#he scampered away when he saw me sitting there

[lesbianshepard]

i was out on the porch and a baby possum came to visit me for my birthday

[seresinhangmanjake]

Forgetting

Jake Seresin x reader

Summary: Jake forgets to pick you up at the airport because of his ex, and for the first time, you think maybe you and Jake aren't mean to be.

Notes/Warnings: Angst, but ends fluffy. Fighting. Cursing. This was a request that I said I'd have done in a couple days and it took me a week and a half. Sorry about that. Also, please be gentle. I haven't written for Jake in what feels like a millennium.

Words: 2700

Jake Seresin Masterlist / Main Masterlist / Tag List

As much as it would kill you to know that he could be hurt, you hope he’s hurt. You hope he’s on his way to the hospital to receive life-saving treatment because if he’s not hurt, if he’s not receiving life-saving treatment, then he simply forgot about you. And that makes your heart want to claw its way out of your chest and scamper across the floor until it’s well out of your range to catch it. 

Your call goes to voicemail for the fourth time. You send your twelfth text: I hope you’re ok. I landed an hour ago. Please call me. Nothing different than the eleven other messages that have gone unanswered. Forty-five more minutes pass of you sitting on a bench by the airport exit before you finally surrender your last shred of hope and call Bradley to come save you. 

Within the hour, you’re sighing in relief, the sight of a friendly face almost bringing you to tears. He approaches you with open arms and you fall right into the embrace, comforted by the hug that should be in your boyfriend’s arms, and the warmth that should be from your boyfriend’s body, and the forehead kiss that should be from your boyfriend’s lips. 

“Please tell me he’s ok,” you say against your friend’s chest. 

A heavy palm rubs up and down your back. “No one could get ahold of him.”

Your head jerks back so you can meet his eyes. “Oh my god!”

“I’m sure he’s fine, kid. Don’t worry.”

“How can you say that? He was supposed to be here and he’s not and–” You pause when Bradley looks away from you, and a hefty stone settles in your gut. You know your friend well. He’s a good man, honest but sensitive, and when that honestly meets that sensitivity, it results in his inability to look someone in the eye if he thinks the truth might hurt them. You’ve seen it a hundred times, but never with you. 

Your posture wavers with your lengthy exhale. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Another great thing about Bradley: he doesn’t make you play any games. You don’t have to jump through hoops. You don’t have to ask the right questions in the right way in order to get what you need out of him, unlike many men, your boyfriend included, who recently has found ways to skitter around telling the full truth. 

“Javy said he saw him a couple of hours ago,” Bradley says.

Your back teeth clench. Your mind shoots to one conclusion. “With her?” you ask. Bradley’s eyes drift from yours again and you nod, a tear at the ready to leak down your cheek. “He forgot about me because he’s with her.”

“We don’t know that for sure, and–”

Your hand scrubbing down your face cuts him off. Your fingers pinch the bridge of your nose before you suck in your whimper and say, “Rooster, why did he even ask me to come here?”

“Because he…I mean, we thought he–”

“You thought he gave a fuck about me.”

“He does,” Bradley says, stressing his words in an attempt to reassure you. “He never shuts up about you.”

“Sure,” you say. “He gives so much of a fuck that he forgot about me to be with his ex. How can you explain that?”

Rooster sighs. His hands slip into his jeans pockets just to have something to do with them. “I can’t.”

“Exactly.” 

No one can explain it. Not you, not Bradley, not Jake. Everyone you know back home would be telling you to run for the hills right now. They were already wary of this ‘Navy guy’ that they’d only met twice around the holidays, who lives a decent distance away from your entire life and who constantly requests that you be the one to hop on a plane rather than the other way around. 

For the duration of your time together, you’ve been understanding of that sacrifice. You know his schedule doesn’t allow impromptu trips out of state, but that hasn’t made it any less exhausting for you. And maybe that’s a sign. Another sign. A nail in the coffin. Maybe you and Jake aren’t meant to be. And why would you be? You met him on a brief vacation to visit a friend who doesn’t even live in the same town anymore, and somehow, during those few days, he convinced you to take a chance on him. So you took the leap. But being that bold doesn’t guarantee you won’t fall flat on your face, and you think that’s exactly what’s happening. You’ve tripped over a guy only to realize he doesn’t care about you to the same degree that you care about him. 

However, you’re not the type to avoid confrontation. If Jake Seresin is going to mistreat you because of his ex, then he is going to do it to your face. He’s going to look you in the eye when he shows himself to be the liar he is. It may hurt more to go to him rather than get on the next plane home without so much as taking in a breath of fresh Californian air, but you’re too upset to let that thought fully develop, and a moment later, Rooster is following your stomps out the door. 

—

You find him at the Hard Deck, standing at a hightop with a beer glass in his hand that clinks against the one in his ex’s before he takes a sip. Bradley’s comforting hand lands on your back in solidarity. You only met him because of Jake, but the two of you bonded despite their differences, and having him by your side now makes him nothing short of a life-saver. 

He helps guide you through the crowd to the table, and when Jake spots you, he chokes around the liquid going down his throat. His blown-out emerald eyes rival saucers and his mouth gapes like a fish, but then his stare flicks to Bradley, and those eyes shrink into narrow slits. His face heats to a boiling red. 

“What the fuck!” Jake snaps, shocking the composure right out of his ex’s poised stance. Bar patrons close by turn their heads but quickly return to their own conversations. Jake steps away from the table, coming to a halt in front of you and his squadmate. “What the hell is this?”

You figured he’d be bothered if you showed up with Bradley in tow. And good, that’s what you feel he deserves. Jake’s been wary of the other Dagger’s closeness to you for a while, and even though you know—as does Bradley—that it’s an asinine concern, you have no problem using it against him now. But still, the intensity of his reaction manages to surprise you. You didn’t think he would be this angered by the sight of you with another man that it would have him overlooking his mistake of forgetting you.

Your arms cross. “This is your girlfriend and the guy who saved her when her damn boyfriend left her stranded at the airport.”

“Excuse me?”

Jake’s ex’s prying gaze tugs at your attention, but when you glance over his shoulder to catch her in the act, she quickly looks away—just more proof that whatever the fuck she’s doing with your boyfriend is something to be ashamed of. 

Bradley’s saying something. You can’t quite hear him over the anger-induced fuzzing in your ears, but you’re pretty sure it’s a scolding based on the twisting of Jake’s features as he shoots back his own words of aggression. And then your hand is in his and you’re being pulled through the bar, out the back door, and onto the deck where the only intrusive sound is the lapping of waves on the shore. 

“Why are you here?” he asks. 

You scoff to mask the heartbreak that comes with that question. “Because you asked me to be here.”

“Tomorrow.”

“What?”

“It’s Wednesday,” he says. 

“It’s Thursday, Jake.”

“No, it’s—” he freezes, and you don’t know if he’s tipsy or stupid, but it takes him a minute to come to the same conclusion: it is indeed Thursday. “Fuck,” he mutters.

Your lower back meets the edge of the railing, and you sigh, thankfully keeping in the tears. “What are you doing with her?”

“What the fuck are you doing with Rooster?” he returns much more forcefully. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I called, I texted, I left voicemails,” you tell him, “But clearly, she was more important.”

Jake’s hands pat down his pockets, mouth setting in a frown when he can’t find his phone.

“Don’t bother. Phone or no phone, you forgot about me because of her. Last time I was here, you were late for one of our dates because of her. You spent fifty percent of our time together stepping away to take her phone calls,” you say, trying and failing to avoid the bitter taste on your tongue. “Just fuck her, Jake, if you haven’t already. I only came here to tell you that she can have you.”

You’ve never seen him fall apart the way he does. You’ve never seen the blood drain from his cocky face. You’ve never seen his features break and crack and contort into the vision of pure devastation as they do. His parted mouth must’ve gone dry because his next words come out slightly hoarse.

“You don’t mean that,” he says, but it’s more of a plea than anything. “Why…Why would you–” He swallows. A wrinkle forms between his brows and he shakes his head. “You love me. You didn’t mean to say that.”

You do love him—terribly so—but you’re willing to be one of those people who won’t view love as enough if it also means laying you out as a fool. “Jake–”

“Take it back,” he says. His steps are quick, and then you’re trapped where you stand, his hands on either side of your body, gripping the rail. Eyes drill into yours, and for a second, you feel a pang of guilt. “Please, baby, take it back. She doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“And I mean less.”

“No!” he says. “That’s not true. You’re everything, ok? You mean everything to me. She was just helping me, that’s all.”

“Helping you,” you mimic with a roll of your eyes. “Helping you what? Get off?”

With a little whine, Jake’s head drops between his shoulders, his blond hair brushing your collarbone. “Please. Please quit saying things like that.” His hands slide closer to your body and land on your hips. You don’t push him away—you can't—and his touch softens you ever so slightly.

“Then tell me the truth,” you say. “Right now. I’m giving you one shot.”

His head snaps up. His eyes flick back and forth between yours, ironically searching for your honesty, as if you’re the liar on trial here. 

“It was a surprise,” he tells you. “She’s a realtor now, and for the last few months she’s been helping me find a new place, one that’s bigger than what I’ve got because I was going to ask you to move in with me.” Your heartbeat stutters. A layer of goosebumps coats your arms. When you don’t respond, he continues, “I hate missing you. I hate how unfair it is that you’re always the one to come here because I can’t fly out at the drop of a hat. I know it’s a big step, but I figured if I had a place, I could show you how great things could be. That’s why she and I came here. We were celebrating because I’m signing on a house first thing tomorrow,” he says. “Well, that’s why I’m celebrating, anyway. She’s probably celebrating because she just made a decent commission.”

It’s almost unfair how that new information doesn’t make you feel any less of a fool. Had he told you that under any other circumstances, you’d be leaping into his arms, kissing him like you’ve been deprived of him for years, repeating ‘yes’ over and over between those kisses, but you can’t. You can’t because his explanation doesn’t fix everything. 

“That still doesn’t change that it’s Thursday, not Wednesday,” you say.

“I know, baby. That’s my fault. I was so excited, and I was thinking how perfect the timing was that I would be able to pick you up tomorrow and drive you by the house now that it’s officially mine, but I fucked it up.”

Jake’s thumbs press into your hips, and you’re instantly reminded of each moment in your relationship when you’ve felt that same light pressure on your skin. A gentle claiming. The same pressure you felt when you agreed to be his girlfriend. The same pressure you feel whenever you’re in bed together. 

You sense eyes on you other than your boyfriend’s, and when you turn your head, you find his ex staring right at you, an expression on her face that you wish you could say wasn’t one of distress, but it is. And worse, it’s obviously not distress for herself, but for Jake, as if she’s hoping she wasn’t just a contributor to a bomb dropping on his life. 

Jake’s busy staring at you despite your averted gaze, and in a monotone voice, you say, “She feels bad.”

He doesn’t follow your eyes. “Because she knows I’ve been doing this all for you.”

You blink. Your hand runs down your face before sifting through the strands of your hair. “You really want me to live with you?”

“Of course I do,” he tells you. He’s shaking his head, but you know it’s because he thinks any idea that he wouldn’t want you to be blasphemous. His hand cups your chin. “I love you.”

With a sigh, you push aside the rollercoaster of emotions, the misunderstandings that lead to frustration and hurt, and look him directly in the eye. And where moments ago you thought you saw lies, you see honestly. Where you thought you saw betrayal, you see love. 

“Can I see it?”

—

It’s small—a two-bedroom with a little driveway, the shingle siding painted a blue-gray shade that is more blue than gray; bundles of flowers bloom in the boxes under the windows; a bay window protrudes from the side of the structure facing the beach. And it’s perfect.

You can imagine building a life here. You can picture a dog that you’ll have to build a fence for and children years later that will have you reinforcing the fence because they’ll probably be like their father, and Jake didn’t choose to be a pilot because of his lack of adventurous nature. You look at this house and you can see the core of a family. A house that, no matter how far you go for Jake’s job, will always be home base.

Jake is leaning around you so you can both watch the house from the passenger seat window. “I’d offer to show you around, but I don’t get the keys until morning.”

“It’s ok,” you tell him. “I don’t need to see inside.”

When you say that, he falls back into his seat. The back of his head presses against the headrest. His fingers squeeze the steering wheel with his sigh of defeat. “You don’t like it.”

Shifting your body to face him, you say, “Jake, I love it.”

Just like that, his eyes brighten like a pouting child who was just offered a lollipop, and you can’t help but chuckle. You can’t help but forget everything that happened earlier in the night, all of it seeming so insignificant now, even though you know it’s not, and you both know that if he ever makes the same mistake again, he’ll have hell to pay. But something tells you that won’t be a problem. 

“Enough to live with me?” he asks.

You nod. “Enough to live with you.”

---

A/N: Thanks for reading! Comments make my entire world, so if you liked it, let me know? Thanks :)

[weixuldo]

Who's your Daddy?

Older!James Kelly x f!reader

(SORRY FOR BEING GONE SO LONG OMLLLL- i’ve never written anything other than starwars lol- but I hope this is enjoyable. I also havent ever written fauxscest and I wouldn't say i'm really into it, but I feel like it fits the character lowkey)

One of James' customer mistakes you for his daughter and you actually play along...James isnt thrilled

warnings: dead dove do not eat?, Fauxscest, age gap, orgasm denial, just regular schmegular smex, name calling,

________________

 “Fuck Jamie!” you squealed as DILF!James Kelly harshly bent you over the old camaro that had been sitting in his shop for the past two weeks. 

His strong tattooed hand had your nicely curled hair in a strong grip as he smacked your ass with the other. “You wanna act like a child so bad, then I’ll treat you like one” he said as he continued to spank you. 

Earlier, James had been finishing up a job on an old Ford pickup and was negotiating payment with the owner when you skipped out from inside the shop wearing shorts and a tank top.

In James’ “office”- really just a room with a chair and desk that he’d toss papers on (or eat you out on)- he had a bowl of candy just in case a client brought around their kids. James never really knew what to do with kids, but you told him having a candy jar would make him seem less scary.

Of course he had one the next day.

But clients never really brought their kids around the shop so you got to enjoy the majority of the candy. Today you were feeling the cherry lollipop and twirled it around your mouth as you scampered out to see what James was up to. 

As you walked out you saw James broad back facing you as he stood with his arms crossed towards a gruff man with gray hair. They looked like they were talking shop- how boring.

You sighed and were about to go back inside when the gray haired man noticed you. 

“Kelly, you never mentioned ya had kids?”. 

James was taken aback- kids? 

He turned to see what the man was looking at when his icy eyes landed on your tantalizing form; it was nearly 97 degrees and humid as fuck- why the hell did you look so good?

He subconsciously licked his bottom lip before remembering the man’s comment; he turned back just about to protest when you skipped up to him and threw your arms around him. 

“He’s never mentioned me?” you said with a fake pout. 

“But dad- I thought you were proud of me? Why don’t you tell your friends about me?” 

James was too stunned to speak- sure, you’d occasionally call him “daddy” in bed but he never thought that act would leave the bedroom. His left eye twitched as he looked down at your doe eyed expression. 

“Haha- I’m sure yer Dad’s proud of ya kiddo- probably just wanted to hide you away cause you’d have all the boys riled up” the gray haired man chuckled as James fought to keep his frustration at bay. 

“Is that why daddy?” you asked innocently. 

James was pissed

…

and extremely turned on.

But he was really bothered that his client was obviously checking you out right in front of him. He clenched his jaw once more before straining out an answer. 

“Yea thats why, sweetheart. I’d hate to have to get the shotgun out of the shed for something other than hunting” he falsely smiled. 

You hugged him once more before heading back inside “Well I’ll let you two keep talking- Thanks for choosing my dad’s shop” you smiled at the man before your boyfriend. 

He shot back a bright grin “Not a problem darlin’, I’ll be sure to come to yer Dad’s shop from now on haha”. 

James clenched his fists at his sides, he could feel himself losing his composure.

The man finally paid James and added a little extra and told him to “buy somethin’ nice for that daughter of yer’s”. 

Oh- James would definitely not be buying you something nice after the little stunt you just pulled. 

“She's a looker Kelly, better keep an eye on her'' the man commented once more before hopping into his newly fixed truck. 

James just nodded as he counted the money the man paid him, “Yea, i’m always lookin at her- especially when she's bouncing on my cock”. 

The old man’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets; “Pardon?!”. 

James finally met his eye once more with a smug look, “Yea, she’s not my daughter- that’s my girlfriend”. 

The man just sat with the truck held in reverse as he tried to replay the whole interaction. 

“And I’m gonna fuck her raw for that shit she just pulled- Thanks for the tip and have a nice day” he said before shoving the cash into his pocket and shutting the garage gate. 

You had taken a seat at James’ desk as you mindlessly scrolled on your phone. You thought it was funny to play with him like that but you didn’t think it would get him too worked up- so when you heard him call for you to come out to the garage your body buzzed with nervous excitement. 

He had called your name harsher than he normally would so you could tell he was feeling some type of way but you couldn’t quite put your finger on what… were you about to be lectured, yelled at, or fucked? 

Maybe all three heh

James was standing domineeringly with his feet slightly parted and arms crossed tight as you entered the garage. 

“Yesss? What’s wrong Jamie” you answered innocently. 

He clicked his tongue and cut his eyes, “you know damn well what you were doing”. 

You pouted your pretty lips and shook your head, “I don’t really see anything wrong with joking” you said smugly. 

Annnd now you’re here, bent over his camaro with him ruthlessly plunging his thick cock in and out of you.

James’ veins popped as he tugged at your hair with one hand and angled your hips up with the other. He was panting like an animal as he forcefully thrusted into you, heavy balls slapping against your swollen clit. 

“Fuck, please! Jamie- Slow down!” you cried as you grounded yourself on the hood of the old car as your boyfriend hit it from the back. 

“Jamie?” he questioned, squeezing your ass harder.

“James!” you managed.

He let out a low chuckle that made you even wetter than before, “you wanted to call me dad so bad earlier, what happened, doll?”. 

You could hear his stupid smirk in the way he spoke, you wanted to say something but all that was coming out were pathetic whimpers and moans.

You felt him shudder as you clenched your gummy walls around his throbbing cock- “s-shit” he cursed under his breath as he slowly pulled out until just his tip was left in you. 

Your eyes were already brimming with tears-but when he stopped his movements, the tears started to flow. Your poor pussy ached for him to slide between your folds- once he started, you needed him to finish. 

It was almost criminal how empty you felt without your boyfriend’s dick inside of you. You began to whine the longer he held still. 

“You think you’re so slick, little brat” he growled as his rough palm made contact with your bright red ass cheek for the umpteenth time. 

He leaned down to whisper in your ear and you felt the cool silver of his cross chain as it slid down your arched spine. 

“Who am I” he asked with a dangerous lilt to his voice. 

“James” you cried again, you knew that was the wrong answer but you needed him to keep going.

Without warning he plunged into you and bottomed out as your eyes rolled back in pleasure. But just as fast as he was in, he had resumed the previous position. 

“Incorrect” he said before pulling completely out. 

You whimpered before he flipped you around so that you were staring at his flushed face; God he was perfect. Looking down between the two of you- his hard cock was completely coated in your combined juices and twitched as he stood over you. 

He grabbed your hips and lined himself up with your aching core once more before shoving himself in with an abrupt snap of his hips. You gripped onto his forearms as you yelped. 

“Who am I” he asked once more, his voice low with lust. 

“D-Daddy” you cried in humiliation as you shied away from James’ watchful eyes. 

He halted his movements and leaned closer to your ear, “Almost. What did you call me earlier, doll?” he said with a devious smirk. 

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, “...dad”. 

“What was that baby? Didn’t hear ya” James taunted. 

“DAD!” you wailed as you dug your nails into your older man’s forearms. 

“That’s it, Sweetheart” he smiled as he quickened his pace. 

You moaned as his sloppy thrusts jiggled your breasts around for Jame’s viewing pleasure. You felt your high approaching fast. 

“Fuck- I”m close- I” you cried as James continued diving deeper and deeper into your sopping cunt. 

James bit his bottom lip and pulled out as fast as he had been fucking you; leaving you with a disappointingly empty feeling. You gasped at the loss of his massive member and your eyes shot open to see why your boyfriend felt the need to pull out. 

There he was in all of his glory; brow adorned with sweat , face flushed, brows drawn together, and lips parted. Soon you felt his warm ropes of cum spilling onto your stomach, you whimpered at the wasted seed and your lost orgasm. 

He finished stroking himself with a shudder and squeezed out the rest of his spend onto you with a low groan. 

“W-why?” you almost cried as your boyfriend began to clean himself off. 

“Good girls wouldn’t cum from their dad’s dick-” he tossed you a towel from the hanger on the wall, “I hope you’ve learned your lesson, little one”. 

“Once you’ve had time to think about your actions and clean up- maybe I’ll consider letting you cum” he said before leaving you alone and empty in his dim office. 

***

lol I hope you enjoyed :)

[eternalmoonlight18]

Maybe This Time...

Akagami no Shanks x afab!Reader

NEXT CHAPTER

synopsis: You and Shanks were raised together in Roger’s crew. However that was over a decade ago, and now that you reunited with him once again, he doesn’t plan on letting you go.

cw: sfw, childhood friends to lovers trope! fluffy and then angst and then fluffy again in the end… should this be a two part series?! lmk!

a/n: this is not proofread, i just got the sudden urge to write at midnight LOL. real ones will notice that this is based off of a song by the same title, esp if you grew up watching filipino rom com movies!

wc: 2.6k

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It was a cool and calm night as the Oro Jackson gently swayed against the calm waves of the Grand Line. The ship was filled with pirates, dreaming away after a long day of fighting against Marines. Loud snores can be heard echoing through the ship and into the quiet night sky.

A young 12 year-old-girl crawled up to the deck, trying to find a peaceful area to sleep away from the grown men who snored loudly in their bedchambers. She lightly scampered up to the deck and up to the crow’s nest, only to find it was occupied by a boy with red hair, who was leaning up against the pole at the centre of the nest.

The boy heard the scuffling and turned around to see you. He flashed a bright smile that shone with the stars the littered the night sky. You reciprocated as you made your way to sit beside him.

“What’re you doing here Shanks?” you quipped.

“Couldn’t sleep. These geezers snore so loud that one day I think they’ll attract Sea Kings in the middle of the night.” he jokingly said.

Shanks’ comment made you giggle. “Hey, that’s going to be you one day. A loud old man who snores like beast.” you shot at him.

The boy pouted as he crossed his arms. “And you’re going to be a wrinkly old granny who’s going to be all alone.” he retorted.

You stood up and pointed down at him. “That’s not nice!” you whined.

“You literally started it!” he scoffed as he looked up at you.

Before you couldn’t answer back, a sudden light flashed by. You whipped your head around in surprised and ran to the edge of the crows nest and saw a shower of shooting started to decorate the night sky. Gripping the rail of the nest, your breath hitched as you lightly gasped at the sight before you.

“Oh my gods, look Shanks! Shooting stars! Quick make a wish!” you squealed as you jumped up and down in excitement.

The red-haired boy lightly laughed as he got up and made his way beside you. With his arms leaning up against the rail, he watched the light show with you. He turned his head to his left and rested his eyes on you as your attention was focused on the falling stars. As the light continued to shine and fall, Shanks was mesmerized by the sight in front of him. He swore that you were lighting up just like the stars, with your lips pulled back in a genuine smile as your eyes gleamed in excitement. As he continued to observe you, he saw the reflection of the stars in your irises and his breath hitched in awe. An uncomfortable feeling started to churn in his stomach and chest as he felt his eyes soften at the sight of you.

You turn your head to the right to see Shanks staring at you.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” you questioned, noticing the weird expression on his face.

He quickly broke away from the trance that you put him in and pulled his eyes away. He scratched his cheek in embarrassment as a light pink colour started showing up on his cheeks. He shyly glanced back to you and saw that your face plastered with innocence and curiosity.

“You looked funny while you were looking at the shooting stars.” he said in excuse.

The smile that graced your lips fell as you furled your eyebrows in annoyance. “I was making a wish for you information.” you snarked at him.

Shanks hummed. “What did you wish?” he asked.

When he asked the question, your gaze softened as you turned around and faced the sea once more. “I wished to stay forever like this. With Captain Roger and the whole crew, with you and Buggy, forever sailing and looking for adventure.” you sighed.

The boy raised his eyebrow as you confessed. “You’re so cheesy.” he laughed.

Not breaking away from the sight of the vast sea, you hmphed. “Shut up. What was your wish?” you asked back.

Shanks turned around and faced the same direction as he rested his head on his arms. Silence took over as he thought about your question.

“Wishing on stars is for little kids.” he finally spoke. His voice was mixed in with a slight hesitation that you failed to notice.

You lightly punched his left shoulder. “We’re both twelve stupid. We are kids.” you giggled.

The boy laughed with you as the both you watched the shooting stars finally come to an end. Another pregnant paused filled the air until you broke the silence.

“Can you promise me something Shanks?” you quietly asked as you turned your entire body to face him.

“What is it?” he answered as he tilted his head to face you.

You bowed your head, refusing to meet his eyes. Your left foot scrapped the wooden floor as you fidgeted nervously. As courage started to swell in you once more, you raised your head and looked right into Shank’s deep brown eyes.

“You’ll stay by my side forever right?” you shyly and quietly asked him.

“Hah?” the boy gasped in surprise. He stumbled back and started looking away. The pink tinge on his cheeks started to deepen as he glanced back at you. As he found his footing once more, he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand and laughed.

“You’re so silly (Y/n)! Of course I’ll stay by your side. We’re best friends right?” he joyfully replied.

A giggle escaped your lips as you smiled widely at the boy in front of you. Shanks reciprocated the smile as he reached his right hand out. You gladly took it with your left as he pulled you into a hug.

“Don’t ever leave my side okay?” he whispered.

You tightened your arms around him as you buried your head into his right shoulder.

“You’d have to pry my dead body off of you if you want to get rid of me.” you joked.

The light breeze touched the skin of the two friends as they sat back down to watch the stars together.

————-

The rain fell hard as it splattered onto the concrete ground of the town. People were scampering around in chaos mixed with yells and screams. The sky was dark and clouded, reflecting the mood of the area.

You were now 15 years old, and Gold Roger, your captain, was just executed.

You ran across town chasing after Shanks after you saw him run away after your captain was killed in front of everyone. As you maneuvered around the town, you spotted Buggy and Shanks who were standing in front of each other. As you ran closer, you saw that Buggy turned his back from his friend and ran away to your direction.

“Buggy!” you called out as he ran. But he ignored you, running past you in silence. You get a brief glimpse at him and see that his face was painted with a scowl with light tears running down his face.

Your legs continued to move forward as you ran towards Shanks. His head was bowed down with his hands dangling from his sides. As you reached in front of him, he looked up with a heavy expression resting on his face. His eyes were void of emotion as he scanned your eyes.

“Shanks…” you trembled as your emotions caught up to you. The rain started pouring down harder as you and the red-haired 15 year old stared at each other in defeat.

“He’s gone…” he muttered quietly.

“I know Shanks, I know.” you choked as hot tears started to pour down from your face.

The boy’s lips started to frown as he watched you cry. As your sobs grew louder, you crouched down in a fetal position, burring your face into your arms as you continued to cry. Shanks’ resolve slowly started to crumble as he tried to choke back sobs that was threatening to escape his throat. Lifting his right arm up, he tried to reach out to you, but drew back in hesitation. He turned his head to the side as he started to speak.

“I’m going.” he said plainly.

Your head shot up. With glossy eyes, you stared at your red-haired friend. “Then take me with you.”

“No.” he said curtly.

“What? What do you mean no?” you started to raised your face as you rapidly got up from the ground. “Shanks, you promised me that we’d stay together!”

In that moment, he gripped the handle of his sword so tight, that white started to appear on his knuckles. Shanks lowered his head, allowing the raindrops that fell on his straw hat to drip down onto the concrete ground.

“I’m going back to the Grand Line on my own. You should stay here, or somewhere, away from the seas.” he said.

More tears started to stream down your face as you walked up to him and shook his shoulders. “What nonsense are you talking about?! Who are you to tell me to not go back to the sea? Shanks you promised me that you wouldn’t leave me!” you wailed.

The red-haired boy swatted your hands away from shoulder and started to back step away from you. Your eyebrows scrunched in disbelief as you watched him slowly turn around and walk away from you.

“Goodbye Y/n.” he said as he walked away in the rain.

“No!” you screamed at him. “No Shanks don’t leave me!” you yelled. Your calls were futile has he continued to walk away, not looking back.

You didn’t understand. Why did everything you have get ruined?

You clutched your chest as you fell to your knees, not caring that the impact of the fall banged up your knee caps.

The only thing that could be heard was the bloodcurdling scream of Shanks’ name echo throughout Loguetown.

—————

You come face to face with the man you vowed to never see again.

It’s been fifteen years since you last seen Shanks at Loguetown. You’re now 30 years old and working as a Pirate Hunter. You were docked at a remote island for a two days and was heading back to your small ship before you found yourself facing the man who left you crying in the rain.

He was now a full grown man, taller, stronger, with three scars slashed on his left eye, and missing a left arm. His signature straw hat was also missing from his head.

Shanks didn’t expect to see you in front of him either. Looking down at you, he saw that you were now a full grown woman. But he knew that it was still the same old you, the same best friend he had.

And he knew that you still held a grudge against him.

You glared at him, then attempted to walk past him without saying a word before he spoke up.

“It’s good to see you Y/n.”

Ignoring his greeting, you made your way to your ship at the sanded beach. Hauling a sack at your back, you threw it over your shoulder and onto the boat as you prepared to leave the island.

The red-haired man pulled up next to your boat and watched as you prepared your sails. In the distance, his crew watched curiously as their captain followed this mysterious woman.

“Out of the way red-haired.” you snarled. You glance down at the man and threw a sour expression his way. He smiled back.

“You’re the same as always.” he sighed.

“You have some nerve pretending everything is good between us.” you snapped at him.

Shanks ran his one good hand through his red locks and laughed. “You got me there. But it’s been 15 years Y/n. I’m sure we can put grudges away hm?” he said lightly.

An apple flew at his direction, but unsurprisingly he caught it.

“Shut the fuck up.” you growled. Before you could throw a bigger item at him, your ship suddenly splintered into pieces as a cannonball hit it. You flew out and landed on the sand. It seemed that the pirates you were chasing after caught you off guard and tried to shoot you down.

Shanks quickly tried to help you up from the ground while you sputtered the sand out your mouth. Realizing that he was holding onto your right arm as he hoisted you up, you shoved him away from your side.

“Don’t touch me.” you lowly said.

“You should come in my ship. Those guys are coming for your head.” he replied. He saw that the pirates that shot down your ship were running your direction.

“No.” you muttered as you attempted to limp away from him and the enemy. But this time, Shanks hoisted you up and threw you over his right shoulder like a bag of potatoes. Startled, you started to flail around as he started to make his way to the his ship.

“Yo! Get ready to sail!” he called out to his crew.

“Put me down you ogre!” you yelled as you attempted to punch his broad back. You swore you could feel Shanks grin as he ignored you.

“No can do Y/n! I’m not leaving you this time!” he cheerfully spoke.

You continued to wrestle against Shanks’ tight grip on the back of your legs. Once he climbed on the ship, he gently placed you down on the desk. As soon as your bum hit the floor, you scrambled to get off, only the find that the ship had already sailed away from the island.

“You asshole!” you screamed. Whipping your head to see the infuriating red-haired man shooting a smile your way. “Get me off this ship right now!” you demanded.

He simply shrugged. The his whole crew was now up on the deck, laughing at your suddenly burst of anger.

“No can do, unless you wanna sail to your death on your own out there.” Shanks answered smugly.

Stomping towards Shanks, you jab a finger into his chest as you snarled at him. “You fucking kidnapped me! You had the nerve to show your face after fifteen years and kidnap me onto your ship! You’re a lunatic Red-haired!” you shrieked.

Shanks’ chest rumbled with laughter, with the rest of the crew following suit. He placed his hand onto your right shoulder as he stooped down to your left ear.

“Well, I’m here now to keep that promise we made hmm?” he lowly purred in your ear. The man pulled away and raised his eyebrow in amusement as he saw your face turn red. A deep frown was plastered on your lips as your eyebrows furled in anger.

The palms of your hand collided with his sturdy chest as you shoved him away from you. You stomped away to the other side of the gigantic ship, not wanting to come in contact with your former friend at all.

“Y/n!” he called out to you as he watched your back walk away. He grinned widely as you twisted your upper body to shoot up a middle finger at his direction.

By the gods above you were back in his life, and it somehow felt just right. Maybe this time, his wish would come true.

“What did you wish for?” he recalled your 12 year old self asking him.

“For you to be my partner in this lifetime.” he finally admitted to himself, 18 years after that one fateful night when he fell in love with you.

This time he would make things right with you.

[idontcaboose]

Haunted car au, pt2

Prev

Danny had waited for a bit to make sure no one else was in the cave with him before he started trying to escape. He found out that: trying to shove or push his way out resulted in the horn to honk, flailing around caused the doors, trunk, and hood to open and close, trying to blast his way out turned on the brights, and after getting a little claustrophobic, he caused the windows and roof to roll down. He didn't know the Batmobile was a convertible, he can't really see Batman letting the top down to let wind blow in his pointy ears. That would be silly.

He isn't sure how no one came down to check the noises he was making, that honk was loud in the enclosed area. The bats above definitely didn't like it, Danny felt the need for a couple of showers, which made him wonder how a car wash would feel. There was a loud *ding* noise that snapped Danny out of his pondering, and he saw an older gentleman start wandering the cave and tidying it up. The man did tsk at the car and where it was parked, as well as the mess that was on the vehicle. It wasn't too much later when another *ding* echoed through the cave and the older gentleman greeted a young dark skinned teenager. It was nice to know that the man's name was Alfred and the teen was Duke.

Duke concerned Danny, he kept looking at him, or well, the car, weirdly. Alfred didn't seem surprised that the car was in the spot it was in, he was just annoyed that no one parked it in a better spot. Duke however, looked like the car was creeping him out. Duke looked a little sick when Alfred asked him to move the car and wash it before he went on patrol. Was Danny really that dirty? He could only look out the windows as if he was just sitting in the car, and the hood didn't look that bad.

Duke slowly approached the car like it would bite him. Danny decided to see if he could shift his perspective to the passenger seat so it didn't feel awkward mentally occupying the seat Duke was about to sit in. It was a weird sensation, but Duke seemed to relax a bit after he did so. Danny kept an eye on Duke as he felt the engine turn on, Danny tensed as he felt the car be put into reverse. It wasn't until Duke revved the engine a bit that Danny realized he was keeping the car from moving. Danny tried relaxing a bit and gave Duke a sheepish look. Danny trusted Duke to drive him to where he was supposed to go, and away they went. They parked on a platform a few feet lower than the main chamber; it housed a handful of cars and motorcycles, all of various colors. Danny was among his ‘new’ people now.

The thing about showers and getting clean, it was usually done by oneself, getting cleaned by another person was not a thing Danny wanted to experience again. He made a note to tell whoever cares for him in his old age, to end him before he needs the dreaded sponge baths. It wasn't that Duke was doing a bad job of washing the car, but the water was ice cold, the cloth was scratchy, and he was just left to drip dry! Even his dad would towel off the GAV when it needed a wash, the disrespect of machines today. Danny accidentally made his displeasure known by revving the engine in a way that was almost akin to a growl. Duke scampered away quickly after that.

It wasn't long until the kid stepped back onto the platform and took the yellow and black bike out of the tunnel. Alone again, and now facing the tunnel of freedom.

Now how to get this thing into drive on his own?

HOOONNNNKKKK

*sigh*

______________

Next?

@kizzer55555

@trappednyourheart

@candeartist422

@sebas-nights

@fandom-life-corrupted-me

[mysicklove]

you ask for a thirst?, I shall deliver. this is something I've thought about but I don't know if it's good enough for a fic.. pro-hero!kirishima, who has a worker (like an assistant, fem!reader) who whenever he does something well (idk defeats a powerful villain, or something along the lines) rewards him by fucking him.

THIS IS SHIT IM SORRY!!

No this is such a good idea. I swear that makes so much sense with his character. I was going to make this a drabble but one thing led to another…

𝐌𝐑. 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐓!

Paring: Sub! Top! Pro-Hero Kirishima x Dom! Bottom! Female! Assistant reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: Oral (fem receiving), vaginal penetration, multiple orgasms, teasing lol

A/N: This low-key isn't hot, its more fun and cute. I feel like hot-very serious sex is not Kirishimas thing, but also idk what im talking about. I also head cannon him to have a VERY high stamina so lololol

In the beginning, you would make small positive regards on well he did in battle. As his personal assistant, it wasn't unheard of to praise your boss. But then you slowly became more confident when you noticed how positively he reacted. You switched to running your fingers down his biceps and fluttering your lashes at him, while you called him “big” and “strong.” This was the first time you saw him get hard. You kept it to yourself.

You realized he had a crush on you not long later. Watched him come racing to your desk to tell you about his missions. Watched him squirm and falter whenever you got too close to him. And finally watched his crumble under you when you first sucked him off.

But you have never fucked. He was desperate for it at this point and you hung it over his head. It was adorable watching him slowly get pent-up and frustrated. But he never complained.

So you couldn't help but tease him just a tad.

He races out of his desk when he got the call from Pinky. On his way out he sees you, sitting at your desk sucking on a lollipop. He forces himself to tear his gaze away from your lips, that oh just recently was around him, so that he could continue walking.

You on the other hand, rest your head on your hand and grin up at him, before taking the lollipop out of your mouth. “Make sure to be a good boy and catch that villain, maybe you’ll get a nice reward when you come back,” You call and he froze mid-step to turn back to you.

His face turns red and he brings his hands up to play with his face gear in embarrassment. “What type of reward? Do you mean…Do you really…Wait–Stop it! I have to go! I’ll come back, I promise, please wait for me, I’ll be good!” And with that he quickly runs away from you leaving you with a small smirk, loving the way you make the pro hero flustered.

The villain was hard to catch. Simply for one, his quirk was strong, and two, Eijiro could not stay focused. Your voice and that goddamn lollipop could not leave his head and the idea of reward? It was too much for him.

So, when Dynamite grabs the villain, Eijiro manages to scamper away and sprint back to his office. He ignored the raised eyebrow from Pinky, who is confused due to the fact that he always stays around just to make sure nothing happens. They failed to understand that he has somewhere to be!

He rushes over to his office and sees you sitting on his desk, legs crossed, and playing with his Red Riot nameplate. He tries to calm his rapid breaths from the run, so he doesn’t look too desperate, but it fails, and you smirk at him.

He gulps. He is your boss, why the hell is he getting so flustered around you?

“Cmere Mr. Red Riot,” You purr and he jumps. He loves it when you call him that. The two of you have been working together for a while, and he assured you to call him Kirishima, but now at this very moment, he regrets asking you that. Because why the hell does his hero name sound so sexy when it falls from your lips?

He quickly shuts and locks the door before following your command. He stands in front of you and has to look down to make eye contact with you. He towers over you in this position. “Can I have, uh, have my reward now? The villain…He is in jail.” You begin to run your fingers over his bare chest, slightly glistening with sweat. He shudders.

“Was my strong pro-hero doing a good job protecting the city?” You purr as you trace a circle around one of his nipples.

He nods his head rapidly but winces when you pinch the nub lightly. “Y-Yeah! I was good like you said!”

You smile warmly and he looks away with a small blush. “That's great. Good job. What would you like as a reward? I can schedule you a couple of days off from work–I mean you definitely deserve a vacation”

His eyes snap back toward yours in confusion. He leans forward and rests his head on your shoulder. “Don't tease me. You know what I want,” He whines and you grin.

“I can't read minds. You gotta tell me, Red.” Another nickname he adores so much. Probably even more than Red Riot, due to the fact you used it when you gave him head last time.

“Wanna fuck you.” You giggle lightly at the comment and he blushes even more. Then, he mumbles out, “Please?”

You lean forward and begin to press light kisses on his torso and he sighs. “Take off your clothes, love. Is the door locked?” You murmur and he nods his head. “Good boy.” He looks away with a wobbly smile. Then, he begins to undress.

Now, he stands in front of you, completely bare, contrasting your fully clothed self. He can't bear to look at you, he's too embarrassed. His fists clench at his side, waiting for your command.

You slip off your small cardigan and then shimmy your mini skirt off. He watches eagerly, trying his best to not get too hard. Then, you begin to fake struggle with your buttons and look up at him with a pout. “Do you, um, need help Y/N?”

You smile at him. “Would you?” He gulps but nods. He takes a step closer to you and with shaky fingers he begins to take off your shirt, button by button. He holds his hands on your waist as he stares at your now bare breasts. You weren't wearing a bra. He was hard.

You grab his chin and press your lips to his. He moans into it and kisses you back with such intensity, you have to slightly lean back. You fall backward on his desk and he leans over you, elbows leaning next to your head. You feel his cock brush against your panties and gasp.

He begins to kiss your neck and moves down your body. “Been waiting for this. For so long,” He murmurs against your skin, looking up at you with doe eyes.

“Yeah? Ever since I gave you that blowjob?” He licks your stomach and smiles.

“Ever since the first day you complimented me.”

“So desperate,” You tease and he huffs, gently nipping at the skin beneath him.

“But I didn't say anything! Didnt, want to make you uncomfortable!”

“I know. You're so cute.” He blushes again and falters. It's one of those compliments he can't help but blush at. His whole life he tried to be manly and somehow he is reduced to being “cute” to you. It made him feel strange, but good. “Want you to eat me out, can you do that for me, Red?”

He was buzzing with excitement. He has been waiting patiently for you to allow him to return the favor. “Y-Yeah! Thank you.” You laugh lightly at his politeness.

He tears himself from the desk and kneels in front of your clothed pussy. He grabs the lacey underwear and pulls it down, exposing you completely. He stares at it, admiring it with blown pupils. He doesn't know where to start. His throbbing cock was distracting him. “Taking your sweet time down there aren't ya? Need any help?”

He grips your hips and pulls you forward onto his mouth. You gasp. His arms wrap around the back of your thighs and he traps you in his hold. He laps and suckles like a starved man.

Your head falls back against the desk and you arch your back slightly. One of your hands falls on his red hair and grips it. “Doing so well for me. Making me f-feel so good.” His moans come out muffled.

He begins to hump the air and his eyes begin to water with his lack of air. Drool and other juices begin to drip down his chin and his red eyes don't leave yours. He feels a sense of pride when he watches you come undone. It makes me feel like he is needed.

He unbelievably was messy. The noises that came from below were lewd and if anyone pressed their ear against the door, they would definitely know exactly what was happening. Eijiros flushed and wet face didn't help your case.

“Fuck! Going to cum. Dont, stop!” You moan as your body begins to contract. Eijiro nods against you and whines softly when you tug his hair. He grabs your hips and pressed them even closer to his face and your mouth goes open in a silent moan, and you tremble against him.

When you come down Eijiro doesn't seem to get the hint. In fact, with the added juices he seems to lap at your cunt even harder. “Enough Kirishima.”

He pulls away immediately at the command with a dazed look. Unknown liquids drip from his face and his eyes furrow. “Red,” He reminds and you roll your eyes with a smile, before bracing yourself on your elbows.

“Yeah, yeah. Red. Now tell me Red, do you want me to suck you off or do you want to fuck me?” He sits on his knees and thinks for a minute. You grab a tissue from his desk and lean forward to wipe his drenched mouth. He smiles wide, showing his pointy teeth and you laugh.

“Fuck me.” He sighs dreamily and you hold back a laugh. “I mean you. Fuck you. Not fuck you as in “Fuck you!” like I want to fu–”

“Okay yeah, I got it. Cmere.” He nods his head, ears burning red, and leans back over you. He kisses you again and you can taste yourself. He thrusts his tongue into your mouth with a moan. You feel his throbbing cock on your thigh, so you pull away and glance down.

It's huge. Red and throbbing. Drops of pre drip from it and onto your thigh. When you turn your gaze back to the man in front of you, you hold back a coo. You swear he is giving you puppy dog eyes. “Well? Put it in.”

“I can? For real now?” If he was a puppy, his tail would be wagging frantically. But he wasn't and you were getting impatient.

“Yeah, if you put it in before I dry up.”

“Sorry! Just excited!” You laugh as he lines up his cock, his face bright red. With one quick, but hard thrust, he is in and the two of you moan. His mouth grazes against yours and he looks at you with lidded eyes when he slowly begins to start moving his hips. Your legs wrap around his hips and he sighs.

“Mhmmm feels good,” he mumbles. You nod your head and his hips begin to go quicker and stronger. He pulls himself away from you to stand fully up. He grabs your hips and continues to ram his cock into you. “Been thinking about this forever,” He whines and your smile, and squeeze your eyes shut when he hits that spot.

“Yeah?” You say, knowing he already told you this earlier. It was cute though.

“Yeah! I-I kept thinking about it today. Oh god! Got distracted earlier.” He groans and presses a kiss to your leg. You grip the edge of the desk as your body continues to move up and down on the desk from the force of his thrusts.

You try to stay composed, but it's a lot harder now. “Aw, Pro-Hero couldn't stop thinking about fucking his assistant? You're so lewd, Red Riot. What would the fans think?” He whines and his blush flares at your teasing tone. He loves it. Loves how condescending and pitying you sound, it makes him feel dumb.

He flips you over and your eyes widen as your chest now touches the cool desk. He brings your hips back so that they fall over the edge of the desk and then pushes his body on top of yours, chest to your back. His much larger frame covers you completely as he rests his elbows on the table next to your head so he doesn't crush you. “Can't help it!” He finishes, acting like he didn't just switch positions so rapidly.

Lewd smacks and grunts fill the air and the two of you pant. Eijiro hasn't stopped talking, constantly chanting out praises and whines. His rough pace never slowed down and you have already came. His stamina was unbelievable, you barely could keep up with him.

“Oh no. No no no. I'm going to cum–Not yet! It can't end yet!” Even in your exhausted state, you laugh and then whine.

“S-So dramatic. We can go again love. A-And when you get back from your missions!” The last part comes out shaky and your eyes slightly roll back.

Either from your words or his upcoming orgasm, he was going even faster. “Will you reward me every time? Please, please, please! I'll continue being good, I promise!” He flips you over and you are looking back into his eyes. Desperation leaks from his face, for whatever reason afraid of you saying no.

You shakily reach a handout cup on his cheek, and he leans into your palm immediately. Sweat and lose tears fall from his face and onto yours. “Of course. Now, be good and cum for me, Red.”

He nods his head rapidly and whines into your neck. “I'm cumming. Thank you! Thank you! Oh fuck.” His hips stutter and he cums in you with one last high-pitched moan.

The hero half collapses on you, now only one arm to brace himself up. You pet his head affectionately.

He turns to you, eyes half-lidded and grinning with an after-sex glow. “Round two?”

There is a knock at the door and the two of you freeze. “Mr. Red Riot, you have a meeting in five minutes. Oh and if you see Ms. L/N, please let me know!”

He looks at you with those puppy dog eyes again. “Do I have to go?” He whispers into your neck and you laugh, before pushing his sweaty body off of you.

“Go, you horny bastard.”

“Will I get another reward if I do?” He grins and you pinch the bridge of your nose. He doesn't leave until you agree.

[inkykeiji]

character: zayne genre: fluff! notes: wrote this as a teeny tiny comfort piece for myself!! deciding to share it here in the hopes that maybe it can bring some comfort to someone else, too! warnings: daddy kink without the kinkiness, reader takes medication and suffers from unspecified health issues, reader is female words: 880

Thinking about Daddy Zayne who is also Doctor Zayne, who is simultaneously and consistently both, the line between the two smudged and blurred and bleeding into one another as they infuse his soul, a caretaker in the purest, rawest form; who is rigidly meticulous when it comes to your health, especially your daily medications and vitamins.

He knows you sometimes forget to take your pills, sometimes forget if you’ve taken the correct amount, or which ones you have yet to take for the day—it’s okay, he understands, he tells you tenderly when he raises his concerns to you. It can be overwhelming, especially on the days where you’re feeling extra sick, where even the most basic of tasks feels impossibly monumental; he knows, sweetheart, he knows—and so, he resolves to do everything in his power to aid you. 

If there’s anything, anything at all that he can do to make your health just a teensy bit easier, he wants to do it.

The pill box he brings home one night is a pretty pastel pink, plastic embedded with silver sparkles that glitter brilliantly as he pulls it from his work satchel, tiny twinkles catching on fragments of light, streaming from the kitchen pot lights. 

“To help keep you organized,” he says softly, placing the container down on the island’s marble countertop, gently, as if he’s afraid it may shatter otherwise. 

“It’s super cute,” you say, gaze swapping between him and the box, a small smile on your lips. “Thank you, Daddy.” Dainty fingers skim along the days of the week, each one etched into the plastic in a bright fuchsia. “This was really thoughtful of you.”

“You like it?” he asks, hesitant hope tingeing the edges of his voice.

“I do.” 

“Good,” he roots around in his bag again, producing a hefty stack of glittery packets from the depths, each wrapped individually in thin shimmering plastic. “Because I saw these, and I just couldn’t resist—they reminded me of you too much.”

Splayed out across the countertop sits pages and pages of cute kittens, hearts, and stars, twinkling delicately up at you.

Blinking twice, your head tilts. “Stickers?”

“Mm,” Zayne hums, nodding. His fingers traverse the sheets, one by one, pensively. “I thought we could decorate the pill organizer together.” 

And, oh, the way your eyes absolutely shine, brilliant and beautiful as they search his face, makes all of the trepidation he had accumulated in his chest on his drive home so worth it. 

It melts away in your warm blaze, mollifies into something doughy and pleasant, something that fills his ribcage and stuffs his heart and he feels satisfied, he feels right, he feels whole.

“Really?” 

“Yes.”

“Now?”

A light chuckle falls from his lips, gaze gone syrupy as he traces along the curve of your cheek, eyes following his finger’s trajectory for a moment before they find your stare again. 

“Yes.” 

Your smile grows impossibly wider, impeccably brighter, a sweet little squeal of excitement sticking in your throat, and he can’t help but laugh again, holding out an arm in invitation as his other hand pats his thigh. 

Scampering over to him, he pulls you into his lap, one strong arm curled protectively around your waist as he holds you tightly to his chest, his chin resting on your shoulder. 

“Alright, princess,” he murmurs, nuzzling his nose along your jaw, then planting a smattering of kisses behind your ear. “Which first? The hearts, the stars, or the kitties?”

Ninety minutes and two paper cuts later, your pretty pink pill box is finally finished, embellished with meticulously arranged stickers, each one placed just right—spread out perfectly from one another and organized in a way that makes it feel flawlessly balanced, each sticker methodically and systematically assorted with careful attention (a dire requirement, apparently, so you don’t end up with too many of one kind too close together!, you had told him). They glimmer in the low light of the kitchen as you tilt the box in your palms, one way, then the other, admiring yours and Daddy’s handiwork.

“It’s perfect,” you sigh, resting your cheek against Zayne’s. “We did a wonderful job.”

“It is, and we did,” he agrees, chest puffing a little against your back as his spine straightens, raising himself back to his proper height and pressing his lips to your temple, brushing along the throbbing veins in a gentle caress. His voice vibrates against your skin as he speaks, little tingles permeating your blood. “Now it’s time to let Daddy allocate and distribute your medication for the week.” 

A large hand taps the side of your thigh twice, a silent demand to get moving. 

“Come,” Zayne instructs as you both stand, taking one of your hands in his. “Help supervise and make sure Daddy puts everything in its proper spot.” 

He hopes this will help, even if it’s only a little. He hopes you’ll think of him, every morning when you’re popping open the corresponding little compartment, and he hopes it’ll make you smile, even if it’s nothing more than a slight quirk up of your lips.

If he can ease your pain, no matter how incremental the amount, then he’s doing his job. A start is a start, no matter how small. 

[underdark-dreams]

Not sure if anyone is still following this oneshot, but I ended up writing a second chapter. Turns out I couldn't stop thinking about giving them a happier ending. (Rated M now 👀)

Rolan x Fem!Tav (Unnamed)

Good Night For Company - ch. 2

Tags: Mild Angst, Sexual Content

Word Count: 4,794 [Read on AO3]

Rolan had spent many hours cursing his timidity that night. 

He’d lain sleepless at his camp as the sky lightened outside the Emerald Grove, replaying each moment in his mind. The look in her eye when she asked to kiss him—her hand tugging him toward her tent—the lovely way she collapsed against him when his lips found her soft neck.

He'd escaped the very fires of Avernus itself with his whole family miraculously alive and in tow. Yet confronted with the puzzle of her hands drawing him down to her bedroll, his mind had seized up in uncertainty. How much easier could she have made it for him?

Although, he allowed himself, he had made some sense that night. For one who daydreamed of her face as often as Rolan, the strain in her features was instantly noticeable by campfire light. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and shadowed with dark, tired circles. Even her skin seemed drained of its usual color. She needed a good night’s sleep more than anything.

But as they said their goodbyes that night outside his campsite, Rolan's hands still holding her shoulders, he could have sworn she wanted him just as badly as he did her.

Rolan shut his eyes with a groan—her face only swam behind his eyelids, that same invitation drawing him into her gaze. He pressed palms to his eye sockets until she burst apart into popping stars.

When he opened them, he was back in the torchlight of Last Light Inn and sitting in his grim new reality. There was empty silence on either side of him where Cal and Lia should have stood chattering.

Rolan dragged his tankard back towards him across the bar, until he peered down and saw the bottom.

"You two," he snapped at the little Tieflings behind the bar. The boys' conspiratorial giggles hushed immediately as they both looked at him. "Are you tending bar or not?" He waved his empty mug toward them.

"I don't know," Ide said, brows lowering in a skeptical line. Rolan tutted at him.

"It's not difficult. Bottle," he pointed at the open dry red behind the bar. "Cup," he continued, waving a hand in front of him. 

"Mistress Jaheira said not to over-pour," Umi piped up, clearly not knowing the term but understanding the sentiment behind it.

"Mistress Jaheira didn't save both your hides from the Shadow Curse, did she?" Rolan snapped. He badly needed another drink; unwelcome lucidity threatened to close in. "If it weren't for me, who knows whether you two would still be out there right now."

“Stop it, mister Rolan,” Ide insisted. Rolan was opening his mouth to chastise him before he caught sight of Umi’s lip trembling. 

The child was already a timid thing. Through the recent memories of too many kin lying on the road, Rolan recalled Asharak, the childrens’ fighting instructor from the Grove. He’d been cut down before their young eyes just days ago. Umi seemed especially affected by the loss. No doubt the man’s body still lay spread-eagle on the path up the hill; the urgency of survival had left no time to bury their dead.

Rolan gave a heavy sigh as he watched the child’s forlorn face. Yet again, he felt like a monster. “Go. I swear I’ll practice moderation. And if Jaheira asks, tell her I ordered you off.”

The two of them scampered away without a response, clearly eager to get away from Rolan at the first chance. If only he could escape his own unpleasant company just as easily. 

But that, Rolan reminded himself, was what all this wine was for. He lurched across the bar for the bottle and tipped the rest of its contents into his tankard. Its heat down his throat welcomed him back toward oblivion.

If he still lived, their errant paladin had everything to answer for. Whether he’d lost his senses to the curse or just lost his mind entirely, Rolan cursed Zevlor for the umpteenth time for fucking off with the cultists and landing him in this unwelcome position of authority. 

Rolan was no leader…at best a very, very uninspiring one. The yoke should have fallen to someone brave and selfless. Someone like broad-shouldered Ikaron. But Ikaron was now another empty body lying along the Risen Road, to be slowly consumed by the shadows.

Rolan knew he was no beacon of encouragement. He’d done his best to herd the other panicked survivors onward, however, using every last bit of evocation knowledge he had to keep them surrounded with light and flame.

He also knew it was sheer good fortune that saved them in the end. If they hadn’t found the sanctuary of Last Light Inn when they did, they’d all be shambling undead by now.

Yet somehow in the days since the ambush, he found all the children hovering around him with frightened eyes, asking him questions he barely knew the answers to himself. How were they going to save the ones who’d been taken by the cult?

Perhaps his unpleasant habit of ordering others about was finally coming around to bite him in the ass.

Nevertheless, Rolan felt vexed and inconvenienced by the unasked responsibility. Weren't his siblings enough of a weight on his shoulders already? Saving everyone would be a miracle; all he could privately hope for was Cal and Lia returned to him. 

If they’re still alive. Those were the thoughts that drove him to drink, and drink he did, tipping back the pewter vessel with abandon. In between bouts of liquor, however, Rolan’s mind was working as hard as it ever had. 

Cal and Lia would be at Moonrise Towers. No question. Moonrise was the headquarters of this insane Absolute cult, the one whose small patrol had butchered their numbers on the road. And a fortress of that size had to have a dungeon of some sort on the lower level. Why would they go through the trouble of taking them alive just to kill them? They must have plans for them all—ones Rolan tried not to imagine in detail.

He had to think of a way to slip through unnoticed—possibly by river, if the rumors he’d overheard from the Harpers were right. How far could he get on his own? Asking any of his fellows for help was out of the question. 

Rolan glanced across the common room at what pitiful few remained. Alfira sat near the open hearth, fingers going through the motions of tuning her lute strings. Her usually cheerful eyes were blank and distant. Rolan hadn’t heard her play a single note since Lakrissa had been taken with his siblings. He should have thought to comfort her, but that kind of gentleness never seemed to occur to him.

Rolan crossed his arms on the bar and dropped his horns to them. If only he’d thought faster, acted sooner, left the others to fend for themselves in order to grab hold of his brother and sister before their screams grew distant. His sharp nails dug into his palms as the sound replayed in his mind. 

He wished he had anyone besides himself to be angry at. He wished he could be angry at her.

If only she'd never taught Cal and Lia how to hope to fight back or be heroes. If only she'd never taught him how to hope…for anything, he decided. For any single single thing he might wish were possible.

Through his haze of drunken self-pity, his ears pricked at some kind of shouting and commotion out front. No doubt another attack by some new shadow-cursed horror. Rolan heard one of the little ones begin calling his name. 

"I’m coming, I’m coming,” Rolan spat, sliding petulantly to his feet as one hand reached for the quarterstaff leaning against the bar. “The damned hells is it this time?" He didn’t care what language the child might hear, but young Mattis was unphased.

“Stow your frown—” Mattis was grinning toothily. “Goblin killer finally made it!”

“What?” But the boy was already gone, bounding away from him through the front doors. Rolan swallowed dry against his fuzzy tongue. He felt fully awake for the first time in days, and he gripped the bar to steady himself before his feet stumbled forward.

Jaheira's enchanted vines were disentangling from her legs just as Rolan entered the courtyard. It was fortunate; he'd grown to respect Jaheira, and it would've been a shame to have to hex her. Rolan jostled through the gathered Harpers without a care in order to push closer. 

She and her companions had been waylaid just past the bridge. Harper Lassandra was relaying a report in her defense, it seemed, but all Rolan could concentrate on was her face.

Her cheeks were splattered with dark, shadow-magic blood. One of her sleeves was ripped open at the shoulder, displaying another patch of blood-stained skin at the seam of her leather jerkin. By the dark circles under her eyes, she still hadn't slept properly since the Grove.

She was the most beautiful thing Rolan had seen in weeks.

Her eyes came to rest on his own face then; he watched her blink hard, as if she might be dreaming.

"Rolan?" She croaked out softly. 

He had already half-closed the gap by the time she started toward him. They caught each other so hard Rolan felt the air leave his lungs in a huff, but he gathered whatever of her familiar scent he could, tinged with coppery blood though it was.

“I’m so glad you’re—I’m so glad,” she laughed shakily into his shoulder. Rolan wished he could kiss her, but it didn’t feel right in front of so many other eyes. He settled for standing back with his arms circled tight around her middle.

"Where's Lia and Cal?" She glanced around behind him, her smile fading. Rolan should have expected her constant concern for others by now, but could only look at her. Her eyes landed back on his face. "Zevlor?" She added quietly.

“Come inside.” Jaheira’s voice interrupted the silence between them. “We can talk over a drink.” 

As the druid directed forces back to their posts, Rolan felt her slip out from under his arms. She approached Gale to ask something—Rolan saw the wizard glance his direction before he replied.

“Come on,” she said, jogging back into his embrace. 

“What about Jaheira?”

“Gale can handle it, he’s good at talking.” She notched herself back firm against his side as they walked in. “I’d rather hear from you.”

Rolan tried his best not to stumble up the stairs beside her. He cursed his impulse to reach for the bottle at any sorrow—he must reek of it. If he did, she was kind enough not to say anything.

He led her to the empty room beside the cleric’s and shut the heavy door behind them.

“We were ambushed,” he said in a rush, before she could open her mouth. “Cal and Lia were grabbed up by those monsters on wings. Along with others. They’re being held at Moonrise.”

“We’ll find them.” Her voice was automatic and steely-certain. 

Rolan nodded, borrowing what strength he could from her eyes. “We will.”

“I thought…Zevlor was leading you,” she prompted him slowly, as if she might not want to know the answer. He only shook his head at her. How could he explain what he didn’t understand himself?

“We took the same path here that you did,” she admitted to him. Rolan knew what she was saying. He remembered each and every blank, upturned face that shrank to a pinpoint in the darkness as he led the survivors away. 

“I’m so sorry, Rolan.” His numbness was broken by her two hands rising to hold his face. “I just—I’m so fucking sorry—”

For some reason, his grief felt more real than it had yet. Rolan looked down at her bloodstained face and folded his fingers around one of her wrists. It would be idiotic to cry in front of her, so he kissed her instead.

His lips shook against hers, from sorrow and from want in equal measure. Rolan didn’t want to think about his dead friends, or his family waiting for rescue in a dark dungeon—just for a moment, he wished he could lose himself in her. She was the one person he could let himself unravel with.

“Rolan, wait—” But she didn’t want him to wait. Rolan heard it in her breathless voice against his lips, felt it in the way her hands clutched at his clothing to pull him closer.

He knew she must taste the alcohol on his breath. Hadn’t he said something to her that night in her tent? Something about wine and sex being a bad mix.

Foolish words of a foolish man who still thought he'd have time to do things properly. Rolan couldn’t remember them, and right now, this seemed like the best thing that could ever happen in such a desolate place. 

Was it so wrong to want her? Even now, with the rest of his life crumbling around him? 

Only his very real feelings for her could have broken through the haze. With a lurch of effort, Rolan stumbled back from her. The four walls of their room pressed in unbearably quiet without the sounds of hands and lips filling the air. Her eyes shone dark to him in the candlelight, pupils blown wide in a way that his deepest instincts recognized with primal satisfaction. He was certain his eyes blazed with just as much desire. 

Rolan licked his lips, gathering his last shreds of control. “Tell me to go,” he rasped. “Say it, and I will.”

He was rooted to the spot to await her judgment. She was silent before him, only a soft pant from between her lips. Rolan stood there for what felt like an agonizing eternity as her eyes traveled over his face. 

So slowly it felt like a dream, she raised one arm across to her opposite shoulder. The gesture made no sense to him at first. Until Rolan heard buckles clicking and watched the plates of her leather armor shed from her chest like scales to the floorboards.

Her tunic was next, and before Rolan could ready himself it was up over her head and thrown on top of her armor, her bare breasts covered only by a few stray wisps of her hair. 

He swayed where he stood, lightheaded; her darkly shining eyes didn’t break from his for a moment, even as her hands were already moving to the fastenings of her belt.

Rolan felt an ache like loss. Those should be his hands—gently undressing her, taking his time as he slowly unveiled each new and beautiful expanse of her flesh—not the two of them rushing through this first moment of newness that they’d never get back. Because even as the thought occurred, he himself was ripping his own robes off his shoulders without a care for the state of them. They would have time enough some other night.

She was faster, already kicking her pants off her bare feet. She wore nothing underneath—the realization brought a groan from his throat. Once his last garments dropped forgotten to the floor, she practically pounced.

Rolan had just enough reflex to catch her as she threw her body against his. Her bare skin on his was electric, filling his mind with wild want even as he tried to take in every sensation at once. Her taut breasts pressed against his chest—fingers lovingly exploring the ridges on his shoulders and back—the heat between her legs barely grazing against his thigh, yet enough to send his mind reeling. She made him feel real again.

And her lips—how could he have already forgotten how sweet she tasted? He kissed her back with hunger, wishing he might dissolve into her soft warmth for good.

Rolan wasn’t as strong as he wished, and he was tipsy as all hells, but he did his best as he guided their bodies down on top of their clothing. Her hips and shoulders thumped under his weight against the wood boards. Surely it must have hurt her—but then he felt her legs cross behind his bare flanks, rutting their hips together, and every other concern was lost.

Slick wetness pressed against his pelvis as she rolled herself against him. The proof of how much she wanted him, if Rolan had any lingering doubts. He fell braced on his forearms around her.

“I missed you so much,” she gasped against his lips. Rolan paused everything as his eyes opened to meet hers, almost too close to focus. “Rolan, I wish we—I should have—” Her face shone with more yearning than he could bear.

"I know, dearest, I know—" The endearment fell with shocking ease from his lips. Though he might share them, tonight was not for regrets. There were enough of those going around to last a lifetime. 

Rolan stopped them with his mouth, licking and tasting her as deeply as she would let him, one hand splaying under her thigh to angle her hips deeper against his own. 

With anyone else, Rolan might have felt self-conscious about how hard he’d been since the moment she undressed for him. With her, what would be the point? She'd confessed more with her body and her words than he'd ever expected.

His ridged length pressed between them, his underside slickening with each rocking motion she made against him. He broke from her slightly.

"Tell me." The words came out husky. Rolan didn't mean them to tease her, only wanted her to direct him, but the way she squirmed under him was addictive.

"I want you," she breathed, and he felt fingers clasp behind his neck. "Please, Rolan—"

How could he deny her anything? Rolan grabbed himself to guide and nudge his tip to her folds, spreading her wetness along his length best he could. She deserved so much better than a hard floor in the middle of nowhere. But everything felt too urgent, like they were at the edge of the world’s end. And her face held nothing but eagerness as she watched him.

Gently, slowly, he guided himself just inside her. She was perfect; Rolan's head dropped to her chest as he exhaled with a shudder.

"Oh—" She only let out the little gasp, but her hands hooked under his ears, tilting his head back up so she could press lips to his forehead and eyelids. 

"More," she purred against him.

Reflexive, Rolan pushed into her to the hilt and let out a groan at how perfectly she gripped him. She hummed in satisfaction, her legs pressing tighter around his hips to hold him there.

It was somehow tender and frantic all at once. Rolan's hips rolled into her with increasing urgency, even as he cradled her face up toward his with both his forearms, wanting to watch each sensation play out over her face.

When he hit a new angle inside her, her fingers actually gripped one of his horns as her lips gasped open. It sent a shudder reverberating through his core.

"So good," she gasped. "You feel so perfect—"

He would do anything to keep it feeling that way for her. He ducked his mouth to her breast, sliding his tongue over one tight bud and sucking her into his mouth.

"Fuck, Rolan—" Her voice canted up a register, and he felt her walls tremble and grip around him with each thrust. Her fingers clutched sweetly at the ridges over his shoulder blades.

In the back of his mind Rolan wondered whether the whole inn could hear his name on her lips, but he wasn't sure he cared, wasn't sure he didn't fucking love the idea in fact.

Both of them were starved for it, and neither of them could last much longer. Rolan groaned something into the flesh of her breast, words lost to the way her body shook under him just as he unraveled all around her. He collapsed against her soft chest and held her tight with trembling arms.

—---

"What did you say before?" 

As he drifted back to reality, Rolan lifted his head from her to rest his chin on her stomach. "Hmm?" 

She was looking down at him with shy curiosity. "When you came," she said. He loved hearing words like that casually tumble from her. "You said something, I didn't recognize the language."

Rolan realized with some embarrassment that she was right. "I did, didn't I." He moved to press his lips along her abdomen, as if it might distract her from the topic. But she was far too stubborn for that.

"Going to tell me or not?" He felt his insides melt as she traced her thumb along the lines of one of his pointed ears.

Rolan regretted letting her in on that fact about Tiefling anatomy, and he told her so with a grumble. She only laughed and gave his ear point a teasing tug.

Rolan closed his eyes against the feeling instead. "It's Infernal," he admitted to her. He hadn't spoken the tongue in many years; the fact he remembered any was a surprise even to himself.

"Oh." She didn't sound put off, only curious. "What did it mean?"

He carefully considered how to answer. "There's…not a word in Common that directly translates." Rolan met her eyes as his lips brushed absently near her navel. "A feeling that cleanses like holy fire. 'Love of salvation.'"

She gazed down at him. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard," she whispered.

Rolan reached to smooth her hair across her forehead. "Is it? To be cleansed, you have to be corrupted first."

"Is that an offer?" she asked, a grin teasing at the corners of her mouth. “I mean, we’re all pretty corrupted around here. Don’t forget I’ve already got a worm in the head.”

Abruptly, she pushed herself seated upright; Rolan caught himself back against his knees.

"I’m an idiot," she gasped. “Rolan—that’s how I get to the Moonrise dungeons. This tadpole makes me a True Soul. I can walk right through the fucking front door!”

Anxiety gripped him as he watched the excitement unfold on her face. Rolan wasn't sure he could watch her willingly rush into a den of vipers. 

"I'm coming with you," he insisted, already knowing she would tell him no. She shook her head at him.

“I wish you could,” she told him, and he believed her. “You're not tadpoled, the guards would know. But I'll take as many of my companions as I can, I swear. We can do this," she added, gripping his forearm.

It was all too fast; Rolan caught her hand before she could rise. "Wait," he implored firmly. “Let me travel with you to the bridge, at least.”

That she agreed to. They dressed quickly—though Rolan couldn't resist grabbing her a few times to kiss what bare flesh was still exposed, absolutely adoring the way she melted under his hands and mouth each time.

When he and her party stood at the bridge to the Tower, Rolan regretted agreeing to this all over again. She only gave him a quick peck on the lips with the soft promise of more later, and headed down the walkway with her companions.

Rolan stayed back in the shadows to watch her speak with the guards. His heart pounded in his throat. There was a short exchange; even his sensitive ears couldn’t catch the words. But then the guards stood down, and she and her friends walked freely through the front doors of Moonrise Towers. He allowed himself to feel a sliver of hope.

Back at the Inn, Rolan paced around the hall for what felt like an eternity. Mol complained he was making her dizzy. In reality, it couldn't have been more than a few hours. 

When he heard the soft shout of the patrol below, Rolan rushed through the wide doors and down to the underground port.

Cal and Lia stood alive and well on the wooden docks. Her too, further down the line—she even caught his eye with a smile. Rolan could have laughed in relief, but the guards curtly ordered him back while the Harper on duty checked them over with Jaheira's bottled tadpole. 

Rolan deeply wished to aim a cantrip at the man's skull, but he clenched his fists to gather his last remaining shreds of patience.

When they were cleared, all of them dashed together. Rolan gripped Cal and Lia's heads with a hand each, holding them tight against him.

"You absolute fucking idiots—" Rolan was half scolding, half trying not to cry. "Don't you dare stick your necks out like that again, do you hear me?"

"I'll remember that the next time we get kidnapped by murderous lunatics," Lia's voice said into his shoulder, but she was squeezing his ribs tight.

"Sorry," was Cal's only meek response, and Rolan stifled the juvenile urge to rumple his little brother's hair. 

"Just get inside," Rolan said as he released them. "When was the last time you both ate?"

They both complained over his continued fussing, but each of them obeyed him in the end. The return of bickering and normality somehow eased a weight from Rolan's heart. 

As the Tieflings he knew and the deep gnomes he didn't all made their way up the stairs to the Inn, Rolan linked his arm around her waist beside him.

"I love you," he told her first, low so that only she could hear. Then—"thank you."

"Thank those lot up there," she told him, though he heard through the smile in her voice that she hadn't missed his confession. "They were ready to fight tooth and nail out of there. I just unlocked the bars."

In the dark Rolan placed a swift kiss on the crown of her head, and was rewarded by the feel of her cheek leaning sideways against his shoulder.

Last Light Inn still had an undeniable gloom to it, but it was lightened considerably by the reunions of friends and lovers. To Rolan's eye the hall seemed practically packed compared to a few hours earlier.

His siblings settled back at the bar, removed from the chatter at the hearth. Rolan watched them toast each other with two very well-earned pints. As they both launched into conflicting narratives of their adventure, Rolan felt a deep sense of ease soak into his bones.

"This one's fucking amazing, by the way—" Lia was gesturing her mug to the woman at Rolan's side. "Watched her cut down a Moonrise guard with one swing of a sword. You better have thanked her properly, Rolan," she added.

His sister was clever; Rolan strongly suspected she knew what she was doing. He decided to play dumb for the sake of the dear person beside him, whose cheeks he could practically feel burning from here.

"Believe me, I will," Rolan said. As he spoke, he drew her toward him again with an arm around her middle.

Cal was significantly slower on the uptake. "Eughh." He let out an amused noise of disgust. "Why don't you two just kiss each other alre—"

But Rolan's lips were already on hers, tilting her chin up and back with a hand so he could capture her mouth. His other arm wrapped her shoulders back against his chest, and he felt her fingers grip tight over his forearm. As they gently broke apart, the quiet lasted only for a second.

"Twelve pints at the Elfsong." Lia smacked the bar next to Cal. "That's it, you owe me."

"Taking bets on my fucking love life now?" Rolan began, his indignance slightly undercut by the fact that his love in question was shaking with laughter under his arm, both hands clasped over her face.

In the end, Rolan left his siblings to argue over the details. He was too overwhelmed with embarrassment and the desire to save her from any of the same.

As he drew her back up the stairs, Rolan felt her shoulders shaking with laughter again under his arm. He glanced sideways, wondering what had ruined the mood now.

“What?” he prompted her.

“Nothing, it’s just—” She was positively sparkling as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Can we use the bed this time?”

With a mortifying jolt, Rolan realized there was indeed a perfectly serviceable bed in the room where he’d unceremoniously taken her on the floor.

“Fuck,” he breathed.

“Plenty of time for that,” she agreed, biting her lip as she drew him with her hand. “Now come on.”

[riahollywood]

could I request something where it’s your time of month and you accidentally get blood on erling’s bedding and you’re scared he’ll be angry but he just wants to look after you? 🥹 ty x

warning: mentions of a toxic ex and blood!

you silently cursed to yourself as you were awoken by a sharp stabbing pain in your lower tummy. you could’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours after struggling to get off to sleep with the excruciating pains, but had eventually managed to drift off wrapped up in erling’s arms and clenching a hot water bottle to your body.

shifting your legs slightly to try and get comfy, you mumbled a quiet and frustrated ‘oh no’ to yourself as you felt the all too familiar wetness through to your pyjama shorts.

you managed to wriggle your way out of erling’s grip. he was in a deep slumber and hummed to himself before turning over. you breathed a sigh of relief, at least you didn’t have to deal with him.

you pulled back the sheets and scampered across to the en-suite after grabbing some fresh clothes to change into. you tried to be as quiet as possible to not awake erling but it was proving to be a difficult task as you ran the tap and flushed the toilet. you just hoped he was so tired out from training the previous day that he would still be snoring away.

you opened the en-suite door and your heart dropped when you saw erling sat up in bed, rubbing at his tired eyes.

“baby…” he spoke, a look of concern plastered across his face.

the light from the en-suite shone out into the bedroom and as you walked over to the bed you noticed a pool of blood on the white bed sheets.

you felt the heat rush to your cheeks. you had only been seeing each other for a few months. with you suffering from bad periods every month, erling had been nothing but an absolute sweetheart, buying you chocolate and ice cream, making sure you had a hot water bottle at all times and giving you extra cuddles. but a bad experience with an ex boyfriend had left you scarred after one evening you accidentally got blood on his shorts and he went crazy at you.

it was because of this that you stood there frozen, looking at the blood on erling’s crisp white bedding that probably cost hundreds. you felt your throat close up and tears prickling at your eyes.

he scooted forwards on the bed so he could reach out to you, dangerously close to the blood that he was seemingly unphased about as he reached a hand out.

you still couldn’t help but think the worst.

“sweetheart, come here.” he beconded you to come into his arms but you still stood frozen. had he not seen the blood?

“i’m so sorry… i… i didn’t realise…” you muttered out, glancing over to the crimson stain and bracing yourself for the shouting that you were sure was to come.

erling shook his head. here we go, you thought.

you were surpised by what he did next.

he got up off the bed and scooped you up into his arms before sitting back down onto the bed against the headboard, with you on his lap.

“are you okay? are you all sorted, do you need me to get you anything?” you searched his voice for sarcasm but it seemed he was being genuine. you were confused.

“i’m really sorry, i-i’ll replace the sheets.” you mustered out, a tear now slipping down your cheek.

“shh, darling stop saying sorry. you have nothing to apologise for.” he rested his forehead against yours to make sure you knew he really meant it.

“but… i’ve ruined your sheets .” you spoke softly, avoiding his gaze.

he used his finger to tilt your chin, forcing you to look at him.

“baby it’s just a bit of blood… these things happen, i can buy more sheets. all I’m concerned about is you and if you’re okay.”

your eyes lit up at his words.

“really?” you asked, sniffling as you tried to wipe away the few tears that had now fallen.

he took a moment to take in your reaction. “did you think I would be angry with you?”

you shrugged. “well… yeah.”

all he did was bring you in closer to his chest, tightening his grip around you.

“baby, i would never be mad at you for something like that… never.” he kissed the top of your head and you sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, feeling relieved. he wondered if this had happened to you before, perhaps with an ex who had not been so nice about it. the thought made erling grip you even tighter as he peppered as few more kisses to your face.

he brushed those thoughts to the back of his head. you were safe with him, he would never shout at you or do anything to scare you. all he wanted to do was look after you.

“what do you say i run you a nice hot bubble bath, you relax, i’ll get us some clean sheets and then we have the biggest cuddles ever?”

- - -

send me a request here!

[storm-angel989]

Outside the Office Part Ten

Hi All! Trigger warning for Angel Dust. Enjoy!

We walked out of his office hand in hand, eliciting strange looks from the demons. Valentino snarled at one and he scampered away. 

“Hey, Val. Can you help with the lighting? I can’t get this quite right.” One of the demons across the stage called to us. 

“Then what the fuck do I pay you for?” Valentino growled. “Fucking amateurs!” 

I watched as he strode across the studio, pushing the demon aside as he fiddled with the light. 

“So, are you Val’s new conquest or what?” I heard a voice from behind me. 

I turned around and came face to face with the spider demon, the one on stage when I first stumbled into the studio. Tall and lanky, with two sets of arms and one black eye, one white, the demon flashed me a friendly grin. 

“The name is Angel Dust. And yours?”

I did my best to maintain composure. “Did you not hear Valentino? My name is Reader Morningstar. Princess of Hell.” 

His eyes went wide. “Definitely didn’t hear the last part. My apologies, your highness. I didn’t realize Lucifer had a daughter.”

I felt my face flush. I mean, he did have a point. If Lucifer was the king of hell, why was I considered a princess if my mother was only his sister? 

He didn’t seem to notice my conflict and instead reached out and gently ran a finger over a small spot on my face. “Ah. I see. Did he beat you too? Must be bad if you find Val to be a better choice. But I mean, we’ve all been there.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. My dressing room is down the hall, second door on the left if you need a breather. This job is tough.” He paused. “Looks like Val is ready. Good luck, kid.” 

And with that he sashayed across the room, letting his pink, feather trimmed robe fall to the ground as he took his place on set. I made my way back to my chair, sitting down next to Valentino. Valentino glanced over to me and reached over, taking his hand in mine. 

I did as he asked, studying every aspect of the scene, searching for the pleasure he spoke so highly of. After a few moments of watching Angel Dust moan, I saw it. The glint in his eye wasn’t something that even the best actor could fake. Valentino was right- at least, in part. His actors did want to be here. I watched Valentino growl at his assistant and I wondered if it was possible, even a little, for him to be a bit nicer to his employees. The thought quickly left my mind. No, Valentino had made it clear about the terms of his contract. But what if, what if I treated them kindly? Would that have any effect on Valentino’s contract at all? I couldn’t imagine he would put in any sort of language on how others treated his employees and the bearing it would have on their agreement. Valentino was too smart to put in something that is so clearly outside of his control. 

On set, Angel screamed as his body released, spurting white hot liquid all over the face of his alleged captor. Next to me, Valentino’s grin shone across the studio. I could feel his power radiate as he stood up, making his way across the room. He inhaled his cigarette and leaned down, blowing hot red smoke into Angel’s face. 

Angel closed his eyes. “Thank you, Papi.” 

Valentino grinned and leaned forward, pressing his lips against Angels. I felt my stomach drop as anger and betrayal shot through me. I thought I was the only one he kissed? 

Around me, energy began to swirl. Blacks, reds, blues and purples radiated in a cloud as my emotions physically manifested. A burning desire, a rage I didn’t even know I had burned through me. It took every ounce of my self control to hold back from walking across the room and smacking Valentino across the face. How dare he? 

Valentino pulled away after a moment, leaving a bright red trail of saliva hanging from Angel’s mouth. He turned back to me and used his coat to wipe his mouth before returning to his seat. He reached for my hand and I jerked away. He turned to me and his expression changed to one of alarm.

“Clear the scene. I have something I need to handle in my office. I expect the next set to be up by the time I come back out,” he growled at his employees. 

The energy clouded around me, followed me as I followed him into the office, the door slamming behind me. 

“What was that? You just said you didn’t want anyone else in our private lives.” I snarled. Around me, the energy cracked like a lightening storm. 

I could see him trying to keep calm, to piece it together. “What are you talking about mi amor? Why are you so…angry?” 

I glared at him, keeping my distance. The part of me that wanted to hurt him, to make this feeling go away wasn’t nearly as strong as the need to make sure he wasn’t. “You kissed Angel. In front of me. In front of everyone here.” I spat. I could feel my body shaking, both from the emotional turmoil and the pain that was starting to creep back through my body. “I thought you loved me.” 

Valentino frowned and stepped forward as if to reach for me. I stepped back away from him, both out of fear of keeping control and my lack of desire to touch someone who would so blatantly behave so cruelly, and then have the nerve to act confused. Someone who told me he loved me and then threw it back in my face the next second. He stopped his advancement as he gave me my space. 

“Princessa. You misunderstand.” 

“Misunderstand what, Val? What don’t I understand? You. Kissed. Him.” The energy around me was black now, swirling and threatening to destroy everything around me. Inside I felt control start to slip, my desire to destroy everything around me growing with each passing second.

“Drugs, princessa. Drugs. I’m what Angel is addicted to. It’s part of his payment, his contract.” Valentino said shakily. “Please, let me explain.” 

The fear in his voice seemed to snap back my control. Valentino never showed fear.I felt the energy around me recede.  

“Explain, Val.” I demanded. 

“My saliva acts as a drug, and when I kiss someone and transfer it from my body to theirs, it produces a powerful high. I can control it, and Princessa I have never used it on you. I would never. Angel, one of the first souls I ever owned, is the only one who still has that payment requirement in his contract. A contract that, might I add, is one of the ones I tread most carefully around.” He exhaled. “Please. I love you. I’m sorry, I didn’t…I don’t think about it anymore. It’s been a routine, a given for so long.” 

He sounded sincere, the fear and concern flooded his features and his tone as he explained the situation. I felt the energy continue to recede alongside the feeling of anger. The more it vanished, the less foggy my brain became and I could focus on his words. 

“Does it have to be a kiss? Why not bottle it and give it to him? Or bottle it and sell it? That seems to align right with everything else you do.” I said, trying to ignore the pain that now tingled through my body. 

“I can’t, Princessa. I’ve tried. Once my salvia leaves my body for more than a few seconds, it changes from something that gives a high to a powerful aphrodisiac.” He took a step towards me. “Please, Princessa. I’m so sorry I made you feel this way.” 

At his words, the energy around me vanished completely. I fell into his arms and broke down in tears that I had struggled to keep inside for so long. The pain of my injuries, the anger, confusion and release of energy I didn’t know the origin of combined to create an internal storm. Valentino held me tightly as I bawled into his shoulder, the fabric of his shirt dampening. He didn’t offer soothing words, or soft assurances that it was okay. He simply held me, allowing me to cry in his hold. 

It wasn’t until I choked on my tears that he said something. 

“Let it out, babydoll. Don’t try to hold it in anymore. It’s okay. You’re safe.” He muttered gently, rubbing my back. “I’ve got you. Try to remember to breathe.”

“I’m sorry, I…”

“Shush. Cry. Let it out. I haven’t seen you break down once since this whole ordeal began. And you deserve that release, mi amor. There is no shame in tears.” His lips pressed to my cheek and he stroked my hair. 

When I had no more tears left, I lifted my head. He cupped my chin and looked into my eyes. “Do you feel better?”

I nodded. and he guided me back towards the desk, carefully lifting me up and setting me on top so my legs dangled over the side. He sat in the chair and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a box of tissues and a package of baby wipes. 

“May I, Princessa? Your makeup is all smeared.” He said gently. “Will you let me take it off?”

I nodded and et out an anxious laugh that came out more like a cough. He raised an eyebrow. 

“Vel is going to be so pissed. She did such a nice job and I wrecked it. My father was right, tears are useless and destructive.”

The displeased expression on Valentino’s face told me exactly what he thought of my words. Without comment, he opened the package and gently ran it over my face. I closed my eyes and tried to exhale but it came out as a gurgle, and then a hiccup. And then another. And another. 

Valentino paused and tossed the wipe that held what was left of my makeup into the garbage. The rest of it, I realized, covered his shoulder, now stained with both tears and foundation. 

 I hiccuped again, holding my breath to try to make them stop. My father was right- crying was embarrassing, and the appearance of the hiccups only served to solidify his words so deeply ingrained in me. 

Wordlessly, Valentino again opened the drawer and came up with a black mug, standing up and going over to the fridge, taking out a bottle of water and pouring it into the mug, tossing the empty bottle. He put the mug into the microwave and fifteen seconds later, pulled it out and carried it over to me. He offered his hand and I slid down off the desk, standing next to him.

“It feels silly, but this cures hiccups every time. Bend at the waist, tilt your head up and drink this entire mug of warm water without stopping. When it’s completely empty you can straighten up, but not until then. It won’t work if you only drink half, or breathe between gulps. Got it?” 

I hiccuped in response. With his guidance, I followed his directions, bending over and swallowing down the water as quickly as I could without taking a breath. Once the mug was empty, I slowly stood back up straight and waited a few seconds. No hiccups. 

“Works every time.” Val said, kissing me on the head. “It’s a good trick to know when you spend your days dealing with emotions.” He guided my head to his chest and I laid against him, listening to his heart thunder under my ear. He stroked my hair. “Mi amor. You had every right to be angry, and I’m sorry I made you so upset. I should have warned you. It’s been so long that what I give Angel, I no longer think about. And I should have.” 

I felt his chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. 

“Princessa, emotions are a normal part of life. Demons, by nature, are passionate. We feel things on a deeper level and it’s vital to express those feelings. Whatever your father taught you about holding your feelings inside needs to be tossed aside. You will break, mi amor, if you try to fight what is so natural to you. They will consume you.” 

He paused and allowed me to think. I focused on the pounding of his heart under me, the feeling of his hands against my back as I tried to make sense of his words. 

“I felt like I lost control. What happened to me, Val? Do you know?”

He kissed the top of my head. “Lucifer is the better one to ask, he knows far more than I do. But what I do know is that you are powerful by nature, Princessa. Your power will only grow as you acquire souls. But with that power, comes the necessary need for self control. That does not come from suppressing your emotions, not when you’re full or even half demon. That awareness, that ability to control yourself is born out of acknowledgment and honoring your emotions.” He paused. “Your explosion today took no one by surprise. Lucifer watched your reaction after you were so violently injured, he saw the sense of normalcy you felt towards it, how well you taught yourself to hide your true feelings, to hide the pain. He warned that that control you have spent so many years developing would eventually slip with just the right trigger.” He gave a small smile. “I suppose I should feel honored that your trigger was my lips against someone else.” He bent down and kissed me. 

I pressed into his kiss, the feeling of warmth spreading from my fingers to my toes. After a few moments, he pulled back and took a deep breath. 

“Princessa. I need you to know that until my contact with Angel is terminated, he will require that payment, among others. It’s a non- negotiable.” His expression turned unsure, fearful. “Unfortunately, his contract is different from all the others. It was my first, and the only way his contract ends is his ultimate destruction by means of an unrelated other.” 

“So, unless Angel dies in a way that is in no way shape or form related to you, you’re bound to him and he is bound to you?” I asked. 

He nodded. “Correct. There are other parts within his contract, parts I have stripped as I gained more power and experience.” He swallowed, a pained expression passing his features. “If you

want to walk away from this, from us, I understand. This job, this business, doesn’t collide well with the loving relationship you deserve.” 

I buried myself into him, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. “You said it’s just a job, your business, your requirement to survive and thrive down here. But what you do with Angel- is it more than that? Is there pleasure and love from you that I’d have share with him?” 

He sighed. “There is physical pleasure, derived solely from the releases that are required. But emotionally speaking? No. I don’t love Angel. That is reserved for you, and you alone.” 

“Then no. I’m not walking away. If I need to physically share you, fine.” I lowered my voice. “I just don’t want to share your love with anyone else.” 

I felt his grip tighten around me and he tilted my head up, pressing his lips to mine. “You will never. I promise. I love you, reader. My heart, my entire heart, belongs to you and you alone. ” 

“I love you too, Valentino.”

[wobblesthecowgirl]

I'm No O’Driscoll!

Chapter Three: Arthur's Doubts

Tags: Arthur Morgan x Femreader, enemies to lovers, O'Driscoll reader, game plot, Arthur doesn't have tuberculosis, eventual smut, age difference, 18+, mild gore

Word Count: 975

A/N: Sorry for a short chapter! Next chapter is going to be a long one...Lenny, Arthur, and Reader get drunk in Valantine! Comment how you want that to go! I've also changed the layout to see which is preferred.

Chapter One

Chapter Four

Arthur was starting to have doubts about letting both O’Driscoll’s join the gang. On the ride back to camp, he couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of them gunning down those there. Especially her. Where did she learn to shoot like that? She’s too quick.

Luckily, when he arrived, the place was calm and peaceful…or as peaceful as it could be. He scanned for the new members: Kieran was getting some soup from a not so happy Pearson, and then he finally saw her. It was clear the first thing she did as a free woman was have a wash and brush her hair.

Arthur couldn’t deny that she was definitely pretty, but her sour attitude, O’Driscoll past, and constant scowl made him hate her so much that he could look past how beautiful she was. However, when he watched from afar, he saw how she interacted with Mary-Beth: Her eyes were soft, her mouth curled up slightly at the corners, and she was even laughing lightly at times.

For some reason, this only annoyed him further. He strode over towards the two women who were sat on a blanket, looking up at him.

“You behavin’ yourself?” He asked, and there it was. Her famous scowl.

“You’re not going to give me a minute’s peace, are you?”

Now that he was closer, he could see had to look through her long lashes, and she had a small scar along her neck like Javier. Mary-Beth coughed.

“Is there something you need, Arthur?”

He shook his head, “Oh no, I was just making sure our new friend wasn’t giving you any trouble. God knows she gives it out a lot.” The woman shook her head to disagree, putting her book down.

“Not at all! She’s actually pleasant company.”

It was Y/n’s turn to talk, “I’m right here. Which, for your information, I’m a delight when I actually like the person. But, for a strange reason, I don’t like big dumb grunts who shoot me!”

Arthur rolled his eyes, “Give it a rest woman. You’re gonna have to get over that one day.”

The wind picked up slightly, making Y/n’s hair flow a little, and he was looking a bit too intently by accident. Mary-Beth stood up suddenly, causing the other two to turn to her. She excused herself, explaining she had chores to attend to, and scampered off. Arthur and Y/n stayed in awkward silence for a few seconds before she finally spoke up.

“Are you going to stand there or say something?”

He narrowed his eyes, staying stood because sitting next to her seemed too friendly, but the awkward pose of her sat looking up at him while he stood above her was just as bad.

“I’m just here to warn you that if you try anything- “

“Oh, give it a rest old man,” She spat as his eyes widened.

“Old man? You gotta be kidding, old man?”

Y/n laughed, tilting her head back slightly at his response. She stood up, dusting off her jeans. Despite being stood up now, she still had to look up. Tiny thing, she is. He asked, “And how old are you exactly?”

“Why? You interested?” She teased… flirted? He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t like either option.

He scowled at her, “Don’t be so cocky, girl. I’m askin’ ‘cos you’re acting like I’m as old as Hosea.”

“I’m in my early twenties, that’s all you’re getting.” She informed him, and for some reason, his stomach dropped. Arthur should’ve guessed she was young, she didn’t look older than thirty, but it still shocked him. Then she asked the same question. He chuckled lightly, looking away from her.

“I’m in my mid-thirties, old enough to be your Daddy.”

“Well, you don’t look a day over fifty.” She smiled sickly, enjoying tormenting the older man.

“Real mature of you.” He scoffed, before turning around without a goodbye. He couldn’t stand talking to her much longer; every single sentence she threw his way only jabbed him more and more, which would cause him to snap eventually. He found himself at Dutch’s tent, who was sat smoking a cigar and lost in thought. When he saw Arthur, his face lit up.

“Arthur! And to what do I owe the pleasure?” He took another puff.

“I just came to talk to you about that O’Driscoll girl.”

Dutch sat up straight, concern on his face, “Is she causing trouble?”

“Not exactly,” He rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s about her aim. When we were at Six Point, I was about to get shot, but she saved me. Put a bullet right between the man’s eyebrows. In seconds. That ain’t normal.”

The music was blaring from inside the tent like it usually did at this time, and Arthur could hear the rest of the members shouting and laughing. It almost drowned Dutch out.

“Where are you going with this, son?” The leader asked. Arthur paused, rubbing his chin.

“My point is, I don’t think she’ll cause trouble, but keep an eye on the guns around here.”

Dutch leaned back into his chair, a smug smile tugging at his lips.

“Or, we could use her to our advantage.” He was already planning something, a new chess piece for his board. Arthur rose an eyebrow and asked, “What you plannin’?”

He nodded his head, thoughts and ideas running through his head, “We are going to get Sean back, having her behind the scenes could be very helpful. Especially in a place like Blackwater.”

“Dutch…” Arthur groaned, “I can’t trust her. She may’ve saved my life, but she probably did it to save her own hide.”

“Well then, sounds like you two need to do a little bonding.” Dutch smirked, taking the final huff of his cigar, as he continued to scheme; much to Arthur’s dismay.

[lou-struck]

Forgetting Something Pt 1

Part 1 Featuring: Lucifer, Mammon, and Leviathan

Part 2&3 coming soon!

-Your schedule in the Devidom is just so hectic, the others have to make sure you don’t forget about them.

Lucifer ~

He has been watching you scamper around the living room trying to pick up the contents of your upturned bookbag for the last five minutes with an amused smile on his face.

Although he understands that you have to head out to your study group with a few of your classmates from your Runes class, the Avatar of Pride is feeling rather…forgotten. 

In your haste to get out the door, you keep rushing past him muttering cutely under your breath about finding your misplaced textbook. It appears that you are so focused on your search you haven't even noticed the Demon is in the room with you.

His crimson gaze finds your book sitting neatly on the coffee table and he jumps at the chance to grab it. To help you… 

certainly not because this will get your attention.

“Mc? I believe this is what you are looking for.” He says grabbing your attention and holding up the book for you to see.

You blink and glance around the room sheepishly just now noticing he has been in the room with you the whole time.

Your fingers brush as you take it from him and shove it into your bag. Just as you are about to walk past him he clears his throat again. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Your brows furrow as you try to think of anything else you need for your group but can’t seem to think of what it is he is referring to. Slowly you shake your head and see the corners of his lips blossoming into a smirk.

Gently he slips his fingers under your chin and tilts it upwards. His lips find their rightful place on yours and he steals away your thoughts with a deep kiss.

When he pulls back and sees that look of admiration for him in your eyes he knows that you won’t be forgetting about him anytime soon.

Mammon~

He’s your first, isn’t he? If that’s true, why is it so hard to make plans with you? Just as he was about to sweep his cute little human off their feet and take them out on a Lucifer-funded date at Ristorante Six, he saw that your overnight bag was packed and ready by the front door. His frows furrow as he looks around to see where you are. Are you moving out without telling him? Is someone else trying to take you away on a romantic evening? He has to find you and get you to choose him. It's the hurried opening of cupboards in the kitchen that alerts him to your location. Following the noise, he sees that you are digging around in the kitchen where a few of the cookbooks are stored. “Where ya goin' Mc?” he pouts leaning against the doorway “Yer not leavin' me, are you?” You glance up from the pile of cookbooks and give him a sweet smile explaining that you are headed over to Purgatory Hall to bake some sweets with Luke. This makes his brow twitch in irritation. Even that Chihuahua has managed to steal away bits of your precious time. Time that should be spent with The Great Mammon. He has to stop you, he has to convince you that your time would be better spent with him. But when he sees the look of victory on your face when you finally find the missing cookbook, he knows that he’ll have to sweep you off your feet another day. Glancing down at your DDD you curse at the time and brush past him toward your overnight bag. “Hey, ain’t you forgettin’ somethin’?” he says coming up behind you, placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head to the side. You stop and turn around only to have your lips meet his. His greedy hands hold you close as you forget that you are running late. When you separate, Mammon's face is flushed a deep pink color. “I missed ya, mc, you know that?” he mumbles lifting your overnight bag and slinging it over one shoulder, and holding out his other hand to you. “Take my hand, and I’ll walk ya over there. But you gotta promise to spend some time with the Great Mammon when you come home.”

Leviathan~

Of course, you are too busy for Levi.

Why would you want to spend time with a gross Otaku like him?

His sardonic thoughts only make him retreat more into his shell of insecurity, at least his animes and video games are there for him when he misses you.

The other day on Akuzon, he found a dating sim where the main character looked like you and he was hooked. It was just so fun making the lead blush at something that he said. It’s almost as if he was taking you out on dates like a real normie couple.

But after a while, he realized that he doesn't want some cheap imitation, he needs to spend some time with the real you. 

For the first time in what seems like forever, he gets up from his gaming chair and goes to find you.

It’s not long until he sees you in the hallway. You look so perfect, so real. He knows he has to make a good impression on you to make up for lost time and to make sure you didn’t forget about him completely.

His legs seem to move on their own as he approaches you. And all of a sudden he feels like he’s in the game again. The bit of confidence that he has makes him think that kabedoning you would be a good way to get your attention.

Clearing his throat he tries to remember some of the dialogue from the game. “hey Mc, y-you look pretty clue~ *cough I mean cute t-today.” He stutters, lunging forward to try to put his hand between you and the wall. In a suave and romantic way. 

But this isn't a video game, and Levi had zero rizz IRL

His lack of coordination is very apparent as his hand ends up on your head instead of the wall. It doesn’t hurt you, but you hit the back of your head against the wall giving you a slight bump.

“Oh my gosh, I am such an idiot.” He apologizes, His face is flushed fire engine red as he looks at the little bump on your head in horror.

But you only laugh and tell him it’s okay. And before he can retreat into his room once again, you take his hand and ask him if he wants to come to Madame screams with you for lunch.

[drafthorsemath]

Tooka Dad (Retcon'd with Batcher)

Crosshair x Veterinarian OC Rayla

Word Count: 6.606k

Warnings: None really – Fluff, new relationship, cuddling, bed sharing. Brief descriptions of a stray animal in need of medical attention, TLC, and spaying. Brief mentions of Crosshair’s medical trauma / tomophobia.

A/N: This came to my brain and now it’s words. I don’t know what else to say about it. No description of Rayla’s appearance outside of her being fem and using she/her pronouns.  I'm reposting because I love Batcher and now she's included in the story. Season 3 Episode 5 really pushed me over the edge. Batcher loves Crosshair so much. Thank you to @eclec-tech and @lightwise for the encouragement.

It had been months since Crosshair had rejoined his siblings and they found themselves on Pabu. The adjustment had been difficult. It was still difficult. There were many things he wouldn’t speak about. His brothers gave him some space, not pushing too much, but making sure he knew he wasn’t alone. He, Omega, and Tech had spent time together healing physically after all that had happened, as well as healing whatever mental wounds they could. Those were taking the most time, especially for Crosshair.

He didn’t want to leave the house today, but Wrecker insisted (in his own Wrecker way) that he come to the docks and help move some cargo. Crosshair rolled his eyes but got to his feet and followed his brother down to the ocean with Batcher trotting beside him. They spent the morning moving crates from boats on to the docks, but as the sun continued to beam down on them, Crosshair’s eyes started to ache from the light.

“I got it from here,” Wrecker said, knowing his brother’s sensitivity. Crosshair simply nodded his thanks and headed toward some shade where Batcher napped. Before he could sit down, he saw something small scamper away from behind one of the crates Wrecker picked up. He followed the movements and knelt down, looking under a bench that sat under a tree.

“What is it,” Wrecker asked.

A tiny gray tooka kitten peered at them through crusty eyes. Crosshair wasn’t entirely sure how the little creature could see.

“Tooka,” Crosshair answered. Wrecker knelt down further and smiled at the scared kitten.

“A baby tooka? Aww, Crosshair we gotta take it home.” Wrecker smiled and tried to make space so he could grab the little ball of fur, but the kitten would have none of it and scurried to hide behind the other side of the bench.

“Just wait,” the Crosshair advised. His brother sighed but nodded and got back to work. Instead of sitting on the bench, Crosshair sat on the ground next to it. The next two hours were spent waiting for the animal to come out. He wasn’t going to force anything. Wrecker checked in after he was done with the crates. Although the tooka hadn’t moved, he knew that if anyone had the patience to wait it out and earn its trust, it was Crosshair. Wrecker went home, grabbed some lunch, and brought it back. He silently held out some homemade bread and fruit to his brother and sat next to him as they silently ate with Batcher quietly snoring in the background. The tooka let out a little squeak and Wrecker saw just the smallest tug of a smile on his Crosshair’s face. Eventually Wrecker decided to head home and help Tech with moving some big equipment.

As the time passed, Crosshair thought of his time away from his siblings. How much doubt and fear were in his heart despite deciding to stay on the platform on Kamino. Of the ongoing pain he had each time his chip was enhanced. The absolute horror in his soul when his actions felt like they were someone else’s, but he knew his hands pulled the trigger. He had never wanted to lose control and yet the Empire had him in its grasp and his mind wasn’t fully his own. He’d been so conditioned and the chip only added another layer of complexity. He closed his eyes and sighed as he pressed his hands flat on the ground beneath him in an attempt to center himself in the here and now. Batcher had woken up and sat next to him. He put a hand on the hound and breathed deeply while still keeping his eyes closed. He wasn’t alone anymore. Just as he had this thought, he felt some tiny fluff brush against his hand. He opened his eyes to find the kitten sitting next to his fingertips. He gently picked up the creature and stood. The tooka didn’t make a sound and didn’t fight as Crosshair walked them back to Upper Pabu. He was fairly certain the lack of fight was only because the animal was fur and bones.

“Tech,” was all he said upon finding his brother working on the Marauder. Tech stood, adjusting his goggles, and raised his eyebrows.

“A tooka,” he replied, “and in a sorry state.”

Crosshair hummed in agreement. Tech knew this was his brother’s way of asking for help. He pulled out his datapad and examined the kitten in Crosshair’s hands.

“There appears to be an eye infection, parasites, and a serious lack of nutrition,” noted Tech. “I could possibly find some food for her, but I cannot immediately find appropriate medication for her ailments. Why don’t you take her to the veterinarian?”

Crosshair sighed. At least he now knew the tooka was a she and some of what was going on with her, but he wasn’t quite sure about a veterinarian. He didn’t want this little girl to be scared any more than she already was and he understood how anything medical might cause her more fear. Then again, she looked miserable and he couldn’t let her stay that way.

“Alright,” he agreed. He didn’t even realize the island had a veterinarian. Tech gave him the location and he headed back down the path.

It had been a long day for Rayla. One of Pabu’s residents had decided to buy a pair of orbaks to help cart goods around and she hadn’t treated anything with hooves since veterinary school. One of them was particularly stubborn, but she liked a good challenge. It was never about forcing something on an animal. It was about reading body language and helping them feel safe enough to get through any needed procedures.

She looked up as a tall man came through the door. She smiled to herself. Rayla had spent time with his brothers since they settled on Pabu and Omega was fascinated with her career choice. They talked about him briefly, but she hadn’t met him yet.

“Hello,” she said with a soft smile. “Crosshair, right? I’m Rayla. How can I help you?”

Crosshair looked at the woman in front of him and then down at the tiny tooka. “Found her,” he said. He didn’t seem surprised she knew his name. There were some people on the island who guessed who he was based on association.

“Just the tooka? Your hound alright?" Rayla asked, nodding toward Batcher.

"Yes, she just follows me." He gave Batcher a nod and she sat down and waited patiently.

"How about you come back to the exam room and we’ll take a look at this little one,” Rayla offered. He simply nodded and followed. Crosshair looked around the room, almost more afraid than the tooka. There were various instruments, and he was sure there were even more in the cabinet. The veterinarian washed her hands and put on some gloves.

“How about we start with a weight?” she suggested, nodding to the scale. Crosshair put the kitten down, almost afraid to let go. She weighed much less than she should. Rayla noted her weight and then suggested a particular food for her. He nodded and moved her off the scale. He couldn’t quite keep his hands off her, trying to keep the contact while the exam was completed for fear of losing her or seeing her scared.

“She’s got an eye infection. I can give you drops for those and show you how to put them in.” He nodded. He noticed Rayla stopped and gave the kitten a little break and spoke kindly to her before looking through her fur.

“She has fleas too.”

His eyes got wide, but he still didn’t pull away from her.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “Fleas are species specific. Her fleas won’t harm anyone but other tookas. We can give her a flea bath now if you’d like.” Crosshair nodded and let out a little relieved breath.

He held on to her while Rayla filled a small tub with warm water. Crosshair tentatively put the small creature in the tub. While the veterinarian worked the shampoo in and rinsed, he held the kitten and helped keep her head up. The little tooka clung to his thumb with her front legs and Rayla couldn’t help but smile.

“She’s really taken with you,” she said.

“Mm,” was all he let out, but his eyes went soft.

“Are you planning on keeping her or would you like me to find her a hom-“

“No,” he firmly blurted out before quieting his tone again. “I’ll keep her.”

“Sounds good,” she replied, getting a towel.

Crosshair took it upon himself to wrap her up. Rayla showed him how to put drops in her eyes.

“In about a week you could give her a dewormer pill.”

He nodded and followed her out of the room. She gathered the dewormer pill, some food for the kitten - explaining that for the time being she needed food that would be easy on her digestive system - and a lightweight slip lead. Rayla put everything in a bag and handed it to him. Getting out a data pad for her records, she asked if the newly adopted animal had a name yet.

“Vaar’ika,” he said.

“What does it mean?” she asked curiously.

“Pip-squeak.” Just as he said that, Vaar’ika let out tiny peep that made Rayla smile. She entered the relevant information.

“Well then,” she replied, “congratulations Vaar’ika. And congratulations Tooka Dad.”

Crosshair felt warmth flood his cheeks and ears, but it wasn’t unwelcome. He nodded at all Rayla’s directions about the dewormer and a follow up appointment.

As he left, Rayla couldn’t help but think that she quite liked him. He may have said very few words, but he was so expressive. He was easy for her to read and she knew she could trust a man who adopted an ailing kitten without question.

Crosshair took Vaar’ika home. Wrecker had already told Echo, Hunter, and Omega about her and Omega waited at the window to meet this new addition to the family. Crosshair came through the door with Batcher and held the little one close to his chest. She was exhausted and he could feel her little body shake from the stress of the day.

“I want to help,” Omega declared.

Crosshair didn’t say anything as he walked toward his bedroom. He simply nodded in the general direction of the hallway and Omega’s smile grew as she knew it meant she should follow him. Crosshair put the tiny bundle on his bed and started looking for something to make a tooka bed next to Batcher's bed.

“What’s wrong with her eyes?” Omega asked.

“Infection,” Crosshair answered. “Needs to be given eye drops for a few days at least.”

“I can help,” Omega answered.

“Omega,” Crosshair warned. He knew she was excited, but he wanted to approach the kitten’s treatment in a methodical way. He looked at his sister for several moments and then nodded. “Fine, but she won’t need more drops until tomorrow.”

Crosshair shuffled through his belongings in his closet and found an old pair of blacks. He used a spare pillow to make something of a little bed with the blacks as a bedding. He placed the new bed on the floor near his own. Omega watched as the little tooka crawled on the bed closer to her brother. He put her on the new bed and quietly told her he’d be back soon. Omega followed him down the hall and grinned at her other brothers who were all at least a bit curious about their new roommate. While Crosshair grabbed a small plate and spoon and headed back to his room, Omega helped Echo and Hunter with dinner.

Vaar’ika was hiding under his bed, but Crosshair sat down, opened a can of food, and spooned out a little on the plate, waving Batcher away from the tempting smell. He placed the plate of food on the floor and she came out to eat. He smiled while watching her. She had an appetite and he knew that was important in her healing. He retrieved a little bowl of water for her and gave her a bit more food. After she finished eating and drinking, she jumped up on the window and pawed at it. Crosshair pursed his lips and then decided to take her outside. He looped the leash around her and picked her up. His hunch was right. Almost immediately, she found a spot to relieve herself. Maybe he had lucked out when it came to house training.

When finished, she tried climbing his leg and he picked her up. Her eyes were less messy than they were before, and he could make out the way she looked at him. He felt a little glow in his heart at the thought that this creature had chosen him and wanted to be with him. He took her back inside, took off the leash, and placed her back on the makeshift bed. During dinner with his siblings some questions were asked, but no one asked if he would be keeping her. Based on what they saw, they knew she would stay and it would be a good change.

Once dinner was over, Crosshair made his way back to his room to give Vaar’ika another small meal. She ate it quickly and climbed on the window again. He took her out and this time she wandered around a little bit, exploring her new home. He took her back in, holding her in the crook of his arm and heading to bed. He placed her on her own bed next to Batcher, but once he climbed into his own, he could see her moving in the darkness. She made her way up the side of his bed post and purred as she snuggled against his chest. Crosshair smiled to himself and fluffed her hair. Batcher decided she would fit in the bed too and hopped up. She laid down near Crosshair's feet. Crosshair sighed, but wasn't going to say "no." It wasn't long before they drifted off to sleep together.

Crosshair spent the next few days helping his new companion find her feet. They established morning and evening walk routes. He purchased a little pink collar for her, making sure it included her name and his. It wasn’t long before he was comfortable taking her around off-leash. She never wandered too far and for the most part, seemed to like watching this world from her perch on his shoulders. He let Omega hold Vaar’ika when it was time to put her eyedrops in, but he never let Omega put the drops in. Finally Omega managed to wear him down and convinced him to let her try. Crosshair held the kitten, holding her back to his chest and supporting her back end with one hand. Omega approached the tooka’s eyes with the dropper bottle, aiming for the middle of her left eye.

“Omega, no!” It came out a little louder than he meant. He leaned back to pull his little bundle away. He gave his sister a warning look. She looked confused and a little hurt. He took a deep breath and found calm again. Until he had visited Rayla, he wouldn’t have known what to do either. It wasn’t fair to expect Omega to know without help.

“Aim for the corner of her eyes. It’s easier that way.” He offered her a smile and Omega tried again, this time leaving a couple little drops in each corner of Vaar’ika’s eyes.

“Perfect,” he said to his sister. “Thank you.”

“Happy to help,” Omega replied.

He was supposed to give the tooka her dewormer pill, but wasn’t sure he could do it and certainly didn’t expect Omega to. Batcher took her medication without question, but the tooka appeared more stubborn. He remembered Rayla’s instructions as he sat Vaar’ika on his bed and held the tiny pill between his thumb and finger.

“Simply open her mouth, pop the pill in, and hold her mouth closed until she swallows,” Rayla had said. He hadn’t thought much about it since at the time, he knew it was a future problem and he was only focused on eye drops and establishing some routines. Now that it came to it, he looked at his little friend and couldn’t just open her mouth. And what, he thought. Force her to swallow a pill? It reminded him too much of the procedures he and his brothers had been forced through. He remembered thinking a warning before a necessary injection or asking him if he was ready would have helped him a great deal as a young cadet, yet he had never really been afforded that dignity.

He sighed to himself, picked up Vaar’ika and the pill, and marched to the vet clinic. Rayla was just finishing with a client and about to go to lunch when he walked in.

“Crosshair!” She beamed at him, happy to see him with the tooka. “And Vaar’ika. How are you?”

“I can’t give her the pill,” he said directly.

“Did she not want it?” Rayla asked. Many animals had trouble taking medication and it wasn’t an uncommon concern. “Did she spit it up?”

“No,” Crosshair said, revealing he still had the pill in its original form. “I can’t make her take it.”

Rayla sensed a great amount of empathy in him. He seemed scared to hurt this kitten, this small creature he’d already becoming so very attached to.

“She might take it if you mix it in her food. Is she still eating?”

Crosshair nodded.

“Okay,” Rayla acknowledged. “Cut the pill in quarters and put it in her dinner tonight. If she doesn’t eat it all, stop by tomorrow and we’ll see about another way.”

Crosshair nodded again.

“May I?” Rayla asked, hands out to touch the tooka. Crosshair nodded a third time and Rayla petted the little pile of fluff. She purred at the vet.

“I’m glad to see her eyes have cleared up,” she said. “She probably doesn’t need the drops anymore after tomorrow. Just keep the rest of the bottle should she need them in the future. She already looks so much better. She’ll need a few vaccines as soon as you feel she’s strong enough and she’ll be old enough to spay in a couple months. Unless you want more kittens.”

Crosshair froze a bit. He’d assumed that was further down the road, but not this soon. He didn’t want her to get pregnant. He wanted to do the responsible thing for her and was sure Hunter would have a few words with him if there were kittens. Besides, he didn’t want to worry about her going through pregnancy and labor.

“Let’s schedule that now,” he said.

Rayla nodded and pulled up her schedule. He’d be back in a week for the vaccines. They decided on a day for the spaying and she gave him instructions for what to do the night before and day of as far as food and water.

“See you both in a week for vaccines,” she said as they left.

Crosshair held Vaar’ika a little closer to his chest, hugging her before letting her perch on his shoulders. He didn’t like the thought of putting her through surgery or even the vaccinations. He knew they were necessary, but he didn’t want her in pain ever. Still, he knew it was for the best. To help him relax, he took the long way home, chuckling as Vaar’ika hissed at a few moon-yos who tried reaching for her. His thoughts also went to this veterinarian. Most people on the island were nice enough, but he didn’t let anyone close. This person was watching him at some very vulnerable moments whether she knew it or not.

That evening he cut the dewormer pill up into quarters and mixed it into the tooka food. He placed the plate down and Vaar’ika started eating. She paused at one point, knowing there was something different, and Crosshair held his breath. She took a taste and didn’t seem to mind and finished the entire thing. He felt so much relief. That night, like every night at this point, the kitten climbed into his bed and cuddled against his chest while Batcher hopped onto the foot of the bed and they all slept together. When Vaar'ika got up to stretch her feet or if she needed to go outside, he immediately woke up at the loss of her tiny body’s warmth. Then they’d get back to bed and fall asleep together.

Crosshair started finding reasons to visit the vet clinic in the days leading up to vaccination day. The smallest question about changing her food as she grew, asking questions about exercise, and some of the more mundane things. Some questions about Batcher (who, apparently, had already been spayed). He knew that he just wanted to see Rayla and have an excuse to get outside with his girls. Rayla didn’t mind. He always patiently waited if she was already with someone or had an appointment. She liked seeing him and the positive impact the tooka and the sniper had on each other. She let Crosshair say as much or as little as he wanted. She asked questions but knew when to back off. She wasn’t a completely open book, but she shared parts of herself with him too. He got curious and asked how she ended up on Pabu one day after she’d shown him how to make sure the kitten’s nails didn’t get too long. She explained how she left her home world when the Empire started taking over cities on the other side of her planet. She wasn’t going to wait around to see what would happen.

“Smart,” he replied. Rayla smiled sadly. She missed her former home, but knew she was lucky to be here. The threat of sea surges was much less daunting than dealing with the Empire.

“See you next time, Crosshair.”

He let a tiny smile escape and he left.

When he showed up for the kitten’s scheduled vaccines, he was a bit of a mess. He didn’t want her to be upset or hurt, but he also didn’t want to risk her dying of something preventable.

“I’ll be quick and I’ll use the smallest needle I have,” Rayla promised. “Do you want me to take her in the back and just get it over with or do you want to be with her?” She knew some animals did better away from their nervous person, but it was very much a case-by-case situation.

“I can’t leave her,” he replied.

Rayla nodded and instinctively put a hand on his arm. He let out a breath. They went back in the exam room and she weighed the tooka, noticing she’d put on a good amount of weight.

“Would you like to sit and hold her instead of keeping her on the exam table?” the vet asked.

Crosshair nodded and sat down, holding Vaar’ika. A small smile pulled at his cheek and he relaxed as she looked up at him. She wasn’t scared. The little fluff ball was just happy to be with him.

“I’ll be quick. Just two little jabs. Here we go.” Rayla moved quickly and precisely. The kitten let out a couple of squeaks, but nothing too bad. After it was over, Rayla smiled as she heard him quietly telling Vaar’ika what a great job she did. As he was about to leave, Rayla decided to take her chance.

“Hey, not to be too forward,” she started, suddenly feeling very nervous now that she was putting this into words. Crosshair turned back to look at her curiously.

She continued, trying to keep any shakiness at bay. “You’ve stopped by a lot and we’ve gotten to know each other more and I was just thinking… if you want to spend some time together after hours, let me know.”

“Dinner?” he asked.

“I’d like that,” she replied.

“Tomorrow?”

“You know when I close.”

“I’ll be here.”

Both felt a warmth radiate over their cheeks as they said their goodbyes for the day. Crosshair carried his little bundle home while his mind ran wild with all kinds of thoughts. He didn’t want to let his nerves get to him and at the same time, he was giddy at the thought of spending more time with Rayla. He had to grin to himself. She liked his company. He hadn’t gotten very close to anyone who wasn’t a clone. There was an understanding with his brothers. He’d grown up with them. Omega was incredibly understanding of everyone, almost to the point of his annoyance, and yet he felt just as close to her as he had anyone in his life. Even with the regs, there was an understanding. Learning about someone in-depth with a completely different background was a newer experience to him, but he found that Rayla embraced each bit of himself that he revealed. Even when he was having an extra grumpy and stressful day, she seemed happy to see him.

The next evening, he left Vaar’ika and Batcher with Wrecker and Omega. They were more than happy to babysit the tooka and hound. They were having a movie night and Crosshair knew each animal would be doing her utmost to steal their snacks. The thought made him very happy.

He tried to pick out his nicest outfit and headed to the vet clinic. He sat in the waiting room and listened to Rayla explain the medication dosage for someone’s pet bird. Rayla joined him a few minutes after the bird and their owner left. She’d quickly changed out of her scrubs and into a simple dress before joining him.

“You look nice,” she said with a smile.

“So do you.”

“I thought I’d try to wear something nicer than my scrubs,” she replied.

“You’d look nice in anything,” he said as heat rose to his cheeks.

Rayla wasn’t sure what to say. She felt seen and beamed up at him. They headed to a quiet restaurant on the other side of the island. While people all tended to know each other on Pabu, they both wanted some time just the two of them so the calmer spot seemed more ideal. They ordered and sat while watching the sun start to set.

“I’ll level with you,” Rayla said. “I’ve talked to your siblings. I feel like I know quite a bit about you, but I want to learn about you from you.”

He simply nodded. “Not much to say,” he replied.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

Rayla asked him some questions, wanted to know a bit about sniping, and how he liked the island. She was also interested in his enhanced skills. The scientist in her was curious, but she wanted to keep it respectful. Crosshair’s comments were short as usual, but as time went by and they ate, he shared a bit more about himself. For now, they avoided the topic of the Empire.

“Tell me about yourself,” he said before taking a sip of his drink. He was much more interested in learning about her than talking about himself.

“I think you already know a lot about me from our earlier conversations,” she answered.

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully with a bit of a smile on his face. “Have you always worked alone? You do so much.”

“I had a vet tech until I came here. Actually, I purchased a GH-7 medical droid recently and I’m trying to modify it for veterinary work.”

“Tech will be pleased to hear that,” Crosshair replied. “He loves those kinds of projects. He’ll pick your brain next time he sees you.” Crosshair was pleased too. He saw how hard she worked and felt she needed a bit of a break sometimes. Having an assistant could go a long way in helping make her job easier.

“I’m sure. If I run into trouble Tech’s the first person I’d ask for help when it comes to droids.” She took a couple more bites of food and added, “Of course it helps to have the personal touch and I’ll still be very involved. It’ll just help to have a droid to do some of the more routine and boring things, measuring out and compounding medication, answering comms, billing, ordering supplies, passing my tools during surgeries, and making sure procedures are as precise as possible.” She then told a story about a droid she knew in vet school who was reprogrammed to only want to work on massiffs. A couple of her fellow vet students thought it would be funny for the professor’s droid to randomly refuse to help with other animals during demonstrations and who tried to switch places with other droids so it could work exclusively on massiffs. He watched her with a soft smile on his face while she told this story. As she finished, she paused for a moment.

“Sorry,” she said. “Didn’t mean to go on. It was just a silly thing to watch unfold.”

“No, I liked it,” he replied. He didn’t want her to stop. “Dessert?”

She beamed and nodded. They shared a piece of cake topped with all kinds of local fruit. He let her have the last bite but hoped it wouldn’t be the last time they shared a meal. He walked her home and once at the door bit his lip as his eyes darted a bit.

“Could we do this again?” he asked.

“What are you doing on Benduday?”

Each date felt a little more comfortable than the last. His favorite dates were whenever they would go out on a boat together just the two of them. It was incredibly peaceful and gave him the chance to be a bit more open without worrying about anyone else around them.

One evening she was supposed to meet him at the restaurant and didn’t. He’d brought flowers and wore a new shirt and definitely didn’t love the feeling of sitting at the table alone. He thought to himself that this was the first time in a long time where he was consistently seeking the presence of another person instead of solitude or time alone with his pets. Before he could spiral and let too many negative thoughts enter his mind, he decided to check at the clinic. He knew there might have been an emergency that required her attention. When he arrived, the clinic door was unlocked and he saw a light coming from an exam room. He let himself in and sat in the waiting area.

In the exam room, Rayla explained the situation to the worried owner. Her scans indicated a foreign object blocking the stomach and she and GHost – the now modified GH-7 droid – completed surgery to remove the offending mass. She sent the patient and their person home with a course of medication to help. Not long after they left, Rayla came out to find Crosshair dozing in his chair. She walked up to him and kissed his forehead.

“Mm.” He opened his eyes to look up at her. “Missed you.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “It was an emergency.”

“I know,” he replied, standing up and kissing her cheek. “These are for you.”

She took the flowers and kissed him again. “They’re lovely. Thank you.” After a pause and check of the time, she added, “I’ll clean up quickly. Walk me home?”

He nodded and waited as she cleaned off all the equipment and the table in the exam room, turned out the lights, and took his hand. They took their time walking together. It was a pleasant night and both were a little sad they didn’t get to have a relaxing dinner together.

“We should go out after Vaar’ika heals from her spay surgery,” Rayla suggested, knowingly adding, “I know you won’t want to leave her until she’s all healed up.”

“I just want to make sure she’ll be okay,” he answered. “But yes. I’d like that.”

She squeezed his hand and they grinned at each other.

The night before Vaar’ika’s spay, Crosshair was a mess. The only thing that calmed him down was Batcher resting at his feet and the little tooka herself. She had no idea what was coming but was simply living in the moment and in this moment, she wanted to sleep on his chest. He sat in front of a holovid with his family and slowly stroked the her soft fur. They fell asleep together as usual, but the next morning, his jitters were back.

He walked her to the clinic with Batcher at his side. He let Vaar'ika perch on his shoulder, but carried a crate since she would still be drowsy on the way home and Rayla insisted she needed a crate to limit movement while she healed.

“Good morning,” Rayla said as they came through the door. “Ready?”

Crosshair didn’t respond but tried to smile.

“She’s going to do great. I even have my droid GHost ready to go, unless you aren’t comfortable with him assisting me.”

Crosshair simply shook his head that he didn’t mind. “I trust you.”

Rayla took Vaar’ika and the crate as Crosshair tried to decide if he wanted to sit or pace. Her experience said that getting this over with was the best plan. Her voice softened and she tried to reassure him.

“It won’t take long. I’ll make sure she has pain management and that she’s fully anesthetized, so she doesn’t feel anything during the procedure.”

He nodded and sat down. He was not so secretly relieved Batcher sat next to him. He rested a hand on her as Rayla took the tooka to the back to prepare her for surgery. GHost weighed her and drew the appropriate levels of medication. As the tooka went to sleep and Rayla shaved her belly, Crosshair could hear the calm way she addressed his little companion.

“Looks like you’re asleep already. Oxygen levels and heart rate are normal. Let’s begin.” It wasn’t long before Crosshair heard her say, “There’s that little uterus. Tiny thing. Already out. Let’s close.”

Crosshair started shaking but breathed through it. The adrenaline that was coursing through his system all morning had finally started to wear off and it left him feeling a bit dizzy. He sat back and focused on his breathing while he heard the woman he loved talking sweetly to Vaar’ika and felt Batcher's sense of calm. Not long after, Rayla reappeared with a sleepy tooka in the crate. Without thinking about it, Crosshair embraced her as he became overwhelmed with relief.

“She did great, love. She really did. She should heal up perfectly.” Rayla went over care instructions and ended it with “She should stay in her crate as much as possible for the first week. No climbing or jumping. I used surgical glue that has some bacta in it so she will heal faster. Try to keep that cone on her so she doesn’t lick.” Crosshair nodded. “And comm me if anything comes up.”

Vaar’ika slept most of the day. She whined a bit at dinner time and Crosshair let her outside only long enough to relieve herself and then it was back inside before she could go exploring. She seemed like her normal self but was also pretty groggy. He ate in his room so he could watch her and made sure she took her medication and ate enough. That night, he knew he was supposed to let her sleep in her crate, but the drugs from earlier had worn off enough that she knew exactly where she was and didn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to sleep in bed with him. She cried until he relented and purred as she snuggled up against him in his comfortable bed.

The next morning was the hardest. She felt an ache at the incision site and it clearly hurt her to move compared to yesterday, despite the pain medication. He tried not to think too hard about it, feeling unsure of when to ask for help and what was normal. She’d had surgery after all, it was impossible for her to feel completely healed in less than a single day. He laid around the house with her, cuddling her close since that seemed to help her stay more comfortable. He was grumpier with his siblings, though. He tried to keep to himself, but once Omega and Wrecker started playing and making a bit of a racket, he took Vaar’ika to the clinic with Batcher following as usual. He wasn’t sure exactly why he was going. He didn’t think it was an emergency, but knew Rayla would be done with her work, barring anything urgent. He sat in the waiting room and talked gently to the little ball of tired fluff laying in his arms. He rhythmically stroked her fur, but didn’t feel her usual happy purr.

“She okay?” Rayla asked, appearing as she finished cleaning up the exam room.

“Not sure,” Crosshair replied.

“Mind if I look?”

Crosshair handed the tooka over to Rayla who carefully turned her over.

“Looks like it’s healing fine. Don’t see any sign of infection. She might just be in a bit more pain than anticipated. I can give her an extra little med patch if you want to try that.”

Crosshair nodded. As Rayla retrieved a patch and cut it down to the right size, she asked, “What else is going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have a lot on your mind and you look… gruff.”

He didn't say anything at first. Batcher looked up between them, first at Rayla, then at Crosshair, then back to Rayla.

He looked at the hound, shook his head, and let out a breath. “Just worried about her and it’s loud at home.”

“Well, you’re welcome to have some quiet time here. I have some paperwork to do, some blood tests to analyze, and then I’m headed home. You’re welcome to join me if the three of you need a change of pace.”

Crosshair’s eyes warmed and he returned her familiar smile. He sat back down and went back to petting Vaar’ika until she fell asleep. The patch seemed to help her feel better and by extension, he felt better. Rayla worked nearby, looking through her datapad, taking inventory, and updating her notes as she went along. The rest of the day went by without a hitch. It was a good day when there were no major emergencies. She made sure her comm was on, knowing that some days no one needed her until she left for home. She packed up and walked home with the trio. As they headed down the road, she broke the silence.

“She hasn’t slept in her crate, has she?”

Crosshair grinned almost shyly. “She’s used to sleeping with me. She stays still.”

“As long as she’s still. Don’t want her hurting her incision.”

"Batcher will probably invite herself onto any bed or furniture," he added."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

The evening was perfectly quiet. They ate a simple meal and cleaned up together while Vaar’ika and Batcher napped in the armchair. Later, they found themselves in bed together for the first time. Crosshair lifted his arm and pulled Rayla to his side. She laid an arm around his waist while Vaar’ika curled up in the crook of his neck and Batcher slept at their feet. He felt his heartbeat syncing with Rayla’s. She smiled and kissed his cheek before she closed her eyes. They soaked in each other’s warmth and fell asleep.

[illuminatedquill]

Story Summary: An ice cream date ends with Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger contemplating the future and how prospective generations might look upon their lives.

LOTHAL, PRESENT DAY

The park in Lothal's Capital City was lively even in the late dusk; families from near and far played in the field of green or lounged with platters of food laid on top of blankets or wooden tables. The occasional security patrol strolled through, garbed in the traditional colors of Lothal's white and green, taking the time to stop and chat with the passerby. Vendors, always looking for an easy opportunity for making money, had set up shop at their chosen spots around the park, selling their wares of food, toys, and clothes - all native to Lothal, crafted from the hard work of locals.

Sabine strolled, hand in hand, with her partner Ezra through the park's pathways, taking in the sights and enjoying their surroundings. They had stopped earlier at an ice cream vendor and had chosen their favorite evening dessert: a single scoop of chocolate ice cream placed neatly on top of a waffle cone.

She licked gingerly at the treat, savoring the rich chocolate on her tongue. The evening air was cooling, resulting in a fresh, crisp temperature that was just perfect for ice cream. Not too hot, not too cool. It wouldn't melt and drip in her hand any time soon.

In the corner of her eye, she saw a glimpse of movement; a pair of human children, a boy and girl, staring at them. Smiling slightly, she gave a little wave with her ice cream cone.

The children waved nervously back and then scampered away, presumably to tell their families about their experience meeting the legendary heroes of Lothal.

"Still not used to that," remarked Ezra.

"Being a hero?" asked Sabine. "Thought you'd be used to it by now."

Ezra shook his head. "Being famous. Lots of other people fought in the Rebellion. Weird that only a few became household names."

She nudged him gently. "Hey, not everyone outsmarted a Grand Admiral. Twice, too."

He snorted. "Well, when you put it that way."

They continued down the path and found a park bench, positioned nicely in the shade of a large tree. Sitting down, the two of them continued to quietly enjoy each other's company and finish their ice cream.

"Sabine?"

She turned towards him. "Yes, Ezra?"

"You ever think about it? The future?"

Sabine popped the last bit of waffle cone in her mouth and chewed silently, thinking through his question. "In what way?" she asked.

He waved his hand at the scenery before him; all the people gathered in the park, enjoying their peaceful lives.

"How future generations might view our lives, I mean," he clarified. "How would they remember us?"

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "What, a mural isn't enough for you? You want statues on Coruscant too?"

Ezra choked out a laugh. "No, absolutely not. That would be too much." He waved a self-deprecating hand at himself. "Who would want to see this face immortalized in stone or durasteel?"

Sabine smiled and reached out to gently stroke his face. "Oh, I don't know. I certainly wouldn't mind."

He smiled back at her. "You're biased, cyar'ika."

"I have an artist's eye. And you have already been an excellent muse, I might add," she countered.

Sabine leaned back in her seat. "Is it really bothering you?"

Ezra's smile faded. "I'm a Jedi," he confessed. "Kanan always told me to focus on the present. But . . . "

"That was during a period of war," she finished. "And we're in peace time now. Harder to stay busy and not worry about that."

His blue eyes sparkled. "You get it," he said, sounding relieved.

She rapped a fist lightly on his forehead. "We've known each other for how long? And we're married. I think I know some things about the man I love."

"You're not worried about it?" he pressed. "Really?"

Sabine shrugged. "The wheel of the universe keeps turning, Ezra. I have experienced the best - and worst - it has to offer. I've lived through times of great joy and sorrow. I don't mind what others come to think of us."

He cocked his head at her, curious. "Even if they build statues of us someday?"

"They can build all the statues of us they want, cyar'ika. I think we should just live our lives in the here and now. Live - and enjoy what time we are gifted to each other."

Ezra looked at her silently. Then he reached out and grasped her hands, squeezing them together with affection. "You're wiser than a Jedi," he said. "You know that?"

She grinned at him. "Considering the ones I've hung out with, it's really not that hard."

He erupted in laughter, his belly shaking with the force of it. It sounded like music to Sabine's ears. She never tired of hearing him laugh - and hoped that the day would never come when she could no longer hear it again.

When he calmed down enough to speak, Sabine asked him, "How would you like to be remembered, Ezra?"

He turned to look at the park before him, taking in the sights and sounds of Lothal in the evening.

"Someone who did enough," he responded.

Sabine gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sounds good to me," she said.

MANDALORE, 500 ABY

Wars come and go in the centuries to come. But Mandalore, in a stunning, gradual reversal of its history, manages to carve out peace for itself.

The people flourish. The land thrives. The culture rises above its bloody history and becomes one of peace and innovation. The New Jedi Order builds a temple there, in agreement with the Mand'alor, to celebrate a budding partnership between the two former enemies.

The younglings of the temple hear stories. Legends of starbirds, of wolves, and star whales. Myths of heroism, of tragedy, of the enigmatic hearts of the people they are charged to protect.

And, of course, they hear stories of love. On the world of Mandalore, one story reigns above all the others.

They hear stories of the legendary Sab'ezzurah. Two figures of myth, whose love for each other burned so brightly that it burned the heavens.

No one alive remembers their names. But they know the deeds - and what they have come to mean to the Mandalorian people.

Theirs was a love so great that it re-defined the meaning for the Mandalorian people. Cya'rika was no longer enough as a term of endearment for a Mandalorian's partner: now it is Sa'bina and Ez'zurah. The nicknames were not assigned based on gender but rather on personality.

The Sa'bina was designated for someone of fiery passion to the point of recklessness. Brave, bold, and never afraid to go after what they want.

To be labeled Ez’zurah in a relationship was to mean you were compassionate, steadfast, and loyal to those you love.

Exasperated parents asked their children when caught in a romantic tryst: which one are you supposed to be - the Sa'bina or the Ez'zurah?

At the Jedi Temple, the Sab’ezzurah are told as an example to how love can empower us in ways both good and evil. Some legends say that the Sab’ezzurah held a love so powerful for one another that it saved the galaxy.

Other versions say that their love doomed it.

No one alive remembers the names - or even if such mythic figures existed in real life.

Privately, among the Jedi and Mandalorians, there is a point of agreement that the myths about the legendary pair are simply fables told to inspire the imagination of younglings. Stories told by an enterprising bard long ago, looking to make a name for themselves.

They had to be made up, the adults agree. Because who would be crazy enough to pair a Jedi and a Mandalorian together?

LOTHAL, 500 ABY

Near Capital City lies a small field of green daisies, grown in the shadow of an ancient comm-tower. No one alive knows when the field was planted or who tends to it this day.

Wars come and go. But Lothal and its brave people continued to find themselves on the front lines in every one, fighting against injustice whenever it arose in the galaxy once more.

The skies burned, the earth shook, and even the mighty Capital City - the heart of Lothal - was devastated during battles great and small.

But the field of green daisies always remained untouched; an oasis of green in the ruins of war. A small colony of loth-cats made it their permanent home, lounging in the field during the mid-day sun.

In the center of the field is a small stone mural, depicting a young man and woman holding hands. Time and weather have worn away the finer details, but anyone with a working set of eyes can see that the two are the embodiment of love itself, radiating from the smiles forever etched into the stone.

There are no names. But a small caption is scrawled along the bottom, still faintly legible after all these years.

“Love will always remain even after the stars go cold”

Once every now and then, on a day when the wind stands fair and the sun shines high in the sky, a woman garbed in pure white robes comes to visit the field of green daisies. In one of her hands, she bears a staff of unknown design, of similar coloring to her outfit.

If you were to look closely at her face, you would see that she was a young Togrutan female - or, at least, you would believe her youth until the eyes betrayed that image.

Ancient and ageless, they belied a lifetime numbering countless years. But, above all else, they retained a life and light that shone through despite such a long existence - and they were endlessly kind.

Whenever the woman in white visits, she brings a single flower to lay in front of the mural - a Lenora flower, native to Krownest, the home to one of the great Houses of Mandalore.

(The story of their namesake is well-known.)

Afterwards, she sits in front of the mural and chats to the figures carved in the stone. If you were to listen, you might hear the whisper of a breeze that almost sounds like a a pair of voices.

Sometimes, it sounds like a song.

On some visits, the woman laughs. Other times, she cries.

But, always, she leaves - after petting some of the curious loth-cats slinking close with their purrs - with a smile on her face.

LOTHAL, PRESENT DAY

The families left one by one as the hour grew increasingly late. Dusk turned into evening; the familiar, dazzling stars of Lothal's night sky became visible overhead.

Sabine and Ezra, holding hands, prepared to make their own way out heading home to their comm-tower. As they passed by a pond, Ezra suddenly stopped.

"Wait one second," he told Sabine. Walked to the water's edge, he chose a small, smooth pebble. Weighing it in his hand, he chucked it into the middle of the pond.

With a small splash, the pond disappeared into the watery depths - but the ripples from the pebble's impact spread throughout the body of water. They spread far and wide, reaching the far side of the pond's length.

Am I the pebble? Ezra wondered. Or the ripples that it makes?

He shook his head. Maybe it didn't matter. A Jedi lived in the present.

The future would take care of itself. Still, a part of him wondered what stories people would tell about him and Sabine.

He privately hoped it would be good ones.

Ezra turned around to find his wife waiting with a small, knowing smile on her face. Somehow, he knew that she had correctly guessed the direction of his thoughts.

She extended her hand. "Let's go home, cyar'ika."

He glanced behind him to see where the pebble had disappeared to. It was no longer visible - but the water still rippled, the small waves reaching to the far side of the pond.

Soon, the ripples would stop.

But the pebble would remain. And only he knew it was there, and that it had an effect on its surroundings.

Ezra reached out with his hand, taking hold of Sabine's. He was still here, and so was she. That was all that mattered. Whatever effects they would have on the world - on the galaxy around them - was out of their hands.

But someone would know, someday. And if it brought a smile to their face - it if it made them feel hope or love or justice when they felt there was none to be had - then it would be worth it.

"Let's go home," Ezra agreed. "And Sabine?"

"Yes?"

He kissed her, passionately. "I love you."

She smiled lopsidedly. "I know."

"I should tell you that more often," Ezra realized.

"You should," Sabine said. "But you've been busy saving the galaxy. So, I'll let it slide."

"That's all that matters, right?"

"To me and you, it does," she replied. "After everything else passes, it will probably be all that remains."

"You think people will only remember the love?" Ezra asked.

"I hope so," said Sabine. "I hope so."

[sketchedboba]

"A Green Queen" AU

Chapter ||

Luigi was clenching his free hand on his vest as he gasped for air. He could barely see his feet and took the chance to scream.

No one could hear his shrilled voice as the tears seeped further down his face and onto the floor.

'Why did I think- WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?! WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS?!'

The pain in his arm grew immensely as the adrenaline began to wear off. He gritted his teeth and held his head back in anguish, most of his frustration being towards himself. He hated that if he didn't do anything, say anything, he could be home sleeping in his bedroom.

Instead he was miles away from the Mushroom kingdom, surrounded by eyes and ears waiting for his -and moreso his brother's- downfall. Thinking of his brother slowly brought him back to reality. He was scared. With the hitch of his breath, he paused and in one gasp, it began to slowly reset. He thought of the times Mario fell into small caverns when they were out exploring or when he got sucked into the wrong pipe on their way to work. As he felt his chest rise, he chuckled from reminiscing and as he clutched his vest once more, his air flow returned to normal.

He groaned, sitting up a bit to then examine his arm. It didn't sting any less, but he ended up passing out from the shock subsiding and the small pool forming under the bloody gash near his elbow.

Kamek scanned the dance hall, flying over many faces and figures. He started asking around for anyone seeing a tall human with the King Koopa's crest, but no one had seen him or was even aware that there was an actual human at the party. All he could do was thank those who listened and said they'd keep an eye out. Zooming back to the VIP lounge curtains, he paused from the sound of shallow snoring.

Turning his head, he saw the Queen, passed out and curled up against the wall. Looking down a small line of fresh blood seeping into the cobblestone only alarmed him as he rushed over. Landing down carefully he was examining the patient and could see Luigi's body becoming pale from the blood loss.

'I-I should get the King. No, he's too tempered to listen. I'll take him back to the castle for now.'

With a wave of his magic stick, he lifted Luigi carefully and exited through a window avoiding the party and possible sight of the lounge.

Two boos stuck their faces out of the walls, fading into focus as they watched Kamek scamper towards the ship. They cackled and gave one another a teething grin before sinking back into the walls.

The Queen was dripping blood from his arm as Kamek carried him towards the castle, he was trying to avoid the lights, only moving in the shadows. Luigi shivered from the sudden change in temperature and unconsciously brought his uninjured arm closer to his body for warmth.

"A little longer, your highness... Just a little longer.", Kamek muttered as he skirted in the castle from the window.

Some Koopa guards were chatting with one another, simply doing their patrol before Kamek called them over, "One of you go get an aid kit and some medical supplies while the other one will come with me to his majesty's room. Quickly now!"

The guards hurried and did as ordered. One stayed alongside Kamek a bit confused by his turmoil while the other went to get a medic and the aide.

"D-Did his highness send you to aid this hum-"

"The Queen needs attention quickly, I will inform his majesty as soon as the Queen's wounds are treated first.", Kamek noted. He quickly got to the Queen's chamber and placed Luigi down gently. He magically floated the covers over his torso, leaving his arms exposed. When he looks back at the Koopa Troopa, he saw the immediate confusion, almost a disdain, falling over the Koopa's face.

The public, not even the King's army, were aware of Luigi's status yet and the few that knew were kept under strict order not to reveal anything until the King himself announced it. Kamek froze, "I-I mean...", Kamek took a deep breath. "You will not question my judgement, unless you want to end up in the dungeons. Keep this information private, that's an order."

The guard nodded hesitantly, then stepped aside as the other ran in with the medical supplies.

Kamek began to swiftly move the items towards Luigi's arm: bandages, a small bottle of translucent fluid and some cotton balls.

Luigi was panting and winced at the sudden pain once Kamek dabbed the liquid onto his arm via the cotton ball.

"I'm sorry..", he muttered and slowly started placing a few leaves the guard laid out into his wound. Kamek finished off with the bandages and sighed once Luigi's bleeding had halted in the seams.

"One of you go to the kitchen and get some soup, the other go get another guard and stand in front of the doors. He will not be leaving this room without my say so.", Kamek ordered as he was removing Luigi's cape and placing it on the night stand.

The guard nodded and headed out to follow through with his plan.

Kamek got on his broomstick and headed out a bit behind them.

'He is not going to like this..'

Back into the lounge, Bowser enjoyed a few drinks. Virgin or not, who knows. The King was laughing and grinning as the group finished signing and discussing their treaties. King Boo tried a few times to interject and ask about his Queen, but was always shut down by a waiter or waitress bringing in more snacks and drinks. He was going to try again when two Boos popped their heads out of the wall on either side of him, covering their mouths trying not to laugh.

The King of Boos seemed intrigued, gaining a bit of Bowser's attention as he started sipping his drink.

"Your majesty, we saw the King Koopa's mage heading out with a human!"

"The human was unconscious, a few sources said they headed towards the castle... Bleeding..~ "

Bowser flinched and flared his nostrils a bit to sniff the air.

He could smell it.

The stench was drier now, but he could tell it hadn't been long. He stood up quickly as he saw King Boo ready to make fun of his unkempt, interspecies marriage, his grin growing wider than ever. Before either could do anything, Kamek flew in and almost choked seeing the calm, fury in Bowser's eyes. He could truly read his thoughts.

'He is ruining this night for me! And all I'm trying to do is have a good time! Are their bodies THAT FRAGILE?! There were barely any scratches on him!'

"Kamek."

"Y-Yes, your highness?"

"Where's Luigi."

"W-Well, you see. He was battered pretty bad.. he fell unconscious and-"

"Kamek.", Bowser started slowly, stomping over to the nervous Koopa. "What were your orders?"

"B-But sire-"

"WHAT WERE YOUR ORDERS?!"

"T-To bring him to you, my liege.."

"And what did you do?"

"I-I took him to the castle.. BUT HIS ARM WAS-"

Bowser's nostril flared and he rapidly punched a hole into the cobblestone wall, "I don't CARE what happened to his arm. I gave you a direct order to BRING him to me! We're on in a few minutes before I present him as the queen!"

Kamek shook even more, "I understand, your h-highness. But H-He was unconscious, what would your allies think if they saw that your Queen was harmed on the night of his arrival..? There would be talk of the uncertainty of y-your leadership and it would cause more distress amongst your subjects!"

Bowser glanced over to him and took a few breaths to calm himself, he couldn't deny his image. Clearing his throat, he chuckled a bit.

"Of course.. good thinking, but you still defied my orders so... I'll deal with you later. For now, bring the Queen back here. Awake or not, this ceremony is still happening."

"Y-Yes...your highness.", Kamek bowed. He immediately started to move towards his broomstick.

"Oh and defy me again, dad... I'll make sure the Queen gets more than a few stitches."

Kamek didn't look back, he simply grabbed his broom, hopped on, and flew out.

Bowser watched him go and glanced back at the Captain and King Boo who began pretending like the encounter didn't happen.

"P-Poker, you're majesty?", The Captain laughed nervously.

Luigi inhaled deeply. His nose began to fill with the warm smell of potatoes and chicken. His mind instantly wandered to Mario in the kitchen stirring up soup for him when he was bedridden. Covered in blankets and stuck in his PJs all day, he chuckled seeing Mario trying to tell if the recipe called for scallions or onions.

His eyes blinked open and before his sight cleared he felt a panging in his head. A Bowser-like figure formed beside him and he yelped. His body lurching to the side, trying to escape and stop itself from shaking.

"Y-Your majesty! Please-"

His vision focused as Luigi felt his heated forehead, only to see a worried Koopa guard stirring the bowl. A nervous look plastered on their face. "U-Um... We have.. some soup. I was ordered to feed you on account of-"

"I-Is it poisoned?"

"No, your Grace. I was ordered to get you some soup. You shouldn't move too much or the wound will reopen."

Luigi's heart raced as he slowly balanced himself up again on the bed. He slowly propped his injured arm up to his lap, "AGH!" He exclaimed, trying to bend the elbow into a comfortable position. "You taste it first..."

The Koopa looked at the soup then back at Luigi. "Is...that an order?"

He raised an eyebrow.

'Oh right, I'm the Queen..'

"Y-Yes.", He answered, puffing out his chest. "Taste the soup for me, I-I want to see you drink some."

The guard shrugs and takes a sip of the soup from his spoon. He placed it down then looked at the Queen for approval.

Luigi flinched then began to move over and reached for a different spoon to eat the soup. However he lost some balance, the Koopa caught him before he fell.

"I will feed you, your majesty..." They sighed and started to scoop up mouthfuls for Luigi. He opened his mouth with each spoonful and gobbled down the vegetables and meat graciously.

Kamek flew in panting and was a bit anxious as he landed on the soft rug. "Y-Your majesty, I'm sorry to cut this short, but the King requires your presence back at the congregation."

Luigi coughed and wiped a bit of the soup from his lips, "N-No...", He squeaked.

"There's not much of a choice, your majesty. If the King demands you to go then you must." Kamek said walking over. "I reasoned with him, a-and he won't hurt you, I promise."

'Promises...'

Luigi thought about it as he shook the growing thought. He didn't want to go back, his head was ringing, and he could feel the sting in his eyes. The pain in his arm may have subsided, but he couldn't bear the experience again.

"I...."

Bowser stormed out the lounge to a shadowy spot near the top on the stairs. A boo told the dj to quiet the music and candles, two by two, started to light up the stairway. At the top, King Boo floated into view, smiling.

"Esteemed guests and citizens, it's a pleasure and great honor that you all could make it here today. We have.. quite the announcements. Our kingdoms have banded together to claim lands and create communities for one another...."

Bowser started to drown out his words. As he turned his attention down the hall, he could see Kamek entering through the wispy window. His eyes glistened a bit and eyelids raised.

'Finally.. something else going my way tonight!'

Luigi floated in after him, his arm now in a sling. Kamek let him down gently and rested his small claw on the Queen's shoulder.

"I'll be right here if you need me, your highness..", he reassured him. Luigi gave a small but anxious smile then turned his attention to the King, who was gesturing him to come closer.

Luigi hadn't moved, his legs wouldn't allow it. Bowser rolled his eyes and huffed. He slowly walked into the dim corridor the annoyance growing with every grumble be made. He scooped up Luigi in his claw, firmly gripping his thigh ,and as the clapping started, he walked into the light.

He waved to his subjects smiling warmly and began to speak, "As you've all heard, I have an announcement to end off the festivities tonight. A month ago, you were cordially invited to my wedding to the Princess and as you all saw... My wedding was TARNISHED by those-"

He paused briefly, glancing down at the Queen for any retorting. Luigi avoided his piercing eyes and sat quietly causing the Koopa to grin.

"- meddlesome brothers. That the ceremony was cut short. However, I have chosen to punish the Mushroom kingdom for making a mockery of my love for her and have chosen to take Mario's precious brother as the Queen.", Bowser huffed proudly. He slightly raised Luigi to his chest , trying to gloat about 'capturing' him.

The crowd started whispering and Bowser's wild confident grin broke into fury.

"Why the WEAK brother?"

"A HUMAN being the queen? At least the Princess was nobility."

"You call THAT a leader? I've seen the Piranha plant be a better leader to the Spikeys!"

"Can he even handle an army?!"

"Is this a sick JOKE?.."

The crowd began to stir as more questions flooded the air. Luigi's chest tightened, all he could hear were the doubts of his rulership, but that wasn't what scared him.

He looked up to see the flaming King's chest rise and fall rapidly. He could hear the rumbling and furnace lifting in his chest.

Bowser scorched the stairs enraged, nearly burning the guests at the front. The candles on the stairs were fully lit -only for a moment- before melting into pools of wax.

"QUIET!"

The room fell silent, "If ANY OF YOU have a problem with my decision, I'd GLADLY like to see you challenge me for a change!"

Luigi was shaking, he didn't dare look at the glaring eyes. Whether they were out of curiosity or anguish, he simply wanted to disappear.

Bowser began to descend down the stairs, small groups stepped back once he reached the end. Kamek was apologizing to their allies and saying his goodbyes before following Bowser out the door.

"That's what I thought.", He growled. His tail swished behind him as he parted the crowd. "Fuckin' pieces of-"

"Language, your majesty!", Kamek prompted.

Bowser grumbled the whole walk back, he'd completely forgotten about the small man in the palm of his claws. Luigi didn't mind though, he was taking deep breaths just glad he wasn't the complete cause of the King's fury.

As they entered the castle, Bowser dropped him down.

"UGH! What the fu-", Luigi cut himself off. "I-I.."

Bowser huffed, but was too lost in his own anguish to deal with the insubordination. Kamek rushed down to help Luigi up, then glared at the large oaf.

"Your.... Bowser, I understand that you don't like that the citizens aren't singing your praises, but the fact of the matter is that for the next 12 months, you two are running this kingdom. You've claimed your prisoner, so act accordingly."

Bowser grumbled and crossed his arms, he didn't have anything to retort. He was right.

"Take the... prisoner back to his room. We leave for Sarasaland tomorrow afternoon. Set a course for the main castle."

"The main castle? And what about the Queen?"

He looked down at Luigi. The man began to quiver as those ruby red eyes had his attention. His brows started to furrow.

"He's not coming, we'll drop him off at the castle when we reach."

Luigi stiffened, because despite the mistreatment, he wanted to help out at least. It was the least he could do while he was stuck in this lava wasteland.

"Y-You're just discarding me?! You haven't even apologized for what you did!".

He slowly caught his balance as he stammered forward. "You left me in a room alone for an hour, y-your king ghost friend triggered me and then you d-damaged my arm when all I wanted to do was get some air! It hurts to bend my wrist!! I thought-"

"Thought what?! I'm shocked that the pea-sized simple brain of yours can think of anything outside of your stupid brother!" Bowser took a step forward, causing Luigi to jump a bit "Did you really think I was some sucker that NEEDED you?? Did you feel bad for me?! Hm? Oh, the poor Koopa King! We ruined his wedding! Why don't we help him?! He seems lonely!", He began mocking. "I don't need your pity. I don't NEED OR WANT you here. I thought I made it clear where you stand, all of this is for tradition! And if you had just listened, you wouldn't be needing that sling!"

"You DISGUSTING ASS-"

Kamek placed a sleeping spell on him quickly, seeing the tensions rise made him nervous. He mostly wanted the needless cursing to stop, so he had two guards take the Queen and ordered them to take him to his chambers. Kamek sighed and looked over at Bowser, he was tapping his claws rapidly again and his tail swished back n forth angrily.

"The messenger never reported Luigi saying that 'lonely' bit. If I may, your highness. He may not be the Princess, but you could at least-"

Bowser ignored him. He was furious that despite the injuries, the small green one was still talking out of turn. He insulted his pride and made a mockery of him, "He's the ass... I'll show him who not to mess with. Yeah! I'll make him wish he never became queen.". He stomped off in the opposite direction mumbling to himself a small smirk growing and fading.

Kamek groaned and rubbed his temple, 'I raised quite the fighter... If these two keep it up, his subjects will question his motives further... Civil war- let's just put a pin in that for now, Kamek! Hopefully the prince is much better..'

[cyborg-franky]

Pokemon AU - Ace

art by @ //donivanessdoodles Writing by me <3 [older au]

AN: I tried to smush in OP lore for some characters and mix it in a workable way for Pokemon but I’m not 100% in the know so I did my best.

Meeting The Team

Ace set out on his journey before any of his brothers, he always told them his first pokemon was going to be scary and powerful, he wanted to make Sabo and Luffy so jealous. His first pokemon was actually a Rattata.

He’d been taking a break on his journey, grabbed lunch out of his bag and saw the pokemon approach him with a wary look. He threw some food towards him, the little guy got closer. So close Ace was able to pet him.

The rattata seemed to enjoy his attention, showing signs of affection. Ace grinned, he always had a soft spot for the little purple pokemon that would run around the town at night and steal food, just like him with his dine and dashes.

He got out a pokeball and gently tapped the pokemon on the side with it, capturing him easily. It seemed like he just wanted to be with Ace. Rattata never spends much time in his ball, likes to sit on his shoulder or scamper around his feet as he walks.

–

Ace picked Charmander as his starter simply because he could relate to Charizard, like him it was so much more than people thought. Yes, the pokemon was powerful, unstoppable when trained by the right person.

Yet, the small helpless flame that flickered on the tail was what kept it alive, it wouldn’t take a lot to snuff it out, how strong, feral, powerful but also fragile the creature was. It was something he could relate to and had a soft spot for the starter straight away.

He lowkey hates how cliché his choice was but loves him, nonetheless.

–

Salazzle was an accident. He was travelling through the desert on an errand. The lizard stalked him for a few miles before deciding to get in his way, sizing him up and Ace was sure the pokemon was going to attack him.

He simply blasted the Salazzle with his Charmander and captured it, mostly out of spite and Ace’s stubborn nature. Salazzle has since grown very affectionate towards Ace, she is often hostile to Marco when he gets too close to him.

Also, very jealous of Ace’s rattata for getting the lion’s share of Ace’s love.

–

Darumaka was also a pokemon Ace found while travelling through the desert. He’d set up camp for the night, his rattata was playing with his Charmander around the fire when the pokemon decided to tuck in his limbs and roll down the slope.

Charmander and rattata were having a good time playing with the ‘ball’ while Ace cooked food for everyone over the open fire. Ace had no idea where his team had found the ‘ball’ until he realised it was a Darumaka. He didn’t see the harm in its presence since everyone was enjoying playing with him

It wasn’t till the red creature who was so full of energy just stopped and fell asleep suddenly. Ace laughed at the sudden falling asleep and simply said out loud “Me too, me too.” he liked the pokemon so much he caught him while he slept.

–

Lapras he came in contact with when he’d left the desert, he found the very injured Lapras who looked like they had taken damage from a battle. It seemed like someone had deemed the pokemon too weak, she was on the smaller side for a Lapras. He had his suspicions after beating the pokemon the person who caught her decided she wasn’t good enough for their purpose and left her here injured. He caught her just to take her to the nearest poke centre.

When the nurse was done, she handed the pokeball back saying that even if she was a rescue Ace should take her with him, give her a better chance at being happy, that Ace seemed like a kind soul who would help her.

So now he uses Lapras to travel, she’s small but fast and he crosses distance in no time at all.

–

Marowak was something that took Ace off guard. Ace and Marco went on a vacation together for their first anniversary as a couple and had been checking out caves and they came across a very angry Marowak in a form they’d never seen before.

Marco explained Cubones and Marowak’s reminded him of Ace, after knowing what Ace had been through, how he also had to evolve past anger and sadness to become the person he is today, it resonated with him.

Ace couldn’t help feeling a connection, that and the blue fire was captivating. It took Marowak a lot to warm up to Ace but now they have mutual respect for one another and an understanding.

——————

Ace’s story

It didn’t take long before Ace decided he was ready to fight the Elite Four which is where he met Marco and Whitebeard. Whitebeard being one of the four, Ace was desperate to prove himself despite the friendly advice from Whitebeard.

That’s when Ace got his ass kicked. He was embarrassed and felt bad, but Marco told him he was still learning and growing, not to be so hard on himself. That’s when Ace wanted to join the Whitebeards under Pop’s and learn to be better, finding a found family and then finding love with Marco.

Ace likes to travel and explore; he wants to work up to being a gym leader in one of Whitebeard’s territories.