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mysterious-moonstruck-musings · 4 months ago

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Closed Position: Week 5 (Rumba Part 3)

Closed Position Masterlist ||| Main Masterlist Dieter Bravo x OFC (Katarina)

Series Summary: Dieter Bravo, now sober, was looking to change his bad boy image after hitting rock bottom. His team hoped that having him join the nationally televised family friendly dance competition, Dancing with the Stars, would be a good first step, if they can keep him out of trouble.

Katarina Stamos expected her last season as a professional dancer on the show to go the same as it had for the past thirteen seasons. That all changed when she was partnered with the infamous Dieter Bravo.

Dieter and Katarina are reluctantly thrown into their partnership and must learn to work together to succeed in the competition. In the process they form a deeper connection beyond the dance floor that neither anticipated.

Chapter Word Count: 13.5k

👉 Warnings: Themes dealing with intimate partner violence (not by or toward Dieter), past alcohol abuse, and past drug abuse. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn. Read at your own risk. Dieter Bravo comes with his own warnings.

👉 Chapter Warnings: Dieter being a menace, improper use of a seat belt, Dieter with a guitar, serious sexual tension, improper ballroom dancing, Dieter's mouth, blasphemy (because of Dieter's mouth), smut, aftercare, fluff, and maybe a smidge of angst

Chapter Quote: “You know you wanna do it with me. Let’s cause a scene.”

Kat's POV

On Friday, I awoke sweaty and aroused. I was almost certain I had been having a sex dream…about Dieter. That was a new experience. I was equal parts mortified and angry that the alarm woke me up before the climax.

I sat up and stretched before reaching over to grab my phone and water bottle from the nightstand, unscrewing the lid and taking a long drink as I unlocked my phone. I turned my attention to email first, opening the app to make sure I didn’t have any new marching orders from Stacia and Joe. I didn’t, but there was an email from the medical clinic indicating that my test results were now available. I figured everything was probably fine, but that didn’t make it any less nerve wracking as I logged into their portal to check. I sighed in relief as I skimmed down the page, all negative. At least that was one less thing to worry about. I closed that app, then noticed there were new Instagram notifications. Dieter had apparently posted a couple of new stories. The first was a picture he had taken of me last night before dinner. I balked when I saw the included text said “My dance partner is hotter than yours,” with the hashtag #YourLoss.

(Click pics to enlarge. More after the jump.)

That didn’t do anything to help my current state of arousal. The fact that he absolutely did not give a fuck was a serious turn on. However, I knew it was going to cause some raised eyebrows.

I sent a quick reply to the story, “Dieter, seriously?🤦🏻‍♀️😂”

My eyes rolled at his ridiculousness as I moved to take another drink of my water. I nearly choked, spilling half of it down the front of my shirt as his next story popped up on the screen. It was a mirror selfie of him sitting on the edge of the bed wearing nothing but his black boxer briefs and brown leather jacket. Once I finally stopped coughing, I audibly groaned. He looked so fucking good. Without a second thought, I took a screenshot, just as there was a knock at my door. I quickly locked my phone as I yelled “come in”, realizing too late that I probably looked like a hot mess. Dieter popped his head around the door, “Hey sleeping beauty…what in the world happened to you?”

I looked down at my shirt and rubbed aimlessly, “I spilled my water.” Because of you, you beautiful fucking tease. “What’s up?”

He looked amused, “I’m gonna go grab us some breakfast. I’ll be back.”

I gave him a deadpan stare, “I hope you found your pants.”

He snorted, “Unfortunately for you, I did.”

Fucker. I narrowed my eyes and chucked a pillow toward his face, “Shut up. Get out of here.”

He laughed loudly as he pulled the door shut behind him. I heard the main door to the suite open and close a few minutes later. I screwed the lid back on my water and put it on the nightstand, huffing in frustration as I fell back onto the bed. His mere existence was making me crazy. At least we only had two days left here because I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle. I sighed, pulling up the screenshot of his story. Something about it caused the ache between my thighs to become almost painful.

I scoffed, “Oh fuck this. I can’t take it anymore.”

I tossed my phone down beside me, then settled back into the pillow and closed my eyes. One hand sliding up my shirt to knead my breast while the other found its way under the waistband of my sleep shorts. I was soaking wet to the point that it was embarrassing. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this aroused. It was almost shocking considering it was over something so small. Or was it? Maybe it had just been building all week and was finally at a breaking point.

I fought it at first, trying to think of anything but Dieter, but my mind kept going back to him sitting on the edge of the bed, thick thighs spread wide with that smoldering look on his face. Then my thoughts shifted to his large hands being the ones touching me. Now knowing how good he was with his hands had me craving his touch over every inch of my skin. I could only imagine how good it would feel for him to massage other parts of my body. Something told me he wouldn’t disappoint.

I could feel the tension building, stretching so tight that it had me sweaty and gasping for air, but wouldn’t progress further than that. I was stuck on the edge, unable to finish. I think part of me knew allowing my thoughts to wander down this path was a terrible idea and was still fighting it. I stopped my ministrations, huffing loudly from frustration. Setting up, I sought out my suitcase to find the small vibrator I had brought. I should’ve just started with that.

After searching it out, I settled into bed again, trying to get back in my zone with light touches, working my way up to it. Now that I allowed myself to freely think of Dieter, I seemed to get to the edge a lot quicker this time. Just as I turned the vibrator on, I heard the front door open and slam shut, followed by Dieter yelling, “Food’s here!”

I turned the vibrator off and shoved it under my pillow, kicking my legs, groaning, and wanting to cry. How the hell is he back already? If I didn’t do something about this soon, I was going to spontaneously combust.

I rolled out of bed, pulling my hair up into a messy bun as I walked out into the living room. Dieter stared at me with furrowed brows.

“You good? You look flushed…again.”

Fuck. “Y-Yeah, I was just doing some yoga.”

His brows arched, “You could do that in here ya know…where there’s more space. I promise I won’t gawk…too much…but maybe avoid the downward dog. I don’t need to see that.”

I could feel the wetness on the inside of my thighs, suddenly thinking about how a little yoga session could turn dirty really fast under the right circumstances.

I shook my head to clear that thought, remembering his last comment.

“Why don’t you need to see that?” I asked.

His face turned pink as he chuckled nervously, “Seriously? I’ve already told you that you have a nice ass. I wouldn’t be able to look away.”

So, he’s an ass man. Got it. I snorted, “Well, at least you’re honest.”

My eyes raked over the spread of food that he was now pulling out of bags, “Where did you go for all of this? That was super-fast.”

“There’s a diner just around the corner. I called it in and it was ready to go when I got there.”

I nodded. That explains it. Of all days to get something quick…damn him.

We sat down to eat. It took everything in me not to be distracted by the burning urge at my core. It eventually passed as we discussed the day’s schedule. Then I had to rush and get ready to head to the studio with him. It was dress rehearsal day, which I was pretty excited about. I couldn’t wait to see Dieter in action.

Most of my day was spent standing around, watching Dieter and the cast go through the skits. During breaks he would come over to ask me for feedback. Overall I thought he was doing amazing. The way he could just turn it on and go into character fascinated me. He was so witty, and his timing was spot on. I could already tell the show was going to go well if it turned out to be anything like the dress rehearsals. I did appreciate that he took any suggestions I made as being constructive. He didn’t seem offended and even welcomed the input, giving my ideas a try on the next run through.

By lunchtime, I was beginning to feel achy. The week’s chaotic schedule was catching up to me and I had hardly taken any self-care measures to avoid it. I’m sure the pent up tension I had been feeling didn’t help matters either.

Dieter came to sit next to me at the table with our DoorDash delivery and began pulling food out of the bag as he eyed me popping two anti-inflammatory tablets.

“You feeling ok?” he asked.

I slumped back in my seat and puffed air out through my cheeks, “Yeah…I’m just getting a little run down. My joints are protesting and determined to ruin my day. I think I may take advantage of that soaking tub tonight. It might help.”

Dieter gave me a sympathetic look, “Anything I can do to help? I can go get you some herbal tea. Turmeric, ginger, and white willow bark are good anti-inflammatories. I drink those when my back bothers me.”

I was surprised he offered such a thing, but I really shouldn’t have been. The man knows his plants, of course that would carry over to herbal remedies. He also seemed to have a tendency to try and take care of me.

I reached over and squeezed his knee, “Thank you, but I’ll be fine…I think. I’ll keep it in mind though.”

He looked disappointed as he took a bite of his sub sandwich, chewing thoughtfully for a moment.

“We’ve still got a few more skits to rehearse. Why don’t you go relax in my dressing room for a bit…get off your feet…we can do the monologue run through last.”

I made a pouty face as I picked at my sandwich, “But then I won’t get to watch you rehearse.”

“I mean…you don’t have to, it was only a suggestion…just wanna make sure you're not hurting. I need you on top of your game after all.”

I smiled at his meager attempt at a joke, “You know what, I may actually take you up on that offer. At least long enough for the pain meds to kick in.” I would never admit it to him, but I was actually starting to ache bad enough that it was getting hard to ignore.

He nodded, “Good.”

That seemed to placate him for now. I did appreciate his concern. At least he showed me that he cared. It was more than Alec ever did.

After I finished my sandwich, I stood and perched against the table beside Dieter, who was now scrolling on his phone.

“How long do you think it’ll take you all to finish up?”

Without looking up from his phone, his hand reached out toward me, slipping around my lower back before pulling me into his side. His hand came to rest on my hip as he finally looked up at me from where he was still sitting in the chair.

It took me off guard, but I didn’t hate it. I responded by leaning into him and resting my hand at the nape of his neck. My fingers inched toward his curls, hesitating briefly before moving to scratch lightly at his scalp. It had to be one of the most casually intimate interactions we had ever had. I wanted more.

When our eyes met, my breath hitched. God, he’s so fucking beautiful. I could feel his thumb running across the small area of exposed skin where my shirt had ridden up, causing goosebumps to form over my entire body. It would be so easy to crawl into his lap and kiss him right now. I exhaled slowly, attempting to focus my thoughts on something else.

Dieter seemed to have been momentarily distracted too, but eventually gave me a small smile, seeming to remember that I had asked him a question.

“I’ll come get you during our next break. Feel free to take a nap if you want. The leather sofa is pretty comfortable, but I can’t promise how clean it is. No telling who has been in that room…”

I snorted out a laugh, “Noted.”

I moved to leave, but his hand tightened on my hip. His gaze turned more intense, “Promise you’ll let me know if you need anything? I’ll go get whatever you want.”

I smiled at him and ran my fingers through the top of his hair, brushing it away from his eyes. It felt strangely satisfying to do. “Don’t worry, I will. I promise. It’s not that bad, really.”

He studied my face for a moment, seemingly satisfied with my response before dropping his arm. I was suddenly feeling much better and didn’t want to leave him after that exchange, but I didn’t want to try and explain my sudden recovery because it had everything to do with him.

After that, I made my way to his dressing room and immediately sunk down onto the plushy leather sofa. There was a blanket draped over the back that seemed questionable, but I sort of didn’t care, wrapping myself up in it as I settled in for a nap. I was out as soon as I laid my head down. Hazy dreams that I wouldn’t remember followed. Only traces of the way it made me feel would remain - warm, safe, loved, and blissfully happy.

I awoke sometime later to Dieter sitting on the edge of the couch beside me, his hand on my hip giving a gentle shake. He was looking at me with a smirk as I groaned and wiped the sleep from my eyes.

“Time to wake up, sleeping beauty. How you feeling?”

I moved to sit up, his hand sliding down to rest on the side of my thigh in the process.

“Better, I think. I didn’t realize how badly I needed that.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I think we’ve both been a little sleep deprived the last few days.”

He stood, “You ready to go over the monologue?”

I laughed nervously, “I suppose. This is about to be a disaster…”

Dieter shook his head, “Nope, you’ve got this. Just focus on me and the cue cards if you need them. Forget anyone else is in the room.”

That’s easy to do. I do it often enough. I stood and followed him out to the stage, both of us taking our places. The first time through was…rough. By the fourth time, I relaxed into it some, creating a playful banter between us, which was the goal. Dieter’s facial expressions to my joking insults were so on point. It was hard for me to keep from laughing. I really hoped I could keep it together during the live shows. The fifth and final time, we managed to nail it, which left me feeling much more confident about the whole thing.

Dieter and I were standing just in front of the stage exchanging notes on our last run through when one of the writers, Judy, came over and invited us out for open mic night at a local blues club. I knew there would probably be alcohol there, so I was tempted to decline. I glanced over at Dieter with a questioning look, “I’ll leave that up to you.”

Dieter shrugged, “We could spare a couple of hours, right? I wouldn’t mind getting you up on stage...” A mischievous grin was now plastered across his face as I started to shake my head.

“Nope. Not happening, Bravo.”

Judy’s eyes lit up, “Wait, do you sing?”

Dieter bumped his shoulder against mine, still smiling, “She sings and plays. She’s amazing.”

I was still shaking my head, “Dieter, no. I refuse.”

He put an arm around my shoulders, hugging me against his side as he leaned in close to my ear, “I’ll do it if you will.”

I sighed, “Now you’re playing dirty…asshole.”

Dieter snorted out a laugh as Judy grabbed my arm, “Come on Kat, it’ll be a good time. It would be amazing to see you two do something like that together.”

I puffed air out of my cheeks, “Alright fine. We can go…but I’m not making any promises.”

Dieter bear hugged me, shaking me from side to side as he yelled “Yaaaaasss” a little louder than necessary. I laughed and rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm. Judy snickered at Dieter’s antics, “Great, I’ll let everyone know you’re coming. You can share a ride with us if you don’t mind being squished in. It’s not that far away.”

Dieter glanced over at me, a smirk on his lips, “That’s fine, Kat can sit on my lap if need be.”

Fucking hell. Why is he torturing me like this? I narrowed my eyes on him as Judy chuckled, “Cool, I’ll go gather everyone up.”

After she walked away, I leaned over to Dieter and quietly asked, “You sure this is ok? You know they’ll probably be drinking…”

He sighed, “I’m gonna have to be around it at some point. It’s inevitable.” He gave me a soft smile as he took my hand and entwined his fingers with mine, “Besides…you’re gonna be there with me, so I’ll be fine.”

His eyes crinkled around the edges as his smile grew. I could tell that he believed what he was saying. It caused butterflies to form in my stomach when I considered the possible implications behind his words.

A short time later, a group of us squished into the back of a black SUV. Dieter sat in the very back corner. I hopped in behind him. Just as I was about to settle into the seat, he pulled me onto his lap, sitting me at an angle across his thighs. He wordlessly reached up behind him with his left hand to pull the seat belt out and motioned for me to fasten it around the both of us. Judy and one other person slid onto the bench seat beside us as he wrapped his arms around my middle and hugged me against his chest.

Dieter’s proximity caused him to completely invade all of my senses. His face was close enough to mine that I could almost taste his lips. I was cocooned in his smell and warmth, causing me to melt into his embrace. I could feel his hot breath blowing against the side of my neck and hear it hitch as I smiled shyly at him. The sight of his rounded brown eyes gazing deeply into mine made my heart skip a beat. For a brief moment, the world fell away, and it was just us getting lost in each other's eyes. He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth before turning his attention to Judy who had apparently asked a question.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” he said almost in a daze.

“Do you play too?” she asked again.

Dieter shrugged, “I guess you could call it that.”

I smiled down at him, “He plays the guitar and sings. He’s really good.”

A smile tugged at his lips as a blush crept across his cheeks. He squeezed me a little tighter as he leaned his forehead against my jaw.

Judy clapped her hands excitedly, “This is gonna be so much fun.”

I wished I shared her enthusiasm, but I couldn’t. Dieter laughed, his eyes meeting mine again.

“You gonna have some fun with me, Kit Kat?” My brow arched. Fucking tease.

I shifted to put my arm around his neck, “Depends on which definition of fun we’re talking about.”

His left hand that now rested on my hip gripped a little tighter as his eyes roamed over my face. I could tell he wasn’t sure how to take that comment. Good. Stew on that one. One side of his lips tugged upward, “I’m open to trying any definition of your choosing.”

My jaw nearly dropped. What. The. Fuck. Is he doing? I glanced around the car, worried someone was going to hear us, but everyone now seemed engrossed in one of the multiple conversations happening between the occupants. I could feel myself relax knowing that they all seemed distracted.

He shifted to lean in closer, causing his right hand to slide up my jean covered thigh a few inches. His lips grazed the shell of my ear as he spoke in a low gravelly voice, “We gonna rehearse for a bit after this?”

When he pulled away I couldn’t help staring at his pouty bottom lip briefly before my eyes flicked up to his. I nodded, “I’m not gonna let you get out of it that easily. You still need a little work.”

He chuckled, “Right…Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

I gave him an admonishing look over the pet name as he fought a smile. We were interrupted by the opening of doors, having arrived at the club.

The club wasn’t really what I was expecting. The walls were dark, but it was hard to tell what color they actually were because every inch of the place was bathed in a crimson glow from the red lantern like light fixtures hanging overhead. A decently sized stage sat in the center of the room with equipment scattered about. The stage was surrounded by tables and plushy booths where people sat enjoying meals. A bar lined the wall on the far side, which made me cringe a little, but overall the atmosphere seemed very chill. It didn’t give off any sort of party vibe.

We were seated at a large table next to the stage. Judy sat on one side of me, Dieter on the other. I sat in silence taking in my surroundings while Dieter chatted away with one of the cast members seated on the other side of him. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and eager to engage with him. It appeared that whatever damage he had caused during his previous time with them had been repaired. It made me happy that he was making progress in that area because I knew how worried he had been about it.

A server soon appeared and began taking everyone’s drink order. To my surprise, not a single person ordered alcohol. I briefly wondered if that was something they had discussed as a group beforehand or not. Either way, I appreciated it. Dieter was still chattering away so I’m sure he hadn’t even noticed.

I had just started flipping through the menu when, without a word, Dieter grabbed my chair and pulled me closer to his side. I looked up at him with furrowed brows. He gave me a cheesy smile as he rested his arm along the back of my seat, “I didn’t get a menu. Gotta share. What are we getting?”

I gave him a disbelieving smile and rolled my eyes, tilting the menu toward him so he could look at it with me. By this point in the week, we had gotten into the habit of picking out meals that we both wanted to try so we could sample each other’s dishes. I settled on the blackened chicken carbonara while he went with a Cajun chicken and shrimp pasta.

After ordering, his arm remained around the back of my chair as he leaned in closer to talk to Judy on the other side of me. His full attention seemed to be on her, yet his fingers had found their way to the back of my hair, lightly stroking through it as he talked. I tried to be present during their conversation, but it was hard to focus on anything other than his soft touch. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what the hell they were talking about.

Our attention was soon drawn to the stage as open mic night got underway. The host of the evening, Brian, was already badgering people to go sign up before it even started. Before he introduced the first performer, he caught sight of Dieter sitting in front of the stage. He stopped mid-sentence and changed course, “OH Damn, we got Dieter Bravo in the house tonight y’all!”

His eyes shifted to me as the room whooped and whistled, “AND Kat Stamos is here too! Y’all shouldn’t have sat next to the stage. Imma be giving you hell all night.”

We all laughed, but I felt like I was dying inside just a little bit. I hated being the center of attention like this. Judy took that moment to yell out, “Get them up on stage!” Fucking hell.

Brian’s eyebrows arched, “Oh you guys gonna perform for us?”

I shook my head as Dieter tried to laugh it off. He must have sensed my nervousness because his free hand found its way to my thigh and squeezed gently.

Brian laughed, “I’ll come back to you later. I’m not lettin’ that go.” Everyone cheered. Fuck. This is not how I saw the evening going. The host finally moved on to introducing the first performer just as our dinner was served. Aside from taste testing each other's food, we ate mostly in silence, enjoying the soulful blues performances taking place mere feet from us. I thought we had escaped the wrath of Brian, but I was wrong. Just as we were finishing up, Brian was back on stage asking if anyone wanted to fill the next open slot. When no one came forward, his eyes focused on us.

“A little birdy told me that Dieter and Kat have some hidden talents. I think this would be a good time to get them up here!”

I glanced over at Judy, who looked guilty before her nervous smile turned to an encouraging one. I felt a sudden adrenaline rush coursing through me as I turned to Dieter. A small part of me really wanted to see him sing and play on stage.

“Go on, get to it. You said you would do it,” I teased with a smile.

He shook his head, “No, I said I would, if you did. You gotta come too.”

He stood up, which seemed to get the crowd riled up further, “Come on Kit Kat. You know you wanna do it with me. Let’s cause a scene.”

I laughed. This is NOT what I wanna do with you, sir. I puffed air out of my cheeks. “Fine…but you owe me a solo performance too.”

“You let me pick the song and I’ll do anything you tell me to,” he replied with a dimpled smile. Fucker. I couldn’t pass that up.

He grabbed my hand, tugging me up out of the seat. The cheers in the room were almost deafening as he pulled me up onto the stage. He grabbed one of the acoustic guitars from the stand, taking a minute to strum and tune it as he chatted with the house band. Brian walked over and offered me a wireless mic before disappearing. The handle felt slick in my sweaty palms as I turned toward Dieter who was moving toward the mic stand in the center of the stage. He gave me a sneaky grin as he worked to raise the stand to his height. I smiled at him nervously as I raised my mic to speak, “Alright Bravo, what's it gonna be?”

Dieter was still smiling at me as he strummed a couple bars of the opening notes, waiting for my realization to kick in. It didn’t take long. It was the song I had been humming along to on Wednesday. The one he said that he wanted to hear me sing right before we had the almost kiss, or whatever the hell that was. I chuckled, rolling my eyes at him. He turned to his mic, “I hope you’re ready to have your minds blown by this beautiful and talented woman standing on stage with me.”

I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks as the audience responded with whistles and applause. I couldn’t help hiding behind my hand. I could hear Dieter’s deep rumbling laugh through the sound system. It vibrated through every inch of my body as I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for what we were about to do. I had sung in front of crowds before, but that was during family gatherings. This was different, almost daunting. Especially since I knew videos would inevitably find their way online for the world to see.

Dieter turned toward me and leaned in to ask, “You good?”

I gave him a nervous smile, taking another deep breath as I nodded.

“Focus on me if you need to,” he said. I nodded again.

He bumped his shoulder against mine, “Ok, here we go.”

I watched as his thick fingers began to pluck out the opening notes to Blood on a Rose. My eyes met his sultry gaze just as the words to the first verse left my lips. 🎶 (Song link for reference)

Your voice in my ear / The world disappears / So I'll fall again / You can keep me right here / Haunting my soul / A beautiful thorn / You rapture my heart / Leave me broken and torn

The lyrics were suddenly taking on a new meaning for me. He WAS haunting my soul, and I was torn between keeping things professional and completely losing myself to him. I was inching closer to him now, singing only for him. We had seemingly become completely entranced by each other as I moved into the chorus.

This love is killing me / The pain must be part of the cure / It's so hard to breathe when I need you so bad that it burns / You are the fire, love is the blood on a rose

I felt every word of it. This game we were playing had turned into nothing short of torture. My desire for him was reaching a new peak as the electricity crackled between us like it never had before. We were connecting in a new way that suddenly felt more intimate than the dancing. Maybe because we could both sense that there was some truth to the lyrics. I couldn’t keep myself from reaching up to brush the curl away that had fallen down over his forehead, then settled my hand on his cheek as I began the next verse.

Lost in your eyes / These ties that bind / Body and soul / Leaving nothing behind / Don't know how to stop / Don't know how to stay / These chains might break / But you like it that way

And lost in his eyes I was. I don’t think either of us had broken eye contact since the first note of music sounded. We were standing so close together by the time I went into the next round of the chorus that I could have easily leaned in to kiss him if there hadn't been a guitar between us. After a short building instrumental interlude, he shifted, angling the guitar in front of me. He leaned in toward the mic just as I started the final two refrains of the chorus and joined in.

The rush that I felt from his closeness was insane. My entire body was tingling and covered in goosebumps with his face now inches from mine, our gazes still locked as he belted out the words, harmonizing perfectly with me. Sharing this moment and this part of myself with him was waking something up inside of me. A craving unlike anything I had ever felt, and he was the only one that could satisfy it.

When the song ended, we just sort of stared at each other for a few beats as applause and cheers broke out around us. He smirked as he pulled me into his side and kissed me on the cheek. Just as I pulled away, the crowd began to chant “One more!”. I laughed, shaking my head as I raised the mic to speak, “I think the next one is on Dieter. I’m done.”

Dieter gave me his best sad puppy dog look. I shook my head again, “Nope. I’m done. It’s your turn.” He rolled his eyes as I turned to exit the stage, receiving praise as I went. I politely smiled in thanks, moving to take my seat at the table directly in front of where Dieter was now standing.

I could see that he was feeling anxious as he fidgeted with the guitar strap, then adjusted the mic, “Well, I don’t have Kat up here to make me look good anymore.” He laughed nervously, “So, you all better take it easy on me.”

The audience filled with quiet laughter as he turned around, briefly speaking with the house band one more time before returning to the mic. His voice started with the music, slow and deep. Bluesy guitar riffs intermingling with his somber tone. Every word was laced with emotion as his eyes focused on me.

🎶 (Song link for reference)

Bright lights with the side of passion / Nightlife, welcome the attraction / Her satin gloves wrapped all around / She lift me up, then, she knocked me down / I fell in love, she showed me how / She takes a puff and it's curtains now

I was happy to be sitting, because my legs would have given out on me if I hadn’t been. He was literally taking my breath away. This was way more intense than the first time I had seen him sing. I could feel it in my bones - in every cell. I couldn’t handle how fucking perfect and beautiful he was.

Judy grabbed my arm, “I had no idea he sounded like this. He’s so fucking good!”

All I could manage was a small nod, not taking my eyes off him as he transitioned to the chorus.

She drives a camera crazy / I think she knows it / There ain't no one above her and she ain't afraid to own it / The glitz and glamor slay me / But is it hopeless? / This goddess of a woman really gets the people going / Close up, zoom out / From every angle, yeah, she lay me down / Choked up, no doubt / She hard to handle, but she'll keep you 'round

His anxiety appeared to have dissipated. He now seemed slightly cocky even. The rawness and passion in his voice was seriously doing something to me. My thighs were now clenching together under the table. The ache at my center went from zero to painful in an instant. I sighed. This may very well be what finally breaks me.

As he moved into the second verse, something about his expression changed. It was more playful as he fought a smirk, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip during the brief lyrical pauses. His eyes were borderline seductive as he continued to focus on me. Something told me he knew what he was doing, and that thought only made me squirm more. I couldn’t help questioning his song choice. I found myself wondering how much truth was behind the lyrics.

Might bite when they call for action / Shines like she'll evoke reaction / I feel it jump, heart starts to pound / She pulled the plug, really show me now / We fell in love, she showed me how / Hands are cuffed as I slowly drown

By the time he hit the chorus again, he was in full performance mode - sliding the guitar behind his back and gripping the microphone between both hands with confidence. It had to be one of the hottest things I had ever seen. A confident Dieter seemed to be my new weakness.

Everyone in the room collectively lost their minds when he finished. I could hear murmurs around about how amazing he sounded and how surprised everyone was by his talent. He was shocking people left and right this week and I was loving every second of it. I was proud of him and suddenly understood the urge of wanting to show him off. He was MY dance partner after all. If he could use that as an excuse, then so could I.

After a shy “thank you” to the audience, Dieter rejoined us at the table and was met with fist bumps, claps, and pats on the back. He had a dopey grin on his face as he finally sat down beside me. When he noticed me looking at him, his demeanor shifted, seemingly unsure of himself now. I gave him a comforting smile, reaching to lace my fingers with his.

“You did such a good job. I’m a little speechless.”

He huffed out a relieved chuckle, shifting to put his arm along the back of my seat as he leaned in next to my ear, “You were amazing. I could listen to you all night.”

It was my turn to be embarrassed. I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks, but I still managed to pluck up the courage to ask, “Those were some interesting song choices. Why did you pick them?”

Dieter leaned back into his chair and took a drink of water with his free hand, seemingly weighing his response. He finally shrugged, “They seemed to fit the mood of the evening.”

He’s being cryptic with that answer. My brows pinched together, “What does that mean?”

A cocky grin spread across his face, “You tell me.”

My mouth opened to speak, then snapped shut. I don’t know what to do with that. What is he insinuating?

We were suddenly interrupted by two younger women who asked to take a selfie with us. We agreed, of course. After they spent a few minutes fawning over us, they thankfully left. Dieter immediately turned his attention back to me, smiling as he draped his arm back around my shoulders.

“I’m almost afraid to check social media after this gets out. You know there’ll be videos,” I said.

He snickered, “Well, let’s beat them to it. Story time!”

Dieter shifted to pull out his phone and snapped a quick selfie of us, then posted it to his Instagram story with a smirk. I’d have to check to see what ridiculousness he added to it later. After setting his phone down on the table, his hand found its way to my thigh and rubbed gently as he asked “When do you wanna head back?”

His gaze locked with mine as I reveled in the sensation from his touch. The thigh touching was new, he did it so casually now and I was loving every second of it. I wanted more.

“Umm, lemme run to the ladies room, then we can go,” I finally said.

Judy’s attention was drawn to me as I got up. I motioned that I was going to the bathroom which prompted her to stand and join me. We had to wait in line for several minutes, quietly chatting amongst ourselves as we did so.

“I’ve gotta say, Dieter has shocked us all this week. He’s like a completely different person. He’s actually been pretty amazing to work with,” she said.

I smiled, “Yeah, I know he’s been working really hard. He was excited to be asked back.”

“I’ll admit, a lot of us were not happy about him coming back at first. He was an absolute asshole last time…when he wasn’t trying to get laid that is. He was a mess.”

That probably shouldn’t bother me, but it sort of did. I had to remind myself that he hadn’t kept his past a secret. I knew he used to sleep around. Maybe it was just starting to hit me differently after the Alec thing.

“Being sober has done him good though. I think you're having a positive impact on him too. He seems much more relaxed when you're around,” she added with a knowing look in her eyes.

My brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

She shrugged, “I dunno. He just appears to be…happier maybe? You seem very in tune with each other.” She leaned in closer, “I’ve gotta ask…because I honestly can’t figure you two out…Do you have something going on? Like…are you together?”

I scoffed, “No. Absolutely not. I mean, sure, we’ve gotten close…I understand what he’s going through because my dad had the same issues…And this show and all the drama that comes with it is putting us through the wringer. We’ve just become good friends through all of it.”

She didn’t look convinced, “All I’m gonna say is…he was tryin’ to get with anyone that would give him the time of day last time he was here. Now, he only has eyes for you. That man is one hundred percent into you.”

I laughed nervously, “No he’s not. It’s not like that with us.”

She gave me a doubtful look as she moved to take the next open stall, “If you say so, honey.”

I stood there, a little dumbfounded for a moment. Maybe I wasn’t imagining things?

I tried to put Judy’s words out of my mind as I walked back to the table. I was still trying to convince myself that she was wrong. Do I think he flirts sometimes? Yes. But he’s Dieter fucking Bravo. That’s just how he is. To say he only has eyes for me is a whole other level that I was not fully convinced of yet. Of course, now that I was thinking about it, I couldn’t actually recall having seen him flirt with anyone else. Not even in a joking manner. That had to be because he was comfortable around me though. Right?

As I approached the table, I realized Dieter was saying his goodbyes. He turned to me with a soft smile on his face, “I took care of our bill, and our ride should be here any minute.”

Damn, he didn’t waste any time. I nodded, then turned to bid my farewells to everyone for the evening and thanked them for inviting us. Once finished, Dieter grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd to the exit where we found our Uber already waiting.

The ride back to the hotel was oddly quiet, but I could still feel a strange electricity crackling between us. Something had definitely changed between us tonight. I couldn’t keep my eyes from shifting in his direction and roaming over his profile as he stared out the window of the car. The city lights occasionally illuminated his face in various shades of white, blue, and pink - emphasizing his aquiline nose and pouty lips in a way that was making it hard for me to breathe. I knew I should look away, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could ignore the feelings I was having toward him. Being with him as much as I had this week was causing a raging monster to grow inside of me, and it wanted him. After tonight, I didn’t think I could lock it away any longer.

Once we reached the hotel, I linked my arm with his as we walked inside toward the elevators. After the elevator doors closed, his arm shifted to wrap around my waist, tucking me into his side. I was suddenly surrounded by the scent of him, earthy and woody with a soft citrus undertone. It was intoxicating and I had to remind myself not to lean in to inhale him. His husky voice broke through my thoughts, “Do you still wanna rehearse some tonight? I guess we probably should, huh?”

I raised my head to look at him, startled by how close his face was to mine. Fuck. He’s beautiful. I cleared my throat, staring up at him through my lashes, “Yeah, I mean…maybe we can just run through it a few times with the music.”

The elevator doors opened to our floor. I moved away from him to exit, “I’m just gonna run and change first. Tight jeans are not ideal…” I added with a chuckle, swiping into the room as I spoke. He nodded, agreeing that he was going to change as well.

I changed into black leggings and a matching zip front sports bra, then met Dieter in the living room. We stuck to our routine of rehearsing on the terrace. It wasn’t a cold night but being up on the top floor definitely made it a little chilly. Dieter made some sort of comment about keeping the blood flowing to stay warm and my thoughts spiraled. The fact that we were stuck doing one of the most intimate dances this week was not helping matters. I suddenly had butterflies in my stomach realizing what we were about to do while I was in my current state. I don’t know if I can do this and keep it together.

I queued up the music using the small Bluetooth speaker and my phone, then hit play on my watch once we got into position. On our first run-through, I messed up several times because I couldn’t concentrate, but we managed to make it through in the midst of laughter. Dieter was completely throwing me off my game with his new found confidence and intense focus. His hesitation with physical contact had disappeared only to be replaced by a cocky smirk and playful glint in his eyes, which was beyond distracting. I felt like he knew what effect it was having on me too.

On our second run-through, we shook off our giggles and managed to focus, if that’s what you could even call it. The electric current between us was buzzing at max levels as we channeled the intimacy of the dance. Our touches became more sensual and less playful, the looks between us now lingering, the space between us disappearing. Instead of just our foreheads touching during those more intimate moves, our noses were now nuzzling against each other with our lips centimeters apart. Every nerve ending in my body was like a livewire, shocking me where our skin touched. By the time the song came to an end, the vibe between us had completely shifted. I stepped away, laughing nervously, “Well, that one went much better. I think we have a pretty good grasp on it. Do you wanna call it a night?” I need to get away from him. Now. Or I’m gonna lose what little control I have.

Dieter rubbed at the back of his neck as he peered up at me through his lashes, the corner of his lip twitched upward before he spoke, “I dunno, I think maybe we should go through it one or two more times…at least. If you’re feeling up to it…of course.” I could feel his chocolate eyes boring into me as he fought a smile. What the fuck is this? Why does he keep looking at me like that? His words from a few days ago popped into my head, “I’ll behave unless I’m told to do otherwise.”

Surely, he’s not…no. Is he? I felt like he was trying to get a read on where I was with things. Did he feel the shift too? My intuition was telling me that if we kept rehearsing right now, something was going to happen. This whole situation we had been thrust into was setting us up for this and I was falling for it. My gut told me he was too. My head was telling me to call it a night, but my traitorous lady bits were throbbing at the possibility of seeing what else Dieter Bravo could do with those loose hips of his. I suddenly felt like everything was hinging on my response. I must have taken longer than I realized to answer him, because Dieter’s brows furrowed as my name slipped out between his lips. My attention snapped back to him as he asked, “Is everything ok?”

My eyes widened, meeting his, “Yeah, sorry. I was thinking through the ending. I’m not sure it feels right.”

He arched a brow as the smirk returned, “I agree, it’s almost sort of… anticlimactic?”

I nodded, “Yeah…I agree.” Maybe with a new focus, the tension might dissipate some. “Are you good to do another lift?” I asked.

He shrugged, his eyes were almost smoldering now, “I’m good with whatever you wanna do.”

I felt like his words had a double meaning behind them. I tried my best to ignore my thoughts as I worked through the moves in my head, “Alright, I’m not sure how to explain this…ummm…as I turn, allow me to complete the turn into your side while lifting me up onto your hip. You’re gonna bend your leg slightly for me to rest on as you dip me backward, run your hand down my side then snap me up for the final pose.”

He stood staring at me with a confused look etched on his face. I sighed, “Ok, hold on.” I moved to pick up my phone, closing my eyes for a minute to think where I had seen that move before. I somehow managed to pull it out of the recesses of my mind and quickly found it on YouTube to show him. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he watched, then nodded, “Yeah, I like that better.”

We tried it several times and managed to get it down after some struggles and laughter. Then we decided to go through the whole routine again with the new ending. The tension between us quickly returned - pretty much picking up where it left off. Especially when we hit the first lift. From my position on the floor, I raised my legs and hooked them over the tops of his thighs. He slowly lifted me off the ground as I rolled my torso upward and hooked my hands around his neck pulling his face up to meet mine. Our lips grazed against each other this time. The position that we found ourselves in felt more intimate than it ever had as he did a full turn, and I released the hold my legs had around his waist to plant my feet on the ground. We stayed in the embrace a few beats longer than we should have but kept going after finally breaking apart.

Our lips continued to lightly brush against each other throughout the rest of the routine. This was new. We had never gotten this close and intimate during a dance. It was causing blood to rush to my aching core. There was no way we could keep this up or else I was going to burst into flames. I could feel my control slipping away with each passing second.

By the time we reached the end with the final lift I was hanging on by a thread. When I turned and he lifted me onto his hip for the dip, he didn’t just run his hand down my side. He started by caressing my neck, skimmed the center of my breasts, then down my side to pull me upward toward his face. Instead of just resting my hand on the back of his neck, it seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved upward and fisted in the curls at the nape. I could feel his heated breath rush out against my lips as he closed his eyes from the sensation, a quiet whimper escaping his throat before nuzzling his nose with mine. He pulled back slightly, allowing his gaze to settle on me. He looked dazed as I continued to slowly pull away to stand. His hand slid down my arm and gripped my fingertips until they were out of his reach.

I turned away, brushing my hair back off my face and inhaling deeply in an attempt to compose myself. Fuck, I’ve never felt anything this intense before. It was really messing with my head. He was like a magnet pulling me in. There was no way I could fight this for seven more weeks. The pull was too strong. If it didn’t happen now, it was going to eventually unless something changed.

His voice broke through my thoughts, “One more time?” He asked. His voice sounded off. Smoother and deeper somehow. Like honey and sex. I turned to look at him, his eyes widening slightly, “Or, we can call it a night…if you prefer.” He could sense my reluctance and was giving me an out. Deep down I knew he was testing me. I could sense that he wanted it just as badly as I did.

I shook my head, “N-No…one more time should do it. Our timing was still a little off. I think we can get it right this time.”

One corner of his lips tugged upward. Did I have a double meaning behind my words now? Fuck. What am I doing? We got into position as I started the music again. The last of the frayed threads that had been holding us back were finally pulling apart. After the first turn, he placed his hands on my hips and pulled my back tightly against his front. I could feel every inch of his broad body pressed against me, including the stiffness in his pants. There was no polite space there this time as I reached up behind me with my right hand to the back of his neck, grasping at his curls. His fingertips slid down the underside of my arm as his lips lowered to brush against the shell of my ear, then trailed down my neck before transitioning to the next move. I could still feel the blazing path of his mouth on my skin, even after it was gone.

Our touches continued to intensify as we got to the first lift. This is when the threads finally snapped. After I rolled my torso upright and pulled his face upward to meet mine, he stopped moving. His breathing was noticeably shallower as I cupped his cheeks and stared into his darkened eyes. Slowly leaning in further, and without thinking, I placed the lightest of kisses on his lips before pulling back to meet his gaze again. His eyes searched my face as a conflicted expression overtook his features. I loosened the grip my legs had around his waist so he could set me down, which he did, but his hands kept me pulled snugly against his chest as they caressed over the bare skin of my lower back.

He pressed his forehead against mine, I could tell he wanted to kiss me, but he was holding back. His words popped into my head again, “I’ll behave unless I’m told to do otherwise.” I realized then, he’s following my lead in this dance. I pressed my lips against his again, his response was tentative and gentle. Almost like he was afraid he might scare me away if he moved too quickly. My hands slid from his cheeks into his hair, pulling him in closer and deepening the kiss. His lips parted, allowing me entrance. It was soft and sensual the way he massaged my tongue with his. God, he’s such a good kisser. I had never really thought that about anyone in the past, now I realized why. There was an art to it, and Dieter Bravo had mastered it.

My thighs clenched together, the throb at my center was now unbearable. I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew there was no fighting it at this point as my hands dropped down to the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. The soft fabric was replaced by my fingers splayed across his bare chest. He leaned in and kissed me briefly before pausing and placing his hands on either side of my neck with his thumbs resting on my chin, gently stroking my face. He pulled back, his intense eyes locking with mine. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.

I nodded in response, but then he continued, “If we do this…it changes everything. I-I can’t go back to the way things were before. It’s all or nothing for me.” He was deadly serious as his eyes bore into me, unblinking as he searched mine. His intensity took me by surprise, and only seemed to spur me on. I let out a shaky breath, his vehemence causing my heart to pound in my ears. I nodded again, “I’m sure.”

He must have found what he was looking for as his eyes danced around my face, because it was like a dam had broken when his lips finally crashed against mine. He was suddenly full of passion and need. His hands roamed over the length of my body as he walked us backward toward the open door to go inside. Once we passed the threshold, he turned, pressing me up against the curtain covered floor-to-ceiling window. My leg hooked around his hip as he rutted against my center, nearly causing me to come undone from the contact.

His lips made their way down my neck, but he still seemed hesitant in touching me where I wanted him to. I grabbed his hands and brought them to my breast, encouraging him to have his way with me. He gave them a tentative squeeze, before groaning against my jaw. One of my hands fisted in the top of his hair as the other moved to the front zipper on my bra, “It’s ok to touch me, Dieter. I want you to…need you to…please.” I begged through heavy pants.

He whimpered against my skin as I pulled the zipper down, his hands immediately reaching for and massaging at the soft exposed flesh as I managed to slide the bra off down my arms. He raised his head, his tongue quickly plunged into my mouth as one of his hands began to move downward at a painfully slow pace until he was finally rubbing against the spot that I wanted him most. It was my turn to whimper into his mouth now. It wasn’t enough, I wanted more. My hips bucked against his palm. He seemed to understand, moving to dip his hand into the front of my leggings, his digits sliding over my slick folds, expertly caressing and teasing me. I quickly turned into a quivering mess as he licked and sucked on my neck and worked me over with his thick fingers.

He suddenly withdrew his hand, now sliding both down my sides and hooking his fingers under the band of my leggings, he paused quietly whispering into my ear, “Is this ok?” I let out a breathy “yes” as he continued to pepper me with kisses, slowly moving down my body with his mouth as he removed the rest of my clothing, completely exposing me. I was burning for him. I couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before. The hungry look in his eyes as he sucked a nipple into his mouth only exacerbated the feeling.

Dieter sank to his knees, lifting my left leg over his shoulder as he pulled away from my breast with a pop. He turned his attention to kissing and nibbling at my inner thigh, dragging his patchy stubble against my skin as his lips made a fiery path to the apex. His teasing touches were maddening. I knew I wasn’t going to last long. When he finally moved to my folds, licking up the center with the flat of his tongue, my legs nearly gave out. He hummed against me before latching on to the sensitive and throbbing bundle of nerves, sucking and flicking his tongue in tandem as his hands gripped my ass and held me firmly against his mouth. I doubled over almost immediately, my hands fisting in his hair for balance. Fucking hell, how did he do that? The loud moan that escaped my lips was almost embarrassing. I somehow managed to get myself upright and grabbed onto the door facing to my left for support. I was already covered in sweat, breathing heavily, and thighs shaking from the building release. Another quick jolt of pleasure ran through me, nearly causing me to double forward again. A breathy, “What the fuck!?!?” escaped my lips. I’d never felt anything like this before.

I could feel the deep rumble of his chuckle as he broke away with another pop, looking up at me through his lashes, “Everything ok, sweetheart?”

My eyes narrowed at the pet name. I could tell he was using that word purposefully. His defiance only further stimulated my arousal. “I don’t think I told you to stop.”

That cocky smirk was back again, “Yes, ma’am.”

He dove back in, more enthusiastic than before - groaning out profane sounds as he worked. I was fairly certain he was sucking my soul out through my cunt. His mouth should be considered the eighth wonder of the world. He should be worshiped. My debauched thoughts were already sending me to hell, so why not add the worship of a false god to the list?

I couldn’t help grinding and arching into him, it felt so good it was almost painful. My release hit out of nowhere, my vision going dark before filling with bursts of color behind my eyelids. My ears began ringing, muffling all sound. The primal cry that came from deep within my chest shocked me. My whole body was shaking to the point that I could hardly stand. I could feel Dieter in front of me now, nuzzling his slick covered nose against mine with his hands around my waist, holding me tightly against him for support.

I snorted out a breathless laugh, “I think I just blacked out for a minute.”

I could feel him laughing against my throat. “Somebody was wound up tight,” he said between kisses. I knotted his hair in my hand and tilted his face upward to meet my gaze, “I don’t think I’ve ever come that fast, or hard…”

He smirked. “You can wipe that smug look off your face,” I added through a chuckle.

He shrugged as a cheesy grin spread across his face, “You know Kit Kats are my favorite thing to eat. What did you expect?”

I snorted, “You DID NOT just say that.”

He laughed loudly, “I totally did, and I’ll never not say it again. It’s too good.”

I smiled against his lips before pulling him in for a deep kiss, tasting the after effects of his handiwork. I wasn’t done with him yet. My right hand slid down through the light smattering of wiry hair at the base of his abdomen, then down the front of his gym shorts, rubbing his hard length. He melted into me as I swallowed his moans, pushing his shorts and boxer briefs down, exposing him to me. His size was as I suspected, girthy and above average in length, but not in a ridiculous way. He was perfect and I was aching to feel him. I NEEDED to feel him. I hooked my leg around his hip, encouraging him to rub against my slick center. He paused suddenly, his forehead dropping to my shoulder, “What’s wrong?” I asked.

He raised his head to look at me with a grimace, “I…uhhh…I don’t have any condoms. I wasn’t expecting…this.”

His rounded brown eyes were full of regret and maybe a little embarrassment at his admission. God, he’s perfect. I gave him a small smile, “I think I would’ve had more questions if you did have them.” He chuckled as I cupped his cheek, “It’s fine. I got the all clear and I’m on birth control…I trust you.”

His brows arched upwards as he shook his head, “I haven’t…with anyone. I swear”

I smiled against his lips, “I know…I told you, I trust you.”

He huffed out a sigh of relief, kissing me once more as he grabbed my ass and lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked toward the bedroom. He continued kissing me as he sank to his knees on the edge of the bed, managing to make it up far enough to lay me back on the pillows. He hovered above me on his elbows, fingertips in my hair as he kissed gently on my forehead, my nose, then my lips. He stared down at me for a moment, his eyes full of emotion, “I just want you to know that…with you…this does mean something to me.” I could feel my heart beating out of my chest from his admission. I kissed him back, deeply, before mummering a quiet “I know” against his plump bottom lip.

He gave me a soft smile, then sat up on his knees, his hands gently rubbing and massaging down my torso as he moved. His eyes followed their path, taking in every inch of my flesh. Seeing him like this, completely bare before me as he began stroking himself between my thighs, was easily the most erotic sight I had ever laid eyes on. His shoulders somehow looked broader from this angle, the muscles in his chest and arm flexed as he slowly slid his hand up and down his length. His messy curls were now hanging down over his lustful gaze, adding to his sexiness.

The way he looked at me was nothing short of obscene as he reached to rub at my inner thigh with his free hand, gently grazing his fingertips down to my ankle, then lifting my foot to rest on his shoulder. His hand continued to rub from the tips of my toes down my calf as he nuzzled his cheek against the inside of my foot. The softness of his touch juxtaposed with the scratchiness of his beard in such a sensitive spot caused a surge of electricity to course through my veins.

My cunt was suddenly aching to be touched. I couldn’t wait any longer. I surprised myself when my right hand found its way down to my folds to rub at the small bundle of nerves. My fingers briefly dipped down to collect some of the slick to smear around before continuing in my endeavor. My left hand moved to squeeze my breast. I was already feeling that familiar tingling sensation again with very little effort. Something about Dieter made me feel brazen and uninhibited unlike ever before. I never felt safe enough to be like this with Alec. I never felt any of this with Alec.

Dieter’s teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he watched me arch into my hands. His eyes flicking up from the apex of my thighs to meet my gaze ever so often to watch me, watching him. Neither of us said a word, our connection allowing us to silently communicate our feelings and needs as we shared this moment of mutual self-pleasure.

His hand moved to caress my ankle, his thumb pressing THAT spot again just below the ankle bone, causing jolts of pleasure to shoot through me. He tucked his chin, opening his mouth to graze his teeth against the spot his thumb had just vacated, causing a new prickling sensation to creep up to my aching core. I whimpered quietly at the feeling, his gaze meeting mine as he began to gently suck the area. His eyes shifted down to my center, now watching my fingers at work. I watched as his head dipped further, spit dripping from his mouth onto his cock as he continued to leisurely stroke himself, his thumb swiping over the sensitive tip as he moved. Something about his actions made me feel feral. It wasn’t a want anymore. I needed him.

Dieter must have sensed my growing need, suddenly lowering my leg and sliding his large hands around my hips. With a firm grip, he lifted them up off the mattress and notched himself at my entrance. I watched our reflections in the mirrored ceiling as he slowly sank in, stretching me around his length. The sight and feeling of him forced incoherent sounds from my lips. He let out a loud hiss through his teeth as he sunk in to the hilt. His eyes fluttered shut as his jaw went slack, his head briefly dropping back in ecstasy. The position he put me in had opened my hips up in a way they never had been during sex, allowing him in deeper, eliciting a pleasure I had never felt.

He leaned forward slightly, tucking one arm around my lower back, causing it to arch further, increasing the friction of his movements against my center. He set a steady rhythm, rolling his hips and thrusting upward in a way that hit all the right spots perfectly. His free hand slid up my abdomen to knead my breast and roll my nipples between his fingertips causing my skin to pebble all over. He let out a quiet moan at the way my body responded to his touch. I soon found myself fisting the sheets and coming undone again before he had even broken out into a sweat.

A satisfied smile slid across his face as I clenched down around him and groaned loudly with my release, “That’s it sweetheart, let it go.” His breathy voice was deeper and more husky than I had ever heard it. It was so fucking sexy. I wanted to tell him to stop calling me sweetheart, but deep down, it was only stoking the flames further. I think he knew it too, which is why he kept saying it.

He gently lowered my hips to the bed while I tried to catch my breath. He shifted to hover above me on his elbows, somehow managing to leave us joined through it all. His fingers worked to brush away the stray hairs that were sticking to my sweaty face, his lips trailing behind them. I caught his mouth with mine, kissing him deeply as my hands wandered over his body. He began moving again, tucking his knees under my thighs to slightly elevate my hips. I arched up into him as he hit just the right spot deep inside of me. The way he moved was causing the base of his cock to rub against my clit in a way that was already making my whole body quiver and shake toward another release as my legs tightened around his hips. One of his arms slid underneath my lower back, holding me snugly against his chest, further increasing the friction as he continued to massage my tongue with his.

All of his movements seemed to be calculated. Every touch and every angle were done with a single purpose - to give pleasure, not take it. He knew exactly what I needed and how to get me there. I didn’t have to tell him, because he was reading the cues. He was working my body in ways I never thought possible and satisfying every craving that I ever had that had gone unfulfilled. Yet, he was awakening a primal hunger that I didn’t think would ever be satiated.

He began to quicken the pace of his thrusts, which finally sent both of us over the edge together. The room filled with sounds of our heavy breathing and loud moans as he finally spilled into me. Our eyes remained locked on each other through our releases. It was intimate and unexpected, making my heart skip a few beats. He wasn’t afraid to show the vulnerable side of himself as he lost control - not holding back any of his soft whimpers. I found myself wanting to see it again and again.

Dieter nearly collapsed on top of me, burying his face in my neck as he worked to catch his breath. My fingers instinctively combed through his messy curls as I did the same. Eventually, he moved to kiss me again, nibbling on my chin as he pulled out with a groan to lay at my side. He was quiet for a few minutes, now seeming unsure of himself as he finally spoke up, “Do you want me to leave now?” His words came out almost in a whisper, sounding sad, like it was inevitable. He didn’t look my way, instead he stared toward the doorway as he waited for my response. I could see his expression in the mirrored ceiling. He looked sad, like he was fighting back his emotions.

I could feel my brows pinching together, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. “Why would I want you to leave?” I asked.

His lips set into a tight line as he shrugged, “Because people usually don’t want me to stay…after.”

I shifted to lay on my side so that I was facing him. I placed my hand under his chin, turning his head so he was looking at me, “I never want you to leave me after…”

He stared up at me with his sad puppy eyes before turning his body to face mine, burying his face in my side and hugging my thighs against his chest. “Is this ok?” he asked against my bare skin. My fingers moved back to strum through his hair, “Of course it is. It always will be.”

I suddenly felt sad for him, wondering what had happened in his life that would make him ask those questions. I had the overwhelming urge to shower him in affection. I had a feeling he hadn’t gotten a lot of that, in recent years at least. Then again, I hadn’t really had that either.

I felt his hand rub up and down the back of my thigh, his head suddenly popped up to look at me, “Did you still wanna soak in the tub? I know the last few days have been tough on you. I don’t want you to be sore or anything. I can get it ready for you…if you want?”

I glanced at the clock, it was almost 11:30 PM. “I dunno, it’s getting late.”

Dieter kissed my hip, “If you wanna sleep in, I’ll go grab us some breakfast in the morning.”

I smiled, “You’re making that really hard to turn down, Bravo.”

He was massaging my hip now, with a small smile on his lips. It felt amazing.

“I wanna take care of you. Gotta keep these hips in working order,” he leaned down and kissed where he had just been rubbing as his hand slid down to grip my ass cheek.

He’s definitely an ass man. I laughed, “Ok, fine. You win, but only if you join me.”

He smiled against my skin, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I stretched out on the bed, watching as he moved around the room to prepare the bath, still completely naked and confident. As he waited for it to fill, he gathered towels from the bathroom then added salts to the water, occasionally checking the temperature. Once it was halfway full, he stepped in and sat down, “Oooh fuck, this might be too hot.”

I laughed, “That means it’s perfect then.”

He shook his head, muttering out, “Nope. Nope. Nope.” Then he moved to adjust the temperature of the running water.

Once he settled against the backrest, I got up to join him, piling my hair up into a messy bun along the way. He spread his legs wide so I could sit between his thighs and lean against his chest. I scoffed, “Nope. It could be warmer.” I sat up to adjust the temperature again while he laughed. We were quiet until the tub was full. I reached to shut off the water then got comfortable against him. His thumbs moved to massage into my neck, then down the back side of my shoulders. After several minutes, the rest of his fingers joined in, digging into the top muscles. His motions elicited a quiet moan from me as my head dropped back to his chest. His fingers made their way to the front side, massaging around the base of my neck, then moved down the sides of my arms.

My eyes drifted closed, “Mmm, I wasn’t aware that a massage was part of this.”

Dieter’s lips brushed against my ear, “I told you, I wanna take care of you. That position I had you in can do a number on your neck and back.”

I sighed, “I’m not really sure what to do with this. I’m not used to aftercare.”

He scoffed, “That shouldn’t surprise me. I hope he was at least a decent lay.”

I laughed, “No. He wasn’t. He fucking sucked. I usually had to take care of things myself. He was a very selfish lover. Always wanting and taking. Half the time I just felt like his plaything to be used as he saw fit, then discarded when he was done. He typically didn’t stick around after either.”

Dieter nuzzled into my neck, “That’s a terrible feeling that I know all too well. I promise, I’ll never do that to you.”

I turned so that I could see his face, “I’ll never do it to you either…People would really ask you to leave after?”

He pursed his lips in thought, “Yeah, I mean…it was just hookups. It was never meant to be more than that. Either they asked me to leave, or they would leave without a word. It was better in a lot of ways…didn’t have to go through the awkward morning after thing. It’s just sort of what I’ve come to expect I guess.”

I turned away, now staring at the water, “Why did you do it?”

He sighed, squirming under me a little, “Ummm, that’s more complicated. Most of the time I was so coked out I’m not even sure if I knew what I was doing. Other times, it was an escape…to feel something else and nothing else at the same time…but there was never any connection there. It was just about forgetting my problems and having a fun time.”

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, suddenly worried that’s all this was to him. An escape. He must have sensed it because his arms tightened around me as he leaned his cheek against mine, “It’s not like that with you. Don’t worry. I told you…this means something to me. You’re making me feel things I didn’t know possible…want things I’ve never wanted because I was too afraid.”

His voice wavered, which took me by surprise. I turned to face him again, searching his sad eyes. “What were you afraid of?” I asked.

He reached to entwine his fingers with mine on his chest, his eyes turning glassy as he stared at them, “In simple terms…rejection, abandonment, pain, loss. I didn’t feel like I was worthy of being loved. There’s a lot to unpack there, and I don’t wanna do that tonight. I just wanna be with you.”

I smiled, releasing his hand and reaching to pull his face toward mine so I could look at him. We took each other in for a moment before he leaned down and captured my lips with his. I shifted to straddle his thighs as his arms snaked around me. We spent some time making out as our hands explored each other. It never progressed beyond that. I couldn’t remember the last time I had an intimate moment like this that didn’t turn sexual. It was actually kind of nice just being together. When we finally broke apart, Dieter buried his face in my chest, and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, my fingers instinctively going to his fluffy curls. He sighed contentedly, “I can’t believe this is happening right now.”

I chuckled, “I honestly can’t either…”

“You fought a good fight. I wasn’t sure if you were gonna give in or not,” he mumbled out against my neck.

I scoffed, “Excuse me? You didn’t know I was into you.”

I felt his rumbling laugh, “Oh I one hundred percent did.”

I tugged his hair to lean his head back so I could look at him, “Since when?”

He shrugged, “Since last week for sure.”

My head shook from side to side in disbelief, “And here I thought I was doing a good job at hiding it.”

He laughed, “Maybe for a little while, but no, not recently…I think the water is getting cold.”

I puffed air out of my cheeks, “Yeah it is.”

I slid back off his thighs, then he moved to stand and grab a towel. After helping me to my feet, he began drying me off. Once he was satisfied, he tucked the towel in around my torso, then gave my ass a squeeze as I stepped out of the tub. I squealed, reaching for his towel, then turned to return the favor of getting him dry.

As I rubbed the towel over his chest, I suddenly felt shy as I asked, “Are you gonna stay with me tonight?”

He smirked, “If you want me to…I mean, I was kinda planning on it…”

Relief flooded through me. I couldn’t meet his eyes as I spoke, “Good. I wasn’t sure…”

His fingers found their way to my chin and lifted it upward so that I was looking at him, “I’m gonna be wherever you are until you tell me to fuck off.” I couldn’t help laughing. He always had a way with words.

We didn’t even bother to get dressed before snuggling into bed, tangling our limbs together and making out like a couple of teenagers. I wanted to feel all of him as I drifted off to sleep and I made sure he knew it. He didn’t hesitate to wrap himself around me once we finally settled down. It was the best night’s sleep I had had in a very long time, and I knew it was because of him.

Next: Week 5 (Part 4)

A/N: Are you all screaming right now? I'm screaming because FINALLY! Took them long enough, right? Could that build up have been any slower? Dieter was taking a chance when he asked to keep going...it was a rather delicate dance on his part. We will hear from him in Part 4, which I currently have no ETA on as I haven't started it yet. (I know, I'm SORRY!)

Poor Kat just couldn't catch a break in this chapter. Just when she was finally going to do something about her little ache, Dieter had to ruin it. He was literally driving her crazy in every way possible. 🤭

What do you think about Dieter's song choices? Was he trying to make a statement?

Can we talk about how much he wants to take care of her (and honestly enjoys it)? He's too damn cute.

Also, can we talk about the sex? Do you think he's about to give Kat some new experiences? If so, how open do you think she'll be to them?

We got some small revelations about Dieter's past. What are your thoughts on that? We have more to unpack there...

✨This chapter's video is a little different. It was made by two of the dance professionals from DWTS (who are married in real life). I love watching these two dance together because their chemistry is off the charts. They are dancing to the same song that Dieter and Kat will be dancing the Rumba too. Honestly, I think their version is better than the one from the actual music video. Give it a watch and enjoy!

Click HERE for the video.

✨THE LIFTS: I’ve included gifs for reference on the lifts. The first two gifs go together. I had to split them because tumblr has a ridiculous size limit.😒

CP Taglist: @titlee78 @legendary-pink-dot @survivingandenduring @wannab-urs @harriedandharassed

@hisandsnakes @misstokyo7love @readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94 @sin-djarin

@cakipy-blog @missladym1981 @guelyury @weho2kcmo @alokaerza

@girlofchaos @trulybetty @rhoorl @bitchwitch1981 @madnessofadaydreamer

@darkheartgatita @jazzloveslatte @timpletance @musings-of-a-rose @samiamproductions

@myloveistoolittle @for-a-longlongtime @copperhalfcent @auteurdelabre @drewharrisonwriter

@burntheedges @stevie75 @bunniboo0015 @quicax3 @jackie923

@sherala007 @pastelnap @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @jessthebaker @rebel-held

@gwendibleywrites @senorabond @annalovesflorida @sandaltoesocks @katw474

@txlady37 @inkmonster21 @sunnytuliptime @jeewrites @fifitheragertot

@pasc4lfuzz @toomanystoriessolittletime @pedrostories @dieterbravobrainrotclub

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal characters #dieter bravo #dieter bravo fic #dancing dieter #soft dieter #cat dad dieter #plant dad dieter #dieter bravo smut #dieter bravo fluff #slow burn #closed position series

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icanseethefuture333 · 1 year ago

Text

Celestial alignment: Pick a pattern in the sky

Messages to realign you with your soul path

Pile 1:

Shufflemancy -

Replay by Lady Gaga

JMK by Sango ft. Xavier Omar

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Ten of Wands, Eight of Cups, The Magician, The World, & Three of Cups

There is a call for you to let go of thoughts that are holding you back. There is something about repetition here that is preventing you from progressing into the next chapter of your life. You could be taking on the burdens of other people as a way to help them. Your guides are urging you to please stop. You are constantly making sacrifices for others when they aren't doing this for you. Your lesson right now is to focus on making yourself the top priority. You are always putting yourself on the back burner. Some people here take care of their family members or work in the medical field. It's understandable to be worried and to care for your loved ones or other people, but who's be concerned about you? Who is making sure that you are alright or have what you need? If nobody is there for you, then you have to be there for yourself. Start making goals or a list of things you wish to accomplish. You need to realize you are worthy and deserving of what you desire, start dreaming again, pile 1. The universe is waiting and ready for your call and demand. Once you have faith in yourself, the universe will be ready to make your dreams come true. A journey of peace, abundance, and celebrations will be coming your way soon.

Summary:

Change your thoughts & way of thinking.

Practice mindfulness & work on releasing limiting beliefs.

Learn how to include self care in your daily routine

Set boundaries

Think about what your goals or dream are

Make a list or a vision board

Research information on manifestation or spirituality that aligns with your beliefs

Pile 2:

Shufflemancy -

Bruises by Kelela

Brain by Mariah the Scientist

Omega by SAAY

Seven of Wands, King of Wands, Wheel of Fortune, The Aeon (Judgement), & Nine of Pentacles

This pile gave me goosebumps when shuffling - You have a very intense aura and strong presence, pile 2! Something about having to "fight" or the "brain" being significant. I'm reminded of this wounded emoji: 🤕. You could suffer from past trauma or have a mental disorder. I had to rewrite for this pile because it didn't save and I felt so frustrated having to write for this pile again, but it made me realize that this is possibly how you feel in life. You are constantly having to work with difficult circumstances without seeing any progress of the outcome. There were a lot of struggles that you had overcome and I am reminded of movie The Truman Show. His entire life was just programmed for him and he was forced to live a life he didn't want for the entertainment of others just so they could have a TV Show to watch. So I feel like people found joy in your misfortune and suffering, which I am terribly sorry for. The thing is though that was in the past and you don't have to deal with these people anymore. You don't have to pretend to be this character that obviously doesn't resonate with you. You can create an entirely new life, new self concept, new everything for yourself. Think of who you want to be as an individual, not what other people have labeled you as or want you to be. You have to start realizing that you are free to do as you please. Life can be like a simulation and we could all be considered avatars, but we don't realize is that we are able to customize our reality in anyway we wish. You have the inner strength and passion but you are just stuck in this survival mode that is not serving you anymore. It is time for you to move on and your spirit guides are being stern with me right now but they're saying "take this shit seriously". If you have a dream or goal you know you wanna do, take action and stop complaining. Stop with the excuses, the self pity, and the martyr complex. Once you start asking the universe for help is when you can start to achieve your dreams. "It's like clockwork". I am seeing that you feel that you're running out of time in life to accomplish your goals but I am reminded of Maddy from Euphoria when she said "Don't worry, this is only just the beginning". Your "shift" or soul purpose has only just begun and time is ticking for real now. I am getting a vision of someone holding a bright lantern in a dark cave and they are like making a come hither motion with their hands. So I believe this is the universe and your guides saying if you need guidance and you are unsure what to do or where to go or how to even begin the project you wish to work on - Ask them. Once you start asking the universe for help shit is going to change in your life dramatically because your purpose is very significant and it is going to be for the better of society but you have to stop being in your ego and acting stubborn because it is not helping you or anyone else for that matter. I'm not saying you have to be some sort of holy messiah or the rebirth of Jesus Christ himself, but you are going to be someone who will make a difference in this world. As you embark on this journey, it is crucial that you pay attention to the signs the universe or spirit gives you. It is okay if you make mistakes but you have to be careful and aware of people or vices that will sabotage you in the end. So listen to your intuition and notice those gut feelings. I feel like people will be giving you your flowers in the future, that could mean you will be someone who has a certain level of status, or this means people will show appreciation or gratitude for your benevolence and charity. You have this gift or tool that the universe has blessed you with and you have to utilize it for the good will of others.

This is a powerful message I channeled from spirit: "Others who have begun early are merely the matches that were chosen out of indulgence, for candles & waxes, the faster they burn, the quicker their ashes will fall. The last one to be picked, is the match that is the resource for those in need of hope and warmth when faced with the darkness."

Summary:

Use your intuition

Release the version of yourself that is no longer serving you

Embrace change & endings

The end of a chapter means a new beginning

Rely on your inner strength & wisdom

Ask for guidance

Focus on what it is meant for you

"All that glitters isn't gold"

Pile 3:

Shufflemancy -

Lemon by N.E.R.D ft. Rihanna

Starface* by Jean Dawson

Screen Time by Epik High ft. HOSHI

The Tower, Four of Pentacles (reversed), Three of Wands, The Sun, & Four of Wands

The pile's energy instantly chirped me up and made so happy! Its interesting how the piles are always so unique in their own way. You could have been or are currently in denial with your circumstances. It reminds me of Hey Ya! by Outkast. Go take a look at that music video or listen to the song if you're unfamiliar with it. It's a fun happy song, but the meaning of the lyrics are actually quite depressing. You could have this mindset of: "Y'all don't wanna hear me you just wanna dance!". You could be someone who is pessimistic and a downer, always wanting to look at things from a more "realistic" perspective. Although, your spirit guides are asking you to actually change this way of thinking. I actually see that you have a really bright and energizing aura! You could be really funny, pile 3! Your purpose could align with having a good sense of humor or being a source of hope and optimism for others. You could be interested in working in the entertainment field. Once you get past this, you will realize how much fun life can actually be! Your past challenges could also be viewed from a more positive standpoint. For example, the situation might have been unfortunate, but did you learn anything valuable? Or was there any positive outcomes because of that said situation. Reflect on your life experiences and lessons to see where the universe actually might have helped you dodge a bullet or blessed you with protection or love. You could also attract new people into your life who will make you feel a sense of joy and gratitude. This pile just reminds me of a fun summer day, where people eat watermelon or have fun at the pool. Another song I'm channeling is Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff & Will Smith. You will be celebrating and having a good time with your loved ones in the future soon. I believe honestly your path for now is to focus on happiness and sharing love and light with others!

Summary:

Have fun!

Make jokes that uplift people's energy

Focus on the good vs dwelling in negativity

Try to make someone laugh or smile!

Make plans for the summer

Hang out with your friends or spend time with family

Your past struggles are why you're still here. You overcame a great deal and should be proud of yourself!

#pac #pick a card #pick a pile #astrology #astro observations #astrology observations #spirituality #tarot #tarot cards #tarot deck #tarot reading #oracle #oracle cards

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outsideratheart · 9 months ago

Note

Lucy bronze one where r doesn’t wanna her up for training some fluff. Thanks

I just want to take care of you (Lucy Bronze x reader)

Lucy had promised you she was fine and she said her knee was fine. This was a lie because 4 days after the Chelsea game your girlfriend was in the hospital having surgery.

Before now you trusted her explicitly and for the most part you still do. When it comes to her injury though, you didn’t believe a word that came out of her mouth. You attended every physio appointment and made notes of her progress. You knew what her road to recovery would entail and you knew when she would hopefully get the greenlight.

“Can I join you on your run?” Lucy was moping around the kitchen as you got ready.

“No Lucy, you can’t. You’re on track and I won’t be the reason that changes. I’m meeting Alexia afterwards so I’ll meet you at the training ground” you place a quick kiss on her cheek.

She hated lying to you about her pain and discomfort but she wanted to be the strong powerful person she knew you loved. The reason for the dishonesty was fear and she knew it.

You and Alexia were running a little bit late to training. By the time you get to the pitch, the whole team is already out there. The whole team including Lucy and Frido.

“Love, I know you miss it but you can’t be here. You haven’t been cleared yet”

“I have” Lucy was telling the truth.

“No you haven’t. You aren’t due for clearance until next month”

Lucy grabbed your hand and walked you over to where the physios were speaking to Jona.

“I told you she wouldn’t believe me. Please tell her”

The physios go on to explain how Lucy passed all her tests this morning and that they have cleared her for team training. When you question it they promised that they would keep an eye on her and monitor every move she made.

Training is normally your happy place but not today, today you were filled with worry. You were trying to focus on your own performance but your mind kept straying to Lucy and how she was playing. It was during one counter attack that things got intense. Mapi did a clean tackle and got the ball. Any other day you would praise her but with the speed Lucy was running down the wing, Mapi’s tackle sent her flying.

“Lucy!” You are by her side in seconds “medics!” You begin to panic but Lucy brushes the grass off her knees and stands up as if nothing happened.

“I’m fine, im fine”

There was that word again. Fine. She said that one before.

“Get checked out. If they say you are fine then you can continue”

“Y/N”

“Captains orders!” You snap. It wasn’t a malicious snap but one of concern.

Lucy does in fact get cleared but your head is all over the place so you sit out and watch the team strategically.

Very little is said on the way home and that doesn’t change once you are in your shared apartment.

“Here. Ice it. I’m going for a shower”

“No” Lucy takes the ice off you before pulling you over to the sofa “we are going to talk about what happened today”.

You let out a huff of frustration. You really didn’t want to talk about it, not while you were this worked up. You placed Lucy’s leg on the foot rest and make sure her knee was iced before you started talking.

“You got cleared ahead of schedule. You went down and I panicked. There, end of story”

“There’s more to it than that. You’ve seen me injured before, this time is different”

“Yes, it’s different. Last time you were honest with me. You told me when it got bad and we dealt with it together. This time you lied. You told me you were fine and then you were in the hospital again”

Seeing your girlfriend laying in a hospital bed was never a welcomed sight but this time things felt weird between the two of you.

“It was a small surgery. I didn’t want to worry you”

“Right because look how great that turned out”

“I’ll admit I could have handled it better but I didn’t want you to see me weak”

“Weak? Lucy you are one of the strongest people I know”

“But I wasn’t a few weeks ago. I was hurting and I thought the way for you to still see me as strong was to lie to you” Lucy tried to explain how her mind worked and her reasoning for withholding the truth.

“Let’s get one thing straight. Lying to me is never the answer”

“But—“

“No buts. I don’t like not trusting what you say Lucy. This” you run your hand over her knee and gently stroke her scar “is important and I want you to be honest with me about it. Please please be honest with me Lucy”

“From this moment on I will always tell you the truth, no matter what. Pinky promise” you hold her pinky finger out and waits for you to accept it.

You look at her as if weighing out your options. When you see the look of panic of Lucy’s face you know you’ve waited long enough. You hook your pinkies.

“Now, you said something about a shower” your girlfriend raises her eyebrows playfully.

“How about a bath instead” you suggest.

“Even better”

#woso x reader #Lucy Bronze x reader

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try-set-me-on-fire · 6 months ago

Note

Hiiii 💕💕💕

For the wip game (the highlighted ones)

-❤️🪐

Hello!! For you since you’ve been interested in it for awhile and i promised you a scene ages ago and only just now finished it: big heart, I wanna let it bleed, aka buck joins the team younger fic! Here’s a complete drabble about them running into Phillip on a call…

They’re not in an enclosed space but, somehow, the kid’s laughter is still echoing around them. Bobby tries to bite down on his smile as he calls a vaguely warning “Buck,” though he’s not too worried about professionalism seeing as the surfer — who’s trunks are truly mystifyingly tangled on his board — is cracking up even harder. He’s sort of… hung up there, board stuck nose down in the sand, man dangling up on the back end of it. They seem too far up the beach for a wave to have done this, but what does Bobby know, he’s from a landlocked state.

“Sorry, Cap,” Buck wheezes. “Do we, uh… need the ladder?”

Bobby takes a measured inhale as he hears some kind of frantically smothered squeak sound coming from — is that Chimney? One of the paramedics, anyway — and shakes his head. “I think we can just lower the board down, if you’ll give me a hand. That sound alright to you, sir?”

The surfer gets through a few more wheezing chuckles before he can say “Yeah dude, lower away.”

They manage it pretty smoothly, with him and Buck on either side and Hen and Chim ready to catch the weight of the surfer. Hen starts off the next small round of laughter as she tries to de-tangle the swim trunks to move their vic, but everybody manages to calm down as they get to the actual medical examination.

As Hen and Chimney poke and prod, Buck chatters. “I learned to surf a few years ago, over in the Carolinas.”

“No shit?” The surfer grins. “Like Charleston? I gotta cousin over there.”

“Yeah, Folly Beach sometimes, but mostly went up to the Banks.”

“Sick.” The surfer gestures to where Hen’s wrapping some gauze around his bloodied elbow. “What’s your worst wipeout?”

Buck laughs again, a little delighted sound, always happy to be included. “Oh man- My first time out on the water, like the second wave I ever caught, just tossed me right off completely.” He tugs up his shirt before Bobby dawn shake his head not to, and twists around to show a jagged old scar on his lower back. “Landed on some rocks, needed fourteen stitches.”

The surfer whistles as Hen shakes her head. “I don’t think you’ll need any stitches for this one, but there’s enough debris in there I’m gonna recommend we take you to the hospital so they can get it all out.”

“Sure thing,” the guy says, looking more relaxed than Buck taking a nap on the couch after second helpings of mac and cheese. “Thanks man.”

“No problem,” Bobby says, definitely no trace of a chuckle in his voice no matter the delighted glances his team sends him.

The surfer tries to twist towards Buck once they get him on the gurney, winces, and then just turns his head. “You ever surf out here?”

“Have a few times, but I don't have a board or anything.”

“Man, you should come out and join us! We got a group most weekday mornings, I'm sure somebody could get you set up.”

Buck looks happy as a dog with a bone, glancing at Bobby with a mile wide grin. It's a familiar kind of look, though it takes until they're almost at the ambulance — Buck chatting away all the while — for him to place it, and it nearly makes him stumble when he does. Robert would give him that look when he made a new friend on the playground and got invited to hang out. Please, Dad, can I go? He's sure Buck didn't mean anything by it. Bobby doesn't have that authority in his life, nicknames and Springsteen concerts nothing that adds up to a tangible connection. And the kid- well, he's not a kid. 25 years old, can arrange his own playdates perfectly well. Still, Bobby feels a little off kilter as they load the ambulance.

“Rad, man, see you around.” The surfer is grinning at Buck, two happy little suns shining at each other. “Ask for Stevey,” he says, loosely pointing at himself. Steven Barney, he'd given as his name to dispatch.

Buck smiles, waves goodbye. “I'm-”

“Evan?”

Buck turns like a man in a haunted house, startled at an impossible sound with all the color draining out of him. The apparition takes the appearance of a white man a little older than Bobby, wearing neat, pale clothes and a sort of constipated, caught expression. They see that look on calls sometimes, with men who are going through an emergency with women who are not their wives and who are still trying to pretend they've done nothing at all untoward.

“D-” Buck blinks, a few times, hard. “Dad?”

Bobby can't help joining in Hen and Chin's shared oh shit look. There's not an overly familiar resemblance between the two — perhaps a shared stake in forehead real estate — but the man doesn't refute it. “I'll let you get back to work,” he says, glancing towards the sea, the ambulance, eyes landing briefly on Bobby before jumping away again, startled.

“Wait, wh-” Buck steps forward, hand wandering out in front of him before dropping back to his side. “What are you doing in LA? Did you have- a-a work trip?”

Buck's father clears his throat. “It's Brian’s birthday.”

“Oh,” Buck says, blinking again, rapidly this time, a fish thrown in new water. “He- he lives in California now?”

“No, no,” the man says dismissively, like he doesn't know why anyone on earth would choose to live in California. “He’s retiring early, wanted to make a weekend of it.”

“So-” Buck scrambles, visibly, and it makes Bobby aware of the small audience of first responders (and surfer), so he closes the ambulance door despite Hen and Chim’s wide eyes and shaking heads, and thumps the back so they pull away. Buck doesn’t seem to notice either way. “You’re- you’re here for a few days? We should- we could go get lunch? I-I have to work until tomorrow morning but-”

“It’s a busy weekend,” the man grumbles, doing a motion with his hands almost like he's patting himself down to make sure he has his wallet, the movements of someone making sure they're good to leave. “I won't have the time.”

Buck stands there, looking more wounded than any of the times he's been banged up on calls. “I- haven't seen you in- in like four years-”

“And who's fault is that?” His father laughs dismissively. “If you want to run off and throw your life away you can't complain about it later.”

“I-I didn't, I like what I- I have a job, I- I found…” Buck frowns, and Bobby worries for a moment he's going to cry out here in front of his father and colleagues and the beach goers of Santa Monica. He holds it together, though. “I like it here, and I like my job, and I'd like to tell you about it-”

“I won't have the time, Evan.” He doesn't even consider for a moment backing out of his obvious lie. “You can call next week if you want. Your mother will be glad to know you're in one piece.”

“Okay,” Buck says, shoulders sinking down and turning in. He goes from a 6’3” wall of muscle to a lost child right before Bobby’s eyes, hell of a magic trick. “Sorry,” Buck says, as Bobby does some math, works backwards a little. Fourteen stitches, definitely more recent than four years ago. He thinks about the laws of physics, or at least traffic, he’d break if he knew Robert was bleeding in an ocean somewhere in the world. “Sorry,” Buck says again — why, why should he be apologizing — and nods a few times. “I’ll- I’ll make sure to call.”

His father nods back. “We still work, so-”

“Yeah, after five, I know.”

“And your mother has book club on Tuesdays.”

“Okay.” Smaller, and smaller. Bobby remembers reading Alice in Wonderland to Brook, wonders how big Buck’s pool of tears is to shrink him so much. “I’ll just-” Buck clenches his fists, just for a moment, and then hides them in his pockets. “I’ll just try. If you’re busy you don’t have to pick up.”

Oh, God, give an inch and they’ll take a mile. Buck’s father looks visibly relieved at the offer of plausible deniability. “Alright.” He doesn’t move to hug his son, doesn’t even reach out for a handshake, staying a careful several feet away. “I’m sure you need to get back to your job,” he says, raising eyebrows in Bobby’s direction. It makes him bristle, he doesn’t want to be a forced coconspirator in judging Buck for something he hasn’t even done wrong. Buck wilts even further beside him. His father gives one final nod. “Goodbye, Evan.”

He’s already walking away by the time Buck says “Bye, Dad.”

And then they’re all just standing there. Hen and Chimney went off to the hospital, sure, but there’s still a handful of firefighters lingering around, either trying to make a lot of eye contact or no eye contact at all. Buck stares firmly at the ground. Bobby clears his throat.

“Alright, let's pack it up.” If they were operating under any other circumstance Bobby might compliment his crew for how quickly and quietly they get loaded into the trucks.

The ride back to the station is quiet, too, usual engine chit chat locked in everyone’s throats. Bobby’s pretty sure he sees Nichols subtly and somewhat frantically typing on his phone. Mostly, though, he watches Buck in the rearview. The kid is staring resolutely out the window, but Bobby would bet he’s not seeing a thing. His leg bounces on the seat, and Rodriguez doesn't even do the polite cut-it-out cough. Bobby wonders how many of Buck's stories he's overheard, if he's also now watching them tilt, shift, rearrange in his head. Dumb little boy stuff, skateboard-bike-motorcycle stunts, climbing up trees to fall out of them, all told with class clown energy, wasn't I stupid but wasn't it fun, wasn't it funny? Bobby got up to some shit when he was a kid, trailing after Charlie and taking any ill-advised dare the older kids tossed out to him, but he got hurt and he went home, his mom kissed his scrapes, even his dad would ruffle his hair and grab the first aid kit on his good days. Bobby looks at Buck looking out at nothing and tries to count the broken bones scattered between the big grins and his audience’s corresponding groans, tries to imagine Buck — all his silliness, all his sunshine — going home hurt to parents whose care comes with office hours.

When they pull into the station everyone flees the engine like there’d been a chemical spill, leaving Buck standing alone silhouetted against shiny scarlet paint. Bobby hesitates, one foot still up on the truck bed. He doesn’t want to overstep, but- he can’t stop thinking about how far away Buck’s father stood. The kid deserves someone to come closer. He only wished there was someone better than himself around to do it.

“Hey, kid-”

“I never knew what I did wrong.” Buck is frowning into middle distance, shoulders still tucked in around him. “I- I know I was stupid in- in high school, and college, but-” he looks right at Bobby, eyes wide, and he looks- oh, kid, come home. You’re hurting, come home, you’ll be taken care of, I got a first aid kid at least and I’ll learn to do better than that. “It was always like this- I-” Buck shrugs and here, finally, come the tears. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” Bobby says, and it's only two steps over to him, and he’s never even casually side hugged this kid before but Buck sinks right into his arms.

“You can’t know that-”

“I can.” Buck’s so tall. Bobby’s not sure the last time he hugged somebody taller than him. He wonders how tall his dad was, looming so large in memory but an unknown in actual imperial measurement. He wonders how tall Robert would’ve gotten. “You were a kid. You were their kid. There’s nothing you could have done that was so bad they shouldn’t have loved you anyway.”

Buck shudders against him, and his shoulder is getting wet, and the ambulance will be back soon and there’s firefighters milling about and, always, work to do.

But they can take a little time here. Bobby’ll bend it around, if he has to. The laws of traffic, the laws of physics. It startles him, scares him a little, but- he’d break them for Buck, too.

#my fic #asked and answered #tag games #evan buckley #bobby nash #big heart i wanna let it bleed

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jermer10 · 10 months ago

Note

Hi! I absolutely love the falling asleep on the mercs' shoulder headcanons!

May I request headcanons for the support mercs, where the reader wakes them up in tears from a terrible day that caused terrible dreams, and asks to stay with them for the night?

TF2 support mercs with reader who experiences nightmares

gn reader | thank you sm anon!! i really enjoyed writing this one!

includes: medic, sniper, spy

drabbles under the cut :P

Medic: - he was difficult to wake up, initially swatting your hand away and mumbling something in german - medic already doesn't get enough sleep, being an insomniac, and it was one of those rare nights he had managed to pry himself away from his desk before passing out - once he heard your quiet sobs though, he sat up, rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, and immediately began questioning you - "vhat's wrong y/n? are you alright? are you hurt?" - you looked so tired, face red, hair a mess, shirt sticking to your skin with sweat - "i've had such a shitty day, i-im just so upset and tired, then i have this sh-shitty dream." he hums empathetically as you sobbed out an explanation - "vould you...like to sleep here tonight?" you look up at him, eyes still wet with tears and face puffy, nodding, you crawled into bed next to him - it felt awkward at first, having the man wrap his muscular arms around you, but eventually you melt into his warm embrace, softly drifting off - he didn't know why you came to him with these troubles, but the way your chest moved as you breathed, the pieces of your hair framing your face, the smell of your skin and hair, it was worth his loss of sleep - he was absolutely enamored with you

Sniper: - the trek to the van from the dormitories inside base was terrifying, adding onto your already heightened senses from the nightmare you had just experienced - this wasn't the first time you had gone to him for a coffee after hours, just as the other times, the outside light of his camper was on - you knocked on the screen door, the sound rattling into the silence of the night, you grew even more paranoid - "who's there?" he growled, it made you wonder if he had encounters with no so friendly faces out here before - "um, it's just me, y/n..." you sniffled, patting your hair down in an attempt to make yourself look more presentable - he opened the doors swiftly, allowing you to step inside - when he noticed you had been crying, he motioned for you to sit in his bed, and walking over to start the kettle - you talked about your nightmare, how shitty your day had been, you laughed at jokes, gossiped, and drowsiness overtook you - "d'ya wanna sleep here tonight? it's gettin' pretty late." he seemed embarrassed at his own question, waving a vague gesture at the bed - you smiled, accepting his request, and getting comfortable next to the australian - he couldn't help but stare at you, taking in your features, the way you rolled around in your sleep, how your body seemed to twitch with every subtle movement made his heart race and his skin hot - sniper wasn't going to sleep that night, he didn't need it

Spy: - sometimes you wondered if the man ever slept at all, you would often walk past his study and see him up, reading or lounging around - so when you awoke from a particularly dreadful nightmare, you knew who to look for - he had been up for hours, sleep beginning to take hold until he heard the shaky knock on the wooden doorframe - and he looked up, book in hand, to see you - spy beckoned for you to enter, a tired smile graced his sharp features, he looked so different without the mask - "um, i was just wondering if i could stay in here tonight, i've h-had a pretty bad dream and-" he cut you off by holding a finger up - "of course mon amour, come." he pet the space next to him on the lounge, you obliged and sat, peering over at the novel he was reading - "would you like for me to read it to you?" you nodded, barely making out the words in your tearful, drowsy state - the words of the novel swam in your head, each pass of the tide pushing you into slumber - he stopped reading after he was sure you had fallen asleep, placing the book on his stained mahogany coffee table, retrieving a blanket from his room to place over the two of you - spy spooned you from behind, gently holding you in place on the couch, you were so peaceful, so beautiful - he would ask about your nightmare in the morning, but for now, he wanted you to sleep

#tf2 #ask #team fortress 2 #tf2 fanfiction #tf2 imagines #tf2 x reader #tf2 x you #tf2 fluff #fluff #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #jermer10

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nicoline1998enilocin · 4 months ago

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I was wondering if we could include Moon, the cat, in a story too? So I was wondering if you could write something like cuddling with Tony and Moon with this prompt >enthusiastic cuddles accompanied by squeaky noises<, but maybe the noises are just the kitty being talkative lol. In case you can't/don't wanna write for Moon, it's okay, no biggie! You can write just for Tony or feel free to ignore this request too, no pressure! Thank you anyway!

A Sunny Secret || Part 1

PAIRING || Fiancé!Tony Stark x Fiancée!Fem!Reader

WORDCOUNT || ~ 975 words

SUMMARY || Your mornings always start the same: Tony asks for a few more minutes of cuddles, followed by a shower as you get ready for work and breakfast prepared by your husband-to-be. However, they’re both much happier this morning than usual, and you can’t get enough of it as you look at your two favorite boys being silly as ever.

RATING || Teen (T)

TAGS || Canon compliant. Established relationship. Former Sugar Daddy arrangement.

A/N || This is written for my Summer of Drabbles. Nonnie, I have been looking forward to this drabble since receiving your request! I feel honored you requested our little Moon, and I’m happy to include him! This story is proofread by the amazing @ccbsrmsf1 for which I'm forever grateful 🤍

Photo: Source || Other graphics are made by @nicoline1998enilocin

Main Masterlist || Tony Stark || Sugar Daddy!Tony Stark || Summer of Drabbles

A groan is heard in the entirely dark bedroom as your alarm goes off, letting you know you must get up soon for a 24-hour shift on the surgical wing of SHIELD's surgical department. You have landed a residency there with some help from your now fiancé, and you're nearing the end, as there are only a few more weeks ahead of you before graduation and the official start as a surgeon, also within SHIELD.

Thankfully, the medical wing is located in Avengers Tower, which means you have the luxury of sleeping in a bit longer today, and Tony, your fiancé, will make good use of the few minutes he has before you need to get up and shower, while he will prepare breakfast for you. This routine has quickly become something you both enjoy before he goes back to bed, as it gives you some much-needed quality time before it's time to head out, and you cherish it every single day.

Once you get comfortable again, Tony wraps a strong arm around your waist before pulling you against his body; the warmth and the soft hum of his arc reactor are immediately noticeable as he does. A smile spreads over your features as you lean into it, and the soft kisses he's placing on your shoulder make you feel very loved as you shut your eyes. You always set two alarms in the morning so you can get some cuddles before getting up.

"Hmm, five more minutes, Sugar," Tony grumbles, and you extend the alarm for five minutes, not wanting to get up either. Once that's done, you turn yourself around to face him, and a small smile tugs at your mouth as you study his soft features, the darkness of his eyes, and the lines forming his expression. Your fingers glide over the stubble on his cheek, the feeling of it making you smile even more.

"I can't believe I got so lucky, Sugar. Each morning, when I wake up next to you, I feel like the most fortunate man on earth, especially when I think about the fact that you're mine," he tells you, and your cheeks start to heat up at his words. His gaze is locked on yours as his fingers gently dig into the soft flesh of your hip as if he's trying to remember this moment forever, but it's rudely disturbed when your alarm goes off, and you finally have to get up to go ahead and shower.

"What would you like to have for breakfast this morning, Sugar? Moon and I will be sure to have it ready for you by the time you're done with your shower," he says while you walk to the attached bathroom. You stop at the door's opening as you think about it, your index finger tapping your chin as you do.

"Some yogurt with berries and granola, please," you tell him, and with an agreeing hum, Tony gets up, pulling on a pair of the sweatpants you love so much. They span around his thick, muscled thighs perfectly and highlight his large bulge as well, and you often take a few seconds to look at it, especially when he's not wearing underwear.

While you're in the shower, your fiancé makes his way to the large kitchen as he passes Moon's large cat tree. He's already awake as Tony walks through the door, and he jumps into his arms skillfully before purring loudly, making Tony chuckle.

"Good morning to you too, Moon! Let's make some breakfast for Mommy, okay?" Tony asks as he nuzzles his face into your rescue cat's soft, dark fur. A long meow can be heard throughout the penthouse, making your fiancé laugh as he pulls back, but Moon isn't as enthusiastic as he looks at Tony, his eyes squinting a bit as if he's trying to say, 'You do that again, and you're not going to be happy.'

As soon as they get to the kitchen, Tony walks to the large fridge to get the things he needs before putting Moon and the ingredients down on the counter and turning on the kettle to boil some water for your tea. Your cat watches with a skillful gaze while your breakfast is being prepared. Tony practically floats around the kitchen at the thought of what he's about to do today - picking out another kitten to gift you when you graduate in about two months.

"What do you think, Moon? Would you like to get a little brother or a sister?" Tony asks as he puts your bowl and cup of tea on the kitchen counter, perfectly timed as you turn off the shower. As you take your time to dry off, do your hair, and slip into your scrubs for the day, Tony is waiting for his coffee machine to make his morning cup of black coffee, while Moon needs more attention.

Without warning, Tony scoops him up before blowing raspberries in his side, making him meow loudly as a way of 'complaining,' though he doesn't do anything to warn him off. Just as you're about to walk into the kitchen for breakfast, you're met by the sight of Moon meowing loudly, his tail wagging like crazy, and your husband-to-be laughing between giving more raspberries and playing with your beloved cat.

"Good morning to you two, as well!" you say dryly while sitting down, and both Tony and Moon look at you simultaneously, making you smile.

"Don't stop on my account; I was enjoying seeing you two doing… whatever this is," you tell them with a wave of your spoon, a smile still on your face. Seeing how happy they are together makes you happy, too, and you're excited to see how close they've gotten since you have adopted the little guy.

#nicoline's summer of drabbles #tony stark #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark fanfic #tony stark one shot #tony stark imagine #tony stark request #tony stark x female!reader #tony stark x reader #tony stark x y/n #tony stark fluff

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lonelynpc · 4 months ago

Text

The Batfam as Medical Specialties

bruce wayne is an anaesthetist: you might say, “but, lonelynpc, bruce wayne would be a paediatrician,” to which i would say, "no". this man can pay attention to 1000 things at once. he’s writing in the anaesthetic record while listening to the monitors, singing his favourite song and listening out for close. he knows exactly what the patient's heart rate, sats, etc are from sound alone. he can recognise the most minute changes in the monitor’s sounds and will know exactly what it is that’s dropping or increasing without looking up. if he's standing up, you know there's something to be worried about. (brings cakes in from alfred for his team every day, don't @ me)

dick grayson is a trauma surgeon: this is because i am afraid of him and i am afraid of trauma surgeons. he’s terrifying and he works fast. he's an inexpressible comfort to people in his care, he regularly gets flowers or chocolates from families and patients. he’s lovely outside of work but at work, jfc can you stop glaring at me over the drapes? (also treats his entire team to dinner at the end of every month)

jason todd is a paediatric surgeon: i don’t wanna hear it. he definitely pimps his students, interns and residents for sport but the second he’s around his patients? he's "doctor jay". he’s got stickers in every pocket, fun scrub caps, a dragon stephoscope cover, a jelly finger monster on the end of his penlight and an endless supply of teddy bear tegaderms. he's got toy stephoscopes and teddy bears in his pockets at all times to give to the kids. he puts a bandage, wristband, hospital gown, mask and hairnet on patient's toys before they wake up as well.

barbara gordon is a cardiothoracic surgeon: she’s serious, intimidating and calculating. people look at her and wither. she’s yelling at interns for talking, pimping her med students about everything including her surgical playlist. you get a question wrong? “do some research. i’ll ask you again when i see you next,” and she will not forget so you better do that research. she's strict with patients because she cares and gets so excited when she sees/hears improvement.

tim drake is a radiologist: he’s glued to that damn screen and pounding back black coffee. he’s seeing the problem before you even know there is one. “oh, you don’t see that tiny hairline fracture with your novice eyes? you're pathetic, get out of my way. i’m getting you an ophthalmology consult.”

stephanie brown is an orthopedic surgeon: she’s a jock. i can’t explain it. she is a jock. she’s blasting the most absurdly mixed playlist, singing along and wearing her space suit and lead. she's fun and can tell you the exact injury and the severity just by hearing the mechanism of injury. no filter though smh, she'll tell her intern that they should get their back looked at after seeing their posture.

duke thomas is a neurosurgeon: can’t explain it but he is. he’s got the lights out and that headlamp on, nobody talk to him, he’s Looking™, did somebody breathe? who did that? own up so i can kick you out, you should be ashamed of yourself and your family.

cassandra cain is a general practitioner: i think she’d love being a general practitioner (family medicine). she’d like having regular patients, she'd like the variety and the payoff. alternatively, i'd say she'd like pallative care and providing comfort in end-of-life care.

damian wayne is an ob/gyn: look, let’s be real, he’s probably a vet but in human medicine? ob/gyn. he chews out residents but he also chews out partners in the room for being annoying during delivery. he has a chaperone with him 24/7 and will kick all non-essential personnel out of the room during an exam. also has mastered the old "oh, could you go sign the discharge forms at reception?" to get a partner out of the room so he can ask if the patient is safe going home.

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barbra-annbunny · 9 months ago

Text

How Did We Get Here?

And it’s windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys

When the wind blows, we’re all together, boys

Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow

Jolly sou’wester, boys, steady she goes!

-“Fish in the Sea”

Three. Months.

Three. Long. Months.

That’s how long the Thousand Sunny had been at sea and had come to port. Everyone was itching to get off the boat and stretch their legs, and honestlyâ€¦ They were chomping at the bit to get away from each other.

Sanji desperately needed to restock on produce. Usopp needed more materials for his inventions. Chopper was scraping the bottom of the barrel with his medical supplies, and so on. So, when the opportunity came to make port at a major trading island the crew didn’t hesitate. They pulled off to a hidden cove to give themselves a little time before they were discovered. Zoro was left to his own devices to watch the ship while the others restocked.

The swordsman sat on the deck, sliding between the lulls of sleep and consciousness. Waves lapped at the hull of the ship, moored near a sandbar just off of the coast. His back leaned against the mast with swords in hand as he waited for danger or his crewmates to arrive, whichever came first. Zoro was just about to slip into a cat nap as the afternoon sun began to dip when a foot slammed into the top of his head.

”OW! The fuck was that for Curly Brow?”

Stamping out his cigarette, Sanji replied. “Y’know lookouts aren’t supposed to sleep on the job, Marimo.”

Zoro jumped up in indignation, “Tch. You’re a pain in my ass spaghetti hair.”

”Oh! You wanna talk about hair, mosshead?!”

Once again the thing that Zoro had been doing was interrupted, this time by two rubber bands hitting both of the arguing men square in the face. Both the cook and the swordsman turned to their would-be attacker, Usopp.

“We came to get Zoro to help us, not to fight, Love Cook.” Usopp sighed. “Seriously we’ve been sailing together for years now and you two still fight like teenagers.”

”Yeah, well it’s not like I’m the one to blame! He’s the one who attacked me while I slept.” Zoro muttered.

”You shouldn’t have been asleep to begin with, stupid.” the chef replied.

Usopp jumped between the two of them before another fight could begin. “Guys, we have a mission. That mission does not include killing each other, so would you cut it out?!”

After a tense moment the men relented. ”Fine.”

Zoro turned away from the two to attach his swords onto his hip. “So, what was so terrible that you needed my help?”

Both Usopp and Sanji shared a look, completely at a loss. “I don’t know how to describe this, it’d probably be best to show you.”

Sorry this took so long hehe <3 but here’s the next installment!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | You are here | Ch 4

#zoro x sanji x reader #zoro x sanji #zoro x reader #sanji x reader #soulmate au #soulmate tattoos

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hugmekenobi · 2 years ago

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The Bad Batch (3)

Chapter Three: Replacements

GIF by @kamino-coruscant

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new 'social status', but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: You and Hunter finally talk things over but amidst all that, the ship crashes and you need to find your way off a desolate moon.

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Use of (Y/N) (but I've limited it as much as I could), swearing, the Force works how I say it does, mild innuendo, brief injury mention, light angst, Hunter defence (a theme that will run throughout now).

Word Count (Ch 3): 7.6K

Rating: 18+

Author's notes: Okay so things are finally being talked out lol but despite the honesty mention, both of them continue to lie about their feelings but I allow that because they're both doing it and they're dumb haha. Also I'm sorry for not including Crosshair's section of the episode. It was a tough decision not to but I think with what my focus for this chapter was, it had to be done. Also a big thank you for the support this story as received to far! It means a lot!

You sat down on the bunk you had once shared with Hunter; you weren’t really sure if that would still stand anymore, you didn’t really expect it to and finished tying off the bandage around your arm. You also quickly applied a light touch of bacta on your cheek and your eyes followed Hunter as he walked over to where Omega was sitting restlessly on the floor, examining a datapad as she leaned against Gonky who was also on his side.

Hunter walked up to Omega with the ration box. “Well, that doesn’t look comfortable, for either of you.”

“We’re fine.” Omega said lightly.

“Here. Chow time.” Hunter said, handing Omega a ration bar as she stood up.

“Ah! Finally!”

Hunter looked up to see Wrecker jumping down the stairs that led to the gun turret. He handed his eager brother a bar only to see him consume it at record pace.

“Hit me again.” Wrecker demanded keenly.

“Well, that’s all for now.” Hunter said, closing the box. “Rations are low.”

Wrecker groaned.

Omega looked down at her portion then back to Wrecker. “You can have mine.” She offered.

Before he reached out to grab it, Hunter pushed Wrecker back a few steps. “Hey, Omega doesn’t even have a place to sleep. You wanna take her food too?”

Wrecker glanced past Hunter. Now he felt bad. “Oh. Uh… no, no thanks. You keep it.”

“Okay.” Omega said casually before sitting back down against the droid.

Wrecker let out another groan. “I guess I’m not used to having a kid around here.”

“Well, none of us are, but she’s not complaining.” Hunter pointed out.

You let out a soft sigh as you witnessed the scene just past you before turning away to start packing up the medical kit. You made sure to put everything back where it was, or you knew you’d never hear the end of it from Tech. You’d made the mistake once of just chucking things in in any old order which had not gone down well with the clone, and you’d spent the next 20 minutes getting lectured on the importance of the organisation of the medical supplies.

“The bandages go in the top right compartment.”

You looked up quickly to see Hunter standing opposite you. “Oh, um thanks.” You replied, knowing you were not successful in hiding your surprised tone.

“You didn’t get your portion.” Hunter said, holding the box out to you.

“Thank you.” You replied, taking the ration bar out and nibbling the top of it before putting your attention back on the med kit. You figured that’s all he’d come up to you for and you didn’t want to make him stay any longer than he wanted to.

He knew you well enough to tell that your demeanour right now was for his own benefit and was based off his own action towards you. Come on Hunter, time to settle this, he thought to himself. “That, uh, happen leaving the lot?” Hunter asked, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt.

You looked back at him. “Yeah, but it barely touched me, and I heal fairly quickly. You know, Jedi and all that.” You cursed yourself internally for bringing up the one topic that held a high degree of sensitivity right now.

“Hmm that’s pretty handy.” Hunter said, giving you a small smile.

You let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, it is.” After a few moments of silence, you spoke again. “Well, I uh, better put this back in its proper place or who knows what Tech’ll do to me.” You kidded half-heartedly before you sealed the med kit box and stood up, putting your top layer back on as you did so.

“Hey.” Hunter said softly, grabbing your free hand as you moved to pass him.

You glanced down at his hand then looked back at him. “Everything okay?”

“Can we talk?”

You wanted cry out with relief as he said those words but restrained yourself to a simple nod of your head.

Hunter led you towards the cockpit. “Tech, can you give us the space?”

“I’m working on this scanner.” Tech protested.

“You can work on it back there.” Echo said, standing up and dragging Tech out of his seat, giving you a small smile as he did so.

“Hey, Tech, put this back for me, would you please?” You asked, holding the med kit out to him.

Tech nodded and reached out to grab it. “Is everything-”

“Yes, everything is back in place.” You said, exasperated, but shooting him a smile, nonetheless.

“Okay, I only say that because last time-”

“Out!” Echo said, directing Tech away from you and back down the body of the ship.

Hunter let go of your hand- he hadn’t even realised he’d kept a hold of it- and went to sit in the pilot’s chair.

You squeezed your hand into a tight fist before relaxing it again as you did your best to ignore the usual feeling of emptiness that filled your hand whenever he let it go. You sat down in the co-pilot’s seat, turning it to face him. “This isn’t about Tech getting the ship impounded right cause-”

“No, it’s not.”

“Okay, good.” That was not the issue you were too worried about fixing. You waited patiently for him to talk first.

“I just… I need you to explain again. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did but-”

“No, you were perfectly entitled to do that. I know I messed up.” You said quietly.

Hunter took a breath before speaking again. “So, why did you hide this?”

You heaved a sigh and ran a hand through your hair. “In the beginning, I was being nothing but selfish. I wish I had a real reason, but I don’t. I’d spent years supressing that part of myself after I left. I didn’t get involved with anything that might threaten that until you all showed up. I lost myself for a while and forgot what I’d been taught. I don’t know what was different about you guys, but something told me I had to help you. I thought it would be a one-time thing but then you offered me a place here and I found myself saying yes and it’s like I said, as time went on, I grew to care for yo- all of you, you know you guys were the closest thing to friends I’d had for a while.” You caught yourself quickly.

Hunter pushed away the upset he felt as he heard that word.

“And I thought by telling you what I really was, things would change, or you’d send me back but, as with any secret, the longer it went the more uncomfortable I felt and the harder it got to keep, and I knew it wasn’t fair to keep lying. Especially to you.” You added quietly, looking down at your hands in your lap. “If you can, and I understand if you can’t, believe it when I say that I really did plan to tell you after Kaller but with Order 66 and Crosshair and Tarkin, I couldn’t. I don’t want to ask this of you but please trust me on this. All the odd behaviour, the deflections and the whole not telling you was purely because I wanted to protect you but I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lied at all. I’m just- I’m just really sorry.” You finished and looked back at him.

“It just felt like you didn’t trust me or the rest of us. We don’t hide things from each other, not when they’re that important.”

“I know.” You said sorrowfully. “I regret it and I’ll keep regretting it for the rest of my life.”

“Do you regret it because you got caught out?”

“No!” You replied, horrified that that was something he was thinking but then again you could see how it may look that way. “I regret it because I hurt you and the others. I hurt my team and I hurt my friends. Hell, I hurt my family. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

Hunter sighed. He knew you felt awful about this and that you wouldn’t do something like this again. He didn’t like this anymore than you did and if the others could forgive you, then he could too. “You’ve not lied about anything else?”

You shook your head. “No. If you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer them too. I’m done hiding from my past.”

“Then we’re good.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Hunter replied.

You couldn’t stop yourself; you lunged forward and hugged him. “Thank you.” You whispered.

Hunter was glad your head was over his shoulder because that meant you wouldn’t be able to see the combination of happiness and shock on his face at your actions. He returned your embrace, breaking it very reluctantly after a few moments. “I do have some questions though.”

You removed yourself from him, you couldn’t believe you’d just done that, and went back to your seat. “Go ahead.”

“Is it because you were a Jedi that you’ve always refused to use a blaster?” He wanted to give you a more light-hearted question since the one he really wanted to ask might be a bit much to launch into straight away.

You snorted. “Yeah. They’re just not very elegant. I did try them out for a while but at the end of the day, I prefer the feeling of a sword in my hand. Anything else?”

Alright, moment of truth. “Yeah, but this one you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“No, I meant what I said. I’ll answer whatever you want to ask.”

“Okay.” Hunter waited a moment before speaking again, he knew this would be a hard question for you to answer. “Why did you leave?”

You huffed out a sigh. Oh boy. “That’s a longer story.”

Meanwhile, further down the ship, Echo, Wrecker and Omega watched the interaction with relief.

“Do we think that’s them told each other now?” Wrecker asked.

“No, we’re not that lucky.” Echo replied. “I reckon they’ve just fixed the whole Jedi issue.”

“Told each other what?” Omega asked, looking away from the two of you to focus on Echo.

“They share a mutual attraction that neither party want to acknowledge or divulge to the other.” Tech answered, his attention never leaving his scanner.

“Huh?” Omega asked.

“Basically, they both have feelings of the romantic type for one another and despite our best efforts, they still deny it to us, and they won’t tell each other.” Echo explained.

“No matter how hard we try to get them to admit it.” Wrecker grumbled.

“Oohh.” Omega replied, turning back to look at you both. “We should do something.”

“Believe me kid, we’ve thought of everything. It’s gotta come from them at this point.” Echo said with a sigh. He just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

“So yeah, that’s why I left. I couldn’t forget the way they’d treated her which led to a crisis of faith, so I left my lightsaber in my room and left the temple in the dead of night. I had thought about seeking her out, but she had her new path to follow and now I had mine, so I took the first shuttle off world. That began my life of planet hopping. I didn’t really fit in there to begin with to be honest. Too emotional with a tendency to talk back and sway from standard rules if you can believe it.” You said, shooting him a playful smile.

“Oh, I can.” Hunter agreed with a quiet chuckle. “That also explains why you disliked Tarkin so much.”

“Yeah.” You agreed with a laugh of your own. “I was really surprised that he didn’t recognise me.” You looked out into the blue hyperspace swirls.

“Well, I’m very grateful he didn’t.” Hunter said quietly.

You turned to face Hunter with a smile. “Me too.”

Hunter cleared his throat. “So… uh on Kaller. There was something else I wanted to mention. You and the padawan looked like-”

“We were having a conversation?” You completed for him.

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s cause I kinda was.”

“But I didn’t hear anything?”

“It’s hard to explain but I basically reached into his Force Signature which allowed me to communicate with him without talking out loud and he was able to do the same to me. With Jedi, it’s pretty simple since everyone’s signature is pretty strong but emotional connection can make it even easier. It can be done with normal civilians too, like with Gerrera, though obviously it’s one-sided and it’s harder, emotional connection really helps out there.”

Hunter paused before he spoke again. “So, you and Saw Gerrera… emotionally connected at some point in your past?” He asked, hoping you couldn’t pick up on the hint of jealously he was feeling at that prospect.

“What? Gosh no!” You replied quickly, you would not let yourself analyse the slight change in his tone and what that could possibly mean. You wouldn’t ruin this rather important conversation with all that nonsense. “That was basically just luck. I wasn’t even sure it would work, let alone work that quickly. I helped him out when I was still with the Order, but no emotional connecting was done. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve taken me a lot longer to do that.” You hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Can I show you how emotional connection actually helps?” You asked, moving to sit on your knees in front of him.

“What do you mean?” Hunter asked, refusing to let his mind wander to what else your current position meant to him.

You took his hands in yours. “Just quiet your mind as much as you can for me, please?” You also made sure to take that advice for yourself, the suggestions of your present position were not lost on you but thinking about that would be very counter-productive right now.

After a brief moment to steady your thoughts, you closed your eyes and reached out.

What met you didn’t really surprise you. Hunter’s Force Signature was a lot like him, a little rough along the edges but warm at the same time.

When you sensed that you had achieved a successful connection, you opened your eyes and looked at him as you spoke to him without uttering a single word. Hi there, Sergeant. You giggled as his eyes widened. I know, it’s a bit weird, especially since you can’t do the same thing back so this’ll be the only time, I’ll do it but yeah, apart from Gererra being the exception, if I wanted to do this with anyone else, it would take a long time.

“What about the others?” Hunter asked, his gaze focused intensely on you.

I could probably do it, but I know it’s a faster process with you.

“How?”

You did not want to properly get into that, you still didn’t think your feelings were reciprocated so you did the next best thing. You instead played back the first conversation you had with him back on Devaron. You’re the one I connected to first, it’s just natural it would be this way. You provided as an explanation rather than admit anything else.

Hunter couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by it all, it wasn’t a bad feeling necessarily, but it only served to strengthen the feelings he had for you. All this proved was that you really were incredible, and he couldn’t imagine a time when you weren’t a part of his life but then he remembered what you said. You were his friend, nothing more, no matter how much he wished for that.

You felt his distress and assumed his enhanced senses weren’t too fond of what you were doing so you withdrew. “Sorry. I should’ve thought about your particular gift before doing that.” You said aloud.

“No, it’s not that.” Hunter said. “You can do that whenever; it doesn’t bother me.”

“What is it then?” You said softly, looking at him.

“It’s just… nothing, forget about it.” Hunter said, looking away from you. He couldn’t do this now, not like this.

“Hunter.” You murmured, placing a hand on his cheek so he had to face you. You lightly traced the outline of his tattoo with your fingertips.

Hunter closed his eyes and his breath shuddered slightly at the feeling of your hand on his face. To anyone else, this action would register as nothing more than a feather-light touch but to him it felt like so much more. He opened his eyes again to look at you. “You’re just pretty amazing.” Hunter breathed out, finding himself leaning down towards you.

You met his gaze, and you felt yourself moving up to meet him halfway.

Just as your lips were about to meet, the lights flickered and cut out, providing the most annoying but probably necessary interruption the two of you needed. You coughed and shuffled back on your knees awkwardly. You put that particular moment down to the whole speaking into his head thing. Anyone wouldn’t really think straight after that.

Hunter stifled his frustrated sigh and stood up out of the pilot’s seat, noticing the way everyone in the back of the ship had quickly turned their heads away and were now staring at random parts of the ship. Well, I should’ve known that would be the case, he thought to himself before addressing Echo. “Echo, the lights cut out again. I thought you fixed it.” He offered his hand to you to get you up and was pleased to see that despite what just happened you still took it.

“Yeah, add it to the list.” Echo replied grumpily, moving back to the cockpit with Tech, munching on his ration bar.

You and Hunter both moved out the way of Echo and Tech so they could sit back down.

“The ship got hit hard when we fled Saleucami. Several systems have been glitching ever since.” Echo explained. “Repairs would go faster if I had some help.” He said pointedly, shooting Tech a look.

“As soon as I finish building this scanner.” Tech said, soldering some parts of the device. “Testing the functionality of out inhibitor chips takes precedence.”

“But I thought you said they were defective?” You asked.

“A theory this test will be able to prove.” Tech said confidently.

“Huh, okay.” You said simply with a shrug of your shoulders, and you turned around to follow Hunter back down the ship.

“Besides, the ship-wide diagnostic report indicated no critical systems were compromised.” Tech informed.

Just as he said that the ship jolted violently and came crashing out of hyperspace.

The alarm started ringing and the red lights began to flash.

You lost your balance, and you suddenly felt the tight press of a body against yours.

In the slight commotion, it would seem that you had fallen into the wall, your back pressed against it while Hunter had ended up with his body pushed up against yours, his hands on either side of your head, his eyes looking directly into yours.

You blinked a few times to fully process what just happened and bring yourself back to the present moment of the ship hurtling towards a moon.

Hunter rather awkwardly pushed himself off the wall and away from you, trying and failing to forget the feeling of your body against his in that manner. He’d only ever felt it like that when the two of you had been asleep together but in the more recent times, those occasions had grown rarer, and they seemed a lot more innocent than whatever just happened there, even if it was purely accidental.

He quickly walked into the cockpit, and he heard you close behind him. “Getting thrown out of hyperspace. I’d say that’s pretty critical, Tech.”

“It’s not affecting life support.” Tech replied calmly, fiddling with some controls. “We’re fine.”

“Are you kidding me?” Hunter replied, exasperated.

“I don’t think life support will matter too much if we crash and burn.” You added, adjusting your footing slightly as another rumble ran through the ship.

“The power capacitor’s blown. We need to land immediately.” Echo said.

Omega was still back in the main body of the ship with Wrecker, trying to maintain her balance.

“Get ready for your first crash landing.” Wrecker said, lifting one of the over-the-shoulder restraints.

“Crash?” Omega said anxiously.

“Omega, strap in.” Hunter said, darting back down towards the young girl. “You too.” He directed, looking back towards you.

“Are you?” You asked, crossing your arms, and looking at him questioningly.

“No but that’s not the point. You-”

“No, I’m fine thanks. I’ll sit right here.” You sat in one the normal passenger seats, bracing your back against it to keep steady.

Hunter sighed and sat in the chair across from yours.

Omega quickly sat in on of the seats with the over- the- shoulder restraints and Wrecker lowered one down for her before going into one himself although the restraint proved to be a bit small for his larger frame.

“I can’t see anything.” Echo groaned, straining his eyes to try and see through the fog that filled the moon’s atmosphere.

“Hold on!” Hunter called back towards Omega and Wrecker.

Omega grunted with the impact on her shoulders as the ship continued to be unsteady. She lifted her feet when Gonky slid down the hallway.

Wrecker wasn’t having the best time of it either. A particularly strong heave of the ship had the side of his head being smacked off the one of the metal hand bars of the restraints.

The alarm blaring grew louder and more insistent, but you saw the fog had cleared which allowed Tech to level out the ship as best he could before it crashed to the ground. You held on to the sides of your seat to stop yourself from falling out of it as your body lurched with the impact.

Once the ship had come to a complete stop, you stood up and helped the Gonk droid to his feet. You looked over at Hunter when he stood up. “You good?”

Hunter nodded before addressing the back of the ship. “Everybody alright?”

You glanced down to where Omega and Wrecker were. She seemed a little bit dazed but otherwise okay. Wrecker was the one who looked the most affected out of all of you. He was taking breaths in short, sharp pants. You only hoped you had the parts needed to fix the ship and get off this place.

“The storm’s getting worse. It’s knocking out our comms.” You said irritably as you stared at the controls.

“I suspect one of our capacitors sustained damage during our firefight with the regs. We won’t be able to take off without replacing it. Inventory analysis indicates we have one spare onboard.” Tech explained to the group, looking up from his datapad.

“Is it in here?” Omega asked, grunting as she dragged a box out and placed it on the ground.

A hush descended in the ship as you turned your seat to see what Omega was talking about and why everyone had gone so quiet. Oh, that was why, you thought gloomily.

“What?” Omega asked, wondering why everyone was suddenly staring at her.

“That’s Crosshair’s weapon kit.” Hunter said, the guilt and painful reminder of all that went down on Kamino coming back to haunt him.

Wrecker groaned. “Fine. I’ll say it. I kinda miss him.”

“He shot you, remember?” Echo reminded him.

“Ha! I sure do. That hurt!” Wrecker said with a laugh.

“It’s worth noting that the possibility that Crosshair’s actions were influenced by the inhibitor chip.” Tech said to Hunter.

“It can do that?” You asked, getting out of your seat, directing your question towards Omega.

“That’s what it was designed to do.” Omega confirmed.

“So, it wasn’t Crosshair’s fault?” Wrecker asked.

“Well-” Tech began.

“Look, debating this won’t fix the ship.” Hunter interrupted. He almost didn’t want to know the answer. The slightest chance that Crosshair had done what he did willingly was the only thing keeping his inner turmoil at bay and now there was a chance he wasn’t in complete control of himself? And they’d left him behind? That was something he wouldn’t be able to get past easily. “Right now, we need to find that capacitor and get off this rock.” He said before walking away.

You followed him to the cockpit. “It’s not your fault you know.”

“I’d love to hear how it isn’t.” He replied dejectedly, hanging his head as he held on to the back of the pilot’s chair.

You sighed deeply. “You made a judgement call. Even if he wasn’t of sound mind, we were still under fire.”

“Exactly, there’s now a chance he didn’t really know what he was doing, and I left him behind. I can’t-”

“Even if he wasn’t himself, we were taking fire, Hunter. And it wasn’t just from Crosshair. We would’ve died if we didn’t get out when we did. If Crosshair isn’t in control of his own mind, then we’ll get him back. I know you; when the moment is right, you won’t leave him behind.” You said, laying a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face you but he still refused to look at you. “Hey, look at me.” You put your hand on his cheek, angling his face towards you. “You’re a good sergeant. Those guys back there would follow you through anything, as would I.”

Hunter gave a half-hearted smile. He only hoped your image was him proved to be accurate because despite your words, that element of doubt still resided within him. “Thanks. Go help Echo and Tech with the repairs, would you?”

“Yeah, no problem.” You complied. You caressed your thumb across his cheekbone. “I mean it you, know. Until you want rid of me, I’m not going anywhere.” You said, removing your hand and you walked away from him, grabbing an oxygen mask as you went to join Tech and Echo outside.

May that day never come. Hunter thought as he watched you go, the feeling of your hand remaining on his cheek.

Tech lifted the panel and took out the damaged capacitor.

“Careful. Those capacitors hold a massive charge.” Echo warned as he stood on Tech’s right, holding his flashlight up to help Tech see what he was doing.

You joined on Tech’s left-hand side, shining your light too.

“I am well aware.” Tech responded, placing the new one in. “I just need to secure it.”

You turned your head slightly as you heard the sound of faint snarling and you felt goosebumps on your skin. “What was that?”

“I’m a little busy as the moment.” Tech replied.

You walked a few paces away from the others, shining your light ahead of you.

“Get back here.” Echo called after you.

You waved your hand behind you. “Shush. Keep your light with Tech.” You hissed back.

As you walked, you shone your torch to your left as you heard some rustling, but you couldn’t see anything. You kept walking forward, taking slow, quiet steps, fanning your flashlight right and left but you were coming up empty.

Pausing, you closed your eyes and reach out into the Force, trying to feel for any unusual or threatening signatures but you couldn’t sense anything. You let out a frustrated sigh and turned your light towards the ship and then something caught your eye. “Echo, Tech, look at this.” You called back to them.

Tech just finished securing the capacitor and he joined Echo to make their way towards you.

You shone your light back on the fresh, long, and jagged claw marks that now decorated the ship.

“Ah. Well, those weren’t there when we landed.” Tech observed.

No wonder you hadn’t sensed anything strongly. You’d never quite managed the whole force connecting to animals thing, it had been one of the things you’d still been practicing before you’d left but after you had gone, you’d ceased all training of that manner. You berated yourself for that now. You were so preoccupied with your own thoughts; you hadn’t noticed that Tech and Echo had made their way back to the ship entrance.

“You coming back in?” Echo asked, looking back at you.

“Give me a minute.”

Echo looked at Tech, who simply shrugged, and they both made their way back onto the ship.

You took a deep breath. “Come on, you can do this.” You whispered you yourself as you closed your eyes, and reached out again, really focusing in on the nature around you.

“The capacitor’s in place, but other systems are now failing.” Tech said, taking off his mask as he walked towards Hunter.

Echo removed his own mask before speaking to Hunter. “Something’s causing damage to the exterior hull.”

“You wanna narrow that down?” Hunter asked. “And where’s (Y/N)?”

“The capacitor is gone!” You shouted, quickly removing your own mask as you ran on board. You hadn’t seen it happen, but you had gotten a read on a signature that had gone very close to the panel where the capacitor was.

“I just placed it myself. It can’t be-” Tech stopped as the entire ship just powered down.

Each of your heads followed the faint sound of banging that moved across the top of the ship. “I told you.” You whispered. “Something’s taken it.”

Omega looked out the ship window to suddenly see an animal with luminous green charges flowing through its body, dart across it. “Look!”

“What is it?” You asked as you all ran towards the cockpit.

“Some kind of creature, about this big.” Omega said quickly, holding her arms wide apart. “With a long tail. It ran off with the part.”

Echo stepped forward and reactivated the control to get a view of the ship. “They’re right. The capacitor’s gone. And that was our last one.”

“Did you see this creature take it?” Wrecker asked, turning to look at you.

“No but I had a feeling.” You replied.

“A feeling?” Wrecker repeated, staring at you.

“A Jedi feeling, Wrecker. I didn’t know what though. I didn’t get very far with connecting to animals and it really doesn’t help when I have no idea what I should be connecting to.”

“The creature is most likely an Ordo Moon Dragon.” Tech informed. “A species that feeds off raw energy. It was probably drawn to the capacitor’s electric charge.”

“Well, that would’ve been good to know beforehand, Tech.” You said with a sigh before you noticed that Wrecker had walked away from you all, groaning slightly as he held the side of his head. You guessed it was an injury from the rather rough landing.

“You two get those other systems online.” Hunter ordered Tech and Echo. “Wrecker, stay here. We will go after the dragon and get our part back.” Hunter said nodding to you.

“I’m fine. I-” Wrecker protested before breaking off with a moan.

“You’re staying.” Hunter reiterated.

“I’ll go with you both.” Omega said eagerly, jumping off her seat.

“No, that thing could be dangerous.” Hunter said, double checking his vibroblade before putting it back in its cover.

“I’m a part of this squad now too, right?” Omega asked.

Hunter glanced up at you.

You finished putting your weapons on and nodded at him. We can watch her. It’ll be fine. Plus, she’s right and she’ll need to learn how to handle herself at some point. I know I’d rather it be at a time where we can comfortably watch her.

Hunter turned back to face the young girl. “Alright, kid. Just stay close.”

Omega put her oxygen mask on and dashed for the door.

You hummed out a laugh as you watched her enthusiastically run to the door then you saw how the others were looking at each other- their faces filled with a combination of scepticism and bewilderment. You smirked at Hunter and nudged his shoulder. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Of all the missions we’ve had, this one is one of the easier ones.” You both put on your masks and followed her out.

The three of you moved speedily along the moon’s rocky terrain. The wind howled softly, and you felt the breeze through your hair. You were taking up the rear, with Omega in the middle and Hunter in front.

Hunter paused and knelt down to the ground.

You and Omega came on either side of him and watched as he ran his fingers through some of the dirt and studied it as it trickled through his fingers.

“What are you doing?” Omega asked in a hushed tone.

“Tracking.” Hunter replied, standing upright.

“Can’t you track the creature? You know, with your Jedi powers?” Omega asked, angling her head past Hunter’s legs to look at you.

“I could if I knew how to properly. Fact is, I don’t and even if I did, it would probably take a lot longer than this. A strong bond is required to connect with an animal, and I have no ground to even begin to establish one with this thing.” You answered, standing up and brushing some of the dust off your trouser legs.

You left out the fact that you quite enjoyed watching Hunter track, it sent a warm tingle down your spine every time, the only exception to that had been Kaller due to the rather serious extenuating circumstances.

“Let’s keep going.” Hunter said.

The three of you moved on, your movements more cautious now as you reached a section with more rocks, providing more cover for anything that might want to jump out at you.

“Could I learn to track like you?” Omega whispered.

“Well, it’s an enhanced skill.” Hunter replied. “Wrecker and Tech, we each have one.”

“And Crosshair.” Omega added.

You looked over her head to gauge Hunter’s reaction but the most he gave was a quick glance back at the young girl. You couldn’t get a read, the only way you could would be to dip into his signature but this task was more important right now.

“You shouldn’t be angry at him. He can’t help it.” Omega continued.

Hunter stopped and sighed. “I’m angry at myself. We don’t leave our own behind.”

Your heart went out to him. You knew that no matter how this situation turned out, that regret would always stick with him.

“Then we’ll find a way to get him back…somehow.” Omega said, coming up on Hunter’s right.

“That’s what I said.” You stated, coming to squeeze his left hand reassuringly. “See, it’s not just me that knows it.”

Hunter nodded at you before moving ahead once more.

You lightly nudged Omega in front of you again and fell in line behind her.

The three of you slowly began an uphill climb and crouched behind a rock. A few metres in front of you with its lights blinking, lay the power capacitor.

“See it?” Hunter asked, shining his torch light on it.

“Yeah.” You replied quietly.

“Wait here.” Hunter ordered, sensing that Omega had stood up. “Both of you.”

“You gotta be kidding me.” You objected.

Hunter just tilted his head towards Omega. He needed you to stay for her.

You got the message and let out a frustrated sigh. “Just be careful.”

Hunter gave you a nod and moved out from behind the rock to head towards the capacitor.

You moved closer to Omega and you both watched him closely as he went. You closed your eyes and reached out into the Force around you, looking to see if that familiar signature you’d felt by the panel on the ship was anywhere near you both or Hunter.

Then you felt it, it was right by the rock that was behind the capacitor. You snapped your eyes open and went to warn Hunter, but you were a second too late. The creature had jumped out and attacked him.

You and Omega dashed out and ran towards it, but it had grabbed the part and ran off.

“It’s getting away!” Omega shouted.

That wasn’t your concern right now. You turned away from the direction the creature had headed off in to see Hunter gasping, clutching at his throat.

Panic swept through you. “Hunter, your mask!” You grabbed him as he collapsed to the ground.

You scanned the area around you quickly to find his mask. You spotted it and called on the Force to send it to you. As soon as it landed in your hand, you reattached it. “Hunter, wake up! Wake up!” You said desperately but to no avail.

You checked for a pulse and hung your head in relief when you found one, but he would be out for a while and medical help would not go amiss plus you still needed to get the capacitor back. You spoke into your comm. “Echo, Wrecker, Tech, come in! We need help!” You got no response back.

You heard a snarl and looked up to see the dragon disappear with the capacitor down into a tunnel. You were torn, you couldn’t leave Hunter and Omega couldn’t be left on her own, but you needed that back.

“I’ll go.” Omega said bravely.

“No, Omega. Not by yourself. You could get hurt.” You said, taking your eyes off Hunter to look at her.

“We can’t leave Hunter alone here either. You can stay with him. I’ll be careful. If I’m going to be on this squad, I need to learn how to handle myself.” Omega replied.

You went to disagree with her but hesitated. You couldn’t bring yourself to leave him and if Omega felt like she could, then maybe it could work. “You sure about this?”

Omega nodded firmly.

You sighed. “Okay, take his blaster, torch, and his comm. If at any point, you’re unsure of what to do or there’s a sign of trouble, you tell me. Understand?” You said seriously.

“I understand.” Omega answered, picking up Hunter’s flashlight, blaster, and comm. “Okay, Omega. You can do this.” She said to herself, taking a calming breath.

“Be careful and any trouble, you use that comm and don’t use that blaster unless you absolutely have to.” You told her. She was young, she didn’t need her first instinct to be to kill. “You better go.”

Omega nodded and set off towards the tunnel.

You watched her enter it and then readjusted yourself, so you were supporting Hunter’s body, his head positioned in your lap. Come on Hunter, wake up, you thought nervously.

You gently straightened your back, keeping Hunter’s head cradled in your hands as you did so. Right after you did this, you saw his eyes flicker open. “Hunter?”

Hunter groaned and then his eyes focused on you, your head positioned just above his. His appeared to be in your lap. He sat up and held his head then let out a few panicked breaths as he remembered what happened. He tapped his mask, just to confirm that it was really there.

You moved around and kneeled in front of his. “Easy. It’s okay. I reattached it after it fell. You’ve been unconscious though.” You explained. “You scared the shit out of me. Next time you tell me to wait, I’m just going to ignore you because clearly that doesn’t work out well for you.” You said, adding a touch of humour to your tone.

“I’m okay.” Hunter reassured you, laying a hand on your shoulder.

“Just… don’t do scare me like that again. I don’t know what I’d do if-” You stopped yourself from continuing.

Before Hunter could ask about what you were going to say, he suddenly remembered about Omega, she wasn’t here. “Where’s Omega?” He asked urgently.

“Umm… she’s gone after the part.” You replied awkwardly.

“What?” Hunter said, standing up abruptly and which led him to notice his blaster, comm and torch were all now missing. “You let her go on her own?”

“Not enthusiastically but it was either I leave you unconscious and her with you, not knowing if there was anything else out here that could hurt you guys, or I stay with you and let her go after it. It wasn’t like I was left with the best choices. I told her to contact me if she was in trouble.” You explained, standing up too.

“Did you even try to contact the others for help?”

You glared at him. “Yes Hunter, believe it or not I’m not a complete idiot, my first thought was not to send her after an Ordo Moon Dragon by herself. The others didn’t reply.” You replied coolly.

Hunter sighed. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair. It’s just…she’s a kid. She could get herself hurt.”

“She’s not helpless, Hunter and she volunteered. She’s not much younger than what I was when I was being sent on missions. Plus, you and your brothers were put in training when you were young.” You said defensively.

“But she’s not exactly trained either or blessed with your particular skill set.”

You opened your mouth to protest but stopped when you realised that you’d lost sight of that. You may have understood the emotional assignment of taking in a child better than the others, but you’d let your own experience cloud your judgement here. You’d looked at Omega and seen a determined young girl, wanting to do all she could to help which is what you’d been like at her age and that was all you saw. You forgot that she’d been on Kamino her whole life and hadn’t been trained in any way. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let her go. I just didn’t want to leave you and I forgot her experience has been completely different from mine and yours.”

“It’s okay. We can go find her now.” Hunter said.

“She’s in there.” You pointed up to the tunnel she’d gone into.

“Lead the way.” Hunter directed and followed you as you both ran up to the tunnel entrance.

“Omega!” You both yelled down the tunnel.

“I’m coming!” Omega called back.

You exhaled deeply in relief as you saw her crawl her way to the top.

Hunter picked her up out of the tunnel and set her gently down on her feet. “Are you okay?” He asked, scanning her body for injuries.

“Omega, I’m sorry, I never should’ve let you go on your own.” You said, bending down in front of her to give her a quick hug.

“It’s alright. I’m fine. I completed the mission.” Omega said to you over your shoulder. She pulled away and handed Hunter back his blaster at Hunter. “Don’t worry, didn’t have to use it.” She added, looking back at you.

You nodded back at her before you got to your feet to stand next to Hunter.

“I got the part.” Omega said, holding the capacitor up to Hunter.

Hunter took it from her.

“Good work Omega.” You said. “Now we can finally get off this rock.”

Hunter walked into the cockpit. “Tech, get us outta here.”

“Gladly.” Tech replied, powering up the engines. “Systems are up and running.” He said as the ship left the moon’s atmosphere.

“Yeah, took you long enough.” Wrecker grumbled, coming into the cockpit.

“And where have you been?” Echo asked, turning in his seat.

Wrecker ignored him and kneeled in front of the passenger seat where Omega was sitting. “Hey, kid. Come with me.” He said, holding his hand out to her. “Cover your eyes.” He instructed with a light chuckle.

Omega did as he said and took his hand despite it being about twice the size of hers.

“I’m not missing this.” You said happily, following Wrecker out of the cockpit and back to the gun tower. You were very curious as to what Wrecker had planned.

Hunter also left the cockpit to see what Wrecker had been doing.

“Okay. Open ‘em.” Wrecker said, stepping away from Omega. “Check it out!” He said with a chuckle, showing Omega the now new and improved gun turret.

Omega walked up the ladder, pulled back the curtain and smiled at what greeted her. Wrecker had transformed the space with new, warm glowing lights and had padded it out for extra comfort. He’d also included his Lula. She couldn’t believe it.

“It’s your own room.” Wrecker explained. “Well, what do you think? I thought this place could feel more like a home.”

“It’s perfect!” Omega said joyfully. “Thank you, Wrecker!”

You chuckled as Wrecker took the praise rather bashfully.

“Oh, uh, it was nothing.” Wrecker replied.

“I never had my own room before.” Omega said, sitting down and holding Lula to her chest.

“Well, you’re a part of this squad now too.” Hunter said, stepping past you.

You noticed that Tech and Echo had now come to see what was going on too.

Omega looked at him then back around her room. She was really starting to feel that now.

The rest of you left her to it and walked back to the cockpit. “That was really sweet of you, Wrecker. And she’s right. That’s a pretty perfect set up.” You said smiling at him. “Hey, how come I never got anything like that?” You asked, nudging Hunter playfully.

“Are you unhappy with your current arrangement?” Hunter lightly teased back whilst also hoping the answer would be no.

You pretended to ponder before answering. “Hmm I guess I can manage.” You replied light-heartedly, giving him a warm smile.

Wrecker, Tech, and Echo just looked at one other, the look saying the same thing- when will they just wake up and admit what they feel for one another? If it’s so clear to us, why is it not to them?

Next Chapter>

#the bad batch #hunter x reader #hunter x fem!reader #hunter x female!reader #sergeant hunter x reader #sergeant hunter #hunter tbb #hunter the bad batch #the bad batch hunter x you #hunter x you #hunter x y/n #tbb hunter x reader #the bad batch fanfiction #fluff #angst #star wars #friends to lovers

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kazoosandfannypacks · 3 months ago

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⭐️⭐️⭐️ (sends you multiple stars so you can yap as long as you want)

This is (Kinda) the Way: Director's Cut

Though all Mandalorians placed heavy emphasis on the value of their beskar armor, for some it was just armor, a thing only to be taken up in a time of war. Others believed that to remove your helmet or even so much as a glove around another living being was to make yourself an outcast. Most Mandalorians fell somewhere on the spectrum between them, and house Wren and its clan leaned towards the latter, not allowing themselves to remove their helmet. Their custom held one distinct caveat: once a Mandalorian had chosen a partner, a partner for life, their souls bound by a tie no man could sever— then, and only for them, could they remove their helmet, and share their face for the first time with another living soul. Or "the au in which Ezra falls for Sabine without even seeing her face"

First off, the reason for the title. Of course, it's a reference to Din and his clan's trademark catchphrase, "this is The Way," but as I considered that, I went, "but Sabine CAN take off her armor eventually. This is only KINDA the way" and that phrase stuck with me, so I kept it for the title.

For those wondering about my personal knowledge of getting stabbed in the foot that I mentioned in the ao3 author's notes, I will be explaining it under the cut. TW: obviously, mention of stabbing, blood

As many of you know, I am an artist, and I typically do traditional, pencil and paper art. I also tend to do this a LOT while watching tv in the evenings with my family because I need to be doing two things at once. I feel crowded when I have a tray table in front of me, so I was holding all my art supplies in my hands/lap. I needed to get up to grab something, so I held my sketchbook and pencil, but the pencil slipped, and just as I stepped down so I could stand up, it pointed straight up, and I stepped on it, stabbing it several inches into my foot. We removed it without too much blood loss (though there was a lot of pain,) and it didn't cause any major damage, praise the Lord!

Anyways, onto the fic!

Though this is a sabezra fic, I also made sure to provide a lovely little treat for my kanera fans out there:

"I just," Ezra sighed, "I know you're the best person to ask— that is if I don't wanna get laughed at for asking or end up getting my question answered with two more questions I don't know the answer to like Kanan always does." Hera smiled a little as Ezra said that, which he added to his mental folder of What Exactly Is Going On Between Kanan And Hera, Anyways?

Later in the fic, when Ezra remarks to himself that it was almost like the sound of Sabine's voice was enough to give him unreasonable joy, that is a reference to an obscure novel from 1907, and I'll give you one guess as to which one it is. I also really loved, in that scene, having Zeb be one of the catalysts of Ezra realizing he likes Sabine, because the Zeb and Ezra friendship is criminally underrated.

Also? Ezra is goals throughout this entire fic, and I feel the need to say it. He's a respectful and dignified young simp and I think we need more people like him in the world. That is all.

That being said, my favorite inside joke in the Sabezra fandom is making fun of Ezra for kriffing up his first meeting with Sabine's dad, and I couldn't not include it in this fic as best I could.

I personally think that I have never summed up the entire Sabezra dynamic better than this scene:

As the medical droid tended to his wound, Sabine sat next to him, holding his right hand lovingly as she sent forth a flurry of angry Mando'an words at him that amounted to a more colorful version of "don't you dare do something that dangerous and stupid again." "Aww, 'Bine," Ezra smiled under his helmet, (he always wore one of his repurposed helmets on Krownest, to respect her people's traditions,) "I didn't know you cared so much." "Maybe next time that happens I'll just let you bleed out," Sabine teased. "You wouldn't dare," Ezra said, "besides, what is it you always say? Something about finding my combat skills and selfless bravery attractive?" "Bravery?" Sabine asked, "more like borderline stupidity." "And this one was skillful, brave, and borderline stupid," Ezra said, wishing his helmet didn't hide the playful expression on his face, "admit it, you thought it was hot." "Maybe a little," Sabine said nudging his uninjured shoulder with hers, "just never do something that ho- stupid again, understand?" "You and I both know I can't avoid that," Ezra said. "I know," Sabine faked an overdramatic sigh as she rested her head on his shoulder.

And also? The Ezra-Sabine-Tristan banter in the next scene??? Top tier, if I may toot my own horn, and quite frankly I need to write more fics about the three of them as well.

"Be good to her," was all Alrich said in reply, and as Sabine's hand slipped into Ezra's, he understood what he meant. "I will," Ezra nodded, "I don't intend to do anything that stupid." "He made a promise not to do anything stupid," Sabine said. "The jury's still out on how long Bridger can keep from doing something stupid," her brother interrupted, "but he's earned my respect." "I'll take care of her," Ezra said, "and if I don't, well, I have full confidence that she can 'take care' of me, and probably knows at least a dozen ways to hide the body." "Two dozen," Sabine said, and that's when Ezra knew he'd been on Krownest for too long, because there was something almost romantic in the way she'd just threatened him, and he'd been around Mandalorians long enough that he enjoyed it.

I also want to point out the framing of the face reveal scene. If the "It's not like I'll never take off my helmet. Showing my face would be a sign of commitment. It would show that I'm absolutely sure I want to spend the rest of my life with someone. I'd have to know that I love someone enough, with all my heart and soul, to want to them to be my forever." sounded familiar, it's because I based it off of the blueprint for childhood friends to lovers, aka Cory and Topanga.

And yeah! That's about all I have to say on that one! Thanks for reading!

#kazzy writes #kazzy answers asks #director's commentary #sabezra #sabine wren #ezra bridger #this is (kinda) the way #star wars rebels #swr ff #otp: im counting on you

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astoldbygingersnaps · 7 months ago

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ShiIta Fanfic Fundraising for Gaza

Inspired by Eeri's GaaLee fics for Gaza, I will also be offering ShiIta fics in exchange for donations to families in need who are currently raising funds to survive in and relocate from Gaza. If you are interested in receiving a fic from me, please read below to decide what works best for you. (Please note that proof donation will be required for ALL fics!):

$5 = a new fic under 5,000 words

$10 = a new fic under 10,000 words

$50 = a vignette for an existing fic that is NOT a new chapter

$100 = an update for an existing fic that IS a new chapter

Campaigns To Donate To:

Help Eman and her three children evacuate from Gaza (currently at €2,256)

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Help Seham's family evacuate from Gaza (currently at £370)

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How It Works:

After donating, send a screenshot to me via Tumblr or Twitter (@vulcanitachi) that includes your name and the amount that you donated.

I will only be writing for ShiIta. If there is a side-pairing you want me to include, depending on the ship I may include it but it's not guaranteed if it's a personal NOTP.

I accept both AUs and canon-verse, but will not write major character death.

If you donate, you're more than welcome to request a prompt, but I reserve the right not to write it if it contains material I personally would not feel comfortable producing.

Multiple donations to multiple campaigns can either be used for multiple fics or pooled together to get a vignette or update depending on the amount. Just tell me what you want!

Currently, there's no limit to the amount of fics I will write, but this may change if I (unexpectedly) get overwhelmed with requests.

Once I receive proof of donation, I will be doing my best to post as quickly as possible, but anyone who follows my work knows I operate on a slower posting schedule, so patience is appreciated!

Fics I will considering updating include: lazarus taxon, wanna be on your mind (stay there all the time), the currently in-progress sequel for pack up (don't stray), and the currently in-progress sequel to our hungers appeased. I will NOT be offering the next chapter to lovers alone wear sunlight at this time because it's still under major construction and I am not confident I could complete it in a timely manner.

If you cannot donate the minimum amount to get a fic, even sending $1 or sharing this post helps more than you can know. Please note that the above campaigns are just a fraction of the people who desperately need our help to escape occupation and genocide. Thank you everyone for reading and a big thanks for anyone who elects to participate.

#naruto #shiita #shisui x itachi #itachi x shisui #fanfic #funds for gaza

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donovanlizzie · 10 months ago

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JUNGLE ROT - ROBERT LECKIE

Under the sweltering heat of the jungle of Guadalcanal , Robert Leckie found himself standing in line for jungle rot checks, his gaze fixed on the determined corp-woman conducting the examination. Chuckler, Runner, Hoosier, and Sydney Philips stood nearby, watching with amusement as Leckie, usually a man of wit and charm, fumbled over his words.

Leckie, always the charmer, leaned against a tree, his eyes fixed on the medic.

"Well, hello there, beautiful. You here to check if I'm still in one piece? You, uhh, checking us for jungle rot?"

The corp-woman glanced up from her clipboard, She rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Save the charm for someone who cares, Marine. I'm just trying to make sure you don't lose a limb to jungle rot. My job is to make sure you're all fit for duty."

Leckie nodded, trying to regain composure. "Right, of course. Duty. Important. Very important."

Chuckler nudged Runner, smirking. "Looks like Leckie finally met his match."

Runner added with a grin, "Yeah, she's not falling for his smooth talk."

Hoosier raised an eyebrow, glancing at the two men with a bemused expression, " you call that smooth talkin'?"

Leckie, unaware of the exchange, continued his attempt at conversation. "So, uh, what's your name?"

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "That's not important. Just focus on the inspection."

Leckie's cheeks flushed slightly as he stuttered, "Okay. Sorry."

As the corp-woman examined him, she instructed, "Can you lift your shirt for me?"

Leckie, finding a sudden spurt of bravery, retorted with a chuckle, "Wanna buy me dinner first?"

The boys, including Chuckler and Hoosier, chuckled at Leckie's quip. Even the corp-woman couldn't suppress a small smile. "Just lift your shirt, Marine."

Leckie obliged, feeling a rush of satisfaction at his small victory. The corp-woman continued her examination, her professionalism evident despite the banter.

Once the inspection was over, Leckie flashed her a sheepish grin. "Thanks for, um, checking me over."

She nodded, her demeanor softening slightly. "No problem. Just doing my job."

As Leckie rejoined his comrades, Chuckler, still laughing, caught the attention of the corp-woman. Despite being caked in wet sand, mud, and possibly other bodily fluids, she held herself with a sense of confidence. Chuckler couldn't help but admire her self-assuredness.

The corp-woman met Chuckler's gaze and said, "You next."

Chuckler's laughter subsided as he gave her a mock salute. "Ready when you are, ma'am."

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

The following day, under the scorching sun, Leckie found himself once again trailing the corp-woman as she moved from one Marine to another. Gathering his courage, he fell into step beside her. "Hey, uh, I was just wondering, why did you join the Corps? What's your story?"

She shot him a sidelong glance, her expression guarded. "Why does it matter?"

Leckie stumbled over his words, attempting to articulate his curiosity. "I-I just thought, you know, we're all here, facing the same hell. Figured we could share a bit about ourselves, maybe make this place a bit more bearable."

Her gaze softened for a moment, and she sighed. "Fine. My story is nothing special. I joined because I wanted to make a difference, and this seemed like the way to do it."

Leckie nodded, sensing there was more to it. "And your family? You got siblings back home?"

Her eyes flickered with a mix of sadness and reluctance. "No family. No siblings. I was left on the steps of my local church when I was a baby"

Leckie's eyes widened in surprise, and his tone softened. " oh uh - that must've been tough growing up without a family."

She shrugged, her expression hardening again. "Life's tough for everyone, Marine. I learned to fend for myself."

Leckie, wanting to connect on a personal level, continued, "I get that. I really do. My family's not perfect either, but they're mine, you know? We may not always see eye to eye, but we're family."

She shot him a warning look. "Don't try to pity me, Robert. I don't need it."

Leckie, recognizing her need for distance, held up his hands defensively. "No pity, just... trying to understand. We're all in this together."

As they walked, Leckie found himself stealing glances at her. In the harsh sunlight, he couldn't help but notice the way her hair caught the light, or the determination in her eyes. For a split second, he forgot all about Vera back home. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Her stern gaze met his, and she spoke with finality. "I joined the Corps to focus on the mission. Not to make friends or share sob stories. Let's keep it professional."

Leckie, despite his genuine attempt to connect, nodded in understanding. "Alright, professional it is. But if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

She grunted slightly, simply walked away, leaving Robert standing there, a mix of sympathy and respect in his eyes, as he watched her disappear into the crowded beach.

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

As night fell over the battleground, the distant echoes of gunfire and the quiet hum of conversations filled the air. Robert lay on his makeshift cot, ( a lump of soil he formed into the shape of a bed in his foxhole) staring into the darkness, his mind consumed by thoughts of the female medic.

"You know she was given up as a child?" he said into the still night, almost as if talking to the shadows around him.

Hoosier, who was on watch duty, sat nearby, cleaning his rifle with practiced precision. He took a drag from his cigarette, the ember glowing in the darkness, and replied in a nonchalant tone, "Yeah, heard somethin' about that."

Robert turned his head toward Hoosier, his expression thoughtful. "Can't imagine what that must've been like for her, growing up without a family."

Hoosier exhaled a plume of smoke, his eyes gazing into the distance. "War makes strange bedfellows, Leckie. We all got our own demons to deal with."

Leckie nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze returning to the black expanse above. "Yeah, I suppose so. Still, she's somethin', ain't she? Strong and beautiful, even in the middle of all this mess."

Hoosier chuckled, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Careful, Leckie. You're starting to sound like a poet or somethin'. Ain't gonna make the war any easier."

Leckie grinned, the irony not lost on him. "Maybe not, but it makes the moments a bit more bearable. You ever find someone who makes you forget, even if just for a moment?"

Hoosier shrugged, the weight of his experiences evident in his tired eyes. "War ain't the place for forgetting, Leckie. But yeah, sometimes you come across someone who makes it a little less unbearable."

As the conversation dwindled into the sounds of the night, the two Marines shared a silent understanding. In the midst of chaos, a fleeting connection with another human soul provided a momentary respite from the harsh reality of war.

Leckie sighed, his thoughts returning to the female medic. "Maybe. Just maybe."

a/n : possible part 2?

PART 2

MASTERLIST

THE PACIFIC MASTERLIST

#hbo war #the pacific #the pacific hbo #the pacific imagines #robert leckie #Robert Leckie imagine #Robert leckie x reader

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trashlie · 1 year ago

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Hi Ashlie it's lil anon again 💗 I hope you have adjusted to your meds and had fun experimenting with gouache... That sounds cool, I wish I could do that but too bad I don't have a single creative bone in my body 😭 it's okay I'll stick to playing viddy games...

There is something I want to bring up for your consideration that's been bouncing around in my head. When Hansuke mentioned that it was hard for him to get into medical school despite his excellent grades, people concluded that Yui must have stood in his way and Hansuke's mother probably made a deal with her, correct? That felt like such a relevant tidbit that will come up again, because otherwise why the effort to draw those panels. So... I think there might be a parallel to Nol here. We know he is going to spend the 4 year time skip abroad, right? But how will he get there, when Yui is so opposed to it and needs to keep him under her thumb? So 🤔 I've been thinking maybe Rand makes a similar deal with Yui so she lets Nol go. Not sure what the details of the deal will be, but it could even be something like "I'll get the kid into any school he wants if you step down from the CEO position within the next 5 years and let Kousuke take over, and don't plot anything against me ever again". It's a big sacrifice, but it feels like Rand had some extremely harsh realizations about how miserable Nol is after finding his scarf in the pool, and then finding him bleeding in the snow and the Ivan the Terrible reference. It feels so much like he has reached his end, "it's not my message to pass along anymore" felt so pointed. I also keep thinking about how guilty Rand must be feeling. He didn't only fail his own son, he failed to protect NESSA'S CHILD ;A; someone so precious and important to her, someone she loved so dearly. Even if it was unspoken it's clear that she counted on Rand to take care of their son when she couldn't anymore, and he failed her miserably. Gawd just thinking about that makes me wanna cry 😔😭💔 So maybe this will be what pushes him to step up and actually do something useful for his child, maybe that deal will be his self-sacrifice. What are your thoughts on this? I know I might be reaching, it might be Yu Jing's article that will help Nol go abroad, and I'm very aware of the death flags surrounding Rand, and maybe he'll just die or Yui kills him and that's that. With Kousuke having all these realizations it's not unlikely that Yui gets rid of Rand so they don't become allies. But I don't want his death to be so... pointless, I guess? BE A FATHER EVEN IF JUST ONCE IN YOUR LIFE DAMMIT ;A;

On a lighter but similarly emotional note, when do you think Shinae and Nol are going to be on a first/real name basis? It might be just me but I feel like it's coming 👀 It's been said a thousand times (and good, let's manifest it 🤞🏾) that they must be on the same page by the end of season 1 for the story to flow smoothly. And that must include the names as well, right? Because the names are a big part of the distance between them and to Shinae, "Yeonggi" isn't enough anymore, she wants "Nol". And, in theory, he must first accept his name before he is comfortable with her saying it, but maybe the other way around would work better. If he lets her into the circle of people who can call him Nol even if he isn't completely ready for it, maybe that will actually be the important first step to accept himself. Because if Shinae accepts that side of him and doesn't think he's horrible, then he can't be that horrible, right. Basically a you don't have to love yourself for other people to love you and with time you can see yourself through their eyes and find that everything you dislike about yourself doesn't make you unlovable because they love you regardless type of thing. Does that make sense? I hope you understand what I'm trying to get at 😅 He also doesn't want to be vulnerable and open up as Yeonggi, it's not part of that persona. But maybe once she is on the Nol side for good, he can be more honest, because she is already there so why not. Not that he'll immediately tell her everything, obviously, but just be more honest dude just tell her that you're scared and not ready for certain conversations yet instead of putting up a front! But either way regardless of when, the moment they say each others first/real names is going to be SOOOOOO meaningful so vulnerable so intimate I will simply die on the spot I will just explode 💥 -lil anon 😼 (who still can't keep their messages short)

Lil Anon!!!!! 💗 Okay, ngl I am a big proponent of "creativity is very much a skill anyone and everyone can learn" just that some of us (and myself included lmao) need a little more effort to learn. But also gouache is so fun because I'm realizing so much of painting is about the insinuation of things, rather than painting out every detail? And it's so amazing to me to watch those things come together!!!! But also.... I am not great at video games so I guess at the end of the day we really do have our strengths and weaknesses huh? alfjakjfjfa LMAO :3

Also heads up, the last part of this response will have FP 238 spoilers!

Oooohhhh this is such an interesting thought that I HAVEN'T thought about, but I HAVE been thinking a lot about Rand (I have this messy post in the works about him because as much as he makes me angry I find him really interesting in that, like every other character, he is very much someone trying to survive and his struggles to do so have had a lot of ramifications - especially in failing to protect his son with Nessa. I understand why people hate him but I just have SO MANY FEELINGS and like how... maybe a selfish part of him kept him near, even if he couldn't be a good father to him because of Yui, because he reminded him of her, and how maybe as Nol grows up he continues to see so much of himself in him, and how in Rand's eyes that probably is bad because he very much ended up trapped, he very much lost what he loved, he has very much lived in isolation. But that's a whole other thing but the point is: Rand is on my mind so this is a very welcome question!!!!)

I'd never considered the possibility of a parallel because I guess I'd just sort of assumed that information was given to us to show us how far Yui is willing to go, that she was interfering with her own nephew's career in order to - probably - lord something over her sister, to force her to do whatever it was she wanted, that we are meant to further understand that Yui is so unstoppable even her own sisters can't do anything, and that this isn't the first time Hansuke's career has been on the line. BUT WITH THAT SAID it would make an incredibly interesting parallel! I think in a lot of ways Rand did think he was doing what was right, what he could do. I think a lot about what he said when Nol pleaded guilty, about how he should have sent him away to a boarding school and that as much as a lot of that was said out of actual anger and agitation, at the end of the day Rand cares so much because he loves Nol, even if he was never allowed to act on it, even if he had to repress it and keep it bottled away where it began to fester. Something I think a lot about parenthood in general but esp in ILY is that no one has the foresight to know how things will work out, so parents are doing what they think is best. Often they are wrong, they make mistakes, but again, we are only capable of trying to learn from our mistakes, we can't see how things would play out. Would Nol have been safer at boarding school? Would he have actually been out of Yui's reach? But that's a whole other post (that is coming)

THAT SAID I think yes Rand carries a lot of guilt and knows that he has not been able to protect either of his sons the way he wishes he could have and now he is at this sort of.... fork in the road. Until now, Nol was so very alone, has been surrounded by people who can't be trusted, people of this society who would sell him out immediately. But Rand has seen in Shinae and Nol this connection that maybe he even recognizes much like the one he and Nessa had, that Shinae is very much like she was in her willingness to reach out to and protect Nol, her willingness to stand up for him against even the scariest opponents. In the same night he nearly lost his son, he saw how many people rallied around him, were willing to stand by his side and wait for him to wake up and I think that, yes, it gave him this sense of understanding. Nol is no longer alone, and while it's not him at his side, he knows that the people who are will fight for him, are people who truly love him the way he deserved all this time. And I think that's yes why he is willing to transition out of Nol's life - because he knows that he hasn't been able to provide him the protection he needs. That he CAN'T.

And the idea of him sacrificing himself for Nol's sake (and frankly, Kousuke's, too) would be interesting, because I very much think Shinae will "sacrifice" herself to Yui in order to protect her father, will take up Yui's offer if it means keeping away from her family. What an interesting parallel it would be, too, for both of these people who have put themselves in harms way to protect those they love (I know Rand doesn't seem it, but I think he is a person who has very much been a victim of him circumstances and that he has reached a point in this story that he is willing to get hurt to protect them, that he is finally openly fighting back the way he can in an effort to protect them).

I honestly.... HATE the theory about Rand dying even though the death flags are everywhere lmao ;_____; I feel like I'm constantly closing my eyes to them because I cannot bear to think of what it would mean for both Nol and Kousuke, for neither of them to get that closure. I hate the thought of Nol being left a literal orphan, of Kousuke never knowing that he was loved, like it KILLS ME but it really feels like we're hurtling there and aflkjkafjkafjkaf [SCREAMS] I'd so much prefer that like... Rand have a heart attack that incapacities him or something ;A; - especially because Nana has her own death flags and again, the thought of Nol just being left with NONE of his family?! GOD THAT KILLS ME.

But also I am very much in favor of Rand making such a sacrifice. Something I've been thinking about is that a lot of why Rand's hands were tied was because he was trying to get this far - and now that he has, now that Nol is in safe hands, maybe it IS time to make a sacrifice, to step out of Nol's life and "set him free", if he could give Yui something she wants enough to let Nol go. The thing is.... Yui is very much aware of the effect Nol has on Kousuke, and why it's necessary to keep him around, but perhaps with what Kousuke is learning, that won't remain a matter? I think there is a LOT that is up in the air right now, but I do think we are at a point where Rand COULD make that kind of offer, where he can finally face Yui and fight back in his own way and do something to set his son free of all of this. I think I lean more sympathetic to Rand than most do but I would love to see him take an action that can actually demonstrate to Nol that Rand has always cared, that until now he didn't have other options, that until now he'd thought that this was the safest route.

(But honestly? What was ;__________;)

I JUST WANT TRAGIC FAMILY CLOSURE SOOOOOOOO BADLY AND IT HURTS ME THAT WE MAY NEVER GET IT LMAO ;A;

BUT ON A LIGHTER NOTE YES YES YES ALL OF THIS YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS ;A; once again and as always YOU GET IT YOU TOTALLY GET IT!!!!!!!!

I think Nol and Shinae's story is VERY MUCH a matter of like.... yeah, you don't have to love yourself to be loved, that's bullshit, we all know it's not true. That maybe you can learn to love yourself by being loved. That maybe through the process of being loved you can start to see yourself through their eyes, the version of yourself that they see and love and that it can make that version of you come to life. That even though Nol sees himself as this unworthy monster, that he has been made to feel like he's nothing, a nobody - she can show him that he's something, somebody, she can say his name with an affection that no one else has ever said it with, that she can breathe new life to something that was taken from him and ruined.

I think we VERY much are approaching that point and Nol learning that Yui has been drugging even Kousuke honestly may be the beginning (or again I might just be being very hopeful). I keep reiterating that Nol needs to know this goes beyond him. I want Shinae to get to sit down and talk to him - not just about their feelings but about Yui, that even before Yui knew about their attachments, that she was already put through hell. Tell him about Kousuke's birthday, something that shows Nol even if he leaves Yui already has her claws in her, was already interested even before it involved him. Tell him about the offer because she will end up taking it one way or another and it's better than he knows how, so he's reminded how much she hates this woman, too.

And maybe if Nol can see that it's more than just him, maybe he can see that there is no point in pushing her away. And if that isn't enough, maybe she can convince him how very much they can't ignore any of this, to prove to him how badly she wants to know him, Nol, to see him and meet those secret parts of him he doesn't want anyone to say. To say the name that has felt like a lashing so many times used by everyone else in a way that takes it from nothing to something and makes him want to hear it move. To say her name again and be so familiar (so SO familiar god PLEASE) ;A;

Like IDK I know we've had this conversation a LOT lmao but it just feels like it's two steps forward five steps back if we don't get that closure if they don't have that talk. No one is asking for or expecting him to share everything - to just open up enough to show that he wants to. To admit his fear. If Shinae saw what Dieter did, that kind of fear, how intense it is, and couldn't connect it to what has happened to her, maybe she could get through to him better but at this point she just doesn't know, doesn't understand why he's pushing her. Maybe now that she's realized her own feelings - and can maybe wonder about his - it might make her think of what he said in the alley about fear and people getting hurt but it's a conversation they need to have directly.

And yes, I feel like even from a metaphorical point, he cannot begin to open up as Yeonggi, as this nameless person. They cannot begin anew with her uncertain what to call him, not allowed to use his real name, while he still calls her Yoo. What's he gonna do, maul her and swallow her heart and still call her Yoo? PLEASE. NO.

I feel like it MUST be coming, that some kind of understanding will be coming, even if they know they are separating for a while, even if they know that whatever is between them isn't something that can happen right now, I feel like they HAVE to separate on a true first name basis, right? ;A;!!!!!!!!!

AND I AM DYING FOR IT. /DYING/ I WANT HIM TO SAY HER NAME SO QUIETLY (AND MAYBE BRUSH HER HAIR BACK FROM HER FACE WHEN HE DOES) I WANT HIM TO TWITCH A LITTLE WHEN SHE SAYS THE NAME THAT HAS CAUSED HIM SO MUCH PAIN AND THEN INSTEAD MELT INTO HER. I WANT IT TO BE SO TENDER, SO INTIMATE, THAT HIS NAME NEVER SOUNDED THAT GOOD ON ANYONE'S ELSE'S TONGUE, THAT IT NEVER SOUNDED SO MEANGINGFUL AS WHEN SHE SAYS IT. The intimacy of being the first person to be allowed to say his name, to speak it with so much affection and care that it can undo what others have done to it, that it can breath back the life that was beaten out of it. ;A; What it would mean for her to say it!!!! That thrill of being allowed to share this very secret part, this very special part, something she is so hungry for!!!!!!

Shinae wanting to know everything about him is honestly SO FUCKING TENDER. Like, yes, that's what happens when we find ourselves liking someone, wanting to know everything, wanting to know about the things we were never present for and what shaped them into the person they are, but for Shinae there's that added layer because he has locked out everyone, pushed everyone away, and she wants to know the secrets he won't share, the parts of him that he hides, she wants to privy to every part of him. She wants him in his entirety, she wants to know him and be just as known and GOD to get to breathe his secret name, the forbidden name, the one he would not allow her?

GOD

I cannot even put it into words i just

[explodes on the spot]

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WHEN IT HAPPENS FOR REAL? WHEN HE CALLS HER SHINAE AGAIN? LAKJFKAJKAFKJAFKAKFJJA i can't do this lil anon i aM SO, SO WEAK AND FULL OF EMOTIONS AND TENDERNESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS they make me feel sO TENDERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

#I Love Yoo #ILY Brainrot #ILY FP #ILY Spoilers #ILY Anon #Lil Anon #Nolan Oliver T. Lochlain #Randulph Hirahara #Shinae Yoo #this ask (like all of your asks) gave me SO MANY FEELINGS #but i had to get my Rand post out of the way so i could answer this #it's being proofread but i think you'll see why i had to get it out of the way and why bringing up this possibility of Rand making such a #sacrifice made me SO EMOTIONAL #i have some big big feelings about Rand these days and like.... just his circumstances ;A;#and how so very much of ILY is a tragedy that cannot be stopped ;A;#;AAAAA;

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