#and towards the end you see ezra do the same!!!! he lets go of his parents and of his new family bc its what he needed to do

[deithe]

hiding in a bomb proof shelter to say star was rebels is my favorite star wars media

[unabashegirl]

Different 2 | College HS

Harry's quiet, routine-driven life changes one weekend when he meets Y/N through a mutual friend at her party. She comes from a superficial, materialistic world with absent parents who believe money solves everything. Despite their differences, something clicks that night, and Y/N can't stop thinking about him.

Author's note: though I would finally share the second chapter of Different since so many people have expressed their interest on it. I just posted chapter 25 on Patreon and though it would be a good idea to post one here too.

check out my patreon (starting at $2) and get full access to all 25 chapters and much more :)

word count: 2.5K

“Harry!” Mitch barged into the quiet library. Some laughed at him, while others shushed him.

“Quiet, please! Mr. Styles, please remove yourself and your friend if you can’t keep your friend in order.” Harry frowned and began gathering his books and notes. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, so he kept his head down as he exited the room, with Mitch following closely behind.

“What do you want?!” Harry demanded as he made his way toward his dorm in search of some quiet.

“She is playing today,” Mitch almost yelled, wearing a big smile. “She is one of the captains of the soccer team.” Harry held his breath as he listened to the news. He felt his hands getting damp and moist. The mere thought of her being so close to him made him nervous.

“So?” He brushed it off, trying his best to act like he didn’t care or hadn’t been thinking about her the last couple of days. “What do you want me to do?”

“We have to go to the game and see her, fucktard,” Mitch insisted as they left the building. “Come on! I saw the way you looked at her! I know you like her.”

“She has a boyfriend!” Harry snapped back.

“Who?” Mitch stopped him, “That Brian guy?” Mitch laughed heavily, throwing his head back, only irritating Harry even more.

“Emma told me all about him. They used to date, and he is still hung up on her, but she is done with him. Emma told me that Y/N thinks he is too superficial.” Harry sighed, running his hands through his hair. The last thing he wanted was to get his hopes up. “Let’s go to her game!” Mitch repeated, “Come on! I am not asking you to propose to her.”

“Fine, but can you shut the fuck up about it already?” He needed some silence, just so he could pull himself together before seeing her again. She probably doesn’t remember us, he wondered. Harry had always thought Y/N was the type of girl who had multiple friends yet never remembered their names, and he felt like his name had been long forgotten.

They went back to their dorm and worked for a few hours before heading to the fields.

“I had no idea so many people came to these games,” Harry pointed out as they walked up the bleachers.

"Everyone is here to watch a bunch of girls running around in shorts.” Just as Mitch shared, the teams entered. Harry’s eyes instantly scanned the sea of girls in search of her. He spotted her running up while pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. She stood by her coach, who seemed to be having a conversation with one of her teammates.

Y/N was happy. She enjoyed playing soccer. It had first started as a hobby and before high school ended it had developed into something more. She spoke to the rest of the team. They nudged one another and laughed. That was until the coach approached all of them. The entire team quieted down and started trailing behind her.

“I would do her,” Ezra Hart mumbled to his friend. He was known for playing with girls and using his good looks to get away with things. He was on the men’s soccer team. Harry had known him for years. They had even gone to the same high school.

The game quickly began. The players began moving fast. Everyone was yelling, and the referee kept blowing his whistle.

Y/N was receiving passes and placing the ball center, but at the same time, everyone was going after her. At one point, they kicked her and threw her on the floor. The referee whistled and pulled a yellow card on the opposing team.

It was a free kick and Y/N was taking it. Harry had clenched fists by his sides. He was nervous for her. The referee whistled and Y/N kicked the ball.

She scored.

Half-time came around and Harry watched as Y/N ran in their direction.

“Hey!” She smiled and kneeled by them. “Hey Mitch.” He smiled at her widely.

“You are doing great out there,” Mitch complimented her. “You are kicking ass.”

“Good. I am happy you are entertained,” she giggled and turned her attention to Harry. “Could you wait for me after the game? I need to ask you something.” Harry simply nodded, not being able to put the right words together. She gave them one last smile before running back to the bench.

“Styles!” Ezra Hart called out. Harry looked up at him, slightly intimidated by him. In high school, Ezra would embarrass him in front of everyone, and things hadn’t changed that much since. “Where do you know her from?” He scowled as his friends stood behind him for support.

“Met her at a party,” Harry shrugged and turned his attention back to the game.

“That makes no fucking sense. Are you fucking her?” His friends laughed, “Nah, there is no way. You probably get too nervous and can’t even get it up.”

Harry pulled on the strings of his hoodie, trying to shield himself from the laughs and comments.

Y/N played with the same rhythm but didn’t score any more goals. Roughly twenty minutes before the game ended, she got substituted. She sat down on the bench and started taking off her cleats and shin guards.

The game finally came to an end with the home team taking the victory. Y/N disappeared but quickly reappeared with her gym bag and a coat.

“Hey,” Y/N smiled as they all walked towards the parking lot. “Are you alright?” Y/N could sense that his mood had changed. Harry gave her a quick nod and tried his best to give her a reassuring smile. “I don’t usually do this, but I wanted to know if I could have your phone number.” Harry stopped walking and faced her.

“Y-you do?” Harry stuttered, not believing what he had just heard. Y/N giggled and nodded simultaneously, leading him toward her car. “But—” he stopped himself, trying to keep all the negative thoughts out of his head.

Y/N threw her bag on the backseat, then leaned against the side of her car.

“But what?” She frowned, “Is there anything wrong?” Y/N asked innocently in a soft and sweet tone that could bring any man to his knees.

“N-no,” he shook his head and reached back, taking his phone from his back pocket. Harry handed his phone to Y/N so she could type her number.

“Do you need a ride to your dorm?” she asked as she typed his number on hers now.

“No. Mitch will walk with me.” Harry looked around for him, but he couldn’t spot him.

“Just get in the car, silly!” she said, getting in. Harry nodded and quietly got in.

“Why are you so nervous around me?” Y/N asked as she stopped at the first red light. Harry shook his head as he tried his best to be confident. “Are you sure? Because that’s the last thing I want.”

“I am fine,” he bit down his lip and turned to look at her. Her hair had started slipping out of her ponytail, but it didn’t matter because her facial complexity always kept her looking stunning. “Does that hurt?” Harry pointed to her scraped knee.

“Not really. The skin is just a bit sore,” she ran her hand over it.

“It was a rough knock,” he pointed out, remembering how they had kicked her off her feet.

“Here, right?” Y/N asked as she pulled up to his dorm. She had asked around, and they had told her where he lived. It had been a bit stalker-ish, but it hadn’t been with bad intentions.

“Thank you for the ride, Y/N.” She really didn’t need to do that. It was a short walk from the fields to the dorms. Although Y/N knew it was cold, and it had already gotten dark. He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay with her. Harry could listen to her speak for hours, yet he knew that she was a busy girl. “Could you do me a favor?” he asked as he got out of the car.

“Sure!”

“Can you please text me when you get home?”

“I—I mean if you want. You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he babbled.

“I will, don’t worry,” she said just before he shut the door.

“Who was that?” one of Harry’s roommates asked as he walked into the building.

“A friend.”

“Is that Y/N Y/L/N? You are friends with her?”

“Yes. She is very nice,” he muttered before heading upstairs to finish some work, take a shower, and go to sleep. He kept checking his phone, and before he shut off the lights, his phone notified him of a text.

Hey, I just got home. I am okay. Goodnight ❤️

It was simple, but it was enough to make him smile and get his heart pumping quicker.

chapter 3

[illuminatedquill]

Short Story Summary: Hera Syndulla arrives at Sabine and Ezra's comm tower to drop off the first print editions of their personal trading cards.

*For @alphaofdarkness and @jedi-nurse who inspired this with their conversations on the Discord server. Hope you like it.

Lothal, Early Morning - Sabine and Ezra's Comm Tower

The characteristic soft chime that played whenever someone was waiting below in the comm tower's courtyard alerted Ezra to their guest's presence. Setting down the data-pad he had been browsing through for the Holo-Net's daily news, he stood and walked over to a nearby monitor at the security station that had been recently installed by Sabine as a precaution.

After all, the last time a guest had arrived she had ended up with a lightsaber stabbed through her abdomen. It was not an experience she wished to repeat again.

Shooing a curious Murley off the console, he pushed a button. The monitor's screen lit up, showing the crisp image of the tower's courtyard - and the familiar face of their guest.

Smiling, he spoke into the intercom. "Hello, Hera."

The green-skinned Twi'lek smiled back and waved at the camera. Seeing her face, practically the same since he had first seen it over a decade ago, always filled Ezra with a sense of warmth and comfort. Hera had been a steady friend, mentor, and surrogate mother to him during the hectic early days of the Rebellion. She was the eternal bedrock of the Spectres, the foundation from which all of them had built their new lives upon.

He noted the casual outfit she wore today: not her usual flight uniform, but a fashionable beige sport jacket, dark brown tunic, slim, high waisted pants, complete with comfortable walking boots. Grasped in her hands was a slim, non-descript wooden case.

"Retirement looks good on you, General," he remarked.

Hera snorted. "Semi-retirement. I was practically forced into it by Leia. She was very insistent."

"It's well-deserved," he replied. "And long overdue."

"And boring," she retorted. "I need structure, Ezra. A mission."

He laughed. "So, you're hiring yourself out as a delivery service now?"

She scowled at him. "Gotta do something. I'm still helping people, at least."

"And not getting shot at or participating in dog fights with pirates is presumably a benefit, as well," Ezra added.

"Eh," she said, waving a careless hand. "I kind of miss it, sometimes."

Hera peered up at the camera. "Are you going to let me up or we just going to chit-chat like this all day? I've got other places to be, you know."

Ezra grinned and let her in.

The slim wooden case lay open on the worktable, revealing the contents within. Ezra peered over it, taking in the sight of what Hera had brought.

She sipped at a caf, a special blend of Hera's favorite flavors. "Thanks for this," she said gratefully.

"Of course," Ezra responded. He picked up one of the items within the wooden case and observed it more closely: a trading card, thin and metallic. With a sense of bemusement, he inspected the image of himself on it, conforming to what he had perceived at the time of the photoshoot to be a "heroic" pose: his lightsaber activated and held in a basic guard position.

There was at least a dozen more of these contained within the wooden case.

"Where's Sabine?" Hera asked.

Ezra nodded towards the section of the comm tower's interior, where the master bedroom was located. "Sleeping in. She just returned from Mandalore late last night."

"Busy days for her, huh," Hera said.

Ezra shrugged, still eyeing the trading card in his hand. "Bo needs her to keep the clans in line."

He shook his head. "I can't believe these are actually real. A Jedi on a trading card."

"Hey, don't knock it," Hera said. "Skywalker's got a bunch, too."

Ezra's eyes widened. "Luke? How did the New Republic convince him to do this?"

"Same way we did with you. He had similar concerns: that Jedi shouldn't be involved in this sort of publicity, even with benevolent intentions," Hera explained. She paused to take a brief sip of her caf before continuing. "To counter this, the government pitched that it was for historical purposes. It was a good way to get the young ones across the galaxy up to date with knowledge of galactic affairs and the people who shaped them."

He blinked, remembering the exact same explanation being given to him. "It's a little scary that they found a way to trick Jedi into this."

Hera shrugged. "You're both history nerds. And there's no harm in giving the kids heroes to root for. I think you both appreciate that fact."

Ezra studied the cards some more, smiling a little. Living as an orphan on the streets of Imperial controlled Lothal, he would have given anything to have a fun side hobby like that.

"Leia, her husband Han, Skywalker, and Lando all have their own trading cards, too," Hera commented. She reached down and plucked a card from within the wooden case. "Everyone in the Ghost crew, also. Me, Zeb, Kanan - even Chopper."

Ezra snorted. He glanced over at the trading card Hera was holding, this one featuring Sabine. She was wearing one of her go-to civilian outfits, her head encased in a speeder-bike helmet. The characteristic Sabine Wren smirk was also in vivid display, along with one other feature that immediately caught his attention.

He frowned. "That can't be recent," he said. "When did she grow out her hair?"

Hera turned to him, surprised. "Right," she said. "You weren't here to see that."

She offered him the trading card. Ezra took it, gazing softly down at the image of his wife.

"She's beautiful," was all he could say. He had only ever seen Sabine with short hair, a necessity with her Mandalorian helmet. Even when she had come to rescue him on Peridea, Sabine had worn a short pixie-style cut. Ezra had assumed that had been her style the entire time he had been gone.

The deep purple he remembered from Peridea was present, but it blended beautifully with the longer locks of burning red. It reminded him of the gouts of flame bursting forth he had seen in paintings of dying stars; the effect of her dye colors presented the look of pure starfire flowing down her shoulders.

"Yeah, Sabine had these done a while ago," Hera confirmed.

"But they're just being released now?" Ezra asked. "Why?"

She sighed. "It took quite a bit of convincing for Sabine to acquiesce to this decision. You know how she is with public facing stuff like this."

Ezra winced, imagining the conversations between Sabine and the New Republic officials to be short and one-sided. Despite her brash exterior, he knew his wife to be an immensely private person, preferring to keep out of the public eye.

"I finally got her to agree, but Sabine would only do it on two conditions: first, that she would have a say in how the cards were designed. If her face was going to be on them, she wanted to ensure that the cards were artistically up to her standards."

Ezra smiled slightly. Sounds like her, he thought. Art was Sabine's first love, before she met him. She would want to make sure that the artwork showcased on the trading cards was befitting of the heroes they featured.

"What was the second condition?" he asked.

Hera cocked her head at him, her eyes suddenly wistful. "That her trading cards would only be sold as a set, not to be separated for any reason."

Ezra's brow furrowed. "She wanted her card to be permanently paired up with another?"

"Yes, Ezra," said Hera quietly. "Yours."

His eyes widened at the revelation.

"That's why hers are only being released now," continued Hera. "She was waiting for you."

Ezra was silent, looking over the cards: his and Sabine's, paired together.

Not to be separated for any reason.

He coughed, trying to clear the sudden lump in his throat. Hera clapped him on the shoulder.

"I think they look better together," she observed wryly. "Don't you?"

Ezra smiled; his eyes were moist with emotion. "Yeah," he agreed. "They do."

Sabine wandered out of the bedroom a little after mid-day. Her hair was sticking up on one end; eyes still bleary from the long sleep, she shuffled over to the couch and sat down next to Ezra.

"Had a good sleep?" he asked her.

She laid her head onto his shoulder. "Mmmmm. First soft bed in weeks. Heavenly isn't strong enough to describe it."

He kissed her head softly. "Is Mandalore still doing alright? No one's gunning for another civil war? "

"Yeah, clan meeting went nice and smoothly," she replied drowsily. "Boring."

Ezra chuckled, strongly reminded of Hera's same response earlier this morning.

"Sounds like progress," he mused.

She shifted her head on his shoulder, moving into a more comfortable position. "Heard you talking with someone. Was it Hera?"

He nodded. Sabine grimaced. "You should have woken me up, goober."

"You were tired. Hera didn't mind. Said she'll call later, to catch up with you."

Sabine didn't argue back, which was an indication of just how exhausted she still was. "What did she want?"

Ezra produced from his pocket the trading cards. "She was dropping these off."

His wife sneaked a glance at them and let out a surprised breath. "Karabast," she muttered. "I forgot these were a thing."

"Freshly minted, first edition," he bragged. "Super rare and valuable, I'm told."

She snorted. "Whatever. We should sell them and buy tickets to a star cruise."

Setting the cards down on the worktable, Ezra grinned and hugged his wife close. "I'm also told," he said gently, "that ours are not to be sold separately."

Sabine went quiet.

He reached over and laced his hand in hers. "It's very thoughtful of you," he whispered. "Thank you."

She squeezed his hand back. "We're a package deal, Ezra. I don't want anyone separating us ever again. Even in something as silly as trading cards."

[x-0ophelia0-x]

Ezra just nonstop flirting and being an absolute lovable dork around fem Reader Post reunion..

Poor reader’s desperately trying to get her work done in peace but she is struggling..

One, either because Ezra is even vaguely in the same space as her and she can’t focus because of his stupid pretty face, or his stupid voice that makes her feel all fluttery inside..

Or two, he’s not there at all but she still can’t focus because she can’t stop thinking about him! A mechanic who can’t focus is a mechanic who can’t work… and she needs to get her work done!

So the next time Ezra walks up to lay a flirty line on her she just stops.. gets up, walks over to him, grabs him by his collar and shoves him In chair.. sits on his lap, grabs his face and kisses him.. hard, like within seconds Ezra went from being all suave and flirty with his crush to his crush straight up making out with him on his lap….

Girl has her hands fiddling with his soft curly hair, and thumb rubbing across his cheek when she pulls back for air.. gently running her fingers across his bearded jaw as she slowly gets off his lap…

He his too stunned to speak…. But she’s not~

“I finish work at ten.. I know a few places that stay open late for dinner.. if you’re late THAT won’t be happening again for awhile..”

Reader Calming walks away with a satisfied grin on her face to go back to work…

Ezra: ….. OH KRIFF YEAH!!!!

the last sentence was literally me when I first read your request 😭

can’t focus? can’t work.

pairing: Mechanic!Fem!Reader x Ezra Bridger

warnings: none, kissing at the end

word count: 2K

summary: you are a well known mechanic which meant that you had plenty of work to do. There was one problem tho.. Ezra. He always managed to distract you from your work, even if he wasn’t around you. You can’t focus yourself anymore on anything and this was bad for your job. You had to find a solution to this.. which you did. Leaving him completely flustered behind.

authors note: Flirty Ezra lives rent free in my head.

Pls bare with me, flirting isn’t my speciality, if his attempts to flirt don’t make sense I‘m deeply sorry.

anywayyy

enjoyy <3

Hera asked you if you could help her with something. The Ghost made weird sounds for over a week now, she wanted you to take a look at it. 

„Are you sure? I don’t want you to overwork yourself. I know that you’re quite busy, this can wait for a few days“

She tried to reassure you, knowing that you were a well known mechanic which meant that you had tons of work to do.

Unbeknownst to her though, you had other problems. 

Ezra.

-

Some time passed now since he finally returned. He didn’t want to show it but those years which he spent alone… let’s just say that they left their mark.

You two were close before he disappeared, nobody confessed but you had your moments with him. And now? After all those years you two noticed that you had to catch up on a few things…

And since he was alone for a decade now.. he made sure that he made his affection towards you clear, not thinking twice before he opened his mouth to say something he’d maybe regret when he couldn’t sleep. 

Or not, it’s Ezra after all, he’s sure as hell proud at how he makes you feel.

You kind of enjoyed it, and you still do. But your not so official boyfriend just doesn’t know when he has to stop. 

It all leaded to your current situation. You accepted way to many comissions hoping that they’d keep you concentrated. And they did, for a few days. 

You were stressed, regretting your actions while you worked at the different shuttles or machines. 

Ezra always found his way to you, sneaking in to your workshop, spending his time with you while you fixed some broken parts. 

„Did I tell you that you’re beautiful?“

Yes he did, multiple times now and he always managed to make you blush whenever he said that.

„I guess so“

You tried to brush it off, focusing on your work as best as you could. 

„Do I see a blush?“

He smirked, walking closer to you while you continued your work. 

This boy was so full with love, love that he wanted to share with the only person he wanted. You.

And he made sure that you knew that there was ‚someone‘ who’d be always here for you.

You turned around, originally wanting to change the tools you were working with only to collide against Ezra’s chest. 

You were trying to maintain your focus so much that you didn’t even notice how he left his corner and made his way closer to you. 

And you blushed even more.

„Oh yeah that’s definetly a blush“

There was no point in hiding your face now, you just stepped closer to him, resting your head on his chest while you wrapped your arms around him.

„You’re going to be the end of me, do you know it?“

„Your ‚end‘ will at least be a handsome one“

He said, not even hesitating for a second after your statement. A proud smile made it‘s way up to his face, yes. He indeed was very handsome.

You looked up to him, straight into his eyes. They were directed at you, representing his affection. 

Words can’t explain how they made you feel.

You could stare at them for hours and never get bored of them. 

They were just so… peaceful? Loving, caring, actually a sight that comforted you. 

Blue always had this effect on you. Hera once got really worried because you were standing in the cockpit, not moving a muscle while you observed the hyperspace’s blue. 

His eyes had this magic effect on you and he soon noticed that.

„If you like my eyes that much.. why don’t we go somewhere more private where you’d have all the time you need to observe them.. or more“

He of course had to say something. 

Would it still be Ezra if he didn’t? Nope.

Why did it even surprise you.

After all, deep within his heart, he still was the 18 year old boy who loved to tease his people. 

-

„Don’t worry, I’d be more then happy to work at something I actually care for“

Even if Hera was right about you being busy, she didn’t know anything about your inner conflict. 

Ever since Ezra started to be all lovey dovey around you, flirting with you whenever he got his chance, you felt like you couldn’t get anything done anymore. 

The image of his face, his eyes, his mouth, his handsome hair or whatever. 

He was just perfect and your brain made sure that you wouldn’t forget it.

His voice was a constant element in your mind, haunting you whenever you did something.

„I‘m just worrying about you.. you seem to be stressed“

„I mean… I am but.. believe me, working on the Ghost will definetly help“

„How so?“

„I‘ll be actually working alone“

She was confused, you were already working alone, you didn’t have a coworker, or did she miss something?

„What do yo-„

„Heyy Hera! Ehem..“

Hera was cut by Sabine calling her through her comm link. 

„Sabine! What’s going on?“

There was an apologetic look on her face as she turned around.

„Could you come please? A pilot needs some good advice from you“

„Can’t you handle it..? I‘m in a conversation right now“

„With who?“

Hera gestured for you to come closer so that Sabine could see you.

„Hey there“

You said nervously.

„Oh perfect! Okay y/n tell me and be honest, would you want to repair another X-Wing this week?“

This confused you, Sabine knew about your busy schedule, why would she recommend such a thing?

„.. Sabine… why do you ask?“

This caught Heras attention too.

„Well.. if Hera doesn’t want to come to lecture our newest pilot, your mechanic skills may come in very handy by the end of the week“

You heard a sigh coming from Hera. Seems like Sabine won.

„Okay, I‘m on my way“

„Thank you, see you! And y/n, good luck with the Ghost!“

And with those words she ended the transmission. 

„Seems like she still got her spirit“

Your attempt of a joke actually managed to get a chuckle out of Hera.

„Oh yeah.. however.. thank you for prioritizing the Ghost on your list, I really appreciate this“

„No problem, you’re basically my family, the others can wait a little longer“

You said your goodbyes when Hera left to go and get this new pilot lectured about his X-Wing while you made your way to the Ghost. 

You ran some test and after a few minutes you too noticed the weird sound coming off the engine. 

You ran a mental check list of the things you’d have to get from your workshop in order to get that nasty sound fixed. 

Well.. you tried your best. The thought of a certain someone crossing your mind. 

His laugh and his eyes.. damn they where so beautiful.

He was beautiful.

Damnit! Again! You won’t be able to get any work done at this rate. How did he even manage to take control over your thoughts. 

Jedi or not, he wasn’t even in the same room as you right now. 

With all your willpower left, your tried to stay focused and get your tools to repair your friends ship. 

Everything you had to do right now was to just fix it, it shouldn’t be too difficult, right? 

Your mind always managed to drift off, memories of and with him, his attempts to flirt with you or his handsome face.

Oh my force, why did he have to be this handsome in the first place?

Drifting off while you were at work seemed to be your new speciality.

He had such a big effect on you and it started to annoy you. 

Not he as a person, nor his affection.

You were growing to be upset with yourself. 

A mechanic who can’t focus is a mechanic who can’t work. 

It is as simple as that.  

And if you can’t work, you sure as hell won’t be able to keep your deadlines.

You had to find a solution to this.

Something to stop you from getting distracted whenever you where alone.

But what?

-

You were once again working on a other shuttle. This time you only has to repair something that broke within the wings.

Yes. Wings.

Heras advice didn’t seem to help enough, that new pilot still managed to destroy it. 

For the first time in what felt like forever you managed to stay focused.

Not thinking of him and his flirting or everything.

Until now.

You heard someone’s footsteps closing in on you. 

And then, his sigh before he started to speak. 

„We’d be married by now if you decided to just spend half of the time with me that your spending with those shuttles“

He faked a hurt tone, looking down in ‚defeat‘.

„I already miss your voice.. so sweet..“

He continued, sensing through the force that even if you didn’t answer, he still managed to make you feel flustered.

„Please don’t make me bring the ‚I see the stars in your eyes‘ card, it’s too simple, your eyes don’t just resemble the stars but also the whole un-„

Ezra stopped when you just stopped whatever you where doing.

You placed the tools somewhere on a desk, getting up from your sitting position to walk over to him.

You didn’t say a thing. 

Not a damn thing. 

„y/n?“

Still no answer. 

Instead you reached out for his arm, grab him by his collar to push him onto the nearest chair. 

He was speechless and when you didn’t leave him any time to realize what was happening, you were already sitting on his lap.

Now it was Ezra who was flustered af. 

You then placed your hands on his face, holding him while you took every ounce of courage you had to finally kiss him.

Hard.

Very. Hard. 

Bro was flabbergasted to say the least. 

But he didn’t hesitate to return the kiss.

He still tried to understand what was happening right now. His flirty attitude from before seemed to be replaced. 

Right now, just for you, he was the most passionate man, putting everything he had into that kiss. 

Your hands started to work on their own. The one fiddling with his soft locks while the other did it’s work around his cheek. 

Poor boy still tried to understand how he went from trying to flirt with you to straight making out with you on his lap.

However, oxygen was something you both needed in order to survive, and you two started to run out of breath, you pulled back.

Locking your gaze with him.

You were panting, both of you. Trying to catch your breath.

This was… intense.

You ran your fingers across his bearded jaw as you stood up from his lap, not breaking the eye contact. 

Now it was him who was speechless, a blushing mess even. 

You at the other hand enjoyed this.

„I usually end my work at ten… there are some places I know that stay open late for dinner… don’t be late, otherwise this… won’t happen again anytime soon.“

You then walked off, back to where you were working. A satisfied grin on your face. Words couldn’t describe what you were feeling right now.

It was overwhelming, you just kissed him, kissed him so hard that he was still speechless.

The Ezra Bridger. Speechless. Because of you.

Ezra was still sitting on the chair. Slowly realizing that you asked him out on a date. And that you also just made out with him on his fucking lap. 

His stunned expression turned into a excited one.

He was still too stunned to speak, but his mind was everything but quiet right now.

„Holy force…“

SHE ASKED ME OUT!

OH KRIFF YEAH!!!

[xdaddysprincessxx]

Sweet Creature

Vamp Ezra x SW!f!reader

Warnings: Dark/Dead dove, tw: sexual assault (it’s not explicit but it is there, sex work IS NOT glamorous) Vampirism, sex work(reader is a high end escort), finance bro talk (idk it’s like one sentence), boot riding, blood, p in v (wear a fucking condom my dudes), neck biting, oral (f receiving), I believe that’s it, lightly edited, all mistakes are mine.

A/n: if you can’t tell by now that I have a raging boner for vampires, well then idk what to tell you.

Moodboard made by moi 😇

The cold, winter air hits your face as you walk out of the Hilton hotel. You pull your faux fur coat tighter around your body as you make your way to the car sitting at the curb waiting for you.

Opening the back door and ducking your head as you lower yourself into the black Rolls Royce your mistress sent for you. Sliding over the black leather seat, you quickly got comfortable and relaxed as your driver pulls off to take you back to your shared townhouse. About two years ago, you met this beautiful woman named Serena and the two of you became friends. She knew of this “job opportunity” and told you how perfect you’d be for it. She explained how all you had to do was go on a date with this old, rich guy. He’d pick you up, take you to dinner and drop you back off at home after. He would pay for everything and all he wanted was your time and attention. Easy right? Wrong. You went on that date with what’s his name? Richard or something? He picked you up from her place, took you to this super fancy restaurant, ordered pasta and lobster for you and made sure to keep your wine glass full. After dinner, once the two of you were in his car instead of going towards your friend’s apartment where he picked you up from, he took a different route leading to a sketchy ass looking hotel. You weren’t in the most sober mindset so it didn’t really occur to you to be scared or nervous. Richard had been lovely all night. You followed him inside and it became a huge regret of yours very soon. You see Richard was not a nice man at all. It didn’t matter that you said no. You said yes to going to dinner with him. You said yes to spending his money just fine. After he had his fun, he left you laying on the bed covered in his spend and tears running down your face. He did leave you six thousand dollars in an envelope on the dresser for you. The money didn’t take away the pain but it did help dry your tears some. And that’s how you found yourself working for Serena as one of her girls. You’ve managed to make a name for yourself in the escort industry. Billionaires, athletes, actors, if they had money and a dick, they asked for you. By name. You had the best pussy and you weren’t this little submissive girl to them either. You had a sassy mouth on you and you weren’t afraid to tell them where,what,how and why. That was part of your appeal. You were effortlessly cool and dominating in a way that these men liked and craved from a woman. All too soon your ride came to an end as you pulled up to your townhouse. Braving the cold once again, you got out and walked up to the door and let yourself in.

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Another Friday night and you unfortunately found yourself stuck going to this gala as some finance bro’s date. All you wanted to do was stay home, lay around in sweats and eat junk food and watch your fave true crime shows. But here you are in a gorgeous black, floor length strapless dress with a high slit on the side. The gala is held at the Four Seasons Hotel and you already know your date has a room ready for after the event is over. Your walking around with a flute of champagne while you listen to these old, rich dudes talk about whatever out of touch shit they talk about. That’s when you spot this little patch of blonde hair attached to these beautiful brown curls. Ezra. You’ve never gone on a date with him but he runs in the same circle as the guys who do hire you so you’ve met him before. He’s always such a mystery to you. There were rumors about him. People always said they’ve never seen him during the day, he only shows up to events at night, he refuses to be photographed, and a few have said he’s a biter. One girl you knew from working for Serena, she had gone on a date with him except she said he never ate in front of her, only drank a little wine and claimed he bit her neck. She even had these weird little puncture marks. Unfortunately like a couple of days after that she went missing. The rumors never bothered you though, a lot of the men who frequent Serena’s are very weird. You have noticed how he always seems to undress you with his eyes every time you see him. A huge part of you wished he would call for you and whisk you away from this lifestyle. Standing with what’s his face, Derek? No. Steve maybe? Anyways You get lost in your little daydream about the man you wished you came with when you suddenly feel the eyes of someone watching you.

“Well hello gentlemen and ladies.” You hear a southern, husky voice say. You turn your head to the left and see Ezra has made his way over to your little group. Standing there in an all black tux, eyeing him up and down, your cunt clenching when you saw the boots he had on. As dominant as you are with your clients, Ezra is the one man you want to submit too. The one you want to kneel down for and do as he says.

“You look extra delectable tonight birdie if I do say so myself.” Ezra says to you, causing your cheeks to heat up as you blush

“Oh thank you Ezra, your flattery is always welcomed.” You say back, doing your best to brush off the fact this man affects you greatly.

“Ah Ezra how are you? We were just discussing the current stock market situation and who should be dropping what stocks. Care to chime in?” Your date says.

“As much as I would love to discuss the stock market I actually came over to whisk your lovely date away for a quick word.” Ezra replied as he held out his hand towards you, hoping you’d take it and leave with him.

Taking his hand and thanking whatever god is out there for this rescue, “Of course, I’ll be right back honey” you tell your date, handing him your champagne flute before you walk hand in hand with Ezra out of the gala.

Once the two of you were out of the ballroom, you cleared your throat, “So what exactly did you want to talk about?”

“I saw how beautiful you looked tonight and couldn’t let you continue to go to waste out there. Those men never deserved you birdie.”

His words caused a deep blush to cover your cheeks. Finally he’s calling on you. He wants you! You’ve been waiting on this for what feels like forever. Ezra is actually whisking you away even if only for the night.

The two of you finally stop in front of suite 108, Ezra let’s go of your hand to grab the key out of his pocket and quickly unlocks the door, ushering you inside. Taking a few steps in, Ezra comes up behind you placing his hands on your hips as he guides you over to the king sized bed. As the two of you come to a stop at the foot of the bed, you notice a floor to ceiling mirror directly in front of the bed, along with these gorgeous blood red roses sitting in various vases around the room. Some roses were even laying on the bed. Turning around in his arms you lift your arms around his neck,

“What’s all t-“ Ezra cuts you off, placing a finger over your mouth.

“Shh no more questions. I’ve been watching you for awhile now birdie. Always with a different man, selling your body. I know you hate it. I’ve been waiting for the right time but unfortunately there isn’t a right time so I’m taking you. Make you mine. Mine to love and feed on and use as I please.” He says before ducking his head down and leaving a kiss on the base of your throat. He makes his way up your neck, leaving a trail of kisses, causing your brain to shut off almost instantly.

“You always smell so divine my love. I can hear your delicious blood flowing through your body, your heart beating as if to say it’s mine for the taking,” he says in between kisses, “mm yes you will be the most tasty little treat I’ve had the pleasure of having.”

Now that’s a very weird way of saying he wants you. What exactly does that even mean? He can hear my blood? You aren’t exactly vanilla when it comes to sex but blood play is a new kink for you. Tilting your head back to allow him more room, Ezra starts to suck right below your ear earning him a beautiful soft moan to tumble out of your mouth. Soon his mouth leaves your neck as he starts to guide you down towards the floor.

He’s still standing, just bent over as you are almost on your knees in front of him. He pushes the tip of his boot in between your legs.

“Sit down birdie. Go on. I’m not a patient man.”

Without hesitation, you straddle his boot, sitting all the way down. You can feel it all along your wet cunt. Looking up at Ezra, who’s now standing straight up again, you can’t help but squirm ever so slightly as he reaches down and swipes his thumb on your bottom lip.

“That’s it pretty girl. Show me how well you can ride my boot.”

You begin to rub your cunt on his boot just as he asked, taking his thumb in your mouth. You lightly suck his thumb as you hold onto his leg and ride his boot. You can feel yourself get wetter by the second. The dominance he’s showing over you is the biggest turn on ever. All you want to do is show him how good you can be. You keep your eyes locked with his the whole time. You start to feel him tap his foot up, hitting your clit as you ride. Your little red lace thong you had on was completely soaked at this point. It barely covered you to begin with, now it’s practically useless but you love it. You can feel the sleek black leather, the little ridges of the seams, all it does is make you start to ride him faster wanting to feel ecstasy.

“Oooh that’s it birdie. Rub your sweet little cunt just like that. I bet you’re soaked aren’t you? Ah yes. Yes you are aren’t you birdie? Look at you. Riding my boot and sucking my thumb wishing it was my cock. What a beautiful sight you are.”

You have drool running down your chin and you just know his boot is soaked from your juices. You’re so close it’s almost embarrassing how quick it’s taken you just from rubbing yourself on his boot. It makes you feel like a damn virgin discovering your clit for the first time. Ezra removes his thumb, pinching your face as he pulls you up off his boot and turns you in his arms to face the mirror.

Forcing you to look at yourself in the mirror that’s when you notice, you can only see yourself! But Ezra is right there! Why isn’t he in the reflection looking back at you too?

Still holding your face, Ezra runs his nose up the side of your neck, inhaling deep. “Scared yet birdie? You really should be.” He says in a low gravelly tone. Once he spoke those words, your eyes went wide as he opened his mouth wide exposing his fangs as he bites down on your neck.

You try to scream, your mouth dropping open as this searing pain heats up your whole body. You try your best to flail your arms when the pain changes to a sweet sweet sensation that you find you never want to go away. Raising your arm, you find his head and card your fingers through his hair. Gripping onto his luscious brown curls, you do your best to keep his head right where you want him.

All too soon Ezra lifts his face away from your neck, blood dripping down his chin. His entire lower face is covered in the liquid. It’s the most erotic sight you’ve ever seen. With your hand still in his hair, you push his face towards yours, kissing him deeply. You feel him push his tongue into your mouth, tasting the metallic liquid you can’t help but want more of it. You suck his tongue best you can, continuing to kiss him as if your life depended on it.

Ezra pulls away, blood colored saliva strings connecting you two. His lips all plumped and bruised from the intense kiss you two shared. You feel his hand pull on your dress zipper as his other hand roams all over your body. In an instant you feel your dress fall exposing your bare breasts and soaked thong. Ezra slowly moves down, taking a breast in each hand. He gives each nipple a gentle suck before he continues on his way down.

Ezra’s on his knees in front of you as he looks up giving you these big puppy dog eyes. You reach down and cup his messy, beautiful face. He lifts one of your legs so it bends,

“Such a sweet, beautiful creature you are birdie,” he says before placing a kiss on the inside of your knee, “Now you’re a child of the night. You’re mine for the rest of eternity.” He tells you as he goes to peel your thong off your body. You help by stepping out of it, placing your hands on his shoulders for stability.

“And you’re mine Ezra. If I’m yours, you are mine.”

He growled in response, his eyes rolling back in delight. “Of course my love. We belong to each other now.” He says as he goes to lick a wide stripe up your wet slit. His big hands gripping the globes of your ass as he starts to lick into your cunt, exploring your entrance with his tongue. Your fingers card through his hair, gripping tight and pulling him more into you as you begin to rub your pussy on his willing mouth. You’re mesmerized looking at Ezra on his knees, eating your cunt like it’s his last meal. He looks up at you as he puts his lips around your clit and sucks. You’ve been ate out before but for some reason this is the greatest feeling you’ve ever felt. In fact everything feels better than it ever has.

Just as soon as you get close once again, Ezra pulls away. It’s as if he knows your close and he’s just teasing you. You let out a frustrated whimper as he pulls you down onto the floor with him. Laying you on your back, he climbs on top of you as he goes to kiss you again. Your tongues licking into each others mouths, you can taste yourself on him making you moan out loud. You can feel Ezra’s free hand go down and start to unbuckle his pants. He pulls away as you both go to work to free his cock from their confines. As soon as you see his thick cock you let out a gasp as you go to wrap your hand around him. He’s easily the biggest you’ve ever seen, your hand doesn’t even fit around him. Giving him a few pumps, he goes to move your hand away as he takes over, rubbing his cock through your soaked folds, collecting your wetness on himself before notching himself at your entrance. He pushes into you in one swift motion before he begins just pounding the shit out of you. His heavy balls slapping on your ass as his thick cock stretch’s you out like you’ve never been stretched before. It takes your breath away, all you can do is lay there with your arms wrapped around him tight and just take what he gives you. He dips his head down and starts sucking and leaving wet open mouth kisses on your neck. The only noise in the room is the wet slapping of your bodies meeting and the soft moans and grunts coming from you both. Ezra slows his thrusting down, grinding his cock deep inside of you making your eyes roll back. The two of you lost in the all of the sweet pleasure. Ezra’s face is hovering over yours as the two of you stare deep into each others eyes. The feeling of his cock massaging your walls has you both doubled over in ecstasy.

Without speaking, Ezra picks up speed again thrusting deep in your pussy. His forehead falling on yours as his eyes close, you feel him snake his hand down and his thumb gently circling your clit is your undoing. You hit your high, screaming out loud as he lets out a loud moan, laughing a little, “That’s it birdie cum for me. Soak my fucking cock my sweet creature. Nngh that’s it baby fuck I can feel you choking my cock. Just like that baby that’s it ooh. Oh fuck,” he grunts out as he hits his high. You can feel his cock throb and pulse deep inside you, his thick load coating your walls. His face still pressed to yours, his aquiline nose smooshed next to yours as you both lay there, catching your breath. You smile, breathing out a little giggle before you kiss the side of his mouth.

“So forever huh? I get to enjoy this for the rest of my days?” You say as you open your eyes to see him above you with a silly little grin on his face.

“I told you birdie. We’re children of the night. I’ve made you mine. And I have no problem reminding you every day and night that your mine and mine only.” He said punctuating that last few words with a deep grind of his cock.

“That’s fine with me.” You say with a breathless giggle. The two of you lay like that for awhile before he got hard again. He took you in every position on every surface that night. The next day you two stayed in bed, curtains closed. Once night hit, you left with Ezra, hand in hand, ready to spend eternity with him.

A/n: okay sooo we will def be seeing more of these two again!! I hope y’all like this! Every like/reblog/comment makes my day and I appreciate every single one of you babes!

Tagging my fellow vampire lovers: @patti7dc @multiversed-daydreamer @lumoverheaven @iamasaddie @toxicanonymity @bonezone44 @survivingandenduring @neverwheremoonchild

[flilisskywalker]

I guess what keeps me up at night is asking what's the point of Sabine's search for Ezra, like... as an emotional arc.

(This text is an adaptation of the thread I wrote on Twitter)

Because when I rewatch the fourth season of Rebels, I get the impression that they are paired together in many episodes as a way to prepare us for a hurtful goodbye between the two at the end of the show, which is to me the same reason why they decided to go heavy on confirming Kanan and Hera's romance because they knew he was going to die.

I don't really know if the parallels between Sabezra and Kanera are intentional considering how Filoni talks about the former, but Ezra does become Kanan (even has a whole stretch arms sacrifice) and Sabine does become Hera (Deep grief for losing him) and not in a "The kid got this from his/her parent." sense, but in the sense of that the situation is really similar, which is interesting because it wasn't like this originally.

Ahsoka made Sabine's grief towards Ezra not being by her side all the time a thing.

Instead of simply letting Sabine's mission be about bringing Ezra home like in the original animated epilogue, Filoni complicates things a little bit by implying that Sabine is not doing this for Ezra, but for herself. Beyond that, almost every character notices how devoted she is to him and it even confuses some of them.

Thrawn, for example, has studied Sabine. He is well aware that Ezra is her compatriot and friend and yet... he is confused by her choice. Sabine states "You wouldn't understand." and then accepts to be stranded on Peridea just to see Ezra again. Once she found him and even after hearing he wants to get home, she did not say a word about Thrawn being his only ticket home. Instead, she simply enjoys time with him.

If you know Sabine Wren, you know that she would never ignore a huge Imperial threat and put in danger people like Hera, who is definitely an older sister type of role model to her, or feel that Ezra is the only family she has, so I do understand why people think she is very distant from the original show.

There might be a reason for all of this. A reason that I'm not sure Filoni wants to dive into, but the way he's been writing Sabine, the vagueness every time Ezra is the conversation's topic, feels like she has fallen in love with him during his absence and honestly? This makes far more sense than any other explanation.

We've seen in Star Wars before, fiction in general, that love is blind. Sabine's focus on finding Ezra is described by Baylan as something that blinds her. Not only this would justify her out of character attitude, but also the parallels with Kanan and Hera.

Star Wars live-action TV shows this year have been interesting to decode. In both The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka season 1, there's a lot of subtle implications that characters want to build a life with somebody.

Mando does this in Chapter 22 - Guns For Hire, an episode surrounded by romantic love, where a droid bartender tells Din and Bo that human life is so short and then they look at each other. They want to be together, but that has not been verbalized yet. It is still very much in the subconscious.

Ahsoka does it in Part 7 - Dreams and Madness, by showing Sabine's lack of urgency regarding Thrawn and simply enjoying Ezra's company. It really implies that this was what her mission was all about: Be with Ezra. Her real desire is build a life with him, but that desire is still in the subconscious.

I believe Favreau knows all of that when it comes to Din and Bo.

BUT DOES FILONI KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO SABINE AND EZRA?

[eggplant-crusader]

When "at least they ended the season in the same galaxy" is cause for celebration.

My precious baby girl who never did anything wrong showed up for like five seconds and the only thing she did was make yet another bad decision, bless her. You stupid gremlin, what are we gonna do with you? Love her.

I'm actually hoping they recast Baylan, I don't want his character written out :(

The vibe I'm getting is that Ahsoka and Sabine are being written out of the Heir to the Empire / Mandalore story arcs of the Filoniverse. They're off to new adventures in the new galaxy in future seasons, while Hera and Ezra will feature in those stories.

I'm okay with this for Ahsoka, but it doesn't sit well with me that Sabine might be missing the whole Mandalore thing. She should be a Mandalorian first, a padawan second. I don't like this direction for the character tbh.

Ezra getting into the destroyer and immediately getting into shenanigans was so perfect. Our boy! He's back!

Once again, his reunion felt less emotional than it should have been. I wanted to see him and Hera run towards each other, hug like they're never letting go again! I get what they were going for, but I wish they'd done it differently.

[space-helen]

Pancakes

Words: 520

Pairing: Captain Pike x Reader

A/N: first thing I’ve written fully in forever so yes it is short and it’s a bit clunky but I should be back to normal soon!

Request: could you write something spending a relaxing morning in bed with captain pike? maybe after a long shift they just stay in bed a little longer, basically just a lot of fluff 🥰 hope you’re doing alright!! ❤️ - @rebel-ezra

______________________

You could feel the warmth of the covers and an arm wrapped comfortingly around you.

Snuggling into the warmth of the man beside you, you let out a content breath and squeezed your eyes tighter. Not wanting this feeling to end.

It was rare that the two of you got a lie in together on the ship. Usually your schedules wouldn’t entirely align and the two of you would usually be woken up by a blaring alarm.

But today? Today was a full day off for the two of you at the same time. You weren’t entirely sure which miracle had brought you this joint day off but you weren’t going to complain.

You felt the man move beside you as he snuggled in closer to you. For a brief moment you felt like you were about to let sleep take over once more but he nudged you gently with his head.

“Y/N.” he whispered so softly, mainly checking to see if you were anywhere near awake. Not wanting to wake you if you were asleep.

You moved your head very slightly in response and tried to pull your eyes open. He smiled at your response before moving to check the time. “It’s eleven am.”

This made your eyes open and you turned to face him fully “You’re kidding?”

He shook his head with a smile and propped himself up slightly on his arm to look at you better. “Nope. I’m surprised we slept that long.”

“We clearly needed it.” you smiled and rustled the covers. The man got comfy once more and you moved to lie on his chest. Wrapping his arm around you he drew patterns with his fingertips on your arm and placed a kiss to the top of your head.

“What's the plan for today?”

“Can we just hide in here?” you pleaded, not really wanting to face anyone on your day off. You loved them all, you really did, but you just wanted one day where you could hide and stay in your pyjamas.

He let out a small laugh “If that’s what you want then sure. I can cook us up something nice and we can just enjoy each other's company.”

You nodded against his chest “There’s nothing else I’d rather do.” the man hugged you to him and placed another kiss to your hair.

The two of you lay in silence again, listening to each other's breathing as he resumed running his fingertips along your arm. 

The growling of your stomach had the man stop his movement “Let me make some pancakes.” he said, sitting up slowly as you did the same.

“You don’t have to we could just-”

He put his hand up. “I know but I’d rather do it by hand. My treat for the two of us.”

You smiled and watched as the man got out of bed. “As long as you let me help with something.”  

“Fine, you can help.” he held his hand out towards you and you took it happily. Playfully pulling you towards him he placed a quick kiss to your lips with a smile.

Tag List: (open)

Star Trek: @heyitsaloy @angel-with-wings-castiel @starfleet-imagines @captainsophiestark @perasperaadastrawriting

[sapphoschoices]

Thin Ice

Book: High School Story

Characters: Jonah Leighton (HSS MC), Caleb Mitchell (very minor: Maria Flores, Aiden Zhou)

Relationships: M!HSS MC x Caleb Mitchell (romantic)

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 765

Summary: Jonah and Caleb go ice skating together, it's a shame neither knows what they're doing though.

Warnings: Brief mention of decapitation (don't question it, the characters are just joking)

“You can't ice skate?” Jonah asked Caleb with his mouth hung open. “You invited me here and you can't even skate!”

“I wanted to impress you. I was trying to learn.” Caleb attempted to explain, while covering his face in shame. “My brother isn't a very good teacher though.”

Jonah sighed, but began to cackle a few moments later. “We're so screwed. I can't skate either.” Caleb looked up with a look in his eyes which could only be described as pure horror. “I guess we'll have to learn together.”

“Fine, but only because Ezra's going back to college in two days, I can't handle persistent bullying any longer than that.”

Jonah rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. “Don't be a drama queen, let me tie your laces.” He reached down to lift Caleb's foot onto the bench.

Caleb stands up first, wobbling on his ice skates, before reaching a hand out for Jonah, who wobbles just as much. “Are you excited?”

“Absolutely not, walking like this is like hell on my poor, poor ankles.” Jonah wailed dramatically, seconds away from pretending to faint before Caleb began stumbling towards the ice rink, dragging Jonah along with him.

Jonah ended up having to almost catch Caleb as soon as he stepped foot on the ice, which was easier said than done, considering he very nearly brought Jonah down with him.

“Let's maybe avoid falling on each other while we have knives on our feet, okay?” Jonah giggled, gripping the wall of the ice rink while helping Caleb stand back up.

“I think we should stick to the wall for now.” Caleb took a deep breath and switched his grip on Jonah's arms to grip the wall just as strongly. “One step at a time.”

“I don't think you're supposed to step with these.” Jonah kept his eyes on his feet as he scooted one forward, only for him to massively glide off-course and have to catch himself on Caleb.

It was a good job they'd chosen to come at a less busy time, the only people on the rink yet were a few others with the same idea of coming at a less busy time, as well as some more experienced skaters here to practise, and we're too engrossed in their own business. Less people to embarrass themselves in front of.

“Maria said they'd all be here at eight. We have half an hour to get this nailed down.” Caleb nodded to himself, interlocking his and Jonah's arms. “Let's try it like a three-legged race.”

The two began to attempt to move in sync, routinely having to pull the other back on course, but they lasted long enough, before Caleb slid out of control, landing flat on his back and dragging Jonah along with him.

“Oof.” Caleb groaned, as he gently shoved Jonah off his chest. “That winded me.”

Jonah sat up beside Caleb, who was still laying with his head back. “Do you think we can just sit here until everyone else gets here?”

“Not unless you want someone to speed over and decapitate me with their knife-shoes.” He reached out for Jonah's hand but made no move to stand up.

“If I wanted you decapitated with an ice skate, I could do it myself.” Jonah punctuated his sentence with a kiss to Caleb's palm. “Now get up, this ice is cold as hell.”

“Fine, but only if you kiss me again.” Caleb insisted with a smile, as the two stood up together once again, shaking on their way. Once they were comfortably stable again, Jonah pressed a soft kiss to Caleb's cheek, before kissing him more deeply on the mouth.

“Ahem,” someone coughed from behind Caleb. The pair took a look over his shoulder to see Maria with her eyebrow raised, along with their gaggle of friends standing behind her, all behind the half-wall of the ice rink.

“That was so painful to watch.” Aiden groaned, clearly finding it difficult to even look at the pair in shame. “I got here early, too, you two owe me an apology.”

“Like you can skate any better. Anyone in band knows you have zero physical rhythm.” Jonah retorted, leaning against the wall.”

“Just because I can't dance doesn't mean I can't skate.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “It's just like walking.”

“That's what I said!” Caleb yelped indignantly at Jonah. “And you disagreed.”

“Well now I disagree with both of you.” Jonah grinned, but reached for Caleb's hand once again, just for good measure. “You know I love you, though. Aiden, not so much.”

[randy-jester]

HM Headcanon Sheet: Ezra Beane (The Skeleton Hitchhiker)

Here's the list of headcanons I have for my interpretation of Ezra from the Haunted Mansion. Initially, this was intended to be posted alongside my reference art for him, but after seeing how long it is, I decided to make it into two separate posts.

Headcanons Below!

General Headcanons:

Generally speaking, Ezra is a self-centered, staunchly independent person. He loves doing his own thing and hates being told what to do.

But with that said, Ezra, Phineas, and Gus are ride-or-die friends. You mess with one of them, you mess with all of them.

Ezra acts as sort of the de-facto leader of the hitchhiker trio. He's not the smartest (that title belongs to Phineas) nor is he the most physically capable or resourceful (that would be Gus). But Ezra is usually the one with ideas and a preference for which direction to go, hence why he takes more of a "leader" type role. This was their dynamic in life and it continues to be so in death.

I also headcanon Ezra as the type to be very impulsive. He's very much a "act first, ask questions later" type of person. A lot of times, he acts without thinking about consequences or how his actions would affect others. It has definitely come back to bite him more times than he can count.

Ezra is the tallest character in the main cast, taller than even the Ghost Host!

I headcanon Gus as mute, so both Phineas and Ezra learned sign language in order to communicate with him better. Gus taught them both while they were still alive. Ezra admittedly had a harder time with it than Phineas did.

Sometimes, Ezra, Phineas, and Gus would sign secret messages to each other when they don't want others eavesdropping on them.

Ezra likes to brag about how attractive he is. He thinks of himself as "the hot one" both between himself and Hatty and between himself and the other two hitchhikers. In reality, Ezra's just kind of average. Phineas and Gus let him toot his horn all he wants.

In Life:

He was born "Ezra Beane Hatter", the younger brother of Alister Beane Hatter (who would later become the Hatbox Ghost).

Ezra's mother died after giving birth to Ezra, so Alister and Ezra ended up being raised by their father.

Their father was very strict with them, which Ezra didn't care for. A lot of times, he would run off to go do whatever he wanted (When he was younger, that meant sneaking to a friend's house to go play. When he got older, it meant going to bars.). Every time Ezra would run off though, he would get caught by someone who would bring him right back to dear ol' dad.

Ezra did get punished a lot for this, but that didn't stop him. Eventually, his dad gave up on him and the brunt of the responsibility was given to Alister.

When their father died, Alister was left to take over the family hat shop. Ezra, who had no interest in helping run the family business, used this opportunity to run away from home one final time. He never said a word about it to his brother. He simply left town and was never seen again.

From this point forward, my hcs for Ezra are basically just a modified version of Ghost Gallery!Ezra

He hitchhiked from place to place, never really staying in one area for too long.

I should note that at this point, he's stopped using his original surname and just goes by "Ezra Beane"

He's been in and out of jail for various petty crimes.

And it was in one of these jail cells where he met Phineas and Gus, his cellmates (and soon to be best mates!)

It was while they were in jail together that Gus taught Phineas and Ezra sign language.

The three of them broke out of jail together and once again hitched their way out of town.

The way they broke out of jail is pretty much the same as in Ghost Gallery, in which Ezra fasts for period of time, slides out between the bars, snags the keys, and he and his buddies are home free.

Ezra, Phineas, and Gus traveled together as a trio for quite some time, but towards the end of their lives they got separated.

Gus went off on his own, while Ezra and Phineas went to a carnival.

And it was at this carnival where Ezra would soon meet his end.

Ezra fell head-over-heels in love with one of the carnival performers. She was a big, beautiful, headstrong woman, and the two of them bonded over having both run away from home to escape unwanted responsibility.

Unfortunately, I can't talk about how I think Ezra died without getting into suggestive territory (and I want to keep this post sfw so that everyone can read it). But let's just say his carnival sweetheart accidentally killed him.

His ghost would tell you it was totally worth it though.

In Death:

After his untimely death, Ezra received a personal summons to the mansion, courtesy of Madame Leota.

The invitation turned out to be on behalf of Gus, and Phineas is there too!

With the trio of besties in life now reunited in death, they spend their days in the afterlife playing pranks and causing mischief around the mansion (much to the chagrin of the other residents)

The three hitchhikers are basically inseparable. Sure, they might follow different mortals home. But after their respective adventures are over, they always come back together and share stories.

Also they totally go on all of the other park rides together after hours. Ezra's favorites are Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain.

All three hitchhikers like to collect souvenirs from the various mortals they follow home. They also like to collect merch of themselves. Their various hoards are scattered in hidden places around the mansion.

The hitchhikers also get really excited whenever they get a chance to do meet-and-greets or join the parades. For the parades, they always make sure to position themselves so that Gus has the best view from the float. 

Ezra is admittedly not great with kids, but he tries! That said, I feel like he's the type of person to teach children curse words because he thinks it would be funny.

Interestingly, Ezra and Hatty did not run into each other when Hatty first moved into the mansion. The brothers only learned they lived in the mansion together after Hatty's return in 2015. Cue Spiderman pointing meme here.

Neither of them were happy to see each other at first, especially Hatty. In his view, Ezra running away from home after their father died was Ezra abandoning him. After the two of them talked things through they, they eventually agreed to let bygones be bygones.

The brothers still neg each other on a regular basis though, as any sibling would.

Ezra's favorite song post-mortem is Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls". You can probably guess why.

Ezra is very jealous of the fact that Gus gets to keep all his hair post-mortem. The fact that Ezra is balding in his ghost form took a blow to his ego. He likes to conveniently forget that he already had a bit of a receding hairline going when he was alive.

Low-key still pining after the carnival woman that (accidentally) killed him though. It's rare that he would ever admit it. But in Ezra's mind, she was the best he ever had. He just wishes he had the chance to tell her and say a proper goodbye. 10/10 would do the same thing with her again if he had the chance.

[abastardworthknowing]

this is probably silly but

I thought of a human au where Aziraphale owns a flat block in a small town and Crowley moves into one of the houses.

He’s the same as in the show, where he waives tennant’s flat fees if they can’t afford it (forget about it this month and just focus on making sure you eat and pay for your wellbeing. If you can pay me next month do, but i’d rather you looked after yourself first.) Most of his tennants try to pay him anyway, and he really doesn’t mind/ care because the only thing he has to pay for on the property is utilities. (in this country if your landlord includes utilities in the rent they are either very kind or something shady is going on lmao, it tends to be included in student rent though.)

anyway the reason i thought of this is because in sims now you can play as a landlord. as though that’s oh so stressful. All you need to do, with your thousands of pounds of rent, is make sure your tenants houses are liveable. No-one is asking for more, if they are, ngl who cares. YOU’RE A LANDLORD. *shakes fist at Maxis*

also like i can just imagine all of the tenants really liking aziraphale because he’s such a different landlord versus the ones irl haha, and they’re probably long term tenants. Maybe he does this to help people save to buy themselves permanent homes?

Anyway Crowley ends up letting a space in the block, and aziraphale does all the niceties of making sure he’s settled in asking him if he needs anything. Only the difference here is aziraphale is obviously like phwoar at Crowley and Crowley is the same back. But there’s a power imbalance. He doesn’t want the attraction to be a lie. (In so far as Crowley is only attracted to him because he’s nice/ feels obligated to sleep with him because aziraphale is nice etc)

Anyway in the end after aziraphale gives in and believes Crowley likes him because *he’s aziraphale* (I think I’d call him Ezra Fell, I know someone called Ezra irl also it sounds close to Israfel! :O anyway tangent)

Side Idea: The other arch angels are his half siblings, perhaps? OR maybe Aziraphale was born into a benevolent (? hah he wishes) gang. But idk if i like the gang idea. I do like God is Azi’s parent idea though. but in a butch way. and a we made money legitimately somehow *wink* way.

Gabriel, Michael, Sandalphon and Uriel are his half siblings. like each have their own parent, type deal maybe? Maybe Gabriel and Michael have the same parent? (no reason just an idea)

Or perhaps Uriel and Aziraphale share a parent, and Uriel wants nothing to do with the family, but was born into power anyway.

idk anyway the point is the family are well off. Maybe god is a business person and is rich af. owns stocks and all that? Then gave Aziraphale (and the others) loads of money and Azi was like thanks much appreciated this feels dirty and i need to use it right. So he does a lot of community work and funding work + you know houses people who need it.

Also the tennants’ money goes straight towards the property. He otherwise doesn’t touch it cause he’s literally loaded. Plus owns a bookshop and stuff. Not that he sells the books. But. He needs his family to think he’s doing *something* to earn money (Gabriel calls him lazy regularly. Bastard.)

uhhh this idea ran away with me whoops

@harleybecomecrowley so you see this but i’ll let u know in disc too :D <3

[prairiesongserial]

epilogue 23

“- news out of the Foreign Office is -”

“- still on the mend, but not sure what our official story -”

Enis winced, removing his headset as both voices on the line dissolved into static and high-pitched feedback. He kicked off on the floor, propelling his wheeled desk chair out from his work station and towards the door. He stuck his head out into the hallway.

“Hamlin?” he called.

“Just a minute!” 

The voice came from a door at the end of the hall. It was shortly followed by its speaker; Hamlin was pulling on a metallic, multi-colored jacket as he walked, and offered Enis both a grin and the same sentiment he always did when Enis called for him.

“You can call me Dad, you know,” he said.

“I’m not doing that,” Enis replied, the same as he always did. Just because Hamlin was Johannes and Ezra’s father, and was generously letting Enis stay with him in New York while Enis laid low, that didn’t mean there was any familial relationship between them. They were work colleagues, if anything. “Can you juice the switchboard? It lost connection again.”

“Shouldn’t you be out on the town, or whatever boys your age do?” Hamlin asked, weaving around Enis as he entered the workroom.

“I’m eighteen,” Enis said.

“All the more reason you should be out having fun.” Hamlin had made a beeline for the far wall, with its mess of wires and control panels, placing his hands firmly on the dusty switchboard at their center.

“Wiretapping Hemisphere is how I have fun,” Enis said, scooting his chair back towards the desk. He peeked over Hamlin’s shoulder.

“And that’s why you’re part of the family,” Hamlin said. “Don’t get too close, it might short-circuit.”

An electric hum filled the room, and the air was suddenly so heavy with static electricity that Enis’s hair stood on end. He backed away accordingly. He still didn’t completely understand how Hamlin’s mutation worked, only that the man claimed to be able to communicate with electronics with his mind. His ability seemed to work on waves, so it was most useful with things like telephones and radio. Whatever it was he was doing came too much in handy for Enis to put any effort into disputing that claim.

Enis’s wiretapping operation was built mostly from the gutted parts of an old broadcasting station Hamlin’s underlings had shown him; he’d been tinkering around down here for weeks, but Hamlin was the only reason he could stay so consistently tapped into Central’s lines of communication. Enis had mostly built the thing in order to discern when it would be safe for the circus members hiding out in New York to show their faces out of state again, but he was learning plenty of interesting national secrets along the way.

“There,” Hamlin said, stepping back from the switchboard. “Give it a shot now.”

Enis resumed his usual position at the desk and slid his headphones on, unsurprised at the sound of two crystal-clear voices chatting without any idea that an eavesdropper was present. One of them was an operator whose voice he recognized by now; the other, he wasn’t sure. Maybe a coworker they were gossiping with.

“- ship up to Canada for the election, depending on who we’re putting in the race. Not that anyone knows who that’ll be yet.”

“Lady’s not running in it?”

“You think anyone wants her to? After that shitshow in Maine?”

“Yeah, but if she wants to, can they stop her?”

“Well, once the race starts -”

Enis reached for the switchboard with one hand and gave Hamlin a thumbs up with the other.

“It’s working,” he said aloud.

“Anything interesting on the lines today?” Hamlin asked.

“Just more about the election. Boring politics stuff. Everyone wants to know who’s going to be in the running for head of Hemisphere.”

Hamlin made a face. “They’re really getting rid of Lady? That’s a shame, she was refreshingly incompetent.”

“Sounds like she can still run.” Enis shrugged. “Not that anyone’d want her in the race. But I don’t see why she wouldn’t nominate herself just to try and save some face.”

“If nobody in Central’s trying to take her out before the race even starts, they must be confident they can beat her above board,” Hamlin said, and stretched his arms over his head. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. Give your brother a call if you’ve got time and see if he and Judith plan on getting themselves down here for Rosh Hashanah.”

Enis made a noncommittal sort of noise in response as Hamlin left. It was the sort of errand he would have put off until later if he hadn’t seen a light towards the edge of the switchboard flicker to life–the light that meant a call had been patched through from Central to Judith’s house in Maine. Now that was interesting. May as well patch himself in as well to see who was calling.

Enis reached for the control panel to his left and flipped a couple of switches, abruptly tuning out of the Central operator’s conversation and into the one coming down the line in Maine. Immediately, Ezra’s voice filled his ears.

“- don’t know what you’re calling me for.”

“You’re the last one who saw Cody Allison and his friends,” said a voice Enis didn’t recognize.

“I saw them get on a boat and leave,” Ezra said. He already sounded like he was at the limit of what he could tolerate, even though the call couldn’t have been going for more than a minute. “You’re the head of Intelligence, shouldn’t you know all this already?”

Ah. The unfamiliar voice was one of Iris’s interpreters, most likely. Enis slid a notepad and pencil closer to him and prepared to take notes. It wasn’t often that he caught one of Iris’s calls, but they were usually very informative.

“Did you know the ship they boarded was headed to France?” Iris asked.

There was silence on the line for a long moment. Even Enis found himself holding his breath, pencil hovering over paper, as if he’d be found out for eavesdropping if he happened to react.

“...what?” Ezra managed.

“The ship that Cody Allison and his friends boarded made port in France last week. I have it on good intelligence that Mr. Allison and the rest of his entourage then crossed the border to England, blew up a subway tunnel, and went on the run from the authorities.”

“No–hold on, no,” Ezra said. “They were boarding a ship to Canada. They were supposed to be smuggled over the Canadian border.”

“And yet,” the interpreter said, “they’re currently the cause of an international incident that threatens to destabilize the English throne. I guess you don’t know how that happened?”

“Do I sound like I know?” Ezra asked. “And what do you care about the Queen of England, anyway?”

“That’s classified.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is.”

“Let me ask you one more time: are you sure you don’t know how four of Hemisphere’s most wanted ended up in Europe, or what they might be doing there?”

“Iris, I have nothing for you,” Ezra said. “And I won’t, ever. Stop calling.”

The line went silent for a long moment. Then Iris said, “Happy New Year, Ezra. Tell your brother I said hello.”

“Fine.” Ezra sighed. He sounded more tired than angry.

There was a click as one of the parties on the line disconnected.

“Iris says hello,” Ezra said, so pointedly it made Enis jump. “I assume you heard all of that.”

There was no way for Enis to respond unless he called Judith’s house directly–which he likely would later to debrief, despite the fact that Central Intelligence was probably tapping the line just as he was. He preferred a two-way conversation instead of letting his brother talk to white noise.

“You can tell Hamlin me and Mame will be down tomorrow for the holiday, by the way,” Ezra said. He didn’t wait for a response this time, and hung up shortly after; Enis could hear him mutter “fucking England?” to himself as he did.

23.13 || 24.1

[olivieblake]

Hi Olivie!!!

I’m here to give you some praise on TAP!!! This will (hopefully) be spoiler free but I feel like I can’t fully make that promise so if anyone out there who hasn’t read it yet sees this who hasn’t read it yet, you might just want to skip this just to be safe.

First of all, I loved being back in this world with these characters, I keep telling people it felt like coming back home in a way.

This book was SO funny I laughed out loud several times and that was one of my favorite parts about the book. Of course I loved hearing from the love of my life Parisa again (also can we talk about the audiobook narrator for her??? The casting is perfect like she sounds exactly how I imagined and even gets like the mannerisms I imagine Parisa having it’s just the best). Speaking of Parisa though, can I just say how fascinating I still find Dalton and mind!Dalton. To me Dalton is actually the most intriguing and interesting character every time we go inside his mind and see mind!Dalton I get so invested. There’s just so many layers to his character and I just want to don’t them all out. I also just live for the dynamic Parisa and mind!Dalton have-it’s just so sexy.

I just also loved learning more about the other characters too! I can’t say you made me LOVE Callum or anything- if you remember from my previous asks and praise he has always been my least favorite and he terrifies me (which is still true) -but I can definitely appreciate his character more after this one which I was not expecting but was a nice surprise! Also okay it might just be me but I loved learning more about Atlas/Ezra. I actually kept texting my friend that I crackshipped them so hard hahah like I wasn’t expecting anything out of it but that betrayal trope and the chemistry hit hahah and I could see them being together back in the day. Idk I just vibed with it. ALSO DUH LIBBY’S CORRUPTION! One of my favorite parts. I definitely can’t wait to see how it also plays out in book 3 (okay spoiler but my nicolibby heart screamed when she said “time to torch this outcome and let the fucker burn”, tbh I think Nico will be very proud of her but that’s to be determined).

THE LAST PARTS PLUS ELILIF AND THE PRINCE LEFT ME SO MANY QUESTIONS LIKE SO MANY 🤯🤯🤯

Okay then ships which I know you probably hate people commenting on at this point but I just need to include it, however I’m lleaving it at the end here so you can skip it if you wish. I loved all the nicolibby crumbs like seeing them missing their other half and how especially Nico couldn’t survive without her and how not only did Nico want nothing else but to find a way to get her back in this book Libby also knew it would be Nico searching for her and ugh I just love them so so so much. Also S/O to Reina for being a secret nicolibby shipper too because she gave us yet another banger quote about them <3 will always be thankful to my girl Reina. Anytime I found a little crumb of theirs I would send it to my friend (who got an ARC) and just scream about it to her-it made reading it so fun. They mean the world to me and I can’t wait to see even more of them in TAC and my heart and soul prays it’s them in the end. But also Novacaine!!! My other loves. Seeing them both lowkey distraught and vengeful towards the other was AMAZING and so angsty. Like I said I love a good betrayal trope and they have an AMAZING one. There’s a page specifically (328) where my Novacaine heart was literally screaming. They just have such a fascinating dynamic and I’m obsessed. Like they might be toxic af but they are SO FUN and why need healthy in fiction anyway???

Anyway just wanted to say I had fun and can’t wait for Jan 2024 (or you know can wait because I’m terrified but you know same thing).

One of these days I’ll actually be able to write a short message (I hope). But I recently finished “The Lovers Grim” so I’ll be hitting up your inbox with more praise soon. Currently doing my AWYITE reread with it’s release and crying! Also currently reading Clara and the Devil and loving it! I can’t believe I only have one more book of yours left to read this year. So bittersweet but I already know I’ll be rereading a bunch of them all the time. ❤️❤️❤️

-Amanda

two things I’m not sure people always grasp about this series are that 1) it’s not taking itself as seriously as some people think it is (I compare it to reality tv for a reason, and I genuinely hope people have the same kind of fun with it that I have with pulpy, addictive media) and 2) there’s technically no such thing as crackshipping, because every relationship that occurs on the page is meaningful and the subject of intense complexity by its mentally ill creator (<3). I have thought a disturbing amount about what exists between every single character on the page, and I do think a wide variety of love stories are being told at the same time. atlas and ezra are a genuinely complicated pairing—it’s the relationship that set this entire plot in motion. this book IS the relationships. all of which is to say: get funky my friend it’s all there for you to play with, as a treat

and also 🥰 thank you for taking the time to share your love of these books with me!

[kryptoncat]

Take Care, Caretaker (The Haunted Mansion Ride Fic) Part 1

(Gen. Family-focused. Mix of comedy, drama, tragedy, and some romance. Main characters: The Caretaker, the Hitchhiking Ghosts, the Hatbox Ghost, and the Brides)

(Fair warning, I started writing this in 2019, the last time I was obsessed with The Haunted Mansion. I have no idea how long this current obsession will last, but I figure it's better to post a fic unfinished and come back to it later than to never post at all.)

Horace sat quietly next to his oldest brother on the church pew, trying hard not to fidget. His legs were too short to reach the floor, and he had accidentally kicked Hatty's cane a few minutes ago, earning his oldest brother's disapproving gaze. Right now Hatty's eyes were on the middle child, Ezra, whose arms were crossed beneath a frowning face, blinking away the sleep as the pastor droned on. Hatty elbowed his younger brother none too gently when Ezra didn't even try to stifle his yawn.

When the service finally ended, Hatty slowly pulled himself up with his cane, placing the source of his nickname back on his head, while Ezra grabbed Horace's hand and charged through the chattering adults. "C'mon, let's go play!"

"In the graveyard?" Horace's voice was small as Ezra pulled him away from Hatty's protests and outside of the building.

"Of course the graveyard! Where else?" Ezra rolled his eyes. Other children were already chasing each other around the graves. One of the boys ran up to them.

"Hey Ezra, let's go to the old Gracey place!" The kid pointed to the large stately mansion bordering the church's graveyard. "Milly's too scared to look in the windows."

"I am not!" A girl protested, stomping her little foot as she stood beside a tomb. "I just want someone to come with me."

Ezra dropped Horace's hand and stood between the two children. "We should all go together, and look in the windows at the same time," he said with a grin. "That way it's fair and nobody should be scared."

The other kids agreed with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Horace looked back to the adults talking near the church. Only one young man, barely twenty, stood among them with a cane. Hatty had to look up as he conversed with the pastor. His face was suitably dignified and composed, but his hand shook slightly as he leaned on the gnarled rod. None of the adults were paying attention to the children. Horace slowly followed the other kids as they crept to the end of the graveyard where the mansion stood.

Horace lagged further behind as the sleek white walls of the mansion loomed closer. He craned his neck to look at each of the dark windows, imagining someone behind them, watching him back. He returned to reality only when Ezra called his name.

"Horace! We'll leave you behind if you don't keep up!" Ezra frowned as he yelled.

"Let's go back, Ezra." Horace's eyes watered and his voice shook. "Please."

"Come on Horace; we're all doing it." One of the children said. "Don't be a chicken!"

"Hang on; I'll get him." Ezra ran back to his brother and sighed when he saw his tears. "Honestly, you miss out on all the fun." Ezra clapped Horace's shoulder and pointed back toward the cemetery. "If you don't live a little, you might as well be dead!"

. . . . .

The mansion was not the impressive-looking palace of luxury Horace remembered from his youth. Vines climbed the once-white walls and columns, and Horace could see the large amounts of undergrowth surrounding the building's perimeter as he drove closer.

Horace parked the Model T right in front of the large wrought iron gates of the graveyard near the mansion. There was no one to let him in, but there was also no lock on the gates, so Horace grabbed the flowers from the passenger seat and pushed the gates open.

The church had burned down years ago in an incident with the new electrical wiring placed in the building. But the graveyard was still there, and much larger than it had been in Horace's childhood. The number of graves may have indicated that many people thought it would be an ideal resting place; peaceful, quiet, and deep in the woods, but the haphazardly placed stones and partially filled plots betrayed less noble intentions. Since no one in town claimed to own the property, people could bury loved ones there without spending much money. And since the mansion was a ways out of town, many families chose its graveyard to bury those they felt were better off forgotten.

Dry leaves cracked beneath Horace's feet. He pulled his scarf and coat closer as a cool afternoon breeze passed him. The cemetery was just as unkempt as the mansion. Graves were covered with brush and vines, fallen tree branches littered the area, and tombs showed their age with cracks and, disturbingly, holes. Horace stepped up his pace as he searched the names of the strangers laying beneath him, not stopping until he found the one familiar name on a small gravestone. EZRA DOBBINS was carved crudely into the marker with no other epitaph, not even a date of birth or death. The writing was already fading, even though Ezra's passing wasn't that long ago. Horace wondered how much weathering the stone could take before he had to carve the words again.

Horace bent down and picked up the remains of the flowers he brought the last time he was there, and replaced them with a humble arrangement wrapped with string. A rather large tree branch had fallen behind Ezra's grave, so he removed that, chucking it into the woods. He pulled the weeds and, when he had nothing else he could clean, stood at the grave for a while, just looking at it.

His brother had always been a chatterbox when he was alive, telling stories he had heard from far-off places or of the latest gossip in town. Hatty would pretend not to be interested, sternly responding that Ezra needed to get his head out of the clouds and do something useful with his life. But Ezra would laugh and continue on until Hatty wound up invested in the stories, asking follow-up questions and interjecting with mild arguments as he sat by the fireplace with his sewing. Horace would be perfectly comfortable just listening to his brothers' banter as he swept the floors of their late parents' house or fixed the three of them tea. But now Horace was alone. There was no tea, no banter, no brothers.

The grave did not speak and Horace couldn't think of anything to say back. He finally gave a quiet, "Goodbye, Ezra," and walked away.

Though the sun had yet to sink, the air still chilled around him. Horace held onto his hat to prevent a breeze from blowing it away. As he hurriedly walked past the mansion, he noticed he was not the only person there. A woman in a striped green and black dress stood on the steps of the mansion. Dark coiled hair framed her face underneath a maid's bonnet. She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms when he walked by. Horace was taken aback but didn't want to seem ungentlemanly.

"Good evening, miss." He tipped his hat. "Nice day for a walk in the cemetery."

"Oh!" She blinked at him, then forced a smile. "Yes sir, I hope you had a pleasant visit." Her smile fell to a grimace as she held her gaze in his direction. Horace shivered and turned to leave. "Have a good night, miss."

"Wait," the maid said with a sigh. "I have to ask. I noticed you cleaning a bit of the graveyard. Would you be interested in being the groundskeeper for this place?" She gestured at the mansion behind her. "It would take a lot of work, but the Gracey family pays well, believe me."

Horace now looked past her at the once pristine mansion. In all his years of coming to church here, Horace had never seen, nor met any member of the Gracey family. He wondered how the maid became employed here. The whole place gave him an odd feeling.

"I'll consider it, miss," he said with the tone of someone who's already made up his mind. "Thank you for the offer."

The maid just stared at him, and Horace felt a chill as she didn't turn away. She laughed suddenly, shaking her head, smiling as she walked back into the mansion. "Get out of here, then. I hope you come back soon." The door closed behind her.

Bewildered, Horace started the car's engine and drove down the dirt road. He relaxed as he saw the mansion become smaller in the rearview mirror. "She was certainly very strange."

"You think she's strange?" A voice cackled behind him. "Go and meet the folks inside the mansion."

Horace looked straight at the rearview mirror and into Ezra's eyes. He braked the car hard, nearly crashing it, and turned immediately to the backseat.

No one was there.

Horace breathed quickly, looking everywhere. Had he imagined Ezra's voice? He hadn't heard it in so long. He looked back at the mirror but saw only his own eyes. Horace shivered, took deep breaths to calm himself down, and started up the car again. As he drove, he recalled the face in the mirror. The skin was pulled too far back around his smile, the eyes were sunken into his skull, and the nose had completely rotted off his face. But those were Ezra's eyes.

Horace tried to get the visage out of his mind as he pulled up to his neighbor's house. Ezra had always been so full of life, he didn't want to imagine his brother… like that. Horace shivered as he thanked the man profusely for letting him borrow the motorcar, then hurriedly entered his small shack across the street. He tried to quickly close the door before he could let the cool air in, but it was too late for that.

. . . . .

Something had awakened him. The ghost rose from his grave and spotted the black Model T heading for the gates of the graveyard. It didn't matter that Horace couldn't afford new shoes for transportation, much less a newfangled motorcar; Ezra knew his brother had come to visit him.

Phineas Queeg had been peacefully resting until his friend's excited voice cut through all 6 feet of earth. "Phineas, wake up!" Ezra, ever the patient one, reached through the ground and pulled the now disturbed spirit out. Phineas groaned and sputtered, adjusting his cloak and hat before grabbing the carpet bag that materialized at his side. Ezra made a show of brushing off the dirt from Phineas's cloak before pulling him along. "Come with me; let's go!"

"Where are we going?" Phineas asked, looking around. "It's too light out to try and hitch a ride; no one would see us!"

"Ah, but he doesn't have to see us!" Ezra pointed to the man emerging from the car at the gate. Phineas could see the man was shabbily dressed with a cap and scarf, but couldn't make out details from that distance. Ezra hurried to an unmarked grave where prisoners were buried.

"Hey, Gus!" He bent down and shouted at the ground, then jumped in surprise when something tugged on his coattail. Behind him was a small man with a large beard, his hand carrying the iron ball chained to his foot. Gus covered his mouth in glee at scaring his friend, but Ezra didn't seem to mind this time.

"Over here, Gus! I have someone I want you to meet!" Ezra bounded away like a puppy chasing a new toy. Gus shrugged his shoulders and joined Phineas, who still looked groggy. The two of them followed Ezra to the cemetery's gates, where the living man had just entered, carrying a scraggly bundle of flowers.

"Are those for me? You shouldn't have!" Ezra ran up to hug the man, only to pass through him. The man barely acknowledged it, save for shivering and adjusting his scarf. Phineas and Gus looked at each other but did not comment.

"This here's my baby brother, Horace," said Ezra, quickly turning around to walk beside the living man and attempting to pat him on the back. "Phineas, you remember him, don't cha?"

"We've met?" Phineas studied the man. Phineas became good friends with Ezra towards the end of his life, but he didn't remember ever meeting Ezra's family. Horace did look familiar, though.

"Yeah, you did! It was just the week before I died." Phineas struggled to remember meeting Ezra's brother. The time surrounding Ezra's death had been muddled by drink. As Phineas's memories dangled out of his grasp, Horace reached Ezra's grave and started replacing the old flowers with new ones. Ezra watched him, oddly silent, his thoughtful expression mimicking his brother's. Phineas decided he would ask questions later.

Horace then walked over to a fallen branch behind the stone and started dragging it away. "This place is a mess," Horace grumbled.

"Hey, sorry I didn't clean up before you came." Ezra walked after him, his jovial demeanor returning. "You know you shouldn't expect someone's home to be all prim and proper if you come over without calling first!"

Gus tugged on Phineas's cloak and pointed to the tall grass and debris on the other graves. "You're right, Gus." Phineas bent down to pick up a stick, but his hand went right through it. "It's not like we could clean up, even if we tried."

"Well, not with that attitude," Ezra rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm sure if we wait until midnight, all grab it together, and really believe in ourselves, we can definitely move that stick."

"What exciting evening plans we have," Phineas sighed.

Horace chucked the branch into the woods, then walked back to Ezra's grave, slouching and solemn. The ghosts gathered around him. Ezra sighed at his gloomy brother.

"Sorry he's not much entertainment. Never was, really. Guess there can only be so much cha-rizz-ma in one family." Ezra threw his bony arm over and partially through Horace's shoulders. "Still, he is my little brother." The ghost grinned suddenly.  "And what kind of friendly big brother would I be if I didn't look after 'im every once and a while? So, what do you guys say - wanna tag along?"

Phineas smiled. "We haven't gotten away from this place in so long; I'm with you." Gus nodded vigorously and pumped a fist in the air.

Ezra grinned at his brother. "What about you, bro? Mind the company?"

"Goodbye, Ezra," Horace said to the grave, then walked away. Gus slapped his knees as Phineas guffawed and held his stomach.

"Hey! You can't just reject me like that!" Ezra feigned distress and placed a hand over his chest he ran to catch up with Horace. "I'm hurt! How could my own brother be so cruel?" Ezra tried to knock off Horace's hat but only succeeded in messing his hair a bit.

Phineas subsided his laughter when he saw the maid frowning at him from the mansion's steps. She was known as Sara Everson, the only living person to set foot in the mansion for quite some time. She did not look amused.

Phineas tapped Ezra on the shoulder to get his attention, and both of them doffed their hats to her. "Lovely to see you, miss!" Ezra said as he bowed. Gus, with his tattered robe, curtseyed.

"This here's my dear brother," Ezra continued. "We're going to travel with him for a while. Surely there's nothing wrong with a little family visit?"

Sara furrowed her eyes at him, and that's when Horace decided to greet her, tipping his hat just as Ezra had. "Good evening, Miss. Nice day for a walk in the cemetery."

"Oh!" She said in surprise, addressing Horace. "Yes sir, I hope you had a pleasant visit."

"Thank you so much; we sure did!" Ezra winked at her.

"We won't be gone long, Miss," Phineas added. "You know us, always traveling, always coming back."

"Ha, ha! If another tree falls on the road, we might not make it back!" Ezra pointed to the debris around the mansion and laughed again.

The maid sighed. "Wait," she said. Horace and the ghosts looked up at her.

"I have to ask. I noticed you cleaning a bit of the graveyard. Would you be interested in being the groundskeeper for this place? It would take a lot of work, but the Gracey family pays well, believe me."

Phineas raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, and Gus looked at Horace expectantly. Ezra also turned in delight to his brother.

Horace did not look so enthused. "I'll consider it, Miss. Thank you for the offer." Ezra kept his grin, but furrowed his brow in thought. Phineas wondered if he was getting an idea.

Sara was still staring at them, so Phineas waved cheerily. "Goodbye for now, Miss Sara!"

"Please don’t cry yourself to sleep in my absence!" Ezra bowed with a flourish. Gus copied the bow as best as he could while holding the metal ball.

Sara laughed and shook her head at them. "Get out of here, then. I hope you come back soon." She disappeared into the mansion.

Horace stared for a moment at the place where Sara stood, then turned to the motorcar, the ghosts following behind him. While Horace climbed into the driver's seat, the ghosts simply phased through the doors and into the back.

"You know, it would be nice to have a caretaker for the old place," Phineas said, settling down beside a window and placing his bag by his feet. "But your brother probably already has a job."

"I'm sure he does." Ezra rolled his eyes and leaned back in the middle of the seat as the car started to move. "Hey, Horace. Are you still stuck sweeping the streets? Maybe plunging a few toilets? Or did you finally grow a spine and tell your boss to shove it?"

Phineas and Gus stared at Ezra, who was suddenly frowning. They jumped a bit in surprise when Horace spoke.

"She was certainly very strange."

Ezra laughed loudly. "You think she's strange?" He looked at his brother's reflection in the rearview mirror. "Go and meet the folks inside the mansion."

The car suddenly lurched to a stop, and the ghosts had to quickly hold on to each other to avoid flying out. Horace turned around, his face inches away from Ezra's.

"Uhhh, boo?" Ezra said.

"Ezra! We talked about this!" Phineas's voice was stern as he faced his friend. "No scaring the living while they are driving these contraptions!" Gus nodded in agreement.

"I didn't mean to! Not this time!" Ezra was honestly shocked. He stared at his brother as Horace looked frantically around the car, breathing quickly. "Look, he can't see us now."

Gus tapped Ezra's knee and pointed back and forth between Ezra and Horace. Phineas leaned over and nodded. "Gus has a point. Maybe because you two are brothers, you can materialize in front of him more easily. You should probably be more careful until we reach his house."

Ezra frowned but leaned back as Horace got out and shakily cranked the car. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess you two will have to do without my dulcet tones for a while. In the meantime, Gus, why don't you tell us a story?"

Gus nodded and stroked his long beard thoughtfully.

Horace parked in front of a tidy house a little while later.

"Wow." Phineas shook his head and prepared to leave the car. "That was more information about hyenas than I ever wanted to know."

"Eh, I've heard worse," Ezra lied. He phased through the car and faced the home in front of him. Phineas appeared at his side and smiled cheerily. "What a lovely house. It seems the flowers he gave you were from his own garden." Phineas pointed to the marigolds at the perimeter of the house. Gus was already among the flowers, taking a big sniff.

"He's done really well for himself," Ezra stared in awe at the clean windows and newly painted wood. Horace stood at the door and knocked.

"I knew it." Ezra looked cross as he watched his brother thank the man in the house for lending him the car and letting him pick the flowers. Horace then walked across the street to what could only be described nicely as an eye-sore. "And you said you could make it just fine on your own, didn't you?" Phineas could feel the bitterness in Ezra's voice.

Horace walked the path to his hovel, breathing unsteadily, his face clearly still shaken. Phineas stared at the man, trying to remember meeting him, but his mind persisted in coming up blank. "Ezra, are you sure I met your brother when I was still alive?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Ezra crossed his arms, still staring at Horace. "You two didn't get on too well, though, I don't think." Ezra shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. If you don't remember him, he might not remember you."

Horace walked up the rickety porch steps with his key, and Ezra followed his brother without looking back. Gus finally ran across the street, clearly unhappy with his unsuccessful attempts at trying to pick the neighbor's flowers. Phineas adjusted his hat with a sigh and walked on.

Horace shakily unlocked his front door and stepped inside, shivering as his brother and friends walked right through him.

[imaginationofomi]

Come Together

Sixteen

Devoted. It was the only proper word to describe what Ezra and Nayeli had become in the span of a few weeks. The very incident that could've, and probably should've, made her run in the opposite direction bonded them the way him saving her life did.

They couldn't spend all 24 hours together, but they found ways to make it work and worth while when they did see each other. Surprise lunches, random pop-ups, weekly flowers, she invited Ezra to a tasting for new menu selections. Any minute they could have together, they took advantage.

It was his turn to come to her, and she practically ran out from behind the service counter to pull him into her office when he arrived. Heeding her mother's advice, she incorporated help which freed up some of her time. Not a great deal, but enough to get her fix of Ezra's touch.

She craved it almost as much as he craved her, but the way he wouldn't let her lips go, one could confidently assume the scale had been tipped and fell over. He held her waist with one hand and her neck with the other, trying to break the world record for the longest kiss. She had no complaints as kissing him eased her like a good glass of red wine at the end of a long day. However, life around them continued to move, only frozen in their heads.

"The lemon curd cupcakes are ready to be filled and frosted, cookies and cream cupcakes are ready to be frosted, the chocolate hazelnut cookies are done, and Edna Wilson's birthday cake has about eight minutes left in the oven." Danielle walked in on them, laughing and shaking her head because it wasn't the first time she'd caught them in that position. They jumped apart all the same, "Hello, EJ," she said, passing the couch to sit at the iMac.

"Hey, Danielle. How are you?"

"Wishing my man would come stick his tongue down my throat on my break."

"We'd need another office for you freaks," Nayeli joked and grabbed Ezra's face to kiss him before she got up, "I have to get back to work. I'll see you in a few hours," she told him, smiling against his mouth as he took her breath away.

"That's too long. Let's shorten it."

"I still need to grab stuff for dinner. It's going to take me at least an hour and a half to do that after I leave here, and then I have to drive to your house." Ignoring her explanation, he wrapped his arms around her and walked her back toward the door like he was thinking about carrying her out, "Time will fly by, I promise. Go pick up Princess and take her to soccer practice. By the time you're done with that, I should be headed your way." She giggled when he poked his lips out, pecking them several times before she forced herself away from him. She was too tempted to let him haul her out. He reached into his pocket for his phone and put it back after a few quick taps. Nayeli's vibrated twice, eyes bulging at the Apple Pay notification.

"What's all this for?"

"Groceries."

"Wait, I don't need it," she tried to tell him. The vegetable and starch for the meal were coming directly from her backyard. The only thing she had to purchase was the protein.

"I didn't say you did. Don't send it back!" he said, grabbing her phone and pressing the lock button to stop her from opening their text thread.

"Thank you," she relented, knowing that even if she did send it back to him, it would end up in her account whether she wanted it to or not.

"Most people smile when you give them money. Cheer up!" He kissed her lips and her cheek, disappearing without letting her say anything else. Nayeli stood just behind the office door, happier than a pig in a mud hole because being a good person sometimes did pay off in the end. She was blessed and highly favored, all thanks to God and how she lived her life.

"Way to climb the ladder!" Danielle felt comfortable enough to say it with Ezra out of earshot.

"It's really not like that." Nor did Nayeli want him or anyone else to think so. Many of the women that approached him were looking for a leg up in one way or another, and she had no desire to be shoved onto that list. He expressed to her that he wanted a woman that loved him for who he was, not what he had in his pockets. If it weren't for the constant reminders from other people and him on occasion, she would forget that he was loaded all together. She saw Ezra, the awesome dad and real life hero that found SpongeBob hilarious, loved sweets, was a great listener with a big heart and never told his daughter no when she wanted to play, before she saw EJ, the legendary boxer and successful businessman that women threw their panties at. They were two halves of the same man, but she appreciated the chance to know the real and not just the public persona.

"No need to be meek and modest. You upgraded like hell, and I'm here for it! That's the type of man you deserve, not that two shakes away from a bum you had in your house before."

"Okay, so everyone in my life just collectively hated Jalen?" Nayeli asked because she noticed a pattern of insults that she hadn't heard before. It was like her people held back for her sake, and now that he was history, they felt free to let the hate flag fly.

"I don't know about everyone else, but he definitely wasn't a favorite of mine."

"Literally, no one is sad about him being gone."

"Why would we be? He did nothing for you."

"Somebody should've said something. If everyone hated him, I would've taken that into consideration. That was the first sign that he needed to go."

"Nye, you thought you could look down his asshole and see the Milky Way. That was one lesson you had to learn on your own." Danielle was the type to let folks be. People were hardheaded, and she didn't like wasting her breath when someone wasn't ready to take her advice to heart.

"He sold me a dream."

"Welcome back to reality."

Nayeli felt foolish. Her entire family, immediate and extended, saw that he wasn't worthy of her. If they all saw it, she definitely should've seen it. On the upside, she no longer felt triggered when she heard his name. No painful tug in her chest, no knots in her stomach, no nervous heart racing. There wasn't even hatred. Just indifference.

Her kitchen was lively, Sheldon washing dishes and Janelle crumbling chocolate and creme cookies while Grace watched two bowls of frosting mix to the right consistency. Nayeli covered her hair and clothes, scrubbed her hands and got to work. She moved fast and meticulously, assuring everything was in place so she could clock out for the day. Things to do and people to see.

She stopped to speak to a couple of her regulars, keeping the conversations short. Danielle was still sitting at the iMac when she walked back into the office.

"Do you need anything from me before I head out?" she asked and picked up her purse, checking her phone for messages.

"A decision. We got an inquiry about a cake for a vow renewal. Victoria and Hayden Wright. Their baker pulled out at the last minute, and they're willing to pay extra for you to take over."

"How last minute?"

"Next weekend, Saturday. Five tiered, white cake, fondant frosting, and Thanksgiving themed," Danielle gave a short summation of what was listed in the email.

"A Thanksgiving themed wedding cake? Interesting."

"They sent reference pictures. If you ask me, it's tacky."

"To each their own. I can make it look good," Nayeli said with a shrug, a few ideas already taking form. Thanksgiving was more than cornucopias, turkey, pie and vegetables. She could get abstract with the concept.

"I know you can. Are we in?"

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"Hell yeah, big pay day! A few more of these, and we can close on Saturday every week for at least six months."

"That's so wild to me. We've been open seven days a week for years." She worked most of them, but she wouldn't have it any other way. She was living her dream. Almost. One piece was missing. Waiting for the day she said I do.

"It's cause for celebration. When we get there, I'm taking you to Leandro's. Hard work pays off."

"Yes it does. I'll see you Sunday?"

"Yup. See you."

☼☼☼

Parenting was the hardest job Ezra ever had. To raise a thoughtful, caring and discerning human being, it took patience, understanding, a will to listen to the other side even when one believes they are right. And with a less than stellar co-parent in the picture, it took much more than that for him.

He was tired and would be worse off when his court date arrived. Savannah was gearing up for bullshit, but he already had his ducks in a row. The evidence against her that he possessed was damning, hardly any room for an argument. His ex could spin the truth, but when their own daughter didn't want to be bothered with her, he hoped a judge would see the unfortunate situation for what it was; a woman wasting the courts' time because she couldn't handle being looked at as a bad parent though that's exactly what she was.

A bad parent that wanted the treatment and praise as if she were a good one. Giving her grace over the years did nothing but feed her ego. The way she was raised created a direct line to her behavior, but when so many other people in the world took the opportunity to do better and be better than their parents, she had no excuse not to do the same. Like majority of her life, she wanted everything handed to her on a silver platter, and Ezra was the one person in the world that refused to do it.

He sat in a line of cars, waiting for Briton Beach Preparatory Academy's final bell to ring, and compiled yet another list of texts that Savannah sent to his phone. She was threatening to take legal action against Nayeli unless he left her alone, a threat with no grounds because she was on camera being the aggressor and there were no injuries. Savannah could bitch all she wanted. She was going to lose. It was the only satisfaction he could find in their mess.

Dismissal time came around, and he followed the other parents through the side gate that led to the second grade classrooms. Tatiana's was the third door down, already open with kids in navy skirts, dresses, pants, and white polos with the school emblem putting on their backpacks and saying bye to their friends as the parents checked them out. Tatiana was right by the door, talking to one of the girls that was on her soccer team. When she saw him, she told her friend she would see her soon and ran over to him.

"Hi Daddy!" He could withstand her bum-rush hugs better than Nayeli.

"Hey. How was school? Did you have a good day?"

"Yep! We did arts and crafts."

"What's our color looking like?" he asked.

"Green." Tati pulled him over to the behavior chart, pointing to her name and all of the green happy face stickers next to it. There were only two other students that could boast about the same achievement. The class was well behaved overall, but most of them had sprinkles of yellow and even some red. Not his baby, though.

"That's right, up top." He high-fived her and held her hand as they walked back to his SUV.

"I drew a picture today. It's in my folder."

"You can show it to me when we get in the car."

"Can we go see Nayeli? I wanna show her too."

Ezra smiled at her request, "We'll see her in a little while. She's coming over for dinner."

"Yaaaayyy!!!!" Tatiana jumped up and down until he opened the door to let her climb onto the back seat.

"Seatbelt," he said, making sure she was locked in before he got behind the wheel and pulled out into traffic, "You like Nayeli a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah. That's why I wanna show her the picture I drew. Miss Talbot gave us a paper where we have to write about what we're thankful for and draw pictures of it." Breezing through a yellow light, he heard her rummaging through her backpack, and the corner of a white paper with some colored pencil sketched people moved into his peripheral vision. He grabbed the piece of paper and set it on his leg, "I drew you and Auntie Brandy and Grammy and Grampy and Nayeli."

The last name listed made him eager to see what Tati created. As he rolled to a stop behind a red Honda Civic, he looked down at all the people on the page. Their clothes were bright and blocky, they had different sized ears and hands drastically bigger than their arms, all grinning, but one thing stood out the most. He and Nayeli were next to each other, made to look like they were holding hands, "You have to draw more so we can put them around the house. Nayeli will love it, but I think your uncle might be upset that he's not in here," he teased. Rakim always complained about being left out of stuff because he decided to go to grad school on the other side of the country. When he showed up for Thanksgiving and saw he wasn't standing with the rest of the family, he would pout for the entirety of his visit.

"I can draw him. I like him sometimes when he's not trying to scare me. He plays around too much."

Ezra laughed loudly because she didn't tell a lie. Rakim was the family jokester, and no one was safe once he got started, "He's been like that since he was your age. What are you going to write?" The bottom half of the paper remained blank save for the lines going from end to end.

"That I'm thankful for you because you're my daddy and you take care of me. I'm thankful for Auntie Brandy because she takes me to do fun stuff. I'm thankful for Grammy and Grampy because they're funny and nice and they buy me toys. I'm thankful for Nayeli because she taught me how to bake and make waffles and grow plants, and she makes you happy."

Her declaration hit him straight in the heart. He didn't expect Tatiana to notice something like that, nor for it to be a reason that she was so attached to Nayeli already. It was time to have a real conversation with her about what would happen going forward.

"She does make me happy, but it's important that she makes you happy too," he told her, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"I'm really happy when we get to see her."

"Why is that?"

"Because she's like a real mommy, and I don't have one." Another hit to his heart, and not a good one. He was incredibly smug when Tatiana made her feelings known to Savannah, but hearing it outside of that setting, realizing the weight her emotions held, it made him upset. His baby girl felt like she was missing a parent, not just that she had a bad one.

"You do have a mom."

"I don't like her. She's mean, and she doesn't like me, either."

"That's not true. She loves you, in her own twisted way," he mumbled the last part and sighed. He never doubted Nayeli, but he really needed to listen to her, now, and find someone for Tatiana to talk to.

"Nayeli said that, but if you love somebody, you be nice to them, right?"

"Right, but adults mess up just like kids do. That's why we apologize so people know we didn't mean it."

"She's not nice to me and she's not nice to you and she never says sorry. She doesn't love us." It was hard to argue. He got how Tati came to her conclusion, but he didn't want her young mind to completely internalize what she was feeling. He wasn't equipped to have the conversation the way it needed to be had.

"I understand why you feel that way, but it's a little more complicated than that. When it comes to your mom, she's a different woman. She didn't have good parents like Grammy and Grampy." He couldn't believe he was defending Savannah, but it was necessary. He made it a point never to speak badly about her directly to or around Tati, that way no one could say that he put ideas in her head. All of her feelings were her own, from her processing what went on around her.

"Everybody is different, Daddy, and Miss Talbot says that even if someone is different than us, we should be nice and treat people how we want them to treat us. Mommy doesn't do that. She treats us bad but wants us to be nice. I don't want to be nice to someone that isn't nice to us, and I don't want to see her anymore."

"I won't make you," he conceded because what went on clearly did more harm than good. He couldn't stand to see his daughter heartbroken, and he would make any necessary changes to ensure that it never happened again.

His frustration quieted him down. Trying to do what was best put him in a difficult position because although he knew he was right, there was a voice in the back of his head telling him that maybe it would get better, maybe Savannah would grow up. But he couldn't allow his daughter to be hurt while they waited for that to happen. Savannah would have to be the first to take a step forward and for more reasons than just trying to push Nayeli away out of jealousy.

A frown creased his face for the whole of Tatiana's soccer practice, sour expression only relaxing when one of the other parents spoke to him. He stood off to the side with his hands in the pockets of his sweats and checked his phone periodically. Occasional messages from Nayeli kept him from slipping too far into a bad mood, but he was glad when practice was over.

Sighing with relief, he parked in the first garage on the right side of his home and helped Tatiana take her stuff inside. He sent her upstairs to bathe and worked on making her a small snack of sliced banana topped with peanut butter, just to hold her over until Nayeli got there.

Bits of anxiousness arose. He didn't know how she would react when she saw Tatiana's picture, if she would think too much was happening too fast and want to take a step back from all the progress they'd made. She was direct about it being too soon for her to parent Tatiana, yet the latter already saw her as a mother.

Was that his fault? Had he not drawn enough of a line? In his attempt to sway things in his favor, they formed a bond, and he didn't want to break it. Tatiana already had one absent mother to deal with. While he knew for a fact Nayeli would never treat her the same way, it wasn't on her to fill that space, not when she hadn't consented to taking on the role.

He should've listened more when Nayeli spoke about boundaries. His nervousness was the result of his nonchalance coming back to potentially bite him in the ass because if she did want to slow things down, it would be his fault. She spoke the truth consistently, about how Tatiana would be affected by certain issues, about her being impressionable, how a degree of separation was necessary so there was no confusion. He thought he could wing it, that it would all fall into place the way it was supposed to. He should've listened to her before he became stuck in between a rock and a hard place.

Tatiana came down the back stairs in clean clothes with the scent of artificial strawberries trailing behind her. She sat at the breakfast bar and enjoyed her snack, using a mechanical pencil to write out what she was grateful for underneath her picture. Ezra stood behind her stool, staring down at the family grouped together.

It eased the pain in his chest a little. Although she felt how she felt about Savannah, she knew there were still people that loved her and would do anything for her. She was happy with everyone on the page, and for the time being, it was the best he could hope for.

"Let's put your paper on the refrigerator," he said once she finished writing. She brought it over to him and plucked her favorite magnet from the side of the stainless steel door-in-door smart box.

"I have to take it back to school next week to read it to the classroom before Thanksgiving break."

"I'll remind you."

"Okay. Is Nayeli almost here?"

He wondered the same thing. She hadn't text him back since her last response a little over half an hour ago. He assumed she was driving, meaning she was probably close by. His phone buzzed on the counter, an alert from the security system that there was a car at the end of his driveway. Nayeli waved at the camera and showed all of her teeth.

"She just got to the gate. I'm gonna help her get the groceries." He let her in and walked toward the front door, Tatiana following behind him so she could run up the front stairs to get her shoes.

"I wanna help!"

"I don't think she has that much stuff." Nayeli didn't tell him what she was bringing or making, just that most of it was coming from what she grew on her own. He was interested in how different things would taste in comparison to store bought food. She only used natural fertilizers and pesticides. The lack of harsh chemicals had to account for at least a small difference in taste and size.

He met her at her car and opened her door for her, picking her straight up off the ground and kissing her like they'd been apart for a few days instead of a few hours. Her giggle and the feel of her lips on his made his troubles disappear. She rubbed his face, and he just knew that everything would work out between them. Somehow. Some way. God wouldn't have brought them together otherwise.

"You missed me that much?" She toyed with him, her smirk turning to a real smile when he kissed all over her face.

"I did." Ezra found peace with her. She was his calm in the storm. Resting his forehead on hers, he exhaled slowly.

Nayeli stared at him with worried eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked happy to see her, but the tension in his neck and shoulders said otherwise.

"Is everything okay? Talk to me," she said softly. He kissed her instead and let her stand on her own.

"Later. I'm hungry and ready to collect on this dinner you promised me."

Her back seat held a rattan basket of carrots and potatoes she pulled from the planters at her house, washed and ready to be oiled, seasoned and roasted. He reached for the fresh fish wrapped in paper from the market next to the docks and the seasonings in a small cloth bag, letting her hang onto the basket so he could hold her hand as they walked inside.

Tatiana was at the bottom of the stairs, bouncing like she was warming her legs up for a run. They didn't make it three steps in before she scurried toward them, talking Nayeli's ear off about school and her picture as she tugged on her hand.

"Come look!" she said and pulled Nayeli to the kitchen. It was posted right on the front of the refrigerator, near the middle where she could reach. Nayeli touched the yellow sun in the top right corner of the drawing box and smiled at the pink four petaled flowers near the feet of the family.

"What is this masterpiece?"

"My teacher gave us this assignment to write what we're thankful for and draw a picture. That's Auntie Brandy, Grammy, Grampy, Daddy, and you." Tatiana pointed at each person as she listed them, and when she got to the end, Nayeli's eyes widened, and she placed a hand on her sternum.

"Me?"

"Yeah, see? I colored your hair red and brown because I didn't have a pencil that matched colors, and I put your moon on your nose."

Instinctively touching her piercing, Nayeli teared up and crouched down to the baby's height to hug her tightly, "It's beautiful, Tati. I'm thankful for you, too," she said and sniffed, unable to hold it together. Children were innocent, pure, and painfully honest when they wanted to be. Her heart swelled in her chest knowing that she made a positive impact, so positive that a child she didn't give birth to thought highly of her. To be included with Ezra, his parents and Brandy meant that Tatiana saw her as equally important, as family. That connection made her sob just a smidge.

"Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Princess. They're happy tears."

"Do you always cry when you're happy?"

"Not as much as I used to." She sniffed again, pulling a pack of tissue out of her purse to wipe her face. When her eyes stopped leaking, she nodded once, "I'm going to get started on dinner."

It was only her third time in Ezra's kitchen, so he stayed with her, helping her find what she needed and giving the potatoes and carrots another good wash and chop while she mixed the honey garlic glaze in a glass bowl and seasoned the salmon, his favorite fish.

Tatiana sat in the same spot she had her snack with a thin chapter book, reading through her assigned pages and asking what a few words meant. Eventually, she abandoned them for her room and toys.

"I guess we're not that entertaining," Nayeli laughed.

"Everyday, she finds a new way to tell me that I'm washed."

"Nothing wrong with that. You've lived a life. Enjoy your washed era." So many people never got the chance to.

As she covered the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and garlic parmesan and truffle seasonings, Nayeli looked around her at the spacious kitchen. Two stoves, two double sinks, four ovens, two of which were electric, a refrigerator she could see into if she knocked twice, a walk-in pantry, a wet bar, a breakfast bar, all the cabinet space anyone could ever need, and Ezra.

Her favorite part of her surroundings.

"Did you know that was me in her picture?" she asked, rinsing the oil and seasonings from her hands to slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven.

"Yeah, she told me when I picked her up."

"Did she say why?"

"You taught her how to bake and garden and because you make me happy." He intentionally left out the bit about Tatiana thinking she was a real mom in comparison to the woman that carried her. They could have that conversation in a few months.

"She actually said that?"

"She did."

"I think your daughter has stolen my heart." Tears started to build in the corners of Nayeli's eyes again, and she gently tapped them away, giving the glaze for the salmon another good mix before heating oil in the cast iron skillet to sear the fish.

"She's a trip, right?" Ezra loaded the dishes they were finished using into the dishwasher and shut it, leaving his post to observe her cooking techniques.

"You're raising her well."

Sometimes he did wonder. As a man and a first time parent, there was only so much he could do and even more that he didn't know anything about. He just did his best. To hear that he did something right, that his effort was acknowledged by someone he put on a pedestal, it was validation he didn't realize he needed at that moment, "Thank you," he said. With all that he dealt with, the words soothed the guilt and heartache he felt hours prior.

Holding onto her hips, he kissed the left side of her face from her hairline to her jaw and back up, sliding his hands onto her stomach when she leaned back into him and sighed.

The only sounds in the kitchen were that of the fish sizzling and his lips making contact with her skin. She caressed his arm, eyes closed, and turned her body.

"If you keep kissing me, I won't be able to finish dinner." Though it didn't bother her in the slightest. She basked in being loved on.

"Don't mind me," he muttered against her neck. Easier said than done. The more he kissed her and the closer he got to her lips, the harder it got for her to focus. Mouth to mouth, she gave him a solid thirty seconds of action before she pulled away to make sure that she didn't burn the fish, "What does your schedule look like for next week?"

"The first half is busy because of the holiday. I'm closed Thanksgiving through Saturday. What's up?"

"I want to take you away from here for a while."

"Away? How far away?" Nayeli eyed him with playful skepticism.

"Upstate. It's a short flight. We'll come back the same night, and you don't have to worry about anything but showing up."

"Hmm....I think we can make that happen, and to be clear, this is you asking me on a date, right?" In a way, they'd already adapted and behaved as a couple. Some things went unsaid because they were felt, but Nayeli still liked to hear them.

"Yes." He'd been trying to plan the perfect date for a while, but the timing was never right. Dating as a single parent came with its own set of challenges, not to mention him being unsure if Nayeli was ready to take that step to begin with. He questioned it still being too soon for her, only two of the three months Brandy said to give her passing. But Nayeli made the first move by kissing him when he least expected it. She had to be ready.

"Lovely. I can't wait. Who will be watching Tati though?"

"Everybody is coming for the holiday. They'll be here the whole week." They were asking about her, too, Carmen in particular. His elderly grandparents would be seeing his new home for the first time, and Carmen wanted them to meet her, reasons unknown to him. "Anybody driving out here from your family?"

"My grandparents are coming up from Laguna Beach, but I won't see them until Friday when my aunt and uncles get here." Nayeli hadn't seen Maxwell's siblings in a while, nor her cousins so she was excited to reconnect with that side of her people.

"Why Friday?"

"The situation with my dad. Cheryl has always made them come to her when they want to see the twins so there was never a chance of them getting us all together while she wasn't around." Fridays after Thanksgiving were the days when the Gallagher/Windhams all got together for leftovers and board games, like Thanksgiving round two.

"She white?" Ezra asked.

"Black, but think of a Candace Owens and Terry Crews love child on steroids."

"Oh nah."

"My point exactly."

"Why did he marry her?" The question everyone in the family had yet no one received an answer to.

"Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I can think of is that she was a different person before she got pregnant, and by the time they actually had the twins, my dad felt stuck in a marriage with two newborns. Judging from what he's told me recently, I understand his actions."

"She got something on him?"

"Unless he's secretly living a double life, there's nothing to have. She weaponized the kids against him. She would take them and disappear when she was mad at him, and every time he tried to leave her, she threatened to take them away permanently."

"I don't get women sometimes. Like what happened to make you such a fucked up individual?"

"The misandrist answer would be MEN. They've done so much damage over the years that now women are traumatized and numbing themselves which causes them to lack empathy. While there is some truth to that, the reality is that humans in general are selfish through and through. Some people choose to be better. Some are content with moving through life without a care in the world about anyone else. Those are people I try to stay away from. If they don't care about anything or anyone, they have nothing to lose, and that makes them more dangerous, mentally, physically and emotionally."

"That coming from Mrs. Optimism?" Ezra teased her for the rare realist perspective she gave.

"I see the best in everyone, or at least I want to, but I'm aware of the type of people in the world. History and technology make it impossible not to know that there's a large population of assholes walking the earth. I just choose to give people the benefit of the doubt until they give me a reason not to."

"How many times has that bitten you in the ass?"

"Quite a few, but I take the good with the bad. The only way to avoid being screwed over is to become a hermit in the middle of a forest. People are flawed. Conflict comes with the territory of being an active member of society, which is why I choose to see the light. If I walked around focused on everyone's negative qualities or every problem I've ever had, I'd be stressed and depressed. No way I'm taking years off my life over something that doesn't matter in the end."

"If it don't kill you, don't let it get you out of character," he repeated her grandmother's words. They now made more sense to him, as did the positive mindset she kept.

"Exactly......although I failed at that last time I was here." Nayeli's face shifted into a disappointed pout, and she pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her hands, tucking them beneath her elbows.

"You were defending yourself and Tatiana. I don't think that counts."

"But I shouldn't have let Savannah get to me like that. What if Tati walked in and saw us fighting?"

"I wouldn't let that happen, same way I didn't let her touch you, but I gotta be real for a second. Savannah is a cunt, and she would've come after you no matter what. She's going to keep trying you until she feels like she won. She's good at figuring out what buttons to push and hammering down on them. That's just who she is. It's one of a bunch of reasons I'm choosing not to deal with her if I don't have to and why I don't think the three of us need to have any type of sit down. If she was more active in Tati's life, maybe, but she's not. I handle everything from doing Tati's hair in the morning to scheduling and taking her to doctors appointments. I can't even tell you the last time Savannah bought her a pair of shoes outside of stunting for Instagram. She's barely a parent. Why do you think you're in Tati's picture, and she's not?"

It was so much for Nayeli to take in. She wasn't used to inactive parents, and seeing it up close and personal, seeing the damage that it caused everyone involved, it gave her a minor headache, "Okay, please don't use that word around me in reference to another woman again. It's gross, but I do understand where you're coming from. I just thought that if I came from a place of peace, everything could be figured out. I didn't account for the fact that she's had a sniper pointed at my head for over a month, and I thought her daughter being in distress might wake her up a little. I'll be 33 in a few days, and my mom will still kick some ass over me." The same way she would and almost did kick some ass over Tati. It was instinctual. Or it should've been.

"All moms aren't equal, and speaking of your birthday, you never got back to me about what you had planned." Ezra realized that on the list of people of importance in her life, he wasn't very close to the top. Understandable considering he was the last to arrive, but he did make plans for her. It was just a matter of whether or not he needed to include her friends and family or wait for whatever they had going to be finished.

"I don't like to make a big deal out of my birthday because it's so close to the holiday season, and I've been swamped the last few years. I normally do dinner with the girls, cake and ice cream with my parents and sisters, and-crap!"

"What?"

"I actually can't go with you next weekend. A client asked for a cake last minute for their vow renewal, and I said I would do it."

"What day is the event?"

"Saturday. I might be able to still swing it, but I don't know the timing of your plans and half the day is going to the cake," she explained as she poured the glaze over the salmon fillets.

"We can reschedule. I need the full 24 hours."

Stopped in her tracks, she lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. What could he possibly have up his sleeve that required a full 24 hours? "Now I want to cancel the cake."

"Don't. You made that commitment first, but I hope you're charging extra for short notice."

"They offered to pay. Even if they hadn't, the charge would be there." It was part of her policy.

Aromatics from the meal filled the kitchen with herbs, sweetness, warmth and growling stomachs. If her cooking was half as good as her baking, and judging from the smell it was, Ezra saw a fluffy dad bod in his future.

He loved having Nayeli in his kitchen. In his home, really. It felt right, like they were all where they were meant to be, like a real home and not just a large house where he and his daughter slept. Nayeli brought that feeling everywhere she went, a God given talent. He hoped he never had to give her up. He wasn't sure he'd be able to successfully.

The salmon finished cooking first, and Nayeli took the pan from the stove to one of the unoccupied ovens to keep it warm while they waited for the vegetables. She grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and took a refreshing gulp, walking with Ezra to the living room with the TV above the in-wall fireplace. They sat down on the couch and faced each other.

"You feel like closing up shop on Tuesday?" he asked.

"I can't just randomly shut down in the middle of the week of Thanksgiving." Even if it was her birthday. The last three months of the year were typically her busiest, and another year on Earth hadn't changed that so far.

"You're the owner."

"I also have employees to take care of and a bunch of preorders plus the regular daily output. Do you know much that would cost me?"

"Whatever it is, I'll pay it. It's a win/win. I get to spoil you on your birthday, and your people still get paid." It was a simple solution, one she could hardly argue with.

"How can I say no to that?"

"You can't."

"I can't, but we do have to make some adjustments. I don't want to leave the people who preordered high and dry, so let me take care of those, and you can have me for the rest of the day." She didn't want to burn any bridges, especially not with returning customers that regularly promoted her business.

"Deal."

Her head cradled in his hands, she accepted every smooch he gave. Their surroundings faded to black. For a couple of minutes, they were the only two people in the house. Then came the reminder of the seven year old who lived there as well.

"Is dinner almost ready?" Tatiana hit the corner with her tablet, thankfully looking down which gave Ezra and Nayeli enough time to fix themselves before she saw anything.

"About ten more minutes, Princess. We're just waiting for the carrots and potatoes," Nayeli said, wiping the corners of her lips. Ezra still had one hand on her neck as Tatiana hopped on the couch and wedged herself in the middle of them. She set the tablet on her legs and looked back and forth between the adults.

"Were you guys kissing before I got here?"

"I was checking her temperature," Ezra said the first thing that came to mind. It didn't make a lick of sense to Nayeli, but as fast as she sat down, Tatiana was back on her feet.

"I have medicine in my bathroom! Daddy always gives it to me when he has to check my temperature. I'll get it."

"Wait, Tati-" She was gone before Nayeli could finish her sentence, "That is why you don't lie to children," she laughed.

"I didn't think she'd take me seriously." He laughed with her and shook his head.

"She's seven, Ezra. Kids are gullible." The oven timer went off, and Nayeli went back to the kitchen. She struggled to find the drawer with the potholders, eventually locating them and chuckling because Ezra had a set of two left oven mitts, "How did this even happen?" she asked.

"You gotta ask Brandy. She bought those."

"I expected better from her," she quipped and pulled out the sizzling vegetables and salmon from the other oven. She made three plates of food and took them to the dining table closest to the glass panels. It gave them a nice view of the moon rising higher in the sky and reflecting off of the ocean.

"Here you go!" Tatiana came whizzing back downstairs holding a bottle of cherry flavored children's Tylenol. Nayeli remembered exactly what that mess tasted like and scrunched up her face.

"Thank you, sweetie, but I don't need any medicine. Let's wash our hands so we can sit down and eat." They took turns at the sink, sitting around the table and bowing their heads to pray before they tucked in. Nayeli waited until they took their first bites, only sticking her fork into her food after Tatiana shouted yummy! and Ezra's eyes closed while he chewed, the same way they did when he ate her cookies. Success.

"I've never seen carrots like this from the store. Where do pink and purple carrots come from?" Tatiana said, holding a piece of purple carrot on her fork.

"Same as the regular ones. They're just a different kind called rainbow carrots. They came from my garden, the potatoes, too."

"Awww, I wanted to pick stuff." Tati pouted and slow chewed a piece of potato.

"The broccoli is almost ready for harvest. You can come over and help me when it's time. We'll plant some new stuff, too." It'd be an earlier start for some of her produce, but if the weather was kind to her, she would be able to have an early harvest and get a jump start on her spring crops.

"Yay!"

By the end of dinner, Nayeli didn't want to leave. She wanted to wake up there the next morning and make breakfast before their days started. She wanted to make lunches and kiss them goodbye, wishing them good times and going off to do her own thing after. She wanted to walk in at the end of the day and be smothered with hugs and kisses.

As she cleaned up her mess despite Ezra telling her not to, she stopped at the refrigerator to look at the picture on it and touched the figure that represented her. The first time she looked at it, she'd been so shocked she was included that she completely missed the fact that she and Ezra were holding hands.

"I told her she had to draw more so we could put them around the house," Ezra said and stood next to her.

"I need one for my house, too." It could be the first piece of artwork she put up in her improving home. Surely it would liven up the atmosphere and add a pop of color, "She likes us together," Nayeli noted. It gave her a warm feeling in her stomach. She loved her sisters, her brothers, her nephew and niece, her parents, and her grandparents, but she so badly wanted a family to call her own. And she was starting to feel like she had one, that she was lucky enough to find one that wanted and needed her just as much.

"One hurdle out of the way. Dinner was amazing. Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest.

"You're welcome. It still feels like it's not enough," she said, and it probably wasn't. There was no way to repay a person for saving a life, unless the favor was returned. If she ever got the chance, she would save him.

"Relax because if I ask for what I really want, you might look at me funny."

She had a feeling that she knew exactly what he was thinking, and it made her cheeks go red hot like she wasn't a grown woman with her own needs. Clearing her throat, she shifted in his arms.

"We'll save that question for date night, then." But she wasn't sure how prepared she'd be to receive the information when that day came, either.

"I want a hug too!" Tatiana popped into the kitchen from the living room, putting one arm around Nayeli and the other around her dad. They happily let her join, the group hug going on for several minutes.

"Daddy, can we watch a movie before I have to go to sleep?"

"Which one?"

"Princess and the Frog!! Princess and the Frog!!"

"Can you tell Tiana is her favorite?" He chuckled.

"I hadn't noticed," Nayeli replied with a smile. They huddled together on the couch, covering themselves with a big blanket. Ezra turned down the lights and put the movie on. Tati squirmed eagerly as the first few seconds played, attempting to whistle along with Mickey.

To Nayeli's surprise, Tatiana knew every word of the movie but still laughed like it was her first time seeing it. They shared a love of the NOLA princess and sang the songs together, shedding tears when the clock struck midnight before Charlotte could kiss Naveen and cheering when they got married at the end and turned back into humans. Once again, Nayeli didn't want to leave.

"Time for bed. Say goodnight and I'll be up in a minute," Ezra said and stretched his back.

"Goodnight Nayeli. Thank you for watching the movie with us." Tatiana gave her a big hug and kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight Princess. Sleep well." More happy tears filed Nayeli's eyes. She felt like she had everything she wanted, but they weren't hers, not really. Not yet. She was getting ahead of herself. Gathering her belongings, she got ready to leave, but Ezra touched the spot next to him on the couch, silently asking her to sit down again.

"You were right about Tati asking questions," he said, the mood she noticed he was in earlier returning. His mouth was set in a hard line, and she grabbed his hand as soon as she sat down.

"I know I was," she replied gently and waited for him to reveal what was bothering him.

"She doesn't want to see Savannah anymore."

"Like at all?"

"That's what she said. She doesn't think of her as a mom."

"Ouch." Any sane person with a heart would feel that blow. It wasn't even directed at her, but Nayeli felt it.

"Can you blame her?"

"No, but that's heavy for a child. The only mom she knows and she doesn't consider her as such. You have to do a number on a kid for them to respond that way. It breaks my heart for her. Girls need their moms..or a GOOD mom, I should say. We both know there are some crappy ones out there." It was a sad case, even sadder because Tatiana was only seven, just a little sponge soaking up everything around her, the good and the bad. She was aware of so much, and that was scary to come to terms with, "I'm worried she'll feel like a piece of her is missing when she gets older."

"She might, but I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Just a gut feeling," Ezra said. It was much like the feeling he had about Nayeli overall. He wanted to tell her how Tatiana felt about her, but it didn't seem like the right moment. He didn't know how to get the words out without making a fool of himself either. She was going to be mad at him for not drawing a deeper line in the sand. He had to stick to his plan and wait a few more months.

She allowed him to vent for another thirty minutes. He got some things off his chest that he didn't realize bothered him so much and cursed to release the anger. When their conversation ended, he felt pounds lighter. Nayeli didn't judge him for what he said or interrupt him. She just listened and rubbed his head. It was all that he needed. She was what he needed, and they were so close.

He was sad to see her go, but he knew he'd see her soon. He watched her car until her headlights disappeared and walked back inside. Shutting the lower level of the house down, he dragged his feet up the back staircase and stopped by Tatiana's room to check on her. Her nightlight gave the room a low glow. He could see that her eyes were still open.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleep?" He walked into the room and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I only said goodnight to Nayeli, not you and we always say goodnight," she said.

"You're right. I'm sorry." He hugged her and kissed her head, "Goodnight, my little sunbeam."

"Not yet. Is Nayeli your girlfriend?"

"I want her to be......Is that okay with you?" Although Tati already had a solid relationship with Nayeli, he wanted her to know that she had a say. He never wanted to force or impose anything on her, and he wanted her to continue being comfortable enough to tell him if she didn't like something.

"Yeah."

"That means I'm gonna be spending some more time with her."

"Do I get to see her more, too?"

"Some days, and other days we'll be alone."

"That's okay, but not at all the time. I don't want you to forget about me."

He kissed her head for the second time and grinned, "I would never forget about you. You'll always be my number one girl," he promised.

[comeyeknights]

Jacen has grown a bit resentful of Ezra Bridger.

It seems like people are always comparing him to both Ezra and his dad, neither of whom he's ever even met. And since the war ended and Sabine threw herself fully into searching for their missing family member, she's been around less and less; expeditions growing both longer and more frequent. Jacen knows he isn't the only one who worries that one day, she won't come back at all.

There's a hole in his family, and Jacen doesn't know what to do about it.

It was only natural that he start looking for someone to blame. And Ezra Bridger, his childhood hero, was the logical target.

After all, he's the one who left, the reason his sister keeps leaving, the reason Zeb wants to laugh and cry at the same time whenever Jacen teams up with Chopper to play a prank, and why Mom is always so sad whenever she sees a Loth-cat or a meiloorun or a million other little things.

Everyone keeps talking about how great it's going to be when Ezra comes home, but it's been over ten years - longer than Jacen's entire life. If he's not back by now, it's because he's either dead or he doesn't want to come home.

Jacen doesn't even want to be a Jedi anymore. All Jedi do is die or disappear and leave gaping holes in their families' lives that never go away. So he's been ignoring those little nudges, his occasional flashes of insight his family has always told him comes from the Force. He shoves them away and refuses to listen. He's going to be a pilot, like his mom. The parent who is there.

And then he'd met Kas the Navigator.

Kas had the Force, like Jacen, but he wasn't a Jedi - he used his powers to fly.

Kas used the Force to guide him through the farthest reaches of the galaxy, fighting the Empire and saving people long after the Rebel Alliance said the war was over, and he taught Jacen how to use the Force like that, too.

He was the coolest person Jacen had ever met. Within twenty-four hours of being rescued Jacen had decided that when he grows up, he wants to be just like Kas.

But it turns out that Kas the Navigator doesn't even exist.

Jacen flies through the common room, ignoring how Din and Cara look up in surprise while Grogu reaches for him in concern.

He can feel the toddler's concern. Because Kas - no, Ezra - had taught him how.

He'd shown Jacen how to break through all those walls he'd put up to keep out the Force, how to open himself up instead. And Jacen had let him, because this wasn't Jedi training, it wasn't going to end with Jacen tearing an even bigger hole into his family - it was Navigating.

But Kas the Navigator doesn't exist. Only Ezra the Jedi.

Jacen drops into the cargo hold and scrambles into a small closet, half-hidden behind a few crates. Curled up between the cleaning supplies, arms wrapped tight around his legs, he lets his head drop to rest on his knees.

It's been more than ten years, he remembers thinking. If he's not back by now, it's because he's either dead or he doesn't want to come home.

Well, Ezra wasn't dead.

Some time later - probably only a few minutes, though it feels longer - quiet footsteps track across the cargo bay, heading unerringly toward his hiding place. A pause, and then a soft knock on the door.

"Hey, kid," Ka--Ezra's low voice calls. "Can I come in?"

Jacen glances around the tiny closet. "Not enough room," he grumbles; but, after a moment of consideration, grudgingly adds, "...but you can open the door, I guess."

The door slides open. Ezra settles against a crate a few feet away, looking out across the cargo bay instead of directly at Jacen. His brow is furrowed, like he's gathering his thoughts.

Jacen wants to be mad at him. He wants to scream and rage and demand to know why Ezra had left the yawning crack in his family to gape and fester when he could have just come home. Why did he stop caring about his family, when not one of them has given up on him for even a single second?

But Ezra Bridger was also Kas the Navigator, and Kas was his friend.

A couple weeks ago, during a quiet watch when everyone else was asleep, K--Ezra had found Jacen looking out at the stars.

"Hmm, those look like heavy thoughts," he'd said, and then asked if sharing them would lighten the load.

Jacen had been wondering if Sabine was out there somewhere, still looking for their missing family member, and whether she even knew he was missing yet.

He'd ended up ranting for several minutes about his missing older brother. When he'd explained his conclusion about why he hadn't come home, K--Ezra had gone very quiet. Eventually, he'd said, so soft Jacen had to strain to hear, "Maybe he doesn't think he's ready yet. Maybe he just needs a push."

(In hindsight, the fact that Kas was actually Ezra Bridger was kind of obvious.)

Just when it looked like Ezra had figured out whatever he was going to say, Jacen cut in.

"What did you mean, when you said, 'he doesn't think he's ready yet'?"

Ezra sighed, long and slow. "It's...kinda complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it!"

And for the next half hour, Ezra did his best to do so.

-

"You're right, I should have come home sooner," Ezra concludes. "I can't even use the work I've been doing out here as an excuse - I'd probably have been at least ten times as effective if I'd just asked Hera for some backup. I just..." he broke off; the truth was, he hadn't wanted to come home and interrupt all their lives, only to shatter their newfound peace with the news of what Thrawn was up to and then leave, again.

"For what it's worth, I was planning to go see them after I got you home. I was gonna look up Cham Syndulla on Ryloth and ask him where Hera and everyone was."

He risked a glance at Jacen - Jacen Syndulla, Hera and Kanan's son, his baby brother that he didn't even know existed - the kid was deep in thought, his face all scrunched up just the way Hera's always did (how had he never realized who Jacen was? The signs were so obvious, now that he knew to look for them), but he'd uncurled some from that tight ball Ezra had found him in.

"Everyone misses you," he said finally, accusingly. "A lot. Like there's a hole in their hearts where you're supposed to be."

Ezra closed his eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."

There was a shuffle from the closet, and then a small form tucked himself against Ezra's side.

"They're gonna be really happy to have you back."

Ezra wrapped his arm around Jacen's shoulders, tugging him closer. "Me, too. Now, how about we go make something to eat before Sabine decides to cook dinner?"

The face Jacen made told Ezra instantly that Sabine's cooking skills - and her propensity for ultra spicy foods - had not changed in the ten years he'd been gone.

"Yeah," the kid said, jumping up with an almost amusing alacrity, "that's a pretty good idea."

Ezra chuckled as he followed the ten-year-old back up to the galley and common area.

They were only a few days away from the Outer Rim, now. If all went well, he would be reunited with Hera, Zeb, and Kallus within a week; two at the outside.

After ten long, hard years, he was finally going home,

Seeing some speculation on that skeleton crew show they announced back in May has got me thinking about Jacen Syndulla, and the Empire kidnapping Force sensitive kids, and wild space/the unknown regions...and now I'm thinking, wouldn't it be cool if Jacen found Ezra first?