#amazing night landing cockpit view

[pcgamer]

Watch This Amazing Night Landing At Clark Int. Airport - Eva Air B787-10...

[aynavaano]

Tell me you want me

Hunter x f!reader

Rating: Explicit/NSFW

Wordcount: 3.5k

Summary:

You’re part of Clone Force 99 since a while and have an eye on your Sarge ever since you joined. When you are left alone with him skinny dipping in natural hot springs, things get steamy.

Notes:

Enjoy this little Hunterxf!reader smutlet while we all anxiously wait for the final episode to drop. Reader is part of the squad, she is their medic and has a nickname. All other Batchers make an appearance too. We have fingering and unprotected sex. All happening in the water.

As the sun begins its descent, casting long shadows across the landscape, you and the squad finally retreat back into the Marauder, weary from another grueling day of repairs after your crash landing a few rotations ago. Dropping your tools with a clatter in the corner, you sink down onto the floor, feeling the exhaustion seep into your bones. The day's work has left you covered in a film of sweat and grime, your skin sticky with oil and dust, again.

"If I have to endure one more shower with that recycled water, I swear..." you mutter under your breath, frustration lacing your words. Despite the pressing need to fill up your rations and change the water in the Marauders system or at least the filters, there was no way off this kriffing rock before you got the ship back up and running. The overly recycled water, depleted and stale, left you feeling far worse than without a shower since the last days.

Suddenly, Tech's voice cuts through the exhaustion, his tone matter-of-fact as he suggests an alternative. "There are geothermal hot springs just a couple of clicks south from here, they are perfectly safe to utilize for personal hygiene," he remarks, drawing everyone's attention.

Wrecker's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "So that's where you've been sneaking off to in the evenings," he says, earning a knowing nod from Tech.

"Why didn't you mention THAT before?" you inquire, taken aback by the revelation. Tech shrugs nonchalantly.

"Nobody asked me and you all seemed content with the ship's refresher,besides I didn’t sneak off I just went there, " he replies simply, earning an eye-roll from Crosshair and a sigh from Hunter.

"Well, looks like we're all going tonight," Hunter declares, scanning the room as everyone nods eagerly. However, Tech interjects with an apologetic tone.

"Except for Echo. I'm sorry, but the mineral composition of the water isn't compatible with your mechanical parts." Echo sighs resignedly.

"Well, Someone has to watch the ship anyway," he remarks, grabbing a ration bar before retreating to the cockpit.

Watching him leave, Hunter urges everyone else to gather their essentials as you prepare for the trip to the hot springs.

Following Tech's lead, you traverse through a dense thicket of trees and across a rugged terrain, the distant plumes of steam already signaling the promise of warm, rejuvenating waters.

When you finally arrive at the steaming natural pools, happiness surges through your veins, eager to immerse yourself in the warm, relaxing waters. You swiftly cast your bag aside and quickly shed your clothes, opting for a skinny dip - a necessity, given that swimwear isn’t something provided by the GAR. But the night is dark enough to conceal your naked body, the dense steam rising from the water further obscuring any view.

As the squad's medic, you've seen them in various states of undress during countless check-ups or emergencies, but you've managed to maintain your own privacy, determined not to stir up any trouble within the group. However, you can’t deny that you have a weak spot for your Sergeant ever since you joined them and enjoyed patching him up a bit too much.

The sound of water splashing nearby interrupts your thoughts, and you turn to see Wrecker paddling around eagerly. "Come on in Mini, it's amazing. We won't peek, I promise," he assures you with a boisterous grin. You chuckle at the affectionate nickname he gave you a while ago, and the others quickly adopted, not wrongly, given that you are barely more than half his size.

With a contented sigh, you lower yourself into the soothing embrace of the hot spring, feeling the tension melt away from your weary muscles. The clean, refreshing sensation of the water provides a stark contrast to the sticky residue left behind by the Marauder's recycled water and it feels incredibly good to finally get rid of it.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze disperses the swirling steam, offering you fleeting glimpses of your crew mates. Your gaze lingers on Hunter, captivated by the droplets cascading from his tousled hair, now freed from his bandana. You trace the lines of his tattoo down over his broad chest as they disappear beneath the surface of the dark water. Despite your best efforts to remain discreet, you find yourself locked in a momentary exchange of gazes with Crosshair, his piercing eyes betraying a knowing awareness.

Your breath catches in your throat as Crosshair maintains his gaze, his lips curling into a sly grin. Wrecker interjects, attempting to diffuse the tension. "Cut it out, Crosshair. You're making her uncomfortable. We promised not to look," he scolds, casting a wary glance in your direction.

“You did” Crosshair hisses at Wrecker before turning his attention back to you, his tone teasing. "Like what you see, Mini?" he quips, his confidence evident, that smug bastard you think to yourself and attempt to muster a confident response in return, but the slight tremor in your voice is betraying you. "Nothing I haven't seen while patching you all up," you retort, hoping to deflect his attention.

“Sure” he groans with a mischievous glint in his eyes but thankfully, he decides to let the matter drop, and you exhale a silent sigh of relief, sinking deeper into the warm embrace of the water, trying to hide your reddened cheeks. Casting a fleeting glance skyward, you marvel at the sight of two moons ascending over the horizon, casting a serene silvery blue glow over the landscape.

Before long, Tech emerges from the water, signaling for the group to prepare to depart. You, however, are reluctant to leave the comforting embrace of the hot springs just yet.

"Already? Can't we stay a bit longer?" you plead, attempting to negotiate for more time.

"It was ample time to get clean," Tech responds, his tone firm. "And we have another full day of repairs before we can leave this planet. You need at least seven standard hours of sleep to—"

You cut him off, feeling frustration bubbling up. "Stop it, Tech," you interject firmly, your disappointment evident.

"I'm only concerned for your well-being," Tech counters, his concern genuine.

"I know, I'm sorry," you answer, softening your tone. "I didn't mean to sound so annoyed. It's just... I can't remember the last time we had something like this. I'd like to soak in the warm water a bit longer. My whole body is sore from our crash, and this feels so good," you explain, hoping to convey your genuine need for relaxation.

Tech hesitates. “I understand, but it’s too dangerous to leave you here alone, besides the way back to the Marauder is …”.

"It's okay, Tech. You go. I'll stay here with her," a voice rings through the thick steam from behind you.

Hunter.

Your heart skips a beat at his unexpected offer, a rush of warmth flooding through you at the thought of him and you being here alone.

It takes a moment for the rest of them to processes his proposition. Finally, Tech breaks the silence "That is an acceptable solution," he states, his usual pragmatic tone cutting through the night.

Relieved you allow yourself to sink back into the soothing warmth of the hot springs, the steam enveloping you like a comforting embrace. In the background, you hear the others bustling about, dressing and gathering their belongings. Amidst the activity, you catch snatches of conversation and you could swear you heard Wrecker grumbling that he also wants to stay, interrupted by a sharp retort from Crosshair.

"Alright," Tech announces, drawing your attention. "We're heading back. I'll leave the comm open in case of unforeseen events. Regardless, please remember it is not recommended to stay longer than two standard hours in water with this temperature" and with that, the group begins their trek back to the Marauder, leaving you and Hunter alone in the quiet of the night.

As the sounds of their footsteps fade into the distance, a slightly uncomfortable silence descends, punctuated only by the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. It’s not the first time you’re alone with Hunter, but THIS, this is different and you are trying to control your heartbeat knowing very well that he can pick that up with his heightened senses.

“Thank you for staying with me Hunter” you whisper through the thick steam wafting over the pool. The thought of him naked in the water, just a few steps away from you sends a shiver through your whole body and you feel the heat pooling between your legs.

Stars, stay calm you try to control the visions overtaking you, flashes of his naked body and his hands all over you flickering through your mind.

You try to catch another glimpse at him past the billowing steam and through an opening you see him slowly treading through the water towards you, his eyes locking on yours, a look of concern on his face. The water reaches barely up to his lower stomach, exposing an ungodly amount of his luscious body, his caramel skin, toned chest and a tempting trail of hair running down his abdomen now illuminated by the silvery glow of the moons, you can’t break your gaze away but you are close to loosing control completely now.

“For someone happily relaxing in a hot bath your heart rate is concerningly high. Are you uncomfortable? Did you change your mind, do you want me to take you back to the Marauder?”

“No, I…I want to stay” is all you can stumble. Him being so concerned and caring is only adding fuel to the fire already burning inside you.

Hunter is right before you now, scanning your face for any signs of distress but the only thing he finds is your bright pink cheeks and dilated pupils.

He carefully brushes a loose strand of your hair from your face, his hand lingering a bit too long to go unnoticed.

“Is this because of me?” he whispers softly, a hint of trepidation in his voice. He lost count of how often he wanted to ask you this, when he felt your heart jump at his touch, when he sensed your eyes lingering on him, but he didn’t dare, knowing a no would destroy him. So he decided to remain oblivious instead of getting hurt. Until now.

You gaze up at him and there is no denying anymore, no hiding, so you nod, not able to voice what you feel for him. That you want him so badly.

And before you know whats happening his lips are on yours. His kiss is soft but quickly getting hungrier and messier. He pulls you closer to him sliding one arm around your waist and you intuitively wrap your legs around him feeling his already hardening cock pressing against your core.

He gasps at the sensation of you grinding your hips against him and breaks away from the kiss, looking deep into your eyes.

“Tell me you want this," Hunter's voice is a low, urgent whisper, his breath hot against your skin. "Tell me you want me."

You lean back in to kiss him, desperate for his lips on yours and hungry for more but he breaks away again, searching your face for an answer.

“I’m your Sarge, I don’t want to take advantage of you, I need to hear you say it. Say you want me and I’ll give you everything.”

Your heart pounds in your chest as you meet his intense gaze. "I do, Hunter," you reply without hesitation, your voice barely above a whisper. "I want nothing more than you."

Before you can even finish your words, he pulls you closer again, his arms wrapping around you possessively. The warmth of his embrace fueling your hunger for him and when his lips crash against yours in another searing kiss, you melt into him completely, his tongue trailing along your lips pleating for access.

Your tongues entwine and Hunter's touch feeds the fire within you, every caress sending sparks of heat coursing through your veins. You feel his hands hungrily roaming over your body, down your chest, gently cupping your breasts, leaving a trail of longing wherever they touch you.

His hands slide down to your hips, one hand cupping your ass, pulling you closer as his lips trail down your neck, leaving a line of open mouthes kisses and soft bites in their wake. With each movement, you feel yourself melting into him, your body craving more of his touch and your pussy aching desperately for his attention.

"Stars, you feel amazing," Hunter murmurs against your skin, his voice husky with desire. "I've been wanting this for so long."

A soft moan escapes your lips at his words, the sound mingling with the gentle lapping of the water around you. You feel his fingers trailing down to your throbbing core and you can't help but arch into his touch, desperately yearning for more.

He carefully slides his fingers between your slick folds, teasing your clit with a slow gentle rhythm that leaves you gasping for breath. Each stroke sends waves of pleasure coursing through your body, quickly building a tension that threatens to unravel you completely in his arms.

He keeps you steady, his strong arms easily holding you up, the water flowing around you, fingers trailing through your slit and finally with a slow, deliberate motion, he slides one finger inside you, giving you a taste of what you so desperately want. You gasp at the sensation of him entering you and arch into his hand, aching for more friction.

"Stars, you're so wet for me," Hunter whispers, his voice low and breathless.

You can't help but beg for more, craving the sensation of him deep inside you, filling you up completely. And as he picks up the pace and slides in another finger, you feel your body tightening, getting ready to explode with pleasure.

"Kriff, I love how responsive you are to my touch." he whispers in your ear, nibbling on your neck.

You let out a few lewd moans and gasps at his words, the sensation of his fingers driving you completely crazy. With each thrust, you feel yourself spiraling closer and closer to the edge, the pleasure becoming almost unbearable in its intensity. The tension in your core almost reaching it’s snapping point, two fingers pushing inside you and his thumb rubbing your clit.

And then, with a flick of his wrist, Hunter finds that perfect spot that sends you hurtling over the edge, your body convulsing with the force of your release. Waves of ecstasy wash over you, rippling through your whole body, leaving you trembling in the wake of your orgasm as you cling to him for support.

“Stars, do you know how beautiful you look cuming all over my fingers?” he moans against your skin, looking at you as if you’re the most precious thing in the galaxy.

He slowly slides his fingers out of you to steady you against his chest while you catch your breath. You let out a low whine when he slips out of your core, leaving you feeling empty, and immediately desperate for more. You fumble around trying to reach his cock but he firmly holds you up, both hands under your thighs, his face buried between your breasts.

“Hungry, are we?” he grins up at you, sucking one of your nipples into his mouth and sliding his fingers over your wet folds aching to be stretched again, drawing a couple of lewd sounds from you.

You tilt your head back when he captures your other nipple between his teeth and finally pulls you closer until you're straddling him in the water, your bodies pressed together in a heated embrace. You feel the pressure of his rock hard cock straining against your core, fueling your hunger for him even more.

"I need you," you whisper, your voice barely above a breathless moan, impatiently wiggling around in his arms to line him up at your entrance. When he carefully bites down on your neck, leaving a mark, while squeezing your breast with one hand, you are completely loosing any kind of self control, you might as well just beg.

"Hunter, kriff…please…fuck me"

He looks up finding your gaze and without a word, he guides himself inside you with a single deep thrust, his huge cock stretching you in all the right ways as he fills you completely. You gasp at the sensation of your pussy stretching around him, your body arching into his as he begins to move, each thrust giving you more of what you’ve been longing for ever since you joined the squad. He starts slowly, not far from teasing you, pulling out almost completely a few times, until only his tip rest inside you and then slamming back in until he is buried to the hilt.

The water around you amplifies every sensation, the gentle rocking motion only adding to the intensity of his thrusts. He increases his pace and with each push of his hips against yours, you feel yourself getting closer and closer to the edge, the pleasure building to an almost unbearable peak, your pussy already clenching around him.

“Fuck, not gonna last long like this” he groans “ …y..you feel too good around my cock…so tight…been dreaming about this too often…”

"I'm close," you whimper, your voice barely above a desperate plea. "Please, Hunter, don't stop."

With a low growl against your neck, he increases the intensity, each thrust pushing you further towards the brink of oblivion. You cling to him, nails digging into his back, grinding your hips against his, to take him as deep as possible until you feel the tip of his cock deliciously pressing against your cervix with every thrust. You wrap your arms around his neck your fingers finding hold in his hair, as you begin shaking, and with a shuddering gasp, you feel the tension in you snap and the first wave of pleasure crashing over you with an intensity you haven’t felt before, stars exploding before your eyes, your whole body trembling as you ride out the waves of your orgasm on his cock without slowing down.

He keeps fucking you through your high, drawing more moans and gasps from you until you feel him tense too, his length pressing even harder against your walls.

“Where do you want me?” he gasps.

“Inside” is all you can get out with a loud moan, your pussy still clenching around his cock and you feel Hunter's own release echoing yours, his body trembling with the force of his orgasm. With a final thrust, he spills himself inside you, filling you to the brim with his warm cum as you both ride out the waves of pleasure ripping through you together.

You cling to each other, panting, your bodies pressed together in a sweet embrace as you bask in the afterglow of your lovemaking. You let your fingers trail through his hair and softly trace the lines of his tattoo looking at him in awe, completely blissed out. He let’s his forehead rest against yours and you are exchanging soft loving kisses when you suddenly hear your comms crackle from somewhere beside the pool.

“Hunter are you listening… Hunter…Mini… “

“noooo Tech…leave them” you hear clattering and a voice in the background

“Hunter do you hear me? Even though Crosshair suggested you are not solely bathing but possibly engaging in intercourse I recommend you get out of the water. The time you spent there is unacceptable and will negatively affect your blood circulation. Mini… I’m sure you know that, you’re the medic. Do you hear me? It’s clearly been too long. Get out of ther…” the comm crackles again, weird noises and mumbling in the background until you hear Crosshair.

“Sorry for the interruption Sarge, I couldn’t stop him, just give us a sign when you’re headed back” and with that the comm falls silent again.

You can’t help but blush, feeling a bit exposed before the whole squad not even knowing where this is going or if it was just a one time thing. You desperately hope it’s not, when you said you want him, you meant it but you’re to afraid to ask how he is feeling, so you just revel in the heat radiating from his body drinking up every scent, every detail while it lasts, legs still wrapped around his waist, holding him close, fingers trailing trough his hair. Hunter nestles his head in your neck, pulling you even closer to his chest, leaving a few soft kisses along the way while his softening cock is slowly slipping out of you.

“Let’s get back to the Marauder then” he murmurs against your skin, “at least it seems they already suspect whats going on and appear to be ok with us being together…sleep in my bunk tonight?”

Your heart beams at his question, pounding in your chest.

“Guess that’s a yes” he chuckles, giving you one last loving kiss before he sets you on the edge of the pool to get ready for heading back to the ship.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday John Alexander Cruickshank, VC, born on May 20th 1920 in Aberdeen.

Yep, born in 1920, I know I sometimes get the age wrong, but John Cruikshank today celebrates his 104th birthday, making him the oldest person to feature in my anniversary posts.

The former Aberdeen Grammar school pupil, was involved in one of the most audacious acts of the conflict when he flew his Catalina aircraft through a torrential hail of flak. And, although his first pass was unsuccessful, he brought it around for a second sortie, this time straddling a U-boat and sinking the vessel.

However, the German anti-aircraft fire proved fatally accurate in response, killing the navigator and injuring four others, including both Flight Lieutenant Cruickshank and second pilot, Flight Sergeant Jack Garnett.

The Granite City pilot, who was just 24, suffered scores of different injuries while he and his comrades were engaged in sinking the German submarine, and, although their had succeeded in their first objective, there was another huge task in trying to return home safely to Sulom Voe, Shetland.

Cruikshank was educated at The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh, Aberdeen Grammar School and Stewart’s Melville College in Edinburgh, his working life began when he was apprenticed to The Commercial Bank of Scotland on George Street Edinburgh, many of you will know the building nowadays as The Dome.

Looking back over 75 years ago it is amazing that Jock Cruikshank not only survived the mission, but is still alive today, he was hit in 72 places, and suffered serious lung injuries and 10 penetrating wounds to his lower limbs. Yet, despite this panoply of pain, he refused medical attention until he was sure that the appropriate radio signals had been sent and the aircraft was on course for its home base. Even at that stage, he refused morphine, aware that it would cloud his judgement and potentially jeopardise the rest of the men on board.

Flying through the night, it took the damaged craft five-and-a-half hours to get back to Sullom Voe, with Flt Sgt Garnett at the controls and his colleague lapsing in and out of consciousness in the back. Eventually, though, as another major hurdle came into the equation, he returned to the cockpit and took command of the aircraft.

There was nothing straightforward about ensuring the Catalina’s passage homewards; it had been impacted badly along with the crew members.

But, after deciding that the light and the sea conditions for a water landing were too risky for his inexperienced colleague, Flt Lt Cruickshank kept the craft in the air for as long he could, circling for an extra hour, as the prelude to bringing it down successfully on the water and ferrying the plane to an area where it could be safely beached.

It was an astonishing act of bravery, and yet Mr Cruickshank has always shunned the limelight or refused to take any credit for his actions. As one of his RAF colleagues later recalled, he felt he was one of the lucky ones to survive the conflict, unlike so many of his RAF friends who perished.

The brave pilot was later awarded the Victoria Cross at the Palace of Holyrood House by King George VI.

You can view a re-enactment in this docu-drama on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mraRXjjIAUc

JOCK CRUIKSHANK IS THE LAST SURVIVING WORLD WAR TWO VICTORIA CROSS HERO

The colour pics are of the man on his 100th and hundred and third birthdays respectively

[justforbooks]

Clouds

Only those who fly fully appreciate the wonders that exist out the front of  the cockpit. Our passion is fueled by the experiences of seeing and feeling many things, including the extraordinary cloud types that comprise our living atmosphere.

My memories of clouds include the theory in the class rooms, tempered and case hardened by experiences in the cockpit:

The experiences of crossing, or jumping on the back of Jet Streams (narrow bodies of air that form due to temperature shears that can travel up to 300 kilometers per hour);

The threatening view of roll clouds in front of thunderstorms that took on the colour of their contents (green ocean water) ;

The seemingly innocent and beautiful views of “virga”, rainfall that evaporates before descending to the ground, but acts as the cooling process to create dangerous micro-bursts that are deadly to aircraft near airports;

The fascinating events during lightning strikes to aircraft;

Morning Katabatic winds that roll down mountain slopes in Perth, Adelaide, Jordan and Los Angeles; and

“Rotors” of turbulent air that form in the lee of the escarpment just a few miles to the east of Perth Airport in Western Australia. Every Perth inhabitant who has flown has probably experienced this rough ride just prior to landing or after takeoff.

Through the Inter Tropic Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a corridor ringing the Earth that marks the most heated surface temperatures,  that trails the sun’s highest position in latitude by one month. The warmer surface heats the air more than the surrounding cooler surfaces.

Convective forces lift moist air mass in the ITCZ to form the highest and most spectacular thunderstorms on the planet.

The water vapour causes the wet rising air to cool slower than the surrounding drier ambient air. This growing temperature difference causes the rising column to become even more buoyant in the atmosphere. The buoyant thunderstorm clouds can often ascend at more than 5,000 feet per minute.

The thunderstorm tops rise until the atmosphere becomes stable. The highest stable altitude is found at a point called the Tropopause, where the air temperature remains constant as the altitude increases. The tropopause can be located anywhere from 25,000 (poles) up to 60,000 (equator) feet above the surface. Many ITCZ thunderstorms reach these amazing heights and then then “top out” at  after punching though the tropopause. This is the reasons that the coldest atmospheric temperatures exist over the equator!

Every pilot who flies through the ITCZ knows about these dangers and avoids thunderstorms accordingly. We are always on alert, aware that a “safe” radar picture one minute can change into a “dangerous” paint the next. We never fully trust the radar presentations.

The pilots creed of “one look outside is worth 100 radar scans” holds true and at night. Whilst the passengers are snug in their seats watching the latest video, we have turned down the cockpit lighting to the minimum and pressed our faces against the windows, using the “Mark 1 Eyeball” to scan the outside horizon for dangerous storm cells.

This is just another day in the life of an airline pilot.

Our 400 passengers were either asleep in the A380’s remarkably quiet cabin, or watching one of the thousand in-flight movies. Whilst they relaxed with their window shutters closed, we dodged one ITCZ thunderstorm after another, banking and weaving, banking and weaving through the sky, all the time ensuring that the aircraft rolled at a rate less than three degrees per second – a rate that is undetectable to our passengers. We were busy in the flight deck whilst the passengers presumed that their pilots were carving a straight line through clear skies.

Not a drop was spilled from any glass.

The energy in this thunderstorm, if tapped, would have powered a city for a day.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[itsscromp]

Hi! English isn't my first language, sorry for any mistake. You're taking requests for Rocket(gotg), right? I was thinking, maybe you could write something angst/ kinda fluffy (Idk) between vol 1 and vol 2, where Rocket and reader(human) are getting along well. He is in the cockpit and reader joins him, they start to talk and it ends up in a deep conversation where Rocket shares some things he's never shared before cause he's starting to feel comfortable with her. It can be platonic or somewhat romantic, it's up to you. Well, thank you, and sorry if I made it confusing.

I feel comfortable around you

I really like this request anon, You didn't make it confusing at all :D. For this can I do a GN reader if that's ok ??. Word count:943

You became a guardian about a month after the attack on xandar. Rocket saw potential in you when he saw you fend of some people who were trying to rob you and spread the word to Quill. After which you then joined the team. You were an amazing addition to the team, You helped everyone in anyway you could. Like babysitting little Groot, or repairing the ship etc.

You and Rocket especially were becoming two peas from the same pod, Always making wack gadgets to prank the other guardians, like one which with one shot can make your whole body itchy for 15 minutes, or one where if you sneaked the gadget in their pocket, they'd be tossed around in zero gravity. They never failed to make you two laugh every time, even if you had to hid when Gamora was after your butts.

You knew Rocket usually takes rotations at night so one night, after failing to go to sleep, you decided to join him. Putting on your hoodie and some socks, you headed to the cockpit. You could hear Rocket singing softly to himself.

"I didn't know you could sing" You smiled softly as you sat down, To which he lightly jumped hearing your voice.

"Gave me a bit of a fright their pal, Don't go saying that to the others" He smirked at you.

You chuckled turning your sights to the cosmos, Every damn time it never mentioned to amaze you.

"Bet you don't see that every day on Terra huh y/n ??" He looked at you, seeing the sparkle of amazement in your eyes.

"No, you really don't. People on Terra would pay thousands to see this view." You smiled continuing to look out.

Rocket for one not being the conversation starter decided... "Ya know, I don't think you told me about your life on Terra." He said.

You nodded "Yeah I haven't actually, But I guess theirs not much to tell" You chuckled, shaking your head softly.

"No come on, I don't want that scut" He playfully scolded. "Any friends ?? Pets ??" He was actually generally curious. It's been about 6 months since you joined and he doesn't know what your life was like.

"I did have one pet" You giggled thinking about your dog. "She was a dog, we named her lucky"

"Lucky ??"

"Courtesy of my mom, Oh she was so adorable, she would always come into my room every morning to wake me up and beg me to play with her" You sighed contently thinking about it.

"She must've been a big part of ya life" He smiled softly, ears twitching softly as he listened in. You continued on to discuss your life on Terra, Your favourite things about it, and what you hated. Rocket listened contentedly to every bit of it.

"Video games... Didn't Quill mention something like that ??"

"Oh yeah, but my generation's video games in this day of age tell amazing story's that no one could dare to dream of, so don't get me started on the last of us" You chuckled.

"I won't" He snickered as he looked out into the cosmos, This whole conversation could go on for hours, Rocket could never get bored of it. He felt... Comfortable around you.

"Hearing that... I wish I had that life..." He muttered sadly.

"What do you mean ??" You looked at him, tilting your head in confusion.

He quickly landed back from his thoughts "It's nothin kid"

"Rocket, It's ok..." You reassured him, He didn't know why, but the way you said it made it very genuine.

He looked back into the cosmos, going quiet again, It took a little while but he then spoke up.

"From what you told me... I really wished I had your life, I wasn't born to love and security... I was born into pain and despair, The person that made me into this... Made sure everything hurt. Every single damn thing."

Your eyes softened as he continued.

"He would constantly prick needles into me, and perform procedures with no anesthetic." Tears formed in his eyes as the memories of the times as an experiment hit him. "I keep trying to escape, but every attempt only made things worse for me... Made the pain worse..."

"Rocket..." You grew sad for him.

"It doesn't matter... I'm stuck here now... Stuck being a monster" He wiped his nose as he sniffled.

You gently stood up from your chair and kneeled next to him. "I'm really sorry, I genuinely am" You gently reached for his hand, holding it in yours as you rubbed the top of it.

Usually, physical contact would make him very iffy, But he didn't retract his hand like he does usually. He... Leant into it lightly.

"Ya know... It's the first time I actually told someone about this... Guess I'm saying... I feel comfortable around ya kid" This made you softly smile.

"I'll always be here to listen to you Rocket, I promise ok ??" You raised your fist for a fist bump.

He chuckled and fist-bumped you. "Don't go breaking that promise y/n" He chuckled.

You smiled, ruffling his head. "Hey watch the hair" Rocket playfully scolded you.

You yawned and decided to head to bed. "Goodnight furball" You smirked.

"See ya stinky humie" He smirked back at you and looked back at the cosmos. He felt as if... A weight was lifted off his chest as he told you what he experienced. But it felt good. You didn't shut him down, you didn't walk away in horror. You listened to him... That meant to him more than anything in the galaxy.

Taglist: @callofdudes @fun-k-board

[tomtenadia]

Thicker than blood - Epilogue

Here we are with the ending. Hope you will love it. 

A few more months had passed and Aelin was now on the tarmac of the family own airstrip at the airport, waiting to board a private jet with Rowan.

They had finally decided to go to Wendlyn and visit his parents and Rhoe had given them his private jet. Rowan had been elated and had confessed that he was going to fly it. His father in law had admitted he had a pilot on standby but Rowan had been adamant, so the man had caved.

Aelin was waiting for her husband to finish all his checks before he allowed her on board.

He came back twenty minutes later and finally deployed the steps “M’lady,” a bow, a deep grin.

She climbed in and dumped all of their bags while Rowan went to the cockpit.

Once the door was closed she joined him and stood behind his chair. He was chatting away with ATC to get his clearance and she studied him in his element. While she was still recovering he had taken the decision of buying a house in a mountain valley just like her parents had. Theirs though, was so deeply tucked away that an helicopter was the only way to access it. He had bought one and had been in charge of flying it. Her over three centuries old husband had been elated like a kid getting a new toy at the idea of being able to fly more regularly.

She had loved that side of him.

Rowan grabbed Aelin’s hand and pulled her to sit on the co-pilot seat “keep me company.”

Quietly, she sat and studied him as he played with switches and got the jet ready.

“We are on standby, Orynth airport has a bit of a queue, our slot is in about twenty minutes.”

Aelin smiled and brushed his long hair “I am glad we are doing this, I am looking forward to meet your family.”

After the night on the balcony when he had told her about his family she had been curious but he never said anything again but she never forgot. Aelin had brought up the subject again a while ago again and he had accepted. They got a few things in order at their jobs and then decided it was time for a well deserved holiday.

They chatted until Rowan resumed his tasks. He had been given the all clear for take off and she fastened her seat belt. As the jet sped on the runaway she could not contain her excitement. The view in front of her was amazing, they flew straight for a stretch and the white peaks of the Staghorns were kissed by the warm light of dawn, Rowan then banked gently and she spotted the Florine below them ran lazily. Her hand went on Rowan’s thigh and let him fly the aircraft while she admired the scene in front of her.

It was a good three hours later when the lights of Doranelle airport appeared ahead of them. The flight had been quiet and Aelin had eventually fallen asleep, her hand always on Rowan’s thigh.

Rowan had woken her five minutes before they were due to land. He put the jet down in an area dedicated to private and smaller aircrafts and a car was waiting for them. Apparently Rhoe had arranged their rental to be delivered directly on the airstrip. Rowan smiled and thought that having the Galathynius as in-laws had its perks.

Bags loaded, they jumped in the car “my parents live in the countryside about forty minutes away.”

Rowan called his father and advised them of an ETA and then finally set off.

When they arrived and got off the car Aelin looked up and was speechless. The Milky Way was prominent in the sky and although she had seen it a few times from their house in the mountains she was still speechless. All around them there were no mountains to obstruct the view and it just crossed the firmament.

“Stunning isn’t it?” Rowan stopped at her side.

Then a male voice broke the moment. They turned and a man with hair as silver as her husband was on the threshold “Rowan, Aelin.”

The man walked to them followed by a woman with dark hair. Alasdair and Eiddwen, Rowan’s parents. They both hugged their son and then enveloped Aelin in an even tighter hug “you made good time.”

Rowan nodded at his father “perfect conditions for flying.”

“Come on in both of you, we have your room ready.”

Rowan unloaded the trunk of the car, removing the suitcases and a big thermos box that contained Aelin’s blood supplies. He had told his parents that they needed space in the fridge for her supplies explaining that Aelin could not drink regular synthetic blood. He hadn’t gone too much in the specifics and was happy his dad did not investigate any further.

The two men then carried all of their belongings upstairs, while Eiddwen stole Aelin “I am so glad you convinced Rowan to come and visit. We haven’t seen him in a long time and when he told us his wife wanted to meet us ‘Dair and I were speechless. We had no idea he got married.”

Aelin sat on the sofa “ohh it’s a long and fascinating story, but yeah,” she showed her ring “we have been married for a while.”

Eiddwen patted her leg and smiled “He was always such a disaster with women. We are glad he finally abandoned his grumpiness.”

Aelin laughed “oh no, he is still brooding, but I taught him to crack a smile or two from time to time.”

Eiddwen relaxed “I am glad. We are a big clan and very family oriented. And now you are one of us too.”

Aelin almost squealed in delight. She had a good feeling about his parents from the moment they stepped out of the car.

“Also, Sellene is very eager to meet you. She is the head of the clan and thinks that having a Galathynius as in law is a great boost for relations.”

Aelin grinned “Dad is very eager too to work closely with the Whitethorn clan.”

The two men came back a while later and Eiddwen rushed to the kitchen, claiming that she had to prepare dinner.

Rowan laughed “my parents love human food. They don’t actually need it and still drink blood, but just love the taste and mum is an excellent cook.”

Aelin smiled widely “I love them already. Are you sure you are their son? You are too grumpy.”

His hands landed on her lips and his mouth claimed her in an hungry kiss “Only with people who do not deserve my cheery side.”

His wife pulled back “come, let’s explore the house. I want to see your room.”

Rowan grabbed her hand and they walked upstairs.

“I haven’t been back here in a very long time, but mum and dad left my room as it was.” Slowly he opened the door and Aelin followed him inside.

The first thing she noticed were the bookshelves against the walls, filled with books. The bed had a green cover that looked the softest thing ever. On an another wall there was a cork board with a lot of pictures and what looked like old concert stubs. She walked around in curiosity and then stopped at the window where a telescope stood, pointing out at the sky. “I should really take this back with us.”

“Or maybe you can buy a new one. Stop being stingy.”

Rowan grabbed her hips and pushed her against the wall “oh, so I am too thrifty?” She kissed him “I had to enter the scene for you to finally buy an helicopter and fulfil your itch to fly. You never buy much for yourself.” She kissed him deeply.

“I have you and I only want you.”

“Sex in your childhood room?” She joked teasing him “I bet young Rowan would have never thought you would have sex in here with your wife.”

“Young Rowan would never believe me if I told him I have the sexiest wife in all of Erilea.” Rowan lifted her in his arms and Aelin’s legs went around his waist “Old Rowan loves his wife very much…”

*

It was an hour later, when they dressed up quickly and responded to the summons from downstairs, trying frantically to look presentable and hide the proof of what had they done. Hand in hand they reached the kitchen and once inside, Aelin was speechless. The feast in front of her looked amazing and the smells were one of the most amazing thing she had scented.

They sat at the table and Aelin looked at the food. She had never tasted human food and no idea what to expect.

“Vampires here in Wendlyn are fully integrated in society and we have developed some interesting quirks like eating their food too. We still drink blood, the synthetic your family has created, but have started to cultivate the pleasure of sitting at a table while eating.”

Aelin looked at Rowan “Why don’t we do this back home?”

“I used to do it when I was back here ages ago.” He went quiet “In Terrasen never took hold and we know why. Maybe it’s something we can introduce.”

Aelin hummed and thought about the idea, it could promote further integration.

Eiddwen passed her a plate with food and Aelin inhaled the scent, then grabbed a spoon like Alasdair did and tasted it.

What she was not expecting was the explosion of flavours in her mouth. She took another spoonful and almost moaned in an obscene way “This is… incredible.”

Rowan kissed her head with love and tackled his food.

“How are things settling in Orynth?”

Rowan knew that Sellene was informed on what was happening overseas and had likely kept his dad informed.

“It’s getting better,” Rowan was the one who answered. Aelin was too busy eating, and also wanted to keep the topic on safe grounds. He had no idea how much his parents knew “It was a lot of months of hard work, but it’s now safer.”

“The news we heard from Orynth were quite dark. All those humans and vampires…” the comment had come from Eiddwen who looked quite distraught at the idea of the tragedy that happened across the ocean.

Aelin fell silent all of a sudden and Rowan worried. His hand finding hers under the table “we are healing.” Tenderly he kissed Aelin’s temple and her eyes closed at the contact. It had been a few months now and she had improved leaps and bounds but he knew that her trauma might live with her for a very long time.

“I think Darrow and Rhoe are planning on squeezing all of the knowledge from Sellene on how things are done over here and implement them back home.” He continued, while Aelin’s hand shook in his. 

“My mum has created a foundation to help with junkies and addiction. It was… bad.” She stilled for a moment and stared at her in-laws “I was one too,” her voice low and Rowan worried but let her speak. If Aelin felt like she could open up it was her call. “I…” a deep breath to gather her resolve “It’s how Rowan and I met. He stopped from feeding on humans.” Aelin felt his arm sneak around her waist and tighten in support “I almost slipped.”

“It was not Aelin’s fault,” he added quickly and she smiled at him.

“I was experimented on and I am recovering.” The confession came in almost a whisper, still too hard to deal with.

Eiddwen stood abruptly and went to grab Aelin pulling her in a tight hug “my darling, I am so sorry.” Aelin melted in the woman’s embrace and let out a weak sniffle. She was afraid Rowan’s parents would judge her, but Eiddwen’s hug had been unexpected.

“At least you two can help each other,” added Alasdair with a warm smile, and Aelin’s eyes widened in surprise and looked at Rowan.

“Oh yes, they know my story before I became a cop.” “Yes, and we were mad at him for doing it all alone. He never allowed us to visit and help.” Aelin’s heart lightened. Rowan’s parents were wonderful people and she was already in love with them “Oh I see, so that’s where you learned to fuss.”

Alasdair laughed out loud “We Whitethorn love to look after each other. We fuss and I am glad to hear that Rowan does that too.”

“He is a pro,” she tenderly brushed his cheek and was rewarded with a warm smile “So buzzard, can you cook?  Because when we go home I will want human food.”

Rowan flicked her nose “did I mentioned that I married a high maintenance woman?”

As a protest Aelin pouted and Rowan quickly removed it with a kiss on her lips. By the time they finished Aelin felt satisfied by the meal and volunteered to help Eiddwen to clean up. Rowan had offered but his mother had protested and almost pushed Aelin away too.

Rowan and his dad walked outside and sat on the chairs in the front yard admiring the sky ablaze with stars.

“Aelin seems like a wonderful woman.”

Rowan chuckled “she is brilliant and funny and I almost lost her.” He confessed, pushing back the pain of those three long weeks “Her aunt took her away and tortured her pushing her to the point of slipping. She wanted Aelin to slip but…” he looked at his father “Aelin and I are carranam and I have a feeling that is why she never slipped. Our bond kept her tethered.”

“That is very rare.”

“I know.”

Alasdair was silent for a moment “what about the blood?”

Rowan took a deep breath “the first time she was kidnapped, her aunt took her away for two years and she was used as a lab rat. They messed up her genetic code and gave her a super rare blood type. She can’t drink normal synthetic type. So her cousin, who is the scientist behind it, created a variety that she can drink without rejection.”

Alasdair’s hand went to his son’s shoulder “how is she dealing with all this?”

“Better, we had some tough few months. She is not fully healed yet, maybe she never truly will, but we are working on it. That’s why when she brought up coming here on holiday I agreed.”

“Your mother was delighted, especially when you said you were married.”

A low chuckle left his lips “believe me, I surprised myself too when I asked Aelin to marry me.” He admitted “It was all out of convenience. She was a junkie, so I offered her to marry so she could drink from me legally.”

“Then it became more…”

Rowan nodded deeply “she is my everything, dad.” Alasdair smiled and patted his son’s shoulder “Sellene will want to meet her and I have a feeling those two will get along like a house on fire.”

Rowan roared with laughter “I can totally see that.” A pause “How are her and Enda doing?”

“Enda has finally found a man who is worthy of him and we think this will be the one.” He listened to his father and relaxed. Enda had know quite early that he was attracted to men but had struggled for a long time and had very little luck “Good, I think he deserves it.”

“Sel is dating too, a vampire from Varese. He moved to Doranelle for work and he is really good.”

Rowan chuckled “Can we trust him? Is he good to her?”

Alasdair roared with laughter “Aye, he is a good man.”

Rowan and his father spent a little longer out in the yard until Aelin came looking for him.

“Did you have a nice time with my mum?” They were back in their room and were changing into comfortable clothes.

“I adore her.” Aelin dropped her t-shirt and jeans and stood naked in front of him, backing slowly towards the window.

“What are you doing, fireheart?”

“Sex under the stars…” she hooked her finger prompting him to follow her.

Rowan groaned and took a step while he pulled off his shirt and jumper in one fell swoop.

Aelin laughed and ran out on the balcony. When he joined her, stark naked, she was not there. Her wife was waving at him from the yard. With a jump he joined her and Aelin started running until they were further from the house and in a green field.

He ran to her and tackled his wife, both falling on the ground, laughing hard and freely.

“I love you, Rowan.” Aelin rolled on top of him and kissed her husband.

“I love you too,” he whispered against her lips “to whatever end.”

**

A year later, on the anniversary of the day they had met, Aelin and Rowan met again on top of the roof where it all started. They had dinner under the stars and reminisced of the year they had and joined under stars, whispering the eternal promise they had shared through darker times. 

To whatever end.

taglist

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[feyre-darling92]

Beautiful View

Din Djarin x reader

T/W: none, not proofread, bad writing

Word count:316

It was a peaceful evening, one of the few you had. You had landed on a small planet and Din had gone to the market for some things he wanted to repair the ship.

You were playing with Grogu, laughing and having fun until you noticed he had begun being more and more sleepy. 

“All right, Grogu, time to sleep” you lifted him and he started fussing.

“C’mon, we can play again tomorrow” you tried to stop him unsuccessfully.

He wouldn’t stop and you had begun to lose your temper. 

“Alright” you sighed. “How about waiting until Din returns?”

He cooed happily, celebrating his victory and you couldn’t help but smile.

You climbed the ladder to the cockpit and sat at the co-pilot’s seat.

The view was amazing. Countless stars shining in the night sky, the moon gently lighting the forest in front of you.

Grogu who was now laying on your chest began snoring softly and you could barely suppress your laugh.

You loved your family.

Soon you fell asleep too, your arms wrapped protectively around Grogu. 

You were his mother and he was your child.

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

Din entered the ship and called for you as he always did, only to hear nothing in response.

He thought you might were sleeping and after setting the things he was carrying down he headed to the place you were sleeping.

But you weren’t there.

“Y/N?” he called but then saw your hair on the back of the seat. 

He immediately climped and smiled to the beautiful sight in front of him.

You and Grogu were sleeping, hugging it’s other, the little snores coming from both of you making him want to laugh.

He took a blanket and softly wrapped it around you. He gently kissed your forehead trying not to wake you up and did the same to Grogu.

You were his family. You were his life.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday John Alexander Cruickshank, VC, born on May 20th 1920 in Aberdeen.

Yep, born in 1920, I know I sometimes get the age wrong, but John Cruikshank today celebrates his 103rd birthday!

The former Aberdeen Grammar school pupil, was involved in one of the most audacious acts of the conflict when he flew his Catalina aircraft through a torrential hail of flak. And, although his first pass was unsuccessful, he brought it around for a second sortie, this time straddling a U-boat and sinking the vessel.

However, the German anti-aircraft fire proved fatally accurate in response, killing the navigator and injuring four others, including both Flight Lieutenant Cruickshank and second pilot, Flight Sergeant Jack Garnett.

The Granite City pilot, who was just 24, suffered scores of different injuries while he and his comrades were engaged in sinking the German submarine, and, although their had succeeded in their first objective, there was another huge task in trying to return home safely to Sulom Voe, Shetland.

Cruikshank was educated at The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh, Aberdeen Grammar School and Stewart’s Melville College in Edinburgh, his working life began when he was apprenticed to The Commercial Bank of Scotland on George Street Edinburgh, many of you will know the building nowadays as The Dome.

Looking back over 75 years ago it is amazing that Jock Cruikshank not only survived the mission, but is still alive today, he was hit in 72 places, and suffered serious lung injuries and 10 penetrating wounds to his lower limbs. Yet, despite this panoply of pain, he refused medical attention until he was sure that the appropriate radio signals had been sent and the aircraft was on course for its home base. Even at that stage, he refused morphine, aware that it would cloud his judgement and potentially jeopardise the rest of the men on board.

Flying through the night, it took the damaged craft five-and-a-half hours to get back to Sullom Voe, with Flt Sgt Garnett at the controls and his colleague lapsing in and out of consciousness in the back. Eventually, though, as another major hurdle came into the equation, he returned to the cockpit and took command of the aircraft.

There was nothing straightforward about ensuring the Catalina’s passage homewards; it had been impacted badly along with the crew members.

But, after deciding that the light and the sea conditions for a water landing were too risky for his inexperienced colleague, Flt Lt Cruickshank kept the craft in the air for as long he could, circling for an extra hour, as the prelude to bringing it down successfully on the water and ferrying the plane to an area where it could be safely beached.

It was an astonishing act of bravery, and yet Mr Cruickshank has always shunned the limelight or refused to take any credit for his actions. As one of his RAF colleagues later recalled, he felt he was one of the lucky ones to survive the conflict, unlike so many of his RAF friends who perished.

The brave pilot was later awarded the Victoria Cross at the Palace of Holyrood House by King George VI.

The second pic is our hero last July back on Shetland where he laid a wreath at a memorial in honour of his former navigator on Sunday, Flying Officer J.C. Dickson, who died during the fight

You can view a re-enactment in this docu-drama on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mraRXjjIAUc

[thebadbatch]

The Bad Batch: Soft Universe

Chapter One - Just like you.

Sudden waves of calm sent drastic waves throughout the Havoc Marauder, the newly dubbed Attack Shuttle that five advanced clones called home along with a smaller clone, a child with pure generation I DNA who also called the ship her home.

The calm waves were well welcomed among those within the ship, they had only just completed a mission that had been given to them by Cid, a rather dangerous mission at that. Yes, they were used to blaster fire, it was in their blood to adjust to it.

They were literally made to contribute their own blue fire to intertwine and drown out the blazing red bullets that threatened many on an unfortunate daily basis. Despite how they were made, every clone needed a break after a while, especially the young clone - or so they had thought anyway.

"That was Amazing!" Omega Squealed, rushing over to the others who had thrown themselves into their assigned seats in the cockpit absolutely drained after their Solid twelve hour mission. "Don't you guys think So too?" She took a Sharp breath in, channelling her energy through her legs as she rushed to each individual member of the batch. "You were all so Cool! And did you see me with my bow? I'm getting so much better at it, aren't I crosshair?" Her large eyes darted toward crosshair who was currently slumped against his chair, a new toothpick against his teeth. 

"I Suppose so." He mumbled, looking away from her energy filled eyes and focusing on the calmer view of the billions of Stars that littered the Space before them. Omega's previous smile Somehow got even bigger at Crosshair 's mumbled praise. 

"You did great, kid!" Wrecker beamed, going toward Omega and patting her back with a lot less force compared to the other members, but due to her Small size she still stumbled a little which caused a laugh to leave her lips. "And it's the end of the mission so you know what that means!" She practically became the beaming twin Suns of Tatooine at this point.

"Mantell Mix!" She Shrieked, bouncing in her Place as Wrecker laughed at her enthusiasm. Suddenly Hunter chimed in, turning around in his chair and rubbing his head, the Previous mission leaving him with a Simple patch of bacta on his arm and an absolute killer headache due to the planet's atmosphere messing with his senses. 

"Is Mantell Mix really the best idea with Omega?" His voice chimed in, "She's already excited enough I don't think Sugar will help." Omega and Wrecker Stared sadly toward their Squads leader, Pouting a little at his disapproval.

"But it's tradition!" Wrecker intersected, a bouncing omega next to him clinging to his side to encourage him to change his mind, they just had to have their Mantell Mix It was the only option. "And it makes the kid happy." Hunter let out a Sigh, rubbing his head a little more and giving them both a rather Persistent gaze.

"Are you sure it's just the kid that makes it happy?" He asked, referencing Wrecker who's eyes always lit up at the sight of the sweet tasting treat, he just crossed his arms in response though.

"The Mantell mix should be fine, She seems to be experiencing an adrenaline rush due to the intensity of the Mission." Tech Paused for a moment, fiddling with the datapad that laid within his grip. "Symptoms may include a rapid heart rate, Sweating, heightened senses and of course the most obvious ones of rapid breathing, decreased ability to feel pain and what's intriguing is there's actually an increase of Strength and performance - hence her bow Skills seemed to improve rather drastically during that mission." Tech paused again to type a little into his datapad browsing through the various load of knowledge before making eye contact with a fidgety Omega, still bouncing on her feet. "Oh and of course, the most prominent symptom in Omega is feeling jittery or nervous and can't Sit Still. It helps the excess energy I presume." Wrecker had of course stopped listening half way through, but was a little Worried about their Omega. It was a very chaotic and tough mission, they had a few close calls which probably made things worse if She didn't have enough adrenaline already rushing through her tiny body, the other clones could handle it though due to their training and they were a lot bigger compared to her, hence the numbed effect on them.

"Yeah yeah." Wrecker rushed, "Can she have the Mantell Mix or not?" 

"In Short- Yes." Tech replied, shutting off his computer and turning back in his seat to set the Marauders Coordinates. A large cheer shattered the Previously Soothing Silence followed by a Soft wince from Hunter, his headache presumably worse. 

 "When are we landing!" She rushed Over to the control panels, desperate to do Something to get them there quicker. 

"Woah there kid," Echo gently lifted her up, Moving her away from the control panel and gently placing her next to Hunter, "We'll be there soon. Why don't you rest up for now?" Once Echo's gentle grip left her, She moved into Hunter's arms in what appeared to be a protest.

"But I'm not tired!" All of the nightmare training they had to endure never prepared them to care for a child, so whenever she protested It was always a shock. Soldiers were made to follow orders but what they kept forgetting was that she isn't a soldier, she's just a child. 

"You will be once the adrenaline leaves your system." Tech warned, "I Suggest you leave to rest now ready for another day of adventuring." She signed and nodded, her excitement already beginning to leave being replaced with a rapid heart rate and a lot of sudden anxiety which caused her to shuffle further into Hunter's arms.

"Yeah, okay." Omega agreed, gently holding onto Hunter's arm as he gave her a small smile, it was late anyway. They'd arrive by morning which meant that they could go Straight to Cids to retrieve their Credits and quite possibly their next mission. Hunter soon stood, softly holding her smaller hand and guiding her to her room aboard their ship. Pulling back the grey curtains, a small room was awakened with stars being shown among the large window. It was a tight fit, but it was worth losing the space so Omega could have her own room. She slowly climbed up the ladder, her eyes always fixating on the orange glow of the fairy lights hanging around the room. She always looked at the soothing tone before searching beneath her blankets to find her clone doll and Lula. Once both toys were securely in her arms, she smiled softly at Hunter, shuffling herself into the blankets and the bigger sleeping bag that lay in the centre of the room so when she laid down against the pillow, she could roam her eyes among the stars. 

"Are you comfortable?" His voice whispered, chuckling gently at her small body bombarded with blankets. 

"Yeah!" She smiled in return, a sleepy haze replacing her previously energetic gaze. Hunter noticed her heart race was starting to drop quite quickly and her breathing had begun to slow itself down, the adrenaline rush Tech had previously mentioned was definitely starting to wear off. "But can you stay for a little while?"

"How come?" He questioned, sitting on the edge of her room with his familiar grin. "You're supposed to be sleeping." She sighed a little, clinging to her clone doll and staring at him with those curious eyes he could just never say no to. 

"But I want to hear more stories about you and the others!" A pout formed on her lips, a pang of guilt filling Hunter for even wanting to leave. "But if you don't want to tell me then that's okay! I'll ask Tech." An instant gasp left his lips as he remembered the last eight times he had woken during the night to find Tech sitting with Omega and rambling about the variety of planets there are, missions, the past and pretty much anything she could think of. She's a curious girl and that always interrupted her sleep Cycle - her racing mind never stopped and Tech was the only one who could keep up and enjoyed doing so. 

"Fine, okay." He chuckled, secretly loving to tell her stories about her brothers. "Did I ever tell you about our missions during the clone Wars?" She shook her head, gazing at him with wide eyes. "We were assigned to help assist Anakin Skywalker and Rex to find Echo."

 "Anakin Skywalker?" She asked, tilting her head at this newly learnt name. 

"He was a Jedi and a great commander, but obviously we were better and cooler." He paused to clear his throat, "Anyway…" Hunter continued to jumble on about how they fought and how each enhanced skills helped them on that mission that surprisingly went amazingly well. 

"Hunter?" A sleepy voice asked toward the end of his story, a little surprised that she interrupted a story - this must be important. "What's my enhanced skill?" She questioned, squeezing Lula close to her chest. In all honesty, he had absolutely no idea What her skill was, only that she had pure first generation DNA from Jango Fett which was pretty fascinating, but a skill like theirs? He was stumped.

"Well you're getting great with your bow now Omega!" He grinned, remembering how much the accuracy of the shots she took had improved rather significantly. Hunter was definately proud, just like the rest of the Bad Batch were.

"No." She whined, sitting up a little. "What's my enhanced skill like everyone else has?" Omega paused for a moment, a worried yet sleepy gaze coating her eyes. "Don't I have one?"

"I'm not sure, kid." His eyes lit up as he smiled, "Why don't we find out soon?" She nodded with a big grin plastered along her face. "Now get some sleep ready for that, Okay?" In return he got a smaller smile and a nod as she snuggled herself back dawn with her two toys, almost instantly falling asleep before a gentle sentence left the bundle of soft blankets.

"Goodnight Hunter." A soft voice whispered before finally falling into a deeper sleep, unknowing to Hunter's next words.

"Goodnight, Ad'ika." Hunter softly drew the curtain to the room filled with a soft orange glow, blocking it out before walking toward the others and sitting back into his chair with a sigh. Staring forward, he allowed the passing planets to fill his mind as to what memories he had made at the ones he and the rest of the batch had  visited. Many of course not among the greatest circumstances but memories nonetheless. Wrecker soon stood and Stretched with an abrupt yawn. 

"I'm getting Pretty tired, who's on first watch anyway?" The brothers gazed around at each other, eyes eventually falling toward Tech for an answer as he had always been the one to memorise their sleep cycles and plan out a well organised chedule on who would take watch and when.

"According to my calculations, Echo will be the first to keep watch followed by me, Wrecker, Crosshair followed by Hunter. Is that satisfactory to you all still?" A mumble of sleepy nods were shared in response as Wrecker smiled and moved toward their shared bunks. 

"I'll be off then!" He spoke, unable to suppress his yawn as he wandered away to prepare for bed.

"Are you all heading off now then? I think it's best to sleep now for the day we'll probably have tomorrow." Echo spoke, replacing himself with Tech in the pilot's seat, ensuring he was comfortable. The others had agreed and shared their various goodnights and moved away to their bunks, settling down and Just like Omega had, they all drifted off to sleep- replenishing their energy for the morning. 

Hours had passed to the stage in the sleep cycle where Crosshair was keeping watch, his feet thrown by the controls which he knew Tech wasn't awake to see so it didn't really matter. He was pretty relaxed chewing against his toothpick, adjusting to himself functioning awake. Crosshair had always struggled to keep the physical effects of steep at bay once he had awoken but don't think for a second that it dampened his skill. What had startled him though were the soft footsteps behind him followed by a very gentle voice that followed.

"Crosshair?" Omega whispered, "Are you awake?" Removing his feet from the control panel, much to sleeping Tech's glee, he turned in the chair to see a rather tense looking Omega Clinging to both her doll and Lula. Great,he'd rather deal with blaster fire then with a kid's problems. Maybe that was a lie, but regardless he wasnt really experienced with kids and he didn't want to mess her up like he felt he was. 

"Yeah, kid." He spoke, voice thinned out and a little tierd. "What do you want?" 

"I don't think I feel great." Her voice mumbled, "My heart feels fast and my mind won't let me sleep." He sighed a little knowing he'd have to take care of the worried child before him, he seemed cold-hearted to everyone around him but he knew his brothers know that that isn't the case. He supposed this was his chance to let his little sister know that too.

"Anything on your mind?" He asked, trying to rid his voice of the sour tune that he had grown accustomed to using. She seemed rather lonely shuffling on her feet, gripping her toys closer to her chest. 

"I think I'm nervous about tomorrow…" Crosshair gave a soft gesture to let her know that it was okay to carry on, he was there. "Hunter promised me that he'd help me try to find my enhanced Skill! I really want one so I can be more like you guys. That way I can be more helpful too!" Omega drew a sharp breath inward, "But what if I don't  have one? What if i'm even less helpful because of it. What if I'm not like my big brothers?" Her smaller Kamonian thick accent began to shake as a bundle more 'what ifs' left her mouth.

"Hey," Crosshair interrupted, a shot of genuine physical pain shooting through his heart at the tears which began to loom over her usually bright and hopeful eyes. "No more What if's. You're always going to be apart of this team with or without an enhanced skill. We may not find it Straight away if you do have one, but even if you don't have one it's nothing to get worked up about." His attempt to soothe her didn't work the way he had wanted it to, but she did seem calmer than before.  "You'll do fine, kid." Something amongst his heart encouraged him to open his arms despite everything in his mind telling him to just make her go back to bed. Before he could gain control of his half-awake mind, his arms had opened and those words left his mouth. "Go back to bed, Ad'ika." Omega had thrown herself into his arms, hugging him tightly with the doll and Lula present. He thought that he should feel embarrased or angry - but if anything he just felt a wave of pride wash over him. She wanted to be like them? Even after everything that had happened? For Sure She had a very compassionate and empathetic heart, but he didn't think that it was as Strong as this.

"I want to stay with you." Her muffled voice mumbled as she gently climbed to sit on his lap clearly in a sleepy and stressed out daze. Crosshair didn't respond to her heart-filling request as he watched Hunter gently approach by them both. Both brothers Shared a understanding nod, eventhough Crosshairs was a little hesitant. He didn't mind holding his little sister for longer, but she needed her sleep. She was overtierd and anxious enough. Hunter lifted Omega Softly from Crosshairs arms as the sniper dusted himself off returning to taking watch until she was back in bed. Luckily, Omega had already fallen asleep against Crosshair, so Hunter putting her back to bed was no problem at all. Once he returned, he stood behind his brother.

"Thanks, you can head back to bed now." Hunter hummed, taking the freed Seat as Crosshair left with a soft mumble and scrowl as per usual. Once he was out of sight, he leant back with a gentle sigh knowing how upset she'd be without an enhanced Skill of her own. Though at this point, he was pretty certain it was stratedgy. Things would become clearer by morning though, he knew Tech may be able to find out before she woke. "All in due time." he mumbled softly, waiting for the planet they were waiting to land on to appear, desperate to get their credits. This wouldn't take too long, they'd find out soon doing anything to make his Ad'ika happy.

[writeforfandoms]

@saradika Jess, my dear, you have been incredibly kind and encouraging these past months. I always have such fun talking to you. 

So! In honor of your birthday (and your new username, just a wee bit), I wrote you a fun little something. 

(I suppose everybody else on this hellsite can enjoy it too.)

--

The ship landed gently (for once) and you frowned out the viewscreen. "Where are we?" 

"Somewhere quiet." Din turned his chair to look at you, visor aimed at your face. "So the kid can get rid of some energy."

Your lips twitched. "Okay." You stood and stretched briefly, well aware of the visor still trained on you, and then picked up Grogu. "Ready to go explore, kiddo?"

Grogu burbled up at you, ears twitching excitedly. You grinned and shifted him to one hip so you could climb down from the cockpit. The main ramp to the hold opened before you reached the control panel, making you smile. Din knew you too well. 

You stepped down the ramp, taking in a deep breath. The air was fresh and warm, lightly fragranced with the flowers dotting the field all around you. The grass was more real than green (which meant the little womp rat wouldn't be able to hide as easily) and about knee high on you. 

"Alright, don't wander off too far," you told Grogu, setting him down in the grass. He immediately started to toddle off. You didn't follow yet - as long as you could still see him (or his trail through the grass) you were okay. Din wouldn't have set down somewhere dangerous, after all. 

It was quiet here. Not the too still silence of a hunt, no, but something peaceful, that you rarely found anymore. There was a gentle hum in the air from something flying around, the breeze occasionally rustling the grass. You stood absorbing it all for several long moments, closing your eyes and tipping your face up towards the sunshine. This wasn’t something you got often, not with these two, and you intended to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Din approached you from the ship - you could hear him coming. You knew he did that for your comfort, and it made you smile. 

“Letting the kid run loose?” Din asked, coming to a stop beside you.

“Well, we are supposed to be letting him work off some energy,” you agreed with humor, opening your eyes again to look at Din. 

Din snorted quietly behind the helmet, and the two of you watched in companionable silence as Grogu trotted around, investigating everything. The flowers. A bug he found. The grass.

“Is that a frog?” you asked, caught between amazement and mild disgust.

“Looks like.” Din shrugged. 

“It’s as big as his head. You don’t think he’s going to try to eat it, do you?”

“Maybe.”

“He’s going to choke on it.”

“He’s fine.” 

You both watched as the kid swallowed, one wriggling foot still sticking out of his mouth for a moment before it was gone. 

“How does he do that? Where does it fit?”

Din shrugged. “I stopped asking.”

It was your turn to snort at that, and you shook your head. “He’s gonna sleep well tonight,” you predicted, watching the little menace run around again, this time chasing something that looked rather like a feathered butterfly. 

The rest of the day passed quietly and peacefully, with the kid exhausting himself by terrorizing the local wildlife, and you and Din setting up a campfire and sleeping space outside for the night. After dinner, as the light was slowly fading from the sky, Grogu passed out on Din, making you grin, your heart warm with affection for the both of them. 

“You’re not sleeping in all of that, are you?” you asked, mildly horrified as the two of you settled down to sleep. Din transferred Grogu carefully to his pram, letting the little one sleep. 

“Why?” Din turned his helmet towards you as you plopped down in the middle of the little blanket nest you’d constructed.

“It’s not very comfortable,” you said, narrowing your eyes at him. “Relax, Din. There’s nobody around. You don’t need every piece of armor on you right now.” 

Din scoffed but started to take off the armor. Satisfied, you settled in, resting one arm under your head as you looked up at the stars. The sky was so clear, you felt like you could see millions of stars up there. It was an incredible view. A perfect way to top the lovely day you’d had. 

“Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Just do it.” 

You huffed, shooting Din one look to say you were only doing this because you wanted to, and then shut your eyes. It only took a moment for you to find out why. His lips were on yours almost immediately, warm and soft and sweet. You positively melted. 

Din finally pulled back after one last gentle press, and you felt him lay down next to you. “Sleep well, sarad’ika,” he rumbled.

[themilky-way]

like water {din djarin}

gif credit: no-droids

pairing: the mandalorian/din djarin x fem!reader

summary: when the one person he cares about is threatened, he lets himself indulge in the aftermath of defending them. 

warnings: some violence in the beginning, choking (not in the fun way), depictions of scratches, punches, and minor abrasions; the reader is hurt basically. oh and mando’s gun bc yeah❤️umm that’s it i think? nothing too horrible tho but if this thing triggers you, please don’t read !!

author’s note: not to be conceited or anything (is that even the right word for it lol?) but im super proud of how this turned out! requests are open btw for anyone who wishes to submit anything (if unsure, just ask which fandoms)!

----------

cyar’ika-> darling, sweetheart

nothing in that exact moment had made much sense. one minute the most precious thing to ever exist to him was snatched away, and the next his hands were gripping the treasure beneath his holster. his knuckles were lily-white at this point, holding the gun as hard as his body would allow him to without crushing underneath him, and the urge to cock it made him visibly shake. he’d been given a command, and out of all the merciless men in the filthy galaxy, he needed to follow it, so his weapon of preference stayed where it needed to. 

the meager specks of emotion that still lived within him betrayed his prominent composure, the view in front of him blocked by the sudden glaze of his eyes. the small drops of saltwater puddled together in his now hazy orbs, holding on until it was nearly impossible to stay put and then rivered down his cheeks. the cause? well, you.

you were filling up the mandalorian’s line of vision, his eyes darting between you and the bounty that had gone wrong. an alienated hand was wrapped around your innocent throat, your feeble hands wrapped around its wrist in a dumb attempt to break free. the ground you were roaming on before appeared to be never ending, and in the same way, the darkened sky absorbed you whole. vertigo was now in full effect; any quick movement caused you to shut your eyes tightly and hope to the maker you’d get through it. it took a few seconds for you to regain your balance, a sharp pain pinging around your neck forcing you to find it. you half expected to be back on the mud again, to have the man you had spent the past year flying around with pulling you to safety. instead, you found din frozen in place, an instinctive action rooted in the steel handle of his pistol. he wasn’t moving, too scared to blink as if you’d disappear if he did. 

perhaps you were; someone like you seemed too good to be true. in all actuality, it may be that you were a fever dream, a celestial that had come down from the sanctity of your home to finally rescue him from his burdens. amidst his frantic glances, he reminisced every second he’d spent with you since your unforeseen arrival, and that somehow worked for him. the gears in his brain started to turn again, and with every ounce of his strength, he pounced on the quarry and did what he should’ve done the instant you were taken from him. anger took over his worry, the effects illustrating themselves in a collage of mitted fists and blood. the pistol residing on din’s waist was useless compared to his hits; the softened position of his jawbone was locked firmly as a result of his gritted teeth and he was going to need more than your delicate hand on his shoulders to ground his senses. 

the mandalorian never expected to succumb to anyone, nor to feel remotely joyful upon hearing someone’s laugh. the idea of kindling a relationship was ludicrous, utterly impossible if only he weren’t bound to the chains of his creed. oftentimes, he wondered if someone would one day traverse his path and make him question every moral he’d been taught. din had dismissed the thought, as any other member of his intricate society would have, but the wondrous insight depicting a different lifestyle always lingered faintly in his mind. 

today, the very same visions behind his recurrent insomnia framed themselves in a frail art piece. din’s focus laid directly ahead, the fingers navigating the center controls as tight as they’d been on his gun. his eyes deserved to rest, perhaps take in the splashes of color nature was offering him, but he landed them on the same lovely sculpture adorning his cockpit. 

you were seated in the chair adjacent from the pilot’s, with your knees closely tucked to your chest. one large scrape designed itself on your leg-a dull reminder of the ordeal you were involved in hours earlier-with flakes of arid blood protecting the wound. bouncing off the skin of your throat were shades of red and purple, now properly mixing into a deeper complexion that’d require you to hide it for some time. besides the scattered nicks living on your face, and the other couple dozen on your arms and legs, the outcome wasn’t as terrible as the one your attacker received. it was a rule of thumb to not mess with a mandalorian, much less with the pretty little lady clutching his arm as if it were second nature. the foolest of fools wouldn’t even have done such a foul thing, and this particular creature came to know the punishment for harming what wasn’t rightfully his. 

it truly amazed him; the way you seemed to be so unphased by a traumatic circumstance. the woman beside him-the same one who couldn’t sleep unless a window was open-had endured pain, and the marks on her skin proved themselves in jagged indications of it. through the darkened screen of his visor, din could make out your hands neatly intertwined around your folded knees, your chin simultaneously resting on top. you’d been as observant as you always were, hardly missing his actions as he navigated his newfound family to a safe stop. sure, you were unaware of the loving term he considered of you and the baby, but it didn’t hurt to keep it a secret, right?

“hey.” it came out more hoarse than he intended it to, but the emotion behind it flowed out nonetheless. “you okay?”

not really. i don’t feel good. it was easy to say exactly that, to speak the truth, but it was even easier to lie. for the sake of his own worry, at most. your eyes were still glued to his armor, taking in the rough outline of where you imagined his skin would be underneath, or moreso the abstract idea of feeling it with your hands. reflections of your yearning came and went like the mandalorian’s missions, almost impulsively at times, and the curious, teasing tilts his helmet would bid you only encouraged that craving. much like now; the black “T” of his expressionless face leaned to the side, asking you to earnestly respond. “mm, yeah. ‘m kinda tired, though,” you mumbled.

you threw him a lie and he caught it. “don’t lie to me.” din swiveled his chair to accordingly match the peripheral of yours, his elbows coming to rest on top of his beskar-clad legs. “can you look at me?” he inquired softly. then, his intent fell on the slow shift of your head and how it turned to face him, your cheek settling on your unscathed knee. a breath fell from his lips at the doting admiration swimming in your stare. “there she is,” he confirmed with an upward curl of his lips. “is there anything i can do?” it was sincere; a genuine concern to accompany his question. you hummed in response, fearful to accidentally voice the confessions you hid from him. you blinked once, twice, until his question became a plea. “please, cyar’ika.”

reasonably, you were too busy exploring the shape of his helmet, permitting your creative imagination to paint images of the man next to you; so when your ears perceived his sudden name of endearment, there was nothing amongst the stars that you could’ve possibly denied him from. “you’ve never called me that before,” you smiled, all big and brilliant. 

“i’ve wanted to,” the man replied. what resembled ages of pent up stress released with a few curated words. his muscles relaxed, something he never believed to be attainable given his vigorous profession. “god, i’ve wanted to.” 

he followed it with a humble laugh. a sound so familiar and warm, so genuine that it empowered your grin to spread higher. “by all means, keep saying it.” now it was your turn to nervously giggle, and him who embraced the noise with everything he could. a mutual infatuation, so wonderfully obvious, yet it was refused acknowledgment. “i think there is something you can do, though.” silence advised you to continue, “can i sleep with you tonight?” 

the misguided pieces of your minds’, maybe even your souls’, reattached themselves that very same night. as the both of you slept, hands, calloused and smooth, intimately merged against the cushions of the warrior’s bed. tender kisses planted to your forehead left electricity in their wake, and the dark ambiance of his dwelling favored the entanglement of your tired bodies. 

“i wish i could see you, din,” you sighed. the manner in which it was expressed, full of sleep and everything akin, urged him to lift your weightless wrist to his lips. 

“you’ll get to one day, cyar’ika. for now just let me hold you, yeah?”

[cl-01-kestis]

My Little Rebel - Inquisitor!Cal Kestis x Female Rebel!Reader | Part 10

Summary: You make a quick visit to Bogano and come across a small BD unit that once belonged to your beloved.

(No Cal in this one unfortunately, but this is more or less a filler chapter to get the real story going)

Warnings: none

You woke up to the sound of scratching, tiny little claws scraping the outside of the back window of the Mantis. You jolted awake with a scream and fell off your bed when your eyes landed on a small furry creature with massive brown eyes staring up at you through the visor, squeaking before hopping away at such a speed you blinked and you missed it.

You bumped your head on the floor and groaned as you lifted yourself up by grabbing onto the mattress and housing yourself up with a sharp grunt. It was daylight, the sun gladly wasn’t pouring into your room but it illuminated the bright green grass in front of you through the visor, followed by small patches of mud and the company of friendly looking creatures exactly like the one you woke up to looking at you.

Merrin was the first to greet you as she walked into your room and gave you a fresh set of clothes to put on, a black polo neck and your old poncho which she gratefully washed. She also layed out black combat trousers and black boots, reassuring you that all the mud stains had been washed out from Bracca.

You graciously thanked her and went for a long warm shower, washing the night away as you ran your fingers through your soapy hair and thought about the events hours before. In the refresher next to the shower cubicle, there was a small mirror next to you, level with your head, another one was at your hip, obviously for Greez.

You looked in the mirror and came to the realisation that last night was in fact real, eyes landing on two bloody hickeys which were able to be hidden with your hair. They rest on the side of your neck slope and small teeth marks were seen around them. You mentally scolded Cal, if he was here right now you would’ve throttled him. Thankfully the polo covered up both of the marks and you saved yourself from explaining anything to the crew, especially Cere.

You quickly changed and managed to get to the dining table within half an hour of waking up. Cere greeted you whilst reading off the holopad on the table, eyes scanning over the articles and information about the latest news throughout the galaxy. Your stomach grumbled as you stuffed your face with Greez’s good home cooking, complimenting his food whilst you were chewing on it which made him scoff.

“If you chew any quicker you might just choke!” Greez yelled from the cockpit, shaking his head dismissively as he waddled out and crossed his top set of arms. Cere hummed and Merrin simply chuckled, picking at her food unlike you and taking her time as she ate.

“So, what’s the agenda for today?” You asked curiously, eyes darting to each crew member until Cere cleared her throat and switched off her holopad.

“There’s something I need you to find before we go and start the journey to restore the Jedi order. We’re on a planet called Bogano, here you will hopefully find a droid named BD1” Cere turned in her seat to look at you, her voice all serious and stern as she instructed you about what to do. You listened to her closely and nodded your head once she finished, trapping your chin between your index finger and chin as your thoughts wondered.

“A BD unit? Heard of it but can’t say I’ve seen one of them” You shrugged, grabbing your poncho off the couch and slipping your head through. Cere opened up her hologram once again and shuffled around the blue glowing keyboard which popped up in front of her hands. She typed something into the system and then, a small photo hovered in front of your face. It was a droid, a small one with two little legs and two eyes, one big and one small. It was painted red and white and two antennas were played at either side of its rectangular head.

“This is BD1, he shouldn’t be hard to find, I’ll give you directions as to where his location could be. But be careful, oggdo’s lurk around this part of Bogano” Cere told you in a warning voice. You nodded and gave the holophoto of the droid one last look before turning around and heading to your room to get your lightsaber.

As you walked to the back of the ship, Merrin emerged from your room with your pile of dirty clothes from the day before, in her hand was your lightsaber.

“Looking for this? Sorry for the intrusion, I was going to start the laundry” The Nightsister threw your lightsaber to you in mid air, you caught it effortlessly and smiled.

“No need to apologise” You assured her, stepping to the side to let her through as she held onto the small pile of clothes and blankets. Merrin was out of her Nightsister uniform, replaced with a dark grey sweater and black jeans, but she still had her necklace on.

After Merrin walked away, you went inside you room go check that you had everything. You clipped your lightsaber to your belt and looked around your room quickly before leaving.

“You won’t need much for this mission, only your lightsaber” Cere yelled, her voice echoing from the main part of the ship which made you jolt in your spot momentarily. “Okay!” You yelled back, walking back to the main part of the ship after closing your bedroom door behind.

You arrived at the exit of the ship and regarded Cere with a single nod, turning your head to look out of the open runway and seeing how overwhelmingly green everything was. You saw the occasional glimpse of one of those creatures you saw when you woke up, their bushy tails wagging in the air as the pushed themselves into their little holes in the ground. Bogano looked strange, it consisted of multiple bits of land that were divided by an incredibly long drop. You knew you had a bit of an exercise ahead of you.

Just as you were about to leave, you heard someone clear their throat to gain your attention. Merrin stood behind you with a bag over her shoulder, smiling as she walked to stand next to you and look out to Bogano.

“Thought you might like a bit of company,” The Nightsister smiled, walking out and onto the ramp whilst closing her eyes and inhaling the fresh air through her nose.

“No need to drag me around though, I’ll be just fine” She smirked, making a certain action with her hands before vanishing into a green hue and appearing once more, only a few meters away. You looked at her in amazement and smiled, running down the ramp to catch up to her and enjoy the adventure ahead.

-

Cere sat impassively at the table, still scrolling through her holopad and resting her cheek on her hand as she sighed. Greez took notice to her strange behaviour and sat down a cup of red tea next to her before shuffling into the seat opposite her.

“What’s going on? You’ve never been this quiet” The small man informed, sipping on his own tea as Cere let out another sigh and shook her head. She placed the holopad flat on the table and rubbed her head as if she was irritated by something. The once-Jedi didn’t say much as she picked up the cup from the table and took an experimental sip, humming pleasantly before looking up and meeting Greez’ gaze.

“It’s about Cal” Was all Cere had to say for Greez to start panicking on the inside, his body freezing and eyes full of worry.

“W-what about him?” Greez never sounded so wary about something in his life, Cere simply pursed her lips and tried keeping her emotions contained.

“He knows (Y/N)” Cere’s voice was quiet, almost disappointed that she’d maybe chose the wrong person for such a task to bring back the Jedi order, she was starting to regret everything.

“Knows her? How so?” Greez asked curiously, feeling a little less uneasy and more curious about Cere’s words. The two crew members stayed silent for a few seconds before Cere cleared her throat and blinked a few times.

“I saw them on the battlefield on Kashyyyk” Cere had the face of a disappointed mother, shaking her head to herself as Greez’ eyes widened by a few inches.

“What like- like fighting or-“

“Together, Greez, they were kissing-” Cere stood up from her seat and rubbed her forehead whilst approaching the exit, stopping as she watched you and Merrin in the far distance. The two of you were already near the tower, Merrin was laughing as you tried catching up with her, clearly out of breath whereas she was perfectly fine. Cere was about to smile but then remembered everything she’d seen you do, everything she witnessed and wish she hadn’t.

“She isn’t on the dark side which I’m glad to say, her heart is still full of light and she has good intentions... but Cal- maker I never would’ve guessed” Cere laughed in anything but a positive manner, holding onto the arch of the exit as her other hand lay flat against her head. Greez had spun around in his seat as he watched Cere stress.

“One thing you Jedi never learn, you can’t control attraction Cere, it’s such a diverse thing” Greez sounded like he was defending you but Cere shot him a stone cold glare and he immediately regretted saying anything at all.

“Jedi are never permitted to form attachments, she should know better than to mess around with someone like an Inquisitor” Cere looked up at the view once again and noticed you and Merrin were gone, out of sight and leaving her to wonder where the both of you were. She crouched and sat down on the open ramp, feeling the warm sun kiss her forearms and face as she thought hard about the sight she saw. She was so angry, but Greez had a point. She knew deep down you weren’t bad, you had determination to bring back the order and you weren’t that weak to be manipulated by an Inquisitor. But she was worried about your safety, Cal could kill you at any moment if he could, he could’ve certainly killed you on Kashyyyk. But why didn’t he? She may never know.

-

“The little guy should be here” Merrin’s voice echoed out into the large spacious tomb, looking around at the ground with confusion written over her grey face. You pursed your lips and walked about, checking for any holes or cracks that might be of any significance. The air in the strange hidden tomb was surprisingly mild, you weren’t cold and the sun was pouring in from the top of the tomb where the ceiling was missing.

“Does he respond to force signals?” You asked curiously, continuing to feel around the ancient walls of the Bogano temple. Merrin furrowed her brows and went silent for a few moments.

“Come to think of it, he does, he was taught how to identify force signals long before you showed up, so it might be worth the try” The Nightsister nodded, pointing at the middle of the floor where a golden plate shaped as a circle rest. You walked over to the plate and carefully perched yourself on it without too much hassle. Merrin sat down a meter away from you to give you space for meditation.

“BD-1 will recognise the signal if you project it far enough, I don’t know much about meditation but it’s best that you picture the planet, think about the life there, think of yourself as the air that surrounds it” Merrin said as she crossed her legs, watching you as you copied her and closed your eyes. It didn’t take long for you to shift into your meditation, you felt at peace with the world of Bogano and done as Merrin told you to do.

You started picturing the grass, how green it was when you woke up and when you first set foot on it. You pictured the muck and dirt that accompanied the grass, making a nice blend of green and brown all over the planet. You thought about the odd layout of the planet, the way you and Merrin had to jump from platform to platform, even go down a few zip lines and climb up vines in order to get to the tower. You heard water flowing, the water surrounding you and Merrin. Your palms lay flat on the ground and you felt the concrete, feeling through it’s every inch and letting out a calm sigh as the life of Bogano flowed through the force and into you.

In the distance, within the tomb, a beep was heard.

You opened your eyes quickly, eyes searching for something and eventually landing on the tiniest droid you’d ever seen. It was BD-1, the exact droid you were looking for! The small droid crawled up shyly to you and Merrin, beeping curiously a few times.

You knew what it was saying, smiling to yourself as you waved your hand to signify you meant no harm.

“I don’t believe it” Merrin breathed out, disbelief swirling in her red eyes as she leaned down to encourage BD-1 to come closer. As if recognising the woman, BD-1 chirped in excitement and raced towards the Nightsister, practically pouncing on her and landing on her shoulder, his wide rectangular head nuzzling against hers which caused Merrin to laugh.

“I’ve missed you too, BD” Merrin awkwardly hugged the droid, picking him up and setting him in front of you. You weren’t sure how to interact with the droid, it was the first time you’d ever seen something so small and you felt scared in case you’d crush the droid.

“BD-1, this is (Y/N), she’s a Jedi” Merrin gestured her hand towards you and BD-1 let out a surprised chirp.

‘Really?’ It asked curiously, looking up to Merrin, It’s large lense adjusting before it turned back to look at you. You smiled at the droid and nodded.

“Indeed I am, it’s nice to meet you, BD” You bowed politely to the droid and earned a pleased beep.

“You can understand him?” Merrin raised a brow and turned to look at you, surprised at her sudden discovery. You let out a brief chuckle and nodded.

“I was taught how to speak to droids whilst I was a Padawan, when my memory was wiped the mechanics on Yavin taught me more, I know up to 4 different droid languages” You said, acting like it wasn’t a big deal but Merrin thought otherwise. She didn’t say anything in reply but you shuffled through her thoughts and smiled to yourself when you realised how impressed she was at your skills.

BD-1 spun around in excitement, jumping on your leg and tilting its head to the side.

‘I am at your service!” The droid informed happily.

“What’s he saying?” Merrin asked.

“He’s just saying he’s at my service, should we get going?” You looked up at the sky and realised it was getting pretty dark, you wondered how long you were out for with Merrin. The Nightsister hummed and stood up, dusting herself off and cursing in her own language when she realised that her backside had gotten all wet with the water on the ground. You chuckled at her attitude and stood up as well, but you gasped in surprise when BD-1 bounced up onto your shoulder and chirped happily in your ear.

‘Are we going on an adventure?’ The small droid asked as you and Merrin started venturing out of the temple.

“Yeah, we are” You smiled, making sure not to stretch your neck too much as you turned to look at BD who stood comfy on your shoulder.

The small droid beeped with joy once more, holding onto you tightly as you and Merrin started sliding through the hole where you both came from, returning to the mantis and hopefully starting the mission.

[allegra-writes]

Take me home (A Far from Home fix it)

Peter Parker x Stark!reader

NSFW

Warnings: Smut, Porn with Plot

The request:

Hi! I love your fics so so much! Can I get a “Far from home” fic about that scene on the tulips field only instead of Happy being the one to pick up Peter is the reader and Peter is still too shocked cause of the hallucinations and you have to convince Peter that your real someway and maybe smut happens? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

MY MASTERLIST

The deafening noise of the Jet landing was music to Peter’s sore ears -he was sore everywhere actually, being hit by a train would do that to you- but the vision of you coming out of the plane was what finally brought him to his knees.

When he had called mister Stark a couple of hours before to come pick him up like the lost little boy he felt like, the more logical part of his brain knew he wasn’t going to come flying to his rescue in his IronMan armor like so many times before. In fact Tony Stark was never going to wear an armor again. His mentor had survived the final snap, but just barely, losing his arm and shoulder in the process, and the damage to his heart meant that he would not be able to be Iron Man anymore.

But somehow it had never occurred to Peter that he would send you instead. Watching you come down those steps, what occurred to him was that nobody had ever looked so good in a dress as you did right then in your red wrap dress, coming his way in that field, surrounded by a thousand colorful tulips, flower petals falling all around you. It was unreal, you looked like a dream, a fantasy… or a hallucination.

“Stop!” He demanded from his place kneeling on the ground, stopping you on your tracks. You took in his disheveled state, bruises covering his face and undoubtedly his body too, eyes red and swollen from crying, and the urge to run to him hit you double but you obeyed. 

“Y/n? Is that really you?”

You frowned,

“Am I… Of course I’m really me! Peter what is going on?”

He seemed almost afraid of looking at you, avoiding your eyes as he implored,

“Then tell me something only you and I would know. Please, if you’re really her, prove it. I can’t stand another nightmare, I just can’t…”

“The night of the day we met, we kissed at the Eiffel tower,” You answered without skipping a beat.”

“No!” He interrupted you, frantic, “No, I told him that! Something else, tell me something else!”

You casted a wary look at Happy standing only a few yards away from you, but complied anyway,

“A couple of weeks ago, we snuck out of your birthday party and made love on the lake shore under the stars, while everyone was looking for us to cut the cake” You ignored Happy’s scandalized “YOU DID WHAT?” and went on,

“Pepper actually found us in the middle of it but she didn’t tell on us. She said it would be hypocritical to let Tony to lecture us when…”

“When she had walked in on him on the same situation a hundred times” Peter finished for you

“Yeah…” You said weakly. Peter sighed in relief, and he was the one to finally run to you. He held you a little too tight, burying his face on the crook of your neck and breathing you in. No hallucination would ever be able to replicate the soft perfume of your skin or the feeling of your body in his arms. He

couldn’t help the chocked sob that escaped his throat,

“You were dead” You could feel his tears falling down your shoulder, his words muffled against your skin, “You snapped your fingers and it killed you, it burned you up…”

“But it wasn’t me” You tighten your arms around his shoulders, trying to offer him some comfort, “That was my dad, remember? He used the glove and defeated Thanos, and he almost died, yeah, but you saved him…”

“We saved him,” he corrected you, like you were expecting him to, “You and me and the doctor… we- we saved him”

“So it couldn’t have been me, see?” You reasoned.

“No- I know that” He accepted, “It’s just-… it was so real! I thought I had lost you…”

“No, I am real” you pointed out, “and I am here with you”

That seemed to finally do the trick and he leaned back to look into your eyes, letting go of you just to cup your face with his hands.

“Yeah,” he let out under his breath, a little amazed, “yeah, you are”

You didn’t know who initiated the kiss, which one of you was the first to cross the few inches that separated you, and honestly, you didn’t care. Not with Peter’s soft lips moving against yours, teeth coming out to delicately nibble on your bottom lip in a silent request that you gladly conceded. Peter always kissed you like you were something precious, something to be cherished. Always starting out soft and slow, and building up till the fire igniting within the two of you became almost unbearable, exploding into a million colors behind your eyelids, making you come alive in a way not even flying in your Ironheart suit a million miles an hour managed to.

Before the kiss could get heated, though, a throat cleared loudly behind you. But the intrusive noise only succeeded in making Peter kiss you a little more insistently.

“Oh, for the love of-… get away from each other before I pry you apart with a crowbar!” ordered Happy, “Don’t think I wouldn’t!”

You let go of Peter and he took a step back, turning to Happy

“Hey, happy” He greeted, sheepishly, “Nice to see you…”

“Oh, please, save it” He replied, straight faced, “Let’s get on the plane so you can explain to me long has this” he gestured between you and Peter “been going on and if the boss knows you’re smooching his

daughter.”

“Wait, mister Stark can block the glasses?”

“Dad already brief me on the whole situation with Mysterio and the EDITH glasses,” You filled Peter in once inside the jet, “He can block his access to the network but for now he’s letting him believe he’s in control until we can figure out his next target and pin down his location” You were suddenly all business.

It was as if a switch had turned, and you went instantly into agent mode. He wondered vaguely if you knew you did that. And if you knew how hot that was.

“Well, of course he can” You explained, “ the glasses are the prototype, but you couldn’t possibly believe those are the only interface we have for the Stark Global Defense System…”

“You’re hurt” You noticed, “Happy, bring me the first aid kit, would you?”

With every second passing, Peter felt stupider and stupider.

“Right, of course not,” He limped to the sit in front of you, “that would- that would be absurd…”

“I’m not your butler, you know?”

You threw an unimpressed look at him, and you were sure he was about to get up his seat to fetch the kit, caving in under the pressure of the Stark Bitchface ™, when his phone rang.

“Sorry, I have to take this” He hurriedly got up and ran to the cockpit in a desperate quest for privacy “Hi, babe!..” You caught right before he closed the door, effectively locking himself from view.

“I think Happy has a girlfriend!” Marveled Peter.

You and Peter exchanged a amused look,

“What the hell was that?”

You laughed, and even Peter chuckled a little. You made a note to thank Happy later for putting a smile on his face when he so obviously needed it.

“I’ll go get the kit, you wait here” You decided before leaving Peter on the armchair and disappearing inside the jet’s bathroom.

It made him uneasy, not having you in sight. A couple weeks felt like two years. And yes, you had unwittingly broke his heart (again), but it was obvious to him that you hadn’t done so un purpose. He had spent too much time apart from you already, he didn’t want to miss you anymore, specially not after realizing you still wanted him. So he gritted his teeth against the pain and went to find you.

It was worth it, he decided, every second of discomfort only to see you like that: On your tip toes, reaching for the box inside the cabinet, short dress riding up your thighs, long hair falling around your shoulders, skin glowing even under the unflattering fluorescent lights. Your fingers fumbled to open the latch, unsuccessfully.

“Stop staring at me, I can’t concentrate when you look at me like that!” You called him out. He smiled at the floor, feeling his cheeks heating up.

“How did you know I was staring?”

“I can always tell when you’re looking at me” You turned to find him leaning on the door, “I can feel your eyes on me… Come, since you came all this way, I might as well patch you up here” You closed the toilet lid and motioned for him to sit. He did so obediently while you finally got the kit out.

“You’re doing it again…”

“Sorry, I just can’t get over how beautiful you are,” He spilled out “it’s Ironic actually, considering I had a plan on six steps to get over you this summer…”

Only the slightest stuttering in your heart rhythm and your sudden breath intake let him know he had upset you. Outwardly you kept on taking bandages out of the box.

“You wanted to get over me?” You asked, as casually as you managed. Peter cursed himself for bringing it up; What was wrong with him? If friends with benefits was all you were willing to offer, he would take it. Gladly. You owed him no explanations, you owed him nothing. And yet, he couldn’t help to want

more…

“Wait,” You interrupted him, confused, “ you did know dad grounded me after Paris, right?”

He sighed,

“Yeah, I kinda did. I woke up after my birthday and you were gone, just… gone. No goodbye, no explanation, no calls… not even my texts were getting through and… it hurt” He explained without looking up, “It was like Paris all over again and I just-…”

To Peter’s blank look, you exclaimed,

“Oh my god, you didn’t know! Tony banned me from technology, and there was no way of getting your contact info out of him without him getting suspicious, that’s the only reason I didn’t call then!”

Peter knew he was going to hate himself for asking, but he couldn’t help himself,

“And what about this time?”

“Hey,” he whispered softly, “look at me, hey!” You finally met his eyes and he smiled, “There you are, it doesn’t matter, we’re together now, so everything’s ok”

“There was an emergency, and Strange took me with him to fight it, said it could only be me. I wasn’t even in this dimension, that’s why my phone wasn’t working.” You shook your head, “I wrote you a letter, Happy was supposed to give it to you… I guess he didn’t”

You rubbed your face with your hands, obviously frustrated. Peter stood, taking them into his own.

“It’s not, Peter! A mistake just like this is what killed Romeo and Juliet!” You protested. He snorted,

“Good thing I didn’t killed your cousin and you’re not engaged, then”

He just shrugged noncommittally, or at least tried to, cause it pulled at the cut on his back. His twitch and pained face didn’t go unnoticed. You tugged at the hem of his t-shirt,

You smiled a little at that,

“I’m still killing Happy when this is all over…”

“Take it off”

“Take off your shirt” you repeated, “let me have a look at that injury”

His eyes went wide,

“What?”

“Right, you need to… sure. Of course.”

Your smirked was wiped right off your face as soon as his chest was exposed. That night at the lake, it had been dark. But in that bathroom under the bright lights, you could actually see all the hard planes of his body that you remembered feeling against your own. You shook yourself, now it was not the time, not with him hurt and needing your help. He turned around wordlessly to let you look at his back. Most of his bruises and scratches were already fading before your eyes, leaving fresh scars that would disappear soon as well, but one particular cut high on his shoulder was going to need sutures. You looked around at the tiny bathroom, there wasn’t really a lot of space to do this and it would have been more practical to get back at the lounging area and do his stitches comfortably in one of the sofas or something, but you selfishly didn’t want to give up your closeness, the illusion of intimacy the bathroom offered. 

And you were a Stark, after all, you were selfish by nature, so you just pushed him softly until he was sitting back on the closed lid of the toilet. Then tapped at his knee so he would separate his legs further and stepped between them. You always marveled at how easily you were able to manhandle him, given his super strength. The knowledge that he was actively letting you do it made you feel exited and powerful in a way you didn’t fully understand yet, but it thrilled you nonetheless.

“Wha- what are you doing?” He stuttered from somewhere near your cleavage.

“Stitching you up, what does it look like?” You answered without stopping threading the surgical thread through the curved needle.

“Oh. Right. Of course.” You could practically feel the heath coming out of his, sure to be crimson, face. Despite you being as careful as you could, he still hissed in pain when the needle pierced through his skin.

“There, all better now”

“Sorry, I promise I’m trying to be gentle” You apologized, placing soft, soothing kisses on his hair. He hummed in acknowledgment against your breasts, sending goosebumps through your skin. You finished up, letting your fingers linger on his naked shoulder a little longer than necessary. After distractedly

discarding the needle you placed a little kiss on the unharmed skin beside the cut.

“Do you, now?”

He cleared his throat,

“I- um… I have other injures if you wanna, you know… kiss and make'em better” He suggested shyly. You smirked.

He nodded, looking up at you with the big brown innocent eyes that were your weakness.

“Show me.”

He gulped but obeyed, straitening up a little and pointing at his chest, were a red angry line had still to fade completely. You gave it a small peck. Next came a rather big, purple bruise on his ribcage, that you had to kneel on the floor in front of him in order to reach better. Then another, lower on his stomach, that had him biting his lip to stop from moaning. After the last one, right on the sharp bone of his hip, was taken care of, you stopped to look up at him from your position kneeling between his legs: He was breathing hard, chest heaving and slacked jawed, pupils blown wide with lust. You smoothed your hand over his lower abdomen, and watched appreciatively as the muscles there rippled under his skin. God, you were going to get in so much trouble for this! But as you hoisted yourself up the floor and went for the door, you couldn’t find it in yourself to care.

Realization dawned on Peter’s eyes as you locked the door and turned around to face him.

“Happy is going to know exactly what we’re doing here. You know that, right?”

“You’re insane. And I must be crazy” He shook his head, cause there was no doubt about it, “I’m crazy for you”

“I know” You replied, “But I need you badly right now and I think… I think you need me too?” You added, almost timidly, vulnerably. And Peter felt his heart break inside his chest because of you again, but this time in a completely different way; because how? How could he be so cruel as to let you keep on

wondering if what you were feeling was one-sided? How could he deny you what the very blood inside his veins was screaming at him to give you? What every cell on his body was demanding at him to take in return?

The same kind of terrifying, exhilarating feeling that had taken over the both of you back in Paris returned with a vengeance, as he took a step towards you, caging you between his body and the closed door.

“You’re blushing” You pointed out.

He captured your lips, hands tangling on your hair, tilting your face just so, tongue licking at your bottom lip just before biting it, taking full advantage of the little moan that left your mouth to deepen the kiss and force another helpless sound out of your throat that had his head swimming.

One of his hands left your hair to caress your neck, thumb rubbing delicately the side of your jaw first, and your collarbone later, only to skim over the swell of your breast on his way down to finally rest above the little bow that tied your dress closed. He broke the kiss to look into your eyes; a silent request

for permission. You nodded, earning yourself one of those bright, boyish smiles of him that you loved so much it knocked the breath out of your chest every time in it’s intensity. He undid the knot felling like a little kid opening a birthday present, and let your dress fall open, exposing to him the lacy black bralette

and simple cotton panties you were wearing.

“I know” He replied, “I can feel my cheeks burning just thinking about what I want to do to you”

Whatever it was you’ve been expecting, that candid answer wasn’t it. Heath pooled low inside you.

“What are you waiting for?” You defied him.

“The new course has been set to London” You informed, “That gives us about an hour, almost enough time, don’t you think?” You joked.

“There isn’t time” He objected, eyes still roaming your body, fisting his hands to stop them from shaking from the effort of not letting them follow the path his eager eyes were tracing. You checked your Stark watch casually, as if standing half naked in front of Peter fucking Parker was something you did every

day.

“No,” He countered, “not even nearly” He attacked your lips again, hungry, hard. Strong arms found their rightful place around your waist, and Peter took a moment to awe at the way your body fit right in his hands, before easily lifting you up and placing you on the narrow counter as if you were weightless. You wrapped your legs around his hips, like you had a thousand times before, whenever he would take you swinging across the city on his webs. His touch felt searing, leaving fiery trails on it’s wake. A strangled moan left his lips as his hardened length made contact with your core, sending a wave of pleasure through both of your bodies. Despite his previous statement of not having time, his hands were slow, and his mouth was slower, the strokes of his tongue against your own in perfect tandem with the rocking of his hips against your center. He released your lips to suck a bruise on that little spot on your neck that he remembered making you do such pretty noises for him the last time, scrapping his teeth gently on the sensitive skin.

“Peter…”

“Peter, please,” You breathed “I’m ready…”

“Shhh…” He whispered hotly against the shell of your ear, “We’re gonna have to be really quiet, can you do that for me baby girl?”

You nodded, not trusting your voice. You felt his smile against your skin, right before he started dipping lower and lower, kissing reverently at your collarbone, sucking a mark right above your breast, latching his teeth on the strap of your bra and pulling it down your shoulder along with the sleeve of your dress, baring your left boob to his ministrations. He wasted no time in placing a little catlike lick on your nipple, pausing to hear your sharp intake of breath. Satisfied that that was the only sound you made, he started to suck in earnest, turning it into an even harder peak than it already was. You had to bit your lip to keep silent, holding onto his head to find some purchase and arched your back. He took the hint and nibbled tenderly, making you see stars.

He returned to devour your mouth, hooking his hands on the back of your knees and pulling you forward, to grind you harder onto his leather covered bulge. Those pants really left nothing to the imagination and you could feel him, huge and hot and angry and pulsing against your pussy. A wave of wetness leaked out of you and you could swear you felt his nostrils expand against your face. Could he actually smell your arousal?

“I’m not” He confessed against your jaw, pushing his hands further up the inside of your thighs, spreading you wider for him “I want to taste you. I didn’t have the chance at the lake, and it’s all I can think about. Can I taste you?” He pleaded, “Please, baby girl, say I can taste you…”

You couldn’t help to whine,

“Fuck yeah” You heard yourself answer.

That was all he needed, cause he immediately dropped to his knees and got to work, mouthing at your core through your underwear, massaging your clit with his tongue. 

“Peter… please”

He smirked, looking up,

“Hush, you don’t want Happy to hear us…”

“I was right” He muttered between licks, “You taste like heaven. Want to know how delicious you taste, baby?”

“Don’t care…please” You could barely make sense but it didn’t matter, because at that moment, Peter finally pulled your panties to the side, and licked one long stripe along your slit. “Such a pretty pussy… so wet for me”, you heard him mutter to himself, almost in awe, before really delving into it, sucking and

licking into you as if he didn’t even need to breath. Which he probably didn’t, but you were long past coherent thought, his tongue thrusting deep inside you robbing you of it.

You nodded your head, because you would have done anything he wanted right then. He dipped one fingertip in your entrance and your legs trembled, so he adjusted his grip on you, wrapping an arm around your waist. He used his free hand to slide a finger inside you, collecting your juices, and took it out, reaching up to your lips and staring intently up at your face. You sucked it readily, tasting yourself and moaning, putting on a show for him.

It worked. You could swear you saw his pupils grow wide until there was almost no brown left. He buried his index finger inside you again, sucking delicately at your clit at the same time. He withdrew it slowly, only to glide it in again along a second one, thrusting deep. You were a thrashing mess above him, head banging against the mirror behind you every time your threw it back in pleasure. He didn’t relent on his assault, you could feel his strong tongue slipping inside along his fingers. You anchored yourself burying your own fingers on his hair, tugging hard whenever the tip of his tongue found that spot inside you, biting your lip so hard to keep from screaming that you were sure you’d drew blood. You felt the familiar warmth building and knew you were getting close, but he stopped and stood up, obscenely whipping your juices from his lips with the back of his hand.

You whined pitifully, but he was on you in a second, sucking and licking at your swollen, bloody lip, singing praise against your mouth,

“So good for me, so quiet… my good girl, my angel…” He framed your face with his hands, forcing you to meet his eye until the haze of lust cleared from yours somewhat and you were able to focus on him enough to understand what he was saying.

“Next time, I’ll feel you come on my tongue,” He promised, voice dark and husky with arousal, “but right now, I need to be inside you”

That was the best idea you had heard all summer, and you nodded your head enthusiastically,

“F-first… aid k-kit” You managed to get out. He reached out to your left and rummaged through the kit one handed, until he found the little box of condoms. He pulled one out and teared open the wrapper.

“Can I do it?” Your question took him by surprise, and he looked at you inquisitively. It had been a fantasy of yours for some time. You kind of just wanted to get your hands on his dick somehow ever since you had accidentally seen him naked on the med bay. He swallowed hard, but nodded once.

Eyes never leaving yours, he carefully, very slowly, undid the button and zipper of his pants. You would have called him a teased but you soon learned the reason of his cautiousness, and lifted an eyebrow.

“Going commando, Parker? Kinky, I like it”

He blushed. After all the sinful, dirty things he had just done to you, he actually, genuinely blushed.

“Shut up, it’s a really tight suit, pants wouldn’t go up if I wore underwear…”

Meanwhile, Peter couldn’t decide if he was being blessed or tortured. The sight of your small hands all over his big cock had to be the single hottest thing he had ever seen in his life, and would have been enough to make him come. As it was, he was sure the image was going to be branded forever on his brain, to come back and haunt him every night, when he was alone and feverish and sweaty on his bed, wishing it was your hand instead of his the one to bring him to completion.

“I’m not judging…” the rest of your sentence died in your throat as he freed himself from the pants. God, he was… impressive. Uncut, and not too long but thick, and you could perfectly remember how his girth felt stretching you and filling you like no one had before. You reached for him, starting to roll the

condom down his length. He twitched in your hands, and you felt your mouth water. You promised yourself that, next time, you would be the one tasting him.

But the actual feeling of you touching him? It was almost too much to take. You stroked him a couple times once the condom was firmly in place, and he could have died right there in your hands. And what a way to go would that have been, but then those hands were grabbing him and guiding him to your entrance, and his head was disappearing inside you, and he had to grab at the counter, burying his cry on your neck to stop from shooting his load. It took all the strength he had to stop himself from slamming into you, but he wanted you to feel it all; every single inch of him sinking slowly, excruciatingly slowly inside your heath, every second of him spearing you open.

He bottomed out, leaning back to meet your eyes as he, as slowly as he had entered you, withdrew from you almost all the way, until only his tip remained inside. He surged forward again, a little faster, building up a rhythm. Your pussy was perfection, swallowing him, hot and tight, wet and inviting and all his. He was going to make you all his, giving you just enough friction, filling you up so good, making you come so hard that you would forget everything but him, and the way he was thrusting in and out of you. Life would hold no meaning beyond coming on his cock again, and again… and again.

It was only payback, really; because for him, life no longer held any meaning beyond you, and your eyes, and your laugh, and your voice, and the way you were wrapping your legs and your arms around him.

And it felt like coming home… you were home… that was were he belonged: between your legs, forever.

“So perfect… taking my cock so well… my angel”

He was pounding into you earnestly now, and you were clutching at his shoulders, eyes glassy and unfocused, mouth open in a silent, perfect little oh, tiny frown on your face, as if so much pleasure was confusing. You looked so pure and innocent as he was fucking you… You were so perfect, and he had

been so close to screwing up so bad, with his stupid plan of getting over you using MJ. He didn’t deserve you, he knew he didn’t, but he wasn’t man enough to let you go. He wasn’t strong enough, or noble enough, to push you away, to set you free to find someone worthy of you. No, instead of that he wanted

you for himself, and with the gods as his witnesses, he was going to ruin you for anybody else. He made sure to grind his pubic bone into your clit with every stroke, one hand splayed around your back, pressing you close, rubbing your hard nipples on his torso, the lace covering one only adding to the sensations. You mewled almost inaudibly, still obeying his command to be silent. Yeah, you were perfect.

You weren’t sure he knew he was talking out loud, but it was electrifying anyway. He was so deep now, so hot inside you. Peter always had ran a core temperature slightly higher than normal, part of his peculiar metabolism, and it felt delicious. You couldn’t hold back a broken sob.

“Gonna come? Gonna come on my cock, my angel? Wanna feel that pretty pussy squeeze me up,” he sucked your earlobe between his teeth, “Come on baby girl, let me feel it…”

You shook your head, because as good as it was feeling, you knew he was holding back. And you wanted everything.

“Please… Pete, please…”

“What is it, baby girl? Tell me what you need” He moved his hand to massage your exposed boob, fingers grazing your hard nipple, making you roll your eyes. It took you a few seconds to gather your thoughts again.

“Harder, fuck me harder…”

He moaned, but shook his head no.

“Don’t… don’t wanna hurt you”

“I can take it, I promise. Please…” You leaned forward, capturing his lips in a passionate, wild, dirty open mouthed kiss, “Please, please, you know you want to…”

The truth was, Peter did want to. He wanted it harder, and faster, and deeper. He wanted to fuck you roughly, bury his mistakes deep between your legs, wanted to get lost in you and forget all about them. Wanted you to fuck away the pain, because only you could. He was close to breaking.

You licked into his open mouth, filthily,

“Please, I can take it, give it to me baby boy. I can take it, please…”

His free hand went to your neck, not squeezing, just resting, almost reverently. A primitive, possessive gesture.

“God, you beg so pretty” He growled, snaking one arm around your waist, lifting you up from the counter and impaling you on his cock hard, over and over. You had no purchase, no control at all, couldn’t do anything but hold onto him for dear life and take it as he was giving it to you.

And you fucking loved it.

“This what you wanted, angel? Getting fucked hard? Getting that sweet pussy destroyed?”

You didn’t answer, instead lowering your face a little, to be able to reach at two of the fingers holding your neck and sucking them into your mouth to muffle the screams that wanted to get out. Peter’s eyes went wide.

“Holy fucking shhh… baby girl you gonna make me…”

You released his fingers, biting your lips again. Peter pushed his thumb inside your mouth to make you stop.

“S-stop… baby girl… no hurting yourself… again. Me, bite me… instead”

“You’re hurt enough!” You refused.

“It’s different…” he was pistoning in and out of you mercilessly now “You’ll make it good… I know you’ll make it hurt so good…”

“Woah…” You were a little surprised to see he was breathing as hard as you, didn’t he had like, super- human stamina or something? “That was…”

One particularly vicious thrust of his hips later, and you were latching your teeth on the juncture between his neck and shoulder, biting down hard trying to drown your cry of ecstasy as galaxies exploded behind your eyes. He cursed, felling you flutter and tighten around him. He gave a couple last, uncoordinated thrusts before his knees buckled and he fell back sitting on the closed toilet, as he came.

You were still straddling him, still connected.

“I know” You were almost purring, complete sated, a puddle in his arms as he ran his hands up and down your back. He groaned and hid his face in your neck.

“We are so dead! There’s no way Happy didn’t hear that…”

“I know!” You chuckled, the vibrations producing a different kind of groan from Peter, who was still very much hard and ready inside you.

“You’re still…”

“I know!” His words were stifled against your neck, “I told you there wasn’t enough time…”

You leaned back to be able to look at him, a little lost for words. The sheepish look on his face, however, had you breaking into a full laugh.

“So, there’s that super-human stamina!”

“What?”

“Nothing,” You replied, trying to calm down for his benefit. He looked so unsure, probably thinking there was something wrong with him when in fact it was the opposite, he could be so self deprecating sometimes “I just realized I have the perfect boyfriend.”

His whole face lit up,

“Boyfriend, huh?”

“Yes, boyfriend” You confirmed, peppering his face with little, adoring kisses, “My hot,” kiss “strong,” kiss “brilliant boyfriend”

“I like the sound of that…” He smiled, placing one last, chaste kiss on your forehead before helping you stand up, groaning a little as he slipped out of you.

“Good. Now, would my boyfriend help me find my panties, cause…” You trailed off as he picked a piece of fabric the color of your underwear from the floor with the guiltiest look on his face.

“Sorry,” he said without meeting your eyes, “I must have torn them apart at some point during our…”

The fact that he couldn’t bring himself to say the word fucking after all his dirty talk while you were, well, fucking, shouldn’t have been so endearing.

“Babe,” He perked up at the nickname, sounding so right out of your lips, “never, ever apologize for tearing my clothes out of my body.” You finished, as sternly as you could. His musical laugh filled thebathroom,

“Duly noted, baby girl…”

After you and Peter cleaned up and redress, you left the tiny bathroom only to find the main room of the jet completely deserted, a note on one of the tables the only sign of Happy Hogan’s presence.

“Item 23A” Peter read out loud, “What does it even mea…”

The jet’s secret on board lab was opening up and presenting the new armor to him before he even finished the question.

“Wow, mister Stark certainly outdid himself this time!” Peter admired the new suit that fitted him as a second skin.

“Mister Stark? Oh no, babe,” You corrected, your own suit materializing around you in the exact same way his did around him, “that one was all me…”

Before Peter could say the praise that without a doubt was about to leave his mouth, your dad’s voice resounded on his coms.

“Mister Parker! So nice of you to finally join us!” Tony’s voice was dripping sarcasm, and Peter hurried to apologize.

“Mister Stark! Before anything else I would like to tell you that I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-…”

“Zip it, Underoos, we’ll talk about the defiling of my plane later, Happy is traumatized…”

“What? No!” Peter was thrown, “Well, I mean, yes, sorry bout that too, but I was talking about EDITH…”

“No need to apologize for that, kid” Tony’s tone softened, “Quentin Beck is a manipulative, psychotic, megalomaniac piece of shit, and if I had agreed to meet with Fury just once, I could have told him that and save us all this trouble. This one is on me…”

“Dad, come on, that’s not-…”

“Nu-uh, young lady, I don’t wanna hear a single word from you, I will deal with you after Fishbowlhead is dead. What is it with you and that plane, anyway? Every time you decide to try and give me a heart attack, it has something to do with that plane…”

“Hey! How do you know it was my fault? Peter is here too, you know?”

Your boyfriend threw you a betrayed look, but your father laughed,

“Oh, really? Peter decided to seduce you in the bathroom?”

Your silence was all the answer he needed.

“That’s what I thought, don’t ever try to lie to my face again, little miss.”

“Technically, it wasn’t to your face…” you protested.

“Don’t get smart with me, y/n…” your father’s tone was warning.

“I can’t help it, I’m always smart.”

“Yeah, well, you are also grounded” He declared, but you could hear the smile in his voice. He could never stay mad at you for too long, and when Peter stole a glance of your lovely eyes shinning with mischief, he kinda understood him: You had your father wrapped around your little finger, just like you had him.

“Now, if you both are done interrupting me, we have work to do. Team, report your situation” Tony Stark commanded, all humor gone from his voice.

“Team? What?”

Peter’s bewildered voice has cut off by a familiar, irreverent one,

“Ironlad in position, ready to begin” Harley Keener informed, vibrating with enthusiasm through the coms.

“Stature in position too, just finished with the evacuation, sir” Cassie Lang’s more serious notes reached your ears and you couldn’t help but smile. These were your friends, these was your team. You knew what they were capable of, and you knew that, no matter what, they would have your back.

“Ironheart, you’re next, you know what to do, tell me as soon you get visual of your target” Your father ordered, and for what was probably the first time in your life, you obeyed at once, ejecting your self from the plane.

“Alright, then, I’m rebooting EDITH and flushing out Mysterio’s malware out of the system, the Stark drones are going offline but he still has his own, so it shouldn’t be easy but be careful non the less.

Peter, I’m sending the Baby Monitor Protocol’s footage of your previous fight with Mysterio when he confessed his evil plan to you to every news network in the planet, just giving you a heads up. He wants to be the biggest hero in the world? Too bad, because we are going to expose him as the fraud he is. He’s all yours kid, kick his ass, Spider-Man! And let’s do this as quick and clean as we can, children: Today is the day the world meets the Young Avengers!”

A chorus of cheers and exited exclamations reached his ears, and Peter couldn’t help the smile that spreaded through his face,

“Yes, sir! We’ll make you proud!”

“Oh, and one more thing” Tony added, closing the comes to everyone but Peter, “Protect my little girl out there, would you?”

Part one   Part two

Peter didn’t know what possessed him, later he would reason he was still high on the afterglow, drunk on you and the way you had of making him feel invincible. Whatever the reason, his answer to his

mentor’s request had been,

“With all due respect, sir, she is my girl now”

[gingyboo]

Mirror Mirror

A/N: Again many thanks to @booglebug

Description- Soulmates existed. People knew that much. Soulmates were rare, a handful in each generation, an unexplainable phenomenon that formed a bond closer than blood and more sacred than marriage.

Bucky finds his soulmate when he needs her most. Little does he know how much she needs him too.

(Soulmate au that slots pretty much in to the MCU but with soulmates. Set after TFATWS.)

Pairing- Bucky Barnes x OFC

Warnings- Mentions of violence and guns, but its mostly fluff, drama and angst.

This is a multi chaptered fic.

Please like, comment, reblog!

prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

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

Chapter 6

The journey to Wakanda passed quietly, Sam and Torres sat in the cockpit whilst Nancy dozed against Bucky’s shoulder. It had been a long 24hrs and the few hours of rest on her sofa hadn’t curbed her exhaustion. She remembered what her doctor had told her about taking things easy, well she certainly hadn’t been doing that, these past few months she’d felt stronger than she had in 5 years. Still she rested. Bucky watched over her silently, absentmindedly twirling a piece of her hair again. Mid way through the trip she woke up and smiled up at Bucky.

“Hey, do you know how much further it is?” She asked stretching out.

“Couple of hours at least.”

“No in flight movie?” She laughed.

“I’m afraid not”

“Sorry, I keep falling asleep on you.” She brushed the creases out of his jacket.

“Keep the habit, I don’t mind.” He swung an arm round her shoulders. “Tell me about your dad.”

“What do you want to know?” She asked.

“I don’t know, what’s he like. You don’t talk about him much.”

“Well…” Nancy told him, told him about Martin Cartwright. The man who’d carried her around on his shoulders when she was little. Who’d locked his work away in his study and never brought it into the home. Who’d chased Kit around the garden on the weekends. Whose marriage had broken down and how hard he’d tried to hide it from her and her brother. Who’d left her alone in London for a job he was dreading only to fall in love with Wakanda, with the people and the culture and Katima. She told him about his frantic phone calls, asking her to help him out by attending a function the next day that he wouldn’t be able to make, that had then become a more common occurrence.

“I think my father stopped coming home because what home was changed for him. He’d rather stay out there, help communications between our countries, he’s not so interested in the politics anymore.”

“And you are?” Bucky asked.

“No, I’m no politician, I’m a distraction. Mr financial secretary is having issues at home, his 13-year-old daughter is going through a difficult stage and he just wishes things could go back to how they used to be, his wife doesn’t look how she did when she was 25 anymore and he knows he doesn’t look the same either. They’re arguing more than they are talking and so he leaps at the chance to escort a young rich socialite to the ballet. He then makes some half-hearted attempts to lobby her for information but inevitably he falls asleep, not before making some obvious attempts to peek down the front of her dress, deciding she knows nothing and there is little behind those green eyes he liked so much and she’s not even worthy of proper conversation. She’s just another pretty face, should make his wife jealous though.”

“You’re more than just a pretty face. So much more.” Bucky stroked his thumb over her cheek bone. He felt an anger within him, a strong regret that he hadn’t thrown the financial secretary out of the box the night before.

“I can play part. Played it for so long I don’t know what I am, my dad tells me nothing of what he’s doing, what his plans for British-Wakanda relations are. All I know is he won’t let my people take advantage of the Wakandans,”

“I’d like to see them try,” Bucky interjected, and Nancy nodded.

“But you see they will try, not the British people per se, but the people at the top, they will always try to exploit for their own gain. My father’s made a lot of people unhappy with his silence on matter.”

“Good, though I’m surprised they let him keep his post so long.”

“They tried to remove him once, the Wakandans wouldn’t allow it, they said they wouldn’t accept a replacement.” Although she’d been pleased her dad’s job was safe, she had taken the brunt of the British displeasure, she’d heard the whispers behind her back at dinners. That her father should be looking out for his own country first, especially after everyone returned from the blip. Some thought earning Nancy’s favour would give then a path to her father. So many insincere friendships had made Nancy feel more alone than ever. And then Bucky had appeared.

Bucky looked thoughtful for a moment. He stared into her eyes and smiled.

“I have a feeling I’m going to like your father. Standing up for what is right even if his country is against him, reminds me of a man I knew. A couple on men actually.” His eyes drifted behind her to the cockpit. As if he sensed his gaze Sam turned around.

“Not long now princess, you might want to come up here and see this.” He called over to her. Nancy carefully removed the straps securing her to the bench and made her way into the cockpit. Torres’s expression matched hers as the giant black panther came into view.

“It’s amazing.”

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before.” Bucky had silently appeared behind her.

Torres landed the jet expertly and not wanting to wait for steps to be put in, Bucky leapt from the plane lifting Nancy down after him. As soon as her feet hit the ground she was running, seeing her dad across the tarmac. He met her halfway enveloping her in a crushing embrace. He had greying blond hair and Nancy’s green eyes. He was wearing smart tailored suit which looked out of place next to the Wakandans manning their landing strip.

“Angel, thank god you’re safe, I never would’ve forgiven myself-“ He was a few inches shorter than Nancy’s 5’11”.

“I’m okay dad.” She hugged him back just as tight.

“Are you, you’ve been okay, no instances?”

“Dad, I promise you, I’m okay.” Bucky and Sam had stood back giving the pair some space, as Nancy drew away they both came to her side.

“Thank you, all three of you,” he waved at Torres who was still in the cockpit. “I am eternally grateful.”

“That’s what we do.” Sam said extending his hand, which Martin shook whole heartedly.

“Let’s get you inside, I’ve had a room made up for you, I’m sure you need rest, I’ll get some food put together,”

“Dad we need to talk, these people they meant business, I have a right to know what’s going on.” Nancy stood tall, she reached her hand out, reaching for Bucky’s, she needed the strength his touch gave her. Bucky stepped closer to her, breathing deeply and laced their fingers together. It didn’t go unnoticed, Martin Cartwright frowned, but said nothing about it.

“Nancy, you should rest we’ll talk later.”

“No, we’ll talk now.” She stayed firm.

“Okay, okay.” He gave in, leading them inside a large building with walls of windows. Through winding corridors, he led the trio to an empty meeting room. Martin sat on the edge of the table.

“Tell me what happened.” They each explained, Nancy her night at the ballet, Sam and Bucky described the men who had fought them and then followed them through London, they explained staying at the house until Torres could bring them to Wakanda, they spoke of the confrontation at the airfield though Nancy left out the mention of her brother.

“I am immeasurably grateful,” he thanked them again, “I should like to speak to my daughter alone,” Nancy held Bucky fixed by her side whilst Sam was led away by a member of the Dora Milaje.

“Bucky stays.” She said shortly, viewing her dad through narrowed eyes.

“Nancy, what is this?”

“I want you to explain and I want him to hear it to.”

“Explain what?”

“Why? What’s going on that would make someone want to ransom me. This was calculated, planned out, they weren’t giving up. Do you honestly have so much power that they thought it worthy to control you? And who are they? Dad I will stand by you, I trust your choices and judgment, but I can’t do so blindly anymore.” She threw the words at him in one breath.

“And he has to hear all this because?” Martin shot back staring at Bucky who was leaning against the wall, staring straight back.

“Because you put him in danger too.” She said quickly, eyes flicking back to Bucky. He stepped forward resting a hand on her shoulder briefly.

“And because I’m her soulmate.” He said clearly. Martins face changed them, the subtle look of guilt he’d had since their arrival was replaced with sudden fury. He dash forward punching the ex-winter solider back up against the wall, his forearm to his throat. Bucky did nothing to stop him, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Dad!” Nancy shouted.

“You!” He shouted in Bucky’s face, “you gave my daughter nightmares for years, you have haunted our family, don’t think I don’t know who you are!”

“Dad stop, what are you talking about!” She reached out grabbing her father’s shoulders, he turned his head towards her, tears in his eyes.

“You don’t remember, but I do, you were in your ballet class, he appeared, Nancy he tried to shoot you.” Realisation dawned on Bucky’s features.

“It wasn’t me, I don’t even remember that I’m not that person anymore,” Bucky plead. “I’d never hurt her, I couldn’t.”

“I’d never let him.” Nancy stated defiantly. “Please dad, let him go, it cannot be changed, are souls are one, you know this.”

Martin Cartwright released Bucky reluctantly.

“How could you keep this from me, you’ve known he was out there, all this time.” Nancy’s face cracked, a tear escaping her eye.

“I knew him for what he is, a murderer.”

“He isn’t anymore, he is pardoned, the winter solider is gone, I am Bucky’s, and he is mine, you accept us both or neither of us.” She stood beside him now, holding tight to his vibranium hand, the black and gold metal stark against her pale fingers.

“Nancy.” Martin warned, the stern voice she hadn’t heard since childhood.

“Together, or not at all.” She said finally. That conversation ended there, Bucky felt Nancy relax as she realised her father was retreating. He ran a hand through his thinning hair.

“Angel, I don’t know what these people want, I promise you.” He started meeting her eye before adding “I am going to try to tell you more, I just worry, I don’t want to burden you.” Nancy nodded, mouthed a thank you and allowed her father to lead her to her room in the ambassador’s apartment. The embassy building they were in consisted of a ground level of conference room, then each floor held apartments for different countries, all together in one place. Martin mostly stayed at Katima house further into the country, finding it quieter than the busy city. Katima was on her way back from Paris having completed her assignment there, Martin explained to Nancy whilst Bucky went in search of Sam. He hoped they could have dinner the following evening.

“Is Bucky invited?” Nancy asked.

“If he must be, if it means you’ll be there.”

“I’ll be there regardless, but I want him there.” her dad nodded in acceptance.

“Here you are, make yourself at home, I’m sorry I can’t send you back to London, not till I know you’ll be safe.” Nancy resisted insisting that as long as she was with Bucky she would be safe, she didn’t need to rub salt in that wound. He kissed her forehead briefly before walking away. Her dad was still so awkward around her, treating her with kid gloves, distancing himself. She made her way into the apartment, it was tastefully if neutrally decorated with blacks and whites and greys everywhere. She threw her hold-all down on the sofa and made her way through to the bathroom. She ran a steaming hot bath and soaked off the grime of travel. Her skin pink and hair damp she dug out her pyjamas, a loose-fitting red vest top and some black cotton shorts. She explored the apartment then, the bedroom had been prepared with crisp clean sheets, the fridge was stocked, and some additional clothes were folded in the draws. Nancy found herself curled up on the sofa answering a frantic text from Samara when there was a knock at the door, the control panel showed Bucky leaning against the door frame. She skipped over letting him in.

“Nancy, I’m so sorry, I didn’t remember, I never want to hurt you.” he cupped her face with both hands.

“Bucky it’s okay, it wasn’t you,” Nancy protested.

“It was though,” he continued. Nancy covered his mouth with her hand.

“Stop it, we can’t change the past, only our future.” Bucky nodded in agreement as Nancy lowered her hand. She saw Bucky’s eyes dance over her face, noticed the goose bumps from earlier had returned. Then she was kissing him, or he was kissing her. Her hand found the pack of his neck and weaved into his hair, he lent forward still cupping her face. he smiled against her lips.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.” he laughed, kissing her again.

[jabbajambler]

2

Human

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin x f!OC

Word Count: 2,182

*GIF by @writemymemoir​*

         "Mmm..." Mando groaned, his eyes slowly starting to open as he came to his senses. His head was pulsing, sending aching pains through his body. He struggled to lift his head to glance out the window, watching as the ship shot through the night.

         The starry sky was a stark contrast to the discomfort he currently felt. It was peaceful and put him at ease. He had forgotten how truly beautiful space is. It wasn't often when he could sit back and enjoy the alluring view, but it was more infatuating now than he could ever remember.

         At first, he thought he had fallen asleep while navigating the ship. Working solo left him very few opportunities to get a few minutes of rest. It wasn't uncommon for his body to shut down and force him to sleep.

         This was not the case.

         When he finally looked away from the window, he found a young woman sitting in his chair in front of the control panel. He tried to stand but he couldn't move. His hands and feet were tied to the chair with a thin rope that dug into his skin through his clothing.

         Mando struggled against the restraints, creating quite the ruckus as he did so. The noise carried through the cockpit, catching the attention of Myrah in the pilots seat. She spun around in the chair, her bright brown eyes widening before she set the ship on auto-pilot.

         "You've woken up." She spoke blankly.

         "Who are you?" He grumbled, feeling dizzy as he tried to piece together who she was.

         "I'm taking over the mission for you. That's all you need to know." A small, sadistic grin stretched across her lips as she held up the tracking fob she stole from him. "The ship is already set for Arvala-7. I'll fetch the asset and be back in no time. Don't worry, though. I'm not going to kill you or anything."

         "How kind." He looked up to find her gaze raking over him like a predator would its prey.  "Myrah." He whispered as everything began to click into place. "That's your name, isn't it?"

         "Congratulations, you remembered someone's name. Would you like a gold star?"

         She clapped her hands together and rolled her eyes, leaning nonchalantly against the cold wall. In any other scenario, the Mandalorian would have found her sarcasm rather amusing.

         Now it was just annoying.

         "Let me go." He demanded.

         "Well, since you asked so nicely, of course I'll untie you! While I'm at it, how about I hand you the rope and we can switch places."

         Her smile dropped and the bright look in her eyes dulled. She held no fear. Instead, she challenged him to speak again, knowing that she could take him out no problem. The thought sent an uneasy shiver down Mando's spine.

         "I'm not going to let you go, I would be an idiot if I did. I deserved this bounty and therefore I am collecting this bounty. Now be quiet and look pretty." She smiled and bounced her hand on the top of his helmet. "I have something more important to take care of."

         She sat down in the chair and continued to navigate the ship through the abyss of space in silence. Mando was left alone to his thoughts, trying to figure out some way to escape.

         And hopefully without a fight.

        He couldn't kill her, or hurt her for that matter. Greef would never let him come back if anything happened to her while he was around and Mando was well aware of that. It seemed as though he was only left with one option: using his words.

         He was never good with those.

┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉

         Myrah landed the ship on the planet with ease and care, much to the Mandalorian's surprise. It was impeccably smooth and though he didn't want to admit it, he was impressed. The Razor Crest was a large ship which made it more difficult to control. It took skill and patience and time.

         He didn't think Myrah had any of those.

         Myrah rose from the seat and cast him a confident smile. "Now, be a good boy and stay here."

         She stood at the top of the ladder and patted down her weapons, making sure everything was in its proper place. Her fingers lingered on the engraved hilt on her hip, tracing over the curves of the golden indentions before moving onto her blaster.

         "Wait."

         The Mandalorian's desperate voice halted Myrah in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder with an inquisitive hum. Her shiny eyes met his beneath his helmet, catching his breath in his throat as he forced himself to speak.

         "I have a proposition."

         "Oh, boy. Here we go." She sighed and crossed her arms.

         "Let me go and we can both go looking for the bounty." Mando explained. Myrah opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by his continuation. "We'll split the profits and you can take all the credit. Deal?"

         "How do I know if I can trust you?"

         "You can't."

         Her finger tapped softly against her lips as she pondered the proposal. "Then I have a few things I want to add."

         "Go ahead." He encouraged her to speak, unwilling to sit in the unbearable silence any longer.

         "You have to be where I can see you at all times." She poked his chest, causing his eyes to dart to her hand. "You're not getting away that easily, Mando. You tell Greef that I did an amazing job with this and that I deserve more like it."

         "That's all?"

         "What? Do you want me to put you on a leash or something?" Her eyes shifted over him with an amused tone laced in her words. "Maybe you can buy me a drink when we get back."

         "You want me to buy you a drink?" A look of confusion erupted onto his face, hidden behind the mask but evident in his words.

         "That's what I said, isn't it?"

         Myrah grabbed a small knife from her belt and tossed it in her hand before slicing it through the ropes that held Mando to the chair. His hands grasped his burning wrists, bruised from the rope digging into his skin. He knew the pain would subside soon, but the mark would remain for days.

         The Mandalorian looked up to find a hand held out towards him, leading back to the deranged woman he was now stuck with. He stared at it quizzically with his head tilted at the sight.

         "What?" Myrah asked with her face scrunching up. "Don't we have a deal?"

         He sighed and pushed himself from the seat, clasping his gloved hand with hers as they shook.

         "We have a deal."

         "Then what are we waiting for?"

         She sent him a quick wink as she descended down the ladder. He continued to stand there for another moment, left entirely dumbfounded. Before now, he knew the girl that Greef spoke of was a fellow hunter, but he never mentioned that she matched his abilities.

         That was something he struggled to wrap his brain around.

         He finally climbed down and followed her to the back ramp of the ship. The panels creaked with every step from his heavy boots while Myrah moved in silence. Silent like a snake with the confidence of a Dire-Cat. She moved with thoughtful expertise and it frightened the Mandalorian.

         "Ever thought about taking care of your ship?" Myrah joked. "Looks like she's due for a few upgrades."

         Mando shook his head and moved his leather-covered fingers over the button to lower the ramp. It came down with a sharp hiss and a couple of squeaks, but eventually touched the ground. He waved his arm in a gesture for her to walk down the ramp but received only a pained laugh in response.

         "You think I'm going first?" She laughed again. "Didn't we just say that I need to keep you in my sights at all times? Get walking, buddy."

         He began cautiously moving down the rackety platform with his ambien rifle in hand. Myrah followed after him, holding the beeping tracking fob that assured them they were on the right planet.

          It was eerily quiet on the desert planet. The cruel, scorching sun beat down on them mercilessly without even a soft breeze to ease the heat. It was sort of beautiful, though. In the same odd way that Myrah once found Nevarro to be undeniably gorgeous.

         The orange hills rolled down across the plains while the sun painted the dessert with shades of yellow. Despite being on an intense mission, the two felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over them.

         With the tranquility, however, there was loneliness.

         Myrah missed her home. Not Nevarro, not at all. She missed her family that she had run from for nine years. After the fall of the Empire, she almost thought it would be safe to pay them a visit again, but she was scared. She didn't know if they were still alive or if they would want to see her again.

         She feared the Empire despite it's destruction. It was supposed to be gone and for most, they tried to forget it entirely. Still, Myrah knew there were sympathizers who remained loyal to the corruptive force's beliefs.

         A gentle breeze rolled through, disrupting the silence of the planet with its whistle. It grabbed the piles of sand, sticking the grains to Myrah's skin. She tried to brush it off, but the heat left a sheen of sweat that kept the sand in place.

         "Hey, Mando?" She gently tapped the Mandalorian's arm as he gazed through the scope of the gun.

         "Not now-"

         The roar of a Blurrg interrupted him. Its furious face grew in his sight as it charged at him. Before he could react, it grabbed his arm firmly in its mouth. Mando instinctively ignited the flame thrower within his vambrace, trying to use it against the large animal while it lifted him off the ground.

         The Mandalorian grunted as it threw and swung him around. "Do something!" He shouted.

         "I don't know." Myrah shrugged. "This is kind of entertaining."

         She sat criss-cross on the ramp, watching as the action unfolded. Her hand reached for the hilt at her belt, expanding it into a metal staff that shot from both ends of the handle with the press of a button.

         Mando stood and hit the animal's head while trying to pull his arm from its jaws. He landed a hit against the creature's eye, finally releasing himself from the beast.

         "Mando! Look out!"

         He turned to Myrah, confused by her sudden exclamation when the animal ran at him again, grabbing his other arm in its mouth. Just as it began to drag him, the animal was shocked and fell to the ground unconscious with a dart sticking out of its side.

         The Mandalorian groaned as he tried to pry his arm from the blurrg. Myrah rolled her eyes and hopped down to join him, struggling to force open the animal's jaws to help free him.

         "You know, next time it would be easier if you just listened to me."

         "Next time, you should help." He grunted.

         Both of their heads lifted at the sound of the familiar growl. They saw another blurrg starting to charge at the two of them once again. Mando held up with free arm while Myrah worked faster to open the creature's mouth.

         Again, out of nowhere, that blurrg was shocked and fell to the ground as well.

         They both let out a drawn out sigh and managed to free the Mandalorian's hand. When they finally looked up, they found an Ugnaught, riding on the back of a blurrg. He held a gun in his hand, one that the two assumed was used to fire the darts.

         "Thank you." The Mandalorian spoke quietly as he tried to catch his breath.

         "Yeah, thanks." Myrah added.

         The Ugnaught nodded his head as he eyed the two. "You are bounty hunters."

         "Yes." Mando grunted.

         "I will help you... I have spoken."

         He tapped the side of the blurrg with his foot, turning it around. Mando continued to catch his breath as they sat on the ground, confused yet relieved that they didn't die already.

         "I have spoken." Myrah repeated and pulled herself to her feet. "What does that even mean?"

         Mando shook his head and pushed himself off the ground with a quiet grunt. Myrah stood in front of him, holding the rifle that was tossed from his hand during the conundrum.

         "Think we should follow him?" She asked, using her hand to shield her eyes from the light that bounced off the man's helmet.

         He snatched the rifle from her hands and connected it to its locks on his back. "He doesn't look dangerous."

         "Looks can be deceiving."

         Mando scoffed and studied her with a tilt of his head. "Clearly."

         "What's that supposed to mean?" Myrah snapped while he brushed past her. "Mando! Should've just let the damn thing eat him."

[phoenixrisesoncemore]

The Feast of the Annunciation at 35,000 ft

March 25th, Tolkien, and the X-Men

[Content Warning for discussion of Panic Attack Disorder and Anxiety Disorders as well as Dissociation]

Panic attack disorder really messes with you.

It stops you from doing the things you really want to do. It prevents you from enjoying life. And because—intellectually—you know the fear it generates is irrational, it not only steals life from you, but leaves you feeling guilty for letting it.

“If only I could have been brave,” you think. If only you could have stared down the beast.

You never feel so much like an animal as when you are having a panic attack; the urge to escape is all-encompassing. Your heart is pumping blood faster than it ever has before. Every second is elongated. Whatever you didn’t smell before is suddenly suffocating you. Whatever you didn’t see before is suddenly ballooning across your visual field and, oh, was that color always so bright? Noises are all so loud, touch is all so much. You must get away, your body tells you, your cells tell you, your bile tells you—get away or you’ll die! But where do you go? You start to disassociate. You sink into feelings of surreality. Is this you? Whose are these eyes you’re seeing out of? There’s an extra step between the thought and the movement of the hands. The part of your mind that is not ruled by the clump of cells that kept your distant ancestors safe from Things With Jaws is perfectly aware there is nothing to be afraid of. There are no jaws. There is no predator. There is no cause for fear. But there is still fear.

Gripping, penetrating, chemical, animal fear.

Against the wash of hormones, the cerebral cortex holds no power, it can only watch you, watch itself, detached and analytical. It realizes—quite quickly, really, and in parallel—two things. One: that the thing you need to escape from is yourself, and Two: that, therefore, there is no escape. Be reasonable, it asks you. But who can escape their own mind?

No matter. The urge is still there, and it’s so hard to suppress.

Now extrapolate the fear of having a panic attack to the enclosed cabin of an airplane at 35,000 ft.

You see the problem, I’m sure. And yet...

A year ago today, after a lifetime in fear of flying, I got on a plane for the very first time. How? The Maker of Middle-earth exhibit came to New York.

I’d been drawn back into my Tolkien Obsession about 4 years before, digging deeper than I had in over a decade into notes and reference books. I was remembering what Middle-earth had meant to me—what it had given me—when I was a teen. In light of all that, could I miss what might be the only chance in my entire life to see some of these things in person?

But it was a long drive, I didn’t want to go alone, and we only had so many free days during my husband’s spring break. And it was New York! I’d never been to New York. Think of all the other things we could see while we were there! Did we want to spend that time driving instead? I tied myself in knots for days while ticket prices rose, until a scant week remained before we’d have to leave. 

Watching the turmoil practically radiate from me, my husband turned to me and said, “If you go, and you see it, will you cry?”

I didn’t even have to think: “Yes.”

He smiled, though he had already known the answer. “Then you should go. Do you want me to order the tickets now?”

I swallowed, then froze. 

This was a trip about Tolkien, about my greatest love, the primary lease-holder of my brain. 

So why am I peppering this with comic panels?(1)

In 1976 Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum decided to shake things up in a comic called The Uncanny X-Men. They wanted to add a cosmically powerful character, and they wanted this character to be a woman—a first for parent company, Marvel.

Marvel hadn’t had the most progressive run with their female leads. X-Men in particular had started out with only a single woman on the team: the kind telekinetic Jean Grey, whose primary characterization seemed to be her gender. She had experienced some changes in the 13 years since the first issue of X-Men was published, the revelation that she was also a telepath among them. We’d later learn that her powers developed too early when she telepathically linked, in desperation, with her best friend, Annie, as Annie lay dying, allowing Jean to feel what it was to die without dying herself, causing her to grow into the fundamentally compassionate human being we knew so well. But back in the mid 70s, compared to the more diverse and exciting cast that Claremont had devised just a scant year prior, Jean seemed rather dull, and not long after Claremont took over, her character decided to leave superhero life behind.

Or so it seemed. 

Pulled out of retirement on a space mission gone wrong, Jean finds herself trapped with her former teammates on a space shuttle. The shuttle is on a re-entry course, but must pass through a massive solar flare. Sealing her teammates, many against their will, in the shuttle’s only shielded chamber, Jean does the most quintessentially Jean thing: she decides to sacrifice herself for her friends. She telepathically absorbs the flight training of the only pilot on board, locks herself in the cockpit, and prays she can use her telekinetic shield to keep herself alive long enough to land the shuttle.

We do not get to see what happens to her, and nor do her friends, as the shuttle crashes into Jamaica Bay. 

But we know. This time Jean did die: either her flesh was burned to ash by the sun’s fury, or her body was crushed in the crash, or was she drowned in the depths of the bay.

She is truly gone.

But Phoenix Rises in her place.

Claremont took the woman perceived as both the kindest and the weakest of the X-Men and made her Marvel’s first cosmic female hero, a being that has “the power to cut and re-grow any part of the universe, as well as destroy it entirely, which is part of the Phoenix's purpose: ‘The Judgment of the Phoenix’, to burn away what doesn’t work.” The Phoenix Force is described as being “the embodiment of the very passion of Creation—the spark that gave life to the Universe, the flame that will ultimately consume it.” And the first thing she destroys and remakes is herself.

Not many issues hence, she’ll do the same for the whole of Creation. Claremont even goes so far with his purple prose to dip into Kabbalah. Phoenix becomes Tiphareth(2), the Sephiroth at the center of the Tree of Life, “the force that integrates the Sefira of Chesed ("compassion") and Gevurah ("Strength, or Judgment (din)"). These two forces are, respectively, expansive (giving) and restrictive (receiving).”

If you search for info on Phoenix you’ll inevitably be inundated with articles about the span of Uncanny X-Men issues known as The Dark Phoenix Saga, and with good reason: The Dark Phoenix Saga—the events that follow Jean’s transformation and quest to save Creation—is still considered one of the greatest of all comics stories. In it Jean-Phoenix—under the influence of a powerful, manipulative telepath who wants to use her limitless power—is twisted into something fundamentally without compassion, a threat to the whole of the universe. Understanding this, she chooses to die again, to save the world and the people she loves from what she has become.

The intricacies(3) and implications of this transformation and the devolution that followed it are a post for another time. Suffice it to say that any human, even a supremely compassionate one, struggles to adjust to godhood; the ability to care, empathetically, and so deeply, about all of life made the Jean-Phoenix capable of rebuilding a dying universe, but it also made everything in that universe lose all meaning.

But Tolkien. This was about Tolkien. And airplanes. And New York. And the Feast of the Annunciation.

Before I knew Frodo, even before I knew Taran and Eilonwy, I knew Jean; I knew the gentle, compassionate woman who died twice for those she loved--once to save them from the burning heat of re-entry and once to save them from herself--and in between looked the universe in the eye, and understood it was good, and gave it another chance.

Before Tolkien codified in me a kind of personal mythology, gave me a vocabulary for my spiritual relationship to the world, I had Phoenix and her birth from the ashes of what had been Jean Grey.

Now, sitting there with my husband waiting for an answer, I opened up my iPad and pulled up flight dates and our potential flight path on Google (because I deal with fear through research). And I laughed. 

We’d be there on March 25th, and we’d have to pass over Jamaica Bay as we came in to land.

“Buy it,” I said. And I, a 38 year old woman, dyed my hair red, threaded my film reproduction One Ring onto a silver chain around my neck(4), and boarded a plane for the first time.

Fortified by love, Xanax, and a personalized mythology, I saw clouds from the top side. Imagine how many tens of thousands of years humans existed when not one of them could have said that(5).

I saw dinosaurs, I saw Madame X(6), I saw an amazing view for three nights from our hotel room.

And I saw Maker of Middle-earth.

Today is March 25th, The Feast of the Annunciation and, not coincidentally, the day the One Ring falls into the fires of Orodruin.

It’s the day I flew over Jamaica Bay and burned away the part of me that didn’t work. It’s a day of promise. Of expectation. Of new life. The promise of redemption, and the power of compassion—and pity—to change the world.

And that is what stories can do. That is why we tell them. That is why we read them. That is how we live in times that are good and in times that are bad. That is why, when there were only stars in the night to give light, those stars became things with stories—people, animals, gods—and like lanterns they illuminated the dark of both the sky and the soul, mapping out meaning, obliterating the shadows where the Things With Jaws dwelt.

Notes

Comic panels are taken from The Uncanny X-Men issues #100, #101, and #108.

“A new pattern forms—shaped like the mystic Tree of Life—with Xavier its lofty crown and Colossus its base. Each X-man has a place, each a purpose greater than himself or herself. And the heart of the Tree, the catalyst that binds these wayward souls together, is Phoenix, Tiphareth, Child of the Sun, Child of Life, the vision of the harmony of things.”

There is very little in the Marvel universe as intricate as Jean and Phoenix.

The Ring is treacherous. As we were sitting down to dinner just before we left the Ring somehow caught on the underside of the table, broke the chain, and forced me to wear it on my finger for the rest of the trip.

I realize it is entirely possible to climb high enough to be above certain types of clouds without the need for aircraft, and that clouds can form quite low to the ground, but I’m speaking both more abstractly about the nature of fantastic experiences and in the specific about cirrus clouds.

I also saw the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, but I talked about that here.