#but rex stayed behind for his own reasons AND he's the one who changed the most. physically

[rexscanonwife]

BTW I wanna draw this as Rebels Rex and Brea ☝️☝️☝️☝️

[peanutbutterandfailure]

ZhongliXGN!Reader!-"Midnight"

You quietly open the doors to the Wansheng Funeral Parlor, slipping inside without a sound. It's after hours, actually it's an ungoldy hour of the night, but this is where you were to meet your old friend. Your footsteps are noiseless on the wooden floor as you walk along the hall, looking for the door that would lead you to him.

'Consultant' read the nameplate on the second to last door in the hall. You come to a stop and raise your fist, but before you can knock a deep but gentle voice calls out "Come in." You may be an Adeptus, but you'd never be able to sneak up on him. Stepping inside and closing the door behind you, you look into the face of the Archon you hadn't seen in over a century.

"Y/n," Morax, or as he signed his letter to you, Zhongli says with a smile. "It's been a long time. Please, have a seat." He gestures to the empty chair across from his desk.

You graciously bow to the Archon before sinking into the chair. "So…." you start, wanting to get your most pressing question out of the way. "I'm really confused as to what I should call you." You tilt your head to the side as you study him.

He chuckles before answering. "Rex Lapis is what the people of Liyue call me now, however if we are together in public, I ask that you refer to me as Zhongli. But whatever name you prefer to use is fine by me."

You mull his words over for a minute before answering. "I prefer Morax, I always have. But to avoid any potential slip-ups, I'll use your modern name. Zhongli does have a nice ring to it."

He lets out another small laugh. "So be it." He stands and opens a cupboard on the wall behind him. "Care for a drink?" He asks as he pulls a bottle out of the shadows. You smile as the faint light hits the amber liquid encased in the glass.

"I'll always say yes to a glass of Osmanthus wine." You tell him. Smiling, he sits two glasses on his desk and slowly fills each one. He hands you a glass, yet you wait till he lifts his to his lips before taking a sip of yours. "Mmmm," you hum softly. "Tastes the same as I remember…" The last time you enjoyed this liquor you were also enjoying the company of the Archon. Back then, you had more companions to drink with, but most of those companions have since passed.

Zhongli smiles softly down at his glass. "But where are those who share the memories…" He whispers softly. You know the words aren't meant for you, they're more a moment of self reflection, so you stay quiet. Finally, his golden eyes raise to yours. "It has been quite a long time, hasn't it?" He asks you softly.

"It has." You respond as you take another sip of the wine. "We've each gone through a lot since the last time we saw each other." You think back on your own recent dark history and shudder. You can only imagine the things that Zhongli has gone through since you last saw him.

The two of you sit in silence as the clock hanging on the wall chimes midnight.

Finally, you speak up. "There must be a reason you've summoned me, Zhongli. Other than to drink with you, I mean." You swirl the contents of your glass, letting the scents of the wine dance around the room as you stare at the being across from you. Adepti in human forms don't age unless they choose to, you know that from experience, but you can't help marveling at how little the brown haired man has changed. His formal posture, his kind mannerisms, the smooth way he speaks. All of it has been unchanged by the years.

He is still the same man you remember.

"You are correct, dear y/n," he says, smiling across at you. "I was actually wondering if you would consider making a contract with me?" He asks.

"Ahh… I haven't heard those words in quite a long time." You muse. The last time you signed a contract with Morax was over one hundred and fifty years ago. While it was advantageous for the both of you, you knew entering into a binding arrangement with the Archon of Contracts was no minor undertaking.

"Do not fret, my dear," he reassures you as he refills your wine glass. "It should not be quite as daunting as last time." He pulls a stack of papers out of a drawer in his desk and slides them across to you. He sits in silence as you quickly read over his neat handwriting. The contract laid out a form of companionship that you would have never thought, in all your years as an Adeptus, the Geo Archon would request of you.

For several minutes you read and reread the paperwork, your face flushing slightly at several of the conditions. Sitting the papers back on his desk, you drain your second glass of wine. Wordlessly, Zhongli refills it for you. You lean back in your chair, sipping the wine as you contemplate everything you just read.

After a few minutes, you finally speak. “You’re looking for a partner?”

He has his elbows resting on the desk, fingertips pressed together in front of his lips. “Well,” he says softly, “I was hoping I had found one, hence the contract. Were my presumptions incorrect about your feelings towards me all those years ago?” You blushed once again and shook your head. Of course he noticed your attraction to him back when you were a young Adeptus. “Ah, then perhaps those feelings have changed since we were last together? If that is the case, then I sincerely apologize.”

“It’s not that, Zhongli. It’s just…” You trail off, trying to find the right words to convey what you’re feeling. “Never in my entire time of existence would I have thought that you would want that kind of relationship with me. I guess I just assumed that you viewed me the way you view Alatus, as if I was your child.”

He smiles softly and stands from his seat. Walking around the large wooden desk, he kneels down in front of you and holds a gloved hand out. You instantly place your hand in his, feeling the warmth of his palm through the leather. His long fingers gently close around your hand and he squeezes gently. “Y/n,” he whispers. “You are so special to me and I care for you deeply. The love that I hold for you is not the same type of love that I hold for Alatus. I’m… slightly embarrassed to admit this, but when I first began thinking of this contract, you were the first person I thought of proposing it to.” His free hand raises to his mouth, as if he wants to catch the words he just spoke. Instead he covers his eyes, embarrassed.

You look in awe at the Archon in front of you. One of the oldest beings in existence, he holds the power to destroy monsters and topple nations. Yet here he is, covering his eyes and blushing, as if he were a young mortal confessing to his first crush. The fondness for him that swells in your chest is almost painful. You honestly never thought you could love him any more than you already did, yet here he was, proving you wrong.

“Zhongli,” you whisper, squeezing his hand. Once he finally moves his hand and meets your gaze, you smile at him. “I’ll do it.”

His eyebrows raise in shock. Apparently this was not the answer he expected. “So, you agree to the contract?”

“Yes, Morax, Archon of Geo. I, y/n, the Adeptus known as Ravine Dreamer, agree to the contract you have presented to me.” The second the words left you mouth, you could feel the power of the contract fill your body.

Standing, Zhongli pulls you out of your chair and against his body. He raises your hand that’s still in his and kisses it, saying “You belong to me now, and I to you.” The fingers of his free hand trail down your cheek as he stares into your eyes. He slowly leans down to kiss you, giving you plenty of time to lean back. But you’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.

His lips were firm yet gentle against yours. His arms slide around your body, one hand stopping on the small of your back while the other slides up until it’s tangled in your hair, gently gripping the back of your head. He pulls your body closer to his, his arms as binding as the contract between you. Your arms are pressed against his chest, pinned between your bodies. You grip the lapel of his suit and tug as you deepen the kiss. He lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a laugh and a moan. “Eager, are we?” He whispers against your lips before pulling back and looking down at you. “I am surprised you’re not more reserved about this.”

You smile up into his face. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time, Zhongli.” You tell him as you greedily pull him back down for another kiss. You slide your tongue into his mouth, which he eagerly accepts. You’re able to slide your arms up around his neck, attempting to pull him even closer than he already is. Your arousal for the Archon is growing with each minute you make out, and you can tell it’s the same for him.

He walks you back until you feel his desk pressing against the back of your legs. Pulling back, he nuzzles into the crook of your neck, letting his lips travel languidly up until they’re pressed against your ear. “It seems that kissing me isn’t the only thing that you’ve been wanting.” He growls in a husky voice as his teeth nip at your earlobe. You can’t help the shudder that wracks through your body as his teeth continue to nip at your skin.

“Ah, Zhongli,” you moan softly, and you hear him growl again as he bites down harder on your neck. Grabbing you by the shoulders, he quickly spins you around and pushes you so you’re bent over his desk.

Leaning down over you, he nibbles on your ear once again before whispering “I want to hear you moaning all of my names tonight, y/n.” His hands slide up under your shirt, the leather of his gloves sticking to your bare skin. He bites your shoulder before pulling back as he begins to rid you of your clothes. Once you're bare before him, he begins shedding his own clothes.

You can see the shock and excitement on his face when you look back over your shoulder and give him your only command of the night. "Keep the gloves on."

He was going to have fun with you.

[gvfgal]

*New* 13. Pandora’s Box

Barbarian. Biker!Jake

*18+ series, minors DNI

A/n: Six chapters left after this one!! I’m doing my best to get these chapters out as quickly as possible, and I appreciate your patience with me & for sticking with me for so long 🤍 This is a shorter chapter but a loaded chapter, and things are really going to start picking up from here through the end! As always, leave your questions, comments concerns wherever you see fit, and enjoy!

Content Warnings: some criminal activity.

Word Count: 3.2k

Jake sat on the floor of Rex’s trailer, shielded by the mass of the couch, as he stared into the hole full of money. The sight of it was overwhelming—a mix of relief, suspicion, and dread churning in his gut. He had hesitated coming back over, not because of any assumed danger but because of the sheer uncertainty. He simply didn’t know what to do with the secret buried in that hole. Who knew about this money? He’d never gotten the nerve to ask anyone yet, afraid it would dig up something that was meant to stay buried. How long had it been there, had Rex started the collection before Jake fled to Arizona? And most troubling of all, how much blood was on it?

His mind raced with possibilities. It could be old club money that Rex stashed away for a rainy day, always keeping the well-being of the club in mind. Or it could’ve been something more sinister, tied to some dark deal Rex had been involved in before he passed. Jake knew his father wasn’t always on the straight and narrow, but this amount of cash suggested something big, something that had to be kept hidden. The thought of Rex dealing privately with the EDS, or worse, crossed his mind. He felt a pang of guilt for doubting him, no matter his feelings towards him, but the evidence was literally staring him in the face.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to piece together the puzzle. The first thing he needed to do was figure out exactly how much was there. Maybe that would give him a clue about its origins. Was it enough to settle old debts, or was it a fortune that could change lives? The numbers mattered, not just for practical reasons but because they might reveal a pattern or a connection to Rex’s past dealings.

As he began counting the bundles, memories of Rex flickered through his mind. Times when he had been unusually tense or secretive, conversations abruptly ended, and unexplained absences. Had Rex been hiding something all along, even all those years ago? Jake felt a chill run down his spine. The money was a lifeline, but it was also a trap, a ticking time bomb that could explode in his face at any moment. He had to be careful, not just for his sake but for you and the baby.

The thought of you and the life you were building brought a brief sense of clarity. He had to protect you, and that meant handling this money—whatever its source—with the utmost caution. As he counted, the enormity of the situation settled over him like a dark cloud. This wasn’t just about the money; it was about uncovering truths that had been buried, secrets that could upend everything he thought he knew. And as much as he wanted to run, to hide from the mess Rex had left behind, he knew he couldn’t. This was his burden now, and he had to find a way to bear it.

“Hey,” your voice rang out behind him, causing him to jump out. He didn’t even hear you enter the trailer, too engrossed in his own thoughts. Luckily for him, you lingered by the door, and the couch served as a barrier between your view of the money.

“Hey Cherry,” he replied, keeping his cool. He stood from behind the couch and crossed over to you so you wouldn’t feel the need to come any closer. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

You looked around the trailer, a little thrown off at the fact that Jake was anywhere near it after trashing it months back. Remnants from that rampage were still evident in the room.

“What are you doing over here?” You questioned skeptically.

Jake shrugged, “nothing. This place just needs a lot of repairs. I’m trying to see if it’s worth fixing up and selling, or if I should burn the place to the ground.” He began snickering at his own comment, but stopped when he saw the look on your face.

“I’m kidding.”

You gave him one more once over, taking not of the concealed nerves before focusing on the topic at hand.

“Anyways,” you draped your arms over his shoulders, “I just wanted to come tell you the Angela and I are gonna go grab lunch and then do some baby shopping. Maybe some shopping for me too,” you added sweetly.

Jake grinned at you, placing a slow kiss on your lips, “how much money do you need?”

You squinted your eyes and pinched your fingers about an inch apart, “maybe that much?” Jake laughed at your demonstration, and you closed the gap between your fingers, “or this much, if you’re willing to let me use the card.”

Jake shook his head at you and reached into his back pocket to pull his card from his wallet, “you’re hard to say no to, you know?” He smirked.

Your eyebrows perked up in amusement, “imagine when there’s two of us doing it.”

Jake handed the card over to you, and you thanked him with another kiss.

“I think that’d be even better.”

Satisfied, you stepped back, “well I’ll let you get back to it then. See you at home for dinner?”

Jake nodded, “you three have fun, try not to go too crazy, there is a limit on that thing.”

“Bye,” you blew him one final kiss just as Angela pulled up across the street, honking her horn no sooner than she came to a stop, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

When he heard Angela’s car pull off again, Jake turned back towards the money, a shaky breath leaving his mouth, there was still a decent amount of money left waiting to be counted, and if he wanted anything close to an answer, he needed to get back to counting.

Six hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. That’s how much was hidden in the walls of Rex’s house, and this number held no significance to Jake whatsoever. He thought that figuring out the amount would help him get at least one step closer to uncovering the source of the money, but it did nothing to help. He was still stuck at square one, and he didn’t know what his next move would be.

As he put the last bundle back into the wall, he felt a pang of frustration. The secrecy, the mystery—it was all too much. He secured the cover over the hole, ensuring it was as inconspicuous as before. Jake decided to do some cleaning up to pass the time, hoping the physical activity might help clear his mind. If you were to come back over, at least it would look like he did something productive instead of just sitting behind the couch for hours on end.

He swept everything that wasn’t memorabilia into large dumpster bags, loaded them into the bed of his truck, and hauled them off to the dump site. The physical labor was a welcome distraction, but it did little to quiet his racing thoughts. After that, he spent a few hours tinkering with his bike, more to pass the time than because there was anything actually wrong with it.

When you texted him saying you were craving steaks for dinner, he immediately stopped what he was doing. He cleaned up his tools and headed to the grocery store to gather the necessary items. The entire time, his mind raced with thoughts of what to do next with the money. He felt cornered, desperate for answers but afraid to dig too deep.

He even hesitated to ask Ace about it, fearing it would reveal something that was meant to stay hidden from him. The weight of the secret was growing heavier by the minute. By the time he got home, his desperation had reached a peak.

There was one person, lingering in the back of Jake’s mind, who might have some answers. Hesitant but desperate, he knew he had to reach out. As he stood in the kitchen prepping dinner, he dialed the number of the first and last person he thought he’d be seeking answers from.

“Hey, son,” Vicky answered casually after letting the phone ring for a long time. She spoke as if it hadn’t been months since she last heard from him.

“Hey, ma. It’s good to hear your voice.”

“I can say the same for you. What’s been up in your world?”

Jake caught her up on everything, mainly the news of your pregnancy and that it would be a girl. Vicky was over the moon, then scolded Jake harshly for waiting so long to tell her. He hardly listened as she rambled on, and once her ranting came to an end, she took a deep breath, and the warmth returned to her tone.

“I’m happy for you, Jake. Both of you. Becoming a grandmother this year wasn’t exactly on my bingo card,” they shared a small laugh, “and lord, I wish I could see the look on Rex’s face hearing that news.”

There it was, an opening. “Hey, speaking of Rex, mom…” The line was silent. “Do you know of any… endeavors he might’ve had outside of the Barbarians? Anything he was doing to make some money outside of the club?”

Though Rex and Vicky had their own tumultuous relationship, Jake knew his dad trusted her. She was a tough woman.

He was met with more deafening silence, a quiet so lethal that Jake began to feel constricted underneath it.

Finally, Vicky responded, “Rex had a lot of secrets, Jake, like we all do. And he was a complex man. He did a lot of things for the sake of the club, but I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t a selfish bastard at times.” Her words shocked him, but they still weren’t giving any answers.

“But he’s dead now,” she continued, “and whatever secrets he had, they should be left buried with him.” Her tone switched, now pleading, “You’ve got enough going on in your life right now, becoming a father, working with the Barbarians. Trust me when I tell you, that is a Pandora’s box you don’t want to open.”

It was then that Jake knew he was on to something. Though Vicky was being cryptic, he knew she was very aware of what he was inquiring about.

“You know, don’t you?” Jake’s voice lowered into the phone, ceasing all other activities to focus on the call, “About the money in the wall. You know what I’m talking about.”

“Jake, don’t,” Vicky warned, her tone clipped and venomous, “You don’t want to go there. Leave it be. Please.”

He was about to press her again, growing frustrated with her silence, but before he had a chance, you pranced in the front door with a hoard of shopping bags in hand.

You were smiling and oblivious to the tension in the room, holding up the bags as if to say ‘get a load of this’ before attempting to lug them over to the couch.

“Ma, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later,” Jake rushed Vicky off the phone as he came to assist you, though he wished the conversation didn’t have to be cut short. He wanted answers.

Vicky didn’t protest one bit, hardly saying goodbye before hanging up the phone. Jake shoved all his emotions down for the moment, not wanting you to see him in that anxious state.

"Looks like someone had fun," Jake grinned, pressing a kiss to your cheek as the two of you lined up the shopping bags along the couch.

"You’ll understand why once you see some of the stuff I got," you teased, a sparkle of excitement in your eyes as you perched on the edge of the couch, already reaching into one of the bags.

Jake's tension eased momentarily as he watched you pull out two tiny onesies. The sight of the soft fabric and the thought of your little girl wearing them brought a rare, genuine smile to his face amidst the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind.

"Okay, I have to admit, those are pretty cute," he conceded, his grin widening as your excitement became contagious.

"That’s not even the best of it," you squealed, carefully tucking the onesies back into the bag. Jake leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, watching you with a blend of amusement and affection. The way your eyes lit up made the weight on his shoulders feel a little lighter.

"I have an idea," he said, his tone softening. "How about I make us some dinner, and after we eat, you can show me everything you got?"

"Sounds like a plan, babe," you agreed, rising from the couch and walking over to him. Jake reached out, pulling you into a warm embrace, the feel of your body against his soothing the frayed edges of his nerves.

"Steaks?" you mumbled into his chest, your voice muffled but content.

Jake chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. "Yeah, Cherry, already got them ready to throw on."

You looked up at him, resting your chin on his chest, eyes full of love. In that moment, you felt like the luckiest girl in the world, and the way he looked at you made your heart flutter.

After a comfortable silence, you spoke, your voice soft with emotion. "You know, when I first met you, I told myself I wasn’t gonna fall in love with you. Now look at us."

Jake’s mind flashed back to that first night, standing in your driveway, hearing you say those words: "You don’t want me, Jake. I’m not the kind worth loving." At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now, the memory seemed absurd. You were the only thing worth loving, you and the little girl growing inside you. Everything else faded away in comparison.

"Are you happy?" he asked, his voice tinged with vulnerability.

You pressed a tender kiss to his chest before looking up at him again. "The happiest I’ve ever been in my life."

Your answer warmed Jake, filling him with a sense of security he hadn’t realized he needed. For a moment, the shadows in his mind receded, replaced by the simple, overwhelming truth that you were his anchor.

"Alright, those steaks aren’t gonna cook themselves," he said with a playful grin, releasing you from his embrace and giving you a light slap on the ass before heading back to the kitchen.

As you carried your shopping bags into the bedroom, Jake’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, the screen lighting up with a text from Vicky. His heart sank as he read the message, his expression hardening.

Vicky:

I love you, son. And I’m very happy for you. But please, don’t ever bring up that conversation with me again. I don’t want to get involved in it, and I don’t want you involved either. Take care. We’ll talk again soon.

Jake stared at the message longer than necessary, his eyes drifting out the kitchen window to Rex’s trailer. The sense of unease that had momentarily lifted came crashing back down, heavier than before.

"Christ, Dad," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "What the hell did you get yourself into?"

The warehouse was bathed in a sickly yellow glow from the flickering fluorescent lights overhead, casting long, jagged shadows that seemed to crawl across the floor. Nicky, Frogman, and Renegade stood off to the side, Nicky’s eyes cold and calculating as he watched his men work. They were wrapping and stashing bundles of cash, securing the money as instructed. Everything was proceeding exactly as planned—his plan. But that was precisely the problem. If things were going smoothly for him, then Jake’s plan was also succeeding, and Nicky couldn’t stomach the thought of his efforts being overshadowed by the so-called ‘genius’ of the Barbarian Prince.

“You gotta think of something, Nicky,” Frogman whispered urgently, his eyes darting around to ensure no one else could overhear their treacherous conversation. “This shit is going too well. If it keeps up, those assholes are gonna be lining up to vote Jake in as president, all because they think he saved our asses.”

Nicky shot him a venomous glare, though the truth in Frogman’s words cut deeper than any perceived disrespect. “You think I don’t know that?” His voice was a low, dangerous growl. “Jake’s already got the upper hand just by being Rex’s son. The old man’s shadow still looms large over this club, and everyone’s lining up to kiss his ass.”

Renegade, who had been shifting nervously on his feet, glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one was within earshot before leaning in closer. “So what’s the play, Nicky? I’m with you on this—I don’t want Jake calling the shots either. But we can’t just sit here with our dicks in our hands waiting for him to take the crown.”

Nicky’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the wall beside him, echoing the ticking clock in his mind. He’d been wrestling with this problem for days, and now, with time running out, he knew it was time to act.

“We just have to make sure that last shipment doesn’t make it to Alejandro.” The words slipped from his lips like a venomous whisper, hanging ominously in the stale air.

Frogman and Renegade exchanged uneasy glances before turning back to Nicky, their confusion evident. The pieces of his plan were starting to come together in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more twistedly satisfying it became.

“How do you plan on doing that?” Frogman croaked, his voice barely audible, as if he were afraid of what Nicky might say.

“We make it disappear—temporarily, of course. Then we create a situation that points all fingers back to Jake. The EDS will rip him apart before he even knows what hit him.”

Renegade nodded slowly, though doubt still lingered in his eyes. “But what if it backfires? What if Jake figures out what we’re up to before it goes down?”

Nicky shook his head, stepping closer to the men, his eyes gleaming with a manic intensity. “It won’t have a chance to backfire. This’ll happen so fast, he’ll be too busy trying to save his own skin to come after us.”

The men nodded, the weight of the plan settling in. Nicky could feel the adrenaline starting to pump through his veins, the thrill of impending chaos overriding any lingering uncertainties.

“Okay, but—” Frogman started, only to be cut off by Nicky’s impatient huff. “But what, dipshit?”

Unperturbed by the insult, Frogman pressed on. “How are we gonna make it look like Jake’s the guilty one? What makes you think Alejandro’s gonna believe you over him?”

Normally, a question like that would have pissed Nicky off, but with the ace he had up his sleeve, there was no need to worry.

A sly, slimy grin spread across Nicky’s face. “You leave that part to me.”

Taglist: @edgingthedarkness @earthgrlsreasy @wetkleenex-gvf @hollyco @dannys-dream @slut4lando @josh-iamyour-mama @gretasfallingsky @takenbythemadness @scoreofinfantryvines

[stardusthuntress]

Five for Fives

FivesLivesAU! 

Fives x female!reader (pronouns only) 

Word Count: 3.6k 

Summary and A/N: Read a fic the other day, and I wanted to read more similar stories, but there weren’t really any more like it… so I wrote my own! Inspired by this fic by @deewithani who kindly was totally fine with letting me add the inspo link here! I felt like we all needed something happy to read and Fives has been on my mind lately… so hope at least one person enjoys this too! Just sorta cranked it out because I was inspired and wanted to see Fives get a chance to have a life after war filled with love, with Echo, and with Rex, and I wanted a future for the little clones we know exist but who never fought in war because they hadn’t been out of their grown tubes very long… so have some cuteness and cuddles! 

PS this is a different Fives Lives AU than my other fic from a few weeks ago

TW: not much? Uh, Fives lives, has a long-term partner, and this is set as though he and Rex and Echo are leading the clone resistance we see beginning in the Bad Batch. Added in a few references to characters I couldn’t fit in the fic too! Could be read as though it’s just Fives and the Reader and Rex and Echo are the best friends of the family, or it could be read as though it’s poly, totally up to you as the reader to interpret it however feels right to you! I just wanted to make sure the 501st trio wasn’t cruelly separated anymore, so have a cute little family fic! Just cuddles and cuteness and fluff! Though it is still a bit suggestive (it's Fives, that's totally unavoidable), so still NSFW, tho I surprised myself by actually avoiding writing smut in a Fives fic... but still enjoy the snuggles and cuteness and suggestive fluff!!!

blue dividers by @/djarrex! banners are my own!

“How are we gonna tell Echo?” Fives asked, gazing happily at the 5 small, peacefully sleeping faces scattered across the room like spilled tookas. 

You, the woman in his arms grinned, “Leave that to me!” You kissed his cheek with a grin. 

Fives nuzzled into your shoulder. He loved the way you balanced him out and always remembered to consider Echo in your plans as well, especially now that the war was over and the operation to rescue all their brothers was underway. 

“He’s gonna tell us 2 is more than we can reasonably handle.” Fives comments. 

“He was also a cadet with a squad of 5 once, remember? He knows the bond you boys have. He might protest, but we will make him understand. Besides, they’re too little to separate them, that would have only traumatized them for life, and I couldn’t do that. You saw their eyes when they looked up at us and asked if they could stay together. You couldn’t say no either,” you poked him comedically. 

Fives chuckled, and hugged you tighter to his chest. “Yeah, and I wouldn’t change it for the whole galaxy!” 

They stand there, just watching the small sleepers for a few minutes. 

“How old do you think they are?” Fives asked, excitedly. 

“They can’t be much older than 4, in normal years. They have well developed language skills, but they’re still working on hand-eye coordination. So… probably about 2? Likely decanted not long after the war started… maybe around the time you and Echo shipped out for the first time?” You reasoned. 

“Not long before we met you,” Fives kissed your cheek playfully and you giggled quietly, squeezing the strong hands wrapped around your middle. 

“We’re gonna have to get beds for them tomorrow,” you whispered, eyes glazed over as you worked through the logistics of having 5 new additions to the family. 

“Mmmmm, sounds like a tomorrow problem then,” Fives whispered, whisking you off your feet, “They look comfortable where they are, they’ll be fine for tonight.” 

“They’re on the floor, Fives,” you chuckled lightly, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“They’re used to it, we all slept anywhere anytime. At least they’re all sleeping at the same time.” He told you, closing the door to your bedroom behind him as he carried you to the bed. “And you were so good with them, Cyar’ika. I could barely resist you all day.” He breathed into your chest as his lips trailed across your skin, sighing hungrily. “My turn!” 

As Echo strolled across the base on this beautiful evening, a noise in the hanger bay caught his attention. Odd, no one should be in the hangar bay at this hour. There were no surprise missions that he was aware of, though they had just rescued a large quantity of clone cadets from an Imperial facility the day before. The little ones were supposed to have all been shipped off to Alderaan and Pandora, but perhaps they miscounted? He’d have to comm Fives and let him know if he found one still here. Fives and his girlfriend had been so excited to get to rescue young clones. 

He followed the continuation of the noise, and discovered it changed from the drumming of what was presumably small running feet, into the sound of larger stomping strides accompanied by a lot of giggling. 

The noise led him to the ship Fives and his partner had claimed as their own. 

Echo called to them from the open ramp, “Everything alright in there?” 

“Oh, Echo! Is that you?” A woman’s voice answered him over the laughter, “Come in! We could use a hand right now, actually,” she giggled. 

Echo hurried into the ship, worried. You never asked for help, but then again it sounded like you had been laughing at the time? He rounded the corner and froze. 

Well, that was the last thing he’d been expecting to see, but in hindsight he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been expecting it. Fives always had been good with kids, and so were you. 

The room was filled with commotion, mostly in the form of Fives, in full gear, stomping around and growling like he was pretending to be a big, scary monster, while trying his hardest not to burst into laughter. He was happier than Echo had ever seen him. 

Fives had 3 small cadets clambering on him. One on his back, giggling wildly, and one wrapped tight around each of Fives’ legs, both squealing with joy. 

Fives was laughing hard, especially as he made eye contact with Echo across the room, but it only lasted for a moment as one of the cadets lost their grip on his knee and tumbled to the floor, still giggling. 

“Oops!” Fives chuckled, swooping the small puddle of giggling child off the floor and up into the air. “Aaaaaand UP we go!” 

Echo could barely process what was going on, as you turned to him from the table behind where Fives and the 3 little ones now played. 

There was another one in your arms, Echo noticed. 

You beckoned Echo to you, and he obediently trotted over, though he was vaguely aware that it was an autopilot response from working so closely with you for so long. 

The delightedly confused look on Echo’s face as he approached made you laugh too. 

“Here, hold this one for me,” you instructed, depositing the one that had been on your hip into Echo’s arms. 

Echo took the proffered child. It stared up at him with wide, familiar eyes. This was definitely one of the clone children you had all rescued in the days prior. The child nibbled on a large cookie as it stared calmly up at him. Echo blinked at it for a moment, content to just watch the child, unsure what it would do, knowing it could see that he was so different. 

He and Fives had been this small once. He didn’t remember it, but knew it was deep in his past somewhere. He felt like he could see his own memories reflected in the wide, curious eyes of the child he held. But he wondered how he looked to a kid now, so many metal parts adorning his body, but without those parts, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to rescue and now hold this child today. Echo could feel the conflict within him flickering in his eyes as he watched the smol bundle in his arms. 

After a moment, the child seemed to decide he was an acceptable pillow too, and it nestled into his shoulder and went back to watching their brothers goof around the room. 

Echo looked up, for you, vaguely aware that if you needed him to hold this one that meant there was something else you were up to. 

He spotted you standing on the counter, fetching yet another child from atop the conservator, where it seemed, it had been breaking into a box of cookies. 

“Hey Echo, Fives, I need you to—“ Rex rounded the corner, and reacted much the same as Echo. He froze, eyebrows raised, as he watched Fives tumble into a big cushy chair in the corner while being careful not to smoosh any of the kiddos clinging to him as they all laughed joyously. 

Rex’s gaze continued around the room to Echo, standing behind Fives with a child in his arms, scomp securely tucked under its small bottom, hand rubbing up and down the kids back as it drifted to sleep on his shoulder, half-eaten cookie dropping from its hand onto the table Echo had strategically positioned himself next to. And then Rex spotted you, in the galley of the ship, another child draped over your arm in a dramatic pout, its conquest - a box of cookies - clutched tightly in its little hands as you clambered off the counter. 

Rex shook himself to his senses and scrambled to protect you and the kid on your way down. 

“Thanks, Rex,” you smiled up at him, patting his cheek, a happy grin like he’d never seen before on your face. 

Your attention quickly turned to the child in your arms, as you put your other hand on your hip and gave it a playfully, scornful look. “You gonna eat the whole box yourself, little one?” 

It paused for a moment, seemingly thinking through the situation for the first time. 

Rex laughed, he remembered a similar lesson in his past. He knelt down to look at the kid when he spoke, “Always make sure you think things through before just running with it, kid. That way you know exactly what you want before you get there.” He chuckled. 

You, Fives, and Echo all laughed hard at that. 

“Oh, look who the mischievous uncle turned out to be!” You chided, laughter still ringing from your lips as you shifted the kid in your arms into a more comfortable position on your hip, facing outwards, but gripped in both arms. 

The kid’s eyes lit up and he shoved a hand back into the cookie box and produced yet another cookie, but this time he held it out to Rex. 

“Awwwww! That was very sweet of you, Moxy! There ya go, pay off Uncle Rex for his mischievous advice! Already learning how bribes work! You’re definitely related to Fives, that’s for sure!” You laughed. 

Rex laughed too, taking the cookie with a small thanks as heat rushed to his face. He hadn’t meant to be that Uncle, but then again, after working with Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano, and the entirety of the 501st for so many years, maybe their bad habits had worn off on him a bit. 

Fives appeared at your elbow, one child under his arm, one still clinging to his leg, and one perched on his shoulders with its hands on his cheeks and hair, braced by his other hand at its back. 

“See, they could totally pass for being our kids!” He grinned playfully, humming seductively as he pressed a long kiss to your cheek and then one to your neck. 

“EWWWWW!” The kiddos chorused. 

Echo and Rex laughed as you stole a kiss from Fives’ lips as he grinned, wildly. 

“Well that’s good, because they are our kids, now!” You winked back at him. 

“That’s my girl!” Fives cheered. 

“How are you gonna care for…” Echo paused to doublecheck his headcount, “five cadets?” 

“Children, Echo, they are not cadets anymore, they’re kids! And I’d say it’s a darn good thing we generally have at least 4 adults in here to handle it, don’t you think?” You returned, pointedly, but still smiling and laughing. 

Echo just hugged the child in his arms tighter. Resting his cheek on its little head as he turned bashful. He knew Fives had chosen the right woman, she always remembered the things that were important to Fives, including Echo. And she wasn’t afraid to put her children in the arms of a man with 3 out of 4 metal limbs. Echo was grateful for her trust, for it made him trust himself more too. 

The little one on Fives shoulder let out a big, long yawn, unaware that its hand had made its way to cover one of Fives’ eyes. But Fives had no intention of protesting, he was too delighted to find himself surrounded by kids of his own. 

Rex chuckled, and reached up to lift the child off Fives’ shoulders. 

As soon as it was in Rex’s arms, it immediately snuggled into his shoulder, trusting him instantly after seeing him interact with the other adults in the room so easily. Rex melted. 

You and Fives exchanged a glance. Fives was glad he’d let you handle this part and that you’d let it just happen naturally. And you were right that the Fett line did seem to have a soft spot for children. 

You and Fives exchanged a glance as he scooped up the child wrapped around his ankle, the two of you moved instinctively towards the comfy chair he’d dropped into with the kids earlier, collecting pillows and blankets from around the room on the way to it. Echo and Rex imitated you, recognizing the all too familiar nesting pile habits of their battalion. 

Instinctively, all 3 men gathered to nestle around you, creating a circle for you and the little ones to snuggle into. 

To your surprise, Fives found a way to nuzzle into your shoulder, despite the two small ones he had in his arms. 

“They are darn cute, I’ll give ‘em that,” Echo muttered, watching the one that was still clinging to him. 

“That’s Zed, we call him that because he’s always sleepy,” a tiny voice mumbled from Rex’s chest. 

You all laughed again. 

“And what’s your name, kid?” Rex asked, quietly. 

But the only answer he received was a soft snore. 

“Mmmm, now I’m hungry from all that playing around,” Fives lifted his head, and peered into the box Moxy was still clutching where he lay on your chest. “Anything left in there?” 

You lifted your head to look in the box too, “Might actually be half a box still! I thought he’d eaten them all. Grab me one too, while you’re at it?” 

Fives reached into the box and held up a cookie for you so you didn’t have to take your hands off the kids splayed on your chest and snuggled between you both. 

You took a bite, and he shoved the rest of it into his own mouth. 

“Thanks, Love.” You giggled and pecked his cheek, before returning your attention to Echo and Rex. “How are you gents doing? Content to snuggle there for a while? I’d rather not wake them if we don’t have to, or they’ll be running up the walls for another few hours just because they want to stay awake.” 

Rex and Echo exchanged delighted glances and hummed their answers, nestling in for the night. 

You turned back to Fives, “See? Easy!” You told him, kissing his forehead. 

He laughed. “Which part? Telling Rex and Echo, or handling 5 kids?” 

“Well, now that we have Rex and Echo here, both!” You told him, victoriously. 

Fives stole another kiss from your lips. 

A rustling noise and a shifting of the box in the small clone’s arms as Fives smiled against your lips told of his real plan: hiding a cookie theft with a kiss. 

He broke away from your lips only to triumphantly stuff the entire cookie in his mouth. 

You scoffed at him, playfully. 

The box rustled again, and you raised a brow holding eyecontact with Fives. 

He returned the look, puzzled, half a cookie still sticking out of his mouth as he tried desperately not to sprinkle cookie crumbs into the hair of the small brothers in his arms. 

You both looked down to find Echo’s hand in the box. 

He looked up at you sheepishly, eyes wide at getting caught, blinking owlishly at you. And then he broke into the same mischevious grin Fives had worn not five minutes before and retreated with a cookie of his own. 

You were trying desperately not to laugh, else you’d jostle the numerous small heads and three adult ones currently leaning on or near you. 

“Would you like a cookie too, Rex?” You offered, producing another one from the box. 

“Well, I’m not gonna say no,” Rex teased. 

“Good, as long as you boys all get the extra large quantities you need, we’ll be in good shape.” You giggled, handing over the tasty treat, and fetching another one for yourself too. 

The three men exchanged sheepish looks. 

“I know, you boys all eat more than the average person. And I’m glad of it. Food rarely goes bad around here. But we might need to find a steady supply of large quantities of food so we don’t have to go shopping every single day.” You could already imagine it, not only would you enjoy the view of each of the handsome men crouched in front of the conservator day in and day out just like you had since you joined them, but more than likely, they’d always share the space with a smaller version of themselves each time now too. The thought put a smile on your face as you stared deep into Fives’ eyes, more than happy with your joint, spur of the moment decision to keep a whole squad of cadets. 

Echo hummed next to you, “I’ve got a few ideas already,” he yawned. “Never fear, Uncle Echo is here! Hmm, I like the sound of that. Uncle Echo. And Omega is gonna adore these little guys…” Echo leans over and kisses your cheek too. 

Fives laughs at that. 

“Hmm, then maybe I should try to be less mischievous, you lot already have that covered,” Rex also uses the opportunity to kiss your hand, and you bite your lip. 

Fives steals another passionate kiss from you, grinning into it. “Maybe Omega can babysit when we need a night that’s just the two of us on occasion,” Fives nudges your cheek with his nose. 

Echo laughs into your side. “I think Wrecker and Hunter would be delighted to help her wrangle the whole little squad. I’ll bring you to Pabu in the morning so they can meet them.” 

“We haven’t even had the kids for 2 full days yet, Echo,” You chuckle. 

“We have a big family, we can’t help it,” Fives answers. ”I want all the guys to meet them. We’ll do Pabu in the afternoon. Let them take around this base in the morning. It’ll be fun,” he mumbles, sleep starting to take hold of him too. ”Howzer promised to give me some tips he learned from the Twilek family he worked with for so long tomorrow. Pabu can be a dinner thing.” 

“I’ll tell Hunter we’re bringing dinner tomorrow then,” Rex yawned. 

Suddenly Echo held out a datapad, over the bundle of sleepy faces. “Smile you three, we need a holo of this.” 

But you and Fives could only look at each other, with the biggest grins as you pressed your foreheads together in a keldable kiss, proud of your little family. 

“Could you two get any cuter?” Echo nudged you playfully. 

Zed, nestled between you and Echo, stirred in his sleep. 

“Shhh, sleep time now, gents, we can finish planning in the morning,” you instructed, secretly admiring that you had just surrounded yourself with identical faces of men and boys you very much adored. You hummed contentedly. 

“Just one more kiss,” Fives whispered mischievously, sneaking a peck at your lips before snuggling in for the night. 

Omega gasped loudly, bouncing on the balls of her feet when she saw Echo, Rex, Fives, and Fives’ partner exiting the ship together, wrangling a whole miniature squad of their own at their knees and bundled in their arms, and boxes of what appeared to be take out in various bags and hands. 

“Baby brothers!” Omega gushed, scooping up the nearest one. 

Wrecker scooped her and the little one up into a big hug, and carried them over to the tree in the middle of the square, then picking up the small ones clinging to his belt to put them up on the grass beside her. 

Echo decided to take a page from your book, and just straight up handed one of the kids to Hunter without saying anything. 

Hunter took the kid and just watched it in awe for a moment. 

“Are you a brother too?” The kid asked. 

“Hmm?… yeah… yeah I am, kid,” Hunter beamed. 

The kid smiled and tucked himself into Hunter’s chest. 

Hunter visibly melted, closing his eyes and cradling the child gently in his arms. 

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at a smug Echo. 

“Told you, you had a soft spot for kids.” Echo patted him on the back and walked away to join Wrecker and Omega as they taught the kids how to climb a tree. 

“That’s Zed, he likes snuggles,” You told Hunter from somewhere behind him. 

Hunter turned to face you, and found you standing there with Fives wrapped around you from behind. 

“And… they’re your kids now?” Hunter asked, incredulous. Looking like he would never be ready to give Zed back to you. 

“Yeah, we’ve been tracking down where the young clones were taken when Kamino was decommissioned. First rescue was a few night ago. Two ships full of little ones ready for homes of their own went to Pantora and Alderaan the day before yesterday.” 

“We couldn’t help but keep this lot when their little voices asked us to be their parents,” Fives chimed in. 

“They asked you to be their parents?” Hunter seemed almost jealous, if you were reading him correctly. 

“Do you want us to bring a batch here?” You asked. 

Hunter just looked at the little one in his arms, content to be held as it watched people move around the square. 

“That’s a yes,” Fives answered for him. 

Hunter gave Fives a look. “I see why Echo calls you the mischievous one,” he comments, a brow raised. 

Rex laughs loudly, “Oh. No. Echo is just as mischievous.” 

“Like that?” A snide voice joins the conversation as Crosshair approaches, making sure to keep some distance from the kid in Hunter’s arms, as he jabs a toothpick towards the tree before returning it to his lips. 

You all look over to discover Echo in the tree with the young ones, while Wrecker and Omega protect them from below. 

“Exactly like that,” Rex agrees, shaking his head at his trooper's antics. 

“Anyways, would you like to babysit them sometime?” Fives asks Hunter and Crosshair with a sly grin. 

“No.” 

“Yes!” 

Hunter and Crosshair answer at the same time, Crosshair glares at Hunter. 

“Come on, Cross. You’ll warm up to them eventually.” Hunter prods, pointedly watching the kid in his arms instead of Crosshair. 

“Omega was different,” Crosshair protests. “Like us.” He states as though he’s trying to convince himself not to get attached to the small face clinging to Hunter’s collar. 

“Uh huh,” Hunter is not convinced, he knows his brother too well for that. 

…Later you swear you spot one of the kids gifting Crosshair a flower he picked from the tree, and you’re pretty sure Crosshair wears it in his shirt pocket all evening. 

But it’s hard to say for certain, especially when Fives sweeps you off your feet and carries you into your ship, heading straight for the bedroom… 

Please don’t steal my work! I pour my heart into these so if you like it please reblog to share instead of reposting it! And NO dropping it into an AI to finish it for me! That’s stealing my work and feeding it to an AI without my consent. It is not okay to give an AI something you didn’t write yourself! 

taglist: @cw80831 @deewithani

[gayuu-the-necromancer]

William Rex Chapter 9

WARNING! This story contains mentions of human trafficking and mental health issues.

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

William: "My eyes were not deceiving me."

William: "You are noble, greedy,.....kind and strong."

The heat of the eyes that pour into me and I was so drawn into them.

I feel like I'm going crazy and that my heart is thumping against my chest.

(Ah....No)

(I can't look away)

The sound of my own heart is making noise behind my ears.

(But....why can't I look away?)

(Is it because I'm going crazy? If I am, why can't I look away?)

My heart was brought back to life by one word that William gave me.

Like buds waiting for spring, they begin to tear apart, leaving reason behind.

(Am I really....)

Do I want to bathe in this heat more?

William: "......Now."

William opens his mouth and comes back to himself.

William: "I'll leave the rest to Ethan and the others. Let's not stay too long at the crime scene."

Kate: "....Yes."

I seemed to have forgotten how to breathe and for a moment he was dizzy and shaky on my feet.

Kate: "Then....I'm looking forward to working with you."

Ethan: "Rest assured that we will make sure that she is given the proper treatment."

(I'm so glad they all didn't end up marooned in a place like this....)

The girl sleeping in my arms was handed over to William's men and we got onto the carriage.

As I sat down, I felt both relieved and exhausted all at once.

William: "You must be tired, get some rest."

William: "If you need a place to lean on, you can use my shoulder or lap. Whichever you like."

(Whichever I like....)

My eyes follow William's body before the option of refusing comes to mind.

The feeling of being hugged on the way home after the mission at the bank comes back to me vividly.

----FLASHBACK----

William: "Come here."

Everything he gave me went deep into my body and gently caressed and soothed me.

(I want to feel that medicinal and poisonous....warmth again)

(Lean on him, now)

-----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

William: ".....Kate."

William: "No one will blame you for being true to your desires."

(True to my desires.....)

(I remember the same words being said to me once before....and I countered with....)

I would rather not have desires than suffer if they don't come true.

In the first place, I thought that I, who had silently watched someone else's hopes being crushed, was not qualified to fulfill my selfish desires.

(But only to William, if at all)

(In front of this person.....who sees through my pettiness and my shabbiness, but forgives me.....)

(I'd like to be honest)

(Just like I was able to voice my desires to help that little girl just a few minutes ago....be true to my heart)

Kate: "William, I'd like you to.....lend me your shoulder."

William: "I'd be honored. Of course, with pleasure."

Gently pulling me closer, I rest my head on his shoulder.

I can smell that rose scent from the quality jacket touching my cheek.

(....Smells good)

Breathing deeply, the rationality of my surroundings melt away and crumbles along with my core.

William: "Good night, Kate. Sweet dreams."

William gently brushed my messy hair back over my ears.

(This hand has not changed since the day we met)

(A hand that brutally kills people. A hand that plays piano gracefully, without feeling sorry)

(Nevertheless....)

Not only is it not horrible, but I'm not even sure I want that temperature.

Is it because I have gone crazy?

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

"Who killed you?"

"Me."

Then a voice follows.

"Is that wrong?"

"If you were killing your heart so that you wouldn't get hurt and could be happy."

"The hearts that have been unleashed freely may be badly hurt and unhappy down the road."

"Is that really a good thing?"

Kate: "Good morning, William!"

William: "......."

William: "Good morning. What's the matter? You're up awfully early today."

Kate: "Usually, I would always have to knock on your door or look around to search for you, but today I thought, I would wake up early and catch you before you disappear."

(I want to like myself today more than I did yesterday)

I might be crazy now, but I would not want to go back to being the person who stopped at the door.

Kate: "Actually, I was wondering if you were still sleeping in your room, so I...."

Kate: "I just wanted to see you get up in the morning and leave your room."

William: "Fufu...sorry, I always let you wander around in this unfamiliar castle, huh?"

Kate: "No, I'm glad you did. I got to know this castle better while I was looking around for you."

William: "Hmmm? So, did you find a place you like?"

Kate: "Yes....the nice window overlooking the garden, the kitchen is always beautiful...."

Kate: "Also the hallway where, for a few moments in the morning, the light shines through the large windows and it's like a flower blooming on the floor."

Kate: "Oh and...of course the hall where you play the piano too."

(Hm....?)

William: "I'm glad you're liking your temporary lodging."

(Maybe William is....I wonder if he was purposely accepting my time walking this castle alone)

Seeing for yourself so that you can know and accept this place.

My heart is buoyed by the kindness that may have been poured out without my noticing.

(If I ask him, he will surely answer back with a question, asking 'What do you think?" so....I'll just take that as a yes)

Kate: "So, what are your plans for today?"

William: "I decided when I woke up this morning that I would go along with whatever you wanted to do today."

Kate: "Me?"

William: "Whatever you want? We will do anything you like."

(....In that case)

Kate: "I want to go visit the people who were forced to work in that workhouse."

The people I saw yesterday were in shambles physically, but more than that, their self-esteem had been crushed and their hearts were dead.

Even if they receive treatment in the hospital and their bodies recover, they cannot get back on their feet if their minds remain dead.

(But I feel like if there is someone who cares about them and listens to them....)

(It might inspire their minds)

Just like William did for me.

Kate: "I just want to say 'I hope you guys are doing well."

Kate: "Or I can at least send a bouquet of flowers and a card anonymously, even if I can't reveal my true identity. Can I.....?"

William: "Fufu...of course you can."

William: "I knew you would say that, so I already arranged for a carriage."

Kate: "That's great.....huh?"

William: "Hm?"

Kate: "H-How did you know?"

William: "I guess it's because I realized yesterday that you're the kind of person who wants to protect someone so badly that guilt crushed your heart."

(.......Nn)

He smiled at me lovingly, and I suddenly felt shy and looked away.

Kate: "....You see through everything. Is there something William doesn't know?"

William: "Of course."

Kate: "Like?"

William: "Like....."Why do you like to ask so many questions?"

Kate: "......Do you dislike it?"

William: "Haven't I already answered that question before?"

William bends down and slowly whispered into my ear.

William: "I don't dislike it. In fact, quite the opposite."

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

William: "I don't dislike it. In fact, quite the opposite."

Kate: "....Mm."

My heart jumped and I stopped breathing for a moment.

------Options-----

What do you mean by 'quite the opposite'?

Say no more.

I'm glad.

--------

Kate: "I see. I'm glad."

(What, what am I saying?)

William: "Ahahaha!"

(I don't know what's wrong with me, I can't pass if off like I did before...)

(It's the kind of thing William would probably say to anyone...But I'm still happy)

William looked at me with amusement as I desperately tried to keep my composure.

I am frustrated that this attitude seems to affirm my expectations.

(If he keeps saying things like 'I like you' or 'I'm glad you're happy' to.....anyone)

(Then just like me.....)

Then my heart will keep on rolling towards him before I can have a reason to catch it.

William: "Let's go then."

...............

Kate: "The Royal Hospital....in such a magnificent place?"

Holding a bouquet of sympathy flowers, I visited a large hospital with several towering wards.

William: "Yeah, I was hoping for some kind of temporary luxury for the people I ran into on my Crown assignment who couldn't get back to their daily routine right away."

William: "The most convenient place to set up such a special ward was in the Royal Hospital, where Her Majesty's authority extends."

(I see....)

Kate: "Did William, by any chance, create it? That special ward?"

William: "Mmhm. I did it for me."

As we walked the long path to the entrance, William carefully explains.

William: "It takes time for those who have been oppressed, deprived of their will, lost or forgotten their self-esteem, to regain their identity."

William: "There's not enough room in the city of London to wait for that."

Kate: "Why is it necessary for you to help....victims get themselves back on track?"

William: "Because I like to see people act as their own masters."

Kate: "Act as their own masters....?"

William: "It's about facing your desires, being prepared to accept the consequences, and following through."

William: "Just as you said 'I want to help' and stood with the little girl in your arms."

Just as the sun shines through the clouds, the shadow of the hospital falls at our feet.

At the border between sun and shade, William stopped once.

William: "There's a lot of fear involved in wanting to do what you want and having to pick and choose among so many options."

William: "Whether happiness awaits you or misfortune awaits you...."

William: "You can't blame anyone for the consequences of the choices you make and want to make."

Slowly, William's black leather shoes step across the boundary into the shadows.

William: "......That's why the moment you're about to step out is so beautiful."

William: " I want to see the moment when the desire after the conflict is vividly revealed."

William: "There is no reason. It's just my instinctive craving."

William's eyes, as if remembering something, are feverish as if mesmerized.

It was much like the heat I felt in William's eyes at that workhouse.

William: "In other words, I give sick people proper treatment, food, clothing, shelter, and time to think."

William: "I appreciate the way they choose how they will live their lives in the future."

Kate: "....I don't know how the patients feel about it."

Kate: "The return you seek is also what they want."

It is the freedom to choose, of one's own volition, not to be trampled on by anyone.

Kate: "You talk as if you are forcing me to do an equivalent exchange, but it seems to me that you are just giving."

William: "....If that's how you see it, then maybe you're right."

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

William identified himself at the reception desk and the director greeted us.

The patients brought in last night all seemed to have very severe symptoms.

It was going to take some time before we are allowed to visit them.

Kate: "Um...I'd like to put this bouquet in the patient's room."

Director: "Oh my.....thank you very much. We'll make sure they receive it."

Kate: "......Thank you."

Director: "But....I am surprised that the Count would talk about that ward in public."

Upon receiving the bouquet the Director looked at me with interest from behind his glasses.

William: "She's special. There is no problem with her being known. If necessary, I can show you a letter from Her Majesty."

Director: "No no. I am sure that Her Majesty the Queen will not deny what you are doing."

(Does the Director know about the Crown....or is he an endorsing collaborator who agrees with William's ideals?)

In any case, I can see that he seems to be building a trusting relationship with William.

William entrusted him with the people he helped. That alone seemed to me to be enough to make it unnecessary for me to be vigilant.

Director: "More importantly.....Count, a patient who is about to be discharged from the hospital has asked to speak with the person who helped her for the last time."

William: "Oh, her. I don't mind, but our conversation will be through the door as usual, right?"

(Through the door.....?)

........

As we walked through the corridors of the special ward, I heard that the girl was the victim of a human trafficking case that William had solved.

When he rescued her, she was locked in a cage, though she never saw William's face.

She wants to talk to him because she has heard him decry the killer.

Kate: "Why do you only talk to them through the door?"

William: "The more you get involved, the greater the need to keep your mouth shut."

William: "I don't bother to let people know who I am if they haven't seen my face."

Kate: ".......But, don't you want to see them step out?"

(I guess you can't see them directly through the door....)

William: "I'm happy as long as I get to watch them fly away from the ward."

William: "You can see its beauty in profile from a distance or....also through a door."

A knock on the hospital room door and the director enters.

Director's voice: "Your King has arrived."

The director's calm voice is followed by light footsteps approaching the door.

Kate: "King?"

William: "That's the nickname she gave me because I was giving orders to her captor. 'The King."

Kate: "Fufu....."

Girl's voice: "Um....are you there?"

William: "Yes. Hello. I heard you're going to be discharged soon. I'm happy for you."

William answered firmly to the modest but earnest voice that flew in from the other side of the door.

Girl's voice: "T-Thank you for coming.....I'm feeling better now. I also had a nice dream."

William: "I'm glad. What did you dream?"

Girl's voice: "I saw a dream where I was growing flowers.....so I decided when I leave here.....I want to grow flowers."

Girl's voice: "I never want to back to that aunt and uncle."

Her words, full of determination echoed heavily in my heart.

(Ah.....it's true. Even through the door, I can tell)

(That this child can stand and walk.....by herself as her own master when she leaves the nest from this hospital)

William: "...That's a nice wish."

Just accepting that commitment, as William always does with me.

He laughed softly like rain in spring.

Girl's voice: "Also! .....If I recognize your voice on the street, may I give you a flower?...........just one.........if you don't mind?"

William: ".....These words alone are more than enough for me."

Girl's voice: "..................I see. Okay......Umm....."

William: "Hm?"

Girl's voice: ".......................thank you."

The girl's voice was a little wet with tears.

William: "Yeah. Take care of yourself. I wish you all the happiness in the world ahead."

 ｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Kate: "......."

William: "You don't look happy."

Kate: "....You. You saved a lot of people. Not just last night, but all this time."

Kate: "But no one who is saved knows you."

Not even a single flower reaches him.

(Someday, I'll have to say goodbye to William like that too.....)

(William even listened to the voices in my heart that I was killing.....and set me free)

Without William, I could not have even brought the flowers here like this.

I'm sure he did the same with the girl, the other patients, and the people he met at the 'tea party'.

(Also....)

(Why wouldn't William accept the desire to give something back?)

He just gives and gives and gives and that makes me frustrated.

William: "I'm not some kind-hearted philanthropist."

William: "Not even a righteous man like your favorite, Brian."

Kate: "....I know that."

William: "All I want is for my loved ones to be able to live the life they want."

William: "For what I want to protect, I kill those who harm it."

William: "What we are doing is no different than a butterfly. It's a 'selection of life."

William's blood-colored eyes stare at me.

It was like a beautifully crystallized jewel, frozen in cold resolve.

William: "But even if it were a sin, I wouldn't be my master if I didn't."

William: "The power that can only be described as 'evil', is born with the ability to twist people's wills.......and take away their freedom."

William: "I decided to use it to carry out my self-righteousness."

William: "That ward is my self-righteous box garden. You can laugh at me as if I were an arrogant god."

Kate: ".....I won't laugh."

Kate: "I suppose that when the day comes for us to part, I too will wish......to give you flowers."

William: "Fufu, oh yeah?"

A gruesome death to those who trample freedom and will.

For the oppressed and voiceless, they are loved like a benevolent rain.

Dangerous and frightening, kind and forgiving. His conflicting components lived together without contradiction.

(The power to subvert the will of man and take away his freedom....is a power that can only be described as 'evil')

One can't help but feel the cruelty of luck that William, a man who respects free will and choice, was born with such power.

Kate: "What was it.....that made you decide to use that power?"

William: "Looks like Kate has more questions that usual, today."

Kate: "Because you have a lot of mysteries."

William: "I want you to say, 'unraveling fun."

I make firm eye contact with him to keep him from going up in smoke.

Kate: "......You exposed your heart, and keep no secrets to yourself."

William: "Hahaha! You're being very bullish."

William: "You're not the same person you were yesterday."

Kate: "I am a noble, greedy, gentle, and strong person like you said."

William: "Fufu..Hahaha....that's right."

I'm miffed when William chuckles in a funny way.

(......Even though you said so)

William: "You've got a cute sulky face, you know that?"

When he caught a carriage, William smirked.

William: "Come, I'll tell you an old boring tale. I'll make it short."

Chapter 10

[sarcastic-sketches]

Meeting the 501st

Carrying on from my Force of Nature AU post where I mash the TV show Primal (Genndy Tartakovsky) with the Star Wars prequels, Anakin has crash landed on a hostile planet and is now a feral amnesiac. He’s half-force and he’s going to use that to his benefit to survive this place.

So, years after Anakin has forgotten everything about himself, the Clone Wars are in full swing, the Galaxy is ready to tear itself apart, and both Dooku and the Jedi Council have taken notice of a very biologically active planet that has a bright star of a force signature on it. A force signature that could sway the tide of battle. Is there a nexus point on that planet or is it a person?

Both sides obviously don’t want the other to get it and use it against them so Obi-Wan, his padawan Ahsoka, and the 212th/501st go to the planet to check it out. (The 501st are kind of a satellite Legion that attach onto other Jedi led Battalions as and when needed… they are claiming Ahsoka as their Jedi if the war is still going when she's Knighted.) Expecting resistance from the Separatists, they don’t really anticipate the planet itself to resist them.

They soon realise this planet is hellish and the less men they have on the ground the better. Miasma fog that disorientate you and alter your memories, entire forests that move to grab ships flying overhead and bring them down to the forest floor for carnivorous fungi to feed upon, a crimson moon that crests over the horizon inciting predators to swarm and hunt on mass. 

Rex says he can handle this with just Torrent and he’ll keep in regular comms with General Kenobi who is probably needed elsewhere more. Obi-Wan wants to stay, because hot damn does that force signature feel familiar but it can’t be, Anakin has been missing/dead for 4 years, and he can’t keep his priorities in order. So he leaves Ahsoka with them to keep an eye on the Force signature (that's been moving) but so far it’s keeping to the dense jungle that seems to take up half the planet. They set up camp and wait, feeling very creeped out by all the life on this planet that wants to eat and kill everything else and not seeing any clankers. Ahsoka's hackles are raised near constantly.

Fives: This is like Umbara all over again Echo: Don’t.

I’m gonna say all the boys are here because I want them to be and having only Obi-Wan lead them would have changed which battles they went to and how they fought them etc. (Also no Krell, because that guy can choke). The legions would have been shuffled around as there is one less Jedi General (who could pull a win out of his ass) to send off to different campaigns. Whenever Obi-Wan isn’t actively giving orders, he just lets Rex and Cody team up to do what they do best tbh. Rex wasn’t made a Captain of the most elite trooper calibre for no reason and there are three additional ARCs in Torrent.

They are shocked to discover that there are actually people living here but they are kept neat and secure behind their fortified walls. Tiny civilisations that strive to keep the nightmares out, by any means possible with vastly different lifestyles. You’ve got the witches who steal the life force of others to create more of their own, the humanoids who live exclusively underground to keep out of sight from aerial predators, and the more advanced communities who Do Not Leave their borders that they’ve made safe. 

So the boys do similarly, making camp in a sort of fort - electrified fences, flood lights, constant fires, etc - and they are keeping watch when suddenly someone is sitting on top of a stack of crates handling their weaponry. They have no idea how he got past them but he looks human and doesn’t seem to want to eat them so they’re startled rather than threatened after a few minutes of watching him (they think it’s a him) not do much of anything. He’s clearly curious more than anything and he’s nowhere near as built as any of the clones. They could take him, right? The person looks kind of amused by their reaction anyway and darts off to a higher vantage point when one of the troops makes a grab for him. He’s a dark blonde, with hair that has grown into a curly mop, and the kind of lanky frame that's all limbs but with obvious deceptive muscle and strength to haul himself around that gracefully and that quickly. There’s also some nasty looking exaggerated canines and the clones are pretty sure humans don’t normally have reflective lenses in their eyes. 

Hardcase: Uhhh, Rex, you copy? Rex: Yeah? Hardcase: There’s someone in the camp Rex: Repeat that?? Hardcase: He’s not wearing boots either. We think he came out of the jungle. Rex: On my way

Ahsoka, taking one look at Anakin, perched on top of their ship and looking down at all the gathered troopers like a cat in a tree, points and goes ‘that’s him. He’s the one we’re looking for’. 

Still doesn’t really change the fact that he seems quite content to just bother them by being a nosy bastard about their camp but other than that he’s not really causing a problem. Or running away. He also has some amazing adaptation abilities - if he’s half-force, does that mean the Force is responsible for half of his genetic code? How much weird shit could come of that if the Force can handle slight morphological changes - He can grow gills if he’s kept underwater so he doesn’t drown. The reflective pupils aid him to see in the dark but during the day they are absent. Some of the men swear they’ve even seen him sporting a long flexible tail to hold things from time to time. The men all start bonding with this bizarre cryptid while Ahsoka and Anakin compare how big their fangs are and how sharp their claws are. Ahsoka is ecstatic that she now has a hunting partner because finally, someone gets it.

Rex: Didn’t think humans could get fangs like that, or claws Ahsoka: I’m not sure he’s entirely human. Seems too wild for that Anakin: Thank you Rex/Ahsoka: What

Up to this point he’s been entirely non-verbal and the troops assumed he couldn’t understand Basic. He absolutely can (retrograde amnesia doesn’t make you forget language) so he’s just been fucking with them. That’s ingrained, amnesia will not make him any less of a little shit. Thus begins the million and one questions they have for him once they realise he can speak and does understand them. He can also understand their droids.

They all start to let their guard down because huh he’s just a dude after all, trapped on a horrible planet and had to make do. It’s all fun and games until they see Anakin go from stationary to launching himself at a T-rex's throat that just charged out of the jungle in under a second. 

They respect the fact that he is also an apex predator on this planet from that point onward. 

[arcann]

43 47 diokos

Thank uuuu 💚❤💚❤

47. crave is here (2.7k words)

I made this one a sequel for the last one I wrote bc I got into the story. It was neat 43. undone (5.3k words)

The language of the Sith was a complicated and ever-changing part of their culture which had, for some mysterious reason, become very simple in the later years. Millennia might have passed and so much of it had become unrecognizable, or so Diokos had heard his entire life.

That mysterious reason had a name and was, in fact, a present player in its mutilation.  Vitiate had tried to suppress any inconveniences, and the way the Sith language was preserved had become one. It should serve the will of only one man, not the people he had subdued. He had proved his omnipotence, so his words were commands and only through his voice would those magnanimous orders be heard.

And what they heard from him was silence.

What could they do with that response?

The powerful hoarded what they could find and kept the rest in the shadows, the ideology of the Sith overshadowing any sense of community they had ever shared, if there was any. 

There should have been one, in a time no one wanted to remember.

There should have been songs that could soothe wounds or alleviate grief, his mother insisted as she cared, or struggled to care for him. Decades ago, crying after a conversation with his grandfather or when she was forced to return to the battlefield on some distant planet she didn’t want to talk about. Diokos couldn’t imagine he was good at giving her any solace, being young enough to still struggle with Basic.

She was as ignorant as he was, back then when he was a toddler and now, when he had been granted the knowledge of his own family, the one she must have known when they lived together in Ziost. That broken and half known system he could never fix on his own.

And it gnawed at him, that he had to live knowing what she really wanted, adopting those urges. He couldn’t forget these longings his mother shared with him, not as he remembers being pressed against her chest, her sobs all around him, wishing for a place where they weren’t stuck, where they wouldn’t be fated to push each other away and wither alone. He recalled wondering how she could say that, when he was using his pudgy arms to make his little body wide enough to hug her, with as much strength as he could muster. Much later, he understood what would have happened had she stayed, but back then he just wished she would calm down and smile at him.

Because stars, it felt good to make her smile again.

—

“I saw your little encounter. You didn’t even try to hide it this time.” Cipher Nine said with amusement as he let his chair twirl under his weight. One of his legs was over the armrest and he was playing with something that looks like a broken antenna. He dropped it on his desk when he heard the heavy doors of his office shut behind the Sith lord. 

“Are you here to admit your guilt?” He reached over to lean on the table and smiled at him, watching expectantly.

“If you saw what happened then I don’t need to tell you that.” Diokos snapped and said nothing else.

“Oh, well…” Rex sighed as he moved back, resting his elbow in the chair. “You know how erratic security cameras are when someone uses the force inside the same room they’re in. The image glitches and there are noises coming from all over as the packaging slowly gives up under your power.” 

His hand tightened into a fist, motioning what to a Sith can only mean one thing. 

Crush. 

“Might have been Arcann though. I can’t say for certain. Maybe he’s the one who owes me a camera.” Rex raises his brows, waiting for Diokos to answer.

“Are you going to make me pay for it?”

“I won’t, if you stop being shy and tell me what our latest recruit told you.”

Diokos sighed as he ordered his ideas one last time.

“He wants to go back to the place where he was imprisoned along with his sister. He told me he could get information from his captors, but I don’t believe it. I think he wants revenge, plain and simple.”

“There’s rarely anything plain about revenge when it comes to you Sith.” Cipher Nine can’t stop himself from commenting, “Last I heard, you formed an entire cult around it.”

Diokos ignored him and continued.

“I assume this isn’t news to you. He couldn’t hide his indignation over not being able to sway you and the others into letting him go.”

“What? Vaylin was the one who came up with that plan.” Rex crooked his head as his crimson eyes shined more than usual. “Fascinating to see so much initiative from someone who fell from grace thanks to our efforts.”

Diokos would never tell him, but he would become unnerving every time he talked like that.  In his eyes there was a chain no one but he could see, and it was always searching for the next link to ensnare someone with it.

Then again, Cipher Nine probably knew how he felt.

“She did? Really?” He felt clumsy just by uttering those words. What a terrible day.

“Really! And I, for one, am quite interested in finding out what her brother will do when he finds himself alone in the place where he was… broken. And humiliated. I can tell you it was much more miserable than what you did to him.” He described this with the tone of someone who just saw his least favorite swoop racer blow up. 

“He also said he wants to go with me.”

“You and him?” Rex replied with levity. “Another wonderful idea, not only does he want to be alone, he wants to be with you.”

“What are you saying? You’ve told me dozens of times not to start fights!” “And you always insist on making me repeat myself.” 

Diokos’ eye twitched.

“Didn’t you just imply that I should attack him?”

“Is that what you thought first? Well then, let me be clear.” His leg left the armrest, and he rearranged himself so he’s sitting correctly in his chair, as any professional would. 

“He can have his, let’s be polite, his mission. And you, as his only support, as he wishes it to be. You can take your ship and your droids.” His tone shifted, finally giving this conversation the seriousness Diokos thought it deserved, and then turning it into the direction he didn’t want it to go. 

“But I will follow, to see you two react as a team. You’ve become a problem worth attending in an operation that cannot be paused.” 

Diokos thought back to how he was told he would be getting an official mission, only to find himself with two weeks of free time at the last minute.

“We’ll see who is the issue, you and your paranoia getting out of control, or him and his delusions of indomitability. And then whoever is wrong will correct himself.”

Diokos felt an “or” incoming, and he waited for it. Instead, Cipher Nine continued.

“Don’t worry, neither of you will notice I’m close. You can treat him as you think he deserves.”

His conclusion was more disheartening than Diokos thought it would be.

“Just like that? You’re giving him free leave?” The wound in his torso ached madly, as if it was reveling in the memories that haunted him.

“No, I’m telling you I have an interest in you working together as an actual team and not two, what, old rivals with a grudge? Whatever you’d call it.” he waved carelessly, annoyed at giving their relationship a second thought, “And I’m implying that I wasn’t the one who told them no.”

“He took five years of my life from me.” Diokos grinded his teeth, trying to stop himself and yet the words kept pouring out. “When I woke up everything I had built was unrecognizable, in shambles. My efforts had all evaporated, as if I hadn’t even tried. And my body– my body–” 

Rex shivered at that comment, almost imperceptibly, and Diokos was surprised to feel his mood darken as his hand uncontrollably reached one of the many scars that adorned his face. He caught himself before he got there and exhaled loudly.

“Finally, I am asking you to think of the big picture, for once in your life. I promise it can become a nice view. Let me worry about the details instead.”

“I don’t want to take care of him.” He replied firmly, despite the knot on his throat.

“But I want to take care of you. And I will achieve that goal through you, as fast as it is possible. So cooperate with me. You’ll see results.”

Diokos swallowed his rage as if it were a burning and sticky liquid. It was somehow easier while seeing Nemore’xiel saddened, to focus on someone else's pain and distract him of his own. He could feel stronger than his brother in battle and calm himself, or at least appear calm.

He didn’t hear the footsteps approaching the office until they rang the bell at the door, asking to be let in.

“Now cooperate with me, after I have been so direct with you.”

One, ten, thirty seconds pass and the doors open, Theron Shan appearing behind them running his hands through a datapad while looking preoccupied. He’s followed by Risha Drayen, who pierced both of them with a look. 

“Huh. I’m not gonna like this, am I?”

Theron’s eyes shot out to his direction, alarmed. Rex ignored her comment.

“I want to propose that we reopen our investigation of the Black Sun Syndicate’s new foothold on Nar Shaddaa. The Lord Wrath has given me a very good plan to start with.” He glanced at Diokos and looked at him expectantly, his crimson eyes shining once more.

“Yes. My plan has several purposes, and it helps that Arcann approached me himself, seeing as he has experience with them. But what I want is to resolve the one problem in my team that I’ve been ignoring for far too long.” He didn’t miss a beat, so he supposed Rex was satisfied.

“Long enough for Team Red to be dismissed in assignments I told you beforehand I was interested in leaving in their hands.” Cipher Nine added with reproach, but not exactly towards him.

 Theron groaned and rubbed his head, not hiding his exhaustion.

“So you took it as an insult and responded immediately. With your favorite sith. How very… you.” 

He and Risha shared a look that Diokos couldn't understand.  

“Well then, let’s hear it.” 

—

He didn’t say much on their way to Nar Shaddaa. Just enough to give Arcann the news that his proposal had been accepted, and to mollify him for their travels. He was evidently surprised, paying attention to his every word but Diokos didn’t stay to take in his final reaction, excusing himself by saying he needed to clarify the final bureaucratic processes, and they would be good to go.

There weren’t any, as the conclusion was that the assignment would be kept under the table. If there were documents to fill in the future, Rex would probably take them off his hands. And if the main problem was truly his paranoia, then he should learn not to worry to an obsessive degree. To not observe Arcann like another predator in his territory.

The Wrath wondered if his travel companion saw the signs. They left along many other ships, as inconspicuously as possible to the space regulators and, once outside Odessen’s atmosphere, took a completely different direction. He detected Blessaire’s ship and thought about reaching her through the force, then rejected the idea entirely. Why? To let her know of his anxiety then fade away in the complete opposite direction? What else could he communicate? Nothing of value to her.

Once they had arrived there was no better choice than to let Arcann lead. Some force users found it overwhelming to manage their powers in places crowded by millions like Nar Shaddaa but almost immediately the fallen emperor found a foothold and his hunt began. Diokos knew he was observant and pragmatic to impressive heights but what he saw continued to awe him.

And he really was trying to stay like that, keeping a positive outlook on what Arcann could do and not following his old impulse of thinking how their skills would compare if the situation turned violent. He thought of giving him praise but quickly decided against it. They weren’t there yet. Coming from him it would sound fake or worse, condescending.

Arcann and Vaylin had been taken to a prison on the edge of the moon’s more urban areas. The destruction caused by the Alliance (or more specifically, the Voidhound’s crew and her mandalorian allies) had allowed many more prisoners to escape, leaving the place mostly abandoned: The Hutts didn’t like little operations outside their notice and the Black Suns had enough insight to know when they had to cut their losses and hide their trail.

So that’s where they started, and worked their way from there. Diokos always had difficulty with machines but Arcann was a perfectly decent slicer. In the dark, he worked with half broken monitors and neglected droids. It even felt a bit too easy for them, which made the Wrath wonder if Cipher Nine or his agents were roaming around somewhere outside their notice, dealing with security protocols to take off the brunt of their job.

Would that also count as underestimating Arcann’s abilities? It did not matter. Soon enough they had a location and the name of the person in charge of that failed operation. 

A Falleen noble that thought he could reap benefits by aiding the incipient syndicate leave the Core Worlds and granting them a stronghold in the center of the galactic underworld. He hadn’t taken his loss well and was hiding on his own pleasure barge, lamenting himself. How could he not? By mere chance he had obtained a trophy invaluable beyond anyone’s belief, the Zakuulan emperor that had tormented the galaxy for five years and his heir as prisoners. Hutts would have paid an unimaginable amount of credits to have those two in their walls. And now his luck had utterly rotten, for he had lost them and was left with an illicit burning base to cut all ties with. And that wouldn’t be the end of it.

From the smoldering fury Diokos could sense more and more clearly under Arcann’s somber facade, it was obvious the nobleman's fate was going to take a turn for the worse. He remembered how Arcann’s prosthetic had been mangled, made to hurt him instead of aiding him, how all the wounds the Wrath had caused in their fight looked much more grim when they met again. And yet he looked at him with so much fury and excitement, like he was about to convince him to restart their fight where they had left it, only to faint moments later.

That same look had been magnified now and oddly enough, Diokos found himself genuinely interested. He hadn’t seen Arcann get his hands dirty like that. His impression was that he didn’t like it, but maybe he was wrong. They hadn’t been in many fights during their own reconnaissance missions, and none of them had personal stakes. He was intrigued to see if he would give in on the violence, when he had such lofty promises of intel a few days ago.

—

There were plenty of assassin droids in that immense luxurious barge, as if the Black Suns had expected a stealth assault, not an open one. The Falleen must have thought the Hutts’ bounty hunters were his most likely enemies and he chose that type of protector specifically for them. They hid in dark corners and roofs where the wealthy guests would not pay them any mind and continue gambling and partying in peace.

There was no reason to disturb them. That’s what Arcann had decided.

The man was practically sealed in his private chambers and even if they covered the fancies of a noble with an overinflated ego, they were also prepared to stop an army, or dissuade most slicers and spies. 

They didn’t need any of that.

With one look and a word, Diokos ordered the guards away after unlocking the durasteel doors. They formed a beeline, ready to spend the night away in other places on the barge. 

Arcann didn’t waste a second and ran, much faster than the Wrath expected him too. Diokos chased after him, only to see the reason for his rush.

The Falleen approached the entrance, alarmed by the noise the door made. He didn’t have time to scream or fight. In a blink he was kneeling in the expensive carpet, clawing at his throat and letting out half formed howls of pain as Arcann extended his metallic arm towards him, force choking him. It didn’t take long before the noises that came from his throat weakened more and more until they completely stopped. Arcann relaxed, and moved his hand away and the man’s torso felt limp over the floor, no longer alive.

He had not given any announcement of who he was, no monologue before attacking, no grandstanding over his victimizer turned victim. No “delusions of indomitability”. Not a single word.

They both had passed. Diokos trusted him throughout the mission and in turn, Arcann hadn’t made a mess looking for revenge, even if he was looking for revenge. The only thing missing was the intel, but he knew Cipher Nine would deal with it even if they found nothing here. The barge was still theirs, or it would be, soon enough. And yet Diokos held his breath as Arcann turned, his eye shining golden, brighter than any of the ornaments in that room now that he was watching him.

“Tell me, what did you see in his mind as he died?” Arcann nodded in the direction of the corpse but didn’t stop looking at the Wrath.

“I didn’t pay attention.” Diokos answers shortly. He was completely concentrated on Arcann. “Let’s be done with this and search for his data.”

Arcann laughed without humor.

“Well, you should have. He was thinking of all the codes we needed to break into computers.”

And to think, he still hoped this would be easy. He covered his mouth with exasperation.

“What do you want, Arcann?”

“Nothing I can ever earn.” The fallen emperor replies as he moves away, his spite finally coming out after months of forced mildness. He steps over the Falleen’s corpse and approaches the closest piece of decor. A glittering disk, ostentatiously decorated, probably Onderonian. The base it was placed over lifted it right in front of Arcann’s face, distorting his mask in the reflection it gave.

“Do you know what they made us swear, after we arrived? And I could finally rise from bed, obviously.”

“I wasn’t there.”

They thought I would kill you if I saw you back then. And they were right. I would have done it.

He suddenly senses a force attack intruding inside his thoughts. 

Arcann was attempting to prod into his mind, trying to peer inside him, as if he was just another one of his victims and not the one who had ruined him. He was ferocious in his attempt, focusing more of his power as he felt the Wrath’s pushback, extending his metallic arm once more.

“Stop.” Diokos orders in the ancient Sith tongue. Immediately Arcann’s prosthetic arm goes limp, the lights of its mechanisms flickering along with the ones in his mask, fighting to stay on. For a second he is about to fall but he catches himself, exhaling loudly and giving him a puzzled look. 

He had caught him by surprise, but he doubted it would work again. 

Diokos swallowed his anger as fast as he could. They were so close. If Arcann wanted to vent, he would hear it. He knew how he paced himself and picked his moves. He had obsessively watched him, waiting for this moment. And now that it was here he would finally, finally get the poison out of the wound breaking his team.

“Tell me what they told you.” 

Wrinkles form around Arcann’s right eye, as if he was snarling behind his mask.

“You will not strive for more in this life. You will be given what you need. You must follow our orders and be at peace with them. It's not an offer, you must accept. Or else.” He throws those memorized words as if they had personally insulted him, then he takes it further.

He beckoned him into his mind, as only two force users could. Diokos had never done that, not with permission. The scene that unveils itself is clearer than what he is used to, not marred by pain or fighting to be hidden again. 

In it, he saw Arcann and Vaylin, surrounded by a dozen Jedi and Sith in a place he could not recognize but clearly inside Odessen’s dark wilderness. He could identify the Barsen’thor and Darth Occlus, alongside their own apprentices. Everyone had their lightsabers on and were watching attentively. The only one who couldn’t wield the force there was Cipher Nine, who guided a recording droid and held a holotransceiver, its image changing from one member of Command to another. Many words were exchanged and by the end the Barsen’thor turned off her lightsaber, her students following in perfect synchrony. She addressed Rex directly, her pose confrontative, but Rex ignored her and said those words Arcann resented him so much for. It was the only thing Arcann allowed him to actually hear. 

Soon it was over, and he was staring once more at Arcann and his fractured reflection in the disk.

“That is…” better than what you deserve. “A very restrictive deal.”

“It is.” Arcann whispers as his eye returns to the disk.

“Yet justified.”

The disk cracks. With a flash, his lightsaber is turned on.

“They have us running around doing chores. We fight pirates who do not matter and gather samples on planets that are further and further away from the Core Worlds and Imperial Space.” He began to stalk the hall, measuring him as if he was planning an attack. “Do you know why?” 

Diokos’ hand twitches, anxious to grab his own weapon, but he doesn’t want to respond like that.

“Do you wish to wage war again?”

“I do not. That was… his…” He doesn’t say the name of the man whose mere thought makes him act like he's in pain, twirling his lightsaber as if he was ready to defend himself against him. “Idea from the beginning. I lost much while I followed him, but I lost even more when I answered your rampages with war.”

“Then you should understand that alliances of convenience can be stretched for a long amount of time, as long as it gets results. What matters is that you become more powerful and rich when you part ways.”

Arcann frowns at that. “And what have you gained in this venture?”

Would he believe that most of his friends in this half empty galaxy were there? That there was nothing left for him to return? That he will loathe the day this is all over? Of course not. He doesn’t want him trying to get inside his brain again.

“I got my revenge for your betrayal.” Diokos says, with the most neutral tone he can muster. “That was enough for me.”

“My betrayal?” Arcann crooks his head, bewildered. “Tell me, when did I betray you?”

“We were going to strike him down. Not B–, not the Battlemaster or me, us. You weren’t supposed to stab us in the back when you thought we had dealt with your problem.” The anger that tainted his words was directed at himself for being foolish enough to trust. “I imagine if you hadn’t done that, you would still be ruling Zakuul with a fleet powerful enough to make the Empire and the Republic think twice.”

That wasn’t diplomatic at all, but it sends a message that appears to captivate Arcann. He stops glaring at him, his right eye widening.

“I… hadn’t thought about that day in a long time. I didn’t want to.” For just a second, the amber color of his eye abates, turning into something closer to green. “You’re right, I should have joined you instead. I’m glad you see it that way.”

Glad?

“Then put your lightsaber down. We don’t have to fight. Not anymore.”

The scarring in Diokos’ torso itched again, his memories working as a catalyst to dig up his pain as he let himself be observed the only way Arcann had watched him in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Like a threat.

Don’t do it. Don’t.

“But I want to fight you again.”

Arcann is tremendously fast, but Diokos can extract what he’s going to do by sensing his dejection and how it will guide him to choose his next moves. He picks the Makashi form, assuming Diokos will turn on his lightsaber and doesn’t expect him to rush at him unarmed, seizing his wrist and twisting it while punching him in the side of his face that is protected with the mask. Not hard enough to break it, but enough to stun him, and make it hurt.

The fallen emperor starts groaning as Diokos keeps bending his arm so he cannot point the lightsaber in his direction. He feels the thrashing of his telekinetic powers against his, trying to escape, but the Wrath meets his efforts with the same momentum, making every piece of paraphernalia break around them as they clash, neither letting the other overpower him.

“Let. It. Go.” Diokos snarls through his clenched teeth. 

“Why? You’ll never forgive me.”

His lightsaber drops from his hand and he grips the Sith’s arm like a vice, keeping him in place. They’re stuck like this, neither of them being able to move even an inch without ceding the other something. The adrenaline rushes through Diokos’ entire body at the fierce proximity of danger. Arcann is much worse. His pupil is blown, more orange than yellow, just as he looked in his falling flagship, when he thought he could still win.

“You haven’t asked for my forgiveness yet.”

That miniscule effort is an opportunity for Arcann to break out, his metallic arm shooting for his face, not to hit him but to grab his jaw and pull him so they end up eye to eye.

“Can you forgive? I cannot imagine your temper leaving any survivors. None but me.”

Still, he wonders if there are any others. Diokos can see it in his face, his thoughts bare enough to be visible through the force. And it’s also an opening for the Wrath to clasp the metal protecting his neck and pulling him even closer, until the jewels on his lips crash against his mask.

“I have. Long ago, I did.” The vapor of his breath leaves an imprint over the polished metal that disappears when he pauses. 

Arcann doesn’t pull back, his prosthetic arm still holding him close, making small circles with his thumb against his cheek. It’s too warm for a human, becoming sticky with his sweat, and yet he doesn’t move to bruise or hurt him in some other way. His telekinetic assault slowly wanes, letting Diokos guide the pace. Little by little, both of them let their power fade.

“Now, stop being so craven and find out if I can do so again.”

Diokos removes his hand from his neck but Arcann holds him still.

His right arm relaxes itself, leaving it hanging unnervingly close to the wound he left on Diokos’ body, as if he wanted to touch it, despite the armor between them.

“Ask.” Diokos demands, using the Sith language once more. Its effects don’t work on Arcann this time, just as he had assumed. He still presses against his face, brushing himself as if he was an adoring pet. The metal pulls on his skin, uncomfortably so. He looks at Arcann directly in his right eye only to find it closed, as if he was enjoying himself.

Reticently, his hand leaves the Sith’s face, and he slowly moves away, opening his eye and bringing his hand to where his mouth should be behind the mask. Diokos is mortified to notice that he spat there while they were pressed together, but Arcann wipes it off nonchalantly. 

And then, to the Sith’s added chagrin, he kneels, clearing his throat while staring downwards.

“Lord Wra–” Arcann hums and corrects himself. “Diokos Erkserai, I have wronged you, I have taken much from you, I have gravely injured you.” He speaks with a severe tone, the mockery gone from his voice.

“I acknowledge everything. What I have taken from you is irreplaceable. So from now on I will work to help you in your endeavors, protect you as you reach them and revel in your success. No matter how odd or unlikely it is, what you wish to accomplish will be done.” 

Diokos doesn’t remember the last time someone had apologized to him so effusively. Something inside him becomes undone at the novelty of this. 

Maybe it never had happened.

“This is so that one day, if you feel my efforts have been enough, you can forgive me, as it has been my desire for a long time.” He exhales and his body tenses.  “And if that is not possible, then to appease your suffering and make your pains easier to bear moving forward.”

Diokos looks at him in awe, long enough for Arcann to turn his face sideways and peer at him, expecting an answer.

“Stand, please. I don’t want you to kneel.” Arcann laughs at that.

“Oh, I know. But I really wanted to do that too.”

“You just want to… disobey me.” He laughs again as he rises from the floor but does not answer him.

“Was I clear with my intentions? Or do you wish something else from me?”

“No, no. It’s a start, a good start.” He blurts out, trying to keep his astonishment in control. “Thank you.”

The fallen emperor can’t hide his contentment even with his face mostly covered, his right eye softening, finally returning to the pale yellow that was usual of him. And oddly, Diokos feels something similar. He becomes more aware of his body as he calms down. His scars protest with all the tension in his body but no more than usual. He was content with what he had achieved. Maybe thinking back to his past wouldn’t hurt the next time it happened.

Arcann’s words meant something, like a balm for his rancor.

He also notices the mess they left as they fought, most of the decoration turned to pieces and in the middle of the room the corpse of the kingpin still laid on the floor not too far from where they stood, an uncomfortable reminder of why they had gone there.

As if he had sensed Diokos’ mild disgust, Arcann frowned and waved his hand to push the body away with the force, until it was hidden among some fallen curtains, less visible and much farther away from them.

“You promised he had intel worth recovering.” Diokos asked, looking for a new voice to speak with, now that they were back to working. More casual and less stiff. “Was that true?” 

“It is. I will bring it right away.” He rushed deeper into the chambers and Diokos took his time to smile and enjoy the relief that his answer gave him before slowly walking in the same direction.

He didn’t lie.

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: A Hero's Grief

This scene takes place during the More than One Universe storyline.

OMT!Tails: So much pain I couldn't prevent, but s-should have been able to... First losing Sonic, then Alice suffering memory loss, Uma being used as a weapon against me, and n-now S-Sally... ... I should've been a b-better hero for all of them... I guess... if S-Sonic was still here, t-then I wouldn't have g-gone through the hell I d-did...

During his lament in this world outside of MP-2021, out of nowhere, a ghost of Sonic (at least, his Mobiverse counterpart) showed up, spooking Tails a bit.

OMT!Tails: OH MY GOD ITS A GHOST!!!

MV!Sonic: What? No, I’m a spirit… a dead spirit if you must.

OMT!Tails: W-Whose Sonic are you?

???: That would be mine.

Mobiverse Tails came out from one of the blocky sections of rubble, coming to see his younger counterpart.

OMT!Tails: A-Another me?

MV!Tails: Surprised, huh? I would be too, seeing a younger version of myself in a lonely place like this. But that’s not important right now. Somebody told me you were here, and I’m getting you back to your companions.

MV!Sonic: What are you even doing in a place like this?

OMT!Tails: I've... been through a LOT, and... it's really hard for me to be the hero my home needs with so much tragedy...

MV!Sonic: Heh. You're not the only Tails who felt like that...

OMT!Tails: I guess you ended up dead too...

MV!Sonic: Yeah… at Mammoth Mogul's slimy hands, no doubt. But hey! At least an old mentor of mine helped me learn how to communicate spiritually. Still gotta get back at her for beating me in chess.

OMT!Tails: H-How are you both able to stay so optimistic, even after a painful loss like this...? You make it look really easy, as did S-Sonic...

MV!Tails: Well… we recovered. After Mogul's downfall, our Mobius found peace and gave the position to a new Mobian. Sure, it wasn’t easy, but it showed us that a new legacy and heritage can pass on, and that could happen to you. Your Sonic may be gone, but it’s not too late to keep your home safe.

OMT!Tails: I could... still be able to inherit my Sonic's legacy?

MV!Tails nodded.

MV!Tails: Sonic has always told me I should believe in myself. He’s taught me many things and is the reason I’m here today. Sure he may be gone, and Mammoth Mogul left many scars not only on me, but the entire population on my Mobius. But that doesn’t mean I should cower in fear like I’ve always done when I was a kid. I should always stand up for myself, and that’s what Sonic would have wanted for me and my friends to do. Me and Antho live on his legacy, everyone on my Mobius has.

MV!Sonic smiled proudly, happy for his sidekick coming this far.

OMT!Tails: Heh, I guess so. I... really appreciate you being here for me.

MV!Tails: No problem! Now let's get moving. Your friends are waiting for you, and you've got work to be doing.

OMT!Tails: Of course. I mean, I know I can't do this particular feat on my own. I'm gonna need all the help I can get.

???: Did somebody say "help"?

Behind them was the silhouette of another hedgehog.

MV!Tails: So, are we ready to save the multiverse?

The silhouette slowly revealed itself... as Antho.

Antho: Let's-a go!

A comic strip for the Mobiverse lands on the pile alongside the other eight trinkets thus far.

"Alright, let’s back it up from here. My name is Anthony Miller the Hedgehog, or just "Antho", for short, and for the past year or so, I and a group of friends have become the new heroes of my Mobius. But it wasn’t always like that you see.

You see, I was just your average normal nerdy hedgehog until something with a super collider changed my appearance and gave me some knowledge of a multiverse or something. Oh, and I’m pretty sure there was a T-Rex-. Oh no, wait! That was added to the script to make it more dramatic.

Anyways, aside from that. It was also the day we lost our Sonic… and I saw it with my own eyes… thanks to that monster, Mammoth Mogul. Ever since then, the Dark Ages happened, and I was never the same again. But not until I stood up and took vengeance against Mogul himself and since then, I’ve restored the faith of Mobius, met new friends and allies, some of which I can now consider family, and am now living in our beloved hero’s legacy.

But despite that, it's still kinda hard work, and I sometimes feel like I can’t live up to Sonic’s standards and how he was the saviour of us all. But deep down, I know he's proud of me, and having my friends, family and the main cast by my side has helped.

I can’t be the next Sonic, even if some otherworldly hedgehog says otherwise. But this is my world and my rules. And I’m doing my own thing, whether you like it or not."

(Mobiverse Tails and Sonic, alongside Antho, are owned by SFG1235.)

NEXT POST

[askthechronoverse]

Chapter Nine: What Lies Behind the Velvet Curtain

Last Chapter •||• Next Chapter

The cat grabbed the jar again, the expression on the little Doctor Fox drawing her in. What was this? Who left it for her? The Score Creeper said it wasn't Rex. Who else did she know that liked nerdy stuff? Did it matter at this point? This represented answers. Real answers she wasn't getting anywhere else.

"I'm not going to get involved. Just tell him that I have to reschedule our Castles and Kitties session to next Tuesday because someone invited me to a party and he needs to get on Brick-a-gram or something so I don't have to keep telling him about session changes in person." The wraith returned to his work as the cat walked out and sat on the curb with the jar in paw.

"Whoever left this wanted me to see it… but also didn't? What even is this thing?" She thought out loud as she opened the jar.

She reached into the jar and grabbed the small Doctor Fox. Her pupils shrank as her mind went far away from where she was.

She was in darkness. The feeling of disassembled pieces on her back made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't move. Her eyes flicked over to her left, where she saw Hawkodile, who was half buried in a pile of rubble and totally motionless with a look of burning rage on his face. Next to him were the scattered pieces of Eaglator. The closest one, his head, was set next to Hawkodile's head like he was whispering a secret to him. With a flick to the right, she saw Puppycorn. The little dog looked like he was crying for an eternity, a look in his brown eyes like his heart had been ripped out, then obliterated. His body, like Hawkodile's, was motionless. She looked down and saw that her own "body" was deep in the rubble as well.

"Hey. Can anyone hear me today?" A weak monotone sounded from somewhere behind her. She could feel her heart soar.

"I'm still listening, Rick." Doctor Fox's voice came out of her mouth, the sound like a rusty door hinge. There was a long, heavy silence.

"It would appear we have lost Puppycorn. He hasn't checked in," Richard was cut off by a fit of coughing. "in a while now."

"Rick, this isn't good. It's just us left and I have no idea where we are or how to escape. Please tell me you remember something. You know everything about folklore and legends, right?." The Doctor Fox voice was on the verge of panic.

"I… don't. I keep going over old legends in my head and the only thing remotely close to what happened to us… is Armommageddeon. It doesn't explain what happened to Eaglator or how to get out of here." Richard's voice was fluctuating in volume, like he barely remembered how to use it anymore.

"Armommageddeon? That old fairy tale about how the world will end?"

"Yes. It's an ancient legend, passed down for generations. I'm worried this may be the Bin of Storaj, the place where all things… die." Richard's voice almost choked the last word out.

"That's impossible, Rick. There has to be a scientific explanation… science has never let me down before…" The voice sounded childish and petrified.

"Explain why Puppycorn and Hawkodile won't respond to us anymore, Doctor Fox! Explain what happened to our home! Tell me where my little girl is!" Richard was starting to cough heavily between sentences, his voice panicked and harsh. "There's no scientific reason for what happened! The world ended and they're gone!"

"Rick… You can't think this is the end. That would be…"

"I can't keep having this same conversation with you! They're gone, Doctor! Our world is gone! The princess is gone! I tried being a supportive brick… and I don't have the energy anymore to keep being optimistic and I don't want to keep facing this reality." That broken voice shook. "Again, have science explain this! Why are we all that's left?"

"I think your being supportive is why you haven't gone silent yet, if I'm being honest. Puppycorn was inconsolable and Hawkodile just kept talking to Eaglator like he wasn't in pieces. You stayed grounded." Doctor Fox sighed. "I… I'm not sure, though. I don't want to commit to this theory."

"Maybe." His voice was a hoarse growl. "I'm tired. So tired."

"What… what can we do now, Richard? You have to have a plan." Unikitty felt herself look down into the rubble.

"There's nothing we can do now. This is the prophesied end of everything. We're all that's left of the Unikingdom." His voice popped and cracked like the broken record his words made him sound like. "There's probably nowhere to run."

"If you're starting to lose hope, I'm not sure what hope I have at this point. I've been trying not to panic for Puppycorn's sake, but with him gone…" She paused, taking a breath. It was clear from her voice she was close to crying out in despair and complete panic.

"I… The painful truth is…. deep down, I haven't. I still want to believe that this can be fixed. I just… I'm getting too tired to feel hopeful."

"You genuinely can't be blamed at this point. This is a dire situation: the worst case scenario to end them all. You have been showing true leadership. I wish I could be that strong."

"You may… have to be strong without me soon. I've been…"

Unikitty could feel the concrete of the sidewalk on her paws now. What was that? Another vision? The place they were in looked like the Bin of Storaj. That place sometimes haunted her dreams, it was so… hopeless in there. If this was another vision… she had to wonder where Rex was now. Her paws started running again, this time toward the castle. The face looked like Doctor Fox. She had to have some clue. She can at the very least help her find her missing friends.

"Doctor Fox!" Unikitty rushed back to the lab. When she found the fox, she was at her supercomputer. On the display was a picture of Rex and various statistics and graphs. The statistics seemed to show him in some form of distress. She turned and smiled at her friend.

"Hello there, Unikitty! I was hoping you'd come back!" She pushed a button and the information about Rex was gone before Unikitty could ask about it.

"Can you tell me what this is?" She put down the jar and Doctor Fox snatched it up. Her pupils became slits as she searched for some meaning behind her cutesy doppelganger's gaze.

"This may be the answer to a mystery I myself have been attempting to unravel." She shuffled to the Memory Machine, which was on and had the following on the display:

Please provide authorization code…

You have made (THREE) attempts…

(ONE) attempt left before Redaction Protocol activates…

"Redaction Protocol?" Unikitty scratched her head.

"To redact something means to remove text before a publication." Doctor Fox's tail whipped around, her paw on her snout. "I believe this protocol will censor certain parts of this Project Lotus if I get this code wrong."

"That doesn't sound ideal." Unikitty frowned.

"I have tried my usual passcodes, but nothing is working. I'm having a program on my computer search for possible passcodes to try from the database, but I'm stuck on this screen. I can't risk the data loss." The fox almost growled this in pure frustration.

"There has to be a clue or something."

"Well, if I type the project name into my Database of Probable Disasters… it has an entry." She shuffled over to the supercomputer and pulled this database up, showing Unikitty the entry:

Probable Disaster: PROJECT LOTUS

This entry requires passcode verification to access.

Please enter passcode to continue with instructions.

"Whatever Project Lotus is, I had thought it was dangerous enough to include in the database. I just don't remember this project at all." Doctor Fox's face fell into total seriousness. "And I get a very bad feeling when I try to remember it, like it's gone for a reason and it's something almost otherworldly." She shook her head after a moment with her mind in outer space. "That doesn't really matter to me right now. You look terrified and I need to solve this mystery for you at the very least."

"Do you know the password for the database?" Unikitty looked down at the small Doctor Fox head in the jar as she spoke. What would this do to solve this mystery?

"I haven't tried anything of my usual passcodes on that yet." She grabbed a pair of thick black rubber gloves, put them on, and opened the jar, taking the little head out of it. "I'm hoping this little gal has what I need for the Memory Machine first."

"What is it?"

"I've seen a description of something like this in the instructions for the Memory Machine. I believe it represents a memory."

"A… memory?" Unikitty backed away from the fox one step. "How is that a memory?" Doctor Fox lifted an eyebrow.

"Did you touch it, Unikitty?" She grabbed the instructions and flipped to a specific page. "The notes mention that you can view the memory if you touch it. What did you see?"

"I…" She wanted to shove this down like everything else. The memory was terrifying and it was making things make less sense. She was having visions of the future and this lined up with them. She saw all of those friends fall into the holes. "I don't know… Doc, I'm scared. How can that be a memory if it didn't happen yet?"

"That is quite a conundrum. A memory has to have already happened to be a memory. I don't remember a whole lot of things, now that I think about it. How did I get to the Unikingdom? Why do I feel like we've known each other for years when you and I only met last year during Queen Wa'nabi's welcoming celebration? It's been a feeling I've been having for a while now and I can't put my paws on the answer." The scientist put her paw below her muzzle, frowning. With each question, she paused unnaturally. She took a glove off and put both glove and notes down on one of the Memory Machine's three beds. "This may hold the key to this whole mystery."

"Doc… please don't. You may not like what you see. I know I didn't." The cat took a few steps closer, ready to pounce if she took the memory.

"The pursuit of knowledge is lined with ugly truths. I'm willing to take-" The fox was cut off by a brokenhearted and tired voice that seemef to echo through the lab.

"NO. STOP."

[mayxthexforce]

crossinghairs:

"They're dead. It's no problem." He said simply as he lifted Steela to her feet. Nothing. All of what was remaining was no longer kicking as far as he could see. Considering he was standing up fine. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." A short term laugh escaped his lips. As he spoke. It was short for a few reasons and they always would stay locked away from view. The ambush was definitely unexpected. His feeling of fear over clouded his judgment and he ran. Why? Why was she so important..? She shouldnt have been that important. She was just there. He could have used her to escape. But his will was stronger. He had morals. He wouldn't let that happen... Or..should he have apprehended her.? He grabbed his head as a headache settled in his head. His eyes shut slightly as he held his hand out towards her." Stop.." he muttered towards her. He was mostly following her in this moment so asking her to stop was something he probably should have just let her walk.. but his head ached. So bad to the point his body went stiff. 'Fight it! Don't let it get ahold again!' He squited his eyes in focus. And that focus...snapped. His eyes dilated deeply. Fingers loose on his temples as he spoke in a gritting tone. As if still fighting it inside. "You aren't planning to do this..are you?" He asked. Though his tone was more demanding as he approached her. His grip that lashed out towards her was tight. His expression cold. Unforgiving. "Good Soldier's..follow orders.." a chant. A cursed chant clones always say when under the influence of the inhibitor chip. His sseemmmed to have malfunctioned after its enhancement. It only took a few months for it to break down in his mind and fluctuate between frequencies. From activation to deactivation his mind was at war. And outside the chip was victorious in the fight so far. But then..gave way. His grip was instantly relaxed as he backed away from her. His brown eyes looking at his hands before shaking his head. "My chip..comes and goes still. I'm doing this to find Rex and get this damn thing out of my kriffing head."

One moment, he sounded so confident in his skill. Assuring that every trooper out there was dead. The next, he was telling her to wait. It was enough to stop Steela on her tracks, brow furrowed. Her frown only deepened as she heard his sudden change in tone, and recognized the look in his eyes.

She'd seen enough clone troopers dealing with the effects of their programming to know what it meant. But she'd naively moved closer in her concern, and he was fast. His hand made contact with her, seizing her armed arm. Her free hand went to grip his own, a way to prevent him from reaching for a gun. Even then, she knew that with their training, any clone trooper —even unarmed— was dangerous. Steela was glad Saw wasn't here– not so much because of the 'I told you so' that she was sure to get from him, but because he would have blown Crosshair's brains right off.

First came the phrase. Then, the moment of clarity. The struggle for control.

"Stay with me, Crosshair," her tone was caring, yet commanding. She'd found that it worked better with the clones to remain firm.

He backed away and she let him. Eyebrows still pierced with concern.

Steela nodded in understanding. "We'll find Rex," she assured him. "And even if we don't, we'll find a way for you to get rid of that chip. Trust me."

Rex was the safest option, of course. But if for whatever reason they weren't able to get to him Steela would find some other way. Surely, there was a surgeon, scientist, or kaminoan out there who could assist in the removal of the chip. She was determined to make it happen, one way or the other.

But she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Walking ahead would be endangering herself again. Walking behind would be too much, she didn't want to make Crosshair feel any more like a threat than he probably already did. So, she settled for a middle ground: walking beside him. This new form also gave her the chance to start a conversation, something nonsensical, but something that would hopefully keep Crosshair's mind on the here and now, and away from the chip's programming.

"Your rifle, what is it that you named it?" she asked.

[mrpenguinpants]

Xiao and Diluc: Opposites Attract HCs

Minor spoilers for Xiao’s and Diluc’s backstory.

Yes, more xiao content. Oh and Diluc. Diluc is there too. I wonder who my favourite child is? Honestly, it’s probably Childe. Every time I write “child” I end up misspelling it to “childe”. It’s consumed me. But yes anon I love the opposites attract trope. It’s so nice having person A be this cute cinnamon roll and person B is the ew don’t touch me go away I hate you, just mwah 💕

---

Today’s appreciation post goes to imlikemoony. My entire reblog notifications have just been you and thanks for the spam haha. I love seeing new people go through my work and enjoy it so thank you^^ Please don’t feel like this is a callout post I swear it isn’t 💕💕

---

Xiao Semi Series

[ Friendship ] [ Falling in Love ] [ Cuddles ] [ Protective ] [ Affection ] [ Jealously ]

Diluc HCs

[ Comfort HCs ] [ Relationship HCs ] [ Being Fathers HCs ] [ Jealously HCs ] [ Unrequited Love HCs ] [ String of Fate [Soulmate] ]  [ Fainting ]

[Masterlist]

—

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji  @mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @twistedsunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @youaskedfurret @snowy224 @mayumintsu​ @tigerpriestess @yuu-yuukurotsuki @legionqueensav

---

Xiao and Diluc: Opposites Attract HCs

Xiao

It occurs to Xiao one day that despite being alive for centuries, he doesn’t know a lot of people. Xiao has only known Rex Lapis and his fellow adepti and only just recently introduced this life to others such as Verr and Ming. It never bothered him and still doesn’t, he prefers his life to be peaceful and in solitude since it’s safer that way, but when you crash into his life with all your unrestrained energy. He’s a bit of a loss for words. The only other person he knows that acts similar is Guizhong, but it’s still a bit of a troubling memory but either then that, he’s never interacted with someone so...open with their feelings. Though he supposes that Hu Tao was somewhat similar but in a different way. Unlike the craziness and exasperated actions that Hu Tao brought, your presence was a breath of fresh air and sometimes he found himself caught up in your antics.

When Xiao thinks about it, if he were to ever find love he suspected he would prefer someone who was calm and independent. He wasn’t the most affectionate so he wouldn’t want a partner that relied on that and he liked the peace and quiet the inn provided. That was until he saved you one day and you felt it was your absolute responsibility to return the favour, even though he told you many times that you really did not need to. If you wanted to return the favour you could leave him alone. Simple as that. Which didn’t work and in hindsight he was glad you were so stubborn to hang around until you managed to find out his favourite food was almond tofu.

The moment that set in stone Xiao’s love for you is when he told you his past. When he was named Atalus. How he had been possessed and forced to kill against his will. How he devoured dreams and lived in agony before he was saved by Rex Lapis. He was scared that you would fear and leave him, only for you to slowly lace your hands with his and wept for his own misfortune. He’s never had someone cry for him and he realized that he never wanted to see you upset like this again.

At first your larger than life personality put him off a bit, how could someone run through life as if nothing was wrong? What would happen if you finally faced loss? Wouldn’t that make things worse? It wasn’t until he spent more time with you that he saw your point of view, that while he couldn’t adopt the same idea, he respected it and began to appreciate it. It was nice having some sort of solace in his day even if it was just for a few minutes. Something to get his mind of the darker things while you start chatting about this really nice old lady with a domain sized teapot.  

Though, there was a bit of a downside to this. Since you bared your heart on your sleeve, perhaps in Mondstadt it would seem normal but here in Liyue, everyone hid behind some kind of mask so people found you a bit naïve and would try and hassle you. It always sent Xiao into a worried state when you left the inn to go out on your next adventure. Verr likes to compare him to a cat waiting for it’s owner at the door, but as soon as they return he acts so moody as if he wasn’t waiting at the balcony trying to see if he could see your clothing peak over the hill. He has no idea how she comes up with these ridiculous ideas.

Another “downside” Xiao discovers is that you have mini bursts of affection. You describe it as a those anemo slimes that pop when you shoot them, morbid as that description is, you’re not wrong. Your bursts of affection always manage to startle and embarrass Xiao, especially when he was with others. He wasn’t going to tell you to change yourself, never will he do that, but when you clasp his hands and tell him with all your love and shining eyes that he’s “doing such a good job” and “you’re so proud of him”. He wants to melt because wow, he never noticed how much he values your praise and how it sends his heart flying. But he can’t because Childe and Zhongli are right there.

Zhongli smiles pleasantly while Childe looses his absolute shit, which causes Xiao to kick his spear at Childe because he refuses to let go of your hands and hisses at him. Even when you try and scold him it doesn’t last long because this has become a weekly occurrence. Only now Xiao will give you a quick kiss before he goes off to gut Childe while you and Zhongli wave pleasantly and talk about how the weather is faring. Everyone that isn’t a native to Liyue think’s you’re all insane as they hear Childe’s screams as Xiao attempts first degree murder.

It interesting to see you both interact to outsiders. Xiao has his piercing yellow eyes and reserved demeanor while you’re this sweet and bright person. Before Xiao met you, people could never get a good look at the mysterious man that stays in the top balcony of the Wangshu Inn. But now if they came at the right time, they could spot a soft smiled man in green listening to a very animated talk with someone else, using their hands with a dramatic flair. That is until the man notices them trying to eavesdrop and the softness in his eyes drops and goes to irritation as he glares at them, curling a hand around his partner’s waist, and he let’s off a warning growl. His partner never seems bothered, only turning around to give a small wave in greeting, smiling as if the dangerous aura radiating behind them didn’t exist, before giving the man a small kiss as they go back to their conversation.

While you live a larger than life way, you also enjoy the small moments with Xiao. Xiao prefers to spend his time sitting above the inn and overlooking Liyue which you enjoy too. Resting near each other as you watch the sun go down is calming and takes the stress of life away. But sometimes you just want to bring Xiao out and have some fun.

Which ends up with you dragging him off to the pond near the Wangshuu inn, you wanted to catch frogs for whatever reason. Weren’t you both a bit too old to be playing with frogs? But he stands by and watch's you chase around the poor animals, tracking mud all over your clothing and skin, he can’t help but let a small smile slip. It isn’t until you end up falling into the pond after slipping that he’s on alert mode that he runs over worried.

Only for you to pop up and start bursting out into laughter. Xiao is stunned for a few moment as he watches you laugh at your own mistake, mud scrapped all over your face and clothes, the fact that you’re still in the pond with a frog on your head. He can’t help but feel his face fall as his mouth twitches into a smile as he chuckles along with you. He reaches over to try and scrub the dirt off your face but it only ends up smearing it more but you appreciate the effort. He carefully lifts you up as he carries you back to the inn. He thinks back to when you both first met, how he spent so much time worrying over his life as an adeptis and you as a human, but now those thoughts have been flung out of his mind. He wants to take your approach, that why worry over the little details of the future when you can enjoy the bigger moments you have now.

Diluc

On days that Diluc works as the bartender for Angel Share, if you come at just the right time when the sun was still high in the sky, you might be able to catch the ever distant man smiling and engaged with a conversation with one specific patron. Of course, this silly “rumour” was made up by the ladies of Mondstadt with too much free time on their hands but given Diluc’s reputation and demeanor it did make some travelers curious. Only for them to write it off as this special patron to be a green bard or cunning captain. One that Diluc surely did not crack a smile at. In fact it seemed to be the opposite. But the tavern isn’t so bad, there’s this nice individual that will listen to all your sorrows with kind eyes and a gentle heart.  

As soon as the last customer leaves and Diluc locks the door, does he let his shoulder drop and he breathes a sigh of relief. Before turning and walking to you as he let’s himself relax in your embrace. He listens as you re-tell on the woes of a jewelry saleswoman from Liyue to how Venti is still getting ID checked at the Cat’s Tail as he basks in your warmth. He’s glad that this is what’s troubling the people of Mondstadt and not anything incredibly dangerous relating to the Fatui or the Abyss Order. He asks if you’re doing alright to which you grin and nod that everything was perfect, before placing a small kiss on your forehead and he leads you out back and into the night and ready to return home.

Kaeya finds a lot of enjoyment going to up to you and discussing his “concerns” about Diluc. It always leads to you fretting over his health and if he was working too hard and he should take a break. Diluc is whipped and cannot say no to you so he always begrudgingly let’s you lead him away as Kaeya smiles and waves him off. It’s gotten to the point that no matter what Diluc is in the middle of, unless it’s of the upmost importance, if he catches Kaeya anywhere near you he’s swooping in and leading you away.

Diluc has always been straight to the point, non-nonsense idle talk, but when you drag him away to simply lie down at Starsnatch Cliff just because you were worried about him, he can’t help but feel his heart warm. Watching you blow on dandelions and enjoy the peaceful winds of Mondstadt does he let his hectic life standstill. 

When Diluc first met you, it was during his three year long journey to discover the truth of his father and the Delusions. You had saved him during his escape from a Fatui stronghold and explained you were apart of a third-party observer from the North. A vast underground intelligence network that approved of his actions and wanted him to join. Diluc, still deep in his anger and untrustworthy state of anyone, declined the offer but you still hanged around him. He didn’t understand why, and frankly did not want you anywhere near him, but you did save him. Something you very much liked to bring up, even after returning to Mondstadt. He couldn’t necessarily push you away and despite leaving the Knights of Favonius, he still maintained the same chivalry that all knights had.

From then on it had just been the two of you, him looking for the next Fatui base while you travelled with him as an “observer” despite helping him and being overly chatty. Asking where the next destination is like you’re some sort of overeager kid. At first, he really disliked your presence. A lot. In his mind you were a second Kaeya and after the events of what had happened, he might have been far colder to you than he should have been. He thought you were hiding behind the same kind of mask Kaeya did and that you were secretly some Fatui agent sent to kill him. But that never seemed to deter you, even making fun of the idea that the Fatui would seriously try and send an agent to con him rather than try and kill him outright with all the information he had on them.

You both had your clashes when it came to certain things, especially when it came to taking breaks and sightseeing. He felt that you were way too relaxed for something so important and you felt he was way to uptight and needed to stop running through life. But overtime, he found that he actually somewhat enjoyed your personality and quirks. While you could kick a Fatui’s guard head off if you tried hard enough, you would also drag him to feed the ducks by a pond. He had come to learn that you and Kaeya were different, you didn’t wear a mask and bared your heart to the world. He thought you were a bit foolish for doing that since you can never really trust anyone but you instead offered that not everyone was a bad person, that if he spent every waking moment trying to backstab someone would that really be a life worth living?

It’s during the lantern festival in Liyue does he really come to understand his goals in life. Writing down wishes for the new year to send off in paper lanterns is when he acknowledges his shortcomings and finally agrees to join the underground intelligence network. You offer him a bright grin as you cheer that he finally finally got off his stubborn self and you’re now officially partners in not-really-but-still-technically crime. For the first time since Diluc started his journey, he gives a small smile and let’s himself relax as he watched the golden lanterns fly through the sky beside you.

When he decides it’s time to return to Mondstadt and take up his position as Diluc Ragnvindr, he tries to not so subtly ask if you would want to join him. He knows that you still have ties to that secret organization and you probably have your own agenda but Diluc has gotten used to your bubbly personality, he doesn’t want to live without you. But his worries are quickly squashed when you tease him for a bit but slip your hand in his and ask where the next destination is. 

---

Gripping my writing hand, I went overboard and ran with it. I really want to write pre-hcs of how you met Xiao and a continuation of young Diluc and you. But I must finish my inbox.  Also my joke of Xiao beating things into submission started all the way back to my first Xiao HCs of friendship. I did not know this lol. I just think it’s funny to imagine xiao doing it. I’m about to high five my past self.

By the way, should I break up my hcs more? I feel like they are actual paragraphs and that might be annoying to read.

[feltpool]

Before the Finale

With only 2 episodes remaining this season I bring you Bad Batch fans another theory.

It’s long, and not everyone is going to like it, but here it is:

Cut to TCW s7, ep 2: A Distant Echo

[Wrecker is eating and lifting Gonky noisily in the background] Rex: I know you work with Cody sometimes, but who do you guys report to? [Wrecker stops as Rex asks this] Hunter: Hmm... good question.  Can't say I've got an answer. [as he speaks Hunter folds his arms across his chest. Defensively?] Wrecker: Yeah .

Is THAT what Cid knows?

What she's holding over them?

Does she know who they've been working for all along and Hunter DOES NOT want that info to get out?

Have they always been the bad guys? The self named Bad Batch?

But most of them simply didn't know it?

Bear with me here

In TBB ep 3 Lama Su refers to the Batch as being Kaminoan property. Why?

If the Republic have bought the clones then why are they considered Kaminoan property.

Or is it just them?

Do they report to the Kaminoans? Or more specifically, does Hunter report to them?

Doing whatever mission the long necks tell them to do, for whoever has paid to have their job done, while allowing them enough contact with the GAR to maintain their cover as special ops?

Cody is the only clone they're referred to as having worked with before. It'd explain why Hunter maintains the whole ‘we don’t like ‘regs’ line if he/the Kams want to keep them distanced from them so that they don't get chatting and give the game away. (No one else there has their own cosy little private barracks)

It'd explain why Hunter is so keen to keep his boys under his total control and not asking independent questions. Why he keeps them so reliant upon him.

It'd explain why they turned down the opportunity to receive medals for their part in Echo’s rescue. The boys have been well schooled in ‘not wanting that sort of thing’, regardless of the medals Hunter has hanging on his bunk wall, or the targets Crosshair has hung proudly for all to see his marksmanship skills. That sort of thing could draw the wrong sort of attention and might make someone look into their records.

And it'd explain why Cid has been able to blackmail them into working for her on such a shitty deal for so long, even after they'd paid the debt they owed her.

.

Not convinced?

Ok, let’s look at this angle then:

"Wireless communication uses electromagnetic radiation - radio waves and microwaves - to send information. Radio waves are essentially electromagnetic waves radiating from an antenna (like the antennas of a WiFi router). So, wireless communication is always broadcast. In other words, the signals from the WiFi routers can be heard by other WiFi devices tuned into the same radio frequency."

So... if you know his frequency you can send a message to Hunter without anyone else knowing as long as he’s in range? And the range is 'anywhere on the planet'

When they first meet Omega he seems confused by her, uninterested beyond the basic curiosity they all have. Omega asks to come to Onderon with the team and he brushes her off easily.

No sooner have the team departed:

Nala Se approaches Omega from behind.

Nala Se: Omega. Come along. I told you to stay close.

Nala Se turns and walks away, Omega follows.

.

Cut to the team on Onderon.

Crosshair has challenged Hunter over not following orders when Hunter whips out his blaster, fires right past Crosshair’s head and hits the probe droid watching them from the trees.

All the focus is on Crosshair at this point

The group approach the downed droid, Tech points out that it’s a probe droid, and Hunter suddenly looks up from the droid for no apparent reason

Hunter: Omega.

Hunter turns to walk back to the Marauder

Echo: What about her?

Hunter: She warned me about the mission. And Tarkin

She said not to return to Kamino, that it’s not safe for us anymore.

Wrecker: [grunts] Maybe she’s right.

Crosshair: We’re taking the word of a child now?

It’s an incredibly sudden change of mind that they go get Omega, and there’s no apparent reason for it.

But if you consider that the droid relayed a message only Hunter could pick up telling him to come back and get Omega, that it was important that she be kept out of Empire hands?

Well, that’s another matter entirely.

.

Hunter has been willing to drop everything to go after Omega when she was lost, or taken by bounty hunters, but he’s shown no sign of actually caring for her.

He could have trained her to use the energy bow, but that was left to Echo.

He could have provided her with a room of her own, but Wrecker did that.

She so painfully clearly wanted him to hold her and reassure her after they got her back from Bane, but he made no move to do that. He only responded after she threw herself at him bodily.

She’s a job. Nothing more.

Hunter only cares about Hunter.

.

We saw Nala Se override the door controls so that they could leave Kamino, but what else could she has been doing with that datapad before they left?

What final instructions could she have issued Hunter regarding protecting her little science project and keeping her safe until she needs her?

I’ve pointed out before that I think Hunter’s massive tattoo makes him look two-faced, and that this is reflected in his helmet’s paint job.

But it only struck me yesterday (and I don’t know how I failed to spot it before) but the design of his helmet (the eye shape, the grill) looks like a stormtrooper helmet. Certainly closer to one than any other team member.

And yes, it was the same design in the CW arc.

Hunter doesn’t strike me as someone who had to work for his place as team leader. He hasn’t shown the confidence in his decision making skills that I’d except to see in someone who had. My guess is that it was simply assigned to him from the moment they completed basic training, and it’s simply always been that way.

He likes it though, being in charge. He likes being the leader of the team with a 100% success rate. He likes to stand at the front, he always walks through doors first, and makes the most obvious statement with his physical appearance. Everything about him screams ‘look at me!’

.

So, what else is there?

Well, there’s whatever it is with Hunter and Crosshair.

Does Hunter suspect that Crosshair has worked out all by himself that something just isn't right. That the jobs they're doing just don't add up to being loyal to the Republic?

Because Crosshair was questioning his authority back in the CW arc. It isn’t only since Order 66 kicked in.

Is that why he hasn’t given a shit about trying to get him back?

Because his life is easier without him getting underfoot?

Does Hunter fear that the Empire will have told Crosshair about his double dealing?

And have they? Or is that part yet to come?

.

What if Hunter told Tech to leave him there because he's still following his primary order to keep Omega safe. Not yet knowing that Nala Se likely didn’t draw breath before heading to Rampart’s office and selling her own people out to the Empire so that she could find good favour with them and carry on her work without Lama Su getting in her way.

After all the shit she pulled in the Fives arc I wouldn’t put anything past her!

Hunter promised Omega she’d never go back to Kamino, he didn’t say that that was because he’d end up luring her to the Empire instead.

Because she'll want to go with Hunter, because it's him. If he calls to her, she’ll go without hesitation. She's started to doubt in his ability to be her perfect hero after seeing him be so callous towards Hera and Cid, but unless others can convince her otherwise beforehand she’ll come when he calls.

Doubly so, potentially, if Nala Se is there to back him up. She knows Nala Se, she’s known her her whole life. Why wouldn’t she trust her?

.

Maybe he’s also pretty fucking sure he can talk his way out of this situation. Because he knows that he's been working against the Republic all this time. Because he's confident that he can spin his boys a story about how he escaped and returned to them. I mean, Gregor escaped. Why wouldn't he be able to?

And Crosshair wasn’t there at the time.

.

And what about Echo in all of this. Where does he fit in. Because he doesn’t.

No effort has been made to accommodate him, his trauma or his disabilities, or integrate him into their established group. They’re been together for quite a while now, but Hunter still refers to him as being ‘new’, reminding him that he doesn’t fit in.

What if they didn't take Echo with them because they wanted him. What if they took him because they didn't want the Republic to have him. Because Hunter was told to make him that offer.

And that's why they've done fuck all with him since he's been with them.

.

One final terrible thought to finish with

Cody (AKA Wireless Router Husband) is the only Clone Commander we know of who has previously had contact with TBB.

In previous canon Cody, after Order 66, was kept Empire side and became an instructor.

Maybe Hunter isn't the only one already being influenced by non GAR sources?

Is there a chance that Cody has been too? I wonder what his frequency is?

I don't want to think that, because it's Cody.

But I'm considering all the options here.

But please not Cody!

However, it's an opportunity for the writers to break the hearts of both the Batch boys and Rex in one cruel go.

So I'm not ruling it out.

.

Where does that leave us with Gregor, the Batch boys, etc?

Well, I have thoughts on that too, but this post isn’t about them.

[theotheroccassionalfanficwriter]

CAN I JUST SAY THAT YOUR WRITING IS AMAZING????? Its so detailed with a great flow and filled with so much emotion I LOVE ITTTT!! You got me lying in bed tossing and turning with “in pursuit of knowledge” 🥰🥰 that’s my favourite one I really hope you continue it!

Can I request one of the upcoming chapter to explore more on how Zhongli and reader first meet and what are the other things they did that made him fall for them more and more each day? Zhongli doesn’t seem to be the kind that falls in love at first sight so I’m interested to see how the reader seems to have slowly crawled her way into his stone heart UGHHH ❤️❤️😩😩 It can be filled with fluff or with smut, up to you! Thank you so much ❤️

Thank you! You can keep on tossing and turning then with this! I also head canon that when it comes to love, Zhongli wouldn't fall in love at first sight but instead he'd be like a snail. The entire time I'm writing this I thought long and hard on how to proceed because I couldn't decide on a satisfactory way Zhongli would meet reader. I already knew that it would be a speed run of Enemies to Friends, and slow burn Friends to Lovers. So I wanted their first meeting to be seemingly unremarkable to Zhongli.

In Pursuit of Duty

Summary: The simplest of things can lead to the greatest moments of our life. Meeting you was Zhongli's greatest fortune.

There were a few mortals in Zhongli’s life, both as an Archon and on the few occasions he mingled with humans, that were able to capture his attention or even his praise. And in all of his life, mortal and divine, no one was able to capture his enmity in the way you did.

“Would it really matter what Rex Lapis thinks if we entered and fucked around the domain in Guyun stone forest?”

Zhongli blinked, aghast at your tone as Childe covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“What?” You asked the two of them as if you had not merely suggested tampering with the seals of Guyun Stone Forest.

“The entire place is home to the fallen gods” Zhongli reminded you “a graveyard for those who died in the Archon War”

“It’s been decades, they should be already on the reincarnation wheel at this point” You waved his worries off, sending Childe to another fit of laughter while Zhongli felt indignant “‘sides Rex Lapis is busy doing fuck knows what he probably wouldn’t even notice if one of the seals got messed with unless one of the dead Gods decide to fuck shit up”

Zhongli, who was very much Rex Lapis in disguise, very much noticed it and though he was the one who orchestrated this whole scenario, felt no less than pleased with the attitude you were having.

“The dead still deserve to be respected!” Zhongli insisted as he blocked your hand from reaching towards one of the seals.

“You stick in the mud! You make it sound like I’m defiling their graves or something!” You whined “Besides the Heavens must be willing if they had a stray seal plaster itself on my face!”

“It was a ruined seal. The divine powers had long since dwindled from it. Thus, the Heavens had no hand on it” Zhongli stubbornly insisted as he moved to block your path.

On the side, Childe was still laughing loudly.

“That’s it! Fight me you bastard!” You shouted as you took a few steps back and summoned the elements to form your weapon, a spear.

And really, it was almost funny in hindsight, how you would choose his weapon of all things. The one weapon he was best at among others but right now, in this moment, Zhongli had felt more than annoyed.

“Very well” His spear, dragon’s bane, at his side “I accept your challenge.”

There were a few opponents in his life that gave Zhongli a thrill of the battle. Ever fewer were able to make the gears in his head turn as quickly as it did when facing you, each strike of your spear was clearly aiming for his life, and yet the look in your eyes didn’t carry a single thought of murder.

It was frustrating. It was Confusing. It was, most of all, fascinating.

Fighting you brought him back to the days before the Archon Wars, where the Gods of Liyue were at a semblance of peace. It made him remember the joy of fighting someone your equal, it made his blood rush in a way that it had almost forgotten. And Zhongli was starting to see that beyond your heretical ways, behind your annoying mask of affability, was someone who can walk in the path of the divine.

‘No, you would walk in it for the sake of your knowledge’ Zhongli thought as he blocked your attack and moved his feet to kick you in your stomach.

“This ends here” Zhongli declared as he summoned a steele behind your back.

The sound of your back hitting it rang loudly in the air but the look on your face was something he would never forget in a long while.

You spat out blood, shakily standing up from your position, “You win this round! But I swear on Rex Lapis’ six pack abs I’ll find a way to replicate that fucking seal!”

And then you were gone in a spark of electro.

The peaceful sound of waves remained in the air that somehow hung heavy. Childe had stopped laughing and was looking confused as he mused, “That’s the first time in a long while I’ve seen them look like that.”

Zhongli paid no attention to his words and instead picked up the abandoned seal and returned it to its proper position.

“Interesting” Childe muttered, softly and slightly ominous to Zhongli’s ears.

What he found interesting was something Zhongli wisely decided to not entertain. He really hoped that today would be the last time he’d ever have to be in the presence of Childe’s...friend.

For his part, Childe had no regrets in introducing Zhongli to you, or rather having Zhongli experience the misfortune of knowing you. From the moment Childe had met you again, he knew that his life would be thrown out of whatever carefully calculated plan Pulcinella had made. And it was one he was happy with, if the rumors in Snezhnaya had him part of the chaos then you were chaos incarnate.

It was precisely the reason why Childe had brought Zhongli with him when meeting you in the Guyun Stone Forest.

“A friend of mine, an expert in the ways of the divine and assorted knowledge, would lend us their skills in challenging the...impossible, shall we say” Childe said on the way “Most of their thoughts are heretical, almost, but well no one has ever said it wasn’t effective in reaching the desired result.”

“Ah, a researcher from Sumeru then?” Zhongli had asked, the light in eyes glinting in interest.

“Of sorts” Childe answered because as much as you stayed in Sumeru, most of your knowledge had come from your own experiments and cases from clients seeking answers the divine could not give.

This was why you were almost heretical.

“I must warn you that for them the sacred can be profaned and the profane can be sacred” Childe added as they reached the shores of Guyun Stone Forest, and found you basking under the gentle rays of sunlight in front of the Domain.

Zhongli stared at you, the sight of you head looking up with your eyes closed as it felt the warmth of the sunlight. Geo crystalflies surrounding you as a light breeze had the ends of your hair fluttering in the wind.

“Who is that?” Zhongli asked.

“My friend, the infamous Xiézhihuā Mìngfù of Liyue” Childe answered.

In that exact moment, you slowly opened your eyes, lashes fluttering softly as you blinked. The wind blew and a rain of leaves fell on you, gentle and calm as you stared at them.

--

Like an ill-fated omen, Zhongli began to notice you on the streets of Liyue Harbor. Rumors and words of your deeds would reach his ears, on occasion some of your cases would be told in the tea houses.

“Miracle” a few bystanders would say.

“Heretical” the few devout traditionalists would mutter in hushed tones.

But all agreed that you were a genius. An innovator that brought changes like a storm. You gathered envy and admiration in your wake, foreign nobles and dignitaries seeking you out for consultations or to ask for your help. And yet, for all of your infamy and prestige, Zhongli often found you amidst the crowd of orphans or Liyue’s slum dwellers.

Sometimes, Childe was with you, other times it was Director Hu and her friends, the second young master of the Feiyun Guild and the exorcist. In one memorable moment, Yanfei. But more often than not you were by yourself, answering questions from children with a pleasant smile and mischievous glint in your eyes.

It was such a huge contrast from the one he first met that it made Zhongli pause and observe you from afar. Enough times that those around him would say, “No need for alarm, Mr. Zhongli. Xiézhihuā Mìngfù is honorable.”

It was those words that made him ponder. For all of your borderline heretical actions, miracle works that trespass on the Divine, the entirety of Liyue agreed that you were honorable.

It wasn’t until Childe had asked for his help did he cross paths with you again. Weeks of avoiding you to maintain peace were all for naught when he found himself in your presence once more. A jar of osmanthus wine on your hand and an ingratiating smile on your face, you offered it to him and said, “Osmanthus wine, I’ll give this to you so don’t be a stick in the mud!”

In his youth, he would have immediately brawled with you. But now, Zhongli settled for drinking a cup of tea with contempt as much as the act could convey. Your laughter, melodious, rang in the private room of Liuli Pavillion.

“Aiyo! What a tough crowd!” You said as you sat opposite him and placed the bottle in the center of the table, “Then shall we begin anew? My birth name is a secret, my courtesy name is a secret, my title is Xiézhihuā Mìngfù! Xié for Heretic, zhi for knowledge, and huā for flower!”

“What kind of introduction is that?” Childe teased as he began his battle with chopsticks.

“An unforgettable one!” You replied, sending a wink to Zhongli who merely pursed his lips.

“I am Zhongli, a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.”

You smiled and decided to leave the matter at that, somethings could not be forced. So you retreated and decided to just straightforwardly tell him your intentions.

“I’ve heard that Mr. Zhongli is knowledgeable in Liyue’s history.”

Zhongli could sense your sincerity, it placated him a bit, made the dismal first meeting a little bit better. So he tries because he is magnanimous and there was no reason to burn a bridge, “I am merely remembering what others have forgotten.”

He looked at you in the eyes, drawn to the way your eyes burn bright with curiosity. It reminded him of Guizhong so he shakes the thought away because the dead and the living must not be compared. But as the conversation grows long, the topics eventually shift from the job to everything else, Zhongli can’t help but notice your innate desire to help those who are unfortunate.

Somehow it made him understand why you were seen as honorable. It wasn’t until all of you were facing unknown danger did he realize what it truly meant when used on you.

The case you were asking was slightly connected with Childe’s job for you. The case was about the sudden deaths of several brides that were kidnapped and found dead at an abandoned temple. No one had reported it to the Qixing until one of the victims involved was a distant relative of a Qixing who was to be wedded to one of the Szehnayan Merchants.

Childe had taken the chance to offer aide, calling for your help as one of the known detectives of Fontaine. It had surprised Zhongli, and made him respect you but all of it was quickly thrown away when you had given him a cheeky wink and said, “I can even tell how big a man’s dick is.”

“Shameless” He had admonished and yet he was unaware of the small smile he wore on his face.

The investigation led the three of you to a small village in the mountain, with a local shrine that was dedicated to an old god that even Zhongli had never heard of. The three of you had pored over legends passed down by mouth, discussing and comparing with the records found in Liyue’s public library and scholars. Childe, through his seemingly endless funds, had paid for information on every victim so far that wasn’t in the packet given by the millelith. Zhongli, with his seemingly endless connections, had talked to everyone and anyone that had studied Liyue’s countless lores and legends. And you had talked with the family of the victims, investigating the crime scene and connecting everything that could lead to an answer.

That was how Zhongli found you, messed up clothes and tired eyes poring over documents in the middle of discarded papers that laid on the dark wood floor of your secluded residence in Minlin.

“Have you not slept?” Zhongli asked, frowning as he made his way towards you.

“Not yet” You answered as you got up and discarded the paper you were reading to go to your wide cork board that held all the relevant information you had, “I’m close to figuring out what sort of deity or demon we’re going to fight.”

“What about the reason?”

“Solved it ages ago” You answered carelessly, pointing at the left corner of the board.

Zhongli went over and flitted through the papers on that side until he found what he was looking for.

“A vengeful bride?”

“Mn” You replied as you removed a pin and replaced the paper with an old newspaper clipping “There was a record of a previous incident however the Ghost of that time was listed as defeated. The stories all claim that the ghost was of savage rank, and disappeared after letting go of their obsession.”

“Then it returned?” Zhongli turned to you, alarmed and visibly frowning.

“No.”

You sighed and rubbed your aching forehead, “This was a man made disaster that went out of hand, I’m sure that whoever started this is probably dead. Chances are the first death awakened a sealed something” You looked at him, eyes serious “I’m figuring out just how old this thing is and what exactly are we going to face.”

“...The older it is…”

“The harder it would be to defeat it. Liyue’s lands are drenched in blood. Old grudges mixed with new ones from the Archon Wars. With cultivation clans dying out and having a single yaksha around, the karmic cycle of Liyue is already out of balance” You revealed and Zhongli was amazed with your discovery.

“Is there anything Rex Lapis could do?”

“...Fixing the karmic cycle? None. Solving this? His dragon qi would only end up being corrupted or he’d be punished by the Heavenly Dao. Time has changed a lot of things, but the rule that the Gods may not interfere with the mortal realm remains true.”

Both of you remained silent, You stared blankly at your board while Zhongli watched you. The heavy air from your words made your heart heavy, and Zhongli could see it. The fear that lingered in your eyes, the firm determination to save lives.

It left a ripple in the calm waters of his heart. A small unnoticeable ripple.

“Is it worth it?” Zhongli asked “Is it worth betting on your life to save the common people?”

You smiled at him, almost pitying, “To an adeptus like you, the amount of times mortals would bet on their lives to save others must be few, but Zhongli...I am the sort to always think that the common people are worthy.”

At that moment, Guizhong’s words echoed in his mind.

“Let me help you.”

--

A red sedan trudges up the mountain path, intending to pass through the temple. Behind the bridal sedan was a short entourage carrying three chests of dowry. In front of the sedan, were two people beating drums to celebrate the auspicious day.

Zhongli, Baizhu, and the Fatui disguised as locals were on alert as it watched the ominous trees of the mountain road. You sat inside the sedan, meditating in lotus position. Chongyun and Xingqiu were waiting in the temple where the zombified bodies of the previous brides were found. You had advised Ajax to not participate in the inevitable battle. Ensuring the possibility that his abyssal powers would react badly with ancient powers. With all of the preparations, you hoped that the odds would be in your favor.

You sighed softly, eyes opening as you felt the air change. You readied your weapon as soon as you heard the sounds of fighting.

The door opens and you throw out a talisman. In a quick move you stepped out, geo shield forming around you as you began plucking the strings of the Guqin. You looked at your enemy and found your heart easing up.

What stood before you was neither an ancient deity or demon, but rather a ghost on the verge of breaking through the Malice Rank.

“Don’t fear! We can subdue this one!” You informed your party, as you played the Sound of Vanquish.

Vines subdued the ghost, wearing the red robes of a groom. The Fatui began surrounding the ghost. Nine stone pillars acted as the foundation of the seal, pulsing with geo energy.

You felt rather than saw Chongyun come close, allowing you to draw upon his yang energy to balance out the pure yin energy of the ghost. Xingqiu stood on standby ready to recite the incantation for parting in case the seal fails.

The final notes of the song lingered in the air as Zhongli walked towards you, eyes never leaving the ghost, “I thought it was a bride.”

“A minor mistake” You replied as you played Inquiry.

‘Who are you’

The ghost didn’t answer.

‘Who are you’ you repeated the question.

‘Kill me’ it answered.

Your hands stilled in the air. You sighed and looked up from the strings and found yourself staring straight at the eyes of the ghost. Stunned at the mixture of emotions in its eyes.

“...There is no need to surrender to despair, your soul can still be saved.”

The ghost gave a mocking smile, “So what? My Chang’er is gone. We can never meet again in this life or the next.”

Zhongli’s eyes widened at the implication, just as Chongyun let out a small gasp. You felt your heart turn heavy even so you soldiered on, there was a need to find out the cause of this tragedy.

“Then tell me, why did you kill those women?”

“They deserved it!” The ghost screamed in anger, “They killed her! They killed her like she was nothing! Chang’er was innocent! They knew she was innocent and still-”

“You could have reported to the Millelith!” Chongyun said.

Cold mocking laughter rang loudly in the air, in it you could hear the bitterness of defeat and anger.

“Would it have done anything when the person behind this is an official? You’re too naive, boy!”

You closed your eyes, took a deep breath and decided to shield Chongyun from one of the dark sides of Liyue.

“Are you really forsaking salvation?”

“Yes.”

Zhongli watched as you walked towards the ghost and asked its name. He watched as the ghost whispered its name and you nodded before raising your hands, your index and middle finger pointing towards the sky, while the rest were closed.

Light gathered on your finger tips, the air charged with spiritual energy that was not of Celestial origin. It was an ancient divine power that Zhongli used to feel before he ascended to the peak of cultivation as a dragon.

With one downward stroke, the light slashed through the ghost. The light was so blinding that Zhongli had to shield his eyes as he watched the ghost turn into dust, its soul scattering to the wind. Your back stood straight, your hair gently fluttering.

Even though you were expressionless, Zhongli felt the heaviness of your heart. Despite that your eyes remained strong, unyielding as righteousness burned in your eyes. He watched as you strode in Ningguang’s jade chamber, as you reported your findings.

He accompanied you in going back to the village where it all began as you read the Liyue Qixing’s edict. He watched as you went beyond what Childe asked and went to the unmarked grave of Chang’er, offering incense on the blood stained stones of the temple.

He went with you as you sat on the highest mountain peak in Bishui, looking at the horizon with a blank look in your eyes. He didn’t speak and instead poured you a cup of osmanthus wine and silently waited.

“...Sometimes, I wonder if I can remain in the path of righteousness” You spoke, “I can never understand the hearts of humans, how could they easily ruin someone’s reputation, ruin someone’s life because of greed? I can’t understand why there was a need to go as far as scattering the soul?”

You cried without any tears, and Zhongli remained silent, unable to answer something he had always witnessed in his long life.

“Have you changed your answer?” He asked as he stared at his cup of wine.

“No” You replied and Zhongli could hear the self-mockery in your tone, “Even if one day I find myself in unbearable pain, I’ll never stop believing that the common people are worthy of saving.”

You looked at Zhongli, solemn in your bearing as the sun disappeared in the sky “Zhongli, no one has the right to decide on the outcome of human lives. Be it human or adepti.”

Zhongli thought back to the case, the sad story of two lovers who parted eternally because of jealousy and greed. The greediness of an official’s son for a woman who had no affection for him, the jealousy of the ladies over the popular young scholar. The selfish righteousness of the village folk that stoned an innocent woman to death over ruined reputation.

Zhongli thought of his contract. He wondered for a moment what you would say to him if knew that he dared to bet on the safety of Liyue and its people.

He closed his eyes and drank the wine that still tasted as he remembered.

“I pray that your heart remains in paradise.”

You toasted him and smiled softly. Zhongli vowed to never forget how beautiful you looked in that moment, with the slight smile gracing your lips as you drank the osmanthus wine.

The moon was beautiful that night.

--

Zhongli watched from afar as Osial rose. His thoughts echoing to the oath you swore that day in Guyun. A part of his heart felt sad and yet in awe of what you had accomplished.

He watched as the Millelith, Adepti and Fatui worked together to evacuate the civilians. He watched as humans and adepti fought together to bring down Osial once more. He felt proud and relieved at the result, glad at the knowledge that Liyue had no need of him anymore and yet a part of him felt trepidation.

The knowledge that the Age of Archons was drawing to a close. He thought of you, a beloved child of the Heavens, who could boldly declare that the Gods can be wrong. He thought of the words you spoke that night.

He thought of the days he spent with you, the rare times he went along with your tricks and harmless schemes. The easy way the two of you became friends. You were the first person he had easily became friends with, he mused at how quickly his dislike of you melted into fondness.

The way his heart had pinched when you said he wasn’t fun. The elation from being one of the few people you found interesting. He thought all of this as he handed his gnosis, as he kept his reason a secret. He thought of this as he looked around Liyue that had no need of him anymore, he thought of you as his feet automatically walked to where you were.

He stood away from you, watching as you cared for the wounded and then silently left. He spent the aftermath ruminating on his decision, on his actions while silently watching your actions with Childe during the last week of his stay in Liyue.

He waited for you to come to him, and ask him the question he could not answer. He steeled his heart and yet when you came to him, you didn’t ask and instead began talking about your recent adventures, asking him of his days and Zhongli didn’t know what to feel.

He knew that you knew nothing then. That you remained unaware of the truth but he let himself believe that you didn’t mind. So he spent his days with you, silently caring for you, protecting you in his own way.

He let himself bask in your vibrant presence, allowed himself to savor the feeling of watching you walk the path of righteousness. He unknowingly and willingly let you walk inside his heart, step by step, with each moment you spent helping others.

The days spent by your side, knowing the parts of yourself that no one else knew was the closest he felt in being mortal. It was so easy to forget that you remained ignorant when he spent his time worrying about your ability to be where chaos was, when his heart was easily influenced by you.

But now, in the privacy of the Dwelling in the Clouds, Zhongli watched as you grew disappointed. Your soft laughter filled with heartbreak and weariness broke his heart for reasons he couldn’t understand.

He regretted not telling you the truth when he had the chance.

He hated how he had no right to wipe away your tears even though he had spent countless nights and days warming your bed.

“Zhongli, I hate how I can understand why you did it” Your voice was so soft “Really, as an Archon you are undeniably good, you are peerless in that regard.”

He closed his eyes and readied himself for your next words.

“But I can’t call you a good person. Human lives aren’t something you should bet on so easily, no matter how careful you are” Your disappointment, your grief, and your weariness were all visible in your tone and body language.

He remained where he stood, watching as you descended. Each step breaking his heart as he slowly understood what you meant to him. He cried silently as you disappeared below the clouds and slowly sank on the ground.

For the first time in his life, Zhongli didn’t know what to do. There was no one he could turn to. He dreaded going back to a cold empty house devoid of you. He feared going back to the days that were dull, to a time where you did not exist in his life.

Where the sound of your voice was not commonplace, or the comforting scent of your magic that lingered in the space you occupied.

Zhongli laughed, loud and unrestrained, mocking himself for his stupidity. He hated how he didn’t realize it sooner, if he did then perhaps things would not turn out this way. He cried with all of his broken heart as he remembered the loneliness in your eyes.

He drank his sorrows away and as daylight broke through the clouds, he stumbled his way home. To the place that was devoid of you who he loved.

He fell on his bed that still smelled like you and silently cried himself to sleep.

He was already missing you dearly.

--

You stared at Zhongli, eyes distant as he stood in front of your door. A distant part of you wondered if things could be fixed, if the two of you could move forward from this pain.

But the rest of you were waiting for further disappointment, you knew the bone-deep pride of Gods. You understood that there was a bigger chance that Zhongli would cease contact with you, no one can easily put down years of habit and thought as a god so easily.

And yet as Zhongli stood beneath you, looking up to you. You couldn’t help but hope.

“...I can’t apologize for what I did” Zhongli began, “I don’t regret doing it the way I planned but I regret that I didn’t think of another way to test my people.”

You remained silent.

“I asked you once if the common people are worthy, the truth is I don’t know whether I find them worthy or not...but with you…” Zhongli trailed off, he felt that his next words were heavy.

He was afraid of laying his heart bare to you. The deepest parts of him that he didn’t fully understand, “I know that your life alone is worthy. I am a being born from rock, gaining humanity through cultivation. My heart is made of stone, softened by the dust. I don’t know if I would ever understand what being human means and everything it entails…”

You stared at him, unmoving, silently and patiently hearing him out.

“But I know that the only way I can keep on being with you is by changing this stone heart. So please, let me walk by your side, protecting you and your belief.”

Zhongli bent his waist, solemnly asking for your forgiveness and acceptance. He heard your footsteps coming closer and swore to himself to accept whatever the outcome would be.

“Stand straight.”

He stood and then he found himself in your embrace, your familiar scent filled his nose and Zhongli gently and firmly hugged you back. He held you fearing that all of it was an illusion.

“Let me learn how to be good while staying by your side” He whispered.

“I was afraid” You replied “of how easily you can decide on the outcome of your people’s life and death.”

You hugged him tighter, “I know that you still have secrets that you can’t tell. That even as you live as a mortal, the consequences of your actions as an Archon is something you would live with for the rest of your life. So I won’t judge you for that but Zhongli, I can’t be with someone who can easily bet on other’s life.”

“I understand.”

He thought of your words in Qingyun Peak, your confession that night in Minlin. He thought of the day he met you. He thought of the words he said in that temple ruin.

Zhongli understood what it meant to walk by your side, to take the same path as you did. He knew that from this moment onwards he would never be able to untangle himself from you.There was no room for anything else in his heart that was filled with you. It would always remain with you even if one day his entire being ends up in the abyss.

‘As long as your heart remains in paradise, I don’t mind letting myself fall into the abyss.

[deaconusdelirium]

Have you ever felt so lonely?

Requested: “do it. Break my heart, Crosshair🥲”

Oof, actually this should be better OOF. What you’re asking for is... has to have two parts... maybe three. And I have to change it up a little so it’ll match the story and all, so don’t mind it

———

You ran behind the Batch, keeping your eyes on the back in case any clones were following. You wished Rex would have stayed on Bracca just a bit longer to help with the Empire and Crosshair. Everyone had their chips removed, Wrecker first since he was the one who lost all control of himself. But you didn’t get a chance to do yours since Tech and Omega commed back, saying the Empire was landing. Everyone gathered their things, one thing after another happened, Crosshair was targeting Omega the most. He knew how important she was to Hunter, maybe it was because he was trying to protect her, or maybe to bring Hunter to his lowest point and take him. It didn’t matter, he was still trying to hunt you all down.

The Marauder came into view, you stopped before ramp, turning around, they weren’t going to stop coming. And even then, if you did leave, Crosshair would know and tell the Clones to follow. “Y/n, come on” Echo called out from inside the Marauder. “Let’s go” Hunter joined, seeing you weren’t on board. “Hunter, you have to go. They’re after Omega, maybe even you. You’re the head of the Batch and without you, we’re goners” you exclaimed, “what are you talking about. Get on the ship, that’s an order” Hunter said, slightly yelling since Tech fired up the ship. “Hunter, listen to me. Crosshair is after you and Omega the most. He’s not going to stop until he gets either one of you, I’ll be fine, I’m going to stall him until I’ve got a clearing. Then I’ll come back to the ship” Hunter walked down to where you stood, “you could get caught, we need you” “you may, but you guys are more important. Make sure Omega stays safe, she can’t go back to Kamino. Stay close to the ground and off the Empires radar until you can’t be seen anymore. Once I get a clearing, I’ll come back”

Hunter seemed to think about it since he stood there, “Hunter, we have to go. We don’t have much time” You both turned to look at Tech. “I’ll be fine... if I’m not back within twenty minutes, leave. If even more clones show up, leave. You can’t risk it” “the odds of escaping are not in your favor” Tech calculated, “still, if it’s worth keeping you all safe, so be it. I’m with you till the end Hunter, but it seems we’re going to have to part for now. So I suggest you leave before Crosshair finds us” He moved his hand, maybe to put it on your shoulder, or to make a point, but you gave him a nod, running off down the Star Destroyers hallway until they couldn’t see you anymore. “Hunter, I don’t think it was the best idea to let her leave” Echo called out while Omega ran towards Hunter, pulling on his belt. “Tell Y/n to come back, we can’t leave her” “get on the ship Omega” “Hunter” Omega said, still trying to yank him towards where you ran off, “come on” he picked her up and walked aboard.

“Where’s Y/n?” Wrecker asked, trying to see where you were on the ship, Tech looked at him and looked back down. Wrecker understood, not wanting to ask any further. “Be careful Y/n” Hunter commed you, “I will”

—

You ran down the hallway, your helmets HUD adjusting to the darkness inside. You put your blaster away, crawling through the fallen metal panels that use to be the roof. Once on the other side, you seem clones scanning the halls, you stopped, not wanting to attract them with your footsteps, “hey! Freeze!” You turned and seen other troopers down the hall, one of them called somebody. “They’re still here, we have one pinned down” it must have Crosshair they commed, you shot both clones. The other two you were looking at down the other corridor, ran towards the shooting, you took cover behind an old crate. Firing when possible. You could either stay here where the Batch was close, and attract more, or you could take off in another direction and go as far away as possible. The problem with that was, if the Batch did find somewhere safe and you were free, then you’d have to run back. Too far.

You thought harder, you’d lay your life down for your sergeant and your colleagues. For they were all you ever known. “Do it for Omega” you whispered to yourself, she hasn’t even gotten the chance to start her life, and right when she has, she’s already being tracked and trying to be taken away. You kneeled up again, not shooting at the clones but dodging their shots and running off down the hall you stunned the first couple of clones. You ran down the hall, hearing the repeating of their boots bounce off the walls. You kept telling yourself ‘get as far away from the ship as possible’ while taking different turns and running into other patrols. You now had no other choice than to shoot. You stayed your ground, being outnumbered in a room while a group of troopers were out in the hall waiting for you. You listened to the troopers radio others, saying that the Batch was still here and they haven’t left. So that either meant all patrols would follow you while still thinking the others were here with you.

“Surrender. Now!” Ok, here it goes again. “Hunter” you commed him, “Y/n, are you coming back?” He asked, sounding worried, “Hunter you need to leave now” you peaked and seen the clones still aiming their weapons while trying to tell you to surrender. Of course Crosshair would want you alive, “Y/n, I told you this was a bad idea!” He yelled from the other side, hearing the clones in the background. “I don’t care, leave Hunter. If they find me, their going to know that you’re still here. Get off the planet as fast as possible” “were coming back” “Hunter. No. The place is swarming with Troopers, if you come back and get captured, then I failed at protecting you. I’m no soldier if you do, go” you waited for Hunters objections again, but Omega spoke next, “Y/n, please don’t do this. Come back, we need you. I need you ” you heard her plea, “no can do, I’ll see you later ‘mega” you closed off the line, standing up while raising your hands. Putting your blaster down and doing as they told you.

The cuffs were bind tightly against your wrist as you tried to get at least a bit more comfortable with them. One of the clones pushed you into a room, the engine room? Crosshair stood there, a datapad in his hand while other Elite troops tried telling him that if you were here, than the other must be. “Sir, we found one” you stood in front of Crosshair, looking at him through your helmet, he was quiet, seeming like he was examining you. “Leave.” He told the others, “but commander-” “I said, leave.” He turned his head a little, sounding threatening as he grew impatient with them. They nodded; walking out the both doors and you were left alone with him. “Y/n. What am I going to do with you?” He asked, looking you up and down, you didn’t respond, not knowing what to say.

“Forgotten already?” He asked, “no” you replied, he scoffed, “you don’t see the bigger picture do you? They left you, why do you think they sent you on your own?” he emphasized the ‘left you” part, circling you while trying to look for any sort of communication device to the Batch on you. “I may have been sent on my own, but they haven’t forgotten about me” you followed his movements as he stood back in front of you, he suddenly took his helmet off. Oh that same face you fell in love with, it was just his chip that made him this way. This wasn’t real. “Tell me, where are they? Maybe I’ll even consider letting you go” he spoke. He wasn’t going to, you knew him better than that to believe that he never went through with breaking an order. He watched as you stood there, not moving. You wanted to just disappear under his gaze, for this to be all over.

“Y/n” he called out, his hands came up to your helmet as you pulled away, not wanting for him to take it off. He grew annoyed as you turned your head again, he pushed you on the ground, finally taking it off. You glared at him, “come on Y/n, you deserve better than them. Better than what you’re being treated as now, you’re even lower than that Reg Echo” you never took comments from other people that tried to bring you down, but something about words like that, coming from him started to shatter the glass. You blocked his words, looking away, “join the Empire... join me. Together, we’ll be unstoppable Cyar’ika” he bent down to your height, pushing your head to meet his gaze. The one name he use to call you, sounding so sweet and loving, now sounded cold and broken.

“I hope you know that I’m not doing this for our relationship” you snapped, he only hummed. He knew you were stubborn, one of the many reasons why he fell for you. “I know. That’s why we’re weren’t working out with the Batch. We couldn’t be together, but now. If you tell me, join me, then we’ll be with each other forever” if it was the real Crosshair talking, then maybe you would have said yes, but this wasn’t him. “We still wouldn’t be able to work out, I fell in love with the other Crosshair, not. What you are now” he heard the pain in your voice alright, and took that as an advantage. “Why are you even protecting what you could be so higher, for? Or is it a who? Have you been sneaking around with Hunter, should I have to worry about him?” Something struck a string with that sentence. Was he questioning your love for him?

“I’m keeping them safe. From you” “from me? Or from yourself? The only reason why you’re on this planet is for those chips to be taken out, these Star destroyers have the technology to do that” he pointed out, pushing your hair back and seeing no sign that you had your chip removed. “I could have your chip activated any time I wanted” “then why didn’t you do it?” You asked, he was always known to be one step ahead but this went in the wrong direction from what you planned, “because I wanted you to come back to me. To where you belong” you shut your eyes from that sentence.

~

You and Crosshair had just gotten the chance to get away from the Batch and Marauder. Taking the time to be together without someone always around the corner, “Crosshair?” You called him, as he looked down at you, “Y/n” “we belong together, right?” “Now why would you ask something so absurd? We don’t belong together, we’re meant for each other. You watch me, I watch you”

~

Of course he’d use that against you, he knew how to break you. “No” you whispered as he grabbed the hem of your blacks, “you have the chance, you join me, save the Batch while they run with the time they have for now. Or you could be thrown in with the other traitors while he continue this hunt for them. You’re choice” he threatened, pulling you up so you could be closer. “Cross... what’s wrong with you?” You questioned, looking at him in his brown eyes, trying to look for the old Crosshair in them. Your cuffed hands came up to his wrist that held your shirt. “Don’t stall, I can give you the answer when you’ve made up your mind. Now hurry. We wouldn’t want your friends to get any further” did the Batch even leave? Or were they still here?

“I see whats happening, you’re weighing your options aren’t you?” You looked at him, he found innocence in them for a second. “Wh-what are talking..” “why else would they have agreed for you to stay behind and be used as a distraction? You’re useless to them now, if you meant more to them, then you would be far away in the galaxy somewhere with them while you tended to your own wounds. Right? Remember I’m the one that used to help you while no one else did? They wouldn’t leave their own behind, and it shows they you aren’t one of them. They’ve probably already forgotten about you like they have to me, they’re taking care of that.. child. While you’re here taking the blame for them. Think about it” his grip tighten on your shirt, you felt it through his wrist as it tensed.

“But I’m the one who told them I’d do it” “and they believed you. If they actually loved you, they would have stayed and fought for you. Or maybe they’re scared of you, that your chip might activate and you’re going to hurt them so they took the opening chance they had to go and leave you” the more he talked, the more it made sense. “You trust me right?” He asked, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear as he caressed your cheek with his gloved hand. You weakly shook your head no, his words already taking effect on you, on your heart, on your love for him. “Perhaps you’d like to know more? Cause I can take you back to Kamino and interrogate you all day and tell you everything that Hunter hasn’t. You’re what we have, and you’re what we need. I’ll take you over the others any day” a tear slid down your cheek as he watched, now that you were vulnerable, he took it upon himself to actually try and get you to cooperate.

“Now Mesh’la,” he kissed the tear away, “you’re going to be the good lover you always were and follow me. You have no other choice, they’re not coming back for you, even I would have turned back around, even stay behind with you” he stood up, grabbing the middle of your cuffs and pulling you along with him. “This is another one of your tricks, isn’t it? You’re going to use me. Under that chip of yours, you’re only a toy for the Empire” you called out, “it’s better than disobeying all orders from the republic and making us look bad” his silver hair fell into his face as he bent down to pick up both helmets. “I don’t even know who you are anymore” you whispered to him, he was taken back at your words. Your sentence hit something in him and he almost felt sorry, “then.. maybe think of me as the old Crosshair, just.. stronger and superior than the last” he pulled you along while he commed the other troopers and Elites to get on the ships and that he was coming back.

You staggered after him down the hallways as you followed, “Cross..” you gently called out, he heard the pain in your voice, he stopped, turning to look at you. “Do want the weak, unwanted old me to love you? Or do you actually want the me who can protect you, protect us from people trying to tear us apart. Hunters been telling you things about me, hasn’t he?” Now he sounded like he was hurt, “no, no no. He always spoke good about you, even Omega. We missed you Cross... I missed you. And, and I’m not going to help you unless you give me the freedom I want. No cuffs, no guards, no spying on me while I’m on your side” something switched inside you, making you see the outcome Crosshair tried to tell you about, he sarcastically laughed at your attempt, “I’m not that dumb Cyar, try again” he looked at you, and you had that serious look on your face that mean you weren’t going to go unless you got what you wanted.

“How can you trust me when I can barely even trust you with all these things on and around me? I mean it Cross. I’m already outnumbered, there’s no point in trying something” ok, you had a point, there was troops outside waiting for the both of you as well. “I’m not going to follow you unless I know you’re following me” you spoke, he slowly nodded, understanding what you meant. He hand came to undo the cuffs that binded your hands together. “Tell me, why? Why all of a sudden change your mind, just a few minutes ago you declined my offer” he asked, curious on your answer since he thought you had nothing to say. “Because I’ve thought about it, you’re making more sense than Hunter has these past few days. I never realized how much they used me until you pointed it out... I want them to feel what they made me feel. What I’m feeling”

He nodded, finally seeing what you were explaining. “I didn’t know how powerful we could be together, if only you can take me again?” you asked, “who said I left you?” “Hunter did, he said once you changed, you weren’t the same. That meant we wouldn’t be what we used to, he seen us together and he warned us” “only because he knows how we can both get things done, and he’s scared of that” he walked up to you, handing you you’re helmet, “good soldiers follow orders” he spoke against your ear as he moved over to your lips. He passionately took them in his. You could tell it was him, it was the real Crosshairs love but it was the new him that held him back. You returned the gesture, wanting to feel him against you one last time as you were leaving the old you here to die with the Batch.

He smirked, pulling away, “I suggest we get a move on if we want to catch Hunter and the others” you nodded, the thought of Hunter now made you feel betrayed, was this how Crosshair felt? Why risk your life for Omega, she’s a clone, she can always be recreated again. Crosshair motioned for you to follow him, along the way, he told you about how better the Empire was than the Republic. And how planets were brought more freedom than under the republics watch, and if you wanted to keep your homeworld safe, then the Empire would be right behind you to keep it that way.

The sky was dark, and the ships were already running, the troopers aimed their weapons while Crosshair told them that you were on their side. Everyone reluctantly agreed to have you around, you both jumped on a ship, sitting there and thinking about all that’s happened and how Hunter along with the Batch, treated you “here, put this on” Cross threw a helmet your way while he took your old one and put it in his locker. He did like the new sight of you in the new armor, maybe you were meant to work for the Empire. But he’d only know for sure when you got out in the field

———

Ok, so I’m not sure if the heart break starts here, and judging by how it doesn’t seem here yet. I’m thinking there’s gonna be a part three, definitely a part two. But I hope you enjoyed

[phoenixyfriend]

Rex and Anakin Raise a Family: Part One

The beginning of the end is this: Ahsoka removes Rex’s chip and finds her masters, starts to run, and loses her life before they make it to safety.

(She is the chink in all their armors.)

The beginning of the end is this: Anakin does not Fall, is there as his children are born, and sobs himself to pieces as his wife still dies for reasons none can find.

(Darkness would not have saved her, and the Light was already shattered.)

The beginning of the end is this: Obi-Wan mends his relationship with Anakin just in time to stay behind and guard the escape of what is left of his family.

(Obi-Wan would never have forgiven himself if he hadn’t, and Anakin will never forgive his Master’s memory for sacrificing himself.)

The beginning of the end is this: Their path to safety passes through Malachor.

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

The house is small and dusty, but empty and uninfested.

Anakin is used to worse. Rex is used to worse. The twins can barely see six inches beyond their faces, and do not know any better.

“Do you think they take Republic credits?” Rex asks. They still don’t know what planet they’re even on.

Anakin shrugs. There’s no life to him, even with his daughter in his arms, and his son at his side.

“I’ll pawn a blaster if I have to,” Rex decides. He wraps the bottom half of his face in a scarf, and prays that the blond hair and civilian clothing are enough that nobody will look too close for the eyes of a clone.

Anakin shrugs again. They need food for the newborns, who can’t survive on packed rations and hunted game. There’s only so much formula on the ship they took, and it won’t last the week.

(He is not the only person to lose everything in the last three days, but Rex is more practiced at compartmentalizing.)

(There’s more to it, from the Force letting Anakin feel the deaths of those he loves to the extremely personal betrayal that was Chancellor Palpatine’s reveal as a Sith, but when it comes down to the basics, he knows this: Anakin is broken now, and Rex can hold his own widening fissures together a little longer.)

���I’ll be back soon,” Rex promises, and lets the slow blink and half a nod be his general’s response.

The village isn’t very large. It’s not wealthy, but it seems largely untouched by the war. Nobody looks at him for more than a moment, and he thanks the tweaking of his genetic line for the hair that lets him hide just a little more. There aren’t any rumors catching his ear; he only parses about half of what’s being said. They’re in Mando space, and the words flying about are largely Basic and Mando’a, in a dialect he only mostly understands, and sprinkled with what he thinks is Huttese and Bocce. Still, nobody’s passing hushed gossip about the Jedi turning traitor, or the Republic becoming an Empire. Nobody mentions the Separatists or the war.

Rex feels a mix of rising anxiety and loosening fear. People won’t be looking for them yet, not here, but something is wrong for there to be so little hint of the wider conflict. He’s no scout, but he didn’t make Captain--or Commander, for that it lasted only the length of that final, ill-fated battle on Mandalore--by being as unobservant as a fresh cadet.

He finds himself standing in a store specializing in childcare supplies, staring at a shelf of some twenty different kinds of formula.

“You need some help, stranger?”

He glances at the woman out of the corner of his eye, notes down the degree of danger--minimal, even if he’s not in his armor--and decides it’s not too much information. “My friend, his wife died in childbirth, just a day ago. The children need to eat, but...”

Her face turns into a grimace of sympathy. “You don’t know what’s best. Did the midwife not suggest anything?”

A midwife. They really are in the middle of nowhere. “The birth was... they only had a med droid. No professionals.”

He doesn’t elaborate, hopes she’ll just drop it, and she does. She turns to the shelves, eyes them for a long moment, and then picks out three different boxes.

“Here, try these and see which one the baby likes best. They’re what I’d suggest for newborns. Should be easy to make with some hot water. I’m guessing you have bottles already--”

“No,” Rex says, and then scrambles to explain in a way that doesn’t make it clear just how unprepared they all are. “Not enough. It was twins, and nobody expected it.”

“Did she not--”

“Please don’t,” Rex says, desperate already. “It’s been a long few days, and it’s not my story to tell.”

She nods, a tad too slow, but he hopes it’s just concern.

Bottles and pacifiers, diapers and towels, just enough to tide them by with the excuse of buying for the unexpected extra child instead of the truth of having gone on the run the second the twins had been born.

Rex sees the face the woman makes when he goes to pay. His heart sinks.

“I’m... we don’t usually take Republic credits here, you understand,” she says slowly. “But you’re in a bad spot, and I don’t want the babes to suffer. See about visiting the exchange office soon, though.”

He could almost cry. He doesn’t. It’s a near thing.

“Thank you,” he says instead, as emphatically as he can. “Thank you so much.”

She smiles faintly, tightly, uncomfortably. “If I could make one more suggestion?”

He nods.

“There’s... there’s a nurse that runs a clinic down the way,” she says slowly. “She can look over the children, for one thing, but she can also... well, there’s a medication we can sell, to single fathers and the like, but only with a prescription...”

He blinks at her, uncomprehending.

“It induces lactation in those who otherwise wouldn’t,” she says, and bares her teeth in something that isn’t quite a smile. “Not the most popular option, but it’s technically on the table for anyone with breast tissue, and breast milk is usually healthier overall for babies than formula, for most species. Um, it’s popular with adoptive mothers, wet nurses, same-sex couples, single fathers in a situation like your friend’s... tell me if I should stop talking.”

“No, no, I think that he’d actually appreciate that,” Rex hurries to assure her. “I can at least bring it up, and we’ll need to have regular medical attention for the twins anyway, so I need the address, don’t I?”

Her smile brightens into something a little more real, and she scribbles something down on some flimsi. “Here, just give this to your friend. Come here and ask for Teskarim if you have questions; that’s me.”

He commits the name in memory, dips his head in a nod of thanks, and makes his way for the door.

The trip back to the house is, by and large, uneventful. There are still no rumors. There are still no chip-loyal brothers. There are still no bounty posters, or--

His eyes dart back to the bounty board, just for a second. There’s a face on there that shouldn’t be. He doesn’t linger; it’s bad form, suspicious. Instead, he heads for the newsstand a few stalls down, pauses just long enough to get the date, and strikes out for the little house and their ship without changing his stride. Externally, he looks entirely normal.

His mind is in a daze.

3,594 ATC

The year is 3,594.

He hasn’t been born yet.

He does the math.

His General hasn’t been born yet.

Sith Hells, High General Kenobi hasn’t been born yet.

Rex is...

He has to talk to Anakin.

[pastaimpact]

Since ur a catboy and maid simp 👀👀👀👀

Catboy maid headcanons for xiao, scaramouche, zhongli, kaeya and diluc?

Like, they lost a bet and have to drink a potion from albedo that turns them into catboy maid or smth pls?

-mac bulli anon

if u see me rotting, no u didnt

Xiao’s displeased by the transformation, but he has better things to do than to get worked up by a small thorn in his side. He has evil spirits to get rid off, and archons be damned if he’s going to let a pair of furry ears and a tail get in the way of his duty. It’s an odd sight, seeing him swing around his jade spear with his mask on, only to be moe-fied by his ears.

He insists on carrying out his own duties, saying that your selfish desires to have him as your maid won’t overrule his original contract to Rex Lapis. Chances are, you won’t even get him into the maid outfit before he goes running off to dispel some spirits. It can’t be helped: Xiao is someone who values Liyue’s peace before he values anything else, although he does feel a bit fuzzy inside when he sees how ecstatic you are over how cute he looks.

If he does find a moment of reprieve, that’s your best chance to capitalize on his transformation. Xiao claims that he needs no attention or extra love from you, that he’s a yaksha who works alone out of fear of harming you, but he’s still someone who craves for the gentle touch of a fellow being. Tell him that he’s done a good job and that you’re proud of him while cupping his face, and next thing you know, he’ll have slotted himself against your body and tell you that this isn’t necessary, all while his tail wags around happily. Archons forbid that anyone tries to interrupt your cuddling session, because he’ll start hissing like an actual cat the moment your attention is turned away from him.

Xiao purred against your skin, his head resting on the area in between your shoulder and neck. He was always cat-like to begin with: coy, distance, but still gentle and affectionate at the right times. You fondled his ears the way he liked them, and his tail curled up in satisfaction.

“What a pretty kittycat you are,” you cooed, your voice low and calm, like the careful trills of a lullaby. “Always working so hard... Always caring for someone other than yourself... What a good boy.”

“...Keep going,” he murmured, scooting closer to you when you stopped petting him for a second. You let a smile grace your lips as you stroked his soft fur again, enjoying the way the catboy immediately relaxed against you. 

How adorable.

Scaramouche is livid, to say the least, by this change. He’s a Fatui Harbinger, and someone who demands nothing short of utmost respect and authority from those around him. Being demoted to not only a servant, but not even a human one at that, is a stain against his spotless, untouchable command.

The entire time he’s placed under your care, he grumbles and snaps at everything that comes his way. He mutters that you should be grateful he’s even putting up with this, and he might just flat-out refuse to do the things you ask of him—until you tell him that you’ll ask someone else, like Signora or Childe. Only then does he come scrambling back to you with a pout on his face and his ears pressed against his head to scold you and say that he could do a better job than any of those sloppy Harbingers could.

He also threatens you, saying that you owe him for humiliating him like this, but he also forgets all about being mean to you the moment you start petting his ears and scratching behind them. Scaramouche swears on his life that he hates being treated like this, but the way he clings to you and purrs loudly clearly says otherwise. He’ll get huffy and frown if you stop petting him, so be prepared for him to completely monopolize your time.

“I hate you for this,” he hissed, practically bristling in your lap. You bit back a laugh, feeling the way he wrapped his arms tightly around your torso, pulling himself as close as he could to your chest. “You’re terrible.”

“It’s ‘You’re terrible, Master’ to you,” you teased, burying your fingers in his hair to tease his ears. The Harbinger opened his mouth as if to snap back at you with a haughty remark, but he immediately melted into your touch instead, giving soft mewls and twisting his head against your skin so that he could feel more of your touch.

“I-I still hate you,” he grumbled, forcing himself to frown at you and huff. He dug his nails into your clothes, settling his chin on your shoulder so that you couldn’t see the blush rising to his cheeks. “Master.”

Zhongli has seen his fair share of oddities, being an archon and all, so he’s grown to get used to whatever life throws at him all while honoring his own approach to life and any traditions he upholds. While being transformed into a cat and a maid, for that matter, is surprising, it’s probably nothing more than a mild inconvenience to a god that once held the ability to shift into a variety of different forms.

He’s a skilled and knowledgeable man, so he’s more than willing to assist you in a variety of topics. His one condition while being placed under your care is that you treat him with the same respect you would show him at any other time. While he may be relatively polite and mild-mannered, he still was a very potent and feared God of War at one point in his life. He doesn’t expect much from you; just drop any funny business around him, and he’ll entertain you for hours with his knowledge about politics, arts, and other fine subjects.

Zhongli is good about keeping his emotions in check, and even with cat ears and a tail, it’s still fairly difficult to gauge how he truly feels. Of course, his new body does betray him every now and then: a flick of his tail to signify intrigue, ears pressed against his head for annoyance, a twitch of his nose for interest. It’s best not to tease him or pry into how he feels whenever he does make an odd movement, but it wouldn’t hurt to present yourself appropriately depending on whatever mood he’s in based off of his little actions. Besides, it’s not everyday that you can see someone as respected and feared as Zhongli in a cute maid dress with his tail swishing excitedly behind him.

His entrance was quiet, and the only thing that even signaled his presence in the room was the rustle of fabric as he walked towards you. His tail was still, and his ears perked up like it had been for the day, ever since he downed the transformation potion. “I brought you tea.”

You looked up from your paperwork, smiling softly at the former archon. You pulled a stray chair close to where you were seated, inviting him to sit down as he set the teacup down in front of you. “You shouldn’t have!”

He shook his head, his ears twitching with the slightest hint of satisfaction as he sat down. “It was about time you took a break. I thought I would remind you not to push yourself too far by bringing you something to relax with. Do drink up; I brewed it myself with prized leaves.”

Kaeya’s all about staying a step ahead of the game, and the moment fluffy cat ears and a tail sprout up on his body, there’s a good chance that he’s already found loads of ways to capitalize on his features to get what he wants. The best way to get information from anyone is to get them to let their guard down, and it’s hard to be intimidated by someone who looks like a stuffed animal.

Which is exactly what he does. There’s a good chance that Kaeya’s been observing you for a while, for whatever reasons he might have (be it personal or for the Knights of Favonius), so he’ll definitely use his cat features to his advantage. He’ll snuggle up to you and let you relax by teasing you with his tail and his ears, and he’ll let his silvery tongue do the rest as he extracts bits and pieces of information from you like he was extracting honey from a beehive.

Kaeya rocks the whole maid concept better than anyone else. Flexibility and adaptability are just a few of his many strong suits, and he might even go along with playing pretend with you just out of the goodwill of his heart. He’s extorted you already for loads of intel, so the least he can do to get you to keep staying so lax around him is to humor you just a bit. It’s also a good chance to see you smiling and laughing as you bury your head into his hair, and it sure doesn’t hurt to hear you gush over how much of a majestic catboy he is.

You felt his fluffy tail slink against your arms, Kaeya splayed out across your lap with the most smug smile you’ve ever seen from him. “Awwww, your tail is so cute! I wish I could just hold it and fall asleep! It feels just like a cloud!”

“Does it now, Master?” Kaeya purred, batting his eyeslashes. It had only been about fifteen minutes since he barged into your room to show off his cat features, and he had already gotten enough info about you to entertain him for weeks. “You can pet me more, if you’d like.”

You lit up, completely oblivious to the fact that Kaeya had you wrapped around his little finger. You were far too innocent, too careless even, and Kaeya found it amusing. “Oh, Kaeya! You’re the best!”

Diluc’s also fairly annoyed by this mess, but he isn’t one to viciously fight against what’s already happened. It is rather irritating to have to put all of his responsibilities aside for another day, but he’s capable businessman who’s used to having to adapt to all sorts of situations. Being turned into the catmaid is by far not the worst of his problems, but it’s enough of a change to actually make him think about how he presents himself not only to you but the people of Mondstadt as well.

He has maids around his winery, so he mimics his ow behavior with what he wants of them. Of course, you don’t make him cook or clean or anything like that, and similarly to Zhongli, he makes sure to treat you with respect as long as you do the same. Diluc’s a very pragmatic man, and he simply takes his duty as a maid to keep you out of trouble, accompanying you whenever you need to head out to protect you from stray monsters or helping you with any finances that you might have to sort out.

His only request is that he doesn’t let anyone outside of his immediate circle know about his current affliction. The last thing he needs is his reputation as a respectable tycoon tarnished, and he sure as hell doesn’t need Kaeya strolling around to mess with him. If it incentivizes you to keep the whole temporary catmaid thing under wraps, he’ll tell you that it can be a little secret between the two of you. It’s best that you give him your word, lest you end up on the wrong side of his stoic mannerisms.

“Good work today,” you remarked, offering up a meek smile to the Dawn Winery owner. “It must have been a lot of work. You know, having to deal with the whole transformation thing while running a business.”

Diluc glanced momentarily you, his ears pressing against his head. You wasn’t sure if it was out of annoyance or shyness, but you decided that it was the latter, as Diluc hadn’t walked away from you just yet. “It’s fine. Albedo said it should wear off any day now.”

“Mmm. But still, if you ever need help from me, let me know, okay? I know I’m your ‘master’ temporarily, but we’re still friends,” You laughed. The corners of Diluc’s mouth twitched as he turned away.

“Goodnight then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”