#holidays just highlight for me how little i belong in my family | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sophiie2000 · 2 years ago

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Just A Holiday Romance?

Hey hey! 😋 So writing seems to be a good way to pass the time at the moment and keeps my mind busy rather than focusing on all the bad things going on at the moment. 😊

Smut and Fluff, maybe a little Hurt/Comfort thrown into the mix

Following a messy break up, MC and her friends head off on a girl’s holiday. When out clubbing they meet Eisuke and a couple of friends. Encouraged by her friends, MC enjoys the thrills of a holiday romance, but is it destined to end?

~ 5872 words

Disclaimer - Characters belong to Voltage Inc.

The heavy rain fall, smashing the ground and drenching MC, was an ironic metaphor for her current mood. The rain soaked her sage green party dress, which highlighted her curves, chilling her to the bone. Her hair, which had been styled into princess curls only hours earlier, now clung to her wet cheeks, the ends going straggly from the rain. Her make up, too, had been ruined.

The one saving grace of this horrid storm, the rain disguised MC’s tears, as she ran through the city.

She ran all the way to her friends home in search of some comfort. How had things turned out this way? Only hours earlier, MC and her friends had been speculating how tonight could be the night that her boyfriend, her childhood sweetheart, after 7 years of being together, would finally propose.

He had asked her to meet him at a restaurant in the city, one they had both said they wished to try out, and told her it would be just the two of them. Upon hearing the news, MC and her friends had spent the afternoon picking out clothes, styling her hair and doing her make up. All so she would look her best, should he finally ask her to be his wife.

So why was it, that she was now left feeling like her whole world had crumbled from beneath her. Like the wind had been knocked from her sails?

The door to her friends apartment opened in front of her. There stood her friends, who had been helping her get ready earlier. Seeing their friend looking so upset surprised them.

“MC?” Jessica spoke quietly.

“What happened, what’s wrong? Where’s Isaac?” Millie questioned. Worry etched her friends faces.

“I-I left him at the restaurant…” MC stuttered out the words. Her friends looked at each other, growing more concerned, before MC spoke again. “He didn’t propose, he wasn’t ever going to… turns out Isaac has been seeing someone else-“

“HE CHEATED ON YOU?!” Her friends exclaimed. MC sobbed while she nodded before she continued what she was saying.

“And they are going to be together, in fact he’s meeting her family next week. I think he intends to marry her”

There was nothing her friends could say. They had all believed since school MC and Isaac would get married. They had been smitten with each other since they got together at 16. Now at 23, they had been wrongly convinced the pair would be settling down for the future. No one would have guessed Isaac would have been living a second life, making future plans with another woman.

“Right!” Millie shouted, “Forget that prick, we are in need of a girls holiday! One which is going to encourage you to get over that dumbass!”

“YES!” Jessica joined in, “And who knows maybe we’ll be lucky and enjoy a holiday romance or two!!”

MC laughed. A true laugh, at her friends silliness but wonderful idea. A girls holiday was the perfect idea. She had spent the last 7 years spending her time marching to Isaac’s tune. She had missed out on so much because she had been so hopelessly devoted to his beck and call that she never went out and had all the fun she could have done. This holiday she would make up for that mistake.

“How long should we go for?” MC asked. Noticing her enthusiasm the other two smiled.

“Well, you just left your job since you were looking at moving away with that dickhead, Jessica left her job because she is going to go to university in just over a month, and I’m currently on summer break from university, soooooo how about a long vacation?” Millie proposed.

“How about 4 weeks? That’ll give me time to relax and then come back and sort through my things before leaving?” Jessica replied.

“Perfect!”

All in agreement, their holiday plans were made. They would be leaving in 3 days time, jetting off to Santorini in Greece. They had a villa booked for the full 4 weeks. Their excitement for sun, sea and maybe a little bit of romance, had the girls eager to jet off.

***

A few days had passed, and the girls had finally arrived at their villa. Stepping out of the airconditioned taxi, the heat engulfed the friends. Sharing a smile, they headed into their villa, home for the next month.

Looking around, the girls squealed in excitement, as they went from room to room. The villas garden contained a swimming pool, seating area, BBQ, pizza oven and pool table.

Heading out onto the balcony showed the villa was also rewarded with a beautiful view, facing out over the ocean. You could see the beach and a few of the clubs and restaurants. If heaven was comparable to a place, this was it, MC thought.

As MC and her friends stood gazing from the balcony, they noticed a group of men down on the beach. Jessica and Millie were wildly discussing how gorgeous these men were. Joking about hoping one of them would notice them, or that they would be a holiday hook up. MC responded with a smile and a few sounds in agreement.

Yet all the while her attention couldn’t help be drawn to one man in particular. His short brown hair, chiselled features, made him nothing short of breathless. He was truly gorgeous. But what drew MC’s attention to him most of all, was his lack of smile, as he gazed out over the beach. He piqued her curiosity. Although she must have been staring for too long, for as if he had felt her stare, the man turned and appeared to make eye contact with MC. Holding her stare.

“Let’s go swimming in the pool before heading out for dinner!” Millie exclaimed. Her voice bringing MC out of her trance, allowing her to remove her sight from the man down on the beach. They all headed back into the villa to get changed into their bikinis.

But MC couldn’t help but look back at the stranger once more. But this time, he appeared to smile slightly at her, lifting his hand in a casual wave. MC smiled at him before heading inside. She didn’t risk waving back. What if she had only imagined it? Or worse, what if he had actually been waving at someone different?!

Shaking her head, MC headed back inside, planning to forget all about the beautiful stranger from the beach.

***

A few hours later and the girls were dressed in tight skimpy party dresses and their hair and makeup done ready to go clubbing. MC worse a tight mini white dress which finished half way down her thigh. It highlighted her curves, while its hurt promoted her cleavage. Her hair had been curled and tucked around so it sat across one of her shoulders.

When entering the club, other party goers naturally stared at the girls as they walked up to the bar. They ordered their drinks before heading to a booth at the edge of the club, where they could sit and enjoy their drinks for a moment.

MC sipped on her rhubarb and ginger gin as her eyes scanned the club. The girls had already been drinking before heading out, so they were pleasantly tipsy at this point. As she looked around, MC thought she had seen the man from earlier with his friends sat in another booth, but before she could be sure a mob of dancers blocked her view.

Millie, who was far drunker than her friends, grabbed their hands and pulled them to the dance floor.

“Let’s dance!” She exclaimed. The other two couldn’t help but laugh at their friend. This was perfect, MC thought. This holiday was definitely going to heal her heartbreak. She could feel it.

Laughing with her friends, MC too started dancing. The seductive movements of her hips rolling, her arms high above her head, naturally attracted the looks of others. Many from admirers, some from those jealous of the others looks. But MC didn’t care. She had been reserved for Isaacs sake. But now, now she could be herself, and have fun. She wasn’t going to let the looks of others stop her.

Suddenly a voice spoke up from behind the girls, addressing them.

“Hello there pretty ladies, the names Baba, could we have the honour of your company tonight?” The man, who called himself Bab, had long light brown hair spoke, his eyes mainly drawn to Jessica. Blushing Jessica nodded, and Baba took her hand placing a princely kiss on her fingers. “Let me introduce my friends. That one there is Ota.” He pointed at a younger man, who had blondish, orange hair. Millie’s eyes immediately bugged, as if she had literal hearts in her eyes. Amusingly, he seemed to have a similar reaction when he saw Millie. “And that one, his name is Eisuke” the girls turned to look at the man Baba called Eisuke. His short brown hair, chiselled features, MC recognised him immediately as the stranger from the beach. Although she hid the moment of recognition, she noticed a slight change in Eisuke’s expression. Had he recognised her too?

“Heh what charming men. Well, I’m Jessica, and these are Millie and MC. We’re staying in a villa nearby so you’re welcome to dance with us here, and if you’re fun maybe we’ll even let you back to continue the partying!”

As if that was a signal the groups of friends merged together and continued dancing. As there was now 3 girls and 3 guys natural pairs formed. Baba and Jessica, Ota and Millie, which left MC with Eisuke.

As they danced, Eisuke’s hands naturally found purchase on MC’s hips. She continued to dance with him, as they swayed their hips, Eisuke pressed firmly to her back, in time to the music.

MC could feel his every breath on his neck. Until he spoke into her ear.

“So, your name is MC then? I noticed you earlier, I’m guessing that’s the villa you are staying in?” Continuing to dance MC nodded in reply. “I thought this earlier, but you’ve piqued my curiosity”

“Likewise” MC finally granted him with a reply.

“How so?” Eisuke asked, genuinely interested in her response.

“You weren’t smiling, and so I wondered why, or maybe I wondered what you would look like if you did smile. A genuine smile.”

The words appeared to shock Eisuke. And MC could feel his heart rate increase through where he was pressed against her back.

“How long are you here for?” He finally asked.

“4 weeks, why?”

“Maybe you’ll make me smile. A genuine smile” Eisuke provoked, a smirk on his face. The flirtatious comment sparked something in MC.

She turned to face Eisuke, his hands still placed on her waist. As they made eye contact, his fingers seemed to twitch, before he moved one of his hands to cheek. His thumb rubbed her cheek before it slid down, to hold her chin. Making sure she couldn’t remove her eyes from him.

Who knows who made the first move, but it all happened so quickly. Eisuke’s lips had crashed onto hers. They weren’t tame kisses. But hungry biting kisses. They set MC’s heart into overdrive and her want for him encouraged her to open her lips, allowing his tongue to find purchase in her mouth, dancing with hers. She could feel desire building, a warmth spreading through her body. It couldn’t have been long but by the time the two separated, they were gasping for air. Still their eyes remained on one another. His full of desire.

As MC went to move away, Eisuke’s hands on her hips tightened, as if forbidding her from moving away from him. Smiling at him, she placed her hands on his and took them from her hips. She moved away and whispered into Jessica’s ear, who had been busy enjoying her own kisses with Baba.

“I’m heading back to the villa, you girls have fun!” Breaking away from Baba for a moment Jessica questioned her friend,

“Everything ok? You seemed to be having a good time” Jessica winked, nodding towards Eisuke.

“Yeah everything’s good, just fancy heading back now. Make sure you tell me all about this tomorrow!” MC gestured towards Baba and Millie. Laughing the girls waved goodbye and MC headed out of the club.

She had been walking for about 5 minutes. The whole time noticing she wasn’t walking alone but remaining quiet. But now she felt like she had to say something since she was nearing her villa.

“Rather than follow me, why don’t you walk next to me?” She asked, glancing back towards Eisuke who had been following her since she left the club.

“If you knew I was behind you why didn’t you speak?” He asked, MC was quick to retort,

“Why didn’t you speak? Instead you act like a stalker?”

“Look, you kissed me at the club and then suddenly start to run off? As much as it sucks to have someone run off after a kiss like that, and trust me it is not often that someone runs from me, I wasn’t going to leave you to walk home at this time of night alone.”

“Oh so gentlemanly” MC joked. Eisuke smiled, enjoying the back and forth.

“Well since I’m walking you back either way how about we chat as we go. How old are you?”

“23. You?”

“27. What do you do for work?”

“I just applied for a job somewhere else. I was meant to be moving and so left my job but the move fell through so came away before I head back to a new job. You?”

“Few things, but mainly hotels”

“Cool.” MC replied, still looking ahead. Eisuke still walking behind. Finally, he asked his next question.

“So why’d you run?”

“Run?” She asked.

“That kiss… anyone would expect after a kiss like that to enjoy the night longer. What did I do to make you leave?”

“Nothing”

“So why?”

“It’s complicated”

“Try me”

“We just met and you want me to open my heart up to you. Tell you my troubles?” MC asked, genuinely confused by the conversation. They were stood outside the villa now, MC unlocking the door and placing her hand on the door handle.

“I told you, you caught my curiosity.” Eisuke reached out and grabbed MC’s arm, turning her to face him once again. He caught her chin to make sure she couldn’t look away. MC could see the desire still smouldering in his eyes. Desire she was sure was mirrored in her own. “MC…”

MC could feel herself being drawn in. Drawn into the warmth of the eyes of a man who when she’d seen him look at others, appear cold. Her eyes were drawn to his lips. His ridiculously perfect lips, which seemed to beckon her as they edged ever so slightly, slowly closer. Finally, the scent of his aftershave filled her senses. God the man smelt good. She had tried to resist being drawn into him. How could she be so drawn to a man who 24 hours earlier was stranger. But the words of her friends came back to her. A girls holiday, and maybe a holiday romance. Could Eisuke be holiday romance?

That was the last thought MC had before her lips were covered once again by Eisuke’s. They were hungry. Biting. All consuming. He made her feel amazing with just a kiss. Separating herself from Eisuke, MC grabbed his hand, opened the door to the villa and made her way, with him, to her bedroom. As soon as they entered her room, she shut the door.

Eisuke didn’t give her so much as a moment to catch herself, before he lifted her up into his arms and crashed his lips into hers again. Pressing her up against the bedroom door, MC wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands held her in place by holding her ass, squeezing her cheeks as he did so.

Eisuke begun trailing kisses down MC’s neck. The desire was building up in her, eliciting moans and whimpers from her. She could feel his hard length as he pressed himself against her, which only served to excite her more. Moving away from the door, he roughly chucked her down on the bed, before joining her. Hovering over MC he gazed into her eyes.

He smiled. A genuine smile, full of warmth. Before he buried himself in her breasts. Stripping away her dress, and his clothes, he pressed himself down on top of her. His fingers of one hand squeezed her sensitive hardened nipples, while his other hand trailed up the inside of her thigh.

Her moans only seemed to encourage him more. He planted kisses down the front of her body, before he settled himself in between her thighs. Seeing how turned on she was, only increased his desire further. He soon buried his head between her thighs and serviced her with his tongue. The pleasure he brought her, had MC moaning out his name. As he added two fingers into the mix, entering them into her while he continued his actions with his tongue, MC had one hand gripping the bed sheets, while the other was in his perfect brown hair, dishevelled by their actions.

Just as MC felt her high coming, Eisuke almost cruelly stopped, sliding up her body and whispering into her ear,

“Not yet baby, I haven’t had my fill of you yet”

The words made MC whimper. Although she wanted more than before to feel him inside her. No, she needed him inside of her. As if he recognised what she wanted, he lined himself up with her entrance before thrusting himself into her. The way he filled her made MC gasp. He waited a moment, allowing her to accommodate him.

“Ok baby?” Eisuke asked. When MC nodded, Eisuke began thrusting into her.

He started out slowly, allowing MC to get used to him. However, it wasn’t long before his thrusts became quicker, went deeper and were rougher. MC cried out his name over and over. His nails digging into his back and shoulders. Yet neither cared in midst of their pleasure, all that could be heard were her moans and his grunts.

As her walls clenched around him, Eisuke also found his climax. He continued to thrust into her allowing them to prolong their high, before falling beside her into the bed. Both of them panting, before they looked at each other smiling.

“That… That was amazing” MC said as she handed Eisuke a bottle of icy cold water. Combing his fingers in her hair, Eisuke smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Hey MC, do you want to grab brunch when we wake up?” MC smiled and nodded. The fact that Eisuke had wanted to make plans, despite already getting to have sex with her, pleased MC. He hadn’t just wanted her physically, he wanted to meet again. That was unlike many of the one night stand stories you hear from other girls.

***

And it hadn’t just been brunch the next morning MC had spent with Eisuke. Following her steamy night with Eisuke, MC had told her friends what had happened and their plans for brunch. Jessica and Millie had been so happy for MC that they had encouraged her to indulge in this holiday romance. The bonus was they were now also romancing his friends. As a result, the two groups had merged together, with the guys practically moving out of their hotel and into the villa.

The first 2 weeks of the holiday, MC had been thoroughly enjoying her holiday romance. Sightseeing, dinners out, ‘couple’ vs ‘couple’ games nights and the best sex she’d ever had. But what she had loved most of all, was the smile Eisuke had rewarded just for her. She’d almost forgotten it would all come to an end in 2 weeks’ time. Heck, she had forgotten. But she wasn’t the only one who had forgotten.

As they were sat enjoying lunch in a café, Eisuke couldn’t help noticing MCs phone kept buzzing.

“You sure you shouldn’t get that?” He asked, glancing at the screen, noticing the name lighting up her phone.

“Nah its fine.” MC replied, turning her phone onto silent.

“Who’s Isaac?” Eisuke asked, a slight coldness seeped into his tone. Jealousy clear from his annoyed expression.

“Oh, uh my ex” MC said quietly. Eisuke was visibly relieved to hear it was an ex rather than current partner.

“When did you break up?”

“Few weeks ago”

“Were you together long?”

“Yup 7 years”

“How come you split up?”

“Oh he was seeing someone else, and decided he wanted to be serious with her instead”

“What the fuck?! Seriously?”

“Why would I joke about something like that” MC laughed, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“Well he was an idiot letting someone like you go” MC blushed at Eisuke’s words. He quietly took her hand in his and rubbed her fingers with his thumb. “His loss has been my gain. What did he want anyway? He seems pretty insistent on talking to you”.

“Jessica and Millie have been posting photos on their Instagram’s from the holiday. Obviously, he has seen them and there were a few of me and you, he doesn’t seem to like the idea of me not being available or crying over him and is kicking off”

“The guy who cheated on you is annoyed you are having fun? What a dick” Eisuke huffed drinking his coffee. MC smiled at the sight before taking a sip of her own coffee. In this moment she felt happy. Happier than she had ever felt before.

***

Finally, the last day of their holiday was here. While the girls were getting ready in Jessica’s room they started to reminisce about the holiday. It was clear all three girls had thoroughly enjoyed their holiday romances.

Jessica and Baba had made it clear there were not emotionally feelings for them. It was like friends with benefits. They were enjoying the casual sex, while hanging out as friends. The sort of person you’d bump into and catch up, but she wasn’t too worried about going back and not seeing him again. He literally had been just some fun for her. As she had been for him too.

Millie and Ota had seemed to have started to find a connection with each other. Ota had told Millie when she goes to University to let him know where she would be living so he could come and visit her. Whether there was something there for them beyond visits was anybody’s guess at the moment, but Millie was certain they would see each other again.

As for MC, it was when talking to her friends she realised her and Eisuke hadn’t mentioned going home. There had been no discussion of what would happen after these 4 weeks. They hadn’t exchanged numbers. They hadn’t mentioned meeting up. Heck, she didn’t even know where he lived. But what she did realise was she had fallen for the guy who only seemed to smile with warmth and kindness towards her. But she knew she wouldn’t be telling him this. Especially not since things seemed destined to end tonight.

When the girls stepped out of the bedroom the guys were already there waiting for them.

Baba dressed in his black jeans and a red shirt. He had tied his hair back. Taking Jessica’s hand he kissed her fingers, just as he had the first night, and escorted her out of the villa.

Ota, wearing some blue jeans and a white shirt smiled at Millie as he held his hand out to her. She placed hers in his and they entwined their fingers. Millie’s pastel blue dress matched his jeans perfectly. They, too, headed out. Millie looking back and smiling at MC one last time before disappearing from the villa.

It was just Eisuke and MC left. He wore a pair of white skinny jeans and a charcoal shirt. MC’s white lace dress matched him perfectly. He smiled at her.

“You look beautiful” he stated, making MC giggle.

“You don’t look so bad yourself” She approached him, and he wrapped his arm round her waist planting a kiss on her cheek. “So, where are we headed?” She asked.

“Right here” Eisuke replied, much to MC confusion.

He took her hand and guided her outside into the garden. What met MC surprised her as she looked around and then back at Eisuke bewildered but happy. The garden had been decorated with fairy lights and lanterns. The pool was filled with rose petals. A picnic blanket was led out with champagne and strawberries dipped in chocolate waiting for them.

MC felt her chest tighten. She was so moved by Eisuke’s yet it hurt to know tomorrow she would be on a flight and this dream would be over. Shaking her head she showed Eisuke her brightest smile and accepted his outstretched hand which guided her to the blanket. If this was to be their last evening together in this dream, then she would make sure she enjoyed every minute, smiling at him until the end.

***

The hours ticked by, and MC and Eisuke had shared many stories under the star blanketed sky. Stories of their childhood, friends, family, dreams and future goals. MC had learned Eisuke had a few other friends back where he lived who hadn’t come with them on the holiday. But what they hadn’t discussed was how they would be going home tomorrow. Back to reality.

As their evening together came to an end, they stood and gazed at each other. It was clear to MC, she had fallen in love with her holiday romance. She’d fallen in love in the span of 4 weeks, and it would be a heart-breaking love. A love that couldn’t be. A love that after tonight would disappear from her life.

“MC—”

“Shh” She silenced him with a kiss.

A kiss he so readily returned. A kiss that conveyed everything she wanted to say but couldn’t. His hands found their home on her hips, like they had done so many times these last 4 weeks. But unlike how they would no more. If speaking meant tonight was to be the last time they could be together, then she wouldn’t let either of them speak, for she didn’t want to say goodbye.

Seemingly understanding, and dare she hope feeling the same, Eisuke showed his kindness through not asking anything, not speaking any words. Instead he lifted her into his arms, never separating his lips from hers as he took her back to the bed they had shared for the last 4 weeks.

Tonight, neither seemed as calm or collected as they had been before. As they became one, it was full of raw emotion. As if the pain they both were feeling could be quashed by bringing one another pleasure. Their moans were as if they were cursing the idea of this moment ending. Their breathing increasing as they came ever closer to their height of pleasure. If tonight would be their last together, then they sure as hell were going to make it a night neither would forget. They left mark after mark upon the other, as if these marks would symbolise the feelings they couldn’t speak. As even when tomorrow or the next day come, and they won’t see each other, these marks were serving to remind them of the other.

That night they made love countless times. Yet still neither spoke of what tomorrow would bring.

It really would be goodbye.

***

A few weeks later and things had been exactly as expected. Jessica went about as if business was usual without Baba. Millie and Ota had spoken every day and had arranged when Ota would come to visit. While MC was left lonely. Hurting. Missing Eisuke.

“You know…” Millie started, “Apparently, according to Ota, you aren’t the only one down in the dumps and missing the other person”

“What do you mean?” MC asked, suddenly interested in the conversation going on around her.

“According to Ota, Eisuke has been more irritable than before, but when asked about the holiday he gets a faraway look in his eyes and smiles for a moment”.

MC nodded and looked out the window again. That was all she needed to know. It had been real, not just for her but for Eisuke too. It gave her hope. She believed in fate, and maybe if she was lucky, maybe he was her fate and they’d find each other again.

***

Millie had headed to university and Jessica’s summer break had ended. MC had also heard back from her job application. She had successfully received a position as a maid and would begin her vacancy in a few days. As such, she was moving into the hotel staff dormitory today.

Upon arriving at the hotel dorms, she became fast friends with two of the other maids, Sakiko and Chisato. They had made her feel very welcome and had been busily introducing her to everyone

“Finally, Mr Ichinomiya owns the hotel. In total he has hotels in Tokyo, Dubai, London, New York as well as an airship and cruise ship. He’s currently building another hotel but only staff know about it so keep that one quiet” Chisato winked at me as she filled me in on my new boss.

“I wonder what he’s like?”

“Umm… honestly he’s a little cold. But he looks after the hotel well! Lately he seems to be in a bad mood. More so than usual, when he comes to the casino he doesn’t even enjoy winning” Sakiko explained. “Anyway you’ll meet him when Mr Kenzaki introduces you later!”

“Great…” Honestly the way they had made him sound, MC wished she wouldn’t be meeting him. But as her employer he had to introduce himself and her the same. Still, she managed to find the kind side of one cold man recently, maybe she’ll see a nice side to this Mr Ichinomiya guy too.

***

When evening came around Mr Kenzaki came to the dorms to collect MC for their meeting. He handed her the uniform and her name badge and instructed her to change ready to meet the hotel’s owner, Mr Ichinomiya.

Following Mr Kenzaki, MC arrived in the meeting room and took a seat in the chair directed to her. Time seemed to tick by slowly, before the meeting room door opened and someone’s steady footsteps entered.

“Mr Ichinomiya, Sir” Mr Kenzaki spoke to the owner, signifying to MC she was about to meet her boss. She stood, ready to bow politely to him, yet as she turned her eyes went wide.

“Eisuke?! You own this hotel?!” She gasped. His reaction was similar as he dropped the file he had been holding.

“MC?! You're the new employee?” He, too, gasped in surprised, before taking her arm firmly in her graps and walking from the meeting room towards the penthouse elevator.

“Sir?” Mr Kenzaki called out in confusion.

“Forget the meeting, she’s a good hire. Well done Kenzaki. Get me a penthouse pager and key card ready for MC here and leave it on my desk. Don’t disturb me for the rest of the evening.” Seemingly understanding his instructions Mr Kenzaki bowed and headed off. All the while Eisuke kept a firm grasp on MC’s arm.

Neither said a word as they went in the elevator. Nor as they walked through the corridors. Still Eisuke gripped her arm. As they entered the lounge, Ota and Baba noticed Eisuke and gasped out,

“ISN’T THAT MC?” catching everyone elses attention.

“That’s MC?” A tall man in a grey suit with black hair asked.

“That’s the kid that’s had Eisuke in a sour mood?” A scruffier looking man with stubble on his chin asked.

“MC, that’s Soryu and Mamoru” Eisuke briefly introduced them still dragging her by her arm.

“Oh, um, hello?” MC said waving in her confusion.

“Ahahahah at least he is back to being in a better mood. How long you here for MC, so we know how long he’ll be happier for?”

“She’s the new recruit I just went to meet.” Eisuke smirked, “Meaning she’s here for good”

Proceeding to drag MC up the stairs the guys watched smiling knowingly.

As soon as they were in his suite he shut the door and locked it to avoid any interruptions. Only once they were inside did he finally let go of her arm. But she was only released for a moment before he held her in a tight, crushing embrace. It wasn’t long before she was hugging him back, just as tightly.

“Want me to make you a coffee?” MC laughed, remembering the odd request Eisuke had made of her when in Greece, and how he had told her she made the best coffees. Yet Eisuke only tightened his embrace.

“Later… right now I don’t want to let you go” surprised by his honesty MC questioned his further.

“Why not?”

“Because the last time I let you go I lost you” He sighed, speaking more honestly than he ever had before. “I won’t make that mistake again”

“Eisuke…?”

“Listen, because you’ll learn very quickly that I am not a man who talks freely of him emotions. I missed you, MC. As soon as we parted waya I regretted not talking to you about a future where we could meet. I hated not seeing you or speaking to you every day but Christ it was only 4 weeks and you managed to grasp my heart which I had given up on years ago. You’re the first person who I’ve had regrets about leaving. And you’re the first person I’ve felt this way about.”

“What way?”

“Come on MC… you don’t need me to say it” Eisuke glared, but MC wasn’t going to let this one slide.

“I won’t know anything if you don’t tell me Eisuke. Isn’t that kind of how we got into this mess?” Sighing Eisuke replied,

“You’re a cruel woman” But his sigh soon turned to a smile. A genuine warm smile. Full of everything he was feeling and more. “I love you, MC.” Smiling MC wrapped her arms around Eisuke.

“I know” She giggled as Eisuke looked at her in annoyance.

“You can’t make me say all that and then just respond with ‘I know’” Kissing him softly as if to soothe his mood she smiled,

“I love you, too Eisuke”

That was all he needed to hear to ignite the flame of desire. His lips crashed to hers and his hands found their place once again on her hips as if that was where they were meant to be all along. This love was never meant to just be a holiday romance. It was too real. Too strong. It was never meant to end.

“I’m never going to let you go again” Eisuke whispered, as he pressed his forehead to MC’s, tightening his hold on her, before sealing this promise with a kiss filled with all the love they share.

#kissed by the baddest bidder #kbtbb #kbtbb eisuke #voltage fanfic #eisuke ichinomiya #smut #hurt/comfort #fluff #holiday romance #love 365 #voltage inc

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onlyfreds · 4 years ago

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I Choose You | F.W.

Title: I Choose You

Requested: Yes/No

Summary: At the end of the day, Fred is always the one Y/N chooses.

A/N: Inspired by the song “I Choose” from the movie: “Willoughby”

Stuck in my ways Like old-fashioned days But all the roads led me to you

Magic. I always thought that magic just consisted of clever tricks and didn’t really exist. I always thought that magic were just illusions used to entertain little kids. That was what I always thought, until I got my Hogwarts letter. Until I learned that magic was real. Until I hopped onto the Hogwarts express, ready to begin my journey as a witch.

All roads lead to somewhere. And this one led me to a certain 6’3 ginger who had a twin named George. This road had led me to my best friend, Fred Weasley, this road had led me to the boy I fell for, hard.

“You’re gorgeous.” That was Fred’s first words to me.

“Gryffindor!” The sorting hat yelled as it was placed on my head. I happily skipped towards the scarlet and gold table, where my new friends were waiting for me. “Welcome to the best house in Hogwarts.” The twins said in unison as I took a seat next to them.

Everyday was an adventure, pulling pranks and causing mischief and trouble here and there. And every day, I continued to fall in love with the older twin.

The house that you live in don't make it a home But feeling lonely don't mean you're alone People in life, they will come and they'll leave But if I had a choice I know where I would be

Ever since I started attending Hogwarts, I would spend every holiday at the Burrow. It was like a second home to me. Molly had instantly treated me like her daughter the moment I stepped foot inside the house. It even got to the point that Fred would whine that he wanted his “partner in crime” back.

Every holiday at the Burrow was special. I never felt lonely, mostly because my own family didn’t like the idea of me being a witch. But the most special holiday I had was during our third year.

I was watching the stars as snow fell slowly onto the ground.

“Enjoying the view darling?” The butterflies appeared in my stomach as I turned and saw Fred standing by the doorway.

“What’s there not to enjoy about the view?” I asked as I patted the space next to me, inviting him to sit down.

“It’s just, the whole family’s inside and your out here.” He said as he placed his arms around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him.

“But I can bet that there’s something better than that view.” He said with a sheepish grin.

I chuckled, “And what is that?”

“Look up.” He simply stated.

I diverted my gaze up to the night sky, fireworks painting the sky. Soon, it spelled out the words: I love you Y/N; Will you be my girlfriend?

I turned to Fred, who had a hopeful look in his eyes, “Be my girlfriend?” He asked.

Without hesitation, I cupped his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. In the background, I could hear the whole Weasley household cheering.

“How’s that for an answer?” I asked as we pulled apart.

He smirked, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t get your answer. Can we try it again?”

I giggled as he pulled me in for another kiss.

Now I found the strength To make a change And look at the magic I found No matter the name

Umbridge had come and was making everyday miserable with her foolish educational decrees that she claims is for the better future of Hogwarts. A load of dragon dung if you ask me.

Harry then formed the D.A., which for me is the highlight of the school year. We were fighting for something. We were fighting for our school; we were learning to fight and defend ourselves. We were learning to fight against Voldemort.

“Expecto Patronum!” The twins said in unison, identical magpie patronuses flying out of their wands.

I thought of the day Fred asked me to be his girlfriend, the day we attended the Yule ball together, every date, every memory. I let the happiness fill me up.

“Expecto Patronum!” I casted, watching in awe as a cat flew out of my wand, running around, chasing the magpies the twins produced.

“What did you think about?” Fred asked, wrapping his arms around me.

I smiled, “You.”

The room then started to shake, Fred his arm around me protectively, the both instinctively raising our wands. The room shook again, a small hole appearing in the wall.

“Bombarda Maxima” A familiar voice said.

“It’s Umbridge.” I said, all of us started to run as the wall exploded.

The twins and I ran to one of the secret passageways that led to the common room. We were one of the first ones back, collapsing on the couch from exhaustion.

Ron came in dragging Hermione along with him. The rest of the Gryffindors started to file in. Except for one, Harry.

I finally found where I feel I belong And I know you'll be there with wide open arms

Through the lows and the highs, I will stay by your side There's no need for goodbyes, now I'm seeing the light

When the sky turns to grey and there's nothing to say At the end of the day, I choose you

“George and I are leaving tomorrow.” Fred said as he paced the dorm.

“The big escape.” I said with a small smile.

Fred looked at me, I could see the tears forming in his eyes, “I’m breaking up with you.”

I felt like someone had just stabbed a dagger into my chest, “What?”

He tried to hold back the tears but he couldn’t, “I’m breaking up with you.” He repeated as his voice cracked.

I could feel the tears making its way from my eyes, “Why?”

He sat down on the floor, “Because I am dropping out of school to follow another one of my stupid ideas. I’m dropping out of school to start a business that I have no assurance that will succeed. And if everything goes downhill, I’ll disappoint everyone, Harry, Mum, George and most especially you. Out of all the people in the world, you are the one I’d hate to disappoint the most. Then when that happens, you’ll leave me. Then I’ll be left with nothing. So, it’s better to end things now instead of ending when the pain hurts more.” He sobbed.

I pulled him into a hug, trying to wipe his tears as mine continued to fall.

“That won’t happen Fred.” I said, gently rubbing his back, “No matter what happens, I’ll stay by your side, through the lows and the highs. If the ship sinks, then I’m going down with you. Where you go, I go. Because at the end of the day Freddie, I choose you.”

He hugged me tightly, as if scared that I would evaporate any minute. “Thank you.” He muttered.

I cupped his face in my hands, “Besides, I’m coming with you.”

“What?” He asked.

I chuckled, “George and I were supposed to surprise you tomorrow. But I guess things don’t always go as planned.”

“Really? You’d rather come with us than finish your education.” He said with a small smile.

I nodded, “Yeah. It’s not like I’m learning anything with the pink toad around. Like I said Freddie, I’ll always choose you. And if I belong anywhere, it’s with you.”

Through the lows and the highs I will stay by your side There's no need for goodbyes, now I'm seeing the light When the sky turns to grey and there's nothing to say At the end of the day, I choose you

“You okay Freddie?” George asked as the three of us watched the teachers place protective enchantments on the school.

“Yeah, how about you?” Fred asked, turning to his brother.

“I’m fine.” George answered.

Fred turned to me, “How about you princess?”

“Good.” I replied.

Fred turned me to face him, “If ever I don’t make it. You should move on, okay? Fall in love again. Have a family. I’ll always be waiting for you.”

I shook my head, kissing him, “I choose you. So, it’s either we survive this together or we don’t at all.”

“But darling- “He tried to reason before I interrupted him.

“There’s no need for goodbyes, now I’m seeing the light.” I squeezed his hand, “It doesn’t matter what happens. As long as we’re together.”

“You’re joking Perce! You’re actually joking.” But the rest of Fred’s words fell into the background as my instincts told me that something bad would happen.

I rushed to Fred, pushing him out of the way as the wall exploded. It’s like everything had gone in slow motion.

“I love you.” I whispered into his ear, if I was going to die. Then I would want that to be my last words. If he was going to die, no, I can’t think that.

I landed on top of him, my arms wrapped around his torso, “Freddie?” I immediately said.

“Yes princess?” He answered, with his signature smirk.

I hugged him as I breathed a sigh of relief and began sobbing, “You’re alive.” I said.

He hugged me tighter, running his hand through, “Thank you for saving me.” He whispered.

I looked up and crashed our lips together, “I told you either we survive together, or we don’t at all.”

At the end of the day, I choose you

“Do you, Y/N L/N, take Fred Weasley as your lawfully wedded husband?” The minister asked.

I smiled, “I do.”

“And with the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Fred smiled, as he pulled me closer to him.

During the reception, I couldn’t stop glancing down at the rings on our hands, it had the words I choose you engraved.

“I love you, Mrs. Weasley.” He whispered as the festivities continued.

I smiled at him, “I love you too, Mr. Weasley.”

I choose you

#fredweasley #fredweasleyimagines #fredweasleyfanfic #fredweasleyfanfiction #fred weasly x reader #fred weasley fluff #fred weasley smut #fred weasley angst #fred weasley x y/n #fred weasley x you #i choose you #songfic #hp imagine #hp one shot #fredweasleyoneshots

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theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction · 4 years ago

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Festive Fuelstop

Pairing: Mando x Reader

Warnings: None.

Summary: You, Mando and the Child end up in a small town and get pulled into their traditions.

A/n: Happy Holidays, my loves!

You walked out of the Crest and took a breath of fresh air after a week of being trapped inside the flying metal. Despite having to make an emergency landing, you were thankful that the fuel line had started leaking just to stretch your legs. You and Mando had landed on the outskirts of a charming village where the mechanic actually refused the credits that the Mandalorian offered to repair his ship.

“Oh, golly. I can’t take payment now - I haven’t made any repairs.” The man chuckled heartily and whistled for his best workers to get on the job. The repairman then focused back on the new arrivals. “Why don’t you hold on to those credits and take your family down to the markets in the meantime?”

Mando appeared to have frozen so you leaned forward and pulled his hand back, flashing a smile to the kind man.

“The markets sound wonderful - could you point us in the right direction?”

You were given instruction to follow the wooden path down the hill until you reached a clearing into the central part of town which you, Mando and the Child followed.

When you reached the bottom, the townsfolk were in a buzz carrying boxes of shiny strings and coloured balls from one part of town to the next. Homes were decorated with lights strewn across the fences and roofs, some even had a green wreaths on the front door. Adults met up with one another with a grin as they walked in the same direction while children chased each other in tow.

You and Mando exchanged curious glances. This wasn’t something either of you had come across and your confused expression caught the attention of a passerby. The man stopped before the two of you and pointed.

“Visitors?” He guessed with a smile on his face that highlighted a hidden dimple.

You returned the smile and Mando nodded, “Our ship is being repaired uphill.”

“Well then it’s in safe hands. Please, feel free to join us in the Square while you wait.” The man invited and then walked away in the same direction as everyone else. It seemed like the whole town was headed that way.

Folding your arms, you turned to the bounty hunter, “Is it bad that I want to know what’s happening in the Square?”

“We have to keep moving.” Mando reminded as he looked around the buildings. “Maybe find a diner of some sort.”

You watched as more of the townsfolk left their homes and bit your lower lip as you thought - then you heard the child croon and idea came to mind.

“If everyone’s in the same place then none of their lodgings, food or otherwise, will be open. We’ll have a better chance to blend in alongside everyone else while seeing what has everyone so excited.” You said. “And the kid might never experience this again.”

The Mandalorian cocked his head to the side when he heard you.

“Are those reasons for the kid or for you?”

You shot him a side-eye and shook your head. Without hearing his argument against the plan, you followed the crowd and - in a few minutes - his beskar arm braces were bumping beside you.

It was a short walk to the heart of the town where a large green tree gleaming with lights and decoration sat in the middle. Your jaw dropped, eyes mesmerised with the sight that you almost knocked into the woman in front of you had it not been for Mando pulling you back. As the last few people joined, you realised that it was getting too close-for-comfort for the child so you moved to a more open space a little further from the festivities.

You returned to staring in awe at the magnificence of the tree and couldn’t help but smile, “What are they celebrating?” You wondered just as a little boy zoomed past with his friends, hearing your question. He stopped before you and Mando and placed his hands on his hips.

“You must be travellers! Tonight begins the First Ice of Holly Day. We gather around the tree just before the snow begins to fall - which should be starting soon!” The young boy explained and then ran off leaving the baby to lean over his cradle and coo.

Soon? You looked up to the skies and noticed that they had now been filled with frosty grey clouds. The sun began to fade away which illuminated the lights around the entire town making everything glow. As it darkened just a touch more excitable voices began talking quickly, most of it inaudible. You were so caught up in the moment that you hadn’t realised Mando tensing up beside you until you turned to him. He looked like he was ready to be jumped. You opened you mouth to chide him when there was a joyful cry from the far side of the tree.

“Look - look! It’s snowing! Holly Day has begun!”

You , Mando and the Child looked up once more and, sure enough, small snowflakes descended upon the happy town. A chilled breeze set in and you remembered that you weren’t properly clothed from when you exited the ship a while ago. You were about to suggest finding some coats when Mando turned his head toward the clearing.

“We should head back. I don’t want to be caught in a snow storm at the base of a hill.” He told you. You glanced at the baby trying to catch the snow in his mouth and sighed. Mando was right.

You shivered slightly, dusting the snow from your shoulders. “Point made. But before we head back, I need to stop at a vegetable stall.”

“Why?”

You pursed your lips and squinted at the green womp rat in the cradle, “Because somebody keeps ‘force-flinging’ the celonslay into the refresher.” you leaned down to the baby and used the tip of your index finger to lightly press on his button nose. “Vegetables are what’s going to make you big and strong.”

You straightened back up and noticed the crowd the beginning to disperse as you looked around them to find some place that sold healthy greens.

Mando pointed over your shoulder quietly and you followed his hand to where a row of merchants stood with their goods just past the tree. You thanked him and requested that he and child stay put until you returned. The bounty hunter didn’t argue and so you ventured off to the markets. As you passed the tree you smiled once more at its beauty. A part of you wondered if Mando would oppose to having a small one in the ship. But then you thought better of it because if Mando didn’t oppose then the kid might tear it apart or worse, jam it into the refresher.

You passed the first stall which happened to be filled with florals and ‘Holly Berry Seed Pots’ and over to the second one where rows and rows of fruits and vegetables sat. Scanning the items, you spotted the celonslay and decided against purchasing it again. The Child clearly didn’t like it. As you browsed, a head popped up from behind the stall - it belonged to the man you first met upon reaching the town.

“It’s you.” You realised.

He chuckled and quirked a brow. “Twice in one day? I’m beginning to think that you’re following me.” He teased lightly and tapped his hands on the wooden counter top. “I’m glad you decided to come to the Square.”

The man inquired about how you felt about experiencing the First Ice and you told him the truth of how you adored the way it was celebrated. You both then returned to the task at hand and you asked for his suggestion on a vegetable that a baby would enjoy.

“Children are tricky to pick for.” The Merchant hummed as he looked over the available selection. “But I do have some gimer canes. If the kid is teething, he can chew on this to get important nutrients with a sweet taste. He might even do a happy dance.”

Your eyes lit up along with your smile, “That’s perfect, I’ll take four.”

“Gimer canes are fairly rare so...”

“I’ll pay you double.” You offered instantly, not bothering to discuss it with the Mandalorian.

You expected the Merchant to take the credits right away but he laughed admirably at you. “I was actually hoping that you’d come with me to the Holly Seed Planting tomorrow instead.”

As much as you wanted to stay, you and Mando were due to leave the planet in under an hour. Your shoulders visibly slackened and the Merchant seemed to have understood. He reached beneath the counter and lifted up a paper bag, handing it over to you.

“Here, consider it an early Holly Day gift.”

Slightly confused, you looked inside and saw four pieces of the rare cane. You didn’t know how to express thanks besides repeating the word in the hopes that it would be enough.

“It’s okay, really.” The Merchant said softly. “Times are strange, we may meet again.”

You flashed a smile and thanked him once more before turning to leave.

You returned to the Child and the Mandalorian shortly after and noticed the mechanic of your ship walking away from the beskar-plated man with a spring in his step and humming a tune.

“Was that...?”

“It was.” Mando sighed. “Apparently, the repairs won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon because the mechanic doesn’t want to miss out on the ‘festivities’.”

You couldn’t really blame the creature for halting work and you looked over at the hill pathway that led to the ship. “Old fashioned camp out in the broken cargo hold?” You suggested.

“It’s getting dark and you’re exhausted. We’ll stay in town until the repairs are complete.”

This meant that you could repay the Merchant in full.

“Why are you smiling?”

You wiped the escaped emotion from your face and cleared your throat. Balancing the bag against your hip, you looked around the well-lit town, deflecting the question, “I’m sure that there’s a good lodging around here.”

And you were right, a short walk down the road landed the three of you at a comfortable inn for travellers. But as luck would have it, finding a decent sized room in the towns busiest time proved to be difficult and so, you, Mando and cradled baby were placed in a smaller, single bed compartment with extra blankets to compensate. While it was quaint, a part of you wished that you were back on the Razor Crest.

As Mando settled into the temporary sleeping quarters by checking the perimeters, you helped the kid out of his cot and onto the soft mattress. This hadn’t been the first time that there was only one bed between three individuals so you and Mando decided to take one side each to make sure that you were both well rested. And, to be involved, the Child would walk across the surface before sitting on the side that he wanted Mando to be.

The kid cooed and then smacked his lips which reminded you that he had not been fed the since lunch. You walked over to the table by the door and dug into the paper bag retrieving a stick of the gimer cane before carefully handing it to the baby to taste.

Mando joined your side as the pair of watched the child chew on the cane with a happy squeal.

“He likes it.” Mando noted, relatively surprised. Your mouth hung open as you watched the green womp rat do a little seated ‘happy dance’.

The Merchant was right.

Speaking of the man, you remembered to tell the bounty hunter of your plans the next day, explaining - once again - that it would be a good way for the kid to learn and enjoy other customs. His sigh told you that he wasn’t thrilled but, ultimately, he resigned. “Fine but we’re leaving the moment the Crest is fixed.”

You tried to contain your smile but it slipped out which led to the Mandalorian shaking his head and heading for the bed to get some decent rest. He picked up the child and moved him to the centre before laying down on the sheets. As you watched the baby find a comfortable sleeping position against his chosen-father, you realised that you were fairly exhausted from the day. You took up the blankets that the lodging provided and laid along the empty bed space, covering yourself and the kid just before falling asleep to the burning candlelight.

When you woke to birdsong, you found that the child had switched sleeping allegiances and was now snuggled in your arms. Mando stepped out of the refresher and helped you to get ready for the day by removing the womp rat from your hold which led the child waking up with a small wail until Mando pacified him with a gimer cane.

Once all affairs were in order, you paid the lodging owner in full and left for the Merchant’s stall where the man had just farewelled a customer.

“Can I have four more gimer canes?” You wondered and the moment the Merchant saw you, he abandoned his job, rushing to the front with a smile.

“You- you’re still here.”

Nodding, you gestured to where Mando stood with the child, “Our repairs will be done this afternoon which means we can go to the Holly Seed Planting.”

The Merchant nodded and boldly took your hands when he spoke. “The Planting is in a few hours but there are things we can do before that!” He looked over your shoulder to Mando, “Tell me, friend. Have you ever gone sledding through fields of freshly lain snow under trees of light?”

Mando stared back through his visor, “Only to capture my bounty.”

The Merchant didn’t know what to make of the statement and you chuckled to lighten the air, “Sledding sounds wonderful!”

And that’s what you did. The Merchant took the three of you to a sledding field and you almost forgot about your mission to find the child’s people. Mando took the green womp rat for a ride after caving to his pleading coos while you rode with the Merchant.

Once the snow-filled fun had run its course, you all ventured back into town for a hot meal at the local cantina and a short rest before learning that enough time had passed for the Holly Seed Planting. You and Mando followed the Merchant over to the large tree where, at its base, several plots were dug in long rows along the white frost.

“What’s so special about this event?” You asked as curiosity enveloped when you noticed people gathering in pairs.

The Merchant took your hand and pointed across, “Holly Seeds are special, they bloom fast with emotion and identical where love is pure. It’s a rare sight to see but it doesn’t make it any less fun to plant.”

“What happens to these seeds after?”

“We nurture them through the year, their roots and leaves merge until they form the Town’s next tree for Holly Day.”

If you had left the day before, you never would have learnt about something so amazing.

“Oh - I think it’s starting. Let’s go get a seed.” The Merchant told you excitably.

Mando made no effort to move quickly, instead he held onto the child and stepped back. “I think the kid and I will wait this one out.”

A part of you wished he wouldn’t remove himself but once the Mandalorian made up his mind, he often stuck to it. You focused on the Merchant once more, painting the snow with your footprints until you both collected a Holly Seed Pot each and kneeled by two empty plots.

“Okay,” The Merchant said, nestling a little closer, “so all we need to do is hold these next to each other and if everything is right, they’ll bloom.”

You held out your pot until it clinked against the Merchant’s. Almost instantly, a bud peered through the Merchant’s soil and it quickly grew into a stem ... then leaves sprang forth ... and finally, a white-petaled flower emerged, tilting forward like a bell.

You looked down at the pot in your hands and there was nothing - not even a hint of green.

You gave a dry chuckle to hide the way your heart sank, “I can’t imagine it’s good news if nothing happens, right?”

The Merchant shook his head to not worry you but you could see in his eyes that this came as a surprise to him too. Clearing your throat, you flashed him a smile and looked around the place where bursts of colourful flowers came to life. “So, what happens next?”

“Usually, we walk around and see if there are identical flowers before we plant them into the ground but...”

You noticed his eyes flicker to the various pots, clearly trying to spot his match, and placed an gentle hand over his shoulder.

“Go ahead, it’s okay.” You told him as he once told you. The Merchant hesitated briefly until you repeated yourself.

You got to your feet as he thanked you and then you watched him walk through the crowd. Glancing at your sad-looking pot, you remembered something and looked up to find your travel associates.

No green or beskar could be seen. You did, however, see the mechanic once again. He had just arrived and was talking to a friend about how he had just finished a job.

The Razor Crest must have been ready. You intended to give a farewell to the Merchant but when you saw him standing by a young woman with an identical white flower, you decided against it.

Let him have this moment. Taking the plant, you decided to blend out of the crowd and back to somewhere familiar.

—

The Merchant was kind but Mando felt his dislike for the local grow every time you were present. He blamed the whimsical nature of the town but Mando felt something envious surge in him whenever you talked about the Merchant with a smile. Then he had to spend the day watching the pair of you laugh and joke and... hold hands - Mando seriously feared that you may have been falling in love. When the Seed Planting came around, he tried to ignore the way you and the Merchant had grown fond of one other so he stood to the back of the crowd. He was blending in quite well until a sweet old lady spotted him and the child and handed him a Holly Seed Pot of his own. He tried to give it back but the woman ignored him and moved on. The Child cooed and Mando turned to see you kneeling by the snow and holding your pot against that of the Merchants.

He heard the baby croon and attempt to speak.

“I know buddy...”

The child started tapping his hands over Mando’s gloves and pulled his attention from the Jedi over to the pot in his hands.

A red flower had sprouted almost instantly while was distracted. The edges of the petals ran gold like ink.

His mind flew to what the Merchant had said about quick blooming flowers and the Mandalorian felt his heart race.

‘Fast with emotion.’ He had said.

Turning around, Mando made a quick getaway just as the townsfolk gathered to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ around the flowers. Thinking fast, he decided to head back to the ship, almost bursting into a sprint. The child had fallen asleep during the trip so when Mando finally got to the Crest, he laid the infant down before getting to work. He took the pot plant over to the carbonite chamber and shut it inside with a hiss.

—

The walk uphill was long and exhausting. There were multiple times when you considered throwing the pot behind you but something always made you rethink and forget the option. When you finally reached the Crest, you spotted Mando fiddling by the carbonite chamber and the kid asleep in his cradle. You dumped the pot on the side bench and headed past the Mandalorian for the cockpit.

“I’m ready to get out of here.” You said, climbing up the ladder. Without missing a beat, you sat in the pilots seat and prepared for take off, closing the doors of the cargo bay. You were a fast flyer so you had the ship up in lightspeed in no time only dropping out when you were several systems away. As you prepped the ship for autopilot, you heard the familiar armour behind you.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” He said gently. “The Jedi Order and the Mandalorian Way don’t give much room for romance.”

You leaned forward and flicked on two switches. A disappointed sigh escaping over the console. “I know. Sometimes, I hope for a sign that will lead me down a different path - one where I don’t walk alone. But it’s always a fools hope.”

The Crest’s engine sputtered, shaking loose a pipe above your head which made you frown when it bumped your head. “Dank farrik.” You muttered. “Can you get me something to fix this?”

The beskar helmet nodded and Mando turned down the narrow corridor. He went down the stairs to grab a wrench from his tools cabinet when a flicker of gold caught his attention.

Sitting on the bench was your Holly Seed Pot, a green stem had rose from the mud, blooming a red Holly Flower with gold trimming - just like his.

Masterlist here

#theladyofmanyfandoms #theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction #gif is not mine #mando x reader #mando imagine #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian imagine #mandalorian imagine #mandalorian x reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin imagine #star wars x reader #star wars imagine #xmas special

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mangozcat · 4 years ago

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𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. lee donghyuck x fem!reader 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄. fluff, heavy angst, smut 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. you were forced in an awkward spot when your best friend, of which you had fallen in love with somewhere along the road, got a girlfriend. his attention was forced from your morning coffee runs and rose petal scent to the way her eyes lit up every time he gave her a kiss on the cheek. so when you finally get some time to catch up with your best friend, you eagerly took the opportunity, realizing just how much spending time with him, being forced to stay as friends, was breaking your heart. so you finally did it; you came clean to the boy of your dreams.

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆. haechan’s hand was interlocked with hers, eyes glowing as they discussed how nice the scented candles on display smelled. together, they seemed like the perfect image of a beautiful couple out on a mission to buy as many holiday gifts as they could. so, together, they wandered around the bath and body works inside the mall, leaving you standing at the pretzel stand in the middle of the in-door courtyard.

yeah, you were certainly third wheeling.

honestly, you weren’t sure why you had agreed to come along in the first place. you knew watching them interact and share the occasional kiss would only make your heart hurt more. and it certainly had. maybe you needed to work on your ability to say “no” aloud, but how could you, when haechan had given you that innocent look that made him look like a lost puppy? as expected, you lost.

at least you had bought a pretzel. that seemed like the highlight of this whole trip. when they disappeared inside, you decided to wander into your own store, browsing the shoes upon the shelves. maybe you’d treat yourself for all the heartache you endured (which was your fault, though you liked it better when you were in denial.)

you still don’t know when it happened.

one day, your friendship with haechan was normal, simply platonic. the two of you met in high school, stuck in some classes together. you were paired with him for a project, and when he came over to your place, two coffee’s in hand, you had decided he was a keeper.

he even introduced you to his closest friends, and you were surprised to find how well you worked together. renjun and jaemin, two of his friends, had even made a bet about who would give in first. they didn’t necessarily doubt that guys and girls could be friends, but when they saw your chemistry, they knew it would incredibly stupid if you didn’t start dating.

but the two of you had built this idea in your mind that your relationship was simply platonic. even when the two of you had shared a breathtaking kiss during a game of spin the bottle, neither of you changed your minds. just a friendship, that’s all you guys thought of it.

just a friendship.

from then, you guys had the occasional sleepover and movie night. you and haechan were as close as you could be, and you were very content with your friendship.

but then your perspective changed. when you cuddled, and his hands rested on your sides, you always noticed your heartbeat speed up drastically. every time you woke up to his smell, his sleepy smile and tired groans, you felt so happy. it was such a strange attraction for you, to learn that you were falling in love with your best friend with sparkling eyes and a bright smile. every time he was near you, you seemed to pick up this spark, always finding yourself stuck in this never-ending loop of him.

and then your world cracked.

haechan came over to your apartment one morning with a coffee in his hand, a smile etched on his lips. he seemed to excited, and for what? you weren’t entirely sure. and then he revealed to you that he had found a girl that caught his eye, and wanted you to help him choose a date location.

it all felt wrong. the way you agreed so quickly, the fake smiles you had to send to him to mask your disappointment, and how jealous you were that he was stolen from you, even though he was never yours to begin with. it should’ve been you, you had thought at the time.

it should’ve been you that got roses, that got a nice night at some nice diner with haechan, and it should’ve been you he announced to be his girlfriend the next week.

he never would know how painful it was for you. after all, how could he? you were a master of pretending, and you had been doing it for two years. it wasn’t enjoyable, nor was it easy to hide how lost you were every time you cried in jaemin’s arms about how you had lost him; how you had lost the boy of your dreams, and also your best friend.

your relationship would never be the same, especially since his eyes weren’t on you anymore, his arms weren’t wrapped around you as you watched movies, nor did he ever sleep in the same bed as you. the two of you had lost the bond that took oh-so long to develop, and you weren’t too sure if you’d ever be able to spark it again.

the three of you ended up meeting again an hour later, bringing together all of your combined gifts and placing them in haechan’s car. haechan’s girlfriend, mini, enthusiastically rambled on about how excited she was to get home and start decorating her apartment for christmas. you couldn’t help but notice how his eyes lit up when he gazed at her, and how invested in the topic he seemed.

you had nothing against mini. in fact, the two of you were decent friends. she was nice and sweet and honestly held no ill intent. it was strange, enjoyable, and painful knowing that you got along with the girl that stole away your haechan. he wasn’t yours to begin with, you had to remind yourself, he doesn’t belong to you.

“what about you?” mini asked you, a smile on her face. her hair was shoulder length, a cute style you thought fit her quite well. short and well shaped bangs adorned her forehead and you were reminded of how pretty she was. green eyes, light pink cheeks and puffy lips, she was quite a stunner.

“what’s up?” you asked, knitting your eyebrows together. perhaps you had zoned out for a little longer than expected. mini shook her head, knowing a little too well that you had done this since the two of you met. you were never there, always in your own little world.

“I asked if you were excited to decorate,” mini reminded politely. at some point, haechan had sneaked off to the bathroom, leaving you and mini alone for a minute or two.

“oh!” you exclaimed, “a bit? I’m certainly not hyped to get out my decorations or put in the effort to put them up, but I’m excited for the end result. I always loved the lights especially, they’re always so stunning and magical to me.”

she let out a small laugh, accepting your honesty. “me too, to be honest. I only really enjoy the decorating part because of my mom,” she said, a fond smile appearing on her face at the mention of her mother. “she made us put up decorations every year, and our house always looked like a mess. but it was something we all did together, at least.”

mini never really talked to you about her family, but it was nice to hear about. often times, the two of you only spoke about casual things (most of which involved haechan), and it never really got deeper than that. it was strangely nice, you noticed.

when haechan returned from the bathroom, shooting you both a dazzling smile and asking if you were ready to leave, you and mini nodded eagerly. getting in his car and getting ready to drive back to your apartments, you couldn’t help but notice the way haechan’s fingers laced with hers over the middle compartment.

and suddenly, the pain was back.

with mini living closest to the mall, she had been dropped off first. and as perfect as it had seemed, you and haechan were left alone, the man driving you home whilst quietly humming along to the song on the radio. his fingers idly drummed against the steering wheel and you were left to bask in the silence of the moment, staring out the window.

“we used to listen to this song,” he finally said, finger drifting over to turn up the music. when you heard the song, a soft smile appeared on your face as you heard the soft tunes in your ears. “when we met, specifically.”

you remembered. how could you forget? haechan would always stumble into your appartment with his notebook, ready to study with you. and when the two of you began, he’d put on some playlist of his. you always loved this song in specific, and it got to the point where he played it on loop, turning the sound down as to not dull your mind from listening to it on repeat.

“I still love it,” you smiled slightly, tilting your head back against the seat. closing your eyes, you listened to the song, getting lost in the familar lyrics.

“yeah, me too.”

you wanted to talk to him like you used to. wanted to claim that the silence was comfortable, and that you didn’t need to say anything out loud to feel content with your friendship. yet, you couldn’t. it felt forced, the small conversation, and it quickly died out. the silence was awkward, and you were fearful of what that meant.

you had hoped it would never get to this point. where you were unfamiliar with alone time, and were lost when it came to talking to him whilst alone. it never felt like the two of you actually hung out, and were simply clinging onto what you thought was familiar; each other.

but you weren’t familar anymore and holding on was hopeless, you knew. the two of you were too scared to move on, to put each other in the past and move onto better things, less painful things. it was unfixable.

but yet, despite knowing that, your heart still jumped when he said, “I miss spending time with you, y’know.” you had glanced over at the boy, his eyes still on the road. “I heard there’s a firework show in town later this week. would you-“ he paused, lost in how to ask for one simple thing; to accompany him to the last set of normality he could remember, -“I don’t know, maybe, would you want to go with me?”

you smiled, “like old times?”

he finally looked over at you when he came to a stop at a red light. smiling, he nodded, “just like old times.”

preview | part one | part two

#nct #writing #kpop #nct haechan smut #nct haechan #lee haechan #haechan smut #haechan #nct haechan fluff #fluff #haechan fluff #nct dream #nct 127

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sehunniepotwrites · 4 years ago

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a day of firsts | j.jh

🎄SYNOPSIS— You didn’t think your first day back at NC Toys would lead to a boy asking you out on a date, but hey, you weren’t complaining, even if he was dressed in a Nutcracker suit. 🎄GENRE— christmas!au, fluff, humor 🎄PAIRING—jung jaehyun x female!reader 🎄WARNING—cursing, sexual innuendos 🎄WORD COUNT— 2633

It was the first of December and you were heading to your favorite seasonal job: a worker at the famous NC Toys.

As a lover of Christmas, your younger self always dreamed of working at that famous toy store. You had made so many cherished memories there with your family— moments running through the aisles, waiting in line to talk to Santa, drinking hot chocolate to keep yourself warm, and playing with the people dressed in nutcracker costumes. You loved it all and now, you were about to start your second season at the shop. A rush of excitement hit you as you gave yourself a last-minute check in the mirror.

You smoothed down the material of your work uniform: an ugly Christmas sweater with a red flared skirt that ended an inch above the knee. Placing a beanie over your head and slipping on your winter coat, you grabbed your bag and keys with a skip in your step.

Locking the door to your apartment, you hurried your way down the staircase and into the winter cold. Something cold nipped at your exposed nose and you looked up to see small specks of snow fall from the sky. A wide grin took over your lips— the first day back on the job and it was the first snowfall of the season.

You extended a hand towards the sky, hoping to catch a snowflake on your fingertips. Unaware of your surroundings, you weren’t able to catch a tall figure charging his way down the sidewalk. His strong build bumped into yours, sending you down into a pile of snow. The cold seeped through your stockings, wetting the material and you groaned— what would your manager say when you clocked in with a damp uniform?

“Ow, my shoulder,” a deep voice whispered.

You looked up to see a bundled up man with a bright red coat hanging on his forearm stopping in front of you for a second. He had a black beanie covering his flattened caramel hair but the tips of his red ears peeked out of the hat. You only caught a glimpse of his face but he sure looked handsome in his laid-back fit. He made no moves to help you up— he only stared blankly at your fallen form.

His dusty eyelashes flickered against his rosy cheeks as he blinked at your figure. “Why are you just looking at me like that?” You whined, slipping on the snow as you attempted to get up.

His brown eyes widened and the boy quickly bowed his head as he continued his way down the walkway.

“I’m sorry!” his melodic voice called out. If it weren’t for the unfortunate situation, his voice sounded as sweet as the treats left for Santa.

“Hey!” you glared at him from your place on the freezing ground. “The least you could do is help me up, you asshole!”

“Sorry,” the handsome boy yelled over his shoulder. He gave you a bright grin, a silver of a dimple coming out to play. “I’m running late for my first day at my new job!”

You watched his figure disappear as you pushed yourself off the sidewalk. “Ugh, how rude,” you muttered as you brushed the snow off your clothing. After checking the floor for any dropped items, you continued on your way to work. You took a second to check your watch for the time and you gasped to see that your shift started in less than fifteen minutes.

Cursing, you quickened your pace, trying to ignore the cold air hitting your skin. You ran into many people along the way as it was the first weekend of the Christmas season; many families were out and about carrying shopping bags filled with intended presents. You murmured more than a couple of half-hearted apologies before you finally made it in front of NC Toys.

Your hands rested against your lap as you huffed for air. Your face was flushed with heat as you tried to calm down your pounding heart— a clear reminder to get back in shape in case this happened again.

Glancing up, your eyes landed on the teddy bear shaped door handles and the rush of childlike excitement returned. You pushed the doors open only to be hit with the warmth of the store’s heater and Christmas music blasted through the speakers. The bright holiday displays were already set up and parents gathered their children in front of them for pictures. The sounds of delightful laughter filled the room as you continued your way to the back of the store. The familiar scents of gingerbread cookies and peppermint reached your nose and you breathed it in while passing the store’s famed cafe, making a note to drop by during your break.

You took a glance at a decorated stage in the middle of the store. It was surrounded by nutcrackers and fake pine trees but the stage itself was empty— that was weird. You didn’t remember this set up last year. Shrugging that thought off, you continued going on your way to the back, walking by all the thrilled children waiting to meet Santa.

Successfully making it into the employee break room, you stripped yourself of your outerwear and set your belongings down in a locker. Just as you were going to clock in, someone pounced on you from behind with a high-pitched giggle. You knew that voice anywhere.

“Joy!” you squealed, tugging your friend into your arms. Your tall and beautiful friend laughed into the embrace, happy to be reunited with her work wife.

“Second season in a row, baby!” she yelled as she clocked in on the desktop. The system deployed her first assignment and she stepped aside for you to do the same.

“The dynamic holiday duo is back,” you chuckled while clocking in right on time. You grabbed your first assignment and groaned.

“Aww, why the groan?” Joy asked, peeking over to see what you were deployed to do.

“Clean and monitor the stage area, how boring,” you muttered. “Guess they have too many people on the floor right now.”

Your friend hugged your side, “Aww, I’m at registers but at least you get to see the new nutcracker!”

“Who?” You raised an eyebrow at her.

“There’s a new nutcracker this year— oh my god, even with all that blush on, he’s so hot,” she said, fanning her face. “Perfectly sculpted face and from what I saw, pretty nice arms, too.”

“First day back and you’re already on the hunt for eye candy?”

Joy gave you a pointed look, “Listen, if you saw him, you would totally fall for him, too.” You rolled her eyes at that comment. You were there to work and Joy was obviously there for other pressing reasons.

“Mhm, what I’d do just to lick his candy cane,” she muttered under her breath.

Shrieking, you slapped her arm. “Joy!”

“With a peppermint cond—”

You let out a louder squeal, hands moving to clamp her mouth.

“I’m just saying,” she said into your hand, licking your palm when you kept it on her mouth for far too long. Wiping your now wet hand onto your skirt, you glared at your friend and she innocently smiled back.

Someone from behind cleared their throat. You and your friend turned on your heels to find your manager on duty, Kyungsoo, giving you an unamused look. “Day one of the job and I already find you two gossiping like little school girls instead of working?”

Joy sent him a sheepish smile, “Sorry, boss.” You repeated her apology in the same tone, hands playing with the edge of your red velvety skirt.

He sighed and pointed his finger to the door. “Go,” he commands with an authoritative voice and you scramble out the room with Joy right at your tail. You stopped at the stage area, surprised to see more nutcrackers on display than what you saw just five minutes prior.

Huh. Weird.

Joy let out a flirtatious giggle the moment she skipped past, shooting a wink at you. Or behind you? You honestly weren’t too sure. Someone coughed behind you but you only saw the stationary nutcrackers.

Did someone pass by?

Shrugging at the odd interaction, you sighed upon seeing the area you were assigned to clean. Loose Christmas ornaments surrounded the fake trees, the ropes lining the stage were in the wrong place, and the uniforms of the nutcracker displays weren’t as prim and proper as they usually were. One by one, you hung the ornaments back onto the trees and aligned the ropes, taking you around ten minutes. You whistled along to Christmas songs playing in the background mimicked the announcements that rang through the speakers, having them memorized since the last season. It was an odd habit but it helped fill the void of working by yourself.

Glancing at your watch, you had ten minutes until the first nutcracker show of the day— you pondered if the new guy Joy was talking about would be part of the spectacular. Stopping yourself, you wondered why you even cared— you were there to earn money not to get attached to a pretty boy that just stood there to take pictures.

Walking to the first of the nutcrackers, you started to fiddle with its skewed uniform. Taking note of its condition, you noticed that there were rips in the costume and faded paint on its face. You clicked your tongue— you had to bring that up to Kyungsoo later. It looked sloppy compared to the shinier ones on display.

“Five minutes until our Nutcracker Spectacular! Please come to our center stage!” Joy’s cheerful voice boomed through the store’s sound system. You heard the chatter of the crowd approaching your area, sending you into a panic. You needed to finish up with the last nutcracker before the audience arrived.

Making your way to the one standing closest to the stage, you realized this nutcracker looked different than the others lining the area. It’s face was so realistic— it almost looked like a real person. The nutcracker has the brownest of eyes and full eyelashes that highlighted his glossy orbs. There was this rosy blush painted on its cheeks along with a constellation of freckles that brought out the nutcracker’s porcelain complexion. Soft tresses of caramel hair peaked out of its long black hat and you felt tempted to comb the stray strands back but you were running extremely low on time.

“Geez, this one is such an upgrade compared to the other ones. It looks so real. We need more nutcrackers that look like this,” you said to yourself.

If you were paying more attention, you would have seen the figure you were working on holding back a chuckle.

Your hands immediately reached out to dust some snow off the nutcracker’s chest. Why the display had traces of snow on their uniform, you didn’t know— they never made their way outside the store. Straightening the medals on its breast, you realized this display was sturdier than the others. Must be new material.

Your nimble fingers danced to the nutcracker’s high collar to fix a piece of stubborn material that was folded down. The warmth of your hand brushed against its neck and you thought you were seeing things when the nutcracker slightly shifted. You blinked before carrying on.

The crowds were approaching fast and you were almost finished. You tugged on the red coat’s sleeves, making sure there were no wrinkles on the material before stepping back to admire your handy work.

“Wow, this one’s really handsome,” you said aloud, before moving forward to fix one last crooked medal.

Just as your hand touched the decoration, it— rather, he spoke. “Ma’am, I know I’m handsome but could you please stop touching me?”

“Jesus fucking Christ!” you shrieked so loud, the incoming crowd all turned in your direction. You clamped your shaking hand over your mouth and backed away.

The boy in the nutcracker sent you a quirk of a smile, the tips of his pink lips turned up to reveal a dip in his painted cheek. “Yes, that is the name of the Christmas birthday boy,” he amusedly whispered.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” you hissed back, heat rising to your cheeks.

“And stop a cutie from calling me handsome? Nah,” he teased, his tone playful and flirty. Aware of the crowd and the Christmas Carol loop stopping, you quickly turned your head and began to walk away. You were stopped, however, by a warm hand to your wrist. It was a minimal movement, not to attract the attention of the big crowd— he didn’t want to ruin the magic of the upcoming show.

“Wait,” he muttered, doing his best to keep his lip closed. “I just wanted to say sorry for bumping into you earlier, I didn’t want to be late for this— I’ve wanted this job for a while.”

Your eyes searched his sincere ones as his ears flushed with a burning red. “You were the rude guy from before,” you stated in a hushed whisper, your mind flashing back to the handsome stranger.

“Can I make it up to you?” He tugged on the sleeve of your ugly sweater.

“How would you do that?” your voice flirted back. Wait, where did that confidence come from?

“We clocked in around the same time, yeah?” You nodded in reply.

“How about we take our break together at the cafe? Grab some some cookies and hot cocoa— I’ll pay,” he shyly offered, his confidence disappearing for a short moment. If he wasn’t on stage with an audience, he would be rubbing the back of his neck to deal with his sudden burst of nerves.

“Sounds like a date,” you giggled. The boy released the material of your sleeve, his fingers lighting brushing against yours. You squeezed your hand at the fluttering feels that sent shivers down your spine.

“One minute before our Nutcracker Spectacular!” Joy’s voice ran through the speakers again.

“Well, I’ll be watching, Nutcracker,” you winked.

“Jaehyun,” he blurted back.

“Hmm?”

“That’s my name,” he smiled, “Jaehyun.”

“Well then, break a leg, Jaehyun.” Another wink and a smile and you quickly make your way out of the crowd to stand behind the bustle of people.

The show goes off without a hitch— the children were amazed at the handsome nutcracker coming to life when a girl playing Clara came on stage. They sang familiar Christmas songs, danced with gorgeous smiles on their faces, and laughed happily at the audience interactions. You had fun simply watching them from the back. The best part, though, was when Jaehyun would look over at you and charm you with the brightest grin as he sang.

Jaehyun braved himself to sing a line with his gleaming eyes directed straight at you. “All I want for Christmas is you,” his baritone voice projected through the microphone. You bit back a smile as he sent you a shameless wink. A few teenage girls in front of you swooned, thinking it was for them, and you shook your head with a ghost of a smile.

Maybe keeping the stage area clean wasn’t that bad of an assignment as you thought it would be. After all, you had some great eye candy in the form of a handsome nutcracker that kept glancing your way.

Checking your watch, you had another two hours until your first break and you couldn’t wait for it to come. And by the looks of it, Jaehyun couldn’t wait either.

What a way to ring in the holiday season— first shift back at your favorite job, first snowfall of the year, and a first date with a cute nutcracker who won your heart with a corny Christmas song.

🎄AUTHOR’S NOTE— happy december 1st, y’all! i wrote this a month ago and i’m so happy i can finally post it! more fics coming your way this month! stay tuned! uwu

#neowritingsnet #cznnet #christmas!au #jung jaehyun #jaehyun #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun fluff #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct x reader

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btsmakesmehappy · 3 years ago

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C-drama recommendation

Disclaimer: it's my personal opinion

I watched c-dramas Because I think c-drama's stories are more unique or tumblr-like? But also soooo many cliché like MC kidnaped, accidents, and also the ultimate love-rectangle, and more like cringey. C-drama also has many episodes (20 or more, mostly more than 40 in classical genre) and awkward lipsync ìn almost every conversation.

But I watch it sometimes because the male characters are so tall and handsome and they mostly play like rich-ceo vibe which I adore.

Falling into your smile

I watched Falling into your smile for this christmas holiday because of chengxiao and honestly the synopsis looks entertaining.

FIYS is about a gamer girl, she joined the e-sport club and the cool man who is the captain. The drama is about how she as a girl became a pro-gamer, trying to win national competition. There's love, friendship, family. It's pretty tame drama. Please read the other source for more complete synopsis.

I just can't help to talk about it. I bingewatched it all 31 eps in 2 days, ended in two days ago with 1,5x speed because you know I am just impatient and 31 eps are just too much. And I am watching it again now with 1x speed. And also reading the original novel lmao

I just really love it! The chemistry, the story, the characters. Esp the male lead. Omg. He is like my ultimate dream of tsundere-possesive-protective vibe. I love how the drama works the emotion among the two of them and it was so funny to watch. Whenever they "implied" flirting their friends are just gawking, shipping them. And the flirtings oh my god, I'm almost 30 and I squealed hard watching it.

It's like the ultimate fluff, slowburn, mutual pining genre ever.

Rating 9/10

Some people somehow comparing FIYS with love 020. And so because I'm curious, i am watching it on netflix but with 1,5 speed (again because of the same reasons).

Love 020

Love 020 is about a gamer girl proposed for in-game marriage with that handsome dude. They somehow belongs in the same faculty. The dude knew her by accident and liked her at the first sight, how she play the game, so he proposed to her. The girl's feeljng began to grow for the anon internet guy. Oh right, the dude is also like the most popular man in the uni. Please read the other source for more complete synopsis.

Anyway, Love 020 begins with minus point because of the cringey gaming part, the makeups the costumes. I haven't finished it yet, for disclaimer. But I just can't find myself shipping the MCs. They're like boom, tada, we're in a relationship. It lacks the tension, the stimulation, the build up emotion of the MCs. The male character also showed red flag, like how he hacked into her laptop just so he knew what she's doing. Like wth it's super creepy. They also don't show how the tension of their first holding-hands, although I watched some of the highlight that the kissing part was pretty good and emotional.

I actually mind about the emotion and the tension because hey it's about romance. I am looking something that makes me squeal, pulling my heartstring. While love 020 is a little unfocused for my opinion. If the male lead is awkward or it's his first love then make it more awkward. It's weird to see how he described himself that "he never does this or he has never been in a relationship with woman" and the next scene he strolled hand in hands with the mc.

Idk how ppl giving it a high rating, but I'm gonna give it a try again. Will be back for the actual rating.

Anywayy, that's my review for now. I will finish my FIYS for the second time and maybe will then back to Love 020 to finish it

#jess recommendation #asian drama #cdrama #falling into your smile #love 020

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sarahjkl82-blog · 4 years ago

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Artistic Instinct: Chapter 5

Header thanks to the lovely @yespolkadotkitty

Summary: Marcus Pike and OC Anushka Pierce have been selected to work on a 5 eyes (Australia, Canada, NZ, the UK and US) intelligence team to track down art forgeries as a part of taking down an international white terrorism cell. Marcus is trying to escape his broken heart, Anushka is just trying to escape what the world expects of her.

Word count: 4,700 (yup, the words ran away from me!)

Warnings: Language.

Pairing: Marcus Pike x reader (OC)

This comes with a MASSIVE THANK YOU to the lovely @yespolkadotkitty , who read, re-read, pointed out the constant flipping between tenses and gave me the confidence to try to write something!This is the first thing I have written since angsty poetry as a teenager. Apologies if it is shit!

Art washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life

Pablo Picasso

Chapter 5

Golden sunlight streams down in ribbons upon your hair, setting fire to the natural red highlights and causing the wrought iron railing to cast beautiful shadows across the floor. Marcus sits with you upon your hotel balcony in the late morning sunshine. You are now, a little more comfy, wearing your airport clothes- the high-waisted, wide-legged jeans and a mustard yellow and cream breton top that does everything to highlight the rise and fall of your curves.

He watches each tiny twitch of your face as you read notes from the meeting- your full lips pout and brow furrow as your gaze flits backwards and forwards over the words, making connections and drawing together the different pieces of information that you’d gathered from that meeting. Marcus tries to smother a chuckle when you unthinkingly roll your eyes and shake your head at the point where some idiot tried talking over you in the meeting and he can fully read from his position that you have scrawled TWAT across your notes in reference to that mediocre white man.

It’s at this sound, that you look up, “What’s up?” you ask tiredly, smiling amusedly in his direction.

“You’ve got such an expressive face as you read- I swear, it’s like your muscles are reliving all of the faces you wanted to pull in the meeting. You managed that jerk well in there.”

“I’ve been managing cockwombles like him my entire life. They’re fucking insidious,” you say turning your eyes back towards the screen, shaking your head at the memory of the all the arseholes who have gone before and all those who were yet to come. “If they had anything to actually offer, I’d accept it; but they just parrot shit back at you - the same shit that came out of your own mouth moments earlier - as if it is their fucking own, enlightened idea!”

“I can imagine.This level of work, even in the art fraud department, is such an old boys’ club,” he agrees, pursing his lips in annoyance of the invisible barriers that you must have come up against.

Nodding in agreement, you add with your head tilting to one side as you take the agent in, “You don’t seem to fall into that category, Marcus. You even handed the reins over to me in there- I should have just been your lackey today, not the one doing all the speaking. I appreciate you treating me like an equal.”

Rolling his shoulders and stretching the sides of his neck, Marcus looks off into the distance as he slightly straightens up in his seat, “My Mamá firmly entrenched the value of every human being in me, regardless of their gender. I don’t wanna bring it up again, and certainly never wanna upset you, but you should be my role in the team. Your aptitude for this role far outweighs mine,” he grins and turns towards you, “There’s a part of me that feels like a mediocre white man around you.”

“Well, at least you have decent enough manners not to mansplain my ideas back at me!” you laugh, hugely enjoying your boss’ company on that narrow balcony.

“You know, I didn’t recognise you wearing civvies in the airport? I was absolutely kicking myself for not taking a ride with you to the airport.”

“Yeah, I get that. After seeing me suited and booted, it must have been a shock to see a jet-lagged, middle-aged man in old jeans and a hoodie,” Marcus humbly chuckles, shaking his head.

“Are you digging?” Your eyebrow arches high on your brow as you interrogate him teasingly.

“What do you mean digging?” Marcus furrows his brows as his eyes widen innocently.

“Digging for a compliment, you daft thing!”

“Hah, no! I meant it honestly. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and don’t even know the reflection that stares back at me,” he replies, shaking his head sadly.

“Pssh, you have nothing to worry about. Some of us can only dream of looking as put together as you. I generally look as though I crawled through an art studio backwards even if I use an iron and put make-up on- in fact, scratch that- I look worse if I iron and put effort into how I look,” you exhale despairingly at the memory of all the other immaculate recruits and your general throw-it-on, it’ll-do appearance. “Everyone else in my family is so incredibly smart- immaculate even- and yet, I stick out like a sore thumb. Like I didn’t quite pass the expectations of what it takes to be an adult. I swear that’s the reason my aunties think I’m not married.”

Marcus huffs a gentle laugh, “I think that’s a big part of it for me. For the amount of grey in my hair and the creases in my skin, I’m not where I expected to be at this point in my life.”

“Where did you expect to be, Marcus?” You cock your head to one side, listening intently.

A buzz suddenly emerges from your phone:

« On est en bas! »

“Ah they’re downstairs- but do not think for one second that this conversation is over,” you wag your finger in Marcus’ direction as you gather your belongings, “We will continue this later.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Marcus mock salutes you and clicks his heels together as he rises from his chair with a huge crunch from his knees, “See, what did I tell ya? Old. I’m gonna grab my things.”

Grabbing your trusty rucksack from the floor of the balcony as Marcus departs, you feel almost reluctant to leave the balcony and the conversation that you were having with him. Since he’d helped you through the anxiety attack prior to re-entering your old workplace, the two of you had found an ease in being around each other. Whilst you are dreaming of spending a day chatting with Marcus, he’s already back with a small smile and a soft look about his eyes as he catches you staring into space.

Walking through the hotel, Marcus and you could be thought of as any pair of friends on holiday with your giggles and gentle jibes towards each other as you walk down endless corridors to find the exit. There is no way that anyone would have said that you had met barely twenty-four hours before or that you were there as business associates with the easy air you treat each other. After crossing the elegant lobby, you finally reach the doors to the outside world, a wave of relief coursing through you to see that you didn’t have to make a decision as to which way to open the door as there is someone to do it for you.

As you reach their car, Jacques takes off his seatbelt and makes to get out of the car but Marcus waves him off, opening the door for you to jump into one of the back seats.

“Oh you weren’t kidding about the stickiness,” you mercilessly tease the pair sitting in the front seats. Élodie responds by sliding her front seat back as far as it can go and you yelp in surprise at the sudden crushing of your legs, slamming your fist on her headrest in mock anger.

“Please excuse the children, Marcus,” Jacques shakes his head and sighs deeply but Élodie reaches over and squeezes her husband’s thigh in a way that makes him yelp and laugh in the same breath.

Marcus and you catch each other’s eyes and grin at the playfulness. You might be here on business but at least you can enjoy yourselves at the same time. The stresses of the morning slowly ebbing from your mind, you stretch out, resting your head against the cool glass of the window and allow the hum of the car engine and gentle chatter to surround you, lulling you off to the sleep you had missed out on the night before.

✪✪✪✪✪

Something is tenderly brushing against your cheek and you instinctively nuzzle into the warm touch as your eyes start to open and the world begins to regain its focus, “Hey, sleepyhead! We’re here,” Marcus murmurs as he strokes your cheek with his thumb to rouse you from your slumber.

“Shit. Sorry. Sorry,” you rub your eyes with your knuckles trying to rid yourself of the embarrassment of snuggling the fingers of your new boss, noticing that Élodie and Jacques have already left the car.

“No worries, your snores were pretty cute,” the agent teases you gently with a lopsided grin crossing his face.

“Lies! I don’t snore.” you exclaim indignantly at the accusations, but glad he hasn’t focussed on your reaction to him caressing your cheek, as your faculties start to kick in, reaching for the door handle to escape Marcus’ jokey impressions of your snores.

The mountain air in Grenoble strokes its icy fingertips against your neck, making you wrap the woolly softness of your cardigan more tightly around yourself. You notice Marcus also zipping up a black leather jacket over his hoodie. In the open boot of his car, Jacques concentrates on making a roll up next to a small bag of resources for you - cotton gloves, sample pots, tweezers and magnifying glasses.

“s'il vous plait, Marcus. Before we do anything else, I need to borrow your muscles,” Élodie announces to him, “We need coffee, and if I know that woman standing next to you, she will be in need of one, too!”

At Élodie’s statement, you watch Marcus’ face crease into a small smile, flashing that lovely dimple, as he crosses his arms across his chest. You wonder whether he's protecting his clothes from your next caffeine hit or trying to steel himself for the latest cheeky wink coming from Élodie. A slightly raised eyebrow is sent in your direction as his boots softly stride behind the clack of her heels upon the pavement.

A waft of tobacco drifts through the air as Jacques lights up as you watch his wife and your boss walk off in the direction of coffee.

“You left us, Nush,” Jacques scratches his nose as he looks at you through a cloud of smoke he has exhaled, “You disappeared. Literally, disappeared to the point that none of us could track you down.

“I mean, it is testament to what an incredible agent you are that you can just make yourself that invisible but…” he takes another inhale of the cigarette as he turns his shoulders to mirror your position, “But you weren’t even there for Jasper’s funeral.”

Silent rivers course down your face, “Please, Jacques. Don’t make me do this now. I can’t do this right now. Let me find my feet before we get into all of this. This is my first job since everything,” your hands trembling as you gesture wildly in the air. “I want to explain. I missed you both so much but I can’t right now. It isn’t the right time.”

Nothing more is said between the two of you as you both sit silently next to each other. Jacques nods contemplatively whilst he carries on sucking at his cigarette for comfort and release from the tension that has built upon his face. In the relative safety of the car boot, as he reaches across what feels like a chasm between you to pat your thigh, you can see the hurt searing through his eyes.

How did Imanage to destroy so much?

✪✪✪✪✪

Marcus wonders how you are doing. He keeps looking back at you until you fade from his sight just to make sure that you are ok. He swears that he saw your shoulders and head drop as they seem to whenever you’re reminded of whatever those ghosts are that you haven’t managed yet to lay to rest.

“She’ll be ok with Jacques. Those two are like brother and sister, you needn't worry,” Élodie pats Marcus’ arm as she points in front of her, nodding towards a cafe. Seeing a small tic in his jaw, she adds with a small smile, “She’s special to you, non?”

After Marcus holds the door for Élodie, he shoves his hands in his pockets and pauses before saying, “Yeah. She is. I don’t think in all my years of working as an agent, that I’ve ever met someone like Anushka. Listening to her speak about art and the various different forgeries… it just transports me to a place... I’m not just in the museum seeing the original masterpieces. It’s not even just that I can see those pieces in front of me. Just by her words bringing them alive, I become part of the art. Her passion and knowledge is infectious and she cannot help but to enthuse everyone around- she is truly gifted.”

“Anushka is incredibly talented. She was born to be in the role but I would say that’s not the only way that you think she’s special,” Élodie gently analyses as she squeezes Marcus’ arm seeing a moment of panic cross his face- she tries to swallow down a laugh at how he looks like a little boy caught with his hand in the biscuit tin, “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word to Nush- she can be a bit like a wild animal at times. It can take time to earn her trust. The 5 Eyes team is separate from Mi5, non?”

Marcus’ brow furrows, “Yes, we work under slightly separate parameters as we work across five agencies across the world- sort of similar to Interpol. Why d’ya ask?”

“Ok, so if you were to start anything with her- if anything were to be allowed to develop between the two of you, could it result in disciplinary action or her losing her role? Hang on,” she pauses as the assistant behind the glass shelf raises their eyebrows in Élodie’s direction, alerting her that it is time to order, « Bonjour, quatre cafés s’il vous plaît »

Marcus adds « Et je voudrais deux pain aux raisins aussi, s’il vous plaît. »

“Oh, I didn’t realise that you spoke a little French- a man of many talents,” Élodie teases with a wink as she grabs her purse from her bag, “And let me guess, the food is to try to stop Nush from burning herself or you? That woman is a nightmare with drinks.”

Reaching across Élodie,who is about to tap her card to pay, Marcus passes the cashier a couple of notes that more than cover the total, grabs the coffees and goes to leave, holding the door open with his elbow. “Why d’you wanna know about how interdepartmental relationships are viewed?”

The creases on Marcus’ brow deepen as yet another hint of whatever plagues your past troubles his mind due to Élodie’s words, “It is not my story to tell, and I’m not sure I even have half of the facts but please be gentle with her. Come what may between the two of you.”

“Oh, look who’s come to join us!” Looking up after a sharp nudge to his ribs alerted him to speak no further, Marcus sees Jacques tucking a piece of hair that had fallen in front of your eyes behind your ear, then pulling your hunched shoulders into a side on shoulder hug as Élodie grabs a coffee and mocks throwing it in your direction, to which you stick your tongue out. You are so busy messing around with the pair of them that you don’t notice the tenderness in Marcus’ eyes or the smile that creeps across his face as he watches how your friends behave around you.

“So are we ready to look at a slab of meat? I hope you’re not a vegetarian, Marcus,” Jacques chuckles freely at the thought of the tall, broad American becoming queasy at a graphic painting depicting the decomposition of a piece of carrion.

“Oh no, I love rare steak far too much, and I’ve spent way too long researching art to be weirded out by a bit of expressionism,” Marcus adds before taking a long gulp of coffee, “I must admit that I’m not terribly confident in my knowledge of Soutine other than he liked painting rotting meat.”

Jacques smiles and gestures his head in your direction, “Nush- time to shine, chérie.”

“So - Soutine was a Russian painter, who made massive contributions to the Expressionist movement whilst based in Paris. I don’t want to teach you to suck eggs so please tell me to shut up if you already know it but expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait was to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas. Expressionist artists sought to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality so you needn’t worry about the depictions of rotting meat as it isn’t like an anatomical drawing you’d find in a copy of Grey’s Anatomy or anything.”

Pausing to draw a breath, you look up to check Marcus’ face- that you aren’t boring him to death- and see two dark eyes, flecked with amber, that are entirely focussed on you. His entranced gaze makes you shift awkwardly, eyes dancing around the street to try and focus on something other than him under the sheer intensity but you decide to continue, “He’s quite an interesting character in regards to our case as he was good friends with Modigliani, who we know is another one with multiple fraudulencies of his works as well as our link we made in the meeting that our main faked pieces being sold by our group are by European Jews.

“Soutine seldom showed his works, but he did take part in the important exhibition The Origins and Development of International Independent Art held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume in 1937 in Paris, where he was at last hailed as a great painter but sadly soon afterwards, France was invaded by German troops and obviously as a Jew, Soutine had to escape from the French capital and hide in order to avoid arrest by the Gestapo. He moved from one place to another and was sometimes forced to seek shelter in forests, sleeping outdoors. Suffering from a stomach ulcer and bleeding badly, he left a safe hiding place for Paris in order to undergo emergency surgery, which ultimately failed to save his life.

“The main thing that you two need to know,” you add as you reaffix your focus and run your eyes between Marcus and Jacques, ”Is that Paul Guillaume was the main dealer of his work. Straight after World War 1, he was Soutine’s biggest cheerleader and landed him a major deal with the American collector, Albert C Barnes. If you manage to track it back to either of them, you’re pretty much at ground zero- back at Soutine’s own easel- and don’t need to worry much about further certification of validity as it being one of his pieces.”

Standing in the street in front of the cafe, you discuss between the four of you who will focus on which part of the checking for verification of the piece.

Marcus and Jacques decide to focus on the provenance of the piece and to be honest, you’re relieved to be free from the paperwork trail. The idea of searching through the records of previous ownership, fills you with utter dread at missing something that would prove that it was a fake. You’d hope that each piece could be instantly traceable back to the moment where the original had been removed from the easel by the artist but that is so often far from the truth of the situation as records are often lost or aren’t even kept in the first place with only a handshake to move the piece to the newest owner. When certain disreputable organisations or untrustworthy governments seek to obscure the origins of pieces, it is nothing but doors being slammed in your face and labyrinths created from lies and deliberate obfuscation.

“Ok, so Nush and I will collect samples from the piece. I’ll then use the microscope to check the samples for any irregularities in the craquelure in the craquelure while madam here uses the stereo microscope to check the layers of paint,” Élodie gestures towards you, passing a plastic case over containing your equipment. “Obviously we won’t be able to do an x-rays, infrared or mass spectrometry tests as they aren’t so portable but if we cannot confidently say the painting isn’t a forgery, then I suggest we get a courier to take it back to Lyon for us.”

“Agreed, I think that would be the best use of everyone’s talents here,” Marcus replies, nodding, “Are we far from the auction house?” to build up a more 3D picture of the piece. D’accord??” Élodie checks as she grabs a coffee and starts to walk off in the direction of the auction house with Jacques beating a steady path behind her.

With a small gesture of his hand, Marcus waves you forward and as you take a step in the same direction as your friends, a small white paper bag with a telltale sticky stain seeping through that you hadn’t noticed being held out, taps you gently against the soft curve of your tummy. With a confused look knitting across your face.

Marcus boyishly grins back at you as he takes a bite out of his pastry, “Last set of clean clothes, gotta take calculated risks with you around.”

✪✪✪✪✪

Slightly arched windows with flaking grey paint allow a small amount of crisp mountain light to trickle into the mellow gloom of the Aladdin's cave that stretch out in front of Marcus’ eyes. As far as his eyes can see, gilt framed pictures playing out a multitude of scenes from people’s lives- some more parochial and some edging to the more abstract- bedeck the walls. A goat playing a violin, a horse in a field and a lady all in blue with sad eyes and a nose twisted closer to her ears are all jostling for positions in the party on his senses. Every single nerve in his body tingles with excitement at the treasures surrounding him on all sides. The busy-ness did not stop at the walls as every surface of the room was covered in objets d’art with exquisitely fashioned chairs, tables and armoires creating an increasingly impossible maze to step through across the floor. Even the exposed beams of the ceiling felt the need to be a part of this gentle assault upon the eyes, protruding above his head, lending an elegant set of vertebrae to the room.

Marcus thinks he’s hiding his giddiness well until he catches Anushka looking at him with an amused grin upon her face. He goes to respond but initially struggles to find the words to explain the eagerness that is written across his face, his mouth stretched in a childlike grin, eyes lit up and hands that tremble and flex with anticipation. A small smile from her and the light squeeze upon his arm told Marcus that he needn’t worry about explaining anything. Even though the touch was slight and momentary, it cut through the overstimulation of the room and it takes every bit of self control he owns to not throw his arms around her and hug her tightly. Don’t mess this one up too, Pike.

Reopening his eyes, an elegant chignon of hair and high cheekbones makes its way through the clutter of Marcus’ thoughts and extends a delicate, papery hand in greeting. The owner seems to glide through the objects around her, obviously confident of the dead ends and exit points between the items as she leads you to a small office where a tidy pile of papers and a small computer await your services.

«Madame, comprenez-vous que l'utilisation de ces méthodes scientifiques ne peut que prouver que le tableau est un faux? On ne peut pas prouver si une pièce est authentique.» Madam, do you understand that using these scientific methods cannot prove if a painting is a fake? rubbing his brow, Jacques tries to explain to the owner of the auction house, «Même si les résultats de tous les tests scientifiques indiquent qu'il n'y a pas de tromperie dans l'œuvre d'art, nous ne pouvons pas dire sans l'ombre d'un doute qu'il ne s'agit pas simplement d'un cas d'un faussaire dépassant la détection scientifique.» Even if the results of these scientific tests show that there is not a forgery in this work of art, we cannot say without a shadow of doubt that there is not simply a case of a forger out-pacing scientific detection.

Marcus nods in agreement with the agent’s words. He hates the dishonesty of it all- the obviously incredibly talented painters creating mimicries and mockeries of the original pieces. As the owner spins out of the room, Jacques notices the frown painted on Marcus’ face and the tic in his jaw as he starts to flick through the portfolio of papers in front of him.

“Hey, what happened to the giddy boy in the sweetshop back there?” Jacques teases, gently punching him on his shoulder.

Rubbing his fingers along the side of his nose before scratching the patchy scruff that lines the edge of his jaw, Marcus smiles, “Hah! That obvious, eh? Just, kinda wishing that we weren’t even necessary.”

“Yeah, it is irritating but it does pay my mortgage,”Jacques chuckles deeply, “And to be honest without it, I wouldn’t have met that woman in that lock up over there and convinced her that she should marry me or have my baby.”

A pang of jealousy hit Marcus hard, “You’ve done well then. Mine just pays a mortgage on a place in DC that I won’t even be living in for the next couple of years.”

“Never wanted to or the opportunity never arose?” Jacques quizzes not lifting his eyes as he reads through documents.

“Your setup with Élodie is something I’d love to have,” he nods sadly, “Just have one failed marriage - due to her infidelity and lack of wish to try and work things out, and a failed engagement as she was in love with another man - to my name. No, I’d love to have that vulnerability and affection with someone again. Kinda feels like a pipe dream now- not sure anyone would want to take on someone with such a creased up, greying ol’man.”

“Hah, have you forgotten my wife’s quite genuinely visceral reaction to meeting you?” Jacques laughs heartily, rolling his eyes at the mere suggestion from Marcus, “Believe me, you do not have anything to worry about there. It’ll happen. Usually- in fact, always, when you least expect it.”

With a soft huff and a slight lift from the left side of his lips, Jacques strains to hear Marcus’ whisper, “I truly hope so.”

“Hang on, whose name was it that we were looking for that would pretty much guarantee authenticity?”

Jacques’ face creases in concentration as he tries to rack his brains for the names Nush had provided earlier, “Bof...Paul something-or-the-other French and Albert something-or-the-other American, I think.”

“Hmmm, I think I’ve a document here with both of their names on it… Shall we go share it with the ladies?”

«Bonne idée. On y va. » Good idea. Let’s go.

Grabbing the pile of documents from the polished walnut bureau, there’s a sweet bubble of excitement building in Marcus’ tummy. Try as he might to convince himself that it was on account of being out of the tiny office and back around an exquisite masterpiece from the early twentieth century, deep down he knew there was another sweeter, more ancient and primal reason that made him want to be in the lock up.

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txemrn · 4 years ago

Text

Hey, sweet friends!

I inadvertently took a smidge of a step back from writing thanks to real life (you all can relate!). Between Covid relief (9 months later *wink*wink* 🤰🏼🤰🏼🤰🏼) and a crazy ❄⛄SNOW⛄❄ storm here in Texas, writing took that metaphorical backseat.

But I'm here, and I've got some WIPs I'd love to share with y'all... who's ready for WIP Wednesday? Click "Keep Reading" to enjoy five bits of fics I've been writing (the fourth and fifth are bonuses that I have NO idea when they will be released; they are for your amusement, to tease you a bit *shrugs* or something like that).

Before I continue... @lucy-268 @anjanettexcordonia @ao719 @bbrandy2002 @shannonsaid @khoicesbyk @shewillreadyou @irisofpurple @lem-20 what are y'all working on?

The Missionary’s Daughter (Chapter 1--Name TBD; TRR) 🍋

Halos of blurred auras bleach his vision as Drake cautiously opens one blood-shot eye. His tongue sticks to the roof of his roughly parched mouth as he massages his pained forehead. Clueless of what day it is--much less what he did last night--he is greeted with a sudden glorious sensation: a supple wet mouth on his hardened morning length.

His body relaxes back onto the dampened, disheveled sheets of his bed; he releases a pleasurable exhale as he blindly reaches for the head behind the lips. He strains to focus his view, but can only make out a foggy shape of a nude woman with long, tousled brunette waves.

Of course, it’s her.

Drake smiles; delicately tangling his grip in her strands, he admires how even the afternoon sun catches her beauty perfectly. He quietly smacks his lips. He can still smell her on his stubble; he can still taste her on his tongue.

Did she come clean to Liam? Were they celebrating that they could finally be together?

As she takes in the head of his girth, he arches his back, relaxing his body into her hungry touch. Closing his eyes, he offers a guttural groan deep in his chest as she swirls her tongue around his firm thickness.

“God, you’re incredible, Riley--”

------------------------------- Caroline (Chapter 3--Name TBD; TNA/OH crossover)

"Hello? Anyone here?" Her voice echoes throughout the Dalton penthouse as she pushes the stroller further into the living room.

A stirring Mason catches her attention as she cautiously bends over to settle him down.

"It's okay, um--" she looks at his monogrammed onesie for his name, "--’Mason’. Come here, sweet boy," she snuggles him into her neck, soothing him with gentle rubs and taps on his back. "There, there."

"Sof?"

The platinum blonde instantly twirls around to face the deep voice as she grips tightly around Mason.

"Oh, Sam--" she sighs with a forced laugh. "You scared me--"

"Is Caroline with you?" he stutters as he finishes his whiskey neat.

"No, um--" she bounces Mason on her hip, averting her eyes to a yawning Mickey. "She--she should be back sometime this evening though. I--I don't know--"

"Is--" he interjects, his voice growing husky, "--is Robin here?" Sofia feels the prickling of a thousand goosebumps ignite across her body as Sam's hand glides across her lower back. She clears her throat, stepping away from him.

"C'mon, my little munchkins," she joyfully chimes to the twins as she gathers Mickey into her arms. She sits them softly into their play pin, tossing each of them a musical toy.

As she stands back up, Sam grips tightly to the curve of her hips

"Sam--!" she gasps as he intimately runs his hands across her abdomen to rest on her voluptuous breasts. Her eyes flutter shut; she nibbles on her lips as he nuzzles his nose into her neck. She feels him grow against her backside.

"Sam, please--"

"'Please' what, kitten?"

"Ugh--" she scoffs as she throws his hands off of her body. "We said that the last time would be our last--"

"Please, Sofia, " he stops her in her tracks, "I need--" his lip trembles; liquor dances on his tongue as he leans closer to her dangerous curves. "I need--"

"--your wife."

"Fuck!" He abruptly throws himself onto the couch, raking his hands through his thick, tousled hair.

"I'm losing her, Sof." He leans back on the couch as Sofia cautiously sits next to him. Heated tears streak down his chiseled face as he plays with his wedding band. He lowers his voice as he chokes on his sobs.

"I think I've lost her. "

-------------------------- Boughs & Mockingbirds (Part 5; TRR/TRH)

After modeling three dresses, Hana twirls out in a dreamy white ball gown with a flattering fitted-bodice. The ornate gold filigree bead-work brought out her natural ethereal tones, instantly brightening and highlighting her gorgeous, exotic features.

“Hana--!” Riley spits out her sparkling water. “Oh-- oh my God!” With a stunned-look plastered on her face, she jumps from her bed, skipping quickly to her floor-length mirror. “Look at you!”

“I’m guessing this is a keeper?” Hana giggles as she walks on her tip-toes, envisioning the dress with her new shoes.

“Uh, yeah!” Riley squeals, twirling Hana’s silky hair into a make-shift up-do to show off her bare skin. Biting her lower lip, she lowers her voice to whisper into her friend’s ear: “Not to mention, a certain ‘Maxwell the Glorious’ won’t be able to keep his hands off of you.”

“Riley! You’re wicked! We’re just--” she blushes while shrugging her shoulders, “--um, friends.”

“I’m pregnant, not stupid,” she jokingly chides. “These past few weeks with the book tour, I’ve noticed you two becoming quite the dynamic duo.”

Hana falls silent; she mindlessly admires the beading of her white gown with her fingers as a joyous smile crawls across her face. Her bright, brown eyes pierce into Riley’s as she slowly nods.

“He’s pretty great--”

“I knew it!” Riley grabs Hana’s hands as they dance recklessly in a circle, laughter filling the room.

“Oh, you’re gonna dance with somebody--” Riley sings, purposely changing the lyrics to jest with her best friend.

“I’m gonna feel the heat with somebody--” Hana cups her mouth, laughing at herself with what she just sang.

“’Heat’?” Riley howls. “Ow! Ow! Now who’s being wicked?” They both grab their bellies as their sides ache from their silliness and excitement.

“Oh gosh,” Riley strains to breathe, “Thank you, Hana. I haven’t laughed like this in--”

“Oh my God! Riley?” Hana’s voice suddenly drips with panic. “Your nose--” ------------------------ Fractals (Bonus wannabe series; crossover of Platinum/TRR; I have fantasized about this series for probably 8 MONTHS, and I finally took off writing a chapter; this is a smidge of that chapter, and this series will come, at the earliest, after B&MB)

“Here’s to living in the headlines,” she mutters to herself, offering her glass as a toast in the air. She tosses the rest of her drink back. The bartender quickly replenishes the alcohol as she digs frantically in her oversized Dior bag. Pulling out a lone cigarette, she sets it neatly between her teeth as she searches for a lighter.

“Miss?” a soft, baritone voice calls to her, but floats away as she continues to sift through her purse. The gentleman clears his throat in hopes of catching her attention. “Pardon me, miss?” His thick, European-influenced accent is more apparent this time, but still she doesn’t notice.

“Excuse me, miss--?”

“What?” She interrupts angrily as she hastily swivels in her barstool, knocking her bag and its contents on the floor. “Shit--!” she clumsily fumbles to the floor to gather her belongings.

“Here; let me help--”

“You’ve done enough, sir--” she cuts off the young man as she madly shoves tubes of makeup, magazines, loose coins and scrunchies back into her satchel. She looks around the floor for any wayward items when she notices something black being offered to her.

“Miss?”

Looking up, she finally takes notice of the man behind the voice. And freezes. The electricity of his presence overwhelms her fragile senses. He offers her a bright, charming smile, creating dimples that soften his chiseled bone structure. A sensual aura of citrus, guaiac wood and leather dance across his coastal skin as sun rays illuminate brightly from his wavy blond hair.

She gradually stands along with him, her brilliant jade eyes locked into his striking baby-blues. His strong physique impressively towers over her petite frame. She admires his handsomely neat demeanor of pressed dark-wash denim with a light heather-gray sports coat.

“Hi,” she manages to squeeze out as her mouth confuses between dropping and smiling.

“Hello,” he chuckles with a smile. “Pardon me, but I do believe you, um--well, you, uh--,” he pauses as he glances towards his outstretched arm, “you dropped these.”

Regretfully breaking her trance from his hypnotic gaze, the color quickly drains from her face as the feeling of horror crawls across her porcelain skin. Her crotchless, black-lace g-string tangled effortlessly between his fingers.

“Oh-- oh my God!” she shrieks as she reaches to grab and hide them; but unfortunately, the missing gusset between the leg bands, snags on his gold signet ring, leaving his first two fingers hung on the crotchless portion of the thong.

“I must say,” his eyes twinkle as he laughs harder at her incessant efforts to detangle the fabric from his hands, “I didn’t realize getting into a woman’s undergarments would be quite this easy--” ------------------------- Title TBD (TNA Valentine’s Day: First vs. Last... this is in the Once...Always... Universe, and I just couldn’t get it finished before Valentine’s day. So! It will be coming out on another random holiday lol)

Reaching for the doorbell, she catches her reflection in the apartment number brass plate. And panics.

Oh, God! I--he can’t see me like this!

It has been nine months since Brynn caught her husband cheating on her with their daughter Olivia’s nanny. With the story hitting every gossip column and news channel, multiple women came forward with their private trysts with Sam over the years; however, most of their stories will never be heard thanks to the family’s heavy payouts for their silence.

Sam and Brynn’s divorce was finalized five months ago, two days before baby Charlotte was born. Despite the scandal, his lies and his betrayal, Brynn wars with her feelings towards Sam. He was the love of her life; even though he broke his vows, she never dreamed of going back on her own. He made his choice; he didn’t want to be with her the moment he chose to have his extramarital affairs. But, everyday life without him by her side is awful, like living a horrible nightmare. Her heart flutters around him, missing him terribly, but her brain begs her to stop.

Brynn pinches her cheeks to life as she swipes on a rosy color of gloss on her pout. She finger combs her almond tresses into a low ponytail, ensuring the wayward wisps are hidden.

The door suddenly opens, catching Brynn by surprise.

“Mommy!” A curly-chestnut hair Olivia dashes to Brynn with open arms.

“My baby girl!” Instantaneously, she welcomes her oldest daughter into her arms, pulling her up onto her hip for a sweet hug and tender kiss. “Did you have fun with Daddy?”

“Uh-huh,” she beams, “Look what I made you!” As she pulls out a bright pink homemade Valentine, Sam steps around the door with baby Charlotte in his arms.

“Princess--” he whispers in a deep, syrupy voice, “what do you say?”

“Oh, yeah!” her chocolate brown eyes brighten to her mom, “Happy ‘Valentime’s’ day, Mommy!”

“Happy Valentine’s day, baby girl!” Brynn squeezes Olivia into a tight embrace while she presses her lips into her cheeks. “C’mon, let’s get your things.”

As Brynn glances back at Sam, the wind is abruptly knocked out of her chest as she sees him dressed handsomely in her favorite Armani slate gray suit with soft petal-pink accents. Her eyes stay glued to him as he fastens a sleepy Charlotte into her carrier. As he stands back up, she notices his tie is crooked.

“May I?” Brynn steps forward, motioning towards his tie.

“Please,” he chuckles, “I miss your meticulous eye--”

They both awkwardly flinch at his words, Brynn focusing on the knot around his neck as Sam clears his throat.

“So--” he attempts to change subjects, “any special plans tonight?”

“Mason and Mickey are out with friends, so it’s just the girls, me, and--”

“Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown,” he interrupts as he flashes an alluring dark look at his ex-wife. He begins to run the back of his fingers sensually down her arms. “Some things don’t change--”

“But--” she glowers at him, tightening his tie close to his neck, “a lot of things have.”

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

#wip wednesday #the missionary's daughter #boughs & mockingbirds #caroline #trr #tna #trrfic #tnafic #oh/tna #trr/platinum

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fenheart87 · 4 years ago

Text

Long Lost to the Present

This is Part One of my gift for the Naruto/Boruto exchange! Part Two is about half done, I just wanted to get the bulk out before our deadline. Happy Holidays! @whynoteswhispered

Sasuke mentally checked through his belongings a final time before letting out a small sigh, his mother had been tight lipped about where exactly they would be taking their winter family vacation so if he needed anything, he would just buy it. Truthfully, he was prepared for pretty much any weather they would encounter over the two weeks. The youngest Uchiha zipped the suitcase and set it on the ground, clicking the button to release the handle and grabbing his backpack with his laptop and other electronics to swing over one shoulder. A final glance determined Sasuke had everything he would need and with a barely contained sigh, he made his way down stairs where everyone would meet before loading up and leaving.

"Sasuke! Are you ready dear?" Mikoto asked, passing off her luggage to her husband. "Oh, I can't wait till we get there!"

"I'm ready." Sasuke nodded to his father and brother, taking his turn to load his suitcase into the SUV they rented. "Now if only you would tell us where we are going…"

“So, I was talking with Kushina," dread settled instantly into his stomach at the mention of the redhead, "and we agreed that it has been sometime since we last shared a holiday together and we will be spending our first week with them at Jiraiya’s house in the mountains then continue to our cabin for the other week."

"It has been a while since we’ve seen Minato and Kushina… I wonder if she ever got better at cooking." Fugaku said gruffly, a tiny sliver of humor shone through that statement.

"Hopefully we can see Naruto too, no one is sure what he’s been up to these days." Itachi chimed in, staring none too discreetly at Sasuke.

That statement didn't seem like the Naruto Sasuke knew and for a moment he had to remind himself that they had parted ways years ago. While the blond always said Sasuke was his best friend, the raven was unsure until he changed schools what exactly Naruto meant to him. That first year apart had been hell, every time a notification came through or a phone would ring set him on edge so badly, he withdrew into nothing but music only from his iPod.

"I wouldn't have the slightest idea."

"Ah, that's right." Itachi words caused the younger's feathers to ruffle but before the boy could engage in their passive aggressive argument their mother stepped between them.

"Seven days boys, I do hope I will be bringing home two sons and not leaving any to be adopted by the Namikazes." The warning was very real under her cheerful tone and both of her children backed down, following her and their father out to the car.

Sasuke was dreading this trip now, his dread easily outweighed any excitement he had previously. What was supposed to be a simple holiday trip with his family, including his ever-busy father, was now turning into a nightmare from hell. The raven was sure his elder brother had to have some hand in it. The first family trip in a handful of years and now Sasuke would have to suffer the distracting presence of one Naruto Uzumaki or risk upsetting his mother.

"You don't look excited like I thought you would…" Itachi spoke casually, face showing nothing of his amusement unless you knew how to find the slight look in his eyes.

"What am I supposed to be excited for exactly?”

“Aw, you’re hurting his feelings and we haven’t even left yet. How cruel little brother.”

“Itachi, be nice! Sasuke is finally home and I know while he loves me,” Mikoto smiled brightly and pulled her younger son into a hug, “you being mean is exactly why we cut this from two weeks to just one.”

Sasuke lingered in a half hug from his mother, a feeling of warmth that always accompanied the action sank into his tense form and relaxed the harsh lines. Identical eyes locked into a staring contest for a long moment before their father snorted and drew their attention.

"The drive is a long one, if you can't handle it then you can stay and keep the office in order." He advised, making his point with a glare before entering the car.

"Truce little brother?"

"Hn." This ride was going to be a long one indeed.

The weather seemed suspended, the snow twinkling as the sun was reflected off it and the air mild for this time of year in the mountains. Sasuke tried to remember if he had ever been to Jiraiya’s cabin before but was coming up with nothing but bits of when Naruto had shared his summer adventures.

"Sasuke! How was your summer? I bet it wasn't cooler than mine! Peavy sage and I found this pond and there's these Sakura trees and in the water there's a bunch of tadpoles! We had to keep cleaning out the petals, I feel like my back has aged twenty years."

He had to rouse himself from memory lane as they pulled up the long drive. The logs were well kept and the cabin seemed quite spacious, hopefully it would be easier to avoid a certain blond. There were various trees in bloom or dormancy, nothing like the well-kept grounds of the Uchiha main house. Sasuke could certainly see the frog motif with the at times gaudy decor and after hearing stories for years, it wasn't as bad as he was expecting.

"Looks like he did get a key after all." Itachi mused quietly, almost quiet enough for his younger brother to miss it. At the look of inquiry, he continued lightly, "Jiraiya has been having some… Extra responsibilities as of late and wasn't sure he would be here when we arrived. The good news is the house has been cleaned and aired out for us already."

"Do you remember which room is yours Sasuke?"

"It's the one to the left of the gar-" he had to pause, that was Naruto's usual room and he no longer was welcome to share like they had always planned. The silence was heavy for a moment, never had Sasuke wished things had turned out differently more than at that particular moment. "No, I do not."

"It's next to mine, we have a wonderful view of the mountains." Itachi offered, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a light squeeze for reassurance.

"I'm fine." The younger shook off the hand and climbed out of the car, pulling his phone out as an excuse to ignore his family.

The sliding door opened, the wooden panels that made up the shade clattering angrily. A large box made its way out first then the blond holding it, carefully stepping out to the deck and nearly dropping the box with a curse. With a deep all body sigh, Naruto stood up straight and raised his face to the sun, the natural light highlighting his figure. Sasuke stated for a long moment, trying to blend the young gangly knucklehead he remembered with this adult version complete with an attractive solid build.

"Oh my, is that really my little sunflower?! Naruto, I did not give you permission to grow up without me!" Mikoto called out, leaving Fugaku to grab the bags as she hurried to the deck. Blue eyes found once familiar black orbs first before breaking their gaze and a shy smile breaking out on the tanned face.

"Ah well ya know sunflowers are, just sprout up when no one's watching." Naruto accepted the hug stiffly until she whispered in his ear that caused him to melt into the long hug.

"Keep that in mind or I will negotiate with your mother on swapping you for Sasuke."

"Aha, not the best idea Mrs. Uchiha." A long look complete with a delicate eyebrow raise had the blond sputtering with a red face. "Fine fine, I'm sorry Mimi. Please don't look at me like that." And he still pouted the same and no it wasn't cute.

"Like what sunflower?" Her tone was playful and the quick fingers to slide through his golden mop were painfully familiar.

"Mother, we've been here less than ten minutes and you're already terrorizing the poor boy."

"Oi! I am a man now, I know Teme takes after the beauty in the family but if he can pass for a man then you shouldn't have any issues seeing I am too."

"I'm not the Uchiha that likes to check you out when you're not looking." Itachi commented as he passed Naruto, leaving him blushing and splattering again.

"Naruto." The reaction was instant, gone was the blush and sputtering, spine perfectly straight complete with a respectful but curious gaze. It was rare that the eldest Uchiha addressed the blond and it had been forever since Naruto had been comfortable around the dark-haired family. "I do hope you are not causing your parents trouble."

"Of course not, I did manage to grow up in my time away. Hurt like hell to leave for almost three years and have only Jiraiya as company but it was worth all the long phone calls from ma." Yet another mystery and by the look in the azure eyes, a big piece to explain the inner calm where there used to be boundless energy.

"I forgot to ask, did Kushina get the recipe I sent her?"

"I think so but you'll have to ask her Mimi. They got delayed helping granny with her uh situation."

"Same rooms as last time?"

"Yup, I think the only one that doesn't have the sheets put on is Teme's. I can do that real quick if you want?" The question was directed at Sasuke but Naruto's gaze was looking somewhere over his shoulder before returning to his father. He was expecting things to be awkward but not painful like this.

"I'm sure Sasuke can manage, don't let us keep from whatever it was you were doing son."

"Ah, cleaning up everything, I knew I would need to get here a few days early but I didn't know it was this bad. Steer clear of the kitchen for now, there's a lot of manuscripts lying about and I haven't had time to clean it yet. I figured the rooms were the priority since you always go for a family dinner first thing." Naruto smiled brightly before stepping through a different door that led outside. It made Sasuke recall another memory where the blond had gushed about the house.

"Oh my God, why do I always get lost?"

"Maybe because you're a Dobe?"

"Shut it Teme! I spent all summer with Peavy Sage and like his house has more doors than walls I swear! He says it's because he doesn't want to break his creative pacing so he likes having tons of options to get out of the house."

"Sounds like more options to break into the house."

"Oi! Shut up you're such a bastard."

"You know my father."

"Ugh, add prissy to the list too."

Suddenly it felt like he didn't belong here and the young photographer couldn't stay a moment longer. Leaving his luggage halfway to the door and taking only his back pack he left to the woods. Pulling on every memory he had of Naruto describing the surrounding foliage, Sasuke actually found the waterfall that fed the lake the hyper boy always spoke of. The waterfall was loud in a soothing way, the water pure and clear in a way that couldn't be found anywhere but in nature. Lush green grass filled out the banks that lined the sides of the small lake and the pine trees slightly weighed with the melting snow. This place brought peace to Sasuke's troubled mind and immediately pulled at his artistic brain. Even though he had to keep the photos for his private portfolio, this beauty didn't deserve to be disturbed without reason.

With a smooth but careful move, Sasuke slipped his arm through the strap and unzipped his pack. From the top he retrieved his camera case and withdrew his camera. Quickly the raven secured the strap around his neck and zipped up his backpack. Checking the settings and with a few test shots, the photographer was fully in control as he captured the serene surroundings. As always, Sasuke lost himself in the beauty around him and it took spotting a sliver of blond hair to break him free. Pretending to check the photo he had taken, the young photographer carefully aimed and zoomed in on the blond. The picture Naruto made took away Sasuke’s breath as he clicked the shutter button.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to stare Dobe?”

“Hey I’m not the one who left his luggage for everyone else to take care of or ran out of the house instead of going out to dinner.”

“Are you going?” His voice was neutral, a complete contrast to his inner feelings. On one hand, the raven had no idea how close the blond was with the family anymore and yet it was both disappointing and relieving if the Uzumaki were to join the Uchiha dinner.

“I can’t, Pervy Sage needs my help. I might not be here when you guys get back so the spare key is-”

“‘Under the ‘speak no evil’ toad by the huge ass sliding door’ I remember.” Dutifully Sasuke kept checking his camera and carefully packing it away while ignoring the piercing blue eyes.

“Uh yeah… Cool. I’ll uh be back later. Uh if you, I mean my memory isn’t as good as yours but yanno if you and Mimi still like super spicy curry there’s a place about twenty minutes out. It’s a little hole in the wall but authentic and good portions. Don’t stay out much longer and freeze your heart any more than it is Teme.”

Left alone by the waterfall, he finally packed everything up properly and followed the footprints back, thankful the snow hadn’t melted yet. If only the same could be said about his heart, seeing the blond should not throw his emotions back in time when Sasuke wanted nothing more than to cross lines that they never would. Thankfully he only had a week, right? Maybe then he could finally let go.

Naruto was trying his hardest to not just steal the car keys and drive far far away from Tsunade as the gas tank would allow. He was already exhausted mentally due to seeing Sasuke and boy was he a sight to see. The youngest Uchiha had always favored his mother’s looks and his father in personality, after all this time though Sasuke just seemed like so much more somehow and the blond was really trying to keep his heart in his chest this time. At the very least it was only for maybe a week so he could play it safe and be fine! Totally. As if he didn’t have a hard enough time the last time, denial really suited him then and now. Absently the blond wondered where they went for dinner.

"Fine! As if I care, I'll go just to shut you up and then I can drink in peace!" Tsunade announced loudly as she emerged from her front door.

"Oi granny, tis the season and all that but we need to get a move on so I can finish cleaning the house for the Uchihas."

"Oh, is that why you really broke up with your boyfriend? I didn't know you were talking to the Uchiha brat again." Fucking hell, Naruto hoped she would be able to control her mouth when they were actually around Sasuke's family or this would be a very bad vacation.

"I'm not the one who invited them, Pervy sage started it by deciding to invite us to his cabin and mom got the bright idea to invite Mikoto which includes the whole Uchiha family. Now hurry the fuck up before I leave you, I have shit to do and I need to leave before mom makes it here." Naruto pushed himself off the car and opened the door, sliding in the driver's seat and starting the car with the slam of the door.

"Jeez give the kid a break Tsunade, this isn't anyone's ideal vacation setup. Naruto had no idea that Sasuke was coming and by what Kushina and Mikoto were loudly discussing the Uchiha boy had no clue either after being guilty in going on the vacation in the first place." Jiraiya sighed after his explanation and got in the car, leaving Tsunade to follow suit.

“Tis the season so I'll behave but you still need to give me all the details just so we're clear.” Her tone left no room for argument as she buckled in and immediately cranked the radio. Naruto took it for what it was worth and reversed the car, secretly hoping he would be able to actually talk to Sasuke when everyone returned to the cabin. Naruto really hoped no one had looked through the gift he had brought yet, the impulsive decision to bring the gift for Sasuke was starting to seem like a bad one. Shaking off the feeling, he drove his godparents back to Jiraiya’s cabin.

#narutosecretsanta2020 #sasunaru #narusasu #who put angst in my coffee #these idiots #mutual pining #part one #they all live #modern au #Fen's Plunny Corner

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7to3sorcerer · 4 years ago

Text

Of Waltzes and Sugar Plum Fairies

rating: explicit hehe

word count: 11.5k i am so sorry

warnings: fluff! angst! daddy!kink if you squint, loss of virginity, uhhhh sexy times? porn WITH plot because i can. this is truly filthy and totally self indulgent, enjoy at your own risk.

a/n: ok so first fic on here, yay! also, i recommend visiting this page to give you some context about Arkanians if you don’t know about them. idk if the nutcracker exists in star wars, so just go with it. listen to this if you wanna get immersed in the sounds of the dance scene.

ao3 link here

Din Djarin knew exactly what he was doing bringing her to Chandrila in the winter.

His princess - a literal one at that - from Arkanis, had missed the taste of home. Not in so many words, but he could tell by the wistful look on her face whenever they passed a shop with dancing gear or a music store.

He also knew that Life Day was her favorite holiday.

“It’s perfect,” she had said one day in the cockpit, her eyes starry as she watched the planets fly by. “You just spend the day with your family, dancing and eating and celebrating. Some cultures even give presents.”

He didn’t know what to say to that then, just gave a grunt and kept his eyes on the nav chart.

But since that day, he’s thought of what that would be like, spending a Life Day with his foundling and his crewmate who he wished would be so much more.

Ever since she dropped everything and ran off with him and the child, his life has been so much...brighter. Full of color when she skips around the ship, the child in her arms as they play dress up with her seemingly endless wardrobe (Din still doesn’t how she manages to keep her quarters clean). It’s full of sound when she plays her holorecords from her favorite ballets, the child following behind her as she does allégros and arabesques.

When she agreed to join his crew to take care of the child and give her extensive knowledge of cultures and history that she gleaned from university, he also made a pact: he would give her firsthand experiences of the galaxy that her life as a royal had robbed her of.

Her first wish was to visit a cantina, a wish that was fulfilled within her first three days aboard the Razor Crest. Though the dingy, thin clothes she bought from a merchant blended her in well, her stark white hair, white eyes, and ethereal beauty caused a bar fight, one that may or may not have ended with Din breaking a man’s arm, simply because he looked at her suggestively.

In the year that she’d been traveling with him, he’d tried to accommodate her wishes as best as he could, but with the Empire constantly on their trail, their time had mostly been devoted to tracking down the child’s people. But it seemed that the galaxy was on his side for once.

Life Day was rapidly approaching, and Din was scrambling to try and make it special for her, and with the information that Bo-Katan had given them about Ahsoka Tano, Din was torn about what to do. That was, until he charted a path to Corvus and realized it sent them right by Chandrila - the dance capital of the galaxy. A couple of holonet searches later, and he found a showing of The Nutcracker.

He knew it’d make his princess happy, he just didn’t know how to tell her that there weren’t anymore tickets left. He wasn’t surprised really, after all, it was already Life Day Eve, and he knew The Nutcracker was wildly popular, even though it was a Wookiee ballet that was centuries old.

The rapid beeping of the proximity indicator dragged him out of his thoughts. He disengaged and the ship lurched into real time, the blue streaks of stars fading into black mottled with blinking white. He made up his mind in that moment. Squaring his shoulders, Din set the ship on autopilot and made his way down to the cargo hold.

Stopping in front of her room, he could hear giggles and her soft voice as she spoke to the child.

“...and then he transforms into a handsome prince, and leads Masha away into the forest!”

He hears the child giggle again, and can only assume they’re playing with the wooden toys she had crafted once while bored when Din was on a hunt.

Steeling himself, Din knocks.

“Hey, we’re landing...put on something...nice,” he says through the door. He moves to return to the cockpit when the door whooshes open, revealing the princess’s glowing smile.

“Why?” She asks, her eyes wide.

His hand itches to brush the wisps of hair that got displaced from her bun when the door opened.

“I um, I have a surprise,” he says tentatively, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. He shifts his weight as she turns to the child.

“You hear that? Daddy has a surprise for us!” She coos, sweeping him up into her arms as he laughs. She turns back to Din.

His stomach does flips hearing that word come out of her mouth, no matter how innocent the context.

“Well, what is it?”

“That kind of ruins the point of the surprise, don’t you think?” He says, a hint of humor in his modulated voice. He finally gives in to his urges and gently tucks he hair behind her slightly pointed ear.

Din’s heart feels as though it might burst out of his chestplate as she tries to hide her blush behind the baby’s ear, playing it off as though she’s giving him kisses. She hums before looking back up at Din.

“Okay, well what should I wear?”

“I don’t know, something nice.” It comes out a little rough, and Din mentally kicks himself, seeing her face turn into a slight frown.

“Din, I’m a...” she pauses, covering the child’s ears before continuing. “I’m a fucking princess, Din. You can’t just say ‘wear something nice’ expect me to know exactly what you mean by that.”

He huffs. “Move.”

She complies, and he enters her small quarters, stepping over the various toys that litter the floor. He opens her closet, running his gloved fingers along the plethora of lush fabrics inside.

Life Day, Life Day, Life Day, he thinks to himself. What colors go with Life Day?

He pauses on a silky green gown, thinking about how good it would contrast with her skin tone. He hesitates a moment before removing it from the hanger and holding it out to her.

“Here.”

She sets the child down before taking it from him and examining it, a slightly confused look on her face.

“Din, this is...this is one of my nicer ones. Are we doing something quite fancy?”

He says nothing for a moment, watching the way her milky eyes scan the dress before deciding on his answer.

“I just think...that it’ll look good on you,” he says, so quietly that the modulator barely picks it up.

Her head shoots up to stare him straight in the visor, the very faint grey of her irises making her expression unreadable. Everyone likes to think he’s intimidating, but they’ve obviously never never made eye contact with an Arkanian. Arkanians that belong to the oldest bloodlines have pure white eyes, but if you catch them in the right light, you can barely make out grey irises and darker grey pupils.

Experiencing second thoughts, Din quickly exits her room without another word and the door whooshes shut again.

He leans on the wall next to the ladder leading up to the cockpit feeling like he’s just run a marathon. His heart races as he begins to worry that he was too forward.

“Fuck...” he mutters, leaning his head on the wall behind him. “Too late now I guess.”

Sitting back down in the cockpit, he guides the Crest into the docking bay that air traffic control instructed him to, and sets the ship down as gently as possible, not wanting to disturb anything the princess may be doing to get ready.

If she’s even getting ready at all, his conscious supplies. She’s probably gonna bolt as soon as the cabin depressurizes.

But as he descends back into the hold, he’s pleased to hear her puttering around in her room. He checks the time on his chrono.

“Hey, I’m going out for a few. I should be back in a bit...make sure you’re ready by then, okay?” He calls out, holstering his gun and attaching his jet pack.

Something in her room clatters to the floor, causing her so let out a string of curses. He hears her give the child an apology, who just giggles in return before he himself gets a response.

“Yeah! Sure, sure, yeah I’ll be ready!” She says from behind the door, but her voice is unsteady, like she knows she won’t be ready in time.

Din just huffs out a slight laugh before exiting the ship.

...

He returns to find her heels click clacking back and forth between the ‘fresher and where the child sits perched on a box, wiping his face down with a rag and the spots of food on his clothes. She turns to Din, who stands just inside the ship, a dumbfounded look on his hidden face.

Her hair is in a low, loose bun with a few pieces of hair framing her face that he can only assume came out while she was getting the child ready. The matte maroon lipstick she wears gives the allusion that she’s much older than 23, but the subtle blush and highlight adorning her cheeks and nose do well to bring back her youthfulness.

“I tried to get him cleaned up as best as I could. I also fashioned this little hat to fit his head as best I could. I don’t want him to be spotted, and I know it’s cold out there,” she rushes out breathlessly, running back into her room and grabbing the beanie and smushing it on the child’s head. “I know it’s not perfect, but I just want us to be able to have one night where we’re not constantly looking over our shoulders.”

She runs back into her room and returns with a small scarf, wrapping it around the child’s neck. Din wants to reassure her that everything’s okay, but he’s speechless, admiring the way the silk hangs on her body, accentuating her curves. His eyes are first drawn to the slit that exposes her leg almost to her hip when she bends down to pick up a toy the child dropped.

She speaks again, but he still can’t answer. He’s transfixed by the way the neckline plunges down her sternum, just shy of where her ribs start. Her tits are unbound, supported by the fabric that stretches up and over her shoulders, turning into yards of thinner fabric that cinch the dress up across her back. The straps criss cross her exposed back and end in a bow just below the dimples of her lower back, highlighting the expanse of tight muscles that she’s earned in her tenure as a crewmate, and from her earlier days as a dancer.

He watches as that enticing triangle of missing fabric on her chest gets closer and closer until it’s right in front of him.

“Hey, laser brain! Are you listening to me?” She says, waving her hand in front of his visor and snapping him out of his trance.

“What?” He asks, his voice cracking and making it sound like he hasn’t had anything to drink in days.

She huffs, before saying “I was asking if you were ready to go.”

“Oh,” he coughs out. “Y-yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

“Are we taking the pod, or just carrying him?” She asks, holding the child on her hip.

He thinks a moment before saying “The pod.”

The princess sets him in his pod before slipping on a long black coat and following Din out of the ship. They head out into the busy streets, the child floating in between the two of them.

“Soooooo,” she drawls out, clasping her hands and giving Din doe eyes. “Where are we headed?”

“Uh uh,” he tuts. “Don’t even try that on me. That’s cheating.”

“Why?” She asks, jutting her lip out. “Because it works every time?”

“Yes,” he sighs. “Because it does work every time.”

She just hmphs and says nothing else as they walk along the sidewalks dusted with a light covering of snow. The streetlamps above cast an orangey-yellow glow on the pedestrians that pass them, many of them carrying parcels covered in paper, or large sacks filled with delicious smelling food.

The child makes grabby hands at some of them and the princess chuckles. Din glances over at her and sees the corners of her eyes crinkle as she laughs. They make eye contact for a brief moment before she looks at something above his head and her eyes go wide.

Din flinches, looking up for the threat, but all he sees is snowflakes beginning to fall from the sky. He looks back down at the princess and watches her stick out her tongue to catch a snowflake. They make eye contact again, but this time, she doesn’t look away. She keeps her tongue out until a small fleck of snow lands on it, then she pulls it back into her mouth. She throws him a sideways grin and then looks away, facing her eyes forward.

Din feels his hands get clammy as blood starts to flow south. Fuck, nononononononono, he thinks, balling his hands into fists and trying to think of literally anything else besides they way that snow looked on her tongue. He grits his teeth and looks around, hoping they’re close to the theatre. Thank the Maker.

Just ahead across the street sits the theatre, its twinkling lights and marquee sign dazzling in the white snow. He peeks at the princess without turning his head, and comes away satisfied when she doesn’t seem to notice it yet. He quickly grabs her elbow and pulls her into an alleyway on their right, covering her mouth with his gloved hand when she lets out a yelp.

“Do you trust me?” He breathes out, his chest mere inches away from hers. She nods her head and he lets go of her mouth. He looks down and presses some buttons on his vambrace, quickly recalibrating the child’s pod before shutting its hatch. “Hold onto me.”

She arches her eyebrows before stepping forward and pressing her chest against his, hissing at the frigidness of his beskar against her clavicle. She wraps her arms around his neck as he hooks an arm just below her ass.

“Din...” she warns, not sure where this is going.

“Just be quiet and hang on.” He commands, and with that, they shoot up and into the sky, the baby’s pod going up with them. He feels the princess bury her face into his cape and groan. In his excitement about the surprise, he forgot she doesn’t care for heights.

They land on the rooftop of the theatre, his knees and his back protesting from the extra weight that he’s not used to. Din gently sets the princess down and opens the child’s pod to make sure he’s okay. He smiles up at Din, who waggles a finger in his face.

The princess still hasn’t let go of Din, and Din still hasn’t entirely let go of the princess.

“Hey,” he says softly, and she pulls her head back from his shoulder but keeps her eyes squeezed shut. “It’s okay, we’re done with the flying.”

She exhales a breath he didn’t know she was holding and lets go, opening her eyes. Din reluctantly lets go of her and she takes a step back, looking at their surroundings. The faint sound of instruments taking their final warmups can be heard through the duracrete below them, and the princess finally puts two and two together.

“Din,” she gasps, shaking her head and covering her mouth with her hands. “You didn’t...that’s like, impossible. These are impossible to get. There’s no way...”

He grimaces behind his helmet and sighs. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I couldn’t. But I came by earlier and figured out another way for us to get insi-oof.”

He’s cut off when the princess envelops him in a hug so tight, he feels his back creak in objection.

“I thought you forgot a-about Life Day,” she says into his neck. “You didn’t have to do all this. N-no one’s ever-”

This time, it’s his turn to cut her off. He gently pulls her back until he can see her face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“You can thank me later...it’s cold out here, and we don’t wanna miss the show.”

She nods and sniffles, dabbing under her eyes and motioning to the roof access. “Lead the way then, captain.” She says with a blinding smile.

A wall of warmth greets them as Din slices the door open. He glances around to make sure no crew members are up this high before motioning the princess in. The door zips shut behind the three of them and they’re sheathed in darkness, save the warm glow coming from the theatre below them. Catwalks stretch out in either direction, one going across the crowd, the other going adjacent to it toward the stage. They have to be at least 20 meters above the crowd.

The princess rushes toward the railing on the catwalk above the crowd and peaks down and Din finds himself surprised she’s not fainted yet. She answers his question before he asks it.

“This, I’m fine with. What I’m not fine with is careening up 100 feet into the air and 60 miles an hour with no warning and no seatbelt,” she says, fixing him with a glare that could cut durasteel.

This time, he doesn’t hide his chuckle, moving to stand next to her as she removes her coat and drapes it over the guardrail. He leans against the railing, the child floating just to his left, the princess on his right.

“You’re sure no one will see us up here?” She asks, lowering her voice as the lights begin to dim and the music starts.

“Would you be looking up to the rafters during this show?”

“Fair point, but I meant the dancers...”

“No, I think we’ll be fine, it’s dark up here.”

She just nods in return and keeps her focus on the stage as the curtains draw up and reveal the setting of Act I.

Din looks down at the child whose eyes light up at the glimmering tree on the stage. Underneath it sit huge presents wrapped in patterns of paper that Din couldn’t even think up. Multicolored garland hangs from the windows on the backdrop. Fairy lights dangle from the ceiling, bathing the stage in a magical light. He sees the children on stage laughing with each other as their parents dance to the music and suddenly feels the urge to cry,

His heart sinks at the thought that he could’ve had all this if the Separatists hadn’t invaded Aq Vetina that fateful day - and maybe he did have all of this, he just doesn’t remember. Did he have brothers and sisters? He hardly even remembers what his parents look like, just blurry features, sad eyes as they locked him away in that cellar to save him. What did he used ask for for Life Day? Did his parents dance with each other like that?

Resentment burns so hot inside of him that he has to tear his eyes away from the ballet and stare down at the crowd below. He grits his teeth and wills the tears threating to fall away. His bitterness flares briefly toward the princess as he catches the gleam in her eyes, the joy on her face as she looks on with glee as the act progresses. But it fades as quickly as it grew, his features softening under his helmet.

Who am I to be spiteful toward her for something I had no control over?

He looks down at the stage again, having not even noticed that Act II began. The music crescendos as the Nutcracker, having just turned into the Prince, begins to dance with Masha. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the chlid giggle in delight.

Just because I don’t have happy memories of my parents, doesn’t mean he can’t. Woah shit wait fuck. No, Din, shut the fuck up and don’t overthink the weight of that.

Carefully, Din removes both of his gloves and tucks them into his belt before gently resting his hand on the princess’s lower back.

He feels her gasp before she melts into his touch. She looks over her shoulder at him, the light from below causing her features to look sharp and dangerously beautiful. He leans forward so that his helmet is right next to her ear.

“Show me how you’d dance...if that were you on that stage down there,” he whispers, and this time the modulator doesn’t pick it up, so all she hears is his raw, unfiltered voice.

The princess looks up at his visor and smiles before nodding enthusiastically and backing away. She leans down and ties her dress in a knot at her knees before unbuckling her heels.

Din finds himself thinking that she wanted this all along, that she was made for this. His little wild fairy, stripping herself of the titles and the pageantry, barefooted and relaxed with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

She hasn’t taught him much, but he’s tried to listen as best as he could when she’d be doing a routine on the ship.

That’s a pirouette...I think. Okay, okay, plié. That’s first position? No...? Okay, yes, that was first position because this is second position, and now she’s in third.

Din finds himself swaying back and forth and nodding his head to the sweeping instrumentals, and the princess seems to smile when she notices this. She completes an attitude devant before slowing and giggling at him.

“What?” He asks, not quite laughing, but the smile in his voice is evident.

She just shakes her head, her own brilliant smile still plastered on her face before holding out her hand.

“Come on...look, he wants you to,” she says, pointing at the child who has long forgotten the ballet below, instead focusing on the ballerina in front of him.

Din watches the child for a moment more before pushing himself off the railing and taking her outstretched hand. He would be lying if he said this wasn’t the outcome he was hoping for, but when she pulls him into position, he realizes he’s in way over his head.

“I...I really don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing...” he murmurs, trailing off when she places his hand on her waist, his fingertips meeting the bare skin of her back. She grabs his other hand and holds it up at a 90° angle and it completely swallows her own. He watches her eye their conjoined hands for a moment, an almost awestruck look on her face.

“I’ve never...I’ve never touched you before,” she whispers, looking into his visor where his eyes are. “Like this at least. Your skin.”

He leans in closer to her before whispering “Would you like this to be the last time?”

She slowly shakes her head, keeping her eyes trained on his visor.

“Me neither,” he breathes out. “Now show me what to do.”

She inhales as if falling out of a haze. Clearing her throat, she adjusts Din’s legs by tapping them with her feet before getting into her own position.

“Okay, now I’m not going to tell you it’s simple but you are a fast learner, so I expect you to excel, unless you have two left feet,” she chuckles, straightening her back. “But I’ve seen you in a fight, and fighting and dancing are actually more similar than you’d think. Just like in fighting, if you’re not doing a practiced routine, you have to predict your partner’s moves, and for you, this isn’t a routine.”

“Mmm, cocky are we?” He teases, her reassurance easing a bit of his tension.

“For good reason,” she purrs, giving him a smirk. He doesn’t have time for a smartass reply because she’s already moved on. “Now, the music should be at a good tempo for us to start at any moment if I remember correctly. We’ll take it slow, just remember, feel me, okay? Anticipate my movements, and you’ll be fine. Nothing fancy for now until you get the footwork down.”

She taps her foot and looks out over the balcony, and Din swears he can see the notes swimming in her brain. He notices that in this light, he can see her irises better than he ever has before. But again, before he can complete the thought, she begins moving.

He follows her feet, feeling the way her muscles tense and flex underneath the tips of his fingers. Her eyes move back to his visor from their position over his shoulder and it’s like it clicks for him. If he weren’t going to sound crazy, he’d say it was like she transferred her consciousness to his.

They glide together like that across the catwalk, the child’s giggles following them as the pod, still connected to his vambrace, moves with them. The princess moves to twirl them around and Din’s foot catches a little, but he quickly corrects himself, getting back into step with her.

She suppresses a laugh before asking “Ready to step it up a notch?”

He just nods and she - seemingly reluctantly - lets go of her grip on his hand and twists so that her back is facing his chest. He readjusts so his grip is on her opposite hip, and she guides him to take her other hand.

“Same steps as before...yeah, good job,” she instructs, and it kindles a fire in his stomach that he thought he had quelled about an hour previous. “Okay, when I tell you to, keep stepping but lift me as you do a 180°, got it?”

His heart stutters, mostly out of fear of his poor, abused back. At 37, he shouldn’t be groaning every time he gets out of bed. But when he glances over at the kid, who is excitedly clapping his hands, he decides he’ll do it.

“Sure, but you’re gonna have to give me a few bacta patches on my shoulders later,” he says, slight amusement in his voice.

“I’ll do whatever you want...now!”

He falters for a moment, his brain short-circuiting like a C-1 series astromech before he realizes she means the lift is now, not...everything else that he wants. She pushes off of her right foot and he lifts her into the air, spinning counter clockwise before setting her down just as the music crescendos and finishes with a loud clash of cymbals and flutes.

They’re both breathing heavily as she turns in his arms to face him, and neither one of them go to move away. The tension is palpable at this point, with Din wanting to just bend her over and take her right there. His helmet tilts down to where her chest heaves and he swears he can see her heart beat in the pulse point on her neck. The thought of sinking his teeth into it and marking up her skin is suddenly overwhelming.

It’s only when the child squeals in delight that they’re snapped back to reality.

“I...I think we should go,” he says, catching his breath and tightening his grip on her waist. “Y’know, because the show’s over and crewmembers are gonna be up here any minute.”

She nods.

“Do you wanna take the elevator this time?” He asks her, hesitantly removing his grasp on her.

Again she shakes her head. “No,” she says hastily, donning her coat and looking like a ball of nervous energy. “Just do whatever gets us to the ship faster.”

They exit the way they came in, the princess clinging to Din, but he notices she’s not nearly as stiff as she was on the short flight up. They land near the same alleyway as before. The princess immediately exits the alley, setting course for the ship as Din struggles to keep up with her brisk pace.

“Hey,” he says, grabbing her arm. “You okay?”

She huffs air out of her nose before crossing her arms and shifting her weight. The snow has picked up since they entered the theatre, big enough now to cling to her hair and eyelashes. He watches as she leans over and snaps the child’s pod shut.

“I don’t know how to say this...” she begins, and Din’s heart sinks.

Dank farrik, I’ve gone and fucked this up, he thinks, his thoughts so loud that he only catches onto the last part of her sentence.

“...a virgin because of tradition on Arkanis, but I’ve wanted you to fuck me on every surface of the Crest since you asked me to join you. And I know this is forward, and maybe too brash, but I can’t stand it anymore and I just think that...I think I lo-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. I...” he licks his lips under his helmet and lets his brain catch up. “You want to...you want to have sex with me?”

She fixes him with a look that says “duh, weren’t you listening, dumbass?”

He sighs before responding. “Okay, look, I want this too, I have since the first time Karga, Dune, and I saw you at that library on Coruscant. But listen, if you’re...if you’re a virgin, then this is something I don’t want you to just decide to do on a whim, you understand me? That’s something that should be done with s-someone you care about.”

“Is that how your first time went?” She questions, narrowing her eyes. It’s a low blow because he revealed the answer to her one night while they were both drinking up in the cockpit. In this light, he can’t see her irises at all, and it’s extremely intimidating.

“I, well, no, but you’re missing the point-”

“Am I? I care about you, Din. Do you care about me?”

There’s no trepidation in his voice when he answers this time. “Yes.”

“Then what’s the holdup, hm?”

“Because I don’t want to hurt you!” He shouts, earning furtive glances from the few last minute shoppers out and about. He sighs. “I’m not a prince, okay? I’m not some nutcracker that turns into a handsome prince and runs away with you into the forest. I’m not what you were taught to look for in your happily ever after. I’m not supposed to be your forever. I’m not even supposed to be the kid’s forever...”

The princess glares at the sky, clenching her jaw, and Din can tell from past experiences with the cauterizer that she’s trying not to cry.

“And don’t even try to tell me that it’s not about that. I know you. You crave connection, you feed off of it. You just deserve someone better than me. After I find his people, I’m gonna go back to the only thing I was ever any good at: killing.”

She sniffles and he suddenly, selfishly wishes he hadn’t been honest with her. That he would’ve just lied and whisked her back into the ship so he could fuck her every day until he inevitably broke her heart.

She looks back down, and the placid look on her face terrifies him more than the thought of someone ripping his helmet off (though his faith in the Creed is becoming increasingly shaky). She just sets her jaw and nods, turning on her heel and getting back to her brisk pace from before. It’s then that Din realizes he’s turned the sexual tension into the need for a nasty, ugly fight, having denied his feelings for so long that he’s used to feeling anger and frustration after a close encounter with her.

“Since when are you one to run away like a Corellian hellhound with your tail tucked between your legs, huh?” He says, grabbing her elbow again once he’s caught up with her.

She yanks her arm out of his grip and faces him with a scowl on her face. “Since you decided you were so unlovable, that’s when. You think you’re this horrific, terrible person. Well, Din, I’ve got news for you; plenty of people all over this galaxy do what you do for a living, and then go home and eat dinner with their partners and kids. It’s you,” she says, jabbing a finger into his chest. “That has decided you’re so unlovable. Not this galaxy, not your profession, you. You can’t even call your son yours because you’re so afraid of what? Commitment? Someone giving a damn? And guess what? Even more bad news; you’ve failed so fucking miserably at that, because he loves you. You’re his father, Din, and he loves you. I love you. And you’re not doing yourself any favors by ignoring those two blatantly obvious facts.”

The unshed tears in her eyes start to fall and Din wants to rip his helmet off right there and kiss them off her face, but he doesn’t even know what to say except that she’s right. She’s exactly right and oh, Maker, he’s a dumbass.

“To have you sit here and say that you even might possibly feel the same way about me but in the same breath say that you’re afraid of breaking my heart is...well it’s fucking stupid!” She exclaims, tossing her hands up in the air. “I’d be stupid not to love you, I would know, I literally have three degrees, Din. You risked your life to save your son, you’ve risked your life to save me, Karga, and Dune on multiple occasions. You’re trekking halfway across the galaxy to find some fabled wizard, all for your kid to be reunited with his people. You are one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met, and the only person you’re convincing that you’re some bad guy is you. You’re the good guy...that much is true.”

“I’ve done...I’ve done bad things, sweetheart. I can’t even begin to name them all...” he mutters, looking over at the child’s closed bassinet.

“Okay? We all have. My parents were grooming me to be a politician for fucks sake. What could possibly be worse than that?”

She turns and walks away then again, while he sits there staring at her before his brain, reliable as ever, finally does the mental math. “Oh, Maker, I insulted you, didn’t I?” He calls out.

“Yes!” She barks without turning around, stomping through the snow that builds up on the sidewalk. “If you got me a present for Life Day, I’ll consider it forgiven. Come on, it’s cold, we can talk in the ship...after you’ve fixed that.”

Things Din Djarin needs to stop forgetting: 1) don’t ever insult an Arkanian, or you’ll spend your whole life savings trying to get back in their good graces.

...

They don’t speak a word until they get back to the ship, and even then, words spoken aren’t to each other, only the child. The princess gets him fed and tucked in for the night before disappearing into the ‘fresher. Din fiddles around, unsure if he wants to keep going on their journey or stay on Chandrila for the night. Eventually, he decides to keep going, knowing that the temperatures will drop too much overnight on Chandrila to keep the engine off.

He hears her emerge from the ‘fresher just as the ship lurches into hyperspace, and he reaches over and grabs a parcel from underneath the control panel before heading down into the hold. He gets a strange sense of déja vu, except this time, he knows where he stands.

She’s in her quarters, but the door isn’t shut, so he takes that as an invitation to enter. He sits on her bed, watching her wrestle a chunky knit sweater over her wet hair.

“That’s more like it,” he says, and she turns to face him, a quizzical look on her face. She spots the parcel in his hands, but says nothing of it, just looks at him expectantly. “Your look, I mean. You looked, incredible tonight, but this feels more authentic, more you. You look freer.”

She just nods and bends down to slip on some socks. He holds the parcel out to her when she’s finished and she takes it without a word, sitting down next to him and unwrapping it.

The paper reveals a box. Even though her irritation at his earlier behavior rolls off of her in waves, he can almost feel her excitement piquing.

She opens the box to reveal a pair of pointe shoes in a blush pink color, delicately wrapped in red and green paper.

“...does this make up for me being a fucking idiot?”

She holds the shoes up to the light to inspect them, a revered look upon her face.

“I...I don’t even know what to say.” She whispers.

“Well, you could start with ‘thanks’.” He says, which earns him a light punch on his pauldron.

“I hope you know it’s customary to give the present on Life Day, not the night before, so don’t think this means you get yours tonight. But how did you know?” She asks, finally turning to look at him.

“Well you only drool all over the sidewalk every time we pass a store that sells them, so I picked some up a few rotations ago when we stopped to fuel up.” He answers softly.

She smiles bashfully and tucks her hands into her lap, suddenly finding a spot on the floor very interesting. Din gently takes her chin in between his pointer finger and thumb, guiding her to look at him again.

“I’m sorry...for everything I said. I’m not used to this, any of it. I didn’t mean to insult you in anyway, but you understand that you and I come from completely different worlds, different realities...” he trails off, trying to find the right words to say. “The truth is...I’m scared, terrified of you leaving me. Everyone I’ve ever loved has...has, well, left. I know the kid is gonna have to leave at some point...I don’t want you to, too.

“After we left Nevarro, before we came here, I wanted nothing more than to take off my helmet and tell you...tell you how I love you face to face, and I’ve wanted to do it so many times tonight, but I don’t think I’m ready yet...to take off the helmet, that is. I-I don’t want you to think less of me for that, but I do love you.”

The princess, his princess, cocks her head to the side.

“I knew what I was signing up for, silly. I never expected you to take it off in front of me, not now and maybe not ever. That doesn’t make it any less meaningful.” She tells him with a smile, resting her hand where his cheek would be. “Even though I would really like to kiss you right now.”

“Well, that I can make an exception for.” He says, and removes his hand from her chin, moving it to the lip of his helmet and pulling up slightly.

He knows she’s staring at his bronzed skin and three day old stubble when he says “Well, kiss me then.”

It’s awkward at first when their lips meet, the angle of the helmet meaning that she has to tilt her head almost sideways to avoid a large gash on her nose from the sharp edge, but after a second or two, it’s like magic. They move in sync, chapped lips moving against perfectly moisturized ones. After a moment, Din takes the lead and deepens the kiss, keeping one hand on the helmet and moving the other to the back of her neck. He tentatively pushes his tongue into her mouth, but his eyes almost pop out of their sockets when she starts to suck on it. He groans and she moves her hands up to the sides of his neck.

“How’d you get so good at this?” He asks as they both pause to take a breath.

“Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I wasn’t a horny teenager once. I spent plenty of summers at the Young Senators Retreat and-”

“Yeah, okay I get the picture,” Din huffs.

She laughs a full bellied laugh, the kind that crinkles the skin around her eyes and shows her teeth.

“Aw, is someone jealous?” She teases, poking the sliver of his cheek that was revealed to her.

He slips the helmet down and moves to stand up, and she does the same.

“Wait I didn’t mean to-”

“Sit down. I’ll be right back.”

He exits her room and takes a deep breath. He’s wanted this for so long, to be touched by another...to touch another. To touch her.

He returns moments later with a strip of thick black cloth in his hand and shuts the door behind him.

“As much as I want to see the look in your eyes when I make you come, I’d much rather be able to see the pretty little expressions you make when I eat you out.” He says moving to kneel on the edge of the bed. Her mouth drops into an “o” shape, her face flushing as bright red as it possibly can.

She clears her throat as he ties the cloth around her head, sheathing her in darkness. “You’re, um, good at complimenting.”

He laughs darkly, removing his helmet all the way and setting it on the floor at the foot of the bed before placing his lips next to her ear. “I think you mean dirty talk, angel.”

If it was possible for her to flush anymore, she would’ve, he thinks. He suddenly stops when a thought flashes across his mind that maybe she’s just doing this because he wants to.

“Hey, is this okay? I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with or not ready for, so if you want me to turn off the lights, or we can just stop altogether, just-”

“Din,” she whispers, reaching her hand out until she finds purchase on his knee. “It’s okay. Please, just touch me before I melt into a puddle of goo.”

Din just hums and stands, beginning to remove his armor. The pieces clank to the floor by the edge of the bed one by one, and he swears her face gets redder and redder from the anticipation. Finally, he’s left only in his underwear. He reaches out and grabs her hand, pulling her to stand. His fingertips move down to brush against the hem of her heavy sweater.

“Is this okay?” He asks, tapping his finger over her stomach and he feels her muscles flutter. She nods her head and he tries again.

“No, you have to use your words, sweet girl. Is this okay?” This time, his tone is more firm.

“Yes,” she replies breathlessly. “Please, Din.”

“Please what? What do you want?”

At this point, he knows he’s just riling her up, making the tension palpable before she snaps. He hears a whine in the back of her throat before she responds.

“I-I want you t-to do what you said you’d d-do to me earlier.” She mumbles, looking down at the ground as if to avoid his gaze, even though she can’t see anything.

“Mmm,” he tuts, stepping closer to her and leaning down to nuzzle his nose against the pulse point in her neck. “Which was?”

She huffs. “I want you to eat my pussy until I cry, and then pin me down and fuck me however you want.”

He pulls back at her sudden forwardness, not expecting her to be baited by his teasing. Her hands are balled into fists at her sides and her chest heaves. She huffs again and starts pulling at her clothes.

When her sweater comes off, Din’s cock gets ten times harder at the sight of her bare chest. He’s so caught up in the way her nipples harden and her chest flushes that he doesn’t realize she completely naked until she gingerly steps back toward the bed and flops down.

“Are you even still alive?”

When Din catches a glimpse of wet slick in between her legs, he decides that he’s not.

“N-no, I’m still here...you’re just. Looks like you were sculpted by the Maker himself. I’m not ever gonna to be able to keep my hands to myself around you.” He murmurs, stepping in between her legs and drawing a finger up her calf.

“You haven’t even hardly done that yet.” She grumbles, twitching as his hand trails behind her knee.

“Mmm, that may be true, but I’m never gonna want to leave this room ever again.”

She smirks and he leans over her to plant a kiss on her mouth, his body not yet touching hers. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him in closer, winding her legs around his torso. When Din feels her wet heat touch the skin just below his bellybutton, his patience thins. He deepens the kiss, carding his hands through her hair and holding her flush to him. She lets a soft moan out and he thinks he might explode.

He pulls away and moves down her body, leaving wet kisses in his wake that have her shivering. He licks a long stripe with the tip of his tongue from just above her clit to her navel and she claps a hand over her mouth.

He stops himself from drowning in her cunt and reaches up to pull her hand away from her mouth. “I shouldn’t have to tell you that I wanna hear you, sweet girl.”

As soon as she says okay, he dives in, immediately attaching his lips to her clit and sucking gently. Her hands fly to his hair and tug, which makes him groan at an ungodly loud volume into her pussy. He releases her clit and licks figure 8′s on her fluttering hole and back up to her clit.

She squeals and brings her thighs up to cage his head, and Din resolves that if he dies, this is how he wants to go; devouring her pussy and soaking up the cute little noises she makes, getting his head squeezed by her thighs and his hair pulled by her tiny hands.

He sucks on her clit again and she lets out a long moan.

“Din, please, s-something put something-”

He cuts her off by slowly wedging his pointer finger into her and starting to thrust. Her back arches off the bed and she lets out an even longer moan than before.

He lets go of her clit and asks “Is this what you wanted, angel? My thick fingers? Or just my mouth?”

She hums before shaking her head. “I-Is both an option? I w-want both, please.”

“Good job using your manners. And yes, both is an option.” He says before diving back in.

This time, instead of hearing her moans, he’s not even sure he can hear her breathing. He inserts a second finger and she exhales, letting go of his hair to fist the sheets. His dick jumps at the loud squelching sound his fingers make in her pussy as he picks up the pace.

“Ohh,” she groans out, and his eyes flick up to see her tits moving slightly with the force of his fingers. “Din, that feels so good.”

“Mhm, I’m gonna have to give you one more finger, sweet girl. Do you think you can take one more?” He asks, his voice muffled as he keeps slurping on her clit.

“One more? B-But it already feels so...so...” she trails off into a whine when he curls his fingers up and gives her the ‘come here’ motion.

“Tight? Yeah, angel, I know. But I’ve gotta do one more if you wanna be able to take it.”

Her pelvic floor contracts at his words and she squirms, bringing her hands back up to his hair and tugging.

He slowly gives her a third finger and watches her face to control his pace. It scrunches up into a frown that wrinkles her nose, but relaxes when he uses his tongue to lick a flat stripe across her clit. She uses her purchase on his hair to guide him to suck her clit again, and shortly after that, she’s moaning again.

He scissors his fingers on every thrust, trying to get her as relaxed as possible for the real thing. He curls his fingers up one more time and she’s inhaling loudly, her thighs shaking around his head and her fingers tightening around his locks. She screams as she meets her release, the sound coming out rough and scratchy. She curls in around his head, refusing to let go of his hair as he continues to suck on her clit.

She finally lets go and Din keeps thrusting as she exhales and it turns into a whimper. He slowly removes his fingers and crawls back up her body, pushing her legs back up to his torso as he goes. Her chest is still heaving from her orgasm as he leans down to give her a thorough kiss.

“Suck,” he gently commands, bringing the three fingers that were just inside of her to her lips. She hesitates a moment before opening her mouth and doing as he says. He groans as her tongue slips in between each digit and she licks off her come.

Din feels his heart stutter as he watches her.

“You look so perfect like this, all open for me, being a good girl.”

She hums around his fingers and he removes them, shucking his underwear off and fisting his cock with her spit.

“Are you on the implant?” He questions.

“Yeah, it’s against the law not to be on Arkanis...is it going to hurt?” She asks softly, clutching her hands to her chest.

“I think I’ve got you pretty wet and worked open, but we’ll go slow. It might hurt a little,” he answers, rubbing his thumb on the inside of her thigh while his hand spreads her spit around the head of his dick. “Are you ready?”

“Mhm,” she says, nodding her head, but she replies again, seemingly remembering his warning from earlier. “Yes.”

He adjusts her legs so that her calves are resting on his hipbones. He brings his thumb back to her clit and rubs gently as he starts to push the head in.

Now, Din is a cocky bastard by any means, but he’s not surprised when she starts to scrunch her face up and hold her breath when his cock gets about an inch in.

“Uh-ooh uh Din...Din it’s thick. Let me...can I feel...” he slows his movements as she trails off, grabbing her hand and bringing it down to the rest of his length that isn’t inside of her yet.

“H-how is the rest of this supposed to fit in me, what the fuck?” She asks incredulously, barely able to wrap her hand around the diameter.

Din laughs lightly, reaching up and grabbing one of her pillows before lifting her hips up and sticking it under her.

“This might help. Just relax, the more relaxed you are, the quicker you’ll adjust.” He tells her, leaning down to give her a lingering kiss. He stays there, hovering over her as he gently pushes in some more, kissing her again when her face scrunches.

He gets about halfway in before she finally relaxes and Din’s cock doesn’t feel like it’s being strangled. He sits back up and watches as her pussy swallows the rest of his length.

“Oh, sweet girl you’re doing such a good job already. I wish you could see how good your little pussy takes this dick.” He tells her, choking on his words when her muscles flex and squeeze his dick. He pulls out a fraction of an inch before pushing in again and she mewls. “It’s like you were made for me.”

She brings her arms up to drape over her already covered eyes.

“I-it feels good...go faster, please, I want it.” She whines and Din can’t help but run a hand up her stomach and to one of her tits, pinching her nipple lightly before pulling back and giving her what she wants.

“I love it when you beg,” he breathes out, enunciating each word with a thrust that’s not too hard, but just hard enough to redden her chest and make her tits bounce. “Look at you, I’ve got a little princess speared on my cock, hardly able to even talk. Have you thought about this? Huh? Thought about how my cock would feel? I knew you were wearing those tight little leggings and those little tank tops with no bra on for a reason. Dancing around my ship like I didn’t want to bend you over a crate and take you right there.”

She moans, long and loud, and he picks up his pace, lifting up her legs and holding them against his chest.

“K-keep talking, please, please, ple-” Her voice turns into a whine when he angles his hips up and hits a spot inside of her that has her legs locking up and her ankles tightening behind his head. He has to grit his teeth to stop himself from coming too soon because of how much tighter her velvet heat gets.

“Yeah, you like that? This pussy feels so good, baby. I-I wanna spend the rest of my life just fucking you.” He grunts out, emphasizing his last few words with a hard thrust.

She lets out an absolutely pornographic moan when he does that, but it turns into a whine when Din abruptly pulls out. He pulls away to grab his helmet and slip it back on before plopping down on the bed next to her and pulling her hips up and over so she’s straddling his. He reaches up and yanks off the blindfold, causing her to reflexively cover her eyes.

“I have the helmet on, it’s fine,” he tells her, watching her shoulders deflate. “I want you to watch the way I fuck you, angel. Uncover your eyes.”

She tentatively does as he asks and when she looks down at his cock that rests on his stomach, her eyes bulge. When she takes it in her small hand, Din wants to burn the image into his brain. She looks back up at him with a look of amazement.

“There’s no way this was in me...” she trails off, lightly stroking it.

“Mm, yeah, well you can have it back in you if you’d stop talking. I like it more when you beg.”

He watches as the look of amazement turns to mischief, similar to the look she gave him earlier at the theatre. Her milky eyes pierce his visor as she licks her hand and then rubs her pussy, dragging her other hand up her body to grab a handful of her tit.

“Then why don’t you put it back in and keep fucking me?” She asks, looking down at him through her lashes.

“Every fucking day you’re full of surprises, angel,” he groans, grabbing his cock and teasing her clit with it before pushing up and into her. She throws her head back and Din suddenly wishes she had the blindfold back on so he could fulfill his earlier wishes of marking her up.

He grabs her hips and pulls her down to meet his thrusts.

“Look,” he barks, causing her to jerk her head down to the place they meet. “Look at how this cock stretches you. Look at how well you’re doing, such a good girl. Always such a good girl for me, doing what I ask you to.”

He rambles as his thrusts get harder and faster and the princess starts to clench around him again.

“Are you gonna come for me? Gonna come all over this cock? One of these days, I’m gonna make you squirt all over my armor and then I’m-I’m not even gonna clean it, I’m just g-gonna go pick up a bounty.”

The princess lets out a laugh at that, clapping a hand over her mouth as she does and Din slows his pace.

“I’m sorry this feels really good still, but that was just funny. Hot, but also funny. I-I think it was just your delivery,” she giggles, removing her hand from her mouth and placing it on his chest.

Din’s heart skips a beat at the sight of his girl straddling his cock with a smile on her face, looking at him so lovingly. It’s a gaze he hasn’t been on the receiving side of in a long time. He finds himself thankful for once that the helmet is on because of the tears that spring to his eyes. Crying during sex? Not Din Djarin.

He sits up then, holding onto her back and folding his knees under him, hearing them protest as he does. He pushes her shoulders down so that he’s bottomed out inside her pussy and she groans.

“Please don’t ever leave me,” he pleads, looking up and fixing his visor on her face. “Him and I, we need you.”

“I-wh-where did that come from? Are you okay?” She asks, placing her hands on either side of his helmet and looking concerned.

He ignores her question, opting to bury his helmet into her chest and hug her tight while starting to thrust back into her.

“Din...” she warns, but hugs him back anyway.

They stay like that for a few minutes, just slowly moving back and forth together until Din’s patience breaks and he can’t help but start thrusting harder and faster. His hand snakes down her front to rub at her clit and he can feel her start to come undone. Her cunt clenches around him as she’s quickly and quietly tipped over the edge, her thighs and back spasming. She says nothing, just pants heavily above him, clutching his shoulders and brushing the strands of hair at the back of his neck that have escaped his helmet.

“Can I-can I come inside? Please-”

“Yes,” she cuts him off breathlessly. “Please, Maker, yes.”

He thrusts in a few more times before speaking again.

“Tell me you-mmm. Tell me you love me, cyare.”

“Oh, Din, I love you so much. You’re so special, you’re such a special man. I loveyouIloveyouIloveyou.”

He comes inside of her with a long groan, burying his face further into her chest as she repeats herself over and over.

Eventually, Din flops back onto her bed and she follows. He notices she takes extra care to make sure his cock doesn’t slip out of her.

“Wanted to keep all that come in there, huh?” He jokes lightly, giving her a soft pat on the butt.

“Shut up,” she huffs with a laugh into his neck. “I’m gonna have to get up eventually though to turn off the light. Are you...will you stay with me? If the lights are off?”

He rubs his hands up and down her back before exhaling deeply and responding.

“I would sleep in all of my armor just for the honor of falling asleep next to you.”

“Mmm,” she hums, tracing her finger along his collarbone. “Well lucky for you, I have a strict ‘no armor’ policy in my bed. It reads like this: ‘No beskar? No problem.’.”

Din awakes with a start to a loud thwump, thwump, thwump from somewhere in the ship. Immediately fearing the worst, he throws his undershirt and pants on and rushes into the hold.

There she sits, his princess, in one of his long-sleeve tunics and a pair of his underwear that fit her like shorts, banging the absolute shit out of one of her pointe shoes. The child, his son, he reminds himself, sits across from her holding the other shoe, trying to mimic her and bobbing his head along to the music playing softly in the background.

He calms his racing heartbeat as he goes to take a seat on the floor next to them.

“Happy Life Day,” she says, leaning over to place a kiss where his cheek would be.

“Happy Life Day to you, too,” he responds tenderly, booping her nose. She looks down to return to her work and Din turns to his son. “Happy Life Day, buddy.”

He babbles in delight, holding up the shoe to show Din all the work he’s (not) done on it.

“Sorry if I woke you up...actually, no I’m not. He told me to,” she says without looking up, nodding her head toward the child who just laughs. “He wants his presents, daddy.”

Din clears his throat and stands back up while the princess just smirks, knowing exactly what she does to him.

“Oh, and while you’re at it, there’s one for you underneath my bed.” She calls out to him as he leaves to go retrieve the Life Day presents.

“Alright, but next time I sit down, I’m not getting back up for at least 20 minutes.” He calls back from the ladder.

When he returns, he sees that they’ve switched shoes.

“So what does that do anyway?” He asks, setting the presents on the floor in between them. The child immediately makes grabby hands.

“Oh, it just breaks them in, but trust me, you’re not gonna want to see my feet for at least a week once you see what pointe shoes do to them,” she laughs.

Din’s helmet tilts, trying to gauge if he should have even bought them.

“Hey,” she says softly, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. They’re perfect. You have to do this with all of them, I promise.”

He just nods and pats her hand before reaching over and handing the child his present.

“This one’s mine?” He asks, holding up a large box wrapped in purple paper with a silver bow on top.

“Mhm,” she responds with a smile, tossing the shoe aside to pull his son into her lap and help him unwrap his present. “There’s a few things in there, but I could only do one box because the paper tax on Vardos was high.”

“That’s rich coming from the princess,” he teases, gently tearing into the paper.

“Hey! You know I don’t like using my parents’ capitalist credits,” she frowns.

He laughs, the modulator making it sound raspy. Their attention is grabbed by the child, who finally gets the box open and squeals in delight at the objects inside.

“Show dad what you got!” She tells him.

Din ignores his own present for a moment to watch as his son shows him a red shirt and black pants.

“Wow! That’s cool! Do you like them?” He asks.

The child babbles and Din looks at the princess. “Where’d you find something that small?”

“A maternity store,” she responds with a shrug, still looking down at the child. “Show him the next one!”

Din’s thoughts are swimming with the idea of her walking around a maternity store when the kid shows him his next present. The mental image has his blood rushing south until he reminds himself where he is and what he’s doing.

He clears his throat for the second time that morning because of explicit thoughts. “Oh, that’s neat!”

His son holds a tukka doll close to his chest with bright eyes and a beaming smile that shows his little teeth.

“Tell your dad to open his present,” the princess leans down and tells him, giving him a scratch on the head. When he babbles at Din again, his heart melts.

“Okay, okay, I’m on it hang on,” he responds, gently peeling open the cardboard.

In the box sits a camera, a photo, a cushion of some sort, and a folded piece of deep red fabric. The first thing he pulls out of the box is the photo. It takes him approximately ten seconds to realize that it’s a picture of him, smiling, as a boy. Next to him sits a girl, about four years older than him, and behind them stand his parents. There’s a tree with lights and ornaments decorating it in the background.

“Do you like it?” She softly asks him, placing a hand on his knee.

“I...how?” Is all he can muster.

“Well, I did some digging...a lot, actually. I found this on the holonet on an Aq Vetina tribute page,” she says, scratching the back of her neck and looking away. “It’s sad how many of those there are. Anyways, I saw your last name, your family’s last name, and figured it had to be you guys. I, uh, had it printed out because having to boot up a piece of technology every time you want to see that seems silly.”

“Is that...did I have a sister?” He whispers, drawing his finger over her picture.

“Seems that way. I could probably do some more digging if you’d like...maybe teach you how to use the holonet while I’m at it, old man.” She softly teases, squeezing his knee.

He’s scared that he broke something when he practically tackles her in a hug. His son hoots in delight, crawling his way up her front to be in the middle of the embrace.

“Thank you...so much,” he whispers in her ear, this time doing nothing to stop the tears that roll down his cheeks and catch on the lining of his helmet.

“It’s the least I could do,” she replies, giving him a soft smile when he pulls away. “If you need a moment, we can take a break before you-”

“No, no it’s okay. I’m fine,” he reassures her, the barest hint of a smile in his voice. “I’m right here where I want to be.”

He pulls the camera out of the box and inspects this.

“This is an older model,” he comments, looking through the viewfinder. “This must’ve been hard to find.”

“Yeah, but I wanted one that prints the photos out so you can keep them on you,” she responds.

“What’s this?” He asks, holding up the cushion.

She laughs. “It’s for your butt. For your chair in the cockpit. It’s supposed to help with back pain.”

He gently pops her on the head with it and she giggles. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“Mhm...pull out the last one.” She tells him, nodding to the box.

He removes the fabric from the box and it unfolds as he holds it up.

“It’s a new cape. I got it so you guys could match.”

The smile on Din’s face threatens to break his helmet in half. “Hey, buddy, look...we’re matching.” He says, holding the cape out to his son.

The child giggles and wraps it around himself like a cape, and goes parading around the little half circle they’ve formed.

“This is...this is nice,” Din compliments, scooting over and slinging his arm over the princess’s shoulder. “All we need now is a tree.”

She leans her head into the crook of his arm and sighs contentedly. “Yeah, well they don’t survive in extended periods of hyperspace...trust me, I already thought about it.”

“I feel bad I only got you the one present,” he remarks, a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

“Mm, I’ve got everything I want right here,” she singsongs, poking him in his side. “Now lets get all this paper cleaned up so we can eat.”

She holds her hands out and he follows her up.

“What if we...uh, can we recreate that picture? The one of my parents?” He asks tentatively once he’s fully standing.

“Like...with the three of us?” She inquires, her eyes widening.

“Yeah.”

“Of course,” she answers with a soft smile. “It’d be best to do it after breakfast before his nap though.”

He watches for a moment as she starts cleaning up the multicolored wrapping paper, thinking about how peaceful and domestic this moment seems. He almost brings up getting their implants removed and having a few more monsters running around the ship, but he decides that maybe that’s a conversation for next Life Day, where hopefully they won’t have to live in the ship anymore or be on the run.

Even if there aren’t any more kids in the picture, or if we never settle down somewhere, this is more than enough, he thinks before joining his princess and his son in the kitchenette for a Life Day feast.

And for a day, all is well with the Mudhorn Clan.

#din djarin #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #no y/n's around here #baby yoda #star wars #pedro pascal #reader insert

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