making a new friend and just giggling along with her. As nervous as you were about meeting Din’s tribe, you are so thankful to be here now.

“So Djarin, your woman wants a baby,” Paz ribs Din, “You know if you’re not up to the task, I’d be more than happy to oblige her.”

“Shut up, di’kut,” Din mutters at him.

“Vizsla has a point; she is a beauty, I’m surprised you’re not trying harder,” another guy sitting next to him gets in on the teasing.

“Not you too,” Din replies and gives the guy a shove.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves, get to know her,” Paz says cheekily, then walks over closer to where you’re seated. “Hey, mesh’la, how are you doing this evening?” he nods his helmet in your direction.

“I’m pretty sure he means you,” Pink snickers.

Not wanting to be impolite, you smile kindly as you answer, “I’m having a nice time; everyone has been so welcoming.”

“That’s good; we all want you to feel welcome.” He props his knee up on a rock formation and then leans his arm down on it so he can be closer to where you are. “Maybe later you’d like a nice tour of the caverns? I know some really nice spots.”

Din stands up at this and positions himself between you and Blue Mando, “You want to ask her that again, Vizsla?”

“I dunno, maybe she’d rather see some Mandalorian sparring? Let her see how a real man fights,” Paz jeers at Din.

“Why not? I’m sure she’d enjoy watching me kick your ass.” Din taunts back.

“Whoa, guys, there’s no need for this,” you try to interrupt, but the air is thick with tension and testosterone. This seems to be an older dispute, and you’re just a convenient spark to reignite the flames of the argument. You’re worried that they might actually start fighting when the child comes to your rescue.

The little guy toddles over carrying a big piece of paper in his claws. He wants to show Din and you a picture that he’s drawn.

“Hi, buddy!” You purposely step between Din and Blue Mando to reach down and pick him up. “What do you have here?”

It’s a drawing of a stick figure family with flowers and what looks to be frogs surrounding them. One of the figures has a helmet-shaped head, another has hair that looks a lot like yours, and the third little figure has big green ears, so it’s clear that he’s drawn his own little family of Din, you, and himself.

“This is so good, buddy,” Din tells him and then he leans over to pat the kid on the head.

“You did so great, kiddo!” You say enthusiastically, feeling a bit relieved too. You lean in and kiss the child on the forehead, and then whisper, “Good job calming down your papa too.” He coos at you in his happy way and you could swear he understands everything you say to him.

Just then, a soft gonging sound rings out across the cave. You watch as the other children scramble back towards their parents and little groups begin to funnel out of the room.

“What’s happening?” you ask Pink.

“It’s time for the evening meal. The food is prepared collectively, and each family goes to collect their portion before heading to their private quarters to eat. Follow me and we’ll get you three all set up.”

You follow her and the rest of the Mandalorians towards another large room with a buffet of food. It all smells delicious and you didn’t realize how hungry you’d become. The child starts wiggling in anticipation when he sees the feast before him. He starts making little whiny sounds and grabby hands towards the dishes.

“It’s ok, sweetie,” you tell him, “We’ll get our food very soon, I promise.”

Din moves forward to begin collecting your dinner and he quickly scoops up a bun that had started to mysteriously float upward and hands it to the child so he won’t get too fussy. “Don’t get too impatient, kiddo,” he says gently reproaching the child.

You retreat to your appointed room with your meal and once you make sure the child can’t peek over at Din, you’re able to enjoy the food. For a while, you simply eat in a comfortable silence. There’s been so much going on today, it’s nice to be here where it’s more tranquil and you have a moment to yourselves that doesn’t feel as stressful as early in the day.

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting everyone here, they’re so caring and nice,” you tell Din, “Pink and Purple did a great job of introducing me to lots of people and teaching me about the Covert.”

“Pink and Purple?” He asks, confused.

“Oh, well, I don’t know anyone’s names so I’ve just been referring to them by the color of their armor in my head, Pink, Purple, Orange, Blue, you know?”

Din laughs at this and says, “You’re so adorable, cyar’ika.”

“Thanks, darling,” you say laughing a little with him, it is rather funny, “Seriously, I’ve felt so safe and at home here, even though it’s only been a few hours.”

“It makes me happy to hear you say that, cyar’ika,” he responds, “I hope you don’t mind but I told my tribe a lot about you, I wanted them to know how hard you’ve worked to take care of the child and keep him safe.”

You feel a fluttery sensation in your chest at his words, “I’m honored that you wanted to tell them about me.”

“Of course I wanted to,” Din says, “You’re very important to me.”

“You’re important to me too, Din,” you admit softly, trying not to get too choked up as you share your feelings with him. You hear him come closer to you and then he’s placing his arms around you, hugging you to his chest. His helmet is still off and you can feel him nuzzle his face into your neck and hair.

You sit like that for a while, just enjoying the closeness; you’re holding the child in your arms and Din is holding you in his. After a bit, you start to rock the child a little and hum a little song to him. He’s had a long day after running around with the other children and now that his belly is full, you can see he’s getting drowsy. As his big eyes start to blink longer and longer, you get up to put him in his little pod for the night. When you close it, you can feel Din has followed you and is standing right behind you.

“I have something for you,” he says, his voice a little gruff, but modulated so you know he’s wearing the helmet again. You turn and face him and you see he’s holding out a small leather pouch for you to take.

You smile broadly at him, “A gift for me?”

“Yes,” he confirms.

You untie the strings of the pouch and reach inside to pull out a necklace with a heart pendant made of beskar. It glimmers in the light and you can see there is a mythosaur skull imprinted on the heart. You hold it up and smile, touched by the gesture.

“Oh, it’s beautiful, Din,” you breathe out in delight, “Thank you so much. Will you help me put it on?”

You hand him the necklace and then turn away so he can clasp it at the nape of your neck. He tries to do it first with his gloves on, but then you hear him mutter, “Kriffing gloves,” followed by some shuffling before you feel his bare fingers against your skin as he finally secures the clasp for you.

“How does it look?” You ask him.

“Beautiful, just like you,” he says, before adding, “It’s made from a piece of my armor.”

“It is?” you gasp a little, “So it’s like I’m wearing a little piece of you?”

“Mmhmm,” he nods.

“Then I love it even more,” you tell him truthfully. “If I close my eyes, can I thank you with a kiss?”

“Absolutely,” Din says. You let your eyes flutter closed and then you feel his lips on yours, kissing you softly and slowly. It’s so sweet and romantic, you feel like you want to swoon. His tongue comes out to brush lightly against your bottom lip and you open your mouth letting him deepen the kiss. You pull him closer to you, running your hand up into his hair as you tug lightly and shift against him to position yourself to an even better angle. This rouses something in Din and he kisses you more passionately as his hands run down your back to your hips before pulling you flush to his body. After a bit he breaks away from your lips, only so he can trail kisses down your neck and throat, traveling further down until he kisses your chest right above the pendant.

“I’m glad you love the necklace,” Din says and you can feel his breath on your chest as his fingers lightly play with the pendant, “It… it means a lot to me, giving this to you means I feel attached to you… it means that you have my heart.”

“Oh, Din,” your voice fills with emotion, “You have my heart too.”

“Then I don’t need anything else in the galaxy, cyar’ika.” After those sweet words, Din moves back up to give you another scorching kiss.

When he pulls away this time, he rests his forehead on yours and asks, “Did you think to grab the sleep mask before we left?”

You giggle a little at that and say, “Yes, I did. It’s in the outside pouch of my bag.”

He kisses you again, “Can I get it?”

“Yes, but, do you think it will be ok with the little one right in the room with us? I mean I know he’s in his pod…” you trail off, really wanting things to continue but a little torn given the sleeping accommodations tonight.

“His pod is soundproofed, but I’m sure we can be quieter if we try,” Din replies, “But if you’re not comfortable with that, we can just sleep.”

“Well, if you think we can be quieter,” you reply honestly, “I’d rather keep going.”

“Me too,” Din says and in almost an instant, he’s back by your side slipping the mask over your eyes and kissing you soundly again.

“Cyar’ika, can I undress you?” he asks.

“Yes, please,” you respond. Gently, Din removes each piece of your clothing. He is unhurried as he reveals more of you to him, almost as if you’re a present and he’s savoring the unwrapping. When he reveals a patch of skin, he pauses to kiss you there, sometimes letting his hot tongue slip out and taste you. Each time he does it, you melt a little more into his touch. When you’re completely naked, he guides you to the bed so you can lie back. He kisses your lips one more time before telling you, “Let me remove my clothing now, I’ll be just a bit.”

You wait in anticipation, and when you hear him moving closer to the bed again, you’re surprised when you feel him kissing your toes.

“Din!” you yelp in surprise.

“Shh, cyar’ika,” he murmurs, “We’re supposed to be quieter.”

“You surprised me,” you explain, but in a softer voice this time.

You feel his lips again on your feet as he starts to kiss his way to your ankle and then up your calf. He’s gradually parting your legs as he works his way up higher and higher. You can guess his destination as he places a kiss high up on your inner thigh, but then you’re surprised again when he pulls away. When you feel him kissing your other foot, you realize he’s repeating the whole process on the other leg this time. He’s taking his time kissing and tasting your skin, and it feels so good that it’s turning you on more than you can believe. This time when Din gets to your inner thigh, you’re trembling in anticipation. As he lingers, you can’t take it anymore and you start to beg him.

“Din, please,” you whine out so softly it’s almost a whimper.

“Do you want more, cyar’ika?” he says against your skin and he lets his tongue caress the very top of your thigh. It’s so good, but it’s still too far away.

“Yes, please, higher.” This time it is a whimper and you don’t even care just so long as it gets him to finally kiss and lick where you need him most.

“Well, when you ask so nicely…” Din finally brings his tongue to your pussy and licks a path from the bottom all the way up to the very top where he places a kiss directly on your clit.

You let out a soft mewling sound and he says, “Was that better?”

“Please, more,” you manage to get out in a breathy voice.

“Anything for you, cyar’ika,” Din says before licking you again in the same deliberate manner. He keeps this up, licking in long strokes but very slowly, driving you completely crazy with desire. You start to try to grind your hips against his tongue but his hands come up to hold you still.

“You’re so eager,” he chuckles, “But be patient, my love; I’ll make it good for you.” With that comment, he pushes his tongue inside you as his fingers come up to draw light circles around your clit. It feels incredible and you let out a shaky moan as he finally starts to give you more. His tongue and his lips start to explore you in earnest, tasting and sucking on your most sensitive parts, turning you into a moaning mess. It an attempt to be quieter, you hold your hand up to your mouth to muffle the sounds because you just can’t stop making them.

“Mmm, that’s a sound I like to hear,” Din says between licks, “Reminds me of when you were first on the ship with me, late at night, I’d hear you trying to be quiet as you touched yourself.”

“You heard that?” you manage to gasp out, you’d be a little embarrassed but considering where his head is now, you don’t care.

“Yes, and I lived for it,” he tells you before diving back in and picking up his pace. You keen up into his mouth as he sucks hard on your clit, like it’s the last thing he’ll ever taste, and you feel your thighs starting to quake. When he pushes two fingers deep inside you, you can feel yourself starting to tighten around them. Your pleasure builds and just when it seems like you can’t take anymore, you feel yourself coming apart all over his face and hand.

You’re still panting when he makes his way up your body and then pulls you into another passionate kiss. His enthusiasm for you is humbling, but truthfully, you feel the same way, like you can never get enough of him. You break the kiss to move down his body now; you place hot, open-mouthed kisses all down his torso. You stop at both of his nipples to tease them with your tongue and nip at them lightly. Now it’s his turn to moan as you let your hands and mouth guide you lower and lower.

“Where are you g-going, cyar’ika?” Din grounds out, his voice stuttering as your tongue delves into his navel.

“Mmmm, can’t you guess, my love?” And with that, you let your mouth envelope the head of his cock and swirl your tongue all around it. Din lets out a loud groan that is almost a whine and you smile to yourself.

“Now who needs to be quiet?” you tease before returning to let your tongue caress his shaft all over with long, wet licks.

“Aaaahhh, just feels so fucking good,” Din breathes out, his voice low.

“I’m going to make you feel amazing,” you promise, and you return to the head, rubbing your tongue across the sensitive spot just underneath before sucking him into your mouth. You go about halfway down this time before pulling off him again. You return to taunting him with licks, this time running your tongue over his balls before you resume sucking him. You repeat this teasing process, each time sucking him deeper into your mouth until you start to hum to open your throat as you begin to reach his base. When you finally take all of him, he’s practically shuddering at the sensation. You take pity on him and instead of continuing to tease, you hollow your cheeks and begin to glide up and down, showing him how much you want to please him, wanting to give him the same intense pleasure he brought you a few moments ago. You can hear him doing his best to muffle his moans as he shakes and writhes underneath you. You can tell he’s trying not to thrust into your mouth, but he can’t help bucking his hips a little and when he does, it causes your throat to constrict around him increasing his enjoyment. You can tell he’s starting to get very close, but before you can get him there, he’s pushing you away.

“No, no, wait, I… I don’t want to yet…” Din gasps.

“Are you sure? I wanted you to finish in my mouth,” you explain, still eager to resume.

Din groans a little, but moves to haul you back up against him, “If I do that right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to make love to you anymore tonight, and I want that more.”

“Oh, Din,” your voice catches a little, “I do want you to keep making love to me, but sometime, I want you to let me finish you with my mouth.”

“Yes, sometime,” he kisses you to seal the promise. Din rolls you onto your side so that your back is flush against his chest, “I want to take you like this, cyar’ika,” he says. His hands are already maneuvering your legs so he can slide himself between them, and then you feel his steely erection rubbing deliciously between your folds.

“Yes, Din… aaah, like this is perfect.” Your breath hitches in your chest as he positions himself to enter you.

“Tell me,” he says.

You reach back to cradle his head with your hand and bring him closer to you, “Take me like this, Din, I want you… I need you.”

With that, he thrusts into you in one swift motion causing all the breath in your body to push out in a gasp. As he moves within you, he winds his arm around you tight holding you close against his chest. It’s like there’s no space between you at all. His mouth attaches itself to your neck where he’s biting and sucking a new mark into your skin. You can feel him everywhere and it’s overwhelming in the best way.  It doesn’t take long for you to feel the stirring of your climax again and you start to struggle to stay quiet. In this position, every thrust hits on your most pleasurable spot deep inside you and it’s taking all that you have not to scream out Din’s name. You know he must be getting closer to his peak too, as he’s also starting to groan and grunt more.  

“Are you close, cyar’ika?” Din asks you desperately and he drops his hand to your clit to rub fast circles there. All you can get out is a whimper and a shaky breath, as you start to feel the waves of your orgasm lapping at you. Din doubles his efforts and starts to beg you, “Please, cyar’ika, please… I’m so close… want you to come first… need you to… oooh, please.”

Hearing him plead with you like that is all you need to send you over the edge and almost as soon as your inner muscles begin to flutter around him, Din is following right along with you. He holds you as tight as he possibly can as he pumps himself into you and bites down on your shoulder to keep himself from crying out. You’re so stunned by the sensation you feel like you might black out from the pleasure. You’re shuddering from little aftershocks of bliss when Din starts to speak to you again but he’s speaking in Mando’a and you can’t fully understand what he’s saying.

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyar’ika,” he says reverently and turns you towards him so he can kiss you fully.

When he breaks the kiss, he speaks again, only this time in Basic, “I love you, my sweetheart.”

Your heart skips a beat and then you tell him, “I love you too, Din.” His lips find yours again in the sweetest, most tender kiss.

When you break apart the next time, you ask him, “Will you say it in Mando’a again?” He does and you carefully repeat it back to him. You barely get the last syllable out and he’s kissing you again, as if he can never kiss you enough. You kiss him back fervently trying to pour all of your love into it, wanting him to understand just how much you love him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two days pass pleasantly in the Covert. Din feels pleased that you fit in so well with everyone and it warms his heart to see how eager you are to learn more about his culture. It fills him with a new hope for the future, and he lets himself daydream about being able to return to the tribe permanently with you. Still though, Din can’t ignore the danger that you’re in and each hour that passes makes him anxious that the Imps could be headed here right now. In discussing the predicament with his tribe, Din was able to come up with a plan to keep you on the move and, hopefully, to find a stronger Covert that could help you defeat Kerrick. While his tribe and the others in this new Covert offered up their fighters, Din refused to accept based on their already reduced numbers. Now each moment that passes, his unease at being caught builds. It’s on this third evening, that he brings up his worries with you.

“I think we should leave tomorrow,” Din suggests, and you can hear the concern in his voice.

“You don’t think we’re safe here?” You’d been feeling so much better since arriving, that you’d hoped you’d be able to stay longer.

“It isn’t that-- I… I don’t think we’re safe anywhere, really,” he pauses and looks down at the ground when he says, “I’m worried that if we stay any longer, I’m endangering the Covert again, like Nevarro.”

You know all about Nevarro now as the other night the Armorer and the rest of Din’s tribe spoke about it, wanting both you and the other Mandalorians to understand more about that part of their history, and as a way of honoring those who lost their lives during the battle. Din was very quiet though as the story was being told, opting to simply grip your hand tightly and listen. You could tell that he still felt responsible for the loss of the Nevarro Covert, despite his tribe’s endeavors to show everyone that only the Imperial forces were to blame.

“I understand,” you reassure Din, “We can leave tonight if you think we should, it won’t take long to get our things together.”

“Can we? I think it would be the best option.” You can hear a note of relief in his voice as you agree with him and let him know that you’ll start packing right away.

“I just need to speak to the Armorer again,” Din tells you, “I shouldn’t be too long.”

When he finds the Armorer at her forge, she appears to have been expecting him. He doesn’t know how she does it, but it’s almost as if she can anticipate his thoughts, it’s always been that way with her. He wonders for a moment if she might share some of the child’s powers.

“Din Djarin, I have the pieces you have requested,” she speaks in her carefully measured voice.

“Thank you, I appreciate that you’ve worked to complete them so quickly for me,” he responds and watches as she moves to collect two small leather pouches. When he opens the first, he pulls out another beskar pendant; this time it is a mudhorn, the exact match to the one on his pauldron. The second pouch contains three rings, one is a ring of yours that Din swiped from your jewelry collection, and the other two are matching bands of beskar, one in the same size as your ring and the other sized to fit his own finger.

“I see that she wears the heart pendant with joy,” the Armorer tells him, and then asks, “When will you ask her to join your clan?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Din admits a bit bashfully, “But I want to be prepared to ask her when the time is right.”

“You have the blessing of the tribe, if you should want it,” she declares to him, “Your woman has mandokarla and we will always welcome her.”

“Thank you, that means so much to me,” Din replies gratefully.

“You have decided to leave us,” the Armorer states, again already seeming to know his thoughts before he shares them.

“Yes, I think it is for the best.” His voice can’t contain its concern, but he knows she understands as she nods to him.

“You must do what is best for your clan. This is the way,” she confirms.

“This is the way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later and you’re back in hyperspace. You’ve been following the plan that Din’s tribe helped him design, stopping at some remote outposts in hopes of finding other Mandalorians. So far, the information the Covert shared with Din has been reliable and you both feel confident in your efforts. A sudden pinging on the dash draws Din’s attention and he sees that a transmission is coming in.

“Brother, we heard you are seeking assistance,” a strong voice speaks out into the cockpit, but no holo accompanies it.

“That depends on who’s offering,” Din responds carefully.

“Our Covert has heard that you need warriors to battle against some Imps,” the voice says, “We are willing to help you in that endeavor.”

“How did you come to hear that?” Din questions the voice.

“We are in communication with many other Coverts, and heard of your needs through our contacts,” the voice explains.

Din stays quiet as he thinks; the caller’s explanation seems logical but trusting a disembodied voice also seems a bit naïve. He continues to hesitate in his response when the voice speaks again.

“We also have information about where you can find the Jedi.”

“What are your coordinates?” Din asks, his mind made up. If they know about the Imperials and the Jedi, then they must have spoken to his Covert.

“We’re transmitting them now,” the voice informs him.

“Thank you, for being willing to help us,” Din says graciously.

“Ibic mando’kar,” the voice states.

“This is the way,” Din replies before ending the call.

As soon as the transmission is cut off, you speak up, “Do you think they’re the Mandalorians we’ve been searching for?”

“They must be, I know they’re an older sect and it makes sense that they’d say ‘Ibic mando’kar’ for ‘This is the way’,” he explains to you, “I think they can help us.”

You’re about to ask him more about these Mandalorians and what he knows, but you’re stopped by the child who has started fussing and crying. You go over to pick him up, but he’s worked himself up into a real tantrum, and no matter how much you try to soothe him, he won’t calm down.

“Are you hungry already, buddy?” You pull out some snacks from your pocket for him, but he shoves them away and cries harder. You know Din needs to focus on piloting the ship to the new coordinates so you descend to the hull with the poor little guy. You try rocking him, singing to him, even a warm bath, but nothing seems to help. He doesn’t seem to be in any visible discomfort so you simply sit and hold him hoping that ultimately your presence will show him that everything is ok. Eventually, he’s exhausted himself and falls asleep. You clean the tears off his little face, and although it’s finally quiet on the ship, you can’t shake a feeling of unease after how upset the child has been. However, you’re exhausted too after trying to care for him and you find yourself curling up on your bed your own eyes closing shortly afterwards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You reach the coordinates provided to you by the Covert on a remote planet whose name you don’t know. The scenery does nothing to lift your mood, as the place appears to be an old industrial center and now looks run-down and abandoned. Although, given what you know about the need for the Mandalorian Coverts to remain secretive, you suppose that makes sense. You follow Din off the Crest with the child’s pod floating right beside you. As you walk to the designated meeting point, a large warehouse building, the child begins to whine again. You see the familiar sight of a mythosaur skull painted above the doorway to the warehouse and you breathe a sigh of relief, that this must be the correct place. You enter the building, but everything is dark and dusty inside and it doesn’t look like anyone is around. Thinking back to Din’s Covert, you expect that some guards will probably appear like before. When you see a helmeted figure in the shadows, you think you must be right, that is until the person turns to reveal the stark white helmet and armor of a storm trooper.

“You found us!” An eerily cheery voice trills out, making your blood run cold. It’s Kerrick.

Din instantly moves to shield you behind him, but you know it’s in vain, as now you can see an entire squadron of troopers moving out of the shadows to surround you. Even with Din’s impeccable skills as a gunslinger, there’s no way you could take on this many troopers, you are hopelessly outgunned.

“Come now, my little doll, don’t be shy,” Kerrick’s voice is almost sing-songy in his joy at trapping you, “I’ve missed you so very much, baby doll.”

Your heart is lurching in your chest and you feel sick to your stomach. You’re running through all the possible scenarios in your head, but there’s only one that you can think of which will keep Din and the child from being hurt.

“I’ve missed you too, Kerrick,” you call out, stepping out from behind Din.

Din’s hand reaches out to pull you back, but you gently shake your head and pull away. Before you do, you try to look into his visor with all the love you can and silently try to tell him that everything you’re about to say is a lie, but you have no idea if he can understand that.

“My sweet baby doll, come here and give your man a kiss,” Kerrick leers at you with a wide grin.

You raise your hands up as you walk slowly towards him, and you make your voice high pitched and girly, the way he used to like when you were in bed together, as you say, “Kerrick, all these guns are scaring me, can’t you have them put the blasters away?”

“Oh, my little doll, those are for your protection,” Kerrick explains condescendingly.

“I don’t know, I don’t think I can come any closer, I’m too scared,” you tell him.

“Alright, my doll, for you,” and he motions for the troopers to lower their blasters.

You feel a tiny sense of victory as you can tell you still have some power over Kerrick even with how twisted and vile he’s become. You move closer to him and when you’re within arm’s reach, he becomes impatient and he reaches out to grab you. Din’s instincts kick in and he draws his blaster without thinking and aims directly for Kerrick.

“Uh, uh, uh, Mandalorian, she just said she’s scared of blasters,” Kerrick admonishes, “You don’t want to scare my doll any more than you already have, do you?”

Oh no, you need to salvage this and quickly, “It’s not like that, Kerrick, he’s been trying to help me find you,” you lie, “I’ve been so lonely and sad without you, and he’s been protecting me until I could get back to you.”

“Is that true?” Kerrick asks, skeptical, “From our visit to Angel One, I was under the impression that you’ve been acting like a little whore for him.”

You want to die as you say these next words, but you know you need to convince Kerrick to let Din and the child go, “I was just using him, so he’d keep helping me, but it was just so I could find you again, Kerrick, after all, I’m still your doll.” Your hand comes up to your chest to sit over Din’s heart pendant hidden under your tunic and you hate yourself for having to put Din through this.

Din’s blood is boiling and he feels heartsick as he hears you lie to Kerrick. He knows you must be lying in an attempt to save him and the child. But he can’t ignore how much your words hurt, even if they’re not true. Hearing you call yourself “doll” though and seeing you grip your pendant, he tells himself that you don’t mean what you’re saying, that you do really love him, and that you’re prepared to sacrifice yourself to save him. He’s so angry with himself for leading you into this trap and he’s desperate to find another solution, but like you, he’s out of options. He has to do all he can right now to reign in his desire to start shooting.

Kerrick’s arms are wrapping tighter around your waist, and you know you’re going to have to muster up every acting skill you have if you’re going to convince him of your falsehood. You bring a hand up to caress his face, and he nuzzles into your touch. You thought he was handsome once, but his years with the Empire have changed him and his smug, pretty boy face holds no attraction for you now. You push these thoughts deep down though, and close your eyes as you bring him closer to you for a kiss. It takes everything you have not to shove him away in disgust. As Kerrick forces his tongue into your mouth, you tell yourself to be calm and then you pretend you’re kissing Din. It’s a struggle, but you manage to fool Kerrick enough that when he pulls away he’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s go, doll,” he says and he starts to tug you away.

“Wait, Kerrick, will you do something for me, please?” You do your best to make yourself look as sweet and innocent as you can and you use the girly voice again.

“What can I do for you, baby doll?” He looks at you like you’re a child asking for a treat.

“Will you let the Mandalorian go back to his ship? He really did help me find you, and if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have this wonderful reunion.” You pray Kerrick won’t see through your ploy.

“You always were so softhearted,” Kerrick says as he pats you on the ass.

“Please, for me? Please, Kerrick,” It’s soul crushing to have to beg him like this, but if it can help Din even a little you have to do it.

“Oh alright, I don’t want you to be sad or distracted all night. I have much better plans for us,” Kerrick tells you suggestively. You do your best not to throw up right then, but plan to save it as an escape for later.

“You six, take the Mandalorian back to his ship,” Kerrick motions to a group of troopers. Ok, six is still kind of a lot, but if feels like a number Din can probably handle. You don’t believe for a second that Kerrick is actually going to let Din go without a fight, but at least now he’s not facing an entire squadron.

“Can I say goodbye?” You know you’re pushing it, so you add, “To the child.”

“Fine, but make it quick,” Kerrick pats you on the ass again and you run back over to Din and the child. You scoop the baby up in your arms, but you look directly at Din and mouth, “I love you, I’m sorry.” He inclines his head in the slightest of nods and you know he understands. It doesn’t stop your heart from breaking in two though and you know tears are threatening to spill from your eyes.

“That’s enough!” Kerrick’s sharp voice calls out and you place the baby back in his pod before fixing a fake smile on your face and turning back to Kerrick. It’s shaky at best and you know you can’t hide your teary eyes so you throw yourself back into Kerrick’s arms hoping that a seemingly enthusiastic hug will mask your true feelings.

He chuckles, pats your head, and says, “Don’t worry, doll, I’ve got you now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The troopers lead Din out of the warehouse and each step feels painful, as he knows it’s taking him further away from you. All he wants to do is run back into that warehouse and fight for you, but he knows a deathtrap when he sees one. He doesn’t believe for one second that the troopers are going to let him leave, but he’s pretty sure he can take them out and get to the ship fast enough to get away. If he can make the jump to hyperspace before Kerrick’s cruiser can realize what’s happening he should be able to escape with his life.

“Be sure to get the asset,” one of the troopers is muttering to another, and Din knows it’s time. He charges and fires his whistling birds taking out four of the troopers at once and as he turns to fire at the other two, he sees their bodies being slammed together forcefully. Despite the terrible situation, he smiles to himself as he sees the child’s hands raised, helping him defeat the Imps. He quickly dispatches the last two troopers and then dashes to the Razor Crest.

He takes off as quickly as he knows how and, risking everything, makes the jump to hyperspace while he’s still in the planet’s atmosphere. It’s incredibly dangerous but it pays off and thankfully, the Crest manages to get away.

As hyperspace glows blue around him, Din plots in a course back to his Covert. He needs reinforcements and this time he can’t let the past hold him back from accepting help.

“We’re going to get her back, buddy,” Din vows looking at the child, “Don’t you worry.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. Link to Chapter 9: Not Without My Cyar’ika

Mando’a glossary:

gar vode = your brethren, your brothers

ner vod = my brother

beroya = bounty hunter

riduurok = marriage, wedding ceremony

riduur = spouse

ad’ika = little one (affectionate)

aliit = family

buir = parent

di’kut = idiot

mesh’la = beautiful

Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum = I love you (literally, I know you forever)

mandokarla = having the right stuff, the epitome of Mandalorian spirit

Ibic mando’kar =This is the way (there is some debate about how to say it)

Tag list: @grogusmum @wellofeternalthirst @idreamofboobear @theamuz @fangirlalexia @callmekane @im-the-nerdiest-of-them-a11 @theravenreads @nicotinebirds @boomtownboy @nova646 @wandering-storm-lost-shadow @becks-things @sleepwithacommunist @mackycat11 @som3thingcr3ative @punkdalek @pinkninja200 @s-unflowxr @ladyjenny19 @peppywitch @haley7242 @the-bottom-of-the-abyss @hotsauceonabiscuit @asta-lily

[ageless-soul-au]

What kind of sense of humour do each of the heroes have?

Twilight: Twi takes obscene pleasure in doing dad jokes, and then doing them w r o n g, just to watch the people around him collectively cringe. "Was that a fleek?? Am I on yeet???" Warriors has threatened to kill him on behalf of the younger members of the chain repeatedly. And that's not even touching on how easily he launches himself into dirty, raunchy ranch hand jokes. The only one who can match him on that front is, ironically, Warriors.

Warriors: Just because he hated barracks life doesn't mean he didn't walk away with a penchant for disgusting barracks humor. Being surrounded by the people he was surrounded by, Warriors' humor, when he's not watching himself around the kiddos, is straight up filthy, and he is not afraid of using that humor to get his way, unless the person he's talking to happens to be a certain pink rabbit. He knows when he's bested and how to pick his fights carefully, and he knows Legend will roast him every single time.

Sky: Soft spoken and baby faced does not equal innocent, and he will absolutely launch into detail about how he spends his nights with Sun just to watch the horror bloom across the faces of the romantically challenged (like Time). He also takes a great deal of pleasure in the shock value of the others catching him swearing. The others always look like they've been traumatized and he LIVES for it, so as a result, he chooses when he swears very carefully for maximum shock value.

Cinder: his sister and his (future) significant other are working on training him out of it, but he has a sense of humor that is largely formed around taking digs at himself, though when someone in the chain says something funny, he's definitely still going to laugh along. He will also dad-joke at the younger heroes just to distract them when things are stressful. He's got everyone's best interests in mind except his own.

Time: Time's not quite ready to jump into the raunchy humor just because he knows the others would snatch his wig so hard it'd end up in the Death Mountain Caldera, and he's not willing to make a spectacle of himself that way. But he is sarcastic and quick witted if he can keep from getting flustered. He and Wind are constantly volleying back and forth at each other.

Legend: Dirty! DIRTY! D I R T Y!!!! Filthy raunchy humor, only really reels back around Four bc Four is aroace, (though the colors have a bit more nuance than just that), and he will make it everyone else's problem. Especially Warriors. Warriors tries not to get Legend started unless they're alone because the Master White Boii will be redder than Sky's loftwing within a few seconds of Legend opening his mouth. It isn't hard for the pink rabbit to turn him scarlet. Aside from that, he'll get into it with anyone if it involves snark. He can volley banter back and forth like no one's business and prefers (read: HAS TO HAVE) the last word.

Wild: "Sealiously!! Lets SEAL the deal!!" If this guy makes one more sand seal pun on the way through the Gerudo canyon, Champion is gonna remove him from the chronological record and his Hyrule's census. But not before Wild makes some very inappropriate jokes about Zora reproduction and a certain Zora princess with a crush on Champion. He'll go out as he lived: an agent of chaos.

Odyssey: Odyssey is a gremlin through and through and feeds off of everyone else. Especially when it comes to dry, dirty humor. Warriors pretends he just can't hear him most of the time because "holy shit, do you kiss your mother with that mouth!?"

Champion: Champ is well aware people think of him as stoic and silent and unapproachable. He uses this to his advantage. He'll wait till no one who can rat him out is around, and then will, if the intended target is Revali, recite a perfect Rito mating call (that he picked up from watching Wild terrorize the rito champ) for the ruffled feathers. •Go ahead. Tell someone. They'll never believe you, bitch.•

Fae: Fae likes Banter. Which is good for Cinder because she keeps him sharp, and it helps his confidence to be one of the few people who can match her wit. She and Hyrule are the two that aren't total boys (derogatory) with their humor (ie gross, raunchy, D U M B, etc)

Hyrule: Rule is literally a walking meme. Would tag team with Wild for the most god awful sight call when they're traveling out of each other's line of sight. "HEWWOOOO??" Shouts Hyrule, "MISTUW BOSPHOWAMUS HYWULE?????" is the return call. Time considers fratricide.

Four: Four's basically a DID system, so his sense of humor varies depending on who's fronting. Red's got a sense of humor that's deceptively double sided- if he thinks you're dumb you won't know he called you a moron till the joke registers three days later, but he's also a fan of fairly harmless humor. He thinks small pranks are funny (like putting ink around the rim of Wind's Spyglass) and the other three are right along with him, if more direct and more likely to be a little sharper in the jokes they toss.

Wind: dryyyyyyy dryyyyyy dryyyyyyy. You'd think someone who spent so much time on the water wouldn't be quite so dry bones with his humor, but he's sharp, sarcastic, and more than a little petty. He likes to have the last word when it comes to roasting sessions and if he doesn't he's not gonna shut up until he does.

Flicker: he's a nine year old boy, so his humor is very, very juvenile, but he's also a little kokiri gremlin who knows how to pull a prank. He's got a silly, outgoing sense of humor, but if you're someone he doesn't like, his humor will 100% be dry and at your expense.

-Mizu & Kio

[lemeute]

13, jiang cheng, wen zhuliu, wen ning

sfkdjlfj I wrote up this answer last night and then tumblr ate it unfortunately BUT uh here we go the second time: have as your wedding planner, have as your parole officer, have as the Fake Date you bring to a family event

isaac apaladinagain is on parole!

the necessary choice here is that Wen Ning is my parole officer. I feel bad for putting him in this scenario, because ACAB, but also I am n o t dealing with either of these other two in that setting. jesus christ. also, Wen Ning is much more of a sneaky badass than he’s usually given credit for, so maybe it could work out?? I could very carefully connect him to people who could support him in quitting the police department (prisons department?? I’m not sure if parole officers are always in corrections specifically), and he could very carefully not report people’s parole violations etc. god. this sounds so stressful and way too connected to things I think about in my real life. (I have a call in two hours with my public defender bc I’m still going to zoom court from an arrest at an action back in June, and I have lots of support from lots of people about it but damn it really makes you think about what that process is like for people who go through it without a community offering information, resources, connections, and all kinds of other help) anyway U H Wen Ning is my parole officer also abolish prisons send tweet

isaac apaladinagain is getting married!

ok. moving on. pretty sure Jiang Cheng would thrive as a wedding planner and also rock at it and I love that for him, but I deeply wouldn’t want him as my wedding planner, y’know??? like. he is too highkey and also too high-budget. my approach to event decoration is very “how can we create a tasteful aesthetic from these repurposed sheets and jars, some branches I just found being pruned off bushes at the park, and 3 carefully selected items from dollar tree” and I like it that way!! it’s a fun challenge for the brain; it’s an adventure! and I am pretty sure it is the kind of adventure that would stress Jiang Cheng the fuck out, thereby stressing me out.

so I’m bringing Wen Zhuliu with me on this adventure instead. I think his shrug emoji energy will be perfect, actually. also he is very employer-loyal, even in the face of The Worst Boss (I can only imagine being Wen Chao’s direct report for about 5 seconds before I start curling in on myself in horror), so tbh I can easily imagine that if presented with someone who is like. reasonable. considerate. etc., he would be ready to murder someone on their behalf by the time it was their wedding day.

also also, the possibility of scenarios like this is just too good to pass up:

me [dropping my denim jacket covered in activist patches on a chair]: hi ahhh I’m so sorry I’m late, I wasn’t planning to marshall this rally but I got there and they were short on hands

wen zhuliu [who is dressed in black cultivator robes]: it is not a problem. in addition to our planned agenda, I have brought some sample invitations.

me: oh!!! that’s so nice of you! honestly though I was thinking I would just print them at the library and back them on some maps from this outdated atlas I have if that’s okay with you?? you already put this work in, sorry, I just would rather DIY this part!!!

wen zhuliu: [blinks, shrugs, crosses “invitations” off his list, picks up fabric swatches instead]

me: okay uh wait sorry this is off-topic but. have you ever taken a de-escalation training or a police liaison training or something. I know you’re my wedding planner and I probably shouldn’t try to recruit my wedding planner to roles at actions it’s just uh. you seem like you would be so fucking good at it, like, rockstar good, and all our current good police liaisons are so burned out on it--

isaac apaladinagain needs a fake date for a family event!

this means that my fake date is..... Jiang Cheng! which is going to go wrong in every way; neither of us is the other’s type and both of us are too ace to really sell it based on pure physical attraction

fortunately my immediate family would help me keep up the ruse once they figured it out, assuming the stakes were important enough. unfortunately they would never let me live it down and would still be asking me ten years later what they should get him for Christmas.

[niawritess]

A Day With A Stranger~ KJI

Airport -

"Passport? check. Tickets? check. Luggage? check and I being fed up with this? Double check." You grumbled under your breath and looked at your dad with a grumpy look who was busy conversing with your mom to notice it.

"Alright, this is the last time we are asking for this favor, okay?" Your dad spoke noticing your expression while taking the hold of your luggage as you walked beside him to the check-in section.

"Gosh, Why do I have to go? You know I'm scared of planes!" You whined and he massaged his temple before looking at you with a comforting smile. "Y/n, It's gonna be alright. We wouldn't have forced you if we were able to go."

Before you could reply, the unfamiliar robotic voice erupted announcing your flight number.

"It's time for you to go." He uttered out smiling softly and you sighed instantly engulfing him in a hug. "Pray for my safety."

He laughed stroking the back of your head. "You're not going on a war, Y/n."

You pulled away rolling your eyes. "That's what I'm feeling right now."

"Come on, Wonder girl. It's just a day." He chuckled and you gave him a look at the name before giggling back eventually.

You bid your goodbye to your dad and walked inside the check-in section before getting on the plane.

________________

With a heavy heart you took a deep sigh before walking inside to your seat which you spotted by the window and tucked your luggage in. As you sat down on your seat, you fisted your hands and closed your eyes while praying for your safety.

In that moment, you felt some shuffling beside you and then a weigh beside you indicating that a passenger sat down. You scooted over a little to the window and opened your eyes to see the person was a man around your age.

He was dressed in black button down and had a tan skin which looked good on him while he was going through his phone.

You averted your eyes before he could catch you and that's when the announcement was made of plane taking off with you panicking inside.

"Oh My God!" You whisper-yelled to yourself as you felt the plane move a bit. "I shouldn't have come! I should have refused! Y/n, you are done for! I haven't even been to Switzerland yet!"

With your nonsense blabbing, you stopped as you felt a strong gaze on you as you looked at your side to see the young stranger staring at you with poker face.

You chuckled awkwardly. "Um, first time, you know..."

He just nodded slowly still plastering the same look and you looked ahead before the plane began to take off causing you close your eyes. "Oh God! Please let me land safely and I will surely help mom with the house chores, I swear."

You huffed feeling the gaze again. "Can you stop staring at me like that, mister?"

"No."

You flinched by his deep voice and shot your eyes at him and he was already staring at you with his expressionless face before he leaned towards you a little making you lean back in reflex.

"Are you afraid that this plane might crash and this would be your first and last time here?" He paused as his corner of lips turned up in a little smirk. "Then believe me, you are really done for, Miss."

You gulped staring at him with a horror look as the man infront of you was really giving you the creepy movie vibes.

"What kind of man are you? Instead of assuring her, you're scaring her more."

A middle-aged man spoke beside your seat in the middle row and you unconsciously nodded while the young stranger looked at him and then ahead.

"If you're scared that much, why do you get on the plane?" He questioned out taking a sip of his juice and you scoffed. "Excuse me? I am not here because I wanted to!"

"My parents passport got expired and now I have to go there on their behalf so it's not my fault." You huffed glaring at him and he just nodded. "Yeah, yeah, you were being seated here on a gun point, right?"

"How mean can you be?!" You exclaimed while feeling yourself leaning back against the seat but too annoyed at the young stranger to notice it.

He gave you a boring look. "What? Am I wrong? You could've just refused."

"It's not that easy, okay?" You paused to change your position as you faced him. "It's a wedding. My cousins wedding and that too close one so I didn't see any reason to refuse. By the way, you don't even knew me so stop with those judgy opinions of yours."

He looked behind your shoulder for a brief second and looked back at you as he nodded. "You're right."

You nodded back as he faced ahead while you looked outside and got surprised to see the clouds. That's when you realized, the plane had taken off and you were floating in the middle before you looked at him who was talking to the hostess.

As the hostess walked away, you cleared your throat to get his attention which you did as he looked at you questionly and you frowned. "Um... Did you.. Like did it on purpose? Like to distract me?"

He stared at you for a moment and tilted his head. "What do you think?"

You bit your lip. "I think you were trying to distract me."

"Then think that way." He replied as he looked at the hostess and took the blanket from her before wrapping it around him.

You gave him a confused face. "Aren't you a little weird?"

"Maybe." He shrugged and closed his eyes with his head leaning back while you rolled your eyes before plugging your earbuds as you both gave eachother the sign of not wanting to converse more.

_____________

Half an hour passed, you felt yourself shaking and interrupting your peaceful sleep as you shot eyes opened to get the shock of your life to realize that the plane itself was shaking. Your eyes enlarged as you sat up straight holding both sides of your armrests and looked at the young stranger still sleeping soundly while the people were being chaotic.

You panicked and instantly shook his shoulder where he groaned opening his one eye to look at you before waking up fully as he sat up straight yawning. "What's happening?"

You let out a shaky breath. "Can't.. Can't you tell? We're going to die! I knew it! That's why I don't travel in planes!"

He looked around nonchalantly, not even a slightest look of panic was shown on his face. "Chill, it's going to be okay."

You stared at him incredulously. "You look like you have been survived in a lot of crashes! And why would you jinx it!"

He placed his hand over yours gently and you looked at him in surprise where he sighed. "I actually have been in these situations."

You huffed. "And here I thought you would say something comforting!"

You didn't bother to remove his hand as it was giving you the feeling of someone being with you and comforting you nor he did. As he looked around watching the hostesses trying to calm down the passengers and saw the middle-aged man weeping making him frown until he turned to you only to get startle to see the same sight.

Tears were streaming down your cheeks with your lips leaving sobs silently as you were missing your family. "I haven't even met my celebrity crush and I am dying already! Mom! Dad!"

Before he could say anything, the announcement was made where the passengers went silent for a moment. The current engine was in a breaking line which is why the plan was shaking but since it was close to another city, it was going to land there for a bit till the new engine is fitted.

Sighs of relief could be heard from the passengers including you two and that's how you realized that he, himself was frightened but didn't show it. Noticing your hands, you slowly tried to pull away which he felt as he looked at you and removed his hand over yours while looking away.

Soon, the plane landed safely and all the passengers were out and strolling around the airport. You went to the sitting area with your luggage and called your parents about the situation where you saw that young stranger also talking on the phone.

The head hostess came to your sitting area and informed that the new engine is being replaced where it could take time from 10 to 12 hours since there are other flights to take off.

You sighed holding the handle of your lugging before placing your chin on your hands while looking around to see the passengers getting up and going out. As you opened your phone to pass your time, you felt a presence over you suddenly and looked up to see the young stranger.

"Oh, hi?" You looked at him confusingly and he cleared his throat before looking around nervously then back to you. "So.. What are you gonna do? I mean.. Are you going to stay here all day?"

You frowned thinking. "Um, not that I want to but I'm not really familiar with this city so..."

He nodded before licking his lips nervously. "I am... So do you want to.. tour around?"

You stared at him surprised which made him even more nervous as he rubbed his nap before you squinted your eyes at him. "Good suggestion.. But can I trust you?"

"Good question." He shot back raising his brows. "Well, it's up to you. If you want to be bored here or have a tour around when you have got a chance?"

You bit your lip thinking hard on his suggestion before standing up and he stared at you questionly while you tapped your luggage. "Where do I put this?"

He chuckled smirking. "So.. I got your trust?"

You crossed your arms humming. "25 percent."

______________

Here you were roaming around the city of Brooklyn with the young stranger beside you who seemed to be too familiar with the city. At first you both booked a room to keep both of your luggage safe and took the important belongings of yours.

Currently, you two were heading to a restaurant near you since being full in your stomach leads you to get energized for having a tour with energy. As you both were walking down the streets, he stopped as a young couple who seemed to be touring around too asked him to take their picture.

He took a picture of them before the guy was asking him something while looking at you in a language which you couldn't understand where the young stranger nodded smiling at you then back to him.

The young stranger walked made his way towards you. "They are asking if we want a picture too."

You frowned looking at the couple. "Um, yeah, sure."

He smiled a little but before you could see it, he turned around nodding at them as he stood beside you with a distance. You both posed giving a smile but the couple kept asking you both to move closer and to your surprise, the young stranger stood closer but not too much which was nice of him.

The picture was taken as the man handed you the Polaroid picture before walking away and you looked at the young stranger. "What did you talked about him? And why did he looked at me?"

"He asked if you were my mother." He joked looking at the picture and your jaw dropped as you unconsciously hit his arm. "Do I look that old?!"

He chuckled before showing you the Polaroid. "I'm keeping this."

"No, you can't. I'm also in it." You snatched it from his hand. "I'll keep this."

"Not a chance." He snatched it back before walking ahead faster with you running behind him. "Hey! Stop! Give it back!"

You both ended up in a food market which was famous for its service and delicious taste. Sitting across of each other, you both were having your meal with you tasting almost everything and eating half of it.

His lips curved upwards in a smile watching you eating well before he took a sip of his water. "You seemed to be into food."

You looked at him munching and nodded. "Of course, food is life. It's literally the only thing keeps us going and I really need to get energized."

He chuckled. "You.. Also seem to like traveling. Like you were chanting Switzerland.. So have you been to any other places?"

You palmed your chin thinking. "Nope. But I really want to see Switzerland before I die but with my money."

"So, you're not here with your money?"

You shook your head. "No way, I am saving up for Switzerland. And it's not like I wanted to come here so obviously my parents did the money thing and what's theirs is also mine. But.. Have you been to Switzerland?"

He nodded nonchalantly and your eyes sparkled. "Really?! How is it?"

He shrugged. "It's cool and cold."

You gave him a seriously look and shook your head at his answer. "About the picture, let's make it two so we can have each.

He hummed. "Fair enough."

_________________

Four hours passed like a breeze but a fresh one. It was getting dawn as the clock read seven where you both were engrossed in the beauty of the city. The young stranger surely knew this city very well as all the places he took you, you were having fun where your little bickering was cheery on top.

You were walking down the street when your phone buzzed which you were attempting to fish out but a shriek escaped your lips as your purse was snatched and you saw the thief running away with the young stranger chasing him.

You stood there dumbfounded for a second then also chased them while shouting thief where half of the population was looking at you three amazingly like they were watching a movie.

"Stop! You darn thief!" You shouted running faster than you ever had in your life before entering in a street which those two men just went and saw two cops talking to each other.

"Hey! Officers!" You exclaimed as they looked at you and before they could even react, you took a hold of each of their arms and made them run with you in the exact speed of yours.

What happened young lady?!" The middle-aged officer questioned loudly because of running and you pointed at the two men before you. "The thief!"

"We'll surely catch them but what's a young beautiful lady doing here?" The young officer asked beside you as you were between them and you gave him a weird look. "Catching the thief!"

"And what would be this beautiful lady's name?" He gave a cheeky grin and you looked at him incredulously as he was flirting instead of catching the thief before you glared at him. "Thief catcher!"

"Such a pretty name for a pretty lady." He wasn't backing down and you rolled you eyes before giving him a sarcastic smile. "Thank you very much but can we catch the thief if you're done interrogating me?"

"Sure!" He exclaimed smiling before speeding up to them but stopped when the young stranger kicked him and the thief fell where he caught him.

You three caught up to him and you took deep breaths to calm down yourself while the officers handcuffed the thief. The middle-aged officer was talking to the young stranger and the young officer was trying to flirt with you again which that younger stranger noticed.

He stood beside you wrapping his arm around your shoulder startling you as you looked at him surprised while he glared at the young officer before looking back at the middle-aged officer. "Thank you for helping me and my girlfriend, we'll get going now."

You noticed the young officers face dropped listening this before you both walked down street still in the same position. You couldn't tell if he was being jealous or just helping you out but you chose the latter since you couldn't choose the former one and latter seemed the sensible option.

Walking out of the street, he removed his arm and looked at you nervously thinking you might took it wrong way but to his surprise, you smiled. "Thanks for helping me out. Gosh, that officer was really giving me creepy vibes."

He chuckled. "Anyway, what should we do now?"

You shrugged before you heard some songs getting your attention as you both looked towards the direction to see a outdoor event happening infront of you where two guards were standing there. You looked at him and he looked back at you at the same time giving you a smug grin which raising his brows.

You frowned before realizing his suggestion by his look and instantly shook your mouthing. "No."

"Come on, scaredy cat. It's going to fun." He gestured smiling and you bit your contemplating before nodding eventually.

He took a hold of your wrist and jogged towards the garden before looking at the guards who were eyeing you both suspiciously. Giving them a gentle smile, you pointed at the two guests going inside signaling that you're with them where he actually bought it and let you in.

Looking at the young stranger with a amazed face, you both did a fistbump before walking inside further. The garden was decorated with lightnings and there was a stage where the music was playing but your eyes were looking for something else.

Your eyes lit up finding it and you headed towards the food court before filling your stomach with the delicious food.

"Were you that hungry?" You stopped munching and looked at him chuckling while nodding making him smile before he looked around where his face showed panic.

You gulped down the food looking at him with worrying eyes. "What happened?"

"The owner is coming with his guards." He spoke holding your wrist as you looked back to see them coming towards you both before looking back at him with wide eyes. "Now what?"

"We have to run." He whispered and before you could even say anything, he pulled you with him running towards the gate with the guards chasing you both.

Walking out of the gate, the guards were still behind you but you both were fast enough to run away from them as you ended up in a silent road. Halting, you both were panting and catching your breath before looking at eachother for a moment and burst into laughter.

"That was insane." He chuckled calming himself and you nodded giggling back. "But it was fun."

"I have got something." He said taking out something from his bag and showed you two small bottles of beer causing you gasp. "You.. Seriously?"

He shrugged smiling handing you one while he took a sip of his own and you chuckled. "I thought you were some arrogant guy but you know how to laugh, huh?"

"And I thought you were some scaredy cat but you know how to have fun, huh?" He tilted his head smirking and you glared at him playfully before breaking into giggles with him.

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Cold breeze touching your face with the silence and the beautiful view of city lights brightening infront of your eyes was so soothing and perfect place to rest here.

"How did you know this place?" You turned towards the young stranger beside you on the big stone. "I have noticed, you seemed to know this place very well. Are you like.. Traveler?"

He shrugged. "You can say that."

"You even knew where to rent a car from." You paused frowning before gasping. "Don't tell me you're a wanted criminal and I have been touring around with you?"

He chuckled looking at you with an unreadable expression. "Don't worry, I don't harm beautiful women."

You stared at him blankly. "Did you.. Did you just flirt with me?"

He smiled tilting his head. "What do you think?"

You didn't replied and just looked ahead smiling before feeling his gaze on you as you looked at nervously. "What?"

"What?"

You let out a nervous chuckle. "Why are looking at me like that?"

He smiled fondly. "Because you're beautiful and I like looking at beautiful things."

"Oh My God! Stop!" You exclaimed laughing and looked ahead. "This will get awkward!"

You looked back at him and started laughing as he joined you back. "Can I say more?"

"No! Shut up!"

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It was 6 in the morning and you found yourself at the airport with your luggage looking at the young stranger infront of you. "So.. This is where we part ways."

He groaned lowly. "Why our flights had to be different? I had practiced more lines."

"Seriously?" You laughed and he smiled before fishing out something from his pocket. "It's yours."

It was the polaroid picture which you took with him and smiled. "What about you?"

"I have mine." He showed the copy of it smilingly. "By the way, Are you going to be okay? Or gonna cry again if something occurs again?"

You looked at him offended. "Hey! I wasn't crying!"

He nodded humming. "Yeah, it was raining from your eyes."

You laughed before the announcement was made of your flight causing you to look at him as you smiled sadly. "It was really fun touring around with you. Mr. Arrogant stranger."

"Same here. Miss. Scaredy cat." He chuckled and you rolled you eyes before holding out your hand. "Goodbye, then."

He smiled sadly not really wanting to part ways as he sighed shaking his hand with yours. "Have a safe journey."

You sighed feeling strange as if something was being empty inside but you shrugged it off before walking away while waving at him for the last time.

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"Look at this way. Okay, 1, 2, 3!"

And the photographer captured your picture with the bride where you let her rest and walked outside. It's been two days to that day and you were actually missing that young stranger.

The most dumb thing you have done was that you never asked for his name nor his number. Well, you didn't had guts to do the latter but your dumb self didn't do the former one either.

Roaming around aimlessly in the big hall, your eyes spotted a familiar figure walking beside a man in a black suit and you shook your head. "There's no way. Y/n, you have gone nuts."

You walked towards the food court and began to eat until you heard a voice behind you making you halt on your spot.

"You're still not full. Scaredy cat?"

Turning around, your mind went blank to see the person you were missing was standing right in front of you smiling. "You.. Here.. How?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked towards you. "What do you think?"

You tilted your head pondering. "You can't be here because of me, right?"

He smirked. "What if I am?"

You crossed your arms. "That would be stalking, Mr. Arrogant."

He chuckled. "You look beautiful."

You smiled playfully. "Not sure, If I can say the same."

He laughed holding out his hand. "Kim Jongin."

You smiled shaking his hand. "Y/n."

And it went from a day with the stranger to a lifetime with him.

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Just a oneshot came into my mind and decided to write it and now posting it! Well, I hope you like it!