#I still added an option for it though because I know there would be baying for my blood if not
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jam-the-hologram · 1 year ago
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buildingshitwithcrab · 4 months ago
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Cincinnati Chili [edible]
Hooboy. Recently--as in, tonight--Ballistic BBQ on youtube had an episode on how to copycat Skyline coneys (chili dogs.) And gdi, I am A Chili Person now because I Have Issues with his lack of research into the subject. I had a comment written out, trying to be both CORRECTIVE yet polite, but you know what? Fuck it. I'm gonna save my long-time, hard-won experience with you fine folk, instead.
Recipe first, then notes:
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For those non-fluent in Chickenscratch:
2T peanut oil (optional) 28oz tomato puree 1lb ground beef 1lb ground pork 6 cloves garlic, minced 2t cinnamon 1T cumin 2T Worcestershire 3 bay leaves (optional) 4T white vinegar 2 15oz cans kidney beans, drained & rinsed (see notes) 4T pure chili powder (see notes) 2t allspice 4T unsweetened cocoa powder 2t regular Tabasco sauce
toppings: 1 small finely chopped white onion (optional) yellow mustard (hella optional) finely shredded cheddar cheese (not optional)
Put oil into stock pot; on med heat, sweat 1/4 to 1/2 of garlic until fragrant. Add meat and cook until pink is gone, stirring thoroughly to break grounds into crumbles. No chunks. Skim away fat; does not need to be thoroughly drained unless desired (see notes.) Add puree and remainder of garlic. Stir to combine. Add liquids, stir. Add powders, through a sifter if possible. Otherwise, stir, making sure any balls of cocoa powder get broken down. If adding beans directly into chili (see notes), add them now, and stir to combine.
If eating chili right away, heat until hot, stirring fairly frequently; if making in advance, transfer to a lidded container, allow to cool, and refrigerate until needed. Flavors will develop and meld very nicely over 24 hours, but the hot, fresh chili will still be spicy and tasty.
Makes... gawd... 4-6 adult servings of chili spaghetti, or can cover about 16 hot dogs. We tend to get 2 separate meals of 3 generous adult portions & sometimes a little leftover for dip, from one batch.
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(blurry 35mm photos from like 2003)
Notes:
this recipe originated from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American; as presented here, it has inclusions from the original, and adjustments (usually omissions) I have made over 20-some years of cooking it. I cook it to eat it, not to adhere to best practices nor perfect authenticity.
peanut oil is optional if you go straight to browning the meat and then at the garlic after skimming most of the fat. It's just in the original recipe, and just for sweating the garlic. would NOT recommend subbing any oil with a distinct flavor (olive, sunflower, etc.)
I originally added the bay leaves a few times, but never really noticed them adding much to the mix. safe to omit, if you don't have any.
coneys do not really have beans, unless requested. if you're only going to use the chili on hot dogs, or just don't want them, you can choose not to use any. if you'd like smaller beans on/in coney chili, rinsed black beans work well, also. I like the beans in general, and add them in for convenience, since I'm usually going to have one meal of coneys and one of spaghetti. typically, the beans are a separate topping on the chili, and not folded into the chili itself. people from Cincinnati will judge you. I'm from Dayton, though, so I won't.
ALL Cincinnati chili comes with finely shredded cheddar (looking at YOU, Ballistic BBQ.) it's technically a garnish, but it's a big flavor component of the entire dish. you will not find store-bought cheese shredded as finely as the parlors use. this is expected, and okay.
"chili powder" in grocery stores tends to be a blend of several different spices anymore. I don't know when this happened. additional cumin, any oregano, etc. will noticeably alter this recipe's taste, and in my opinion, not in a good way. BE AWARE that grocers that have sections for Indian ingredients may have jars of "pure chili powder", but these are MUCH HOTTER than the chilis in US blends. Maybe you want that, but don't find out by accident like I did. I recommend cutting to the chase and ordering pure chili powder from MexGrocer.com. I get their California and New Mexico powders, both nice and reasonable, and combine them. one packet of each should yield enough powder for this recipe, with a little left over. a neighborhood Mexican grocery is likely to have pure powders, too, but I don't know the specific types to recommend. some of those can pretty hot by surprise, as well.
skimming the fat is up to you. if you do, your chili will be thicker and a bit brighter in spice. if you don't, it will be thinner (more like parlor chili, tbh,) and a little bit mellowed. the viscosity is the biggest difference. thicker doesn't drip off of coney as easily, but you might want thinner to soak deeper into your spaghetti. however you normally approach excess meat juices should be fine.
another spice altering aspect: you can leave out the ground pork and just use 1lb ground beef, to save money. your chili will have a slightly stronger tomato flavor, and a little more spice. you can also leave out the pork and use 2lb beef, the pork is just ~authentic~ because Cincinnati has a shitload of pork processors. you could probably sub ground turkey for the pork, as I understand it absorbs other meats' flavors, but you'd still need the beef to flavor it. another matter of personal tastes or circumstances.
and another: a spoonful of sour cream on spaghetti chili will mild it down very nicely while still being delicious, if it's too spicy for someone. for coneys or a chip dip, mix your desired ratio aside in a bowl, and enjoy.
by "cocoa powder", the recipe means like Baker's Corner, Hershey's--the same stuff you'd bake with or add to hot milk, just unsweetened. Some people (BBBQ) like to make it sound fancy with "cacao", but it's just unsweetened cocoa.
salt is not included as an ingredient, because my family has cut way back on using it at all for... probably the same 20 years I've been making chili. my dad got diagnosed with high blood pressure when he retired, and to help him out, my mom and I both decided it wasn't our favorite spice in the world anyway, and started leaving it out when it's not necessary (it's necessary in baking. don't fuck too much with baking recipes.) I also find that vinegar has a lot of same zing flavor that salt does, without the salt, and this recipe has a lot of vinegar, plus salt in the Worcestershire, Tabasco, and cheese. that's plenty for us, but feel free to add salt to taste, if you'd like more.
toppings: frankly, everything but the chili itself is one. chili + cheese + hotdog = coney. chili + cheese + spaghetti = 3-way. add onion = 4-way. add beans = 5-way. the mustard is always optional, it's just very popular. I... have never gone there, and don't intend to. parlors also offer very basic cayenne hot sauces, to add heat without much flavor distraction. this is just for authenticity; hot sauce it however you like.
Cincinnati chili, itself, is not Greek--Skyline's founder is. Skyline did not invent the chili. Macedonian immigrants did. Skyline certainly added some Greek influence to their family variation, and a lot of people like it, but BBBQ did not research the history beyond Skyline as a company, and made assumptions. do not make assumptions about history a whole city has civic pride in. shit, just admit you don't know, you're just there to make some good chili dogs, and youtube commenters will fill in those gaps for you.
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handelplayssims · 1 year ago
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Another day in the Stuart-Waddell household. And oh no. It’s a weekend and no one has work. Ohhhhhh boy oh boy. Let’s see. Omar wants to volunteer again and Harrison wants to make money. But first! I remembered I wanted to do something! I wanted Harrison to go and set up his birthday party! Which humorously enough to me, will fall on Spring Day. This means I can’t make it a goaled event though. But ah well, it’ll be a party! And all the kids have woken up so it’ll be a volunteer time for everyone!
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Hmm. You know what? Roxana is childish. She knows kids media. She would have an opinion! -double checks wiki for voidcritter descriptions- Hmm. One’s an ultra-aggressive narwhal-like figure that will fight and one just wants to eat cars. The Articorn is the strongest, as it has the will and tenacity to fight! Now the kids will have some cookies and then we’ll all head out to volunteer. Avery’s up and is hungry. One last potential pizza for his lifetime? Maybe. Maybe. Everyone has returned from volunteering so now it’s time to figure out what everyone wants to do! That being said, Selena needs to make friends and I have been ignoring her all week. Perhaps it’s time for her to take an adventure by herself to the park. It took a bit for the kids to spawn in, time enough that I had to call in a vendor to get her some food. But hey, we found someone to befriend.
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Kristy Malloy is one of mine. I believe I made her family in one of those patch lulls where I wanted to play but didn’t want to risk corrupting my main file. We quickly befriend this genius of a gal as we can, though I had to keep resetting her because she kept wanting to go off-lot far too soon. We need to become friends! Friends! This is a big deal for Selena, trying to befriend kids! Don’t want to go home right away so I’m just going to linger here just a little longer and befriend another kid. She may hate hanging out here but maaan. And quite quickly do we make friends with another kid. Nice! Now, we can go home.
Onto Emille then and she wants to befriend Avery. Sure, why not! Like how the girls just latched onto the one ‘normal’ person around.
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So I was glancing around, trying to see if there was anyone on the street Avery could prank and Selena could befriend for her second adult and we found Noah! Hooray! Still a shame about Mio huh. So I’m going to have her befriend him and then Harrison will do his money making thing. Paint Busk for tips! He’s a dude with a guitar, picked it up for romantic flair. Annnd Emille got her aspiration finished. Nicely done! Now it’s her turn for the social aspiration. But first, bed. Selena should join her in bed but befriending Noah. I’m doing an old tick! Chess table and chatting over chess! It’s a long game after all so they can raise up their friendship well.
Avery is now a vampire as well! Hmm. I could freely edit Tamara’s skintone and vampire archtypes but not Avery’s. Weird. Eh. Oh huh. Selena became friends with Noah but it didn’t count. Because he’s a young adult, not an adult. I never noticed that! Anyway, let’s gather up the cat items we can gather up for soon, Avery’s going to move out! On the one hand, I’m a bit less picky on where I want him to go but I don’t have any good ideas off the top of my head immediately. ...though I should probably pick somewhere that can have a basement easily added into. Well, we can do house hunting after
Neighborhood Watch!
Nothing of note has happened recently. Check back later.
After assessing my options, I say Avery’s going to head out to Brindleton Bay at the Lonely Cabin. Nice and quite and remote, it is. Also marks my second paranoid sim that moved out there so that’s fun! Slowly running out of cheep housing on this file though… -glances on over at the expansions I haven’t purchased yet-
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witch-hazels-musings · 3 years ago
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Until you are safe
Warning: Vision Hunt Decree still in effect, kidnapped themes, reader grabbed by hair (Thoma), possessive themes (scara)
Character X GN Reader | Anthology 
Includes: Albedo, Scara, Thoma, Zhongli
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Albedo
The frosty chill of the mountain side was more than you could bear. Every time you thought you gained warmth it was ripped from your body by icy hands threatening to drive you insane. You shivered and wrapped your coat further around your body while you scowled against the frigid cold. 
Ahead of you stood Albedo who seemed indifferent to the temperature and while you were impressed that he knew how to handle this without any complaints, you were also irritated by the fact. He was barely wearing anything and here you were shivering under countless layers of cloth. 
He turned to tell you something but with the turbulent winds and nibbling frost against your ears, you didn’t understand a single word he said. Quickly, you forced your legs to move as you made your way to his side.
“W-w-what di-did you s-say?” Your chattering teeth made it hard, and painful, to speak but you did your best anyway. 
“We are nearly there, can you keep going?” He narrowed his eyes at you but you knew that was a common thing he did. It was unlikely to have any additional meaning behind it. 
“H-how f-f-f-ar?” 
“Just around the bend.” He rested the back of his hand against your cheek and somehow that made you shiver even more than the touch of frost. When you nodded and began to walk forward, he took up position behind you and directed you toward the camp. 
With the cave blocking out the wind, and several warming mechanisms already glowing, you stumbled your way in between them an the fire. Trembling hands extended toward the orange and yellow light while you watched the snow drip from your clothes. 
“I always h-hat-te this p-p-part.” You complained, shaking your head and shoulders to warm up the muscles. This wasn’t the first time you traveled to Dragonspine with Albedo, but each time you braved the conditions you recalled the promise you made yourself last time. Never again, well ... I guess that promise was made to be broken. 
“Here, this will help warm you.” He handed you a cup and immediately you caught the scent of fresh and soothing tea. The aroma itself perked you up and even though your fingers were still stiff, you graciously took the offering. Warmth seeped into your throat as the liquid carved a path down your esophagus and into the pit of your baron stomach. With a refreshing hum you smiled through the steam.  
“P-p-perfect. Thank-k y-you.” Another sip warmed your lips and tickled your nose but you didn’t dare stop. 
“This trip should be less strenuous than last time.” Albedo began, his back turned to you as he rummaged through the stacks of books. “Where did I place that ... perhaps it got caught in the wind, that would be unfortunate.” 
You giggled, eyes watching him meander and speak to himself all at the same time. He had a habit of doing it but it never bothered you, in fact it was comforting to hear his voice, stabilizing, grounding. 
“You ca-can head out. I’ll b-be fine here after I w-warm up-p.” The shivering had eased, but you still succumbed to the residual affects as your body began to shift from frozen to thawed. 
“No need, I can wait here for a while.” 
“Haha, that’s silly, g-go on ahead.” You took another sip of the cup and found yourself sad at the emptiness of it. That’s when a hand entered your field of vision and you watched Albedo walk toward a table, refill your drink, and return to your side. He offered it to you and when your fingers found the circumference his nestled against them.
“Until I know you are safe, I will be here.” His eyes held your own for a while as if waiting for your reaction, your response, and when you nodded he mimicked your action before slipping back toward the bookshelves and research table. 
You were glad he left you, because if he hadn’t you were sure the only way to cool down was to step beyond the barrier of the cave and into the never-ending snowstorm that protected Dragonspine. 
Scara
Being at the side of a Harbinger had it’s own trials. If it wasn’t the constant movement between assignments or the threats against your life, it was the loneliness which creeped in every single day. There were some Harbingers who left the life of love far outside of their reach: Signora, who vowed to never love again and instead put all her attention into fulfilling her duty, Childe, found love a difficult thing to ignore and did his best to keep what he cherished hidden behind closed doors. 
Scara, he never understood the meaning of the word until it crashed around him like a house crumbles into itself, and the way he kept his belongings safe was to have them near him at all times. It was far better to be under the watchful eyes of his competence than leave something so valuable in the hands of another. So, here you were, following him around and staying hidden until he called for you. 
-- 
The room was empty, absent of all the things you would have normally kept to make this place more homey. If you could get away with it, you’d have made some changes to the décor, but the problem with never settling in one place for long made this desire of yours difficult to accomplish. It wasn’t feasible, you thought to yourself  but that didn’t stop you from adding a bit of comfort when you could. 
The night came and went without issue and after you prepared yourself for bed you wondered where your lover was. Was he succeeding, was he accomplishing his goals, would he return to you tonight or would you wake up alone yet again. Luckily for you, you had learn to be patient. 
Your dreams kept you occupied but there seemed to be something about them that pulled you toward consciousness, a subtle wish drifting across your imagines to wake up. 
Something brushed across your cheek, but was it the dream or reality, you couldn’t tell. Gravity pulled you close to something sturdy, but was it a creation of your imagination or the real thing - why was this so challenging. When your eyes finally opened and adjusted to the light of the room, you realized what had been calling to you. 
“Scara?” You pulled your hand down from behind the pillow, the muscles tense from being locked into that position for so long. “What has-” 
“Go back to sleep.” He spoke and the sound of his voice pulled you closer to him. 
“Is everything okay?” You continued your question as if what he said was never uttered, your eyes trying to find the outline of his frame while your skin adjusted to his touch. 
“Nothing to concern yourself with, just sleep.” 
“But, why are you here?
“I don’t recall needing your permission to do anything.” His words may have been direct, but you could sense there was something else behind them. 
“... would you ... like to come to bed?” 
“I can’t.” He adjusted and you felt the warmth of the blankets cover more of your exposed skin. The chill of the evening became blocked by the sheets and you hummed in response. You were confused, but the feeling of his hand running along your neck, your jaw, and into your hair made all the questions you had disappear. Moments like these brought out something completely different in the Harbinger and you wondered why he treated you so differently. 
With a yawn, you turned into his touch, lips finding the palm of his hand easily and placing a tender kiss against his skin. “You don’t need to stay if you have work to do. I’ll be fine.” You hummed again as he thumb ran over your lips and the gentle pull of sleep began to find you. It was quiet for a while and you focused on the warmth, the closeness, the comfort he provided until you practically melted into the bed. 
“I can’t do that either.” Scara whispered, hand pressing into the mattress as he leaned closer to your face. “Not until you are safe,” He breathed in your scent, gazing down at your trusting form beneath him. “Even from me.” He spoke as his fingers curled into the sheets and before he lost himself in you, he slipped from your bedroom and made his way down the hall. 
Thoma
He ran so fast as soon as the news reached him. The weight of his feet as he dashed through the countryside grew with every passing second but there was nothing more painful than his clenching heart and anxious thoughts. 
What have they done, am I to late, please don’t be too late. He wracked his brain over and over again, blamed himself for the stupidity of leaving you. If he had been there would the outcome be different? If he had stayed, would he have been able to fend off their attack enough to get you to safety. How foolish of him for thinking they wouldn’t use dirty tricks like this to accomplish their goals. 
Rumors and intel began to swirl like wildfire and at this point he couldn’t differentiate the accuracy of it all. There was one thing he knew for certain, the vision hunters had you and he was going to get you back. 
-- 
Their campsite was simple and you wondered if they would really be able to escort all of these prisoners back to the city on their own. They were intimidating enough to keep most insurrection at bay, but you were not about to let them get away with this. After a quick analysis of your surroundings, you found a few potential options worth trying, now it was only a matter of timing. 
“You won’t get away with this!” Someone shouted next to you and you patiently waited for an opportunity. 
“Shut up.” A soldier barked, his dismissive attitude apparent from the lack of eye contact and the wave of his hand. 
“This is wrong and you know it! Do you think you’re immune to the decree, when the day come to hand over your vision will you?!” 
The soldier turned and made his way through the trembling captured, you used the scuffling of those trying to get out of his way as an excuse to move closer to your escape. The dirt scraped against your bound hands and pulled at your clothes, but you didn’t care because each inch you gained the closer you got to freedom. 
You watched the soldier lift the woman from the ground, his impressive height apparent as she dangled above the well worn soil. “I will do what is necessary for the Raiden Shogun. I am bound by honor, unlike the resistance.” 
“Honor! You know nothing of it. Put me down you brute.” She spat in his face and he reacted in kind. You hated the fact that you were using her as your distraction, but hopefully if this all worked out in the end freedom would be enough compensation for her bruised face. Your fingers brushed against a metal handle, the sword you were aiming for had been reached and you quickly worked to get yourself free from the bindings.
The loosening rope told you of your success but when your hand wrapped around the hilt of the weapon and you moved to stand, a sudden pain against your head made your vision go blurry. 
“What do you think you are doing?!” Shouted a voice near your ear. They were so loud that you shrunk away from it only to be yanked right back. “You think you could take on all of us? Are you stupid.” 
“I didn’t think so.” You wheezed, blinking harshly to try and bring your vision back to clarity. 
“Well let me help you understand.” He drug you away from the group but before you could take but a few steps, an intense groan blasted it’s way near you and the hand that held your hair fell away in an instant. 
“Are you alright?” A familiar voice asked, hands finding your waist to steady you. It was like your eyes snapped back on because as soon as you turned your head, you found Thoma standing their with an expression you’d never seen before: fury. 
“I’m - ouch - okay.” You whispered and then you realized the implications of him being there. Turning, you pressed your hands against his chest and pushed against him, your voice turned tense as you shouted. “Ge-get out of here! What if they catch you!?” 
“I’m not leaving.” 
“Thoma!” 
He looked down at you, his arm tightening around you and you swore the world shifted red and the screaming soldiers shouts became muffled. “Until I know you are safe, I’m not leaving.” He looked forward and the glint of his polearm caught your attention. “Now hold on, okay.” 
The dry landscape turned into a wildfire until only what Thoma wanted to remain, remained. 
Zhongli
“This is very kind of you, Zhongli. To walk me home.” You chuckled, gazing up at him as you made your way down the path and toward the city. It wasn’t uncommon for Zhongli to escort you from place to place, but tonight you would have assumed he would stay on the Pearl and continue his lively conversation. 
“It is no trouble at all, to allow you to walk by yourself would not sit well with me.” Zhongli commented matter-of-factly, his eyes closing as he nodded his head and gazed up toward the stars. 
“You were having such a nice time, know that I didn’t mean to bring that too a close.” You scratched your forehead and adjusted your clothes after climbing the stairs from the docks. It was a rather pleasant night, but it usually was in Liyue this time of year. 
“I would never insinuate you had ill intentions. I made this decision on my own, to escort you is no trouble at all.” 
“Yes, well, that’s very kind of you Zhongli.” The lights of the festival swayed in the wind. To you they looked like fireflies in the sky, but that was such a silly thought you kept it to yourself. “I think I can manage on my own, if you want to go back?” 
“Nonsense, I will stay until I know you are safe.” He glanced down at you and offered you a smile, one that spoke true and gave you the impression of ‘I will not be swayed.’ 
“Well, thank you.” You turned away from him in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the embarrassment you were sure shined in your eyes and flashed across your expression. How can someone so regal find your company enjoyable at all - but Zhongli was so kind to anyone you fought against your better judgement to believe this gesture was more than common courtesy of a gentleman.
“It is my pleasure. Did you have an enjoyable time?” He asked, head examining the city streets and decorations as you had earlier. 
“Oh yes! Thank you for inviting me, I’ve never attended something so high class.” You fussed at your outfit again, it was apparent you weren’t used to wearing something like this but you did your best to fit in and not insult the guest who invited you to join him. 
“I am delighted to hear. It is far better to enjoy ones time when in company you relish, don’t you agree?” 
“Absolutely!” For a while, the two of you discussed the highlights and lowlights of the gathering. The sound of your laughter and excitement caught the attention of late night patrons, but you didn’t mind because it also caught the attention of the one you wanted the most. 
It wasn’t until you neared your home that the conversation began to drift. Your heart was sad that the night was coming to a close but responsibilities held you to a tight schedule, even if you felt the itch to break them. 
“Thank you again, Zhongli. This night will be one I remember for a while.” Your nails had received a break all evening, but, now that you were about to be alone, they felt the dig of your nervous habits once again. 
“It was my pleasure, it is always a gift to spend the evening with you.” He bowed, his long hair slipping over his shoulder at the motion. 
“I tend to agree with you.” Chuckling, you moved to unlock your door and when you looked back to Zhongli, his face was illuminated by the sparkling lanterns and yellow glow of the city. No matter what he did he radiated colors you’d never fully understand. 
“Liyue has many festivals,” He began, his tone wistful, “though I must say the ones where lanterns adorn the city are my favorite. Do you not think they look like fireflies in the distance?” He asked, gazing up at a few that dangled across the bridges and walkways that lined the city. 
“Yeah, actually I do.” You whispered as your eyes fell onto the man you loved so much it hurt to look at him, but, if it meant you could capture even a hint of his existence in your memory, you would happily suffer this pain. 
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mypoisonedvine · 4 years ago
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vignettes of a bond || alpha!bucky barnes x omega!reader
I originally wrote this in two parts for my sleepover but after I realized how long it accidentally became, I've reformatted it, added/changed a few things, and made into a oneshot!
word count: 3.1k
warnings: smut, angst, knotting, violence
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June 2nd, 1943, 11:43 p.m., James Barnes’ bedroom
“I wanna do it, before I go,” he whispered against your skin. “But I know it’s wrong. It’s too cruel.”
“No, please,” you whimpered, “I want it. I want your mark.”
Bucky pulled back for a moment and you examined your Alpha’s face carefully, knowing it might be the last time for a long time. “I couldn’t bond to you and then leave you. It wouldn’t be fair… you deserve to find somebody who can stay, and be with you, and protect you.”
“All I want is you,” you whispered. “Please, Alpha… bite me.”
You saw him hesitate for a moment before he leaned in and sucked at your neck, building the anticipation before he finally sunk his teeth into your skin and you cried out, one single tear rolling down your cheek. “Mine,” he growled against your skin as he lapped at the healing wound, “my Omega. Forever.”
“Yours, only yours,” you agreed eagerly.
It wasn’t the first time Bucky had taken you, but that night he really and truly claimed you, left you a desperate begging mess, stretched out over his knot as he filled you over and over.
The next morning, you were still sore between your legs as well as on your new mark, and it took everything in you to be strong as you saw him off at the train station, waving goodbye and praying that your Alpha would return to you soon.
November 9th, 1943, 2:24 p.m., undercover SHIELD facility
“You promised Bucky you’d take care of me,” you reminded him with a little smile, wiping a tear from your cheek.
“I know,” Steve relented, “but we both know I can’t do that. Not in this state. But maybe I can protect you if I do this. Maybe I can protect my country. I owe it to everyone, especially Bucky, to try.”
You nodded. “But I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too. Come see me before I ship out for good, alright?”
“Of course,” you agreed.
December 27th, 1943, 8:32 a.m., your front porch
“You’re lying,” you gasped as you shook your head. “You’re wrong, no, it’s not true.”
“It is,” Steve promised as tears welled in his eyes, “I’m so so sorry, I saw it myself, I had to watch him fall…”
“It’s not true! He’s not dead!”
“I know he loved you so much. He talked about every day, he couldn’t wait to come home to you,” Steve remembered, choking up noticeably. “But he won’t. He’s gone.”
“You don’t understand, I know, okay? I know.”
“You’re in shock, I understand, it’s hard to lose your mate—”
“You’re a beta, you wouldn’t understand,” you dismissed; sure, he looked like an alpha now, but it didn’t make a difference. “Omegas, we know when our Alpha dies, we feel it, it kills us. He’s far away, but he’s still there, I still feel him!”
Steve held you as you sobbed, your body crumpling into his arms. Sometimes you thought maybe he held you too tight on accident because he was still getting used to his new strength; other times you thought he did it on purpose.
February 3rd, 1944, 12:00 p.m., undercover SHIELD facility
“Even when I had nothing, I had Steve,” you recalled shakily, “and now he’s gone too.”
“Is that why you’re volunteering?” Agent Carter asked you. “Because you’d rather sleep for a hundred years than live without your mate and your best friend?”
“I’m volunteering because my mate and my best friend died for SHIELD,” you corrected firmly, “and if I’m not willing to also, then I’m admitting I think they went to waste.”
“Steve told me you didn’t think Bucky was dead,” Peggy remembered.
You winced. “I’m not sure. But I know he’s not coming home again. I came here to give whatever I could to help find him… I was asked to participate in a cryogenics research study. If it helps him, then I’ll do it.”
She was about to get up, apparently satisfied with your final interview, but you stopped her.
“On one condition,” you added. “If James Barnes is found, alive or dead, wake me up to see him.”
She nodded, stepping out of the room and leaving you alone again.
May 8th, 2012, SHIELD headquarters
“Can you hear me?”
You slowly blinked awake, your vision taking a moment to catch up with your mind. You saw tubes coming out of your arms; you saw Steve above you, looking like the day you saw him last.
“Did you find Bucky?” you asked instantly. Why else would they wake you up?
“No,” Steve answered, seemingly a bit disappointed that that was your first and only question.
“Then put me back to sleep,” you demanded.
“It’s been 68 years,” he told you. “You’ve slept for 68 years. It’s time to wake up.”
And you did, more than you ever wanted to, because you realized you couldn’t feel him anymore. Your Alpha was gone. Worse, he probably died while you were asleep; he probably died alone.
One more time, like he had 68 years ago, Steve held you while you sobbed.
August 1st, 2014, 2:11 a.m., Avengers compound, Steve Rogers’ quarters
You ran into Steve’s room barefoot and still in your pajamas, barreling through the door and right into his bed.
“Steve, I feel him!” you rushed.
“What?” he groaned sleepily, looking up at you as he blinked in confusion.
“I feel him again, he’s alive,” you explained. “I know it. He’s weak… he’s hurting… but he’s there.”
“That’s impossible,” Steve shook his head. “It’s been too long, he would’ve died of old age anyways.”
“Don’t you want to believe it? Don’t you want to think he’s out there?”
“Do I want to think he’s alone and I didn’t save him?” Steve hissed. “No, I can’t say that I particularly do!”
“But we still can, Steve, we just have to find h—”
But before you could finish, the feeling left you, and you were just half of something again.
“Oh,” you breathed.
“He’s gone again?” Steve realized.
You nodded, biting your lip as it started to quiver. He sighed and pulled you into a hug. “If I could just see his body, and know it was over,” you whispered, “if I could just bury him, have a funeral…”
“We’ll have one,” Steve decided, “after this mission. We’ll put him to rest. He deserves that, and so do you.”
You nodded into his shoulder. It shattered you into a million pieces but it was still the better option, to try to let him go in whatever small way you could. He would always, always, always be your Alpha, nothing could change that, but a funeral would at least bring some closure.
That would have to wait until after your next mission though… and it was going to be a big one: tracking the elusive Winter Soldier.
August 3rd, 2014, 1:14 p.m., Lower East side
You were a few blocks away, helping civilians escape the firefight, when you felt it.
For one impossibly brief moment, you felt him, stronger than you had in nearly 80 years. He was here.
You instantly got up and ran like you’d never run before, finding the Soldier and Steve locked in a brutal showdown— but his mask was gone now, and you nearly fell to your knees at the sight of him.
“Bucky!” you yelped, but you knew he wasn’t there or you would’ve felt his presence. Your Alpha was somewhere underneath the shell that wore his face, and you needed to find him.
You ran forward just as Steve made a break for it, getting to him just in time to stand between the Soldier and his mission.
“Alpha, please,” you whimpered, clutching at his chest. A metal hand backhanded you to the ground.
“Out of my way, Omega,” he growled, stepping over you, but you grabbed at his ankles even when he tried to kick you away.
“My mark,” you explained hastily, pulling your shirt down some to make sure it was visible. “It’s yours. Do you remember? You gave me this. This is your mark on me.”
He stared down at you, seeming to be contemplating it, and you scrambled back to your feet and faced him.
“I still feel you,” you whispered. “I knew you were alive, I knew you’d come back to me. I could feel you, right here,” you explained as you took his hand and placed it on your chest. “Could you feel me? Did you know I was waiting for you all this time?”
His eyes were watering but he still seemed confused— stunned, more specifically, as you placed your hand on his chest.
“I’ll always be yours, Bucky. I’ll always be your Omega, no matter where you are.”
A stun gun took you down, an array of masked men appeared, and before he could really see you for what you were, he was dragged away and taken to be erased again.
August 3rd, 2014, 9:04 p.m., Avengers compound, medical bay
“I can’t believe we let them get away,” Steve lamented, resting his face in his hands. “I can’t believe they took him again…”
“They’ll be back,” you promised sternly. “They’re going to figure out what I am to him. They’re going to realize I could break his programming. And they’re going to come for me.”
“And when they do?” Steve pressed.
“We’ll be ready. And I’ll get my Alpha back.”
August 3rd, 2014, 9:04 p.m., temporary HYDRA operations facility
"The woman on the bridge... the Omega..." Bucky mumbled. "She knew me... she had my mark."
"No she didn't."
He furrowed his brow. "She showed me..."
Pierce sighed, glancing over to the HYDRA scientist who looked back at him sternly.
"She's too dangerous to be left alive," the man sighed, shrugging in his lab coat. "We can't deprogram a bond like that."
"We'll take care of her," Pierce promised.
Bucky launched from the chair, snapping his restraints like paper. "Touch her and I'll fucking kill you!" he bellowed, tackling his handler to the ground.
Pierce just laughed as another scientist jabbed Bucky with a needle, dosing him with something strong enough to kill any other man but just enough to knock out a super soldier. Pierce stood up and dusted himself off as he watched Bucky go limp and be lifted back into his chair.
"I can see the fight in your eyes, Soldier," he taunted as he leaned into his face. "I know you really would kill me, if you could. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, right? But don't worry about your mate, we'll make it quick and painless. Hey, maybe beforehand me and a few of the other Alphas will show her a good time, poor thing's been without her mate for 70 years... I bet she's raring to go."
Bucky's arm twitched as his eyes started to fall shut, a tear falling down his blank and motionless face.
"Wipe him," Pierce instructed to the scientist, turning and walking away as the electric whirr of the machine charging up filled the room.
August 11th, 2014, 3:53 p.m., SHIELD headquarters
Steve was impressed with how accurate and imminent your prediction was; HYDRA was hot on your trail and desperate to eliminate the biggest threat to their Asset. Knowing they were coming made it easier, but it was still a brutal fight.
You and Steve tried to stay together, but they were smart, they used the perfect bait to lure you away.
"Tell me where he is," you demanded from the HYDRA agent as you held a blade to his neck, "then I'll kill you."
"Isn't it supposed to be 'or I'll kill you'?" he frowned.
You shook your head. "Not the way I operate."
Opposite to the reaction you were expecting, he grinned widely. "He's here."
Your heart stopped.
"On the roof. He's here to kill you."
You dropped the knife and ran straight for the stairwell, ascending them like they were nothing and calling out for your Alpha.
You found him there, waiting, gun trained on you. Raising your hands in surrender, you yelled to him again.
"Bucky," you called across the windy roof, eyes nearly blinded by the bright afternoon sun. "Alpha."
"I'm not who you think I am," he yelled back. "I'm not your Alpha."
It hurt to hear it in his voice, but you knew it wasn't him. Cautiously, you stepped closer. "Before you left, you told me you didn't want to mark me and leave me behind," you recalled. "But I wanted it. I wanted to be bonded to you more than I'd ever wanted anything."
He could clearly see you were coming closer, he even tightened his finger over the trigger of his weapon, but he was waiting. You kept walking to him, slowly.
"I've never regretted it," you continued, "not even when I thought you were dead, not even when I had to spent a lifetime-- more than that-- apart from you."
Finally you were face to face, and you stepped closer until his gun was pressed right into your chest.
"You can shoot me now and I still won't regret it," you promised. "I love you."
Shakily, he lowered his weapon. "Omega..." he breathed.
"Your Omega."
He pulled you into him and you sobbed as you felt him come to life in your arms-- the real him, your Alpha, your Bucky. He held you close and breathed against the top of your head and it was like a dream coming true decades after you'd forced yourself to let it go.
But you'd never given up. And now you had found him again.
Agents started to come onto the roof and Bucky spun the two of you around, firing with his right hand and using the left, metal arm as a shield for you.
He carried you and you didn't even know where he was taking you, but it didn't matter. In his arms, you were home.
August 12th, 1:03 a.m., Avengers compound, your quarters
You hadn't stopped coming or crying for at least an hour. Bucky had all but split you open on his knot all night and he didn't show any signs of stopping.
He apparently intended to make up for lost time. And you'd lost a lot of time.
"Just one more, I know you can give me one more," he groaned furiously rubbing your clit as his knot began to swell again.
You could give him anything, as long as he asked for it like that.
You'd lost count of how many times he'd told you to come for him, and how many times you did it immediately.
"I can see how full you are," he whispered as he rubbed your stomach gently. "So much seed in you that your body can't hold it all."
You looked down and yep, you were distinctly bloated from his come alone; it made you a little dizzy to even look at it.
"The idea of you alone during your heats, no one to protect you, it kills me," he explained with a growl. "I won't let you go again. I can't."
"Then don't," you sighed. "Never leave this bed, fill me with everything you have."
"Did anybody ever help you through them? The heats?" he asked. "I wouldn't blame you, they can be so painful... I just need to know so I can make sure you forget about them."
"No, Bucky, never— I never let anyone touch me."
"Steve could've helped you, at least some..."
"He wouldn't have, he loves you too much. And I wouldn't accept anything less than you, ever. You're my Alpha. We're bonded. There's never anyone else."
That didn't seem to satisfy him, his eyes darting away as he swallowed. Your gut sank with the realization he probably wasn't being totally honest about why he asked.
"Your ruts," you gasped. "Were you alone for all of them?"
He shut his lips tighter.
"Bucky, it's okay, just tell me. I was asleep for 70 years, I skipped most of them, but you... you had to live through them all."
"They gave me betas, and omegas," he mumbled, "but I don't... I don't really remember. I know they wanted me to. They threatened to hurt me if I didn't, because they knew I'd go crazy after so many ruts alone, but I can't remember if I really did it. I remember... I remember crying, and begging for you."
"Alpha," you breathed as you felt new tears run over the stains of your old ones. "It's okay. Whatever happened, it's okay now. We're together again. Everything's okay."
You wiped his tear away with your thumb, holding his face tightly, weaving your fingers into his long hair.
"I'll always be your Omega," you promised.
He leaned in closer to you, kissing your cheek before pulling back a little. "It's faded," he whispered as he ran his thumb over the mark on your neck. "The last time I saw it, it was still fresh."
"It's older, sure, but it's stronger than ever, Bucky."
August 14th, 10:12 a.m., Avengers compound, residential area kitchen
Steve's eyes went wide when he came into the kitchen for breakfast and found you there, steeping your tea. "Surprised to see you out of the love nest so soon," he smirked.
"It's been three days, I don't think that counts as soon," you scoffed.
"It does to him," Steve frowned. "He's asleep, isn't he?"
"Yep."
"I know he wouldn't let you out of his sights if he was conscious," Steve chuckled.
At that moment, you heard Bucky call your name and run out into the hall, only a bedsheet covering his groin as he appeared in the doorway. You spun around and smiled when you saw him come running towards you, embracing you with his free arm.
"You should've told me you were leaving, I got scared when I woke up without you," he admitted weakly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry!"
He pulled back and clutched your face in both his hands. "I'm waking up next to you every morning for the rest of my life, you understand?"
You nodded dutifully. "Yes, Alpha."
"One hand on the sheet, please, Buck?" Steve winced, looking away.
“Whoops,” Bucky groaned, reaching to cover himself as you laughed softly.
“Let’s go back to bed, baby,” you decided quietly, taking Bucky’s (free) hand in yours and waving goodbye to Steve, who was already making his way as far out of earshot as possible.
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fandcmwritings · 4 years ago
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Until the very end
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<part 2>
Part one of my Carl Grimes x fem!reader series! word count: 1k
set in season 4 episode 9
A/N: I will be updating this series once a week but sometimes I won’t be able to due to finals! Hope you like it and please leave a comment with your thoughts. If you want to be added to my taglist ask me in my submission box!
Also y/n calls the walkers zombies before meeting the group because let’s be honest, that’s what we’d all call them if we were in a zombie apocalypse :D
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“I’m sorry,” You backed away from the now lifeless body of your brother, the same knife you’ve had for the last four years that you used to kill countless zombies with was now sticking out from his skull. Tears streamed down your face as you took out the knife with trembling hands. “I’m so sorry,Nick.”
Ever since the whole world went to shit you had to learn to adapt. It was running,fighting and trying to find food and water most of the time. The apocalypse hit when you were 12 years old and ever since then you haven’t stayed at one place for more than a month. It was hard, of course it was. Luckily your brother was the one who helped you through it. He was your rock, the person that was always there for you no matter what.
Until he wasn’t.
It all happened so fast, you didn’t even notice something happened at first. It was your usual supply run, the food ran out in the small town you found shelter in so you had no choice but moving on. On your way to the main road a herd of zombies came walking your way. You and Nicholas realized you only had two choices, make a detour through the forest or get eaten by flesh-eating freaks. Obviously you chose the first option. But as it turned out, the second option might’ve been better. The herd of walkers you saw on the road consisted of maybe 12 zombies , the zombies you encountered in the woods however were with a lot more. A lot.
“Just go! I’ll hold them off. I can handle myself!” Nick yelled, struggling to hold the zombie in front of him at bay.
“No! not without you!” A zombie now came right for you but you were faster and your knife was in its skull before it could come remotely close to biting you.
And when you said you weren’t going to leave your brother alone you meant it. You managed to kill the whole herd without a scratch which was new to you. You picked up a talent of always getting hurt one way or another.
“You see that? We’re okay,” You turned around to your brother. He was sitting against a tree and inspecting his left shoulder with a pained expression. Your heart sank. He couldn’t be- Not him. “We’re okay right?”
“If you’re okay then i’m okay.” Nick said with a small smile but his eyes told you something else. He was bit and he knew this was the end of the road for him.
“I’m so sorry Nick...” You said again, the tears had stopped now and all you felt was this numb feeling that you couldn’t explain. After your parents you thought you’d get used to it. And maybe the feeling you got now proved that. You weren’t sure. All you knew now was that you were alone and needed shelter.
It was around midnight when you were finally able to find a small shed to stay in. It wasn’t big but it would work for one person. The realisation of being alone was now more frequent in your mind. You never had to rely solely on yourself before. You hoped that tomorrow would be a better day. Maybe you would be able to find some food? Better shelter at least. Fall had just begun and without the warmth of another person with you nightfall started to feel a lot colder than before. You contemplated on starting a fire but chose not to, attracting more zombies really wasn’t something you were looking forward to after today.
After a somewhat restless sleep you decided it was time to hit the road again. Your hunger was the only thing on your mind right now and you needed food soon.
It didn’t take you long until you found a somewhat deserted town. You hoped that even though it looked deserted that didn’t mean there was no more food to be found. You body told you to slow down due to the lack of energy but you forced yourself to continue.
Just a little longer.
The first house you saw was to your right and looked like it was still in a decent shape. When you entered you were met with a sour smell that most likely belonged to a zombie that laid dead somewhere. You tried your best to ignore it and made a b-line towards the kitchen.
To your luck there were still some crackers and a jar of peanut butter left. It wasn’t much but it was the best you’ve had for a while. You quickly dipped some crackers into the jar and you couldn’t help but let out a sigh of content. Who knew that peanut butter would save your life in the apocalypse?
You were about to take your last bite but the sound of gunshots caught your attention.
There was someone here.
You didn’t know if you had to hide or find out where the noises came from. After the first gunshot, snarls from zombies could be heard and if this would continue any longer it could attract even more of them.
You didn’t waste another minute and made sure your gun was loaded and your knife steady in your hand.
The small herd of walkers seemed to follow someone that probably also fired the gunshot. You watched the scene play out from behind a tree and saw it was a man, no a guy probably around your age, struggling with the remaining zombies. You thought he was able to handle himself when you saw the zombies he killed that were now lying on the ground, until he tripped on the ground. Three zombies followed him down to the ground and were trying their best to take a bite. Flashbacks from your brother’s bite wound shot through your mind for a second until you shot out from behind your hiding place. This guy was going to die without your help and you didn’t wish a zombie’s death upon anyone.
You sprinted towards the now formed pile and smashed your knife straight into the three zombies. They went limp underneath you and you tried your best to move them away from the boy with the sherrifs hat. The guy wiggled his way from underneath the pile and now looked up at you.
“Thanks for that.” He exclaimed, still trying to catch his breath.
“No problem.”
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danses-with-dogmeat · 2 years ago
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🏫🍻🔪 For Fawkes? Need me some super mutant lovin' 🥰 (yes i'm kind of ignoring canon on that one, lemme fuck a super mutant bethesda) No pressure if you're uncomfortable w it or anything so no worries!!
Ohhh, I got you, my friend, I got you 😉 This man deserves some lovin' after all those years in isolation.
(and I might be wrong, but I think it's only officially canon that the Mutants in FO4 [the ones made by the Institute] are sans endowment, for the ones in 3 and NV, I think it's a bit more ambiguous 🤔 so there's definitely hope! [just so long as I'm not wrong, lol])
Either way, here it is! NSFW under the cut!
F) Favorite position (this goes without saying):
His size makes him too nervous to be on top of you, no matter what you tell him you can handle, so he often declines positions like missionary or lazy dog, where he's afraid he might end up crushing you. So, he tends to favor positions where he can still be close to you, without having to worry so much. He can hardly last when you ride him, he's so enthralled with the way you look as you grind on top of him, but he finds that he really likes it. It also gives the added benefit of you controlling how much you can handle, and what pace you'd like to go at, so that definitely makes riding a favorite of his. He also appreciates reverse cowgirl, but only temporarily, as he really does enjoy seeing your face. Another option is standing positions, with you draped over a piece of furniture, or held against a wall. Fawkes has got a lot of strength, and though he often holds it at bay to keep from hurting you, that doesn't mean he doesn't like to show off and use it to his advantage every once in awhile.
A) Aftercare (what they're like after sex):
Even when you tell him not to, Fawkes worries about you. And despite the fact that he takes the utmost care when he's with you, after the two of you are finished, he's all over you, asking you to tell him honestly if you're alright, inspecting your skin to make sure you aren't marked too brutally, ensuring the only tears in your eyes are from pleasure, and never from pain he's caused.
When he's finally finished checking on you, he loves pillow talk. After you're all cleaned up, he likes when you lean against his body, his hand in yours as you two chat away until sleep claims the both of you.
W) Wildcard (a random headcannon for the character):
He may be big and imposing, but Fawkes really likes a partner that will take control. When you tell him what to do, or move parts of his body of your own accord and use him to reach your mind-shattering release, he always comes undone at the sight of it.
K) Kink (one or more of their kinks):
Dirty talk, but like, his version of dirty talk, which is mostly flowery and romantic declarations and relentless praise (so praise kink as well, both giving and receiving).
Though he won't like to admit it, he does have a bit of a size kink, loving the way he can pick you up and manhandle you when he does choose to be more dominant.
He's really curious about roleplay, and would love to try out new scenarios with you. He had a lot of time to himself all those years, so he's got plenty of imaginative ideas.
Light bondage (for him). He likes the idea of you having to restrain him because he's so aggressively drawn to you, (even if he really is very aware of his and your limitations), and the way you can be the one to manipulate him when he's at your mercy gets him harder than he thought was possible.
E) Experienced (how experienced are they? Do they know what they're doing?):
Perhaps the old Fawkes, the human man, maybe he was experienced. But Fawkes now? Everything he knows is from what he's read on that terminal of his before the others destroyed it, so he has very good anatomic knowledge, and well-rounded understanding of the meanings and general practices of sex, but no real world experience with a partner. This base proves to be excellent though, just enough to know what he should be doing, with you there to guide him through the rest. And don't worry, Fawkes is a fast learner.
S) Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? How long do they last?):
Ummmm, yeah. His endurance is startling. Fawkes can go just about as many rounds as you want, and though he tends to be a little premature in the first round with you, he recovers in mere minutes. And he really cannot get enough of you. He's been locked up, pent up, for years, and you're everything he's ever wanted, but what he feared he'd never have. So, so long as you aren't in pain, or too tired to continue, Fawkes could quite literally go all night.
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dancingdanvers · 10 months ago
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Sloane knew she was being assessed, she wasn’t a lawyer herself obviously but she was a huge fan of law and order which meant she’d heard how key it was for counsel to learn to read their clients in order to best work with them. So she was well aware Laurel would be taking in every micro movement she made but ironically that was one thing that was actually calming her down - because it meant she would have to say less. If the woman could infer things from her involuntary acts then let her do it, the less she had to force herself to say out loud the better. Maybe it was the tiny chew of her bottom lip that she forced herself to stop doing only a second later because of the ingrained need for perfection in her making a split lip not an option. Or possibly the way her eyes shifted every couple of seconds to the drinks on the coffee table, wondering if she should pour them some to break up the tension she felt mounting in her chest. More than likely it was something she didn’t even realise she was doing though. 
Hearing the compliment on the house she finally made eye contact again, a small smile gracing her lips, even though that wasn’t something she could take credit for. Sure the redhead had added a couple of little touches since moving in but the bulk of it had been designed by Axel, or more likely whoever he’d hired to do it. “Oh, I know right? I’ll show you the nursery later if you like, it’s really something special. Axel put so much effort into it. He also built a mini home dance studio in the basement by his gym for when I’m ready to get back into dancing.” Her entire demeanour lightened a bit as she talked about the sweet things her boyfriend had done for both her and the baby, she still found herself going down to the dance studio just to stand in it. In disbelief it was real.” Looking down at her stomach she gave it a gentle rub, pressing her lips together to stop herself letting the anxiety saying the date out loud would cause. “February seventh. So it’s uh, it’s coming up fast. I live here with Axel, my boyfriend, I don’t know if you know him - Axel Mathis.” She’d spent so much time avoiding Laurel until their run in on new year she actually had no concept of the other woman’s social circles in Aurora Bay. New York yes, here? Not so much. 
“Ah well, I’m about to change all of that for you, so I hope you’re ready to get to work.” She attempted a joke, the laugh she managed sounding a little strangled as it caught in her throat on the way out. Looking back down at her hands she noticed her fingers had started to twist around each others again, right leg bouncing up and down nervously. “I’ll tell you. I don’t want to, today I mean, I don’t want to go into all the deeper…I just want to keep it to broad strokes. If that’s okay? The stress of the rest is just too much right now. I just want to get the...ball rolling and see what the options are...”  @laureljreyes
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Laurel had to do a lot of observation in her line of work, on a lot of different fronts. She always had to be looking for every possible angle and then build up arguments either in their favor or against them, and then she had to dig even further to fortify her case against any and all scrutiny. That meant reading closely, listening closely, watching closely. There was a lot that Sloane's body language, her nervous tics, her hesitations were saying, and Laurel took small mental notes of it all. Not only for the sake of this case, but for her own information, too. If this moved forward, they were going to have to spend a lot of time together, and in Laurel's experience the unspoken things could teach her just as much about her clients as what they were willing to say.
It didn't take a seasoned lawyer, however, to know that Sloane was hesitant in part because of their New Year's kiss. Laurel flip flopped for a second on whether or not to address that elephant in the room, but she decided against it, at least for now. Again, professionalism taking precedence. If Laurel was really good at anything, it was compartmentalization. It might not be the best thing for her in all contexts, but it helped enormously in this line of work.
Her head tilted as she listened and watched Sloane's hands twist and untwist over and over and not look Laurel directly in the eye. Her own gaze remained patient but steady. "Yeah, I mean... this place is lovely, I'm sure it'll be a great place to raise a baby. Remind me when you're due, again?" She didn't think that Sloane had ever told her, but it was easier to speak in vague familiarities for pleasantry's sake. "And you live here with...?" It tailed off into a question for Sloane to fill in the blank. Laurel assumed it was with the baby daddy, but didn't want to presume aloud. She let herself, for a second, wonder if Sloane had told him about the kiss, and what he had to say about it if so.
"Work is a little slow, to be honest," she said, shrugging. "People are still coming off of holiday mode, no one's gotten into any real trouble quite yet. Except you, apparently," she let a small, teasing smile take over her features. "In all seriousness, I know that this is going to be difficult, and I know you know that too. If you ever need a second, for whatever reason, just say the word and we'll take a break. Yeah?"
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light-yaers · 3 years ago
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Sweet Escape: Chapter Seven
Poe Dameron x Reader
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Warnings: banterous flirting that may or may not crack your teeth, slight injury, alcohol, and OSCAR FUCKIN ISAAC
A/N: Honestly this is a bit of a filler, but I was having too much fun writing Poe and her's interactions that I simply couldn't stop. I didn't want to have such a large chapter, so I stuck with this little filler just for funzies. They do be getting closer doe....
Find the Masterpost here
Word Count - 2.5k
Chapter Seven: Blush
The first feeling upon gaining consciousness was ouch. Even opening your eyes made your muscles throb. The slow realisation that you were in the base’s med-bay, lying in a bed, came to you in waves. First, you let out an internal groan. Then, you let out an actual groan, as you tried to hoist yourself up to a sitting position.
Your body objected, rushing your limbs with an aching sort of pain that felt like you’d been training for 48 straight hours, but nevertheless you managed to sit up. The bay was quiet and collected, like a library, and only a few beds were actually occupied.
You felt her before you even saw her—Leia strolled round the corner then, eyes fixing upon you instantly. She gave you immediate comfort, despite your internal bruising and the anxiety that had started to bubble within your gut when you thought about what you’d just done.
The cat was out of the hypothetical bag. Your Force abilities weren’t just known now; you’d given the base an entire fucking demonstration. Brilliant.
“That was quite a show,” Leia said as she approached your bedside. You gave her a tired and half-hearted smile. “Thank you,” she added, and the seriousness in her voice was apparent. You nodded at her in response, not yet knowing what you could even say.
There was a silence that radiated from her—an intelligent and knowing quiet that told you all you needed to know; if you hadn’t of done what you did, many would have died. The base would have been all but destroyed.
“Are you okay?” she asked then, trickling her kind words over you softly.
“I feel like I’ve been punched all over my body, repeatedly,” you let out. A small scoff burst from her lips.
“I understand. The Force takes a lot out of you,”
“You could say that again,” you replied, testing out the movement of your arms. You stretched them out slowly, and your elbows clicked noisily. “Is everyone okay?”
“Some are more shaken up than others, but everyone’s just fine. Thanks to you,” Leia said, raising her brows at you in understanding. “Dameron’s waiting outside,” she added, causing you to whip your gaze to her suddenly. You let out a groan in pain as you brought a hand to rest on your stiff neck.
“Dameron?” you winced. Leia only nodded.
“I’ve never seen him be so proactive. He carried you here after you collapsed,”
You looked to your lap, overcome by a feeling half-way between wanting to vomit, and wanting to smile. Sure, you’d just revealed your gift and saved the damn Resistance, but you’d fainted afterwards—embarrassment wasn’t something that you dealt with well, as much as you shouldn’t have cared.
“Great,” you whispered to yourself. Leia let out another comforting chuckle, before placing a reassuring and gentle hand on your shoulder. You looked at her then, not even trying to cover up the absolute fear and anxiety on your face. Leia could feel your Force; she would have known your true feelings even if you had the strength to try and hide it from your expression.
“Shall I tell him to come back later?” she asked, but you were already shaking your head.
“No, no. He can see me,” the confidence in your tone was more prominent than you’d expected it to be, but maybe it was because it was him. It wasn’t Heidi or Lynx, who, as much as you liked them, were still closed books. Poe, though—
You already shared a room. What was one more?
Leia left after giving you a small nod. You took the few seconds it took her to leave the med-bay to mentally prepare yourself. You needed a nap, or ten naps, and you needed to keep it together. You’d never used your Force this way, nor had you been expecting to. The entire situation was a lot to take in.
But everyone was fine. You were fine. And that’s all that mattered.
Poe bound in before you could even slide yourself up the bed to lean against the wall. The first thing you noted about him was his expression; it wasn’t what you’d been expecting. His eyes were wide, his brow dotted with sweat, his shoulders hunched and tense and rigid. Maker forbid, the pilot was scared.
He grabbed a chair on his way over and sat down on it immediately, tucking himself in next to your bed as you fumbled with sitting.
“I’m fine, Dameron,” you said, as an involuntary chuckle escaped your lips.
“You sure?” he questioned, just double-checking. You nodded at him firmly, and then he visibly relaxed. He let out a large sigh of relief, leaning back in his chair and wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. “Had us worried there,”
“Had you worried,” you replied, shooting him a smile. It felt good.
“Hey, you’re the one that blacked the fuck out,” he let out, and you bit on your tongue as a wave of anxiety rushed through your gut. Dameron’s demeanour changed then, as an understanding settled onto his face. “Why didn’t you tell me you could use the Force?”
You swallowed uncomfortably, knowing that he’d obviously have questions. “Don’t take it personally. I haven’t told anyone before,”
“Why?” he repeated, looking at you with those big pretty boy eyes and delving deep into your damn soul. You didn’t realise just how hard it would be, being put in this position, but it was your own doing. You’d chosen to act.
“It was always easier to keep it a secret, okay? I wasn’t planning to ever use it in front of any of you, but—,” the breath hitched in the back of your throat as the image of the hurtling TIE hit your mind.
“The TIE followed Green-Two through hyperspace. It got hit and entered the atmosphere,” Poe explained. “They didn’t have time to realise what was happening and destroy it from the sky,”
“Yeah,” you replied, feeling overexposed and vulnerable and all of the feelings that you hated.
Your brain pelted thoughts at you then, as you tried to keep it together. It told you that everyone would look at you differently, even though you were all fighting for the same thing. It told you that you’d only become the brunt of another joke, that everything you despised about cadet life like this would be all-encompassing.
It told you that pilots would look at you like you had an unfair advantage; like you didn’t work to become as skilled as you were. It told you that Poe would think the same.
You fiddled with your fingers as Poe’s stare stayed glue to the side of your face. You didn’t want him to see that you were almost trembling, so you sucked it up. You forced yourself to perk up, to put on a blunt face, to ignore how close to screaming you were.
“I understand if you choose to take me off Black squadron,” you said plainly. Poe’s expression changed quicker than you could blink.
“Why the hell would I take you off my squad?” he replied. His squad.
“Unfair advantage and all that shit. Like I cheated or something,” you replied. Poe shifted in his chair and clenched his jaw.
“Did you use the Force on rank day?” he asked plainly. You immediately furrowed your brows at him, slightly angry.
“Fuck no. I don’t use it when piloting. I never usually use it—,”
“Then why the fuck would you take you off my squad, Ten?” he repeated, sterner this time. You let his words sink through your skin as you focused on calming your raging emotions. You were torn between kicking a wall, throwing a chair or crying on the floor like a baby. All three options sounded appealing to you.
“Even if you did use the Force to fly, I wouldn’t change your rank,” he added. “You’re a fucking good pilot. That shit can’t be learned just because you possess the Force. Unfair advantage my ass, Ten,”
The blush crept into your cheeks before you had the chance to look away. Poe’s lips curled into a small smirk—his most punchable expression. You had to speak away the tension before it consumed you.
“Can you go back to teasing me or horrendously hitting on me, now? All this mushy stuff is insufferable. It’s not like I fucking died,” you let out, trying to subvert his gaze away from your blotched cheeks. This was the second time the pilot had made you blush today—you didn’t want it to become a fucking daily occurrence.
You froze when Poe’s fingers reached out and touched your face. Your stare was upon him in an instant, watching the gentle way his eyes looked from cheek to cheek.
“I call you a good pilot once and you start blushing, huh?” he said lowly, sensually.
He was doing it on fucking purpose.
The redness of your face immediately elevated, but you’d grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm within seconds of taking in his words. He yelped in pain as you twisted his arm over the bed, causing him to stand from the chair and lean forward as you jerked him painfully.
That’s when you grabbed him by the collar, pulling his face close to your own and shooting him with a stare that only communicated one thing—death.
“If you want to keep this pretty boy face then I suggest you tread carefully, Dameron,” you said unapologetically, ignoring the pain in your limbs. Poe started to relax more now that your grip wasn’t on his arm. Hell, maybe he fucking enjoyed being threatened this way, because the smirk didn’t wipe off of his face at all.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re hot when you’re angry?” he said it as clear as day with no hesitation.
You dropped him immediately, causing his upper body to whack onto the mattress and spring back into his chair. He fell back into the chair and almost twisted onto the floor, but he regained his balance as chuckles fell from his lips boyishly. “Hey, you asked for this,” he said, raising his arms defensively at the unamused look on your face.
You pinched the bridge of your nose quickly, clamping your eyes shut as the hammering heartbeat beneath your ribs all but consumed you. “You—you—,”
“I really rile you up, don’t I?” Poe cut you off, crossing his arms smugly as you started to calm down slightly. You composed yourself as best as you could, not removing your angry stare from his pretty boy face. He thrived off of this, that much was certain. But it was true—you had just asked for it.
You just hadn’t expected reacting this way when your guards weren’t all the way up. There was something about being here with Poe, alone, after knowing that he’d been the one to place you on this bed himself, that hit you harder than you’d ever fucking admit.
These weeks hadn’t exactly been easy; being in the Resistance was literally the hardest job in the galaxy; but Poe had been a constant that you were only now realising. He was there when you went to bed, he was there when you woke up. His smug face was there whenever the subject of sex arose, or whenever he was ready to push your buttons, but his anger and rage was there whenever someone crossed you, as well.
Maker, it was almost like he cared.
And you weren’t used to that. You weren’t used to that at all.
Apparently, all of your thoughts had just made themselves known through your face, as Poe let out a soft scoff, eating up your expression.
“I’ll take that as a yes. What can I say? There’s no one like me,” he spoke so easily, so happily and upbeat. You could tell he was just trying to tease you more, but he was right.
“There is no one like you,” you repeated his words, jaw clenched. It wasn’t a compliment, and he knew that.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Poe said, waving his hand in the air. He leaned forward then, perking a brow at you questioningly, overly confident to the point that you were almost jealous of how open he was. “Does this mean there’s a tiny, minuscule, microscopic part of you that actually likes me?”
You rolled your eyes immediately, as you began to twist your legs to dangle over the side of the mattress. You placed your feet on the floor gently, applying pressure to them to see if you could stand.
Poe stood quickly, pushing back the chair as he got out of your way. You stood, leaning against the bed for subtle support, but other than the aches and internal bruises in your muscles, you were just fine.
“Don’t hold your breath, Dameron,” you said, as you started to stroll towards the med-bay exit. Dameron was at your side, cautiously staying close while also somehow keeping his distance. He was hyper-vigilant to make sure you weren’t about to fall.
When you both reached the door, Poe gently took hold of your forearm. All prior playfulness was gone from his face. “Thank you, for stopping the TIE. A crash like that... it would have ruined us,” he said sincerely.
“We’re all fighting for the same thing,” you replied. “I’m glad I could be of service,”
He smiled at you genuinely, and you couldn’t stop the warm feeling in your gut from spreading all over your body. As much as he teased and toyed and you had this back and forth; somewhere between hatred and likeness and flirting and fighting; you were both fighting the same war, performing the same jobs, living the same life.
He nodded once, before the two of you made your way down the corridor slowly. He stayed at your pace, not complaining as you got used to your creaky and stiff limbs or winced at the way your body pulsed with every step.
“So, no chance of a beer tonight, then?” he spoke up, perking a brow at you. You perked one back at him as an unexpected smirk curled onto your lips.
“I exposed my Force abilities, moved a crashing TIE with my mind and blacked the fuck out today. I think I’ll take a fucking beer,” you said. Poe chuckled to himself and you couldn’t help it when you joined him.
Slowly, he brought his arm to wrap around your shoulders. He shoved you into his chest playfully, just once, before gently pushing you back and removing his grip from you. “That’s what I wanted to hear,”
You and Dameron headed for the dorm together, shoulders often swiping against each other. Tension still hovered in the air, but it was as if both of you were slowly getting used to it. Maybe that was something that should have been scary to you, but when your Force wrapped itself around Poe when you both entered your dorm, exposing the gentle and fond way he was thinking of you—
All you felt was peace.
@foxilayde @onceuponathreetwoone @ecuadorlady @voidmalfoy @20th-centu-fairy-girl @frickfrackpattywhacktictac @baueoud @300nightmare003 @lilitrth @salome-c @youre-a-wallflower-charlie
I know this chapter is a bit short, but when I tell you big these are coming then please believe me.... get ready. <3
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ashxllbey · 2 years ago
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Starman - Poe Dameron x fem!reader - Chapter 19: Shoot To Thrill
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GIF by found here, but not hers
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Word count: ±12.3k Warnings: canon-typical violence, fluff, swearing.
When the four of them hid behind other tables, taking cover as some guards recovered, the floor was littered not only with shards of glass but bodies as well. Skylen and Kit shot blindly from behind their hiding place as Y/N and Poe, huddled together behind the table on the other side of the stairs, assessed the situation. "Can you see how many of them there are? Or where is Gideon? " He perked up slightly, eyes scanning the area with the help of the built-in technology. Poe regained cover quickly after and shook his head. "No. I don't like it," Poe grumbled, voice buzzing around the edges from the modulator. "We're still away from the door, we need to go up that couple of stairs, but we'll be exposed. " "Got a better idea? " She could feel his annoyed gaze even through the green eyes of the trooper's mask. "Well then, that settles it. Cover me. " She gestured at Kit and Skylen, pointing to the door with two fingers with her blaster's hand. Kit gave her a sharp nod and grabbed his gun tighter.  Y/N all but leaped out of her hiding place with a deep breath, drawing enemy fire from the guards stationed upstairs. Fortunately for her, they were probably still suffering side effects from the Luma grenade because their shots were a bit off, and she managed to rush through the remaining distance between her and the stairs. Adrenaline pumped in her veins as she started climbing up, and- A blaster shot hit her square in the back. The brunt of the hit was deflected by her chest plate, but the deflagration still knocked the air out of her lungs as she stumbled forward, pain flashing through her back, catching herself against a pillar. Y/N turned around, switching her sword from one hand to the other, raising her blaster to shoot down the attacker… …And she found Gideon staring at her from across the club, his two guns raised and his skin glistening under the flickering lights of the broken neons. "Come on! " She screamed at her friends. The guards in front of the door were all dead, but reinforcements were coming from the backdoor. Soon enough, they would be under heavy fire. They needed to get out of here.  Poe And Skylen climbed the stairs backward, shooting at the room to buy some time. The air was thick with the smell of burned metal, glass dust, blood, and it burned Y/N's throat. The remains of the Luma grenade created a thin cloud of white particles that floated around, lighting up when blasters were shot. All of this registered as Y/N held a staring contest with Gideon. Time slowed down. The Devaronian looked at her, at the troopers, then at Kit, who was following close, clearly hesitating. They had a deal… He raised his gun again, and Y/N fired hers without thinking before he could make up his mind. Her shot hit Gideon in the chest, and it made him fall backward as he fired his blaster- The laser hit the ceiling, breaking off the cable holding the neons. Y/N only had a second to realize a gigantic and metallic piece of the roof full of tiny chunks of glass was headed for the floor, and she was standing right in its path- Something hit her like a Bantha at full speed, and she was thrown to the side, hitting the ground so hard it knocked the air out of her lungs. The luminaire crashed in a deafening clangor, the neons shattering in a high-pitched clatter as glass flew across the room from the strength of the impact. The room was spinning. Everything was so quiet, suddenly, but at the same time, the ringing in her ears was so loud. Y/N blinked, trying to make sense of what she was seeing… Until she realized she was staring at a deathtrooper's faceless mask. Poe.
Her brain finally connected again, and she realized he had pushed her out of the way, effectively saving her from the peril she had been in. And now, he was lying atop her, with both arms propped on her sides. "How come we always end up like this, somehow? "Y/N asked, and Poe chuckled. "You tell me, Thunderbird. You're the one getting in trouble all the time. " He rolled to the side and helped her up as Skylen and Kit joined them, firing behind them. "You okay? That was way too close, "her fellow pilot asked. Y/N nodded. "I'm fine. But let's get out of here. " With one last look at the ravaged room and the hunched silhouette of Gideon, still reeling from her shot, Y/N finally reached the door, yanking it open… …Only to find Klana and Pipa engaged in a vicious fight against the speeders' owners she had noticed upon her arrival. The sudden escape grabbed everyone's attention, long enough to let the two women knock out their opponents. The two bikers fell to the ground like ragdolls as Klana and Pipa stood there, surprise on their faces. "Looks like you don't need rescue after all, "the bounty hunter commented. "Well, we're all gonna have a problem if we stick around long enough, " Kit interrupted, closing the doors behind him and pushing one of the speeders in front of it to hold the troops off. "What the hell happened? They went after us all of a sudden. " "After you, you mean, "Poe interrupted. Kit rolled his eyes. "Details. " "Wait, Pipa, you're hurt, "Y/N remarked as the other woman moved, blood staining her shirt. She grimaced, pulling on the lapels of her jacket. "They caught us outside the club. I had to throw Kit to the rancors to shake them off, but they still managed to get me. " Ah, shit. That wasn't good. But a loud bang interrupted the reunion, and the speeder Kit had used to bar the door rattled under the impact. In front of them, the streets slithered, and they could hide, run, or escape, but they were on foot, and they didn't have the advantage of knowing the grounds. They could split up, but Kit was the only one with any knowledge of the planet. Besides, they would never run fast enough to reach the transport they had used without knowing how to get there… Y/N's wheels were turning in her head, assessing the situation. And then- of course. "We're stealing those speeders. If we're gonna get lost in this damn place, might as well go as fast as we can. Pipa, you can ride it? " She gave a stern nod as an answer. "Good. Kit, you're with her. You're the best shot I know. You take them out. Skylen, Klana, you take the other one. Skylen, you get on the back. You have heavy armor on; it'll protect you both from blasters. Poe, you're with me. I'm driving. You're a better shot than I am. Move it! I can't kill all of them. " Not a single soul complained, and they did as they were told without batting an eye. Y/N revved the engine as Poe settled behind her, patting her back to tell her he was ready. With a deep breath and a flick of her wrist to pull her scarf up, Y/N made the bike roar forward, launching at high speed in the dead of night.
The streets were zooming past them, faint lights and neons streaking her peripheral vision as her pounding heart provided the soundtrack of their escape. The rare passerby still outside jumped out of their way as the speeders took sharp turns at an impossible speed. "Y/N. They're right behind us. We need to split up. " Kit's voice in her commlink told her everything she already knew. They wouldn't stop until they had caught him. And perhaps all of them, too, even though she could pretty much argue with them to be freed. But she wasn't about to stick around and find out of they would be lenient with her. Instead, Y/N turned right, launching the speeder into a narrow alley, hoping to shake them off her tail. And it seemed to work because nobody came after them. Y/N smiled underneath her mask. Perhaps they had a chance at winning this game, after all. Except when she emerged from the alley, a precise shot hit the side of her speeder, making her jerk to the side and hitting a barrel of something. Its content spilled on the pave way as Y/N fought with the bike to steady it, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder. Shit! They had taken a shortcut. Poe whipped out his riffle, doing his best to shoot them down as Y/N tried not to crash the both of them into whatever was on the sidewalk. The alleyways were getting narrower and narrower, knitting an intricate pattern in between the tall buildings. They needed to get out of there and fast. Something suddenly lit up the sky, orange and yellow flashing bright as one of the speeders exploded behind them. Poe must have hit his target. Finally catching a break from their pursuers, Y/N turned on her commlink. "Is everyone okay? " "Bastards won't leave us alone, "answered Skylen's voice. "We're trying to- ah, come ON!" The line went dead as Y/N took a turn right, recognizing a sign they had passed earlier. They weren't far from the shuttle.  "Are they still after us? "She asked Poe, and he shook his head no. "Not right now. We're getting there. We need to ditch the bike and walk the rest of the way. Can't lead them to the shuttle. " Y/N nodded and slowed down a bit, jamming the speeder in an alley. Once she was sure they weren't hot on their tails, she stopped and parked the bike. They both hopped off, and Y/N raised her hand to her ear again. "Pipa, Kit. Do you copy? " Silence. She had a bad feeling about it.  But they had to push forward, and she knew it. Blasters at the ready and boots hitting the pavement in rhythm under the neon lights, the both of them made their way further into the alley. The city was quiet around them, yet, Y/N could see the faint distant sounds of people shouting in the night and speeders zooming in the streets. Perhaps it was her imagination- she was pretty rattled, after all. But one look at Poe, and she just knew he was on high alert too.  "We've reached the shuttle. We're starting it up. Where are you? " Klana's voice asked in their ears. "On our way, " Poe mumbled. Y/N could see the light at the end of the tunnel - quite literally. The alley came to an end, leading to the parking spot they had let their shuttle at. So close.  They ran through the last few meters, emerging out in the open. It was dark, but Y/N recognized Skylen's mask with its two green-lit eyes and let out a sigh. Klana waved at them. "Hurry up! " "Where are the others? " Poe asked as they finally reached the shuttle. The pilot shook her head. "We were right by Kit and Pipa's side, and they took a turn in the opposite direction. Two speeders took off after them. I don't know where they-" Noise from behind them alerted the four pilots, and they all turned around, only to find Pipa stumbling out of an alley, clutching her sides. Y/N ran to her without thinking, offering her arm as support. "Easy there. Are you okay? What happened? " The bounty hunter winced, leaning fully against Y/N as she helped her to the ship. The blood was now coming through her jacket as well, and she was sweating bullets. Kriff, Pipa needed medical attention. Still, she made a point to look up at her and answer through gritted teeth: "They were closing on us. We were in an alley, and many textile bags were spilling from a trash can. Kit threw me in and took the speeder. The dudes flew past me, but he's alone out here now. " What the heck? That was pretty stupid! Y/N groaned under her breath as she sat Pipa down inside the shuttle, letting Klana take over.  "Kit, come on in. Do you copy? " Nothing. "Kit, I swear to the fucking stars, if you don't come in right now, I'm gonna kick your ass. " "I'm a little busy at the moment, woman, " his voice crackled in the earpiece, full of annoyance and barely distinguishable over the shots she could hear behind him. "Where are you? I'm coming right now. " "Don't you dare, you idiot. I'm trying to shake them off so you can get out of here. Don't wait for me-" The line went dead at the exact moment an explosion rose up from inside the city, fire and an angry bright light erupting from an alley to her right. Y/N's blood froze. No! It couldn't be… Her heart was hammering in her chest as she tried the commlink again, but the line stayed dead. Skylen's hand landed on her shoulder. "Y/N, we need to leave now. Pipa needs blood. " "I'm not leaving Kit alone out there, " she countered, shaking his hand off. "Go on without me. "
Skylen started calling out for her, but he was cut short by a blaster shot hitting the ground right by his feet. Y/N's cape whipped around as she turned toward the direction of the explosion. Two speeders were headed their way on the main street, swaying left and right as shots flew in all directions. They were knocking over carts and poles, the bikes pushed at full speed. And they weren't showing any sign of slowing down. Skylen raised his hand to his helmet, turning on the tactical gear. "Hell, it's your pilot friend. He's got two guards hot on his tail, and his bike is fuming. They're gonna get themselves killed. " Not on her watch. As the two speeders grew larger, coming closer, Y/N ran back to the shuttle. Klana had stripped Pipa of her jacket and shirt and was bent over her, trying to stop the blood loss. But as worrying as her situation was, it wasn't what Y/N was interested in. And Poe had already figured out what she wanted from him because he had already grabbed his rifle. "Can you get him? " She asked. He groaned. "Not with that stupid helmet on. Can't see a damn thing. " Y/N released the helmet with precise movements, yanking it off him and throwing him inside the shuttle. She was met by his messy hair and two worried eyes. Poe didn't miss a beat, kneeling on the dusty pavement, gun cocked against his shoulder and his eye behind the visor. Seconds ticked by the speeders were meters away from the parking lot. Shots were flying around like angry birds, and one of them hit the inside of the ship, getting a yelp out of Klana as it hit the wall right by her head, nicking Y/N's jacket she had taken off and hung to work on Pipa. Time froze. Poe took the shot. Y/N watched helplessly as the laser zoomed at an impossible speed, sailing harmlessly past Kit and hitting the enemy speeder square in the motor. It went up in flames on the spot, shrapnels flying and ending their run in the wall of a nearby building. Kit's bike came to a halt, and Y/N turned to Poe. "Freaking good shot, General. " "How do you think I got the job? " She smiled despite herself. "Thanks, man, " Kit's voice interrupted. "That was a close one. " Furious, Y/N turned her face to him. His shirt was ruined and burned in several spots; he held his left arm and limped from his right leg. But that asshole had the nerves to have a smile on his face.  "Yeah, well, how about we fangirl about my shooting skills in the shuttle? " Poe answered. They piled up inside the small ship, and Skylen started the engines, leaving the city behind them. Everyone was quiet for a while, with only the whimpers on Pipa's part breaking the tense silence. Y/N was staring at her jacket. Somehow, it seemed like the shot had only damaged the lining inside and scratched the leather. Good. "She's stable, for now. But she'll need to be transfused once we get to your place, Kit, " Klana said, wiping blood off her hands on her pants. "Do you have a medical kit? " "I have an entire medical station next to the armory. Fully stocked up on bacta, too. It'll do. " He seemed pretty unbothered by his close encounter with death and the scare he had given all of them. Y/N could see Poe clenching his teeth every time he spoke up. So she did the only thing she could think of. "Kit?" "Hm?" "Do you have any head injury? " He thought about it for a second and shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of, no. Don't worry-" She walked up to him and slapped him so hard his head jerked fully to the side.
"You fucking IDIOT. Are you out of your KRIFFING MIND? " Kit winced, moving his jaw around and massaging his cheek with a wince. "Now, don't be like that, Y/N. I managed to shake them off my tail, didn't I?" "No. Poe shot them for you. " "Details. It worked. " "Rule number one, " she fumed, holding up her index finger, "if there's six of us leaving, there's six of us coming back. Did you forget that? " "Figured it didn't apply anymore. " "I've seen too many people die while I was wearing this thing, Kit. If you think it doesn't matter to me, you're an idiot. " He stood there, mouth agape, trying to come up with something to say. When he didn't, Y/N just rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna see if Skylen needs help with something. I'd appreciate it if everyone could avoid getting shot until we're back. " Letting out a long sigh, Y/N opened the door to the pilot's cabin and closed it behind her. Skylen didn't say anything as she sat by his side- or rather, slumped on the tiny copilot chair. "I know I'm overreacting, " she said, taking advantage of the engine's noise to quietly speak up. "But I hate when they do that. " "I get it, " Skylen answered, shrugging. "When you're leading a team, you want all of them to come back home in one piece. Seeing them acting recklessly like that for no damn reason? It sucks." Y/N nodded. On the other side of the door, she could hear Kit mumbling something to Poe. She had rarely seen him so sheepish. "But now, you understand why Poe was so pissed at you last time you almost got yourself blown up on that mission, huh? " She sent him a death stare, but Skylen didn't budge. He just stared back at her with his resting bitch face on, and Y/N ended up backing down. "I get your point. Have I ever told you I hate how smart you are? " Skylen honked. "I've heard that one before. Hey, I'm just pulling your leg, though. It's been a long day for everyone. We're all a little on edge. By the way, don't tell him I told you, but Poe was dead worried about you when you went on that ring. " He was? "Did he say anything? " She quietly asked, leaning forward. Through the slits they had to use as windows, Y/N could see the outlines of the town Kit lived in. Soon enough, they would be home and would be able to rest. "About the armor, I mean. " "Are you worried he's suddenly gonna hate you because of that old thing? You idiot. He was worried for your safety." Cute. But unnecessary. …Or perhaps not so much, considering how badly Y/N's ribs hurt. Now that the adrenaline was winding down, Y/N realized how badly beat up she was. She would need to ask Klana for some bacta.  She didn't answer, though, mainly because she had been worried about that and was embarrassed enough as it was. Fortunately, the stars had granted her excellent timing, and the shuttle halted as Skylen parked outside of the building.
The group disembarked, Kit picking up Pipa as he rushed her inside, Klana hot on his heels. The three of them disappeared inside the guest's room and started setting up the medical tools they'd need. Kit was remarkably well-behaved, letting Klana boss him around for supplies. As for the others, they sat down in the living room. Y/N helped the two pilots out of their armors, and Poe let out a heavy sigh. "Maker, I hate this thing. It's so tight. No wonder stormtroopers can't shoot. " "I recall Finn would find that offensive, " Y/N noted as she put away the pieces of armors on the table.  Poe snorted, popping his back as he leaned backward. There was a Bantha in the room. What she had come to learn from her mission was still to be divulged. But right now, they needed a break. "Alright, I'll take a shower. You two have fun, " Skylen said, slapping his thighs for good measure as he stood up. He waddled toward the bathroom on tired legs and shut the door behind him, leaving Y/N and Poe alone on the couch. "Alright. Let me help you out of your chest plate. It's pretty clear you're injured, " Poe said after a second. Y/N raised her eyebrows in surprise.  "I don't-" "I'll get some bacta while you put your weapons away. " Okay, so it was a case of "I won't take no for an answer," then. Y/N sighed and unhooked her most heavy weapons, laying them down on the coffee table. Poe was quick to return with a small batch of antiseptics, bacta spray, and compresses. He put everything down next to her sword and started his inspection of her body armor. "Where are the straps? " "Under the cape, under my arms, and one's on the back. " He hummed in understanding and made quick work of the fastenings, gently taking the heavy armor off her. Y/N sighed in delight as the weight was lifted from her chest. That thing might have been efficient at keeping her alive; it was also really tight. Poe then proceeded to help her out of the leather shirt she had underneath until she was in her undershirt. A frown formed on his face, and he cursed lowly. "They painted you black and blue, for Kriff's sake. Where does it hurt? " He was pissed. Probably not at her, but she could still feel his wrath. "Everywhere, "Y/N winced as he gently touched her ribs. "They got me good. Hurts like a mudscruffer. " "Certainly looks like it. Hold still. " He rummaged through the medkit and produced a portable x-ray, turning it on and scanning her chest. "Doesn't look broken to me. Might be cracked. At best, it's bruised. May I? " he asked, putting the device away and trading it for some bacta wipes. She nodded and braced herself for the inevitable stinging. Poe gently applied the compress to her ribs, focused on his task. His brows were furrowed, creating a small line on his tan skin. One that marked quickly, showing that he worried often. She certainly didn't like that. Especially since she often was the subject of his worry. For someone with no medical background, Poe was surprisingly efficient. He bandaged her ribs, then checked her wrist, giving her a jab of e-bacta to ease the pain. By the time he focused on the bruise on her cheek, Y/N felt all fuzzy and warm as the drug spread in her system. She was tired, too, but couldn't head to sleep yet. They had to debrief. As Poe ripped open another bacta wipe, she mustered the courage to speak up. "How did I do? " "On the mission? " He asked. "Great. All things considered, it went well. Everyone's alive, and we got what we came for. You even managed to get him to drop the bounty. That's a win in my book. " Poe put the compress against her cheek, and Y/N cursed under her breath. She hadn't realized how sensitive her face was. "Dammit, they bitch-slapped me pretty bad. " Poe burst out laughing, and the line disappeared for a second. "Yeah. Yeah, they kinda did. I'm surprised you walked it off. " "I'm stronger than I look. " The line returned. Was it something she had said? "Yeah, well. I just wish you didn't have to get beaten up like that, " Poe sighed, pressing the compress gently. "Getting my ass handed to me wasn't part of the plan, General. " He rolled his eyes at that, but the line didn't budge. "That's not what I meant. I get it. I just don't like seeing my pilots hurt. " Y/N tried not to smile at that, considering her cheek was still the subject of Poe's attention, so she gave him a smirk instead. "Pot calling the kettle black, much? " Poe tried -but miserably failed- to hide the smile creeping up his face. "Okay, okay. You're right. I'm a hypocrite. " He put the bacta wipes down and admired his work, giving an appreciative pout. "Good as new."
Perfect timing, as Klana and Kit came back to the room, soon followed by Skylen, who was still trying to dry his hair. Klana made a stop in the kitchen, washing off the blood from her hands down the sink. Y/N put her cape over herself, not feeling like putting back the leather shirt on. She dreaded what was coming next but also knew she couldn't put it off any longer. Poe had to know; they all had to. "Where are your two other friends? " She asked Kit. He shrugged. "They ran off as soon as they caught wind of us being compromised. Torro has a place of his own a few streets down. They're safe. Now, I believe it's time for a debrief. " Poe stood up, putting the medical tools away, and leaned back against the wall. All eyes were on her. Y/N caught his gaze and looked down. She knew the spark she was so used to seeing would be snuffed out once she dropped the bomb on him. She just knew. Oh, how badly she wished she could share the burden of it all alone.  But he had a right to know. "You might need to sit down for that one, Poe, " she whispered, but it came out so loud to her ears. Poe frowned but did as he was told, sitting down on the corner of the table. "Okay, so Gideon couldn't give me a name, " Y/N spoke up, eyes fixed on her blade next to her. "He doesn't have one; the guy who put out the bounty remained anonymous. " "So we have nothing, " Kit interrupted. Y/N shook her head no. "Not exactly. Gideon gave me… Enough. The guy, I mean… I don't have his exact whereabouts. But I know where he works. " Silence. Y/N risked a glance over her shoulder. Poe's jaw was clenched, and his hands were gripping the edge of the table tightly enough to show veins. "Say it, " he ordered. The tone in his voice told him everything she needed to know. He knew. He already knew. "He works for the Senate, " she blurted out, immediately clamping her mouth shut afterward as if it could hold in part of the pain it had unloaded on them all. Skylen cursed loudly, barely refraining from punching something. Klana slumped on the spot. Kit looked around, assessing the situation with a sorry look on his face. He probably wanted to help, but nothing he could say would ease their pain. And Poe… He was burning a hole through Y/N's forehead, but he wasn't really looking at her. He was looking into the past, and Y/N could see the images of the war playing in his eyes.  But above all, Poe was silent.  Nobody spoke up for the longest time. And then… "Kit. Is the bounty still off? " Poe's voice cut the silence like a white-hot knife. Kit opened a drawer and retrieved a puck from it, pressing it. Poe's face popped up on the hologram, dark and crossed by a "void" sign. "Sure looks like it. " The General jumped off the table and grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger he had left it on, his scarf, and his blaster. "I need some air. " The door slammed behind him before anyone could object. Silence filled the room again, and Kit ran a hand over his face. Klana was still staring at the ground when Skylen grabbed his blaster from the same spot as Poe. "Is there a roof I can access?" "Yeah," Kit said. "Down the hall to the right. Black door." "Then I'll take the first shift. I'll wake you up if anyone gets close. " And he was out in a flash. "I'll go check on Pipa, " Klana piped up after a few seconds. And then there were two. Y/N's eyes were on the door through which Poe had disappeared moments ago. She felt terrible, but she knew it was nothing compared to what her friends must have been feeling like.  But she couldn't stay there. She jumped to her feet. "I'm going after him, " she resolutely informed Kit, out of courtesy more than anything else. The pilot sighed. "No. Stay here. He needs some time alone. " Her head whipped in his direction, eyes squinted in disbelief. "What- leave him alone? You don't even know him, Kit! How can you even know what he would need?!" Kit sighed deeply. "I don't, " he conceded patiently. "But I know what war does to a soldier. Better than anyone. He needs some time to himself. He'll come around. He's safe out here; it's night; Gideon isn't looking for him anymore. Also, you're half-naked right now. " Agh, Y/N had always hated it when he was rational. She slouched on his couch, defeated. The room, though dimly lit, felt dark and suffocating. Everything was too much. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling the rough texture of her braids underneath her fingertips, coarse with dirt and the Luma particles. The place felt empty, with only the two of them left when it had been so crowded only moments ago. Not that she minded- not anymore. Y/N was too tired to be uncomfortable, anyway. And she was too worried as well. For Poe, mainly. But also for the Resistance and the Galaxy as a whole. What did it mean? "You know, " Kit spoke up after a moment, "I really can't fucking stand him. He is way too much of a good guy; it pisses me off. But hell, I would not want to be in his shoes. He carries so much on his shoulders. So much hope and responsibility. And here I thought being the First Lieutenant of the craziest pilot in the Order was hard." Y/N snorted lowly but didn't answer for a moment. Though Kit was trying to lighten the mood, he was also spot on, as usual. One of his many talents. "There's only so much one man can carry on his shoulders before he breaks, " she finally said. "Poe is strong, but he is not invincible. I'm worried about him. He has lost so much already. He doesn't deserve all of this. I wish I could carry that burden for him. Kriff, I wish I could help him somehow. " Kit laid a reassuring hand on her shoulders, but it did nothing to calm her nerves.  "I don't think you realize how much you're helping already, Y/N. What you did tonight catapulted the Resistance way ahead of its enemies. You're helping. Besides, there are things you just can't shield him from. " He was correct, of course. But it didn't mean it was easier to hear. Y/N stared at the door Poe had disappeared through, all scratched and dented by careless uses. When would he be back? What could she say to him when he returned? "You need to get some sleep, sweetheart. Take a shower, rest. He'll join you when he comes back. You can take my bed. No, scratch that; that's an order. You've deserved it. Your lady friend will watch over Pipa tonight; I'll sleep on the couch. And your bearded friend has the spare bed in the armory if he wants. " So that left her to sleep next to Poe.  …Okay. Y/N gave Kit a short nod. There was no use arguing with him anyway. She was too tired, and he was too clever. Besides, she would be of no use to Poe if she was so exhausted she was falling asleep standing up. "Wake me up if you need anything. " He wouldn't.
Her eyes fell on the discarded weapons and armor next to her. Kit followed her gaze. "I'll clean it up for you. Don't ya worry your pretty head about it. " "You don't have to." "Y/N, I still know you. Making this thing squeaky clean is the only way you have of putting the mission behind you. "  …He was right, as often. She smiled. "Hey, Kit? I'm glad you're not dead. " He snorted. "You and me both. I'm glad you're okay, too. " They shared a smile, and Y/N disappeared into his room after grabbing her nightclothes from her forgotten bag in the corner.   Y/N wasn't sure what time it was. There was a clock on Kit's nightstand, shining a dim red light in the room's darkness, but she didn't care much about the digits it showed. She was enticed by the soft, regular humming sound the ceiling fan made, blades catching the soft light of the moon as they crossed its path. It was all she had been looking at for the past… Whatever time she had been lying there. She was on her back, with the covers stopping at her waist, arms behind the pillow. Though she was exhausted, Y/N couldn't sleep. Firstly, because she was thinking about the events of the day. And secondly, because Poe still hadn't come back from his walk. It made her angsty, but she understood why he wanted to take a walk. Y/N tried not to move too much. The bed, of course, smelled like Kit. Funnily enough, she had noticed, he still used the same cologne and shower gel. She had been forced to use the latter as she cleaned herself up, and it… didn't help. She much rather enjoyed the citrus-scented products she had at home. How ironic it was, really, that so much time had passed, but she still found herself in the exact same spot she had been in all those years ago, thinking about her mission, laying in Kit's bed. Except for this time, she was sharing it with another pilot, which was… Well. A whole mess of its own she needed to unpack. It wasn't the first time Y/N had found herself sharing a bed with Poe. But the first two times had been, technically, accidents. And she had been passed out for most of the time anyway. This was different. She was mortified, especially after what had happened the day prior.  She truly hoped he wouldn't try and talk about it again.  Letting out a sigh, Y/N rubbed her eyes. She missed Kuat. She missed Beebee. Was the droid well taken care of? She certainly hoped so. She would have the head of anyone who dared to even bump him. A sound made her jump slightly, and she focused, trying to hear something in the silence. Footsteps. Fabric ruffling. Hushed voices. Kit? Yes, it was Kit, whispering so he wouldn't wake anyone up. Poe must have come back. Y/N let out a sigh of relief; though she knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, it didn't mean she wasn't worried for his safety. She was always apprehensive. Was that what he felt like whenever one of his pilots would fly into danger? Being a leader must be exhausting.  The door opened, quiet, but not quietly enough. Poe made his way through the room surprisingly skillfully, heading for the bathroom. He was out in no time, and the few rays of moonlight sneaking through the curtains allowed Y/N to see his silhouette. Taking advantage of the comfort of the apartment, he had changed into a shirt and a pair of shorts. Lovely. Y/N imagined he looked good dressed down. The mattress sunk under his weight as he sneakily settled next to her. Though the bed was reasonably large, Y/N could still feel his body heat next to her. The sound of the fan suddenly felt too loud- or perhaps it wasn't loud enough, really, as all Y/N could hear was her own heart. Poe moved slightly. It smelled like citrus for a brief second. Silence stretched between them, interrupted by the sound of shallow yet irregular breathing. Poe wasn't falling asleep; Y/N was sure of it. Even in the pitch darkness of the room, she could feel the weight of his gaze. "Did I wake you up? " He asked after a moment, voice quiet. Y/N found herself reminded that Kit was a heavy sleeper and wouldn't be awakened by hushed whispers. Good. "No. I wasn't sleeping, " Y/N simply answered as quietly as Poe. "I was thinking. And waiting for you. " He sighed deeply, and it felt almost like a scream in the oppressing silence of the room—the fan filled in the blanks. "Are you okay? " Y/N heard herself asking. Silence stretched for a long time, and she expected he wouldn't answer, but then: "No."
She rolled over to her side, staring at him in the darkness.  "No, I'm not okay, but I will be. This whole thing… It's just the same bullshit, all over again. It feels like we keep going backward. Senators betraying us. " "We don't know that, " Y/N pointed out. "Perhaps Gideon lied. And even if he didn't, it might not be a Senator. It might be an aide or a spouse. " Poe thought about it for a moment. "You're right, " he ended up saying. "I'm getting ahead of myself. " "I'm sorry, " Y/N said. "I wish I could have given you other news. Anything. I can't imagine how it must feel. " She felt him roll around, too. Now, she was sure he was facing her because she could feel the soft kiss of his breath on her skin. "Don't apologize; nothing is your fault. I should be the one apologizing, "Poe added with another sigh. Y/N frowned in the dark. "Why? " Silence, again. But for a shorter period. Poe sighed deeply. "What you did tonight. What you had to do. I'm sorry. " Y/N's tired brain tried to make sense of his words but to no avail. She couldn't understand what he was implying. She genuinely couldn't. What was he even sorry for? He had even saved her ass earlier! Poe must have confused her silence for sadness or anger because he quickly spoke up again. "You shouldn't have had to face your trauma head front like you did just for a mission. And it wasn't right to expect you to. I hope you're feeling okay. I'm sorry. " Ah, so that was what it was about. Y/N hummed. "So, you think I felt forced to put on the armor again? You think I went through the plan because you obliged me to. " "Well, not exactly, but-" "Poe. When I left the Order, I left everything behind. But you know what the only thing I kept is? The only thing I took with me? It was a promise I made myself. That I would never, ever let a man force me to do anything I didn't want, ever again. I was the one who brought up the plan. I offered to pose as Captain Thunderbird. You didn't make me do anything: I chose it. Not because I felt like I had to, but because I wanted to. " He fell silent, but Y/N could hear the cogs in his head turning and spinning at full speed. Poe wasn't convinced. "I wanted to help. And I knew how to do it. It's okay, and it was my choice. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure I could handle it. Besides, it was the right thing to do. You're my friend, Poe. Not only was it the mission, but it was also the only way I could help you. " Poe sighed. She could feel him rubbing his face and then running his hand through his messy locks like he always did. The air was thick with unspoken words as he tried to gather his thoughts, mulling over his following statement carefully. Frankly, his concern was touching. And Y/N could feel his worry, could almost see it in the fine lines of his face that appeared whenever he frowned.  "Thank you, " he ended up answering, voice barely above a whisper. Y/N knew -she could feel- just how difficult it was for him to back down on that one. He had been so thoughtful, ever so careful not to overstep, always so respectful of her boundaries. But he needed to let her set new ones as she grew. They stayed silent for a moment after that, but neither of them was asleep. Y/N could still feel his eyes on her. "Can I ask you how you're feeling? " He finally asked after a long moment. The fan was merely background noise, now. It filled the silence as Y/N thought of an answer. "Strange. Things are so different than they used to be, but at the same time, it feels the same. The uniform. The fights. The blood everywhere. Me coming home to Kit, sleeping in his bed. It… Doesn't help. But I know it was for a good cause this time. So I'm not dissociating too much. " He hummed in answer. "Yeah. I can imagine it must be bizarre. Especially seeing Kit after all this time." Y/N chuckled. Yes. Their reunion had been pretty eventful and not quite what she would have pictured. What did she imagine anyway? She didn't really know. Perhaps running into each other at a random cantina, years after the war.  Well, okay, that part had happened, but she hadn't envisaged it would end up in a fight. Perhaps a drink, some awkward glances... maybe even some introductions to their respective significant other. But if Kit's apartment was any indication of his current love life, he had been single for quite some time. Perhaps even as long as her. Interesting. "I'm glad we got to meet again. We had some stuff to work through." "I get what you mean," Poe commented. "When I met Zorii again, I feel like it gave us closure." Y/N snorted unwillingly. "Kriff, how did that one go?" He pondered on it for a second. "As bad as you'd expect. She tried to kill me too... but willingly." They started laughing, trying to keep quiet but failing miserably. Y/N was silently chuckling, biting on her hand to stiffen the sounds. The stress of the day was washing off. "Maker, look at us, being almost murdered by our exes. I feel like we could start a club or something." "I'd join it."
Y/N sighed in delight, feeling relaxed. The bed was comfortable, and Poe's presence wasn't as rattling as she had expected. He was always so... calming. The speed with which she let her guard down around him was worrying.  Or perhaps it would have been a couple months earlier, but now? It felt natural. It still didn't erase the remnants of the mission, but it certainly helped.  "I can hear you thinking," Poe said, breaking the silence. "Credit for your thoughts?" Y/N gave him a small laugh in answer. "We're gonna be up late if you want me to share my thoughts. I never really slept after missions like this. I spent the night thinking about them until I passed out from exhaustion or had to wake up again." "I'm... sorry to hear that. Did you ever catch some sleep? Even once?" Y/N hummed. "Oh, yes. Sometimes, Kit would find a way to sneak in before I came back, and he'd spend the night. The first thing he'd do was to help me wash the blood off my hands. Even if there weren't any. Then, we'd just talk. About random stuff. Anything to try and not think about the day. " Poe stayed silent for a moment, and then, Y/N felt him sitting up. "What are you doing? " She whispered as his weight shifted again and his feet hit the floor with a soft thud. She was met with silence on his part as he walked around the bed. She followed his presence in the dark, trying to make sense of whatever must have been going through his head. After a few seconds, dim lighting emerged from the bathroom, not bright enough to blind her but still enough to let Y/N see what Poe was doing. Standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over a loose t-shirt. "Come here, " he asked softly, and Y/N's feet soon found the floor as well, as if she had been stripped of any will of her own. With a frown but a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, she joined him near the door. He looked down at her with a solemn look on his face, and Y/N grinned at him. "Now what, General? " Poe rolled his eyes and made his way across the bathroom, turning on the sink. He then rummaged through Kit's stuff until he found what looked like a bar of soap. Y/N immediately understood and took a step back, shaking her head as embarrassment colored her cheeks. "Oh, no, that's not-" "Get your ass in here, Thunderbird, I swear to the Stars. " There was no animosity in his voice, and Y/N couldn't help but let out a giggle as she followed his orders. This was… Strange. And a little bit funny. She knew what Poe was about to do, and it was certainly unexpected. He opened the faucet, and water sputtered in the sink. Poe then grabbed the soap bar and nodded toward the water. Y/N put her hands underneath it with an unconvinced sigh, wetting them both, and Poe gently rubbed the pink (seriously, PINK?) bar on the back of her hand. It started to sud almost instantly, leaving a smell of strawberry in its path.  "I'm honestly questioning his taste in soaps, " Poe grumbled as he dutifully rubbed the pink block over each finger, crevice, bump. He was dead focused on his task, frowning as he made sure not to miss a spot. There was nothing to clean, no speck of blood; her hands were spotless, but still. Y/N watched him as he went through his task like it was the most essential thing in the Galaxy. They stood in silence in the dark bathroom for a couple of minutes until Poe was satisfied with his work. He rinsed the soap off, leaving Y/N to wiggle her fingers. "All cleaned up, Keebler. " Y/N gave him a cheeky smile. "Do you supervise the handwashing of all your pilots, General? " "Do you dress up in black leather from head to toe for all of your superiors, Thunderbird? " Silence. "Shit, okay, yeah, you kinda did. " Y/N let out a laugh she immediately tried to stiffen by biting the inside of her cheek as Poe shushed her. "Quiet! You're gonna wake everyone up. " "It's your fault, you idiot! " "It is not. " They were still giggling when they went back to bed, heads hitting the pillow softly. Y/N's hands felt all tingly from the soap bar and tender from the rubbing. But it felt good. The pillow was chilly, too, and the room felt much less oppressive than it had earlier. "You feeling better? " He asked. Y/N nodded, even though he couldn't see her. He could still feel it; she just knew it. "Yeah. Thanks. You didn't have to do that. " "Come on, Y/N, we've been over that. But if you really want to show your eternal gratitude, you can always publicly recognize I'm the best pilot of the Galaxy. " She whacked the side of his arm and must have hit her target because Poe hissed. "How did you even- rude. " "You'll have to make do with my eternal and quiet gratitude. " "Alright, you rancor. Get some sleep now before I tickle it out of you. " Y/N stiffened a laugh but made herself comfortable on her side of the bed, wiggling until she had found a position she was satisfied with.  "Thanks, Poe, " she heard herself muttering as she started drifting off.  She never heard his answer, but she did feel the duvet being pulled up to cover her shoulders as she fell asleep.
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The following morning came quicker than it should have. All five of them —Pipa was still on bedrest— met in the kitchen for breakfast. None of them said a thing about the news from the night before. They didn't need to anyway; the silence was ominous enough. Poe still hadn't told Finn and had instructed everyone to stay quiet on the matter. He deserved a few more hours of ignorant bliss, he had said. Y/N couldn't agree more. Instead, Kit had told them about Gideon. It turned out he had survived and had put a bounty on his head, much to his delight. "Look at me, I'm like you, now, " he had joked, earning a slap on the knee from an aggravated Y/N. Torro had swung by earlier, dropping off a bunch of tech Y/N understood nothing about. But apparently, it would help them leave the planet unnoticed and land on Tatooine without running into trouble. They had packed their stuff, putting everything away neatly. Kit had done a stellar job cleaning her armor, and Y/N had folded it back into its crate. And off they went, in the early hours of dawn, charging their stuff into Kit's ship as Klana and Calvin disposed of the shuttle to cover their tracks. From what Y/N had gathered, it now had a wonderful life in a dump somewhere. After checking on Pipa and saying their goodbyes, the four rebels plus Kit and Calvin piled up in his ship, leaving the sad-looking Andooweel behind them until it was but a mere speck of dust behind the windows. No ship followed them; whatever Torro had given them must have been working. "I managed to get away this time, but I feel like I won't be so lucky next time, " Kit sighed, coming out of his cockpit. "I'll need to ditch this ship and buy a new one. " "With a proper landing gear, this time, " Y/N chimed in, and he grumbled under his breath.  Soon enough, after an uncomfortable flight, the sand and suns of Tatooine came into view. Kit landed in the spaceport a few spots away from Poe's borrowed ship. It was quiet, surprisingly enough. Only one droid and a mechanic were to be seen. Perfect. Dressed in his fake bounty hunter attire, Skylen went to pay their debts as Poe and Klana transferred their stuff back on the Resistance's ship. Y/N, who had been ushered to the side because of her injuries, sat on her armor crate. Even if it was still morning, the planet was heating up fast, and Y/N was already working up a bead of sweat on her forehead. She was looking forward to going back to Kuat. Kit joined her after a few moments, sitting next to her. He gently tapped on the box. "What do you want to do with that? " "I've been thinking about it, " Y/N admitted. "It needs to go back to where it came from, under the Eopie's food tank in the village. That way, if I ever need it again, I know where to find it. If I don't… it'll remain buried with my old life. " He hummed in approval. "I'll put it back for you. " She turned to him. "Are you sure? Do you even know where to go? " "Speeders have a beacon in. I know where you went to. I can do it no problem if you trust me with it. " Y/N nodded gratefully, looking back at the ship she was about to board. It was almost time for goodbyes again. Skylen had already started the engines, and he and Poe ran last-minute check-ups on the old ship. Y/N was nervous. It felt… Weird, leaving Kit behind again. Especially since they were on good terms this time around. As her friends ran around the ship, getting busy, the young woman stood up, and Kit followed close. She didn't know what to say or do. Poe appeared on the loading ramp, saw the two of them, and held his open palm up high. Five minutes. He disappeared back inside with a long look at Kit. "So, I guess this is it, then. You're off to save the world again, " Kit commented. He had his hands buried in his pockets, trying to look careless, but Y/N knew him better than that. "You know… " She started, biting her lip. "We're always looking for pilots. I know both Generals. Could pull some strings if you wanted me to. " Kit gave her a genuine laugh. "Are you trying to recruit me into the Resistance, Captain? How devious of you. " She joined him in his laughter for a moment before they both got serious again. "I appreciate the offer, Y/N. But I… can't. You got out when you could. I didn't. There are some things I've done… They might have forgiven you because you've given so much for the cause, but I haven't. I… I can't forgive myself. Can't expect them to do it either. I'll always be the enemy. " Y/N frowned and put her hand on his arm, squeezing it softly. The look in his eyes… She knew it well. "That's not true, Kit. You're not the enemy to me. You're not to any of us. " He let out a bitter laugh. "Somehow, I have a feeling your General might disagree. He ain't my biggest fan. " Y/N rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "You know, usually, I would argue that he probably was in a bad mood because Poe gets along with pretty much everyone…." "But? " "But I know for a fact he cannot kriffing stand you. " They burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the droid on the other side of the parking spot. "I know. Besides, I need to stay here. I've got a Devaronian to take care of. Perhaps I'll look into a pilot job once I've destroyed his cartel. Who knows. Our paths might cross again. " Y/N nodded. Before she could think twice about it, she took out a credit chip from her pant pocket and handed it to him. "It's from Poe. The money we had for the mission. He told me to give it to you. There's nowhere near two million, but it has about a hundred grants. Enough to buy you a new ship. Maybe an X4 Gunship if you're lucky and can find one. It's his… our parting gift." Kit took the golden card from her hand and gave her a nod. "I appreciate it. Tell Poe thanks for me, okay?" "Y/N! We need to go!" Klana called out from behind them. Okay. This was it. Kit was as sheepish as she was, standing right in front of her with an awkward look on his face. He, too, felt it. And… Y/N didn't really know what took over her. Maybe it was the guilt from their last encounter; who knew. She took a small step forward, stood on her toes, and put both of her hands on his cheeks, drawing his face in for a kiss. His hands landed on her back, and he pulled her into him. The kiss was sweet, gentle, and a tad bittersweet. It reminded her of an old life she had loved so much. This was goodbye. And it… didn't feel like when she had kissed Poe. After a few seconds, Kit pulled away, a smile on his lips but a curious look in his eyes. "Not that I'm complaining, but why? " "I owed you a proper goodbye. Besides, it's good luck. " He laughed as she took a step back, rubbing his neck. His cheeks were redder than he would have ever admitted. "Hey, take care of yourself, alright? " Y/N added. "What will you do if I don't, huh? " "I might have to come and kick your ass. " "Looking forward to that, Captain. I'll see you around. Go save the Galaxy, you hero. " With one last laugh and an awkward wave, Y/N boarded her ship, looking at Kit until the landing ramp was closed. She could still feel his lips on hers. With a sigh, she turned around, only to find Klana standing behind her with a massive grin on her face. "You minx. What was that for? " Y/N thought about it for a second, then broke into a content smile. "Closure. "
Yeah, over him, my ass. Poe rolled his eyes for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. He regretted giving him that money now. What an asshole.  Flipping the switches on the console, he made sure the old ship was stable enough before speeding up out of the atmosphere, leaving the wretched planet that was Tatooine behind them. The burn left behind by the news of a mole in the Senate hadn't gone away, and now, seeing this added fuel to the fire. Yeah, sure, she could do what she wanted and all that, but she could do WAY better than this idiot. At least he wasn't coming with them. The day was already off to a bad start, and it wouldn't go better once they landed on Kuat. The meeting with Finn and Rey was not going to be fun. As Poe carefully maneuvered around the space rocks, he reviewed the list of Senators he remembered the name of in his head. Who could be working against them? Perhaps it was just an aid. Who could they trust? Probably the Generals of the Galactic Republic, at least. They had fought fearlessly in the war with them. All of their support during the war could be added to the list. They had no reason to publicly support them against the First Order and turn against them once the Galaxy was free. It still left a lot of names on the 'potentially guilty' list. He hated it. Detective work wasn't his thing, so he would have to enlist Rose. Heh. At least that would make Finn happy. There was a knock on the door, and Poe turned around on his chair, turning on the piloting aid. They were far enough anyway. The chair creaked ominously, its hinges old and rusty. He couldn't wait to go back to his X-Wing. "Yeah, " he said to whoever was on the other side, though Poe had a feeling he knew who it was. And sure enough, Y/N's head popped up in the opening. And it looked like she had gotten her jacket back. Klana must have fixed it. She also had a light sunburn across her nose, and it gave her face a red hue.  Or perhaps it was the blush from kissing that idiot- "Hey, General, " she greeted him. "Everything is secured down there. Klana called the base to let them know we'll be back today. She used one of the extra transponders Calvin left on the ship, so the Senate doesn't know anything. Or whoever is spying on us. " Poe nodded. "Good. We should be there in a couple of hours. "  Y/N nodded and eventually rubbed the back of her neck as the silence stretched on. "I was also coming to check up on you. Did you need anything? "  "I'm good. Once we hit light speed, I'll just go to work. "  She visibly cringed. Poe's tone might have been a tad colder than necessary, but he was annoyed. And Y/N had picked up on it. "Okay, well, I'll just… Leave you alone, then. "  She sighed deeply and let the door go. Poe caught the look of confusion on her face before she disappeared back into the ship. He groaned. "Wait-"  The door slammed shut before he could get another word out, and Poe groaned again- louder this time. He turned his chair around, the squeaky sound following him as he threw the ship into light speed. It rattled the cabin, and everything stopped moving, except for the stars sailing harmlessly past his windows. A tentative knock broke the peaceful silence a few seconds later. This time, Poe took a second to breathe before he invited the person inside. And it was Klana who opened the door with a frown on her face. "Did you just… shoo Y/N away? " She asked in disbelief. Poe rolled his eyes. "No. I told her I have work to do, and she left. Do you need anything? "  Klana let out an exaggerated groan, tilting her head to the side with an unamused pout. "You can relax. Kit's not coming to Kuat. So drop the attitude, General. She doesn't deserve it. "  "That's not why I- never mind. Can I help you with anything? "  She rolled her eyes but didn't push the subject. Instead, she produced a piece of paper from her back pocket. "When I went to clean the shuttle this morning before we dumped it, I found this. It's an old Republic squad picture. I didn't look too much at it in case it was personal, but it was dropped on the ship somehow. Figure you'd want it back. "  Poe stared at her with utter confusion. "I don't understand. How did it end up on that shuttle? I wasn't wearing my regular clothes. Besides, I don't walk around with a squad pic. "  Klana shrugged. "Dunno. But you're the only one of us who served. So it probably came from somewhere, I mean… I didn't just appear out of thin air. "  Poe ran a tired hand in his hair and extended the other one toward Klana, who handed him the picture. It was slightly crumpled, and a corner was missing, torn off by the passing time, but the colors were still bright. Perhaps it had been there before they had arrived on planet? Yeah, it must have been the logical explanation. Torro or Calvin could have served before their time in the First Order. Still, Poe looked at it, studying the happy faces in the image. They were young, all of them. Probably fresh out of the recruitment center, or maybe a year older than that. None of the faces rang a bell. The call sign on their uniforms wasn't one he was familiar with - it undoubtedly came from another star cruiser than the one he had been stationed on. He was about to put the picture away when something caught his eyes; on the right corner of the image, one of the soldiers. Young, certainly way more youthful than she was now.  Wearing a necklace, he knew by heart. "Klana."  "Huh?"  "Did you have a good look at them?"  "I told you I didn't. Figured it was private."  Poe's eyes were glued to that necklace and the smiling face above it. He could see it just fine now—that smile. He liked that smile. "Take a look. On the right. "  Klana gave him a confused look but leaned forward, angling her head so she could see better. She froze half a second later. Her fingers tentatively glazed the paper as if she were trying to test its realness. Eyes wide open, she looked up at her superior. "No way. It can't be… But that necklace…."  Poe gave her a stern nod. "It's her. "     Y/N rolled her eyes for the fifth time. Seriously, what was wrong with Poe? Was he still angry about the Senate thing? Of course, she understood- the anger wouldn't go away like that. But still! There was no need to snap at her! She was doing her best to help him out. If he didn't need her, fine! He could tell her that politely. Ugh. Maybe Y/N should cut him some slack. Poe clearly had a lot on his mind. With another sigh, she leaned backward, feeling the slit in her jacket under her fingers. It was big, but the leather hadn't been damaged, and that was the essential part. Still, the lining needed stitching. Y/N tried to smooth it out, only to find something stuck inside. She tugged at it and ended up with a piece of paper between her fingers. With an unimpressed pout, she threw it away in a nearby bin, right as the door to the cargo area opened with a tired whoosh and both Klana and Poe marched out. Oh. The look on their faces was NOT a happy one. "Please tell me we don't have another coup on our hands, " Skylen said from his crate. "I haven't even eaten yet, and I'm not in the mood. " Klana groaned. "Shut up. It's serious. " As the two bickered lowly, Poe's eyes landed on Y/N, and he didn't look away. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes, maybe a tad of annoyance. But mainly, concern. "What's wrong? " Y/N asked. The General shared a look with Klana, who took a step forward. "When I was cleaning the shuttle earlier, I found this. I thought it belonged to Poe because I saw the Republic sigil and thought no better of it. But it was right under the spot your jacket was hung on when it got nicked. And… Just see for yourself. " Okay. Now, she wasn't just worried; she was kriffing lost. She grabbed the paper from her friend's hands, noticing they were shaking. Y/N sent a confused look at Poe, but he didn't move a muscle. Instead, he just stared, waiting for her to look at the picture. "I mean, what do you want me to do with a Republic squad picture day… I don't remember ever flying against one. " "Look on the right, " Poe said. Y/N obliged, eyes glazing over unfamiliar faces before they settled on the silhouette on the right of the picture. …Wait. Wait. That was her necklace. But then, it meant… She looked upward, and her eyes met… hers. From years ago. "That's… Hold on. " Y/N stared at it for a moment longer; her eyes weren't deceiving her. Her hair was shorter but the same color. It was her eyes, her smile—a delighted one. And it was a Starbird on her uniform. "Me. I… I know that's me. I don't remember that picture being taken, but I know it's me. " Shockingly enough, that piece of information alone wasn't what rattled her. It explained… a lot. But… "But it doesn't make sense. If I was a registered pilot for the Republic. If there are records of my service. When they ran my name in the database when I joined the Order… They should have found out. They should have known. There's no way Ren didn't know." She frowned, staring at her reflection from the past. A past she had no recollection of. It felt like a memory shown on a holopad. Not hers. "So why didn't he kill me? "
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wrenhyperfixates · 4 years ago
Text
Because I Love You
Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: You’ve fallen for the trickster god, and have no idea that he’s done the same. When his attempts to keep you safe fail, you get into a huge fight. Will you be able to tell each other how you really feel, or is the rift too wide? Warnings: mentions of blood; fluff and angst A/N: This idea has been floating around in my head for a while, and it really took on a life of its own. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Hope you enjoy it just as much :)
Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant​ @lunarmoon8​ @twhiddlestonsstuff​ @lokistan​ @thelokiimaginechroniclesficrecs​ @gaitwae​ @whatafuckingdumbass​ @castiels-majestic-wings​ @kozkaboi​ @cozy-the-overlord​
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Disclaimer: Gif not mine
“Oh, come on, Loki,” you pouted as you helped him load up the Quinjet for the mission he was about to leave for. “I can handle myself.”
“Yes, I know, darling,” he replied with a sigh. “But this is going to be dangerous. I would feel much better knowing you were here, safe.”
“Fine,” you pouted as he took the box you were carrying from your hands.
You’d been having this argument all week. For some reason, Loki had been blocking you from going on more and more missions lately, but he went above and beyond this time. As soon as it had been announced, you’d volunteered to go. But then Loki went and talked to Steve to convince him his magic was necessary for the job and, from what you can tell, persuaded Cap that he should take your place.
The God of Mischief had been your best friend ever since he came to Avengers Tower. It hadn’t taken you long to realize that you wanted him to be something more, though. With every brush of his fingers against yours, bored glance sent your way during meetings, and laughs shared as you talked late at night made you fall deeper and deeper in love with the god. But this was getting annoying. It was nice that he cared about you, though it also made you sad. No matter how much you wanted him to feel the same way as you did, it was pretty obvious that he didn’t. Even worse than that, you were convinced that he thought of you as just a kid.
“Oh, darling,” he said, putting his hands on your shoulders as your eyes raised to meet his. “Please, do not be upset. The next not dangerous mission will be yours for sure.”
“Do those even exist?” you asked with a wry laugh.
“Yes. Ones where you will without a doubt be out of combat.” You frowned at him and opened your mouth to protest. He continued speaking before you could. “I am quite aware of what a fierce warrior you are, dear mortal. But you are also fragile. I will not let anything happen to you. You are my most dear friend, darling.”
“I know,” you sighed, unable to stay mad at him. “But you have to promise you’ll stay safe, too.”
“I promise, darling.” He kissed the back of your hand, making you flustered. “I will be just fine.”
As the jet pulled out of the hangar, you waved goodbye to Loki, praying that when he came back, things could finally change between you.
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“I’ll do it,” you declared at the next meeting.
“Ok then,” Steve replied. “You, me, and Nat then. We leave tomorrow at noon.”
It was a little nerve wracking to be going on a mission with two of the best fighters on the team, but you were sure it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle. Loki was still on his mission, so there was no one to block you from taking this opportunity. You hoped so, anyway.
The final preparations were made, and you looked at the file in your bed that night. It should be a relatively easy mission; silently infiltrate the hydra base and download the intel from their computers. It was a small base, only a handful of enemy operatives should be there. Well, that was what you were planning on, anyway. Of course, there was always a chance things would go awry.
Suddenly, your phone rang. You plopped the file down on your comforter and checked the caller I.D. It was Loki. You worried that he’d caught wind of your plan to go on the mission tomorrow. He wasn’t supposed to be back for another couple of days, plenty of time for you to go without him interfering. That’s why you hadn’t told him yet. But if he already knew, he would certainly do everything in his power to stop you from leaving.
“Hey, Loki,” you said, nervously picking at the string on your sweatpants. “Are you ok? How’s the mission going?”
“Splendid, actually,” he replied, a smile in his voice. “So well, in fact, that I will be returning home early.”
“Oh! That’s, uh, great news.” You were trying to sound excited. It wasn’t working. “When exactly are you going to be back?”
“Tomorrow,” he replied. “I was wondering if you wanted to do something when I get back? Perhaps watch a movie or read together in the library?”
“I’d love to, Loki, really. But I’m going to be a bit busy tomorrow. Maybe if we meet later in the day?”
You were always tired after a mission, but you should be back in time to do something with Loki. And if you were just going to be reading, it would be relaxing. If you were lucky, you may even fall asleep, and he would carry you back to your bed. That had happened a few times before, and you’d woken up in his arms as he brought you back. You didn’t tell him, though. Instead, you just enjoyed the sensation of being in his arms, feeling safe and happy. It also reminded you of just how strong he was, being a god and all. You supposed that’s why he worried so much about you; you were just a mortal. His strength was contrasted by the way he carefully tucked you in and caressed your cheek. Your heart had beat wildly as you wondered if he might kiss you. He had not.
“Oh? What are your plans, then?” he inquired. “If you do not mind, maybe I could join you.”
“I, um, would of course let you, but Nat and I are going to be doing a special training routine all day,” you lied. “It’s supposed to just be the two of us. Sorry.”
“That is quite alright. We will just meet later. I look forward to it.”
“Me too. I’ll see you then, Loki,” you said, hoping to hang up before you felt guilty enough to come clean. “I better get some rest.”
“As should I. Goodnight, darling.”
You tossed the phone next to the file and sighed, covering your eyes with your arm. You hated having to lie to Loki, but you’d never go on another mission if you didn’t. Besides, he said you could go on one that wasn’t too dangerous, and the chances of getting hurt tomorrow were pretty slim. It would be fine. At least, you sure hoped it would.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“They are where?” Loki asked, his voice rising in panic. “Doing what?”
“I just told you, Reindeer Games,” Tony replied, a knowing smirk on his face. “They’re on a mission. What? Did your little lovebird lie to you?”
“That is preposterous for more reasons than I can count. They are only my best friend, but still they would never lie to me. I would have known if they had, anyway.”
“Well, maybe your judgment was clouded because you-”
“I swear if you say I love them,” Loki interrupted, “there will be a dagger buried in your side faster than you can even comprehend.”
“Yeah, sure. Right,” Tony said, unconcerned. Loki never made good on his threats to his friends, bar a tiny prank here or there. Whether it was because he actually cared about them or was just worried he’d be locked up again, no one was really sure. “All I mean to say is if you stopped preventing them from going on missions, maybe they would tell you the truth.”
He hated how right Tony was. His judgment was clouded, and though he didn’t want to say, it was because he cared about you. But loved? Did Loki even know what love was? He really wasn’t sure. Regardless, he should have been taking you on missions with him, protecting you from any danger. He’d seen you fight a great many times, you were good at it. But all that needed to happen was one tiny slip-up, one small mistake, and you’d be dead in a matter of seconds.
“Maybe, but do not tell me you have never gone to extremes to protect someone you care about,” Loki snapped back.
“You’re right. I have. For the people I love.”
“Oh, never mind!” Loki said, desperately trying to avoid a conversation about his emotions. “Just tell me which bay they will be returning to so I can go wait for them.”
Tony obliged, and Loki anxiously paced the floor, fidgeting with his hands as he anticipated your return. What seemed like, and very well could have been, hours later, your transport pulled in. He wasn’t sure if he was going to hug you or scold you first. It would probably be the first option. Sure, you’d lied to him, but he wasn’t blameless either. All that mattered was you were safe.
“Clear the way,” Steve shouted, as he and Nat helped you hobble out of the jet.
Loki’s heart plummeted to his stomach as he noticed a deep red staining your shirt, right below where your liver was. Sweat glistened on your brow as you struggled to stay up. He ran up to you and took you in his arms, running towards the elevator before he realized he could just teleport. He was at the med bay in seconds, screaming for help.
“Bring them here,” one nurse said, wheeling a gurney. “We’re prepared for them.”
He said a silent prayer of thanks for whoever had called ahead. There was nothing left to do but stare on helplessly while they took you away. He whirled around as Nat and Steve finally caught up.
“What happened? Tell me,” Loki demanded to know.
“There were more agents than planned,” Steve explained. “But they took the bullet so we could complete the mission.”
“And that makes it alright?” he shouted, completely bewildered.
“No, it doesn’t,” Steve tried to pacify him.
“But it was noble,” Nat added. “And they’re going to be alright.”
Loki stayed in the waiting room for the next couple hours, running his hand through his hair as a nervous tic. The other Avengers came and went, Thor begging his brother to at least sit for a little as it got late. But he refused. He would not rest until he knew you were alright. But what was this tight feeling in his chest? This painful feeling of anxious despair? Could Stark be right? Could he love you?
He loved you.
“Mr. Laufeyson?” a nurse said, approaching him.
“Yes,” he immediately responded, a slight edge to his voice. “Are they ok?”
“They are. The wound wasn’t as bad as it looked; they just lost a lot of blood. You can go in and see them now if you want.”
“I do. Thank you.”
With a nod in her direction, Loki was racing towards the room she’d directed him to. Before he just waltzed in, he calmed himself down enough to knock on the open door, drawing your attention away from the window and to his face. A smile instantly lit up your features as you saw him, sparking in him an intense hatred at the thought that he may have never seen that again had today gone differently.
“You lied,” he said, his voice even yet menacing. He surprised himself, for that wasn’t what he had been planning on saying. But now he felt angry enough to shout at the top of his lungs. “You said you would just be training.”
“Look, I’m sorry about that. I am.” Your eyes flicked down to the floor before meeting his again. “But I know you would have tried to stop me. You didn’t leave me with very many options.”
He let out a wry laugh. “I was protecting you!” Now he was shouting. “You do finally go out on a mission and look what happened!”
“I’m fine now, Loki,” you shouted back, seething. “That’s what happened! I don’t need you to protect me.”
“Do you have any idea what I would have done if you died?” You recoiled at his blunt, harsh words, making him instantly regret them. Besides, they were slightly manipulative. He didn’t want to do that, not to you. He wanted to change the direction of the conversation. Still, he carried on with his rant, having lost control. “Your behavior is reckless at best. I insist that you stay at the Tower, even once you are done healing.”
He knew he’d overstepped as soon as the words left his mouth. Even if he hadn’t, the murderous look in your eyes would have clued him in. Before he could apologize, take back what he’d said, you were talking again, your voice now a dangerous growl.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I am not a kid, I don’t need you to protect me. I don’t need you.”
Your hands flew up to cover your mouth, not quite believing what you’d just said. Loki just flinched like a kicked puppy, tears stinging at the back of his eyes. It was his fault. He’d pushed you away. Why did he say those horrible things? Why did it take so long to admit to even himself that he loved you? Why didn’t he just tell you how he truly felt?
“You are right,” he replied, his blue-green eyes glued to the tile beneath him. “You do not need me. I will leave you alone now.”
His heart ached in his chest as you called after him. He wanted to go back, but now he could see he was no good for you. Or at least his latest actions weren’t. Had he really made you think he viewed you as a child? Based on what you said, it sure sounded like he had. What a fool he was.
He sullenly walked to his room and took in the space with fresh eyes. He thought of how many movies you’d watched together there on the tv he had installed specifically for that purpose. All the times you’d stayed up talking, comforting each other. Would he truly never have that again?
He wanted to scream, to cry, but mostly he just wanted to sleep. He should make amends, he knew, but he just wasn’t sure he had the strength to. Not if you truly didn’t need him, and to hear that you meant it would be more than he can bear. Loki closed his eyes and fell into a slumber riddled with dreams of you and all that could have been.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A month. He hadn’t talked to you in a month. Every time he was ready to talk to you, you were avoiding him, and every time you were ready to talk to him, he was avoiding you. It was frustrating, to say the least.
You were still healing a little, but had made a fairly quick recovery. Despite praying for the same to be true of your relationship with Loki, it was still as damaged as ever. But sometimes he’d still make you a cup of tea on the mornings he knew you’d need it most. You couldn’t tell if it was out of habit or if he still cared for you. You weren’t sure you wanted to know.
Checking the time, you realized you were going to be late for a meeting. You knew you weren’t supposed to run, lest you re-injure yourself, but you wanted to make sure you got there in time to get a mission assigned to you. It would be your first time back in the field since the accident. Maybe that was an odd thing to be excited about, but you were. Or maybe you just wanted something to distract you from the whole Loki situation.
“There you are,” Steve greeted. “We were just about to start.”
As of late, you and Loki had been sitting as far away from each other as possible. Today, due to your late arrival, there was only one seat left. Your old one, right across from him. With a gulp, you took it, looking everywhere but him. As Cap began speaking, you dared a glance at Loki out of the corner of your eye. He was staring right at you, as if willing you to look back. He must not have been though, because when you did turn to him, he looked like a deer caught in headlights and looked away from you. The light blush coloring his cheeks didn’t go unnoticed by you, and utterly confused by his behavior, you turned your attention back to Steve.
“Ok,” Steve said, turning to you. “I’ve got another intel mission for you, but only if you’re up for it.”
“Of course,” you replied, willing the nerves in your stomach away. “When do we leave?”
“Well, it’s not ‘we’ exactly,” he said, clearing his throat.
You glanced around the room. All the best fighters were already on a mission, and if you were going, it was probably to deal with the computers, not be the muscle. Bruce was still here, but if he was going to come, it wouldn’t be a stealth mission. Thor and Tony didn’t really specialize in stealth either, but it was more probable. And then there was Loki.
“So who am I going with then?” you gulped.
“Loki.”
“What?” the god exclaimed. “Why me? Cannot Natasha go? Or my brother, perhaps?”
“Nat’s on a mission,” Steve replied. “And anyway we need your magic.”
“Ok, well what about me? I can sit this one out,” you chimed in. “Tony is plenty good with computers, too.”
“Yes, but you’re stealthier,” Steve said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Listen,” Tony chimed in. “It’s true that I’m amazing with computers, but Capsicle gave you the mission, not me. I don’t know what little lovers’ quarrel you two are having right now, but you need to put it aside for the good of the mission. Whatever’s going on, you’re still teammates.”
“Fine,” Loki said through grit teeth, snatching his file from Steve’s outstretched hand. “I will go.”
All eyes in the room turned to you as Loki stormed out. With a sigh, you nodded your head yes and took your own file. You flipped through and saw you’d be leaving tonight.
As soon as the meeting ended, you went to your room to pack. You considered trying to find Loki and talk through your issues, even going so far as to walk up to his door, but you chickened out at the last second. Sitting on your bed and flipping through the file, you were reminded of the last mission you went on. But not memories of getting shot; you thought of your phone call with Loki. You’d been doing so well with not crying, but you finally broke down. All you wanted was to be able to sob into Loki’s shoulder, be held in his arms. But no matter how helplessly in love with him you were, you were certain he could never feel the same.
That night, you cried yourself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ride over to the hydra base was hell. It was just you and Loki, not even a pilot since the jet could fly itself. You spent the whole flight in silence, stealing glances at each other. With nothing else to do, you reviewed the file again. The plan was to have Loki cover you both with an invisibility charm, and you’d sneak into the computer lab. From there, he’d keep lookout while you downloaded the information. Once that was done, you should just be able to stroll out under the invisibility spell. Ideally, there would be no combat. Not like “ideally” went so well last time.
“Ready?” was all you said to break the silence as you landed.
“Yes. You?” he replied.
You nodded, and he handed you your bag. Stepping out of the cloaked vehicle, Loki cast his enchantment over you. Your heart nearly leapt out of your chest as he took your hand. You could still see each other and, and you softly smiled up at him.
“The spell will work better the closer we are, darling.” He seemed to rethink the use of the pet name, but it had slipped out before he could stop it. “I will let go once you set to work.”
“Oh, yeah,” you replied somewhat dejectedly. “That’s fine.”
He kept his word and held on until you reached the room. When he let go, it seemed to be somewhat reluctantly, or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
“This shouldn’t take long,” you reassured him.
“Take your time,” he said with the most genuine smile you’d seen him have in over a month.
You tried to focus on the task at hand, but Loki was standing so close to you that your mind kept straying. It was like with every second that passed, he crept even closer to you. When it got to the point that he was practically standing on top of you, you couldn’t hold your tongue any longer.
“Can I help you?” you snapped.
“Pardon?”
“Why are you standing so close? Do you need something?”
“Yes. I need you to be safe. If there is a bullet fired today, I can assure you, you will not be taking it.”
“Loki, I thought I told you. I don’t need you to protect me.”
“Did Natasha need you to protect her? Did Steve?”
“Well, no, but-”
“And yet you did anyway,” he cut you off. “Because it is something that you do when you care. And I care deeply for you, my darling.”
Your mouth hung open a little in shock. You supposed you shouldn’t read too deeply into it. After all, he didn’t say in what way he cared, and he had been your best friend before all this. It was probably just that. But the way his thumb was caressing your cheek as you leaned into his hand made you think differently. Before you lost your nerve, you surged forward and kissed him. He returned it immediately, though he seemed a bit surprised. His lips were soft, and you wanted to drown in the sensation of him. Your arms wrapped around behind his neck, and when you pulled away from the heated moment, you brought your hands forward to rest on his shoulders.
“Darling,” he whispered.
“Yes, Loki?”
“There are a million things I wish to say to you. But they will have to wait until we are done with the mission and back on the ship. Safe.”
“Oh, yeah,” you said, pulling away sheepishly. “That.”
You finished the data transfer and were on your way back out. Loki held you even closer than he had walking in. A couple of agents passed you, and despite your urge to fight, the god held you back while the charm did its work. Loki hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath until you made it back to the Quinjet safely.
“So,” you said after a minute of flying in silence. “Are you ready to talk then?”
“Yes, darling. I am.” He moved, so that he was sitting next to you, holding your hand. “I made a mistake, I understand that. I was overbearing and lost my temper without even trying to talk things out. I am sorry.”
“Loki, I forgive you. And I’m sorry, too. I said some awful things that I didn’t mean. Plus, I lied to you, my best friend. I miss you.”
“All is forgiven.” He pressed a quick kiss to the back of your hand. “I miss you, too. And there is something else. What you said in the hospital wing? About me treating you like a child? You do not actually believe that I think of you as such?”
“I, well, sorta,” you stammered, a panic building in you. Maybe that kiss was unwanted, after all. “Yeah. I do.”
“Then, darling, I am sorry for that, too. It is not true.” He got up from his seat and knelt before you, never letting go of your hand. “Because you mean so much more to me than that. Because I love you.”
You launched yourself into his arms, kissing him again. He laughed in delight as the sudden force of it knocked him over, both of you landing on the ground, you on top of him. You didn’t even bother to get up.
“I love you, too,” you said before peppering his face with a thousand tiny kisses. “And I need you. I’ll always need you.
When you were done, he looked into your eyes for a second before kissing your lips again. It was heaven. Neither of you even noticed that the plane landed and ramp opened until you heard a wolf-whistle. You looked over to see Tony standing there.
“Well, Reindeer Games,” he smirked. “Looks like I was right, you two do love each other.”
You felt rather flustered as you and Loki sat up. Before you could come to your defense, Loki spoke, eloquent as ever.
“Yes, Stark, you were right,” he said, with eyes only for you, getting ready to kiss you again. “And I could not be happier.”
331 notes · View notes
just-dreaming-marvel · 4 years ago
Text
Out Of Time ~ 133
MASTERLIST
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< previous chapter
Word Count: 3,000ish
Summary: Tony finally comes home, but that doesn’t make the problems go away. (Please read the note at the end)
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Y/N completely unconscious for a whole 24 hours. The remaining team members never wandered far from her side, too scared to lose another person. When Y/N finally awoke, she knew what had happened. She could feel the change inside her.
“They’re gone…” She croaked, looking at Steve with teary eyes. “The Stones are gone…”
“What do you mean, Y/N?” Steve questioned. “Like you don’t have your powers anymore?”
“I mean, they’re gone.”
“Y/N, I think you’re tired,” Thor said. “If your abilities have left you, then you must be exhausted.”
“No. You have to believe me.”
“Okay,” Bruce interrupted. “I think we need to leave her to rest some more.”
Y/N knew that they didn’t believe her. But she could feel it. The Infinity Stones had been destroyed. Her abilities were gone.
~~~
Y/N was alone in the med-bay when the building began trembling ever so slightly. Concerned as it continued, slowly getting worse, Y/N slid out of bed. The others were not too far in front of her as they all quickly headed out to the yard. Looking up as they all continued to walk, they noticed a ship being carried by a glowing Carol. She carefully landed the space craft, looking at a new shaven Steve with a nod. 
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Y/N froze, heart pounding wildly in her chest as the stairs of the space craft lowered. Tony, being supported by Nebula, walked out. She couldn’t stop the tears that began to cascade down her cheeks. Tony was alive. Yes, it was clear that he was barely alive, but there he was.
Steve ran up to Tony, taking him from Nebula to help him stand. Tony gripped Steve’s arm as he joined him.
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“I couldn’t stop him,” Tony told Steve.
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“Neither could I,” Steve responded.
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“I lost the kid.”
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“Tony, we lost.”
“Is, uh…? Y/N…”
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“I’m right here,” Y/N said, running up and embracing him.
Tony practically melted into her arms, kissing her head and Y/N cried. “It’s okay.”
“You’re alive…”
“You’re alive.”
Y/N and Steve helped Tony inside. Bruce immediately got an IV in him and told him that he needed serious rest and food. While Tony sat at the table, his insisted on knowing everything. So the team began explain as a holographic casualty report listed the names and faces of those they lost.
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“It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth,” Rhodey stated.
“World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census,” Natasha explained. “And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent, of all living creatures.”
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“Where is he now?” Tony asked. “Where?” Y/N, who was standing behind Tony’s wheelchair, gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.
“We don’t know,” Steve answered. “He just opened a portal and walked through.”
Tony looked over at a sullen-looking Thor, who as sitting outside on a bench. “What’s wrong with him?” Tony pointed.
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“Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed,” Rocket responded. “Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?”
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“Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.”
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“Maybe I am.”
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“We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep Space scans, and satellites, Y/N was even searching Titan over and over, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him.”
“Who told you that? I didn’t fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the Stone. That's what happened. There was no fight.”
“Okay.”
“He’s unbeatable.”
“Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?”
“Steve—“ Y/N called, waiting to stop this before it got too bad.
“Pfft! I saw this coming a few years back,” Tony continued. "I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming. So did Y/N, ya know? She saw this coming too.”
“Tony, I’m gonna need you to focus,” Steve pressed.
“And I needed you. She,” Tony pointed back at Y/N, “needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?” Tony stood, pushing things off the table. “I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling you—“ Tony went for Steve, only for Rhodey to try to stop him.
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“Tony, Tony, Tony!” Rhodey said. 
“Tony!” Y/N added, though she knew it was no use.
“Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world!” Tony continued, taking his IV out. “Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not— that's what we needed!”
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“Well, that didn't work out, did it?” Steve retorted.
“I said, "we'd lose". You said, "We'll do that together too." And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Prevengers.”
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“Okay,” Rhodey said, trying to get Tony back into the wheelchair with Y/N’s help.
“Right?”
“You made your point,” Y/N said. “Just sit down.
“Okay…”
“Okay?”
“Nah, nah. Here’s my point. You know what?”
“Tony, you’re sick,” Rhodey said, finally able to guide him back to the wheelchair.
Tony pointed to Carol. “She’s great, by the way.”
“Sit down. Sit.” 
Tony finally gave in. We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules!” Tony sprang back up and walked right up to Steve’s face, voice dripping with venom. “I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar.”
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It was clear that Steve was affected by Tony’s words. The old friends just gazed at each other in tense silence. After a moment, Tony ripped his arc reactor from his chest and shoved it into Steve’s hand.
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“Here, take this,” Tony said. “You find him, and you put that on. You hide.”
Tony fell to the ground. Y/N was by his side instantly.
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“Tony!” Steve exclaimed.
“I’m fine,” Tony slurred. “I… Let me...” He quickly fell into an unconscious heap on Y/N’s lap.
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“You shouldn’t have pushed him,” Y/N whispered harshly at Steve. “But that’s what you do, right? To get what you want?”
“Y/N—“
“No, Steve. Just, no. Tony’s always been blamed for everything. Always. But, you know what, you’re not perfect either and are to blame for a lot as well.”
“I never said—“
“I don’t want to hear it, Steve. Not anymore.”
~~~
Tony was brought into a private glass room, where Bruce was getting him situated. Y/N was seated by his side, while Rhodey stood by the door.
“I gave him a sedative,” Bruce informed them. “He will most likely be out for the rest of the day.”
“Thank you, Bruce,” Y/N exhaled shakily. 
“Of course. I’m going to run a few more tests and give him some more meds.” Y/N nodded, staring at Tony.
“Y/N,” Rhodey called for her attention. She glanced over at him. “I need to know… would you have chosen Tony in the end?”
Y/N pursed her lips. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Rhodey… the choice was made for me…”
“I just don’t want him hurt.”
“I won’t. Trust me.” Y/N rubbed her fingers over Tony’s hand. “I love him. And… he’s all I have left.”
~~~
Rhodey walked out to inform the others about Tony’s condition.
“Bruce gave him a sedative,” he told them. “He's gonna probably be out for the rest of the day.”
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“You guys take care of him,” Carol said. “And I'll bring him a Xorrian Elixir when I come back.” She walked away.
“Where are you going?” Natasha asked.
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“To kill Thanos.”
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Steve and Natasha shared a look before quickly walking after her.
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“Hey,” Natasha called after her, “you know, we usually work as a team here, and between you and I, morale's a little fragile.”
“We realize up there is more your territory,” Steve added, “but this is our fight too.”
“You even know where he is?” Rhodey questioned.
“I know people who might,” Carol responded.
“Don’t bother,” Nebula said, standing behind Carol. “I can tell you where Thanos is. Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. And when he worked, he talked about his great plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I'd ask "where would we go once his plan was complete?". His answer was always the same: "To the Garden.”” 
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“That's cute, Thanos has a retirement plan,” Rhodey commented.
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“So where is he?” Steve asked.
They grabbed Bruce and gathered in the common room. Rocket stood on the table with a hologram of a planet.
“When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions,” Rocket explained. “No one's ever seen anything like it... Until two days ago.” A shockwave visibly traversed over the planet in the hologram. “On this planet.”
“Thanos is there,” Nebula confirmed.
“He used the Stones again,” Natasha stated. She looked at Steve. “That’s what happened with Y/N. She was feeling the Stones. We have a chance, we could—“
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“Hey, hey, hey,” Bruce interrupted. “We'd be going in short-handed, you know.”
“Look, he's still got the stones,” Rhodey said. “So—“
“So let’s get him,” Carol stated. “Use them to bring everyone back.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah, just like that.”
“Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this…" Natasha said. “I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try.”
“If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?” Bruce wondered. “And how do we know that Y/N’s not right? That the Stones are destroyed.”
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“She can’t be right,” Steve stated. “Not until I see it with my own eyes.”
“And this will be different because last time, you didn’t have me,” Carol stated.
“Hey, new girl, everyone here is about that superhero life,” Rhodey said. “And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?”
“There are a lot of other planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys.”
Thor, who had been eating in the back all this time, stood up and walked over to Carol. She looked behind at him. Holding his hand up, Thor summoned his ax. He caught it as it flew over to him, missing Carol by inches. But Carol didn’t even flinch, instead giving Thor a small smile.
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“I like this one,” Thor smiled.
“Let’s go get this son of a bitch,” Steve ordered.
~~~
Y/N was sitting beside a still unconscious Tony, reading, when Steve slipped into the room.
“How’s he doing?” Steve asked, awkwardly staying near the door.
“Fine,” Y/N responded, not bothering to look up from her book.
“Look, Y/N, I…” He sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then go.”
“The team knows where Thanos is.” This got Y/N to look up at Steve. “We’re going to go get the Stones back and reverse this.”
“I told you, Steve, the Stones are gone.”
“You don’t know tha—“
“Oh, I don’t? I just wasn’t, I don’t know, connected to them for years? But go ahead. Try and fix this. But I’m telling you it’s too late.”
“Don’t you want to try and get everyone back? Get Bucky back?”
She paused, searching her mind for how to answer. She knew Steve wouldn’t believe her if she told him that she had seen the future. The battle wasn’t over.
“Things happen for a reason,” she replied. “We have to accept it—“
“Unbelievable,” Steve scoffed. “I can’t even—who are you?”
“I could ask you the same question, Steve.” He clenched his jaw. “We are not the same people we were before we froze, Steve. And I don’t know if we’ll ever go back to that.”
“I’ll let you know when we’re home.” 
~~~
When Tony woke up, he was all alone. He was groggy from all the drugs, but he knew he was back at the compound. Looking around the room, he saw Y/N coming towards the room with a tray of food. Her eyes lit up ever so slightly when she met his opened ones.
“Hey, sleepy head,” Y/N greeted with a soft smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a moon landed on top of me,” he responded, voice raspy. “Oh, wait. It did.” He grunted as he sat up more.
“I brought some food.” She set the try on a table in the room. “I didn’t know what you’d be feeling like, so I got a little bit of everything.”
Tony carefully watched as Y/N got his food ready. Knowing her for so long, he knew when something was up.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
Y/N sighed, knowing she couldn’t keep anything from him. “The Stones are gone.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, they’re destroyed. I don’t have my powers anymore. The team also found Thanos, they went to try to reverse what happened.”
“But the Stones are destroyed.”
“They don’t believe me.” 
“What? Why? You’re connected with the Stones.”
“I know… they still didn’t.”
Tony could see how everything that had transpired was weighing down on Y/N, whether she admitted it or not. “We’re leaving.”
“What?”
“We can’t stay here. We need to move on. Start our live together.”
“We can’t just leave.”
“We can’t? Why?”
“Well, they… I… I don’t know.”
“Exactly why we need to go. I’ve already got a secluded piece of land with a small lake on it. We can build a house there. Try to find some normalcy.” Y/N looked out the window, biting her lip. “I can see the weight you’re carrying about all this… it’s not solely your fault. Don’t take all of it on yourself.” He reached out his thin, trembling hand. “Let me bare it with you.”
With a teary nod, Y/N set her hand in Tony’s. He tried to pull her towards him. She sat beside him on the bed, brushing his hair off his forehead.
“I love you, Tony,” she whispered.
“I love you too.” 
~~~
By the time the team came back, Tony and Y/N had already put together a house plan. The team came back with the news that Thanos was dead and the Stones were gone, not to Y/N or Tony’s surprise. The two left the compound to Tony’s apartment in the city that night.
They were both extremely sadden by how destroyed and seemly empty the city was. The first night was harder for Y/N than it was for Tony. Due to still being malnourished, Tony spent a lot of time sleeping. Y/N was the opposite, not getting much sleep at all. She was haunted by what happened in her dreams and too scared that if she closed her eyes, Tony would disappear. 
It was dusk, when Tony woke up from a nap. Usually, Y/N would lay beside him or still be somewhere in the room. But this time, he couldn’t see her anywhere. He pushed himself up to get a better look at the room.
“Y/N?” He questioned. “Honey? Where are you?”
No response. With a grunt he stood up, grabbed his cane, and headed out of the bedroom. He kept calling out her name.
“Y/N? Y/N?”
He stopped when he thought he heard something. And he was right. He heard sobs that were clearly trying to be concealed. Hurrying as fast as he could, Tony turned the corner, he heart shattering further than he thought it could at the sight. Y/N was on her knees, in the middle of the living room. Her hands were pressing a blanket to her mouth, trying to conceal her retching sobs. Who knows how long she had been like that, but the blanket was drenched in tears.
“Oh, honey,” Tony hurried over, getting down next to her. He pulled her into him, but she fought it. “Don’t fight me, hun. Please.”
“I’m so-sorry, Tony,” Y/N sobbed. “Please just go… I’ll be fine…”
“It’s clear that you’re not.” Tony pulled her back in, not caring that she was fighting. “You’re carrying too much on your own. Like I said before, let me bare this with you…”
“I-I can’t… cause it’s my fault… if I had tried any harder or pushed myself—“
“Until what? You died? You know that I wouldn’t have been able to handle your— I-I can’t even think about it.”
“It’s just… it’s so hard, Tony… it hurts so much… I watched them dust right before my eyes… the power I was given to stop this, failed me and now it’s gone… I’m—I’m useless.”
Tony’s frail hands took Y/N’s face firmly in his hands. “You are not nor ever will be useless. Especially not to me.”
“I’m so sorry, Tony… I’m so sorry…”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay…” 
He placed a soft kiss on her lips before going in for other, more hungrily. Y/N welcomed it, letting him have entrance into her mouth. When they finally separated, panting, Y/N and Tony locked eyes.
“Help me, Tony,” she whimpered. “Please… take this feeling away…”
Tony nodded before pressing his lips firmly against hers. Y/N guided herself so that she was laying down as Tony hovered over her, pressing kisses down her neck.
“I will always help you,” he whispered against her lips. “Always.”
It was a beautiful, long awaited night of love and passion. Both of them were beginning to feel whole again, completed, in each others holds. Healing was starting to take place because, as long as they had each other, everything was going to be alright.
next chapter >
My dearest Team Bucky, many of you have been so patient throughout this whole series and I ask you to continue to do so. I have a surprise coming your way (and to Team Tony’s). Thank you for your support and please keep reading.
If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.
220 notes · View notes
ordinaryschmuck · 3 years ago
Text
What I Thought About "Hunting Palismans" From The Owl House
Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.
Today, I present to you reason #4,693 for why The Owl House is the best thing at the moment: It's the perfect balance of serialized storytelling with an episodic format. The story always moves forward with an exact order for how episodes should be watched, but each episode still functions as its own standalone tale. Having prior knowledge of what happened before adds more to the experience, but you can still watch whatever you want and still have an enjoyable time. Take "Hunting Palismans," for example. It adds so much more to the overarching narrative while slightly continuing other threads. But it's still something you can watch as is without remembering the past or wondering about the future.
However, to properly explain how requires spoilers. I wasn't kidding when I say that this episode adds so much, so you're going to want to be wary of that when you continue reading.
With that said, let's review, shall we?
WHAT I LIKED
Coven Heads Meeting: We already saw these fellow schmucks in the trailer, but that doesn't take away how cool they are! It's not explicitly stated which head belongs to which coven, but you can already tell who goes where just from their designs alone. And I love that. I love that just by showing us some excellent character designs, anybody with half a brain can already figure out the particular type of magic each Coven Head specializes in. It's a perfect example of the show-don't-tell level of storytelling that is always at its best through animation, and I'm all for it because of it.
What the Day of Unity is: Several fans, myself included, have already speculated that the Day of Unity was that Emperor Belos planned to combine the human world with the Boiling Isles and rule it all with an iron fist. That being said, figuring it out is one thing, but being told that it's true is a whole different level pants-s**ting horror that I AM NOT READY FOR! Even when it's going to happen, I can assure you that I will not be prepared to witness it ...and I am scared of when it does.
Belos Body Horror: ...Disney, I was already scared s**tless of this guy. I DO NOT NEED THIS!
That being said, seeing Belos do...whatever the f**k that was, helps explain further why he needs the magic in palismans. I always assumed because it's like fuel for a car, giving him the power he needs. Now, even though the answer is more apparent, there are still some questions to be had. Is he cursed, and the magic keeps it at bay like Eda's potions? Or did he experiment with the wrong type of magic, and the palismans keep him stable? Only the future can say for sure...and I'm also not prepared for the answers from that either.
Golden Guard is Belos’ Nephew: Gosh dangit, THE INTRO HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET, AND THIS EPISODE IS ALREADY GIVING SO MUCH!
But, yeah, the most powerful witch on the Isles is apparently Golden Boy's Grunkle Belos. That very knowledge is incredibly interesting to discuss while presenting possibilities for future narratives. I don't know about you, but I see the Golden Guard going down the path of Zuko, learning that the magic of friendship is worth much more than whatever power he gains from being Belos' nephew. And possibly earning his uncle's love seeing how he's the only family he has. It's a situation that's vastly different from Amity's because even when she defies her parents, she'll still have Edric and Emira at the end of the day. For Golden Guard, knowing that he lost a great family to wild magic, the inclination to go against Belos is a lot weaker due to him being all he has left.
Oh, and also, Belos' family getting wiped out because of wild magic. Yeah, not only does that give the best type of motivation for Belos' distaste for it, but it also explains the Golden Guard's hesitance to use it. He's inclined to so he can save his uncle, sure. It's only the fact that he knows what happens with wild magic that causes some resistance...Also, we're less than a minute in, and I'm already getting all of this from one discussion between two characters.
HOW IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD?!
Intro Changes: It's about time too. It seems weird that the crew waited to change Eda and King's designs in the intro this late in the game, but it also tells me that Amity dying her hair lavender is the last huge change this season will present. Otherwise, why change the intro at all if you were going to alter Luz, Willow, and Gus' designs anyway? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Luz Keeping the Echo Mouse as a Pet: The fact that she keeps the most important creature in the world to her as a pet...it's...it's adorable, alright? And as we established several times, I cannot hate adorable things.
Don't judge me!
Amity Staying Home: There are two plausible ways why Amity didn't go to school that day. Either she's getting punished for dying her hair or because she's trying to avoid Luz so they won't talk about the you-know-what. Either could work and seem understandable to Luz, thus explaining why she admits how "that makes sense." Although, there is something to discuss in how Luz is curious as to where Amity is. Judging from the tone of her voice, it's pretty clear that she wants to talk about the little peck on the cheek and maybe get some confirmation as to what it means. Because there is no going back from that. You can explain away saying or doing something stupid, but you cannot un-kiss a cheek. That is a point of no return, and if Amity really is avoiding Luz because of it, that means it's up to our favorite weirdo to make the first move. As for what that may entail...we'll just have to wait and see.
Frewin: We get two bits of information here for the price of one reveal here. Knowing that Frewin is a palisman is shocking enough, but the knowledge that Bump is partially blind and needs Frewin to see? That is an intriguing piece of intel that I would have never expected to get revealed. This is reason #5,279 for what makes The Owl House so good. Even when the show presents information you wouldn't guess, it's all so interesting anyways that you can't help but go along with it.
Adopting Palismans: First of all, love the fact that the Bat Queen makes a return to provide a solution to the palisman trees being rare and solving her own problem regarding the discarded palismans. It's a situation where everyone wins in a way that is so clever that I can't help but admire it.
Second, the idea of students choosing to adopt palismans instead is cute. I'd say it gives further insight into who these characters are in how they say what they want to be, but there's nothing really new added that fans couldn't figure out from the get go. But I will say that it's pretty cool to know that these characters have official staffs now. Speaking of which, if you're upset that their palismans don't match up with your headcanons...grow up.
This was a cute and smartly written scene that should not be bogged down by whiney fans who can't accept a series doing something different from what they expect.
Little Rascal: I’d take a bullet for this bird. That is all.
Luz Being Uncertain of her Future: A lot of fans offer several ideas of what the future could look like for Luz. Will she stay in the Boiling Isles? In Connecticut? Or will she go back and forth? We don't know, but one question we rarely brought up is what does Luz want? More specifically, what does she want to do? After everything Luz went through, the adventures she's gone on, and the lessons learned, what is something that Luz wants her future to be? That's an answer she doesn't really figure out, and I'm genuinely ok with that being a question that's tabled for another day. Most kids who ask that question themselves aren't always going to find an answer after a short amount of time and sometimes even need to spend their lives trying to figure it out. So having it be something Luz has to consider and probably find out in a future episode is the smarter option, as it allows time for it to simmer in her own mind and provides more insight into her character. As stated several times in this episode, she doesn't think things through, so it's nice that the writers finally allowed her some time to wonder what's next when the adventure is over.
Luz Having to Improvise Without Paper Glyphs: You want to know what my favorite Spider-Man moments are (this is relevant. Trust me). My favorite moments are when Spidey's web-shooters run out of fluid, and he's forced to improvise with that big brain of his to find a solution. That's sort of what happens with Luz in "Hunting Palismans." She didn't bring her glyphs with her (why would she), so she's forced to use the environment around her to make new ones. Plus, Luz also flexes her knowledge of the Boiling Isles by mixing her glyphs with a magical plant (which Willow certainly told her about) so that she and the Golden Guard could knock out Kikimora's dragon. It's yet another showcase of her intelligence that a lot of fans are too keen to overlook. Unfortunate to see, too, because looking at how well Luz can craft the perfect solutions by fighting smarter, not harder, is a fantastic add-on to her personality. I love characters who win through their wits rather than their raw powers, and I once again hope more people will catch onto that aspect of her too.
Golden Guard Whistling the Theme: Look, I love it when a show acknowledges its own theme song, ok? Leave me alone.
Luz and the Golden Guard: This is one of those dynamics you didn't know you wanted until you have it. And now that I have it, I DEMAND MORE!
Seriously, seeing these two interact off of each other was a ton of fun to watch. When Luz and GG are initially at each other's throats, their threats and mockery towards one another aren't out of spiteful anger between two mortal enemies. It's more like...two siblings who get on each other's nerves yet are supposed to deal with one another. It's equally adorable and hilarious, and yes, I absolutely loved that they're forced to work together in this episode because of it.
Although, while the entertainment value is fantastic, it also adds more proof of why Luz is the best character in the series. She spends one night with this guy, and that's more than what she needed to make a difference with him. I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're buddies now, but Luz definitely sowed the seeds into his redemption. He's far from willing to join her side, but he still does something he rarely does with anyone else: He told her that his name is Hunter. And this is what Luz does. Through nearly every person she meets on the Boiling Isles, she always manages to change them for the better. It'll be a while before Hunter deflects from Belos, but if Amity proves anything, Luz has a way of sneaking into people's hearts. They just need to spend more time with one another, and I can't wait to see what happens next because of it.
Kikimora Wanting to Kill Hunter: This shows a lot about who Kikimora is, but it potentially proves just how dysfunctional the Emperor's Coven can be. If Kiki proves anything, the coven must be filled with people willing to backstab and cheat their way to get on Emperor Belos' good side. Just look at Lilith. She literally cursed her own sister just to get in and received all the rewards because of it. The Emperor's Coven may be the best choice for witches to do magic, but if you're surrounded by people you can't trust, then is it really worth it?
The Guards Not Knowing Who Hunter is: This helps add to how much of a big deal it is for Hunter to reveal his name to Luz. If people can't even recognize his face, there's a chance it means that he keeps his true identity a secret except for those in his inner circle.
And the coven guards brushing off his brand is more than believable to me. They may be aware that Belos' right hand is young, but teens will be teens. Anybody with enough artistic talent can fake a brand. So it isn't too far off for those two to think Hunter was just a kid pulling a prank.
Hunter is Powerless Without his Staff: Not much to say here. It's just some more neat insight into Hunter's character that makes me wonder if even Belos' magic is real magic.
But I will say this: The fact that Hunter comes from a lineage of powerless witches, well, who's to say that isn't because of a...certain ancestor?
(*Cough* Hunter is related to Philip *Cough*)
Hunter vs Kiki: A pretty well-animated fight scene that adds potential drama to the story for the future. Now that Kikimora knows that Hunter helped Luz escape with the palismans (albeit unwillingly), she may or may not hold that over his head when the time comes. Or, at the very least, decides to keep a closer eye on him whenever he makes a slip-up.
Eda and King Getting Luz her own Palisman Wood: These last two weeks have been severely lacking in the Eda and King department, but scenes like this more than make up for it. Those two have formed such a bond with Luz to the point where they would do the impossible if it meant she would feel better. It proves just how much of a family they all are and the lengths they would go for each other. After all, weirdos have to stick together.
Little Rascal going to Hunter: Hunter is right. That was surprising.
Given how much Little Rascal stuck by Luz, I was more than positive that she would be the one he chose. So seeing Little Rascal pick Hunter instead is a much nicer twist. There could be multiple reasons why, and I'm just going to leave that to the analyzers in this fandom to decide. Especially since the answer isn't really all that important.
So, instead, I'm going to go ahead and sit in the corner as I wOrRy AbOuT tHe DaY tHaT bElOs FiNdS lItTlE rAsCal!
IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! AND I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS HOLY, IF THE WRITERS KILL HIM, I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!
WHAT I DISLIKED
First, there's...um...
Well, there was this...
Ok, as much as I liked--No, that turned out well anyways...
...
...I've got nothing.
I, honest to goodness, have no complaints about "Hunting Palismans" Not even the tiniest of nitpicks I would usually ignore due to how well-executed everything else was.
It's all written fantastically to the point where it's...perfect.
IN CONCLUSION
"Hunting Palismans" is an easy A+. It introduces even more plot threads, gives insight into characters, and despite being essential to the story, it still manages to be a fun episode all on its own. And, I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best, if not the best, episodes in the series. There's nothing bad about it, and that surprises me. I rarely find nothing bad to say about any story, even the ones I enjoy greatly. I'm sure there are some flaws that others would be more than happy to point out, but why bother hunting for the imperfections when I could accept that, for once, an episode is simply perfect.
(And that’s six hits in a row...THAT STINKER IS GOING TO HAPPEN! It hasn’t happened yet, BUT IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! I CAN FEEL IT!)
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noforkingclue · 4 years ago
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Happy Sunday! Hope you’re well ❤️ can I request #4 from the angst list or #5 from the fluff list with Star Trek’s Bones? Whichever writing mood you’re in! Thank you 😊
I went for angst that ends in fluff! You know me, never pass up the opportunity for angsty fics!
Prompt 4, angst: “Why are you lying to me?”
Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary
You groaned when you opened your eyes, the bright white light of the med bay assaulting them. You tried to raise your arm but it felt like it was made of lead. You heard the sound of rushing feet and a firm hand was placed on your shoulder.
“Easy,” said a familiar voice, “You’ve been hit on the head.”
“Bones?”
“Yeah,” there was something off about his voice, “I’m here.”
Eventually you managed to open your eyes. You smiled softly when Bones’s face came into view but it quickly fell when you saw his expression. He was determined not to make eye contact with you and a sinking feeling in your stomach quickly appeared.
It was clear the he knew.
“So I’m alright?” you asked, “Nothing major?”
Bones remained silent.
“I can leave soon? The injury-“
“Why are you lying to me?”
You flinched at how cold Bones’s voice was. Bones seemed to realise his mistake and he winced at your reaction. The two of you waited in an increasingly awkward silence before Bones sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. You shifted to make room for him but he put a hand on your knee to stop you.
“Did you really think that you could hide this?” he asked
You bit your lip and looked away.
“I didn’t know how you’d react,” you said at last, “I didn’t know if you wanted this and when I found out…”
“How long have you known for?”
“A week.”
“And you still went out on a mission? For Christ’s sake y/n, this is our child we’re talking about!”
“Don’t talk to me as if I don’t know that!” you hissed, “Why do you think I didn’t tell you!”
Bones’s eyes widened at your statement and you flopped against the pillows.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked eventually
“Because I knew you’d act like this.”
When Bones didn’t immediately reply you continued,
“I didn’t think you’d want anything serious, that what we had was just a bit of fun, just casual sex. I didn’t think that you would want another child and I was thinking over my options. I thought that you wouldn’t want this, wouldn’t want me, if you found out that I was pregnant. I didn’t want-“
You cut yourself off, not able to finish your sentence. You didn’t realise you were crying until Bones brushed away a tear. You looked at him in shock as he said,
“Do you really think that?”
You nodded shakily and he sighed. Bones ran a hand through his hair and looked away.
“You have no idea how hard it’s been for me,” he said quietly, “Acting as though this… relationship is just about sex. Pretending that you aren’t the best thing that has come into my life.”
“Wh… what do you mean?”
“I mean,” Bones moved so he was gently cupping your face, “That I love you and I’m not going to leave you. Unless,” he added quickly, “You don’t feel the same way.”
“I do.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“And the baby?”
“Well,” you rested your forehead against Bones’s, “You know Jim will want to be Godfather right?”
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darthkruge · 4 years ago
Text
Poe Dameron x Reader ~ Take Mine
Summary || On your first mission as Commander of Blue Squadron, you take Poe’s X-wing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as planned. 
Warnings || Some injuries and a bit of blood? I didn’t go super in detail, though
Words || 2.2k
A/N || This is my first time writing for Poe and I’m so scared and I tried to be accurate and if it’s not I apologize but if I spent another minute staring at this draft I will scream. Special thanks to @poestardust and @buckysbeloved because y’all were both super fucking supportive and without that this might not have been posted! I am now officially adding Poe to the people I write for and while my requests for full fics are closed, I am more than willing to do little blurbs/hc’s or hear any and all of y’alls soft/angsty thoughts for that wonderful Flyboy. My status of requests gives more insight into all of this :)
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You groaned, shaking your head as you racked your brain for a way to get out of this. Your X-wing was supposed to be fixed a week ago, a solid few days before your mission was set to start. But, alas, Red Squadron had a bit of a rough mission coming off Hoth and needed repairs more rapidly than you, so your starfighter was put on the low priority list. 
Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. You could be patient. Normally. But you had just been promoted to Commander of Blue Squadron and your first mission left in two standard hours. 
You walked through the door of your room, trying to find a solution but continuing to come up empty. 
“Sweetheart?” Your head perked up at Poe’s voice, the concern clear in his words. 
“What happened, why aren’t you with the rest of the Squadron getting ready?” 
“My starfighter isn’t ready.” You said, trying to make sense of the words as they came out.
Poe blinked. “Still?” 
“Yeah, the other repairs are taking longer than usual and it’s not ready and it won’t be ready and I have to lead my team on a supply drop and try to not get everyone killed and I don’t even have my kriffing X-wing!” Your voice shook, the lack of control making you anxious as you paced back and forth through your quarters. 
Poe’s hands found their way to your shoulders, steadying you. “Look at me, okay? Breathe for a second,” Poe gave you a slight smile as you nodded, closing your eyes as you took a deep breath. “Yeah, just like that. It’s gonna be just fine, we’ll figure it out!” 
Now, the panic creeped back into your expression. “How?!” 
Poe thought for a second, mentally grasping at straws before his eyes widened in realization. “Take mine!”
“What?!”
“Take my X-wing! It’s all ready to go and Black Squadron isn’t set to go on our next mission for another two weeks! You’ll be back well before then, it’ll work out just fine!” 
“But- I can’t just take your X-wing, Poe!”
“Yes you can! Come on, I don’t really see what other options you have! Just take it, please? It’ll bring you good luck.” 
You sighed, realizing he was right. “Okay, okay, fine!”
Poe smiled, leaning in to peck you on the lips. “Now, go! You don’t want to be late, do you, Commander?” 
“Oh, no, definitely not, Commander! That would set a horrible example for my team!” You quipped back before leaning in once more. “I love you.” You whispered. 
“I love you too.” He smiled back. “Seriously!” He said with a laugh, “Go!” 
“Going!” You called over your shoulder as you ran to the hanger. 
A week and two days later, that conversation was the only thing on your mind. You were desperately steering your- no, Poe’s- X-wing away from the fleet of First Order ships flying straight for your Squadron. Somehow, they’d learned of your plans for the supply drop and decided to swing by. How thoughtful of them. 
“Okay, everyone. Just hang tight, shoot if you’ve got a clear shot but no one’s trying to be a hero, alright? First priority is getting home safe.” You said through the open channel.
 You smiled as you heard your team voice their approval, ending their messages with a “Commander” here and there. Right now, all you were doing was hoping you were deserving enough of that title to get everyone back in one piece. 
Looking to make sure everyone was in line, you felt your heart drop as you counted the starfighters. Everyone was there, minus one. Where was Snap? Craning your neck, you swore as you saw him caught on the right side, boxed in by two First Order TIE fighters. 
You quickly opened a private communication channel. “Tallie?”
“Yes, Commander L/N?”
“Make sure everyone stays ahead of the TIE fighters, okay? Keep moving forward.”
“Y/N what are you talking about?”
You sighed, consciously working to keep your voice even and calm. “Snap’s stuck and I’m not leaving him. I’ll be fine, just a little bit behind you. Just… get them home.” 
“But-”
“Please.” 
You felt guilty for being short with her, but you had to do it. If you didn’t, she’d know how kriffing terrified you were. 
After waiting a moment, she sighed. “Okay. Be safe, Commander.”
“Same to you.” You replied, shutting off the channel. You forced the tears back in your eyes and refused to let your thoughts dwell any more on your Squadron or that beautiful, dark haired pilot you knew was waiting for you. 
You turned Poe’s X-wing and sent a prayer to the Maker as you made a bee-line for one of the two TIE fighters and fired, shooting one directly. You laughed, almost giddy at how spot-on the hit was. 
“Commander?” Snap’s voice filtered through the communication system. 
“Hang on, I’ve almost got it.” You bit your lip in concentration as you aimed for the second fighter. But right as you pressed fire, so did they. Your eyes widened as you quickly swerved. Luckily, the blast didn’t hit the front of the starfighter, or else you’d be good as dead right now. Unluckily, you gasped in horror as your ship began plummeting, realizing they had hit your engine. 
You turned your head back, praying that this wasn’t in vain. You let out a breath, realizing Snap was now free and the other TIE was demolished, thanks to your aim. If you’re going to go down, at least you brought two First Order fighters with you. 
As your X-wing came closer and closer to the ground, you screwed your eyes shut. Against your will, you remembered that at least your last conversation with him had been a good one. Your heart broke, realizing he’d probably find a way to blame himself for this, forever. That you’d never get married, never have the chance to settle down after the war ends. That you’d never again feel his lips against yours, never again experience the warmth of his arms or the comfort of his embrace. How could life work like this, how could it simply-
Your thoughts were cut off as your starfighter crashed to the ground, leaving you in darkness. 
-------
“What do you mean, their starfighter went down?!”
Leia sighed, subtly but firmly gesturing for everyone else to clear the briefing room. “Blue Squadron’s supply run didn’t go as planned. There were first order TIE fighters waiting for them. I’m not sure of the specifics, just that Commander L/N’s X-wing’s communication systems went out. Snap said Y/N went down saving him and when he rushed back to their crashed X-wing, they were breathing, but unconscious and bleeding.” 
Her eyes softened as she saw Poe’s heartbroken expression. “I’m sorry, Poe. I know you must be feeling helpless right now. But there is no reason to assume the worst, at least not yet.”
Poe swallowed hard, the tears making his throat heavy. “I’m-” His voice broke, the pain evident. “I’m gonna go wait at the hangar bay. They’ll make it home.” 
Leia just nodded, not having the heart to tell him to try to prepare himself for the worst. 
-------
When you woke up, you were in Snap’s X-wing, leaning against the wall in the small space. You groaned when you moved your hand to your head. Yup, you were definitely bleeding. 
“Where are we?” You croaked out. 
Snap’s head shot over to you. “Oh thank the Maker, you’re awake! We’re almost back at the base. Just sit still, okay?”
You nodded, already feeling a bit groggy.
“Y/N?!” 
You gave an annoyed hum in response.
“Come on, Y/N, don’t fall asleep. Hold on a little longer.” 
You nodded, fighting against every instinct you had to stay conscious. 
“Kriff, okay. Talk to me, okay?”
“About what?” Your mouth felt like sandpaper and your head was heavy. Even as you leaned it against the wall, you felt dizzy, like you’d tip over at any second. 
“Dameron. Tell me about Dameron, okay?”
Your lips unconsciously curled into a soft smile. And then your eyes shot open as you tried to physically shake the dizziness from your body. “The X-wing!”
“What?!”
“My, no, his X-wing! Poe’s, his- he’s gonna be so upset, kriff!” 
“What are you going on about?”
“Poe, he let me use his X-wing and it kriffing crashed and-” You trailed off, running a hand through your hair and wincing as the movement aggravated your injured head. 
“Y/N, calm down, okay? He’ll be fine, he’s not gonna care.”
You nodded, eyes filling with guilty tears as Snap finally pulled up to the Resistance Base. Home. As the X-wing opened, Snap helped haul you up as Poe sprinted over to you. 
“Y/N!” He called, hands coming to hold either side of your face. He quickly put one of your arms around his shoulders as his wound around your waist, holding your weight against him.
“I’m sorry, I’m so-” You hiccupped, tears leaking from your eyes. 
“Hey, it’s okay, it’s alright. Let’s just get you back to our room, yeah?” 
You shook your head, placing a hand on his chest to stop him. He looked into your eyes and his concern compounded, no idea why you were so distraught. 
“I crashed your X-wing.” You said, head hung in shame. 
Poe was now just as confused as he was concerned. “I… I know, sweetheart. But you’re safe now, I’ve got you. Just a little more walking and then I can clean you up.” 
“No! I, you don’t understand! Poe, it’s not just scratched up, it’s ruined. We had to leave it, it’s gone and it’s my fault and I’m so, so sorry.”
He just shook his head, still shocked that you thought he was upset about that. “Y/N, I know. But I’m not worried about that, I’m worried about you. Now would you please let me get you back to our room?” 
You nodded but he didn’t miss how the guilt refused to leave your gaze. When you finally got inside, he led you over to the bed and got you to sit down. 
“I’m fine, seriously.” 
Poe quirked his eyebrow. “You’re bleeding from the head.” 
He walked quickly into the refresher, coming back with the medkit you’ve used on him millions of times before. As he worked on disinfecting the cut on your head, you bunched your fingers in the bedsheets, distracting yourself from the pain of the gash. Noticing, he muttered a quick apology, taking a break to stroke his thumb across your cheekbone. Finally, he finished stitching the cut and gently placed a bandage over the area, smoothing out the edges. 
When he looked up, he saw you lost in your own mind. “Come on, baby, talk to me.” 
“You just… you loved that ship and you trusted me with it and you’d had it for so long and I can’t believe I wrecked it.” 
Poe sighed, wishing there was something he could do to convince you that everything was alright. 
“Sweetheart, it’s a kriffing X-wing. Why are you so worked up about it?” His voice was soft and free of judgment. 
“I just feel like I let you down.” 
“Hey,” He said, taking your hands in his. “You did nothing of the sort. I promise, I’m not upset, okay? I’m just glad you made it home to me.” 
You looked up at him. “I’ll always come home to you.” 
You scooted over and gestured to the bed, a silent invitation. Poe smiled at you and took a second to take off his boots and jacket before climbing in beside you. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, careful not to hit your head while doing so. You leaned into him, your face resting comfortably in the crook of his neck as you breathed in his scent. He pulled back for a second, just to grab the covers and move them so they were all around you and up to your chin, just as you liked. 
Under the blankets, you moved your hand so it was resting on his heart. You liked doing so, feeling the steady beating of it after a long mission. Poe was used to it by now and simply placed one of his hands atop yours, his thumb rubbing up and down. 
“And you know it’s not your fault, right?” He said, breaking the silence 
“Poe, I was literally the one that crashed it.” You reasoned, lifting your head up to look at him. 
“They shot you down as you took out two TIE fighters! No one could have gotten out of that.” 
“But you had so many memories attached to that X-wing-”
“-And we’ll make new ones.” He finished. 
You sighed and nodded, a slow smile creeping onto your face that let Poe know that you at least somewhat believed his words. Inwardly, he cheered, quite proud of himself for getting through to you. Outwardly, he just tucked you further into his embrace and relished in the feeling of you safe, home, and in his arms.
----
tagging people on my permanent taglist + peoples who wanted a tag/might be interested? if i wrongly guessed you’d be interested please feel free to ignore sfklsj!!
@saltybreaddream @buckysbeloved @lolquarth @sodaoverstars @artiza-n @poestardust @beskar-tano @starwarsflowers @sunsetkenobi @90steaology @marvelinsanity @dracowars @collywobbl @dameronology​ @marvel-ousnesss​
also: i added poe to my taglist and if you would like to be added to those tags, the link to join my taglist is in my pinned! if you’ve already joined my taglist, you can just fill it out again in full or just check poe’s name and either way i’ll know because the last question on the form lets me know if you’re new to the taglist or simply editing your previous answer :)
also i sent this fic to the queue because i have never been more scared to post something
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ray-ray-writings · 4 years ago
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Please please please do a part two of the sapnap and Punz fic I’m SUCH A PUNZ SIMP I NEED THAT GOOD FOOD AND YOU PROVIDE PLEASE
I AM ALSO A PUNZ SIMP AND LOVE WRITING FOR HIM SO I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKE WHAT I WRITE <3 (This is a part two to this drabble. You may wanna read this or you might be a little confused lol) (P.S. We’re going to say that Sapnap’s and Punz’s last name is Keller *this is not their real last names lol. I just needed a last name and was like “sure”*) Also I added a page break cause this is longer than normal... whoops lol
So you go and sit on the couch and begin to eat. As you’re eating you hear Sapnap yell, “OW! That’s cheating!” Before footsteps are barreling toward the living room. The two brothers rush to stand in front of you, pushing and shoving each other as they both try to get your attention on them, “Yes?” You ask, taking a bite of your food. “I won!” Punz claims proudly, trying to move forward and sit on the couch next to you, but Sapnap grabs the back of his shirt and says, “You cheated. You’re a dirty cheater! Y/N doesn’t cuddle with dirty cheaters!” And you smile a little bit and shrug and say, “he’s right, I don’t… What did you do?” And Punz lets out a huff and crosses his arms and looks away from you. Sapnap let out a sigh, “he bit me! He sunk his teeth into my hand and then while I was distracted, he pinned me!” Sapnap whines. You reach out and take his hand and sure enough there are teeth marks imprinted in your best friends hand. You let out a small tut and look back at Punz who was now blushing but still wasn’t looking at you, “That is cheating, and as I said I don’t cuddle with cheaters… Maybe next time Punz” Sapnap lets out a cheer of excitement before throwing his body on top of you and pulling you into him. Punz looks down at the two of you and for a moment, you think you see a flash of envy cross his face, but it’s gone as soon as it appeared. Punz lets out a huff and moves to sit in a nearby chair, his arms remain folded across his chest the entire time. So you settle into Sapnap, just a little bit disappointed. Because although you love cuddling Sapnap, you’re a little disappointed because you really kind of wanted to cuddle with Punz. But you don’t let that show and you snuggle yourself into Sapnap. The three of you chat a little bit while you eat and cuddle Sapnap. As time goes on Punz’s pout lessens and his usual demeanor returns. Every once in a while, he’ll throw a flirty remark your way which you freeze up at and Sapnap has to tell Punz to shut up. 
After some time, Punz checks his watch, lets out a sigh and he stands up, “I have to get going. Dream has a job for me. It was great seeing you Y/N” he flirts one last time, giving you a wink before walking out of the room. Punz pauses in the doorway and looks over his shoulder, “Oh yeah. And… I saw you Sapnap… Bye.” And then he’s gone. Sapnap let’s out a huff of disbelief, “He’s my brother and I don’t even get a ‘It was great seeing you. I love you Sapnap’”. You can tell he’s joking leaving you to laugh and hug him tightly, “If it makes you feel better, I love you Sapnap” you tell him, running a hand through his hair. Sapnap lets out a small laugh, “Thanks Y/N. I love you too…. But I also know I’m not the only Keller brother that you love.” And your heart stops because, no this cannot be happening. So you clear your throat and look away from your best friend, “I have no idea what you’re talking about” and Sapnap just laughs, “Sure you do Y/N. You’re in love with my brother.” He’s laughing, but you’re panicking because damn it, yes you are, but Sapnap wasn’t supposed to ever find out. You were supposed to get over this. Tears slowly form in your eyes and you begin to silently cry, “I’m sorry” you finally croak out. At the sight of you crying, Sapnap immediately drops his playfulness and grabs your face to force you to look him in the eye, “Hey, no, no no. You have nothing to apologize for honey. It’s okay, you’re okay. I knew it was probably going to happen at some point, I’m not mad!” He assures you, wiping away your tears, but they don’t stop, “But he’s your brother!” You whimper out. “And you’re my best friend. I just want you to be happy and if my brother is who makes you happy… Then so be it.” You let out a small laugh, “He probably doesn’t even like me back,” Sapnap scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Hun, he’s in love with you too. Have you not been paying attention to the way he acts around you?” You think about the flirting, the pinning you to the counter, the fighting Sapnap to cuddle you, the pouting, but you shake your head no, “He only does that to get on your nerves. We always joke we’re together and he just does it to push our buttons. He doesn’t like me.” Sapnap laughs again and moves his hands and pulls you into his shoulder and strokes your hair, “Then you’re a lot more oblivious than I thought. It’s so obvious that he’s in love with you and you’re in love with him. You should go for it Y/N, I think you’d be surprised at the result.” You don’t say anything further, only cuddle yourself closer to your best friend as you think over his words. You’ll think about and maybe, just maybe you’ll make a move. “I love you bub. Even if I get together with your brother, which I highly doubt will happen, just know that you’ll always be my number one Keller.” Sapnap lets out a laugh and kisses the top of your head, “That’s what I like to hear. I love you too.” 
You don’t see Punz for a few days due to the job that he’s on, which you mentally thank Dream for because you don’t know if you would be able to handle seeing Punz right after your talk with Sapnap. The day you see Punz again, you’re at Sapnap’s house, surprise surprise. Sapnap is out gathering materials for something and you’re in the kitchen making lunch for you guys when you’re suddenly pinned to the counter. You let out a small gasp as the sort of familiar touch of Punz floods your body, “Hey there stranger, this seems familiar” he mumbles in your ear, his warm breath causing you to shiver. “Punz” you breathe out, setting down whatever it was you were making. You feel the chuckle run through his chest and through your own body. “Miss me baby?” He questions, moving his hands from the counter to your waist and spinning you around. You have to place your hands on his chest for a moment to catch your balance. Punz can’t help but grin at the feeling of your hands on him. The grin remains even as your hands fall from his trip. “How was the job?” You ask, trying really hard to keep yourself calm and the blush at bay. Punz give you a small shrug, “It was okay. I missed seeing your beautiful face though,” he claims, his eyes boring into yours. And all the willpower in the world couldn’t stop the heat from rushing to your cheeks. Punz smirks at the sight of you getting flustered underneath him once again, man he missed this. You clear your throat and glance at his face and notice the bags under his eyes, “You look tired,” you comment, trying desperately to get the attention off of you. It works and Punz falters because he really wasn’t expecting you to be sweet or notice anything about him. “Oh, um… Yeah, it’s been a long few days” Before you can stop yourself, an offer slips your lips, “Well we could cuddle and you could take a nap on me if you want? It could be ‘next time’” And Punz’s brain completely shuts down because you? You want to cuddle with him? And you want him to nap on you? What is happening. It’s Punz’s turn to blush and he ever so slightly backs up off of you and nods, “Um… Yeah that sounds really nice… If you want.” You blush at the shift but also nod, “Yeah. I want to… Just let me put this away and we can go to the couch.” You turn back around and as quick as you can put everything away before turning back around. “Ready?” Punz doesn’t answer, he just takes your hand and the two of you slowly walk to the living room. Punz would love to be running and dragging you, but he wants to make sure that you know you have the option of changing your mind. But once you’re in the living room, you let go of his hand and plop down on the couch and adjust yourself so that you’re laying the length of the couch and you pat your tummy and open your arms. Punz doesn’t hesitate, he takes big strides to the couch and carefully lays himself down on top of you so that his chest is on your lower stomach and his head is on your chest. He hesitantly wraps his arms around you and buries his head in your chest and lets out a content sigh as his eyes flutter close. Instinctively from all of your time spent cuddling his brother, one of your hands falls on his back, your nails scratching up and down, and one falls in his fluffy hair, running your hand through it, tugging it, twisting it, just playing with it. Punz lets out a soft grumble and you freeze before retracting your hands, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to it’s just something---” “Put it back… Felt good” he grumbles out, nuzzling his head on your chest. You’re hand hovers for a moment before diving back in and playing with his soft blonde locks. A content sigh escapes his mouth and you can feel his whole body relax. 
 You two are like that for a while, silently cuddling and enjoying each other’s company. “Punz?” You whisper out, when you think he’s asleep. When you get no response you continue, “I think I’m in love with you and it terrifies me. I should probably tell you this when you’re awake, but I’m too much of a chicken,” you finish. It’s silent for a while before a chuckle scares the hell out of you, “You wimp… Telling me you love me when you think I’m asleep… I love you too” Punz grumbles, turning his head to show you that one of his eyes had peered open when you first called his name. Again, a blush settles on your cheeks and you can’t help the embarrassment that fills your body. “Oh god,” you grumble, trying to sink deeper in the couch causing Punz to laugh, “It’s okay baby. I thought it was cute… Now give me a kiss so I can fall asleep.” And who are you to deny Punz? So you softly tilt your face down and press a soft and gentle kiss to his lips. When you pull apart, Punz lets out a content sigh before burying his head back on your chest, “I love you” he mumbles. “I love you too” 
That’s how Sapnap finds you guys hours later. Cuddled on the couch. Sapnap can’t help the smile that graces his face as he sees his best friend and his brother on the couch. “I told you so” he mumbles as he quietly puts the things he gathered away. For the first time in his whole life, Sapnap is actually trying to be quiet. He sits down on one of the chairs with a book he plans on ‘reading’ (he’s actually just going to try and fall asleep lol). He moves a bit but freezes as his brother stirs on your chest. Without opening his eyes, Punz lifts his face, tilts it back to, presses a kiss to your collarbone, settles back on your chest and mumbles out a sleepy “I love you” before he’s back to sleep. Sapnap's heart melts because even though he and his brother fight and tease each other, they love one another and love to see the other happy. “I better be the best man at your wedding” Sapnap grumbles quietly before he closes his own eyes and falls asleep in his chair. 
I’M SO SOFT! I WANT THIS SO BAD GUYS!!!!!
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