#I made a promise not to jump on the next ship in sight

[existingingrey]

Me after shipping the MLs of every crime thriller. That's it I'm done I will never do it again.

Finds the next crime thriller in "Black Out". Okay this is it this is nice the MLs are Detective and Ex-con totally unshippable. I'm saved.

The detective and ex-con in question.

[shadowdaddies]

Reunited - Part II

Fenrys x Reader

Part I | Part III

Summary: after years of working as a spy in Adarlan, you are finally reunited with your cousin, Aelin, as you join the war to reclaim Terrasen and bring peace to Erilea. What you don't expect is to meet your mate in the middle of a war.

A/N: this story will have at least two more parts; this one is very angsty I’m sorry

Warnings: canon-typical violence, EOS spoilers

The door to the pub slammed behind Aedion with such a force that you flinched in your seat. 

“He will come around,” you murmured, reaching your hand across the table towards your father. You sighed softly at Gavriel’s dejected expression, taking his hand in your own as you mustered a weak smile. “I’ll talk to him,” you promised, knowing the sway you held with your brother.

Your father’s tawny eyes shone with something like pride as he squeezed your hand, his blonde hair swaying as he shook his head. “Aedion is right to feel the way that he does. I don’t expect him to come around easily. He is as stubborn as your mother,” Gavriel paused, a lump working in his throat as he studied you. “And you are as fiercely kind.”

You opened your mouth to say more, something to comfort him, when an alarm rang in the distance. Gavriel had drawn his dagger before you could blink, his body blocking yours protectively from the rest of the room. Another alarm sounded from the lookout tower, dreading realization crashing over you like the waves you looked to out the window. 

Jumping from your seat, you sprinted up the stairs to Rolfe’s office Aelin stood, her relaxed demeanor a stark contrast to Rolfe’s torrent of emotions. He regretfully reached a tattooed hand towards Aelin, the blonde gladly shaking it. “Thank you for your assistance, Lord Rolfe.”

The mischievous glint in your cousin’s eyes told you all that you needed to know, but Aelin wasted no time barking orders for everyone in the room to get to the ships and prepare for the Valg’s approach. 

Fenrys found you quickly, his arm wrapping protectively around your waist as you hurried towards the docks. Despite everything, the peace that filled you at his simple touch was undeniable. In the few days you had spent together, Fenrys had become an anchor in the storm of this impending war. 

“Are you okay?” he murmured, voice like a soft balm to your nerves as you took his hand from around your waist, weaving your fingers through his own. 

Your gaze flicked to his, the tenderness in his onyx eyes grounding you in the moment. “I’m alright,” you promised, squeezing his hand in reassurance. 

You reached the ship, Fenrys lifting you by the waist to help you over the ledge of the vessel, only for you to trip and stumble into his warm, toned chest. Your hearts pounded, synchronized even in the chaos as you made your way to the bow of the boat where Aelin and Rowan stood.

Salty air whipped around your face in breathtaking levels of wind, seawater splashing as Rowan’s wind propelled the ship unnaturally fast against the waves. Lysandra’s scales shone underneath the water, what would be a dazzling sight if not for the fear that had worked its way deep inside of you at the sight of the Valg fleet approaching. 

The next hour was a blur of fighting, canon fire, sea monsters, and every impossible thing you never believed could happen in this world. Nightmares followed the next several nights. The image of Aelin, burning out of control and falling into the sea, Fenrys’s hand ripping from your own as he dove after her.

~~~

That night, you awoke in a cold sweat, hands clawing at the edges of the mattress as you’d clung to the railing of the ship when you’d watched your mate dive out of sight. You had barely registered your surroundings - the peaceful inside of your cabin - when a familiar warm hand touched your shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s alright. I’m here,” Fenrys murmured in your ear, a silent sob breaking through you at his voice. “Can I hold you?” he asked, hand lightly rubbing your shoulder. 

You nodded, sniffling as you tugged Fenrys’s hand from your shoulder, wrapping it around your waist as you moved as close as possible to his warmth. “You scared me today,” you admitted, barely above a whisper. “I thought... I thought that this wonderful thing, this bond with an incredible male had come just in time for me to lose you. And I can’t. I can’t lose you, Fenrys. I’m sorry if it’s too soon for me to say that, but I don’t know how I’ve lived without you in my life.”

Blonde curls fell across your cheek as Fenrys leaned down, his lips warm as they pressed a lingering touch to your ear. “I understand completely. You have brought a light to my life that I did not think possible, and I would do anything to keep you safe and happy. That is why I dove after Aelin. She will keep you safe - I know that. And you are my priority now. You have given me new purpose.”

In all your years - even before those spent as a spy in Adarlan - you had never experienced such profound intimacy. Never connected, cared for someone as deeply as you did for your mate. It was frightening to consider, but his warm press against your body filled any cracks of doubt and worry, allowing you to sleep soundly in his arms. 

Each night passed the same way, Fenrys and you now sharing the same bed, simply holding each other. Your physical intimacy never went further than a kiss on the cheek, arms wrapped around one another’s waist, but the emotional connection was something you did not believe possible.

~~~

When Melisande’s fleet descended upon you, Fenrys kept you close to his side, the two of you working seamlessly as a team to defend your ships and allies from the Valg. Canon fire roared in your ears as you saw Lorcan’s dark form at the stern of the ship - his eyes set on the coast where he had left Elide. 

“Fenrys!” you called, desperate for your mate’s attention as Lorcan abandoned ship, the desperation with which he fought his way towards shore something you wouldn’t have understood until you met Fenrys. Your mate caught your gaze, his onyx eyes flaring wide as he tracked Lorcan’s movements.

“Elide is in danger. I need you to trust me - I will go help them, but I want you safe here on the ship,” Fenrys pleaded, hands cupping your cheeks as he blocked out the world to focus on you. 

“I can’t leave you again,” you admitted, hand coming up to hold his own. Silver lined your eyes as Fenrys’s forehead leaned against your own. “Please,” you whispered, voice broken as you held him close, as though you could stop him from leaving.

Your father’s hand clasped on Fenrys’s shoulder, drawing the two of you from your moment. “It’s now or never,” he spoke, voice firm yet warm as Gavriel nodded towards the dingy. “We will be able to hold off these forces, but we need to leave now if you want to help Lorcan and Elide.”

Without a second thought, you ran towards the dingy, hopping inside along your mate and father as the three of you rowed to shore. Stumbling through the sand, your legs ached from the strain of running towards the crowd of people further inland. And time stood still as you recognized the pale, black-haired female lashing out dark power at Aelin. 

Maeve’s eyes shone with wicked delight as people stood around, helpless while an exhausted Aelin crumpled before the fae queen. Your father rushed forward, leaving you behind with Fenrys as he pleaded Maeve to spare Aelin.

“Please,” Gavriel whispered, kneeling before Maeve. “Leave Aelin be. Take me instead. Take my life.” 

The scream that ripped from your throat was muffled by a large hand over your mouth, Lorcan’s intense gaze looking down upon you as he slowly shook his head. “Do not alert attention to yourself. She cannot know what you are to Fenrys,” he whispered. 

Every nerve in your body was on fire, panic coursing through your veins as you turned to see the male who swore to stay by your side, slowly inching further away. 

You were vaguely aware of your father, his own tears hitting the ground beneath him as he felt the pain of his blood bond being stripped away. Waves of horror knocked the breath from your lungs as Maeve called Aelin to bow, your cousin and Queen whipped before your eyes while no one took action.

Fenrys stood still, frozen under Maeve’s command as your mate could not afford to spare you a glance, leaving you at the mercy of Lorcan’s strong arm holding you back. “Do not make a scene, unless you want to make it worse for Fenrys,” he warned.

Salty tears streaked down your cheeks, your gaze locking with the tawny eyes of your father as he weakly managed his way over to you. Blinding anger coursed through you, confusion at how you could end up in this situation, surrounded by the most feared warriors, all of you forced into a position of waiting as your Queen was placed in an iron sarcophagus.

Fists clenched so hard your nails drew blood from your palms, disgusted with yourself as you allowed Aelin to be taken away so that your mate would be spared. And then the ground fell out from under you when Maeve ordered Fenrys to follow.

Your mate did not so much as spare you a look over his shoulder, but every muscle in his body seemed to strain as he fought against the order to walk away from you, from your father, your new family. 

You bit down hard, Lorcan hissing as your teeth sunk into his fingers, blood dripping from your lips as he released you. You charged after Fenrys, running with no plan other than willing to risk everything for the person who had become more than everything to you.

But once again, broad arms wrapped around your waist as your father held you in his arms. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry” Gavriel whispered, tears streaking down his face as you felt his calm, healing power wash over you, the world fading to black as you lost consciousness.

[yaut-jaknowit]

Tailored To Fit

Pairing: We'ar-ow (Female Yautja) x Reader

Word Count: 4308

Summary: We'ar-ow drags you back to her room forces you to take another bath. With a fleeting glance in a nearby mirror, you see what she done to you. You asked her what the symbol is. Hers. Dwainet didn’t mark you, another mistake on his part. Now, you are hers forever. After said bath, you are next pulled along to another place on the ship. How many times will this occur before you lose it?!

Author Note: I promise yall I'm not dead, just went on a trip then got covid afterwards. So… sort of dead but not fully, yet. Thank you for all your wonderful comments! I love reading them. I do promise We'ar-ow will lighten up, but you'll have to wait and see!

Masterlist

Ao3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18

The metal elevator doors whooshed open before you, snapping you from your scattered thoughts. Physically, you jumped with your shoulders scrunched but had to relax. Pain spiked up from the new wound on the back of your neck. A hiss pushed passed clenched teeth.

Yesterday was shit. Today was shit. Tomorrow’s forecast looks to be heading in the same direction. A pained sigh had most of your muscles relaxing. You finally took the first step out of the metal box to join We’ar-ow. Said alien was heading straight towards the door of her apartment like dwelling. Her tall height helped her long strides. We’ar-ow was already at the door and inputting a code for it unlock. Something you noticed this time. Hm.

More metal slid out of the way to reveal the Monarch’s courters. You’ll never get used to the sight. This place dwarfed what Dwainet had. It made sense. Royalty got everything. Lower-class got nothing. The Monarch gets what she wants. That unfortunately had you stuck in this mess of a new life.

We’ar-ow wasted no time stepping into the room. On the opposite hand, you had paused until taking the unnecessary movements to pass the threshold. Behind the duo, the door closed with a soft hissed. The noise making you jump again.

Yet, there was a sight before you that held your full attention. We’ar-ow’s body completely relaxed after the privacy of her room was completed. Your head tilted slightly, brows furrowed for only a moment. The next, the Monarch huffed and marched towards her room. You were back to be tense all over again.

Flashes of what lies beyond appear each time you blinked. Skulls. Skulls of your own kind mounted on her wall. Decorations and prizes she’s been either gifted or collected herself. You didn’t know anything about her. Is she more of a hunter or are most of the bones in the collection are gifts? If so, then most of those came from during the… mating season. You were about to shiver at the reminder when a harsh voice tore you from your thoughts.

“Pet! Follow.”

Instinctively, you felt yourself ready to turn back around and head out the door, tail between your legs. Steeling your frantic nerves, you stayed facing the predator all the way on the other side of her living room. Even with that much space between both of you, there was not a chance you would make it to the elevator before she caught. Like a little game of cat and mouse. A game so easily won before it even started.

The thick lump in your throat made it hard to swallow, throat bobbing with the action. One foot, slowly after another, had you losing the safe distance you had unintentionally created earlier. Before you knew it, now you stood before the Yautja you felt uneasy about. Her gaze reveal nothing of what she felt. She guarded everything about herself, not letting a single drop be seen. A mask well worn. A mask well crafted.

Once you were back in arm’s length, her hand shot out and grasped your wrist. Without further ado, she pulled you into the nightmare that was her room. Immediately, your eyes find the five skulls hanging in the same spot as before. Maybe a minute part of yourself hoped she would’ve taken them down. Never. Not for you. She wasn’t like anything that had made up Dwainet.

Maybe that was a good thing? Seeing this in your new home for the time being.

You were promptly dragged through the room and over to the bathroom once more. She let go after passing the threshold and marched over to the in ground bathtub. Oh god, not again!

To save yourself some trouble, you find your voice, even as small as it is. “I-I don’t need, need another bath.” In all honesty, it sounded like a squeak in your eyes.

As the Monarch messed with the dials and tested the temperature, you saw her mandibles twitch. It was minuscule but nothing she could hide. She finished up with the tub and stood back to her full height, forever towering over you. Her feet barely made a sound as she marched over to you. Another scoff leaving her alien mouth.

“Yes, you do, pet. You still stink of that male. Your branding needs to be clean. Oomans get infections easily.” Wait. Hold up. Back up. Rewind. ‘Branding’? What did she do?!

Anger prickled uncomfortably up the length of your spine, but you did not act on it. The fear still crawling around like a cold, frozen bath put out the fire. You bite your tongue to hold it back. Instead, you found a question to take it’s place. “Can I get some privacy this time?” Something simple. Something any-

“No.” Just no. No explanation. Nothing but a single word to answer your question. “Strip.” Gods, not again! You’ve been humiliated enough today out in public. Especially when she just simply pinned you to the dirt mats and carved something into your flesh.

Two days! It’s only been two days. Already, you could feel this wasn’t going to last long. There was only a certain point you could wait to until harsh words were lashed at her. The Monarch would return fire with probably snapping your neck. Nothing but a pet. That’s all what you were to her. Meaning nothing more. How much could you endure before your lid popped off?

Again, you swallowed and found a spot on the ground more interesting. The clothes given to you by We’ar-ow were stripped from your frail body and held in your hands. A snarky remark sitting like a hot coal on the tip of your tongue. So close to touching the air and spewing burning fire at the person who owns you. Like a good pet, you kept your head bowed and listened.

We’ar-ow stalked around to the back of you and disappeared from your sight. Your body far too tense to turn around and find out what she was doing. She stayed a foot away from you, body heat rolling off of her like a dragon’s fiery breath.

Warm, calloused pads rested on the spot where your neck meets your shoulder. Like prey, you tensed, ready for a finishing blow to wipe you from her presence. The hit never came. Just the softest of strokes over the clotting mark. You hissed from the pain. We’ar-ow did not react, ignoring your movements and sounds.

All you do was glance over to a nearby mirror. A chance to see what the mark looked like. Red, anger, a spitting image of how you feel reflected in the glass. The symbol was strange. Nothing you’ve seen before or heard about from Dwainet. Part of you wants to reach back and run your fingers against it. To see if it was truly there or a part of your imagination.

When We’ar-ow stroked it once more, the newly clotted blood was brushed off. More of the red, hot liquid poured from the wound. She had gone deep. Deep enough to scar. Shit. It was a mark of ownership over you. “What is it?” you had asked, needing confirmation of your suspicion. If she would reveal her hand, you would take it.

“My Monarch symbol. That male never marked you. Another mistake he’ll pay for. Yet, it works out in my favor. No mark on you makes you free rein. I warned him cycles ago to do it… but he never did. His loss is my gain.” The desperate need to ask her why she wants you sits on your tongue again. Her original answer of her being the Monarch didn’t sit right. There was more beyond the façade she put on. Something that you wanted to peel back and reveal, to learn what made We’ar-ow, We’ar-ow.

What was itching in your throat more was the need to yell. To scream at her you aren’t hers or her pet, no matter what mark she put on you, no matter what she called you. Dwainet may have abandoned you, but you aren’t free rein.

Human or not, they’ll learn you aren’t some weak-minded creature.

Heated hands slipped from your body and almost left you cold and shivering. The tub was close to full at this point. No steam rolled off the surface. We’ar-ow stepped around to stand at your side. “Enter. Keep scrubbing at your skin until that wretched male smell is gone from you. I don’t want to catch another whiff of him again,” she spoke, eyes on the water.

About an inch before the water touched the edge, We’ar-ow sat down on her haunches and turned the dials off. You observed the way she stood up. A touch of grace, a hint of caution, most importantly, the ferocity in knowing you could die so quickly to her. Before you would’ve probably know it, your neck could be snapped.

She didn’t turn back to you as she walked over to the bathroom sink. The words from before echoed in your mind. You carefully entered the tub before anything damning could escape your feeble lips. Your barrowed clothing set right the edge. The small piece of jewelry given to you was set on top of the pile.

You took her order seriously, nervous of what she might do if she did smell him again. Your skin scrubbed with just your bare hands till you believed it was good enough. Once more, you kept everything hidden below the water line.

Throughout the whole process, We’ar-ow stood at the counter, both hands resting on the edge. For the life of you, you couldn’t figure out what she was doing or thinking. But if she stayed over there, eyes off of you, there was not much to complain out. You continued to scrub with your hands until you felt ready to exit.

After finishing up, you waded through the water towards the edge closest to her. Your chin peacefully resting on your crossed arms relaxing on the metal that made up her bathroom floor. From this new spot, you observed the mighty Monarch be in her own world. It seemed strange to see her like this, her guard more lowered than you’ve ever seen it before. You wondered if there was a big enough chance to kill her where she stood.

Where would you go from there though? Her clan would be infuriated with you. Fuck that, they would be a thousand times worse than just that. You would probably not be even killed right away. No, they most likely would torture you for however long they feel like it. That’s a quick death you’d beg for like the pathetic prey you are.

Truly, this life offered no escape. Surrounded by a species born to hunt and kill. Is death better? Is death the only escape than being a pet to the Monarch?

Yet, the Monarch has nothing but been fair to you. Excluding the branding. Before that, not a wrongful paw or claw had been laid upon you. Clothes, food, a roof over your head, and your own room. Though, a room that is decorated for a pet than an actual person. It was something better than what Dwainet has ever given to you.

Maybe you were blinded by love the entire time. Here you were, a young adult. The first whiff of love and now you’re stuck on an alien ship, god only knows how many miles away from home. Your lungs quivered with a huge intake. Then, you realized a large, pink form crouched down before you. You squeaked and pushed back from the body.

Water splashed about, licking up the sides of the tub and over the edge. Your arms instinctively curl in to cover up yourself as you stared wide eyed at We’ar-ow. How in the world did she just appear there?!

Similar to a cat, her eyes slowly blink as she observed you. A hand reached down and tapped the ledge, her talons making a clicking sound. The move in your mind was instantly reminding as an owner calling their dog. It was hard to steel your expression from turning sour. This. This was ridiculous. This was humiliating!

And, you listened. No other choice but to listen. Punishment was something you didn’t want to learn about from her. Dwainet never harmed you but that was because you believed he loved you. Maybe he fell as quickly in love with you just as quickly as he fell out of love. You pushed through the water, arms crossed firmly over your chest, and stopped before her crouched frame.

We’ar-ow simply offered a hand in your direction. Surprise morphed your face before you gently rested your hand in hers. The strength of a freight train drove her to pull you up, out of the water, and deposit you on bathroom floor. You stood before her, in shock on how quickly that occurred then shook your head. Water was flung side to side with the motion. Whoops.

Crystal clear water ran rivers down your exposed skin, creating a small pool at your feet. Said pool soon rolled down back to the tub. We’ar-ow used a toe to press a button next to the dials. The water is now retreating from the bath.

A curled finger used your chin to guide your face back to face the creature in front of you. We’ar-ow bent down slightly, pink tongue flickering between her mandibles and tasting the air. Like a predator, she slowly moved her head to scan you over. A content grunt sounded. She stood back at her full height and grasped your bicep in her hold.

Like before, you were dragged over to a familiar spot and blasted with warm air. Your skin dried within seconds. We’ar-ow movements were swift, demanding, and left you no room for a word. No chances were offered before she had you dressed and trotting after her through the halls. Every one of her steps light, feet bare on the metal, clanship floors. Just like you. But your feet made small slaps no matter how hard you tried. It was either her skin or the way she just stepped.

The pink Yautja stopped before a door and inputted a code. The movements of something you found familiar, just like back at her own door.

A beep sounded and the metal slid out of the way. What was revealed to you was something out of a book or movie. We’ar-ow stepped forward, completely ignoring the way you just stood there, eyes sparkling.

It had a strange appeal to it. Clothes, armor, and anything of the sort were everywhere. Organized but everywhere. On mannequins or hangars. From tall ceilings to floor, the place was filled with all sort of different fabrics and clothing. You were enamored and felt like a child in a candy store. This was all knew and boy was it cool!

“Pet.” Shit. You snapped out of your joy, eyes finding We’ar-ow’s back to you. How did she know? You took the necessary steps to walk over to her, behind her but more to her side.

That’s when you saw a new Yautja. Instinctively, you wanted to take a step to the side and hide behind the Monarch. Yet, you stayed rooted in the same spot and gazed upon this male Yautja.

Cliché enough, a monocle sat on his left eye. The other was gone, a deep, ugly scar replacing it. You could only cringe on the inside of the pain he had to endure from that. He wore something unusual for Yautjas. More of a suit or uniform adorn his brown/bronze body. He was a beautiful color. He messed with his gauntlet device on his arm before picking up his head.

In slow motion, you watched as his laxed body tensed under the sight of We’ar-ow’s new presences. Then, he bowed his head, eyes going towards the floor. Respect instantly given to her. “Monarch! On time, like always,” he spoke, voice sounding a higher pitch in the Yautja he used. The translator in your ear almost drowning him out.

She stayed where she was without moving a single inch. “Ruach,” she greeted the now nervous Yautja before reaching over to you. A massive paw landed on your shoulder and guided you forward.

Ruach’s eyes were on you the moment you were pushed into the spotlight. There was indifference in your eyes. Good. At least, he didn’t have a hatred or disgust for your kind. “Ah, the ooman.” He took a step towards you. The hand on you twitched, fingers slightly digging into your flesh now. A sight he caught on quickly and reframed from taking anymore steps. “I will need to touch it for measurements.”

Your face twitched, anger flashing in your eyes at his jab. It? These spineless pricks! You breathed carefully through your nose and just watched the Yautja pull out a measuring tape.

The hand slipped from your shoulder, brushing down your back. In its wake, goosebumps sprouted to life. You had to stop yourself from shivering.

“The clothes must be removed as well,” he spoke as matter-of-factly. Your head jerked back, mouth falling open. One threatening step was taken in his direction. A finger pointed straight at him as you glared deadly daggers at him.

“Now, wait a fucking minute! You-“ a hand engulfed your mouth and yanked you flush to a boiling body. You stiffened, knowing who did it without having to look. The grip on your face was firm but not anywhere near hurting you. Just a warning.

Heat flashed in the male eyes, mandibles twitching. Now disgust pooled in those once gorgeous eyes of his. “My pet is still learning their place.” Is all she does to deviate the issue away from you. That hurt as well. You were half tempted to bite viciously at the hand covering your mouth. The rational side of your brain was quick to snuff out of that thought. Nothing good would come of it. All you had to do was bide your time currently and hope to survive.

Your hot breath fanned over the hand cupping the lower part of your face. All you could do in this moment was pray she doesn’t just snap your neck for the sudden outburst. Yet, you were still seething at the fact he wanted you to strip naked. Over your dead body.

The male grunted and tried to keep an indifferent look on his face, but he failed. On the other hand, you were full blown glaring this alien down.

We’ar-ow yanked your head tighter against her, officially drawing your attention away from him. Your throat bobbed as you looked up at her. All you could see was the bottom of her jaw and lower mandibles. Her eyes probably on the male.

“The clothing can be removed,” We’ar-ow said, dismissing your disapproval. If you weren’t in front of others, you would’ve cried. This was just downright shameful.

From the angle We’ar0ow held your head and pressure on your throat, speaking was next to impossible. There was no room to voice how embarrassing stripping naked in front of her, let alone him was. You didn’t know him! At least, you’ve been around We’ar-ow for two days. Not much but still something! Your hand balled into fists at your side as you burned holes into the underside of We’ar-ow’s jaw. Not that she was paying you any attention.

He looked at you with a glint in his eye. “It won’t try to bite, right?” Inside of you head, you thought ‘the fuck I won’t’. Your confidence went down the drain though.

The hand around a soft, vulnerable area slipped away. Sharp, lethal claws dragging across your skin, a warning to be on your best behavior. She nudged you forward towards the other Yautja. “Strip, pet.” The bone of your jaw creaked as you did everything in your power to not react aggressively.

“Why? Can’t he measure me with my clothes on? I’m not getting naked in front of some random person!” I yelled and whipped around to face We’ar-ow. The Yautja looked at with a mostly indifferent look in her bright eyes. But there were specks of something else floating around.

All she did was bend a little at the waist to get closer to your face. The look in her eye told you everything needed to know. Either you did it willingly or she’ll do it for you. With tight lips and anger flashing across your face, you harshly tore your clothes off and threw them next to you. “I hope you’re fucking happy for continuously embarrassing me,” you snarled, fists shaking at your sides.

Nothing was said as Ruach got to work and began to measure all different parts of your body. During this time, you found the floor to be far more entertaining. Thankfully, he worked quick and efficiently. His hands rarely even skimmed against my skin. Once it was all done, he stepped back and inputted the new information on the screen on his gauntlet.

“I’ve recorded all that is necessary. If you need something, Monarch, let me know.” With that, he turned around and sat down at his desk to begin working on my new clothing.

Part of you is jittery at the fact We’ar-ow is getting you new clothes, somewhat spoiling you. On the other hand, this Yautja has constantly disrespected your boundaries constantly. You could care less about it being her culture or what not or the fact she’s top dog. All you were was a pet to her. Nothing more.

The loss of body heat close by drew your attention away from Ruach. We’ar-ow was making her way back to the door. Your feet slapped against the ground as you retreated after her form like a lost puppy. But before you could take a step out, you realized you had no clothes on.

Still in your hand, you were swift to pull on the fabric back into place. We’ar-ow waited long enough for you to finish. The place gave you an uncomfortable feeling, so you were quick to race after her once more. Away from this embarrassing place and that infuriating male. Your body trembled for the last time in the hallway outside of the room.

We’ar-ow you straight back to the safety of her suite. No stops or letting anyone talk to her. Not that anyone would. A Monarch is a busy person. She had no time to pause and chitchat.

The threshold of her room started to offer relief. We’ar-ow wasn’t someone you trusted but having your guard up all the time wasn’t good. Your mind already starting to lag after the last two days of action and agony. A broken heart isn’t something to brush off. Blindly, you followed We’ar-ow to a room you’ve seen before.

Before you know it, you’re sitting down on the human sized dog pet. Your legs are crossed as you peered up at the big hunk of muscle in front of you. A look of indifference on her pink face. The Yautja leaned down and softly grasped your chin. Her mandibles twitched in thought. A mind you wished to eavesdrop on. Whatever was rolling around in there had to have important.

A left her mouth, eyes slowly closing. “Adapt to this new life, pet. Quickly or else I cannot save you.” Your first reaction was to tilt your head but her hold stopped that. What did she mean about the saving part? You held your tongue and watched as she stared into your eyes. It was like she was trying to find something, whatever that might be.

Either she did or didn’t, We’ar-ow returned to her full height, hand slipping away. “Stay,” she ordered and motioned with her hand in a universal sign to ‘wait’. And you did.

The Yautja left for a few long moments but returned quickly with a red, wooden bowl. From your angle on the floor, you couldn’t see what the contents were until she handed it to you.

Fruit. Exotic fruit from what would like Pandora. A hidden smile graced your face, one she spotted. You timidly accepted her offer. Before a taking a bite, you gazed back up at her. She quirked a brow down at you. “What is it?” The harsh voice added with the rudeness of her words made you flinch, clutching the bowl tightly. Like she would rip it from your hands and yell at you.

“N-nothing,” you stuttered and bowed your head, refusing to find her bright eyes on you. You chewed on your bottom lip and gazed at the fruit.

The Yautja ‘hmpf’ed. “We need to work on that.” You don’t know what she was referring to but went along with it. Anything to get to leave quickly. Today was already a disaster. The last thing you wanted was her anger to be directed strictly on you.

Two stiff pats to your head and she was leaving. The sight of her feet facing in the other direction had you picking up your chin to watch her go. You observed her powerful walk. Each step firm and calculating. A powerhouse of strictly muscle and will to survive made up this woman.

Your new bedroom door slid shut. When it did, your body slumped as you did everything in your power not to just sob into the bowl of fruit. Half of you wanted to chuck the damn thing away from you in a fit of rage. The logical side thought of waste it would be to toss it away. Food gave strength. You need strength to survive, let alone escape. You needed to take everything she gave you to keep living on.

One day, you’ll return home.

Part 1 |Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18

[ninjigma]

QuinFox Week Part 4/7 - First / Previous / Next

Day 4: Keeping the Other Alive + Fox find's Quin's Lightsaber Track: 'Escape From East Berlin' - Daniel Pemberton (Spotify / YouTube)

"You have to stay with me Vos, come on!"

He really was trying, promise.

"I know, just... focus on keeping up. I'll do the rest, okay?"

Quinlan took a slow breath, focusing on just putting one fast-paced foot in front of the other. His awareness was muted in his attempt to mask his pain, and at this point, all the energy he had was being expended in keeping ahead of whatever droids were left on their tail.

Suddenly he was being hauled up and forward, aware of the ladder only when its rungs were suddenly beneath his hands.

"Up!" Fox barked, shots ringing out after his words. 

Quinlan obeyed the sharp order without hesitation. He was around three floors up when his awareness flared and he wrenched backward, a hand flailing wildly as he lost his hold on the wet durasteel. A new slew of blaster fire came from the end of the alleyway, backup arriving and causing further chaos. Moving purely on instinct he reached for where his saber was clipped to his belt-

And found nothing.

The sound of his saber igniting drew his gaze downward, the green flashing and lighting up across the red of Fox's armor. The clone must have picked it up earlier when Quinlan had nearly collapsed, no time to do much more than grab the saber in one hand and pull Quinlan back to his feet with the other. Now Fox was moving with deadly accuracy, cloak fanning out around him, and Quinlan noted how even without Force sensitivity Fox was plenty skilled with the blade. He was precise and sly in his movements, expertly incorporating the blaster to dispatch another droid with a bullseye to the head, the sight inspiring some rather unique feelings in the base of Quinlan’s stomach.

"I said up Vos!"

Right, he was supposed to be climbing. Without another thought he continued moving, easily trusting Fox to cover him. That simple piece of knowledge that Fox was with him was enough to assure him they had a chance in all of this mess, was enough to motivate him forward.

He made it to the roof without further incident, slipping over the edge and sliding across the wet surface. The way it momentarily muffled the sound of the alleyway and how the rain thrummed against Quinlan's skin brought the Jedi a moment's respite, a second of clarity in the fog where he tried to parse out what they needed to do next.

He wasn't dead, not yet anyhow. But now they were on a rooftop and rather exposed to any air support the Separatists may have in the area. They needed cover, Quinlan needed medical attention, and most of all they had to get back to the ship and out of this damned sector.

All too soon Fox was joining him, Quinlan only having a few moments to breathe before Fox had grabbed his hand and yanked them both across slick metal and tile. Fox was still holding his saber, playing their escape purely on the defensive, and Quinlan was again truly impressed with how well Fox was handling the blade, continuous sweeps that blocked blaster bolts out of the sheer speed of the weapon's arc. 

Though Quinlan knew this wouldn't last long. Already he could see the end of the street coming up with a gap they definitely couldn't jump across. Fox had been guiding them as best he could, but they would be stuck with nowhere to go now, and would end up surrounded and outnumbered in seconds. They wouldn’t last long.

Unless...

Fox had begun to slow, head whipping around in search of some way out of this besides fighting straight back through the droids. Thus he was a bit surprised when Quinlan somehow found an extra burst of speed and began pulling Fox along after him instead.

Fox wasn’t dying like this, for something Quinlan had done, not while he was still drawing air.

"General?!" Quinlan managed a rather unhinged smile at the surprise in Fox's tone, though the commander followed without any other complaint. If anything he sped up, keeping pace directly toward the edge of the building, even when it became clear that was exactly what Quinlan was aiming for.

Trust me.

It may have been a trick of his mind, his single focus on getting them both out of this alive, but Quinlan could swear Fox squeezed his hand before leaping off that roof with him.

Always.

The feeling of free falling wasn’t unknown to Quinlan, but the struggle not to succumb to dizziness as he stretched out a hand and slowed them was an interesting first. He gave all of his attention to the presence of Fox, adding it to his own awareness and willing the Force up to meet them. In a rather graceless move the Force answered, just before they reached the street, and they were suspended perfectly in the air a moment before falling the last foot to safety. 

Quinlan staggered, would’ve fallen if not for Fox immediately tucking into his side and pushing them ever onward. Now the Jedi really was stumbling, his energy burning up faster than he could think.

Then they were stopped, hands were on his shoulders. Black spots dotted his vision, but things were quiet finally and Quinlan could swear he wasn’t standing any longer. All that really mattered was how he could still sense Fox, reaching out and focusing on that steady and clever soul in order to find the motivation to keep moving. 

Well, they must be safe if Fox had stopped them, had begun pressing something against where Quinlan knew his shoulder should hurt but only felt the dull sensation of Fox’s hands.

He always thought Fox had nice hands, strong and sleek with a small scar on his right palm.

Maybe Fox would let him kiss it, just once.

“Don’t- Quinlan!”

[luvrsbian]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐏

A/N: thank you so so SO much for the support on part one. i did not expect that at all!! everyones likes, reblogs, comments, and tags made my whole day (especially the comments and tags, almost cried during class cause i was soft over some of y'alls fic reviews) um, anyway, still fluffy, still 4k words, still a little awkward eddie, and some very minor angst for plot movement. nothing to be scared about, i promise. also, this fic is very much not a slow burn, it's more akin to love-at-first-sight-but-were-both-awkward-idiot-dummys. and as always so much love and praise for mona @enam3l for making sure this fic is coherent and not just me rambling thoughts. please enjoy!

PART ONE ✿ PART THREE

Virginias letter sat heavy in Eddie’s pocket for the remainder of the day. Only being touched again when he took it from the deep, work pockets and folded it up to put in his jean pockets as he left for the day back home.  

Eddie didn’t see you the rest of the day, assuming you left around 2:50 like Virginia would, his own shift not ending till 4. This theory being confirmed when he did finally head out, there were only two cars left in the staff lot. One being his van, his baby that was on her last legs. A few spots down sat the second, Mr. Sinclair’s Honda Accord. Knowing the father of Lucas and Erica, an ex-elementary school teacher turned middle school principal, he probably wouldn’t be heading out till around 5:30 when Ron came in for the night shift and lockup. Mr. Sinclair was a kindly principle with a no-nonsense policy yet, still carefree enough for the kids to like him. He was way better than the principle of Hawkins middle when Eddie attended.   

Eddie parked the Mystery Machine - a name dubbed by Robin the first time he took her and Steve on a drive - in front of the small, blue house. Wayne’s car still parked in the driveway, his shift at the plant not starting till 6; giving Eddie enough time to take a power nap and make dinner for the both of them. Tonight was definitely a soup and grilled cheese kinda night. Maybe some steamed broccoli for a balanced meal or what not.  

Entering the home, he falls into his usual after work ritual of putting any change from his pockets into the coin-jar and his keys next to it. Then, his shoes come off and are placed by the door so he could slip them on easily in the morning. Wayne’s door was closed, presumably still sleeping, so he does his routine quietly. He keeps his shirt on but takes his jeans off to put on some plaid, loose fit pajama bottoms. Before discarding his jeans into the could-be-worn-again pile, he takes out the note. With a sigh, he sits on the edge of the bed with the letter clasped in his fingers.   

Eddie doesn’t even know why the letter was stressing him out so badly. He knew it wouldn’t be anything truly bad. Yeah, he was bummed he wasn’t warned beforehand about her sudden retirement to Florida, but at least she left him something to explain herself. That’s more than the other people in his life who upped and left with no warning could say.   

Man up, dude. It’s just words on some paper.  

With a few more seconds of memorizing all the curves and loops of his name written by Virginia on the back, he bites the bullet and opens the letter. He unfolds the parchment, noting the formal stationary with a huff of laughter, surprised it wasn’t just a loose-leaf lined page. Eddie begins to read the words left for him.  

Dear Eddie M.,  

If you’re reading this letter that means I’ve finally left this hellhole and jumped ship. (Jumped on a ship, that is. You know me and my affinity for cruises to tropical locations.)  

Eddie did know this, having heard a small handful of stories from Virgina about the cruises and summer beach vacations she would take with her son, Rick, and her roommate, Caroline. He even remembers a few years back, one of the first times he saw her out and about at the grocery store wearing this graphic t-shirt of a humanoid lady cat in a hot pink one-piece, lounging on a beach towel with the words ‘Bahama Mama’ in matching pink script above her. Eddie had walked up to her in the dairy aisle, Cheshire Cat grin on display, and said with his whole chest, “Hello, Bahama Mama.” To which Virginia promptly ignored him with a side eye glance and headed towards the produce section.  

But that also means you’ve met the lovely nurse who will be taking my place. She also has a great enjoyment of beach vacations, if you’re looking for topic starters. You’ve always been quite dreadful at small talk, but I won’t bore you with the reminiscing of our first meeting, you were there, and I hope you remember it like I do.  

Knowing you, though, you’re either jumping for joy to be rid of this old gal or confused on my sudden departure. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t say goodbye in person and to leave so suddenly. But let’s be honest here, Edward, if anyone could convince me to spend another 65 55 years in Indiana, it would be you.  

Caroline and I decided it was as good as time as any to finally do some traveling, just the two of us. Rick and the kids are in a good place now (but please still keep an eye on him when you can, I don’t trust him to be truthful about things, like you are.) You're in a good place as well, whether you care to admit it or not.   

I would never have left if I thought you truly still needed me.  

Eddie lets out a sardonic laugh at her truthful sentiments. Virginia wasn’t a liar, she had secrets like any normal person, but when she said things, she meant them. He furrows his brows noticing a small wet stain on the next line before another quickly appears. Bringing his free hand up to his face he realizes he’s crying. With a hard sniffle and another chuckle at his own emotions he collects himself and finishes the note. 

Enough of the sappy shit crap. You’ll be receiving various postcards in due time through our gorgeous new friend. Play nice and don’t fuck it up, Edward. I believe in you. You need to make friends now before you end up stubborn and old like me. Not everyone gets their own Caroline.  

I better here back from you. My replacement will know what to do with them.  

Love, Virginia Wagner  

Eddie folded up the letter, put it back in the envelope and tucked it in his bedside table drawer. Don’t fuck it up, I believe in you, echoing in his brain. He had no intentions on fucking up anything. Especially with you. You, the woman he just met not even 24 hours ago. He shakes you from his thought, not ready to jump  nto that obvious trap set up by a secret hopeless romantic. He needed time. His mind, body, and heart still processing the words he just read before an evil grin spread upon his lips.  

“I fucking knew that old witch was a lesbian.”  

You didn’t come into work for the remainder of prep-week.   

Which was fine. So fine in fact that Eddie 100% didn’t even notice. He had his own work to distract him. How could he have known you weren’t there when he was so busy moving desks, cleaning floors, eating lunch outside with that sad, puppy dog look on his face because he’s never had to find a spot to eat outside of the nurse's office before. Your disappearance hit him like a freight train on Friday.   

With one of those old school paperback books from a second-hand shop in town in one hand and the other preoccupied with feeding himself. His brain simultaneously trying to read the small words whilst not overthinking every possible thing regarding you.  

Did Eddie just fuck everything up with one meeting? Was he so off-putting that the only reasonable response was to quit on your first day in order to prevent the chance of running into him again? Your ability to make people leave will forever astound me, Eddie Munson, he tells himself.  

The reasonable part of Eddies brain played quickly to shut down this intense negative thinking. Maybe you were just sick? Even nurses get sick sometimes! Or a family emergency! Or your car broke down! Or something evil that Eddie wasn’t sure he’d ever possibly be able to explain to someone who didn’t experience it first-hand like him and his friends was happening in Hawkins again and you just happened to be the first victim-  

Nope. No. No. We’re shutting this down here, traumatized and overactive brain. Eddie began doing his deep breathing exercises that he learned from his therapist (well, Steve’s, who had promptly told Eddie because mental healthcare was a luxury he could probably never afford.) Reminding himself he was going to be okay he decided that on Monday, if you were still M.I.A, he’d ask someone. Freaking out and thinking the immediate worst, wasn’t gonna help anyone, he needed to just chill. Not let his mind take control of him. Virginia was smart and could sense things about people, she wouldn't have forced the two of you to collide in such a way if she thought you’d up and disappear.  

Besides, even the kindest of people don’t share Swiss Rolls with people they hate, and Hawkins was no longer a literal gateway to hell.  

Eddie’s weekend was uneventful.  

He finished his book. He went grocery shopping. Him and Wayne watched some rom-com film with Julia Roberts as a sex worker. In hindsight, a bizarre movie choice for both of them, next time Eddie thinks he’ll just let Wayne put on his beloved westerns. He worried just a bit about you. He kept his thoughts as realistic as he could this time. Although, he did at one point worry, whilst lying in bed Sunday night, whether you had gone missing and he was the only one to notice, meaning he’s now fucked up any chance of your rediscovery by not informing someone. But this was Hawkins. If you had truly gone missing without a trace, he would’ve heard of it by now. Especially from Pamela in Admin who did the attendance records and didn’t know how to keep things to herself.   

Point is, if you had an unexcused absence for the 4-days you were gone, she would’ve made it everyones business. Which gave Eddie some peace of mind that he’s heard nothing through the grapevine that runs through Hawkins.  

That Monday morning, Eddie was the first to traverse the halls of the first day of another school year at Hawkins middle. Or he thought he was. He wasn’t so sure because as he made his way to the main switch box that turned on all the hallway lights, a fluorescent glow was spilling out of the Nurse’s office.  

He slowed his pace as he approached the door left ajar, his head peeked around the corner of the entry. The lights were all on, there were various storage boxes on the beds, some filled with medical odds and ends, others empty. It was clear someone had been there organizing supplies.  

“Uh,” Eddie cleared his throat, the first use of his voice for the morning, “Hello?”  

“Good morning,”  

He whips around, startled by the cheery voice.  

“Jesus H. Christ, you gotta stop doing that,” his hand rubbed at his chest, face disgruntled and red from the jump scare.  

“Hey, you’re the one who keeps entering my workspace unannounced,” a look of innocence on your face. You step around him, bodies almost touching for just a second, causing Eddie’s heartbeat to increase embarrassingly so.     You’ve got a coffee mug held tightly in one hand, the other stuffed deep in your cardigan. The same sunflowers embellishing it, that greeted Eddie last time. Your scrub top today was black with various illustrations of Mickey and Minnie Mouse depicted as nurses.   

“I said hello,” he argues, hand rubbing at his chin. He continues to take in your appearance and any new details he can latch onto. You look the same, of course. It’s only been like what, 6 days since he saw you last. The only glaring difference being a sleepier appearance, even with the bubbly morning aura, your eyelids look heavy. You roll them at his defense, a resting smile never leaving your lips.  

You step over bins on the floor, take a long sip from your mug, and set it on the same table he put his lunch sack on last week. He smiles at the mug; it was off white and in red cartoonish font had the slogan ‘I ♡ my aunt!’. You begin to work on the boxes and talk as he stands in the entryway, not wanting to disturb the systematic mess you have in place.  

“I hope you didn’t miss me too much,” you snort, picking up a closed box and putting it in the storage closet by the office part of the Nurse’s Office, “I normally don’t disappear like that. You know, I just moved in town a few weeks ago, and I’ve been having problems with the house I’m renting,” you sigh after exiting the closet. Now stuffing labelled Ziploc bags with various bandages and over the counter medication into a new bin. You look focused even while speaking sporadically.  

He can’t move his eyes away from your hands as you work diligently on putting content into storage while still explaining about your absence. Vaguely, he catches something about landlords, repair men and having to take cold baths. He was listening but most of his attention was focused on your fingers tackling Ziploc bag openings. Your sleeves rising just enough for him to wonder if shadows were playing tricks on his mind, or there was a wrist tattoo he couldn’t quite make out from this angle.   

“Eddie, ya still with me?”  

He eyes snaps up from your stilled hands to look at the playful gleam in your eye from catching him staring, “hm?”  

“I asked if you’ve read the letter yet,” you decide to step slightly closer, most of the boxes now closed and in the closet. There weren’t that many to begin with but he’s still surprised with how fast you managed to finish the task.  

“Yeah, I did. It was sweet, for Virginia that is,” really sweet. You show your teeth in a wide grin.  

“I’m glad. I was afraid you might hold some resentment towards me for replacing her,” you do that snort laugh thing again, “I am nosey though, did she mention me?”  

Eddie smirks mischievously, hands coming to rest on his hips, allowing himself to incline, further closing the distance between you both.   “Wouldn’t ya like to know, Peach.”  

Your stomach did front flips from the use of that silly, little nickname again. 

“I would, I really would. That’s why I asked,” you say as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. One of your fingers he’d been watching intensely before, now coming up to give his chest a poke. 

Was this flirting? Eddie knew it was something akin to flirting, but was this a playful flirting or a serious flirting? He struggled between the two, often getting told off and read wrong for his natural charm. He’s like pretty sure he’s flirting with the serious intention, but were you? His heart felt like it was gonna fall out of his ass and he might throw up his own brain from all these emotions and thoughts.  

Before he could respond and remind his head and heart to start working again, a familiar voice spoke from behind his back.  

“What is happening here?”  

It was Eddie's turn to roll his eyes, another body squeezing past him to enter the nurse’s office. He takes a step back to let the young intruder have space to do whatever he needs to do here. You put your hand down and smile at the student you’ve yet to meet.  

Matty Sherman had a head of thick dark curls, a mole on his left cheek, and dark green eyes. He was wearing an obviously well-loved and a size too big Pantera t-shirt he had obviously cut the sleeves off himself to make into a muscle tee. He paired this with loose fitted, medium wash jeans, and some relatively new converse. Obviously wanting to make a statement and look his best for his first day of 8th grade. Both of his backpack straps were secured on his shoulder. His eyes looked between Eddie and you before landing securely on you.  

“Sup,” he smiles wide, dimples and braces on display.   

“Hi,” you smile widely yourself, a hitch in your voice from trying to not laugh at the situation. You glance over to Eddie, who’s looking at you with a pout on his pretty lips. Your eyes shift toward yet another, Ziploc bag that was in Matty’s hand.  

“That for me?” You ask, hand gesturing towards the bag holding obvious medication.  

“You the nurse?” The teen boy asks in a playful tone, as if you’re not wearing an outrageously patterned scrub top whilst standing in the nurse’s office.  

“I am the nurse.”  

“Then this is for you. I have asthma,” he hands you the Ziploc bag, curls bouncing when he turns to look at Eddie now, “Munson.”  

“Sherman, how was your summer?”   

“Dude, it was great. My dad felt so bad about not doing crap with us for Christmas that he took Me and Eli to see Megadeth in Chicago,” Matty excitedly responds, hands flailing around as he speaks. Beaded bracelets he had covering his wrist clanking together.   

Eddie couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. As much as he acted like Matty was a thorn in his side, he did genuinely care about him. In some weird turn of events, he had become to Matty what Virginia was to him. A safe haven at school. Even though Matty was far more popular than Eddie was at the same age, he obviously needed some sort of role model or trusted adult to just care. Matty had his mom at home and Eddie at school. Similar to how Eddie had Wayne at home and Virginia at school.  

Matty was waiting for Eddie's response, wanting some sort of confirmation that his ass of a father taking him and his older brother to see a metal concert was actually a cool thing to do. You were clearly taking your time putting Matty’s medication away to give them time to have this moment. Eddie smiles wide at Matty, to which he instantly perks up more.  

“Man, that does sound like a great summer. I spent my whole summer cleaning up after you kids,” he huffs and gives Matty’s shoulder a nudge.  

“You would’ve loved it, Munson, I’m telling you.”  

“Yeah,” he agrees before your make yourself known again.   

“I hate to break this up but class for you,” you gesture towards the youngest metalhead, “starts in about 5 minutes and I’m pretty sure we need to get back to work,” you give Eddie an apologetic smile. It’s probably the closest thing to sad he’s seen you so far and he’s not a fan. At all.  

“Yeah,” he agrees sadly, teeth nipping at his bottom lip, “We good for lunch?”   

“Yes.” You respond, quickly. Agreement coming out before he even got to the final syllable in lunch. Now his lips are being nipped to contain his full smile.  

“Good, I’ll see you then,” he moves his hand to grab the handle of Matty’s bookbag to lead him out.  

“You will! Bye guys,” You wiggle your fingers in goodbye.  

“Bye,” Matty waves to you as he’s being pulled out by Eddie. Your laugh following them out into the hall.  

Eddie keeps his hand secured on Matty’s bag until they’re a good few feet in the opposite direction from your door. He lets go and Matty takes a few steps to the side and adjusts his backpack to sit better on his back.  

“She’s hot.”  

Eddie is positive he gets whiplash from how fast his head turns to glare at the 8th grader. Disgust on his face, even though he said something factual, he shouldn’t be saying things like that at all. He’s like a baby in Eddies eyes.  

“Jesus, Matty, don’t say shit like that.”  

Matty gasps in mock shock, “Woah! Language, Mr.Munson, I have impressionable ears,” he dramatically covers his ears with both hands. Eddie shakes his head and gives his bookbag a gentle shove towards where he knows his home room is.  

“Get to class.”  

Matty laughs loudly as he runs down the hall to his first period. Eddie felt too old for this shit.  

That Monday lunch went swimmingly. Eddie thinks. He hopes. It definitely felt like it went swimmingly?  

You laughed at his jokes. His actual jokes, not just his situational awkwardness. You asked about his week and he asked about yours. He left out the part of being fearful you quit cause of him. Whilst you delved more into your trouble with the handy men and your landlord; your stove still didn’t work but at least you had hot water. He even got to learn more about you pre-Hawkins by finally divulging the info Virginia had written about.  

“Well, she is right. I do love the beach,” You were talking with a grape stuffed into your cheek. It was endearing but Eddie was silently praying you chewed it well and didn’t choke cause he definitely did not know the Heimlich manoeuvre. “I think that’s what I’m gonna miss the most while here. Indiana doesn’t even have a coastline, how sad is that,” You’re shaking your head in disapproval.  

“We have lakes,” he tries to amend, taking a bit of his Swiss Roll that you, again, have shared with him.  

Your eyes shoot up at him in a glare, not amused by his suggestion, “Eat your sandwich.” You say it in a tone that Eddie imagines you would use while scolding a student, it makes him roll his eyes with a huff but he does as you say. Putting the half-eaten Swiss Roll down to actually eat the sandwich he brought, another concoction of various cheeses and deli meat and some lettuce for color.  

You smirk at him following your directions. You’re eyeing both your lunches once again, almost identical to the meals you brought on your first lunch. Two sandwiches, two Swiss Rolls, one bag of pretzels, another bag of grapes. You have a Coke can and he’s got Yoo-hoo in a glass. It kinda makes you sad that you’re both grown adults eating lunches teenagers would prep for themselves. You think, once your stove is fixed you may start bringing some better meals, definitely less peanut butter and more vegetables. Maybe you’ll even bring enough to share.  

And on Thursday that’s exactly what you do.  

Outside of that first Monday morning, nothing eventful really happened for the rest of the week. You had your small group of after lunch medicine takers and a few kids in need of ice packs and Band-Aids. Your lunches were preoccupied with Eddie, getting to know him better.   

Part of your brain wanted to convince you that they were kinda like mini dates.  Unfortunately, your rational side reminded you that you were just two co-workers who didn’t really fit into any of the other staff groups, looking for some companionship during lunch. You were the replacement of his previous lunch partner. But then you remembered all the snippets of info Virginia had written to you once she began to send you letters after your acceptance to take on her job so she could retire. You probably would never tell Eddie you know this slice of information, not wanting to embarrass him, but she had made it very clear that Eddie was lonely. She knew you were lonely too.   

You two can be lonely together.  

When Eddie walked into your office that Thursday he was extremely confused at the second lunch box placed where he would normally sit. It was bulky and plastic like yours, but instead of Snoopy it was the Smurfs. You were writing something down in that nurses journal you had, your own lunchbox sat next to your resting elbow.  

A worried thought started in his mind, Did you find a new lunch buddy? Were his conversational skills not improving? But then you looked up at him, that kind little smile on your lips.  

“You gonna sit down or just keep enjoying the view?”   

He returns the smile and gestures to the blue thing before taking his seat, “What’s this?”   

“Oh, uh…” You’re flustered. It’s obvious and he’s enamored by it - like most things you do. God what’s gotten into him. “I hope it’s not too forward, but I made you a lunch. My stove got fixed and your, well our- please take no offense to this, our lunches were starting to depress me a bit.” You were talking faster the more you went on. Realizing the possible negative consequences of your actions. Eddie was nice but he didn’t have to entertain your too comfortable and too caring too fast behaviors.   

He quickly shut down your increasingly panicked explanation, “I’ve never had a girl��make me a lunch before. It’s sweet. You're sweet.” He was honest. He hasn’t had a girl in this context make him any sort of a meal before and you were sweet. Sharing Swiss Rolls and ‘take as many as you like’ candy bowls with the expensive chocolate kind of sweet. 

You smile. A wide, closed mouth smile at his understanding. He taps his fingers against the hard plastic shell, right on-top of Smurfette's blue face.   

“I hope you like it and I hope you’re not allergic to anything.” You’re calmer now and anticipating him opening his lunch.  

“I’m not. Except, for like, pollen,” he chuckles and unlatches the box. Inside there was a Tupperware of spirally noodles with a mix of cut up: vegetables, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, a few rogue pieces of broccoli and some halves pepperoni slices, an oil based Italian dressing covering it all. Your aunt’s pasta salad, that was the first recipe you ever learned. Next to it, wrapped in cling wrap was a fudgy looking brownie with peanut butter morsels spread throughout. When he looks back up you had taken out two Coke cans from the stash he knows you keep in the bottom part of your giant metal filing cabinet. A pretty hand holding one out to him.  

“I refuse to buy Pepsi, hope you like Coke.”  

“I love Coke,” he takes it from your hand.   

The food tasted as good as it looked, so good only the sound of chewing, plastic forks on Tupperware, and hums of appreciation being heard. It was similar to the first lunch but instead of the awkward, uncertain air, this moment was comfortable, relaxing. Two friends - because that’s what you two have become in this last week - enjoying a meal together.   

It happened fast, Eddie thinks, this comfort between the two of you. Maybe it’s the kindredness between you two, the various similarities you shared.   

“You know, I can cook too,” Eddie breaks the silence. You’re working on your dessert, always saving it for last. Eddie was impatient and devoured his first thing in the most polite way possible. There’s brownie in the corner of your mouth when you give him your attention, humming for him to continue his thought.  

Eddie’s not sure what possesses him to do it. He could play it off as his role of janitor and having a habit of cleaning messes, but he knows that’s not entirely true. He cups one side of your face with his hand, the rings are a nice cold on your warm face. His thumb swiping the crumbs from corner lip in such a natural way you’d think he would have done this to you often. No matter how hard you try, you'd always been a messy eater. You don’t flinch. You don’t even show any signs of this being unusual or unwelcome aside from a slight widening of your eyes.  

Eddie let's another wave of confidence take over him. “Maybe I can cook for you on Saturday night?”  

You nod, mouth still full of brownie and making the executive decision to not be gross and talk with your mouth full in this situation. He smiles and removes his hand from your cheek. Silently, you both find the skin that had just made contact now tingles. It's hard not to think about when you may steal another touch, but the pair of you hope maybe Saturday.  

the clean up crew (taglist): @avobabe87 @bakugouswh0r3 @ms1oftheboys @rosaline-black @haylaansmi @adoringdanvers @wyverntatty @gaysludge @bebe07011 @boltonbritreads @hugdealer @gothvamp1973 @awhoreforeddiemunson @definitionwanderlust @billytalentleaves @aysheashea @pollenallergie @siriuslysmoking @heavymetalbabyy @killerbailey @sidthedollface2 @whenshelanded @hazydespair @mayhemicfordays @inocrazeh @thora-jane @varevaretostuff @vintagehellfire @chaoticgood-munson (strike means it wont tag)

comment or ask to be added to the clean up crew!

[hereforthefanficsandromance]

Fan Prize Story #2: Pleasure in Pushing and Punishment

Read on AO3 Read on Blogger Read on Tumblr Master List: One Shots

⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˚｡⋆ Thank you @hirally for participating in the Act II opening weekend for The Way He Looks at You. I hope you enjoy your prize!

Summary

Cal has has been missing you and decides to show it by being a bit of a brat. You won't tolerate his behavior and make him work for what he wants. Rating: 18+ Words: 2.5K

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It was a relatively quiet morning, which should have raised your suspicions. Near the back of the ship, you assumed Cal was meditating. You were looking over the holomap, trying to map out the best route to your next destination. 

You joined Cal’s plight almost a year ago and hit it off after a few months, officially a couple. Cal was such a sweet boyfriend, always trying to please you. He frequently left gifts or did your half of the chores. You couldn’t have asked for a better partner. 

Occasionally, you disagreed when Cal said something to get a rise out of you. But you brushed it off, because he didn’t want to hurt you. Your annoyance caused him to shift uncomfortably in his seat, which made you feel bad. Obviously, he didn’t want to upset you. 

It hadn’t taken long into your relationship before the two of you had sex. You were his first, so the first few times required guidance. You didn’t mind. Honestly, his sounds made up for his failed attempts to get you off. 

His neediness made it difficult to focus on touching you. He seemed to enjoy watching your demonstrations; legs spread, hole weeping as you gathered up the moisture to swirl it around your aching clit. Cal’s eyes would lock onto the motion of your fingertips, his cock hard and leaking at the sight. Then he would ask for a turn, eyes wide and hopeful. 

His attempts to touch you were messy, mouth working hard, but hips dry humping the mattress, ultimately forgetting how you showed him to touch you. You would laugh at him and demand that he focus more and he tried again. He got you off eventually. He just couldn’t stand his erection being untouched for long. 

There was a day until travel was necessary, and you were grateful for the time off. You liked to plan things; smart plans make for successful missions. And you would do anything to ensure Cal’s safety during the work. 

You realize after hours of planning; you have been thirsty this whole time, neglecting your own base needs in favor of the mission. As you turn for the kitchen, you jump upon seeing that your boyfriend is sitting on the couch behind you. Splayed out enough, it’s obvious he wants your attention. 

“How long have you been there?” You ask. 

“Long enough.” 

You notice the outline of his erection as you pass by to get a glass of water. You greedily drain the liquid from the glass and as you refill, Cal moves to press himself against you. 

“Cal, not right now. I’m busy trying to make sure you don’t die tomorrow.” 

“I won’t die, I promise. Please, take a break.” He complains. 

You roll your eyes and walk away, heading back towards the holotable to continue your work. Cal follows behind, grasping at your hand. You ignore the movement, and he settles for resting his hand on the small of your back. His touch drifts downwards. You turn and shoot him a threatening glance; he looks dejected, but there is a twinkle in his eyes. 

You lean over the table, ignoring the needy Jedi. A small murmur escapes your lips as you find a course you didn’t know existed. Excitement fills your belly, and you navigate the holomap to examine the course. This route means that the two of you could pass undetected, which would increase your original time frame for Cal to get in and out. You zoom further in, ensuring that you are seeing the route correctly when the entire table goes dark. 

“No! What happened? Cal, did we lose power?” You ask. 

Despair at losing the potential alternative route causing you to look around the rest of the ship for signs of what caused the loss of power. Then you see Cal, his finger on the power button on the table.  He’s biting his lip and looking nervous. 

“Cal! Why the hell did you do that?” 

His eyes intensify and crinkle, like he finds the entire situation amusing. You could slap him for looking so smug after what he did. To add insult to injury, Cal shrugs and walks away, leaving the table dark. 

“Are you serious right now?” 

“Spend time with me,” Cal says. 

“And why should I do that after you just destroyed my progress?” 

“You’re really pretty when you’re mad.” 

His comment infuriates you. But you know he wants you to play the game, so you turn and power the holotable to focus on relocating your path. 

Cal leaves you to work for the rest of the day. As evening draws near, he brings you another glass of water. You glare as he nears, not trusting him near the map. He gives you a boyish smile and places the glass down before walking away. 

Once he’s out of sight, you drain the glass and place it down. The glass raises into the air and behind you; you don’t turn, already knowing what’s going on. The tap turns on in the kitchen, then silence. 

Cal approaches with the glass and presses it to your lips, helping you drink. You protest but begin drinking, not wanting it to spill all over you. The glass empties as fast as the first. 

“You didn’t have to do that Cal, I can drink by myself.” You say. “Agh, that tasted weird.”  

Cal smirks. “I wanted to make sure you drank it all.” 

“Why did that taste weird, Cal?” 

Another shrug. 

You lower your voice. “Cal?” 

He turns to walk away, a smile plastered on his face. 

“You didn’t mix in some of the Zeltron wine, did you?” 

Cal presses his lips together, biting back his smile. “Spend time with me.” 

You glare at the man, but a small dose of the aphrodisiac makes it harder to stay mad at him. 

“Your trick may have worked, Cal, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” You say. 

Cal’s eyes light up at your threat. “Does that mean you’ll spend time with me?” 

“Sure, meet me in the bedroom in exactly 30 seconds. Bring several ropes from the lower level of the ship and be fully naked. If you’re late, I won’t touch you.” 

The man turns and hurries towards the bedroom, one hand outstretched, using the Force to bring forth the ropes. His other hand trying to get his clothes off, leaving a trail in his wake. You follow him, already feeling your focus shift from the mission to what you’re going to do to your boyfriend. 

Cal follows your orders with a few seconds to spare. He reaches out to hand you the requested rope. You go to grab it, and he drops it in a pile just as your fingertips near. 

You look down at the mess, then glare up at Cal. Frustrated, you lean forward and shove him. He feigns hurt and chuckles. As you bend down to pick up the role, you bark your next orders. “On the bed, don’t resist me.” 

“I could never.” He says before turning to follow your instructions. 

You grab what you need and tie the ends to the legs of the bed, then snake them onto the mattress. 

Cal watches in excitement, pre-cum leaking from the tip of his erection. 

You restrain both legs and then an arm. As you walk around the bed to the final arm, you see that rope no longer tied at his feet. The Force. You huff and straddle the naked man, ensuring that you can see both his hands at once. This time, you wrap the rope so that it balls his hands individually into fists. Then secure his legs again. 

Cal looks a little less comfortable, and you find yourself pleased by the sight. You give Cal a sinister smile before removing your shirt. His cock twitches in anticipation. So you exit the room and close the door. You can’t hear exactly what he’s saying, but it sounds like complaining. 

You return sometime later after finishing your work to an upset and bound man. His erection straining to stimulation. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry Cal, I didn’t mean to leave you waiting.” You coo. 

“That wasn’t very nice.” 

“Neither was turning off the holotable. I have to punish you for your behavior today.” You say. “Punishment isn’t pleasant, Cal.” 

He lets out a low whine, hoping to appeal to your better nature. “Please don’t make me wait any longer.” 

“I promise that I’ll start touching you now, but it will still be punishment.” 

You slide out of your pants, climb on the bed and settle yourself between his spread legs. “You’ve been a bad boy today. Surely you knew you wouldn’t get what you want with that behavior.” 

“Please, I’m sorry, I just wanted you. I miss you and I need you.” 

“I know, but you made this choice, and I’m far from done punishing you.” 

Cal nods and swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. You give him a sympathetic look, then flick the tip of his cock. His hips buck and he cries out, looking surprised but not unhappy. 

“So bad, so difficult.” You say and flick it again. 

A small sound of pleasure exits his lips. 

“Oh? You like that? Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” 

You wrap your hand around his length, stroking roughly. “Apologize for your behavior today, Cal.” 

He moans with his eyes closed, distracted by the sensation of being touched. You slap him across the cheek, and his entire body tenses, eyes opening in panic that turns to lust. 

“I’m sorry.” He mumbles. 

You release his erection immediately, and he whines. After a moment, without your hand, you reach out and stroke him again, allowing his hips to buck up eagerly into your waiting palm. He moans and pants as his orgasm grows closer, desperate to reach his peak before you inevitably pull away. 

You feel his thighs shake and his thrusts become sloppy, so you release his cock, leaving him to thrust into nothing. He lets out a low, frustrated sound and with a smile, you grasp his length in one hand and slap the head with the other. Cal lets out a strangled sound, looking into your eyes equal parts confused and aroused. 

You look up at the beautifully broken man from under your eyelashes and slowly lower your head down to take him into your mouth. He groans and begins thrusting up into your mouth, hopeful that this time you’ll let him cum. 

You bob your head slowly, not letting him fully place himself down your throat. The man writhes pathetically, trying to use you to get off. Just as he’s about to cum, you pull back, placing your thumb over the tip, covering the small hole. Then you turn your head to nip and suck at small spots along his shaft, stopping any of his protests. 

You stop and slip out of the rest of your clothes before moving up Cal’s body. His mouth instinctively opens and accepts as you place your nipple in his mouth. He swirls his tongue around the bud before sucking and grazing his teeth across the flesh. A small moan escapes your lips as he works and you pull away to place the other breast in his mouth. This time, you tease the head of his cock against your opening, causing him to lose focus and become sloppy. 

You pull away. “I suppose you aren’t capable of pleasuring me when I touch you. So I won’t touch you until I’m done.” 

“Yes.” Cal says. Too needy to care. 

Feeling needy yourself from the wine he snuck you earlier, you move to straddle his face. Cal wastes no time lapping at you as you settle down onto him. You grip the headboard and ride him; his tongue licking at anything he can reach while you grind his nose into your clit. 

Finally, finding a pace you like, Cal pumps his tongue into your heat. The feeling of being in complete control of the much stronger man turns you on more than you can bear. You frantically rock yourself on his face. 

“You’re being so good right now. It’s a shame you can’t be this good all the time. I might let you cum more if you could pleasure me at the same time.” You say between breaths. 

Cal moans in response and his lips capture your clit, sucking gently, trying to push you over the edge. You collapse slightly against the headboard as the sensation overtakes you. His lips pulling at the delicate nub while his tongue gently strokes it. Your orgasm hits hard, and you grind against his mouth the whole time. 

“Fuck, Cal.” You whisper. “That was so good I might just let you cum, too.” 

You pull away and reposition, leaving his face slick with your arousal. He doesn’t complain. You sit right out of reach, requiring Cal to thrust upwards and insert part of himself into you. He bucks wildly, only able to get stimulation around the head, working hard against the restraints. 

You smirk and watch as he works, then press your middle and ring finger against his lips. He gives you a questioning look, but opens his mouth enough to let them slip in. For a moment, you only rest them in his mouth, allowing him to find his pace in your hole. Once he is taking pleasure in your body, you shove the fingers towards the back of his throat. Cal gags immediately and tries to pull away, but you hold your position, requiring him to relax his throat against the invasion. 

A few tears roll out of the corners of his eyes, but you don’t show mercy. His breath changes and you feel him stop struggling, allowing you to finger fuck his mouth. His hips move again, and you match the pace in his mouth. When he thrusts harder, you add a third finger, ruining his progress. 

Cal hesitates his movements, trying to adjust to the additional finger before chasing his orgasm. After regaining control of himself, he thrust hard and shallow into your pussy, wanting to take what you have prevented him from having. 

“See now, I knew you could do two things at once. You have learned to focus your breathing while fucking. I expect you to pleasure me without distraction when we fuck.” You purr. “You think you can do that? Or should we draw this out and practice more?” 

Cal tries to speak around the fingers in his mouth and ends up nodding frantically. His hips piston up to meet your body. 

“Good boy, I suppose I’ll let you cum this time.” 

You sit hard onto the remaining length and Cal groans around the digits in his mouth. He continues to fuck himself into you, nearing the end. You curl your fingers down towards his tongue and the man gags and whines as he cums. 

You remove your fingers slowly, ensuring he cleans each one before untying the exhausted man. Once free, he wraps his naked body around yours and pulls your back tight against his chest. Curling up to sleep with you in his arms. 

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[stevenblueniverse]

Bellow selkie au chapter 13!

Chapter 13 a big suprise

White diamond woke up in her large expensive bed, she was currently staying in one of her many beach houses across the world, this one was in Ireland. She put on a long black, expensive dress, with a ridiculous cape and a slit showing her legs, three pearl necklaces, one long one and two shorter ones, made sure her makeup was as perfect as ever, always using black makeup to make her nearly completely white eyes and skin stand out. She stepped outside her beach house, ready to write another letter to her daughter and sit in the sun, eventhough no one would be seeing her she never left the house without being dressed well and with her jewellery and makeup.

When white opened the door she was shocked, all around her, lay seals. "What are you doing here selkies?", she asked them, one female seal, larger and older than the others came to her and transformed into her human form, she bowed down to her, kissing her feet. "White diamond! We saw a truly shocking sight!", she told her, "and that is?", white replied, raising an eyebrow, she wasnt very found of the selkies appearing to her in such an unexpected way. "We saw a human who had eyes just like you! She was also very strong! Able to pick up one of us as a seal and pull her away from us!", another selkie interrupted the conversation, saying, "and the one she pulled away knew her and said she was her friend!". "Hmmm" white crossed her arms, "what did this human look like?", she asked, suddenly all the selkies called out the same word in unison, "LEMON!!", to her, White's eyes widened, "y-yellow??", she asked, trembling, "ALL YELLOW!", they yelled back.

Yellow diamond waited for her ship to arrive, she was waiting on the docks, holding her belongings and the album she got blue in two suitcases that where too small for it all and nearly bursting open. Blue stood next to her, holding her coat in one hand, she was wearing a blue dress yellow bought for her. Yellow looked at her, trying not to cry, "I'm so sorry I have to leave, I'm leaving you and your sister", she wiped her eyes, she couldn't controll the tears.

"It's fine", blue told her, putting her hand on her cheek and wiping away some tears, "also you left this here at the hotel", she took a letter from her pocket and gave it to yellow, "I think it's from your mother". Yellow took the letter and looked down to her "URGENT!", was written in big, red letters, it was unmistakably her mother's handwriting. She opened it and all that was written in it was "WHAT DID YOU DO", in the same red letters, a feeling of dread took over yellow, "what does it say?", blue asked, yellow stuffed it back into her pocket, ignoring blue and turned away, looking over to see her ship approaching.

"Oi banana head! Get on!", one of yellow's crew members called to her, waving their arms at her. "banana face?", blue asked, "it's nothing, don't say it", yellow wiped away her tears and got on the boat. "Who was the lady you where talking to?", the crew member asked, smirking at her, "no one, is talking to people that foreign to you, melchizedek?", melchizedek went bright red and stormed off as yellow smirked, she looked out to see blue and waved to her as the boat turned away from her, "ILL RETURN HERE ONE DAY! I PROMISE!", she called to blue, watching her until she couldn't see the Dock anymore. When blue couldn't see yellow anymore she put on her coat and jumped into the sea, transforming and following after the boat as she promised.

It was now night and most of the crew where either asleep or smoking on the top deck, yellow went down the stairs to one of the smallest rooms at the very bottom of the ship, she didn't want to sleep yet but wanted some time alone. This room was a make shift prayer room, with a small desk coming out the wall and Holy icons decorating the walls, it was once a bedroom of a crew member everyone hated, so they kicked him out and turned it into a prayer room to mock him as he was an atheist. Yellow knelt down and rested her hands on the desk, she thought about blue and looked up to the icons, they reminded her of her childhood going to church, she never did that now, she Barely even understood it, she never did.

"Ive travelled all over the world and met so many different types of people, thanks to them I found out there are so many different gods people all around here believe in, there may even be some real gods out there we don't know of", yellow thought to herself, reminiscing on all the years she spend travelling, she looked up to the icons. "any of those gods, if they're real, please listen to me! I want to make a vow to the being who may be listening to me! I have to confess something, I am in love, this love is something I have never felt before and I can't let it leave me", yellow bowed her head, she couldn't look at the icons as she confessed, she felt guilty for even thinking these things. "I barely know this person but I've already decided I want to spend my whole life with them, even beyond, maybe we can live other lives together after these ones pass", yellow began to blush as she imagined other incarnations of her and blue "maybe as animals, bats are cute how about as bats! We can hang upside down together and kiss! Maybe we'll live as beings not even on this planet I won't care how different it is as long as we are together!", yellow laughed at that one, she saw a space comic a couple years ago and must've got it from that, she probably looked so crazy right now.

"What are you doing yellow?", a familar voice asked, yellow frantically turned around, it was blue, she was standing there and smiling, she was wearing her coat and her hair was wet. "B-blue!?", yellow studdered, backing into the wall and nearly knocking over the icons, blue approached, "I followed you, as I promised", she said, water dripping off her coat, she had just jumped onto the boat and had been watching her pray this whole time.

[amiserableseriesofevents]

First Line Analysis

Rules: post the first lines of up to 10 of your last fics/chapters posted on AO3 or your WIPs and try to draw some conclusions.

Thanks @joeyalohadream for the tag! I was tempted to do the first 10 chapters of Such Stuff but I wanted this thing to have some more variety so here we are!

Love at second sight

The first time Bucky falls in love he’s five years old and he’s running around in his front yard when his mother comes up to him and introduces him to the new neighbors’ daughter, a little girl with blue eyes and blond hair tied up in the most pullable pigtails he’s even seen.

As the world caves in

Bucky is shipping out tomorrow and Gale doesn’t exactly know how he feels about it.

I dont know why I bite

Bucky dreams of home every night.

Nothing but blue skies from now on

It's been years but the war still lurks in the back of Buck's mind, jumping at him when he's most vulnerable, when he's asleep.

With shortness of breath you explained the infinite/No grave can hold my body down (I'll crawl home to him)

On a morning in the spring of 1961, Bucky wakes up feeling funny.

Such stuff as dreams are made on

An algebra class at first period is something Gale wouldn’t wish upon his worst enemy.

Courage, to make's love known

John wakes slowly, rubbing his face on the pillow and blinking a few times, blearily taking in his surroundings before remembering where he is; in the New York apartment where he's going to spend the next six weeks of shows.

Let the brokenness be felt 'til you reach the other side

I left him behind.

I think the love I bear you should make you not to die (Timelines AU, WIP)

In every timeline, they’re destined to meet.

I'll set the table, you can make the fire (WIP)

They see their men again at Benny's wedding, and it's just as strange as they'd thought.

Weird enough I have come to some conclusions! For instance, even if I write from Gale's POV 90% of the time, I start with John's name more often than not.

I also never start with a dialogue, apparently.

I tend to have short first lines - which is weird because I do not possess the gift of brevity.

I have two fics that start with the exact same line, being one the alternate version of the other! And it's my favorite opening line ever.

Such stuff's opening line is the funniest.

But most of all, I realized I need to change the opening line for the Timelines AU because it sounds like the tagline for one of those summer blockbusters with superheroes or some shit 😭😭 I promise you it's something more philosophical than that 😅

Tagging @alienoresimagines and @ranger-elizabeth if y'all want 😎

[skysglcw]

I’ve been playing Ennio Morricone’s instrumental music “Playing Love” while I’m imagining writing a chapter fic of Blanche and Dorothy as young ladies (essentially in their 20s) where Dorothy is a young lady married to Stan (they don’t have kids yet) and she meets Blanche (who is accompanied by another man) on a cruise ship and instantly falls in love with her. They make a few eye contacts in the crowd but have low chances of approaching each other because of many people accompanying them on the ship.

Anyway, one silent but peaceful night, Dorothy decides to get some fresh air on the top floor since she couldn’t sleep because of Stan’s hideous snoring. She gets to the top floor with barely any people around, but there she sees a woman standing by the railing, glancing at the blue horizon. Dorothy approached her, and it was the woman she had secretly fallen in love with and been wanting to talk to. They have a conversation, and surprisingly, they have a lot in common. Out of the blue, Blanche confesses her feelings first, then Dorothy next. It was love at first sight, they say.

Then the next couple of nights, they always meet up at their usual spot to steal kisses from each other, creating this forbidden love affair between them. They knew they were being unfaithful to their partners, sure they were gentlemen, but they admitted they both never felt happy or at peace with their relationships. They both weren’t expecting to be so in love with one another, especially with a woman, and they knew that this should be kept hidden from the world.

The last evening supper before the arrival of the ship to their destination, Blanche and Dorothy separately excuse themselves and secretly go to their usual spot for the last time. They cried and made a promise to each other to meet again and somehow find their way back to each other. They both slowly danced to the instrumental music that the musicians were playing in the background, which is the song that I mentioned from the beginning. That was the last time they ever saw each other again.

4 decades later, Dorothy, divorced, and with her mother, searched for a shared accommodation and found an advertisement paper that was looking for roommates under the name of a familiar name. Blanche Devereaux. She couldn't believe it. She waited for 4 whole decades to meet the love of her life. And it was finally happening. The day Dorothy set her eyes on Blanche’s ocean-blue eyes after Blanche opened the door, Dorothy immediately embraced her with such a bright face. Blanche, not acting thrilled, pushed her back. Dorothy’s heart jumped. She mumbled Blanche’s name as her brows furrowed in confusion. Blanche asked if they had met before, and Dorothy said yes, her excitement wearing off. Blanche says she doesn't remember anything about her, nor the name Dorothy. She only knows the fact that Dorothy will be her new roommate. Blanche, it’s me… Dorothy only managed to speak out. Blanche still didn’t get a clue, and Dorothy couldn’t help but cry.

Despite Blanche’s confusion, she felt bad and still welcomed her new roommate in, unaware of how important this day would be for the two of them if only Blanche remembered. They have a conversation in the living room just like decades ago and turns out that Blanche is suffering from brain injury which caused memory loss. Luckily, she managed to remember her parents and siblings after months of them helping Blanche get her memory back. How it happened was she got into a car accident while fighting with her boyfriend who she caught cheating on her with another woman at a bar. Unfortunately, their fight not only involved verbal abuse but also physical abuse to the point where it got out of hand and the car collided with a tree. Dorothy couldn't believe what she was hearing and she wanted to hug Blanche so bad, but kept her boundaries after finding out about her situation. Dorothy thought, there surely is one memory she hasn't remembered yet. Me. Our love that we once had before.

Since she now lives with Blanche, she will do anything in her power to bring back the love they created long ago. (I just realized how long this is going, so I’ll try to make it short and finish this planner 😂). They go through the journey of a slow burn, and Dorothy convinces Blanche of the memories they once had together. Blanche finds herself falling for Dorothy for the gestures she thought only men could do for her, but there is something about Dorothy that makes those gestures special. Near the end of the story, Dorothy suggests a cruise ship vacation just only for the two of them, hoping this would finally make Blanche remember. Blanche happily accepts. Blanche also suggested that they act like couples, just as Dorothy told her what their love story on the cruise ship was like hoping this would help bring back her memories.

They didn't get on the same cruise ship like last time, but it was similar enough to the old one. One familiar evening, Dorothy offers Blanche to dance with her as she asked the new but nostalgic musicians to play Ennio Morricone’s “Playing Love” piece for her and her partner. They gladly accepted and Blanche cried in her shoulders as they danced slowly when the memories came flooding in her mind, as if it was a time-relapse, observing the familiar music in the background. They share a sweet, tender, passionate kiss as the ocean waves assorted with the music.

(If there are any errors, I apologize. I’m too lazy to go back and read the whole thing lmao 😭 give me a break, it’s only 4 in the morning jshjdhkshd)

[astra-ella]

𝐙𝐎𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

fandom: haikyuu ship: nishinoya yuu x oc/reader status: complete ao3 link

"I think you're really pretty. Will you go out with me?" That was the first thing he's ever said to her. And needless to say, Amari Chiyo was not impressed. So as promised, Nishinoya Yuu will get to know her better and confess again. And again. And again. And again. It'll take 6 years and 9 confessions, but he'll get there. Eventually.

⌦ content: fluff, light angst, love at first sight, friends to lover, slice of life

⌦ note: you are free to insert yourself into Chiyo, just keep in mind she has her own character/backstory. i know some people don't like that, so just a heads-up.

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The second time he confessed was almost a year and a half later – at their second-year sports festival.

During their first year, Nishinoya joined the volleyball team. And in just one year, he managed to make the starting lineup as the team's libero. Apparently, he was so good that he received the 'Best Libero Award' in a tournament during late spring, despite the team coming in second within the prefecture. The award made him famous, not just within the middle school volleyball scene but also throughout the school.

Not that Chiyo has been paying any attention.

Sure, she made sure to congratulate him when he immediately came bragging to her about his accomplishments. But she was far too stressed out with her personal life to pay attention to Nishinoya's growing popularity.

Between her first and second year of middle school, Chiyo's parents got divorced. Her father's start-up business took a turn for the worse, and her mother decided to jump ship while she was still somewhat financially stable. And though the Amari family had three children, she decided to only take Chiyo — the eldest child, along with her. But after living with her mother for two months, Chiyo decided, of her own accord, to return home to her father and siblings.

Despite all that, Chiyo did her best not to let any of it slip. She kept up with her grades, laughed with her classmates, and occasionally entertained Nishinoya's attempts at getting to know her better. And in her second year, she was elected as one of the two class representatives for their class.

And after four weeks of endless planning and stress, Chiyo was just glad the Sports Festival seemed to be running relatively smoothly. A few minor hiccups aside, everyone was having fun, which was the most important part.

After an eventful morning and fulfilling lunch, Chiyo was busy looking through the list of classmates she needed to gather when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Amari!" It was Nishinoya. "Whatcha doing?"

"Trying to round up the people for the tug-of-war and class relay." Chiyo gave him a tired smile. "Speaking of which, you should probably go get ready."

Chidoriyama Junior High was a school that separated sports festival teams by class, and tug-of-war and the class relay were the two most important events. Both had the class's pride and dignity riding on the line. And being one of the fastest runners, Nishinoya was chosen to be the anchor of the relay.

"Yeah, I know." Despite the acknowledgement, he continued to linger. In spite of the heavy burden he carried, Chiyo noted that he looked relatively carefree.

"Are you gonna watch?" He suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

"The class relay," he clarified. "You're gonna watch, right?"

She shrugged. "Of course. What kind of class rep would I be if I didn't?"

"Great. And you're gonna cheer for me, right?"

Chiyo raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna cheer for the class, Nishinoya. Not just you."

"Yeah, but I'm the anchor," Nishinoya thumped his chest with an air of unyielding confidence. "Nothing gets the crowd going more than when you're neck and neck against an opponent. Especially in the last leg of the race. And I'll need all your love and support to squeeze out first place for our class."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Now go get ready." Spinning him around by the shoulders, she gave him a light shove in the direction of the announcer's booth. "We're counting on you to win."

After being coaxed along for a few steps, Nishinoya began to walk on his own. He quickly glanced over his shoulder with one of his big goofy grins.

"You betcha!"

If Chiyo were being completely honest, that smile had her heart fluttering.

Just a little.

The tug-of-war event came and went, with their class barely scraping by at third place amongst the second-years. Now everything was riding on the class relays, and the runners were beginning to look especially nervous.

Chiyo pressed her lips together. She wondered if she should say something to encourage everyone when Nishinoya suddenly slapped one of the other runners on the back.

"Hey now, don't start freaking out," he hollered. "You guys got me running the anchor! There's no way we'll lose." He gave the guy beside him a reassuring look. "Come on, let's show 'em how we Class 2-2 do things!"

Upon hearing his call, the class exchanged a quick look amongst each other before raising their fists and letting out a collective battle cry in agreement.

Watching as the tension that loomed over her classmates vanished into the cool fall air, Chiyo couldn't help but feel impressed. She briefly glanced in Nishinoya's direction, who quickly caught her gaze. He winked at her, and she immediately turned away. Then, a familiar jingle played through the PA system, followed by a voice.

"Participants for the 4 x 100 class relay, please gather by the starting line. The race will begin shortly."

Upon hearing the announcement, the runners shared one last cheer with the rest of the class before heading towards the gathering point for the race.

"Good Luck!" Someone called after them.

"We're counting on you!"

"Yeah!" Nishinoya yelled back, raising a fist in the air. He looked like the protagonist of a shounen manga.

"He's pretty cool, isn't he?" Someone suddenly whispered into her ear, causing Chiyo to jump.

"Honoka!" She shot the dark-haired girl a look of annoyance before clearing her throat. "I mean, yeah, Nishinoya's part of the volleyball team. He's probably used to encouraging his teammates and stuff."

"Now that I think about it, you've never really been to his volleyball games, have you?"

Chiyo shrugged. "I'm not interested in sports."

"You sure you're not just saying that 'cause you're bad at it?" Honoka snickered.

"I'm not!" Chiyo frowned. "Besides, how fun can volleyball be? It's just a bunch of guys trying to hit a ball over the net, and wow, touch down! Three points!"

Honoka raised an eyebrow. "Okay, first of all, there were so many things wrong with that sentence. Second, you know he's gonna lose interest if you don't take some level of interest in his hobbies, right?"

"Why would I care?" Chiyo gave her friend an incredulous look. "He literally asked me out without even knowing my name! He's shallow, and cocky, and, and-!"

"Uh-huh," Honoka hummed dismissively. "Regardless, you gotta admit he's pretty cool. Enough to make your stomach get all the butterflies. I mean, your face is all red," she playfully poked at Chiyo's cheeks, to which she immediately slapped away.

"This is... It's 'cause it's hot out!" Chiyo reasoned. Honoka was right — her cheeks were scalding.

"Hey, Amari! The nurse is looking for you!" One of their classmates called out from the back.

"Anyways, excuse me." Huffing out a breath, Chiyo began to march off while Honoka waved after her.

"Good luck~!"

The meeting with the nurse was uneventful. One of her classmates got hurt during the tug-of-war event, and the nurse simply called her back to update her on how said classmate was doing.

By the time she returned to the field, the relay race had already begun. She climbed onto the upper landing of the staircase and hugged the concrete pillar. From there, she could just see over the sea of heads to get a good idea of how the race was going.

They were in the third quarter of the race, and the batons were just about to be passed to the final runners. Their class was second, and the batons were coming in. Nishinoya began jogging forward, then broke into a full sprint the second the baton was safely in his hand.

Chiyo's hand clenched into a fist, resting stiffly against her chest. She could see Nishinoya pick up speed as they rounded the final corner, catching up to the girl who was in first place. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she realized Nishinoya wasn't kidding. Nothing gets the crowd going more than when two runners are neck and neck for first place.

"You can do it," she murmured.

She saw him clench his teeth and started yelling, summoning the last of his energy as they crossed the finish line. Chiyo's eyes snapped to the scoreboard, elated to see Class 2-2 highlighted in red at first place. She figured Nishinoya must've seen the same thing because she soon heard him screaming.

"Let's go!" He threw his arms up in the air. Then immediately pointed his finger towards the crowd, skimming through the students in search of someone. "Crap, where are you?" He cussed before eventually giving up and opting to scream at the sky. "Did you see that?! That was for you, my future girlfriend!"

Chiyo jolted. Was he talking about her?

She pressed her hands to her cheeks, only to feel them heat up once more. Quickly, she climbed down the stairs and began weaving through the crowd of students. She wanted to talk to him — she needed to.

But by the time she reached a distance where she could call out to him, she realized that he was surrounded by people. Guys and girls, some from their class, some she didn't recognize. He was being praised, high-fived, and getting his hair ruffled. He laughed and threw his arms up in another cry for celebration.

For the first time, Chiyo noticed.

When did he get so popular?

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[sabo-has-my-heart]

Safe In His Arms

An Ace Fic and the second to last event request. I tried to make this with a GN!Reader, but if I made mistakes, I apologize. The original request was:

“Gaahhhhh im so happy (and also proud?) for you!!! and i wanna join in on the celebration!!! so maybe either Prompt 12, Law, Fluff Prompt 4 or Prompt 16, Ace, Multipurpose Prompt 8 please“

Enjoy

Warnings: reader being attacked, 

Word Count: 1390

     Tugging at the ropes that wrapped around your tail, you whimpered. The net had tangled around you, making you panic as you tugged and thrashed, only tangling yourself more as you felt yourself being pulled up. Already, you could see their cruel faces as they caught sight of you, pulling faster. You slammed against the boat with whatever force you could manage, hoping to knock them off balance. Being pulled onto the ship, the men chuckled darkly as you struggled.

     “Quickly, secure the tail! We can’t have the beast jumping back into the water!” one man shouted, the others quickly moving to grab you.

     “I’m not a beast! Let me go!” you shouted, a scream leaving your lips a moment later as sharp, jagged hooks and spikes drove into your tail.

     “Careful with that! It’s useless if we ruin the tail too much!” another man said as a third began to bind your arms.

     “It’s a pretty one too, try not to cause any scarring, we’ll get more if it looks pretty.”

     “I’m not an ‘it’! I’m a person! Please, let me go!” you continued to shout, tears starting to run down your cheeks. You let out another scream as something hit your back, the sharp items digging deeper into your tail as the ship rocked. Opening your eyes, you noticed the sailors running across the ship, distracted by something else. Looking at the binds, you began tearing at them, ignoring how the spikes dug into your hands, ignoring the blood that poured from the wounds as you jumped back into the water, swimming as fast as you could, as deep as you could. Blood continued to gush from your injuries, your vision blurring from blood loss. Fighting against the pulling darkness, you tried to swim forward, your body soon going limp. 

     Ace loved the beach, loved the ocean. He wished he could set sail one day, to just wander the oceans without a care and without a destination. Vaguely he wondered if some of the fantastic tales he’d heard about the waters were true. Stories of huge undersea monsters, rumors of fantastical creatures and untold treasures. Wouldn’t it be wondrous to see some of the things out there? Pulling a small stone from his pocket, he sighed. It was a silly little ‘wishing stone’ that Luffy had bought him, but he was feeling hopeful today. Thinking of his wish, he gently traced the white line before tossing it as far as he could out into the shimmering waters. Taking a deep breath, he turned to continue down the beach. It was a short while later that he spotted something in the surf, the waves crashing against it. Hurrying forward, hoping it was interesting, his eyes widened, his brisk strides turned into a run as he realized that the ‘something’ was a person. Pulling the person out of the surf, he didn’t even process the tail until they were well up onto the beach, his eyes nearly leaving his head as he stared at the figure.

     You could hear the crashing of waves as you stirred, could feel the soft, warm sands beneath you. The cuts across your body stung, the pain rousing you from your sleep. Opening your eyes, your gaze landed on a young man with dark hair kneeling in the sand next to you. Trying your best to scramble away from him, you hissed in pain as your injuries dragged along the sand.

     “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. I found you passed out in the water. Are you okay?” the young man asked, looking at you worriedly. Looking towards the crashing waves, you wondered if you could get into the water before he had the chance to catch you. You were on land, he could move faster than you could here, “You don’t need to be afraid, I promise. I just want to help.” he said worriedly, holding up his hands, trying to reassure you that you were okay. Still, you watched him warily.

     “H-how do I know I can trust you? You could have friends on the way!” you said, trying to scoot closer to the water.

     “I… I just want to help, I promise. You’re injured, I can help. If you let me go grab some bandages, I’ll patch you up. You can even move closer to the water if you’d like, or there’s a pier further down the beach, it would easily allow you to dive into the water.” he offered. You nodded, moving closer to the water as he fetched some first aid items.

     Talking with the young man as he bandaged you, you learned his name was Ace, he lived with his two brothers, and he dreamed of sailing. Once he’d finished bandaging you, he’d offered to help you back into the water, surprising you. Surely he knew how much you were worth? Your kind weren’t common, you were highly sought after for a variety of reasons. He had to have known this! He’d just chuckled and dragged you closer to the water. Looking at him, you’d asked if he knew of a nearby cover where you could hide out, making him smile as he picked you up and carried you to a secluded cove for you to lie low. Ace visited you everyday, eventually bringing his brothers to meet you. It was weeks later that your wounds had healed, sighing as you packed up the few things you’d obtained since coming here. It wasn’t much, but Ace had brought you a number of items, letting you keep whatever you desired, eventually getting you a satchel to keep it all in.

     “Y/n! Hey! I… uh… going somewhere?” Ace asked, looking at your packed bag and solemn look.

     “I figured… it’s time I returned, I… I’m vulnerable here and… and I’m sure I’m causing you nothing but trouble. You’ve been feeding me, taking care of me, I… I’m probably a burden on you.” you said, looking at your lap sadly. Honestly, you didn’t want to leave, but you wanted to cause him trouble even less.

     “No, it’s cool. You haven’t caused me any trouble at all. It’s been nice having you here.” Ace sighed, looking away as he kicked at the sand for a moment, “So…. you’re really leaving then?” you bit your lip, staring at him. You wanted to stay, wanted to spend more time with him, but how could you? You were temporarily living in a cove, you couldn’t just walk up on land and live with him. Still…

     “Ask me to stay.” you said, looking up at him, taking his hand in yours.

     “I… What?” he asked, a little baffled, looking down at your hand before sitting down next to you, squeezing your hand.

    “Ask me to stay… and I will.” you said, slowly reaching out to caress his cheek.

     “Stay, please stay. Stay with me. I’ll protect you, I promise. I’ll find a way. I’ll build a house out in this cove if I have to if you’ll just stay with me.” he pleaded, reaching up to caress your cheek, his hand shaking, “You’re… you mean a lot to me. I’ll figure something out, I promise, just stay.” he pleaded, making you laugh slightly. 

     “I’ll stay. I’ll stay for you. I’m… I’m sure we can figure something out.” you said with a small smile. Ace grinned as he pulled you close, holding you tight as he kissed you. Once he’d realized what he’d done, he pulled back.

     “Uh, s-sorry. I… I was probably a bit too forward, wasn’t I. I just…” Ace looked away, fidgeting nervously.

     “I love you.” you said softly, gently putting a hand on his cheek, making him face you again as you kissed him. You could practically feel him melting under your touch, his arms wrapping around your waist. 

     “I… I love you too and… and I promise I’ll figure out a way for us to be more permanently together, and to keep you safe.” he said, pulling you into his lap and holding you close. You smiled and nodded, leaning your head against your chest. It felt like nothing, not even the sailors that had tried to capture you, could get to you while you were in his arms, you were safe in his arms, you’d stay safe in his arms.

[auslanderka]

fandom : Katekyo Hitman Reborn

ship : Yamamoto Takeshi x Gokudera Hayato (tyl)

note and TW : 18+, minors dni, not typical nsfw but very suggestive topic. (> ao3)

— contains eng grammar problems and mistakes as well —

He woke up feeling something unpleasantly wet on his skin. Muttered quietly while hiding his hand at the speed of light under the quilt. Seeing this, the dog let out a quiet whine and began searching with his nose for another body part sticking out from under the quilt.

„Jiro...” he groaned feeling a wet tongue this time on his cheek. Yamamoto finally opened his eyes. The light-colored Akita was standing by the bed with head resting on the mattress looking at him with big eyes waiting for him to rise from the comfortable bed. Sunshine was already streaming in through the window. „ I'll get up soon,” promised, knowing that the dog was waiting for him to go out for, at least, a short walk.

He was so reluctant to get up. Just slipped his fingers into the soft light fur and closing his eyes again. Young man, lying next to him, pressed his forehead against his back curled on the other half of the bed. Yamamoto turned carefully and drew him close, burying his face in his gray hair. Smiled slightly  when Hayato sighed quietly, but didn’t wake up. He couldn't tell what his boyfriend had dreamed, but he hoped it wasn't one of the nightmares that had been plaguing Hayato lately. Did Gokudera have any pleasant dreams at all? If so, what kind? And did he, Takeshi, appear in them?

"Jiro...! „ Yamamoto groaned quietly again, hearing the dog's desperate whining behind his back. „Go get the leash, I'll be right up.” He looked at the animal over his shoulder. The overjoyed dog barked quietly and ran out of the room, finally leaving them alone.

He was still sleepy when he entered the bathroom rubbing face with his hand. In fact, he would have been happiest to stay still in bed. After all, it's rare for them to have a day off and the opportunity to spend some time together that isn't directly related to work. Gokudera gets up at nightmarish hours every day, chasing him out of bed and shouting that he will be late again. They just needed one lazy day to themselves. He made a funny face when he felt the frighteningly cold tiles under his bare feet. Looked in the mirror and muttered quietly rubbing his neck. There was a reddish-purple mark left by the lips of the man still sleeping in the next room. Polo neck day today. a Little, cocky smile appeared on his face. He moved his face to the mirror making a puzzled face and staring over his left shoulder, where was a strange mark. He ran his fingers over it, feeling the skin gently pinch under his touch. The imprint of teeth. He was unable to recall the moment when Gokudera bit him on the arm to muffle his screams and not arouse his neighbors.

He washed his face with cold water and looked at himself again in the mirror. For a moment, the thought crossed his mind to ask Kyoko to show him at least the basic techniques for hiding blemishes and bruises on his skin with makeup.

 *

Upon returning from the walk, Jiro immediately ran to his bed. Uri jumped up with a loud squeak. Whenever the dog left the apartment, the cat curled up on his pillow and snoozed until the cheerful Akita chased him to the other end of the room. Yamamoto rolled his eyes hearing the shrill squeaks when the dog tried to gently move cat.

Yeah i know this one. He put his shoes back in their place and moved toward the bedroom, tucking the headphones he had removed from his ears into the box. He smiled slightly at the sight of the still-sleeping young man, pulling off his sweatshirt and putting the electronics on the desk.

Gokudera was unbearable when it came to work. He overworked himself, never listening when Yamamoto said it was time to rest. They argued many times because of this. He had to admit that the sight of Hayato snuggled into his pillow somehow calmed him down. He slid onto the bed carefully so as not to startle him. In the morning, Uri's squeals were enough for him.

"Where do you wander?" The gray-haired man awoke but didn't open his eyes or move.

"A walk with Jiro." He murmured while kissing him gently on his bare shoulder. "Did you miss me?"

"Keep telling yourself."

Yamamoto laughed quietly while moving his nose gently up the man's shoulder to his neck where he began to place gentle kisses. His skin was so pleasantly soft and warm. He could smell the delicate scent of sweat and bedding on it, which awakened his senses. He smiled to himself feeling the gray-haired man's heart speed up. Hayato's fist met Yamamoto's nose. However, he didn't raise his head still hugging the pillow to hide his red face from him. Yamamoto laughed while hugging his back and placing a gentle kiss on where his neck joins the rest of his body. Hayato muttered quietly into the pillow something Takeshi didn't understand.

"Idiot..." he chuckled again raising his head to take a breath.

"I prefer when you call me by my first name." whispered in his ear Yamamoto lowering his voice. A pleasant shiver ran down Gokudera's back.

[dat-carovieh]

In dire need of change

Ship: Geraskier

Rating: T

Wordcount: 5.8k

Chapters: 5

Tags: Stardew Valley AU, Farmer!Geralt, Elliott!Jaskier, musician Jaskier, Getting together, Fluff, First Kiss

Read on AO3

Chapter 1

The city was loud, like it always was and Geralt should be used to it, he grew up here but the longer he was working in this office, the worse it was getting. Nearly daily he had a headache, it started when he got up and got worse over the day. He did the same thing every day and he couldn’t handle it anymore. He had never known what he had wanted to do with his life. Vesemir had tried everything to help him find his calling but maybe for some people this just wasn’t a thing. He got up from the couch and went to his cupboard, somewhere there his phone charger was buried. He rummaged through the drawer and pulled out the cable. His eyes locked onto an envelope he had nearly forgotten. He remembered, he had gotten it from his grandfather, Vesemir’s father, shortly before he had died. He had told Geralt to open it, when he felt crushed by his life and needed a change.

He took the envelope and went back to his couch. He didn’t believe, it would help him at all. What could a letter do to change his life? Roach jumped on his chest as soon as he had thrown himself back onto the couch and cuddled against him, purring. He ripped it open and started to read the short letter.

“Geralt,

If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So, I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong. I’ve enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy: Kaer Morhen Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life.

This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my boy.

Good luck.

Love, Grandpa”

Geralt looked up. A farm? What was he supposed to do with a farm? Probably farming, he thought with a sarcastic laugh. Roach looked at him offended at the movement of his chest. He petted her head apologetic as he reread the letter, before he called Vesemir.

Vesemir seemed to think it was a great idea for Geralt to move to Pelican town and take over the farm, Vesemir grew up on. It had been empty for a while now but he was sure, Geralt could make something great out of it. Vesemir had promised him to take care of his flat and getting his furniture to the Valley soon. Apparently, he knew some people living there and made some calls, to make sure he would be welcomed to the town as soon as he arrived.

He had packed his bag and convinced Roach into the cat carrier. It had nearly cost him a finger, but now she was safely secured on the bus seat next to Geralt, sleeping through the bus ride.

He stepped out of the bus and was greeted by a redhaired woman with a bright smile. Vesemir had mentioned he would be picked up from the bus stop. He wasn’t sure how he felt about interacting with people just after arriving but he would suck it up and it would probably be good to have someone showing him everything.

“Hello! You must be Geralt!” she explained happily.

“Hmm,” Geralt replied and nodded, hoping he didn’t come off too rude.

“I’m Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home.” Carpenter sounded nice to Geralt, he liked people who did work with their hands.

“The farm’s right over here, if you follow me.” She didn’t seem to have issues with him barely replying, worked for Geralt. True to her words, the farm was just around the corner.

“This is Kaer Morhen farm,” she announced as they arrived at a house. Geralt looked around and his stomach dropped. The house looked fine but the land was fully grown over. This would be a lot of work. Good thing his grandfather had left him some money as well to get him through the first couple of weeks until he hopefully could make some money. That was if he didn’t give up on the farm before he gotten along far enough to actually plant something.

He had quit his job for this so he should probably try to make it work.

“What’s the matter?” Robin asked as if she wasn’t seeing the mess. “Sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath that mess!” Geralt surely hoped so. He didn’t know jack shit about farming so that whole thing would be a fun experience. “With a little dedication you’ll have it cleaned up in no time.” No time sounded a little too positive for Geralt but he suspected, manual labour would be good for him. “And here we are, your new home.” It looked cosy, maybe a little run down but much better than the crap apartment he had lived in before.

An old man came through the door of the farmhouse, he had an impressive grey moustache and wore a brown hat.

“Ah, the new farmer!” he said cheerfully, as he looked at Geralt. Geralt nodded at him. “Welcome, I’m Lewis, the Mayor of Pelican Town. You know, everyone’s been asking about you,” he explained. Geralt raised an eyebrow.

“They do?” He should have expected in a small town like that people would talk about everything. That was a thing he would miss about the city. He couldn’t vanish between everyone. People usually found him weird and here everyone might be talking about this soon. He immediately felt the anxiety rising.

“Oh yeah. It’s not every day that someone new moves in. It’s quite the big deal! But I assure you, everyone is really nice, I’m sure you will fit in greatly,” Lewis assured him. Geralt hoped so.

“So… you’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage. It’s a good house… very rustic.” They all turned to the house, that surely could use some work.

“Rustic? That’s one way to put it…” Robin answered. “Crusty might be a little more apt, though.” Geralt couldn’t suppress a small snort.

“Rude!” Lewis exclaimed. Robin also laughed. “Don’t listen to her, Geralt. She’s just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades,” the mayor explained. A business woman, Geralt could respect that and who knew, maybe he would take her up on that if the farm would run smoothly.

“I might think about this,” Geralt answered. Robin looked happy about this.

“Anyway… You must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest,” Lewis tried to steer the topic somewhere else. He also was right, Geralt felt tired and a little overwhelmed with everything. “Tomorrow you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate that.”

“Alright thanks,” Geralt answered, nodding.

The introducing was something Geralt really dreaded but he would have to get through this. Before they said their goodbyes, Robin explained to him, she had left some tools for him inside so he could start working tomorrow. Finally, they left Geralt alone. He took a full turn looking at everything that now belonged to him. He would not panic right now. He would manage somehow, he would.

The door creaked as he entered. The cabin looked incredibly cosy. There was only one room but he probably wouldn’t need much more. There was a small bed, a TV, a table with benches and even a fireplace. To the left there was a small kitchenette. Just a fridge and a small stove and a counter. One more door was there, probably leading to the toilette. He threw his bags to the ground and let Roach out to explore their new home.

In the fridge he found some food, the mayor must have kindly left for him and after a quick dinner, he went to bed early so he was ready to start working early in the morning. It had been exhausting and he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Read the other chapters on AO3

[askthechronoverse]

Chapter Eight: Your Friend, Your Other Brother

Last Chapter •||• Next Chapter

The sound of the wind blowing in the trees temporarily calmed Rex's nerves as he dug in the soft dirt of his garden, planting the last of his unplanted crops. He kept glancing at the only pathway to and from his cabin, anticipating Master Doom to come and shatter the feeling of peace in the air around him. The sound of snapping tree branches sounded so much louder to him now, causing him to slip a hand on the laser gun in a holster hanging from his left side. He let his hand go into his pants pocket when he saw his blue dog friend trip into his full line of sight.

"Kid! Is someone with ya?" He spoke with real concern as he rushed over to the puppy to help him up. "I keep tellin' ya to bring someone with ya when ya come visit." He looked down the road and saw no one else.

"I wanted to play videogames with you! You're really good at 'em and you have some weird ones I've never heard of." Puppycorn wagged his tail, either ignorant to or simply ignoring the look of worry on his friend's face flattening to that of a disappointed father.

"That's cool and all, but someone's gotta escort ya through the forest. I keep tellin' ya how dangerous it is out there." He shook his head. "Since you're here anyway, you can help me finish planting tomatoes first. Gonna warn ya in advance: I'm a bit… jumpy today." He pointed to a tree branch that looked like it was cut off the tree by a flamethrower. "Actually, know what? Field trip. We're takin' a field trip. I'm gonna show you somethin' you'll need to know someday."

"Sure!" The puppy bounced around as Rex called for one of his transport pods. Rex helped the kid in and the two were quickly chauffeured onto the loading dock of the Rexcelsior. He could see all the raptors rushing to and fro from the window, doing repairs and maintenance to the smaller ships and vehicles in Rex's fleet. One raptor hurried over to the pod and opened the door for her commander and his friend.

"Thanks, Sarah. Ya wanna tell Maverick to head to the engine room and get ready for a temporal jump?" The raptor nodded and rushed off to do that.

"Tempora jump? It's not lunchtime yet, RJ." Puppycorn laughed.

"Nah, kid. Temporal. Means "time". We're gonna travel in time." He walked the pup through the corridors of the ship to the bridge. "This is the bridge. It's where the controls for the ship are located." He passed a few raptors at various controls, greeting each one by name.

"Are you gonna show me how to pilot the ship?" Puppycorn gasped, watching a raptor skate on a small half pipe nearby.

"Nah. You're gonna help me. Don't worry, kid. It's not as scary as it looks." He smiled faintly at the pup's worried expression.

"No one lets me do something that big. You aren't worried I'm gonna break the ship?" This made Rex involuntarily furrow his eyebrows and frown.

"Puppycorn, you won't break anything that can't be fixed. I promise. If I can pilot this ship, so can you."

"But you built the ship? You totally can pilot it." Puppycorn's gait slowed a little.

"I wasn't always a good pilot, though." Rex stopped walking and leaned against an unmanned console. "I'm just gonna level with ya: I was a lot like you when I was a kid. No one believed in me and it is part of the reason I ended up in the position I was a year ago. I want you to have one person who will always believe in you. Even if it's just me. Alright?" His voice was heavy with emotion that he hid behind a bright smile. The puppy nodded. "Good. Let's begin with some basic time coordinate stuff." He finished leading Puppycorn to the main part of the bridge to a holographic view of the known galaxy. "This is basically every part of the universe as we know it: from the Unikingdom to Syspocalypstar and every planet in between. The map will change automatically when we enter our destination time period." Puppycorn tried to touch the translucent Unikingdom, but his paw went through it, causing Rex to barely hold a laugh. "Nah, kid. It's a picture made out of light. Ya can't touch it." He walked to a second unmanned console and pulled up a chair. Puppycorn sat next to him. "This is where we set the destination time. The one across from us sets the destination in space. Together, they tell the ship where to go. Usually, I have some of my raptor pilots take these controls, but you need to know how to work it like a pilot as well to command the raptors."

"What happens if one stops working?" Puppycorn looked at the controls and swallowed. It looked like a regular keyboard with some additional buttons.

"Gotta stop what I'm doin' and fix it, that's all. The Rexcelsior hadn't broken too bad in all the time I've had her. Stop stressin', kid. It ain't worth the stomachache." He pulled up a screen that was reminiscent of the DeLorean time machine's time navigation interface. "OK. This is the trickiest part. Top is where ya wanna go, middle is where we are now, bottom is the last time date the ship traveled to. To set the time drive, ya just gotta type either the full date and time or the time period's temporal phone number, if ya know it. The computer'll convert everything to something the time drive'll understand." Rex hesitated and typed something that looked like a standard US phone number, which translated out in the destination time slot to a date 16 years ago. His expression softened considerably.

"Where's that?" Puppycorn put his paws on the console.

""When's that?", ya mean. We're going somewhere and somewhen I haven't seen in a long time… and a good place to show off a time machine, since it's a place that doesn't exist anymore." He turned to the raptor at the adjacent console. "Zhora, set spacial coordinates to the airspace above sector 02.0714" The raptor nodded and began to type on her keyboard. She turned her head back to Rex and growed a few times. "Thanks." He turned back to Puppycorn. "She confirmed the autopilot is set. Now, do ya see the mic over here?" He tapped a thin microphone next to him and in front of Puppycorn. "That lets ya talk to the engine room. Press the button in front of it and tell them the access code is romeo echo x-ray. That means me or someone I trust put the order down to use the ship's engine."

"Do ya want me to do that now?" Rex nodded, putting his feet up on the console. Puppycorn cautiously pushed the button. "Uh… access code is romeo echo x-ray?" The ship started to grumble a little.

"There ya go. Just have some more confidence in yourself, kid. Remember that code. Ya may need it someday." Puppycorn nodded as Rex leaned back in the chair. "Now, we should get there before I finish this thought. Hold on to somethin'. Or don't. Try lookin' out the window." The puppy rushed to the large front window and saw…

"Syspocalypstar? Rex, that's Syspocalypstar." Rex walked over to Puppycorn's side and shook his head.

"Let's go down there and see if you're right. Be careful, though. It ain't dangerous down there if ya stick with me." He walked toward a closet a small distance away and began to grab clothes from it. The two things that flashed past Puppycorn's line of sight was an orange safety vest and matching pants with a badge that said "Emmet" on it. Rex took the tag off and put it on a shelf above the clothes. He soon had those on. "Again. Stick close. I don't know what'd happen if someone caught you."

The dog and his human friend took a small two seat ship to the surface of the supposed Syspocalypstar. Rex had landed the ship in a secluded part of what appeared to be a park of some kind. They left the park and found themselves in a large, tightly structured city. There were cameras everywhere, if you knew where to look, and signs with a man with graying hair that held some very disturbing undertones about following the rules.

"This isn't Sys-!" Rex hushed the puppy.

"No. It ain't. This is Bricksburg. My hometown." His voice was shaking a little. "The place was… well, I liked it alright. But I didn't know any better." He glanced up at a clock on a building nearby. "It's noon. Past me should be at the construction site. I really wouldn't want to meet myself right now."

"Because of a pair a dox?" The puppy tilted his head.

"Nah. Because I was a goody two shoes who was brainwashed to follow the rules all the time. Quickest way to get us in trouble right there." He laughed. "'Report anything unusual or suspicious'. That's us. A time traveler and his talking dog friend. Come on. I'll show ya around."

"Are ya sure about this, RJ?"

"Nope. But we're here now and I'm hungry. I know a place nearby with a pizza recipe they said they got from some island. I miss that place. Pretty sure the guy retired and went back to the island after the invasion." He began to walk, letting Puppycorn follow him at the side facing away from the crowd of commuters. He walked to a small restaurant that had a sign with an island and a pizza slice on it that said "Papa Brickolini's Pizza. EST. 1997". "Come 'mere. Let's do something real quick." Puppycorn stood next to his friend, who pulled out his phone and took a picture of the two of them in front of the pizzaria. "It's your first time doin' this, so we gotta commemorate it somehow." He looked at the photo and grinned. "Awesome. It's probably goin' on Brick-a-gram later." He opened the door and let Puppycorn into the restaurant before he stepped in himself.

The smell of pepperoni and fresh dough hit Puppycorn's nose, causing his ball tail to wag. He walked up to a redheaded teenager at the counter and put in an order for three trays of pizza, then sat at a table by the corner. As the teen placed the order with the cook, he kept glancing at Puppycorn. Puppycorn was about to say something, but Rex shook his head and put his hand to his mouth.

"That's a weird dog ya got." The kid pointed out.

"My kid probably did that to him. She's still little. Doesn't quite understand the rules yet. I musta run out to walk him without realizing he was like that." The teen just shrugged and went to help with the pizzas. He soon came back with three boxes. "Thanks kid." Rex handed him four hundred dollar bills. "Keep the change. Come on, pup. We gotta get that stuff off a you." The two left the shop briskly. After they navigated to a less populated street, Rex looked around and nodded to himself. "Ya had questions. I could tell."

"Yeah. Why was he looking at me like that?" Puppycorn whined.

"Bricksburg was ruled by a man who wanted order above all else. He separated the world into different sections. The Master Builders had a network of tunnels to move around, but the people of each section were brainwashed to reject anything that didn't belong with the theme they were used to. You probably would have belonged in Cloud Cuckoo Land with your sister." He stopped briefly, face flush with guilt. "I still need to make that up to her. Or maybe Emmet had already. I don't know what he did or didn't do lately."

"Make what up to her?"

"I'll give a history lesson on TAKOS Tuesday another time, kid. Or you can ask your sister. Either way…" He looked up in the sky, a little past the early afternoon sun. "Let me show ya something. Let's get back to the ship." The two rushed to the park and their small ship. The man piloted the ship through a secret hole in the brick wall that surrounded the city and navigated them through a medieval world and over a large rainbow. Puppycorn saw Rex's face fall as he landed the ship in the clouds. "Welcome to Cloud Cuckoo Land. Your sister's kingdom before the Unikingdom… and before I destroyed it." His voice was shaking.

"You probably didn't mean to… Right?" Puppycorn got out of the ship.

"No. I didn't know about the tracker. No one did." Rex looked like he was going to fall apart where he stood. He took a breath and steeled his gaze. "I'm bringing something back. Anything. Something your sister can recognize from this place. Even if I have to chain that dog building to the Rexcelsior." He pointed to the large dog building in the distance.

"That's really big... Maybe one of the spinning flowers will work?" Puppycorn pointed to a few of the improbable flowers.

"Yeah. Probably. Help me grab one." Rex ran over to the nearest one and tried to pull it from the clouds himself. The puppy grabbed Rex and the two eventually managed to rip the flower out. They turned to see a younger Unikitty standing by their ship, changing the colors from dark blue and green to pink and sky blue.

"Sis? What are you do-!" Rex hushed Puppycorn and approached the past version of the princess.

"Hiiiii! Are you new to Cloud Cuckoo Land? Your ship was super dark, so I fixed it!" The cat grinned mischievously. "I'm Princess Unikitty, by the way! Who are you two?... Wait. Why do you look so familiar?"

"Not important. We're just passin' through." He gestured for Puppycorn to get on the ship. "I'll see you again soon, though." He stuffed the flower in the ship and, after making sure his companion was buckled in his seat, slammed the thing into reverse. When they got out of the clouds, Rex sighed. "That was close. I'm not supposed to be there yet. She's not supposed to know me until just before TAKOS Tuesday." He hovered the ship over the vast ocean, head in his hands.

"RJ? Are you okay?"

"I haven't been okay in a long time, not gonna lie." He spoke softly through his hands, speaking intentionally slower to keep some of his action star voice. "I thought this trip would hurt a lot less than it does. It just reminded me of how much I lost… and made other people lose."

"But you have me now. And the whole Unikingdom." Rex pat the puppy's head.

"Never change, kid." He finally looked up and Puppycorn could see the stress pile on the human's now wet face. "Let's get the pizza to the mothership before it gets cold." He wiped his face and flew back to the ship. The raptors unloaded the flower and the pizzas and Puppycorn got out of the ship. He started to head out to the bridge, but saw that Rex didn't follow and returned to his side.

"RJ, it's okay. You're okay. Big Sis isn't mad at you. She's your friend." The puppy put his paw on Rex's shoulder. The human didn't lift his head from the steering column, instead putting a hand on the puppy's paw. "I am too, though I'm just a puppy."

"Puppycorn, you're probably one of my best friends. I only have two of them and the other one is just me if my life didn't nosedive." He feebly sat up. "I want to keep teaching you how to run the Rexcelsior. Someday, this ship will be yours."

"Why me? Why not your other best friend?"

"Emmet doesn't need it. I want to give you the opportunity he and I had to be something special and this ship is all I have. It won't be yours for a long time. I'm not an old man and there is so much of the universe I wanna see. I just want you to learn as much as you can while I still can teach it."

"You really believe in me that much?"

"Of course. Like I said: I want at least one person to believe in you. I'll be that person." Looking at Rex's face, Puppycorn could have sworn he was a different person if it weren't for the stubble and pronounced cheekbones. His expression was far softer, dark eyes calm and bright. He somehow looked a lot younger.

"I believe in you, too." The puppy smiled warmly. "I'm hungry. Can I have some of that pizza?" Rex laughed.

"Sure, kid. First, take us home." Rex slowly got out of the small ship and walked toward the bridge.

"You want me to take us back?" Rex nodded, heading to the now empty space navigation console. Puppycorn sat at the time navigation console and looked at the screen. He typed the date and time they arrived from and Rex put the spatial coordinates.

"Give the orders, Captain Puppycorn. Where are we headed?" Rex asked, turning his head to the puppy.

"We're going to the Unikingdom!" He pressed the button to lock the time coordinates and then the one to communicate with the engine room. "Code is romeo echo x-ray! Let's go!"

"Well, wouldja look at that. Check out the window." The puppy looked out the large window to see the Unikingdom castle below them. "Good job. Looks like ya got the ship home in one piece. Let's grab whatever is left of the pizza to celebrate." He led the puppy to the cafeteria, where there was one box of pizza left on a table for them. "Glad they saved us some for once." He grabbed a slice and picked at some pepperoni.

"How often do you use the time drive?" Puppycorn grabbed a slice and bit right into it.

"Often enough that I can't stand living day to day anymore. Why should I have to settle with time going in the right order when I can just jump around the timeline like it doesn't matter?" He ate one pepperoni before picking another off the pizza slice.

"Did you talk to the girl with the pink and blue hair the other day?" Puppycorn asked suddenly.

"Huh? You mean Lucy? Yeah. Talked to some other people I knew, too."

"What did she say?"

"She… she said she didn't know me well enough to give me an answer to the question I asked her. I don't blame her. She's not my Lucy. She's not the one who left me just like everyone else did. She doesn't have to bother with me." He put down his slice of pizza.

"What did you ask her?"

"I asked if she would ever see herself with me." He slid the slice over to Puppycorn, who snarfed this slice down. "Like I said: I get it."

"What do you mean?" He grabbed a third slice.

"Slow down, kid. That stuff's hard to find." He picked up another slice of pizza to keep it from Puppycorn. "I used to be her boyfriend. Well, we called each other 'super special best friends', but that's a really cute term for two people who… well, who I thought at the time really cared about each other. I dunno."

"Do you wanna be super special best friends with her again?" Puppycorn was on his fifth slice of pizza at this point.

"Maybe? I mean, she was the one who came for us. She may have changed, like your sister did." He shrugged. "On the other hand, she did take every chance she could to belittle me and beg me to change to match Apocalypseburg. Never fall in love, kid." The puppy looked up and was covered in pepperoni and cheese. Rex laughed after a second to process the scene. "I'm showin' you where the shower is before we leave." He led the puppy to the shower room, letting his young protege clean up while he checked some things in the engine room before taking him back to the castle, where Unikitty was waiting.

"Puppycorn! Where did you go? We were worried." The cat hugged her brother.

"RJ took me for a ride on his ship! We have something for you!" Puppycorn wagged his tail. Rex nodded and handed her the large and still spinning flower.

"Princess… Unikitty. I'm so sorry about what happened on Cloud Cuckoo Land… I'm not expecting you to forg-!" The apology and flower was met with a hug from a crying Unikitty.

"It's OK, RJ. Have you been holding the guilt for that long? No wonder you're always so grumpy." She tightened the hug. "I can't make everything you feel go away, but I'm not mad at you. That's been water under the bridge for a long time." Rex melted into the hug, keeping himself from crying too.

[companionwolf]

Toy Soldiers Ch 16

The Commander keeps their word, wordlessly meets with Kennedy the next morning. They travel for a long while, until they reach a small settlement on the lip of a canyon. “Resistance HQ,” says the soldier. The Commander sinks low in their jacket.

“Ship’s down here,” he says, leasing the way down a rickety set of hastily made stairs. Down and down they go, the Commander gazing out at the ship that rises to meet them in its silent unmoving form, dwarfing them even before they reach the bottom, blocking out the sun.

“Wow,” says the Commander.

What a beautiful ship, says Shen. I wish I could get to know how it worked…

Kennedy leads them up a open wide ramp at the bottom, and onto the bridge -- the Commander blinks at the sight of a glitchy Hologlobe, at the personnel milling around. To the side, they note a long haired woman with a ponytail conversing with a younger man. Kennedy nods at them.

“Commander Katya and her CO Andrey,” he says.

The Commander nods curtly. “I’ve got some information for them,” they say, a moment after a bout of impassioned prompting in their head from the toys. “About the resistance factions.”

Kennedy approaches the two; the Commander trails behind him.

Is this what your old base used to be like? Central asks. It’s weird to imagine that place like this…

“It is,” they murmur, just loud enough for him to hear. “It’s really weird, and i don’t like it, and I want to go home.”

You promised, says Kelly.

The Commander sighs.

Katya turns to look at them, her green eyes sharp and cold. Her CO turns too-- brown eyes, dark hair. The commander looks them over, frowning. “So you are the head of XCOM, the original one? WHo lost in 2015?”

They nod hesitantly.

She hums, and then turns away. Andrey looks at them, at his commander, shrugs at Kennedy, and follows Katya as she walks off the bridge into another room. Kennedy gives the Commander a shrug of his own. “Katya’s got some opinions about you, I think,” he says.

Obviously, says Shen.

“I have something to tell them, though,” the Commander says, in almost a kiddush voice. The soldier glances the Commander over. “I don’t think those toys are helping you, anyway,” he answers.

“Yes they are! I--” The Commander flounders. “I need them.”

Kennedy’s turn to frown. “Okay,” he says finally. “Let’s go see if Yolanda is around.”

He leads them down hallways, past a bar with a memorial wall, past what looks like some kind of gym in construction, into a crowded living quarters with couches at the center of the room and bunk beds along the walls. A group of soldiers is playing cards at the center table-- they look up curiously as Kennedy and the Commander enter.

Kennedy approaches the table. “Anyone seen Yolanda?”

One of the younger soldiers answers that they saw her down in engineering. Kennedy thanks them, ushers the Commander out of the barracks and down, down, down, until they come to the bottom of the ship, walking down a small metal staircase into a workshop.

Seated on an island table in the middle is a dark skinned woman with her hair pulled into a bun. Before anyone else can say anything, the Commander pulls the datapads they didn’t end up trading out and says, “Hi. I think you’ll want these.”

Yolanda looks up--

“Commander!”

They laugh a little as she jumps up off the table and comes to hug them. “Glad to see you’re okay,” they say, throat tightening suddenly. “I really thought I was alone, until I ran into Kennedy and he said some of the staff and troops made it out.”

Yolanand breaks the hug, takes the data pads. “Honestly, before I got in contact with Katya and co., and started working here, I thought so too,” she says. “Was weird to end up here and slowly see people I knew from HQ start making their way…”

“It’s weird to see them up on the bridge,” says the Commander, trailing off as the other nods.

Kennedy, in the doorway, smiles at them both. “You think you can figure out those caches?”

Yolanda glances them over. “Maybe,” she says. “Might need some help…”

I watched my human break intel encryption after he defected, says Tygan, I can guide you.

“I can help,” the Commander says. “I know just enough to be helpful, I think. I hope.”

“I didn’t know you were into this stuff,” says Yolanda.

“Eh, you pick up some things over twenty years.”

Yolanda looks at Kennedy, at the Commander, back at Kennedy again. “Did you clear them being here with Katya?” she asks. The other soldier gives a noncommittal hand gesture.

“She’ll come around to them,” he says, “especially once we get those datapads cracked.”

Yolanda purses her lips. “If you say so,” she answers.

“C’mon Commander, we’ll find you somewhere to bunk,” says Kennedy.

“Are you planning to join us?” Yolanda asks.

“No.”

The silence is deafening. Yolanda stares at them, they stare at their feet, Kennedy shifts anxiously. Finally, Yolanda asks: “Why not?”

The Commander frowns. “I lost, the resistance doesn;t want me,” they say. “Besides, I don’t….it’s been twenty years, I haven’t commanded in a long time.”

That’s not true, says Kelly. You did that for the factions…

“Factions don't count,” they murmur. “I was repaying a debt.” Louder, to the other humans, they say, “Katya seems like she's doing fine here. No need for me.”

Kennedy and Yolanda exchange looks.

“What?” says the Commander.

“I think you might change your mind once you see her process,” says Kennedy.

They sigh. “Show me where I can lie down,” they say. “And where I can get a drink.”

Later, tucked into a top bunk above Kennedy’s, the Commander sips on a strong drink and skulks. The toys, gathered in their lap, voice their distress -- Commander, Commander, Commander… they tip their head back and chug.

Commander, please talk to us, says Central. Talk to me.

“I am not going to take over,” they say. “That’s what they want, isn’t it? I’m not doing it.”

They just asked you to see, says Shen. Give them the intel, watch how Katya commands, make your decisions after that. Besides, no one’s asked you to stay directly, so…

The Commander huffs, takes another drink. “I want to be home,” they whine. “I should have just….ignored Kennedy and left Freedom Point when I planned to. This is stupid and hell, even if I was to take over, we’d still lose. Against ADVENT, we’re nothing.”

I don’t think that’s very fair to the soldiers who have died, says Tygan.

“Maybe they felt good about it, good for them,” the Commander says. “I think it’s pointless. Which is another reason they shouldn't be trying to get me back in this thing. I don’t care.”

I dunno, says Central. I think maybe you just tell yourself that.

“Do not play therapist with me, Central,” they say. “I love you, but do not do that right now.”

Okay, okay, he answers. Just….let’s give it a shot. You’ve got us here, anyway, and you don’t even have to command. Tell them about the factions and watch Katya, that’s all. Then we can leave.

The Commander sighs, finishes their drink. “If shit goes weird, I’m blaming the resistance.”

And at first it doesn’t.

The Commander manages to get an audience with Katya proper, tell her what they learned from the factions, about the Reapes and SKirmsiehrs and how to contact them, about that thing that attacked them. They aren’t sure how much she listens to them, but they’ve passed the intel on.

Katya allows them to stay on the ship, and they spend time training and hanging out with the soldiers, watching over her and Andrey’s shoulders during missions, never going on the field themselves. Kennedy's right -- both that ADVENT is doing eerily similar things to how they used to, and that Katya, despite how she carries herself, is not as experienced as she'd like to make them believe. The Commander tries to stifle their comments,they really do.

They don’t care, why are they giving tactical suggestions?

(“You need to have Bauer move up behind that tree.”

“Martinez would have a better shot if--”

“Come at the enemy from the side, not head on!”)

They don’t care, why do Katya’s mistakes make them angry?

(Martinez gets clipped in the shoulder by an ADVEt trooper. Bauer is shot in the leg. The squad barely manages to evacuate, and the Commander trembles, not in fear, but fury.)

They don’t care, so why--?

You’re getting back into it, says Central. Do you think you’ll contest Katya after all?

The Commander sighs. They don’t want to, really, they don’t miss that responsibility.

But Katya is not good at this-- she gets the troops unnecessary wounds, doesn’t listen to their suggestions, and ignores her senior staff. Her behavior eats at them, and they want to correct her so badly, can see ten different ways they could have improved a mission if they’d been the one at the helm.

“Yeah,” they mumble. “Not sure how, but I will.”

The toys transmit beams of pride and love and encouragement at them. They sigh again.

“For you all, I’ll do it,” they say. “For you, and Asaru too.”

[sinvulkt]

Angstpril: 17. Running Away - evil au - part 1

@whumpril - 18. Escape Attempt

I ran as if my life depended on it, almost-regrown wings half spread on my back. In a way, I knew my life did depend on it. Kedrick had made sure of that.

My feet trampled the ground, each step reverberating throughout my bones. Without being able to take off, the corridors seemed to spread on and on, their end never in sight. 

Whose scum made those kriffing blueprints?

My ears kept fluttering around, desperate to catch any sound that may come my way. I mustn’t get caught.

Four months ago, they clipped my wings for the lone crime of being too absent. What would they do now, upon discovering I was leaving against explicit orders?

The stolen artifact sat heavy over my neck. I hadn’t gotten time to study it properly yet: despite being scooped up in the palace, I had rarely been alone. And the rare times I was.… The artifact had shown itself resistant to my attempts to activate it. Like many things in today’s galaxy, it loathed my presence for its Darkness. 

Like many things in today’s galaxy, it would still yield under my will.

The Force blurred in alarm, cutting cleanly through my thoughts. I jumped into a closet. The next second, a garrison of stormtroopers filled the hallway. 

I froze.

A minute later, they were gone. I exhaled in relief. My head pulsed at the rhythm of my racing heart, adrenaline making my limbs shake in the aftermath of the tension. Extricating myself from the closet was harder than it should have been, and came at the price of several near-misses with the broom laying there. I managed nevertheless, and soon, I was running again.

The closer I came to the exit, the more often I had to hide. I had long left the inner part of the palace, and moving through the new maze around the hangar was harder and harder. It was as if the stormtroopers knew my itinerary somehow, and searched every corridor I passed. More than once, I was tempted to activate the artifact looped around my neck- to become invisible. But there were too many variables, and not enough guarantee it would actually activate for me to tempt fate. For now, the Darkness covering me would have to be enough.

Rema had promised she would wait for me with a ship at the ready, but each near-miss was making me wonder whether the risk of joining her at the hangar was worth it. Could I really trust her?

She had changed lately. She had become Lighter, in spite of the Darkness smothering us all. It made my feathers bristle everytime I sensed her, a warning of the Dark not too stray too close to its opposite. It also gave me hope.

I ran closer to the hangar despite my doubts, because Rema’s information about my intended death had rang true. While many, Kedrick included, would likely cheer at my demise, I refused to let death take me yet. Furthermore, Rema’s offer had been my only chance to leave the Palace in months. 

My Flock was dead; I recognised that now. Aheka was lost. Pat was lost. Rema was lost, and if she wasn’t, she walked a different path none of us could follow. I was lost. There was nothing for me in that place anymore; nothing but pretty chains and tight golden bars.

Breath rendered shortened by anticipation, I climbed into the vent tunnel that would directly bring me to the hangar. Shouts and calls soon reached me. My ears flattened as I realised there was another, darker presence near Rema’s lightening one. 

Kedrick.

I checked my mental shields. My own darkness was tightly folded against me, ensuring I stayed hidden even to the best seekers. Pat would have found me nevertheless, but Pat was otherwise occupied, sent to dirty his hands  in yet another mission. 

Pat had stopped seeking me out after I carved a new scar on his skin in anger.

I waited, trapped in the tunnel vent as both exits were covered in stormtroopers, yet only meters away from the ship that could be my salvation.

Was this a trap?

A loud thud echoed, and Kedrick’s presence fell dim. I dared a glance at the scene beyond the vent grid. Rema stood alone in the hangar, Kedrick’s unconscious body sprawled at her feet. Behind her was a sleek shuttle equipped with hyperspace engines. Its ramp was down, and it seemed ready for take off. 

My wings fluttered in excitation at the thought of piloting that vessel. Soon, I’d be free. I crawled out of the vent.

“Rema!” I whispered.

She turned towards me, yellow eyes glinting eerily in the dim hangar lighting.