#children's lit class is ROUGH

[codename-adler]

"we need more complex neurodivergent characters!" you guys still can't handle Catcher in the Rye

[imnotjaesblog]

Dear Father For I Have Sinned

Starring: Na Jaemin (Appearances by Mark, Haechan, and Jaehyun).

Demon Jaemin x afab reader

Warnings: Smut, Demon Summoning, Dom Jaemin, Seemy dom/Sub reader, Jaemin bites the reader, Jaemin is rough with the reader, Oral F.m receiving, God & Devil are mentioned. Slight Agnst.

Words: 7k

MINORS DO NOT READ OR INTERACT!!!

First Halloween Post :)

Enjoy;)

"I don't think this is a good idea," you said from where you sat in your friend's room. You sat furthest away on the carpet from the other three. The lights were turned completely off. The only light coming from freshly lit candles around the room. The curtain by the window pulled back. The window opened a crack allowing the cool Autumn breeze to flow through. From the window, you could hear children walking up and down the street traveling door to door trick-or-treating.

Then there was you. Spending your Halloween dressed up as a mouse with the rest of your friends while your best friend Yuri was a cat. You sat farthest from her. Arms crossed over your chest as you watched the other two set up the room. Yuri set up the Ouija board. This is where you spent the start of your Halloween—just sitting and waiting for them to finish so you could go to the party.

They had ignored your protest all day. During class, your friend had the idea of purchasing an Ouija board. She spoke more about once all of you met up. The other two agreed not thinking much of the board, joking about the consequences rather than fearing them.

However, you had no intention of testing fate nor containing anything that wasn't living. Sure, you took part in Halloween. The parties, the dressing up, even watching horror films. But at the end of the day, it was all fake. And even if you didn't believe the board would work, you didn't want to take the chance.

Your friends whined at your hesitance to take part in the game.

"Girl don't worry. I did my research," she said failing to convince you. You scoffed, "That's exactly why I'm saying no," you said shaking your head. "This is just your new obsession of the week. And whether something speaks to you or not. I want no part in it, Yuri," you said. Your efforts fell when your boyfriend walked through the door with his friend.

He walked over to you confused look seeing you far away from your friends. He sat beside you. "You okay?" he asked. You brushed it off. "I'm fine," you said a bit annoyed. Since you spoke out against the game you could feel the tension between you and the girls. Definitely view you as a downer. It wouldn't be the first time they made you feel weird for not picking what they wanted to do. Maybe it was time for new friends.

"Mark convince your girlfriend to play," your friend started again teasing a smile on her lips. You huffed sending her an annoyed expression. She ignored it keeping her eyes on Mark. Mark sighed turning to you with a shrug. "It could be fun," he attempted. You rolled your eyes moving from him to sit on the edge of her bed arms over your chest.

She clicked her teeth, "Whatever," she said turning to the others. Hushering them to come closer. They complied, all placing two fingers on the planchette. You sent a warning look to Mark. He looked over from you and at Yuri. She smiled at him. He sighed before placing two fingers on it. You rolled your eyes crossing your legs over the other.

"Wendy you ask first," Yuri nudged her. Wendy's eyes widened. "What. Why me?" she asked hint of panic in her voice. Yuri huffed forcing a smile "Because out of all of us, you had the most emotional baggage so the spirit is more likely to talk to us," she said nonchalantly. Wendy gasped but wasn't shocked. Yuri spoke like this on a regular.

Wendy instead brushed off the hurtful comment. Holding back her own tears as she let out a breath. "Hello, is there anyone who would like to speak to us?" she asked looking around the room. The others watched the bored. The planchette didn't move. But it was only for a second. You had almost missed it, being that you were watching your phone. However, the unified gasp caught your attention.

You looked over seeing the planchette shift to yes. A few of them had a shocked expression on their faces. Soon turning into excited nerves. Yuri cleared her throat. "Are you a boy or a girl?" she asked. The planchette sat for a second before it spelled out man. Yuri ooed almost teasing the spirit.

"Are you hot?" she asked if the party we were attending tonight was not being held by her boyfriend. The planchette shifted spelling out ridiculously. They all chuckled, and you sneered turning away. You were sure Haechan was just moving it to be a dick.

Yuri readjusted herself. Flipping her hair back to expose more of her cleavage. Pursing her lips. Wendy went to ask the spirit another question but Yuri stopped her. "Not your turn," she snapped. Wendy closed her mouth. Karina from beside her spoke softly. "But you just went," she stated. Yuri sent her a glare. "Was I talking to you?" she asked.

"Anyways," she said shaking off her frustrations. "Spirit do you think I'm pretty?" she asked confidently sure the spirit had a thing for her. The planchette moved to no. She scoffed, Haechan taking the chance to laugh. Wendy and Karina hid their giggles. She shifted now slightly uncomfortable. "It's probably because you like said girls right?" she asked noticing Wendy covering her smile. "Pathetic girls like Wendy?" she asked.

The planchette didn't move for a second until it responded No. Then it proceeded to spell out bed. They all looked over at you. You weren't even paying attention. You didn't look over until the silence became odd to you. Feeling their eyes on you. "What?" you asked.

"Spirit has a thing for you," Haechan said. You flipped him off turning back to your phone.

"Are you evil?" Haechan asked. Everyone eyed him. He shrugged, "What we're all thinking it. What if this guy is some weird killer demon," He said quickly. The planchette began to move. Spelling out "Not weird, or a killer," he wrote. They all gasped. "He's a demon though," Karina stated. Yuri huffed, "Good job you can read," she spat at Karina. Karina put her head down.

"Well if it's a demon," you began from the bed. "Can it take Yuri?" you asked in the direction of the board. "You'd be doing us all a favor," you said with a smile. Yuri gasped, "Who do you think you're talking to right now?" she asked two fingers still remaining on the planchette. You chuckled, "You think I'm scared of you? Yuri please don't tell me you find yourself to be that interesting you think people are scared of you," you bit back a sarcastic smile on your lips.

Yuri was getting embarrassed. Her face turned bright red. The planchette moved spelling out "HAHAHA" assuming it was laughing at what you said. Wendy snickered from where she sat. Yuri went to call her out but you stopped her.

"Wendy laughed harder honestly what is the worst thing Yuri gonna do? Not be your friend?" you asked her phone resting in your hand, dangling around as you spoke. Yuri huffed slamming her free hand on the Orcale. Causing the board to shake.

"Honestly I don't know why you keep talking," she began angry manner shifting to a more mischievous feeling. She turned her body slightly to you. "Do you think I invited you here because I want to hang out with you? Or because we're friends," she scoffed out a smile exposing her top teeth. She faked and pouted at you keeping her gaze strong with you.

"I only invite you so I can see your boyfriend," she said letting out a sigh that sent a shudder down your spine. She looked over at Mark teasing a smile on her black lipstick-covered lips. "Right Mark?" she asked expecting no verbal response to confirm what you always felt to be true. Mark shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He barely looked at you. She turned back to you with a condescending smile.

You stood up from the bed ready to take them both. But before you could one after the other the candles went out. You looked down at the board. You gasped out a laugh. Yuri confused sent you a glare. "So much for your research," you pointed at her foolishness. She looked down with wide eyes. She had removed her fingers.

You saw the slight fear in her eyes. Especially when the planchette moved creating a figure eight on the board. Yuri panicked standing up away from the board. "Stop!" she shouted. "Stop it," they all let go and the planchette stopped moving. Everyone looked at one another both shocked and scared.

They all blamed Haechan for moving the planchette. But that was just to make them feel some soft comfort about the fact that deep down, they all knew they didn't move that planchette. You walked out of the room. Wendy and Karina followed behind you. They came to your side.

"Where are we going?" Karina asked taking hold of your arm. Wendy came to your other side. "Are you okay girl?" she asked making you remember the fact Mark cheated on you with Yuri. You couldn't even say you were surprised. You had seen the long stares and touches over the last couple of weeks. You just finally had the confirmation you needed.

You brushed the desperate girls off. "I'm fine," you said back. Wendy frowned. "Well we're here for you," she said with a sad smile. Karina nodded standing beside Wendy on the sidewalk. She lifted her head with a smile. "We can go to my place and watch movies," she said. Wendy looked over at her brows furrowing. "How could you watch any scary movie after that board," she said feeling the same feeling of dread appear in the pit of her stomach.

Karina nodded, "You're right. We should watch something funny instead," she suggested to both Wendy and you. You shook your head no. "I think I'll pass. Besides aren't you two supposed to be making sure Yuri is okay," You said trying to leave. Karina shook her head. Wendy scoffed. "Yuri is the worst," she said as if it was normal for her. It took you by surprise, it even took her off her balance.

"That felt good to say," she said with a proud smile. Color forms back in her cheeks. You paused for a moment. A smirk forms on your lips. You titled your head bit. "Do you two still want to go to the party?" you asked. They thought about it for a moment. They smiled but then Wendy's smile fell. "Yuri will be there," she pointed out color fading again.

"So?" you raised a brow. You stepped in between the two wide-eyed girls. "Who is she to stop us from having fun?" you asked. The two nodded coming to your side and linking arms as you made your way to Jaehyun's Halloween party. Not noticing your shadow shift from yours to a much taller figure with horns.

After a few more long blocks you reach the decorated frat house infested with drunk college students all shit-faced on the lawn. You walked up to the path leading to the door. Jaehyun had seen you from across the sea of people in the living room. He made his way to your loud smile on his lips and a red solo cup in his hands. Dressed up as poorly put together mummy.

"What's up ladies," he greeted. You had no control over the eye roll. Jaehyun was so sleazy, a perfect match for Yuri. Karina batted her eyelashes at him twirling her hair. You watched her confused. "Really?" you asked truly unsure as to why someone as beautiful as her would find him hot. She broke from her daze letting her long hair fall.

You looked back at Jaehyun. "Where's the alcohol?" you asked. Jaehyun scoffed with a smirk. He raised his brow in a way men think is cute. "Bored of me already?" he teased leaning closer to you. You could smell the bear off him like cheap cologne. You brought your hand up scrunching your nose. Creating a wall between the two of you. "Aw," he pouted. "It's okay girl," he said with a shrug. He took a sip of his drunk stumbling a bit. "I'll find you later," he winked pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

You three walked past him. He kept his stare on you, mainly on your ass.

The party was actually fun. You had spent the last hour here bumping to the music with your new reinvented trio having a good time. You took off your mouse ears while dancing. Jaehyun took this as his chance to make his way to you. He picked up the ears placing them on your head from behind.

"Guess who?" he asked. You instantly felt nauseated by the sound of his voice. You turned around to face him disgusted look on your face. He just smirks smugly standing there proud of himself. "Why did you take off the ears? They look so cute," he flirted attempting to get closer to you. You stepped back, "Ew," you couldn't help but breathe out. He didn't take the rejection and instead came closer the toilet paper around his body falling to the ground.

"Jaehyun," you tried to reason. "You have a girlfriend," you said in an attempt to get him to leave you alone. He shrugged taking a final swig of his drink. He tossed it to the side. "She's not here right now. And besides, I like you," he said leaning in to kiss you. You panicked letting your body take control. You felt your arm pull back and then forward fast. You blinked and there Jaehyun was holding his nose.

"You fucking bitch," he held his nose. A few of his guys rushed to him. A few other staring as well. The music continued to bump loudly surrounding the house. People around you continued to dance, too drunk or lost in the hot feelings to turn to the scene around them. You took this as your chance to flee.

As you quickly escaped you dropped your ears down the path to exit the frat house.

You had finally made it to your apartment. Your phone constantly buzzing with messages from Karina and Wendy. A few even coming from Mark. You let the girls know you went home. You ignored Mark's messages.

You took your shoes off feeling the start of a headache form. You rubbed your temples as you further walked into your home. You made your way to the fridge searching for a water bottle. You eventually found one pulling it out and closing the door.

You took a sip feeling a chill. You didn't think much of the sudden change of temperature being just in the fridge and then drinking the cold water. Your apartment felt colder the more you walked out of the kitchen. You shuddered at the chill seeing your breath in the air as it escaped your lips.

"When did it get so cold?" you questioned out loud. It was 70 degrees outside. Yet in your apartment, it felt below 0. It makes you pay more attention to the darkness of your home. All the lights turned off, and the apartment appeared darker due to the night sky. The moonlight barely covers an inch of your place.

You walked over to your bedroom with the idea of the heater not being on. The chill still confused you but maybe it was just the course of the night making you overthink.

You took off your costume grabbing a few clothes to change into. Making your way to the shower. You turned the water on the steam rising finally giving you some sort of warmth. You are half awake and partly drunk. You didn't notice the handprint on the glass shower door.

You stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel. You rubbed your eyes. Whipping away at the mirror. You checked out your skin. Groaning at how tired you looked. Until you felt your heart jump. Shrieking in fear at the image of a man standing behind you with a smirk. You turned quickly not seeing him anymore. You turned back to the mirror whipping away at the steam and seeing nothing but yourself.

Your heart continued to race. Breathing heavily your chest quickly rose and fell. You touched your face, your other hand holding your towel over your chest trying to calm yourself down. You shook your head turning to leave once you controlled your breathing. You told yourself it was just Halloween and freaky things always happened on Halloween and that tomorrow everything would be back to normal.

You turned to leave stepping on someone's foot. You quickly looked up seeing the same man from the mirror standing tall in front of you. You gasped almost falling to your knees. You ran around him busting the bathroom door open. You scrambled making eye contact with your door. You ran over to your bed to get there quickly. However, the lock clicked on your door. You tried to yank it open. Banging on the door, furiously turning the knob and kicking the bottom.

You felt every hair on your body rise knowing your door was only locked from the inside. You tried to turn the lock but it wouldn't move. Stuck in place. The man emerged from the bathroom letting out a low deep chuckle before he stepped onto your bedroom floor.

He watched as you tried and failed to escape. He made his way to your bed holding onto the end of the frame. He crossed one leg over the other waiting for you to give up. You turned briefly feeling extremely cold again. Your eyes widened seeing him.

"Please let me go," you begged. "I won't tell anyone," you pleaded still gripping tightly onto the door knob. He chuckled shaking his head. He reached into his black jacket pulling out your mouse headband. He ticked his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

"Didn't your mother tell you that these were meant to protect you?" he asked. You were too busy fearing for your life to read between the lines of his words. You scanned your face. He closed his jacket leaning off the frame walking to lean more comfortably by your desk. He sat down in your black rowly chair.

"Protect me?" you asked chest still rising up and down. Your body is still wrapped in a towel. Water droplets fall onto the wooden floor. He dropped the ears onto the floor sliding them near you. "Everyone knows costumes hide you from us," he said a second voice appearing as he spoke smoothly morphing into one then two. A much more sinister voice than the human one he spoke with.

"Us?" you asked coming to the frightening conclusion that this person was not a person. He nodded, "Costumes on All Hallows Eve shield those from evil. It's why I couldn't touch you in that girl's bedroom. Nor could I speak to that excuse of a man at that horrible party. Is that really what you all do for fun?" he asked. You still held onto the door knob not trusting this stranger. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt you but that doesn't mean he still wasn't dangerous.

"You seem confused," he said grabbing hold of your attention. He let out a sigh crossing one leg over the other. "Wear it," he motioned to the ears. You eyed them but didn't reach for them. He huffed annoyed and growing bored with your fear. "I'm not going to hurt you. Unless that's what you're into," he smirked dark clouds swimming in his eyes.

You cautiously let your grip loosen from the door knob. Hesitantly reached for the ears. You watched him as you grabbed them. He stood still the entire time. Once you held them he raised his hand. "Put them on," he spoke softly second voice appearing again. You sucked in a breath slowly placing them on your head close your eyes for just a moment, a simple blink and he was gone.

You gasped seeing the stranger was gone. You looked around searching for him. He smiled, he was still there. You just couldn't see him. He looked over at your desk finding a notebook. He lifted it clicking a pen. He wrote the note throwing it at your feet. You had walked further into the room not realizing where you were standing. You picked up the note crumbling the paper.

"Still Here," it read. "You look so pretty in white" he teased in his note. You jumped ripping the ears off and seeing you were standing right between his spread legs.

"Those things," he motioned to the ears. "They're so annoying," he said spoke tiredly. He snapped his fingers setting the grey mouse ears on fire. Once they burned to ash the fire stopped. He waved the ash away, out of existence, before he leaned closer to you. "There you see that's much better," he said words hissing out of his mouth and slipping from his lips like poison. And you couldn't even lie. The man or whatever he was, was hot.

He noticed the change in your stare. Your pupils slowly become wide with curiosity. He allowed the curious stare and the inevitable questions to take place after.

"What are you?" you asked feeling yourself, without control, drawing closer to him. He sat back with a devilish smirk on his pink lips. He cocked a brow. "If I tell you will you scream?" he asked a flirtatious undertone in his first voice. His second voice is a whole lot more sisnter sounding. You couldn't tell which voice actually belonged to him.

You sucked in a breath. Fear clouding your thoughts again. "Maybe," you exhaled out. He scanned his eyes up and down your body. Licking his lips. You took a step back remembering you were just in a towel. You gripped onto the white cloth. Almost tripping on a small puddle of water on the floor. The water had dried from your body but still, your hair soaked the ground.

He liked seeing your hair pushed back. "Relax," he spoke calmly. He sighed out a deep breath, "I wouldn't mind if you screamed," he said dark taste on his tongue. You hushed out a shudder. You took a few more steps back. He stood from your chair pushing it in before he made his way to you. You went back to the door holding onto the knob. He hovered over you like a shadow. He leaned down to your level.

"Now to answer your question. I'd hate to keep you waiting," He opened his coat pulling out a cloth. He handed it to you. "You're sweating," he spoke quietly. Your hand shook as you reached for it. Snatching it from him and dipping your face. He smiled satisfied that you took the cloth.

"You know if it makes you feel better," he began as you ran from beside him to the bathroom. You locked the door. He walked his way over. You could see the shadow of his feet from under the door. He leaned against the side of the door, on the wall. You stood behind the door quickly taking the chance to change into your clothes.

"I can't touch you unless you say I can. Ironically, you hold all the power," he said. You could hear the cocky smile on his lips as he spoke. He kept his eyes on the door. He could feel every part of the inside of your body. Your thoughts of fleeing. You had a plan to jump through the window. But the one he danced with. That lingered with his hope you thought for a second to sit on his lap with his legs spread.

"It's a shame honestly," he sighed shifting away. His back against the wall. Head resting back. He closed his eyes for a moment with a hum. "I've been watching. I've seen that poor excuse of a boyfriend of yours attempt to please both you and that fake blonde," he said feeling a pain of jealously at the memories. You widened your eyes coming back to the door. His eyes quickly flicked to your shadow appearing. Pupils became thin as he turned himself to stare. He was winning.

"You watch me?" you asked chest rising and falling. Your heart felt like it was going to jump out of your chest. All this time some weird stalker demon was watching you. You wanted to feel sick. You wanted to cover yourself up even more. But couldn't, because deep down seeing that stranger sitting at your desk legs spread made you want to sit right in between them. He was definitely hot. And if you didn't believe the devil, well, he could make you and you'd be okay with that.

He went up to the door. Hands pressed against it. He let out a small sniff smelling your sweet scent. Carnal needs blinding his right judgment. So fresh and clean from the shower you had only moments ago. "I've seen almost everything. Today was like any other. I used to watch other pretty girls until I heard you didn't believe in me. It hurt me at first, staining my ego. But it had been so long since I connected with a human. Demons don't feel the same as humans," he confessed itching to get you out of that bathroom and anywhere he could have you in this room with your permission.

"Demons?" you questioned. He huffed now annoyed but all your stupid questions. This was pointless to him. He couldn't control himself any longer. His desire to be with the human girl he craved was eating him alive like a thousand fleas on a dog. The itch, the need strong enough to break the barrier.

"Yes love," he spoke shakey undertone. He tried to silence the second voice knowing it scared you. "We-I," he began pupils flicking from wide to paper thin. "I am a demon," he said through an exhausted breath. Like he had just run a marathon. It didn't scare you. You had a feeling this was where this was going. He burned your ears with his fingers. It did shock you. There was a demon in your room. You brought your hands to your forehead pulling back gently.

"There is a demon in my room," you whispered to yourself.

"Yes one that is very desperate to be released," he spoke losing the confidence in his voice. "Released?" you asked still freaking out. He nodded head hitting the bathroom door. You jumped at the bang. He shook his head walking away from the door. You watched his feet leave.

"I need you," he spoke through masked pleas. "That is how I was able to come through tonight. That girl who let go of the planchette. If she hadn't I wouldn't have been able to come through. But well done to you for getting her to the point of embarrassment she lost control. It shortened my plan days," he said pleased smile on his lips. The second voice screamed at him to just bust down the door. But he fought against it. He didn't come this far just to scare you into submission. He preferred a more natural way of things. Even if there was nothing natural about him.

"You've been planning this?" you asked a hint of anger in your voice.

"For a year now," he confessed. You still shocked gripped onto the counter. You stared at yourself in the mirror. You took some water splashing your face hoping the cool water would relax you. You shut your eyes letting out a breath and allowing yourself to gather your thoughts.

"You said you needed me. Why?" you asked. He looked over at the door after it had been silent for a few minutes. He could have very easily gone into the bathroom without you noticing but held against it.

"I'm a lustful demon and you are the one I crave," he spoke truthfully charming smile on his lips. Something about him just felt so inviting. You believed every word he said tonight. He spoke so openly about everything he thought and felt. It made you feel a bit better, especially after tonight. He smiled feeling you becoming more trusting of him.

"You know," he began. "With your permission, I can make you feel so much better than your boyfriend," he said calming himself and returning back to his flirtatious nature. You looked up at the door. He walked closer to the door. You could feel his presence inches away from yours. You stepped closer. You trusted his words. It might have been foolish to put such faith in a demon but his wants seemed real.

"What's your name?" you asked.

"Jaemin," he said. Not expecting the door to open he held his head down small smile on his lips. But when the bathroom light became brighter he looked up at you. You felt your chest shudder as you let out a breath.

"Jaemin," you whispered like his name was a beautiful curse.

"I give you permission to touch me," you hushed. He smirked eyes turning completely black. You had no time to react. In a blink, he hovered over you eager hands reaching up to touch you. You flinched at his cool touch. He brought his hand back not wanting to hurt you. You looked into his eyes for the first time tonight. The black faded from his iris turning into a deep brown.

You felt yourself get lost in the dark swirls of his eyes. Taking small steps to close the gap between you and kiss the demon. He kissed your back hand reaching behind your neck. Gripping onto your hot skin pulling you closer to his frame. "I've waited so long for this," he said like a starved man. His mouth fit with yours. Moving in a passionate rhythm.

He pulled away from you. Your eyes still fluttered closed. Lashes dusting your cheeks. You slowly blinked them open. Jaemin already keeping his eyes intensely focused on you. He sucked in a breath. He could feel the heat rise in your body with just a single touch from his hand.

"Now that I've been able to kiss you once I don't think I'll be able to stop, love," he rasped lips burning from yours. His chin was a bright pink. You couldn't pull away from him. Every part of him was so inviting. The danger of this no longer worried you. It thrilled you in ways that terrified you but also excited you.

"So then don't stop," you hushed eyes flicking from his eyes to his lips and then back to his eyes. He growled pulling you back in lips engulfing yours. Tongue swiping your bottom lip. His hands slid down your back side grabbing a hand full of your ass. He groaned into the kiss tapping the back of your thigh. You jump hands still wrapped in the locks of his black hair.

Wrapping your legs around his waist he pushed you up against the wall. Your back hit the wall hard. So hard you released from the kiss. Head hitting the wood. It didn't hurt. You let out a yelp of surprise opening your mouth again a small giggle leaving your lips. With your neck exposed he took this as a chance to attack the softness of your skin. Licking and biting parts of your neck.

"Sure you're not a vampire?" you teased. He rolled his eyes scrunching his nose in disgust. "Filthy bloodsuckers," he hissed. He licked his way down to the outline of your breasts just poking out of your tank top. "I prefer to use my mouth to taste other parts of the human body," He sucked just under your collarbone. Freehand that wasn't holding you up reaching up to your top. Greedy hand grabbing hold of the thin fabric. Tearing it off your body. He through the poor excuse for a shirt far off.

Hands wrapping around his neck. Fingers grazing the hair on his skin. He growled at the sounds you made. Mouth meeting yours swallowing all your sounds. He yanked you from off the wall.

"Love," he spoke as he laid you on the bed. "Do you know how agonizing it is to see you here almost every night," he began kissing his way down your chest. Unclipping your bra and tossing it with your shirt. Your hands kept on his shoulders pushing him down. "Watching you try to please yourself and fail. All because of that boy what was his name again?" he thought to pause. He quickly went back addicted to the scent of the wetness forming between your legs.

"It doesn't matter. By tonight I will be the only one you call for," he said carnivorous gaze as stared from below you. His hands came to the string of your shorts. Undoing the knot you created. You watched from above a part of you still trying to make sense of this. But the more you tried erotic images of Jaemin fucking you over your table or completely devouring you in the shower appeared in your mind. So vivid and felt so real it haunted your mind.

Jaemin pulled your shorts down removing them from your ankles. Licking his lips. His tongue formed two. Hot look in his eyes as his pupils thinned. The change was something you barely noticed. To lost in bliss to fear him. To remember how badly he was corrupting your mind, body, and soul.

He licked a stripe up your clothed pussy. You shuddered at the contain. Laying his tongue flat on your soaked clit. He brought his other hand up to spread your thighs further apart. The need to close them feeling so exposed to the demon. You closed them on his head. He spread apart again.

"Stay open for us baby," he spoke second sinful voice appearing. You tried your best too. But Jaemin's tongue so hot and heavy made it impossible. So he waved his fingers two long black vines appearing from under your bed tying around each of your ankles. You widened your eyes but didn't fight against them. They held you open for him. He stood back admiring your body so angelic, divine.

"God created you with love," he complimented. He removed his jacket allowing it to fall to the ground. Rolling up the sleeves of his black blouse and undoing the first few buttons. He fell to his knees shaking his head a bit but unsuccessful in sending in the other voice away. Eyes switch between both patience and animalism. The need to protect you and ruin you.

You watched his eyes change fighting with the demon inside him. Siting up as much as you could fascinated by the sight. Head coming between your legs looking up at you with wide pupils. He didn't want you to see him so monstrous. He kissed the side of your plush thighs. Humming at the warmth of your skin. Leaving a few bite marks. Sucking on the burning skin he bit when you whinced.

He pulled your panties off unable to control the change in his eyes. Dark orbs took control as he lunged forward engulfing your pussy like you were the forbidden fruit he carved so desperately. Long fingers grazing up your thigh. Slithering like a snake as they reached your core. Spreading your folds making it easier for him to collect all your sweet juice in his mouth. Bringing his hand to tease your hole. Swirling around in circles with his index finger. His mouth returned to your erect clit.

Your head fell back in pure ecstasy. Letting out a loud moan as he sucked so well on your clit. Grazing his teeth over the bundle of nerves causing your body to twist and turn. Back arching off the mattress. Jaemin took it upon himself to wave his finger again. Finding the teddy bear Mark once gave you placing it underneath your neck so you'd be more comfortable as he devoured you from below.

Your hand reached down to his shoulder gripping onto it. Fingers finding their way under his black silk blouse. Nails digging into his skin. Dragging them forward to his hair. He groaned into your aching pussy sending a vibration throughout your entire body. Hand trailing through his hair. Grabbing hold tugging at his locks. "Fuck," you cursed rutting your hips forward nose bumping into your clit. Jaemin continued his assault groaning as you road his face. Juice sweeping from down his chin, down his finger that he stuck inside you, and down the mattress.

"You do so well loved. Tell me I'm the only one who can make you feel this way," he spoke darkly hunger in his voice. You could barely form a thought let alone speak. You could only respond with a moan. Jaemin unsatisfied slowed his movements. You whined but he shushed you. He made his way up your body. The coolness of his skin on yours. You opened your eyes feeling his exposed body on top of yours. Cock poking your inner thigh. When he gets undressed you thought.

He smirked finally when your eyes met his. Two of his fingers slowly pump into you. Your lips parted letting out small whines and protest to his slow movements. "Please," you begged. Jaemin nodded moving a hair from your face. "Soon love but just tell me it's only me," he said a simple smile on his lips but a sinful look in his eyes. You gulped the coolness of his body relaxing the heat of yours.

"Only you can make me feel this way Jaemin," you said through pants. He smiled proud of you. He placed a chaste kiss on your lips. He nodded hands sensually roaming around your body. "Good girl," he said voice dropping a thousand octaves. You whined as he removed his fingers.

"It's okay love," he said aligning his dick at your entrance. Tip leaking precum down your inner thigh. Poking at your entrance and running his cock up and down your slit collecting your juice and coaxing himself in it. "I'll take care of you," he spoke watching as his cock pushed through your tight hole. You gripped onto his beefy arm. Feeling the firmness of his muscles. Eyeing his strong frame. Body carved out by a God. You drooled at the sight of him. Pushing his dick deep inside you. Plevis brushing against your clit. His body flexed as he pushed further inside you.

Your wetness flooded out of you and onto his cock making it easier for him to slip in. He began to move not giving you much time to adjust. Fucking into slow finding a rhythm. Once he heard the sound of your moans he picked up his past. Thrusting into your hard hands gripping onto your waist. You kept your hands on the strength of his arms. You moaned loudly his fist coming to either side of your head and drilling into you.

"Please Jaemin," you choked on your moan. Throat pinching as his hips met yours. He growled lost in his own pleasure. Waving his hand to rid of the vines. They slithered away under the bed. Taking his strong hands he flipped you over. Pushing your head into the mattress. Spreading your legs with his knee. Bringing his cock to your red hole. Pushing into your velvet walls fucking into you hard.

"Fuck baby it's like your pussy was made for me," he growled head falling back incomplete Heaven. His hand reaches around to your neck pulling you back. Laying your back against his chest. Hand wrapping around your neck as he pounded from behind. Your head fell back, neck exposed as you rested on his shoulder. He moved some of your hair to the side biting down on your neck. Groaning into your skin. Intoxicating your entire body with sin.

"Fuck Jaemin more," you groaned. Letting out a loud cry when his free hand made his way to your clit. He had you like this for a moment. Feeling you tighten around him he flipped you back around laying you flat. He needed to see your face when you came. You an earthy moan as he fucked into fast still drawing quick circles around your clit.

"Jaemin i'm close," you moaned. He gritted his teeth bringing his hands to your ass. Spreading you opened more and lifting you a bit just to fuck deeper. Graxing over your sweet spot inside you sending you over the edge. Creaming all over his dick. Your release oozes out of you and down his shaft. He let out a deep growl at the sight. Eyes turning completely black. Horns form out of the top of his head. Everything surrounding the two of you lifting. You squeezed tightly around him. To overstimulate to pay attention to the room.

"Fuck baby," he groaned head falling back. "You're all mine. All fucking mine," a predatory growl leaving his lips. As if by painting your insides white he was marking you as his own. So close to climax he pounded harder bringing you to your second climax. Feeling you release again sent him into a spiral. Cumming hard inside you. Hot release squirting inside and outside your pussy. Both yours and his cum mix.

His chest rose up and down. Both of you heaving. He stood like that for a moment before pulling out. He stepped towards his clothes. You sat up seeing the redness around your ankles. You rubbed them wincing a bit. You looked over at you fixing his slacks. "Apologizes love. Sometimes I can be a bit rough," he said walking to your bathroom. You nodded and he stepped inside. After a moment he returned the warm cloth in his hand. Cleaning you up.

He noticed a spot he missed. Leaning instead and licking it clean just inches away from your clit. You shuddered sending him a cautious look. You stood up as well. Walking to your closet and changing your clothes. When you returned he was fully dressed.

"Where are you going?" you asked. He sighed, "Halloween ends in five minutes. I have to go back. I have work to do," he said.

"Work?" you asked. He shook his head. "So many questions," he began as he stepped towards you. "Don't miss me. I'll always be here, watching or in your dreams," he said placing a kiss on your forehead. And if you really want to contact me you can always use the board," he finished. You sighed rolling your eyes and arms crossed over your chest.

He took a step forward unable to resist. Shutting his eyes and placing a kiss on your lips. "And baby," he trailed. "Yes?" you asked eyes locked with his. Loving gaze shifting to something much more sinister.

"If he asks you tell him the Devil made you do it," he spoke poisonous smirk on his lips. A dark chuckle left his lips. Delish smile wide on his pink lips. You blinked and he was gone. Shocked by the sudden realization that he was not a demon but the devil himself every hair on my body rose.

But you hoped God could forgive you for being even more attracted to him than you were before. Being that you were the girl who brought the devil to his knees.

Fin

OMG, I felt such a need to make this. You don't even understand. You guys how do we feel about Devil Jaemin? I love it. This was my Halloween treat. I love Halloween so I had to do this.

Also,

would you like a part 2? I can see this having one.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please share and vote also don't forget reblogging is welcomed.

Happy Halloween.

See you soon ;)

[alaydabug2]

Tag list: @sparklenarniawizard @imobsessed123 @nowjumpinthewater @ilikebookssomuch

Broken heart/Broken mind

Chapter Seventy-four

(Human AU)

Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay.

As the years pass, they wind up being in the same classroom together due to their physical conditions. This makes their bond deepen.

But are they able to handle when life gets tough, throwing problems and complications their way?

(Tweltfth grade)

"Just one more year, and we can get out of this prison," Marella mumbled, dropping her bag beside her desk.

"Or you could just skip class like I do," Keefe said, joining the science lab table.

Sophie sighed. "How do you have all honors classes.

He shrugged. "To be fair, I don't know either." He let out a laugh. "I barely even pay attention to the teacher. I just wing it on the tests."

Marella glared. "Ok, that's not even fair. I have to study my butt off to be in this class."

Dex took the last seat at the table. "You look rough," he commented.

"Yeah, well," Marella spat, "I've been surviving of energy drinks all summer. School had to come make me actually have a circadian rhythm. Not happy about it."

He held his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok. Jeez, I can tell."

She shot him the finger. Before he could retort, the teacher came in to introduce herself. Sophie pulled out her notebook to write down the information that she needed.

At the end of the day, Sophie went to the administrator's office. She paid her class dues and claimed her parking spot.

She located it in the parking lot. As a senior, she was able to paint her parking spot this year. She figured she'd paint her's as a black swan.

She jumped a little when unexpected arms wrapped around her from behind. She eased when she realized it was just Keefe. He nuzzled the top of her hair, making her giggle.

She turned around to greet him. He tightened his hold on her waist and leaned down to kiss her. Sophie tilted up on her tip toes and circled her arms around his neck. He lifted her up a couple of inches of the ground. That made her squeal a little bit.

When she was let down, she told him, "You should come to Lowe's with me. I'm going to get the stuff to paint my parking lot."

He grinned. "I'd love to. What are you going to paint."

"A black swan. You?"

"I'm thinking of doing the house from Up."

"Ooh, that sounds cool!"

With that, they went to get the paint from the store. Them and their friends decided to wait until Saturday to do it together.

Saturday came, and they all gathered together at the school. Sophie was currently struggling to get the basic silhouette of the swan. Maybe if she sweet talked Keefe.

"Hey, do you think you could help me, Bub," she asked in a sing-song voice.

He snorted. "Sure."

He took the paint brush from her, carefully making an outline of the swan. She kissed his cheek when he gave the brush back.

Sophie glanced at what he was doing she gasped when she saw his drawing. It was extremely detailed. Still, Keefe was looking funny at it.

"That's really good," she told him.

"It's missing something, though," he mumbled.

"The balloons?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, but I want to do something different for them," he pondered. His face lit up. He passed Sophie a paint brush. "Here, pick a color and paint your hand."

Sophie picked the red up and did what she was asked. When she was finished, Keefe pressed her hand onto the pavement. He grinned when she lifted it up, revealing a handprint.

"Yesss! Here, sign your name on it." He turned around. "Hey guys, come over here. I want you to do something."

When everyone finished their hand prints, he drew the strings to attach them to the hand. They smiled at their work.

[fictionadventurer]

2024 Victober Wrap-Up

I spent October almost exclusively reading Victorian works. Mostly short stories and novellas, a couple of novels, one play. I even read several things I had planned to read (with several more surprise impulse reads).

The Rector by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Premise: The first short story in the Carlingford Chronicles. After fifteen years as a fellow at a university, a man takes on his first assignment as a parish priest, and learns he may not be as prepared for the work as he thought. My Thoughts: The beginning was rough, but as soon as the rector comes on the scene, it becomes surprisingly lovely. It reminds me just a bit of Elizabeth Goudge in how compassionately it explores the spiritual journey of a middle-aged man struggling to discover his true vocation.

The Executor by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Premise: The second short story in the Carlingford Chronicles, about man who becomes executor of a will that deprives a poor family of the inheritance they'd expected. My Thoughts: It's pretty dry and forgettable, though there are a couple sweet moments of the romance. Mostly useful as backstory for the next book.

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

Premise: A woman threatens to destroy the career of a morally-upright politician by revealing a secret about his past. My Thoughts: This play is about politics and a moral dilemma. Of course I loved it. I was surprised at how earnest (pun not intended) Wilde sometimes was about the material, while still throwing in a lot of characteristic humor.

The Doctor's Family by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Premise: Third story in the Carlingford Chronicles series. A novella about a doctor whose drunken brother returns from Australia trailed by his wife, children, and the wife's take-charge sister, whose devotion to the family interferes with her blossoming romance with the doctor. My Thoughts: Nettie is a fun character, but the story is so repetitive, with the same stupid obstacles coming up over and over, that it got very frustrating. The doctor did not deserve her.

The Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Premise: A practical country doctor falls in love with a dreamy young girl whose expectations about life are shaped by the novels she reads. My Thoughts: I read the first few chapters, and I still love Braddon's style and her characters (especially the one who's a sensation novelist!) but I just couldn't motivate myself to keep going with it when there were so many other books fighting for my attention. I do plan to finish it.

A Dark Night's Work by Elizabeth Gaskell

Premise: It's a novella by Elizabeth Gaskell. What more do you need to know? My Thoughts: I wish I'd gone into this story blind, because knowing the twist that drives the story made the beginning much more stressful than it should have been. I really struggled through the first part of the story, but after about the halfway point, things started coming together, and I was riveted. I loved the characters (or loved to hate them). This features another of Gaskell's heavily flawed but loving fathers plus some sweet love stories and deliciously thorny plot twists. Not my favorite Gaskell, but a good read.

The Making of a Marchioness (alternately, Emily Fox-Seton) by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Premise: A penniless upper-class woman who has resigned herself to a life of singleness unexpectedly attracts the attention of a widower with a title. My Thoughts: In a month where I was feeling not-very-cheerful, the cheerful Emily was such a delight. Burnett always has such a wonderful blend of the romantic and the practical--the world can be beautiful and wondrous, but also has its sorrows and mundane concerns. Emily's situation is explored with a depth that means the story never feels like fluffy wish-fulfillment. The presentation of the Indian characters is very exoticized (even as the characters themselves are actively trying not to be racist) and melodrama gets just a bit over-the-top, but overall it was a sweet little book that makes me want to seek out some of Burnett's other adult novels.

A House to Let by Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Ann Proctor

Premise: An elderly spinster moves to London and becomes desperate to learn why a house across the street never gets rented out. The framing story is written by Collins and Dickens, with short stories by Gaskell and Dickens and poems by Proctor inserted in between. My Thoughts: The framing story gives us one of Collins' delightfully vivid first-person narrators. Gaskell's story, "A Manchester Marriage", is far and away the best short story I've read by her, featuring excellent characters, a sweet love story, a heartwarming story about caring for a disabled child, a tragic twist, and one of the funniest proposal scenes I've ever read; this is now one of my favorite Gaskell stories and a highlight of my month. The Dickens story is kind of amusing in its weirdness, but not something I'd ever need to read again. The poems by Proctor were...there. The mini stories don't blend in well with the wider narrative, and the ending doesn't live up to my hopes for the beginning. Overall, a three-star (sometimes two-star) read with a five-star story by Gaskell.

Enoch Arden by Alfred Tennyson

Premise: A blank-verse story about a woman who marries a sailor and the troubles that result. My Thoughts: After I found an old pamphlet version of this poem sitting in a collection of handouts in a church, I just had go to my car and read the poem online. It's surprisingly readable, and a good story, but sad. (I still have no idea why it was in a church display).

Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy

Premise: A young Jewish man returns to London after a trip abroad and must choose between a burgeoning political career and his love for a poor woman. My Thoughts: This short book cemented Amy Levy as one of my favorite Victorian authors. While I was struggling through the wordy style of two of the later books on this list, her breezy, underwritten style was such a delight. She portrays family relationships with so much warmth and wit, and her style sometimes leaves me marveling at how she writes scenes exactly the way I would have written them. Judith was a marvelous character--I loved her family situation, her romance troubles, the internal journey she goes on. The religious element was surprisingly relatable, because it turns out this book isn't about Jewishness specifically (though there's a lot of cultural stuff in the first half of the book), but about secularism vs. tradition, and how cultures and people fail when they worship success and ignore intangibles. I've been thinking about certain scenes (the ballroom scene! the scene with her father! the callback at the ending!) ever since I finished. When I read these obscure old books, I almost never walk away thinking it deserves to be a classic. This deserves to be a classic.

A Struggle for Fame by Charlotte Riddell

Premise: Follows the different careers of a young man and young woman who leave Ireland to try to make it as writers in 1850s London. My Thoughts: A struggle to read. I loved the characters, the story, and the lovely descriptive passages. I was fascinated by the exploration of the Irish experience in England, and all the info about the Victorian publishing industry. But the writing style was so indirect that I was mentally diagramming sentences just to figure out what Riddell was saying half the time. The kind of book that I liked better when I wasn't reading it than when I was. Glad to have pushed through and finished it--the two stories came together in a lovely way.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Premise: A scientist builds a time machine and travels to a far future where humanity has massively changed. My Thoughts: Wells' ideas about human nature and how humanity will evolve are complete nonsense from a Christian perspective, of course, but as a story, I thought this was pretty good. Very imaginative and engaging, with some excellent sense-of-wonder scenes. Having mostly consumed time travel stories that take a fantasy approach, it was fun to see the characters discussing the concept scientifically. The maybe-romance weirded me out, but it made for a final line that almost made me cry from how beautiful it was.

No Name by Wilkie Collins

Premise: After their parents die, two sisters learn they have no legal right to their inheritance, and one sister plots to get it back. My Thoughts: The first section might be my favorite thing I've read by Collins. It's such a warm, loving domestic atmosphere with complex and sympathetic characters and one of the best sister relationships I've read. After the two sisters separate, it got less compelling. The narration distances us from the main character's POV, the writing style becomes ridiculously wordy (where he could say, for example, "she opened a window", he'll explain how she walked to the window, looked outside, considered opening it, walked away, walked back, put her hand on the sill, lifted the sash, etc.), and the villains are unpleasant to spend time with. But there are also some very fun characters, and I do love a good con, so I kept pushing through. The final section returned to that domestic atmosphere I loved from the first section, and it tied together so well that I am very fond of the book as a whole. There's something special about a sensation novel that gets you thinking, not about how contrived the author's plot twists are, but about the beauty of God's providence.

[exdraghunt]

TF One re-write

Okay so, I didn't like TF One. But I think it had a lot of potential. So how would I have altered the story to make it better? Let me dump my thoughts onto the page for 3,700 words.

The scene opens with a desolate alien landscape. Rotting buildings, shifting metal shapes, dangerous and lonely. The camera pans down below ground to a fantastical underground city, full of shining buildings and alien robots on wheels, in the sky, and on foot. We pan to a building labelled “Archives!” with a sign stating “Intellectual Class only!” Around the side, a scruffy figure is climbing in through a vent to access a dim storage room.

Taking a stack of files, Orion plugs one into a display. It malfunctions, alerting a guard drone, but he manages to get it working. A history file, it explains how Primus became the planet Cybertron and created the great 13 Primes to rule the planet while he slept. The Matrix of Leadership was held by the Primes, only able to be wielded by true leaders with the purest of sparks. As long as the Matrix is held by a Prime, energon flows freely across the surface of Cybertron, the lifeblood and fuel of its children. But then the Quintessons came to enslave the Cybertronian race, and the Primes rose up against them. 12 of them fell. Solus, Alchemist, Quintus, Alpha Trion, Vector, Micronus, Nexus, Amalgamous, Quintus, Liege Maximo, even the great Prima, were lost to the oppressors. Only Sentinel Prime, the last Prime, was able to scrape victory from defeat, driving away the Quintesson threat. But the Matrix was lost, and energon stopped flowing. In his wisdom, Sentinel had the computer Vector Sigma create the cogless Mining caste, to make sure that energon could still be provided to the people of Cybertron, and implemented a caste system to make sure that energon is distributed in a way fair to all.

Orion is frustrated. If they could only find the Matrix, all would be well again. Everyone could be equal, with plenty of fuel for all. Unfortunately, archival guards find him. A chase ensues, the camera follows Orion and his pursuers across the gilded city, past richly decorated high-class bots, through a lower class district of lower caste mecha, and finally to the entrance to the deep mines. A silver miner, D-16, covers for Orion until the guards leave, and inquires if his friend learned anything. Orion admits he didn’t discover anything new about the Matrix, but re-emphasizes that if the Matrix could just be found, and given to Sentinel Prime, everything would be well again. D-16 chastises Orion for risking his aft on a dumb chase. The Matrix is a fairy-tale, nothing will change until the lower castes can prove they are worth something. Only they will be able to change their own fates.

Deep in the mines, dimly lit, we see where the miners live. In racks, closely spaced, with no privacy or space of their own. They report to work, Orion and D-16 running to ensure they aren’t late. Their supervisor, Elite-1, chastises them for running behind, and sternly tells them she won’t take the fall for their fuckups. They head into the latest adit, marching into the darkness. Tools flash as they begin to dig into the rough metal of deep Cybertron, searching for glimmers of raw energon ore.

One miner (Wheeljack) notes an unusually strong energon signature, and the miners become excited that they might break quota for the day. Elita is especially excited. If they can exceed their quote, she might be rewarded. Even, moved up a caste if they work hard enough.

The vein is unstable, however, and the adit begins to dangerously collapse. Everyone begins to evacuate, with Elita barking orders over the comm. Jazz stumbles, and falling ore traps his leg. Orion immediately stops and begins trying to free his companion. Elita commands him to evac, but he refuses. Even if he dies, risking his life would be worth it if he can save even one more. D-16 turns back, and with his assistance, Jazz is freed and the three escape. (Barely). Elita is blamed for the collapse, and knocked down to garbage duty. Furious, she is dragged off.

Jazz lost his leg and the supervisors decide he’s not worth the extra parts to have it replaced. Orion and D-16 protest. Orion tries to appeal to their better nature, not to sentence their fellow Cybertronian to an unpleasant death for lack of function. D-16 is accusatory, that the upper classes don’t give a slag about the cogless even though replacement legs aren’t that expensive.

Orion proposes breaking into medical storage that night, to steal parts for Jazz. D-16 goes along, and the two manage to get the replacement but not without being caught due to a blunder on Orion’s part. Jazz thanks them profusely for the effort, even as the two are sentenced to half-rations and double-shifts. D-16 grumbles at Orion for messing up their plan.

The next day, a public announcement is made by Sentinel Prime. The highest castes see him in person, everyone else by vidscreen. Everyone kowtows before him, giving a ritual greeting before listening to his message. Sentinel has been to the surface, making the dangerous journey to search for Quintesson patrols and signs of other Cybertronians. He sadly claims that the other former cities of Cybertron show no signs of life with the exception of Tarn, where the planetary defenses are and thus where much of their energon goes, and the Matrix is still missing, but he did fight off a Quintesson warship and their people are free for another day. The next day will be a city-wide holiday, during which a great Primal contest will be held. All castes are invited to watch, while only racing-class, intellectual-class, and class-exempt mecha may compete.

Orion is excited for the contest, D-16 accusatory. The contest is just a way for the noble-classes to show off, why enjoy it? Orion counters that they shouldn’t watch it, they should enter it. If they compete, they can show people that the cogless are worth something. Even if they don’t win. And if they do win, they can be reclassified alt-mode exempt. Do whatever they want, perform whatever job they please, enter any building in the city.

D-16 complains that, as they don't have alt-modes, they can't become "alt mod exempt" but Orion protests that the rules apply to everyone. The nobles can't just deny them this because they're miners. Besides, then they can speak to Sentinel Prime himself to ask for better treatment and medical help for their caste. D-16 can’t help but agree, it’s a crazy idea. But just maybe, it could work.

The competition is a mixture of intellectual puzzles, fighting, sharpshooting, and racing. It is meant to show that the Cybertronian people can fight the Quintesson threat, now made into a festival. D-16 and Orion crash the starting line and starts working their way through the crazy obstacle course. They struggle, but by working together and combining their respective skills, they manage to keep going. Orion excels in problem solving, D-16 in fighting. We see flashbacks of them using those respective skills in the mines. There is a snafu at the shooting stage, as neither can transform, neither has in-built weaponry. But D-16 comes up with a mining laser and scores a smoking bullseye. They run on to the race.

Now, they can’t help but fall behind. They are on pede, with no wheels or wings. They hop across other racers, gaining their ire and making several racers change their focus from winning to killing the miners. Using this against them, D-16 and Orion manage to continue to gain ground, taking out several racers in the process. But when Orion is injured, D-16 turns to help him, and the other racers roar past to the finish. Orion and D-16 DNF.

In the medical wing, the two bicker, only to be silenced when Sentinel Prime comes to see them. Orion immediately kowtows, awed by the sight of their god. D-16 grumbles a little, but half-heartedly follows his friend’s lead. Sentinel compliments their efforts, and says they’ve inspired their fellow miners to work even harder than before. Orion attempts to make a plea to better the conditions for his caste, but is brushed off. Sentinel leaves, and the two grumble in frustration. Then, one of the racers they sabotaged earlier bursts in and grabs the pair, dumping them down the nearest garbage chute to the great smelters beneath the city.

Popping out of the chute many stories down, D-16 and Orion are greeted by a little yellow bot who introduces himself as B127, or just B. He’s been sentenced to garbage duty, sorting trash for possible valuables, due to his incessant talking pissing off his supervisors. B is excited to show off his collection to the first new mecha he’s seen in ages. He’s spent much of his time pulling interesting junk from the conveyor, and is able to point out random crap as actually being antiques of dubious usability. B127 appears to know a lot about ancient history, more than even Orion, who questions where he's learned this. B reveals that someone has been dumping archival items into the garbage chutes, some of which he saves. One item he shows is a vidmessage, which briefly shows an incredibly fuzzy clip of Alpha Trion before the image breaks. B says it’s the only person he’s been able to talk to in ages.

Fascinated by the image of one of the Great Primes, Orion takes the vidmessage and is able to coax it into showing it’s entire message. It’s an SOS, sent out to the Primesguard in the moments before the Primes fell. A set of coordinates is included. Orion gasps. The coordinates aren’t far from Iacon and, just perhaps, where the Primes fell is where the Matrix fell too.

D-16 is skeptical at going to the surface to quest for a quasi-mythical item, but as usual, Orion is persuasive and convinces D-16 with images of a better life and better Cybertron. B is happy to go along, eager to escape the underlevels.

The trio make it to a first-level train station, where trains are being loaded. One of trash, headed to underlevels, one of energon, headed to the surface for Tarn. While sneaking into the surface train, Elita, loading garbage onto the trash train, follows them with the intent of catching the interlopers and turning them in. She gets trapped in the train alongside them, however, and ends up on the surface with the trio. Once again, Orion is persuasive, explaining their quest, and Elita, with no way of returning below once they are tossed from the train, reluctantly joins.

As they dodge the shifting, seemingly malicious landscape, a Quintesson warship decends and they flee into ruins to escape it. It is quipped “Where’s Sentinel Prime when you need him?” and they also wonder why the planetary defenses aren’t doing anything about the ship. They send a brief prayer to the Primes for their deliverance before continuing on.

Locating the coordinates of the message, they discover the cave containing the bodies of the Primes. Walking through the space, they name every one of the deactivated frames. Until they find a Prime they do not recognize, with a strange mask for a face. Why are there 13 bodies in the cave? Sentinel Prime is still alive, there should only be 12 dead primes. But no, there are 13.

It is realized that Alpha Trion’s spark is still slowly spinning, and he is reactivated. He explains that Sentinel is no Prime, he was, in fact, the head of the Primesguard in charge of fighting the Quintesson threat alongside the Primes. He lured the 13 to this cavern, to a Quintesson ambush. The mystery Prime, Megatronus, threw himself into battle to try and protect his fellow Primes, but all fell. Megatronus last, cursing Sentinel with his last breath. D-16 shares a significant camera frame with the offline frame of Megatronus, as he wonders over the Prime who fought so bravely, and snarled so harshly, before Sentinel erased his name from history.

It is revealed that all Cybertronians are born with transformation cogs, thus, the “cogless” class must have had theirs removed. Orion expresses disbelief, Sentinel created their people specifically to mine and they don’t need cogs for that. Every form has a function. Every Cybertronian is a cog in the machine.

Alpha Trion scoffs. No one is born into a function or task. They are Transformers, free to choose their own path. If Sentinel called them, he had their cogs ripped from their newborn bodies. Mining isn’t a destined job, as with the Matrix, energon flows free for all. But the Matrix dissolved in Sentinel’s hands when he ripped it from Prima’s chest, unwilling to be in the hands of a false Prime.  

Orion is in disbelief, shaken that they’ve been ruled by a false Prime and such an atrocity has been committed. D-16 is furious, and claims that he will kill Sentinel for this. There is protest from Elita and B, he calls them naive, just like Orion, for thinking they can just talk to Sentinel to fix all of Cybertron’s woes.

Alpha Trion gives cogs to the four. Prima, to Orion. Solus, to Elita. Micronus, to B. Liego Maximo, to D-16. He tells them the Primesguard may still be out there, they may be able to help. But then, the cave shakes. Outside, there is a Quintesson ship descending from the clouds. There’s a train on the surface, accompanied by Sentinel and his retinue. They expect to see a fight, but instead. The ship unloads Quintesson troopers, who begin to remove the supplies from the train. Energon, but also transformation cogs. Their transformation cogs. A high-caste Quint, with the rotating, changing faces, comes down to speak with Sentinel. The false Prime attempts to be haughty, but is put into his place and forced to grovel. The Quints are dissatisfied with the amount of energon provided, and the t-cogs are not enough to fuel their experiments. They demand more of both. Sentinel complains that if the Quints would just take care of the damn traitors on the surface that keep raiding the trains, they wouldn’t have this problem, but the Quints won’t hear of it.

The four main characters are furious, and as the Quintessons leave, make a noise which attracts the attention of Sentinel’s guards. A fight and chase ensues. Alpha Trion is captured. The main cast transforms for the first time, and discovers they have in-built weapons. It’s hard to tell if they manage to kill any of Sentinel’s guards, or just wound them, but B is shaken by the thought he may have killed someone. D-16 snorts. Don’t feel bad, it was kill or be killed. You or him. Orion is more sympathetic, and tells B it’ll be okay. The four think they’re homefree, before being ambushed by unseen assailants and going into darkness.

Upon Awakening, they are in a darkly lit space full of vintage flight-frames. Clearly, these are the bandits that have been raiding the energon trains. B looks around and realizes who they are. Seekers. The former Primesguard.

Starscream sits on his throne before them, two unfamiliar mecha at his side. The 13 never respected their guards, going off on their own to fight Quints while leaving their guards to pick up the pieces behind them. Sentinel coerced their help in the betrayal (though they did not know the 13 would be killed), before casting them out as well rather than listen to them. He replaced his entire guard with sparkless drones who can never voice a dissenting opinion, save for his vizier Airachnid. Starscream thinks all Primes are liars and idiots, with no faith in any. Especially not the false Prime, Sentinel.

It is questioned who the other two mecha are. Shockwave, a scientist who realized that the energon supplies were not going to another settlement on Cybertron. Empurata’d and cast out for speaking out against Sentinel. Soundwave, an outlier cast out for protesting Functionism. There are others in the crowd, in the dark. Other Empuratas, other seekers, other outliers. The caste-less, the banished. The furious, and ready to burn down all of Cybertron.

D-16 is clearly enamored with this idea, even as Orion, B, and Elita are disturbed with the idea of violent revolution. D-16 stands, and claims that he will join them. No, he will lead them, because D-16 will follow another’s orders no more.

Starscream scoffs, that some young punk can think to order him, Starscream, around. A fight ensues, vicious and cruel. Insults are thrown. Orion begs D-16 to stop, but is shoved out of the way. D-16 has something to prove. Starscream realizes that this mech might just be the revolutionary they need, and encourages D-16 to be more violent, more vicious. He must shed any semblance of mercy to lead this rag-tag band of outlaws and former military.

An uneasy night is spent in the outlaw camp. D-16 is up late into the night, speaking with Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave, making plans. Orion attempts to stay, but can’t handle what they’re talking about, and sneaks up to the surface to see the stars for the first time in his life. B and Elita follow. Orion admits he feels like he’s failed as a friend, failed D-16. Failed his best friend. What can he do now? His every attempt to fix things has just ruined them further.

B protests quietly that Orion is not a bad friend. He is, in fact, the first friend that B has had in his life. Him not being able to save D-16 from his character arc does not make him a failure.

The emotional moment ends when there are lights in the sky. Prime drones descend, having picked up the trio’s spark signatures. Another fight, with D-16 accusing them of exposing their position by leaving the safety of the underground base. But then, he is captured, along with B and many of the outlaws.

Orion escapes along with Elita, but is crushed. Two of their friends are gone, they’re wanted criminals, and they have no proof of anything they’ve seen. How will they ever get the Cybertronian people to see the truth?

D-16 and the others captured are in Sentinel’s palace. He mocks them. D-16 refuses to kneel, and talks back to Sentinel. The false Prime is surprised, and comments that it’s been a long time since anyone dared stand up to him. D-16 brings up Megatronus Prime, and what Sentinel did to him. Sentinel laughs, and reveals that he took Megatronus’ cog for his own, just as a last fuck you. D-16 snarls and threatens revenge, Sentinel is like “If you love Megatronus so much, let me give you something to remember him for” and carves the Prime’s sigil into D-16’s chest.

Orion goes back into the mines, to tell the miners what he’s discovered and convince his former caste-mates to join him in rising against the Prime. They’re skeptical, but Jazz vouches for him. Remembering Orion risking his life to save him, and then again to have him repaired. Orion has done more for the miners than the Prime ever has. They agree to be his army.

Elita has gotten the remainder of the outlaws on her side, and they crash Sentinel’s party. More fighting, with the people of Iacon watching in horror at the ‘traitors’ attacking their Prime.

Soundwave manages to get a video recording of Sentinel’s bragging, and is able to hijack the Iaconian broadcasting system. The people of Iacon reel in confusion, unsure if they’re seeing the truth or lies.

As the miners and the outlaws fight off the seemingly endless army of Primedrones, the main fight spills onto a central plaza. In front of a statue of the 13 Primes holding up the Matrix. As D-16 seeks to murder Sentinel as painfully as possible, Orion is pleading with him to stop the violence and killing. Sentinel killed the 13, how does killing him make D-16 any better? He should live, so that he can be jailed, but D-16 disagrees. The false god needs death.

D-16’s death shot is blocked by Orion, devastating his body and sending him over the edge of a deep pit. D-16 lunges, and attempts to catch Orion’s hand. But his friend slips from his grasp, falling into the bottomless chasm. D-16 stands and mourns for a moment, before his fury reasserts himself. He shifts the blame for Orion’s death onto Sentinel. Sentinel is why his friend is dead, is why Cybertron is a pithole, why the Quintessons have not been chased off, as claimed, but are actually ruling the planet with Sentinel as their puppet. Taking their energon, and stealing their T-cogs. Soundwave is still broadcasting, sending these words across Iacon. Sentinel does not deny any of this.

Turning, D-16 sees the statue of the Primes and is now able to see how Megatronus was crudely reshaped into Sentinel. He demands to know why Sentinel killed him, killed all of them. Sentinel snarls that the 13 were idiots, Megatronus a dumb brute, and the entire planet would’ve become slaves if they were allowed to lead the war. D-16 thinks “dumb brute” is amusing, and decides to claim the name Megatron, to bring the forgotten Prime back into public view and finally allow him to seek his revenge on Sentinel. The false Prime is ripped in half, his t-cog removed, and Megatron rises. The outlaws, with Starscream at the head, cheer for their near leader. Megatron announces that there will be no more Primes, no more castes. The Revolution is Now.

Meanwhile, Orion’s battered frame falls through Cybertron, parts visibly transforming out of the way to draw him deeper and deeper to Primus’ very spark. The matrix appears, and Optimus Prime rises.

When Optimus Prime appears on the surface, glowing with the power of Primus and the Matrix on display, an audible hush falls over Iacon. The miners are clearly in awe for their former friend, the former Primesguard nervous and snarling at the sight of a new Prime.

Megatron questions whether his friend will renounce the Primacy and join him in the revolution. Optimus denies. Cybertron needs its Prime, its true Prime. The revolution will be peaceful, they will work with the upper castes to change things for the better. Megatron is tired of waiting. Of talking. Of hoping and debating about a better life while doing nothing to make it happen.

They fight, a fight as brutal and terrible as anything. Especially because it’s two former friends, now on the opposite sides of the conflict. Megatron begins to lose, and demands that Optimus kill him. But again, Optimus can’t. He can’t resort to murder. He instead exiles Megatron, and all his allies, to the surface.

Energon flows again, new cogs are presented to the cogless, and Optimus promises to end the caste system. But first, they must drive off the Quintesson oppressors. He’s sorry, but they must take their freedom and take their own destiny. While Megatron lurks, ready with his Decepticons, and goes searching for any other survivors which may still be hiding across the planet.

[darthhope-in-the-woods]

How the Mighty May Fall

Wrote this for English class so I finally have something actually written for project.woods!!!!!

No one could ever say that cells were well-lit. Hot as the inside of Hephaestus’s forge, filled to the brim with vermin that crawled into your skin and suckled your blood like teething leeches, surrounded by sobbing men and rippling cracks that Indigo really didn’t like the sound of—yes. But most certainly not well lit. She couldn’t see the bars two inches in front of her face, much less make any attempt to break the lock.  

Candles were the only source of light in the entire citadel, and not the candles that cast light on her father’s books until late into the night, the candles that went out if someone so much as breathed too quickly. Which was happening a lot in a prison camp. They filled the air with soot and smoke and a heavy weight, and every breath Indigo took felt sticky and empty, like when she’d had pneumonia as a kid. Only a thousand times worse, because this time instead of warm, gentle hands coaxing soup into her mouth or wrapping her in soft blankets, she was stabbed and prodded by the blades of churlish men determined to force her father’s hand, and wrapped in the chilling, metallic cold of underground caves at night. 

Indigo pressed her forehead to the freezing metal bars and let the rusty shards bite into her skin until blood trickled down her cheek. Needle-points of pain stabbed her skull and she bit back a scream, her arms still stung from the last servile guards, upset with the discordant shrieks of their charges. Instead, she settled on slamming her head into the bars with enough force to jostle them from base to ceiling. The darkness was finally split by flares of bright white light and the ringing crack of a baton against the cell door. Indigo’s head snapped back and she instinctively reached her hand out, groping for some sort of purchase. She grabbed the chipping pipe above her and tried to kick dirt at the guards grumbling by the cell door. But the baton-man had already resumed his post and she couldn’t see them.

Laggardly, she slid down the rough concrete wall, hissing as rubble dug deeper into her flesh, like the spiny hands of the skeletons Reese used to scare her with at night. The skeletons who tormented children who disobeyed their parents, who she’d been so sure didn’t exist. But every second Indigo spent pacing back and forth, hovering between furious at the guards who thought they meant something and furious at herself for finding herself captured by a bunch of bumbling fish, felt more and more like an excerpt from one of those stories. She had ignored her fathers’ commands, ignored her own country’s decrees, and now here she was paying for something she didn’t even understand. She clutched her hair in her fists and scoffed; so much for Trāgen’s old adage: what was best for the kingdom truly was worst for the inhabitants. 

Indigo knew her father—he was the king; she had to start calling him that—wanted nothing but the best for his people, and his bills and statues were always met with thunderous plaudits. If only from the nobility. He wanted change, evolution from her grandfather’s age, he wanted to fix in one hour what couldn’t be fixed in countless lifetimes. But every decree introduced another flaw in their parliament, and instead of withdrawing or suspending it, he just covered it up with speech after speech. The king’s fear of regression precluded any true reformation of their government. Any true justice for the people laboring in the fields for one cent of his fortune.   

And Indigo had to fix it.

[cat-nonsense]

Mrs. Andrews was a lovely lady, elder, in her late 60s, but full of a vibrancy that was catching. Eternally bubbly, charming and sweet. Her salt and pepper hair was more on the peppery side during this time of her life, but it didn’t seem to phase her that she was getting older, she had an easy smile and energy to rival the first-grade students she taught. At the beginning of summer, but the end of the school year, she would invite the children and families of each of her classes over to her house for an evening of strawberry shortcake as part of a meet-and-greet and celebration all the kids made it through their first full year of school. She had a swimming pool where the kids could play, but it was raining the whole week during this particular class party. It was a pretty summer night, even with the rain. The rain was off and on, sprinkling. Sometimes the stars would peek out from the clouds. It was dark enough at night in the countryside that you could see the milkyway, at least that’s what she said. We would take her word for it, considering the rain.

Her house had a wide, long porch that was free from railing, just two steps up along the entirety. It was a very old, one story ranch house from a time when people built houses without electricity. There were windows all along the house, low and large, with those somewhat small square panes of glass that were hand poured and sized out of necessity for easier shipment during rough travel That evening the house was lit up with a warm glow, she had drawn the long curtains open, for easier location. The front and back doors were open, along with some of the windows which opened outward, diagonally, like in old movies. When people drove up to her place, on crunchy gravel that had half way worn to dirt-now-mud in the rain, it would still feel inviting. Perhaps more so due to the remoteness of her place. An oasis of warmth, way out in the country, somewhere among tall wheat and corn. You could smell the sweetgrass of her freshly cut lawn that evening, and see the people inside milling about and mingling. The house had that warm wood color on most things, and cream colored walls, lots of pictures that seemed blurry in the golden light. Kids were running around the outside, and darting between the front porch and the back porch which had the pool. I nearly was stepped on a few times, but darted between feet and under chair legs to avoid them.

In spite of the rain, the pool still was lit and that pretty aqua color in the night. Steam rose from it in little tufts, chlorinated water prickled with little splashes from the raindrops. The metal slide dripped rainwater into the pool in a steady stream, alone and unused in the rainy night. The evening was winding down when I awoke from my nap. The scent of strawberries from her garden on the lips and fingers of every child, and on the door jambs, counters and... and my long, grey fur. I meowed loudly at that, when someone tried to pick me up. I remember Mrs. Andrews laughing good-naturedly. That night I had some tuna, as a treat. Her house, like her, felt ancient and solid. Like a fixed point in time underneath the stars. I don't doubt there was some magic in that house. That warm, welcoming kind, where you could feel there was a lot of care and love inside. It lingered in every floorboard, seeped into the plaster and was reflected on each windowpane.

[slasherrabbitmadness]

Hi it's my first time here, I can order something with Brahms Heelshire and Billy, in their first declaration of "I love you" to their beloved, of course could have nsfw.

Brahms Heelshire & Billy (1974) x Female Reader

First time saying "I love you."

https://ko-fi.com/slasher_rabbit

Underthecut - NSFW, Fingering

Brahms Heelshire

Brahms popped another chocolate-covered raisin into his mouth. Audibly chewing on the tasty cheat. He shook the purple coloured box in front of you, "Princess, want some?"

You snapped your attention to Brahms, "Huh," You raised a brow to the box, "No, no thank you." You brought your attention back to the show he chose to watch. A Room with a View.

You had asked, pestered even if he really wanted to watch a romance movie.

He held you tightly by your arms, the tips of his fingers dug into you "I want to watch this with you!"

Daniel Day-Lewis and Helena Boham Carter were on the screen, tentative looks shared between the two.

Brahms leans into you, an arm wrapping around your shoulders, "Enjoying yourself?" He asks while placing a kiss on your temple.

"Yes, Brahms." You lift your lips up to catch his cheek in a kiss.

He whips his face around at the right time to steal a kiss. He gives an excited moan as you pull him down with you into the couch.

Brahms runs his large hands over your front, groping your chest, hands impatiently ripping off your top. His eyes fell to your chest, he sucks in a breath, your breasts being cupped by your light blue bra and the gold necklace that hung low on your chest.

He runs his finger along the gold chain, his rough pad ghosts over the flower pendant, "You look so beautiful wearing this," He kisses above it "Wearing what I got for you," He swallows hard, another kiss, "I love you, like this, I love that you do this for me." He brought his face back up to yours, a deep longing kiss.

"I love that you love it," You place a hand on his bearded cheek, "I love it." You kiss him, lip quivering, your stomach in a knot. The simple phrase 'I love you.' is on the tip of your tongue.

"I love you." an energetic tone to his voice, "I love you, Princess." He says it again between kisses, "I love you."

He pulls down your pants, his thumbs hooking around the waistband of your panties.

You suck in a breath, a shaky and anxious "I love you." Left your lips.

Brahms let out a content sigh at your affirmation. He pulls down his trousers, freeing his erect cock, "Show me you love me." He dips his tongue past your lips as he snakes a hand to your cunt, a long finger dipping past your wet folds. "Cum for me." He swipes his middle finger over your clit, a confident laugh as you arch your back and let out a content sigh.

Billy (1974)

You managed to get Billy out of the sorority house, dragging him to a Chinese restaurant you frequented as a child, still friends with the owner's children.

"You'll love this place, Billy, I promise!" You gleefully drag him along, the cold air nipping at both your noses. Billy was bundled up like he was ready to traverse the arctic, you in a peacoat and stylish winter hat.

The bell clangs above your head as you swung the door open, a chorus of hellos and how are yous rang through the small restaurant.

Billy, sunk the lower half of his face into his puffy green jacket, his cheeks held a pink hue that was not from the crisp air.

"Oh, Y/n! Look at you! And...Willy!" Mr. Chen greets you and 'Willy'

"Billy," You correct, "Billy, and me are here for some egg rolls, rice, and mooncakes for dessert." Wasn't the most traditional Chinese meal but enough for Billy to start with.

The two of you sat, talking about how your classes were going, how you couldn't stand some of the sorority sisters, petty girl shirt that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things but always hurt in the moment.

"So, I said to Mr. Krueger, I was all," You shove some rice in your mouth and swallow it quickly to continue, "I had to work a double shift, sorry teach, but I have to pay for school in some way." A bite into your egg roll, "The unfunny bastard gave me a one-day extension! One day! He found it funny."

Billy fought the inspired smile that threatened to spread across his face. Every little flash of annoyance, to the way you twirled your hair, how you made sure no food was going to fall off your fork before you lifted it o your mouth. The way you lit up when you looked directly into his eyes.

"I love you."

You pause, a fork full of rice inches from your lips, the pause felt like hours, but was mere seconds, "excuse me?"

Billy sucks in a harsh breath, "No, nothing." His chest heaves, scratching his neck under the tall collar.

"I love you too, Billy."

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

You and Billy drag each other to your room, his hands running all over you, one hand on the railing to steady himself as he continues to shove his tongue into your mouth.

"Fuck, Billy." You whimper into the kiss, as he pushes you into your door. You hastily unlock it, slamming it shut urgently.

"On the bed, the bed now, clothes off," Both of you tearing at each other's clothes, sweaters being thrown onto the floor and chair, pants and underwear in a pile on the floor.

He's crawling over you, fingers working into your cunt, scissoring two into you, lips capturing your haughty moans,

"I love you," You states, "I love you," He affirms, "Love me, love your Billy?"

"I love you, Billy."

"Good."

[all-might-can-smash-me]

Dad/Family headconons

Masterlist

Aizawa, Taishiro, Toshinori, Sir Nighteye, and Hawks

Aizawa Shouta/Eraserhead

Despite him being that kind of nonchalant, I don’t give a shit about anything kind of person.....he’s a family guy

Loves kids

He just wants you to have a huge army of kids following alongside you hand in hand to visit him at work.

Looks forward to being able to relate to someone else with his quirk

Doesn’t care if they are all girls, all boys, a mixture of both, or even fostering or adopting, he’s for everything

Was kind of afraid to open up about that side of himself when you two got married, but you are all for it too

Feels that he can handle it with your help thanks to having some experience with dealing with his students

Is slapped in the face with shock when you two have your first 2 or 3 kids because infants are, you guessed it, nothing like teens who are all emotional about becoming a prohero

Guess he would be prepared for whenever they would get to their teenage years

Except for periods because he didn’t know anything about them but he’ll probably take the time to learn about it from you

Still happy over his growing army though

Still loves the chaos of it all, plus it’s good to have Aizawa to control their quirks when they start to develop

The chaos also reminds him of his own time in school with his few friends he had....they were always so vibrant and loud unlike him and he kind of envied it (secretly)

Yamada and Kayama (Present Mic and Midnight) loves to visit his little army and spoil them with toys and snacks even if Aizawa disapproved of it

You helped hand out the toys and snacks.....Aizawa could suck it up

Napping piles are normal in this household, so don’t be freaked when you see all of your children curled up or around Aizawa under a pillow fort in the living room.

It breaks his heart everytime though when his kids beg to take a stray cat home and he has to say no....but he’ll end up going back on patrol to feed it and then probably cave in and bring it home anyway

He’ll just shrug off his children’s accusations of him being a ‘hypocrite’ for saying no to their pleas earlier and say something like ‘Well I said you couldn’t do it, nothing about me though’

The tea parties are lit and he’ll crush anyone at a video game

Taishiro Toyomistu/Fatgum

Really never thought about having his own kids until meeting Kirishima and Tamaki

Life was changed FOREVER since meeting them, now he would like to have his own family

It was kind of confusing to finally have the talk of having kids a couple of years into your marriage, but your views on having kids were changed too after meeting the two UA students

He let you on thinking just one or two kids were great, but you didn’t know if you should have been surprised that you were in the hospital room pushing out your 5th child

It was kind of funny to see Taishiro freaking out even if it was his 5th time next to you in labor

Your kids were so use to it they just sat out in the hallway doing their schoolwork or playing games on their iPads as Kirishima and Tamaki watched over them (your labor would always catch them while they were out on patrol)

I picture that all his kids are girls

He uses the excuse “just one more kid, maybe this time it’ll be a boy”, It’s NEVER a boy

I feel that he’s the dad to sneak home McDonald’s fries or ice cream to his kids despite you not liking it

Will take the blame when you catch one of your daughters munching on fries on the way back to her room (daughters will also try to take the blame, but how the heck could girls 13 and younger sneak out all the way to McDonalds)

He’ll also get all his daughters together to bake a cake and also decorate it. The creativity shown by his daughters will always amaze him.

He and his daughters would even clean up the kitchen together...mostly so that you wouldn’t get mad upon seeing the kitchen as a disaster

Gets way into watching Barbie’s Life in the Dream House and secretly really loves our queen Raquelle

All Might/Toshinori Yagi

Just wants one little girl

To spoil her ROTTEN!

Seeing his friend David Sheild’s daughter Melissa grow up and look so happy always made him envious. Young Midoriya also played a huge role in his desire for at least one kid

One child was enough for the two of you and thankfully your first and only child was a girl

Gran Torino will also spoil her rotten along with Sir Nighteye

Will not be embarrassed to be caught sprawled out on the ground with your daughter playing with dolls

He’s actually quite proud of the fact that he doesn’t mind getting down and dirty when it comes to playing with ‘girly’ things with his young daughter unlike other dads

Loves to play Studio Ghibli movies for your daughter.....but Yagi is way more into it

I say this because Toshinori will try to hide his tears while watching My Neighbor Totoro as your daughter is fast asleep on his lap.

He will also sneak in a rated pg-13 hero movie from the United States in when your gone too....and then he’ll act surprise when your daughter would repeat the fowl language she heard in the movie

He would and WILL spend hours on YouTube to learn how to braid hair and put bows in and ribbons

He would bring her to work a lot too to see class 1A in action

Daughter will forever be his ‘baby’, so he HATES the thought of her starting to date and get married.

So when she admitted that the boy ‘Todoroki’ in his class was handsome while heading home one day from his work, he swore off boys....

He wasn’t surprised though, she was always managing to get Todoroki to hold her hand while Toshinori would have class 1A doing scenarios in teams and showing off her hair to him and asking if he noticed anything different.

Todoroki is a good sport, he held her hand and always complimented her hair...

Yeah she was mad at Toshinori and you made him unswear off boys, especially Todoroki

Brings your daughter to work just to brag about how he did her hair to EVERYONE

Mirai Sasaki/Sir Nighteye

Eh....he didn’t want kids, never had the desire tbh

Though something about UA students’ charming personalities making these heroes want families. Mirio got him thinking one kid couldn’t be so bad

You were shocked when he asked to have a kid, but you agreed....after discussing it for awhile to make sure he wanted this

I picture him having one cute, little shy boy

Like the cute little boy with glasses who wears those cute shorts with a bug related shirt that just wants to search for roly-poly in the dirt and grass in the back yard

Very quiet and a bit shy around new people, but is literally the most polite little boy in the WORLD

Nighteye will use his quirk on his son when out looking for bugs to just see if he missed something in the grass or dirt, but that’s as far as he’ll use it

The reason why Nighteye thinks he’s so funny is because your son (and you of course along with mirio) are the only ones who laugh at his jokes, especially your son

Your son finds ANYTHING his dad says or does hilarious. His dad made a gasp of excitement along side his son upon finding a millipede? Instant laughter will follow

Those bouts of laughter from his son is the best feeling in the world to him

Tried to make your son an expert on All Might, but gave up when he came to his conclusion that your son just wasn’t into it.

It was kind of weird at first to find out his son was just simply NOT into heroes, but now he just loves the fact that his son likes what he likes and doesn’t let himself get swayed by others, even his own mom and dad

If you can’t make his little boy, his pride and joy, laugh? Sorry, but don’t talk to Nighteye or his son ever again

He will sit and listen to his little boy go on and on and on and ON about anything and never get bored (or show it). He will sit and listen intently about the cool facts about the bug he found or a plant.

He’d even listen to the longest explanation about a tiny little squiggle on a piece of paper that he drew on if it was being told by his little boy.

Will even put a meeting on hold just to answer a FaceTime from his son from your phone just to listen to him talk about a leaf he made a pressing of....and will sit there with the volume all the way up on his phone too so the others in the room can hear as well.

Will spend all night pinning bugs to a board to frame and label just for your son

Keigo Takami/Hawks

He didn’t even want to date tbh

Though when he met you? The cliche ‘love at first sight’ happened and soon the two of you were married pretty quickly and boy was he a happy man

He didn’t really even want kids either. He just didn’t want to have kids and somehow they end up with a childhood like his that’s not the greatest or most normal, plus he was happy with the little domestic life with you.

But then IT happened. You know, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much and poof, a baby? Yeah....

He was TERRIFIED, but once your first child came into the world, a new sense of happiness sparked within him, like his own eyes opened for the first time to the world

This happened twice more, ending up with his happy family consisting of you, his two boys, and his little girl.

He’s the kind of dad to have his wallet FILLED with pictures of his kids and you. He will shamelessly show them off to fans while on patrol and also to Endeavor....even if he’s seen them a trillion times. Also his office is filled with framed pictures too

He also gets in trouble a lot along with his two boys for playing to rough and loudly within the house by you, especially for flying and being too competitive with video games and ANY activity he would take part in with them.

What can he say? His sons were like the best friends he was never able to have as a kid, he wanted to take in the beauties of having an energetic family

He doesn’t play favorites, but when it comes to his little girl? Sometimes he’ll catch a feeling of her feeling like she’s the odd one out when it comes to her two older brothers and he can relate to that feeling.

So he’ll set aside some dad and daughter time to do the things she likes, like read, color, and draw

He would even let her do his hair with tiny braids and color pieces of clip in hair and many butterfly clips. Keigo would also then wear it out proudly on patrol and check his reflection MULTIPLE times to make sure everything was in place.

He would then shout to the press and paparazzi that his daughter did his hair, showing it off in the process

When the picture would come out with the headliner ‘Hawks’ New Look Thanks to Daughter’ for the news the next day, the look of pride and awe on your daughters face upon looking at the front cover of the magazines and newspapers at the store you and his family would shop at would absolutely melt his heart melt

He’s the first one to pull back the covers to let his children climb in when scared by a thunderstorm or the spooky shadow in their room even if they may be getting ‘too old’ to be doing that...according to Endeavor however, so that information might be wrong

Bribes his kids not to tell you that he entered the house through the window and not the front door

[yukidragon]

Our Life Snippet - Playing Nice

I’m trying to start the new year off right by getting more written for my fan novelization of Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch. This short segment of my first draft comes from the Step 1 moment - Grown Up.

One of the fun parts writing out scenes from the game in third person perspective is being able to dip more into the character’s thoughts and feelings, especially during more emotionally charged moments like a fight.

Poor Jamie. It must be rough being stuck in the middle between your sister and new friend when they get along like oil and water.

Thanks as always to everyone who reads, enjoys, and gives me such lovely feedback on my work. You really help keep me motivated!

...

It was a sweltering summer day, the type of day when the air conditioning barely seemed to be doing its job to keep things from getting too warm and kids were forbidden from playing outside by their parents. Jamie lay sprawled out on the living room rug, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling as she tried to come up with something they could do now that it was too hot to play pretend with her fuzzy stuffed animals. The heat didn’t help her come up with anything, and neither did the noisy birds that were chattering away outside the window, completely unaffected by the heat, unlike the children.

Cove sat by Jamie, leaning his head back against the cushions of the sofa. His dad had dropped him off earlier in the day, before it started getting too hot to think of what to do. Her parents had left them to play on their own, which unfortunately included Lizzie.

Although Cove had hit it off with Jamie almost instantly, it was a completely different story when it came to her older sister. It was so strange how different the two siblings were. While they were both energetic and loved to play, Jamie always checked to make sure that he was interested in whatever activity she came up with and was eager to hear about what he liked and wanted to do.

Lizzie, on the other hand, did not.

It seemed as though it didn’t matter if whatever Lizzie wanted to do sounded like an awful idea - she was going to do it anyway and anyone who didn’t join her would either get bossed around until they did or yelled at to go away, and that included her little sister.

It was annoying, and the more time Cove spent with Lizzie, the less he wanted to be around her. It was bad enough when adults bossed them around just because they were older without a kid only two years older trying to be even bossier than all of their parents combined.

Unfortunately, there was no avoiding Lizzie now. They couldn’t go to the park to play, or to the beach, and there was no Shiloh to draw her attention away. Not that Cove was eager to play with the other boy, but at least when Shiloh was there Lizzie had someone to boss around that wasn’t him or Jamie.

Cove still didn’t know what to make of Shiloh. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could enjoy being bossed around at all, let alone as much as Shiloh did.

Lizzie let out a frustrated noise from her seat on the sofa, feeling antsy from being cooped up inside all day and from the silence that had settled in as the three of them struggled to come up with an idea of what to play next. Her golf class that evening couldn’t come soon enough, as far as she was concerned - she was dying of boredom!

The thought of golfing set off a spark of inspiration that lit up Lizzie’s big brown eyes. She hopped off the sofa with a wide smile stretched across her face as a fresh wave of energy washed over her. She stood proud as she turned to Jamie and Cove, while the younger kids stared at her, confused by her sudden burst of activity.

“Since we’re stuck inside, we should be adults,” Lizzie announced grandly as she cocked her hands on her hips. “They don’t play outdoors anyways. They’re always inside and telling everybody they’re too busy to play.”

Jamie sat up, her brow furrowing as she considered the idea seriously. Cove just raised an eyebrow at Lizzie.

“Why?” he asked simply.

Lizzie gave Cove a deadpan expression. Of course he would question her brilliant idea. Why couldn’t her new neighbor be Shiloh? Her freckled friend was a whole lot more fun than this stick in the mud. “I said why. And it’ll be fun. Duh.” She made sure to add extra emphasis to the final word as she folded her arms in front of her to make sure Cove understood how completely he missed the obvious.

The answer wasn’t good enough for Cove, and Lizzie’s attitude rubbed him the wrong way. His brow pinched as his mouth twisted into a frown. “What do they do inside that we don’t? Besides use the phone a lot.”

Lizzie huffed in exasperation. Cove was so dense! How could he not get it even after she explained it to him? She decided to ignore his question and turned to Jamie instead, optimistic that at least her little sister would see the obvious brilliance of her idea. “Jamie, what do you think? Do you want to?”

Jamie let out a quiet hum to let her big sister know that she was still thinking about it as she idly twisted strands of her hair between her fingers. Cove had a good point - the stuff grownups did at home were pretty much the same thing they all did - work on chores, eat dinner, play board games, watch TV… The stuff that was only for adults were things that didn’t seem like fun, like cutting food with the really sharp knives, sitting or standing around in one place for a long time, or typing up a bazillion lines of code like Mom did all the time in her office.

Maybe they could pretend to be grownups who were secretly magicians in disguise or spies or…

Jamie cut off that train of thought when she noticed the signs of Lizzie growing impatient, and hurried to say something before her sister got mad at her. “I don’t know… Maybe we cou-”

“Pleaseeeee, Jamie?” Lizzie pleaded, cutting off whatever else the blue-haired girl was going to say. She clasped her hands together and gave Jamie her best puppy dog eyes, knowing that they never failed to win her little sister over. “When have I ever had a bad idea?”

Cove felt his irritation growing. Not only did Lizzie not answer his perfectly reasonable questions, but she was pushing Jamie around again. She didn’t even listen to everything Jamie wanted to say! “Whenever we play with you,” he retorted.

Lizzie scowled at Cove, and he had to look away from the full force of her glare. “I wasn’t asking you!”

Jamie climbed to her feet before holding her hands up in a placating gesture, hoping to prevent a fight from breaking out between the two. “I bet we could come up with something else,” she suggested. What was important was that they played a game that would make everyone happy, after all.

Lizzie stared at Jamie in shock, stunned that the puppy dog pout didn’t work. It must have gotten ruined by Cove butting in so rudely. She sulked, letting out a huff as she folded her arms over her chest. “But that’s what I’m going to do, and it’s not fun when I play pretend adults by myself.”

Cove looked at Lizzie funny as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you do that a lot?”

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at Cove. “What’s it to you?!”

Although Lizzie was being irritating about it, Cove thought he could understand where she was coming from. They were the only kids in all of Sunset Bird. If he and Jamie went off to play a different game by themselves, she would have no one to play with. The thought prickled him with guilt and left him feeling torn.

A sigh escaped Cove, his shoulders slumping as he accepted his fate to play a boring game with a bossy older kid, and he slowly stood up as well. “Fine, I’ll play,” he muttered. He then turned to Jamie, worried that she might decide to leave him alone with Lizzie. “Do you really not wanna play, Jamie?”

Jamie read the guilt and reluctance easily on Cove’s face, and she could relate, as she felt the same way he did. “Okay, okay, I’ll play.” She relaxed a little as she saw relief wash over Cove’s face while Lizzie lit up, ecstatic. “I hope this is as fun as you’re promising it’ll be.”

Lizzie took that as a challenge, and she looked intensely at her little sister, her expression deadly serious. “It’s the most exciting idea I’ve had all week.”

Jamie and Cove glanced at each other. Neither of them were so sure about that.

Lizzie didn’t even notice as she took a moment to consider her options, satisfied that neither of them were about to bail on her now.

It took just a few seconds for Lizzie to turn her already brilliant idea into a genius one. She clapped her hands together to get the younger kids’ attention and beamed at them. “Okay!” she announced grandly. “I’m gonna be a professional golfer. Jamie, you and Cove can be…”

She paused for a moment more before seizing on the first few thoughts that popped into her mind. “A beach volleyball player, a gymnast, or a tennis player!”

Cove let out a noise at the back of his throat as he raised an eyebrow at Lizzie. “Why can’t we pick anything we want?”

Lizzie wasn’t fazed by Cove’s questions this time and wagged a finger at him. “Because I have a fun idea, that’s why.”

Cove wasn’t satisfied by that answer. He also found it annoying that Lizzie would keep brushing off his questions like that. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that she would just get angry with him again if he said as much. “And we have to play sports as adults?”

Lizzie grinned. Now Cove was finally getting it. “Yep!”

Cove was still resistant to the idea, chafing at how limiting it was. “But there’s other kinds of sports, too.”

“It isn’t the same,” Lizzie said with a scowl, starting to get annoyed by Cove’s constant questions. She turned to her little sister, hopeful that Jamie at least would see reason. “What do you think, Jamie? Don’t those choices sound super cool? You wanna be that, huh?”

Jamie knew her sister well enough to tell that she and Cove weren’t going to get any other options to choose from. She bit back the urge to sigh and offered Lizzie a small smile and a nod instead. “Sure, those could be fun.”

Lizzie lit up, delighted by her little sister’s agreement. After what happened before with the puppy dog pout, she expected Jamie might refuse again because of how stubborn Cove was being, so this was a pleasant surprise, leaving her beaming. “Oh yeah!” she cheered, pumping her fist in the air. She then turned her focus back to Jamie. “Which one sounds the best to you?”

Jamie had barely begun to open her mouth before Lizzie cut her off.

“Out of my list, still,” the orange-haired girl added before her little sister could suggest any changes like before. She had a brilliant plan after all, and brilliant plans didn’t need any changes.

Cove folded his arms across his chest as he looked away. He was starting to regret agreeing to this game at all. Lizzie’s attitude was just so frustrating. Even when she was getting her way, she was still pushing them around. It was as if what they wanted didn’t matter to her at all.

Jamie noticed the way Cove sulked. It was obvious to her that he didn’t care for any of this, but he had given up on resisting for now. She felt bad that he wasn’t having fun, but hopefully that would change if this game Lizzie wanted to play was even half as good as her big sister promised.

With that thought in mind, Jamie considered her options - beach volleyball, gymnastics, or tennis. They were all fine, she supposed, though she couldn’t say that she ever felt interested in playing them as an adult, at least not as a professional like Lizzie wanted to do with golf. She was more interested in becoming a rockstar or a treasure hunter or something else cool like that.

Unfortunately, none of those were options. Jamie had to play by her sister’s rules. If she had to go with one of those three choices, then she was going to pick the one that had at least one part that appealed to her - the beach.

If Jamie couldn’t play at the beach for real, then she would at least pretend that she was there. Volleyball was pretty fun too. Mommy liked to play it with them sometimes when they would all go to the beach together. Maybe she could put on her swimsuit to make the game of pretend even more realistic.

Jamie immediately discarded that thought. There was no way Lizzie was going to let her run off to her room now that she had agreed to play the game, not even to get dressed up for the part.

“Okay,” Jamie said with a decisive nod. “I’m gonna be a volleyball player.”

“Alright!” Lizzie shouted as she pumped her arms up into the air. Finally they were getting somewhere.

With one victory under her belt, Lizzie turned to Cove expectantly. “What about you, Cove?”

Although Cove had been resistant to the choices Lizzie gave, being a beach volleyball player was the only sport that really interested him. He felt funny about Jamie choosing it before he could, but in a good way that sort of tickled him inside. The feeling got stronger when Jamie turned to look at him, and he had to look away from her, staring down at his feet instead. Maybe this game could be fun after all. “I’ll be a volleyball player with Jamie,” he said softly, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

Jamie lit up at the suggestion, and she smiled brightly at him. Her reaction only served to make Cove’s funny feeling stronger when he noticed, and he started to unthinkingly shift in place as he felt a little warmer.

Just like that, frustration swept away Lizzie’s fun, and Cove was to blame. She turned to him as she threw her arms into the air as she let out an annoyed huff. “You guys can’t be the same thing!” she shouted. “That’s not how this works!”

Seriously? Cove glared at Lizzie, his warm funny feelings fading under the chill of annoyance. He finally found something to like about her stupid game, and she was yelling at him for it? It was like she didn’t even want anyone to have fun playing it except herself. “You didn’t say that,” he snapped. “The rule was picking from the list. You can’t keep adding more.”

Lizzie grunted at the argument and turned to Jamie, but her little sister spoke up before she could list any of the many reasons why it was a dumb idea.

“Cove’s right, that’s not fair,” Jamie said, frowning. “I wanna be a volleyball player with Cove.”

Cove felt his annoyance fade a little, and he smiled just the tiniest bit at Jamie, happy that she felt the same way as him.

Lizzie looked between the two younger kids and their united front of resistance before she shook her head. She resigned herself to lose this battle, but not the war. “Fine,” she said, huffing out the word. “You’re both volleyball players, but you’re on the same team because there’s only one.”

With that, Lizzie rallied her earlier excitement for her grand idea. She stretched her arms wide with a flourish, her ponytail bobbing from her enthusiastic movements. “The Olympic team!”

Cove blinked at that. “What?”

“We’re Olympic athletes who just competed in the Olympics!” Lizzie announced with a beaming smile. Judging from the way the other two stared at her, her idea must have completely blown them away with its brilliance.

Jamie blinked then tilted her head slightly as she considered the idea. Okay, being Olympic athletes sounded a little more interesting than just playing sports. Maybe her sister had something cool in mind for them after all.

Cove, however, wasn’t impressed in the slightest. He readjusted his glasses, as they slid a little low on his nose, and scrunched his face at Lizzie. “That’s really specific…”

Lizzie folded her arms in front of her chest. “Uh, that’s what makes it fun,” she said, giving Cove a look that she was sure would tell him just how dumb he was being. “Anyway…”

She started to march back and forth in front of the younger kids as she allowed herself to get swept away by her grand idea. In her mind’s eye, she could see herself in the Olympic stadium, surrounded by countless fans all cheering her name. “I won all the gold medals and people are calling me the next Mickey Wright,” she announced proudly.

Cove blinked, quickly growing lost. “Who’s that?”

Lizzie stopped instantly as Cove’s rudeness, once again, put a halt to her grand plan. She whipped around to glare at him, her brown eyes sparking with impatience. “It doesn’t matter if you know who she is!” she huffed. “It’s a golf thing.”

With Cove properly chastised for being annoying, Lizzie went back to painting the scene so that they could all imagine what she was. “You guys won medals too,” she said, a smile slowly returning to her face. “Your team placed at silver. It’s more real if we’re not all first place.”

As much as Jamie wanted to avoid conflict, the remark caused her to bristle from the unfairness of that decision. “Hey!” she pouted as she stamped her foot on the floor. “We can do better than silver!”

Cove scowled, feeling just as slighted. “Jamie’s right.”

Despite the fact that the other two were once again united against her, Lizzie didn’t let their poor attitudes get her down this time. “Sorry,” she said with a smirk. “Lots of people lose at the Olympics. Them’s the breaks.”

Cove folded his arms in front of his chest as he let out a displeased huff of air. “Then you’re the one who did, not us.”

Lizzie’s jaw dropped as she stared at Cove with wide, round eyes. How could he say that? As if she could get anything less than gold for golf! “No way!” she shouted. “It wouldn’t make sense. I’m already practicing my golf game.”

With that, Lizzie went into a golfing stance, demonstrating her perfect starting position, just as her instructor praised her for. She could easily picture the driver in her hands as she swung it at an invisible ball that she imagined went sailing through the window all the way out into the ocean.

Lizzie stood proud before the little kids as they stared at her in silence, her smile wide. She sure showed them.

“So what kind of house do you want to live in?” Lizzie asked, deciding to move things along now that Cove and Jamie understood that she deserved the gold.

Cove didn’t look at Lizzie, scowling at the floor instead. He hadn’t changed his mind about winning, but he didn’t see any point arguing with someone who just never listened or cared what he thought.

How in the world were Lizzie and Jamie supposed to be sisters? Weren’t siblings supposed to be similar to each other? At least, that’s what he always thought. Obviously, he knew now that wasn’t true at all.

[padme-amitabha]

Anidala Week 2021

 Day 1: Missing Scene or Favorite Scene(s)

Anakin Skywalker could not take his eyes off the girl. He noticed her the moment he entered Watto’s shop, even before Watto said anything, and he hadn’t been able to stop looking at her since. He barely heard what Watto said to him about watching the shop. He barely noticed the strange-looking creature that had come in with her and was poking around in the shelves and bins. Even after she noticed he was staring at her, he could not help himself. He moved now to an open space on the counter, hoisted himself up, and sat watching her while pretending to clean a transmitter cell. She was looking back at him now, embarrassment turning to curiosity. She was small and slender with long, braided brown hair, brown eyes, and a face he found so beautiful that he had nothing to which he could compare it. She was dressed in rough peasant’s clothing, but she seemed very self-possessed. She gave him an amused smile, and he felt himself melting in confusion and wonder. He took a deep breath. 

“Are you an angel?” he asked quietly. The girl stared. “What?” 

“An angel.” Anakin straightened a bit. “They live on the moons of Iego, I think. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They are good and kind, and so pretty they make even the most hardened space pirates cry like small children.” 

She gave him a confused look. “I’ve never heard of angels,” she said. “You must be one of them,” Anakin insisted. “Maybe you just don’t know it.” “You’re a funny little boy.” The amused smile returned.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, looking upset and embarrassed. “I don’t fully understand, I guess. This is a strange world to me.” He studied her intently for a moment, thinking of other things, wanting to tell her of them. “You are a strange girl to me,” he said instead. He swung his legs out from the counter. “My name is Anakin Skywalker.” She brushed at her hair. “Padmé Naberrie.”

Both Anakin and Padmé were laughing now, and their laughter increased as they saw the look on the unfortunate creature’s long billed face. Anakin looked at Padmé and the girl at him. Their laughter died away. The girl reached up to touch her hair self-consciously, but she did not divert her gaze. “I’m going to marry you,” the boy said suddenly. There was a moment of silence, and she began laughing again, a sweet musical sound he didn’t mind at all. “I mean it,” he insisted. “You are an odd one,” she said, her laughter dying away. “Why do you say that?” He hesitated. ” I guess because it’s what I believe…” Her smile was dazzling. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t marry you..” She paused, searching her memory for his name. “Anakin,” he said. “Anakin.” She cocked her head. “You’re just a little boy.” His gaze was intense as he faced her. “I won’t always be…” he said quietly.”

— Terry Brooks, Star Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace

This is one of my favorite Anidala scenes ever because their story starts so sweetly. This scene is so unique to them and after watching the OT, it’s fascinating to see a young Darth Vader as a sweet and innocent child. His interactions as a slave boy with a young queen in disguise is also fits with the fairytale-ish tone and themes in Star Wars. Anakin and Padmé’s first meeting is just precious. 

This is probably the only time, Anakin and Padmé can be themselves without older figures telling them what to do. This is one of the few times Padmé is Padmé Naberrie - not Queen Amidala or Padmé Amidala. It’s interesting to see two young people from different social classes and vastly different cultures and worlds sharing a genuine moment of connection. 

I can add very little to this scene but Anakin proves he has enough clairvoyance (as Admiral Motti mocks him in ANH) to be certain he has met the girl he would marry someday. Even in TPM, little Anakin Skywalker is just as much a slave to Watto as he is to the Emperor in ANH. 

Even Padmé is somewhat surprised by his intensity at such an young age. Anakin also emphasizes on his identity as a person so this scene has dark undertones and references to Darth Vader.  

Another scene I love is the chilling visual parallels with Vader and Padmé in ROTS. The stark contrast between their “deaths” but also the similarities show that they are still connected even while their lives hang in balance. 

Padmé gives birth to life and Anakin loses his humanity. She is in a well-lit medical facility and he is in a cold, dark one. Even their heartbeats are in sync as if they are connected via the Force (which could very well be true, since she was slightly force-sensitive from carrying the twins). 

As the mask lowers on Vader, he whispers (since his vocal cords are badly burnt), “Padmé, help me” and Padmé, always on Anakin’s side, hears his plea and tries to tell that to Obi-Wan with her dying breath. It’s very likely that she heard him through the connection they shared like their connection during the ruminations scene and how Leia felt Luke in ESB and but she was unable to respond as she had given birth and probably lost the temporary force sensitivity. 

 As Anakin takes his first breath as Vader, Padmé takes her last. 

Vader rises like Frankenstein’s monster and Sidious marvels at his new “creation”. Padmé dies all in white, like the angel Anakin believed her to be. The parallels are also reminiscent of the “Death and the Maiden” motif.

Anakin has always felt connected to Padmé since he met her and this is the last time he feels their connection. And that’s how he knows Padmé is truly dead and he has lost her forever.  

Even the chorus “I am a Sith Lord but I could not save her” (even though the lyrics are actually Sanskrit) is haunting. This is where the colors of the republic fade and the black and white symbolism of the empire begins. 

Anakin is now Vader - more machine than man - and stands beside Sidious to assist him in building a tyrannical empire while Padmé dies and takes with her all the colors, love, laughter, cultural beauty, and freedom of the Republic era. Padmé was the personification of the Republic - a flawed but well-intended system and her death represents the democracy whereas Vader represents the Empire. 

Her funeral arrangement makes it seem like she’s drowning like Ophelia - implying that she’s returning to where she belongs. (Her planet Naboo is mostly associated with water and Padmé has often expressed her love for water and lakes in AOTC).

Padmé dying of a broken heart is also fits in with the fairytale whereas Anakin finds himself in a very different world after he wakes up - a world where most of the Jedi had been slaughtered and the survivors were declared traitors, a world where democracy doesn’t exist anymore. And he finds himself kept alive my machinery and he cannot die like his beloved, even if he wishes to. He is now very much a part of the new empire - with his humanity and limbs lost - and he gradually accepts his role as the imperial enforcer. 

Anakin and Padme’s story comes to a conclusion here as their reverse arcs are completed. They have both come a long way since TPM and Padme’s experiences mold her into becoming more emotional and in touch with her feelings from the stoic, reserved Queen Amidala whereas Anakin’s dreams, compassion and search for his identity are lost as he becomes his master’s servant and becomes colder and more stoic. Padmé’s journey was to become more human and learning to put love and family over duty and transition from Amidala to Padmé as Anakin’s unfortunately was to become more inhuman and machine-like, from Anakin to Vader. 

These scenes are where the prequel trilogy ends and the originals begin. 

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Love Me Now, Love Me Always // F.W.

Summary: Five times Fred has been in love with you, and the one time he tells you.

A/N: This is my entry for @kalimagik‘s magical winter writing challenge. My prompts were friends to lovers and my other is in bold in the text. I hope you like!!

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader

Warnings: pining, light angst

Word count: 3k

One:

It was in the height of summer when Fred Weasley came to the realisation that he was in love with you.

It was the height of summer; temperatures teetering on the edge of the twenties – no mean feat for a British summer. It had been dreadfully humid; to the point where Fred was pulling his shirt away from his torso in a futile effort to keep the sweat from soaking through the thin material.

Cold drinks and ice creams were on the menu the day that Fred realised he was in love with you. From fairytales and stories, Fred wondered whether he would feel this grand moment in which he knew he had found the one he wanted to love for the rest of his life. His own mother had regaled him stories when he was a young boy about witches and wizards like themselves who had found their one true love; of brave princes who fought magical beasts to save the princess and ask for her hand. He had heard them all from being a youngster.

However, for Fred, it had been a smile and a laugh.

You had spent the majority of the summer with Fred at the Burrow. Your family travelling abroad to see distant relatives in Europe, and you had chosen not to go with them; instead, asking Molly Weasley whether she would mind you staying with the Weasley family until school started in September. Molly had accepted; she would never leave one of her children’s friend out in the cold.

It had been weeks of laughter and mischief filled smiles. Fred felt certain that he had not felt this happy in a long time; the attention he so happily soaked from you bringing colour to his cheeks.

A smile and a laugh; that was all it took for Fred’s heart to skip a beat and his mind to come to terms with the knowledge that over the weeks you had been staying with his family, Fred had been falling deeply and irrevocably in love with you.

The realisation knocked him breathless as he continued to listen to your laughter; your reaction from a story told by Ron. The words faded to white noise as he focused his entire attention on you; your smile, your laugh, the way your eyes lit up under the summer evening sun. His eyes poured over every inch of you and he simply couldn’t help but question whether he had always been in love with you or whether this was a new development in your long friendship.

Tossing your hair over your shoulder, flashing a warm smile in Fred’s direction before returning your attention to Ron, Fred thinks that no, he’s always been in love with you.

Then and there, he’s more than certain that he always will.

Two:

“Are you trying to get yourself killed or expelled, is that it?” You demand, hands firmly on your hips as you glare at the redhead.

Fred has the decency to look somewhat ashamed of himself as he avoids your gaze, looking absolutely anywhere else in the room than at you and the disappointed look on your face.

“The prize money…” He trails off, making a dismissive gesture with his hand; wanting to explain it further but not able to find the right words.

Your eyes soften at his explanation, understanding dawning across your face. “Fred,” You whisper, “This isn’t the way to go about it.”

“Then what would you suggest?” He snaps, instantly hating the acid behind his words as he watches the hurt bloom in your eyes.

You throw out your hands in exasperation, “I don’t know! A bank loan or something. We can figure it out but entering into a competition that risks your life is not the way to go about it.”

Fred remains silent; feeling thoroughly put in his place. You cross your arms; trying not to let the hurt you feel so deep inside show across your face as you ask, “Why didn’t you tell me you were doing such a thing?”

He opens his mouth to reply, but quickly shuts it. He doesn’t know what to say; he doesn’t know how to tell you about his plans for the future, about how he sees you by his side through it all. He hasn’t the foggiest on how to explain his deepest desires, so he settles for silence for now.

You hold a hand to your stomach as your other reaches up to only juts contain the sob that bursts free. “I was so worried. If your name was pulled out of that cup, Fred Weasley, I don’t know what I would do.”

Something in Fred softens; his heart yearns to take you into his arms, to kiss you senseless as he reassures you he would never do something so utterly reckless again. But he doesn’t do that. Instead, he reaches out for you, a hand beckoning for you to join him on the hospital bed.

You scramble to him, settling next to him on the bed, automatically resting your head on his shoulder and grabbing his hand. He squeezes your hand; silently comforting you as he dares to press a kiss to the top of your head.

A friendship this old, there were very few boundaries. A friendship this old, he was bound to have feelings for you. The realisation from the past summer becoming all too clear as he takes in the tension coiling your body tightly, as the kiss he presses to the top of your head does very little to relax to the tightly bound muscles.

Truthfully, he adores you. He would never utter the words to anyone else but you for the fear of having the mick taken out of him, but he does. He adores you entirely, and to see you almost broken at the idea of him possibly entering such a competition – it stirred something in him. A desire to never put you through something like this again.

He presses two more kisses to the top of your head, still worried about the tension tightening your body. “Love,” Fred starts; voice low so other students can’t listen in, “I need you to know, I have absolutely no plans on leaving you without telling you.”

You sniffle, nuzzling your face into his shoulder. “Good,” You whisper, “Because you definitely do not have my permission to go anywhere, Weasley.”

Fred chuckles, tugging you closer, ignoring the rapid beating of his heart as you cuddle closer to him. He drops one more kiss to your head before murmuring, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Three:

Eyes wide, you glance around the brightly coloured shop. For anyone else, the orange and purple design would be classed as gaudy, but for the Weasley twins, this was nothing short of an explosion of their personalities.

Fred follows you like a lost puppy; hands fidgeting at his sides as he clenches them into fists and then relaxes them once more. A nervous habit, you realise. He waits patiently for your thoughts as your eyes continue to dance around the shop. Repressing a grin, you turn your attention to Fred. His eyes are bright with questions already waiting, poised on his lips as he tries his best not to bombard you and beg for your opinion.

Spinning in your spot, you release a happy laugh, all the while exclaiming, “Fred, this is wonderful.”

“You think?” He asks, a note on insecurity in his tone.

You grin, nodding your head, “All of this, Fred, is wonderful. It’s going to be a hit, so many are going to love it.”

It almost overwhelms him then. His feelings for you. They rise from his gut; almost cutting off his air as the words he has wanted to say since that fateful summer threaten to choke him. He gathers you in his arms, spinning you in a circle, “Thank you, love.”

For Fred, opening the shop was his dream. However, watching you stand in the middle of the shop, a wide smile on your face as you take everything in, Fred is almost overcome with the intensity of his desire to take your friendship to the next level. Not yet, he tells himself, everything was still so new with the shop and something dark was brewing. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to put you in harm’s way.

Not yet, he tells himself, but soon.

Four:

Endless screaming; endless shouting; endless fighting. That was all it had been. For hours, the castle once thought of as a second home for many students had been the battleground for the opposing sides of war. Those siding with the Dark Lord making it their aim to destroy such a symbol of power and innate goodness; those against him doing their best to keep the castle standing whether it meant laying down their life in the process.

Fred’s mind had been one thing through the whole battle: you.

Even as the wall next to him began to crack; even as it shattered into a million pieces and he was blown out of the way by a spell from Percy, his only thought on his mind had been about you.

Desperately, Fred stalks the lines of injured and dead in the Great Hall. Frantically searching for a glimpse of your hair or a flash of your clothes; anything that would answer the one question circling his mind.

It’s the sound of your cry that has him whirling towards you; relief already being written across his handsome features as he spies you sprinting towards him. He spies blood on your face and on your clothes, but he doesn’t dare ask where it stems from, he doesn’t dare ruin the sweetness of this moment.

You come to a stop in front of him. No words dared uttered as eyes scan the other, worriedly checking for any sign of injury. “I can’t lose you,” You cry, “You have to promise me you won’t leave me.”

Fred hauls you into a hug; crushing your face to his chest as his arms wrap around you so tightly that it almost crushes the breath from your lungs. His hand runs down the length of your body, starting at your hair and ending at the small of your back, “Never. I never plan on leaving you.”

Both of you stand there; clinging onto each other for dear life, inhaling each other’s scent. He smells like brick dust, but underneath all the dirt and blood, you can still smell the citrus and cedarwood that you have come to associate with him.

Gently, Fred rocks you from side to side. To so many, Fred is known to have rough edges. To be loud and spontaneous, and to act before thinking. However, for you, he would be soft. He would be the comforting presence in your life; to be the one to whisper reassuring words and sweet nothings whenever you needed.

He wanted to be the one to love you for however long humanly possible. He just needed to work up the courage to confess.

Five:

The nightmares are the worst part of it all. The constant nightmares that make him question whether he’s awake or asleep.

You’ve taken to sleeping on the couch. It started a month after the end of the war; your flat too small for you to feel comfortable enough on a night. Fred would never tell you this, but he’s glad that the size of your flat drove you to his. Knowing you sleep mere feet away helps him return from the terror inflicted in the night.

He doesn’t like to think of how many times he has woken you in the night. His screams permeating the night air as his fear invades every room of the flat. He doesn’t like to think how often you calmed him down; your fingers carding through his hair until his heart slows to an acceptable pace.

It’s as you crawl into bed with him; a side of his bed already stained with the smell of your perfume, that Fred admits to himself, he is doing better. The healing process has started; the nightmares only being part of it.

Fred believes it’s down to you. You push him to work on himself; to fight through the terror that keeps him in its grip every night. To talk about what happened and his near death experience; you were the first he confessed everything to. He couldn’t face George; he couldn’t face explaining just what went through his head as he readied himself to meet the winged clutches of the reaper.

Fred knows it’s down to you, and he loves you more for it. In the early months after the war, he thought you would leave. He thought that after the first few nightmares, you would call it quits, distancing yourself from him in preservation of your own sanity. He didn’t like to admit to himself how often he kept himself awake with that very thought; how long would it be until you walked away and out of his life?

The time never came, however, and he loves you all the more.

One:

Fred tells you he loves on a sunny day in March. Over a year since the end of the war, and over a decade of friendship, Fred simply cannot remember a time when he didn’t keep you close to his heart.

The day had started off by following its usual routine; breakfast then opening the shop. From there, Fred would manage whatever customers would walk through the door, greeting each and every one with a smile and a pleasantry. He may be a famous prankster, but that didn’t mean his mother had raised him to be impolite.

You join him just before lunch; bell ringing above the joke shop door as you walked in. A smile already on your face at the mere sight of Fred working so devotedly. The smile that breaks across his face when he spies your presence has your heart racing and your palm sweating; you don’t think he even realises the effect he has on you.

“Fancy grabbing lunch with me?” You ask, hoping he says yes.

“When do I ever say no to you?” Fred jokes: mischief bright in his eyes as he grabs his coat, shouting to George that he would gone for a bit.

You never grab lunch. The weather being too nice to spend it inside a café. Outside the shop, you turn to the tall redhead to find him already watching you with a look you cannot decipher. Smiling, you ask, “Shall we just walk instead? The weather is too nice to eat inside.”

Fred chuckles, dramatically bowing at the waist before exclaiming, “After you, my lady.”

You snort, stepping past him to continue up Diagon Alley, heading towards The Leaky Cauldron. Fred asks few questions about the destination you had in mind; just that the hustle and bustle of muggle London becomes apparent as you turn right outside The Leaky Cauldron.

Fred grabs your hand part way through the walk; an almost absent minded action that has your heart fluttering in your chest. Briefly, you wonder if this is it, if Fred is finally going confess that he reciprocates the feelings you’ve long held for the redhead.

As you both continue to walk, each step if more tension-filled than the last. The electricity between you crackling almost audibly.

He pauses suddenly, his feet no longer moving forward as he’s overcome with the depth of his feelings for you. He tugs you to a stop; wanting to smile at the puzzled expression on your face. “Fred? What’s wrong?” You ask; nothing but concern lacing your voice.

“I need to tell you something,” He rushes out, “It can’t wait any longer.”

The crease between your eyebrows deepens; it takes everything within him not to reach out a finger and smooth it down. “You can tell me anything, Fred,” You state firmly; fingers squeezing his tightly before letting them drop.

“I’m in love with you.”

“What?”

“I’m in love with you. I want to love you today, tomorrow, and every day from now on, if you’ll let me,”Fred gasps; the emotions choking off his voice as the sentence ends in a whisper of a plea.

The tears fall down your face freely. “You do?” You sob, voice breaking from the emotions building inside of you.

“I do,” He states. His voice more confident as the feelings he has had for you since he was sixteen years old take root within his heart. The very muscle growing in size to accompany the scale of his feelings for you.

“I love you too,” You confess, your teeth worrying your lower lip as you wring your hands together.

Something within Fred snaps, and before you’re fully aware of it, he has you in his arms. He pulls you tight to him; the length of your body pressed entirely up against his as he buries his face in your neck, practically shuddering with relief.

It takes a moment for Fred to regain composure, to pull his head from the safety of the crook of your neck. He smiles down at you; a wide grin that only heightens your happiness. You reach out tentatively; gently running your thumb across his cheekbone and down the length of his face. He captures your hand in his, pressing a kiss to each fingertip, all the whole his gaze never leaves yours.

He searches your eyes for a silent answer to a silent question. Nodding, you stand on your tiptoes, desperate to reach his height. Timidly, you brush your lips against his. A barely there kiss that has Fred’s veins igniting to flame.

He drops your hand. Instead, he curls his fingers around your waist, tugging you even closer to him as the pressure against your mouth increases. Fred’s mouth insistent on yours as his desperation to memorise every inch of you reaches fever pitch.

You wind your arms around his neck, gasping against his mouth as his hands begin to travel, splaying against your lower back. Fred takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss; he tastes of the tea he drank with his lunch. You cling onto him tighter, wanting nothing more than to take this further until the need for air becomes too much and you reluctantly pull away.

Breaking the kiss, you murmur into the small space between you, “Love me now, Fred. Love me always.”

********

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @theweasleysredhair @harrypotter289 @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @figlia--della--luna @idont-knowrn @big-galaxy-chaos @black-lake-confessions @annasofiaearlobe @imboredandneedalife @levylovegood @mytreec @haphazardhufflepuff @teheharrypotter @chaoticgirl04 @accio-rogers @starlightweasley @dreaming-about-fanfictions @lestersglitterglue @msmimimerton @obx-beach @izzytheninja @slytherinprincess03 @bbeauttyybbx @breadqueen95​ @acciotwinz​ @slytherinsunrise​ @kylosleftbuttcheek​ @remmyswritings​ @xfirstfemale-marauderx​ @they-write-once-in-a-blue-moon​ @ria-rests-here​ @superbturtlemakerathlete​ @inglourious-imagines​ @ithilwen-lionheart​ @now-its-time-for-a-breakdown​ @ilovejjmaybank​

Fred Weasley taglist: @whiz-bangs78​ @susceptible-but-siriusexual​ @seppys-return-to-madness​ @hexmione​ @ickle-ronniekins​ @oh-for-merlins-sake​

[samwilsonsbabymama]

A Change of Scenery

Pairing: Single Dad!Angel Reyes x Single Mom Black!Reader (but anyone can read)

Summary: Reader moves to Santo Padre and meets the father of her daughters best friend.

Warning: hella fluff like it’s all fluff lol

Word Count: < 2,900

A/N: This is based off of this post that I made a few days ago. Huge thanks to @my-rosegold-soul​ for being such a big help with this and for being an all around amazing person 💖I hope yall like it!

✨I don’t give anyone permission to copy/translate/repost/rewrite my work. Minors, DNI at all. ✨

"And AJ said that I could come to his house whenever I wanted, mommy," your daughter, Imani, said, causing you to smile. This wasn’t the first time that Imani had brought up going to Aj’s house, and you were sure it wouldn’t be the last. You continued listening as she told you about how excited she was to see AJ at daycare as you drove.

You had moved to Santo Padre on a whim a few months ago after spending your entire life in the big city. You were tired of the fast paced life and you needed a change of scenery, so, with very little planning, you'd packed up all of your stuff, and you and Imani moved. 

At first, you had been worried that Imani wouldn’t adjust well to being in a new environment, but after a few days in her new daycare, Imani had made a few friends. One friend, in particular, was the constant topic of conversation. 

AJ and Imani were in the same class and came to be fast friends. From the first day you picked her up, all Imani could talk about was AJ this and AJ that. You loved hearing about the ‘adventures’ that the two 5 year-olds got up to at daycare. 

After you had pulled into the daycare parking lot, you began to walk Imani to the door. 

"Mani!" a small voice called out to your daughter causing you both to turn.

"AJ!" Imani responded and pulled the little boy into a hug.

You chuckled as you watched the two embrace.

"So this is Imani?" a voice rumbled next to you causing you to turn. 

As your eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight shining in your face, you were taken aback by the man in front of you. He had dark hair just long enough for a few strands to fall into his eyes. His plump lips held a hint of mischief behind his smirk. His brown eyes were dark and you felt yourself wanting to get lost in them for hours. Your eyes traveled down his body catching the name “Romero Brothers” on his work shirt.

Your eyes trailed along the tattoos on his arms down to the many rings that adorned his fingers. You imagined what they would feel like against your skin. As you continued sizing the man up, you bit your lip almost forgetting where you were. 

When he cleared his throat, you snapped your eyes back up to his only to be met with a breathtaking smile. You felt your face heat up in embarrassment and you stuck your hand out towards him.

“I’m Imani’s mom, Y/n,” you said and your voice trembled when he reached out and took it. You’d half expected for his hands to be rough and dry, but you were pleasantly surprised to find they weren’t.

“Nice to meet you, Y/n. I’m Angel, AJ’s dad,” he said as he shook your hand.

“It seems as though our kids are best friends; Imani talks about AJ all the time,” you smiled.

“Yeah, Imani is famous in our house.” If it were possible, Angel’s smile got bigger as he spoke.

“Mommy, it’s hot,” Imani interjected before you could respond to Angel. You looked down at your daughter and smiled as she impatiently stood in front of you.

“I guess we should get these two inside,” you said to Angel as you reached for the door.

“Here, let me get that for you,” he said as he moved to open the door for you and the kids. You smiled and whispered “Thank you” as you walked into the building to sign Imani in.

When you were done signing her in, you turned to look back at Angel. When you noticed that he was talking to one of the teachers, you waved Imani ‘Goodbye’ and headed out the door.

A few days passed since you met Angel, and you were still buzzing. Never in your life had you felt this way, not even when you were with Imani’s father. You didn’t want to read too much into this, especially since you had only met this man once, but you were dying to see him again.

As if the Universe had decided to grant your wishes, two weeks after meeting Angel, you ran into him again. Only this time, it wasn’t at the daycare. You’d taken a day off work to get some errands done while Imani was at daycare. You’d been out all day, and your last stop before going to pick your daughter up was the carnicera. 

The sight that greeted you when you walked into the only butcher shop in town made your heart skip a beat.

“I’ll be right with you,” Angel said. His back was still to the door as you made your way to the counter.

“Take your time,” you responded with a smile.

At the sound of your voice, Angel stopped doing whatever he was doing and slowly turned to face you. His face lit up when he saw you and his smile caused you to smile.

“It’s good to see you again, Y/n,” Angel said as you got closer.

“You too. I thought you worked at Romero’s?” You questioned.

“Been thinking about me, hmm?” Angel smirked and you rolled your eyes. “I do, but this is my pops shop, I’m helping him out for a bit.”

“Felipe is your dad?” Angel nodded. “Yeah, I can see it now.” You laughed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Angel chuckled. “Now what can I get for you?”

You rattled off the different cuts of meat that you needed, and Angel quickly got to work. When he rang up your total, it was considerably less than usual.

“Umm, Angel,” you said with a bit of hesitation. “You didn’t ring me up for the correct amount.”

“Sure I did,” he said with an easy smile.

“Usually it’s twice this price,” you replied.

“Oh, we’re running a special today,” Angel replied and you quirked your eyebrow. “Pretty girls get half off.” He winked at you.

“Angel, I can’t let you do that, what would your father say?” You replied with a slight chuckle.

He shrugged, “Why don’t we do this instead. Why don’t you and Imani meet me and AJ at the park this Saturday for a play date in exchange?”

“Angel, I can’t do that. I’ll pay full price, and we’ll meet you at the park,” you countered.

“Too late. I’ve already put it in the register, can’t change the price,” he said as he took the money from your hand and quickly counted your change.

You stood there dumbfounded as he moved quickly handing you your change and meat.

“Great, so AJ and I will see you and Imani on Saturday at the park at noon,” he stated as you took hold of your purchase.

You snapped out of your stupor. “We’ll be there,” you said with a smile before you turned and walked out of the door.

Holy shit.

Saturday didn’t come fast enough. You hadn’t told Imani about meeting up with Angel and AJ at the park, opting for it to be a surprise.

When Saturday finally came, you readied Imani for her playdate and grabbed your purse before the two of you headed out. Normally when you took her to the park, you didn’t really put much thought into what you wore, but this time, you did. You still wore comfortable clothes expecting  Imani would want you to play with her, but they were nicer than usual. You actually wanted to impress Angel.

The drive to the park was short and as soon as you parked, you spotted Angel and AJ near the slide. When you helped Imani out of her car seat, you pointed towards the slide.

“Imani, is that AJ?” You asked with fake shock.

Imani’s head snapped towards where you were pointing and she took off running towards her best friend. You laughed and followed behind her and watched as AJ ran up to her. The two grasped hands and took off running towards the slide.

As you walked behind Imani, you took in Angel’s appearance as he moved towards you. His hair no longer fell into his eyes and his beard was freshly lined up. He wore a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, putting all of his tattoos on display.

“Hi, Y/n,” he said, pulling you from your thoughts.

“Hi, Angel,” you smiled back.

The two of you walked towards the park bench where you could see the two kids playing together on the equipment. As you sat in silence while watching the kids play, your mind drifted back to the man sitting next to you. Why was such a gorgeous man single? Obviously someone had snatched him up at one point in time, but why would they let him go?

“So, Y/n, what brings you to Santo Padre?” He asked as he turned slightly to face you.

You’d shrugged. “Just needed a change, I guess,” you responded. “I’d done the high city thing my whole life, and I didn’t like it much. It was too busy, too fast-paced, ya know?”

Angel nodded, “Makes sense. But why Santo Padre?”

“Because it’s close enough to my family but far enough where I won’t have any unexpected visitors.” You laughed and Angel laughed along with you.

The two of you continued talking about life and parenthood as the children played. Before long, you noticed a food truck parked down the street and the four of you walked to it and grabbed something to eat. When you reached for your wallet to pay for Imani’s and your food, Angel quickly slid his card through the machine stating that since he invited you out, he was going to pay for your food. When you attempted to argue, he shot you a look that quickly ended the discussion. 

As the four of you ate, you listened to Imani and AJ talk about all the games they played at the park. When the four of you were done, you noticed how tired Imani and AJ were, and as much as you didn’t want the day to end, you had to.

“I think it may be time to head back home, Mani,” you said as you lifted the sleepy child into your arms.

She and AJ let out quiet protests at the same time.

Angel nodded his head as he also lifted AJ into his arms. You laughed as the little boy could barely keep his eyes open and you imagined that Imani was doing the same. You and Angel walked side by side back to your cars and you noticed that you had parked near him. When the two of you had both kids buckled safely in their car seats, met each other behind your car. 

“I had a great time with you, Y/n,” Angel said.

“Me too,” you responded as you looked into his eyes.

“Look, y/n, I hope this isn’t too forward, but I would really like to see you again,” Angel said after a few moments of silence.

“That would be nice,” you agreed. “These two had a blast.”

“No, I mean, just you and me. I mean I would love to do this again and have a playdate for these two, but I want to take you out on a date. If that’s what you want.” Angel ran his hand through his hair as if it were a nervous habit.

“Really?” You were shocked. “I mean, yeah, I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Great,” he smiled. “Here, put your number in my phone, and I’ll call you later.”

You reached out and took his phone and put your number in before handing it back. “I’m looking forward to hearing from you, Angel.” You smiled and turned to get into your car and waited for him to get into his before you turned it on. You were about to start playing some music when your phone rang. It wasn’t a number that you recognized, but you answered it anyway.

“Hello?” You answered.

“It’s later.” Angel’s voice came through the receiver.

You chuckled and looked to your right to see him sitting in his car smiling at you. 

“I was thinking,” Angel began, “that we could go out tomorrow night around 8 pm. I could come to pick you up, or we could meet somewhere, whichever you’re comfortable with.”

You chewed your bottom lip. “I don’t know if I can find a babysitter with such short notice.” You really wanted to go out with him, but you needed more time to get a babysitter.

“No worries,” Angel replied. “You can use AJ’s sitter and I’ll leave AJ with my dad.”

You laughed. “Are you sure?”

You watched Angel as he nodded ‘yes’. “Look, I’ll give her a call when I get home and I’ll have her call you. Her name’s Leticia, but we call her Letty, and she’s great with AJ. I’m sure Imani will love her.”

You looked back at your still sleeping daughter and smiled. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

“Great!” Angel exclaimed. “Alright, I’ll give Letty a call right now and I’ll have her call you tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” you smiled. “I’ll talk to you later, Angel.”

“Y/n?” Angel said before you could hang up. “Could you let me know when you get home? I want to make sure that you two get there safely.”

Your heart stuttered. “Of course. Will you let me know when you get home as well?”

Angel responded with a ‘yes’ before you two finally hung up promising to talk later. On your drive home, you thought about your life choices and how they brought you to Santo Padre. You were excited to start this new chapter of your life, and you couldn’t wait to see what new experiences were in store for you.

Your first date with Angel was nothing short of perfect. You found that the two of you had so much in common, and soon, you found yourself on dates two, three, and four. 

Months later, your relationship with Angel was still going strong. The two of you constantly talked on the phone and texted each other, and you often spent your nights and weekends cooking for four instead of two. You were taking things slow, always choosing to go home rather than spending the night. Each time you stayed late, leaving got harder, and Angel always respected your decision.

And this is where you found yourself, currently stretched out on Angel’s couch with his arm wrapped around you. Imani and AJ were already asleep on the floor and the movie that you all were watching was long forgotten as you two talked. Somehow, the two of you made it to your ex’s and you weren’t sure how you’d made it this far into the relationship without talking about them, but here you were.

“I thought things were good,” you stated with a shrug. “But then he just up and left one day. Imani was 7 months old when he left, and it’s just been us ever since.”

“I completely understand,” Angel sympathized. “AJ’s mom had us all fooled but one day while I was at work, she dropped him off with my pops and we haven't seen her since. AJ was one. I don’t even know if he remembers her.”

After a few moments of silence, you glanced at your watch and shifted to sit up.

“I think we should head home now,” you said as you stood up.

Angel remained silent as you bent down to pick Imani up. You tried your best to not wake her because you knew she’d be grumpy if you did.

“You can always spend the night, Y/n,” there was a hint of hesitation in Angel’s voice as he spoke. “I mean, you don’t have to, but the offers there.”

You halted your movements and stood back up. “Angel, I-”

“I’ll sleep on the couch if that makes you more comfortable. I just,” he paused and ran his hand over his face. “You shouldn’t be driving this late at night. Please stay?”

You chewed your bottom lip. He was absolutely right, you were too tired to drive, so you nodded your head.

“Imani can sleep in AJ’s room, he has a second bed for when his cousins' sleepover,” Angel explained. The two of you carried the sleeping children to AJ’s room and tucked them in before leaving. 

You two stood in the hallway for a few seconds, smiling at each other before Angel leaned in for a kiss. Angel pulled back after a few minutes and placed his forehead on to yours as you both caught your breath.

“Good night, Y/n,” Angel whispered before he completely pulled away from you and walked back to the couch after taking you to his room. You changed into one of his shirts that you found and stood at the edge of his bed for a few seconds before you made your way back to the front of the house. 

The room was dark, but you could see his face as he scrolled on his phone. You cleared your throat and Angel’s eyes snapped to yours. 

“Angel, you don’t have to sleep on the couch,” you said as you fiddled with the hem of the shirt you were wearing. 

“You sure?”

“I mean,” you shrugged.“We can’t have sex, but I’d like to still sleep with you and I'm sure your bed is more comfortable than the couch.”

Angel swung his legs over so that his feet were touching the floor and you averted your eyes when you noticed that he was only wearing his boxers. You kept your eyes on the floor as he walked up to you and tilted your chin so that you were looking at him. “Mi dulce, I’ll do whatever you want.”

You took Angel’s hand in yours and led him back to his room. He watched as you climbed into his bed and flipped the covers back for him. You waited for him to climb in before you cuddled up against him and he quickly wrapped you into his arms.

Part Two

A/N 2: If you ‘liked’ it, please reblog or leave a comment/reply even if it’s only an emoji.

[blackcatclawsout]

Majima x Reader- Shopping with Mama and Papa

"How long d'ya expect me to carry around this thing for?" Majima huffed.

"Just a minute longer, I swear! I forgot bandaids!" Y/N promised, making her way to the needed aisle.

She felt bad enough, making him carry the 9 kg bag of rice, despite his insistence, but to make him wait longer because of her forgetfulness made her hurry. She lightly jogged to the pharmacy area, slowing as she reached the aisles. She carefully began to stalk up and down the aisles, assessing the shelves for the bandaids. She only got a few aisles in before she was stopped by a sudden weight on her leg.

"Okaa-san!" A small boy chirped, burying his face in the fabric of her pants.

She hesitated. Clearly, this wasn't her child. Her head quickly swivelled in search of the correct mother, but no other woman was apparent. The little boy looked up, smiling. As soon as he locked eyes on her, the smile fell immediately.

Y/N prided herself on being a quick thinker and fairly level headed in situations such as these, but throwing children into the mix threw her off-kilter.

"H-hello... Are you looking for someone?" She hesitated, trying to smile.

She was met with widened eyes, teetering between fright and shock. Carefully, the little boy was plucked from her leg to stand on his own. She knelt to his eye level, repeating herself carefully.

"Are you looking for someone?"

"I can understand you!" His face lit up, clearly amazed by this foreign woman. Y/N smiled, charmed by his zeal.

"I hope so! What's your name?"

The boy rocked on his heels, "I'm Daiki! Whatta 'bout you?" he beamed cutely.

"Y/N; are you looking for someone?" She pressed politely. The boy's smile faltered, suddenly looking about.

"I lost my mom... I don't know where she is." Daiki trailed off quietly, looking distant.

The white noise of the store became more apparent to Y/N; The announcer over the store's intercom, the beeping of cashiers, idle chatter of shoppers. The stimulus would be a lot for anyone, let alone a child. She turned her head to look around. The department store sure did look big from this angle... Not everyone in Kamurocho was kind to others, even during the day. It didn't help ease her mind that it was already 4:30, meaning the hooligans of the evening would soon be making their way onto the street. She stood up defiantly. In clear conscious, she could not leave this child alone in the store.

"Why don't we find your mom together, Daiki-chan?" Y/N extended her open hand to the boy, smiling kindly. He looked up, smile perking up his body once again.

"Okay, Y/N-chan!" He took her hand.

The pair began trudging up and down the aisles, stopping at the sight of every woman. Slowly they migrated to other areas of the store, leaving the pharmacy area. The pair began to swing their arms while they walked, with Y/N enjoying the young boy. He chatted about his class, his favourite subject, and what it was like at home. He rattled off what he had done so far today, and to Y/N's own surprise, she was interested in what he had to share.

Having children had never really crossed her mind and wasn't a conversation Majima and her ever had. A wave of shock washed over her; she had forgotten all about him! A glance at her watched told her she had taken way too long. A rough voice cut through her worry immediately.

"Hey, where the hell ya been?"

Y/N whipped her head around, eyes landing on her lover.

The expression on his face read somewhere between annoyance and concern, Majima's steel grey eye surveyed her. His brow arched, head tilting to the side.

Daiki peered around her side, glancing at Majima, owlish eyes darting over his body. Of all days for Majima to not be wearing his snakeskin jacket, she thanked god today was one of them.

The young boy glanced cautiously up at his caretaker, "Um, do you know him, Y/N-chan?" Daiki chirped curiously, looking back to the older man.

"Oh, y-yeah. This is my boyfriend, Majima-kun." She flushed, glancing apologetically towards her partner. Without warning, Daiki flung himself to the yakuza.

"You can help me find my mama too!" He took Majima's free hand and led him over to Y/N. The child grabbed her hand and began to swing the arms of the two adults, "It's like when I go shopping with Mama and Papa!" He giggled.

Y/N felt a flush creep up her neck to her face. Her cheeks burned with a giddy feeling.

Me, like a mama?

She glanced up at her lover to gauge his reaction. Majima's eye was wide, a blush spread across his face as well, an ecstatic look written across his face. Their eyes met and the heat increased. Y/N tore her gaze away, feeling dizzy from the sudden thrill of it all.

"Sure, kid. We should probably get a move on, huh..." Majima grumbled, gaze landing elsewhere.

Daiki led the adults up and down the aisles, the three keeping their eyes peeled. Goro and Y/N began to relax after a minute, leading the small boy through the grocery store. Y/N giggled as Daiki pulled the two of them along, making faces at Majima. She laughed even harder when her one-eyed lover returned the silly face, sticking out his tongue and rolling his eye. She enjoyed this feeling. The light, warm feeling she felt in her stomach began to over-flow her body. Seeing Goro in any domestic situation always made her a little joyful, but this was a new sentiment. Seeing him like this as well; god! It was amazing. Y/N felt like it was a rare moment to see what he was like before the Yakuza. She walked to the end of the aisle, tittering to herself when she ran into a woman. She turned to apologize, meeting a panicked face.

"Excuse me, have you seen a young boy around here?" Her head bobbed around, scouting for her target. Y/N's face fell for a second, before forcing a smile.

"You must be Daiki's mother. We were just looking for you." She turned around to the duo behind her, watching them mess around.

Smiling sadly, she called out to the child.

"Mama!" Daiki exclaimed, rushing to her side.

Y/N watched on as the pair reunited, his mother fluffing his hair and checking him over. Once she appeared satisfied, they turned to leave with Daiki waving before they eventually wormed their way into the crowd of shoppers.

A pinch on the ass brought her out of her haze, brows furrowed at her mate who now cheekily grinned. She huffed before, returning her gaze to where the pair had disappeared. They watched together in silence for a short while, steady breathing between the two of them. For a tangible moment, Y/N could feel the mundane return. It wasn't necessarily sad, more dismaying.

"Cute kid, ain't he?" Majima sighed.

She glanced to look at him. Despite being on the side where his eyepatch was, she could still make out his lightly furrowed brows and tight lips. She understood the look he gave was that of when he was seriously contemplating.

He had mentioned once, when he was rather drunk after a night out with his boys, that he could have been a father once. It had caught her off guard at the time, as she was about to settle into bed again. Y/N silently turned back to him. His back was facing her; the oni mask boring into her, like a second set of eyes for him. She remembered crawling to him, finding tears silently falling from his face. He muttered something about his ex-wife and how it could have never worked out anyway, all the while she cradled him close, absorbing his quiet sobs. When they woke up the next morning, he either didn't seem to remember or didn't wish to bring up what had happened, so she never pressed.

Quietly, she slipped her hand into his, meeting the warmth of his flesh against hers. She enjoyed touching his bare hands, rubbing the back with her thumb, messaging the strong muscles that were sheathed underneath. Feeling the lightly calloused palms of her lover. He squeezed her hand in return, receiving her silent message. After another minute of silence, he sighed loudly, turning back to her.

"Hey, whaddya say we head outta here, eh?" he smiled softly, Kansai accent laid on thick. "I already paid for our shit, so no worries."

They walked side by side quietly, the evening sun hitting their faces as they stepped out of the store.

Clouds above were illuminated with the orange glow of the sunset, streaked with the pale blue of the exposed sky. The street lights began to click on, giving a faint glow to the shaded streets. The smell of wet pavement, beer, and grilled meat wafted throughout the air, drawing in the evening crowd. The usual bustle of Kamurocho began to settle in, causing strangers to bump into one another. The couple slipped into the forming traffic of the street, becoming ordinary in the dinner-rush. They slipped to a smaller alley, one they typically took to and from the apartment. The pervasive smell of wet stone mixed with damp tobacco filled their senses, darting through the dim walkway.

In a second of clarity, Y/N let go of Majima's hand, a frown settling to her face. He stopped and swivelled, examining her face.

"'Ey, what's bugging ya?" He asked, nonchalantly.

Events played in her head and her scowled deepened. He took a step forward, toughing her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Y/N?" Goro pressed, his voice quietening.

She met his gaze, scowl remaining on her face.

"I fucking forgot the bandaids."

[cora-vizsla]

Cabur Chapter 3

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Word Count: 9K

Warnings: Talk of strict parents. Swearing. Drinking alcohol. Talk of sex. Smut. Dominant/submissive undertones. Unprotected sex and talk of how reckless that is because you should always use protection. Just a tiny bit of fluff.

AN: I start classes on Monday so I wanted to get out as much as possible. It’s a long chapter but a lot also happens in it. If I missed any tags please let me know!

You helped Din carry everything inside and set him up in your room. He had tried to argue but with him having an ad’ika you felt like he needed the privacy. Once everything was sat down you saw large ears poke out from his bag and your smile was almost painful.

“Who is this?”

He looked down and sighed, nodding at the small creature. It reached for you and you picked it up and it cooed loudly. You giggled and both men tilted their head to the side as if asking you what was wrong with you. It reached its small hand out and touched your helmet.

“What is its name?”

“I’m not sure what his name is.”

“He was your bounty?”

“Yes. Now I’ve been tasked to find his people.”

“What happens if you can’t find them?”

“Then we are a clan of two.”

You held the small creature to your chest and looked down into his big black eyes. He was cute, that was for sure.

“Does he need to eat? What does he eat?”

“Frogs. Anything he can get ahold of.”

Paz barked out a laugh and Din tensed. You brought him over to the kitchen area and started pointing at things. He finally reached out for a can of fish, so you opened it for him. It smelled but he seemed thrilled with it.

“There is a stream close to here. I can go to the village and get you fresh fish. How does that sound?”

He cooed at you and you rest your forehead on his. He shut his eyes and cuddled into you. You ignored the two other Mandalorians in the house and focused on Dins ad’ika.

“He likes you.”

“I like him!”

You glanced up at the two and they were staring at you.

“Why don’t you two go out on the porch. You can take your helmets off. The villagers won’t come near when it’s getting close to dark. I’ll cook and watch the ad’ika.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Din. He is safe with me.”

“I know he is. He can just.. be a handful.”

“He’s my buddy, right sweetheart?”

His face lit up and he touched your helmet again. Din sighed and walked outside. Paz shut the door and looked at you.

“I got the impression you were going to talk to me.”

“I always talk to you, Paz.”

“You know what I mean.”

“We can talk later, okay? Go with your brother. I need space for a little while.”

He nodded and went outside, shutting the door behind him just a little too rough. You set the child on the counter and clapped.

“Alright, kiddo. What do we want for dinner?”

You slipped your gloves off and started to dig through the supplies. You sighed realizing you didn’t have as much as you wish you had. Suddenly a gentle touch skimmed across your hand and you looked down to see the child shutting his eyes and touching you. The image of soup came to mind and the flashes of Din ordering soup for him often. Another image of Din sipping soup under his helmet in a way that the child couldn’t see his face. The child wondered what his savior looked like. You gasped and he moved his hand, looking up at you.

“You use the force, don’t you little one.”

He smiled at you with his sharp little teeth.

“I can make soup, ad’ika. Tomorrow I’ll get you fresh fish to eat, yeah?”

He giggled and you got to working on a fresh batch of soup.

As soon as it was done, you dished out a bowl for the child. He giggled and it warmed your heart that he liked what you did for him. You dished out two more bowls and knocked at the door asking if it was safe to come out. You heard Paz say yes so you opened the door holding the two bowls. They took it from you and Din snorted.

“How did you know the kid likes soup.”

“He told me.”

Din whipped towards you.

“What?”

“You didn’t tell me he’s a force user.”

“What do you know of force users?”

“They have exceptional powers. He used his to tell me how you always order him soup. He wonders what you look like. If he’s your ad’ika why don’t you show your face?”

“I’m.. I’m not his biur. Not yet.”

“Tell him that, though it may break his heart. He thinks the world of you, Din. I’ll go back inside so you two can eat. Sorry it isn’t much. I’ll get more supplies tomorrow.”

When you turned to go back in, Paz grabbed your arm stopping you.

“Thank you.”

You nodded and walked inside, shutting the door and letting out a shaky breath. The child was looking at you and you walked over, seeing he needed more. You sipped at your own the way he had shown you Din did.

“We don’t take our helmets off unless it’s with our children or our spouse.”

He reached his hand out, so you let him touch your bare skin. He showed you Din again, and you could tell he questioned what you had just told him.

“He is tasked to find your people but if he can’t find them you won’t be going anywhere. He will always take care of you even if you aren’t sure what’s going on right now. He won’t ever leave you behind, okay?”

He smiled again and you pat the top of his head. You hoped that Din would figure it out. No child deserved to feel so alone.

---

You cleaned up until the child started to yawn. You scooped him up and walked around, softly singing to him. He fell asleep quickly and you smiled at how precious he looked. After a while you put him down on your bed so he would be in there when Din was ready to sleep. When you walked out both men were coming inside.

“He’s asleep. He ended up really sleepy, so I walked around with him until he fell asleep.”

“Thank you, vod’ika. Sometimes he has a hard time falling asleep.”

“It was nothing, Din. I’m happy to help.”

“Why don’t you tell Din about the little girl in town that needs a biur.”

Din looked at Paz then back at you. You sighed loudly and put your hand on your hip, glaring at the larger man.

“There is nothing to talk about.”

“She has no family?”

“No, she doesn’t. She really likes your vod’ika and hops from home to home to have somewhere to sleep. The village calls this one here cabur and I was yelled at by a small one for speaking ill of her. The little one in question is enamored with her cabur.”

“Vod’ika, why haven’t you taken her in?”

“We aren’t talking about this. None of us. Drop it. There wasn’t even a need to bring it up.”

Din tilt his head to the side, and you could have smacked Paz you were so mad.

“You won’t listen to me. Maybe you’ll listen to Din.”

“Paz, you are the most insufferable pain in the ass I have ever met!”

“And you’re the most bullheaded stubborn sheb I’ve ever met!”

“Well if that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy.”

Paz barked out a laugh and stepped forward. You tensed your body, hands balled into fists as you stared at him. Din looked between both of you and crossed his arms.

“What the hell is going on between you two?”

You both yelled nothing, but it was hard to miss the difference in your inflection. You were furious and wanted Din to know that there was absolutely nothing to talk about. Paz sounded defeated and frustrated that there was nothing going on.

“I might believe that if I didn’t walk up to you on his lap.”

You tossed your hands in the air and let them slap at your legs when they dropped.

“Of course, that’s when you would walk up. You didn’t see all the times I yelled at him or told him off. You weren’t even here to see me shoot him. But yes, you walk up when he pulls me against my will against him. Wonderful!”

“You shot him?”

“Against your will?!”

They both spoke at the same time and you were the one to laugh that time. You slipped your gloves back on and went to the door. As soon as you opened it Paz slapped his hand on it, effectively stopping you from leaving when it slammed shut.

“I will break this fucking door Paz and then you can tell the village why we need a new one. Let me out.”

“You aren’t running away! This is exactly what I was talking about before. Anytime things get hard or slightly uncomfortable you run away.”

“Do you think maybe I’m running from you?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Every time I’ve had to run it has been your fault. Perhaps you should be more worried about your actions that cause me to do this than me doing it.”

He grabbed your shoulder and spun you before pushing your back against the door. You glared up at him and saw Din start to walk forward but he stopped when you didn’t try to fight back.

“I thought we were past this, ad’ika. I thought we were past you trying to run from me when all I have done is try to help you since the moment I got here. Do you know how lucky you are to still be breathing? No one just shoots me and lives. No one yells at me and treats me poorly and gets to live. I’ve killed for far less.”

“Then just go ahead and do it! Go back to the Armorer and tell her that you found me dead.”

“I’d need your beskar, you stupid girl.”

“Over my dead fucking body are you taking this beskar off me.”

“That was just my point! Stars you are obstinate for no reason! If you put half of this fire into getting what you want instead of hiding, you’d have the entire galaxy!”

“I AM NOT FUCKING HIDING YOU GIANT FUCKING OAF!”

Din cackled at that and it broke the concentration between the two of you. Paz stepped back and let go of the door.

“If you aren’t hiding, then talk. Go ahead and run out the door though. I know you’re going to. It’s what you do. You’re no verd. Warriors don’t run from their problems.”

Your entire body was shaking you were so angry. You did want to bolt. You wanted to head out the door and find an entirely new planet to be on away from everyone you knew, including Din. He was supposed to come to you to help you deal with Paz, not question you.

You stomped over to the counter where you kept your alcohol. You didn’t drink often but you had it just in case, more so for wounds than anything else. It was strong and you liked being on your toes. However, this situation was entirely different. You yanked your helmet off and slammed it on the counter, your back towards the two men.

“What are you doing?”

Paz sounded unsure and you could feel Din shifting his weight like he did when he was uncomfortable. You grabbed the bottle and took a huge swig, wincing when it burned your throat. You leaned forward, both hands on the counter and sighed.

“If I’m going to deal with this I’m going to need to be at least buzzed. You’re much to vexing to deal with sober and since your brother has decided to do the absolute opposite of what I was hoping he would do, this is how I’m going to deal.”

You took another swig and pulled your helmet back on, not caring that your hair was hanging below your helmet for once. You turned around and motioned for the living space. It was going to be a long night.

---

Paz filled Din in on everything that had happened in the last year. You chimed in to correct or add to what he was saying. Din listened intently glancing at you when it came up you had been protecting everyone.

“So, you have been living by the creed the entire time.”

“Yes. No one has seen my face. The village doesn’t even know my name.”

“Vod’ika, why are you being so hard on yourself then. Is it your biur?”

You shrugged.

“I think they meant well. I do. It’s just that it.. You know the stipulation when they took me in.”

“I do.”

“What?”

You cursed yourself. Drinking always made you chatty and even though you knew that was what you needed to do, part of you forgot that Paz would be finding things out you had hidden from him before.

“I told you before that the creed saved me.”

“Right, and I said that you didn’t take the creed until years later.”

“You aren’t wrong. The problem is I had to promise to take the creed long before that. Mandalorians are given the choice to take the vow and when they want to. For my biur to take me in, I had to promise that I would train so I was worthy to wear the beskar. Without this metal, without this helmet, I would be dead on the street.”

“So those were your choices? Die or become one of us? Who let this happen? Does the Armorer know about this?”

The more questions Paz asked the angrier he became. It made you tense but it almost felt nice that he knew why you felt the way you did.

“She does. That’s why I was asked to look out for her. They never did anything that could warrant them being sent away, but it was a fine line. There are extremists everywhere in every group, but the Armorer wanted this one to be safe.”

“She wanted me to have a chance. I was forced to take this creed, but it doesn’t change how important it is to me. I swore to be different than them. It’s why I’m so strong in my beliefs, Paz. I need to do things this way, so I don’t end up like them.”

“Then why be so upset about the helmet? Your biur would have disowned you but if you had just gone to the Armorer she would have understood. The rest of us would have understood.”

“I broke the creed. I’ve broken what it means to me. Just because my beliefs on this are different than yours doesn’t make them invalid. I can’t rely on everyone just forgiving the broken creed. I won’t.”

“And you won’t marry outside of love because you don’t want to be like them too?”

You nodded and pulled your legs up, so you were more or less curled up on the couch. Din reached over and put his hand on your knee. He had always been the one to console you even though it wasn’t very conventional. That was how you learned to fight. You channeled all your pain and frustration into fighting.

“Go get some sleep, Din. I have a feeling the kid will be up soon.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind giving up your room?”

“Yes. I have no problem sleeping on the couch.”

He stood and stretched, groaning at the movements.

“Getting old, Din.”

“Yeah, shut up.”

You laughed and said goodnight as he walked back into the room. Before you could stand up to get a blanket, Paz was handing one to you. You thanked him quietly and started pulling your beskar off, stacking it neatly by the couch. You laid down on your side once you were done and Paz sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch so he was close to you.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of that?”

“It’s not something I like talking about.”

“It doesn’t change that you run from everything.”

“I know it doesn’t. I at least have a reason for it.”

He tilted his head back, so it was resting on your thigh. You felt strange but the feeling wasn’t horrible. His breathing changed a few times like he was going to talk but decided not to.

“Were you actually unwilling?”

“What?”

“When I pulled you on me. Were you really unwilling? I don’t want to upset you.”

“I.. no. It wasn’t unwilling. I would have said something. I was just mad and embarrassed that of all times that was when Din showed up.

He fell silent again and with how steady his breathing was, you almost thought he fell asleep.

“Have you been like that before with someone?”

“Sat on someone’s lap?”

He turned his head to face you and you barked out a laugh.

“Oh! Yes. Yes, I’ve had sex before, if that’s what you’re asking. The creed says nothing about sex.”

“And they never saw your face?”

“You’re the only one who has seen my face since I’ve taken the creed.”

“So, you just had sex with your helmet on?”

You laughed and shrugged.

“It’s the only part of the beskar that has to stay on. You know that. You’re saying you’ve never had sex?”

“Of course, I’ve had sex! What kind of question is that?”

“Oh, so you can question me, but I can’t question you?”

He huffed and rolled his head back, so he was facing forward.

“I guess that’s fair. You know, you’re being pretty bold considering I’m the one who has been drinking.”

“Bold? No. Being bold would be telling you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

You chuckled expecting him to join in with you but instead he just turned to look at you fully.

“I know we fight something fierce. I know that I’m not the most patient person in the galaxy. I do respect you. I think even more than I did before and I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Thank you, Paz.”

“You’re nothing like your biur. I understand not wanting to be like them. You just can’t not live because you’re afraid you may end up like them.”

“I’m scared to live. I’m scared to let anyone close. Not that I’ll admit it again once I’m sober.”

He rumbled out a laugh and you smiled at the sound.

“I hope you can begin to trust me.”

“I do trust you Paz. I just know it’s not actually me that you want. You just want the tribe back.”

“You’re so sure of that?”

“Of course. What use would you have for me? You need a woman that will stay home and give you warriors. Someone to come home to. Marrying me out of obligation would do nothing but hinder you. You’re already a warrior. No use for ‘nother.”

“Do I look like the type of man that would come home anywhere? This is the longest I’ve stayed anywhere.”

“I ‘dunno Paz. Look pretty domestic to me.”

He laughed and pulled the blanket up on you, hearing how tired you are by the sound of your voice.

“Get some sleep, cabur’ika.”

“Will you leave with Din?”

“What? Of course not. Din has his own journey. Mine is right here.”

You laughed and rolled away from him. You were so tired that you didn’t even fight him when he turned shut the light off and slipped your helmet off your head. You mumbled out a thank you and giggled when you heard him stumble into his room.

“G’night Paz.”

“Goodnight, cabur.”

---

You stood on the porch watching the sunrise the next morning. You could still hear Paz snoring and as annoying as it was, you were getting used to the sound. When you heard the door open, Din walked out holding the small child.

“Good morning”

“Morning.”

“He wake you up early?”

He grumbled and handed the kid to you. You smiled and scratched the top of his head, smiling when he cooed at you.

“How long are you staying?”

“Depends on if you and Paz are going to kill each other.”

You sighed and sat down, leaning against the wall. Din joined you, keeping one knee bent so he could rest his arm on it.

“I’m not going to kill him.”

“Well then you’re going to need to have sex with him. One or the other.”

You laughed and smacked his arm.

“Din!”

“I’m serious. The two of you need to get some energy out and it’s either going to be fucking or killing. I’ve known both of you for a long time. Never seen either of you at anyone’s throat like this.”

“He wants me to marry him.”

“I know you have your own ideas for marriage, but in our tribe, you know it’s about convenience and strength. Who can you be compatible with to make sure the tribe lives on?”

“I hear what you’re saying.”

“You’re letting your pride keep you from the tribe. We need you. Paz needs you. The Armorer isn’t on Navarro anymore. I’m not sure where she is or where they all moved to but there aren’t many people left. Having one more person would be a huge deal.”

“So, I just enter into the marriage like a negotiation?”

He shrugged.

“Why not? Aren’t most marriages like that? Not that I’m well versed in that but it’s all a negotiation. Decide what you both can and can’t live with and meet in the middle. As much as he pushes my buttons, he isn’t a bad man.”

You sighed and nodded.

“I know he isn’t. I just don’t want him to regret it later.”

“That sounds like his decision to make. Not yours.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I know I am.”

You tilt your head and laughed, picking up on his playful mood.

“Thank you, Din.”

“You’re welcome, vod’ika. You two will figure it out. Neither of you have anywhere else to be. May as well be together instead of you both being alone.”

“What about you?”

“I have the kid.”

“And what happens if you find his family?”

“Then I’ll be showing up on your doorsteps. Don’t worry about me. I’m used to doing things on my own as a bounty hunter.”

“That mean you’re leaving soon?”

“I need to. I have a lot to do to find the Jedi. It seems like every time I find something out, I need to do five different highly dangerous things to find out something else.”

You laughed and rest your head on his shoulder. He squeezed your leg playfully before sighing at the child.

“You ready to go, kid?”

He looked up at you and touched your hand. You slipped the glove off, letting him connect with you again. He showed you his time with you and you felt how comfortable and safe he felt. You smiled and pressed your forehead to his.

“You will always be welcome here, ad’ika. Take care of Din for me, yeah? He won’t ever admit it, but he needs you just as much as you need him.”

Din sighed next to you but didn’t correct your statement. You handed the child over to Din and stood when he did.

“Don’t you want to say goodbye to Paz?”

“I already told him I’d be gone by the time he woke up. Besides, I’ll see you two again. You know how to get ahold of me.”

“I do.”

“Thank you for letting us stay here.”

“Always, Din. I mean that. If you ever need anything just call. The blue giant and I will be there.”

He put his forehead to yours again and you shut your eyes, not wanting to cry. As much as you knew he needed to go, you were going to miss him terribly.

“This is the way.”

“This is the way.”

He stepped away and slung his bag over his back, walking into the woods and out of sight. You looked back towards the cabin and sighed, knowing there was a huge talk that needed to happen between you and Paz. You hoped desperately that both of you could keep calm enough to come to an understanding.

---

Paz finally came out of his room and you motioned for him to sit next to you. He instead sat in front of you by the wall and you sighed.

“You’re so stubborn.”

“We know this. Din leave?”

“Yeah. He left this morning. He said you already knew he was leaving.”

“I did. We don’t really do the goodbye thing.”

“I let him know that if he needed help from us to just comm me.”

He snorted and crossed his arms.

“Volunteering me now?”

“Well you seem to be sticking by my side so yeah.”

“Where else would I go? Not like I have a home to go to.”

You crossed your arms and tensed up.

“Is that how you feel? We just built you an entire room, Paz. You don’t see this as your home?”

“It’s not sustainable. We’re safe for now but soon enough they will come looking for us. There are a lot of people who want to wipe out the Mandalorians.”

“Why are you being so hostile today?”

“I’m not being hostile.”

He basically snapped at you, so you narrowed your eyes. When you tilt your head to the side he scoffed and looked away.

“Could have fooled me.”

You got up to head to the kitchen and heard him stand, following you.

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

You turned and he was directly in front of you. You jumped slightly and he wrapped his hands around your biceps. You already had your armor on, but he easily wrapped his large hands around you.

“You keep running.”

“Paz, I’m going to cook food. Aren’t you hungry?”

“What?”

You laughed and shook your head slightly.

“I was going to go into town today to get fish for Din’s ad’ika but since they’re gone, I wanted to make something to eat and figure out what we need. I still have some of the soup or I can make something new.”

“I.. you don’t need to cook anything new. The soup was good.”

You started heating the food up while he stood leaning against the wall. He had his arms crossed as he was watching you.

“I know that when you came around, we were already pretty secluded, but our warriors were never meant to fight alone. We used to have vast armies, and everyone had their role. When the purge happened is when we had to learn to fight on our own. We held onto the tribe mentality as much as possible, but I always hated how we taught the young they were on their own.”

You listened to him, leaning back on the counter. As much as you normally would say something sarcastic, hearing Paz speak about the culture was always something you enjoyed. It also helped that he wasn’t talking down to you.

“When I could be around to teach the children, I made sure that they knew we were important to each other. I think being out on my own made me forget that for a long time. Being utterly alone makes you think of things differently, even if that means it isn’t always right.”

“I can agree with that. When you’re the only person you need to look out for it becomes a little easier. I don’t.. I don’t usually care so much about myself. What has kept me going is the obligation to the village here and making sure I could send back to the tribe whenever possible.”

You dished out the now warm soup and moved to the living area, sitting down on the couch. Paz sat down on the chair near the kitchen and you heard his helmet set down on the counter. You took your own off and sat it next to you. You were surprised at how comfortable it was being in the house with him, even if you couldn’t really look at him.

“When I first came here, I refused any comforts. I slept on the ground in a side alley in the village. It made the village very upset to know I wasn’t warm and safe. They didn’t understand that it doesn’t really matter where we sleep; we’re just happy to be actually sleeping.”

Paz chuckled and you smiled.

“They offered me all the best houses there, but it didn’t feel right taking from them. They finally insisted I live here and furnished the entire thing. I didn’t really have any credits to offer them, but I couldn’t just take without payment. That was how we decided on our agreement. I could help them, and they could help me. It makes them feel good when I’m taken care of.”

“And you feel better know that you’re keeping them safe.”

You hummed in agreement and drank some of the soup, smiling at the memory of the small child enjoying it so much.

“Running may have been what brought me here, but it isn’t what kept me in one place. I am comfortable but I just wanted to feel like I was taking care of someone like I would have been taking care of the tribe.”

“You have a very kind heart, cabur. I understand fearing being like your biur but you are nothing like them.”

“Thank you. It makes me feel better hearing that. I know that they were extreme and stricter than most. I just want to live by the creed without losing who I am at the core.”

“You sound more at peace today.”

“I guess so. Din and I chatted before he left. Plus talking to both of you last night helped too. I’ve been… stubborn.”

You heard him slip his helmet on, so you did the same. He sat down next to you on the couch, being physically close to you for once. You turned so you had your legs crossed and could face him fully. He made the couch look so little but there was more than enough room for you to sit any way you wanted.

“I did always tell myself that I would only marry for love. However, your point that I don’t let anyone close to me was valid. I can’t love someone if I don’t let myself near anyone.”

“Did Din tell you that, so you finally believed it?”

“No. I knew when you said it that you were right. I’m not very good at admitting that.”

“Neither am I.”

You laughed and nodded.

“There aren’t many of us left and those that are happen to be scattered across the galaxy. I am lucky to still have two tribesmen close to me.”

“We are lucky to have that. You aren’t the only one.”

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry. I’ve been horrible towards you for saving my life and it was wrong of me. I don’t know if I would have done the same thing for you then, but I would now. I’m sure you know that I’m not in love with you, but I do have tremendous respect for you. I know there are things we would need to talk and work out, but if you truly want me to be your riduur, I will accept. This is bigger than just the two of us. Our tribe needs both of us”

He turned and put his hand on your knee. His hand felt warm even with all the armor and you tentatively put your hand on top of his. He squeezed your fingers in response.

“What do you need from me?”

“I don’t expect us to change. I don’t want us to feel like we need to act differently.”

“What of ad’ike? Do you still want children?”

“Yes, eventually. There are plenty of children who need biur. When we are both ready and feel like it’s time, we can discuss it.”

You expect him to bring up the small girl in the village, but he didn’t.

“I also want you to promise me that you will not regret this. If you.. meet someone else.. and want to promise yourself to them, then you need to do it. I will not come in the way of your happiness. Not any more than I already have.”

“You would absolve it for me to be with someone else?”

“Yes.”

“You know that means you likely would never find another within the tribe.”

“I know, Paz. You did save my life and now you want to marry me to so I can go back to our family when the time comes. I at least owe you a way out.”

He reached over and pulled you, so you were sitting sideways on his lap. One arm wrapped around your waist and the other rested on your leg.

“I know I’ve made mistakes and I’ve let you down. I’ve hurt you more than any enemy could and for that I am sorry. I know you think in your head that I am only doing this because of the tribe but that isn’t true. I want us to start over. I will do whatever it takes. We can figure all this out together. We both know what is at stake and I’ve let you down before, but I am so thankful for this chance. You said you don’t want us to change, but cyare you have already changed me so much.”

You felt your chest tighten at his admission. You desperately wanted to say something, but you were at an absolute loss of words.

“You deserve so much better than what you’ve gone through in your life. You deserve so much better than me.”

“No. No you’re a good man. I don’t know that I can physically not give you shit every day but don’t think for a second that I think less of you.”

He chuckled and held you tighter.

“I wish you could see yourself for the warrior you are. Your strength is so much more than could be put in words. I’m glad you opened up to me last night. I know it hurts to do that.”

“It does.”

“I need to see all of it though. Just like you need to see every side of me. Guess it’s a good thing you’ve already seen me being a total asshole.”

You laughed and felt some of the tension fall from your shoulders.

“I just feel you’re settling because you feel guilty about my broken creed.”

“It’s much more than that to me now. I would be the luckiest Mandalorian in the galaxy to have a riduur as strong and resilient as you. Someone to raise warriors with together. Between your smarts and my brute strength, they would be unstoppable.”

He placed his hand on the side of your helmet and turned your face towards his.

“Whenever you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together.”

---

Your trip into town was fairly uneventful. You were able to tell Paz more about the village and the history you had learned from the elders. He listened intently which made you incredibly happy.

Something had shifted between the two of you. His entire attention was on you and his movements synced with yours. You tried to remember if he had always gently touched your back when you stopped to look at something. Did he always turn towards you so fully when you spoke?

You couldn’t figure out if he was acting different or if it was you. It was entirely possible that you were finally letting that wall down around him. You noticed things that would keep you alive but social interactions weren’t something you looked at closely.

It wasn’t that you disliked what he was doing. It was just different.

“The market should be opened by now. There isn’t usually a lot left so I don’t feel as bad taking what no one else wanted.”

“They get more supplies tomorrow?”

You nodded and felt your face heating up. He was overwhelming but you absolutely decided you liked this side of Paz. The two of you continued through the village and made it to the market. You worker smiled at both of you and you didn’t miss the way she looked at Paz’s hand resting on your lower back. She gave you a huge smile and wished you both a good day.

“They’re all so friendly here.”

“Yeah, they are. It’s nice to not hide who we are. They like the fact that we’re Mandalorians.”

“Nothing like Navarro.”

“Which is why I like it here.”

You walked back to the cabin, both carrying the food. You put things away and started a meal, having finished off the soup earlier that day. Paz sat in the kitchen chair watching you cook and hum to yourself.

“Is there something you want to talk about? I don’t think you’ve looked at me this much in my entire life.”

“I think you need to bring Lahta here.”

“Paz.. I don’t want this life for her.”

“It would be her choice. Your circumstances were different. That isn’t the norm. We bring foundlings home and give them a chance regardless of what they choose.”

“I’ve never seen someone not take it.”

“I don’t know many that haven’t. It is still a choice.”

“Then they’re cast aside if they don’t want to?”

“No. They live with us as part of the tribe. You don’t remember people being around with no helmets on?”

“My biur kept me away from most. Can we.. can we talk about this later? I’m a bit overwhelmed if I’m being honest. We’ve talked about a lot today.”

He sighed but nodded.

“Okay. We will talk again though.”

You nodded and finished cooking. You did want to discuss bring the girl home. You had thought about her often and it kicked up once you found out she had no family. It was just too much to process. You sat the plate down in front of him.

“When.. when do you want to.. share vows?”

You winced at how meek you sounded.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“How do I know I’m ready.”

“I’m not sure. You will though. We will both know.”

You grabbed your food and walked into the living area again. Slipping your helmet off, you started eating enjoying eating a hot meal. You thought about how soon you could actually eat with Paz and it did warm your heart.

“You looked beautiful when you were dying.”

You choked on your drink and started coughing.

“What!?”

“No.. I.. fuck.. When I saw your face. You were beautiful.”

“Paz, there were a thousand different ways you could have said that better.”

You burst into laughter and you heard him grumble.

“I mean it. I didn’t mean to put my foot in my mouth, but I did mean it when I said you’re beautiful.”

“I do have to say that when I thought of my future husband calling me beautiful, it didn’t sound like that.”

“Maker kill me now.”

“No. Not now.”

“When then?”

“I told you. Once you go lay down by the wood line. I’m not dragging your ass.”

You burst out laughing when you heard him slam his helmet on, so you did the same. He stalked over to you, looming over you still sitting. You desperately tried to stop laughing but you failed miserably.

“You think you’re so funny, huh?”

“I think I’m fucking hilarious, actually.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm? Did you not hear me? Is your hearing going, old ma-“

You were cut off when he abruptly grabbed you by your chest armor. He lifted you up like you were absolutely nothing and spun so he was pressing your back against the wall. He moved himself forward, pressing his body against yours. You worked hard to control your breathing, but he must have noticed. The dark chuckle that came from deep in his chest sent a shiver down your spine.

“Not so mouthy now, huh?”

You knew damn well if you spoke at that moment your voice would have cracked, so you shook your head instead.

“That’s what I thought, little one. You’re such a brat sometimes, you know.”

“I may have noticed.”

He chuckled again and pushed one of his legs between yours, holding you up more efficiently. You stifled a small gasp but again he chuckled at your reactions.

“I think you like getting a rise out of me, cyare.”

“Perhaps you’re just easily provoked.”

He pressed his leg forward more and you gasped. Your hands shot to his shoulders and you gripped the straps to his armor. He moved his hands to your hips and gripped them hard.

“I’ve thought about this, you know. I’ve wondered what little noises you would let slip through your lips when I put my hands on you. I’ve thought about how much you would like me dominating you. Tell me, cabur’ika, is this the reaction you were hoping for?”

“Stars you and cocky.”

“Tell me to stop then.”

“Why would I do that?”

He growled out a laugh and lifted you more so you could wrap your legs around his waist. He immediately turned and head to his room, kicking the door shut behind you.

“Holy shit its dark in here.”

You hadn’t even thought of putting a window in, more concerned with having a space for him. He pinned you back against the wall, using his body to keep you up when his hands moved up and took his helmet off. You inhaled sharply through your nose but there was absolutely no seeing anything even as your eyes adjusted to the dark.

“It has its uses.”

“I can’t see anything.”

“Good. Then we aren’t breaking the rules.”

“Pretty fine line.”

He chuckled and moved his hands to your helmet. You tensed slightly but nodded, helping him remove it.

“Your bucket is so light.”

“Well in comparison to yours all my armor is light I’m sure.”

He set your helmet down carefully next to his on the dresser and placed his hands gently on each side of your face. Your breath was shaky as you moved your hands up to do the same to him. You smiled when you felt his soft skin and the facial hair covering the lower half of his face. You traced your thumb across his bottom lip and felt the sigh slip through.

“So, this is why you asked if I had sex with my helmet on. You figured out a loophole.”

“Surprised someone as smart as you didn’t think of it.”

“Maybe I just don’t like cheating the system.”

Your voice was playful, and you felt a smile spread across his face.

“Hmm, but if we didn’t cheat the system how would I ever be able to do this?”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. You gasped against his lips at the sensation. You had thought of kissing before, but you never expected it to feel so intimate. You had let others touch your body, that didn’t seem like a big deal to you. His lips pressed against you was hands down the most intimate feeling you had ever experienced.

You were afraid that you would feel inexperienced and naïve, but the way Paz kissed you was everything. He slowly showed you what to do with your mouth in a way that made you hungry. This was nothing like how you learned how to fight; violent and unforgiving. You learned how to press your lips to his in a way that clouded every other sense. The feeling of him against you quickly made you breathless. When he broke away, he pressed his forehead to you and rubbed his nose against yours.

“You have far too many clothes on, mesh’la.”

“I guess you should fix that problem then.”

He chuckled and kissed you quickly before starting to work on your armor. It was shocking to you just how easily he was able to hold you up. He made quick work of your armor and you laughed at the fact that he seemed more proficient than even you were.

“I may have studied your armor so I would know just how to get it off you.”

“How often have you thought of doing this?”

“I’m not sure they make numbers that large.”

You bit your bottom lip and giggled as he unhooked the rest. You went to start on his but he stopped you.

“Please, cyare, let me do this. Let me take care of you.”

You hesitated before letting out a breathy response of okay. He moved to pull your gloves off and then your shirt. Once your skin was bare, he pulled his own gloves off and ran his hands up your sides with a groan.

“You’re so soft. Stars how are you so soft?”

He leaned forward and started peppering kisses down your neck and shoulders while his hands ran roughly up and down your sides. Eventually he wrapped one arm around you and pulled away from the wall, quickly moving to the bed where he set you down on your back. He pulled your pants off you leaving you completely bare below him. You were able to see his outline but with how dark it was it was absolutely impossible to see details beyond that.

“Why is it that I’m the only one with nothing on?”

“Is someone impatient?”

“Yes.”

He laughed and made quick work of his armor. You watched him as you moved further up the bed, getting comfortable. He unceremoniously removed his clothes and tossed them on the floor near his feet. Your heart started to race when he crawled up the bed and grabbed your hips. The surprised gasp that fell from your lips was embarrassing when he yanked you down, so you were directly below him.

“Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll let you go right now.”

“That would make me an awful liar.”

He kissed you again as you ran your fingertips across his skin. His chest was littered with small scars and bumps from years of fighting. It was a start contrast from the way that he gently kissed you. The man had destroyed and killed for most of his life yet his hands were skilled in the way that they gently worked your flesh in them.

He trailed his kisses down your neck where he suckled the skin, absolutely leaving marks in his wake. You breathlessly moaned at the sensation and he groaned in response.

“Such beautiful noises for me, cyare. Stars this is better than any dream I possibly could have made up.”

He worked his way down, worshiping every inch of your skin that he could get to. When he pulled your pebbled nipple into his mouth you arched your body into his. He gripped your hips roughly and held you in place. Your hands shot to his head where you laced your fingers through his hair. He groaned against your sensitive skin when you gently tugged at his roots.

“Tell me what you want, mesh’la.”

“Oh stars. You. I want you.”

“Hmm, that isn’t very descriptive.”

You huffed in frustration and he chuckled. He slipped off of you, so he was laying at your side. You wined at the loss of contact but quickly silenced yourself when he kissed you deeply. He continued to kiss you as he ran his hand down your body until he was able to slip a single finger between your already soaked folds.

“Maker, cyare, you’re already so wet for me.”

You moaned against his lips and he started working your sensitive clip. He kept kissing you as he worked your body better than you possibly imagined it could be done. When he slid his hand down further and started to slip a single digit in you gasped at the way it stretched you.

“Maker, Paz.”

“Fuck you’re tight.”

He grabbed your hand closest to him and guided it down to his throbbing cock. You gasped again when you felt just how large he was.

“Uhm, how.. how is that even going to fit in me?”

He laughed and continued to push his finger in and out of you. When he pushed a second in you arched your back and moaned loudly.

“Am I hurting you?”

“No. Oh stars.”

He continued working you and you wrapped your hand around his shaft. He groaned when you did and picked up the pace that he was using on you slightly. He continued kissing and sucking at your neck as you felt your climax inching towards you. When he started rubbing his thumb against your clit you cried out soon after, hit hard by your orgasm.

“Fuck I need you, cyare. T-tell me to stop.”

“No. Please don’t stop Paz.”

“Come on, mesh’la. Tell me what you want. I need to know. I need to hear it from your pretty mouth. I want to hear you beg for me.”

You whimpered when he pulled his fingers from you, feeling suddenly empty. When he kissed you, you pushed him and climbed over, straddling his waist. When you placed your hands on his chest and sat up, he groaned and gripped your hips hard.

“Why is it me that has to beg? Maybe I want the great Paz Vizla begging for me.”

“Oh, is that what you want? You want me to beg you to fuck me? Beg you to sink that tight pussy down on my cock?”

“Yeah. I do.”

He hummed and pushed you down, making you grind along him. You gasped and grabbed his wrists. He chuckled and used your surprise to flip you both back over. You gasped again when your back hit the bed and he pressed his weight on you. He kissed you deeply, so you wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him further forward.

“Such a needy woman. Just tell me what you want, and you’ll have it. I’ll always do whatever I can to give you everything.”

You wanted to fight against him. You wanted to prolong the game and not give in. You didn’t want to submit; not yet. Something about the way his hands ran over your body and how he pressed into you dissolved any resolve you had to keep your submission at bay.

“I want you, Paz. Please. Show me how much you want me. Let me give you ever piece of me.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He kissed you again, this time softer and passionately. One hand held the side of your face while the other reached between you. You felt him press against you as he continued to kiss you.

“Relax, mesh’la. It’s just me. You know me. You know I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

You moaned against him and he gently pushed into you. The stretch was slightly painful at first, so you appreciated the care he was taking. He pushed the entire way in, filling you in a way you never knew possible.

“Haar'chak, you are so tight.”

He braced himself on his forearms that he placed by your head. When he stared moving inside of you, there was no way you were stopping the moans from falling from your lips. Your entire thoughts were consumed with him and everything he was making you feel. You wanted to move your hips to meet his thrusts, but he was just too much. You were too full, and his body had your legs spread too far.

“Stars how I’ve dreamt of this. I’ve dreamt of you split open on my cock moaning for me.”

You cried out at a harder thrust when he hit just the right spot inside of you. Paz groaned and hooked one of your legs up higher. You felt tears start to well in your eyes at just how overwhelmed your body was. He had achieved the impossible by going further inside of you.

“Come on, cyare. Cum for me. Let me see what it feels like.”

He tilted back so he was on his knees, lifting your lower back up so he could continue to pound into you. He moved his thumb to your clit and worked it until you screamed out. When you clamped down on his he growled and moved quicker. You let your head fall back onto the bed as he mercilessly pounded into you.

“Where?”

“Inside. Fuck- implant. I have the implant.”

With three more strong thrusts he came hard inside of you. He stayed deeply seated inside of you until you felt him start to soften and he slipped out. You whimpered at the feeling and he chuckled as he flopped on the bed next to you.

“Fuck, Paz.”

“Already did.”

You laughed out trying to catch your breath.

“I guess now would be a weird time to ask if you have any diseases, right?”

You turned to where you knew he was and laughed again.

“Yeah that talk is usually before sex. But no. I have no diseases. We honestly should have had this entire talk long before now.”

“Oh well. Not a lesson I plan on needing.”

“Oh?”

“Nope.”

“Not planning on fucking anyone else within an inch of their life?”

He barked out a laugh and pulled you, so you were resting on him. You shivered when your sweaty skin started to cool off, so he yanked a blanket over both of you.

“No. You’re going to be my wife, mesh’la. I’m all in with you. Even if you didn’t have the exact body made to fit against mine.”

“Hmm. You sure know how to lay it on thick, Vizla.”

“Oh, I’m just starting. For now though, sleep would be nice.”

You nestled into his chest and sighed. For the first time in a long time your body felt relaxed and comfortable. Before long the sound of his snores filled the room and you smiled against his skin as sleep took you too.

---

Translations Haar'chak: damn it cayre: belovid ad’ika: little one, child vod’ika: little brother/sister cabur: protector/guardian

[nightshade-minho]

-Embers- (1)

warnings: suggestive, future smut, themes of death

wc: 5.3k

teaser 

White specks of paint, scattered across an inky sky - they truly were beautiful. You adjusted yourself on the grassy hill, eyes closing as you tried to calm your nerves. Sighing, you ran your hand over crimson scales, trying to ignore the blinding lights of your village in the distance.

“The stars are beautiful tonight.”

You wished you could stay here forever. Where the only sounds that grace your ears are the deep rumbling snores of the enormous draconian creature you're curled up against. It's a comforting sound, and yet you knew you were going to have to leave soon. Your father would be absolutely enraged if you were late to such an important event- in fact, you were sure he’d have absolutely no qualms killing you in front of the entire village and crowning a broomstick as his heir instead.

Perhaps that's why you delayed the inevitable for a little longer, nuzzling your head against the dragon's hide. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you observed your bustling village from above, frantically getting ready for the festival and the welcoming. People were decorating their houses, painting murals onto their walls and making sure everything was perfect for the guests that would arrive tonight.

The streets were lit up with lanterns, and the people milling about outside their houses were dressed up in their best. The excitement in the atmosphere was palpable, and you could almost feel it from atop the hill.

Sighing, you looked to the side, your eyes meeting enormous yellow ones.

“Aeracus...I know what you’re thinking.” You sighed and curled up your knees to your chest. “And you’re right. I’m nervous, but also excited. I can’t believe we’re going to be seeing him again after all these years. Can you?”

The dragon slowly shook his head from side to side, and you chuckled. “Do you think he’s changed? Or do you think he’s still a feline-obsessed asshole?” You smiled, his laughter ringing in your ears as you reminisced.

Slowly though, the good memories bled into terrible ones. Loss and pain, mingling in your heart and taking over your emotions. The smile disappeared from your face as you remembered what had happened. The reason he left. The reason you weren’t allowed to participate in the championships that were to be a part of the festival’s celebrations...the reason the whole village considered you an outcast, despite being the chief’s daughter.

You swallowed the lump in your throat, pushing your hair back as you slowly stood up, dusting off your tunic. You pressed a kiss to the dragon’s neck, sighing.

“I’m going to go, Aeracus. Honestly, you should be grateful you don’t have to partake in these events.”

The dragon let out a disapproving rumble at that, and your face softened. That was a low blow. After all, it wasn’t his fault that he was forced to to refrain from joining his fellow dragons in the games. No, the blame was to be shared between you and Minho.

The felicity in your heart was intertwined with a faint sense of lingering sorrow. It happened so many years ago, and yet the echoes were still fresh in your mind...

You couldn’t deny that you were desperate to see him again. In fact, saying you were desperate would probably be an understatement. You were thrilled, electrified- and yet, oh so anxious.

You clenched your fists, taking in a deep breath and starting to descend the hill. You’d put it off for long enough.

***

“Children, listen carefully, now.”

The boy next to you didn’t heed the elder’s warning, continuing to draw on the back of his hand.

“Minho! Pay attention, or I will have to call your father.”

Minho looked up, scowling. He placed the chalk down and pursed his lips, directing his attention towards the clay figurines that were laid out in front of the elderly woman. You, as well as the 10 other kids in the cottage, were fascinated by the story being told. The woman was teaching you about your culture, the information you needed to know regarding the upcoming ceremony. It was important, and yet Minho couldn’t bring himself to care. He liked cats more than dragons anyway.

“As I was saying.” She cleared her throat, resuming her lesson.

“Now that you children are 13, you are no longer babies. Certain things are expected of you. You have embarked on your journey to adulthood...and thus, there are certain things you must know. The elements of our village, for one.”

She gestured to the figurines on the dirt floor in front of her. “As you all already know, there are four elements.” She pointed to a spiky pyramid, and then to a smooth sphere. “Ember, Aqua...” Her fingers moved to the next pair- a rough cube and a glassy cone. “...Terra and Aer. These are the symbols of the elements. Of course, you all have already seen the life-sized versions of these in our square.”

Eager nods, making her continue with a pleased smile.

“Every dragon on this planet has a corresponding element that they have control over. They possess immense power, and the ability to command these elements.”

Minho raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Hm, maybe this wasn’t as lame as he’d thought it would be..

“I’m sure you children have seen your parents, older friends and relatives with their dragons.” There was a chorus of agreement, and the woman nodded.

“Well, from next week onwards, you will each have your own dragons. Through the ceremony, you will all be assigned a hatchling, with which you will spend the rest of your life.”

Minho hummed in curiosity as the woman dismissed the class. “Good luck, loves. Remember, there will be a few more classes to brief you further.”

The others started filing out slowly as you turned to Minho. “Isn’t this exciting?” You tilted your head, running your eyes over the figurines. “Since my family are all fire elementals, do you think I’ll get an ember dragon?”

“I don’t think it works that way. My father said it doesn’t matter what family you come from, the dragon you get matched with can be of any element, apparently. Though it hasn’t ever happened yet.” He shrugged.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He yawned. “I already knew everything she said. I could have used this valuable time for something else.” He was lying, to be honest. The only thing he knew about dragons was what he’d just told you.  

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Do you wanna go to the lake?”

You grinned. “Sure, let’s!” You nodded in agreement as Minho stood up eagerly, grabbing your hand and pulling you out of the cottage. You giggled as he dragged you. “Hey, slow down! Also, we can’t be there for long. We’ve got to be home for that joint dinner, or our fathers will be very mad.”

“Eh, they’d barely notice if we’re gone. When discussing village matters, they don’t give a fuck about their own children, even.” He muttered bitterly.

“Well...that is true.” You sighed as Minho pulled you all the way to the lake, weaving past the villagers, even bumping into some of them. A few of them frowned and made shouts of displeasure, while others didn’t seem to mind. Or maybe they did, and was just too afraid to voice their anger towards the chiefs’ children.

The cottages start becoming more sparse, the trees more tightly clustered. Minho held your hand tightly as you made your way through the woods. Finally, the two of you reached the clearing.

Letting go of your hand gently, Minho sat at the edge of the lake, beckoning you over to sit next to him.

“I wish this place wasn’t so far away from the village.” You sighed, legs aching as you flopped down onto the grass.

Minho shook his head slowly, his fingers fiddling with a tiny dandelion he’d pulled out. “The further away, the better.” He grumbled, blowing on it and watching as the seeds floated in the breeze.

You sighed. There it was, again. You knew better than to oppose him, so you hummed, scooting a little closer and placing your hand on top of his. “I know you want to leave this place. I know you want to...to explore the world. I just want you to know that whatever you decide to do, I’ll be by your side.” You said honestly.

Minho looked up at you. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

He felt like there was a lump in his throat. Minho knew how much this village and its culture meant to you. You were really willing to do that for him? Leave, and never come back?

“Listen here, Miss L/n.” He turned to you, inhaling as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, his lips soft as they brushed against your skin. You blushed, staring at him with wide eyes as he spoke.

“I’m the one who’s going to be making the sacrifices here, alright? I’m older than you, remember? I call the shots.” He chuckled, booping your nose. 

“I love you so much, star.”

You cringed at the nickname, shoving him away. “Stop calling me that, you sound like a character in one of Mr Yang’s cheesy novels.”

He smirked at that. “I’ll never stop calling you that. You’re my star, cause you light up my world and guide me when everything’s dark.” He reasoned, laughing and throwing his head back as he watched you wrinkle your nose in disgust, looking a little like a bunny.

Humming, Minho lay back on the grass, and you followed suit after a minute of hesitation.

“I don’t mind you calling me that. Just don’t do it in front of people.”

“Okay, I won’t. It’s just us all the time, anyway...”

The two of you stared up at the sky, listening to the calm sounds of frogs ribbiting, birds chirping, and the splashing sounds of the fish in the lake. Above it all though, was the sound of your heart, beating persistently as Minho’s fingers creeped closer to yours, intertwining your hands.

“It’s always us...”

***

Your father had explained to you that since your family consisted entirely of ember elementals, your dragon would be of the same kind as well. This went against what Minho had told you before, and your mind was swimming with all the different information you were receiving.

“But...Minho said it doesn’t work that way.”

He sat on his armchair, chewing on  a chicken leg as he raised an eyebrow. “Really? Well, he’s wrong.” He sighed, shaking his head. “It’s never happened in centuries, and it’s not gonna happen now. You’re an Ember, through and through.”

You purse your lips. “Well, you’re always right, Father.”

He nodded, not picking up on the snark your sentence was dripping with. "The bond you share with your dragon is one that can never be replicated. You choose it, and it chooses you. It is truly a beautiful process, a spectacle to behold. Every single villager will be watching, so you better hold your head high. Make me proud."

You were about to reply when you heard a knock on your door. Glancing at your father for permission, you stood up. heading through the long hallway to open the front door.

“Minho?”

You looked at him, tilting your head at his troubled expression. “What’s up?

“I came to give you these.” He said softly, looking around before showing you the fiery petals in his palms. “I borrowed a herbology book from the library a few months ago, and learnt how to grow these. Ignis flowers. They’re symbols of good luck, apparently.”

He took your hand, placing the petals on your palm. “They reminded me of you.”

Your eyes widened slowly. “Wow...Minho, I didn’t get you anything...” You said guiltily, humming when Minho gently pulled you into a hug.

“You don’t have to. I’ve got to go home, now. See you tomorrow!”

You nodded, the petals safe in your hands as he left hurriedly. You watched him head to his house, opposite to yours.

After he left, you were about to head to bed when your father asked you to stay back. Confused, you went over to sit in front of him, tilting your head in confusion.

“Who was at the door?”

“It was just Minho.” You shrugged, eyeing your father as he groaned, massaging his forehead. He looked like he was contemplating something, his wrinkles seeming especially prominent.

"Child, be wary of your...friend."

"Friend...?" You knew he meant Minho. You'd never heard him address him in that manner though - void of affection.

Minho's father and yours were co-chiefs of the village, best friends since birth. He’d always treated Minho like his own son. What had brought on this sudden hostility?

He noticed the expression on your face, sighing and patting your shoulder. "I'm just asking you to be careful, dear. There is talk of the Aer elementals gaining power at an accelerated rate these days. Aer dragons are growing up to be stronger, even more so than our Ember ones. It's truly a strange phenomenon. I do not want to be one of these people who is suspicious of everything and everyone...but both the kid and his father have changed. Even I can't deny that."

You swallowed at his words, watching as his face drifted off, deep in thought. You'd heard of it too- hushed whispers claiming that a single chief would be preferable for the village. And if your father's hunch was right...no, you didn't want to think about it.

Minho wouldn't ever betray you. You'd known him since before you could talk. you’d build up a lot of trust in each other over the years. There was no one else you knew as well. If you couldn’t trust him, who could?

No. He would never hurt you. You were sure of it.

***

The whole village was buzzing for weeks after the ceremony took place. They simply couldn't understand what had happened. It was unprecedented- and the news spread like wildfire.

You were matched with a majestic Aer creature, and Minho a beautiful crimson beast of Ember. Mistakes weren't possible- the process was never questioned- but that didn't mean people weren't bewildered.

For centuries, no one had managed to match with a dragon that controlled an element that differed from theirs.

Neither of you could understand why your fathers and the villagers were so perplexed, though. Was it really as big of a deal as they made it seem?

"I don't get it. Why is it such a humongous problem? They’re just dragons. What’s the need for all this drama?" Minho rolled his eyes as he spoke.

You stroked your dragon's neck slowly as you watched him, huffing and ranting away. ‘Just dragons.’ There was a part of you that understood all the hubbub. The people loved gossip- especially if it involved the chiefs.

"It really isn't. They're both so beautiful, I don't really care what element they control."

You looked at your dragon, curled next to you. You wouldn't admit it, but she looked a little too beautiful- almost to the point where it intimidated you.

Translucent, white scales that reflected rainbows of light...long, beautiful almond shaped eyes that were the color of the ocean. She was larger and brighter than Minho's dragon as well. Your father had been right...the Aer dragons were evolving quicker, somehow.

She was quiet and regal, her sleek body elegant and her demeanor refined. You didn’t really have much in common, to be honest. You’d named her Caeli- a name that wasn’t really all that creative, but it would do. Besides, it seemed to fit.

Minho looked at you, sighing slowly. "Aeracus seems hungry. Father will be expecting me soon anyway, I think I'll go home now, Y/n."

"Bye, Min."

He shot you a dashing grin before standing up, climbing his dragon.

As they left, a great whoosh of wind rustling your hair, you looked up at your dragon. She was staring at the water, her eyes narrowed.

You were starting to feel a little worried. You couldn’t exactly...hear her thoughts. She seemed too closed off, barely even looking at you as she blankly watched the frogs jump from one lilypad to the other. You didn’t feel that special bond everyone had been talking about for years, insisting to you that it would be a connection so profound you wouldn’t be able to live without it.

Did she not like you? You looked so average next to her ethereality, drab and plain as opposed to her stunning beauty.

You couldn’t blame her, really.

***

When Minho stood next to your dragon, the sight somehow made more sense. He was  beautiful, and so was the creature next to him. They fit together perfectly.

Aeracus on the other hand, was slightly more average. He was majestic as well, but not on the same level as Caeli. You felt more at home riding him, somehow. Like...he was the one that was meant to be yours.

Of course, you wouldn’t ever tell anyone about this. It could be considered infidelity, even. Your father was disappointed enough in you as it was. Four years of training with Caeli, and you still weren’t able to channel her power into...anything. She just wouldn’t co-operate.

"There you go..." He finished slipping the harness onto Caeli, dusting off his hands as he came back over to you, giggling as Aeracus rubbed his big head against your side.

Minho raised his eyebrows at the display of affection. Aeracus was never that amicable to him. Yes, he listened to him...but that was about it. And yet, to you...he always noticed how the two of you seemed to have some sort of connection. He’d mentioned this to his father once, only to be called ridiculous.

Then again, he couldn’t blame the dragon for having a soft spot for you. Who wouldn’t?

“Hey...” He looked down at you as the dragon pulled away, ambling off to Caeli’s side. You glanced up slowly when Minho cleared his throat, leaning in a little as his fingers ran through your tresses. Your cheeks flushed, eyes widening slightly at his touch.

"A leaf. In your hair." He mumbled, throwing said leaf onto the ground as he stared into your eyes.

Your heart was thudding loudly in your chest as your gaze ran over his features, so close to your face. Fuck, he was so deathly handsome, even more so now that you were both almost adults. Puberty had treated him well.

A little too well.

The girls in the square swooning over Minho became a regular occurrence now. You couldn't even seem to go anywhere with your best friend, without having a mob of fangirls following closely.

When he was this close to you, it became overwhelmingly evident why his fans were so enamored by him. Lee Minho really was beautiful.

"Careful, a fly might make its nest in your mouth." He chuckled. "What's up, kitten? You look on edge."

That was the other thing. His latest habit of calling you pet names- the likes of which included princess and kitten- had come out of nowhere. He really seemed to enjoy making you blush. At times like this, you wished he would have just stuck with ‘star’.

“Nothing.” You stuttered, avoiding his eyes and choosing to focus your stare on the ground. Minho wasn’t in the mood for your shyness, though. He placed his finger under your chin, tilting your face up to look at him.

“You sure about that? Is there a reason you look so flustered right now?” He breathed, leaning in closer until your noses were brushing.

Oh, fuck you, Lee.

You'd always thought Minho was attractive. Of course. You'd be blind not to notice. And yet, at this proximity, you felt like you haven’t ever truly appreciated just how fucking hot the man in front of you was.

And so you did something you never thought you’d have the courage to do.

Leaning in, you closed the distance between the two of you, lips crashing against his. To Minho’s credit, he wasn’t all that shocked. Smirking against you, his arms wrapped around your waist as he pulled you closer, gluing your body to his.

Backing you up against a tree, Minho was quick to lift your thigh, slotting your hips together as he ran his tongue over your bottom lip.

A groan left you as he slid his hand under your shirt, pulling away to stare at you, the sight of your swollen lips affecting him in ways he couldn’t quite describe.

“What...what did we just-”

He shut you up with another kiss, rougher than the last one. Breathless pecks, desperately claiming you with his lips as he pressed himself against you.

“Just go with the flow, baby.”

And so you did.

***

As you carefully made your way down, your mind was racing with a million thoughts. The thought of seeing your boyfriend again after so many years scared you as much as it excited you. After all...it wasn’t like you parted on good terms.

You still remembered the heartbroken look on his face, the last time you saw him. You couldn’t tell him that you’d tried everything, tried your best to reason with your father who simply refused to budge. He’d expected you to do something more...but what?

It wasn’t his fault. It was a fucking accident, and yet he’d had to take the blame.

Deep down, though, you knew what your father’s real intentions had been when he banished Minho and his father from the village. Of course, Caeli’s death had shaken him- the entire village had been in a state of shock. The death of a dragon was the most tragic event that could possibly befall a village. And when said dragon happened to belong to the chief’s daughter? Shattering.

At the end of the day though, it was a convenient incident...one that happened to take place just as your father’s status was being questioned. A blessing in disguise, for him.

“It’s okay, my child. Yes, you suffered a great loss, but I know you weren’t that close to it. We must move on. On the bright side, you can focus on your studies now! Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to do?”

You scoffed, his words repeating themselves in your brain. Bullshit. There was no bright side, nor would there ever be one without Minho in your life.

***

“There you are. Where were you?"

"I...was with Aeracus." You didn't see the point in lying. Your brain was too tired to come up with a believable fabrication anyway.

As expected, his face screwed up in anger as he glared, standing up.

"Why?" He hissed. "Let me remind you he is not your dragon. How many times have I told you not to get too close to it?"

"Aeracus and I have a bond." You mumbled.

"No. You don't. A bond is forged between a dragon and its owner by forces beyond our control. This measly 'friendship', if you can even call it that, is trivial. At the end of the day, it doesn't really belong to you. It belongs to the boy who betrayed you."

You couldn't bring yourself to react any more. Your father was old-fashioned, his opinions set in stone. ‘Betrayed’. You wanted to scoff.

You turned around without a word, heading for your room. There was no energy left in your body, yet the exhaustion was overpowered by your emotions.

"Y/n, wait."

You stopped, turning and looking at him. "What?"

"Your maids are waiting to dress you. Don't argue with them. You are to wear the outfit I picked out for you. Today's dinner is extremely important." He paused. "And...what I said before still stands. The dragon won't hesitate to betray you, especially now that his true owner is coming back. Be...be careful." Your father said quietly, his face softening.

You sighed. "I will be."

"Good."

He dismissed you. You heaved a sigh of relief under your breath and headed out, opening the door to your own room.

You would never admit this to your father, but as nervous as you were, you were secretly looking forward to the dinner. To see him again.

If you closed your eyes and immersed yourself deep enough into your imagination, you could still feel his touch ghosting along your thighs. His soft lips, pressing against yours.

You missed his voice, his tight hugs...you missed everything about him. You'd only ever felt safe in his arms.

The loneliness and pain had consumed you when he left. Maybe that's why you latched on to Aeracus, the last remnant of Minho in this village that seemed so much more dreary without his presence.

"Miss Y/n! We have no time to lose." Your head maid scurried about your room with two others, spreading out your dress on your bed. One of the maids- Sylvia, you think her name was- snuck up behind you and began undressing you. Yes, you were used to this, but the layer of urgency in the atmosphere was a lot more profound tonight.

The entire village was on edge, and you couldn’t really blame them. The first Elemental Championships, and they were being hosted at your village. The exhilaration was understandable...you couldn't bring yourself to feel the same way, though. Maybe if you were actually participating, you’d feel different.

You looked at the dress the maid was holding onto, initially without much interest...but your eyes widened when it came into view.

It was beautiful, yet simple...the color of spun gold, with tiny rubies clustered at the bodice. The sleeves fell of the shoulders delicately, and the material was diaphanous, the texture rich.

“Wow....Sylvia, you made this?”

“I did. It took me a year.” She smiled widely, your grin satisfying her. “Do you really like it, Miss Y/n?” There was a hopeful lilt to her voice, and your grin grew wider as they started helping you into it.

“Like it? I love it! You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”

She nodded in content, lacing up the back as the other maids began on your makeup. Usually, you didn’t like being treated as a doll, your servants fussing over you and your appearance. Today, though...

You could barely believe the reflection you were seeing in the mirror belonged to you. You'd never felt so glamorous before. 

“You look beautiful, Miss.” Sylvia said softly, adjusting your sleeves.

You couldn’t wait for Minho to see you in this dress.

“Ann?” Another servant’s head appeared around the corner. “It’s time. They will arrive any moment now.”

A flurry of anxious noises and exclamations filled the room as they worked on you faster. You took a deep breath in, your mind blank and full of thoughts at the same time.

***

You stood next to your father, hands clasped in front of you. Surreptitiously, you raised your hand to your forehead, wiping away a few drops of perspiration. It was happening, you were finally going to see Minho again. And if your father successfully manages to make amends with his- fuck, you were grinning just thinking about it. 

The villagers standing behind you were all dressed in their best as well, and the lanterns shone brightly, washing over everything. The air was sparkling, the atmosphere charged with electricity. Everyone had their eyes trained on the sky, waiting for Minho’s people. The two other villages were to come tomorrow, according to the letters.

Four villages. All competing in the championship yours was hosting. It was nerve-wracking, the amount of people who would be crammed into your village, which was big enough, really- possibly the largest in the country- it still stressed you out, though. Since there weren’t enough guest houses to fit everyone, a lot of the visitors would be staying with your villagers, the chiefs and their families staying at your house. You were keenly aware of the fact that this meant Minho would be in the same living quarters as you. Your heart pounded at the prospect.

Later in the night, you were planning to sneak into his room, since you obviously wouldn’t be allowed to talk to him during the dinner. At least, you wouldn’t be able to communicate the things you so desperately wanted to say to him. Every part of you tingled as you thought about what you’d say to him. 

You felt light as a feather as you stared at the starry sky, eyes widening slightly as you spotted the thousands of dots in the distance, flying closer. Anticipation and exhilaration mingled in you as you waited for them to arrive. Just the thought of feeling Minho pressed up against you again, whispering in your ear how much he loved you...it made you want to cry, almost. You’d waited for this moment for too long.

The conch shell was blown as they reached the edge of the forest. More than a thousand dragons, covered in finery, just like their riders.

Hmm. There were a lot more than you expected. You’d only been anticipating about a hundred, since it was only Minho’s village that was coming tonight. Or so you’d thought...

You turned your head to look at your father, letting the confusion show on your face. Noticing your expression, he shrugged. “It looks like all three decided to come tonight.”

You frowned, looking back at the dragons that were at the border now, preparing for landing. That was weird.

You observed the dragons that had landed, your eyebrows furrowing. Huh.

The three dragons at the front were a lot bulkier than the ones in the back. Darker colors, almost hulking muscles and narrow eyes. They looked like no dragon you’d ever seen before. The sight was almost unsettling. You felt a faint sense of dread spreading over you, a feeling you tried to push away as your eyes searched each dragon’s back for Minho.

You recognized Minho’s father right away. He was at the very front, along with two other old men on a green and blue dragon respectively, that you realized were the chiefs of the other two villages. Surprisingly though, Minho wasn’t sat behind him. You’d assumed it to be that way...after all, Minho’s dragon was still here. So where was he? Your eyebrows furrowed, not wanting to assume the worst right away. You wildly looked over them all, craning your neck slightly. You didn’t want to seem too eager, but it’s not like you could help yourself. Could anyone blame you? Here you were, about to meet the first and only person you’d ever fallen in love with, after years of yearning and loneliness.

As your father stepped forward, a smile on his face to greet the chiefs, you finally saw him.

For a minute, it was like you couldn’t breathe. He looked as beautiful as ever, his feline eyes twinkling, his dark hair exposing part of his smooth forehead. His hands gripped the reins so tightly his knuckles were white, and the way he sat on his dragon was regal, his expression confident and filled with determination. He was older, and somehow even more handsome than the last time you saw him. You didn’t even think that was possible.

You swallowed, your breath catching in your throat as his eyes finally met yours.

It was like time had ceased for a minute. You smiled slowly, happy tears pricking at your eyes as you took in his face.

He didn’t smile back.

And that’s when you noticed the pale arms wrapped around his waist. Confused, you watched as the chiefs dismounted the dragons, along with their heirs. Minho alighted from the dragon, helping down the woman who had been holding onto him. He held her hands gently, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead.

You felt like your whole world had collapsed, bile rising in your throat as you watched her giggle. You noticed she was dressed in blue, her clothing that of a heiress. As they approached, your eyes fell on the sparkling ring on her finger...one that matched Minho’s.

When his eyes looked into yours again, they were cold, just like your heart.