#and Sabine is all the way at the bottom

[mandosaur]

Green-Eyed Monster (Ezra Bridger / Reader)

Fandom: Star Wars

Pairing: Ezra Bridger/Reader

Summary:

“ Your one insecurity had always been that you were second to Sabine. Even when Ezra had disappeared all those years ago and your heart had painfully torn in two, you still felt second best. Ezra had left you a beautiful little message telling you he loved you for the first time before he had disappeared, yet Sabine had received one too. Even worse, Ahsoka had taken Sabine as an apprentice years ago instead of you though you both lacked an affinity for the force. Another insult your insecurities had twisted into a blade against you.

Now, ten years later, that jealousy had not dissipated. Instead, it had crossed with the horrible feeling of guilt.

While you had mourned Ezra’s death and moved on slowly, Sabine had never given up hope. She had remained on Lothal for years and always kept her ear out for news of Ezra. You had returned to your home planet and given up hope of ever finding your childhood sweetheart. Sabine had beat you yet again in seemingly being a better option for Ezra.”

Reader gets reunited with Ezra after ten years all while tormented by the thought that Sabine would be a better fit for him.

Warnings: Depictions of a panic attack. Spoilers for Ahsoka Season 1.

Word Count: 7,962

Expected Reading Time: 28:57

Jealousy. There’s a horrible feeling deep in your very bones that rakes a claw down your being. You can feel every deep gash clearly as you scowl at the bottom of your tea. Your fingers curl and uncurl against the handle of the mug as Sabine chatters with Ahsoka.

Huyang turns his mechanic head towards you from the pilot seat and Ahsoka glances your way as if sensing your turmoil from the force, but Sabine remains oblivious. Once more, everyone can sense your emotions except the very target of your ire. You bury your anger as you take a long sip of the tea and let the liquid burn your tongue.

It’s been ten years since you lost Ezra and you still can’t manage to reel in the jealousy you feel towards Sabine. She’s an old friend, someone you trust implicitly, and yet the ugly green eyed monster rears its head every time she’s near.

Ever since you were kids, you envied her. She was an old friend from your imperial academy days and seemed to be better than you even then. She was born to high ranked Mandalorian parents whereas you were born the youngest to farmers in a backwater planet. She climbed up high in the academy and won awards while you hid in her shadow and merely fulfilled requirements. She was scouted by Hera and the rebels while you simply tagged along for the ride.

And she was the person that Ezra originally had a crush on while you watched painfully from the sidelines.

Ten years ago, you had fallen in love with someone you thought you could never have. One Ezra Bridger had won you over and crushed your heart without meaning to. While you had pined for him in the background, he had pined over Sabine. You had watched it all happen while cursing yourself for yet again not being as great as her.

Even after a miracle had happened and Ezra’s sights had turned to you, you had still felt jealousy towards Sabine. While Ezra had reassured you that he liked you and made you his girlfriend, you had still harbored some resentment towards your oldest friend. There had always been a little voice inside your head that had taunted you with the knowledge that Ezra was only yours because Sabine hadn’t wanted him. That you had been a consolation prize and second best.

Your one insecurity had always been that you were second to Sabine. Even when Ezra had disappeared all those years ago and your heart had painfully torn in two, you still felt second best. Ezra had left you a beautiful little message telling you he loved you for the first time before he had disappeared, yet Sabine had received one too. Even worse, Ahsoka had taken Sabine as an apprentice years ago instead of you though you both lacked an affinity for the force. Another insult your insecurities had twisted into a blade against you.

Now, ten years later, that jealousy had not dissipated. Instead, it had crossed with the horrible feeling of guilt.

While you had mourned Ezra’s death and moved on slowly, Sabine had never given up hope. She had remained on Lothal for years and always kept her ear out for news of Ezra. You had returned to your home planet and given up hope of ever finding your childhood sweetheart. Sabine had beat you yet again in seemingly being a better option for Ezra.

For years, she had tried to get you on her side. She had told you to not give up hope and to help her find Ezra, yet you had pushed her away. Your grief and heartache were easier to manage if you told yourself Ezra was gone for good. As much as it pained you, you gave up all hope and harshly rebuked Sabine for still clinging to the idea of him returning. Anything to kill the last shreds of hope that remained within you before time could do it for you.

You had, had a massive falling out and hadn’t spoken in years. Not until Hera had commed you with Ahsoka and told you to return to Lothal because of a lead Ahsoka had about Thrawn.

Thrawn, Hera claimed, was the key to finding Ezra. The two of them had disappeared together. If one of them was rumored to be alive, the other might be too.

You had come back to Lothal after much trepidation and reunited with Sabine. To her credit, she had accepted you back into her group even if things between you were awkward and strained.

Still, being back near her and reopening the wound of Ezra’s disappearance had brought back a decade worth of insecurity and envy.

The tea burns down your throat as you finish it off. You wish Ashoka had packed something stronger. Were you back home, you would have loved to drink until the edge wore off.

Stuck in a ship with Sabine though, you bite your lip.

It truly isn’t fair, you know. Sabine was your oldest friend. You had met at the imperial academy and struck a friendship. You both had joined the empire as a way to rise in rank for your families, and both had seen past the gilded veneer of fascism. Once upon a time, you two regarded each other as sisters and you made quite the trio with Ketsu-

But fate had driven a wedge between you. You had fallen for someone who liked Sabine at the time and always felt second best. That jealousy had torn you to shreds and created a wall between the two of you. You aren’t sure how to manage it and the thought stings.

The call of your name brings you out of your thoughts. Sabine remains unaware of the darkness coiling inside you and calls for you to look over something. She’s brought her research with her and has been pouring over diagrams that she thinks could help in the hunt for Ezra.

You wander over to her side and pretend to make sense of the mess of lines and circles she’s drawn on a holomap. Ahsoka eyes you wearily as Sabine talks and you suppress the urge to clench your fists.

“No, I’ve never seen this galaxy either,” you murmur. Your eyes don’t even gaze at the map Sabine is pointing at. Your mind is miles away running from you and the horrible pit in your stomach that grows with every second.

Guilt and jealousy swirl within you. You are angry. Furious even. Angry at Sabine for dragging you back in the hopes of finding a man you love that you’ve tried hard to get over. Angry at the force for tearing Ezra away from you-

And angry at yourself for yet again being weaker than Sabine.

Sabine had never given up. While you had run from Lothal and tried hard to forget your childhood sweetheart, Sabine had remained steadfast. It was she who had unlocked the map coordinates while you had stared at that damn ball for hours until your head hurt and your eyes had turned red. It was Sabine who could think of a million different ways to continue the hunt while you could barely keep yourself from screaming.

In every way that counted, in every Maker’s damned one sided competition, she had always been ahead.

“Can you read this for me-?“

Sabine reaches past you to click on a screen. Projections of documents appear before you all with the names of different galaxies and star maps. You clench your jaw as you notice all the notes she’s taken over each document. She’s been at it for years, no doubt, always searching. Never giving up. Unlike you-

The one person that should have never given up on Ezra. The one who had sworn to love him forever, the one who had dreamed of marrying him, the one who should have been fighting from the beginning to find him-

Ahsoka’s hand touches your shoulder. You turn your head and find her gaze on you.

“Perhaps Huyang should look over the information instead. He can process it faster,” Ahsoka tells Sabine.

Huyang accepts the assignment and takes the tablet from Sabine. Sabine hardly notices the way you glare in her direction.

“Are you feeling alright?” Ahsoka questions. Her tone is gentle yet firm. Concerned for your feelings yet weary of the darkness inside you.

Briefly, you remember Kanan and Ezra discussing the force. Mentioning how they could sometimes sense emotions and tell when people were struggling. You’re sure Ahsoka has noticed how you flicker between rage and heartbreak over and over again.

You aren’t sure whether you should apologize or thank her for interceding. Had she not stepped in, you think you might have snapped and started screaming at Sabine to leave you alone.

“Fine,” you whisper back.

You certainly don’t feel fine and the lie tastes bitter in your mouth, but you shrug away her arm. Murmuring something about needing a break, you move past the group and disappear into another room of the ship.

Huyang’s workshop is tidy and neatly organized. You take stock of every lightsaber piece as your fingers trace every groove and indent.

To add further insult to injury, you don’t have possession of Ezra’s lightsaber either. You had, had it once right after Lothal had been freed but had surrendered it to Sabine on Ahsoka’s suggestion. When Ahsoka had decided to train Sabine as a Jedi over you, you had silently handed over the last remnant of the boy you loved and stormed off broken and bitter.

The lightsaber pieces around you are each different. You don’t see anything that resembles Ezra’s pieces anywhere. After a while, you end up just sliding into an empty seat and your head falls into your hands.

Everything is utterly in disarray. Your mind races with a million thoughts and you’re sure your heart is a pile of jagged pieces each shattered beyond repair.

The truth of the matter is that you know your insecurities are right. Sabine is better than you. At everything.

Had she liked Ezra back years ago, he would have never looked in your direction. The bittersweet memories you had of dating him would have never happened. You would have never been chosen if his first choice hadn’t panned out. Ezra had tried once to tell you that it wasn’t true, that he had genuinely fallen for you and it had nothing to do with Sabine only seeing him as a brother, but you hadn’t believed him.

And now? Now she was definitely better than you.

You had given up. You had once promised Ezra to love him forever yet had believed him dead. You had left Lothal, the planet he had sacrificed everything to protect, and suppressed every memory of him. You had dated around in hopes of forgetting his ghost and tried hard to move on-

All while Sabine had never lost hope. She had always fought for him and looked everywhere. She had never once believed him gone. You had the obligation to search for him as his girlfriend, yet you had failed him. Had it not been for Sabine, Ezra would have been truly lost.

The thought makes you want to scream. You grit your teeth tightly until your jaw hurts. If you weren’t so indebted to Sabine for finding a lead, you think you’d want to swing at her. She’s always been better than you. Ezra should have just held out for her all along rather than taking you as a consolation prize.

Feeling suddenly like you’re suffocating, you slam your fist into the control panel to slide open the door. Sabine looks up as you enter and Ahsoka quietly moves to allow you to retake your old seat. You ignore them all as you slide into place and hover your fingers over the tablet.

You need a distraction. Anything to keep the terrible feelings at bay. You slam some keys down until the maps disappear and you’re staring at a blank slate.

Quietly, you bury yourself in your work all the while stewing and boiling with rage.

———————————————

Days later, Sabine’s determination beats you once more. Cornered by Baylan and Shin, you and Sabine are forced to make a choice on what to do. Ashoka is gone and the map is in Sabine’s possession. You two have to decide whether to turn it over to the very people Ahsoka wanted to keep it from or cling to the hope that Ezra can be found.

When Baylan promises to take you both to him, you hesitate. Ahsoka’s words play over and over again in your head. She has long been warning you about what will happen if Thrawn returns. You know she would want you to destroy the map and keep Thrawn in exile forever-

But what about Ezra? Will destroying the map strand him wherever he is forever too? Will you give up your last chance at ever finding him?

Your mind and your heart wage a war. You want desperately to see Ezra again but you remember his sacrifice. You know he’d want to protect the galaxy from the Empire. You don’t know what to do-

In the end, Sabine beats you to it. Better than you in every way, she hands over the map to Baylan. She accepts the terms for you both and tells you to drop your weapon with a calm, clear voice. You both hate her and feel grateful that she’s taken the choice out of your hands.

You let them cuff you and don’t even react when Shin uses the force to cut off your airway. Nothing she could possibly do could hurt more than the ugly feeling of being a disappointment. Once more, Sabine has proven herself a better fit for Ezra than you. Were he to ever find out that you hesitated on this choice, you think he’d leave you once and for all and realize that Sabine has always been better for him.

When you and Sabine face off Thrawn, you hardly pay attention. The villain that plagued you for years hasn’t changed much. His glowing red eyes sweep over you with mild boredom before he directs all his attention at Sabine. He seems genuinely unamused when he realizes Sabine has traded the galaxy for the hope of finding Ezra.

You feel a cold knife twist in your stomach and look away as Sabine faces Thrawn off. There is no hesitation or remorse in her gaze when she coldly tells Thrawn that he could never understand. You wince feeling guilty at the memory of your own hesitation.

It seems like Sabine is the only one completing this journey. When the two of you mount your steeds, it’s her who fights off the bandits. She moves like a lightning strike taking them down while you throw punches and kicks at random barely managing to take down one while she’s got the squad down in moments. When a Noti appears, it’s Sabine who realizes he’s wearing a Jedi symbol on his clothing.

You feel like a shadow merely following her around. Every new revelation and step closer to finding Ezra brings you both joy and envy.

Sabine feels like she’s better suited for the role of Ezra’s partner compared to you. She’s been loyal, determined, and fierce in his search. You, who had a responsibility to find him, had given up. Ezra deserved better than you.

By the time you make it back to Noti’s village, you feel the weight of your own soul crushing you. You feel painfully jealous, angry at yourself, and broken down. You try to ignore Sabine as she urges you forward telling you that something about this particular village feels different.

You’re so downtrodden that you don’t even realize someone is calling your name until you turn your head and hear Sabine’s breath hitch. Time seems to slow down as your eyes meet a striking blue that you haven’t seen in years. Your heart races and you move to run at Ezra-

When Sabine beats you to it.

She all but rushes past you to beat you to Ezra first. Ezra, half way to you, is interrupted as Sabine crashes into him. Her arms wrap around his frame and she buries her head into his neck. He looks like he wants to move to you for a brief moment before he hugs her back and greets her for the first time in ten years.

You hang back awkwardly watching the love of your life embrace someone else. Every hurtful thought you’ve ever heard about not deserving to be at Ezra’s side plays over and over again in your mind. Worse still, you are forced to see how good Sabine looks with Ezra. They click together like puzzle pieces and look perfect. Two halves of the same whole.

A coldness seeps into your very bones. You suppress the tears forming and grit your teeth painfully. If anything, Sabine deserves this moment. She’s the one who found Ezra. You don’t deserve him.

Despite the way it almost kills you to see Sabine steal your moment, you hang back. The ugly insecurities in you taunt and laugh as you watch them. You can’t escape the feeling that you’re an outsider looking in and intruding in a moment that you don’t deserve.

It feels like an eternity when the two of them finally separate. Sabine is smiling wide oblivious to your pain. Slowly, Ezra moves away from her and moves towards you instead. You force yourself to shove aside the familiar jealousy deciding that seeing Ezra again after a decade is worth more than the agony in your chest.

You meet Ezra halfway as he runs. Your own arms wrap around his frame and he all but picks you up to hold you close. He breathes out your name and you’re struck by how different he is.

Your hands shake as you press your palms to his face. He has a beard now, his cheeks are thin, no doubt from the lack of food, and there’s a certain maturity in his eyes that wasn’t there before-

But he’s Ezra.

Tears spill before you can stop them. His fingers wipe them away gently and his smile is bright. He says your name again like a sacred prayer.

“You’re alive,” you whisper. It’s the only sentence that you can form past the haze. Everything feels so surreal.

Ezra stands in front of you. The love of your life. The boy that had won you over ten years ago and never once let you go-

The one a part of you isn’t sure you deserve.

Ezra presses his forehead against yours. A familiar little habit he had back from when you were kids. A way to soothe you and reassure you that everything is going to be okay-

A sob breaks past your lips at the familiar action and you busy yourself burying your head in his chest. He holds you tighter to him. Underneath your palms, his heart races.

For a moment, every insecurity stops. The cold words you tell yourself over and over again in your head quiet for just this one moment. A sense of peace fills you and everything makes sense. For just a moment, all of the pain of the last decade goes away.

Ezra moves his head forward like he’s going to kiss you. He seems hesitant, unsure if he still has the right after a decade, and you want to meet him halfway-

But then Sabine interrupts the moment. She’s being herded by a Noti away and another one chirps out a different language to Ezra. You suddenly remember where you are you and draw back too fast. It feels maddening to separate from him after losing him for so long, but you think it’s better this way. It’s not like you deserve to kiss him after everything you’ve done.

The loss of him hurts like an open wound. You miss holding him. After ten years, you had given up hope of ever having that chance. It feels so cruel to lose it now-

And of course Sabine had to ruin this moment too. She’s always ruined everything for you. Perhaps she’s finally realized her feelings for Ezra and how better she is for him than you.

Your blood feels cold as you watch her grab his arm. She links their arms together and begins speaking. He gives you one last look over his shoulder before a Noti grabs your own arm to tug you forward. You are forced to trail after them feeling like a third wheel among their partnership. Something you’ve tended to always feel when the three of you are together.

They form a good team. It looks entirely natural for the two of them to be together. Sabine just makes sense at his side. She’s saved him after you’d given up, always been beside him throughout your time together as members of the Ghost, and was the first person he was ever interested in. It makes perfect sense for her to be the one with him.

A painful lump forms in your throat and you wave away the Noti’s concern when it curiously looks up at you. You trail silently through the village as Ezra begins to explain everything.

He tells you and Sabine pieces of his time here. He tells you how he and Thrawn made it here, how he ran from Thrawn and found the Noti by chance, and how he’s spent time with them since. They’re a peaceful people and have welcomed him into their ranks. He accompanies them on their travels, but he’s ready to come home.

He smiles at you both as he thanks you for coming back for him. He can’t wait to return to your galaxy and see Hera, Zeb, and Chopper.

Guilt grips you tightly. You don’t have the courage to admit that you had thought him lost. Had it not been for Sabine, he would have remained on this forsaken planet forever.

A coward to the end, you bite your tongue and hesitate at his words. When Ezra tries to move towards you, hand shyly reaching for your own, you move away as if his touch burns. You don’t think you deserve his gratefulness. Not with how awful you’ve been all these years.

It’s almost a relief when Sabine takes over. As much as it pains you to see her slowly replace you, you know you deserve it.

Before Ezra can ask you what’s wrong, you turn away and pretend to be busy with a Noti who is patching up something to the far side of the village. You turn your back on Sabine and Ezra and remain rigid as they walk away. Ezra keeps glancing back at you from time to time while Sabine urges him along to discuss things with him.

By the time they’re finally gone, you wander off further from the village and then promptly bury your head in your hands. The last of your strength leaves you and you sink to the ground below. The pain you’ve been suppressing returns in waves and you give in to the horrible voices that tell you what a terrible person you are and how you don’t deserve Ezra.

———————————————

By the time the sun sets, you’re a ticking time bomb. You’ve spent a long time wallowing in self pity. Everything aches as you make the trek back to the village.

The Noti are tiny, so it’s not hard to spot Sabine and Ezra. Ezra is holding something by the fire while Sabine messes with her vambrace. She seemingly hasn’t told Ezra about how the two of you are stuck here and how Ahsoka is dead.

When you get back, both of their attention is turned towards you. Ezra lights up and waves you over. He means to let you sit with them, but you quickly note that there’s no room. The Noti are half your size and don’t use large spaces. The log Ezra and Sabine sit at is out of room. You have no place beside Ezra with Sabine there.

Suppressing a grimace, you elect to remain standing.

“What are you two up to?” You ask. Your voice sounds colder than you intended, bitter.

Ezra looks at you and you evade his gaze. There’s something deep in his eyes that you don’t want to dwell too long on. He looks like he doesn’t quite know what to make of you. You have a feeling you aren’t who he remembers.

Good.

Maybe if he no longer recognizes you, he can give you a clean break. It’s become very apparent that you no longer belong at his side. Perhaps if he realizes he made a mistake in choosing you once upon a time, he can find someone better. The sooner he moves on the sooner you can kill what’s left of your broken heart.

Sabine is the one who answers. You’re quite frankly sick of her by then.

“I was telling Ezra everything’s that’s happened since he’s been gone. The Empire, Lothal, everything,” she responds.

Ezra awkwardly nods at her words. You feel a pit form in your stomach. Idly you wonder if Sabine has told Ezra how terrible you’ve been. Wonder if he knows you had given up on the hope of ever seeing him and tried to move on. Is that why he can’t seem to look at you anymore?

Anger and pain throb in your chest. You squeeze your jaw together.

The rest of the night passes far too quickly. Ezra and Sabine chat until the embers of the fire die down. You respond only when necessary and keep your remarks short.

Every once in a while, you think you see Ezra stealing glances at you but you ignore him. It feels like you’re having a terrible out of body experience. You’re so close to him, finally after mourning him for a decade, yet you know you have no right to rejoice at finding him. The guilt and jealousy you feel outweigh everything else.

It’s a mercy when the Noti begin to prepare to sleep. They offer the perfect excuse for the night to finally come to a close.

Ezra stands up and runs a hand through his hair.

“I sleep in the big room over there. It’s as human sized as you can get here. You both look exhausted. The journey here couldn’t have been easy. Why don’t you both take it? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept outside with the Noti,” Ezra offers.

“We can’t take your place-“

“I insist,” Ezra interrupts Sabine, “I’m used to camping out. The Noti constantly move from place to place seeking shelter so sometimes we have to rough it on the ground. It’s nothing unusual. You both can take it.”

Sabine glances at you with a nod of her head.

“Is that alright with you? You wanna share that tent with

me?” She asks.

Both Ezra and Sabine seem to be very interested in your answer. Ezra searches your face for something. You think there’s a question he’s longing to ask, something he’s dying to know, but he can’t bring himself to say it. It seems like he’s too afraid of whatever he thinks he’ll find or won’t find.

Truthfully, you don’t have the patience to speculate on what the two of them are trying to find out. It’s been a long day and you’ve suffered enough already.

You shrug, “Fine.”

A one word response. Sabine blinks and Ezra winces. There’s almost a flash of pain in his gaze before he looks away. You highly suspect that whatever test has just transpired, you’ve failed.

Sabine shares a glance with Ezra. You try to ignore the way the knife in your heart twists to see them communicate silently. Years apart and yet they seem to still know each other well enough to talk through simple glances and looks.

It’s all too much. You spin on your heel and march off mumbling some excuse about being exhausted.

Inside the metal tent, you close your eyes and count to ten. There’s a roar in your ears and a headache forming at the very back of your skull. You aren’t sure how much more this you can take. Already, it feels like you’re hitting a boiling point.

Everything feels terrible. The jealousy, the heartbreak, the anger, the guilt. All of it is becoming too much.

By the time Sabine returns, you’re at your limit. You don’t even flinch when she waves a hand in front of your face to test if you’re paying attention.

“What’s wrong?” She sounds concerned as she peers down at you, “You’ve been out of it all day. I thought you’d be really happy. I mean, we found Ezra-“

A scoff breaks out before you can stop it. You hate that she’s using the word “we.”There is no “we” here. It’s all her. It’s always been her. She’s the hero who saved Ezra. You’re the terrible ex girlfriend that abandoned him.

“I’m just tired,” you shrug. It’s a weak lie. She doesn’t seem to buy it as she presses you more.

“You’re not acting okay. I didn’t think you’d want to share a room with me. I thought you’d make an excuse to get out of it.”

Your eyes roll. She stops and stares at you as if finally realizing just how angry you are.

By now, the pain is cooling to anger. There’s a rage vibrating deep within you towards her. You’d love nothing more than to shut her up once and for all.

She calls your name with a frown. Concern and frustration are evident in her face.

“Seriously, is everything okay? Ezra wanted you to stay with him outside. He was waiting for you to ask to stay with him-“

“Well, didn’t you want to stay with him? You should have volunteered,” you tug angrily at your jacket. The fury is burning you from the inside. You feel like a star about to combust. It takes all of your strength to remain composed.

Sabine has the gall to look confused. She makes a face like she doesn’t get it. You aren’t sure whether she’s being coy or if she’s just dying to hear you spell it out to her.

“What are you talking about?” She moves to grab your arm. Perhaps she wants you to face her and explain why you’re suddenly so angry, “You hurt him, you know. He doesn’t know where he stands with you. You haven’t spoken to him or made a move. He’s scared you’ve moved on-“

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll comfort him. You’ve been much better for him than me,” you bite.

Again, there’s a moment of confusion. By now, Sabine herself is growing frustrated with your attitude. It seems she can’t wrap her head around why you’re so upset.

“What is wrong with you? Seriously. You finally get Ezra back and you just ice him out-“

Something snaps. The anger you’ve been suppressing spills forward like a dam. Before you can even think about what you’re doing, you’re shoving her as hard as you can away from you. There’s a sense of satisfaction in the way you take her by surprise. She’s much stronger than you, yet you manage to make her slam into the metal walls. Her armor makes a satisfying thud when it collides against them.

“Oh, shut up, Sabine!”

You move to shove her again, rage boiling over.

It’s all too much. Every negative emotion you’ve been feeling since Sabine unlocked the map where you failed has spilled over. You feel like a bomb exploding. You aren’t a violent person, yet you find yourself pushing her again.

This time, she’s ready for you. Her eyes are wide and there’s shock in her voice when she calls your name. She grabs your wrist and twists you around until she’s holding your arms in place. A move you had only ever seen her do on stormtroopers.

“Maker, what’s wrong-?”

Her voice trails off in shock as you shove off her hold. You press your hands to your face feeling adrenaline course through your veins. It burns white hot against your skin. You swear you feel your blood boiling.

“Do you know how sick I am of you?” You jab a finger at the center of her chest plate, “You just have to rub everything in. I get it, alright? I get that you’re better than me. You have always been better at everything. I never stood a chance.”

You back away from her suddenly feeling like you’re boxed in. The anger is coursing red hot but there’s something else there. It’s all consuming and harsh. You feel it practically strangling you.

While you are threatened by Sabine’s presence, some part of you knows it’s not just her that’s causing this outburst. Really, it’s more than that. A part of you is just angry with yourself.

It’s yourself you despise. Had it not been for Sabine, Ezra would have been stuck here forever. You had given up on ever finding him. For all your promises of loving him years ago, you had simply given up. He would have never have given up on you.

Spinning around, you press your fists against your eyelids to try and stop the tears forming behind your eyes.

“You found him. I gave up on him,” you whisper. It’s a harsh admission out loud, “You’re better than me. He deserves better. He deserves you.”

Sabine is stunned. She blinks and makes a face like she can’t believe what you just said. You don’t have it in you to explain. The anger is slowly becoming despair. You want nothing more than to just curl up into a ball and die.

“What? I-Do you-Is that what this is about? You think I have feelings for Ezra?” She takes you by the shoulders and holds you steady.

You’re shaking, you realize. Your hands are quivering and your breath is coming out in short pants. A panic attack.

“Don’t you?” You bite the inside of your cheek to quell the rising panic. Your chest feels too tight. It constricts against your clothing, “It’s okay if you do. He’s always liked you. You could make him happier. You didn’t give up on him like I did.”

It hurts to say everything out loud. You don’t think you could survive seeing Sabine with Ezra. It would break whatever remnants of your heart are still working, but you wouldn’t stand in their way. Ezra deserves to be happy and you’re not the person that can give that to him. If Sabine can, then she should. It would break you, but you deserve it. An atonement for your sins.

Sabine calls out your name. She pulls your arms away from your face and shakes her head firmly. She looks stunned and hurt. She’s hurt by your words.

“I don’t like Ezra romantically. He’s a brother to me. That’s it. He loves you-“

You close your eyes against the rising panic. It takes all your willpower to remember how to breathe. It feels like something has gotten a hold of your body. You feel everything mounting until it bursts. Emotions and words pour out of you. You aren’t sure just what you’re saying. Everything feels like it’s happening far away.

“He had a crush on you first. He didn’t even look at me until he realized you weren’t interested. I always knew I was his second choice. I was always so angry with you. You two spent so much time together. I was always just counting the days until he left me for you. You two just fit together. Ten years later and you two can just go back to being close. I don’t know how I could ever face him knowing that I gave up-“

The feeling of choking returns. You press your hand to your chest feeling like your lungs will give out. There’s a painful squeeze to your heart. Is this what a heart attack feels like-?

Suddenly someone is taking you gently by the shoulders. Familiar hands press against your face cradling you softly. You hear your name whispered in a low voice. You know who it is without even opening your eyes.

Ezra.

“Hey, breathe. Breathe with me,” he whispers. He shows you some deep breaths. His arms hold you in place firmly but not tightly. It’s his way of showing you that he’s here. That you’re not alone.

Slowly you try and copy his breaths. It’s a struggle to do it. It feels like every painful gasp of air you inhale rattles against your lungs. It takes much longer than it should to finally regulate your breathing.

By the time the panic attack is finally underway, you feel exhausted. There’s a heaviness to your body you haven’t felt in a while. You’re shaking as Ezra slowly moves you towards a makeshift bed. He eases you gently into a sitting position. Idly, you realize that Sabine is inching out of the encampment probably wanting to give you and Ezra space to talk.

“Are you okay? Do you need water? A blanket?” Ezra kneels to be eye level with you. His eyes are concerned, scared for you.

It’s not fair. He’s the one who’s been lost for ten years, yet here he is worried about you. You don’t deserve him.

That’s what finally does you in. You begin to sob and press your hands firmly to your face. The tears pour out of you. It’s been a long ten years. Everything just shatters.

In the last decade, you’ve cried more times than you want to admit. Grief has been a friend for ages. You’ve cried until you had nothing more to give, yet this breakdown feels different. There’s a war or emotions pouring out of you. Anger, grief, jealousy, insecurity, pain. They rush over you in waves to the point where you feel like you’re being physically crushed under the weight of them.

Ezra wraps his arms around you and lets you cry against his shoulder. He holds you firmly in place whispering words of encouragement. You don’t deserve it. You weakly fight against his hold.

Words spill forth in a whisper before you even realize half of what you’re saying. There’s just a frantic need to pour everything out. The admissions slip from your tongue without truly registering in your brain. You just need him to understand why he should hate you.

“I gave up on ever finding you. I spent an entire year unable to get out of bed. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t think. Every little thing reminded me of you. I thought I was going to go insane. Everyone was worried about me. Hera had just had Jacen, yet she was taking care of me instead of her newborn. It felt horrible to worry everyone. At some point, I just had to let you go. I told myself you were dead and mourned you. I needed the closure so I gave up. If you were gone forever, then I could slowly move forward. I didn’t want to but it was breaking me. Thinking that you were out here somewhere was driving me insane.”

Ezra holds you tighter at your admission. You’re not sure but you swear you think you can hear him say he’s sorry. It’s heartbreaking for him to apologize. He’s the one that you’ve wronged.

“I couldn’t move on from you. I tried dating again a few years after you were gone but never made it past the first or second date. Everyone was all wrong. They just weren’t you. I kept telling myself that you were gone and that I should move on, but I couldn’t. I was driving myself crazy with grief. I even had a falling out with Sabine. Sabine kept searching for you. She never stopped. She’s the one who found you. Had it not been for her, you would have been lost forever. She’s better than me. You deserve better,” you force yourself to look at his eyes and are shocked when you see that he’s crying too. You never meant to hurt him but the confessions keep pouring out, “I know you liked her first. You only started dating me because she didn’t like you back. I told myself all these years that, that was okay. I loved you enough to be your second choice. Then these last ten years happened and they made me realize that I don’t deserve you. I gave up on you. She didn’t. She-you both make perfect sense. You just click with each other. She’s a better choice for you. I love you, but I know you’d be happier with her. She was your first choice after all.”

Now that everything is out, you feel tired. You bury your face in his shoulder and feel the way his heart is racing. His body feels tense as he lets all your words sink in.

“What? Do you think I like Sabine?” He sounds stunned. Gently, he pulls you away so that he can look at your eyes.

His eyes are red and there’s tears running down his face. He looks heartbroken. He calls your name softly and his voice cracks.

“You’re not my second choice, Maker. I’ve loved you for over a decade. It’s always been you. I admired Sabine when we were kids, but I always saw her as a sister. That’s all she is. You’re the one I’ve loved all these years. I dreamt of you every night, I tried using the force to find you whenever I meditated, the thought of you has kept me going all these years. It’s you that kept me alive. Any time I wanted to give up, I remembered you and everyone else back home and that kept me going. You were never my second choice. You’ve always been my only love. Always,” his fingers wipe away your tears and his breath stutters, “I thought you’d moved on. You didn’t want to spend time around me. You pulled away when I tried to kiss you. I thought you didn’t care me for me anymore. I was going to accept that. It’s been ten years. You didn’t know I was still alive. If you had moved on and married someone else, I would have never held it against you. Don’t blame yourself for needing to move forward.”

“You wouldn’t have given up on me. Ezra, you would have been lost without Sabine. I thought you were gone.”

You squeeze your eyes shut. Ezra would have never given up hope. He would have kept searching until the very end. You didn’t.

His hold on you tightens.

“Ten years. I was gone for ten years. I don’t blame you for thinking I was dead. Maker, the ship had lost its airlock. I thought I was going to die when we hit hyperspace. You had no way of knowing I was alive. Sabine said you all only thought I was still alive when Ahsoka heard rumors about Thrawn returning. There’s no way anyone could have predicted I was in another galaxy,” he says.

You keep your eyes closed.

The rumors about Thrawn’s return are what had made this entire search possible. You had dropped everything when Hera and Ahsoka had commed you and rushed back to help the search. Sabine was steps ahead of you which hurts to admit, but you had rushed back to help.

Wearily, you think of everything you’ve done so far.

You think of how Ahsoka refused to train you in favor of Sabine because she said you were ‘too attached’ to be open to the force. You think of how you couldn’t open the map and had spent hours turning it every which way until your fingers had cramped and bled trying to pry it open. You remember that terrible moment where Shin and Baylan had you cornered, how they had offered you and Sabine passage to Ezra in exchange for the map. Logic would have had you destroy the map and prevent Thrawn from ever returning. Ahsoka would have wanted it that way, yet you had hesitated too. Your brain had said you needed to destroy it, but your heart had frozen. Destroying it meant never finding Ezra. You had let Sabine take over on that choice and hadn’t protested when she handed the map over. You’re sure now you would have made the same choice albeit not as fast as her.

As if sensing where your thoughts are going, Ezra places his forehead to yours. His way for reassuring you.

“I don’t blame you for anything. I’m sorry I hurt you all these years. If you’ve moved on, I get it. Just please don’t feel guilty you had to think I was dead to survive. Forgive yourself,” he urges.

You snap your eyes open startled.

“Ezra, I’ve never moved on. I love you. I have for all these years. I was just too guilty to express it. Sabine found you. I gave up. You deserve better. The two of you could-“

Suddenly Ezra dives forward. His lips press to yours and he holds you in place tightly. You make a sound of surprise before giving in.

It feels like something between you clicks. The world stops and everything feels so natural as you kiss him back. It’s been ten years since you’ve last been able to hold him. You don’t think you can survive another ten without him. You barely made it through these last few years.

He feels like home. After all the suffering and the self loathing, kissing him feels like everything is falling into place.

After a long kiss that takes your breath away, he withdraws. His breath is a harsh pant. His beard tickles your face as he presses smaller kisses to your forehead and cheeks. You cling to him tighter and take in the feeling of being in his arms again.

“I love you,” he breathes out, “It’s only ever been you. Please don’t say you don’t deserve me. You kept me alive all these years. It’s always been you.”

The last of your energy snaps. You feel so painfully exhausted. You cling to him tightly and let him move you back to the bed. He climbs in next to you and holds you to him as if he’s afraid to let you go.

Everything you’ve been through today makes you feel so tired. You want nothing more than to go to sleep and come back to this tomorrow. You don’t have the energy to keep going today.

Thankfully, Ezra doesn’t withdraw. Instead, he climbs into the bed next to you and holds you close. All of those terrible voices in your head quiet when he presses another kiss to your forehead.

You close your eyes feeling everything fading. The two of you aren’t done discussing this. He still needs to know that you love him too and that you are sorry for everything that’s happened. You also will have to apologize to Sabine tomorrow. It’s not her fault your own insecurities turned against her.

Still, for now, this moment feels like peace.

You curl into his arms and hold him tight the way you used to when you were young. He holds you to him and refuses to let you go. In a low whisper, you tell him you love him. As you drift off, you hear him say it back.

And for the first time in ten years, you finally feel a semblance of peace.

[zeenmrala]

wolfwren kisses

shin kisses her first. it's swift, like all of her movements are: it's a sudden and hard kiss that momentarily startles sabine until she can recover her senses. shin's hands are either side of sabine's face, her fingers in the mandalorian's short hair. she throws her weight into it, and the pair stumble backwards.

sabine gasps softly, opening her mouth as her arms slip around the taller woman's waist, pulling her in. it's intense, vibrant, electric. sabine's eyes close, her hands graze across the rough fabric of shin's shirt.

thirst. shin desires to drink her, and sabine is screaming out in the force that she wants to be drunk. shin smirks. she deepens the kiss. she dips her tongue in sabine's mouth, tasting the rich sweetness of her tongue.

sabine whimpers a groan as she allows herself to be devoured by shin, but then her judgement sways, her guard goes up: she pushes the dark jedi off of her, shoves her away clumsily. looks in disbelief at those wide, wild eyes.

she exhales, her lips tingle, the back of her head aches from the lack of shin's fingers in her hair. her mind swims through what just happened, and yearns for it to happen again.

shin waits, steady and patient.

sabine sighs, her eyes glaze up and down the blonde, noting her lithe, athletic figure, the slight blush in those pale cheeks caused by sabine herself. then it is all too much to resist, and her lips are back on shin's, kissing her deeper than before, possessive and hungry. her legs are around shins waist, shin hoisting her up, her hands at her back, taking her weight gladly, easily.

shin kisses her back, allows sabine the freedom to explore her mouth with her tongue. laps back at her greedily.

they lose themselves. they kiss between panting breaths, eyes closed and hands roaming. it's greed and desire and despair - then shin opens her blue eyes, big and gleaming. their noses touch, then their foreheads, and suddenly it's all intimacy and warmth.

sabine opens her own eyes when shin pauses. her legs are still robust around shin's waist, her torso rigid with strength.

shin slowly pecks sabine's bottom lip, then traces her jaw with her lips, down to her neck.

sabine moans under her breath, slips down and returns to her feet. her fingers now in the short tresses of blonde hair, her own head thrown back to expose her throat to shin's lips, teeth, tongue.

shin's lips find their way back to sabine's. she kisses her, tender and gentle, relishing in the surprising softness of her. enjoying it. she then pulls back to look into sabines deep, brown eyes. they watch each other, slow and mindful, chests heaving softly from the sudden exertion. kiss bruised lips, tussled hair, smudged make up.

shin smiles, genuine. sharp edges dulled.

sabine reaches forward, takes her hand.

-

[lemonjamdraws]

LILANETTE WEEK DAY 7 - FREE SPACE

AKA bonus uncertain sincerity chapter in the same year? no way!

Marinette isn’t imagining it, because even Alya takes notice of Adrien’s newfound frostiness towards her. But he doesn’t take any steps to talk to her or explain anything at all, only pointedly avoids her.

Frustration and anxiety roil inside her like a stormy ocean as she follows Lila’s lead throughout the day, wearing something akin to her Ladybug persona to keep up cheerful appearances. She doesn’t even pull away the next time Lila takes her hand or brushes her shoulder, feeling so twisted inside over the lies, the whole Chat Noir and Noire thing, and Adrien’s strange new hatred, that she just goes along with it all. 

It’s the path of least resistance, in a world that seems to be turning upside down all around her for no reason at all. She hopes it’s mild enough to avoid catching Hawkmoth’s attention.

“Hey girls,” Alya says after the final bell rings, “hang out at my place?”

“That sounds fun,” Lila says with a smile, “but I think Marinette is feeling a little down after the akumatization and… well…” 

“Adrien, yea,” Alya sighs with sympathy. “I don’t know what’s up with him.”

“I have to help my parents out at the bakery,” Marinette says quickly. “Can’t hang out. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow.” She wants nothing more than to get in bed and then be unconscious for the next twenty years.

“I’ll walk her home,” Lila offers, “I see Nino’s waiting for you, Alya.”

“Oh, shoot, I forgot we had a date! Sorry y’all, and thanks, Lila. Cheer up, Marinette, I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of this and make everything right.” Alya wraps her arms around Marinette in a quick hug, but it doesn’t feel like much in the wake of Alya’s disbelief in Marinette’s words over the last few days.

“See you tomorrow!” Lila calls out brightly. Marinette keeps her eyes to the ground. “Lift your damn chin, girl. If Adrien’s going to treat you like that, then you should act as if it doesn’t bother you.”

“But it does bother me,” Marinette says mulishly, feeling so pathetic. Without even a goodbye, Chat Noir surrendered his miraculous like it was nothing and is now gone forever. And Adrien, too, wordlessly seems intent to never speak with her again. Unrequited feelings aside, she really did view them both as trusted friends, more than most of her classmates.

Hell, the next time she has the opportunity, she needs to talk to Fu. If Chat Noir is retired for good, Fu at least should know his civilian identity and can maybe clear everything up.

“Christ,” Lila swears, grabbing her hand to pull her along. “You should never waste emotions on stupid boys who won’t give you the time of day.”

“He’s not stupid…” 

“Just come on.” With vigor, strength, and a potent eye roll, Lila pulls her down the street. They’re halfway to the bakery by the time Marinette remembers Lila’s holding her hand, and it feels… warm .

No one else is around them now. Their classmates are far away. What does Lila have to gain from this ? Besides pretending friends for appearances, what does she stand to gain?

She might know you’re Ladybug .

How would she even know that?

Marinette should pull her hand away, but she can’t find it in herself to actually do it. She agreed to be Lila’s friend, didn't she?

“Here you are,” Lila says, her hand falling away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Adrien hates her, Alya’s with her boyfriend. Marinette should speak with Tikki but at the moment she doesn’t want to be alone otherwise.

“You can come in if you want, since I guess we’re friends now,” Marinette sighs, pushing the door open. Lila binks in surprise but follows after.

“While you help in the bakery?” Lila asks pointedly.

Marinette doesn’t reply. They both know it was an excuse to dodge hanging out with Alya. As expected, Tom and Sabine are all over her with overbearing concern, and then perfectly charmed by a smiling Lila. Sabine somehow convinces Lila to hang out for a bit and promises to bring snacks up to Marinette’s room with perfect hospitality, so the two girls find themselves together there.

“Very cute decor,” Lila observes as Marinette lies on the floor face down. “I swear to god, Marinette. Don’t cry .”

“I’m not,” she mutters, “wouldn’t want to attract another akuma.” Marinette is activating the emotional repression technique, an ancient technique used by girls worldwide.

“Come on, girl. Your pores are going to get full of floor gunk. I need you to look your best.”

For some reason that works and Marinette drags herself up to a sitting position. Transactional or not, the “friendship” with Lila seems to be keeping her steady in the wake of her closest friends seemingly ditching her.

“I can’t believe you actually got akumatized because of me,” she mutters as Lila walks about the room, picking up random things to look at.

“I’m on my period,” Lila returns without missing a beat, “my emotions are volatile, so it was hard when the girl I admired so much seemed to dislike me.” Marinette’s eyes follow Lila’s steps. She flips through a loose sketchbook on the table, which, in normal circumstances, would prompt Marinette to leap over and tear it away. But these are not normal circumstances, and she feels strangely defeated and resigned to just letting Lila do whatever.

Her thoughts are still occupied with trying to figure out why Adrien hates her all of a sudden.

“How can I believe anything you say?” Marinette shakes her head though the explanation seems sound. “I can never tell when you’re acting.”

“You think I’d fake a period?”

“Uh, yea.”

“Fair. Well, let me put it this way. I like attention. I want to be the girl everyone loves. This much has to be obvious.”

“Yea, very obvious.”

“You are a girl with many talents and beloved by many, right?”

“Ehh…” Marinette is unconvinced. Lila rolls her eyes.

“You are, Marinette. I can list off all your titles and accomplishments, but I’ve already done that before. So, like I’ve said, you are perfect for what I need. Two beautiful and confident girls like us, we’ll be the star of the show everywhere we go.” Lila holds up the open sketchbook, on a page of two dress designs side by side. “Let me spin my stories and have a little fun.”

“Um.” Marinette is still uncertain, and can hardly take the praise as genuine. “Chloe isn’t going to like that.”

“You still care what she thinks? Please . She’s nothing. If you’re with me, I’ll always have your back, as long as you have mine.” Lila extends a hand down confidently, determination radiating off of her. “I’ll keep my stories within reason, and you won’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt. Unless of course, it’s Chloe. You know how it is.”

Strangely, it’s reminiscent of that new black cat holder she met with just the other day, the one who claimed to have freed Lila from akumatization. Despite it all, Lila is no longer pursuing Adrien, and Marinette won’t say no to some capable female friends. She looks up at the hand, Lila’s fingers and wrists adorned tastefully in rings and bracelets, and up at her face, to see a cool smile.

Adrien would never agree to telling Chloe off, even when Chloe so blatantly hurt Marinette and so many others, so to hear Lila so easily diss the girl is refreshing. Maybe she really will have a good ally with Lila. She reaches out and takes the hand. Lila’s grin deepens, and she pulls Marinette up to standing. Maybe this is for the best.

***

Just above Marinette’s room, on the rooftop balcony, Tikki and Plagg stare at each other.

“ Lila got the miraculous?” Tikki exclaims. “ How ?”

“What a pickle,” Plagg says with a shrug. “Gosh. Let me try to remember. It’s a little blurry. That crazy girl was the akuma, of course. Except we thought it was Marinette? She fooled Adrien real good, that naive guy. She gave him a peck on the cheek and he dropped out cold! It hit me too, I was blacked out for some time. Good nap, though.”

“Plagg!”

“Right, so when I woke up, I was really confused, because then she was Chat Noir? Adrien was nowhere to be seen. Uh, let’s see. Then the new Chat Noir put the ring on. He was acting confused and said his memories were fuzzy after getting hit by the akuma, so I reminded him how to transform and stuff since he seemed to have forgotten, even though he was already transformed? Yea, weird, right?”

Good gods , Tikki thinks. What the hell . Plagg, you idiot .

“The craziest thing is that then he just used the Cataclysm on a different ring he was wearing and I realized it was her the whole time! She de-akumatized herself! That’s practically unheard of!”

Tikki’s jaw drops.

“Lila de-akumatized herself?” She repeats.

“I don’t know, she said that after recognizing Adrien or something, she came to her senses. But yea. She used me, freed herself, and then kept tabs on the akuma while waiting for Ladybug to show up and purify it. I can’t really explain it.”

Tikki and Plagg phase through the roof to look into Marinette’s room. Strangely, Lila seems to be giving Marinette a pep talk that seems to be working . She seems to be being good , and even performed Chat Noir’s job when she was literally the akuma.

“That’s not what Lila said at all,” Tikki says pensively. “She told Ladybug that Adrien gave up the miraculous voluntarily.”

“She did?”

“Plagg, you were there .”

“Right. Well, she does have a penchant for telling her little lies.”

Tikki lifts her arm to her chin as she thinks.

“The only benefits to saying Adrien gave up his miraculous voluntarily, is that Ladybug will be less likely to try and return the miraculous to him,” she says. “I’m guessing she wanted to reduce the chance of Ladybug trying to take the ring back.” Does she have any other motive to keeping the ring?

“Plus, maybe she was trying to spare Chat Noir the embarrassment of being defeated so easily? I’m sure Adrien wouldn’t want Ladybug to ever know how the akuma managed to get him so quickly. It was kind of uh… well, it was embarrassing, to be honest.”

“Maybe. Either way, we should get you back to Adrien,” Tikki says after they pop back on the roof. “Lila’s not supposed to be the holder. She wasn’t chosen; Adrien was .”

“Well, yea, but your holder agreed to let Lila go for a test run, and both Hawkmoth and Lila know his identity now! That’s no good.”

“Shit,” Tikki swears, “you’re right.”

“I’m just hoping Master Fu will have answers,” Plagg says with a shrug. “If I can convince her to actually go there. She seemed interested. Plus Hawkmoth must know it’s her.”

“Something doesn’t feel right about her,” Tikki says, frowning, “we can’t let her just steal a miraculous and use it. I mean, you’ve seen it. She’s been super weird with Marinette.”

“Well, she was akumatized at first,” Plagg reasons. “Maybe after she got ahold of herself, she felt she needed to take responsibility, especially after revealing Adrien to Hawkmoth. As for sucking up to Marinette, well, who really knows what’s going on in a teenage girl’s mind? Maybe she’s in love , ew. Not two lovesick buffoons, gods help me.”

“Hmm,” Tikki says, but she’s still worried. At the same time, when Adrien is leaving her behind and Alya dedicating most of her time to her newfound relationship with Nino, Lila is providing support that Marinette desperately needs. “Wait. You said you and Adrien thought the akuma was Marinette. Oh no .”

“Ack!” Plagg squeaks. “He must think she stole the ring.”

Tikki slaps her forehead. That’s why Adrien was giving Marinette the cold shoulder. How has Hawkmoth not sniffed out his desperation yet?

“And we can’t let him know that it’s Lila, because then he’d know the identity of the new hero, and that’s no good because he’s so prone to akumatization, and, oh gods . Plagg, this is a disaster!”

“You’re telling me, sister!”

***

“You know how you can show Adrien that you’re thriving without him?” Lila says, carefully applying a coat of nail polish to Marinette’s ring finger. Marinette can hardly understand how this scenario came to be, after the whole Volpina thing, but somehow Lila is raising her mood, what with the commitment to an anti-Chloe concord and to having Marinette’s back.

“Yea?” Marinette says with a raised eyebrow. She’s not sure she wants to do anything before just talking to the boy first and figuring out what's up.

“Here’s my idea: you should move on . Everyone in the entire world knows about your crush, him included, I’m sure. So, find yourself someone else, steal their heart, and show it off the world. Post about it on your social media, walk hand-in-hand at school, look like you’re having the time of your life. That’s what I’d do, at least.” Lila starts on some simple nail art, dotting on some small white spots to the pink base color.

“I’m sure not everyone knows,” Marinette says, bright red, and Lila sends her an unamused look. “OK, fine. But… I don’t know if I want to move on.”

“We’ll see if his behavior improves,” Lila offers, “you can just think about it. But now that we’re going to be friends, I don’t let creeps get away with disrespecting my people. If he keeps this up then I might have to even the playing field.” 

Marinette never expected such a strong pledge of support from Lila of all people, but following the logical benefits that she is seeking from their friendship, she guesses it only makes sense that Lila would want to make their alliance strong enough to last. And even if her heart still throbs at the thought of Adrien, having Lila come to her defense feels… nice .

“That’s pretty harsh,” Marinette comments, “but I guess I appreciate it. I’ll try to resolve this first, though. I don’t know what’s got him so upset. I must have done something really bad.”

As Lila’s fingers continue to work on Marinette’s hand, light glints off one particularly large ring amongst the several she wears. Smooth dark silver with a single large orange gem, it looks very beautiful and matches with Lila’s general color palette.

“A girl as goody-two-shoes as you, I can’t imagine you doing anything that bad,” Lila says with a shrug. She briefly looks away.

“Haha. Anyway, it’s not like I can just pick someone new. I’d never want to date them under false pretenses. I don’t like playing with people’s feelings.” And after the Kim fiasco, too, Marinette isn’t sure she wants to entertain the possibilities of something similar happening again.

Her eyes drift up from the warm hands on hers. The cuff of a stylish jacket, the bow of a cute romper, the chains of fashionable necklaces and the face of probably the most fearless girl she’s ever known, despite her penchant for lies. Framed by those two iconic locks on either side, Lila’s green eyes are focused on the task at hand.

They’re pretty when she’s not spinning her web of lies, Marinette thinks. She blinks in surprise when those very eyes flick up to match her gaze.

“What about me?” Lila asks, and Marinette stares.

“What?”

“Well, I perhaps forcefully threatened you into my friendship,” Lila muses, “since I always get what I want. But, if you want, we can pretend to date so you can show you’ve moved on from Adrien. It’d only be fair. Though… I’d date you for real regardless.”

“No way,” Marinette says quickly with a laugh, “that’s crazy!” But Lila’s expression is serious, with maybe a hint of red, and her breath catches in her throat. She’s not ready to move on, and she might never move on. And that over-the-top flirting, it can hardly be genuine. Lila said that kind of stuff to Adrien and plenty others, she’s sure.

“It’s just an option,” Lila says in a flatter tone, dropping her gaze to continue her work. “I’m sure it would benefit our mutual popularity quite a lot. In my experience, couples always get more attention than individuals. And you’d do quite well, since you’re so cute.” Right, Marinette remembers. It’s just a strategy for Lila’s goals, not an extension of feelings, not that Marinette could ever trust everything Lila actually says. She’s sure all the compliments are just to fortify the alliance and nothing else.

“Marinette!” Her mom’s voice calls from below. “A classmate’s here to see you!”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” Marinette says after a pause, and glad for the distraction from the topic at hand. Discussing strategies to manipulate her social standing as if it's a battlefield is very weird for her, though it seems to be Lila’s default activity. “I’ll be down in a minute, Mom!”

“Well, I’ve finished your nails. Give them time to dry and it’ll be all good. I’ll head out for now so I don’t impose on whoever’s visiting.” Lila stands and puts away the supplies. “But seriously, think about it. We’d make quite the impression, I bet, and Chloe would be so hilariously mad.”

Marinette lets out a large breath as she gets up as well, shaking her head in amusement at the thought of the Bourgeois. But jeez, never has a normal girl with a normal life had so much crazy stuff to think about before. She needs a conspiracy board just to map it all out at this point.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” she says, “but I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking for.” Lila pulls up the trapdoor and gestures for Marinette to go first, reminding her to watch out for the wet nails. Down the stairs, and some more stairs.

“Sorry for the wait,” Marinette’s saying as she steps through the door, “I was just-”

Her voice cuts short as Lila almost stumbles into her back, her feet freezing on the spot. Because before her is none other than Adrien Agreste, a tight expression on his face.

“Speak of the devil,” Lila says contemptuously, a hand supportively on Marinette’s elbow. Somehow that breaks Marinette out of her stupor.

“Marinette,” Adrien says quietly, “we need to talk.”

[hhighkey]

Decode // Chapter Two, Seeing Red

Dracule Mihawk (opla) x OC (female)

Rating: mature

Story Contains: live action characters, related and non-related one piece plots, unspecified religion, OC is a nun on sabbatical, trauma, violence, age gap (40 v 23), insecurities and self doubts, possessive / protective behavior, kidnapping, true loves, eventual smut

Masterlist

-

Her fingers trembled as they ran along the dusty ensemble from the bottom of her trunk. What possessed her that morning to pull the once forgotten fabric out was beyond her. Her habit felt like it weighed a ton as her hand desperately patted the ivory dressings to get wrinkles out, letting woolen fabric rhetorically burn her skin. Like words were printed out in bold that made her grow ill- duty. 

Nami had left, bag in hand. As Sabine awoke with heavy eyes just before sunrise, she'd seen the girl sneaking out on tiptoes and hushed whispers— Nami's actions only further cemented the danger of the upcoming situation as Sabine couldn't stop her. 

For a moment Sabine doesn't recognize herself as she glances in a passing mirror. Was she putting on her habit out of her duty as a nun? As the oldest person on the ship? Towards the fact Zoro might not survive? Or that she truly felt her faith guiding her to remain strong? 

Questions. They swirled. Hurled at her as she dressed for the coming duel, as if it were a mournful occasion. Ringing. High pitched vibrations lived in her ear canals as she exited the quarters of the ship, feeling the morning sun bore upon her clothed figure. 

Maybe she'd always been too emotional— too empathetic for her own good letting those around her will her very life. Maybe it was how years of sermons and tears made her heart lurch closer to The Father as her empath state grew impressionable and easily moved. So it explained the tears that misted her eyes. Explained how her fingers fidgeted and welcomed the pain as her nails dug into part of her skin. She cared for Zoro in a short matter of time, cared for the entirety of the Straw Hats like the nurturing nature of the burdened oldest sister. 

Oh seeing him again in all his glory- it took her breath away. His proud stance with the larger than life sword on his back. Mihawk stood on the other side of the dock, making her heart skip with anticipation as they drew closer. A stratus field of tension, of a tractor beam like air— one whirlwind pushing her feet forward as her fingers went numb. The sound of footsteps on the wood reverberated like the boom of soldiers marching. 

Sabine placed herself behind Luffy and Usopp, with a false hope their bodies would protect her from his gaze. Because his golden eyes were glued to her, uncaring towards the boy he'd be dueling as he only agreed to duel him to see Sabine once more. Chills went down her spine as she let her mind retreat into itself, to black out the coming bloodshed. The scene around her soon blurred from the sound of Zoro's swords unsheathed...

The azure sky above was fitted with puffy white clouds- the sea calm in contrast to the blood that seeped onto Baratie's front dock. How Nami and Usopp raced behind their captain to Zoro's side. How Luffy's cries for their bloodied crew mate to live were deafening. And how Sabine stood firm as if stuck in cement, fingers turning white from the grip on her rosary. 

Her heart hammered in her chest. Blood rushed to her head, blurring her vision with black spots. And an incessant ringing echoed in her ears. 

Time felt frozen as she watched him glide to her, his heavy footsteps creaking on the dock. Closer. And closer. She couldn't move, not with the way tears pricked her waterline and bile rose in her throat. Eyes flickering between the two swordsman as a frigid breeze of alarm made her entire body shiver. 

"My dear," Mihawk spoke calmly, as if he hadn't just struck down Zoro in a battle he needn't break a sweat. Only inches from her, Mihawk removed his hat, holding it over his heart as his mouth ran dry. His eyes ate her petite figure up and his stomach lurched from how her beauty struck him. Everything from last night came rushing back and if he'd known a simple conversation would be life changing, he'd have never let her walk away. 

Sabine opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She craned to look up at him. In daylight she was captivated by him. Last night, at the bar, hadn't done him justice. How the air was robbed from her lungs as all she could do was shake her head hearing his timbre voice, "Why.."

Mihawk had no answer as he re-situated his hat back upon his head, then running a hand to brush along her headpiece down to her veil. She flinched in return as his large fingers caressed her shoulder, "Sister Mary Sabine, last night you changed my trajectory for better and for worse. And I'm a man who knows what he wants, then gets it."

"I don't understand," She squeaked out, their surroundings fading. Yells of her friends as they carried Zoro to the boat, how she should have been with them tossed to the back of her mind. The panicked looks as they saw how close Mihawk was to Sabine, someone with no ability to fight an enemy off. But trust was left that Mihawk had no business with a nun as they carried the green haired swordsman out of sight. She was alone- with him.

Mihawk showed no change in emotion, only an unsettling and uncommon softness to his gaze, "However I am not cruel. I understand your situation, so I'll tell you this- after your sabbatical I will come find you. And I'll respect either decision you make, but I plan to make you mine if you choose to leave the sisterhood."

An inhuman gasp stifled in her throat, her eyes widened, "M-Mihawk."

In a slick motion, Mihawk removed the thick cross branded (Mihawk centric branded) ring he adorned. Suddenly grasping her dainty wrist he forced the piece of jewelry into her palm, "So a piece of me is with you. Think of me until we meet again in many months time, little one."

"You can't- you can't just say that! You- Zoro might die because of you!" Anger finally bubbled over. Sabine snapped from her trance as her fist tightened around the ring, she took a step closer to him before he could turn away.

"You felt it last night, no?"

His question took her aback. Just as quick as she found the confidence to get mad, it subsided as her shoulders dropped. Because she felt it. She'd told herself last night as she laid in bed tipsy from the wine, that if that was how true love felt, she'd never want anyone else. She'd want him. But that was before Zoro challenged him- Before Zoro was struck down with such ease. 

"Answer me my dove," 

"Yes.. I did," She whispered as tears brimmed her eyes, "I felt it. But- you're a warlord of the sea- one of the strongest- it doesn't matter what I felt." Words stumbling one over the other as she struggled to articulate the emotions swirling within her, "Walk away."

"Oh? You really want me to?" A low chuckle from the deep of his throat tickled her ears. Mihawk felt amused from the deflation of her chest, the whirlpool of fervor in her eyes as she shuffled in place. 

"I-" The ring weighed down her hand. It felt hot as a branding iron fresh out the charcoal, dropping to her side as her nails dug into the skin, "Don't know."

The sudden feeling of his fingertips tracing along her jaw, thumb stroking her cheekbone- made her mind go fuzzy. Subconsciously they drew closer. Eyes connected with neither able to break away, further imprinting each other into permanent association. 

"I don't know you." Sabine mumbled as her loins burned, a dizzying heat creeping up her skin. A lightheadedness began to prod at her as a thick hand grasped her shoulder to steady her. 

Suddenly, Mihawk swooped down and pressed a light yet chaste kiss on her forehead. The heat of her skin numbing as he pulled away to ardently beam down at her, masking any inch of excitement from Sabine to see, keeping it for himself to feel. 

A shuddered breath left Sabine's lips, eyes closing as a shiver blew through her extremities from the electricity colliding with her. Every nerve on fire, lightning striking over and over just from the ghostly feeling lingering on her forehead. A cruel twisting awake in her stomach that had her nauseas and on cloud nine all at once, a feathery painful tickle inside her skull as she lulled in place. 

"Take care of yourself Sabine, until next time." Mihawk bade a gentle goodbye- as much of one as he was capable of. 

"But.." Sabine whimpered, forced to stare at the large sword strapped to his back as he turned away. She wanted to chase after him, to flag him down and shove the ring back onto his finger. Yet all she could do was stand there dumbfounded, gaze soon downcast to stare at the jewelry in her hand. A gorgeous gold ring with intricate designs, well worn too. 

"How will you find me?" But Mihawk was too far to hear her question, confusion replacing her shocked self. 

Silence. Then lurching waves knocked anchored boats against the dock to and fro. Then scattered voices dragged her back to back to reality as all her senses kicked back in. Salty seawater air, thick, coating her insides to where it suffocated her breaths as her chest rose and fell shakily. 

Sabine struggled as she shoved the ring into her under-dress's pocket. The sudden emptiness in her hand was momentous in a way she couldn't comprehend the weight it would bear on her.

Wherever her feet took her she went. Stumbling over the dock as her heart raced, gasping for breath as she pushed through a door into Baratie. Needed to get away. Needed to breathe air that Mihawk hadn't. The ring left an imprint, her palm red and indented with a thick circle at the center. 

Crumpling to her knees inside a lone hallway meant for staff of the floating restaurant. Back flush against a plank wall with peeling forest green wallpaper, water damage causing it to bubble at dingy corners. The world felt as if she were viewing it from another person the way her thoughts raced, making her vision streak as heavy tears began to fall. Head fell to her hands. Deep breaths. Guilt wracking her. Sabine wanted to think about Zoro and how she should be by his side offering a prayer. Selfishness, something no good nun was supposed to have, was taking over. 

"I cast this circle of flowers round, in calling for a love meant for me, to find me."

She hadn't thought of that night in about three years, not since the unruly Deacon traipsed through her life. While it'd all been fun and games at sixteen- a harmless little game that now had come back to haunt her for the second time. 

Flashes of a scene— four giggling girls with stolen communion wine, special flowers scattered on the tiled floor. 

"Forever will my true love bind,"

Sabine felt an intense pounding in her chest, as if her heart was about to beat out her ribcage and splinter the thin bones through her skin. Death would have been kinder for the poor girl, a sobbing trembling mess. 

Oh she'd done it now. More specifically her sixteen year old self had. It was foolish to think the chicken scratch chant they found in an old book was anything but real. Because with an existence of devil fruits and sea monsters, was anything too far out the realm of existence? 

Tears continued to slide down her cheeks as she sucked ragged breaths in. Sabine knew what this was. It was obvious. Not a ridiculous love at first sight story, Mihawk was her person as she'd set the stage for him to find her all those years ago. He had to be! Or else she believed too firmly in sudden happenings of the butterfly effect. All this was, was sudden infatuation, an ironic suddenness happening during her sabbatical. Of course. 

Sabine's fingers shook as she went to grip her rosary, head bent down as her lips moved but with no words escaping. 

-

posted : oct 26 2023

edited: july 12 2024

taglist : @zzbloody-animezz @honeybeezgobzzzzz @mythical-goth @iraaiitz @moonmaiden1996

[glouchyouchy]

The Mandalorian and the Jedi, Ch11

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51672316/chapters/135732745

Hi there! I'm back - AND finally with a new chapter. :)

( I know it's too early, but I wrote this for the Sabezra event next week - but I'm going to be extremely busy at work ( writing this fic has, in many ways, been my sole refuge these past months ) by then, so I figured I'd post this now :) )

Anyhow...

Hope this hits the spot, hope all is going well this February, dear reader. Thank you for reading ^_^

glouchyouchy

[ EDIT 1 : My goodness, I can't believe I forgot to thank @jedimandalorian for her ideas regarding Sabine and Ezra ( specifically why they'd fall for each other, and why they're so perfect for each other ^_^ Her fic, I'll Be Home for Life Day ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/51796369 ) is a must-read, in my humble opinion ^_^ ( for those younger boys and gals who may be reading this post : read her fic if you want to know how to treat someone right :) )

While I'm at it, and while I didn't forget to shout her out in the notes at the bottom of the fic, thanks @alphaofdarkness for inspiring the imagery for the last part of this chapter ^_^ ]

[thewriterowl]

Any headcanons on body swap for our favourite space Dads, kinky or otherwise? 👀

Oh jeez that is a good one! I know there has been some chatting about the body swaps so I would be excited to say some head canons:

-Luke is all, "I'M TALL! I can reach the shelves without my Force or jumping! And my shoulders! Wooooow, can you really just walk straight through doors easily, Din? These are so broad! And you're heavy! And how do you walk with this thing between your legs?!"

-Din is a bit more uncertain, "Luke, I feel too small. How do you function being tiny like this?? And how do you walk without any amor protecting you?? Your hair is so soft though...and how do you not just randomly squeeze your ass throughout the day??"

-Din now has to deal with the Force and is HATING it. He feels exhausted and hyper-focused. It's like he could hear everything breathing and there is an emended pressure over his body. Luke feels confused and feels alone and realizes how much the Force has been intertwined with him and his body--he still has it, as all things do and the Force is his soul and not just his body, but it is a lot weaker and untamed inside of Din.

-This may or may not unlock Force potential for Din (cause if Sabine can do it, so can Din) and Din isn't exactly thrilled about that.

-Din wears his helmet out in public...but the Beskar makes Luke feel sick if wearing it for too long and on his face. And Luke's body also isn't fond of the Beskar. So they have to stay inside more to respect Din's comfort on who can see his face in either form.

-So, they need to figure out what to do to entertain themselves as they get the whole back to their own bodies settled.

-Yeah they have a lot of sex.

NSFW

-They almost don't know how to do it at first. They are worried about doing something to new and using bodies that don't belong to them. It starts first with them masturbating with each other or grinding against one another.

-But eventually they realize they really understand each other so much that they are able to figure things out with he body switches.

-And they switch too in interesting ways.

-Din, in Luke's body, rides Luke, in Din's body, by pinning him down and still dominating but letting Luke's body feel like the bottom which it loves

-And Luke, in Din's body, take's Din's tongue, in Luke's body, like the champ he was before.

-The blow jobs are super interesting.

-Honestly, these two are so horny for each other they find they LOVE this new exploration and positions. It's an adventure and they are always willing try most anything once in bed.

-"Luke, we fucked each other on ever surface in our own bodies..." "We should do it again in these!"

"Exactly. I knew we were perfect fro each other--OOMPH! Star's dammit, am I really that heavy when I tackle you?"

"Yep. No worries, I love it."

-Their house may or may not need a lot fixing afterwards.

-They do get back in their own bodies after the Force shenanigans. But they get a lot of new experiences from it that they learn from.

[loth-creatures]

Sabine’s story you say? 👀👀👀

Ah yes, the elusive secret sabine's-backstory fic I slowly but surely chisel at on the rare occasion I have writing motivation. No promises on ever finishing it but I will publish at least some of it eventually I prommy

Here's one of my favorite snippets so far (below cut). Plus a lil illustration bc for a while this scene was burning through my skull but I couldn't seem to write it so I drew it instead.

Another snippet here, since two people asked about this :)

Sabine didn't know what she expected to see when she eventually picked her way to the bottom of the ramp, but it certainly wasn't a vast expanse of rolling golden plains, rippling in the wind like the pelt of a massive beast. Near certain she was hallucinating, she pulled her helmet off, forced to squint against the brightest sunlight she'd seen in months. Between endless night jobs on planets with filthy atmospheres divided only by days in hyperspace, the sensation was nearly alien.

Sabine felt the warmth on her skin and stared down at her hands, transfixed by the sun painting her skin in fiery gold, and the fierce yet gentle warmth of fire she hadn't felt in so long it hurt. For a moment she could have been sitting on her father's knee as a little girl, watching her mother work the forge, in the dead of a bitter winter. When the sun hadn't shown through the storm clouds for weeks, and the heat and amber light of the forge felt like her family's own little sun that would keep them warm and safe until summer.

Tears pricked at her eyes, something like homesickness swelling in her chest. This sun felt like summer in some distant past, illustrated in children's stories, the only place Sabine thought so much grass existed until now. The oceans of grass that once covered Mandalore's steppes, long before Sabine was born, long before endless war tore her homeland apart. Only stories, she'd thought. How could there possibly be so much unscorched land on one planet? All of the galaxy Sabine had seen so far was scarred and torn and mined far beyond any planet's capacity to survive. But not here it seemed, not yet.

It can't be real, Sabine thought.

She had to be dreaming. It sure felt like a dream, her head felt like it was floating and her movements seemed to lag far behind her. She wasn't holding her helmet anymore, couldn't remember setting it down. She didn't recall taking steps off the ship's ramp into the grass either, yet now it was brushing against her knees, leaving clinging seedlets on the weathered fabric of her borrowed clothes. Sabine reached down to touch it and her legs buckled.

Definitely not a dream. The cuts on her knees still stung as they hit the ground, her hands and ribs and head still ached. And the grass wasn't nearly as soft as she thought it would be, the stiff fronds bent and crunched beneath her. Not a dream. Just more exhaustion. Sabine knew she wasn't getting back up again, her body felt so heavy. But maybe, for right now, that was okay. Maybe, for a little while, there was nothing to run from.

She didn’t remember lying down, but the soft wind whispered through the delicate wall of grass that now surrounded and concealed her, thin dancing shadows making the sunlight flicker over her face. For the first time since the day she'd run, the unyielding pull of unconsciousness felt less like snapping jaws dragging her under, and more like a familiar and welcome embrace. And for once, she didn't fight it.

[timetodiverge]

The Game (She's In My Head Already)

WolfWren Soccer AU: Chapters 1-6 (of 12) now available!

Rookie Hati and fan-favourite Wren are competing for the last spot left on their national team, but both their careers are threatened when their rivalry escalates into an on-field brawl. Shin might have been the first to draw blood, but Sabine Wren does not fight fair, and there's no way she's backing down.

Shin gazed at Wren’s neck, just below her left ear, where the scrapes Shin had torn into her skin were still visible. Her insides glowed at the memory of the vivid scarlet blood dripping down, falling onto the green grass, all over Shin’s hands.

“You’re smiling,” Wren exclaimed. “You’re…unhinged. Like a feral cat.”

Unhinged. Her. She was one to talk.

“I am not-”

“Someone needs to keep a tighter leash on you,” Wren interrupted, easily freeing her arms. Shin bit back a growl at the proof of her strength. “How long did it take to get the blood out from under your nails? Or did you not even try?” she added, taking one of Shin’s hands and holding it up to the light.

Shin snatched her hand back. “You’ve said your piece. Get out.”

Wren reached out again to rest her hands on Shin’s waist, fingers slipping ever so slightly into the top of her shorts. She rolled her hips forward and Shin bit back a gasp. When had they gotten close enough that Wren could do that? “You’re the one holding me here, kitten.”

“Do not call me-”

Wren titled her neck up, showing off the scratches. “Don’t attack me like a kitten. Then I’ll stop calling you that. Stop making stupid mistakes, and I’ll stop calling you rookie.”

Sounds from down the hall; Shin’s team was coming back.

Wren released her grip on Shin’s hips, but didn’t step away; instead she gripped Shin’s face and pulled her down into a quick and ferocious kiss.

Shin’s blood burned and her whole body flinched and then tensed at the feel of the other woman’s burning lips on her own. Wren’s eyes were closed but Shin stared at her, wild, shocked into inaction.

Wren bit down into Shin’s bottom lip, just for a moment, then moved back and slipped out from under Shin’s grasp. “See you at home next month,” she whispered into Shin’s ear, then ran her hand over Shin’s bare stomach as she left the room.

Shin just stood there frozen as her team came through the other door. What on earth did she mean by that?

“Was that Sabine?” said one of the players, coming up to Shin.

“I’d bet a million bucks. Up to her old tricks,” said another.

Shin moved back on shaky legs and fell onto the bench.

“Hey, rookie,” said the captain, hand on Shin’s shoulder, face grim. “Do not let that one get in your head. She has a reputation.”

Shin stared blankly up. “…what?”

The rest of the team sighed in frustration and exchanged knowing glances. “Why wasn’t someone guarding Hati? She’ll be useless this game now.”

Keep reading on Ao3

[dinsverdika]

Bonus wolfwren smut which was supposed to be part of my Sparring as Foreplay fic but didn't make the cut because it didn't fit in mood-wise.

Content warning: inappropriate use of the force, implied somno (at the end)

"Well, aren’t you being oddly affectionate?" said Sabine as she looked back at her and Shin's reflection in the mirror.

Shin had wrapped her arms around Sabine's middle while this one was getting ready to go to bed. Shin replied with a simple hum, peppering kisses on the sensitive skin of Sabine's neck. Her body let go of the remaining stress within it and melted in Shin's hold, basking in the affection.

"I wanna try something," mumbled Shin.

That piqued Sabine's interest.

"And what is it that you wanna try?" she asked.

Shin leaned her face away from her neck, hooked her chin onto her shoulder and looked back at her in the mirror. Playfulness twinkled in her blue eyes as Sabine waited for her to answer.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?" Sabine asked again.

Shin shook her head no before planting a kiss on Sabine's cheek. "I promise you're going to like it," Shin said.

Sabine lifted one of her hands up and cradled the back of Shin's head, her fingertips meeting her soft blonde hair. Shin leaned into the touch as she began scratching her scalp.

"All right," finally said Sabine. "You have me intrigued."

Shin's features stretched into a wide smile. She tore herself away from Sabine and made it to the exit of the refresher. "Follow me," she simply ordered.

Sabine happily obliged and followed her into their shared room. Shin was waiting for her by their bed.

"You should take off your clothes," Shin explained.

"You're not taking yours off?" Sabine asked.

"Don't need to," she answered, shaking her head.

"All right…" Sabine replied.

She promptly took her clothes off, feeling Shin's gaze on her body as she did so. Shin was being way too sweet, which was not unusual for when they were alone. Yet, there was something about her demeanor… it had the Mandalorian woman tingling with anticipation.

Sabine looked back at Shin once all of her clothes had been gathered into a pile on the floor.

Shin nodded her head. "Very good," she praised. "Now get comfortable on the bed, I'll join you."

Sabine did as she was told, laying down on the bed. The soft pillows embraced her head and the mattress dipped under her weight as she got comfortable.

Shin did join her on the bed, sitting cross-legged beside her; her front facing her.

"All right," she whispered. "I'm going to start," she said. "If you feel uncomfortable or if you don't like it, tell me and we'll stop, okay?"

Sabine nodded her head. Shin nodded back.

She lifted one of her hands up and hovered it over Sabine's chest. Shin closed her eyes and focused inwards, channeling the Force.

Sabine's eyes widened a bit as she felt a light pressure on her chest. Shin opened her eyes again, gauging Sabine's reaction.

"Can you feel it?" Shin asked.

"Yes," replied Sabine.

"What does it feel like?"

"It felt as if… you were actually resting your hand on my chest and softly pressing on it.

Shin hummed affirmatively. "And how does it feel like?"

Sabine focused her attention on the ceiling above her. "It feels… nice?" she replied. "It doesn't hurt or anything."

"I see," said Shin. "Do you want to keep going?"

"Yes."

Shin lowered her hand a bit, the pressure on Sabine's chest got a little heavier. There was a new feeling to it, the motion wasn't straight on anymore. It felt like the Force hit her skin in waves.

"And now?" Shin asked.

"It's a little heavier now," she replied. "It almost feels like it's massaging me."

The playfulness which had lighted up Shin's eyes earlier appeared again, accompanied by a barely-visible smirk. Sabine felt the tingles at the bottom of her spine racing up to the top, making her shiver.

"Is that what you were looking for?" she asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Do you wanna keep going?"

She nodded her head.

Shin moved her hand, making it hover over one of her breasts. Sabine let out a sigh and closed her eyes at the feeling. The motion was tender and slow, lighting up Sabine's nerves.

"It feels nice," she said.

Shin moved her hand to her other breast so it could have the same treatment.

"It feels very nice," repeated Sabine.

Shin watched Sabine's face as she got lost into the feeling. Her lips were calling to her, she craved to kiss her. Yet, she had to stay focused. She wanted to see if her little experiment would work.

"Would you mind if I moved my hand elsewhere?" she asked.

"No," answered Sabine. "You can do whatever you want."

Her words were coated with lust which had Shin biting her bottom lip. She slid her hand down Sabine's body, making her hand hover over Sabine's stomach.

Sabine let out a noise which clued Shin in her impatience. "Go lower," she said.

"Already so eager," Shin replied. "You don't even know what I'm gonna do to you."

"I've got an idea of what you're gonna do," she said.

"Oh," said Shin, moving her hand to her lower stomach. Sabine's legs spread apart instinctively, revealing her drenched core to Shin. "Is that so?"

Pride and satisfaction bloomed in Shin's chest at the sight of Sabine's arousal. She managed to turn her on with only the power of her mind.

"Yes," said Sabine. The pressure on her lower stomach felt amazing, her face was becoming warm under the pleasing stimulation.

"You always like it when I press on your stomach when I'm making you cum on my fingers," stated Shin. Her own arousal was catching up on her, seeing how reactive Sabine was.

"I do," agreed Sabine. "You're going to make me cum like this, aren’t you?"

Just saying the words out loud had the flames of arousal in her lower tummy spread in size and rise in heat.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," replied Shin.

Sabine moaned, trying to tilt her hips towards Shin's hand. Shin chose to cut Sabine's longing short and moved her hand between her legs. Sabine let out a surprised noise and her back arched off the bed.

"Oh, oh, Maker," she breathed out. "I- I didn't expect that.

The wave-like motion was hitting straight onto her clit. Pleasure spread from her cunt to the deepest part within her body. Sabine began undulating her hips against the feeling, chasing her orgasm.

Shin had to, yet again, fight the urge to suffocate her with affection. Sabine looked breath-taking slithering under her hand. Shin noticed that her chest had begun heaving, her face was most-likely warm to the touch as well. Sabine's cries of pleasure were music to her ears, spurring her on to keep going.

Shin lifted up her other hand and made it hover over Sabine's lower stomach.

"Yes!" moaned Sabine. Her hands were rolled into fists now, grasping onto the sheet underneath her. "Just like that," she exhaled. "Please, don't stop."

Shin dipped herself further into the Force, focusing it onto her hands. Sabine's stomach was now spasming under the onslaught of pleasure.

An idea popped up through the haze clouding Shin's head.

With the help of her middle and ring fingers, she made a back-and-forth motion towards Sabine's entrance; hoping that the Force would reach that one sensitive spot within her.

Sabine let out a grunt of pleasure through gritted teeth.

To Shin's delight, her intuition was right. She kept on exercising a thrusting motion with her two fingers while her palm was still hovering over Sabine's sensitive bud.

"I'm gonna-" rasped out Sabine as shockwaves gripped her body. "I'm gonna cum."

As if she needed to hear it, her body surrendered under the overwhelming feeling and fell apart under Shin's hands. She watched as Sabine let out strangled noises. Her limbs and her features contorted as she experienced her climax. Shin guided her through it with coos and praises, making sure to ride it out until Sabine was spent.

Sabine blinked her eyes open, trying to take her surroundings in. She was sweaty and out of breath, too. Every muscle in her body felt like it was turned into mush, granting her a floating sensation as if she was drifting away on a fluffy cloud. Exhaustion washed over her, the good kind. The kind which felt more like relief. A relief which would have her lost in her own mind for days to come.

Then, she remembered where she was. Her vision focused a little better on her surroundings. Her eyes searched for Shin. They found her. She had stayed put, her eyes gazing down at her.

"'looks my little experiment was concluded with great results," she joked.

Sabine couldn't help but laugh. "You don't say," she replied.

Shin joined in her laughter.

"You look exhausted," she said after they had quieted down.

"I am," agreed Sabine with a yawn.

"It's getting late," replied Shin. "We should go to bed."

Shin was ready to get up when Sabine grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her movements.

"But what about you?" asked Sabine.

"What about me?"

Sabine leaned herself up on her elbows. "Don't you want me to make you feel good?"

Shin shrugged. "You're tired," she answered. "Making you cum was enough for me," she added, leaning down so their faces were only a few centimetres away from each other. "But if, for some reason, tomorrow morning, you're feeling like you wanna give back to me," she said, planting a kiss on Sabine's lips, "feel free to wake me up with your mouth."

"All right," smiled Sabine, kissing Shin's back.

[whiteravengreywolf]

A Big Mandalorian Wedding - a Wolfwren fanfiction

A/N: Hello everyone! The long awaited sequel to "I Can Wait For You at the Bottom" is up and as the title implies, it is a wedding :) Here is the beginning and if you want to read the whole story, the link will be at the end!

Sabine had sat in front of the mirror, back ramrod straight, for what felt like hours. Her wedding suit wasn’t the most comfortable suit she’d ever worn, but her mother had insisted on something regal, worthy of this wedding of the century. It was a bit too gray for her taste, though the gold pattern on the satin mostly made up for it. She’d been allowed to paint the only beskar on her, her pauldrons, however she’d liked. One was orange and green in a checkered pattern. The other was dark red, with a circular centipede curling up on itself.

Handmaids fluttered around her like a bunch of butterflies. They had done her make up, though she’d had to rein them in to a dark eyeshadow and pale lipstick, or else they might have gone all out and made her look like a clown. They had brushed her short hair and pinned a crown of silver with flowers knotted into the metal. Now that she was ready, they still lingered around her, as if afraid that all their hard work would melt off her and they would have only a few minutes to start again.

Sabine glanced at the clock in the corner of the Palace room. She wanted to slouch but her suit wouldn’t allow it. Half an hour left before she could make her way to the temple. She wanted to see Shin, wanted to know what she was wearing, how she was feeling, just see her. They’d barely had the chance to see each other when the Mandalorian delegation had arrived to Coruscant for the wedding. Sabine had been almost immediately spirited away to her own wing of the Palace. Her mother kept telling her that it was for good luck, but she didn’t believe a bit of it. She thought her mother and King Baylan were afraid that if they saw each other they would elope, wasting hundreds of thousands of credits on this wedding of the century.

A knock came at the door and Sabine sighed with relief, thinking that her time in handmaid’s jail was over.

“Come in.”

When the door open, her father stepped inside. He was wearing a suit similar to hers; the Clan Wren colors. His silver crown of Prince Consort was embedded with yellow diamonds. For his touch of color, he had painted his own pocket square, a spectrum of colors folded neatly.

“Wow…” he said as he saw her. “You look beautiful.”

He leaned over her, hands on her shoulders as he placed a kiss on the crown of her head. Sabine smiled.

“Thanks, dad. Where’s mom? Are we ready to go?”

“Your mom is dealing with some last-minute problem. She’ll be here shortly.”

A small frown appeared on Sabine’s forehead.

“Problem? What problem?”

[silentiaray]

Renera's slimes

Masterpost

Some cool TLT characters which belong to my subscriber Renera!

Rada - a hyperactive person, who often plays jokes on other slimes and pranks them. May seem a hooligan, but actually she just likes when her tricks make others smile. Used to be a street artist, now works in the Fire cafe as a bartender and puts all her creativity into inventing new shades of tastes.

Sabin - fearless (almost), a little impudent, intelligent person. She loves to be the center of attention, but at the same time doesn't like problems. She works as a waitress at the Fire cafe and often tells jokes she has made up at her workplace. She suggested Chef Vincent to organize stand-up evenings on the open veranda of the cafe, to which he enthusiastically agreed, and now everyone can have their moment of fame on that site. Sabin is terribly afraid of insects, especially moths. No one knows why she is afraid of them, and she tries to hide her fear in every possible way.

Aloe - a doctor, who specializes in food poisoning.

Miraida works in the coldest place of the dome - the food storage. She has the ability to masterfully regulate her body temperature and can, like Morion, boil a small pool, but usually prefers coolness. Being at the workplace keeps her temperature close to zero, without feeling any discomfort about this. In general she is calm and friendly, but can severely repremand those who violate the rule of staying in the storage by showing up there with an unextinguished flame. The storage itself is a cavern several floors deep, ranging from the slightly cool top floor, for fresh herbs, to the bottom floor for frozen meet, where the temperature drops deep below zero.

[wickedfang-sso]

(TLDR for the story at the bottom!)

With the end of the Equestrian Festival, Sabine too had taken her leave to who-knows-where. Venor was glad to have been able to train with her, although couldn't help a slight sense of relief knowing she wouldn't be dragging him into any more trouble for a while.

Of course, Venor wasn't a fierce enough competitor to have obtained the Baroness' attention during the festival, however he did seem to have caught someone else's eye.

He received an unsigned letter from someone who'd apparently seen the transformation of Venor's pony, from unruly and barely-ridable to a reliable steed who's not too bad at dressage. They commended his good horsemanship, and wanted to hire him to aid in training up some other horses. Venor felt a tad suspicious by the lack of identity behind the letter, it could be some kind of scam…but they were offering much more generous pay than what he was making as a stable hand, it might be worth at least considering.

Enclosed was an address as to where to send his response, and - while the letter wasn't signed - it had a wax seal at the bottom, one Venor couldn't recognize.

He wasn't sure what to make of it. Firstly, it was odd that someone had taken such notice of him and Flicker - not that there were many people around here normally anyway, but even through all the hustle and bustle of the festival? And secondly, that they were around to see him but didn't bother to approach him directly. Although, perhaps they were simply shy he thought, he's noticed Jorvegians can be weird like that. More likely however was they simply didn't want their identity known for one reason or another, obvious from the lack of names anywhere on the letter. How did they even mail this?

Regardless of the origin, it was worth at least sending out a reply, for the amount of money he was being offered. He accepted the proposition, assuming nothing would come of it.

Much to his surprise, a few days later a horse along with a big lump of cash would arrive for him at the stables, accompanied with another letter explaining the horse's origins. The stallion had been an auction horse; an appaloosa bred for racing, however failed to meet the breeders' high standard and was sold off for pretty cheap. Nobody seemed to want him, allegedly, and who knows what would've happened to him if he'd failed to sell.

The stallion's show name was Flash in the Dark, but Venor came to refer to him as Blink. He certainly wasn't a purebred appaloosa, after a routine vet check some traces of thoroughbred and paint horse DNA were found in his bloodwork - which would explain the taller, more sporty build than the ideal breed standard.

Upon trying to work with Blink, Venor would quickly learn exactly why nobody had wanted him; he spooks at just about anything - especially cows, a woefully common sight around Jorvik - he's horrible to lead, antagonizes any other stallions he sees, and to top it all off, he's prone to bucking after taking a jump. Blink is, as some would call him, the epitome of a 'crazy' horse.

To say Blink was an intimidating project would be an understatement. After giving it some thought however, Venor was certain he could handle this. The stallion just needs some desensitizing, and more constructive ways of letting out that seemingly endless energy he's had pent up probably his whole life. Cross country would actually be the perfect discipline for him, so long as he can get over his fears of…just about everything. Oh boy, what has he gotten himself into?

TLDR; Venor received a very sketchy offer for a job training horses after the equestrian festival had ended. He accepted without thinking anything would come of it, and was promptly sent an absurd amount of money along with the most unhinged horse known to man. RIP

------

New honse! ^w^ He's supposed to be 16.3hh, but I'm not sure if I got the size right in the art...it's so hard calculating how big horses are supposed to be sometimes, especially while rearing like this 😵‍💫

[x-reader-things]

Hi! Could I send in a request for Sabine wren (platonic) with the prompt “you shoot anyone who comes through that door who isn't me.” Where the reader is her younger sibling, but not much of a fighter; but during a rescue of Reader, Sabine and them are pinned down and she has to leave to try get the empire off of the reader. Rest can be up to you!

Thank you for requesting!

Don’t really have too much to say for this one. Took a while cause I got a few requests all at once, got overwhelmed as I usually do, and needed a bit to figure out what I was gonna write. But still, Tysm for your request!! <3333

I hope you enjoy- :DDD

Prompt lists can be reached here. Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see them- :DDD added a new one recently too!!

“Understand, mir’osik?”

Sabine Wren x Gn!reader [platonic]

Summary ; in which you’re reluctant to use one of Sabine’s weapons to protect yourself.

Requested? ; Yes

Warnings ; small bits of typical canonical violence in Star Wars. Nothing too descriptive.

Definitions ; “Mir’osik” - Mando’a for “Dung for brains”

Word Count ; 643

——————————————————————

"You shoot anyone who comes through that door who isn't me."

You blinked, looking at the blaster usually kept in one of the holsters your older sister had strapped to her waist daily. You aren't a fighter by any means, despite being born and raised mandolorian. You knew damn well that you can not, in any way, trust yourself with a blaster. Let alone to protect yourself, too.

You weren’t a warrior. You were more so a writer, like your father an Artist. He liked to tell you that you were an ‘artist with words’, since that’s what writing was for you. It was your art. Your thoughts and imaginations scoured onto pages and pages of holographic words, hoping that at least a few people would enjoy them.

Which is… coincidentally what got you into this mess.

Writing a story that had anti-imperial themes.

Lovely.

"Sabine, no - i don't even know how to use this thing!”, you told her, staring at the troopers coming down the hallway from around her shoulder. You gulped down a lump in your throat, fear coming up your spine in waves.

Sabine swiftly turns away from you, holding her other blaster up in one hand and practically tearing down the few bucket heads that got too close for her liking. You flinched, staring up at your older sister. You’ve never seen her so angry before.

Fierce, too.

She’s always been protective of both you and Tristan, even as the middle child between yourself and your older brother. Force help those who hurt her family. You forgot what that even looked like, in all honesty.

With everything that happened when she left the Imperial Academy, and then your family being put on constant surveillance because she had the (honestly inspiring) gall to stand up against what the empire was doing with her designs all those years ago. Not to mention your own father being held in captivity.

There was a lot going on.

You honestly weren’t prepared in the slightest to see her like this.

She slipped her helmet on. “I’ll be back.”, she told you, sternly pointing at you. “Stay here, and remember what I said. Shoot anyone that isn’t me. Just aim the best you can and pull the trigger. Understand mir'osik?”

You let out a breath at the word, a strange sense of comfort found within the lines of the insult. With a nod from you, she nodded back at you and turned away fully, her mandalorian-style jetpack facing you.

“Spectre-5 to Spectres 6 and 4, I found them—“, she turned her head a little, glancing at you while raising her hand up. It was to push the button that opened and closed the door. “Bring the Phantom II around back. We’re a little… stuck. But I can handle it.”

She scoffed at a muffled voice, one that you couldn’t make out exactly. It sounded older, though. Gruff. Like a growl, almost. Probably that purple Lasat you saw with her in wanted portraits from a while ago. Part of her other family (that you’re very grateful for).

“Yes, I can, Zeb.” Another voice. A bit younger than her. If you could guess, around your age. Maybe. “Oh please.”

You knew that tone of voice.

Still as stubborn and sarcastic as ever.

“Like I’d ever let a single one of those bucket heads get close to them. Just watch me. I’ll show them what ‘disrespecting an empire’ really means—“

She pressed the button.

The door wooshed closed, a hiss and a small click notifying you that the door was closed shut.

You took a deep breath.

Waited for the blaster fire and Sabine’s footsteps to fall away.

Held up her blaster the best you could, trying to mirror the way she held hers both now and before you two were separated.

Breathed out slowly.

And took aim.

[viva-la-whump]

Whumptober/Whumperless Whump Event (WWE) - #15

No WWE this time!

She’d done it. She’d finally done it. After months of trying to escape from the Imperial Academy, Sabine was free. And the only way she would stay free was if she got somewhere safe. Not an easy task when she was bruised, broken, and bleeding.

The dogs had been chasing her and she’d had to make a desperate decision in order to lose them. The cliff had been steep, but not sheer, so she’d been able to manage it for a while before her foot had landed on a loose rock and sent her tumbling to the bottom. She’d rolled and rolled and rolled for what seemed like forever before coming to a stop at the base of a tree at the bottom of the cliff. 

All she could do was lie there for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath so she could muster up the strength to get back on her feet. She knew she couldn’t stay there for long. The dogs and their masters may not follow her down the cliff, but the road eventually wound this way and she needed to be long gone by the time they arrived.

She took stock of her injuries and they weren’t good. Among the plethora of bruises and scrapes, her right wrist was sprained (or worse), some of her ribs were at least bruised, she’d gotten several knocks to her head, and a stick had somehow pierced her calf before getting ripped back out somewhere along the way. She could feel the blood pooling inside her boot and see it leaking onto the ground. 

So all in all, not good.

Ripping a piece of her tattered uniform, she hastily wrapped it around her leg and slowly, painfully, got to her feet and started staggering deeper into the forest. If she could find some water source, preferably a small stream, she could use that to lose the dogs. As it was, the blood trail she was leaving was enough for even the most unobservant tracker to follow. Her only hope was to get away from here as fast as she could and try to stay ahead of the search party.

It was no easy task. She tripped and fell multiple times, agitating her injuries more and more as she went on. She could hear the dogs barking some distance away and she almost cried with relief when she finally saw sunlight glittering off a ribbon of water a little ways off.

It was a small river, not the easy-to-cross stream she’d been hoping for, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She was lucky enough to pass by a broken up old tree on her way to the bank. With some effort, she was able to roll part of it over to the water and use it to help her float along with the current. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to manage the swim otherwise.

And so she drifted, using her one good leg and arm to help propel her faster down the river until she was confident that she’d put enough distance between herself and the dogs. Paddling weakly over to the opposite bank, she climbed out of the water and allowed herself a moment or two to lay there on the grass to catch her breath and let the sun warm her. It was summer, but the river had been cold and had leached a lot of the heat and energy out of her. But then it was time to get moving again.

Time lost all meaning to her. She wasn’t even sure which direction she was going. All she knew was that she couldn’t stop until she found somewhere safe to hide out and tend to her injuries. Assuming she didn’t pass out first.

Suddenly, she broke into a clearing and there, almost seeming to glow from the moonlight, was an old, abandoned cabin. It was perfect.

But she was so intent on reaching it, on getting to safety, that she didn’t notice the horses tethered outside or the faint light of a fire from within. She pushed open the sagging door and was almost blinded by the small fire in the crumbling hearth.

As she blinked away the stars in her vision, she finally saw the three people sitting in the one-room cabin—two men and one woman, and all of them with a gun drawn and pointed at her. She was so shocked and dazed that she didn’t even try to pull her own gun from the holster, for all the good it would have done her. With a busted wrist and three guns already out and waiting for her, she wouldn’t stand a chance. 

She could hardly even literally stand now. The room started to spin and her legs gave out. Crashing to her knees, she felt the jolt go through her entire body, from her abused head to her injured leg. She didn’t even have enough energy to cry out in pain. She couldn’t stop herself as her body sagged and started to fall to the rotting floorboards.

But then, out of nowhere, a pair of strong hands grabbed her by the shoulders and laid her limp body down gently. She tried to keep her eyes open, fighting the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her as the other two came towards her. She didn’t know who these people were or if they were friend or foe. But her body didn’t care. It needed to rest and it was going to get it.

As unconsciousness closed in on her, she could just barely make out what was being said above her.

“Hera, look at her uniform. She’s from the academy. We’re not really going to help her, are we?”

Sabine groaned and was just able to mumble, “Ran away…”

“You ran away from the academy?” asked a female voice, probably Hera. Sabine was just able to nod her head once.

There was a sigh, and then the first voice, this ‘Kanan’, said, “Zeb, bring her closer to the fire.”

Sabine felt herself being lifted at the same time she sank into the darkness that finally dragged her down into unconsciousness...

[anneapocalypse]

Rating my own recreations of my Hawkes in Inquisition

Why? Because I thought it would be fun. Please feel free to steal my idea and tag me so I can see your Hawkes.

Alessandra Hawke

World State: Elf Lovers

Difficulty: Easy

DAI's character creator offers a very similar hairstyle to to Alessandra's original. Her lovely hooked nose is a key feature and DAI fortunately had one similar enough, though it's a little more rounded at the end. She looks a lot more Tired in DAI, but all Hawkes do, and they probably should. It's tough to get a more rounded jawline in DAI, so her face looks a little more angular. Darker skin tints tend toward warmer in DA2 and cooler in DAI (and cool light severely washes out medium browns in DAI) but all told, she came out pretty darn good.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sabine Hawke

World State: For Love of the People

Difficulty: Easy

She changed her part to the other side, but otherwise Sabine came out pretty bang-on. All Dragon Age games need a better variety of Asian features now and forever. Nonetheless, I think her face shape, skin tint, and even her nose comes pretty close. Looking at these shots, I could have possibly made her chin a little longer and rounder. That's about the only quibble I can come up with.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cillian Hawke

World State: Love & Magic

Difficulty: Moderate

Cillian took a few outtakes to get right. The hair is acceptable, eyes and mouth look good. and after a lot of tweaking I think I got his face shape pretty bang-on. The nose, however, is a problem. The nostrils are sitting way too high relative to the point (as opposed to his original nose which is pretty straight across the bottom), which makes him look like he's sneering at all times, and this combined with DAI Hawke's tendency to have a pinched, worried brow makes him look Angry in a lot of shots--not exactly right for a gentle-hearted Blue Hawke. Nevertheless, I'm really proud of how I nailed those cheekbones.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Emilia Hawke

World State: Noble Hearts

Difficulty: Hard

Woof. Just woof. This did not go well. First off, DAI really doesn't have a true "dirty blonde," just this mustard color which makes the whole shot look overwhelmingly yellow, so much that DA2 Emilia looks washed-out by comparison. I thought the nose was fine, but looking at these shots side by side, something does seem a little off. The hairstyle is acceptable, but its makes her forehead look much larger than the original (modded) hairstyle, and I couldn't really find a way to fix that. Overall it's really the face shape that kills it. DAI does not like round faces. I did my best, and then left her in the Fade where she belongs. (Trust me. It what she deserves.)

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐

Mallory Hawke

World State: Rogues Gallery

Difficulty: Hard

We're starting from modded hair, so we have our work cut out for us here. (Curly hairstyles WHEN. Also modded freckles, but there DAI has us covered.) Unfortunately, I was not able to get a hair mod to work in DAI, so Mal was forced to wear her hair up, which she Would Not. But we make the sacrifices we must. Mallory also has a lot of soft curves to her face, but I'd say she survived the jawbonification a lot better than Emilia did, and where was this nose when I was trying to make Cil? DAI's neon teal eyes are a touch greener but I can let that slide. Overall, I'd say she's still recognizable, even without letting her hair down. That's still my girl.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Note: I put all the comparion pictures in side-by-side, but none except the first one will display that way on the dash, and I can't fix it. 🤷‍♀️Sorry.)

[augustfiction]

Heya! I have to ask.

ni kar'tayli gar darasuum (i will know you forever) - questions 5 and 11!!

🥰💜💙🤍

thanks for sending this prompt my way! soz it took me a second to get to :) all abord the sokabine tugboat!! it's small but mighty!!

#5: what part was the hardest to write? : this was a fic that came to me easily but the tone was kind of hard to nail! I still wanted it to capture their flirty banter and how hot they are for each other, but also wanted to capture their vulnerability together as well. I think I hit the balance I wanted though!

#11: what do you like most about this fic?: i just think Sabine has switchy vibes and I really enjoyed writing her power bottom energy. Also how crazy for Sabine, Ahsoka is, I wanted her hesitancy to only highlight how badly she wanted Sabine, and how much she means to her.