#farm combine fire

[fixomnia-scribble]

WOW.

Scientists found an amazingly well-preserved village from 3,000 years ago

Text below, in case article access dries up:

LONDON — A half-eaten bowl of porridge complete with wooden spoon, communal rubbish bins, and a decorative necklace made with amber and glass beads are just a handful of the extraordinarily well-preserved remnants of a late Bronze Age hamlet unearthed in eastern England that’s been dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii” and a “time capsule” into village life almost 3,000 years ago.

The findings from the site, excavated in 2015 to 2016, are now the subject of two reports, complete with previously unseen photos, published this week by University of Cambridge archaeologists, who said they cast light onto the “cosy domesticity” of ancient settlement life.

“It might be the best prehistoric settlement that we’ve found in Britain,” Mark Knight, the excavation director and a co-author of the reports, said in an interviewThursday. “We took the roofs off and inside was pretty much the contents,” he said. “It’s so comprehensive and so coherent.”

The reason for the rare preservation: disaster.

The settlement, thought to have originally consisted of several large roundhouses made of wood and constructed on stilts above a slow-moving river, was engulfed by a fire less than a year after being built.

During the blaze, the buildings and much of their contents collapsed into a muddy river below that “cushioned the scorched remains where they fell,” the university said of the findings. This combination of charring from the fire and waterlogging led to “exceptional preservation,” the researchers found.

“Because of the nature of the settlement, that it was burned down and its abandonment unplanned, everything was captured,” Knight added.

“As we excavated it, there was that feeling that we were picking over someone else’s tragedy,” he said of the eerie site in the swampy fenland of East Anglia. “I don’t think we could smell the fire but the amount of ash around us — it felt close.”

Researchers said they eventually unearthed four large wooden roundhouses and an entranceway structure, but the original settlement was probably “twice as big.”

The site at Must Farm dates to about 850 B.C., eight centuries before Romans came to Britain. Archaeologists have been shocked at “just how clear the picture is” of late Bronze Age life based on the level of detail uncovered, Knight said.

The findings also showed that the communities lived “a way of life that was more sophisticated than we could have imagined,” Duncan Wilson, head of Historic England, the public body responsible for preserving England’s historic environment, said in a statement.

The findings unearthed include a stack of spears, possibly for hunting or defense; a decorative necklace “with beads from as far away as Denmark and Iran”; clothes of fine flax linen; and a female adult skull rendered smooth, “perhaps a memento of a lost loved one,” the research found.

The inhabitants’ diet was also rich and varied, including boar, pike and bream, along with wheat and barley.

A pottery bowl with the finger marks of its maker in the clay was also unearthed, researchers said, still containing its final meal — “a wheat-grain porridge mixed with animal fats” — with a wooden spatula resting inside the bowl.

“It appears the occupants saved their meat juices to use as toppings for porridge,” project archaeologist Chris Wakefield said in the university’s news release. “Chemical analyses of the bowls and jars showed traces of honey along with ruminant meats such as deer, suggesting these ingredients were combined to create a form of prehistoric honey-glazed venison,” he added.

Skulls of dogs — probably kept as pets and to help with hunting — were also uncovered, and the dogs’ fossilized feces showed they fed on scraps from their owners’ meals, the research found.

The buildings, some connected by walkways, may have had up to 60 people living there all together, Knight said, along with animals.

Although no intact sets of human remains were found at the site, indicating that the inhabitants probably fled the fire safely, several sheep bones were found burned indoors. “Skeletal remains showed the lambs were three to six months old, suggesting the settlement was destroyed sometime in late summer or early autumn,” according to the university’s news release.

Ceramic and wooden vessels including tiny cups, bowls and large storage jars were also found. Some pots were even designed to nest, stacked inside one another, Knight said — evidence of an interest in aesthetics as well as practicality.

A lot of similar items were found replicated in each home, Knight added, painting the picture of completely independent homesteads for each family unit rather than distinct buildings for shared tasks — much like we live today.

Household inventories often included metal tools, loom weights, sickles for crop harvesting, axes and even handheld razors for cutting hair.

The roundhouses — one of which had almost 50 square meters (nearly 540 square feet) of floor space — had hearths and insulated straw and clay roofs. Some featured activity zones for cooking, sleeping and working akin to modern-day rooms.

The Must Farm settlement has produced the largest collection of everyday Bronze Age artifacts ever discovered in the United Kingdom, according to Historic England, which partly funded the 1.1 million pound ($1.4 million) excavation project.

The public body labeled the site a “time capsule,” including almost 200 wooden artifacts, over 150 fiber and textile items, 128 pottery vessels and more than 90 pieces of metalwork. Some items will go on display at the nearby Peterborough Museum next month.

Archaeologists never found a “smoking gun” cause for the fire, Knight said. Instead, they suspect it was either an attack from “outside forces,” which may explain why the inhabitants never returned to collect their possessions from the debris, or an accidental blaze that spread rapidly across the tightly nestled homes.

“Probably all that was left was the people and what they were wearing; everything else was left behind,” Knight said of the fire.

But the preservation has left a window for people to look back through in the future. “You could almost see and smell their world,” he said.

“The only thing that was missing was the inhabitants,” Knight added. “And yet … I think they were there — you certainly got glimpses.”

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - June 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $Kaybarr1735! And if you tip me and give me a way to contact you, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Victory for Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand

“Thailand’s Senate voted 130-4 today to pass a same-sex marriage bill that the lower house had approved by an overwhelming majority in March. This makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia, and the second in Asia, to recognize same-sex relationships. […] The Thai Marriage Equality Act […] will come into force 120 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. It will stand as an example of LGBT rights progress across the Asia-Pacific region and the world.”

2. One of world’s rarest cats no longer endangered

“[The Iberian lynx’s] population grew from 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022. While young and mature lynx combined now have an estimated population of more than 2,000, the IUCN reports. The increase is largely thanks to conservation efforts that have focused on increasing the abundance of its main food source - the also endangered wild rabbit, known as European rabbit. Programmes to free hundreds of captive lynxes and restoring scrublands and forests have also played an important role in ensuring the lynx is no longer endangered.”

3. Planning parenthood for incarcerated men

“[M]any incarcerated young men missed [sex-ed] classroom lessons due to truancy or incarceration. Their lack of knowledge about sexual health puts them at a lifelong disadvantage. De La Cruz [a health educator] will guide [incarcerated youths] in lessons about anatomy and pregnancy, birth control and sexually transmitted infections. He also explores healthy relationships and the pitfalls of toxic masculinity. […] Workshops cover healthy relationships, gender and sexuality, and sex trafficking.”

4. Peru puts endemic fog oasis under protection

“Lomas are unique ecosystems relying on marine fog that host rare and endemic plants and animal species. […] The Peruvian government has formally granted conservation status to the 6,449-hectare (16,000-acre) desert oasis site[….] The site, the first of its kind to become protected after more than 15 years of scientific and advocacy efforts, will help scientists understand climatic and marine cycles in the area[, … and] will be protected for future research and exploration for at least three decades.”

5. Religious groups are protecting Pride events — upending the LGBTQ+ vs. faith narrative

“In some cases, de-escalation teams stand as a physical barrier between protesters and event attendees. In other instances, they try to talk with protesters. The goal is generally to keep everyone safe. Leigh was learning that sometimes this didn’t mean acting as security, but doing actual outreach. That might mean making time and space to listen to hate speech. It might mean offering food or water. […] After undergoing Zoom trainings this spring, the members of some 120 faith organizations will fan out across more than 50 Pride events in 16 states to de-escalate the actions of extremist anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups.”

6. 25 years of research shows how to restore damaged rainforest

“For the first time, results from 25 years of work to rehabilitate fire-damaged and heavily logged rainforest are now being presented. The study fills a knowledge gap about the long-term effects of restoration and may become an important guide for future efforts to restore damaged ecosystems.”

7. Audubon and Grassroots Carbon Announce First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Reward Landowners for Improving Habitats for Birds while Building Healthy Soils

“Participating landowners can profit from additional soil carbon storage created through their regenerative land management practices. These practices restore grasslands, improve bird habits, build soil health and drive nature-based soil organic carbon drawdown through the healthy soils of farms and ranches. […] Additionally, regenerative land management practices improve habitats for birds. […] This partnership exemplifies how sustainable practices can drive positive environmental change while providing tangible economic benefits for landowners.”

8. Circular food systems found to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, require much less agricultural land

“Redesigning the European food system will reduce agricultural land by 44% while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 70%. This reduction is possible with the current consumption of animal protein. “Moreover, animals are recyclers in the system. They can recycle nutrients from human-inedible parts of the organic waste and by-products in the food system and convert them to valuable animal products," Simon says.”

9. Could Treating Injured Raptors Help Lift a Population? Researchers found the work of rehabbers can have long-lasting benefits

“[“Wildlife professionals”] tend to have a dismissive attitude toward addressing individual animal welfare,” [… but f]or most raptor species, they found, birds released after rehabilitation were about as likely to survive as wild birds. Those released birds can have even broader impacts on the population. Back in the wild, the birds mate and breed, raising hatchlings that grow up to mate and breed, too. When the researchers modeled the effects, they found most species would see at least some population-level benefits from returning raptors to the wild.”

10. Indigenous people in the Amazon are helping to build bridges & save primates

“Working together, the Reconecta Project and the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous people build bridges that connect the forest canopy over the BR-174 road[….] In the first 10 months of monitoring, eight different species were documented — not only monkeys such as the golden-handed tamarin and the common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), but also kinkajous (Potos flavus), mouse opossums (Marmosops sp.), and opossums (Didelphis sp.).”

Bonus: A rare maneless zebra was born in the UK

June 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[reasonsforhope]

"In response to last year’s record-breaking heat due to El Niño and impacts from climate change, Indigenous Zenù farmers in Colombia are trying to revive the cultivation of traditional climate-resilient seeds and agroecology systems.

One traditional farming system combines farming with fishing: locals fish during the rainy season when water levels are high, and farm during the dry season on the fertile soils left by the receding water.

Locals and ecologists say conflicts over land with surrounding plantation owners, cattle ranchers and mines are also worsening the impacts of the climate crisis.

To protect their land, the Zenù reserve, which is today surrounded by monoculture plantations, was in 2005 declared the first Colombian territory free from GMOs.

...

In the Zenù reserve, issues with the weather, climate or soil are spread by word of mouth between farmers, or on La Positiva 103.0, a community agroecology radio station. And what’s been on every farmer’s mind is last year’s record-breaking heat and droughts. Both of these were charged by the twin impacts of climate change and a newly developing El Niño, a naturally occurring warmer period that last occurred here in 2016, say climate scientists.

Experts from Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies say the impacts of El Niño will be felt in Colombia until April 2024, adding to farmers’ concerns. Other scientists forecast June to August may be even hotter than 2023, and the next five years could be the hottest on record. On Jan. 24, President Gustavo Petro said he will declare wildfires a natural disaster, following an increase in forest fires that scientists attribute to the effects of El Niño.

In the face of these changes, Zenù farmers are trying to revive traditional agricultural practices like ancestral seed conservation and a unique agroecology system.

Pictured: Remberto Gil’s house is surrounded by an agroforestry system where turkeys and other animals graze under fruit trees such as maracuyá (Passiflora edulis), papaya (Carica papaya) and banana (Musa acuminata colla). Medicinal herbs like toronjil (Melissa officinalis) and tres bolas (Leonotis nepetifolia), and bushes like ají (Capsicum baccatum), yam and frijol diablito (beans) are part of the undergrowth. Image by Monica Pelliccia for Mongabay.

“Climate change is scary due to the possibility of food scarcity,” says Rodrigo Hernandez, a local authority with the Santa Isabel community. “Our ancestral seeds offer a solution as more resistant to climate change.”

Based on their experience, farmers say their ancestral seed varieties are more resistant to high temperatures compared to the imported varieties and cultivars they currently use. These ancestral varieties have adapted to the region’s ecosystem and require less water, they tell Mongabay. According to a report by local organization Grupo Semillas and development foundation SWISSAID, indigenous corn varieties like blaquito are more resistant to the heat, cariaco tolerates drought easily, and negrito is very resistant to high temperatures.

The Zenù diet still incorporates the traditional diversity of seeds, plant varieties and animals they consume, though they too are threatened by climate change: from fish recipes made from bocachico (Prochilodus magdalenae), and reptiles like the babilla or spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), to different corn varieties to prepare arepas (cornmeal cakes), liquor, cheeses and soups.

“The most important challenge we have now is to save ancient species and involve new generations in ancestral practice,” says Sonia Rocha Marquez, a professor of social sciences at Sinù University in the city of Montería.

...[Despite] land scarcity, Negrete says communities are developing important projects to protect their traditional food systems. Farmers and seed custodians, like Gil, are working with the Association of Organic Agriculture and Livestock Producers (ASPROAL) and their Communitarian Seed House (Casa Comunitaria de Semillas Criollas y Nativas)...

Pictured: Remberto Gil is a seed guardian and farmer who works at the Communitarian Seed House, where the ASPROL association stores 32 seeds of rare or almost extinct species. Image by Monica Pelliccia for Mongabay.

Located near Gil’s house, the seed bank hosts a rainbow of 12 corn varieties, from glistening black to blue to light pink to purple and even white. There are also jars of seeds for local varieties of beans, eggplants, pumpkins and aromatic herbs, some stored in refrigerators. All are ancient varieties shared between local families.

Outside the seed bank is a terrace where chickens and turkeys graze under an agroforestry system for farmers to emulate: local varieties of passion fruit, papaya and banana trees grow above bushes of ají peppers and beans. Traditional medicinal herbs like toronjil or lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) form part of the undergrowth.

Today, 25 families are involved in sharing, storing and commercializing the seeds of 32 rare or almost-extinct varieties.

“When I was a kid, my father brought me to the farm to participate in recovering the land,” says Nilvadys Arrieta, 56, a farmer member of ASPROAL. “Now, I still act with the same collective thinking that moves what we are doing.”

“Working together helps us to save, share more seeds, and sell at fair price [while] avoiding intermediaries and increasing families’ incomes,” Gil says. “Last year, we sold 8 million seeds to organic restaurants in Bogotà and Medellín.”

So far, the 80% of the farmers families living in the Zenù reserve participate in both the agroecology and seed revival projects, he adds."

-via Mongabay, February 6, 2024

[wildsaltair]

Tender Fires

Pairing: Maximus Decimus Meridius x reader

Rating: T (hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, with a few hints of spice)

Word Count: 6.4k

Tag List: @enjisbf, @nasatshirts, @empressenchanted, @streets-in-paradise, @xiscamoony, @aelondrias

Author’s Note: I'm back with another Maximus fic! This is actually part of a larger narrative in which Maximus escapes the execution attempt and ends up at reader's farm, where she tends his wounds and they fall in love but have to fight their feelings because he intends to leave to keep her safe. As always, this fic is written from the deepest longings of my lovestruck heart, and I hope that love is obvious :) Thank y'all so much for your kind words about the last fic, and I hope you enjoy this one!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

“You’re up late.”

At your words, Maximus turns his head to look at you, and a soft smile crosses his lips. His features are etched in shadow, flickering with the dancing firelight.

He’s seated in front of your kitchen fire, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, gazing deep into the flames as if searching for some hidden meaning within. You would never have known he was in here if you had not been awakened by the loud cracks of thunder outside and come in search of the warmth of the fire.

An autumn storm, a midnight fire, and the most captivating man you have ever known, dressed only in his plain white sleeping tunic. It seems like a combination intended to lure you into trouble.

As you move to sit in the chair beside him, he looks back into the hearth, a smile still tugging at the corner of his lips. “I have stayed awake staring at many fires in my life,” he tells you quietly, his voice deep and thoughtful.

Out of the corner of your eye, you risk a glance at him, looking for the scar on his ribs. He has been with you for a little more than two weeks now, helping you with odd jobs around the farm as his strength returns. His wounds, though still vulnerable, have healed quickly, and you are relieved to see no signs of further injury on the parts of his skin that you can see.

“As have I,” you reply, eyes still lingering on him. “Though for me, it has always been the same fire. This one.”

He hums in response, nodding slightly. You have never sat by this fire together at night, and you are bewitched by the way the light dances over him, makes his golden skin shimmer. The lines of his arms and shoulders are limned in shadow, the firelight flickering on his handsome features.

You are overcome with a desire to put your hands on him, to feel the heat of his skin and the strength of his body, but you cast your gaze on the fireplace instead.

“I envy you that,” he answers softly, after a short reflection. He glances up at you, studying you intently. “A home fire, always burning in the same place.”

The meaning of his words is not lost on you.

Every day, the thought of him leaving you is more painful. At the moment, as you sit close enough to listen to him breathing, the thought is unbearable. Your home is his home now, and you long — more than you have ever longed for anything — for him to realize that he belongs here.

His shadowed eyes search yours a moment more, then return to gazing at the flames.

You take a deep, steadying breath to calm yourself. Your hands are trembling, and you smooth them over your skirt, hoping he does not notice how nervous you are from this simple interaction.

“Tea?” you ask quickly, pushing yourself to stand and get a bit of space between the two of you.

He glances up again, and your heart clenches at the gentleness in his expression. He nods. “Thank you.”

Have his eyes ever seemed so wide, so earnest? Are you imagining the way his gaze lingers on you, drinking in every detail of the way you move?

You can feel the tension in the room thickening, your own heart beating faster as you fill the kettle with water and set the tea leaves to brewing. Somehow, sharing space with this man is so much more intimate at night, with a storm raging outside and a warm fire bringing extra heat to the atmosphere.

Even more astonishing to you is the fact that you are not afraid of this powerful soldier. He is strong enough to do anything he wishes to you, to take whatever he obviously wants. But even now, standing here in your night shift, with your hair and your defenses down, you have no fear of him.

If anything, you wish he would initiate a touch, a kiss, anything that would lead to the passion that has been haunting your dreams every night.

Such as your dream last night. You can still feel the sensation of your body thoroughly tangled with his, your limbs entwined, his hands pulling your skirt up to your waist. Your cheeks burn when you remember all the places he kissed in your dream, all the places he touched and explored and pleasured. Such thoughts make you ache all over again, especially now that you are standing so close to him.

A blinding crack of lightning, followed by the roar of thunder, pulls you from the dream-memory of his mouth hot on your throat.

To distract yourself from such dangerous thoughts, you ramble on the first topic you can think of. “My father used to tell me stories beside this fire,” you announce as you hang the kettle over the fire and settle back into the chair beside him. You don’t dare meet his eyes, even as a smile crosses your lips at the memory. “I always begged him to tell me ghost stories even though they frightened me.”

He tilts his head to the side to look at you curiously, a smile of his own playing at his lips. “What kind of ghosts do you have in these parts?” he asks, leaning on one arm of the chair to look at you more squarely.

Somehow, having his full attention focused on you is unnerving, undoing, arousing. You can hardly find the words to speak.

His eyes are still on your face as you feel a deep blush burning in your cheeks. You hope he will attribute it to the warmth of the fire, not your intense reaction to the way he gazes at you. If he only knew how much more heated you are by his presence.

“My favorite is the Howling Woman,” you blurt out, glad that your voice is not as unsteady as you feared. “She wears all gray, with her head covered. She’s been seen in these mountains for decades.”

He does not interrupt you, but your breath catches as his gaze wanders across your face. An absent smile is still on his lips, and he seems to be content to simply watch you, to let his eyes trace the lines of your face, your neck, your hair where it tumbles over your shoulders. His gaze is searching, admiring.

How will you find the strength to hide your desire when one look from him could bring you to your knees?

Clenching your jaw and willing the kettle to boil faster, you continue your story determinedly. “They say she was the wife of a farmer who was killed after being thrown from his horse. She found him with his neck broken.” You pause, still breathless from the effects of his undivided attention. “She went mad and drowned her own children. When she came to her senses and realized what she had done, she walked into the wilderness to die.”

You wait for him to interject, to ask some clarifying question or comment, but he does not. He is still leaning on the arm of his chair, his dark eyes captivated by the sight of you in the firelight. You can almost sense the way he is actively preventing himself from letting his gaze wander further down — where your shift does little to hide the shape of your figure.

But somehow, his watchfulness is not an act of seduction. He seems genuinely swept up in your story, spellbound by the sound of your voice. He listens to you intently, curiously, and waits for you to continue.

“But to punish her for her crime,” you continue, blushing even harder, “the gods cursed her to wander these mountains and valleys for eternity, never able to die and meet her family in the afterlife.”

It is the sound of your voice, you realize now. His gaze wanders over your features slowly, as if measuring them, but his silence persists the longer you speak. It is as if he cannot bring himself to interrupt you, so captivated as he is by your voice.

“She still walks at night,” you finish, finally allowing yourself to look deep into his eyes. There seems to be no end to them, no way to pull yourself out of the gaze that holds you captive. “She wanders, calling and wailing and howling.”

He swallows hard, licks his lips, though you guess he does so unconsciously. A shiver runs up your spine, and not from your ghost story.

You lean forward, just an inch or so, to finish the story. “They say you can hear her best on a night like this,” you whisper, and the silence between you is so concentrated that you feel you might choke on it.

His gaze flits down to your lips for a moment, and in this flickering firelight, surrounded by warmth and desire, you think he may kiss you.

The silence is broken by a loud crack of thunder outside, one that makes you jump at its suddenness. You both look away, realizing how intently you have been gazing at one another for an inexcusably long amount of time.

The tea in the kettle is boiling at last, and, glad for the distraction, you lean forward to take it off the fire. Your two cups are sitting on the table beside you, and you fill both before handing one to him. He nods his thanks, and the two of you sit quietly for a few moments, looking deep into the firelight.

He is the one who finally breaks the silence. “Do you believe in ghosts?” he asks softly, with that pleasant raspy quality you have come to recognize in him at night.

You smile and lean back in your chair to sip at your tea. “Of course,” you confirm lightly. “Don’t you?”

His expression grows quizzical, and he doesn’t lift his eyes away from the fire. He takes a sip of his tea, thinks for a long time before answering. You are more than content to sit in silence with him, but he finally comes to an answer.

“No,” he tells you quietly, still mesmerized by the dancing flames. Eerie shadows prance over his fine features. “Spirits do not wander the earth after death. They go to the afterlife.”

His voice is calm and even, but resolute, assured. You have talked so little with him about such things, and you cannot deny your curiosity at learning more about what he believes.

“How do you know?” you press, unconsciously leaning toward him.

He does not move for a moment, just grips his cup tighter and sharpens his gaze at the fire. “I have seen enough death to feel certain of it,” he declares, then turns his head to look into your eyes again. “If ghosts could exist,” he tells you softly, gently, “then I would be haunted by them every moment.”

Your heart aches for him now, for the pain and grief he carries with him always. His life has been difficult, laden with the weight of many lives and much responsibility. Even in a peaceful haven like your home, he is ever followed by the burdens of his past, no matter how much comfort and peace you have offered him.

“Perhaps they do not wish to speak to you,” you suggest, tilting your head to show that you are teasing him. “Perhaps you do not know all there is to know in the world.”

His haunted expression softens as he looks at you, taking in the meaning of your words. As before, his soft smile smoothes the lines in his face, lifts a bit of the weariness etched into his features. You can’t help wondering if he realizes your effect on him, if he craves these moments of tranquility and comfort as much as you do.

“I am sure of that,” he tells you in a low voice, and your heart turns over at the simple passion in his eyes.

You lapse into silence once again, each of you drinking your tea and losing yourself in thought. Your own ponderings are of him, wondering what he is thinking. He has seemed burdened ever since you found him sitting by the fire, and you long to know what worries him.

If he only knew how your heart leaps at the sight of him, how you long to cradle his face in your hands, to kiss him until all his burdens are lifted, until all he knows is this deep, all-consuming love that has swept over your heart like an autumn storm.

The thunder continues to roll outside, the rain pelting your roof relentlessly, but the warmth of the fire and the pleasant constancy of his presence is comforting.

You do not press him for several long minutes, letting him mull over his worries in silence until both of you have finished your tea. When you set your two empty cups on the table beside you, you finally decide to inquire, pushing your chair a few inches nearer to him and leaning on one arm of the chair so you can look into his eyes more closely.

“What troubles you?” you ask softly, and he finally lifts his head, dark eyes burning into yours with all the intensity of the hearth fire.

His voice is hardly more than a whisper when he replies, “Ghosts.”

“Memories?” you ask, entranced by the way he slowly leans forward, closing the distance between the two of you one inch at a time. Your skin suddenly burns, aching for a touch, one simple touch, that will answer your constant longing for his hands on you.

After a moment of hesitation, in which he seems to ponder the consequences of what he wants, he finally lifts one hand and trails his fingertips down the side of your face.

“Shadows of things I do not understand,” he murmurs absently, and he traces the line of your jaw with fingers so gentle you cannot imagine them ever wielding a sword.

He gazes at you more openly now, his eyes traveling down to your lips as his thumb brushes over them. You suppress a shudder at the contact, and he strokes your lips a few times, transfixed by the sight, before sliding the backs of his knuckles down the column of your throat.

Stars in the heavens, if he only knew how your body is aching for him, how you respond to the slightest touch he gives you.

You finally find your voice to speak. “Is it your men?” you ask softly, as if the room has suddenly been overtaken by a spell.

He sighs, brow furrowed deeply in thought. “They were not my men,” he replies at last, still stroking his fingers down your neck. “Not the ones who betrayed me. My men were loyal, courageous.” His voice is thick with sorrow, and you sense that recalling this memory is painful for him. “They were my brothers,” he half-whispers. “They would have risen up in rebellion if they had known.”

Your heart aches again at the sadness in his voice, the sadness he works so hard to disguise throughout the day. Somehow, in the darkness, in the stillness of nighttime, he seems more vulnerable.

“Why does the Emperor want you dead so badly?” you finally venture to ask.

His hand stills on your neck, eyes not quite focused on your face. He seems to be traveling back in time in his mind, and he draws a deep breath as he thinks. Almost as if he does not realize what he is doing, his hand wanders to the base of your neck, absently stroking the sensitive skin there.

It’s all you can do to hold still, to keep from betraying how perfectly wonderful his touch is to you.

His voice is low and measured when he answers your question. “I once received favor that he believed should have been his.” He pauses, then raises his eyes to meet yours meaningfully. “By his own father.”

His words take you aback, and you know he must notice your wide-eyed stare. “Marcus Aurelius?” you squawk in disbelief. “You knew the great Emperor?”

“Yes,” he replies, his face softening into a smile at the memory. You are shocked by the revelation, but his fond smile warms your heart after seeing his heavily burdened expression a moment ago. 

He presses on, though his hand is now running softly over your shoulder, skimming over the top of your thin shift. “I was young when he took me under his wing,” he explains, eyes tracing the path his hand is making on your shoulder. “I had won some small battles, and he saw in me potential for greater things. He made me what I am today.”

He strokes your shoulder once, gently, then removes his hand, as though he cannot trust himself to keep touching you there. Again lifting his deep blue eyes to meet your gaze, he looks at you so tenderly, so affectionately, as he raises the same hand to tuck your hair behind your ear.

You want to melt, to close your eyes and sigh in pleasure at his simple touch, but you fight for your composure. “He must have been a great man,” you manage instead, meaning every word.

“He was the greatest man I have ever known,” he murmurs, stroking his fingers through your hair at your temple now. “He is the closest thing to a father that I ever knew.”

You have noticed how the man is drawn to your hair whenever you leave it down. He seems fascinated with it, with the way it cascades through his fingers when he cards them through it. His attentions are so gentle, so unobtrusive, as if he is unable to keep himself from simply admiring your beauty in this soft firelight.

“And that is why the Emperor envies you,” you observe to keep from losing your breath.

“Yes,” he answers quietly, his voice hardly above a whisper. “He believed that his father wanted to pass on his power to me.”

You nearly startle in surprise at his words. Not only the commander of the northern armies, not only a confidante of Marcus Aurelius, but the rightful future emperor himself?

You almost feel dizzy, though you’re not sure if it is from the shocking news or the way his fingers keep brushing your temple as he plays with your hair. “Did he?” you prompt him breathlessly, genuinely curious.

He ponders for several long moments, letting your hair stream between his fingers. You are entranced simply by looking at his features — his dark eyelashes, his sharp nose, the gentle creases by his mouth. He is so exquisitely lovely to you, so unaware of how deeply he affects you.

“I do not know,” he finally admits, tracing the side of your face before letting his hand fall back into his lap again. “He never told me.”

His words silence some of the shock you were feeling at wondering if you were in the presence of a man who was supposed to have ruled Rome. The thought of this man, this humble, honest, unpretentious warrior, ruling such a corrupt and conniving empire is almost unthinkable.

You are struck by the absence of his touch, and he seems hesitant to initiate any more contact now that he realizes how close he has drawn to you. He’s still watching you carefully, as if gauging your reaction to his touches, but you cannot resist reaching out to him now.

Your fingers seek out the necklace that hangs down to his chest, a simple cord bearing two wolf’s teeth on the end. You have never asked him about its origin. You handle it carefully, and the man barely breathes as your hand hovers over his chest.

“What would you have done if all this had never happened?” you ask softly, caught in the intimacy of this quiet moment. “Would you have been a soldier all your life?”

Your question is a heavy one, full of unspoken desire and curiosity. You can tell he senses that desire by the way his dark eyes burn into yours, by the way his chest rises and falls more quickly, as if you are taking his breath away just by touching his necklace.

He thinks for a few moments, still gazing deep into your eyes. “I always imagined I would die in battle,” he tells you, a hint of sorrow in his voice. “There seemed no other fate in store for me.”

Your heart tightens, and you let go of your loose grip on his necklace. Suddenly, all you want to do is touch him, to make contact with his body somehow. His words have struck a chord in your heart, reminding you how grateful you are that this world-weary soldier has come to your home, to your hearth, instead of falling on a battlefield hundreds of miles away.

With your pulse racing, you press your hand flat against his chest, splaying your fingers over his heart. Even through the fabric of his nightshirt, you can feel his heart pounding like a war drum, perfectly in rhythm with your own.

Oh, how you long to press your heart against his, to be wrapped up in his arms, so thoroughly tangled with his body that you cannot tell where you begin and he ends.

His breath comes more quickly now, his lips parted and his eyes scorching yours with a hunger that stirs your blood.

“But,” he begins in a hoarse whisper, his gaze flickering down to your lips and then back up, “I did imagine, sometimes…” He pauses, licks his lips again, takes a slow breath, “that if I did have a chance to grow old… I might…”

He halts again, his voice dying in his throat. You press your palm more firmly against his chest, and his heart skips a beat beneath your hand. You can feel his skin burning hot under his shirt.

“Tell me,” you whisper, and a look of unadulterated desire flashes across his face.

He leans close to you, close enough that his breath skims over your lips. “That I might one day have a home,” he breathes. “A family.” He sighs softly, the longing in his voice especially evident. “A life of peace always seemed… unlikely.”

The hesitation in his words is palpable, and suddenly his own larger hand is covering yours, pressing it tight against his chest. You realize that he is relishing your touch the way you relished his a moment ago.

After holding your hand against his heart a moment longer, he grasps your hand in his, lifts it to his lips. Your own heart skips a beat now, when he presses a slow, languid kiss to the back of your hand.

“And now?” you whisper, breathless and tingling with need.

He breathes against your hand, slowly and calmly. “Now,” he echoes, his voice rumbling in your bones. “Now a life of peace seems impossible.”

No. No, he cannot mean that. He cannot still mean to leave you when his gentle eyes speak of the passion he holds for you.

“It does not have to be,” you insist, lifting your free hand to touch the side of his face. He actually sighs at your touch, his eyes fluttering closed. His lips are slightly parted, and it takes all your willpower not to lean forward and kiss him until he can breathe nothing but your name.

His eyes remain closed when he responds, your hand still cradled in his. “To believe otherwise would be foolish,” he tells you, though his voice is anything but resolute. “Dangerous.”

You stroke the side of his face tenderly, enraptured by the way he reacts to your touch. He seems so relaxed, so overwhelmed when you caress him gently. The thought suddenly strikes you that this man has probably never been touched this way — not as light as a feather, with such love and affection that he can feel it beating in rhythm with his heart.

When you brush your fingertips down his neck, over the sensitive skin of his throat, he makes a sound so soft, so unguarded, that you nearly come undone for him right there.

“Are you not well acquainted with danger?” you whisper, leaning in closer to him. He opens his eyes when he feels you drawing nearer, and his fathomless eyes lock onto yours with an intensity that sends a shiver down your spine.

You want him to stay. You want him to love you as you so desperately love him. You want him to never stop looking at you the way he is now.

And when you press your hand flat against the side of his neck, your gaze fluttering over every perfect feature of his face, his soul opens to you, and you see all the love you bear for him reflected deep in his own eyes.

“Yes,” he breathes, and he leans forward to close the few inches that separate your lips from his.

The first sensation that strikes you is his blood pulsing in his neck, hammering against your hand as you caress him. His own hand tangles in your hair, holding you in place while he presses his lips against yours.

There is no hesitation in this kiss, no second-guessing or reluctance. His lips move against yours in a rhythm so natural that you wonder if he has imagined this as many times as you have.

He tilts his head slightly to the side, drowning in your kiss like a dying man seeking air. You can feel the breath knocked out of your lungs, so unaccustomed to any attention as passionate as this. The man lifts his other hand to cradle your jaw, still kissing your lips, gently but insistently, over and over and over.

This is what heaven must be like, you realize distantly when his tongue slides against yours, every inch of your skin tingling in response. His undivided attention, his unashamed desire for you is so arousing, so delightful in every way.

You can feel your cheeks burning, your skin heating up, the longer his hands linger on your face and neck. His fingers stroke your jaw, and his other hand grips your hair just hard enough to hold you in place. He is still reveling in your kiss, still using his lips and tongue to draw out the softest moan you have ever made in your life.

As soon as he hears it, he moves his lips to press against the corner of your mouth, much as he did the first time he kissed you in the barn. He trails his lips down your jaw, peppering kisses on every inch of skin he passes.

Thoroughly excited by his kisses and touches, your mind is all too eager to provide any number of tempting images. When he dips his head to one side, lips touching the place where your jaw meets your neck, all you can imagine is the careful way he would undress you, lay you down, and make love to you, slowly and gently but passionately.

He drags his lips down your neck, his curious tongue coaxing another soft sound from you. Again, your mind flashes to all the ways he might use his tongue on you, all the places he could seek out and tease until you are so dizzy with pleasure that all you can say is his name, over and over.

Another press of his tongue, and it takes all your strength not to beg him to take you right here. You can imagine it so easily, the way he would grip your waist, your hips, the way you would wrap yourself around him and touch every inch of his bare skin if he would only give you the chance.

What would you not give to see him shudder in pleasure, to throw his head back and hold you tight as you cling to him and make him feel the same thing he ignites in you?

It’s at that moment that he whispers your name, tenderly, reverently, like a prayer, against the soft column of your throat. Your whole body shudders in response, your hands tightening where they have landed on his broad shoulders, and he finally fulfills what you have been aching for.

One strong arm wraps around your waist, the other around your upper back, and in the space of a breath the man has pulled you against him, leaning you to the side so that you are cradled in his arms across his lap.

You are suddenly very aware of how thin your shift is, of the way he must be able to feel every curve of your body pressed against him. His fingers are gentle where they wrap around your waist, and you feel with heightened awareness all the strength of his own body, all his powerful muscles and vigorous energy.

All you can do is sigh in pleasure as he keeps his head buried in your neck, still kissing your sensitive skin as though he cannot get enough of you.

You can barely take a breath, so overcome with the multitude of sensations he ignites in you. His hand flexes against your waist, and you respond in kind with your fingers digging into his back.

You have the distinct impression that the man is having to physically restrain himself from going further, that all he wants to do right now is yank open your shift and kiss his way down your bare body. As irresistible as that thought is, you let him take the lead, and he chooses to simply kiss you rather than ravish you.

He is a noble man, a man of honor, and though your body is aching for him to truly make you his, you take pleasure in his self-control, his respect for you.

His fervent kisses to your neck finally slow, and he breathes against your skin as though trying to memorize you. When he nuzzles his face against your neck, all you can do is close your eyes in absolute ecstasy. One of your hands finds its way into his hair, and it’s his turn to shiver with pleasure, pulling you even closer against his body and resting his lips against the curve of your neck.

He goes still in your arms when you stroke his hair, slowly and tenderly with your fingertips. Again, you are struck by his reactions to your gentle touches, by the way he melts into your arms as though overpowered.

Several long moments are spent in that position, with you cradled against his chest, his face against your neck. You would be content to stay like this all night, just listening to him breathe, feeling his heart beating against your side.

But the moment passes, as all moments do. Another crack of thunder shakes the house, and you can’t help but jump a little in his arms.

As if pulled out of his daze, the man smiles softly against your neck, strokes your back soothingly in a way that only serves to make you arch your body against his. A moment later, he lifts his head from the crook of your shoulder, letting his face brush against yours as you disentangle yourselves.

Though you have just spent the last few moments passionately embracing and kissing, and though both of you are still flushed and breathless with exhilaration, the following moment is not awkward. You do not look at each other as you part, but you can sense your own relief and contentment in him.

You do not know what will come of this. You do not know if he will stay much longer. But in a moment like this, with your lips still swollen from his kiss and your skin still burning from his touch, you feel as though no heartbreak can be as vast as this perfect fulfillment you feel with him.

You stand slowly, glad that you are not as unsteady as you feel, and you lift the kettle off the fire just to have something to do. You can feel the man’s eyes on you, though he does not speak.

“It is a fierce storm tonight,” you comment, almost without realizing that you are speaking. The silence between you was comfortable, but you long to say something, to know that he is still at ease with you.

He takes his time in responding, especially since you have your back to him. “Yes,” he says simply, his voice deep and husky.

Stars, how you want to hear that voice in your ear, in your bed, murmuring to you while you both reach the height of your shared pleasure.

You swallow hard to banish your intrusive thoughts. You move to set the kettle down in your cabinet and scramble to think of something else to say. Rain continues to pound against your roof, sending a slight chill through the air despite the warmth of the fire.

“Will you be warm enough tonight?” you ask over your shoulder, still conscious of his eyes burning into your back.

Again, he takes his time answering. “Yes,” he finally replies. “Will you?”

You let the question hang, still standing with your back to him. You hope he can understand your wordless answer, especially after sharing such an intimate moment.

The only warmth I crave now is the heat of your body against mine.

Still trying to avoid meeting his eyes, you half-turn to pick up your two empty cups from the table. Doing so makes you lean against the side of the little square table, and you notice with great surprise that it does not tilt dangerously to the side as it has for the last several months.

The table legs are perfectly even now, and you suddenly raise your eyes to look at the man squarely. He is gazing at you with the oddest combination of expressions — desire, contentment, admiration, sorrow, longing, affection, and several others you cannot name.

“You fixed my table,” you observe, genuinely struck by the kindness of his simple gesture. You don’t know when he did it, but sometime in the last few days he must have noticed the unsteadiness and taken the time to fix it somehow.

He holds your gaze for a long moment, and a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “It needed fixing,” he replies simply.

Your heart leaps into your throat, though you can’t say quite why. Despite the fact that just a moment ago you were wrapped up in his arms, sighing while he covered your neck with kisses, you are much more affected by his modest demonstration of kindness — fixing something of yours that was broken.

“Thank you,” you tell him softly, returning his small smile with all the warmth blossoming in your heart.

You finish your task, setting the two cups in the cabinet to be washed tomorrow. The storm outside has quieted somewhat, but you can still hear the constant pounding of raindrops on the roof and walls.

Quiet thunder rolls in the distance as you turn to look at the man again. He is still seated, leaning forward with his knees on his elbows, gazing at you curiously.

This is what you want: this man in your home, always, sharing your fire, sharing your space, looking at you as if you hold his heart in your hands.

The words spill from your lips before you can consider them. “My father always told me that a storm can make a person change their mind about anything.” You hear the significance in your own words, and you press on anyway. “He said it’s in their nature to bring about transformation.”

The man’s darkened eyes do not leave yours for a moment, and you hold his gaze steadily, wanting him to hear your unspoken plea.

Stay with me. Let me love you as I do in my dreams.

His face does not betray any decision, but his gaze is tender, filled with a weary longing. His eyes explore each feature of your face as gently as his fingers did a few moments ago.

“Perhaps I will listen to it for awhile, then,” he murmurs, and your heart sighs.

All is not lost. You must simply wait.

As you start towards the doorway that leads to your bedroom, you pause beside his chair. The man is looking up at you with eyes that melt you to your very soul. Overcome with your affection for him, you lift one hand and stroke the side of his face, smiling down at him fondly.

“Goodnight, general,” you whisper, and your heart whispers, Beloved.

Before you can drop your hand, the man wraps his fingers around it and brings it to his lips. An unhurried kiss to the back of your hand, one that sends another shiver down your spine, and he releases you. His eyes burn into yours, intense, ardent, yearning.

“Goodnight,” he whispers, and your heart hears his whisper, Beloved, long after you have slipped into the next room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

More of my fanfiction if you're so inclined :)

[badaxefamily]

Reasons to play Palia:

Cozy, gentle farming/village sim a bit like a combination of Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, but online.

Most of the villagers are romanceable if you're into that. Either way they all have backstories that you learn by befriending them.

One time I went fishing and pulled up a charcuterie.

There's robots. One of them is romanceable because the fanbase demanded it in alpha.

You can't pet the dog but you can talk to him:

The fishing and bug catching systems are unique and fun.

When people find a rare/special resource like a Flow tree or palium ore, they'll call over zone chat to tell people where it is because everyone that hits a resource node will get the same reward no matter how many people are on it.

Crabs count as bugs so you can catch them!

Sifuu sent me a brick in the mail.

Cat people come from the moon, allegedly. Which moon? Probably the one that isn't on fire.

Concerned about too many people stripping the resources? The game is instanced and each instance only has a handful of players at a time. Even if they're all mining, or chopping trees, the nodes respawn fast enough to compensate. Plants and other things on the ground are not shared, so grab all those you want.

You can hunt for meat and leather, and there are a variety of animals that require different methods. Some of them teleport or clone themselves.

Speaking of hunting, you do so with a bow, and there's no blood or dead body. Bagged animals literally disappear and leave behind a bag which you loot.

You can climb and glide kind of like Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom.

The housing system is pretty robust, almost like WildStar. You start with a tent and then get a house which you can add rooms to. You can find, buy, and craft furnishing and sometimes villagers will gift them to you.

There's no HP and no penalty for falling, so feel free to yeet yourself from high places in order to explore!

[glossykissies]

the readers and… who?

— the series ࣪𓏲ּ ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃

episode one: bunny reader pt.1

introducing… my newest moodboard series! i will be creating moodboards based on my different readers with some of the characters i think they pair best with! along with the moodboard will be a brief description of their dynamic. i will mostly featuring characters that i write the most on this blog, but who knows, maybe i’ll throw in someone niche! enjoy scrolling through ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ౨ৎ⋆ ˚｡⋆

queen maeve (the boys) ♡

maeve just adores her little supe!bunny, also known as her alias ‘baby doll’ — as does the rest of the world. she’s the corporations cash cow, always flouncing around in the sparkliest, glitziest outfits made specially for her, which is why when she first joins the tower… maeve can’t stand her. she thinks the whole thing is silly and makes a mockery of her, but once she notices the creeps at the tower taking advantage of her, she decides to take her under her wing and protect her. soon, her protectiveness turns to lust and then to love, and well — you know the rest.

nate archibald (gossip girl) ♡

the only time nate and sweet bunny!reader are under fire on the gossip girl blogs, is when she slips up and calls him daddy in public or the two of them get escorted out of a fancy restaurant for getting frisky in the bathroom. having nate as her boyfriend is basically like having a lover and a full time sugar daddy in one. any bag she wants is hers, the shoes have already been ordered — and at the drop of the hat if she’s feeling the slightest bit of stress he whisks her off to the hamptons for the weekend. his calm demeanour and gentle dominance keep the sweet, needy, fashionista it girl in check (most of the time!)

ellie williams (tlou2) ♡

bunny!reader is well loved around the camp, but no one loves her more than her girlfriend ellie. they’re complete opposites, bunny being mega girly despite the odds, ellie being — well, not. bunny is super sociable, always planning ways to make jackson more fun, whilst ellie is fairly quiet, sticking mostly to herself and her small group of friends. bun is sensitive, ellie always having to comfort her anytime someone gets in danger, or god forbid — an animal dies (yet ellie will explain every time that the animal had to die so they could eat dinner) bunny is ellie’s soft spot, and she doesn’t have many of those left… which is why upon request els will always find bunny a cute little trinket on her supply runs, even if it’s just a bunch of old ribbon.

scott miller (twisters) ♡

the MIT nerd and the fashion student combination, scott and bun. he’s a little older, and in his opinion it shows most of the time when the two of them are together. bunny is hyper everything — hyper-energetic, hyper-feminine, hyper-sexual, it’s nothing like anything scott has ever dealt with before, but of course he loves her… even if he has a funny (grumpy) way of showing it sometimes.

clark kent (smallville) ♡

just a farm boy and his spoiled, cheerleader girlfriend. clark gives bunny anything she wants — if she wants to get food, clark’s already starting up the truck. if she wants to go shopping, bless his heart— he’s gathering any money he’s got so he can be a gentleman and pay. if she needs to get her pussy blown out — clark’s pressing her lower back down and pressing a kiss to her shoulder telling her to relax so he can fit it all inside. he’s the full package, and has no idea how he ended up with someone as perfect as bunny (he clearly doesn’t own a mirror.)

part 2

[beesmygod]

as noted by accursed farms: the lack of consumer protections in the U.S. is unprescedented when it comes to video games, probably due to a combination of successful lobbying and our leaders being 8000000 years old and dont know how electricity works let alone a computer. combine this with a group of consumers who center their entire life and personality around their expensive hobby and then cannot bring themselves to simply NOT consume when they are exploited, and you have a grease fire that leads to you not actually owning any of the games you buy

[probablybadrpgideas]

Swear Words By Fantasy Language

Common: hit your thumb really hard and see!

Dwarvish: Dwarves don’t have any swear words. Rather, a Dwarf must show their craftsmanship by combining non-swear words in a vulgar way. You’ve not been truly offended until a dwarf calls you a house-painting-horse-bargainer.

Elves: Elvish has exactly one swear word, and each elf can only use it once in their life. If uttered it kills all plant life in 300ft and everything capable of hearing must make a wisdom saving throw or disintegrate on the spot.

Giant: Giant contains such swearwords as “double fuck”, which is like normal fuck but twice as big.

Gnomish: Gnomish uses things like “tax returns” and “fiscal responsibility” as swear words. Mentioning your accountant will have you thrown out of respectable gnomish society

Goblin: Honestly, it’s easier to list the words in goblin that aren’t swear words.

Halfling: Halfling has incredibly harsh swear words, to the surprise of everyone when this pastoral little man toddling around a farm and eating muffins calls you a motherfucking shithead cockface

Draconic: Draconic swear words translate to things like “gosh darn it” and “oh heckers” but, to be fair, they come off as more serious when roared at you while you’re on fire.

Orcish: Orcish contains no swear words. Don’t assume based on stereotypes.

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Chapter 14

Series Masterlist

Warnings: Poorly written smut

A/N: The gaps between chapters is killing me. I’m so sorry for taking so long. :(

You were relieved that Daryl wanted you at all. You had been all but unbearable; crying, always sick, cold. Just constantly needy. You could take care of yourself. You proved that when you went to find him back at the farm. Yet, you felt so helpless. And now, you just wanted him to fuck you so hard that you saw stars. But what would this mean for your friendship? Once that line was crossed, there would be no going back. 

“You’re thinkin’ too loud.” His lips were on your neck, sucking and nipping and licking until you were moaning and grinding yourself against him. The hand on your belly slid up to work the other breast, both sets of fingers squeezing and massaging. He had barely touched you and there was already a fire low in your stomach, twisting and spreading straight down to your clit. If he touched you there, it was over and you knew it. 

“Daryl.” You gasped and whimpered, pressing your chest into his palms, each nipple being pinched and rolled. The sensitivity dragged a hiss from between your teeth. It was a delightful combination of pain and pleasure, and you needed more. Your hands came to rest on top of his, not guiding but simply moving along with his motions. 

He shook your hand off of his right one, dragging his fingers gently down your side then working them into your pajama pants, past the band of your panties. His ring and index fingers spread you open so his middle finger could rub your cunt, dragging your natural moisture up to your clit and then back again. 

“So wet. Pract’ly drippin’.” Your clit throbbed, swollen beneath his calloused fingers. He could feel it beckoning to be touched. So naturally, he avoided it, sliding his middle finger inside you. He met no resistance, your slick providing more than enough lubricant for him to glide in all the way to the base of his finger. Your walls fluttered, welcoming the intrusion, attempting to pull him back when he temporarily withdrew. You moaned and dropped your head back onto his shoulder, his warm breath suddenly against your ear. “Gotta be quiet for me.”

You tried to nod, not sure if you achieved it. The feeling of his thick finger pumping in and out of your needy cunt was just too overwhelming. When you whimpered to bite back another moan, he shushed you, licking just below your ear. Didn’t he know that was counterproductive?

The pace increased in both speed and roughness, and you distantly wondered if it would hurt the baby. You didn’t know much about this kinda thing and found yourself grabbing his wrist to stop him. He growled lowly, his chest vibrating against your back. 

“Daryl—the baby—I—”

“Ya think I’d be doin’ it if I thought it’d hurt ‘em?” He spoke gently, his hand pulling against your hold to continue moving slowly inside of you. “Didn’t get to read all the book but I read ‘nough.” You let go of him without hesitation, and there was no reprieve, the pace back to stoking the flames within you, burning and tingling to the point that you thought you might die if you didn’t cum soon. 

“Daryl. Daryl.”

There was a chuckle against your neck, the rough pad of his thumb flicking over your clit. Your orgasm hit you like a freight train, pouring a feeling of absolute euphoria over your body. You were barely aware of him finger-fucking you through the pulses and waves or his palm over your mouth to stifle your screams. It was a feeling like none other, a sensitive blend of overstimulation and pure bliss. Somewhere in the conscious part of your mind, muted as it was, you wondered how long it had lasted. It felt like an eternity, one you would gladly lose yourself within. 

When reality began to filter in, you were rolling your hips lazily against his hand and panting behind his palm. His whispered praise of good girl nearly brought the pleasure surging back with renewed vigor but then he was pulling his finger out of you, smearing your slick up over your skin until he freed his hand from your pants. 

Your legs felt weak and trembled under your weight but he wasn’t letting you fall. You knew he would never let you fall. 

“C’mon, stand up for me.” He pushed his chest against your back to motivate you. It took a moment to gather your bearings but once you did, you were both disappointed and relieved to find the ache still very present at the apex of your thighs, needing to extinguish it while never letting it end. 

Hands on your upper arms, he guided you to face him, wasting no time in pulling off your flannel and then tugging your shirt over your head. The cold air assaulted your skin, your nipples pebbling to near painful hardness. Daryl’s thumb rubbed over one, his blue eyes watching before they slid up to meet yours. 

“Too cold?” There was concern with a hint of desire in his tender tone, his index finger now tracing your collar bone with the lightest of pressure. You shook your head immediately, too aroused to allow the bite of the night air to dampen the moment. The archer hummed and lowered into a crouch, fingers whispering over the skin just above the waistband of your pants. He moved them to your boots, unlacing and pulling them off, one after the other, and then returned to your waist. You shivered at the cold grass beneath your feet but something about being so vulnerable to something made every other sensation more intense. 

“Daryl.” You whined, pressing your hands over his. You tried to push against them, desperate to feel him touching your bare skin. The memories of how he worshiped your body in the woods all those weeks ago did nothing but make you more eager. 

He smirked up at you, giving in to your demands and sliding both your pants and panties down your legs so you could step out of them. Large hands traveled an agonizingly slow path up your calves and thighs before settling on your hips. You suddenly felt self-conscious, something you hadn’t felt all the times before that you’d been with him. When you tried to step back, to cover yourself, he shook his head. In the most surprising move yet, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the small curve of your belly, a misplaced tender moment that almost had you reaching to stroke his hair. 

Just as quickly, he moved on, dragging his tongue upward while slowly rising back to his feet. The tingle he left on your skin almost burned, but his mouth on yours diverted your attention. You couldn’t describe the taste of him. You could always taste the smoke lingering from his cigarettes, but there was something else. Something that was just so naturally Daryl and it was addicting. 

Your fingers searched out his belt buckle, working it loose to leave it open while you unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. His cock was straining against the denim but he didn’t seem to mind, too preoccupied with your breasts. He weighed them in his palms, turned his hands, and squeezed them, watching your movements falter under a rich haze of painful pleasure. 

Your tongue darted out to wet your lips as you placed your thumbs in his belt loops, your fingers sliding underneath the waistband of his jeans. You didn’t need to look at him for permission. He would have stopped you if he hadn’t wanted it. His pants were at his ankles, underwear along with them, when you unlaced his boots. He toed them off himself, grumbling something along the lines of ain’t Cinderella, I got it. 

“That’s putting the shoe on, dumbass.” You retorted, gasping when his fingers twisted into your hair to pull back, with the gentlest of persuasion, and have you look up at him. If you lowered your head a fraction of an inch, you’d have been able to take him right into your mouth.  

“Careful whatcha say when you’re sittin’ pretty like that.” The knuckles of his free hand grazed lightly over your jaw before he released you, your eyes landing straight on his cock. You were almost positive you were dripping onto the ground after that. He was kicking his jeans aside when you stood, reluctantly, your eyes flickering to his undershirt as he removed his vest and flannel. “No.” It was a quick answer and it was once again enough. 

He didn’t allow the thoughts to linger, on you in a moment’s time and backing you against the nearby tree. His crossbow was knocked over but that only meant it was still near if needed. His fingers were gripping your hips, his tongue delving past your lips to explore the caverns of your mouth despite the terrain being one he knew so well. He licked across the back of your teeth before he withdrew. Hot, open-mouthed kisses were teasing the skin from your jaw all the way to your breasts, his teeth grazing your left nipple before he closed his lips to suckle the sensitive flesh. 

Your pussy was convulsively clenching around nothing, begging to be filled while he adamantly ravished each breast. Back and forth, back and forth. Lips, teeth, and tongue. You were trembling with need, once again more than ready to beg. Maybe that’s why he was torturing you. 

“Please, Daryl.” You gasped when he bit down on the side of your right breast, sucking the blood to the skin for a mark you could admire later. 

“Mhm?” He did the same with the left, completely focused on his ministrations while you were beginning to squirm against the cold bark at your back. 

“Please, just—” You tossed your head back against the tree with a mewl of his name, almost certain you would soon cum again just from his attentions on your chest alone. There was too much space between your lower bodies but your hips were rolling of their own volition regardless. 

“Needy lil’ thing ain’tcha?” Daryl stilled your movements effortlessly, his hands retaining their grip just above your hip bones. A whine worked its way up your throat and past your lips while your fingers fisted into the back of his shirt. 

“Daryl, please.” The last word lost its emphasis, breaking off into a whimper at the feel of his right hand leaving your hip to cup your mound. He wasted no time in dipping a finger between your folds to rub at your swollen bundle of nerves. You were coming apart within heartbeats, your moans swallowed by his eager mouth moving over yours. 

You were trembling with the effort of holding yourself upright when he came back into focus, but the persistent ache was still there. You could feel tears springing to your eyes and tried to blink them away. His damn book probably said nothing about this. Before you could delve too deeply into the concern, he was moving you, lying back on the ground with you straddling his hips. His cock was pinned between your bodies, the length of it spreading you open. 

The archer folded his hands behind his head, raising his eyebrows at you expectantly. “G’on. Take whatcha need.” 

You didn’t need to be told twice. Your pussy dragged wetly up his length. Tilting your pelvis, you were able to catch the tip just right and shift it upward and nearer to your entrance on the slide back. As slick as you were, he slipped into you almost too easily and very unexpectedly. Daryl’s hands jolted to your hips and yours to his chest, punching a moan from each of you. 

“Fuck.” He hissed, his fingers flexing into your flesh. He had told you to take what you needed, you could clearly see the restraint it was requiring to allow you that luxury. The first roll of your hips was a gradual process, allowing you to adjust to him while still alleviating at least a portion of your arousal. The slow endeavor was no less effective on Daryl. 

He had his lip pulled between his teeth, biting hard enough that you could see the red when it began to bleed. You dropped forward, pressing your bodies together, and licked just below where his teeth indented the skin. When he parted them, you dabbed up the blood with the tip of your tongue. You didn’t kiss him, not then at least. Your eyes met his, blue irises a mere thin ring around blown pupils. 

“Move.” He growled, the smugness of moments ago now long gone. Remaining as you were, you shifted your body forward until only the tip remained, and then back down. Two seconds in and he was already reaching to cover your mouth. “Quiet.” The attempted reminder was followed up with a groan. Had you not been completely enamored with the drag of his cock against your inner walls, you would have certainly been teasing him. 

The gentle push and pull, up and down, in and out continued, your pleasure mounted, building into a cyclonic inferno deep within your belly. It twisted and weaved into each and every cell, vibrating just beneath your skin as if it were a living thing trying to break free. You ripped his palm away from your mouth and kissed him hard. He offered no resistance, the hand that you had freed finding purchase on your ass. His other hand joined that one soon after, squeezing, kneading, spreading, and eventually assisting your movements. 

When you pulled away from his mouth, you pushed yourself up, bracing your hands on his chest. That leverage and his hands behind you helped you set a bouncing rhythm atop him that resulted in anything but either of you remaining quiet. Daryl, luckily for you, had the presence of mind to remember that noise usually equaled bad on one level or another. 

He sat up quickly, pulling you close by wrapping an arm around your lower back. With the obscene sound of skin slapping now minimized, he grabbed the nape of your neck and pulled your face to his, effectively silencing your moans. Your hips never stilled, continuing to roll and grind. 

When Daryl pulled back for air, you chased his lips, instead letting your head fall against his shoulder. You were so, so close. You didn’t need any other stimulation, his cock was hitting just right, rubbing that soft spot inside of you that was going to tip you over the edge. The buildup was so intense that you wondered if you might pass out. 

“Daryl.”

“G’on. Don’t wait for me.” He panted, angling his head to press kisses across your shoulder. When he bit down just above your collarbone, stars exploded behind your eyes. You felt like a live wire. It was too much, it wasn’t enough. The only conscious thought was the fear of coming down; returning to a broken world that had taken so much. You blinked, slowly, almost too slowly to be real. 

And Daryl was there. 

He was above you now, unmoving aside from the hand that was pushing back your hair. He tilted his head with that slight narrow to his eyes. 

“Hi.” You smiled. He didn’t return it but his expression was soft. Unlike other parts of him. A slight shift of your hips found him still very much buried inside of you. Your mouth formed a silent ‘o’ before you licked your lips. 

“Thought ya might need a minute after that’un.”

You winced apologetically. “Loud?”

He pulled a face and leaned up a little, tilting his head. “Nah, my shoulder kept ya quiet ‘nough.” Your jawed dropped. There was a perfectly shaped bite an inch away from his neck, red and bleeding. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” You pressed your hand over it and pulled it back with a squeak when he hissed. “How the hell are you still hard?” He smirked but said nothing else before rolling his hips into you. Your mouth fell open but then split into a grin. “You are something else.” He pressed his mouth against your yours and hummed, finding a slow, steady rhythm.

“Got one more for me?” His lips brushed yours with every syllable. 

You nodded eagerly, eyes on his mouth while you pulled him back to you. The kiss was more relaxed, gentle. Your hands wandered over his back, the muscles tensing and rippling beneath your palms as they traveled down and squeezed his ass to encourage him to push deeper. When he responded and thrust as far as he could go, a keening noise left your throat and disappeared into his mouth. 

A sensation of calm was washing over you, overpowering the heat that had laid claim on your body back at the camp. You wanted to stay that way forever, with Daryl surrounding you. You felt safe. The losses you had suffered loosened their tight grip on your heart, allowing him to fill that void. You wanted to keep him and never let go. 

When realization came crashing down into the part of your brain that wasn’t fully occupied by Daryl—the way he tasted, the weight of him settled over you, his scent, the warmth he radiated—you gasped, blinking quickly in response to the sudden sting in your eyes. 

You loved him. 

Somewhere between that first encounter in the woods and now being caged safely and pleasurably inside his arms, he had unknowingly encased your heart, soothing the anguish that would have otherwise swallowed you up and left you hollow. 

And he was utterly oblivious.

You bit back a sob and recalled your hands, pushing them underneath his shirt to warm, damp skin of his back. You fingertips brushed over a scar and he froze, holding himself up on his forearms to scowl at you. When he saw your expression, the tears in your eyes, the annoyance melted away into something gentle. 

“Please.” You implored shakily. “Wanna feel all of you.”

He regarded you silently, a refusal on the edge of his lips. There were no words to describe the incompleteness you bore with that thin barrier of fabric separating you from the entirety of him. It wasn’t just about seeing, you were beyond that. It was about his willingness to share that piece of himself with you. 

You said nothing else. The decision had to be his and his alone. The moment he took to stare at you, to study you, felt like forever. Then he was moving, rising up to balance his weight on one arm while the other hand reached over his head to snag the collar of his shirt. Your wide eyes never even blinked as the pulled the garment over his head and let it slide down the arm that bore his weight. He left it there and lowered back to his forearms. 

He didn’t linger, carrying on with thrusting into you with slow, deep rolls of his hips. The feel of his skin touching yours ignited a fire within you, not just the chase of a climax but an overwhelming myriad of emotions that were too plentiful to name. 

Your arms wrapped around him, caressing the soft skin of his back, ghosting over the raised marrs that stretched across the plane of flesh. You watched in awe as his eyes closed while you traced each imperfection with the most tender touches. You fed the desire to show softness to the areas where someone had been cruel and he was allowing it. 

Once you had graced each one with gentle attention, you splayed your fingers open and pulled him close, your mouth eagerly finding his. He seemed to snap back to the present and concentrated on chasing the pleasure that awaited the both of you. He pushed himself up again and moved a hand down to your hip, raising you slightly for a different angle. You couldn’t help but press your head back against the ground and arch upward, giving him full access to bend slightly and take a nipple into his mouth. 

You turned your head, your eyes tightly closed while you gave yourself over to the steadily building pleasure threatening to overtake you. Daryl pulled away from your chest and you let yourself drop to the ground. His hand left your hip to grasp your chin and turn your head. 

“Look at me.” It was a demand, regardless of the tenderness in his tone. “Wantcha to just look at me.” 

You nodded and drew your bottom lip between your teeth. His touch fell away from your chin to press against the grass beside your head. The intensity of his movement increased, powerful thrusts that jolted you against the ground. 

“Fuck.” You whined, your hands on his ribs with nails digging. Your eyes were still on his. 

A sheen of sweat made your bodies shine in the moonlight, beads dropping from Daryl’s face onto your skin. You didn’t mind. You didn’t even notice. You were lost, teetering on the edge while captured by those blue eyes. Your brain was in a fog of rapture. Nothing else existed beyond you and Daryl.  There were no walkers. No blood. No twisted cruel people. No stravation or running. Just you and him. 

And you loved him. 

You were seconds away from the precipice, ready and willing to fall. You closed your eyes and threw back your head only to be pulled back by a gentle grip. 

“No.” His voice was strained and you knew he would follow you over. 

You nodded and brought your palm to the side of his neck, carefully avoiding the bite just below, to guide him down to you. The angle changed, your hips tilted upward and rocking in time with his thrusts. Your bodies moved together in perfect rhythm, panting breaths against one another’s lips. 

“Daryl.” You whined, both hands finding the skin just above his hips. Your gazes were still connected. His eyes slid over briefly to glance at the tear you allowed to escape. 

“G’on. Let go.”

You came with a broken shout of his name, unable to keep your eyes open as wave after wave of raw, unbridled euphoria washed over you. You were only vaguely aware of him fucking you throughout, his choked off groan, but the warmth that filled you brought you to new heights. 

The world came back into focus all too soon, dousing you in moonlight and shadows. Daryl’s head was on your shoulder. He was still balanced on his forearms, trembling with the effort of holding his weight off of you. An uneasy feeling settled in your stomach where it had been alight with pleasure only moments before. You dreaded separating from him. While the lustful hunger had been sated, your heart still carried the burden of your love for the archer. Something you just couldn’t say to him. 

He would run. He’d leave you and your baby to fight through that hell alone. The scariest part was that Daryl could walk away. He could survive in that world alone. He had the skills and didn’t need any of the group. He didn’t need you. 

When you felt him begin to lift himself off of you, pull out of you, you couldn’t hold back the small noise of protest. He was already on his knees between your legs, stopping to look at you. There was that curious expression again. It was almost as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to form the words. 

“Need to get back.” He said suddenly, pulling his shirt over his head. 

For the first time since the two of you left the camp, you actually felt the cold. It was seeping into your bones but you weren’t sure if it was from the night air or something else. 

Clothes on, you were combing the tangles from your hair with your fingers as you walked just behind him. He hadn’t looked at you or said a word. 

“What took you two so long?” Glenn asked when you approached the wall. You ducked your head to hide the flush in your cheeks that he probably couldn’t see anyway. 

“Missed a perimeter line. Had to make one.” Daryl answered with a shrug of one shoulder. Glenn nodded but Maggie looked skeptical, her eyes on you. 

“See you guys in the morning.” Glenn gave a small wave before putting his arm around Maggie’s shoulders and guiding her to the camp. 

The archer climbed to the top of the wall, but when you started to follow him, he looked back over his shoulder. 

“No.”

“No?” You asked, blinking up at him. 

“S’what I said.” He wasn’t being cold, which confused you all the more. “Go get some sleep.”

“But, Daryl—”

“Just go.” He sighed deeply before he turned to face you, crouching down. “S’a gun in the bag on my bike. Take it. Don’t wantcha unarmed anymore.”

You held his gaze for a moment longer before blinking and looking away. “Yeah, alright.” He nodded and stood, turning his back on you. 

You passed the camp, Maggie and Glenn just lying down. They didn’t seem to notice you. The bike wasn’t far. The vehicles had been parked close in case a quick escape was needed. You found the gun with ease, checked the clip and then the safety, and tucked it in the back of your pajama pants. 

The loneliness hit you on the way back. Something had changed, not just for you. Daryl was acting differently, but his way of handling anything emotional would give you whiplash if you tried to figure him out. So you focused on yourself. 

You loved him. You’d never loved anyone aside from familial love and platonic affection. This was different. It both burned and chilled you to the bone. It was terrifying. All of it. The thought of being together, your little family. Then there was the thought of him leaving. Just the mere presence of the possibility left you feeling hollow. 

You approached your spot by the fire. Maggie and Glenn were laying just a few feet away. You sat down with a sigh, trying to wrangle your anxiety and push it away but it refused to be bound. You needed to sleep. Daryl was right. But when you looked up to see him staring out toward the trees that had sheltered you only half an hour ago, you knew there would be no rest for you that night. 

[infiniteglitterfall]

I keep thinking about a post or a comment I saw months ago that basically said, "if this isn't a genocide then why haven't I seen any photos of Israel on fire"

So here are some photos of Israel on fire.

Starting with the obvious:

October 7th, 2023. Hamas attacked 21 towns. Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Re'im, and Nir Oz were essentially burned to the ground; it will take years to rebuild them.

Satellite images during the attack show fires burning all over.

On October 7, Israel’s farming industry lost approximately 40% of its workforce and 30% of its physical area when the nation’s agricultural center became a warzone and the site of mass death and destruction.

The war forced thousands of people in Israel’s north and south to abandon their homes, leaving hundreds of acres of farmland to lie fallow while the IDF secured the area from further Hamas attacks.

Devastating losses About 20% of Israel’s agricultural land is located in the Gaza border area.... 75% of the vegetables consumed in Israel usually come from the Gaza border region, plus 20% of the fruit and 6.5% of the milk. Meanwhile, Israel’s northern region — which has been facing increasing rocket attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon — accounts for a third of the country’s agricultural land, and according to the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, about 73% of its domestic egg production is concentrated in the Galilee and Golan regions.

Hezbollah's rocket attacks upon Israeli civilian areas, and Hamas rocket attacks from Lebanon, have caused massive fires across northern Israel.

The elimination of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah, just as it is for Hamas and its affiliated groups.

Unlike Hamas, which targets Jews per se and cites the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to explain why, Hezbollah's reasoning follows that of the dictatorship of Iran:

"God, according to Hezbollah theology, cursed all Jews as blasphemers damned for all time and throughout history. Hezbollah, as well as the political/religious leaders of Iran, believe that the destruction of Israel will bring about the 'reappearance of the Imam (the Shiite Islamic Messiah).'"

Fire and brimstone it is, I guess.

April:

Nature and Parks Authority says that some 80,000 dunams (20,000 acres) in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights have gone up in flames since the start of the month.

The Katzrin fire in early June:

Since the fighting erupted, the total scorched area in Israel is three times greater than the area consumed by the two greatest fires in Israeli history: the Sha'ar Hagai blaze west of Jerusalem in 1995, and the Mount Carmel forest fire in 2010. In each of those blazes, some 20,000 to 25,000 dunams of forest went up in smoke.

The total area burnt down now is also three times the combined area incinerated in 2016 when extreme weather conditions caused a wave of fires that consumed some 41,000 dunams. A similar size of woodland and forest also burned down during the Second Lebanon War. In 2019, a huge blaze consumed large swaths of central Israel's Mevo Modi'im community.

According to a Haaretz analysis of satellite images, which matches with estimates by authorities, some 210,000 dunams (about 52,000 acres) of land burned down in Israel and Lebanon: about 150,000 dunams in Israel from Hezbollah attacks and Israel Defense Forces anti-aircraft fire, and around 60,000 dunams in Lebanon. The burned-down areas in Israel stretch over a large area in the Galilee and Golan Heights, while in Lebanon they are concentrated near the border – due to the Israeli military policy of setting deliberate fire to [complex fortified] areas there in order to keep Hezbollah combatants away and to damage the vegetation that provides them with cover.

...These included trenches, bunkers, rocket-launching positions and arms storage sites.

June 4:

'If the fire spreads to the mountain – everything changes': Residents try to survive amid Hezbollah rockets

As rockets rain on their homes and wreak havoc, some Israelis believe the government's lackluster response shows it has forfeited the north to terrorists. "This is Hezbollah's new strategy – intentionally firing on open areas to ignite fires and burn the north," says former mayor.

Gay Eyal, the security officer of the Golan Regional Council, hasn't slept a wink since yesterday. More than 20 communities in the north, including two evacuated towns of Avivim and Dovev, fall under his wide purview.

"It seems this is the new method of the enemy: They see and hear what's happening – they understand burning the north is more effective," Eyal stated grimly. "We're coming off a night of fires. And this morning another blaze started in the Yir'on Forest. Our biggest fear is the fire spreading to Mount Meron. If that mountain ignites, all the communities of Meron, Safsufa, and the Galilee panhandle will be in danger." Eyal claims they prepared in advance, positioning 24 water trailer rigs of 1,000 liters each in every community. "It's a drop in the bucket. We geared up this past year with many water trailers to assist with firefighting, but it's not enough. We're working with fire stations in Safed, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, and Carmiel – our council is dealing with four fire stations. The firefighters are doing everything they can, working ceaselessly. They're tearing themselves apart, but the fire is spreading like a field of thorns."

...Another resident from the north who was out all night at the various fire scenes also tells Israel Hayom this morning: "It's impossible to describe what we went through here last night. Everything burned, an entire region was ablaze. I drove between the fruit orchards, between communities as the fires raged, and my heart burned. The feeling is terrible, of destruction. There's no way to explain the feeling of people watching their life's work burning before their eyes."

June 12:

Hezbollah launched some 215 rockets and several more missiles and drones at northern Israel on Wednesday, in what it said was a response to the killing of a senior commander in the terror group by an Israeli airstrike a night earlier.

The successive Hezbollah attacks began on Wednesday morning with a barrage of at least 90 rockets fired at several [CIVILIAN] areas in northern Israel, including Tiberias — for the first time amid the war — Safed and Rosh Pina, sending tens of thousands of people to shelters, as Jewish Israelis celebrated the Shavuot holiday.

The Israel Defense Forces said another 70 rockets were then launched at the Mount Meron area, home to a sensitive air traffic control base. Ten more rockets were fired at the northern community of Zar’it, and an anti-tank guided missile struck a factory of the Plasan armored vehicle manufacturer in Kibbutz Sasa, causing damage. Later in the morning, a drone launched from Lebanon detonated in an open area near the northern community of Zivon, local authorities said. Several more rockets were fired in the afternoon hours at the upper and western Galilee areas.

[aheathen-conceivably]

From the moment Jo and Antoine arrived back home it was clear that something was different. Antoine had grown quiet, contemplative even, while Jo’s newfound confidence was even more pronounced than it had been these last few weeks. She proceeded to the cabin and then the farmhouse, calling out for Gio and Zelda before walking away without an explanation to either. As she did so, Antoine remained outside, throwing branches into the bonfire and staring at them as they went up into flames.

That was the way Zelda found him - staring forward and unmoving even as she looked to him for acknowledgment. Her eyes roamed upward from him to Gio, who was on the opposite porch looking just as confused as she felt. A sort of sympathy passed between them alongside the knowledge that something had fundamentally shifted while they had sat alone in their houses, unincluded and unaware. Jo reached Antoine first, patting him familiarly on the shoulder as though to awaken them all from a dream.

She had a plan. That much was clear from the start. That, and the fact that the reactions she was eliciting would do nothing to change it. So she told them every detail of Hosa Grove’s offer without stopping to let anyone speak, until she had finished reciting each and every date, number, and location he had given her. But as soon as she did, Gio was the first to answer. “Jo, I-I don’t know about this…”

She interrupted him before he could go any further, “You got us into this mess, Gio. If this is what it takes to get us out of it then it’s what I’m going to do.” He dropped his eyes to the sand and went quiet, which was precisely her intention. “Now it's not the full loan amount, but it should be enough to get them off our backs for a while. I can’t imagine there’s a line of people waiting out the bank. Still, it's only enough with me and Antoine’s money combined, and I’m not putting any in unless I get part ownership in return.”

Gio turned toward her incredulously, his obedience momentarily forgotten. “You can’t be fucking serious. Why the hell would you want any of this farm? You hate it and you know my share is as good as yours…”

Her eyes set and the look on her face told them all that the conversation was over before she even said a word. She met Gio’s gaze straight on and lowered her voice into a cold, measured tone. “You offered Antoine half. It’s no different. He can’t pay the full share, but if we split it, then he and I each get a fourth of the ownership.” She paused briefly, letting the gravity of the choice sit on them all for a moment, “Otherwise we lose the house.”

The very fire seemed to cackle at him, punctuating her words and feeding into his guilt-ridden idea that this was simply retribution, some sort of divine justice that placed him neatly beneath the heels of her red shoes after he had tried to tuck them away at the back of their closet. “Fine,” he finally relinquished, the uneven tone of the word signifying that it was anything but, “The farm will go half into Duplanchier ownership, split evenly between the two of you.”

Jo finally turned her full attention to Antoine, leaving Gio’s defeated face happily in her periphery. “Now, Antoine, what about you? All of this is moot if you don’t agree.”

He knew that the question was rhetorical. Jo had already made an agreement with Hosa, and so he had very little choice in the matter. The deal was nothing without him, and it was the only thing standing between them, bankruptcy, and the fate of the Okies. Even knowing that, he didn’t want to do it. He wanted to stay there on the ranch during the day and wake up next to Zelda every morning. To go outside and see his daughter before she left for school, only to still be there when she returned. He wanted to be home.

But home would cease to exist if he didn’t leave it. His daughter’s dollhouse, his wife’s books, Gio’s fields, Jo’s vanity - their very lives fell on his shoulders and his unwillingness to say yes. Still, he knew he would never make the choice to leave if she didn’t as well, no matter what it cost them. He looked at her profile, which was staring wordlessly into the fire like his had been moments before. 

When Zelda looked back at him she misinterpreted the hesitation in his eyes as worry for her, so she did her best to put on a brave face and looked back at Josephine, “I meant what I promised you all those years ago. Both of you. When the time came for him, I’ll do whatever you need of me.”

With her words, the deal was sealed, and Antoine looked back at his sister with a begrudging nod. He and Jo were going on the road.

[valictini]

I see no one has yet asked about the rest of the cast for the pokemon au, so it is my duty to do so! So, what were the choices for Mirabelle's, Odile's, and Bonnie's pokemon? I'm also interested in how you picked the different occupations for the cast :0

(referencing this post)

I explained my choices for Mirabelle, Odile and Bonnie in another ask to keep these not TOO long, and will use your ask to talk, about the human cast's occupations instead!!

Siffrin

Ok so Pokemon rangers are a bit of an odd job. They're basically there to solve problems in general? Whether it's a forest fire or pokemons unfairly getting attacked by stronger pokemons, if they can help, they will! What's unique with them is that they use a device that basically temporarily captures pokemons, making them docile and willing to use their powers for you (and calm them down in case of violent behaviour). Once you make them use a move though, they're free to go!

As such, Siffrin doesn't have a team of his own. Clefable is the exception because that's their starter! (I figured Cleffa would be one of the preferred starters in The Country) And there's also a Cubone that decided to follow him around on its own volition. Siffrin eventually captures it when he realises that it's not going to leave lmao

Loop

Pokemon coordinators specialize in pokemon beauty contests! They make special foods that increase beauty stats and overall try to create move combinations that look pretty to impress the judges. Both pokemon and coordinator have to participate in the choreography, too! When they win a contest, they receive a ribbon, and once they have 5 in one region, they can compete in that region's Big Contest where they may win the ribbon cup, giving them the title of Top Coordinator!

I decided that in this AU, Sif and Loop are twins, both coming from The Country. Loop had a Cleffa as a starter too! But Something Happened (don't ask) and nowadays, they travel with their beloved Gengar! They also have a (shiny) Minior because I wanted to make the joke of Loop having intrusive thougts about eating a star lmao

Mirabelle

Coordinator too! She and Loop met during a contest in Vaugarde and now they're besties fr fr. Even when one of them gets eliminated in the first round, they cheer for the other to win! One time they were the finalists and when Mirabelle won Loop was the first to cheer heehee (they knew she'd feel BAD for them so they decided beforehand that they Wouldn't Take It Badly for her sake)

Isabeau

Just your classic Trainer going around the region to beat its gym leaders, get the bagdes and eventually beat the league! I'd imagine he never got around to do it, even though it's supposed to be like, a milestone in a teen's life, but he's glad he can go on his journey now! During his travels though, he might slowly lose interest and discover a new passion for clothing (helping Mirabelle and Loop make their costumes is so fun!)

Odile

Professors are supposed to research various things about pokemons and give out starters to kids when they start their travels. So what is this professor doing on the road?? She'll never tell. Stop trying to guess. She does possess a wealth of pokemon knowledge tho, and has a complete pokedex, something only professors are supposed to have.

Bonnie

Grew up on a pokemon farm/daycare and wants to become a pokemon caretaker like Nille! (pokemon breeder in english, but i prefer the french version of the title lmao) Caretakers are basically specialised in Pokemon care, finding the healthiest foods, the optimal amount of exercise etc Bonnie's given an egg in lieu of a starter because they're still too young but they want a pokemon so bad that Nille caved lmao Though despite their age, they're already very competent in taking care of pokemons, so this egg will hatch no problem! As of what it will hatch into uuuh idk, shinx probably since that's what i made Bonnie's poekmon form as lmao

[badbatchsprincess]

Heated ~ pt.26 - The Final Chapter

Pt.1 ~ Pt.2 ~ Pt.3 ~ Pt.4 ~ Pt.5 ~ Pt.6 ~ Pt.7 ~ Pt.8 ~ Pt.9 ~ Pt.10 ~Pt.11 ~ Pt.12 ~ Pt.13 ~ Pt.14 ~ Pt.15 ~ Pt.16 ~ Pt.17 ~ Pt.18 ~ Pt.19 ~ Pt.20 ~ Pt.21 ~ Pt.22 ~ Pt.23 ~ Pt.24 ~ Pt.25

Masterlist

Summary: This is an ABO Bad batch!Poly x Omega Reader smut with a plot. This takes place as an AU before order 66. Y/N previously served under the 501st before being transferred to Special Forces 99. This is her adventure with these rowdy Alphas in a quickly changing universe.

THIS IS AN ABO AU ABOUT THE BAD BATCH (NO CANON OMEGA!) Due to the unfortunate situation of her name being Omega… Omega the child from the canon series is not going to be apart of this fanfic/porn with a plot. I feel obligated to put this warning in because it makes my skin crawl thinking anyone could make that mistake. 

Warnings: Smuttttt, happy endings, hope-core

Announcement: We made it y'all.... here's the final epilogue/final chapter. I'm so serious about you guys submitting writing prompts and little messages. Times are tough out here and I need more clone content hehe. So please don't be a stranger, I see all of your messages and I'll be getting around to writing them now that I've finished this hunk of a fic haha.

Enjoy babes and may the force by with you.

16k words below....

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

The fire popped and crackled as Crosshair added another log to the roaring hearth. 

With the rain pattering outside, and the delicious warmth radiating from the fireplace, you stretched like a loth cat in the pile of exotic furs Hunter and Crosshair had collected over the months here on Zyphor. You twisted and mewled feeling every tight muscle relax as you settled back down in your comfort spot. 

With the help of your alphas,  you had created a permanent nest in the center of your oversized domicile. 

Located just a few minutes outside of the little developing clone village, deep in the uncharted parts of the forest planet, Tech had designed a perfect home for you and your pack. 

With one central space for all of your to share with a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and of course your favorite thing on the planet, the huge nest full of luxurious furs absolutely covered in all of your combined scents. The main communal space then broke off into six smaller domiciles, each your own private quarters. 

There was even one for Echo when he’d visit from Teth. 

Tech made sure everything was planned accordingly in this little settlement. 

Wrecker and Hunter had worked tirelessly collecting materials and utilizing the construction droids to build your home relatively quickly. You used collected rainwater to plumb the home, and wood from the forest to keep you warm. 

It was lovely. 

Growing up on Coruscant, you were thrilled to experience real rain. When the synthetic weather centers had scheduled a rainstorm it was always your favorite, but now you had it everyday. It was calming and peaceful here. 

You were over the moons. The boys explained how the rain was also a comfort to them. Thats all they knew in their short youth. To have it now daily pattering against your shelter, you all felt very at home. 

Tech even invented a hydro electric water mill to power the settlement. The intricate grid system with back up generators kept you all illuminated and warm. 

You still couldn’t believe this was your every day life… Zyphor was a dream. 

You even requested a garden and a green house which the boys set up instantly. Of course Tech made sure the internal growing system was immaculate. Creating an extremely viable growing zone for some of the warmer dryer species of fruits. 

You had never gardened before and it was entertaining to watch your seedlings mature. Your job on the homestead was to study gardening and farming practices. 

You were put in charge of the produce production for your little pack. So far you were killing it. With your background in the sciences, you found it to be quite enjoyable and easy to grasp and pretty methodical. 

Snapping back to the present, you studied Crosshair as he used the iron poker to adjust a few logs before carefully placing the new ones on top to feed the flame. You smiled seeing how his lean figure was beginning to fill out more as he was able to eat more and destress. Though, his body seemed to become even more muscular from all the hard manual labor they had been doing. 

He looked healthy. 

It made your heart flutter. 

Crosshair had been assigned to learning how to hunt and track game with Hunter. Their whole lives, they had only been trained to track targets for their missions, but luckily they were able to apply that knowledge and experience to their growing hunting skills. 

They were an unstoppable team. With Hunter’s abilities and Crosshair’s sharpshooting, you knew you’d never go hungry. 

And that being said, it was discovered that Wrecker is a remarkable cook. Once he stepped into the kitchen the first night to cook up the kill, you all learned he had a natural talent for taste and preparations. 

He has managed to keep you all satisfied and filled with yummy dishes night after night. Though he groans about lacking his usual snacks, he does enjoy the fruit you had gathered and even slimmed down a bit too. He looked more fit than you had ever seen, and he even carried a certain glow about him now realizing his passions for food. 

Wrecker also was in charge of the shaak ranch. His gentle demeanor was very appealing to the imported animals. He built the corral where the animals resided munching on grass during the day. You even made Wrecker his own sunhat which he wears proudly as he shepherds the animals during the day. 

He looked just like a ranch hand… a sexy ranch hand. 

That thought stirred something devious and lusty inside you. You sighed happily, allowing your thoughts to drift to Hunter. He too had filled out a bit from de-stressing. Hunter had taken to the three orbak you also keep with the shaak. Those monstrous creatures seemed to like him too as he utilized them for his hunting trips with Crosshair. Their muscular hooves legs seemed to carry the two alphas effortlessly for hours on end. 

You giggled when remembering when they were trying to figure out how to ride them the first few times. Crosshair had complained the whole time, nearly getting bucked off while Hunter took to it like a natural. You joked that he could talk to them to Crosshair’s chagrin. 

Crosshair has since ceased his complaining and muted it down to an annoyed grunt every time the animal acts on its own accord. 

You smiled at the memories. 

The you had to stifle your laughter remembering when Rex and the boys brought in a shipment of tip-yip chicks. They were bestowed upon you and put in your charge to take care of and raise for eggs and meat. On one particularly rainy day, one had escaped your coop, and you were forced to chase it down following it all the way to the barn where you had tripped and landed face first in a pile of thick mud with a loud splat. 

You could still hear your boys howling with laughter as you sat up wiping your eyes trying to see where that damn bird went. 

…Tip Yip had never tasted so good…

You bit your tongue forcing down the giggle. 

Then that leaves Tech. 

The man had never been so thrilled to be involved in a project in his entire life. Planning an entire village with the details all the way down to the wiring of each domicile had the man busy and mentally stimulated. You loved watching the way the gears were turning in his very brilliant head. Even preparing for weather disasters and all the variables none of you had considered. 

It was fascinating to watch. 

On the top of his list of completed projects was your packs home, the shaak barn, the orbak stables, your high tech green house and garden, the hydro-electric mill, and then finally the small medical clinic and research lab. 

With the help of the boys on Teth, they managed to set up an entire fully operational research facility with everything you could possibly need. Everything was down to your specific requests and that is where you spent most of your time these days… 

“I can feel you thinking.” Crosshair closed the metal grate separating you from the blazing fire. 

You rolled over to face him, “You know what I’m thinking about.” You burrowed into the plush fur beneath you.

“Research?” He raised an exasperated brow. 

“Mhmm.” You smiled sweetly. 

“Darling, I appreciate what you’re doing more than you could ever know.” He knelt down next to you running his fingers over your jaw, “But you don’t need to stress. It will happen when it happens. You need to relax and spend more time here with us.” He gestured to the lovely home. 

“And on your cock?” You smirked as he laid down beside you, naked as you. 

He hummed, “Yes, and other things.” He chuckled into your neck where he kissed his mark on your skin. You shuttered. 

“Rex is supposed to be coming today with the last ingredient I need for the serum. I can’t stop thinking about it and running variables in my head.” You sighed nuzzling his neck. 

“Then I’m not doing my job correctly.” He pushed you onto your back and used his warm hards to spread your already messy thighs. 

He purred seeing the mess he had already made of you. You absolutely dripped with his cum and were still full with it, dripping languidly. He hummed and gathered up the cum that had spilled from you and pushed it back inside of you making you cry out at the sudden intrusion. 

You puffy cunt fluttered at the familiar feeling of his long fingers soothing your insides. You clenched around him making him groan as he slowly and deliberately massaged that special spot inside you that made you whine pathetically and sprawl out for him even more, begging him to play with you. 

Crosshair was always pleased by this reaction. You could feel the approval through the bond. 

He loved making an absolute mess of you especially with the help of his twin. The three of you had something special and you quickly realized they shared a desire to experiment with your body in ways you didn’t even consider. 

“The rain is picking up.” He said softly leaning down to press a kiss to your lips. 

You turned your head to face the window noticing the droplets coming down harder, “Hunter’s going to be soggy by the time he gets back.” 

Crosshair let out a breathy laugh, “I’m sure he’s on his way back. I want you one more time before I’m forced to share you.” 

You rolled your eyes playfully knowing he has absolutely no problem sharing, but you got the picture. 

You ran your fingers over his tight muscular stomach as he settled down between your legs on his haunches. You felt the heat of his hard cock resting against your leaking opening and felt your mouth water. He leaned forwards, letting out a happy huff before cradling your head and shoulder blades lovingly. 

He wanted it soft and sweet… your body warmed. 

With a little playful nip on your part, it made him smirk before leaning forwards and breaching your walls with his stiffened cock. 

You both let out a content sigh being locked together again. The sensation of becoming one was comforting. 

You took solace being under your mates. You knew you were safest in their arms and that feeling never got old.

Crosshair even let a whimper slip out as he slid against your walls feeling your warmth and tightness. The man couldn’t get enough. He’d happy die here just like this, if he got to feel you one last time. 

You fiercely clung to him as he made love to you. He pushed inside rhythmically rubbing your scalp and shoulders lovingly with his work hardened fingers. You grabbed at him as the pleasure spiked and you were beginning to feel yourself twitch around him. 

You couldn’t help but grasp at his growing hair. With a firm hand, you fisted his silky silver strands at his nape making him hum as you tugged deliciously. He shuddered as you mewled into his skin. 

Lost in the essence of Crosshair, you didn’t even hear the front door open. 

“So while I’m getting soaked out in the rain, you two are staying nice and comfortable inside?” Hunter’s playful tone made both you and Crosshair stop your love making to look up at the man standing in the door way. 

He flopped down a dead nexu the size of tech on the kitchen counter with a wet splat. Hunter shook out his hair like a corellian hound letting the water fly everywhere.  

“Just taking care of our girl, vod.” Crosshair continued his lazy thrusts looking up at his older batch-mate, “If you dry off you’re welcome to join us.” His drawl was lust riddled. So much for not wanting to share, you smirked. 

Hunter didn’t have to be told twice. He set down firepuncher on the riffle rack by the front door and yanked off his sloshy boots tossing them into the mud room. 

You giggled watching him trot and disappear into his quarters leaving a wet sock print trail across the floor. 

Crosshair shook his head playfully before resuming your previous activities. His pace picked up and his hand in your hair tugged you back, forcing your chin up where he met your lips with a searing passionate kiss. His hips made a sharp thrust making you cry out into him. His body moved smoothly against yours wringing out the pleasure he so desperately wanted from you, and you melted into his movements, rolling against him in sync meeting him thrust for thrust. 

“Fuck, little one.” He broke the kiss to breathe and nip at your ear. 

“Cross!” You whined feeling yourself starting to tire with your impending orgasm. 

“I can feel you’re close,” He used a hand to help you roll your hips into him, “C’mon omega, cum for me.” 

You knew he was using your designation against you. He knew you’d die before wanting to let him down. Thankfully for your alpha, you were right on the crest and his words pushed you right over the edge. 

You moaned out a broken cry as you writhed against the furs. 

Crosshair smirked before leaning forwards to burry his nose in your neck before spilling inside you with a reserved grunt. 

The sniper stilled, keeping himself buried inside your warmth as he felt you start to come down from the aftershocks with little adorable twitches. He sweetly pushed your hair from your face and pressed little kisses to your nose and forehead. 

Just then Hunter returned, naked as the day he was decanted. 

Even the damp hair made him look fresh out of the tube. You peered over Crosshair to watch him  approach, where he knelt down onto the furs and crawled over to the two of you. 

Immediately you sensed something different through the bond. His lust was stronger than usual and you could tell by the darkened look in his eyes that he was still coming down from the high of the hunt… you could almost taste his adrenaline on your tongue.

You felt your body begin to react on instinct as you bared your neck and his mark to him. Crosshair sat up to pull out of you making a devious sound as he watched the flood of cum pour out of you. You squirmed at the sudden emptiness wishing for him to have stayed. 

You let out a pitiful whine as Hunter practically shoved Crosshair out of the his way before seizing your ankle in his grip and dragged you towards him until you were settled against his lap. 

“Don’t break her.” Crosshair recovered and flopped over into the pile of cushions to watch. 

You squealed liking the way Hunter man handled you, and reminded you of his superior strength.  You continued to bare your neck and arch your back showing him your belly as an offering of submission. 

Hunter scented your arousal making him give you a mischievous smirk. 

You blushed realizing how obvious the change in your scent was. You sighed, you couldn’t hide anything from the tracker. He had all your scents memorized down to the fine details. 

Crosshair flopped over to the side pulling a blanket over his lap and settled into the cushions. They had proven very necessary during the group sessions, and you were more than happy to have such a massive and plush nest to call your own. You looked over at the sniper and bit your lip, you still loved knowing he was always watching you. It made your heart flutter as he gave you a heated smile. 

Hunter gained your attention again by pushing both of your knees up to your chest roughly and putting your ruined cum-covered pussy on full display for him. You could feel Crosshair oozing out of you and down the crack of your ass as Hunter pushed your legs further up. 

You chewed your bottom lip as he looked at you. He loved you like this. Already lost to the lust, soft and pliant. You were always more bendable after your first round anyways. 

Hunter liked to put you in some unique positions now that you all had more time to explore one another. But this time it seemed that he wanted you close. 

He wanted the passion that Crosshair had charged the air with. 

In an instant, he had you up and bent over at the waist with your face pushed into the furs. 

He pressed your spine downwards putting you in a perfect presenting position making you cry out. 

You heard him making an approving grunt as he looked at your perfect trembling form before wasting no more time before he surged forwards and breached your opening before sliding all the way flush until he was nudged up against your cervix. 

You cried out pushing against him, but he pinned you down firmly. 

His thrusts were near animalistic as he rutted into you. Your hands flailed against his thighs trying to find purchase but he didn’t let up. His hands firmly grabbed onto your hips pulling you back onto him like you were nothing more than a toy. 

You squealed as he continued to push against your cervix like he was trying to knot you through sheer will. 

As you tried to sit up, he shoved you back down again and barked out an order to stay still. You whimpered and willed yourself to relax into his punishing pace as he took you. 

Briefly, you heard Crosshair’s dark chuckle from over on the couch as you were forced into submission.

Fuck, you loved when Hunter finally let go of his responsible self and let the inner wolf emerge. Whatever the Kaminoans enhanced him with definitely had a darker wild side. Tech speculated this after the incident on Crait. But now that you’ve had more quality time with the ex-sargent, you knew he had quite the hunter/prey kink. 

You saw the way his eyes had dilated when Crosshair had told him about the chase through the woods on Naboo. The way you could feel his insides stirring and his lust for the chase trickle through the bond. 

You knew exactly what to do in order to get Hunter to fuck you like an animal, and thats exactly what you wanted. 

The arm pinning your shoulders to the floor suddenly lifted and a rough hand was snapped around the back of your neck where he yanked you up and forced you into a deep arch as he brought your ear closer to his mouth. 

Your arms scrambled at the air trying to find something to support you on, but Hunter held you in his grasp like a limp tooka. 

“M’perfect little’mega.” His words were slurred as he lowly rumbled into your ear. You felt his fangs brush up against your ear and you moaned at the sensation, “Could mate you all over again and breed this little cunt.” 

You gasped at his words and brought your arms up and behind you to grapple at his body to support yourself. 

“Pump you full till your round with my pups.” He growled making you absolutely vibrate. It didn’t take long for your inner omega to come to life and purr against your alpha. 

He hummed in delight, “You like that ‘mega?” He slithered a hand down between your legs to find your clit and start rubbing little circles that made you clench down on him. 

You’ve never heard any of them mention pups before. Well aside from Crosshair but that was because of external circumstances. 

This was different, you could feel Hunter’s want to breed you through the bond. It was as strong as your connection, and you knew in this moment thats what his inner alpha craved. The man wanted to be a father, he wanted you in a way that comforted your omega and you absolutely melted into him. 

You nodded vigorously making him smile wolfishly as he resume his lethal pounding. 

You moaned and cried out taking everything Hunter was giving you, before he released your neck and you fell forwards onto your hands as he then lifted and bent one of his legs for support to reach even deeper inside of you. You clenched down around him twitching and fighting against the overstimulation as he kept playing with your clit. 

You weakly lifted your head and looked at Crosshair with bleary eyes which he returned with a heady smirk. 

Hunter leaned down whispering, “Your next heat, you’re mine… I’m going to fuck a pup into you, little one, just like this.” He thrusted roughly making you yelp. 

You felt yourself nearing your orgasm, and suddenly your forearms gave out before you collapsed into the furs and screamed as you came. Your eyes rolling into the back of your head as pure ecstasy overtook your entire body. 

That sensation must have traveled through the bond because Hunter came with a loud grunt after you, filling your pussy to the absolute brim. With a small push of his hips, your combined cum oozed out the sides around his cock making him push small little thrusts inside you despite both of your overstimulation. 

When Hunter dismounted you, you collapsed into a boneless heap with a deflated huff. 

Crosshair tossed a clean towel at his brother and watched as Hunter nudged you over onto your back where he cleaned you up diligently before throwing the used towel somewhere to the side. 

“I’m going to start the fresher.” Hunter sounded half delirious as he stood up on wobbly feet before setting his course for the bathroom. 

You only had a moment alone before Crosshair was at your side to give you some much needed cuddles. 

You could almost feel his mischievous little smile as you blinked your eyes open to look up at him. 

“What?” You asked closing your eyes again. 

You felt his hand slide over the top of your rib before lightly cupping the side of your breast before squeezing lightly. 

“Nothing.”

You heard his smile making you crack an eye open at him suspiciously. 

He rolled his eyes playfully, “I felt you through the bond, ad’ika… You want Hunter to breed you.” 

You squirmed, “Don’t say it like that.” 

He chuckled, “Okay fine, you want Hunter to knock you up?” 

You gasped and feigned offense, “Crosshair…”

“He’s starting to give me ideas.” His fingers pinched your nipple making you arch your back before traveling south where he lightly tickled over your belly. 

“Stop triggering my instincts.” You fussed and pouted. 

His fingers went back to your tit to play with your nipple again, “You like when I trigger your instincts.” He smiled wolfishly. 

You huffed letting him continue his onslaught onto your sensitive tits as he bent down to kiss and suck on them making you mewl and press even further into his attentions. 

“Personally, I want a girl, mesh’la.” He released your poor nipple and looked up at you with a mischievous glint. 

You felt your heart accelerate and your breathing shallow. Crosshair wanted a girl? You had to fight back the giddy grin as you looked up at him. Your mind instantly went to thinking about a little platinum blonde, fiery girl running around and clinging to your mate calling him daddy. 

You literally felt your pussy flutter wanting to make that daydream a reality right this minute. 

Then your thoughts went to a sweet and pouty brunette with Hunter’s soft eyes. Her dark wavy hair cascading down her shoulders, and that signature cross-arm scowl her father always sports.

You had to take a deep breath and shake your head forcing the inner omega out of your field of thoughts. 

His mischievous smile widened realizing that your instincts had been in fact triggered. 

You scowled at him and smacked his shoulder making him laugh. 

“I told you to stop it!” You smirked pushing him back as you sat up. 

“I can’t help it ad’ika.” He purred, “Your eyes get all dilated and cute.” 

You huffed. 

Hunter returned crawling back into the nest before he bent down to pluck you up into his arms before carrying you into the steaming wash room. 

“He plays, but his words are true.” Hunter said lowly as he opened the fresher door sitting you down gently on the warm stone floor. 

“You heard all that?” You smirked. 

He just tapped his ears making you smile and roll your eyes. 

“Is it true?” He asked with hopeful raised brows, “You want pups?” 

He couldn’t help the hand that drifted to your belly as you both stood under the stream of hot water. 

Your entire body flushed at the touch. 

“I-I… u-uhh yeah… yeah I think I do.” You struggled to speak and meet his soft grey brown eyes, “I like that idea.” 

Hunter’s face lit up. He smiled brining you into a searing kiss. You moaned leaning into him letting your hands wanter all over his broad shoulders and back. 

Hunter broke the kiss to press his forehead against yours before placing a gentle forehead kiss on your skin. 

He grabbed the sponge and some soap before lathering you up and beginning his little routine of cleaning you off. You turned obediently leaning against him as he brought the sponge over your front being careful of your tender neck before dragging it down over your love bitten breasts. You bit your tongue as he brushed over your sensitive nipples. 

“Of course we’d have to talk to the others. But I’m confident Crosshair is on board.” Hunter drawled nuzzling your neck affectionately. 

“How would that even work?” You giggled as he practically tickled your sides with the sponge and he cleaned, “Three of you would have to abstain for probably month in order to line up my fertility cycle.” You mused thinking about all the medical windows you’d have to ensure pregnancy. 

“Alright, little miss doctor brain. I can hear you overthinking” Hunter chuckled, “We’ll talk about it and see how everyone feels.” 

You turned to face your mate, “Are you planning on knocking me up first, since you’re the oldest?” You poked fun at him. 

“Oh, I’m definitely pulling rank in this situation.” He smirked dragging the sponge over your back and ass. 

You hummed a laugh letting him finish up his scrubbing routine before turning to wash himself with the clean scented soap. 

You sat under the stream of water enjoying the warmth as you watched Hunter finish up his hygiene routine. 

Then you both heard a noise enter the bathroom. 

“Hurry up!” Crosshair barked turning on the faucet to throw water on his face, “I’m covered in dried cum, and you two are going to use up all the hot water.” 

You giggled turning to the ex-sergeant. Hunter just shrugged with a smile before rinsing off the soap and shutting off the fresher. 

You opened the door to find Crosshair standing here with his arms crossed as you toweled off with Hunter. 

“Finally.” He drawled before stepping inside and resuming the water flow. 

“Rex is coming today with more supplies,” You reminded, “I need to go to the lab to finish a few more things before they arrive.” 

“Hmm I don’t know mesh’la I think you’re technically still under Crosshair’s charge for the next few hours and it seems to be most imperative that you remain here with us. Right Cross?” Hunter shook out his hair making you squeal as droplets hit your skin. 

“Affirmative.” Crosshair replied from inside the fresher. 

You crossed your arms, “Guys, I need to finish this if you even want to consider having pups, you know.” 

That got them. 

Silence. 

Hunter sighed and relented, “Fine, but at midnight, you’re mine mesh’la.” 

“Yes sir.” You mock saluted before skipping out of the fresher to find your clothes. 

Fishing around inside your drawers, you pull out a sweater one of the omegas in the village had knitted for you along with a pair of modified uniform pants. 

You pulled the articles of clothing on and made sure to towel dry your hair the best you could knowing Tech would fuss about you catching a cold in the rain. 

Then came the holster that Hunter made you swear you’d never leave the house without and the pistol you still had from the GAR days. 

Just as you were about to re-enter the living room, Gonky waddled in hooting and hollering about incoming air vessels. 

“Friends?” Hunter asked grabbing his blaster. 

Gonky honked. 

“It’s Rex!” You were elated. 

You jogged to the mud room to yank on your boots along with your rain coat and the matching hat from the hook on the wall. 

“Do you think Echo is with him?” You wondered out loud. 

Hunter meandered into the kitchen tugging at the fresh nexu to start cleaning the meat, “I’m sure mesh’la, Echo wouldn’t miss coming to say hi.” 

Your excitement peaked and you practically kicked the door open to skip down the steps to trudge through the mud to get to the base camp. 

On your way down the hill, you passed by the shaak barn where Wrecker and Tech were busy assembling the new fence. 

“Hi Wrek! Hi Tech!” You hollered and gave them a wave before continuing on down towards the village. 

“Darling, aren’t you supposed to be inside with Cross?” Tech squinted through his goggles watching you cross the property. 

“Rex is here!” You replied with a smile, “He has the last ingredient for the serum!” 

“Okay, but just stay out of the rain you’ll catch a c-“ Tech began but you cut him off. 

“I know! I know!” You yelled out as you got further away, “I promise to stay dry!” 

You knew Tech wanted to discuss this topic further, blah, blah, blah, you didn’t care. You were excited for so many reasons. For one, you haven’t seen them in weeks, and second, you were receiving the shipment of a recovered serum made by Nala Se. The substance was a vile of microscopic DNA repairing robots who could deliver the serum you created to the clones in mass numbers. This would solve everything. You couldn’t be more elated. 

Before you knew it, you heard four sets of footsteps trailing behind you and you knew it was your alphas being diligent with guarding you. You giggled knowing Tech was probably already fussing about ways to keep you out of the rain as he approached. 

Once you reached the growing village, you scampered down the steps reaching the center of town where the new space ports were being set up. 

With a few other clones, you all gathered waiting to see the ships descend from the cloudy skies. 

You felt the presence of your alphas surround you, as Tech wrapped you in a second rain cloak that had a massive hood. You smiled up at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He was satisfied with this level of rain protection and returned to his post at your side. 

“They’re incoming now.” Hunter must have heard the engines. 

Before you knew it, two cargo ships pushed through the clouds and descended gracefully down towards the town. 

Bolts emerged from his domicile along with his little mate who was a few months pregnant. They waved to you and you waved back as he clearly had almost as much excitement as you. 

When the first ship touched down, the loading deck lowered down and more clones excited the vessel. You searched every one of them until you spotted a familiar face. 

“Rex!” You sprinted forwards dodging the strangers before you threw yourself at your old captain. He smiled before embracing you. 

“Good to see you kid.” He mumbled., 

You squeezed him extra hard, “Where have you been! It’s been weeks!” 

A gruff voice replied, “Looking for this.” 

You looked up from Rex’s chest before turning to find Wolfee standing there holding a glowing blue vile in his fingers. 

“Commander!” You said warmly, allowing him to pull you into a hug too. 

You heard a disapproving growl behind you knowing it was one of your boys. 

Wolfee chuckled, “They still treating you alright?” 

You smiled, “Yes, Wolffe.” 

“Good.” He smiled warmly. 

“I’m never going to get used to seeing that.” Bolts said walking up and clapping his old commander on the back. 

Soon, Stunner and Grim emerged surrounding you like rowdy pups. 

“Seeing what?” Grim asked playfully messing with you. 

“Commander smiling.” Bolts joked. 

Wolffe scowled making Rex chuckle. 

“Much better.” Bolts nodded. 

“Commander.” Hunter walked up greeting the commander. 

“Sergent.” Wolffe politely nodded. 

You shook your head, even after everything you all went through these knuckle heads were still butting heads. 

“Crosshair.” He nodded to the sniper. 

“Wolffe.” Crosshair gave him a nod which only meant one thing from the sniper… a sign of respect. 

A nearly impossible exclusive club to be in by the way. 

Wolffe handed him the blue vile you’ve been waiting months for. 

“I hear tiny!” Echo’s voice came from the ship. 

Your pack mate walked down the loading dock making a beeline for you. 

“You’re not allowed to leave us anymore.” You whined jumping up to hug him. 

“Well someone has to retrieve rare medical specimens around here.” He joked. 

You shook your head and shoved him lightly. 

He then looked at you more seriously, “I have another surprise for you.” 

You quirked a brow, “What?” 

You were suddenly taken off your feet in a flurry of pink fluff. 

You landed with a thud and looked up to see a squealing familiar face. 

“Layla?!” 

“Y/N!” She screamed and the two of you rolled around on the floor much to Tech’s chagrin. 

“Is that the medic from Coruscant?” Crosshair asked with a scrutinizing look. 

Echo nodded. 

“Where have you been?” She squeaked and demanded. 

“It’s a long story.” You shook your head, “How the hell did you find Rex?” 

“Echo found me.” She said, “He still had Fives’ secured line. He pulled me out of Coruscant a week ago.” 

You sat up bringing her up with you. 

“Hi boys.” She waved at your mates. 

They grunted in response. 

Then she narrowed her eyes before looking down at you. She straddled you and began sniffing around your face clearly looking for something. 

“Layla…” Echo sighed. 

He leaned forwards practically nuzzling your neck before he reached a hand inside your sweater collar and yanked the fabric back to see not one but two bite scars. She gasped, “You’re mated?!” 

You nodded, “Mhmm.” 

She screamed again making Hunter flinch. 

“Oh my gods! How long? When? Where?” The she smirked, “Was it good?” 

You could have died on the spot. You suddenly felt like you were back in 79’s being grilled about your sex life in front of Hunter in that damn booth. 

“Layla!” You whimpered wanting to disappear into the floor with so many of your friends staring back at you.

“It was wasn’t it?” She raised a brow waggling them playfully. 

“I like her.” Grim said. 

Echo clapped him on the back, “Join the club.” 

“Okay, as heart warming as this all is, I want to get my mate out of the cold.” Hunter said bending down to help you up to your feet. 

“Well there’s one more thing.” Layla said suddenly getting serious, “We weren’t sure what to do and knew you’d probably be the best chance.” 

Your interest was peaked, “What is it?” 

Everyone turned to face the ship and down came a few clones pushing what looked like a metal slab towards you. 

When you approached it you quickly realized it was a slab of carbonite. 

“What?” You whispered dragging your fingers over the cold material. 

Upon closer inspection to realized there was a human frozen inside, and not any human, a clone. 

“Who is this?” You asked looking up. 

Rex then stepped forwards and lowered his eyes, “It’s Kix.” 

Your eyes filled with alarm as you looked back at the slab. 

Layla continued, “I’m just a nurse, I wasn’t sure what would be the best method for something like this.” 

You nodded, “Smart. I can treat him up at the lab. Can someone take him there? I need to do this as soon as possible.” 

The two clones continued to push the carbonite slab through the town being guided by Bolts. 

“How long are you all staying?” You asked urgently. 

“We have supplies to off load which will take a few days, and were working on a new lead with an imperial clone prison were hoping to attack but that intel could take months to verify.” Rex replied. 

You nodded, “Good. I’m hoping to have the serum done in the next few days and I want you all here to receive the dose.” 

Rex nodded, “I look forward to it.

You gave him a curt smile, “Let me look after Kix and then I’ll let you all know about the cure.” 

“Sounds like a plan. Take care of him, kid.” 

“You know I will.” You looked to your friend, “I’ll need your help.”

“Of course.” Layla smiled following your lead. 

Crosshair handed you the vile before trailing after you towards the lab outside of town. 

~

“Alright I’ll need everyone waiting to help me get him into the med pod once he’s thawed out.” You instructed. 

Crosshair, Layla, Echo, Tech, and Rex stood around you and the slab of carbonite while the others waited just outside the medical cabin. 

You knelt down to start punching in the right code to start the thawing process and stood back up to watch as the shipping slab started to glow an eerie red. 

You waited with baited breath as Layla reached over for your hand as you watched the carbonite slowly melt away. 

Slowly, Kix’s hand started to flex before the rest of him was revealed. Once the process was complete Layla let go of you to lean forward and help the boys raise their brother up out of the slab and onto the med pod bed. 

“H-Hello?” Kix’s worried voice quivered into the air, “I-I can’t see.” 

“It’s carbonite sickness. Don’t worry Kix, you’ll be okay in a bit.” You replied softly. 

“Tiny?” He asked trying to locate the source of your voice. 

You leaned forwards and pressed your wrist to his nose to let him scent you, “Right here, Kix.” 

He crinkled his nose, “You smell funny.” 

“I’ll explain that when you get your site back. Echo’s here and Rex.” You responded softly. 

“And Layla.” She purred. 

That got Kix’s attention. 

You giggled stepping away from the med pod. 

Rex pulled you aside letting the others wrap him in knitted blankets and wool sweaters. 

“He seems fine, but do you think the chip was activated?” Rex’s expression was slightly hesitant. 

“I think he was already frozen when the order was given. But I’ll remove it as soon as he’s stable for good measure.” You nodded in Kix’s direction. 

Rex was satisfied with this. 

“How long do you think he’ll take to see again?” The captain asked looking a little frazzled. 

You placed a hand on is forearm in a calming gesture, “Just a couple hours. Maybe even faster with your special genetics. He’ll be fine Rex.” 

Rex nodded. You couldn’t imagine what the poor captain was going through. His last man. 

Well technically no, with Echo being the last domino, but regardless Kix was one of the oldest friend to everyone. You were happy you at least had one member from your first pack left and standing. 

Kix was getting comfortable as Layla combed through his hair with her nails and Echo tucked him in with the blankets. Echo knew a thing or two about being on ice. He was handling all of this like a champ which made you proud of your friend. You felt tears welling up in your eyes with all the sudden emotion.

“When will the serum be ready?” Rex asked gaining your attention again. 

You quickly wiped away the wetness on your cheek, “Uhh. Any day now. That vile is the last ingredient. I’ll have you all on a natural biological clock before you have to ship out.” 

Rex sighed looking at the bundle of 501st curling up with one another comforting Kix. 

You looked at your captain, “You’re not leaving?” You felt a spark of hope. 

“I-I thought my vision was clear… Save as many of our brother as I can. Then I might consider settling down.” 

“You’re human too Rex. And you all are much more than soldiers. I understand wanting to help the others, but you’ve been in this fight longer than most of them. Can’t you let Wolffe and Howzer handle the day to day operations for a little and you can slow down just a bit?” You gestured to Kix, “He’s going to need his captain. He’s waking up in an entirely different world. It’s going to take some adjusting, familiar faces are necessary.” You were trying to give him an out. It was an out he seemed to need. 

Processing your words he nodded, “I guess there’s no harm in delaying my departure…” 

You squealed and tackled him in the biggest hug you could muster. He grunted before welcoming you into him. 

“I promise you’ll like it here.” You said into his armor, “Wrecker can cook up a mean shaak roast, ooo! You can stay with us! I have to find you a sweater!” 

He chuckled, “No offense, but I know what you and your mates get up to. I’d rather get some sleep without hearing all that.” 

You slapped him playfully. 

He smiled. 

“I’m still finding you a sweater.” You poked his arm through a gap in the plastoid before returning back to your mates. 

Tech turned to look down at you along with his twin.

“I’m going to stay and work on this,” You held up the vile, “I’ll be back at the house later, okay?” 

“Dinner.” Crosshair pointed his toothpick at you, “or Hunter will worry.” 

“I know…” You nodded before turning to your private  research lab. 

“Do you need assistance?” Tech asked following behind you closely. 

“I’m alright, love. But thank you.” You smiled up at him. He had been paramount in your research helping you bounce ideas off of him when you felt most overwhelmed. You wouldn’t have been able to get this far so quickly without him and his massive brain. 

“Im proud of you, cyare.” He cupped your jaw affectionately, “I find myself more and more in love with you every day. You’re brilliant, darling.” 

You flustered looking down at his green henley covered chest, “…alpha…” 

He closed the distance and tilted your chin up, forcing you to look up at his deep inquisitive eyes, “I should have realized sooner.” He was referring to when you first joined their squad during the war, “I didn’t know you had such a beautiful mind locked away up here.” He tapped your skull, “The GAR could have never appreciated it in its entirely, but we can.” 

Your heart stuttered as his words melted your insides. 

“I’m incredibly thankful you decided to enlist. I never told you that. While we may not have had a choice in our servitude, you joining us made everyday a little better. Enjoyable even.” Tech rubbed your skin with his thumb. 

“Tech…” You sighed leaning into his touch, “I’m so happy I was placed with you. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” 

His mouth quirked up into a half smile. 

“Go on.” He released you to let you tinker in your lab, “Save our entire population from accelerated aging.” He waved around playfully. 

He turned to leave, “If it works out, you could probably sell it on the black market for an exorbitant price and get a second greenhouse.” 

That made you laugh. 

“Don’t forget dinner!” He called after you leaving you alone. 

You nodded and turned to roll up your sweater sleeves and get to work. 

You took a deep breath, you could do this. 

Reaching into your pocket, you pulled out the blue vile and walked over to the workstation to sit down and pul out your data pad that you plugged into the dna synthesizer machine. 

One of the slots popped open and you slipped the blue vile inside before closing the compartment and hearing the machine whirl to life. 

You have the internal droid instructions to take a small sample to test and opened up your notes to start documenting your findings. 

This process might take a while… 

You settled in and began documenting your data. 

~

Well it’s certainly past dinner. 

Hunter sighed grabbing a big bowl of nexu stew and a spoon, “Hey Wreck can you grab a few blankets and another bowl of soup?” 

“Yeah!” He hopped up following the instructions and together they bundled up before taking it outside to the medical lodge. 

“Is she pulling an all-nighter again?” Wrecker asked. 

“Nope.” Hunter decided. 

Wrecker quirked a brow before shaking the expression off and pushing open the lodge door. 

Inside, Layla and Echo lay in the medical pod bed, sleeping awkwardly as Kix snuggled between them. Echo was practically bent over the side of the bed while Layla lay upside down with her feet hanging off the side of the cot.

Hunter gestured for Wrecker to cover them in blankets to keep them all warm and he set down the bowl of soup for Kix to eat when he wakes up. 

Hunter continued onwards pushing open the glass door to find you slumped over your desk with your face in your data pad dead asleep. 

He shook his head with a smile before folding a blanket and wrapping it around your shoulders. He knew you were uncomfortable in that position but he couldn’t bring himself to wake you. 

He set the bowl on the desk before flopping down on the lounger on the wall across the lab. 

Just as he settled down as well, the giant machine on your desk hissed and beeped causing you to gasp and sit up suddenly. 

You blinked rapidly forcing yourself awake unaware of your visitor. 

You stood up letting the blanket fall off of you as you leaned over to read the report. 

With a bit of eye rubbing and forced concentration, you suddenly shrieked with joy causing the entire lodge to wake up. 

“I did it!” You jumped up and down, “I did it!” 

Hunter cleared his throat making you spin around to face him a bit shocked at his ability to sneak around still. 

“Hunter!” You put. Hand over your heart, “You scared me.” 

“You missed dinner.” He smiled sweetly. 

“I-oh… sorry.” You looked at the clock seeing it was getting close to midnight. 

“It’s alright mesh’la.” He tilted his chin to the beeping machine, “Have you got what you’re looking for?” 

Your excitement was evident as you nodded and grabbed your data pad to read the results. It was a success. The machine was able to replicate exactly the recipe Nala Se had created. You were vibrating with excitement. 

“I did it, alpha.”  You heard the machine putz and pop out a vile of clear liquid. You picked it up inspecting it, “This will cure the rapid aging.” 

Hunter looked at you with hope and about five other amazed emotiones. 

You chewed your lip as he stood up towering over you. 

You set the vile down on the desk knowing exactly what that look meant… 

It was his night after all…

~

“I’ll volunteer.” Rex said pragmatically. Ever the leader. 

“Me too.” Wolffe nodded. 

“Are you certain you wish to be the first?” Tech examined the vials of synthesized serum. 

“We aren’t sure what the side effects may be.” You looked back over Nala Se’s notes. There was nothing about side effects listed in her notes so you were a bit hesitant. You weren’t sure if this was going to be painful for them.

Firs thing this morning, they had nearly busted down the lodge door after hearing the news of your success. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Rex crossed his arms, “You need to test it on one of us, and we’re here, offering.” 

You nodded. 

“I just want you to be prepared for the fact that none of us know how this is going to react. It might hurt.” You explained. 

“We’ve been through worse.” Wolffe said gruffly. 

You sighed, “Okay.” 

Just then, the door to the lodge opened and in came Howzer. He looked sharp. Clean shaven, hair washed and damp from the rain, along with his all black civvies. 

You had to calm your heart a bit. His presence still made you a little nervous despite your silent understanding. You hadn’t said a word to him since Teth. It was awkward to say the least. 

“You need another lab rat?” He asked rolling up his sleeves. 

“Captain.” You nodded formally. 

He just raised a brow before settling in next to Wolffe. He clearly wasn’t prepared for your formality. 

“We don’t know the side effects.” You disclosed. 

“Fine with me.” He nodded. 

You finally relented with a sigh before turning to grab the vials and loaded one into your injector gun. 

“Who’s first?” You asked. 

Rex stepped forwards rolling up the sweater he borrowed from Tech. 

You sterilized the skin on his arm before pressing the gun forwards and pulling the trigger injecting him with the serum. The man didn’t even flinch or make a sound as the vial emptied. 

You pressed a tissue to the wound before emptying out the cartridge before loading in the second. 

Wolffe then stepped forwards pulling off his vambrace to reveal the sleeve of his blacks. He yanked the fabric back giving you access to his caramel skin. You cleaned the sight before repeating the action. 

Once you got to Howzer, he tugged up the sleeve silently understanding the process. 

As you neared him, you could feel his burning gaze upon you. 

It was alarming to remember how intense he was. He reminded you of Wolffe in a lot of ways. Younger, but still, the energy was so similar. Howzer was an intense man too. One of the reasons why you had gravitated towards Howzer all those moons ago. He was a good alpha, and a fantastic lover. The memory of his touch made you heat slightly. You prayed your cheeks didn’t redden being this close to him. You noticed the familiar tattoos on his forearm that made you shiver. 

You remembered mouthing at that skin in the throws of your heats. The taste of his skin suddenly recollected to the front of your mind. 

It was like he knew exactly what you were thinking of and you noticed the sly smirk he tried to disguise on his lip. 

You forced yourself to take a breath willing yourself to calm. 

His scent was far too familiar, too intimate…

Pressing the gun to his forearm, you swallowed thickly ignoring his piercing gaze. You remained professional until you handed him the tissue to clean the bead of blood. 

You heard him inhale deeply trying to catch a glimpse of your scent, but he scrunched his nose clearly not liking the smell. It had been altered after all. 

And you knew how much he liked you smelling like him… 

You dared to look up at him, and his distaste quickly morphed into a much softer gaze. 

“Y/N…” He whispered, but you ignored him. 

You turned back to the table to set down the injector and pull off your gloves. 

“Okay, everyone stay here so I can observe your vitals. I have to check on Kix.” You said giving them a polite smile before leaving them. 

You let out the breath you had been holding before walking over to Kix’s medical pod. He was still sleeping. Poor guy. You were certain his exhaustion was from the carbonite sickness, his body had been through quite the ordeal. 

You all still had no idea how he even ended up in that situation but that was for later. 

Right now, you needed to scan his vitals again. 

Layla heard you enter the room and raised her head from the cot. She must have been folded over the side of the mattress with her arms folded as a pillow for some time now. 

“Hey.” She croaked waking up. 

“Hey.” You smiled grabbing the scanner on the side table, “Has he woken at all?” 

She huffed, “Once last night. But then he conked out again.” 

You approached the other side off the bed where you brushed back his hair to tilt his head to the side to place the scanner on his neck. 

When the scanner beeped, you looked at the readings, “He’s in perfect health. I’m hoping he wakes up soon.” 

Layla hummed before standing to stretch, “I need to wash up and change. Where can I do that?” 

“We have a shower here in the clinic, but you’re welcome to go back to our place. Just let one of the boys know. They get a little  territorial over the bathroom.” 

Layla huffed a laugh before nodding to grab her duffle. 

She was walking to the in-clinic bathroom when she suddenly called out for you. 

“What?” You shuffled into the main exam room to find Layla scanning Rex. 

“I think they’re feeling a bit drowsy.” Layla said helping Rex lay down. 

You checked the data pad as Wolffe and Howzer both slumped over. Their readings were all ok.

Layla was right they were just drowsy. 

You ordered a few medical droids to keep a constant reading on them as they got comfortable. Layla quickly helped you throw some blankets on them before leaving them all to their little cat nap. 

“I got Kix, you get cleaned up and comfortable.” You ordered to Layla who nodded and continued on to the ensuite bathroom. 

You took a brief moment to run your fingers carefully over Howzer’s forehead feeling the warmth of his skin. You shuddered as your fingers felt the firmness of his cheekbones and defined jaw. His eyes remained peacefully closed as he slept, and you helped tilt his head back onto the pillow to keep him comfortable. 

Your heart ached with fondness for the alpha, at one point you had believed he was the one for you. You couldn’t help but be greedy and lean down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. With a shudder, you stood back up and pushed his hair from his face. 

The clone looked peaceful, no scowl, no stress, and no worries. He looked almost boyish in this state. 

You couldn’t help the saddened smile that crept up on your lip. It pained you to know that he was probably still hurt. 

You whispered, “I’m sorry Howz… I didn’t think all of this would have gone the way it has. The force works in mysterious ways.” You continued to play with his hair, “You took such good care of me and your men. I’ll never forget my time with you on Ryloth. You’re a good alpha Howz, and a good man.” 

You sighed and pulled the hand woven blanket up to his chin, tucking him in and making sure he stays warm. 

Then you turned to return back to your work.

~~~

A few hours later, the boys had all come baring gifts of comfort. They fed you, gave you enough time to quickly change and shower while they watched Kix, before you returned to curl up on the lounger Wrecker dragged inside. Tech held you closely, giving you little pets on your head as you rested against his warm beating chest. 

Layla also had curled up on another cot the boys dragged in next to Echo as everyone got some much needed rest. 

Tech was the only one still awake as he kept dutiful watch from the lounger letting you, his little omega, get some much needed sleep. 

On the other side of the room, he heard Kix shift a little in his sleep. Tech pushed back his goggles, before perking up to observe the reg. 

Then in an instantaneous flash, Kix sat up ram rod straight, and screaming, “Dooku! It was Dooku!” 

Everyone in the room jolted awake violently reaching for their weapons. 

Kix screamed and groaned as the lights seemed to agitate him. He tried standing up, but knocked over a med droid, and a few items on the table. 

You shot up trying to rush over to him before he destroyed the whole lab. 

“Ahh!” He cried out, “Get away!” He punched the droid sending the unit flying into the wall. 

“Kix!” You tried to get his attention but he seemed to be manic. He wasn’t hearing you.

“Y/N, be careful.” Tech stood to try and put himself between you and the agitated soldier. 

“Kix!” Layla and Echo chimed in raising their hands trying to calm him. 

“Brother!” Echo stepped forwards taking the brunt of his hits and forced him into a tight embrace, “Vod!”

“I-I swear I just wanted to help!” Kix whimpered, “I wanted to help Fives!”

Echo suddenly shuddered, “Kix, you’re okay. You’re safe. Look around.” 

Kix heaved trying to ground himself. He burrowed into Echo’s front, scenting his familiar brother. 

The medic was finally starting to calm down as he blinked rapidly trying to adjust to the lights. He then bristled as a soft hand scratched against his back making him turn to look at Layla who was standing next to him a little moon eyed and startled. 

You checked the time seeing it was three past midnight. 

The two got him settled back in before you checked his vitals one last time to confirm he was indeed okay. 

“Where am I?” He asked looking a bit dazed. 

Echo pulled one of the colorful blankets over Kix’s legs. 

“You’re on Zyphor. We have a settlement here with just us, and a few clones.” You said. 

“W-what happened?” He asked pulling the blanket up. 

“It’s been over a year, Kix,” Echo began, “We just found you in carbonite, we were hoping you might be able to fill us in on a few things.” 

Kix looked to you, noticing how close Tech was to you and he squinted his eyes suspiciously. 

He then looked to his brother, “I-I tried to warn everyone. I tried to tell Skywalker. I confirmed Five’s theory and ran tests on the inhibitor chips inside Tup’s head. But, when I told the long necks… I was suddenly moved to a different location. I remember seeing Dooku, and then it was nothing…” He shook his head trying to put the pieces together. 

“I don’t want to distress you any further Kix, but I feel like you should know.” Echo cleaner his throat trying to fight off his own emotions, “But Fives, was killed. Palpatine told him everything, it sent him into a frenzy and then he was killed by the guard.” 

Kix’s face morphed into deep sadness, “Fives is dead?” 

Echo’s expression fell and he nodded solemnly. 

“I didn’t warn Skywalker.” Kix shook his head, “I should have gone straight to him instead of the long necks.” 

“They were in on it.” You sighed, “They helped to create the entire war for Palpatine.” 

Kix leaned back into the bed looking up at the ceiling, “W-where is everyone else?” 

“The Jedi were executed.” Echo filled him in, “And then the entire 501st company went down in a ship crash when they turned on Rex and Soka.” 

“Everyone?” Kix was in disbelief. 

Echo nodded. 

“Kriff.” Kix rubbed at his eyes. 

You all remained there in slightly uncomfortable silence as Kix processed everything. 

Tech guided you back into his side and you nuzzled into him. 

Kix groaned, “And that! Someone explain that!” He gestured to you and Tech, “I thought you were being tailed by Commander Wolffe or the 99 Sergeant! You were practically fucking in the hangar bay last I saw you!” 

Tech growled possessively. 

“Oh man.” Echo chuckled, “You’ve missed a lot.” 

“I wasn’t quick enough to the draw.” Wolffe emerged into the doorway looking tussled from sleep. His famous scowl was only emphasized by his sleepiness and his ruffled hair.

“Neither was I.” Howzer stepped up next to Wolffe rubbing his eyes. You felt your stomach flip. Maker above. Having all these alphas in this space was making you antsy. 

Tech was nearly vibrating trying to remain civil as he held a protective grasp on you. 

“Captain Howzer?” Kix was disbelief, “I haven’t seen you since you were in my tent on Ryloth.”

Howzer chuckled, “Yeah it’s been a while vod. How ya feeling?” 

“Like shit.” Kix laughed. 

Layla held up a water cup forcing him to drink something. He looked at her with mesmerized eyes. She smiled sweetly as offered him some more which he gladly gulped down. 

Kix swallowed and turned back to you, “Last time I saw you, you had just gone into heat because of Sergeant grumps.” He joked. 

You sighed, “Kix, there’s something else-“ 

“What’s going on in here?” Hunter and Crosshair walked past Wolffe and Howzer giving the both of them a terse look. 

Ugh the damn bond. Probably felt Tech fuming through it. 

“Tiny, was just explaining to everyone why she’s mated to Tech.” Echo drawled. 

Hunter and Crosshair both raised a brow. 

“Well, not just myself. But also my batch mates.” Tech replied for clarification. 

Crosshair saddled up to your other side sandwiching you between himself and his twin. 

You smiled awkwardly at Kix as you watched him go slack jaw. 

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

“H-how is that even possible?” He was trying to recall all his knowledge on the lupine genders and behavior patterns he was forced to study as a cadet. 

Wolffe nodded in their direction, “That little omega is a rare variant of our sub-species who can have an unlimited amount of alpha partners. Empire found out, captured her, and my entire garrison, then they imprisoned us in a breeding facility with the sniper, and tried to clone her to create a few army with all of us and our offspring. Rex and the boys came to our rescue. Blew up the base and brought us here.” 

Wolffe’s casual tone had Kix absolutely flabbergasted. It was like he was recounting a mission report with his level headedness. 

“Who tried to breed you?” Kix was properly enraged. 

“The Empire.” You squeaked feeling the heat rising in your face. 

“The Empire…” He repeated like that was common knowledge. 

“The Chancellor over threw the senate and the republic and created the galactic empire.” Echo explained. 

“What. The. Fuck.” Kix shook his head. You were sure he had a million questions swirling around in his head. 

“But that doesn’t explain that you’re mated?” He pointed at you again. 

“Well that happened during a drug induced haze that made me bite Crosshair which in turn he bit me back.” You replied, “Then the others happened shortly after that.” 

“You were in a relationship this whole time?” He was aghast, “I thought you were with Howzer?” 

Hunter and Crosshair snarled.

“Well, not really…” You tried to placate your mates, “That didn’t happen until we got stranded on Mimban after the GAR sent us to Kasssyyykk. We crash-landed and all went into heat and rut… obviously you can put together the pieces there. I hadn’t seen Howzer in over eight standard months at that point.” 

Howzer nodded in the doorway. 

You looked to Echo, “Why am I constantly having to explain my sexual history in front of my former commanding officer?” 

Echo laughed as Hunter quirked his head in the direction of the ARC Trooper.

Tech chimed in, “I’d like to point out that I have upheld my banishment of speaking on this topic.” 

You have his hand a squeeze and a smile. 

“I think you kids need to let those two catch up.” Rex’s groggy voice came from behind Wolffe, “They haven’t seen each other in ages and I’m sure theres some details not everyone needs to hear for the millionth time.” 

Rex always had a knack for settling people straight. At this point he was pro, with having to wrangle Fives and Echo all those years. 

“Of course Captain.” Layla winked at Rex before sauntering out of the treatment room. Rex watched her leave with a smirk. 

Wolffe and Howzer turned to return to their med pods, while your mates stuck around. 

“You alright?” Hunter checked in on you. 

You nodded, “I can take care of him. You guys get your sleep. Take Echo with you. He needs his real bed.” 

Echo grunted in agreement. 

“Comm us if you need anything.” Crosshair pressed a kiss to your head before leaving with his brothers. 

Hunter and Tech also gave you a kiss before leaving you alone with your longest friend. 

You sighed and crossed your arms looking at Kix like he was a cadet all wrapped up in a pink and green blanket. 

He patted the bed next to him which you happily trotted over and plopped down next to him.

“So…” He looked down at you, “Did you end up fucking Wolffe?” 

“No!” Wolffe yelled from the other room. 

You giggled and shoved Kix playfully, “No.” 

“So like how does that work?” He snickered, “Do they like run a train on you or something?” 

“Oh my gods Kix!” You screeched, you were certain the other men in the room next door heard him, “You’re worse than Echo.” 

He giggled, “C’mon I’ve been frozen for over a year, give a guy something good.” 

“No they don’t run a train on me.” You were horrified at that verbiage. 

“No judgement tiny,” He raise his brows, “The 501st ran trains all the time. Sometimes with more than one omega.” 

Now it was your turn to gawk. 

“Stop telling her these things!” Rex chastised from the other room. 

“Oh please, like you didn’t join!” Kix teased. You heard nothing from the other room, “And I’m sure the Captain and Commander had their own fun too.” Kix continued, “I heard a lot of things about Wolffe’s men back in the day…” He whispered and you shook your head. 

You thought you were going to pass out. Absolutely no way, the cheshire style grin that appeared on your face. How absolutely insane. Echo never told you about that…

“Do I want to ask about Echo’s involvement?” You whispered. 

“No!” Rex admonished. 

You looked at Kix who just replied with a telling smirk. 

“Ewugh, bleh.” You shook your head. 

“Anyways. Not the first time a clone had shared a woman.” He nudged you, “You look good though. You’re not as scrawny as you used to be. All healthy and glowing and shit.” 

“Echo trained me in hand to hand. Then working here on the farm I think has bulked me up a little.” You replied sheepishly. 

“Looks good on you, Tiny.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Okay, so how do you manage all of them? 

“We have a schedule.” 

He smirked, “Do those schedules ever overlap?” 

You bit your lip and nodded. You had a flashback to the day before with Hunter and Crosshair which made you shiver slightly.

He nodded slyly. It made you giggle. It was nice talking to him again. It was like talking with Echo. There was such a natural flow and you had alway felt comfortable with Kix. With him being a medic, he had that special personality about him that made you instantly feel safe in his care. 

“… so they do run trains…” 

“Kix!” You grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it. 

He howled with laughter and let you smack him. 

“Hey if you ever want another alpha you know where to look!” Wolffe hollered from the other room. 

“We’re pros at trains according to Kix!” Howzer chimed in. 

“Shut up!” You yelled back. 

You heard Rex groan and shift in his blankets clearly grossed out by this entire conversation. 

You sat and chatted with Kix for the remainder of the night filling him in on every life detail and you too listened to him as he wanted all the details that lead up to this very moment. You couldn’t blame him, you’d want the play by play too if you were in his position. 

When morning finally comes, you make to excuse yourself to let Kix rest, and when you enter the main treatment room, Howzer gently tugs you side with a gentle hold on your wrist. You flinch slightly realizing he had gripped over Wrecker’s mark making you shudder. 

“Sorry.” He withdrew realizing what he had done. Clearly he wasn’t used to that. 

“It’s alright.” You rubbed at the mark, “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I just wanted to talk.” Howzer said trying to soften his expression as much as possible, “I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get you alone without your mates around.”

You huffed, “Howzer-“ 

“I’m not trying to upset you.” He interrupted. 

You relented and sat down on the cot next to him. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m not angry with you.” He began, “Confused? Yes. Shocked? Absolutely…. And jealous… I didn’t know how to react. When I saw you on Teth I thought it was going to be like old times. Like you were still mine. I wondered how the hell you ended up on Teth. I didn’t even know you got reassigned to the 99’s.” 

Your body tensed at his words of ownership. It didn’t feel right now that you knew for a fact you belonged to your mates. 

“I didn’t know. And I’m sorry for lashing out. You don’t deserve that. You’re a very special woman, and frankly I should have proposed a bond to you back on Ryloth but I was afraid something might happen to me and you’d bear the consequences.” 

Your heart raced rapidly hearing those words. A bond with Howzer? You had to take a breath, you hadn’t realized how attached he had been. He had come to you on those particularly difficult nights for comfort, but you always thought you were supposed to remain friends after you both agreed on the terms of your relationship. Well, more like friends with benefits. He was in command of an entire garrison and yourself. You were his working medic while under his command. You knew nothing more could have come of it, but he was a very impressive alpha. A strong one too. You couldn’t blame yourself for having those feelings about the captain. 

“I didn’t want anything to happen to you.” He looked at you endearingly, “I’m glad you’re happy. I’m glad they make you happy. While I don’t entirely understand it, I guess it’s not for me to understand. I just want to make sure you’re good.” 

He was a damn good alpha. You sighed and looked back at him, “Thank you, Howzer. I didn’t want to upset you either, it was making me so anxious. I never wanted to hurt you and I felt like I had.” 

“Not you darling. I was also a little put off by Crosshair after the events with the empire. The empire had interrogated me as well before he came to Ryloth. They wanted to know everything about you. I only told them limited details but I was worried you were in danger. Then the sniper showed up and tore apart the base on his mission to retrieve you.” 

“He was heavily under the programming of the inhibitor chips, he also thought I was dead. He was suffering a lot.” 

“He thought you were dead?” 

“It’s a long story.” You shuddered recounting the emptiness from the severed bond. 

“Well that would make sense.” Howzer huffed out a short laugh, “I’d tear apart the base too.” 

You smiled taking his hand in yours. 

“Are we okay?” You asked sincerely, “I can’t stand thinking you hate me.” 

“I could never hate you, little dove.” However ran his thumb over your hand, “But if you ever need a fifth…” 

You rolled your eyes playfully before standing up. 

“I’ll let you know.” You joked making him smile. 

~~~

When the morning light bleed through the curtains and warmed your nose, you blinked your eyes open and stretched like a loth cat, only to be obstructed. You mewled feeling Tech’s heavy arm pinning you to his front. You tried to flip around to face him but he shifted, pushing you nearly under him as he sighed in his sleep. 

Deciding there was no point in trying to fight the heavy alpha. You snuggled into him, enjoying his warmth as he nearly suffocated you in his scent. 

You were in heaven. The fur pelts of your nest kept you toasty warm as the last of the fire crackled out. You scooted further back pressing as close as possible to your tall alpha. He groaned waking up lightly. His hand brushed up against your front, cupping your breast. You giggled sleepily as he squeezed and massaged you. 

“You’re up early, darling.” His raspy voice made you squirm. 

“I have a big day, alpha.” You replied rolling over to face him.

His eyes were still closed as he lightly dragged his fingers over your back leisurely. You pressed kisses to his chest and he rumbled happily. You rubbed your cheeks against his skin leaving your scent on him making you purr. 

“Oh yeah? What is on your schedule today?” He asked reaching for his goggles. 

You kissed further down making him breathe a little faster. 

“Well…” Your tone was teasing, “I was thinking…” You dragged your nail down his abs to his muscular thigh you saw his hardened cock twitch at the scrape of your nail, “I was thinking, I would blow my alpha, and then eat some breakfast, and then go to the lab to check in on the serum. Then maybe cure the entire clone population of accelerated aging.” You shrugged playfully. 

Tech’s big eyes blinked behind his goggles as he watched you descent to settle between his legs. 

“Sound good alpha?” You asked teasing your nails around the base of his cock making him break out in goosebumps. 

“Seems like a reasonable plan.” He nodded trying to thrust his hips into your grasp. 

You took mercy on him and grasped his hardened cock in your hand and gave him a few slow stokes making him swallow. 

While, Tech and Cross are usually pretty dominant with you, in the mornings Tech was particularly softer with you. He usually let you do whatever you wanted which made your insides melt. 

You continued to stroke him watching the way he was beginning to pant the longer you stimulated him. 

You bit your lip as you swiped the pre come dripping from his flushed tip. Tech sucked in air at the feeling of your hand, but his noises escalated when you leaned down to lick the tip and he bit back a groan. 

You smiled mischievously before sticking out your tongue and giving him a long lick from base to tip. Tech trusted upwards making you smile before fulling engulfing him in your mouth. He huffed at the intense warmth surrounding him. 

“Darling.” He bit out as his hand instinctually flew to your hair, “Fuck.” 

You gently bobbed your head taking him even deeper making Tech squirm on the fur pelts. You applied some more suction as you pushed yourself even deeper. His salty taste made your toes curl. His hand gently massaged your scalp as he softly guided you up and down his length at the speed he needed. 

You moaned around his length making him shudder. Kriff he looked so damn good. His entire body flexed and showed off his lean muscles. 

Tech’s hips stuttered slightly and you doubled down, massaging his length with your tongue. He let a tiny whimper slip before he twitched and spilled his cum into your throat. You swallowed diligently as he sagged down into the nest trying to catch his breath. 

“Mega…” He slurred trying to recover from the orgasm. You smiled and sat back up on your heels before giving his abs one last kiss before standing. 

“Where are you going?” He asked pushing his hair back. 

“I told you.” You giggled, “I’m going to make some breakfast then head to the clinic.” 

“I fear that I would be a bad alpha if I allowed you to leave without repaying the favor.” He said sitting up and coving his lap with a blanket. 

You smiled grabbing your robe and pulling it on, “It’s alright alpha, I’m too distracted anyways.” 

He relented and relaxed back into the fur. 

You skipped into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Turning on the shower water, you stepped inside to scrub down. 

~~~

Wrecker and the others were awake and in the kitchen by the time you left the bathroom. 

The smell of eggs and meat made your mouth water. You saddled up next to Hunter, sitting in his lap as Wrecker placed your plate in front of you. You thanked him and grabbed your spork to dig in. 

Hunter wrapped you in his strong arms and nuzzled his mark on your neck no doubt leaving his scent behind. 

Tech finally rose up out of the nest to dress declaring this plans for fence repair today.

Hunter nipped you playfully making you squeal. 

By the time you finished your meal, the boys had cleaned up and were starting to get ready for their day. Hunter deposited you on the floor where Crosshair and him fussed about getting you dressed for the weather. The can’t stand the idea of you getting a cold.

They tied your rain hat over your head and pulled your jacket on before giving you a little pat on the ass before following you outside. 

They detoured off towards the stables while you continued on the little winding path towards the half buried domicile in the hill. You could see some lights on inside which let you know at least someone was awake this morning. 

You were hoping that Kix was back to normal…

The sound of the front door swooshing open momentarily held your attention before you looked up to see one of the most disturbing sights you have ever seen in your short lifespan… 

Layla was straddling Kix, while Echo’s pale naked body nestled up behind Layla and all three of them had not an article of clothing in sight. 

All three heads of Kix, Layla, and Echo whipped around to look at you as both alpha’s froze mid thrust while Layla balked in the direction in which you stood. Kix’s face was covered in a sheen of sweat and his cheeks were flushed while Layla was trying her best to cover up with the sheets and Echo joust stood there un-phased if not a little annoyed to be interrupted. 

You closed your eyes let out a horrified scream and turned on your heel to run out of the lab. 

“Wait!” Layla screamed after you but it was no use you kept screaming as you ran back towards the stables. 

It wasn’t long before Crosshair and Hunter ran up to you, blasters in hand, looking worried. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Are you hurt?” 

You shook your head and flung yourself into Hunter’s chest, “I just walked in on Layla, Kix… and Echo.” 

There was a moment of silence before you heard Crosshair’s chuckle. Images of Echo’s pale ass flashed into your mind’s eye. You cringed. 

“I think you woke up the whole settlement.” Hunter shimmied you both around to see curious heads popping out of their homes. 

You giggled, “Whoops.” 

Crosshair shrugged, “Didn’t know Echo still had it in him.” 

You slapped his arm, “Cross… I’ve been traumatized and you’re joking about it?” 

“At least Kix is fine.” He pointed out.

That was true at least. 

You wish you could erase the past five minutes from your memory however.

Hunter chuckled, “You’re fine mesh’la. Let’s give them twenty minutes then go back.” 

The three of you walked towards the stables where you could at least play with the barn tookas while you waited for them to finish.

What a fucking morning…

~~~

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

The three of them stood anxiously by your lab door like kicked puppies. 

You refused to turn around. You couldn’t even look without picturing that. 

“It never happened.” You waved them off, “I’m just glad you’re back to normal, Kix.” 

“B-But-“ He started but Echo just gestured for him to return back to the other room. 

“Trust me. This is the better option.” The Arc trooper tried to console his friend. 

You were too busy with your work anyways. 

Howzer, Rex and Wolffe all came back normal once they dealt with their quick bit of drowsiness. When they woke up, they felt absolutely fine and have no shown any signs of side effects. When you checked their DNA once again, you saw the alterations and how they were now practically identical to natural born human males. Their accelerated aging had been totally reversed… 

The comparison however was remarkable, the ways the Kaminoan’s altered their genetic structures to prevent disease, and recover from injury quicker, amongst other things. It was a scientific marvel. You could stare at their genomes for hours. You wondered how much of that genetic data you could replicate for yourself and others. 

You heard another beep go off letting you know the synthesizer was finished with another batch of vials, while your assistant medical droids packaged them up neatly in crates getting them ready for use. 

You picked up a single vile looking at it and thinking of what Hunter said earlier. You sighed. It would be nice to just be normal and start a family. You know your alphas would make amazing fathers. Protective, loving, smart, and brave. All the qualities you could want. As you held the blue vile, you decided this one was for Hunter and you slipped it into your pocket. 

“Need any help?” Kix returned standing in your doorway awkwardly. 

You looked up and raised a brow. 

“I feel bad…” he admitted. 

You softened your gaze, “It’s alright Kix, if you want to help me start organizing for distribution I’d appreciate it.” 

He waddled inside plopping down next to the droids trying to understand the science behind all of this. 

“So… how much did you see?” He asked sheepishly. 

You grumbled, “Too much.” 

“Sorry.” He chewed his lip. 

You both locked eyes and stared feeling the awkwardness before you both burst out into hysterical laughter. 

“You were literally frozen in carbonite and the first thing you do coming out is have a threesome?!” You were howling with laughter feeling the tears running down your eyes. 

“Listen… Listen!” He waves his hands around, “I woke up from the worst situation I’ve ever been in and my dream omega is right there! Give a guy some credit!” 

He wiped away tears under his eyes. 

“Kix!” You screamed flopping onto your back. 

“Ahh!” He tried to calm down, “it wasn’t the first time…” 

You looked at him again with owlish eyes, “What?” 

“Well after Sarge wiped the floor with you after Crait, we had to bring Layla back to Coruscant… and well… we did it in the med-bay stock room.” He clamped his mouth shut anticipating your reaction. 

“No fucking way.” Your brows raised and your jaw dropped, “ She didn’t tell me that!” 

“She didn’t tell you what?” Hunter sauntered into the room crossing his arms and raising a playful brow. 

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t hear.” You rolled your eyes playfully. 

“What’s the fun in that?” He leaned against the entry door. 

“Hi Sarge.” Kix nodded in Hunter’s direction. 

“Long time no see.” Hunter smirked. 

Kix cleared his throat, “I’m feeling a strange urge to yell at you for mating my best friend and little sister, but I’m going to settle for telling you that you better keep those boys in line and take good care of her alright?” 

You giggled at Kix’s sudden protectiveness. 

Hunter just smiled, “Don’t have to worry about us doc, she’s the one keeping us all in line.” 

You rolled your eyes. 

Hunter then looked to you, “Wanna grab some chow? Wrek made some shaak roast.” 

Your mouth instantly watered, “I want to, but I have all these…” You looked at the cases of synthesized cure. 

Kix stood up waving his arms around, “Don’t worry about that. You’ve done enough creating it, Layla and I can distribute it. We're not strangers to injector guns.” 

That was true. 

“Okay.” You smiled, “Give me three more.” 

Kix handed you three more which you stashed in your pocket along with the other vile with your sergeant’s name on it. 

You grabbed your injector gun and let Hunter walk you back to the house. 

“So, the cure is ready for distribution?” Hunter held the door open for you and let you step inside. 

You kicked off your boots with an excited grin, “Yup.” 

“I feel like there’s something else…” He raised a brow,” 

“Well…” You suddenly got a little shy, “I was thinking… after you’re all cured, I thought we might talk about maybe… trying for a pup?” 

Hunter stared at you, trying to catch his breath. You were positive his heart was racing as quickly as yours was. The look of hope and excitement on his face made your insides tingle. 

“A-are you sure?” He reached out grabbing your shoulders. 

You chewed your lips and stared up into his grey eyes, “Well, now that I have other medics here… I wasn’t exactly looking forwards to making Tech take a crash course in labor an delivery…” 

“He would have learned everything you would have needed.” Hunter smiled. 

“I know…” You giggled, “But, I wanted to ask you… I can tell you’ve been thinking about it more recently. And I think you’d make an amazing father.” 

“I-“ Hunter was at a loss for words, “Really?” His eyes lit up. 

“Yeah, Hunter, I do.” You smiled, “I want to ask the other three too when the time is right… not entirely sure how Cross is going to feel about it.” 

Hunter grumbled, “Probably wont be all that thrilled.” 

“Well he’ll be outnumbered.” You winked at him. 

Hunter smiled leaned forwards to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“What are you two talking about?” Wrecker stepped out of the kitchen wearing his apron and oven mitts. 

“Oh… nothing…” Your sing-song voice made him raise a brow suspiciously. 

~ Nine months later ~

“Kix get the FUCK away from my mate!” Crosshair screamed over Wrecker’s shoulder as the giant held him firmly in place despite his wriggling. 

“It’s okay, Tiny, just breathe!” Echo looked like he was going to faint from the side of the room. What a sport.  

“Fuuuucccck!” You screamed baring down leaning into the urge to push. 

“That’s it.” Kix and Layla encouraged from the foot of the bed, “Keep pushing!”

Hunter held your hand while Tech kept a cooling cloth on your forehead as you panted and screamed with every contraction. 

“Where are the drugs?!” You demanded. 

The medical droid quickly started distributing the pain medications. 

“You’re almost there.” Layla said pushing your legs a little further up, “You got this babe.” 

You turned to look at Hunter who looked just as woozy as Echo, “I’m going to fucking kill you.” 

He cringed with guilt. The poor alpha just gave you his best remorseful eyes as he lovingly held your trembling hand. 

Another painful contraction hit and you knew it was go time. 

“Move!” You threw everyone off of you. 

“What is she doing?!” Echo was distraught watching you roll onto your side, and get back up on your hands and knees in a kneeling position. 

“Get her back on her back!” He was about to lose it. 

“Relax Echo, it’s a natural response to the birthing instincts.” Tech explained helping hunter to rub your back, “Gravity helps the pup slide out easier.” Tech was clearly fascinated with the entire process. As the clones themselves weren’t born naturally, he had done hours of endless research to prepare for this moment and all the moments after, “She’s just doing what her body is telling her to do.” 

Echo covered his mouth anxiously barely able to watch as you bared down gritting your teeth together and let out a primal growl. 

“Layla.” You panted. She was at your side instantly, “I can’t do it.” You wavered. The baby should have been here by now, you were certain, “I-I can’t…” 

“You can.” She knelt down gettin glower so you could make eye contact. She looked to all of the alphas and gave them a stern look that let them know immediately to back the fuck off. 

Hunter and the others retreated giving you space. Including Kix, who was still monitoring vitals from across the room. 

“Look at me.” Layla growled. 

You looked at her with a dazed expression. You were exhausted. The labor had been going on all night and you barely had a moment to rest in between painful contractions. You just wanted this over and done with. 

“I’m tired.” You whimpered. 

“I know.” Her tone was stern, “But you and Hunter have wanted this pup for so long… Look at him.” 

You looked up seeing his guilty and worried expression before turning back to your friend. 

“You’re going to deliver this fucking pup and your alphas are going to take care of you two.” She pointed to Hunter, “Don’t let your alpha down.” You whimpered at that. 

Suddenly you were filled with the primal need to please your alpha. The instincts were beginning to override the pain and exhaustion. 

Layla nodded her head seeing the change and look of determination in your eyes, “So… we’ll do it together…” You looked at her confused for a second before he stood up, grabbing a loose sheet from the neighboring bed before climbing into yours. He knotted one end and then the other before handing it to you, “Think you can lay on your back for me?” 

You nodded before lazily rolling back onto your back. You didn’t necessarily feel like being in this position, but you were trusting Layla. 

Luckily the drugs were starting to kick in and you were able to focus on whatever the hell she was cooking up. 

You took one end of the knotted sheet and held on as she sat facing you mirroring your straddled position. 

“Ready?” She asked. 

You nodded. 

When she began to pull on the sheet you mimicked her, pulling as hard as you could. 

Fuck… you felt something. 

She pulled again and you grunted feeling your abdominals begin to contract as you bared down. 

“It’s working.” Kix said stepping forwards. 

“One more time.” Layla said, “I can see the pup’s head.” 

The excitement in the room was palpable. Even Crosshair had calmed down while the others watched in horrified fascination. 

You pulled on the sheet once more and felt something like pressure. 

“The pup’s head is out. You just have the shoulders, Y/N. C’mon atta girl.” Layla was excited. 

You growled again pulling on the sheet before there was more pressure than a rush… Then you were suddenly… empty…. 

Layla dropped the sheet to catch the pup while Kix tended to you. 

Hunter watched with bated breath as anticipatory silence over took the room. 

Layla rubbed the pup’s chest slightly before a piercing cry broke the quiet. You audibly sighed in relief as the pup cried out to the world. 

“Atta girl.” Echo rushed to your side while Layla cleaned your new born pup. 

Hunter remained fixed on the spot unsure of what he was even seeing. It seemed like he was in shock that he was now a father… The tiny little pup was flailing around and Hunter was zeroed in on its little heart beat. Even the scent was a perfect mixture of the two of you.

Layla returned back to you to place the babe on your chest, “It’s a girl.” 

“A girl?” You were in disbelief. You clutched the pup. She felt so small you couldn’t believe it. 

You snuggled your baby, rubbing your scent into her skin as he cried. 

“Hunter.” 

Everyone cleared a path for the ex-sergeant to near. He hesitated for just a moment before forcing his legs to carry himself over to you. 

He knelt down at your side pressing a kiss to your forehead. You could smell the worry on him still, and the vibration of awe through the bond. 

“Our daughter.” You smiled tiredly up at him. 

He looked down at you lovingly, absolutely blown away that you had just created this life inside you. He reached out his finger and watched with amazement when she wrapped her little hand around his with a death grip. 

He gasped feeling her strength. You smiled watching him scent her. 

Suddenly everything was perfect and right in the world, and the twelve hours of labour suddenly didn’t feel so bad watching Hunter hesitantly pick up the little bundle of pup into his big burly arms as he cradled your daughter so perfectly. She was so safe in his protective arms. You could feel the bond forming within your mate already the longer he gazed upon her. 

“Awh!” Wrecker wiped a tear away, “I want one…” 

You huffed a laugh.. 

“Well you’re going to have to wait a while,” Tech gave you a knowing look. He was referencing the fact you had all decided to go with age order on this matter. 

“Alright, keep your paws off of her… at least 6 weeks before we can clear her.” Kix reminded picking up the cup of cool water to bring to your lips. 

“Awh!” Both Wrecker and Crosshair groaned. 

Layla shook her head. 

“Tiny!” Rex’s voice suddenly cut in as he pushed through the door along with Howzer, Wolffe, Grim, Bolts, Stunner, and pretty much every other clone you’ve come to know, “Is she okay?” Rex demanded. They all stuffed themselves into the room eager to see. 

“Yes, Captain, she’s alright.” Kix responded. 

Rex nodded before walking over to you where he patted you on the shoulder. 

You watched as Hunter fussed over the little one while your other mates grappled for a peek. Even Crosshair seemed smitten. You could feel the icy need to protect her with his life snap into place and you knew your baby girl was in good hands. 

“Made a good one, kid.” Rex praised you. 

“Thanks Captain.” You chewed an ice chip. 

“She’s beautiful.” Wrecked mused. 

“It’s a girl?” Rex asked with wide eyes. 

“Mhmm.” You smiled, “She has Hunter’s eyes.” 

“Watch her have super hearing too.” Kix laughed. 

“I didn’t even consider that might be passed down genetically.” You mulled. 

“Well someone has an army of uncles to watch over her.” Bolts giggled watching as your daughter stretched a hand up into the sky almost grabbing for her father. Hunter instinctually brought her up to his chest and tucked her into his neck. 

“He’s a natural.” You smiled. 

“You both are.” Layla replied with a smile. She grabbed onto Kix’s hand as everyone seemed to have their eyes on Hunter. 

Yeah you were… 

You looked at your family with pure adoration. Your mates never taking their eyes off the precious cargo that Hunter Clutched protectively. 

Even when they carried you back home to your nest, they never left you and the baby alone for a second. Everything was perfect. 

You were happy, safe, and content. 

The war was long behind you and the Empire no longer existed to you all. 

You could watch your daughter grow up in peace, surrounded by those who love her. 

She’d never know war, violence, and cruelty. You wished the 501st could have been here to get to live this, but you knew you all carried them within you everywhere you went. The refugees on Zyphor honored them everyday by choosing to be happy and free. 

And that was all you needed. 

You were happy… and free. 

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Taglist: @substantial-exposure

@rains-on-kamino

@minimissmoo

@z-and-the-batboys

@aynavaano

@9902sgirl

@sideofhorny

@sxftiebee

@booksandtitts-blog

@subbing-for-clones

@iamburdened

(There was someone else I was supposed to tag but I can't find your message anywhere ahhhh I'll add you as soon as I can find you)

[queenbees21]

BNHA Their nickname for you | Them

Characters : Katsuki Bakugo | Izuku Mydoria| ★Shoto Todoroki★ | Tamaki Amajiki | Keigo Takami [Hawks] | Dabi [Toya Todoroki] | Hitoshi Shinso

Warning | Grammar error | Not proofread

Type | Bullet Point • Fluff

A/n: I really need to finish this character list 😭 I’ll try my best write them quickly, also I’m still working on some requested works so I’m sorry if I’m slow right now (​꒦ິꈍ​​꒦ິ)

M.List

| ꜱʜᴏᴛᴏ ᴛᴏᴅᴏʀᴏᴋɪ | | Y/N |

✯ Love ✿ ✯ Icyspicy

✯ Princess ✯ Hot stuff

✯ Darling ✯ Candy cane

✯ Peach ✯ Shou ✿

• Shoto never thought about giving you any nicknames. Both of his parents weren’t the most, affectionate couple; so it never crossed his mind. Until he noticed how other couples gave each-other cute nicknames, and so he seek advice from an export at romance.

“Hmmm, well you could call her maybe love? Love is a good start, for relationships starters. ^^” Ochaco advice, and that’s exactly what he did. As he did; it made you shy around him.

• Where there’s a prince, there’s always a princess. Yes, you’ll always be Shotos princess. He calls you Princess when he's in a good mood. And he thinks it suits you very much. Because of how charming you tend to be, you do it without realizing it. <3

• “Hello darling, how are you?” yes, this is a classic nickname he calls you when you're alone. It may be cheesy but, he loves be it. And as for you, you love it as well. You feels so special in a way, when he calls you darling. It gives you butterflies in your stomach.

• Peaches are your favorite fruit, although; you rarely ate them. Shoto figured it was because you didn’t have time to pick some. For you both were way too busy with hero studies to do so. Therefore, he somehow convinced Mr. Aizawa to take him to a peach farm… Perks of being the number one hero’s son.

When you had first heard him say that, you were confused. So when you asked him how he got the nickname, you were surprised and very amused at the same time.

“Aww! You remember! I like peaches! That’s so sweet Shou!”

He only nodded, and there was a stumble small smile when you called me Shou.

| Y/N |

• How do I even begin with this… nickname. Icyspicy? Really? What kind of nickname is this T^T? I can’t even believe how nonchalant Shoto was about it.

He was a bit confused, though; there was surprisingly faint pink hue upon his cheeks when you called out his “nickname”.

“Where did you even come up with that?” He questioned.

“Honestly, I don’t even know. I figured since you have an ice and a fire quirk. I’d give you a nickname that is combined with it.” You smile. He pat your head in amusement.

• “Hey there hot stuff~” You purr in Shotos ear, as you gently ran your fingers through his hair. Okay, now this took him by surprise. He was barely getting used to icyspicy, but now you are coming up with nicknames left and right.

“Where do you get theses nicknames…”

“From my heart hot stuff ❤︎“

• At this point Shoto doesn’t even know nor question, where you get your.. unique… nicknames for him… “Marry Christmas candy cane! I love you!” You say, as you handed him a present and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Merry Christmas to you too love.” He kissed your nose and walked away.

“Hey! Candy cane! You can’t just do that and walk away!” You exclaimed, flustered by his action.

• Shou is his permanent nickname. Out of all the nickname you called him. You’ve been thinking about it for a while, but never came up with anything. You wanted to give him a permanent nickname. One that you could proudly call him out to without embarrassing him. “Hmm…” you thought as you wrote down some nicknames.

You played around with it, until you “accidentally” spelled him name wrong. “Hmm… oh! Opps—wait…” you looked at the writing. Shou… “sounds like shoe hehe.” You giggled as you doddle around.

The next day, you had accidentally called him Shou. He was confused. “Oops! Sorry, I wasn’t trying to call you that—“

“I like it. Sounds cute.” He smiles slightly. You blush a little. “Oh.. alright than,” you giggled.

“Anyways! Shou~ let’s go on a date! I wanna have you all to myself today!” You cheekily winked. He agreed and left to go change. “Oh! Shou!” You called out to him. He turns around curiously. “I love you!” You smile, before running off.

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A/n: Thanks for reading! Have a good day and night! I’ll be working on the rest, so stay tuned! 🐝 👑 2️⃣1️⃣

[thebluester2020]

Based on this artwork

Hear me out— Spirit Hunter! Reader x Fox Yokai! Elliot

Check this out, imagine if Pelican Town was well known as a place that houses spirits and yokai. Sure the human residents of the town are friendly but interacting with spirits as if they are something to befriend? It’s completely against the laws of the Ferngill Republic!

So, on behalf of your late grandfather who left you a little farm as well as told you that Pelican Town is a great way to improve the way people see spirits, you eventually wind up in Pelican Town!

And it’s infested with the Yokai-kind. And when you find out that there’s a Fox spirit that lives near the coastline of the town, you quickly target him as the most dangerous. The residents called him “Elliot” but you’ve seen glimpses of him! Little green fox fires float by his sides like king’s attendants and his eyes are sharp! You could never sneak up on him for the kill, he’s either dodge your attacks or disappear and reappear somewhere else before you could even blink.

Yet…he was friendly all the same, unusual for Fox spirits. They were sly and cunning, seeking only to trick people.

But not him, it seemed.

And when you entertained the idea of visiting his cabin on the beach. You were shocked that he was...far more humble and hospitable than you originally thought. "Tea?" The spirit spoke after closing the door behind him, walking off to his kitchen area. And the cabin was...small, and not very well decorated, in your career as a hunter, you've seen plenty of instances where fox spirits have had lavish mansions with servants attending them at every turn! And they had the attitude to reflect their living style as well, snooty with their nose high up in the air and eager to kill a spirit hunter that was intent on ending their fun early.

But as you sat down on a chair next to a small table, the surface covered with crumpled-up papers, books, and written-on notes. The spirit you were talking to...he was...nice.

"What do you want fox? It's not smart to invite your hunter into your home y'know."

Elliot chuckled as he set down a small tea cup in front of you before he took a seat with a sigh. "Perhaps not, but I simply wish to get to know you. To squash any animosities between us."

You scoffed, you already saw through the mask he was attempting to put on in front of you! "You're a fox spirit, I'm a spirit hunter. I kill spirits like you, if you want to squash anything between us, let me kill you, and then tell me who else is a spirit in this valley." The ears on Elliot's head twitched at your determination, when he had first encountered you, he felt as if he were the one that was bewitched. Your fearsomeness in combination with your beauty and determination was a sight to behold, even if it was directed towards him and the other spirits that resided in this valley! Perhaps he was the fool for trying to befriend you rather than kill you as you were trying to do to him but...it was the reason he left his family to begin with.

He was different compared to other fox yokai.

Instead of lording over large grandiose estates, he preferred a simple life of writing with only the occasional crab that managed to wander into his cabin to keep him company, rather than being a wild fox on the hunt, slaughtering villages and towns en masse. He wished to be a part of the humble populace and remain a homebody with the occasional walks along the beachfront!

And instead of taking multiple women and men for concubines...he preferred his attention to remain on a single person.

Namely, you.

Even though you, not so subtly, carried a dagger on your person with the intent to harm him, trying to adorably cover it with your shirt as if his ears couldn't pick up the squeak of a mouse within' a crowd of people. Elliot found you to be the most interesting person in this entire valley, and he would gladly play the game of you trying to hunt him if it meant he'd get to spend more time with you.

"If you really wish to kill me, you'll have to try harder hunter." Elliot finally responded with a playful sigh as he sipped his tea. "Though I encourage you to try your absolute hardest. I like spending time with you, it'd be boring if the game ended so quickly, hm?" Your eyes narrowed at the wicked look he gave you as if he had already declared himself the winner despite this "game" not even starting yet! You refused yourself to be some poor rabbit for a fox to play with, this game would be finished before long.

You gritted your teeth together as you stood from your seat. "You're not getting a game from me fox." Elliot raised his brow at your confidence before he smirked.

"I suppose we'll both see if your words will be true, hm?"

. . .

Since your visit to Elliot's cabin and the beginning of the little "game" he declared, in the process of trying to clean up your grandfather's farm as well as getting more information from the villagers here and there about the local fox spirit. You grew more and more frustrated as the townspeople could only say good things about Elliot! "Polite", "Kind", all of it made you nearly cringe into yourself as you made a mental note to report the townspeople to the Ferngill Republic for breaking the laws of being so friendly with yokai spirits.

But no matter, today? After learning Elliot's schedule and following him for weeks, you've finally been afforded the break you needed to catch the fox off-guard. You had learned that Elliot wasn't a complete homebody and liked to venture off to the lake near Marnie's ranch occasionally and stare out into the lake. Today, he had brought a chair with him along with a notepad for his writing, and when he had set things up and sat down.

A part of you almost felt bad.

No fancy clothes nor lavish mansion, or servants or a multitude of concubines. And yet he was still as regal as any fox spirit could be.

"Focus," You whispered scoldingly to yourself before you propped an arrow onto your bow. You steadied your breathing and aimed for the spirit's head, waiting for any slight indication that he was onto you but...as his head lowered to begin writing into his notepad, his ears neither twitching nor moving to the sounds around him.

You were confident that your arrow would pierce his skull! Thus, you released your arrow from the string, and like a hawk diving for its unsuspecting prey, it quickly seemed like your arrow was going to hit its mark! Until— "The hell?!" You shouted as you quickly rose from your crouching position when the arrow suddenly burst into flames the second it was but a hair's length from the fox's head. And Elliot...he laughed. An arrogant and mocking sound that matched the reflection of confidence in his green orbs as he stood to look at you. "I thought I requested you to try harder?" He pouted teasingly.

"I-I did!" You shouted. "And that arrow cost me a lot damn it! That was an arrow tipped with magic!"

His head tilted. "I'll give you coin to cover it if that's what you want?" Then a smirk followed suit. "Not that I'm suggesting you try the same method again, that arrow wouldn't have pierced me even if it made it to me." You crossed your arms over your chest, your eyes narrowing as you looked up at the yokai whose tail wagged excitedly behind him as if he were having the time of his life. Unconsciously though, your hand flew to your dagger when the yokai made a single step toward you before he quickly stopped once he saw where your hand was going.

Then he cleared his throat. "You've been at this game of killing me for weeks, how about a different game?"

"This isn't a game." You reminded him with a groan. "I'm actually trying to kill you!"

He smirked. "Well then, what about a different method of killing me? It'll be far easier than attempting to stab me or shooting me with an arrow." This was a trick, you just knew it but...seeing as you were turning up empty-handed in other areas. You'd indulge the fox, all you had to do was remain on your toes.

'Don't allow him to trick you,' You thought to yourself over and over and over again as Elliot searched for his next words.

"Allow me to court you."

What?

"I like you," He smiled all too easily. "Allow me to court you and if you don't fall for me by the beginning of fall...then you may kill me. I won't put up a single fight." You scoffed, on one hand, you'd be breaking the laws that you were supposed to abide by if you were to allow yourself to be courted by a fox yokai! A spirit infamous for their trickery but on the other hand? It would be a cold day in Hell before you fell for such a spirit to begin with. And this town...they had already proven to be under the influence of not just Elliot but multiple other Yokai spirits as well. Farm aside, you believed that your grandfather had sent you here for a more important reason rather than simply wanting to give you his farm. And you thought that reason started with, firstly, eradicating all the yokai from this valley.

It's what he would've wanted.

And...his wants, in order to appease his spirit, were more important to you than the laws of the Ferngill Republic for the moment.

"...Fine," You finally nodded your head. "It's spring, you have two months." You hated how you could feel your cheeks begin to warm up when Elliot's smirk grew even more prominent, all before he conjured a rose out of thin air and offered it to you. You then turned your head to the side. "I don't like flowers."

He chuckled. "Noted," He said before he gently took your hand into his own and placed the rose into your open palm. "It's simply a symbol of our agreement. I'm glad you've allowed me the chance to court you, it'll be quite an enjoyable experience for us both."

"I doubt that."

"Hm, then I look forward to how your answer will shift toward the end of our game~"

[starrblossom12]

Wild Life Session 6 Summary

Below the cut are all deaths and wildcard information for session 6,

Wild Card: Random Wild Life! (The mobs not the series)

Around every ~10 mins ALL mobs, passive, neutral and hostile, are randomly relocated then randomized as increasingly dangerous and rare mobs... this process is incredibly laggy.

Chronological Record of Deaths:

(number in parentheses are lives left after the death//kill)

Lizzie(3) sacrificed herself to Jimmy(2) in the not-so-secret Bamboozler bunker, thinking she would die anyways to witch poison

Gem(3) pretty much intentionally stands in line of fire for Skizz(3) to land a TnT minecart on her

Lizzie(2) was slain by a Vex

...Skizz(2) gets blown up by a creeper... by Bigb(2) (as revenge for last session, in which Skizz killed Bigb for no reason) Lizzie warns Skizz loudly but alas...

Bigb(1) was slain by a Vindicator

Scar(2) was slain by a Vex

Etho(2) was shot by a Skeleton (Joel, Grian, Scar and Etho were in a Trial chamber when the wildcard went off, Scar died due to not paying attention to his hp and not eating, apparently Etho died to lag)

Skizz(1) was doomed to fall by Martyn(3)

Jimmy(1) was slain by Bloop, a named iron golem he stole....

Martyn(2) blew up from a trap set by Lizzie, meant for Skizz

Lizzie(1) was impaled on a stalagmite, trap set by Bigb (Martyn narrowly avoided the same fate)

Skizz(0) was doomed to fall by Tango(3)... yet another Tango wind charge sent at the sub-one spanners... this one 100% caused the final death

Total Deaths: 12

Lives at End of Session:

(number in parentheses is lives at start of session)

3: Bdubs(3), Grian(3), Tango(3), Gem(4), Ren(3), Scott(3), Joel(3)

2: Etho(3), Martyn(3), Scar(3), Impulse(2), Cleo(2), Pearl(2)

1: Jimmy(1), Lizzie(4), BigB(2)

0: Mumbo(0), Skizz(2)

Sorted by alliance (average ignoring eliminations: total lives):

The Fast & Furious Family(3:6): Gem(3), Joel(3)

Sub-one Spanners...(3:3): Grian(3), Skizz(0), Mumbo(0)

Tuff Guys(2.67:8): Bdubs(3), Etho(2), Tango(3)

Renwood Mound(2.5:6): Ren(3), Martyn(2)

GGGG//The Final Girls(2:10): Scott(3), Pearl(2), Impulse(2), Cleo(2), BigB(1)

BAMboozlers(1.33:4): Lizzie(1), Scar(2), Jimmy(1)

Chronological Deaths by Player:

Unchanged: Bdubs, Grian, Tango, Ren, Scott, Joel, Impulse, Cleo Pearl

Gem(4->3): Gets blown up by Skizz

Etho(3->2): Gets killed by Skeleton + lag?

Martyn(3->2): Gets blown up by a trapped chest set by Lizzie meant for Skizz

Scar(3->2): Gets killed by a Vex in the trial chamber

Jimmy(1->2->1): Kills Lizzie -> then dies to an iron golem named Bloop he was trying to kidnap

Lizzie(4->1): Semi-sacrifices to Jimmy -> gets killed by a Vex -> then dies to a trap set by BigB

BigB(2->1): Dies to Vindicator, unsure how

Skizz(2->3->0): Killed Gem w/ a TnT mine cart -> Creeper killed by BigB -> Doomed to fall by Martyn -> Wind charge knocked off a high place by Tango...

Events of Note//Misc. Comments

Gem and Pearl having "therapy" on a murder camel (aka: Gem justifying her behavior this season to Pearl with actual reasons for why Gem has a vendetta vs Pearl in Wild Life: You didn't remember it was MY EYE in the portal + you pulled a 2v1 on me!)

P.E.T spot a warden and instantly Etho goes to nametag it (I think he said he named it "goobert"), I guess those three aren't really scared of Wardens b/c of all that Decked Out 2 experience, lmao. -> Pearl gets a totem of undying from the slow trident community warden kill -> gives it to Impulse b/c she wants him to win

Speaking of Impulse, there are some absolutely evil traps set up in the GGGG's creeper farm, behind the tree and wheat fields. Also Pearl and Impulse start a lvl 5 raid at Gem and Joels, it fails b/c the raid mobs get randomized

Joel stumbles upon a trial chamber -> Joel, Etho, Grian, and Scar, raid the trial chamber... then the wildcard hits... Scar and Etho die, Etho doesn't go back, Bdubs joins in.

Grian and Scar combine forces to give Etho a shulker box after Scar pulls a "what does this button do?" on Etho while he was trying to set up a trap, lmao

...Grian is all alone after his Trio dies... again...

In other news this is the best Jimmy has ever placed, also only Jimmy's parrot gets burnt by the blaze's stray fireballs...

The GGGG's make another birthday cake looking base, like Grian and Scars from DL... Scott is well aware that it will burn down

(I only had enough time to watch Pearl & Scar's episode + a skim through Scott's, I bet I'm missing a lot of information on POV's I haven't seen, apologies)