#had to go on my computer for this one. peace and love on planet earth

[twilightarcade]

anyways wanna hear about what I've been thinking about

[mydearneteyam]

WITH LOVE, GAIA ;; ATWOW

"who survived? somebody new? anyone else but you?"

summary ;; waking up had never felt so good. although now, there is a lot of work.

warnings/notes (for the series) ;; fem!reader ;; mentions of war, death ;; illegal activities ;; reader is a criminal, an enemy of humanity, traitor to the race, etc ;; avatar!reader ;; death of loved ones ;; late grief ;; etc.

word count ;; 0.3k

word of the series ;; Eywa [ˈɛj.wa] prop.n. world spirit, Gaia

prologue (you're here)

"One day…" your hands crawled across the glass of that tent, gazing intently at the images. Your gaze, fixed on the drone recordings that were being made over the trees of a moon, light years away from you.

Pandora.

...

Checking your watch every now and then was a common thing, a habit, if it should be called something like that. You checked the time, attentive to what the big computer was displaying in front of your eyes. It was only thirty seconds before the page would reload by itself, giving you the answers you had been looking for a long time.

At least a year ago you had already planned everything. It was a challenge you were willing to face and overcome, after all, the planet would go to shit sooner or later.

"Come on…" anxiety loomed in your stomach as the page loaded and there you were at the first image. Your name, your date of birth, your position within the mission and a couple of other details that would be sent home. You had made it.

You would be away from the fake, plastic planet that was called 'Earth'.

...

Your eyes slowly got used to the image above you, the door slowly opened and you couldn't help but frown, trying to get used to the atmosphere.

"I'm going to throw up…" you covered your mouth with one hand, sitting down on the cryosleep gurney. As you turned around, you could tell that unlike how you had stipulated with your companions, there was no one there to greet you. Instead, you stumbled upon an empty place that already seemed to be falling apart, the last thing you caught a glimpse of hidden a couple of meters away from you were the eyes of a prolemuris, you could assume it was a young one. No sane adult would have gone into that place out of self-interest.

"Hopefully you woke me up in times of peace… or where my friends are still alive" you muttered giving the animal a smile before standing up and feeling your legs falter. Off to the side, your watch rested being surrounded by many plants, some of them growing over the capsule where your avatar rested.

"Well, I'll be damned."

next

a/n ;; well, this is the prologue of the first series I'll bring to my profile, honestly I still haven't planned a character to pair the mc, so if you have ideas….. please give them to me…… besides that, the age is also ambiguous for now. I have the story ready for any character, so I'll try to match it in case the idea is to your liking.

[newtthetranswriter]

Love Transcends Time and Space

Summary: After traveling with Rose and the Doctor for a while Rose goes her separate way, leaving reader and the doctor face their feelings for each other.

   Paring: Tenth Doctor x GN!Reader

Warnings: light angst, bad writing, unrequited love that is actually requited

A/N: This was requested by @shuichiakainx , I hope it lives up to your wishes. Honestly it was a little hard for me to write as some stuff has happened in the past couple years that pulled me from Doctor Who and I thought I was ready to dive back in but turns out I’m not. I did my best to write this and hopefully it's good but I’m going to step back from doctor who for a bit longer. I did enjoy writing this but I'm just not ready to face my own personal struggles. any way have fun reading this if you have requests for any other fandoms listed in my pinned post feel free to ask but I’m taking doctor who off the table for a bit.  MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT

Word count:1116

I have been traveling with the Doctor for about a year now. I had grown up with Rose and she introduced me to the Doctor after the Sycorax had tried to take over earth on Christmas. I thought he was strange at first but we got along really well. After the Doctor had regained his strength from recently regenerating, he offered for me to travel with them and see things I could only dream of.

It’s been so fun seeing planets in far away galaxies and experiencing crucial moments in history. I’ve had so much fun, except all good things come to an end. You see, on our recent stop back to earth we had an encounter with Torchwood. Torchwood had opened a breach between our earth and a parallel world, letting cybermen through into our world. While dealing with the cybermen we also were faced with a group of daleks. Dealing with both was difficult but the Doctor found a way to deal with both problems.

He figured out that if reversed the breach anything that traveled through the breach would be pulled into the void. He had sent Jackie, Mickey, Pete (a version of Rose’s father from the other world), and Rose to the other world to be safe. The doctor and I worked together to open the breach sending the cybermen and daleks into the void. After the breach had closed we made our way back to the Tardis.

“Where are we going now Doctor?” I asked, trying to figure out what the plan was now that we were down a member of our rag tag group. The Doctor looked up for a moment before going to fiddle with something on the console in front of him. 

“We are sending a message to Rose. There is a small breach still open where we can get a message through to her one last time.” He answered my question quickly before setting a location into the Tardis’s computer. The distinct sounds of the Tardis moving echoed through the space as we moved to a random spot in the universe.

I watched as The Doctor was able to connect to Rose through the breach. I spaced out most of the conversation. I know it sounds callus but I didn’t want to listen as two of my closest friends said goodbye to each other. It seems selfish but I don't want to hear the inevitable, I don’t want to face the truth. You see, in the time I’ve traveled with the Doctor, I've developed feelings for him. Traveling with someone you love for so long you notice things about them, and for me I’ve noticed who The Doctor treats those he loves and I have also noticed that I’m not the one he loves. He’s always been gentler with Rose, having secret conversations that stop right as I walk in the room. I’m just too scared to hear it be said out loud in the open.

“I promise I will tell them." I heard The Doctor say as I slipped back into the realm of paying attention. I was confused by this, tell who what, what is he talking about. “Well the breaching is closing this is goodbye, and enjoy the rest of your peaceful life Rose Tyler.” The Doctor said goodbye as the connection dropped.

I was sitting by the console still trying to figure out what he had to tell someone, and who that someone was. I was also confused by him choosing to only say goodbye when it was his last chance to speak with Rose, wouldn’t it have made more sense to say ‘I love you’ if it was your last chance speaking with your partner. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't see the Doctor coming towards me until he was sitting next to me.

“What has you so far away?” The Doctor asked as he watched my face.

“What did you and Rose talk about? I was spaced out for a bit.” I responded with another question trying to avoid telling The Doctor my thoughts.

“Oh nothing much, just caught up on how her and everyone else is doing in the other world. Also apparently Jackie is pregnant, that's good news.” He explained what he and Rose spoke about.

“Oh that’s great news, but what was the last bit about promising to tell someone something?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. 

I watched as the Doctor scratched the back of his neck contemplating something before looking me in the eyes. “You see, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now, actually Rose has been trying to get me to tell you for awhile, But anyways. I really like you, and not in just the you are fun to have around way, it’s the kind of liking you that makes me worry more than necessary. It’s weird, in my long existence I’ve never felt this way before. I know you may not feel the same but I had to tell you. If this makes things weird I can take you home, and we can forget this ever happened.” He said leaving me speechless.

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I wasn’t expecting this at all. It was a dream come true. I've loved the Doctor for some time now and having him tell me he feels the same feels unreal. I was silent for a moment thinking of how to respond, right as I was about to respond I could see the Doctor lose hope. “ I get it, I’ll have the tardis take us back to earth and you can be rid of me.” he said as he stood up to set the new location.

Realizing The Doctor probably thought I was rejecting him, I stood up and grabbed his wrist spinning him to face me. Without thinking twice I leaned forward and kissed him. It was strange at first but once we both relaxed into it, it was warm and soft and not like anything i had ever felt before. 

“I like you too. I don’t want to go back to earth, I want to stay with you as long as you'll have me.” I said after pulling away. I watched as his face shifted from shock to joy as he realized what was happening. He smiled at me and leaned back in for another kiss.

While we were absorbed in each other's presence our moment was interrupted by a shout. “WHERE IN THE BLOODY HELL AM I?” Yelled a woman in a wedding dress.

We shared a look of confusion before silently agreeing that we will get through this together.

[melodicaria]

Transformers: Goosebumps | Dark Autobots Snippet

So my silly bitch ass was thinking about dark Autobots. Not quite Shattered Glass, but similar, but like they're as evil as I want them to be! Here's just a snippet that I pumped out in a few minutes, not finalized or edited, but I had finished watching this Netflix movie, 'Leave the World Behind' and it just sparked me with an idea on how to start this. I jotted this idea down a while ago and just never got back to it- until now. Could you tell I had listened to Goosebumps by Travis Scott!? :p

Title: Goosebumps Summary: As Sam watches aliens descend upon their planet, he realizes with horror that they're not as peaceful and freedom loving as they claim to be.

It's the cellphones that go first. Sam's not too disturbed, after all, he still has his computer.

But soon that goes too.

12 plane crashes. One day.

There are thousands of people dead. Their corpses littered the pavement. Three said flights landed in a major city, hitting five buildings, with a blast radius double their length.

Every once in a while there's an odd ringing. Worldwide.

Nationwide blackouts.

The crops stop growing.

The water is drying up faster than they can calculate.

Metal sprouts from the ground, sharp jagged edges in a brilliant silver impaling people at random.

It's no longer safe to go outside.

People start getting sick, some are dying within days, others are cured from their disease.

Situations are too dire to upkeep most public spaces. School is canceled, prisons are full of riots, people storm their capitals and raise hell until their questions are answered.

And the government is silent.

The kings and queens are silent.

Because they too, haven't the faintest idea of what will happen next- what has happened.

Sam as an inkling.

The world is ending.

And then…

Metal beasts descend from the sky. Cybertronians, they call themselves.

The Universe is under attack and Earth holds the one object to save it.

But of course, humanity figures it's not a good idea to give it to them.

If only they had known.

The steel giants show no mercy, especially after one of their own is injured in a scuffle.

Hell is unleashed in a torrent of waves. Fire. Water. Ice. Wind. Bullets.

Bombs.

Sam thinks it's funny that now everyone on Earth decides to band together to a united front. He's picked up and torn from his family to protect the very thing the aliens are here for. He doesn't quite understand why they just don't give them the damned thing.

But he guards it like his life is on the line. Because it is.

Bombs are strapped to their bodies, in case they get any lucky ideas.

But he gets good at his job. His parents are held at gunpoint, along with another dozen or so, and a cap will be put in their skull if they don't comply.

So Sam has no other choice but to be good at his job. His fuck up, fucks them up.

Maybe, he gets too good at his job. He sees too much. He watches people bargain using other people as currency. He stays guarding the AllSpark at all hours. The only exception being getting sleep and eating.

He contacts his parents once a month. He has no clue where Miles is, and sometimes it gets so much to the point where he can barely remember his name. His parents name.

He gets bored. The others don't speak to him so…

He speaks to the AllSpark.

In an interesting turn of events, it speaks back, in a way.

The giant metal cube will shift whenever he's near, panels and plates clicking and elevating, swirling in a flurry of energy around his body. For a long time in a while, he laughs, and enjoys the time he spends here.

And for all of the horrible things that the world is faced with, for all of humanity's struggles and strife, for the brink of destruction they are forced on, the very object that started it all is the one thing that brings him hope.

He hopes the war ends soon.

But the insanity is only beginning.

[coraniaid]

Finished Children of Memory yesterday. Really liked it, unsurprisingly. I think this is one of my favorite science fiction series in a while. 

I don’t really know whether it makes sense to rank the books individually, but for what it’s worth I enjoyed this one a little more than the second and a little less than the first.

(Spoilers below the cut for the whole trilogy.)

Big fan of the (I think only ever implicit) pun suggested by the Corvids dyadic nature. One half is a creative problem solver that explores new things and one half keeps track of the state of the world around them and the history of how it came to be this way.  They are thought and memory. Huginn and Muninn. Odin would approve. (The book also features a protagonist being hanged from a tree, though she already had knowledge of other worlds at the time.)

And while I'd never describe the series as “hopepunk” (because, as I said, I liked it…),  it is also – despite its far future setting being incredibly grim in many ways, starting as it does with a civilization ending war followed by the slow extinction of life on Earth – almost aggressively hopeful.  Particularly when it comes to the question of sentience and the possibility of peaceful cooperation between very different types of intelligence.

I mean, this is a trilogy that introduces, in order:

The corrupted and imperfect digital copy of the mind of a misanthropic scientist who died tens of thousands of years before the story begins

The species of cannibalistic spiders that worship her as a god and built a computer out of ants for her to live in

Spacefaring octopuses with distributed, ever-changing personalities whose main desire in life is to avoid the company of other octopuses 

A mind-controlling parasite that loves making friends and going on adventures and is directly responsible for the deaths of billions

Neuorodivergent talking mutant crows who, if pressed, will patiently explain to you that of course they're not really sentient, they're just animals mindlessly operating on instinct so as to effectively mimic the illusion of sentience (just like you, right?)

The ghost of a teenage girl who never actually existed who is on a quest to save her long-dead grandfather from a witch

The alien computer that's been patiently simulating the entire history of the colony said girl might have grown up in if only its founders hadn’t all died before landing on its planet

And then goes on to argue that yes, actually, these all count as people. Even the brain-eating parasite. Especially her. (She feels very guilty about the multiple zombie apocalypses she started once it is explained to her that taking over people's bodies without their consent is generally frowned upon in polite society.)  

Because the universe is mostly cold and empty and utterly inhospitable to life, so why not be as generous as you can be in your definitions of who counts as sentient?  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the closest thing the series has to outright villains (Liff’s Uncle Molder in this book, These-Of-We in the second book, Captain Guyen and the religious fanatic Portia in the first book) are people who refuse to accept the personhood of others (whether that’s starving people from the neighboring farms, potential new friends who vocally object to you taking over their brains and using their bodies to go out and explore the universe, the aforementioned cannibal spiders who are already living on the planet you've decided to move to or the smaller, weaker male spiders who object to being eaten.)  

[yeehawbrothers]

Fights and starlights-Timelord! reader x 13

Hello lovelys! This is an old draft I found in the depths of my computer files. Honestly forgot writing it.

As always, feedback is heavily appreciated as I love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Warnings: Angst (happy ending), and mentions of blood.

Enjoy- A

Time. It’s a funny thing really.

It all seems relative. if you're standing there, in your room somewhere on earth, there’s someone on the other side of the planet who may be doing the exact same thing but at a different time.

You’d never really been a fan of clock changes, they messed your schedule up.

The only time this was exempted, was when it gave you an extra hour of sleep. 

You loved having extra time to sleep.

But now, as you lay blood sodden on the hard cobblestone walk, clothing draped in a sheer blanket of crimson, you wished you’d have more time for a different reason.

You knew she was busy, your space girl, and you knew if she found out you’d tried to send the aliens off on your own, she’d have a proper tantrum. 

Laying helplessly in your own puddle of decorable pain really made you think about your life.

Where you went right, and of course where you went wrong. 

One of those times being when you’d sent your starlight away. 

It had been after an especially rough trip, where you had made the unrightable decision to risk your life to save a small alien child who was stuck under fallen debris. 

Your space girl had been truly angry at you.

And you refused to hear it.

“And what? I was supposed to leave that child to die alone?! Without their parents!?!” Your face burned from the anger that raged within.

“You could have gotten yourself killed.” Your star leaned against the control panel of her ship breathing heavily.

“COULD. I COULD have. But I didn’t. And I saved them.” You looked to her, silently awaiting her response.

“I don’t care. I refuse to lose you. I can’t be alone again.” 

You laughed sarcastically.

“Oh so that’s why. Ah, I see.” You looked at her, eyes raging with the fire of a thousand flames. 

“It’s your own selfishness. You would let a child die, so you don’t have to feel pain?!”

Her head spun towards you. 

“Dont. You. Dare. I have seen stars burn from my hands, civilizations fall under MY decisions, and here you are. Trying to tell me what I know. You haven’t seen the worst of it.” She leaned back, closing her eyes.

“How dare you.” Your voice low in hurt and unbelieving anger. 

“How dare you speak to me like I wasn’t there, watching as my home and my family BURNED. Watching my loved ones crumble, being tossed in a ship as I watched my parents die, landing on a planet thousands of lightyears away, having no idea where I was and being forced to claw tooth and nail to make anything of myself. So don’t you DARE. Sit there and tell me how hard your life is,” you walked up to her and stared into her deep hazel eyes, “when I’ve seen it all too.” You let out a gust of air in defeat and felt a tear slide down your cheek, betraying your anger. You took a shallow breath before you turned and walked down the long hallways of the TARDIS.

You heard her trying to follow, before the TARDIS led her astray, letting you walk to your room in peace.

You sat down on your bed and whimpered lightly, trying to withhold the emotions that threatened to destroy you. You heard soft music being to play, and the lights dimmed as the TARDIS projected your favorite galaxy onto the ceiling. 

"Thanks lovely.” She hummed in response and you leaned back to place your hand against the wall.

She hummed again and you smiled in return, laying back down against the bed frame and looking to the stars above you.

You weren’t sure how long you’d been sleeping, but you were suddenly jolted awaked by your room door being slammed open.

“I think you should go.” You squinted your eyes to see your star in the door way, her face blotchy and her clothes wrinkled.

“What-?” You said barely above a whisper.

“I think-“ her voice broke, “I think you should go. For a little while. Just so we can have some time….apart.”

You felt your soul cry at her words, but you didn’t say anything, you couldn’t.

So, you stood, grabbing your phone from your bedside table and silently walked out the door past her.

As you walked towards the console room, the TARDIS began beeping and humming loudly, seemingly very upset at the sight of you leaving. Yet, she didn’t stop you. She respected you enough to not interfere. You walked into the console room and to the door, opening it you saw you were in your flat, just as you had left it. You turned and looked up to the ceiling of the TARDIS.

“I know my beauty, but you have to.” You turned to the door and touched it lightly. 

“Just.. make sure she comes back when she needs to, okay?” The console lit up and you could hear a small hum in acknowledgement. 

You walked out fully, and closed the door behind you. 

“Now go, and keep my star girl safe.” You pressed your head against the doors before stepping back as you watched the TARDIS phase from view. She was doing what you had asked her to.

Now, as your vision blurred, you prayed that wherever she was, that she was keeping your star safe, just like she promised she would.

You began to feel yourself drift. 

This was it. 

You were on your last regeneration and there was nothing to be done.

You looked up at the bright blue sky above you and ignored the hurried footsteps that were quickly approaching. 

Whatever they planned on doing, they really couldn’t do much worse.

Your thoughts were interrupted as a blonde woman came into view, you could faintly hear her yelling for you to keep breathing, just stay awake.

You wanted to, you really did, but it was so tempting to let yourself sink into the welcoming darkness.

Distantly, you felt yourself being lifted and carried somewhere.

You could hear a heartbeat, no, two. 

But that meant, this was your star?

Why would she have come back after telling you to go?

You must be hallucinating. Yeah, that was it.

When you opened your eyes again, you saw a soft golden light pass by quickly and a loud humming.

Oh, it was the TARDIS. 

Even in this state, you could sense her panic as you were very quickly set on a bed and told multiple things, none of which you processed.

Something was injected into your arm, and the voice became clearer.

It was your star…crying? 

No, begging.

Maybe both.

“Please….just…hang on my love…please…I can’t be alone again… I'm so so sorry please i'll do anything for you, anything.” You felt her lift the crimson sheet of blood off you and begin tending to your wounds.

Your eyes hurt. A lot. As you struggled to open them in the blinding white lights of the room you were in.

A faint beeping sound was heard along with light breathing. You turned your head to see your star, there, sleeping haphazardly in some type of office chair.

You took this moment to study her appearance.

Her jacket was discarded across the room, and her suspenders hung by her sides. Her shirt was ruffled and untucked, and her pants were wrinkled.

Her face was covered in deep lines of emotion, even in sleep you could tell they’d been there for a long time. 

You took in a deep breath as you tried to sit up, whimpering as you felt a sharp pain shoot through your abdomen.

Your star shot up from her chair immediately, almost falling on her face as she rushed to you.

“Oh, nonono. You have to stay my love. You need to heal.”

As she spoke you noticed the look she held, it was one of undying love, and of jagged fear.

She began frantically looking you over, making sure you were okay.

“Hey, hey..” You grabbed her hand as she ran it over your bandages, her head turned and you saw the exhaustion clear on her face.

“I’m fine." You offered her a small smile as proof. "My space girl.. always worrying.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Can you blame me? I mean look at you, your-“

You shushed her.

“I’m alive? Yeah, I am.”

She looked to you and smiled.

You frowned, a sudden thought invading your mind.

“Have you slept?” 

She seemed to contemplate this for a moment before shaking her head.

“Can we go to my room? Not to sound ungrateful, but this bed is doing nothing to help my back pain.”

She scoffed.

“You and your backpain.”

You swatted at her lightly. 

“Hey! It’s not like I can do anything about that.” You frowned.

“Alright, fine. We can go to your room. I’m gonna carry you, okay?” She looked to you for approval.

You did your best salute, “Yes mamm.”

She shook her head with a smile before very carefully lifting you into her arms and heading out of the room.

 You reached up and wrapped your arm around her neck, ignoring the searing pain this caused.

You watched her as she walked, her blonde hair caressing her face as she focused straight ahead, focused on getting you there as comfortably and safely as possible.

You let your eyes fall closed, as the rocking of her steps caressed you to sleep.

[cherrylight]

hi. (long post btw)

my computers fixed yippee

however, even if its been approximately almost 3 days, ive learned a lot on what i enjoy and what brought me a lot of stress so thats a good thing

during that time, i still had a lot of fear on posting but i was mainly just on one particular site, spotify, and youtube the entire time and i had the most fun ive ever had in a long time. i wasnt upset i wasnt overthinking and wondered about things that would get me sad. i just did whatever i wanted and i had fun like a lot of fun

as well as that: i also talked to people a bit and even sent a nice message to someone :]

however there was one bad thing and it was some weird guy and he sent me a message and i panicked horribly about that so that was fun

ive also learned a lot of people just hate and cause drama for no goddamn reason other than to just spread stupid bullshit

regardless as much as that happened i had fun and i written up something and just in general had fun for once without constantly wondering what people would think of me if i did this if i did that

its so tiring and fruitless at this point

so i might just post whatever the hell i want and just do what i want more than what other people want i guess it correlates to the time i had an idc attitude and rb and posted w/e i wanted at that given moment

or i might go days not being on this site at all to just have fun for myself whatever the case may be ... i learned things about myself and that is all that matters + might make a few positive posts over the frivolous bs i saw those days

regardless. hello. hi. computers fixed. lifes been way better than i ever realised when im not constantly checking the stupid apps. will be more myself and have fun, be as cringe as you want who cares. peace and love on planet earth

[sashannarcy]

give me random hcs of whoever da fuc u want

foolish of you to say "whoever u want" and not expect this to b abt Sasha. anyway (putting this under a cut to spare everyone):

I thinkkkk they fidget a lot, but like. involuntarily, as in they are always moving in some way shape or form. either their leg is bouncing or their fingers are twitching or they're tapping out a rhythm on the closest surface or they're running a hand through their hair or they're playing w the hilt of one of their swords or th

they do NOT LIKE physical contact unless they are the one to initiate it OR it's coming from someone they trust completely (u already know who I think this person is for them). anytime one of her friends initiates physical contact w/o her expecting it, it always makes her jump a bit; if it's coming from anyone other than a friend then she will immediately get annoyed/uncomfortable/angry/WHATEVER

whenever they think rlly hard abt smth they bring their hand up to their face in that typical thinking pose but then they trace their thumb on their scar over and over and over and it's sorta just a habit that developed subconsciously. to anyone else it looks like they're literally plotting revenge but in reality they're doing it w/o being aware of it

we know that they skateboard so I think they're probably decent at it, they can't do anything crazy but one night they stayed up until like 4 am watching videos on how to do tricks and then spent the entirety of the next day obsessively learning how to ollie; as soon as they got it down they brought their skateboard to school all nonchalant and ollied onto the sidewalk like they'd known how to do it for years, and they're all smug on the outside but on the inside they're like YESyesyes FUCK yes I DID it. and they go to the skatepark to try to learn other tricks but they always have to make sure next to no one is around bc they don't want anybody to see them fuck up a trick as they learn it

I wanna say she's naturally musically talented but doesn't give a fuck abt learning the proper way to play music and blah blah blah. LIKE THIS IS EXTREMELY SELF-INDULGENT BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT'S PRACTICALLY CANON? they just. THEY KNOW HOW TO WRITE SONGS? Anne and Marcy are always like Sash where did you learn how to compose stuff and they're just like. bitch idk if it sounds good in my head I just make it happen. they've got a program on their computer where they put together melodies but they don't rlly show anyone else unless they're confident that it's a rlly fucking banger song

THIS BITCH HAS INSOMNIA. I do not CARE what anyone else says, they were kept behind bars and traumatized for so fucking long so if they didn't have insomnia before they definitely do now. if they had it before Amphibia they'd probably have just stayed up doing dumb shit like one night they just climb on the roof of their house and sit there for a while. and she's constantly coming into school LOOKING dead tired but not actually acting tired and Anne and Marcy are like Sasha wtf did u do this time u look like u've been hit by a car and Sash just goes oh haha u know. the usual.

going off that I think they probably learned how to swordfight by once again looking it up as much as they could at like 1 in the morning, and then they abruptly got out of bed and were like alright. climbed out of their bedroom window, went marching around for a stick or smth else they could use, and then just started DILIGENTLY swinging it around and whacking trees and lampposts until it's 5 am and they're like ah. can't wait to show Anne and Marcy this one when I have to get up for school in two hours. but it becomes a fixation for her and she keeps training herself w it for weeks and weeks, and when she gets transported to Amphibia and starts working w Grime, he perfects her technique a bit but is otherwise shocked at how much of a knack she has for it

they realize they're nonbinary after Marcy comes out to both them and Anne as nb, and they at first didn't know what it meant but didn't wanna say it out loud to avoid seeming stupid so they just. eventually pulled Anne to the side and was like hey what does. nonbinary mean. and Anne explains and Sash is like oh. huh. and they like the sound of the label and they THINK it fits them but they're unsure so for months they don't say anything. but during those months they sorta personally test the label out on themself and this mainly consists of them muttering "I'm nonbinary. I can do whatever the fuck I want" under their breath every time they do anything they are not supposed to b doing. AND THEN FINALLY THEY ACCIDENTALLY COME OUT TO ANNE AND MARCY WHILE THEY'RE IN AMPHIBIA.. probably sometime between The Dinner and Battle of the Bands where Anne is like "Sash you should probably stop walking around like you're gonna kill someone" and Sasha goes why are you restricting my right to look angry when I'm literally nonbinary. this is a hate crime. and Anne is like wait you're WHAT?

anyway I'm cutting myself off now before this gets more excessive than it already is but yeah. there u go

[shreddedparchment]

A Wife For Thor Pt.01

10/12/2020

Arrivals and Departures

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 6,990

Warnings: language, talks of death, angst, talks of sex,

A/N: This is seriously...I mean, I don’t even know where this came from. Credits to @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​ because Roo gave me the idea and I kinda ran with it. Like omg, y’all. Blame Roo. If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work! xoxo Dialogue from Thor Ragnarok has been used in the beginning of this story.

Please do not REPOST my stories anywhere. Reblogs are most welcome!

He stands with his arms crossed in what appears to be a small sitting room with a large window that opens to the sublime sight of the black space beyond. Sterling silver, radiant red, and brilliant blue stars twinkle into infinity.

This is a sight that Thor had seen many times before and yet, for the first time in an age, he felt hopeful for the future.

His fight had ended. With Ragnarok, his journey had reached an end. Not the end, but certainly that of a chapter I which his battles might rest.

He imagines that this might be how his father felt when he had taken charge of the nine realms.

However violent that takeover might have been, his father had lied about many things—his sister for one—it had been the beginning of a quieter reign. A new formative time for his father. He may not have been a perfect man, but he’d grown wiser in many ways. Still not the best father, but his father, nonetheless.

Thor can almost picture his life on Earth, a time of peace. A time to rebuild. He will be able to give his people a good life there and he’s certain that his friends will appreciate having him closer. Friends from work they may be, but friends.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to go back to Earth?” Loki asks, standing beside him with his hands held gently at his front.

Thor looks at him, waiting a moment to allow him to finish speaking.

“Yes, of course.” Thor assures him. “The people of Earth love me. I’m very popular.”

Loki takes a breath, looking out the window as he quickly accepts his brother’s reasoning while simultaneously realizing he must word this differently to get his point across.

“Let me rephrase that.” Loki begins, “Do you really think it’s a good idea to bring me back to Earth?”

Thor knows that Loki has a point. His history with Earth is…not perfect. To say the least.

“Probably not, to be honest.” He admits, noting Loki’s apprehension.

Loki smiles, a little knowing.

“I wouldn’t worry, brother.” Thor tells him, both turning back to the void outside. “I feel like everything’s going to work out fine.”

The moment seems endless, the two of them waiting as if the something should or might happen after Thor’s optimistic sentiments.

Then the moment passes and Loki sighs.

“Right, well, I’ll start rounding up the people who will be of the most use once we arrive.”

Thor gives his brother one parting smile but doesn’t watch him leave.

Thor doesn’t know exactly what has changed in him, what makes him so confident in this decision, but he knows it’s the best decision he could have made. And if he’s honest, though he’d never admit it out loud, the possibility of finally being on the same planet as Jane…well, he’d be a fool not to consider the possibilities.

~~~~~~~~~~

Something feels different today.

As you wake, turning onto your side to stare across the small room at the blinking line on the blank word document on your computer screen, you can’t quite put your finger on what is making you nervous.

Your stomach is rolling, making you queasy, despite the fact that you have no reason to be anxious.

Yesterday was like the day before and today will be just like yesterday. Nothing in your life ever changes, and that’s become so much of who you are that whenever you have even a doctor’s appointment your heart begins to race in dreaded anticipation.

With trembling hands you clutch your blanket, trying to find a reason behind this mood. Your breath quickens as your heart panics, your mind scrambling to make sense of these emotions but nothing comes to mind.

So, you get out of bed. You get dressed choosing a simple knee length black dress that fits loose enough to keep you comfortable throughout the day. Then you head into the kitchen and start the coffee pot.

Halfway through the brew you shut the machine off and rush to dump out its contents into the sink.

“Fuck.”

You sigh, realizing you should really invest in decaf coffee for morning just like this.

“Tea. Tea is better.” You rationalize and pull your kettle off the warmer and fill it in the sink.

You replace it in its dock then turn your back to it, hands gripping the edge of the counter as you lean against it.

Your fingers stroke the smooth and unvarnished wooden countertop, suddenly going rigid around the lip as your heart goes frantic again.

The island counter directly in front of you is made of the same unvarnished wood, a slightly mismatched chair on the other side, tucked in beside the open shelving that holds your pots and pans. Along the center of the island sits a small vase with nearly completely withered flowers.

You’re filled with relief as your hands are given new task and you hurry forward and take the clear glass vase, toss the flowers—which crumble as they hit yesterday’s empty cereal box—dump the water in the sink and quickly refill it.

Setting the vase aside, you pull open a drawer and pluck from an array of contents a small packet of flower food, a pair of small pruners, a long piece of twine, and head out the back door to your modest backyard.

There isn’t much in it, and it’s unfenced. A large tree at the back-left corner provides shade and pecans. In the center of the yard sits a set of antique iron work garden furniture. Twisted and shaped into what reminds you of lace. Two smaller chairs and one long bench with curved backs.

You’ve been of a mind to buy cushions for them, but you haven’t found an excuse to justify the expense.

In between the garden set sits an outdoor coffee table made of wood and painted white. It’s fading and will need a new coat soon but again the expense can wait. At least until you sell another story.

Apart from this set and a small wooden shed beside the pecan tree, your yard is mostly overgrown grass and carefully cultivated flowers lining the length of your narrow back porch.

You smile, noticing the length of your grass, grateful for another something to keep you busy today. Something to keep your mind off this mysterious and anxious premonition of something to come.

Quickly you move to a large blooming bush at the end of your porch and cut from it several bunches of pink and blue garden phlox.

You admire the shade of the blue flowers. The color reminds you a pair of blue eyes you’d once seen on a woman who’d come to your school as a child.

She’d been beautiful and kind, but she hadn’t picked you. Still, you’d never forgotten the color of her eyes.

The pink is pastel at the edges of its petals and vibrant magenta at the center.

As you head back in, the kettle only barely beginning to steam, you quickly arrange the bunches you’ve picked and wrap them up with the twine. You set the bushel aside and with the vase pulled close, you tear the packet of flower food with your teeth and pour it in.

Replacing the flowers, you give the kettle one more look before you race back into your bedroom to pick out a more appropriate outfit for cutting the grass.

You decide on a pair of jeans and a plain yellow t-shirt. Pulling them on, you pause with your shirt hooked around your arms as your eyes find your laptop screen, annoyingly black still.

With a groan you pull your shirt on and from the kitchen you hear the whistle.

Breakfast is simple. A store-bought muffin and a cup of breakfast tea do the trick and while you’re still chewing your last bite you head out to cut your grass.

It doesn’t take you too long and you lament the last bit as you cut it, the machine vibrating violently in your nervous grip.

No matter how much you try to distract yourself, this feeling of something terrible coming will not go away and you’re about to go out of your mind when a shout from your back door pulls your mind from it.

Standing there is an older man with an unconventionally handsome face. His lips are thin, cheekbones prominent, brown eyes sunken, and his nose long and defined. His dark hair slicked and parted, neatly kept to match his crisp navy suit.

“Aren’t you a little overdressed?” You shout at him as the whirr of the machine dies into silence.

The man moves towards you, a smile brightening his face.

“I was just at a meeting.” He explains.

“Do you ever stop working?” You wonder, pushing the lawn mower towards the shed as he follows.

“Only when I’m on vacation.” He tells you, amusement in his voice but subdued and you only hear it because you’ve known him for years.

“You don’t take vacations.” You sputter, almost laughing.

“Precisely.” He agrees.

He waits for you to shut the door and when you turn, he greets you with open arms.

“How have you been?” He asks, holding the hug for longer than you’re used to which only adds to the anxiety you’ve been feeling all morning.

What’s going on?!

“Hey, you okay?” You ask him, ignoring his question in favor of satisfying your curiosity.

He doesn’t answer but holds the hug a moment longer before pulling back to look at you.

“We have to talk.” He tells you, making your heart pound.

“Okay. You want some breakfast?” You offer, and swallow hard as your fear mounts.

“Sure.” He says and follows you inside.

You make him a full breakfast. Eggs, bacon, breakfast sausage, and buttered toast with a cup of coffee. Just because you can’t stand the idea of being hyped up on caffeine today doesn’t mean David won’t.

He digs right in while you stand on the other side of the island, sipping on your second cup of tea in hopes that it will ease your frayed nerves.

For a few minutes he gobbles down your food but when you shift on your feet for the fourth time, he clears his throat, takes a drink of his coffee, then puts his fork down.

“It’s not exactly bad news.” He assures you, easing you a little but something tells you that you still won’t like it.

“Just tell me, David.”

“As your lawyer,” He begins, sitting back in your old wobbly chair. “It’s my duty to inform you when there are developments with your family’s estate.”

“Right.” You agree, remembering the day he’d found you when you’d turned eighteen to tell you that you weren’t exactly as poor as you’d thought.

You’re not really rich either. You have a little money that your parents set aside for you. Old money that you hadn’t really touched. You use it mostly for bills when you can’t sell a story fast enough and most of your wealth is in this cottage. A family home that you’d had no idea was yours until David brought you here.

Finally, a home, after living in that school all those years.

“Well, I think it might be time to reveal a little more of that estate’s history.”

“Why?” You put down the floral porcelain cup and wrap your arms around yourself, afraid of what he’ll say.

How did you know that something was coming? What kind of sixth sense do you have?!

“After all this time, why would it matter?” You sigh, moving to pull out the second chair to his right on the shorter end of the island.

“Don’t panic.” He tells you, reaching over to place his hand over yours. “Let’s keep our heads. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“You say that, but why do I feel like that’s not exactly true?” You sigh.

He blinks, gathering his thoughts before he nods.

“I think I’ll tell you all at once. Like ripping a band-aid. Might be the easiest for you.” He realizes.

You don’t disagree.

“Your family comes from a very small people in Europe. Their origins are hard to trace but we know that they travelled between France, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Greece, and even spent a large amount of time in hiding in the United Kingdom.”

“I get it, they were nomads.” You sigh, your mood taking a turn from the anticipation of clarity.

“Yes. Nomads.” David agrees, patting your hand in an attempt to calm you. “I only mention it because there are many questions as to where they had originated from. No one seems to know. Unfortunately, I don’t think that question will ever be answered as all records before their stint in France have been lost.

“What we do know is that your ancestors, your bloodline are royalty.” David says, as easily as if he were telling you your age. “Even though the titles have long since been lost, you are technically—though you have no country to rule over—a princess.”

Slowly his words sink in and your face begins to relax. You look down at his hand over yours and without warning you laugh once. Then again, and again, until you’re leaning on your chair, head thrown back as your whole body shakes with it.

“What is so funny?” David asks, unamused but he goes back to eating.

“This is a joke, right? You’re pulling my leg.” You gasp, breath shallow.

“Not one little bit.” He shakes his head. “If we knew what country your ancestors came from, you would very much be in some palace or castle, reigning over your people. Your parents, were they alive, would have been King and Queen.

“You may not think it possible, but that is your legacy, Y/N. You are of royal blood.” David insists which sobers you a little, but you think it’s so silly that this is what you’d been so scared of.

This is what you’d been dreading?

“Okay. Fine. I believe you. But what does it matter? You said that if I still had a country then I would be princess, but clearly, I don’t. So, I’m not. What’s the point of telling me this when it makes absolutely no difference to my life?

“I don’t feel any different and it’s not like that makes me any richer? I’m still sitting on a decently sized fortune to assure that I don’t want for anything at least until my forties. What could this possibly change that you felt it necessary to tell me?”

David wipes his mouth with his napkin, finishing up the last bit of his coffee before he gets up and with his dirty plates moves towards the sink.

“Leave it, David. I’ll clean up later.” You watch him, sitting up a little straighter as that anxious feeling begins to grow again with his extended silence.

He washes the plate and as he does, your nerves begin to fray again. You anxiously pick at a small splinter in your island, waiting for him to speak.

He turns towards you as he finished washing his plate, then meets your eyes.

“You weren’t just revealing my heritage, were you?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I felt I needed to reveal your heritage because someone has reached out with the hopes of setting up a meeting with you.”

“Why would anyone wanna meet with me simply because they know of my lineage?” You wonder, slouched, hands moved to your lap to rest limply as you stare at David, fear increasing with every moment that passes.

“May I ask you a personal question?” He says, moving to stand closer as he dries his hand on your dishtowel.

“David, you know everything about me.” You sigh.

“Why haven’t you ever had a boyfriend? Or girlfriend? I’m not sure I’ve ever asked if you-?”

“To be honest, I don’t know either.” You shrug. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Not even as a child?” He wonders.

“I was too busy wishing for parents as a kid.” You clarify. “I didn’t have time for crushes or any of that stuff.”

“Are you opposed to a relationship?” David asks, dropping the towel then moving around to sit back down in his seat.

“Opposed?” You ask, shaking your head. “Not exactly opposed. I’ve just never known anyone worth caring about like that. I’m mainly here at home. I do go into town when I need to get my packages but there isn’t anyone there that…I don’t draw attention like that.”

“You’re a pretty girl.” David tells you, reaching over to tug on your sleeve. “When you aren’t sweaty and covered in grass clippings.”

You scoff, shaking your head.

“It’s not something I really worry about.” You admit.

“Would you ever want to get married?” David asks, and your heart is suddenly pounding.

The idea of being someone’s wife had crossed your mind once or twice. Mostly when you’d been jotting down ideas or plotlines for your books. In the end, because you didn’t think you had enough insight, you’d opted to remove all romance. You write mysteries.

“I don’t know that I’d be any good at it.” You confess. “I’m not…I can’t exactly picture myself being someone’s wife.”

“Why not?”

“Because I…I don’t even know what I’d be like in a relationship, sharing space and time, much less sharing an entire life?” You shake your head. “I’m not saying that I haven’t thought about it but it’s only ever been in passing.”

David goes silent, tapping his index finger against the island.

“David, please. You know I can’t take the suspense.” You plead.

“Yes. I’m sorry.” He nods then reminds himself, “Band-aid.”

You take a deep breath and turn to face him a little more in your seat.

“Well, you are aware of our planet’s newest inhabitants?”

“Th-The Asgardians in Norway?”

“Yes.” David nods. “Well, as a sign of good faith, to ensure that they will abide by Earth’s laws and to assuage any ideas from panicked world leaders that they might try and overtake the planet and make it their own, they have decided that marriage to someone from Earth might be the best way to do that.

“The Asgardian known as Brunnhilde has reached out to all families of royal blood and asked to meet with any eligible women, preferably—as she so tactfully put it—maidens.” He explains. “Which I take it you are?”

You swallow hard, your lungs rubbed of oxygen and yet you somehow manage to quietly acknowledge, “Yes. I’m a virgin.”

How can you not be after spending your whole life unconcerned with romance?

“You don’t have to do it, Y/N.” David suddenly says; however, you can see the ‘but’ in his eyes. “But if you don’t and the Asgardian king cannot choose from the women he does meet, you will probably be hunted down and forced to meet with him anyway.

“All world leaders are in agreement that this is the correct and only way to ensure the safety of the planet. They will not give up until every woman meeting the Asgardian’s requirements have been given the chance to meet with Thor.”

“Thor?!” You gasp, rising to your feet as hundreds if not thousands of images flash through your mind of the Thunder God and the Avengers fighting side by side.

“Yes.” David affirms, rising to his feet with you. “With the death of his father, he is now King of Asgard.”

Of course, Thor is going to be King. You already knew this. It’s common sense.

For some reason though, the confirmation made out loud, vocally…how the fuck are you supposed to marry Thor? An Avenger? That’s not…this cannot be real life!

“David,” You begin, apprehensive.

“I know. I know it is a lot to ask but as I said, I don’t believe we have much of a choice. He might very well not pick you.” David adds, rushing to comfort you and point out how unlikely you’d be the one Thor chooses to wed. “There are plenty of other women that he’s already met with. Women that are more suited to life in a palace than you are. The Hungarian princess is so eager to be Queen of Asgard that she’s been sending the other women bribes to try and convince them to refuse.

“It won’t make a difference, since they cannot refuse should Thor choose them.” David admits.

“A-all I have to do is meet with him?” You stutter, heart in your throat.

“Just a quick one-hour meeting. He’ll ask you questions. Get to know a bit about you. See if you are suited for life as Asgardian queen and then it’s over.” David assures you.

“I’m…There are lots of other women better for it, right?”

“Loads of them.” David promises.

New fears begin to take hold in your heart and mind.

It conjures up the last time you’d seen Thor, strutting from a massive spaceship docked over the ocean by New Asgard. He’d risen from its depths all wide shoulders and biceps. Heavy steps thudding as he’d stopped at the end of the massive ramp, waving at the cameras as his people had filed out behind him.

His hair cropped short as opposed to the long tresses he’d had when he’d last been on Earth, one eye missing with a sleek black and gold metal patch over it the absence.

You’ve never been threatened by him before. He’s a hero. But the prospect of being his wife and having wifely duties...

Your mind flies into panic as it shifts that large body over you, crawling towards you with his hands prying your legs open. The years of sexual experience radiating off of this fantasy Thor and all of his bulging muscles.

You almost want to throw up at the prospect of having to consummate a marriage. You haven’t exactly been eager to be with anyone since you haven’t met anyone special, but you’d at least imagined something more intimate. More personal.

“David I-they won’t choose me though, right?” You reach out for him because your legs are suddenly weak.

He takes hold of your arms and helps you stand still.

“They won’t.” He tells you, sounding convinced. “There are better candidates. Women with actual titles.”

He’s right. Of course, he’s right. He has to be right.

“It’s just a quick meeting.” He promises. “Then it’ll all be over, and you can come back to your cottage and live just as you have been, with no one to bother you.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Leaving your little place is difficult. After spending years without a home to call your own, now that you have your cottage, tearing yourself away from it is like pulling splinters.

You like your little yard. You like your flowers. You love your bed and its white sheets, little pink and yellow flowers printed on the soft fabric.

You’d made it more feminine. You’d brought flowers back and frills and lace. You’d made it everything you thought a cottage at the edge of a wood should look like and as time had gone by you’d brought in more personal touches.

After several years, your home is finally completely you.

This place, this massive Asgardian structure is less gold and more wood, stone, and iron. Silver steel polished so bright it gleams even in moonlight. This place is not you. It’s him. It’s Thor. His home.

Right now, with the day almost over, the palace takes on a warmer tone. The wooden structures and gray stone pillars are bathed in orange light, giving the place a pleasant glow and despite yourself, you can almost picture Thor meandering through these Nordic halls, a long crimson robe around his thick form.

It isn’t an unpleasant image now that you’ve given yourself some time to get used to the idea of him.

When you arrived you were greeted and seated in a large round room, the lower quarter of the sturdy walls made of ornate stone brick, the rest of the wall beautiful dark oak. The floor is also stone, massive carpets underneath several pieces of obviously Norse inspired furniture.

Well actually, the Norse was probably derived from Asgardian styles. There’s a difference in them that you can see but don’t understand. The coffee table in front of you has ornately carved legs, golden embellishments, and a black coat of paint.

The sofa you’re sitting on is mostly wood, painted gold, with plush and soft satin covered cushions in wine red.

There are two other tables around the room, a collection of books on one and an array of fruits, foods, and drinks on the other. There are several different statues and stands. Lamps that look as if they should have flames instead of the electric bulbs they now hold.

Small touches of modern design filter through the room complimenting the more traditional décor.

“Hello there.” Says a lilting voice.

You recognize it and turn to find Loki, slipping through a narrow opening in the large set of doors you’d been escorted through almost half an hour ago.

He’s dressed in a black suit with a plain white t-shirt underneath dressing the look down.

“H-Hi.” You stammer, surprised by his appearance.

You stand, knowing well that he may not be King but for Asgard, Loki is still a prince.

“No, please. Do not get up on my account.” He gestures at your seat and you settle back in as he crosses to the table with all the books. “I forgot some papers in here, I only came to retrieve them. Do not mind me.”

You avert your eyes, afraid to see something you shouldn’t and sit just as stiffly as before, hands fisting the royal purple dress you’d chosen to wear. It’s simple, quarter sleeves, high neckline with a small V at the center. Just above your knees in length, it rises as you grip it.

“Nervous to meet my brother?” Loki asks, stopping by the doors as he eyes your tight grip.

“This whole situation is a little stressful.” You admit. “I’m…I live in a small house in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“Ah, you’re the one with the lost lineage.” Loki realizes, moving closer with interest. “A hidden princess. You could have refused to come, you know?”

“I would have been forced eventually.” You point out. “There are a lot of people who want this marriage thing to happen.”

“True.” Loki agrees, “My fault, I’m afraid. I make them nervous.”

“You did very nearly destroy New York.” You point out, remembering the carnage reported that day. The aftermath had taken forever to clean up.

“I did.” Loki agrees. “Do you fear me?”

“No.” You admit. “If you weren’t safe, Thor wouldn’t have brought you back here.”

“He could just be too trusting.”

“Maybe.” You agree. “But with the fate of his entire people tied to the successful acclimation of Asgard and Earth, if you were really a threat, I think he’d have cut you out before coming back.”

Loki’s lips slowly curl up into a smile before breaking apart into a toothy grin.

“What is your name again?” He asks, a sparkle of something in his eyes.

“Y/N.” You tell him. “Why?”

“No reason. This has been very illuminating, Y/N. It was lovely to meet you.” Loki says then with a quick bow of his head, he leaves you to your solitude.

Confused, you sit there completely at a loss for what just happened.

Had you taken too many liberties with Loki? What had that smile meant? You’d been made aware that Loki was also involved in recruiting women of royal blood into marriage meetings for Thor, but you hadn’t expected him to know you by the description of where you live.

Maybe because it’s so unlike anyone else’s?

You sit there stewing for another twenty minutes, wondering if maybe you’re being stood up when the large doors open once again.

You shoot up onto your feet, so damn nervous your body reacts without your permission. Through the door this time comes the man of the hour. The massive Thunder God dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain gray t-shirt crosses over to the table with food and pours himself a stein of what looks like beer from a sloshing brown pitcher.

“Estrid, is this from the new batch of ale?” He booms loud enough that he can be heard even outside of the room as he takes a quick sniff of the liquid.

His voice is so deep.

Licking your lips, you watch him drink the entire stein without taking a breath or waiting for an answer, and then refill it before grabbing it and taking an apple with his other hand.

He turns, holding the fruit up to his mouth and freezes with it pressed to his lips as he meets your eyes, realizing he isn’t alone.

You’re not exactly sure what to say or what to do, completely taken aback by this strange and sudden exposure to candid Thor. Both of you unprepared to see each other despite the fact that you’ve literally been waiting nearly an hour for him.

His confusion mounts as he lowers the apple, looking around as if expecting an explanation or to see if he’s in the correct room.

“What time is it?” He suddenly asks, meeting your gaze again.

“N-Nearly six.” You tell him, and his one good eye goes slightly wide.

“Oh!” His lips curl up into an easy smile. “I did not think it was that late.”

His smile makes you feel a little more at ease, but you’re still on edge.

“You’re my meeting.” He tells you, as if you don’t already know that. “Y/N? Y/L/N, right?”

“Yes.” You nod, then before you can stop yourself… “You’re late.”

Thor blinks. Startled it seems or maybe just surprised, but then he smiles again. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“I mean, you can be as late as you’d like. This is your meeting. Sorry. I didn’t…I don’t know why I said that.” You rush to say.

“No, no.” Thor turns to put down his stein of beer and the apple replaced in its bowl. “You’re right. I am late. We were supposed to meet at five, weren’t we?”

When he turns back to you, you nod.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you have much you could be doing.” Thor says, moving towards you and gesturing at the spot you’d been in before sitting down at the other end of the sofa.

“No.” You confess. “Not really. I’m actually one of the only people that probably doesn’t have much to do. Well, I mean, I could be writing. Or cleaning house.”

“They tell me that you had no knowledge about your lineage before Brunnhilde reached out to your lawyer?”

You nod. “It’s not really important. Or…no. That’s not the right-what I mean to say is that it isn’t significant to my life.”

“Don’t you want to know who your family is?” Thor wonders.

“I know who my family is. I had a mom. And a dad. Both died just after I was born. That’s my family.” You explain. “Apart from getting to meet you, the news that my family was once royalty doesn’t change it in any way. I’m still just as insignificant today as I was before.”

Thor narrows his brow, watching you for a long torturous moment as he considers what you’d just said.

“Tell me about yourself.” He suddenly says, turning to lean back against the arm, his own thrown over the back, right leg bent up onto the sofa.

“There isn’t much to tell.” You admit. “I was born, my parents died in an accident. I was taken to a school for orphans where I grew up and aged out. On the day I had to leave, Mr. Valis found me and gave me my inheritance which is a good amount of money and a small house. I’ve been living there ever since.”

“You didn’t take any additional schooling?” Thor asks, relaxing. “All the other young women I’ve met have made it a point to tell me about the universities and colleges they’ve attended.”

“I took a few correspondence classes.” You tell him, “But I’ve only ever wanted to write, and I didn’t feel that I needed a higher education to do it. I mean, it would probably look better on my resume, but my writing should speak for itself.”

You can’t really tell what he’s thinking with the way he’s watching you, his hand playing with a thread on the back of the sofa.

You take it as a good sign that many of the other women have a degree of some sort. They must want someone respectable with a good education, right?

“How do you feel about political marriages?” He asks, and you’re stunned for a moment.

“Um…”

“Be honest, please.”

“I guess I don’t like the idea?” You admit. “Being forced to marry someone you don’t love because duty demands it? Feels archaic. If you love someone, whether they fit into whatever political standards are being demanded or not should not be a reason to get married.”

Thor sits up, shifting a little closer as he leans towards you.

“If you were asked to go along with a political marriage in every way but the heart, could you?” He wonders, much more interested than before.

“What do you mean?” You ask, confused.

“Well, let’s say for example, you and I were to marry. We’d be expected to have children. You’d be bound to do your duties as Queen of Asgard, but you would not be required to love me. Would you be able to fulfill these requirements?”

“You don’t want to do this, do you?” You realize, seeing the eagerness in his eyes. His shoulders slump. “If you don’t want to get married, why don’t you just say something?”

“I must do what I can to ensure the future of my people.” Thor says, sighing deeply.

“I’m guessing there’s someone else you do love that you can’t marry?”

“Not that I can’t but won’t. She isn’t ready for marriage and I don’t feel right making that kind of demand from her when she clearly has other things she’d like to be doing with her life. And…yes, maybe a little bit can’t. A royal marriage would make the most sense. I need a Queen.” Thor says.

You can’t find the words to tell him how fucked up this all is so instead you sit in silence.

“I know this is not ideal. I’ve tried to find other ways of assuring Earth of my commitment to this planet but nothing I’ve suggested is good enough.”

He needs a Queen. This gives you solace. No one is less of a queen than you are.

“I’m sorry.” You finally tell him. “It’s not fair. But I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone who checks all those boxes for you. I hear the Hungarian princess is pretty eager.”

Thor ignores you, stroking his beard as he watches you. “What do you want from a marriage? Let us say it’s many years from now and you have found someone you love beyond all reason. You two decide to get married. What does that look like?”

You’re a little surprised by the question but you humor him and take a moment to really think about it.

The man you picture has no face. There is no one you care enough about to imagine. So…because he’s the only option, you take Thor’s face and give your imaginary husband a face.

“We’d be partners.” You tell him. “Open about everything important. We would respect each other’s individualities. If something is troubling me, I would like to know that I could turn to him and if he had something on his mind, I’d hope that he could turn to me too.

“We’d be honest about even the unpleasant aspects of our life together. If we disagreed, we would talk about it openly. We wouldn’t hide from each other. We’d spend as much time as we could together and always make time for each other.”

You picture Thor sitting at your island in your comfy cottage. He’s so massive that he’d take up so much space. You’d have to squeeze past him, and he’d turn to wrap his arms around your waist as you pass.

He’d trap you there, not letting you move.

“We’d make breakfast together. Cramped up in my little kitchen, it would turn into play.” You smile. “We’d lounge around the house, reading and listening to music. In the evenings we’d move out to the backyard and watch the sun set then watch the stars until I’d fall asleep on his shoulder.”

As if you’re caught doing something you shouldn’t be, you startle yourself out of your daydream and feel your neck heat up.

You’d crossed from rational marriage into sentimental and you’re a little shocked at the detail in which your mind has gone.

You’re also a little startled by the pleasant feeling that picturing Thor in those situations has given you.

For someone who has never had a crush, you’re startled by the butterflies it gives you.

“But I’ve never been into anyone like that before.” You tell him, looking away from his intense gaze. “So, even if that’s what I picture, it’s not like it’s ever gonna happen.”

“It might.” Thor says, sounding as if he might be trying to comfort you.

“It won’t.” You assure him. “I hope your girl changes her mind.”

There’s a bitter ache in your chest as you say it, and you’re certain it’s only there because of the little fantasy you just allowed yourself to have. You should have picture someone else.

“I hope they relax on the royal blood thing and let you marry someone you love instead.” You hope.

“You say that as if you already know that I won’t pick you.” Thor observes.

You smile wide, laughing even as you bite your lip. “Well, I’m nothing like the girls you’ve met with. I don’t have endless amounts of money. I don’t have a prestigious education or extensive family. I don’t know anything about being royalty. The others have been doing it their entire lives. I’m the least likely candidate. I don’t fit the requirements, except for the bloodline thing.

“I only agreed to meet with you because I knew that the likelihood of you picking me was almost non-existent.”

“Ouch.” Thor says.

“No!” You rush to say. “You’re very…I mean, you’re kind from what I can tell and honorable. You’ve saved Earth a couple times and you’re a little self-centered but only in a superficial way that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a good man.

“I honestly don’t know why your girl won’t marry you but I’m not right for this.” You nod. “I wouldn’t make a good Queen for you.”

Thor nods slowly, thinking for a minute before he straightens up and turns to rise, slapping his hands on his knees before he moves back towards the table of fruit and beer.

“You’re probably right.” He agrees, and for some reason, you’re disappointed.

Not so much that he isn’t picking you, but rather that he sees you aren’t enough. You’re lacking in some way. Which you already knew but…knowing he thinks that makes you feel a little lousy despite that being something you wanted.

“I suppose I’ll just have to pick someone more suitable. Someone who knows better about ruling a people. All the same, thank you for coming.” Thor says, dismissing you.

He picks up his stein again and turns to look at you as you rise.

“It was a pleasure to meet you.”

You nod, “Likewise.”

After a moment of hesitation, you give him a wave and move for the doors, trembling hands reaching out to yank the doors open and make your escape.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been weeks since you met with Thor and you’ve completely forgotten the whole thing. Life has gone back to normal and even though you now know that you’re from royal stock, nothing, as you expected, has changed.

The only plus that has risen from this whole situation is that you can now picture marriage a little better, however inexperienced and cliché it might be, you can make something up now.

Your little fling with the idea of Thor had given you fuel to slip a little romance into your writing and your fingers are flying across the keyboard of your laptop as you type up a new and promising mystery about a set of lovers and the body they discover in the attic of their new home.

You hate to be interrupted during a writing session, but you must have forgotten that about yourself because your phone starts to ring.

Normally you mute it before you even sit down to write.

With a growl you reach over and take a quick look at the number.

David flashes on your screen and quickly you swipe to answer.

“Hey, can I call you back in like an hour? I’m in the middle of a chapter and I’m on a roll.” You plead, fingers still flying across the keys.

“Y/N, Thor chose you.” David’s voice says and your fingers freeze.

There’s a pounding in your chest and your head is full of white fuzz. Your legs are numb, and your stomach is swirling with both flutters and nausea.

You can’t have heard that right.

“What?” You ask, voice shaky.

“Thor. He chose you. I just got off the phone with Brunnhilde and she wanted to let me know so that I could call you and let you know that she’ll be by tomorrow to pick you up.”

This can’t be happening.

“She said to pack only what you absolutely need. Everything else will be provided for you.”

“David…I…I can refuse, right? I don’t have to marry him.” You plead desperately.

“Y/N…” David sighs. “You agreed to this before you went to see him. I’m afraid the time to back out has come and gone.”

“But I can just not do it.” You argue. “They can’t force me to do it.”

“The government will seize your assets if you refuse.” David explains. “They want this done. I’m sorry, Y/N. There’s no backing out of this now.”

“But…But he loves someone else.” You tell him and even though your mind knows that this should be the last thing to concern you, it should not be the first reason you can think of why marrying Thor is a bad idea, it is.

As your eyes focus on the little blinking line of your word doc, your heart gives a painful ache knowing that your husband will be loving someone else.

[pndnj]

Cathartic- Yellow Metal Lyrics

Heres where I am with the lyrics, I referenced @25Goldenn on twitter for some of it that I couldn’t comprehend. 

*music*

0:23

Dark matter, like painted splatters, they fit better, the old saying, the way it goes, better the devil you do then you don’t know. I hit pedals and switch levers, my heart metal, I can't settle, im part trouble, they are not subtle. I fuck good so fuck cuddles, burst bubbles the thrist levels at new heights, i down doubles, and got baked til I felt high, my face puzzled, felt muddled, far strung and your floors woodent, the thought might but the fit wouldn’t. A fortnight

0:46 - 1:00

And I thought right, it’s all bark and no bite, I’m Tony Stark still embarking on a dream, took a bit of time to take darkness from the team. Seen what I saw. Heartless on the sleeve. Tried to burn my wings, so I put them in a piece on my chest , at peace no rest.

1:00-1:15

Flipped this on it’s head. Rip the script up now, flip it don’t pretend, slipping shit again, Fakers all around me, I’ve been living in pretense. Fake friends won’t make amends. There’s no need, these mean comments control the scenes. Attentionseekers, the spine is weakened

1:15-1:24

This family needs, what a family needs, and the planet bleeds, the damaged trees. It’s never leaving til we ascend so fuck the fence, and until they stop killing colour it’s fuck the feds.

1:22 - 1:44

You must be off it, I mean it, you know you ain’t never get with the judging and I used to dread growing my beard too long, never felt I belonged, but it's really long like a minute I ain’t looking to no mans for the limits, They’re feeling timid, I’m telling them who they mimic, why they don't look like a clinic …. Why they don't get no women, Still, we’re just fucking girls, Lost in the wrong world, Jurassic, now to this vermin

1:41-  1: 50

Kicking the game I’m serving, these losers are never learning, my fire is forever burning, adding it to my fuel, seems like I’m always focused on never becoming you, These locals that rob us feeling … was for a reason.

1:52-2:02

I’m seeing my new beginnings, watch out this loser’s winning, and no water is too deep to swim in Like I’m about to see a killing, I’m all the way that and living, flawless and feeling lawless, the prison now to the gimmicks, my vision is set to something,

2:03-:2:20

I’m watching you bitches plummet, no matches here for my cunning, you rappers are feeling done in, switching your genre, running and Running your jaw, stunting, pulling at straws, something  I think you’re a poor effort, deaf and tone deaf and I ain’t treat you separate. Living, I’m in my element, riding it like a … never lose me to fentanyl, scared when I take a benadryl. Keeping it green in general

2:20- 2:46

Think that you remain irrelevant. Look at yourself with reverence, hoping to always elevate. Celibate of these thoughts, killing themselves with sedatives. In comparison to eminem, you’re feeling feminine. Impolitically correct, still dropping on my dick. And I never gave a fuck about what they say abt my shit, I’ve been moving things in my mind like it’s this mountain dew Memories have made me wonder if one day I’m after you. What’s the purpose that you do, is what you're hoping that they learn, i’d like to say i’m done but it’s getting up on my nerves

2:46 -2:55

I’m looking at my life, saying what do I deserve. It’s hard to say I know when I’m walking through the dirt. Talking while you’re nothing I can see for what it’s worth. I’m tired of feeling hurt and I’ve tried enough but nothing works.

2:55-3:40

I’m racking up excuses while I’m slacking off on work. Chit chatting is the usual, talking to this clerk, i beg you don’t include me. I might write it on my shirt so everytime they see me, the oldest know to swerve. SWERVE Life is potent, bits of fucked shit… till they took notice weren’t  no hocus pocus, it was hard work that got me heard so i put in the graph like google maps but the whole earth

… around my door mat, taking over like the drones, rolling dirt up in miles like the water, and exploding like Annas hematoma. Don't need to see a slammer to know that I don't want to go man

I’m a showman. I’m just focused on the drama… like i’ve got my own insurance, show myself the pain, like i boxed it in the frame, if we’re about to talk greatness im great, the way you have to say my name like beyonce

“Say my name”

4:00-4:46

Just a bum with a cigarette, sun coming up, all my thoughts on the internet. Feeling deep, I’m just bored with the silhouette single sec,  get fucked up for the thrill of it . killer streak playing Pacman. Like I came from the Philippines vanilla bean still a thing for the thrill of scene,

Theres a beam, UFO, Leave it well alone  I aint moving, stood still on the peloton, telephone and its always on the dial tone,  it's been a while since i’ve smiled at a milestone, seen a big pile in my mind stone, me against the world on my Jack Jones, Like I’m John Jones, With pictures in the condo, far from John Doe, in the ___, like I'm Johnny Bravo, got pravado, with a small dick sitting in golados, feeling far gone, cuz that last hit was the good shit, was that stay lit

4:48-5:02

You can never take my shit come and get me. On the top floor,  cloud 9, fading, never bailing, felt amazing, inhaling, til my lungs two guns blazing. Overcome all the stunts that I pulled. A suit of just skin and then wool

5:02- 5:17

This life doesn’t give you no armour, a lot of myself can harm ya. I swear on what’s good, that I’m here till they take me. I pray that I’m wrinkled, at least over 80, and start moving like a ruler, ?damaged? Like a computer going fast, bars from the jeweler, bring the songs to the beach in hopes of finding tuna

5:18-5:36

…

5:36- 6:16

Grab a bat, lose my rag. Couple things got me mad, a couple people got me wrong and now I’m changing up the swag. Coming in and stealing it, I might take the whole bag. Feeling undefeated, I’m a beast with a reason, and imma lead the whole pack. Fearless like I’m Caesar, I’m just waiting for a chance to fill it up with diesel, and all I've been achieving is clocking miles in its region, moving like a legion.

Promise that I made to myself an allegiance. Do you still believe I’m a fool for ever leaving, staring at the ceiling, can never put a cap on achieving. I’m just here for the rap, then I’m leaving.

I’ve had about enough of being my own enemy, it’s time I grew up,  a long way from 17. Always went against the grain, struggles in my life. Got some things to say when I stand up on a mike.

6:16-6:32

I ain’t dropping this for fame, I need this time, like therapy, it’s just to keep me sane. The truth is on my medicine, can’t put that on your plate.

Speeding into everything, bout time I fixed the brakes. Don’t say I can’t communicate , you know I conversate with you in several different ways. And I know you know it’s references, looking at your face.

6:33- 6:53

Can’t justify mistakes, like every man that made them, seems I ain't  the one to blame. Lying to myself, only had so much to gain, so now I’m switching up the plate, see if that affects the place, im at on most days

I ain’t going with the usual so they looking at me strange. Confused, I can feel it all,  I’m here to make a change. It’s cold at 3am outside, I’m walking with the dog, thanking god that you don’t talk at all, my mind is switching off

6:54-7:12

Driving down to find myself, cuz I’ve been getting lost, lived this selfless life and found I can give a toss. Lessons that I’ve learned I’ve tried teaching to myself. What I’ve learnt from certain people is that they’re better than myself.

So I surround myself with real ones, and you feel the plastic melt. Like burning toy soldiers that used to go up on the shelf. Recycle the ideas, conveying on the belt

7:14-7:29

.. circus, always hurting the way we felt? Embarrassed that we dreamt of bigger things and letting go of notions till we feel them in cement

Tired of only hoping, we feel broken men. Cuz the gravity is weight and has kept us to the ground, see the only people speaking with favors in their mouths

7:46-7:58

Got killer rhymes… no fillers, like godzilla, eating clouds cuz my smokes thicker, throat licker, my dope sicker, bringing people their hope like im the pope slicker,  i hope you’re getting the point cuz i walk quicker

I thought my city was shit bcs I want bigger like my zipper couldn’t zip up fed up with the…my love is fickle.. Residual age has a primitive face

I see demise for your limited ways, Left it to simmer, simmer away…a fake glimmer in the haze

8:09-8:11

Feeling trapped this industry is a cage

8:34-8:50

Nobody’s speaking the truth, I’m offended by the State. Look at the state of the news, I’ve decided the argument, reciting my views, while they’ve been sat in their chairs, I’m feeling pressure to choose.

Standing here as one man, how can I do half when you’re half the person I am. If it wasn’t in your life, you didn’t choose it. It’s the funny thing about music. It’s the pain and beauty of it.

8:52-9:11

Don’t give a fuck what my suit is, it looks good so I wear it, better than the shoot that People’s wearing, changing the whole narrative for these basics and scarcity

Been facing the racists from back when i were a kiddie .born up in in 93’. been living in Bradford City..kicked me out of the schools, they had a problem with me hitting the kids that would call me p*** still sitting in the classroom chilling, and i'm angry now that I’m older I see they treat us different

9:12-9:25

got me thinking I’m the problem cuz they never dealt with those issues.

20 years later I’m still in the same boat, tryna treat me like my grandpa, say I came up off the boat. Came to tell you what I stand for, man I think you’re shit, a joke. How can I be civil, when they got me by the throat

9:25-9:35

Pushing my feelings down, you ain’t got it like them

‘Boy your skin is so light’, ok motherfucker take my name up on a flight. Try to convince immigration that your bloodline’s half white.

9:35-9:45

I don’t know how that’s acceptable, when life is more susceptible to perception, be the death of them. I’ve been looking at the sky saying where’s that day of reckoning, you had your prophets right when they say that you would speak to them.

9:45-9:55

I need justice in this life and I trust that it’s my fight, cuz when I’m writing it feels right to have them focused on the facts again. Focused on the rap again, hoping for the change, gunna put this on the map again

9:55-10:16

Writing in all caps again, the pain, it goes through me so I write the letter. All the shit that could have brought me but made me better.

I’m at home with a pain in my soul , yeh rap… cuz you know I was too real to contest it, my time was invested. Now I look at the industry, I see it infested, looking like kids who would write on nesquik.

10:17-10:29

My name ain’t on the list unless they label it ethnic.

I ain’t never gave a fuck about these jokers and jesters. Ain’t no answers for these things, so just save us the questions, man allowed of violence, cuz my silence is deafening, your opinion stinks, somebody get him a breath mint.

10:30- 10:42

Start to understand why they think that I’m threatening, I move in certain ways, couldn’t slow me with ketamine Now they all wanna hear me, got a table at letterman. Direction changed, like I changed up the lettering. Don’t believe the age ,bcs I move like a veteran.

10:42 - 10:47

Raised on the benefit for whose benefit, they’ll never learn shit, man, if the shoe fits.

…no words coming out when you open your mouth

And to be honest, it’s insulting, offensive to my wounds that have been salting. Tryna ask me questions that they know I never answer. I’d rather sit online and reply to the fan art

11:00-11:06

Fuck a sports car, coming through when i rapped

tell you what I like, farm life and the tractor

11:06- 11:17

Fake life, 'sup online, suck a fat one. You don’t wanna buy into that, none of that son. Sitting in the garden 98’ in the Datsun,  seen some hot summers but I still remember that sun.

*music*

11:51- 12:34

I make millions off of my pain, cause I know a few millions still living that way

Dealing with the hurt, they should know cause they don’t deserve it, it hit deep cause i hit the nerve. Only way that the sheep learn if the street firm, in my ways I don’t wanna change, everything just stay the same

Who you tryna convince you understand, cant maintain, let the lights dim some,  get the Chow Mein, flex, get the tape, right up at night

Why these men be nice to my face, be nice,  i ain’t tryna be a gangsta ruins my vibe

Rather be low-key and on my phone. Never need the trophy or the show piece

Never show peace in a North Face fleece. Show kids this like i wrote my flip

Cause the sign might fit till the start i’m sick

12:37-13:05

Now you see where I come from, the world don’t. Only achievement in this life is the Jordans. Committing petty crimes out of boredom, we can’t afford them. So I stole it, need a rolex

Go make sense, get yourself a job, It’s a poor man’s game tryna sit and pray to god, he ain’t sorting out your problems, gotta sort them out yourself

Used to tell us fables, now I’m writing them myself, Cause we raw like animals we all just need some help

Cathartic, I’m an artist, trying to put my heart in

Felt double crossed like Leo in Departed

13:05- 13:27

For the knowledge i’m not charging see I got it all free

But my hunger kept me starving like i’m feening for the feed

I just Need a reason to see me bleeding for my creed. Trick you with the words like I keep em up my sleeve. Picking where I fit, I see me sitting with the queen

I ain’t doing it unless you’re used to saying please

Let me flow a bit, before I sting 'em with the bees, They tryna kill us with disease

(Music)

13:34- 14:12

Why does it feel like they had the same notebook and the same four looks

Like the rain won't touch on their face, so sus when they lie don’t trust not a minor

Please no fuss, I just move through the game like must

Something in the way i adjust till i stick, Free falling like the ship, free fall till i bust

Remember 21 brother gave no fucks. Trying to project when they give them looks

In the projects, in the objects us

In my own way, never gave me love, shoulda never started this, broken hearted kid

Dried up the feeling till I stole the lid

Don’t wanna relish in the fame but I can’t resist

14:46-14:58

I like the way we feel, I like the way, I like the way

Ain’t no mistake, i am a being

I ain’t tryna be a leader, been selling out since Jesus

All my rhymes are for the readers, between the lines, like Father time, I fuck Mother Nature

14:58-15:40

That’s what they get, the connotations. Tell 'em I lived a life, and then I lived a life of adjacent? like its…. and played it patient.

Alone on my own spaceship, always tryna find greatness, still defying lines, but I’m fighting in my prime.

Shining light like Kylo while imma kill it all the time. Aging like I’m wine

Asian in my face, but still my race you can’t define. Focused on defiance, imma fight it while it’s life.

Started something sick and on my mind is what’s next, just became a dad so now I’m taking all the cheques. Better know I’m staying and paying like it’s debt. Imma get it done, if it’s taking all my breath, sweat, and down I ain’t messing around til I’m the best

Speaking in full sentences, shoulda thought about a strategy before you went at the stratosphere about this… rings around Saturn, this ain’t a battle, I’m sat, I’m here

15:40-16:22

Catch me doing magic, hired and sounding tragic I think you could use practice and until that you get the blacklist and pull like a … actress? Fooling them like a catfish, schooling like a legend, happy to be the reference, fusing like iridescence, leaving them all guessing, leaking out of my brain like a pipe I aint fixing, shining like a star you can see it from a distance

Aint many of me around p*** I’m just different Certain stages to this level aint here because fame is to the devil fuck a label, imma do this from the ghetto, clean up like Im Dettol

I’m the man to put a bet on, sight smart like a weapon,  this is my kind of setting, i write the world I’m sat in, while these others live on hype, i see them fight in how they type, the fruit is ripe for the taking, i think i might

16:22-16:57

Let me take you away from here, Let me take you away from here, Let me take you away from here

16:58- 17:47

Eccentric things are mentioned like a kid stuck in detention tryna escape im just spitting what is written on the next page, spitting image of my dad in his young days

Born sinner when i’m livid i say fucks sake

Don’t worry i’m too cunning with no plumbing, the waterworks, i sung something that resonates, i thought it first like giving birth to the parrot perch

They see me do it and they know it works

Don’t know what’s worse: the way that you live your life or the way that you write a verse

You’ll be nervous, you don’t deserve it we’ll scratch the surface ill leave a crater, lift the dirt up to find the hurting

Can’t know for certain nothing is guaranteed, tryna be a better person than the world deserves to see cuz i see a lot of sharks still swimming in the sea

Cease and arrest what’s the reason.. And these the kinda kids we bringing up next

Distorted reality, all they needed was family, too hard to face, to see what the damage is

17:47

*i don’t wanna be, i don’t wanna be, a part of this, no, i don’t wanna be, i don’t wanna be, a part of this, *

18:04-18:38

Sometimes they ask the questions too deep to form a sentence, to disform, is this the norm, is this the sentence i feel defenseless i played the setlist, and all my sweat blood and tears, forgot to mention feeling lost, going off into different sections i feel like love wrecked it

If it’s not a drug why am i waiting for the next fix, affected, i cant believe that you left this

I guess I leave for the best wish, moving on like im fine for the lectures

We see it all from spectrums, cuz if we’re falling down we can fall down together

Staircase to heaven, mirror down the middle like 11, resentment on one side it won’t settle

18:38- 19:14

Mind fried but taking sense, they aint got a sense of themselves in the rich ends

Need to spell it out for them.. Made for them so witness

I know you feel afflicted but you always love it with me while im laughing at you, ya think you’re laughing with me

I try to (i love you) but im grown so they don’t fit me, my body thrown from the new to this old city so Im sick of sitting on my own, feeling so shitty, i’ve been on roads where its cold and the snow hitting

Its okay to be yourself, sit and talking to myself

I’ve been walking for the longest, just need a little rest, know i ain’t the strongest, I can feel it in my chest, talking about my feelings and of me, they get the best

19:14-19:59

They aint leaving, seeing breathing in my breath

Till death do us part is just seeded in my heart, like a work of art

Never winning,im just scared

Cant begin from the start, do i play a part in the rhythm of the night

I guess i’m onto something cuz the dark is feeling right

Every cloud got a lining, put my own miles  in, like moralis, figured that they’re jealous, that they could just never tell us to change because the weather never made me question whether or not i’m not that level

Got rid of all the bullshit sitting in my way, most of them are full of shit i see it every day

I do hearing the same things that i do, maybe that shits hitting like haiku

How much do you pay for them to hype you

Recycle your flaws but they aint like new, leaving and conceded and full of diesel like engines that need a cleaning, the ending will be revealing. Even though we ain’t raising the facts, now we been facing.

20:01-20:52

The cactus with spikes, needing spaces. Different faces, the same story. A full body like straight body direct to your system.

Could never tell 'em we missed’ em. Not even with the thoughts, we gift them. Cuz they just take advantage, guess we are caught in a system.

My soul pouring out details of borrowed time, had enough of a fill, this is for sorrow time. I’m seeing visions of Heaven, I seen the severed line, between the gospel they speak and when theyre telling lies.

Remember telling a friend of mine, you’d sent of mine, identified like a 3rd eye. Got a habit of knowing now where the dirt lies. So benign. I ain’t sober after 9, so I fuck their minds. Why you flipping out, see another

Try to rep it from the city, fuck a chiller crew, repping for the nittys, trying to keep us down, raised on the social, don’t want to let us out of the system. Me, I insist we assist them, me alone putting shifts til I lift them

20:53-21:12

I know it’s hard, that’s why I like it, I’m fit to fight it, I’m from the North, I’m backing Tyson, it’s been decided, don’t see no light. They needing guiding, just redefining, realizing, I’m realigning, in full finance, they stay silenced.

Can’t be louder, I’m juiced up with no powder. I fix shit like a slick spanner. Gone green like Bruce Banner. So free Gaza on my banner

21:12-21:51

The real McCoy, I ain’t nothing to toy with, signifying peace like a Japanese Koi Fish. How did this happen, we’re moving backwards in our timeline, killing us with cyanide, Right up for the freedom 'til we transform like Ironhide

This is bout my feelings, the way that I move affects the fate that I’m sealing. Can’t say nothing, with that something being on the page, kept inside the pen like the bars that have been kept caged. See I always had a plan, since I was young, we had nothing man

Now it’s been a few years since I ain’t seen the fam, on foreign lands. Bout to climb Everest in the avalanche. Right into the riddles as soon as you were born. Never asking the question cuz it’s the norm. See I’m in a questionin’ session

21:52-22:03

Like the manner got a method to teaching a lesson, listen to MF Doom, he taught me like Ra’s Al Ghul. Felt like living in Gotham, the people were rotten. Still we play cartoons so it’s never forgotten.

22:03-22:15

Chilling at the top but we came from the bottom. Writing and jottin for them life by, spotting the difference

*Dreams, was growing out of me, sun promising that tomorrow it will rise, time playing games with my mind, I swear it will pass us by

Train goes on the tracks, smoke, I’m tired to hide my thoughts, so blinded in flames, Don’t know where we’re going, I have no way of knowing, only see what’s in my head

Can’t we wait a minute, so we can savour this, It’s on my brain again, these days, It on my brain again these days”

23:10-23:46

They’re hating on Palestine ways, The oh no Palace playing Prince on the Steinway, Sending out mind waves, stop them like crimewaves, Freedom fighter, Yellow Metal is my name

Like vipers, I see the sly ones, the snake that’s called Biden, none of them abiding what they might put in writing

We should be used to it by now, say whatever for the vote and then just choose another route, say they’d never kill another unless that brother’s skin is brown

I’m just telling you the facts, if you can’t take it, the truth naked, to bare bones and my thoughts lately, spitting politics.. Done ain’t it, Shit just gets me vexed, and now I’m sitting that I think of it

23:45-23:59

Feeling on the brink of it, whatever it is, Figure out some shit at least it feels that way

talk about my feelings and I don’t feel so strange, finding solace, that’s a promise, in Metropolis but being honest, can’t write a sonnet, without some pain

24:00-24:40

Can’t fade away, away so we can savour this, been on my brain again these days

Can't find a way to be so you can savour this, been on my brain these days

Singing the song for another, singing a song for another

[talatomaz]

crossing paths pt.i | diana prince x lance!reader

a/n: reader has the powers of telekinesis. since this was going to be really long, i decided to split it into two parts. also this may be slightly canon divergent since i’ve not watched flash in a long time.

warnings: mentions of fighting, death

word count: 1.9k

masterlist | request list | request rules

pt.i | pt.ii

reader is sara & laurel’s younger sister who works with team flash. after her and cisco’s experiment goes sideways, she finds herself trapped on an unknown earth not unlike her own

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

“You’re absolutely sure this will work, Cisco?”

You asked, tying your hair up into a ponytail whilst the mechanical genius typed on his computer; the keys clacking under his fingertips.

“Yes. 100%. Well, more like 99%. Okay, if we’re being truly honest, then 93%.”

Cisco paused after each figure before turning his head to face you.

“Cisco-“

You started before the former interrupted, “Trust me, y/n. You’ll be fine. You just need to travel there, have a look around and then come straight back. We’ve done it so many times before.”

You and Cisco had been working on modifying the extrapolator your team often used to travel between different Earths. Or rather, you used to use them before the rebirth of the universe following Oliver’s sacrifice.

You cleared your throat at the thought of the vigilante. Having grown up with him and he having dated both of your older sisters meant that he was practically like your brother. And you were broken when you’d lost him so you’d left Team Arrow and came to work with Barry and his team instead.

Working with Team Flash was...different, to say the least. But having known them for several years, you got on well with them all, especially Cisco and Iris.

However, this project you were working on was only known to you and Cisco; the others blissfully unaware, mainly because the two of you knew that if you told them, they’d guilt you into stopping your experiment.

You were the one who had gone to Cisco with the idea in the first place.

After the Crisis, many of you had assumed that everyone solely remained on one Earth however you believed that the multiverse still existed, but that it’d be much harder to access. Cisco had agreed to help you but had explained that he wouldn’t come with you due to his relinquished powers.

So here you were, getting ready to try out the extrapolator in order to confirm or disprove your theory that the multiverse still existed.

“Technically, we haven’t, Cisco. New Earth remember?”

“That’s just semantics.”

“Cisco, if this doesn’t work, you better be ready to explain to my ex-assassin of a sister what happened to me.”

You laughed as his face dropped at the thought of that conversation.

He cleared his throat, “I’ve done all the necessary calculations and made a few needed modifications, including a GPS chip. It’ll work, y/n. Here, take your mask. Just in case.”

He added as an afterthought, handing you the sleek black mask he had designed to disguise your identity.

You put the mask in your jacket and took a deep breath, readying yourself. Holding the extrapolator, you pressed the small button and a familiar portal opened in front of you; variations of colours swirling around the breach.

You looked back at Cisco and feigned seriousness, “If I die, I’m going to kill you.”

His eyes widened making you smile, “Be safe, Cisco. I’ll see you soon.”

With that, you then stepped into the inter-dimensional breach.

***

“Okay, hopefully this worked.”

The breach closed behind you as you stepped into an alley; the several dumpsters providing some form of protection from anyone who may have seen you.

Wherever you were, it was bright and sunny.

Pocketing the extrapolator, you stepped out of the alley and walked down the paved sidewalk, listening for any indications of where you were from passersby.

You continued walking until you came across a newsstand that looked fairly out of place in this seemingly technological environment.

You stopped, peering at the front cover of one of the magazines.

The words “DAILY PLANET” were printed on the top of the paper. You reached down and picked it up, flicking through the pages, pausing when you saw a familiar name on the byline.

Folding the paper back into its original state, you placed it back on the stand, flashing a kind but brief smile to the newsagent who looked at you with intrigue.

Although you didn’t know what Earth you were on, at least you knew you were in Metropolis.

A place you had visited several times since the rebirth of the universe.

A place that, despite whatever Earth, was always home to one Clark Kent, better known as Superman.

You pondered in your thoughts for a little while longer before deciding to venture out and explore the city, eager to find any similarities or differences between your Earth and this one.

You ended up in a museum.

You weren’t sure exactly how you’d gotten there, having followed wherever your feet had taken you but, nevertheless, you were here.

Whilst you were never a huge fan of museums, you’d often found yourself being dragged to them by Laurel when you were younger.

There was something about them that she’d loved.

She tried explaining it to you once.

How the beauty of art told a story or something.

You didn’t really pay much attention and who could have blamed you? You were only 10 years old. You’d rather be out playing or hanging out with your friends than spending your Saturday afternoon in a stuffy old museum.

But this place was anything but.

In truth, you knew that you sought solace in places like these during times of distress or uncertainty.

It gave you a chance to feel closer to your sister after the world had cruelly taken her away from you. Even on another Earth, you still found peace and felt her presence next to you.

You sighed, your shoulders sagging before tensing once more, feeling someone behind you.

You never used to be so on edge.

When you were younger, you lived such a care free life, never feeling any need to be concerned or cautious.

But that had changed quickly.

Soon you had been thrust into the vigilante life, more determined than ever to become like your sisters and help them fight crime.

In fact, you had learned to fight from a reluctant Sara.

After several arguments about the danger of her world, she’d come to accept that there was no changing your mind and had decided that if you were going to purposely put yourself in harm’s way, you needed to be prepared. She had put you through vigorous training which Oliver soon picked up with you after Sara had been recruited to form the Legends.

So, suffice it to say, you were well-versed in the forms of self-defence and were constantly on the lookout for any form of danger.

And being on a different Earth certainly warranted your caution.

“How are you liking our exhibit?”

A feminine voice said, her voice thick with an accent you couldn’t distinguish.

Turning with a smile, you spoke, “It’s beautiful. I never used to appreciate art but now I find myself lost in the works of Rembrandt or Claude Monet.”

“Ah yes. They were most excellent artists.”

You blinked, not at her words but at her face.

The woman who stood before you was, quite simply put, the most beautiful person you’d ever seen in your life.

Realising you were staring, you cleared your throat, “Yes, I agree.”

You opened your mouth to say something else - what, you weren’t sure of - when you closed it again having spotted a man who’d just entered the room which held the small exhibit.

The figure wore a black cap, obstructing his face, his eyes darting around before landing on another male situated in one of the corners of the room. The latter gave him a brief nod which the other returned. Discreetly glancing at them, you noticed familiar bulges beneath their shirt, surely holding a gun.

“Okay, don’t be alarmed but I think this place is about to get robbed.” You said in a hushed whisper, faking interest in another piece of art beside you.

You noted the small but discernible flicker in the woman’s eyes, her name still unknown to you.

“How-“

“Let’s just say I’m perceptive. Do me a favour and take out your phone.”

You waited until the brunette had followed your instructions.

“Pretend to be talking to someone and walk out the room. They’re not going to do anything until you’re gone because they don’t want to run the risk of you warning someone.”

She nodded at your words and proceeded to carry out your plan.

You fought the look of surprise and confusion that surely would’ve shown on your face at the lack of fear on hers. Instead, her eyes seemed to hold a look of determination.

Determined to do what, you weren’t sure of.

Once she had left, your suspicions were confirmed when the two men simultaneously took out their guns and shouted.

“Everybody down on the ground. Now!”

Screams and shouts were let out by the small group of citizens in the room, replacing the quiet bustle of hushed whispers that had previously filled the air.

As everyone immediately fell to the ground, you slid down the wall until you were in an upright position.

You watched as they removed several of the smaller pieces of art, carefully placing them in a duffel bag. You waited until they grew closer to you before standing up causing both of their guns to be aimed at you.

“Sit back down or you’ll get a bullet in your pretty little head.”

They both moved to stand in front of you, blocking you from the view of the security cameras and the people behind them. Using your powers, you pulled the guns toward you and flung them to the far side of the room.

You took advantage of their momentary confusion and kicked both of them. One of them grabbed you from behind, his tight grip trapping your arms. You raised your legs and caged the other’s neck between them.

Twisting your legs, you threw him to the ground and then drew yourself closer into your captor’s arms, lifting off the ground for a brief second before throwing him over your shoulders and onto the ground beside the other intruder.

“Run!”

You yelled to the handful of citizens who watched you with a mixture of awe and fear.

Then you felt yourself being pushed against the marble ground as one of the men jumped on top of you, his weight crushing your small figure.

“You’re going to regret that, bitch.” He snarled against your ear.

You threw your head back, smirking when you heard the grunt of pain and several curses falling from the man’s lips.

You raised your hands and with it, the other man floated in the air. With a wave of your wrist, he went crashing into his friend and they slumped into a corner.

You quickly picked yourself up and ran out of the museum’s back exit, knowing you had to avoid the police at all costs.

Reaching an abandoned alley, similar to the one you first arrived in, you took out the inter-dimensional extrapolator, deciding it was way too dangerous for you to remain here any longer.

Pressing the device, you expected to see a breach form but to your shock, there was none. Inspecting the device, you saw that it had been broken, more than likely from when you’d been thrown against the ground by the robbers.

You muttered a foul curse before calming yourself.

Think, y/n. Think.

Your ears perked up at the familiar whistle and rattle of train tracks.

Okay, you knew what to do next.

You needed to go home.

Part 2 ->

[ohwaitimthewriter]

Ner Naak (My peace)

Pairing: Din Djarin x earthling!reader

Warnings: SPOILER of the Child’s name! Other than that, none! 

Summarize: Din Djarin meets you, an earthling, with no idea of the existence of an outer space. 

Words count: 1373

A/n: Nothing to declare other than just enjoy your reading! and don’t forget to tell me if you want to be remove from the tag list! (Or to be added)

Ner naak Masterlist. // The Mandalorian Masterlist. 

Mando had left for about fifteen minutes to check that the child had fallen asleep comfortably in the bed in the room they both occupied at your house. It was late. Very late. Maybe even too late to say for sure what time it was exactly. You had spent the evening and part of the night working on the sketches.

Mando was feeling tired. A kind of fog was clouding his mind. His breathing was strangely calm and his whole body was calling him to close his eyes. The child slept soundly. Mando returned to the living room and even the dog was slumped on his carpet to sleep. 

And Mando noticed something. It was a quiet night. He couldn't hear anything. Just silence. He glanced at the living room window and there was not a single movement either. Were the nights on earth always this quiet? He could certainly get a liking for it. It wasn't difficult either. 

It was a bit too quiet and since he couldn't hear you tidying up as you had told him just before he went away, he decided to come and see what you were doing. 

And there you were. With your head resting in your arms on the worktop. Sitting on a chair, you had fallen asleep. Within a few minutes you had let yourself fall into Morpheus' arms.

Mando felt a certain remorse at observing you when you didn't know anything about it. It didn't match his personality. He wasn't used to being so intrusive, but he couldn't help but notice the way you had intertwined your fingers, or the way your chest rose and fell at the peaceful rhythm of your breathing. And you had fallen asleep knowing that he, almost a stranger, had not.

He no longer counted the times when he had been unable to sleep, knowing that strangers were in the same room. And you were asleep. You didn't care that he was from somewhere else, you didn't care that you could never see his face, you didn't even care if he wasn't potentially a dangerous person. You were asleep. And Mando was confused by this, because the trust you placed in him was so surprising. 

And maybe he shouldn't waste that trust. Looking at you that way was far from polite, so he slowly moved closer to you. His gloved hand touched your shoulder and gently stroked it to wake you up.

You grumbled, your eyes flickering as you tried to get out of your sleep and you could almost hear Mando talking softly in your ear. 

"You should go to bed." 

You simply nodded and Mando helped you to get up while your mind was still between sleep and wake. 

"You should too."  You almost whispered, and your hand, which had found itself resting on Mando's arm when he had supported you to get you up, returned the gentle gesture that Mando had made towards you to wake you up. 

Mando watched you go up the stairs before disappearing into your room. Despite the thick fabric on his sleeve, your touch had not gone unnoticed by Mando. He couldn't really feel the warmth of your hand, but the gesture was probably even warmer. 

And he thought about it all night long. At least the rest of the night he had to spend. The next day you had also gone to work. To the university. He still hadn't solved the mystery of that institution. He took advantage of your absence to use your computer and continue his investigations on the planet Earth. He wanted to understand people. He wanted to know their customs. He wanted to know the meaning of affectionate gestures as mundane as a simple pat on the forearm. Yes, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He was flustered by it. Not flustered like a teenager discovering the emotional side of love. It had nothing to do with it. And he didn't believe in it either. But he was confused and he thought he would never find out why.

As for you, you wanted to start the repairs. Your thoughts weren't really focused on that gesture of affection that Mando was having trouble getting through. It was natural for you, rather common to think about it. On the other hand, a spaceship waiting to be upgraded, that wasn't very usual. 

All day long you had been bothered by thoughts of repair. You were proud of the work you and Mando had done the night before, even though it had made your night incredibly short. But now everything was ready. It was all set and you couldn't wait to get your hands dirty.

You had estimated the number of days needed for the repair at 5 days. 5 days, if everything went the way you wanted, but you already knew that making some of the pieces would be a difficult task. You had informed Mando about this. He looked surprised. Perhaps he was expecting a shorter period? After all, who knows what a person with the knowledge and tools to repair a ship could do.

A ship. It was difficult to realize how much it meant. You never really took the time to think about it. At the same time, was your brain able to understand the scope of it? Not really. But having the possibility to go off to space travel was happily running through your mind. There was something exciting and frightening about the unknown. 

And you probably would have loved being able to put ship repair on a line on your resume. But it was not possible. 

You sighed as you closed a student notebook. It was decided, you were going to take some holiday time earlier this year. 

When you got home from university, you found Mando on your computer. He seemed enthralled by something he had found online. Your dog was still lying at his feet. He seemed to like him particularly since Mando had dared to scratch his head the first night he came. Yet Banjo loved everyone. But you were surprised not to see the child. 

"Mando? Where is the child? "You asked him, looking around again. 

"Grogu? He's upstairs. He found a children's book. "Mando said to you as he looked away from the computer. 

"Oh well, he must have found one of the old books I had when I was..." And then you stopped dead in your tracks. 

Grogu. Mando, had called him Grogu. And suddenly a feeling of intense shame had invaded you from head to toe. You had never, ever asked Mando the name of his son. You had never asked about his identity. Your cheeks turned bright red and you suddenly didn't know where to stand. How could you have never asked his name in three days? 

"Oh no, honestly, I’m an idiot!" You blurted out. 

Mando was taken by surprise. You didn't see him but he frowned, not understanding this sudden change in behaviour. He sat up and put the computer on the coffee table. 

"What do you mean?" he said. 

"Grogu... that's his name, isn't it?" You asked him. 

"Obviously" he said. Mando still didn't understand where you were going with this.

"I'm really sorry I didn't ask you his name earlier, really, it's... I'm sorry." You apologized with the thought of slapping you in the face. 

"Don't worry, you did better than me." 

Mando cracked a smile under his helmet. You were unbelievable. In three days you had learned about a universe larger than your wildest dreams could imagine, and you were worried about a name. Mando didn't like prejudices, but he couldn't help making fun of something as earthly as this. 

"Better than you?" 

"I didn't know his name until a person, a friend, gave it to me weeks later."

By telling you this anecdote, Mando had hoped to reassure you. He studied the features of your face and when the redness had somewhat faded to give way to astonishment, he knew he had succeeded. 

"Weeks?" 

"It's a long story." Mando replied. 

"It's a good thing I took some time off," and you crossed your arms over your chest. "You're going to tell me about it while I fix your junk heap."

[pastelwitchling]

It started with a phone call.

Michael had come to the bunker in hopes of looking through some of the Project Shepherd archives to find more information on his mom. Or, at least, that was what he’d told Alex. In truth, he’d been sitting in his own bunker beneath his airstream, hitting dead end after dead end, and staring at the constellation and planet alignments had started to eat away at his brain.

In truth? He’d been restless after countless nights of a lack of sleep, and he wanted to see Alex. He didn’t know why, but it was like Alex was the only one who could see through the mess of his thoughts to the small, coherent part that was always seeking comfort. With one look, one smile, one word, one touch, Michael felt himself at a peace around Alex he’d never known anywhere else. He could finally breathe.

And for about the first five minutes after he’d arrived, he’d dared hope that he would have Alex all to himself. He’d found Alex at the bunker, pouring over decrypted files on a computer, and felt his heart jump at the sight of him. Even with his hair tousled, with the dark circles around his eyes, with his brows pinched like his mind was always busy, he was beautiful. And Michael had been the only one around for his attention.

Until he hadn’t been. Until Forrest – goddamn Forrest – called him and his eyes lit up and he smiled in a way he didn’t really smile around Michael. Until Long suggested he and Alex visit the caves where he was sure the Air Force had camped out back in 1947, and he’d leapt up at the chance to see his ex.

Yeah. That’s right. His ex. But God, you really wouldn’t be able to tell that they’d broken up at all. Michael doubted they had, but Isobel had assured him with a knowing smirk that Alex had told her things were over.

“It was a totally mutual, healthy breakup,” apparently.

It’s just that they were still so close, they still hung out whenever either of them got the chance, they still looked at each other with such a fondness that made Michael want to punch a wall. He’d learned his lesson the first time though, after leaving the Wild Pony in the middle of Alex’s song, secretly hoping not much would come of it, and then finding out Alex and Forrest were very cutely, very frustratingly, very much in like with each other. He’d learned not to leave Alex with any other guys he knew would want to date him again, mutual breakup be damned.

So when Alex had told him where he was going, Michael insisted on coming along.

“You sure?” Alex had asked. Not with any reluctance in his voice, but genuine curiosity. “We’d have to do a bit of hiking up those caves.”

“I love hiking,” Michael had lied. “Besides, you’re gonna want me there to fend off any coyotes and giant birds.”

He’d meant it as a joke, but Alex had merely smiled at him and said, “I’d want you there anyway.”

Leaving Michael to melt into a puddle, Alex walked out ahead of him.

It made the lie a little easier to bear. See, he not only hated hiking, he hated hiking alongside Forrest Long who, like the perfect little prick he was, had been all too gracious about bringing Michael along.

“Adventure with an alien,” he’d said with that wide, perfect smile of his, and a shake of his head. “Only in Roswell.”

Michael knew, somewhere deep, deep down, that Forrest was an awesome guy. He understood why Alex had been so taken with him. But here’s the thing; Alex had been taken with him. Knowing, as they climbed the rocky terrain under the sun, today mercifully halfway obscured by clouds, that Alex and Forrest had dated, had kissed, had slept together – it did things to his mind that frightened even him. It unnaturally bothered him, and no matter how kind or friendly Forrest was, Michael couldn’t let it go.

It was made worse when he and Forrest both reached the peak of a rocky hill, Alex following behind them, and they both offered him a hand to hold for the last few steps up. Without thinking, Alex took Forrest’s hand, and laughed as Forrest tugged him up with an exaggerated show of strength.

“Thanks,” he’d panted, still smiling. At Forrest.

As Michael swallowed and put his hand down, trying not to feel dejected, he saw Alex glance his way. He saw realization dawn, saw his eyes soften at Michael, as if in silent apology for not taking him up on his offer. Michael could only look away.

Let it go, he’d told himself as Forrest surveyed the area below. Let it go.

Of course he wasn’t going to let it go.

“Why do we need him again?” he grumbled under his breath so that only Alex could hear him.

Alex didn’t seem offended or frustrated by the question. Instead, he smiled, amused. Michael loved that smile.

“He’s a history buff,” Alex said. “He’s done extensive study on the grounds here. He knows it better than anybody.”

“Yeah, study to support his conspiracies,” Michael reminded him edgily. “He’s a conspiracy theorist, Alex.”

“I found out about you through conspiracies,” Alex noted.

Michael blushed. “That’s different.”

He laughed, and Michael thought he might melt all over again.

“Babe,” Forrest said, and amended, “Sorry, Alex, come look at this.”

Michael’s eye twitched. “I’m gonna kill him.”

Alex patted his shoulder. “Shh.”

He went to Forrest’s side as he pointed at something below; a crater, just beside one of the larger caves’ mouths. “When I was going through the layout in the library, I found faint records of those kinds of craters.”

Alex moved dangerously close to the edge, his eyes narrowed. “What’s the story there?”

“Well, most of the records said about what you would expect; explosion of rocks from a volcano.”

Michael just barely resisted rolling his eyes as he tipped his hat back. “And the unofficial record?”

Forrest smirked. “Meteors hit the ground here when something broke through the earth’s atmosphere and let them in.”

Michael looked to Alex, already doubtful, but Alex looked focused, like he was thinking through the logistics.

“It makes sense,” he concluded. “It would definitely explain the Air Force encampments out here. Anything to do with the skies is their territory.”

“You mean, your territory?” Forrest smiled, and Alex scoffed.

Michael pursed his lips. The wind up here was a little colder, quickly drying the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and the nape of his neck.

“If you even buy the whole encampment thing in the first place.”

Forrest, infuriatingly, shrugged a shoulder. “Fair.”

Oh my God, Michael thought, clenching his jaw.

Alex seemed to be able to read his thoughts, and he shook his head, smiling. “Look, I’m not saying it’s definitely what happened, but it fits with everything else we know so far. The Air Force had troops around this area, and there’s no way your pods broke through without opening up the atmosphere to residual space matters.”

Forrest groaned. “I love it when you go all military genius on me.”

Alex winked at him, and they both burst out into laughter. Michael looked around for help from the birds, hoping they’d at least recognize with him how ridiculous and unfair all of this was. He felt left out, like there was a bubble around Alex and Forrest that he couldn’t penetrate. He knew it was childish to be upset by it, but damn it, he was upset by it.

“So what do we do now?” he said a little loudly, hoping to cut in. “Take pictures? Call Max and Isobel? Write a blog?”

Alex stood, and Michael couldn’t fail to notice him wince, as if his leg pained him. “We should get a closer look,” he said. “The abrasions might give us a better idea of what we’re dealing wi—ah!”

Alex was cut off as a bit of earth beneath him crumbled away, and, his leg too stiff after climbing to move, he slid down the steep rock.

“Alex!” Michael and Forrest leapt for him, but he was already falling towards a cluster of sharp rocks at the base of the caves.

“No!” Michael yelled, reaching out for Alex and using his powers to avert his direction at the last second, rolling him onto a patch of grass instead.

“Oh my God,” he heard Forrest say before they were both up and running back down the way they’d come.

Alex was just pushing himself up onto all fours when Michael and Forrest fell at his side.

“Hey,” Michael breathed, gently pushing Alex’s bangs back from his eyes. Blood leaked from his forehead, trailing down his cheek, and dripping off his jaw onto his shirt. “Hey, baby, you okay?”

“Uh . . .” Alex shut his eyes tight, his expression twisted in pain. “Yeah, I’m – I’m fine.” He exhaled slowly, forcing himself up into a sitting position.

Forrest put his hands on his shoulders. “Maybe we should go to the hospital,” he suggested, his brows furrowed with concern as his eyes lingered on the patch of blood on Alex’s shirt. “That was a pretty nasty fall, Alex.”

“He said he’s fine,” Michael said, and stood, pulling Alex up with him. For a second, Alex swayed, looking like he might be sick. His grip on Michael’s arms was relentless, but, too soon, he let go and roughly wiped away the rest of the blood that was now staining his cheek.

Forrest looked doubtful. “Alex –”

“It’s okay, Forrest,” he said. “I’m okay, really.”

He didn’t look happy about it, but he offered Alex his arm, nonetheless. “At least hold onto me or something.”

Alex chuckled weakly, and leaned in, kissing Forrest’s cheek. “The second I start to feel sick, I’ll lean on you, okay?”

Forrest seemed a little more reassured and nodded, and Michael, his tongue in his cheek, walked off towards the crater. “We looking into this thing or what?”

Soon, they were each surrounding the crater, which was a lot larger up close than it had looked from the top of the cave. Alex knelt at one side, eyes narrowed.  He stepped into the crater and ran a finger across the surface.

“Smooth rock,” he muttered, and rubbed his eyes with his forearm. “Strong.”

“That’s not right,” Forrest frowned.

“No,” he agreed. “It’s not.”

Michael nodded. Now he understood what Alex had been looking for. “The ground here is supposed to be rough, shattered.”

“Exactly,” Alex said. “It’s too clean to be caused by anything natural.”

Forrest looked to Michael. “Are you getting any, you know, feelings around this place?”

“What, like some Star Wars Jedi tracker?”

Alex raised a brow. “Since when do you watch Star Wars?”

Michael blushed. Since you looked at Kyle like he’d committed treason for not knowing what it was, and I wanted to impress you.

Before Michael could even attempt to make up some lie though, Alex fell down to one knee again, heaving.

“Whoa, Alex!” he slid into the crater and crouched in front of him. He put a hand between his shoulder blades, and felt his breaths turn heavier and shakier.

Forrest hurried to their side and knelt beside him. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Alex, what are you feeling?”

“D-Dizzy,” Alex managed, and Michael was shocked to see sweat dampening the tips of his hair. “I don’t . . . I c-can’t . . .”

Michael knelt down, too. “Alex,” he tried softly. “Look at me, baby, tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m g-gonna be s-s-sick,” Alex managed through short breaths.

Michael clenched his jaw, cupping Alex’s cheek. Despite the sweat, his skin was cool to the touch, his teeth were chattering and he was shivering, his eyes heavily-lidded. He was turning pale way too quickly.

Michael’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening, and he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“Alex,” he said calmly, trying very hard not to let the horror of the situation touch his voice. “I need you to get on my back, okay?” He turned his back to Alex, and gestured at Forrest. “Long, help him.”

Forrest looked between Michael and Alex worriedly, but nodded. “Right,” he said, and gently but firmly guided Alex onto Michael’s back. “What’s happening to him?” he murmured to Michael so that Alex couldn’t hear. “His forehead stopped bleeding, why does he look like he’s going to pass out?”

Michael glanced over his shoulder at Alex who had shut his eyes tight, his fists curled in Michael’s shirt, his knuckles white with his grip. As he turned and led the longer way back to his truck, he quietly said, “I think his fall was a lot worse than it looked. He must’ve ruptured an organ or something.”

Forrest glanced at Alex, terrified. “He’d bleeding internally?”

Michael nodded. “And he’s getting too tired too quickly. We have to hurry.”

Forrest was clearly terrified, but one glance at Alex and he must’ve known that he couldn’t show that fear on his face. Instead, he nodded once and kept a hand on Alex’s back as they moved as quickly as they could.

When they finally made it to Michael’s truck, Forrest insisted on staying in the backseat with Alex.

“He might need me,” he said, not caring at all about leaving his car behind. Michael could only set his truck in drive, silently grateful to have an extra set of caring hands with Alex. And he drove like hell, breaking every speed limit and getting more than a few angry honks along the way.

“Hold on, Alex,” Forrest said to Alex who had his head on his lap, trembling and gasping. When he started raking Alex’s hair back, Michael couldn’t find it in him to be jealous, only afraid. He hoped whatever Forrest was doing was making Alex just a little more comfortable, giving him a little more time.

“You’re gonna be fine, baby,” he promised, the words heavy on his tongue. It was when they were barely ten minutes away from the hospital that Forrest gasped.

“Guerin,” he sounded panicked, “he’s out.”

“What?” Michael looked over his shoulder. Alex’s eyes were closed, his body limp.

“Oh my God,” Forrest breathed. “Oh my God –”

“Don’t freak out on me now, Long,” Michael said. There wasn’t time to curl up into a ball and cry, there wasn’t time to be afraid. He had to save Alex.

The gas pedal was on the floor of the truck, Michael was glued to his seat as the wind howled past. When they finally arrived at the hospital, Michael didn’t bother going to the parking lot. Instead, the tires skidded as he curved to a stop in front of the automatic double doors. He barely parked the car before he was out. He opened the door and Forrest helped put Alex on his back.

Michael ran through the doors with Forrest behind him, keeping Alex securely in place.

“Help!” they both screamed. “He needs help!”

“Please,” Forrest said shakily to the nurses as they rushed forward to take Alex and put him on a gurney. “You have to save him!”

“What the hell?” Kyle appeared amidst the men and woman already starting to lead Alex away. His eyes were wide as they fell on his best friend, passed out and injured. “Alex?”

“He fell,” Michael tried, but Kyle was already in full doctor-mode, pulling out a small flashlight from his pocket. “We think he might be bleeding internally.”

“Damn it, Manes,” he muttered, and pressed two fingers to Alex’s neck. “Pulse is weak,” he said as they hurried down a hall. He opened one of Alex’s eyes with his fingers, shining a light across his pupil. “Unresponsive. Start an IV drip and prepare room 69 for a blood transfusion.”

“Yes, doctor,” a nurse said. They went through the set of double doors marked ER, and another nurse held up a hand.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and she looked it, “but you have to stay out here.”

“But –” Forrest tried.

“The doctor will do all he can,” she said. “Please excuse me,” and she disappeared behind the doors as well, leaving Forrest and Michael in silence.

Forrest slid down against the wall and stared at the ceiling while Michael ran a hand across his jaw. Neither of them said anything for a long time, the muffled sounds of heart monitors and ringing telephones echoing through the walls and somehow making the hallway feel even emptier than it already was.

Finally, Forrest hoarsely said, “I’m sorry. I – I shouldn’t have freaked out like that. You were so calm, I . . . how did you do it?”

“I wasn’t calm,” Michael confessed before he could help it, and even he could hear the tremor in his voice. He took his hat off and used his other hand to run his fingers through his curls. “I’m – I’m not calm.”

It was all he said, but it seemed to be enough as Forrest’s eyes softened and he nodded in silent understanding. Once again, Michael found himself grateful not to have to say the words he was thinking.

They sat in silence for another few seconds before Michael couldn’t take it anymore. “I didn’t want him to listen to you,” he said. “You wanted him to go to the hospital, and I didn’t want him to choose you again, so I pushed.”

He sniffed angrily, his eyes burning. He looked away. “If we’re really assigning blame, then –”

“We’re not,” Forrest cut him off. He looked as miserable as Michael felt, not as though he held Michael responsible at all. He whispered, “We’re not.”

Michael’s lower lip trembled, but he quickly rubbed his face, hiding it.

“Do you know why we broke up?” Forrest said. “Me and Alex?” Michael shook his head. “We both agreed that there was one person Alex loved more than anybody else in the world. And it wasn’t me.”

He held Michael’s startled gaze, and shrugged a shoulder, a helpless smile tugging at his lips. “What I’m saying is, Guerin, you didn’t have to do much pushing. Alex would go to the ends of the earth for you. He likes me, but . . . he loves you.”

Michael could think of nothing to say to that. He sat down opposite Forrest, his arm rested on one knee. Two men Alex had been with, two men who loved him beyond words could say.

Michael finally settled on, “You’re not so bad, Long.”

Forrest chuckled weakly. “’Course not. I just gave you the best news you’ll ever get in your life.”

And despite it all, Michael huffed a weak laugh of his own. “Yeah. Yeah, you did.”

Any semblance of a smile vanished in an instant as the silence and seriousness of the situation fell like a heavy blanket on Michael’s chest, as the wait turned from minutes to an hour, and the fear of news to come loomed over their heads.

When the doors opened and Kyle stepped out, the two were on their feet in an instant.

“Well?” Michael demanded.

“How is he?” Forrest asked.

Kyle glared from Forrest to Michael. He huffed, annoyed, and Michael felt such an intense relief that he almost sobbed right there and then. “He has rock debris imbedded in his skin and a gash in his forehead! Where’d he fall off, a mountain?”

“So he’s okay?” Forrest said, his hands still shaking.

Kyle sighed. “Yeah, he’ll be fine after a few days.” He pointed a threatening finger at Michael. “You are so lucky, Guerin, you got him here just in time. If he wasn’t so used to heavy military training already –”

“I want to see him,” Michael interrupted.

Kyle hesitated, but Forrest urged, “Let him. If anyone can help heal Alex faster, it’s him, you know it is.”

He shook his head at the ceiling, as if asking for patience. “Since when are you two BFFs? You know what? I don’t care, go see him, whatever, but if his vitals jump one nanosecond, I’m kicking you out. Got it?”

“I know you’ll try,” Michael said, patting Kyle’s shoulder as he rushed past him through the double doors.

There were two nurses on either side of Alex’s bed, one adjusting the IV drip attached to Alex’s arm, and the other securing the bandage on his forehead, just above his right eye. They finished up, and nodded once to Michael as they passed him on their way out.

Michael knew they’d transfer Alex to another room soon, and they wouldn’t have the privacy that they did now, so he wasted no time in taking his hand and kissing his fingers.

“You’re okay,” he breathed against Alex’s skin, pressing his fingers to the pulse at his wrist, if only to reassure himself. “You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay.”

The heart monitor’s steady beep beep beep was the only response Michael got, but he told himself it was a reminder that Alex was alive. He could make out the faint outline of bandages just beneath Alex’s ribs under the thin white blanket, and he swallowed thickly, willing himself to look away.

He gently pushed back Alex’s bangs without disrupting the bandage, and leaned in, pressing a faint kiss to his forehead. When he pulled back, he found Alex’s eyes fluttering open. He smiled, relieved.

“Hey, beautiful,” he whispered.

Alex took a while to answer, breathing deeply and softly. “Where am I?”

“The ER,” Michael explained. “You had internal bleeding, they had to sew you back up.”

“What?” Alex frowned and tried to sit up, but he winced and his mouth fell open in pain.

“Easy, easy,” Michael said softly, wrapping his arms around him to lay him back down. “You don’t wanna open your stitching.” He sighed, keeping his arms around Alex, even as he was settled against his pillows. “I thought, you know, with the military thing, it’d be okay to tell you without beating around the bush.”

“And you?” Alex murmured, his brows pinched with pain, his hand gripping Michael’s forearm tightly. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“Me?” he blinked, his face turning hot embarrassingly quickly. “No, I’m fine.”

Alex breathed a sigh of relief, his hand still holding Michael’s. “Good. That’s good.”

Michael huffed a chuckle, shaking his head. “You were cut open, and you’re thinking of me?”

“I’m always thinking of you,” Alex said without missing a beat, and Michael swallowed, all humor gone.

A few seconds passed in silence, then –

“You scared me, Alex,” he confessed. “I – I thought . . .” a lump formed in his throat and he cleared it. “I thought I’d . . .”

Alex opened his eyes to meet his gaze. Michael didn’t know what he was searching for, but he must’ve found it, because the next thing he knew, Alex was trying to move to one side of his bed.

“What’re you doing?” Michael said, covering Alex’s hand on his arm with his own. “I told you, you need to –”

“Get under the covers,” Alex said, throwing one side of the blanket back. Michael made out the edge of a bandage wrapped tightly around Alex’s waist. There was no sign of bleeding, so Michael took it as good news, but he was still hesitant to climb in.

“What if I hurt you?” he said. “If Valenti sees us –”

“Kyle, huh?” he smiled. “He knew what he was getting into, letting you in. Come on, Guerin, please.”

Michael bit his lower lip, and found he wanted nothing more than to obey. He kicked off his boots, set his hat on the ground, and slid into bed beside Alex. He was slow, careful, gentle. He ended up on his side while Alex stayed on his back, his forehead pressed to Alex’s temple. When they were as comfortable as they were going to get, he pushed his face into Alex’s hair and inhaled deeply.

His eyes burned, and a sob escaped his lips on the exhale. He reached an arm around Alex’s shoulders and hugged him as tightly as he could without moving him.

Alex didn’t seem surprised, and it occurred to Michael that inviting him into bed had been more for his sake.

“Shh,” Alex said softly, reaching a hand up to place in Michael’s curls, raking his hair. He whispered, “I’m okay. Breathe, Guerin. Breathe.”

Michael tried, his breath hitching as the tears kept falling, and he held Alex tighter. He placed wet, open-mouthed kisses on his temple, his ear, his cheek.

“You’re so warm,” Alex murmured as his eyes fluttered shut, but his vitals were still normal, so Michael knew he was just falling asleep again. “Don’t leave me here, Guerin. Promise me.”

“I’ll never leave you,” Michael promised. Alex drifted, but his fingers kept combing through Michael’s hair. “Never.”

***

It’s good to be back 🥰❤

[colormeyondublue]

Chapter 12: Cards With The Boys (NSFW)

Chapter 11 Here

After confessing his love for you, you decide it was about time to move in with the Captain. It didn’t take long to get your things together because you don’t have much. After getting settled in the Captain’s quarters, you felt your heart soar at how for you two have come.

Later, you sit at your desk in your office tying up some loose ends, day dreaming of Yondu, and of going back to Earth. There isn’t much work to be done, but the peacefulness of your office brings you a sense of normalcy that you dearly missed. While you made sure your data drives were totally backed up and in working order, your door opens quietly. You glance behind you to see Yondu’s handsome face. You turn back to your computer and tell him you’ll be done in just a second.

“Do ya really gotta be working right now? Ya work all the damn time. There ain’t even much that needs done right now anyway! The crew’s gonna be on leave fer a few weeks while we’re gone.”

“I work because I like to!” You protest. “Besides, I’m almost done. Hold your horses.”

“Ya still never explained ta me what a horse even is ya know.” Yondu huffs as he sits down on the couch in your office.

You sigh and shake your head. You never imagined you’d have to explain to an adult what a horse was, but here you are. You eject the data drive and throw it in the drawer of your desk. “A horse, is a large mammalian quadruped with both binocular and monocular vision. They can weigh anywhere between 800 to 1,800 – sometimes 2,000 pounds! They’ve been used by my people as a source of food, labor, transportation and companionship for thousands of years. They’ve helped Terrans in every aspect of life, and nothing that we’ve accomplished to this point could have been done without their help. They’ve fought in our wars, and carried entire countries on their backs at times. In modern times they are primarily pets, used to work livestock, or ridden in competition.”

The captain rubs his chin for a moment. “What’s a pound?”

You stare at him blankly for a good few moments before it dawns on you. You are going to have to explain a lot to Yondu when you get to Earth. There is so much that he still doesn’t know about.

“A pound is just a unit of measurement. It’s used in some countries to quantify how much something weighs. It’s directly related to Earth’s gravitational pull. You know as well as I do that something on Krylor wouldn’t weigh the same as it would on Xandar, right?

“Yeah, I know that. But pounds is just what ya’ll call it?” He asks.

“Well…in some places. In others they might measure weight a little differently. But that’s a whole other conversation for another time. How about I just show you a horse when we get to Earth?” You chuckle.

“Sounds like a plan ta me. But anyway, what I came down here for was ta ask ya if ya wanted to play cards with me and the boys?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s already getting kind of late, and I don’t know how to play.”

Yondu stands up from where he’s sitting and approaches you. He steps behind you and gently gathers your hair to one side of your neck. He bends down to place light, seductive kisses up and down your neck before murmuring in your ear, “Come on baby, I ain’t seen ya all day. It’ll just be a few hands, and I wanna show you off to my men for a while. Show ‘em what’s mine.” He continues to kiss you along the length of your neck, and he begins to pull your sleeve down your shoulder to taste a little bit more of your skin. You can’t stop your breaths from coming in deeper and slower. Yondu never fails to make you melt in his hands.

“Alright, alright. You talked me into it. But that mouth of yours just isn’t fair. You cheated and you know it!”

Yondu laughs and gives you a smug grin as he points to himself, “Uhh, Ravager? Not to mention, I’m a Ravager Captain. I see somethin’ I want, and I take it. Including you.” He tugs you closer by your waist and kisses you hard and heavy.

You pull away after a few moments and ask, “Okay, so do you want to get some or go play cards? I’m not sure that we have time for both.”

He growls in annoyance at your point. “Damn. Ya might be right. Let’s go.”

~~~

You both sit down at the poker table in the ship’s bar with Yondu, Kraglin, Oblo, Tullk, and Geff. These guys have honestly become your closest friends, and you were happy to have a drink with them and learn to play card games. You were learning a Xandarian game that is similar to Black Jack, except there’s more suits and the cards are octogons. It’s a little confusing at first, but you catch on pretty quick. A few hands in, Tullk asks you if you’re excited to see Terra again.

“Yeah! I can’t wait to see the trees and breathe in the air. I miss our sunsets and forests. I miss the songs the birds sing. I miss the smell of the rain. But I think I miss our blue skies even more.” You smile softly and glance over at Yondu. He smiles back and offers you a quick wink as he takes a swig of his beer. He pulls you closer to him with one firm tug on your seat, and throws his arm over the back of your chair.

“Sounds like a neat place to me!” Geff chimes in as he looks over his hand.

“Got any idea of what your plan might be? What are you gonna do first?” Oblo asks.

“Well…I guess I’ll try to find my mom first. I think she would still live in the same place. I can’t imagine she would move. It’s only been a few years. Then once I find her, I’ll get in touch with my sister. But when it comes to introducing them to Yondu – well, I think I’m gonna have to explain a few things first. Ease them into it. Ya know? I know a place where Yondu can lay low until everything is calmed down. Being kidnapped by an alien race and then shipped out all over the galaxy isn’t going to be easy to explain.” You rub your temple lightly. It didn’t occur to you just how much of a shock your return might be.

“So Tullk, have you ever thought about going back?” You ask, hoping it’s an innocent enough question.

“Nah, not me lass. There isn’t anythin’ left fer me on our planet. I’m happy here with the crew. Mah life back on Terra was a little rough. Got in with some men who were less than savory. Joined Yondu’s crew an’ never looked back.”

The rest of the game you listen to Kraglin and Oblo’s banter back and forth, and wonder to yourself what kind of people Tullk got involved with. You figure that some things are better left unsaid, and as long and he’s happy here, that’s enough for you. Once the game is over, Kraglin gets the cards together and everyone heads in for the night. As you’re walking toward the door, Yondu grabs your hand.

“Hey honey, me ‘n Krags are gonna go over a few things around the ship fer when you and I leave tomorrow. I’ll meet you back at ma quarters?”

“Sure thing, but don’t be too long.” You stand on your tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, and head toward the Captain’s quarters.

~~~

You’re playing your list of songs on your personal playlist while you pack for the trip. You find out that there are thousands of songs you hadn’t listened to yet. You had no idea at first, but these data devices Kraglin uses have seemingly endless storage. You were getting a little buzzed, having gotten into Yondu’s whiskey stash at his minibar. A little celebration was in order since you were going back to Earth with Yondu. You were dancing hazily to Fantasy by Mariah Carey. Yondu walks back toward his cabin door, hears some muffled song and smirks to himself. As quietly as possible, he opens the door to find you dancing drunkenly to the music. He enters the room and you don’t even notice his presence as you continue to dance and sing. He creeps into the room and sits down in his recliner, interested in just watching you.

As much of a goofy drunk as you are, he smiles to himself. You might just be the best thing that ever happened to me, girl.  

The song changes over to Love On The Brain by Rhianna. Although your playlist has a ton of different songs, music was something that always resonated with you, and you liked almost anything. With the lyrics of the song carrying you away, you feel large, warm hands on your hips as you sway to the music. Immediately knowing who is feeling you up, you lean into his body and he begins to sway with you. He brings his lips to your neck and kisses you slowly. His lips kiss and part from your neck over and over, and it makes your core ache as warmth spreads through your limbs. Letting go, you fall into him even more, surrendering yourself to him. His hands begin to wander over your body, feeling your hips and thighs. You let out a few breathy moans, and your knees grow weak. While still facing away from him, you bring up your arms and wrap them around his neck as he teases your ear with his tongue. He notices that his bottle of Krylorian Whiskey is almost half empty, and you are way past buzzed at this point.

Baby you got me like ah, woo, ah Don't you stop loving me (loving me) Don't quit loving me (loving me) Just start loving me (loving me)

Oh, and baby I'm fist fighting with fire Just to get close to you Can we burn something, babe? And I run for miles just to get a taste Must be love on the brain That's got me feeling this way (feeling this way) It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good And I can't get enough Must be love on the brain yeah And it keeps cursing my name (cursing my name) No matter what I do, I'm no good without you And I can't get enough Must be love on the brain

The beat carries you both to his bed and he continues his loving assault on your torso and neck. At this point, the room is spinning a little, and the next thing you see is a gorgeous blue chest, and your captains’ pants slowly being undone. You are more than frisky, and the second his pants come undone, you dive into him. He doesn’t have a chance to argue, as his cock is already making its way into your mouth. He groans in response, and finds a fistful of your hair. The alcohol in your veins gives you some kind of super power and your skills with his manhood are already blowing his mind. He peers down at you with his head tilted to the side, groaning at the sensation you’re giving him. All of that whiskey has made your gag reflex vanish, and you can take him deep into your throat. He watches intently as his cock disappears into your mouth and he moans loudly. You continue to blow him out of his mind for a while longer, polishing the head every now and again. You hear him speak up, “Baby girl, I’m gonna cum if ya don’t stop.”

You look up him momentarily, roll your eyes with pleasure and moan on his cock. You’ve got him exactly where you want him. In a few more minutes, he spits out a string of curses at the intensity of his orgasm. “Oh, fuckin’ hell – yes! Shit….mmmhmm.” He pushes his raging hard cock as deep into your mouth as you can stand, and cums down your throat. You slowly slide his cock out of your mouth, and sensually lick the tip clean.

“It’s even better than I expected.” You smirk up at him. His cum tastes wildly different than a human’s. It isn’t bitter at all. It’s still slightly salty, but it’s also a little sweet and nutty. The taste was completely unexpected, and you almost couldn’t believe it. You tease his sensitive cock with your tongue to make it jump. “Oh, fuck. Ya might be more than I can handle when you drink like that.” He huffs out a laugh and collapses on the bed. “Alright, yer turn sugar.”

“No, it’s okay. I just wanted to make you feel good. I want to show you how much you mean to me. I don’t need anything. This was more than enough for me.” You kiss him lovingly, and snuggle into his side.

“I love you y/n. Ya really are an amazin’ woman. A damn whiskey bandit, but amazin’.”

~~~

The next morning, Yondu is still in bed with you. He wakes you up slightly by wrapping his strong arms around you and he pulls you as close as he can. You never thought in a million years that Yondu would be a cuddler, but in the privacy of his cabin he usually turned into a huge teddy bear.

“Good morning, handsome.” You mumble.

“Mornin’, sugar. Guess what?” He asks.

“What?”

“Today’s the day.” He says as he gently rubs your legs.

You push up on your arms quickly and look around the room. Today’s the day?! Oh my gosh, today’s the day!” You jump out of bed and start to get undressed.

“Woah, wait a minute! Where you goin’? We’ve got all day, slow down girl. Come ‘ere.” He beckons you back to him before you can get your t-shirt and sweats all the way off. You smile and crawl back into bed with your captain. “I wanna spend a little more time with ma woman before we head out. It’s gonna be a long flight, and who knows how long we might hafta be apart while you get your family stuff sorted out.” He pulls you close, and you happily snuggle into his warm embrace. Yondu is the warmest, and most incredible big spoon ever. His warmth is amazing, his body is so firm and strong. His hands engulf your torso almost completely. Absentmindedly, you rub your hands along his arms as he holds you.

“I love you.” These are the only words you can come up with, and yet they barely capture your feelings for him.

“I love you too, honey.” He takes in a deep breath and sighs. Yondu is trying his best to keep his worries at bay. He’s going to take up as much time as he can with you, which is why he wants to be so cuddly. It’s almost as if he’s afraid that you could vanish from his embrace. Today was not going to be an easy one for him. The uncertainty is maddening.

[star-going-supernova]

So. Madison Russell. Godzilla vs Kong. Welcome to my ted talk.

From a writing perspective, they totally wasted her character. She, Josh, and Bernie were almost exclusively used just as a method of showing the audience what was happening "behind the scenes" at Apex. Pouring the whiskey on the computer was about the only thing of note they did, and even that didn't do much. Mechagodzilla was only slightly hindered by it, and if they'd just written Kong and Godzilla differently in the fight scene, they could have skipped the whiskey part entirely. They could have done so much with having people "on the inside" but Monarch as a greater organization barely had any presence at all, which negated the need to have people on the inside. 

Maddie's steadfast insistence that Godzilla wasn't a bad guy at the beginning had so much potential, but it became the conspiracy thing instead. It felt less like she wanted to prove Godzilla wasn't turning against humans, and more like she and her new conspiracy friend wanted to crack open a shady organization, which was frustrating. If they wanted to depict her as someone who was forced to become competent at a young age, which was part of the serious, intense vibe I got from her, instead of the inexplicable personality shift, they should have showed her doing something to help. Getting in contact with her dad/Monarch, giving them evidence to begin a city wide evacuation outside the Apex Hong Kong HQ, messing something up or making it harder for the Apex people to get Mechagodzilla up and running—just, anything. 

The fact is, we had Maddie being very proactive in KotM. Stealing the ORCA was the game changer. Instead of taking that to the next level in GvK and giving her an opportunity to continue that aspect of her character—that is, being someone who refuses to sit by when she can do something to help, even if it’s dangerous—they rendered her obsolete. 

The movie wouldn't have significantly changed if you took her character out. If Bernie went by himself and ended up in Hong Kong, nothing would have changed, because Maddie didn't do anything of personal importance. She went from being an active character in KotM to being a passive one here, which are a pet peeve of mine. If you saw my post about what I liked and didn’t like about Godzilla (2014), that might sound very familiar.

It would also have made so much more sense if she developed a love for studying Titans instead of focusing on conspiracy theories. Plot-wise, it would have given her claim to her dad that Godzilla was being provoked more credence, and could’ve opened an interesting dialogue between them to reinforce that she knows what she’s talking about. Monarch was obviously still a big part of their lives, given that Mark had rejoined, so it would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Maddie to pursue a Titan-related future. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved Jia, and wouldn’t want to take her out of the movie or even diminish her presence in it. In fact, I think they should have focused on Jia, and only on Jia. 

Hear me out: Godzilla vs Kong should’ve been split in two. A Part 1 and Part 2 situation. 

For Part 1, we keep a lot of the GvK canon, especially the Kong-centric stuff. Include even more scenes showing us that he’s protective of Jia, don’t just have Dr. Andrews say that he is. Have him defend her from something dangerous, maybe even from some humans. Include their backstory, how he saved her during the storm. And start it even earlier, before Godzilla attacks Apex the first time. Keep the whole Hollow Earth plot, keep the fight scene in the ocean, keep the discovery of the temple and the axe.

And on the Godzilla side of things, start earlier on that as well. Keep the other Titans in, have humanity tentatively believing that a time of great peace is upon them. Their mere presence is restoring the planet. There was an emphasis of nature, particularly in relation to the Titans, in KotM that I really think they should have included more of in GvK to better tie the two movies together, if only they hadn’t swept all the other Titans under the rug. They wanted a movie about a fight, not about the Titans. So, undo that. Show us a little of what Mark does, do a sweep of the other KotM cast (cameos at the very least) to show how they and Monarch are working to uphold that peace post-Boston. I’d also have loved to see Boston itself, too, five years later. 

Instead of giving us a Generic High School scene, show Maddie learning about the Titans alongside the experts. Bring back the wonder and amazement she had when she saw Mothra for the first time, when she reached out and touched her. She’s second generation Monarch, make that mean something. When Maddie took the ORCA to Boston, she had a conviction. She couldn’t not have. She was there in part to lure Ghidorah in, but I can’t even pretend to believe her plan ended with that. She knew Godzilla would come. 

That sort of belief is hard to kill, and if death via Ghidorah wasn’t enough to scare her off, no way anything else in those five years afterwards did. Her belief that Godzilla is good survived to GvK, and should’ve been a main focal point of her character. Godzilla attacks Apex—she and every other Monarch person who has spent years studying the Titans knows something is up. 

Keep Mark’s character development regarding his opinions on Godzilla. He believes Maddie when she says something has to be wrong, not just because he trusts his daughter, but because he looked into Godzilla’s eyes and saw more than just an animal. 

They’re in Part 1 only minimally, just to establish their presence and how they feel about Godzilla destroying Apex. The focus is clearly on Jia and Kong’s side of events. 

Sorry, but I’m leaving Josh out and seriously dialing back Bernie’s role. Instead, the character we follow inside Apex is Ren Serizawa. We see his motivations, his ambitions, and he becomes a character with more than just a few lines. Does he resent Godzilla? Or does he resent his father, too? Serizawa’s sacrifice was willing, after all. He was no accidental casualty. 

Part 1 ends in the Hollow Earth, with Ghidorah taking control of Mechagodzilla on the surface. Alter the timeline just enough so that Godzilla has only just arrived to Hong Kong, and Kong’s still in the Hollow Earth. The final scene is Mechagodzilla emerging into the city as the sun rises. The post-credits scene is our KotM cast in the Argo, location unknown, watching a screen with Mechagodzilla on it. 

Part 2 begins with a reveal: Ren Serizawa isn’t dead. 

Backtrack. This part focuses more on the Godzilla side, and Monarch. It’ll have flashback scenes from the five years between KotM and now, showing exactly why Monarch as a whole firmly believes Godzilla is reacting to something instead of being anti-human all of a sudden. The Titans are not inherently malicious; destruction is a side effect of their size, no more, no less. He earned his title of King in KotM—make it mean more than just trying to make Kong “bow.” Make him a protector, a guardian. He’s nature’s balance. By definition, he must protect humans as well. 

What Monarch needs to figure out is this: what is he trying to protect them from? 

They investigate Apex in search of the answer, but knowing from past experience the sort of things Godzilla gets proactive about—the MUTOs, Ghidorah—Monarch mobilizes. They prepare for another fight, at Mark’s instructions. He witnessed both San Francisco and Boston firsthand, even if the former was from a civilian standpoint. 

Godzilla has more hunt scenes. He targets a second Apex lab after his ocean fight with Kong, telling Monarch that they’re on the right track. 

Maddie, being a minor and not dragged into the thick of things (yet), has to stay home. Remembering the podcast she sometimes listened to, when the topic was focused on the Titans, she tracks Bernie down, and he tells her about what he saw: the eye. 

The two of them go to the ruined Apex building and discover the eye is gone before getting caught. With Monarch currently breathing down their necks, they recognize Maddie to be Mark’s daughter and take her to Hong Kong. Sorry, Bernie, but that’s mostly as far as you’re involved. Timeline-wise, this is roughly when Kong puts the axe in the temple floor and Godzilla blasts a hole to the center of the earth. Monarch is following Godzilla, but they’re behind a bit thanks to the tunnel shortcuts. They’re still unaware that Maddie has been kidnapped and is en route to Hong Kong.

This is also when Mechagodzilla gains a life of its own. Walter Simmons is killed and Ren Serizawa becomes trapped in the link to Mechagodzilla, serving as the bridge between the robot and Ghidorah’s mind. Ghidorah is essentially controlling MG by controlling Ren, who is controlling MG. Make sense? He’s the puppeteer’s puppeteer. 

We reverse some things. Godzilla fights MG first, gets beat around but not as much as in GvK because he isn’t fresh out of a different fight. Kong returns to the surface through the tunnel Godzilla created, having carried the one remaining HEAV out himself, because Nathan Lind has never flown one before and doesn’t know how they work. Kong wants to protect Jia, and Ilene Andrews and Nathan Lind are very lucky that Jia likes them. 

Mechagodzilla sees Kong and takes off, and Kong decides now would be a great time to fight Godzilla, who’s having a pretty bad day. Monarch arrives, and half of them split off to follow MG while the rest stay to try and deescalate the situation. Other than Godzilla faring slightly less well, the fight goes mostly the same as in the movie, except for one big difference: one of the Monarch crafts pick up Jia and Co, and she’s able to get Kong’s attention from the back of an Osprey well enough to tell him to stop fighting. There’s a bigger threat out there, and Godzilla definitely needs to be okay enough to fight it. Either they work together, or they reschedule. 

She’s very stern about it, and though no one’s really sure what the two Titans decide on, they stop fighting. They leave together to go after Mechagodzilla, who is currently being slowed down by Mothra, because she deserves to be in this movie. The other Titans basically hinder Mechagodzilla as much as possible as it rampages, telling Godzilla where it is. Monarch finally figures out that it’s heading for the nearest entrance to the Hollow Earth, right around when they also figure out that Ghidorah is involved. With Dr. Andrews and Nathan Lind’s input, they theorize it intends to take more of the power source down there to further strengthen it. 

They do their best to clear the cities in its path, evacuating as many people as possible. It’s all they can do. As in the past, they must trust Godzilla to do the heavy lifting. Around the same time, an assistant tells Mark that some guy named Bernie called and is asking for him. This is how he finds out Maddie was taken to Apex’s Hong Kong location.

Meanwhile, the Apex guards and Maddie finally arrive to find the facility abandoned and damaged, MG gone, and Simmons dead. The guards more or less split, leaving her there alone. Maddie, being Maddie, goes deeper until she finally discovers Ghidorah’s skull and Ren Serizawa inside, trapped in his own head with Ghidorah. It’s killing him. 

He’s aware enough to have a conversation with her. They argue about the Titans. He wants Godzilla destroyed out of anger over his father’s preference for Titans, rather than his own son. 

(“You’re not the only one with ghosts!” she yells at him. “You’re not the only one who resents a parent for putting Titans ahead of you when you needed them!” He chokes out, “I do not resent my father—” “Coulda fooled me. Why else would you be spitting on his sacrifice like this? Who are you trying to help, huh? All the other kids out there who are losing their moms and dads because you let Ghidorah out? Sorry, mister, but the last time someone did that, your dad paid the price.”) 

Ren is getting worse. He’s going to die if he stays in the link much longer, but he can’t disconnect. Maddie, looking around, gets to work on something. The camera slowly pans around to show that there’s a second pilot seat, back-to-back with Ren’s. It would allow for seamless switching between pilots without MG ever not having someone at the controls. 

Even with the other Titans’ help, Godzilla and Kong are unable to stop MG from going through the tunnel and into the Hollow Earth. Monarch is unable to follow, because of the gravity issue. They’re both tired from the journey and their fight, especially Godzilla. This is their last chance. If Mechagodzilla reaches the power source, it’s all over. 

The fight doesn’t go in their favor. They’re both bad at working together, so their attacks are uncoordinated at best, actively hindering each other at worst. Kong gets flung off a mountain and MG pins Godzilla. Even thought he caught himself, Kong isn’t going to make it up in time to help him. 

Maddie puts on an identical pilot setup, and with Ren’s instructions, switches the link over to herself, freeing Ren. He collapses forward, immediately falling unconscious from the release of the strain. Fighting past the pain and overwhelming presence suddenly in her head, Maddie does what she does best: she causes Ghidorah problems. 

She screams, and it echoes like a roar through his skull. 

In the Hollow Earth, Mechagodzilla stumbles. 

It’s the beginning of the end. She can’t control it or even really stop Ghidorah, but she gets in his way as much as possible, giving Godzilla and Kong the edge they need to finally get their act together and use some teamwork to take Mechagodzilla down. They destroy it and return to the surface before parting on amicable terms. 

After too long, Mark arrives at Apex with a whole team of people. Ren Serizawa is found comatose but alive, and he’s quickly removed for medical attention. Though Maddie’s also alive, there’s something else clearly wrong. She’s still wired into the piloting gear, stiff and unseeing, as if she’s frozen. Her eyes are open but distant, pupils virtually gone from how constricted they are, and her jaw hangs open slightly. Despite how tense her body is, she’s limp. Nothing they do wakes her up, even after getting her out of the skull. 

They wheel her out on a gurney to where a handful of Ospreys landed, but as they leave the building and step out onto the roof, they find Godzilla has returned. He watches them, and he’s exactly as aware as Mark remembers. 

(“She tried to help you,” Mark calls out to him. No one knows exactly what happened in the Hollow Earth, during the fight, but the scene in Ghidorah’s skull was telling. “No, she—she did help you!” For the second time in her life, Maddie put herself in Ghidorah’s path and, ultimately, won. Only this time, her victory came with a price.) 

Godzilla snorts before leaning over the roof’s railing, moving toward the gurney. The humans all back away, even Mark, though he doesn’t go far. Spines humming, eyes flaring blue, Godzilla rumbles deeply. 

On the gurney, Maddie stirs. 

Later, much later, after Maddie and Jia have met—heaven help everyone else, honestly—they sit together on the edge of a pier over the ocean, Jia leaning comfortably against Maddie. It’s quiet. They’re alone, watching the sunset. A heavy footfall behind them, the feel of the vibration trembling through the wood, makes them turn around. Half concealed in the brush at the edge of the island’s foliage, Kong stands, facing them. 

They both wave before standing. They sign goodbye to each other, then part ways. As Maddie walks away to a waiting Osprey, we see behind her as Kong crouches to allow Jia to climb into his palm before vanishing into the forest. 

The Osprey takes off over the calm ocean. It has a different design than most, with a large door set in the side instead of at the back, more like an ordinary helicopter. It’s open as they go, Maddie secure inside as she stares out. A smile spreads across her face as jagged spines slowly breach the ocean’s surface, easily keeping pace with the Osprey, which lowers to be closer to the water.

For just a moment, in the fading light, Maddie’s eyes almost shine blue. The screen goes black to the sound of Godzilla’s roar.

[cutieodonoghue]

invisible string (16/18)

summary: modern soulmate birthmark au; After Omera lost her soulmate, she lost hope she’d ever find love again. Then, a short time before Earth’s first colony ship will be sent to a place they call the Outer Rim, she meets a Mandalorian whose touch makes her Soul Mark burn. (Mandomera!)

rating: hard T

word count: ~5.2k

prev. chapters: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen

read chapter 16 down below or on ao3!

an: Quick reminder that I'm updating every day now so don't miss yesterday's update! :) Thanks for reading!!

-

Chapter 16: Engine Trouble

“Incident report one. 01.02.09.

The ship is in good condition following a small leak we encountered in the cryo bay. One of the nozzles was loose on the pumps on Pod 95. All souls are healthy and accounted for. Primary power is still engaged and fully operational. [Attached: Security Log 01.02.08 - Cryo Bay] [Attached: Personal Video Log 0001, Crew Member: Din]

 >Personal Video Log 0001 (Crew Member: Din)

Personal log one. Day two. It’s been smooth since we took off. A few hours ago, the computer alerted us to a leak in the cryo bay. Easy fix. The colonists are all okay. 

The computer almost triggered the wakeup procedure on the bridge when the alert came through. I reset it and ran a dry test. Hopefully it was just a bug. 

[sighing]

I’ve been keeping busy with the bridge imaging monitor. Not a lot to report. Got this shot of Saturn on the first day. Made me think of someone. [Attached: Photo - Bridge Capture 01.01.11.96]

I’ll check back in later if anything interesting happens.” - Transcribed Crew Flight Video Logs, The Razor Crest (Crew Member: Din, Entry 0001)

-

“Leia wants you on the ship.”

Din looked up from his tablet to see Fett enter the office with a casual sigh. He sat down at his desk and lifted his eyebrows as he awaited a response.

“I told you. I’m not going.”

Fett nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I told her, but she insists you need to be there. You trained the bridge crew. You’ll be an asset on Planet Alpha and anything that comes after. What do I have to do to make it happen?” The man waited. He sat forward in his seat. “I can get you pretty much anything you want.”

Din shook his head. “I can’t leave.”

He looked back down at his tablet, done with the conversation, but his boss sighed again.

“Djarin, you’ve been… stiff and miserable for months. I’ve been respectful. Thought you needed the space. But then you took your name off of the manifest with less than a week until launch day. What happened?”

The way Fett spoke to him reminded him of his own father. There was kindness in him that didn’t want anything more than to help.

Din thought about the kid. It was all he could think about lately. After things ended with Omera, he had to make the choice to move on and instead focus on what he was staying for: Grogu.

The ship would leave in a few days. Omera would be on board. As much as he wasn’t okay with that, he’d found peace in it.

Din lifted his gaze. “I’m Bonded to Omera.”

Fett’s eyes grew wide in immediate surprise. “Omera.”

He nodded. “We… were going to go together to the Outer Rim. Then, the Mandalorians found out. They decided to take the kid and gave me the choice between staying with him and getting clean or losing my job here. It would’ve thrown the whole mission off track, so I chose to go with them.”

His boss sat back again. “That’s what those reports are for.”

“Right,” Din replied. “They wanted to make sure I’m not seeing her while I’m at work.” His jaw clenched. “I took my name off the manifest because I can’t leave without the kid.”

There was understanding and patience in Fett’s eyes. “We can fix it.”

Din narrowed his eyes. “If you’re going to suggest taking the kid and running now that the work is finished, I’ve thought about that already.”

His boss frowned, confused. “Why won’t it work?”

He sighed. “They’ll claim a Mandalorian child was sent into space without consent. It would put Falcon underwater. Bad press would kill any future missions and funding. I won’t do that to you.”

Fett nodded slowly. Then, as if he made up his mind, he stood and grabbed his phone. “Come with me. We’re going to meet up with Leia. Tell her what you told me.”

Din stood. “I can’t ask you to-”

“You had a path.” Fett shook his head. He lifted his phone to his ear. “Let’s get you back on it. We need you out there.” He became earnest, “Omera needs you out there. I was there when she lost her Bond. Took every ounce of hope straight out of her. I won’t let that happen again.”

-

Armas was silent. If it was in surprise, or if it was a mechanism to inspire dominance over the situation, Din wasn’t sure. She was outnumbered and hadn’t been given the chance to prepare for this meeting.

In the chairs opposite her at her desk at the covert were Din, with Grogu in his lap, Leia Organa, and Boba Fett. 

They’d gone straight to the covert from the office when Leia learned what was keeping him from joining the crew on the Razor Crest. Her exact words were: “Like hell they will. Come on, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.”

In the time since then, Leia had come up with a solution that felt foolproof. It was almost upsetting that Din hadn’t thought of it himself. Although, it wouldn’t have been possible without leverage that only Leia could provide.

“When we made our agreement to hire a Mandalorian, we mentioned the possibility of them being sent to the Outer Rim,” Leia said calmly, “but how could we have known he was given guardianship over this child? It seems unfair to separate them.”

“The stipulations of our agreement have not changed,” Armas replied coolly. “Din Djarin will simply no longer be the Mandalorian sent to the Outer Rim on this ship.”

“You’re right,” Leia agreed. “The Mandalorian that Falcon Aerospace Industries would like on board this ship is Grogu.” She gestured to the child in Din’s lap with both of her hands. “If you deny us this, we have grounds to sue you for breach of contractual obligation.”

Armas stared at Leia. Din wasn’t sure how she felt, if she felt anything at all. She was always impossible to read.

Finally, after several seconds, she leaned forward.

“The child is not Mandalorian. He cannot teach the Way. He can barely speak. We cannot in good conscience agree to send him as our ambassador.”

“He is being raised here,” Fett spoke up, “which makes him Mandalorian in title, regardless of what he knows right now.”

Armas looked at the man. “How do you know this?”

“My father and I were both Mandalorian children,” he replied evenly. “I was lucky I got out before it was too late.”

Din felt Grogu’s fingers on his. The boy had been quiet since he arrived, but he was made even more anxious by Armas and didn’t hesitate to show it. He sat facing the opposite way, looking out the windows in her office, and held onto Din as tightly as he could.

“If your suggestion is that we don’t care for our children, you are incorrect,” Armas said. “Everything we have done for the child, Grogu, and for Din Djarin, has been to protect them as they live according to our beliefs.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Leia said in an effort at cooling things down. “I think we’ve lost track of what’s important. We want Grogu on our ship.”

Armas looked at Din. “Does the child wish to go to the Outer Rim?”

He swallowed as he looked down at the kid. “Grogu?” 

His boy looked back up at him, glad to hear him speak his name. 

“Do you want to go to space?”

For a few seconds that felt so impossibly long, the boy was dead silent, and Din worried that he had clammed up because of Armas. It wouldn’t be the first time. 

“Grogu go to space,” he finally replied. He smiled at Din and reached up to the edge of his helmet to touch it gently. “Daddy go to space.” 

Din held Grogu closer. He didn’t want to look away. “What’s in space, buddy?”

His smile reached his eyes. “Home.”

Din nodded, proud of him, and felt tears in his eyes as he looked up at his Mandalorian mentor.

Armas sighed heavily. “We will allow the child, Grogu, to be the Mandalorian sent to the Outer Rim.”

Leia beamed at Armas. “We appreciate your willingness to take our meeting.” 

She stood, leading Din and Boba to do the same, but before they could go, Armas held up a hand.

“Din Djarin, have you decided to leave the covert having unsettled your atonement?”

He swallowed thickly. “I have.”

Armas nodded in understanding. She stood up. “I had hoped you would be able to overcome your attachments, but I see now that your heart is set and there is no changing it.” Her hands extended outward. “Relinquish your helmet. You won’t need it anymore.”

Din stood there in shock for a few seconds before he finally touched his hand to his helmet. Grogu helped him push it off, something he thought poetic, and when he was free of the Mandalorian face covering, he set it into Armas’ hands.

“It is the Way to forsake attachments to focus on what’s important,” Din told his mentor. “It was only when I Bonded that I realized what true focus feels like.”

Armas set his helmet down on the desk in front of her. 

“I will raise him with Mandalorian beliefs,” he added, “but he will be allowed attachments.”

She was quiet. “A new type of Mandalorian for a new world.”

Din nodded.

“You have my blessing,” Armas shared, surprising him. “Teach many this new Way.”

He gave Armas a small smile. “I will. Thank you.”

As he followed Leia and Boba out of the covert, Din squeezed Grogu closer and kissed the top of his head, filled with relief that the worst of it was finally over. 

Just outside of the building, Leia climbed into a private car. Boba had brought his truck. Din would have to ask for help for just one night before the ship was scheduled to depart. 

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell Omera,” Din said to Leia at her car door. “I need to apologize. I don’t want it coming from anyone else.”

Leia looked between him and Grogu. She nodded. “Of course.” She smiled. “You’ll be our Primary Team lead pilot. I’ll have Fennec send your paperwork and schedule tonight. Where will you be staying?”

“They’ll stay with me,” Fett spoke up. 

Din’s eyes widened with surprise, but he said nothing. He and Fett exchanged nods. 

“Thank you,” Din told Leia earnestly. “I couldn’t have done this without your help. I was ready to stay behind.”

“I’m glad you’ll be on the ship. You’re important to the mission.” She looked at Grogu and her smile became warmer. “You were both worth fighting for.”

After Leia’s car pulled away, Din was left with hope that burst through his chest in a way it hadn’t before. For the first time since he was a small boy, he no longer had to fight one way or another. 

“Let’s get your things,” Boba told him. “Will you want a ride over to Omera’s tonight?”

Din’s heart leapt. There were too many uncertainties about how she might react to what he’d done and he didn’t want to face them head on just yet. He would talk to her in the morning, before the ship took off when they were both locked into their roles and there was no turning back. She deserved to know for certain that he was all in and that nothing would pull them apart again.

“No. Not tonight. There should be time tomorrow morning.”

-

“I need your help.”

His soul was immediately assaulted with a tight burst of fear. And then there was the noise. The wail of the alarms was familiar but still so foreign.

He forced himself to focus as he stepped out of his pod, leaving behind blissful dreams of what he hoped his future would look like and a heart at peace for nothing but chaos.

To his surprise, Omera was the only one awake. She had a hazmat suit on, which could only mean one thing: a chemical breach in the engine.

They had trained for this. There were weeks of training that the crew had done to prepare for literally every possible scenario, ranging from small to massive scale. The simulators in training were part of that, though being in a real scenario felt very different than any of the preparation was.

In an uncontrolled environment, he and Omera would have to work in perfect tandem. The lives of everyone on board were at stake. The lives of their kids were at stake.

There was a glaring sense of urgency, but amidst that urgency, he couldn’t help but realize that this was the first time they’d been awake in the same room in weeks - flight time notwithstanding.

He’d missed her. He’d missed everything about her. And he had no idea if she was ever going to be his again.

Those thoughts didn’t matter, though, with a hot alarm in his ear and the main bridge console lit up with alerts and procedural guidelines. 

“There’s been a breach,” she explained. “I’m going to go fix it, but I need you to walk me through it from the bridge.”

He nodded. “Did you power down the air filtration on the lower deck?”

“The vents were closed while I brought you out of cryo.” Omera hesitated. “Life support was disengaged in the engine room immediately to prevent spillage, so I’ll only have a few minutes at most.”

Now he understood the fear in his soul. She was fearful that she’d fail. It was a one person job, and in the event that something went wrong, he was her choice to do what he could to fix it. 

He couldn’t help but think back on her training in the simulator. She had been one of the best in the final simulation test, but it hadn’t been without bruising their trust and connection with cold, clinical language and an even colder shoulder.

“Gravity?” he asked.

She nodded. “Still operational, but there’s no airflow.” She began to walk backward toward the door off of the bridge toward engineering. “Warn me when the integrity is near ninety percent. If it gets that low, we’ll have to wake someone else up and see if there’s a hidden leak.”

Once she was gone, Din looked directly at the primary engineering console that sat next to the piloting station. 

“Engine integrity at ninety eight percent,” the computer shared. 

He sucked in a breath as he brought up the camera feed for the engine room. She hadn’t arrived just yet, but would very soon.

It would be hard to calm down. Her fears were strongest in his soul but his fears were close behind them. 

Since the computer woke her up first, she’d had to take on the mantle of leader whether she wanted it or not. Per the programming, she would always be chosen to wake up first in the event that something went wrong with the engine. She knew it better than anyone here- even the crew engineers were a step below.

He wondered what she thought of him being on board. Was she surprised? Upset? Had she somehow known beforehand?

Through huge carefully sealed doors, Omera entered the engine room. 

The sheer scope of the engine was always a concern of his. There was a lot of room for failure, but they’d tested it on its own for four full years before they committed to using it for long-term travel. Chemical leaks were common and easy to fix, so there wasn’t any need to panic. 

Once it was done, they would have time to sit down and talk about what happened. He really hoped she wasn’t so upset with him that they’d have no future, but he would understand if she wanted to put space between them. He had been distant and cold in their time apart to try and make it easier.

“The breach is in the forward quadrant,” he told her through the comms in her suit. “Left hand side. Station three.”

Omera made her way toward the station carefully. “I can see the fumes. The chemical hasn’t been fully vacuumed out.”

He glimpsed at the screen on the console that indicated how much integrity the engine sat at. Still above 90%. 

“The only way we’ll be able to get it cleaned up is by opening an airlock when you’re done.”

Omera was quiet. Focused. He watched through a new camera angle when she went straight toward the breach. 

Beside the engine, there were workstations at quadrant intervals that contained what they would need to perform for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. 

She pried open the workstation lid at the forward quadrant and reached inside for the kit and bolt drill. He’d seen her operate them before. He knew she could handle them. This step was the simplest. 

It would be fine, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. From what he could tell, this was the first major setback during their journey and if the problem wasn’t resolved, lives were at stake.

“I’m shaking,” she admitted with a trembling breath.

He closed his eyes briefly. “You’re doing fine. It should be easy. When it’s over, we can talk.”

Omera released a purposeful breath. “We definitely need to talk.” She returned to the leak site and asked, “Can you disengage the forward part of the engine?”

Din set his thumb on the authorization button on the console. “Done. Need you to give consenting authorization.”

“Computer, power down the forward part of the engine,” she said. “We will re-engage in five minutes.”

“Powering down.”

The system went dark. The glow of the engine dimmed. A light on Omera’s helmet flicked on. 

“Eight bolts,” he told her. “That’s all. Then you’re done.”

Then, they could sit down and talk the way they needed to.

Omera pressed the thick metal sheet against the leak with one hand. With the other, she operated the bolt drill. It was virtually foolproof, but he could hear her breathing tremble through the mic in her suit.

He tried to quiet his soul. Anything he could do to help her. 

“I just-” Omera’s voice cut off with a crackle. 

He analyzed the video, narrowing his eyes some. She continued to work. Whatever happened to her mic’s feed must have been related to her suit.

“There’s some interference. Can you hear me?”

She stopped what she was doing and turned to face the camera. Tapped her ears. 

Din cursed. He didn’t like the idea that she could need help and he wouldn’t know.

“Keep going,” he said on the off chance she’d hear. The computer alerted him of the engine integrity. 96%. “There’s not a lot of time.”

Omera returned to work. He watched her finish six of eight bolts before something happened to her. She bent over halfway and clutched at her chest. 

Shit. Shit. The suit had been punctured.

Din scrambled into action. He ripped open the door beside the engineering door and grabbed a hazmat suit that he fumbled his body into. He couldn’t go fast enough. 

He felt her soul cry out. It burned him like he’d started on fire and it was terrifying. 

Once he was in his suit, he ran the entire length of the ship to the engine room and didn’t let up until he was next to her. 

She’d soldiered through and finished bolting the metal sheet, but she remained doubled over and coughed violently.

“Computer, re-engage the forward engine and restore ventilation in the engine room.”

He went to Omera’s side just in time for her to collapse onto the floor. His soul immediately went ice cold. It fractured. Bent. He could feel her fading heartbeat in it. 

“No!”

In one swift movement, Din leaned down and lifted Omera off of the floor. He tossed her over his shoulder like she was a rag doll and rushed out of the engine room. He only stopped to put her down once they cleared the doors. They sealed behind him with a heavy thud. 

“Computer, open airlock six for five seconds,” he ordered, breathless.

“Opening airlock six.”

Din quickly yanked Omera’s helmet off and was forced to watch her pale face lull to the side. She was out cold, but he could still feel her with him. It was just so small. 

He took the rest of the suit off for her and then carried her away from the toxic suit to place her body into the decontamination tank. It was an upright machine that was positioned next to a small emergency medical bay. 

Inside the tank, her body was propped up by prongs on the back wall, limbs limp and head hung against her chest. He touched his fingers against her neck to check her pulse. It was weak.

Once he stuffed her suit into a decontamination bin, his next course of action was to grab the medical supplies he needed from the nearby wall while the machine sanitized her to cleanse her skin and lungs. 

His soul ached. It throbbed. It felt increasingly worse, to the point that he physically knew he might lose her because his body almost doubled over in sheer agony. 

He ripped his suit off and tossed it aside as he prepared an oxygen mask that had a gauge to detect the chemical toxicity in a user’s breath. 

Din winced when he was hit with a fresh crippling wave of pain that came from seemingly nowhere within him. This time, he had to stop moving to try and breathe through it.

They still hadn’t been able to talk about what happened. He hadn’t had the chance to apologize.

They hadn’t had any time to build the life they dreamed about. The kids were still young. He couldn’t raise them by himself. He didn’t want to.

He wanted her to wake up so they could go to the Outer Rim together. What time they’d shared on Earth wasn’t nearly enough.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

Was this his reward for everything he’d done? Was he about to lose his soulmate because he couldn’t stay faithful to the Way? Because in everything he did, he chose her?

Din waited impatiently for the tank door to open. When it did, he hauled her limp body against his and carried her to the floor immediately beside it.

Another pang wracked his body. This one was so much worse than before. His soul swirled frantically, like it cried out to its companion. Strangely, his Mark began to burn impossibly hot. It hadn’t done that since they Bonded. 

“No, no, no.” 

He forced himself to move, physically fighting against his own body to get the breathing mask. 

Tears leaked free from his eyes on their own accord. He could feel nothing but darkness, an endless pit that he felt his own soul getting sucked into.

His body felt stiff. His muscles tightened and his lungs refused air. He felt himself get dizzy as the Soul Mark beneath his ear became increasingly more inflamed. His vision blurred and his hands both trembled violently, unable to keep still enough to hold the mask properly.

He became furious with himself. She was dying and his body wouldn’t cooperate long enough to save her. 

A growl wretched out of his chest when he tightened his fingers around the medical tool and pressed it against her face so it covered her nose and mouth.

His chest heaved, gasping for breaths that just weren’t coming, as tears ran down his cheeks. His body acted on its own, unable to hold anything back while his Mark grew somehow hotter.

Was this what it had felt like for her before? This dark, terrible, awful torture? Knowing he’d lost her- that he’d failed her? 

She had been so willing to let him go before. She’d given him countless ways out. The only time she’d panicked was when he suggested breaking their Bond. Now he understood why.

“Breathe,” he instructed through gritted teeth. “Come back. Wake up. Please.”

All at once, everything changed. 

She bolted upright with a sharp gasp and the dark pit within him became light again. The grip his own soul had on his body was released and he could breathe once more.

“You’re okay,” he told her, more for himself than for her. 

She sucked a clean breath from the device he still held against her face. 

His eyes watered as he touched his other hand to the back of her head and kissed her forehead out of pure relief that the worst of it was over; that he hadn’t lost her. 

“You’re okay,” he murmured again, his lips pressed against the crown of her head. He closed his eyes tightly. “It’s okay. Just breathe.”

Omera held onto his gaze as her breathing slowly returned to normal and he dragged his hand over the side of her face and into her hair, unable to stop feeling how warm she slowly became. Her skin felt clammy and wet, but there was life surging through her that felt tangibly beneath his fingertips. 

It took a few exhales for the red color on the indicator to go away. He only pulled the device away once it turned green, and even then he was careful and made her breathe out a few more times before he tucked it back into the kit. 

“You should take a shower,” he told her. “Have the computer scan you after. Make sure it’s all gone.”

Omera nodded, but she was silent with the shock of what she’d been through. He helped her to her feet and she clung to him with her arm tight around his waist.

“Engine integrity restored,” the computer trilled overhead. “Life support on the engine deck has been reinstated.”

“Computer, is there any indication of a leak in the engine?” Din asked as they walked slowly toward the crew quarters.

“Negative. The engine is presently free of damage. System is fully operational.”

They’d done it. It was over. 

Now, they could both breathe easier. 

-

The crew showers were in one small room. There were dividers that separated into three stalls, should more than one need to be used at a time, but it seemed unlikely to him that it would ever be the case.

When he got Omera positioned beside the first shower stall, he took the initiative to turn the water on for her. She waited quietly for him to return.

“I’ll go find you something to wear,” he told her. “Do you need help getting out of your suit?”

He gestured to the skin-tight cryo suit she wore. He’d have to change out of his, too. They were going to have to stay up for a day per protocol anyway, so he might as well do it comfortably.

Slowly, her eyes went from him to her body. She shook her head, still wordless.

“Be right back.”

Din was out of the showers before Omera could say anything. He found her something to wear in her locker and kept them in a neat pile as he returned to find her beneath the stream of water hidden behind a privacy wall.

He left the pile of clothes out for her with a towel and said, “I’m gonna go get changed.”

Omera didn’t reply. Maybe it was for the best. It took everything in him to not picture what she looked like behind that privacy wall. 

While he walked toward his cabin, he had to remind himself that they weren’t together anymore. He ended things so he could show honor to the Way and to the Mandalorians, but to her as well. She owed him absolutely nothing. If she wanted to put distance between them and keep things neutral like they were before, that was fine.

Inside his cabin, he changed out of his cryo suit and into a pair of lounge sweats and a loose cotton knit top. It felt so much gentler than the unrelenting pinch of the all-purpose fabric of the cryo suit.

He sat down on the edge of his bed and a pang of guilt hit him in the chest when he thought about Omera again. 

What if she didn’t want him in her life anymore?

The fact that he was on the ship, that he’d been the one to revive her, might have been the final straw. 

He’d done all of this, come all this way, so they might get a chance to be together again the way they dreamed. He hadn’t talked to Omera individually since that day in her office, and he knew he hadn’t been good to her after that. 

Their interactions were always stilted. Always cold. Always brief. He couldn’t crack because if he did, there was no telling where it would have led him.

If Omera wanted to talk, they would, but he didn’t want to force it. He didn’t want to make her do anything she wasn’t comfortable with- especially after he almost just lost her.

It was uncanny- he could still feel the ache of loss in his bones as if their souls were pulled taut in the aftermath of a near death experience. 

All he knew was he was grateful he hadn’t severed the Bond by force. He was also glad they were going to age in tandem so that she wouldn’t have to deal with that pain on her own from galaxies away.

Din stared at the floor of his cabin for a long time before he decided to search for Omera in case she might need help. 

She wasn’t in the showers, but her cabin door was sealed closed when he made his way up the hall to check if she went to lay down. 

Good. She was probably exhausted and overwhelmed. She should rest.

His fingers twitched at his sides restlessly as he stood in the hall with his eyes set on her door as if he could see through it. With a small shake of his head, he made his way out of the crew quarters and instead onto the bridge. 

He’d wait for her to make the first move. He didn’t want to push. He wanted to tell her everything, but only if she wanted to know everything.

It was ridiculous. He had somehow survived months apart from her, but the prospect of another hour or two felt unbearable and impossible. 

Din sat down in a chair at one of the computer consoles and ran a hand over his face.

An hour. Sixty minutes. Three thousand six hundred seconds.

It was much better than the alternative of a lifetime apart.

-

Read Chapter 17