#and overly familiar but it's funny and i don't mind

[vithcy]

One goal for the new year is I gotta make more gay friends preferably out of relationships

[daistea]

Since you take requests, would I be able to ask for something with Mithrun and Kabru with like a reader that's kind of dense with social cues/hints (especially if they're romantic)?

(I had people confess their love to me, and I still didn't get it till they put it in very clear terms)

(it's probably the 'tism, but I digress. )

I think it's potentially an absolutely hellerious dynamic since Kabru always plays 5D chess with every social interaction. As for Mithrun, I think it's funny to think how the other canaries would just be repeatedly hitting their head on the wall because their captain won't say it straight and they just don't g e t i t.

Ps: I absolutely love how in-depth all of your understanding of characters and their personalities are, and I just hxfhxdvgudts.

This blog just brings me so much joy

Yaaa!!

“Iᴛ’s ᴀ Dᴀᴛᴇ” Kᴀʙʀᴜ x Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, Mɪᴛʜʀᴜɴ x Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

gn reader

5000 words ;P

Warning: reader is very oblivious. Like incomprehensibly oblivious (for the lolz)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

♡ Kabru ♡

- Kabru has had little flings here and there throughout his life. He treated every partner with respect, of course, but Kabru wasn’t particularly looking for love. He doesn’t dislike the idea of love, it just hasn’t happened yet.

- So, when Kabru starts to genuinely fall in love with someone, it’s a new feeling. He’s observant enough to recognize what it is.

- Unfortunately, the person he’s falling in love with is you.

“He’s been unusually quiet lately,” Holm remarked. Who he was remarking that to remained to be seen. Mickbell didn’t care much. Kuro had other things to worry about. And Rin had already made the same observation three times earlier that day.

The first floor of the dungeon was always crowded, and Kabru’s ears were usually open for anything that could be of use. The leather armor merchant to his left had recently raised his prices. The cobbler to the right was in an argument with an older lady over the shape of a patch he’d made on her favorite boots. And Holm was concerned about Kabru’s recent lack of observations; as concerned as Holm could be.

“Is that really such a shock?” Kabru sent Holm a smile over his shoulder. “I’m not exactly a chatterbox.”

But he was aware of himself enough to know that his behavior lately had been odd. He was usually so good at hiding it, too, but the comfort of his friends seemed to lower his walls. Without realizing it, Kabru had spent their latest dungeon expedition sighing to himself, staring at walls, and missing the details of important things. On the third floor, they’d encountered thieves. His party always relied on him to clock the intentions of approaching adventurers— thieves tended to be overly familiar, friendly, and a bit too eager— but Kabru’s mind was elsewhere. The thieves attacked, and it had genuinely taken him by surprise. The fight wasn’t hard, but Kabru’s lack of preparation set off alarms in Rin and Holm’s heads.

“You’re not,” Rin agreed. Her brow furrowed and she got that cute little line on her forehead again. “However, you’ve really been out of it.”

“Have you been thinking about that person again?” Holm asked.

That person. That person? Kabru knew a lot of persons. The whole first level was filled to the brim with persons, half of them being his acquaintances. Kabru had zero desire to admit that he knew precisely who Holm was referring to, though, and decided to keep his gaze straight ahead as he weaved through the crowd.

When he didn’t respond, Mickbell laughed, “Yeah, he’s thinking of them alright.”

“Heat?” Kuro asked.

Mickbell scoffed from his place on Kuro’s shoulders, “Tall-men don’t go into heat! At least I don’t think so. But they catch feelings, like a cold. Kabru’s caught a cold.”

“Not sneezing,” Kuro mumbled.

“A feelings cold, I mean! The worst kind.”

That was one way to put it. Kabru couldn’t help but sigh as he led the party towards a quieter spot in the corner. Once they were out of the sea of people, he leaned against the stone wall and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t have feelings, I’m simply curious,” he said.

Curious. Right. Mickbell sent him a scrunched up, narrow-eyed look that was reminiscent of constipation. Yet, Rin interjected before the half-foot could say something heinous. “What’re you curious about, particularly?” She asked.

“Good question,” Kabru folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head in thought.

What was he curious about? You held so many secrets. You had this look in your eyes that drew him, a look that reminded him of a room in his mother’s house. She always told him to not go inside. Her rules only made him want to turn the knob even more. And when he finally did disobey her and go inside, all he saw were boxes full of ceramic unicorn miniatures. Still, the rush of satisfaction he’d felt at finally knowing what was in there couldn’t be matched. That’s what he wanted to do to you, open your door and take a peek.

Or, perhaps a ‘peek’ was an understatement. He wanted to meticulously inspect every inch of your mind with a microscope, to know the atoms unseen by the human eye, to be intimately acquainted with every molecule you possessed.

“He’s zoned out again,” Holm muttered, ripping Kabru out of his thoughts.

He looked up, eyes widening at the observation. Holm was right, he was zoned out again, staring at the dirt on the floor and contemplating you.

He forced a smile, “Don’t worry about me, really. I’m just preoccupied. It’s that person, I simply want to know their intentions.”

“Intentions for what?” Rin asked.

For everything. There was no simple answer.

“Oh hey,” Mickbell glanced over his shoulder. His voice was flat as he scanned the room, “There they are.”

Kabru followed Mickbell’s gaze, a straight line that led directly to you— all lines seemed to lead directly to you lately. His heart clenched in a way that was both unpleasant and addictive. Without realizing it, he pushed away from the wall and began striding toward where you stood.

“Wait,” Rin grabbed his arm as he passed. Kabru blinked, looking down at her and waiting for her to speak. She met his eyes and frowned, “I think you’re going to be disappointed. They’re not as mysterious as you think they are.”

Nonsense. You were incredibly mysterious. Kabru could tell you had secrets, layers. He dreamed of pulling them back one by one.

“They couldn’t disappoint me,” he sent Rin a smile that he hoped was reassuring— he knew it was, he’d practiced it in the mirror and on other people all the time.

“I think they will,” she argued.

“They won’t,” his smile faltered just the slightest. Rin didn’t usually get involved in Kabru’s… hobby. Did she know something he didn’t? He decided to not ask outright, accepting the challenge of figuring out the meaning behind her concern on his own.

Rin let go of his arm and Kabru was free to go. His mind switched elsewhere, onto you, and before he knew it he was already slipping through the crowd of bodies to reach you.

You were in front of the vegetable seller’s stand, inspecting a lumpy potato. Kabru knew the vegetable seller was cheating on his wife. Usually, he’d try to get more out of the man, digging deeper simply for the sake of knowing. Yet, you stood there, beautiful and mind-consuming. What did Rin mean by ‘I think you’re going to be disappointed’? Kabru was rarely disappointed with secrets.

“Hey,” he raised a hand as he neared. You looked up from the potato and returned his smile. There was that look in your eyes again, that closed door he desperately needed the key to.

He loved crowds. He loved the hundreds of voices. He loved listening to each one and assigning them meaning, picking apart their words, filing them away into neat little categories. Yet, the crowd might as well have disappeared. All he saw was you. All he wanted was you and your words and your thoughts and your fears and your goals and your likes and your dislikes and your intentions and your—

“Oh hey,” your voice cut through the wants like the slash of a sword, “Kapru.”

Kapru.

His brows furrowed and he plastered on a polite smile— also practiced in the mirror. “It’s Kabru.”

“Right, sorry,” you shrugged.

Were you playing with him? Were you sending your pawn out, a piece that you expected him to take for the sake of a larger, more powerful move? Was it bait?

“How are you?” He forced himself to ask, though he could hear the weakness in his voice. He desperately hoped you wouldn’t notice.

You only tilted your head in thought, “I’m fine. Just buying potatoes.”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other,” Kabru said. It was a lie, you saw him last week. “My party and I are about to go back to the surface to restock. We could grab a drink if you wanted.”

“Why?” You asked.

Why? Why? Kabru couldn’t say why. He wouldn’t say why. ‘I want to take detailed notes on every word you say, every gesture, every breath’ wouldn’t be helpful to his cause in the least.

“Because we’re friends,” he slowly explained. Again, there was that hint of weakness lacing every syllable. He wanted to tear his voice box apart and reconstruct it in a way that wouldn’t falter every time he saw you.

But you didn’t seem to notice. “Alright,” you sent him a smile that made his heart clench.

Alright. Kabru’s smile relaxed, “Alright,” he echoed. “It’s a date.”

‘It’s a date’ was a common saying, of course. But it still held implications, it still held desires, it still signified something more— At least to him it did.

You remained unphased by it, though. Usually, when Kabru said that, there would be a laugh or blush or the widening of eyes. You gave him nothing of the sort. No flirtatious looks, no intention-laced smile, no flicker of recognition.

“See you then,” was all you said.

Rin was wrong. You couldn’t disappoint him. Opening your doors and peeking inside your mind would be so satisfying.

- You go on several dates with Kabru without realizing they’re dates.

- After one date when you make friends with the next table over and invite them to join your meal, introducing Kabru as ‘my friend’ and not ‘the man who is courting me’ or ‘my boyfriend’, he begins to wonder…

- Do you not realize that these are dates?

Kabru knew he had the tendency to stare, but he usually kept that urge locked away for the sake of masking. Always masking. Always aware of his surroundings and the people and the words and the looks.

He kept his staring urge hidden at first. Yet as time passed, as you went on more dates, he couldn’t help himself. He had to stare. He had to drink in every detail of your face, coveting it all as a desert wanderer would covet water.

And you didn’t seem to mind. You would give him this look sometimes, a look he couldn’t quite decipher. It was a mixture between affection and confusion and bashfulness. It was his favorite expression of yours and never failed to put butterflies in his stomach.

Kabru knew he was falling in love. He wasn’t opposed to the idea, but he’d never been truly in love before. At night when he forced himself into bed, he stared at the ceiling and mused on the future you had together. Neither of you had said anything to make the relationship official, but was that even needed? It was obvious that you were together— to him, at least.

Kabru held your hand as he led you through the crowded streets. Once you caught up to his side, he placed his palm on the small of your back. He wasn’t much for PDA, but it was a necessity when traversing the island together. He didn’t want to lose you in the crowd.

Once you were in a more quiet spot, he sent you a smile, “I have to ask, I’m too curious; What’s your favorite date that we’ve had together?”

You thought for a moment, “Hm… I would have to say last week. It was a Thursday. I like Thursdays anyway. I think it was the 7th? Yeah. June 7th, Thursday. That’s a good date, it’s a bit cool outside and all the flowers are blooming. But if I had to say which one was my favorite, I think it would be April 18th. I’m not sure that we spent that date together, though.”

…Okay.

Like the sunset rising over the mountains, it began to dawn on him.

Were you stupid?

No, you weren’t stupid. He had seen you in the dungeon before, how you fought and strategized and reacted. You couldn’t be stupid.

Then what? Were you playing hard to get? Were you teasing him? Was this a move on the board, your Knight piece pressing forward to continue the assault? Kabru needed to know.

He kept his hand on your back but his gaze straight ahead. “That’s nice,” he said. It wasn’t nice, actually. “What about when we hold hands? Do you enjoy that?”

You shrugged, “It helps us keep track of each other as we go through a crowd.”

“But I hold your hand even when we’re not around other people.”

The face you made betrayed your true thoughts. “Yeah, it seems like your hands are cold a lot. You really should start keeping gloves with you.”

“...Do you think I’m holding your hand because my fingers are cold?”

Another flash of confusion, another furrow of your brows. “Why else would you hold my hand?”

The sun rose completely over the mountains and the daytime, clear and bright, engulfed his world.

You had no clue.

- This stresses Kabru out immensely.

- He starts taking notes. He has a special little book just for you. A lot of the pages are filled with scribbles and question marks.

- He makes a plan on what to do. He’s going to up the ante, he’s going to make his feelings so clear that you can’t ignore them or be oblivious even if you tried.

- He starts getting more touchy. He kisses your forehead often. He kisses your knuckles. He’s around you all the time, every chance he gets. He tells you you’re beautiful. He says that he wants you to meet his mother. He talks about your future together.

- You say, “Oh, your mom? Cool. You think we’ll get along? I’m always up for making new friends.”

- “You want a future with me? Well, I’m free next Wednesday.”

“I like you,” Kabru was breathless and wide-eyed. His hair was a mess from how often he’d run his fingers through it. He was disheveled and hadn’t slept the entire night.

You glanced up from the book you were reading, “Oh? Cool, thanks.”

He sent you a look. “No, I mean I love you.”

“Yeah,” you flipped a page in the book, “love you too.”

“You do?” Hope bloomed and unfurled like a spring flower. Kabru felt his cheeks grow warm, a fire igniting within him.

“Yeah,” you said lightly, “I love all my friends, of course.”

That spring flower suddenly wilted. The fire was doused by a cold bucket of water in the form of your words. Kabru wanted to scream and bang his head against the wall.

“You don’t get it,” he hissed through clenched teeth, fingers tensing as he leaned forward, desperate. “I’m in love with you. This is really hard for me to say, but I think you need to hear it like this. I love you. I love you. I love you…” Somehow, his cheeks went even hotter. His adams apple bobbed as he swallowed his embarrassment, “I-I… Sorry. I just need you like I need oxygen. I…”

You snorted, “You don’t need me to breathe, I’m a person not an organ. You’re breathing right now just fine.”

He was not breathing just fine, but that was beside the point.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Kabru said. He could hear how strained his voice sounded.

You watched as he walked away, rounding a corner and disappearing from sight. Then he screamed. It sounded like he also kicked something, a crate or box maybe.

How odd.

- When it finally gets through your head, he’s actually a bit satisfied by your embarrassment at it all. Yes, please do acknowledge your obliviousness. Please do apologize for treating his love confession so casually. When you do so, he feels as if he could melt from the relief.

- He still wants to bang his head on the wall, though.

- And he’s spent a lot of nights screaming into his pillow.

- Kabru continues to play 5d chess with you, just simply out of habit, but you’re playing Hungry Hungry Hippos the entire time. He still finds himself trying to pick apart your actions and responses, but he’s learned how to take things at face value when it comes to you. It’s a difficult adjustment, but one he’s willing to make.

- He starts to learn, take more notes, observe your behavior. For dates, he lays it out carefully. You two are going to do this specific thing. Why? Because he would like to see you happy, and hold your hand, and kiss you. Why? Because he loves you. Now you get it.

- You’re fascinating actually. Genuinely, he starts to adore how your brain works. He wants to pick it apart and hold the pieces up to a magnifying glass.

♡ Mithrun ♡

- He does not care.

- Be as oblivious as you want, that’s not going to stop Mithrun.

- The Canaries, however, are going insane.

“How’s it going with them?” Pattadol asked. Her hands were folded in front of her in that polite way, the way that told Mithrun that his second in command had something on her mind. Pattadol thought she was subtle. She was not.

And he knew precisely who she was referring to. Might as well give her an answer that’ll satisfy her curiosity, lest she keep asking questions.

“Fine,” he answered, “just fine.”

Yet, Pattadol’s brow furrowed. Not a good sign.

“Just fine?” She asked. Her voice went up a pitch. “It’s just fine? Really?”

“Really.”

She unlaced her fingers and spread out her hands as if gesturing to something, but all that surrounded them was Mithrun’s under-decorated living quarters. There was really nothing to gesture at besides the wooden cabinets and the bed. Mithrun waited, aware that she was picking through her piles of thoughts— probably thoughts mixed with screams of frustration— to find the right words.

Finally, Pattadol forced a shaken smile, “It’s clear to anyone that knows you that you’re in love with them, Captain.”

That was what she decided to say? It was a bit blunt for Pattadol’s usual style. Mithrun only shrugged, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s pretty obvious.”

“So why haven’t they noticed yet?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I want you to be happy for once!” Pattadol snapped, but she then took a deep breath, “Sorry, Captain, I didn’t mean to sound that way. This is hard for me, talking so openly about these things… But it’s so frustrating to watch.”

Mithrun could understand that. While he personally wasn’t frustrated by the circumstances, he knew that the Canaries couldn’t stand watching his interactions with you. It wasn’t a big deal in the long run, in his opinion. They’d get over it.

“Thank you,” he answered.

“Do you have any ideas on how we can do that?”

“Do what?”

Pattadol’s eye twitched ever so slightly. Her fingers tensed like claws, and Mithrun felt the corner of his lips turn up in a barely-there smirk. But genuinely, he wasn’t sure what she referred to. Did she mean the part about him being happy, or the part about you being oblivious? She should’ve been more clear.

“About…” she hesitated. Obviously she wasn’t sure what she meant either. She then nodded as if deciding, “About everything. About the obliviousness, your happiness, etcetera.”

He didn’t know what the etcetera referred to, but didn’t care to ask. “You don’t have to do anything,” Mithrun assured her as he leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. The wood creaked slightly from the movement. Everything on this boat creaked, as was the nature of boats, he guessed.

“I would like to do something,” Pattadol nodded, determined. “We all would.”

A shrug, “Alright. Then do something.”

- Pattadol, over-achiever and top student and certified Girl Who Cares Too Much, takes that as a challenge.

- Cithis only joins because she thinks it’ll be funny.

- Fleki also only joins because she thinks it’ll be funny.

- And Lycion also also joins because he thinks it’ll be funny (though he does care on some level. Not really about you, but about Mithrun. And it’s painful to watch.)

- Otta is forced to join.

- The attempts are weak at first, like dipping a toe into the water to see how cold it is. Mithrun only has so much patience for interference with his life, so they have to be smart and tread carefully.

- Pattadol gives Mithrun a hint. “There’s some pretty flowers growing beside the road over there. You should give one to them!”

- “What would they need a flower for?”

- Mithrun asks that on purpose. He knows precisely what he’s doing. Yes, people generally like receiving flowers, he knows that. But he also believes that flowers are useless gifts.

- “Then what present do you suggest?” Pattadol asks.

- Mithrun has an idea. He gets you soap. Everybody uses soap (hopefully) It’s a useful gift, and if he gives you the same kind he uses then he’ll get some weird sick flicker of pleasure from having his scent on you. (He wisely chooses to not say that part aloud.)

You held the little bar of soap in your hands as if it were an injured baby bird you found on the ground. Yet your feelings towards it were far from protective or empathetic. This soap said something. It had a mouth and it used it to scream.

You met Mithrun’s flat gaze, “Soap…”

He nodded, “Yeah. Soap. It’s a gift for you.”

For you?

Mithrun continued, “It’s the same kind I use. Smells the same.”

It felt as if you’d swallowed a handful of pebbles and they all had gotten stuck in your throat. “Do you… think I’m stinky?”

You cursed yourself for even asking that. What a useless question. Obviously, he thought you stank! He gave you soap! He was trying to tell you something, being subtle and polite for once! Usually Mithrun would just say it bluntly, but he’d been working on his desires lately. Perhaps he’d also decided to embrace societal expectations? You weren’t sure. But soap. Soap!

You didn’t notice how Mithrun tensed. You didn’t see him quickly blink several times and tilt his head. You didn’t see the slight widening of his good eye. “No, I—“

“I’ll go use this right now,” you interrupted, “I’ll go wash away my stench so you can finally stand to be near me.”

Despite the horror, you were a bit proud of yourself. You’d taken a hint, maybe you were getting less oblivious.

- In your defense, a bar of soap is a weird gift.

- Alright. Mithrun admits it, he needs help. He’s not so prideful anymore that he won’t admit that he doesn’t know what to do.

- Pattadol is really triumphant about that but does her best not to show it.

- Plan B: make it so obvious that you have no choice but to realize his feelings.

“This has to be the most physically uncomfortable I’ve felt in a very long time,” Mithrun said as he tugged at the ends of the fancy, over-decorated blouse the Canaries had put him in. “I honestly prefer Cithis’s frilly dresses.”

Which was saying something. Mithrun had a preference? That was a good sign.

“It makes you look handsome,” Pattadol said.

“The only thing it makes me is itchy,” he corrected.

The Canaries had somehow found a blouse— not a shirt or tunic, a blouse— that made Mithrun feel something other than indifference. He usually didn’t care about what he wore, as long as it was comfortable, but the clothes they’d stuffed him into were offensive to human-kind, like vegan bacon.

It had a big frill on the front and puffy sleeves. It was somehow both too flowy and too tight at the same time. The trousers weren’t much better, digging into his legs. And the shoes…

Mithrun didn’t want to talk about the shoes.

It was clear to him that Fleki and Cithis had only contributed to the outfit because they thought it would be amusing. Good for them, he supposed. Pattadol seemed to genuinely like it, Otta looked horrified, and Lycion was in some in between state where he wanted to show pity but couldn’t quite stifle his giggles.

“Remind me again what the point of this is?” Mithrun asked with a sigh.

“We got them to agree to a date!” Pattadol said, grinning, “I said outright ‘it’s a date’ so there would be no confusion. I made it clear that the date was with you. Now, if you show up looking like a million gold with a bouquet of flowers, they’ll get the hint.”

Mithrun did not want to do that.

Mithrun rarely wanted to do anything, but this just felt wrong. In his opinion, the relationship between you and him would develop naturally in a way that fit both of your personalities. He didn’t mind waiting for you to realize his intentions, he had time. As long as you didn’t fall in love with someone else, and didn’t stop him from staring at you or touching you, then he wasn’t in a rush.

But since the Canaries insisted, seeming to think that this was the right course of action, he would go along with it. Maybe it would be an utter disaster and Pattadol would realize that she knew very little about relationships— especially a relationship involving Mithrun. He was aware enough of himself to know that it wouldn’t be conventional.

With his hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and the ridiculous outfit on, Mithrun entered the restaurant Pattadol had chosen. He found you immediately. You sat in a chair with your elbow on the table and your ankles crossed, waiting.

Mithrun held a bouquet of pink roses as he approached. You lit up when you saw him, but your brows then furrowed.

“Where’s Pattadol?” You asked.

His stride faltered, “She isn’t coming.”

“Oh,” you shrugged, “well since she set this up I assumed she’d be here.”

Why would she be here? It was a date Pattadol had set up for you and Mithrun specifically.

You probably didn’t know it was a date, he realized. Pattadol thought she’d been clear by saying ‘it’s a date’ but failed to realize that that was just a common phrase among people and meant nothing to no one.

Calm, he slid into the seat across from you and watched as you raised a brow, “What’re you wearing?” You asked.

“My team picked it out for me.”

“You look like you’re part of an opera or a ballet, like you’re about to stand beneath a balcony and start spouting poetry to your lover.”

That was a good description, actually. Those were the words Mithrun had been looking for earlier when he saw himself in the mirror.

He nodded, “Yep.” Then, wordlessly, he held out the bouquet to you.

Your eyes widened, “For me?”

“I’m handing them to you, aren’t I?”

Gingerly, you took the flowers and held the stem of the wrapped bouquet with both hands as you inspected each petal.

A flicker of surprising satisfaction ran through his chest. You liked the flowers. It made sense, most people liked flowers, even if he didn’t see why.

You dipped your head down toward them presumably to smell them, but your lips then parted and you dug your teeth into the nearest rose.

Mithrun froze.

You chewed on the rose, your nose wrinkling in disgust. You gave the flower a good shot, a proper taste, but it didn’t take long until you grabbed a napkin and spit up the pink slobbery mess into it.

“Sorry,” you sent him an apologetic smile and tried to hand the bouquet back to him, “they don’t taste that good, and I don’t think I could season or cook them in a way that would help.”

Mithrun knew he was staring. He knew he was making a face, slightly tilting his head down, intensity in his eye. The kind of face someone made when they were internally screaming.

He was not internally screaming, but he was thinking— about you, how your brain worked. And how it was so damn charming for some reason and all he wanted to do was kiss you until he was all you could think about.

He wanted something. The feeling was sweet, a shot of adrenaline, one of Fleki’s drugs. Addictive. Like the slow drip of honey. He could survive off that want for ages.

Wordlessly, Mithrun threw the bouquet over his shoulder to get rid of it. Judging by the gasp that followed, it probably hit someone in the head.

Loving you was as natural to him as breathing.

- Mithrun decides to not let the Canaries interfere any longer. He was wrong earlier in thinking he needed their help. He doesn’t.

- Also, watching them go insane over your obliviousness and his lack of communication provides a good bit of entertainment.

- When he finally decides to give into that all-consuming, new, exciting desire and kiss you, your response is, “But I wasn’t casting a spell, no reason to try and stop me.”

- God, he adores you.

- He takes kisses whenever he wants them, with no care about what you think his intention is.

- After a certain kiss that involves tongue and teeth and fingers digging into your waist, you start to openly wonder… Are you in a relationship with Mithrun?

“Yes,” Mithrun didn’t even glance up at you, remaining unphased by your rather serious question, “We’re in a relationship.”

He continued to jot down notes about a monster he saw, as if he’d just casually answered a question about the weather. ‘Is it going to rain today?’ ‘Yeah looks like it.’

You gulped, “How long?”

“A year now,” he kept writing. Truthfully, he’d been expecting this. A flash of disappointment crossed his mind; there goes one of his hobbies, watching the Canaries have a crisis over his love life.

You buried your face in your hands. Mithrun stopped writing and patted your head as if comforting a dog.

- The Canaries are pleased that this is over. But actually, they’re going to have to watch you not realize it when you’re engaged to the Captain.

- At your wedding you’re in regular clothes. Someone asks why and you say “Mithrun told me we’re going to a wedding. He didn’t say it was ours.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

[amoeganism]

FUNNY VALENTINE wriothesley

your boyfriend doesn't seem to love you anymore, so what do you do? complain to neuvillette of course!

warnings: kissing, u being dramatic, neuvillette being done with ur shit, u and wriothesley being super gross and in love

you defeatedly slump into a chair in neuvillette's office and sigh for the fifteenth time in the past few minutes. the hydro dragon slides both his hands down his face, much like how he's seen the people of fontaine do when they were in distress.

"(name), if you don't tell me what's wrong i can't help you." in the several hundred years he's lived, neuvillette doesn't think he's spoken those words more than he has now. as he raises a delicate, white teacup to his lips, you burst into tears, violently twisting your head away from him.

"please, don't drink that in front of me," you cry, shoving your face into an overly expensive pillow on his couch. "that duke wriothesley would always drink tea and i cant stand to see it anymore! i will die parched if i have to!"

"if you're implying wriothesley doesn't love you anymore, you are surely mistaken. i'm not too familiar with human emotions, why don't you pay furina a visit? i'm sure she can understand you better."

at the sound of furina's name, you feel your body run cold. the image of your friend laughing until her face flushing crimson red dashes across your mind like an arrow, shooting you in the chest as you bleed out in an impending doom. you love her, truly, but she would never take you seriously in a situation like this.

"hmm, if you don't want to talk to furina, how about i call wriothesley and have you talk to him yourself? he is your partner, he'd be more than happy to talk through this issue with you."

"no! he's the problem! why would i want to talk to the problem? he doesn't love me anymore, neuvillette. he usually kissed my forehead twice before he leaves for work, but today," you pause for a moment, placing a hand on your chest to soothe the agonizing ache of your heart. "he only gave me one."

neuvillette promptly kicks you out.

"now what's this i hear about you crying to the iudex of fontaine about a broken heart?"

normally, the sound of wriothesley's smooth yet slightly mischievous voice would send you sprinting toward him. today however, you were distraught and feeling slightly petty. the only thing that can satisfy your heartbreak was him on his knees, sobbing with a gross trail of snot running down his nose, begging for your forgiveness.

you quickly learn that in the end, wriothesley always wins. with your back faced toward him, he wraps his muscular arms around you in a warm embrace, the fur of his uniform tickling your neck. grumbling unintelligible words, you dejectedly turn to face him but can't hide the thumping of your chest behind narrowed eyes and pouts. wriothesley laughs at you, pressing a kiss on your forehead, one on your left cheek, and one on your rights.

"i'm sorry for forgetting our routine, you petty minx? i ever do something as horrendous as that again, tell me and i'll make it up to you with as many kisses as you want, yeah? if that's not enough, i'll apologize with tears and jump into the primordial sea in your honor."

as the finale of this vomit-inducing opera, he follows the monologue by pressing a loving kiss to your waiting lips, pulling back to rest his forehead against yours.

"yeah you better keep your fucking promise," you threaten. the two of you know you don't intend to be mean by the way you melt into his touch. "i ordered your favorite today so you don't make me regret that."

maybe your boyfriend does love you after all.

[koi-p0nd]

Came at the speed of gay for Anya! If I may, can I ask for a reader who’s the copilot instead of Jambalaya and is just a happy go lucky but overly curious ray of sunshine who has a mad crush on Anya? No crash and they offer to let Anya to be their roommate when they’re back. Thank you so much!!

Imma see what I can do!! (And hope you don't mind that I still had Jimmy in this but with a different kind of occupation and a little bit more inspired from the Nice Jimmy AU :p)

"Sunshine Eyes and Moonlit Smiles."

Before boarding the Tulpar.

After having met everyone a few days before boarding the ship, somewhat aquintanced with eachother and whatnot. Learning eachothers different titles.

Curly as the Captain.

You as the Co-Pilot.

Anya as the Nursa.

Jimmy as the Tech/Machinery Mechanic.

Swansea as the Tech/Electrician.

And Daisuke as the Tech/Electrician Intern.

After boarding the Tulpar.

Everyone took their time getting comfortable and all, settling in with their things in their rooms/cabins. Getting familiar of the Tulpars layout.

Not many of you bothered to actually socialize the first few days, other than Daisuke talking with everyone and Curly occasionally asking for help or handing out the days tasks and/or chores.

As the time went on, around a few weeks or a month so did all 6 actually start to spend time and get to know eachother.

But you already knew Jimmy and Curly from before, so you kind of hung out with them more than the others at first.

It was all decent and such, but you had caught some sort of interest in Anya without even realising it.

Poor poor you, Jimmy and Curly would quickly understand that you were crushing on the nurse without knowing it.

They're going to tease the ever living shit out of you for it.

Fr on god.

Relationship with Anya.

It started off as just familiars with one another at first.

Occasional small talk in the halls and cafeteria/lounge during breaks.

Got to know eachother a little more over time and bonded to be friends during the game nights that Curly had with the whole crew.

You actually found her as an oddly funny, outgoing and interesting lady, but still kept for herself and exhausted.

Fuck, you hated being down bad for women like that.

And without even knowing that you were down bad for women like Anya, you just fell for her. Head over heels puppy love style, minus the constant clinginess.

Jimmy and Curly is teasing you about this, even after realising your feelings about Anya.

Swansea had noticed this as well but chose to not make any comments, thinking that he's "too old to make jabs at others" regarding their persons of interests.

Daisuke were thankfully oblivious.

But now you were scared of ruining your friendship with her by confessing your feelings to her.

Lets just say that Curly (with your permission) had dropped a slight hint about your crush to her instead of you.

You would just be a nervous mess and talk about something else entirely.

Long Nights with Anya on the Tulpar.

You and Anya would often sit on the couch in the lounge, looking at the night time window screen and quietly talk about life.

It became sort of a routine by now. When both couldn't sleep, one would find the other in the small kitchen area and just decide to talk about random things untill exhaustion came.

Tonight was particularly rough. The day had been long, boring and a few but extremely tideous tasks.

Due to your tiredness, not noticing how the words had slipped passed your lips and broke the quite atmosphere.

"Hey, Anya? This might sound...weird and unprofessional, being colleagues and all... But I've had these feelings for you lately..."

Your face were a deep red, brain restirging what you just said.

Anya would just sit there, a little awkwardly and very caught off guard by your sudden confession.

You just muttered a quick apology and a silent good night berofe running off in embarrasment.

After the Sudden Confession.

Things between you two were a little awkward, but not noticeable to the others.

That was untill the raven haired woman had cornered you in the Medical Room one day and confronted you about it.

It took a few hours for you to be able to actually leave.

But things were no longer tense, and you were kinda giddy.

The tiny fuzzy feeling of that peck on your cheek stayed the whole two days afterwards.

You didn't dare tell anyone about this, so it was just a little secret between you and Anya.

Coming Back to Earth.

You had thought about asking Anya to be your roomate once you guys got off, but she beat you to it.

She asked you that instead, with that warm cozy smile of hers that you just can't resist. So you eagerly accepted her offer.

Not long after, you two shared a small but decent and cozy apartment together in a downtown area with cozy shops and cafes.

Anya would often times just stare into your eyes, always questioned by you as to why and would give the same answer or similar ones.

"Your eyes looks like a sunrise in early october."

October is her favourite season of the year. And to hear your eyes looking like a sunrise around that time always made you feel all putty and warm inside.

Bonus!

You two eventually started dating after a few months.

Anya miraculously got into a nearby nursing school while you got a job at a nearby restaurant.

So you would earn in the money for your halfs of the rent, bills and foods while Anya payed the other half with her study loans.

Once Anya graduates from nursing school and saved up enough money (this is like, a few years of dating), she started to plan yours two wedding. And how she's gonna propose for you.

You two had a small little venue and wedding, having invited the crew and some very close family members.

You two also got a sphynx and mainecoon.

Absolute couch potatoes and food motivated.

[suengmi]

✧ cat and mouse ✧ 5.5k, m

fucking prick, you had scoffed, taking a sip of your iced soy latte. it wasn't often you let your anger get to you, but with chan sitting in front of you with your friend, saying something dumb about how you tripped this morning, you were about to crack.

pairing: bangchan x afab!reader (no pronouns mentioned) genre: etl, angst, fluff, humour, smut, non idol!au warnings/other: mentions of drunk sex, alcohol consumption, fingering-r, oral-r, unprotected sex, thicc reader (bc hell yes and you don't gotta be thicc to enjoy this!! i encourage all to read its not overly descriptive), a/n at end

♡please reblog if you liked! it rly helps and i love to hear your feedback♡

everything about him annoyed you, his stupid fake laugh, the way he playfully flirted with you and never meant any of it. you were never close to chan by any means; he was a part of your friend group. you had seen him a bunch of times, nothing too familiar, but every time you did meet, he absolutely ripped into you, like a school boy teasing his crush. how fucking mature. he was like a mosquito, buzzing around you and annoying you with every sound. if you had not restrained yourself you would have slapped him like one too.

the first time you had encountered him drunk was about a week ago.

chan was laughing, his arms flailing around as he made some joke about how he wouldn't date you. this added fuel to the fire, the fact that he thought that dating you would be something funny in the first place, amuse in his tone as he gestured to you. he had joked to your friends about how you'd look when you wake up, all puffy and funny to see. and the way your clumsiness would annoy him and how you'd be too hard to keep up with.

your mind pulsing with ideas on how to really annoy him, to get him back for what he was saying.

then again, you were drunk as well.

fuck it, you had thought as you had pushed him into his room by the end of the night, cornering him in the hallway. you had told him you knew what would really piss him off.

the party he had held ending up with both of your clothes on the ground in a drunken fog, whispers of how much he frustrated you between your lips as he let you take control, loving the way you talked down to him and put him in his place.

that morning you had left, not saying a word, gathering your clothes to escape his room. what you hadn't noticed was the forlorn expression on his face when you didn't look back.

-

why you had agreed to go shopping with changbin and chan around a week later, you have no idea. but, you did want a new necklace, though. the one that chan broke on that night in a rush to take your shirt off, was now sitting on your desk at home, sad and unworn. you hadn't spoken to chan about that night, wanting to forget your druken decision. it wasn't like you didn't want to but, what on earth would you say?

a sour expression painted onto your face as you walked beside changbin, chan on the other side. they were talking about some new game changbin wanted to try. you just followed, sipping the last of your coffee as you listened.

"look, didn't you want a new necklace?" changbin had asked, finger pointing to the alternative jewellery store.

unfortunately, there was nothing you really wanted until one specifically stood out to you. a semi-choker silver necklace, small chains hanging from the sides, and two jagged flame knife like ornaments messily placed between. it was perfect. what wasn't perfect was the price.

"three hundred dollars?! yikes."

"yeah, that is pricey." changbin had said, chan coming to his side.

"it is pretty though." chan chimed in, placing his hand on the glass to get a better look. you watched him as he studied the necklace, his bottom lip between his teeth with thought.

"would look better on me than you." he teased.

you sighed, turning on your heel to leave the store. you weren't in the mood for his antics.

"i think i'm gonna go guys, just don't feel the best."

-

two weeks later, you found yourself back at chan's for one of his parties. nobody knows what you were celebrating, but you were enjoying yourself, at least.

there's just less than twenty people there, some people you didn't know. though chan hadn't been in your friend group for long, he definitely seemed to be making his way around the group with his charm, everyone loving him more and more each day. anytime someone talked to you about him, you'd smile and nod. but once they turned their backs you'd be mocking childishly about how great he was.

chan this chan that bler blah bler shut up.

the longer the night goes on the more you find yourself observing chan. his smile is wide, laughing about something. stupid little prick. like a damn thorn in your side.

changbin hands you a beer from behind as he walks past, distracting you from your petty glare.

"so he broke your necklace? how?" hyunjin asks, lips frowning because he knew how much you loved it. it was your favourite.

"ah, he was just messing around." you say, trying to not remember how it really happened.

any time your mind wanders back to that night. the way his hand slipped around your throat, had your body shivering. how he placed kisses onto your throat, how hungry he was.

huh?

pfft, you say to no one, pissing yourself off with where your mind was going.

oh no, you've summoned him with your thoughts.

"what about me?" chan asks, skipping over to interrupt your conversation.

you stretch your lips into a thin line. "ah it's just-"

"how on earth did you break their necklace?" hyunjin says, gesturing towards you.

chan just stares at you, amuse on his face, like he's going to spill the beans. he waits for your response, brows raised.

"we were just play fighting." you say as you take a swig of your beer.

"play fighting?" hyunjin questions, brows raised.

"yeah, something like that." chan says, small proud expression on his face.

an weird silence sits around you, you're not sure of how to continue.

"i didn't think you were that close." hyunjin laughs, standing from the seat.

chan slides next to you on the couch, replacing hyunjin, swinging one of his legs over to your own. "we got really close-"

crack, your hand slams down on chan's thigh, leaving a bright red mark. "shut up."

-

the sound of up beat low-fi music echoes off your walls as you arrive back home.

earlier, chan had happily accepted the offer in trade for helping you make some furniture. changbin had thrown the idea to chan, saying he was better with putting furniture than himself. he was kind of right, chan was currently hyper focused like you had never seen before. his eyes darting back and fourth from the ikea instructions. it's not like you were bad at it, you just wanted someone to be emotional support while you probably made it wrong. but chan had taken over, saying he'd built it before.

you make your way down the hall but as you turn the corner from your kitchen, a little bit too fast, you're met with the door frame.

"ah fuck!" you exclaim, hastily trying to find a place to put the drinks on.

chan chuckles, not even offering a hand to help. "should look where you're going stupid."

you groan, rubbing the offending spot with your free hand. "you're only here because i offered to buy you bubble tea."

chan cheekily grins, getting to his feet to grab the tea, not to console you.

"now," he starts, eyes wide with sarcasm. "that's a door frame, not a door."

he's basically patronising you at this point.

"shut the fuck up, you're so annoying." you say through your teeth, swatting in his direction, he's too fast, zippy like a mouse.

"i'd be rich if i had a dollar for every time you told me to fuck off or shut up." chan laughs, poking out his tongue.

you roll your eyes, placing your drink down on the ground.

"it's the small nails, right?" you ask as you fumble with some nails, half of the packet falling to the floor before you can even lift them.

"yeah, those." chan chuckles, pointing in your direction. totally ignoring the embarrassing mess you made.

it's odd, you were actually getting along, well, in a kind of cat and mouse way. when you had said you were getting a larger bed he had joked about how you'd break it in. at first you thought it was funny, but then realised what he was actually meaning. your slaps were anything but gentle, chan pleading for you to stop.

the two of you finished building the bed in no time, both laying back onto your new mattress in triumph. laughs dance in the air as you talk about how chan had held two of the smaller planks in the curves of his butt cheeks.

"i remember you showed me the chopsticks, but planks? colour me impressed."

"yeah, i've out done myself." he laughs, rolling to face you. "did you end up getting that new necklace?"

"nah," you sigh facing him. "too expensive. i'll keep looking."

chan says nothing, lips pouting in thought.

-

the next morning, you had awoke to a knock at the door.

"who the fuck comes this early?" you had grumbled to yourself, shuffling your bare feet towards the entrance to open the door. when you looked down, you saw a small package, wrapped kind of badly with a note on it. you bent down to pick it up, knees cracking beneath you. it read -

'nah, would look better on you than me.'

"eh?" you said to no one, unwrapping the present to find with that very necklace you had wanted in that store. your fingers ran across the flames, admiring the beauty before you, price tag still in tact.

you're not sure if this was chan apologising, or just another joke. none the less, even if it was a joke you were still going to wear it. it was perfect, and would match with the many silver piercings on your ears.

a vibration startles you, your phone buzzing in your pocket.

'fuck head' the phone chimed, a picture of chan asleep face first on the couch blinking with the phones light.

you hesitantly agree to the video call, probably not your best angle, you think, as you answer it.

"do you like it?" he asks, his hand placing itself behind his head.

"no." you returned dryly, walking back inside, placing it down on the counter. no, you didn't like it, you loved it. "it's okay."

you clear your throat, kind of annoyed by his call. "why are you calling?"

"no reason." he smiles, leaning back against what seems to be his car seat. "thought you'd like it, dude."

"dude." you mock him, pulling a face at the phone.

he laughs, head dipping for a moment. "cute."

ignoring his charm, you sigh. "chan, what do you want? i wanna go back to bed."

"want me to join?" he questions, one brow raising. you're not sure if this is a joke or not, once again, but you're too tired to care.

"whatever."

you watched him sit forward, placing his phone down for a second, before you hear the rustle of his car keys. "i'll see you soon!"

"what?!"

click, chan had ended the phone call. the little shit was waiting in his car the whole time.

-

so this was where you were at, chan in your bed for some unknown reason. you're not doing anything, just laying in silence, covers up to your chin. it's kinda awkward. you feel sleep tugging at your body already.

"what possessed you to actually come to my house? you know we're not that close." you felt the words of honesty leave your lips.

"i unno."

you tut at him, "yeah we fucked once, but we were drunk. you still annoy the shit out of me."

chan laughs, turning onto his side, absolutely making himself at home. "it was good, though. well, from what i remember."

you scoff, turning to face him. "yeah, it was okay."

the look on his face kind of makes your tummy turn, he looks hurt but he tries to cover it with a laugh. "i can make up for-"

"chan..." you start, hands flinging down onto the bed. "you don't need to joke all the time. it happened, yeah? it is what it is."

"aw c'mon, i can do better." he half sings.

you groan at his antics, sleepiness making you irritated the more he goes on. "you need to stop. you're teasing gets too much sometimes."

"nah you like-"

"this is what i'm talking about. you never take anything seriously. you always make fun of me, and it makes me feel like shit. do you seriously have no indication of how you make me feel?"

chan frowns, looking down to the doona cover. "i just- i don't know."

"what? you what?"

"you're just so easy to tease." he chuckles, his hand grabbing the side of your arm to shake you.

you sit upwards shrugging him off, frustration in your tone as you rub your eyes. "you can leave if you're not gonna take me seriously."

"okay... you're right." he follows, sitting to face you crossing his legs. he fumbles with his hands, "i like you, okay?"

"huh?"

"i like you."

"i don't like you." you return.

"see, this is why i didn't wanna tell you. you're so grumpy at me all the time."

"yeah, i'm grumpy because you make me grumpy. always pulling on my hair, tripping me and making fun of me."

neither of you is sure how to continue, you just want to sleep. why you let him in is still beyond you, fatigue taking over your decisions, something like that.

"look," he sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "i really like you, but i'm not sure how to be around you. you're kind of cold sometimes, and i dunno how to get past it."

chan's kind of right, you were generally more stand-offish than your other friends, and you were kind of hard to read sometimes. maybe it was just to him. yeah, just him.

"what are you? twelve? so you've been making fun of me for weeks because you... like me?"

"yeeeah."

"you're an idiot."

"sometimes."

"ugh, i'm going to sleep."

you choose to ignore what his saying, but you'd be lying if there wasn't a delight in what you were feeling. it was kind of powerful, knowing you held the next move. you thought about what it would be like to date him, mind reeling with possibilities. and no, the drunk sex wasn't okay, it was mind blowing from what you remember. but then again, it could have just been the alcohol amplifying your experience. then again, maybe he's just joking. just wanted to get into your pants again. either way, you were in charge now.

eventually, sleep tugs at your eyes. you faintly remember feeling his hand slip around your waist as you doze off.

-

when you wake you feel him against you, one of his hands pressed into your chest gripping onto it for dear life, his hips melding into your own. you barely remember falling asleep. was he holding me this whole time?

you turn your body to face him, his hands still around your waist, fingers fitting into the soft rolls on your side. his puffy lips look so inviting, slightly open and moisturised. he's still asleep, little hums in the air as he breathes. you ponder on what he was saying earlier that morning, maybe he wasn't joking, maybe all of this was a façade just because he wasn't sure how to approach your supposed cold demeanour.

one of his eyes opens, squinting from the faint light from the day. he says nothing. you stay like this for a while, just admiring him. his curly hair looks so soft, you want to run your hands through them again. wait what?

you can feel it, the urge to kiss him. the urge to relive that night you had before. you weren't sure if he actually liked you, or that you liked him, or if it was just physical. regardless, you were curious.

your left hand slowly raises itself to wrap itself in his hair, he allows the touch, head leaning into your slow strokes. he hums lowly, voice a little raspy from the sleep. your hand comes back to his cheek, thumb rubbing just underneath his eyes.

whatever possessed you to kiss him you don't know. nonetheless you lean in, your lips lightly sliding against his soft ones. the kiss is gentle, as if chan is hesitant to let himself go. a small moan leaves your lips, your leg raising to rest on his side. he continues the kiss, hands digging into your sides a bit deeper.

abruptly, he stops. before you can even comprehend what's happening,

"i think... you need to think about this." he speaks, breath mixing in with your own.

"no, c'mon." you go to lean in again to taste him, but he pulls back more, frowning and avoiding your eyes.

"are you just doing this because it's convenient? just because you know i like you?"

"i thought you just wanted to fuck?"

his hand slips from your waist as he moves his body from yours, now picking up his phone and keys. "i'm not a toy you can pick up and use as you please. i have feelings."

"you don't seem to care for mine when you fuck me around all the time." you scoff, "it takes two to tango."

"i know i can be a bit much... but i do have them. don't take my confession lightly." he says under his breath. "call me when you make up your mind."

without another word he leaves, not making a single peep as the front door slams behind him.

-

neither of you talk for the next few days. he was right, you decide, fingers dancing along the necklace you had chosen not to wear yet. it's like if you put it on it will mean something, mean that you're giving him the green flag to go. to chase you, to want you with permission.

you think back to the kiss, how he hummed as he moved his lips against your own. it sent jolts down to the pit of your stomach every time it enters your mind, the urge to touch yourself strong.

tiredness is in your eyes, you're so damn tired from work and the thoughts that have been swimming in your mind. should i call him?

sighing, you lean back onto your pillows, taking out your phone to scroll to his name. another long breath leaves you, your heart beginning to race. you're confused.

what the hell is that?

do i want this?

no, absolutely not.

i probably just like the attention...?

your legs flail back and fourth on the bed, much like you're having a little tantrum.

wait... maybe?

he is really cute, seems affectionate.

but he fucking annoys me.

frustrated groans escape your throat, maybe one more leg flail will help you decide.

you could always try, maybe, just to see what it's like. it kind of makes sense when you think about. you slap yourself on the forehead, maybe it'll jolt your brain into making a decision.

"okay okay! i'll do it." you say to one of your plushies, trying to hype yourself in any way.

eventually you suck up the courage to call. when he answers the phone he doesn't say anything, just looks into the camera waiting for you to speak. you sit in silence, kind of just staring at each other.

"yes?" he finally chimes, his tone an indication of slight satisfaction.

you scowl, biting on the sides of your cheeks. "fine."

-

a month had gone by with the slow beginnings of your new relationship. you hadn't labelled anything, deciding to take things slow. it was actually quite fun, much to your surprise. there was always something exciting planned, chan jumping around you like a little kid whenever he won at an arcade game. it was cute. now, everything he usually did to annoy you seemed to become increasingly adorable. whenever he pulled your hair it was for a kiss on the cheek. whenever he laughed it was genuine to what you were saying. he had wriggled his way, just a little bit, into your heart, but not your bed.

it had been a few days since you'd seen him, both of you busy with work and other things. when you lay back on your bed, absolutely tired and fatigued, you hear your phone buzz. you know it's him, your heart thumps. damn heart.

looking down at the screen you see the name 'baby girl'. definitely a step up from fuck head. you answer the call.

"am i still baby girl in your phone?"

"yes." you laugh, turning onto your side.

chan bites his bottom lip, searching your face. "you look beautiful."

"what on earth are you talking about?"

you look at yourself in phone screen, you're definitely not in your best element. the mascara you had applied earlier slightly smudged, hair a little curled from your sweat and one of your eyebrows not properly coloured in. you groan, pushing your face into one of your pillows.

"no, i mean it!" he argues, laughing into the phone.

"whatev-"

"whatever." he mocks you automatically, knowing exactly what you were going to say. some old habits die hard.

the two of you talk about your day, how work was going and what projects he was working on. eventually it ends up in a discussion about the first night you spent together, but not having one like that since.

"yeah, why is that?" you ask, sitting back up in your bed.

"i think... i just want you to be sure."

you hum in thought, "i am sure."

"but this just isn't a hook up. we're dating now? i guess."

"you guess?" you laugh in slight disbelief. "what we been doing for this past month?"

"being cute." he says, eyes rolling comically. "ah, but yeah i guess you're right. if i'm going to be honest i still feel apprehensive."

"you do? why?"

"long story."

you roll to your side, lip pouting at the camera. "i have time, i want to know."

"honesty?"

you smile. "always."

"okay so, i guess it's just... i still don't know if i can believe you like me back. like, hear me out. i know you do, but i'm afraid that you just want the physical because that's how it was before, you know?"

"chan-"

"no i just... i want to trust this. i want to trust you. but something is telling me i shouldn't... maybe that's my anxiety."

a sharp ache, like turning daggers hit the base of your heart, how could he think that? you'd been spending the whole month with him, taking things slow like he wants. yes, you still play fought like little kids. chan annoying you would usually ending up in him in a head lock or a noogy, threats of a bite coming from your mouth.

what he's saying makes sense in the end, he has every reason to feel these worries. it's absolutely valid with how you began things with him.

you sit upright, leaning your chin on your hand. "do you wanna come round and talk about it?"

"yeah." he says letting out a long breath.

-

the only thing that chan had said when he entered your room was how much he missed you, how he was so happy to see you and how beautiful you looked. his lips were all over your face, kissing every bit of skin he could find. you enjoyed this. at first the affection seemed to turn you off, but now you found yourself melting into his touches.

when you eventually settled onto your bed, which still wasn't broken in, he would joke later, you found yourself patting your thighs. he looked slightly hesitant as he leaned forwards.

"you know you can come over whenever, right?" you chuckle, giving him a gentle smile. "we don't have to be so formal-"

almost aggressively, he pushes you onto your back, lifting your bed shirt to bunch at your chest.

"no talk, just tummy." he says face planting into your soft belly, hands finding their way around your waist for grip.

the affection surprised you, but wasn't unwelcome in the slightest. you realise you hadn't been this outwardly intimate before, this vulnerable with each other. it felt weirdly natural, much to your amuse. it wasn't as if you hadn't been physically intimate, always leaving the night with red marks along your neck and blotches on your cheeks. that one night doesn't count you justify to yourself. this was like a reset, a new way to start.

the boy doesn't speak, just breathes against you. your hands end up finding their way to his back, running underneath the cotton to rub soothing circles.

"mmm." he mumbles before pressing a kiss on your belly button.

the way that chan appreciates your body, every curve and slope, makes you feel like you're on cloud nine. he never once questioned it, always enjoying you as a whole.

"didn't you wanna talk?" you say leaning your head to the side.

"no..." he huffs.

though you know you need to talk, there's nothing more precious to you right now than this moment. chan's face lifting to press delicate kisses onto your stomach, slowly making their way to your neck and eventually your cheeks.

"such a love bug." you laugh, allowing him to have his way.

chan leans back, his hands still around you. "you actually love it, don't you?"

damn, you've been cornered. "mmmaybe."

"you totally do, you're a softy!"

"psh, look who's talking."

"oi yeah, at least i admit it."

you roll your eyes, knowing you've absolutely been caught. "okay maybe i am, but we shouldn't get distracted. talk to me."

chan lets out a long breath, his grip on you still strong. there's so much emotion on his face, you're not sure which one he's feeling. it seems he can't form the words, he can't put his finger on what he wants to say. you kind of know what direction this is going, so you decide to take the lead.

"babe," you begin, facing your body to him more. he looks back at you, the right of his lip curled downwards. he almost looks like he's about to cry.

"should i start?"

chan just nods, eyes on you.

"i know we started rocky, and i know why you feel hesitant. i would too. that night when we first... you know. it was more of a... an angry 'fuck you' kind of thing for me. and i never imagined it would actually lead to me liking you. i really thought about it, and how even though we're opposites, it kind of makes sense, doesn't it? cat and mouse? maybe i liked you from the start but didn't know it, probably why i hated you so much, couldn't figure out my damn feelings."

sharply, his head snaps to you, lips turning into a smirk. "sooo, you do like me?"

you scrunch your nose at him and frown. "is that all you got from that?"

"that's all i needed." he says as he pushes you back for more kisses, hands wriggling their way under your shirt.

"chan!" you giggle between his attacks. "we're not done!"

this time it seems right. it seems less rushed at first, more innocent in a way. it's an even playing field, both of you finally admitting how you actually felt and discussing the worries you had. chan had spoken in depth about his trust issues, and how he sometimes thought you were playing with him still. with reassurance, you held his cheeks in your hands telling him this wasn't a joke and that it was real.

your kisses sealed his worries away, with every 'but' or 'why' he murmured against your lips. it's not until you told him to shut up already did he take it seriously, seemingly waiting for your command.

though he was he one physically in control, you were calling the shots, whispering how good he was doing and how it made you wet anytime you had thought about this prior. this was just encouraging him more, you were nothing but a mess beneath him to his touches.

before you knew it, your clothes were somewhere on the floor, his following soon after.

the next few minutes is a haze, you're not entirely sure what happened to get to this point, but just from the shallow strokes of his fingers in your cunt alone, you were sent into spirals. his movements getting deeper and more calculated, enjoying the way you squealed and held onto his arms. he followed your body, assessing what you needed. the more he went on the harder he got, fingers going deeper and hitting that one spot you needed him to.

"please." you whine, feet placing themselves on his shoulders.

a grin paints across his face. it didn't take long for you to get to your peak, not with his tongue gently pressing against your clit, circling just around the edges. your head falls back, a silent scream coming from your throat the closer you get, hips rocking into his fingers and face.

your orgasm tightens across your body, fingers gripping anything they can find. it takes you a while to get back to reality, your body melting into the mattress.

"such a dick." you had breathed shortly after your high, laughing in trance like state. "shit."

he chuckles into your thigh, wiping your juices off of his cheek.

"hmm." he hums sitting upright, one finger still slowly dragging out and back into you. you wince at the over stimulation, legs trying to clamp shut.

looking down you notice his cock against his belly, red and at full attention.

he notices your glare and his hand stops. "ah we don't-"

"chan, if you don't let me fuck you right now, i'm going to scream."

with that, chan happily lets you take control, your hands on his chest as you push him back onto the bed. you can feel him sitting against your core, your wetness soaking onto him. you take in a sharp breath, still slightly over stimulated as you roll your hips.

the way he looks at you feel embarrassing almost, he's beaming at you, his hands gently pushing your hair behind your ear.

"stop." you say shyly, hiding your face in your chest.

"no, i want to see all of you."

the words are so raw and so honest, it's so much different than last time. there's no malice and no rush. no hate or resentment.

it's the way he looks at you. maybe he looked at you like this all along, you were too busy being petty to notice, maybe.

when you look down, you're met with a gentleness, a softness he seemingly reserves only for you. his eyes are filled with warmth, loving every part of you as it is.

you slowly raise the right of your hip, angling him at your entrance. he takes in a sharp breath as you push yourself down, his hands finding their way to the height of your back, pulling you in closer. one of your hands rests on his cheek, your other beside him for balance.

fuck, he feels so good. a slow hot ache pooling in the base of your stomach expands, small jolts of pleasure tingle across your body with every motion. his girth stretching you open feels incredible, and with the way you're lazily moving your hips; it has his breath laboured, faster.

"chan..." you begin, still shy in your actions, slowly angling your hips up to roll against him.

"hm?" he hums through a low grunt.

your movements halt, head dipping to rest on his forehead. you're taking this in, you need to take a moment, feelings overwhelming you.

"how did this even happen?" you breath against him, eyes closing.

chan pulls your face back, hands cradling your cheeks. when open your eyes to look at him, he just shakes his head, as if shushing you and your overwhelming thoughts.

you nod back at him, leaning in to press a slow kiss against his forehead. the smile he gives you says it all, his hands finding their way back to your hips,

the rest of the night is a blur, your hands everywhere, mouths on any piece of skin either of you could find. it's not fast, it's gentle and loving, things you never expected from chan himself. it was beautiful.

-

it's nearly morning, the both of you are a sweaty and complete mess. your make up is completely gone and you're not sure how you even look right now. that doesn't matter, not with chan's head resting on your chest just looking up at you, seemingly treasuring you as if you'd break from a blink.

it's not until chan speaks up, you're reminded why you argued in the first place.

"you look funny when you cum."

"shut up!"

still cat and mouse, always.

-

a/n: thank you for being patient for this! i tried to do slow burn but it's not my strong suit :S hopefully it's ok!!!

[a-libra-writes]

Ok you did rocky and nico but what about Mordecai with widow reader with three kittens? (bonus if you include aunty Serafine and uncle nico)ps I love your writing!

This one is a bit different from the other widow-with-kiddo asks but I hope its still to ur liking ~

Firstly! Regardless if you're working the Marigold Room as a bartender or musician, or you're in the gang directly, the kittens are often at the hotel. The staff knows them, the managers don't mind because they stay away from guests, other gang members are familiar with them and make sure they stay outta trouble. The hotel's back rooms and staff quarters are like an endless maze to the kiddos, and they know the whole place like the back of their hands. ... Kinda.

Not to mention how they're doted on by everyone - Asa gives them candies, Nico tosses them high in the air, Serafine is kind of scary but she gave them these funny bracelets (made of bones??? but theyre funny and she's pretty so it's okay!), various hotel staff cooing over how cute and well-behaved they are.

And then there's Mordecai. He's pretty scary to adults, let alone kids. When he sees them skittering around in the peripheral of his vision, he has to frown even more. Who let these wayward children in here? He hears them running about the halls and empty offices while he's trying to do accounting. And as much as Mordecai wants nothing to do with them, he's a figure of great interest to your kittens. Someone who isn't cooing over them? Whose in an office way in the back, only one light on? The one who follows Mr. Sweet and dresses in all black? Their little imaginations run wild, even if you've plainly told them that "Mr. Heller" is your colleague and to leave him be.

The oldest one approaches him first. Which is to say, she lingers behind the doorway, peeking in and thinking he can't see her tail and ears sticking out. He hears the younger ones shushing each other. As much as Mordecai wants to be annoyed, instead, a painful deja vu comes over him. Your oldest finally patters in with a nervous "Mr. Heller?". Before he can ask what she wants, she plops a candy on his desk and runs off, the other kittens right behind her.

As much as the shadowy cat doesn't want the trio bothering him, he's torn about them being so fearful of him. All three of them stir up painful familiar memories of his sisters, but the youngest especially reminds Mordecai of Rose. He tries not to think of how old she and Eshter are now, if they miss him the way your kittens miss you when you're away. It's hard for him to keep up his cold exterior when those painful memories bubble up to the surface.

So when the oldest comes by his desk, he finally sighs and says with a frown, "All three of you, just come in and show me what it is." And the other two shuffle in, with their big eyes and hand-me-down clothes and it's just. Very difficult not to dismiss them.

The two youngest have decided he's their "secret friend", even if you were well aware of how they liked to pester your overly serious colleague. You'll watch your girls draw him alongside other people they know (why does he always look so shadowy and sketchy, even in crayon form?) but you don't know they like sneaking their drawings into his satchel or desk drawers. They'll leave wrapped candies and pretty strings and buttons too, to his exasperation. Eventually Mordecai walks over to you and drops a handful of the little treasures at your table.

"Gee, Mordecai, I'm flattered. You know what a guy/gal likes."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm returning what your snooping progeny keep leaving me. Tell them to stay out of my things."

"Looks to me like they're trying to add some color to that depressing office you hole up in."

And so on, and so forth, you two really like to bicker, don't you?

(Oh, and Mordecai starts keeping the door shut and locking it, but then he hears giggles and sees them shoving the pictures and little things under the doorway.)

Now they aren't afraid of him at all, which means they want to run about Mordecai and get his attention. They'll giggle as they dart between his legs or "hide" under his coat. Their fur gets all over his black clothes. When they inevitably tumble and fall, he picks them up by the collar or under the arms and scolds them for running indoors. And he yanks them down when they get too rowdy and climb up furniture, or sometimes he finds the youngest one crying because she got lost and takes her back. If he catches any of the kittens with an unlaced boot or messy face, he stops them immediately.

"Stop! Lace up your boots immediately. You'll trip and crack your skull open. Don't run in the hotel lobby, either. This is an establishment, not a wild jungle you can traipse about in - keep still, what is on your face? Is that - syrup? Did you not think to wash your hands and face after - no, there will be no giggling about breaches of hygiene -"

(A few people are staring as Mordecai fusses over her, which he doesn't notice until a woman walks by and says, "oh, it's so hard at this age, isn't it? Don't worry, you're doing great." And he dies a little a lot inside).

He tried doing these things in secret, but inevitably one of the Savoys or Asa or you would spot him, and the youngest one loves prattling on about him. Asa, Nico and Serafine find "Nanny Heller" to be hysterical. He's going to throttle someone or plan a murder swear to god-

There's been several moments when you hear a high-pitched squeal that sounds like a scream, and you run over in a panic ... and oh, it's just Nico dangling one of the kittens upside down and pretending to lose his grip. False alarm - wait, why is Mordecai here too?

If you're a triggerman with the gang, it means you're keeping all sorts of odd hours. You've been with them for years and you're more than useful, so having the children set up in an empty office isn't looked twice at. They've got their bedding, some books and toys, and ... sometimes they're sleeping there more than they sleep at home, which you aren't proud of. It's not just the cost of childcare, but the odd hours and questions being asked about your job, especially if you're a woman.

The first time Mordecai came across this office was by accident, but he knew the children had to be staying somewhere. He walked up very quietly, and looking through the open doorway, saw the oldest doing her homework at the big desk while her two siblings slept under it, curled up with their pillows and blankets and stuffed toys. He didn't think he'd be affected so strongly, but it was painful. A very, very painful reminder, and maybe he saw himself a little too much in that girl, furrowing her brow and making sense of numbers.

You and Mordecai have had strange arguments about the the children, which was odd at first. You wondered why the so-called unfeeling triggerman cared at all. If he felt you were being too reckless during a job, he'd tell you as much, but there was more bite in his voice. He never outright said 'you have others depending on you', but it was in his tone. Many times you felt judged, or looked down upon - but a lot of these fights weren't about you specifically. It was the situation that upset him, the lengths one had to go to keep their family fed and safe in a clean environment. He was definitively projecting, and not always aware of it, or just in denial about it. Mordecai tried not to dwell on his own mother and sisters: what they felt when he didn't come home one day, when they read that letter explaining where all the money was hidden, when the realization sunk in for Eshter and Rose that their brother wasn't coming back. If they were sad, or angry, or resigned, or didn't think of him at all anymore. Or maybe they'd resent him forever.

Look he really doesnt want to be thinking about these things -

After long jobs, you'd wash the blood off and change shirts and tiredly walk all the way to the back rooms where your kittens were sleeping. Sometimes you stir the oldest awake so she can help you carry the other two to the car, but honestly, the only apartment a single parent with three children can get is pretty shit. So most times you just curl up on the floor with them, catching a few hours of sleep before you need to wake up the oldest for school.

You hold her hand as you walk through the back rooms and out the staff exit. Sometimes Mordecai sees you. You wear the same tired but persevering expression as his mother did, looking a mess compared to your well-put together daughter. He knows she washed up and dressed herself, and packed her own bookbag. She has that look of responsibility and eyes that are a little too old, and it's too familiar, so he looks away.

(Sometimes the oldest finds an extra sandwich in her bookbag, or new pencils and one time, a new pair of mittens. She feels like it's magic, so she doesn't want to tell anyone, otherwise the magic will 'break'.)

You and Mordecai already have a very strange relationship (can you call each other friends yet? You'd consider him that, or something more, but his feelings are something else entirely), and your kiddos would certainly add another layer of strangeness onto it. You might actually get to know him a little faster and closer than most do, or at least see a side that most people have never seen or even considered him capable of.

[muffinsin]

Hey just wanted to ask if you will be open to do a story on the siblings.

I love the fluffy stories you do for them and I would be very grateful if you could do other one. I don't mind what at all maybe other people have a good idea.

Maybe one about Bela this time about needing comfort even though she tries to hide it. I love wondering what they would do if one of them where sick as well as what her mother would do so I guess that's one idea.

Bela being ill and trying to hide it to do jobs her sisters need help with or her mother. She would get yelled out by Cassandra as Daniel snuggles wishing her to get well as Cassandra joins in all tough saying she's only doing it to keep an eye on her as she mother was the one to help heal Bela.

Now that would be funny and fluffy I guess I had an idea over all.

Btw how is Bela monster fucking going? I can't wait.

Awh, this is adorable🙌 regarding the Bela monster fucking- I don’t think there’s any requests in the inbox for that or any interest I’m aware of :)

There’s so many sibling bonding asks in my inbox, it’s adorable y’all

Let’s get into it ;)!

Masterlists

Bela Dimitrescu does not get sick

Or; she tries to convince everyone, including herself, of this at least

While being understanding when her family falls sick, she is much different when it comes to herself

Bela is very much the type to ignore it, grit her teeth and keep going

And sometimes, it works. It pushes her to the limit and utterly exhausts her, yet, sometimes, the illness and dizziness does fade even without careful rest and medication

Sometimes, that is, mind you

It seems, now is not one of those times

She is no longer merely sniffing here and there and struggling to breathe in and out through her nose

No, the fever is weakening her, no matter how hard she fights it. It seems, fighting and pushing forwards only makes it worse

Her vision blurry, her limbs heavy and aching, she forces herself to keep going and refuses to let anybody know of her condition

Even as she grows too weak and feverish to even swarm alongside her younger sisters

She- doesn’t want to disappoint. She wants, no, needs to keep working

One morning it seems particularly bad, when she falls back onto the hard mattress the moment she sits up, her head aching and the all too familiar dizziness causing the room to spin for a few moments

Again, she merely grits her teeth, hard and frustrated enough for a fang to chip slightly. She doesn’t dare flinch and whimper at the sharp, cold pain it causes

As she forces her thighs off the bed and her feet to move across the room at last, the dizziness seems to only grow worse. Closets and cabinets spin, her window a mere blurry, bright light

She changes out of her clothing as the bathtub fills next, her mind and body overly aware of the thin layer of sweat covering her; no doubt another affect of the fever tormenting her

With difficulty, she manages to scrub herself clean, her frustration evident in the force she applies, so that the sponge leaves soapy, bloody scratches along her pristine skin

A second, a single, short moment, she allows herself to throw her head back and howl in pain and frustration, her tears thick and her lips pulled to an angry snarl

Within another moment, she forces her weak body to cease shaking

Breakfast is- a difficult affair

Attempting to calm her family’s worried stares, she eats the meat and drinks the bloodied wine presented to her

And yet, every bite makes her stomach turn and scratches against every inch of her sore throat like sandpaper

She gulps down the wine all too eagerly, chasing the soothing feeling of liquid calming and wetting her dry and sore throat

When asked whether she is alright by Cassandra, she flat out lies through her teeth. She smiles, even as her face muscles ache, and confirms

Work is- nearly overwhelming her

Her eyes are heavy, her body covered in sweat yet again despite her bath only two hours prior

She’s panting and whimpering quietly to herself in her office, her shaky fingers gripping the pen tightly, her wet hair clinging to her warm face

She considers opening the window, even as she knows the icy cold air outside means death

But…only a crack..she shakes her head at her own thought. No, she is too smart to open a window in winter

Yet, her body feels as if on fire. Her dress feels wet and heavy, restraining, even

She wants nothing but to take it off already

How much longer is it? She checks the clock at her wall repeatedly. Six hours. Six hours. Five hours and fifty-seven minutes. Time just won’t pass quickly, it seems, no matter how hard she wants it to

In half an hour, no work has gotten done

She feels sick and dizzy, yet the mere thought of standing up to head to the bathroom makes her stomach curl unpleasantly

She doesn’t even notice the small chirps her flies send out, broken and quiet, yet- not unheard

Daniela, the fastest of the three, is the first to appear in the study

Bela watches through heavy, lidded eyes as the blurry figure of her sister steps in front of her. When she cups her cheeks with cold, bare hands, to examine her sister’s face, Bela nearly howls happily

She presses her face forwards blindly, as though chasing the cool feeling calming her overly warm skin

Yet, when the door bangs open and Cassandra comes in, too, the feverish haze draws back and Bela immediately pulls back her head, fast enough for the room to be spinning and for her to sway slightly

Again, she feels hands on her skin; stronger, larger ones. Gloved, and slightly forceful as they’re set on her hip and shoulder to steady her

Even through her lidded, tired eyes, she sees her younger sisters scowling at her. They know, something is clearly wrong, and they are not about to leave until it is handled

Cassandra is the first to speak up. With Alcina out at a Lord meeting halfway across the village, it is up to her to handle her sickly-looking older sister, after all

Still, she winces when she asks what’s wrong and the harshness in her tone has the blonde flinch

She figures, she could attempt a gentler approach

At first, she is met with denial. “Everything is okay”, “Don’t worry”, “I’m fine”

Neither of the younger sisters believes a word. Not even Bela stumbles as soon as Cassandra’s grip eases slightly and her eyes keep darting to the window longingly

She begins to lose her patience, her grip tightening on her sister the more wobbly the woman’s legs seem to get. Cassandra doesn’t miss how tightly she grips the table, as though aware she’d fall without its support

She snarls, her eyes rolling when Daniela waves her hand in front of her and beckons her out of the way

Bela watches confused as she is led from the table, her arm slung around Cassandra while Daniela holds onto her hand tightly, guiding- or rather; pulling- her along

Alas, she is in no state to deny them even if she wanted to. And really- she doesn’t

Not when her legs feel weak and her middle sister is what keeps her from falling, the messy buzzing of her flies somewhat comforting to her, and not when Daniela’s cold hand feels so relieving in her own, warm one. Is she sweating? She can’t tell anymore, and her vision and mind is too hazy to take notice of Cassandra’s scrunched up nose

At last, she notices where she has been led- Daniela’s room. Sickly sweet in its scent, yet familiar and comforting

Her eyes struggle to stay open, and only do they widen when she is dropped to the bed suddenly

Soft whines and broken chirps pass her lips as the cool hand is pressed to her forehead. She doesn’t mind Daniela’s gasp at the warmth she feels there

“Poor thing! You’re burning up!”

The words nearly bring a frustrated sob out of her. Perhaps, she no longer needs to pretend it’s all okay. After all, they already found her out

She eagerly lifts her arms and turns as the sweat-soaked dress is removed and coos in relief at the feel of cool, soft sheets against her scratched, sweaty skin

“We should call Mother”

She whines, her throat too achy and sore to allow any words to form

It seems, her sisters get the hint, so that instead of swarming for the phone in Alcina’s office, Daniela crawls into the bed as well

At first, a whine is pulled from Bela when she feels comforting arms wrap around her. Then, a sigh of relief passes her lips. Her body is too heavy, her mind too hazy. She merely pushes herself into her sister’s touch, sighing happily when cool hands return to her cheeks and forehead to cool the warm skin found there

For a moment, all feels calm. She doesn’t notice Cassandra leaving for the bathroom, until she jumps and coos happily when wet rags are pressed against her neck and back

“How could you keep working like this?!”, Cassandra fumes

She sports an angry, concerned scowl. A harsh contrast to the care and gentleness applied as she drags and dabs the rag at Bela’s sweaty, scratched skin

“You know we are supposed to rest when we get sick! Mother’s told you a million times!”, she adds with a low grumble

Daniela giggles for a moment, a low “as if you were any different” muttered under her breath. Cassandra chooses not to pick a fight- this time

Bela feels as the fever catches up on her at last- yet- the lukewarm rag and cool hands on her help the heat seemingly burning under her skin

She isn’t sure what urges her to do it, yet, as she feels the cloth gently dab at her warm skin and soothing it, she turns suddenly, her body inching forth and her heavy arms wrapping around Cassandra

Her other arm pulls Daniela close, the woman’s giggle almost too loud in her ears

“T-Thank you” she whispers hoarsely

With her face tucked in her sister’s neck, she doesn’t notice the surprised look and the worried smile she wears

She does, however, feel the acknowledgment and reassurance of the swarm as both her sisters pat her gently

“It’ll be okay, Bela”, both of them promise

And even with the fever and the heavy worry for her duties evident in her head, she accepts, and she believes it

[quitealotofsodapop]

more Soft Boiled!

[the little red ribbon in her hair!!! And she has her own version of Macaque's scarf!!]

the red ribbon was meant to be phoenix feathers like Wukong's cap, and I like ti think her scarf may actually be a piece of Macaque's original scarf. the one he wears pre-death is different from his scarf post-resurrection, so maybe after he died Wukong wanted to keep a momento for himself/his unborn daughter. Macaque comes back to life and assumed the scarf, which was a gift from Wukong in the first place, had been rescinded as a show of them no longer being together. that is, until he recognizes the fabric hanging from the shoulders of a familiar black-furred child that just broke his nose mid shadow play.

[Wukong about to get a talking to the second his adoptive family gets a hold of him. Once the monkey recovers from the early labour, and has emotionally recovered from the rollercoaster that was Yuebei's birth ofc.]

I can imagine PIF helping as a sort of midwife through the whole thing, and being very supportive and giving a lot of great advice, having gone through a similarly rough pregnancy not overly long ago herself (I also like to think Red Son, due to the fire causing the pregnancy and birth complication, was also a premmie). aaanndd then the moment Wukong is ok again after Yuebei is confirmed ok she's turning into the most foul-mouthed, harshest, rage filled person in the room. the others don't bother scolding Wukong much, taking softer tones in despite their concern and annoyance, partly because she said it all first, and partly because they feel bad about how utterly devastating her rant was.

[It would be so cute if Yuebei first started crying over something completely normal - for some reason, I'm thinking it's something like Zhu Bajie trying to pull a funny face for her. Wukong is so relieved to hear his baby crying that he doesn't even scold his pilgrim brother for scaring her!]

she's awake, but barely, and still so, so quiet. then, admist the other pilgrims quiet fussing over her, Zhu Bajie tries to lighten the mood by making a face. she starts wailing. Wukong, who was just about ready to go out like a light, instantly is next to the crib, picking her up and both trying to comfort her and himself as he cries in joy and relief. the others have a similar joyous reaction, except for Bajie, who is very wounded by the thought of being ugly enough to make a baby cry.

[Wukong would be so protective of his little Moon Comet Star. She was so sickly and weak as a baby, that he worries about ever letting her leave places he knows to be safe.]

maybe another lasting affect of her brief encounter with the fire is sever asthma. not great for a premature newborn. I imagine it would be something that sticks with you if your baby is constantly wheezing, coughing, unable to really make sounds, struggling to eat, struggling to breath, and maybe even stops breathing entirely entirely at times. And with almost nothing you can do, as back when she was born their wouldn't really have been much treatment or medicine for things like asthma. the constant worry of Yuebei suddenly not being able to breath probably means she never really got to go places, especially without her Baba. heaven forbid is she also has any seasonal allergies. not to say Wukong was a total helicopter parent, but he definitely worried.

Wukong is aware enough to understand that this is not a normal, or ideal childhood, so now that she's a bit bigger and stronger he's really trying to not lose his mind with anxiety every time MK takes her somewhere new off island without him. he even tries to encourage her to go out, so even if he has worries and a few different concerns when MK mentions the noodle shop all got tickets plus an extra one for the his daughter to a shadow play he tries not to stifle anyone's fun.

[That and I can imagine Wukong took her to stay with Guanyin on her unaging island for a while to help her health improve.] + [I bet even with Guanyin, "Cousin" Nezha, and the very rare corespondance with PIF and Red Son, Yuebei spends a lot of her childhood lonely]

as mentioned above, with her having been so sick she def would have spent a lot of time at Guanyin's. she's a renowned healer, and Guanyin is someone he trusts dearly to boot, so going to the goddess is a win-win in his eyes.

and yeah. between not being allowed to go out to new places much due to being a sickly child, and Wukong's reputation and not having anyone to connect with other then busy celestials, there's not much chance to go exploring. the monkeys are fun, but they and her baba treat her very delicately even when playing. her baba is awesome in her eyes, and its one thing for your parent to be someone you can call a best friend, but its a little different when your parent is your only friend. its why, despite not liking him much, she jumps at MK's offer to take her off island and into the city without her baba sometimes.

I feel like she'd make fast friends with Bai He once the LBD fiasco is over.

[Yuebei is gonna have a time when she starts understanding whats really going on with the Noodle Gang, and why her family "suddenly" can't remember her. Wukong blames himself for not explaining it better to her earlier, but hadn't wanted to dump so much loss on his babygirl all at once - it was a lose-lose situation.]

Yuebei learning and coming to understand what's happened probably ends up being the b-plot of an episode. maybe "Amnesia Rules", instead of Wukong getting his memories back by getting hit over the head, it happens because he realizes through Yuebei having an emotional breakdown over the others, and now her own father, having forgetton her and he realizes that she's describing them having reincarnated and he's like "ah! that's what happened." and explains more indepth what that means to her. the others hear of her feeling about "them forgtting her" for the first time during this, and can't help but feel bad and try and help Wukong explain. she probably clings to her baba for a long time after, and stops being as cld to the others. maybe even kinda apologizes to MK for thinking he stole them from her.

maybe. not sure how well the idea works.

[Yuebei doesn't like Macaque, but she doesn't completely abhor the idea of him and her baba becoming close again. She just doesn't want either of them to get hurt again.]

she doesn't protest her presence much, as her baba seems... hopeful (though still a little sad sometimes) when he's around, and she also doesn't hate the idea of having her second baba around. but she also doesn't let him off scott free, glaring over Wukong's shoulder at him when macaque gets to close to soon, clinging to Wukong when he tries to talk to her, not talking much around him even if he addresses her directly, and generally not being very receptive. she probably at some point goes through a "rebelious phase" where she does things to test if he'll "really stick around even if she's troublesome". as far as she knows, he didn't even want her in the first place, or at least didn't care that Wukong was having her, so to her it seems like a reasonable thing to question.

[Azure Lion about to get decked in the face the second he comes around. When did the monkeys multiply? Why is he on fire?]

what can Yuebei say? she's fiercely protective and not happy about someone trying to take away her baba again.

[Wukong is just watching Yuebei tear into their enemies like; "I love my strong little girl." <3]

probably been said before, but no matter the universe; Wukong is a proud dad to all his kids at all times

Prev.

[Macaque comes back to life and assumed the scarf, which was a gift from Wukong in the first place, had been rescinded as a show of them no longer being together. that is, until he recognizes the fabric hanging from the shoulders of a familiar black-furred child that just broke his nose mid shadow play.]

I'm sorry but that is the cutest/saddest gotdamn thing ever. Wukong was so distraught at losing Macaque that he couldn't bare to leave behind his most cherished possession. So he took the scarf. Wrapped it around himself when he felt cold. Maybe even used it to swaddle his new baby girl. Yuebei dragging it around the cave as her security blanket. It being carefully washed and repaired so many times that it's barely red any more.

In the end, Wukong wanted Macaque to be there with him through all of This.

And once the reality sets in, Macaque is sobbing at the sight of Yuebei wearing her beloved scarf as he once did.

And I just love that my reoccurring theme with Macaque in the Egg aus is;

[aaanndd then the moment Wukong is ok again after Yuebei is confirmed ok she's turning into the most foul-mouthed, harshest, rage filled person in the room.]

PIF is terrifying when she's genuinely angry/worried - and once Wukong and Yuebei are safe/healthy post-natal, she starts yelling.

Wukong now finally understands what Macaque meant when he said his "ears are burning". Once the woman calms down, she wraps Wukong into a near-crushing hug, thanking and begging him to never ever do something so stupid again. Even if it saved her baby, Wukong nearly lost his. And PIF would never forgive herself if little Yuebei had been lost to the fire.

Yuebei gets a tearful kiss on the forehead from her auntie before PIF leaves the room, content with the words spoken.

Wukong makes sure to hug DBK when he sees him next, knowing that the Bull feels the same as his wife over the matter.

[the others have a similar joyous reaction, except for Bajie, who is very wounded by the thought of being ugly enough to make a baby cry.]

HAHA! XD Bajie would take it as an insult - but at least his little bro is happy to hear the baby make noise. A loud piglet is a healthy piglet. And little Yuebei was a real quiet piglet for a long time... at least she stops being afraid of ol' Uncle Bajie when she gets a little bigger.

I immediately thought of a scene from Hero is Back where Bajie is trying to calm down the baby Silly Girl by pulling a face, only for the baby to start screaming at him.

[maybe another lasting affect of her brief encounter with the fire is sever asthma. not great for a premature newborn.] + [heaven forbid is she also has any seasonal allergies. not to say Wukong was a total helicopter parent, but he definitely worried.] + [and yeah. between not being allowed to go out to new places much due to being a sickly child, and Wukong's reputation and not having anyone to connect with other then busy celestials, there's not much chance to go exploring.]

Oof. This hit me as an asthmatic preemie myself. Cus so much of my health was compromised as a little kid, I wasn't very active or adventurous - something thats easy to regret as an adult.

Wukong is so scared of how fragile his cub is. He's immortal, he's indestructable - but that means nothing to him if he can't protect his baby. He knows that mint and licorice, and anti-muscosal formulas help people with poor lungs, but the science back then wasn't 100% sure, and he sure as Diyu wasn't letting his daughter smoke datura cigarettes like the western doctors reccomended! At least the Eqyptians had Kyphi - an incense mixture (multiple formulas) that was frequently repurposed into asthma treatments.

All he can really do is to have a fully-stocked pharmacy inside Water-Curtain Cave, and make sure Yuebei stays away from pollen-rich flowers.

Wukong cries with relief in the early 20th century when Ventolin, Antihistamines, and Epinephrine become common knowledge.

Bonus: Interesting article I found on asthma treatment in Traditional Chinese medicine.

[as mentioned above, with her having been so sick she def would have spent a lot of time at Guanyin's. she's a renowned healer, and Guanyin is someone he trusts dearly to boot, so going to the goddess is a win-win in his eyes.]

Yuebei probably sees Guanyin as an aunt/grandparent figure. Hard not to when the bodhisattva is so doting over the tiny girl. Yuebei finds a lot of her lessons and treatments boring, but at least for a long time she had Red to hang out with.

Guanyin knows Wukong wouldn't trust Yuebei's care with them lightly. Even if Guanyin was present to bless Yuebei's arrival, the Monkey King is hesistant to let anyone tend to his little girl for a long time. The goddess is honoured to be so trusted.

[she jumps at MK's offer to take her off island and into the city without her baba sometimes.]

It's the thing that allows her to open up to MK a little more, even with her burning jealousy of how he's spending so much time with her baba + the Noodle Gang family + him getting to have a "normal" life pretending to be a healthy human cub.

She likes arcades but they get very loud for her at times. MK is quick to notice when the "Monkey Princess" (as he calls her) gets overstimulated, and suggests that they check out a quieter activity.

Like a play.

[I feel like she'd make fast friends with Bai He once the LBD fiasco is over.]

Little girl gang! And if Bai He is a foster kid/orphan like I hc, then Yuebei has zero issue letting another sickly little girl into her family. She's very sympathetic and understanding of Bai He's physical limits ever since she hosted LBD - the human girl now aching constantly from her body being forced to move like a puppet. The two jokingly compare how one briefly hosted Fire while the other Ice. Bai He could be considered the more feminine of the two, but they both bond over shared interest in animal science - Yuebei still loves her dinosaurs while Bai He is still a die-hard cat fan. And ofc the inherent chaos that two fearless little girls can get up to when they wander off from their babas' watchful gaze.

[the others hear of her feeling about "them forgtting her" for the first time during this, and can't help but feel bad and try and help Wukong explain. she probably clings to her baba for a long time after, and stops being as cld to the others. maybe even kinda apologizes to MK for thinking he stole them from her. maybe. not sure how well the idea works.]

Ultimately, even if Yuebei understood how death/reincarnation worked, she would still feel "forgotten" as (nearly) every soul that passes through Diyu is made to drink Meng Po's broth and forget their past lives. The little girl still feels abandoned in some way by her Pilgrim uncles "leaving" her and her baba. It's bad enough that Uncle Bull had to go away for a long time, but to lose her uncles, only to see them again in new forms that don't recognize her, devastates Yuebei in a way thats hard for her to articulate.

And for her own parent to be afflicted in a way that makes him unable to remember her? Oh you better believe Yuebei is a complete mess.

When Wukong briefly loses his memory in "Amnesia Rules"; he initially panics, wondering why he can't "feel the Egg" any more - only to look over at Yuebei and have a moment of fractured memory thinking that she must be a projection from the future, or an Egg Macaque made on his own without him.

This assumption continues unaddressed until the gang manages to get Tang back, and befriend Scorpion Queen. As they're about to get Wukong to go back into astral meditation to "reboot" himself, the ginger monkey turns to ask Yuebei something thats been plaguing him all day.

Amnesiac!Wukong: "Are you my Egg?" Yuebei, sadly: "I was..." Amnesiac!Wukong: "Aww. Come here, cub." (*Wukong pulls Yuebei in for a hug*) Amnesiac!Wukong: "If you really are my little Egg many years from now, I'm happy that she grows into a strong, fearless little lady. I'm proud to be your Baba." Yuebei: (*cries into Wukong's shoulder*) "I love you baba..." Amnesiac!Wukong, crying too: "I'm so happy to be able to hear that. I was so scared when you tried absorbing the Samadhi Fire... I thought I lost you. But you're a tough little girl aren't you? You spat that fire right out like it was sour!" Yuebei, aware of her birth circumstances: "Yeah. You tell me that story all the time." Pigsy and Tang, not aware: "What?"

Pigsy and Tang are so emotional over the amnesiac!father-daughter bonding, that they are completely off-guard when the older monkey rattles off some details about the Samadhi Fire that he neglected to let the others in on.

[she probably at some point goes through a "rebelious phase" where she does things to test if he'll "really stick around even if she's troublesome". as far as she knows, he didn't even want her in the first place, or at least didn't care that Wukong was having her, so to her it seems like a reasonable thing to question.]

Ooof!! I love the idea of Yuebei antagonising Macaque "just to be sure" that he's serious about staying around. Macaque honestly tries his best to be patient, but after a while he starts to get super annoyed with the girl's attitude.

Then one stray prank or comment rolls into a genuine verbal confrontation.

Macaque: "What is it about me that offends you so much!? I get it - my and your dad had a few fights and I sorta almost destroyed the world trying to escape the Bone Demon - but I'm trying my best here! I wouldn't have broken your dad out of his possession if I didn't think he was worth sticking around for!" Yuebei, emotional: "How am I supposed to believe that when you left us twice!?" Macaque, realizing: "Twice? What do you mean by- OH." Yuebei: (*trying not to cry*) Macaque: "You... you thought I knew? Kid, I only learned you even existed as a concept when Jin and Yin busted my lip open first thing after New Years." Yuebei: "You have your special ears! You should have known I was there when you-" (*stops talking, buries head into knees*) Macaque, extremely guilty: "I should have. I really should have. But I chose not to listen. I was just so... angry at that monk, at the circlet, even at your baba, I..." *sighs* "Maybe if I had stopped to listen, I would have known you were there. That Wukong had someone he would kill me for. I don't blame him for that." Yuebei, lifts head from knees: "You don't?" Macaque: "Nah. You're a lot cooler than I am. You took the Samadhi Fire head in before you were even born. And when you saw the Bone Demon, you didn't run and hide like I did - you and MK took that witch out. And did I see a certain little warrior take her first war trophy before we left?" Yuebei, avoiding eye contact: "She isn't using it..." Macaque: "To be fair it wasn't getting much use with her anyway. If she had a brain in that skull, she'd know Wukong picks a good troop. I just wished I had known that a few centuries ago..." Yuebei & Macaque share an awkward silence Macaque: "I wanna stick around kiddo. I missed out on a lot when I left. Both times really... But I want to stay. Flower Fruit Mountain is my home too, and I hope someday it could be a home me and your baba can share together again. Even if you don't believe me." Yuebei: (*affectionate elbow jab into Mac's rib*) Macaque, chuckling: "Well, that's progress from the nose busting." Yuebei: (*trying not to laugh*)

Bonus: Wukong hears some of this convo, or it's parroted to him by one of the (sneaked-out of Diyu with Mac) Eclipse twins. You know this monkey crying over his former mate and his baby girl finally starting to get along!

[what can Yuebei say? she's fiercely protective and not happy about someone trying to take away her baba again.]

The only reason Azure gets as far as he does with the Memory Scroll is that Yuebei is either A: Not on FFM at the time, or B: Got Memory Scroll'd in the confusion.

Otherwise, she starts kicking and punching Azure the second she clocks who he is. MK and Mei are gonna have to drag her off of him.

The Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu see this tiny monkey, burning with rightous anger and protectiveness, and just know who's cub she is. The Emperor does however, look over to his wife very briefly to ask if the little girl dragging Azure Lion by the scruff of the neck to Diyu is a lost grandchild of theirs.

[probably been said before, but no matter the universe; Wukong is a proud dad to all his kids at all times]

Wukong loves his kids so gotdang much. Canon or au - him a proud dad.

This got a little away from me - I hope you liked my reply!

[ughgoaway]

Happy to provide distraction ☺️ what's the tipping point that finally gets matty and neighbour girly together? Do they hook up and then pretend like nothing happened? Does it take a while for them to admit there's something there?

ooooh, good question, good question. obviously, those two are a hot mess, so they absolutely just hook up and ignore it. a fic will eventually (hopefully) come and explain this is in FULL detail, but it all happens after a shit date.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫

you are coming into your building after being no showed for a blind date. You'd been sitting in a restaurant for 45 mins after the agreed time, and still, there was no sign of the bloke. so you went home, but only after necking the 2nd glass of red wine you'd been given by the overly sympathetic waitress.

it was slightly embarrassing walking back into your building dressed to the nines with no man trailing after you like usual. Instead, you were alone wearing a dress that was no longer than your fingertips with untouched lingerie sitting underneath.

you see the lift about to close when you buzz open the front door, and immediately you start running and shouting, "Hold the doors!!" That lift has a history of being painfully slow, and if whoever was in there lived anywhere near the top floor, you'd have been standing in your painful 5-inch heels for far too long for comfort.

no hand reaches out to stop the doors, but you just manage to stick your handbag between and stop them just before they click shut. as they slide back open, you prepared to give whoever was on the other side a peace of your mind. but it's then you see a familiar mop of curls and sly smirk looking back at you, and you can't help but roll your eyes as you get in. any arguments melting from your mind when you see his eyes trace your body up and down, his tongue mindlessly licking his lips.

as soon as the doors shut, you prepare yourself for the inevitable comments, but not how you usually prepare for men commenting on your looks. With others, you're preparing an excuse of why you're not interested in anything other than the real reason (*cough* you're in love with your neighbour *cough*). But with matty, you're instead always trying to hide your smile and the blush that creeps onto your cheeks. you're finally starting to come to terms with the fact that hatred and love are a painfully thin line, and matty might be on a different side than you hoped.

just as he moved next to you and started to open his mouth, the lift makes a terrifying banging noise, and suddenly stops dead. lights flickering off before the generator kicks in, whining obnoxiously as they slowly turn back on. you both stand in dazed silence for about 5 seconds before blaming the other for the malfunction, shouting over each other, slowly getting louder and louder.

"really matty? what button did you press to stop this it's not funny-"

"why do you think it was me?? you're the one desperate to be trapped in a confined space with me cmon-"

eventually, the argument gets cut off by a gruff, nonchalant voice coming over the tannoy, "If there is anyone in the lift, please know help is coming. the camera and microphone on your end are currently broken, so we can't hear or see you. if there even is a you... so yeah. sit tight, I guess"

you look at matty with the same wide eyed gaze that's stuck on his face. "well. fuck." he eloquently says, and you dumbly nod along, sliding down the wall until you flop on the floor of the lift.

now... I don't wanna give TOO many details but. your slight fear of tight spaces starts to rear its ugly head, and there's only one person in that lift to comfort you. and when you finally feel the hands of someone on your skin after imagining it so many times before, it's hard not to do something.

like say, turning and kissing him... or starting to fiddle with the zip on his jeans... or letting his grip on your head tighten as you start to sink further down...

something like that. maybe.

and then the lift doors open, and you both silently walk to your doors, not looking back as the other slips into their apartment. and not a single word is uttered... until a month later, when you see the sixth blonde girl this week being dragged into matty's flat, only to then be accosted with noises that a porn director would envy.

that's the final straw.

[jellyfishsthings]

Warnings: this is going to be a multi part series and it's going to be angsty cause I am in my feels. Female reader, Padmé and Anakin were together but had a healthy break up, Jedi reader so forbidden love

This story takes plays in Clone Wars yet many events have been changed (like the meeting of Ashoka and Anakin... don't worry the sibling energy is still there.)

series masterlist

I head towards my room. The walk there feels like an eternity. When I finally reach the familiar doors, I slip inside. I remove the damned dress haphazardly as I head towards the shower. I let the cold water envelop me, trying to remove the tension from my shoulders since my usual scalding hot shower routine will not calm me.

After a while, I got out and dressed myself in a long T-shirt and tucked myself under the heavy duvet. My eyes flutter close, exhaustion taking over my senses despite my nap on the ship that was rudely interrupted. Yet, my mind is clouded. Padmé's words resurfaced. "You are made for each other." Yeah sure… as much as I want it to be true, there is no way there is no chance for the two of us. And so I will myself to sleep, and I let myself dream of what we could be.

I dream of him.

Dawn finds me still in my bed for the first time in forever. Today is what I call a "slow" day because I don't have to do anything. So I bury myself under the comfort of my pillow and my comforter, and I stay there for at least one more hour, doing absolutely nothing. Yet my body craves movement, and I can't stay still anymore. I throw on my robes and head towards the cafeteria, where chaos erupts.

"But Master-" a young feminine voice calls and is interrupted by a much louder one.

"I am not your Master, girlie. There has to be some kind of mistake." Anakin's voice booms and echoes through the hall. Causing laughter from all the other current residents of the Temple.

"What is happening? " I whisper to Obi-Wan as I enter the room.

"Anakin has a Padawan. A much… stubborn one." He says, chuckling.

A young girl stands across from my friend with arms crossed and a scowl. Anakin wears a similar stance and expression. I calmly get closer to them.

"Ani. Won't you introduce me to your friend?"

He draws an annoyed breath, trying to maintain his composure.

"My name is Ashoka."

"Nice to meet you, Ashoka. Were you shown your room yet, and your new clothes?"

"No, because skyguy over here …"

"Don't call me that." Anakin snaps, and I try to stifle a laugh. "Not you, too."

"She's funny."

"She's overly sarcastic, mean, arrogant and… why are you smiling like that?"

"Oh, how the tables turn."

"What do you - No."

"Oh yes." I say and smirk at him, waiting for his response. It never comes, at least not directly.

"Come on, Snips. Let's have a tour of the Temple." He says with an exaggerated sigh. And I beam at the nickname Snips. He is already invested even if he shows clear dislike to her … for now. I wink at the young Padawan, and she smiles at me as they leave the room.

I find Obi-Wan slacking at the corner table, watching me with a knowing smile. I serve some French toast on a tray, and I join him. A comfortable silence enveloped us as we ate.

"May I ask you something?" He says after a while.

"Of course Master Kenobi."

"Drop the formalities, firecracker. Will you join me in the meditation ring? I am afraid my usual partner is rather occupied. "

"Of course."

And so we leave our trays in the washing compartment, and head towards the meditation ring. Our outer robes are removed as we sit across each other, and we cross our legs, placing our hands above our knees facing upwards and straightening our backs. Our eyes flutter close as we let ourselves delve into the Force; we let our spirits travel miles and miles away. Soon, I feel something resisting my mind's borders, trying to slip inside, and I gently push it back. This goes back and forth for a while, and Obi-Wan is a great opponent in this as it turns out. We are both out of breath and sweat collects above my brows.

"The Force is strong with you. You have great power in you, and you use it wisely. Your constraint and maturity proceeds your age. "

"Thank you, Master."

"Yet you wear your emotions, much like Anakin. Especially with Anakin."

"Well, of course, he is my friend."

"That is not what I mean, and you know it. I have raised you both. I know what I see. Your feelings for each other are obvious, at least to me. The council forbids any kind of attachment." He says calmly. "I think they are wrong. Attachment is what makes us stronger; it is what gives us hope."

"You mean -"

"I do not think anything, kiddo. You are too smart for your own good. I have faith that you will figure it out. And dismiss any thoughts of leaving the Order; he is not complete without you."

I stayed still in my place, baffled at his words, as he kindly smiled at me and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

My thoughts are tangled knots for the rest of the day. Every loose string I find makes the mess even more complicated. Every task I try to do is left unfinished, I give up on the thought of a productive day, leaving reports unread on my desk and I head towards the training room.

I hijacked the sound system of the room and I put my one and most prized possession into the old pick up I once found on a black market. Loud music fills the room and I head towards the center of the arena. I position myself in a fighting stance and I let my body get lost in the music as I repeat fighting routines. Hours could have past or mere minutes before a small body appears next to me trying to copy me. I flinch as she gets close to a striking distance.

"You are awesome. Why can't you be my Master and not Sir Grumpypants?"

"I wouldn't know Ashoka."

"Master speaks very highly of you."

"Ashoka what the hell are you doing?" Anakin yells as he lets the doors slam behind him. I roll my eyes at his dramatic entrance and his antics. "Go back to your room."

"But you said-"

"Now. I won't say this twice." And so Ashoka leaves with a long, suffering sigh. After she is out of the doors I turn towards my friend.

"You didn't have to be so stern with her."

"Don't criticize me." He buries his hand in his hair, tugging at the roots as he whispers. "What am I supposed to do? She is just a child and I have to turn her into a warrior? The war is raging and-"

"Breathe. Just breathe." I say as I encircle him with my arms, hugging him tightly trying to calm his panicked breathing.

"I can't do it. I won't." He mutters over and over as tears slip down his face.

"You can and you will. You have to."

"I know." His lips move against the skin of my neck, forming the words but never saying them out loud. "You will help right? I am so lost."

"Yeah, this is what friends are for."

"Yeah, friends." He repeats sadly.

Friends. The sound of it is bitter and it sits badly at our tongues, since we are both too afraid to face the truth.

words: 1.277

[raptorfae53]

Monster High Reimagined: Heath Burns Character Bio/redesign.

Heath Burns (He/Him)

(Paraguayan-American)

Boitata child of the burns family.

To the average eye,Heath is not the…sharpest tool in the shed,an overly excitable would-be casanova whose desire to impress often leads to him making a fool of himself,exactly the last person you'd think to give the flammable powers and responsibilities of the Boitata. But although an exuberant literal wild child, there's more than a few dimensions to him, most more apparent out in the wilds and nature than in the classroom…

Likes: Being in nature,wildlife,flame print,girls (particularly girls taller than him) and s’mores and other such campfire foods.

Dislikes: Environmental damage and destruction,colder weather, boring or tedious activities,being ignored when chatting,and people being two-faced.

Killer style: nothing but the coolest fashion for this fire spirit! We're talking bowling shirts,chain jewellery, and flame patterns on everything! (For the uninitiated reader, he dresses like Guy Fieri, and nobody has the heart to tell him, heath wouldn't mind regardless)

Familiar: none, besides the whole fire thing heath has no desire to keep animals as pets,he prefers nature wild,free and chaotic,like himself.

Pet Peeve: Seemingly always ending up a laughing stock in his frequent attempts to prove himself as cool,suave or funny as he'd like,Heath laughs it off with the rest of them but it stings nonetheless…

Freaky Flaw: Impatience,at least in man-made settings. Heath…has never done particularly well in a classroom setting and is usually desperate to get anything paperwork related done in a flash to get back to more interesting affairs, his attempts to remedy that being not as well thought out as he likes and usually getting him into more trouble than they were ever worth in the first place!

Spooky Secret: heath can tell his peers are saying stuff behind his back and don't respect him as much as he wishes, and far from his seeming obliviousness to it all it irritates him greatly, that goes for those gossiping about that cute Yeti girl too, she's not scary she's just trying to be friendly!

Dream job: Wildlife ranger,wildlife photographer or anything that gets him out in nature and not cooped up indoors, going to cool places and learning and helping all sorts of cool animals,plants and other such forms of life!

Five Fearsome facts:

Like the rest of his species, Heath's actual form resembles an anaconda made out of living fire. As cool as he and his friends do think this form is, heath takes a humanoid form (albeit one with golden skin and flames for hair) to better navigate society and/or not scare the living daylights out of regular humans.

In turn, heath is capable of controlling said fire with pyrokinesis, or at least he's training to,getting too overexcited tends to end with anyone nearby getting their hair singed as he's come to learn.

Befitting his species original role and bewildering his colleagues used to his airheaded personality,heath is a staunch environmentalist ,striking up a friendship with Venus over their shared interest and collaborating often with the plant monster on various efforts as part of monster high's environment and gardening clubs.

Heath is trilingual in English, Spanish and Guarani, having grown up in a household fluently speaking all three. Recently a pastime of his has been practising the fundamentals of a fourth language to properly chat to a girl in his year,as she's clearly more confident talking in her mother tongue instead of English and Heath would love to get to know her better…

Whilst being made out of fire might seem like a surefire reason to stay away from swimming pools ,heath is an adept and seasoned swimmer, if only his exuberant nature didn't turn every pool he's ever been in into a simmering,steaming hot tub!

Hello again to the second profile of seven this spooky season (I know its still September but personally summer doesn't quite agree with me yknow,bring on Halloween!)

Compared to Abbey, (whose inspiration is well known by most people in the mh fandom) what exactly Heaths monster type and inspo is a little less well-known, so there's some explanation down below regarding exactly that!

Anyways,hope you enjoyed this profile, and see you next week for the next one. (It's going to be one I should've done a while ago tbh,if that's any clue...)

Anyways,regardless of all that, you probably have one primary question on your mind.

What's a Boitata, and why is Heath one?

In regards to the first question, a boitata is an Amazonian nature spirit that takes the form of a giant flaming snake and which protects the animals and plants of the forest from harm. The Boitata is from Guarani mythology, who live primarily in Paraguay and the surrounding countries, hence why Heath is from a trilingual Paraguayan family.

And to answer the second question, like toralei before him, I dont like the whole fire elemental thing, and him being a demon/hellborn goes against one of the fundamental rules I set myself regarding what monsters the monster high characters are based on. No Abrahamic Demons,Angels,direct children of Gods ,Aliens (bar one,but we'll get to them later) and no bigfoot because I thought it'd be funny if that were where i drew the line.

So I had a look at some of the other fire based monsters, and the boitata, in particular, simply caught my eye. (+ the environmental protector thing I thought fit Heaths g3 personality, as all things considered my version of him is a mix of g1 and g3 in terms of design and personality instead of purely one or the other...)

Also for better reference here's a collection of different renditions of the creature to give a better picture:

[eldritch-elrics]

today in silent hill 2 remake, i did woodside apartments. not even blue creek! i spent like 3 hours straight just running through woodside apartments. i think this is gonna be a common theme... that is, i'm gonna be slow as fuck playing this game because there is so much to see!

speaking of woodside vs blue creek, when i played the og i completely did not realize that blue creek apartments are supposed to be an otherworld. like, it makes sense in retrospect! but the little achievement that pops up in the remake and straight up tells you that you're in the otherworld is pretty obnoxious, imo. it's more fun for the game to just ease you into it.

i think my biggest observation about this area is: whoa, it feels like silent hill again! i'm not sure what it is - maybe the cramped indoor spaces and familiar sh dungeon gameplay patterns - but i finally felt like i was playing a silent hill game. that's great! i quite liked how they reimagined the apartments too, taking familiar puzzles and moments (putting the juice down the chute! eddie! pyramid head behind the bars!) and placing them into a totally rearranged version of the dungeon.

all the ambiance was perfect. i like the mannequins' new behaviors (they are so sneaky!). also, i said in my last post that i wasn't finding the remake very scary, but i definitely got creeped out in this area, so i will have to amend that thought. it's scary! (also, tonight, i was playing by myself in a room with the lights off - unlike last time, where i had my friend with me offering commentary lol... so that may have affected things)

i continue to enjoy the James Noises. had my headphones this time so i could better hear his scared breathing when things get spooky + his whimpers/screaming when he steps on an enemy. great sound design!

it seems like the remake is more intent on adding features like shortcuts - stuff like the fire escape on the second level that you can access from the courtyard. this is a super welcome addition. on some post somewhere i talked about how i think silent hill would benefit from a design philosophy like that of dark souls 1, and this is a perfect example of that! it helps if you're dying a lot... and man, i feel like i'm dying a lot. and at low health a lot. health items & ammo feel more scarce than they were in the og... or maybe i'm just suffering from lack of save states. lol.

let me think... plenty of great moments here. i liked the new room with writing all over the walls; that's a pretty good setpiece. i like the new twist on the coins in holes puzzle - it's a little more complex, and it's cool how it kind of tells a story. i also got to the cutscene with pyramid head! unfortunately i found it more funny than scary this time around but i think that was mostly because i've played the game before and don't really find pyramid head scary anymore. interesting how it kind of toned down the sexual overtones of the part with the mannequins? i know that at least one of the devs on the og has said that that scene wasn't meant to read as overly sexual, so maybe the remake team had that in mind.

also i JUST remembered that james doesn't ask eddie about the "red pyramid thing" in this version. sad!!!! (maybe he does if you go back to talk to him before moving on to blue creek... but who knows...)

i'm still missing the James Commentary but there's been some fun little bits, like the part where he comments on the kids' artwork in that one apartment. it's cute! i wonder if the lack of commentary on random objects kind of changes his personality or makes him feel more endearing. in the original, he's so blunt and unemotive about most of the things he's describing. it's interesting to lose that side of him.

this is an interesting new memo also? seems kind of on the nose to me though; it's pretty obvious what it's referring to. does this confirm sh2 timeloop theory?

finally: this moment made me laugh

james... you can jump over these carts. i promise you. you're capable of this.

[siriuslysatorusimping]

ok this has been plaguing my mind so naturally i’m offloading it so someone else shares this burden. i am DYING to know what megumi thinks of the rinko/gojo situation (granted, if anything). like, he is a child who hears gojo call rink babe and sweetheart all while being touchy and i assume megumi also sees gojo with other hookups or atleast flirting/getting numbers. do you see megumi saying anything to gojo (before he knows it’s casual) since we see him warming to rinko?

Hello, dear, sweet Anon! I LOVE this question!!

Because I'm ME, my answer is below the cut because it's gonna be long and wordy and probably make ZERO sense but I'll try 🙃

Note after I've written the response: THIS IS SUCH A LONG POST I'M SORRY AGAIN AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Read Another Level on AO3 :)

OKAY, SO.

What does Megumi think of Rinko and Gojo?

The shortest answer is that he thinks they're both idiots but that he really, really just wants his adoptive mom cousin to be happy.

I'm gonna answer the easiest part first.

Does Megumi also see Gojo with other hookups or flirting/getting numbers from other women?

Rarely, if ever, does Megumi witness this. Primarily because Megumi only spends time with Gojo for three main reasons: Training, a job, or to visit the Zenin estate.

Funny enough, Megumi spends more casual time with Rinko than he does with Gojo. Though Gojo will obviously tag along whenever he can because he loves to be a little shit and he wants to be around her whenever he can.

So, Megumi has actually seen Rinko get more numbers than Gojo. Though, people will typically avoid her when she's with him because they assume that Megumi is her kid and most men don't want that smoke 😂 and also because Megumi has already mastered that Zenin scowl and stare, which means he glares at anyone who gets too close to her because our lil bean is protective of his adoptive mom cousin.

(Remember in Double-Edged Words when Rinko noted that she felt the anger of two people behind her? Our lil bean of a boy was about to throw hands with an old man for his adoptive mom cousin, guys.)

Megumi has seen Gojo flirt with a few women, but he can tell Gojo acts differently with Rinko, is softer, more genuine than he is with other people in general. And Megumi also knows that Gojo doesn't even realize he does it.

What does he think when he hears Gojo call Rinko baby and sweetheart?

Gojo was actually pretty careful with what he called her around Megumi for the first few years that Rinko knew Megumi. He mainly called her 'Rinko-chan' around Megumi because he knew Rinko would freak out on him for calling her a pet name so casually in public.

Especially on jobs, Rinko will usually give Gojo a very unpleasant look if he calls her anything too familiar. And he respects that it's one of her boundaries. We'll see this a bit later, when they're at work, both of them as teachers, and he will call her Kurisaki-chan exclusively to respect how uncomfortable it makes her when he calls her anything else.

Megumi knew they slept together, especially after Gojo gave Naobito a small piece of his mind, and after in Winter Lullaby when they woke up and Gojo was literally in Rinko's bedroom, there's no beating around the bush with that one.

But for the most part, Gojo tried not to be overly affectionate with her in front of Megumi to respect her boundaries.

Because Maki is living with Rinko now, she's going to end up seeing more of their relationship than Megumi early on because she's going to be around Rinko all the time for a little while. But, in addition, because Maki is living with her, she's going to be bringing Megumi around so that Maki isn't lonely and they will train together often before they start school, meaning Gojo will be there too.

Innate Issues - Part 3 is where we're beginning to see the shift, though, where Gojo is freer with how he talks to her, and it's mainly because of how uneasy the job made both of them. When he first called her 'baby' during that job, it was out of instinct because he was trying to get her out of harm's way. He didn't want the Special Grade to clock her energy and come looking for the source, so he called her baby before he could think otherwise. He was a bit freer with how he called her baby and touched her after it was over because he'd been worried about her 🥺

BUT, remember, Megumi is perceptive and it has been said so many times that he just doesn't seem his age. So he knows what's going on lol. Because you've also got to remember that Toji was his dad. And he straight up, according to Gojo, said that he believed his dad sold him to the clan for gambling money. Kid's been through shit, ya know?

Does he ever say anything to Gojo about Rinko?

Short answer is yes, he does. But it's much later, actually. Because again, he's seen Gojo and Rinko in separate environments and just how different they are with each other.

At some point, he's going to look Gojo in the eye and just ask him what the hell he's doing with Rinko and why he hasn't married her yet.

The relationship and how he sees them together is one of the reasons he's so openly antagonistic toward Gojo when she's around, too. How he teases Gojo and calls him a child. When he and the girls called Gojo annoying and then he met Rinko's eyes through the rearview mirror, because of how he views her, she's one of the few people who get those smiles and smirks where she knows he's enjoying himself and having fun.

BUT, there will also be a part, in a later installment, where he's going to be worried about her, I'll give you a lil taste:

Her face fell for a moment before she could steel her expression, the hurt showing long enough she knew his keen eyes caught it. “No,” she admitted, watching his eyes narrow at her. “I found out today. When you did.” “Why didn’t he tell you-?” “Beats me, kid,” she said, shrugging as she smiled at him. “He’s got his reasons. Doesn’t have to tell me everything.” “But he usually does,” Megumi argued, and that ache in her chest started growing again at the look of concern on his face now. “Rinko-san-” “You’re too young to be that concerned about me,” she teased, ruffling his hair and chuckling when he swatted her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he had his reasons for not telling either of us, yeah?”

Rinko knows he's perceptive, so she tries to hide if things aren't going well and it only makes him narrow in quicker. But note when he says "he usually does" when it comes to telling her things. Wherever this is in our timeline, Megumi knows the two don't have secrets, and him realizing that they suddenly do makes him worried for her.

Megumi's relationship with Rinko really will become a bit of a reluctant parent/kid without either of them realizing it, because she's essentially lying so Megumi doesn't view Gojo any worse even though what it actually does is make him more upset because he knows she's doing it. BUT, there will also be very sweet moments, which I'll share a lil bit of:

“Megumi-” “Rinko-san,” he greeted, easily catching the ginger candy she tossed him. “You don’t need to keep bribing me, you know-” “Who said it’s still a bribe?” she asked, watching him smile at her. “Unless you’re telling me you don’t want it? I’ll eat yours too-” His only reply was opening the wrapper and chewing the candy before she could finish her statement.

And, because I have zero self-control, I'll give one last lil peek:

“I couldn’t even help,” he muttered, his jaw clenching. “I was useless-” “Don’t,” she said, pinching his ear harshly. “That doesn’t help you.” “Ow!” he smacked her hand away. “You’re as bad as he is sometimes.” “Only when you need it,” she mused, a small smile on her face as she watched him rub his ear.

OKAY, so there's my hella long rant I hope it makes sense!! 🥹

Thank you again for your question!!!! 💕💕

[mystiika]

@miidnighters plotted for a starter — flynn & jamie.

jamie had never really thought too hard about how to act around flynn, nor particularly cared how he presented himself beyond dressing as reasonably as he would have in any other company. from start jamie had been comfortable with him. the only thing jamie had ever really been consistent in caring about was him trying to use the same cologne whenever he met with flynn. he felt it was important that he at least comes with a familiar scent even if the time of day left his appearance hard to make out with clarity. but now jamie had been stressing needlessly about the outfit, needing to focus on something. but to finally put himself out of his misery he eventually he just video called hannah & got her to settle on something for him — what are siblings for, just as she told him in response to his thanks.

in the final hours leading up to picking flynn up, jamie seemed unable to settle between anxious & excited.  he ultimately he's still not quite sure if this was meant to be a date or not. but at this point he was far too afraid of getting it wrong to outright ask & risk ending up embarrassed for assuming that's what it was simply because flynn had expressed interest in him— enough to flush his cheeks pink at the very least which is something he'd prefer to avoid. normally, being around friends like flynn would calm him down ( relaxing is easiest among friends after all ), again, normally but this was FAR from normal for jamie, it was new & a little confusing but ultimately quite pleasant thus far. & he never minded a shifting kind of friendship, they change so much over time as you grow & jamie had every intention of taking this seriously so he can respond to flynn despite the clear insistence that there were no expectations placed on him. as far as confessions go, jamie hadn't been on the receiving end of all that many of them over the years. but he quite liked flynn's. he supposes a part of that is the comfort of flynn already knowing him as well as he does, & choosing to like him after all that. 

❝ it's really not as crowded as i thought it was going to be, ❞ jamie says to flynn; only half turning his head towards the other while distracted by the sudden ❛ winner winner winner ❜ soundbite echoing from a test of strength game directly beside them. but he's able to bring his attention back to flynn just as fast as it had been taken away ( although, aided largely in part by the slightest tug on his hand where the two had ended up with fingers laced together ). ❝ it isn't all that loud either, i mean yeah there's the sound of the rides & games & stuff but i don't think i'll really have to rely on lip reading much. ❞ it was a bit funny how they balanced each other out in that way too — with jamie able to read out the signs for flynn as needed while flynn took care of the times when something was a little too far away or a little too quiet for jamie to catch it all with absolute certainty.

it is a real date, right?

jamie certainly doesn't mind the idea & it's not much different from their usual hang outs in a way. there's still good conversation, good entertainment, & their inside jokes. they'd held hands before too. & yet it felt so different now when simply walking around holding hands was enough to make him overly concious of every way flynn seemed to near him. & near him flynn was, but discerning if it was intentional was made difficult when the environment alone seemed to have them be repeatedly ( both physically & emotionally ) pushed together without their efforts.

he wasn't even sure he knew how to date someone after so long. but he was enjoying his time with flynn & figures he can focus on that for now & make up his mind on how he feels once the night is over.

[echoedcrosshairs]

Another Life / Dogma ~ Soul Mate AU

Summary: Dogma has always been completely loyal to the republic and to his training. His soulmate is very loyal to her ward, vowing to reject him just so whoever he is won’t distract her for her duty. Even without the bond both of you dip your toes into each other; you were made for each other all however Fate has a funny way of working itself out in the end.

Warning: Scars, Battle, Wounds, NSFW, Smut, PiV, 18+, cannon typical violence, medical incidents

Word count: 11.2k

Masterlist

Dogma's eye pulsed like it was trying to leap from the socket, he tapped into the link letting the eye show him your surroundings where you were. She's here... On Coruscant at the 79's. He closed the link, stopping mid step and placing his foot down. I know what I have to do, For the Republic.

"What is it Dogma?" Tup said noticing his brothers abrupt halt on the way back to the barracks.

"My soulmate... She's here."

Your friend had dragged you out to the overly loud clone bar to see her mate for a little while you both were on world, you hated the fact that you were dragged here but you were her loyalist guard and nothing ever got past you. You followed her to the back of the bar to the small side room inspecting it for anything before allowing her to go in with the privacy of her mate.  Your eye started burning like someone had lit explosives under it.

"What is it?" She said quickly stepping out of the room.

"My mate... He's here... and coming," you gritted out, "Please remain in that room for the next hour, their is a bathroom," the pain in your eye started letting up, "I will lock the both of you inside until the pain is over."

"You don't have to do that for me," she complained.

"Your highness, my duty is to protect you. I promised you when we were kids if he ever came I would do what needed to be done to make sure nothing interfered. Now I must insist you go enjoy yours," you said winking at the trooper waiting for her, you heard her sigh but knew your mind was made up.

You closed the door and took your military grade lock and bolted the door shut, remaining firmly infront of the door with your hands folded together in waiting. You're eye pulsed and you grabbed your eye noticing the two soldiers walking in, one gripping his eye two. You let go of it and opened it seeing him stare at you and you at him. You felt the tug towards him, wanting to touch him and know him but you harden yourself against it.

"He's going to reject you," his friend blurted out.

"I was going to do the same," you said sticking out your hand offering your name taking in the perfect jawline, eyes and beautiful V face tattoo.

"Dogma," he said taking the hand, shaking it feeling the familiar roughness of a soldier. She's made for me, his mind screamed.

"I have a duty to my planet, I hope you forgive me. Dogma, I reject you as my soul mate."

"And I reject you due to my loyalty to the Republic."

Everything in you broke, you read about what happens when you reject a soul mate link but nothing prepared you for the pain ripping through you. Your bones felt like they were breaking, shattering and ricocheting around your body. You fell back and stumbled full weight back into the door.

You heard Melissa calling your name is some faint corner of the breaking world, "It's just pain," you gritted out, "I'll survive."

Tup grabbed onto Dogma seeing a similar reaction, he watch the abnormal color of his soul link eye fade back into clone brown also seeing the color recede from your eye. Both eyes finally matching in color. He scowled shaking his head without getting a chance to meet her, he knew they were cosmically perfect for each other. Loyal, head strong and determined.

Your vision kept fading out but the sweet release of unconsciousness never came leaving you reeling in pain and hollowness, leaving a hole of nothingness. People often fell apart of their rejection succumbing to the permanent depths of depressions or having their mind break apart leaving them hollow shells. I will never falter in my duty. You forced yourself to stand infront of the door knowing there was still what seemed like endless minutes of agony left. You stretched both your arms out to the arch of the door using it to hold yourself up.

"I told you she was a fighter," Dogma gridded out, having Tup pull him up.

"And a hell of a lot stronger then you."

"He's plenty strong," you got out the pain finally starting to subside. You rested the back of your head on the door staring him. If he was meant for me he's plenty strong. In another life, I could have loved you and gotten to know how perfect you are for me. Your heart kept breaking with every passing thought feeling the sparks of the bond start to dwindle and the pain in your start to steady pulse in pain.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tup asked, "I can go grab a medic-"

"Do me a favor, just watch out for him for me. I'll be fine," you said your arms dropping to your sides.

Tup nodded, "I'm going to get him to med bay, it's standard protocol."

You nodded, "Goodbye, Dogma," you watched them retreat from the bar ignoring all of the eyes on you. I wonder if I'll ever see you again in another life.

Fate made it her mission to through but in your face every day that you terminated your bond, in took one week from that day for the war to reach your planet and the soldiers to deploy and you had to miserably see him in everyone of his brothers. The Princess tried to be more discreet with her mate but you told her you were fine even if felt like you were dead inside, hollow. I hope your keeping an eye on him. Several months after that defending the princess from a separatist assassin you took a vibroknife to the face in the same place as his tattoo. The king and the republic without haste paid for new cybernetic eye in thanks of your service.

Months after that the Princess had pulled you aside telling your the troops were switching out and that he was coming. She wanted you slump into the wall, your handing going to the scar that now permanently indented you and reminded you of him everyday you looked in the mirror. She knew you covered your mirrors and even switched out the showering stall to remove the reflection of the glass.

You pulled your hand away, "Is your mate joining? He is a kind soldier," you said turning the focus away from yourself.

"Father is actually paying for his release, he will be joining us... permanently."

"I look forward to protecting both of you."

"How you feeling Dogma?" Tup asked sitting in the empty bunk next to him, finding him yet again laying down staring at the ceiling. Between every assignment he's like this, broken, focuses on the mission but refusing to head to shore time so I'm left here babysitting him.

"You saw where we're heading next," he breathed, "We're heading straight to the capital... where she is."

"You're not mates anymore, Dogma. You have to pick yourself up at some point."

Dogma sat up and stared at him, "You don't know what it's like, a piece of you being gone, the... void that it leaves inside."

"You have to try, for her and yourself. I don't know what it's like you're right but I do know that fate's bringing you two back together for a reason; hopefully closure for both of you."

You stood at the Princess's side when the white and blue ships landed, her hands squeezed yours before releasing it. The doors of ships swung open and the soldiers marched out. Instinctively you took a step forward defensively in front of her.

"General Skywalker," you said extending your hand to the Jedi, "Welcome to Idora." You watched one trooper break ranks and run at the Princess, you smiled as they embraced. You watched the inner company of the 501st step forward following behind him. Seeing him. You didn't let recognition flash across your face as you moved down the line greeting each of them one by one. "If you all may follow me you'll be stationed with me at the inner guard wing."

"Your scar..." Anakin said looking between you and Dogma, feeling the broken bond.

"Completely unrelated, I took a vibro knife to the face when Dooku sent an assassin. I have no mate, Sir" you said continuing your walk keeping your eye on the Princess and her beloved as they pretended to escort all of you to the guards wings barely being able to keep their hands off each other.

"My room is one with burn marks," ironically also with a V, "Every other room is available, make yourselves at home," you excused yourselves shooing your them off to the Princess's room as to not make even more of a scene.

You wondered down the hall and sat on the balcony as the soldiers ruffled around moving gear and arms. Seeing someone sit besides you, you looked to find the solider who was with Dogma the night of the rejection.

"The name's Tup by the way," he said letting his feet dangle over the edge.

"How is he?" You asked the sadness if your voice slipping out.

"Lonely."

You nodded trying to swallow the clump forming in your throat, "At least he's alive," you said one tear falling down. Almost every night you sat on this ledge looking up into the stairs when conditions allowed wondering if he was still alive because you could no longer feel him.

"I'm not sure he'd agree. Rejection is worse then death."

Don't think I'd agree either, "Fate has made it miserable, so many reminders," you said letting your finger tips touch your scar before falling back into your lap.

"Yeah for him too. I didn't know fate could be this cruel."

"Breaking the most divine gift in the universe, I'm surprised she's being this kind."

"You should talk to him," Tup suggested, "It's not over until the banshee screams," he said patting your shoulder and getting up, "The soulmate bond is broke but you two could always try being friends," he said walking away staring at Dogma who was eaves dropping.

"I know your there," you muttered.

"I know," he said coming and taking the spot where Tup was, "It's a phantom sensation compared to what it was," Dogma extended his hand showing you his palm, "Remember when it snapped into place while you were cooking and burnt your palm, I got a matching one. I take it we both now have a couple more matching marks."

"When you fell during training, I elbowed glass and got the mark in the same place."

"Fate's taking this whole know your mates body like your own thing a little two literal," Dogma chuckled.

You joined him, his laugh soothing the awkwardness and tension. You glanced at him watching how at ease he looked, relaxed even compared to how Tup described him as of late. Dogma glanced at you at the scar, the twisted reminder of what could have been.

"It bugs you to look at doesn't it?" You asked looking back out to the court yard littered with ships.

"You're still beautiful."

"Consider yourself a beautiful man?" You attempted to crack a joke but it fell flat.

"I mean it."

"Thank you."

"Tup, is that?" Anakin whispered watching the two of you on the balcony.

"Yes, sir. I think it'll help them find closure."

"It's doing more then that."

"Excuse me?" He said looking frazzled.

"Nothing, let's go get something to eat."

Both of you sat there swapping stories about what happened since you two meet until late into the evening when the stars started twinkling in the sky.

You watched him lay back and stare up at them, "Hell of a view," he said.

"Yeah it is," for the first time in a long time the vastness of space didn't remind you how empty you were, you laid back tucking your arms under your head using them as uncomfortable pillows.

"You ever going to get your bunk set up," Jesse said lightly shoving him with his foot, "Excuse us ma'am."

"Coming, Lieutenant," Dogma said prying himself up, giving you a stiff nod.

You gave them a little salute wave. Probably for the best, I was getting way to comfortable, you thought with a small yawn. You sat up up taking your jacket off and rolled it up putting in under your head, That's better.

"Haven't seen you like this in forever," you heard the Melissa pur behind you.

"Tup said I should talk to him, I think it helped. Where's Sebastian?" You asked noticing her mate wasn't with her.

"Eating with his brother's, it's 'no place for a lady', apparently," she scowled.

You sat up tossing your jacket over your arm, "I'll go baby sit to make sure he doesn't say anything to damning about your lack of virtue," you said winking.

Melissa's face lid red, "I didn't even think of that."

"It's my job to worry," you reassured.

You walked into the makeshift mess promptly putting yourself next to Sebastian with a shit eating grin hearing the conversation about their bond, "Apparently you do need a baby sitter."

"She tell you to keep an eye on me?" He asked.

"It's my duty to know what you're both up too," you laughed, "Don't mind me."

"I don't think this is the place for a-"

"Call me a lady and we're stepping outside," you said pointing your fork at him.

"We can step outside," Dogma said without thinking, having enough of his brothers asking him about rejecting the bond and how it feels to be around you just wanted to get away.

The fork fell from your hand and clanked on the table. Everyone at the table was staring at the both of you. I am going to assume everyone knows.

"I didn't mean it like-" Dogma back tracked trying to apologize.

"Come on," you exhaled, standing up.

Tup covered his mouth trying to hide the massive grin on it, "If they hadn't had been... I would have assumed Fate messaged up," he chuckled out the moment you two were out of earshot.

"That has to be torture, I've already rescued him once," Jesse said.

"I thought that would have been the one rule he bent," Kix admitted.

"What are we gossiping about?" Anakin said standing at the edge of the table watching the both of you walk off chatting about something.

"How miserable he problem is," Jesse said, "Do you mind rescuing him, Sir?"

"He doesn't need saving from her," Anakin smiled sitting down, "Let them work it out."

"If your brother's ask, I kicked your ass," you smiled enjoying the walk.

"If my brother's ask, I handed you yours," he laughed back.

"I take it all of them know?" your voice switched to dead seriousness.

"Yeah, I was still pretty disoriented when Tup got me to the med bay. I'm surprised you stood up that fast."

"I wasn't going to be one of those people who just laid down and took it, I wasn't going to let it break me. I'm glad you seemed to do the same," you said eyeing him.

"I'm a soldier, I keep going no matter what," not entirely a lie, I complete my missions and then I sulk in my bunk.

Your head snapped in the direction of the field, "Go!" You shouted seeing the destroyer droids approaching. You quickly tossed your blasters in the air grabbing clips off your belt and slamming them in as gravity finished the rest. Dogma stared at you and then at the small battalion of droids, "That is an order, GO!" You watched him finally take off at top sped.

"Alright tin bins, come get me!" You shouted darting into the line of trees away from Melissa, like the idiots they were the droids followed you into your domain. Blaster fire sizzled past your ear as you pressed further into the woods picking them off. It would be great if I had my armor right about now. What the hell are they doing this close? How did they get pass the security. Hot footing it up a tree you dropped down at one of the destroyers letting him shoot at the other droids taking out a handful before shooting in and running again.

"Clankers, west courtyard," Dogma yelled the moment he got into the building.

Everyone started flying for there gear and little red lights shot into the sky alerting everyone of the attack. He quickly grabbed his helmet off the table and started sprinting again.

"Where is she!" Tup shouted after him.

"Her duty."

By the time they got back to the courtyard his eye was burning, he toppled over barely caught before slamming into the ground. Tup and Kix stayed scanning him as the rest of his brothers went to go deal with the droids. Dogma pried his eye open seeing her in the forest, it was dark and barely visible then he saw her topple over with her eye seeing what he was see.

"20 droids, heading... North West 2 klicks," he repeated watching her hand signs before it cut outs, "Land Mines," his skull was splitting but his brothers were running into either a trap or boobie traps.

"You rejected your bond how is that even possible?" Kix shouted chasing after them.

Danger. Played over and over in his mind, he commed in about the mines and kept running. He saw them but bee lined right his feet just guiding him with what was left of that tiny homing beckon of what where you were.

Your eye started burning again and you hoped up in a tree waiting for the visual by it never came just the pain intensifying. What the hell is going on. You jumped down from the tree and felt the tiny tug, Dogma. You run in towards his assumed location. You saw the Jedi engaged with a roller then Dogma on his tail running straight towards you. Without thinking you grabbed his armor and tossed him side ways seeing the hidden mind he almost stepped on and then the pain stopped. No time to think of that, you charged at the Roller from the side sliding into it's bubble and popping in the face and the shield drop. Dogma looked down and saw the mine then back at you then down at it again.

"What the kriff was that about! Watch where your going," you shouted at him.

"You were the one in trouble!"

"No you were! How the kriff did you almost miss that mine?"

"At least I wasn't the one getting snuck up on by clankers!" He shouted tossing you behind him ducking out of blast the stragglers that started shooting. 

"Better then losing another limb!" You shouted firing, "I've already lost two. It's not peachy!"

"Maybe I was suppose too!"

"Knock it off!" Anakin said taking care of the last droid, "Care to explain?" He asked Dogma.

"General, this is my rejected mate. We did it months ago but on the way back here I got to see what she was seeing and knew she was in danger."

"And I saw what you were seeing and knew you were danger," you added.

Anakin watched both of you glare at each other, "Dogma-"

"If for some reason I have too I reject it again, sir."

"I was going to say be thankful both of you got to each other in time," Anakin put his hand on his shoulder, "I would have never asked you to do that or do that again," he said looking at the scar across your face, "Fate works in mysterious ways," he shook his head heading back towards Rex and the other troopers.

"You okay?" He whispered noticing the odd way you held your arm.

"Yeah, I bruised it jumping down on a droid," you murmured backed.

"Jumping down?" He asked bewildered.

You pointed up at the trees and then down at the droids, rolling your eyes. You froze for a second feeling his arm wrap around you tightly for a moment releasing before he walked off in the direction of the where the General went. You stared at him for a moment before jogging back towards the Princess finding her safely in her room with Sebastian in his armor and blaster drawn. He quickly holstered it again.

"I need you to take her to the lowest floor and stay there, the King and Queen are already on their way there. We have no idea about the droids got past security. There's extra arms in that trunk, take whatever you need."

"You're not staying?" She cried out staring, "You're suppose to be with me!"

Sebastian walked up and gripped your arm in the soldiers traditional greetings, "I'll protect her."

"I have to duty to the royal family to find the breach, Your Highness. It's been an honor," you said letting go heading straight to your room, armoring up in the family's forest green before jogging back out to where you encountered them and tracking their foot steps. You kept your weapon drawn as you walked further into the brush.

"Panic Room, she's hunting" was the note Rex found in the King's room, "Since we don't know where the panic room is we're going to stay and reinforce the perimeter."

She's hunting... She's tracking the droid. Dogma froze before falling into line following his brothers out. There's no warning bells, she's fine. Will I even get another warning?

"Worried about her aren't you?" Tup asked, "You're not soul mates any more."

No we're not, but we were still made for each other and for some reason it let me save her and her me. Dogma took a breath finally standing still manning his post. We're nothing to each other but I have to trust her. It didn't take long for the blaster shots to ring out. He looked up to see a helmeted figure limping holding a Tac droid head. He stared in the cut out seeing blood drip from your mouth.

You hobbled on one leg towards the troopers, as much as I want to drop kick this droid head because no one gets passed me it could have useful information on it. Great Dogma and Tup, can't I get a break from these two. You handed Dogma the head before spitting the blood out of your mouth, "Told you I would have kicked your ass," you smiled spitting again.

"You fist fought a tac droid?" Tup stared.

"Run out of ammo, now excuse me. I'm gonna go toss myself in a tank. Pull the blue book in the king's room and the alarm will shut off and they'll get the memo to come up."

Dogma tossed the head to Tup, "Get that to the General, I'll have get her to the tank," he said scooping you up, "Guide me."

You pointed in the direction of where he needed to go your mouth and jaw sore from a punch to the face. Dogma carried you with ease letting you relax into his arms as he maneuvered his way to the tank in the mini med bay. He gently setting you down in a chair next to the tank.

"Do you need help?"

"I can do it-" you winced standing up, quickly sitting back down, "Yeah I need help," you admitted sourly wishing he would have tossed you in armor and all.

Dogma kept his eyes glued to the ceiling as he worked your armor off piece by piece top to bottom just leaving you in your under clothes, "Do you need help with the pants?" he asked noticing the swelling, "I think it's broken."

"It's broke alright," Kix said scanning you, "in several spots."

"Yeah I need help," you scowled further.

Dogma gently helped you pulled your pants down keeping his eyes squeezed shut and pulling your shirt gently over your head tugging it off by the wrist before quickly turning facing the door. He watched Kix move towards and focused his eyes on the door, he's not going to do anything inappropriate. He heard the tank door open and the respirator go over her mouth and then the door shut and the cover slide up hiding everything but her face.

"You don't have to keep torturing yourself, I'll stay here," Kix said sitting in the chair and kicking his feet up on the table.

"Why is everyone assuming it's torturing me?" Right... "It's not. The bond is broke, I don't know her and she doesn't know me.  She is a woman and I am being polite."

"You did sense the danger out there," Kix pointed out.

"But I didn't sense, that," he said motioning towards the tank.

"Droid obviously didn't stand a chance once she set her mind to winning, reminds me of someone," he snarked, "Now get out so I can research whatever this is peace," he added motioning towards the both of you.

Dogma didn't go far, he left the room and sat down against the wall next to the door knowing it was going to be hours. He decided to get up go get some caff so he could stay awake. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up while taking a sip, he dropped the cup. The hot liquid steaming off the table before he jogged off back towards the tank finding Kix had ripped her out and was cutting into her side.

"Restrain him!" He ordered seeing the wild expression on his face.

When did they get here? Dogma felt Jesse's and Fives hands on him pulling him back, "What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"She's going to be fine, Dogma, relax. One of her ribs was out of alignment healing. He just has to," they all heard Kix rebreak it, "That," Jesse said.

"Good thing you called," Fives said looking at Kix, who only nodded quickly repositioning it and closing the wound placing her back in the tank with the red light shutting off flickering green, "She's pretty, Dogma" he said trying to distract him as Kix checked over her vitals and other various wounds for any further complications.

"Shut up," he said as they released him.

"It's phantom limb syndrome, I think," Kix said showing the report, "Our mates are an extension of ourselves and severing that is like losing a limb that sometimes acts up. It's just flaring up because you two are close, in this case it was beneficial. It will dissipate."

"That's a relief," Dogma said sitting down against the wall.

"She is honestly really pretty though," Fives laughed joining him, "Beat you reject not taking that for a test ride first."

Dogma shoved him, "I would feel bad for your mate if she wasn't probably the same way."

"I'm just trying to make you laugh, kriff. Stop being so serious all the time, your always tighter then ships bolts. Even if I was serious, it's a compliment. I mean... look at ya," he chuckled, knuckling Dogmas extremely short hair compared to his.

Dogma rolled his eyes waiting the various vitals on the monitor. They all stood up and saluted the King as he and his daughter strolled in with her mate clinging to her, holding her tight.

"What is her condition?" the king asked.

"Stable, she needs to be in the tank for a few more hours to recover from the extensive wounds and I recommend light duty for the next week," Kix said as the King nodded.

Melissa gently pulled Sebastian off, "Thank you," she whispered putting her arms around Dogma who's hand stayed straight in the air until Sebastian motioned that is fine for him to hug her. He awkwardly patted her back, "Hell of a woman..." he whispered, "She's a fighter." He felt her tight stiffen, "I wish things were different," she whispered lowly pulling back, "Me too."

"So I take it your the man I have to thank," The King said looking down at Dogma.

Dogma pointed at Kix, "Technically Kix is the Medic-"

"Yes, that's Dogma" Melissa snorted.

"The Royal family of Idora owes you a favor boy, let us know when you need to collect," he chuckled walking out.

"Thank you, Dogma," Melissa got out, her tear ducks threatening to burst looking at her friend in the tank, "I don't know what I would do I lost her."

Trust me it's not pleasant. Dogma only nodded staring at her in the tank. He didn't even notice them leave the room, he just sat back down and stared at the tank because to him there was nothing else on the room. If his brothers were talking to him during that time he didn't hear it, all he could hear was her voice scolding him and the panic in it. I hugged her. He could still mildly feel the sensation through his arm. I really should put distance between us to get this to go away, I don't know how people with mates get through this, let alone initiating it. Fives hand waving in front of his face finally got his attention. Dogma blinked watching Fives and Jesse turn around and Dogma followed suit.

You hazily felt hands on you and the mouth piece come out proceeding with a ton of wet coughing, "Feel like a droid stepped on my ribs," you coughed again feeling an injection go in your neck and the pain dull.

"I had to rebreak one of your ribs cause it was healing wrong. I'll have to inject you ever 6 hours for the next few days to keep the pain down. Light duty for a week," Kix said quickly wrapping a warming blanket around you, "You should probably shower the excess Bacta off," he added feeling how sticky it was already getting.

You nodded, "Yeah good idea," you shivering, you took a few steps before feeling the Medic's hands on you stabilizing you.

"Do you have a water proof droid to help you?" Kix asked, "I would offer but I think Dogma would kill me."

"No droids, we'll here in the palace."

"I'll take her," Dogma gritted out feeling Jesse's hand snagged his arm at Kix's comment

"I don't care as long as it ends with me in the shower right now," you said your teeth chattering.

Dogma picked you taking you to your room and setting you on the refresher toilet, he quickly ran to his room and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top before returning. He turned on the water and brought you into the shower tossing off the blanket leaving you in just your under garments. Holding your hips he carefully positioned you under the steamy water watching the goo fall off, he grabbed the scrubber and gently took it to your skin staring straight ahead at the wall.

"You feel it too?" You whispered.

"It's like an old memory, faint, distorted," he said, "should I have let Kix?" he asked.

"I don't mind, I mean I was made for you after all," you admitted, "I understand why you didn't want him too."

"I hope we can be... friends." He said rinsing you off before starting on your hair.

"Me too. I'm sorry for snapping at you back there."

"I deserved it, you were right."

You hooked your arm around his waist, you felt him stiffen trying not to look down at there the wet of his shirt clung to his body, "The pants I understand the shirt I don't.." you chuckled feeling like an idiot as he removed it and tossed it in the corner. You felt him carefully work his fingers through your hair then rest his chin for a moment on top of your head letting you listen to his rapid pulse before shutting off the water. Handing you the dry towel to wrap around yourself. He squeeze dried his shorts the best he could before patting himself dry turning his attention to you. You looked into his brown eyes and perfect caramel tan skin and the edges to his muscle before letting lost in his tattoo. Made for me, stubborn, high strung and a survivor... incredible handsome too.

"My face gets annoying to look at, I know," he joked.

You had him turn around so you could change your chest band and underwear and wiping yourself with the wet part of the toilet before putting on a new set. Dogma helped you put on a pair of knee length shorts a baggie training shirt. He retrieved his shirt squeezing it before putting it back on.

"If you need anything," he said pointing at the comm device he had tossed on the bed, "Press it twice and it will auto dial me." He watched you nod moving you into the bed, "Goodnight." As he left the stern expression on his face returned and he quickly took off the tank, tired the wet feeling against his chest,

You watched him leave taking off the tank before the door even closed all the way, the muscles scattered across his back. You felt your chest flutter and you rolled your eyes. Move on, get them to the front lines in a couple days and forget about him. Your body ached all over, what did Kix say? Six hours? Might as well try to sleep.

"Enjoy your swim?" Fives jokes, "even without the bond," he said wiggling his eye brows.

Dogma punched him, "I didn't touched her, not then, not now, not ever."

"You know I'm joking," Fives said rubbing his arm, "You have to learn to joke man, especially with this, humor is great for pain."

Dogma rolled his and shook his head letting his legs take him back to the mess to finish eating. He scanned around thankful for the emptiness besides a few other troopers scattered about also in silence. He found his food from earlier at the empty table and sat down finishing his food. It was almost nice until Jesse, Kix and Tup sat down. His mouth flatten into a tightly controlled line as he got bombarded with questions with what's going on inside in his head, how he feels and if Kix could run a few test because of how rare it is. Can I get a moments peace? He agreed to shut them up and went with them and then followed them back to down lab expecting a lecture about getting ahold of himself and put space between them but it never came, all he got was a pat on the back, told he's doing a great job and their proud of him.

"I was expecting to be scolded," Dogma admitted flatly.

"Why would we scold you?" Kix asked, "Not all of us agree with that rule. We're just happy to see some what back to your old self. Do you want to be there for the injection? I mean I'm not going to do anything indecent to her, but I know how...temperamental people gets when it comes to their mates."

"She's not my mate. Do it yourself. Are we done?" Dogma said rolling down his sleeve.

Kix nodded watching him stalk off. Tup followed after him just to make sure he didn't anything reckless. Kix looked to Jesse who had his arms folded over his chest and tapping his foot debating something, "Thinking of a way get him shipped back?" Kix asked.

Jesse nodded, "He's always a stick in the mud but now he's turning into a tree in the mud, us pushing him is just making this harder on him."

"Counter point, stick them together. Let Fate decided, it's not a coincidence that her face and door match his tattoos and it's not a coincidence that fate let them save each other. They don't need to be a bonded pair to be together," Kix pointed out watching realization light Jesse's features, "You have an idea don't you?" which only got a grin.

You felt hands touch you and you sprung forward swinging, panting when you noticed it was just Kix with an injector. You apologetically relaxed letting him pull up your shirt up and inject it right under your ribs. Your eyes quickly bounced around the room and he was no where to be found. Hopefully it's wearing off. You flung your feet over the bed and stood up much to Kix's complaint about resting. You grabbed your pillow and a throw blanket, having him guide you back out to the balcony on this cloudless night. Kix's hand carefully supported your waist and back of your legs helping you to the ground. He pulled your head up and tucked the pillow under it asking if there was anything he could do. "No, thank you, Kix."

Dogma watched from the end of the hall as her door opened, Kix walking out with her in his arms and her bedding in her lap and how gently he touched her helping her to the ground. His nostril flared at the tenderness. He stoned his face as Kix left her there to go back to sleep noticing the com device in her hand. Dogma saw Kix stand next to him for a minute waiting for a comment or threat but he kept his mouth shut and Kix walked away to get back to the other wounded. Dogma walked into his room and set his com next to his pillow and stripped his armor leaving him in his blacks as he got into bed.

In the morning Kix cautiously waked you on the Balcony moving you into a hover chair for the day while your leg continued to heal. He put the bedding back on your bed before wheeling you down to the mess. He asked if you wanted to sit with him and the other wounded or with the troops. You saw the stern angry face on Dogma and opted to sit with the wounded. He tucked you in at the end of the table next to him. All of you ate in silence just enjoying the company until Melissa and Sebastian walked over.

"How are you doing?" She asked tenderly hugging you.

"I'm fine, the chair is precaution."

"Because someone doesn't get they need to rest and not walk on it," Kix muttered.

"You took out a tac droid hand to hand?" Sebastian said impressed.

"It got through my security wall, it would have been my second personal embarrassment of the night if I retreated."

"Remind me not to piss her off," Sebastian playfully whispered to the Princess, "She looked bad, I can guarantee the droid looked worse," she replied giggly.

"My life is in service yours, your highness, it would offend my honor as your guard if didn't leave that droid in little pieces," you saw the sad smile spread across her lips, "and I can guarantee that droid can't be rebuilt. Also I need new armor, it's a little... broken," you offered looking at her trying to hold back the laughter.

"Father already put in the request with any upgrades that could reinforce it, we're going to get back to my duties. I'm glad you're in good spirits."

Breakfast went back to silence, you could feel eyes on you and yours eyes flicked up to the General staring at you while talking talking to the Lieutenant. You dropped your eyes back down and finished eating.

The next three rotations went by in similar fashion, Kix would help you and bring you to meals with no sign of Dogma. After lunch Kix brought you down to the med bay to scan your leg giving you the okay to walk on it but no strenuous exercise or prolonged walking.

Leaving the med bay you have a trooper waiting for you, "Need something?" You asked noticing him following.

"The name is Fives," he said, "and no, I just wanted to see how you were doing ma'am and to thanking you for the tac droid, we got a lot of useful information off of it."

"It's not a problem, I'm glad the pain is worth it."

"As a nat-born, we're all actually impressed with you."

"Nat-born?" you asked your face contorting into puzzlement.

"Natural Born, we're all engineered in a lap muscle composition, immunity, etc. You'd give us a run for our creds, we've never seen someone outside of Gar act like that."

"I am not immune to flattery," you laughed, "but thank you. This is my home, I will do whatever to protect it."

Dogma watched him make her life as they stopped and stand their chatting, her laugh was so warm and relaxing. Is he flirting? Dogma's nostrils flared but he made himself stop staring noticing Jesse staring at him and then at them. Dogma tried to forced himself away until he saw Five's stick his arm around her. His teeth felt like they were going to break with how hard he was clenching his jaw. She can do whatever she wants, but Fives? Never. He walked over and slammed into his jaw sending him backwards.

"For kriff's sake!" Fives watching her stumble into the wall and slide down.

"I- thought you were hitting on her," Dogma apologized pulling you back up.

"I was but not that much," Fives said rubbing his jaw, "She was trying to adjust her leg stabilizer."

"Why do you care? Not like you haven't been ignoring me for the past couple days. We're nothing to each other," you regretted it the moment it come out, but pain had a tendency to make things worse.

"I-" Dogma closed his mouth and handed you back to Fives, "Sorry."

"I don't get him, he rejects you yet still acts like that," Fives said tightening his grip until you were doing with your adjustments.

"Sooner there's distance between us it'll go away again. I'm sorry he punched you."

"Not the first time," Fives grunted, "but I get it, I had to watch people touch my mate I'd probably want to rip them apart too... right... sorry."

"You haven't met yours?" You asked.

"Not yet, maker I can't wait though."

"You're not going to reject her?" You raised an eye brow.

"Of course not, none of us besides obviously a few agree with that rule. We don't live long and constantly fighting, it's the one normal in our lives."

"I didn't have to reject him and he didn't have to reject me, how ironic," you mumbled finishing your adjustments.

"I think fate's trying to give you a chance," he said touching the perfect scar, "or it quiet literally wouldn't have slapped you in the face," he joked letting go.

"You might have a point, thanks Fives," I'm going to do something stupid and hope it doesn't blow up in my face, "I got something I need to take care of." You hobbled your way back up to your room and sat on your bed and stared at the device. You let out a long breath trying to clear your head before pressing it twice.

Dogma heard the loud beep on his wrist, he stared at it before prying himself out of his bunk, "Yes?" he asked quietly wondering if you pressed it on accident.

"Come to my room for a sec," you heard one of his brother snicker but heard his footsteps before he switched it off. You stared at the door waiting, you saw the shadow under the door him standing there wondering what he was thinking about. He finally opened the door and walked in standing halfway between you and the door. You patted your hand on the spot next to you, you saw the conflict roll across his face and he moved closer to you until he legs were touching were but he didn't sit.

"It would be unprofessional and against regulation if I sat on your bed."

"Dogma. Sit," His legs moved before his mind could the decision for him and he sat a hands space away from you, "I think it's time we talked."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he groaned.

"That first day we were fine but when night came and than whatever that was in the woods there's been... tension. Fighting your brothers and even being more of a hard ass then normal."

"I don't know what's gotten into me," he admitted, "I shouldn't be jealous or care, we are both free to peruse whatever we want."

"Yet even without the bond you peruse me," you pointed out.

"It's just the nagging thought that we were made for each other... I am no where near ready to see you with someone else yet as much as I wish for your happiness and good health," he added quickly.

"I think... we need to get whatever it is out of our system, then maybe Fate will stop torturing us and we can go back to carrying on," you said looking at the bed and then back him, his eyes going wide at what you were insinuating, "Since we rejected the bond, it shouldn't break regulation."

"Since we are not mates, it be improper-"

"But we were, just think about it?"

"It's all I've thought of," he said scooting closer until your hips were touching. "Me too," you admitted back. Dogma stood up and quietly walked over to the door locking it before taking off his armor leaving it in a neat pile by the door. He cautiously placed himself between your legs. "Are you sure?" he asked watching you nod.

Your heart was racing but you brought one hand to his neck and pulled him down, it wasn't like the thousands of spark igniting your body like it was suppose to be but it was still exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. You felt one of his hands grab the bed and the other hold your face. You pulled him closer causing you to lay back and him go lean over you to continue kissing you.

He bit your lip and pulled back raggedly breathing, "I don't know how mates do it, this is already intense," he voiced feeling your fingers tug at his shirt. He took it off feeling quiet exposed.

You saw the discomfort on his face, you consciously removed yours and nearly unclipped your chest band bringing his fingers to the last clip letting him decide. You stared at him patiently for a moment before he undid it, smiling at his transfixed expression. You scooted further onto the bed making him follow listening to his excited groan as he saw the jiggle the movement caused and his mouth found the harden ridges as his fingers squished the underside of it. The whole area felt hard and tender under his touch. His mouth moved worked up your chest to your throat back to your lips.

"You're so perfect," he whispered.

"Than prove it," you taunted.

Dogma looked down and then back up with an arched eyebrow, you giggled but moved your hands down to your pants slightly tugging them down, "Let me," he said leaning back on his heels pulling your pants and undergarments down and off careful of your leg looking at the bruise on it, "Shouldn't we wait until that is-"

"Dogma."

"I'll shut up," He said standing up freeing his cock from his pants, relaxing that some of the tension from how tightly the pants were holding it was gone. He saw you eyeing him like a soldier who hasn't eaten in days eyeing his ration bar. He starting eyeing you back letting his eyes slowly trail up you. "Do you also feel-"

"Like I'm going to be sick from how hard my core is pounding? Yes."

"I mean this," he motioned between the both of them and the dull cluster of... something over his eye.

"Yeah, so hurry up."

Dogma grinned shaking his head, his face hurting, "Yes, Ma'am," he said planting himself inbetween your legs, letting his hands trial up your legs but not touching letting his fingers run right next to it. He stared down at you wondering if you could how hard his heart was shaking his chest.

"See something you like?" You asked seeing the dilation in his eyes.

"You have no idea," he muttered before spitting into his hand bringing his hand to himself stroking himself covering him tip to base. Before wiping the left over down across his abs watching you squirm over the gleam. His cheek flashed red as he moved himself closer.

"That... was... the hottest thing I've ever seen... besides you," you whispered your voice quivering feeling his hands come to the sides of your shoulders and his tip pressing into your entrance.

"Are you sure... I don't think there's any going back-" he voice hitched feeling you raise your hips trying to push him in, "Kark," he mumbled at the sudden sensation, "Let me," he said carefully pressing your hip back down to get pressure off your leg.

Your head felt light feeling him slowly stretching you and trying to admire his strength at holding back. Inch by inch worked himself up until he was hitting the top of you and still had part of himself sticking out. You brought your hands to his body touching every muscle and he brought his one hand to the scar tracing the familiar V. He kissed the scar up and down feeling you stretch out more for him with every kiss until you had all of him inside. I knew she could take all of me. You smiled finally feeling his hips against yours, I knew he was perfect for me, your heart calmed down a little after wondering if fate had made a mistake. Fate doesn't make mistakes, both of you thought.

"Let's just try to be quiet," he got out realizing that wasn't going to last long with the warm wetness sounds from him barely moving, Whatever the punishment is has to be better then not knowing her. He mentally scolded himself for the traitorous thoughts, "Am I okay to start?" he asked.

"Please" you begged.

Dogma nodded bringing one hand to the side of your face holding you as he partially withdrew himself, letting your fingers cover his as he pushed himself back in. Your head fell back into the bed feeling him plunge back in your walls squishing around the intrusion. He started slowly pulling out a little more each time before thrusting back in.

"Dogma," you panted.

"Yes?" He asked stopped worried if he'd hurt you.

"Harder, please. I need- you," you panted out your heading feeling empty.

Dogma's core tighten on the command his body screaming to obey, "If it hurts you have to tell me to stop."

You nodded feeling the flush bloom around your face as you saw felt his hands move about your shoulders locking you in place and his muscles tightened as he took off. The slapping wetness and feeling him slide against your clit with every stroke.

Dogma let out moan hearing your bodies come together perfectly, "Kriff Mesh'la," he smiled, "It's almost like you were made for me," he mumbled thrusting full force into you letting his thighs push your hips further apart.

"Dogma," the moan ripped from your throat rather loudly.

The sound of his name on your lips almost made him cum right there. He repeated the motion causing you to moan again. Your fingers dug into his hand and the other into the side of his head. You saw the half intoxicated lidded expression of need across his face, "please," you rasped out. After a couple quick explosive hard thrust you felt the wave take you. You cried out his name curling into him letting your walls clench onto him. It was incomprehensibly passionate as he stared down into your eyes continuing to ride you through your high, your slide down from the side to his face. That small intimate motion made him come undone letting him coat every inch of your walls until it was dripping out onto the bed. Shuddering and barely up to breath he tried to pull out but your leg flew up and held him in place and pulled him down, "You're not- going to hurt- me." His body pressed into yours like a warm blanket, embracing you as he put his face in the crook of your neck trying to catch his breath. You could still feel him twitching inside you, every twitch cause you to clench around him again feeling a little more seep into you. "Waiting your whole life to give me that?" You laughed trying to catch your breath.

"Told you Fate would handle it," Kix pulling Fives and Tup away from the door, groaning when he saw Hardcase and the General walking towards them.

"Noise complaint?" Fives joked.

"I could hear them from the end of the hall," Hardcase frowned for a moment, "For not being mates anymore it sure sounded like it."

"The Force works in mysterious ways, let's go do a weapons test to give them some more time," Anakin said nodding away from the room.

"We're all giving him crap later right?" Sebastian said popping his head out from Melissa's room, "Get back over here!" She called laughing.

"It's to late to move everyone into the mess isn't it? I don't think any of us will be sleepy with both of them on the same floor," Tup groaned.

"Their ear plugs in the med bay, I'll go grab them and pass them out."

It only took Dogma's body a couple minutes to recover before going again, this time let his hands trail all over you getting to know every inch of flesh as your hands moved around him. The next few days were like that, if they weren't eating or training he was in your bed pretending every moment in between nothing was going on even if it was bluntly obvious. Each night when he thought his brothers were asleep sneaking out towards your room finding you nakedly waiting for him. Then the day came for them to go to the front lines and your armor had arrived. That morning neither of you cared to be discrete or quiet.

"Out of your system enough?" You asked laying in the after glow enjoying the two loads of mess he made you.

"Enough to focus at least," he gently pulled you off the bed keeping his dick in as he walked the both of you to your refresher, slowly removing himself hearing the plop of the filling fall out onto the shower floor. He turned on the water letting it wash down the drain. You both quickly cleaned up scrubbing the sex and sweat from your skin. Dogma 'snuck' out and wormed his way back into his room throwing his gear on and laying on his bunk waiting for everyone else to wake up.

You opened the new truck of armor looking at the  upgrades and reinforcements and then throwing it on, you had told Melissa you'd be going with them and it was up to Sebastian. She fought with you about the change of plans but when she saw Dogma sneaking out of your room she finally caved. Little did he know of your plans however. You waited downstairs for them with the Jedi.

"Does he know your coming?" Anakin asked crossing his arms.

"No, he's not my mate so it's non of his business."

Sure he's not, he thought watching the men pile in, "Small change of plans, she's joining us for now on the front lines so you all will be reporting to her and Captain Rex. So get ready to move out," Anakin staring at Tup's shocked expression and Dogma's indifferent expression but there was noticeable annoyance oozing from him.

"Ever been out there before?" Rex asked stepping away from Anakin towards out.

"A few times to clear my head," To kick my own ass from the hollowness Dogma left inside me. Your eyes glanced to his short hair but his back was  to you, I'll probably be going out there again once he leaves.

All off you crept towards the front lines relieving the boys there, "Stay here," you whispered jumping up into the tree using its brush for cover but there was nothing. The normally waring field was silent with no droids in sight. You hoped down landing on your hood leg.

"It's quiet... two quiet. Set up camp here while the other squad moves out."

"Ma'am it's been quiet for days," one of the squad members said.

You arched an eyebrow, "How quiet?"

"Not a single droid here all the way out to to the eastern front line."

"I hope taking the head of the dragon made them retreat but I doubt I'm that lucky."

You all set up camp, you choose to build a little view point to sleep. You smiled hearing the troopers mutter how Idoran were a bunch of tree people, as you jump down and landed right in the center of them, "You boys look like you need a climbing lesson. On the ground it's easier to be sitting ducks, up there can buy you precious moments to surprise the enemy or live another day." You spent the rest of the evening teaching them how to climb in the dark and watching them fall and get back up.

"Dogma, your up," you got out, awkwardly making him last. Your hands brushed up against his as you made him learn the difference in the feeling of wood and your eyes meet as you pointed up at weak vs secured branches. Out of all of them he did the best and almost got up to your perch before falling half way down. "You can come down, you did good." You sat with all of them and ate, no one pointing out the obvious marks on your's and Dogma's necks. Not even Fives made a joke.

A month passed by silently, no droids no warning lights at the palace, nothing. You looked at Dogma when you saw the next batch of ships arrive in the sky signaling their tour here was done. Dogma on the March put himself next to you, not a word all the way there but enjoyed the hours just being next to you. You shook the General's hand apologizing for the lack of excitement but thankful the troops got a small vacation from the daily battles.

"Don't leave anything unsaid," he whispered letting go of your hand.

Except both of you did, he packed up and left without a word. Duty and Loyalty come first. The moment he was off the planet the creeping hollowness came back, the void of him empty once again. During Umbara there wasn't a moment you weren't in his mind, Duty, Loyalty, The Republic, her. He tried to hold it together not wanting to get into trouble, believing Krell had everything for the war in mind and then his betrayal stung and broke him even further.

"Tell her..." He whispered to Rex as they put the cuffs on, "The King owes me a favor."

"I'll tell them," he replied as they hauled him off.

Your bedroom door flew open and your head was ripping itself apart, you covered the eye staring at the king and Melissa, "Dogma?"

"We have to go. Now," You saw Captain Rex say standing off to the side.

You hoped off the bed and followed after them in the King's personal ship. Your head was pounding but no images were streaming, I don't know if that's good or not. Captain Rex told you about what happened and what Dogma had done for the rest of them.

"I'll talk to the Chancellor," the King said, "We make up a big portion of the Republics donations."

"You'd do that for me?" You asked the King.

"You've been nothing loyal to my daughter and to Idora. Sebastian will need his own guard, as much as I trust your capabilities to keep both of them safe. Might as well be someone you both trust."

The rest of the flight to Coruscant was silent, Rex handed you an eye patch and a patch to put over the angry eye. You followed silently with the King's guard with the Chancellor's office shoving the Coruscant guards to the side bargaining. The color Chancellor's face went pale as the King stood to full height staring down at him.

"King Maxell how can the Senate be of service?" He asked with a fake smile.

"I'm here to negotiate the release of CT-8726 'Dogma' immediately into Idoran custody."

"The King and I need to talk in private," The Chancellor said dismissing the rest of us cautiously eyeing Rex.

You paced back and forth outside the chancellor's door not caring how anyone else perceived it. Minutes felt like hours until the flash of red caught your eye. You saw the four guards escorting Dogma. They lead him into the Chancellor's office, a minute after that you saw Anakin another older man with orange hair follow in after him. You started pacing again more composed but still on edge.

Dogma kept this standard blank expression through the conversation talking about him like he wasn't even there. Even after protecting the Republic from a traitor I'm still only property after all, an asset. I did what I had too. Dogma listened as General Skywalker defended him and his loyalty, even noting that his record says 'Rejected.' The pain in his eye slowly starting to recede.

"He is to released as is, his uniform and armor remain here," The Chancellor said, "Escorted by General Anakin Skywalker as a precaution he won't run."

The King looked out with a blank expression on his face but out followed Dogma and the guards. They followed us back to the ship. Almost free. Outside the ship the guards undid his cuffs and he followed the King onto the ship. You followed Melissa unto the ship staring at the dark bags under his eyes and how his irises even seemed darker then last time. You sat across from him staring at him and how his eyes were glued to the ground.

"Orange isn't your color," you tried to joke but only got a soft chuckle from him. You groaned standing up and pulled him to the back of the ship to sit in seclusion. You put your hand on his leg feeling a small barely notice zap rum up your arm. "Look at me," he obeyed, "You're safe." You kissed him and it was like a crackling lightning storm and the pain in your eye finally receded, you tossed the eye patch to the ground. Reflexively you moved into his lap. Running your fingers through his hair, you pulled back a single tear falling when you both noticed it.

"Is that even possible?" Melissa whispered dumbfounded.

"Fate finds a way," Anakin laughed, "You two! Keep it appropriate until we land!" He laughed more watching Dogma forcibly move you off with a bashful expression. "It's going to be a long flight."

Dogma kept one hand on your leg and other interlaced with yours on his knee, his free leg droning again the floor. Both of your bodies came alive feeling that invisible little tug to complete the bond. You rested your forehead against the side of his head for moment taking in his smell and how much stronger it was, "That was a mistake," you mumbled feeling the water works of your lower half start, "Liked this better the first time," he grumbled.

“I remember what it was like when I met her mother,” the king smiled, “then she gave me the most precious gift… I don’t envy what either of you are feeling.” Red spread across both of your faces, “We’ll be back to Idora soon enough.”

You both were barely off the ship before being all over each other, you hoped up as threw your legs around his waist and he carried you you weightlessly off to room. His hands grasping at every opening in the armor. Barely in the empty haul you let your armor clatter to the ground leaving a trail to your room. Dogma surprisingly made to the bed setting you on it before ripping off the orange prison uniform, groaning when he felt the wet spot. He looked down see his cock soaked with precum.

“You think that’s bad?” You laughed ripping off your top and showing him your underwear, “Just sniffing you started it.”

“Then I won’t keep you waiting any longer,” he shoved you downward letting your head hit the pillow before perfectly sliding into you. He froze blinking at the pulsating signal’s scattering throughout his body while trying to take it how wet and warm you were, “Mesh’la,” he weakly said, his head completely empty except the need to seal the bond.

“Dogma,” you said bringing your hands to his chest, “hurry,” the dizzy sensation in your head was making your eyes try to shut.

His teeth sunk into the base of your neck working the spot with this teeth, “Mine,” he growled. The carnal need that coursed through made him feel sick as it override everything he wanted to do with the feral urge to mark you up as his. No longer republic property, I’m her property. He brought his throat to your mouth moaning as he felt the connection. The moment he feel you breath he brought his mouth down to yours pressing his forehead to yours.

“Soulmate,” he whispered and then you felt it the thick ropes shooting you claiming you as his. You came around him your walls coaxing everything out of him and the urge of the bond start to recede as it was finally complete, “Did I hurt you?” He whispered when he could finally form a sentence.

“Leaving without a goodbye hurt,” you admitted feeling one of his hands go around your back holding your body tight against him.

“Saying goodbye would have destroyed what was left of me,” he breathed.

“It destroyed me,” you started cry, “We weren’t mates but I got to know you as a friend and as a lover, you just left. You could have died I would have never known.”

He grabbed the blanket and started wiping your face keeping his face tense so he wouldn’t start because you had a point, he wouldn’t have known. “You’ve always known when I was in danger. Always,” he said kissing the side of your eye, “I can’t mate with you when your crying,” he said softly, “How can I help you Mesh’la?”

“Hold me for a bit?”

Dogma carefully rolled you putting you on his chest, wrapping both arms around you, “I can do that.”

“Dogma?” You asked listening to the soothing sound of his heart beat.

“Hmm?”

“I like your heartbeat.”

“And I love you,” he said without missing a beat.

You looked up at him smiling before putting your ear back on his chest, “I love you too.”

[lynne-monstr]

alternate first meeting where yu wenzhou drops out of blue rain's training camp early to focus on putting his intellect to use in a way that might better suit him. no one really notices.

a couple years later, huang shaotian visits blue rain's technical department to give input on a silver weapon for his upcoming debut. he's super psyched to talk to the head of the department, a genius who's rumored to be both deeply knowledgeable in glory and also highly unconventional. but huang shaotian is left with disappointment when he finds only training camp dropout yu wenzhou in the office.

huang shaotian isn't rude but he isn't overly polite either. he says hello to yu wenzhou, drops off the flash drive of requirements and features he'd like for his new weapon. and then he leaves.

he stops by a few more times to test the progress and chat with the various techs, and is disappointed every time that the elusive head of the department is never there. yu wenzhou is, though, and huang shaotian figures he must have dropped out of the training camp to pursue an apprenticeship as a silver weapon designer. they talk more and more, about silver weapons and obscure glory facts and even a little about the pro scene. with each visit, huang shaotian is more and more impressed with yu wenzhou's knowledge.

it doesn't hit him until the next visit that it's a little weird how yu wenzhou is always unsupervised when he talks to huang shaotian, and also when he makes little tweaks to ice rain. no one ever looks over his shoulder or yells at a newbie apprenticeship not to touch the pro team's weapons.

whatever. as long as the weapon is good, huang shaotian doesn't mind. and yu wenzhou turns out to be a good conversationalist. sharp, insightful, and funny too. huang shaotian even comes away with a few ideas of how he can incorporate his new silver weapon into the team’s overall strategy.

blue rain must have the best apprenticeship in the world if even their deadlaat players can learn so much!

and then the day finally dawns when the weapon is finished. an email notification flashes up on huang shaotian's phone from the department head's official email account. there's still no signature, which is annoying. huang shaotian never caught the guy's name and as blue rain's future captain he's been too embarrassed to ask.

once more, he approachew the office. yu wenzhou is there, sitting at the desk. he smiles when huang shaotian arrives.

it's a kind smile, gentle and welcoming. "shaotian. come in."

huang shaotian hovers in the doorway, shuffling his feet. "um yeah, sorry I have an appointment."

yu wenzhou only nods and it makes the whole thing more awkward.

"I'm looking for your boss," huang shaotian blurts out. it's the first time, he thinks, that he's seen yu wenzhou so utterly confused.

yu wenzhou recovers quickly. "my boss? the...team manager?"

the awkwardness grows thicker. huang shaotian deals with it the best way he knows how. he talks.

"come on, don't play dumb with me, you're way too smart for that. your boss, you know..." huang shaotian waves a hand to encompass the room. "the owner of this office. the super genius head of the technical department who's never once said hello to me. does he not like the pro team? does he not like me?"

yu wenzhou's confused face smooths into something more amused. he sits straighter in his seat, hands folded together on the desk. "I have it on good authority that he likes you very much."

huang shaotian huffs, the old familiarity of his routine with yu wenzhou taking hold. he shuffles into the room until he's standing in front of the modest sized desk. he's never spent all that much time in the office. usually he knocks on the door and yu wenzhou appears from one of the workrooms and snags him to come visit the main development area.

he's never stood this long in front of the desk, never seen it from this precise angle. and maybe that's why, for the first time, he sees the placard nearly hidden behind a stack of hand-printed dungeon guides.

Blue Rain Technical Dept

Director, Yu Wenzhou

"oh no," huang shaotian whispers.

he can feel his face burning already. is this some kind of delayed deadlast revenge? a rush guilt nearly sweeps him away, souring his stomach.

he never apologized to yu wenzhou, did he? for calling him names back then.

huang shaotian can't bring himself to lift his head and meet yu wenzhou's eyes. "sorry," he mumbles.

"it was a long time ago, no need to apolgize. but thank you."

from anyone else, it might sound cold, but huang shaotian has been getting to know yu wenzhou while they worked on his silver weapon. he gets the sense yu wenzhou means it. a sliver of hope works its way into his heart.

slowly, yu wenzhou draws a familiar account card from his jacket pocket, spinning it between his fingers.

"ice rain!" the excitement bursts from huang shaotian like a summer storm. "can i... can I have it?" he feels stupid asking. of course he can have it, he's going to be the team's captain next year. he doesn't answer to the head of the technical department.

the card pauses mid-spin and yu wenzhou extends his hand. and there's that nice smile again. how did huang shaotian never notice in training camp how nice yu wenzhou's smile was.

"it's yours," yu wenzhou says. "I made it for you."

the words catch in huang shaotian’s chest, tangle in his ribs. when he takes the card, his fingertips brush yu wenzhou's.

before he can do anything else deeply stupid today. huang shaotian takes the card and runs.

"bye yu wenzhou. thanks yu wenzhou!" he throws over his shoulder as he leaves. and then he pauses, pokes his head back around the door frame. "um or, I guess... department head yu."

as he runs away for the second time, he can just barely make out yu wenzhou voice floating down the hall after him.

"it's wenzhou."