#big brother rex will always be one of my favourite things

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Galaxies Apart but Always Together

Fives finds out that his brother is still alive.

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Guess who's back on their usual bs! Yes, that's right, it's me. Thinking about Echo's rescue from the Citadel and what would've happened if Fives was still there made me think of this.

Angst but with some comfort as well because I'm not going to be that mean to you today :D

Tagging the usual suspects: @inkstainedhandswithrings @saturn-sends-hugs @the-bi-space-ace

“Where is he?”

“Fives. Calm down.”

“I said, where is he?”

His captain grabbed onto his shoulders and held him in place, face stern. “The medics are giving him a once over. I need you to calm down. Take a deep breath.”

“Calm down?” Fives’ anger felt bitter in his mouth. “I get an emergency comm asking for my immediate return and I come back expecting to be told that one of you has died only to find out that my twin is still alive. And you want me to calm down?”

“I get that you’re angry, Fives, but I need you to stay with me here.”

“You don’t get anything. You’re not the one whose batchmate has magically arisen from the dead. Let me see him!”

“You know I can’t do that. There’s no point in barging in there right now. They aren’t going to let you see him until they’ve finished running their tests.” Rex’s grip tightened slightly. “Stay here and settle down a bit. You can go and see him as soon as they give the go ahead.”

“How long have you known?”

Rex’s stoney face gave way to mild surprise. “What?”

“I said, how long have you known?” Fives’ fists were clenched at his sides. His jaw was set and he was not letting his next line of questioning go unanswered.

“We only found out today.” The captain’s hands fell down to his sides.

“So what? You just found him? By accident?” He was met with hesitation as Rex avoided making eye contact. His brother seemed to be more interested in looking over his shoulder and down the corridor rather than at his face.

“Not quite.”

“What do you mean not quite? You just said you didn’t know.”

“We didn’t know for certain.” Rex sighed and met his gaze again. He looked slightly defeated. It was only now that Fives noticed the bags under the captain’s eyes. It didn’t look like he had slept recently. “Once we found out what strategies the Separatists knew, I had my suspicions. Cody and Anakin were less convinced but-”

“Wait. Cody and Anakin knew?” He stared at his brother in disbelief, his blood starting to come back up to a boil. “What is this? Are you telling me that I’m the only man in the GAR who didn’t know his own twin was alive?”

Rex sighed in frustration. “Fives, just listen to me for a minute, okay? Yes, we thought it was a possibility. But we couldn’t know for sure. I mean, the chances of Echo being alive this long after the Citadel were almost non-existent! We felt it was best if you were kept unaware until we knew what we were dealing with.”

“So you kept me in the dark? On purpose?”

“Yes. But we did it for your own good.”

Fives rolled his eyes and turned to face away from his Captain. The sterile floor of the medical unit was far less annoying to look at right now than Rex’s face. They hadn’t told him. They hadn’t told him.

“Fives, listen.” He refused to turn back around. Rex continued anyway. “We thought it was best if you didn’t know right away. I know you. I’ve known you since you were a shiny. So has Cody. And because of that we know that you can be impulsive and reckless, especially when your squad is involved. If we had told you that there was a chance of Echo being alive you would have jumped on the next shuttle out of here and gone to find him no matter what we said. Doing it this way meant that if our suspicions were wrong, and there was a good chance they could have been wrong, then you wouldn’t have gone through the pain of losing him again.”

“Would you have told me? If you hadn’t found him would you still have told me?”

“We would have done what was best.”

That wasn’t a yes. It also wasn’t a no. Fives’ skin prickled. They might never have told him. Despite all of their suspicions and their plans and their knowledge of how much this would have meant to him, they still went behind his back. He deserved to have been there. He should have been there. 

“I want to see him.”

Another sigh. “I know. But you also know that you can’t right now.”

Fives could feel his cheeks start to burn and his eyes sting with unshed tears. A hand settled on his shoulder.

“Come to the break room with me. Sit down, take a breather, and I can tell you what I know. Then you can go and see him, okay?”

Fives swallowed the lump in his throat before giving a small nod. He pushed back the tears and stood up straighter, letting his brother lead him down the corridor to a small break room reserved for those waiting on updates from the medics. Fives slumped down on a small sofa, resting his elbows on his knees. Rex sat down next to him. He placed a hand on Fives’ leg to stop him from bouncing it up and down. With how pent up he was, there was a chance he would wear a hole in the floor before the end of the conversation. No-one said anything for a while. Fives could feel the tension in the air. It was Rex that tried to break it first.

“You feeling any better?”

“No.”

A sigh. “I just want to help, vod’ika. What can I do?”

“Just let me see him.” Fives wasn’t going to let Rex’s terms of endearment sway him. He knew his brother was trying to distract him from everything.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I can’t do that?” Despite the question, Rex didn’t sound frustrated. “Anyway, he’s not going to be much of a conversationalist when he’s sedated.”

Fives shot up, horrified. “Sedated?” The captain had failed to mention that tidbit of information before. Along with every other thing he’d kept hidden.

Rex flinched. “Err… yeah. They had to put Echo under to run the tests.”

“What? Why?”

“He freaked out when they tried to run the check up. Turns out he still has a mean right hook on him.” Rex gave a mirthless laugh. “He took a swing at one of the medics, nearly took his eye out. They thought it would be best to knock him out for the time being.”

Fives felt cold. His ears were ringing. Echo had never been the biggest fan of the medbay to begin with, but it was never so bad that he would attack the medical staff. “How bad is it?” There was no response. Rex looked uncomfortable, too uncomfortable for Fives to stop panicking about what had happened to his twin while he had been gone. “Rex. Tell me. How bad is it?” His chest felt tight.

It took a moment for his brother to answer. “It’s-” Rex paused and started ringing his hands. He always did it when the news was bad. It wasn’t a good sign. “It’s- He’s.” The captain’s shoulders slumped. “It’s worse than we thought.”

Fives felt like the ground had disappeared beneath him. He was shaking.

Rex screwed his eyes shut. He was squeezing his right hand a little too hard with his left. He was probably going to have a bruise there come morning. “He lost three of his limbs.”

That shouldn’t have been surprising but it was. Echo had blown up. Of course the chance of him losing his limbs was high. Maybe it was because Echo had already defied the odds just by surviving that up until this point Fives had assumed his brother was still in one piece. “What else?”

“I don’t know if this is the best time-”

“Rex. Please. I’m going to find out sooner or later. What happened?”

If Fives hadn’t been panicking before, he definitely was now. Rex looked like he was about to cry. 

“They experimented on him.” His voice was trembling. “We found him in a cryochamber. They had him hooked up to machines. So many machines. He was plugged in like some sort… some sort of object.” Fives felt his heart plummet. “Tech had to disconnect him from the server. They were extracting information from his brain, that’s how they knew the plans. But it wasn’t just his head. It’s his pulmonary system, his respiratory system. It’s all tied up with cybernetics.” Rex looked at him. His eyes were wet. “They were turning him into a droid, Fives. One they could command at their will. The medics aren’t even sure they can run the necessary tests, not when he’s more machine than anything else. Kix said his heart rate is lower than it should be, but that could be the new normal for him. We don’t know how much we can do.”

Fives’ stomach rolled. He felt like he was going to be sick. More machine than anything else. They’d hurt his brother. Used him for their own sick games. And they could have stopped it.

“We should have gone back for him.”

“We didn’t have a choice, Fives.”

“We should have saved him!”

“And done what?” Fives looked at Rex in surprise. He hadn’t expected his brother to snap at him. He watched the man next to him shift slightly, clearly unsettled by his own outburst. Fives didn’t know what to say, but it looked like he didn’t have to.

“I understand your anger, Fives. I do. I’ve spent the last year wishing we could have gone back for him. But we couldn’t. And even if we had, there was nothing we could’ve done. The Kaminoans wouldn’t have helped him, not with the level of injuries he had. And that would have been if we were even able to get him off-planet.

“I never wanted it to be this way, Fives. None of us did. But he’s back. He’s back and he’s going to need us now more than ever. We have to be there for him.”

Fives let out a shaky breath. “I’m so scared, Rex.”

“I know, vod’ika. I know.” Fives let himself be drawn into a hug as the two men shared their grief.

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Rex was right. It was bad. Actually, the captain had understated just how bad it was. Nothing could’ve prepared Fives for the sight that had met him when he finally entered the medbay. 

His brother was on the bed, hooked up to wires and machines that were monitoring his vitals. Kix was right, his heart rate was too low. It was unnerving. Echo’s skin was pale, sickly, his usual tan muted by the pallor he used to get on the rare occasion he came down with a virus. Fives had asked the medics about the ports in his brother’s head, whether they would stay there. He was told that they couldn’t take them out, not without doing damage to Echo’s brain. They were going to have to stay.

The decision had been made to get some new legs made to replace the ones the Techno Union had given to him. No conclusions had been made about the scomp link just yet. They were going to leave that for Echo to decide when he woke up. 

Fives shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He was starting to ache and his hands were damp with sweat from where he had been clasping onto Echo’s. He���d been there for the last few hours, but he wasn’t going to move now. He was staying by that bedside until his brother woke up.

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“What do you mean you’re leaving?” Fives stared at his brother in complete disbelief. He and Echo were in the barracks, having just come back from the mess hall. Echo had seemed tense and unusually quiet while they were eating, but never did Fives suspect that this was the reason why.

“I mean that the Batch have offered me a spot with them. And I’m going to take it.”

“But-” Fives didn’t know how to respond to that. That was it? After everything that they had been through? Rishi, The Citadel, Anaxes? He was just going to up and leave?

“I’ll still see you around, just not as often. I need to do this, Fives.”

“Do what?” Fives was angry. “Leave your brothers behind? After everything?”

“Fives…”

“Don’t “Fives” me! You're leaving the 501st! For a group of clones you don’t know!”

“They helped rescue me from the Citadel.”

“I would have too!” A fire burned hot in his gut. “The only reason I didn’t is because I would have been a liability apparently!”

“You know they made the right decision about that, Vod.”

“No! You don’t get to tell me what is and isn’t the right choice for me! Not when you’re about to go and run off with a bunch of strangers.”

Echo’s face turned stoney. He fixed Fives with a cold glare and folded his arms across his chest. “Stop. You’re acting like a child.”

Fives scoffed. “Me? A child?” He pointed an accusatory finger at his twin. “You’re the one that’s leaving us behind to go and hang out with your new friends that you’ve only known for all of five minutes!”

“And yet right now, they’re being far more accepting of my decisions than you are.”

“They didn’t even trust you!” Fives flung his arms up in frustration. “They thought you were working for the Separatists!”

“They had every right to do so and you know it.” Echo’s voice was level, but stern, unhappy. “This is my choice, Fives.”

“It’s a stupid choice if you ask me.” All he got in response was a glare. He rarely saw Echo this annoyed and that probably should have worried him, but he was too frustrated to care. 

“You’re 501st, Echo! You have been since the day Rex took us in. You can’t abandon that now.”

Echo bit the inside of his cheek, clearly mulling over what he was going to say next. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like his thought process involved changing his mind.

“I’m not abandoning anything. Things aren’t the same anymore, Fives. I have to do what’s necessary for me right now.”

And apparently that didn’t seem to involve his brothers. Nor his own twin. Fives looked Echo right in the eyes. “You’re right. Things aren’t the same anymore.” And with that he stormed out the door, barging Echo’s shoulder on the way and muttering a sharp “hope you enjoy your new family” as he marched down the hallway.

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“There you are.”

Fives look up from where he was hunched on the floor to find Rex standing in the doorway, hands on his hips. His brother came over to sit next to him, slotting himself in the small gap between Fives and the next bunk over. It was narrow enough that Fives found himself pressed shoulder to shoulder with the captain.

“Echo’s leaving.” It was all he could muster up at this point.

“I know.” Rex glanced at him before staring at the wall opposite. “He tracked me down, panicking because you’d stormed off after an argument, so I’ve spent the last two hours trying to find out where you’d holed yourself up. And there was me thinking I was done with you guys and your fights."

When the attempted joke didn’t get a reply he nudged Five’s shoulder gently. “You know he’s making the right choice.”

That got Fives fired up again. “You’re letting him go?”

“I’m not letting him do anything. It’s his choice.”

“But you're our captain. Surely you can make him stay.”

“I could, but I’m not going to.”

“Why not? He’s leaving us behind!”

Rex’s face was gentle as he faced Fives. “He’s not leaving us behind and you know it. He’s going where he needs to be.”

“But he needs to be here!”

“No.” Rex gave him a soft smile. “You need him to tell you it’s all going to be okay. That’s not the same thing.”

“You’re letting him go off with a bunch of lunatics.”

His brother chuckled. “Once again, I’m not letting him do anything. And they’re good men. They’ll look after him.”

Fives furrowed his eyebrows. “You punched Crosshair in the face.” He was hoping that his unimpressed look would show the captain just how ridiculous he found this whole situation. Rex floundered slightly as he tried to find his next words.

“Err… well.” He coughed nervously. “Maybe I did.” He quickly pulled himself together. “But tensions were running high. We were all stressed out. I have every faith that they will look after him.”

Fives was still not convinced.

“I mean it, vod’ika. Echo’s doing the right thing.”

“You’re just saying that because he’s your favourite.”

Rex shot him a grin. “Maybe I am.” Fives punched him in the shoulder. “And maybe I’m saying it because I want both of you to be happy.”

Fives curled up into himself. He felt less frustrated and more disheartened. His twin was  going to leave. “How can I be happy when he’s not here?”

“Because you know he’s going to be out there somewhere. And you know he’s going to be doing what he needs to.” Rex leant into him, putting a comforting weight on his side. “I don’t want him to leave either. But I know that we can’t help him the way we want to, not right now. It’s not going to be easy, but I’ll take comfort knowing that there are people out there who can help him heal, and you should too. He’ll always be our brother, Fives. And he’ll always be your twin. Never forget that.”

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“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Fives was sat on the bed in front of Echo, arms wrapped around his legs, which were brought up to his chest. He tucked his chin into his knees and glanced up at his brother, who was sat with his legs crossed, looking at his twin intently.

“I know.” Echo bowed his head and picked at the end of his scomp nervously. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“No, you were right to wait. All I would’ve done is yell at you sooner.” Fives tried to give a halfhearted smile, but his mouth twitched sadly. After his conversation with Rex, he’d come to find his brother, hoping to reconcile for what had happened before. Things were uncomfortably tense and Fives couldn’t help but fidget anxiously.

“I’ll always love you, you know that right?”

“Of course I do, Echo.”

“No. I mean it.” Echo stared at him intently. “I know that you’re going to get all caught up in that head of yours and convince yourself that I left because I don’t love you anymore. Or that I walked away because I blame you for leaving me at the Citadel.”

Fives flinched. That cut a little deeper than he was hoping.

“My path is different now, Fives. I can’t escape what happened to me on Skako Minor, but I can learn to live with it. I’m not the man I once was, and I can’t pretend like nothing has changed. I’m doing what’s best for me, Fives. Not because you’ve done anything wrong, but because what I need right now is to be with people who understand what it’s like to be different.” Echo shuffled forward awkwardly and took one of Fives’ hands in his own. “Things are different now, vod, but that doesn’t mean I love you any less. And, hey, now I can access even more reg manuals than before.” He gave his scomp a quick spin and grinned at his brother. Fives felt the corner of his mouth twitch up in amusement.

“I’m going to miss you.” Fives mumbled, brushing his thumb over Echo’s hand.

“I know, vod. I’m going to miss you too. But remember, I’m always going to be a comms call away. If you need me to get you out of trouble, give me a call and I’ll be right there.”

“Going to use all that new insider knowledge to save my shebs?”

“Of course.” Echo looked at him with a big smile before his face grew soft. “Everything is going to be fine, you hear me?”

“You said that before the Citadel.”

“Yeah, well.” Echo shrugged. “Geniuses can’t be right all of the time.” Fives shoved his shoulder, chuckling. 

He pulled Echo into a hug, wrapping his arms around him tightly and burying his head in his neck. “You promise me it’s going to be alright?” His voice was muffled by Echo’s shoulder.

“I promise, vod.” Fives was starting to feel better. He was scared, sure, but he trusted Echo’s reassurances. Maybe Rex had had a point. Maybe all he needed was to be told it was going to be okay. Stupid Rex being right all the time.

“Promise me they aren’t going to be your new favourite people?”

Echo laughed and gave him a squeeze. “Hmm, I don’t know about that. Tech has some pretty cool stuff to play with and Wrecker-” Fives jabbed his finger into his twin's side, which just made Echo laugh harder.

“Okay, okay. I promise. You’ll always be my favourite.”

“Di’kut.” Fives mumbled.

The galaxy may be changing, but if there was one thing Fives knew for certain, it’s that the dominoes always stuck together, even if they were galaxies apart.

[your-nanas-house]

🎉Welcome back 🎉

Whenever you get a chance can you write something where reader makes a home cooked meal for the twins? Like, whenever they come home from a job (or shenanigans in Jerome’s case) and it’s all lovely? I can’t imagine Lila cooking for them, or at least a decent meal so they are lacking in some home domesticated love. I am trying to think of things that don’t include smut lol because I’m a pervert apparently. 😂 Again, welcome back!

Hello baby!! Thank you so muchhh, sorry if it took me so long. Missed you all 🥺.

Welcome to the pervy club, hon 🤣 thank you again.

A delicious dinner

◇ Pairing: Valeska twins X gn!Reader

◇ Warnings: mention of smut, Jerome and Jeremiah, fluff, domestic vibes

◇ Summary: You want to cook a meal for your men but they want a different dessert.

◇ Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English.

When Jerome left the stolen car a few kilometers away from home and then ran to the apartment still covered in blood, he didn't expect at all what he found as soon as he crossed the threshold.

The lights in the once abandoned apartment were off, only the light in the kitchen, which was also the dining room, was on; the ginger could hear the sweet humming of his doll and a smell of food that flooded his senses as he got closer to the room.

"Honey, I'm home!—" he jokes like he always did, walking in the kitchen to kiss your neck roughly but lovingly and find out what you were doing.

You were cooking, just wearing one of your boyfriend's big shirts and the boxers of your other pale boyfriend that wasn't yet home.

"Hi Romie" you hummed, turning around to place a big kiss on his scared lips before focusing back on the delicious food you were cooking since they left the house.

You really wanted everything to be perfect, you wanted to make the twins feel loved and taken care of.

From Jerome's smile it seemed that he was quite appreciative of the gesture, especially when you managed to make him sit at the table and put some home-made bread in front of him to make him stay calm and patient for a bit.

Moments later Jeremiah walked through the door, he put down his coat and hat before kissing you softly, leaving a bit of his lipstick on your lips

"Hello, darling— whats this pleasant smell of food?" He asked intrigued while hugging your hips slowly not noticing yet his twin brother.

"I made dinner for my favourite men" you replied, winking at the both of them as you pushed Jeremiah easily on the chair to put the food on the table and watch them enjoy the warm meal.

As the former ginger and the ginger started to eat, small moan and groaning followed by purring echoed in the small kitchen; you could tell that they were enjoying all the things you spent the day on and it made your heart beat faster in happiness and excitment.

You couldn't deny that those pretty noises where pretty arousing, expecially when they came out of those lovely mouths of them.

You had spent the day preparing a dessert as well but as the time passed, you decide quickly to leave it in the fridge to conserve it for the next day and offer something different for them.

So you did, you removed the empty dishes and sat on the table bare for them, spreading your legs to invite the both of them to take a taste and eat what was your very bio dessert of the night.

Taglist:

@gabile18 , @mrsfullbuster500 , @rex-ray , @elizamalfoyy, @eovjjj , @wife-of-magic-monkeys , @jeremiah-va1eska , @gothamchic16, @rabbiteggz , @dieg0brandos-wife , @rottenecstasy , @lazyexcuse , @teh-vampire-bunny , @lobotomy-lover , @slasher-smasher , @sleepycreativewriter

[sock-pot]

Man I just reread that one medieval/fantasy Scott the Woz fic on AO3 and AKSJAKJSJAKA now I have so many thoughts about my own fantasy au and I just have to share. INFO BLAST GO:

Scott, the Virgin King. A kind, if troubled, ruler whose weekly speeches of games and plays from far off lands draw huge crowds outside the palace. Although loved by the commoners, there is tension among the nobles as he has shown no interest in finding a betrothed, much less an heir. Rumours have begun to spread among his detractors as to why his eyes don’t linger on even the fairest of maidens…

Rex, Jeb, Jerry, The Employee, and Terry are under the cut. I don’t want to clog up the Woz tag with a big ass text block y’know?

Rex, the Kings Bodyguard. He is incredibly passionate about following the rules. Someone has to be if the King keeps trying to sneak out of royal duties to mingle with commoners in the town square. There have been multiple times he’s had to practically drag Scott to important meetings with ambassadors and try not to giggle at him staring daggers through lengthy trade speeches and other boring official talks. As much as Rex sometimes bickers with him over menial things, him and Scott are very close, having grown up alongside each other in the palace walls. In a life or death situation he would fight honourably for the life of not only his king, but his friend as well. Maybe sometimes Rex will let Scott leave the castle. As long as he tags along to keep an eye on him.

Jeb, the Royal Messenger. Wether it be delivering news within the palace or bringing the thoughts of the townspeople to the court, he always has something to share. His messenger bag is always packed full of parchment rolls, each scrawled with news from both the town and the lands beyond. Because he spends so much time running around the town, he’s gotten to know each nook and cranny like the back of his hand. This comes in handy when the King and his bodyguard decide to skip out on their duties and need an alleyway to slip into to avoid the eyes of the public. Jeb is surprisingly close to Scott despite just being a messenger, as the King enjoys getting word of new exotic games he can use to entertain the public, and Jeb is happy to deliver, even sometimes relaying extra gold to travellers in the shipyard willing to teach him of their land’s own games and customs.

Jerry, one of the King’s Royal Advisors. Nobody is really sure why he still holds this position. The man has long since gone mad, and his advice is mostly nonsensical, not to mention the copious amount of liquor he drinks is troubling. Other nobles suspect he is kept around to entertain the King, much like a Jester in some other court. In reality he’s been a close friend to the King for a while now, and Scott couldn’t imagine throwing a friend out of his palace just because he sometimes gives bad advice. Plus, he’s the only one who speaks to the King as if he has no regard for his status, and sometimes that’s refreshing.

The Employee, a common goods vendor. Him and his twin brother were left on a doorstep as newborns, and the couple that took them in never bothered to name them. They were put to work as soon as they could walk, and grew up working in their adoptive family’s two booths in the town square. While his brother worked in the butcher’s booth across the way, he worked in a general store, trading and mending clothing and selling trinkets and curiosities traded to him over the years. His brother was killed a few years back. He was jumped by thieves while making a delivery to the palace one night. They stabbed him and looted his cart, leaving him to bleed out alone in the street. The Employee now keeps a distance from the butchers stall where his brother used to work, as he’s not fond of digging up those memories. Despite this misfortune, The Employee keeps a cherry demeanour, preferring to focus on the positives in life. He feels the happiest when his favourite customer visits his stall, though it happens very rarely. This customer hides himself in a dark cloak, although the extravagant blue embroidery on the collar and hem are nothing like the Employee has seen on other commoners…

Terry, the palace Apothecary. He isn’t much for company, usually spending his days alone tending to the plants in the palace greenhouse or bent over journals detailing recipes for herbal remedies and elixirs. Sometimes Jeb will bring him word of new plants discovered in other lands, accompanied with sketches, or even rarely some seeds to plant in the greenhouse for him to observe.

Ok cool. Thank you for listening to my INFO BLAST. Have a good night.

Maybe I’ll think of more characters idk there are still like 2 or 3 more I have ideas for but yeah later sometime

[charity-angel]

So, this is mostly because I need to vent about something, but...

This time on Ahsoka:

- never thought Huyang would end up as my favourite. I love his bitching about them not doing as they were told. Ahsoka is getting it in the montrals ALL THE WAY to Ezra. She'll never hear the last of it. And neither will Sabine, when they rescue her. And him with Jacen - that is going to be an epic relationship when the kid starts training. (Huyang as the new Yoda - grandmaster to all, all the sass, less of the outright lunacy.)

- ANAKIN! okay, yeah, so technically he appeared last week, but that was so much fun. Hayden looked like he was having an absolute BALL. And we got to see him playing Clone Wars Anakin, who is far superior to the angst ridden movie version. And, as bonuses -

* bb Ahsoka. Who, very interestingly, was wearing entirely the wrong outfit for it being "one of their first missions". I wonder why that might be? A touch inappropriate for a real-life child to wear? Hmm?

* REX! Rex in armour, and a single line, but I feel it bears saying again. REX!!! (I so wanted him to lift his bucket, and be Daniel Logan under there. Still time I suppose - I reckon Skyguy is going to appear again.)

* Did anyone else look out for familiar armour? Like, as soon as the first clone appeared?

And now, the point I forewarned you about. And anyone who actually pays attention to my rants about appropriate tagging will probably have guessed:

- why does it have to be BLOODY PURGILL??? That's rhetorical - I know why. I realised after the first 2 eps they were going to appear. That was, after months of telling my family I was really looking forward to Ahsoka, and then trying to tell them about her without their eyes glazing over, my brother asked me what I thought (no one else had watched yet), and I realised. Purgill. Blasted purgill in all their tentacley glory.

I just don't watch when they're on screen. I probably miss some things because of that but, just, nope. They were bad enough in Rebels, and I can usually cope with animated.

(Not always. Not a fan of Morgana in Little Mermaid 2, and I noped out of Finding Dory when I saw the poster. Apparently she's sweet, but no. Ursula, otoh, is almost entirely fine, despite the fact she's probably the cause. Octopus baddie, THAT scene, on a big screen at age 4? Yeah, it's probably her. I can never watch Blue Planet. Can't even deal with cuttlefish. Yeesh.)

And, just so I'm not leaving this on a negative, or my own personal weirdness, I'm pretty sure there are other people in the World Between the Worlds who might want to say hi to Ahsoka (and Ezra). Just sayin'...

[naddpod-encounter-tourney]

Broken Bonds:

for this, i will be copying the description from friend of the show tournament @chompe-diem’s comments on round one. they are as follows.

zirk and stella confrontation. ok i could go on about this for ages so let me just pull some quotes

> "when will it be enough!" (caldwell pcs yelling. mwah easy way to the heart)

> "You're stuck. i've spent so much time trying to fix things and you're the one thing that's always broken, and I, I just can't anymore; there's other people that need me, okay?"

just the move of fia's suggestion and then. man i fuckin love the way murph narrated stella in that. her just absentmindedly taking it apart as she keeps talking, it just,,, it does things to my brain

henry's obviously been a pretty shit dad so far, but the way hank/jake so genuinely and naturally acts protective of hank jr when he's chewing out stella. it's just a nice touch, it really adds

stella vervain. yes all the above points involved her but she's one of my favourite npcs and this ep is where u truly see all of her and what she is.

the reveal of big rex and little rex moxora and prophet cain

batilda's heartfelt moment with fia, the i love you

emily with the momentary stasis and pretty much saving batilda's life by incapacitating cain

zirk w the nat 1 death save

bukvar getting taken by moxora and having the form of a bookish little boy who could be fia's brother- *sobs*

and the whole philosphical/emotional ending w fia and the crew etc etc

The Dark Lord of Ember Heaven:

The Band of Boobs watch from Shadowfell as monsters, aided by the Grave Robbers, descend on the material plane.

Everyone gets another shot at taking down Galad Rosell, and this time he is running Shadowfell.

Hardwon gets sucked into a sword, where he meets his mother, who is tortured and split into many emotions, reliving the day her husband died. He tries to fool her and play the role of his father at first, but then says “You saved the child.” and frees Lydia from her mental prison.

Everyone sees that Hill Home is being protected by elven archers from Gladeholm and gets a peek at someone who might just be Moonshine’s father.

The Boobs defeat Galad once again!

[elthadriel]

Hellooo for the ask meme, can i go with option 001 fordo17 or option 002 with maul?

Fordo17 - 001 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

when I started shipping it if I did: Oh this is 100% your fault. You know what you did. The slightly longer version is my friends were writing compelling stuff and I was helpless to resist.

my thoughts: I just think they're neat.

What makes me happy about them: I think Fordo is very good at forcing Seventeen to take himself less seriously and Seventeen is great entertainment.

What makes me sad about them: Look, I don't think this can end well. Seventeen is loyal to a fault and with O66 looming I don't think they have many good options.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I have things for both of them independently that annoy me, but it's not like there's an overabundance of content for them. I don't like the alpha class clones being huge and jacked which comes up with Seventeen a fair amount.

things I look for in fanfic: It's existence primarily. Ideally being written by someone I know who has the same characterisation as me.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: There's a Fordo/Rex fic that bounces around in my head still. I don't really ship these two all that much in general though. Fox/Seventeen? Though I think that ends in tragedy too 😂

My happily ever after for them: 😅 I don't know if I have one. I think they're a little trapped by their own convictions. Maybe Fordo can suplex Seventeen and drag him away from the Republic/Empire.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Fordo is the instigator, but that spooning, flopping on top of, sitting staring like :) until Seventeen spoons him.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Fordo's favourite is poking Seventeen until he reacts and then sitting back and studying the results. Seventeen's is Fordo not doing that (but also Fordo doing that).

Maul - 002 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character:

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Obi-Wan, Cody, Rex, and Fordo.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Savage

My unpopular opinion about this character: I don't know if I'm in maul fandom spaces enough to know what is and isn't popular. I don't know if this counts, but I don't think that Savage and Maul were brothers the first time I watched the show. I thought they were using the term brother in a looser sense. As in, they considered themselves brothers, but not by blood. I only realised it was meant to literally related when I joined fandom. I still don't really like that, it always felt very convenient (and contributed to the impression that the GFFA is made up of like 50 people max), so I just kind of ignore it.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I think he should come back to life and be killed again actually. You replace that nonsense "somehow Palpatine has returned" line with "somehow Maul has returned" and be like, that adds up actually (though I did really enjoy his death scene).

my OTP: Obi-Wan 😑

my cross over ship: I don't think I have one

a headcanon fact: If someone explained to him the existence of gay people it would fix like 20% of whatever is going on there. But seriously, I think he has huge trouble with emotional identification and just conflates a lot of strong emotions as rage or hatred because that's pretty much his baseline.

[rebelwriter99]

A lot of scenes in the bad batch do this really well-we can hear the echos of conversations the characters have had, even if we haven’t seen them. Crosshair and Omega in the early episodes of season 3.-actually Crosshair gets a lot of them this season now that I think about it!

My favourite nod to this is that Tech always looks to Hunter for an OK before he does things if he has the option to, especially in season 1. We can guess this is somewhat pre agreed because none of the others are quite so obvious about it. We also get a fantastic example of what happens when Tech doesn’t do it. Hunter growling his name down a commlink and their ship getting impounded. Tech’s plans are great-as long as someone has half an eye on the extraneous detail. Like failing hyperdrives and errant sisters. This drops away in season 2 as we see Tech make decisions much more independently. He adapts to their new reality, and this more confident Tech makes his (sob) big decision at the end of the season.

Omega’s character in this scene is a nod to all of them. Wreckers emotional intelligence. Crosshairs big picture thinking and frank honesty. And also arguably his stubborn streak-especially with Hunter. Tech’ piloting skills, and his goggles (more sobs). She has Echo’s sense of justice, and his head for tactics. I loved the ‘it’s what I would have done’ in the finale! And now she’s following in Echos footsteps to join the rebellion. A batcher is leaving to join the Dominos/Rex-rather than the other way round in Clone Wars. She’s been raised by them all. We got to see Tech do quite a lot of this on screen-but the others. There’s a lot of years of them raising her in peace on Pabu that we infer from this tiny conversation. All off screen-but all very much there. It’s so well written.

And oh she is so Hunter’s kid. The more I looked, the more I couldn’t get away from their hair! I am convinced the red band in Omega’s hair is Hunter’s bandanna, and that’s why he has a new multicoloured one here. They both have their hair in a half up half down kind of style. A long bit flops over the same side of their faces. She’s still copying him, consciously or otherwise, even after all these years.They look soooo similar. She looks like him but with a fair few years shaved off. He’s her Dad/big brother plus. She’s his daughter/baby sister. No room for manoeuvre-design choices were made!

And now Omega gets to make her big choice, just as we’ve seen her get more independent this season, like Tech did, now Omega gets to make a choice about what her life means and what’s she’s going to do with it. I love that we get to see Hunter get to come to terms with her leaving. With one of his family leaving, arguably for the first time. This time it wasn’t sudden, it wasn’t made with the pressure of people to save and an empire crushing them. They had the time and the space as a family to reach-this. Hunter gets to make his peace. I feel like his mission is finally over when Omega flies straight upwards and we only feel happy for them all watching her go.

I keep rewatching that epilogue scene and, the way Hunter and Omega talk about her joining the Rebellion... You can tell this is not the first time they're having this conversation. And I just can't help but wonder what the previous one(s) must have looked like.

Because something tells me it wasn't peaceful.

I just can't imagine Hunter having any other reaction than an immediate, definitive "absolutely not" the first time he hears about Omega wanting to join the Rebellion. Just like I can't imagine Omega being okay with that reaction.

Were they arguing about it? Were they butting heads and not backing down from their respective points? Because they would. Absolutely, they would.

Did their brothers have conversations with both of them separately? Did Wrecker tell Omega to give Hunter a break because he's old and worried? Did Crosshair convince Hunter that he can't keep a grown woman grounded just because he's scared about her? Did Echo tell him that if this is Omega's calling, he has to let her do her thing?

She tried to sneak off. As if she didn't want to go through this again. As if she thought leaving without a goodbye would be easier on everyone and this way no one can stop her. After all, she made up her mind. She's going. But when she turns the light on and spots Hunter sitting there, she's not even surprised. She nods to herself like of course. Of course he's here.

This literally sounds like they've been over this before. But this time the conversation is surely more peaceful. They both have the other's perspective in their minds now.

This is my choice and I know it scares you but I need you to understand.

I know I won't change your mind but I don't want you to go, I want you to be safe.

This must have been said before as well. Maybe in anger. Maybe in pleading. Or desperation. I wouldn't be surprised if Omega got very frustrated with Hunter for treating her like she's still a kid. Nor would I be shocked if Hunter had trouble articulating his point of view in all his worry and panic. But here, it's a confession. It's very vulnerable. It's the truth Hunter doesn't want to hear and gives a reason why.

Omega is a grown woman now. Skilled, capable, brave. Hunter doesn't doubt that. But to him, she's always going to be his little girl no matter how old she is and I am still speechless at the fact that we actually see him not only struggling with it but also admitting to it.

Back on Pabu, after they escaped Tantiss, Hunter told her: "We've all fought enough battles for one lifetime." And now, years later, Omega echoes this back to him. "You've all fought enough." Almost like she's reading Hunter's mind and knows that if he can't stop her, he's going to want to join her.

The way he wants to reach after her here when she gets up. Like he wants to say wait, no, don't go yet!

But this is her fight, just like she says. She's never been able to sit still, we know that, we've seen that. Just like Echo back in season 2, she can't stand the thought of staying down and doing nothing when there are people out there fighting for freedom. People she can help. She's a skilled pilot now (I can bet she'll become most famous in the Rebellion for her flawless Tech-Turn), she has absorbed everything her brothers have taught her over the years like a sponge and now she wants to use that. After years of living away from the fight, she's finally ready to get back out there and make a difference in the galaxy. Fight for peace because that is her calling.

She's ready, but Hunter is not.

You can tell it's literally tearing him apart to watch her go. That's his baby, the whole reason he's living the life he has now. He gave his blood, sweat and tears so she could grow up safe and happy and away from the Empire's clutches. And now she's going back right into them, willingly.

But she's all grown up. And he has no choice but to let her go do her thing. So he holds her close and I don't doubt sends out a prayer that she comes back to him safe and in one piece. He closes his eyes and commits the feeling to memory because who knows when will be the next time he gets to do this?

And it might be destroying him inside but he's so damn proud. And he knows she's got this. She doesn't need her old man to watch her back anymore.

And yet still this old man, with gray in his hair and beard, this old man whose posture is hunched and who is moving slowly and having difficulty standing up because of his accelerated age, is telling his very grown up and very capable daughter that if she needs him, he's going to pick up his blaster, don the armor and join her in the fight.

Because that's what fathers do.

[nerdzzone]

Once Bitten - Twice Shy

Summary: Raising a child is hard. Raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars is even harder. And raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars who you’re not actually in a relationship with is even harder still.

One of the challenges of sharing custody is sharing holidays which is something that Whitney Taylor found herself struggling with in the December of 2019. The prospect of spending Christmas without her son was dismaying, but the complications that come with the alternative might be even harder to face.

Chris Evans x OFC

Part One

----

Part Two

25.12.19

When I woke up in the morning, it took me a moment to figure out where I was and why the pillow my head was resting on was so hard and warm. Once I'd figured it out - that my head was not actually on a pillow, but on Chris' chest - I almost had to roll my eyes. Of course it was. Of course we'd ended up all cuddled together. Because life was just one big romantic comedy, right?

I sighed quietly, silently praying that Chris wasn't awake yet as I slowly slid myself away from him. He didn't stir until I was sitting on the edge of the bed so I was hopeful that he hadn't been aware of the position we were in.

"G'morning," he greeted me, rubbing his eyes as the sound of excited children echoed down the hallway. "What time is it?"

I quickly checked my phone on the nightstand before answering.

"Only seven o'clock," I told him before yawning. "But it sounds like everyone is up and bouncing off the walls already."

"I'm not surprised," Chris smiled. "They've probably torn into all the presents by now."

I laughed and nodded my head, knowing it was a good possibility.

"It probably wasn't super smart to leave Scott out there guarding them by himself," I pointed out. "Not after he spent half the night shaking his own presents trying to guess what was inside."

"Oh, it definitely wasn't," Chris agreed. "He was always the one who ruined things by finding his presents early and getting us all in trouble."

"Well, I should go see what they're up to or if anything can be salvaged," I smiled as I pulled a sweater on over my pyjamas. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be out in a minute," he assured me. I headed to the door, but stopped when I heard his voice again. "Hey, Whitney? Merry Christmas."

I smiled even wider as that happy, familiar Christmas morning feeling washed over me.

"Merry Christmas, Chris."

With that, I hurried out the door, trying not to focus too much on how content I felt and how right it seemed to wake up in his arms on Christmas morning.

-

When I got to the kitchen, I was surprised to see that everyone else was already awake, despite how early it was.

"Good morning," Lisa greeted me as I wandered into the kitchen where all the adults were congregating. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, everyone," I smiled before they all repeated it back to me. "Did I miss all the fun?"

"No, of course not," Carly assured me. "We've managed to keep them away from the presents so far, but I'm not sure how much longer we can hold them off."

"We're still waiting for Chris though," Scott pointed out as I grabbed a clean mug and headed to the fresh pot of coffee on the counter. "Have you seen him? He disappeared not long after we went to bed and never came back."

"Oh, yeah, he's in his room," I answered mindlessly as I filled my mug. "We ended up sleeping together last night."

I heard Scott almost choke on his coffee and noticed the sudden silence in the room, but it wasn't until Lisa spoke that I realized what I'd said.

"Whitney, honey," she said, speaking softly. "What do you mean?"

"Oh my god, no! Not like that!" I rushed to explain as my cheeks grew hot. "We literally slept together, like as in slept next to each other. Chris came into his room looking for a sweater because he was cold and had given away all his spare blankets so I offered for him to share the bed with me. That's all, I swear."

There were knowing smiles amongst the group and I wasn't entirely sure that they all believed me which made things even more embarrassing as I wouldn't want them to think I'd talk so candidly about things like that with Chris' mother of all people. Before I had a chance to continue desperately defending myself though, a voice from the doorway interrupted.

"What are you swearing about?" He asked, leaning against the doorway. "Why do I feel like I missed something good?"

Again, I was ready to explain, but someone beat me to it.

"Whitney was just giving us the update," Scott informed his older brother as he matched his smirk. "She was telling us how you two slept together."

Chris' eyebrows knitted together in confusion for a moment before he relaxed and let out a chuckle.

"Well, that's not exactly how I would have phrased it," he informed the group with a shrug. "But I suppose it is accurate. We slept and we were together."

"I just misspoke," I groaned. "I haven't had any coffee yet, I wasn't thinking clearly."

"A little Freudian slip?" Carly suggested as she joined in on the teasing, but I simply rolled my eyes.

"Chris probably wishes that was a peak into my subconscious desires, but I'm afraid not. Just a clear sign that I am not a morning person."

"I think we'll all need plenty of coffee to deal with the energy in that living room," Lisa interjected, putting an end to the discussion despite Chris' protests of my claim. "But we should probably go and join them before they open all the presents, whether they belong to them or not."

We all murmured in agreement and everyone topped up whatever beverage they were drinking before we headed to the living room to start the Christmas fun.

-

"Mama!" Grayson shouted as we entered the room. "Look! Santa came!"

"Of course he did," I smiled at the children. "You've all been good this year so it's no surprise."

They all nodded and agreed enthusiastically except Ethan who, now that he was almost ten, had figured out the truth. He was a good kid though and a loving older brother so he kept the secret, quietly watching them with a knowing smile now that he was finally in on the joke with the adults.

"Can we open them?" Stella asked, bouncing up and down from holding in her excitement. "We've been waiting for so long!"

"I wouldn't say so long," Scott chuckled. "Since it's not even eight o'clock in the morning yet!"

"But, yes, you can open them," Carly informed her children. "Just be careful and don't rush."

There was a flurry of activity as the kids dove into the presents, organizing whose was whose before settling down next to their little piles. I took a step back and sat on the couch next to Lisa, letting Chris sit on the floor behind Grayson. It was his Christmas after all and it felt right that he should be the one helping him open presents. Plus, this way I got a perfect view of the joyful grin that was plastered on his face. A grin that was perfectly replicated by his father behind him making my heart clench at the sight of them together like this.

I watched from my spot on the couch as the gifts were opened one by one and soaked in every giggle and shriek of glee from the children. Grayson was on top of the world and so grateful for each and every gift, it was delightful to see. Given our financial security, especially for Chris, it would have been easy to spoil him, but it made me incredibly proud to see how gracious he was.

However, one of the last gifts he wasn't so grateful to receive. It was from me and I knew there was a chance it wouldn't be his favourite, but his response was far worse than I could have imagined.

It was a decent sized box and he tore off the wrapping paper eagerly, intrigued by what could be inside. When he revealed that it was a foot and a half tall electronic T-Rex, his first reaction was one of amazement.

"Wow! A dinosaur!"

"Yeah," I smiled. "Take him out and see what he can do."

Chris set to work helping Grayson open the box before glancing up at me.

"Does he need batteries?"

"I put some in already," I assured him. "I knew he'd want to see it right away so I thought it would be easier."

He nodded as Grayson placed the giant T-Rex on the floor and looked at me expectantly.

"There's a button on his back, press it."

Everyone watched as he poked around until he got the right spot and the dinosaur came to life. He roared and his head moved around, but as the older kids cheered and clapped, Grayson burst into tears.

"Oh, dear..." Lisa smiled as she watched her grandson leap into his father's arms.

Everyone was chuckling at his dramatic reaction as Grayson buried his face in Chris' neck.

"Awe, buddy, I'm sorry!" I apologized. "Did it scare you?"

"Yes! He's scary!" Grayson's response was muffled by Chris' body and hard to understand through his sobs. "I don't wike it, Mama!"

I smiled at the little speech impediment that he inherited from his father - much like the one his cousin, Miles, had - but I did feel bad for how genuinely afraid he was.

"I'm sorry, baby. We can take the batteries out, okay? Then he won't be able to move."

The dinosaur had stopped moving on his own before I spoke and Grayson moved his head from where he was hiding his face, nodding as he did so.

"Yes, please."

"I bought it a while ago, thinking it was the perfect gift and then last week, he suddenly decided that T-Rexes were mean and I thought it might not go down so well," I admitted to the adults as I stretched forward to pick up the dinosaur and take the batteries out. "It's such a shame though, I think he's adorable. If you press the button on his tail, a little song plays and he does a little wiggle dance."

Chris smirked at me as he rubbed our still sniffling son's back.

"Why don't you take him home? Sounds like you might enjoy playing with him when Grayson isn't around."

He was making fun of me, I knew he was, but I didn't take the bait.

"You know what? I might just do that."

Chris opened his mouth to most likely make another teasing comment, but Ethan interrupted him.

"If Grayson doesn't want the T-Rex, can I have it?"

"I think you got enough new toys this morning," Ethan's dad warned him. "Don't be greedy."

"We'll let Grayson keep him for now," Chris agreed. "He might get used to him after a while if he plays with him without the batteries."

I passed the toy in question back to Chris and Grayson cowered away, whimpering against his dad's chest.

"Just leave it for now," I suggested. "We can try it again later when the initial shock has worn off."

Chris nodded and put the dinosaur behind his back and out of sight.

-

The rest of the gift opening went by smoothly and no more children were traumatized. Once every gift that was under the tree had been opened, we left the kids to test out their new things while the adults headed to the kitchen to start making breakfast. It was quickly decided that pancakes would be the easiest thing to mass produce for our large group of hungry people and while Lisa, Carly and I started mixing up a few bowls of batter, Chris and Scott whipped out the orange juice and champagne for mimosas.

An hour later everyone was very full and we were two bottles of champagne down.

"So, Whitney," Scott started as he loaded up the dishwasher. "Are you staying here tonight too or are you planning on making us spend half the day shovelling the driveway for you?"

His tone was teasing, but as I looked out the window at the deep blanket of snow that covered the ground outside, I was torn. I didn't want to outstay my welcome by staying another night, but I also didn't want to make the Evans family spend their entire Christmas day shovelling snow and there was no way that I'd be able to do it by myself.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I wasn't planning on staying another night, but it does look like there's a lot of snow out there..."

"Just stay," Chris shrugged. "Even if we can get your car down the driveway, the roads are probably terrible."

"There's no need for you to rush off," Lisa agreed. "Stay another night and then you can just relax and enjoy the day."

"And you can drink if you're not driving home," Scott pointed out with a grin. "Chris and I stocked up on wine, beer, whiskey and gin, these mimosas were just the start of the party."

I couldn't help, but laugh at Scott's reasoning as I nodded my head.

"Alright, I'll stay. If you really don't mind, Chris?"

"Of course not," Chris assured me. "We're happy to have you."

"Great!" Scott grinned. "I'm glad that's settled, I think this calls for another round of drinks!"

Chris cheered and jumped up to help him while the rest of us smiled and shook our heads at their antics.

-

The day was spent soaking in quality family time, watching the kids enjoy their new toys and indulging in lots of food and drink. We called Chris' dad and my parents and even had an unexpected phone call from my Uncle Rob. He spent more time talking to Chris than me, his own niece, but it was nice to hear his voice even if he made sure to get a dig in about me confessing my supposedly obvious feelings to Chris.

Sitting around the table, eating a delicious meal with Chris' loving and welcoming family was quite a contrast to how I expected to spend the day and I was very grateful that Chris had included me. Grayson seemed to appreciate it too and he made his enjoyment clear as we tucked him into bed once all the fun and feasting was done.

Chris sat on the floor leaning against Grayson's nightstand, reading him his favourite bedtime story while I laid on the bed next to him and rubbed his back. He was drifting off by the time the story was finished, but he was fighting it desperately as he spoke again.

"I'm happy, Mama," he told us, his words muffled as he nuzzled into his pillow.

Chris put his hand over his heart as he mouthed an 'awe' at me and I smiled.

"You're happy?" I clarified quietly, my smile growing as he nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, baby."

"I like that you're here," he mumbled. "Daddy should come home with us too."

My heart clenched at that request as my smile faltered. I knew it was only a matter of time until Grayson paid more attention to the fact that his time was divided between two homes, but I wasn't ready to deal with it just yet.

"Maybe Daddy could come for a sleepover sometime," I suggested, stroking his hair back out of his face, but that wasn't all he wanted.

"He should come all the time."

I was never great at hiding my emotions and from the way Chris was watching me, I assumed my distress at Grayson's comments was written all over my face and I was grateful when he jumped into the conversation.

"But what about Dodger?"

Dodger's ears perked up from his spot at the end of the bed, but he settled again when he realized that Chris wasn't calling for him.

"He can come too," was Grayson's answer to that dilemma, but Chris had a response at the ready.

"C'mon, you think Dodger would have enough space in your Ma's apartment?" He asked. "He needs a big house like this to run around in!"

So then we could all just stay here would be the logical comeback to that, but it seemed our sleepy little guy was too tuckered out from the excitement to argue. He let out a little sigh of defeat, but said no more. We stayed quiet for a few minutes until his breathing shifted and he was soundly asleep.

Chris offered me his hand to help me climb over Grayson without waking him up and, after whispering a quiet request to Dodger to keep our boy safe, he led me out of the room.

"You okay?"

The question came as soon as Grayson's door was pulled to and we were in the hallway.

"Yeah, of course," I nodded, forcing a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Chris shot me a look that clearly showed his disbelief.

"You looked pretty downhearted in there."

"I just worry," I shrugged. "I don't want our situation to upset him and I know he's going to notice it more as he gets older."

"He'll be fine," Chris assured me, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder comfortingly. "He's got so much love in his life, he won't even notice that his family is a little different."

I wasn't convinced. He was obviously already noticing or he wouldn't have questioned it only moments before. I didn't want to start such a delicate, potentially tense conversation at the end of such a happy day though so I forced a more convincing smile onto my face.

"You're right," I agreed. "But I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't worry."

"Well, there's no time for worryin' on Christmas!" Chris claimed, followed by a grin as he dragged me off towards the kitchen. "What can I get you? Another wine? Maybe some gin? I might have some tequila kickin' around here somewhere..."

"No! No tequila!" I laughed. "Gin would be great, thanks."

Chris nodded and set to work mixing our beverages for the evening before we went to the living room to rejoin his family and I did my best to push any worries about letting Grayson down out of my mind.

-

After the kids were all in bed, the rest of the evening was spent playing games and sharing drinks. It was heartwarming, wholesome family fun and I was so glad that Scott had encouraged me to stay as the thought of rushing home to my cold, empty apartment wasn't at all appealing.

The only strange thing about the evening was Chris. We were teamed up for most of the games and it was quite amazing how in tune with each other we were as we won everything by a landslide. We'd been friends for a long time and knew each other very well so it was unsurprising to me that we had so much success, but the teasing comments that came from a rather drunk Scott implied other reasons than friendship for our harmony. I scoffed and rolled my eyes every time he cracked a joke about us, but Chris seemed to love it. He was a few drinks in and probably just feeling a little goofy, but the grin on his face after every suggestive comment sparked an odd feeling in my stomach.

It was around ten o'clock when everyone except Chris, Scott and I decided to go to bed. We bid them goodnight and Chris went to top up our drinks before settling back onto the couch beside me. By this time, I was definitely feeling it. I wasn't drunk, but I knew this drink would have to be my last as the flush of my cheeks and the happy, fuzzy feeling in my brain was telling me that it was time to wind it down for the night.

However, as Chris handed me another gin and soda, settled on the couch next to me, placed his drink on the end table beside him and pulled my feet into his lap, my mind suddenly felt surprisingly sharp.

"What are you doing?" I asked, a giggle slipping from my lips.

"Releasing some tension."

As he answered, he began a slow massage of my left foot and I couldn't help, but smile at how wonderful it felt.

"Releasing?" Scott snorted a laugh. "Sure, a foot rub is known for getting rid of tension, not making it worse."

Chris smirked at what Scott was insinuating, but seemed unbothered by it.

"Don't be jealous," he teased, but now it was my turn to smirk.

"Of what?" I questioned. "This foot rub? It's not that great, Scott."

Scott laughed as Chris gasped a tad over dramatically.

"Not that great? I offer you a free foot rub and you can't even be fuckin' grateful?"

Chris shook his head, but the smile on his face told me that he wasn't really offended. He did stop massaging my feet though and I whined in protest as he picked up his drink.

"A mediocre foot rub is better than nothing," I pouted. "Keep going."

Chris sipped his whiskey, the smile on his face morphing back into a smirk as he shook his head again, but he did let his hand rest over my ankles and I was happy for even that tiny bit of contact.

Scott changed the subject to some viral video he saw the other day and Chris laughed and chatted along as he absentmindedly let his hand drift up my shin, underneath the loose pyjama pants that I'd changed into shortly after we put Grayson to bed.

My mind was instantly taken back to another time when we'd shared such gentle touches. A time when his lips followed his fingers as they traced kisses up from my ankle all the way to the lacy edge of my underwear. A time when he'd then proceeded to pull that underwear off with his teeth before returning his face back to a very sensitive area.

"Whitney, have you seen it?"

Scott's question snapped me out of my racy daydream. I felt my cheeks flush with colour as I forced my gaze away from Chris' hand over to Scott, reminding myself that even though the look on Chris' face would make it seem otherwise, he couldn't possibly know what I was just thinking of.

"Uh, no, I haven't," I admitted, sipping my drink to try to cool myself down even though it was becoming apparent to me that I needed to slow down my alcohol consumption. "All I seem to watch these days is Paw Patrol."

Chris barked out a laugh and nodded.

"So much Paw Patrol," he agreed. "The kid's obsessed."

"Chase is on the case!" I giggled before changing my voice slightly. "Rubble on the double!"

"Oh my god," Scott laughed, a horrified look on his face. "We need to get you out more."

I shrugged as Chris continued to trace patterns on my shins.

"That's the life of a mom."

"Yeah, but what about when he's with Chris? You must have some sort of life then."

"Scott."

Chris' voice was harsh and warning as what Scott was implying could be taken as offensive, but I wasn't bothered.

"It's fine," I assured him. "I know I'm lame. I don't have much of my own life, I don't really know anyone around here."

"You have Allison," Chris pointed out. "You've mentioned her a lot. She's your friend, right?"

He was referring to my one and only friend in Massachusetts. She was also a photographer and we'd met at a camera store when I first moved here. She'd asked me a question about a new brand of film and we'd ended up having coffee to exchange tips. She realized quickly that I didn't know many people in town and had taken me under her wing.

"She is," I nodded. "But she has three kids of her own and she's married so she doesn't have weeks where she's child free like I do. We hang out when we can, but usually it's with all the kids, not like quality 'girl time'."

"I didn't know that," Chris frowned. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't feel bad for me." I nudged him with my foot. "I have plenty of friends, they're just in LA. I'm happy here."

"I'll take you out for drinks one day," Scott promised. "Even if you're happy, everyone needs to let their hair down a little bit sometimes."

"That would be fun," I smiled, tossing back the last of my drink. "But for now, I think I've let my hair down enough for today. It's time for me to get to bed before all these drinks go to my head."

I slid my feet off of Chris' lap and slowly stood up as he looked up at me.

"Are you cool if I bunk with you again tonight?"

"Of course," I nodded. "Just sneak in quietly if you two stay up too late."

"I'm ready to crash already," Scott informed us. "So, we won't be up much later."

"Okay. Well, goodnight boys," I waved as I headed towards the door. "Thank you for a lovely day."

They chorused a goodnight back to me before I walked down the hall.

-

I was just coming out of the en suite in Chris' bedroom after brushing my teeth when Chris strolled into the room.

"Hey," I smiled. "Ready for bed already?"

"Scott wasn't lying," he returned my smile. "He was half asleep by the time you made it down the hall."

I laughed as I crawled into bed and settled against the pillows.

"Well, it has been a busy day."

Chris agreed as he grabbed his pyjama pants and headed to the bathroom. I picked up my phone from where I left it on the nightstand, turned off the lamp on my side of the bed and answered a few text messages from my family, figuring I may as well wait the few minutes it would take Chris to get ready for bed before I attempted to get any sleep. When Chris reappeared, I locked my phone again, put it back on the nightstand and snuggled down under the blankets, trying not to stare too much at his chiselled torso. He wasted no time turning off the lamp on his side as well before slipping in next to me, shivering dramatically as he pulled the blankets up over his chest.

"It's so freakin' cold tonight."

I snorted a laugh, shaking my head even though I knew he wouldn't be able to see me until our eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Maybe if you put on a shirt you wouldn't feel it so much."

"Honestly," Chris started, the smirk evident in his tone despite his face still being hidden in shadow. "Usually, I just sleep naked so these pants are for your benefit."

I felt my cheeks flush as the words 'then by all means, take them off' were on the tip of my tongue. I forced them out of my mind as a long forgotten tingle rolled through my body and I focused on answering him.

"My point was that a t-shirt would provide you with extra warmth," I explained. "So, your point that you usually wear less clothing makes no sense."

The bed shifted slightly as Chris chuckled.

"Well, I can think of another thing that could provide some extra warmth."

"What?"

I felt my heart rate pick up, the blood rushing through my ears so fast that I hardly heard myself answer him as I wondered if he could possibly be implying what it seemed like he was implying.

"You." His voice was low, the same seductive tone he'd used all those years ago, and I felt my mouth go dry. "Come give me a cuddle."

For a moment, I thought I was a lot drunker than I'd realized and that I was hallucinating or in some kind of lucid dream, but that thought brought me to a different realization.

"Chris!" I whispered, my tone scolding and accusatory. "You're drunk!"

A burst of laughter came from the other side of the bed and I quickly shushed him, knowing Grayson was asleep in the room above us.

"I'm not drunk, I promise," Chris assured me as his raucous laughter came under control. "I just thought it was worth a shot. It's nice to have a little cuddle with a beautiful woman sometimes."

I felt another flush of heat run through me, but I rolled my eyes and, as I had the night before, I took a pillow and placed it between us, drawing a clear line in the sand even if that hadn't worked out so well the last time.

"Goodnight, Chris."

"Goodnight, Whitney."

I rolled over, closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

I did try. I really, really did.

But after almost ten minutes of thoughts whirring through my head, I knew it was hopeless and I turned back to face Chris. Now that my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I could see well enough to know that he was laying on his back so I carefully moved the pillow that I'd placed between us and slowly slid over towards him. I felt him tense so I knew he was awake, but he didn't question what I was doing so I continued until my head was on his chest and my arm was draped over his stomach. He stayed perfectly still, just long enough for me to start second guessing myself before he shifted slightly to put his arm around me.

We stayed like that, holding each other in silence, and I had to admit that Chris was right. It was nice to have someone to cuddle with. The physical contact was filling a hole in my touch-starved heart and I tried not to think about how fleeting of a moment it was or how things would be back to normal in the light of day. There was a strange ache in my heart at that thought and I knew I needed to get out of my head.

"Chris?" My voice was soft, just in case he'd drifted off in the last few minutes, but when he tightened his grip on me, I knew he was still awake. "Thank you for inviting me today."

"Of course." He squeezed a little tighter. "I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner."

"It's fine," I assured him, letting my hand lazily trace patterns on his skin. "You're under no obligation, you're allowed your time with Grayson without me."

"It's not about obligation. I'd never want you to spend Christmas alone even if Grayson wasn't in the picture."

"I was really dreading it."

My admission made me feel vulnerable as I'd spent so long trying to pretend that I wasn't bothered by the idea of a lonely holiday, but Chris didn't seem surprised.

"Really?" He questioned, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "The crying onto your steering wheel didn't give that away at all."

"Shut up," I mumbled, turning my face into his chest to hide my smile at his teasing. "I'm just trying to express my gratitude for your kindness."

"No gratitude is needed. It's been my pleasure having you here today and Grayson loved it."

He kissed the top of my head after he'd finished speaking and almost reflexively, I found myself stretching up and placing a soft kiss of my own against his collarbone. It felt intimate and the moment hung heavy between us. It felt right to me, but I knew instantly that I'd crossed a line. A comforting kiss on the top of my head was one thing, but what I'd done, kissing his bare chest, was inappropriate. My cheeks burned as I tilted my head up to look at him, meeting his eyes as they looked down at me. His expression was unreadable so I opened my mouth to apologize only to be completely shocked when he pressed his head forward and his lips against mine.

The shock quickly morphed into a feeling that could only be described as euphoria. There was something distantly familiar about the way his mouth moved on mine, but it felt strange and new as it wasn't exactly as I'd remembered - and I had spent more time than I'd want to admit reliving the last time we'd shared a kiss like this.

It wasn't until he pressed his tongue against my lips, in an attempt to deepen the kiss, that I snapped out of my daze.

"Chris, wait," I breathed out as I pulled away and stared up at him, my cheeks now flushed much more from excitement than embarrassment. "We shouldn't do this."

"Says who?"

The little voice in my head telling me that I'm about to ruin everything that we've worked hard to create. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but as he smirked down at me and licked his lips as if he was preparing for what was to come, I found myself incapable of logic and reason.

"Doesn't matter."

Chris hardly had time to acknowledge my answer before I dove back in for another kiss, moving to a more comfortable position as I straddled his waist.

He completely overwhelmed my senses. The inescapable scent of him surrounding me, the feel of his strong body between my thighs and the soft little sighs of enjoyment that he kept making every time our lips parted for us to take a breath. None of it was doing anything to ease the ache that was growing between my legs and my hands gripped into the sheets where they rested just above his shoulders as I pulled back to look down at him. I needed to see his face to remind myself this was really happening and who it was really happening with as it still felt so unreal.

Chris smiled up at me, his lips looking plumper already, and let his hands settle on my hips to keep me steady.

"You okay?"

I nodded and leaned down to peck his lips again before answering.

"I've never been better."

Chris' smile only widened at that confirmation and he moved his hands down to cup my bum, pressing my hips forward and giving me a moment of friction that I'd been desperately craving. I pressed myself up, pulling my upper body away from him as a gasp fell from my lips and my eyes squeezed shut. I was embarrassingly aroused from a few mere minutes of kisses, but it had been a very long time since I'd had any physical contact with a man and my body was already on fire.

I rocked my hips against the toned muscles of his abdomen, soaking in the pleasure that was radiating through me and I was debating whether it would be rude of me to continue until I reached the release that was quickly building inside me. Clearly, Chris was just as intuitive as I remembered as he let out a groan and effortlessly flipped us over so he was on top.

"Not like that," he smirked. "I've been thinking about this for too long, it's not happening like that."

I felt another flush of embarrassment as he could obviously tell what I'd been thinking about doing, but I nodded in agreement.

"But if this is really happening, we need to be quiet," I reminded him. "Everyone's sleeping."

"They're all upstairs, they won't hear," he assured me. "And Scott's on the other side of the house."

He was right, we'd be fine as long as we kept ourselves under control, but it didn't matter anyway as all my doubts disappeared when his lips pressed against my neck. I let my hands slide around his waist, resting on his toned back while his lips continued their trail down my neck and stretched the neck line of my shirt to expose my shoulder. His lips locked onto one spot just above my collarbone, sucking and nipping until I was sure there would be a bruise there in the morning.

"Chris," I gasped out, digging my fingernails into his back. "Don't leave a mark."

He backed off a bit, kissing gently against the now sensitive skin.

"It'll be easy to hide," he assured me. "And if I remember correctly, you enjoyed a few bites here and there..."

He opened his mouth to dig his teeth into my shoulder and an image flashed into my mind. A memory of me, bent over with Chris' thumb on my clit as the two fingers he had inside me stroked a particularly delicate spot. He'd placed a soft kiss on the cheek of my bum before sinking his teeth into my skin, sending me over the edge.

I couldn't help, but moan from the combination of the memory and the sensation of his teeth in my shoulder as my hips pressed up against his. Chris seemed to be spurred on by that action as he ground his hips against mine and quickly let his hands slide down to the bottom of my shirt. He lifted it up and for a moment I was lost in the bliss of the sensations he was providing, but as my shirt was raised just past my belly button, I froze.

"Wait!"

My voice firm and demanding and he immediately responded, stopping his actions and looking up to meet my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

I bit my bottom lip as I pondered how to voice my concerns. If I didn't say anything, there was a chance that we could get through this without drawing any attention to it, but I couldn't help but think it was better to point it out than have Chris notice on his own.

"I just..." I breathed out, trying to figure out how to articulate my thoughts. "I just look different now."

"What?"

Chris pulled back even further, looking down at me with genuine confusion in his eyes and my cheeks burned as I tried to puzzle out how to explain my feelings in a way that didn't make me look shockingly insecure.

"Since I had Grayson, since the last time we did this," I clarified, my cheeks burning as I brought my flaws to his attention. "I look different. Like, I have stretch marks and my boobs aren't as perky as they used to be."

Even in the dark shadows of the room, I could see Chris' jaw clench as it did when he was annoyed and trying to bite his tongue. Panic flooded through me as I wished I'd kept my mouth shut, but his next words astounded me.

"Get outta here," he huffed. "You think I care about that?"

I dropped my gaze to the tattoos on his chest as I regretted ever opening my mouth.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Lots of men probably would."

Chris moved back, slowly sliding his body down, away from mine and I wanted to scream, I wanted to stop him and hold him against me as long as I could, but I was powerless to do anything, but watch. My heart sank, thinking he was going to roll off of me any minute now, but then he stopped. His face was level with my lower stomach and turned his eyes back towards my face.

"This body," he started, placing a kiss on my stomach. "This stomach, these stretch marks." He kissed the faint lines that were now barely visible on my skin despite how vibrant they were in my mind. Then he continued up, lifting my shirt as he went until it was resting above my breasts, my nipples hard from the chill in the air and the anticipation I was feeling. "These boobs." He kissed and nipped at the delicate skin, tracing all the way along until he captured a nipple in his mouth, teasing it briefly with his tongue. "They changed because you gave me my son, the greatest gift you could have given me. I have nothing, but gratitude for that and you're still the most fuckin' beautiful woman I've ever seen."

He was exaggerating. I knew he was exaggerating. He saw and worked with Hollywood's most elite actresses and models, there was no chance that I was even close to the most beautiful woman that he'd ever seen. But he managed, again, to push all doubts from my mind as his lips set to work, this time focusing on my left nipple while he shifted his weight and freed a hand to stroke and pinch the right.

They were sensitive, they always had been, and the way that Chris was working them right now was almost too much. My head fell back and my hands dropped to the sheets as I tried to focus on enjoying the sensations and not immediately demanding for Chris to move lower, to give me more, to touch me where I wanted to be touched with increasing need. He was always paying attention though and before I even needed to voice my request, he let his mouth slip from my nipple and trail back down my stomach.

He nipped at the skin just above my pyjama pants before hooking his fingers in the waistband and pulling them down. I tugged my shirt over my head at the same time before laying back against the pillow, completely naked underneath him.

"Beautiful."

He'd muttered the word, almost more to himself than to me, but the sincerity in his voice flooded a new kind of warmth through my body. I tried to push it down, focusing on what we were doing, what this was and all it could be. Because yes, I loved Chris, but this wasn't that. This wasn't making love, this was a simple release of sexual tension. I didn't need my feelings getting in the way and making this complicated or I was going to get myself hurt.

I'd been so lost in my head that I hadn't noticed how my legs had fallen apart for Chris to settle between them or how he'd spread me with his fingers, opening me up for him to enjoy. It wasn't until I felt a slow, gentle lick right over my clit that I snapped back into the moment. With a gasp, my hips pressed up to meet his mouth, trying frantically to keep the friction now that it was finally there.

"Easy," Chris warned me, chuckling as he pulled back slightly, earning a whine from me. "We'll get you there, don't worry."

A feeling of desperation was building up inside of me and as he blew gently on the very sensitive parts of me that were in front of him, I was about ready to start begging.

"Please," I whimpered, moving my hand to his hair in case he got any bright ideas about pulling back any further, but I was relieved when he let out a groan and finally gave up on his teasing.

Suddenly I was aware of nothing, but Chris' mouth on me. My back arched as he licked up from the bottom of my core to the top, swirling his tongue around, exploring every little nook and cranny before settling his focus back on my clit. It was like he'd studied me, like he'd committed our previous brief encounter to memory and remembered exactly what I responded to as he licked and sucked with just the right amount of pressure and speed to have me panting as my grip tightened in his hair.

It had only been moments, but I could already feel the pressure building inside me, bubbling closer towards the surface. Chris, as if sensing this, eased off just slightly to slide his tongue a bit lower, pressing it against my entrance, dipping just barely inside, before replacing it with one of his fingers. I felt myself clench at the sensation, my body desperate for relief, desperate for something more inside me and Chris obliged, adding a second finger almost immediately.

"So wet, baby," he hummed, placing a kiss on the inside of my upper thigh.

I was too wrapped up in my own pleasure to formulate any kind of response, but Chris didn't bother waiting for one anyway before putting his lips back on my clit. The combination of his fingers and his mouth had me seeing stars and another whimpered plea slipped from my lips as he flicked his tongue against me. He was focused and determined, groaning against me after a particularly sharp tug on his hair when he angled his fingers inside me to find that one particular spot that made me see stars.

He stroked it once. Then twice. And on the third that coil that had been tightening inside me snapped. I covered my mouth with my free hand just in time to bite down and muffle the scream that Chris pulled from me as my hips thrust up towards him and I spasmed around his fingers as I fell over the edge.

Chris coaxed me through it, easing his attentions as I came down from the high I was feeling. He slid his fingers out of me, looking up to meet my eyes before licking them clean. I groaned, feeling myself twitch with arousal at the sight despite my heart still racing from the orgasm I had just had. He flashed me a smirk before crawling up my body and pressing his lips against mine again.

I sighed happily into the kiss, letting my hands slide down his back, just teasing the top of his pants as I reluctantly separated our mouths.

"Take these off."

My tone left little room for argument and Chris looked down at me with a smirk.

"Yes, ma'am."

He lifted his body off of mine just long enough for me to shiver from the loss of the warmth he was providing, but he quickly returned once his pants were discarded. He stayed slightly lower when he returned, turning his attention back to my chest, taking my left nipple in his mouth this time and using his hand to tease the other. My eyes fluttered shut at the sensation, but I fought the urge to simply lie back and let him do what he wanted with me. I wanted more, I needed more and I didn't want to wait any longer.

"Chris," I whined. "Please, fuck me."

Looking down, I could see his eyes widen in surprise at my blunt demand. He let his mouth slip off my nipple before giving it one last little nip, just hard enough to make me gasp from the slight twinge of pain.

"As you wish."

He reached down between us, taking a moment to slip his two fingers back inside me. He spread them out, gently stretching me and I was grateful. From my memory, Chris was thick and it had been approximately three years and five months since I last had sex (not that I was counting).

Once Chris was satisfied that I was adequately prepared, he pulled his fingers back and guided the tip of his cock towards my entrance. I tried to relax as he slowly stretched me open, but even as my mind revelled in the bliss I was feeling, a thought hit me that made my eyes widen and body stiffen.

"Chris!" I gasped out, gripping his shoulders to push him away slightly. "Condom!"

His head dropped down and he grunted as if he was using the last of his restraint to pull out of me.

"Shit," he cursed. "How could we forget that again?"

"I guess we don't learn from our mistakes," I smiled, despite the pang in my heart as the voice in my head chimed in again to say 'clearly not or you wouldn't be about to fuck him and break your own heart again'. "Do you have one?"

Chris nodded, rolling off me for just long enough to reach over to the bedside table. He pulled one out of the drawer, ripped it open and slid it on with impressive speed before crawling back over me.

"Now," he smirked. "Where were we?"

He looked down as he guided himself inside me again. The initial stretch wasn't as intense the second time around, but it grew as he pushed deeper and my breath hitched once he was fully inside. Chris stilled, sensing my discomfort as he dropped his head to kiss along my jaw until his lips rested just below my ear.

"You good?"

"Mhmm," I nodded, breathing out and shifting my hips as I started to adjust. We stayed like that, connected but still, for a few moments until I felt the tension ease a bit. "You can move."

"You sure?" Chris looked at me with concern on his face, but I nodded.

That was all the reassurance he needed as he began slowly moving his hips. He pulled his lips back from where they rested near my ear and pressed them against mine.

He kissed me deeply, passionately, as he created a steady rhythm, sliding in and out with his hips pressing hard against mine with each thrust. His biceps bulged and strained to support his weight through the movement and he eventually let his mouth fall away from mine as he could no longer hold back a groan. That noise, and the grunts that followed, made me twitch around him as if my body was doing everything it could to keep him inside me, to keep the pleasure that it had been craving for so long.

I could feel him dragging against every inch inside me, brushing against every nerve and stretching me just enough to keep me constantly impressed by how big he was. It was somehow too much, but not enough all at the same time and I hitched my leg higher up on his waist to help him get closer, deeper, if at all possible.

"Good girl..."

Chris' words hummed encouragingly against my collarbone where he placed another soft kiss before pulling back. He placed his hand on the back of my knee and lifted it even higher, opening me up for him even more.

My head dropped back against the pillow on the next stroke as his cock slid against that delicious spot inside me where his fingers had been only minutes before. He was watching, looking down between us to see me wrapped around him, see me taking him all the way every time he pushed in. I could hear him mumbling praises, compliments about how well I was doing, but I was too far gone, too wrapped up in the pleasure emanating from between my legs to do anything, but moan in response.

He slowed for a moment, leaning down, my leg catching on his shoulder and pressing it even higher as he reminded me to be quiet. He nipped my ear lobe, pulling a whimper from my lips before moving back and picking his pace up again. I knew he was right, but it was hard, next to impossible even, to hold back the noises that were bubbling in my throat.

I bit my lip and dug my nails into his skin as I attempted to control my volume and silently cursed Chris when he shifted his weight just enough to put the pressure of each thrust back on just the right spot. He moved his thumb down to brush over my clit, but it barely took a few strokes for me to fly over the edge.

It felt like my whole world exploded as I clenched around him, a low moan slipping past the lip between my teeth. The tingle ripped through every part of my body, every muscle quivering with pleasure, as Chris picked up the pace even more, with one final burst of speed until he stilled, letting out a deep, rumbling groan of his own before pumping in and out a few final times.

Once he'd stopped his movements completely, he let my leg lower to the bed, collapsing against my chest as he fought to catch his breath. I drifted my hand up to stroke the damp hairs on the back of his neck and soaked in the blissful feeling, a feeling I'd dreamt about since the last time I had the pleasure of enjoying it.

We stayed like that for a few moments until Chris reluctantly pulled back, letting out a soft groan as he slid out of me.

"I'll be right back."

I admired Chris' ability to walk already as all I had the strength to do was nod and shift back to my side of the bed. When Chris reappeared a few minutes later after disposing of the condom in the bathroom, I could barely keep my eyes open. He climbed back under the blankets and shifted over towards me until he could pull me right against his chest with our legs intertwined.

"That was nice," I sighed happily, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms as I nuzzled my nose into his toned pecs.

They shook as he chuckled and a giggle slipped from my lips as well.

"It was," he agreed, kissing the top of my head the same way he had at the start of this little rendezvous.

There was a heaviness in the air, the underlying unspoken words and the conversation that needed to be had hung between us, but I couldn't bring myself to ruin the moment. I'd spent so much time thinking about this, what it would be like to be in his arms again, I couldn't bare to say anything that might make him pull away and snap out of the moment of insanity we'd slipped into.

So, I didn't and neither did he. With one final, gentle kiss goodnight, we stayed tightly in our embrace until we drifted off into a contented sleep.

-

Part Three

[imagineyourworld]

Misunderstanding

Echo x Genderneutral!Reader

Summary: After the war Echo runs into you and Rex, who he mistakes for your husband and the father of your children 

Warnings: Mention of death and war

Check out more of my work here

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The moment Echo saw you a thousand memories came rushing back: Your soft hands on his cheek. Your lips on his lips. Your lips on his skin. How your skin tasted under his lips. Your careless laughter as he carried you home after one too many drinks. That time you showed him how to brew the perfect cup of calming tea. The way you said his name and how your voice sounded when you told him you loved him. The happy smile when the two of you reunited after his supposed death. And the sad smile when you told him that you couldn’t go with him.  That had been almost three years ago now. At first both of you had made an effort to talk every day, then, as the war got busier, every other day until it was every week, once a month and then, a little more than two years ago, the two of you had said your last goodbyes.  But now here you were, looking not a day older, and even more beautiful, than the last time Echo had seen you.  He took a moment to just look at you. Your hair was a bit shorter, maybe a shade of two darker as well, and your style had changed. During your relationship he had mostly seen you in your scrubs at work or sweats at home, now you looked more comfortable in your clothes, more like yourself.  Too late, only after he had already called your name and you had turned around, did Echo notice that you were holding the hand of a little girl. Her curious eyes looked him up and down before turning to you. She said something Echo couldn’t hear, but he did see the smile that lit up your face as you walked closer, pulling the girl along with you.  “Echo, I can’t believe it. What are you doing here?”, you asked.  You still said his name the same way, your smile was the same and your eyes lit up like they always did when you looked at him, but all Echo could focus on was the little girl, who was staring at him. Was she yours? The daughter you had with someone else? Someone who had replaced Echo in your heart? He should have known this would happen, it had to eventually, but that didn’t help the pain, not when Echo himself had thought of you ever day for the past three years, when he never stopped loving you.  “I... I decided that it might be time for me to settle, and since most of my brothers have made their lives here on Coruscant I thought I would do the same.”  Echo didn’t add that there had also been the small hope that you might still be living on Coruscant.  “So you’re gonna stay here? That’s amazing, we’ll have to catch up some time soon”, you said, the smile on your face growing with every word. Echo just nodded. What else was he supposed to say? Luckily he didn’t have to say anything else, because the girl took the opportunity to insert herself into the conversation.  “Who are you?”, she asked, her expression both curious and vary.  You looked down at her with a stern expression but fondness in your eyes.  “Leia, you could’ve asked a bit more nicely. But this is Echo”, you told her. Your eyes went away from the girl to focus on Echo. “He’s... and old... friend.”  Yes, the words stung, but Echo understood that it was probably the best way to introduce your daughter to your ex boyfriend.  “And Echo, this is Leia, sh-”, you started, but were soon interrupted by a small voice calling out the girl’s name.  Another child, a boy, appeared, with a big smile on his face and a paper bag in his hand.  “Guess what I have!”, he said with a grin, holding the bag out for the girl to peek into.  Echo was now looking at the boy. He didn’t seem to be older or younger than the girl, so maybe he wasn’t another child of yours but Leia’s friend. Though they did look somewhat alike.  “Luke, you can’t run off like that”, a familiar voice called from behind Echo.  He refused to turn around, as long as he didn’t see who was coming up behind him, who clearly belonged to you and the children, a childish part of himself told him that it wouldn’t be true. But your words confirmed his fear.  “Rex, it’s fine”, you laughed. “Luke’s safe, he was only ahead of you by like a meter.”  Echo now looked at his brother. He looked a bit older than the last time he saw him, probably due to their rapid aging, but other than that he didn’t seem to have changed at all, still caring and commanding and loving. Echo closed his eyes for a moment, he couldn’t bear to look at you and Rex and your children, because from the way the four of you interacted he could tell that you belonged together.  Of course he had known that you would move on, though a small irrational part of him had hoped that you might wait for him to come back to you someday. But why did you have to move on with his brother? And not just any brother, one he had always been close to. And how could Rex do this, he knew more than anyone, other than Fives at least, how much Echo had always loved you.  Of course Echo knew that he should be happy for you, and part of him was, but seeing you and your family, seeing your happy smiles and the love in your eyes, just killed him.  “Echo, vod, it’s so good to see you. How have you been?”, Rex asked as he put a hand on Echo’s shoulder and squeezed affectionately.  Before Echo could answer you interrupted him with an apologetic smile. “Rex, we have to meet Padmé in 10 minutes, we better hurry. But Echo, how about you come by our apartment around 7 this evening and we’ll catch up?” 

-------

Echo had debated whether to actually go and see you, but in the end he decided that he might regret it more if he backed out. Plus Hunter had basically pushed him out the door and left him no other choice.  So here he was, in front of your apartment, which was only a couple of blocks away from the one you had lived in during the war.  His fist had barely touched the door when you already pulled it open and ushered Echo inside.  For a moment the two of you just stood in the hallway, looking at each other and not saying anything.  “Rex just went to buy a bottle of wine, he should be back shortly”, you said as you lead Echo further into the apartment.  He soon found himself in a larger room, which served as both living room and dining room, with the kitchen attached and only separated by a kitchen island. As he looked around he recognized most of the furniture from your old apartment, the one he had spent countless hours in, as well as photographs both old and new with many familiar faces in them. A couple were just you and Rex, but most of them had General Skywalker, Commander Tano, General Kenobi or Senator Amidala in them, along with many of his brothers. He also spotted his favourite picture, the one had had carried a copy of wherever he went, of him kissing your cheek while Fives enveloped the two of you in a hug. He was surprised to see it hanging in your living room. But what surprised him even more was how clean everything was. You had always been a tidy person, but he had suspected that children would still leave the place a bit messy. Speaking of...  “Are Luke and Leia going to join us?”, he asked.  A surprised look crossed your face before you shook your head.  “They’re with Padmé and Anakin.”  Echo nodded. Maybe it was for the best not to have the children around, the dinner would be awkward and they might only make it worse.  “How nice of the General and Senator Amidala to babysit.”  You stopped pouring water in your glass and looked at Echo in surprise.  “They’re not babysitting, the twins are their kids. Rex and I were the ones who were babysitting this morning.”  It was safe to say that Echo had not been expecting this revelation. He had been so sure that you and Rex were the parents. But his little moment of relief was cut short when he realized that this didn’t change anything. You and Rex were still a couple, you still lived together and had a life together, a life Echo had no place in.  “Are you planning on having kids then?” The question was out before Echo could stop himself. This was none of his business, it might even be better if he didn’t know. But he just had to know, having children was the one thing about your future the two of you had never talked about, had never dared to even think about in the middle of a war, but that hadn’t stopped Echo from hoping to one day raise a family with you, and he had to know if his brother was now living that unspoken dream.  “I’m not opposed to the idea, but who would I have a child with? I’m not really fond of the idea of doing this on my own”, you admitted with a nervous laugh.  Echo tore his eyes away from the plate he had been fixating on to look at you. Try as he might, he couldn’t read your expression.  “With Rex, of course. He’s your”, he started before stopping for a moment to scan your fingers for a ring, when he didn’t find one he continued. “Boyfriend. Rex is your boyfriend.”  Saying the words out loud hurt, more than Echo would ever want to admit, but it was your laughter that actually broke his hear, and your words that mended it again.  “Rex is not my boyfriend, he’s my friend. Probably my best friend and maybe more like a brother, but most certainly not my boyfriend.”  After everything he had been through there wasn’t much that could render Echo speechless, but this confession could. It took him a moment, and a thorough scan of your serious expression, for him to formulate his next sentence.  “But the two of you live together”, he finally said.  For a moment you didn’t say anything. Then you took his hand, your skin still as soft and warm as he remembered, and led him over to your couch. Softly you pulled on his arm to get him to sit next to you, closer than he would have sat while still thinking that you were in love with his brother, but not as close as he really wanted.  “Rex and I are friends, nothing more. We live together because no matter how much some politicians try, clones still have little rights and it was easier for him to move in with me than to get his own place. But Echo, I never, ever, though about Rex in any romantic way, nor he about me. I... There has only ever been one person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, one person I wanted to marry and have children with and grown old with, and that person is you. Echo, it’s always been you and it always will be. I loved you ever since you carried Fives into the medbay with his broken leg and I never stopped, not when I though you were dead, not when you went away with the Bad Batch. And seeing you again only showed me how much I missed you, how much I don’t want to let you go again. But of course I understand that you’ve probably moved on.”  There were a million things Echo might have said, but for now he decided to forgo any explanations. Instead he put one of his hands on your waist and the other behind your head. Slowly he leaned closer, giving you every chance to pull way, but instead you leaned forward and pressed your lips against his in a gentle kiss.  “I love you. Always have, always will”, he whispered against your lips before you reconnected in another kiss.  The two of you were so busy with kisses and declarations of love that you didn’t notice the door opening and closing and Rex telling you that he’d spend the night at Cody’s to give the two of you a bit of privacy.  But you didn’t notice and you didn’t care. All that mattered was that you were together again, you still loved each other and the galaxy was at peace, giving you time to rebuild your relationship and relishing in your love. 

-------

This is short and unoriginal and corny, but after today’s episode I just had to write something about Echo and the idea of him misunderstanding your relationship with one of his brothers just popped into my head, and due to Echo’s obvious love for and trust in Rex in this episode it just had to be him 

[is-nini]

Childe x gn! Reader.

Requested by theshippingmaniac:

Hello I hope you're having a good day! Can I request a fluff with the Childe's s/o (fem or gender neutral) just playing with Teucer and Childe watching them and just getting so soft thinking I want to marry this person?

A/n: I'm sorry there is any mistake or error on this blog. I also hope you enjoy it🥺 I'm sorry if this takes a long time to post.

You and childe has been dating for over 6 year's and on that 6 year's you're always stuck beside Childe like a glue.

Both of you are inseparable so when Teucer, Childe's little brother came to visit him you meet Teucer too, and to say that he likes you is a understament. He loveee you so much that he beg for his brother too bring you whenever Teucer and childe are meeting up.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Ah- Teucer! No-".

You squealed after Teucer splash a water on to your face. You and Teucer was playing around on the Luhua pool.

At first it started as a chest hunting because a rumour from an old lady talk about when she over heard the conversation of Childe and Teucer wanting to see the Luhua pool.

Teucer was excited but quickly turns into "nevermind chest hunting" and started to asking and begging you to play in water with him.

For you, chest hunting sounds fun but it is possibly be very dangerous for little kids, so when Teucer wanted to play in the water instead a huge relief was lift upon your shoulder.

Child saw the way you and Teucer play with each other and there's only one image that comes to his mind.

You and his child.

Even though Teucer are his little brother, he just can't help but think about you like his mother. I mean.. Childe is not the only one who think about that. Even Teucer himself started to think about you like his mom. Whenever you are around Teucer would cling to you. He would cling to childe either but there is a certain motherly feels around you.

With this things spiraling in Childe's head, he imagine marrying you.. he has though about this alot. He actually has already planned to buy a special ring from the fanciest store in all of liyue to make you the ring.

Being with you made him feel like the luckiest person on the whole world. Who wouldn't? You're kind, loving, sometimes a little bit childish but he loves taking care of you.

He loves you so much that all you need to do is say the word and he would do it. As cheesy as it sounds, whenever you looked at him and call out his name, he would be ready to kill anyone for you. If you look up at him with your doe eye and cute face, he would instantly be dead if his brain doesn't exist-

"Childeeee!".

His thoughts was cut off when you suddenly pop up Infront of him, the tip of your hair is a little bit wet because of the water and some layers of your clothes was put aside so that you will have more room to move when you're in the water, what he is trying to say is, you are god damn pretty for the love of rex lapis, you are an angel and he is so lucky to have a caring and pretty girlfriend like you.

"Ah- sorry wifey".

Is all he said. The time has stopped, no one made a noise or a move. A couple of silence passed when suddenly your face exploded in red colours.

"U-UHM-".

is the only thing you can say. While you're fumbling with your words, Teucer squeal in joy.

"YAYYYYY MISS Y/N IS GOING YO BE MY SISTER SOON!".

he cheered, you cover your face with the both of your hand. Childe is enjoying your reaction, he doesn't know what came over him, the words just.. flows out of his mouth without him realizing it, but he didn't mind, he loved and is enjoying your reaction very much.

"Ah- why is your face so red wifey?".

He didn't say sorry and just keep teasing you. You on the other hand feels like you are dying, you loved Childe but marriage and family never really stays on your mind until now.

The way back home is full of you being teased and being called soon to be big sister by Teucer. You don't mind it but you're not used to it yet.

"W-wait Teucer.. I'm not your big sisters yet".

"You will soon!!!!, Right big brother?!"

"Yes. Y/n will be your big sister very soon".

You suck your breath. You are walking on the left side of Teucer while Childe is walking on his right side making people sending you and Childe looks especially after Teucer squeal about you being his big sister soon.

A woman actually asked if you and Childe is a newly wed couple because of how red and embarrassed you seems like whenever he called you wifey.

❤️❤️❤️

"Ah.. are you both a newly wed?". The elderly woman asked making you shake your head.

"N-no! Were not married-" "yet" Childe added to the end of your sentence.

"She will be my big sister soonn!!!" Teucer added proudly, making you looked away in embarrassment but happiness at the same time as the woman smile softly at you three.

❤️❤️❤️

A little secret that you don't know is that Childe loves to think about you and his married life. You in a apron, greeting him when he gets home, hugging him once he reached the door and looking up to him with your cute smile.

Or you and him relaxing on the couch togather, cling to eachother as Childe whisper sweet nothings into your ear.

Or maybe waking up to see your cute sleepy face that still have your eyes closed andif he tries to get out of the bed, you will instantly hug his hand as if not wanting to let go.

Or maybe Childe is just imagining being with you. Maybe working on some paperwork with you on his lap, sleeping away as he hugs you like a doll and handling you as gentle as a owner handling his little kitten.

Everything is endless, he could go on and on,. Imagining you being his wife, purposing to you with your favourite colour and gem on the ring. It will be perfect.

Even though everything is still his imagination, he will makes it come true, one day no matter what it takes. This is a promise for himself that he will keep until he die.

[catrose13]

Chapter Six The First Rule Of Any TTRPG is NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY, I think that my favourite of this chapters "Brought to you By"s is 2021, You Were One Of The Most Years Ever. Because it certainly was. Also remember there are SPOILERS

Oh no, now we're seeing things from the Parasites perspective, this is not a thing I ever wanted

Go Bakura! Trick that MoFo!!

...Rabbit...

Eugh Math and Sand two of the worst things

...Ammit's wearing a tiny hat?

Mokuba in what way does that resemble a dog?

Well at least Shadi's aware of where he ranks in this situation.

"White haired thief".... Mokuba I don't think he's talking about Pegasus

Ammit, Devourer of the Wicked

Is Mokuba talking about Tristan's nephews dog?

Shadi...you are so old

...Joey how do you know how much cocaine costs?

Joey's Dad is seriously in the Bad Parent Box with his Mom and Yugi's Parents

Tristan is such a Mom Friend

Téa when in doubt always guess a lower number

Oof Burgerville, I actually read some of the manga so I've read that bit. Big yikes

Well at least Yugi is aware about the Parasite

They really have had a day haven't they?

....Yugi you really need to phrase things a bit more delicately, you may give poor Yami a heart attack at this rate. Goddamn "Shadow Game Cherry"

"Knives up our sleeves" because cards would be cheating but stabbing your opponent clearly isn't

Oh Damn, Tristan's right guys! There's even a song and everything! It's catchy! I feel like he may need to start singing to them "Don't you know you never split the party? Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty. The wizard in the middle, where he can shed some light. And you never let that damn thief out of sight" Two of the fighters have bugged off to find, I guess, the cleric, the wizards have gone off to battle for the thief leaving possibly the other cleric behind

"Glaring furiously, like a cat forced to go to the vet" I can envision it perfectly

Shadi now is not the time for your dubious sense of humour to make an appearance

"With a sword. Right down the middle"...This will be important information to remember children

"Thanksgiving at the Wayne House" THE WAYNES!! 🤩

...Shadi those dudes were seriously screwed in the head, despite being a "Created" human you were still a person and they should definitely not have shopped you in half like some sort of sad pizza

...Technologically adept... this should have been another clue

"Dino-obsessed weirdo"... I know who that is

Op Ishizu has now got an Idea

How the heck did she keep all those questions straight?! Actually no she knows the Waynes, nevermind

"Dinosaur Blood Guy" Wow Rex

Despite everything Marik can be surprisingly sneaky

Poor Weevil freaking out in the background "Blood stuff?! What Blood Stuff?!"

"Less crazy Face tattoo brother" and "Blonde. Probably in a crop top and half of Fort Knox in jewelry" These are the best descriptions

HODGEKISS... is it the same one?

lol Wilburforce, that is certainly a name

Oh yeah I doubt there's two incredibly dumb Hodgekiss in the world. Or at least I hope not

...Do the Ishtar brothers know that Hodgekiss could potentially claim Blood Brother status from Ishizu giving him blood?

Ahh Relationships, the only person whose allowed to be mean to you is me

The Heart of the Cards loves Yugi

Lol Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragon is not a fan of you Parasite, prepare to lose your face

...Celtic Guardians are wild. "Just shoot me across the Board Bro!"

Who are you Red Coated Graverobber Goblin?

Lol God Complex Kuriboh

Oh man that Blue Eyes is really determined to get rid of the Parasite

I kind of love the Duel Monsters, they're so spirited

MAHAD, you have a Name! You Remember Things! I mean apparently you also have Amnesia but you still remember more than Yami does

Ah Bakura is ready for his Revenge

Heh Parasite has no idea how to command his Chess pieces

Graverobber Goblin Pawns are on Strike, Blue Eyes White Dragon Queen is looking to kill the player and the only one on their side of the board who know how to play won't help. Nice

Joey freaking a little about the "Romantic Foxes" sounding like the voices of the damned

...We're still talking about the Chupacabra?

Lol yeah Golden Retrievers aren't just cute and friend-shaped, they are also dogs you take hunting

Oh no the Clown done fucked up

Téa's so strong and fierce. She's going to absolutely destroy that clown

"Loud and Attractive is what I do best" Aw Joey

Ballerinas man, they're terrifying...kinda like hippos now that I think about it

"Mr-With-A-K"

Joey's notebook is gonna be so full by the time he actually gets to Pegasus

Oh man I just noticed Pega-SUS....his name tells you he's Sus

Téa's Yugi and Yami's Queen

Aww cute little Mousetrap. Such a good snek

More aww, brotherly snuggles!!

...I'm feeling deep concern for Marik "Future Pharoah and Ruler Of The World" that is a deeply concerning statement, especially the Caps

...Odion are you plotting Hodgekiss' demise?

Little Brother getting the snuggles!! I just want to wrap him in blankets, but I fear that if I tried I'd lose a limb. Sadness

"Karnak Blood Lady" and the "Karnak Dinosaur Blood Guy" those are certainly names

Odions like Hopeful feeling...text message...less hopeful feeling

[rainintheevening]

Thanks Aster!

Last song: currently listening to 'Life Goes On' by Ed Sheeran

Favourite colour: sky blue and sun-on-the-grass green

Currently watching: Loki & Agents of Shield with my sister, Book of Boba Fett with a friend, Star Wars always

Last Movie: Attack of the Clones last night with my big brother! Was so much fun, and he ditched one of his buddies to hang with me, no that made me feel special

Sweet/savory/salty: eh, totally depends on the mood, but I think I've gotten more savory as I've gotten older

Relationship status: single, hoping to find my real life Captain Rex somewhere

Current obsession: Anakin Skywalker, ObiAni, Star Wars

Last thing I Googled: hiromu arakawa new manga (because I was at Chapters and couldn't remember the title)

Tagging: @novelmonger @sailforvalinor @kraytwriter @authortobenamedlater @nerdychristianfanboy

I was tagged by @cat-dragoness, but the reblog chain was getting long, so new post!

Last song: I haven't actually listened to anything yet today. Last thing I listened to last night was Andrew Peterson's Light for the Lost Boy album, which is my current going-to-sleep music.

Favorite color: Blue or purple, depending on the day.

Currently watching: I've been on-and-off watching FMA Brotherhood, Leverage, Critical Role Campaign 2, Phineas and Ferb, and a Fairy Tail rewatch for a while now.

Last movie: North by Northwest, but that was back in July. Whoops.

Sweet/savory/spicy: Sweet, mostly? But also savory depending on my mood. Never spicy.

Relationship status: Happily single, but also crushing on my own characters and a little bit on Quincy Morris.

Current obsession: There's this book called Song of the Selkies that came out a couple weeks ago, and I read it pre-release, and I only just this week managed to think about anything else.

Last thing googled: How to make a circle cape. Hobby Lobby has fleece on sale, and I've been thinking for a while about making the cape equivalent of my favorite fleece jackets, and I am So Tempted.

Tagging @as-dreamers-do, @invisiblewashboard, and @o-lei-o-lai-o-lord (and whoever else wants to do this).

[naddpod-encounter-tourney]

Broken Bonds:

for this, i will be copying the description from friend of the show tournament @chompe-diem’s comments on round one. they are as follows.

zirk and stella confrontation. ok i could go on about this for ages so let me just pull some quotes

> "when will it be enough!" (caldwell pcs yelling. mwah easy way to the heart)

> "You're stuck. i've spent so much time trying to fix things and you're the one thing that's always broken, and I, I just can't anymore; there's other people that need me, okay?"

just the move of fia's suggestion and then. man i fuckin love the way murph narrated stella in that. her just absentmindedly taking it apart as she keeps talking, it just,,, it does things to my brain

henry's obviously been a pretty shit dad so far, but the way hank/jake so genuinely and naturally acts protective of hank jr when he's chewing out stella. it's just a nice touch, it really adds

stella vervain. yes all the above points involved her but she's one of my favourite npcs and this ep is where u truly see all of her and what she is.

the reveal of big rex and little rex moxora and prophet cain

batilda's heartfelt moment with fia, the i love you

emily with the momentary stasis and pretty much saving batilda's life by incapacitating cain

zirk w the nat 1 death save

bukvar getting taken by moxora and having the form of a bookish little boy who could be fia's brother- *sobs*

and the whole philosphical/emotional ending w fia and the crew etc etc

Crown of Dreams:

The Duck Team races back to the Crick to track down the missing members of the Old Folks’ Circle!

Glen made his escape from the Time Out Tree with assistance from a grenade, which Callie assumed was the one she gifted to Cooter (Glen’s father).

After some investigating at Eloise’s (member of the OFC) stump, they see some suspicious tracks that lead them to Cooter’s stump at the edge of town.

In Cooter’s stump Frogson and Holmes find Glen’s old room, and his various journals. He had wanted to be a ranger captain by 50 and Peepaw of the crick by 100. [Fool.] He had books on Moonshine and Marabelle, and he idolized them. He had a note from Meemaw saying “we will not rain arrows down from our towers. we will always shine a light.” in response to him suggesting they go to war. They also discovered letters to Eloise and determined that she walked from her stump and was a co-conspirator.

The Duck Team was then met outside by Cooter, apologizing. He sent them into a trap, where Glen was waiting with the trapped Old Folks, the Evil Old Folks, and Meemaw (also trapped). After attempts that incapacitated most of the Duck Team, Glen attempted to wrench Ultrus from the helm while Calder was unconscious. Calder resisted.

Sol fell unconscious, and rolled a nat 1 on a death save (very on brand for caldwell). Callie got polymorphed into a nannerfly. Seeing this through a vision in his helm, Calder offered his body to Ultrus in exchange for the giant saving Callie and Sol. Calder just wanted to be useful. "Perhaps you have a giant's heart after all, Calder Kildé."

After slamming Glen against a wall, Ultrus caused the corrupt Old Folks to flee, and he, Callie, and Sol stood at an impasse. Calder apologized to his friends and Ultrus took him away, into the woods.

Glen then revealed that the only being that might be able to help with their problem of the trapped Old Folks was Mawmaw, but that was impossible, as he had sent his mind-controlled father to kill her.

But Cooter, ever the berry boy, used a goodberry to save Mawmaw, resisting the geas spell, causing him to go unconscious. Cooter's action confuse the hell out of Glen, who cannot believe his father would do that, knowing he would likely not survive it, proving his intense misunderstanding of the Crick and of his father once and for all. Callie and Sol helped revive him, and both he and Mawmaw were safe.

[greenygreenland]

The Floor Is Lava: (Platonic) 501st x Jedi Reader

-saw something about the floor is lava and imagined this in my head at like 3am

-note, you are a jedi padawan of shaak ti’s with your own squad (who are actually my ocs lol). They are called the Nebula Squad (the squad is actually from Wannabe, another one of my Star Wars fanfics)

-basically, you are someone who acts alone (without your master) and goes on special ops missions. you team up with anakin a lot

-CAN BE READ WITHOUT HAVING TO READ WANNABE

Summary: The floor is lava.

Spring came early. Too early. Maybe it was the fact that this planet had short winters, or the fact that you just weren't used to the warm breezes and scorching heat. After being stationed on Hoth for a good two weeks, you adjusted to the climate. With that came the curse of low heat tolerance.

"I'm going to die." you grumbled.

Your mission was in the more civilised (that was how one of your boys put it) regions of the planet. For some strange reason only the Force knew, your ship broke down in the worst place: a deserted village. Why was this the worst place? Because there was no way you could repair a broken ship without spare parts.

And where were spare parts located? In the city you were supposed to land in. Great, just great.

“(Y/n), can’t we contact General Skywalker for assistance?” inquired Nova. “We are supposed to RV with them anyway.”

Nova was your friend and assigned clone Commander. He, like you, had a knack for getting into sticky situations. Usually he was the one with the plan B, not you. “I can ask Grav and Nimbus if they can get a signal out over there.” He pointed to the mountain on your right. It was tall with a jagged top, where thick forests of luscious greenery sprouted out all over.

Yeah, good luck getting through that.

“You mean to tell me there’s no signal here?” you inquired. “Just how remote is this place?” Even with that bucket over Nova’s face, you knew he was frowning and holding back a long sigh. “Intel said--”

“Intel’s always wrong.” cut in a voice. You peered over Nova’s broad shoulders and met gazes with another member of your squad, Icee. He was just as tall as Nova, sporting the Squad’s signature purple stripes and it’s logo--a nebula. Over his shoulder, he held tight to a sniper rifle. The thing was a beauty, as well as his baby.

“The three things you can never trust are the weather forecast, the canteen menu, and intel. Plain and simple, vode.” Icee added. You shook your head, swatting a few mosquitoes away with a wave of your hand. “If that big ‘ol mountain is the only place we can get a signal from, then I say we go. All of us.”

Nova nodded in agreement. He shouldered his pack, adjusted a few straps on his kama and weapons, and motioned for the rest of the squad to move out. “Is there anything we should know about the wildlife here?” he inquired. “My HUD’s picking up the usual birds and rascals. I’d rather not risk it though. Remember Felucia?”

A shiver ran down your spine at the mention of that jungle-hell. Everywhere you walked lay a deadly plant in need of its next meal. They snuck up on you too, striking out of nowhere like the silence of night. Your number one rule there was not to touch anything.

“There are a few carnivorous plants south of here,” answered Nimbus. “Besides that, all we have to worry about are the birds.” You admired the way he was able to brief everyone so quickly. The only other clone you’ve met with such a well of info was Tech, a member of Clone Force 99.

“What do the birds look like?” you inquired. Nimbus scrunched up his face under that bucket of his. “I don’t think you wanna know.” Grav squinted at the screen and pushed his brother’s head with the back of his hand. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but you sensed a lingering annoyance in the air after. 

“What, you scared of some little bird Nimbus?“ he teased. Nimbus wordlessly flipped over his datapad for everyone to see. The screen displayed a large bird-like creature with long fangs covered in drool. Its eyes were beady and bloodthirsty, as if it wanted you to be its next meal.

Nimbus scanned over the heading. “This is a...uh...Kah-rah...Kahl-ram-dah-lahm-dahl...?”

“Kara’dalamb’da.” corrected Storm. He pulled off his helmet, the low ponytail of his fanning out in the warm breezes. “I’ve read about them once. They’re not the type of creatures I’d want to run into. They drag you to their caves, pull you apart limb, and then chew you alive. The worst part is that they don’t eat you.”

Nimbus knitted his brows together. “So we’re like chewing gum to them?”

“Exactly.” Storm affirmed. “They come out at night time, then stay around till dawn before hiding in their caves.” Icee blanched and you couldn’t blame him. You were all heading towards the mountains, where plenty of caves and labyrinths lay. There were probably tons of those Kara-whatevers waiting for their dinner.

You folded your hands together with a tight frown. “Is there another way of getting a signal to Anakin?” George shook his head sadly. You sensed an overwhelming amount of resignation rolling off his shoulders. “No. Even if I tried use long-range comms, it wouldn’t work. There’s too much interfering with the signal.”

There was a chance you could telepathically contact Anakin. He’d answer in an instant and personally come to find you. But that would drain your energy. Your boys needed you more than you needed to contact Ani. If you became dead-weight then it would compromise the mission.

“Alright,” you decided. “We have twelve hours to scale that mountain and hurry our shebs to the ship. If we don’t make it back in time, consider ourselves toast.”

You wished you’d consider yourself toast from the start. If that were the case, then you wouldn’t be running for your life. The mission up was a success. You managed to reach the highest point on the mountain in less than eight hours by ways of a local trail (Nimbus noted that this was a popular tourist spot in autumn). Then you contacted Rex, who promised to RV at the foot of the mountain.

The way down was a different story.

It was dusk when you made your descend. The moon rose into the sky while the sun shied away, and if it weren’t for the boys and their helmet lamps, you wouldn’t have been able to see a thing. At first, the walk back was completely fine. The boys were in good spirits and you weren’t hungry for (favourite food).

But then it didn’t go well.

It wasn’t your fault that you didn’t see the giant jaws of death looming over you, or Nimbus, who started arguing with Grav. Again. It also wasn’t you fault that George so happened to trip over a rock and slam into Sapnap, who tried breaking his fall by grabbing onto Halo’s arm. The three went down together, and with the heavy clanking of katarn-class armour, you were sure the whole animal kingdom heard the show.

And that was how the Nebula Squad found themselves in this mess, fleeing from the horrifying Kara’dalamb’da.

“This is your fault Grav!” cried Nimbus. They bumped heads and it took all your willpower not to join the screaming match. “Shut up,” replied Grav. “You were the one who started it!” Nimbus gritted his teeth. “You who else started this?” he seethed. “Them!” He pointed over his shoulder at Halo, George, and Sapnap. They were the ones who had fallen, after all. Why else did the beast wake up?

“It wasn’t my fault!” cried George. Sapnap scoffed and it was lost to the screech of the oversized bird above. “No one said it was your fault anyway! You just have a guilty conscious!”

You eyed the bird with a sharp scowl. It flew higher, into the haunting light of the moon and across the stars. It gave a great screech again. You covered your ears as a shiver ran down your spine. “Is there any place we can hide from that thing? I’m pretty sure it can smell us from klicks away!”

“That’s correct Commander!” Nimbus congratulated. By the light aura around his shoulders, you guessed him and Grav already made up. They always had petty arguments anyway. “The Kara’dalamb’da has an incredible sense of smell and a wingspan of about ten meters! That’s pretty cool.”

Storm stared at his brother in bewilderment. “How is that cool?” he demanded. “You want to be chop suey for that thing? Be my guest.” Halo laughed a little. You knew he was doing it to shake off his nerves. “Why’d you have to go on and say that? Now I’m going to start singing.”

You scanned the forest. For miles, it seemed to be only forest, wildlife, and bare nature. A flicker of...something cut through your senses. Calculating, at the ready, and deadly. You paused in your step, Storm mimicking you. He met your gaze. “You sense it too?”

“Maybe it’s them.”

You heard them before you saw them.

“Blast that bird out of the sky!”

A squad of 501st troops rustled through the trees. They were silent as the night, save for one trooper who decided to whisper-shout a ‘hi’ to your squad. Their formation, lame as it was, worked in their favour. They raised their blaster, lighting up the sky with bright bolts of blue.

“Can we get a rocket launcher over here?”

“Yes, sir!”

The bird dropped out of the sky with a cry, razor-sharp teeth bared and claws at the ready. It was coming closer, diving faster. You pulled out your lightsaber and thumbed it on.

I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.

You heaved in a deep breath and leapt into the moonlight. Your robes fluttered in the wind, and your hair whipped in arc of (hair colour). It was like you had wings. Time slowed and you raised your lightsaber. It came down in a neat slash across the beast’s neck.

You tumbled through the air and met the ground in a roll. The beast fell behind with a loud THUMP!. You turned off your glowing blade and stashed it away on your belt. The adrenaline keeping your nerves hidden away was slowing, and the realisation that you just murdered a beast settled into your mind.

Part of you wished things could have been different. But what choice did you have?

“Commander!” called Nova, stopping by your side. “Are you okay?” You smiled and he heaved out a sigh of relief. “That was some jump, but now look.” He pointed to your dirt-covered robes. It wasn’t a big deal, but to someone like Nova, it was an issue.

“Here.” Nova helped you dust off the robe with a few pats. “That’s better.”

“Oh, it didn’t look bad.” you stated. He folded his arms across his chest. “That’s what you always say (Y/n).” You grinned and bumped shoulders with him. He replied by playfully shaking his head with a sigh.

A familiar boy made his way towards you. Even through the moonlight struggling through the thick canopies, you saw the chipped blue paint. “Rex,” you greeted. “Thanks for the assistance. Although, I wish you toned it down a bit. You made my squad look like a bunch of young fools.” A loud ‘hey’ sounded from your boys, but you elected to ignore it with a grin.

“Your squad did a phenomenal job in staying alive that long.” Rex said with a chuckle. “And besides, you stole the show in the end. The boys had fun watching your display.” You three shared a warm laugh that reminded you of the sun.

Speaking of sun, was it just you or did it get brighter outside? You looked up to gaze at the moon. It still stood high in the sky, just as before. The stars were out too, bright and clear as ever. So why had the temperature risen so quickly? It was at least another eight hours till dawn. That was more than enough time for the moon to stay out.

A scattered cluster of birds flew from out of the trees. Was it just you or was the forest getting really silent? Owls refused to hoot, those kara-whatevers weren’t screeching from their caves, and crickets stopped chirping their calming songs.

“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!”

“I TOLD YOU IT WAS HERE!”

“I THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE SOUTH!”

You spun around so fast that you could have gotten whiplash. Sapnap, George, and Halo sprinted from out of the thick trees with their helmet lights on the highest setting. You squinted behind them. Something had to be chasing them, otherwise they wouldn’t be sprinting like track stars.

But you didn’t see any deadly animals, nor did you sense them. All that was left was an...

...an eerie silence.

You thought back to the briefing. Back to the meeting you nearly fell asleep in. If it weren’t for Icee kicking your feet every now and then, then you would have passed out completely.

“On this outer rim planet, I suggest you be careful,” Obi-wan had said. “The locals reported the activity of volcanoes erupting unexpectedly. They believe it has to do with an angry spirit plaguing their land, but we’ve found out the Separatists have a hand behind this.”

“Do you know where these volcanoes are, General Kenobi?” inquired Grav. He shook his head. “No, but I’m sure you won’t have to know. The city under siege is our main objective. You will rendezvous with Anakin there.”

Sapnap, George, and Halo motioned for everyone to move. There was a flicker of movement behind them. Fives emerged from the bushes in a frantic sort of panic. “LAVA!” he cried. “THE FLOOR IS LITERALLY LAVA!”

That was all it took for everyone to run. As uncoordinated as the retreat was, having lava behind you wasn’t exactly something anyone could stay calm about. The glowing magma was faster than it was supposed to be, and you had a feeling it was because it had a nice flow coming out of the planet’s core.

“Talk about an intense game of ‘the floor is lava’!” Hardcase shouted with a laugh. Jesse ‘pffted’. “I thought being chased by lava would be worse! This isn’t nearly as bad as last mission!”

Last mission? Oh, what was Ani doing to these poor souls? Your shoulders slumped in defeat. They were so nonchalant. How? Burning to death in lava was said to be the most painful death, and you’d rather not be Gollum in his last moments on Mount Doom.

“Why don’t you turn that frown upside down?” inquired Fives. You hadn’t even realised he’d caught up with you. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s just a bit of lava!”

You threw a hand over your shoulder and pointed to the glowing, hot mass. It burned through everything it touched. A fire was beginning to catch too, and all the smoke and ash from it wasn’t doing you any good. “Just a bit of lava? Well how would you feel running into that?”

“I don’t know!” he retorted. “Never tried it!”

“If you did, then you’d be dead!” Kix shouted. You face-palmed. “That’s a bit of a no-brainer!” Fives pulled off his helmet. The grin smacked upon his lips didn’t leave. “Who’s up for a round of ‘the floor is lava’?”

“Me!” said Jesse.

“And me!” added Hardcase.

“You guys need to cool it.” Kix said. “But don’t leave me out, I want to play too.”

You let out a long sigh. The 501st may have saved your skin today, but tomorrow? They’d probably get you killed.

TIP JAR <--- (if you’re feeling nice)

[uponrightful]

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

✨Fanfic Ask Game✨

(sorry this is long, but I know you won't mind too much)

Excerpt From: "Welcome Company" Part 2

The girl poured a fresh cup of caf, smiling at the buzzed, blonde sitting sleepily across the bar from her. Rex had made a surprise visit, more than a week ahead of schedule with more than enough stories to keep her busy and listening for a full weekend. It was one of her favorite things, to sit and sip caf while hearing about the -less gruesome- details of her trooper’s missions.

“-It was hell back there, but at least Anakin didn’t need reinforcements like last time.” Rex shook his head in slight frustration.

A this point she knew about all of the Generals, and almost knew all the clones by name. Of course many had come to see her, but putting names to faces wasn’t always easy. She found that putting names to tattoos and personalities was easiest.

As long as they show their personality.

“I’m glad you survived the Generals antics. Otherwise I wouldn’t get my updates so willingly.” She couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of asking Cody to talk about things so willingly. Of course Fives would be willing, but the quality of information was a whole other battle to fight.

“I’ll always come back, as long as you’ve got hot caf on drip.” Rex chuckled, taking a hearty drink from his mug. “I heard through the barracks that you played host to a new guest?”

She smiled almost absentmindedly, looking towards the rocking chair that had sat absent since Commander Wolffe’s overnight stay two weeks ago. “Yes, I did.”

“Angry bastard, isn’t he?” He commented with a light jeer, readjusting himself on the barstool he sat on.

I need to get bigger ones… they’re all too small for the boys.

“I don’t know what to think of him just yet.” She mused, tracing her finger around the lips of her mug, letting the steam coat her fingertips in a dewy sheen. “We didn’t particularly meet.” The look on Rex’s face changed with the drop of a hat, causing her to almost stutter in the attempt to rephrase herself. Whatever he’d heard, apparently didn’t meet up with her divulged information.

“I- I mean we didn’t speak.” She tried her best not to let her anxiety show, but that dreadful stutter had reared its ugly head. “I us-used signs to help him through the house.”

“You wrote out signs?” Rex parroted her with an incredulous expression, seemingly trying to piece together an image of what her nights must’ve looked like hiding from Wolffe and creeping down hallways without him catching sight of her. “Let me see them.”

She nodded timidly, still trying to gain back her confidence after realizing that Rex wasn’t actually mad. In one of the least-squeaky cabinets under the sink, she retrieved one of the black signs, and the chalk that she used to write the signs. Sliding them across the island, her gaze focused on Rex’s softening expression. Her remaining anxiety was slowly dissipating.

“You’re a special kind of patient, you know that?” Rex ran his finger over the white chalk, looking up at her under thick, dark eyelashes.

“He just seemed like the type who would want a different kind of love.” She shrugged her shoulders, feeling her face heat with embarrassment. It was easy to watch from behind the corners of her house, and enjoy to unguarded expressions of her warriors. But hearing any praise directly to her face was almost pure torture.

“All I’ve heard is when the Commander stepped back on base he looked like a brand new man. Even Cody was talking about how Wolffe’s armor looked better than the day he got it re-painted.” Rex paused to take another slug of his caf. “I haven’t seen the Commander… but I’m sure you gave him a kriffing good polish didn’t you?” He chuckled again, taking another hard look at the sign sitting in front of him. “I imagine the poor sap was standing up straighter than a rod with all the attention he got from you.”

“His were particularly rough… but nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t fix.” She retrieved the signs and put it back it it’s place under the sink. “I did use a little epoxy to fill In some particularly deep scratches.”

Rex gave her a wide smile and motioned for her to come over with an arm stretched out. She obliged, and placed herself within arm’s reach so he could pull her into a tight hug. He settled his chin on top of her head, giving a few quick squeezes just to explain all the things she knew Rex couldn’t say. For all the things the Captain could say, the girl knew that many of her boys were unable to speak though many of the things they felt. Instead, they liked touch.

At first, she’d been quite unwilling to oblige them. Feeling much too insignificant to be anyone that deserved any real attention from such important men. But after almost two years, hugs and the occasional request for head scratches or a haircut had become almost essential to her services. Even Rex hadn’t been keen on physical attention towards anyone but his brothers, however that changed after a few terrible nights spent way too late at 79’s. A particularly bloody battle left him beaten and bruised in more ways than one. And instead of coming straight to her, he’d found the door to 79’s and the bottom of a bottle of fire whiskey first. Two days of close attention and a true moment of vulnerability later, Rex became more than a regular. He practically cornered his own room at her house, where she was almost always on call for late-night or early-morning planet-side landings.

“You want him to come back don’t you?” Rex’s voice sounded muffled in her hair.

“I don’t want anything. You know that Rex.” He hugged her tighter with both arms this time, letting out a rough sigh.

“You’re more than deserving of whatever your little heart desires. Maker knows that… and if they don’t, well. I’d be more than happy to let them know.” They both chuckled, and split apart to take another drink of caf.

Only now that question still hung in the air. It wasn’t that she didn’t want the Commander to come back. But honestly, she couldn’t seem to distinguish what exactly she wanted to give him. Or whether or not Rex was talking about the Commander when he’d been oh-so willing to remind them of her own importance. Either option was enough to make her stomach knot. The girl always wanted to give, but had -according to Rex- a bad habit of never taking anything in return. But doing what she did for the troopers, allowed her the opportunity to do just that. The men hardly had anything to give, except a heartfelt thanks upon leaving. And she didn’t have to do anything but help. No transaction if the troopers didn’t desire it, and even then it was always guided by the understanding that they didn’t owe her anything.

“I want to be good.” She smiled, sounding like a broken record to Rex.

“I don’t know how I can make it any more obvious.” He sighed. “I’ve told you hundreds of times that you’re the Guardian Angel of me, and my vod.”

The girl felt another rise of heat in her face.

“Wolffe will come back. I’m sure of it.” Rex continued, “If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll never want to leave this place.”

This right here is probably some of my favorite dialogue I've written. Honestly, I don't think I write it well but the feelings I got while writing this made the whole scene that much more special overall. I loved writing for Rex in the 'big brother' sense. Rex is such a sweetheart, and the entire conversation was so very easy to write. Organic conversation is challenging for me normally, and for whatever reason -I think it's these two characters really- that made everything jive really well. Like I said, It's really nothing groundbreaking. But I'm proud of little-ole-me for doing it anyways.☺️

Thank you for asking me doll, you never fail to make me smile. 🥰

Much Love, Rightful 🤍

[neerasrealm]

The Slender Mansion Cats

Absolutely nobody asked for this post but my brother's cat decided to climb over me at 6 in the morning and keep me awake till I had school, so I had plenty of time to think about Slender and his army of stray cats. So here's some of the notable/recurring ones

Romeo

Slender's first cat. He's the favourite, and Slender dotes on him and treats him like a prince. Slender says he got his first cat back in the 50s, and nobody is quite sure if Romeo is 70+ years old or part of a long line of cats named Romeo. He is a white ragdoll cat and has a polite temperament. Unlike most of the other cats, he only meows when greeting someone or asking for food. (Romeo was made by @dragongirl2 !!)

Tybalt

LJ's cat. Tybalt is a ginger Bengal cat that hates everyone that isn't LJ. This includes other cats. LJ always laughs it off and lets Tybalt just rest on his chest or shoulder. Everyone hates Tybalt. Surprisingly LJ managed to train him to be nice to the birds and rodents he keeps in his room. How he did that is a mystery. (Tybalt was also created by @dragongirl2 )

Captain Pirate

Most often referred to as Sally’s cat, Captain Pirate (or just Captain for short), is a small grey tabby maine coon. He has one eye, which is how he got his name. Slender tried to rehome him, as he often does with strays, but nobody wanted him so the mansion kept him. He’s a very calm and snuggly little thing, and pretty much everyone spoils him. (Captain Pirate got his full name when I was talking with a mutual. I think it was either @acciopanziku or @rottingmolars)

Grinny

Grinny cat is not technically a mansion cat, rather he comes and goes pretty much everywhere. He stays at the mansion for random amounts of time, then disappears randomly for equally random amounts of time. He’s a hellcat, and nobody knows quite how he came into existence. Sometimes he shows up in Zalgo’s realm, sometimes he shows up in Greece or a pet shelter in Canada, and sometimes he even shows up at The Operator’s shack. Doby and Toby like seeing him and often feed and pet him as much as they can. Grinny is the only cat Smile dog doesn’t get along with.

Paintbrush

Paintbrush is a black egyptian mau with a very gentle temperment. She’s Helen’s cat, and likes being around him almost constantly. She enjoys lounging on his bed while he paints. She is very quiet and cuddly, and enjoys pets and the occasional treat. It’s not uncommon to see Helen walking around the house with Paintbrush riding on his shoulders. Helen likes to speak to her in Japanese after a long day, and she often meows back at him like she understands.

Brian, Alex & Jay

A trio of American shorthair cats Tim adopted as kittens. Brian is a chubby ginger cat who enjoys napping on chairs, Tim’s bed, and trying to steal snacks from people’s hands. Alex is a skinny grey cat that likes screaming for food and scratching anyone that answers his cries for affection, including Tim. Jay is also grey and skinny. He likes running away from people and staring at walls. Jay is a very nervous cat and it’s not uncommon to see Tim carrying (or chasing) him around looking tired. He acts like the cats get on his nerves but in reality he loves them all dearly.

Missile Launcher

Jokingly named after her love of leaping off things and at people, missile launcher is a black and white devon rex cat who enjoys running around for no apparent reason. She's constantly charging up and down hallways, leaping off shelves and trying to hitch rides on people's shoulders. Jeff and Ben were responsible for her name, and she refuses to answer to anything else, much to Slender's dismay.

Sweetie

Sweetie is a black and grey lykoi cat. Sweetie was the runt of his litter, but that didn't stop him from being immediately adopted the moment Jeff and Liu found him on the street. Sweetie is a very affectionate cat who likes to play with toys. Particularly things he can swat at with his claws. He also highly enjoys riding on shoulders and being held. Liu has a big soft spot for him and always gives him tons of scratches when he wanders into his room. Jeff and Liu share him. If you haven't seen a lykoi cat before please look it up they're literally my favorite cat breed 🥺

Death, Famine, War & Pestilence

Four siamese cats from the same litter. EJ names them after the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Why? He just thought it would be funny. Surprisingly the cats live up to their names. They are loud and will fight one another if left alone. Death and War are particularly aggressive with one another. Famine likes to screech for food when he just ate and Pestilence- actually pestilence doesn't do much of anything except sleep. The only time the four of them will get along is around EJ, in which case they will just crowd around his feet and meow loudly up at him.

I drafted this post like 3 weeks ago and I'm only getting to post it now smh. I might make a part two to this if I think of more possible cats HFJDHSHE. Just know there's a lot of them around. Like. A lot. Slender has a problem.