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xsamsharons · 3 years ago

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i'd choose you - nikolai lantsov.

pairing: nikolai lantsov x reader

genre/warning: slight angst but other than that just fluff!

words: 3.1k.

summary: in which he finds you lost at sea and offers a place in his crew, but soon enough your past comes back to haunt you.

The first time he saw you, you were holding on to what was left of a rowboat, as the waves of the sea crashed around you and soaked your clothes. He immediately demanded that his crew pick you up and get you onto his own ship safely, to avoid the storm picking up and drifting you further away into sea. You had been rightfully shaken up once they’d managed to get you aboard, but between shivers and stutters, you’d been able to explain what had happened: the storm had hit your ship and sank it to the bottom of the ocean, along with everyone in your crew. Apparently, the reason why no one had been able to do anything about the storm, had been because the crew had just come out of a mutiny attempt, and everyone was trying to solve the mess it had left behind.

That night, he didn’t have to think twice and immediately offered to let you stay aboard his ship and travel with him, or drop you off at the nearest port, to which you replied with a smile and gratitude in your eyes that matched the soft look on his green ones. You’d told him that you would stay on the ship with them, seeing as anything that was waiting for you on land was currently at the bottom of the ocean along with any future plans you might’ve had.

Two months later, you were a vital part of Sturmhond’s crew, and had even grown close enough to other members of the crew, like Zoya, that you’d probably call more than one of them friends. You had quickly come to realize that something about your captain’s face was… weird, to put it lightly, but didn’t say anything for the first few weeks. Not wanting to bite the hand that feeds you and all that.

However, as time passed, you started to grow more and more suspicious, and once you finally confronted him about it, he told you the truth. You don’t know why he trusted you with his secret so early in your relationship, and, if he was being honest, neither did he. The rational part of his mind told him it was stupid to trust someone he’d known for only two months, and who, frankly, hadn’t told him much about his past. But Nikolai had never claimed to be a rational person by any stretch, and listened to the reckless voice inside his head once more, deciding to trust you against his better judgement.

After his secret was out, it felt like a barrier between the two of you had been lifted, and with it all the awkward small talk and formalities that seemed to linger around the both of you since the moment you met. Out went the formal captain, and in came the flirty prince.

Nikolai seemed to be everywhere you turned: relaxing against the railing and staring out at the sea? He’d appear a second later to tease you about being dramatic for staring out at it with such a somber look. Sparring with another member of the crew up on the main deck? He’d be there to make stupid remarks about your posture and technique. Finally going to your room after a long day? He’d be waiting by the door with a plate of food to share with you while sitting on your bed and talking about everything and anything, which is exactly what you were doing right now.

“Do you have a place you’ve always wanted to visit?” he asked you, back against your bed and eyes trained on the ceiling, one of his arms thrown under his head for support and the other placed on your thigh, rubbing his thumb in circular motions against your skin.

“Not really.” you shrugged, trying to ignore the blush that his hand placement had caused. “I had always liked Ravka when I was living there, and then always felt content at sea.”

“What do you like about the sea?” he asked, turning his head to face you.

“The freedom.” you replied, not missing a beat. He smiled at that, not smirked, but smiled. His smile was so soft and the skin by his eyes wrinkled at the motion, giving him a childlike look that melted your heart.

“The freedom?” he asked, and his eyes held so much emotion that they forced you to look away from him, staring instead down at your fiddling hands.

“Yeah.” you nodded. “Lots of things were expected from me back home, you know?”

“Oh, trust me, I know.” he laughed.

“Right, I forgot I was talking to a prince for a moment.” you laughed with him. “It’s just… no one expects anything from me here. Yeah, sure, I have to help on deck and follow orders, but I can just be myself. I don’t need to pretend to be anything I'm not.” you finished, and when you finally looked back at him, you found his eyes had never left your figure once while you talked.

You stayed like that for a while, staring at each other without saying anything out loud. The silence wasn’t awkward like it once had been when he’d just met you, instead, the silence seemed to be comforting; like an embrace on a cold rainy day or like a hot chocolate by the fire.

“What about you?” you asked, softly.

“What about me?” he repeated your words, dancing around the subject.

“Why the sea?”

“People like me here.” he shrugged, and you frowned.

“People like you everywhere.” you argued with a smile.

“You got that right.” he winked, causing you to roll your eyes. “People never like me for me back home.” he admitted, softly, his voice weak, as if that sentence was something he rarely said out loud. “I’m their prince, you know? They have to like me, but not here.” he finished.

“I like you for you.” you admitted, not used to seeing him be so unsure of himself.

“Do you, now?” he smirked, there was the Nikolai you knew. “If I knew all it took was a sob story to get you to be nice to me, I would've told you one sooner.” he continued, and you rolled your eyes.

“Don’t let it get to your head, Nikolai.” you told him, watching as he stood up and headed for your door, no doubt to make sure everything on the ship was in order and being taken care of before he retired for the night.

“Oh, but I let everything get to my head darling.” he winked, disappearing behind your closed door right after, leaving just you and your giddy smile behind.

After that conversation in your room, Nikolai had seemed to become the touchiest person ever. He’d hug you every morning as a greeting, kiss your forehead goodnight every night, and braid your hair anytime you decided to wear it down. Zoya had noticed, and every time he caught sight of your hand in his or his arm around your shoulders, she shot a knowing smirk your way, which never failed to make you shy away from her.

Speaking of the devil, you felt a hand rest upon your right leg before you saw him, sitting down on the floor next to you, backs pressed against the lower part of the ship’s railing. It was night, and you were just admiring the stars from the top deck, head thrown backwards and eyes fixed on the dark clear sky above you. The city had never provided views this beautiful, so every time the sky was free of clouds, you liked to take a moment to admire it.

“What are we looking at?” Nikolai asked from beside you, for some reason whispering, as if he was afraid to disturb you with any loud noises that could come out of his mouth.

“The stars, Nikolai.” you explained, turning to look at him with a roll of your eyes. However, once your eyes landed on him, you felt your heart stop and your breath catch on your throat. His soft eyes were gleaming with the stars reflecting on them, his face looked angelic when accompanied by the soft glow of the moon, and his messy hair after a day of work was framing his face like a frame would a drawing. He looked so beautiful, and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him.

“Well, right now I think you’re staring more at me than the stars, darling.” he teased with a soft smile, and moved the hand that was resting on your thigh up to your face. He didn’t cup your cheek like you thought he would, instead, he brushed his fingers against the side of your face softly, following the trace of his fingers with his eyes. “I’m not complaining, though.” he said once the movement of his hand halted, and he met your eyes once again.

“I bet you’re not.” you rolled your eyes. “You loved to be stared at.”

“By you? Of course.” he replied and you shook your head with a snort, looking down. Once you picked your head back up, he cupped your cheek and moved closer to you. His lips danced over yours as you breathed in shakily, hating the anticipation. “Are you sure you want this?”

You nodded before you spoke, “Yes,” you replied. “Please.”

He smirked at that, and finally leaned down to connect his soft lips with yours. You’d always laughed at anyone who’d ever told you that kissing the person they liked felt like fireworks, and while the kiss definitely made you feel like something exploded inside of you, you’d still laugh at them today. Because kissing Nikolai didn’t feel like fireworks, it felt calm; it felt the same way anything he did made you feel. Comforted, embraced, safe.

Nikolai kissed you that night, and he kissed you the next morning, and he kissed you more than once a day during the whole following month. Every time he kissed you, it felt exactly like it had that first night, and you found yourself thinking, more than once, how natural it all felt, and you easy it would be to get used to this - to him.

However, it seemed life had had enough of letting you be happy, for one morning when you woke up, everything came crashing down. The first indicator was that Nikolai was out of your, now, shared room when you first woke up; instead of waiting on his desk for you as he finished some work from the night before. Once you got upstairs, the second indicator of something being wrong, came in the form of a group of people all standing in a circle around something that you couldn’t quite spot, given that the crowd was shielding your view from it. And finally, the third indicator was him, the only memory of your past, standing next to Nikolai.

“He says he’s here to see you.” said Nikolai once he spotted you, his angry voice making you want to burst into tears. He didn’t sound like the Nikolai you had grown to know, he sounded like the ship captain that had picked you up that first night when you had been stranded.

“Can we not do this here?” you pleaded, somehow finding your voice and gesturing to the crowd of people around you with your hands. Nikolai didn’t look like he wanted to do anything you asked him to, but when his eyes met your pleading ones, he softened for half a second and nodded, before shouting at everyone to go back to their tasks and gesturing for you and him, who you hadn’t looked like a second time but could feel his eyes on you anyway, to follow him to his captain quarters.

“Care to explain who he is?” he asked you sternly, once the doors were closed behind the three of you.

“I’m-” he started, but Nikolai cut him off before he could even begin explaining.

“I don’t believe I asked you.” he said, focusing his eyes back on you.

“He’s my fiance, and I believe he’s here to take me… home.” you explained, unable to look at Nikolai in the eyes. The word ‘home’ in reference to that place felt foreign now, this ship had become your home during the past six months, the people in it your family, and Nikolai… well, you didn’t know what Nikolai had become but it was certainly more than the man standing next to you. As you lifted your head to meet his eyes, your heart broke into a million little pieces, his eyes didn’t just look hurt, they looked betrayed.

“That’s right.” The man beside you nodded, seemingly tired of you and Nikolai just staring at each other without saying anything. “We were arranged by our families, and the deal is the deal.”

“I’d advise you to stop talking and wait outside before I punch you in the face.” Nikolai said with the same stern tone he’d been talking in all morning, and your fiance reluctantly nodded his head before he went to stand outside of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Nikola-” you stared, before he interrupted.

“Are you going?” he asked, straight to the point. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked next, tears starting to form in his eyes and his voice breaking, the stern captain act dropped the second your fiance left the room.

“I thought he had died, he was with me on that ship and when it sank i… i just assumed he’d drowned with it.” you explained, tears of your own forming in your eyes and your voice sounding desperate.

“So, are you going or not?” he repeated his question, desperation evident in his voice as well.

“The deal is the deal, and when i thought he was dead that didn’t matter but my fami-”

“Screw them!” he shouted, interrupting you for the second time that day. “Do you want to? Because I remember you saying very clearly how you’d never felt free there, how only at sea you felt like you could truly be yourself!” he continued, stepping closer to you, his voice still raised. “Or was that just all a lie like everything else?” he asked, his voice no longer raised, but instead coming out as a whisper.

“Nikolai, nothing was a lie.” you shook your head, your hand coming up to cup the right side of his face and your thumb brushing a small stray tear away from his face. His eyes closed at your touch, and he drew in a shaky break that shattered your heart. “I would stay if I could, I would choose you.” you whispered, his eyes still closed and tears blurring your own once again as you thought about your next words. “I lov-” you began.

“No.” he shook his head, stepping back and grabbing your hand to pull it away from him. “Don’t say that, not now.” he continued once he had created enough distance between the two of you. “Just do what you gotta do. If you have to leave, then do so, but not like that.” he finished, and you nodded your head.

“Goodbye then, Nikolai.” you whispered, closing the distance between the two of you and planting one last kiss on his cheek. As you closed the door behind you, you heard a clattering noise and a shout come from his room, and you knew he had thrown all of the things that were neatly placed on his desk, to the floor.

You avoided everyone’s eyes as you climbed onto the stowaway boat your fiance had arrived in, and you avoided his gaze as well as he paddled you to the ship he’d used to navigate in open water. Members of his crew were waiting on the side of the ship, throwing a rope-made stair for both of you to use as a climbing method. He climbed first, leaving the paddles on your boat, and it wasn’t until you were about to grip the rope that what you were doing hit you. You couldn’t leave.

Not only couldn’t you leave Nikolai, but you also couldn’t leave the only thing that had made you feel free in so long for, what? Keeping a deal with your family? Your family will be pretty damn pleased once you return with a prince, you thought. Once you made up your mind, you grabbed the paddled that were still on the boat, and started heading back in the direction of Nikolai’s ship. You ignored the shouts that came from behind you that served only as a reminder of the life you’d let behind, they weren’t home anymore, Nikolai was.

Once you were close enough to the ship, you started shouting everyone’s name to see if they could hear you, not using Nikolai’s real name to avoid exposing him. Heads started to peek through the railing, and someone called for the captain to come see what was happening.

Once Nikolai finally appeared and glanced down at you, you couldn’t believe how you’d almost considered leaving him. The situation felt all too familiar; you in a stowaway boat and him pulling you up above his ship. Even tailored as Sturmhond, he looked as beautiful as ever, with the wind blowing the hair out his face and the sun making his green eyes shine brighter than usual.

“You gonna pull me up or what?” you asked with a smirk, and he smiled so wide you thought he might freeze like that forever.

Once you were safely aboard the ship, he tackled you into a hug so tight your lungs probably stopped breathing for a moment. “Please don’t leave me again.” he whispered into your neck, the crew quickly realizing how private the moment was and leaving you two to it.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” you hugged him back, using the same force as him. “I love you.” you finally spoke the words you had wanted to earlier in his room.

“I know.” he replied with a smirk once he pulled away, and while normally you would want to punch the smirk right off his face, now you could cry at the familiarity of his teasing nature and how much you would’ve missed it if you had left. “I love you too.” he said, cupping your face and leaning down closer to your lips. Though, before actually kissing you, he spoke against your lips once more. “Just to be clear, you don’t have any more life changing secrets? No secret child or secret superpower that you would like to disclose? Now is the tim-” this time, you were the one interrupting his teasing words, by pulling him by the collar of his shirts and finally pressing your lips to him.

“You’re an idiot.” you said once you pulled away.

“You love me, though.” he smirked. “You can’t retract it.”

“Can't I?” you laughed.

“No." he shook his head. "Hate to break it to you, love, no take-backs with me. You’re trapped now” he said and you laughed once again.

You were completely fine with that.

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov imagine #nikolai lantsov fanfic #nikolai lantsov fic #nikolai x reader #nikolai fanfic #nikolai imagine #nikolai duology #king of scars #rule of wolves #six of crows #shadow and bone #crooked kingdom #siege and storm #ruin and rising #grishaverse #sturmhond

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nationalharryleague · 4 years ago

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Diplomacy

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Genre: Enemies to Lovers Royal AU

Word count: 12K (I may have gotten carried away)

Warnings: Parental Death, an American writing about monarchies she doesn’t understand

A/N: Hi everyone! I have been working on this one for a while and it’s by far the longest thing I’ve ever written and I am so proud of it (please be nice)!! I also made a Pinterest board with all the outfits from this if you want to check it out here!! SO SO SO much love to @meetmymouth @bfharry and @hardcandy-harry for helping me out when I needed it and being the most wonderful people in general :) As always, thank you so so much for reading!! More of my writing can be found in my masterlist and feedback/reblogs mean the world!!!

****

Y/N knew from the day she could understand the concept of marriage that she would one day be married to the little prince with wild brown curls her mother always forced her to play with. She still vividly remembered the first time he told her that she was ugly and that he hated her. She was only five years old at the time.

Fortunately, she hated him just as much as he hated her. He was rude, somehow always sticky, and seemed to have no filter or manners, letting every nasty thing he could think of fall past his lips in daggers aimed at his future wife.

As they grew older, their animosity only grew, from petty to school yard quarrels to attacks on their personalities and who they were as people. Despite her pleas to her mother to be sent to a different boarding school than the one he was already attending, she was shipped off.

She studied judiciously, what was expected of every future queen, while she watched Harry meander through his schooling. He never seemed to listen in class, never studied, and seemed to only care about football and girls. She watched with jealousy and contempt as he flirted with every girl at their school, every girl except the one he knew he was to marry; while every boy in the school knew Y/N was off limits, direct orders from the crown.

It made her uncomfortable how much she disliked him. She was not a hateful person, having been trained well to treat everyone with dignity and respect, she was a princess after all. But something about Harry just got under her skin. She barely was able to control the instinctive eye roll whenever his name was mentioned and she often pretended to gag when discussing him with her friends, especially when one of them would inevitably call him ‘dreamy.’

The happiest day of her life was the day she watched him graduate, knowing she had been awarded years of peace without having to listen to his taunts or watch him flirt with everything that breathed. During those years, she flourished. She grew from a timid girl in line for power to a confident young woman preparing for the crown. She knew her country through and through, her constitution front to back, and had even begun studying Harry’s country as well. Whether she liked it or not, she knew she would have to pick up his slack in governing his kingdom eventually, she might as well be good at it.

Four more years of education at Cambridge, brought four more years of growth and being free from Harry, but the deal she had made with her mother was quickly coming to a close. As soon as she finished her education, their engagement would be made official and wedding planning would commence. While she was tempted to beg for some sort of delay or escape, she understood this was her duty. She owed this to her people, and soon to Harry’s as well; her mother was counting on her.

For the first time in too many years, she stood inside her former and future home. She remembered running through the halls of the massive palace under the ornate ceilings that now hung above her again; reality was sinking in. Through the massive wooden doors that sat in front of her, she knew her fate awaited; a fate named Harry. With a deep breath she steeled herself and smoothed the blush pink lace skirt of her dress, preparing to see the face that had haunted her for so long.

The first thing she noticed was the playful smirk that she associated so closely with his taunts from when they were children. It was the smirk that made her stomach drop; she could only imagine the nasty things that could come past those lips now. He had years to practice.

He stood confidently next to her mother, who had a bright and triumphant grin on her face. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored forest green suit, decorated with his coat of arms pin on the lapel. She wished for the vibrance of his green eyes to lessen but the tone of his suit only made them more intense than she had remembered.

“Harry,” she breathed, as diplomatically and with as much confidence as she could muster. “It’s good to see you,” she lied, reaching her hand out for him to kiss in the antiquated custom that always made her deeply uncomfortable. He delicately grasped her hand and slowly brought it to his blushed lips, the kiss lingering longer than what could have been considered friendly. His snake-like eyes locked with hers, still containing the mischievous glint she had nightmares about. She couldn’t help but notice the hysterically hopeful smile on her mother’s face as she watched them interact.

“It’s always a pleasure, your highness,” he hummed. He must have remembered how uncomfortable that title made her. She was honestly impressed at how he managed to lie and antagonize her in the first sentence he had said to her in over six years.

“Please call me Y/N,” she instructed as politely as possible.

“As you wish,” he said with a conniving smirk on his face. She had been with him no more than two minutes and she already wanted to run for her life. But this wasn’t about her, her country would need a leader soon, and unfortunately, that had to be her.

Her mother rushed over excitedly between the two, breaking the contemptuous silence that had built between them. “Oh children, it’s so nice to see you two back together again. I remember when you used to play when you were little. Always teasing, like you had the biggest crushes on each other.” ‘Teasing’ is a nice way to refer to torture, Y/N thought to herself, never daring to verbalize a thought like that.

“We did always have fun didn’t we, Y/N?” Harry asked her, a thin glaze of politeness coating his malice.

“Oh yes, we did. I still have a scar on my thigh from when you pushed me off the monkey bars.” Her tone was tight lipped and curt, her politeness beginning to give way to the verbal lashing she was dreaming of giving him.

“You’ll have to show me sometime.”

Y/N’s jaw nearly hit the ground. She knew he was a dirty good for nothing flirt, but in front of her mother? If her mother hadn't gently grasped both of their hands, she would have stomped out of the room. Her mother’s gentle touch brought her mind back to what this was all about once again.

“Harry is going to be staying with us from now on,” her mother interjected, clearly sensing the animosity between them. “Oh, and I nearly forgot! Harry, I believe you have something for Y/N, correct?”

“Of course.” He flashed his charming smiles at her poor mother, “How could I have forgotten about that?”

She watched him intently as he reached for the pocket inside his suit jacket, pulling out a small indigo colored velvet box. He opened the box with delicate hands to reveal one of the most gorgeous engagement rings Y/N had ever seen. A deep green emerald sat inside a ring of crystal clear diamond florets, all placed meticulously with care into a gold setting, the color of the velvet intensifying the emerald stone. “It was my grandmother’s,” he spoke softly, the first time she had ever heard him speak with any emotion or genuine feeling. “Before she died, she said she wanted you to have it. She was the mastermind of this arrangement afterall,” he said with a slight chuckle. “For formality’s sake,” he began with a sigh, “will you marry me?”

No, passed through Y/N’s head, but “Yes” fell from her lips. While her heart broke for herself and any chance she had of finding true love, the smile and happy tears in her mother’s eyes reminded her why she was doing all of this. She needs me to do this, Y/N thought to herself, my country is going to need a leader.

Their engagement was announced later that day by royal decree and their wedding was scheduled for the next month. There was no going back now.

The palace was in a flurry of planning and plotting for the big day. Y/N was rushed from meeting to meeting, instructed to make decisions about everything and anything she wanted for the wedding. She stared at floral arrangements until her eyes hurt and flipped through magazines looking at bridesmaid and flower girl dresses until her fingers felt like they were about to fall off. Unsurprisingly to Y/N, Harry was there for almost none of it. Although, she wasn’t exactly complaining about his absence.

He only surfaced when food or his suit was involved. In one vile incident, he arrived at the cake tasting with a wad of gum in his mouth, which was not only strictly prohibited for royals because it could be perceived as being too casual, but Y/N almost called off the entire wedding when she watched him stick chewed bubble gum to the bottom of a 200 year old handcrafted dining table.

“Were you raised by wolves?” she asked through gritted teeth while scolding him and desperately trying to remove the mess.

“Nannies, actually.” She knew by the smirk on his face that he wasn’t done with whatever antagonistic taunts that were planned to fall from his lips. “I’m pretty wild in the bedroom too, wifey.”

His crude comments were meant to hurt her and make her uncomfortable. He knew from their time in school together that she was constantly watched and kept far away from the gaze of any peaking boys, shining a spotlight on the massive double standard between the pair of future rulers. She wore a cloak of inexperience and innocence given to her against her will that embarrassed her to no end, and he knew that the easiest way to pinken her cheeks was to mention sex in any way. He aimed to fluster the poor girl and he got away with it anytime he flashed his dimples in a devilish smirk.

Y/N’s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment and furry before she got up from the table and stormed out of the room, muttering “pick whatever fucking cake you want,” before flying down the hallway to her bedroom and slamming the door behind her.

She felt frustrated tears pricking at her eyes as she slid down the back of the heavy wooden door to the floor below her. She let the fabric of her once perfectly steamed dress crumple beneath her and before she let the floodgates of tears open, she looked down at the dainty silver watch that sat on her wrist. You have five minutes until your appointment with the dressmaker, she thought to herself. Three minutes to cry, two minutes to change into a new dress and fix your makeup.

For three minutes, she let all her anger, frustration, and heartbreak fall out of her in loud sobs that anyone on the other side of the door was sure to hear. For three minutes, she let herself feel every angry emotion she had ever felt towards Harry. For three minutes, she didn’t care about her country or her mother needing this wedding. For three minutes, she didn’t care about anything other than her hurt. But only for three minutes.

Then she wiped the tears away, picked herself up off the floor, dressed herself in her favorite navy blue dress, fixed her mascara, and pressed a cool cloth on her cheeks to quell their angry heat. And then she went to see the dressmaker.

The only joy Y/N got out of this whole ordeal was getting to see her dressmaker, Agnes. Agnes was a kind and quiet old woman who was one of the most talented people she had ever met. The pair would sit together for hours discussing styles, the only time her schedule allowed her to relax, and the woman was in the middle of crafting the gown of Y/N’s dreams. It was a lace long sleeved gown with a cathedral length train. The top portion of the lace was sheer, making a strapless neckline visible, before the delicately crafted lace moved crawled up Y/N’s neck into a high collar neckline. It was reserved, but elegant and unique; “just like you,” Agnes once said.

The first time Y/N was able to try the dress on was bittersweet. The dress was stunning and it made her feel like the princess she was, but she did shed a tear thinking about how this moment was tainted with Harry. She wouldn’t be wearing this dress while walking down the aisle to marry the love of her life, she was marrying someone she would consider an enemy.

She bowed down reverently when her mother placed a veil and tiara on her head. The tiara was encrusted with diamonds and speckled with emeralds that happened to match her engagement ring. The tiara was an heirloom and every woman in her family had worn it while getting married for the last two hundred years.

Her mother wept softly before her, a proud smile on her lips. “I’m so happy I get to see you in the wedding tiara before I go, sweetheart,” she said leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Y/N’s cheek. “I know you and Harry aren’t always a perfect pair and neither were your father and I, but we made you.” The queen’s eyes flashed over her face trying to take her in, “And you turned out to be my proudest achievement and the savior of a nation.”

“Thank you, Mama.” She hadn’t called her mother by that name since she was a young girl but it just felt right at that moment. She felt like a child, needing someone to take care of her while she waited for a country to fall on her shoulders.

“I will always guide you through whatever I can,” she said tenderly. “Even when I’m not here, I will always be with you.” Y/N watched as her mother’s eyes welled with more tears, excusing herself quickly before they grew more intense.

Not more than five minutes later, she heard the obnoxious whistling that she had begun to hear in her nightmares from down the hall. What she didn’t expect was for Harry to burst through the door, not only interrupting her fitting, but seeing the dress before the wedding day.

Like all members of traditional royal families, Y/N was extremely superstitious. Her heart immediately broke as she watched his eyes look her up and down, like there was a little piece of her that thought if they did everything right and didn’t break any traditional rules, maybe they would work out. What hurt her even more was that he didn’t even try to leave. He just sat down on a chair, smacking his gum, and stared at her like he was doing nothing wrong. Her eyes were still filled with tears from the emotional moment with her mother and they continued to flow, no longer out of love, but out of anger and frustration.

“Agnes,” Y/N finally spoke, voice cracking as she tried to hold back her tears, “will you excuse us for a moment?”

“Yes, your highness,” Agnes took delicate steps backwards like she was expecting a bomb to go off, before turning around and scurrying out of the room. Her instincts were correct, because at that moment, Y/N exploded.

“What did I ever do to you Harry?” she questioned angrily. “Why are you so determined to absolutely ruin my life? It’s bad enough that I am having an arranged marriage, not even one that I have the tiniest bit of say in.” She watched Harry’s eyes grow wide, like he had never expected her to stand up to him. “I have spent my entire life being watched and guarded, and avoided by every man I’ve ever gotten close to because I was already claimed by someone who wanted nothing to do with me.” She couldn’t remember the last time she had raised her voice like this at someone; she wasn’t sure if she ever had before. “You can’t even pretend that you like me or that we won't be miserable for our entire lives.”

“Y/N, I don’t want this either,” he spoke after a moment of silence, the quiet only broken by Y/N’s heaving breath. “Why can’t you just calm down?”

“Why can’t I calm down?” she repeated. “Maybe because my country is looking to me to become it’s queen. I can’t give myself to my people when I am worrying about you and your incompetence. You may not become king in your country for another 30 years; you have time to learn and grow into a ruler because you’re in my monarchy and you get to learn here first. You’re playing king with my people. Millions of people rely on us the second I am crowned and you act like your irresponsibility doesn’t have far reaching consequences.”

“I’ll be perfectly fine,” he spat back at her, rolling his eyes with his arms crossed in front of himself as he sat back in the chair. “I can’t believe I have to marry you and into this family.”

Y/N felt like she had been punched in the gut. She was stuck with this man for the rest of her life and here he was, disrespecting her, her people, and her family. “Get out,” she said under her breath. When he didn’t move from his seat, she began to yell once again, “Get out! I mean it!” She dropped her voice once again, and spoke more seriously than she ever had before. “I have never hated anymore more than I hate you, Harry. I am doing all of this because I love my country and my people, but I want you to know, I will never be happy because of you.”

For a moment, through her tears, it looked like he had been hurt because of her words, but he was gone from the room before she could confirm it.

She fell to her knees on the dress platform, surrounded by the piles of pure white fabric. She was a perfectly dressed ball of furry and sobs, angry at the world and her predicament. Leaning over and putting her head in her hands, she felt the tiara as it began to slip off her head, falling into her lap.

Y/N picked up the tiara, using gentle reverent hands, examining it closely. The tiara represented the monarchy and every female ruler in her family that had come before her. It shined and dazzled in the bright lights of the room, its crystal clear and emerald stones reflecting multi colored light onto the crisp white of the dress below her. “I’m doing this for you,” she whispered quietly to the tiara like it could answer, tears still silently rolling down her face.

***

They didn’t speak again for almost a week. They communicated solely through their royal secretaries, sending the poor men back and forth with angry messages, almost gossiping about what was happening with each member of the pair when they returned to the sender. Y/N hated Harry, Harry hated Y/N; the same sentiment sent back and forth over and over. The two were driving fast towards a brick wall, and the brick wall was their wedding.

When she woke up one morning about a week before their nuptials, there was a small envelope sitting on the ground like it had been slid underneath her bedroom door. We have to talk, was all it read. It was not lost on her that the stationary had a small olive branch illustrated onto the page.

Later that afternoon, they met in the garden. It felt like a neutral place to talk, the palace obviously being her territory. She had worn a casual flowing white dress, like she was raising a white flag; and she carefully walked with a mug of black coffee, a peace offering of sorts, careful not to get any of the dark liquid on the fabric of her dress.

She found him along a bed of purple Hyacinths, their sweet perfume enveloping them both, sitting on the soft ground dressed in the most casual clothes she had ever seen him in. He was wearing a simple lilac button up and a pair of jeans. He seemed more approachable this way, without the tailoring and the coat of arms that always sat on his lapel. The golden highlights in his curls came out in the sun and his tanned skin seemed to glow. He held a rose colored leather bound notebook in his hands.

“Hi,” she said softly, a sharp contrast to her screaming the last time they spoke. “I brought you a coffee. The nice ladies in the kitchen say you take it black.” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he gave her a friendly but unenthusiastic smile.

“Thank you,” he breathed, as she handed him the hot mug.

“Can I sit?”

“I’m not in charge of you,” he mumbled into the cup taking a sip. It wasn’t until she noticed how his eyebrow shot up and how his eyes had a playful gleam in them, that her offence washed away. “Of course, you can sit down.”

“What’s the book for?” she asked gently once she settled on the ground a safe distance away from him. She decided a few grass stains were worth being on speaking terms with the man she was supposed to marry.

“Um, it’s actually for you.” He reached over and placed the book in her hands. She ran her hands over her initials that had been embossed onto the leather cover. “I’ve been meaning to give it to you for a while,” he said quietly, “I remember you used to write a lot when we were in school together. I thought you would like it.” She felt a confusing mixture of thankfulness for the book, guilt for her outburst, and all the frustration that she still held towards him.

“Thank you, Harry. That was really thoughtful of you.”

A silence hung among them, neither of them sure of the next steps this conversation had to take.

“Can we talk?” Harry asked, finally breaking the tension between the pair.

“Yes, please,” she answered just as quickly as he had asked.

“I wanted to apologize for interrupting your fitting like that. I didn’t know all the traditions meant so much to you and I never meant to make you so upset.” She had never heard Harry apologize before, to anyone else, and definitely not to her.

Before that moment, she had always thought of him as an impenetrable force, wondering if there even was a soul or a conscience in his body. But here he was, vulnerability and all, offering an olive branch and an apology.

“Thank you,” she said cautiously, wading into the almost friendly waters she had never been in with him. “I’m sorry for screaming at you like that. I said some very hurtful things to you.”

“So have I.”

“I want you to know that I don’t hate you and I shouldn’t have said I did. But, I don’t necessarily like you either, Harry,” she said, deciding now was the time they needed to open the line of communication. One of them would eventually combust if they continued on with their hatred like this. “You have tortured me since we were little kids and it’s going to take me some time for me to get over that.” She watched as he nodded his head along with her words, seeming to listen intently.

“I feel like that is also something I should apologize for. No offence, but I didn’t want to get married to you either- still don’t, but I was much more of a dick about it then,” he let out a light laugh, flashing one of his famous dimples before releasing a sigh. “I took out not having control of my life out on you and I’m sorry.” She never thought she would receive validation for all the hurt he put her through for so long.

“Listen, we are getting married as part of a diplomatic partnership,” she began, “I feel like we should at least act diplomatic towards each other.”

“Does that mean that we have to be friends?”

“Definitely not. Just not enemies.”

“I think I can do that, wifey.”

***

The next week passed in a surprisingly civil blur for them both. Y/N was still in the throws of getting ready for a wedding and Harry was off doing whatever Harry usually did. She didn’t expect him to be doing much but she was just glad he was out of her hair. But when they did run into each other, usually at some sort of meeting surrounding the menu, they had a new found respect for the other.

The pair hadn’t been fighting which was nice for a change, even though it did raise some eyebrows in both of their staff. At her final dress fitting two days before the wedding Agnes had asked her if she was ready to be a married woman. “Absolutely not,” Y/N had laughed, “but it’s my responsibility to my people and my country. I have lived the most privileged life imaginable up until this point, it’s time for me to begin my duties.”

“You’re a good girl, your highness. You’re going to make a great queen when the time comes. Even with a husband you may have to wrangle sometimes.” She ended her compliments with a giggle as she zipped Y/N into the dress, and she felt her heart warm. Agnes placed the final touches of the veil and tiara on top of her head, giving her a nod of permission to finally look at herself in the mirror.

The dress fit her like a glove. The delicate lace ran the expanse of the dress, starting at the very back of her immensely long train and crawling its way all the way to Y/N’s throat, and the fitted top half gave way to a full ball gown skirt. Y/N’s eyes followed the intricate lace patterns down her arm, eyes eventually landing on her hand and the ring that sat upon it. For the first time since it had begun to sit on her ring finger, she didn’t want to throw it across the room in frustration. It really was gorgeous and the tiny inkling of respect she had for Harry now made it much less painful to look at.

Staring at the mirror, she noticed the blurring of her vision and the wetness on her cheeks.

“I really am getting married, aren’t I?” she asked with a disbelieving laugh.

“Yes you are, your highness.” Agnes looked up at her through her thick lensed glasses with a proud smile on her face. “Now, let’s get you out of this contraption so you can go rest up for the big day.” Anges’ skilled hands freed Y/N from the beautiful layers of fabric and tulle and sent her on her way back to her bedroom.

Y/N was finally almost asleep in the early hours of the morning when she heard a gentle and almost timid knock on her door. She could have ignored it, rolled back over and let her dreams take her, but for some reason it felt important for her to get out of bed and answer the door. Her bare feet hit the cold wood floors and she tip-toed her way to the door.

When she grabbed the knob to open it, she heard a familiar voice say “don’t open the door! I don’t think I’m supposed to see you,” in a hurried and hushed tone.

“Harry?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” His voice was gravelly with exhaustion and had an apprehensive, almost nervous quality she had never heard from him before.

“Why are you here?”

“I just wanted to talk to you.” He said it so softly she wouldn’t have been able to hear him if her ear wasn’t pressed up against the doorway. The sentiment brought a smile to her lips and she wasn’t completely sure why. She was quiet for a moment, deciding if she wanted to turn him away or not when she heard him sarcastically ask, “What? I’m not allowed to talk to my wife?”

“I’m not your wife yet,” she reminded him with a tired chuckle. “But we can talk,” she assured him. “I’m going to sit down, okay? My legs are tired from my heels all day.” She kneeled down and leaned herself up against the hard wooden door.

She had been in this same position only a few weeks before, angry at the world and wanting to kill the man on the other side of it; but here she was, speaking to him willingly, even joking with him. She listened close as his own body rested against the floor and leaned on the opposite side, mirroring her own position.

“Those heels really hurt, don’t they?” he asked, voice still hushed. If she wasn’t so tired, she might have even said she heard a smile in his voice.

“Yeah, they are like little death traps for your feet and legs.” He let out a small laugh on the other side and her lips pulled into a smile that she hadn’t given them permission for.

“How many pairs do you have? You always match your dress to your shoes so you must have a ton.”

She was gradually learning that he was much more observant than she had originally thought. He apparently wasn’t the dumb boy that she remembered from school anymore.

“Too many,” she said with a soft laugh and a shake of her head. “I’m wearing my favorites tomorrow.”

“And which ones are those?”

“They’re white, obviously; they have to match,” she smiled. “They have a green gem at the toes. They match the tiara I’ll be wearing.” She stopped for a moment before continuing on. “And your grandmother’s ring.” She played with the gold band that sat on her ring finger, still somehow dazzling in the very limited light of her dark room. “Thank you, by the way. It’s gorgeous.”

“You’re welcome. She wanted you to have it.”

“Did she really?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said confidently on the other side of the door. She imagined him nodding along with his words to emphasize his point, as he often did while speaking. “She kept tabs on you while we were growing up. She was always talking about how smart you seemed and that you would be a good queen one day. If I didn’t know better, I would say she liked you more than me growing up.” Y/N felt her cheeks heat up with the information. She was flattered by his grandmother’s opinion of her, but her heart also ached for Harry.

“I’m sure that's not true.”

“I think it was. I was always screwing up in one way or another; always creating messes that her and my parents had to clean up.” He paused for a moment and she heard him let out a long sigh. “Always running around with other girls and making the one I was supposed to marry feel like shit.”

She wished she could see his face. She wished that she could get a read on his emotions. But there was, literally and figuratively, a wall between them.

“Y/N,” she heard his voice squeak out through a voice crack, “I really am sorry for everything I’ve done to you.”

“I know. I forgive you, Harry.”

Saying those four words, lifted a weight she didn’t know she had been carrying off her shoulders. This moment felt like an absolution, a time to wipe their long and complicated slate clean. There was no better time for them to start anew than the night before they began the next chapter of their lives. But this chapter would be together, as a pair and a team.

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry too, Harry. I know this all had to happen so fast so I could take the throne, but I know you thought you had more time. I thought I did too.”

“What do you mean? Why did it have to happen so fast?” he asked.

First, Y/N was confused. There was a very obvious answer. Then her heart began to break for him. He wasn’t ready at all for what was coming. No one must have told him.

“Harry,” she said softly, “Do you know about my mother?”

“What do you mean?” From the tone in his voice, she knew he genuinely didn’t know.

“My mom-” she began gently, swallowing the lump in her throat that always appeared when she began to talk about this, “My mom is dying, Harry.” She heard a soft gasp through the door before she went on. “She’s been sick for a while, but things are getting really bad. Her doctors think she only has a couple weeks left.”

She listened to his breathing stop, like his mouth was hung open searching for something to say. He was quiet for a few moments before he landed on what seemed like the only thing he had said over and over these last few weeks, “Y/N, I’m so sorry. I’m here for you if you need to talk about all of this.”

His offer was not lost on her. The idea of Harry being someone she could confide in was a new one, but one that she would consider.

“It’s okay.” She choked out, wiping a few stray tears that had found their way out, off her cheeks. “I have had enough time to come to terms with it. But in our archaic constitution,” she said with a biting distaste in her voice, “a woman cannot become the sovereign of the country if she isn't married. That’s why this all had to happen so fast.”

“I see.”

The pair were quiet, both curled up on opposite sides of the wall; simultaneously experiencing a unique type of loneliness that only the other could understand. In less than 12 hours, they would be married, linked by an oath that neither of them had signed up for, in circumstances with responsibilities that neither of them were ready to handle.

“Harry,” she peeped, breaking a silence that hung heavy over them both, “you should go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

She listened through the door to the rustling of him getting up off the floor beside her. “You should get some sleep too.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“So will I. I’ll see you at the altar, wifey.”

She let out a strangled laugh at the nickname he had adopted for her, her throat still tight from crying. She listened to his foot falls until they disappeared down the hallway before she mustered the strength to drag herself back to bed. Her staff was on strict orders from the wedding planner to have her woken up at 8 to begin getting ready and she wanted to get some rest before the sun came up.

And like clockwork, her curtains were thrown wide open at 8 am, sunlight blinding her as she woke up. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to her rude awakening, but soon she could make out the bustling room around her. Hair stylists, makeup artists, bridesmaids, flower girls, her mother, and some lady with an ear piece and a clip board fluttered about her bedroom with an excited chatter. Taking in the chaotic scene, it really hit her. Holy shit, I’m getting married today, she thought.

Her stomach twisted and turned in knots as the gaggle of women fawned over her, instructing her to stay still and “stop shaking” as they applied layers of makeup and fussed with her hair. Her hair was pulled into a delicately crafted low bun and her eyes were painted with neutral tones and a little bit of shimmer. Diamond and emerald earrings were threaded through her ear lobes and her fingernails were inspected to see if they needed any touch ups. Her shaky body was zipped into her dress and her feet slipped into her heels while her cathedral length veil was pinned meticulously into her hair. She was only missing one last thing.

“Your tiara, your highness,” her mother joked through the happy and proud tears welling up in her eyes. The tiara was the one last thing she needed before she was sent on her way to the cathedral. She bent down slightly, her mother delicately crowing her; when she rose, she couldn't help but grab onto her mother and hold her tight. It was hard for her not to think about the next time she would be crowned, a time when her mother wouldn’t be there to offer the guidance or support Y/N needed.

“I love you, Mama,” was all she said. It was the only reason all of this was happening. She loved her mother too much to let her down.

“I love you more, my princess,” her mother said gently, before turning away and scurrying off to do something else. Y/N tried to ignore the wince on her face when she moved too fast and the slight wheeze she made when she was speaking.

Surveying the scene around her, Y/N felt like she was about to die. Her heart was pounding hard in her ears, her palms were slick with sweat, her breathing was labored, and her chest felt tight. She had never been so overwhelmed with anxiety before. She had known today was coming her entire life, but the fact that it really was here was too much for her brain to wrap itself around.

It was like she had blacked out from fear, an hour of her life completely unaccounted for. She didn’t remember the last minute checks and touches to her hair and makeup. She didn’t remember her mother delicately resting her veil over her face. She didn’t remember getting in the car bringing her to the cathedral. She didn’t remember someone shoving a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She didn’t remember the music starting up or walking down the aisle of the giant imposing and ornate cathedral.

She was only brought back to reality when she reached the imposing altar and Harry delicately took her hand into his. His green eyes were painted with concern when he saw the worried crease between her eyebrows and the way she was chewing on her bottom lip under her sheer veil, swiping his thumb up and down her skin in an attempt to soothe her. It was the first time he had ever touched her voluntarily; it was a gentle and tender touch, full of care. She gripped back tight onto his hand, holding on for dear life as she thought over everything that was about to happen.

They were instructed to stand forward, watching the officiant as he droned on about love and duty to one’s country and spouse, but their hands stayed clasped tight onto each other, like they were being thrown into a stormy and unpredictable sea and the other’s hand was their only life line. And in a way, they were.

When they were told to turn towards each other to begin their vows, their eyes locked and she began to really look at him for the first time. She watched his plush lips closely as he recited the words fed to him from the officiant, although she didn’t hear a single word of them. Her eyes traced his strong cheekbones and landed on his adorable button nose before returning back to his eyes. She noticed the slight blue bags that sat under them, signaling he had just as much trouble sleeping as she did.

His eyes brought her a calm that she hadn’t felt in years, silently telling her that she wasn’t alone in all of this, his warm hands still holding on to hers punctuating that sentiment. There wasn’t anyone else in the massive cathedral but the pair of them anymore, just two scared kids trying to make it through the demands weighing on their shoulders together.

Shaky hands exchanged rings, her heart stopping for a moment when the ring caught and didn’t slide onto his finger gracefully. But her heart regained it’s rhythm when she heard a light chuckle coming from the man across from her, a gentle smile that was just big enough to flash a dimple at her, signaling that it would be okay.

She recited her vows without much thought, letting ‘I do,’ slip past her lips while still entranced by Harry’s intense yet comforting gaze. She watched his strong hands disconnect from hers as he lifted the lace trimming on the veil covering her face, dark lashes flickering down to her glossed lips. She let her eyes fall closed as he leaned in towards her and rested a hand on her cheek, prompted by the officiant and clapping coming from the pews, bracing herself for a feeling of disgust she hoped wouldn’t come.

He carefully connected their lips softly with a sweetness that felt gentle, tender, and caring. But there was more to the kiss than a softness, there was a respect there as well. His hand felt secure and protective on her cheek, and he pulled away with a smile after a short time, sure not to overwhelm her. The feeling of disgust in her belly that she was waiting for never came; if she didn’t know better she would say she felt an excited flutter.

They stood on the altar for a moment and just stared at each other, excited and relief filled smiles creeping into their lips, his dimples prominent. “Shall we, wifey?” Harry beamed with a sigh, extending a hand to lead her back down the aisle, now as a married woman.

“We shall, husband,” she giggled back, cheeks still a fiery red from their contact. Calling him her husband felt foreign, but not unwelcome.

Harry held her hand tight, keeping her in the moment by the warm contact. He held her hand down the aisle and all the way back to the palace, all throughout the signing of their marriage license, and all throughout the many, many photos taken of the two and their wedding party. She found comfort in his warm touch, continuing to ground her through the chaos that unfolded around them. Even when they had briefly disconnected from each other, he was always close by, only a call of his name away.

She was shocked by how careful he was around her giant dress, taking calculated steps to avoid dirtying the crisp white fabric. He was playing the role of a dutiful husband, and was seeming to enjoy it.

They spent the next hours just following orders from wedding planners, shuffled around from place to place, constantly surrounded by people. All she wanted was a moment to speak to him alone, but it seemed far out of reach.

That moment finally came in the middle of a dance floor, with hundreds of eyes staring at them as they danced. They swayed together slowly, a gentle rock to the delicate sound of strings. “Thank you for staying by me all day, Harry,” she said quietly, hoping that no one could hear them over the music.

“No need to thank me, wifey,” he said with a chuckle, his lips grazing against her ear as he spoke. She chuckled like always at the name and shook her head.

“I mean it. I don’t think I would have been able to get through all of this,” she said looking out at the crowd watching them and the giant ornately decorated ballroom they were in the center of, “if you hadn’t been by my side.”

“I quite like it, actually. I could get used to standing with you.” He said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal, while her heart just about stopped.

She wasn’t able to answer before the music slowed to a stop and they were pulled apart by their mothers and dragged off to speak to “very important” people. He seemed just as disappointed as she was when they were separated.

When they finally found each other again, Y/N had changed. She had abandoned her massive conservative skirt of tulle and lace for a creamy silk gown that she could actually move in. It was a simple a-line v-neck dress with cap sleeves, but the back held a deep V that ended at the small of her back coupled with a loosely tied bow.

The cool breeze on her back made her feel sexy. She knew she was pushing the boundaries on what was appropriate for a princess and she loved it.

“My darling, you look gorgeous,” he said, taking her hand and spinning her so he could fully take in the new dress, mindful of her tiara and trying his best not to knock it off. Her cheeks burned at his flattery, something he could surely feel when he pulled her close and pressed a delicate kiss on her cheek.

“You’re just saying that,” she said bashfully staring down at the floor, deflecting the compliment easily.

“Wifey,” he singsonged the teasing nickname that had evolved into a term of endearment. He lifted her chin to look up at him and he looked down at her with the most honest expression she had ever seen him wear. “You look beautiful. You have all day.”

“Thank you, Harry.” She spoke quietly, barely audible, unsure what to make of her husband’s compliments. He leaned in to her, layed a tender kiss on her forehead, and dragged her across the room to the dance floor.

They stayed on the dancefloor most of the night, almost always touching in some sort of way, while dancing and celebrating with their friends and family.

And Y/N was happy; a genuine type of happiness that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Obviously, this wasn’t ideal. She was now married to a man she knew virtually nothing about, who had been a sworn enemy of hers only a few days ago, and had only begun enjoying his company last night. But happiness isn’t linear, she thought to herself.

Their night had passed in a joyous and opulent blur that went late into the night; full of food, dancing, and a swimming pool's worth of champagne.

Eventually both of them were led, by dutiful staff as they were both quite drunk and couldn’t exactly be trusted to make it on their own, to their new bedroom, or bedrooms depending on who you asked. They were led into the massive room consisting of two separate suites connected by a dressing room of sorts in a cloud of giggles, finding themselves in a fit of laughter after passing a portrait in the hall of some distant ancestor who had an amusing mustache.

“Thank you for leading us back,” she said, trying to gain a sober composure to the men who had flanked them on their way back, “you can go now.” The men shared a look between themselves that seemed to say ‘someone should be watching them,’ but followed the princess’ orders anyway.

“I just can’t understand how he got it to curl like that,” Harry cackled, beginning to wheeze from his hysterics and slightly stumbling as he was doubled over.

“Maybe it was natural like your curls,” she suggested, through her giggling hiccups that she let return when their staff left the room. “I quite like your curls, ya know? I like it when you let them grow a bit.”

They were still holding hands, despite being alone in their new found privacy, no longer needing the support from the other to shield them from the pressure of looking eyes.

“Then I’ll have to grow them out a bit,” he said, a smile still beaming at her with droopy drunk eyes. He tugged on her hand softly, bringing her body into his and setting his hand on the exposed skin of the small of her back. His hands were warm and soft and in the moment, she never wanted his hand to move from that spot again. “I can’t refuse the princess’ orders.” His voice had dropped low, not to a whisper but to a soft and lazy volume that made her feel safe.

Their faces were close and she could smell his strong vanilla and sandalwood cologne coming off him that she wanted to envelop herself in. He looked back down at her with a face that was loving, but she attributed it to the alcohol in his system. For a moment, she was overwhelmed with adoration for this man who she had spent so much of her life violently hating. Admiring and adoring him was much easier on her soul than harboring the hatred that had eaten at her for so long.

“I have another order,” she spoke quietly, letting the words tumble from her lips without her usually logical brain’s permission, “I want you to kiss me. For real this time.”

His lips were on hers as soon as the words left her own. It was sloppy and sweet, but with a passion behind it that Y/N felt in her bones. Their lips moved in a drunken rhythm, with Harry’s aimless wandering hands sliding up and down the silk of her dress before resting on her waist and pulling her impossibly closer to him. Her hands found and twirled the few of Harry’s curls that remained after they had cut his hair shorter than usual for the ceremony at the base of his neck and sunk her fingers into it, pulling him further into the kiss by his hair.

It was not long before their tongues found each other and the kiss deepened into a desperate dance of gasping for breath and soft moans into each other’s mouths. Harry’s mouth left hers and began to press sloppy open mouthed kisses down her neck while fiddling with the bow at the back of her gown that would release it from her frame.

Feeling him fuss with the bow made her pounding heart shift from one of excitement, to one of panic. This was too soon, she didn’t know him well enough. She didn’t know his favorite color or any of his hobbies. She didn’t know how he liked his tea, or if he drank it at all. She didn’t even know his middle name.

Her fuzzy mind couldn’t deny how much she didn’t know about him or the anxiety that made her want to pull away from the man and run.

“Harry,” she breathed, voicing the apprehension and anxiety that had begun to rise in her chest, “please stop.” She had squeaked out the words, a mix of embarrassment and panic taking over her slightly slurred words.

His hands froze, pulling himself back quickly from her, a mix of worry and guilt on his face. “Did I do something wrong? I just thought…” he let his words drop off, his own fuzzy mind not sure of what to say either.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry, I just can’t.” Her cheeks grew hot and her eyes became glassy.

She was embarrassed to admit it, but the kiss on the altar that morning was the first time she had ever had another pair of lips on her own. Her entire life she had been shielded from men with any interest in her, her affection already spoken for and claimed. No man had ever held her hand romantically, or danced with her, or kissed her with the passion Harry just had.

Harry had lived a life with freedom that she had never been granted. She remembered all the times she had watched him interact with various girlfriends at school, and remembered the shame she had felt when he had ended up on the cover of tabloids after he was photographed naked and kissing a random woman on a yacht. Every article had ended with the same line that she still knew by heart.

“The prince is arranged to marry Princess Y/N when she comes of age in an effort to unify their countries.”

They had lived very different lives, with very different freedoms up until this point. It was sexist and archaic and unfair, but she couldn’t deny the impacts it had on her while she was around Harry. Even though she couldn’t deny that she was beginning to feel something real for him and she believed that he felt the same; she didn’t fully trust him like that yet. She couldn’t.

“I’ve never done any of this before, Harry. This morning was my first kiss.” Her cheeks burned in a mixture of embarrassment and shame as she spoke the words. “I like you a lot, but today has been nerve wracking and scary enough. I just can’t add another new thing into the mix, especially that. It’s just all too much. I’m sorry.”

Her sheltered and delicate heart couldn’t even bring herself to say the word ‘sex’.

As he listened to her explanation, his features softened. They were no longer fearful that he made a mistake or crossed a boundary, but they moved into a soft and caring smile.

“Y/N, my darling,” he began in a soft and sweet voice, “come here.” He beckoned her with open arms to rest up against his chest again. She had curled her arms in front of herself, holding them close to her body, as she walked into his arms and let herself be enveloped by them while resting her head on his chest. “You are my wife now, but I think we both understand that we are not exactly in this position by choice. I would never ask you to do something you are uncomfortable with and I am sorry that I crossed a boundary.”

“Thank you,” she peeped before he continued on.

“Also, I heard that part when you said you liked me a lot,” she could hear the smirk in his voice, making her cheeks inexplicably hotter. “And I like you a lot too.”

The pair stood in that hold long enough for them to lose track of time, just resting against each other in silence, listening to the other’s breathing. The silence that enveloped them was comforting, but Harry eventually spoke again, inexplicably soft and gentle in tone.

“Y/N, I really want to try to make us work.”

“So do I, Harry.”

The pair stood together in their stillness and peaceful quiet, until she let out a small yawn.

Harry released her from his grasp and began walking around the room, opening wardrobes and dressers searching for something. He breathed a small triumphant noise when he opened a drawer, spinning around with a light pink and baby blue nightgown in his hands.

“Do you need any help getting out of your dress? Would I be allowed to help?” His face was so thoughtful, carefully navigating the boundaries she had made him aware of but not set in stone yet.

She took the nightgown from his hands and slipped it over her head, the silk dress beneath it. “I just need help untying the bow.” Her voice was still low, a quiet and delicate murmur.

His hands carefully untied the bow, turning around for modesty’s sake, only turning back around when he heard the silk hit the floor.

She had begun carefully removing the bobby pins that still held her bun together, causing them both to giggle when her hair was finally released into a giant poof of curls and hair spray.

She looked so sweet to him. This was the first time he had seen her relaxed like this, no longer in a fancy dress, heels, and her hair and makeup done to perfection. She looked like a real person to him, not a princess who would soon become queen.

He moved gingerly towards the door of her room, but not before pressing one more soft kiss to her lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, wifey.”

“Can’t wait, my husband,” she called from under the covers, watching him close the door behind him.

***

The two were sitting on a hot beach, baking in the sun when the call came.

It was day four of their honeymoon and a week after their wedding, spending their time alone together on a small island in the sun neither of them could remember the name to. It was a paradise straight out of a movie, and she swore nothing could ruin it.

They spent their days learning each other well, often joking that they should make up trivia quizzes for each other to see who knew the other best. She had learned that Harry’s eyes lit up like a child when he saw any type of animal, especially the small lizards that would run across the deck hanging off the back of their small beach house. It was also a surprise when she found out he loved to cook, whipping up a meal that could rival some of the chefs at the palace for dinner one night.

But her favorite thing she had learned about him by far, was how he sang in the shower. He had a low and melodic voice that he didn’t know traveled into the house from the outdoor shower. She would sit by the window closest to him, often pretending to write in the pink notebook he had given her in the garden, close her eyes and appreciate the man’s voice. She swore if he wasn’t a prince, he would be a singer.

In the time since their nuptials, the pair had become lovers. Always attached at the hip and sneaking kisses; they were blissfully and unstoppably becoming increasingly obsessed with the other. The word ‘love’ often played at Y/N’s lips, seeming to always be only a drink away from letting it slip out towards him.

Every day, they would walk down a short path from their house to a pristine white sand beach, picnic basket in hand, and sit. Sometimes they would sit in silence, just staring at the clear blue ocean, and other times they would talk about everything and anything that came to mind, or they would read silently next to each other. But they were always holding onto each other; sometimes it was a hand placed gently on the other’s thigh, or fingers intertwined between them.

The shrill ring of Y/N’s phone broke their fantasy while sitting on the beach on the fourth afternoon. Her heart dropped as soon as she heard it, knowing that the palace had agreed not to bother them unless the worst case scenario was happening.

She closed her eyes and braced herself, tears already threatening to breach her eyes, as she answered the phone with shaky hands. “Hello?” she choked out.

“Your highness, you need to come home.” She immediately recognized the panicked voice of her mother’s secretary on the other end. “It’s happening.”

“Okay,” she said, trying to remain as composed as possible. “We’re leaving now.”

Harry’s face held a furrowed brow and concerned eyes as she spoke. He immediately began rubbing his thumb back and forth over the back of her palm like he had done on their wedding day, but today, it did nothing to soothe her pain and anxiety.

She hung up the phone before letting out a heart wrenching cry. “We have to go home,” she sobbed. “She is dying.”

The entire journey home was silent after Y/N had composed herself on the beach.

She sat emotionless, staring straight ahead, flinching away every time Harry moved to touch her. She spoke only when absolutely necessary, but her voice brought no tone with it. She had become a shell of herself, losing the warmth behind her eyes that had begun to appear after the wedding.

She felt empty, like she had lost the ability to think, while simultaneously feeling so overwhelmed, by thoughts of her future as queen and the loss of her mother. She had become blank, inside and outside, the happiness she had begun to build for herself with Harry, melting away and leaving the hollowness of grief and dread.

It took them about twelve hours to reach the palace from the time she hung up the phone, but it wasn’t fast enough. The second she stepped out of the car, she saw the guards outside the palace dressed in their black uniforms that were reserved only for the passing of the sovereign. She closed her eyes silently, as if when she opened them up again their uniforms would turn back to their usual blue and maroon; but they didn’t, their clothing still black as night.

Her heels clicked the pavement, maintaining her immaculate posture and steely blank expression as she entered the palace, the loving man she had been excited to have a life with trailing mournfully behind her. She watched as if she was out of her body when she passed people, all now dressed in black, in the hall. They all acted the same.

First, they would give her the saddest look, silently extending their sympathies to the daughter who just lost her mother, and then bowing their heads in respect to the now reigning queen.

“I need to see my mother,” was all she said, before being led into her bedroom.

She hadn’t remembered when her father had died, too young to understand. All she could wrap her head around was that her Daddy had an accident and wasn’t coming home. But she remembered her mother’s cries, loud and earth shattering sobs that traveled up and down the hallways of the palace for all to hear.

She looked like she was just sleeping; arms peacefully crossed over her chest and eyes shut gently. But she was cold when Y/N reached for her hand. She tenderly brought her mothers hand to her lips, and pressed a final kiss to her hand, before walking blankly out of the room.

Her mother was gone. And the country fell onto her shoulders.

She heard Harry saying something as he followed close behind her. While she heard him, she didn’t process a thing he said. She stalked towards their bedroom which was unfortunately on the other side of the palace, locked in her daze. He trailed close behind her the entire way, trying to say anything that could break through to her, and stood dutifully outside the door of her side of the bedroom for an unknown amount of time after she had shut it in his face.

***

She didn’t speak, or show emotion, or allow anyone at all to touch her for three days. Only nodding or shaking her head in response to the rapid firing of questions she was asked about planning her mother’s funeral. Harry only saw glimpses of his wife, or the shell of Y/N that she had become, usually while she shut the door to her bedroom between them.

He left his door open all day everyday.

When he awoke the morning of the funeral and found her bedroom door open, his heart jumped. He slowly walked inside to find her in a room full of black dresses. Dresses had been laid carefully over every surface for her to choose from; the dress she would wear to her mother’s funeral and her first public appearance as queen.

“Good morning,” was all he said, quiet and careful.

The person that looked back at him was someone he didn’t recognize. The light was gone from her eyes, and she wasn’t the woman he was head over heels in love with anymore. She looked like her, but emanated sadness and anxiety like nothing he had ever seen before. Dark blue bags held under her eyes from not sleeping, her hair was tied behind her head in a messy unkempt ponytail, and she was dressed in a giant and ill fitting nightgown, shoulders bent down in a fashion that made her look small. The only feature of the put together, confident, and commanding woman he was married to that remained was the bright emerald ring that sat on her ring finger.

“I can’t decide what to wear,” she said without expression, but the tears started to fall down her face before she could finish the sentence. Harry moved quickly across the room to her when he saw her knees began to shake, catching her just in time as they gave out and she fell into his arms, settling them both onto the soft carpeted ground. That was when her heaving sobs began. It was a bone rattling cry that consumed her wholly and her exhausted and hurting brain could only put together two thoughts: she missed her mom, and she didn’t want to take on all this responsibility alone.

She sobbed into his shirt, holding onto the soft and worn fabric of his t-shirt for dear life, and he held her close to his body, slowly rubbing her back and letting all of the emotion fall out of her. She cried for a long time, giving herself a pounding headache, and when the tears finally began to slow she connected her tearful ones with Harry’s ever vibrant green eyes and mumbled, “I just thought I had more time with her. And I thought we had more time to just be us.”

“I know you did, darling.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and reveled in being able to touch her again, as his heart broke a little every time she would pull away from his touch.

“I’m not ready, Harry. I can’t do this all alone. It’s too much.” She spoke softly, shaking her head from side to side, still choking back sobs as she tried to regain her composure.

“You’re not doing anything on your own. The second we were married, your problems and responsibilities became mine too,” he assured her. He moved to grab her left hand in his own and showed her the rings that sat on their hands. “Remember these?” he breathed with a light chuckle. “You’re stuck with me for life, whether you like it or not.”

He watched as she processed the realization that he was there to lighten the load. It was like a lightbulb had gone off for her, slowly nodding along with what he said. She let her eyes fall to the dresses that surrounded her, but he gently took her chin and directed her eyes back to his. “Y/N, we are a team. I am always here for you and I always will be.”

He took a deep long breath before continuing on, “I love you.”

She didn’t think when she pressed her lips to him, she just did, desperate to be close to him again. A coldness had swallowed her for days, and his words brought back the smallest feeling of warmth, a glimpse of hope she had been desperate to find.

She had known the passing of her mother was coming for years, her illness getting progressively worse over time. She had always believed it would bring more pressure, weighing down on her heavier than ever before. But looking at their rings and the man before her, she was hit by the fact that she never had to carry the weight of the country all by herself. She had Harry the whole time. He was her partner; in life and in power.

“I love you, too,” she said after breaking the kiss, salty from all her tears. She was quiet and her voice was still shaking and unsteady from her sobs, but he was there, holding her and keeping her safe.

He held her hand, slotting their fingers together as he picked them both up off the ground and helped her pick a dress. It was a black blazer dress that fell below her knees with three crystal buttons going down the left side. Harry carefully helped her into the dress, his warm and respectful hands sliding up her bare skin as he pulled it up over her shoulders. He then sat her on her bed, and began to carefully brush out her hair, doing his best to work through knots without hurting the girl who was already hurting enough. And he held one of her hands gently while she sat at her vanity and did her makeup with her free one. He refused to leave her side.

Harry stayed firmly planted by her side throughout the entire day, not daring to leave her while she needed him. He knew that photos of him holding her hand tight during the funeral would make the press, and the photos of him wiping away her tears as they left would make the front page, but he didn’t care. She might be the queen, but she was also his Y/N.

***

Their fingers were always locked together, Harry’s thumb passing back and forth over the back of her hand in the steady rhythm he always used when she was stressed. He was there whenever she needed him, gently taking hold, to remind her that he was there and they were a team.

He cradled her hand as she crushed his, gritting through the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced. It felt like her entire body was being ripped apart from the inside out, but Harry’s hand was the light at the end of the tunnel. She was screaming and crying in the small crowded room, feeling like a science experiment as all the doctors looked on at her pain.

But it all stopped when she heard the smallest little cry.

Then shouts of “It’s a girl!”

Exhausted and elated tears flowed freely from her eyes that were locked on the slimy little baby a nurse was burredly placing on her chest. She was so small, delicate and breakable, with strong lungs that screamed out to announce her entrance into the world. And when her eyes opened for the first time, they revealed the same bright sea glass green tone that matched her father, the green she had been falling in love with and swimming around in for years.

This baby was so much more than just a little girl, not only to them, but to their countries. She would forge a kingdom united in the future, a product of peace and partnership. She was a symbol of unity and a future of kindness between their countries. She was the future.

But for right now, the tiny baby was just theirs.

She felt him press a proud kiss to her head before she connected their lips together in a tear filled kiss before they both looked back to their new pride and joy who was still screaming for all the attention.

“She’s beautiful, darling,” he whispered quietly though tears next to her, hand still grasped tightly onto hers. “You did such a good job.”

“Literally couldn’t have done it without you,” she chuckled, still staring down, entranced by the little girl who looked like her daddy.

The pair stayed with their baby, quiet and just being, long after the doctors and nurses left the room. They learned she liked to scream and sleep, about as much as you could learn about someone only hours old. But she didn’t have a name. They had been debating for the last nine months over what the little princess would be called.

“I think she should be named after your mother,” Harry would say.

“But I think she should be named after your grandmother,” She would reply.

Their roundabout banter never left the pair, only changed; from malicious and teasing, to one of loving partnership.

“So neither?” he quipped with a small smirk while holding the little girl tight to his chest.

“I guess we have to compromise; diplomatically,” she said with a giggle, alluding to how they got to this position in the first place.

“I feel like a loving marriage and a new baby is pretty good for diplomatic relations.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! Please send feedback and reblog if you enjoyed it!

#harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles imagine #harry styles one shot #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles #prince harry styles #Royal AU #Harry styles enemies to lovers #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #one direction #one direction fanfiction

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ks-dreams-fantasies · 4 years ago

Text

They want us together - Vinnie Hacker

Picture’s not mine

I know my last post were about Rio and Johnny , and Vinnie has nothing to do with them, but he is one of my favorite dudes so ... Hope you enjoy it

Vinnie Fluff

Warning : Language

Word Count : 1.4k

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Bzzzz bzzzz

Your phone buzzed, indicating Vinnie was live. It was rare of him to do so since he was more likely to stream on twitch. You opened your phone, tapping on the app as you entered his live. You watched as more people are joining in and commenting in hopes of Vinnie noticing them.

“Hey guys, hope you are all having a good day! I wanted to hop on in since it’s been a while, I was thinking of just chatting for a bit and I’ll probably go annoy the others” he said chuckling a little. His eyes were moving fast trying to read as many comments as possible.

“SUP FOOL 😝” you write down, as everyone commented that you were watching Vinnie’s live.

He chuckled “Hi (Y/N), weren’t you supposed to be here like an hour ago?”

See, you were kind of popular on social media and you had made some friends over at the Hype house over the past months. When Vinnie moved in, you hit it off quite fast with him. You had a lot of mutual interests and you would always laugh when you were around him. Being in the public eyes wasn’t always easy. Vinnie had everyone drooling over him and you being around, got you a lot of hate.

On the contrary, a lot of people were shipping you, saying you had the same vibe and that you’d look good together. Vinnie was attractive, no denying that, but everything isn’t about looks. He’d always been nice to you, supporting and encouraging you through everything and you’d do the same for him. He was easy to talk to and everyone could see that you’ve grown closer and had a genuine connection.

“I’m in a uber heading over to the house” you typed as he read your message.

You continued watching for a bit as he answered some question as you got off commenting that you’d arrive soon.

Once you logged off, Vinnie spoke “Ok guys, what do you say we prank (Y/N) when she gets here?” He said smiling eagerly planning something with his followers. “I’ll go downstairs now”

As the gate opened, leading your uber driver, onto the path to the big mansion, Vinnie runs to the front of the house, hiding in the bushes next to the door, ready to scare you.

“Ok guys, she’s pulling up now, get ready to laugh” He snickered trying to stay silent so you wouldn’t notice him.

You got out of the car and started walking towards the front door when Vinnie came out of nowhere scaring the hell out of you. One hand flying to your chest as you let out a scream of terror while Vinnie laughed is ass of at your reaction.

“Guys! Did you see that? Shit was hilarious” He continued almost dying of laughter.

“Shut up you asshole” You said chuckling lightly as you slapped him on his chest. “You really got me there” you smiled sweetly at him.

“I’ll leave you to this, guys. I’ll talk to you soon, probably streaming tomorrow as well. Bye” He said as both of you waved before he ended the live. You got inside, going straight to the kitchen where everyone was already chilling.

“(Y/N)!” Michael stood up drink in hand, standing next to you while giving you a side hug. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine with me” You smiled greeting everyone. Michael came back, handing you a rum and coke.

You all catch up for a bit when Alex spoke “What do you say we play never have I ever?” He said already a bit tipsy filming us all to get content for his vlog.

As most of us were down to do something other than just chatting, we decided to agree as Alex filled in his drink. “Ok I’ll go first than” He said sitting down next to Kouvr.

“Never have I ever gone 24hours without showering” Pretty much everyone drank except for Vinnie, Mia and yourself.

“Why am I not surprised that you didn’t drink, boy’s always in the damn shower” you said laughing at Vinnie, referencing to all the thirst traps he posts.

You all continued to play for a bit, everyone having fun and laughing.

“Never have I ever fantasized about someone in this room” Michael said before taking a big gulp out of his drink, clearly too drunk to get the concept of the game anymore.

Thomas, Mia, Kouvr, Alex and Vinnie took one as well.

“Girl you better drink, cause I know for a fact you have” Mia said pointing at you as you blush taking a sip.

“Oh yeah who is it?” Michael asked smirking at you, bumping your shoulder with his.

Your eyes went to Vinnie for a quick second

“None of your goddamn business” You answered chuckling lightly as you continued to play for a little bit before everyone got tired.

You weren’t though, so you decided to go down to the pool while most of the others went to bed.

“Anyone wants to join me for a dip or are you all going to leave me by myself” you asked

‘Vinnie will join you. He never goes to sleep before 3 in the morning anyways” Thomas said smirking looking at the both of you.

“Uh yeah sure, let me just go get change and I’ll meet you back down here”

You went into the pool as you waited for Vinnie to come back. When he did, he jumped in, splashing you as you laughed. He came back to the surface and swam closer to you.

“Want to make a Tiktok with me” you agreed, plopping the phone near the stairs as you got in place to film a TikTok dance that was trending. You filmed yourselves a bunch of times since you couldn’t stop laughing at each other. Once you finally got a nice take, you ended the video by pushing Vinnie in the water his arms grabbing you dragging you along as you both feel in the pool.

You both were laughing as you came back to get some air and Vinnie posted the video on his account. Even though it was late, the video already got a lot of reactions, comments saying stuff about how hot he looked and how you too would make a great couple as people shipped you.

“People really want us together” He said chuckling as he stared down at me

He put his phone back near the table as he came back in the water approaching you.

“So, who’s the person you’ve been fantasizing about huh?” he asked getting closer to you as the words left his mouth, a smirk plastered on his face.

“No one” you shrugged blushing “Let me remind you that you drank too, so who’s the person you’ve been fantasizing about?” you asked as you grinned back.

“You” he said boldly looking directly into your eyes. “I mean I like you (Y/N). I’m myself when I’m with you and you always make me laugh at the simplest things. I don’t want to lie and say I never thought about kissing you before because I have. In fact, I’m always think about kissing you”

“Are you thinking about kissing me right now?”

“Yeah I mean –“ You cut him off pressing your lips to his. He kisses you back as his hands flew to your hips pulling you in closer to his body. His tongue peaks out just enough against you bottom lip for you to open your mouth a little bit more, as you whimpered against him. His lips were softer than you’d ever thought they’d be, and they meld perfectly against yours. Your hands made their way trough his hair, tugging a bit as you got more into the kiss, making him let out a small groan. You could feel him smile against your lips as you pulled away to get some air. Once you open your eyes, Vinnie is already looking at you, his eyes piercing your soul.

“I like you too Vinnie, I have for a while now” you said blushing avoiding his stare.

He grabbed you by your chin pulling you closer as he pecked your lips, laughing afterward. He looked so good, his hair dripping, his eyes sparkling with joy and his lips swollen caused by the kiss you just shared.

“So, I guess everyone was right about us huh?”

“I guess they were” you giggled leaning towards him as you cuddled and made out all night.

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Thank you for reading

Hope you like it, let me know what you think

-K

#vinnie hacker #vinnie hacker imagine #vinnie x reader #vinnie hacker x reader #vinnie hacker fluff #vinnie #tiktok boys

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treesnutsandleaveswrites · 3 years ago

Text

Crossing Paths

Pairing: The Bad Batch x Reader (Polyam)

Summary: You make the weapons drop with the Batch, then Omega’s new friend try to rope you all into the a new problem

Warning: none really, some angst, some fluff, TBB spoilers

Word Count: 1812

pt xv pt xvii

XXXXXXX

You and Omega were examining the multiple weapons the Batch was assigned to give Gobi Glie.

“Why does Gobi Glie need all this again?”

“Many people aren’t very welcoming towards the Empire.”

“But you said he was famous as a freedom fighter and the Empire hasn’t been around for that long… does that mean he was still fighting before that?”

You nodded, placing a blaster down and looking at her, “A lot of twi’leks were taken from their homes and put into slavery.”

“But didn’t the Republic enforce that liberation act all those years ago?”

“Yes, but only in the systems in the Republic, there are those in the outer rim and the Confederacy of Independent Planets that it didn’t apply to.”

“Oh,” Omega sat back in one of the seats, “Like Caetum?”

You nodded, picking up another blaster and examining it. Of course it still bothered you that the Empire had taken over Caetum and treated your people poorly.

“Y’know… the rest of the batch never really talked about you. I’ve only heard them murmur in their sleep… I asked once, but they all went silent. You… you were a slave once, weren’t you?”

You hesitated before nodding with a small hum.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Lodestar.”

You looked at her with a smile before closing the weapons case and standing up. You then walked into the cockpit as Tech steered the ship, approaching the moon’s surface. There was a ship waiting already and you went to get your helmet.

“We’re reaching Ryloth, Omega.” You announced before you put your helmet on, so she nodded and went to the gunner’s mount to grab something. The ship then landed, so you opened the hatch to make it easier for the boys to move the weapons cases off the Marauder. You watched as they approached the awaiting twi’leks and eyed a much younger one with them. Omega must’ve seen her too because her head cocked up slightly as the young twi’lek approached the ship, admiring it.

“What kind of ship is this?” The young twi’lek wondered.

“It’s a modified Omicron Class Attack Shuttle.” Omega replied.

“Can I have a look inside?”

Omega looked at you, so you looked over to Hunter, who nodded gently. You looked down at her with a small nod so she got up and went in the ship with the girl at her tail. You stayed at the threshold of the hatch while the Batch talked with Gobi Glie. After a bit of conversation, Hunter turned to you and flicked his head to call you over. You stepped down from the ship and went to the small group, bowing your head shortly in greeting.

“This is our colleague: Lodestar.” Hunter introduced.

The twi’leks’ eyes widened slightly as they looked at you.

“You are Lodestar? The one who freed slaves in the Western Reaches?”

You nodded gently, “Sadly, my time of freeing has come to a delay.” You stated, your voice filtered by the modulator in your helmet.

“We understand. That is why we are here. The Empire has a… corrupt vision. Many on Ryloth do not want to be a part of it.”

You nodded, turning to see Omega and the young twi’lek exiting the ship. They rushed over and Omega stood by your side.

“Alright, we must get going. Thank you for making this drop. It was an honor meeting you all. Especially you, Lodestar.” Gobi Glie held out his hand and you grasped his forearm as he grasped yours in mutual respect. You urged Omega to follow her brothers and she waved.

“Bye, Hera.”

“Goodbye, Omega.”

You took a moment, watching as their ship made its way back to Ryloth before heading into the Marauder. You closed the hatch, then took off your helmet and took a deep breath. Your head dipped back slightly as you released it while closing your eyes.

“What is it?” Echo’s hushed voice came from beside you, which caused you to look at him.

“I’m alright…”

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you in the ‘fresher last night, mesh’la. There is something on your mind…”

You gave him a weak smile before cupping his face, “Always so caring…”

He reached his hand up to caress your arm, “You can tell me, my love.”

You took a moment before speaking, “I… I’m seen as this beacon of hope now… like how you all first saw me when I was just your communications officer…”

“Yes?”

“I hate to be the one to give people high expectations I cannot meet. To be the bringer of false hope…”

“There are some things we can and cannot do, mesh’la. You are just one person, you can’t change the course of one major thing like galactic liberation in one cycle… it takes time.”

You nodded, moving into his arms so he could embrace you, “I missed you, Eck.”

He chuckled, “I missed you too, mesh’la.”

You sighed gently, trying to make the hug last but not too long to delay him from any tasks. You finally let him go after another moment before he headed to the cockpit. Then you sat down as the ship left the moon’s orbit, setting course for Ord Mantell. Once it was safe to move around the cabin, you went towards the gunner’s mount to see what Omega was up to. You climbed the ladder carefully so as not to make too much noise. You popped your head up into the compartment and saw her close to the window, knees to her chest, pushing D-5 away from her as he rolled back as if it were a game of tag. You laughed gently as you made your way fully into the mount which caught her attention.

“That used to be my spot.”

“S-s-s-star!” D-5 bonked your arm and you pushed him back towards Omega, who smiled weakly before looking away, brows knitting together. You cocked your head in worry, moved closer to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“I dunno… I just…”

You caressed her hair gently, “Feelin’ a bit lonely?”

“Yeah.” Omega sighed.

“Never really around anyone your age... must’ve been nice meeting Hera.”

“Yeah. It was.”

You smiled and wrapped your arm around her, “I understand. I lived on Kamino for nearly 10 years and I was only surrounded by Kaminoans and clones. There was barely anyone like me unless the Jedi or any senators were visiting..” You chuckled, “This past year was odd because everyone didn’t look the same.”

Omega laughed gently with a nod, leaning into you. You smiled before leaving a gentle kiss on her head.

“Don’t worry, Omega. There’s a whole Galaxy to explore… more people will cross our path.”

She nodded with a hum before speaking, “For now… this is good.”

“Yeah.” You whispered.

The two of you stayed there, talking with each other. You were telling her a story about one of the first foodfights you witnessed as their communications officer.

“I can’t believe Tech was the one who started it!” Omega giggled and you nodded.

“Trust me, I was just as shocked. But then Wrecker took the lead and the others followed after him.”

She laughed gently, but then Hunter called to the both of you from the cockpit. You looked at her in confusion, but she shrugged before heading out of the gunner’s mount with you. You entered the cockpit with her and saw a hologram of the young twi’lek, Hera. Omega approached, trying to listen to the transmission.

“Omega, it’s Hera! The Empire has taken my parents, and they are after me now too. I’m sending coordinates. Please, hurry. I need your help.”

Hunter paused the transmission and looked to Omega, “You gave her our comm channel?”

“For emergencies--and that sounded pretty urgent. We have to go!”

“Perhaps the situation isn’t as dire. Children often overreact.”

“No we don’t! You heard her, she needs us!”

Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder, “Omega… it’s a big galaxy. We can’t put ourselves on the line every time someone’s in trouble.”

“Why not?” Omega questioned, “Isn’t that what soldiers do?”

You looked at Hunter with a small smile as he looked at her in slight shock. You then looked back at Omega and urged her to come to you before crouching down as she stood in front of you.

“Omega, you know I understand your concern more than anyone… we’ll go to Ryloth, but if something happens and we can’t help, then you know what we have to do.”

She looked at you for a moment before determination filled her eyes, “We’ll be able to help. I know it.”

*******

The Havoc Marauder landed in a secluded part of the valley, which was filled with cargo. You all filed out of the ship and looked around.

“What is this place?” Wrecker wondered.

“I think it’s a base… probably something Gobi Glie established.” You explained.

There was then a sudden commotion and you looked to see a C1 astromech droid approaching, waving it’s extensions around frantically.

“What’s his problem?” Wrecker asked as it approached Omega.

“Thank you for coming.” Hera approached you all, “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“You said you were in trouble.” Omega responded.

“Care to tell us why the Empire is after you?” Hunter butt in.

“Because my father is Cham Syndulla.”

Tech looked up from his datapad and pushed his goggles up, “The freedom fighter?”

“Yes… this was his old command outpost. It’s where I’ve been hiding. The Empire’s begun targeting anyone loyal to him.”

“What do you want us to do?” Echo finally spoke up.

“Free my parents from the capital. That’s where they’re being held.”

Everyone looked to each other concerned, which caused Hera to become more desperate.

“They can pay you if you get them out! Please? I don’t have anyone else to ask…” She then turned to you, “You are the famous Lodestar. My father and Gobi were talking about you. Many of the twi’leks know of you because you have helped many of our kin… they would be forever grateful.”

You turned your head slightly to Hunter, who looked at you. You still had your helmet on, but you knew he could tell what you were considering. Then Omega went to Hera’s side and gave her a nod.

Hunter let out a small sigh before speaking, “Let’s see what we’re up against first, but no guarantees.”

Omega and Hera smiled, but you took off your helmet then looked at Omega. You approached the two girls and smiled sadly.

“Omega… remember what I said on the ship.”

She nodded, “I know.”

You looked to Hera, “As I told Gobi… I am not that liberator anymore. The Empire knows about me also, so it isn’t as safe for me to do things like that anymore.”

Hera nodded. You all then headed towards the Capitol.

XXXXXXX

Masterlist

Taglist: @darkangel4121 @lightning-wolffe @alucas528 @rintheemolion @shadowfoxey @butch-medusae @gabile18 @incandescentlywarm

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hailhydra920 · 3 years ago

Text

A Pirate’s Heart (2)

Pairing: Pirate!Bucky x Pirate!reader

AU: Soulmate and Pirate AU

Chapter 2 Series Masterlist

Summary: You've managed to capture Captain Bucky Barnes' heart.

Warnings: None

“Well, did you get the map to the fountain of youth?” Wanda asked as you made your way to your quarters.

You sighed. “Sadly, no. And he took my soulmate compass.”

“That’s okay. We can always get you another one.” She suggested.

You grabbed a map and smoothed it out on your table. “I’m getting it back, luckily I know they’re heading to Tortuga so that’s when I’ll get it back. He wanted my other compass, but that broke years ago.”

You started making notes on your map as Wanda spoke. “Sounds like a plan. Do I inform the crew we’re heading to Tortuga?”

“Yes please.” You replied not looking up from your map. “And tell Natasha it’s her night to make dinner for the crew.”

“Aye aye, Cap’tn.” Wanda said giving an awkward salute before heading out the door.

~~~~~

Bucky sighed as he opened the compass again. He tried his hardest to focus on what he desired most, which was currently Steve’s secret rum stash, but the compass was still fixed in the direction you had gone. Slamming the compass closed, he marched over to where Steve was currently sketching.

“This dumb ‘ol compass doesn’t work. It definitely does not point to what my heart desires most.” Bucky grumbled tossing it to Steve.

Steve caught it easily and examined it before chuckling. “That’s because you happened to steal a soulmate compass.”

“What?” Bucky growled before snatching it from Steve’s hands. “A soulmate compass?”

Steve nodded. “Aye cap’tn. Every soulmate compass has the soulmate symbol engraved at the bottom.”

Bucky looked at the bottom and sure enough, two hearts with a sword through them were engraved at the bottom. He sighed and pocketed the compass. “Whatever. We’re heading for Tortuga.”

Steve began to smirk. “What ‘xactly was the compass pointin’ to before?”

Bucky glared at Steve before huffing, trying to keep red from crawling up his cheeks. “Doesn’t matter. Set a course for Tortuga. Savvy?”

“Aye aye, cap’tn.” Steve said before shouting orders to the crew.

Bucky walked back into his quarters with a defeated sigh. He had a soulmate. He never thought it would happen, but it did. He rolled up his left sleeve and gently traced his soulmate line. It was scarred and the skin around it was rough, but the line tattoo that crawled up his arm was still visible. Once his soulmate kissed him, the line would glow and turn red, showing that he had found his soulmate and that they wanted him back.

Pulling his sleeve back down he grabbed a bottle of rum and took a swing. He swallowed slowly, the burn calming him slightly. He took another drink before walking out onto the deck to see if he could find Sam to boss around.

~~~~~

The sky was an angry grey color and the winds started to pick up speed. Your crew was hastily scampering about the ship trying to tie everything down before the storm hits. You were barking out orders just as the sky started to cry. Heavy droplets splashed against the ship and you huffed as you tied down one of the canons. Luckily, your ship was close the port of Tortuga, so you wouldn’t have to stay out in this nasty weather for much longer.

Lightning crawled across the sky like a spider and thunder rumbled in it’s wake. You cursed as the ship began to sway, and you took over the wheel. After wrestling against the elements, you finally docked your ship at Tortuga. You wrung out your hat before entering the bar/pub and took in the chaos. You had to threaten a few men before you could find a decent place to sit that wasn’t them intruding your personal space.

The rum here wasn’t too bad and you hated being out at sea during a storm. Wanda came and sat beside you and you both chatted before the topic of soulmates got brought up.

“Do you think your soulmate will be a pirate?” Wanda asked.

You shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’m fine with whatever, I guess.”

“Maybe your soulmate is here! Maybe mine is here! Let’s check.” Wanda exclaimed before pulling out her soulmate compass.

You both watched as the arrow spun around again and again. Wanda’s shoulders sagged a bit, but then she pushed the compass toward you.

“Come on. Let’s see.” She beamed.

Rolling your eyes, you took the compass in your hands and watched the arrow spin, but it slowed and eventually stopped. You and Wanda followed the arrow and you gasped when you saw who it was pointing to.

“Captain Y/n, it seems we meet again.” Bucky crooned with a smile.

You snapped Wanda’s compass shut and quickly passed it back to her, before crossing your arms. “It seems so.”

You stared at him, taking in his appearance. His hair was damp from the rain, and his clothes stuck to him, accenting his strong frame. He had that charming smirk slapped onto his face and a soft look in his blue eyes. Out of spite, you tugged his hat over his eyes before grabbing your compass that was tied to his belt.

“This.” You said shaking the compass in front of him as he pulled his hat back up. “is mine. Thank you very much.”

“I know, Sweetheart.” He replied with a chuckle. “But I don’t see why you need it seeing as you’ve already met your soulmate.”

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t steal from your soulmate.”

He walked closer to you, backing you up against the wall. “Last I checked you were the one tryin’ to steal from me.”

You pushed him out of your space and narrowed your eyes. “Okay, fine. I think we need to earn each other’s trust, before we, you know…”

“Fall in love?”

“I was going to say start a relationship.”

“Right.” Bucky said as he licked his lips. “Guess I’ll have to level up the charm then.”

#bucky #Bucky Barnes #james bucky buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #pirate bucky #pirate au #soulmate au #soulmate #hailhydra920

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dangerousstrawberryshark · 3 years ago

Text

Random Thoughts: A Dark Past

This came into mind; the Male reader is a prisoner of war and is taken back to the mainland. As usual, me and @softboy5393 fanboying over this.

I went overboard with this.

You were taken by a Titan with a long face, like a horse into its mouth. You fell unconscious during the whole time.

When you woke, you were in some room. You looked around to see where you were, you noticed you had a red armband on your left arm. 'What the... where am I?'

Then the door opened. "Ah, I see you're awake." the unknown person said along with others. He had blonde hair and an undercut style which was pushed back. [This] He also had an armband on, but his was more of a lighter red.

You took the people that walked and noticed that Reiner was there. "YOU DAMN TRAITOR!" you attacked him. You didn't do that much damage before getting pulled off of him.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS! DON'T TOUCH ME!" you yelled trying to get away from them.

"So, you're the guy that Pieck took? You island devils are sure are something." The one with blonde hair said, sitting down. Reiner was dusting himself off.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves? I'm Pieck. You already know Reiner. The one with glasses is Zeke and the one next to you is Porco." The girl- Pieck said. She had long, disheveled shoulder-length black hair, a Greek nose, and relaxed dark brown eyes.

"You probably have questions as to where you are?" you calmed down a bit to respond.

"Yes. And why am I here? Why did you take me from my home?" you said, backing away from them.

"You're in the nation of Marley. And it was Reiner's idea to take you."

⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓

It had been 4 years since you were captured. You've kind of gotten used to the new environment. 'So, humanity didn't die after all?'

You were shocked by the outside world. There were these flying ships in the skies, a cart that was driving without horses leading it. The food you have never seen before. A picture that was too detailed for any person to draw.

"That's a blimp, that's a car, and that's a photograph," Zeke said, showing you everything.

You also got to meet others. "That's Gabi, Falco, Sophia, and Udo. They are the next in line to inherit the Titans."

Gabi looked at you with mistrust. She had hatred in her eyes. "Don't mind her, she hates anyone from the 'Island of Devils.'" Zeke whispered into your ear.

It has taken a while for Gabi to get used to you but in due time.

⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓

You were walking with Pieck, Reiner, and Porco in the Liberio Internment Zone. There were stands everywhere and colorful decorations everywhere. You were amazed.

"Today's the festival, M/n. Ambassadors and famous families from all over the world are going to be here for Willy's speech. Of course, since you're with us, you'll be joining too." Pieck said she was your favorite out of all of them.

"Let's go try some things. Try this." she gave you some kind of dessert with a cone?

You gave it one lick... "WHY IS IT SO COLD?!?!" you said, others were looking at you weirdly.

"What's this?" You picked some triangle-shaped food with toppings and cheese? "Mmm, this is good! I never had anything like it!"

⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓

You had a fun time at the festival but now it was time for Willy Tybur's speech. You sat with the others but Porco, Pieck, and Zeke were requested.

Then the sounds of instruments began to play and Willy came on stage. He bowed before starting. "Allow me to tell you a story."

(This is the entirety of Willy's speech)

"Approximately one hundred years ago, the Eldian race ruled the world with the power of the Titans."

"Between the appearance of the Founder, Ymir, and the present day, Titans have stolen the lives of so many people that the present population of the world..." showed Titans eating people. "Could die thrice over and still not compare."

Then the lights turned red, people appeared covered in blood and screaming. "Because of Titans, and an extraordinary number of races, and the cultures ad histories thereof, have been stolen from the world."

"That slaughter has defined human history and the history of the Eldian Empire. And when the Eldian Empire ran out of enemies, it turned to the killings of its own kind."

You were shocked. Was this the history of your ancestors? Were they like this?

"Thus began the Great Titan War."

"Houses holding eight Titans shed blood in combat among themselves. In these desperate times, one Marleyan saw a path to victory. He was our hero, Helos."

"By artfully waging an information war, he led the Eldian Empire's biggest threats to turn against and kill one another. By joining hands with the Tybur family, they forced the unbeatable King Fritz to flee and retreat to Paradis island." the crowd began to clap. You were awestruck.

"But even exiled to the island, the king still held power. Tens of millions of Titans are capable of crushing the world flat still slumber on that island." the crowd gasps at the revelation and fear.

"The fact that our world still exists undisturbed to this day is pure luck. That is the only explanation our Titan experts could muster up. My fatherland, Marley, decided to take the initiative against the island and sent four Titans to neutralize the threat, but that plan failed and only the Armored Titan returned."

'That's why Reiner broke down the walls.'

"In other words, the Eldian Empire, the scrounge of human history, is alive and well."

"Now, the story up to this point consists of facts known to everyone. The truth, however, differs slightly. From here on, I'll discuss the memories passed down in my family alongside the Warhammer Titan."

"The complete truth will be revealed here and now for the first time. Approximately one hundred years ago, the one who ended the Great Titan War was neither Helos nor the Tybur family." Two people standing side by side to him.

One was represented Helos and the other, the Tybur family.

"The man who brought an end to that war and saved the world was King Fritz. He came to regret the Eldian Empire's savage history and the infighting among his own people."

"Above all, he grieved for the Marleyans and the oppression they lived under. When he inherited the Founding Titan, he and the Tybur family devised a plan." The lights turned blue with King Fritz and the Tybur family shaking hands in agreement.

"To establish a single Marleyan as a hero in the war. His name: Helos. After that, King Fritz moved as many Eldians to Paradis as he could. Erecting the great walls around them."

"He left a warning if anyone threatens his peace, countless Titans would be unleashed in retaliation. However, he never intended make good on this threat." Things began to add up to you. That's why the world hates Eldians. 'I'm not what they say we are!'

He continued. "King Fritz made a vow of renouncing war and bound his successors to uphold it, just as he had. Thus his ideology was passed down to each new King of the walls and the Titans with the power to crush the world remain dormant."

"Marley didn't stop Eldia and pure luck hasn't kept the world from being crushed, it was the king of the walls, Karl Fritz, a man who yearned for peace. That's it. That's all he wanted. He said if Marley grew strong someday and came in force to shatter his peace and seize the Founding Titan, he would accept it."

"He believed the sins his people committed were so horrific that they could never be atoned for."

"When the day of retribution finally comes, I will accept it until then let me enjoy this walled paradise, free from strife and conflict. I ask for nothing but a brief span of peace."

"Those were the final words the king left us with." King Fritz stood next to Willy bowing.

The crowd erupted into chatter. "What does this mean?" Gabi was shocked to along with her friends. You were twice as shocked as they were.

"If what he saying is true..."

"So, Marley and the Tybur family didn't save the world?"

"Willy wouldn't lie..."

"That means Paradis doesn't actually pose a threat, right?"

Willy spoked, the crowd went silent. "It's true, to secure our own safety, my family joined hands with King Fritz and became heroes to the world. While our fellow Eldians became devils but plainly, we Tyburs are petty thieves, growing fat on honor we did not earn."

"I stand before you willingly parting with my false glory because I have come to understand that the world we share is in grave danger" the crowd began to chat again. The drums began to ring.

"With the Founder's might, King Fritz erected three walls, using a great host of colossal Titans..." the background changed to colossal titans conjoining arms. "Counted together, the walls surely contains tens of millions of colossal Titans."

"They guard the King's peace as his shield and his spear or they did, but now, that peace is being threatened from within. An uprising has taken place on Paradis, the king has been deposed, the Founding Titan stolen."

The background changed to a devil. "The thief is an enemy to every man, woman, and child outside his island. An enemy of peace, his name... IS EREN JAEGER." Your eyes widen...

"If the colossal of Paradis are ordered to walk, the rumbling will be felt across the Earth and death will follow. Until now, only royalty has had the power to wield the Founding Titan and King Fritz's vow has kept his descendants from using it, but this Eren Jaeger has found a way to use the founder without having royal blood."

"Which means he could begin the rumbling at any moment. Once the walls of Paradis begin to walk, there will be nothing we can do. Except flee in vain from the sound of Earth-shaking steps that will herald our doom." your face turned into a worried one. Was this going to happen?

"These monsters will crush every city, trample every tree and flower, they will literally flatten our world. I have always hated my blood and more than anyone. I have wished that my race would disappear."

Willy sounded like he gonna burst into tears. " However, I confess that I want to live. That despite everything, I believed this world is my birthright just as it is yours."

"The people gathered here may belong to different races, different nations but if we're to survive this crisis then for the first time in history, we must join as one. SO PLEASE, if you wish to live and lend me your strength, help me protect our world's future!" The cameras began to flash. The crowd erupted into cheering.

"If we work together, we can overcome any obstacle, any threat! I ask each of you to join me as I go to fight the devils who would plunge our world into hell! HELP ME DEFEAT THEM!"

The crowd continued to clap and cheer. "Here and now, as a representative of Marley's government, I send this message to the devils of Paradis!"

"CONSIDER THIS, A DECLARATION OF WAR!" As Willy said that, a Titan erupted from the building behind the stage. A Titan you knew very well.

"Eren..."

#x male reader #male reader #male reader insert #male reader imagine #attack on titan #aot #random thought #attack on titan x male reader #aot x male reader #attack on titan fandom #attack on titan thought

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charspnp · 4 years ago

Text

Hey can I request a really fluffy Karl imagine? Where they’ve been friends for ages and realise they like each other or something

- anonymous

not a kissing booth

「 karl jacobs x g/n!reader 」

a/n: i feel like i didn't really fulfill the request fully djddjf but i hope you like it! :)

masterlist

saying goodbye always was and always will be the hardest part of moving. it doesn't matter if you're moving a mile away or a thousand miles away, having to say goodbye to someone you love is borderline unbearable.

but... saying bye to karl was... different… why? well, who knows, really. maybe it was because you've known each other your whole life? or maybe it's because you spend pretty much every day together talking and talking but never running out of things to talk about?

or, perhaps, the reason saying bye to karl was so different is because you were in love with him.

the hug you shared wasn't like any other hug you'd shared with the man. it was tight, comforting, a silent plea to stay in touch, to call or text him every day (as if you weren't going to already). then the very insistent, repeated, spoken plea to call or text him every day came and, for some reason, that's when you couldn't hold back your tears any longer.

as soon as he saw the first tear fall, karl grabbed your face softly and wiped it away.

"no, no, no, don't cry," he spoke softly, "don't-don't cry cause we're not saying goodbye, okay? we're-we're gonna talk every day, alright? every single day, i don't care what time it is for me cause i'll pick up, i'll answer. always. okay?" though he was asking for you not to cry, he started tearing up himself. he nodded to you, asking for an affirmation that you knew he would always be there. you nodded back and put your hands softly on his, leaning into is touch. you nodded once again, confirmation to yourself that he would be there.

from behind the two of you, your mother honked the car horn to signal that you had to go. glancing back at the car then back to your best friend, you let go of his hands and wrapped them around his middle tightly. he returned the sentiment just as affectionately.

"call me when you get there, okay?"

"okay."

"hey," he pulled away but still kept you close, "i love you, okay? and-and i'll miss you."

yes, goodbyes are hard, but the two of you kept your promise. although, it wasn't too hard when the both of you became streamers and played together 24/7. you and karl just had small names in the community before karl got picked up by mr beast and dream with his server. after the dream smp blew up, so did karl. any other person would've felt left in the dust or forgotten, but with you it was quite the opposite. you were happy for karl, ecstatic that he grew to fame and had so many loyal fans.

every time karl asked if you wanted to be on the smp, you declined, though, no matter how badly you wanted to accept. it was because of those loyal fans that you always declined. you were scared that they would psychoanalyze you and your behavior and find out about your crush on karl. yup. it's a stupid thought, but valid at the same time. you don't know when you started having this crush, whether it started when you two were in grade school or if it was recent, but it's the and you hate it. you hate having to hide your feelings from your best friend and lying to him when he asked for the reason as to why you didn't want to join the smp.

"but whyyyy," karl whined, hoping you would give a different reason as to not stream with him (or maybe even finally agree).

"because! that's a lot of eyes on me, karl. it's scary." liar.

"dude, you're a streamer, you have eyes on you anyways! you can't say you never thought you'd get over 1k viewers at a time."

"yes i can! because i never thought my best friend would get so famous so fast and suddenly have, like, over 60, or even 100k viewers at a time!"

"c'mon, just- please? please play on the smp with me? stream with me- for me?" he begged with his stupid, cute puppy dog eyes you can never say no to. bastard.

you huffed, "fine- fine! i'll play on the dream smp with you."

karl's face lit and as he bounced around his room, yelling, "yes! yes! finally!"

you chuckled and shook your head at him, "yeah, yeah."

karl stopped hopping around and leaned down to his mic to speak, "when can you play?"

"just, whenever."

"tomorrow?" he grinned widely, excitement noticeable in his eyes even from across the country.

"t-tomorrow?" you weren't expecting it to be that early, but still, you couldn't let down karl. "s-sure. yeah, tomorrow's fine. what time?"

"3pm, my time." though he had calmed himself for the most part, you could still see him jittering and fidgeting with excitement.

"o-okay. sounds good," you spoke warily. changing the subject, the two of you continued talking all night.

when the next day came, you were immediately reminded of what was to come later that day when karl sent you your daily good morning text. reading through the small message, you ran a hand through your hair and sighed, turning to your pillow to just lay there. though it wasn't until the afternoon, you were already stressing how it would go.

after about 10 minutes of just lying there in bed, you responded to karl with your own good morning text then turned off your phone. running your hands down your face, you got up out of bed to start the day.

"how ya feelin?" karl asked, seeing how much you were fidgeting.

"nervous," you responded truthfully. karl already had his 'starting soon' screen up and you were yet to even begin yours. "i don't want them to hate me, y'know."

"dude, they're not gonna hate you, i promise. even if they don't like you, they'll see how much i love you and they'll learn to accept it."

you blushed at his words, knowing he didn't have a clue as to what they did to you. "y-yeah. yeah, i hope."

finally starting your stream with your own 'starting soon' screen, you tweeted out that you're gonna be playing on the dream smp, and almost immediately your viewership was more than it ever has been. taking a deep breath, you waited until karl turned on the facecam to his stream.

"hi! hello, everyone!" karl began, "welcome! welcome to the stream!"

while he made small talk with his stream, you changed your screen from 'starting soon' to your facecam. you deafened yourself on discord and began welcoming your stream as well. you explained what was happening and what you were gonna be doing when karl started spamming "UNDEAFEN" in your chat. you chuckled before undeafening, only to hear karl making a monotone "aaaahhhhhh" sound. you called his name a couple times and when he didn't stop, you turned on your funny mic to get his attention.

"KARL!" you yelled, the audio coming out distorted as all hell. he finally acknowledged you by breaking character and laughing. "let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

about an hour and a half and a whole lotta laughter later, karl took you over to a large red building in the shape of a heart. glancing at your chat, all you saw was "DON'T GO IN" but you just laughed it off.

"okay, y/n, this is not a kissing booth," karl explained.

"not a kissing booth?"

"yes, definitely-definitely not a kissing booth. now wait-wait here," he instructed you before his character moved around the side of the building. you gave your camera a questioning look as you waited for whatever karl told you to wait for. as you were looking up at the building, you saw karl's character go inside the pink, glass heart. your jaw dropped at the adorable sight.

"karl! that's so cute!" you said as you crouched at his character.

"thank you," he giggled wildly (what you didn't know was that he was blushing profusely). "now," he exited the heart and came back around to you, "come in here."

he walked into the building and you followed, taking a quick moment to read the signs on the outside. you stood on the inside of the kissing booth, the crafting tables on the ground making you laugh quietly.

karl flipped a lever on one side of the room, "okay, so these are called the levers of consent. it takes two parties to consent, so mine is already down. if you consent, flip your lever."

you shook your head, but agreed anyways, "okay, i consent." you flipped the lever and suddenly the whole room went dark. you looked over to karl's character, only to see him crouching, slowly making his way over to you. you crouched back at him so you were eye level to him. your characters were close to touching before you got close to your mic and said, "are we about to kiss right now?"

his character stopped crouching as he started laughing wildly again, his giggles high pitched and absolutely adorable. our face split into a grin at the sound and your chat spammed your guys' ship name they came up with as well as "SIMP" which, in their defense, was very accurate.

deciding to mess with him a little, you looked karl's character in the eyes before saying, "karl, i'd say the s-word and get banned for you."

his giggles started up again, becoming high pitched and muffled as he covered his face. "no, no, stop, y/n please."

you giggled at him before pressing your character against his and making an over exaggerated "mwah!" sound.

to be expected, yours and karl's ship name was trending #1 on twitter with thousands of supporters.

#this didnt post for some reason ???#anyways 1k+ words for karl i love him #request #karl jacobs x reader #karl jacobs imagine #dream smp x reader #dream smp imagine #dsmp x reader #dsmp imagine #mcyt x reader #mcyt imagine #fluff #500 #char.writes #gn

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echos-newlegs · 4 years ago

Note

Hello again! I'm here to fullfill my promise of asking for a Rex one based on your prompt list, especially excited after the beautiful work you did with the Tech one <3 So how about 46 for our Captain? I had thought of a Jedi!Reader situation, bit it's up to you really, just have fun!!

Double Trouble

Ahh thank you, I'm always open for writing for my boy Rex 🥺 send as many asks as you want m'dudes 😌💕 but thank you sm, that means a lot tbh!

Rex x Jedi!Reader: "Isn't it illegal?" "I mean, probably?"

Warnings: slight angst? No established relationship. Y’all just like each other. Anakin teasing you and Rex.

Word count: 1.9k

“You’ll never get what you want from us.” Rex spat as you stood in the corner of the room, strapped up to a machine. Grievous only laughed at that. His gravely, robotic voice echoing threw your ears. It annoyed you more than anything. How he seemed to think he could get the whereabouts of your base from you and the captain. “Oh, I don’t expect them to crack, clone.” He mocked. Leaning into Rex’s space. The Captain keeping his ground. “Why do you expect I would?” He snapped, and that made him laugh again.

He only tittered as he walked between the two of you. “It doesn’t take a Jedi to sense a connection between the two of you. I saw the way you tried to save the General over here.” He mused with a sigh. “It’s orders, to save the Jedi.” Grievous shook his head, hands resting behind his back. “No, not like this. General Tano got hurt and you cared, but not like when they get hurt. What are they to you? Do you really think a Jedi could love a clone like you?” He taunted, Rex darting his eyes down.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. A habit you often found yourself doing due from hanging around the 104th most days. “You’re wasting time, Rex and I are merely friends, I’m not even his General. I serve another Battalion under the watch of General Plo, you’d think after all our encounters you’d know this, droid.” You drew out the last name with a smirk. Though that smirk quickly faded when you felt your body begin to tingle. A surge of electricity shooting through you that had your fists and jaw clenching. Eyes shooting open and then closed as you arched your back with a shriek.

“Stop it you’re hurting her!” Rex screamed as he fought against his restraints to get to you. Grievous was right, Rex felt attached to you. You could even say he loved you, but he would never admit to it. He only hid back the feelings— Which seemed to only make them worse.

Grievous hummed in amusement. Stopping the shock. Watching as your body went limp. “Your attitude never seems to change, General. You hang around Skywalker too much.” He wasn’t wrong, between hanging around Skywalker and Wolffe your attitude was horrendous. “You say that each time we meet.” You scoffed, shooting a glare up to the general.

“Now, if you want your Jedi to live, you’ll tell me where the base is.” You didn’t want Rex to tell, but you knew he would crack at this rate. Not only the stress of the war was on his shoulders, but you could sense how he felt about you. You were quite fond of it, until now. Realizing it was a weakness on both ends. Rex was a good friend of yours, and you admired everything about him, but this? This worried you, if maybe you should have distanced yourself like your consciousness told you to a month ago.

“I won’t,” Rex said, after catching your look of worry. “Not to Seppie Scum like you,” He spat. You gave him a small, worrisome smile as he gave you an apologetic look. ‘It’s okay,’ You mouthed to the Captain as another surge shot threw your system. Voice straining as you screamed. You could feel the tremors run in and out of your body. Gasping for air as you fought to keep your body functioning. Then it all went dark.

Rex panicked when you went limp. His eyes shooting wide. Tugging at the restraints as he let out a choked cry. “General!” He exclaimed, and Grievous let out a cackle. “How interesting, A clone and a Jedi.” He scoffed. Leaning close to Rex. “I would have never guessed.”

When you woke up you were on the cold floor. Body sore and stiff. Your throat felt like it was in flames. Rex holding you in his arms. Noticing this as your vision cleared. “Am I dead?” You spoke hoarsely, with a crooked smile. Rex smiled softly, glad to see you still had your sense of humor. “Thankfully, no,” You sighed, which hurt even more than breathing. “Did he get anything from you?” He shook his head ‘no.’ You nodded, moving to sit up. The captain helps you up to lean against him and the wall. “Do you think anyone’s looking for us?” You asked, and Rex nodded. “For you? I’m sure Plo and Anakin have everyone searching far and wide.” He added as you lean your head against his shoulder.

He smiled faintly, your hair tickling his neck a bit, though he kept his hands to himself. He had to remind himself as you dozed off again that you were doing this because you were hurt. You wouldn’t lean on him any other time. This meant nothing.

Rex was right. The moment that General Plo got word that your mission with the 501st went south he and Anakin were racing to make a plan— a semi chaotic one. With an equal amount of quick decisions and thorough thinking between the two. You were like Anakin's little sibling, he wasn’t about to let you spend any more time with the Seps than you had to.

When you woke up again you were being nudged awake by Rex. Sirens were blaring and droids were running too and fro. “General, I believe our rescue is here.” Rex spoke. That got you smiling. Helping yourself off the floor as he pulled you up. “How are we getting out?” You asked, but it seemed the moment you did a droid was approaching your cell. “You’re being transferred, both of you.” The news made the two of you give each other a glance. Almost as if the undiscussed plan was working itself out in front of you. “Is that so?” Rex asked as the door opened and the droid approached you both with restraints. Once close enough Rex took the opportunity to attack.

Once the droid was practically dismembered and the Captain now held his blaster. It gave you the opportunity to realize you had no saber, or cloaks, and Rex was stripped of his armor and weapons. Left in only his boots and blacks. “What’s the plan, General?” He asked, and you groaned as you stretched. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d like my lightsaber back.” He smiled at that, “I think I know where they stored them, too.”

The two of you take off down the hallway as quick as you can manage. You attempt to fight the pains shooting up your leg as you clung to the captain for dear life. His hand rubbing your side here and there. Though you thought nothing of it.

“There,” he stated.

He pointed over to a doorway a droid just exited. “They stopped us here, took our weapons and armor and took them through there.” He nearly whispered in your ear.

You pondered, thinking of what you could do. Until you got an idea. “Let’s go over there, then.” You spoke. Watching as he furrowed his brows at you. “General,” “that’s an order.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. Helping you over to the doorway.

You hacked into the system. Opening it with a breeze. Something Anakin taught you along the way. The two of you squeezing into the storage room. Spotting your lightsaber in almost an instant. “We need to be quick, Captain.” You informed him as you lean against the wall. Hooking your holster to your hips. Pulling on your robes and some of your other items that were taken.

You looked over, watching as Rex made quick work of his armor. Your eyes dragging over his form a bit too long. “General, everything alright?” You thought he was oblivious to your actions. Until you saw him nervously rub the back of his neck. You couldn’t see the blush that his tan skin hid, but you could feel it. He was nervous in a sense, and you thought it was adorable.

You smiled, shaking your head. “All is good, now let’s get out of here.”

He nodded at your comment. Holding his blaster with one hand, and you with the other. “Captain,” you spoke, and he looked over to you. Watching you as your eyes scanned the room. “How much do you trust me?” You asked, holding up some detonators.

His eyes fell onto them. Lips turning up into a smirk. “With my life,” “good.” You spoke. Looking from his eyes to his lips. The two of you share a lingering stare.

“You guys are painful to watch, just kiss already.” A familiar voice speaking from in front of the two of you. “Miss me?” Anakin spoke as you and Rex caught his form. “Not one bit,” you quipped. Making Rex have to bite the inside of his cheek to hide a chuckle. “I know you did. Don’t lie, now, whatcha doing with those detonators?” He asked, and you smirked. Holding one between your fingers. “Blowing this bad boy up, of course.” “You got my attention.”

Anakin knew you wanted to blow something up. You and Hardcase were known for having that destructive personality. Rex honestly loved how you seemed to bond with each one of his brothers in some way or another. They all loved how for a Jedi, you were nothing like one. You were different, in big ways and they loved it.

Anakin ordered Rex to take you back to the rescue ship anyways with your condition. They needed to run once the detonators were set, and well— you weren’t in any condition to be running. You understood though.

You watched from the cockpit once Anakin returned as the ship blew. Grievous had escaped, as per usual. But you destroyed one more of his ships, successfully. “He’s gotta hate you by now.” Anakin commented, and you snickered. Still using Rex to lean on. “Isn’t it illegal?” He asked, and you looked up to him. Watching as his eyes fell to yours. His lips so close to your own. “How many ships of his you’ve destroyed.” He joked, his voice lowering a bit. You smirked, shrugging. “I mean, probably? But since he’s a Sep it doesn’t count. Double negative, that’s how it works, right?” Rex snorted, rolling his eyes. His hand absentmindedly snaking around your waist. “Sure.”

You were on cloud nine. The affection was euphoric, but leave it to Anakin to ruin a moment. “So what’s going on here?” He asked, and Rex looked at him with a shocked expression. As if he forgot he was there. Removing his arm from you as you pushed back from him a bit. “What do you mean?” Rex asked, and you played with the end of your sleeves. “I don’t have to be a Jedi to sense the tension between you two, are you..” he trailed off. Looking back and forth between the two of you. “Screw—“ Rex nearly choked and your face heated up to a max. Both your eyes going wide. “What? No! No, Makers no—“ you corrected, but that wasn’t enough for him.

“Then Rex, buddy, you need to do something and make a move. Y/n won’t, and I won’t tell anyone.” Walking past the Captain, patting his shoulder. “You’d make a cute couple, I could see it now.” You were going to kill Anakin when the ship landed, it was final.

#captain rex x reader #commander rex #rex x reader #captain rex #rex #star wars #star wars writing #the clone wars #star wars the clone wars #clone trooper x reader

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impulsivefanwriter · 3 years ago

Text

A Tiny Spark Leads to a Roaring Flame (But Flames Can Always be Doused by Water)

Heeyyyyy so y’all know the Reverse Thanos Snap AU for SPBNR? Basically everyone but Smith/S!Kai gets sent to the M!verse. Everyone. The entire population of S!verse Ninjago City & a few surrounding areas. Except poor Smith. Essentially it happens because S!Garmadon tries to send Smith to a place where he can't mess with his plans, and ends up sending everyone away from Smith to take him out of the equation.

The second part to this AU is that the S!Ninja end up searching for Kai in the chaos and grab the Red Ninja before jetting out of there with the Bounty. Except... they didn’t grab Smith (who’s still home), but rather Red (M!Kai).

Red thinks the S!Ninja are babysitter clones created by Garmadon after he somehow turned Lloyd younger without his memories & is trying to raise him to be his new General #1. With this in mind, he pretends to be S!Kai, and waits for the moment he can rescue Lloyd.

What would happen in the S!Ninja discovered his deception/their mistake of grabbing a wrong Kai and mistake Red for a recreated Aki (aka Bizarro Evil Clone Kai) before he could enact his plan?

Well, this is that idea. (Title inspired by how a crack AU spiralled into a beautiful angst-fest)

Enjoy. :3

-----*-----

Red was going to get Lloyd out of here tonight.

Away from these Not-Friends made by Garmadon to emulate the Ninjaforce. Away from this flying ship built to emulate Master Wu's ship, so familiar and yet so off. Away from this false reality and back to the real everything where they could hopefully get his memories back and his age back and everything back to the way it was before the city descended into chaos.

He just had to... bide his time. Be patient.

FSM, he was bad at being patient.

His hands itched to grab Lloyd and run now, but he was horribly outnumbered and without his mech. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't rush this. If he did, he would make everything worse. Like he always did.

But fate- or rather, Lloyd- had other plans.

The little version of his younger brother- yes, they were roughly the same age normally, shut up, Lloyd was still his younger brother- had been... eying him weird all morning. Not like Not-Jay and Not-Cole and Not-Zane, but like Not-Nya. Like he actually knew instead of suspected. These babysitter clones seemed to think he was the Not-Kai, and if that was the opportunity the universe was going to give him, then by the flames of the departed world was he going to skip this chance to save Lloyd.

Currently he stood on the deck of the ship as they parked in the sky a few meters above the docks on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't the docks with the Bounty warehouse, curse his luck, but it wasn't the endless sky or the empty ocean (though it was still too close to that murky, haunting water for his liking. Water was his sister's domain for a reason). At least he could sneak Lloyd off in the cover of night, maybe find someone in the city who wouldn't recognize the Son of Garmadon this way and would be willing to help them hide until they could make it back to the real ninja.

"Kai," Not-Zane spoke suddenly next to him.

Red would never get used to the way his voice... lacked the same effect the real Zane's had. The effect that Kai and the rest of his team had assured their friend over and over was unique, special, but in a good way. To embrace it. That it wasn't noticeable, but when it was, that it was so Zane that his friends didn't care that it was different.

This 'Zane' sounded much too different than his own. He hadn't recognized Kai's tested line of 'road work ahead' when they passed one of the many construction signs littering the city (even more so since the chaos happened a week ago), and instead had responded with 'a great deal of work to fix in the city'.

Seriously, Garmadon, do better research on your clones.

Not-Zane was also much too... calm. Too 'wise' compared to the wild teen that was Zane. And he walked without heelies or whatever Zane used to slide around like a boss, though he was still silent. And that meant, like now, he snuck up on Red fairly often- and Red was training to be a Ninja, so that took serious talent.

"Kai," Not-Zane said again, and Red finally broke his gaze from where he'd been staring over the railing, planning tonight's escape route. "Lunch has been made for over an hour. Are you alright?"

Red forced his brightest smile. "Course I'm alright! Just trying to figure out what happened, as usual."

Why Lloyd was suddenly like, 8, and without his memories. Why the Not-Friends were on this Not-Ship and had mistaken him for Not-Kai. Why the city was in a state of disarray and chaos.

Not-Zane studied him, then turned to give the city a sad look. "I'm not sure myself. My scanners can't seem to figure out what is happening. It is as if... blocked by some force."

Red winced, then expertly disguised the move by leaning against the rail. Zane never would use 'my scanners', despite how often Red and the others assured him it was okay. Yet another reason why this wasn't his friend.

"You know Ninjago City," Red said with a weak laugh. "Always one crisis or another. Always those annoying Garmadon Attacks"

This seemed to satisfy Not-Zane, who nodded thoughtfully. "This event definitely seems to have Garmadon's hand in the mess."

He patted Red on the back. "Well, don't worry yourself ragged, Kai. Come in for lunch soon, alright? We have training for Lloyd later."

Ah, right. Training. AKA what Red assumed was how Garmadon was planning to shape this impressionable version of his friend into his new General #1.

"I'm ready for training now, Zane!"

Speaking of Lloyd-

The little gremlin came up from the hull with the rest of the Not-Ninja. Red hated when the entire group was together; it was way more difficult to act as Not-Kai around them, especially around Not-Nya.

For starters, Not-Jay had a notch in his eyebrow that the real Jay never had. He was missing the iconic freckles, and the scarf, and the fluffy hair, though you could always say it was just a wardrobe change. What you couldn't change was the personality differences. This couldn’t be Jay. Jay was anxious and quiet, his jokes (while plentiful) said more timidly and his newest ideas shared with hesitance that only shrank after years of encouragement. He would never be this loud, ever.

Not-Cole was the leader, probably because Lloyd was so young. But even then, in Red's team, Nya would probably take second-command. Cole was their sturdy support, yes, but he was chill, laid-back. Ready to follow and support his friends to the ends of the earth with his tunes and occasional sarcastic wit, but not lead. Not like Not-Cole, who was more serious and commanding and didn't. listen. to. music. Red hadn't spotted a single record or boombox in the room in the hull. That was a tragic oversight on Garmadon's part. The members of his research team should be Fired.

And then there was Not-Nya. Who wore a dress with confidence that his sister would love but never publicly wear. Who had short hair- Nya had tried that style once, and decided it itched around her neck too much- and jewelry, and a giant flying Samurai mech suit. His sister had the Water Strider Mech, and Not-Nya had a flying combat suit. Sure. Close enough. Personality-wise they were similar.

Similar at first glance. Nya was fluid and adaptable to whatever role she needed filling. She was spunky, and as fiery as him when it came to tempers, though she knew how to keep hers in check (she had to, right? No one called her hot-headed and impulsive and reckless and blamed her temper for mistakes or damage or whatever the news comments liked to say about the Fire Mech). Not-Nya was also adaptable and independent-minded, but she seemed more rigid. More doing her own thing.

Point was, everyone wasn't actually his friends, despite how much they tried to prove they were. And they kept acting like he was this Not-Kai, who was just as hot-headed but apparently more mature and training-oriented and basically the better, cooler (or hotter, perhaps, for the fire theme of the red ninja) him, since his acting never seemed to fully convince them. Trying to impersonate a standard he couldn't seem to reach, some legendary hero he wasn't- er, wasn't yet! Yeah! He just needed to prove himself, be better, and he'd be fine. Just... fine. Yeah.

Mini-Lloyd (Red was tempted to call him L'ilyod in his head, but that felt wrong somehow, like he was infringing on some kind of copyright law) stared at him like a goddamn falcon, and he wasn't talking about the bird that circled the ship. He had this bowl-cut Red would tease him about endlessly after all this was over- seriously, how had Mr. Fabulous Hair started with this mess? Garmadon probably didn't even have hair, so there was no way the guy knew how to style it, and it was very evident based on Mini-Lloyd's hairdo.

Red noticed that all of them were staring, actually. Despite his relaxed rest against the rails, his fingers behind his back clutched the cool bar with a dull shake. He didn't notice how the metal seemed to glow red under his touch.

"Training, right, we should get onto that," Red tried. "What do you want to start with, Lloyd?"

"How about a little game?" Lloyd asked with complete innocence. "What we were playing last week before we got interrupted."

Oh sh!t.

"I-I don't know, shouldn't we start with stretches? Or how about some sparring, that's always more fun than a game!"

"But I wanted to continue our game..." Mini Lloyd said, and FSM's sake, he couldn't deal with that pouting look.

Okay. Okay, don't panic. Think logically. What kind of game would an 8-year-old Lloyd like to play with him? Something physical, so no board games- he liked to test his mettle against Zane on those, and sometimes he would almost not-lose. Logic puzzles also fell more on Jay's area. Trivia, especially music trivia, was a bubble between the anxious motormouth and Cole. Video games fell on team building, and wouldn't classify as a training warmup.

"Well," Red said, taking a hopeful stab in the dark. "There's not too much space on the deck for... tag..."

Lloyd nodded, looking satisfied. The Not-Ninja looked- well, their expressions were hard to read because of how different it was compared to his friends. But Red was a master of deception (well, fire, but eh, technicalities), and he had them fooled, and he just had to keep it up until nightfall so he could rescue Lloyd and explain in a safe location-

"HE'S NOT KAI!"

Orrrrr improvise. Okay, yep, he could improvise.

Red lunged forward and grabbed Mini Lloyd's wrist from where he had his hand extended in an accusatory point. He ducked under Not-Jay's attempts to grab him- fast, but not as fast as his Jay, his Jay who could disappear from an awkward social interaction in the span of a flickering lightbulb- and dragged his younger brother with him as he vaulted over the railing. Not-Zane almost managed to yank him back onto the Not-ship, but his icy grip caught only empty air as Red pulled Lloyd into a tight hold and ducked.

He hit the dock below with a stumble, rolling back onto his feet and taking off with a very stubborn green ninja in tow. It took all his strength to drag Lloyd (kicking and screaming like he was being kidnapped or something when Red was just trying to rescue him, for FSM's sake. Lloyd didn't know that, but he could still try to be at least a little more considerate.)

The wooden docks creaked and shuddered underfoot and Red grimaced; whoever rebuilt them after the latest Garmadon attack had shredded them like newspaper clearly hadn't wasted any unnecessary change. It certainly didn't help that Lloyd packed quite the punch for someone so small. Red definitely would come out of this with bruised shins and arms from where Mini Lloyd tried to push him away, but it would be worth it to keep his teammate, his younger brother, safe.

Then green filled his vision and broke his hold on Lloyd's wrist, sending him skidding across the dock planks as he was sent flying. When he finally rolled to a stop, neck and shoulder stinging from where the blast had caught him (no burns, just jitters like he'd been shocked), he had to take a few seconds to re-orient himself. Did the Not-Ship have cannons or something? What hit him from behind, so close it could have hit Lloyd?

Lloyd. Was Lloyd okay?

Red pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bleeding scrapes on his hands and legs from where he'd gotten banged up by the splintered docks. His gaze, sharp and frantic, searched for signs of green. The warning of more blasts, the flash of the fabric of a gi, anything.

He spotted his brother in the arms of Not-Cole. No, no, no-

And suddenly Not-Nya was there, given a boost by Not-Jay. Her grip was as if she were wearing the robotic mech suit, harsh and powerful and near in-human. She threw Red back to the dock floor as her face twisted with the fury of a storming ocean. A resounding crack rang out over the harbour.

Red couldn't tell if it came from the planks under him or his own shoulder.

She pinned him to the wood, barking accusations and threats in his face faster than Not-Jay could talk. Red blinked through a haze of pain, trying to focus on her face and words. She was missing the beauty mark on her face, he noticed. Yet another tell she wasn't his sister.

"-scar on the wrong side-" And it was hard to hear again over the ringing in his ears. He tried to throw her off, get back to Lloyd, anything, but he was-

Useless.

Her hands suddenly got in his face, slamming his left cheek to the wood. She was close- close to his face, close to his eye, close to his scar- pushing and prying as she tried to do something. Red picked up in his struggling, his attempts to free himself turning to desperate shoves and wild clawing like a trapped animal. He wouldn't let this creation of Garmadon's finish the job that teen had started all those years ago.

"Or better yet, he needs to shut his damn mouth."

The flash of a knife. His vision half-blurry. Blood- so much blood- and a lasting scar.

"-contacts-" "-red-" "-struggling-" "-we know what he- it- is already-" "-not the real Kai-" "-wish-" "-Garmadon-"

He had to get away. Get Lloyd away from them now.

In one surge of strength- and yep, his shoulder definitely wasn't okay after that move, as if he'd ripped it not just from its socket but from its very attachment to his body- he knocked Not-Nya aside. If he could’ve seen through the red haze, he might have noticed red embers dancing around his fingertips as his desperation and fear tapped into something deep in his soul.

He tried to shoot to his feet, tried to run for Lloyd (held so tight in Not-Cole's grip, surely they were hurting him, he couldn't let that happen-). He roared, "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!", but before he could take another step through Not-Jay and Not-Zane in his path, the docks gave one last ominous shudder before deciding it had finally had enough.

The planks crumbled underfoot like charred firewood in a crackling campfire, and Red was sent tumbling into the frigid ocean water below.

#spbnr #reverse Thanos snap au #reverse thanos snap #ninjago #lego ninjago #same People but not really #kai ninjago

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