#i am amused tho ill admit

[animentality]

lmao someone called me cringe, and I knew instantly that they were at the impressionable age of 14, where you worry about how other people see you, and think cringe is some kind of end all insult that decimates everyone as much as it decimates you.

I'm ten years too old to be bothered by the word cringe.

you're gonna have to use something other than your own discomfort to bother me.

[sunrizef1]

imgonnagetyouback

Pairing: Lando Norris x Fem!singer!reader

Warnings: Cursing

Authors note: I guess I lied about the Lando thing… this songs just so Lando I can’t explain it and I’m actually obsessed with this song rn. You probably have to at least know the premise of the song to understand the second half of this.

INSTAGRAM

yourusername

📍New York, New York

liked by maxfewtrell taylorswift and 13,998,887 others

yourusername hello, New York!

tagged: taylorswift

Load comments…

user1 my fav

user2 love her

user3 so pretty 🤩

taylorswift 🩵

yourusername 🤭💋

user4 welcome to New York, so real

user5 I miss Lando

user6 hi queen!!!

user7 new music when

user8 “I love NY not you” lmao Lando get up

user9 now why in the world did max like this

user10 and now Lando will post an Instagram story of him partying with some random girl to prove he’s having more fun than y/n is, we know how this goes

user11 you can not tell me they don’t miss each other

sabrinacarpenter pretty 🤩 🤩 🤩

yourusername no u 💋

user12 I just need a video of her English ass trying to navigate new York please and thx

maxfewtrell hey bestie!

yourusername oh my god get out of here

user13 wtf is max doing 😭😭

gracieabrams I ❤️ u

yourusername 🥰

oscarpiastri hi

yourusername hi?

———————————————

landonorris added to their story

user14

Now wtf

user15

user10 was right

user16

Alright ig

oscarpiastri

oh okay

MESSAGES

INSTAGRAM

yourusername added to their story

oscarpiastri

Still can't believe you convinced me to do that

yourusername

You'll be fine, ill get you concert tickets

can't even tell its you either

oscarpiastri

fine

they better be vip

yourusername

Dw they will be

—————-

maxfewtrell

???

yourusername

Dw its just Oscar

maxfewtrell

Jesus i cant believe you

yourusername

He started it. This is the first time I've included a guy in my posts, landos been doing it for months

maxfewtrell

you're gonna be the death of me

yourusername

💋💋💋💋

maxfewtrell

take care of yourself though y/n

yourusername

I am

Thx tho max 🫶

maxfewtrell

Yeah yeah 🙄

——————————————

yourusername

📍Paris, France

liked by charles_leclerc oscarpiastri and 21,008,771 others

yourusername I can tell when somebody still wants me

load comments…

user17 oh yay they're gonna sneak diss in their Insta captions again

user18 I miss dad ☹️

user19 she's so pretty omg

maxfewtrell oh wonderful we’re doing this now

yourusername leave

user20 lando its your turn

user21 IM IN LOVE WITH HER

charles_leclerc I'm amused

yourusername congrats

user22 they're so messy I love them

oscarpiastri great he's about to drag me into doing something stupid because of this

yourusername that is not my problem

user23 I sense new music coming along

user24 I do genuinely think he still wants her lowk

user25 they want eachother, don't lie. Its defo mutual

user26 😍😍😍

taylorswift 🤩

yourusername 🥰

jackantonoff 🤪

liker by yourusername

user27 why is jack here???? New music???

————————————————

landonorris

liked by maxfewtrell martingarrix and 12,008,998 others

landonorris I have what I want

load comments…

user28 oh… yay

user29 🤩🤩🤩

user30 say what you want about their shitty personalities but they sure do know how to make an aesthetic post

user31 the shade is immense

maxfewtrell im nauseous

landonorris 👍

user32 they’re so into each other it’s actually insane

user33 OH MY GOD WE GET IT YOU MISS EACHOTHER

user34 🤩🤩🤩

user35 he’s so fine

user35 LANDO-

user36 now what’s y/n gonna do

user37 how long until they both apologize and get back together… these are not the posts of people who have healthily moved on from their previous relationship

user38 fine as hell lowk

oscarpiastri this is 100% the most healthy way to handle this

landonorris I didn’t ask

user39 all of their friends are so annoyed and it’s so funny

———————————————

yourusername added to their story

maxfewtrell

Is this a song where you admit you’re still in love with Lando so you both can finally get over your emotional immaturity???

yourusername

kinda

maxfewtrell

Oh fr?

I thought you’d just be mean to him for the whole song

yourusername

Uhhh-

——————————————

yourusername

liked by sabrinacarpenter taylorswift and 21,000,111 others

yourusername imgonnagetyouback out now 🩶

Load comments…

user40 IM GONNA GET YOU BACK

user41 oh my god it’s so good

user42 LANDO GET UP

user43 THE CAPTION FROM PARIS WAS A SONG LYRICCCCC

user44 oh so she’s still in love with him

user45 “you were never not mine” 💀

user46 I CAN FEEL IT COMING HUMMIN IN THE WAY YOU MOVE

user47 PUSH THE RESET BUTTON WERE BECOMING SOMETHING NEW

user48 SAY YOU GOT SOMEBODY ILL SAY IVE GOT SOMEONE TOO

user49 EVEN IF ITS HANDCUFFED IM LEAVING HERE WITH YOU

user50 “I’m an Aston Martin” okay lance strollll

oscarpiastri “I’ve got someone too” no you do not 💀

yourusername oh my god shut up

user51 she’s still in love with him dhmu

maxfewtrell when I asked if this was going to be emotionally healthy and not a diss I can now see why you were conflicted…. Bit of both tbh

yourusername 🫶

maxfewtrell 👎

user52 told my friends I hate you but I love you just the same 😭

user53 SO GOOD

user54 WHETHER IM GONNA BE YOUR WIFE????

——————————————

landonorris added to their story

maxfewtrell

…

what does this achieve

landonorris

What do you want

maxfewtrell

Mate come on

you’re still obviously in love with her

and the song litteraly shows she’s still in love with you

all you’ve done is post a thirst trap of yourself with song lyrics on top

landonorris

It’s not a thirst trap

maxfewtrell

I hate both of you

text her mate

you’re happier together

And I’m tired of both of you annoying the shit out of me

landonorris

Fine

Maybe I will

maxfewtrell

Thank god

It’d be the first time you listened to me

—————————————

MESSAGES

INSTAGRAM

yourusername added to their story

maxfewtrell

That better be Lando or so help me god

yourusername

Calm your tits

It is

maxfewtrell

YEAHHHH

Finally

I can stop playing matchmaker

yourusername

😒😒😒😒

————————————————

oscarpiastri

Oh so this means you’ll both stop dragging me into your dumb shit

yourusername

🖕🖕🖕🖕

oscarpiastri

🫶

———————————————

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

landonorris

liked by yourusername maxfewtrell and 13,001,881 others

landonorris told my friends I hate you but I love you just the same

load comments…

user55 YEAHHHHHHH

user56 Y/N LIKED WE’RE SO BACK

user57 my favs

user58 my parents are back together 😭

user59 unlike your real ones

user58 woah???

user59 🤷‍♀️ it’s the truth

user60 I missed them so much 😭😭😭

user61 admitted you love your ex-gf on main, this is self-improvement

yourusername pick your poison, babe

landonorris I’m poison either way

user62 I appreciate the repeating lyrics at each other because it is cute but those are not the kindest lyrics to be repeating 😭

user63 who knew that shit-talking your ex in a song could get him to re-admit his love for you

maxfewtrell took you long enough

landonorris legitimately who asked you

maxfewtrell I’m the reason this even happened in the first place. Watch your tone.

landonorris thanks i guess

maxfewtrell “I guess” @/yourusername this is how happy he is to have you back

yourusername landoooo

landonorris sorry. Thank you so much max, I’m so grateful you brought the loml back to me.

maxfewtrell you’re welcome ☺️

—————————————

yourusername

liked by landonorris maxfewtrell and 20,887,991 others

yourusername got you back

load comments…

user64 she got him back 🥹

user65 YEAHHHHH LFG

user66 awwwww

user67 I love them so much

user68 sleeping on the highway tonight 🫶

oscarpiastri 🥳🥳🥳

liked by yourusername

user69 these pictures are so cute oh my god 😭

user70 IM GONNA GET YOU BACK

landonorris you decided wether you’re gonna be my wife or smash up my bike yet?

yourusername still not sure… maybe both 🤔

user71 BOTH?????

user72 YEAH YEAH THATS FUNNY AND ALL BUT SHE JUST SAID SHE’D MARRY HIM

maxfewtrell congratulations nerds

yourusername thanks mate

user73 I’m in love with both of them

user74 they’re both so much happier together I really hope they stick this time

user75 and when she releases a love album then what

landonorris ily 🫶

yourusername ily2 🫶

user76 Jesus Christ they’re such teenagers 😭 USE FULL WORDS 😭😭😭

user77 no I get them. I wouldn’t post full love confessions in an Instagram comment section either lmao

user78 they got each other back 🫶

———————————————

Taglist: @casperlikej @evie-119

[qtboni]

hi AGAIN.

ugh i cant get out of your fucking page. its like i live here like a rat

im back, hi, have another req bc i just thought of it and needed it in my veins.

how about some comfort from fatherfigure!price? like reader is sad kinda and he helps? maybe reader "accidentally" calls him dad, nothing to /srs

(im mentally okay i swear😭)

idk if you even do price tbh, i haven't seen it on your page tho

anyways i needed to write this somewhere or ill forget and like wither away into nothing or sum shit

im being dramatic. i think.

okay thats it bye bye dearest boni.

(sorry im constently blowing up your asks😭😭)

HAI LOVIE !! THIS WAS SO FUNNY TO WRITE AGHSHS ALSO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LOMG OMG.

╰﹒ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐃 𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄 ?

PAIRING: Captain 'John' Price X Reader

C/W: comfort & humor! + gn!reader, explicit words, price playin' wit chu, somebody ate your cake (it was soap don't tell him tho /hj)

W/C: 1.3k

"What's got you looking so down today, sergeant?" Captain Price asked in his usual stern voice as he entered the living room, noticing the dejected look on your face.

You had been sitting on the sofa for hours now, cleaning your holster and moping around. He approached you with a glass of water in hand.

"Somebody ate my cake," you slowly replied, your voice heavy with emotion. You didn't usually get sad over such small things, but today, you feel so tired.

"Are you telling me that you're this upset over a slice of cake?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone. Captain Price raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised to hear something like that coming from you.

"I guess I am," you said, your voice barely audible. You shrugged and looked down at your holster, not wanting to admit to being such a crybaby. "I was saving it for this specific rest day to ... indulge myself with sweets.."

Captain Price's expression softened as he placed the glass of water down next to you. He sat down on the sofa next to you and put an arm around your shoulders.

"Listen, sergeant," he said in a comforting tone, "It's okay to be upset about something. Everyone has their own quirks and things that are important to them. And in our line of work, we need to be able to deal with any situation and not let little stuff like this get us down."

"Thanks, Cap'," you said, a hint of embarrassment in your voice. You smiled at him, grateful for the reassurance.

"Any time," He replied with a soft smile. He then stood up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with two fairly large cookies, handing it to you. "Here, this should cheer you up."

"No way," You were overjoyed, your face lighting up with a smile.

"Yes way," He replied, playfully eyeing the cookies then to you. "Have it, yeah?"

"Dad, oh my god," You squealed excitedly, taking a bite out of the cookie, savoring the taste of the sweetness and the tenderness. "This is so sweet of you. Thank you so much!"

Oh no. Dad? Did you just call your captain, 'dad'?

Avoiding the embarrassment of calling your captain 'dad' in a moment of vulnerability, you silently prayed that he hadn't heard it. This was going to be awkward, and the thought of having to explain yourself was making you cringe.

Just play it off...

Now as much as Price wants to give you the other cookie for you to eat, he retracted his hand away from your grabby hands, not letting you get one.

"Cap?" Your hands stay levitated, clearly ready to munch on the cookie on your Captain's grip.

Did he caught on?

"Hm?"

You had to think fast. Change the subject before things got too awkward!

"Are.. are you going to eat that?"

"Nope."

"Then why- actually no, just- isn't that for me?"

"Correct," He chuckles as he continued dangling the pastry infront of you.

Silence.

You stared at him incredulously, your hand visibly itching to just pounce on the cookie and munch on it.

What was your captain doing?

"See, the funny thing is, kid," He trailed off as he waves the cookie back and forth with his hand up in the air. He smirks when your eyes followed the cookie's movement. "I haven't thought much of being a father."

Shit. Play it off...

You hummed in confusion, tilting your head in curiosity.

Where was he going with this? And also, can he just give you the cookie? After all, he gave it to you, right?

Just give me the cookie, dammit.

"Let alone..." He paused and looked at you in the eyes. Shit. "Someone calling me one, aye?"

You feel like you could sink into the ground and vanish from existence. The embarrassment was too much to bear!

"...Who?"

Bye.

Captain Price chuckles at you, "Don't play dumb on me now, sergeant."

Your mind is racing, trying to think of something to say. You stuttered a reply, "I- Capta-"

But before you know it, he interrupts your thoughts with his sharp wit.

"Oh? It was 'Dad' a second ago, wasn't it?" He retorded with a proud smirk playing across his lips, looking at you with an air of amusement and teasing. He knows exactly what to say to get under your skin and he's not afraid to use it to his advantage.

It's clear that he wants an answer, but all you can do is sputter a few incoherent words before retreating back into your shell. You feel a mix of embarrassment and frustration, wishing you could come up with a clever come-back, but the only thing that's clear right now is that Price has you stumped.

"Sergeant?" He calls out to you teasingly, awaiting for your reply to his question.

"Mhm?" You can feel your ears slowly turning red as your Captain's teasing hits a nerve. You can't seem to quite meet his eyes, instead looking at the ground with an embarrassed blush. You fidget with the straps of your holster, unable to quite figure out how to respond.

"Wasn't it 'Dad' a second ago?" Captain Price repeated as he raised an eyebrow, looking at you with a mix of amusement and confusion.

You blush in embarrassment as you realize he wouldn't let you get off easily withyour slip-up. You look down at the ground.

"I'm sorry, sir," You quickly clear your throat, hoping to regain your composure. Still unable to break your gaze from the floor, you mutter, "It won't happen again."

Suddenly, the cookie appeared in your line of vision that was still situated at the ground. You heard your captain sigh and tutted, drawing your attention back to him.

The cookie! The cookie?

He held the cookie out to you, a small smile playing on his lips as he waited for you to accept it. You were initially taken aback, feeling a surge of warmth and gratitude toward your captain.

"Didn't ask for an apology, kid," He said with a playful frown, seemingly amused by the situation. He took your hand and placed the cookie on it, his gaze locking onto yours. "Was just surprised is all, hm?"

"Still," You cleared you throat as straightened your posture and looked up at him, albeit still feeling the sting of embarrassment. "It's my bad."

"Mhm," He hummed softly and raised his hand up to your head. He gently pats your head affectionately, yet his hand ruffled your hair, leaving it disheveled. "Whatever floats your boat, kid."

The soft pat on your head sends shivers down your spine, and you give him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Cap', again." You beemed up with a smile, raising the cookie to his vision.

He gives a small nod before turning to leave, leaving you with a sense of warmth and contentment that stays with you long after he's gone. You watch as he offered a small wave goodbye and you respond the same, feeling a sense of gratitude for his kindnesses and understanding.

You were about to take a bite out of the delicious cookie he had given you. But just as you were about to revel in the sweet taste, you heard his voice once more calling out to you and startling you.

Turning around, you saw him standing there infront of the doorway, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he continued to speak.

"Though," he began, his voice low but full of laughter spilling through, "The cake's delicious, kid. Would have it again, 10 out of 10," he finished with a wink, and you couldn't help but gape at his leaving form.

What.

"Motherfuc-"

navi / masterlist

[kingconia]

hi! are your requests open (feel free to delete this ask if not)? i love ur writing style! i’d like to request hcs of leona with an s/o who gets sick easily.. like if it’s cold, they’re sick but if it’s hot they’re also sick. my immune system is weak irl and i’d love to see this written (only if u can tho!!)

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR WITH S/O, WHO GETS SICK EASILY

— Leona grew up around beastmen, and other specific creatures, who rarely get sick, thanks to their strong immune system. So, when Leona notices how often you catch cold, he is absolutely confused;

— He is not even sure how it happens? Leona always makes sure to wrap some additional clothes around you, when it is chilly outside, and yet, you wake up with temperature as you cough your lungs out;

— You explain that it is natural for you, something that had been happening in your previous life too, and that yours immune system is that weak. Leona still having a hard time to proceed this fact;

— When winter ends, bringing back a warm and familiar to him weather, Leona relaxes. Surely, you are not going to fall sick in the spring, right? Right?!

— He is wrong. And desperate;

— The fact that you yourself don't even pay attention to your state, irritates him even more. What do you mean that's normal?! You can die! (He is such a drama queen, but isn't that sweet?);

— When Leona brings you to the Afterglow Savanna, thinking that there you will be safe here from any kind of diseases, and you still manage to lay down with temperature, Leona gives up;

— Or not really? He still thinks that, perhaps, there is some potion to fix the problem! And he is sure about being able to figure it out, sooner or later;

— But for now, Leona can take care of you! His laziness means nothing, when it is a question of your health;

— He can easily feed you, bring you medicine, and generally sit with you, when you are feeling weaker than usual. And if you sleep a lot, when you are ill, it is a perfect bonus!

— Leona will never admit, but he secretly likes being able to pamper you so much. A proud lion taking care of his great lioness!

•

”...Leona?”

”Hm-m?”

You open your mouth, but close it again, when you meet these emerald eyes of his.

There is a question you are meaning to ask him for a while, but all your attempts fail. Either because you get too nervous about to this topic, or because Leona distracts you effectively.

”Well?” He raises his eyebrows. ”Spit it out, herbivore.”

You scrunch your nose, watching him to put more meat on your plate. Leona seriously needs to stop calling ’herbivore’, when all he does it feeds you with meat...

”Don't you get annoyed?”

”I am always annoyed,” he chuckles with unhidden amusement.

”No way,” you roll your eyes. ”I mean... Don't you get annoyed that I am sick all the time? It is not fun to have me around, you know.”

Well, it is not like you are chained to the bed on the daily basis, of course! There are always weeks, when you have no troubles in paradise at all; much like right now. Yet, it still bothers you.

”And I am the fun to have around?” Leona huffs.

You shrug.

It is Leona. He might have a specific character—and a streak for angry issues—but deep inside, he is truly nice and comforting person. And, funny. Especially, when he mocks the headmaster.

“Oi, herbivore, are you serious?” He blinks, a genuine surprise paints his face for a second, before he sighs. ”Where it comes from?”

Well, it is only natural to be plugged by these thoughts. That is how things worked in your previous worlds, after all. You were troublesome in eyes of others—and your own—and even kind jokes from your friends about this matter, made you feel bad about yourself.

”Listen,” Leona frowns. ”I am not annoyed. What about I should be annoyed? It is how your immune system works, that's it.”

”Yeah, but,” you gesture vaguely in the air, ”I am not really a sport person, so we can't share some quality time together. And I even caught the fly, when we were in Savanna. Which was extremely embarrassing, by the way. And—”

Leona catches your hand in his, letting out another exasperated sigh. You instantly cut your speech, carefully starting to study an expression on his face.

”Tch. First of all, we have chess matches—that what am I calling a good quality time,” of course, he does. He wins all the time. ”Secondly... Yeah, of course, I was freaking out, when you got sick in Savanna—I mean, had you seen the fucking weather here?—but, you gave me a mighty excuse not only to skip meetings with Falena, but also sit without Cheka for a while. If it wasn't fun for you, sorry. But it was the best holidays in my life.”

You scoff.

Prince Cheka wasn't allowed in your chambers back then, his mother being worried that he might catch cold from you. And Leona seemed indeed happy by that...

”You are such an ass—”

”I am acting irritated sometimes,” he continues, ignoring your remark. ”But, I am not mad at you. If anything, I am just frustrated about how useless I am.”

Ah, what a sweetheart.

Your faces softens instantly, and your hand grips his tightly.

”...I love you.”

”Yeah, just no need to thank me. You are a perfect justification for missing classes, you know?”

...Nevermind.

”Leona, fuck o... Achoo!”

His lips curl in a smirk.

”Oh, seems like I am about to miss housewardens' meeting. Again. What a shame.”

You hate Leona sometimes. You really do.

[seelestars]

Hello. I'm sorry if this is sudden but I was wondering if you took story requests and if you do, could you make a platonic Dan heng story with the reader being the child of his previous incarnation Dan feng and is the reader still quite young. Jing Yuan is the one to tell Dan Heng about them even though he's only met the reader a couple times and doesn't know them very well, but Jing Yuan felt like Dan Heng had the right to know about the reader especially after the reader had an encounter with Blade. (If this is too much that's completely understandable and I wish you a good day/afternoon and or night😊)

➴ ✫ * ✧ DAN HENG MEETS HIS CHILD !!?

a/n : sorry if there’s like. plot holes? in areas bcuz ik vidyadhara can’t reproduce and adopting just didn’t make sense for me in this context ���ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡ i hope u still enjoy tho!

edit : HELPP I MEANT FOR THIS TO BE G/N YET I ACCIDENTALLY PUT DAUGHTER MY BAD OMG.

this moment of peace was much needed, though rare since he returned to the luofu temporarily to sort some things out. he blew on his tea, taking a small sip before he sensed another’s presence approaching him. he set the cup down, turning around to see just who it was that dared to disturb him. he relaxed slightly, after noticing it was just jing yuan.

an old friend of his previous incarnation.

but what could he possibly need from him at this time? he kept wondering to himself before jing yuan spoke up, his usual calm expression on his face, “sorry if I was bothering you. i thought there was something you should know.” he could sense his choice of words were a little more causal than usual, as if he still viewed him as dan feng. “go ahead.” he nodded, waiting for jing yuan to spill whatever he needed him to know.

though what he said next, brought him shock he hadn’t felt in a while.

“…you have a child.” jing yuan confessed, the calm smile never leaving his face even while confessing such news. “..how come.. I never knew about this?” dan heng had a puzzled look on his face, his eyes widened uncharacteristically. “that… im not exactly sure. but they have strikingly similar features to yours, and we even did a dna test. …you’re the father.” jing yuan said sheepishly, letting out a small chuckle. “but that aside, would you like to see them?” he offered.

even though he was no longer dan feng, he couldn’t find it in himself to refuse.

“..sure.” dan heng said awkwardly, following jing yuan to where his supposed child was. they walked for a little while, until they reached the busy and crowded streets of the luofu.

there they were.

a young teen that resembled dan heng was distracted, playing celestial jade with qingque. they had similarly colored horns that sprouted out like branches above their head, except with a scaly tail poking out from a hole in their outfit.

“thank you for distracting them, qingque. they seem to be quite a carefree spirit from what ive seen, so I appreciate you helping them stay in one place for the time being.” jing yuan had an amused smile on his face as he looked at dan heng before looking back to his child. “no problem general.” qingque responded, her eyes still glued to the game of celestial jade as she made another move. “ill be taking my leave now, have fun you all.” and with that, jing yuan disappeared in the crowd of people.

you on the other hand, was too focused on dan heng to pay attention to the game. “who are you?” you had a friendly look on your face, even though he was a complete stranger to you. “mmm wait… you look like me!” you smiled, always so full of energy.

“..I suppose I do.” dan heng smiled warmly back, feeling his heart melt at the sight of you. “and that’s because.. I am apparently, your father.” he averted his gaze awkwardly, the smile fading from his face. he was never good with kids, even when they act like someone he’s familiar with (march).

“ooooh.. I’ve always thought I didn’t have a father or anything of the sorts!” there was an excited look in your eyes as he admitted to being related to you in that way, your arms immediately pulling him into an embrace. dan heng was never a huge fan of chatterboxes, but he didn’t seem to mind when it came to you rambling about how excited and happy you felt. your childlike innocence warmed his heart in a way, as he found himself returning your embrace.

he was never good with kids, but maybe, just maybe, he’ll learn how to be a father. for you.

[mcrdvcks]

Down Bad - Chapter 5

Chapter Summary: After the events on Kamino, the squad lays low, completing small missions for Cid.

Word Count: 12.9k+

Pairing: Hunter x fem!Jedi Original Character

Notes: so this is a short (not really tho it's around 13k words) interlude between bad batch season 1 and 2. there are a few different short stories, pretty much all of them fluffy. but if you do not like sicknesses or illnesses (they are not described much, other than sneezing, coughing, and stuffy nose) i suggest you don't read the end of this. enjoy!

Series Masterlist - Chapter 4 → Chapter 6

AO3 Link For Chapter

Amina walked onto the Marauder, as Omega glanced up from her datapad. “Hey, Omega. Want to help me with something?” Amina shook the small box in her hand.

Omega got off the chair in the cockpit, “yeah! What do you need, General?”

Amina chucked, “well, I need to dye my hair again.”

Omega raised an eyebrow, “that’s not your natural hair?”

“Nope. My natural hair color is brown, but since most people know who I am, I died it to an auburn color. But the dye is fading so I thought I’d try a new color.” She shook the box again, “it’s black, so not a big difference, but anyways, do you wanna help me?”

Omega's eyes widened with excitement at the prospect of helping Amina dye her hair. "Sure, I'd love to help!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with enthusiasm as she practically bounced over to where Amina was standing. "I've never dyed anyone's hair before. This is gonna be fun!"

Amina chuckled at Omega's excitement, feeling a warmth spread through her chest at the younger girl's infectious energy. "Glad to have you on board," she said with a smile, holding out the box of black hair dye for Omega to inspect.

Omega eagerly took the box, examining it with intense curiosity as she read the instructions printed on the back. “Wait,” she looked up at Amina, “won’t Hunter get mad?”

Amina shrugged, “if we can get it done before the boys get back from getting our supplies, they’ll never know until they see the final results. We just have to be careful to not ruin the refresher.”

Omega grinned mischievously, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "Sounds like a plan! Let's get started."

The two of them made their way to the refresher, leaving their weapons in the cockpit. Once inside the small refresher, Amina spread an old towel over the floor to catch any drips, while Omega eagerly tore open the box of hair dye.

"So, how does this work?" Omega asked, peering at the instructions on the back of the box.

Amina took the box from her and quickly skimmed over the directions. "Looks like we just mix these two bottles together," she explained, holding up two small tubes of liquid. "Then we apply it to my hair, wait for a bit, and rinse it out. Simple enough."

Omega giggled, her excitement bubbling over as she eagerly grabbed the bottles of dye from Amina. “Alright, let’s do this!”

Working together, Amina and Omega mixed the two liquids according to the instructions on the box, creating the black hair dye. Omega carefully sectioned off Amina’s hair, using clips to keep it out of the way as they began the process of applying the dye.

“You have a lot of hair.” Omega said, starting to dye the lowest section of her hair.

“Yeah. I don’t think my hair has ever been this long. I kept it short because of the Jedi’s rules.”

Omega nodded, her brow furrowing slightly in concentration as she carefully applied the dye to Amina's hair. "What were the rules?" she asked, her curiosity piqued as she worked.

Amina chuckled softly, the memory of her Jedi training bringing a smile to her lips. "Well, there were a lot of rules," she admitted, her voice tinged with amusement. "But one of them was that Jedi weren't supposed to have attachments. Relationships, especially romantic ones, were discouraged."

Omega's eyes widened in surprise as she processed this information. "That sounds... kinda lonely," she remarked, her tone thoughtful as she continued to work on Amina's hair.

Amina nodded, a hint of sadness creeping into her expression. "It could be," she agreed quietly. "But it was also about avoiding the temptation of the dark side. Attachment can lead to fear, and fear can lead to anger, and... well…” Amina sighed, “they tried to keep me and Anakin apart, but it didn’t go well. They realized that we were stronger together, so they stopped trying to keep us separate. We didn’t see each other all the time when we were padawans, because we had different masters, but we saw each other when we were both at the Temple.”

Omega finished the first small section, “I guess I never realized how hard it was.”

Amina smiled, “it’s alright. It’s all over with now. All we can do is move forward.”

---

Hunter and the rest of the squad walked back onto the Marauder, finding it empty. The absence of Amina and Omega was immediately noticeable, and a sense of unease settled over the group as they exchanged worried glances.

"Where are they?" Wrecker asked, his brow furrowed with concern as he scanned the interior of the ship.

"I don't know," Hunter replied, his voice tinged with worry. "They were here when we left to get supplies."

Tech looked in the cockpit, “Omega left her crossbow and Amina left her lightsaber. So, either they went somewhere close by, or are still on the ship.”

"They wouldn't have just left without telling us," Echo remarked, his voice laced with concern as he scanned the interior of the ship.

"No, they wouldn't," Hunter agreed, his brow furrowing with worry. "Which means something must have happened."

Wrecker's eyes widened with alarm as he glanced around the empty hangar. "What if they've been captured?" he suggested, his voice filled with dread at the thought of his friends being in danger.

Hunter's jaw clenched with determination as he considered Wrecker's suggestion. "We need to find them," he declared, his voice firm as he turned to face the rest of the squad. "Tech, see if you can track their comms. Echo, check the surrounding area. Wrecker, with- ”

They heard muffled laughing coming from down the hall as Hunter walked over, with his helmet under his arm. He stopped in front of the refresher’s door and knocked hearing Amina let out a muffled curse.

Hunter's brow furrowed with concern as he heard Amina's muffled curse from behind the closed door of the refresher. Without hesitation, he knocked again, this time with a sense of urgency in his rap on the metal surface.

"Amina? Omega?" he called out, his voice tense with worry as he waited for a response. He heard another round of muffled laughter from within the refresher, followed by the sound of shuffling feet.

The door slid open slowly, revealing Amina and Omega standing side by side, both with guilty expressions on their faces. Part of Amina’s hair was covered in black dye, and there were splotches of the dark liquid on her forehead and cheeks, while Omega had streaks of dye on her hands and arms.

Hunter's eyes widened with surprise as he took in their appearances, a mixture of amusement and exasperation crossing his features. "What in the galaxy are you two doing?" he asked, his voice a mixture of amusement and concern.

Amina glanced sheepishly at Omega before meeting Hunter's gaze. "Uh, we were just... dyeing my hair," she admitted, her voice tinged with embarrassment as she gestured to her half of her head covered with dye, while the other half remained up in clips.

Wrecker came up behind Hunter, his brow furrowed in confusion as he held his blaster, but then he burst into laughter. "Dyeing your hair, huh?" he chuckled, his deep voice booming through the hallway of the Marauder. "You two had us worried sick! Hunter was about to send out a search party!”

Hunter glared at Wrecker before turning his gaze back to Amina and Omega. Amina’s face held a smirk, “I guess we are pretty important, aren’t we?” Amina said, holding her hand out for a high-five as Omega air high-fived her.

Hunter's glare softened slightly at Amina's smirk, unable to suppress the fondness that warmed his chest at her playful demeanor. He couldn't help but admire her resilience, her ability to find humor even in the midst of uncertainty and danger. As much as he tried to maintain a stern facade, he couldn't deny the affection he felt for the spirited young Jedi.

"Yeah, you two definitely keep us on our toes," Hunter replied with a chuckle, returning Amina's high-five with a gentle slap of his hand against hers. "But next time, maybe give us a heads up before you disappear. We were starting to worry."

Amina grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she exchanged a glance with Omega. "Noted," she said, her voice filled with amusement. "We'll try to remember that for next time."

Omega nodded eagerly, her brown eyes shining with excitement. "Yeah, we promise!" she exclaimed, her enthusiasm infectious as she flashed a bright smile at Hunter and the rest of the squad.

“Now, come on, Omega. Let’s ignore them and finish up. I don’t really think a half-and-half look is going to be good on me.”

As Omega and Amina resumed the task at hand, Hunter and the rest of the squad exchanged amused glances. Wrecker was still chuckling to himself, a wide grin plastered across his face as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I swear, those two always find a way to keep us on our toes," Echo remarked with a smirk, his tone filled with amusement as he leaned against the wall of the hallway.

Tech nodded in agreement, his expression thoughtful as he adjusted his glasses. "Indeed. Amina's presence has certainly added an element of unpredictability to our missions."

Hunter couldn't help but smile at the camaraderie shared between his squadmates. Despite the challenges they faced on a daily basis, moments like these reminded him of the bond they shared, the sense of family that had formed between them.

"Yeah, well, let's give them some space to finish up," Hunter said, gesturing for the rest of the squad to move away from the refresher. "We can catch up with them later."

The squad dispersed, leaving Amina and Omega to finish their impromptu hair-dyeing session in peace. As they worked together to apply the dye to Amina's hair, their conversation drifted to lighter topics, their laughter filling the confined space of the refresher.

Once they had finished applying the dye and rinsed it out, Amina stepped out of the refresher with a grin, her hair now a sleek shade of black that contrasted beautifully with her brown skin. Omega followed close behind, a proud smile on her face as she admired her handiwork.

"You look amazing!" Omega exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement as she admired Amina's new look.

Amina smiled gratefully at Omega, a warmth spreading through her chest at the younger girl's enthusiasm. "Thanks, Omega. You did a great job," she said, reaching out to ruffle Omega's hair affectionately.

Omega beamed at the praise, her cheeks flushed with pride. "Anytime, Amina. I had a lot of fun," she said.

Amina smiled warmly at Omega, feeling a sense of gratitude wash over her. "I had fun too," she admitted, her voice soft with affection. "Thanks for helping me out."

Omega grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Anytime," she said, her tone playful as she reached out to give Amina a playful nudge. "Just let me know if you ever want to try out any other hair colors. I'm always up for a new adventure."

Amina chuckled, shaking her head in amusement at Omega's boundless energy. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied with a smile, ruffling Omega's hair affectionately. "But for now, I think I'm happy with black."

As they made their way back to the cockpit, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment settle over her. Despite the lingering threat of the Empire and the uncertainty of their future, she found solace in the camaraderie she shared with Omega and the rest of the Bad Batch.

As they entered the cockpit, they found Hunter and the rest of the squad waiting for them, their expressions a mix of amusement and relief. Hunter's gaze softened as he took in Amina's new hair color, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Nice hair, General," he remarked, his voice warm with approval as he gestured to Amina's sleek black locks. "I like the new look."

Amina grinned, a warmth spreading through her chest at Hunter's compliment. "Thanks, Hunter," she said, her voice tinged with gratitude. "Omega did most of the work."

Omega beamed at the praise, her chest puffing up with pride at the acknowledgment from Hunter. "It was a team effort," she said proudly, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Now, Omega, how about we get some food? I’m starving.” Amina suggested to Omega.

Wrecker perked up, “food?”

Hunter held out his hand with a few credits as Amina shook her head, “I don’t need credits.”

Amina's refusal caught Hunter off guard, his hand lingering in the air for a moment before he withdrew it, a puzzled expression crossing his features. "You don't need credits?" he echoed, his brow furrowing with confusion as he glanced at Amina. "Why not?"

Amina waved her hand, “mind tricks. Although, I consider it to be more like persuasion. And if needed, womanly wiles.” She patted Omega’s back, “come on, let’s get some food.”

“I would li- ”

“I’ll get you food too, Wrecker.” Amina called out, cutting him off, as her and Omega walked into the streets of Ord Mantell.

---

Omega sat on the stairs of the Marauder, fiddling with her comm. They were on a mission, a simple grab and go. The squad went to go get the crate as Omega and Amina stayed with the ship. An idea popped into Amina’s head as she jumped out of the ship holding her lightsaber.

“Want to have some fun? Grab some twigs or rocks and throw them at me.”

Omega's eyes widened with excitement at the prospect of a game. "Really? That sounds like fun!" she exclaimed, eagerly hopping to her feet as she scanned the area for suitable projectiles. Spotting a pile of small rocks nearby, she quickly scooped up a handful and turned back to Amina with a wide grin.

Amina grabbed a thick ribbon she uses to tie up her hair as she blindfolded herself. “Throw when ready!”

“Are you sure?” Omega asked, taken aback by Amina putting a blindfold on herself.

“Yep. This is how we trained at the temple. Move around if you’d like, I promise you won’t hurt me.” Amina turned on her lightsaber, twisting it in her hand as the blue light shone.

Omega hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should really throw the rocks at Amina, but the Jedi's reassuring smile put her at ease. With a determined expression, she wound up and threw the first rock, aiming carefully to avoid hitting Amina.

Amina listened intently, relying on her senses to anticipate the trajectory of the rocks. With a graceful spin of her lightsaber, she deflected the first one effortlessly, the rock bouncing harmlessly off the blade and clattering to the ground.

Encouraged by her success, Omega threw another rock, this time with a little more force. Amina reacted swiftly, deflecting the rock with ease as she moved gracefully around the forest floor, her movements fluid and precise.

As the squad walked closer to the Marauder, with Wrecker carrying a heavy tote, they saw Amina blindfolded, twirling around as Omega threw varies objects at her.

"What in the galaxy are they doing?" Echo muttered, his brow furrowing with confusion as he watched Amina gracefully deflecting Omega's projectiles.

Wrecker chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest as he adjusted the weight of the tote on his shoulder. "Looks like they're having some kind of training exercise," he remarked, his eyes following Amina's fluid movements with interest.

Tech, ever the analytical one, squinted as he observed the scene. "It appears to be a form of sensory training," he observed, his tone thoughtful as he studied Amina's blindfolded form. "A test of her ability to rely on her other senses, particularly her connection to the Force."

Hunter nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on Amina as she continued to move with grace and precision. There was something mesmerizing about the way she moved, a fluidity and confidence that spoke to her years of training as a Jedi.

"Should we... interrupt?" Echo asked hesitantly, glancing uncertainly at Hunter as he gestured towards the blindfolded Jedi.

Hunter considered the question for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of interrupting Amina's training. On one hand, they were on a tight schedule, and they needed to get moving as soon as possible. But on the other hand, he didn't want to disrupt Amina's focus or inadvertently cause her harm.

Before he could make a decision, Amina seemed to sense their presence, her movements faltering slightly as she turned towards them, the blindfold still covering her eyes.

"Hey, guys!" she called out, her voice bright and cheerful despite the blindfold. "Just finishing up some sensory training with Omega.” The girl threw two rocks at Amina as she spoke, her lightsaber cutting them in half.

The Bad Batch approached cautiously, their curiosity piqued by the sight of Amina twirling around gracefully, her lightsaber slicing through rocks and twigs thrown by Omega with precision.

Hunter stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Amina with a mixture of admiration and concern. "Sensory training, huh?" he remarked, his voice tinged with amusement as he watched Amina's fluid movements.

Amina nodded, a grin spreading across her face as she continued to deflect Omega's projectiles. "Yeah," she replied, her voice slightly breathless from the exertion. "Just trying to stay sharp."

Omega threw one last rock and twig as Amina took off her makeshift blindfold. “You did good. But not good enough, young one.” Amina playfully said.

"Aw, man," Omega replied, her tone playful as she stuck out her tongue at Amina. "I'll get you next time, General."

Amina chuckled, her heart light with amusement as she watched Omega's playful antics. Despite the challenges they faced on a daily basis, moments like these reminded her of the joy and camaraderie she shared with the rest of the squad.

---

Cid’s parlor was a bit busier than usual today, so Amina took it upon herself to do some bartending for extra credits. AZI was her helper, or really more like an annoyance, but she made the drinks quickly and to everyone’s liking.

Cid walked behind the bar and threw a piece of clothing at her, landing on her face as Amina pulled it off. “Put that on.” Cid said.

Amina looked it over, grimacing. “What… is it?”

“It’s a dress.”

Amina scoffed as Cid walked away, throwing the so-called dress underneath the bar. She wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of wearing a dress, especially not one that seemed to have been picked out by Cid of all people. With a shake of her head, she leaned against the bar, glancing around the bustling parlor.

AZI hovered nearby, its mechanical whirring filling the air as it scanned the room for any potential troublemakers. Despite its somewhat grating presence, Amina couldn't deny that having AZI around provided a sense of security, especially in a place as rowdy as Cid's parlor.

"So, are you going to put on the dress?" AZI chirped, its voice tinged with curiosity as it floated closer to Amina.

Amina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not a chance," she replied firmly. "I'd rather wear my Jedi robes than whatever monstrosity Cid picked out for me."

AZI let out an amused beep, its sensors flickering with amusement. "Suit yourself," it said, its mechanical voice filled with amusement. "But you might want to reconsider. Cid can be... persuasive when she wants to be."

Amina arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "I'm not afraid of Cid," she declared, her tone confident. "I can handle whatever she throws at me."

As if on cue, Cid returned to the bar, a mischievous glint in her eye as she approached Amina. "So, did you try on the dress yet?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Amina shook her head, her expression unapologetic. "Not interested," she replied, her tone firm.

Cid chuckled, leaning against the bar as she regarded Amina with amusement. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" she remarked, a hint of admiration in her voice. "I like that."

Amina raised an eyebrow, taken aback by Cid's unexpected compliment. "Uh, thanks?" she replied, unsure of how to respond.

“But since the rest of the gang is out, you are working for me.”

“I’m not working for you. I’m not even getting paid other than the tips. I’m doing this because I’m bored.”

Cid tapped her long nails against the bar, “how about I pay you and you put on the dress?”

Amina arched an eyebrow, “alright, maybe. How much?”

“15 credits for the night.”

“No way, I’m worth a lot more than 15 credits. 60.”

“25.”

“40.”

Cid sighed, “deal. Put on the dress.”

Amina groaned, “why? It’s an ugly dress.”

“Because you’re bringing the mood down here with those rags of yours.” Cid said, her eyes roaming over Amina’s clothes. She looked down at her raggedy poncho and back up.

“Okay. I see your point. But it’s not that bad. And how do I know you’re not lying to me to try and get some of these mercenaries to get handsy with me?”

“You don’t trust me?”

She scoffed, “no. I don’t trust Trandoshans.” She looked outside, noting it was almost nighttime and the squad and Omega should be back from their mission in a few hours.

“Fine, think of it this way. You putting on a dress, means more tips.” Cid said, making the money gesture.

Amina rolled her eyes at Cid's persistence, but she couldn't deny the logic in the argument about potentially increasing her tips. With a resigned sigh, she relented. "Fine, but I'm not wearing it for long," she grumbled, reaching under the bar to retrieve the discarded dress.

Cid grinned triumphantly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she watched Amina begrudgingly retrieve the dress. "That's the spirit," she declared, her tone cheerful as she leaned back against the bar.

As Amina slipped into the dress, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. The fabric was scratchy against her skin, and the cut of the dress was far too revealing for her liking. She tugged at the hem, trying in vain to cover more skin as she shot a glare in Cid's direction.

Cid chuckled at Amina's discomfort, her laughter ringing out through the bustling parlor. "Looking good, General," she teased, her tone playful as she surveyed Amina's appearance.

Amina scowled at the nickname, but she didn't protest. She knew that Cid was just trying to get a rise out of her, and she refused to give her the satisfaction.

With a resigned sigh, Amina straightened her shoulders and plastered on a forced smile. "Happy now?" she asked, her tone dry as she turned to face Cid.

Cid grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she nodded in approval. "Ecstatic," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now get back to work. We've got thirsty customers to serve."

Amina rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at having successfully negotiated with Cid. She may not have gotten the best deal, but at least she wouldn't have to endure the dress for long.

As she moved behind the bar to serve the next round of drinks, Amina couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the back of her mind. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about wearing the dress made her feel vulnerable in a way that she wasn't used to.

Pushing aside her doubts, Amina focused on her bartending duties, determined to make the best of the situation. She may not have liked wearing the dress, but she refused to let it affect her performance.

Hours passed in a blur of activity as Amina served drinks and engaged in idle conversation with the patrons of Cid's parlor. Despite her initial reservations, she found herself enjoying the lively atmosphere, the camaraderie of the mercenaries and smugglers providing a welcome distraction from the trials and tribulations of their daily lives.

She was waiting for the parlor to clear out and the Bad Batch and Omega to come back so she could escape, hopefully with a lot more credits than they’ll get from the mission.

And because she’s close to cutting one of Cid’s arms off.

Just as Amina was about to give in to her mounting sense of unease and make a hasty exit, the familiar sound of footsteps echoed through the parlor, drawing her attention towards the entrance. With a sense of relief, she watched as Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, and Omega made their way inside, their weary expressions a testament to the challenges they had faced during their mission.

Omega ran behind the bar to Amina, “woah, that’s new.”

Amina let out a huff, “yeah, I know. Cid made me wear it. But I got some credits out of it.”

Hunter approached the bar, his gaze lingering on Amina for a moment before he spoke. "You look... different," he observed, his tone careful as he studied her appearance.

Amina shifted uncomfortably under Hunter's scrutiny, suddenly self-conscious in a way she hadn't been before. "Yeah, well, Cid has a way of convincing people to do things they don't want to do," she admitted, her voice tinged with annoyance.

Hunter nodded in understanding, his expression sympathetic. "I know the feeling," he replied, his tone rueful. "Cid can be... persuasive when she wants to be."

"Well, at least I got some credits out of it," Amina added, trying to lighten the mood. "And I didn't have to wear the dress for too long."

Hunter chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "That's one way to look at it," he agreed, his tone playful. "Although, I have to admit, you do look good in a dress."

"Thanks," she replied, her voice soft. "But once I get out of this thing, I’m going to burn it with my lightsaber.” Amina reached down on a counter behind the bar and pulled out a small bag of credits, “I think there’s around 400 in there.”

Amina rubbed her japor snippet, looking up at him, “And I still don’t understand why I couldn’t go on the mission.” she muttered.

Hunter looked up from counting the credits, “you had a nightmare last night, I didn’t want to risk it.”

“Come on, a nightmare doesn’t make me a liability. I have them all the time.”

"Amina, it's not just about the nightmare," Hunter began, his voice gentle but firm. "It's about your well-being. We can't afford to take any unnecessary risks, especially when it comes to the safety of the squad."

Amina sighed, her frustration evident in the furrow of her brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I know you're just looking out for me, but I'm not made of glass, Hunter," she protested, her voice tinged with irritation. "I can handle myself, nightmare or not."

Hunter reached out, placing a reassuring hand on Amina's shoulder. "I know you can," he replied softly, his gaze meeting hers with unwavering intensity. "But I can't help but worry about you.”

Amina's expression softened at Hunter's words, a warm feeling spreading through her chest at the sincerity in his voice. Despite their occasional disagreements, there was no denying the bond that had formed between them over the past few months, especially with what happened after Kamino.

"I appreciate your concern, Hunter," Amina said, her voice softening with gratitude. "But you have to trust me. I can handle whatever comes my way."

Hunter nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I do trust you, Amina," he assured her, his grip tightening slightly on her shoulder. "More than you know."

Amina felt a flutter of warmth in her chest at Hunter's words, a surge of affection welling up inside her as she met his gaze. There was something about the way he looked at her, something that made her heart skip a beat every time their eyes met.

Before either of them could say anything more, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, they saw Tech and Echo making their way over to the bar, their expressions somber as they joined the conversation.

"Everything okay?" Tech asked, his brow furrowing with concern as he glanced between Amina and Hunter.

Amina nodded, offering them a reassuring smile. "Yeah, everything's fine," she replied, her tone light despite the lingering tension in the air. "Just having a little chat with Hunter here."

Echo arched an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between Amina and Hunter with a knowing look. "Ah, I see," he said, a playful grin spreading across his face. "Talking about your feelings, are we?"

“Yeah, I was talking about me and Omega going on a shopping spree.”

Omega looked up at Amina, “have you ever been shopping?”

“Nope. But it’s worth a try.” She picked up another small bag with around 500 credits, “there’s got to be some nice shops around here somewhere.”

Hunter’s eyes widened looking at the second bag of credits. “Where did those come from?”

“You really think I’d give you all the credits I earned wearing this stupid thing?” Amina said, walking out with Omega from behind the bar, “no way. I deserve to get some new clothes and maybe some Nectrose Freeze if we’re lucky.” She patted Hunter’s chest plate as her and Omega walked out of the parlor and out into the streets of Ord Mantell.

Hunter turned around on the stool, his gaze lingering on the doorway where Amina and Omega had just exited Cid's parlor. There was a softness in his eyes as he watched them leave, a warmth spreading through his chest at the sight of Amina holding Omega's hand.

Echo and Tech exchanged a knowing glance, their lips quirking up in amused smiles as they observed Hunter's reaction. It wasn't often that they saw their stoic leader display such obvious affection, especially towards someone outside of their squad.

"You think he's got it bad for her?" Echo whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of the parlor.

Tech shrugged, adjusting his glasses as he studied Hunter's retreating form. "It's possible," he replied thoughtfully. "There's definitely a connection between them, whether he wants to admit it or not."

---

A few hours later, Amina and Omega walked back to the Marauder, where Echo said they were now, the two of them holding 3 bags each.

She honestly had no idea what to expect, the closest she got to shopping was watching Padme shop online for dresses.

As they reached the ramp of the Marauder, Amina glanced over at Omega with a grin. "I can't believe how much stuff we got," she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. "I can't wait to show everyone."

Omega's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she nodded eagerly. "Me too! I can't wait to see what you got," she replied, her voice tinged with anticipation.

With a shared giggle, the two of them made their way inside the ship, the bags of clothes and trinkets swinging from their arms. As they entered the main living area, they were greeted by the rest of the squad, who had gathered around the holotable, deep in conversation.

Hunter looked up as Amina and Omega entered, a smile spreading across his face at the sight of their overflowing bags. "Looks like you two had a successful shopping trip," he remarked, his tone warm as he gestured towards their haul.

Amina nodded eagerly, her excitement palpable as she set her bags down on the floor. "We found some amazing stuff," she replied, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "You won't believe the deals we got."

Echo arched an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between Amina and Omega with curiosity. "I'm sure it's all very exciting," he said, his tone dry. "But did you happen to find anything useful? You know, like supplies or equipment?"

"Actually, I did, I can be responsible occasionally," Amina said with a playful smirk, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she glanced at Echo.

Echo raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Amina's confident tone. "Oh really? And what did you find?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Amina reached into one of her bags and pulled out a small datapad, holding it up triumphantly for the squad to see. "I managed to pick up a few supplies that I think will come in handy," she explained, her voice tinged with satisfaction. "Some medpacs, extra rations, and a few spare parts for the Marauder."

Tech's eyes lit up with interest as he took the datapad from Amina, his fingers flying across the screen as he examined the inventory. "Impressive," he remarked, his tone approving. "These supplies should help replenish our stockpile."

Amina grinned, her chest swelling with pride at Tech's praise. "Glad I could be of assistance," she replied, her voice tinged with satisfaction. "I figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared, especially with everything that's been happening lately." She reached into one of the bags and threw 3 detonators at Wrecker, “thought you might like those.”

Wrecker caught the detonators with a grin, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he examined the explosives. "Thanks, Amina!" he exclaimed, his voice booming with enthusiasm. "These will definitely come in handy."

Amina chuckled at Wrecker's enthusiasm, pleased to see her efforts being appreciated by the squad. "Glad you like them," she replied, her tone warm as she watched Wrecker inspecting the detonators with childlike curiosity.

---

The Marauder flipped upside down as Amina piloted the ship, much to Tech’s dismay who sat in the co-pilot seat as they flew away from a swarm of pirates.

"Would you mind keeping us right side up?" Tech asked, his voice laced with a hint of urgency as he adjusted the controls in a futile attempt to stabilize the ship.

Amina grinned mischievously, her fingers dancing across the controls as she expertly maneuvered the Marauder through the chaotic space battle. "Where's the fun in that?" she replied, her tone playful as she evaded another volley of blaster fire.

Tech let out an exasperated sigh, his frustration evident as he struggled to maintain control of the ship. "Fun?" he echoed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "This is not fun, Amina. This is reckless and dangerous."

Amina shrugged nonchalantly, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she glanced over at Tech. "You worry too much, Tech," she teased, her tone light despite the gravity of their situation. "We'll be fine. Trust me."

Echo let out a chuckle, “I’ve missed Skywalker flying.”

Amina laughed, “see, someone appreciates my flying skills!”

Wrecker let out a whoop of excitement as he fired the Marauder's cannons, sending a barrage of blaster fire towards their pursuers. "This is what I call a good time!" he exclaimed, his voice booming with excitement as he reveled in the thrill of battle.

Omega bounced in her seat, her eyes wide with excitement as she watched the space battle unfold before her. "This is so cool!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe as she cheered Amina on.

Tech, however, was less enthusiastic about their precarious situation. "Cool or not, we need to focus on getting out of here in one piece," he reminded them, his tone serious as he scanned the ship's scanners.

“You think I’d let me die? No way, Tech. But at least let me have some fun.”

Wrecker let out another whoop of excitement as he fired the Marauder's cannons, sending another barrage of blaster fire towards their pursuers. "Keep 'em coming, Amina!" he shouted, his voice booming with excitement as he unleashed a relentless assault on the enemy ships.

Amina grinned, her heart pounding with exhilaration as she pushed the Marauder to its limits. Despite the danger they faced, she felt alive in a way she hadn't in a long time. Flying had always been her passion, her escape from the chaos of the galaxy, and she relished every moment of it.

Echo glanced over at Tech, a wry smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Looks like Amina's having the time of her life," he remarked, his tone amused as he watched her expertly maneuver the ship.

Tech grumbled under his breath, his frustration evident as he struggled to keep up with Amina's erratic flying. "She's going to get us all killed," he muttered, his voice tinged with irritation as he adjusted the controls once again.

Amina patted Tech’s shoulder, “relax, Tech. I’m an expert flyer. If I can survive pod racing, and fighting General Grievous, I can survive a few pirates.” She flew the ship downwards in space, as the pirates continued to shoot, “ready for hyperspace?”

Tech glanced nervously at the rapidly approaching ships on the sensors before turning back to Amina. "Ready as I'll ever be," he replied, his voice tense with apprehension. "Just make it quick."

Amina nodded, her fingers flying across the controls as she plotted the course for hyperspace. With a flick of a switch, she engaged the hyperdrive, and the stars outside the viewport stretched into streaks as the Marauder jumped into lightspeed, leaving the pursuing pirates far behind.

As the ship hurtled through hyperspace, Amina let out a relieved sigh, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion as the adrenaline of the battle began to fade. She glanced over at Tech, a grin spreading across her face as she nudged him playfully.

"See? I told you we'd be fine," she teased, her voice laced with amusement as she leaned back in her seat.

“Yes, your flying techniques are…” he adjusted his goggles, “not very technical.”

“It’s all about feeling Tech.” she replied, bumping his shoulder.

Tech grumbled under his breath, adjusting his goggles as he muttered something about reckless piloting techniques. Amina couldn't help but chuckle at his exasperated expression, finding his disapproval oddly endearing.

"Relax, Tech," she teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow. "We made it out in one piece, didn't we?"

Tech huffed, his irritation evident as he shot Amina a sideways glance. "Barely," he replied, his tone dry. "But I suppose I should thank you for not getting us all killed."

Amina laughed, the tension of the battle melting away as she basked in the afterglow of their victory. "You're welcome," she replied, her voice light with amusement. "Just doing my job as the best pilot in the galaxy."

Tech rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Modest as always," he remarked, his tone fond despite himself.

As the banter between Amina and Tech continued, Hunter watched them from his seat across the cockpit, a soft smile playing on his lips. Despite the chaos and danger they had just faced, there was a sense of camaraderie among the squad that he found comforting.

Echo glanced over at Hunter, his gaze lingering on the captain for a moment before he spoke. "You seem awfully quiet over there, Hunter," he remarked, his tone curious.

Hunter shrugged, his attention still focused on Amina and Tech as they traded playful barbs. "Just enjoying the show," he replied, his voice tinged with amusement. "It's not often we get to see Amina in action."

Echo nodded in understanding, his lips quirking up in a smile. "True," he agreed, his tone thoughtful. "She certainly knows how to keep things interesting."

Wrecker let out a booming laugh from his seat behind Tech, his enthusiasm infectious as he clapped Amina on the back. "That was some top-notch flying, Amina!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with admiration.

Amina grinned at Wrecker's praise, her chest swelling with pride at the recognition from her squadmates. "Thanks, Wrecker," she replied, her voice tinged with gratitude.

Omega bounced in her seat, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked around at her family. "That was so cool!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe.

Amina gave Omega a high-five, “why thank you. Maybe one day I can show you Boonta Eve on Tatooine.”

"What's Boonta Eve?" Omega's question hung in the air, prompting Amina to smile fondly as she considered how to explain the significance of the event to the young girl.

"Boonta Eve is a big race that happens on Tatooine," Amina began, her voice filled with excitement as she recalled the memories of watching the event with her brother Anakin when they were younger. "It's a podrace, where pilots from all over the galaxy compete in these incredibly fast and dangerous vehicles called podracers."

Omega's eyes widened with fascination as she listened intently to Amina's explanation. "Wow, that sounds amazing!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with awe.

"It is," Amina agreed, her tone nostalgic as she thought back to the exhilarating atmosphere of the podrace. "The sounds, the sights, the speed- it's unlike anything else. Anakin and I used to watch the races together when we were kids. It was always the highlight of our year. It’s also how we got our freedom.”

“Freedom?” Omega asked again, “why would you have to race for freedom?

“Me and Anakin were slaves.” Amina answered casually.

Echo turned around to face her, “what? General Skywalker never said anything about that.”

“Yeah, we were slaves before Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan came to Tatooine. And Anakin didn’t really like to talk about it.”

"I'm sorry, Amina," Hunter said, his voice gentle as he reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you and Anakin."

Amina offered Hunter a small smile, her eyes shining with gratitude at his words. "Thanks. But I don’t really remember much. I was 8 when they brought us to the Temple, so I didn’t spend much of my life as a slave. But enough about my boring life, how about a game of dejarik, Omega?”

Omega's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of playing dejarik with Amina. "Yes, please!" she exclaimed, bouncing in her seat with enthusiasm. "I love playing dejarik!"

Amina chuckled at Omega's eagerness, her heart swelling with affection for the young girl. Despite everything they had been through, Omega's boundless enthusiasm never failed to bring a smile to her face. "Alright, let's do it," she said, gesturing towards the dejarik board with a playful grin. "But be warned, I'm not going easy on you."

Omega grinned, her eyes sparkling with determination as she settled in front of the dejarik board. "Bring it on, Amina," she replied, her tone confident. "I'm ready for anything."

---

“Your destiny lies with me, sister. Like it always has.”

Amina stood her ground, her lightsaber held in front of her. “I write my own story.”

Vader took menacing steps forward, the ground shaking, “Join me and we can rule the galaxy together.”

“No.” she said firmly.

Vader's mechanical breathing filled the air, a menacing sound that sent shivers down Amina's spine. She stood her ground, her grip tightening on her lightsaber as she faced off against the dark figure before her.

"You cannot resist the power of the dark side," Vader growled, his voice echoing with a cold certainty. "It is your destiny."

"I will never join you," Amina declared, her voice steady despite the fear that gnawed at her insides. “I may not be a Jedi, but I will not fall.”

Vader's mechanical hand tightened around the hilt of his lightsaber, the crimson blade humming to life with a menacing glow. "So be it," he replied, his voice dripping with malice as he raised his weapon to strike.

The two combatants circled each other warily, their lightsabers casting eerie shadows against the walls of the darkened chamber. Amina could sense the raw power emanating from Vader, a palpable force that threatened to overwhelm her. But she stood her ground, her resolve unwavering as she met his gaze with steely determination.

"Your resistance is futile, sister," Vader hissed, his voice laced with contempt. "You cannot hope to defeat me."

Amina clenched her jaw, her grip tightening on her lightsaber as she prepared to strike. "I don't need to defeat you," she replied, her voice steady. "I just need to survive."

With a roar of rage, Vader lunged forward, his lightsaber flashing as he unleashed a flurry of strikes. Amina met his attacks head-on, her movements fluid and precise as she parried each blow with expert skill. She could feel the heat of the lightsabers as they clashed, the sound of their duel echoing through the chamber.

With a upwards move, she sliced the eyes of his helmet as he kneeled down in front of her. Instead of bright blue eyes staring at her, they were a vengeful yellow. “Anakin.” She whispered.

Vader's expression twisted into a sneer, his lips curling in disdain. "You cannot save me, Amina," he growled. "I am lost."

But Amina refused to be deterred. She reached out with the Force, her mind probing his, searching for any trace of the man he used to be. And amidst the darkness and despair, she found a glimmer of something else—a spark of longing, of regret.

"You still care," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the hum of their lightsabers. "You still feel.” She turned off her lightsaber, “Padme died knowing there was good left in you. And I agree with her, I know it’s there somewhere. And I will find it Anakin, I promise.” She stroked the outside of his mask, kneeling down in front of him.

She thought the yellows of his eyes started to disappear when she felt a sharp sting in her gut. She looked down to see his red lightsaber through her stomach as he turned his saber off and she fell to the ground.

Amina quickly sat up on the Marauder, something that seemed to happen every time she fell asleep. No matter what happened in her dreams, she always tried to turn him, but it never worked.

And never in her dreams did Anakin actually deliver the final blow like in this one.

She glanced around the dimly lit interior of the Marauder, her eyes landing on the familiar forms of her companions. They were all asleep, unaware of the turmoil that plagued her mind. Amina ran a hand through her hair, trying to steady her racing thoughts.

"Another nightmare?" A voice broke through the silence, and Amina turned to see Hunter watching her with concern from his spot across the room. His expression was soft, his eyes filled with understanding.

Amina nodded, her throat tight with emotion. "Yeah," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was... intense."

Hunter moved closer, his footsteps barely making a sound on the metal floor of the ship. He settled beside Amina, his presence a comforting anchor in the midst of her turmoil. "You know it's just a dream, right?" he said gently, his voice laced with reassurance.

“I don’t know about that.” She pulled her legs to her chest, “me and Anakin have these… Force gifts. We have vivid dreams, but it’s so hard to tell if it’s just a dream or a vision.”

Hunter listened to Amina's words, his brow furrowed with concern. He had heard her speak of her Force gifts before, but he couldn't imagine the weight of carrying such a burden- especially when those gifts manifested in haunting nightmares.

"Yeah, I get that dreams can feel pretty real sometimes," Hunter said, his voice quiet as he tried to find the right words. "But you can't let them consume you. You're stronger than that."

Amina nodded, her gaze distant as she wrestled with her thoughts. "I know," she replied softly. "It's just... hard to shake the feeling that there's some truth to them."

Hunter reached out, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we're here for you," he said, his voice filled with sincerity. "Whatever you need, we've got your back."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Amina's lips, grateful for Hunter's unwavering support. "Thanks, Hunter," she said, her voice tinged with warmth. "I appreciate it."

The two of them sat in companionable silence for a moment, the gentle hum of the Marauder's engines filling the air. Amina leaned into Hunter's touch, finding solace in his presence as she tried to push aside the lingering echoes of her nightmare.

Eventually, Hunter broke the silence, his voice soft but determined. "You know, we could always try talking to Tech about your dreams," he suggested. "Maybe he could help figure out if there's more to them than just... well, dreams."

She shook her head, “I can’t tell anyone about my dreams.” Telling anyone that Anakin became Darth Vader would put them in more danger than her being with them.

"Okay, I won't push it," Hunter said, his voice gentle as he gave Amina's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But just remember, we're all in this together. You don't have to face whatever's troubling you alone."

Amina offered him a small smile, grateful for his understanding. "Thanks, Hunter," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "I really appreciate it."

As the two of them sat in companionable silence, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the bond she shared with her fellow clones. They had been through so much together in the short time they had known each other, and yet they had always remained steadfast in their loyalty to one another.

But amidst the warmth of their camaraderie, Amina couldn't shake the lingering sense of unease that clung to her like a shadow. She knew that her nightmares were more than just figments of her imagination—they were visions, glimpses of a future that she desperately hoped to avoid.

Lost in her thoughts, Amina barely noticed as Hunter turned to look at her. "Well, it's getting late," he said, glancing towards the viewport where the faint glow of distant stars could be seen. "We should probably get some rest."

He went to stand up when Amina grabbed his forearm, “could you…”

Hunter turned back to look at Amina, his expression softening as he saw the earnest look in her eyes. He settled back down beside her, his curiosity piqued. "Could I what?" he prompted gently, giving her a reassuring smile.

Amina hesitated for a moment, her gaze dropping to her hands as she tried to find the right words. She could feel the weight of her request hanging in the air, the vulnerability of baring her innermost thoughts to another person almost overwhelming. But Hunter's presence was a comforting anchor, a steady presence that made her feel safe enough to voice her fears.

"Could you... stay with me?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just for a little while?"

Hunter's smile widened, a warmth spreading through his chest at the sincerity in Amina's request. He reached out, gently taking her hand in his own. "Of course," he replied softly, his voice filled with reassurance. "I'm not going anywhere."

Amina's shoulders relaxed slightly at his words, a small sigh escaping her lips as she leaned into his touch. She could feel the tension slowly melting away, replaced by a sense of calm that she hadn't felt since before her nightmare had begun.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice barely audible as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to savor the warmth of Hunter's presence beside her.

As Amina slowly fell asleep, she sleepily wrapped her arms around Hunter’s waist and placed her head on his chest as she drifted off. Hunter remained still for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest as he felt the weight of Amina's head against him. He could hear the soft sound of her breathing, steady and rhythmic, as she slipped into slumber.

Carefully, Hunter shifted his position, adjusting himself so that he could wrap an arm around Amina, holding her close. He could feel the warmth of her body against his own, a comforting presence in the darkness of the ship. For a moment, he allowed himself to simply bask in the intimacy of the moment, savoring the feeling of being so close to her.

---

Amina blew her nose on a tissue, walking out of the Marauder to see Omega sitting on Gonky going over the types of Imperial ships as “homework” from Tech.

"Hey, Omega," Amina greeted warmly, her voice carrying across the open space. "What are you up to?"

Omega looked up, her face lighting up with a smile as she saw Amina approaching. "Hey, Amina!" she replied cheerfully, setting aside the datapad. "Just doing some homework from Tech. He's been teaching me all about the different kinds of Imperial ships."

Amina nodded, her interest piqued. "Sounds interesting," she remarked, taking a seat beside Omega on Gonky. "Mind if I- ” Amina brought the tissue to her mouth, sneezing 3 times.

Tech walked over from the ship holding his datapad, “from my calculations, you’ve had this so called ‘cold’ for 3 rotations. And you’ve used 12% more tissues every day.”

Amina chuckled weakly; the sound muffled by the tissue pressed against her nose. "Yeah, well, I guess you could say I'm a bit under the weather," she replied, her voice nasally as she sniffled. "But don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back to my usual self in no time."

Tech nodded, his expression thoughtful as he continued to analyze the data on his datapad. "It's just... unusual," he mused, his fingers tapping against the screen as he processed the information. "Your symptoms seem to be persisting longer than anticipated, given your usual resilience."

“Well, it’s not my fault you have mutations that allow you to not get sick. I’m the unlucky o- ” Amina sneezed into the tissue again. “Unlucky one.”

Tech raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking from his datapad to Amina and back again. "Indeed, it does seem that you're experiencing some rather inconvenient symptoms," he remarked, his tone laced with curiosity as he continued to analyze the data.

Amina nodded, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips as she tossed the tissue into a nearby waste bin. "Tell me about it," she muttered, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand. "I feel like I've been hit by a speeder."

Omega frowned, her expression filled with concern as she watched Amina's discomfort. "Is there anything we can do to help?" she asked, her voice soft and earnest.

Amina shook her head, a weak smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Thanks, Omega, but I think I just need some rest," she replied, her words punctuated by another round of sneezes. "I'll be fine."

Hunter stepped forward, his gaze lingering on Amina with a mixture of worry and affection. "Maybe you should take it easy for a while," he suggested, his voice gentle as he reached out to touch her shoulder. "We can handle things here."

"Oh, please. I was on Naboo when whatever his name was released the Blue Shadow Virus. This is nothing," Amina quipped, her voice tinged with playful sarcasm despite the discomfort she was feeling.

Hunter couldn't help but chuckle at Amina's response, admiring her resilience even in the face of adversity. "Fair enough," he conceded with a smile. "But still, maybe you should take it easy for a bit. We don't want you getting any worse."

Amina rolled her eyes playfully, but the concern in Hunter's voice didn't go unnoticed. Despite her efforts to downplay her illness, she appreciated his caring nature. "Fine, fine," she relented with a sigh, giving him a mock glare. "But only because you asked so nicely."

Hunter grinned, relieved that Amina had agreed to take it easy. He knew she had a tendency to push herself too hard, especially when it came to fulfilling her duties as a Jedi. But even Jedi needed to rest sometimes, and he was determined to make sure she took care of herself.

Tech, ever the analytical thinker, couldn't resist chiming in with his own observations. "According to my calculations, rest is indeed the most logical course of action," he remarked, his tone matter-of-fact as he consulted his datapad.

Amina sighed in mock exasperation, shooting Tech a playful glare. "You and your calculations," she teased, shaking her head with a smile. "Sometimes, I swear you forget that we're not just numbers on a screen." She tapped on his datapad, “have you ever looked up at the sky? Do you know what clouds look like?”

Tech raised an eyebrow at Amina's playful jab, his expression unreadable as he glanced up from his datapad. "Of course, I know what clouds look like," he replied, his tone dry. "But I fail to see how that's relevant to our current discussion."

Amina chuckled, shaking her head in amusement at Tech's literal-mindedness. "It's not," she conceded with a grin. "I just think you could use a little more... spontaneity in your life."

Tech arched an eyebrow, considering Amina's words for a moment before responding. "Spontaneity is an inefficient use of time and resources," he remarked, his tone matter-of-fact. "I prefer to rely on logic and calculation to guide my actions."

She shook her head, "I swear one day I'm-" Amina's sentence was cut short by another bout of sneezes, two in quick succession. She sniffled, feeling utterly miserable as she struggled to keep her symptoms at bay.

Hunter's expression softened with concern as he watched Amina, his brow furrowing with worry. "Maybe you should head back inside," he suggested gently, his voice filled with genuine concern. "You need to rest."

Amina nodded weakly, conceding defeat to her stubbornly persistent cold. "Yeah, you're probably right," she admitted, her voice hoarse from all the sneezing. "I hate to admit it, but I think I'm beat."

Omega frowned, her worry evident as she watched Amina's discomfort. "Is there anything we can do to help?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine concern.

Amina shook her head, a weak smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Maybe some Karlini t- ” Amina trailed off, it was something Padme had made for her whenever she visited, a Nabooian specialty.

Omega hopped off Gonky, “what’s Karlini?”

“It’s a tea from Naboo. Padme always was stocked up on it, and whenever me and Anakin would visit, she would always have some ready. But we can’t get any since it’s mainly sold in core world planets. Som- ” Amina sneezed again before letting out a few coughs. “But it’s okay, I don’t want tea.”

Or rather she doesn’t want tea that’s not Padme’s.

"Would it help if we tried to find some?" Omega asked, her voice filled with determination. "I mean, we travel to different planets all the time. Maybe we could track some down for you."

Amina smiled weakly at Omega's offer, touched by her friend's thoughtfulness. "Thanks, Omega, but I don't want to put you guys through all that trouble," she replied, her voice still hoarse from all the sneezing. "I’m just going to do some meditating and see if that’ll help the healing process.”

Hunter watched Amina with concern, his brow furrowing as he took in her weary appearance. He knew she was stubborn when it came to accepting help, but he also knew that she needed to take care of herself if she wanted to get better. "Are you sure you don't want us to at least try to find some Karlini tea for you?" he asked, his voice gentle but insistent. "It might not be as much trouble as you think."

“I don’t want to drink tea that’s not from Padme,” she admitted, a tad harshly, before turning around and facing him. “Sorry. It’s just… I never liked tea, but Padme said that I’d love the one she had. And I did, but when I tried making it myself it was never the same.”

Hunter listened to Amina's words, his heart aching at the pain evident in her voice. He knew how much Padmé meant to her, how deeply her loss had affected her. And he understood why she was hesitant to accept any substitute for the tea that held such sentimental value.

"I understand," Hunter replied gently, his voice soft with empathy. "I'm sorry, Amina. I didn't mean to push."

Amina glanced up at Hunter, her eyes filled with gratitude for his understanding. Despite the distance she had tried to maintain, she couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in his presence. He had a way of making her feel seen, of easing the weight of her burdens with just a few simple words.

"It's okay," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you were just trying to help."

Hunter nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Well, if there's anything else you need, just let me know," he said, his tone warm and reassuring. "I'll be here."

Amina offered him a grateful smile, touched by his unwavering support. "Thanks, Hunter," she replied softly, her voice tinged with warmth. "I appreciate it." Amina walked onto the Marauder and sat down cross-legged on the floor. Hopefully a good mediation will connect her to the force more, and it’ll be taken care of. Then she could breathe properly.

---

A few rotations later and she felt no different. The squad had gone on a mission while she had stayed behind on Ord Mantell.

But as she finished her meditation, she stood up feeling a little shaky and dizzy. She leaned against the wall of the Marauder and took a few deep breaths as she felt a light gust of wind and a whispering voice.

Amina turned her head to look behind her and found nothing. Either she was starting to hallucinate or Anak- Vader, was trying to make a connection with her through the force.

“Amina.”

She made a shushing sound, “why are you so loud?”

“Turn around sister.”

Amina shuddered at the vocoder and the coldness surrounding her. But even with that coldness she felt warm, “last time I saw you in my dream you tried to kill me.” Amina placed her cheek against the wall of the ship, the cool metal feeling good against her skin.

“You’re sick.”

Amina stuck out her hand and made a talking motion with her hand, “blah, blah, blah.” She felt a hand on her upper arm, and she glanced behind her, and there he stood, clear as day. “Man, this hallucination is good.”

Vader's mechanical breathing filled the air, a harsh reminder of the man he had once been before he had succumbed to the lure of the dark side. “You’re sick,” he said again.

Amina rolled her eyes, her irritation momentarily overriding her fear. "Yeah, thanks for the update, Captain Obvious," she retorted, her tone sharp with sarcasm. "I'm well aware of the fact that I'm not exactly firing on all cylinders right now."

Vader's expression remained impassive, his gaze unwavering as he studied Amina with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "You should rest," he suggested, his tone surprisingly gentle despite the mechanical rasp of his voice. "You won't get better if you push yourself too hard."

Amina scoffed at Vader's advice, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "And what do you care?" she demanded, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Last time I checked, you were more interested in cutting me down than offering me sympathy."

“I can feel you from across the galaxy. Where are you?”

Amina let out a laugh, “as if I would tell you. You’re gonna,” she made a whooshing sound, “me. No, thank you, sir.”

Vader's mechanical breathing filled the air, a harsh reminder of the man he had once been before he had succumbed to the lure of the dark side. “You underestimate the power of the Force,” he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement. “I can find you, Amina. It’s only a matter of time.”

Amina raised an eyebrow, her skepticism evident in the quirk of her lips. "Is that a threat?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because last time I checked, I wasn't exactly quaking in my boots."

Vader's expression remained impassive, his gaze unwavering as he studied Amina with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "You should rest," he suggested again, ignoring her jab. "You won't get better if you push yourself too hard."

“Like I said, no, thank you, your majesty. I don’t take orders from you. Now, can you get out of my head?” Instead of a response, she heard mechanical breathing, “come on. You may be a Sith, but you can’t hold this connection for much longer.”

She blinked and felt lighter, turning around to see no Vader looming over her. She still wasn’t quite sure if it was really a force connection, or a wild hallucination.

Amina slowly walked down the ramp where the group was gathered, her steps faltering slightly as she fought against the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her. She could feel the eyes of her companions on her, their concern palpable in the air as they watched her with furrowed brows.

Hunter was the first to approach, his expression filled with worry as he reached out to steady her. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft with concern. "You look a little... off."

Amina blinked at him, her vision becoming blurry and reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. Her hands came up to his face, patting his cheeks gently. "I didn't know you had two heads," she murmured, her words slurring slightly as the dizziness threatened to overwhelm her.

Hunter's brows furrowed with concern as he gently grasped Amina's wrists, guiding her hands away from his face. "Hey, come on, let's get you back inside," he said softly, his voice laced with worry. He wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her weight as they made their way back towards the Marauder.

The rest of the squad followed closely behind, their expressions filled with concern as they watched Amina's unsteady steps. Tech stepped forward, his datapad already in hand as he analyzed Amina's symptoms with clinical precision. "It appears that Amina's condition has worsened," he remarked, his tone matter-of-fact as he consulted his data. "Her symptoms are consistent with a viral infection, possibly exacerbated by her recent exertions."

Hunter helped her lay down on one of the bunks as Amina looked to the side, at a space that was empty. There he was, standing there looking down at her with his arms crossed over his chest and his loud mechanical breathing. Was she hallucinating? Should she comm Obi-Wan? Or would he get angry at her like Anakin seemed to be right now?

Hunter followed Amina's gaze, his brow furrowing with confusion as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. But all he saw was an empty space, devoid of any presence except for Amina lying on the bunk, her eyes wide with fear.

"Are you okay, Amina?" he asked gently, his voice laced with worry. He reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face as he searched her eyes for any sign of what she was seeing.

Amina blinked, her gaze unfocused as she tried to process what she was seeing. She could still feel the weight of Vader's presence, the coldness of his stare burning into her soul. But as she looked around the empty bunk, she couldn't find any trace of him.

"I... I don't know," she whispered, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "I thought I saw... someone. But they're not here."

Tech stepped forward with his datapad, his expression serious as he analyzed Amina's symptoms. "I believe she might've contracted Dantari flu," he announced, his tone matter-of-fact as he consulted his data.

Hunter's brows furrowed with concern as he turned to Amina, his expression filled with worry. "Dantari flu?" he echoed, his voice tinged with concern. "Isn't that... serious?"

Tech nodded, his gaze focused on his datapad as he continued to analyze the data. "Indeed," he replied, his tone clinical. "The Dantari flu is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to severe respiratory symptoms, among other things."

Amina groaned, her head spinning with dizziness as she tried to process the information. She had heard of the Dantari flu before, but she had never experienced it firsthand. And from what she had heard, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"What do we do?" Omega asked, her voice tinged with concern as she looked to Tech for guidance. "Is there a cure?"

Tech nodded, his expression serious as he continued to consult his datapad. "There are treatments available," he explained, his tone measured.

Hunter's brows furrowed with concern as he considered their options. "So, what's our next move?" he asked, his voice steady despite the worry gnawing at his insides. "Do we need to find a medic?"

Amina shook her head, “maybe just some medicine? I don’t need a medic; it would bring unwanted attention.”

Hunter nodded, his gaze flicking between Amina and Tech as he considered their options. "Alright, let's see what we can do," he said, his voice steady despite the worry gnawing at his insides. "Tech, do you have any idea where we can find medicine for the Dantari flu?"

Tech consulted his datapad, his brow furrowing with concentration as he analyzed the data. "There's a medical supply shop a few blocks from here," he announced, his tone matter-of-fact. "They should have what we need."

“Alright, Tech, you and Omega can go get some medicine, Wrecker and Echo, see if you can’t find any water or food. I’ll stay here with Amina.”

As the squad dispersed to carry out their assigned tasks, Hunter remained by Amina's side, his concern for her evident in the furrow of his brow and the gentle touch of his hand on her shoulder. Amina leaned against the bunk, feeling the weight of her illness pressing down on her as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"You don't have to stay," Amina murmured, her voice hoarse with exhaustion as she glanced up at Hunter. "I'll be fine on my own."

Hunter shook his head, his expression resolute as he met Amina's gaze with unwavering determination. "I'm not leaving you," he replied firmly, his voice filled with quiet resolve. "Not when you're like this."

Amina offered him a weak smile, touched by his steadfast loyalty. Despite her stubborn insistence that she could handle things on her own, she couldn't deny the warmth that spread through her chest at the thought of having Hunter by her side.

"Thanks," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to rest against the soft fabric of the bunk. "I appreciate it."

Hunter went into the refresher and wet a piece of cloth with cool water. He came back and brushed Amina's hair off her forehead before gently placing the cloth on her skin. The coolness of the cloth provided some relief to Amina's fevered brow, and she sighed softly, leaning into the soothing sensation.

"Thanks," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she opened her eyes to look at Hunter. "That feels nice."

He smiled and nodded, “I’m going to go keep watch until the squad gets back.” Before he made it far, Amina gently grabbed his wrist.

“Can you stay?” She asked quietly, scooting over on the bunk towards the wall, “you make a pretty good pillow.”

Hunter hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering between Amina and the door of the Marauder. He knew he should keep watch, especially with Amina feeling under the weather, but her quiet plea tugged at his heartstrings, and he found himself unable to resist.

"Sure, I can stay," he replied softly, a warm smile spreading across his lips as he settled onto the bunk beside Amina. He shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable, his arm instinctively wrapping around her as she leaned into him.

Amina sighed contentedly as she rested her head against Hunter's chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat a comforting presence in the midst of her illness. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to bask in the warmth of his embrace as she drifted off to sleep.

For a while, the only sound in the Marauder was the gentle hum of the ship's engines and the soft rustle of fabric as Hunter shifted slightly to get more comfortable. He glanced down at Amina, a fond smile playing at the corners of his lips as he watched her sleep.

Despite the circumstances, there was something undeniably comforting about having Amina in his arms. He had always felt a strong connection to her, ever since they had first met on Kamino all those months ago. And now, as he held her close, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over him.

As the minutes turned into hours, Hunter remained vigilant, keeping a watchful eye on the door of the Marauder as he held Amina in his arms. He knew he should be focused on the task at hand, but he couldn't shake the feeling that being here with Amina was exactly where he was meant to be.

Eventually, the rest of the squad returned, their arms laden with supplies and medicine for Amina. Hunter helped them unload the supplies, his gaze never straying far from Amina's sleeping form as he kept a protective watch over her.

Tech quickly got to work, administering the medicine to Amina and monitoring her vitals with his usual clinical efficiency. The rest of the squad hovered nearby, their expressions filled with concern as they waited for any signs of improvement.

As the hours passed, Amina's fever began to break, and her breathing eased as the medicine took effect. Hunter breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging with relief as he watched Amina's color return to her cheeks.

Amina stirred slightly in Hunter's arms, her eyelids fluttering open as she blinked up at him in confusion. "Hey there," Hunter greeted softly, his voice gentle as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. "How are you feeling?"

Amina smiled weakly, her voice hoarse from sleep as she glanced around the Marauder. "Better," she murmured, her gaze drifting back to Hunter's concerned expression. "Thanks to you."

Hunter smiled, a warmth spreading through his chest at Amina's words. "Anytime," he replied softly, his voice filled with sincerity. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

The rest of the squad gathered around, their expressions filled with relief as they watched Amina slowly sit up in bed. Echo offered her a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted, taking small sips as she regained her strength.

"Thanks, everyone," Amina said, her voice stronger now as she looked around at her friends. "I really appreciate all of your help."

Wrecker grinned, his expression filled with genuine warmth as he clapped Amina on the back. "No problem, General," he said, his voice booming with enthusiasm. "We're just glad you're okay."

Omega nodded in agreement, her expression serious as she met Amina's gaze. "Yeah, we were worried about you," she admitted, her voice tinged with concern. "But I'm glad you're feeling better now."

Amina smiled gratefully at her friends, feeling a surge of warmth in her chest at their unwavering support. She knew she was lucky to have them by her side, especially in times like these when she needed them the most.

"Well, thanks again. But I think I’d much rather get shot at by Separatist droids than go through that again," Amina remarked with a weak chuckle, her voice still raspy from her recent illness.

Hunter couldn't help but smile at her attempt at humor, though he knew firsthand just how serious the situation had been. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he replied, his tone lighthearted as he glanced around at the rest of the squad.

Wrecker let out a booming laugh, clapping Hunter on the back with enough force to nearly send him stumbling forward. "You hear that, Tech?" he exclaimed, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Amina would rather face a whole army of droids than be laid up in bed."

Tech rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice as he shook his head. "I highly doubt that Wrecker," he retorted, his tone dry as he adjusted his goggles. "But I suppose it's a sentiment we can all agree on."

Echo nodded in agreement, though his expression was more subdued as he surveyed the small group gathered in the Marauder. "We should count ourselves lucky," he remarked quietly, his gaze flickering to Amina with a hint of concern. "Not everyone gets a second chance."

"More like a twenty-second chance," Amina quipped, her voice laced with a hint of amusement as she glanced around at her squadmates, her eyes lingering on Hunter for a moment longer than necessary.

Hunter couldn't help but chuckle at her remark, a warm smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he met Amina's gaze. "Well, let's make sure you don't need a twenty-third," he replied, his tone light but filled with genuine concern.

tags: @callsign-denmark

[ghostdrew22]

Can I request a draco x reader where they just stay together all day even tho its a school day so they just like skip school all day and then one of their friends catch them? It probably sounds confusing but I LOVE YOUR WRITING

Where Words Fall Short || Draco Malfoy

So I changed it into a teacher catching them instead, I hope it still suits your fancy. Thank you so much for this request, I had quite a nice time writing it <3

Requested: Yes Pairing: Draco Malfoy x fem!reader Warnings: mentions of mental illness? Idk what I should be warning you against in this one tbh so if you find anything then let me know <3 Summary: Draco is having a hard morning so Y/N keeps him company and they ditch lessons.

WORDS : 2114

~~~

Growing up, Draco continuously watched as a curtain was drawn above the topic of mental health in his household. What should’ve been long, informative discussions about his withstanding family history and hereditary struggles with mental health, was broken down into, “Your father just gets a bit overwhelmed sometimes”, and “Your mother is a woman, and as women do, she often gets erratic until she tires herself out.”

None of it was true, of course, just excuses used to try and avoid the problem. But it wasn’t discussed. Not when Narcissa would sleep for days on end, or when Lucius was hospitalised, and especially not when Draco began to display symptoms similar to his parents. The family healer was called in, Draco was diagnosed and medicated, and it was discussed no further. Because words were just not the Malfoy way.

You’d long become accustomed to his habits when he wasn’t feeling well, he’d told you himself about his struggles, and you’d adjusted quickly enough. Now you know, just by the sight of him, when he’s having a rough day. As hard as Draco tries to follow in his parent’s footsteps and draw a veil on his suffering, he just can’t bring himself to do it when you’re around. You make him feel safe.

You read the watch on your wrist, 8.10am, and sigh when you notice that Draco’s still not in the Great Hall for breakfast. Draco prides himself on being organised and punctual, so when he’s even five minutes late to breakfast you know that he’s having one of those days and he might just not get out of bed.

“He’s just running late this morning, I watched him walk to the showers.” Crabbe says beside you as he notices worry etch its way onto your features. You nod and smile at him.

“Thanks Crabbe.”  You respond before grabbing the empty plate on your other side and filling it up with Draco’s favourites.

It’s another ten minutes before Draco finally walks into the Great Hall, and you feel your heart wrench at the sight of him- hair still wet from showering, faint bags beneath his eyes and a solemn look painting his face- he looks exhausted. You smile at him when he settles into the space beside you and he smiles back, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

He interlocks your fingers together as he sits down and you slide the plate of food toward him. He kisses the back of your hand as a thank you and you nod before turning back to your own food. On mornings like this conversation is sparse- it’s like a useless chore that you can both afford to forget- and you both resort to actions as a means of conversation.

Normally, words would be spent on endless declarations of love, confirmations of support, queries of comfort and insurmountable pleas to just sit in silence together. But now, now with this routine and understanding that sits comfortably on the border of your relationship, words no longer need to transpire between you both in order for there to be a mutual understanding of what you both need.

Most kisses are ‘I love you’ or ‘thank you’, but every so often when Draco paints every square inch of your face in adoration with his lips, then he’s telling you that you’re beautiful, that every piece of you is just another reason for him to fall deeper into love with you. Hugs are usually him begging for attention, trying discreetly to drag you away from whatever it is that you’re doing and bring you down to his dorm with him for cuddles.

But Draco’s preferred method of communication on days like this, is squeezing your hand. Information by hand squeeze increases in degree; one is ‘I’m fine, just tired’, two is ‘I’m probably going to disappear halfway through the day for some alone time’, and three is ‘Please spend the day with me’.

So when you feel that familiar pressure against your hand come in waves of three that morning, you know that he’s having a particularly bad day. You turn to him and nod, and this time when he smiles at you, it actually does reach his eyes.

~~~

When the first lesson of the day is underway, Muggle Studies, you and Draco are lying in his bed in his shared dormitory. There’s a risk of one his roommates coming back to collect a forgotten book or leftover homework, but it matters little when the two of you are spaced out in the small world of your own invention. You’re running your hands through his hair as his head sits comfortably on your chest, and his fingers are running up and down your other arm in an effort to keep him occupied.

The two of you spend the next few hours like that, just lying in his bed in silence as Draco thinks himself into oblivion and you try to calm him down. It doesn’t work though, and at some point you grow frustrated at the amount of tension that he’s built up in this shoulders, and demand that he gets up.

“Why?” He asks with furrowed eyebrows as he lifts his head off of your chest.

“Do you trust me?” He nods, and you smile. “Good, then come on.”

You pull him behind you quietly as the two of you roam the castle and head toward the Astronomy Tower- trying desperately not to arouse suspicion and get caught skipping lessons just as the day is ending.

When you reach the top and see that the sun is shining faintly, a satisfied sigh escapes your lips. All that cold and darkness in the dungeons wasn’t good for Draco and you’d lugged him all the way up here for some sunshine. You know that it won’t really fix anything that’s bothering him, but at least the Vitamin D might lift his spirits a little bit or help him to relax a tad more.

You sit on the ground and pull Draco down to sit beside you. He drops his head against your shoulder and pulls the back of your hand up to his lips, Thank you, is what the action says and you smile at the small acknowledgement. You lean your own head against his that’s resting on your shoulder and he shuts his eyes in content as you pull out the book that you’d brought up to read.

“Should I read to you?” You ask and he nods very softly, so you do as he asks and begin to read the novel out loud.

It’s mundane, sure, but Draco thinks that he could spend the rest of his life like this. When words have always failed him, you’ve been there to pick up pieces of his unsaid ministrations. Most people, if not all the people in his life, have always found his failure to conjure up words and describe his feelings, annoying. But not you, never you, you have always loved the way he tries so hard to show you his love instead of tell it to you. Whenever he feels torn apart, like a rag doll being tugged on both arms, you somehow manage to remind him that he’s made of skin and bone, not cloth and plastic. It’s you that reminds him he’s worth something, even when he feels as though he’s worth nothing.

“Y/N.”

“Hmm?” You respond absent-mindedly as you turn your head slowly away from the pages and toward Draco. When you catch a glimpse of his contorted features, concern washes over you. “What’s wrong? Do you want to go back inside?”

“No, no.” He shakes his head softly and smiles at you. “I just want to chat, is that okay?”

“Well… I was enjoying this book…” You tease and laugh when you see that he’s not amused. “I’m kidding, am’ all yours love.” You peck him on the lips quickly before closing your book and putting it aside.

He sighs, “I’ve been thinking-”

“Oh, that’s never good.” You immediately respond and he narrows his eyes at you which makes you laugh, “Okay, I’ll stop now.”

“You’re lucky I love you.” He says with a roll of his eyes, and a small smile, before he takes a deep breath and continues. “I’m going off my meds.”

You take a moment to digest what he’s said before nodding slowly, “Oh…”

“Oh…?” He raises his eyebrows in anticipation, worried that you won’t support his decision. “Are you mad?”

You’re taken aback by his question and turn to face him in confusion. “Mad? Why would I be mad?”

He shrugs, “I don’t know, mother was furious when I told her.”

“Okay, but your mother is notorious for having the emotional range of a green bean,” Draco, albeit begrudgingly, laughs at your comment with a shake of his head, “What? Am I wrong?” You ask with a laugh as well.

“You’re not wrong but that’s not the point. You’re bloody rude!” He tries to stop laughing but it’s not working and soon enough the two of you are rolling around on the ground, crying your eyes out in laughter.

After a good three minutes has passed the two of you have finally calmed down and the serious atmosphere has returned. “I’m not mad Draco, I could never be mad at you.”

“You were mad that time I tried to force a Ravenclaw to do my Muggle Studies research for me.” He says in a matter-of-fact tone and you shove him lightly.

“That was because you were harassing that innocent child!” You exclaim with another giggle, “I’ve never been mad at you for doing something that involves only you.”

“What about when I dyed all my pubic hair-“

“I told you never to speak of that.” You cut him off sternly before he can continue and a naughty smile appears on his lips at the memory.

“That was funny, admit it.”

“We were on vacation with my parents! Do you understand how awkward the conversation we had, after the swimming pool, was? They were so concerned about the fact that I’d brought home a boy with blue armpit hair!” You exclaim with wide eyes and Draco bursts into laughter again. “You’re such an arsehole.” You grumble out with a pout and he pecks you with a smile.

“You love me though.”

“I do… I really do.” You respond genuinely as you stare at him in admiration. Even on his worst days, when exhaustion wears his face like a mask and words fall short from his lips, he’s still the love of your life and nothing can change that. “I’m really proud of you, for making a decision like that.”

“Thank you.” He sighs and you can tell how much this has been bothering him over the past few days, if not weeks, by the way his shoulders finally relax. “I just don’t think they’re doing what they’re meant to. I don’t feel any better.”

“Mhmm.” You nod at him to continue as you take his hand in your own.

“I don’t feel worse either though, I feel the same. It’s been a year and I feel the absolute bloody same.”

“What are you going to do instead?”

“Whatever else the healer recommends.” He shrugs, “If she’s got nothing else that will work then I don’t know.”

“Well… I’m here for you, always.”

“I know.”

And it’s true, he does know, sure as he knows that he’s a Slytherin. There aren’t many things and people that Draco relies on, the fear of them letting him down always a barrier, but you he puts his absolute faith in. Because when words fall short to describe the amount of love that he has for you, and the amount of love that you have for him, there will always be actions and you two will always have each other.

You take your hands and cup his face in them before peppering kisses all over his face. He giggles under your touch, an effect that you’ve always had on him and he hates, but you make no move to stop until every corner has been graced with feel of your lips. It’s every word that you could possibly say to him, every sentence that could hold the weight of your adoration, because sometimes, words just fall short.

“Y/N-“ He begins when you finally pull away, wanting to tell you that he loves you, but you cut him off with a dopey smile.

“I know.”

The two of you lie down against the cold, hard gravel- fingers intertwined as you both shut your eyes and bask in the soft rays of sunlight. It’s almost perfect.

Until.

“Mr Malfoy, Ms L/N.” A voice drawls.

“Shit.” You mumble when you remember that it’s Wednesday- Astronomy.

<~>

Did I impulsively write this after declaring I’m going on a week’s hiatus to move? Yes. Did I put off packing for this? Yes. Do I have any regrets? Nope.

anyway,

love you all,

jean <3

[toxicbubblegum212]

Bowers Gang ~ All the shit you would get up to ~

Hey want more check out my masterlist

Masterlist here (click me)

Henry:

- You two are some wild motherfuckers!!!!

- You and Henry do all the bad things!

- I speak for the gang when i say "we all would not be surprised if you planed to rob a bank at some point."

- The two of you would drink, smoke, dope all of it

- The wildest thing the two of you have done is cause a high way chase with a stolen vehicle (not belches thank god) got out, ran on foot and some how got away for police.

- The two of you are just as twisted as each other which made it all the more perfect.

- Your next biggest plan is to teach Victor and Henry how to count cards. Yes you plan beat the gambling system and become rich..its still a work in process but your sure your positive it ill pay up some day.

- You also taught Henry how to pickpocket, not that henry is good at it but it's getting better.

- The two of you could jack cars as you learn't how to high jack the system and start the car up.

- You and Henry are quite the team, your skills are what made Henry so interested in you. When he learn't more about you he grew to love the Thrill just like you do.

- The thrill of getting caught, the thrill of getting shot. Its insane yes but you do you both love it.

- only if it was possible to get high off a thrill....

- You also taught Henry how to live life and enjoy it a bit more.

- You invited him over to your aunt and uncles and taught him how to ride dirt bikes. Now its the only thing he wants to do.

- Soon enough the two of you will be racing up and down the streets of Derry.

Patrick :

- Patrick loves but also can't stand how fucking cunning you are.

- Your even worse then him!

- Your can say out loud that you have figured out Patrick hockstetter.

- Even Patrick is a bit intimidated.

- At first he wanted to kill you cause you knew to much plane and simple.

- But sadly the group took a liking to you and thought that you should not only stay but join.

- Patrick did not like it one bit, you were able to do things that made him feel uncomfortable.

- Patrick got pissed off, he didn't like the amount of control you had over him. Then he realised that he had met his match.

- The two of you made peace and thats when your both started reeking havoc on the kids in Derry.

- You personally had a thing for Greta, you just wanted to see her suffer so bad. Simply because it would be amusing.

- You didn't know what to do, punch her so hard in her face that it breaks her nose or shoving your heel through her eye socket.

- Patrick loves this side of you, you were unbelievably sexy...to him at least.

- Both you and Patrick were psycho.

- The gang is petrified of the both of you.

- You have proven yourself fully capable of handling Henry and they see no difference if you were to take on an Adult or the older year levels.

- You and Patrick have considered kidnapping people to torture before but never when through with it.

- You are both masters of manipulation so if you both want something the chances are of you both getting it are extremely high.

- You taught Patrick the beauty of strategy and hey taught you the art of trickery others.

- Henry thrived off your skills, you took on other gangs. You could easily spot weakness in both fighting and through normal conversation.

- Patrick and Henry would act on your word and soon beat the crap out of the student both emotionally and physically.

- You and Patrick are good together but bad for everyone else that isn't in your good books.

- "Joker to his Harley" is what many refer to you both as.

- That doesn't mean that things between you and Patrick don't get tense.

- There's a lot of pain and love in the things you both do but thats what makes you want each other all the more.

Victor:

- You and victor honestly don't get up to bad stuff you just hangout with the not so appropriate people...

- Both you and victor often just enjoy each others time.

- Victor takes you out to many places like the beach, restaurants, movies all that.

- You and Victor are both pretty level headed people so you both get along well.

- However you and victor are badass if anyone was to rub one of you the wrong way.

- You have victors back and he's got yours.

- It's this bond that made you both grow closer and trust each ultimately resulted in your beautiful relationship.

- Victor respected you end of.

- When it came to beating up kids victor was never overly violent.

- But with your presents its a different story, especially is someone is threatening you.

- You and Victor pull up just to kick ass

- It's just like in the cartoons.

- The both of you have fun tho, you laugh and giggle.

- You and Victor after growing close actually go over to each others houses quite frequently.

- You gave Victor the keys and he gave you his so you can freely pop over anytime.

- Victor always spends the night with you, he comes back late and a tipsy but you trust him.

- Victor just wants you to be happy even if its not with him...

Blech:

- You and belch are super chill.

- Expect rides in the Trans am 24/7

- Don't be surprised if Belch wants you to come on a road trip with him and his family.

- Belch takes you sometimes, he's usually occupied by the gang but you respect that.

- Just like Belch you share your own interest in cars, you plan to get a mustang.

- You also know quite a bit about drag racing, drifting, street racing etc.

- This stresses the hell out of Belch but he admits it's cool to watch.

- You end up teaching him a couple of moves here and there...

- Henry fucking loves it when your driving!!!

- Everyone else however has like a 5 second heart attack.

- Henry likes it so much he's made you get away driver!

- Belch teaches you a lot abut car parts and how they work, which you appreciate since you know it will defiantly become handy some day.

- Belch takes you out to parts with him and always invites you over to dinner.

- Your two families get along so you often spend time together during Christmas eve.

- The craziest thing you both have done is street race all over Derry and not get caught by the cops.

- You both were ridiculously luck that day

[to00ch]

I love what you write! If not, can I please ask HC for Heartslabyul, Leona and Malleus with a "madly" eccentric and cheerful reader like the Mad Hatter who can become more frightening and violent when someone hurts or speaks ill of the reader's loved ones? (on the same level as Floyd when he is in a bad mood lmao).

I feel like most of them turned out rather platonic aaaa I am not sure if I correctly potrayed ‘reader’ as a madly eccentric character, I just wrote them based on my interpretation on how I viewed the mad hatter hahaha

I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless <3

Tags: hinted romance, platonic love, mad hatter!reader

Characters: Heartsabyul babies, Leona Kingscholar & Malleus Draconia

Riddle Rosehearts

he’d be having plenty headaches from you

sometimes he’d use his magic on you cause he’s so tired of you breaking the rules, but that’s only if your actions are too much for him to handle

you have a lot of fun teasing him honestly, cause he’s super cute when he’s mad!! whenever he’d use his unique magic on you, you would bug him more, so in the end he’d undo his magic and let you go

“Riddle~ please let me go hehe, I’ll behave? I think?” you’d repeat a number of times

You’re really protective of him, since you’re very fond of him. When you hear someone trash talking him, you won’t hesitate to throw them in a bin

“Oh my god, (y/n) how many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?” he’d scold you as he rubs his temples “But Riddle, they were speaking ill of you! How dare they! Talking trash about my favourite person, so I decided that it’ll be good if I dumped them in an actual trash can!” you huffed. 

Moments like this though, made him soften up a little for you, he didn’t show it though, cause if you knew that that made him happy, you would actually be more encouraged to do those things again. “Seriously, what am I to do with you,” he’d sigh and shake his head

Trey Clover

Trey is very good at handling you, it’s like handling a child

He really didn’t mind it, it amused him

Sometimes he’d get overwhelmed from it though, so he’d gently tell you to calm down a little

He always made you your favourite dessert, served with his special tea blend! He loved making you happy! But you felt like he always made you happy regardless

Trey always called you a good girl/boy if you calmed a little, and give you head pats

He gets really worried if you started acting brashly when you’re angry, so what he’d do is give you a butterfly hug (a method used to calm a person down) and made sure you breathed properly

“Sorry Trey, but they were bad mouthing you, I couldn’t let it go! I wish you didn’t do that to me so I can teach them a lesson,” you pouted. That made him chuckle a bit. “You see, (y/n), being violent could lead to something worse, and I don’t want anything bad happening to you,” he said gently as he rubbed your arm “You should really count to three before you act okay?” 

Cater Diamond

Dear lord, sometimes it could get tiring with you around so sometimes he would leave it to his clones

He’d try his best to avoid you, cause you knew which is the real Cater. How exactly? Well, you just knew

Oh but when you dress up eccentrically he’d take a picture and upload it on Magicam! And somehow it got pretty trendy, he knew what he was doing

Sometimes though he actually enjoyed hanging out with you, cause you were super eccentric, so he never got bored regarding the topics you talked about

During tea parties, he would sit with you! And you guys would gossip a lot, sometimes it got rlly funny and you couldn’t contain your laughter, so you laughed really loud and he’d close your mouth when people looked at the both of you

Cater didn’t mind people talking bad about him, well, atleast, he pretended to not care; which made you pissed when people were just being as*holes to him, purposely or not, and you just gave them a punch in the guts without any regrets. 

“Um, I guess I should say thank you? Oh but we totally gotta take a pic together, I won’t upload it though, its just a small memento,” and the both of you would casually take a selfie with the guys who messed around earlier on the ground, looking very much in pain

Ace Trappola

Phew, you guys would bicker everyday it gets worse when Grim is involved

Oh I think you guys would be the biggest headache combined, if you both weren’t fighting, you guys would sometimes gang up on teasing others

When you made stupid remarks he’d say “bro,,,,what IS going on in your head. I think about that every day,” you would look at him and giggle before pinching his nose “The fact that you’re thinking about me makes me kinda flattered,” and he’d pretend like he’s gagging

He won’t ever admit it but he really enjoys your company, if you weren’t there he’d ask your whereabouts

When he’s down, you’d always brighten up his moods by giving some random ass brain fart you thought of that day. It always worked, “you’re so weird, I’m getting worried,” he’d say but with a smile

Once he was picked on by a senior when you were there with him. Cause yknow he ‘bumped’ against that senior, and well the senior was like those typical “oH yoU bUmpEd me so aPologIse,” and obviously ace, being ace, was defending himself, which made that guy almost punch him but you just grabbed that dude’s arm and gave it a twist and threw him on the ground which came with a loud thud 

Ace smirked and gave you a high five and the both of you just left to wherever you guys were about to go and you guys kept on reenacting the scene otw

Deuce Spade

Deuce is very awkward around you, he didn’t know how to respond to your energy at first

But well people in NRC are all weird so this isn’t new, but he thinks the way you dress eccentrically is pretty cool

“Oh wow, where’d you get that fit? That’s pretty cool I’d be happy to wear something like that,”

Sometimes he unintentionally joins in your antics, then he suddenly realises that he has to act like an honour student

“Hey! We should probably start behaving. Jeez....I could’ve ruined my chance on being an honour student,” he’d clear his throat and return to his goody boy side “Aw c’mon Deuce, you’re no fun,” you’d tease him 

When he calls his mom you would always interfere him and embarrass himb

Ngl tho if the both of you were involved in a fight you’d partner up instead and scare those people away before they can even do stuff to the both of you 

Leona Kingscholar

He does not have the time and energy to deal with you honestly

Locks his room door before you can barge in

“Leona!!” *bangs door* “Open up, pretty please~” then you’d cackle

Groans all day long every time you bother him

But because he’s so used to you bothering him it’d be pretty weird if you didn’t show up sometimes, but he’d also be like “Good Lord, finally some silence,”

He was thankful though, there was this one time where you lost your sh*t when someone was insulting him for how he won’t ever be crown prince and you gave em a good whack plus a bunch of insults to feed em up

He started seeing you as a likeable person but definitely won’t admit it at all. He’s a tad bit tsundere but he got protective of you too and you’d tease him a lot regarding that

Malleus Draconia

He was kinda shocked at first how you easily just approached him, and you were very cheerful about it too!

Yours and his dynamic is the reserved one and the wild one, it was always a weird sight for people to see the both of you together

Oh people do be avoiding the both of you btw

Sebek would often scold you for acting such way towards Malleus and you would always just get on his nerves and the only way for the both of you to settle that is by Malleus’ words

“Well, I don’t really mind (y/n)’s company,” he’d say and you would stick your tongue out to Sebek who would mutter under his breath

You would always play tamagotchi with him together and compare each other’s, it would honestly go on for some time

There was a time when he saw you being violent and he’d be very shocked about it, so he used his magic to restrict you for a bit to calm you down, it was too strong for you so you ended up falling asleep from fatigue. He was very worried about you, so he took care of you the whole time you were asleep

[unsettledink]

Gotcha Chapter 6!

(Trying something new and posting the full text here as well as AO3? It feels too long, but I’ve posted longer things here before, Idk.)

Read on AO3

Peter: sorry im on my way!

Peter: iswear im just running late

Peter: i will be there supr fast!!

Peter: sorry!

Quentin stares down at his phone and somehow, manages not to sigh. It’s a full ten minutes past when they were supposed to meet, and he doesn’t even want to be here in the first place.

Quentin: Don’t worry, it’s fine.

Peter: im sosorry

Peter: my alarm got set for tomorroow instead of today

Peter: i dont even know how

Peter: adn i just woke up and i dont even sleep this late like ever

Peter: but i willl bet there soon i promise

Peter: sorry!

Quentin: Really, it’s fine! There’s no hurry.

Quentin: We’re not exactly on a schedule or anything.

Peter: its so rude tho

Peter: for once it wast me losingt rack of time!!

Peter: im still sorry!

Quentin had given himself a little extra time this morning, just to remind himself of all the many, many reasons he is doing this, in this particular way. Had spent that time summoning up every bit of patience he could find to get through this day, because he had a feeling he was going to need it.

It feels like he’s already used half of it.

And of course he won’t be able to comment on Peter’s lateness, not even as a joke.

Peter: im like hafway there already illl just have to chagne and then ill be there!

Peter: seriously i am so sorry

Normally he’d be all for hearing Peter apologize, but it keeps happening every other word, Quentin will lose his mind.

He’s already losing his mind.

Well, he’s not going to just stand here until Peter does show up. He glances around for somewhere to sit; there’s a coffee shop just across the street. Perfect. He’s going to need that.

Quentin: Hey, don’t rush!

Quentin: I’ll just grab a coffee okay?

Quentin: I’ll be over at Kaldi’s, it’s just across the street. Can’t miss it.

Quentin: You want anything?

Peter: you dont haveto!

There’s no stopping the sigh this time. God.

Quentin: Not what I asked, kiddo.

Peter: um

Peter: suure?

Peter: someting with carmel i dont care mych

Peter: ill be there realy soon tho!!

Quentin: Then we can just sit for a bit.

Quentin: You’ll probably need it if you just woke up.

It’s a little funny how… drastically downgraded Peter’s texting is when he’s apparently still half asleep. Or maybe it’s just that he’s in a hurry. Or—

Quentin nearly stops in the middle of the sidewalk. He— surely, Peter isn’t—

Quentin: Are you texting AND webswinging?

Peter: …maybe?

No wonder he goes through phones so fast.

Quentin: You’re going to drop your phone

Peter: hey! imst icky! i wont drop it!

Quentin: Then you’re going to fall from being distracted

Quentin: And I won’t feel sorry for you.

Peter: :(

Quentin: I’ll laugh

Peter: :( :( :(

Quentin: You brought this on yourself.

He spends the time until Peter gets there reviewing Lynn’s newest plans for the miniaturized drones; they actually aren’t too bad.

Of course, they’ve probably had them sitting, waiting, for months, what with how they’ve harped on and on about how this should be a priority.

It won’t do to let them get too full of themselves, so along with the praise he sends back plenty of potential revisions. Even brings up some entirely new bits for them to consider; should keep them busy for a bit.

“Hi!” Peter says, flinging himself down across from Quentin. He’s flushed and still out of breath, his hair sticking up. “I’m here! I’m so sorry!”

Quentin allows himself a slightly amused smile. “Hi,” he says. Pushes Peter’s drink—some sort of ridiculously sweet caramel flavored thing that’s barely coffee at all—across the table to him. “Sit. Drink. Relax a bit, okay?”

“Yeah,” Peter says, running a hand through his hair and only making things worse. “Yeah, okay. I’m sorry, though. I’m just… it’s really embarrassing to be that late when this was my idea in the first place and—”

“Peter,” Quentin says, cutting him off. “Breathe! It’s fine, I promise.”

For once, Peter listens, and takes a deep breath, holding it in for a moment. Lets it out and relaxes the smallest bit, and grabs his drink. “Oh,” he says. “This is good! Thanks; you were right about me needing it.”

Quentin watches while he unwinds; Peter’s latest idea regarding ‘things they could do together’ was to show Quentin around Queens, so today they’re wandering. Quentin’s thrilled.

It could be worse. Peter had been all set up to take him to the most popular, well known, touristy spots, and Quentin had barely been able to hide his dread at the thought. It’d taken a little work, but he’d manage to convince Peter that Quentin would much rather see Peter’s favorite places. Even if they were nothing fancy or exciting, or little hole in the wall type places, or silly.

Even if they bored Quentin to tears.

Not that he can let Peter see even a hint of that. There’s a special kind of… vulnerability in sharing the smallest things you like, something different than exposing the larger, more damaged pieces of yourself. Something oddly hopeful about showing someone the unexplainable, intimate things you like and waiting for them to enjoy those things as well. Or at the very least, not reject them, in a way that suggests they’re rejecting your tastes as well.

Not rejecting you.

He’s started to prove to Peter he can handle the bigger things, the superhero stuff and the feelings nearly suffocating Peter; time to show that he can be trusted with the little things too. That Peter can come to Quentin with anything at all. Anything. Everything.

“So,” Quentin says. “What’s first?”

He was right; it is pretty boring. Not… awful, surprisingly, but not Quentin’s sort of thing at all. Peter’s apparently decided to try and cover as many miles as he can in one day, dragging Quentin from one end of Queens to the other. And then back; Quentin’s going to take tomorrow off for sure. Peter just has so much energy.

Has so much enthusiasm, Quentin thinks, as they poke through a small used record store that isn’t nearly as hipster as he expected from Astoria. So, so much enthusiasm, for the smallest things. It just bursts out of him once he gets comfortable and isn’t second guessing every single word he says.

Once Quentin has seemed interested in the first few things Peter shows him. Peter’s nervous about it, trying to explain away any shortcomings before Quentin’s even gotten in the door. He’s just desperate for approval, for acceptance. For Quentin to like him.

It’s not that hard to, actually.

It’s never been that Quentin dislikes Peter. Sure, Peter’s causing him grief and can be incredibly annoying, and sure, about half of what he feels for Peter is pity, but those can exist alongside the fact that Quentin kind of likes Peter.

Has liked him, ever since he started compiling research on him, ever since he’d met Peter as Mysterio and shook his hand and watched him get so excited over the existence of multiverse. It’s harder not to like Peter, not even a bit. He’s ridiculously smart, and stupidly good-natured, and—

He throws himself into everything he does; goes full out, with his heart on his sleeve. It’s no wonder he gets anxious as hell, if his first impulse is to practically flaunt all his soft spots, open and eager and expecting the best. It’s going to go poorly more often than not.

Must have, judging by the way Peter pulls himself in and hides, overrides that instinctual reaction so quickly it’s just a flash, a glimpse Quentin keeps catching again and again. He’s been taught to second guess himself somewhere along the way, by someone—probably a lot of someones—who saw those tender spots and couldn’t help poking them, taking advantage of them.

Just like Quentin’s doing; Peter should be better about spotting that sort of thing by now.

It’s almost a shame to fix Peter just to tear him apart completely, to have to use him like this, but… well. In the end, Peter’s nothing but another obstacle scattered in Quentin’s path. There are far more important things to worry about than the fate of one kid.

Peter grins at him when Quentin admits that this dinky little secondhand bookstore in Jamaica was worth a stop, even if it’s just for the most comfortable couch Quentin has ever sat on. Smiles when he points out a mural he loves on the way to the next attraction and admits he’d actually webbed up someone who started to tag it.

Straight up laughs at Quentin’s face when Peter shows him the most supremely creepy things in some huge thrift store, full of weird antiques and vintage crap. God, it’s disturbing that the things Quentin had as a kid, even as a teen, are considered vintage now.

“Jesus, Peter,” Quentin says after he has to look at a one hundred percent haunted taxidermied squirrel. “Why would you make me see that? I’m going to have nightmares.”

“For that exact face,” Peter says. “Oh my god, you look like you think it’s going to bite you!”

“It might,” and it’s unfair that Peter just laughs harder. He glares at Peter, but it might be slightly put on.

He’s allowed to like Peter a little, Quentin decides, watching Peter nearly double over with giggles. It’ll make having to deal with him easier, if nothing else, and it’s not as though liking someone has ever stopped him from using them—even disposing of them—in the past. It sure won’t this time.

They wander some more, Peter chattering on and easily filling the silence as long as Quentin remembers to make the appropriate listening noises occasionally. Every now and then, Peter hesitates, a nervous stumble in his words, something throwing him off, and Quentin reengages fully. He can’t afford to let Peter get too caught up in his thoughts.

But a few questions—carefully designed to make Quentin seem far more interested than he is—are enough to get Peter going again, bouncing from place to place until Quentin suggests they could use something to eat.

“Oh my god, yes,” Peter says. “I’m starving and didn’t even realize it. Ooo, last time we were down here, Ned and I found this awesome truck that does crazy good Korean barbeque, you’d love it.”

“No,” Quentin says without thinking, the sweet tart burnt smell so strong he can nearly taste it, can feel it stinging when he draws in a breath.

He twitches, shrugging it off, and tries to walk back how sharp that had come out. “Uh, I’m not big on sweet sauces and meat?” he says. “Got another recommendation?”

Peter drags him to a place that has the weirdest chimichanga combinations—and normal ones too, thankfully—and once again, attempts to pay.

“You know,” Quentin says as he pokes Peter out of the way, immensely irritated that Peter is still pushing him on this. “I didn’t realize your memory was this bad.”

“Hey!” Peter says. “It’s not! What are you talking about?” like that doesn’t prove Quentin’s point exactly.

“I seem to remember a bet I won,” he says, “relating to this exact situation.”

Peter opens his mouth to protest, and then closes it. “Um,” he says.

“Yeah,” Quentin says,raising his eyebrows.

“Okay,” Peter says, “okay, you can’t blame me for trying!”

“Hmmm,” Quentin says, passing over one of the foam trays. “You’re forgiven. This time. Just don’t do it again.” It’s always a good idea to get Peter into the habit of following Quentin’s rules, of remembering not to challenge Quentin too much.

Of remembering that Quentin will forgive him anything, easily.

“Fine,” Peter says through a mouthful, so mature.

They eat on the way to the next stop on Peter’s little tour; Quentin had been hoping they were approaching the end, but when Peter looks at him and asks, so hesitantly, if Quentin is tired and wants to call it a day—

Well he can’t say no.

Quentin finds himself dragged on to little half hidden shops, with any signage and down stairs that Quentin has to ask how Peter could have found in the first place. To statues Peter likes, to places he feeds pigeons—why he’d want to, Quentin doesn’t know—places with great views of the Hudson.

And, over and over, once Quentin catches on and starts pushing it, places to eat. Because Peter’s metabolism is a thing of wonder.

It’s interesting watching Peter banter back and forth with an older man about his sandwich; Quentin had gotten the impression Peter was uneasy around strangers, all his awkwardness amping up. But the way Peter’s interacted with people today is much more relaxed, much easier. Peter has a sharp sense of humor that Quentin has only started to see, as Peter gets comfortable around him.

Why do all these strangers get it right off the bat?

He watches Peter dart over to help get a stroller over a curb and— they’re not strangers. Not really. It’s not just that everywhere they’ve gone is somewhere Peter has been again and again, to the point where he knows people.

This is Peter’s home ground. His comfort zone, and the people in it— they’re his people. And when he’s helping them, his nerves disappear. His awkwardness becomes a tool of its own, disarming, downplaying the threat Peter could so easily be.

This is what he wants to be when he’s Spider-Man; the guy on the street, helping in a hundred tiny ways.

That’s fine with Quentin. Perfectly fine; now how does he get Peter to stay there, with EDITH looming over his head?

He can practically hear that in William’s voice, ugh. He’s working on it.

They wind up in Kissena late in the afternoon, almost early evening, really. Peter steps off the path once they get into one of the more wooded areas, and there’s a grassy spot past a few bushes, with a truly massive tree near the center, smaller ones scattered around it. It’s well hidden.

“Alright,” Quentin says, as he has with every other place, “what's the story behind this? How’d you find it?”

“So, when I got bit, when everything changed?” Peter settles down at the base of the tree, cross legged. “One of the things that was like, a huge pain, was how all of my senses got crazy amplified. Everything was turned up to eleven, you know?”

Quentin sits across from Peter, stretching his legs out as he leans back. Ugh, grass; he’d better not end up with bug bites. “Okay,” he says. “Sounds like that was pretty overwhelming.”

Peter groans. “You have no idea! It was really hard for a while, because even once I started to get used to everything being too loud and too bright and too smelly and— things tasted weird and my clothes made me feel like my skin was crawling and it was—” He stops, tipping his head back against the tree and looking upward.

“It was a lot,” he says. “Eventually I sorta started being able to deal with all that sort of… feeling stuff? I mean, physical, sensory, not like feeling feelings.”

Coherent; Quentin does not roll eyes through sheer force of will.

“But I was still really struggling with the, um,” Peter frowns, tips his head back further until Quentin can’t really see his face. “The stuff in my head. Actually doing things, thinking about things or even focusing on one thing was all so hard. It was like…”

“It was like what?” Quentin asks, after a few moments have passed.

“Everything was a distraction,” Peter says, slowly. “That’s still not right, because normally, before, I’d get distracted thinking about something else I wanted to do, or I’d be daydreaming, or, um, just, good stuff? Stuff that I’d want to focus on, just not right that second.”

“This wasn’t like this.” Peter looks down and starts to fiddle with a bit of grass, pulling up blades one by one. “This was like so much noise inside my head, like every little detail about every single thing was right there, grabbing my attention. I’d be trying to do one thing and all that would be clamoring at me nonstop.”

He closes his eyes, scrunching his whole face up. “People talk about wanting super sense a lot,” he says, “but it sucked so much at first.”

“People generally don’t think through those kinds of wishes very much,” Quentin says. Honestly, for the most part people don’t think at all.

“I’m pretty much okay now,” Peter says. “I figured out how to filter things most of the time; when there’s a bunch of stuff at once I can get so caught up in trying to ignore it that I ignore everything, and then that’s it’s own problem.”

“I noticed,” Quentin says, dryly. “Makes you pretty jumpy.”

Peter huffs, almost a laugh. “Yeah,” he says, brushing the ripped up grass off his pants. “I’m still working on getting the kinds of focus right?”

Quentin leans further back on his hands, crossing his legs. “You said something about focusing on me that one time,” he says, and Peter goes faintly pink. “That the sort of thing you’re talking about?”

“Something like that,” Peter says. “If I have one thing I can focus on, almost completely, then I can make it into… uh, white noise, I guess? Or it makes everything else into white noise. If that makes any sense at all.”

Not one bit, but whatever. He can press that later. “Sure,” Quentin says, waving his hand. “I’m following.”

It’s actually something to consider— if Peter manages to function better in difficult situations by focusing on one specific thing, what happens when that thing is taken away? Is ripped away from him, in fact. Would there be a moment of disorientation they could take advantage of? Maybe they could set Peter up to focus on what they want; he’s already using Quentin as a focal point, apparently.

He’ll have to watch Peter, Quentin thinks. This fumbling little explanation leaves a lot to be desired, but he doesn’t have much faith Peter actually could explain it better even if he tried.

“That helps,” Peter’s saying, “but it’s still really exhausting after a while. Sometimes I want to just… stop. Just not feel it at all, not have to try not to feel it.”

He glances at Quentin, and Quentin nods. Peter looks oddly shy, so he’d better pay close attention to what he’s showing.

“I’ve found a couple of places like this, but this is probably my favorite,” Peter tells him. “I can come here and actually relax. If I stop trying to block things out, or stop focusing on one thing, it doesn’t matter.” He tips his head back again, looking up at the tree.

“It's quiet here, pretty much all the time,” Peter says; the light through the leaves is diffuse, dappled on his face. “Even the noises that I get are like, soft things. Leaves and wind and things walking on grass. People talking, yeah, but that’s more distant and almost like background noise. It’s still shadowy in here when it’s super bright out, and there aren’t any super gross strong smells either. Just dirt and water and uh, green stuff.”

He darts a glance down at Quentin without moving his head. “Don’t laugh at me!” he says, and it’s right on the edge of plaintive. “I don’t know what else to call it.”

“I’m not,” Quentin says. He understands; it’s not something a city kid would be around that often, would probably even notice without senses like Peter’s. “I wouldn’t. I know what you mean, Peter.”

“Okay,” Peter says. Looks back away from Quentin and then closes his eyes. “It’s nice. And when I have to go back to the real world, it’s not quite as hard to handle.”

Quentin watches him. Watches as he slowly, slowly unwinds. Peter doesn’t move, aside from his head tipping slightly to the side, and Quentin—

He’d thought, earlier, that it was interesting how much Peter loosened up around people he felt comfortable with, places he felt safe. He’d thought it was a large degree of relaxation—and it was—but it was nothing compared to this.

Nothing compared to the way the tension drains from him with each passing second, from every single bit of his body, until he looks calmer than Quentin has ever seen.

Happier.

If this is how he looks when truly relaxed, the level of stress Peter must carry with him every day, everywhere he goes—from the physical tension to the mental, the anxiety, the constant background level of effort that other people don’t have to think about—must be ridiculously high.

He doesn’t want to say anything, do anything, that would break the stillness that seems to have spread over the entire glade. Poor kid. He might be doing a great job at being a pain in Quentin’s ass, but he isn’t cut out for this superhero shit.

Everything Quentin sees just convinced him further that taking EDITH from Peter really is doing him a favor. He’d never intended for that to be true, but— it’s not a terrible byproduct.

Peter sighs eventually, a barely there breath of a thing, opening his eyes halfway. He looks dazed, almost half asleep.

At least, until he notices that Quentin is watching him, and then he flushes. Looks down, the moment dissipating. “Anyway,” Peter says. “It’s— it’s a nice place for me,” like he’s admitting something embarrassing.

“I can tell,” Quentin says, offering him a small smile. “You deal with a lot every day, don’t you.” He shifts against his tree, trying to get more comfortable without Peter noticing and getting all fussy about it.

“I guess,” Peter says.

He picks up a leaf, twirling it through his fingers absently. “It’s getting really frustrating,” he adds. “Because it’s been almost two years, right? So I should have a better handle on this! I shouldn’t still be getting tripped up by such little things. And—” he makes a face, shoulders starting to hunch again.

“So I have this… this sense? Uh, I call it a spidey sense— I know, it’s kind of stupid. It sort of warns me about things? Like someone poking me, or shouting that something bad is about to happen.”

“Mmm, you mentioned that once,” Quentin says. “Sort of like a limited precog?” Honestly, he’d dismissed it— not fully, it wouldn’t do to completely dismiss anything about Peter. But it hadn’t seemed like it did much for Peter in Europe.

And it hadn’t picked up anything about Quentin, so how good could it really be?

“Oh, huh,” Peter says. “I hadn’t really thought of it like that? Maybe, but it’s not very exact. Sometimes it’s super obvious, but others it takes me a while to figure out what’s wrong. And lately, especially, it’s been— it’s gone kinda nuts? I don’t feel like I can trust it anymore.”

“Like, like right now?” he adds. “Right now it’s just going off like something really big and bad is happening, but come on!” He throws his hands up, exaggerated. “We’re just sitting here talking! Nothing, literally nothing bad is happening. It’s freaking out for no reason.”

Fuck.

Maybe he really shouldn’t have dismissed it, Quentin thinks, trying to stay as relaxed as he was a moment ago. Maybe he really fucking shouldn’t have, because some part of Peter knows that Quentin’s not good news. Knows that Quentin is something dangerous, is a threat.

And apparently knows it very, very insistently. Oh, fuck, this is the last thing he needs. Why now? Why is Peter’s sense losing its shit now and not at any time in Europe? What has he done differently to set it off?

God, what if it had been going off then too? Could that be why Peter had backed off at the last second in the bar, EDITH almost in Quentin’s hand? Has Peter been feeling this the entire time?

It’s a good thing he doesn’t seem to be listening to it, but that could stop at any second. At any time, Peter could decide that maybe his stupid ‘spider sense’ isn’t wrong, and that would be— that would be bad. That would be so bad.

Quentin has got to figure out how to make sure Peter keeps dismissing what it’s telling him.

“It’s so annoying,” Peter’s saying. “I wish it would stop, would just shut up already. It’s like this constant thing lately, sort of fading in and out but almost always there, but not a single thing has happened!”

Oh, that’s really, really not great. Almost always? In and out? How long will it take before Peter starts to realize it’s linked to Quentin?

No. No, he can fix this. He can nip this in the bud, before Peter has even a hint of suspicion. Peter’s already trying to ignore it, already annoyed by it. Quentin can use that.

“Maybe it’s just confused?” Quentin brings one knee up and rests his elbow on it, letting his arm dangle oh so casually. “After all,” he adds, “I’m hardly a bad thing, am I?”

Peter smiles, all that irritation gone in a second. “No!” he says. “Of course not! You’re like, the least bad thing that’s happened in a while.”

Quentin grins back at him. Yeah, keep thinking that, kid. “Well that’s a relief!” he says. “How finely tuned is this thing anyway? Could something have… I don’t know, damaged it? Hmm, screwed up its baseline, maybe? How do you even recalibrate it?”

“I have no clue,” Peter says. “I mean, it’s not like I can’t really test it or fix it or whatever. It’s practically useless now.”

Perfect; he wants Peter distrusting this sense. Wants him not thinking about it at all, avoiding the topic entirely— ah.

If he can get Peter thinking his damaged sense has something to do with the fights he’s been in, these bigger battles, that would be ideal. Peter’s already trying hard not to think about those; tie this sense to them as well, and he’ll just have even more reason to avoid both

“Could something have overloaded it?” Quentin asks. “Just completely swamped it, and it hasn’t recovered yet? If it got used to there being danger nonstop, on all sides, maybe it can’t stand down.”

“…maybe?” Peter says. “But I don’t know what would have caused that, or even when. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

What.

Really, Quentin thinks, really? Peter can’t think of anything that would fit? Why wouldn’t he think of that? “Nothing?” he says, quietly.

Peter frowns. Takes a moment, and when he opens his mouth, Quentin is almost sure he’s made the connection; but Peter hesitates. Shrugs. “Not anything that’s like, major or a big deal or anything,” he says.

Does Peter— has he really managed to convince himself that all the fighting he’s done is nothing? Or at least, been trying to, because that hesitation says a lot.

He should have expected this, with the way Peter’s consistently downplayed himself so far. He really should have, but somehow it still annoys him. No wonder Peter isn’t willing to admit how scared and screwed up he is, if he thinks he’s completely overreacting to ‘no big deal’.

“Well,” Quentin says, and he’s watching Peter carefully. He doesn’t know quite how this will hit. “You were at war, on a battlefield. More than once, even. That can really mess you up in all kinds of ways.” Remember, Peter, he thinks. Remember that you were hurt, that there’s a good reason to be scared. To run.

“I— that—” Peter stares at him. “I wasn’t in a war,” he says. Dammit. Looks like downgrading it in his head is exactly what Peter’s been doing, and that is exactly the opposite of what Quentin wants.

“No? What would you call it?” Quentin asks, raising an eyebrow. He pushes himself more upright, uncrossing his legs. “It sounded a lot like war to me.”

Peter shakes his head, fingers crushing the leaf he’s been playing with. “It was just a fight,” he says, strained. “That’s all!”

A fight. Just a fight, like it was nothing more than a little spat, was nothing at all. Has someone been telling him this, reinforcing it? Fury, maybe, or even Tony before that?

He knows Fury wants Peter to think he can handle things, but has he also been trying to convince him that what he’s been through so far was small enough Peter should have been able to handle it? Should be able to handle the aftereffects? That he shouldn’t be upset about it, that he’s overreacting?

That’s not good; Quentin doesn’t need Peter doubting he can handle things. He needs Peter to be certain he can’t, and more, that it’s perfectly normal. Acceptable. Not something horribly selfish at all.

“Peter,” he says, “it wasn’t just a fight.”

“It was! It was just one— it wasn’t a war!”

“It wasn’t— Peter,” Quentin says, and sighs. “It was a lot more than that. You’ve been dragged from fight to fight to fight the past couple of years, without anyone helping you after; from what I hear, you really could have used some after that thing upstate.”

He huffs, too sharp to be a real laugh. “And that’s just what I know of,” he adds. “I’m not stupid enough to assume that’s everything.”

Peter sucks in a sharp breath, his hands fisted on his thighs. Blinks, and then looks at Quentin intently, his brow furrowed. “How do you even know about that? About— about other fights?”

“I spent some time talking with Fury,” Quentin says. “He wasn’t big on details, but I got enough that I can fill them in on my own. I’m willing to bet he doesn’t even know every fight you’ve been in, though I’m sure he’d like me to think so.”

He’d been talking with Janice, more like. God, she’d been such a find; seething about having had Tony himself be an ass to her, more than once, but willing to stay where she was to pass things on. She’d had access to so much confidential information, and every time SI and SHIELD decided to bury another thing, shift the blame and throw money at it until it all went away—for them, at least—she’d gotten a little more resentful.

It’s true that they might not have the finer details—it drives him nuts how sparse the info about whatever it was that crashed SI’s plane into the beach is—but he has enough to know that Peter’s been involved time and time again.

“Oh,” Peter says, looking down, losing some of his ire. “You probably didn’t hear much good, I bet. But— it doesn’t matter if it was more than one fight, cause they were all different. All like, spread out and about other stuff. It’s still not war.”

“What do you think war is, then?” Quentin asks, actually curious.

“I don’t, uh. War is… more?” Peter stumbles along, and he’s being incredibly stubborn about this. “More than that, than any of those. Worse. Way worse. You don’t— you weren’t there, you don’t know what it was really like. It wasn’t like that.”

“I think,” Quentin says dryly, “I have a pretty good idea of what war is.”

Peter looks absolutely horrified. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he says. “God, I didn’t mean— I’m sorry, I didn’t think— I just, just meant that you were in a war. In a real, horrible, endless one and this…” He shudders. “These were just fights. It’s not the same, it’s not anywhere near as bad.”

“I’m so sorry,” Peter says. Looks at Quentin and then drops his head into his hands, knees coming up as he curls in on himself. “Fuck, I’m so sorry Quentin, I didn’t mean…”

This is really not what he was going for. Shit, he shouldn’t have said it like that; Peter’s too sensitive for him to be even a little sharp.

Quentin sighs, very softly, though he’s sure Peter still catches it. Pushes himself up onto his feet and walks over to Peter, who doesn’t even look up. “I know you didn’t mean it like that,” Quentin says. “It’s okay, Peter.”

Peter just shakes his head a little; Quentin thinks of sighing again but—somehow—manages to restrain himself. He sits down next to Peter, his back against the tree.

“War doesn’t have to go for a long time to be real,” he says, not looking at Peter. “It doesn’t have to drag on and on for it to still be awful, for it to still affect you,” and Jesus, he’s had to hear shit along those lines so many times. Had to sit there and listen to people be told over and over that what happened to them is worth being fucked up over.

Even if it isn’t. There’s a lot of reasons he never opened his mouth at those meetings, and his disgust at everyone else was the biggest. What a waste of time.

Well. Maybe not. It did give him the material to work Peter over.

“It doesn’t have to be some huge, dramatic battle to qualify,” Quentin says. “It still counts. Pretending it doesn’t doesn’t get it out of your head.” Come on, he thinks, let it be bad, be a nightmare. Admit that there’s a good reason, a real reason, for you to be scared, and then you can back down without shame. Come on, Peter.

“It doesn’t feel like it should count,” Peter says, a bit muffled, head still in his hands. “It wasn’t— lots of people have dealt with so much worse. Something like this, it’s not— it’s not an excuse for, for…”

He doesn’t finish that thought, but Quentin doesn’t need him to. An excuse, hmm? He turns his head toward Peter, just a bit. “Why don’t you want to call it a war?”

Peter lifts his head, arms sliding down to cross across his chest. “Why does it matter to you what I call it?” he asks, and there’s a hint of sharpness in there. Maybe even anger. “Why do you even care if I admit— if I think it’s a war?”

Nice little slip there; isn’t that interesting. Peter does know it was more than a few little fights. He knows, he’s just trying as hard as he can to pretend otherwise. Trying to redirect, as usual, turning the question back on Quentin. Why does it matter, Peter wants to know, and there are so many answers Quentin could give.

It matters because you need to see yourself as badly damaged. Because you need to acknowledge that this is something huge and overwhelming and frightening. Because I need you to start accepting what I say as right, start accepting me as an authority. I need you to not question me.

So many reasons, and he can’t tell Peter any of them. Ugh.

He turns further toward Peter. “Because I think you’re doing yourself a disservice,” Quentin says, tightly, irritation rising up in him. “When you sit there and insist that it’s nothing more than a little fight, when you play it off like it’s nothing— you’re devaluing what you did, and that’s wrong.”

“Don’t act like what you went through, what you did, doesn’t count,” Quentin says, and Peter’s looking over at him, startled. “That it wasn’t brave as hell, and terrifying as hell too.”

Peter stares, his eyes very wide. “I— it’s not like I did more than anyone else there. Than, than anyone else would have.”

“It sounds like you did more than enough,” Quentin says. “And— it doesn’t matter, Peter. It still messes you up. War fucks everyone up. Maybe it didn’t go on long enough for it to really warp your thinking, your morals or empathy or capacity to even feel, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t damage you.”

Peter jerks, sitting up straighter. “I’m not damaged!”

For fuck’s sake.

Quentin has to dig deep for a bit more patience. “Sure you are. Hey, Peter— wait,” he says, watching as Peter shuts down all over again, hurt. “That’s not bad, kid. It’s not an insult. It’s just… you gotta admit that before you can get better.”

Or not, if Quentin gets his way; admitting it might lead to Peter actually getting over his fear and stepping up. But with Quentin around, guiding him along? Peter’s never going to take that admission as anything other than a personal failure.

As just another reason he can’t, and someone else should.

“I don’t know,” Peter mutters. “It doesn’t feel like it should count.”

Quentin watches him for a minute. Leans in, his shoulder bumping against Peter’s. “You’d agree that I’ve been in war, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“And that I’m able to judge what is and isn’t war. Right?”

Peter can be smart, sometimes. He sees where this is going. Sighs. “Yeah,” he says.

“Will you—” Quentin pauses, waits until Peter is looking at him. “Can you trust me here, and believe that I mean it when I say what you went through was war?”

Peter blinks, his eyes dropping. He’s silent, and Quentin can feel the muscles of his arm moving as Peter fiddles with something out of sight. “I’ll think about it,” Peter says, which is not quite the response Quentin was hoping for. Still, it’s not another denial. Baby steps.

“I’ll— maybe,” Peter says. “I guess you would know, even if you weren’t there.”

“You should listen to me,” Quentin agrees, leaning a little harder against Peter. “I do know!”

You should listen to me, and only me, he thinks. We’ll get you there, kid.

Peter huffs softly, pushing back against Quentin’s shoulder. “Maybe,” but he’s smiling faintly.

Quentin smiles back; he can accept a maybe, for now.

He’ll get a yes soon enough.

[tfw-no-tennis]

mtmte liveblog issue 17

and we’re back!

phew I had to take a hiatus to work on other projects but now that those are done I'm baaaack

god I'm SO fucking excited for this arc, I fucking love it 

OH NO TAILGATE...I almost forgot...this poor little dude

REMAIN IN LIGHT BABEYYYYY!!! I fucking love that title, talking heads is probably my favorite band Ever, and that album is one of my favorites, so when I first saw it here I was super excited lol. it’s such a good title, both for the album and for this arc

tailgate goes right to cyclonus ;_; hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

also...I just love the way milne draws cyclonus, he’s the perfect mix of terrifying and handsome, and also goth

ohhhhh I forgot about the framing device used here, with rodimus in jail later on in this arc, narrating retrospectively 

cybercrosis, add that to this list of amusing robo-puns, as a play on (I'm assuming) necrosis, aka tissue death

oof, ratchet saying that tailgate ‘lived a full life,’ which is fucking brutal because we as the readers know that isn't true :( 

tg is right tho, it seems v uncommon for tfs to die of old age. that's some shit luck right there, espec bc tg is basically a baby who was asleep for 6 million years 

ratchet talking abt pharma and looking at his hands...I See That

ratchets bedside manner leaves a bit to be desired hvbhjdsubfjsd jesus dude

and then there's cyclonus, whos also pretty terrible at being tactful

AUGHHHH and then cyclonus, like the emotionally repressed icon he is, goes and claws his own face up in grief rather than express any emotion to tailgate :( I'm in physical pain thanks

rodimus is like, wait...informing my crew about my actions? lmao? uhh what quest...oh yeah we’re on a quest. yeaaaah whatever man

the portal helllllll yessssssss

poor tg drinking away his impending death

oh man, chromedomes weird fucked up skeleton arm

rodimus hhvbhjaudsfbjaskdf he’s like yeahhhh I'm not even gonna pretend to indulge in democracy, we are GOING thru that giant ass space portal whether you fools like it or not

AND THERES THE MFING MOON BABEYYYY!

luna 1!!!!!! they found the missing moon BY ACCIDENT, fucking iconic 

still cant believe rodimus’s office is HOT PINK with a FLAME DECAL around the door. unreal

awww I love percy 

rodimus, in a shocking show of maturity, admits that rung was correct to be harsh with him about the whole overlord thing 

the squad gettin together ayyyy

rodimus reminding us all that this ISNT just a party ship full of frat boys, people have DIED

when you see tg and realize that that was cyclonus’s request ;_; 

aughhh and cyc saying ‘never hope. hope is a lie.’ that kills me man aughhhh

like, cyclonus clearly doesn't want to deal with the emotions he’s feeling over tg dying so he’s trying to make sure that tg accepts death and doesn't hope for a cure, bc that would hurt cyclonus MORE, and he’s already unused to all these ‘emotions’ n shit

I'm sorry but the MARBs just look so fuckin dorky bvhjakbdfhsf beep beep here comes the dweeb squad!!! lmaoooo

cd being like ‘can’t we just drive’ and perceptor is right there like :| LMAOOOO 

also I love cd saying ‘sometimes I wonder why we even have alt modes’ bc I feel like that's such a witty dig at the fact that in this series about robots that transform into cars, we rarely get to seem them actually DO that

its especially interesting when you consider how important functionism is in this story - alt modes are super important in that context, but we still rarely get to see them. hell, we literally NEVER saw megatrons alt mode, which is still crazy to me

ohhhh man I love that panel where the whole moon lights up, that's just amazing

congratulations, rodimus! it’s....a shitton of babies!

also broooo I ufcking love the fact that you barely even notice that rung ALSO hopped down onto the moon at the same time as rodimus...brilliant

god now I need to go find that ‘am i pragnent?’ video lmaooo

why....why did you have to use the word ‘fertilized,’ jro. why....

cold construction lore time!

do I wanna do my big biology speech here? I'm trying to figure out where it would go best...I think ill save it for later in this arc

god I fucking love brainstorm. his entire little speech about how he ‘went to marches’ for cold construction rights and whatnot is so funny with the added context that he’s an MTO and wasn't even around for that

skids, don't just sit in the spooky oil reservoir, alone, after you just went thru a mysterious portal, you should be more genre savvy than that 

what am I saying, this is the guy who wants his memories back even though he’s been told multiple times that it’ll probably traumatize him to death

brainstorm with the 0.1%er spark [eyes emoji]

I love percy just being horrified at the lack of proper scientific conduct from brainstorm like, all the time

I see the cons have their own edgy, weaponed-up version of the MARBs

MINIMUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love him aughhh I'm so excited for the stuff w/him this arc

also I totally forgot that you’re supposed to see him introduce himself as ‘ambus’ and be like whoa wait is that dominus????? or someone adjacent to him????

skids vs legislators: part 2!

P H A R M A

DR THOT HIMSELF.....back and immediately making a hand pun, with his chainsaw arm displayed in full glory....amazing

cant believe jro named this one ‘the fecund moon,’ which forced me to google what ‘fecund’ means, which led me to go ‘oh good lord jro WHY’ lmao 

I do love that we don't see the ‘part 1 of 5′ til the end - that's a great small reveal that hey, we’re in an arc now!

so there's the end of issue one of remain in light! aughh, I'm so fucking excited for this arc. my first two readthrus this was one of my favorite arcs (my other fav being the time travel arc), and I'm excited to see if its still at the top for me 

I feel like the first time I read thru I like this arc a lot cause I actually understood most of it hbvhadjkfbaksjf unlike all the previous stuff, where I was a bit more confused - at this point I at least had a decent grasp on the characters and relationships, so that helped a lot

also apparently one of the songs of this issue is ‘heaven’ by talking heads which AUghhH that song makes me wanna float in the ocean and look at the stars. idk. also I find it a little ironic that that song isn't off the album remain in light lol

either way I love this issue, strong start to the arc with lots of intrigue and worldbuilding, and clearly some incoming status quo changes...cant wait!!

[my-creative-hell]

Sick (Normal au)

Waking up slowly, Grave frowns and hums in concern as she notices Scarlet beside her. Though that wasn’t what was concerning, they had gone to sleep in the same bed. But Scarlet, someone Grave knew to always be cold, was now very warm, her skin pallid as she sleeps beside Grave.

Glowing in worry, Grave moves in the bed, shaking Scarlet gently in an attempt to wake her up, though Scarlet doesn’t stir, body heavy and limp in a deep sleep.

Feeling more worry flood through her, Grave shakes Scarlet more, starting to panic as Scarlet stirs slightly, a hushed whine escaping her, sounding groggy and disorientated.

Buzzing quietly, Grave continues to shake Scarlet gently, wanting to be able to help her as Scarlet seems to stir, weakly lifting one of her arms to cover her eyes, the world scorching itself into her sensitive retinas.

Opening her mouth, Grave quickly shuts it again as she realises she doesn’t know what to say to eased the situation, her worry making it impossible to form a coherent thought as Scarlet groans, trembling slightly.

Frowning, Grave kisses Scarlet gently, in hopes of healing whatever’s wrong. But Scarlet groans again, moving slightly as she shakes, her skin still pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Feeling confused, Grave gives her another kiss, glowing more as Scarlet coughs quietly, her eyes forcing themselves open sluggishly to look at Grave.

“But??? Why?” Grave questions softly, kissing Scarlet repeatedly in hoped something will work, not wanting her to be in pain any more. But Scarlet scrunches her face, whining in confusion as she stirs more, feeling groggy.

Frowning more, Grave thinks as she curls herself into a ball, feeling scared as Scarlet reaches for her weakly. She attempts to sit up, but her body seems too tired to even do that, leaving Scarlet to sink back down to the bed.

Grave pulls Scarlet into a hug, holding her gently as she shakes, feeling Scarlet lean into her as she struggles to keep herself awake, feeling groggy and disoriented.

Trying to comfort her, Grave strokes her hair softly, hearing Scarlet hum as she dozes slightly, her body not wanting to deal with the illness as Grave presses a gentle kiss to her forehead, some small tears forming in her eyes.

Interrupting them slightly, someone knocks quietly on the door to the room, forcing Grave to get up from the bed to answer it.

“Hello?” She questions, her voice quiet as she pulls the door open slightly, enough to see Lola standing outside of it.

“Oh good I am at the right place.” She comments, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently. Deciding against letting her in, Grave immediately closes the door in Lola’s face.

“Don’t you think that was a little rude?” Lola questions, scoffing softly as she continues to knock on the door.

“That’s a compliment compared to the way you treat me, dickhead.” Grave insults her in return, keeping the door closed.

“Look I’m not here to play catfight with you, alright?” Sighing, Lola lowers her voice as she speaks again.

“Mhm, s u r e you aren’t, Lola.” Grave responds, sounding sarcastic as she snorts in dull amusement.

“I’m really not. I heard Scarlet got sick.” Lola explains, her voice turning serious as she speaks now, making Grave hesitate.

“Come in.” She gives in, opening the door for Lola, despite not liking that she has to let her inside.

“Thank you.” Lola moves inside the room to sit beside Scarlet on the bed. “When did this happen?” She questions, looking to Grave for an answer.

“Today…” Grave explains, sitting down on the floor as she closes the door behind them, feeling more worried by the second.

Frowning, Lola moves to check Scarlet’s temperature, who has already fallen back asleep on the bed as Grave watches, curling into a ball as she fiddles with her fingers, unsure of what she could say.

“Well, the good news is it can be fixed.” Lola explains, sighing as she stands up from the bed.

“Really?” Lifting her head to look at Lola, Grave feels some excitement build at the idea that Scarlet can be helped, a tiny smile spreading on her face.

“Yup. Just gotta get some shit and find the dick who did this.” Lola explains, moving away from the bed.

“Yaaay.” Grave smiles, but its less happy as anger rises within her, making her glow in response.

“Pretty much. Coming with to catch em?” Lola questions, huffing quietly as she looks down at Scarlet.

“Of course, the fuck type of question is that?” Grave asks, standing up from the floor quickly.

“Just askin. Scarlet should be fine for a while so we can get it done and over with.” Lola explains, leading Grave outside with her.

“Gonna fight some assholes!” Grave exclaims softly, a small smile on her face as she follows Lola.

“Kill em maybe, depends on how much they annoy me.” Lola explains. “My cars outside.” She continues.

“Oh… we’re taking a car… c o o l.” Grave looks at Lola in confusion before noticing the car parked outside.

“Quicker than walking, and I’m sure you can agree we want to get this sorted as quick as we can.” Lola explains, unlocking the car for them both.

“I wasn’t talking about walking either, but this is cool too.” Grave explains, playing with her hands as she gets inside the car.

“Either way, we don’t wanna be too noticeable. The dudes who did this don’t play nice.” Lola explains, getting inside the car and placing the keys in the ignition.

“Oh really? I never knew.” Grave’s voice is dripping with sarcasm as she curls into herself.

“Look, I know you’re stressed and all but you don’t gotta lash out at me. I’m stressed too.” Lola counters, staring the car as Grave sighs, nodding

“Alright, sorry.” She apologises, half meaning it as Lola huffs quietly, starting to drive away.

“I know we don’t get along but I’ve been trying to lay off recently.” Lola explains, able to see Grave rocking gently in the corner of her eyes.

“T-That’s good…” Grave comments, her feet tapping carefully against the floor as Lola looks at her for a moment.

“Well it just makes sense given the… situation.” She explains, driving down the road quietly.

“Yeah… it sucks ass!” Grave explains, glowing in both good and bad energy as she watches the world go past them.

“Well yeah, there’s this… and you also are kind of dating my family.” Lola explains quietly, focusing her eyes on the road.

“Cuz we h o m e o f s e x u a l s.” Grave explains, feeling confused by Lola’s words, but not willing to question her on it.

“She really didn’t tell you anything, did she?” Lola questions, frowning as she looks to Grave.

“Nah… its fine though.” Grave explains, shaking her head as she looks out of the window, away from Lola.

“Well there’s some things you should know, and I can only assume Scarlet kept them from you for fear of being left.” Lola explains, sighing quietly as she focuses back onto the road.

“O-Okay…” Grave comments, biting on the string of her hoodie nervously, fiddling with her hands.

“Its only her being paranoid since she likes you so much…” Lola continues, huffing quietly. “Well I guess you should at least know my relationship with her.”

“I… sure, why not.” Grave agrees, trying to smile as Lola sighs, focusing on driving to their destination.

“I’m Scarlet’s sister. Twin sister, to be more precise about it.” She explains, sounding calm.

“T-That’s cool…” Grave comments, nodding as she prevents herself from asking questions, fearing being yelled at.

“I know it’s probably a lot to process, feel free to ask things.” Lola explains, flicking her eyes to glance at Grave quickly.

“A-Are you sure? I don’t wanna ask to many and bother you…” Grave argues softly, feeling confused.

“Nah, I don’t mind. We normally get questions so it’s not new.” Lola explains, snorting indifferently.

“That’s not related at all…” Grave argues, frowning as she shakes her head, thinking it through.

“Look, it wont bug me so go for it.” Lola continues, a small smile on her face as she looks to Grave.

“Why were you so mean to me most of the time? A-And why arte you even being nice to me?” Grave questions, frowning.

“…It’s a defence mechanism. Me and Scarlet… don’t have the safest life.” Lola begins, frowning as she stares out the windshield. “I don’t wanna bring people into it. If I’m a bitch, no one will ever like me. I’ll never make friends; never have anyone close enough to get hurt. But now… Scarlet’s in danger and… I don’t know what to do.” She admits, sighing softly.

“Oh…” Grave trails off, fiddling with her hands. “I-I’m sorry for asking.” She apologises.

“Its fine.” Lola reassures her, a small smile on her face. “It doesn’t really matter.” She continues.

“It does though!” Grave exclaims, frowning as she shakes her head in concern, watching as Lola sighs.

“Grave, look, once this is over I can go back to being hated and you can go back to hating me. It’s a win win.” Lola explains.

“Do you want that?” Grave questions, frowning more as she wraps herself into a ball, watching Lola shrug.

“Want or not, it doesn’t matter. Its what I know. Our mother hated us and left, and father is busy most of the time. Am I just supposed to let people get close?” Lola vents quietly.

“You could try it…” Grave explains, trying to smile as she thinks, glowing softly as Lola frowns.

“And if they get hurt? Then it’s my fault.” Lola frets, turning to look at Grave, slowing the car more.

“Nope! Its not your fault unless you hurt them yourself.” Grave explains, tapping her feet against the floor as Lola stops the car.

“Won’t I mess it up? I’m not good at this shit…” Lola continues, Grave seeing a genuinely distressed expression on her face for the first time in knowing her.

“I could help you!” Grave exclaims, holding herself back from holding Lola’s hand, unsure if she would want that.

“Why help me? Haven’t I kinda fucked this up already?” Lola questions, a sad smile on her face.

“W-We could always… try again? Only if you want to tho.” Grave offers, frowning as she looks away from Lola.

“I-I wouldn’t hate it…” Lola admits, looking at Grave slightly as she processes her words.

“Good!!! You wanna start now?” Grave questions, smiling sweetly at Lola as she parks the car,

“Lets start with getting the fix for Scarlet.” Lola explains, flashing Grave a genuine smile.

“Yeah, the sooner the better.” Agreeing, Grave clips outside of the car, glowing softly as Lola follows her, locking the car behind them. Stretching silently, Lola pulls out a gun from a hidden pocket in her clothes.

“Oh, shooty shooty.” Grave comments, wiggling as she looks at the building in front of them.

“Yup. I’m gonna shoot at the fuckers while you grab the antidote to the poison they managed to slip Scarlet.” Lola explains, smiling.

“I thought we were gonna yoink the antidote and then blow the whole place up but that’s easier.” Grave smiles in amusement as Lola points to a door in the building.

“The antidote is in the locked office pas that door in a safe, though I doubt that’ll be an issue for you.” Lola explains the route quickly.

“Good!!” Ceasing her glowing, Grave cuts the conversation short, running to the door as Lola snorts, firing a bullet upwards to gain the attention of the people inside.

“Its… an office. Totally unexpected.” Grave speaks sarcastically as she clips through the door, looking around the office as she notices a safe in the corner, faint sounds of shooting coming from outside.

Moving over to the safe, Grave quickly clips her hand inside, a loud shot sounding off outside before things go quiet.

Feeling worried, Grave quickly grabs the cylinder inside of the safe, clipping outside to see what is happening. As she gets outside, she can see bodies of some men strewn about, riddled with holes, though one seems to be holding a shotgun.

Frowning in concern, Grave hides the vial quickly, ceasing her glow as she looks around, seeing Lola’s feet from behind the car.

Deciding quickly, Grave runs over to the car, revealing Lola lying near it, turned away from Grave.

Moving to her, Grave shakes her gently, a worried frown on her face as Lola remains unconscious, the wound in her abdomen bleeding profusely.

“Oh yeah, that’s kinda really fucking bad.” Grave frets, glowing in concern as she notices Lola’s pale skin from all the lost blood.

Not hesitating, Grave presses a gentle healing kiss to the wound, hoping to help at least a little, watching in relief as the wound closes itself up, some life returning to Lola’s skin.

“Fuck yeah!” Smiling softly in relief, Grave keeps herself quiet as Lola shifts slightly, not yet waking up as a small frown appears on Grave’s face, gone as soon as it appeared.

“That’s fine, that’s great.” Reassuring herself, Grave opens the car door as Lola stirs slightly, seeming very groggy and disorientated. Unsure of whether to wait for Lola to wake up or just move now, Grave watches as Lola opens her eyes slightly.

“Uh… hi.” Grave waves quietly as Lola groans, feeling out of it as she struggles to focus.

“Grave?…” She questions, voice hushed and unsure as Grave nods in response, wanting to calm her.

“Yeah, you passed out. It wasn’t good.” Grave explains, trying to reassure Lola calmly.

“Did you get it?” Lola questions, whining as she attempts to sit herself up on the floor.

“You mean this? I dunno, maybe.” Grave pulls out the vial, holding it up for Lola to see and confirm.

“Then it’s worth it. That’ll help Scarlet.” Lola relaxes at the sight of the vial, nodding to confirm it is the correct one.

“Good! Do you think you can stand up or do you want me to carry you?” Grave questions, smiling gently.

“I think the second I try and get up I’m gonna pass out again.” Lola admits, a soft sigh escaping her.

“I’ll carry you then!” Grave exclaims, carefully picking Lola up, watching her close her eyes as she relaxes into her.

“I would ask you if we should just n y o o m back but… car.” Grave explains, putting Lola in the seat gently before getting in beside her.

“Can you drive?” Lola questions. “I’m still n the verge of passing out again.” She explains quietly.

“I can drive very well!!!” Grave reassures her, nodding as a soft glow spreads over her.

“Good…” Smiling, Lola leans into her seat in the car comfortably as Grave starts it up.

“Ssseatbelt…” Grave remembers, doing Lola’s for her as she starts to drive, speeding a reasonable amount as Lola struggles to stay awake in her seat.

Grave increases the speed slightly, but not too much for fear of hurting Lola, who is half asleep as she shifts in her seat to get comfortable. Giving up on being reasonable, Grave speeds faster, too worried about Scarlet’s health. Lola winces as the car moves quicker, but she soon relaxes back into the seat, dozing quietly.

“Sorry, Lola…” Apologising, Grave frowns softly, keeping her voice quiet as Lola hums in response, calming as she slips in and out of consciousness.

“We h e r e!” Grave exclaims, pulling up in front of the house and clipping outside of the car excitedly, Lola stirring slightly, though her movements seem sluggish.

Thinking, Grave carefully picks Lola up out of the car, carrying her inside as Lola curls into herself, eyes opening slightly to watch Grave.

“Hi…” Smiling softly, Grave glows as Lola wakes up more, a small smile of her own gracing her face.

“Hey…” She answers quietly, still sounding slightly groggy as she speaks, voice low and tired.

“I’m gonna give Scarlet the antidote, you still want me to carry you?” Grave questions, giggling softly.

“You can leave me down here, Scarlet’s the priority.” Lola explains, smiling up at Grave as she speaks.

“O-Okay…” Grave agrees, placing Lola down carefully as she moves upstairs to Scarlet, feeling nervous as she glows.

Opening Scarlet’s room, Grave can see that she is still asleep in her bed, her skin pale and sickly as she trembles.

“She’s gonna be fine soon, its okay.” Grave reassures herself, keeping quiet as she administers the vial of antidote to Scarlet, watching some colour return to her face as she relaxes into the bed.

Grave glows happily, wanting to give Scarlet kisses as she waits for her to wake up, Scarlet shifting slightly in the bed as she stirs from sleep.

Squeaking happily, Grave’s feet tap against the floor as Scarlet scrunches her face up, her eyes opening a tiny bit as she starts to wake up more.

Grave opts to sit beside Scarlet on the bed, giving her space as she smiles, fiddling with her hands as Scarlet opens her eyes more to look around, feeling groggy and weak.

“H-Hi…” Waving, Grave gently pokes Scarlet’s nose in greeting as she hushes her voice, watching Scarlet smile.

“Hiya…” She responds quietly, leaning into the gentle touch as Grave pulls her into a hug, littering her face with love filled kisses.

“Are you okay?” Scarlet questions happily, a light giggle coming from her at the affection, giving Grave a gentle kiss of her own.

“Of course I am! A-Are you okay?” Grave squeaks as she returns the question, giving Scarlet a gentle kiss.

“I’m still tired and weak, but I think I’ll be okay…” Scarlet explains, smiling tiredly as she leans into Grave.

“Good! I like it when you’re okay.” Grave explains, smiling as she presses a soft kiss to Scarlet’s forehead, hearing her hum as she closes her eyes, hiding in Grave comfortably.

“I love you…” Grave comments, holding Scarlet in her arms, glowing softly in happiness as she speaks.

“I love you too…” Scarlet returns the sentiment quietly, nuzzling into Grave’s warm body as she grows sleepy.

“Wanna pretend all this never happened and we just hung out all day?” Grave offers, feeling Scarlet nod as she pulls her in to cuddle.

Returning the cuddle, Grave presses one more gentle kiss to Scarlet’s forehead as she falls asleep in her arms, following behind swiftly.

[pop-punklouis]

hey hope!! i’ve completely run out of things to watch recently and was wonderinf if you had any recs of movies and tv shows??

HI! 

It’s your lucky day because I have found myself in a hole of watching many new things lately that I’ve more or less found enjoyable so hopefully you will too? lol

1. Russian Doll:  Nadia, a young woman who is on a journey to be the guest of honor at a party in New York City. But she gets caught in a mysterious loop as she repeatedly attends the same event and dies at the end of the night each time – only to awaken the next day unharmed as if nothing had happened.

(I know I’m late to the party with that one, but it is quite literally one of the best comedy-dramas I’ve seen in a long while, not to mention Natasha Lyonne, the ultimate babe, stars in it. It is, blatantly, obvious that the script was written by women (thank god) and it has a cool, mind-trip twist at the end that’ll have you guessing what actually was happening the entire time. Super easy to binge!! 10/10)

2. Perfume:  When a woman is found murdered with scent glands excised from her body, a detective probes a group of friends who attended boarding school with her.

(A German mystery-crime-thriller that is way too convoluted and intertwined to know the real culprit of the grisly yet complex murders until the few minutes of the last episode. It has an incredibly intriguing script with intricate details and dialogue. Pleasantly surprised by how solid the entire storyline and characters were. TW though!! There are scenes of obscene sex, implied rape, domestic abuse, and sexual assault. So be careful if those things trigger you. Watching it in German with English subtitles is the way to go, though. Trust me.)

3. Handsome Devil:  Two opposites, a loner and the top athlete become friends at a rugby-obsessed boarding school, and the authorities test their friendship.

(An irish coming-of-age LGBT film that, again, pleasantly surprised me with how well it was executed underneath the guise of an overly cliche storyline. It’s winning, compelling, and quite moving with how it tackles individuality in teens. It’s just a great film that takes tropes and turns them on their head by transforming the characters in their own way. Not to give too much away but the talk one of the boys have with the English professor on the rugby field at night is so, so important as an open dialogue.) 

4. Dumplin’:  The plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen signs up for her mum’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow in her footsteps, revolutionising the pageant and their small Texas town.

(As you can probably guess this film is an emotionally-impactful conversation about self-acceptance that rides on the back of societal expectations of young women all tied together in a very heart-warming coming-of-age drama. Also there’s loads of Dolly Parton music. What else is there to say)

5. The Lobster:  In a dystopian society, single people must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice.

(Isn’t a new watch, but I was reminded of it recently. Just an extended Black Mirror episode, pretty much. It’s odd. It’s bizarre. It’s engaging. It’s a lot of things, and they are great.)

6. Shirkers:  In 1992 teenager Sandi Tan shoots Singapore’s first road movie with her enigmatic American mentor, Georges, who then absconded with all of the footage. The 16 mm film is recovered 20 years later, sending Tan, who is now a novelist living in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges’ footprints.

(One of my favorite documentaries I’ve seen in a while, mainly because it doesn’t exactly feel like a documentary. It feels like you’re privvy to the incredibly frustrating, disheartening, and determined story of friendship, women-bound creativity, youth, and dishonesty when it comes to the mystery of where and why Georges disappeared. It’s also empowering in a way to see the transition of these young women reclaiming their lives after such betrayal.)

7. Grace & Frankie:  For as long as they can recall, Grace and Frankie have been rivals. Their one-upmanship comes crashing to a halt, however, when they learn that their husbands have fallen in love with each other and want to get married. As everything around the ladies is coming apart, the only thing they can really rely on is each other.

(I’ve been living under a rock, sue me. This show is fanfuckingtastic. Just watch it. Just binge it. Just do it.)

8. Voyeur:  Gay Talese investigates Gerald Foos, a Colorado motel owner who spies on his guests. Using a carefully constructed platform in the motel’s attic, Foos documents his guests most private moments, from the mundane to the shocking.

(Just a frustratingly and horrifyingly sad and strange recollection of two men who act as an incredibly interesting character study if nothing else. Recommend)

9. Some Freaks:  A charming romance develops between a boy with one eye and an overweight girl, though when she loses her weight after going to college, their relationship is tested in devastating ways they never dreamed would happen.

(….. I still don’t know how I feel about this movie. I’ve watched it twice, once alone and once with a friend, and I’m still conflicted on my lasting thoughts about the film and its message. It’s definitely something I suggest watching, at least, to come to your own conclusions about how it made you feel. It’s just. uncomfortable in the strangest of ways, and I just need more people to converse about it with lmao)

10. The Kindergarten Teacher:  A teacher sees such great promise in her 5-year-old student that she goes to unreasonable lengths to protect his talent.

(I watched this film on a whim one day while off from work, and I was pleasantly surprised by its depth and heartbreaking tendencies. This film does not evoke anything but unsettled feelings and yearning for both the young boy and the teacher. Many people tend to gloss over the fact that this film does so much more than its superficial narrative. it opens such a bigger conversation into what absence and neglect of personal creativity and art through someone’s marriage and family can cause them to in-turn have an unhealthy obsession with wanting to keep a child’s love/talent for art alive. Haunting but great film.)

11. Mr. Roosevelt:  A struggling LA-based comedian goes home to Austin, Texas, when a family member becomes ill and finds herself in the awkward position of staying with her ex and his amazing new girlfriend.

(Friend found this hidden-gem on Netflix, and it’s such a quirky, comforting, easy-watch that I miss a lot in indie films. It’s progressive and weird in all the right ways, and it leaves you with a cozy feeling inside once the film reaches its end.)

12. Queer Eye Season 3

(You know the drill just more feel-good reality-television makeover that makes all of us a little bit happier about humanity’s ability to be kind)

13. Happy Anniversary:  On their three-year anniversary, Molly and Sam are at a crossroads and need to decide whether to move forward or call it quits.

(Another hidden gem found on Netflix that I ended up thoroughly enjoying. It comes across as a real, genuine, non-exaggerated look at the inside of a couple’s relationship. It’s candid, fun, witty in dialogue, and heartwarming towards the end. I’ll admit I got a bit misty eyed at 1 AM lol also the dude who plays jean-ralphio is one of the mains so c’mon.)

14. Class Rank:  When her class rank threatens her college plans, an ambitious teen convinces a nerdy peer to run for the school board to abolish the ranking system.

(Listen up, I watched this film because I was under the impression that it was going to be a b-rated teen film I could be amused by, but it ended up being a sorta cute story that I enjoyed a lot more than I probably should’ve RIP. Give it a shot).

15. Cam:  A camgirl has her principles, until a mysterious woman who looks just like her takes over her channel.

(Don’t take the general critic review to heart and watch the film, yourself. It’s. a ride. It definitely gave me chills as much as it made me uncomfortable. A thriller with twists and uneasiness at every corner. Just a real creepy look into AI, especially in industries like the camgirl industry. I do want the girl’s play dungeon tho rip)

[aiverzone]

i rate 2020, 20 out of 20

i was glad that i had my birthday before the lockdown and i got to see my friends on that day even though the day was a crap because we had a fs defense. but srsly, i thought the virus was very very temporary as in 2 weeks would already ease the problem out. my comeback performance as a stallion member (was supposed to be my last dance as a stallions member) got cancelled and it sucks that it did.

my first greatest flex during the pandemic is my shopee journey. i have been in the shopee world since April, earning something in livestreams. until i became a participant-competitor for a one-week shopee livestream competition. it was a pain in the ass but a hundred of my shopee friends supported me all the way and i am very glad that i met very wonderful people, that until now engage in my posts online. i found a family in shopee and i even cried for them at my last livestream. i retired my shopee hobby on June. didnt believe that i earned a five-digit amount of money there. i spent a lot of audio calls with friends that i havent met personally, strategizing and bashing competitors that played dirty. i didnt sleep for 24 hours just to earn some cash—- that i bought myself my dream pair of shoes. all that hardwork paid off. but my greatest prize was my friends ofcourse. they were all chillin in Luzon meanwhile i am here in Mindanao. i hope someday ill get to meet them because they’re very fun people and we share blessings (we mean money).

my second flex would be my artist career. i started my art life because of a certain shopee friend who gave me a special stylus. i was so happy that i was able to create magical artworks that i never believed i could have done. my shopee friends were the people who cheered and hyped up the start of my journey//artversions account. they provided me the materials, gave comments about price ranges, commended my works, and even became my first customers. i hesitated to accept commissions at first because i am not good enough. but i risked it and invested some money for advertising and other supplies. it worked, thankfully. every week i did not think that people would actually dm me and commission me. i was just glad that people come back again and again letting me draw diffferent faces. i could say my start-up business was successful for the year 2020.

nevertheless, never had the thought that online class was doable/feasible here in the Philippines so i did not prepare my whole self for it. so far i pulled off the first semester and yo boi gon try to hit those kwatros again. i tried my best to still give off that aiverson branding in the online set up just for me to be comfortable with the new routine. its hard to be spontaneous on serious situations but i try my best to still amuse people with who i naturally am. i cried for not being able to be classmates with some selected friends but in the end i just didnt care at all because this is an online set up and being classmates or not doesnt matter anymore. the different tasks given to us gave me doors of opportunities to improve my creativity. i dont call my works magis because my goal was not to make my output look outstanding among everyone’s work,, i just wanted to improve myself and know my extent in terms of creativity. it unexpectedly worked on teachers tho.

another happy thing that 2020 gave me is the chance to be a part of the creatives team of our academic org. i was very happy and excited knowing that i was the only freshie and the only applicant that got in the committee (maybe because i was the only one who applied??) but yea,, they got me in the committee and i proved myself right. they thought i was just all about artsy artsy vector shiz and all that, but nope. i worked hard learning more complex applications just to kick the pubmats some spice of creativity and standards. i surely impressed our head of layouts tho because i became his “assistant” in everything that he did. thankful for the projects he gave me because it was a platform for me to show everyone my skills in graphics and layout.

in conclusion, 2020 was a blast. everything were laid out to me. the Lord really planned everything from the beginning. started from online shopping in shopee then discovering shopee livestreams for me to earn then meeting shopee friends who started and supported my artist journey which gave way to new opportunities such as the creatives team and acads reqs. definitely 2020 was the year that i needed. was actually my pre-debut as a person who just stepped on legality. looking forward to be a very great person in my actual debut year. i admit that i became a better person last 2020 and i will work smarter this 2021 to be a better version of a better self.

i am proud of myself everyday, and i won’t stop reminding my own self that i am enough and i did my best in everything. cheers to 2021!

[fixxofvixx]

Stay With Me - Demon Leo AU - Chapter 3

Hello~~~!!!

I have some Demon Leo for you. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting for a while. Its a really long chapter tho!

I hope you enjoy and please, please let me know what you think!!!

👿👿👿

You waited, but nothing came. You cracked one eye open and saw Leo staring at you with an amused grin. Your eyebrows came together in confusion as you opened both eyes. You had to look away from his piercing gaze only to realize that you were no longer on the forest floor. Instead, you were now on the tree branch that Leo had been on before.

Instantly, you grabbed for him. Your hands latched onto his shirt and you buried your head in his chest.

“You’re awfully friendly for someone whose life was just threatened.” His arm tightened around you and he chuckled.

“I d-don’t like heights.” It occured to you that he had most likely this on purpose. He did feed off of fear, after all. You raised your head and looked at him. You took a deep breath and started to speak but he stopped you by covering your mouth with his hand. You pulled at his hand but you were afraid to move too much on the tree limb Your struggling ceased when you heard another voice.

“Where in the hell did that little bitch go?” The gruff voice came from about 20 feet away and sent a shiver down your spine. You knew that voice. It was the drunk that had tripped you at the bar. You stared in disbelief as you realized that he had followed you with obvious ill-intent. Had he intended to follow you home?

Leo’s hand removed itself from your mouth and traveled to the back of your neck. You jumped when you heard his voice.

*Is that the guy from earlier?*

You looked at him, worried that the man would hear his voice. But, you realized that his lips weren’t moving. He….he was in your head.

*Yes, I’m in your head. Answer me. Is that him?*

You nodded as he shook his head.

*Just think it. I can hear you.*

**Yes, that’s him. I didn’t think he would follow me.**

You looked away from the man and back up at Leo. You were unable to read his expression. It seemed to be a mix of anger and annoyance. However, annoyance dominated.

*Stay right there. I’m not through with you yet. So, don’t move, got it?*

His voice didn’t exactly sound threatening but definitely held authority. You shakily nodded your head in agreement. You knew you didn’t stand a chance against him anyway.

Suddenly, the arms that had been around you were gone. Your hands latched onto the tree behind you. Your eyes snapped over to the man from the bar. About 15 feet from him stood Leo. The man hadn’t noticed him yet.

You almost screamed when Kona landed on the branch in front of you. You eased yourself down to sit on the branch. Kona walked further towards you and stopped when he reached your foot.

You almost fell off the branch when you heard the scream. Looking down you saw the man from the bar on the ground trying to crawl away. In front of him stood Leo. His hair was stuck out in all directions and he was advancing slowly on the man. Tendrils of black smoke curled around his feet as he walked. Fear gripped your heart. It hadn’t clicked in your mind until now just how screwed you were being in his domain.

Leo must have sensed your growing fear as he suddenly stopped and looked up at you. Gone were the electric blue eyes. What you saw looking up at you was purely out of nightmares. No white had remained in his eyes, they were completely black. His fangs were still there and the claws had returned. You seemed to have been in denial about Leo being a demon. But, you believed now.

When he turned his head slowly back to the man still trying to crawl away, you wasted no time.

Forgetting your fear of heights in favor of a new one you started climbing down the tree. You were doing good until you reached the last branch. You were still about 15 feet from the ground and there were no more branches. You hesitated until you heard the man’s blood-curdling scream. Startled, you jumped. Pain erupted in your foot and you knew it was fractured or even broken. Desperate, you pulled yourself up and ran. The pain in your foot was causing you to see stars. You heard wings flapping above you and you knew Kona was following you. Tears streamed down your face and your breath was ragged.

The forest was pitch-black dark now and you no idea which way was home. But right now you didn’t care. You just wanted out. Your lungs burned as you frantically searched for the meadow that you knew lay beyond the trees.

When you finally saw the edge of the forest, you pushed yourself to go faster. Just a few more steps and you’d be free. You were almost to the edge when arms wrapped around your waist, yanking you back into the darkness.

“No! Let go!” You pulled at the arms that held you prisoner. Your vision was blurry from the tears that poured from your eyes.

“Calm down. It’s okay.”

“Please.” Pain radiated from your foot as you kick in the air, trying to break free.

“Just calm down. Listen to me.”

You didn’t respond this time. You just continued to try to free yourself. You gasped when your whole world collapsed around you and you felt your feet leave the ground. In a split second you went from the forest floor back into the trees. This time was higher than the first. You were now easily 80 feet from the ground. At least as high as a healthy sycamore tree. You instinctively stilled. Your body, however, still shook in fear of its own accord. He could easily throw you off from here and the fall alone would kill you. Or, perhaps he waa trying to increase you fear in order to make his meal that much sweeter. Before, you had seen him as a pleasant acquaintance. Now, you just waited for him to kill you.

“Are you going to stay still now?” When you didn’t fight against him, he continued. “Okay, good. Now, will you tell me why you’re running when you’re clearly injured?”

You remained silent, refusing to fuel the fear he wanted. You struggled to bring air into your lungs but each inhale was torturous.

“I can find out in my own way, you know.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his threat. Suddenly, his hand was on your forehead. At first you tried to shake it off but whatever he was doing was making you feel dizzy. Your mind became fuzzy and you found it difficult to focus. After a few moments, he removed his hand and sighed.

“And here I thought you were running from that drunk. Y/N, you needn’t run from me. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so long ago. Think about how many times you’ve wandered into the woods. I was merely teasing you before the drunkard appeared.”

“Did you kill him?” There was a deafening silence before he answered.

“Yes.”

Your stomach flipflopped at the thought and you fought to keep your head together.

“Can we continue this conversation on the ground?”

“If you promise not to run again.”

“I have no reason to. I wouldn’t make it anyway.”

He didn’t answer you verbally. Instead, you found yourself back on solid ground almost instantly.

He allowed you to sink to the ground and lean against the tree you had just been in. He crouched down in front of you and you chanced a look at him. Everything that would have indicated that he was a demon was gone. He now looked like a normal man save for the fire-red hair and blue eyes.

You flinched when you felt his hand wrap around your ankle. You tried to pull it from his grasp but he was stronger.

“Easy, I’m just going to heal it for you. Keep still.”

“Why did you kill him?”

“I don’t like people intruding into my forest.”

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. You had done just that but he claimed he had no desire to kill you. He looked up at you while his hand slid your shoe off. You could see that it was swollen and badly bruised.

“Sit very still while I do this or it might heal wrong. There’s a few fractures in your foot that need mending.” He curled his hand around your foot but you could feel nothing. There was a few moments of silence before you heard his voice again.

“I really have no intention of taking your life, Y/N. I decide who is allowed in my forest and who is not. HE was not. I can take blood from someone and still choose not to kill them. However, while I am taking that blood, all of their thoughts are transferred to me. I saw in his mind what his intentions were for following you. And it wasn’t to apologize. He was hoping to find you in the forest, do what wanted, and then leave you for dead. I just so happened to get to him first.” His voice was somehow soothing your nerves but you were still on edge. “All done. See if you can stand.”

You watched him warily as you stood. You tested your weight on your foot and felt no pain.

“T-thank you.” He reached up and slid his thumbs across your cheeks, ridding them of the tears that had fallen. You tried, but you couldn’t help the small flinch you made at his touch.

“Y/N,” You looked up at him as he stepped closer. His voice almost a whisper. “I’m not going to hurt you. Trust me as you did earlier today. You will always find safety in the forest. And with me. Okay?”

You nodded your head but it was unsteady.

“Y/N, I may be a demon but I am not heartless. I’m not going to punish you for being human. I know you like it here. You have no ill-intent when you come here. That is why I allow it. And its nice to have someone to talk to sometimes.” He seemed like he didn’t want to admit the last part. His voice faded out at the end.

You looked up at him and nodded. This time you were more confident.

“I think I just wasn’t expecting you to look like that. With the smoke and eyes and everything.”

“Well, yes, that is understandable. I think my temper got the best of me. I am a demon, you know.”

You grinned at his attempt for a joke but you were having trouble focusing. Your vision was getting darker around the edges and the entire world appeared to be swaying. You looked at Leo but you only saw his lips moving. You heard no sound.

Finally, you gave up, feeling yourself falling into a black hole. A quiet abyss made just for you.

[sehoglows-blog]

its not all shits and giggles (chp. one)

yg vs sm groupchat

milkbunsehuu: baek

chanchan: he’s not here rn, at work, but whats up boo?

milkbunsehuu: idk not much. like, jongin got me hard again.

chanchan: why is our name still called yg vs sm

chanchan changed the group name to sekai initiation

milkbunsehuu: yeol. yeol. yeol. stop calling him kai.

baekiepoo: im of work sluts. yeol get ur ass over here take me home.

milkbunsehuu: why is the bottom saying this and *off

chanchan: ur a bottom too sehunnie

baekiepoo: how do u know i dont switch

chanchan: LMAO NO

milkbunsehuu: right because, “y-yeol, fuck pleasepleaase let me come oh shit. oh fuckk” is SUCH a switch

baekiepoo: oh shiete

you heard tht?

milkbunsehuu: yeah bb, i fell asleep and when i woke up i needed to take a piss so i walked 2 the bathroom n heard that shit

chanchan: fuck

baekiepoo: you should’ve joined つ´Д`)つ

milkbunsehuu: uhm no. ew ion wanna see that mess

chanchan: we all know you like being wrecked bby

baekiepoo: wait

can i add someone?

he doesnt have many friends and he goes to our school!! please??

milkbunsehuu: who?

chanchan: sure

milkbunsehuu: i am so sure you saw me ask who

baekiepoo: yay!!!! its a guy named jongdae. he’s v nice and from China!!!

baekie added jongbae to the groupchat sekai initiation

jongbae: uh hi~

milkbunsehuu: hii

chanchan: dont be shy.

im chanyeol.

call me yeol.

thats sehun he has relationship problems with Jongin.

jongbae: i already know u guys. baek told me about you.

chanchan: do u know about sehun’s daily masturbation sessions infront of his roomie.

milkbunsehuu: HE’S ASLEEP ITS NOT REALLY IN FRONT OF HIM U DICK

jongbae: dont u think he heard?? i mean…

milkbunsehuu: that might be why

he hates me so much

fuck

baekiepoo: dumbass!!! dumbassss! u gotta apologize.

jongbae: what’s ur roommates name?

milkbunsehuu: yixing.

jongbae: omg!! ik hiM!! he’s so chill.

milkbunsehuu: he HATES me. like seriously. (T⌓T)

chanchan: not the emojis. pls no.

baekiepoo: u’d better get used to it.

jongbae: lemme talk 2 him.

_☙_

jongbae: yixing!! yixing!!

dinoxing: whats up?

jongbae: ik your roommate!!

dinoxing: oh ew. ew. ew. how??

jongbae: im in a chat with him!! he’s super nice.

dinoxing: oh? he keeps jacking his cock in front of me so like

jongbae: nooo!! NOO! WAIT FUCKING HELL WAIT HIM EXPLAIN!

_☙_

sekai initiation

jongbae: he knows

baekipoo: you’ve been found out kid! go run. get a room transferrr.

chanchan: add him!!! HURRY JONGDAE.

milkbunsehuu: NO YOU LITTLE SHIT DONT U DARE

jongbae added dinoxing to the chat

dinoxing: Sehun.

milkbunsehuu: IM SORRY.

dinoxing is typing...

chanchan: ur done for. me andw im gonna go pick up baekhyun.

baekhyun: u mean u havent been coming voer?

jongbae: voer

dinoxing: Okay so like, I know you have this huge ass crush on Jongin and shit and you know that he’s my friend and all, but you can’t keep on masturbating in front of me like that. Usually I wouldn’t have a problem with it but holy fuck you’re such a bottom that it’s a tiny bit of a turn-on and I don’t wanna get hard. So, can you go into our bathroom and beat off? That’s helpful. Oh, and, I haven’t told Jongin so ur lucky. (´・ω・｀)

jongbae: too much words~

dinoxing: not even that many

milkbunsehuu: uh thanks?? ill go to the bathroom to beat off?? just dont hate me.

dinoxing: why did you think i hated you?

milkbunsehuu: because you give me death stares and scowling and i hear u whispering about me.

to ur friends.

on the phone.

five times.

how many friends do u fucking have?

dinoxing: well there’s minseokie, there’s junmyeon, satansoo, and jongin, i didnt tell him tho.

milkbunsehuu: shit. whyyyyy??????

dinoxing: uhm. go fucking masturbate idk.

jongbae sent a gif <img src="http://i.imgur.com/lOwiVsp.gif"/>

dinoxing: u meme.

milkbunsehuu: why did u???

dinoxing: im adding them.

milkbunsehuu: dont bitch.

dinoxing: fineee. l8ter

milkbunsehuu: no never

im going home. keep the door open.

chanchan: are u saying u were texting during class? bad sehunnie.

milkbunsehuu: are you saying u were texting n driving??

chanchan: stfu im dRIVING SJDALGSJ FUCGHK

dinoxing: if he's dead i want his room

baekiepoo: so u fuck good i presume?

dinoxing: yes why i have a bf u homewrecker

baekiepoo: chanyeol + death + new roommate = me needing a new boyfriend to fuck

oh wait he's here ur lucky

(≧∇≦)/

_☙_

 Sehun walked into his dorm room with a sigh to see Yixing sitting on the couch watching a new episode of  some drama on TV. He didn’t really know what to say to Yixing because of the weird series of texts they just had, but he was at least glad class was over. He set down his books onto their kitchen counter and went into the fridge to look for something to snack on, like an apple, because he had dance class in an hour and he didn't want anything to really take over too much time. He settled on a small cheese dish and platter from Publix and as he was walking out, Yixing was staring at him, amused.

 “Sehun-ah. Come here.” Sehun stared at the black haired boy before walking over to him warily. "Bitch, walk quicker, I don't bite." Sehun wanted to retort but instead he walked over to the couch Yixing was sitting on, Yixing motioned for the boy to sit on his lap and Sehun hesitated. "Are you serious?" Yixing reached for his hand and latched onto to it, he pulled him down onto his lap and held him there. "Now kid, let's talk. Why do you like Jongin so much?" Sehun though for a moment, chuckling awkwardly as he messed around with his jacket string.

 "Well, for one, he's a spectacular dancer and, uhm, well he's really hot. Have you seen the kid? Jesus Christ he's so cute. And I may have saw him naked, he has a big dick, but that's not the whole important part, there's also the fact that he's actually really nice to me. T-the few times we talked, he was nice.”

 Yixing nodded his head, "So...you saw his dick?"

 Sehun stuttered and turned to look at him, "N-no, it's not like that. I mean, I walked in on him after dance practice because I needed my deodorant and I left it in there, and I'm really clumsy and stuff and I fell and when I looked up i could see inside the stall and I saw his...cock." Yixing nodded and checked his watch.

 "I have an idea, so you can like, talk to him better. I know you don't really talk because he always calls you, 'that weird kid in my dance class.'" Sehun's face fell, is that really how he felt about him? That one weird kid, okay that's great. Amazing, actually.

Sehun was hurt, he wouldn't admit it but Jongin's validation is really all that he cares about.

 "What's your idea?" Sehun asked, begging to Yixing to help him even after he obviously bugged him with his "sessions" but he wasn't really begging Yixing himself. He just wanted Kai.

 "If you want to know all you gotta do is add my friends to the groupchat, minus Jongin." Sehun bit his lip, he didn't know his friends, but it really couldn't be that much harm, now could it?

 "Fine then, now what's your idea?" Yixing showed him his watch.

 "Get to dance practice, you might miss Jongin." He smirked as Sehun struggled to get off of his lap.

"I'll be back later!" And he ran out the door. Yixing laid back against the couch and sighed, he turned over and looked at the television sullenly before getting up to grab a snack.

_☙_

“Alright class, today we will be looking at our dances from last week and reviewing them! Now, you remember than you were separated into groups for your duo, so you won’t be reviewing your own dance, and it’s a group project!” The class broke out into whispers as the students contemplated the what group they wanted to be in, “Students! I’ll be choosing your groups.” The class groaned as their teacher reached into her bag, pulling out a sheet of paper with names on it.

 Sehun didn’t really pay attention until the teacher called Jongin’s name, and then his name followed, which made Sehun make a tiny whimper sound, Jongin scooted over to him and the teacher gave him a disk with what Sehun guessed was someone’s dance.

 “Also, students, you will be doing a whole project on this! So, yes, I want poster boards and a nice report on the dance itself, and techniques that could have been used to make it better! Now go discuss.”

 Sehun turned to look at Jongin, he was quickly tapping away on his phone before shutting it off and looking at Sehun. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.

_☙_

sekai initiation

dinoxing: can i add my friends now?

baekiepoo: did sehun say u could, i added yeol and he got upset

dinoxing: yeah dw. we talked about it.

chanchan: so u tried to get w/ my bby???? @dinoxing

dinoxing: no

chanchan: sure u did. i can scroll up…

baekiepoo: ur an idiot yeol did u even READ it

chanchan: … nvm im an idiot

dinoxing: ik

dinoxing added marshmallow™, mom, satansoo to the groupchat sekai initiation

marshmallow™: oh new people hihihihihi

satansoo: who the fuck

mom: sekai?? what’s a sekai??

dinoxing: sehun’s groupchat, idk where he is right now.

marshmallow™: the masturbating roommate? the one who masturbates to jongin?? who’s kai???

baekiepoo: oh thats my fault, see, i didnt know his name because sehun wouldnt tell us so i called him Kai. after that singer idk.

chanchan: ^^^

marshmallow™: and who are you people?

baekiepoo: bitch we could say the same to u whores we’re the originals. jongdae added yixing and thne BADBVAFM BAM!

milkbunsehuu: im gonna die

satansoo: not important right now masturbater

mom: soo dont be mean

okay hii! im junmyeon. im now ur mom.

satansoo: im kyungsoo. i hate you~

dinoxing: omg he used a ~

satansoo: i wanted to rhyme

dinoxing: bs ur cute admit it

mom: yixing dont harass him babe

chanchan: mooore couples!!

mom: yeah me and yixing are an item

baekiepoo: WAIT

JUNMYEON??

UR IN ME AND JONGDAE’S FUCKING MUSIC THEORY CLASS

jongbae: gasp shocker!

mom: oh yeah i dont talk much

marshmallow™: unless he’s drunk or lecturing. like at last weeks party

dinoxing: y weren’t u guys at jongin’s party?? he has one like every fucking week

baekiepoo: we’re unpopular we dont get invited

chanchan: ^^^

milkbunsehuu: ^^^

jongbae: yeah pretty much

satansoo: pathetic

milkbunsehuu: says the fucking egghead

satansoo: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT

milkbunsehuu: U’VE BEEN IN MY DORM

marshmallow™: i want intros from “the originals”

baekiepoo: im baekhyun im amazing i have a tight ass (not as nice as sehun’s tho) nice af legs and fabulous hair?? my bf’s yeol and he’s the best.

chanchan: im tall

im also a fucking yoda

i rap

milkbunsehuu: uhm

marshmalow™: we already know u yixing was telling us about u

dinoxing: sozzz

jongbae: hii im jongdae and i like candy!!!

santansoo: i like this one 4 minseok

marshmallow™: o ya im minseok and i like jongdae already!

milkbunsehuu: i got jongin’s number.

________

link to rest of story: click here