#i had to look up the nova effect

[potatoplace]

So Long, London

Azriel x Archeron!Reader

the 1 (part 1) | betty (part 2)| next part

the 1 masterlist (alt endings) | ACOTAR x reader masterlist

Story Summary: An illness spreads through Velaris, primarily impacting new mothers and their young, and you and your child are not spared. Azriel continues to make questionable choices, even as your life lays in the balance.

Warnings: suicide attempt mentions, illness leading to disability, infidelity, Azriel is as expected for this series...

Words: ~5.6k

Author's Note: So I reaaally wanted to get this out in one part, but I have cute fluffy plans for Reader's future in the Day Court. This should be the last of the full on angst in this ending of 'the 1,' after this installment it should be primarily happy times! Also... Can I just say how sorry I am to Azriel? Because in this series I cannot seem to give him one redeeming quality. He's just a total piece of shit the entire time. Aaaanways. I hope you guys enjoy this part!

18+ only pls

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It was nearly eight months since Nova’s birth when a mysterious illness ravaged Velaris, primarily effecting young children and their mothers.

And you and your precious baby girl were no exception.

Nova had stopped sleeping for longer than an hour, and refusing all solid foods. She was barely taking the milk you tried to ply her with, her tiny mouth refusing to suckle on the bottle you offered her.

You weren’t feeling much better, and by the time you managed to struggle your way to Madja’s clinic, you were on the verge of passing out.

Your mate was nowhere to be found, and no amount of you tugging on the frail bond summoned him to your side, brought him to comfort you and help care for your baby.

You just barely made it inside the door, Madja’s worried face greeting you as she took in your weakened state, the crying babe in your arms, the lack of your mate by your side. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, and just before you fell to the floor Madja was able to take Nova from your arms.

When you woke later, your head felt stuffed with cotton, your lungs and throat burning in pain.

It almost felt like the bond was broken again.

“Oh, thank the mother Y/N, you’re awake,” Feyre’s worried voice said, a cool hand running across your forehead.

You cracked your eyes open, squinting at the light above you.

You were back in your room in the River House.

“Nova, is she-” you started to ask, attempting to sit up, but Feyre shushed you and gently pushed you back into the bed.

“Nova is fine, she’s recovering well so far, and she’s even taking soft foods again. You got her here in time,” Feyre said softly, and you let out a relieved breath. Nova is safe. “Madja managed to make a medicine to combat the illness, though it appears to be more effective in children. I was more worried for you, if I’m being honest…”

Feyre’s eyes were watery as she looked down at you, and the situation was so similar to after you had attempted to take your life, the only change being that your other two sisters were missing.

Not for long, though, as your sisters entered the room in the next minute, Nova in their arms.

She looked to be doing so much better than before, her cheeks their normal rosy red and her cute little lips curved up into a smile, which only widened once she saw you, her beautiful hazel eyes growing larger. Her tiny hands reached out for you, wings fluttering as she tried to leave Elain’s arms.

“Can I- is it safe for me to hold her?” You asked, hoping more than ever before that you would be able to. The last time you had held her, she had been so sick, you needed to feel her healthy in your arms again. You pushed yourself up to lay against the headboard, surprised at how tired you were from that action alone. Your lungs and throat felt like they were on fire with each breath, and Feyre quickly gave you a sip of cold water to soothe it.

“I don’t see why not, she won’t be able to get sick again with the medicine still being administered,” Madja’s strong voice said as she entered the room behind your sisters, making her way to your side. Feyre scooted back to give her space to examine you, and Elain quickly placed your precious little girl in your arms.

And everything felt right again, her adorable face staring up at you, hands grabbing at your face. Even as your arms ached from the weight of her, you welcomed it as long as you had her.

Your sweet, guiding light. Your reason for being, ever since you had fallen pregnant.

“Do you know where Azriel is?” You asked quietly as Madja waved her hands over you, examining you with her magic.

You could practically feel the anger radiating off of Nesta at the question, and she snarled, “No. In the night and day that you’ve been unconscious, the stupid bat hasn’t managed to show his face here once. You would think that his mate and child being sick would warrant an appearance from whatever bullshit he’s busy with.”

You sighed, but nodded your head. “It’s alright, I’m sure it’s something important. Nova is the most important thing to him in the world.”

Nesta rolled her eyes and scoffed, but Elain placed a gentle hand on your leg.

“I’m sure you’re right, Y/N. And I’m just so happy that you and Nova are doing better, we were so worried for you,” she said softly, tears in her eyes. “I can’t stand the idea of losing either of you.”

You smiled at Elain. The two of you had gotten nearly as close as you and Feyre in the past two years since… Everything happened, and you were delighted to be her confidant as she pursued the bond with Lucien, loving to hear about how much they actually had in common, including their love for nature.

It was so nice to hear about a happy courtship for you sister, one that you had nothing to be jealous about.

Except… Maybe the way that Lucien looked at her, like she was the sun that his world revolved around.

Azriel had never looked at you like that, not even during the mating frenzy…

You looked back at Nova, her hands now tangled in your hair and a beaming smile on her face, chubby cheeks nearly covering her eyes.

Nova was your sun, that was certain.

“Well, Y/N, I’m going to advise that you stay on bedrest for the next few weeks, I want you to fully recover from this. Your lungs have been damaged by the illness, and I want to prevent any more form happening,” Madja said sternly, leaving no room for argument.

“Damage?” Feyre asked before you could.

Madja sighed. “Yes, I’m afraid there will be long-lasting damage to your lungs, Y/N. You may no longer be able to run, or walk for long distances. You should be able to carry on with most of your everyday tasks,” she added, as if to console you.

“But… I may never be able to run after my daughter?” You pondered quietly, the thought breaking your heart as you looked at her.

“I’m afraid that might be the case. But, once you’re fully recovered from the illness itself, we can start building your stamina up again. I do hope that you’ll be able to play with Nova however you want,” Madja answered, giving a soft smile to your cooing child.

You nodded your head, attempting to process the information. “Will Nova have the same problems?”

“No, the medicine was effective enough to stop any damage from occurring, and you got her here before she was truly in trouble. You did an amazing job of taking care of her, Y/N.”

Tears pricked your eyes at her kind words.

You had kept her safe.

But as you clutched Nova to your chest, your arms started to tire, shaking slightly.

Feyre, eyes tracking your every movement, noticed. “Can I hold my sweet niece?” She asked, and you reluctantly passed her over, though you were grateful for Feyre giving you an out.

“I’ll have you take this medicine once every four hours, and Feyre can charm the clock to ring for you so you can rest as much as you need,” Madja said as she placed a bottle on your nightstand, next to your water glass.

“That won’t be necessary, at least one of us will be with her at all times,” Nesta said, a hand squeezing one of yours. You turned to look at her, and you were surprised to see a hint of a smile on her face as she looked at you.

“Thank you, Nes,” you whispered. “So I just… Lay here?”

“You’re welcome to do anything that doesn’t require you leaving the bed, so anything like reading, knitting, or sewing would be fine, I suppose. Just make sure you get plenty of sleep, alright?” You nodded your head, and Madja gave you a warm smile in return. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair for now, but I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you again."

And then you were left with your sisters and Nova, who was currently playing with Feyre’s necklace, sticking it in her mouth and sucking on the edge of the moon shaped pendant.

“Feyre, has Rhys had any luck finding Azriel?” Elain asked after a few minutes of all of you staring at Nova, each minute more adorable than the last, in your opinion.

“No, Rhys said his mental walls are still impenetrable without hurting him, but he’s doing his best to track him down,” Feyre said quietly.

You knew where he was.

Or, at least, you had a good idea.

Your mate, your husband had a… Habit… Of spending the night at other female’s homes.

Especially since Nova was born.

It had never lasted past the morning, though.

“It’s fine, he’ll show up at some point,” you said with a sad smile, locking your eyes onto Nova. “Could you get in bed with me FeyFey? That way we can cuddle Nova together.”

“Of course, sissy. Nova missed you, even just overnight. She’s such a momma’s girl,” Feyre cooed as she crawled under the covers with you, laying Nova across her chest so she was looking at you. “I hope my little one is as attached to me when they grow up.”

“Oh, you know that will happen FeyFey. There’s no way that little baby won’t absolutely adore you from birth, with how wonderful you are with Nova,” you assured her, bringing a hand up to caress Nova’s face.

“I agree with you, Y/N, you and Rhys will be such perfect parents. Just look at how the both of you are handling your pregnancy so far!” Elain said excitedly, crawling onto the foot of the bed. “And I can only hope that if Lucien and I have children, that I can be as amazing a mother as you are, Y/N. You make it look so easy, and Nova is so perfect.”

You blushed, though it was hardly noticeable with how warm your cheeks already were. “Thank you, ‘Lainey. I know you’ll be a great mother, you always seemed to have the most motherly instincts.”

Elain blushed lightly and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, it will all start with Lucien and I agreeing to get married and mated fully. But that seems like it’s just around the corner, and I really hope it is. I just know he would be a wonderful father,” she said dreamily.

“Cassian would be good father, I think. Though I’m… Not sure that I would be a suitable mother,” Nesta admitted quietly, crawling under the covers on your other side.

“Oh, nonsense Nes. You’ll be a great mother, too. I didn’t think that I would be the best mother, either, but all it really takes is seeing their face that first time. The first little blink, seeing their eye color, getting to smell that sweet baby smell… Every little moment is so special, you never want it to end. You don’t think you’ll be good at it, Nes, but you will be wonderful. I know you will.”

Nesta leaned into you, her face against your shoulder. You could feel her smile, even as she tried to hide it. “Thank you, munchkin.”

“‘Lainey, get up here. It’s not the same without you snuggled up with us,” you demanded, patting the space next to Feyre.

“Alright, I’m coming,” she said, rolling her eyes as she got under the covers next to Feyre.

Within a few minutes, after taking your medicine and surrounded by your sisters and your sweet Nova next to you, you fell into a deep sleep.

💙🤍💙🤍💙

“Where were you?!”

“I was busy-”

“Oh? With what? What could be more important than your mate and child being sick?! What could be so important you couldn’t answer your High Lord and Lady within an hour?! Let alone twenty four?!”

“They’re sick?!”

“Yes, you fucking imbecile! Why do you think we were constantly trying to reach you?! Why your mate was unconscious?!”

“I don’t know, sometimes she shuts me out-”

“Oh, don’t try that, Azriel. We all know that Y/N is the one who actually cares about the bond, you just saunter around acting like you do while you’re in front of us.”

“Where do you get off talking to me like that?!”

“Where do YOU get off treating our sister like trash?! If you didn’t want the fucking bond, why-”

“Enough! That is enough from the both of you. Y/N can hear you,” Rhys hissed, and the yelling quieted.

“Where were you, Azriel?” Feyre’s voice.

“I got caught up with some surveillance-”

“Oh, don’t bullshit us Az. We all know that you weren’t assigned anything last night, or this morning.” Cassian.

Silence.

“You- oh Cauldron, Azriel. I cannot believe you,” Rhys said, disgust dripping from his words. “Go in there and tell her. Or I will.”

“What?” Nesta asked. You could almost picture her looking between the two of them, a thunderous expression on her face. She always did hate being left in the dark.

You, though… You were in broad daylight, already knowing what Azriel had to tell you.

This would be the first true confirmation you had of his infidelity, though.

The door opened, the soft sound of the knob turning, and the gentle way he shut it behind him.

“Y/N, I…”

“Don’t, Azriel. I know.”

Footsteps, so quiet you could barely hear it. “You… You do?”

You sighed, rubbing at your chest to alleviate the pain that came with breathing. “Of course I do. Do you really think that your subtle? That your Spymaster abilities transfer over to your personal life? Because they never have.”

“Why did you stay?”

Another painful sigh. “Nova. She deserves two parents.” And I’ve held onto the foolish hope that you would one day love me for me.

“I am so, so sorry, Y/N. Really, you have no idea how sorry I am. I have been a horrible, awful mate to you, but I will do better. I will do right by you, I swear.”

You looked away from his hazel eyes, those hazel eyes that you love so much.

Because you love him. You do.

“Okay. Go get Nova and come to bed.”

Azriel blinked at you. “Okay.”

And that was that. Azriel got Nova from Elain in the other room, who had taken her away at the first sign of arguing. He peeled off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, then came under the sheets, snuggling up next to you with Nova on his chest, already fast asleep.

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The next month was spent entirely on bed rest, and still in your room at the River House.

Madja has told you it was fine for you to go back to your and Azriel’s home, but… You felt safer, knowing that your sisters were likely to be around, Feyre especially.

Your twin sister had been… Angered, to say the least, at Azriel’s treatment of you, though you’d calmed her to the point that she was mainly only being passive aggressive to your husband.

But once you were able to walk short distances, and manage a few stairs, you felt you had overstayed your welcome at the River House long enough.

Azriel had carried you home, followed closely by Feyre, carrying Nova in a sling across her chest.

You ached to be able to do that again, to be able to confidently hold your child even while standing.

The one good thing about bedrest? It gave you plenty of time to improve your knitting, sewing, and embroidery skills. Nova now had plenty of clothes for the next three months of growth, all fitted to work around her wings while keeping her as covered as possible.

You had already started on a large chest of clothes for Feyre’s expected child, wanting somehow to repay her for all the grief you had put her through over the past two years. And, it was nice to create something and see all of the joyful possibilities that could come with it.

Not that making clothes for Nova didn’t fulfill that for you too, but… It was more the lack of future that you continued to see with Azriel.

You want Nova to have her father in her life, that was true. Azriel was a wonderful father when he wasn’t busy with work or… Other obligations.

But as a mate…? You were left wanting, and hurt.

He did help you with your recovery, making sure that you got enough movement in every day and pushed yourself just enough to keep making progress.

But three months into you being home…

Azriel didn’t make it back in time for bed.

And you knew that you needed to leave.

Elain had come over the next morning, initially to say goodbye. She and Lucien were officially moving to the Day Court that evening, more than ready to start their life together in the court that Lucien would one day rule.

And so, you came up with your plan. Elain went to fetch Feyre and Nesta quickly, knowing that they would need to be told to make the plan a success.

You were on your bed, Nova in your arms when they arrived, bursting through the door frantically.

“You’re leaving?!” Nesta asked in disbelief.

You just nodded your head, running a soothing hand over Nova’s back.

“What prompted this, sissy?” Feyre asked as she sat down next to you.

You knew that they already knew. Or at least heavily suspected.

“Azriel didn’t come home last night… And I can’t do it anymore. Elain said that Lucien already asked Helion if I could join them when they move back when I first got sick and things were… Up in the air a bit.”

Nesta’s change in demeanor was instantaneous, going from disbelieving to thunderous anger, already prepared to burn your mate alive.

Feyre hugged you tightly and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. “I’m so sorry, sissy. But if this is what you want, I’ll do anything I can to make it happen. Just promise me you’ll come visit at some point? And of course we’ll come visit you and Nova as much as we can manage.”

“Of course, FeyFey, I wouldn’t dream of staying away forever… Just, if Azriel could… Not be over while I am, that would be appreciated.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll be having a talk with Rhys about possibly banning him from Velaris for all but court duties. I cannot believe that he would do this to you again.”

“Well, we should get packing up the things Azriel won’t notice, Y/N. Just in case he does come home tonight.”

You scoffed quietly. “Unlikely…”

Your sisters helped you pack up most of your and Nova’s clothing, along with all of your crafting supplies. When it became apparent that your mate was out again, tarnishing the bond between you, the four of you quickly finished up, grabbing all of Nova’s favorite things, including the baby blanket that Azriel had painstakingly made for her while you were pregnant.

Nesta stayed behind, having agreed to wait at the town house for Azriel to return, whenever that may be. As disappointed and betrayed as you were by Azriel, you still made her promise to not physically harm him more than a punch to the jaw. Or a kick to the groin.

Feyre winnowed your things first, then Elain, and finally you and Nova, held tightly in your arms as you sped through the fabric of the world for the first time in over two years.

And hopefully the last time, as you had to quickly pass Nova off to Feyre, your lungs on fire from the pressure of winnowing, a long coughing fit overtaking you.

Once you had recovered yourself, you finally had a chance to take in your surroundings.

The hall you had landed in was grand and bright, made of shining marble that reflected the sun's rays beautifully.

In front of you was a male you didn't recognize, but the power rolling off of him in waves and the shine to his skin told you all you needed to know.

Helion, High Lord of Day.

"And you must be Y/N, Elain's sister. Welcome to the Day Court," Helion said warmly as he turned his eyes to you. "And this must be little Nova, Lucien has told me so much about this cutie!"

"Yes, it's lovely to meet you, High Lord. And thank you, truly, for what you've done for us. I... I don't know what I would have done, if not for your generosity."

"Oh, call me Helion, love. And it is no trouble at all, any family of Elain's is family of mine now. Plus... I heard some of what happened, and no person deserves to be treated as you were. I am happy to open my home to you and your little one for as long as you need."

Tears pricked at your eyes against your wishes. "Thank you, Helion."

"Yes Helion, thank you so much for helping our sister out. I am deeply saddened by the fact that I could not provide her with a home where she would be left alone by Azriel," Feyre said, clasping Helion's hands in hers. "And... I know it's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to ban Azriel from your court? I know that as soon as he knows they've left, he'll be out searching for them."

"It would be my pleasure!" Helion replied happily, a bright grin covering his face, radiating happiness like the sun. "I absolutely despise those who do not cherish their loved ones, and if I'm being honest... It would be fun to send him back to the Night Court by the scruff of his neck."

You couldn't help the quiet giggle that left your lips at the mental image you had produced. Nova looked up at you at the sound, her own lips curling up at the edges.

"Well, we should get the three of you settled into your rooms. Feyre, you're welcome to accompany us if you'd like," Helion offered.

Feyre shook her head. "I should be getting back, I still need to explain everything to Rhys. But if it's acceptable, I will visit in the morning and see how the three of you are settling in. Especially you, little Nova," she cooed at your child, who extended her hands to her aunt.

"That would be lovely, Feyre. Send a note ahead of your arrival and I'll make sure there is breakfast waiting for you, or tea if you come a bit later in the morning. Safe travels, High Lady," Helion said. "Oh, and congratulations on your pregnancy! I'll try to keep the news to myself."

Feyre narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "You'd better, High Lord." She turned her eyes to you and Elain, and gave both of you big hugs, and a soft kiss on Nova's forehead. "I'll see the three of you in the morning, alright?"

"We'll see you then, Fey. Winnow safely, okay?" Elain said.

"Oh, I will. Sleep well, and give lots of goodnight kisses to little Nova for me!"

And then she was gone, leaving you in the entrance hall with Helion and Elain.

"Lets get the three of you to your room, hmm? It's been a long night, I'm sure," Helion said softly, and began leading you to your new home for the foreseeable future.

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Nesta was sat in the darkness of the town house, your former home, stewing in her rage.

How- how had Azriel done this to you again?!

First, you nearly died after he rejected the bond from the overwhelming pain it caused you. And yes, your choice to jump was your own.

But he had promised to you that he would be a good mate. That he would be worthy of you.

Then, you nearly died again while he was nowhere to be found, your child together also gravely ill until Madja had managed to create an effective medicine. And you were permanently harmed by it, barely able to navigate a set of stairs on your own.

And all because he had been out, fucking some other female while he left his mate and child at home during a wave of illness attacking that very population.

To think, you could have been given the help you needed hours earlier, and could possibly have avoided the disability following you now.

And after all that, you had still forgiven him.

You, her sweetest and most caring sister, the one who had never turned her back on any of you. On her.

Nesta knew that she had been an awful person to you, growing up in that rundown shack. And she had ignored you after turning fae, too concerned with her own changed body to bother to apologize to you.

In the time since your fall, Nesta had done her best to do right by you, to be the elder sister that you needed. While she wasn’t the best at comforting others, she was a good listener. She had payed careful attention to you ever since, doing her best to catch any concerning behaviors.

And when you were pregnant with Nova, Nesta had been nearly as protective of you as Azriel, taking the time to walk you to your favorite shops and make sure that you were eating properly.

That should have been her sign that something was wrong.

She should have done something, confronted your bastard of a mate. But there was no changing the past, only the future.

And Nesta would do her damned best at keeping you safe from harm, even a court’s distance away.

And that would start with ripping the Shadowsinger to shreds.

Verbally. You had made her promise to not actually hurt Azriel, beyond a punch to the jaw.

Nesta thought that a punch to the throat would be much more effective. And maybe a knee to the groin.

Just a little something to give him a taste of the pain that you existed in because of his mistakes- if you could even call them that at this point.

No, they seemed to be thought out decisions to betray your trust, to tarnish the bond that he had rejected and forced back to life.

Silver flames threatened to spill from her fingers, ready to burn the male alive, if only she would loose them on him.

Feyre had appeared in the town house about ten minutes after taking you, Elain, and Nova to the Day Court, a soft smile on her face.

“How did it go?”

“Oh, Helion already seems obsessed with Nova, and he was very welcoming to her and Y/N. I think it will be a good change for them. And he agreed to ban Azriel from his court, which solves the possible problem of him tracking them down and trying to force Y/N to come back. I know… I know that she’s serious about this, but she still loves him, even now. I was worried that she might take him back, if he begged enough.”

Nesta scoffed. “Unlikely. The fact that she left without even a note makes me think that she’s done with him, no matter what honeyed words he could try to pour in her ears. The main reasons she stayed after getting sick was to let Nova know her father.”

“I suppose that’s true…” Feyre sighed. “I need to go talk to Rhys, let him know what happened. And honestly, I want to see if he’ll allow me to ban Azriel from Velaris except for his court duties.”

Nesta shook her head, not believing that Rhys would cave to her request. “Good luck with that, Fey.”

“Thanks, Nes. Let me know when the asshole shows up, but I’ll come over as soon as I’m done talking to Rhys.”

“I will.”

Feyre left the house quietly, and Nesta was alone in the darkness once more, rage building a burning fire in her body as she contemplated just what she was going to yell at him.

Five hours later, when the sun had just began to creep over the horizon, the front door opened.

Azriel came into the sitting room, but upon seeing Nesta sitting in the darkness, he stopped in his tracks.

“What are you doing here?”

“I think the better question is where were you?” Nesta hissed, satisfied when a flash of fear crossed the Shadowsinger’s face.

Feyre, he’s here.

I’ll be over in a few minutes.

“I was out in Illyria, making sure there were no wing clippings happening.”

“Liar.”

“Oh? And how would you know, Nesta? Are you might High Lord or Lady? Do you assign me my duties?”

“No. But Feyre had already informed me that you had no work tonight, that you were supposed to spend the week leading up to Nova’s first birthday entirely at home. So. Where were you?”

Azriel’s wings twitched behind him, and he turned his attention to looking for something.

He didn’t find it.

“Where…?” He started, panic flooding his scent. “Where are my mate and child?!” He roared, stomping over to Nesta, who had stood from her place on the couch.

“Somewhere you will never see them again.”

And then Nesta struck, first a knee to his groin, followed up by a satisfying fist to his throat. She relished in the pained noises coming from him, summoning her flames once he had recovered.

“You are lucky that Y/N made me promise not to hurt you more,” Nesta seethed as she backed him into a corner. “You should be ashamed of yourself! Y/N was too kind to take you back, when all you do is hurt her! You never deserved her, you never deserved a mate at ALL! And Nova is lucky to not be raised by such a disgusting person, by someone who only lies and cheats and hurts others.”

Azriel was silent, his head hung low, even as Nesta could scent his rage.

“Azriel.” Rhys’s voice, filled with the authority of a High Lord. “You need to leave. You are no longer welcome in Velaris, except when explicitly allowed.”

Azriel’s head whipped to the front door, where Rhys and Feyre were standing, matching angered expressions on their faces.

“But I-”

“No. You have been given chance after chance to change how you act, how you treat members of this family. And I will not stand for you continuing to live here, even with Y/N and Nova gone,” Feyre snarled. “You can live in the Court of Nightmares or Illyria. But Velaris is no longer your home.”

Azriel’s eyes were wide as he looked between Feyre and Rhys, in disbelief at the situation. “Rhys, you can’t be serious-”

“Deadly. And this is an order from your High Lord and Lady: do not attempt to search for them. Y/N does not want you in her or Nova’s life, and you will respect that. Do you understand?” Rhys asked, but there was only one answer that Azriel could give.

“Yes.” His voice was angry as he gave in to his High Lord’s demand. “Will you at least tell me where they are?” He growled as he glared at the three of them.

“No. You do not get to have any information about them, unless Y/N permits it. You do not deserve to know where they are, what health they are in, anything. Azriel, you disgust me. Y/N has given you so many chances to redeem yourself, but you have disappointed her every time.” Feyre’s voice was deadly calm, but her hatred was bubbling beneath the surface. “My twin has been a saint to you, and you have done nothing but hurt her. The one good thing you have done is give her Nova. And if you ever hurt her again, I will kill you myself.”

Azriel gaped at her, and looked at Rhys.

“You should go. Pack what you want, but by the end of today, you are no longer welcome in Velaris,” Rhys said coldly.

The three of them stayed in the living room as Azriel went upstairs, their ears perking up at the gasp he let out when he saw your shared bedroom, emptied of your effects.

You were gone.

You were really gone.

All of your fabrics and threads, the thimble set that Nesta had gifted you, custom designed just for your birthday last year, the baby blanket that he had made for Nova, all of your clothes- they were all gone.

You had left him!

Surely, you weren’t serious. This was just a ploy to get his attention, to make him take the bond seriously again. His family downstairs must be in on it, just trying to go along with your wishes.

So he packed his bags, taking everything that was vital to him. He went into Nova’s room, where she rarely stayed, but her things were kept, and the pain hit him.

Seeing her room with none of her clothes or toys strewn about, none of the life in it, hurt. It hurt more than seeing that you had left.

He would find you. And he would bring you home.

You and Nova belong with him.

And he would show you that.

General Taglist: @daughterofthemoons-stuff @lilah-asteria

the 1 Taglist: @blackgirlmagicforever @historygeekqueen @angelbunny222 @mellowmusings @romantasyreader28

[brittle-doughie]

hi brittle !!! i sometimes look into your profile and i just love the x readers you do with my favs, please keep up the amazing work!! 💞

i have a tiny request... can you try to make a small comfort fic, where xylitol nova cookie calms down y/n after loosing the majority of their work? 👉🏻👈🏻 i'm delighted if you can make one! have an amazing day !!! /vvvpos

“How are they holding up?”

“Not good, they’ve been in their quarters ever since the black hole consumed everything.”

“I’ll…talk with them…”

….

“Xylitol Y/N Cookie, are you in here?”

“I’m here…”

Xylitol Nova Cookie opened the door to your room, you were sitting at the edge of your bed with your hands clasped together and head sunken down.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days…”

“How can I…we lost our planet…our home…”

“I know, it’s been hard on me too. Everything we’ve built for that place. Everything we’ve protected for….”

“Our home…all my work that I’ve cultivated over the years…my work that has helped so many of my fellow cookies…just gone…”

“Your work has helped everyone and they thank you for that, but they’re worried about you.”

You slightly move your head up to look at him. He gave you a smile as he sat beside you with a hand to you’ll shoulder.

“Your work may be gone in writing, but the effect it’s had on the others will last for a long time. They don’t have to be gone forever, are you able to remember any of them?”

“Quite a fair bit…”

“Then not all is lost. You can start over, make new notes and research. Research that can help all of us again.”

You wipe your nonexistent nose and think over his words. He was right, your work didn’t have to be gone forever. What if your fellow Nova cookies needed your help?

You stand up from your bed, your eyes full of resolve.

“You’re right, I can’t stay moping forever. We’re all in this together and I’ll do what I can to keep helping my cookies.”

“Then let’s not keep them waiting.”

Xylitol Nova Cookie stands up too and joining your hand with his, the two of you walk out your quarters. Together.

[floredaqueen]

billy and isa after a huge fight? 👀👀 (love, love, LOVVEEE your art and fics! keep up the great work, baby doll! you’re so fab :))

Hello, helloo!!♡

I love love LOOOOVVVEEE YOU!! And you're so lovely ♡♡ I hope I can do your ask justice (also sorry in advance if it takes me forever to finish but I hope you enjoyy♡>///< ♡♡

BLURB +18

TW: Deals w/Bullying, Heavy Profanity, Billy being a dickhead. Hurt w/Comfort The usual ♡

...

Isa and Billy don't really fight, especially since Isa is very conflict avoidant. She's getting better at that communication, but they rarely ever yell, scream, or say mean things to one another. If they ever did fight, it was probably during the first year they met; their senior year...

The first week of senior year for Isabela was like riding a bike. Easy A's all across the board. The Latina was already climbing the academic totem pole, and now, with all of her extracurriculars, she'd be moving faster and to new heights. She made time for other important tasks, not having much of it for boys or crushes.. that is until she heard about the new boy from Cali.

Rumors were already spreading, and he hasn't even been seen on campus anywhere yet. Just a few greetings on account to the popular girls at school, including her friend - and co-captain of the cheer squad- Nova James.

Still, though, to the intelligent Latina, it was all up to interpretation.. until she saw him strutting in with his denim on denim ensemble. His dirty blonde mullet perfectly quafted, and his ocean blue gaze stared down anyone, whether intentional or not. Her Hersheys chocolate gaze heavied one every perfect aspect he had to offer. His chilled chin was probably a dream to lovingly scratch, his very well-shaped hair, his piercing blue eyes that made her fold into herself, and his beautiful smile. He was all perfect.. too perfect.. which is why she wasn't surprised he turned out to be a complete asshole.

When they first crossed paths, he didn't even acknowledge her, the Cali boy bumping into her and only rolling his eyes in annoyance before brushing her off to the side. That when she knew he was a jerk, even if he was the most beautiful boy she's ever seen.

Later that day, she'd see him a few more times. He was notably in her calculus honors class, looking as confused as one who wasn't ready for this level of comprehension. Out of the corner of her wide eyes, Isabela could Billy trying to get someone's attention... and then he turns to her. He turns to her, whispering, "Hey,"s and "Excuse me,"s until he decides to get her attention by force.

The next thing the fresh-faced senorita knows is she's being hit on the side of the head with a balled up piece of notebook paper. She didn't believe it at first, still trying to process it right as he threw another. The second ball of paper clung to her hair as she turned around to face him, an annoyed expression on her face as she met his eyes.

As "taboo" as Isabela was to Billy, he had to admit that she wasn't half bad looking. In fact, she looked veey sweet with her pouting lip. Her eyes were so full and bright even theough her glasses, like a deer. He found it cute when she very clearly was getting nervous just by the look of him. He knew he could have that effect on people.

Billy smiled with teeth, his eyes setting on her filled out worksheet to note that she one hundred percent knew what she was doing. All of the questions filled out precisely by the slightly timid hispanic. A smart girl too? He knew it's be fun to make her lose her cool.

"What?" Isabela would whisper in annoyance, already wanting this interaction to be over. Of course, quite the opposite happened, Billy dragging on his words as if he was spelling it out for her. top!

"You mind helping me with this assignment? I'm a little lost," He asked, all with a toothy smile. Isa dead panned for a moment, letting herself express a bit of her annoyance with an eyebrow before turning to her own worksheet.

"Clearly," She muttered under her breath before handing him her notes. He looked over them and then stashed them in his notebook on the other side of her desk.

"The hell are you doing??"

"I'm gonna need this if I plan on passing any assignments for this week," Isabela huffed at his snark response as she tried to snatch his folder. Swiftly he moved his things, and her worksheet, away from her grasp.

"Give it back!" She whispered with an annoyed twitch with her upper lip. She even tried to grab at it, Billy quickly gripping her wrist only to throw her hand back in her direction.

"I don't hear that magic word, sweetness," With an eye roll and the crossing of her arms, Isa let it go, hoping she can get it back at least at the end of the day.

...

It'd be like that for the rest of the school year. Isa would be minding her business (and admiring Billy from afar) and the asshole in question would tease her and steal her work if he managed to get his hands on it. As annoying as it was it never got violent.. and it was pretty tame.. until one day.

Isa couldn't shake the feeling of so many eyes on her. She was able to hold her head high, but it felt near impossible today. When she did catch a few guys staring and snickering, she realized it was at her.. was there something on her face? In her hair..? What was their deal??

The hispanic scholar would soon find that out when she was approached by Tommy Hagan. The freckle covered guy was snickering as he walked over, crossing his sweater clad arms as he leaned against the locker beside hers.

"Wheeler, when were you gonna let me in on your dirty little secret..?" He jibed mischievously as Isa attempted to ignore him while retrieving her materials for her next class.

"What are you on about, Hagan..?" She turned to face him, her eyes rolling in response to his snarky grin. He casually shrugged his arms, not-so-subtly cornering her against the metal lockers while simultaneously spilling all of beans to her.

"Well, it seems that a hefty amount of my friends know what's under that pretty skirt of yours.. and I was wondering if I could get in on th-" Before Tommy could even finish his sentence, he was met with a hard slap against his face. It even has him stepping back a bit, giving Isabela ample time to hastily walk away from that conversation.

She knew for a fact he was spouting bullshit.. but it was strange that he had the balls to tell her, so who told him that? Who would even believe it? Whoever it was, she couldn't take for another second someone trying to shit on her perfect reputation and perception of who she really was.

By 6th period, things had only gotten worse, the overwhelmed Isabela finding herself hiding behind the abandoned bleachers that clung to the outskirts of the outdoor basketball court. She was calming herself down, attempting to get lost in one of her favorite Shakespeare fables, wondering if she'd ever find something as tantalizing as this culture phenomenon wrote about instead of having to deal with the likes of these jerks in this podink town..

One of her dainty, delicate hands wiped the tears developing in her eyes from the thought of all the mean and assuming words that were thrown her way today. Isa continued to keep her focus on the pages until she heard a snap of a twig.

The snap was caused by none other than the pretty boy she's been trying steadily to avoid, one of his calloused hands running through dirty blonde curls as the other flicked at his lighter to light the cigarette between his full lips.

She thought quickly.. too quick. She practically scattered as she jumped off the bleachers only to hide behind them on the other side as the rest of possey appeared beside him. The hung out beside on her side, too close to wear she kept herself as hidden as she could.

Their conversation went about as the latina thought it would, overhearing the socialites go on and on about on about their usual. Having or crashing parties, stealing booze from their parents' liquor cabinets, unprotected sex in the most obscene of places.. and girls.. but not just any girls. It was hurt they were joking about..

"Man, Isabela is so damn up tight," Tommy starts with a heavy huff. The side of his face was stilly slightly red from the hearty slap the latina previously gave him.

"The prude acts like she has a stick up her ass every time a guy walks up to her," He jibed, earning a soft giggle from Carol as they both relaxed against the brick wall.

"Only because she's never had dick in her life," She deduced, taking another hit of her tobacco stick.

"Yeah.. because she's boring," Billy finally snorts while crossing his denim covered arms. They both look at him with curious eyes, confused about his knowledge of the mouse that was way closer than they thought she was.

"I dont know about you, but I'm not getting a hardon for someone who's probably going to end up with cats because she doesn't know how to open her legs, "

The other takes, Isa's heard before. They were superficial and petty, especially coming from the two infamous idiots who's never worked for anything. But from Billy? Like an idiot, she thought he'd be above this, but his words hit right on her already racing heart.

"Good point," Tommy nodded, stomping out how own cig as Billy started.

"That's why I spread that rumor about her. Was trying to do her a favor. Maybe she'll actually get laid and get her first taste of dick.." The blonde said matter-of-factly as if she should be thanking him.

"Seems Billy has a soft spot for the prude," Carol would scoff teasingly, her face practically egging him on to prove her wrong. Billy, of course, denies her accusation.

"Nah. You won't ever see me going out with that bitch.."

All of those words.. those mean hurtful words. As much as she promised herself not to let it hurt her, Isa couldn't stop the constant stream of tears going down her cheeks. She tried to remain quiet, but a soft sniff of a breath gave her away.

"Who's there??" The alpha of the pack of wolves called out, his sharp blues finding sorrowful wide does eyes as Isa revealed herself to the group. They all sighed, embarrassed that she just happened to be there to listen to the conversation about her. With the tears still running down her glowing cheeks, they felt a little guilty. Not Billy, though. All Billy could think about was how pretty she looked when she cried. All sweet and innocent, even if they're hope was crushed.

"..you spread those rumors about me..?"

"C'mon, Wheeler- it was a j-"

"You're the reason why guys are following me??? Why everyone is calling me a slut, and how I simplemente no puedo guardarlo en mis pantalones cuando tÚ ERES EL VERDADERO PERRO,"

It was silent for a few seconds after that, the wind the only thing between them before Billy broke the airy stillness with a chuckle.

"You're just upset that I wouldn't waste my time on someone like you.. but," He lazily takes a heavy step forward in her direction.

"If you keep that up..." The way his eyes relaxed gave Isa pause, and then she could feel her body tense as he invaded her space. "..I might throw you a bone,"

Right then and there, she completely tensed, her hand swinging open palm to connect with his face for a hard slap. Neither of them had time to register it as the left side of Billy's face stung.

"You don't know what I could do for you," Isa's voice shook in a shaky whisper, stepping ever closer towards her bully.

"You thinking thay one would get a leg up just by being with you, when you can't even fathom how lucky you'd be to have me. To be with me..." Her sharp eyes stayed on Billy as he scoffed and kept his head held high, obviously not expecting the slightly menacing utterance of her words. For some reason, it was hard to keep a steady eye contact.. The braniac then tilted her head as her brows furrowed.

"..maybe, you wouldn't be so insecure.." was the last thing she said before she turned around and grabbed her things. Billy sucked his teeth, not even realizing that his nails were digging into his own palms.

He watched as everyone around him brushed it off as her being sensitive.. but he knew she was right. And that was something he hated about her. She was always. Fucking. Right.

...

Every other day after, Billy couldn't ignore the heavy weight in his chest. Best believe he tried, using all the usual tricks he had up his denim sleeve. But no matter how much drugs, girls, and bench pressing he did, he knew what he had to do to really get over.

Suddenly, after the usual attempt to mind melt at one of Tommy's parties, he found himself at the Wheeler residence. It was nicer than he anticipated, turning off the loud engine so as not to disturb anyone else.

Isabela was half asleep, cuddling her pillow in nothing but a tank top, mint colored undies, and sunflower socks she had recently bought from the mini market. So, when she heard -and soon saw- rocks being thrown at her window..

Begrudgingly, she got up, her footsteps as light as a feather. Billy annoyingly felt his body slightly perk uo at the sound of the front door unlocking, only to see Isa all tuckered out and peering up at him.

"Good, I got your attention.." He jibed, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets as his sharp blues took her in. Usually, Billy excelled at eye contact.. but this time around, his eyes roamed a lot more than he meant for them to.

Her curls were all messy, her nipples were poking out of her baby tee, and her bottom lip was pouted out. Fuck. Out of all the times to feel something for this girl, this was the worst time.

"What do you want, Hargrove?" She huffed, watching as he slightly awkwardly straightened up.

"I just wanted to.. uh.." He began to trail off, his eyes drifting down to her legs. Billy then only realized how he's never seen them before. They've been hidden by all the loose jeans and maxi skirts she'd wear.

He didn't expect them to be so.. toned. Every smooth curve was built with muscle even though she was known to be light on her feet. Not to mention her huge thighs.

"Yea- okay.." She rolled her eyes, going to close the door in his face only for Billy to swiftly propped his arm up against the hatch.

"I came here to... apologize" There was a long pause after that, the latina blinking a couple of times before parting her lips.

"Well, you're very bad at it," He scoffed, annoyed at her snarky remarks she'd conjure up from every word he spoke.

"Yeah, I've gathered that," He'd pause, letting the air between them fill the silence for a bit as he thought about what to say.

"You didn't deserve what I put you through. It wasn't right, and—" and as he continued to practally ramble, Billy became all the more aware of being under her scrutiny. He could feel her big brown, fatigued eyes studying his every word before her whole demeanor relax.

This.. this whole situation was weird. Why the hell did he feel like this? No girl has ever made him think twice about the words that would flawlessly flow from his kissable lips. And out of all the girls at Hawkins, it was some measly little book worm that had him fumbling.

Isa wasn't doing good either. She was starting to believe him, her mind running through his emotions as he spoke. Billy seemed sincere, but Latina refused to expose her sympathy. Her expression stayed neutral.

By the end of it, the silence between them returned and thickened, Billy cleared his throat before he crossed his strong arms.

"..As much as your apology is appreciated, I don't accept it..." She softly spoke, grabbing the edge of the hatch. As he tried to protest, he was met with a door being shut in his face.

♡♥︎♡...♥︎♡♥︎

[celestiamour]

I saw that you said your asks are open so, what kind on kinks do you think Cassandra Nova has?

ft. cassandra nova x f! reader — marvel

╰₊✧ kinks i think she would have┊0.9k words

contains: smut!! dom cass & sub reader┊look at the warnings for the short version & the keep reading for details, master/pet dynamic, dollification, power imbalance, bratting/brat-taming, dacryphilia, overstim/edging, bondage & blindfolds, corruption kink, dumbification, exhibitonism, marking

➤ author's note: OOHHOO IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED ANON, I THINK SHES A FREAk

this is just a list of the major ones, but i’m a firm believer that she’s open to trying anything at least once as long as you’re open to trying them out with her!

━━━ .°˖✧ master/pet & dollification ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ she is the one who rules the void, the empress who you’ll inevitably work for if you want to survive, of course, she would love to have a pretty little thing like you at her knees to spoil while running the land. someone as adorable as you would be much more useful entertaining her and keeping her company rather than acting as one of her minions, and you’re more than happy to be the eye candy she keeps by her side who eagerly answers to her every beck and call with a bright smile. the power imbalance with you is different than the ones with her minions, more intoxicatingly dizzy knowing she has complete and utter control over you.

╰₊✧ as a reward, she likes to pamper you with all the fine things she could get her hands on: feeding you fruits and sweets, dressing you up in lace skirts, tying ribbons into your hairs, maybe even applying rose tints on your lips— most of the nice things that are impossible to find or cultivate in this wasteland are presented to her, but she always ends up gifting them to you since she has no other use for such opulence aside from spoiling her pet.

━━━ .°˖✧ bratting/brat-taming & dacryphilia ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ despite how much she loves to indulge you in luxury when you’re good for her, she also loves it when you give her a bit of a challenge even though it all ends the same way with you whimpering out an apology under her. she’ll tie you up so tightly that you could hardly even squirm with a blindfold as she either overstimulates or edges you until you cry, choking out whiny little sorries with tears streaking down your face. the contrast between how you were just pouting and digging your heels into the ground a few minutes ago versus now when you’re begging for relief and moaning her name like a prayer is such a turn-on for her.

╰₊✧ possibly an unpopular opinion, but i don’t think her sadistic and apathetic personality would apply here. yes, she likes seeing you cry, but only from pleasure and not from pain. there’s a safe word in place in case it’s too much for you, and she listens to you about what you like and don’t like. 

━━━ .°˖✧ corruption kink & dumbification ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ she likes being your first, whether it’s the first person you’ve been intimate with, the first time you’ve had such a mind-blowing orgasm, the first time you tried out a kink which quickly became your favorite— she believes it makes her more memorable to you, but let’s be honest, it’s impossible to forget a woman as extraordinary as her. slowly, you’ll find yourself being more depraved and more needy after your first time together, begging for her attention so sweetly just as she planned. it sounds wrong to be purposely tainting your innocence, but it’s not like it was something that was going to stay for very long if you wanted to maintain this relationship.

╰₊✧ after a while, you start thinking with your pussy more than your brain since you’re so understimulated with how busy cassandra can be and her refusal to let you get your hands dirty. reading the same books, watching poor-quality noir dramas on a barely working television, and playing with yourself in an attempt to achieve the same effect she had could only entertain you so much. when she finally comes back to you, she always fucks the boredom out of you until your eyes are rolling back and you can’t think about anything but the buzzing euphoria. she loves how dumb you go on her fingers or mouth and can’t say anything aside from useless little mewls and she coos that it’s okay and she’s got you. 

━━━ .°˖✧ exhibitonism & marking ˚₊ ⊹

╰₊✧ of course, when you’re always by her side and dolled up like a princess, it’s inevitable for there to be some wandering gazes which are more leering than anything. although she knows you only have eyes for her and that none of them could take care of you like she did, she’s a possessive person. what’s hers is hers and she would like to keep it that way (what’s theirs is also hers, that’s just how it works around here). 

╰₊✧ to prevent anyone from getting any ideas, she’ll leave hickeys all along your neck and upper chest to show that you’re taken (she’ll even go as far as to have her name tattooed on your skin if you’re okay with it). also has a tendency to have sex with you in places where she knows other people will hear you screaming her name over and over again, you don’t know about this because you’re more shy and your try to muffle yourself if you did, but she’s shameless about her sex life and very proud to be the one fucking the prettiest girl in the void.

╰₊✧ (also, if anyone had the gall to flirt with you or something and she found out, best believe that they are going to be doing the most tediously difficult tasks available. or worse, she can be very creative with punishments.)

[llamaisllama777]

A VERY late Laes,Tsams,Rwags,and Eaps review!!!

Hey, sorry, I know this is SUPER late, but here is my review of yesterday's episodes

..... I... I may have to stop the whole "DOWN WITH THE ASTRALS VIVA-LA-REVALUTION!" thing... like.. wow! This was an interesting episode.

We learned a lot about Turuas and how he sees himself. He doesn't like to view himself as a Destoryer but more of... a maid. He clears the metaphorically dust of the universe.

We also learn.... (BIG SPOILER IN 3...2....1....)

CETUS WAS FRIENDS WITH TURUAS! Cetus was like Lunar! Cetus=Lunar!

Cetus was like Lunar! He was gifted with powers like Lunar but then lost his mind. Wow.

I can't wait for Lunar to meet Cetus. Interacting is gonna be fun to watch.

Turuas... I will admit.. I didn't like you at all at first. In fact, I despised you, but... you have grown on me. I feel for you, man... BUT DON'T EVER TRY TO KILL EARTH EVER AGAIN!

But I am officially shutting down the "Down with the Astrals revaluation."

Solar... STOP WATCHING THINGS THAT MAKES YOU SAD! WE WILL RIP THAT COMPUTER OUT OF THE WALL IF WE MUST!!!

I really fear for Solar when he looks at stuff like this. It's never good to dwell on what ifs and Solar keeps dwelling on What ifs... I wonder if this will become a problem in the future or not?

Okay, so, I know I never really talked about a lot of the other shows but...

HOLY COW! This episode was awesome!!!

So, for anyone who hasn't watched the show, Gregory recently met a strange star child named Nova. (He is not an Astrals. He has a literal star for a head) Nova can apparently grant wishes, and Gregory wished for Roxy's brother, Rocky, to come back from the dead and Roxy is all happy and everything but this new villain named Mystic hippo kidnapped Nova and is going to use his powers to get her powers back and destroy the world and the only way to stop Mystic is to unwish everything but that would mean Rocky has to die again and needless to say...

ROXANNE ISN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT!

So, now, Gregory and Cassie are basically pulling "a Dante's inferno" to try and find Nova, and now Gregory has met the one the only...

OLD MAN CONSEQUENCES!

(Can I just say I love the voice old man consequences has. Seriously, I have no idea who voices him, but holy cow, that voice WORKS! Like when I imagine Old man consequences that's pretty close to the voice I imagine he has)

Old man consequences basically tells Gregory you messed up kid, you've been acting like a child for so long, and your childish actions with messing the life and death have now caused a ripple effect. He tries to get Gregory to turn back, but Gregory tells him they don't really have a choice and have to stop Mystic. Old man relents and let's them go. So, now Gregory and Cassie are on a mission, and there is no going back now cause if they fail.... well, there might not be a home to go back to.

So, ya, watch the Roxanne and Gregory show it's really good!

We.... WELCOME BACK JAKE!

(And Andrew)

So, somehow, Jake (this universe's Jake) is back. He's not dead anymore but now he's.... this.

I thought Jake actually moved on. Like to the afterlife and stuff but no! Jake is here again.

HOW?!

We have so many questions...

Someone had to build the Stitchwraith here, but it can't be Creator cause he's dead here.

Someone else is behind the child killing here, and it isn't Wanda Afton cause she's like old old.

And where is the other Foxy?

(Cause Monica accidentally let this universe's Foxy out of the cell Puppet and Eclipse kept him in. So... there's that.)

I have so many questions!!!

I really love what the Eclipse and Puppet show is doing, and I'm super excited to see what's gonna happen next! Everything is finally starting to kick off!

INCREDIBLE EPISODES

12/10!!!!

Welcome to TSBS Old Man Consequences.

[rebekadjarin]

Watch me

Chapter 16 of Golden Dawn

A/N: For the life of me, I will finish this fic! If you're new here, Golden Dawn is my reader insert comfort bad batch fanfic with a slow burn Crosshair love story (with smut). It's about going on missions, hanging out with the batch and overall just them being happy and having fun. Other clones are included too! If you are interested, here is chapter one.

Summary: You spend an eventful day on Kamino with the bad batch and you get to spend some time with everyone, especially Crosshair. He seems unable to take his hands off you but you both have your duties. It doesn't mean that you can't squeeze in some quality time for the two of you... One of your favourite 501st boy also appears, and you get to find out what the hell Hardcase got into this time.

Rating: super explicit, explicit on the square

Word count: 11k

Warnings: S M U T, cum

My old taglist: @fangirl-goes-nova @murdertoothpick @tacticalsparkles @coffeeandtodd @moonstrider9904 @luosymekawa @littlemisscare-all (if you want to be added/removed, just message me!)

You read the chapter here or click on the chapter title in the beginning and it will lead you to my ao3

“We have training to do,” Crosshair told you in the morning when you asked what their program for the day was. 

“Do I have to go?” you asked and stretched, sitting on his bed. You already got ready but you lay back just for another five minutes while the others went ahead. 

“No, I don’t want them anywhere near you,” he answered and you sent him a questioning look. “When we didn’t train with Jango, they had other bounty hunters do the job. And I also prefer to train you myself,” he added with a small smirk. 

“I think we have been doing a little different kind of physical exercise lately,” you suppressed a smile and he came closer. He bent forward to lean on the bed with his hands and you stopped breathing for a second. 

“Which proved to be more effective than I ever imagined.” His voice was raspy from the morning and also because of lust. 

Your lower muscles clenched in anticipation but you were rudely interrupted when Tech’s head popped into the room to hurry Crosshair. 

“In a minute,” he quickly got rid of Tech. 

“Maybe I do want to come along with you after all,” you stood up and looked up at Crosshair’s face. 

He moved his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other and raised an eyebrow. 

“I want to watch,” you added with an innocent smile. 

“Really?” he stepped so close that you could feel his hot breath on your skin but he didn’t touch you. “You want to watch, sunshine?” 

You nodded with that same playful look on your face. 

“Because I can make you watch, if you’d like to,” he continued and you gulped loudly, making him smirk. “Or maybe change it up and make me the one looking at you while you’re pleasuring yourself, hm? How soon would you come under my gaze?” 

You felt like the floor disappeared from under your feet and you moaned loudly at the picture his words painted into your mind. That would be so excruciatingly arousing. You couldn’t take it anymore and rested your forehead against his chest and interlaced your hands around his waist. 

Your hands traveled up his back and scratched it. You got so turned on by this little conversation of yours that you couldn’t stop yourself and started leaving wet kisses on his neck. He was still standing motionless. 

“Crosshair,” you said his name while continuing to suck on his neck. “I think I could come only listening to your voice,” you confessed and he couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed your waist roughly. 

“Fuck,” he said and pulled your hips closer to his. “I have to go,” he said but his grip on your body didn’t loosen. 

You reached down with your hands and started to take off his codpiece. “You can make it quick,” you placed another kiss on his neck. “You already got me hot and wet enough.”

“Fuck, fuck,” he groaned and ripped his codpiece off to take his hard cock out and shoved you back on the bed. You grinned as his self-control shattered and he flipped you to your stomach and yanked your trousers down. 

“Fuck it,” he continued cursing and quickly bent down and bit your ass before putting his cock in front of your entrance. “Just from my voice you say?” he grabbed your hips and shoved himself inside you with one rough motion. 

You didn’t lie when you said you were ready for him, he slid in easily but you still moaned at his roughness. 

“Just from me watching you?” he started thrusting into you and you had to stop yourself from yelling loudly from pleasure as he roughly fucked you. “You think you could come only from those?” he asked, out of his mind while fucking you. 

“I do, Crosshair, I could,” you nodded frantically while he continued to destroy you. 

He let his hands travel up your back, under your shirt and find their way to your breasts. He started to draw circles with his thumbs around your nipples. 

“I believe you,” he moaned into your ears. “But let’s just remember how well you come around my cock,” he buried himself deeply inside you while still stimulating your nipples and a quick but strong orgasm exploded in you and all you could do was whimper while he fucked you through it. 

You heard a knock on the door and Tech’s voice came from outside to hurry up Crosshair because they were really going to be late. 

“Just a second,” Crosshair shouted back in a completely normal and collected voice while not slowing his pace. “See, I’m going to be late because of you,” he whispered into your ears. 

You couldn’t collect yourself enough to form a coherent answer but he just fucked you faster before he pulled his cock out of you and rutted it against your ass, coming in hot pulses on your lower back. You felt his thick cum cover you and drip from your hips. 

You moaned loudly when you felt his cum all over your body and he patted your ass before standing up and putting himself away. He quickly picked his codpiece up and reattached it while you were trying to catch your breath, laying on the bed, covered in his cum. 

“Crosshair,” you groaned and looked back at him. He was standing next to the bed, armor back to the usual, his eyes mischievously shining. 

“Yes, sunshine?” he cocked his head on one side.

“I don’t think I can get up,” you confessed. You barely felt your limbs, you were still so numb from having just been fucked like this. 

“That’s alright, you look perfect, covered in my cum, lying there, numb from my cock,” he smirked smugly and you groaned. 

“I really have to go,” he added and walked toward the door. 

“You can’t leave me here like this,” you shouted after him. 

“Watch me,” he winked at you and walked out. 

“You want to explain what took you so long?” you faintly heard Tech’s annoyed voice in front of the door. 

“No,” Crosshair answered simply as their steps slowly faded away. 

You let out an exasperated breath and trembled when you felt another drip of his cum flow down your ass. He really made sure you couldn’t follow him for the training. 

You wondered for a second about what kind of bounty hunters trained them that he didn’t want to let you close to them but you were too distracted to dwell too long on it. 

It took you several more minutes to collect yourself enough to get up and you were thinking about getting back at him the whole time. He was usually the collected one who reduced you into a blubbering mess but you wanted to see him be the one begging one time. You weren’t even sure it was possible but you would definitely try. 

A shower helped you recover from the rough morning sex with Crosshair but your heart was still racing and your cheeks felt hot whenever you remembered it. 

After calming dawn a little you decided to make yourself useful. You started with visiting the medical area to help out the medics there. 

You saw a few kaminoans and couldn’t stop following their slender figures flow on the corridors. Hearing their smooth voice sent shivers down your spine and you had trouble finding them sympathetic. 

You were relieved to see that there were clone medics working in the hospital wing and not kaminoans. They creeped you out and you couldn’t really put your fingers around the feeling. 

“Hardcase?” you stopped immediately when you caught a glimpse of his tattoo in the corner of your eyes. 

“Hey Medy!” he greeted you eagerly and sat up, just to press his palm on his side and groan from the sudden movement. He tried to ignore the pain and continued talking. “Fives and Echo told me that you’re around, I’m so happy to run into you!”

You instantly changed into medic mode and stepped closer to examine his injury. 

“I’d rather not see you here, Hardcase,” you shook your head a little. “What happened to you this time?”

“Ehhh,” he looked away, feeling a little embarrassed. “I fell down.”

“From where?” you raised a brow because it was never this easy with him. 

“Well out of the window. But I really had no choice!” he protested vehemently. “Rex clearly told me not to even think about walking out the door. He didn’t say anything about the window,” he smiled mischievously. 

“Why am I not surprised,” you shook your head and scanned him. You quickly checked the results and saw that the injury wasn’t too bad. “I’ll apply a bacta patch and you need to take some medication for the next few days,” you searched for the right ones and handed them to him. 

“Thanks Medy,” he smiled at you and took them. ”Now you can apply the patch,” he grinned and pulled up his shirt. You rolled your eyes but did as he said.  

“Why did you have to stay in that room anyway? Did you do something?” you sent him a questioning look.

“I might have successfully made a small explosion after tampering with some gadgets," he confessed. “But you should have seen it! It was mind-blowing! I might have just come up with a new weapon,”  he was clearly proud of himself and you couldn’t suppress a smile. 

“I’m glad that it wasn’t literally mind-blowing,” you laughed and he just waved it off. 

“So yeah, after that Rex sent me back to my room to think about what I did or something like that, I didn’t really pay attention to be honest.”

“And why did you decide to leave the room?” you were still trying to put the story together. 

“I was hungry,” he shrugged. 

“And why did you fall? I have seen you pull off far worse stuff. Not that I advise you to do those,” you sent him a playfully scolding look. 

“Oh yeah, I totally had it under control,” he waved. “But then I saw Rex behind a window and he was just about to turn. I swear to you he felt that I was there. So I had to disappear and I might not have paid enough attention and slipped. You know how rainy it is out there.”

“You’re lucky you landed on the roof and didn’t fall sixty meters into the water.”

“Yeah,” he grinned and you shook your head. He was always playing with fire. And he did it in his slightly unhinged but undeniably cool style. 

“You should take care of yourself a little bit better,” you patted his shoulder when you were ready with everything and he sent you a grateful smile. 

“Why would I when you’re always here to heal me?”

“I wish that was the case, but I won’t always be there. So just don’t suffer stupid injuries, alright?”

“I’ll try my best,” he winked at you and you knew your little speech had no effect on him and sighed. 

“I guess that’s a start.”

You spent the next hours helping out and stitched up a few shinies who got injured during simulations. 

“I knew I would find you here.”

“Tech!” you turned around and smiled at him. “Did you finish with your training?” 

“Crosshair and Wrecker stayed behind to practice some more. I thought that this was the perfect opportunity for me to show you around in the laboratory, if you’re interested.”

“I am, that sounds great,” you put the equipment you were cleaning down and stood up. “Let’s go.”

“So you said Crosshair is still practicing?” you asked him on your way to the lab. 

“Correct. He’s a perfectionist and always has to practice the most.”

“Well, it really works for him. I actually wanted to ask you something about him.”

“Yes?” Tech glanced at you . 

“Where do you think his jealousy originates from? I mean I think I know a little about it but I wanted to ask you about it as well. You’ve known him longer.”

“As far as I’m concerned, he has never shown this type of behavior before. It’s only when he’s around you,” Tech sent you a curious look. “But jealousy has a simple scientific explanation. It discouraged desertion by a mate, bolstering the family unit and enabling the survival of the young. At the same time, it has pushed us to abandon philanderers in favor of more stable and rewarding partnerships.”

“Maker Tech, that's pretty dry. I was thinking about something closer to Crosshair.”

“Oh. In that case,” he tilted his head to think for a few seconds. “I believe it’s because of his own insecurities and him thinking that if he let you get closer to another male you’d leave him for them.”

“Oh.”

“Was that sufficient?”

“It was a lot, Tech. And what could I do about it? I really want to be there for him.”

“I’d like to offer a solution for you but my knowledge in the matter isn’t extensive enough.”

You sighed. All you wanted was to understand Crosshair more to be able to support him better. Tech must have seen that you weren’t comforted yet and tried again. 

“What are you worrying about?” 

“Just that I’m not able to support him in a way he needs it.”

“That’s nonsense. He’s clearly happy.”

You felt a little relieved. “Thanks Tech, that means a lot.”

“You are welcome. But I don’t understand, can’t you see it on him?” 

“I can but sometimes I’m not sure I can trust my eyes. I'm afraid they would show what I want to see and not what’s actually there.”

He seemed to think this through. “You have nothing to worry about. He’s lucky to have you, you seem to pay special attention to his well-being.”

“Of course I do,” you said like it was obvious. “Sometimes that’s all I think about.”

“Well, it’s clearly working. He’s better than he’s ever been.”

You closed your eyes for a second. It felt so comforting to hear these words from someone else’s mouth, especially Tech because he and Crosshair had a special bond. 

“Thank you, Tech, this was really comforting.”

His face lit up after your praise and he unconsciously started walking faster from happiness, you had to jog to catch up with him. 

“And how are you feeling Tech?” 

He looked a little taken aback and slowed down to match your pace. “My work on the ship is endless, I still want to boost the engines and I have to reorganize the food cabinet after Wrecker made a mess a few days ago. Last night I read an interesting article about molecular underpinnings of a disease affecting corals.”

“Is marine life something you’re interested in?”

“Very much so,” he smiled a little. “I would love to explore it in different water planets.”

“Maybe we’ll get an underwater mission once.”

“Highly unlikely, I don’t see why they would send us. It’s not the area where our enhancements are the most useful.”

“I was just hoping for it, Tech.”

“Oh. In that case I also hope that it will happen.”

You smiled at him and he held the laboratory door open for you. He showed you around and talked about all the equipment you were interested in. You also spent some time working on one of your medicines you started earlier but couldn’t finish. Working with Tech was always easy for you because he was so clearly passionate about what he was doing that it kept you going endlessly. 

“Hungry?” came the question from behind you and you jumped and turned around immediately just to see Hunter standing in front of you with a smirk on his face. You put your hand on your racing heart and took a few deep breaths to calm down. 

“First of all, don’t do that,” you motioned at him, “but yeah, now that you ask I’m hungry.”

“Great, come on!” he smiled at you warmly and turned around. 

“Tech?” you looked at him but he shook his head. 

“I’ll stay, I want to finish this. But you should go.”

You nodded and walked toward the door to catch up with Hunter. 

“You two get on well since day one,” he noted when you arrived next to him. 

“He’s always been very kind to me,” you smiled remembering how in your first days you spent all your time next to Tech. “And he says very interesting stuff all the time, you should listen to him more.”

“Thank you for the suggestion,” he smirked and led you toward the cantina. 

“How was the training?”

“The usual,” he dodged the question easily and sat down next to you. “I also just wanted to check up on you,” he tilted his head and looked at you deeply. 

Your hand that was halfway to your mouth with a mouthful of the plain kaminoan food stopped and you looked back at him. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just that many things happened in a short amount of time and I wanted to make sure that you’re alright. And that Crosshair was treating you well when we’re not around. Not that I don’t trust him,” he added quickly, “but we know how he can get and I don’t want him to treat you like that.”

“Oh,” you smiled and put the bite in your mouth and swallowed it before answering. “That’s so considerate of my kind sergeant,” you teased him, making him smile but then you continued in a more serious voice. “No, I really meant that. Thank you. And I’m really good. You can’t even imagine how nice he is when you’re not around,” you lowered your voice and leaned closer to him as if you were going to share a secret. He tensed a little and paid attention to your every move. “Hunter, I think he is…,” you whispered, “a softie,” you finished and he laughed out so loud that many clones sitting at tables near you looked over to see what it was about. 

“That sounds pretty serious, are you sure you can handle that? Because I’m not afraid of moody or angry Crosshair but soft Crosshair scares me,” he grinned and you laughed with him. 

“I know right,” you couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s pretty serious, I don’t think there’s any coming back from this.”

“Wow,” Hunter calmed down and shook his head with the last hints of laughter still playing on his lips. “You know I really think that you were all he needed,” he looked up at you. “He’s different since you’re together. Before, he’s been often with us but stayed distant. Lately he just seems more alive. He’s just like who he was back when we were cadets.,” Hunter smiled at the memory. “You know before the war and missions. You really bring that out of him.”

“Hunter,” you smiled, really touched by his words. You quickly patted his hand that was resting on the table. “Thank you.”

He smiled back at you. “Anytime. Also if you have any sexual questions you can always come to me,” his smile turned into an evil smirk and you rolled your eyes. 

“Shut up and eat,” you told him with a full mouth. 

“You know I won the bet and can talk as much about it as I want?” he snickered but did as you said and scooped some food on his spoon and quickly swallowed it. 

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

“If I can, then I will,” he grinned and you shook your head with a tired smile on your face. 

“That does sound like a motto of the bad batch.”

“It really does,” he nodded with an eager face. “Let’s patent it so after the war we can use it for a small business,” he joked. 

“Do you think a lot about the end of the war?” you took a sip of your drink and watched a group of shinies walk away in front of you. Why did they have to wear their full armor inside when there were no battle simulations? It must not have been comfortable. Maybe it was to prepare them. 

“Yeah, sometimes,” Hunter answered. “I imagine us all staying together and maybe continuing working for the Republic, you know, because we want to, not because we’re their property. That would be nice.”

“That does sound good,” you smiled at him. “I hope it’s going to be here soon.”

“Let’s just win that war before, shall we?” he winked at you and you both stood up after finishing your food and walked out of the cantina after you packed up some food for Tech. 

While you were walking on the white corridors you ran into Wrecker who was coming from the training rooms, freshly showered and whistling to himself. He was hard to miss with his size and also the off tune whistling. 

“Hey guys,” his face lit up when he saw you.

“Hi Wreck,” you smiled back at him. “I’m taking this for Tech, wanna come?”

“Sure,” he agreed and you turned left where Hunter went right, he headed back to the barrack. 

“You don’t look tired,” you glanced at him and he laughed. 

“They don’t have enough weights to tire me out,” he flexed one of his massive arms. “You know these are pretty cool,” he lifted his fingers up and looked at his nails. 

“Hunter did a pretty nice job, I’ll tell him that after the war he can go work as a nail artist,” you added seriously and Wrecker snorted. 

“You know we could do more stuff like yesterday.”

“I think so too, Wreck. I missed these nights so much,” you smiled softly. 

“Well, I’m always here if you want to.”

“Thanks. Maybe we could also… No forget it, I’m sure it’s not your thing…,” changed your mind while talking. 

“What? You started saying it, now you know I won’t let you rest until you tell me,” he nudged you softly. 

“I was just thinking about how much I wanted to go shopping for clothes and stuff,” you confessed and waited for him to laugh at you but he didn’t.

“Then let’s go. Next time we can, we’ll go.”

“Really?” you face lit up. “You’d come with me?”

“Sure,” he grinned. “We can also get a couple beers and you can spill all the tea on Crosshair.”

You laughed. “Sounds like a pretty cool plan to me.”

“Can’t wait,” he added with a grin just when you’ve arrived back to the labs where you dropped off Tech his lunch and made him promise that he would eat it and not forget about it. 

“Forget about eating?” Wrecker shook his head. “I could never.”

“Yeah, same.” 

“Wanna get a snack?” he looked at you mischievously

“Here?” you raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“I know a way,” he sent you a crooked smile and showed you the way toward another building. He was leading you through dark and narrow corridors which not even the cameras kept an eye on until you arrived in front of a simple door which Wrecker quickly tampered with and opened so you could sneak in. 

The room you arrived in was full of neatly organized boxes and Wrecker immediately led you to one of them and opened it. You saw that it was full of different flavors of chocolate covered energy bars. He grabbed a handful of them and you did the same and he carefully closed the box back and you made your way out. 

“How did you know about that?” you laughed when you were back to the well-lit white corridors. 

“You think I wouldn’t find where they kept the snacks we occasionally got?” he grinned and shoved two into his mouth. “Hunter led me there, he could smell it but then after that it’s all my work.”

“And they never noticed?”

“The secret is to not do it often,” he passed on his knowledge. 

By the time you arrived back at their barrack Crosshair was already there, freshly showered and looking more handsome than ever with his new haircut. You smiled when you saw that he was back and ran to him. 

He quickly pulled you into a hug and placed a kiss on the top of your head. 

“How did the training go?” you asked, your voice muffled because you were still pressed against his chest. 

“Fine,” he answered and sat down on his bed and pulled you into his lap. You stared into his eyes and drank him in. 

Then you noticed something changed behind him on the wall and you looked over his shoulder to take a better look at it. The usual three target posters were still hanging on the wall but something changed. 

“Did you…?” you asked him and a smile spread across your face. Previously, the middle poster was shot carefully to make the letter C. Now it’s been changed to the letter your name started with. You couldn’t find the words and it was just so sweet of him. 

“Crosshair,” you pulled him closer and he hugged you back. “This is so sweet.”

“What happened?” Wrecker came over to take a look too and he smiled when he saw what Crosshair did. 

“Who would have thought that you were such a romantic, lil bro?”

“Don’t call me that,” Crosshair answered, pretending to be irritated but the smile playing on his lips gave him away. Wrecker quickly ruffled his hair then went back to his bed. 

Some time later Hunter arrived back with Tech by his side. His face was more serious than usual and you grew a little wary. 

“New mission?” Wrecker asked with a grin and sat up on his bed. 

“A bigger one,” Hunter nodded. “The jedi discovered a new separatist base but they had to fall back to help the battalions on Ryloth. Our mission is to find out all we can about this new base, what technology they use, why they moved there and any useful information before destroying it.”

“Nice, an explosion then,” Wrecker cheered but Hunter’s face remained serious. 

“What else is there?” Crosshair asked, he also saw that Hunter was yet to share everything with the group. Hunter came closer and looked into your eyes. 

“I’m afraid you can’t come with us this time. We have to drop you off at the Republic base on the planet, you were ordered to stay there because they are in dire need of medics. We lost a battle there a few hours earlier,” he sighed. “You can imagine the situation.”

You gave him a firm nod. You knew your duty. 

Crosshair’s face didn’t show much about his thoughts. 

“Cross?” you nudged him, wanting to hear what he was thinking about. 

“I don’t fucking like the way they just order you around,” he said sourly. 

“Technically they can,” Tech stepped in front of Hunter. “Officially she’s still listed as our medic, not a fifth member and medics can always be ordered around when a shortage appears somewhere. Also I have to add that it would be much safer for her to remain at a Republic base than to accompany us to this mission.”

You heard Wrecker chuckle and turned your head his way.

“I know that,” Crosshair answered Tech with a grimace, “that’s why I didn’t protest.”

“What’s up with you Wreck?” you asked him because he was still chuckling to himself. 

“Let me guess,” Crosshair raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth twitched despite his gloomy mood. “Tech said technically and you find that extremely amusing.” 

Wrecker burst out laughing again and just nodded. You shook your head with a smile on your face and turned back to Crosshair. The furrow between his brows was still there. 

“I’m gonna be fine,” you stroked his face. “I’m more worried about you guys.”

“Nah, don’t be,” Wrecker, who collected himself a little, sent you a grin. “We wouldn’t risk getting injured when the only one to stitch us up is Tech.”

“I did the work fairly efficiently!” he objected. 

“The emphasis is on fairly,” Hunter added with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“It’s not my area of expertise,” he nodded reluctantly. 

“It’s okay Tech, it wasn’t so bad,” Wrecker tried comforting him, which he thanked with a half-smile. 

“You hear that guys? You’re not allowed to get injured because I’m not gonna be there,” you looked at all of them. “That’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hunter jokingly saluted you. “But I thought it was usually Crosshair giving you the orders, right?” Hunter asked with a mischievous grin and you froze. 

Crosshair just rolled his eyes and ignored Hunter’s comment. 

“He just wishes to get promoted,” Wrecker patted Crosshair’s back not so lightly. “But we wouldn’t let ya go,” he also pushed him a bit and Crosshair shook his head with a faint smile on his lips. 

“So when do we leave?” you asked them. 

“Right after they finished preparing our ship,” Hunter answered and took a seat on his bed and put his legs up. 

“They are doing what?” Tech jerked his head up. “No one can touch my ship when I’m not there.”

“As I said, our ship,” Hunter repeated but Tech ignored him and was already on his feet and halfway out of the door. He was pretty sensitive when it came to the maintenance of the Havoc Marauder, he had already put so much work into the ship that it rightfully felt his a little more than anyone else’s. 

“If we have a little more time…,” Crosshair started and placed a soft kiss on your shoulder, making goosebumps appear on your whole body. His lips lingered on your skin just one second longer before he leaned closer to your ears. “I could show you the armory.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t actually mean the armory,” Hunter commented without even looking up from his datapad. 

“Do you always have to ruin the mood?” you looked at him and he shrugged with a crooked smile on his face. 

“I just wanted to make sure that you two are on the same page,” he added and you rolled your eyes. 

Wrecker raised his head when he heard the word armory. “It’s a pretty nice armory. I shed a few tears when I first saw it after they renovated it.”

“You cried?” you laughed. 

“Your man right there did too,” he grinned evilly and Crosshair sent him a death glare. 

“I didn’t.”

“Yeah you did, lil bro,” Wrecker continued grinning. “There was one teardrop running dramatically down your face when you saw the rifle collection. I saw it.”

Crosshair pursed his lips and you needed every ounce of self control you ever had in your life to not laugh in his face. 

“Medy’s is quite close to dying there,” Hunter noted and you closed your eyes and tried to concentrate on your breathing to control your uncontrollable urge to laugh. 

“I just need a minute,” you managed to say somehow. 

You couldn’t see but were sure that Crosshair and Wrecker were silently communicating while you were dying, as Hunter worded. 

“Alright, I’m sorry, I know the armory is our secret bonding place, I won’t share anything I learnt there again,” Wrecker apologized and Crosshair facepalmed. 

“Secret bonding place?” you asked, your curiosity overriding your urge to laugh in their faces. 

“It’s not a secret when you know about it,” Hunter said casually. 

“You knew?” Wrecker asked with his mouth hanging open. 

“How would I not have known, Wrecker?” Hunter looked up at him. “You thought that you could sneak past me without me waking up? Also, stealth was never your strongest quality. Crosshair though,” he tilted his face. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Wrecker asked him. 

“It seemed like a you two kinda thing,” Hunter shrugged. 

“That’s so sweet,” you smiled and felt discomfort radiating from Crosshair. “What, Cross? Is me learning that you have a special bond with one of your brothers uncomfortable for you?” 

“He’s just not used to showing emotions at all,” Hunter answered instead of him. 

“I want to leave,” Crosshair said and Hunter nodded. 

“You should before he tells her about your weird obsession with porgs.”

“Your what?!” you laughed. 

“They are so freaking cute!” Wrecker immediately protested. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know that your secret armory meetings were officially called porg fan club meetings,” Hunter mocked them. 

“So porgs?” you smiled at Crosshair who was not just radiating discomfort, he was burning with it. 

“I want to leave,” he repeated and picked you up and carried you to the door. 

“He says that they are neat,” Wrecker shouted after you and you sent him a grin. You were so grateful to have his brothers next to you because learning this kind of information would have been almost impossible from Crosshair himself. 

“Cross,” you cupped his flushed face and looked deeply into his eyes. “Don’t do this, you know I love learning everything about you. You shouldn’t feel bad about this, this is so normal,” you laughed. “Why do you have a guard up most of the time?” 

He shrugged and put you down on your feet when you were out of the room. He held your hand and started walking down the white corridor. 

“You shouldn’t, you know,” you continued, “you can always be yourself with me. I want that. I want everything about you.”

A small smirk appeared on his lips and he stopped to kiss you. He gently brushed his lips against yours to let you know he got what you were talking about. 

“Right now what I want is you,” he whispered against your lips and deepened the kiss. You opened your mouth to welcome him as he slid his tongue inside your mouth to explore it. 

His hands traveled down your waist and pulled you closer until you were pressed up against his hips. His fingers dug into your flesh and you already forgot what you were talking about. 

He didn’t even check the door you were standing in front of, just opened it and pushed you inside while kissing you. Only one of his hands left your body to lock the door. Then he lay you down on one of the bunk beds and deepened the kiss.

“You looked absolutely amazing when I left you in the morning,” he said in a raspy voice and pushed his hips against yours. You moaned when you felt his hardness. 

“I can never get enough of you,” he continued and lifted your shirt, placing a kiss on your stomach. “I could be with you all day and all night and it would never be enough,” he unbuttoned your pants and pulled them down. 

His words made your head spin but all that came out of you was a soft whimper. He laid you down on the bed, his head between your legs. He grinned at you, a full smile that you loved so much.

“And I have more plans for you for today,” he slightly bit his lower lip then buried his tongue inside you. You inhaled sharply and your fingers found their way into his silver hair. His pace fastened and soon all you could think about was how much you wanted him inside you.

“Crosshair,” you asked him and he looked up at you, licking his lips in a mischievous way. 

“Will you do me a favor and fuck me right now?” you lifted your hips with desire. 

“There’s something I want you to do for me before, sunshine,” he smirked at you and you lifted a brow.  

“Now that I’m not going to be here for a few days,” he started talking and you almost moaned at how sexy his voice sounded, “there’s something I want to ask you not to do,” he continued with a darkened look on his face. 

“What?” you asked and licked your suddenly dry lips. 

He answered with a knowing smirk. “But I want to watch now. I want to see what you’re not going to be allowed to do while I’m away.”

You drew in a sharp breath when you understood what he was talking about. Did he want to see you pleasure yourself? While he was standing next to you?

“Come on sunshine,” he told you, his voice the smoothest you’ve ever heard it and it made you want to do anything he told you. Without question. You would have followed his voice alone to hell and back. 

“Do you want me to talk you through it?” he continued and you closed your eyes and nodded. “I want to see how you come from your fingers, sunshine. I want to see how your body trembles under the pleasure you caused.”

“Why am I not allowed to do it while you’re gone?” you asked in a weak voice, already turned on just by listening to his words. 

“Because I’m a selfish bastard who wants all of your orgasms to himself,” he answered and you couldn’t suppress a moan hearing that. “Don’t get shy now, sunshine. Do you remember how dirty your mouth gets when you’re begging me to fuck you? This isn’t different. But this time you’re the one doing it to yourself.”

You were already burning with desire and you wanted to please him too so you shyly lifted your fingers and placed them on just the right spot. 

You could hear him drawing in a sharp breath when you started circling your clit and rubbing the wetness all over yourself. 

“You’re so turned on,” he said, his voice airy and eyes wide. 

“It’s only for you,” you answered and threw your head back as you applied pressure on your clit while circling around it. 

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he breathed as you winced from pleasure hearing his praise. “Always coming around my cock when I fuck you. Always saying the perfect words to make me lose my mind. You do that to me, you make me lose my fucking mind,” he kept talking and you closed your eyes and focused on the pleasure your fingers on your clit were causing you while listening to his smooth voice. 

“Look at me,” he ordered and you reluctantly opened your eyes and glanced at him. All air left your lungs when you saw his expression, it was wild with lust and passion as he was looking down at you, a few drops of sweat balancing on his body as he was trying to fight the urge to fuck you right there and then and just enjoy the sight of you pleasuring yourself just a little longer. Just until you came. 

“What you said earlier,” he kept talking, “I know I can be myself with you. I don’t always show it but I know it. And I will. With time, I will show you all, sunshine. But we have time. We have all the fucking time in the galaxy.”

Your mouth fell open as you were listening to his words and you couldn't stop staring at his face while he was talking, he was so genuine. And he said all the time in the galaxy. Fuck, that sent a shiver down your body and you trembled as you felt the first signs of your orgasms building in your body. 

“You should see how beautiful you look right now, lost in my words and pleasure. You’re absolutely out of this world.”

The orgasm that was building in your body exploded and ripped through your body and your whole body trembled. He was there behind you immediately, sliding next to you and kissing your forehead. 

“Such a good girl,” he whispered and lifted the hand you were pleasuring yourself with and licked your fingers off. You groaned at the sensation and pressed your body harder against his. 

He rolled you over to your side and slid behind you. He gently sank his teeth in the sensitive skin on your neck and his hand traveled to your hips and pulled you closer, until his cock was touching your entrance and you winced in pleasure, still high from your orgasm. 

He pushed his hips forward and buried his cock inside you while his lips never left your neck and you whimpered, feeling overstimulated but drunk on pleasure. 

“Such a good girl,” his lips were moving against your skin as he was whispering. He started moving, every thrust audible because you were so wet for him. “So perfect for me,” he sighed and dug his fingers deeper into your hips as he started fucking you faster. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t,” you managed to say between two intense thrusts. “You make me lose my mind too, Crosshair.”

He exhaled deeply and shoved himself deeper than before inside you. He ran his delicate fingers down your body until they grabbed your butt and squeezed it, making you moan. He turned you around, standing on all fours and entered you. Both of you were completely lost in each other when you heard someone standing in front of the door, trying to enter. Thank the Maker Crosshair had enough in him to close the door earlier, otherwise you would have found yourself in a rather mortifying situation. Not that this was not making you flush with embarrassment.

‘I think,” you started saying but Crosshair didn’t seem to startle as much.

“We’re busy,” he called out and focused his attention back to you. “So where were we?,” he asked in a husky voice and rubbed his short stubble to your neck.  You shivered at the sensation and were reminded again what you two were in the middle of before being interrupted. 

He started moving again, slowly, making you moan out of pleasure. You tried muffling the sound with your hands but he stopped you. 

“I want to hear you,” he said in a raspy voice and picked up his pace. “I’d want everyone to hear you and know that you are mine,” he emphasized every word with thrust. You completely forgot about the interruption, all you could sense was him everywhere around you. 

 “I am yours, Crosshair,” you confessed between two moans and he inhaled sharply.

“What a good girl,” he softly stroked your hair before grabbing your butt and dictating an even faster rhythm. 

You moaned his name as he came inside you and filled you up with his thick, warm cum. He held you in place while he came, drunk on the voices you were making. 

After a minute of both of you just breathing hard, you turned around to face him and rested your forehead against his. “You’re mine too, Cross,” you whispered and kissed him. He kissed you back fondly, eagerly and embraced you. You stayed like that until both of your breathing calmed down. 

“You mesmerize me,” he whispered into your ears in a voice so low you could barely hear. 

“Crosshair,” you murmured his name. 

“I loved watching you,” he continued, stroking your naked body with his smooth, long fingers. You smiled sheepishly. “You are so beautiful,” he kissed your temple and you melted into his arms. 

“I can’t wait for you to come back from the mission,” you were reminded of the fact that he was going to leave you soon. He tensed a bit next to you. 

“I will come back. I will always come back to you, sunshine.” 

You took a breath to say something more when an abrupt knocking startled you. 

“Oh, fu-,” you started saying and abruptly sat up and started looking for your clothes. “Shit, I forgot about him,” you were so mad at yourself and flushed with embarrassment again. 

Crosshair stayed laying down on the bed with an evil grin playing on his lips. watching you hurry and get ready again. He reached for a toothpick and placed it between his lips.

“Crosshair!” you warned him. 

“What?” he stretched without any signs that he wanted to leave. 

“I think we should go right now and let poor shiny get his room back,” you said.

“Let him wait,” Crosshair answered smugly. “This might be the first and last action he could have heard.”

“You’re such a jerk,” you suppressed a smile and rolled your eyes. “Let’s just go!” you offered your hand to him which he couldn’t reject and got up. “Now, dress yourself,” you jerked your hand away and pointed at his clothes. He stared at you, naked and an amused look on his face. Well, he wasn’t completely naked, his toothpick was between his lips. It was a sight you wanted to see for the rest of your life. You couldn’t hide your smile. 

“Come on,” you managed to tear your eyes away from his body and nudged him to put his clothes on. He scowled and reluctantly started putting his clothes back on.

Then he held your hand and you walked out of the room to find a trooper awkwardly standing in front of the door. You felt a flush of embarrassment run through your body but Crosshair must not have felt anything remotely close to that because he just flicked his toothpick on the floor and casually told the trooper that the room is all his again. You mumbled an apology while Crosshair reached for another toothpick but luckily the clone seemed to be just as eager to get out of the situation as you so he just made an awkward face and disappeared in his barrack. 

“Well that was awkward,” you noted when you were walking on the corridors, in a safe distance from the room. 

“Only if you think it was,” Crosshair sent you an amused look and you thought about it. 

“I guess you’re right. I still think it was.”

He chuckled lightly and before he could have opened the door for you, it opened and Hunter walked out with Wrecker following him. 

“Why is there always someone in front of the doors today?” you wondered out loudly and received a confused look from your sergeant. 

“We are leaving, Tech signaled that his, I mean our ship is ready,” he decided to ignore your comment and just started walking toward the exit. 

“How was the armory?” Wrecker asked you genuinely and you suppressed a smile. 

"I was pleasantly surprised,” you sent a smirk to Crosshair. “It was even more than what I was expecting,”  you continued and looked back at him again. He had a triumphant and smug expression on his face. 

“I know right?” Wrecker continued. “It’s so fucking cool, next time I’m gonna show you the explosives and maybe give you a little representation,” he got all excited and you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you didn’t actually visit the armory. Hunter smirked knowingly but for once didn’t say anything. He exchanged a look with Crosshair that only the two of them could understand and sent him a crooked smile accompanied with a wink, making Crosshair roll his eyes with a smirk tugging at his lips. 

“That would be so nice of you Wrecker! But maybe let’s not blow the place up where you grew up, alright?”

“Oh, he wouldn’t blow it up, he knows what he’s doing,” Crosshair told you and Wrecker pushed out his chest at the compliment, “but I would be wary, he can talk endlessly about explosives that are basically the same,” he added with a smirk and Wrecker protested loudly. 

“Hey, you know they ARE all different! And it’s not like you don’t gush over your precious rifles every opportunity you can.”

“They really are all unique with their own enhancements,” Crosshair argued. 

“So are explosives!”

“He’s just playing with you, Wrecker,” Hunter weighed in. “He’s always doing this just to annoy you. Or us,” he made a face. 

“Oh,” Wrecker reacted and Crosshair sent him a playful smirk. “You’re a jerk.”

“Funny thing, I just told him this not long ago!” you said with a smile playing on your lips. 

“Really? He got it two times a day?” Hunter continued. “You aren’t yourself, Cross, it is usually way above ten by this time of the day,” he glanced at the time and shook his head, pretending to be disappointed. 

“I'll do better tomorrow," he answered with an amused face and you couldn't stop yourself from rolling your eyes. 

"That's the Cross we know," Hunter patted his back. 

You arrived back to Tech muttering to himself about how no one else can touch his ship. 

"Did they screw anything up Tech?" you asked him as you were all getting on the ship. 

"No, but you know the odds of that happening?" he asked vehemently. "I should always be notified when repairs are being done to the ship." 

"Don't worry, your baby's okay," Wrecker gently shoved him. 

"How long is this mission gonna be?" you asked, not wanting to let Crosshair go for even a day. Or just spend days without all of them, you got so used to them always being around that you felt some unease creep up on your spine when you thought about being apart while they were risking their lives. 

"Probably a few days," Hunter answered. "But if he will be this motivated to get back it might take less," he smirked at Crosshair who kept you close to his side. 

"All I know is that we are going to blow something up and that's enough for me," Wrecker grinned. 

"You deserve it, Wreck," you grinned back, knowing that it was already too long since he could blow something up. You thought about your meeting with Hardcase in the medical area and couldn't help but notice how well the two troopers would get on. "You know I treated a clone on Kamino, long story short he caused an explosion and fell down from the roof, I will have to bring the two of you together someday." 

"I wish I could have seen it," Wrecker laughed. "Who's the guy?" 

"It's Hardcase from the 501st," you answered. "He said that his growth chamber leaked and it made him hyperactive."

"That sounds like fun," Wrecker looked around the ship, probably for something to blow up. 

"Don't even think about it," Tech looked up from piloting and sent Wrecker a harsh look. "I have just got the ship back to its original state" 

"Man," Wrecker shook his head in disappointment. "I have to blow something up right now!" he was radiating energy and you thought how much he meant what he said. 

"You might need a cause for that, Wreck." 

"I have a cause, it's because I want to do it," he argued and you burst out laughing. Hard to argue with that. 

"Technically…," Tech started talking but Wrecker cut him off. 

"I don't wanna hear that, nothing good ever comes after that word. It do be funny when you say it though ." 

"Yeah, it was like the first word he ever said," Hunter said. "99 told us everything." 

"Actually it was a full sentence, don't undermine my so early developed skills." 

"Yeah Tech, we all know that you are a smart-ass." 

"I would once again ask you to refrain yourself from using that word to describe me." 

"Alright, then nerd." 

"Is that better?" Tech quickly glanced at you. "I'm unfamiliar with the latest changes in so-called slangs." 

"It's fine Tech," you restrained a smile. 

"Alright then."

"So Wreck, I see you're in dire need to do something, tell me a little about those explosives, what will you use at the end of the preferably short mission?" you asked Wrecker. Crosshair pulled you closer and interlaced his fingers around your waist. You needed a lot of self control not to lose your mind but Wrecker's happy face was worth paying attention to. 

"Sure thing, but first how much do you know about explosives?" 

"Not exactly much," you managed to answer but Crosshair's hands were very distracting. 

"Then I'll start from the beginning," Wrecker dived into the topic and showed that his knowledge was way more extensive than you would have ever imagined. You thought that he just blew stuff up for the sake of it but it turned out that he knew his way about them better than anyone. 

He told you everything about the difference in sizes and ingredients. 

"He actually came up with the idea of one of my custom bullets," Crosshair told you. Your conversation with Wrecker caught his attention too and he was listening to it carefully.

"It's a completely new approach and works very well," Tech added and you smiled proudly at Wrecker. 

"Maybe I shouldn't have, if I didn't give you those bullets I would have won a few more of our competition," Wrecker made a face and Crosshair sent him a smirk. 

"And I will continue using them against you," he said with a smug face. 

"You wish, this mission I will crush you," Wrecker answered with playful determination. 

"I don't think so," Crosshair raised an eyebrow. 

"I hope the both of you know that the beginning of our mission will consist of less shooting and more sneaking around for information, correct?" Tech asked and they both looked at him with a slightly disappointed face. 

"You'll get your chance to destroy clankers after we're done with the boring part," Hunter quickly calmed them. 

"Exiting hyperspace in ten seconds…," Tech warned you before you flew out of hyperspace and you saw the planet you were going to land on to drop you off. 

Crosshair held you a little tighter now that the time to say goodbye came closer. 

"If you don't all come back in the same condition, I will kill you," you said only half joking. 

"I'll take care of them," Hunter smiled at you reassuringly. "Just as I always do." 

Wrecker snorted loudly. "And what about the time you were hanging from that really tall tree and couldn't do anything because you dropped your knife? Who came to take care of you?" 

"You did," Hunter answered unwillingly. 

"And what was Tech doing while that?" 

"Being surrounded by clankers while trying to get the door open," Hunter continued in the same voice. "But they had it under control with Crosshair."

"Well…," Tech started to say but was cut off by Hunter. 

"Did you make it out alive or did you not?" 

"Barely."

"See," Hunter pointed at you. "Told you I always take good care of them."

"I mean if staying alive is considered that then you're doing just great," you gave him a thumbs up. 

"I know right," he grinned at you and you shook your head with a smile on your face. 

"I took care of that situation," Crosshair whispered into your ears and you believed him. 

"With me," Wrecker protested. 

"You might have helped."

"It was teamwork, right lil bro?" Wrecker patted Crosshair's back, making him roll his eyes but not saying a word against it. 

"As always," Wrecker finished and you sent him a smile. You were less stressed about the mission now and knew that they would take care of each other no matter what. 

“You better send me messages whenever you can,” you looked at each of them sternly. “Especially you,” you tightened your grip around Crosshair’s arms. 

“I will call you any chance I get,” he whispered into your eyes in a low and husky voice that weakened your knees, “I already miss your voice moaning my name,” he added in an ever quieter tone.

You gulped and he chuckled softly in your ear. The others turned back to each other and started discussing the mission. 

Crosshair’s hand wandered around your body and squeezed your waist, making all air escape from your lungs. Would you ever get enough of this man? You knew the answer was no.

“Why are you torturing me?” you asked and leaned a little closer to him. He put his large hand over your stomach and pulled your hips closer to his. Your breathing accelerated so noticeably that it made him smile against your shoulders, where he buried his face. 

“If this is how you react to torture, I’m unsure of your abilities,” he teased you lightly. 

“Why, you’d be able to hold up better?” you asked, your mind foggy with him being all around you and his smell surrounding you. Everything felt stronger now that you knew you would have to be apart for a few days. 

“I did,” he kept his tone light but the seriousness of the answer surprised you and you opened your eyes abruptly. 

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it, sunshine,” he buried his face back to your shoulder and you let his silver locks against your cheeks divert your attention. 

“You better come back to me,” you whispered, suddenly afraid of their upcoming mission again. 

“Haven’t I told you before? I always come back,” he answered and kissed your skin softly. Then again and again, leaving a trail of tender kisses across your neck and shoulder, making you melt into his arms. 

“Someone’s awfully clingy today,” Hunter turned away from the discussion he was having with Tech and Wrecker and looked at the two of you. He was wearing one of his crooked smiles but it was tinted with a hint of mockery. 

“Just making sure she doesn’t even think about anyone else why I’m away,” Crosshair answered and you frowned. 

“Like there is any doubt.”

“As I said I’m just playing safe,” he turned his attention back to you and kissed your neck again. You tried to keep your expression together now that Hunter was looking at you and you knew you didn’t succeed when his grin grew even bigger. 

“You won’t have to worry about anything like that,” Hunter reassured Crosshair with a wink. 

“If any of the regs give you a hard time…,” he started saying but you cut him off. 

“They won’t!”

“If they give you a hard time,” he continued like you hadn’t spoken, “call me and I’ll be back. Fuck the mission and anything else.”

“That won’t be necessary. If anything, they’ll give me a hard time with being too amusing and not letting me rest,” you brushed it off but realized what you said might not have been the best thing to say to him. 

“I changed my mind, you are coming with us,” he said with a dark expression and you shook your head. 

“Crosshair!” you warned him. “Stop this. I will be fine.”

“With regs surrounding you everywhere. And I won’t be there,” he was starting to get a little too worked up.

“Crosshair!” you warned him again and turned over to cup his face and stop him. “Stop!” you looked deeply in his eyes. “Stop it, you are being unreasonable.”

He scowled but didn’t look away from your eyes. 

“They are my friends. You are my man. And this is going to stay like this. Always.”

He seemed to think this through. “I still don’t like it,” he said eventually but with way less vehemence. 

“You don’t have to. Just accept it. Try it. For me?” you smiled sweetly and looked up at him from under your lashes. He lightly shook his head and raised his hand to hold your chin and lift your head to kiss you. 

At first he was gentle, his soft lips brushing against yours but then he deepened the kiss and got lost in you. His hands traveled down your back and one of them rested on your waist while the other stayed on your back to pull you even closer. You were still cupping his face and stroking his stubble as he kissed you desperately. 

You forgot about everything and everyone else, it was just Crosshair and you and you never wanted it to end. 

But then Tech cleared his throat to let you know that you landed and you broke away from each other, Crosshair a little too unwillingly. You didn’t even notice when you landed. 

“I’m afraid this is goodbye for now,” Tech said and glanced at you. You somehow managed to get out of Crosshair’s hands and walked over to Tech to pat his shoulder. 

“Take care Tech,” you smiled at him and he sent you a half-smile. 

“You too Medy,” he said and pulled a small but elegant silver blaster out from one of his packets and handed it to you without saying a word.. You reached for it, speechless. It fit perfectly into your hands and you knew it wasn't on purpose but you couldn’t not notice how its color was unmistakably close to Crosshair’s hair color. 

“I know you have a blaster but this one fits you better, it’s personalized for your hands,” Tech started talking. “It has yellow blaster bolts, which is the color mandalorians mostly use. It’s more powerful than both red or blue blasts,” he kept going on about it and you lifted the blaster to inspect it from closer, still stunned by its beauty and Tech’s gesture. It was a beautiful piece of weaponry, elegant but deadly. Exactly what you thrived to be. 

“Last time we were apart you got injured and we came back to find you severely exhausted,” Tech said. “I don’t want that to happen again.”

“Tech,” you placed the blaster down carefully and gave him a quick hug which surprised him and he didn’t know what to do. “Thank you so much,” you let the astonished trooper go. “It’s beautiful. I don’t know how to thank you for it.”

“You could start with not getting shot again,” he answered and you laughed 

“I’ll do just that.”

He nodded and glanced at Crosshair who came closer to inspect the blaster. He took it in his hands and looked at it carefully. He balanced it on one hand to check its weight and then handed it back to you without a word. 

He and Tech shared a look and Crosshair sent him a nod and a soft smile. Tech tilted his head and nodded back. Crosshair reached forward to pat his shoulder before taking a step back and looking at you again. 

“That’s a pretty blaster for the pretty lady,” Wrecker joked when he took a look at your new blaster too. “And Tech’s right, we better not find you as tired and done than the last time!” he grabbed your shoulders and shook you a little just to make sure his words got to you. 

“You are the ones going on the serious mission, why are you worried about me, who’s staying at the base?”

“‘Cause last time you managed to get into trouble,” Hunter told you with one brow raised. 

“Yeah, we handled that just well.”

“You got shot,” Crosshair said with a sour face. 

“Barely,” you waved and pointed at him. “You were the one who got seriously injured not long ago so you don’t really have a say in this.”

“That has nothing to do with this,” he stepped closer. “I’m used to getting injured but you are used to healing them.

“Well, I don’t seem to get used to healing your injuries  so you if you just stopped receiving them,” you glared back at him. 

“Alrighty,” Hunter decided to step between the two of you. “Let’s just not get carried away. We are dropping Medy off, she’ll be safe there. And if not, then she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And we’ll be fine too,” he looked at you reassuringly. “We took care of each other even before you so don’t worry, it’s barely more than a standard mission for us. Piece of cake,” he said and you saw Tech wanting to say something and open his mouth but he seemed to think it through so he remained silent instead. 

“I’d want that piece of cake,” Wrecker wondered and you couldn’t help but smile at that. 

“We’ll get you one after the mission,” you told him and he nodded excitedly. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Tech stood up from his seat, “but I believe it’s time for us to leave if we want to arrive at a time when security is lower around the base.”

It was time to say your goodbyes. They all accompanied you while you got off the ship. 

Hunter nodded at you encouragingly and patted your shoulder before getting on the ship again. Tech sent you a smile and then followed Hunter. Wrecker picked you up and gave you a bear-hug, making you laugh. He ruffled your hair after putting you down and then went after his brothers. It was just Crosshair left. 

He looked at you for several seconds without saying anything and then pulled you into his arms and kissed you again. His kiss was passionate and rough and he held you almost painfully tight but it was all you needed. After the kiss he rested his forehead against yours. 

“I’ll be back soon.”

“You better,” you smiled at him. “But until then…,” you smiled at him mischievously and gave him something that you had hidden in your pocket earlier.

His eyes widened and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. Then he lifted his hand to his face and inhaled the smell of the little fabric that you gave him. Then he put your panties in one of his pockets and smiled back at you playfully then his expression darkened and he bit his lower lips.

“I will have fun with this while I’m away.”

Now your eyes widened. “On the mission? You wouldn’t dare,” you waved. 

“Yeah?” He smiled cockily. “Watch me,” he stole another quick kiss and started walking toward the ship. You stood there, frozen and just stared after your beautiful man. 

He glanced back at you over his shoulder. “Oh, you’ll be able to watch. I’ll call you,” he smirked and got on the ship, leaving you there, astonished and aching for him.

[crystal-moon-101]

Was itching to do some After Effects practicing and I heard this song when looking for some sound effects, so enjoy my creation!

For context behind this video, this based on my old Tangled The Series AU/Fanfiction called the Starshard Varian AU, basically where Varian had a third celestial stone that made anti-magical properties.

In the fanfiction, labeled "Stars In My Eyes" there was an incantation in it called "Nova Incantation", and I remember back when I first posted it people wanted to know how it would sound like. So I figured today, why not show off the kind of vibes I had for it. I always imagined it as a sort of calm lullaby.

Also if anyone is curious about the music, the instrumentals is "Stars By JBlanks", and the singing is done by me. The lyrics are,

"Starlight, Starlight, raise your shield, and the Sun and Moon shall yield.

Starlight, Starlight, wipe away the haze, and protect us underneath your gaze.

Starlight, Starlight, open up your core, and bring the balance once more."

[undead-supernova]

It's a Delicate Need / Masterlist

Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5

18+ minors DNI

plot: you've never met eddie munson before...and even if your reputation's never been worse, desire is the sound of the whiskey and you're prepared for the risk. but are you willing to let it go to waste?

Pairings: modernrockstar!Eddie x fem!popstar!Reader (curvy!reader, bisexual!reader)

Warnings: drinking, mention of weed, there's genuine smut in here so sorry for the length, mention of body shaming

wc: 6.9k

This chapter is inspired by the sound and lyrics of “Delicate” and her unreleased Lover track “Need” that I haven’t stopped thinking about since it leaked. This is one of my favorite things I've ever written and I can't believe I get to share it! Okay, have fun! (special thanks to @littlexdeaths for helping chill out my frantic screaming about writing smut)

Late April, 2024

You met him in those weird ways celebrities do. Usually, it’s an award show or some house party thrown by mutual famous friends. For you, it was the Grammy after party.

Corroded Coffin won Best Rock Album for “Fire Shroud” and Best Metal Performance for the title track. (Ozzy Osborne presented their award and you couldn’t believe how jealous you were.) 

You’d won Song of the Year for “Cradle Me”. The night was electric, one that would go down in history for you and your ever-growing career. 

Because you’d done it. You won a Grammy. 

And that was the only reason you decided to even go to the after party, really. You rode the high of your adrenaline, your tears. The squealing and stomping of victory as you basked in a kind of pride you’d never felt before. A kind of pride that you didn’t even know existed.

The room boomed with music, everyone seemingly on the same wave as you. You’d been practically shredding up the dance floor all on your own, taking time to close your eyes and feel a release for what seemed like the first time since you’d started your career. You were on top of your game, on top of the world. Nothing could derail you now. 

As a remix of Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” came to a close, you remembered where you were. Opened your eyes to look around you as another song sounded, the bass pulsating in your ears.

And despite the noise, everyone noticed when Corroded Coffin walked in.

Even you.

Here they were, all five members decked out in lavish outfits, all five shimmying their way through the parting crowd with drinks held high in the air. If it was anyone else, they’d look obnoxious and lame. But each one of the members of Corroded Coffin acted like real people. They were in sequins, dark makeup, designer suits and dresses…and they were normal. Just laughing their way through the crowd and dancing like idiots.

And that’s when you saw him.

About an hour after their arrival, Eddie Munson snuck away from the rest of the group. He was at the bar, nursing some whiskey, a smile on his face as he chatted with the bartender. Leaning sideways against the counter with his legs crossed, just lounging as he socialized.

And maybe it kind of seemed a little stalkerish that you were watching him across the room, sipping on your third Shirley Temple—with, yes, copious amounts of vodka—but you were merely observing. 

You weren’t his biggest fan or anything, but you were still fascinated by him. By his effortless charm, the sheer effect he seemed to have on everyone. Some had called him the New It Guy, others had called him a Soon To Be Has Been. But, for the most part, he was considered the man of everyone’s dreams. 

Not only that, but he was genuinely talented. Corroded Coffin was killing it, having reached newer heights. Those Grammys they won? Yeah, they’d already received two the year prior. In the last two years, they’d collaborated with Post Malone, Joan Jett, Bring Me The Horizon, Nova Twins, Amy Lee, Poppy… The list was starting to get rather full from how desirable it was to work with them, especially smaller artists they’d been bringing into the limelight. 

Plus, they were bringing metal to new heights. Tearing down the walls of what it meant to listen to metal and defying how it was “supposed” to sound. And you could go on and on about their lyricism, the way that they wrote about more than just testosterone-driven rage. They talked about mental health, about heartache. Addiction. Loneliness and the way isolation stung. Even the intense weight of fear that comes with falling in love.

They were raw. They were real.

And you kinda wanted to talk to Eddie Munson.

He was alone, for God’s sake. Just a sitting duck by himself, clad in that outfit. The sequins on his blazer casted light over his cheek, reflecting off of the LED lights. His blazer was a deep eggplant, all velvet and cool and fitting perfectly tight against his toned muscles. There were patterns of small black roses strategically placed throughout. Not enough to be overwhelming, but enough to give the drama. 

Oh, yeah. One more thing.

No. Shirt. 

Just his lean stomach with an attention-grabbing happy trail that led to his incredibly tight leather pants. The color even matched his blazer. Combat boots. Rings adorning his fingers and some black nail polish. Layers of diamond bracelets and chains resting against the dark ink of his tattoos. A guitar pick at the center of a black velvet choker around his neck.

Yeah, you really wanted to talk to Eddie Munson.

For a second, you stared down at yourself. You had a momentary lapse in confidence, wondering if what you were wearing was acceptable for a metal lead. Because you were clad in a silk knee-length dress, blush pink. One that hugged your curves and twirled around you wherever you moved. It was Old Hollywood. It was graceful. It was you.

Fuck it.

You approached, handing the bartender your empty glass and kindly asking for a refill. When you glanced over at Eddie in your peripheral, you knew he was being respectful, looking down at his drink rather than you.

It was up to you to deliver the opening line.

“You know,” you started, catching his attention immediately. “you’d kinda look like Lord Farquad if you got a bob.”

Eddie’s eyebrows lifted, trying to stifle a chuckle. “Yeah? You think so?” You nodded and watched as he tried to tuck in the bottom half of his hair to create the illusion of a bob. “‘Run, run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!’”

You were right. He kinda looked like Lord Farquad’s taller, hotter, more glamorous brother. 

“That is perfect,” you said, slow clapping. “Brilliant.”

He laughed, moving his whisky as a subtle invite to stand next to him. “I’m glad you think so. I’m Eddie, by the way.”

You smiled, telling him your name, watching as he nodded. He was wearing some eye shadow, all deep purple and bruise-y. He seemed to have had a coat of lipgloss on that was now lining the rim of his glass, with only a slight residue remaining. It was still effortlessly beautiful. He was effortlessly beautiful.

“Yeah, I actually know who you are.”

Your eyes widened. He knew you? 

“I didn’t think it was your genre,” you said honestly.

Eddie shook his head. “Nah. Come on, give yourself a little credit. ‘Tetris’ had a bit of a rock vibe to it.”

“Yeah, true,” you agreed, rolling your eyes. That was a single from your last album, one that hadn’t even gotten much traction from audiences. “But it’s nothing like A Rush of Hellfire.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shot up again. “You heard our first album?”

Confusion flooded your features. “Well, yeah. Hasn’t everyone?”

“No one talks about it anymore,” he responded, shrugging as he scratched the top of his head. “You a fan?”

“Not, like, a diehard fan or anything, you know? It’s fun to work out to. Or scream in the car. You did that remix with Post Malone. ‘Something Real’, right?” He smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I can’t get enough of it. The original is heavenly, but you guys put a spin on it that made it transcend the meaning and give it an extra boost of emotion that didn’t even seem possible. And your added verse? I mean, it was just so raw and…” 

You stopped yourself, starting to feel embarrassed from practically fangirling about this guy’s music to his face. He may have been actively listening, or was pretending to, but you had to stop before it got to be too much.

“Anyways,” you finished. “I really like it.”

His smile grew and it was like something flutter-y-ish was rushing to your heart. What was that about? 

“I’m flattered,” he said. “Unexpected, but flattered nonetheless.”

“Why unexpected?”

“Well, I mean. Well, your music—I just assumed—”

You laughed at that. “I like way more than just pop. That’s just the music I make, you know?” He gave you another silent nod, making you feel a little self-conscious. “So, I’m guessing you’re not really into my stuff?”

“No, I really like it. I just don’t want you to think I’m a diehard fan or anything. Actually, it’s kinda funny. I saw your cover of ‘Lolita’ by…” he trailed, waving his fingers around in thought until he pointed at you with a smirk. “Lana Del Rey, that’s it. Saw it a few weeks ago. Very cool. I liked the way you changed the sound. It seemed a little sadder than the OG, even with the synth.”

You smiled. You’d done that cover in the BBC Live Lounge to make fun of the way the media portrayed you. A player on both sides, leading everyone on and leaving them high and dry. Being a temptress of some sort, always on your best misbehavior. It was a common story, something that was far from realistic. But the media circus wasn’t about reality. It was about the fantasy.

And a lot of people misinterpreted the song choice as a confirmation of your reputation. It was mortifying. And annoying. Mostly fucking annoying.

And as the bartender handed you your drink, you prayed to whatever God was out there that Eddie didn’t think the same about you.

“I did it as a joke,” you defended sheepishly. “You’ve probably heard about me, but I’m not actually like that.”

And you knew that there was no reason for you to justify yourself to him, especially someone rumored to be a player himself. Eddie was known to the public as someone who collected  groupies like a goddamn claw machine, but it was seen as something desirable. He was hailed as some kind of Metal Prince of Darkness. (Though, you’d never come into contact with anyone who’d actually been involved with him…)

So why were you nervous all of a sudden?

You studied his reaction, the way he barely had one. He just kept smiling like that, this kind of half-smile as if you were the most interesting person he’d ever met. You were sure he smiled at everyone like that.

And if it was a trick, well fuck, it was working.

“I definitely got the joke,” he said, chuckling as your eyes widened. “What, did no one else?”

You shrugged. “Not a lot of them, no.”

“Well, I guess the world is as dense as I thought.” 

You couldn’t stifle your giggle as you lifted your drink to your lips, nearly spilling it on yourself. 

And maybe Eddie thought he was being smooth, but he took a small step forward, closer than he’d been before. “Just letting you know,” he said. “as someone who is also not like that, I thought it was amazing.”

You could smell the tobacco wafting off of his jacket, mixed with something like amber or bergamot. His pinky finger was dangerously close to yours, seemingly inching forward. The closer he got, the easier it was to decode the exact shade of his eyes. Brown had been wrong. No, they were hickory. They were umber. And these hickory, umber eyes were looking at you.

It wasn’t fair in the slightest.

Something in you wanted to call him out because there was something definitely happening between you. Maybe it was a game he was playing, taking shots at your weak spots to lower your defenses. Or maybe it was genuine chemistry, luring you in with a dangerous kind of desire that you’d never felt before. 

It was something you couldn’t even explain to yourself. 

Out of seemingly nowhere, Eddie asked, “Beatles or Stones?”

You snorted. “Easy. Beatles. You clearly haven’t listened to my album.”

“Oh, I’ve heard Acacia My Dear. How could I not?” Your eyes widened. “But I thought you were sane. Guess I was wrong.” He sighed, waving you away. “This has been fun but get out of my sight.”

“Okay, wow. How does it feel to be a loser?” you asked, crossing your arms.

“How does it feel to be wrong?”

“The Stones do not have half of the amount of hits that The Beatles had. Name any Beatles album, which I bet you can’t, and I can tell you the plethora of well-known songs from each one. You can’t fight me on the factual evidence—”

“Do you wanna dance?” he asked suddenly, cutting you off.

You froze, confusion and intrigue colliding inside you. 

“Didn’t you just tell me to go away?”

“As a joke.”

“Are you going to continue to insult my preferences?”

He leaned in just a bit further. “Is that something you’d want?”

“Maybe a little,” you admitted, trying to catch your breath as he took it. “As a treat.”

“I’d be honored.”

Eddie took you to the floor like a gentleman in a ballroom, one arm pressed against his back with the other holding your hand up. As if he was wearing a luxurious tux and you were in a ballgown. As if this was something serious, something more than it should’ve been.

And, god, whatever he was doing was fucking with your head.

Because the two of you started dancing to one of the popular hits of the year, a song you hadn’t cared to listen to. But it didn’t seem to matter to either of you, going back and forth with each other as you moved through the dance floor. Eddie shimmied his shoulders and rolled his hips. You gladly followed his lead.

As the song hit its bridge, he leaned in. “By the way, I don’t know this song.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I don’t either. I’ve been religiously listening to Maisie Peters for the last year.”

He nodded before looking at you with a bit of a sheepish expression. “I don’t know who that is either, I’m afraid.”

“That’s more offensive than your Beatles comments,” you teased.

He rolled his eyes before taking your hands and spinning you around. Laughter fell from your lips easily, finding the sensation quite dizzying.

God, how was his energy so infectious?

He tried to bring you back up, to let go. But you were done for, wobbling in his arms from the dizzy spell coming over you. One of your held hands was placed against his chest, the drumming of his heart nearly matching the beat of the song.

“Woah there,” he teased.

You sighed, your grasp on his hand tightening. “Don’t blame me,” you said. “That was all you.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.” When you were stable enough to stand properly and the room stopped spinning, he asked, “Favorite Beatles song?”

You scoffed. “Why should I tell you if you’re just going to make fun of it?”

“You wound me.”

“I have evidence. Exhibit A, five minutes ago you told me my opinion was wrong. Twice.”

“I’ll behave myself.” You raised an eyebrow. “Scout’s honor.”

You decided to answer truthfully. “It changes every day, I think.”

“So, what’s todays?” he pressed. When you gave him a quizzical look, he shook his head. “Don’t leave me hanging over here.”

Your smile returned. “Today, it’s ‘Sun King’.”

“Ah, a highly underrated track from Abbey Road. Mine’s either ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ or ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?’ from the White Album.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. “You know their discography and yet you disrespect them.”

He wagged a finger at you. “You’re mistaken, young maiden. I never said The Beatles were bad. I said they weren’t as good as The Rolling Stones.”

“I think I hate you,” you said without thinking. Without even knowing how he was going to take that.

But then Eddie’s small smile grew into a grin. “Oh, yeah?”

You couldn’t help but smile back. “Mhm.”

“Does that mean we’ll never speak again?”

“No,” you admitted, showing him your cards. 

Eddie smirked. “Good.”

Apparently, he was showing his, too.

Another drink and a round of bickering later, you and Eddie were promptly interrupted by a rumbling of voices calling out to you.

Well, not you.

“Ed!”

The two of you turned and watched as the rest of Corroded Coffin rushed over. Well, Ronnie was trailing behind, still in her heels. And you commended her for not running like the rest.

Eddie let out a chuckle and you watched a grin stretch across his face, lighting him up more than anything else seemingly did tonight. It was a look of love, of appreciation. Friendship.

And when he looked at you, you swore that it intensified.

God, he was something else.

“This is Grant, Gareth, Ronnie, and Jeff,” he introduced, gesturing to the group.

As if you didn’t already know.

“Nice to meet you all,” you said, giving each one a handshake and a smile.

“Jesus, you’re prettier in person,” Ronnie said, giving you a look over. “Love the dress.”

You could help but smile, especially with how beautiful she was. Ronnie Ecker. A legendary fucking female drummer standing in front of you. Her satin dress hugged her hips, a slit running up her thigh as the tips of her fingers rested against the opening. And, sure, Eddie was standing next to you, and you were extremely interested in him. But you’d be lying if you didn’t feel heat rising to your cheeks at the sight of one of the hottest women alive.

“Right back at you,” you replied, trying to stop sounding so nervous. “You’re incredible at the drums. It’s such an honor—"

“We’re heading out, actually,” Gareth said loudly, catching your attention.

“To do what? Go to bed?” Eddie asked, snorting. “Did you grind the indica by mistake?”

Grant shrugged. “We came to see if you wanted to go back and do a one-shot…” he trailed, eyes flickering over to you. “But then we saw you over here and, well…”

Jeff pointed at you. “We decided we wanted to meet you,” he said plainly.

“Yeah, exactly,” Gareth confirmed.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Oh, please. I’m really not that interesting.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Eddie said, catching your gaze. “Not to us or anyone else.”

There was something about the way he said it that made you wonder exactly what he was thinking about you. Because there was that hint of a smirk again, one that you couldn’t help but interpret as: You should see yourself the way I do in this moment.

And even though the others fell headfirst into their own tangent, you decided to lean over to Jeff. 

“A one-shot, you say?” you asked. “Like for D and D?”

A grin spread across his face. “Precisely.”

“You guys play a lot?”

Jeff nodded. “Yeah, Eddie’s, like, the best DM I’ve ever seen.”

“Better than Brennan Lee Mulligan?” you questioned.

“Close enough,” he admitted.

Eddie tapped Jeff on the shoulder. “Did someone just mention Brennan?”

“She did,” Jeff said as he patted your shoulder. “Wanna get super jealous?”

You raised an eyebrow as Eddie gave you a shit-eating grin. “I’m guest starring in his upcoming campaign.”

“Oh, fuck off!” you exclaimed. Stomping your foot, you shook your head. Your lips twisted into a smile, all jealous and playful. Because you were extremely envious, having watched D&D for years but never playing it yourself. And here Eddie was, getting the opportunity to work with one of the best DMs there were. What a cool fucking asshole.

“Well, if you ever wanted to plaaaaaay,” Gareth exaggerated, clasping his hands together and grinning. “We could always head back and get you a character sheet.”

Eddie flicked his forehead, giving him a hard stare that you couldn’t understand. “Gareth, we are not doing a one-shot tonight.” When both men’s eyes flickered over to you for a moment, you began to pick up the meaning. “So you better scram.”

And then it was its own conversation, one that started with goodbyes but led into another whirlwind of comments. You tried to follow along, tried to understand what they were even talking about in their shared campaign. There was something about a powerful wizard, another realm underneath the one you called your own. A world that seemed upside down, a world that you were glad you didn’t live in.

And as soon as it began to descend into chaos, Eddie sighed and held up his hand. “Alright, I’m cutting us off. Go to bed, you lovely dumbasses.”

“I like you,” Jeff said as the others hugged and bumped fists. Your eyes widened. “I like you a lot.”

Without a chance to ask him what he meant by that, Jeff was filing behind Grant and Gareth, all three sneaking glances back at you as they walked away.

Ronnie gave you another look over before leaning in. “Some advice? Don’t break his heart,” she said, patting your shoulder before she hustled to catch up with the others.

Shock ran through you at the sheer idea of feelings being involved between you and Eddie Munson of all people. As if he would ever actually want something like that. The idea was so absurd that you almost had to scoff.

“Did you want to keep talking?”

You turned to Eddie whose stare was becoming almost too magnetic, having to look away every few seconds. If you didn’t, the eye contact was going to send you into cardiac arrest. 

“Talking?” you asked, lifting an eyebrow. 

He played innocent, shrugging. “Well, we could always talk. We could do other things, too. If you’d like.”

“You want me to go home with you?”

“To my hotel room, maybe?” Eddie paused, clearly trying to interpret your expression and failing. “Uh, unless I’m reading this all wrong.”

“You’re not,” you said.

Without breaking eye contact, his fingers found your palm before lifting it and pressing his lips against the back of your hand. You could only hope the music would mask your sharp breath. 

“I have fewer scarlet letters than people think.” 

Another kiss. Another lodge in your throat.

“So, don’t think I’m doing this because I’m a whore.”

You could only nod. “Likewise.”

“I just…” he paused, a hint of something covering his features. “I think you’re really cool.”

“Likewise,” you concluded, disconnecting your hands before his touch could electrocute you further. “See you at the hotel.”

“How many scarlet letters do you have?” you asked Eddie.

How the hell you’d managed to be alone in the elevator was beyond you. In fact, it was a miracle on its own that the two of you were able to leave separately, arrive at the hotel without paparazzi standing out front, and casually make it to the elevator without anyone taking notice. It was a rather close call.

Or maybe it was a sign.

You nearly rolled your eyes at the thought before Eddie’s laugh brought your attention back. 

“Ah, man,” he said. “Three, the first two being in high school. What about you?”

“Four,” you said plainly. “All post high school. I wasn’t very popular back then.”

“Neither was I.”

You looked over at him, curious about what else was there.

“Really?”

Eddie snorted. “Are you kidding me? Of course not. Look at me.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”  

He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Those first two? They used me to get back at their boyfriends. Thought the local freak would, I don’t know, make them jealous?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “I was also the freak.”

“Really?” You nodded. “Could’ve fooled me.”

And there that stare was again, burning a hole in your chest that you weren’t sure how to make go away. But did you really even want it to?

No words were exchanged as you made your way down the hallway. You looked back, always alert at the potential of a camera or wandering eyes. And when you made your way inside his hotel room, thick with the scent of him, you felt the prickles on your neck that always came when you feared danger.

For some reason, you couldn’t help but look at the door, making sure it was locked. Making sure that the shadows underneath the door were passing by quickly. Muffled voices came and went, but your guard never wavered.

“You don’t have to worry about anyone seeing us,” Eddie said. You turned slowly, watching him unlace his boots. “This floor is all booked for the band. No need to risk anything. That’s probably just my guy, James. He’s a hardass, but he loves a good party.”

A small chuckle left your lips. “It’s not that I’m scared to be seen with you,” you explained. “It’s just a nasty habit.”

“I don’t blame you. Las Vegas can drive people crazy.”

You took the moment to undo your heels, finally able to let your feet breathe after a long, long night of discomfort. There was a stinging pain the moment your bare feet hit the carpet.

But you couldn’t wait, taking tentative steps towards him. Like you were assessing him, assessing the risk. Watching as he watched you, standing like you’d made a silent request that he couldn’t say no to.

“I won’t bite,” he said, hands reaching out to yours. Taking your fingertips and pulling you towards him. Like you were still on that dance floor, like he was as lost in the moment as you were. 

As you drew near, you caught a glimpse of his smudged eye shadow, the way it was starting to smear. His eyes, darker than before in the low light of the lamp, only on you.

Yeah, you weren’t thinking about consequences anymore.

“I have to be up early in the morning,” you whispered, nearly chasing his lips with yours.

He nodded. “You can leave whenever you want,” he said softly, thumb brushing your lower lip. “I do want you to know that I want to kiss you so bad it’s going to kill me.”

“Well, why didn’t you just say—”

Eddie kissed you fiercely, nearly knocking you over. 

It was like he was chasing after you. Wherever you moved, he moved. Whenever you gasped, he gasped. Your hand met the back of his neck, so his moved to yours. 

It was the kindling of a fire.

If you dared to utter it, you would call it passion. 

You slowly made your way to his neck, scratching against the choker as you went. Eddie inhaled sharply, trembling as you made your way down his chest. Desperate to feel all of it. Desperate to understand where he started and where he ended. Wondering if you’d truly be granted full access.

But it was his fingers that flipped a switch. Eddie carefully moved the tips along your jaw—gently, like he was trying to learn exactly what you felt like. And before you could register it, Eddie pulled your head to the side and latched his lips to your throat. 

There was a release of a moan, the high pitch shocking you. 

Because here you were, feeling a lightning strike against your neck, rumbling like chills down your back. Before you knew it, you were limp in his arms.

You were giving in.

Slowly, Eddie helped you out of your dress, trying to take his time. But you were a little more fast-paced, nearly ripping off your own underwear before reaching towards him. Mainly because he only had a jacket on, but you were also extremely close to losing your mind if you didn’t have him inside you in the next ten minutes.

“Now, why’re you going so fast?” Eddie asked, voice hushed in the silent room. His lips met yours again, leaning back just enough to look into your eyes. “Shouldn’t you give yourself some time to enjoy it?”

Dumbfounded. That’s the only way you could describe yourself. Eddie was standing in front of you, offering you the chance to experience not just sex, but pleasure.

“Can I?” you asked him, desperate to be told again. 

He kissed your forehead.

“Yes.”

Eddie gently lowered you to the bed, helping you scoot up to rest your head on the pillow. He paused, peering down at you as he unhooked his choker. It was the tucking of his lip into his mouth that captivated you, beckoned you to reach up to his lips.

You couldn’t remember wanting anyone else’s mouth this much.

And amongst the kissing and the harsh breaths, Eddie had his pants off, quickly kicking them aside to focus on you. You immediately clocked how he had not worn any underwear.

Fuck.

You had no time to look down at his length, instead feeling it as he rocked his hips against your mound. With lips against skin and a fever building, you hardly formed a thought as you tried to push his hand towards your pussy.

“Eddie,” you whined. “Please.”

“Whatever you want,” he murmured. “Promise.”

His fingers danced around your entrance, the calloused tips stroking your clit as he went along. Your hips bucked, but it was nothing against his grip on you. Instinctively, you moved your face to the side, wanting to hide your face in the pillow. 

“Shh, it’s alright,” he whispered, placing a small kiss to your nose. “Let yourself go.”

Before you had any time to respond, Eddie was inside you. His fingers pumped in and out, the squelching sound of your wetness filling the near silence.

Eddie wasn’t done annihilating your neck, leaving more and more marks as he went. There your sounds returned, nearly choking on your breath as you whimpered. 

It went on like this for a while, Eddie taking his time to bring you to the brink of an orgasm. Once. Twice. Unable to edge you a third time when you came uncontrollably and suddenly. You’d come down only to find his fingers on your clit again, beckoning you.

“Can you do it for me again?” he asked.

Feverish nods, hushed confirmations.

Another orgasm. Another bout of emotions that were ripping through you.

When you finally came down from your third orgasm, you knew you needed more. It wasn’t a want. It was a need. Eddie hadn’t touched himself, hadn’t given in to his own pleasure. It was all you.

All you.

“Can you, um,” you tried to start, breath still heavy. 

“What is it?” he asked.

With shaky fingers, you reached down between you, lightly stroking his cock. Eddie let out a hiss, arms struggling to hold him up. It was his turn to quiver.

“Ah,” he finally said, a nervous chuckle eliciting from him. “I, uh, would really like that.”

Without another word, he ran his tip over your clit, a groan leaving your lips before you came back to reality.

“Wait," you sighed, pausing. "What about you?” Gently, you pressed a hand against his chest. “Don’t you want me to, uh…”

You were too embarrassed to ask him point blank if he wanted his dick (cock? Big Ben? Woodpecker?) sucked. Because you knew that if you were to say it out loud, you would be a fumbling mess of Do you want me to suck your cockbenpecker? And then you’d have to leave and kill yourself out of sheer embarrassment.

But Eddie didn’t laugh at you. Instead, his lips found your shoulder. “No, I’m alright. Thank you for the offer, though.” He slowly trailed his tongue to the other side. “Rain check for that?”

You nodded. “Y-yeah, absolutely.”

He carefully slid in, eliciting strained moans from both of you. You watched his eyes widen; mouth agape as he looked at you. Took your silent nod as confirmation to rock into you. He didn’t go too quick, seemingly taking his time to feel you. 

And as he built his momentum, you couldn’t help but find yourself becoming a a mumbling mess.

His cock was filling you, completing you. Aching as though you’d been missing each other your entire lives and you were finally colliding.

He lifted your leg over his shoulder, seemingly desperate to go deeper. You felt as he shivered, like he was unable to control himself while trying to maintain the control he already had. It drove you wild, moving with him to get him to keep going. Getting as close to him as you could to keep him vibrating above you. 

It was addicting, keeping your eyes connected as you tried to give back what he was giving to you. There was a silent connection forming, one where you were desperate to make him feel the way you did. Craved the ability to make him bend at your will, a carnal desire to make him fall apart at your hands.

Eddie smiled, nearly laughing as you grabbed his ass and pushed him deeper into you. And even though you were close to cracking a smile, it was quickly taken away. He thrusted again, harder, intensifying the wave of ecstasy washing over you. You cried out, unable to hold it in anymore. 

“That’s it,” he said. “You sound so pretty, you know that?”

A fourth orgasm ripped through you at his praise, cum coating his cock as he continued to rock into you. He slowed, only for a moment, just enough to help you down before he picked you right back up again. Cradled your face in one hand, his other lightly running up and down your calf. For the first time, you weren’t thrown into overstimulation.

For the first time, you experienced true pleasure from sex.

As you continued to writhe in his arms, trembling as he left you in wave after wave of euphoria, you felt something shift in your chest. You couldn’t see it then, but there was a part of you that would want him the moment he was gone. Because when he finally came, pulling out and spilling onto your stomach, you were disappointed that he hadn’t cum inside you.

It was in the way he took his time with you, treating you like a lady, praising you with each orgasm. Instead of whatever you imagined, something fast and filthy and rough, you were… Well, you were worshiped.

It was much more than whatever a one-night stand between strangers was supposed to look like. And you’d never had a one-night stand, but you were ninety-nine percent sure it was not this. Strangely, you were very, very okay with that.

When you two were officially finished, he pulled you into his chest, your head resting above his thrumming heart. And you stayed there. Without any thought of the future, without any thought of your hotel room or your manager or the flight you had to take tomorrow. No, you were somewhere else. Somewhere lovely. Somewhere safe.

“Tell me something true,” you whispered in the dark.

“What do you mean?”

“Something you probably haven’t talked about to the press or whatever. However personal you’d like to get.”

“I have two cats,” he said. “And I’m actually considering getting a third.”

“That’s really cool,” you responded. “But I’m curious.”

“Hm?”

“How do you have cats when you’re always away from home? I’ve always wanted to adopt one, but I’m scared we’ll have separation anxiety.”

“Easy. I bring them with me.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I have special bags for them and everything. They fucking love traveling if you can believe it. Goddamn angels on airplanes.”

You couldn’t help your jealousy. It had always been a dream to have a cat. A companion, a friend to curl up next to at night. But your parents despised animals and then, well, you were suddenly never home. You wondered what it would feel like to be able to bring a piece of home with you wherever you went.

“What about you?’

You peered up at him. “Me?”

“Yeah, you,” he said with a smile. “Tell me something true.”

“It’s so stereotypical, but…” You took a deep breath, contemplating if it was okay to be so vulnerable so soon after meeting him. “I get really sad when people talk about my body.” You watched his eyebrows furrow. “I like myself, but it’s hard to be, like, not skinny and still be the artist I am as if my body determines whether I’m good enough at my job.

“Sometimes I wish I could just be a person who happens to have this body and that was that. I’m healthy…what more do people want out of me?”

Eddie’s arms tightened around your waist, fingers brushing against your tummy. “People are fucked up. Genuinely.” 

“I agree. It’s like… Either I’m too big for someone to love me but my reputation is that I’m fucking everyone within a ten mile radius at any given time. Like a fucking fuck radar.” Eddie laughed. “Like which is it? ‘Cause I clearly can’t be both and I can’t be neither.”

“You know what I say to that?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Hm?”

He raised his fist. “Fuck ‘em.”

You gave him a fist bump, nodding. “Yeah, fuck ‘em.”

“Also, if I may add, you’re fucking beautiful.” You shook your head. “No, I’m serious. I saw you walk up to accept your award tonight, which you totally had in the bag by the way, and I couldn’t help but think, ‘Wow, she’s more stunning in person.’ And I was at one of the tables in the back.”

 “You really thought that?”

“Please, I think Jeff was getting annoyed at how much I was staring. Said Radiohead wrote ‘Creep’ about me.”

A laugh fell from your lips but you still shook your head.

“I genuinely like you for you,” he whispered, lightly lifting your chin up. “It’s something true.”

“I think…I believe you.”

“Please do.”

But when you finally fell asleep, you were thrown into something ferocious. The sky turned black, with crows and ravens circling the trees. You ran along a path, trying desperately to find shelter. In the distance, you saw Eddie, walking with some other girl. One arm behind his back, his other hand holding hers. Just like he did with you.

And then it occurred to you: Now that you’d gotten a taste of Eddie Munson, you didn’t want to share.

It was supposed to be a random hookup. Just a fleeting glance at the unusual mixture of metal and pop, leather and lace. But when you woke up to the sound of your alarm, having to get on a plane as soon as possible to do promo in Chicago, you decided to wake him up.

“Hey,” you said. “Wake up, sleepy.”

He opened his eyes slightly, taking in your already dressed appearance. “Where are you going?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you shrugged. “Chicago. I have a podcast to go on to talk about the Grammys and bullshit about having anything written for the next album and do promo and all that.” You looked down at the white duvet, all wrinkly from the long night (with a hint of his smeared eye shadow.) “I just wanted to thank you for last night and tell you that I had fun.”

“Yeah?” You nodded. “I did, too.” 

For a moment, you were quiet. Watching as he bit his lip, noticing how you were chewing on yours. Wondered what to say. What to think. How to end an interaction you really didn’t want to end.

“Favorite Beatles song this morning?” he asked.

You tried not to smile, but you couldn’t help it as you looked up at his cheeky expression. 

“‘I’ve Just Seen A Face’.”

“Help!” he nearly shouted in a fake scared voice, clasping onto his face. 

Rolling your eyes at his antics, you said, “If I didn’t know better, you know every album they’ve ever done.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you the answer next time I see you.”

You chuckled, telling yourself that this was just something people say. Next time this. Next time that. And there’s no follow up. Just a glance here and there at events. No one calls. No one cares.

You tried to get up, but Eddie gently grabbed your hand, rubbing his fingers along your knuckles. “Actually, in all seriousness…I wouldn’t mind seeing you again sometime.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Without a word, you disconnected your hand from his and started towards the door. Started towards what was ultimately going to be a long day with endless naps and replacing the water in your body with coffee. 

And as you placed your hand on the cold doorknob, Eddie said his last words.

“I’m going to miss you.”

You glanced over at him, your armor starting to come loose. 

But it tightened as soon as the weakness was identified. Because there was no way to make any promises, no way to guarantee anything more than what this moment in time had provided. 

“I’ll see you soon, Eddie. I’ll make sure of it.”

After that, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he was just so honest. Upfront. Wanting you close.

He told you he was going to miss you. He told you that he liked you for the person you were, not the person that everyone expected you to be. And he was the same, his reputation being nothing more than a façade for the lovely human being underneath.

The rest of that day, that week, you could only think of him.

Shouldn’t you give yourself some time to enjoy it? his voice echoed. 

It’s alright. 

Just let go.

Early October, 2024

His makeup smeared down his face as he held your eyes. You’d never seen him so soft, so gentle. Full of emotions reserved just for you. Desperate for the one thing he ever wanted. 

You.

And in that moment, it all froze mid-air. The laughter and gasps of the crowd. The sound of the photographers shouting his name, shouting yours. The videos and the comments that felt like sticks and stones. Ronnie’s hurling words that felt like daggers.

It dissipates as you remember the start, as you remember why you were there in the first place. Why it mattered.

“Okay,” you murmured.

Eddie's eyes widened.

“I’ll stay.”

[fisheito]

non horny ask: what kinda irl snake would Yakumo be? venomous or non venomous?

my instinct says venomous purely because that opens up the fun possibility of magical side effects whenever yakumo bites someone (i want his venom to have a mild numbing property so he can bite me and i can finally get a decent night's sleep)

i'm openinmg up the search gtengine for this (HEY SNAKE FREAKS IN THE AUDIENCE!! IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS THEN SHOW THE CLASS 👉👇👈👐)

(spoiler alert: i am no closer to an answer than when i started. we're just looking at snakes together)

flashback: i once pointed at western worm snake and laughed because BABY

but let's assign yaku a larger counterpart for when he's feeling big and brave i briefly considered the nonvenomous approach but i'm gonna joke that yakumo has a bigger oral fixation>>squeezing fixation on eiden so uh, this snake is all about the mouthparts i guess

i mean.. the snakes that constrict will inevitably hoRMPH(gulp) too so it would be reasonable to make yaku a nonvenomous squeezer. but. my bias says venom time, ,today

considering his ridic Great Serpent ancestry, he's probably gonna have a potent venom so let's look up Hella Dangerous Bitey Boys *typetypetypeclickclaxke*

side thought: are some species generally more aggressive than others? or does it vary moreso by individual? hmm. let's see if we can find a danger noodle that's reeaaaallllllly not into using its fangs as a first response

..... .......... i'm overwhelmed by choice again so i'm gonna start relying on aesthetics by which i mean altho i love defaulting to boas for their :3 face

i feel like yaku would be more of a streamlined snake skull like the neck isn't distinguished very well from the head... I wANT to see him as :3 snake puppy face but i also need him to have zero structure. absolute jello. no bones. skullless. just a *USES LINE TOOL*

wait. if i rely on Looks does that mean i can only choose IRL snakes that are black or subdued colours? because yaku doesn't want to be perceived, after all........

[eyes start to glaze over] -nondescript colouring -venomous (perhaps potently so) -not aggressive?? the type to strike ONCE , or wait-- is he more of a multi-striker.. fast? no... he seems like he'd be slow..if Dark Nova/Shadow Lineage is any indication..? slow OHKO heavy hitter? no, not "slow". HESITANT heavy hitter? ... -heat sensing organs? or just drawn to the heat? THE TYPE TO ONLY PREY ON OTHER VENOMOUS SNAKES--no no that's not right yaku will eat everything uhhhhhh

[SHAKES MY HEAD VIOLENTLY LIKE A WET DOG REBOOT]

call me basic but i like the look of mambas....

(sadly the black mamba doesn't have black scales but LOOK AT THAT MOUF!!!!!!!!!!)

wait how about a snake that hangs out in east asia? MOUNTAIN KEELBACK????? lil diamonds all along the back .nice

LOOK AT THE MASSIVE ORBS on *THIS* keelback.......

would he be arboreal like those funky vine snakes? mmm.., unlikely? i don't think yaku has shown much of a desire for heights... at least not yet (flashback to Puzzling Investigation Blade's impromptu takeoff)

what about a rattlesnake??? err... nah... yaku doesn't seem like much of a defensive butt wiggler....

Now i'm rethinking my entire instinct on VENOMOUS because ...Dark Nova 2 had yaku going snake-ish and eiden was ALL UP IN HIS fangs but he didn't feel any ill effects besides, you know, the physical obstacle of yaku shoving forked tongue down his throat-- EURYJK WHAT DO I DO . look at more cool snakes

OKAY BUT WHERE ARE THOSE SNAKES WITH THE PRETTY LOWER LASHES LIKE THE EYELASH VIPER, BUt LOWER lashes???

CAN I GET A LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE? do they exist? did i hallucinate the glorious snake lower lashes? do they belong to another reptile? boo.......

WWAIT NO, RIGHT, THE EYES, I SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH THE EYES THAT'S AN EASY WAY TO NARROW DOWN A YAKUSNAKE

ok.ok. slit eyes. but a lil squiggly. thunderbolt eyes? the creative freedom of it all. let's go with slit eyes but wibbled by tears...

HOLD UP ! HIS EYES LOOK LIKE A TOKAY GECKO'S . IS YAKUMO ACTUALLY JUST A REALLY LONG GECKO?????

DESCENDANT OF THE LEGENDARY GREAT GECKO...........

[joesanrio]

They’re here | R.R

Summary: Ever since Nova had the baby, they’ve only gotten a hand full of visits. But now the whole family gets to see the golden baby.

Pairings: Joe Anoa’i {Roman Reigns} x Nova (OC) || Established relationship

Warnings: Uses real names, Baby cries, BabyDaddy!Joe, and that’s all bcs it’s just a big pound of Fluff.

Word count: 1047

Ratings: Fluff | 16+

A/N: I’ve been writing so much new stuff that I keep forgetting abt the two drafts, they'll come out eventually.

Part one: Want to see her? | Fluff

@bakugoumarianawrites (sorry for the wait)

———————————————————

“What did you do to my baby?” I gasp when Joe walks in holding the baby with a small mohawk, “She thinks it’s nice, don’t you Lala! See.” He coos at her making her squeal. All I did was ask him to bathe her, not be a hairstylist. “Mommy!” She reaches out when Joe passes her to me as he goes back to the bathroom to get her lotion.

“You don’t have to lie baby… we both know you had no choice.” I whisper to her before smoothing her curly hair down as she leans her face onto my chest and continues to let out a random babble.

He comes back with her lotion, and I finish getting her dressed for the day. “We are matching, you look cuter though.” I smile as I admire her in her cute outfit that’s the same color scheme as mine.

We were going to a cookout with family and a couple of close friends at Jon and Trinity’s house, “Oh look at my princess!” Joe exclaims as he picks Nalani up from the bed. “Lala!” She points to herself as he nods amused at her little voice.

I leave the room to pack her bag with all her necessities and about three toys. “She has her stuff animal, right?” I shout from the other room down the hall, “No, It’s in the living room.” I heard him reply.

“Alright, everything is ready.” I say as I toss her bag onto my other shoulder and Joe comes down the hall holding the baby. When passing the living room, I stop to grab her plush hello kitty off the couch.

“Don’t be sassy with me Nalani, you know my joke was funny.” Joe chuckles as she looks unamused at her father. She squeals loudly when she sees me with the toy, I hand it to her, and she immediately hugs it while Joe sets the alarm.

[Jon and Trin’s House 3:45pm]

“Is that Lala!” Trinity exclaims when she opens the door revealing the music and chatter of family, before she scoots to the side so we can enter. “It’s been forever since we seen her!” Jon said coming around the corner fixing his hat, before giving us a hug. “Jayla has been asking when y’all would be here, all damn day.” Jon joked, making us laugh.

We all headed to the living room where some older members of the family were at. “Oh, I remember when you were a baby, now you have one of your own!” Joe’s great Aunt smiled as we greeted her, “She’s beautiful. Looks just like Nova.” She winked at me before sitting back down on the couch.

 “Isn’t she so big now!” Trinity said as Joe placed the car seat on the corner of the couch, “Bae! Look at her dimples.” Trin said pointing at Nalani’s cheek. “She is only 7 months old. Tell them you’re still small!” I coo at my baby as she immediately smiles, unbuckling her from the car seat.

Joe and Jon already having their own conversation as I pick her up, “Girl! Your body definitely snapped back huh?” Trinity had me spin for her. “You think so?” I smile as I follow her to the outside patio, “Girl yes, your waist is like whoop while you booty is like boom!” She creates sound effects with her mouth causing me to giggle at her silliness.

After greeting everyone, I was finally able to sit down. “Auntie Nova! I can watch Lala for you?” Jayla requests as she clasps her hands together, “I don’t want you babysitting! You should go have fun.” I smile, but Jayla pouts. “Please! Look- she totally wants to go with me.” She begs as Nalani almost falls out of my arms trying to get to Jayla, “Okay, but whenever you get tired bring her back to me.” I say as we pinkie promise, and I pass her the baby. “We are going to have so much fun!” Jayla smiles before heading back in the house.

“Here…”  Joe says coming up from behind me before sitting down in the empty chair on the side of me, he hands me my favorite drink. “You look gorgeous.” He whispers in my ear with a small smile making my heart flutter, “Thank you.” I kiss his cheek before he goes off engaging in a conversation with the rest of his cousins.

“Where’s the baby?” Trinity asks coming back from the kitchen with a glass of champagne, “With Jayla.” My head tilting towards the house. “Tamina and Mercedes drove together, so they should be here soon.” Trinity mentioned as she looked at the time on her phone. The rest of the girls nodding as we began to talk about random stuff, and how much we missed each other.

--- 8:13pm

“Mommy!” Nalani cried as I tried to calm her down, she was never a big fan of loud noise when she was trying to sleep, but neither was I. “Oh my baby, I know.” I coo at her as she cries along my chest while I bounce her in my arms gently, “What’s wrong?” Joe enters the room concerned as it’s been a while since we first entered.

His eyes quickly fell onto the baby, “Why she crying?” he asked as he grabbed her from my arms delicately. “She’s sleepy but it’s too loud.” I say while looking in her bag for her pacifier, though she seems to be calming down now that she’s in Joe’s arms.

He pats her back gently as he goes to sit down on the bed himself, “See, you’re okay.” He whispers to the now sniffling baby. “Oh, so not fair.” I whisper as I playfully glare at Joe, in return he sticks his tongue out at me before grabbing the pacifier I handed out to him. “Don’t be a hater because she’s a daddy’s girl.” He places the pacifier in her mouth, “Whatever.” I giggle before sitting beside them.

Not even 5 minutes later, she was knocked out on Joe’s chest before he laid her down in the make-shift pillow barrier I created so she doesn’t roll off the bed. “She’s just like you.” Joe whispered as he looked at Nalani with small hearts in his eyes.

Nalani’s Nickname: Lala

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

One of the worst, most disgusting anti-Israel lies about Oct 7, is that the IDF is responsible for the civilian deaths on that day, not Hamas. One version took one article, that mentioned some civilians at the Nova music festival might have been shot by a battle helicopter. This was used to claim all or most of the victims were killed by the IDF. Things to note about this, which I've mentioned before, are that currently, 367 civilian victims have been identified at this scene. "Some" is not how you would refer to all or most of 367 people. You'd use a stronger term. Another thing is the question mark mentioned in the article, which the anti-Israel crowd ignored. At the time, I also mentioned the various states of undress in which the female victims were found, piles of naked and half-naked women, something no battle helicopter can be responsible for. Now I can add two things to the debunking.

One is an official police statement about this, which is relevant, since the article the anti-Israel crowd used, was supposedly quoting a police source. The police made it clear that their investigation of the Nova music festival, was an appraisal of their own activity, while the battle helicopter is an army one, therefore their report didn't actually look into that.

The second thing is that on Oct 7, Israel only had two (!) battle helicopters ready to launch, and they were stationed at the Ramat David air base, which is in the north, while Hamas' massacre was in the south. The two helicopters were roughly 212 kilometers away from the site of the music festival slaughter. Under the best circumstances, it would take the helicopters about an hour to get from their base to the massacre site. And things don't work optimally, when the Hamas terrorists destroyed Israel's cameras, and took over the command base, which could direct forces effectively. In fact, in the above link (sorry, again a piece only available in Hebrew), they also interview the officer who was directing the helicopters on Oct 7, and he said that helicopters are only efficient when someone from the ground directs their activity, but there was no one on the ground that could do that. In other words, by the time the helicopters showed up, and tried to react to over 3,000 terrorists having invaded Israel, through more than 30 points along the border, and spreading out across numerous massacre sites, there is no way these two helicopters could explain away the majority of the civilian victims.

Remember the terror tunnels in Gaza? Remember the underground headquarters? The IDF now has enough control in Gaza City, to be able to expose the network that connects all of these together, which terror tunnel is hidden inside which civilian building. An entire underground city, completely dedicated to carrying out terrorist activity, and not a single bomb shelter, to protect the civilians in Gaza. THAT is how you hold 2 million Palestinians as human shields. There's even a tunnel building workshop, exposed by the IDF:

These are Iris Cahim, and her son Yotam:

He was one of the three hostages accidentally killed by the IDF. Iris had a message for the soldiers, that Yotam's family doesn't blame them, that she knows it's not their fault, and that at that moment they did the best they could, and that she and the family are waiting for their visit if they want to come, because she wants them to know how supported they are.

The girls in the pic below were observers at the Nachal Oz army base.

The role of the observers was to watch the live camera footage from the border fence, and alert the army of any attempts to breach the border. No one thought that over 3,000 terrorists would blind the cameras and invade Israel, and the Nachal Oz base, without any alarm going off. Which is also why they had no combat training, and their base didn't have any protection from a terrorist breach, only from rockets. On Oct 7, with the start of the biggest barrage of rockets ever fired into Israel at 6:30 in the morning, most of these girls were asleep. They woke up and went into the bomb shelter, which became a death trap under the terrorist attack. The terrorists first used poison on the girls inside the bomb shelter, and then threw in hand grendaes, and lastly, they opened fire at everyone inside. These girls, whose service was mandatory, who didn't have any weapons, who didn't know how to fight, who were still in their pyjamas, were not civilians, but they were just as vulnerable and defenseless as so many of the civilians were on Oct 7, and what happened to them was just as much a slaughter, rather than a battle.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[rebelwrites]

Twelve: You Deserve The Whole World

Charles Leclerc x Nova Teller (OC)

Till the wheels fall off Masterlist

Small town meets the fast lane. What happens when two souls meet? Will it end in happiness or will they both crash and burn?

Warning: low body confidence

As always reblogs and feedback is highly appreciated ❤️ if you want tagging in future parts let me know ❤️

My heart weighed heavy in my chest, the thought of Pops going into a home made my stomach churn. My head was spinning, I needed to get away from here for a while. After having a quick chat with Jax, I met Charles on the front porch.

“You ready to go, babygirl?” he smiled softly, linking his fingers with mine guiding me towards the Ferrari that was parked at the end of the driveway. He did not know the effect he was having on me right now, the way he called me babygirl caused my heart to flutter and my stomach to flip. Everything was different with him, it was like he was the calmness I desperately sought. He settled the voices in my mind just by being around; I was already dreading once he had to leave.

As we approached the car, I cocked my brow at Charles who was now putting one of Jax’s duffel bags in the trunk. I had so many questions, why did he have a bag? What was in it? What did he have planned? Charles saw the confusion on my face but just smirked at me. “Que voulez-vous faire aujourd'hui ? What do you want to do today?” Charles asked, holding the passenger door open for me.

“Tant que je suis avec toi, je m'en fiche complètement. As long as I'm with you, I don't care,” I mumbled, letting my body sink into the black leather seats. My eyes went wide as I took in the interior of the SUV. Everything about this car was sleek, it was everything you would expect from Ferrari. “This car is fucking amazing!” I beamed, feeling my mood lift slightly.

“Just wait until you hear her roar,” Charles smirked, setting up the sat nav before resting his hand on my knee.

The moment we got onto the open road, he flashed me a wink, placing both hands back on the steering wheel putting his foot down. The small smile on my face was growing wider and wider by the second as the sound of the V12 engine surrounded us.

There was no better feeling than being on an empty road with a beast of a car.

“I want this car,” I giggled, looking over at Charles, his smile was bright enough to light up the entire world, I quickly realized this would be the closest I would ever get to feeling what he felt every race weekend. I had always loved the thrill of fast cars and bikes but this had kicked everything up a notch or two. Adrenaline was rushing through my body as Charles controlled the car beautifully to say he didn’t know the roads but that was why he was one of the best when it came to racing, even though this season wasn’t going to plan. “As much as I don’t want you to slow down, it might be wise unless we want Unser chewing our asses off.”

“I’d doubt the cops would even catch us, babygirl,” Charles laughed, there was a mischievous look in his eyes, “but I guess I’d better behave.”

We had been out of the house less than half an hour and already I felt lighter, “thank you,” I whispered, running my hands over my face, “for everything, you came here to escape all the drama and get some down time, yet you have practically been my rock the last couple of days. You hardly know me, yet here you are doing everything in your power to make the world brighter again for me.”

“Sunshine, I don’t know how to fully describe this and it’s gonna sound crazy but the moment you walked into the bar it was like I already knew you,” he said softly moving his hand back onto my knee. “I don’t have a clue what it is about you but your soul is so familiar to me. It’s like our souls have been waiting a lifetime for our hearts to finally meet.”

His words were causing my heart to race, I knew exactly what he was saying because I felt exactly the same. Placing my hand over his, I let my fingers link with his, “it does sound crazy Char,” I whispered, pausing for a moment, “I get you, I dunno it’s like our souls collided in a past life ya know,” I smiled softly, brushing my thumb over the top of his hand. “Kinda like they would forever find each other in every life.” I whispered, brushing my thumb over the side of his hand, “God, I even feel fucking crazy admitting that.”

Looking out of the window I noticed we had pulled up at the docks. I hadn’t been here in over a year, in fact it was before Pops’ health started declining. “Have you been speaking to Jax?” I asked, turning my attention back to Charles who was grinning like he had just won the world championship.

“Maybe,” he winked, killing the engine, “come on, then Sunshine.”

“What are you planning, Leclerc?” I asked, cocking my brow at him.

“Get out of the car and you shall find out,” he grinned, unclipping his seatbelt before slipping out of the car, my heart fluttering, jogging around the bonnet to open the door for me.

I had no idea what he was up to; I was just grateful for him trying to help clear my head. I could feel my mood already lifting, even if there was a dark cloud still looming over me but I think that would be there for a while, especially with Pops looking into homes. I also knew I was going to be in for an awkward conversation at some point, I saw the confused look on Charles’ face when I mentioned the surname I had at birth.

Unclipping my seat belt, I flashed him a smile as I took his hand, “this better be good otherwise I am leaving your ass at the side of the road and I’m taking this car,” I giggled, trying to ignore the sparks running through my body.

“Oh babygirl, this is going to blow you away,” He smirked, helping me out of the car. Once I was out, he gently closed the door behind me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder guiding me to the truck to grab the duffle bag.

As we walked over to the boardwalk we were greeted by a guy in a white suit, “Mr Leclerc, Miss Teller, the Princess yacht is all ready for you,” the guy said, with a friendly smile on his face. “I will be your captain today, there are stewards on board who will take care of all your needs. So, welcome aboard and we hope you both enjoy your day.”

I knew my eyes were as wide as saucers right now, no one had ever done anything like this for me before.

He had hired a freaking yacht for the day!

Feeling my eyes fill with tears I turned to Charles, placing my hand over his heart. “C'est trop Charles, tu n'avais pas besoin de louer un putain de bateau pour moi. That's too much Charles, you didn't have to hire a fucking boat for me.”

“Bébé, tu m��rites le monde entier. Baby, you deserve the whole world,” Charles whispered, brushing his knuckles against my cheek. I couldn’t stop the tears spilling over my lash line as I leant into his touch, “I just want you to be happy.”

“How did you manage to plan this? You were in the kitchen with me all morning,” I asked, as he guided me onto the yacht.

“I have my ways, Sunshine,” he smirked proudly.

I had completely lost track of time, this boat was absolutely amazing, Charles was really showing me a life of luxury, something I had always dreamed about. The interior of the boat had a clean, contemporary feeling to it but I wasn’t bothered about spending too much time inside. Especially not when the sun was wrapping my body in a warm blanket making me feel safe, like my world wasn’t currently on fire.

Unzipping the duffle bag I tried to find my trusty board shorts, praying that Jax had packed them along with my bikini top that was more of a sports bra, “come on, where are you?” I mumbled to myself, tipping the bag upside down letting the contents fall onto the light gray sofa.

The bright red bikini stood out against the other items that were now spread out on the cushion. I could have killed Jax, this bikini had been thrown in the back of my closet for a reason, the damn thing made me even more self conscious about my body. Running my hand over my face I let out a frustrated growl knowing it was all I had to wear. Grabbing the stupid bikini off the sofa I stormed into the bathroom quickly getting changed.

I was about to leave the room when I finally looked at my reflection. I couldn’t lie, this bikini made my chest look amazing but after spending years picking myself apart all I could see were the stretch marks that wrapped around my hips, my thighs touching, and the dimples from the cellulite. I always made sure I had some form of hoodie or cardigan on hand, something I could wrap around my body when the dreaded thoughts crept into my mind.

To make matters worse, the bikini was the same color as Charles’ Ferrari.

My dear older brother was so dead once I got back home.

Finally, I pulled my beach coverup over my body letting out a shaky breath knowing that I wouldn’t be able to keep my tattoo hidden much longer. I needed to face the fear that was bubbling away in my stomach; it was now or never.

Letting out another breath, I stepped out onto the deck of the boat feeling the sun kiss my skin, pulling my sunglasses over my eyes. I slowly walked over to Charles.

“Thought I was gonna have to send out a search party,” Charles hummed, propping himself up on his elbow.

“If I show you something promise you won’t laugh,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of the sunlounger fiddling with the hem of my cover up, “I got it done last year on my birthday after getting wasted with Jax. Happy had just finished doing a piece on him and I just couldn’t help myself.”

Charles watched intently as I slowly peeled the thin material from my body, my heart was pounding against my chest. Not only because of the tattoo but because this was the first time he would be seeing me, seeing my body, the one that I had spent years tearing apart, trying every fad diet that was out there.

It’s like he could hear my mind racing, “you don’t have to do this if you feel uncomfortable,” he whispered, leaning forward placing his hands on mine. The feeling of his soft gaze on me provided a calmness that washed over me.

“I’m not going to let this opportunity to top up my tan go to waste,” I hummed, moving his hands away from mine, “I don’t want to hide myself away from you Char, I haven’t always had the best relationship with my body but if I don’t do this now, I never will.”

Ignoring the feeling of my heart racing, I slowly pulled the cover up off my body tossing it behind me on the sun lounger. Taking a breath, I moved my gaze up to Charles to see his reaction, the moment I did, I felt my heart practically stop. He shifted his sunglasses to the top of his head whilst pulling his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Babygirl,” he purred, running his eyes over my body, “magnifique, tout simplement magnifique, beautiful, simply beautiful,” he quickly moved to the end of the sunlounger so he was kneeling in front of me. His hands finding their way to my hips, the feeling of his touch sent shockwaves through my body. “I will personally hunt every single person down who made you feel bad about this amazing body and I will run them over with my car.”

“You are looking at the number one culprit,” I mumbled, focusing on the motion of the water.

“Oh baby,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me, pressing a kiss against my shoulder, “if you will let me, I want to be the one who makes you see just how perfect your body is,” his voice was soft as he spoke, causing me to look at him.

I had never had anyone look at me the way he was; it made me feel giddy but there was also the deep feeling of sadness knowing that come the end of the summer break he would go back to racing, flying all over the world whilst I was stuck here in Charming.

“Now what was it you needed to show me?” he asked, changing the subject.

“This,” I whispered, turning my body to the side giving his full access to the tattoo that sat proudly on my ribs.

“Is that,” he trailed off, running his fingers over the skin, tracing the outline of the black ink.

“Your car, yes it is,” I said with a small laugh.

“I love it,” he hummed, leaning forward pressing a tender kiss against my ribs.

@withmyteeth @chibsytelford @stillbreathin @danzer8705 @keyweegirlie @celestialams @dragon-of-winterfell @ohthemisssery @a-distantdreamer @sgkophie @angywritesstuff @enchantedbytomandhenry @scribbuluswrites @dangerouspursepeachbear @buendiabebeta @ferrarifwendvale @theplobnrgone @charlesleclercje @queenslife @panicforspec @liv67 @derpinathebrave @clcspeonies @pleasantducktimetravel @raaaaabzzz @mehrmonga @sbgal @fangirl-lb @pitconfirmbutton @oslokij @tall-tanned-tattoo @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @pumpkin-spice-hate @talicat713 @band--psycho @little-diable @i-love-scott-mccall @fourthwallhateclub @theysayitscrazy @rosieposie0624 @choochoo284 @meteora-fc @beeroses @darklydeliciousdesires @the-jer-bear @extraneousred @youflickedtooharddamnit @babypink224221

[brittle-doughie]

Infinity and Beyond - Looking Into The Sweet Signals from Space Update!

We’re finding the imposters among us with this one!

The aim of this concept is to have it be a multi-update deal akin to the Dragons storyline with how they say “like the dragon series, we’re diving into a story set in a rich, expansive universe”. This peaked my interest, I’d love to see what they have in store! I know there are some folks who like or don’t like the Dragons story, so I wonder what you all think of this!

Meet Astronaut Cookie! She’s cute, has an ice cream sandwich satellite for a pet, even has a cat cookie motif with her costume? What more could you want! Yeah, her skill might be a bit too reminiscent of Cyborg’s (who also got a skin after 84 years lol), but I’m willing to look past that.

Alright, I’m kind of vibing with the setting already, cookies are probably toothpaste, wonder if they clean your teeth when eaten. How does one “escape” or even fortify against a blackhole? The event itself sounds similar to the Sugar Maze event to me…in a way somehow. Wait, why is Stollen Cookie here?Also Planet H A M B O R G A R

I’m now getting Star Wars: Rogue One flashbacks. Just like Cyborg, it’s been 84 years since he got attention, so I’m happy to see he got a cool skin to deck himself out with!

The Surprise Bears. They can either go well or go very poorly, still means I don’t have to run over and over again for the god damn legendary ingredients. However, I do hope the challenges aren’t meant to be a cap in any way, since that already drags it down when you were able to AFK for hours beforehand, even if it sucked. Team Fight getting a gem boost might give me more incentive to play.

(Gmod flatline sound effect plays)

The Deal with Legendaries is canceled, y’all /j. I can’t keep up with their pace, bro. I’m over here trying to write it from time to time and they already have another one on the way, I’m dead. Xylitol Nova himself is getting flak for having a supposedly dull design unworthy of the rarity, I’m already seeing it in the QRTs on Twitter lol. For me, I’ll wait until I cast judgment, he has a pretty cool skin though…

———————————————————————

(Astronaut Cookie looked all around her new setting, seeing the city’s sleek, clean, futuristic design she hasn’t seen much of back on Earthbread. The cookies here didn’t look all that different too, save for their ingredients being possibly toothpaste in some capacity. She was caught staring at this one cookie in particular, she observed them inspecting the shield and instructing the robots to different spots close to the barrier, Xylitol Nova Cookie chuckled at her once he noticed.)

Xylitol Nova Cookie: Ah, I see you’ve taken an interest in one of my cookies. That would be Xylitol Y/N Cookie, they’re in charge of making sure the barrier is in peak performance, they’ve been hard at work ever since we’ve seen reports of the blackhole.

(Xylitol Nova walked over to them as Astronaut followed. Meanwhile, you were instructing both cookies and robots alike on the status of the barrier, making sure that no fault in any way was detected. Until the voice of someone very familiar to you called your name..)

Xylitol Nova Cookie: Hello, Xylitol Y/N Cookie. How are you doing?

(You greeted Xylitol Nova in return and proceeded to ramble on about the barrier. You did your best at trying to speak to him, but couldn’t ignore that cookie next to him staring at you. It also looked like Xylitol Nova wasn’t taking your analysis seriously with that smile of his, something that bothered you to no end!)

Xylitol Nova Cookie: How routine of you, Xylitol Y/N Cookie. Always thinking about the barrier when we haven’t had any issues in the past couple rotations. We have a guest here today and I’d like for you to meet her-

(You couldn’t, you had to inspect the rest of the barrier-when Xylitol Nova Cookie suddenly hugged you from behind with a strong grip, a scene that made Astronaut Cookie feel…envious. You complained and grumbled as you try fruitlessly to free yourself)

Xylitol Nova Cookie: Xylitol Y/N Cookie. You are taking a break from now until further notice, I’d hate to use my authority on you, but this is for your own good. Feel free to interact with your fellow cookies, come and see me in my residence, or even introduce yourself to our guest here~! (I’d prefer you pick the second option in my opinion)

(You continued to struggle until it felt tighter to move, you looked to your front to see Astronaut Cookie hugging you from the front, her head resting on your chest. You swear she’s…shaking a little bit?)

Xylitol Nova Cookie: What do you know? Even our visitor is agreeing with me, she appears to have taken a liking to you too.

(…Who was this?)

[the-morningstar-family]

So. Anybody ever teach Nova the basics of being a kid? Cause all we've gotten are coloring, board games, and trauma. Maybe they can cook with Al or smth?

When Lucifer wakes up the next morning Alastor is at his writing desk again, reading.

Lucifer: "Alastor, it's early as fuck, come back to bed"

Alastor, barley acknowledging him: "Mh. In a second, dear"

Oh, no. The king knows that tone. He'll skip sleep all together at that rate. He gets up, pulling the blanket around him, so he doesn't freeze to death. He looks over Alastor's shoulder.

Lucifer: "What are you reading?"

Al automatically pushes the book away, to hide it from view. Only then he seems to think, and sheepishly pulls it back up. The header reads 'Chapter 7: Relearning the Art of Play'

Lucifer: "It's really sweet that you read that, you know? But why are you reading at this time"

Alastor: "I... Had a bit of trouble sleeping. And I'm unusually slow at reading this, I thought I'd make use of the time."

Lucifer knows exactly why he's 'unusually slow' at getting through that childhood trauma book. It lays out all the things Alastor wants to deny he has experienced.

Lucifer: "Read anything useful, at least?"

Alastor: "Nova's only fun activity she's actively initiated was drawing, it might be because she needs to relearn how to play"

He rubs his shoulders. To anyone else he would sound like his usual blasé self. But Lucifer isn't anyone. He can hear the slight waver in the radio effect.

Lucifer: "Mh. We can finally Set Up that room properly for her. Buy a bunch of toys to play with more."

Alastor: "Yes, It's about time, isn't it?"

Lucifer: "And in the morning we all can make breakfast together, she looks so curious when you make us food"

Alastor chuckles a little, turning around.

Alastor: "We can certainly do that. Seems we have a plan then, mh?"

Lucifer: "Yeah, we do. Now come back to bed you worrywart"

[gingerylangylang1979]

How Colorism fuels BW/WM swirls in media

I guess this is maybe a counterpoint/companion post to this one and the dialogue started with @theonlyamazingtazmin in the comments.

That post was an ask that black women set personal boundaries around how the ship and media about the ship is effecting our well being. But an equally important conversation is why do we so often have to look to interracial couples for a well written romance for dark skinned black women. While I'm cautious about the level in investment in these pairings, I cannot deny the appeal and why it's almost a default because of how much romance for dark skinned black woman is gate kept.

My initial remedy to this frustration of how we attach ourselves to this pairing was, we need to watch and support black romance and and black tv shows and movies. But a lot of the problem is in doing just that. I watched mostly black shows in my youth and the pattern was already established of me always seeing the dark skin woman alone or butch while the lighter girls had their pick.

My favorite show as a teen was A Different World. And as ground breaking as that show was in many respects I do have to call out the paradigm it reinforced. Dwayne was obsessed with Whitley, the whitest looking woman shown on campus, and he was the darkest man shown on campus. Ron liked her best friend, Millie, a light skin girl, after that wasn't a thing it was like so crazy that he ended up with Jaleesa. His mom (the fab Patti LaBelle) kept telling him to get with the dark skinned girl with the pretty teeth, but it was like he resisted vehemently beforehand. He does, but then ends up with biracial Freddy and Jaleesa ends up with an old man and becomes a stepmom as her best option.

Back when I had HBO (I only pay for one subscription at a time and my current roommates decided to do the Disney+ package, but I only end up watching Hulu) I watched Insecure but didn't finish. I'm curious to see what happened romantically with the characters. Did they follow the same playbook? I don't want to be spoiled because I hope to continue that show one day, so please don't tell me. But I remember in the precursor to this show, Awkward Black Girl, Issa's love interest was a like pretty average, kinda lame white guy. Her black crush never panned out. I kind of rooted for her and white boy but like not that enthusiastically. I just wanted her to be loved, so tried to be into it, but honestly was like, is this her best option? I didn't finish because it frustrated me that he was her best option. Personal note: I need to finish an Issa Rae show.

Fast forward to literally as of yesterday. I started watching Queen Sugar (Hulu tries to represent black shows and movies but the selections aren't the best, if anyoen has recs, please share) because I said I want to watch more black entertainment like I did in my youth. The most recent try before this was Atlanta and I just wasn't impressed. Come to find out how douchey Donald Glover is about black women and got turned off. Anyways, I did get invested in QS after a few episodes and even cried. So what turned me off a bit and I hope doesn't put me off the show? Spoiler alert: The darkest woman, Nova, is a white cop's mistress. This isn't revealed right away. It opens with them having a sensual morning after but for some reason despite him being hot, I felt ick. Like, I predicted there was something ick coming, and sure enough she's the long term side piece. Her fine af dark skinned brother's ex is a light skinned woman and there seems to be a mild flirtation with his son's Latina teacher. The light skinned sister is married to a man about her skin tone. The aunt who is medium skin tone has a husband darker than her. So it kind of reinforced the colorism and that Nova's only option out of everyone else has to be a white man, and a white man that can't fully commit to her at that.

Now, let me jump back to why I got so invested in Richonne. I know some people probably like does this girl only hardcore ship traumatized curly haired blue eyed white men with dark skinned black women? Not intentionally, haha! But that was the most epic love story I've seen with a black woman who looks anything like me. I wasn't even expecting to ship anything on that bleak ass show. Not my fault. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough? But yeah, when I reached my adult years I kind of got tired of looking for the romance I wanted to see, that represented me, in black media and being disappointed. Because the dark skinned girls didn't get the same love as the lighter ones (or they are lesbians but that's a whole other post). I'm not saying white media isn't guilty. It's just white media when they tend to give a dark skinned black woman a romance it's with a white man if she isn't alone or a lesbian, just like black shows, but the romance tends to be deeper if it's main plot point, or at least that's what I see in Richonne and Carmy x Sydney.

I think there is a good and bad side to this. On one hand yes, give it to me. On the other is it only palatable for a dark skinned black woman to get love in a show with a mixed cast with a white man because there is still and aversion to black love for these women? It's so complex. This is why when I wrote my Syd and Carmy fic I intentionally made her ex a dark skinned black man. Carmy is mad jealous of him. It's not a real love triangle, he just frames it as one because he's insecure of her highly successful, young Idris Elba looking almost fiance, who her dad loves and is a family friend. So, of course Carmy is in his feelings. Although Syd dated white guys I didn't want the strongest competition to be another white guy. And I have Syd speak to the lameness of these other white men on purpose, on multiple occasions. She was always kind of chasing a Carmy replica but not because they were white, it's because he imprinted on her. But she chased trying to be with her ex just as hard, but for different reasons and in a different way.

Anyways, I don't even know what to expect from media at this point because often what we see onscreen does reflect reality. I'll describe myself. I'm a petite, slim curvy girl, cocoa complexion, kinky curly who often gets that "so pretty for a black girl" type compliment in the black community and from racist white people. My dating history has been mixed and mostly white (two Asians also in the mix) in my latter years by default. When I was in high school the few black boys (I went to a mostly white school) chased the white, Latina, or light skinned girls. And the few that were interested were not desirable trouble makers. One was so bad he verbally abused me in front of people consistently and then I found out he had a crush one me. No thanks, red flags galore. The first somewhat decent boy that was interested and actually knew me was my white boy best friend who tried to make a move one day. I wasn't interested, didn't see it coming, but it started a pattern. I just wanted to be his bestie because we were both film geeks, had family trauma, were loners, smoked weed, and were in theater together. It's so funny because he was a dead ringer for Leonardo Dicaprio and all the white girls swooned for him and I was like eh (never thought Leo was all that). So, no, I didn't view him as a prize romantically. But this same type thing continued with white guy friends secretly having a crush and me like not being that excited. But one day I did like one, gave it a try, and was like, ok cool, I can try this. And since then I get way more interest from white men than black men.

*Caveat, I'm currently single and don't think race has any influence on quality of men. My long term Asian ex was the worst boyfriend of my life and I'm still traumatized. Long story.

So should I be this surprised that media reflects my same experience? I don't know what the solution is going forward. Like, will media change and influence society or does society need to change to influence media?

[rei-ismyname]

From The Ashes: X-Men #5 Review

Spoilers, obviously.

A Journey to the Centre of the Mind Issue

Mambo number 5 is about as close to a bottle episode as it gets in comics, so the main question is 'does it succeed at that?' Cyclops appears briefly at the beginning and end, but he's not a main character per se. The focus is on Kwannon/Psylocke and Quentin Quire - two characters with little, if any history.

Let's assume this white lady is Kwannon, GRRR

It's nice to see Kwannon and Greycrow are still together, though he used to be a lot more attractive. I'm not talking about the weight he's gained, that's great. His facial structure is off - he looks like Kraven the Hunter. I don't think the art style is doing him any favours. They're having the same conversation they've always had so the Kwannon focus is off to a boring start. There's nothing here we haven't heard before, and she's not talking like a real person. Very writerly, like someone who's read the script and is telling us their blunt themes. Trauma stays with you and repeats itself over and over, but unless you're going laser focused on the subject you want to give us something new.

Okay that's pretty funny

Aside from that threat and Quentin saying 'kicks', nothing new here either. 20 pages is a very limited amount of space - I don't think this is the issue for using three of them to set up a smash cut joke. I'll come back to this intro. This mission is the reason these two weren't available last issue. A psychic rescue of Ben Liu, the dude they rescued in #2 and argued with Agent Lundqvist over in #3. He's in a coma and Cyclops tells them not to take their arguing into his head.

There's the 'aliens' he was projecting in #2, and Quentin thinks something is off. Kwannon is right, people usually use sign language and projection during psychic rescues/surgery. He disagrees, of course. The imagery is interesting, but again I feel like we're not learning anything new. I'd expect act 2 here to be more dense - it's a hyperfocused issue but the content is light so far.

Yes, he was experimented on. See what I mean? The art is showing the most blatant 'torturous experimentation by humans' imagery possible - is the most interesting dialogue possible to have them plainly state that? Or to have Kwannon just say she can't see something? This type of mission is an archetype at this point, so we've seen it done well before. Not just in comics either, this is a cartoon/sci-fi staple. People understand the premise, especially if you're economical in setting it up. I think it's a miscalculation to treat the new readers they're trying to hook like they need their hands held. Anyway, there's an entity of some sort - a psychic jack-in-the-box who looks and talks a lot like Cassandra Nova.

Except it straight up tells them who did the experimenting. Great security system lol, or maybe one that assumes they won't be able to tell anyone. 3K sound like overly elaborate dumbasses.

It goes straight for the jugular trauma. Quentin's fear of abandonment name checking his parents (who he accidentally killed, are we retconning that or is this his adopted parents? Probably the latter.) Also Wolverine and Phoebe, which are nice to see acknowledged as important relationships. And of course Sabertooth, who beheaded him and carried it round in a jar, using him as a tool to hurt his friends. It's both very effective and stuff he's mostly dealt with already. Maybe that's why it doesn't stop him for long. No mention of Idie, his oldest friend who's not very impressed with him? No mention of his guilt from X-Force war crimes or the hundreds of times he died? No mention of Krakoa, the loss every mutant should be feeling? Of course not.

Kwannon sees John Greycrow telling her she's wrong and killing himself, and that's it. She has wayyyy more hectic trauma than this so maybe it's fear or insecurity. Either way it feels very small - I love Greycrow and them together but she's a lot more than the relationship. She had a daughter who died, she was bodyjacked for decades, she's been terrorised by Sinister. This feels more like Greycrow's issues than hers. If this is followed up with them being super codependent then fine, it's worth the page space. Right now it feels like Quentin is the main character and Kwannon is a paper cutout. 'I can't' are words I'd expect from Quentin, but Kwannon keeps saying them this issue. If you're not doing it properly, maybe leave her outside as the anchor or something? Focus on Quentin so we get a deeper look under his hood, setup his arc for this run. Psylocke has a solo book coming after all, plenty of time to get to know her again.

Also, is that how Black Bug rooms work? The usage feels odd to me but I'm being hypercritical here. Weigh in if you know.

Quentin hears a psychic gunshot and snaps out of it. That was easy! Cassandra Nova must be losing her touch. I guess it's not the real her anyway, just an echo. Maybe she's not up to her old tricks and letting them know the name of the enemy was intentional. I doubt it, but we'll see. They use Quentin's Omega power and Psylocke's finesse on a psychic fastball special. His echoing of her threat to him as support is a serviceable callback, but it foregrounds Quentin again. Simultaneously too much and not enough, though at least it justifies her presence on this mission.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Is it just me or is that a shitload of blood on the ground? This is the last page, directly following the one I showed above it. Here's what we learned

- Benny Boy is awake.

- 3K are responsible for the adult X-Gene activations.

- On baseline humans, which might recontextualise a thing or two.

- Cassandra Nova is involved.

So a bunch of dipshits dug up an old villain for the fourth time and borrowed a scheme from the Ultimate Universe. Why? How? It'd be good to get Beast or Scott's reaction to that, but there's no room. There wasn't even enough room to show how Kwannon learnt this, but it's a pretty reasonable deduction. My earlier question was 'does it succeed at being a psychic rescue issue?' Just barely. It checks all the boxes but left a lot on the shelf. It took too long to get to act 1 for Kwannon beats that weren't worth it IMO. Yeah I want to know about her but having too broad a focus meant we arguably learnt more about Greycrow than her. We learnt nothing new about Quentin. The psychic rescue was setup last issue, I think starting in media res would have freed up 5-6 pages to put some meat on those bones.

X-Men comics have a long standing tension between new and established readers. 'Every comic is somebody's first' is admirable, but the patience of established readership is finite. I don't think it succeeds well at either, to be frank, and it feels like that tension is a factor. I think at some point you just have to tell the best story possible, otherwise we're left asking 'who is this for?' That's capitalism for you, always chasing growth often at the expense of creativity.

Also, KWANNON LOOKS FUCKING WHITE. She's Japanese. Do better, FFS.

I don't really vibe with numerical ratings, so I'll just say that X-Men issue 5 is totally skippable. The information will be mentioned again and the journey wasn't executed very well. What a shame. The art is okay, consistent with every other issue of this title, except for the whitewashing. It's got a lot of choices I don't love but I suspect they come from editorial (Quent and Cyclops' ages etc.) Thanks for reading.