#breaking my silence… i do not like the tinted visor…….

[snakesanderson]

the highs and lows of sens hockey

[pastelraccoons]

Sulemio Week 24 has begun! Here is my first contribution for the prompt: Horror.

(If you would rather read this on AO3, you can do so here!)

An eerie silence pressed down on Miorine. No sound could be heard except for her heavy breaths and the slight groans coming from her injured father atop the floating stretcher. Her fingers ached from how hard she gripped the handles of it. Her eyes soon flicked down to look over her father.

Sweat clung to his forehead. His eyes were clenched shut in pain. The muscles in his jaw twitched from how hard he grit his teeth together. Miorine could see red staining the blanket she hastily draped over him.

“I'll save you.” Miorine said in a low voice. “Just so I can curse you in your hospital bed!”

“Found you, Delling Rembran!”

An unknown voice made her straighten her posture and put her on high alert. Miorine soon found herself staring straight down a gun's barrel. She couldn't see the face of the man holding the weapon past the dark tinted visor of his helmet.

Miorine swallowed, and a bead of cold sweat rolled down the back of her neck. She pushed against the stretcher and used her body to shield her only family as the mysterious man continued to approach. He was saying something, but she couldn't even hear her heart beating anymore. She clenched her eyes shut, ready for the bang.

The silence broke with a deafening crash. Aerial burst through the wall in a cloud of dust and debris. The man gasped and aimed his weapon towards Aerial instead. Time slowed to a crawl.

“Oh no you don't!” Suletta's voice pulled Miorine back to reality. Without warning, Aerial’s hand slammed down.

Crimson erupted from beneath its palm and between its fingers. A warm splat hit Miorine’s cheek when a dismembered arm drifted past her head to thump against the wall. Her hands trembled and gripped the stretcher tighter.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the glowing eyes of Aerial.

It was just a cold, heartless machine of destruction. Just like her father said.

Its eyes suddenly glowed a bright red. It lifted its hand up with a metallic creak. Viscera stretched between its fingers and the floor before breaking away. Blood and bone floated aimlessly through the air thanks to the low gravity. The scent of copper filled Miorine's senses.

Her eyes widened in terror. She stared up at the sticky hand casting a shadow over her. Aerial reached out, its palm hovering over Miorine and her father. Adrenaline flooded her veins, but fear kept her bolted to the spot. Aerial's hand started to quickly slam down towards her and-

“No!”

Miorine jerked upright with a gasp. Her chest heaved with frantic pants. A cold sweat covered her face and neck that caused her hair to uncomfortably stick to her skin. It took her a moment to calm down enough to realize it was a dream. Her hands shook when she gripped the sheets over her legs.

“Miorine?” Suletta's soft, worried voice broke through her panic. Miorine turned to her right to see Suletta shuffling upright to prop herself up against the headboard. Concern shone clearly in her eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“I… I'm fine, dear.” Miorine breathed a sigh of relief. “It was just a nightmare.”

“What about? You can tell me, if you think it'll help.”

“Well…” Miorine picked at a loose thread on the sheets. “It was when you saved me at Plant Quetta. Aerial was… Was about to kill me.”

Suletta hummed in thought before she reached over and draped an arm around Miorine's shoulders. Without another word, she pulled Miorine against her.

Miorine welcomed the comforting embrace. She eagerly tucked herself against Suletta's side and rested her head on her chest. Suletta ran her fingers through Miorine's hair.

“I'd never mean to hurt you,” Suletta whispered. She pressed a light kiss against the top of Miorine's head. “And I'd never let anyone else hurt you. Ever.”

Miorine's frantic heartbeat began to settle. She curled up closer against Suletta's side, drinking in her warmth. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, then opened them again.

When she did, the little light in their bedroom caught on her wedding ring. Miorine turned her hand around to admire it then smiled to herself. She slowly adjusted herself until she was able to look up at Suletta.

Suletta tilted her head slightly with curiosity. Miorine caressed Suletta's cheek in her hand. She drank in the warmth against her palm. Her thumb traced along one of the scars stretched across Suletta’s skin before she hummed herself. Without another word, she leaned up to press a light kiss against Suletta's lips.

“I love you,” she muttered into the small space between them. “And I know you'd never hurt me.”

“I love you too.” Suletta smiled and returned the loving gesture.

A comfortable silence settled between them when Miorine relaxed into Suletta’s hold. She laid her head on Suletta's chest and instead focused on her heartbeat. Her fear had melted away without her even noticing.

She closed her eyes and let herself drift back to sleep, now only dreaming of the pleasant days ahead of them.

[treesnutsandleaveswrites]

Rescue Mission

Pairing: The Bad Batch x Reader (Polyam)

Summary: The Batch agrees to help Hera save her parents; you encounter a familiar face

Warning: angst, TW: PTSD episode, TW: panic/anxiety attack, mentions of shooting and violence

Word Count: 2048

A/N: Won't be updating constantly, but sorry for keeping you all waiting

pt xvi, pt xviii

XXXXXXX

You and the Batch were looking over the city's capitol, trying to figure out what’s going on. You looked through one of your sniper scopes, having detached it from your rifle, and observed the heavily guarded area. Some people started to gather as Admiral Rampart made an announcement, which you listened to through Chopper’s satellite.

“Citizens of Ryloth, the shocking attack of your beloved Senator has left you shaken, but Orn Free Taa’s condition continues to improve and he will make a full recovery. The perpetrators of this heinous assasination attempt have been captured…”

Hunter looked up from his binoculars and over to Hera, “Assasination attempt?”

Hera shook her head, “That’s not what happened.”

You looked at Hunter for a moment before Omega spoke up.

“Hunter… Crosshair’s here.”

You took in a sharp breath as you looked through your scope and saw his familiar baster rifle and him in his new Imperial armor.

“Great. Just what we need!” Wrecker grumbled.

Hunter then gestured for the boys to huddle, so you took a bit to watch Crosshair before turning the girls.

“Keep an eye on the Capitol.” You ordered Omega and Hera, then put on your helmet before joining the boys.

“Ryloth’s not a separatist planet.” Echo said mid-coversation.

“Exactly my point.” Tech stated and went on about who knows what. You tried to listen to him, but you could see a change in Hunter’s demeanor.

“Wait here.” Hunter ordered as he rushed off.

You waited with the others before an Imperial probe droid came crashing down near all of you.

“Oh good… a probe droid.” Tech sighed.

“The Empire will know we’re here.” Echo announced.

“And so will Crosshair.” You said in unison with Hunter.

“Let’s move.” Hunter ordered, so everyone started following. Hera took a moment before being pulled by Omega with Chopper behind them. You were near frozen in your spot due to the thought of possibly reuniting with Crosshair. Echo was near the back, trying to make sure no one was left behind. He turned and saw you still in your place, then he went to you before grasping your hand tight.

“We can’t stay, mesh’la.” He insisted, which caused you to nod and follow him back to the Marauder.

You sat of the Marauder’s steps as the Batch talked with Hera.

“I told you… no guarantees. We’ll get you off world and take you somewhere safe.”

“Wait! Please!” Hera pulled at Hunter, “I’ll pay you double!”

“No money in the galaxy will matter if we’re dead! What you’re asking us to do is not worth the risk.”

Hera took a moment to look at him, “Not to you.” She rushed off. The boys started to head to the Marauder, but Omega stayed back.

“You shouldn’t have said that!”

“Being strategic means knowing your limitations, Omega.”

“She’s trying to save her family! I would do the same for you.” Omega retorted before following Hera. Hunter took a moment to process her words before turning towards the ship and seeing you still sitting on the steps. You hadn’t taken off your helmet since you got back to the base, but Hunter could sense the rigidness of your stature. He crouched down in front of you and placed his hands on either side of your helmet before gently lifting it from your head. You were pale and had tear streaks staining your cheeks. Hunter was surprised at first, but came to realise what was wrong. It was similar to your small episode in the fresher just recently. You were suffering from plasma shock… Hunter placed your helmet to the side and carefully caressed your wet skin.

“I know, cyare… I know…” He whispered before picking up your helmet, then hooking an arm around your waist to help you onto the cruiser. He sat you down and stood between your legs with his face in your hands. He did his best to coax you through the process of a plasma shock episode and made sure his attention was undivided just in case anything else happened. Once he sensed your calm breathing and heart rate, he moved away.

“I’ll be right back… just take your time, my love.” He hooked your chin endearingly before heading to the cockpit. You stay seated for a bit before Omega and Hera rushed onto the ship, straight into the cockpit. You were about the get up to see what was happening, but then D-5 rolled over to you quickly and bumped your foot.

“Star! S-s-s-star!”

You smiled weakly before picking him up and looking at him, “You haven’t broken anything have you?”

“All-all better!”

You hummed before placing him down and following his trail as he rolled into the cockpit. Yo stood at the threshold as Hunter spoke.

“Alright, you two go with Chopper as back up, but at a distance.”

The girls got excited, which caused Tech to speak up.

“By themselves?”

“Tech, Wrecker, wait until those canons are down, then move in. Echo and I will scale the Capitol wall and free Hera’s parents.” He looked down at Hera, “I guess we’re following your lead!”

Omega saw you at the threshold and grinned, “Did you hear that, Lodestar?”

You nodded with a smile, “Yeah. I know you’re just getting started with this mission stuff, but you’ve got clone blood in you. Just be careful, okay?” You approached her and cupped her face.

“Where will you be?” Hera wondered with excitement in her eyes.

“I’ll join Hunter and Echo at the Capitol. Freeing people is my thing, remember?”

Everyone looked to each other before dispersing to prepare.

*******

You walked cautiously with Hunter and Echo, approaching the walls of the Capitol. You nodded to Hunter as you all readied to scale the wall. Hunter crouched, offering you a boost before helping Echo and then jumping up himself. It was a fairly quick process and you climbed over the dursateel parapet as Hunter took out one of the guards. The other looked over the wall at Echo.

“A little help?”

Hunter got his attention as you looked at the small map of the Capitol you had downloaded through your holopad connected to your armor on your wrist. The others looked over to you before you nodded and gestured to the direction you should be going. The three of you arrived to the detention level and took out the guards then you found the cells before freeing those enclosed in them.

“What are you doing here?” Gobi Glie asked as he looked at all of you.

“Breaking you out.” Hunter explained.

“You know them?” Another male twi’lek asked who must have been Hera’s father.

“They are mercenaries, but I did not hire them for this.”

“Hera did.” Hunter stated.

“Hera? Where is she? Is she safe?” Her father asked.

Echo chuckled, “With Omega and Chopper? Let’s hope so.”

You were looking through your map again, “We should go soon, troops will be heading to the refinery by now.”

Hunter nodded before following you away from the detention level to find a safe exit. Everyone rushed down the halls but you stopped.

“What is it, Lodestar?”

“This… this is too easy.” You whispered.

“We have to go.” Cham insisted.

“No, no, I’m going to double back… see if the courtyard is clear.”

“That’s not the plan.” Hunter said sternly.

“Crosshair knows we’re here. He knows how we think. He isn’t a fool.” You argued, “I’d rather have one of us caught or killed than these innocent people we’re helping. I’m going to check the courtyard.”

You rushed away from the group before taking a detour for the upper wall again. There were troopers scouting out the exit, so you pulled out your blaster and stunned them before making your way around to get a better look. There was an overhead view on the farside of the courtyard where you could use your rifle just in case things went south. As you rushed over, you could see troopers lining up with shields and blasters, ready to attack the front gates.

“Hunter, do you copy?”

“I copy. We were just warned, we’re heading for Senator Taa’s private quarters. There’s a ship waiting there. Rendezvous back with the group.”

You stopped, eyeing a figure at the overview, “Go on without me. I’ll meet you back at the base.”

“Lode-”

You silenced your comm before pulling out the dagger you had sheathed in an underarm leather pocket. You approached carefully, trying not to make any noise. As you were getting past them, a shot near misses you. They approached out of the shadows and your heart froze. The person waiting there was Crosshair himself.

“So… Hunter has found another replacement.” He sneered through the modulator of his helmet. Your heart was pounding in your ears as he stopped just a few feet away.

“Silent too… How original.”

You gripped your dagger before sheathing it and standing there looking at him through the dark visor of your helmet.

“However, fairly stupid. Nothing like me.”

Says the one doing the Empire’s dirty work.

You took a step back as he raised his rifle again.

“At least give me a challenge.” He groaned, “You have no idea how good I am with a moving target.”

But you do…

You clenched your fist before rushing towards him and knocking the rifle out of his hands. He grunted before grasping your shoulders and tossing you into the wall. He approached you, looming over your body before pulling you by a piece of your armor and leaning you over the ledge, looking over you.

“You’re holding back… some soldier you are.” He commented quietly before taking your blaster from your belt and raising it up to the side of your helmet. Your breathing was fast and your whole body was shaking, but you still managed to raise your arm and take off your helmet quickly. Everything grew silent as he looked at you through the tinted green visor of his Imperial helmet. He dropped the arm holding your blaster and loosened his grip.

“How…”

You shoved him away forcefully before kicking the blaster out of his hands and picking it up, then shooting his rifle so it couldn’t fire. You then rushed away as he was down, making your way back to the base.

*******

It was nearly sun up when you arrived back to the valley where the base was. Omega was waiting with the Batch and Hera when she saw you. She ran up to you and hugged your midriff tight.

“I was scared you got captured by the Empire.” She admitted.

“I’m alright. Just had to make sure everyone was safe…” You replied before looking up at the others.

“We’re heading south to another city, away from Imperial scanners.” Tech explained as you approached the Marauder with her. You nodded, avoiding Hunter’s eyes and following Omega as she and Hera pulled you onto the ship.

You all arrived at the hangar of the small city before Hunter talked with Hera’s parents and the Batch was gathered around with Hera, occupying themselves. You stood to the side, still thinking about Crosshair.

“Lodestar.” Cham called and you looked up before approaching, “It has been an honor finally meeting you and working alongside you. We are all familiar with the work you have done.”

You nodded politely before Hera was called, so you walked away towards the Marauder. It was only a few minutes before the others joined you. You all filed onto the ship, but before Tech and Echo could go to the cockpit, Hunter stopped them and they all turned to you.

“What were you thinking?” Hunter pressed, crossing his arms over his chest, “You almost sabotaged the whole mission.”

You didn’t say anything, looking at him while he talked.

“You risked being caught by the Empire, Lodestar, don’t you understand that?”

You gave him a curt nod, seeing Omega’s worried eyes in your peripherals.

“Next mission, you’re staying on the ship--maybe even stay behind on Ord Mantell.” He ordered, before walking back to the cockpit. His brothers protested while following after him, but Omega stayed with you in the main Hangar.

“Lodestar? Are you alright?”

You looked at her with a nod before she went to sit as the ship started to take off.

XXXXXXX

Taglist: @darkangel4121

@lightning-wolffe

@alucas528

@rintheemolion

@shadowfoxey

@butch-medusae

@gabile18

@incandescentlywarm

@echo-is-worth-more-than-2000

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[spoopyredacted]

unheavenly creatures

chapter six

clan leader mand’alor!din x shayr’la(ofc) 1.1k

description: angst 😬 sorry?

a/n: @tiffdawg is my lifesaver. @colesterstrudel lets me send her angst and then she yells at me about it.

masterlist / pinterest / ao3

chapter one / chapter five

———

Why does it hurt?

Because you love her.

———

A soft knock reverberates through the room and Shayr’la doesn’t know if she has the strength to answer it. Luckily she doesn’t have to wait long before the Mand’alor enters the room, helmet tilted in worry. 

The crackle of the vocoder warns her before he speaks. “Cyare, are you alright?” 

She looks up to him but can’t answer, can’t voice what the message has said. Her throat is tight and voice is broken. She feels tears welling up again in her eyes as her gaze dances across helmet. Unable to voice what was said in the message, she presses play instead and lets the blue image deliver the blow.

She turns away when the coughing starts. Attempting to block out the noise as dread wells up inside her.

He’s stoic as the message plays and remains that way until after it ends.

Long shadows stretch across the floor as the sun sets and Shayr’la can’t drag her eyes away from watching them slowly grow in length. Not wanting to break the silence. Not afraid of him per say, but afraid of how he could change her mind.

Make her stay.

With him.

The silence is finally broken with a question. And then a tirade. 

“How— how can they ask for you?”

“They left you here.”

“And now they feel bad and they reach out to you. They just want your sympathy, love.”

“Ka’ra, they don’t deserve it.” 

“They don’t deserve your kindness and they don’t deserve you.”

The Mand’alor stops, realizing he has been rambling and letting his anger get to him. But he can feel the pent up frustration begin to boil and he knows if he does not get control over himself soon he will say something he regrets.

How could they ask this of her?  

It’s unfair.  

Shayr’la hasn’t said a word the entire time. The Mand’alor finally looks back to where she sits. Her eyes are bloodshot and rimmed red. She wipes at her cheeks, brushing away the tears that have fallen. 

Taking a deep breath he asks, “Do you want to go?” 

The whispered question hits her in the gut, filling her with dread. She doesn’t want to look up. Can’t. She doesn’t want to face the way heartache washes over him. To see the melancholy set in his shoulders. So she keeps her eyes cast down, focusing on her hands, twisting together in worry and anguish. 

And soon to be regret.

The Mand’alor stands before her, awaiting her decision and hoping that she will refuse them. That she will want to stay here. Stay here with him. That she will say they don’t have that kind of hold on her anymore. 

But the silence almost kills him. 

A step closer. 

He reaches out to her, tilting her head up to face him. His hand engulfs the entire side of her face and he thumbs at her bottom lip, gently prying it from the clutches of her teeth.

“Ka’ra, answer me.”

She stares into the tinted visor that is always somehow mocking her, showing her her own reflection and never the face she wants to see. She can never see, she knows this. And yet it still hurts when she catches herself longing to know the shape of his brow, or the curve of his nose and the plushness of his lips. She wants to trace over the dusting of facial hair she just knows he keeps, and she desperately wants to drag her nails along his scalp, figuring out all the noises he would make as she digs in. 

But she can’t. She can’t.

He tilts her head more, not allowing her to turn away, she knows he wants an answer and he won’t let her go without one. 

She knows the answer, it’s right on the tip of her tongue. But if she says it.

If she says it.

“Yes—” Shayr’la takes a shuddering inhale and looks up, unknowingly making direct eye contact, “Yes, I have to go back.”

His heart shatters.

Feels it clench and drop right to the floor.

He can’t breathe. He can’t think.

“You… you want to go back?” The barely there question lingers between them. Like something heavy and old, and now immovable.

Like something they both thought they were over.

The Mand’alor drops his hand from her face and takes a step back, turning from her. 

Turning from his wife.

“Okay.” The broken whisper of his voice breaks into her heart and crawls its way inside, burrowing deep. “If that is what you wish.” 

His back straightens and becomes rigid and as he acknowledges her answer… her choice, her choice, he wants to shut down and retreat.

But he won’t let himself. Not yet.

He’ll save that for later in the safety of his room. 

Will she come back?

He wants her to. 

But then he gets scared. And he gets mad. Rage filling his mind, slowly letting it consume him. He knows he needs to leave, he needs to walk out the room and not look back before his mouth says something it doesn’t mean.

“But tell me Ka’ra, answer me this, do you really wish to go back? Back to your Elders? Or are you letting them guilt you into going back?” There's a bite to his words— in his voice— he doesn’t know how to control it.

Stop.

“Because of some sort of honor that you feel towards them?” 

Stop before it’s too late. Before you hurt her.

“Because you feel like you owe them your time? Your attention. You don’t owe them anything, they don’t care for you, they never cared for you.”

There it is.

“Not like we do.”

“Not like I do.”

The sentence is out of his mouth before he even realizes it. Spit out through clenched teeth and cracked lips. Mixed with anger and passion and yearning.

I love you.

The thought surprises him. And yet it doesn’t at the same time. But the words get caught in his throat. In his chest. On the way up to his lips yet they never part to let them free. 

Shayr’la whispers, “You don’t mean that.”

“Do not presume to know how I feel Ka’ra,” The Mand’alor snaps at her. His outburst caught her off guard.

He's in front of her now, lost pacing in the left over fury of his emotions. A heavy rasp crackles through his helmet as he catches his breath and attempts to quell his anger.

Tension and unspoken words lay heavy between them. Of things left unsaid. And will remain unsaid. 

“I said you may go. So please—” 

A gloved hand comes into view; soft and broken in. 

Trembling.

It comes close. So close. 

Like a reflection of themselves.

An almost. 

But it doesn’t finish. He doesn’t commit and she doesn’t meet him; The both of them not allowing themselves to transpire. A moment happens, something fragile, delicate, cracked, before it could even begin. 

“—please, love...”

A tear falls. 

“Go.”

[arbythel117]

Come For A Walk - A Prompt Fill

This was a prompt from @faerhardyn-the-raging-ethereal :) Thanks for it, and sorry it took me so long to finish it ❤

Prompt: Thel notices the subtle shaking in John’s hands as he watches him converse to Blue Team and Halsey. He notices the shaking even when the Spartan thinks that not all attention is on him. Thel knows the man is hurting so when the sun is down on Sanghelios he searches for the man, to converse and comfort him.

---

The more time Thel spent around the Spartan, the more he learned about his subtle gestures and body language. The way he subtly tilts his head when he’s listening closely to others, that even though he’s stood straight that he’s relaxed, or how he communicates with his teammates with a lot of hand signals Thel had learned over time what they had meant. John had taught him what a Spartan smile was, because it couldn’t be seen under the tinted visors they wore, and that had been a groundbreaking moment for their relationship, drawing them ever closer to each other. Sometimes, Thel returned the gesture.

The one thing he noticed about John over anything else though, was how much his hands always just barely shook.

He couldn’t recall if it was always like that when they had first met, he was never too focused on the Spartan back then, only trying to keep peace with him and their mutual allies after leaving the Covenant, but as they grew together, he began to notice it. From just watching him walk around, to when he’s relaxed or eating. The only time Thel hasn’t seen it happen is when John was on the battlefield. The man was always fully focused, and his aim steady and true, unwavering.

Thel didn’t know if it was just nerves causing it, from excitement of the next mission, or his feelings, which he believed to be the more likely case. He needed to get John alone sometime and talk to him about it. He wasn’t even sure John was aware he did it.

He could see it again now, from where he was working, overlooking a balcony in his Keep, seeing John and his team with Halsey just a distance away outside.

He quite liked the Blue Team, and they were quick to accept the blooming relationship between him and John, if a bit skeptical at first. Kelly always seemed to be the most laid back of them, and he could see it now, the way she casually leaned against a tall boulder. Fred was second in command, a bit more serious, having his armored arms crossed over his chest. Linda never spoke much, very similar to John in that regard, but she was always one to get straight to the point when it mattered. She stood there with her sniper rifle in hand that he had never seen her without. It had freaked out many Sangheili originally when they had first come to Thel’s planet, but quickly learned she wasn’t a threat at all. He assumed it was something that made her feel safe on what was an unknown planet to her, surrounded by who used to be enemies.

And then there was John. The human had his back turned to him, standing straight as he usually did, but it was clear he was comfortable in the presence of his team and the doctor. Despite it, with his arms hanging at his sides, his hands shook. But almost as if John had sensed him watching, those same hands clenched into fists mere moments later to stop it.

Thel only watched for a few more seconds before letting out a sigh, and turning, seeing Rtas looking at him. They were working together on some of their Keeps paperwork before the former got distracted by the Spartan.

“You are worried about him.” Rtas commented, speaking in their native tongue, concern present in his orange colored eyes.

Thel was quiet, his mandibles shut closed, before he slowly nodded his head and let it hang slightly. “Yes.” He answered, then looked back out at Blue Team. He didn’t know what they were speaking about, most stuff was classified between them but sometimes John told the Sangheili about it. “He’s been through too much recently. I can see he keeps everything bottled inside.” Thel said.

The most recent event the Spartan had to endure through was losing Cortana. She had been a best friend to him, someone the Spartan could rely on through thick and thin until she became rampant. John had to personally put her down, he refused to let anyone else touch her, and Thel could tell it had affected him a lot. The way the other had been more withdrawn than usual lately, more quietly spoken or not speaking at all. He’s been hurting.

“You should speak to him.” Rtas said, putting a clawed, four-fingered hand on the other’s shoulder. “I can tell it has been affecting you as well.”

Thel looked Rtas in the eyes, a quiet falling over them both. He worked his mandibles as though in search of the right words, and then nodded. “I will tonight. At sundown.” He promised.

“Good.” Rtas gave him a half-jawed Sangheili smile. “It will be good for you both.” Squeezing his shoulder and standing up, he went over to the balcony doors and shut the curtains, blocking out the sun and the view of the Spartan team outside for Thel’s sake. “Let us get back to work.” He said, sitting down across the other Sangheili again, delving back into paperwork with him.

***

It wasn’t difficult to find the Spartan. The Sangheili had offered them their training grounds to use whenever they felt like it, and in fact, many of the Sangheili loved training with and against them as the Spartans made formidable opponents and trainers. Many of the young ones still had yet to best them in a fight, and it only made them fight harder to defend their still growing honor. It was a good lesson for them.

To find John here though, at the time of night it was, with the sun nearly set over the horizon, was a bit unusual. He would normally have called it a night already and turned in and Thel wouldn’t see him again until the next morning. But entering the grounds, Thel could see him sparring in hand-to-hand combat with his teammate, Kelly. They looked to be on equal footing aside from Kelly dodging and moving from attacks a bit quicker. She was the first one to notice Thel, and John had taken the opportunity of her distraction to knock her off her nimble feet.

“Oof, hey,” She complained after she landed, and gestured towards the Sangheili. “Looks like there’s someone here for you, John.”

“I hope I am not interrupting.” Thel apologized, walking closer towards the pair.

“No,” John said, shaking his head. “Not at all. Do you need something?” He asked, and again, Thel could see that slight tilt of his head as he asked.

“I would like to walk with you.” He requested, and glanced at the female Spartan. “If that is alright with you.” When Kelly just shrugged her shoulders indifferently, he looked back at John expectantly.

“Sure.” John replied. Turning to Kelly, “Let the team know I’ll turn in late tonight. Don’t worry about me.” He said and began to walk towards the exit of the training grounds. Thel followed just a step behind.

Only moments later, Thel could have sworn if looks could kill just from a helmet visor, they would have, as John had suddenly turned and stared down Kelly for a few seconds while she waved innocently back at him.

***

The nights of Sanghelios were quiet, and always lit up. The only sounds that broke the quiet were the rushing of the nearby rivers, and the sounds of their footsteps and occasionally the scurrying of the nocturnal animals coming out for the night. Overhead the aurora shone bright, dancing in blues and greens, along with the two moons of Sanghelios. The planet truly did feel like a different place at night than the busyness the day brought.

John and Thel walked side by side for a distance away from their homes, in a comfortable silence, almost seeming to not really have any destination in mind of where they were going as Thel lead them down a winding path through the mountains with the double moons lighting their way.

As discreetly as the Sangheili could, Thel looked down at John’s hand closest to him. It was shaking ever so slightly again as they walked. He let out a silent sigh through his nose, and imitating what he had seen humans close to each other do and threaded his fingers between John’s armored ones, holding his hand.

It wasn’t practical for him, it was uncomfortable a bit actually, with how his hands were made compared to the human’s and being slightly larger, but he did it for the comfort of the other. John’s hand had reflexively almost pulled away, but remained locked when his visored eyes met Thel’s amber ones.

“Sorry,” Thel apologized quietly, “I hope this is okay.”

It took a few moments before John nodded. “Yeah...” He breathed out, “Yeah, it’s okay.”

“Good.” Thel replied, leaving them in silence together for a bit longer as they walked, hand in hand. Though the armor was cold in the night air, he could swear he felt warmth emanating from the Spartan’s hand that was more relaxed now, unshaking.

“Why-“

“I-“

John was the first to break their silence after a while, only to have himself cut off as Thel began to speak at the same time.

“My apologies.” Thel apologized quickly after the few moments of them realizing they tried to speak at the same time. “You first.”

“Uh, right,” The Spartan said, a bit flustered now, “Why bring me out here?” He asked curiously, tilting his head slightly. Though he could appreciate the view of the double moons, the rising stars, the aurora, the view the mountains gave at night, standing tall around them and casting dark shadows, he knew there had to be a reason beyond that that the Arbiter had requested him along.

“I was concerned.” Thel answered, and looked up at the sky. “Maybe it is not my place,” He said, then looking back at John, “but I thought you seemed like you could use a friend.” He said, then added more softly, “Are you okay?”

John suddenly came to a stop, causing Thel to stop, surprised, as he stiffened, and gently pulled his hand out from Thel’s own. The absence of John’s hand in Thel’s own was immediately missed by him, but the Sangheili didn’t protest, only tightened his closed mandibles in response. To John, he didn’t know where this was coming from. He didn’t believe he gave off any indication to cause any worry. He always kept everything bottled up tightly, never to be seen by anyone, put on a facade that everything was okay and that he was okay, yet Thel, ever so seemingly observant, had noticed he truly wasn’t okay. Sure, his team knew about his pain and his grief, his depression, but they never spoke much of it, just living life as it came, and no one else outside of them knew what he was going through.

Thel was the first one to ask him, outside of Blue Team, if he was okay. It was such a simple thing, yet it meant so much to him. That someone outside of what he considered family cared.

And he wasn’t prepared for the surge of emotions that brought forth in him that he would usually only let out if he was completely alone. The sudden stinging of his eyes that he only wanted to rub to stop tears from spilling over, the lump in his throat as he tried to come up with some response for Thel, only for nothing to be able to come out.

John was suddenly thankful for the helmet he wore over his head, hiding the raw emotions that crossed his face from the other.

Thel gently took both the Spartan’s hands into his again, as they began shaking uncontrollably with the sudden emotions. Though his hands had armored pads over the top of them, it didn’t stop Thel from rubbing his thumbs over top of them simultaneously. He would give him the time he needed to respond while also letting him know he was here for him.

When a single shake of a head was the only response Thel got back after a couple minutes, it was all he needed to hear from the other, not expecting more beyond that tonight. Thel got the closure he needed, and they could work on it together in the future, opening up to each other. “I will be the ears to listen when you need it.” He promised, willing to go at John’s pace.

And John was also thankful for Thel. The other was present for many of the things he’d gone through recently, he was someone who could likely understand him the most. He was glad to have been gradually becoming closer to the Sangheili.

He shared his silent thanks by giving Thel’s hands a couple of light squeezes, comforted by the squeeze he received back.

Drabble 01

[sabababa]

Hey! Can you do the 2 part to "They get hit by a quirk that makes them live their greatest fear headcanons" but with hawks, dabi and todoroki, please? Thank you!

Hawks get hits by a quirk that makes him live his greatest fear

Hawks x GenderNeutral!Reader

Author’s note: I know you noticed that I don’t write for these guys, but I have been debating on writing for Hawks anyway (Dabi and Shoto have never caught my eye) and I only watch the anime, so can no one please give me manga spoilers, I already got spoiled about the latest chapter lmao Bro, this got so dark and sad and HAWKS BB I’M SORRY-

Part 1: Izuku, Katsuki, Mirio, and Aizawa

Warnings: Angst (Fluff ending), domestic abuse, mental abuse, some suggestive themes, cursing, body mutilation (feather pulling)

Hawks

You abuse him

Hawks had just apprehended some low-level thug when, what he assumed was, a pedestrian bumped into him

The world went dark before he regained his sight again

Since he was still on edge from earlier he whipped around to find the person but saw no one there

Come to think of it, no one was around and it was night already

His feathers twitched out of instinct at feeling something wasn’t right

And his first thought was to go check on you

He flew back to your shared apartment and landed on the balcony before sliding the door open

His eyes darted around the room and saw you sitting on the couch

Wearing one of his shirts

And some racy panties

His wings released the tension they held and instead puffed themselves up to appear bigger

Some old bird instinct to attract you

You leaned against the arm of the couch and did a ‘come here’ motion with your finger

He had a seductive look on his face as he stalked towards you

“Whatcha’ wearin’, lovebird?” He cooed

“Come find out, birdy,” You purred

He climbed on top of you and trapped your lips in a deep kiss as your hands snaked their way up his chest, it sent a shiver up his spine and to his wings

Then, he felt you flip them off the couch, to where he was on the bottom

He let out a yelp from the sudden force as he fell awkwardly onto his wings

“B-be careful, lovebird,” he groaned out, but tried to keep the mood going

Maybe you were wanting it to be a little rough and he could oblige to that

And then he felt a sharp bite at the spot where his neck and shoulder met, just above the collarbone

“AH! L-lovebird!” He winced, but smirked. “Gettin’ a little rough are we- OW!”

You broke skin and he could feel some blood trickle down his flesh and onto his wings

He had to admit, even though the bite hurt like hell, he was kinda turned on that you were marking him so aggressively

“Lovebird, as hot as that was, could you be a little gentl-AAHH!” He was cut off by his own scream as you ripped some feathers out. “NO, that’s it! I’ve had enou-AH!” He tried to push you off, but you pulled more feathers out

“Quit being a baby,” you grunted, looking annoyed

“Get off me!” His voice felt weak as he yelled. It wasn’t filled with anger, but with fear

He managed to crawl out from under you and stand up above you, his wings fanned out to intimidate you, but you weren’t some stupid bird who would fall for an act like that

You sighed and stood up too. “Jeez, you’re so sensitive! I’m just having a little fun!” You kicked him between the legs at the end

As he was doubling over, you brought your knee up to connect with his face and he fell backward instead. His visor had cracked upon the impact

He curled into a ball as he felt blood leave his nose, it felt broken too

Different types of pain were appearing all over his body as he curled tighter into himself, using his wings as a shield

“You’re so weak! I thought you were a hero!” You growled as you pulled more feathers out

He screamed in pain and scrabbled away from you, ending up hitting a wall

“Fight back if you’re so strong!” You yelled down at him as you loomed over threateningly

But he couldn’t fight back, he didn’t want to use his feathers against you. They were meant to protect you, not harm you

Maybe I deserve this? He thought

“You’re not a hero! You’re just some stupid kid who thought he could make a difference!” You couched in front of him and yanked his hair back

He whimpered and felt tears in his eyes as a sob threatened to escape his throat, but he swallowed it back down as he spoke out. “Y-you’re right,  I’m sorry!” He sniveled

I’m just a stupid kid

You tugged his hair down so his face would connect with the hardwood floor, breaking part of the visor

Pain from his broken nose surged through him as he finally let out a sob

“Sorry won’t do shit!” You yelled. “You’re so fucking pathetic! Sniveling and crying all bloodied on a floor!” You ground his face harder to the ground. He let out a wail. “What would you do if I were a villain?! You’d just take it and give up, wouldn’t you?!”

I’m so pathetic

“Tch,” you finally released him from your hold and the pressure on his nose went away. “You’re not a hero and you’re not worth my time.”

His eyes closed as he sobbed into the floor

I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy, “I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy,”

“Hawks?” Your voice was gentler this time as you spoke, it cracked even

He squinted an eye open as he stared up at you

The aura was different, the world was different

He stared at you through the yellow tint of his visor, which was somehow repaired

Your clothes were different. You were in your work clothes, the house keys still in your hand like you had just gotten home. You had a tearful look in your eyes as you stared down at him

“Hawks?” You squeaked out again and dropped to his level

He pushed himself up to sit on his knees and noticed all the pain was gone. His nose wasn’t broken, his feathers were still in place, and the bite was gone

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw your hand reach out to him and he flinched back harshly, his back hitting the wall as he gave you a fearful and questioning look, his breathing picked up as he was too afraid to speak

Your hand immediately pulled back from his sudden movements

You hated how scared he looked

“Hawks, what’s wrong?” You pleaded with him

His breathing slowed slightly when the changes were starting to set in

He guessed it was some villain quirk that got used on him, or something

But he couldn’t stop the fear he still felt as he stared at you

You reached your hand out again, seeing that he calmed down slightly

“DON’T-” He yelped at first and held a hand out to stop you. He swallowed thickly when he noticed that you pulled back again. “Just- Just don’t touch me,” his voice wavered as he pulled his knees to his chest. “I need a minute.”

“Okay,” you whispered and left him alone in the living room and went to the bedroom

You changed out of your work clothes and slipped into one of the shirts he had given you to use. You sat on your side of the bed as you worried about what Hawks went through. Did he have a bad villain attack? Maybe it was some PTSD you didn’t know about? Whatever it was, he looked so frightened

You heard his boots trudge down the hallway and saw his form was slouched against the doorway

He looked up at you and his droopy eyes widened at seeing you

What did you do now? 

“Hawks? What is it?”

He let a shiver visibly pass through him as his body shook and puffed his wings up, before flattening the feathers again

He slowly made his way over to his side of the bed, taking off his headset, visor, and boots, before leaning back against the headboard with a sigh. He stared at the ceiling for a while in silence and you decided it would be best for him to speak when he was ready

You heard him sigh and you looked over at him, he hadn’t moved

“You wouldn’t hurt me,” he turned his head to look at you, “right?”

“Of course I wouldn’t, I love you!” You inched closer to him, just wanting to be in his arms or to at least hold him

He stared at you for what felt like forever before a sob escaped his lips and tears fell from his eyes, he brought a hand up to cover his mouth and hunched over on the bed as he continued to cry

You gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened as his crying stopped

But then he flung himself at your lap and wrapped his arms around your waist as he bawled

You clung to him as you rubbed a soothing line between his wings along his back

Eventually, his sobs stopped and he turned his body to face you fully

You brushed back a strand of his hair from his eyes and gently wiped away the tear stains against his cheek

He sniffled as you cleaned his face and brought a hand up to press your palm against his cheek, making you look at him

“Am I worthy?” He asked

“Of what?” You asked confused

“Of you.”

You leaned back slightly from the question, wondering what could have caused him to act like this, but you leaned forward again to place a kiss on his lips

When you pulled away he tried to chase after your lips with his own, but got too far

You laughed lightly and ran your fingers through his hair

“Of course, birdy, you’re worth so much more than you know,” you leaned down to give him another kiss. “Will you tell me what happened?” Your lips hovered over his

“I will in the morning, but right now” he placed a hand behind your head, “I just want you to love me.” He pressed your lips together in a passionate kiss

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If you want to request some headcanons please go here for the rules!

Masterlist

[dinthehottotty]

A Thing About Silver (Part 1)

Din Djarin x Reader x Cobb Vanth

Reader is really horny and Mando refuses to give into her prompts. She takes comfort from Cobb before returning to Din.

Warnings: Smut, cream pies, jealous!Mando, unprotected sex, fingering, oral sex, mentions of masturbation, dirty talk, degradation, rough sex. Minor psychological break, this turned out more fucked up than intended. Angst. Rejection.

...

You'd felt the sexual frustration for months now. And not just a couple. It was going on nine months. Nine! And stuffing your fingers up inside you in the dark of your bunk before Mando came into the room was far from satisfactory. The desperate and quick orgasms were becoming even less powerful, making you chase multiples only to find a lack luster completion. And recently you'd even resorted to when he was there. You'd listen for his quiet breathing and pray to all the gods that he was long since passed out.

It felt like your cunt hadn't stopped aching for months. The whole time you'd thrown flirty comments at Mando. At first he ignored them. But the things you said went from cute little flirts to filthy fucking language. Especially when he joined in, throwing random comments in it. You shiver every time you think of him saying ‘Now is not the time to stare at me so you can think of me in your bunk later.” You’d given him a naughty grin as he told you to hand him a tool on your other side while he worked on a panel inside the ship. His quips were getting better.

There was something about being in that little bo-dunk strip in the dessert that reminded you just how thirsty you were. What you wouldn't give to gulp down (not even his at this point) some thick cock.

Ugh. Even the thought made you internally cringe.

You were getting desperate.

And then the Marshall walked in.

Your heart stuttered automatically in your chest. Hard. Dirty thoughts of getting railed by not one, but two Mandalorians had your brain short circuiting. Oh, filth oozed from you.

And then he removed his helmet and you speed ran the five stages of grief. Just as acceptance rolled in, Mando demanded he 'take it off or that he would.' It was low and threatening and made you nearly lose your mind even thought his intent was murder and not some western style three-way. Nonetheless, it would steamroll your dreams nightly.

You didn't expect Vanth to charm you the way he had. You suppose it was his silver hair and pearly grin at work with your dry spell because normally you had a thing for mocha skin and soulful brown eyes.

Now, the deep ache had reached not just between your legs but deep in your belly. There was a monster hooked in your cervix and you needed something to beat it to death in there. Fuck were you getting desperate.

Almost an entire week of Vanth flirting with you and Mando barely acknowledging it. Like it didn't matter. Oh, did that make you boil. And here, celebrating back in the town for killing that godforsaken sand dragon, you were about to spill over. Especially when Vanth smirks at you from across the bar, a lift to one of his brows, questioning your next move.

You hadn't given him an inch on the mission. Not a smile or a blush. Just kept your mouth shut and glanced to Mando who'd plainly ignore it.

You didn't know if he didn't see Vanth as competition or if he just didn't care. You reach back for your drink on the bar, ready to throw one back in attempt to burn our the flames between your legs. A flash of silver catches your eye.

Glancing over, you see Mando striding over from the door.

"Room is ready. Go get some sleep. We leave early." He orders.

With liquid courage in your system, you glare at him and turn back to your drink. You motion for the bar keep to refill you. "Are you going to be joining me? Or are you going to leave me high and dry again?" You manage out the growl.

He stares at you in silence and you face him, giving a question lift to your eyebrows, a lack of anything other than blatant distaste in your features.

"You're drunk." He decides.

"Getting there." You snap and take a slow sip of your drink, eyeing the tinted visor on his face.

He watches as you twist your body toward Vanth again and lean against the bar. He's calmly watching the exchange between you both from across the loud room.

"Tell you what, you give me one good dance to the next song and I'll go back to the room with you right now." He doesn't budge.

"No," is his only answer. You shake your head and scoff.

"Fine," you reply.

"I'll leave you here if you're not up tomorrow at sunrise." He threatens. Honestly you're more surprised he's not mushing you back toward the ship as you speak.

"If you don't stop me, I'm going to dance with Vanth." He's quite once more. You allow your head to lazily loll back towards the Mandalorian. He's stiff as a board and so quiet you decide to continue with your liquid courage. "Tell me 'no' and I won't fuck him. Tell me you'll take me back to the room and bruise my cervix right now and I won't go seek him out to do it instead." Mando turns to look toward Vanth now. You see his fists tighten, the leather stretching tight across his knuckles.

"Say no," you prompt again. The air is filling with the bustle of the space around you but it stills between the three of you, like lightning about to hit. You straighten to your full height and step close, hovering within inches of his space. You lower your voice to honeyed whisper. "Take me back to the room, Din." His head twitches your way, but barely. "Use me like a whore. I just need to feel something. Something other than my own damn hands or my fucking pillow, please just say no." Give me hope.

He remains silent and watches Vanth. His body is turned towards you, but his head is directed at the Marshall. You wish you could get a read on him but for the life of you, you can't. He just remains silent.

Finger tips brush your arm, bare ones. You hadn't realized Vanth had slid across the small bar to your side. "Hey, sweetheart," he purrs down into your ear. You glance over at him. "You've got such a tense face, come dance with me, break loose of Mando." He urges with a wink and a grin.

He was hesitant to flirt with you at first, but the more he did it and the lack of either parties protest leave him gaining confidence. You and Mando were dancing around each other, gaging the reaction of the other. He never stepped in between. Even now you were watching him. He just remained silent and stared at Vanth. You wish you could read his mind, understand what the fuck is running through it.

After a long still moment you twist toward Vanth. "Are you going to be able to keep up, old man?" You reply. Surprise and excitement flash across his face as Mando's head now swivels at you.

"I help you take down a sand dragon and you think I can't handle a dance?" His hand returns to your arm. Hard finger tips trace feather-light down the sensitive underside of your arm and ghost over your wrist. Your heart stutters in your chest when he firmly intertwines your fingers and gives a gentle tug.

Still, the suit of armor doesn't say a word as you're dragged away. A pain fills you chest. You throw your drink back and drop the glass onto a near by table you pass. A new song comes on, more up beat and you push Mando out of your head as much as you can. You don't need the painof rejection dampening your mood. Not when your so close to getting your legs lifted to your shoulders.

Vanth can dance, you soon realize. He's gracefully zipping you around to the beat and you're actually having fun within a minute of starting. It's a fantastic distraction. And so are his hands.

They start up high, the middle of your back, barely touching you, clasped with yours. And by the third song, when there's a heard of bodies also moving around you, he starts to wander. The hand holding yours falls to your hip, pulling you flush against him. Your eyes dart for a moment. Beskar watches you from the bar still, now sitting. Watching.

"So, before I continue trying to coax you away," the voice in your ear startles you as you both sway to a slower tempo, "am I going to be shot with a blaster by Mando?"

It cracks a smile on your face and you giggle at the thought. "Not what you want to hear, but I've been throwing myself at him for months and not a damn thing's happened," you reply.

"Too bad he took the armor," he replies. Your eyes widened at the thought he was proposing. You sink against his chest, staring up into his crystal blue eyes.

"That might stir up some psychological issues for me, Vanth," you say with a flirty giggle. He grins.

"Damn, you've got the most stunning smile," he murmurs and suddenly his hand is coming up to cup your face and tuck your hair behind your ear.

More than anything you want it to be Mando touching you like that, telling you he loves your smile. It makes you ache. You do the only logical thing you can think of.

You push it deep down, bottling it up with the rest of your emotions.

Closing your eyes, you sink your face against his hand, lifting a hand from his chest to cup it against your face. When you open your eyes you are startled to find Mando standing behind him and let out a squeak.

"What?" You snap sourly as Vanth twists.

Mando's hand is clenched tightly at his side. "It's on the north side of the village."

"It's two places down from me," Vanth offers with a sugar sweet grin. "I'll make sure see gets back." That... that is the reaction you wanted Mando to have when Vanth flirted. Instead, now your twisted in the latter's arms.

Mando looks at you again, then heaves a sigh and leaves.

You fight the urge to follow him. Instead, you continue to dance with Vanth, pushing your hips into his and building up that urge you've been wrestling with for months.

It's the feel of his mouth pressing down on your neck. That's all it takes for you to throw credits down on the bar and drag him out. The moment the cool night air hits you, he's pressing you up against the side of the building and tasting you. There's teeth and tongue. Arousal is burning you up.

Vanth has you both shuffling around the side of the bar and against the side of it before he's sliding a hand into your underwear and you breathe a gasp of relief. You want to sob at the feeling of him filling your cunt so easily with two fingers. His face crumbles in delight.

"Fuck, look how wet you are," he groans. "Come on, let's go back to mine. I'll eat you out, okay?" He coaxes while rolling his fingers in and out of your sopping pussy slowly. Like your not bracing against the wall and rocking desperately onto his fingers. Like you aren't gasping for the dry air as you would be if you had ran a marathon. He'd barely touched you and it felt so kriffing good that there was a heat burning through you like no other.

The feel of his hand where you so desperately need it and his blunt promise to make you cum has you clamping tightly on his fingers. You mewl out a quiet please, so desperate for this not to stop. Nothing had felt so good in so long. You always had to rush and his fingers were thicker than yours, could reach better.

Thankfully he's so mesmerized by your reaction he keeps up his good work. It's not even ten seconds before heat fills your belly and your hands snatch his forearm, holding it in place and leaning your forehead on his shoulder. "C-close," you manage to warn when the palm of his hand pressed down on your clit.

His eyebrows shoot up as his other hand tilts your head back to look at your face. "Already? You poor thing. You're wound up tighter than a-" he doesn't get to finish his thought because you're fisting hands in his shirt when he fingers you slower, but pushes harder up into your front wall. You give a broken cry, tucking your head into your chest and pushing back onto his hand as you completely come undone.

It's the best orgasm you've had in months, leaving Vanth grinning down on you with dark eyes. Your legs wobble beneath you. "Oh, you poor thing. Mando's been edging you for far too long." He breathes before ghosting his mouth over your neck. Your head rolled back exposes it and you whimper as he presses his fingers a few more times into the spongy sweet spot inside.

Its only when someone stumbles loudly from the entrance of the bar that he drags his fingers out, leaving you aching and unbearably empty.

He pulls you into his side, and if anyone saw they'd probably call you drunk. Your a ragdoll from coming off your orgasm. It was hard to focus your eyes as he supports you. The both of you give soft chuckles in response.

"My place?" He prompts.

"Aye, Marshall." He steadies you before the two of you meander the short distance of the street. There aren't many buildings. Its more of a village than a town. No matter where you stood in it, you could see the edges. When you step up onto the front porch you turn to glance around, a flash of silver making itself known.

Silver? Mando. Two buildings down, the last one on this stretch, across the street sat the Mandalorian. The light glowed from the open door behind him, warm and inviting.

I wanna go home, the intrusive thought rang in your head. A pitifully small voice urging you to head down to the porch steps that Din perched, cleaning his rifle, on.

The post orgasm clarity was hitting you. You felt sleepy. Exhausted. You could head in, lay down beside the child and drift to sleep until your partner woke you and dragged you to the next planet. Sleep off the alcohol.

Din glances up, pausing and staring right at you. You step his way, hesitating at the end of Vanth's porch. The man behind you opened his door and turn toward you. But you were too caught up in Mando's reaction. He watched you.

Just tell me 'no', Din. You internally begged. If he'd so much as gestured you back to him you would leap from the porch and race back to him. Instead he went back to polishing the barrel.

Spite fills you and you turn toward Vanth. He gives you a gentle questioning gaze before gesturing you into the dark. You step through, feeling the heat of your anger rising again.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Is the words he speaks when the door closes. "Don't think I'm above sleeping with a woman so she can get her revenge. You can use me however your heart desires." He says, flipping the light on.

"Leave the light off and kiss me. Roughly. I'm angry." You admit. He raises a single brow before brushing his fingers over the light on the wall and turning it back off.

"Rough?" He rasps, striding forward to cup your face. "Can I cum in you?"

The question short circuits your brain, negating any anger or reason for your anger at the request. "Oh, fuck. Please?" You squeak and he grasps your face in his hands, bruising your lips with his. His mouth tastes like spotchka and his teeth are eager to bite.

He kisses over your jaw as his hands drop to drag your body back against his. He's an effective amnesia to your poor broken heart. His hands feel good as they tug at clothing. You don't quite register doing the same. Not when his teeth are nipping at your neck and speeding up your heart rate.

Dank ferrik, it felt good to grind your stimulated groin over his with less fabric in the way. You both gasp into the night.

You push away the guilt that nubbed up in your mind. No. He rejected you. Din rejected every advance. You had no reason to feel guilt.

Still it lingers in the corner. Watching through a tinted visor and looming.

Cobb tilts you back onto the bed, groaning deeply into your shoulder. "Do you want to cum again, first?"

"N-no, just, just put it in," you groan. "Just wanna feel full." It earns you a shaky groan of approval.

Without warning he grips your hips and flips you onto your stomach. A sharp smack lands on your ass, letting you moan softly. He sits upright, lining up with you in the dark.

You whimper when you feel his cock rub once over you before he's aligned. Then he sinks in and that delicious stretch has you gasping as he slides home. There is a drawn moment where you both soak up that initial cure of need. Then he sets a fast pace, drilling deeply.

A hand closes on the back of your neck, tightening.

"Are you enjoying this?" Din's modulated voice asks in your ear, mockingly. He's not actually there of course, only serving to piss you off more. Because you know how much better it'd feel if it was him splitting your ass in two.

You brace against the bed. Pushing back harder and moaning. It makes the hand twist around your throat and jerk you back against Cobb. The change in position makes you whimper. You reach back for hair, guiding his mouth to yours.

Cobb seems to understand that the roughness is urging him to kick up his own. His hand on you hip snatches one of your breasts to squeeze. You break away to whimper and catch more silver.

"Do you think I'll be here every time you fuck someone now?" The Din-Delusion taunts as he lounges on the pillows comfortably. You were definitely going to have a psychological break after this one night stand.

He's so annoying that even the delicious grunts that rise from your new lover is hard to focus on.

"Harder." You rasp. You're tossed to the bed as Vanth crawls across you.

"You can call his name if it makes you feel better," he rumbles as he sinks back into your cervix with a hard thrust. His fingers dig into your thighs.

"Call it out," Not-Din chuckles. "Cry my name loud enough I can hear it across the street. Maybe that'll spur me on." It's dripping with so much sarcasm as your head nearly knocks into his leg that isn't actually there.

"No," you snarl at the figment of your guilty conscience. You sink your teeth into his shoulder and cry out when his hips canter harder into you. You claw at his back, earning happy groans and him twitching inside you.

"Yeah, probably a better idea. If you call put my name I might think your in trouble and shoot the bastard."

"I'm gonna fuck you a-again. Cl-close."

"Cum in me, Vanth!" you cry louder than intended. His hand tangles roughly in your hair, exposing your throat to new assault. Fuck, you'll ache tomorrow, you hope.

"That's it, baby girl," Not-Din coos. "Louder, maybe that'll make me respect you enough to see you as more than just a kid. Maybe I'll see you in sexual manner."

Vanth's hips stutter as he spills inside of you. He pants against your neck for a moment and then draws back to flash you with a dazzling smile, even in the dark. "It'll take me a minute to recharge. Can I go down on you?"

It makes you blink in surprise, even Not-Din tilts his helmet with curiosity at the sweaty man on top of you.

"You... you just came in me though..." you protest weakly.

"So, it's mine." He drops down to snatch a nipple into his mouth, delighted.

You give a moan. "Ye-yeah, knock yourself out, Vanth." He drags you to the edge of the bed to throw your legs over his shoulders. It feels so lewd to have him lapping so hungerly at you while his own cum spilled out of you.

"Filthy girl, aren't you?" Din growls out, moving around behind Vanth to watch casually. Why did that turn you on? Having the Mandalorian watching as another man devoured you. You liked it, when the man between your legs moaned against your sex.

He was decent at it. Obviously doing it more for himself at this point than for you. But between the sexual frustration that had been building for months and the overstimulation, it wasn't taking very long to bring you to a second orgasm.

All the while Not-Din leaned back and watch, taunting you and mocking you. "You really said let's throw it all away for a fuck." That line got you.

Vanth was lapping at your oversensitive clit, pulling the hood back and relishing the sobs of pleasure. But it wasn't just a sob of pleasure. Tears rolled over your temples and into your hair as your legs quake. Your chest ached as you begged him not to stop, hoping another orgasm might drown out the despair that this wasn't the man you wanted.

He was a poor substitute to reconcile your hurt feelings. You regret it already, as you knew you would. But that doesn't stop you from screwing him for a few more hours.

Eventually all is quiet, the both of you lying in the dark, catching your breath and coming down from your highs. And you watched as the vision of Din faded, feeling more empty now than you had before. "Thanks," you murmur into the dark and sit up before exhaustion fully takes you.

"Hey," he calls into the dark, the only light trickling in from the port window. "I know heart break is absolutely soul crushing, but there will be others. I promise. Someday it won't hurt so bad." You flinch when a hand brushes down your spine.

Self hatred seeped from you with the finishings Cobb left in you. "I'm gonna go," you manage, standing on sore legs to collect your clothes.

"Alright."

There's nothing but the shuffle of clothes as you get dressed. That was the last thing either of you spoke to each other before you stepped out onto the porch and into the cool night air.

[dinsrose]

My Center of Happiness

Din Djarin X Female Reader One Shot

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Praise Kink, Soft Din, Swearing

Summary: Reader and Din stargaze together, and it basically just turns into pure porn. If soft smut, fluff, and praise kink are your thing, you have come to the right place. 

You can read the one shot here as well on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30192981

Here’s a song that reminds me of the fic

Here’s a song to listen to as you read the one-shot. It reminds me of Din and Rose in this particular scene.

The stars are perfect tonight. They twinkle and dance throughout the sky while shining brighter than you have ever seen them. There must be a meteor shower tonight as well, because you occasionally catch a glimpse of a falling star soaring through the atmosphere. These are your favorite nights. The nights where the galaxy is so quiet and kind. The clear skies make for the most beautiful scenery. One of your favorite things to do, is find the constellations in the sky.

Many people do not care for the stars, but you always have. When you were little, you used to look up at the sky and make countless wishes for a better life. The sky held so many opportunities in your mind. Your mother always told you that when you wished upon a falling star, the wish would always come true. You just could not tell anyone about the wish. Ever since she told you that, you spent almost every night wishing and talking to the sky. Wishing for a better life, a life where you and your family could be free. A life where you could fly away with your mother and father, living on the most beautiful planet in the galaxy. You always wondered what was out there.

Tatooine had been your home planet for your whole life, but you knew there were greater places out there. It used to drive you crazy, knowing that you would never get to leave that damn planet. You come from a family of slaves. It was a given that you would always be a slave, and never get out of the lifestyle. Especially considering you were the only one left of your family. You had convinced yourself that your life would always be the same. That you would never leave that sandy planet and be doomed to work every waking minute until you died off from exhaustion. Until one day, a bounty hunter came barreling into your owner's cantina to take him in. You never would have imagined this bounty hunter would turn your whole world upside down. This bounty hunter, Din, has given you everything you could ever want and need in this life.

When he offered to let you be a crewmate on his ship, and help take care of his adorable little green sidekick, you didn't even hesitate before shaking his hand in agreement. The past few months with them have been nothing short of amazing. The kid has grown to be as one of your own. You love him more than anything, and you couldn't imagine life without him. His father has become a huge part of your life as well. You are now part of a small, happy family; a clan of three.

The memories of the past few months cause you to smile as you lay back in the grass. Din had parked the Crest here on Naboo in a secluded area for the next few days. A few days to take a short break from everything for just a moment. After catching a glimpse of the sky, you had decided tonight would be the perfect night to stargaze. Din was asleep in the ship, along with the baby. The hatch had been left open anyways, because you wanted to get some fresh air. You had tiptoed down the hatch to a small spot in the grass about 20 feet from the ship. A spot that was perfect enough to lay down in and have a good view of the sky.

The cool breeze whipped all around you, causing the long blades of grass to slowly dance in the wind. The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers. Everything here was just perfect. This was most definitely your favorite planet of them all. It had a special beauty about it, something just different from the others. The greenery here was unlike any other you had ever seen. The place was almost too perfect to be true. If Heaven was a place, you imagined this is what it would be like; on Naboo... in the flower fields... baby on your hip, and Din right beside you.

"What are you doing out here? And... why are you laying on the ground?" You hear his modulated voice ring out from behind you. Glancing up as far as you can, you see his figure come into view standing right above you. The moonlight reflects off his beskar as he towers above you. He just stands there in silence. There is just something about his silence that makes him so... sexy.

"Stargazing," you reply with a smile on your face. "I thought you were sleeping?"

"I was... and then I saw you were missing and got worried." He replies.

A grunt comes out from under his helmet as he starts to lower himself down towards you. He pushes his knees back and puts his palms on either side of your head, his helmet barely two inches away from your nose. He hovers there, the two of you facing opposite directions, and butterflies begin filling your stomach. You reach up slowly and place your hands on either side of his helmet. The beskar is cool to the touch as you pull his head down gently. You plant a gentle kiss right on the top of his helmet where his forehead would be. A smile spreads across your face as you pull back to look into the black visor.

"Join me, shiny." You say softly.

"How could I say no to that?" He says with a light chuckle.

He slowly rolls over to the side and onto his back. With your bodies facing opposite directions, he lines his head up right to the side of yours. If he did not have the helmet on, his ear would be the only part of him touching you; or maybe some soft, curly hair. You have never seen it, of course, but you have felt it a few times. He has removed it before while you were blindfolded, to gain access to your lips with his. And oh Maker, his lips were the softest lips you had ever kissed. His hair the fluffiest hair you had ever ran your fingers through. Thinking about it sent shivers through your core.

"What are we looking at here?" He asks. His voice sends vibrations through the helmet, and it tickles your ear.

"Well, for one, I am looking for constellations. I am also talking to my good friend Ada up there." You reply with a giggle. Ada was a name you and your mother had given to a star when you were younger. It was a silly joke to you now, but it still held very sentimental value to you.

"Ada?" He questions.

"Yes. My good friend Ada. My mother used to tell me that the stars were our very good friends, and that they would grant us wishes. So, naturally, as a child, I truly believed the stars could hear me." You giggled before continuing. "One night, I decided to name one of them, because if that star was going to grant me a wish, it had to be a special friend of mine. I shared my thoughts with my mother, and we both decided Ada was a good name." A small smile comes across your face as your voice begins to fade. "It's silly now, but something about it still holds sentimental value to me... so I talk to Ada to this day. Especially when I miss my mother." A frown replaces your smile as a wave of sadness washes over your body.

He goes quiet for a moment. All you can hear is the two of you breathing, and the wind whipping through the night air.

"So... the stars are special beings to us?" He finally asks.

"Yeah...something like that. My mother told me that they were their own individual being, just like us. That a specific star picked us to grant our wishes. That one star spent its whole existence, to make us happy. Basically, that star is a very special presence in our lives, and it is the sole center of our happiness. Everything good we receive in this life comes from that star. So, I think that makes them pretty special." You reply as you turn your head to the side to glance at him.

He lays there for another few minutes in silence. The moon reflects off his visor as he looks up into the sky. Looking over at him sends a warm feeling through you. Does he know that he is the center of your whole existence?

His finger suddenly points up to the sky. "You see that big star right there?" He says softly.

Following his finger, you can tell which one he is talking about almost immediately. It is much bigger than all the others. It has a pink tint to it as well. Somehow, it is much more beautiful than any other star up there. It dances in unison with the others as you watch it, waiting for him to continue.

"It shines brighter than the rest. It's prettier too... looks like a pink tint to it." He continues. "That's Rose... I am naming it Rose." His helmet turns to the side as he looks at your face. "If I have to name it something because it is the source of my happiness... it is going to be named appropriately."

Warmth floods throughout your entire body. "Rose" That is the nickname he had given to you about two weeks after the two of you had met. He had found out it was your middle name, and decided he really liked the sound of it, so that is the name he has called you ever since. Tears well up in your eyes at his sentiment. He just named a star after you, for the sole purpose of getting his point across that you are the source of his happiness. Nothing makes you happier than knowing that you make him as happy as he makes you. That has become your sole purpose in life, to make him happy.

"Din... " You whisper. Not really knowing what to say, you give him a small smile in hopes he understands the depth of your feelings for him.

His body shifts as he pulls himself around and lays down directly beside you. He props his elbow up on his neck so that he can face you on his side. He looks so perfect in the moonlight, even if you cannot see an inch of his skin.

"My sweet, Rose." He breathes out as he reaches up. His thumb starts grazing the side of your cheek as you close your eyes. His thumb trails every feature of your face as he lets it explore. Din has been really big on touch ever since the first time you let him touch you. After years of being deprived from the feeling himself, he can't get enough of it. You feel the leather graze gently across your eyelashes and down your nose before landing on your lips. He gently pushes his thumb inward as he trails it across your bottom lip.

"Keep your eyes closed." You hear him say.

A puzzled expression crosses your face, but you do as he says. His hand leaves the side of your face, leaving it feeling bare. He shuffles around a moment before you feel his soft hand reach back up, uncovered. He took his gloves off. His hand snakes around to the side of your head and holds it firmly at the base of your neck. Before you can ask what he is doing, a soft pair of lips lightly connect with yours. Maker, he had taken off his helmet.

The thought of it startles you slightly as you jolt back a little, careful not to open your eyes. He had never taken it off before without having you blindfolded in some way. Did he really trust you this much? Deciding that you do not care, you lean forward, wanting to taste him once again.

Electricity sparks throughout your entire body as your lips collide with his. A light moan escapes your lips as you taste the sweet flavor of his lips. His tongue sweeps across your bottom lip, and you open your mouth to grant him entry. His hands reach up and firmly grab both of your cheeks to steady your mouth right where he wants it. He can do anything he wants. You are in the palm of his hands and he doesn't even know it.

His body suddenly shifts, and he rolls on top of you. He straddles your hips with his legs, and places his elbows down on either side of your head. His lips never leave yours as he smoothly makes the transition. Your fingers reach up and tangle themselves in soft, wavy hair. The kiss suddenly becomes desperate, the both of you taking as much as you can from one another.

You let out a soft moan and pull back. "Din..." You whine.

"Tell me what you want." He replies.

His body freezes while waiting for your response. He hovers over you, keeping his eyes trained on you. Not that you can see it, you can just feel when his eyes are on you. It sends a shiver through your body. His weight shifts on top of you as he slowly drags one hand down your stomach. Warmth begins to flood your center as his hand reaches your thigh. He grips it firmly before asking again.

"Use your words, Rose. Tell me what you want." He repeats.

His demeanor makes you shudder, it drives you up a wall when he gets like this. Letting out a shaky breath, you try to speak.

"Yo- you," is all you manage to squeak out.

That is all it takes for him to act. His fingers start to slowly make their way up to your center, which is already soaking wet. His fingers come up to the top of your pants, and start to tug them down. He takes his other hand and wraps it around the base of your back, lifting you up to help ease off your pants. With one swift movement, he yanks them down to your ankles, taking your underwear with them.

His fingers instantly start making there way back up the inside of your leg. A gasp escapes your lips as the anticipation begins building in your stomach. Instead of landing his fingers right where you want them, he skips over your center and makes his way to the base of your shirt. You try not to whine out in disappointment.

He lifts your shirt up and over your head in one swift movement. His other hand is still holding your body off the ground. Your body is gently lowered back to the ground as he sits himself up. The only thing you can hear is the sound of the wind whistling through the air.

"You're so beautiful, Rose." You hear him breathe out. His breath hitches in his throat as he brings his hands down to rest on your chest. His finger starts to trace the outline of your breast until he reaches the peak of your nipple.

"My beautiful girl," he continues.

He leans down slowly, and presses his lips to the top of your breast. He begins kissing all over every inch of your chest as gently as he can. His lips leave an electrifying feeling on your skin everywhere they touch.

After a few seconds, he starts to trail his kisses upwards until he reaches the top of your neck. He starts sucking and biting the side of your neck as his hand slowly makes its way back down your stomach.

Your thighs are already soaked from what little he has already done. You can feel the wetness dripping down the back of your upper legs.

His fingers finally make light contact with your center, and it almost causes you to scream. Your back arches into his touch as he pushes down onto your clit. He begins to rub slow, small circles around with his thumb as he continues to suck on your neck. There will be bruises there. He loves to leave his mark on you.

"You know you always look so good when I mark you up." He growls into your ear.

Your moans begin to ring throughout the air as he speeds up the circular motion on your clit. The sensation is almost overwhelming. His lips come up to your ear as he lets out a grunt.

"Do you like it when I touch you like this, cyar'ika?" He growls.

A whimper escapes your lips in response. His thumb stops almost instantly when you don't answer his question. It almost makes you cry out.

"Din... please," you beg.

He slides his fingers through your folds and slowly pushes into your entrance. It almost makes your eyes pop open, so you squeeze them even tighter so as not to accidentally open them. His thick fingers fill you up and stretch you open. He curves them up slightly, an pushes them against that sweet spot deep in your center. As soon as he finds the right spot, he begins to glide his fingers slowly in and out, making sure to hit that spot each time he glides across.

A loud moan escapes your lips as you arch your back. The sensation is overwhelming. Instead of seeing the actual stars, you are now seeing stars from the back of your eyelids as the pressure begins building in your lower stomach. The sensations cause you to start writhing beneath him. His hand comes down hard on your stomach and pushes you into the ground; forcing you to stop moving.

"Relax, sweet thing, just relax." He says as he pushes you into the ground.

"Din, please... I need you closer." You whine out.

His fingers suddenly pull out of you, leaving you feeling empty. The pressure in your stomach is almost unbearable at this point. He begins to shuffle around, and you are about to ask what he is doing until you feel his hard cock rub up against your inner thigh.

Maker, he's hard as a rock. He wastes no time lining up and pushing into you. He's so fucking thick. A loud gasp escapes your lips, and your body shoots forward. As if he knows what it would do to you, his other hand clamps over your eyes as they begin to open.

"Fucking perfect," He growls out. He starts to move at a slow pace, stretching you out as he does. "Maker... you're so- so ti- tight." He grunts.

His chest comes down to meet with yours as he continues to fuck you at a slow pace. Hand still clamped over your eyes, he brings his lips down to yours and kisses you hard. You moan into his mouth as you open it to let his tongue gain entry. He pulls back and tugs on your bottom lip with his teeth as he lets go. His hand slides away from your eyes.

"Keep being good for me," He breathes out as he begins stroking your hair. His cock is ripping you open, but doing it so gently it almost makes you want to cry. His lips begin to leave small kisses all over every inch of your face.

"You feel incredible." He breathes out after he leaves a kiss on on the top of your eyelid.

He suddenly puts his hand under the arch of your back, and lifts you up into a sitting position. His cock is still inside of you when he settles you down onto his lap. The both of you are facing each other in a sitting position. You moan as you wrap your arms around his neck to gain some balance.

"Now be good, and start moving." He instructs.

You slowly start to move your hips and bounce on top of him. His cock hits you so much deeper at this angle, you have to squeeze your eyes really tight to keep from accidentally opening them. His hands are everywhere. Stroking your sides, cupping your breasts, scratching down your back... just everywhere.

"There you go sweet thing, just like that." He growls into your ear.

Your hips begin to stutter as you feel the pressure in your lower abdomen building. Desperate for the taste of him, you pull back and put your lips onto his. He moans into your mouth as he pulls you in close and locks his arms around your back. He pulls back from your mouth and moves his head down to your chest. His lips lock around around one of your nipples and he starts sucking. You throw your head back, letting out a loud moan. The pressure is building... building... building...

"Cum for me," He grunts into your ear.

That is all it takes. Stars begin to streak the back of your eyelids as you reach your peak. You let out a loud moan as you continue to bounce on his cock and ride out your high. Your fingers and toes begin to tingle, and you clamp down around his cock as you start to shudder.

Your pace starts to fade until you finally stop. You lean your head over onto his shoulder and sit on his lap for a moment, trying to regain your breath. His cock still inside you, he grabs your back and swings you back, pushing you into the dirt.

Without any warning he slams himself as deep into you as he can go. A strangled whimper escapes your lips as your nails dig into his back. He starts railing into you as hard as he possibly can. It feels like he is ripping you open, but in a good way.

"Feel so fucking good." He growls as he hammers into you. He continues giving you sweet praises as he chases his own high.

"My perfect girl... so fucking perfect." He starts to gasp and stutter as he praises you.

His hips begin to falter, as he gets close to his own orgasm. He leans over and bites down hard onto your shoulder as he begins to let out a soft moan. You can feel him emptying himself into you as he pants and gasps for air, filling you up to the brim.

He brings his lips to yours, and gives you a long kiss as you grab his cheeks with your hands to hold him steady. When he finally breaks away, the both of you just sit there for a moment, panting and gasping for air. His cock is starting to soften inside of you, but he is so thick, it doesn't fall out.

"Are you okay?" He says softly as he strokes your hair back from your eyes.

"I'm more than okay." You breathe out as a smile breaks out on your face. Your hands make their way to his face and begin to caress his cheeks. The both of you sit there for a moment, just feeling each other. He begins to say something, then stutters.

"Hmm? What did you say?" You ask as you stroke his hair.

"Ni... kar'tayl gar... darasuum." He finally says. Having no clue what he is saying, you let out a giggle.

"Din... what does that mean?"  

"You'll know one day, my Rose." He replies. His body starts to roll off of you, and you can feel his cock slide out of you. It  leaves an empty feeling in the pit of your core. A soft material covers your body as he wraps something around you. His cape. He fastens it at the neck, and continues with the task at hand. A few moments pass as you lay there, eyes still shut, waiting for him to give you the okay. A warmth has settled in over your body, and all you want to do is stay right here in this moment. A hand sweeps under you and you screech out as he lifts you into the air and into his chest.

"Okay, you can look" He says.

As you open your eyes, you can see that he has put his helmet back on, and has your clothes draped over his shoulder. He begins packing you back towards the Crest, when he stops so suddenly you think something is wrong.

"I know you, Rose." He says softly.

"And I know you" you say as you lift your hands and place them on either side of his helmet.

[all-hallows-evie]

Chapter 1: Marooned

Rating: T, for language, Canon Typical Violence/Action. Honestly, this chapter isn't that bad, the T rating is just in case I forgot about something lol

Wordcount: 3,776

Warnings: Canon typical violence and adventure, female OC with name × Tech slowburn, but not too slow lol, NOT BETA'D, because if I have to stare at this first chapter again I'm not going to post it.

A/N: HAPPY TECH TUESDAY, LOOK I'M FINALLY POSTING SOMETHING, WHEEEEEEEEEEE

There were bad ideas, really bad ideas and then there was this.

The ship hums under her feet as it trudges through the far corner of the mid rim, chugging along on it’s route without any sign of trouble or disruption from it’s preplanned course.

It should have been a routine pillaging, something she had placed firmly in the ‘great ideas’ list but instead it had turned into a routine mutiny and finished the day as a routine marooning. She sighs as she lays her head back against the seamless panel behind her.

Fucking pirates. 

She has been stranded on the old freighter for at least two moons, but it was hard to say with certainty. The droids that man the ship have no need to eat so more often than not they forget to pass along anything to keep her mounting hunger at bay, adding along to the lack of any kind of panel to the outside world, getting her bearings is proving to be more difficult than usual. 

She hisses a swear to drown out the low growl of her belly and focuses her gaze on the far corner of the room. Another day, another chance to count the diamond shaped tiles above her cell, she swears the number changes every other time she counts. She doesn’t get farther than eighteen when the door of the maintenance room blows open. 

The dust fills the room, hiding everything under its grimy shadow. The grit in the air crackles as it’s pushed against the red of the electron walls that keep her prisoner with the ships cooling coils and a water filtration unit that has calcified and has never been fixed.  

"Well look at that, we found it! Lucky break!"

"Luck had nothing to do with it, if you had studied the schematics of this cruiser like I had asked-"

"Yeah yeah yeah." The first figure, a hulking shadow in the doorway brushes off the smaller one as he stomps into the suddenly too tiny room.

"The memory core should be at the end of the-" the smaller of the two figures stops in front of her cell as the big one charges towards the end of the room without stopping. They launch themselves into the piles of junk thrown haphazardly inside, "That's concerning."

"Concerning? You see someone in a cage and you go with ‘concerning’?" She replies as she pulls herself up to standing. She takes in his armor, modified clone armor from the looks of it painted pale with a bright red stripe down his chest, his eyes slightly magnified by the goggles on his face, the rest hidden by the elongated helmet.

"According to the intel we were provided there weren't supposed to be life forms aboard." He seems irritated to see her.

"Good old Republic intel, still living up to its reputation."

The other clone approaches, he rips open the metal box in his hands and yanks out the core as if the casing was made of thick flimsy and nothing more, "I've got the thing, time to go!"

She watches, dumbstruck for a moment as her ticket out starts to head for the gaping maw that used to be a door, "Wait, you're taking the old database?" The two of them stop and turn, "It's not complete! It's missing pieces of the coordinates!" Firefek she didn't want to sound desperate but she was.

"Likely story-" The big one chuckles.

"I was trying to steal it too, I almost got all of it before my crew turned on me!"

"A mercenary or a pirate? No matter, I trust you even less now."

She had never wanted to punch anyone's face as hard as she wanted to punch his, "Check the core Goggles, I swear to you! It's missing pieces!" He hesitates and in that baited pause she knows she has him, "Please, just let me out and drop me off wherever you dock next. You can have my data chip. No harm, no foul, just get me out."

The one with the goggles glares at her, the yellow tinted transparisteel of his visor snapping downl before he turns to the bigger man. Klaxons ring all around as he scans the core with a handheld device, but it's taking up time they do not have.

The two clones share a look, silently deciding her fate.

The bigger one caves first, "Aww c'mon Tech, we can't leave her! You saw what's on this ship, she'll be a goner on some mining planet!"

"Under normal circumstances I might agree but she's caged for a purpose, and I'm disinclined to put any trust in her."

"How much damage can she do? She’s smaller than you are!" 

Tech, the one in the goggles, sighs before he turns back around to face her, "If we spring you, you play by our rules. You follow our orders, no complaints, no rebuttals and if you put one toe out of line-"

"Out the airlock, understood." She nods furiously, hands pressed against the panel as she watches Tech short out the electron wall holding her hostage, the panel shudders and then it spews sparks on to the ground as the red fades and she's finally able to step through. 

"Lets go shortie!" 

"Wait, let me just grab-" She scrambles to the other side of the wall, trying to pull at something from the top of a shelf. The bigger clone reaches over and tosses the crate to the floor. She throws open the top and snatches out a bantha leather bag and a helmet.

"Run!"

Tech doesn't have to tell her twice, the three of them bolt out of the door and into the corridor, the lights above flash in time with the klaxons. There is a low rumble that joins the hum of the hyperspace engine, as whatever security droids are on board begin to activate.

"Back to the ship, short stuff!" 

The three of them book it down the darkened halls, ducking behind walls and crates as the first cluster of security droids pass through.

She tosses her bag across her shoulder, slinging it against one side of her hip, clipping it into place with snaps sewn into her jacket. They watch three more droids pass them by before she speaks again, "My name's Nox, by the way." 

"Doesn't sound like a girl's name." The big one chuckles, so deep and rumbling it almost feels like a growl.

"Well it's the only name I've got. My parents named me a bit of a mouthful, Nox just works better."

"Clear." Tech calls out and they continue on their way heading to the service hangar where their ship hopefully was waiting for them.

"How'd you end up out here?" The big one asks, with every flash of light above them she can see more of the large scary face painted roughly on his helmet, lines thrown on haphazardly only to be scraped away by carbon scoring.

She is about to answer when she is shoved back into a corner by Tech. He slaps a hand over her mouth before she can yelp, the leather slightly singed, it smells of electricity and grease.

“Wait.”

"I'm getting tired of all this sneaking around, I say we blow our way outta here!" The big one growls.

"We’re almost there Wrecker, it would be pointless to try now."

She shoves Tech's Hand away, "Blow your way out of here, are you insane? With the amount of baby on board you'd blow us into the next dimension!"

There are a few beats of silence before both helmets turn towards her.

"Baby?" Wrecker repeats but is shushed by Tech.

"You don't mean baradium-"

"Bisulfate? I absolutely do! There were containers of the stuff in the holding bay."

"This Imperial ship is headed somewhere to mine thorilide?" He repeats, tone stressed over every syllable in the word ‘Imperial’.

"That or some unlucky planet is about to be wiped from existence."

"The location of the Republic thorilide mines have been kept under the utmost security for ages, not even the Jedi Council was ever advised of its location."

"Can’t say I blame them, I barely trust them with those glowy sticks of death." She murmurs, making lightsaber sounds with her mouth as Wrecker snickers.

"Stop that. Do you know where this ship was heading? Do you have a copy of the manifest?"

"What, your amazing Republic recce didn't get you that information shiny?" He glares back at her, brows pinching together behind the dark frames of his goggles, "Maker! Did those cloners take your sense of humor? Yes, I know where this ship is going."

"Bet Cid’s contact would pay more for that bit of info." Wrecker’s grin can be heard even through the plastoid of his helmet.

Tech meanwhile has typed something to a com on his wrist, "Hunter, there's been a complication."

"What kind of complication?"

"There is more on board this ship than just the republic database-"

"What do you mean?"

"This ship is a mining vessel, out to mine thorilide."

Tech’s wrist comm goes silent, just quiet static while the voice on the other line thinks, "Ordinance?"

Both clones look at her, she nods emphatically, "Ordinance, med supplies, if there was coaxium on board I wouldn't be surprised, this place is the motherlode."

"Quite a bit of supplies on board, it would seem."

The comm goes quiet again for a few moments, "We don't have time for this, it's only a matter of time before they realize that your cruiser is stolen. Grab what you went in for and leave."

Tech shakes his head, it's so tiny and quick that if she wasn't looking at him in that moment she would have missed it, "Where is it being kept?" 

"Up, five or so floors unless I've miscounted."

"Tech, Wrecker, Get out of there, now!" The voice on the other end grows more and more irritable as they stand around in silence.

"We'll be out as soon as possible." Tech replies curtly as he cuts the comm. He makes it sound so easy like they were stopping by the nearest market to pick up fruit, instead of about to hijack high quality explosives from Imperial custody, "Lead the way."

"What? Just like that?"

"Are there, or are there not these items on board?"

"Yes." 

"You swear?" Wrecker leans in close, hovering over her.

"Yeah."

Tech nods, "Vital signs are stable, no signs of heightened stress-"

"What if I'm just a really good liar?"

"You can try all you want my dear, but the data doesn't lie."

"Does he do this to you too? I'm finding it a bit creepy-" She asks Wrecker as her eyebrow raises.

"You get used to it."

"Weird, so weird…" she mutters to herself as she turns and peeks around the corner. She looks around for anything that is familiar, when she sees a maintenance lift at the very end of the hall to the right. She motions them forward, and silently they sneak their way closer to the lift. She turns her attention to her side as she digs in her bag, her fingers grasp at the odd collection of junk in her pockets until her hand finally wraps around the cool metal of her code cylinder and she can finally stop holding her breath.

Tech's hand on her shoulder pulls her back to the task on hand as he drags her back a few steps. The catwalk above them from here to the lift is no more than a shoddy looking set of grates that creak as a group of security droids march along their patrol, oblivious to the three of them below. 

“The maintenance lift?" Tech sniffs as they come to a stop at its doors. He raises hand to push his goggles back into place, "Perhaps you have failed to notice but none of us are maintenance droids, the moment you try to access that panel they will -”

“They’ll what?” She asks as she jams the cylinder into the port, the lift clicks open silently and she steps inside. 

“The alarms-”

“What alarms? According to this," she snaps her code cylinder from the panel and drops it back into her bag, lost again to the chaos of the random junk held within, "I'm a maintenance droid doing routine inspections. How stupid do you think I am?”

"Hey hey, this one's pretty smart huh Tech?!" Wrecker is thrilled.

"Pirate." She reminds, "You don't see many my age that aren't intelligent and I'll give you one guess as to why."

The doors silently click open and before they can step out a team of at least half a dozen well armed sentry droids roll past. 

They all leap from the inside of the lift and fall into a crouch behind a stack of supply crates. They wait for a few moments before Tech quickly peeks over, "They don't seem to have spotted us."

"Fuck, there weren't this many when we tried this the first time." She swears a few more times under her breath.

"We should do this my way." Wrecker offers.

"What's that mean, what does he mean?!" Nox looks nervously over to Tech, "He doesn't mean-?"

"Explosives and violence? He absolutely does," Tech sighs, “ and I'm afraid we are running low on options and even lower on time. Wrecker, what does your ordinance look like?"

“But you said I couldn't bring any?”

“Yes, and when was the last time you actually listened?”

Wrecker, the fun if not absolutely homicidal one, pulls out a couple of detonators, a roll of plastic tape, a half dozen hand grenades and three droid poppers.

“Great, nice to know you could have turned us into a small sun if I hadn't told you about the baby on board.”

"Everything save for the poppers is far too dangerous to use around those crates." Tech hisses, "Any more of those brilliant pirate ideas floating around in your head?"

She chews on her lip for a moment, wracking her brain for anything else that might be useful as she ignores Tech's sarcastic tone. Apart from the crates on this floor littered with treasure, there didn't seem to be anything of any use...except for the busted water filter. “How big of a distraction do you think it would take to get all those sentries away from the haul?”

“It would need to be something quite large or destructive enough to threaten the integrity of the ship.”

“The water filtration system on board is completely calcified, I don't think it was ever fixed since there are only droids on board. If you could flood that with enough pressure the entire pipe should burst-”

“And flood the entire floor, along with the engine room, that might just do it.” He’s on his data pad before the words are even out of his mouth, he scans the room all around and matches it with the wireframe schematics on his screen. He stalks his way backwards until he finds the panel he is looking for. He pops it open easily and then begins to slice into the mainframe of the ship, “On my count, take Wrecker to wherever the baby is, let him handle it. You get your hands on as much of the medical supplies as you can, the security onboard is a little tighter than I would have preferred so I will have to stay here and continue to flood the filter.”

“Oh, easy.”

“Think you can handle all that tiny?” Wrecker’s thundering chuckle threatens to give away their location even with the steady moan of the alarms overhead.

She grins, Wrecker is back to being the fun one, “Try and keep up.”

There is a sound of roaring water all around them as tech funnels every liquid on the ship into the filter, then a sound like an explosion a couple of feet below them rocks the ship like a lightning strike. 

The sound of the alarm overhead changes as every droid on the floor turns away and heads to a lowering platform, all instructed to assist with the burst pipe.

“That’s our cue!” 

She shoves Wrecker forward playfully before they both break into a sprint toward the storage rooms where their bounty is being held. She points to one of the rooms as they approach, "This one's your big boy!"

The door is sealed shut, but not for long. Wrecker doesn't slow, instead he hunches low, bringing his shoulders down and tucking his chin into the collar of his armor before he barrels straight through, punching a hole through the doors with enough force to make even her teeth rattle.

She dips into the storage room across the hall, thanking the stars that her haul wasn't locked away like his was. She rips open any crate within arms reach, tossing open the tops and letting them scatter around the room wherever they land. She snatches bacta patches and hypos by the handful and packs the crate as full as she can, slamming her entire body weight against it to get it to close. She drags it out into the hall, placing it by the door before she bolts into the room right beside the one Wrecker is standing in. 

Wrecker watches her disappear into the room, the four small crates of explosives tucked carefully under his arms, “Wait, where are you-”

His question is answered as another crate hits the floor beside him. She comes running out of the room, grabbing this second crate by the handle and yanking it along, “Perfect! Not a single explosion! Love that for me!”

Wrecker bends down to offer her a hand but she has already snatched up the first trunk and is flying down the hall with them. She's faster than Wrecker would have believed she would be capable of with the two crates almost her height. She almost trips over herself as she stops and with a swift kick, the second crate lands at Tech's feet, “Come on 20/20, cut her loose, let's go!”

“What’s in that- I specifically ordered you to only carry medical supplies.”

“Yeah well, it sounds like you are used to not being listened to so, ship. Now!”

Wrecker races past, hopping off of the side and down to the level below, the halls are empty as all hands are called to help with the floor that is flooding. 

Nox peeks over the side, she watches as Wrecker sets the small boxes of baby down beside him, "Toss your crate!" He calls up. She nods and yanks the crates handle, flipping it up and off of the edge with a nudge from Tech. 

She helps him in turn, as they gingerly haul the crate full of ordinance over the edge before tossing it below. 

Wrecker sets the crates to one side before turning back to catch Nox, but she's already climbing down. Her fingers dig into spots on the wall where she should not be able to have any grip. She finds her own way down and with a little hop, lands right beside Wrecker as Tech lands beside her. The clang of his boots echoes down the empty hallway. "We'll need to make our way through the flooded floor of the ship in order to get back to the hangar." Tech types away at his data pad again before picking up the side of his crate.

Nox follows close beside the two clones, tossing the crate up onto her back to avoid making any unnecessary scraping sounds as they get closer to the flooded area, the sound of pouring water gets louder and louder with every floor. The next floor they walk through has the water barely deep enough to wash over the toes of their boots, but it rises rapidly after that. By the time they are on the same floor as the hangar, the water has risen up to their knees and Nox has a harder time trying to distract her mind from where all of this stagnant water has been hiding this whole time.

“Holding out ok over there tiny?” Wrecker chuckles. 

She turns to answer, when everything becomes...not alright. Her next step slips out from under her and she goes flying forward, crashing face first into the dark disgusting water, the crate on her back keeping her under the surface as she struggles to pull herself back up to standing. 

A hand at the back of her collar pulls her back up into fresh air, slimy water pours from her mouth and nose as she gags. She doesn't need to clear the water from her eyes to know what the dark figures that are starting to line the hallway are. Tech and Wrecker are on either side of her, blasters raised as the sentry droids file in.   

“I'm hoping you can fight better than you can swim.” Tech calls over as Wrecker leaps over them both and charges straight into one of the sentries.  Tech keeps a few of the others at bay, clipping them with bright bolts from his twin deecees, but it's not enough. She rubs the slime from her face and charges right behind Wrecker, using her entire body to check a droid in her path, she grabs the blaster from its hands as it goes tumbling backwards and into the water. Techs shots ring out around her as he stays behind, watching over the crates behind him. Wrecker tears through any droids that get within reach, sparks flying on to the water before they sizzle and die. She concentrates her fire on any droids Tech misses until the hall is clear.

"There'll be a second platoon on their way, we better get a move on." Tech calls back to them, she tosses the almost empty blaster into the water beside her.

"Are you always just, you know?" She makes growling and ripping sounds at Wrecker.

He laughs, "Not often enough." 

She stifles her laughter behind her hand as she walks back to where Tech is to retrieve the case of medical supplies, for a brief moment the last couple of days are forgotten and even the slime on her skin is the last thing on her mind. For a brief moment she was back with her men, waiting for that score of a lifetime, but when she grabs the handle of the crate and looks back it’s the clone armor that reminds her she is in fact alone. The sudden quiet of sadness doesnt last long as the doors behind them open and a new series of drods begin their march towards them. 

“Incoming!”

-----

Tag list: @themarvelbunch @agentwhiskeysdarlin @pascalisthepunkest @ashotofspotchka

[uponrightful]

Second Chance Ch. 6

Read Chapter Five Here

Warnings: Injury, Angry/Sad/Confused/Depressed? Din, Cursing, Bad Guys Die in canonical ways & as always my terrible editing.)

Authors Note: I have no idea what possessed me have such a fucking sad chapter. (Insert Fair Warning Here) But not only did I personally need this, the plot needed this. 

Word Count: 11.5K

Mando woke up to the low ambient noise of his quarters funneling through the amplified speakers in his helmet pressing up against his ears. His body felt stiff, and his mind felt fuzzy from the unusual amount of sleep he’d somehow allowed himself to have. The windowless hull afforded him the luxury of not being able to discern daylight from dark and the deflector mods for some reason had darkened his HUD. With a low grunt he reached for his vambrace with his opposite hand and adjusted the brightness on his display before hauling himself back to his feet with another defeated sigh. His swim with the girl still weighed heavily on his mind despite his long sleep and as he walked into the empty hull the silence surrounding him only made his conscience weigh heavier. The door to the girl’s room was swung wide open with no sign of her boots, or her anywhere to be seen. Only an empty can of soup sitting next to her bed gave Mando any sign that she’d been on the ship any time in the last couple hours.

He knew better than to think she wasn’t confused with him, but that didn’t help his own confusion when it came to how easily she affected him. With an empty ship he took the opportunity to find some food for himself and quickly get it down his throat ignoring the opportunity to fully remove his helmet in the chance that she did come back soon. Glancing over the ration stock he took note of its reorganization, the corners of his mouth twitching up in appreciativeness of the unnecessary job she’d completed. After a couple checks of the Slave, he made his way to the cockpit in a habitual routine of checking fuel and water levels before noticing the bright light flashing on the comm link. He felt the hair on his neck raise as he stood looking at the anomalous sight of a missed comm.      

As unusual as it was he pressed the strobing light, bracing himself for what was to come. His stiff muscles stayed bunched in anticipation until he saw a familiar green and red Mando helmet staring back at him through the blue tint of the HUD. Boba Fett and a his gruff tone urged him to respond at his soonest -convenient or otherwise- opportunity, letting Mando know just how irritated he was in the strict posture he held.

Begrudgingly, he turned to look towards the ladder to the hull and listened for any sign of the girl’s approach before connecting to Fett’s last link. Glancing back towards the ladder again, hoping that she wouldn’t walk in right in the middle of this unexpected conversation and get caught in the middle of Fett’s -admittedly- unavoidable charm.

“Find someone better to talk to last night?” Mando could sense Fett’s irriation and mocking in the strict sound of his tone. “Maybe you’ve found someone to warm up that bed you’re not doubt not sleeping in.”  

“Why complain if you’re the one wasting time?” he barked back with impatience.

“A group of Hothian’s came looking for you, asking questions about a beskar Mando and a little slip of a girl he was keeping hostage.” Fett almost chuckled after mentioning the girl, finding humor in the terrible reasoning for the girl being with him. “Of course there was no one with any helpful information or a sighing… but that didn’t keep them from upsetting a few of my contacts.” He tone settled back down, lulling back into a more business-like tone that unsettled Mando more than his typical grumbling.

“Did they talk to you?” Another bad feeling crept up Mando’s back and settled at the nape of his neck, biting hard into his conscious.

“I hardly blend in.” he remarked, tilting his head down to motion towards the helmet. “I said there was no Mandalorian for parsecs. They were more than ready to leave with a unfriendly warning.”

“Combative?” he questioned, watching as Fett’s shoulders sagged as he blew out a breath.

“Approaching anyone with blasters on a foreign planet is kriffing unusual… but that didn’t keep them from shoving them in anyone’s face that looked suspicious enough.”

“You didn’t lie. We’re perfectly safe here.” Telling Fett their exact location wasn’t necessary, even if the other Mando was simply trying to warn them.

“That’s bantha shit. And from the way you keep looking over your shoulder I expect you know it to.” He pointed into the holocall transponder, straightening his posture with a satisfied smirk perceivable on his shielded face. “You’ll receive encoded coordinates in the next minutes. I expect you can read Mando’a.”

“I’m not leaving without kriffing good reason for it.” Mando was aware of how his pride was getting the best of him. Fett wasn’t overacting, but it wasn’t sitting right with him that Boba was keeping such close tabs on him and the girl for no good reason other than personal intrest.

“My offer stands. I expect you’re in an uncharted sector, but that only deters the Imperials. Anyone after you certainly knows their way around all of the little hiding places you’ve found rat hunting.”

Mando and Fett stood silent in a battle of wills, completely content to wait one another out until the other conceded. However Fett was the first to break this time, growling impatiently when the familiar sound of Cleeah’s voice echoed from in the distance. Mando couldn’t make out the entire sentence, but she sounded like she was in a hurry. No doubt Fett was leaving Coruscant before the Hothian’s came knocking for a follow-up interrogation. Even in the best of circumstances Fett wasn’t willing to risk his posh hideaway under any conditions. He surmised that Fett was inviting them to a secondary location; One where Mando was unhappily admitting to being safer than anywhere he’d taken the girl up to this point.

“Mando’a.” It was all Fett said before the holo disappeared and Mando was left to decide on whether or not to leave.

***

FOUR HOURS EARLIER

A walk would clear her mind. After all, it was too pretty of a morning to waste it sitting on the ship.

Mando weighed heavily on the her mind, more so than she’d ever anticipated. He was the embodiment of emotional whiplash, steeled over from any real infiltration by the thick glittering beskar jacketing him. She tried her best to gauge his moods and respond accordingly but the more she thought she understood, the Mandalorian seemed more than happy to prove otherwise. Mando had a knack for using her lack of control against her in the worst moments, leaving her with more than a knotted up stomach and tangible mortification. The waterfall hadn’t been an accident, he was the one who said he would teach her… but after he’d shown interest it immediately dissolved like sugar in a hot cup of tea. It wasn’t like she could see through that kriffing visor of his; something kept her from acting on the obvious -yet confusing-  ways he acted around her.

He must believe that she wasn’t good enough.

The girl’s stomach dropped at the thought of him preferring someone else to her even though it was a ridiculous idea in the first place. She didn’t belong to him, or vice versa so it shouldn’t really matter anyways. Mando was a man with undeniable magnetism no matter if you hated him -or had began to develop a certain liking- for the bounty hunter. She wasn’t jealous, but after hours of imagining the woman she believed to match Mando, it was like shooting herself in the foot with a blaster… nothing but pain and no benefit to herself. All of the imaginary women were like Cleeah, exotically unattainable with beautiful clothes and lifestyles that exposed them to all of the things she lacked. The longer she compared herself to these illusory women it became apparent that as long as they weren’t her nothing else really mattered. She was too small, and couldn’t defend herself like Cleeah. The names of changing seasons were still new to her, along with the idea of swimming in water that wasn’t cold enough to freeze a person in minutes. She could shoot a blaster, but that didn’t mean anything to a trained bounty hunter… nothing she did made a difference

Maybe learning a few things would impress him? Then he might not think so lowly of her.

Despite her perpetually adverse sentiments towards herself, there was one thing she knew she was lucky to experience… Mando. Living on the ship gave her more than enough time to soak in his small idiosyncrasies - when he wasn’t paying enough attention to mask them – and without anyone to discourage her, she paid painstakingly close attention to them. It wasn’t smart, and she knew that doing so wasn’t helping her growing infatuation towards the Mandalorian; pouring fuel onto the fire that licked at her core when he was around. Every day she found more and more parallels between him and the many suns they’d passed travelling through the galaxy.

Domestic things that Mando did made the biggest impressions. Seeing him rinse out a cloak in a stream and hang it to dry, or mindlessly rubbing his gloved fingers rubbing at the dirty spots on his thigh plates to clean them was radically opposite to his typically statuesque personality. He liked to cook, or at least when it was available for him to, and for a man who lived on the edge of certain death laying low on this moon suited him right down to the ground.

Every living thing gravitated towards him, from the tall waving grass to the low hanging tree branches that skimmed his pauldrons and helmet. Inherently he looked more machine than biological, but every movement was fluid and effortless like there wasn’t anything unnatural about him. Mando blended into his environment, letting the mirror-polished shine on his beskar envelop him until he was almost a shadow against his surroundings; Like he was the perfect hunter with the entire moon assisting in his hunts. The girl couldn’t be sure if Mando knew how well he blended in or if it just naturally happened; Either way it was always something she had begun to love about him.

Quietly she slipped out of the ship, hoping not to disturb Mando as he slept through the morning. Hopefully until after she got back… There was nothing worse than the feeling of his hand wrapping around her waist and pulling her back again him after she’d wandered too far from his eyesight. It had nothing to do with  the thought of him tracking her down, but more so with the way he did it. Feeling the icy surprise of his steel curiass against her back and the slow rise and fall of his chest made more than her chest clench. It was hard to think straight with Mando so close, and the idea of him chasing her down was more than enough to have her trembling.  

She neglected her boots, opting for the soft padding of the grass under her feet. Saying this moon was anything less than divine was a discredit to just how beautiful it was. She couldn’t imagine a prettier color than the deep browns of the soil sticking to her toes and the hundreds of shades of green covering every inch of the valley. Of course, Ashas Ree had been beautiful but not a single drop of rain had fallen since they landed and it was nice to explore without getting wet. After deciding on a heading, she made out towards the waterfall hoping one last visit would get it off her mind before Mando woke up. A clear head would make talking to him much more approachable when she returned back to the ship.

It wasn’t long before the familiar sound of the water reached her ears, and an even more familiar feeling of dread filled her stomach when the sizeable resonances of voices layered over the spray of the water. The girl stopped in her tracks and dropped down to the ground behind a tree placing a hand over her chest; Trying desperately to calm the thumping feeling in her heart that racked against her sternum. There were at least six different voices she could differentiate, but from instinct she estimated there to have been more than ten people rummaging about at the base of the cliff and waterfall.  

Get yourself together, and find out what’s going on before you lose your kriffing mind.

Her next exhale was shaky, but not as bad as her knees when she peeked around the thick tree trunk to look between the thick trunks towards the sounds. One ship sat at the top of the cliff, it’s durasteel paneling just barely peeking through the canopy of densely needle-covered branches. Less than a hundred feet or so, stood a group of men preoccupied with setting up tents and another group sitting around a stump with playing cards in their hands. Immediately she recognized them playing Sabacc and slowly came up to her feet, taking two careful steps backwards. All of them were covered in grease, and filthy beyond any real recognition of who they might’ve been. That didn’t keep the girl from identifying that they were smugglers, just getting ready to settle in for the day.  

She needed to get back to Mando before they noticed the Slave sitting in the middle of the valley… or her spying on them.

The girl didn’t have enough time to realize anything but the dull throb of a fist swiping across her cheek. Her whimper covered the sound of her body slamming back down to the ground from the heavy assault. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the tall figure towering above her who presently stood resting his hands on his hips, laughing darkly at her.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing way out here?” his scratchy voice rumbled as he roughly yanked her to her feet, sneering with blackened teeth. The girl winced away from him, still feeling the awful pain in her face and fearing another blow. His awful breath blew in her face leaving her feeling doubly sick in her current situation.

“Please, don’t hurt me.” She cried out unable to resist the need to let her tears flow. The man laughed aloud this time, shoving her in the direction of the camp she’d desperately been trying to  hide from.

“Oh I expect we’ll have some fun first.” He laughed again, calling out to the men nearest to them. “Look what I found boys!” Her gut churned as she struggled against the man dragging her, violently kicking and jerking her arms in attempt to get away before someone else could come to help her attacker.

“Please let me go!” she screamed, praying that somehow Mando might hear her before anything happened to her. It was all in vain for the quick reflexes of her captor who clamped a hand over her mouth, pressing down hard against her already aching face. Her ability to breathe slowly worsened as they got closer to the camp, multiple voices coming closer and almost echoing in her pulsing ears.

A black rim started closing in on her vision, collecting at the corners of her sight and slowly dotting closer to the center of her field of view. The girl couldn’t fight much longer, and the outlook of her situation ending positively made resisting feel that much more unreasonable. Maybe it was the overwhelming helplessness that enveloped her right as she was passed through the flaps of one of the many tents that she’d been observing Or it might’ve been her body’s lack of oxygen mixed with her quick hyperventilation that caused her to pass out. Either way she wasn’t awake to feel the second blow to her face, or hear the way her body hit the ground after being tossed carelessly to the floor by her attacker.

PRESENT TIME

Mando was growing more impatient by the second as he waited for the girl to return. The girl had never been away from the ship this long, especially without giving him some type of idea as to what she was doing before she left. He tapped his heels impatiently on the floor, watching the valley in front of him, as if his thoughts alone were going to be enough to make her appear from thin air. It wasn’t the first time he’d went out searching for her, and he was sure this time wouldn’t be the last either. His mind raced with instinctual thoughts, running through scenario after scenario until he’d worked himself just short of full-blown fury before he collected his blasters and set out to find her.

There was a certain coldness in the air around him as the sound of distant voices were picked up by his helmet, chilling past his weighted armor and icing over any of the emotional turmoil that the girl had created in her absence. The sun still shown bright but Mando couldn’t feel anything other than that prickling sense of death creeping up on him. A slight breeze rustled the trees but for Mando it sounded like millions of whispers all crowding out any thought that didn’t have to do with his girl. Even death seemed quite willing to agree with Mando in the moment and he was certain that even if death wasn’t willing it wouldn’t have mattered anyways.

Laughter and the unawareness of the smugglers were telling. All of their tents were set up, and sabacc decks were huddled around by a few groups of men, all of them either yelling or doing their best to keep their tell from showing. Baudy jokes and drunken howling set the background of a hellish encampment of men who most likely wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to steal away a stranded pretty girl. Mando bristled at the sight before him, instinctually targeting the tents in search of any movement that might mark if she’d been taken by them. He could see multiple heat signatures, but at this distance there was no definition to the blurry red blobs in his HUD. She was here… he knew it.

If the smugglers hadn’t been engrossed in their petty gambling they would’ve been shocked to see the imposing figure lurking right out of eyesight. It would’ve looked like the gods had created the image of hell right in front of them. The shadows of the trees clung to Mando, radiating outwards like an ominous haze of black unfurling like heavy wings around his statuesque frame. A reaper had taken form in the shape of a bounty hunter, more destructive than any known to walk the galaxy. Mando knew that death clung to him but he didn’t know that this was what set him apart from all others. Others didn’t see him as a purveyor of death’s wishes, what others saw was the incarnate of revenge and prowess. Power and menace fearfully evident on the slate black visor of The Mandalorian. This was what the girl hadn’t seen of him. Nothing she’d heard or ever would hear about Mando would compare to the malevolence displayed before these smugglers. The sunlight that she saw, swallowed whole by the all-encompassing rage that flowed through Mando as he paced imposingly towards the center of the camp. His calmness only proved the efficiency of his body and the instinctual way he was able to concentrate his intensity for the most lethal means.

Only after a dried branch that had been carelessly tossed to the edge of one of the groups snapped under the weight of his boot did one of the men look to meet Mando’s emotionless stare. The man’s eyes widened in panic just long enough for him to remember that he wasn’t the only man there. He collected his fear long enough to nudge the man sitting next to him who still sat focused on his hand of cards, unaware of the mental battle Mando was waging on the now standing smuggler. The Mandalorian couldn’t help but smile, wickedly content with the silent terror he was providing.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man finally spat out, masking his voice well enough that his partners wouldn’t notice what Mando was privy to. All eyes in the camp looked up from their cards to stare at the beskar-clad reaper. Mando’s silence unsettled the entire clan and the unanswered question rang true in the minds of all the grease-stained men. After a long moment, one of the larger men singled himself out and approached Mando with an obvious false-confidence that screamed out for attention. His long blonde hair was coated in filth and ratted into knots that collected mud; freshly dried blood coating the knuckles on his right hand.  

“We were under the impression this moon was deserted.” The man smiled, unable to help himself from smiling at the inside joke Mando was also privy to. “My men and I just settled in for the evening… I expect you’re coming to say hello?” The man reached out his blood-stained hand to Mando, who momentarily thought about shooting it clean off.

“I came to get what’s mine.” He growled lowly, lowering his visor to meet the eyes of the man speaking.

“I have nothing of yours.” The man responded casually, settling his tightly clenched fists on his hips. He even took a glance down at the blaster strapped to Mando’s hip. “We just dropped our shipment, so there’s nothing for you to take anyways.” It wasn’t a convincing bluff, but the other members of the crew were obviously certain that it would deter the man in front of them into leaving. Their visible relief diminished once Mando rested his palm over the handle of his blaster, slowly resting his fingers over the well-worn finish of the weapon.

“You’ll die in five seconds.” He pointed to the tents gathered behind all of the men with his free hand. “If you don’t return what you’ve taken.” Mando’s mind wasn’t allowing him to speak of her, despite his honest attempt in saying that she was his. His anger blocked any real thought of sentiment, protecting himself in the chance that they would try and use it against him, or worse realize that she meant something important to him.

“We don’t have what you’re after.” The man sneered quickly drawing out his own blaster. The action end trained itself right at the center of Mando’s chest, gently wavering in the anxious hands of its owner. Mando sneered under his helmet at the pitiful challenge in front of him, feeling just how threatened the man felt under his unhuman stare.

Everything happened quickly. The first shot between the two men were almost in sync, Mando’s dropping the man to the ground in a fit of screams. The first blast Mando took was to the chest, knocking him off balance long enough for others in the encampment to pick up arms against him. Only a couple others picked up blasters, issuing three more inaccurate shots to his beskar; These men were the next to fall. The rest preferred hand to hand combat, assuming that Mando couldn’t fight off more than a couple men at once. His Whistling Birds allowed him the space to fight off the remaining stragglers that didn’t catch the attention of his heat seeking projectiles. In his haste, he checked the tents and found that one tent still carried the signature of three bodies huddled in a corner. Before he could move close enough to see inside a booming voice echoed over the rocks of the cliff surrounding them.

“Get any closer and she dies!”

Mando moved to stand in the opening, allowing himself to wince at the sight before him. Two men -bigger than any he’d seen- crouched over the still form of the girl, one pointing a blaster at Mando while the other held a knife to her throat. He was in terrible position and any wrong move would result in a stray blast hitting her, or a knife wound that couldn’t be healed on the ship. There had to be some way to get them away from her.

“What do you want with her?” he asked coolly, letting his modulator mask the infinite levels of fear and rage mixing with his tone.

“A fuck.” The knife wielding one spat, touching the edge of the blade to the girls throat with a an evil snarl.

“She’s a criminal.” -he lied- “Wanted for murder on Hoth. I hunted her to this moon, so she could stand trial.” It was his only chance. Even horny smugglers didn’t like the idea of fraternizing with well-known criminals.

“You’re a bounty hunter.” The second man surmised, “Then you’ll pay to get her back.” He smiled, glancing down at the multiple satchels attached to Mando’s belt, his eyes widening at the thought of making even a few extra credits.

“I wasn’t given an advance. Instead you’ll split the bounty head.” He quickly thought on his feet, watching as the gravity of the situation began to lift, if only by a minuscule amount.

“How much?” The first man asked, glancing down at the girl who was still breathing evenly despite how weak she looked.

“I take half. You split the other.” They would be insane to not take an offer like that from any bounty hunter… especially from a man like Mando.

The two men shared a glance, and nodded before removing themselves from overtop of the girl, and tucking away their weapons. It was foolish of the two smugglers, but Mando already knew how much power money held over every sentient being in the galaxy. The two men followed a silent Mando as he brought them back towards the center of the camp, and turned around to face them, mimicking the actions of finding something in his belt. He listened as the two men talked, mentioning how simple of a fight the girl had been.

“She’d gone down in two punches. Kriff, I can’t imagine how she’d killed anyone bigger than a child.” It was the man who held the knife who laughed as he imagined the false scenario of the girl.

“You think that’s the best part? I’m guessing you didn’t get the chance to smell her did you?” The second man emphasized his addition to the conversation with an exaggerated inhale. “Sweeter than any candy I’ve ever tasted.” He chuckled, turning to Mando who’d finally had enough of the charade he was orchestrating.

“Did you get more than a smell?” Mando prodded with a low growl, watching as a grin crept across the man’s face.

“I may have sampled the goods.” He chuckled before leaning in just far enough that he could reach Mando’s implied ear. “That little curve at the top of her tits… well, let’s just say it couldn’t resi-.” The register of Mando’s blaster echoed in the trees, barely muffled by the point blank contact with the man’s chest. It was followed by confused shouts and a loud groan, but it all fell on Mando’s deaf ears. There was nothing stopping him from finishing this, these men had been dangerous; Now that they were away from the girl Mando could fully punish the bastards for what they’d done to her.

Those horrific thoughts kept replaying in his mind long after he’d dispatched of the other man who’d been to startled to even make a reach for his knife. Mando’s entire body was trembling with emotion as he lifted the opening of the tent to face his failure to protect her. She was still out-cold, and a deep blue bruise was already forming on her face as Mando gently collected her in his arms to abandon the now silent camp. She didn’t move a muscle the entire walk to the ship, and Mando did his best to keep her close to his chest in case she was more injured than was visual. He could feel that shadow of darkness trailing behind him, it’s draw to seek out any of the men left alive dissipating with every step closer to the ship. He looked back down at her and set his jaw, doing his best not to scream out in frustration at the pain he’d allowed to fall on her. The outline of knuckles were already imprinting themselves onto her face, with a gut wrenching trail of blood running from her nose.

“I’m so sorry little one.” Mando’s broken gasp spoke louder than any apology he could ever verbalize. “I need to clean you up.” He murmured as he shut the hatch door behind him, feeling the need to separate her from the world outside the ship.

He laid her in his bed, cradling her head down into the pillow as he checked for any other outward signs of injury. His shaking body jerked even harder the longer he stood over her, waiting for her to open her eyes. He smoothed her hair back out of her face, and let his fingers lace through the strands for a few minutes, in his own mind thinking it might soothe her knitted brows and tightly shut eyes.

“Please wake up little one.” He begged quietly, “I need to know you’re okay.” If he’d not been paying attention Mando might’ve missed the slight twitch of her fingers followed by a quick  reaction of pulling her knees to her chest, and wrapping her arms over her face. His heart clenched with helplessness as she opened her eyes and peeked through the space in her arms to face him kneeling down at her side.  

“You found me.” She whimpered still protecting her face. He nodded silently, losing all of the words he’d been speaking before she’d had the ability to look back at him. Her shaky inhale was followed by another whimper as she touched for fingertips to her bruising cheek; Wincing, she lowered her arms back down and slowly scooted herself closer to the edge of the bed, judging Mando’s reactions closely.

“I didn’t protect you.” His sadness was pitifully evident as he lowered his eyes down to the floor in front of him. Nothing he could do would make up for the hurt that she’d displayed after touching her cheek. He felt her hand rest on the crown of his helmet, pushing gently as to ask him to raise his head back up. At first, he protested unwilling to face her after such a breach of trust.  

“Look at me Mando.” Her voice was raspy, no doubt from screams that he hadn’t heard. It was another blow to his gut as he relented and met her soft gaze. “You found me. Saved me.” It was her acceptance of his apology, however he was almost sick to accept it. Nothing he’d done deserved such an honor as her acceptance of his failure, and it was enough to drop him to both knees under the weight of her hand on his helm.

“I don’t understand you.” He murmured, the weight of her hand traveling over the back of his helmet towards the sides and back up to the top where she seemed content to hold it. “I almost lost you.” He admitted, finally able to allow some of the weight of his emotions to strip away.

“You didn’t, and you won’t.” she assured. Mando was astonished at her bravery after what she’d endured, and he found it hard to believe that she was the one reassuring him as he shook with adrenaline release on the floor next to her. She let out another whimper, this time letting her arm fall back down across her eyes, biting her quivering bottom lip. Even in his wrecked state, he could tell she was trying to be much stronger than she needed to be.

“Where does it hurt?” he questioned her gently, making sure not to touch her as he repositioned himself to stand up.

“My head.” she whispered. “They hit me… and other things.” Her whisper broke into small sobs as she began to remember the encounter much quicker than he’d hoped she would. Mando didn’t know what to do this time as he watched her rub small circles at her temples.

“What can I do little one?” His voice broke again.

“I want it all off me.” She whined. “ ’Fresher…” she mumbled, pulling at the hem of her dirt and blood stained shirt in attempt to pull it off. “Help me… please?” Her tears welled in the corners of her eyes, as she looked up at him.

“Can you stand up?” He asked, keeping himself from touching her. Nothing would be worse than another man touching her without making it clear first. She tried, but didn’t get further than sitting at the edge of the bed before she looked back up at him, pleading eyes and a wobbling bottom lip.

“Please.”

Mando broke, and nodded gently before setting to his armor slowly removing it piece by piece until only the much preferable fabric of his shirt flight suit remained. Nothing could be worse than having her feel the cold beskar, he’d always noticed her gasps when the cold steel made contact with her skin. She reached up to grip ahold of his shoulders, defiantly wanting to do as much as she could independently while Mando supported her at her hips, keeping an arm secured around her as they slowly made progress towards the ‘Fresher. The girl did her best to hide the pain but Mando knew it was making this easy walk virtually impossible.

“Sit down here.” He whispered, sensing how easily it affected her to hear loud noises. Tired and frustrated at her lack of independence, she let Mando ease her down without even trying to do it herself anymore. He opened the water valve and let the heat rise until it was comfortable enough on the back of his bare hand before turning back to see her staring in the mirror in front of her.  

“I look hideous.” She furrowed her brows and frowned, upsetting the sore muscles in her face again. She moaned at the frustration situation and looked back up to Mando who was already crouching down next to her again, tilting his head as he searched her face for any signs of sever injury.

“Can I check something?” he lifted a bare hand up towards her face, watching as her eyes widened at the sight of his scarred skin in the light for the first time. “I won’t hurt you.” It was a weighted statement; One that the both of them understood to mean more than the current circumstance at hand. She hummed a quiet okay as he touched the edge of her cheekbone, just underneath of her eye feeling along the edge until an abnormal angle caught his attention.

“What is it?” her brows pulled together for a moment before forcibly relaxing again.

“Let me look at the other side.” He removed his other glove and mirrored the same path he’d followed on the bruised side hoping that the edge he’d felt was just unique to her bone structure. Mando let out a deep sigh when he didn’t palpate that landmark on her other side. “You’ll need bacta… more than a patch.” His hands dropped away from her face. “You’ve got a fracture… that’s part of why the bruising is so bad.” There was a certain softness in his voice, only attributable to his need to soften the edge of hearing that her wounds looked awful.

“I just want to get clean.”

Mando helped by pulling the narrow legs of her pants from around her ankles, not allowing her to reach any further than necessary; Also by cutting the side out of her shirt so she didn’t have to reach above her head to remove it.

“You’re always cutting my clothes off.” She remarked with the slightest intonation of humor, and Mando couldn’t help but stifle a chuffed laugh. It wasn’t the most endearing thing to be known for, but it did seem to interest him that she didn’t seem the least bit upset by his newfound propensity for ruining her clothes.

“You can have something of mine when you get out.” He offered turning his eyes towards the floor as she reached around to unwrap her breast band. Mando worked at his own boots, sitting them out of the way as he waited for her to make the next move. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder and gripped tightly onto the fabric as she tried to push up onto her feet.

“Give me a second...” She sighed before once again attempting to get to her feet.

“Take your time. I’m right here little one.” His endearment plus the small support of his words seemed to give her enough stamina to get onto her feet, and remain there long enough that she felt confident to let Mando get her the rest of the way into the ‘Fresher.

It wasn’t comfortable in the small stall, and the sopping wet feeling of Mando’s flight suit didn’t bode well under the hard water pressure either. The girl rested against Mando as she slowly worked soap over her face, cleansing off the dirt and blood while Mando took the liberty of washing out her hair. It didn’t take long for her to get so tired that she couldn’t continue, and simply let Mando finish what she couldn’t. All of the necessary places she’d done herself, and he couldn’t have been more grateful that she’d spared him from the experience. Even if the situation was ideal, he wouldn’t have had any way of knowing just how she did things, and he didn’t want to get it wrong.

“I’m cold.” She murmured against his chest, nuzzling her unscathed cheek into him a little more as he ran his hands down her soapy back to remove the excess lather.

“You’ve been in the water too long.” She only nodded in response, and relaxed further into him as he turned off the water and reached outside of the door for a towel to wrap around her. “Here. Take this.” He wrapped it around her back, handing both ends to her with his head turned to the side.

She was about to lean away, but Mando had already decided that she wasn’t walking back. Without much effort he pulled her off the floor and kept her tight against him as he brought her back into his quarters. The room was already darkening due to night approaching, and it made transferring her onto the bed a much simpler process without the impropriety of seeing her without the towel. Mando himself reached under the bed and blindly pulled out a dry set of underclothes for himself and retreated into the girl’s room for the old shirt of his that she’d taken to wearing to bed. He changed before returning, running a towel over the wet strands of hair that strayed from underneath his helmet and donning a pair of socks and his gloves. After he'd hung his flight suit over an active draft grate and returned to his dark bedroom with the shirt and the highest strength bacta patch he could find in his supply stores.

“This should keep you warm.” He held the shirt out blindly, hoping that he was close enough that she could take it.

“Thank you.” The sound of the fabric rustling gave Mando a sense of calm and he was prepare to leave her in peace when she hesitantly mumbled something. It wasn’t loud enough to hear, but he knew it was directed at him off instinct. Patiently, he waited for her to repeat herself, either her courage or energy needed the chance to catch up.

“Say it again.” He prodded gently, taking a step towards the bed.

“Would you stay?” Her voice sounded much like normal with that sweet intonation that reminded Mando just how innocent she really was. He went cold then hot in a matter of seconds, feeling the pull of fear and desire pulling at his conscience. He stood in silence, weighing his thoughts until he just couldn’t stand the idea of needing to rationalize every decision he made when it came to her.

In two strides his knees his the edge of the bed, and he felt his way up towards the head where he nervously sat down, and brought his legs up beside hers. He crossed his arms over his chest, and took a deep breath to calm himself down. The girl made her own small adjustment and settled down closer to his side, intent on seeking out the warmth that she apparently wasn’t getting from the shirt or sheets. Quietly, he placed a hand on her face turning it so that he could apply the patch. She hissed under the cold contact, but stilled after a few minutes of letting the analgesic treatment work into her damaged muscles and bone. The girl rested an appreciative hand on top of his arm and gave a gentle, sleepy squeeze.

“Are you still cold?” He asked through a tight jaw, still feeling the radical effects of her gentle touch vibrating though his arm. She gave another light squeeze, and nodded a little before tilting her chin upwards to look at him though the dark room.

“A little.”

Responding quickly, he turned onto his side and laid still as she turned onto her side to fit herself right against his chest. Even her legs fell flush against his thighs as Mando lifted the blankets over her. The girl let out a warm sigh of approval and Mando released his own withheld breath, only his held the strain of her bare legs entangling with his own. For someone that felt like they were running a fever, Mando couldn’t understand why she’d become so cold all of a sudden. Her light snores lifted into the bedroom within minutes; Already sleeping by the time he’d found the mental capacity to think about something other than the way her skin scorched though his compression pants and shirt. Under his unnecessary justification that she might still be cold he draped an arm over her waist, and gently pulled her closer watching to make sure he didn’t move her head more than necessary.

The steady rhythm of her breathing gave him time to think for the first time since he’d went searching for her. It pained him to think that he’d been so close to losing her… a group of smugglers who hadn’t had any idea of who she was or that there were men after her. Even worse, she was seriously hurting and the only thing that was keeping her from feeling it was the adrenaline still slowly passing through her system, drip feeding protection from the fracture in her cheek. He looked down at the bacta patch, studying the dimly lit lights glowing on the surface, lighting up her face just enough that Mando could trace her features. Mando couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen such a pretty face, and he was even more certain that he wouldn’t find someone that beautiful for the rest of his life. Freckles had begun to appear on her skin after being in the sunlight, darkening the smattering of color that collected on her nose and on the apples of her high cheekbones.

All of the darkness that he’d felt when walking into the camp had faded into grey, mimicking the steel tone of the beskar that lay abandoned in the floor of the ‘Fresher. It felt like he was finally able to escape the draw of battle for once in his life. Simply laying with her was enough to keep that biting instinct to hunt and fight away, even if just while he held her. He tightened his grip on her waist further, dreading the moment that he’d need to leave, and pilot them away from the maker-forsaken place forever. There was one person he needed to tell before they left.

Inside the safety and sound-proofing of his helmet he comm’ed Fett, letting his hand trace along the curve of the girl’s hip as he waited for an answer. He toyed with the frayed hem of his old shirt, feeling how low it rode on the girl’s thigh and silently admiring the drastic incongruity in their sizes.

“Mando.” Fett sounded quite tired, and for a moment he wondered just why he hadn’t comm’ed early in the morning instead of in the dead of night. He didn’t dwell on it for much longer than it took to register the thought.

“She was attacked.” He admitted, watching the miniscule reaction in Fett’s shoulders as he took in the information. Mando recounted details of the smugglers and their assault, leaving out nothing as he made certain to reassure Fett that none of the men had gone unpunished for the attack and that the girl was still unlocated by anyone other than the two of them.  

“She’ll need healed.” He growled back to Mando, emphasizing the glaring issue at hand.

He had failed…

“They shouldn’t have died so easily.” He added with a sinister tone that Mando wasn’t very accustomed to hearing.

“I didn’t think… It was all I could do to get her out of there.” His voice broke under the pressure of his admission. “You’re offer still stands?” Mando asked quietly, glancing down to look at the girl who’d nestled herself tight against him, resting peacefully under the physiological sedative she’d been fighting against in the shower, mixed with bacta.

“Bring her here, she’ll be safe.” Fett’s typical tone of flattery and undercurrent of sexual tension was absent as he resent the coordinates to Mando even after he’d denied needing them a second time. Fett asked more questions about the girl, more so about her condition than anything. Repeating himself when Mando couldn’t keep his train of thought in one coherent strand as he delved deeper into the missing minutes of her rescue that had gone blurry in the midst of the blaster fire.

“She’s sleeping. It was kriffing impossible to help her do anything… Her way only.” He murmured, more to himself than Fett with a slightly frustrated sigh. Fett grunted in appreciation of her determination, although the mood wasn’t light enough for any real laughter. Boba took the lull in conversation to discuss the security procedures that he preferred -more so demanded- Mando take when approaching his landing on arrival.

“Drop straight in on the location. Don’t waste time. There aren’t inhabitants close, but if you come in at cruising altitude I’ll shoot you out of the sky myself.” Fett threatened, altogether serious in his attempt to covey the strict measures he necessitated.

“Fine.” Mando nodded, though Fett couldn’t see the physical acknowledgement.

“Make sure she doesn’t wake up to an empty bed… She’ll be feeling the full force of this tomorrow… bacta patch or not.” Fett added, dropping his visor with an lowly with a disheartened sigh. Of course he couldn’t fault Fett’s reaction, if anything he wasn’t surprised at how seriously he took the care of the women in his life when it came to safety and being overly protected when the situation called for it. Boba Fett might’ve been the most irritating man Mando had ever met, but he was still respectable in Mando’s visor. More than ever he was beginning to think that getting the girl her own comm link was one of the best decisions he’d made since bringing her aboard.

The comm ended, and Mando returned his full attention to the girl, didn’t move an inch the entire night and neither did Mando; He didn’t sleep, but that wasn’t anything new. She had lulled him into a state of complete resignation when it came to thinking about getting up. He couldn’t bring himself to disturb her obviously comfortable position. It would be the best sleep she’d get for at least a couple days, and Mando was set in the idea that he wasn’t going to be the one to ruin her opportunity. He spent the hours rubbing her back, and smoothing her hair back out of her face until he was certain she’d need a shower to clean the smell of his blaster residue- covered gloves.

She wouldn’t wake up until late morning, with a low groan and a deep stretch that made her muscles quiver. Mando watched as her grogginess wore off and the gravity of the situation fell onto her face. He was fully prepared to answer any questions she had, practicing his responses throughout the night in the idea that he would be more than competent to provide any information she wanted.

His work went completely untested.

The girl took a moment to reach up for the patch covering her cheek, letting out a whimper when the light pressure she applied intensified her pain. When she recovered, her sleepy eyes fell on Mando who still had his arm possessively tucked around her middle. No amount of preparation prepared him for what she finally asked him;

“Did you sleep well?”

Awestruck by her comically causal statement he gave a swift nod, feeling the edge of his helmet gently bump against the crown of her head. He touched the spot with his free hand, hoping that it hadn’t hit her hard enough to cause any discomfort. When she happily sighed, and relaxed back into his palm heat spread through his chest, warming the cold anxiety he’d been harboring throughout the night. They laid in comfortable silence for what felt like an eternity to Mando, as she let him continue running his fingers through her hair without any complaint to the way it gleamed with oil from his gloves or the tell-tale smell of a freshly fired amban rifle. It was enough to have Mando feeling like he was back in the water, toeing the edge of an endless cavern, dangerously warm and inviting.

“I’m taking you somewhere safe. Where I can be sure that you’ll be safe even if I leave.” His voice rumbled with the lazy intonation that could be felt in every inch of the rest of his body.

“I shouldn’t have gone so far from the ship.” The girl shifted onto her back, looking up at him with an apologetic look that fired his fury towards her attackers all over again. He didn’t know how else to tell her otherwise, feeling contrary to her point of view and blaming himself for the attack.

With a deep breath he lowered his helmet to rest his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and hoping that she understood what he was incapable of telling her. It was an unfamiliar intimacy that Mando was already impatient to get more of. Nothing compared to the subtle way her presence cleared away his anger, and effortless ability to blind the dark shadows he could feel lurking patiently just outside the door to the bedroom. The girl was the first to break away, only to press another kiss to his visor and settle her forehead back against his. She was the one hurting but found the necessity to calm his unspoken distress.

“When are we leaving?” Her hot breath fogging up his display.

“It’s up to you little one.”

***

With a fresh bacta patch and some soup Mando was thankful that she slept through the entire flight. It wasn’t a long journey -no more than five standard hours- but by the time Mando’s landing gear hit the ground it was night on Aeos Prime. Nothing but the sound of water could be heard over the Slave Two’s engines as Mando piloted the ship above what looked to be a bombed out shelter of some kind as he took note of  the jagged edges of durasteel, melted and bent from the long-past impact. Endless ocean surround him and for a moment he was unable to register just how much reach Fett had across the galaxy.

“Kriffing impossible.” He breathed out, watching as a shield rose up from beneath the thrashing waves to push away the water that covered a ship-sized lock gate nestled into the sand at the sea floor. Hesitant to push through the blue forcefield, he slowly pushed though watching as the penetrable shield bent around the ship until he was fully within it’s protection. The angry water raged against the power shield, trying it’s best to thrash at the charged wall separating Mando from the risk of losing another ship.

The lock gate below him opened with a metallic thud, allowing access so the slave could descend into the cavern below. Once his revelation faded, Mando was left to observe a single ship sitting in the underground loading bay… the sister to his own ship, the Slave One. Old cargo crates sat at the wayside, along with old land speeders retrofitted to haul the same crates that sat strewn about the ground. The grey duracrete walls and steel support beams looked almost untouched compared to the reinforcements above ground. Although everything was well preserved, abandonment was obvious. Dust covered the once striped floors, and deactivated droids sat at the edges of the bay, rusting from the lack of maintenance. All of it screamed military property or something of the like, what exactly he wasn’t sure of… but it reminded him of the Imperial Base on Nevarro that they’d blown sky high. That didn’t keep him from opening the hatch and stepping out into the recycled air of the underground world he’d been so hesitant to enter.

“I told you to haul ass, di’kut.” Fett’s booming voice echoed through the empty loading bay as he appeared from one of the long tunnels that connected to the giant room.

“Don’t act like that’s normal…” Mando challenged, feeling the slightest bit embarrassed that he hadn’t ever experienced something quite as unreal as disappearing underneath the ocean. Fett approached with a somewhat friendly smile, and clapped a hard smack over Mando’s pauldron before turning his attention towards the ships.

“What a pair.” His voice beamed with pride as he looked at the sister ships. “I haven’t seen them together like this in longer than I’d care to admit.” His slight chuckle eased Mando’s taught nerves.

“What is this?” Mando took his own glance around the bay, trying to find some marker of property or ownership.

“It was a city… at one point. But now it’s almost a dead planet.” Fett explained, wandering towards the Slave Two’s open hatch. “Only beings are on the opposite side of the planet, and they keep to themselves… all twenty of them. But I don’t like giving them the opportunity to do so anyways.”

Mando could only silently agree. Not just for the consistency in Fett’s operational standards, but for the safety of the girl who still lay asleep in his bed.

“How is she?” he asked, lowering his voice when he came into the hull of the ship.

“Sleeping for now. But I’m afraid she’s got a fracture, or maybe more than one.” Mando hated saying it, but there was nothing he could do but help her heal at this point. If that meant telling Boba, then so be it; It wouldn’t’ve been the first time he’d swallowed his pride in the presence of the green Mando.

“I’ve got everything she’ll need.” Fett nodded back in the direction of the way he’d come, before turning his attention back to the ship’s ration supply crates. “Bring these along… and anything else you can think of needing. If we are caught, there’s nothing worse than being without everything.” It was directed at The Crest, and no matter how badly Mando wanted to defend himself he could tell that Fett was simply being rational. Within the hour, Mando and Fett had loaded one of the speeders with rations, a third of Mando’s weapons closet and the two small boxes that the girl kept her belongings in.

Lastly, Mando made one last trip to get the girl. She was still dead asleep when he lifted her off the bed, bringing along the blankets she’d wrapped herself in to keep her bare legs from being exposed to the cold air and Fett’s possible wandering eyes. In her dream-filled slumber she nuzzled her face under the edge of his helmet, breathing steadily against his neck. Boba gave Mando a nod of approval, ignoring the opportunity to make a comment about her unconscious desire to seek him out; Instead he opted to settle behind the controls of the speeder, and pilot them down the long tunnel. Mando shielded her from the wind, keeping his back towards Fett as they traveled the long distance deeper into the darkness until the arcing floor grew tall enough to block the view of any light from the loading bay.

Further underground… He thought, instinctually wrapping the girl tighter in the blankets to keep the cold from getting through. Even the duracrete walls seemed to get darker the further they traveled below the surface of the planet. Fett slowed the speeder outside of a sealed door at the end of the hall, taking a look at his own vambrace before unlocking the thick security doors. He pulled though, and resealed them before turning to face Mando.

“Take this hallway,” -he pointed down the one to his left- “And you’ll see the common area. From there, pick a door and that’s where the two of you will stay. Full accommodations.” He gave a curt nod, and began unloading the supply crates without giving Mando any further instruction.

The room he found himself in was similar to the loading bay, but not available for any ship to enter. Most likely a docking station for speeders. He examined the room another time before following the general direction that Fett had given. Once down the hall he came into the ‘common room’ as Fett had called it, seeing the generic markers of a kitchen and dining table with a large portion of the room being occupied by a wall of instrument panels, communication equipment and radar monitors encompassing a remarkable distance around the central location of this base. Mando found the furthest door from the entry hall, shouldering through the door to find what he could only describe as the most domestic place he’d ever seen.

A bed was centered at the back of the room, with a full ‘Fresher off to the side through another side door, accompanied by three geometrically designed shelfs molded from duracrete in the walls of the room. Left untouched, the room looked empty despite its somewhat lavish accommodations. Even simulated moonlight peered from behind a thick curtain that hung over the false window in the wall.

Kriffing impossible. He repeated to himself, feeling the girl stirring in his arms. She let out a tiny whimper, sleepily brushing her hand against her face. The girl opened her eyes and looked around for a moment before resting her head back against Mando fully contented to stay right where she was as long as he would let her.  

“Are we safe?” Her voice coming much clearer than her physical reaction to waking up.

“Yes. How do you feel?” He strode over to the bed and regrettably sat her down so she could gather herself without the struggle of being bunched up against him. He saw how difficult it was for her to move her mouth without the pressure being too overwhelming and quickly changed his tactics. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded quite quickly, her eyes widening at the thought of getting something to eat. Mando was more than pleased, feeling much better knowing that it wasn’t deterring her from wanting something to eat. He studied the way she looked about the room, bringing her palm up to her cheek and a small wince forming on her brow.

“Do you feel like walking?” It was a test question. Of course he wasn’t surprised when she shook her head ‘no’. Quietly he thanked whoever was listening that she didn’t say yes.

He wanted to prolong her interaction with Boba as long as he could without drawing attention to how miserably obvious it affected him. He bowed out of the room, leaving her to fully wake up and take some time alone while he went to check with Fett who’d made himself busy settling the final two crates in the common room. His own stock was nothing compared to Fett’s towering collection of non-perishables and water supply that looked just re-stocked. In silence the two men worked to collect everything into designated shelves before either of them felt the need to speak to each other.

“You don’t trust me around her.” Fett stated with a somewhat smug tone, sharply snapping his gaze toward Mando who was still sitting the final few cans of soup on the shelf.  The tone in the air was charged at the quick bite Fett hadn’t been able to hold back any longer.

Mando swiftly turned to meet the hard stare in the man’s eyes, scanning the almost black rims of his eyes. Their silent battle seemed endless as both fought under the pretense that they were the clear dominant. Both had a damn good reason to stand their ground no matter who’s floor it belonged to, or what physical prowess the other possessed. Mando didn’t understand what he’d done to Fett, or why it mattered if Mando trusted the girl’s life in his hands. He hardly trusted himself with her…

“I don’t.” He finally growled out straightening his posture so Fett would have to look up at him.

“You’re foolish to think you deserve any part of her when you can see past your fucking helmet boy.” The venom of the truth dripping from the Mandalorian’s words poisoned any calmness that Mando had been carrying. The space between the two stayed out of arms reach, but that didn’t keep them from slowly walking a dangerous dance around the common room.

“I’m nothing to her. Therefore what I think has no importance.” Mando couldn’t argue against Fett, but he wasn’t willing to abdicate the challenge from a man who had no reason for desiring the fight in the first place. “I am not your son.” Mando’s words gritted under the his tight throat and the urge to show Fett just how much he was willing to prove his blood superseded Boba’s. His chest swelled with the pressure of a tightly wound coil, slowly twisting tighter with every second that Fett didn’t leave the subject alone.  

“You’ll do well to keep her alive.”

It was the last straw.

Both men lunged at each other, in a clash of armor and wordless communication verbalized in low growls and grunts as they wrestled each other back and forth. Both men pinned the other to the walls of the room, struggling when the other gained the upper hand with a swift punch or a well-placed grapple that caught the other off guard. By the time each man hand found a hand on their blaster each had their sights set on the weakest target on each man. Mando found the center of Fett’s forehead most preferable, while Fett had chosen dead center on Mando’s hips with a more than deadly look filling those dark eyes.

“Mando!” The girl’s scream brought him out of the haze he’d fell into but he couldn’t drop his sights from Fett, who was fully focused on the girl who no doubt had a horrified expression. The full weight of her crashing into his exposed side rocketed him the rest of the way from his stiff posture towards Fett.

“Please don’t hurt him Mando.” She pleaded with a wobbly voice, as she gripped tightly to his cloak and the edge of his chest plate. Her hard tugs at his armor finally unwound the bunched coil around his focus. Finally realizing what the girl had said, his entire body burned to hear her say it again. Mando relished in the knowledge that Fett would have to live with the idea that she thought him superior. It stroked his flaring -and bruised- ego long after the tension in the room faded through the floor both men still stood bonded to. Again she tugged on his chest plate, pulling him to break the hard stare that as still fixed to Fett’s profile. Her whispered pleads, mixing with fear brought him to look down at her shielding his weaker side as she stared up at him with expectant eyes, looking at his outstretched blaster, then back to him.

“You don’t have to prove anything.” She quietly soothed, reaching a hand out to palm the cold metal of his barrel and assist his frozen muscles in lowering it. “I’m not going anywhere.” She seethed, taking a hard glance towards Fett who had replaced his hard stare with a somewhat amused smile in her direction; Obviously finding her irritation with him humorous. With one final pull on him, she broke his feet from their holds finally letting herself grimace from the overuse in her mouth.

Mando could see fresh blood soaking into the backing of her bacta patch, and he was quick to exit the room away from the both of them towards the Slave 2. Fett was right. No matter how much he wanted to ignore the truth, he’d only proved Fett’s accuracy within three minutes of him speaking. The girl called out for him to come back, and she followed for a short while down the tunnel before she realized that he wasn’t interested in listening to what she had to say. He needed distance from her, more than ever before. A burn in his chest only accentuated the pain that floated through his mind as he replayed the times he’d let himself fall into her lull of security, thinking that maybe the old woman had been right. That even a damn soul could find some solace in the arms of a sweet girl who didn’t see his blood-stained hands, or ink-black soul.

He shut the hatch to the Slave and ripped his helmet away from his head, throwing it into the wall with a loud cry of desperation. In a fit of rage he balled his fist and slammed it into the durasteel wall, frantic for some release in the constant war he’d internalized. Mando wanted to go back to her, and ask for the relief that was unique to her. Let go in the heat of her arms and feel that acceptance he was finally able to admit he desired more than anything. Another loud scream scraped though his vocal chords, irritating his throat from the demanding use he’d suddenly used. It rattled the ship, an empty canister suddenly being filled with the bottled up anger of a man who’d suffered more loss than he could bear the weight of.

His rage continued on throughout the night crashing down on Mando like the thrashing waves of Aeos Prime hundreds of feet above him churning like an monster with an endless instinct to devour or demolish anything in it’s path. He wallowed in the loss of control that Fett had placed upon him, and there was only one way he knew he could solve it. It only made the blow worse, when he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Sealed in his quarters with his armor strewn about the hull along with his helmet and flight suit he finally collapsed onto the bed with a singular need to seek out any traces of the girl on his sheets. Even in the solitude he’d chosen over the presence of the girl, Mando found himself burying his bare face in the pillow searching for her comfort in the only way he knew how. Underneath the heavy scent of leather and metal he could finally smell that sweet mix of her sweat and something else foreign to anything he could ever guess to describe.

He found what he needed.

It smelled like her.

After all this time of keeping his distance he’d never allowed himself the purely selfish indulgence of knowing what she smelled like, and now he laid writhing like he was in pain to get just another hint of her. It was unlike him to be so unhinged; Only after Grogu had been kidnapped had anything ever felt so severe to him. Now nothing but his own guilt and fear stood guard over the one and only thing he’d ever realized he wanted. He stayed wrapped in the subtle reminder of the girl in his sheets, battling with the shadows of his training and the creed just hiding in the corners of his room and doing everything he could to fight them away just for a little while longer. Those dark figures and the evil laugh of death in the hull echoed for hours into an undetectable Aeos Prime daylight.

@spacedaddydinn​ @absurdthirst​ @crazybirb​ @hornystarwarsbisexual​ @roxypeanut​ 

@bookloverkat​ @kat-r-in​ @clairobeatmeup​ @auty-ren​ @justbecausewecan​ @roseallisonparker​

@peterztinglez @theamuz​ 

@jade-jax​ 

@hoodedbirdie​ @strawberryperegrine @panndastasia​ 

@bel-ppa​

[yetanotherhoeforpedro]

Sinfully Armored

Chapter 2 - Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 1

When you walked down to the training rooms the next afternoon, you wondered how you ever let Luke talk you into doing this. It’s not like his mind tricks would have worked on you, although that seemed like the only logical explanation. But when he brought you your favorite breakfast this morning and asked to take the mysterious tinman and fake Yoda with you on your mission with his puppy eyes, you couldn’t disagree. Plus, you couldn’t deny that you might need some back-up, a Mandalorian bounty hunter at your side would be a great advantage. If, of course, he didn’t kill you first, given how much he hated your guts.

As you arrived at the door, you paused and sighed. There was no turning back anymore. With a quick swipe of the Force, you opened it and stepped inside. The Mandalorian was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the child laying across his lap. It was playing with a small silver ball, letting it hover in front of the warrior’s face. It was weirdly domestic, hardly what you would’ve expected of a Mandalorian. You had to admit that how deeply he cared for the little one proved of a somewhat decent character. And Luke hoped you could get along. He had asked you to try and smoothen things out with the stranger this morning, for everyone’s sake. Nonetheless, the idea of spending a good amount of time in space with him wasn’t too appealing.

He looked up at you, the frown almost visible despite his helmet. ��Oh, don’t you give me that look, I know you despise me, but we’ll have to put up with each other for a while if you want your kid to become a Jedi,” you said as a way of greeting. He didn’t respond, so the conversation was up to you. “I assume they didn’t teach you much about humor back on Mandalore, huh?” you attempted to break the silence again. “Don’t you dare mention my home,” he growled. “Or what?”, you challenged him, not able to resist the provocation.

He put the foundling down, rose and took a few deliberate steps towards you until he was right in front of you. Maker, he was huge, towering you by maybe one foot. Then he slowly bent his visor down to you. “It – wouldn’t be wise”, he replied.  “You know what’s unwise? Threatening a Jedi. If you believe your shiny armor could protect you from me, you’re terribly mistaken,” you retort with a snort, holding his stare. He moved his helmet up and down and you felt his eyes taking you in. Your heart began to beat a bit faster, but not out of fear. You were too horny for your own good as well.

“We’ll see about that”, he said after a while, slowly turned and went back to your new – Padawan? You had no idea what the child was to you. The obvious disrespect conveyed through him turning his back on you made you blaze up with rage. He sat back down and picked the green creature up again. Looking up at you, he added: “Why do you look so furious? I thought Jedi weren’t allowed to feel anger”. That comment didn’t help your aggression. “Why are you suddenly so big with words?” You knew your come-back was weak before you it even fully passed your lips, but he had hit your weak spot. And he seemed to know it. You bet he was looking pretty smug underneath his stupid helmet right now.

Before the situation could escalate any further, Luke entered. “I see you two have become friends already. How nice!” Luke joked, but he shot you a warning glance at the almost tangible animosity in the room. You shrugged, but felt a little ashamed. You should have been above these provocations.

“Are you ready to chase down some Imperial criminals?” Luke went on. “Always.” You grinned at him and the corners of his mouth quirked up slightly in response. The Mandalorian also got up once more. “Let’s go,” he said dryly and pushed past you to get out of the room. “See why I don’t get along with him?” you whispered to Luke. He just shook his head with a smile. You grinned back at him and the two of you followed the rude stranger to the ships.

---------------------

“C’mon Luke, another shitty ship? You’d think we couldn’t afford any new ones!” you exclaim upon the sight of the wreckage in front of you. The ancient ship looked like it had seen far better days. Luke rolled his eyes, beyond dealing with your constant sarcasm. You were well aware that remaining inconspicuous was important for your missions, but you wouldn’t mind a little more luxury for once.

As you were still taking in the ship, R2-D2 rolled up to you. You turned to Luke with a confused expression. “You’ll need a droid on this mission, and I’d trust no one to be more competent than Artoo,” Luke said to you while patting R2. You furrowed your brows. “Luke–,” you began. “A droid won’t be necessary,” the Mandalorian interrupted. “We can handle this.” At that, you turned back to the man. “Are you scared of R2?” you mocked him. “And you’re wrong, we do need a droid to navigate and assist us on this mission.” The intruder sighed. “Fine.” To your surprise, he didn’t seem to be up for another fight with you.

You spun back to face Luke. “We cannot take Artoo with us, any other droid will do. I know what he means to you,” you uttered softly. Luke gave you a fond look. “And that’s why I trust you to take good care of him.” He put a hand on your shoulder. “You’re my best fighter and I want you take him with you. You might think it’ll be a burden to protect him, but he might just turn out to be the one to protect you. You know how often he saved my ass.” He smiled tentatively at the memories.

“All right, Luke. It’ll be an honor to have him accompany me – us.” You smiled at him and put your hand on his shoulder as well. Without a warning, he pulled you in for a hug. “Be careful,” he whispered into your ear. You were astonished at the sudden show of affection, he wasn’t usually that cordial before sending you off to missions. He let you go and you blushed slightly. In your peripheral you noticed a helmet facing you. “I always am,” you replied, but this time the sarcasm didn’t reach your voice. Luke didn’t say anything else; he only pressed a small device in your hand – most likely the map – and brushed your cheek with the back of his hand softly while shooting one last look at the Mandalorian behind you before departing. You looked after him in wonder, the blush probably visible on your face now. Keeping your head down, you walked past the Mandalorian and entered the ship without another word.

------------------------

You welcomed the quiet of the cockpit, staring out into space for hours without hearing any sounds, completely lost in your thoughts. Why did Luke act so weirdly? Why did you have to crush on him of all people? It was not like you had developed any serious feelings for him, at least not yet. He was more of a friend you wanted to fuck sometimes, but you feared that if you gave into those desires, serious feelings would follow, which would jeopardize both your friendship to him and your moral code. You let out a long sigh and wondered if it was time to change your morals. Luke was right, why should it be illegal to love? But your past held you back, as it always did. It would have been downright treacherous to give in to your desires at this point.

Heavy footsteps pulled you out of your identity crisis as the Mandalorian entered the cockpit and sank down into the seat next to you. “What do you want?” you inquired sharply. You were so not in the mood to be taunted by him. He slowly turned his helmet towards you. “What’s with the foul attitude? Missing your boyfriend already?” he replied, his voice tinted with venom. Maker, he knew how to push your buttons. “Fuck you,” you answered, way beyond coming up with witty retorts. “Oh, I don’t think it’s me you want to fuck,” he said, and you could hear a grin in his voice. “Cut the crap. We’ll be here for a while, so why don’t we at least try to get along?” You swallowed your anger down and tried to reason with him. He stared at you for some time before he got up again and left. You wondered why you even made the effort; he was clearly a lost cause.

--------------------------

After enjoying a bit more solitude, you decided it was time to fulfill your duty. You promised Luke you’d try to train the green child and it’s not like there was anything else to do to pass the seemingly endless periods in space. You got up and stretched a little, the muscles in your back and shoulders being sore from sitting for too long. As you opened the door to leave the cockpit, your destination was already standing at your feet. “Hey, little guy,” you said, once more a little disheveled by his appearance and allowed him to waddle past you into the cockpit. After a few steps, he turned around and looked at you expectantly. You raised an eyebrow. “You sensed my intentions, huh?” you murmured quietly. Apparently, the Force was quite strong with him.

“I guess you coming to me means you are willing to let me instruct you?” You sensed his approval through the Force. Interesting, why would he have agreed to let you train him, but not Luke? Especially considering the fact that his dad hated you openly and most ardently.

“Great. Now, I don’t want to bore you, but let’s start with the basics,” you began. Grogu cocked his head to the side. “First of all, you need to be sure that you are willing to follow the Jedi Codex. It’s what allows us to use the Force without losing ourselves in it like those who turn to the Dark Side.” Through the Force, the little one showed you images of you and the Mandalorian fighting, a sneer on your face. “Grogu!” you exclaimed offendedly. “I see Luke has already told you all about our principles and all I can say in my defense is that nobody’s perfect and I’m working on it.”

His humor reached you and you couldn’t help smiling at him. His looks really were the only thing he had in common with your late Jedi Master. “You know what, I like you.” You thought you caught a wave of him returning your sentiments, but it was gone quickly. “But between us,” you gave him a conspiratorial grin, “your dad’s a total prick.” He didn’t seem to take any offense in this statement and rather appeared utterly amused.

-------------------

You spent the following couple of hours connecting with Grogu through the Force and going over the basics of wielding such a power. You only stopped as hunger overcame you and your apprentice seemed to lose focus as well. “You did well today, Grogu,” you praised him. The little guy had somehow managed to waddle his way into your heart in the last few hours. “You deserve some rest.” You opened the door once more and spotted the Mandalorian standing next to it. Without a word, he picked Grogu up and left, probably to retire him to bed.

You yawned, feeling exhausted despite not having done much today and groggily searched for your food reserves. You came upon some toast and dried fruits, that’d have to do for now. You took your dinner back to your cot and settled in for a relaxed night, when a shadow suddenly blocked your vision.

Maker, how did he sneak up to you without you noticing? You must have been even more exhausted than you believed. “What?” you snapped at him, simply wanting to eat and sleep. “You wore him down way too much. You can’t wear him out like that, what were you thinking?” he snarked accusingly. The annoyance at his audacity filled you with energy again. “What are you thinking, questioning my methods of teaching like that. Do I need to remind you which one of us is the Jedi again?” You tried to stare at him with as much hate as you could muster. “Do I need to remind you that he is my child?” His modulated voice came out in huffs. “That attitude is exactly why it’s been so hard for Luke to train him.” You sunk back into your cot and laid down. You closed your eyes for a moment and when you reopened them, the shadow was gone.

Chapter 3

Masterlist

[4kyl0]

ache.

part i.

part ii.

pairing: ben solo x reader

summary: kylo visits the reader from time to time, who lives in padmés abandoned lake retreat.

rating: sfw. just a bunch of fluff ’n angst.

word count: 1.2k

a/n: this is mainly angst, but bear with me until the next part(s)

It was, as always, a quiet afternoon on Varykino. You had tended to all the plants and flowers earlier that morning, along with a few other errands of course.

Now, at the balcony, you watched the sunset over the vastness of the lake, making the mountains and hills surrounding it glow. The scenery, quite literally, knocked the air out of you. You could, and would never get tired of the gorgeous views.

"It's beautiful," a modulated voice from behind you broke the calm silence.

Your shoulders tensed only for a second but slacked when you figured who it was. Smiling, you turned around.

Maker, you were beautiful. You wore a summer meadow dress, courtesy of padmés wardrobe. A simple headband that went with the dress was fastened around your head, but you still managed to present yourself as royalty to him.

"Ben," you breathed, rushing over to the cloaked man, falling into his arms gracefully.

His toned arms wrapped tight around you, but in a soft, comforting way. Pushing away enough to look up at him, you pushed his hood back.

"Take your helmet off, I want to see you," you placed your hands on the wide plain of his chest, looking up into the void of his visor.

Without a word, ben reached for the sides of his helmet. A small hiss was heard, and finally, you saw his face.

Like how he saw you, you were absolutely in awe of him. His black curls that framed his face looked incredibly soft, and his piercing eyes were breathtaking. His nose, his lips, his jawline, his freckles, everything about him was perfect.

A smirk painted his features, "are you alright, darling?"

Your face turned an obvious shade of pink. "I'm the happiest I could be," his smirk faded into a warm, toothy grin.

Taking both of your hands, you cupped his face, peering deep into his tired eyes, "I missed you," you expressed in a soft tone. His stare tore from yours to your lips for half a second, and then back to your gaze.

"Show me," Ben purred, resting his hands at your hips.

Without a second thought, you kissed him with all your longing and love. He sighed into your mouth, grasping at your hips harder. You were in pure bliss, and you never wanted that feeling to go away.

Eventually, you had to break for air. Ben had been the first to open his eyes, and he was thankful for it.

As your eyes stayed shut, he observed your kiss swollen lips, the prominent blush on your cheeks, and how your chest rose and fell as you tried to catch your breath.

"You're staring," you stated in a bold tone, your eyes still closed. It was now your turn to smirk, making Ben huff quietly.

"What makes you say that, little dove?" he challenged in a teasing manner.

"Because—," you paused to open your eyes, "I can feel it." You burst into a fit of giggles seeing him pout.

You and Ben fell into a peaceful silence, resting your foreheads together, content with each other. It had been months since you last saw him. It hurt not seeing him for so long, but you knew what he was, and you knew what he had to do. This time, though, had been especially longer than the last.

"I missed you, Ben," you sighed, sliding your head down to the expanse of his chest, "so much."

"I know, love, I know", he cooed, running his hand up and down your back, "I missed you too, terribly."

"Then stay here, with me", you pleaded, lifting your head up to lock your eyes with his own.

He looked away from your determined gaze, flustered. "You know I can't do that," he lamented. "I actually came here to tell you something as well," he practically mumbled.

"And what would that be, Ben?" you questioned, searching for any clear emotion in his eyes.

"Snoke has been murdered. Now that the circumstances have changed, I am now the Supreme Leader of the First Order," he deadpanned, looking through you as if you were nothing.

"Oh, wow, that's wonderful! Besides the murder, of course, but I'm happy for you," your hands instinctively flew to his face once more, a huge smile fixated on your face.

Ben smiled with you, but it looked broken; sad, even. "But, with that, I don't know if I'll be able to see you anymore."

The blood in your veins froze. what could that mean? Months again? Years? Never? Anxiety bubbled in your stomach as he spoke.

"What? What do you mean you won't be able to? Why not?" you fretted, a thin sheen of sweat covering your forehead. It felt as if it were two thousand degrees now.

"I have new important duties, and that means I'll be busy, busier than I am now. you understand, don't you?" he slipped your hands into his own, rubbing a gloved thumb over the backs of one of your hands.

You pulled away softly, "no. No, I don't understand. you choose me over—over a title? A title that has no value to you—?"

"It does have value to me. I will now have full control, and I will be able to restore the galaxy to its rightful state," each individual word that fell from his lips felt like a knife stabbing into your heart.

"Ben—," you hiccuped, your lip quivering, "you're breaking my heart," tears started to trickle down your pink tinted cheeks.

Ben tensed at your words. It felt familiar; like a dream or memory almost. But it was too far to get a hold of.

You slowly started to back away from him, making him reach out for you. "My love, no, please, let me explain—,"

"Do you know how much I love you, Ben Solo? How much I care for you? every time you leave, it hurts me, more and more and more. You can't do this to me", you were sobbing now, tears staining your face and dress.

He faltered. Had he known how much of an impact he had on your life? How much you loved and cared for him? How much you worried for him? His mind was mush now, which was concerning considering how he's now supposed to be the Supreme Leader.

The title felt like a bad taste in his mouth now, seeing how much it hurts you.

"I—,"

"Don’t," you wept, biting your lip in hopes of stopping your ongoing tears. "Leave."

"Please... Don’t do this," tears pricked at the corners of ben's eyes. How could he have done this? Especially to you? His head was swirling with thoughts, but he couldn't piece any together.

You stayed quiet, turning your back to him. He wanted to ignore your pleads to make him leave. He wanted to convince you otherwise, but he knew he couldn't.

And so, he left.

Before taking off into space, he looked at Varykino one last time. He saw that you were still on the balcony, and you were still crying. You looked out, somehow able to maintain intense eye contact with him. Your eyes were pained and torn.

Reluctantly turning away to the control panel, he set coordinates, and then finally took off.

[virtualangelarchive]

when your girlfriend is homesick and touch-starved .｡.:*☆

↠ pairing: sai xiaoxi / kalulu

↠ genre: fluff, slight angst with a happy ending (“longing for home” type of angst)

↠ summary: kalulu isn’t really the type of robot who would seek comfort, but one morning, she wounds up being homesick and yearning for her best friend’s touch. sai xiaoxi notices and attempts to comfort her in the moment.

↠ other note(s): both attida and xiaomi are mentioned in this story; minor post-movie spoilers for seer 7 (赛尔号大电影7: 疯狂机器城)

↠ word count: 1,487

↠ a/n: i originally wrote this oneshot around two months ago but i never got the proper chance of polishing and publishing this fanfic until now. also, take this as you will, but i actually imagined this fic through each respective character’s english voice actors and vocal tones due to my prior experiences of watching one of the movie dubs a few years ago.

     The alarm clock rings out of nowhere.

     Sai Xiaoxi decided that he didn’t want to snooze the noisy thing, since he was already holding his dearest closely, like the “big guy” he would often imagine himself as whenever he was with her.

     It was already morning, although the outside view clearly reflected the celestial vision of outer space, in its full glory. Inside the room, it was just him and Kalulu, and they got to have the only bed for themselves, although it did manage to get a bit messy by that time. With a few nudges, the orange-toned, LED-faced robot slowly positioned himself up, still drowsy and awkwardly-giddy from the night out with his friend. His already broken goggles were getting in his sight’s way, but he didn’t really care about that.

     As it turns out, Xiaoxi isn’t usually the robot to be able to casually flirt with others without instantly overheating from embarrassment a few seconds later, but he still managed to do it all within one night. He carefully eyed the sleepy princess; the one and only Kalulu, her soft murmurs still ongoing as she silently squirmed on her side of the bed. (she was often that one robot who would make anyone go “my oh my!” by her feisty, yet dreamy demeanor, so it was technically no surprise that Sai “Defective Garbage Bot” Xiaoxi got along with her so well.)

     “Good morning,” the chipper orange robot mumbled some words under his breath, his morning voice noticeably as deep and husky as night, yet also melodic like sweet-touched honey. He could still hear the other LED-faced robot beside him, so he had to be cautious not to stir her up from her slumber.

     “Sai Xiaoxi,”

     “Mhm? Is there something that I can do for you?”

     “Nothing. Just tired.” The pink-coated robot whined in her typically childlike voice. However, it was noticeably raspier than usual, as she had just woken up.

     Xiaoxi slowly shook his head, stretched his robotic arms, and leapt out of the king-sized bed where the pair slept for the night. He was still talking under his trembly breath as he paced around the room, still adjusting his goggles. Somehow, he didn’t know how he was going to explain his thoughts, but he did have an idea on starting up a conversation with Kalulu.

     “I know you were just talking about how you wanted to go back home last night. Anything you want to see or experience again?” He asked, curiosity filling up his large eyes.

     Kalulu, being the caring and sentimental robot she is, then tossed on her other side and looked back at her friend, her face filled with utter confusion.

     “Excuse me?”

     “No, I’m just wondering why you are always longing for home,” Xiaoxi replied. “It would have been nice to know what home was like for you.”

     The small pair stared at each other, with a long moment of silence. Eventually, the pink-colored robot’s face turned into a frown. She sighed loudly and propped herself back up, her hands on her LED-shaped face.

     “Well… home was like having the best time of your life,” Kalulu began her tangent. “My father was always there for me, cooking some of his best dishes for when I was hungry, complimenting me on my achievements, rooting for me to join the Star Academy Program at the Spacecraft as I grew older,”

     “Hm?”

     “All of those lovely things in life. As for me… You know Sai, I’ve been longing to come back home for the longest time now, and I’d really appreciate it if you and Attida would arrange a time for us to take a long-deserved break…”

     Xiaoxi was busy listening to her voice as she ran on and on with her words. Her voice was like a bouquet of dahlias, casablancas, marigolds, and scattered patches of sweet pea and baby’s breath that have been showered with the pleasing sound of music. However, he was quick to notice the change in her tone, as her voice was starting to crack from her feelings catching up to her.

     “And honestly, I… I just want to come back home… where I was created, where I was gifted with everything I wanted…” Kalulu quietly stopped, her voice now quivering like if she was about to cry. Her face was now showing a soft, hazy glow of red, and her usually gleaming, doll-like eyes swelled with immense tears. She steadily closed her eyes once she started to whimper her voice away, allowing the tears she was holding back to stream down her face.

     The other robot took a few steps closer towards his friend, and looked up at her, noticing how much she was crying. He moved his hand towards her face, and slowly brushed her tears away. He then reached his arms out and held her in a tender hug, once again holding her closely as she started to loudly sob in his arms, her head and rose-tinted visor stumbling deep into his LED-shaped face.

     “It’s okay,” he murmured, in his more gentle, comforting tone. “We will be able to go back home eventually.” 

     Xiaoxi could still hear his friend’s loud wails as she dug her face closer to his robotic model. The orange robot continued to hold her in his arms, softly shushing her like a small child who was afraid of the dark, although he still had to be really careful with her more petite, delicate and porcelain-like build.

     Within a few moments, he felt a pair of small, rosy-coated hands clutch him as firmly as possible, as Kalulu started to hug tighter around the edges of his orange and yellow-coated body. Her sobbing almost completely stopped, and her breath now seemed more composed, yet it was still trembling in a way that showed she needed him the most.

     Surprisingly, his friend, who was often the type who would comfort anyone if they were feeling blue, was now craving for as much consolation as she had desired. In fact, she seemed undoubtedly touch-starved and in full desperation for a long-lasting cuddle.

     “Mhm…” She whimpered in Xiaoxi’s robotic arms as her LED-shaped face got adjacent to the other’s face, basically leaning in as close as she could. With one quick move, the hug swiftly transformed into an affectionate, aching-and-longing kiss between the two. The rose-colored robot managed to take her dearest by surprise with the way she kissed him. This went on for a couple of minutes.

     The duo then unhurriedly moved away from each other, their faces completely red and warm to the touch. Positioning herself back from the orange robot, Kalulu let out a soft chuckle as she wiped her tears away from face with one of her hands. 

     It seemed that she was yearning for affection, but she didn’t know how to display those feelings in the best way, since she usually was an independent, yet caring robot. On the other hand, Xiaoxi didn’t expect for his first kiss to come so quickly, but now it had been fulfilled by morning.

     “Kalulu?” The orange robot questioned.

     “Y-Yes? No wait, actually Sai, I’m sorry. What were you about to say?”

     “No no, I’m the one who’s sorry. Your kiss felt wonderful,”

     “Me? W-Wonderful?” Kalulu bashfully stuttered, her hands fidgeting together and her face still red as an apple. There was a long pause between the two, as she didn’t know what to say next. She then went back to being her usually serious self, quickly locating herself back up and leaping out of bed. “Hmph, alright Sai, weren't you just about to question where Xiaomi was, or was it just me?”

     Xiaoxi’s face went pale from the snappy remark. It was just morning after all.

     “O-Oh! Xiaomi! I might be able to find him after we leave this room,” He jolted in response and took a few steps back from Kalulu. “Well, what about Attida? How is he doing?”

     “Glad you asked. He should be in the other room!”

     The perky orange robot briskly shook his head, waved his “good-bye” at the other robot, and ran out of the room.

     “Thanks! Again, your kiss felt so good that I want to try it once more!” Kalulu heard that remark from her friend and groaned loudly, immediately facepalming, as she placed her other hand on her robotic hips.

     She continued to scan the room, with a giddy, yet stern smile on her face. There were a few thoughts in her mind, but she decided that it was better to clean up the room by herself than to keep those thoughts afresh. With an almost-instant move, she looked back at her watch and peeked back up to observe the large room.

     “Heh, hmm… boys.” She spoke in a hushed tone, and got back to work.

[ill-skillsgard]

Maybe this is too filthy but I love a little Imagine where subby!Mickey have sex for money and you find the boy in a filthy street corner and pay him to get in your fancy car.

Um, this didn’t turn into smut, but I hope you like it, anyway!

+

The stringy man hopped into the passenger seat like it was a routine pick-up. It shocked her when he showed no hesitation and rattled off without a sideways glance.

“Name’s Mickey, but you can call me whatever you like. I can use my hands for twenty, oral is fifty with a bag and double without. Cock is eighty with a rubber, double without. You can take me out for a night for eighty and I’d just tack on whatever we did after, but it’s eighty upfront. I don’t like a crowd, but threesomes are fine—”

“Easy there, tiger. You’re reading like a drive-thru menu,” she touched his shoulder.

“Oh,” he giggled, and then finally took in the leather interior. “I’m sorry. Usually, people just like to get the schemantics done and over with.”

“Semantics,” she corrected him.

“Huh? Yeah. Well, whatever you want, mama. Say, this is a really nice car. What’s a fancy lady like yourself doing on my corner?”

“What’s a handsome fellow like yourself doing on any corner?” She asked.

Mickey closed his mouth for the first time since he got into the vehicle and stared at his potential benefactor of the evening. She didn’t match up with the clientele Mickey was used to escorting, and that didn’t sit right with him. His shoulders raised an inch, and he took a more thorough log of his surroundings.

“Are you a detective or something?” He asked.

“No. But answer the question.”

Mickey sighed. He didn’t enjoy doing the song and dance before every customer, but he knew he had to throw a bit of glitter to dazzle most ladies before getting down to the brass. 

“Aren’t you a little too good-looking to be doing something like this?” She asked. 

“Ma’am, it’s the oldest profession in the world. Also, most folks don’t want a convicted felon working for them. Hence why I gotta make my own way. I thank you for your concern, but I’m in no need of a lecture. S’why I dropped out of school, in case you wanted to know my academic background, too.”

“You’re charging eighty with a face like that. Honey, you’re selling yourself short.”

Mickey’s leer slanted with caution and intrigue. “I’m not above tips for good work, mama. And you look like a well-to-do type-a lady. I reckon you could take me home to your nice house and run a train on my ass without breaking a sweat, huh? You gobble up little boys like me for breakfast, don’tcha?”

She studied him, a small smile nearly eclipsed by her busy eyes. “Little boy? Not with that shoe-size.”

“I might look big, but I can be as little as you want, mistress. I’d just prefer we do it somewhere else, and quick,” Mickey pointed out the tinted window at his associates eying the idling vehicle.

Once she took another good look at Mickey, she nodded and pulled the gearshift. Mickey had been chewing his bottom lip, hoping she would either take him around the bend or let him off so he could continue his night’s work. When they rolled away, Mickey settled into the plush seat with a quiet sigh. It was the first time in a long while he hadn’t been afraid to touch the inside of a customer’s car. It still smelled fresh off the lot.

Mickey noticed other things about her, like the diamond earrings and the well-manicured nails. And she wasn’t a homely woman, which only confused him more. She was the kind of lady who could get what she wanted and not have to pay for it. A small red flag flapped in his head, but he ignored it and tried not to conjure the worst-case scenario.

“There’s money in the visor. Go ahead and take it,” she said.

He opened the sun visor and two crisp hundred-dollar bills floated to his lap. “Oh, hey now, you don’t have to pay me for services unrendered.”

“Stop speaking in cliches. Or do I have to pay you to do that?”

“No, ma’am. I’ll be quiet.”

“You don’t have to be quiet. Just talk like a normal person.”

A few silent minutes slipped by before she spoke again. “Are you on drugs?”

“Haven’t done anything since last month,” Mickey replied.

“Last month was yesterday,” she pointed out.

An infectious grin spread across Mickey’s face. “Busted.”

She pulled into the parking lot of a large chain-hotel, found space out of the streetlight, parked and turned off the car. Before Mickey could unhinge his mouth again, she silenced him with a simple hand gesture.

“Look, I wanted to fuck you when I first saw you, but I don’t like druggies. Sorry, I should rephrase, I don’t like dealing with drug-addicts. I don’t care that you’re a felon or a prostitute. But I can’t trust an addict. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t have a major dependency or anything. And I don’t do junk, ma’am.”

“But you’ll spend that two hundred on drugs, yes?”

Mickey had never encountered a patron who gave an inch about his habits. The little red flag he tried to ignore started beating against hurricane winds and his claustrophobia kicked in.

“What do you expect me to say? Do you want me to lie or tell you the truth?”

“If you ever lie to me, and I find out about it, you can consider our partnership ended.”

“How can you be sure what’s a lie and what isn’t?”

“You’re skinny because you don’t eat much. You don’t have track marks on your arms, but that doesn’t mean you can’t shoot somewhere out of sight. You have nice teeth, so it’s not meth, and you’re too snappy to be on heroin. My guess is, you’ve developed yourself a nasty coke problem. Or pills. I’m not an expert, but I know a junkie when I see one, and you aren’t one. Not yet.”

“So it’s okay for you to lie to me?” Mickey asked.

“What?”

“You said you aren’t a detective. So, what’s the deal?”

“I’m not. Any idiot can draw conclusions based on superficial observation.”

“Okay, brings me to my next question... Are we gonna fuck, or what?”

“I don’t know yet, Mickey. Why don’t you get yourself a room for the night and let me think on it?”

“Very funny,” Mickey replied. “Hotels don’t take cash.”

She began gathering her things, unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. Mickey followed, stuffing the cash he’d taken from the visor into his pocket.

“This is where I’m staying. There’s a motel down the road that I’m sure you can barter with.”

The woman started off again, but Mickey didn’t budge. “Where do I find you then?”

Either she didn’t hear his question or ignored it, which sent Mickey into a panic. He rushed toward her and touched her elbow. When she whirled around, her eyes were wide.

“Hey, come on, don’t just leave me here. Let me at least do something for you. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Her lips curved upward, revealing a small diamond sparkling in her right incisor. The glint caught Mickey’s eye. She looked much different in the lamplight.

“Then do as I say. Goodnight, Mickey.”

[tacoespionage]

Taco Espionage 1

28 followers | taco espionage- something original! | 1134 words

a/n: okay, okay, I AM still working on One Day More but I wanted to keep putting other work out there in the meantime. Here’s the first chapter of a short(ish) original story I’ve been working on featuring my boy Camren and the folks at Del’s Tacos.

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A gap year sounded nice. Take a break from studying, make some better friends, get a job, maybe save up a little. I guess only my parents can tell you why in the nine circles of hell I was saving for a degree I didn't even know I wanted. In all honesty, though, I actually accomplished more of my goals this year than I have in… well, my entire life. I'm not exactly a perfectionist, okay? That being said, I think anyone can agree that getting a job, setting up a career path, and establishing a network of friends and/or likable business associates who can kill me in seventy different ways is a pretty good start to adult life.

It all started with a really intense craving for Mexican food one Saturday afternoon. I'm not talking a "hey, I could really go for some Mexican food right now" type of craving- I mean like an "it's three in the afternoon and I didn't eat lunch because nothing but Mexican food will live up to my brain's expectations of what good food is right now. great job, Camren!" kind of craving. Should I have made a sandwich from my fridge to conserve the already-low funds in my bank account? Maybe. I did tell you I'm not a perfectionist, though, right? This may not have been my finest moment, but it had been a rough week and I figured some self-care was in order after a long seven days of sitting at home, filling out job applications, and gracefully ignoring the comments my parents made about my future and/or the state of my bedroom. I swiped my keys from the hook by the front door and turned to grab my wallet and bent over to check my hair in the hallway mirror. Kind of ruffled but cute. Okay. Outfit? Pretty proud of that, too- although I couldn’t see most of it since I’m, like, six feet tall and, in all honesty, fairly wide, too. I definitely got a little fatter after quitting swim. Back at the front door, I called back, "I'm getting food, be back in an hour." Dead silence. I winced. It was Saturday, so Mom was grocery shopping and Dad was out with friends. I  was talking to an empty house. It wasn't the first time, but still.

In an effort to not eat boring food, I scanned Google Maps for some not-totally-disgusting pictures of tacos. Remember how I said I’m not a perfectionist? I meant in all areas except for food. If the experience of eating something isn’t mind-blowing, I don’t want to eat whatever it is. I usually make it to at least the second page of results when I’m looking for a new restaurant, but this time something right at the top caught my eye. Mouth-watering (yes, I mean literally mouth-watering) pictures of tamales, frijoles, and burritos greeted me. I didn’t bother getting more details than the pictures and the place’s four-and-a-half-star rating. This was it. 

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into a shopping center that looked like the owner had just googled “modern-looking but cheap to decorate buildings” and showed the results to the re-modelers. When I had parked and found my way to the front of the restaurant, all I could do was stare for a moment. It was like a taco shop out of time- a purple and green neon sign at the top read "Del's" and the facade was painted a refreshing orange-ish pink. It was the only storefront that didn’t look soul-suckingly average. Inside, past the glare of a blue and red "open" sign against the kind-of-tinted glass, I could just barely make out a walk-up counter and some booths. The place was totally empty except for a woman in a purple polo shirt and visor behind the counter. By the time I reached the counter myself, I was ready to empty my entire bank account to get whatever it was that was making this place smell so good. The woman smiled calmly and walked over to me. 

By the time she got within a few feet of me at the counter, I almost felt like I knew her already. She looked exactly like my mom. Her dark, tightly coiled curls were just barely visible tied up in a tight knot over her visor. She had creases in her forehead but her skin was still a deep, warm brown. I half expected her to give me a look and ask if I had filled out any more job applications. Just then, though, a woman burst through the doors and advanced to hover at the counter. The person behind the counter, whose name tag read “Zenia”, raised her eyebrows and turned back to me without a word to the other customer. “Welcome to Del’s. What can I get you?”  I was about to open my mouth to ask about their tacos when the sound of the insistently clacking nails of the other customer (we’ll call her Karen as a placeholder) gave way to a sharp bark. “Excuse me, could I get some service here?” Karen broke in. Zenia turned to her, eyebrows somehow arching higher than before, and, without a word, she motioned to someone back in the kitchen. I managed to place my order in peace. As Zenia printed my receipt and strode back to the kitchen, though, I began to hear snatches of an escalating conversation to my right.

“What do you mean you won’t take my credit card? It’s valid, isn’t it?” Karen was jabbing her finger down at the person helping her on the other side of the counter. I wouldn’t really have been concerned, but that person, also wearing a purple polo, was about one good shove away from falling off the stool she was standing on. The girl behind the counter inhaled sharply, squared her shoulders, and resolutely looked up from the register. “Apparently not, no. I’m sorry, we can’t accept the card.” I didn’t remember Karen’s nails looking quite as deadly as they did just then. They really matched the death glare she had going on. With a face redder than the vinyl booths behind us, Karen reared her finger back, flexed her jaw muscles, and let loose a strangled and vaguely well-contained whine. “This is ridiculous! I pay my card off every month and you’re telling me you can’t make your stupid machine take my money?”

“...Yes? If you wanna pay with another card or cash, then I can-”

“No, I don’t have another card. What’s wrong with the one I have?”

“Like I said, it’s been decli-”

“What kind of business is this? You think you can just tell me I’m not allowed to buy food here? I’ve never had such awful customer service in my life!”

At this point I had pretty much frozen in place at the register, unsure whether this was something I should involve myself in or not. Zenia materialized next to the girl on the stool, laying a hand on her shoulder, and settled a steely gaze on Karen. “Excuse me, what’s the problem here?”

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OKAY THATS ALL I HAVE LOL TO BE CONTINUED

[blue-diamond-steven]

Real Boy.

"Hey, Connie, do you like it?" Self-conscious, he adjusted his newsboy's cap. He finally worked up the nerve to meet her parents today, but it wasn't meant to be.

"Do I look like a normal boy now?" She grabbed it and his hair popped out, jutting outward from the sides.

"Steven, you already are a normal boy."

He froze, she didn't know? Didn't everybody know about him? He clenched his scarf, he could feel his gem underneath like his heart itself was midway out of his chest. She didn't know. Would he tell her? Would she feel like he had been lying to her this whole time? What if—?

"Steven? Are you okay?" He had paled considerably.

"Yeah," he swallowed, dread flooded his senses, "I'm good."

"I didn't hurt your feelings, did I? I didn't mean that you were average or anything." Beads of sweat formed with phantom tints of aquamarine on his forehead.

"No, no, you didn't I just—," he trailed off as he crafted a halfway decent lie, "—remembered I still have to take the laundry out of the washing machine."

"Oh? Well, we can't have that," she joked.

He grabbed his hat from the coffee table in her living room and headed towards the door, "Thanks for understanding, bye!"

"Wait, Steven!"

The door shut and Steven broke into a mad dash, 'What was the best thing to do?' The Gems would know, Garnet would know.

There was a warp pad in the forest right outside of her neighborhood that he used to visit her; he just needed to get back there before Connie could catch up.

"Steven?" Her voice was faint. Good, she wouldn't see him leave. Snow crunched in his ears just before he vanished in a brilliant flash of mint blue light.

Beach City greeted him with a sea breeze, his midnight blue hair ruffled by the wind. His bangs stuck to his forehead, slicked from sweat. He had accidentally warped to the hand instead of inside the Temple, 'that was fine,' he reassured himself. It was a stressful day. The familiarity of the salty air calmed his nerves slightly. He sat on his knees and leaned back against the cool metal of the washing machine, 'In and out, in and out.' He yanked off his scarf, desperate for air.

What if she became scared of him? His dad was always unnerved by gem stuff, what if she was the same way? What if she only liked him for Human Steven? What if Connie doesn't want to be his friend anymore after this?

He straightened his back and wiped the fresh tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I should go inside," he mumbled to no one in particular. He gripped his arm once he stood on the pad.

How many bowls of blueberry ice cream has he gone through? Two? Four? S-six? However many, his stomach ached.

"Yo, Ste-man! How long have you been here—?" His belly gurgled before he could respond. His hand rushed to his mouth as his stomach lurched.

"That long, huh?"

"Yeah," he placed his bowl in the sink.

"You wanna tell me what's up? Weren't you supposed to be hanging out with that girl today?" He nodded.

"So, what happened?" She poured a bowl of grape ice cream for herself and garnished it with, he grimaced, cilantro.

"Connie, she—," he took in a breath of air as tears prickled in his eyes, "—she doesn't know I'm not human!"

"Oh, is that it?" Amethyst shook the parmesan cheese shaker over her dubious dish.

"What, 'That's it?! That's it!?'"

Garnet placed her hand on his shoulder causing him to jolt upright, she scolded Amethyst, "Don't be rude."

"What? I'm not!”

"If this is distressing for him, don't downplay it."

"It's not a big deal—,"

"Amethyst."

"Whatever, Garnet! You talk to him first."

Garnet gestured for Steven to sit down, patting the vacant sofa cushion, he obliged. Has he really been standing up while eating all that ice cream the whole time? He had some really troubling feelings to bury under food, he supposed glumly.

"Steven, tell us what's wrong."

"Connie doesn't know about," he pulled down his scarf to show his gem, "this. Garnet, I don't know how to tell her or if she'll even want to be my friend after this. I don't want to stop being her friend!"

He hugged Garnet as tears began to flow down his cheeks, burying his face in her torso, "Oh, what if she'd hate me for not telling her?"

"She won't." She rubbed her face under her visor.

"She won't?" He looked up at her, eyes wide.

"If she's really your friend, she'll take this with stride and your bond will strengthen."

"Yeah, dude," Amethyst plopped down on the couch adjacent to him, "If she cares about you, she won't care if your a gem; she likes you for you."

"You think so?" Little stars gleamed in his eyes.

"If she doesn't want to be your friend because of something you can't control, then she was never truly your friend." Garnet ruffled his hair.

She lightly punched his shoulder, "That'd be her loss, man."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right!"

"So are you gonna tell her, Ste-man?"

"The choice is yours."

His chest puffed out with bravado and air, "Okay, I'll do it—," he deflated, anxiety melted through his resolve like a blowtorch to tin foil, "—later." He couldn't go back after how he left, not so soon anyway.

"Whenever you're ready."

She ate another scoopful of her monstrosity, "Yeah, no rush, dude."

Later…

The Maheswaran residence's doorbell rang. Steven clinched the baby blue scarf in tightly his hands. He tugged his hair frustration, why couldn't he just talk to her like a real person!? He was very close to retreating again like he had last week and yesterday, and all the days in between.

Before he could, the door swung open, the hairs of his neck were as high as they could go. Connie and he stared at each other for a moment. Someone had to break the silence.

"Uh, hey?" Was all he could muster with his weak wave.

"Steven?!" She took a step forward, he took a step backward.

"Where have you been?!"

"Around," he said sheepishly.

"I haven't seen you for two weeks, why did you stop coming over?"

"It's not like, I-I didn't;" his scarf obscured his mouth, "I just couldn't work up the nerve to stay."

Something clicked in Connie's mind, "Were you the one ringing my doorbell every day?"

He sunk further into his scarf, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you avoiding me? You didn't even call, I—," she reached out to him, he made no movement closer, nor did he back away, "I was worried about you."

"I didn't know—," he cut himself off, maybe this was a mistake.

"You didn't know what?"

"I was scared! I didn't know how you'd react if I told you I wasn't a normal boy."

"Oh!" She slammed her fist on her palm, "Are you gay?"

"Uh," he looked down at the snow, was he?

"I don't know?"

"Well, then, what were you going to tell me? Why don't you come inside; it's cold out there."

"Um, okay." They settled on her sofa.

"Well?"

'Oh, right.'

"Oh, um, well, you see—," was this a good idea?

"Come on, you can tell me."

"I'm, I'm," he steeled his nerves, "I'm not human!" He amended, "I'm only half, I'm sorry for not telling you!"

"What do you mean? Are you a werewolf or something?"

"No," he flushed, "I'm a gem, well, half, on my mom's side," he adjusted his icy blue shawl so she could see it.

The cerulean and azure gem glistened in the daylight leaking in from the windows and yellowed lightbulbs that hung from the ceiling.

Connie stared blankly at the large gemstone poking out of his chest, "So you are, does it do anything?"

He concentrated and pulled an odd looking crossbow out, it manifested in a cluster of cyan sparkles. Connie, nonplussed, tentatively held it, examining it.

"I tried to be normal for you and your parents to like me, I'm sorry. It's okay if you don't want to be my friend anymore."

"No, I don't want to stop being your friend."

"What? Really?"

"So what if you aren't exactly human, you've got magic powers! You just got cooler! Who wouldn't want superpowers?" Diamonds twinkled in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." They don't seem so super when compared to the other Gems's.

"Just because you're not all human, doesn't mean you aren't you. You've never stopped being you."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "You're really okay with me not being a real boy?"

She took his hand and held it firmly, giving it a squeeze, "You're a real boy to me."