#anyway you know the drill just hit the like button and i'll do the rest!

[diaco1968]

Sidechicks

Oikawa Toru x f!Reader

Warnings! Nsfw/smut, bj, unprotected, a little bit of choking and hair pulling, but mostly manipulation and angst!

Note: Oikawa is a mean manipulative player in this and reader sadly gets attached to him. And I just had to get this idea out of my head >_<

"You what?"

It was probably the first time you saw concern in his face. Even if it was just a tiny fleeting moment. Was it concern or was it something else?

"You heard me."

Your voice was as stern as you had planned but you just couldn't bring yourself to close the door in his face. As much of a jerk as he was, you had missed seeing him. He was indeed a nice catch. If anyone could actually hold on to him.

"I did, I was just giving you a chance to try and not sound so dumb."

"Excuse you?"

He took the moment of hesitation to slip inside through the door way as if he was actually invited and insisted to go in.

"Who goes back to their ex!"

He exclaimed exaggerating as he looked around the room, almost same as he had left it months ago. Much cleaner though. What he really meant was 'who leaves ME to go back to their ex' but of course eventhough his pride was striked he was not dumb enough to not know he was on thin ice here.

"Well someone who might've made a mistak in leaving him in the first place, Oikawa."

Ouch not off to a good start so far.

"Whatever happened to Toru?..."

"Same thing that happened to I promise I'll call you this time sweetheart."

He didn't know exactly what you were referring to, only 'when'. But he was glad you reminded him of what your personal pet name was, cause as usual he had forgotten. But... were you perhaps just trying to get on his nerve by saying you'd go back to your ex? Cause if you did and he actually fell for it... he would be even more pissed.

"I know... I'm so sorry! I was just hit by some heavy work load and tight schedule, deadlines... I wanted to call so many times but something always popped up... if you only knew how much I've been thinking of you."

Whatever your plan was, you were not going to win this. He was the player here. And lying was fair game for his side bitches.

"... right."

You rolled your eyes but the deep sorry tone of his voice got to you, making you subconsciously close the door behind him anyway. You knew he couldn't have meant it. You knew. But you also knew this was just a game. And even though you were hurting, you couldn't help but want to pretend he was being truthful. Thst he actually cared about you like you had come to care about him...Just for a moment or two.

"You don't believe me?"

His sharp eyes had noticed the fresh flowers on the kitchen counter. You were moving on, this was not a drill.

"That I've been thinking about you every moment of every day,"

"I um-..."

He had turned around and was in your personal space with 2 long steps before you knew it, staring into your eyes with deadly eyecontact as he grabbed your hand and pulled it up to his lips as he leaned down, placing a warm open mouthed kiss on your knuckles that had you reddening immediately.

"These beutiful elegant hands,"

When he came back up he had already his fingers hooked under your chin, tilting your face up to him.

"Your beautiful (e/c) eyes,"

His thumb ran over your cheek as his long fingers moved to rest on your neck, creeping to the back of your neck, making goosebumps rise on your skin.

"Your delicate skin,"

His voice dropped ever so slowly that you almost didn't notice as his eyes moved down your face stopping at your lips, his own parting as his tongue sweeped over his bottom lip before he captured it between his teeth, pupils going wide like a cat staring at his favourite toy.

"Those delicious, soft lips..."

He was whispering on your lips now and you were so flustered by the compliments the little touches and the hot breath in your face that you couldn't take it anymore as you closed the distance between you two and crashed your lips onto his.

'Got you now.'

He was not at all suprised by this outcome but he let out a soft hum and slwoly wrapped his arm around your waist, his other hand slipping into your hair and cupping the back of your head to hold you in place as he moulded your lips together hungrily. His tongue swiping at your lips and you denied his entrance with a tiny moan.

Now one thing you probably didn't understand was that he was indeed hungry for this kiss, but not quite the way you wanted him to be. He had definitely thought about you and all he mentionded and desired you accordingly, but right before he had decided to change his way and come pay you a visit cause he was in the area and had nothing else to do. As in, just about 15 minutes ago. He did think about your elegant hands, desperately grabbing onto him. Your beautiful eyes, glazed over and looking up at him dripping with need.

Your delicate skin as it reddened under his hands.

And your soft abused lips, wrapping around his cock.

He had indeed thought about those, and had shivered in delight.

But that was all this was. You were a good fuck. One of his carefully picked out side bitches. But just because you were his side bitch didn't mean you were allowed to move on from him. He owned you. What the fuck were you thinking? Annoying.

His fingers tightened in your hair harshly positioning your head so you were craning your neck up towards him, lips parting and he rudely took his chance to push his tongue into your mouth, and his other hand placed heavily over your hip pulling you against himself.

Your hands shot up against his chest to try and steady yourself, feeling as if you were drowning in his scent and his heat, his touches, every where.

You hummed softly, hands moving down his torso, over his abdomen and to his button, tugging and pulling at it till it was undond and loosely hanging on his hips making him hum back to you in approval.

His hand moved from your neck to grab your jaw and firmly press your lips together one last time before he let go and press down on your shoulders. Complying he made you bend down and kneel in front of him, pressing your face to his still covered crotch giving you time to nuzzle onto his clothed dick as you looked up at him through your lashes.

"Fuck sweetheart, the things you do to me with those eyes..."

'Makes me want to fuck you raw right now'

You batted your lashes at him as you pulled down his underwear, his cock springing free. You grabbed onto it, fingers wrapping around the base as you licked it up to the head, leaving a kiss at the tip before sucking him in your mouth slowly, a little at a time.

He was watching you so intensely as his fingers raked through your hair, gently gathering the strands out of your face while you reached the back of your throat and swallowed around the head trying to get used to the length in your mouth.

"And you're always such a good girl for me~ you deserve much better than that lousy bastard."

He hissed looking down at you with half lidded eyes, wrapping all the strands he was previously so gently collecting, tightly around his fist, using it to pull your mouth off of his cock before slamming you back onto it and setting a rough rhythm of you slurping around his shaft trying to suck him off faster as he fucked your throat, watching your eyes tear up as you tried to suppress your gag reflex.You hated it. He knew. But you never protested. He knew that too.

"Such a pretty little thing you are, hmm, sucking me off so so good, ngh, god you're so amazing..."

Little praises and groans rolled off his lips as he watched you whimper before pulling you away completely this time, grabbing his dick with his other hand.

"That's enough sweetheart. Now let me take care of you."

"Toru..."

As he lowered you back on the couch, standing between your legs and pulling your clothes off slowly, your hesitation was visible in your eyes.

"Yes, baby? Oh my god I missed hearing you say my name like that..."

"I just... maybe we shouldn't... I mean..."

Your voice was understandably hoarse and your eyes were still watery. He placed his lips over your bare ankle as he gently moved your legs over his shoulders. Your tense posture was making him have no other choice but to throw in his ultimate lowest card.

"Am I going too fast for you, baby? I'm sorry... it's just..."

"What's wrong Toru?"

You watched him curiosity pouring in and mixing with the worry in your eyes.

"I love you so much I find it hard to hold back... but it's okay... I know I can be pushy, I'll stop..."

Your heart skipped a beat as your eyes widened in shock watching his face for confirmation of what he just said. He looked genuine. Ignoring your common sense completely, And as your heart swelled with happiness to your horror he was already pulling away. Your reached out and grabbed his collar pulling him back to you.

"No! Fuck are you... a-are you serious?"

He blinked a few times in confusion before pouting a little.

"What do you mean? Of course I am."

"I l-love you too!"

He smiled and cupped your cheek.

"I know, sweetheart. I know. you don't have to go through with this to show me."

This time he went to remove your legs from his shoulders but you pulled him closer again.

"No, no! I want to... I... uh... I need you Toru~"

His eyes darted from your eyes to your lips a few times opening his mouth to say something but unable to find the words and closed it again.

"Fuck... you have me wrapped around your finger, don't you?"

He smiled as you giggled and nestled between your legs, thumb slowly rubbing your clit through your soaked through panties, making you jerk with a quiet moan. If only you knew what narcissistic pleasure he was hiding behind his seemingly innocent smile. He fed off of the fact that you thought you were in charge while you were just a puppet in his games.

His fingers slipped past the hem and gathered up your running moisture, smearing it back onto your entrance before pushing it back in with his fingers.

You whined and gripped his forearm, melting under his intense gaze as his fingers found their way deep inside you the discomfort slowly replaced by sharp jolts of pleasure as he kept grinding them against your sweet spot, switching between thrusting them or just keeping them inside as far as they'd go and bending them around. As soon as you started clenching around them he pulled them out though, causing a protesting whine.

"No baby girl, not without me."

You felt his tip rub between your folds a few time before he slipped it right in unceremoniously making you gasp and arch your back. He was quick to press you back down into the couch with his body as he layed it over yours, cupping your cheek.

"Sorry, love... my bad. I just can't wait to feel your hot pussy wrap around my dick. So fucking wet for me."

You nodded unable to form proper words with the depth of his thrusts trying to force you to accomodate to his size, as his thumb was running over your lips, pulling it out before letting it pop back in place.

"Oh but you don't need to forgive me. I know you like it like that."

You looked up at him gulping.

"You fucking love it when I go wild with you. You love me when I'm a fucking animal."

His hand wrapped around your neck as his hips snapped up into you, silencing your loud moan.

"You just love being manhandled like this. Such a naughty dirty girl. Hm?"

He started pounding into you, his hand on your throat preventing you from bouncing away from him so you were taking in the full force of his thrusts, only able to mewl and whimper. And sure enough it wasn't long before your eyes were rolling back inside your head from the pleasure.

"You are mine, baby, aren't you?"

He let go of your neck letting you breathe as he slowed to help you come down from your high. Gently laying back over your body running his fingers through your hair.

"Only mine. You know that loser isn't for you... he'll just won't know how to treat you right... he'll screw up again."

It did run through your hazy mind why he was bringing up your ex now but you were too caught up for the moment so you ignored it.

"Do you love me, baby?"

You nodded your head as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

"And you're only mine, aren't you?"

"Yes Toru, only yours."

'That's right little bitch-chan.'

With a fist full of your hair he tilted your head up, exposing your neck to him as his hips started pivoting into you again, deep slow thrusts mixed with his pelvis rubbing against your throbbing clit. He started nibbling and sucking roughly on your neck but with all the other stimulation that was going on you really didn't care as you came a second time, scratching down his back.

He hated it. He hated it when you left marks on him. But it was strangely arousing to him this time.

'One last trophy.'

He had to pull away from you and pull out quickly only to spill his load over your belly only seconds after. He lazily stroked his shaft over your panting sweaty body a few more times before cleaning and tucking himself back in his pants.

"Wow... stay put, love, I got you."

The gentleman he was, he came back with some warm wet tissues, cleaning you up before picking you and taking you to your bed.

"Do you have any idea?"

"What?..."

You looked up at him questioningly as you lay there catching your breath.

'Do you have any idea how easy you are?'

"Do you have any idea how amazing you are? I love you so much."

He smiled kissing you in the top of your head making you smile with a blush but before you could reply his phone buzzed and he glanced at the text before pulling away from you.

"Sorry, I need to take this, sweetheart."

He dialed a number and walked out of the room, leaving you to your own mess of thoughts.

In reality he didn't call anyone, he just left the room to take a breath and think of a plan how to slip out not to be too suspicious. All that was left of his plan was a grand exit. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

He came back in the room a few minuted later already dressed back up neatly, ready to go. Seeing your pout he smiled and cupped your cheek.

"I'll be in touch this time."

"... you said that last time..."

"You know what? I left my number on the table. How about you call me instead then?"

You perked up grinning and stood up to hug him and give him a goodbye kiss. Which he returned before saying goodbye and leaving.

The sound of the door shutting had you remembering the last times and you sat there in silence for a long time before you remembered that you didn't tell him that you loved him back.

Sure enough there was a neatly folded paper on the coffee table next to the couch, you grabbed and unfolded it once finding the number, not wasting a second to dial it.

With the phone between your ear and your shoulder you unfolded the paper one last time.

'We are over, sweetheart. XOXO'

"The number you are trying to reach, does not exist-..."

"Fucking asshole...."

You crumbled the paper in your hand as angry tears started to pool in your eyes, grabbing and staring at your phone screen and the message the operator kept repeating.

Words could not describe how used and how dumb you felt. But your clenching heart and quivering lips could. You wanted to disappear into thin air as the realisation hit you like a train. He was playing you and you sat there doing everything he wanted you to, while he was probably laughing at you the whole time.

You were a good fuck to him. That was all you would ever be. No less but never more either.

The screen had shut off as your phone hung up automatically and in the reflection you could see the dark hickeys running all over the length of your neck.

Of course... it was Toru's parting gift. After all, no one was allowed to move on from him.

The screen turned on as the phone vibrated in your hands with a notification.

'Hey, I hope you liked the flowers. Thanks for giving me a second chance. I swear I'll make it up to you. Are you free tomorrow dinner? I'll come after you :D '

"You fucking asshole!!!"

[lovelywingsart]

Sleepless

-- Karl Heisenberg X OC (AFAB, She/They) --

And now we get to the sweeter stories I have for them so far until the inevitable heartbreaking end... Don't worry, there's more angst closer to the beginning of the timeline than the end. But hey, 30+ years of living with someone you end up being partners with will do that to you. eue

Anyway, this was a fun little thing, and is pretty common in the timeline itself. It's pretty short, comparatively speaking, but I liked it. Enjoy!

**Remember, check out the Masterlist for more! <3 **

------

*Warning?: Mention of nightmares/terrors, a very very sleepy metal man

Summary: Being a busy person has its perks, but everyone needs to sleep at some point... Unfortunately, sleep doesn't come easily to Karl. So, he tries to help it the only way he knows how- find some company.

The hiss of the cooling mould filled the small room, the molten metal providing what little light given other than a few lanterns and small industrial lights as always. Emelia preferred it this way, despite occasional offers given to brighten the room up a little. She watched the moulds fill one by one, reaching out her mutated arm every once in a while to help unclasp and move them along if they were stuck. The mutation itself wasn't practical for much other than strength and stamina, though it provided a surprising amount of heat resistance compared to the usual glove she wore on the other hand. She consistently worked to control the anger that came with the mutation itself with each transformation, easing into a decent work state of mind when using it around the machines. She now found it increasingly relaxing whenever she allowed her Cadou to make the changes, feeling the occasional fluttering in her chest with each movement she made.

She reached forward with her mutated arm again, her claws closing around the edge of the mould that had gotten somewhat stuck when opening, the metal bits getting stuck around the edges.

"Bloody thing..." she growled, her voice deeper and warped from the mutation as she very nearly pried the thing open and removed the newly created cogs from the mould itself. Defects, of course... The metal hadn't cooled right. The thing wasn't even full, the deformed half being what had caused the jam. She simply tossed them to the side with a grunt, watching as the machine closed and started the process again with molten metal giving a golden glow to her eye and skin as she gave a near content sigh from the rush of heat.

It was through the hiss of the cooling unit that she heard another noise, her head cocking to the side just slightly. It sounded like... Tapping? Rhythmic tapping... Her body froze as she realized.

Footsteps.

Two options ran through her head at once; either it was the snarky bastard who owned the factory, or she'd have to fight a Soldat for the umpteenth time this week. She listened carefully for any mechanic whirring, generally a telltale sign of the Soldats presence other than the whirring of drills or blades. The rhythm of the footsteps was slow and even somewhat miscalculated, but... there was nothing. No whirring, no grunting or growling, no guttural 'war cries', as she called them. No, but there WAS breathing, only audible once the hissing of the cooling units halted. She turned her head slightly as the footsteps got closer, her mutated arm tensing and preparing for whatever hell of a sneak attack this was, her claws gripping the small railing near the machine to brace herself to swing back with the bone spur on her elbow.

She was instead met with the feeling of arms slowly and almost lazily wrapping around her waist, holding on to her tightly and making her jump and hold her breath. It wasn't until she felt a head fall against her shoulder that she even thought about relaxing, letting out an irritated growling sigh once she relinquished her grip on the rail.

"God damn you Heisenberg, what the bloody hell do you want now, I'm busy-" she started, only to pause as she looked down.

No gloves... no coat... just his scarred hands gripping on to her shirt as if she'd disappear of he let her go. What the hell... She could hear slow, almost uneven breathing next to her ear as he pressed his face to her shoulder, dark silvery hairs almost sticking to her skin. It wasn't until she heard a weak hum that she finally turned her head to look at him. She felt as her muscles eased somewhat at the sight of him, frowning as she reached her mutated hand up to pat his head. The man looked utterly exhausted... Eyes half lidded with the color dulled, deep bags under his eyes, and nearly sunken features that made him look almost as old as he was. She could tell his obvious exhaustion wasn't the only issue, but it was the one that caused the most concern in her mind at the current moment. It was as if he had turned into one of the walking abominations he had working in the tunnels under the main factory, almost feeling like a dead weight against her...

"Karl...?" She said, her voice still somewhat warped, yet holding an oddly soft tone. He only replied with another hum before burying his face into her neck. Her frown deepened as one of his hands reached up to hold her mutated arm, his grip weak. The man needed sleep... It was painfully obvious. It looked like he hadn't slept in literal weeks, which was most likely the case as it always was.

She quickly hit a button to power down the movements of the machine in front of them, feeling as he relaxed somewhat against her back despite the sharp bone spurs that rested along her spine from the mutation. She waited for the thing to stop moving before patting his arm lightly.

"Hey..." she said quietly, turning her head to look at him again. The only response she received was a light squeeze along her waist.

"Hey." she repeated, managing to carefully turn in his arms without ripping his chest to shreds with the spines. "Hey, Karl... Look at me..."

She grabbed his face with both hands, her mutated claws almost as big as his head entirely. But she held his cheeks carefully, forcing him to look at her as she examined his face. It was a pitiful sight, really... The man typically held either a grin or a smirk, his energy and enthusiasm for his work unmatched by anyone, even that giant witch Alcina. He always seemed oddly happy. Proud. But his look now... It was that a tired old man with years taken from his life in a single night. He blinked slowly, giving a quiet grunt.

"When was the last time you slept...?" Emelia asked quietly, a sudden concern flooding her gravely voice. Irritating as he may be, even now, she couldn't help but care for the man... She allowed her mutation to retreat with a quiet groan as he looked at her, the muscles and sharp bone disappearing back under the skin with cracks and pops as she kept a hold on his face.

"Dunno..." came the somewhat slurred answer. She felt his weight shifting from foot to foot, hearing a small mechanical clicking whenever he leaned on his left leg. She sighed, letting him lower his head so it rested in her hands, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks just slightly.

"Bloody hell..." she muttered, finally taking a step to the side. Her movements were slow, carefully removing his arms from around her waist and slinging one over her shoulder to help him keep his own balance. "Come on... Let's find somewhere for you-"

"Here..." he muttered suddenly, his voice low and broken. She paused and looked at him.

"Here?" She asked. He twitched his head into a nod.

"Sleep here... Please..."

She couldn't help but feel a pang of pity as she heard him speak. His tone wasn't begging, but it wasn't demanding, either. But she simply nodded, looking around for a moment. Her eye caught the corner of the room with a few tattered rags on the floor generally used for cleaning or polishing, and she carefully nudged his side to lead him over. His movements were simultaneously stiff and limp, creating an awkward pattern in footsteps just like she had heard earlier. She helped him sit once they reached the corner, the rags and fabrics providing a small sense of underlying comfort compared to the rough concrete floor. She left him for only a moment, almost feeling bad for doing so as she heard his grunts of discomfort.

"I'll be right back..." she said lightly, quickly making her way to the two entrances to the room itself.

She blocked them both, making sure the door entrance was locked and secure and moving two stacked work benched in front of the free corridor entrance. The last thing she needed was a goddamn Soldat bursting in... She didn't need one of the metal menaces showing their faces. Not when she already knew how this was going to end up... And it would end up the same no matter how she tried to prevent it. Almost every time he slept, the poor man would wake up screaming, speaking rapid broken German too quickly for her to understand. If he wasn't screaming, it was a panic attack bad enough for him to nearly hyperventilate and thrash around. Either way, one of both of them would have gotten hurt due to flying metal from his power going haywire from fear. It was why he was here with her instead of in his own room, even if she was increasingly nervous with the metal scraps laying about. The presence of someone... ANYONE else near him helped considerably, they both found, though that didn't obviously stop the night terrors... But she assisted him with pushing through them, often lulling him back to sleep each time while even falling asleep, herself. They still happened, but being near her made it... easier. Being near her made sure he wasn't alone.

And he hated being alone.

She made her way back to Heisenberg, kneeling down and helping him settle against the wall. She took her place next to him, feeling as he slumped over on her shoulder almost immediately before giving a quiet grunt. She looked at him for a moment before sighing, adjusting and nudging him forward so his head rested on her lap. He reached an arm forward to wrap around her leg as if it were a simple pillow. She couldn't exactly blame him... Even she knew it was easier to lay down.

"That better...?" She asked quietly, resting one hand on his shoulder as the other reached to pat his head lightly. He relaxed as she ran her fingers through his hair, occasionally reaching to trace along the scars on his face once she slumped back against the wall in a comfy enough position. It was a method she used constantly, having discovered it on accident. The motions soothed him, and soon she could feel his breathing even out.

"... thank you...." he nearly whispered, his words sounding almost like a simple breath had she not been listening. She tilted her head slightly towards him with the smallest hint of a smile.

"Easy, Metalhead..." she soothed, rubbing his shoulder for a moment before fully resting her arm over him. "I'll wake you if I notice anything, alright?"

She was met with silence, a gentle squeeze to her thigh the only hint of an answer he gave. After that, he was still, his breaths coming as gentle snores against her thigh. 'God damn, he WAS tired...' She thought, continuing the motions of her hand through his hair. She watched him for a moment before leaning her head back and closing her eye with a sigh. Despite knowing what was bound to happen, this was the most peaceful they would get, and she had to admit that she loved it... There was only a few hours if they were lucky, but she didn't mind. She quite enjoyed these times, she just wished neither of them were plagued by such nightmares. But even so, she couldn't help but feel relaxed... Even a bit closer to the man as he was granted a bit of much needed sleep. She was the only one to ever see him like this... The only one to ever assist with any kind of care he may have needed at that point in time, and the only one who understood what he had gone through.

She let his deep breathing sooth her, the other sounds of the factory lulling her into a drowsy, lazy feeling. She'd continue her work later... For now, she focused on the man on her lap, letting the smallest amount of sleep creep up. And suddenly she was out in a light doze, awkwardly cuddling Heisenberg with the warmth around them providing an inner comfort rarely felt.

[currently-in-fanfiction-hell]

Days at the Hunter Base, CHAPTER 6: Cooking with the Navigators: Cookies (Originally from my Quotev account)

Pallette walked sluggishly towards Maverick Hunter HQ's kitchen, a place usually reserved for making and storing food for lunch breaks, not that Reploids needed food anyway, but if they were built with the ability to eat, then why not?

Palette, it's 5 in the morning, what are you even doing here? She thought to herself.

Shut up, I'm hungry, there must be something in here...

PALETTE, 5 IN THE MORNING, DO YOU EXPECT THERE TO BE ANY FOOD IN HERE?

Great, a back-and-forth conversation with herself, an arguement, even better, what a great way to start the day.

She opened up the fridge and found nothing but raw meat and vegetables inside, needless to say, she was very disappointed.

See? You should've just grabbed a Pocky from your snack stash. The voice inside of her head grumbled.

Nnnggghh.... But I'm getting tired of Pocky sticks, and Axl keeps stealing from the stash anyway, She whined.

Suddenly, she heard the door open.

Alia and Layer walked into the room, shocked to find Palette.

"Pallette? What are you doing in here?" Alia asked.

"I-IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" Palette shrieked,  Great, I'm in trouble now, she thought.

"Relax, I'm not angry at you, are you hungry?" She smiled.

"Y-yeah... That's pretty much it..." She stuttered, relieved that they weren't going to scold her.

"Layer and I were going to make cookies for breakfast, since you're here, do you want to watch us bake a batch?"

"Uh, sureeee...?" Making breakfast at 5? What oddballs. She thought.

While Alia got the ingredients out of a nearby cupboard, Layer proceeded to take out all of the other necessities, bowls, spoons, the rolling pin...

"Ever since when did you two learn how to bake?" Palette asked.

"It, um, started out as a small hobby," Layer explained, "Plus it's kind of fun, that and it's better than store-bought snacks, a-and it's healthier, of course."

Palette nodded her head, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Even if supermarket snacks/foods were easy to prepare, foods made from scratch were usually better.

"Do you know how to bake, Palette?" Layer asked.

Palette shook her head, "Unfortunately, no."

Suddenly, an idea popped up in Alia's head, "I know!" She exclaimed, "Why don't you help out? We can teach you!"

"Uh, sure!" Palette had never seen Alia this enthusiastic before, was baking that fun?

Eventually, they set everything on the table, Flour, sugar,  brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and the necessary equipment, Palette was already getting hungry just looking at the ingredients.

"Okay, so first off, you're supposed to preheat the oven to 375°F." Alia instructed, reading from a new recipe she had found online.

"Uh, okay!" Palette turned around saw the baking oven in front of her, was it weird to admit that she was intimidated by it? After all, there were so many things she was unfamilliar with, all the buttons and dials... She didn't know what to press or turn.

"Here, let me help." Layer came over to show her the ropes, she placed her fingers on the top dial on the side of the oven, labelled "Temperature", upon closer inspection, Palette noticed that the dial had numbers marked around it, "You just turn the dial to the number you want to set the temperature to, like this." Layer then proceeded to turn the dial to 375°F, "See? It's simple."

"Hmmm, yeah, you're right!" Palette grinned.

_______________________________________________

Shortly afterwards, it was time to move onto the main event, making the batter!

"Sooooo, what do we do first?" Palette was eager to get started, making the batter seemed like such a fun but simple task.

"Well, look at who's excited!" Alia smiled, "Anyways, what we need to do first is pour two and a quarter cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda..."

"Mmm hmm." Palette nodded, carefully putting in the already-measured ingredients in the bowl, while Layer was watching her quietly to make sure that she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"1 teaspoon of salt-"

"Salt?! What do you need SALT for?" Palette cut her off, "Why would you need salt in cookies?"

"Well, it's not like a little bit of salt ruins an entire cookie, Palette, it won't turn salty so easily." Layer assured her, "Besides, you like salted caramel, right? So I don't really see any problem," She paused for a while, standing in the awkward silence, i-it's not like I'm saying that what you're saying is wrong, I understand where you're getting at, I-i'm just saying that salt helps, t-that's all."

"Hmmm, well, that IS a good point..." Palette said, "Alrighty, then, salt it is!" She carefully put in a teaspoon of salt in the bowl.

Shortly afterwards, Palette had put in almost every ingredient in the bowl, "Ummm, so, what do we do with the rest of the ingredients?" She asked, "Well, we're not quite done yet, Palette, Do you see thiis here?" She then pointed at another bowl, this time accompanied with a mixer, "Well, just put in the rest of the ingredients and press this button on the mixer."

"Hmm, got it!" Palette said, Alia had to make sure she didn't just dump everything in.

"Annnnd now I just need to push this button!" Palette then moved her fingers closer to the side of the mixer.

click.

Nothing happened.

"Huh? Why isn't anything happening?" Palette was puzzled, repeatedly clicking the button.

"Layer, are you sure the mixer was properly plugged in?" Alia asked, concerned.

"I-I'll see." She then checked the socket the mixer cable was connected to, surprisingly, there didn't seem to be anything wrong.

"No, sorry...There doesn't seem to be any visible problems..." Layer looked embarrassed, her face covered in a bright red.

"Don't worry, Layer, it's not your fault," Alia comforted her, "besides, that mixer is a little old, HQ never really bothered replacing it,"

"Technical difficulties aside, what are we gonna do now?" Palette asked, it was difficult to mask her disappointment.

Alia had a smile spread across her face, she didn't seem to be very bothered, "Don't worry, I've got a Plan B!"

She lifted up her right arm, a few moments later, her right hand turned into a whisk.

Palette looked amazed, "Whoah, I never knew you could do that, Alia! I mean, I knew that you could turn your hand into a Buster like X can, but this..."

"I may not be a new-generation Reploid, but according to Dr. Cain, later models of the old generation were built with several wares installed in their arms, in his words, it "was so that Reploids could better experience human culture", I'm pretty sure that both of you are also able to do the same if you wanted to."

Sure enough, new-generation Reploids were also built with this ability, Layer had managed to turn her hand into a drill, but quickly put it down, "It's a...pretty interesting feature, to say the least." She said, "By the way," Palette added, "Can't we just use a whisk from the cupboards or something?"

"We could, but an arm-whisk is much quicker to take out!' Alia smiled.

Using her arm-whisk, she managed to finish mixing the batter in no time, after that, they poured the flour mixture into the bowl, adding in two cups of chocolate chips.

"Do you want to add in nuts, Palette?" Layer asked, "Meh, no thanks, I'd rather not." Palette said.

They mixed it all together (using a spoon this time), and it was actually looking quite good,

"Hey, d'you think I could try a bit of cookie dough?" Palette asked.

"I wouldn't recommend it, but I guess it's fine..." Alia mumbled, she quickly realized, however, that Palette had already started licking cookie dough off of her fingers, Alia let out a small sigh.

They used a mini ice cream scoop to lay out the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, making sure that each induvidual scoop was spaced far enough from each other so that they could bake into their proper size and avoid them into merging together.

After that, they plopped it into the oven, now all they had to do was wait.

"How long will we have to wait for, again?" Palette asked.

"10 minutes, I think..." Alia took a look at the recipe again, "It shouldn't take too long-" Suddenly, a young, rookie Hunter came into the room, "E-excuse me, are Alia and Layer here?"

"Yes, what is it?" Layer asked, hoping that nothing urgent was happening.

"I-it's nothing much, but there's a small problem regarding the 13th Unit's expedition, and the Commander needs a couple of Navigators to sort things out, I know it's early in the morning, but-"

"We'll be right there." Alia told him, she turned to look at Palette, "You can look out for the cookies while we're gone, right?"

"Yeah, don't worry, Just leave it to me!' She grinned and waved them off as the door shut.

Palette looked at the time, eight minutes left, eh, I'll probably have enough time to try and beat that level...She thought to herself as she pulled out a portable console.

_______________________________________________

"STAGE CLEAR!" Yelled the announcer.

"YES!" Palette cheered as she looked at the badly-beaten-up dragon lying down on the ground defeated as her avatar did a victory pose on the screen of her little portable.

"Wow, that took a while...I've probably levelled up enough to go to the next stage, let's see...Smoky Skies?" just then, something hit her head like a metal pipe, "Wait...smoke?"

She looked up from the screen, she must've been too absorbed into beating the boss, because she then realized that the smell of smoke was coming from the oven, "Oh, no..."

Just then, the door opened, Alia and Layer walked in, "Hey, Palette, sorry for being late, there was a small complicat-" Alia paused as she saw what was going on, they both rushed to the oven and immediately took the cookies out, what should've been cookies with a nice, golden brown color were now a very, very dark brown.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't pay enough attention, it's my fault, and-"

"It's alright, Palette, we can always try again next time." Layer told her, "There's always a first time for everything, after all."

"Thanks, Layer." Palette smiled, she looked at the cookies, "They may be burnt, but they could still taste good, have hope." Alia told her.

Just as Palette was about to grab a cookie, Alia grabbed her hand, "We'll still have to wait for them to cool, be patient."

"Alright, fine..." Palette mumbled, despite the fact that she was starving, well, not really, Reploids couldn't really get hungry the same way humans do, but she just needed to fuel herself up with some food, nevertheless, she waited.

_______________________________________________

A while later, they sat down at a table in the HQ's cafeteria, eating the burnt cookies (which were still pretty good, surprisingly) and sharing small stories and laughing together, Palette had noticed a slight personality change in them recently, they had become more relaxed and cheery with the lack of any threats, which was a good thing, they all needed a nice break every now and then.

"So, what did you think of your first baking session, Palette?" Layer asked, "I hope that, um, incident didn't ruin it all."

"Oh, not at all!" Palette told them, "it was actually...kinda nice, we should try this again sometime!" She grinned.

"Glad that you enjoyed it!" Alia said, "Speaking of trying it again, there's going to be a new Navigator working with us in a few weeks, why don't we try and bake these again as a welcome gift?" She suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Layer nodded her head, "Her name was...RiCO, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, RiCO, she seems to be very enthusiastic about working with us, seems like a nice person, what do you say?"

"I'm in!" Palette cheered, "...As long as I don't mess up again, heheh!"

_______________________________________________

(Author's Notes): Whew! Finally finished this after ages and ages of procrastination-I mean, schoolwork! I'll admit, part of me didn't want to write this chapter after a while, I wanted to write a baking fic, but it turns out that I was incapable of writing out baking stories, I also feel a bit skeptical about my characterization of the Navigators, Alia in particular, I prefer her more serious and hardworking personality in X5-X7, but I guess her softer X8 personality was better for a fic like this.

Anyways, I'll still be working on this, don't worry, next up is an Axl chapter!

Ack, almost forgot! Here's the recipe I used (and butchered) for this chapter!

[fireynovacat]

When I See You Again (I'll Tell You All About It)

A/N: Whoo-hoo! This is probably my longest fic ever and the first one for the Life-Link Universe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Anyway, there are some hints at what happened, but the next fic will be about Ezra and Dume. Sorry, I can’t figure out how to do cuts and the formatting’s probably awful. Enjoy! ~Five Days Post-Endor~ In some ways Sabine did miss the Ghost, she hadn’t been back much since she decided to stay on Lothal. She had returned for the final battle, the final push against the Empire. In some ways the warrior couldn’t process the Empire being defeated. It had been in power for almost all her life and she couldn’t remember a time before it. She stretched and shut off the holo-map, she had her next steps planned out. Now she had to tell everybody, it was time to bring Ezra home. She slipped from her old room out into the familiar hall, automatically her feet took her to the galley. Hera was sitting at the table, sipping caf from reading through reports, Zeb was moving around the kitchen cooking, Alex was sitting in the old woven chair reading something, probably a report, and Rex was holding Jacen and telling him a story. Sabine couldn’t help but smile when she heard the tail end of it, “...and your older brother, being the Jedi he is, convinced the old clankers to fight the Empire.” This resulted in a quite giggle from the child. “There ya are!” Zeb said, turning around with bowls of thick stew balanced on a tray. He set it down on the table and Hera smiled and set her work aside, “Thank you, Zeb.” Everybody took a bowl and settled down to eat. A few bites in, she announced, “I’m going to find Ezra. I’ve narrowed down some planets and areas based on hyperspace lanes and trajectories. I think if we work in teams we-” “Sabine!” Hera interrupted harshly, “It’s useless! Ezra is dead!” “Actually we don’t know that,” Alex chimed in from over his soup bowl, “Ezra is quite resourceful and a survivor.” “No,” and now the Twi’lek looked a combination of sad, hurt, and angry, “he was dying from the moment Kanan died.” Silence reigned for a few heartbeats while they processed the revelation. “Hera, what do you mean?” Sabine had rarely seen Zeb this quiet and subdued. “Ezra and Kanan shared a Life-Link. I-I don’t know much, Kanan told me most of what he knew about them.” She looked up from her lap, “You know that Force Sensitives can’t be alone, right? Well, a Life-Link is very grounding and beneficial to the Linkmates, but it’s also dangerous. Linkmates become dependant on each other for that grounding they need, they’re stronger, but it comes at a cost. T-they can’t be grounded by anybody else, if one dies…” the pilot fiddled with her sleeves, “the other one follows shortly afterward.” Sabine sat in shock, before her rage and grief boiled back to the surface. She slammed her hands down and everybody jumped, “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? Why did you all keep this from us?” She nearly screamed, “You let us all hold on to false hope! This was vital information and you didn’t tell us!” “Sabine, I’m sorry. I thought -” Hera began. “You thought. Oh, you thought keeping this from us was a good thing! You let Ezra do all that Force stuff, knowing that IT WAS ACTIVELY KILLING HIM!” Jacen was now pressed firmly against Rex with a distressed look on his face. Hera stood up and left the room at practically a run. They sat in pained silence for what felt like eternity, until finally Rex broke the silence, “Ezra knew he was dying, that’s the only thing that makes sense. Except for his last message, he didn’t say a final goodbye. He said he couldn’t wait to come back. That doesn’t sound like somebody about to die.” It was a tiny sliver of hope, but she was willing to cling to that. ~One year Post-Endor~ Sabine was surprised when she received the call from Hera she was half tempted to decline the call. However, she steeled herself and flicked on the comm. She didn’t talk, but Hera started in, “I want to invite you on a rescue mission.” The Mandalorian raised an eyebrow, but let Hera continue. “One of our informants disappeared, leaving only a distress signal. I want,” she sighed, “I want you to come help us find them. I know you’re angry at me and you have every right to be, but I want to do this. To try and fix this.” Sabine was silent for a minute and she thought it through. “I’ll come if Zeb, Alex, and Rex come along.” Hera looked relieved and happy, “I’m sending you the coordinates to roundevue with the Ghost and the Starcatcher. I’ll see you soon.” The connection was cut and Sabine was left with her thoughts. A rescue mission for a Rebellion Informant. Odd, weren’t most of those recalled? There were still some small pockets of the Imperial forces, but not enough to warrant an informant. Unless there was something else going on. There must be something that Hera wasn’t telling her or Hera didn’t even know. If somebody was deep undercover they must be after a big problem. She threw her extra supplies into her bag and hit the button to take the elevator to the bottom of the old comm tower. The Starbird stood ready for her and in a few minutes she was in space again. The roundevue was in orbit over Naboo. Sabine docked with the Starcatcher frigate and exited her ship. A soldier was waiting for her, “Commander Wren, follow me, please. Admiral Syndulla is waiting for you.” Sabine raised an eyebrow, but followed the man anyway. ‘You couldn’t come meet me yourself, Hera?’ She was mildly miffed Hera hadn’t come for her, but she supposed they were still on thin ice. When they arrived in the war room Hera was already looking at a layout map of some building, Zeb was talking in a low voice with Alex, and Rex was standing across the holotable from Hera keeping the projection under a scrutinizing gaze. ---------- The lack of resistance was unexpected. Not that Sabine was actually complaining, she just thought there would be more if this agent was so deeply undercover there would be more soldiers. She turned down the hallway and came to a stop at a door. She opened up the panel and rewired the lock. The door slid open with a quiet *woosh* and she stepped in. There was no need to adjust to the darkness, her helmet automatically did that for her. Sabine stopped short on the threshold of the cell. Understating it? Unexpected. In actual terms? Completely and utterly shocking. The figure in the cell was sitting on the bench, leaning against the wall. He was dressed in a tattered uniform an obvious blaster wound to his left side. But, Sabine would recognize that face and blue hair anywhere. Ezra Bridger was alive. Sabine flicked on her comm, nearly breathless, “I found the informant. I need help, he’s injured.” “On my way.” Zeb’s reply was short and punctuated. The Mandalorian rushed forward, “Ezra? Ezra can you hear me?” She reached out to check his pulse and he jumped a little at her touch. Blue eyes locked on to her hazily. “What?!” Both flinched at Zeb’s sudden voice. “That can’t be Ezra!” “Zeb, we don’t have time. Grab him!” Suddenly, the wall to her right wavered and a huge white Loth-wolf leapt through. It locked on to Ezra and shoved past Sabine to gently nuzzle him. “What is that doing here?” Zeb asked. The white-furred beast turned to stare at them and then moved back, allowing Zeb to step forward and scoop Ezra up. The human groaned quietly, but otherwise didn’t protest. They turned and charged out of the cell. “Hera, fire up. We’re coming in hot!” The Imperials stood no chance, as the wolf tossed them like rag dolls. They rushed past Rex and Kallus up into the Ghost. “Hera, go!” The ship shuddered as they barreled through the defenses and out into space. Zeb laid Ezra out on the floor of the bay. He had two blaster wounds; one to the gut and one to his left shin. The Loth-wolf crouched down to gently press its nose against Ezra’s scarred cheek. Alex dropped into a crouch. He pulled out the scissors and cut away the fabric from around wounds. “I don’t know how much longer he’ll last. He might die.” The comm came back online, “We’re docking.” ----------------- Ezra considered going back to sleep. Hera was trying to drill Dume, which was hilarious considering that Dume couldn’t fully verbalize. ‘Haha, stop laughing and YOU try.’ Ezra groaned and pushed himself up, ignoring the dull ache in his abdominal region and his left leg. The ache meant that he was nearly healed , but the faint pain might last a little while longer. “Ugh, well, I blew my cover, but whatever.” It took less then a second for Hera to swing around. “Ezra! How are you alive? Where is Kanan?!” Ezra yelped in surprise and as the world winked out around him and the Ghost’s galley burst into view all he could think was, ‘Kriff it. I thought I finally had control over that.’ He was sitting on the table and a young kid with green hair had stopped eating a bowl of ice cream to stare at him. “Erm, hello?” The kid stared at him for a moment and then replied with, “So, you’re Ezra?” “Yes, I am.” “Could you get off the table? You can have some ice cream.” Ezra grinned and slipped of the table before grabbing a spoon and taking the offered ice cream. “You seem pretty relaxed about me appearing out of nowhere. What’s your name?” The boy, who appeared about six, shrugged. “You are supposed to be dead and I’m Jacen.” “Fair point, kid.” -------------- “Toolld youuu.” The wolf grumbled. “I didn’t think you meant jump in that way.” --------------- They had moved to the Ghost’s main cargo hold to talk. Ezra was sitting on one of the crates with a blanket wrapped around him and nibbling on a ration bar. The huge Loth-wolf sat right behind him resting it's large head on top of Ezra's. He was leaning back against the beast’s chest and the end of it’s tail resting in his lap. “Why can't we talk in the galley?” Hera asked. Ezra gave a small grin, “Because Achal here is being clingy again. Do you honestly think he would fit?” The wolf huffed almost annoyed and swatted it's fluffy tail against Ezra's side. Ezra snickered, “You have more questions.” Hera took a deep breathe, “How are you alive? You should be dead.” Ezra raised an eyebrow, “The shooting or Kanan dying? Because those are two different questions.” Hera rushed in barely after he finished, “You should have been dead for five years now. How are you alive? *If you're alive then where is Kanan?*” Sabine could see the tiny finch. It was small, but otherwise Ezra looked unaffected. “After the purgill dropped out of hyperspace I was dying. Achal found me and created a Link to save my life. Kanan is gone Hera and he can't come back. And before you ask, apparently being Linked to a Force Wolf means teleporting and quicker healing.” The young man grinned at them, “Blame him.” He said gesturing up at the wolf. Achal rolled his eyes and snorted. Ezra was lying and Sabine knew this. That's not how Links worked. Which meant that either Kanan was alive or Kanan and Achal were the same thing. She wasn't going to address that openly, Ezra wouldn't lie without reason. Then Rex chimed in, “What was your reasoning for not telling us you were alive?” Ezra turned his head to look at the veteran, which was hilarious since the wolf's head turned with his. “Long story short? Palpatine knew who I was and was out to get me. I couldn't come back until he was gone or that Sith would have come for you. I did it to protect you.” This did not soothe Hera, “You didn't think to contact us? At least let us know you were alive?” The Twi’lek nearly shouted and the Lothal native pulled back in surprise with a slight look of shame. Achal growled and lifted his left leg and placed the paw in front of Ezra, so that he was nearly tucked under the wolf. “Hey! I'm fine!” He said, trying to free himself. “I'm sorry, but I couldn't risk anybody knowing I was alive, but I'm here now, aren't I?” Sabine smiled, “It's good to have you back.” Ezra grinned, “Let's go back to Lothal, I haven't been home in a while.” Sure, there were new adjustments to be made, but one of their own was home; and that, made everything a little better.

[precicus]

✨💙   like this for a guaranteed partner in crime.   💙✨