#for the record that last one is sarcasm. gee i wonder why Ao3 is the only site that gets the shocked moral outrage posts.

[academicgangster]

Please stop sucking Spotify's dick.

[jinris]

rose in the wild

(ao3)

Her hand glides over the petals before it settles, fingers gently combing through the prickly stems of blood red flowers as they flicker for the briefest of moments. She glances down wistfully, harboring a defiant urge to pluck the absurdly curve-edged petals from their stem, only to feel a rush of disappointment when she presses her fingers together and comes into contact with nothing. They’re real, but not enough, vanishing instantly once detached from their source. In protest, she wrinkles and pulls at the edge of her nightgown. Allura doesn’t know why she finds herself here again, surrounded by simulated alien flora and programmed dusk. She can feel the timed breeze knot in her hair. Time always passes too slowly at night when she is alone.

Allura closes her eyes and breathes in the imagined scents of pointed juniberries, hoping the memories can lull her to sleep in the middle of this forged field of horridly beautiful Earth flowers. She throws out her swallowed compromises, discards the diplomatic face, and waits for the exhaustion to consume her.

He finds her there. When he sees her powdered snow hair and pale blue gown embraced in a sea of brilliant red, Keith smiles before he can catch himself. Like his memories of vast desert canyons and the melodic sound of crickets at night, a fire inside him burns and he wants to remember this moment, this space, forever. She’s so beautiful. She’s mine. He bites his lip until it nearly bleeds, his heart aching.

“Allura,” he breathes at the same time she does.

Her eyes fly open and she turns to him in surprise. She gasps at the sight of him, taking in the pressed black Galran cape he wears now, the stiff burgundy-accented collar, his dark violet eyes, and his presence.

“Keith,” she laughs in disbelief, “You’re here.”

“I’m here,” he responds, a small, knowing smile emerging on his face.

In her fluster, Allura rushes to get up, her hand unwittingly reaching up to fix her undone hair to no real effect, but Keith motions her to stay and walks over to her instead. Once he is close enough, Allura leaps and throws her arms around him as he catches her easily around her waist, their suppressed longing finally seeping out of their bones. She buries her head in his neck, closing her eyes and breathing him in.

“I thought you were coming in the morning,” she mutters, her lips grazing over his skin and sending fervid chills down his spine. His grip on her waist tightens.

“The last negotiations ended early. I wanted to surprise you.”

Gently, Keith raises his hand and strokes her hair, pushing back loose strands absentmindedly behind her ear. Allura smiles softly, indulging in the familiar touch before she releases him from her hold at last, his fingers still woven into her silver tresses.

“What a lovely surprise,” she says quietly, pausing for a craving moment, “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

He lets go of her waist, and with his freed hand, he curls around her neck and pulls Allura into him as his lips fall onto hers with starving devotion. She sighs happily and slides her hands under his cape, eagerly deepening the kiss and memorizing the scorching roughness of his touch and addicting sweetness of his taste. Allura pushes him down slowly, breaking for a fleeting moment, tilting her head, kissing him again, while Keith’s hand disentangles from her hair and traces down to the small of her back, holding her desperately close as they sink into the flowers.

Finally and breathlessly, they part, and when Allura looks down, she savors Keith’s flushed cheeks and the burning intensity in his eyes, undoubtedly matching her own. He runs a hand down her side and she comes to him, lying down and resting her head on his collarbone. She glances up and studies his face, tenderly brushing his hair away from his line of vision. Warmly, he wraps his arm around her in tacit gratitude. In the comfort of his embrace, Allura closes her eyes.

“Will you tell me what you were doing here instead of sleeping?” he asks after a while, unassumingly and idly playing with the outer locks of her hair again.

“I couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d come here like we used to whenever we had things on our mind,” she admits, feeling a wave of tiredness wash over her.

“Is it the labor strikes? I heard from Kolivan that riots were starting on some of the planets.”

She nods silently, curling and reaching for his hand so he meets her halfway. Keith slides his fingers into hers and pulls them to his chest.

“Lotor thinks the workers are weak, that their leaders will persuade them to give up, so he says we shouldn’t interfere. I’ve seen their working conditions. They’re right to be angry. They’ve become wary of the lack of action coming from the Coalition, and it’s troubling.”

Keith frowns. Slowly he sits up and draws a knee, leaving a comfortable space for Allura to settle her head in his lap before finding her hand again.

“You want to help them,” he finishes for her.

Allura looks up at him, and all Keith can see is the despondent conflict in her heart glazing over her affirming eyes. He only understands too well the loneliness of idealistic conviction, the stubbornness and self-doubt that resounds within her. He wants to drown them away with his love and tell her all the ways she amazes him, but he’s still so afraid of stumbling over words and keeps them to himself instead. He squeezes her hand.

“I’ve called for a meeting with Coalition representatives, but without Lotor’s active support, I’m afraid we won’t get anywhere.”

“Can’t negotiate if you’re nodding off in front of high-profile leaders of the universe.”

He lets go of her, leaning back just slightly with his arms for balance. Almost immediately, he misses the intimate warmth. Allura follows wordlessly, shifting without thinking to her side and turning into him. Then she looks away, fixating on the loosened black metallic strap of his boot.

“I know,” she sighs in resignation, turning back to him. “I’m glad you’re here. It’s easy to fall asleep with you.”

“Gee, thanks,” he answers, sarcasm dripping from his conservative response, but his eyes soften and a quiet smile escapes him. He glances at her with this smile – her favorite smile – before looking away, and as if time freezes, Allura falls in love with Keith all over again.

She giggles with a lightness she hasn’t felt since before the war.

“You know what I mean.” She sits up, rolling over onto her knees and straddling his extended leg. He comes back to her. “I love you, Keith.”

Allura leans into him, carefully, gracefully, and her hand finding his. When her lips brush against his, she closes her eyes and hears him in a low voice.

“I love you too.”

He kisses her deeply under the rosegold gradient glow of artificial sunset and wraps his hand around her neck, pushing forward as she tugs at his collar and pulls him back down with her. Allura’s hands run up from his collarbone and into his unkempt hair, wanting him closer. He pins her down with his lower leg on her sweeping gown.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping, I could think of a few ways to wear you out,” he whispers in her ear once they part. Allura inhales sharply, cheeks flushing dark red, and her heart races wildly at the smirk she knows is on his face.

“Not here,” she hisses, smacking him lightly on the shoulder, then biting her lower lip after a moment. She blushes harder when she sees him studying her reaction from the corner of her eye.

Keith can’t contain himself and laughs, falling over onto his back and next to her. Allura punches him hard enough in the stomach to hurt, and he quickly catches her fist with both of his hands as he grimaces.

“Yeah, I deserved that,” he admits after he collects himself. He lets go of her hand and extends an arm behind his head to rest as a pillow. Allura narrows her eyes at him and nudges his leg with her left foot. Keith opens his arm to her and she edges herself into his embrace, entangling their legs and slipping her hand just under his shirt. Gently, she rests her head on his chest, and casually he brushes her hair to the side, closing his arm around her slender waist and keeping her close.

“For the record, I was going to suggest we spar. What did you think I was going to say?”

“You’re terrible at jokes.”

Keith cracks an amused grin.

“You still like me.”

“I do,” Allura says, emphasizing her last word and cutting his amusement off cold in its tracks, and suddenly Keith is very incredibly aware of her cool touch against his skin snaking slowly across his waist and excruciatingly up his chest. He swallows and locks his arm around her to prevent her from moving so freely.

“Why roses?” Keith nearly chokes, trying so hard to distract himself.

“I know right?” she replies evenly, eyes closed and feigning ignorance, “They’re atrocious.”

“What?” he asks once her hand stops and he’s able to process her remark. Surprised, he loosens his hold on her and she inches closer to him.

“They’ve got a weird petal shape, sort of curved and malicious. And they’ve got all these little thorns on the stem so no one can go near them without getting hurt unless they’re careful. They disappear if you pick them out of the ground…”

“Only because Pidge designed them that way. The disappearing part, I mean,” he interjects, feeling surprisingly defensive about the Earthly plant.

“…They’re not the least bit romantic,” Allura continues, making no indication as to whether or not she heard him. She sighs softly, almost inaudibly, but Keith hears her and starts to lightly stroke her back.

“Why not just ask Pidge to replace them with juniberries or something the next time she visits?”

For a while, Allura is silent, and Keith can feel the increasingly lethargic and steady rise and fall of her chest. He looks up at the ceiling, cloaked behind fantastically dimmed lights, then back down at the mess of silver moonlight hair draped over him. He wonders if she has fallen asleep, but then she shifts and hides her head in his neck. As discreetly as he can without sudden movements, he extends his arm from behind his head and drapes it across her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t trade them for the world,” she says finally, her voice low and quiet. “They remind me of you.”

Keith stops. His eyes widen, words inexplicably caught in his throat, and then he forgets how to breathe. He lifts his forearm and covers his eyes, the soft fabric of his sleeve patting the starry mist that blurs his vision so wonderfully. His smile radiates like a faraway sun when he is sure she won’t see.

“Hey, Allura,” he says.

“Hm?” she replies, holding just barely on as sleep starts to consume her.

“I’ll take you to Earth one day. Show you real roses in fields that stretch farther than you can see.”

“…Can we take the hoverbike?”

“If you have to ask, you don’t know me at all.”

Keith feels her smile and his heart soars.

“Okay.”

[bennet-liz]

those made for war (in peace)

fandom: star wars

pairings: jyn erso/cassian andor; leia organa/han solo; jyn & leia

summary: Jyn has too much free time. Leia's too busy. Clearly, they both need drinks. ao3

Jyn was not made for peace time she had soon discovered after the war had ended. Every fiber of her being felt perpetually on edge, waiting for the next bomb, the next attack. She could no longer remember a time before her being was consumed by war and violence.

It made her twitchy. Cassian called it her fight or fight instinct. She had punched his shoulder after that.

She hadn’t learned how to be peaceful. She was most at peace with a blaster in her hand.

But she had also fought for peace. Because as much as Jyn loved a fight, the Empire and all the pain it had caused her was not worth a perpetual war. And so Jyn had lifted her head.

But now she was bored out of her mind. She was used to action. She was built for a fight, not sitting around twiddling her thumbs.

Drinking, however, she could do that no matter the current political climate.

“You seem awfully broody.” Jyn twisted in her seat and flashed a half smile at the princess, or was it senator now?

“It sort of goes with my whole aesthetic, don’t you think?”

“Did you just use the word aesthetic?” Leia asked as she dropped into the stool next to Jyn. “Who are you and what have you done with Jyn Erso?”

Jyn let out a short laugh and drew herself into a mockery of Leia’s regal posture. “I will have you know that I was highly educated.” Jyn paused for a moment, sipping at her drink, “Until the age of 6.”

Leia rolled her eyes before turning to the bartender. His eyes bugged momentarily before he regained his nerve and took her order. “I forgot how annoying that is.” Leia said with a sigh.

“What, having every being in the galaxy stare at you in wonder? Gee, that must be hard to be so revered. What a tough life you’ve got there, princess.”

Leia promptly elbowed Jyn in the side.

Jyn wheezed a bit for dramatic effect, clutching her side in agony. “You sure do pack a punch there, princess.”

“Haven’t you heard? It’s Senator now.”

“Princess, senator, what’s the difference?” Leia opened her mouth but Jyn quickly waved her off. “Please I beg of you, don’t explain it to me.” Jyn’s tolerance for politics had been minimal at best when she joined the Rebellion and it certainly hadn’t grown with age.

“Fine, remain utterly ignorant of politics. See if I care.” Leia said haughtily, although the effect was ruined by the smile on her lips. “What have you been up to since I last saw you?”

“Oh, since that snooty party you made me and Cassian go to? The one Han and I got kicked out of in an hour?”

Leia let out another long suffering sigh. “Yes, that one. I had to pay Kes Dameron quite a bit for that little stunt you two pulled. I thought you could at least last an hour and a half.”

“Isn’t gambling a bit below you, senator?”

“Your drink, ma’am. And could I just say that what you did was so very brave?” The bartender said, his eyes still wide with wonder. Leia made to pull out her credit chip but Jyn beat her to it.

As she handed it to the man, she said to Leia, “Since you lost so much betting on me.” Leia rolled her eyes again.

The bartender returned, his eyes flickering between Leia and Jyn. Clearly something was not adding up in his mind as to why the senator and this other woman were together. He blurted out, “You’re a real hero, ma’am.” His cheeks turned bright red and he ducked his head.

“Thank you,” Leia said diplomatically. To others, she must have seemed incredibly gracious; however, Jyn could see through the façade and had to suppress a grin. “Your words are very kind.”

He blushed even redder, if that was possible, and scurried away.

“Ugh.” Leia buried her face in her arms. “I’m honestly so tired of this hero worship.”

Jyn took a long sip of her drink before saying, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm. “Of course it is totally unfounded. I mean you just sat around on your ass for the entire war. Really, you’re a sham and a disgrace.”

Leia managed to glare at her from underneath her arm. “Somehow, Jyn, you manage to be one of the most irritating beings I’ve ever come across. And I’m including Han in that.”

“How is your smuggler?”

Leia’s cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink as she lifted her head. “He’s not my smuggler.”

“’Course not. You two just live together because you’re totally, completely platonic friends.”

“Like you and Captain Andor?”

Unfazed, Jyn replied, “Cassian and I have an understanding and have been at this a lot longer than you and Solo. I didn’t even think he did monogamy.”

“You and Cassian have been together for years and you’re still calling it an ‘understanding’?”

“You know what, I don’t think we’re nearly drunk enough for this.” Jyn waved back their awestruck bartender. “4 shots of your cheapest rum.”

“Right away.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“No, I’ve had a long day and I need something stronger than this watered-down excuse.”

“You might be an alcoholic.”

“I like to think of it as a prolonged tolerance. Trust me, I’ll let you know if I hit that point.”

“You’re so full of bantha shit, Erso.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Jyn lifted her shot glass in tandem with Leia. “To the new senator.”

Leia narrowed her eyes at Jyn. “Why do I feel like you’re mocking me?”

They took their shots, Leia with far more grace than her drinking partner. “Kriff, that’s horrible.” Jyn said with a shudder.

“You did ask for the cheap stuff.” The bartender interjected, his face twisted into a concerned expression. “I wasn’t sure if that would be alright, considering, you know,” He gestured vaguely towards Leia.

“It’s fine.” Leia waved him away. “You’re terrible.”

“I know. Why else would you keep me around?” Jyn knocked her shoulder into Leia’s and felt a strange surge of comradery that she wasn’t used to out of a combat situation. Leia’s accidental confession following the Rebel victory had instilled in Jyn a sort of protectiveness over the younger woman, even though she knew Leia was entirely capable.

“Naturally, your dashing good looks.” Leia raised the second shot with a wry grin. “To terrible fathers.”

“To terrible fathers. And their daughters.” Jyn echoed, downing her shot. She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing in the gentle oblivion the alcohol provided.

“Nobody can ever know how terrible my father is.” Leia said, her voice almost cracking with gloom. Jyn rested a hand on Leia’s, stroking it gently. “It would ruin my political career. But that means that they can never know who my mother was.”

“You found out who she was?”

“I had to know. I had to know who could’ve loved a monster.” Leia lazily spun her straw around in her drink. “She was beautiful.” Leia said after a moment. “She was a queen and a senator.”

“So this is in your blood, eh?” Jyn tried to put out her most winning smile.

Leia managed a weak imitation. She chuckled darkly. “Kriff, why do I always get so emotional when I drink with you?”

“’Cause we’re messed up, you and me. It’s getting better though isn’t it? I mean you’re in the senate and you’re fixing everything that the Empire did. You’re making the world a better place. You and the rest of them are gonna make sure that there’s never another Empire again.”

“’So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause.’”

Jyn hesitated for a moment, processing the younger woman’s words. “Seems a bit overdramatic.”

Leia nodded glumly, sipping slowly at her drink. “My mother said it. To my adoptive father, Bail Organa. As the Emperor took over the senate and the galaxy was plunged into Imperial rule. I found it in a file, deep in the Senate archives. She came from Naboo.”

“Lovely place.”

“You’ve been?”

“Yeah, I did a job there after Saw, you know, uh, yeah. There was a contact there. She wanted something stolen from an Imperial database. I would assume she was passing on information to the Rebellion. I admittedly didn’t care. But she was upper class for sure. Maybe she knew your birth mother?” The flash of hope in Leia’s eyes tugged at Jyn’s heart. “If she was working with the Rebellion, Cassian might know who she was. Or at least have access to the records. I guess you would too, but Cassian’s less likely to get questioned. I’d be more than happy to steal it for you if you’d prefer a more, uh, discreet method. Force knows I’m bored out of my mind.”

Leia’s brow twitched into a frown momentarily. “What have you been up to? I’ve seen Cassian around with some other intelligence officers.”

Jyn let out a short chuckle, pressing her palms into the table. “Oh you know, I think I’ve almost perfected my mother’s scone recipe.”

Leia’s jaw dropped fractionally and her eyes narrowed. “You’re so full of shit.”

“I haven’t been doing anything really. It’s a strange change though. I’ve been fighting for so long that I don’t really have any profitable, legal skills.” Jyn gave a half-hearted shrug, which Leia immediately saw through.

“You have a wide range of skills, Jyn.” Leia’s tone slipped into a far more argumentative one.

Jyn lifted a hand and ticked up a finger. “Guerilla warfare, slicing, bomb making, close combat, oh and don’t forget, infiltration of secret Imperial bases.” Jyn wiggled her fingers at Leia. “I made an excellent partisan and Rebellion fighter. Civilian life, not for me.”

“Hmm, what did you want to be when you were little?”

“A farmer? I dunno. There wasn’t a whole lot of time for me to have developed an interest in anything before Saw took me in. And it’s not like Rebellion ever really wanted me. I mean, Draven wanted to court martial and expel me.”

“You’re welcome for that, by the way.” Leia stated, her voice just starting ever so slightly to slur. Jyn arched an eyebrow at her. “I persuaded Draven that it was counterproductive to the cause to court martial heroes of the Rebellion.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

“Is Cassian working?”

“Not really. Neither of us are really meant for peace. You know sometimes I wonder if we were meant to die on that beach on Scarif.” Jyn drew her finger around the rim of her glass, gathering the condensation.

“Jyn!” Leia shouted, a bit louder than necessary, drawing the attention of the other patrons. She looked around nervously before lowering her voice. “Don’t say that. I never want to hear you say that again.” She gripped Jyn’s wrist tightly.

Jyn stared down at Leia’s delicate hand wrapped around her wrist. For somebody so small, she was awfully strong.

“Jyn, promise me.” Jyn nodded, twisting her wrist out of Leia’s grip. “Good. Now, let’s sort out some sort of job for you.”

“Know anybody looking for a professional thief?”

“I think you need to rebrand. How about goods acquisition specialist?”  

Jyn barked out a laugh at that. “You’ve missed your calling, Senator, I think. You could’ve made a great ad man.”

Leia rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Well, if being a senator doesn’t work out for me, I’ll have to look into that.” Leia waved over their over-eager bartender. He practically bounded over, his eyes still wide with wonder at the princess. “Bring us a bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses please.”

“Of course, right away, Your Highness.”

Leia bit back a groan while Jyn laughed into her shoulder. Leia shoved at Jyn. “Oh stuff it, Erso.”

“Of course, right away, Your Highness.” Jyn mimicked in a squeaky voice, still laughing. Leia rolled her eyes again. “You’ve got to loosen up a bit there, Senator. You’re going to start getting wrinkles.”

“You’re older than me!”

“Mhm, and we’ll see who has wrinkles first, you or me.”

Their bartender returned with the bottle and the shot glasses. He set them gently down in front of them, nodding to Leia. Leia passed him her card, waving him away.

Leia deftly poured them each a shot, shoving one towards Jyn. “To wrinkles.” Jyn echoed Leia’s sentiment before tossing back her shot.

“Ah, he brought the good stuff. Good man.” Jyn grinned wolfishly at the man as he returned. “Cheers, mate.”

He shot her a nervous look before handing Leia her chip card. “Is there anything else?”

“No, thank you.” She waved him off again, turning herself to face Jyn more fully. “Now, let’s find you a job, Erso.”

“Like I said, I have no legal, profitable skills. Cassian keeps suggesting I join the new Republican intelligence group, but I never enjoyed intelligence work.”

“You spent most of the war working in intelligence,” Leia pointed out deftly.

Jyn paused for a moment, “Hm, no, I would say I operated more as a consultant to Rebel Intelligence. I was never officially in Intelligence.”

“Has anybody ever told you you’re insufferable?”

“Cassian. At least twice a week.”

“Good, somebody needs to.”

“As long as somebody’s reminding you the same.”

“That’s what you’re for.”

“Ah, see, there you go, my job is keeping your ego in check.” Jyn poured herself a shot in victory. “Honestly, Leia, there’s not a place for me in this new society. Cassian feels the same I think. We both have only ever lived in wars. Cassian is willing to work for the Republic, but even then, it’s not ‘the cause’.” Jyn took her shot quickly. “You know Cass, always about the cause and the morality of it. But the Republic, it’s not the same.”

“Yes, it is! The Republic is what we were fighting for.”

“No,” Jyn closed her eyes for a moment as she searched for her words. “No, it’s a bureaucracy that shares some values. But for those of us not involved in politics, it’s not much.”

Leia sighed heavily, leaning onto her arm on the bar. “I think you could be a real asset to the Republic.”

“I’m not sure if I want to throw all my chips in with a bureaucracy that still has traces of the Empire.” Jyn held up a hand to Leia who had already opened her mouth to protest. “I’m not saying that as a criticism, Leia, really. But you know probably better than I do that there are some in the Republic that supported the Empire in some way or another, but were careful not to declare out right. Too many of my people died for me to support any vestiges of the Empire.”

Leia’s mouth twisted into a frown. She glared down at her glass, unwilling to look at Jyn.

“Leia, I know that you’re good. I know there are people in the Republic that are good. And maybe it’s just the partisan in me, but I’m not going to change my mind. I’m on your side and the side of those who fought in the Rebellion. But I’m not on the side of some kriffing politician who funded the Empire and looked the other way.”

“Then be on my side!” Leia twisted abruptly in her chair to look at Jyn.

“I just said I’m on your side, Princess.”

“No, Jyn, think about it. You just said you didn’t want to work for the Republic, but that you wanted to support those from the Rebellion, so do that. You can work as a private contractor. You have a set of skills, call it private security and asset acquisition or something. And you can choose who you work for and what you do while still doing something. Plus, it would give you something to do since the image of you baking is one of the most terrifying things.” As she spoke, Leia became more animated, her hands flying around.

Jyn narrowed her eyes as she considered it. “Maybe there is a reason they keep you around, Princess.”

“Senator.”

“Whatever.”

“You and Cassian could run it. I’d hire you.”

“You sure have thought this through.”

Leia shot a withering glare Jyn’s way. “I’m just trying to help you.”

Jyn’s façade softened and she reached out to Leia. “I know, and I’m grateful.” She managed a half smile. “I’ll talk to Cassian about it.” Jyn leaned away and clapped her hands together. “Right, well, that’s more than enough serious discussion for tonight. I didn’t come here to mope about my lack of a career.”

“No,” Leia flashed a grin Jyn’s direction, “You came here to brood and get drunk.”

“Only one of us is drunk and I’m pretty sure it’s you, your royal senatorness.”

“That’s not a real word.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

“You’re ridiculous, Erso.”

“Cheers.”