#i hope maia regrets letting me do it

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Unfortunately for you guys, I just started the paper my foolish professor let me write about studious deracination in James Cameron’s Avatar, so get ready for some some academic posts to start trickling in. Here is a more detailed post of the tiktok I made. 

Today we are going to talk about race as an allegory in Avatar again!!! Avatar (2009) is a pretty blatant representation of indigenous peoples on Earth being colonized. Like, I don’t think anyone disputes that. But why do this and not make a movie about colonization?? Why make them aliens??

By separating these things from our real world, our real history, things we may have bias about, we can view it from a completely fresh lens. There's a deliberate choice to present a different planet and a different species and in that way, they have that allegory for colonization, for racism, for the destruction of our planet, be more evident and sympathetic to everyone viewing it as an example of our planet and these real-world things that are happening. Sometimes it’s easier to approach these issues when you don’t feel like they are targeting you. 

However, I feel like there's an interesting, perhaps not intentional, thing that James Cameron did as well with the second movie and that is addressing colorism. I read a lot of your fanfictions, okay, I read ‘em. Every time they're set in the modern era and our main characters are human there is a conscious choice to have Jake Sully's biological children Tuk and Neteyam be darker skinned, and to have Lo’ak be lighter skinned. We are all picking up on something that is implied in the narrative that I don't think anyone intended to be there. I don’t wanna give James Cameron too much credit in that regard. Let’s talk about that phenomenon. 

So this is studiously deracinating something, it’s a narrative strategy defined by an evacuated racial consciousness that ironizes assumptions of white universalism and uncritical postracialism. So what does that mean? That means by taking race out of the equation in something, the concept of race, it allows you to analyze the same concepts in more of an unbiased way, just as stated above with the first Avatar. It allows you to kind of look at yourself as well, your own biases and how they come into play while you’re reading or watching something. You are fully unaffected by the concept of race in the novel and are more so affected by your own assumptions. 

I think there’s such an interesting example of this in Avatar because of the way we have been perceiving Lo’ak and his outcast status in this movie and the way I’ve seen so many people perceive him as lighter skinned than his siblings. He has more traditionally human features compared to the other Na’vi, and this sets him apart and he is treated differently. I think so many people connect with him without fully realizing why. In Avatar we know that the Na’vi represent the indigenous and people of color, while the humans represent colonizers, majority white people. We take the colorism step without even thinking about it, our own assumptions and biases take us there. Just a thought. :)

[bamsywrites]

And Comes Dawn pt 10.2

Pairing: Sauron/Halbrand x Reader

Words: 2.6k

Summary: The wall breaks.

Tags: manipulation, mentions of blood, smut, cream pie, fingering, sauron needs a therapist he is unwell, wall sex, obsession, sauron pov,

Notes: you sluts convinced me. I'm very proud of this one, especially the first part. As always I love your feedback.

He splashed the water over his face, mind reeling back to hours earlier. He hoped his ruse with the blacksmith worked. Yes, he wanted a job and a fresh start. At least part of him did, the part that didn't seek to take over the world and force every race under the sun to their knees. But he also knew where you'd be. Of course he did. He could sense you anywhere. You'd never be able to hide from him. The sight of you with the boy made his blood boil, but it all served a purpose. To make you doubt. To make you think. To convince you, he felt nothing real for the elf. Nothing like he felt for you.

That wasn't a deception. He didn't feel the same for her that he felt for you. She was a powerful ally and the best pawn he could have at his disposal. She intrigued him, but in a different way than you did. She had such darkness in her, but she didn't acknowledge it. She was beautiful, of course. But you were different in ways that he dare not think too much of. The wall he has built in his mind was too strong to allow his mind to wander to what his feelings for you meant, where the deception ended, and his truth began.

The knock drew him from his thoughts, and he made quick work of dressing himself. He couldn't help but smirk. It was you, of course it was, and it meant that his plan had worked. In a moment, his face changed as he opened the door.

“When did you get back?”

The sound of your voice started a chorus inside his soul. The miniscule part of him that could feel love and affection and joy and hope came alive. Morgoth convinced him it was the weak part of him. Morgoth had worked endlessly to destroy that. Sauron could almost believe it was gone until he looked into your eyes, and it ravaged him, shaking his being and willpower and fighting against everything he knew and believed.

“Early this morning, before sunrise.” He spoke softly. Your silence was thick in the air. Perhaps he needed to do more.

“Sweet one, I am sorry for what happened before. I ..-”

“Do you love me?”

What?

No.

He didn't.

He couldn't.

He wasn't capable of it.

Inside his mind, the carefully constructed wall began to crack.

Do you love me?

The words rang in his ears, getting louder and louder until it was all he could think. His mind could not break free. There was no manipulating or deceiving his way out of this. His consciousness would no longer let him deny it.

He couldn't lie to you. Not truly. Not without regret. The lies he spoke to you were like needles coming from his throat and spilling from his tongue, gashing and cutting him before spilling past his lips. He could not lie to you.

Why?

He could not look you in the eyes and think of bringing you harm. He had tried. How many times on that raft had he thought of drowning you in the sea. Or stabbing you. He could imagine his body acting the movements. He could see it in his mind's eyes, but he could never do it. He could never harm you. He couldn't even make something else bring you harm.

Why?

You made him think of home. Of song and light and love. Of a time before time when everything was peaceful and quiet. Your touch brought him a warmth he had not felt in time unimaginable.

Why?

Why did he have to protect you? Why did he seek you out every moment of every day? Why did 3 days apart from you feel longer than the thousands of years he spent as sludge in a cave?

Why did you make him wonder? Wonder about the future, about his morality, about his redemption. About the mystery of if Maia and mortals could ever have children. Why did you make him think of a family?

Why was your mere presence so utterly groundbreaking to who he had become that it felt like an apocalypse had come over his very soul?

��Halbrand, do you love me?”

Your voice tore him from these thoughts, and looking at you, he knew. He knew.

And in that knowing he feared. He feared what he could do to you. He feared what others could do to you. He feared his old master long dead.

He feared because it was true.

He feared because he loved you, and he could no longer keep it hidden from himself.

“I do.”

He was not prepared for when you sprung on him, and he couldn't gather the willpower to hesitate. He had felt lust before, for others of his kind and for a select few elves, but what he felt for you transcended the physical. You tasted sweet, of course you did, and he couldn't help the groan that rumbled in his throat. His fingers dug into the plump flesh of your cheeks as if afraid you'd move away.

He had longed for this moment, it seemed for an eternity, but he knew that was not the case. He broke the kiss, holding your chin in his grasp as he kept your face away from him. He could not just take you. He had to know if you wanted him too. He craved it. And if you didn't want him, he would wait until you did.

“Sweet one,” his voice was deep and rough, looking down at you. You looked so pure and so innocent. “Tell me this is what you want.”

“I want this. I want you.”

You spoke with no hesitation. There was not even a moment. What he thought about in the quiet of the night with his cock grasped in his hand, the lewd sounds he'd only imagined you making, it was all about to become a reality.

“Fuck,” he groaned and made quick work of pulling you into his room. He pushed you against the door, knee between your legs and lips bruising yours. He could feel your arousal on the cloth of his pants, his tongue slipping inside of your mouth. You tasted so sweet. So pure. So good. He could never be sated.

Your skin felt soft in his hands. He squeezed and kneaded all of you. Your stomach. Your thighs. Your ass. Your breasts. The feel of your skin would be an invisible tattoo etched into his hands until the stars rained from the skies.

It was him who whined when you pulled away. He was desperate for more. His forehead rested against yours as he watched you. Your lips swollen and red, he could taste your spit on his tongue, and he needed more of you.

But only if you wanted him too. Only if you needed him to. The devastation of his love for you had been immense. He could not imagine the havoc your rejection would cause. One hand gently rested at the base of your neck to direct your eyes to him, his thumb softly caressing your skin.

“Tell me to stop, sweet one, and I will.”

You looked up at him, and his breath caught in his throat. How could anyone compare to you?

“I am yours.”

Oh, sweet one.

You did not know what you spoke. You did not know who you were saying this. He had selfishly claimed you, but in this moment, he felt almost broken because you did not deserve him.

“Do not say words when you do not know the weight of them, sweet one.”

“I am yours.” And suddenly you were leading his hand under your dress and to your soaked underwear. He had to grit his teeth to stop his eyes from rolling back. He doesn't dream, but he had dreamed of this. It was slick and wet and hot. And you smiled at him.

Fuck.

He did not care about his deception in this moment. He would fill you with his corruption, his darkness until it flowed from you like a fountain. Until it dripped in pools at your feet.

He moved his fingers against your clit, softly and slowly, “Has anyone touched you like this?” His voice was thick with desire.

You shook your head, but that was not good enough for him. He gently squeezed your throat, and he felt the blood that surged under his touch. One day, he would carve his name into your flesh, and he would lap at the blood that flowed from the wound.

“Use your words,” he mumbled softly.

“No, only you.”

Only him.

He slid his finger inside of you, relishing the sound it made. The wetness and slick on his fingers made him want to taste you, but he couldn't, not tonight. He knew he would spend forever in between your thighs, and he did not have the time for that.

“Fuck, do you hear that?” His finger moved faster, the wet sound of your arousal filling the room. “My sweet one,” he cooed, “fucking soaked at the thought of my cock, huh?”

He breathed heavily, his cock was achingly hard. He was addicted to the feel of your cunt and the sounds it made as he fucked it. The way you backed against his palm, the blissed out look in your eyes, he watched it all intently. He added a second finger and as your lips parted, he hungrily tasted your mouth once more. It was sloppy and wet, his teeth tugging at your lips. He couldn't get enough. Grunts and groans and growls ripped through him as he fucked you with his fingers harder and deeper. His lips trailed to your neck, licking your salty skin and sucking until your skin turned red.

You belonged to him.

You whimpered and gasped, and he needed more of it. He gently rubbed your peaked nipple and that was enough. You were a squirming mess as you came, soaking his hand.

“That's it, that's my girl,” he mumbled softly, his fingers never ceasing. “C'mon sweet girl. Fuck, look at you. Look at that pretty fucking face.”

He watched you intently as your body relaxed and your head hit the door. “That was incredible,” your voice was soft and spent.

He chuckled, his thumb coaxing you to look at him. “Pretty girl, look at me.” You did as he told you, his hands cupping your face. You were so pretty. So beautiful. Especially now, exhausted from how hard you came.

“That's my girl,” he squeezed your cheeks in his hand. “My pretty fucking girl. I need you to look at me, okay, and I need you to be honest. There is nothing more I want right now than your cunt squeezing around my cock but I need to know you want that too.”

“Yes, Halbrand, please.”

And that was all it took.

It was a blur as he moved clothes to the side but the moment his cock slid inside you, any moral dilemma or internal conflict disappeared. Only you mattered. Only how perfect your cunt wrapped around him was important. He held your face so he could watch how you reacted to him and he could tell from your lidded eyes and flush face you felt it all too.

"Fuck,” his breath hitched.“Fuck. Does my cock feel good, sweet one?”

You nodded, but again, that wasn't enough. He needed to hear your voice say it, “No, no, no. Use your words. Let me hear it.”

“Your cock feels good,” you breathed out.

Hearing you say that made his cock twitch inside of you. “Such foul words from such a pretty mouth.” His thumb traced your bottom lip. “I'm going to move now.”

You nodded before catching yourself, “please.”

One day, he'd have to make you beg for him.

He looked down to where your bodies connected and moved, watching his cock fuck your cunt for a moment before his attention turned to you. Your eyes rolled back and lips parted like a cock drunk slut already. His cock drunk slut. The slick sounds filling the room pulled his attention back to where you two met. The way you stretched around him was intoxicating to watch.

“You're taking my cock so well, sweet one.” He kept moving, pressing a kiss to your shoulder.

Your hips moved to match his thrusts and the fingernails in his skin. You had broken so easily. Given into him so easily. He knew he could take you wherever, knew by the look on your face that you'd be his to fuck whenever he pleased.

“You're mine,” he whispered. “This my fucking cunt, isn't it?”

“My cunt is yours,” you whined.

Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.

He thrusted deep and hard, watching your face. You were his. His alone. No one could have you. No one could dare. He'd burn the world to the ground and everyone with it. He'd drown the world in blood. No sin was too dark for him to commit, not if he ended back here. Deep inside you.

Your eyes fluttered closed, and he couldn't have that. He roughly squeezed your cheeks until your eyes opened.

“Eyes on me. Focus on the feeling. I want to see how good I make you feel. Look at those pretty eyes. Those. Pretty. Fucking. Eyes.” He gasped, his grip on your face tight. You whimpered and arched into him.

Something about how you looked at him in that moment, he realized you owned him. He was yours. No one else's. No elf. No Maiar. There was only you. You were his religion, and this was his worship. He was yours. You owned him. He was ruined for anyone else. Perhaps you were not made for him, but he for you.

“You feel that cock, huh? It's yours, only yours. This is your cock, sweet one. I am yours.”

He could tell you were close, and he was too. How he wished it was his true name falling from your lips. He fucked into you harder and harder.

“Tell me you love me,” he whispered, “tell me you love me, and I will come undone.”

He needed it. He needed the release. He was desperate.

“I love you.”

It was music to his ears. Moments later, when your cunt clenched around him and cries ripped through your body, he was soon to follow. His head buried in your neck as his warmth coated you. Your name passed through his lips. He would never be sated. He would always need this.

And later that night, long after you fell asleep, as he caressed your face, he knew he could never go back across the sea. He would stay here with you and prove his redemption to the valar. That he would start a family with you. That he would make you happy. The only thing that mattered more was keeping you safe.

Nothing mattered more than that.

[harrysfolklore]

Maia Mitchell would be a good Australian fc

insta blurbs are back !!! i really really hope you like this <3

if you want exclusive blurbs and tropes SUBSCRIBE TO MY PATREON

ask me anything | masterlist | likes and reblogs are appreciated !

liked by harrystyles, kaiagerber and 1,098,626 others

yourinstagram im finally hooomeeee 🥹

view all 36,937 comments

ynfan1 OMGG

harryfan1 HARRY IS IN AUSTRALIA !!

phoebejtonkin my sis is back 🤍

↳ ynfan2 i love them

annetwist Have fun my darlings 🥰

↳ yourinstagram love you annie

harryfan2 harry having an aussie gf is the best thing ever

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 3,973 others

harryupdates Harry during soundcheck in Perth yesterday !

view all 869 comments

harryfan1 AHHH

harryfan2 the shows are really soon omggg

harryfan3 I CANT BELIEVE IM SEEING HIM

harryfan4 BUB

liked by lauraharrier, harrystyles and 1,076,826 others

yourinstagram first love on tour aussie show ready 🥹🥹 sooo excited

view all 38,927 comments

ynfan1 SLAAYYY

gemmastyles I wish I was there so bad 🥲

↳ yourinstagram I MISS YOU

camilamonrroe ❤️

ynfan2 australia’s very best nepo baby

↳ harryfan1 omg she’s a nepo kid?

↳ ynfan2 yeees her dad is daryl braithwaite, a legendary australian singer !

harrystyles Pretty x

↳ harryfan2 AWEEE

liked by harryfan1, ynfan2 and 18,937 others

harryupdates “I feel like a different person…I feel ashamed of myself. It feels so personal! Such an intimate moment to be shared with so many people! I’ll be discussing this with my therapist at length…at length! And YN, you’re a terrible girlfriend for making me do this!” - Harry after doing a Shoey tonight in Perth !

view all 6,937 comments

harryfan1 OMFG THAT WAS SO ICONIC

ynfan1 i cantttt😂

yourinstagram i have no regrets. you’re welcome

↳ harryfan2 SHES SO ICONIC

↳ ynfan2 ICONIC

harryfan3 i need harry to stay in australia forever

liked by yourinstagram, iamhalsey and 3,936,973 others

harrystyles Love On Tour. Perth. February, 2023.

view all 82,826 comments

harryfan1 AHHH BABY

jefezoff ❤️

ynfan1 he’s so hooot

yourinstagram you should do another shoey

↳ harrystyles No. Never. I love you but no.

↳ harryfan2 HES SOOOO 😭

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 5,826 others

harryupdates Harry and YN having dinner in Melbourne tonight !

view all 985 comments

harryfan1 AHHHH

ynfan1 not the sneaky pic respect their privacy

harryfan2 omg i love them i hope people didn’t disturb them

ynfan2 MY BABIES

liked by harryfan1, ynfan2 and 19,873 others

harryupdates Daryl Braithwaite (YN’s dad and iconic Australian singer) attending Melbourne night 2 tonight !

view all 6,837 comments

harryfan1 OMFGGGG

ynfan1 AHHHH

harryfan2 a win for the aussie harries

ynfan2 aweeee

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 7,926 others

harryupdates “I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’ve wanted to do that for about 7 years. And now…the dream is complete! [dramatic] I’m shaking, I’m shaking! This song is really special to my girlfriend so that was for her, I love you!” - Harry after singing The Horses at #LoveOnTourMelbourne

view all 1,022 comments

harryfan1 THAT WAS SO CUTE

ynfan1 AHHH MY HEART

harryfan2 and her dad was there 🥹

ynfan2 yn has always talked about how much her dad’s song means to her this is so sweet of him

liked by harrystyles, lauraharrier and 1,863,836 others

yourinstagram the horses is a song that my dad always sang for me when she i was a kid, now the love of my life is singing it in my home country, it’s safe to say that i can’t stop crying about it.

i love you, harry 🥹 #loveontourmelbourne

view all 28,873 comments

ynfan1 IM NOT CRYING YOU ARE

harryfan1 i love this couple sooo much bye

annetwist ❤️❤️

yourbrother I’m crying over here as well

↳ harryfan2 sobbing over the families bonding

harrystyles I love you so much x

↳ ynfan2 they need to get married

liked by jefezoff, yourinstagram and 2,270,837 others

harrystyles Love On Tour. Melbourne II. February, 2023.

view all 56,837 comments

harryfan1 AHHH BABY

yourinstagram petition for a yearly aussie tour 🫡

↳ harryfan2 I AGREE

paulithepsm ❤️

ynfan1 my favorite show so far

harryfan3 DONT EVER LEAVE

liked by harrystyles, lukehemmings and 1,726,736 others

yourinstagram harry thought it would be funny to caption this pic as “gold coastin”

view all 27,927 comments

harryfan1 PLEASE

ynfan1 my baby

ashtonirwin i miss you mates

↳ yourinstagram you’re never in the country mATe 😩

↳ ynfan2 help i keep forgetting they’re all friends

harrystyles I take pride in my lines x

↳ yourinstagram i know you do babe

↳ harryfan2 I LOVE THEM

liked by harrystyles, yourinstagram and 29,927 others

yourbrother YN and Harry can’t break up because I refuse to lose my privilege of attending his shows for free #LoveOnTourGoldCoast

view all 4,837 comments

ynfan1 the most iconic family ever

jefezoff 😂😂

yourinstagram i don’t know how am i supposed to feel

↳ harrystyles Same

harryfan1 it’s the way yn’s family adores harry i can’t

liked by sza, yourinstagram and 4,447,558 others

harrystyles Love On Tour. Gold Coast. February, 2023.

view all 78,736 comments

harryfan1 PLEASEEEEEEE

ynfan1 what is this 😂😂

paulithepsm 🥴

yourinstagram she’s so crazy. love her.

↳ harryfan2 best comment ever

annetwist 😂

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 2,100 others

harryupdates Harry arriving in Sydney today !

view all 987 comments

harryfan1 BABYYY

harryfan2 i don’t want the sus shows to eeeend

harryfan3 i want his shirt

ynfan1 slayyy

liked by harrystyles, sukiwaterhouse and 1,693,836 others

yourinstagram that’s how many shows in australia love on tour has left and i’m not ready to say goodbye yet

view all 38,836 comments

ynfan1 aweee

harryfan2 i felt that

calumhood ❤️

harrystyles We can always come back

↳ harryfan1 YEAH DONT EVER LEAVE

niallhoran 🥹

liked by harryfan1, ynfan2 and 7,937 others

harryupdates “This man is not only a national treasure, he also raised the incredible, amazing woman i get to call my girlfriend. It’s such a pleasure to be singing with him tonight” - Harry performing with Daryl Braithwaite (YN’s dad) in Sydney tonight !

view all 1,004 comments

harryfan1 AWEEEEE

ynfan1 MY HEART

harryfan2 istg they need to get married

ynfan2 BEST COUPLE EVER

YN’S INSTAGRAM STORIES

//

liked by lizzobeeating, yourinstagram and 2,375,595 others

harrystyles Love On Tour. Sydney II. March, 2023.

view all 67,837 comments

harryfan1 MY HEARTTT

ynfan1 icon

annetwist ❤️

yourinstagram my besties actually

↳ harrystyles He’s MY bestie x

↳ harryfan2 I CAAAANT

jefezoff 🥹

taglist: @cucciolafaerie @eleanordaisy @sunflowersndpeaches @golden-hoax @alienorknight @daydreamingofmatilda @ivyproblems @ayeshathestyles @stylesmygucci @gimsaysay @rosaliedepp @dontworrysunflower @milfrrynation @manifestrry @iceebabies @harrystylesrecs @pleasingrryyy @harianaswhore @noitsmebecky @abeanontoast @grapejuice-rry @vrittivsanghavi @msolbesg @tati813 @sad1esgf @itsgabbysblog @theekyliepage @watermelonsugacry @be-with-me-so-happily @a-strange-familiar @reveriehs @musicforcinemas @harrybabyyyyyyy @tinydeskwriter @noooovaaaaa @tenaciousperfectionunknown @mxltifxnd0m @rach2602 @balletdancerry @b-reads-things @juiceboxrry @lomlolivia @itsgigikay @goldensstateofgrace @missmielyhoran @fdl305 @lightsoutstyles

[the-mandawhor1an]

Revelations pt. II

Chapter 9 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

Masterlist

⇐ Previous chapter | Next chapter ⇒

Chapter summary: Din leaves Tatooine to return to his search for other Mandalorians and a Jedi. Prospects look positive with Peli’s contact. Little does he know what events would unfold on his quest to find a master for Grogu 

Warnings: Canon-typical violence; Yearning; Angst; Din is down bad; Cameos! 

Words: 11.5k 

A/N: And now the other side of the yearning. Basically the season 2 storyline stays the same, there are just a few adjustments due to the yearning and also the fact that technically Din has met a Jedi already (cue Maia screaming she isn’t a Jedi). I was not anticipating this getting so long. Oops.

I'll be fine I'll be waiting patiently 'Til you see the signs And come running to my open arms When will you realize? Do we have to wait 'til our worlds collide? Open up your eyes You can't turn back the tide - It's no Good, Depeche Mode

Din watched as Maia turned her back and left, paralyzed. He knew this was the right thing for the both of them, but stars, why did it feel so wrong to let her go? »What did you do now?« Peli accused him quite loudly when she saw Maia storm past her. The mechanic rested her hands on her hips, drumming one foot in the sand. »She had to leave,« he replied, certain the mechanic wouldn’t buy it. She didn’t. »You sent her away didn’t you? It’s the middle of the night, how could you just let her leave? The city is full of criminals, they’ll have her for breakfast!« Well, how could he? »She can take care of herself.« Din gritted his teeth. Having to justify something Maia and he had agreed on to a third party annoyed him, especially so because he couldn’t tell the woman before him exactly why he couldn’t have the pretty brunette close to him. 

Peli sighed. »No getting through to this metal-covered idiot,« she shook her head in disbelief and sighed. Din felt bad, deep inside, but Maia was gone now. He’d rather focus on the task at hand. Luckily, Peli delivered delightful news. »There is a covert in this sector. One system over.« Hope was in his voice when he asked »were they the ones that were on Nevarro?« At least they knew him then and could perhaps help with his search for a Jedi. The armorer had first made him aware of the Jedi, after all. 

»Don’t know. The contact says she knows where to find them.« Peli’s gaze wandered over to the dragon’s meat that looked like it was close to ready. She nodded at one of her droids to start cutting the outermost layers of meat. She was hungry. 

»How much will this cost?« Din feared it would be expensive, given his desperation and people tending to take advantage of that. »How much does she want.« »That’s the good news. It’s free,« the woman replied with a shrug. The Mandalorian sighed, wanting to ask what the bad news were, but she continued »buuuut… she wants passage.« It was his best lead, so he didn’t think about it for too long. Besides, he wanted to get off of this planet and leave these emotions behind him. »Fine.« »Aaaaaalso,« Peli’s nonexistent eyebrows rose and she rolled her eyes, evading his gaze. »What?« »No hyperspace jumps.« »Sublight?« Was she serious? Din crossed his arms and scoffed. »No, deal’s over.«

»Come on, it’s one sector!« she retorted and rolled her eyes again, more pronounced this time. »Moving fast is the only thing that keeps me safe,« he retorted. »Oh, like moving on from poor Maia?« Ouch. Thank the stars for the helmet that covered how his brows had twitched as he felt the sting in his chest.

Peli’s contact, a frog-like alien, entered the hangar and allowed Din to swallow down the lump in his throat. It was necessary, why didn’t Peli understand? Maybe because he didn’t explain it. He didn’t want to, she would only discuss this with him until he regretted leaving Maia behind. Part of him already did. 

»I’m not a taxi service,« the helmet dipped towards the mechanic who just shrugged. »I’m aware. She knows of Mandalorians on her home world, I figured that might be enough to convince you. She and her eggs need to be there by the equinox, hyperdrive would kill her eggs.« Mando sighed and rested both hands on his belt. »And she is sure there are Mandalorians?« One very awkward exchange of the women later, Peli nodded. »Her husband has seen them.«

Reluctantly, Din agreed to take her with him. It was, like Peli said, his only lead towards finding Mandalorians. As the Razor Crest slowly ascended, he looked over to the city beneath him. Where was Maia now, he wondered. All he hoped for was that she was safe and that they maybe would one day meet again. As futile as this wish was, he wanted to carry it with him in his heart. 

His passenger didn’t talk much, or more specifically – didn’t talk any language he could understand, so he switched autopilot on and left her in the cockpit to get some rest. With heavy steps he climbed down the ladder to get to his bed. The anxiety about Grogu’s well-being still weighed on him after the altercation in the desert. Seeing that alien holding a knife to the child had done something to him. Before he opened the door to his cot, he took a deep breath. He had gotten so used to being around Maia, she would’ve been able to talk to him, to easy his nerves. It really didn’t matter what she would talk about either. Her dreams, the stars, her favorite color, what she thought his favorite color might be. All he wanted was to be able to look at her, the way her eyes would sparkle when she smiled and the dimples that formed on her cheeks. Maybe his favorite color was the green of her eyes. The same green eyes that glossed over when he practically told her to leave him alone. 

It was necessary. If he told himself that often enough, maybe he would start to believe it. His creed meant everything to him, and as much as he had enjoyed that kiss, he couldn’t risk breaking an oath he had taken so many years ago. That and he needed to get Grogu to a Jedi to make sure the child received the training he needed. 

He opened the cot to find … nothing. What? 

He didn’t have to look for long, as the sound of slurping erupted from further down the cargo hold. With the egg container open, Grogu had one of the orange spheres in his hand and subsequently shoved it into his mouth with another slurping noise and a gulp. Din shot up and rushed over to his foundling »Hey, stop that!« he gently pulled Grogu from the container and closed the lid. »That’s not food, Grogu.« 

Grogu got lifted in the air, his chin had a drip of the water of the container running down the faintly green skin. »Tasty?« The child let out a little burp and Din sighed, assessing how many eggs the foundling might have eaten before he found him, »alright, nap time, troublemaker.« As he carried the child over to the cot, he noticed Grogu holding onto an item of clothing which was now dragging over the floor. Din gathered the dirty and stained piece of cloth and carried him over to his makeshift hammock. When he wanted to pull the dirty fabric from the child, he was met with a rather large amount of resistance, so he inspected the fabric further. It was gray, stained. The stains were brown, perhaps rust-colored. 

Din felt around further until his fingers found the hole where the stain was spreading from. When did he last use his blade on a quarry, and since when did he leave their clothes just lying around in his ship? He raised his head to see Grogu peacefully snuggled into the shirt, snoring ever so softly. Suddenly, it hit him why the little one was so attached to this. 

This must’ve been Maia’s shirt, the one she had on when she was injured on Nevarro. It must’ve still smelled like her if Grogu was glued to it. The little one possibly didn’t understand why she was suddenly gone, Din hadn’t seen her say goodbye to him. 

Carefully, he placed the shirt over the sleeping child, as if it was a blanket. Something deep inside of him thought about just smelling it. Just once. 

Get it together, Djarin. 

He himself crawled into his cot and nudged himself into a somewhat comfortable position so he could get some rest. The last time someone had slept in here was when he allowed Maia to take the small private space for herself. What if his makeshift bed smelled like her right now? If only he could take the helmet off, just for a second. »Dank farrik,« he cursed under his breath. 

Din couldn’t tell how long he has slept, all he knew was being awoken from a proximity alert some time later. As restful as his sleep might have been, being ripped from it and suddenly on edge again made it feel like he had just closed his eyes. He swung himself out the cot and up the ladder to find he was contacted by some New Republic scouters. 

First he tried to pretend his tech on board wasn’t working, but the Captain and his companion were a little too adamant about Din transmitting. Sensing no other way, he steered the Razor Crest down into the atmosphere of the nearest planet, Maldo Kreis. 

While he avoided capture by the New Republic, his ship had taken some damage when it crashed and dragged across are large ice field.The fact that it broke through the ice and fell a few meters down into an ice cave, didn’t help the hulls integrity either.

Din must’ve lost consciousness upon impact, as he awoke with his armor covered in little ice crystals and his passenger shivering in the cold air. Promising her to get some blankets, he went downstairs to see the damage his ship had taken. The hull was in fact damaged, a large tear in the side of the ship allowed the cold to enter and render all means of insulation worthless. »Osik,« he cursed yet again. 

Grogu, whom Din had been looking for as well as wanting to check the hull for damages, had found himself at the egg container yet again and wanted to have a little snack. »Hey, I told you not to do that,« Din scolded the child, who not only stuck to the container, but also still had Maia’s shirt in one of his paws. 

Night approached quickly and with the hull broken, they would have to deal with severe cold soon. While Din had patched up the main tear with some fabric, the passenger, Grogu and him had to sit around a small heater to keep warm. As the child cuddled up to Din’s leg pauldron, they napped, but just shortly.

With the help of a disassembled droid and its voice module, the frog lady urged the Mandalorian to keep his word. She needed to get these eggs to her husband, as this was her last chance to have children. 

Din, still a bit shaken from being woken up by one of the scrap piles that used to be a droid suddenly talking to him, made it outside to do some repairs to get his ship back into shape. As shapely as the Razor Crest needed to be to make it off of this frozen prison. He didn’t want this to turn into a grave too.

Some time later, after a coolant leak and smaller tears had been patched up, Grogu came outside to him, but not to help his protector with the repairs. The child was very adamant to show him something. Foot steps. The passenger had left the ship with her egg container, and Din had to make sure she was safe out there. Who knows what lurked in these ice caves. With the child on his arm, he followed the imprints in the heavy snow and the thermal tracks once inside a larger cave system. 

It didn’t take long for the two to reach a larger cavern that housed two pools of water, hot water, as Din assumed, judging by the steam emitting from the surface and also by the lady and her eggs bathing quite happily in there. Being cold-blooded surely was unfortunate on a planet like this. He tried not to blame her, but reminded her he couldn’t guarantee for her safety if she went off without him. For just a second the sight of Maia flashed before his eyes, with her back turned towards him in Peli’s tub. He had risked a glance when she turned to him without much hesitation, wondering how soft her pale skin would feel underneath his finger tips. Stop that!

Grogu was sulking, not allowed to snack on more, now even heated eggs and wandered off while the adults collected the eggs to put them back into their container. He found a completely different kind of egg, white, with a stronger shell, oblong and upright in the snow. Insatiable as the little one was, he opened the shell of one of the eggs to munch on what he found inside. A small, white spider-like creature was hidden underneath the soft shell. A creature that gave a satisfying crunch when bitten into. 

Well, safe to say the disturbance and untimely death of one of the spiderlings awoke their siblings, and shortly thereafter, their mother. 

Din took Grogu and the tank with the eggs, they’d have to make it back to the Crest, this was their only chance. The few weapons he had at his expense right now could only do so much. A few blaster shots, thermal detonators and finally his flame thrower attachment. All of that just so they could run back to his ship and barricade themselves in the cockpit. It was the only spot left that he could seal. They had to get off of the planet. 

Just as the Crest lifted off of the snowy ground, the mother spider crashed down onto the ship, trying to break the transparisteel with its teeth. This would have been their end, ending up eaten or frozen to death, if it hadn’t been for the X-wings to return and the New Republic pilots open to fire on the spider. After a short exchange with the captain, they let Din run despite a warrant for his arrest. Sometimes people acknowledged that Din wasn’t a brainless, ruthless killer. Despite his offer to waive the bounties on his former mates, the pilots refused to help him repair the Crest. Guess letting him go without an arrest was the most they could do for him at the moment. 

Din didn’t press for it. He could seal the cockpit so they could at least make it to Trask, albeit uncomfortably and taking a lot longer than it should have. There he could stay for a little and get the necessary repairs on his ship, gather his energy and also work on a plan to find a Jedi, assuming he wouldn’t stumble upon one right after finding the other Mandalorians. He was certain his journey was far from over. 

The travel to Trask was bumpy to say the least, multiple timed he had feared the ship would break in half, especially breaking into the atmosphere was particularly shaky. The landing system was broken so Din needed his passenger’s help to manually land the Crest. They almost made it onto the dock safely, the thrusters giving out in the last second which resulted in the ship toppling over and falling into the water. After they had grabbed the Crest out of the water, it was covered in algae and looked like a pile of scrap, at best. He paid a mechanic 1000 credits to do his best, expecting his ship to be at least in working condition again soon. 

Din turned just in the right moment to witness his passenger finding her husband in the crowd, them hugging so tightly. He couldn’t deny it was a sight that warmed his heart a little. He wondered if Maia would hug him as tightly when they reunited. No ‘if’, but ‘when’. She had promised they’d meet again, when the time was right. 

Grogu called for his attention, the ever hungry little gremlin in his hovering pram, covered with the gray shirt Maia had left behind. He and the shirt were practically inseparable. The husband of his passenger approached them and thanked Din for bringing his wife to him safely. »I was told you had seen other Mandalorians,« he inquired, being pointed to the inn. He would get information there. Perhaps he could also get some food for his little companion. 

They entered the inn and sat at a table. Din took Grogu out of his pram and sat him down, ordering chowder for the fussing child. He either had an issue with being hungry, or he was fussing because he didn’t hold the shirt. That damn shirt. »I’ve heard there’s other Mandalorians. Do you know where they are?« he asked the waiter. It didn’t even take ten seconds of his attention away from Grogu for the child to have a small octopus stuck to his face. »Stop playing with your food,« he said softly and took out his vibro blade, stinging the octopus which subsequently fell back into the bowl of chowder. 

A Quarren approached the table. »I know where the Mandalorians are. I can take you to them,« he offered. »Where?« Din asked, pleasantly surprised that his lead was going in the right direction. »It’s just a few hours sail. We’re about to leave.« 

Shortly after Grogu had finished the chowder and was satiated, they made their way over to the ship to set sail. Most time of their travel Din looked out into the vast nothingness of the ocean, allowing himself to think about Maia, wondering where she was right now. Was she okay? Did she end up finding the voice? 

»Have you ever seen a Mamacore being fed?« The captain asked him. »The kid might be interested to see.« As Din and the child inched closer to the pool in the middle of the ship, the captain continued talking. The bars closing off the pool retracted into the ship. While he was talking, the Quarren suddenly hit Grogu’s pram, causing it to go under water. The lid had shut but the beast hidden underneath the water wouldn’t have too much trouble to break the small metal capsule. Din didn’t hesitate and jumped after Grogu, the bars closing as soon as he went under. 

Din was on edge. On one hand there was Grogu, somewhere under the surface, a monster that was hungry for him and his foundling, and on the surface were bandits, waiting for him to drown to get his Beskar. Every time he surfaced, they shocked him, poking at him with metal to get him under water again. Panic set in. This was his end. Dank farrik. 

That’s when he saw three Mandalorians land on the ship, take on the attackers and help him out of the water. One of the women offered her hand to pull him up, allowing him to catch his breath. This must’ve been the Mandalorians the husband had mentioned earlier, coming just in time to save his and Grogu’s life. »My foundling,« he gasped, the other woman pulling her knife and jumping into the water. »Catch your breath, brother,« the first woman calmed him down. Her voice was soft and reassuring underneath the blue and white helmet. A moment later, her companion resurfaced with Grogu’s dented pram, ripping it open to reveal a shaken, but otherwise unharmed Grogu. 

The green child was practically tangled in the gray shirt, quietly sobbing. Din took him into his arms, soothingly rubbing over Grogu’s back. His heart rate was still elevated, catching his breath while the three Mandalorians before him suddenly took their helmets off. 

Despite the adrenalin rush, frustration kicked in, this was another dead lead, more people having gotten their armor from somewhere while not following the way. They outnumbered him and he was shaken, also busy making sure Grogu didn’t start to properly cry. »Where did you get the armor from?« he asked the leader of the group, a woman with short red hair. She seemed a little offended when she replied »it’s been in my family for three generations.« Obviously, Din couldn’t believe what he heard. »You do not cover your faces. You’re not Mandalorian.« This made the man behind her scoff and roll his eyes. »Oh, he’s one of them,« he practically spit out. The distaste in his voice was obvious, but to Din this didn’t make sense, he was the one supposed to be offended. 

»One of what?« The visor turned back to face the leader. »I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze, I was born on Mandalore and survived the great purge, I’m the last of my line and this is my armor. And you are a child of the Watch,« she introduced herself and explained what her friend had hinted at. »The watch?« Din repeated, clearly this was news to him. »A fanatic splinter group of Mandalorians. Cultists, trying to re-establish the ancient way of the Mand’alor.« 

Offended, Din got up to his feet again, Grogu still on his arm and cuddled into his chest, drowning in the gray fabric. The sobbing had stopped, every now and then he sniffled a little. »There is only one way,« he stated and took off with his jetpack. 

He still held onto Grogu when he stood on the dock, watching how the three blew up the ship in the distance. The sun was setting, the colors in the sky reminding him of when he showed Maia the sunset on Tatooine. How many near-death experiences had she gone through by now? Why was he struggling with his task so much?

Walking along the dock, it was dark by now, he was approached by a Quarren, the same Quarren that had approached him back at the inn. »You killed my brother,« he said with a smirk, more of his men crowding the area. He was too exhausted to fight more, but then the familiar hiss of jetpacks surprised them, the same Mandalorians that helped him on the ship jumping in to support him once again. »He didn’t kill your brother. I did,« Bo-Katan told the Quarren, and a fight broke out. Admittedly, a short fight, as the fishermen and part-time criminals were no match to a Mandalorian, let alone four of them. 

»Can we buy you a drink, at least?« she offered after the fight, Din reluctantly accepting. He wouldn’t drink in public, obviously, but it sounded like she had something to offer. Also, he needed to know if they could help him find a Jedi. 

They sat down in the same inn, the three taking off their helmets again, drinking. Din tried to not be bothered by their behavior. Grogu had since fallen asleep in his little carrier bag. Also the shirt had been halfway discarded, now lying on the bottom of the bag for a little extra padding. 

Kryze explained that Trask was riddled with black market weapon trade. Their plan was to seize said weapons to retake Mandalore, claim rule of the planet and for her to become the new Mand’alor. Din refused to believe such a plan was possible, as they had been told the planet was cursed. Besides, he was busy. »I don’t want to help you. I can’t. I have to take this child to a Jedi,« he explained, gently patting Grogu’s head, who cooed in response, but still asleep. 

»How much do you know of the Jedi?« the red-haired Mandalorian inquired, and he thought about all the things he only knew from Maia or the armorer. »Not much. They are an order of wizards, they can move things without touching them. They wield swords made of light.« and they’re not allowed to have feeling for you. It stung a little to be reminded of his conflicting feelings towards her. »I was hoping,« he continued, »that you’d help me by the Creed. This child needs a Jedi.« Kryze sighed, she needed his help and he needed hers. »I can lead you to one, but first you have to help us with our mission.« 

Reluctantly, Din agreed to help Bo-Katan to take over an Imperial cruiser to seize the weapons before it could leave the planet soon. This was way too dangerous for a foundling, so he brought Grogu to stay with the frog lady and her husband, who had become parents by now. It sounded like a quick mission, and it seemed to be going smoothly at first. That was until Kryze suddenly decided to change the plan, to take the whole cruiser, while they were already on it, leaving Din with no choice but to help. They managed to claim the ship, Kryze held her end of the deal now that she had what she wanted. Din hoped he would not have to team up with her again, still unhappy with how she had handled the situation, practically forcing him to stay and help. 

In the end, he had what he wanted. A name and a place. Bo-Katan told him of a Jedi by the name of Ahsoka Tano, who he should be able to find on Corvus. He picked up Grogu and returned to his ship which would hopefully be good as new again. 

The Crest was … repaired, but in no way fully functional. It could fly and the landing system was running again, but it was patched up with netting and overall still looked like it was a pile of scrap rather than a ship. Just now a pile of scrap that had been salvaged from the bottom of an ocean.

Some of the wiring needed to be rearranged, something he had hoped his little companion could help with. Grogu could crawl into the machine’s hull to take out the wires Din told him to pull, to attach the ones as he was ordered. Well … it’s what the Mandalorian had hoped for, quickly learning that the child would not properly listen to him. Maybe he was colorblind and couldn’t tell apart the red from the blue wire. But then again, he let the wires touch, causing him to get a little shock. »Alright, come back out,« he said with a sigh, bringing the child to his little hammock after making sure the child was okay. 

This left Din alone in the cockpit, once again. He tidied up his ship, closing the entrance hatch Grogu had crawled through, packing away the tools that laid around on the ground. He realized the child had abandoned the shirt for once, it laying crumpled up beneath one of the passenger seats. With a sigh he sat on the pilot seat, bunching up the fabric in between his fingers. He was out in space, no other ship anywhere in the vicinity. So, he removed the helmet, eyeing the rough cloth in his hands closely. The stain on the fabric reminded him how him and Maia had met. Critically injured, taking advantage of him, in a way, but she never had him regret his choice to help her. Apart from this short moment when he had feared for the child’s safety, and for his vow to conceal his face. 

Where was she right now? Was she safe? Had she run into a trap, just as he had, and did not survive? What if she had called out for him in her last moments? Ever since she appeared on Nevarro, the Empire had her back on their radar, possibly. If not for Gideon, who had met his well-deserved end, maybe one of the surviving Troopers had notified others about her. Were they still on the lookout? Were they on the lookout again, now that they knew she was still alive?

His thoughts raced and his heart rate picked up, his mind taking him to dark places. He knew she could look after herself, she had survived up until Nevarro after all, but he worried about her so much. With his head falling forward, his face fell right into the fabric, his hands breaking the fall. He exhaled loudly, closed his eyes and tried to steady his breath. All he wanted was to know she was safe, but he didn’t know how to contact her. There was one thing he could hold onto: The hope that she’d come back, that their paths would actually cross again, as she had promised him in her very own, cryptic way. There was a sparkle in her beautiful eyes when she said it, bright enough to shine through the veil of pain. 

Pain he had caused her by telling her to leave.

At first he just remained in this position because he hated when his eyes started burning like this, glossing over when he felt he had lost someone close to him. But then, a few steadying breaths later, he registered her scent, subtle but hidden in every fiber of the gray fabric. It was comforting, in a way, being able to smell her and imagining she was here with him. 

Deciding his ship needed proper repairs before he could make the travel to Corvus, he stopped on Nevarro. At least he knew the mechanics here would be able to patch his ship up better than this. »Mando!« Karga greeted him as soon as the Crest had touched ground, the hatch only opening up halfway, causing Din to have to jump the rest of the way with Grogu on his arm. Dune stood beside the Magistrate. »It looks like someone needs repairs,« the man concluded, getting his men to work on the ship right away. His face lit up when he saw the child still with Mando, reaching his arms out. »Come here, little one,« he said and taking Grogu from Din, his brows furrowing. »What of the girl that was with you last time? I thought she was a Jedi?« 

And there was the sting in his chest again. He shook his head, eternally grateful for the helmet concealing his face in moments like these. »She couldn’t take the child, she had other plans. We split up.« I sent her away. They walked along the city streets, showing no sign of the fight that had taken place here not too long ago. »It looks like you two have been busy,« Din commented. Nevarro was so much livelier than he remembered. »All thanks to Marshal Dune,« Karga replied with a nod. »I’m busy with clerical work.« »Your ship looks a mess. Well… more than usual,« the Marshal finally joined the conversation. »I had a run-in with the New Republic. Long story.«

They reached the same building where Din had removed his helmet for the first time. The bar that served as the guild’s headquarter. To his surprise, the building now housed a class of children. »A school?« »Things changed around here,« Cara replied with a shrug. She glanced over to Karga, who was about to set Grogu down, announcing »we’ll leave the little one here so we can talk.« Din, still a bit worked up from all that happened on his way here, instantly interrupted »no. He stays with me.« 

»Mando,« Karga pleaded, »Where we’re going, no child should go. Trust me.« Dune, aware Mando was struggling with letting the foundling out of eyesight, promised him Grogu would be fine here. They left Grogu in the school, walking further to where they could talk more privately. 

»So, let’s talk business,« Cara said as she sat down in her chair. Din again explained, »I’m here for repairs, no business.« »The repairs will take some time, so you should have some to spend. We could really use it,« Karga tried to persuade him. Unfortunately, Din was extremely bad in declining a plea for help. 

Just in the outermost corner of the safe zone there was an old Imperial base, one that had been a nuisance to the city for long enough. It was where Gideon’s troops had come from, so it was in the city’s best interest to just have the base shut down. The plan was simple enough: Empty the cooling tanks, overheat the geothermic reactor and the thing will blow up on its own. 

Finding a way in, reaching the reactor and killing the cooling system wasn’t too big of a deal for the small group. On their way out, they had taken a slightly different route to avoid a run-in with some guards, only to stumble upon a room, occupied by two scientific officers. Upon further inspection, they found clone tanks on the wall. The Myrthol checked the documentation, as a holo-projection of Dr. Pershing started playing. The doctor reported to Gideon about blood samples, a donor being too weak to give more blood without the specimen being killed… He was talking about Grogu. 

»Perhaps, there is a way to obtain another donor. I heard you had encountered 414 recently, her blood would surely work better, being a human, and all.« Din’s heart sank. »This recording has to be old, Gideon is dead!« Karga said in confusion. »The recording is 3 days old,« the alien responded. »Quick, copy the data base,« Din ordered as Stormtroopers found them. Making sure to avoid damage to the terminal until the data had been duplicated, the four fought. 

More trouble would wait for them outside, so they split up. Din used his jetpack to get of the base and fly to get his ship, while the others fought their way back the way they had entered. 

Din’s thoughts were racing. Gideon was alive, and the Empire knew about Maia. He quickly started the Razor Crest to fly back to the Imperial base, just in time to see the TIE-Fighters that were coming after Dune, Karga and the alien. With a few well-aimed shots, his friends were free and he could continue his travel to Corvus. 

The Crest was now back and running, fully operational. Things seemed to be going well for Din for once. If it hadn’t been for the tracker that had been installed in his ship while getting repaired, the one which he currently wasn’t aware of. 

The flight to Corvus was long, but with the ship back in working condition, at least Din and Grogu reaped the benefits of a somewhat comfortable resting place. The autopilot steered the ship through the emptiness of space while Din could lay in his little cot. He listened to Grogu’s soft snores and sleep babbles until he drifted off to sleep himself. His dreams were somewhat pleasant, hearing a familiar voice in the distance. Maia was softly humming a melody, a lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was a child. His lips formed a smile in his sleep, still hidden underneath the helmet.

Landing the Crest was easy, given the landing system was running. Din and Grogu exited the ship, the child played with a silver ball, the end cap of one of the levers up in the cockpit. »I told you that has to stay inside the ship,« Din grumbled and took the metal sphere from Grogu, putting it into one of his belt pouches. Grogu walked more now, but he was still slower than Din by a lot, so he picked the green child up and placed him in the carrier bag. Grogu complained, reaching back to the ship with his hands. The shirt was missing, still in his hammock back in the safety of the ship. »Not today, kid. It'll wait in the Crest, otherwise it just gets dirty.«

Corvus was dirty. 

They reached a gate after some time of walking, the sway of the carrier bag lulling Grogu to sleep for a bit. Din stood before a large wall, watched by a few men standing atop the gate. »State your business,« one of the men ordered. The helmet moved to look up there. Well, what should he say? »I’ve been tracking for a few days. I’m just looking for a layover,« he explained. It was probably for the best if no one knew about him looking for a Jedi. »That’s a nice armor you got there,« the guard commented, Din almost expecting them to attack him just for the Beskar. It had happened too often. »I take it you are a hunter, then.« He rolled his eyes underneath the helmet. If that’s the first thing they wondered, this probably meant another side quest. »I am,« he simply stated, the gate opening for him a few seconds later.  

He entered the town, greeted by a rather unwelcoming sight. The forest outside the city looked dead, a green mist laid over the dead trees that also had crept into the streets. It was mostly empty, barely any life outside the small houses. The first person he had seen instantly left when Din tried to address them. Generally, it felt like a cloud of dread laid over the streets. He wondered for a second if Maia would’ve commented on the mood in here. Maybe she could have talked to someone without scaring them away. He was a bounty hunter after all, people feared them. 

In an alleyway further into the city, he found a father and two small children. They looked dishevelled, dirty and generally not in the best state. »You there,« he addressed the adult, »I need some information. I’m looking for someone.« Before replying, the man sent the children away. His eyes were sunken and he looked malnourished. What was going on here? »Please, don’t talk to any of us,« he pleaded. Din was about to respond »I just need–« when he was interrupted by the same guard that had let him into the city. »Please come with us, the magistrate would like to see you.« 

The entrance to the hold the magistrate resided in was decorated with residents of the city in torture cages. If they moved too much, they were electrocuted. It was unpleasant to see, even for Din. Not my business, he reminded himself, despite feeling the overwhelming urge to do something about it. Their pleas were quiet, weak. How long had they been on display like this? The magistrate had a contract for him, one that by sheer luck would lead him to the Jedi he had been looking for anyway. His task was simple: Find Ahsoka Tano, kill her, and be rewarded with a spear made of pure Beskar. An offer a Mandalorian couldn’t resist, and the magistrate was aware of it. 

One thing the woman said stuck in Din’s mind on his way out of the city. 

Jedi are the ancient enemy of Mandalore. 

Maybe that was why Maia was so adamant about not being a Jedi. But then again, her persistence had begun before they had even developed any kind of relationship. The pretty brunette wasn’t his enemy, she never was. She was a friend, maybe more than that. 

Outside of the city, the dead forest greeted him again as he tracked Tano, climbing over thick roots and ducking underneath fallen trees. Grogu had awoken during the travel through the forest, gently cooing every now and then when Din had to jump over yet another obstacle. When he reached the coordinates he had been given, he looked down to the child. »This should be it. Let me have a look, stay right here.« He took Grogu out of the carrier and set him down onto a rock, clearly in sight for him. 

He looked around, making sure Grogu stayed within sight. There was nothing according to see. »Dank farrik,« he mumbled. »False alarm.« But just as he wanted to go back to Grogu, two white light sabers were swung his way, luckily stopped by his Beskar. He blocked two further swings until he could activate the tripwire in his vambrace, tying up the woman for just long enough to think of what to do. Or rather, what to say. »Ahsoka Tano!« he called her name, raising both hands to chest height to symbolize he didn’t mean to attack her. »Bo-Katan sent me,« he explained, having to block another swing until she paused. »Please, we need to talk,« he begged, her head turning to Grogu who was surprisingly calm when watching them fight. »I hope this is about him,« she said, a soft smile forming on the orange lips. The saber blades retracted. 

The sun was slowly setting while Ahsoka sat with Grogu, the two force-sensitive individuals occupied with an intense staring contest. Din knew they were communicating, just as Maia and Grogu had been doing when she still was with them. This gave Din more time to think about the words the magistrate had used as an argument for him to accept the contract. Maia wasn’t his enemy. Ahsoka didn’t seem to be, either. Was Tano perhaps also not a Jedi and rather just force-sensitive and trained in using her talents? 

He took the time to inspect the Togruta that had just ambushed him. She seemed older than Maia, although it was hard to tell how old she could be. Her skin was of a deep orange, white markings decorated her face. She was tall for a woman, the growths on her head making her easily taller than Din himself. 

The Togruta broke eye contact with Grogu once to look at the Mandalorian, possibly having felt his gaze linger on her. She turned back to Grogu a moment later. Feeling safe to approach them, Din came closer to them. Ahsoka’s presence was so different from Maia’s. It was more like being confronted with yet another armorer, a powerful woman, aware of her aura and presence instead of someone purposely making herself smaller. She took the child and came towards Din, setting Grogu down on yet another rock before she herself sat down. 

»You can communicate, right?« he asked. He had seen it before. »In a way. We can feel each other’s thoughts,« Tano replied. Din pondered whether he should tell her that he knew something, but Tano continued. »He was raised at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. About thirty years ago, during Order 66, when all Jedi were deemed enemies to the Empire and subsequently killed, he was hidden away.« »They killed all Jedi?« Ahsoka sighed and averted her face for a moment. »Not even the children were safe.« 

Maia had to be around 30, maybe a little younger. Was she only now alive because she was born a little too late? Why did the Empire kill all the Jedi but then started capturing the remaining female force-sensitive individuals to turn them into … whatever? Din sat down with Grogu and Ahsoka, the helmet stayed turned toward Tano. »His memories turn dark after that. He’s lost and alone.« She reached over and offered her finger for Grogu to hold onto. »Can he still wield the force?« she asked, not breaking eye contact with the child. Din tried to find the right words. »I’ve seen him do things I can’t otherwise explain. Heal wounds, move things with his mind.« His voice turned quiet, Ahsoka not breaking the silence. »My task was to bring him to a Jedi,« Din finally said, freeing his tongue from the knot it had formed. »Well… what about Maia?« Finally, Tano’s head turned back to him, at the same time he felt his heart sink into his pants. 

»How do you –« »Grogu told me about her,« she explained, not even allowing Din to finish his question. Of course, he was a child. He didn’t understand why Maia was suddenly gone, all he could see was that … well, Din and her had behaved oddly around each other, and now she was gone. Din swallowed hard. »She’s not a Jedi. She said she can’t do what Grogu would need.« He sent her away. She was warming up to him and also the child, and he sent her away, because all he wanted was to rip this damn helmet off of his head to kiss her again. »Where did you even find her?« Ahsoka asked, leaning back as Grogu had stopped holding onto her finger.

Din closed his eyes, thinking back to when he had first encountered her on Nevarro. »I didn’t find her. She found us, wanting to make sure Grogu was safe from the Empire.« She would have died for the little one, and Din had almost let it happen. »Such a noble task. Do you know more about her? Did she ever mention a master?« Ahsoka inquired. »I’m just asking because… force-sensitives are rare these days and the name doesn’t ring a bell. She seems young from Grogu’s memories.«��

The Mandalorian found himself in a sticky situation. He was aware that Maia had hid away for years, keeping her identity a secret to keep herself safe. Because of him, or because of Grogu, she had interfered with an Imperial remnant, and now she was back on their radar. Besides: would she appreciate an actual Jedi knowing about her, when she didn’t talk about the order in the most positive way? But then again, Tano could have killed him straight away. And how had Maia explained it? Grogu felt their intentions, and the little one was very relaxed in the Togruta’s presence. 

»She had no master. Saving Grogu was a personal matter for her, she was part of the mother-project back then,« he explained. He dreaded his decision to tell the woman as soon as the words had left his lips, but he couldn’t take them back now. »I see,« she said first, turning more towards him and leaning forward. »I’ve heard rumors, but I thought none had survived. I can see why she wouldn’t deem herself capable to train a traumatized child, she was one herself, once. It’s terrible what they did to these children and women.« 

What was he supposed to say? This was nothing he could reply much to. Maia might have cared about the empathy Tano sent her way. »We really need your help. Or… he does,« Din changed topic, nodding over to Grogu who had fallen asleep on the moss-covered rock. »Let him rest. I’ll evaluate him tomorrow.« Relief washed over him when Ahsoka said this. It wasn’t a yes, yet, but a maybe. He could work with a maybe. 

»Can I ask you something?« he hesitantly asked. Now that he had the chance, he didn’t want it to go to waste. »You just did,« she smirked. »Go ahead.« »Is it true that Jedi have to live by strict rules?« He felt his heart rate pick up. Maia had mentioned a few things about why she didn’t want to be part of the order, had it still existed. »What rules are you referring to specifically?« He took a deep breath. »No attachments, neither possessions nor relationships are allowed. As a Mandalorian, I fail to see how loyalty to someone can be seen as bad.« 

Tano leaned back and inspected the armor, trying to read his body language. »Answer me this: Would you kill for love?« There wasn’t too long of a pause before he replied »of course.« »It is the fear to lose that can be a Jedi’s downfall. Desperation brings out the worst in people, especially if paired with grief and anger. Jedi are powerful beings, and this power comes with responsibilities. Collateral damage is a lot more severe if a Jedi loses themselves.« He had seen it, how Maia had mangled that one body after she got tased. 

»I understand,« he sighed in defeat. It was right to send her away after all, but why did he struggle with his choice? Maia was missing here.

The next morning came quickly, and Ahsoka held her side of the bargain. »Let’s see what knowledge the little one possesses,« she said as Din sat him down on yet another rock covered in moss. Ahsoka found a small pebble on the ground, rolling it around in her hand for a bit before she presented it to Grogu, who was a few meters away from her. With a soft movement of the hand, she made the pebble float across the air towards Grogu, who stared in awe. Din sat off to the side. 

»Now return it to me,« she instructed the child and presented the palm of her hand. »He doesn’t understand,« Din interrupted, but Ahsoka was sure »he does.« The two force-sensitive individuals shared an intense look before Grogu let the pebble fall in defeat. With soft steps she approached him, placing her hand on Grogu’s forehead. »There’s so much fear in you.« She sighed and turned to Din, an apologetic look on her face. He dreaded having to hear that she was yet again someone who wouldn’t help him. It came differently, though, as she asked him to come over. 

»Maybe Grogu listens to you,« she guessed and handed the stone to him. And just like Ahsoka had done at first, he held the stone loosely in between index and thumb and looked over to his foundling. »Alright buddy, lift the stone.« He waited for a few seconds, but Grogu just sat there and cooed as if he didn’t understand. »See, he is stubborn,« Din huffed, causing the woman to smirk yet again. »Try to connect with him.« 

Connect, how should he? He was no Jedi. 

That’s when he remembered the little metal sphere Grogu had practically stolen from the Crest. This must’ve been the connection Tano meant, as Grogu pulled the ball out of Din’s fingers without any hesitation. Din was ecstatic, praising the child relentlessly when he went over and took the metal ball from him again. 

The euphoria ebbed when he saw the expression on Tano’s face. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, when she said »his attachment to you is strong.« She sighed deeply and shook her head. »I can’t train him.« Din, almost offended, asked. »What, why not?« »His attachment to you makes him vulnerable for his fears. It’s exactly what we talked about yesterday. I have seen what anger does to a fully trained Jedi knight. I will not start a child down the same path.« Her explanation made sense. He had seen it first hand himself, despite Maia regaining control in the last moment. »Let his abilities fade,« Ahsoka recommended. »Train him like you would a foundling, in the ways of the Mandalorians. I have to return to the village, I have unfinished business.« 

»The magistrate sent me to kill you,« Din finally confessed when Tano was on the leave, causing her to stop and turn back to him. He continued, »I didn’t agree to anything. I needed your help and I still do. I’m willing to offer my help if you help with my problem.« His wording was a little unfortunate, as the child scoffed. »If you help him get trained, or find a master.« 

Ahsoka agreed and they went back to the village, but not before Din had tucked Grogu away in the Crest, finally reunited with Maia’s shirt which he had instantly snuggled into.

The fight took all night, ending in victory as both Ahsoka and Din stood before the city gate. She handed the Beskar spear over to him, it was for the best if it was in the right hands. »I guess I should get Grogu then,« he said, the pain audible in his voice. While he had anticipated the moment, having to let go got harder, the longer it took. The way back to the Crest felt endless, his heart heavy with anticipation of having to say farewell. Grogu was peacefully sleeping in his hammock, drooling into Maia’s shirt. »Wake up buddy,« he softly awoke the child. »It’s time to say goodbye.« 

Din held Grogu for a while, feeling the shallow, tiny breaths underneath his fingers, listening to all the coos and babbles. He would miss the little one. As much as he was annoying to look after, it felt good to be there for someone. Din had really warmed up to the foundling and was now struggling to let go. Would Grogu understand why he had to give him away? Or would the child wonder why he had abandoned him. If Grogu would even remember him. 

Not wanting to postpone the inevitable further, Din exited the Crest with Grogu on his arms. To his surprise, Ahsoka waited for him just outside the ship. »He’s attached to you. I can not train him,« she stated. Din stopped in his tracks, just looked at her, and let the silence mariante for a second. »You promised. I held up my end of the agreement and helped you free the village.« Tano approached them and offered a finger for Grogu to hold onto. »There is a way,« she addressed the visor before her. »Fly to Tython. There you will find an ancient temple with a strong connection to the force. In the middle sits a stone where you can place Grogu.« »And then what?« »Then, he may choose his path. He can reach out through the force. A jedi may sense him and come searching for him. Perhaps they are willing to take him in.« 

Tython. Yet another stop in this sheer endless quest to get Grogu to safety. And yet another almost-farewell for Din. He knew it would just get worse the longer him and Grogu were together. 

Why? Why could Grogu not stay with him? Why was the child a danger to everyone if his feelings weren’t in check? Why did anyone Din had warmed up to have to leave him? 

The end of their journey was approaching. Din’s legs felt heavy when he carried Grogu back inside the Crest, sat down on the pilot’s seat and punched in the next coordinates. 

His glove brushed over the data stick Myrthol had given him after their adventure on Nevarro. He hadn’t found the time to check it yet, but the travel to Tython would take a while. What he wanted to find on there, he wasn’t sure himself. Maybe he wanted to know how much they knew about Maia. The Empire was aware of her, and possibly of him. 

Finding the data about her wasn’t too hard, considering her file had been changed fairly recently. Din hesitated. Did he want to snoop around? Maia was gone, nothing he could find on here could change the fact. But then again, if the data said the Empire had captured her, he would have to do something about it. She said the voice could have been a trap after all. 

»Grogu?« Din turned his helmet back to the child. »If we find a Jedi… you have to agree to come with them, okay? I… wish I could train you but I can’t. You’re too powerful. Don’t you want to learn that Jedi stuff?« he sighed. »You could be like Maia. Maybe you could see her again.« Did Grogu understand Din had no choice? It was like having to let Maia go. It was necessary for them all. Although, looking at the information he had found on her file, he massively regretted sending her away so cruelly. He had known something was special about her, and there he found the reason.

They arrived on Tython some time later, Din feeling the dread deep in his stomach. He found the mountain with the seeing stone, but having no other option than to land in a nearby valley. The last part of the way they flew with the jetpack, Din holding onto Grogu a little tighter than usual.  

The rock formation looked odd, spiky rocks arranged in a circle with a dome-shaped stone in the center. He couldn’t decipher the carvings on the seeing stone, but it surely looked odd. »I guess this is it. Does it look Jedi to you?« They exchanged a look. What did he expect? Of course Grogu wouldn’t reply. He sat the child down on the rock and shrugged. »And now… focus, I guess. Find a Jedi, as Ahsoka said.« 

He stared at Grogu for a bit before he heard the engine of another ship. He watched as it landed a little away from the temple. »Okay, change of plans, we have to get away from here.« When he turned back to get Grogu, the child was surrounded by a force field that he couldn't get through. The child had his eyes closed, the carvings on the stone glowed blue. Perhaps this meant he was reaching out to someone, just at the wrong time. It was getting dangerous. »I’m serious, Grogu. We better get out of here.« He looked over to the ship, watching someone exit. »Osik,« he cursed. »I’ll buy you some time.« Din walked down the mountain to seek out who was following them. His heart was pounding, fearing another bounty hunter or Imperial. 

Shots forced him to hide behind a boulder, allowing the cloaked stranger to approach him. »I’ve been tracking you for a while now, Mandalorian,« the stranger addressed him. His hood was up, his face hidden in the shadow of the dark fabric. »Are you a Jedi? Are you after the child?« Din asked. He didn’t care much any more. He wanted Grogu to finally be safe. The stranger removed his hood to reveal a middle-aged man with a scarred face. »I’m here for the armor,« he announced. »Over my dead body,« Din growled and aimed his blaster. He knew Beskar was highly sought after, but he would not give it away without a fight. »I’m not talking about your armor,« the man corrected. »I meant mine, the one you took from Cobb Vanth back on Tatooine.« 

Wait. Din knew who this armor belonged to. Boba Fett, Maia had told him. »Are you Mandalorian?« Din asked. »I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy, like my father before me.« He was evading the question, great. »Did you take the Creed?« »My allegiance belongs to no one.« Din rolled his eyes underneath the helmet. »and this armor belongs to Mandalorians. This armor was looted in the purge.« »This armor belonged to my father, and now it is mine.« 

»Who’s going to stop me from just shooting you?« Din asked. »The sharpshooter on the hill over there,« Fett smugly replied. »Will pull the trigger before my lifeless body has even hit the ground.« Din scoffed, »I’m wearing Beskar, why would I care?« »I never said you were the target.« The Mandalorian’s heart sank when he realized he meant Grogu. From a hill the line to the child would be undisturbed. 

A familiar voice came from the larger rock formation next to him. »And if you remember, I never miss.« »Fennec?« Din asked and his helmet turned to the elevated spot where the sniper sat. »You have good ears, Mando.« 

After some back and forth, they agreed to lower their weapons and approach this a little more well-mannered. Having thought Shand dead, Din asked how she was able to stand here before him. The assassin explained that she had been left for dead, but Fett had saved her life, so she owed him. This was the confirmation, this was indeed Boba Fett. 

Just as yet another ship approached, Fett had offered his support in taking care of the child in exchange for the armor. There was no time to disagree with Fett any further, as the transporter that had landed next to the Crest was Imperial. Practically stumbling up the mountain, Din got to Grogu as fast as he could, but still the force field was up. The glow was brighter now and it felt like the force field had become stronger. »Grogu we need to go!« Din urged the child, who was too focused to even hear him. He tried yet again to get through the force field, ending in him being thrown back and losing consciousness for a bit. 

When the second transporter landed, Din came to and decided he needed to get down there. »Stay here, I will protect you. I’ll be back soon.« Shand and Fett had fended off the Stormtroopers while Djarin was unconscious. The bounty hunter had put on his armor, and Din could see how a teenage Maia would have been intimidated by Fett. Seeing him fight in the armor was definitely a sight to behold. 

Realizing they were no match to the three, the remaining Stormtroopers boarded the transporters to flee, only to be shot from the sky with one single jetpack rocket. Victory tasted so sweet, but the celebration was cut short when a shot from orbit suddenly hit the Crest, tearing the ship to shreds. 

All was gone in the blink of an eye. 

His weapons, his gear, the little trinkets he had collected on his missions. His home was in ruins. The tech in his helmet scanned the sky and showed a large ship in orbit, causing Djarin to run back to the temple. 

On his way back to the child, 4 Darktroopers deployed from the ship and surrounded Grogu, who at this point had fallen unconscious, causing the force field to drop. Just as Din and Fennec reached the mountain top, the droids left with Grogu. Fett followed them with his ship, offering to shoot them down, but Din vehemently declined. It would hurt Grogu, so they let the Troopers reach the ship. 

»They’re back,« Fett said in disbelief. »Who is?« Fennec asked him. »The Empire. I can see their cruiser up there. I’m coming back to you.« And while Fett landed his ship, Din stood in the wreckage of his beloved Crest. Everything was gone, destroyed, burnt, nonfunctional. The only two items he could salvage were the Beskar spear and the little metal ball Grogu had fallen in love with.

There he stood, with nothing left to his name apart from his armor, the spear, and a massively broken heart. Din had lost it all. His child, his home and therefore all means to get said child back. But there was a shimmer of hope: Despite the differences in the beginning, Fett swore to help Djarin get Grogu back, whatever it took. Their deal had been the safety of the child for the armor. Djarin had kept his end of the deal, Fett could keep his father's armor. 

Din was sure he would need help to get Grogu back from this cruiser, which no doubt belonged to Gideon. 

While on Fett’s ship and on the way off of Tython, Din retreated from the cockpit. He needed some time to himself, to process what had just happened. With the metal ball in his hand, he sat there, wondering how he could have failed so drastically. Of all things, he wondered if he could have prevented this from happening. Perhaps things would have ended up differently, had Maia stayed. 

If you realize that you need me, I won’t be far away, I promise. As long as my heart beats, you and Grogu won’t be alone in this galaxy. 

Din closed his eyes underneath the helmet and focused. Focused on Maia, in the desperate hope she could somehow hear him. He rolled the metal ball in his hand, trying to feel for anything changing, any sign she was with him. »Maia?« his voice was shaky, but he felt something. A warmth in his chest and an undeniable presence beside him. »I failed. I lost him,« he confessed and closed his fist around the ball until he felt his muscles strain. Admitting defeat stung, and his breathing betrayed him. 

It was as if he felt a weight being placed on his shoulder, like a hand that tried to reassure him. His shoulder twitched, feeling the weight more clearly for a moment. She was here, somehow. »We found and old stone that was supposed to guide a Jedi to us,« he explained in the seemingly empty room, »but the Empire found us before that. Now Gideon has him. I couldn’t keep him safe.« He felt the burn in his eyes, certain a tear would soon run down his face. His breathing became labored, as if something was crushing his chest. He exhaled sharply, legging his helmet fall forward into his hands. The metal ball clinked against the Beskar. 

»I hope you’re more successful than I am, that you found who was looking for you, because right now it feels like I have lost everything. Grogu, my ship, you. I –« He hesitated. The regret he felt for sending her away only grew with every passing day, and now he blamed himself for letting all of this happen. Had she stayed with him, things might have looked a little better. »I miss you.« A sob shook his whole body and he felt the weight on his shoulder vanish, as if she had let go. He missed her, admitting it felt good, especially now that he was sure she had heard it… somehow.

»Part of me wants to ask you to come back, but I fear I will ultimately cause you harm. The Empire is too close, and they are aware you are alive because of me. Despite that, part of me wants you back here.« Feeling this weak felt awful, but he knew Maia would never judge him for it. Maybe she was the only person who could understand him. »I found out something about you,« he said more softly. The feeling of her presence had left, however. His helmet raised once again and he looked around. Din was alone, as expected, and the warmth had left. Maybe he had imagined her after all. 

Their first stop to gather supplies and help to get Grogu back was Nevarro. Although Marshal Dune was now part of the New Republic and first refused to help Din get Mayfeld, 4 words were enough to change her mind. 

»I lost the child.«

Why Mayfeld exactly? Well. He was Imperial once and knew the in’s and out’s. As he would tell them upon his liberation, he needed access to  an internal terminal, meaning they had to infiltrate yet another base. There just happened to be one on Morak, an old refinery. 

The plan sounded so simple. Get in, find a terminal, locate Gideon’s cruiser and out they were. Mayfeld and Din had to do this alone, as any other of his allies were either wanted or familiars to the Empire. Never had Din anticipated having to change out of his armor into a different set of armor. In general, the involuntary road trip with Mayfeld to the base, him blabbering on and on about breaking rules when things got messy, had Din think about a few things. 

Things he had to think about later, as pirates tried to blow up their vehicle. Having to fight without his armor was a new experience for Din, and surprisingly, he was a lot stronger with less weight on him. Getting hit hurt more, but he was faster like this.

They made it in and just before Mayfeld reached the terminal, someone of his past was in the way, an old superior Mayfeld had served under, who might recognize the human. They were out of options, the ex-Imperial said. If Din wanted to operate the terminal, he’d have to have his face scanned. With some hesitation, the Mandalorian decided this was his breaking point. 

‘Thanks to the sacrifice of someone who loved me. I don’t want to believe that love is wrong when it saved my life.’ 

She might have talked about something entirely different back then, but Maia’s words echoed in his mind when he removed the helmet. Grogu was worth breaking the rules. He was a foundling, after all; His foundling. What Mandalorian would blame him for doing anything ensure the safety of a child? 

After gaining the location, Din looked for allies to join on his quest. Even Bo-Katan and Koska were in it, albeit for Gideon’s cruiser and also a mysterious weapon he allegedly had. To gain entrance, they kidnapped Dr. Pershing, whom Din had a personal issue with for all that he had done to Grogu. While he was glad to hear the foundling was still alive, it only fueled his drive to make it to Gideon as soon as possible.

They made it onto the ship, but as it would turn out, this was where the fun only began.  

[cilil]

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞 | 𝐍𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞

𓄌 Characters/pairings: Gothmog x Eönwë (Firebird) 𓄌 Synopsis: Gothmog has been looking for an opportunity to meet a certain Maia again. Eönwë is hoping to become the target of a fierce hunter. 𓄌 Warnings: Smut, rimming, Eönwë is weird, Gothmog is a Balrog so it's monsterfucking 𓄌 Oneshot (~1.4k words) | AO3

"There you are, my pretty." 

Wide blue eyes met glowing orange when Gothmog stepped out of the shadows where had kept himself hidden.

"You are one of the Dark One's Maiar," Eönwë whispered as if the mere mention of Melkor was sinful, the plumage on his wings fluffing up defensively. "You shouldn't be here."

"I am," Gothmog said nonchalantly and walked closer. "Are you afraid?" 

He was curious more than anything. The object of his desire was a warrior like himself, of that he was certain and his lord believed it too, but the other Maia's fána was tense and anxiety written all over his face. 

"I can defend myself if it comes to... that," Eönwë said. Eyes narrowed, he surveyed the fire spirit in front of him. "You seem familiar." 

Gothmog chuckled. "Aye. We have met before, bird."

"Where? I don't–" 

"Have you truly forgotten? You wound me." 

Eönwë blinked. His brow furrowed as he searched his memory, until finally realisation struck. 

"Did you... were you the one who took me when I was caught by the Dark One's snowstorm?" 

"Yes." Seeing his uncertainty, Gothmog held up his hands. "I swear I didn't hurt you. I only brought you home." 

"You... were the one who..." Eönwë appeared to be lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Well. And now?" 

"I, uh... just wanted to see you again?" Gothmog shifted on his clawed feet. 

"Not claim me?" Maybe he was imagining things, but for a moment Eönwë seemed almost disappointed.

"Claim you? Why?" 

"You have horns." He pointed at the magnificent pair sprouting from Gothmog's forehead. 

"Yes? I always do." 

"Oh." Slowly, Eönwë folded his wings. "Well, the Feast of Horns is currently taking place again, so I thought..." 

Gothmog didn't know too much about the customs of Almaren's Maiar and shrugged his shoulders. "My lord just told me it was a good opportunity because many of you would be out and about." 

He eyed the dejected-looking herald who politely nodded along. 

"Did you want me to? Claim you, I mean?" 

Eönwë's feathers immediately went up again, this time accompanied by a bright red blush.

"Would you enjoy that?" Gothmog continued to press, stepping closer. He was in range to smell the other Maia now and tried his best to hide the fact that he was greedily inhaling his scent. It was subtle, especially in an environment where plants and animals were abundant, but he caught it without fail, having familiarised himself with it when he had last held the herald in his arms. 

"Maybe?" Eönwë looked around sheepishly as if he was convinced that one of the Valar would jump out of the bushes to scold him for fraternising with an enemy. Still, there was undeniable excitement slowly seeping into his demeanour. 

Taking this as an invitation, Gothmog reached out to pet his head. The pale blonde locks were just as soft as they looked, as were the feathers on his ears that made them look like tiny wings attached to his head. 

Eönwë leaned into his touch for a moment, lowering his head in the manner of birds wanting their neck feathers preened, but then recoiled suddenly. "No." 

Gothmog withdrew his hand. "No?" 

Regret was written all over Eönwë's face immediately. 

"No, I meant... just not like this." 

"What do you mean then?"

He bit his bottom lip. "More... forcefully."

Gothmog frowned. "Isn't that forbidden on Almaren?" 

"Well, yes, but... you wouldn't care about that, would you?" 

"You speak in riddles, bird. And while you are pretty and I meant what I said about seeing you again, I won't be walking into any traps or let myself be ridiculed." 

Eönwë vigorously shook his head. "No, that... no, not at all. I swear it. I merely thought..." 

He seemed to be fighting with himself for a few moments longer before he answered. "I just want it like that, you know? Passionate, violent. But the others won't even hunt me properly. No one has come for me yet..." 

His shoulders visibly stiffened. "And I thought maybe you would be interested." 

"So you just want someone to be rough with you," Gothmog concluded. 

"Yes."

He reached out again, and the other Maia didn't protest. This time he seized a fistful of his hair and pulled on it, dragging him closer. 

Eönwë let out a small moan. 

"Like that?" Gothmog asked. 

"Yes. Exactly like that." 

It was all the encouragement he needed to throw the herald to the ground and pounce on him. Eönwë was struggling and frantically flapping his wings like a bird caught in the jaws of a predator, and it felt great to overpower him and hold him down with his mightier fána. Gothmog bit his shoulder for good measure, his fangs leaving deep marks. 

"Still enjoying yourself, bird?" 

"Yes, please go on." 

"As you wish." 

A chaotic coupling in the woods of Oromë wasn't quite what Gothmog had envisioned for this encounter, but he considered himself lucky. He had anticipated a more hostile and cautious reaction from Eönwë, certainly not to be asked to pretend to prey on him. 

And he would make the most out of it. 

Once he had successfully pinned his catch to the ground, he tore off his garments with his teeth. Eönwë watched him with a strange sort of tranquillity, dazed and intrigued by the display of monstrous ferocity, and it was a lovely sight. He was so sweet in Gothmog's eyes that he briefly considered eating him after all, but then he had a better idea. 

"Will you take me now, Hunter?" Eönwë asked demurely when the fire spirit rested his large head against his lower body, curiously nosing his hardening cock. 

"Better yet, you shall become a most delicious meal," Gothmog chuckled.

Not waiting for further questions, he placed Eönwë's legs on his broad shoulders, careful not to injure him with the sharp edges of the crystals growing on him, and dug his claws into the pliant flesh of his ass to reveal the tiny, twitching hole between his cheeks. 

He'll need some practice anyway if he ever wants to take a cock inside that, he thought and leaned forward to begin licking it. 

Eönwë's reaction was both immediate and intense. His heels dug into Gothmog's shoulders, his muscles tensed and trembled, and sounds so wonderfully obscene he hadn't thought them possible escaped his throat. 

"Yes, please, right there..." 

Only he would say please while getting eaten out by an Úmaia in a forest, Gothmog thought to himself, feeling a strange fondness budding and blooming in his chest. What a precious little bird he had caught himself, so different from the heroic persona crafted for the public eye. There was something intimate about seeing him like this. 

Even when presenting himself in such a lewd manner, Eönwë was so enticingly pure. The way he reacted to being touched this way made Gothmog wonder if it was his first time letting another enjoy his fána. His flesh tasted like fresh rain and smelled like a summer breeze, full of life, warmth and beauty, and every inch of it was as clean as if he had just returned from a thorough bath. 

Slowly but steadily, he worked his tongue inside. Eönwë was tight and despite his best efforts not quick to yield, yet Gothmog remained patient. His work was, however, brought to an early end when he felt muscles tense and was greeted with the sight of pearly white seed staining a heaving torso. 

Patting Eönwë's thigh, he withdrew and removed his legs from his shoulders. The prospect of fucking that tight little hole right then and there was tempting, but Gothmog decided to hold back. He had given his favourite bird a taste of bliss, just as he himself had tasted it, and hoped to have roused his curiosity enough that they could meet again in the future. 

Eönwë had turned his head to the side and hidden it underneath one wing, still panting heavily. 

"I am ready," he declared. 

"Not today, bird," Gothmog said. "Your hunter has had his meal and may in time return for another, should you wish it." 

"Y-yes... that would be nice." Eönwë wrapped his other wing around himself as well to complete a protective cocoon of sorts, shame hitting him hard now that his lust died down. 

Gothmog ruffled his feathers affectionately. "You're very pretty, and I don't mind you being a freak, if that is your concern."

"I am not–"

"Sure thing, bird.”

Thanks for reading! ♡

taglist: @angbangbaby @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @blauerregen @bluezenzennie @edensrose @elanna-elrondiel @eunoiaastralwings @i-did-not-mean-to @just-little-human @saintstars @singleteapot @urwendii @wandererindreams

[i-did-not-mean-to]

S&D Drabbles

Let's start with the actual drabbles.

(Yes, there will be 4 posts...I am endlessly sorry...)

For @sortumavaara

🐙 Fire Touch - Smith - G

🐙 Beloved companion - Seasponge - T

🐙 Tag, you're it - Anairë & Nerdanel - T

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @maglor-my-beloved

🐙 Hush now, don't say a word... - Fëanor/Nerdanel/Rúmil - T

🐙 Her feet never touch the ground... - Celegorm/Lúthien - T

🐙 A good time - Gil-Galad - M

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For Lferion

🐙 Stubborn light, immortal hope - Nerdanel & sons - G

🐙 A new star on the horizon - Finarfin & Indis - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @goschatewabn

🐙The best boy - Celegorm & Huan - G

🐙 A stable relationship - Rochallor & Asfaloth - G

🐙 Spill the tea... - Fëanor & Indis - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @kayleearafinwiel

🐙Uin's Delivery Service - Uin - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @scyllas-revenge

🐙 Fly you fools - Éomer & winged horses - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @welcomingdisaster

🐙 Motherhood - Indis/Míriel -G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @thedaughterofshadows

🐙 B-Art - Aulë & Mahtan - G

🐙 I know you... - Irmo & Námo - G

🐙 Would you be proud? - Maeglin & Rog - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @mulasawala

🐙 Very small heroes - Bagginshield - G

🐙 Shared Warmth - Bagginshield - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @maglorslostsilmaril

🐙 The things we do for love... - Erestor & Children of Elrond - G

🐙 Sanctuary - Tar-Ancalimê - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @mirkwood-hr-department

🐙 A brief glimpse - Fox - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For Anne Wolfe

🐙 Sunset - Gildor - G

🐙 I've got your nose - Amrod & Amras - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @searchingforserendipity25

🐙 Regrets - Daeron/Lúthien - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @elanna-elrondiel

🐙 In vino veritas? - Huan & Celegorm & Aredhel - G

🐙 Let me go - Aredhel/Eöl - T

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @ridiculoussquid

🐙 Leap of faith - Ori - G

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @cclumsyart

🐙 Forget me not - Melkor & Nienna - T

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @ruiniel

🐙 Forget... - Glaurung & Niennor - M

🐙 Freedames - Míriel/Indis - T

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @solmarillion

🐙 If I could hold you one more time - Daeron/Maglor - T

🐙 Wet - Silvergifting - M

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @niasfanspace

🐙 The world wide web - Ungoliant - T

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @the-red-butterfly

🐙 My last breath is for you - Oropher & Thranduil - T

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For @the-girl-with-the-algebra-book

🐙The Fallen Maia - Balrog - M

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

For Ibissal

🐙 Harvest Moon - Celebrimbor/Narvi- M

Please keep in mind that I might have tagged the rating completely incorrectly. Heed the tags on every fic

@fall-for-tolkien

[drjohndisco]

First Meeting

Pairing: n/a

Warnings: swearing, and drinking of blood (from a bag, not a person).

Summary: Simon returns something and gains a friend.

Word Count: 918 words

[Notes] 1) Y'all this took me 2 years to finish (no, i'm not exaggerating), and I am so glad that I am happy with it!!! Also, there is no canon continuity/vampire lore consistency here, really, as I haven't watched sh.adowhu.nters in literal years. 2) This is written from Simon's point of view.

‘Huh.’ they said, after opening the door. They were wearing the same outfit that they had been at the bar (when they’d first spoken to me after I’d woken up from a nap) - it was a long blue skirt paired with an oversized black shirt, with dark blue sneakers. Clearly there was a theme going on. I was holding the hoodie they’d left there in my hands.

‘Don’t get many vampires around here.’

‘Why do you scare them, or something?’ I teased.

‘Yeah, I know, I’m a regular Van Helsing.’ they said.

'...What?'

'It's a Dracula reference. Y'know Abraham Van Helsing? The frowny doctor with an annoying penchant for confusing metaphors?’

I shook my head. I'd actually only seen the 2004 Hugh Jackman movie, but that was not a fact I wanted to admit right now.

‘You’re biting your tongue. Is there something wrong?’

I blinked slowly. ‘No, no, nothing’s wrong!’

(Expert deflection, Simon. Well done.)

‘I just, uh, can’t enter your house.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ they apologised. ‘Please, do come in.’

So, I stepped past them, with hoodie in my hands and they shut the door behind me.

(5 minutes later)

I was on the couch now, and they were standing in the kitchen, by the fridge with the door open. They then reached in and grabbed a bag of blood, before throwing it at me. I caught it, and paused.

‘Can I….?’ I asked. ‘Sorry, I’m still not quite in control of my teeth yet. I don’t want to wreck your carpet.’

They shut the fridge door and nodded. ‘Just clean it up if you make a mess.’

So, I quietly pierced the bag with my fangs, barely avoiding spraying the fluffy couch cushions. Then I began to drink.

‘You want a straw?’ 

‘Wh-what?’ I asked, then immediately regretted it - as my mouth was now covered in blood and the bag was now on the floor.

(Oh, I hope I don’t have it in my hair.)

They laughed, and covered their mouth with a hand in embarrassment. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you.’ They apologised. ‘I’ll just chuck you napkins to clean it up with, yeah?’

All I could do was nod. So, they grabbed a handful and threw them at me. The napkins hit my head and bounced off onto the floor. 

‘Ow.’ I mumbled before sighing and sitting next to the stain, dejectedly. They then exited the kitchen and stood next to me looking down.

‘Do you want me to…?’ I motioned at the floor.

‘I’ll do it later, and yes that was a contradiction. I’m fickle like that. Mind if I sit down?’

‘Feel free.’ I replied, slumping my head back onto the couch cushion I’d been leaning against. So they sat down next to me and pulled their legs onto the cushions. 

‘You have a nice apartment, how are you able to afford it?’

‘Maia and I split the rent.’

‘Oh! Are you two….?’

‘No, I mean, we were, but not now.’

‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.’ I said, scratching the back of my head awkwardly.

‘No, it’s fine. It doesn’t affect things. Do you want a tour?’

‘Sure.’

So, they grabbed my hand and helped me stand up. Bloodstains be damned.

(Up on the roof - 15 minutes later)

The tour didn’t take long, and soon, I found myself standing next to them (under an umbrella, of course) in front of the pool.

‘Nice view.’ I remarked, looking past them as they took their shoes and socks off and rolled up their skirt before letting their arms dangle into the pool, fingers grazing the water. Then, I processed what I’d just seen and looked at them again.

‘Wait. What are you doing?’

‘Just watch.’

Then, their feet were in the pool, and in place of their legs was a dark blue mermaid tail.

‘Why are you doing this now?’

‘I have to, otherwise it’ll take more concentration when I want to do it next. I don’t like having to think about the simple things.’

They then rolled onto her side and then back over, to position themselves on top of the towel that was resting on the cold tiles. They looked up at me, covering their eyes from the sun.

(Wow. Their eyes shine so brightly in this light. I wonder if they know how pretty they are.)

‘Why were you at the bar the other night?’ I asked.

‘I have too much time on my hands, so I figured I’d get to know the people around me better.’ 

Subsequently a thought dawned on me.

‘Y’know what?’

‘No. What?’

‘I’ve been through your entire apartment, drunk from your blood stash, and you’ve even shown me your tail-’

They laughed again.

‘Sorry, it’s just, your wording could have been better…’ They waved their hands around in a circle in the air. ‘Please, continue. What was your point?’

(Hope they don’t see that I’m blushing.)

‘..I don’t think I know your name.’

‘Oh! It’s Basil.’ They reached her hand up from where they’d been resting it. I took it and shook it firmly.

‘Simon. Simon Lewis.’

‘That sounds like a shitty line from a James Bond film.’ They stated.

‘I have been told that before….’

‘Well, whomever told you that was probably right.’

‘I think I’d never hear the end of it, if he knew that someone had said that.’

‘So, we’ll just keep this between us?’

‘Sure. A secret between friends.’

‘Okay then, Simon. A secret between friends it is.’

[raointean]

Day 3 - LGBTQIA+

[Context for non-Silm fans: Melian is a Maia (the same species as Gandalf, Sauron, the Balrog, etc. Basically an angel or minor god). She is the only Maia known to have had children and she is the great-great grandmother of Elrond and Elros. Elros is the ancestor of all Numenorean nobility (such as Elendil, Isildur, Tar-Miriel, and Pharazon) which means that they have her blood as well. (I promise it’s relevant!)]

"I'm going west." Elendil looked up from where he was arranging the next month's deployments. 

Anárion was standing in the doorway of his study, a bag slung over his shoulder. Elendil only raised an eyebrow. They'd had this discussion several times before, if much more frequently since Anárion had turned eighteen; he knew what his father’s answer would be. 

"No." He went back to his papers. 

Anárion scoffed. "I am not asking, Father. I am going to the western side of Númenor to seek out The Faithful and the shrines of Melian whether you allow it or no."

Elendil sighed and set down his quill. It seemed they were going to have this argument again. “I have told you half a million times; there is nothing for us on our western shores. The old ways are dead, let them lie.”

“They are not dead,” Anárion hissed. “I have heard Her voice in my dreams since I was a child! I hear it in the waking world every time I go near those shores. She is calling to me, Father, and I cannot continue to ignore her!”

“There are no voices there, only ghosts,” Elendil snapped. Anárion had strayed too near the truth. In his own childhood, Melian’s voice had been an ever-present guardian on the wind but, since moving to Armenelos, he had learned that it was unwise to mention any Maia, even his own ancestor. Every child that heard rumor of disembodied voices in the West was brushed aside with tales of ghosts. Elendil had told his own children the truth, but he regretted it now.

“I do not hear ghosts,” Anárion shot back, his voice laced with vitriol. “That may be what everyone else in this city believes, but you yourself told me the truth! That Melian can still speak to the descendants of the Tar-Minyatur through her shrines and She calls them in dreams. You told me that you have heard Her too!”

Elendil stood up with a start. He stalked over to his son and said in a low voice, “No. As far as you or I or anyone else is concerned, Melian does not exist. The Faithful are either overly religious simpletons or terrorists. We are loyal kingsmen untroubled by the phantom voices of the west. You must hide, just as the rest of us do, to keep yourself safe.”

“But-”

“No,” Elendil interrupted. Anárion clearly did not understand the peril he put himself under by being so blatant about his political beliefs. “If you even so much as speak kindly about The Faithful, you will be outcast from society.” His eyes softened. “I just want the best life possible for you, son.”

Anárion growled in frustration. “I don’t care! I don’t care about being safe, I don’t care about society, and I don’t care about an easy life! I care about what is right! The Faithful are right, so I must join them!”

With that, Anárion turned and stormed out of the study. A moment later, after his shock had worn off, Elendil followed. He reached Anárion in the front hall and pulled him back with a heavy hand upon his shoulder.

Anárion stopped but did not turn to face his father. That was alright, so long as he was listening. “What kind of example do you think you’re setting for your sister?”

It was a desperate last attempt and both of them knew it. Without turning, Anárion answered, “A good one I hope.”

He shrugged off his father’s hand and strode to the door. He placed his hand on the handle, but stopped and looked back without opening the door. “Please, do not think less of me, Father. I am only doing what I judge to be right. I know that, deep in your heart, you know it to be right also. I just pray that you’ll have the courage to admit it someday.”

And with that, Anárion turned and walked out into the darkening evening, leaving his family and his old life behind.

A/N: I kinda struggled with this prompt because I don’t really hc any of the characters as queer, so I went with something more allegorical instead. A lot of Elendil’s lines are straight from my mother’s mouth lol

@ringsofpowervalentinesweek

[writingbylee]

For Lyanna! 4, 17, and 24 👀?

thank you for these Maia!!! (i’m sorry this is such a late answer) also don’t worry, i saw your other ask 😉

i think a lot of these answers are going to depend on which AU i’m talking about, so i’m going to answer these for the canon AU and the western AU separately. let me know if you want to hear about any of the other AUs!!

5. What's their moral compass like?

in the canon au, i would probably put Lyanna between Lawful Good and Neutral Good. she believes in honor and always keeping your word, but she also knows that sometimes maintaining personal honor requires breaking a few laws.

in the western au, i would definitely put Lyanna in Lawful Neutral, bordering Lawful Evil probably. Lyanna follows her own personal code in the western AU, and isn’t against hurting others to get what she wants.

17. What little regrets do they have?

in the canon au, Lyanna is full of regrets. she regrets not staying in the North when her father left. she regrets killing Theon, even if it was the right thing to do. she regrets leaving Robb to face the Freys alone. she regrets leaving her sisters to fend for themselves in King’s Landing.

in the western au, Lyanna has had to learn to set aside regret, mostly out of self preservation. in the western au, Lyanna runs away from home and abandons her family. it’s something she feels like she needed to do, and she will still back it up and say it was the right decision— but there will always be a small part of her that wonders what if.

24. Do they like maiming?

canon au Lyanna does not like maiming at all. she is much more a fan of a quick clean death. she recognizes that there might be some merit to maiming as a form of punishment, but she has never used it and hopes she’ll never have to.

western au Lyanna has a complicated relationship with maiming. she still prefers a quick clean death, but isn’t opposed to the idea of holding off on a death until the right moment. she has maiming before, to send a message or to serve as a reminder, but she wouldn’t maim without a reason.

list these questions came from

see more about Lyanna over on @princess-lyanna-stark !

[solarisrasa]

All I Could Bring Myself to Want is You pt 9

A Malec fic canon divergent from the moment Alec hands the Family Ring back to Maryse Lightwood.

Read it here on Ao3

Discussion of death below

Part eight

“He left last night to visit Maia, when he didn’t come back I figured they were having a movie night or something. I called her as soon as I got your message but she said Simon left around midnight. If someone grabbed him it had to have been between Taki’s and the Institute.” Izzy was leaned forward, hands dancing over the map illuminated on the war table they were gathered around.

“I cannot believe someone grabbed Simon.” Jace huffed, “Again.”

“We really have to clarify to our enemies what a vacation is.” Magnus added.

Alec just blew out a breath. Just a few hours had passed since they’re breakfast had been interrupted and he was not pleased to be back in the Institute. It didn’t help that passing shadowhunters kept staring over at them and whispering. He’d heard Magnus’ name enough times to understand what had them so agitated.

“I notified Jia of the situation. Based on the fire message I would guess that this was orchestrated by someone in Alicante, we don’t have authority there. She cleared us for operations within the city if it comes to that. I would guess that whoever is holding Simon is probably regretting it about now.” Alec glanced around the table as he spoke.

“If he’s conscious.” Jace said with a touch of a smile, ignoring the glare Izzy sent his way. They all could feel the tension in the air. Simon was family, strong enough on his own now, but still one of theirs.

“Patrols are on alert, Maia has the pack out looking, but without a starting place there’s nothing for us to do…” Izzy tapped the map again, enlarging the section around Taki’s. Alec watched her examine the map, like the layout of roads could give her answers.

“Underhill even pulled the mundane security cameras in the area, but there’s just...nothing.” Izzy zoomed out again and Alec reached for her hand, squeezing her fingers in his.

“We can try tracking him again.” Jace offered, already reaching for Alec to parabatai track, when Izzy nodded.

“Wait.” Magnus said slowly. Alec knew that tone, he was thinking about something that might help.

“Jace, you and Simon have a blood connection. If I can tap into that I might be able to track him through it, it’s not something that is typically warded against and most deflection runes aren’t-” Magnus hesitated but Alec could see what he meant, so could Jace who nodded and switched gears.

“What do you need from me?”

“Nothing dramatic, just a little blood.” Magnus moved quickly so Jace, mouth open, didn’t have time to protest. He flicked one of his fingers, a sharp fingered ring sliced over Jace’s wrist and red welled up. Alec just shrugged at the affronted look Jace tossed him, he could feel how worried Jace was for Simon, his little show didn’t affect Alec.

“Magnus-”

“Hush.” Magnus slid his fingers through Jace’s blood, blue magic blooming around the red as his eyes closed. He hummed and Alec swallowed. He was beautiful, dressed in black and gold with his fingers dipped in red. He was like a painting, frozen as he worked to find their missing daylighter.

The flame of his magic vanished and he opened his eyes, brown flickering over gold faster than most might catch and stealing a little of Alec’s breath.

“You were right to contact Jia. He’s in Alicante. I can get a better sense of exact location if I can get closer.”

“By the angel, Magnus! How did you track him over that much distance?” Izzy asked, her eyes wide with surprise and no small amount of hope.

Magnus just smiled at her and spun his fingers around, “A good magician never tells.”

“I’ll let Jia know we’re coming. Gear up.” Alec pulled Jace’s arm toward him, running his stele over his Iratze and watching the small cut close up.

“Magnus?”

“With you, darling.”

Alec nodded and separated from his siblings to call Jia, Magnus pacing at his side as he headed for Izzy’s office.

Magnus snapped a silencing spell on the door as Alec pulled Izzy’s tablet toward him across the desk, opening up a line to the Consul’s office with his newly acquired access codes.

“Mr. Lightwood.” Magnus stepped up beside him and Alec leaned into the arm he wrapped around his waist, “Mr. Bane.”

Jia looked tired, her tablet obviously to one side of her, her other hand stopped over a page with a pen in hand. They had clearly interrupted her but she’d accepted the call so Alec wouldn’t apologize.

“Consul Penhallow. We’ve managed to track Simon Lewis’ location. He is in Alicante, I am leading a small retrieval into the city, requesting that Magnus be given access so we can continue to track Simon.”

Jia looked between them and Alec was struck with the realization that this was the first time in almost a year that Jia was actually seeing either of them. No doubt she’d noticed the runes on his cheeks but she could also see that he and Magnus were once again a united front.

“Granted. You realize, of course, that you might have to arrest some...higher standing members of the clave?”

Alec tried not to roll his eyes, “I am prepared for that outcome. I know, Consul, that my appointment was hardly a popular one. I also know that anyone who would use family to threaten me is not deserving of their standing, regardless of their political opinions. I fully intend to bring them in and see that justice is served for their crimes.”

Jia took a slow breath, her jaw flexing, “Very well. I would normally advise against such an upset so soon after your appointment, but, Inquisitor, I assume that you have plenty of plans to ‘rock-the-boat’ as it were. At the very least, you’re starting off with a clear line for the other’s to toe.”

Alec nodded, “I admit it’s less subtle than I’d like, but it is more than time for the Clave to leave archaic lawmaking behind and those who would allow this impasse to slide with no more than a slap on the wrist should know, I intend to make changes, when I am officially sworn in, still in a month. Get on the right side or face the consequences.”

He watched the way her lips pressed tighter at the reminder, he was doing this because he was personally involved but he was still not taking the post until his allotted time was over. He would not give up the time he needed with Magnus to give them both a solid foundation. There was a message that needed sending with this threat, but after he fully intended to take Magnus up on the offer to portal anywhere they wanted and just  be.  

“And you Mr.Bane? I have yet to hear anything in response to the position I offer you.”

Magnus smiled at her, his cool politically smile, “Apologies, my intended reply was rather...disrupted by this morning’s events. I am, of course, glad to accept the position of High Warlock. I will need time to settle my affairs here in New York, say, about a month?”

Jia’s hand that was still holding a pen twitched, giving her away. She had clearly hoped that if Magnus accepted the position she could at least get Alec to Alicante sooner.

“Of course. I will send details your way, after the issue at hand is resolved. I will clear Mr. Bane for entry into the city immediately. Good Hunting, Mr. Lightwood.”

Alec inclined his head as she cut the call and leaned into Magnus’ side for another moment.

“Well, I know I’ve seen it before, but you are a shark Alexander.” Magnus said, sounding proud. Alec offered him a small smile.

“I was actually trained for politics, you remember?”

Magnus pressed a kiss to his shoulder, “I do. Let’s go get Simon back so Izzy stops looking so frantic.”

Alec raised an eyebrow, his sister had only gotten better at hiding her feelings since she took over the Institute.

“Please. I may have been away a while, but I could write a book on Lightwood tells. She can’t stop messing with the damn map and her eyeliner is wider than usual, probably because she was shaky this morning.” Magnus touched Alec’s chin.

“You and Jace aren’t any better, you’re just trying to play cool for her. Now, if anyone’s harmed the irritating vampire, I can promise them pain beyond imagining, and that they will survive it for you to arrest them.”

Alec couldn’t, and didn’t want to, help but kiss Magnus. Just once and just a soft brush of the lips, but still.

“Let’s go.”

-

Alicante. The demon towers standing as darkened monoliths all around him, Nephilim moving about cobblestone streets, their crisp dress made stranger for the complete lack of technology. The gas lamp posts weren’t just for show here.

Magnus spared a moment to wonder what his companions thought of the lack of response the demon towers showed. Usually even one demon-blooded being, like himself, was enough to send a low level alarm out but there was no reaction. Izzy and Jace hadn’t even blinked when he’d opened a portal directly at the edge of the city and walked right through the wards. Alec had winked at him.

“Alright, let’s-” Alec tapped his arm where his stealth rune was and the others nodded. Magnus waited patiently, he’d already wrapped a glamour around himself that would function like the stealth rune and had the bonus of making him appear like a Nephilim himself, should anyone break through the stealth barrier.

“Okay. Magnus, can you get a better read on Simon?” Izzy sounded strained and he could see her clenching and unclenching her fingers, desperate to move.

Magnus wordlessly held out his hand to Jace who rolled his eyes, pushed his sleeve up, and gave Magnus his arm. He only pricked him this time, needing less blood for the trace since they were so close. He tapped the tip of his pinky to the red droplet that rose, allowing his magic to follow the thread of it into the aether, seeking Simon.

He inhaled as he settled back into himself, the extra awareness of a tracking spell fading. He opened his eyes and found himself looking directly at Alexander who was watching him, hazel eyes sparkling. Magnus blinked, he needed to focus.

“I’ve got him.”

“Lead on.” Jace made a gesture and Magnus spun on his heel, weaving them through the narrow side streets of the Nephilim city. He couldn’t help but look around as they went, shops denoted by a mixture of latin signage and runes, a blend of languages spoken in the street, though most prevalent were English and Latin.  

It struck him, as they shuffled out of the way of a woman and small child that here really were the Nephilim. The angel-blooded beings, yes, but not the Shadowhunters. So many were not warriors, just people going about their lives, tucked away from the modern world in this place. For a moment Magnus felt immeasurably sad.

Too live detached from others, separated by culture, tradition, and literal magic and raising children who, if you were not an active Shadowhunter, you were likely to outlive. Alexander’s hand brushed his and he shook himself, now was not the time.

He hurried through another open thoroughfare and into a small alley. A narrow doorway opened into it from a dark house and he nodded at it, “Here.”

Jace whistled even as Alexander’s expression darkened and Izzy gasped, “The Bleakfallow’s?”

“They were strong supporters of Malachi, but not directly implicit in the Circle.” Alexander explained, “They are also a strong voice on the council.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, “Unfortunate for them.”

He clicked his fingers and their door swung open, the warding around the house folding like paper under his powers. He held out a hand, “People with swords first, I think.”

Izzy snapped her staff out and followed Jace inside, Alec waved Magnus in after her and he had to hold back a smile. Alexander was always trying to protect them all.

The faint shine of seraph blades and the even softer glow of Alexander’s adamas arrows lit the way as they carefully cleared the side entry and then a sitting room.

Jace paused and the very soft sound of taps came from him. Magnus frowned, confused, until Alexander made his own little tapping answer. They could hardly see for hand signs and stealth relied on quiet. Izzy tapped twice and she and Jace split to the right while Magnus stuck with Alexander. He might not know their code but he knew enough to follow Alec.

They cleared the rest of the first floor, Jace and Izzy likely having headed to the second floor, when Alexander nudged him gently and directed him toward the outline of a door.

He opened it slowly, feeling a secondary warding behind it that he peeled off. Alexander caught his arm as he stepped forward to head down. Magnus waited, unsure why they were paused.

Jace and Izzy joined them only a moment later and he understood. Alexander must have been focusing on sending a feeling of need to Jace so they didn’t have to try to go down separately. He figured the second floor must be clear since there was no communication made otherwise.

The four of them headed down, Jace in front of Magnus and Alec bringing up the rear again. At the base of the stairs they could see a strip of light coming from under a door to the right. It gave them enough illumination to see what was once an open basement had been divided with a brick wall. Jace and Alexander moved to cover the door and Magnus lifted his hands, fingers glowing blue. Izzy’s staff shifted into her whip beside him as they tensed.

Alexander whistled, a long wavering note. Muffled voices could be heard on the other side of the door and at the sound, Jace reached out and knocked twice.

The door burst open, a man with light hair holding a seraph blade bursting through, only for Isabelle’s whip to slash across his face. He stumbled back and Magnus sent a burst of his magic through, forcing him fully out of the way so Alec and Jace could rush through. He followed them quickly, loathe not to be beside them.

Izzy followed him and then ran past him at the sight of Simon, shackled inside a small metal cage in the corner. The bars were almost certainly adamas and while Simon was better off against the substance than many others, he wasn’t immune. He jerked back at the commotion and Magnus heard him yelp when he slammed into the bars.

“Simon!” Isabelle called out to him and Magnus lost track as a blade was thrust at him. Jace was dealing with another young woman and Alexander was backing an older man in a suit into a corner, his bow levelled at the man’s chest.

The blonde with a bleeding gash across his forehead tried to stab Magnus again and he huffed. This one needed more training. He clicked his fingers and burning ropes of magic tied up both his assailant and Jace’s just as he disarmed her. He waited for Alexander’s orders for the third.

“You and your filth are not welcome in this city Lightwood.”

“I don’t know how you got Simon here, but you had to know it was never going to work.” Jace said.

“If the warlock had stayed out it, we might have succeeded. No matter, we will still see you removed from your position.”

“We?” Alexander’s voice was smooth, warm and attentive in the way he could sound when he wanted something from you. His drawn bow didn’t move.

“There are several prominent houses that can see the doom your appointment spells. Penhallow may believe that new blood, peaceful cooperation, and all of that soft idealism is what we need but there are those of us who know better. We remember the true nature of downworlders, we remember what happens when we  trust them. You’re a blood traitor Lightwood, filthy by association. It’s only a shame you took your sister and your parabatai with you. I warned Jia, appointing a downworlder’s whore was a mistake-”

Magnus sent a curl of magic, licking over the man’s bare knuckles and making him scream in agony.

“Magnus.” Simon’s rough voice cut through his anger and he stopped. He needed to let Alexander handle this.

“You will give me names, won’t you?”

The man laughed, shaky after Magnus’ attack, “Why? There’s nothing you can do to us. I didn’t hurt your vampire, in fact I could have you arrested for breaking into my home and attacking  us. ”

Alexander smiled and loosed his arrow, letting it bury into the brick beside the man’s head, the adamas sinking in as though the wall was butter.

“I don’t think you understand what, exactly, is happening here.” Alec knocked another arrow but kept his draw loose, “Consul Penhallow cleared this retrieval, Simon might be a vampire but he can still put his hand on the sword and I am well within my rights to arrest you and anyone else I find might have helped you, both for abducting someone under the protection and employ of the New York Institute, blackmail, and threatening violence against an innocent. So you will give me names, now, or I will allow Magnus to have a turn.”

The man just sneered and Magnus reflexively tightened his hold on the other two, making the girl shriek in pain and the blonde man moan loudly.

“Simon.” Alec started, “Did he hurt you?”

“He didn’t but someone else hit me a few times, threatening to take my fangs. He called them Joshua. There was also a woman, about Izzy’s height, a scar on her temple?”

“Her name?” Alexander asked, casual.

The man against the wall, who Magnus figured must be a Bleakfallow, swallowed.

“Magnus?”

He let his magic seep toward Bleakfallow who eyed it and just before it touched him started speaking quickly, “Thornwell, Magdalena Ravenscar, Theron Yewcraft, another who only wrote to me and refused to give their name. Please, don’t let him-” Magnus pulled his magic back.

Bleakfallow slumped in relief.

“Garrick, Miranda, and Benjamin Bleakfallow, by order of the Clave you are to be remanded to the Gard where you will await trial. You have the right to an advocate, to be requested at any time. Magnus, if you would?”

Magnus dropped all three of them, not bothering to soften their falls.

“Thank you.” Alec put his bow away and hurried to kneel beside Izzy, Jace joining them as they examined the runes on the cage. Magnus kept an eye on their prisoners, confident they could open it without him. Sure enough the ringing of stele’s and then the clatter of the door falling open came quickly.

“Thanks for the save guys!. Again.”

Simon climbed out, wincing as he went and stretching as soon as he had room to.

“At least when I was a rat I didn’t have to sleep in a cage. Can we get out of here?” He asked and Magnus laughed at the good natured ribbing that Jace started. Isabelle was wrapped under one of Simon’s arms and Alexander dragged their prisoners together.

Magnus nodded at him and snapped open a portal, “Everybody grab a bad guy, I’m going to have to bring them around a little so we don’t misplace them on the way through.”

“Are you sure?” Jace asked, sounding a little put out and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Only a handful of beings deserve that fate and unfortunately, these are not among them.”

-

They returned to the loft after making sure that Simon was settled, Isabelle asking Underhill to remain in charge for the night so she could spend time with him. He’d been chipper but Alec could see that he needed a few less people crowding him.

Jace had headed to Clary’s again, jittery.

“I hope you don’t think badly of me if I say I hope everything about their trials gets tied up in paperwork for a while.”

Alec laughed, hanging his jacket before turning and pulling Magnus into his arms, “Of course not. I, for one, just want everybody to get too busy to need us for a while. I want to take a shower with you and watch something terrible and-”

Magnus kissed him and Alec let himself fall into it. The soft press of Magnus’ lips and the light taste of his chapstick as Alec deepened it. They parted with smiles.

“We should get out of the doorway.”

“Yeah.”

Magnus tugged him back into a kiss and Alec hummed, ready to follow him into more, when a sharp panic tugged at him. He stepped back, blinked.

“Alexander?”

“Oh for-something’s wrong with Jace.”

Magnus’ soft worry changed immediately into a sharper sort of concern, by passing irritation as Alec pressed a hand to his side.

Magnus snatched a book, one that Jace had Izzy bring over, off the side table and Alec waited.

“He’s...he’s on his way here?”

Magnus frowned and Alec stepped away from the door just as Magnus’ eyes widened.

“Clary’s on her way up, I let her through the wards. I imagine Jace is with her, though I didn’t-oh. Yes. He’s just behind her a bit.”

Alec didn’t understand why Clary had come, especially because based on what Magnus said Jace had probably chased her.

The door flew open and Clary, eyes wet with tears and nose red, headed straight for Alec.

“You-you!” She looked enraged and Magnus threw a wall up between them while Alec raised his hands, confused. He had no idea what was happening.

She punched the wall of magic, “You  murderer!”

Oh. He knew immediately what she’d remembered but it didn’t make it easier. When he’d been possessed and the demon had forced his hand through Jocelyn’s chest he didn’t know what it felt like to lose a parent, he’d been horribly guilty and it had taken a lot to get past it all but he hadn’t been able to connect with Clary’s loss the way he did now. He knew the ache of it, the constant desire to reach for someone who was no longer there, the lost feeling that snuck up out of nowhere. He knew how the grief could catch you over strange things, leave you hollow and hurt at the sight of a perfectly regular object.

It was different too, in that Clary had never blamed him in the moment. Sure, Iris had made him think that but this was...Clary was furious, screaming words he couldn’t make sense of over the ringing in his ears.

-

Jace was there, eyes wild as he looked between where Clary was raging, sobbing as she slapped her hands against the magic keeping her from touching Alec and Alec who was staring at her, perfectly still, no color in his face. Magnus stood to the side of them both, repeating Alec’s name.

“Clary! Clary, stop!”

Jace grabbed her and pulled her away. The numbness spreading through his bond with Alec was terrifying but he could only focus on one thing at a time. Magnus moved behind him, grabbing Alec tightly.

“He killed her! Jace I remember it, he took her heart!”

He pulled her down to the floor with him.

“Listen to me, Clary, I would never have forgiven him if he’d done that. Alec was possessed, a demon possessed him. You don’t remember that part yet. Alec would never, never have done that. It wasn’t him Clary.”

She shoved against him, “I remember-”

“You remember watching a video, right?”

“Yes!” She sobbed.

Jace knew he had to try and drag the rest of the memory out of her, before she could make things worse, “Who was watching it with you? Who were you with Clary?”

“No! Alec, but I-”

“Clary, remember the first time you were here? Remember Alec on the balcony?”

She stopped fighting him as hard, glaring at Alec over his shoulder where Magnus was guiding him to sit down.

“I felt so bad for you.” She snarled and Jace hurried to cut her off before she could say something more awful.

“Clary. Stop. Alec was up there because of a spell, it made all of our fears more real that night and he heard you telling him you hated him and wished he died instead of your mom. Clary, he didn’t kill her. I promise you. Please, try to find the rest of the memory.”

She sobbed harder and he tugged her close, holding her tightly and hoping. As he rocked her he reached for Alec and then he was crying, the tide of guilt and grief was back and when he turned to look over his shoulder as Clary cried he saw Alec.

He was staring at nothing, Magnus kneeling in front of him, hands pressed to his cheeks and talking fast. Alec didn’t acknowledge him and Jace remembered vividly the night he and Izzy found Alec in the bath, fully submerged.

“I-” Clary’s voice came from his throat, “Oh..Oh god.”

Jace squeezed her tighter, “Alec. Oh, no, no, Alec!” She squirmed until he let her go, crawling across the floor under Magnus’ watchful, worried gaze.

“Hey, Alec?” She paused just in front of him, tentatively reaching for him. When no magic stopped her she took his hand, ignoring the way he flinched.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t...I only remembered seeing the footage.” She looked up at him, “It wasn’t your fault Alec, it wasn’t. I think…” She went a little unfocused, like she was remembering something, “I think she would’ve died anyways, if not you, someone else who was possessed would have found her that day. She was too closely tied to Valentine not to draw the demon.”

Alec blinked at her even as she repeated herself. Jace came to sit beside Alec, wrapping his arms around him to ground him.

“C’mon Alec. Come back.”

“I’m right here.” Alec mumbled as Magnus joined them on the couch, fingers squeezing over Alec’s knee.

“I’m so sorry.” Clary said again.

“It’s...it’s okay Clary. Just, next time, wait a while when you get a new memory?”

She nodded, wiping her eyes.

Jace pushed calm into the bond as Alec’s feelings started to subside, not gone but giving way for him to feel other things. He was tired, they all were, and Jace could feel that he wasn’t sure what he wanted, to be alone or not.

“Can Clary stay here?” Jace asked.

Magnus nodded, “Of course. The guest bedroom is yours if you want it, Bisquit. Are you going to be joining us Jace?”

Jace looked at Alec who curled his fingers into the sleeve of Jace’s shirt.

“I think I should.”

-

They didn’t go to bed right away, Magnus sat with Alexander while Jace showed Clary the bedroom and where to find extra toiletries. She came back after a while and sat leaning against Alec quietly. It seemed to help a great deal, the both of them.

Magnus forgot, with all the time between them, that Alec and Clary had finally reached equilibrium before everything fell apart. He remembered Alec hugging her tightly, promising she did the only thing any of them would have. She might not remember all of it yet, but Alexander certainly did.

When she left to go to bed Alexander sighed heavily, “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize Alec, that was...I tried to stop her.” Jace grimaced but Alec shrugged.

“It’s okay. She’s always been a force of nature. I wasn’t ready for it.” He hesitated, but when Magnus rubbed a hand over his back continued, “It was bad, because now I understand what she lost, what I-what the demon took from her. I didn’t know, then, but now-”

Magnus brushed his fingers over the black lines on Alec’s cheeks.

“It will get easier, eventually, to think about. The hurt never goes away and there will always be hard days, but Maryse wouldn’t want you to suffer over her Alexander.”

Alec closed his eyes and leaned into Magnus.

“Can we just go to sleep?”

“Yeah.” Jace said and Magnus brushed a kiss to Alexander’s cheek.

“Tomorrow’s a new day.” He said, standing and reaching a hand toward Alec.

“A new day.” Alec repeated, taking it.

part ten

[edensrose]

Eden darling I adoreeeeee your blog and everything in it. Keep going with your beautiful works! Can I please request a fluffy headcanon about Mairon x daughter!reader? Just the thought of Mairon being soft and affectionate with his child sends me over the moon ☆_☆

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ mairon ⠀〳 daughter!reader ( platonic )⠀ ❜࿔

· ⊰ synopsis. mairon being a dad hcs ( mentions of death involving the mother, only in the beginning )

· ⊰ note. I'm so glad you enjoy my blog and my works! Thank you so much <3 I honestly also love the thought of mairon as a father hehe. hope you enjoy!

ʚ Mairon had fallen in love with an elf woman and as a result, had a child with her. What he didn’t expect was for Melkor to find out and, unfortunately, put an end to his beloved — seeing as though she was a ‘weakness’. However, he was allowed to keep the child, considering that you had more maia genes than that of an elf 

ʚ Right off the bat, Mairon had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He barely looked after himself at times with all his overworking, how in the world was he supposed to raise a child? He supposed he owed it to your mother, though, and so he would try his hardest 

ʚ He’s definitely not the most patient parent and has made you cry the first few times. He’s unsure of how to handle normal emotions — what that of a child? He finds himself being too harsh and immediately regrets it after. It wasn’t like there was anyone he could necessarily ask for help, Melkor was incapable when it came to this sort of thing 

ʚ However, he soon begins to think back to Yavanna and how she raised the ents. He remembers how she nurtured them and he uses it as a guideline when tending to you. Mairon is an intelligent man, he’ll eventually get the hang of it with much research and practice

ʚ By the time you reached an age in which you could walk and talk, you’d be practically inseparable from him. It was obvious that Mairon cared for you more than anyone and Melkor did warn of the consequences should you become a weakness for Mairon. Alas, it turns that Melkor soon also grew attached to you 

ʚ Sometimes when Mairon is working he’ll leave you with Melkor, which he quickly learnt was a horrible decision because the first thing Melkor did was take you to see his dragons. His fire. Breathing. Dragons. From that day on Mairon tries to keep you with him if he’s sorting out schemes, usually letting you sleep in his lap or doodle on a paper while he’s writing whatever it is he needs 

ʚ When he learns that you inherited his control over fire, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. He got straight to work in teaching you how to control it to the best degree 

ʚ On the topic of teaching, he most likely also taught you a thing or two in blacksmithing. No daughter of his would go unlearned in the craft that he was most famously known for. It became a way for the two of you to bond, simply in the forge and creating new and wonderful gadgets 

ʚ Protective as hell over you. A bit too much sometimes. He wouldn’t let you leave Angband and would prefer if you stayed in the living area which was assigned to you. He didn’t like you going around the orcs or other creatures of Angband and especially not those blasted dragons 

ʚ Always does your hair for you, most likely also taught you how to do your eyeliner

ʚ You’re one of the only people that can pull him away from his work and stop him from stressing himself out. Also one of the few people that can calm him 

ʚ Those around Angband like to joke, saying that you have Mairon wrapped around your little finger. Which is far from a lie

ʚ As expected, Mairon is very hesitant in letting you join in Angband’s scheming, but eventually, you follow in his footsteps when you reach the appropriate age. Becoming a general among the ranks

·⊰ masterlist.

·⊰ buy me a coffee?

·⊰ taglist form. @kiatheinsomniac @augustwithquills @blueberryrock @a-chaotic-dumbass @m-shade @nerdydcfan @flowerchildishere @bugnug @algae-rave @snakesofindia-sursesaji @theroguemaia @heraluthor @pinkslashersimp @the-girl-king @qwerty-19923 @livialounalamontagne @afternoonhours @momoewn @tinkywinky27 @weird-addiction @hidden-lord-of-arda @madeofsilkandsteel

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ please consider liking, reblogging and / or commenting if you enjoy my work! all feedback is greatly appreciated ♡

[outofangband]

Anonymous asked: this might be a bit of a lighter suggestion than you usually go for, but you mentioned in one of your ao3 fics that even namo the doomsman wouldn’t try to force maedhros to speak aloud some of the things that happened to him in angband. would you mind writing a short fic or speculating about how that conversation between the both of them went?

I Am so sorry for the delay anon! Let me know if this is ok or you want anything different!

I’m a bit nervous about this, it’s my first serious attempt at Maedhros post death (I have my very silly Anti Morgoth Support Group series of course) and I’m not sure I’m pleased with how I wrote the dialogue here so I’ll want to revisit this but I hope it’s ok!

My response: it was many, many conversations with both Námo himself, sometimes Nienna and later Estë and many Maiar as well as Maedhros’s family and support.

Here is one conversation. This is well post War of Wrath, years after the host of Valinor has returned. Maedhros has been in the Halls for some time now and after the first few years has been largely cooperative in addressing his own wrongdoings. But in a far more “I am irredeemably awful and hopeless way” that is ultimately unhelpful to both his victims and others he has hurt as well as to him.

Here, Maedhros is asked to share a single memory.

CW: past torture, death, mentions of the kinslayings

“It does not matter,” the fëa said stiffly, “It does not mitigate my crimes.”

“No, it does not mitigate them,” the Maia agreed, “But you are not here merely for what you have done. I am a warden but this is no prison. To address what you have done, you must address all that has occurred. Including what you did not do. What you had no control in. Is that frightening?”

“I killed the innocent,” the little fëa glows brighter, “I became no better than my enemies. It matters not what happened before that.”

“Your remorse is genuine.” The aid to the Doomsman speaks firmly but not unkindly, “I would not yet see fit to speak with you if it was not. Nor is your desire for repentance false. But while some may use their suffering to ignore their own deeds, you use your deeds to ignore your suffering and that is not a part of your true regret and I will not allow it, Nelyafinwë Maitimo.”

There is a silence in the halls. The room is dim and quiet but there is no emptiness here. The lights that emanate from the high ceiling appear almost alive. When the fëa can focus upon them it sees they are faceted from a million little parts. He can lose himself in them if the Vala would allow him to.

“What do you believe could occur should you speak of your imprisonment?” The question surprises the fëa and its glow takes on a protective element.

“Nothing tangible, physical,” it says with a note of almost sarcasm, “I have spoken of it before, after all.”

“Tell me one memory.”

“Why? Do you enjoy hearing of such things?” The cold retort is far from the worst the Maia has heard and he has never required courtesy in this particular arena.

“I wish to hear how you speak of such things. How you remember here. You can choose which memory and how much detail you share.”

There is another pause. The Maia cannot quite say if the fëa is deciding upon a memory or deciding if it will answer.

“I will tell you one and it is no secret so do not expect that.”

“I do not and have not,” the Maia says gently.

“They branded me for the first time shortly after I arrived. Here.” The fëa gestures to a sliver of gold where the side of his torso was in his living form.

“I told myself I would not scream. I did scream. Of course I did.” It is far from the worst of his memories even amid the early days of Angband alone but it was as the Maia said; memories were different here, clearer. He sees the other Maia with the burning iron, the leather straps that kept him still so the brand could be cleanly applied, the orcish guards who still came to hold him down. The taunts he was sure he had forgotten ring plainly in his ears.

The light around the fëa flickers as it appears to gasp for breath it does not need.

“Does that suit your need?” It throws out viciously but the Maia is, as always, unfazed

“We need not speak of this any more today, Nelyafinwë,” the Maia says gently.

The Maia offers a hand to it. It does not accept but it seems to calm nonetheless.

(The branding piece is here)

[khaleesiofalicante]

“Mom!” Alec hissed.

His mother didn’t turn back.

“Mooooom,” he called her again – and this time she turned back. “I want to go home."

“Alec, we just got here!” his mother said incredulously as they checked their coats into the coakroom.

The guy in the cloakroom gave Alec a token for their coats.

Jesus Fucking Christ. What kind of house has a cloakroom?

His mother was right. They had barely been here for 10 minutes. But Alec already wanted to leave.

“I’m feeling sick,” Alec said. “I should go back home.”

He coughed awkwardly. He was a decent liar.

“What’s wrong?” his mother looked momentarily concerned.

“Uh,” Alec said, not prepared at all. “I got my period.”

Yeah, so that ‘decent liar’ bit might have been an exaggeration.

“Alec,” his mother sighed. “You think I want to do this? This family is one of our largest donors to the university. As the dean, I have to be here. So do you.”

Alec groaned.

As the president of the queer alliance at Idris University, Alec knew he had to talk to people to get the funding they needed. But Alec hated people and he hated talking. He wished Lily or Maia were here instead.

“I know you have your own ways,” his mother said through her teeth as she smiled at one of the guests who was waving at her. “But you need their support. It’s how the game is played.”

“I hate playing the game,” Alec said through his teeth as he cheerily waved at one of the lecturers.

“You know the rules,” she turned to him and adjusted his bowtie. “Just smile and play nice.”

“But-”

“Be charming ,” she interrupted. “That's how fundraising works.”

Alec pouted and then gave her tight nod.

“Albert!” she shouted at one of the guests and made her way towards the old man.

Alec was about to let out a dramatic sigh when a waiter emerged from nowhere.

“Champagne, sir?”

“Thank you,” Alec picked up the flute. “Damn, this is heavy.”

“Crystal, sir,” the waiter pointed.

Alec’s hands suddenly felt very sweaty. He wiped them clumsily on his suit jacket and held the champagne flute carefully.

Another waiter emerged upon him, holding a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

“What’s that?” Alec pointed at the tray.

“Caviar, sir,” the waiter replied.

“Is that cinnamon?” Alec asked at the sprinkled dust on top of the caviar thingies.

If it was cinnamon, he could maybe eat it and have an instant allergic reaction.

Then maybe his mother would let him go home. He hoped.

“Not cinnamon, sir,” the waiter said as Alec took one and popped into his mouth. “It’s edible gold.”

“What?” Alec asked, his mouth full of caviar.

And gold apparently.

“It’s a caviar and crème fraîche tartlet,” the waiter announced in a surprisingly perfect French accent. “Topped with edible gold.”

“You are telling me this is gold?” Alec asked, chewing the food self-consciously. “I’m eating actual gold?”

“Uh, yes sir,” the waiter said awkwardly.

“But why?” Alec demanded, chewing his food angrily now. “Does it improve the taste?”

“No, sir,” the waiter looked embarrassed. “It’s…pretty.”

Alec looked around in disbelief as the waiter made his escape.

Here he was trying to find a couple of thousand dollars to raise funds for his alliance and these people were sprinkling gold on their food for aesthetic.

“Fuck the rich,” Alec muttered.

“Pardon?” someone said from behind him.

Ah, shit! Alec really hoped it was not one of the professors at the university – or worse, one of the donors.

But when he turned around, it was neither.

It was in fact the most beautiful man Alec had ever seen.

“Uh,” Alec said eloquently.

“You were saying something about fucking the rich,” the man smiled. “If it’s a cult, I’m very much interested.”

“Not a cult,” Alec clarified – when he managed to find his voice. Jesus! “Just a personal motto of mine.”

“Very interesting motto you have there…”

“Alec,” he finished. “Alexander.”

Why did he say his full name? He never did that. Alec could be such a weirdo in front of gorgeous men.

“Nice to meet you, Alexander,” the other man said, and Alec’s momentary regret vanished instantly.

He suddenly loved his name. Maybe a little too much.

“I’m Magnus,” the man held out a hand and Alec shook it – and hoped his palm wasn’t as sweaty as before. “Are you here to donate?”

“Pfft,” Alec couldn’t help but snort. “Right. Cause these people need more money.”

“Don’t roll your eyes at charity, Alexander,” Magnus chided. “It’s not very gentlemanly of you.”

“What’s this charity for anyway?” Alec asked, because he hadn’t even bothered to ask his mom and spent the whole drive here complaining about the university budget allocations instead.

“The rowing club,” Magnus replied.

“The rowing club?” Alec demanded angrily.

They were a bunch of elite dude bros and were the last people that needed charity.

“They are hoping to purchase new equipment,” Magnus pointed out.

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Alec complained. “They don’t even need a fundraiser. They can afford that shit in so many other ways. Like ask them sell one of their Rolexes or Lamborghinis. Charity is for people who don’t have alternatives.”

Magnus blinked and Alec realized he had lost his cool a little.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “It’s just…it isn’t fair.”

“The rowing club boys are right there,” Magnus whispered as he pointed at the buffet. “They might hear you and think you are jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” Alec replied. “I’m outraged that we live in a society that prioritizes the needs of the marginalized over the wants of the privileged.”

Usually this was the point when the other person would give him an awkward smile and escaped immediately from Alec’s boring rants.

But Magnus didn’t look awkward or bored. In fact, his lips curved a little as he gestured Alec to one of the banquet tables.

“Tell me more,” Magnus said as he sat down.

Alec wasn’t really sure what to say. He wasn’t used to reaching this stage of the conversation.

“Fancy new rowing equipment is a want. They can live without their latest gadget and just make do with the equipment they have,” Alec elaborated. “But the safety of queer youth in our university is definitely a need. It’s not something they should have to compromise.”

“The safety of the queer youth?” Magnus frowned. “How are they at risk?”

“There has been increased reporting of cyber bullying by queer students at the university,” Alec sighed. “Our existing reporting mechanisms don’t work.”

“Well, they could complain to HR and-”

“Magnus, when has HR got anything done?” Alec asked.

Magnus frowned again.

“Our data shows that over 60% of the victims of cyber bullying at the university are not only queer, but also people of colour,” Alec elabored. “So, these attacks are racially motivated too.”

“Why isn’t the university doing anything about it?” Magnus demanded, now sounding angry too. “The dean-”

“She is doing the best she can,” Alec intervened – because he knew that to be true. “We have a zero tolerance policy and that works at campus. But on social media..Well, that’s a whole other thing, isn’t it? You can’t really control what other people say or do.”

Magnus frowned again.

Alec realized that he liked it better when the other man smiled. Maybe he was as boring and depressing as everyone said.

“So, what do we do?” Magnus asked.

“We?” Alec blinked.

“I’m a student at the university too,” Magnus said. “Well, I just transferred from London. But still. As a bisexual man and a person of color, I need to be a part of this.”

Alec was beyond happy that someone understood the importance of his cause. It was hard enough to find people who supported the alliance.

But instead of thanking Magnus for his support, Alec’s mouth said “You’re bisexual?”

“And part-Indonesian,” Magnus replied. “So, what do we do, Alexander?”

Alec blinked. “Well, uh, the alliance has been trying to create an app that provides counseling support for queer youth who face bullying online. We can’t really completely get rid of the bullying. That might never happen. But the least we can do is give support for the victims, right?”

Magnus smiled. And yeah, Alec definitely liked it better.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Magnus said.

“Well, it’s just an idea,” Alec shrugged. “We still need to find the funding.”

“Well, why haven’t you?” Magnus asked.

“Because the donors obviously have other priorities,” Alec rolled his eyes, gesturing at the party.

“Oh,” Magnus said.

“But I think if we steal a plate of those caviar thingies, we might be able to scrap off the gold dust and gather a few hundred dollars,” Alec joked.

But Magnus didn’t laugh. Instead he leaped off his chair, ran towards the stage and grabbed the mic.

First of all, why was there a stage? Second of all, what was Magnus doing?

Third of all, who was he? Was he performer for the fundraiser or something?

He did have a really nice voice, Alec noted to himself. Among other nice things.

“Excuse me, everyone!” Magnus called into the mic and everyone turned their attention to him. “I’m Magnus Bane. My father and I are absolutely thrilled to have you at our home this evening.”

Alec, who was sipping on his champagne, most certainly did not choke at that. This was…Magnus’ home?

He was the biggest donor to the university? Or his father was…But whatever.

Alec’s ‘fuck the rich’ motto seemed a little too ironic - maybe even appropriate - right now.

“As the captain of the rowing team,” Magnus said, and Alec did not choke again. “I’ve just heard word from my brothers that there has been a change of plans.”

The rowing club, still standing by the buffet and hogging all the food, looked very confused.

“The rowing club has officially decided to throw a car wash at the university,” Magnus announced and the crowd started whispering around.

“Dude, isn’t that what chicks do?” one of the dude bros laughed.

“Exactly, Chad!” Magnus yelled. “We will be raising money and dismantling the patriarchy at the same time. It’s a win-win!”

A loud cheer went through the room but some people still looked confused.

“But what about the fundraiser?” a woman who was wearing too many pearly necklaces asked. “Are we not making donations today?”

“Yes, we are Mrs. Morgenstern,” Magnus winked at her. “But all donations from today’s event will go the queer alliance of the Idris University. They are raising money to fund an app to provide psychosocial support to victims of cyber bullying.”

Alec noticed his mother turn to look at him in disbelief. Alec shrugged helplessly.

“Is it really necessary though?” an old man from one of the tables asked and Alec had half a mind to dump his champagne on the man’s head. “Can’t they just have one of those support groups where they sit in a circle and talk to each other?”

“They are victims of targeted harassment, Mr. Starkweather,” Magnus replied politely. “They need support that is consistent, reliable and professional. It seems rather unfair to ask victims to support themselves instead of providing them with the required resources.”

“But aren’t they asking for too much?” a blonde woman asked.

“The app will ensure their safety and mental health. They are asking for the bare minimum,” Magnus answered, and Alec noticed the flash of anger in his eyes.

“But if the problem is cyber bullying,” another man in a suit demanded. “Why can’t we just ask them to stay off the internet?”

“Because that would be homophobic,” Magnus said through gritted teeth - but still smiling. Alec knew that look. “The queer students are not the problem. The internet is not at fault either. It’s people and their privilege. It’s people and their inability to treat others with respect – online and offline. These are students. We can’t restrict their access to the internet. For many queer youth, the internet is the only place that is safe enough to express themselves without fear or judgment. So, instead of asking them to stay off the internet, maybe we should consider asking the bullies and homophobes to practice basic human decency.”

“Damn, son!” someone whistled impressively.

Alec knew that whistle. He was going to hug the hell out of his mother later.

There was a moment of silence in the room, then a man approached the stage and pulled Magnus into a hug.

“What an excellent idea, Magnus!” the man who looked very much like Magnus beamed.

“It’s not my idea,” Magnus said. “All the credit goes to the alliance.”

“Well, I can’t wait to meet this alliance!” Mr. Bane nodded in approval. “Ladies and Gentlemen! What a fine cause! What an important change in action! Allow me to be the first to support these brave and inspiring group of young people.”

“Thank you, Bapa!” Magnus smiled sweetly. “It’s so wonderful to see you supporting this cause. This is going to go viral on the internet.”

The moment Magnus said the words viral and internet, multiple guests got off their seats and started heading towards the donations table.

“He knows how to play the game,” Alec's mother said as she walked up to him. “He would make a fine addition to your alliance, Alec. You should ask him to join.”

“I will. He is bisexual,” Alec replied.

“He is also very handsome,” his mother pointed out innocently.

“Don't even!” Alec pointed a finger at her as she chuckled and joined the crowd.

By the end of the night, the fundraiser had gatherd thrice the amount the alliance needed to create the app.

“So…” he said as he approached Magnus. “I wanted to say thank you.”

“I was wondering maybe you could say it on Saturday,” Magnus suggested.

“Saturday?” Alec raised an eyebrow.

“The car wash, Alexander!” Magnus pouted. “I was here for your fundraiser. It’s only fair that you come for mine.”

“Well, that depends,” Alec said. “Will you be wearing a bikini?”

“Nah,” Magnus chuckled. “I was hoping to go shirtless.”

“In that case, you’ll definitely see me there,” Alec said seriously.

He didn’t even have a car. But he could always egg Jace’s car and take it.

“You want to get out of here?” Magnus asked, pointing at the crowd.

“Uh, isn’t this like your party or something?” Alec asked. “Shouldn’t you be here to entertain the guests?”

Magnus looked around and shrugged. “Fuck the rich.”

Alec couldn’t help but grin at that. He took Magnus’ hand as they ran towards the garden.

Fuck the rich indeed.

- For @radisv​ for being amazing. Always. Happy Birthday. ILY!

[skiyoosmi]

– caramel frappucino | 22

marga’s notes. because no one deserves to be confronted just through texts ♡ i recommend y’all to listen to the songs below while reading cause… the feels!! + some of the lyrics fit in their story :((

♪ CHAPTER PLAYLIST ♪

tokyo by joseph & maia | i can’t make you love me covered by dave thomas junior | still feel it all by maro

previous | masterlist | next

Every chime of the small bell hanging by the café’s glass doors had your head snapping up, anxiety plastered on your face while doing so. Sweat kept on forming on your palms as time seemed to tick slower. I probably look like a fool looking at every new customer right now, you thought as you looked around the area, nervous that he might’ve already arrived and you just didn’t notice it yet. Too occupied with your unnecessary thoughts, you have failed to notice the figure making its way towards you, hands deep in the pocket of his denim jacket.

“You look like a mess,” his monotonous voice told you, chuckling by the end of his statement as you gasped and sat up straight, acting as normal as possible. Your somewhat sympathetic eyes followed his figure as he took a seat in front of you.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s still too early to break my heart, you know?” he joked although there was a stinging pain that passed in his heart as he said that… but you don’t have to know that, he thought.

The café was quiet; too quiet that as more seconds pass by, the faster your heart beats. If you were to be honest, you didn’t know where to start. You didn’t even know how you have gathered enough courage to meet him today. After what Tooru had told you last night, you hadn’t even slept a wink. You just couldn’t.

“Uhm… so… Tooru… uhh,” you stuttered, mind going blank as you tried to form your words that you have practiced so many times while you were in the bathroom, getting ready a while ago. What in the world are you doing, [y/n]? Speak! you internally screamed, already imagining yourself regretting your decision by the end of the day.

“I know. He told me that he told you,” he softly spoke, giving you a small smile of reassurance; just like what he’s been doing in the past years and with that, you felt your heart shatter as your thoughts flooded you once more.

How could you have not noticed it? Looking at him, you could see it now – the eyes that stared at you lovingly; the hand that twitches every now and then as it longed to touch you, or pull you close; the smile that held back so many feelings; and the heart that holds his love that was solely kept for you… how could you have not noticed it?

“I’m sorry,” you whispered as you felt tears welling up. Frustration grew inside you when you heard him chuckle. How could he even manage to laugh right now? You had no idea how he did it. In your case, guilt surged in your insides as if it was an ocean threatening to swallow you whole. If you could shrink yourself into oblivion, you would probably do so.

Slowly, he reached over your hand that was neatly folded together on the table, caressing it with his thumb as he held onto it tightly. You were sure that if anyone who doesn’t know both of you sees you, they’d probably think you were just another couple out on a simple date but no. You two were best friends who fell in love with each other, both in wrong times. You were two young adults who danced in fate’s hands, clueless that you were being played by time.

“Don’t say sorry. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault except time, [y/n],” he told you, lightly squeezing the hand he held. You sniffed a little bit, finally gathering the courage to look back at him after your short turmoil.

“I should’ve told you…” you both said at the same time, catching each other off guard. Light chuckles turned into a fit of giggles as you shook your heads at your silliness. Unbeknownst to the two of you, your thoughts matched one another’s while you had your lovely moment. You were made for me, but not in ‘that’ way, you both thought; hands still intact with each other.

“I expected you to be more… crybaby,” he commented after a few moments of talking. You sadly smiled after releasing a deep breath.

“I had my crybaby moment last night already,” you shrugged as you fiddled with your fingers out of nervousness. The deafening silence has returned once more as Hajime stared at you, rather longingly… but again, he thought you don’t have to know that.

“Stop being so guilty, you baby. It’s not our fault time was against us,” he softly spoke with reassurance and comfort.

“You like that Sakusa now, don’t you?” you meekly nodded, an eyebrow rising at the sudden query.

“Then be happy with him.”

You opened your mouth to say something against his statement, only to be shut down as he held his hand up. When it comes to Hajime’s firmness, no one can go against it; not even you, his sole weakness.

“Don’t think about me. I’ll be fine soon… having this closure with you… it’s enough for me,” once again, the small wound in your heart burst open and soon, tears formed in the corner of your eyes while you hastily wiped them off. He was too kind, too pure for this world, even for you. He whispered a quiet ‘stop crying’ while wiping the salty liquid that escaped your eyes.

“W-what did I do to deserve someone like you?” you whimpered, not even caring if the other customers looked at the two of you weirdly.

“W…what can I do to repay this kindness?” you asked him as you looked with a pair of melancholic eyes.

“Just spend this day with me like what we normally do… then be happy.”

And you did. From going to an amusement park, watching a movie and at some point during your friendly date, he managed to ask you one of the questions that kept him up from his sleep as well.

“So… uhm… I may or may not have read one of your texts with Sakusa about the strawberry ice cream,” he muttered, sheepishly scratching the back of his head as he looked at you, who in turn, shrugged.

“I used to love it; you know? Those boxes of strawberry milk you got me throughout middle and high school. It gave me the hope that maybe, I was special to you too…” you softly told him while you both walked along the park, having had enough of the rides that almost made you two puke your internal organs out. “… until third year came when I accepted that it won’t happen; we will never happen. Anything that had strawberry in it tasted bitter. I felt bitter.”

He never said anything back and soon, you found yourselves eating dinner in a fancy restaurant that he told you he’d been saving up for to take you someday.

Little did you know, Hajime’s heart has been erratically beating due to the fact that the time he dreaded neared as you were almost done eating. You were already at your desserts and soon, he will have to say goodbye; not as your friend but as your lover. As soon as the day ends and tomorrow comes, he will – finally – have to let you go.

“In our next lives…” you looked up from the caramel custard you were poking with your teaspoon as he spoke up. You hummed, signaling him to continue, unaware of the gulp he took while trying to formulate his next words.

“In our next lives, I will love you first… I will make you happy and I will give you the love you have always deserved. For now, be happy with Sakusa in this timeline.”

The walk to the train was quiet, but no longer the same quietness you hated that morning – it was comforting, it felt like home as you walked together hand in hand, no pain lingering around your hearts as you both accepted your fate.

“Well, today was… fulfilling, Haji. This… this is my ride ho–”

“I’ll take you home. Let’s go,” he announced as he pulled you inside the train packed with office workers who were dying to go home and rest. You wonder why he suddenly thought of taking you all the way to your house. He literally has to travel for another hour because of this, you internally screamed while glaring at him for his impulsiveness.

“Stop glaring at me. It’s only right that I take you home for the last time,” he spoke, not even bothering to look at you. How did he know you were glaring? You honestly have no idea.

Thirty minutes later and here you both were, walking side by side along the empty street leading to your home. His firm statement back in the restaurant lingered in your mind as you remembered how it struck your heart when you heard it. Because of that, you didn’t even know how to respond and remained silent. Still, he held no sadness nor remorse in his face, only a determined look that almost convinced you that it will happen soon.

As your simple house came into view, you both stopped, knowing that he has to go back to the station now or else he will have to wait another thirty minutes for the next train to arrive. He was quick to ruffle your hair, silently bidding his goodbye.

You knew that if one of you speaks at the moment, you were sure as hell that one of you will also go into full-blown crying. But you know what? Damn this all, you thought.

“Iwaizumi Hajime!” you yelled as soon as he was about twenty steps away from you. You could see him stiffen but slowly turned around. You didn’t care if you woke some of your neighbors; you could deal with their complaints tomorrow.

“In our next lives, I will choose you… you better find me, okay, Haji?”

Tears were spilled from both of your eyes as he solemnly smiled and nodded, choosing to mouth his reply. Nonetheless, you understood it with your whole heart.

“I’ll come to you… so please wait for me.”

[mysterystarz]

the ceremony:

brides note: here is the ceremony in which you shall witness the shenanigans caused by stealing keijis shoes (it’s a part of my culture that i decided to integrate here!) and witness the vows shared between keiji and i! i want to thank my bridesmaids for providing me things they actually would say as well as admit that i got a bit emotional writing our vows. to whoever reads this, i hope this brings you as much joy as it brought me <3

warnings: absolute fluff and one innuendo that isn’t really explicit but still there

word count: 2.9k (i got a bit carried away but have no regrets)

The morning of Keiji and Nova’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous.

Above the garden estate that served as the venue, clear blue skies and soft white clouds accompanied a gentle breeze that filled the entire venue with a sense of tranquility. The very atmosphere itself was buzzing with anticipation, yet still had an air of serenity as the bride and groom prepared themselves to greet each other at the aisle.

Nova’s dressing room was a hubbub of emotion and excitement as she stared at herself in the mirror, her bridesmaids all surrounding her as she spun around in the dress they had all helped her pick out. It was truly surreal to her.

In an hour’s time, she’d be marrying the man she had loved for so long, the man who had guided her through her best and her worst moments, all while sharing the moment with the people she held so close to her heart.

The very thought made her smile with an accumulation of warm feelings pooling in her chest.

“Keiji is going to cry when he sees you.” Moon stated as they gestured to Nova, “You look beautiful.”

Nova giggled softly as she stared back at herself, “All good tears I hope.”

“No shit!” Natalia remarked, pointing to her dress. “You should see yourself! Hell, even I’m on the verge of tears! Keiji loves you the way you always are, but I bet he will be blown away when he sees you. No joke.”

She felt her smile widen even further as she turned to face her bridesmaids, dress swishing behind her. “I’m so glad to have all of you here today. Really.”

“I’m pretty sure that we’re all glad to be here,” Silla smiled, “I mean, none of us would ever dream of missing your special day. It was about time you two tied the knot.”

“No it really was.” Rach laughed, “Nova has been in love with Keiji for the longest time. She literally finds a way to relate everything back to him. If that’s not a sign to get married, I’m not sure what is!”

They all giggled and relished in the joyous atmosphere before Nova spoke again. “Alright, so how much money do we want to get out of them?”

“How much what?” Moon asked, raising an eyebrow, “Wait…what are we even getting money for?”

Inez chuckled at the side before walking to step near Nova, a black box in hand. “Here they are, as promised.”

“Are you two doing something illegal?” Natalia questioned promptly. “Nova, you know there are other ways to cure nerves!”

“Seriously Natalia,” Nova deadpanned before reverting back to her usual smile. “Anyways, this lovely black box here is Keiji’s shoes that we were able to acquire courtesy of Inez and her amazing stealthy skills. How did you manage to get them in the first place?”

“A magician never shares her secrets.” Inez shrugged, tracing a finger along the seam of the box. “To be completely honest, I expected this from Keiji.”

“So did I,” Nova chuckled as she tucked the shoes under a compartment in the dresser that she used to get ready. “So, I expect that any minute now, we’re going to have our plus ones at the door.”

“What’s the shoe stealing thing for?” Empress chimed in, “Like, what’s the reason for it?”

“It’s a fun wedding tradition we like to do to symbolize the groom’s promise to always take care of the bride and show the generosity of their heart.” Nova grinned mischievously, “Besides, now that we’ve got the shoes, the groomsmen need to come up with something to get it back.”

“Well they’re probably brainstorming,” Maia said. “I’m not sure what they’re thinking, but I think we’ll find out soon enough.”

MEANWHILE:

“So you’re telling me that your shoes are gone?!” Oikawa asked incredulously, “There is no way! I made sure to put them in a safe spot away from them!”

“Well, Inez came to retrieve them and she did,” Keiji chuckled, reminded of their earlier encounter. “She pointed a pistol at me and demanded shoes that I made sure I didn’t know the location of, yet here we are.”

A FEW MINUTES PRIOR:

“Keiji. Shoes or I’ll shoot.” Inez threatened, smiling innocently.

“But I don—“

“Shoes or shoot.”

PRESENT:

“There’s no way!” Atsumu remarked, “A pistol? Ya’ must be joking!”

“I wish.” Keiji smiled, “Nova planned this out better than I anticipated.”

“Akaashi. Your wife to-be and her bridesmaids just accomplished the ONE thing we tried to prevent, and you’re still smiling like a lovesick idiot. You are so whipped.” Kuroo rambled, pacing across the room.

“I am marrying her,” Keiji grinned, “I’ve been ‘whipped’ since we met.”

“You raise the standards for all of us Akaashi!” Oikawa pouted. “But in all seriousness, how do we get them back?”

“We’ll have to go and go to them and figure out where they hid them,” Kuroo explained, leaning on the wall casually. “Once we’ve done that, we have to strike up a deal with them. If it all goes well, we should be able to get Akaashi’s shoes without too much strain on our wallets.”

“Wallets?” Ushijima asked, stepping into the room. “Couldn’t we just politely ask for his shoes back? He’ll need them later.”

“It’s a wedding tradition on Nova’s side of the family,” Oikawa added, glaring at Ushijima. “Anyways, Kuroo, Kita, and Atsumu, come with me. Let’s see if we can try a diplomatic approach first.”

The four of them went to leave when Kuroo suddenly turned around, brandishing his cell-phone in the air. “Akaashi, I know you want to see her, but you’re staying on the phone. Got it?”

Keiji offered a subtle nod in response as the designated gang left the room, sprinting to the other side of the venue in the hopes of getting the groom’s shoes (and to see their plus ones looking hot).

Kuroo threw open the door of the dressing room, only to be greeted with the smug grin of Nova and her lovely bridesmaids.

“I ran as soon as I heard,” Iwaizumi suddenly said, pausing to look at the predicament they were in, “Damn, you all cleaned up nice.”

“You can do better than that Hajime,” Mai teased. “You still look handsome though.”

“Oi, stay on task!” Oikawa directed, surveying the room before looking at Nova. “Ahh, looking good Nova!”

A second later, he was met with Maia’s playful glare as he sputtered and backtracked, trying to defend his honor.

“Ladies,” Kita began, “You all look as dazzling as the stars themselves. However, we require Akaashi’s shoes so we can all witness the lovely union that is to occur soon. May we have a civil discussion about this?”

“How about no?” Rach grinned, turning to Natalia, “And YOU better not go betraying us because your boyfriend is here, you hear me?”

“I would never!” Natalia argued, turning her gaze to Kita, “My marshmallow, can help his team try and negotiate a good deal, but there’s no way I’m letting us get away without something.”

“Can we settle on twenty?” Atsumu began, stepping towards the door, “It’s a fair amount according to me.”

“More!” Moon yelled out, “You’ve got to give us more than that.”

“Yeah!” added Maia, “Let’s settle on five-hundred dollars, shall we?”

Nova high fived Maia and the rest of the bridesmaids as the boys stared at each other in horror.

Five-hundred dollars?! For shoes???

“Empress! Baby, please convince them to lower their rate!” Kuroo shouted in a way that was half-scared and half fond.

Empress merely smiled at this, waving a dismissing hand. “Nice try, but not happening. I say five-hundred sounds good.”

“Ladies,” Oikawa smiled disarmingly, “One hundred. It’s more than generous, and I think Keiji and the rest of us would be more than willing considering how gorgeous you all look.”

“Flattery gets you nowhere, Tooru,” Inez deadpanned, a laugh escaping her when she saw Oikawa’s crestfallen expression. “One hundred is starting to sound quite nice, but five-hundred sounds better. Isn’t that right guys?”

“You bet.” Tee smirked. “Where’s Omi? I’m sure he’d support our case.”

“I would,” Sakusa shrugged, joining the groomsmen at the doorway, “Lets just give them the money and get back. They’ll use it well anyways.”

“We would!” Angie yelled, glaring at the taller men, “Unload your wallets and you’ll have the shoes!

“Sakusa, you could help us, you know?” Kuroo sighed. “Wait, I’m calling Akaashi.”

Nova giggled at this declaration as the men all huddled in the doorframe, toe-tapping anxiously until Keiji picked up the call at last.

“How much are they asking?” Was the first thing that Keiji asked, a slight note of panic in his voice. “It’s not too outrageous,,,right?”

“How do ya’ feel about five-hundred dollars?!” Atsumu exclaimed, “I’m sure that falls into the outrageous category!”

“Five...hundred?” Keiji whispered, his tone rising in shock. “You’re serious?”

“Completely!” Natalia said into the phone, “I think it’s a fair price and—STOP SMILING LIKE A LOVESICK IDIOT NOVA!”

Sure enough, from the corner of the room, Nova was beaming brighter than she had before, a pure reaction to the sound of Keiji’s voice.

“Nova?” Keiji called out, “Are you over there?”

“Yup,” Nova whispered, stepping to the phone. “Hi Keiji.”

“As cute as this is, we’ve seriously got to get his shoes back.” Iwaizumi announced. “A hundred-twenty-five dollars? Can we all agree on this?”

“I think we can go a little further,” Silla added from the corner, a mischievous smile creeping up her face, “I mean, it is their wedding.”

“Hundred-fifty!” Kuroo yelled, “Please tell me that’s enough!”

“We can go mo–” Natalia had begun before Nova cut her off.

“Two hundred from Keiji’s wallet and yours right now and you’ve got a deal,” Nova smirked. “Three seconds to accept or reject. Three….two….on–”

“IT’S A DEAL!” Oikawa hollered, throwing a twenty dollar bill on the table. “Akaashi, are you good?”

“I’ll sacrifice two-hundred if it means I get to see my wife.” Keiji sighed into the call, “Kuroo, you’ve got my wallet. Hand it to them.”

Kuroo hesitantly handed Natalia the wallet before he began rummaging in the drawers for the shoes. “Where did you guys hide the damn shoes?”

“Right here Kuroo,” Kita responded calmly, opening the compartment of the dresser. “It was in quite the basic spot.”

“Alright then,” Atsumu shrugged, “See ya’ soon ya’ hotties.”

With that, the groomsmen sprinted out of the room, brandishing the shoebox that they had fought so hard to get. The whole dressing room was filled with excitement and exhilaration as they stared back at the cash that greeted them.

“Now we can get ice cream.” Inez smiled, “We did good.” “As long as it’s not mint-chocolate chip.” Empress hastily added, “I’m not sure how anybody can tolerate that stuff.”

“I’m not having ice-cream discourse before my wedding!” Nova interjected, twirling around. “Oh my god….wedding. I have to....walk down an aisle...WHAT IF I TRIP?”

“Don’t trip...even though I’m sure Akaashi would appreciate the view of your ass.” Rach laughed.

Nova frowned playfully, although a slight red overtook her cheeks. “You are a gremlin.”

“Then I’m doing my job,” Rach shrugged.

“No, but you’re not going to trip.” Moon assured, “Oh my god, you’re growing so fast! You’re going to be married!”

“You’re not even that much older than me!” Nova argued, although her point was lost on the happy smile on Moon’s face.

“Don’t bite him when you kiss him.” Angie winked, pacing around the room.

“I think I’ll save the biting for later, don’t you think?” Nova replied, eliciting laughs from all her bridesmaids.

“NOVA, save it for the honeymoon.” Natalia scolded, jabbing Nova playfully in the shoulder. “I know you’re looking forward to that.”

“Shut up Natalia!”

They all shared a last laugh before they exited the dressing room, stepping into the lush gardens where in just a few minutes time, Nova and Keiji would unite eternally.

The surrounding gardens brought a certain liveliness to the aisle, with the multicolored flowers adorning the path where they’d finally meet. The skies above them were blue and clear as Keiji waited at the altar, Bokuto as his best man behind him.

They stood in silence as they marvelled at the sheer beauty of it all.

Nova and Keiji were getting married. It was really happening!

Keiji found himself worrying a slight bit, fingers twitching of their own accord as he attempted to calm his nerves. A million things soared through his head, but he knew that half of them was merely his brain panicking.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Nova.

The wedding march played out into the venue, filling the space as her bridesmaids walked down the aisle with their plus-ones at their sides. They clutched their flowers beautifully, offering him congratulatory smiles, standing off to the side as he finally saw the person who had taken his breath away from the minute they had met eyes.

Nova beamed at him from the other side of the aisle as she clutched a bouquet of pastel flowers, smiling all the while as she accompanied her dad to the altar. She walked slowly, but he felt the elegance she had in every step of hers.

Keiji was the epitome of handsomeness from the way he looked standing there. In his tailored suit, he looked practically ethereal, illuminated by the sunlight that hit him at all the right angles. She felt the love for him pool in her chest as she took his hand, calloused and gentle as it always was as she gazed back at him, admiring him for everything that he was. Her vision grew a little blurry from the sheer happiness she felt, but she had never expected similar tears to fall from Keiji’s eyes.

He looked at her and saw radiance in its purest form. She had always been beautiful to him, an enigma of sorts, but nothing could ever rival the way she looked right then.

“You look beautiful,” Keiji whispered, placing a flower delicately behind her ear.

“I think that would be you,” Nova choked out, her smile widening at the small gesture, her hands still intertwined with his.

The officiant offered a pleasant nod to the couple as he began his speech. “We are gathered today to witness the union of Nova and Akaashi Keiji in this fateful union of two souls who love each other, and will promise to always love each other for as long as they breathe. If anyone has any objections, please speak now, or forever hold your peace!”

The guests all offered pure smiles of joy as the officiant nodded gleefully. “You may now begin your vows to each other.”

Nova blushed freely as she stared back at Keiji, full adoration in her gaze. “Keiji, from the minute we met eyes in the library, to where we stand here now, you have always had my heart. You have always been my anchor, supporting me through the toughest times of my life and bringing me through them, hand in hand as you’ve always done. You’ve always been my sunshine, bringing endless brightness upon our shared days, and making me fall even more in love with you as the minutes pass. I never knew life could be a dream until I met you. Today, with all of our loved ones, I chose you to be my husband. I promise to stand by you through everything, and give my everything to you. I vow to inspire you, support you, and cherish you for as long as we live. I promise to be at your side in sickness and health, for richer or poorer. I vow to love you with every inch of me forever, and always.”

Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he regarded Nova with as much love as he could possibly muster in his gaze. “Nova, you’ve captured me, mind, body, and soul from the minute we met. You are my other half, completing me in ways I never knew before I met you. You bring me joy in every way possible, and a sense of peace that I only feel with you. You are my person, my inspiration, and I vow to love you till the end of time. Today, I take you as my wife, and I promise to love you through everything in life. I vow to express my love for you for as long as I breathe. I promise to be your support, and to support you. I promise to love you with every fiber of my being for as long as I live. I vow to treasure you, cherish you, stand by you, inspire you, and to adventure through life with my hand in yours. It is my promise to you, my darling, that my love outnumbers every star in the galaxy, and that I will always love you that way, now and for eternity.”

Nova was crying, the joyful tears streaming down her face as they shakily exchanged the rings on each other’s fingers, a physical manifestation of all they promised to share.

“You may now kiss the bride.” The officiant called out, clapping grandly when Nova and Keiji exchanged a passionate kiss, hugging each other tightly as the applause flooded the gardens,

“I introduce to you, the new Mr. and Mrs. Akaashi Keij!” The officiant added as everyone rose to applaud the new couple.

“Akaashi Nova,” Keiji whispered, placing another peck to his wife’s lips. “I quite like the sound of that.”

“You’ve got forever to hear it, Keiji,” Nova grinned as she placed a kiss on her husband’’s cheek. “We have forever together.”

“That we do,” he smiled, linking their pinkies. “We’ve got that and a whole lot more.”

©keinova wedding <3

feel free to interact with this post!!

[tobythewise]

Malec | General  Written for HM500 prompt: Ice Written for the @shadowhunterbingo prompt: the morning after Read on ao3

The morning after is always awkward. Always. At least that’s the experience Magnus has always had and he expects this morning to be no difference as he makes his way into the diner for his usual morning coffee. 

Magnus doesn’t regret hooking up with the grumpy diner owner. Far from it. He’s been harboring a crush on Alec for almost a year and never dreamed Alec could possibly return his feelings. 

What Magnus does regret is not talking things out. Which is a surprise to probably everyone who knows him. He’s usually the first to jump in with both feet instead of sitting down and thinking things through. But this time he has no idea if him and Alec are on the same page. 

God, he hates being so unsure. 

“Good morning!” Maia greets, waving as Magnus walks in. 

“And a good morning to you as well my dear.”

Maia smirks at him as he walks up to the counter. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you and Alec have the same type of smile on your face.”

Magnus quirks his brow. “Meaning?”

“Kinda looks like you both got laid.”

Magnus sputters. “I- What? How- What?”

Maia smirks, looking like the cat that got the cream. Magnus narrows his eyes, ignoring the blush running over his cheeks. But before he can get a proper comeback out, Alec is walking out from the back, coming over to where Magnus is standing. 

The blush of his cheeks is back in full force as Alec smiles at him, the look in his eyes incredibly open. Alec leans across the counter and kisses Magnus’ cheek, leaving him standing there frozen with confusion, hope welling up inside his chest. 

“The usual?”

Magnus nods. “Yeah, an iced coffee--”

“Light on the ice,” Alec finishes. “I know, Magnus.” 

Alec turns around in order to work on Magnus’ drink, leaving Magnus feeling completely off centered in the strangest way. Despite that, he has a smile on his face, his heart beating rapidly against his ribs. 

“Here you go,” Alec murmurs, sliding the drink over. Magnus takes it, staring into Alec’s eyes as he brings it to his lips and takes a sip. 

“I realize this might be completely out of character but I’m a little unsure as to how to proceed.”

Alec tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

“What’s going on here?”

“I’m not sure I understand. We’re doing what we do every morning?”

“Exactly! Shouldn’t things be weird?”

“Do you want them to be weird?”

Magnus sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, of course not. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on here.”

“Oh. Well, let me be clear. I want you to be my boyfriend and I want you to come in every morning so I can start your day with a cup of coffee and a kiss.”

After a moment Magnus nods. “I think I can do that.” Then he leans across the counter and kisses Alec’s lips.