#i'm a little worried she looks too much like anastasia

[tainoodles]

That same night little Isabella aged up to a toddler ♥

Isabella is a Cancer, and she is very neat and active, but also a bit shy. She also has some low interests, and is mostly interested in Entertainment, Travel, and Animals, and doesn't care about politics or food.

[chanandlersstuff]

Bubble and Moose, pt 2.

Pairing: Hayden Christensen x Reader.

Summary: The timeline of how Hayden gradually fell in love with her until he was madly in love, to the point of no returning.

Word count: 13.036

Warnings: Not much actually, age-gap, a slow burn and a "steamy" part.

Author’s note: Hello again, thanks a lot for the paitence and the love I've been reciving. I strugle a lot with writing when I don't have the right motivation and that was what happened with this part, I had it for months but only one part was missing and it didn't feelt right to post it.

With that being said, I'm nor sure, but there will be two more parts to this story and I will gladly recive request of what could happen or what you want to see, on the comments or in messages. The timeline will span until the press from Ashoka serires.

gif credit @hayden-christensen

← Previous part

December 2020, that time of the year.

December was the month of festivities, everyone knew that. It was the time to make your house feel cosy and prepare for the celebrations of Christmas and New Year's with your family. Hayden watched as Bubble struggled to set up her Christmas tree, and he couldn't help but laugh at her failed attempts.

“You are not being very supportive right now, Moose,” she said, playfully scolding him.

“Sorry.” He chuckled. “But this is really funny.”

She dropped the lights, that were around her, in frustration and glared at him. “How so?”

“You look like one of those elves from Rise of the Guardians with the lights all around you.” He kept laughing, his eyes shut tight as he crouched from his laughter.

Hayden’s masculine laugh was so contagious that she started laughing too. He had a point, she did look like one of those elves in the tangle of lights and limbs.

She was so concentrated on the talk that they were having while she tried to fix the mess she made at the beginning of the year when she took all the ornaments down, she ended up making a bigger mess and got caught in the middle.

While they kept laughing, she almost fell and that was when his laugh died. "Please don't bash your head on the floor, Bubble." He said looking at her a little bit worried.

"Relax, I'll be careful." She said, grabbing the arm of the sofa to brace herself as she walked to her seat and worked on the mess of lights. "You already put up your tree?"

"No, Bri and I will put up together next week when she stays here, so I'm waiting for her." The soft smile on his lips when he talked about his beloved daughter made her smile too.

The conversation kept going as she kept fighting with the lights making him laugh. "What are you going to do for the special day?”

“It’s my turn to host this year, so we are going to celebrate here.” He shrugged. “You?”

“At my sister’s but it’s a tradition that the kids come here to look for their presents, so that’s why I’m currently an elf tangled in lights.” She giggled and he smiled at the sound. “New year’s is my turn to be a hostess.”

They kept talking, telling each other what they planned to buy their respective families and every little nonsense that passed through their minds.

Finally, Christmas arrived and Hayden and Briar were sitting criss-crossed on the floor ready to open the presents, his parents watching them with a smile on their faces. The little girl had a bunch of presents around her, opening one by one with sparkles in her eyes. 

“I think this one you are going to love.” In his hand, he had the package he had received a couple of days before and a big smile on his lips.

With all the excitement of the world, Briar opened the present and squealed with delight. In her hands were an Anastasia book and a tiara. “I love it!”

Hayden laughed, “Want me to put on the tiara?” The little girl nodded excitedly. 

“Thank you, Daddy,” she hugged him.

But he shook his head, embracing her. “It wasn’t me, Bri.”

“Was it a Bubble?” He smiled, nodding. “Send her a picture, Daddy, and thank her for me!” Hurriedly the little girl posed with the book, the tiara on her head and a big smile on her lips for him to take a pic.

Obeying quickly he took the pic and when he was about to send it, Briar put a present on his lap. “Open it, it’s from Bubble too cause it has the same wrapping.”

Delicately, he pulled the wrapping paper off and immediately laughed at the packaging. “Oh God.” Briar was jumping up and down to see what it was so he gently took the present out of the box and showed it to her, making her laugh too.

In his hands was a spatula with the face of Darth Vader and the handle was a lightsaber and to put a cherry on top a matching apron that resembled Darth’s uniform. They were all giggling but his attention was on the note inside the box. 

To take your cooking skills to the dark side, but not too much cause it’ll burn. Happy Christmas Moose and Princess, wishing you all the best and lots of tasty food. 

With love, Bubble.

“Come on Daddy, take another photo.” Briar pulled from his hand and he, being such a girl dad, did as she said.

As father and daughter posed, everyone around them was interested in who this Bubble was and why she had them smiling so much. 

Her phone rang in her pocket, pulling her away from her conversation. 

Hayden M

Photo

Photo

Photo

She loves it and says thank you very much

A smile appeared on her lips when she saw the photos. In the first one, Briar was posing very princess-like with the book and the tiara in her head. The second one was a father-daughter selfie, Hayde was showing very proudly his spatula while Briar hung from his chest. The third one made her heart warm, and her knees buckled a little if she was honest. Hayden poses with the apron with a big smile looking directly at the camera. 

It was my pleasure, truly 

By the third photo, I’ll assume you liked yours

Of course, we find it very funny.

I accomplish my mission then 

And you? Did you like yours?

I’m going to open it as soon as I arrive home with the kids

Cause it’s tradition that we open our presents together

True to her word, as soon as she arrived at her house the kids ran towards the tree dragging her with them. “Come on, hurry up!” Daniel kept pulling from her hand, making her laugh. While Brianna and Daniel were sitting around the tree piling up their presents and opening them, their parents and she were sitting on the couch eating snacks and chatting.

In the sweetest way ever, Bri put a box with wrapping paper of bubbles in different colours and sizes, probably chosen by Briar, on her lap. “From…” Her sister peeked over her shoulder. 

“Not your business.” She stuck her tongue out to her as she pulled the box closer to her chest, making them all laugh.

Delicately, she pulled the paper off and an immediate smile appeared on her face. Hayden’s gift was perfect, a beautiful frame with a Singin’ in the Rain phrase, tracing the edges she read. “The show must go on!' Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show must go on!” 

He remembered their conversation all those months ago and that made her happy, and a little teary. In the back, it had a note that kept the smile on her lips. He’s too fucking sweet.

“Someone special?” Her sister asked. 

The smile on her lips was answering the question itself, but she just shrugged. If her concentration wasn’t on her phone, she would have seen the looks between her sister and brother-in-law.

Bubble

Best present ever 

Seriously?

You liked it?

Love it

You are the best present giver

I guess by the wrapping paper that Briar had something to do with it too

Yeah, she hand-picked it and all

Photo

Hayden opened the photo and smiled. It was a selfie of her with a big smile, to the point her eyes were almost closed, and behind her the frame on a big bookshelf. 

Already placed in the important part of my house

Love the big smile, looks amazing on you

And I’m very happy that you like it

January 2021, you and me from the night before.

First day of a new year, the first hours technically. Hayden was coming back from celebrating with Briar at her mom’s house when an idea appeared in his head, so a little detour from his house was due.

He parked his car and took a deep breath, drumming his fingers against the wheel. What are you doing Hayden? The clock on the dashboard reads 01:55 AM. Grabbing his phone, he went to his contact and bit his lip nervously. 

Should I go in or is it too much? I don’t need to walk up there, maybe it's better if I just wish her a happy new year with a call. Hayden's gaze shifts to Bubble's house, where he can see the faint glow of lights through the windows. He takes a deep breath, contemplating his decision. Fuck it. 

One beep, two beeps, thre-. “Hello Hayden, hi!” Her cheerful voice reached his ears.

“Hi, Bubble.” It was impossible for him to not smile. “How’s everything?”

The noise died down a little, “Amazing, how was your night with the Princess?” 

“Very good, she had a blast and used the tiara as a part of her outfit.” They laughed. “Listen,” she hummed. “Are you home?”

“Yeah, we are all here, the kids asleep.” Hayden's heart races as his idea of seeing her possibly come true.

“Can you possibly…” he drummed his fingers against the wheel again “Step outside for a bit?” I'll go and wish her a happy new year, just like any friend would, just that.

“Outside my house?” She asked, confused.

“Yeah…” Instead of an affirmative response, it sounded more like a question.

“Sure, give me a second. I have to grab shoes.” She said quickly. 

The possibility of hugging Bubble, feeling her warmth and sharing a moment of celebration, made his heart race for some reason. Hayden glances at himself in the rearview mirror, adjusting his appearance, making sure he looks presentable before stepping out of the car. As soon as his feet touched the pavement, he took a moment to steady himself before walking towards Bubble's front door. As he made his way there, his heart was pounding with anticipation. 

When she opened the door, a mixture of surprise and delight washed over her face, Bubble stepped outside her house with two glasses in her hand. The second they saw each other a smile instantly spread across their faces. 

She looks absolutely beautiful. Simple tailored black pants hugged her waist with a corset with sparkly details and embroidered patterns, her hair was free and slippers were on her feet. Her lips with wine stains that gave them a particular colour that made her even more beautiful in his eyes.

"You didn't have to come all the way here, Hayden. You could have just called me," Bubble said, her voice filled with warmth.

They closed the distance between each other. "I wanted to see your face," Hayden replied, his eyes sparkling with affection. “And wish you a happy New Year." 

Bubble's eyes softened, and she couldn't help but smile. “I wanted to see your face too.” Putting the glasses down, Bubble pulls Hayden into a warm embrace without hesitation.

Hayden's worries melted away as he held Bubble tightly, feeling the warmth of her embrace, his hand gently tangling in her hair as she rested her face on his chest. Her jasmine scent hit his nose and made his knees tremble a little. Oh how fucking much he had missed that smell, her smell.

Maybe it was all the wine in her blood and how fucking gorgeous he looked under the lights on her porch, but she snuggled against his chest, the rhythm of his heartbeat syncing with hers. They stood there, wrapped in each other's embrace, savouring the quiet and tender moment. 

After who knows how long they, against everything their feelings screamed at them, pulled away from each other, but not too much. Maybe two feet away from each other, not much.

“Let’s just toast.” Quickly she grabbed the glasses and gave him one with a wink. “Don’t worry, it’s kids' champagne.”

Hayden laughed, making her smile more. “Always thinking about everything.”

“To what we toast?” She pursed her lips.

He mugged her, pursing his lips. “To... friendship?” Friendship? Really? Are you an idiot Hayden?

She groaned, tilting her head back, “Oh, come on, Moose. We can do better than that.” Her tone teasingly. 

Hayden chuckles, realising Bubble's playful challenge. He took a moment to think, his eyes dancing across her features and involuntarily he took a step closer to her again. “To taking chances.” He asked softly. 

Bubble's eyes lit up and she took a step closer to him too, her voice filled with warmth. “I like it.” Moving her glass towards his she smiled, “To taking chances, and embracing the unexpected.”

They clinked their glasses together, the sound echoing in the quiet night. As they sipped, their eyes locked, a mix of anticipation and affection passing between them.

How beautiful her eyes look under these lights. “I'm glad I took the chance to come here tonight, Bubble.”

She smiled bigly, “Me too, Hayden. I missed seeing you in person.” It was as if her hands had a mind of their own, or they were led by her heart because she hugged him again. He didn’t oppose and rested his cheek on top of her head as her arms circled around his waist.

March 2021, jealousy? Jealousy.

Hayden was at the coffee shop near her office, ready to pay for their breakfast when a hand beat him to it. “What the-'' Ready to turn around to face the owner of the money, the sweet voice he heard even in his dreams reached his ears and that hand he was dying to have intertwined against his own appeared on his line of vision. She was standing by his side with a smile on her lips. Oh how much I missed that smile. “I was going to pay for that, you know.” 

She put the change in the tip jar “Well hello to you too, Hayden” and moved out of the way.

“Bubble.” He smiled at her and she did not only smile back but kissed his cheek too. Oh how soft her lips were but how ephemeral the sensation was on his skin. Come back, come back and kiss me all over again so I can cherish it properly. 

His eyes fell on her outfit. Blue Converse, black tailored pants and a black tank top with a big light blue shirt on top. 

I have a similar shirt. He couldn't contain his brain from creating the scenario of her with bed hair, his shirt, nothing underneath and her sweet smile. 

It took Hayden a few minutes to come back to the real world but when he did, he just cleared his throat and blinked a few times. “You didn’t have to.”

But she simply shrugged. “It was our breakfast, let me treat you, Moose.” Our breakfast, how sweet.

The opportunity to tease her was right there. “How do you know it was our breakfast?” He asked with a brow raised.

She put an offended look on her face. “You go around buying every girl breakfast?” Her hand travelled to her chest where her heart was. “I’m wounded. And here I was, thinking I'm special.”

You are special. I only bought breakfast for you. And Briar and my mum and maybe my sisters if I’m in a good mood. “Cocky much?” They laughed. 

After ten minutes or so, they got their order and jumped into his car to drive the rest of the way to her office. She talked all the way while he basked in her presence, her jasmine scent invading his nostrils, hoping it would stay on his car, and how clear her voice sounded in person. After Facetiming for months, her clear sweet voice was music to his ears. Having her close to touch was divine to him. That magic moment at the beginning of the year had left him wanting for more, wishing for more.

The scene was so fucking domestic, so cute. They were riding to work together, her attention on him, her body angled in a certain way that the sun hit her in the eyes and even though the visor was down her height prevented it from properly functioning.

As soon as they reached the studio’s garage he opened the car door for her, every door that came their way actually, as the gentleman he was, and talked a little bit about everything on their way to her office.

“Hello, you two.” Charlie’s voice brought them back to the real world. “Nice to see you again, Hayden.” The boy smiled her way, “Boss” and shared what seemed to be a knowing look with her. From the corner of his eyes, and above her height, he saw how a pink colour adorned her cheeks, it suited her.

She placed a coffee in front of the boy and rolled her eyes. Did she always carry that extra coffee? I was so lost in her face that I didn't notice the extra cup? Trying to not think much about it, a little scared of the answer, Hayden followed her to the office.

For some reason her office still lacks photos, it was more personal than, almost, two years ago that was for sure, but still no photos. The drawings were there, the video camera too, even the jasmin- she stopped in her tracks and he almost crashed against her. “Sorry, Bubble.” He said with his hands on her waist. Her look was fixed on the little desk where the jasmines were supposed to be but instead, there were red roses on it. He tilted his head to the side confused. “Are you okay?”

She nodded but he didn’t buy it because she was looking at those flowers like they were carnivorous and in any second they would eat her. His hands were still on her waist and for some reason, drew soft circles there, on top of her clothes, and that seemed to bring her back to the real world. Taking a deep breath she got close to them, but not too close, just to grab the card that was peeking from them.

His blue eyes watched her attentively as her nose was scrunched, which only meant that she didn’t like flowers. “Friend?” The curiosity was killing him. Who was sending her flowers she clearly didn’t like?

To her scrunched nose, add pursed lips and a bored look on her face. “Ex actually.” She said through gritted teeth.

“Still in touch, so civil.” He mumbled taking a sip of his cup. Why did you say it when it was clear that wasn’t the case? Are you jealous?

The offended look on her face was not fake that time. “Not even close.” The card on her delicate fingers was made a ball and went directly to the bin below her desk. “I don’t know why he sent them.” Her reaction had him raising his eyebrows. Was she mad? That was her mad face? She purses her lips when she’s mad? She’s so fucking cute when she’s mad. “Charlie, can you come here and take something away please?” She said through the phone.

The dad alarm on his brain, the one that told him when something was wrong or something was dangerous, went off. “Are you allergic?” He said quickly getting up from his seat and walking towards her, stepping between the flowers and her, looking attentively at her face in case she stopped breathing suddenly and stretching his hands to take her from her forearms, afraid she would fall. 

She frowned at him but with a smile on her lips. “No, I’m not.” Her hands were on his forearms too. “Relax, I’m okay.”

He looked at her just to be sure and then to the flowers right when Charlie entered. “They are pretty.” It was true, they were, but Hayden preferred jasmine.

“I guess.” She shrugged and both of them looked at her confused. “I actually don't like them.” The brunette frowned his brows. “They are too cliché for me.” Hayden laughed and she did it too, still holding onto each other.

The moment that was created around them would become a core memory, the sunlight entering through the window illuminating the space, the synchronised laughing, the warmth of the other’s hands on their skin and, as if they were fifteen all over again, the racing hearts with flushed cheeks.

His laugh died a little earlier than hers and her laugh was melodic to him, even though it wasn’t. How beautiful you are laughing in my arms. 

Nothing broke the moment, it died down on its own. Slowly, almost reluctantly, they let go of each other and kept having breakfast. Ewan came at some point to see her, to discuss something about timing and stayed with them chatting. 

“How’s the Jedi training?” She asked, looking at them.

“Wonderful.” “Really fun.” They said at the same time and she smiled happily. “You should come, you know,” Hayden added and Ewan agreed but her head was tilted to the side, frowning. “To see how everything is going.”

“Oh yeah, I will go around one of these days but you are not going to make me train.” She warned the two of them, pointing a finger. “I do not train, under any circumstances.” The pair laughed and nodded. Hayden was with them, her, until it was time to do the wardrobe fitting so he left them to discuss their important matters. 

Trying the Jedi robes again, the saber in his belt, every little second of that process of putting on and taking the costumes made him extremely emotional. Going back to being Anakin put him on a roller coaster of emotions and now, more like for a while, he had to throw into the mix the feelings he was having for her. To say his heart had been going through a lot lately was an understatement.

The fitting was finished and he was walking through the studios, going back to her office, to see if she wanted to have lunch with him when he bumped into Ewan. “Hey, how did it go?” 

They walked side by side. “Good, lots of memories.”

The Scottish nodded. “Yeah, tell me about it.” They laughed. “The sabers and everything, it’s amazing.” The brunette nodded. “I felt like a kid all over again.”

Hayden felt the exact same way, not only because of all the filming and reminiscing but with his feelings. He was a fifteen-year-old with a massive crush again, her mere presence around him made him smile like a boy and felt light. Thinking about her and there she was, standing a few metres away from them talking with someone. 

Whatever his dear friend was saying didn’t reach his ears because his attention was solemnly on her, like always. She looked uncomfortable, her body language screamed it and he noticed it right away, even if her back was towards him. She wasn’t facing directly at the person in front of her, her arms were crossed and she kept looking around, like searching for something, for someone. Who’s that? He stopped walking to inspect the scene, and Ewan stopped a few steps ahead of him.

“Who’s that?” Hayden interrupted his friend, who looked where he was looking and shrugged. “That one, right there. Who is it?” His eyes were fixed on the guy in front of her, too close to her for his liking, and that kept trying to get her attention.

“Don’t know.” Ewan shook his head “Why?” and raised an eyebrow looking at him.

But the question fell on deaf ears because Hayden kept looking towards her and when her eyes connected with his, his protective side emerged. She seemed relaxed as soon as he found him but a second later she raised her eyebrows, opened her eyes wide and then looked back at the guy in front of her. Walking past his friend, he went directly towards where she was. 

He stood tall, making him seem taller than he already was, chest puffed and chin raised. In a few strikes he was standing behind her, his hand found his rightful place on her back and she relaxed against him as soon as he arrived. “You alright?” His tone was low for her to only hear, his breath ghosting in her neck, but no response came and instead only a few seconds' look from her that clearly indicated that it wasn't the case. “We were looking for you, are you ready to go?” He said a little louder.

The guy in front of them shut up the second Hayden arrived, but he didn’t pay attention to him. His eyes were on her and only her. Please tell me if something is bothering you. “Hey, I’m Tyler.” The guy stretched his hand towards him.

Blue eyes looked at him up and down and kept staring him down. “Hayden.” Oh, how he wished that his voice mimicked Vader’s at that moment because it would, for sure, make the idiot in front of him fear him, but a strong grip would do the work. All that with his left hand was still on her back and her jasmine scent calming him down, her warmth keeping him centred.

She looked up and gave him a tiny smile. “Tyler was leaving and so were we.” We, as in her and me. Not you dude. “Goodbye.” She didn’t wait for an answer and turned around, walking in another direction. Leaving him missing her closeness.

Hayden stood there, for a few seconds, still staring him down with a serious look on his face. The only moment he didn’t look at him was when his eyes landed on the nearest exit and then slowly looked back at the guy. Take the hint and walk away. Not wasting more time he followed her, leaving the guy behind, where he was supposed to be.

When he reached her side, his eyes raked her up and down, searching for some bad thing. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Hayden. I'm fine." The soft use of his name grounded him. Say my name again, say it a thousand times, say it in French. 

He nodded. "Who was he by the way?"

Her mad face became present in an instant. "My ex." She turned around to look at where he used to be.

"The roses guy?" A frown appeared on his face and she nodded. "What did he want? What was he doing here?" The protective mode was on again.

She looked back at him, with a tiny smile and her head tilted to the side. "He came to a casting and wanted to say hi or something like that, I don't know and I don't care." Her tone was firm, "I'm just glad you came and he is gone" but the softness of those words was something else.

You want me to die? You surely want me to have a heart attack. Unnoticed by him, the smile that appeared on his lips was worthy of an obvious fool in love and his hand almost cupped her face.

The cute moment was broken when her phone started ringing, he took a step back and let her answer. How close were they standing to each other? His mind was racing, his heart was racing and, being honest, he needed those few minutes without her near to properly be a functioning human being again and not a fool led by his feelings.

"I got to go, there are a few things I need to take care of at the office. But I came to see how the fitting went." She played with the phone on her fingers.

How sweet. "Great, lots of feelings." That’s an understatement. 

Her hand travelled to his bicep "Tell me over lunch?" and gave it a little squeeze with a smile on her lips.

Caught by surprise, he raised his eyebrows, and before she could back down he nodded. "Of course, yeah." They smiled. "My treat though, cause you already paid for breakfast, Bubble." 

"Deal." She said laughing, he did too.

His eyes followed her while she walked away, a smile on their lips and Ewan approached him with a smirk on his lips. "Well, I didn't know you were the jealous type."

"What?" He gave her one last look before turning to his friend, blue eyes with clear confusion, who had a flat look on his face. “I’m not jealous.” Hayden shook his head frowning. “I’m being absolutely reasonable, she looked uncomfortable so I went there to help." He defended himself with a tone a little higher than his normal one. 

The Scottish, with his hands in his pockets, raised his shoulder and pursed his lips. "Sure, she looked uncomfortable, but admit you were jealous." 

The brunette pursed his lips too. "I wa-”

"And you were a little protective too." He interrupted him.

"Wha-”

"I get it." Ewan shrugged again. "I would be the same way with my wife if something like that happened."

He frowned. “What? Who talked about marriage?” His mind was racing at 100mph.

But his friend laughed. “Look at you all worked up.” Even though Hayden tried to deny it, Ewan kept laughing. “You are so jealous.”

“Am not!” Am I? No, not at all.

“Yes you are, and to that add the worst liar for being an actor too.” His friend slapped him on his shoulder and walked away. Leaving Hayden standing there while he felt like his friend slapped him with facts left and right in the span of seconds.

Jealous? Me? Pff. Never. But wait, maybe I am. No, I can't be. Definitely not jealous. She looked uncomfortable with that guy and I did what I thought best, just that. Nothing more.

May 2021, little intruders on set.

The shooting started a few weeks ago, but Hayden was going to keep training for the fighting scenes, determined to make them perfect.

The day was almost coming to an end and he didn’t see her at any given moment, her too engrossed in filming and him with the training. So, he was making his way to his office, to see her at least for a few minutes.

“Hello, Charlie.” The boy behind the desk smiled at him. “Is she inside?”

“Yes, go.” Charlie had a mischievous smirk on his lips, but he paid no mind to it.

Walking a few metres from the reception to her office, he could hear the happy squeals from inside and her characteristic laugh. After knocking on the door, it died down. “Come in,” Her sweet voice said.

As soon as he set his feet inside, surprise gasps received him. “Anakin.” Being recognized as Anakin never fails to make him happy, after all, it was a character he held dear to his heart.

Sitting in the middle of the office, papers and coloured pencils scattered around the floor, were two kids, a boy and a girl, looking at him in awe. He looked at them with a smile on his face and walked further inside the room.

With them, sitting with her legs tangled was with one of her big happy smiles. “Kids, Hayden.” She caressed the heads of the little kids. Oh, what a sight. “Hayden, Brianna and Daniel.” They were looking at him with big eyes in awe.

They were quickly standing up and he crouched down a little in front of them to look at their eyes, he extended his hand. “Nice to meet you guys.” They shook it quickly. “I heard so much about you two.”

From up close, they looked identical. “Really?” They asked at the same time.

“Yeah, your aunt talks all the time about both of you.” He could see how she smiled at the scene. Brianna blushed at that and Daniel smiled happily. “Are you visiting the set?” The pair nodded. “And? What do you think?”

“Amazing,” Brianna said. “Everything is incredible,” Daniel looked at him as if he was a superhero.

Hayden saw her getting up and extended his hand to help her. When she was on her feet, he pulled her closer to hug her, the scent of jasmine in her hair invaded his nostrils. “Bubble.”

Her soft giggle reached his ears. “Moose.” The nickname made him laugh. “What are you doing here?”

They stood close, the two kids looking at them with eyes opened big. “I didn’t see you today, so I came to say hello.” He wanted so badly to move the loose strand of hair out of her face.

“Did you know that she used to have a poster of you in her room?” Daniel said, looking at him with curious eyes.

“Really?” Hayden raised an eyebrow, teasingly, at her and the little boy nodded.

“I was a kid.” She tried to act as if it was cool but the blush that started creeping to her cheeks gave her away, “Where did you get that?” and looked at the twin surprised.

“Mum told us,” Brianna said, still looking at Hayden.

“Why that doesn't surprise me.” He heard her mumble under her breath, that close they were. “What else did she tell you?”

“That you were a nerd.” The little girl said, raising her shoulders nonchalantly.

Her mouth fell agape. “I was not!” She said offended. 

But the little boy nodded. “She said you were.”

Hayden was finding the whole exchange hilarious. “Your mother was a cheerleader, of course to her I was a nerd but I wasn't.” She crossed her arms, like a little girl when she was mad.

“You kinda are.” Brianna looked at her with a puppy eye look and Hayden laughed, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to not laugh too.

She crouched down to look at them, “I'm the one who can get you free tickets to Disneyland and conventions, so if I were you I would think my next words very carefully.” and narrowed her eyes threateningly, it was clear it was a joke by how much she was pressing her lips to not laugh.

The kids looked at each other for a few seconds “You are our favourite aunt” and said with sweet smiles on their lips, too sweetly.

She pressed her lips to not laugh. “Say that your father's sister and we are cool.”

They shook hands. “We always say that to her.”

Hayden laughed at the conversation. “You two are my favourites.” She kissed their heads.

“Now go with Charlie.” The twins happily obliged. “And don’t cause havoc!” She said, popping her head out of the office. 

After exchanging some words with Charlie she looked back at him for a few seconds and then at the grown.

He waited for a few seconds but the need to tease her beat him. “So....you were a nerd.”

A groan left her lips and he couldn't hold the laugh that escaped him. “No, I wasn't.”

“What were you then?” Tell me about you, I want to know everything.

Nonchalantly, she pursed her lips “Normal” and walked towards the mess of papers and pencils on the floor.

“You were one of those that get along with everyone?” He raised an eyebrow and helped her pick everything up.

But she shook her head “Far from it,” making him frown “but I didn't stand out so it didn't matter.”

Impossible. “I highly doubt you didn't stand out, but okay.” She rolled her eyes. “If you were normal, what makes your sister say you were a nerd? Apart from being a Star Wars fan.”

The brunette picked up the pencils while she picked up the papers. “She was a cheerleader, everything apart from that was a nerd to her.”

“Come on...did you do cosplay?” His blue eyes were full of curiosity.  

“No.” She shook her head.

“Dungeons and dragons?” Again, another shook off the head. “Maths tournament?” 

She looked at him biting the inside of her cheek, a little embarrassed. “Champion for three years by my hand.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Impressive, very impressive.”

The fact that he wasn’t teasing her, or making fun of her, made her visibly relax “I know” and a smug smile appeared on her lips. 

“Theatre?” Different departments of his school years popped into his brain.

“Had to.” The frown on his brows made her explain. “I can't act to save life, but I had to do it so I could gather experience.” He nodded understandingly. “I acted in a play as a tree once though.”

They laughed. “The most beautiful tree for sure.” It escaped his mouth too fast for him to even think what he was saying. But it’s true. The blush on her face made him smile proudly. “The yearbook?”

“No, but I had a friend that was there and I went to help him out sometimes.” He passed her the pencils “Thank you” and she smiled at him. 

“The band?” He got up and helped her stand up too.

The tingles from hugging her minutes ago were still there and touching her hand for a second time, even for a few fleeting seconds, made his knees weak. Teenager behaviour Hayden. 

She shook her head. “I can't even play the triangle.” They laughed.

“I’ll teach you to play the piano, sometime.” He winked and she blushed. She leaned on the table and he stood in front of her, their height difference more prominent. And he loved every second of it. “Any sport?” He asked, looking down at her.

Her lips pursed, while she nodded. “Gimnastic, three years.” Flexible, that’s interesting.

Horny behaviour, Hayden. Shaking his head to get rid of the inappropriate thoughts. He asked again. “You have a thing for number 3?”

But she looked curiously at him, for a few seconds, tilting her head to the side. “It's my lucky number.” She shrugged. 

Hayden paid attention to her outfit. White simple long-sleeve t-shirt, showing off the curves of her torso, green cargo pants, that fitted her well in the waist and her Doc Martens. He loved her style, since day one.

“Back to school topic,” she nodded, “you weren't a nerd.”

“Told you,” she said in a singing tone, making him roll his eyes. “I just went there, passed grades as fast as I could to finish and got the hell out of that place to go to university and do what I like.”

He looked around her office. “Seems like you are doing it.”

A smile appeared on her lips. “The crazy little Star Wars fan that I was would have jumped on the couch the moment someone told her this is what she was going to do when she grew up."

He laughed at the idea of a mini her jumping all over the place. “I would have loved to meet her.” His tone was so soft, almost like the way she was looking at him. “More than anything because of my poster on her bedroom wall.” 

She groaned, hiding her face in her hands, “Oh god” and he laughed, pulling her into his embrace. It was a natural response, the magnetic feeling in between them was too much to deny it. The need to have her in his arms, just like at the beginning of the year, was stronger than his critical thinking.

Unknown to him, the deep sound of his laugh, the way his chest moved against her cheek and the way he was holding her, all made her weak on the knees. The mix of his perfume and cigarette drove her straight to her wildest dreams, that took place on that specific July night but the only difference was that they were under the same roof, in person. Close enough to tear each other's clothes. 

He was coming down from his laugh when he looked down at her, blushing adorning her cheeks, and she looked up at him. Your eyes are beautiful. Your smile is one of my favourite things in this world. A smile plastered on their faces.

“I'm going to kill my sister because those kids are too cute.” She said, still a little embarrassed about the poster incident. 

Delicately, as if she was the most expensive work of art in the whole universe, he tucked that wild strand of hair behind her ear. “Don't change the subject.” You are still holding her, Hayden.

Your embrace makes me dizzy. After a few seconds, where she was lost in his eyes, trying so hard to not lean into his hand, she spoke again. “I already told you. I was a fangirl, what else do you want me to say?”

Everything about you used to do. You used to kiss the poster? I can kiss you now if you ask me. Technically, if I lean down a little, I coul- WHAT?!

“I thought you were a fan of the movies, not me.” 

“Don't feel special Moose,” he raised an eyebrow. “I had a poster of Obi-Wan too.” She laughed at how he rolled his eyes.

“And that's how you kill the mood.” He acted offended and took a step back. Come back. Hold me again. Hold me for a million days. But they laughed. 

“For real now,” she looked sincerely at him “I am a fan of the movies but you were my favourite of them all” and winked an eye.

That simple gesture, brain short-circuited him. “Thank you, Bubble.”

Feeling a little bold, she took a step closer to him, head tilted to the side. “And I used to have a massive crush on you.” Such a liar, you still have a massive school-girl crush for him.

If his brain was short-circuited, now there must be smoke coming from his ears. “Used to?” He choked out. Would you like to have it now? So that way I'm not the only one having a crush. 

“Yeah,” she nodded. Is it me or suddenly we are in the sun? And his lips parted a little, her eyes falling there.

The cute, a little hot, scene was cut short by her phone ringing. “Shit.” She mumbled under her breath. “It’s Charlie, I gotta take it.” 

He cleared his throat and said, “Yeah, yeah” nodding. 

They talked for a few minutes, she even laughed a little and then hung up. “They are in the gift shop and Charlie is afraid they are going to try to buy the whole thing.” Hayden couldn't laugh at that. “I’m going to pick them up and take them home.”

“I’ll walk with you.” He said quickly. “I’m finished with the training for today, so I’m heading out too.”

She nodded “Yeah, okay” and pointed over her shoulder. “I’ll grab our things and we can head there.”

After a few minutes, they were walking out of her office. He held the door open for her, as usual. While they were walking around the set, they talked about their days and how they went.

The brunette found it extremely cute how she moved her hands while she explained something. Too absorbed in her storytelling and too focused on him, he hopped so, she didn't notice the golf cart coming behind them nor the prop guys in a hurry towards them, so swiftly Hayden put his hand on her back and swapped places with her.

She was walking on the wall side and him on the street side. His hand still ghosted on her back, guiding her around. The feeling of wanting to kiss her skin from that night in July still burns in his memory and now it was mixed with the closeness they were having. That definitely would hunt him in his sleep.

June 2021, girls team.

His day had started early, having been woken up by Bri due to her excitement for the day that awaited them. The little girl asked him like a hundredth time if she was finally going to meet the Bubble in person and each and every time he said yes with a smile on his lips. 

 “I can’t wait to see her,” Bri said as she jumped in the passenger seat. 

Hayden chuckled, “I’m sure she feels the same, sweetie.” 

And it was true. He had to carefully pick the day to bring her to the set and Bubble helped him, clearing the entire day to just shoot Anakin scenes. Briar was young, she still hadn't seen the dark parts of the Star Wars prequels, she knew her daddy was Darth Vader but had not seen it with her own eyes.  

His heart beat with anticipation at the day they were about to have. Briar had been the centre of his universe since her birth, and bringing her to his workplace, to the one where he had to be his favourite character, the one he held most dear to his heart, felt like merging his two worlds. 

As he was preparing for the upcoming scenes, sitting in the makeup trailer, with Briar spinning on the chair next to his, the familiar scent reached his nose first and then he saw her. 

“Oh my!” She gasped. “Why did nobody inform me we have a princess on the set with us today?” Quickly her eyes met Hayden’s and gave him a fleeting wink before looking directly at the little girl.

There she was and a smile appeared on Hayden’s lip, just like in Briar’s. 

“Bubble!” The girl smiled at her, Briar said with a glint in her eyes. As if she knew her from her whole, short, life, the girl jumped from the chair and hugged Bubble’s legs.

Her melodic laugh reached his ears as she caressed the little girl’s hair. “Hello Princess, it’s lovely to properly meet you.”

While the two of them talked, Hayden eyed her without the worry of being caught. She was wearing blue cargo pants, her characteristic Doc Martens, a black tank top, two braids keeping her hair tamed and a black cap to complete the outfit. 

“Are you excited for today?” Bubble crouched down to Briar’s eye level and the girl nodded eagerly. “I have a very important task for you,” the girl’s eyes widened. “If you are up to it, that’s it.”

“Of course,” the little girl put her small hands on her shoulders, making the grown-ups laugh a little.

Oh, how sweet was the sight of that smile? “Splendid,” Bubble said. “Would you be my assistant director today?" she asked, her eyes twinkling. 

Briar nodded enthusiastically and then looked at her father. “Did you hear Daddy?”

“Yes, sweetie,” Hayden nodded, smiling, something he seemed to not stop doing since the jasmine-scented woman walked through the trailer doors.

“Can I Daddy, can I?” She pleaded, even though she already agreed. “Please, pretty please.” She ran to him and clutched his legs. 

Caressing softly her hair, which matched his in tone, “Of course, sweetie.”

Bubble’s heart melted in that instant; she had seen Briar grow through her cell phone screen during their daily Facetime, and seeing her in person, with Hayden treating her so gently, with so much love in his eyes, felt like witnessing the most tender and authentic moments of life, the kind that were too precious and real to be scripted. How I wish I had my camera here.

Without waiting for a second, Briar ran back to her and grabbed her hand. “Okay, I’m ready.” She nodded confidently and looked up at her smiling.

“Perfect,” Bubble touched her nose. “Mr Christensen here, has a little more time in the make-up chair?”

He scrunched his nose at how she called him. It sounded strange coming from her lips, he had been Moose for so long, Starboy prior to that, and Hayden in more personal moments, and he didn’t like to be called anything else than that. Okay, maybe one or two other ways far more personal, but never Mr Christensen. 

“I think so, yes.” Briar nodded. 

It was true, Hayden sat not long before she arrived and the process stopped entirely when she walked through the door, and he still had to pass through the wardrobe.

“You are correct, Miss Christensen,” he played along. 

Bubble smiled widely at the situation. “Very well, we should be going to see if everything is prepared on set and we’ll see you when it’s time to shoot, Mr Chistensen.” 

He saw how hard she was trying to keep a serious face, how hard she was pressing her lips to not laugh and how with a simple raise of brow from his part almost made her burst in laughter. 

“Very well,” he repeated. “I’ll see you when it’s time to shoot, Directors,” and reassured. 

He saw them walk away hand in hand pleased and if it meant seeing the big smile on Briar and Bubble's faces, Hayden would play along for the rest of the day.

After another two hours, Hayden was finally making his way to the set and met Ewan there. “Where’s Bri?” The Scottish looked around.

He told her how his own daughter left him the second Bubble appeared, but rather than being sad, he found the whole thing funny and cute. Loving how despite Briar’s shy ways, much like him, she seemed to shine in the presence of the jasmine-scent-cheerful woman.  

“Ah!” Ewan laughed. “Another Christensen falling for our Director’s sweetness I see.” 

Before he could question what he meant by that, his eyes fell on the tall and small figures not too far from him, matching headsets around their necks, and as he walked closer he realised that the cap Bubble had when he saw her was no longer in her head but in Briar’s instead. Hayden watched them with a softness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before, but he was sure it was there to stay for the whole day. 

The pair pointed at them and Ewan clapped his back, bringing him back from the daydreaming, “Let’s go, they are calling us.”

“Here they are!” Bubble said with a smile on her lips. “Ewan, I want to present to you my number one assistant director, Briar Rose Christensen.” 

His friend crouched down a little and shook his daughter’s hand. “Very pleased to meet you, Miss Christensen.”

“Hello,” his little girl sounded so confident and from up close he saw that she was carrying a badge with her name and the “Assistant Director N°1” on it. 

His blue eyes found her’s and without uttering a word he conveyed what he was feeling at that moment with a soft smile and she seemed to understand because she smiled just the same and winked an eye again. Unknowingly to him, her hands itched to touch his arm just to make her point clear but chose to restrain from it and just bury them in her pockets.

Oh, how lovely it was to see them interact. How soft and attentive she’s with her, how Bri clings to her side, to her hand and every word that leaves her sweet lips. He witnessed how those two spoke during their daily Facetime, but seeing that in person, how easily they liked and shared things, was something far more beautiful. 

They were about to start shooting their scene in the Jedi temple so everyone went to their positions, Hayden stayed back to kiss Bri goodbye for the moment. “Be the best Jedi knight out there, Daddy!” She called sweetly, warming his heart.

“Of course, sweetie.” He kissed her forehead and caressed her hair. 

He locked eyes with Bubble and she gestured with her head to the side, making him follow her. “Yeah?”

“First,” she looked him up and down. “It’s really good to see you in Jedi robes,” her fingers traced delicately the black leather material from his sort of Jedi vest. 

“Thank you,” he took a small step closer to her, wanting to feel her warm embrace as much as he could. “It feels good to wear them.”

She smiled at him and his knees trembled a little. Surely, it’s jitters from the scene, not for her sweet sweet smile. 

“Second,” her voice brought him back. “Are you okay with me asking Briar to be my assistant and the headset thing?” He noticed the nervous ticks on her, and how she played with her nails. “I know it’s late for asking but I got carried away and I want to make the day memorable for her, and and-”

“Bubble,” delicately, he placed his big hands on her small shoulders, his touch calming her down instantly. “It’s more than okay.” He reassured her with a smile, “You are making her day, truly, she hasn’t stopped smiling for a second.” 

“She has your smile,” she blurted. Incredible, girl. Tell him how you have his beautiful smile tattooed on your brain. Hayden chuckled and she smiled. Oh, that sweet sound. 

He said something but he couldn’t register it, his heart racing too loud inside his chest due to her comment. And after a few seconds of trying to calm it down, he could finally be back to normal. “Relax, everything is fine, Bubble, you didn’t overstep at any moment.”

She exhaled relieved, but his thumbs kept caressing her shoulders softly, leaving a tingling sensation as they traced her skin. “I planned to let her call cut if that's okay with you?” 

He smiled, nodding, “She would love it.”

Just like she asked him, Bubble offered the task to Briar as she knelt in front of her, always looking at her eye to eye. “Want to call cut when they finish filming the scene?” 

Hayden had the front row to see how his little girl’s eyes shined at the proposition and eagerly she nodded, jumping at the chance. “Of course, yes!”

They all smiled and went to their positions, Ewan and Hayden to their marks while Bubble and Bri were behind the monitors. 

From where he was standing, he caught the second she helped the little girl sit in her chair, the director’s chair, how she sat straight, proud to be there, and Bubble, standing next to her, guiding her gently, their heads close together as they discussed the scene while pointing at the screen.

It took him more than usual to get into character, being unable to stop smiling at the pair of girls, his heart beating out of his chest every time his clear eyes fell on them.

Concentrate, Hayden, for fuck’s sake. You are a professional, act like it. She’s your director, nothing more….maybe a dear friend, a very dear one. With a sweet smile and a jasmine scent that you could recognise anywhere, but surely nothing more.

"When I say 'action,' you watch your dad, and when he does that cool move we talked about, you get to yell 'cut!'," Bubble instructed. Briar's role was serious business, and she performed it to perfection, her small voice shouting "Cut!" at the perfect moment confidently, causing the crew to applaud, her father more proudly than anyone there.

In the brief moments between takes, where the crew milled around adjusting equipment and discussing the next scenes, Hayden and Briar found themselves enjoying a moment together, by the monitors, catching up.

Briar was eating her favourite snack, strawberry yoghurt with chocolate cookies, that were suddenly available on set, a thoughtful gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Hayden, as she swung her legs back and forth, her small feet not reaching the ground. Her eyes, wide and observant, had been taking in every detail of the vibrant set, but it was the moments spent with Bubble that seemed to captivate her the most. 

"Dad, she's more beautiful in person!" Briar exclaimed with that child-unfiltered honesty, her voice a whisper of awe and fondness for the woman.

Hayden glanced over to where Bubble was standing with a couple of the crew, discussing the next shot. The afternoon light filtered through the high windows, casting a halo around her, softening her features and highlighting her gentle expressions.

His eagerness from the year prior to wanting to see her shine in her element was nothing compared to the satisfaction of being actually there, being witness to her greatness, personally and professionally.

"Yes, she is..." Hayden replied softly, his voice trailing off as he watched Bubble laugh at something one of the crew members said.

How privileged would be the person who gets to hear that sound over and over? COME ON HAYDEN! Where is there professionalism? Long gone now, that's for sure.

Briar giggled, snapping Hayden back from his monologue. "She even showed me how to check the camera angles, and gave me heatseat!" Briar's excitement was palpable, each word punctuated with an enthusiastic bounce. “Did you hear me call cut?”

“I'm glad you're having a good time, sweetie," Hayden responded, his smile tinged with affection. Oh how happy she makes Briar, she’s too sweet for this world.

"She said I was a natural, like you!" Briar continued, unaware of the complex emotions stirring in her father.

Hayden laughed, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind Briar's ear. "Maybe one day you'll be directing films too, huh?"

"Maybe," Briar mused, "but only if I can do it with Bubble. We'd be the best team!"

"Indeed, you would," Hayden agreed, his gaze drifting once again to Bubble. As if sensing his gaze, Bubble looked over, her eyes meeting his across the distance. And, as it had been since day one, a silent communication passed between them, a shared smile that spoke volumes.

The day was finally coming to an end and Hayden was arriving at Bubble's office to pick Bri up and call it a day, he knocked softly before pushing it open. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from a small lamp on the desk. There, in a scene that melted his heart instantly, was Briar, asleep with her head resting gently in Bubble's lap. Bubble, with one hand resting on a script and the other lightly stroking Briar's hair, looked up and met Hayden’s eyes with a soft smile. Calm down, you stupid heart.

Bubble carefully shifted, easing Briar's head onto a cushion she placed on the chair, and stood to meet Hayden halfway across the room. They moved in a quiet, shared understanding, their steps soft to not wake up the little girl, who was clearly too exhausted from the day’s adventures.

“She crashed just after you left. It's been quite a day.” Bubble whispered, her smile reaching her eyes. 

“Yeah, it has,” Hayden replied, his voice low and warm. “Thank you, for everything today. For making today special, not just for Briar, but for me too.” A soft smile appeared on her lips, paired with red on her cheeks. “It was amazing.” You are amazing. His words lingered in the air, laden with unspoken feelings, hinting at the layers of meaning behind them. “She hasn’t stopped talking about today. You’ve made quite the impression.” He added.

"It's easy to make days special with you two," she replied softly. “I loved every minute of it and I’m glad she did too. She’s wonderful, Hayden.” You're both wonderful. “Just like you.” 

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The air between them was charged with an unspoken understanding, the kind that comes from shared looks and smiles that linger a little too long.

But before anyone took a leap of faith and said what they were feeling, the silence was broken when Bri turned around, mumbling something in her sleep. Hayden nodded towards her, “I should probably get her home. She’ll be wondering where she is when she wakes up.”

She nodded and stepped out of their way, but watched with a smile on her lips how he gently scooped Briar into his arms, careful not to disturb her slumber. 

As Hayden held Briar close, Bubble stepped forward, her presence comforting and familiar, the jasmine scent involving him, and leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on Briar’s crown, a tender gesture that made his heart race again. 

His blue eyes got lost in hers, they were so calm, so peaceful, that it was just what he was looking for amidst the chaos of his mind, of his heart, he wanted to dive in them and never be found.

Then, standing so close to Hayden that he could feel the warmth of her breath, she raised herself slightly on her tiptoes and placed a sweet, chaste kiss on his cheek. “Goodbye, Hayden,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes holding his for a lingering moment.

Kiss me until I know every millimetre of your lips, but let me keep kissing them in case I forget a detail. The simple kiss sent a ripple of warmth through Hayden’s body, the kind of warmth that spreads slowly but reaches deep. The proximity, her scent, and the feel of her lips on his skin, all conspired to heighten the tension between them.

“Goodnight, Bubble,” Hayden managed to say, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside. With Briar in his arms, he turned towards the door, carrying more than just his daughter, the idea that he was losing the battle between rationality and emotion.

Bubble watched them leave, her hand touching her lips briefly, the memory of the kiss lingering like a promise, like hope. The office felt suddenly too quiet, too empty, but filled with a hopeful anticipation of what tomorrow might bring.

July 2021, fulfilling dreams.

One of the last fighting scenes was coming up and Hayden wanted it to be perfect, so he trained all the time for them, so much that he lost track of it. Long ago he stopped feeling the ache in his limbs, or any sensation at all, and the world outside the four walls of the immense training room he was in disappeared.

Unknown to him, he was not alone. She was leaning on a wall looking at him, lost in the way he moved swiftly around the room, how his muscles flexed. She was fascinated by him, but not only by what he made her feel, in terms of her silly little -not little at all- crush, but by how dedicated he was to his part, by his work philosophy. 

The horny part of her was thinking how someone wearing a brown henley and black loose pants could look so fucking sexy, but he could pull it. At some point he tilted his head back, the light hitting on his hair, making his skin glow and her eyes travelled across the curve of his jaw, to his neck to the point where it met with his clavicles, which was showing thanks to the two undone buttons, and she pressed her legs together, gulping.

At the worst time possible, in the silence of the room, she sneezed and he turned around confused as hell. “What the-?” But relaxed when he saw it was only her. “Bless you, Bubble.” 

“Thank you,” she had a tight smile on her lips. “Sorry to interrupt you.”

“Not at all,” he cleaned the sweat from his forehead with his shoulder sleeve. “Break from filming?”

She tilted her head to the side, looking at him frowning, “The filming ended hours ago.” At those words, he frowned too. “It’s dark outside, since when are you here?”

He looked surprised. “I don’t know,” She shook her head, walking towards him with a water bottle in her hands, “late afternoon I think.”

“Here,” she passed him the bottle and he smiled at her, putting the lightsaber on her hands. “Well, all those hours worked extremely fine.”

He gulped the water like a dehydrated man. The main thing that was killing her, that was making her so fucking hard to focus, was how his Adam's apple kept bobbling up and down when he swallowed his drink. “You think?” Truth be told, he was insecure about a few things, his performance being one of them.

“Yes” and nodded sure. “From what I see, and from what the stunts and trainers tell me, it’s perfect.” She smiled kindly at him, “You are more than ready.”

“You sure?” What she had to say about his performance, about him, meant a great deal to him. 

Taking a few steps closer to him, she maintained eye contact. “You are going to kill it, Hayden. I say this as the director, I can already picture how perfect the scene is going to be.” Those words meant a lot to him, but on top of that, how soft she reassured him was what put a smile on his lips. “And as a fan, I already have chills just imagining how it’s going to look.” 

He chuckled at that, “Well, I trust you so I’m going to believe you.” She nodded satisfied and he drank again. 

With how close they were, he saw the exhausted look on her face. The mark of her glasses on the bridge of her nose made him want to pass his fingers there, to relax the frown adorning her features. His eyes diverted to her outfit, always loving how she dressed. Tall black sneakers, paired with also black loose leggings and a fitted blue t-shirt, her hair held by a clip in an extremely messy way. Blue eyes traced back to her face, but she was looking at the saber in her hands, a tiny smile on her lips. “What?”

“I’m trying to not let my little me have a mental breakdown,” she said her eyes still not looking at him

The brunette’s lips curved up in a smile. “Why?” 

She shook her head, hiding her eyes from him. “It’s lame.”

“No, it’s not.” He said quickly. “Talk to me, Bubble.”

Slowly, her eyes met with his and he could notice right away the sparkle in them, but when she looked at him from beneath her eyelashes, he was almost knocked out of his feet at how much it affected that simple gesture. His eyes fell at her lips the seconds she wet the lower one and made it prisoner of her teeth, his heart started beating uncontrollably. Too fast, too hard, that he was sure she was able to hear it.

“I’ve always wanted a lightsaber, but I never had one, and you're giving me yours, even if it's just to hold it, it’s-” she laughed, shaking her head “It’s…um… I don’t-” she giggled nervously “I don’t know how to explain it.”

You are so cute it had to be criminal. Hayden was seconds away from dropping to his knees from how cute she was, from how giggly and happy she looked.

An idea popped into his brain, putting the bottle of water away, he smiled brightly at her. “I know you say you don’t train, but I’m going to teach you something.” She looked at him frowning. “Anakin’s signature move.”

Her eyes shone like a little kid, “I'll make an exception," he raised his eyebrows. "Only for you." A big smile appeared on her lips and all her tiredness flew away.

Her jasmine scent surrounded him, welcoming him when he stood behind her. His chest touching her back, the great difference of one head gave him the opportunity to look down on her. It would be easier to show it to her and that each of them had a lightsaber? Probably. What was the fun of that?

Oh God. She took a deep breath, his closeness clouding her thoughts. A mere inch in between their skins. “First,” he said in a low hushed voice, “don’t arch your back” he heard her holding her breath, “legs a little open.” Shivers ran through her back as he whispered in her ear. “Now,” slowly, his hand travelled to her left one, “a basic spin.” She nodded, pressing her lips to not let a giggle escape her mouth because his breath tingled her.

His fingers intertwined with hers on top of the base of the saber, “relax.” His fingers travelled lower, to her wrist, “Don’t be stiff.” Gently, he massaged it a little, loosening it. Gently, he started twirling his own hand, it took them a couple of minutes to find the right rhythm. Because, one, she was left-handed and it came naturally to him with his right hand, but with his left one was another thing, and two, it was really hard to concentrate for either of them being that close to the other.

Yeah, the ache he was feeling before? Disappeared, completely. It was nonexistent the second they invaded the other’s personal space.

To the endless list of things he noticed about her add, confirming his theory, that her skin was soft. And yes, her touch shocked him to his very core. A simple hand touch, simple fingers intertwined, made him weak in the knees. 

Her lips were a little agape, fully concentrated on the task at hand. After a couple of spins, where he gathered she already mastered it, she was ready for the second step. “Second, you are going to tuck it behind your back pointing your knuckles to the ground.”

“Huh?” She moved her head to the side, looking at him with a frown on her brows.

Their lips centimetres from each other, making it extremely hard to concentrate. For both of them. Lord have mercy on me. 

It was like they were in sync, they looked at the other's lips at the same time, not realising what the other was doing. The sudden need to trace the curve of her lips almost overcame him, almost becoming too much for him to breathe properly, to the point his grip on the saber loosened a little but her firm one brought him back to the real world.

“Basic spin,” she led that part, “Point your knuckles to the ground,” his hand guided hers, “and tuck it behind the back.” Delicately, to not injure her, he moved their arms behind their backs. “Got it?” She nodded, liking her lips and that time, he was the one who took a deep breath, earning a little smile from her.

“Now what else?” Master. She asked looking ahead trying to hide her blush, but failing miserably because he could see it. 

His hand found his place on her waist, he felt her take a shaky breath, “Turn slightly to the side,” and moved her. The movement made her shirt lift a little, his cold fingers touching her warm velvet skin and a little laugh escaped her lips. “What?”

She pressed her lips together to not laugh, “I’m ticklish,” but failed miserably. Her head fell on his shoulder, her throat completely exposed and Hayden’s eyes fell there, instinctively licking his lips. Oh, that laugh. 

Even though she wanted to control her laugh, she couldn't and after a few minutes, when he came out of his entrance with her, he laughed too. His chest rumbled against her back. His masculine laugh made her weak on the knees. 

The closeness they were having disappeared, but not because someone took a step away, but because they were glued together, not an inch of space separated them. Who took that step? God knows, but her back was glued to his front, his grip on her hip was gentle but a little possessive. 

Finally, their laughter died down. How can I have so much luck and at the same time none? “Show me again, please?” Her tone quivered a little and the most masculine, soft, giggled left her lips. To my very core, thank you.

What he found on her face instead of a frown, was a smile. Not only that, but her eyes were looking at his mouth too. “Knuckles to the ground, tuck behind the back while moving your hip.”

She nodded and did the move. Still guided by him, with his hand on her hip. Hayden’s breath caught in his throat the second the movement of her hips made her ass graze his crotch, he tried to put his mind black, to think about anything else other than the sweet torture he was enduring, other than the tightness he started feeling in his pants. Every touch, every movement, It's overwhelming.

He couldn't ignore the intense physical sensations that surged through his body. The closeness of her body against his sent a jolt of electricity straight to his core. He felt his breath hitch and his heart rate quicken, unable to deny the undeniable attraction he felt towards her. Hayden desperately tried to push these thoughts aside, to suppress the growing desire that threatened to consume him. Looking up, he invoked all his willpower not to succumb to his desires to make his very vivid sexual dreams come true at that precise moment. But deep down, he knew that his sexual dreams were just that— dreams. He couldn't let them cloud his judgement or jeopardise the trust they had built. Control your impulses, Hayden. Stay in control for the love of God.

Feeling his grip losing a bit, her hand grabbed the forearm of the hand that was on her waist. It seemed involuntary, like she was grounding herself and it made his heart start racing. She was intoxicating for him, her mere presence made all around him disappear.

After who knows how long, because he was trying to make his hard-on disappear, her voice reached his ears. “You okay?” She was looking up at him over her shoulder.

Busted. He nodded, clearing his throat. “Yeah, I was about to sneeze and I didn’t want to.” She nodded, not too convinced. 

“What now?” The way she was standing, with where their hands were, he was hugging her from behind. His long arms engulfed her small figure. 

The mix of his perfume, mint and cigarette impregnated in her skin, clouding her. All around her was Hayden and that was drowning her but calming her at the same time.

“Back to the starting position.” At that point, he was still behind her, hand in hand, because it was too difficult for him to part ways. He was too selfish to do it. “And do it all over again.”

Confidently, she made the whole move successfully. “Oh God.” She looked at him with her eyes widened. “Oh my God!” One more time, she did it. “I did it!” She turned around towards him, face to face, with a big proud smile on her face.

“You did it, Bubble.” He smiled proudly too. 

Without thinking twice she jumped into his arms, saber forgotten, along with any clear thought. His arms hugged her by the waist and spun around. Their laughter filled the air, her head tilted to the back and the most beautiful smile on her lips while his eyes admired every second of it.

When her feet touched the ground, his arms were still around her waist making him crouch down a little, her hands on her shoulder. They were breathing the same air, their noses were mere centimetres from touching. She was swimming in his blue eyes, he was living in her lips. Gently, his head tilted to the side, still looking at her lips, and her hands travelled to his neck, her thumbs ghosting his Adam’s apple. 

Timidly, they started shorting the distance. Her hands tangled in his hair, and his fingers went under the hem of her t-shirt, touching her skin and making a shiver run down her spine. His eyes caught the moment the tip of her tongue wet her lips and his knees almost gave in. 

With how close they were, their eyes met. How beautiful her eyes shine. Not even the calmest, most clear ocean, could compare to those eyes. Slowly, he nuzzled her nose with the tip of his and she closed her eyes pleased, her lashes caressing her cheeks. Her nails ran down his scalp and it was his turn to smile pleased, his head falling back and the feeling of a single wet kiss under his jaw blurred his brain. 

He called her name like a prayer, in a whisper, as if it was his only angel and he didn’t want anyone to hear him, to steal her from him. She pressed herself tighter against him. Even with layers of clothes in between them, he could feel her nipples against his chest. The breathless way she said his name, the way she purred it, made him die and go to hell and heaven back twice.

Only the finest of papers could be between their lips, that close they were. Hayden felt the curve of her lips on his, slightly, and that was what brought him back to the real world. What the hell were you thinking? Are you that out of your mind? Painfully, dying inside, he pulled himself apart from her. Putting as much distance as he could because he knew that succumbing to his desires at that moment would be inappropriate and could potentially ruin the sweet relationship that they had built.

Confusion adorned her sweet face. “I’m sorry, Bubble.” She tried to take a step closer to him but he took one back. “I-I ca-I can’t.” His eyes watched how pain took over her features and it was like a knife twisted in his heart. For a few seconds, she looked down. “Bubble-”

Looking at him, with watery eyes, “I get it” She took a step back.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. “It’s not like that, I-”

“I’ve got to go.” The way he saw his demeanour change, like that day in October back in 2019, when she built walls inside her, killed him. He never wanted her to build those walls for him to not be able to see her true self, hell he never wanted her to feel any kind of pain and certainly not because of him.

“Goodbye.” No Hayden, no Moose. Simply Goodbye. Well done, idiot. Well, fucking done.

He wanted to scream that it wasn’t her the problem, that his insecure self was the problem. That he wanted her, but his feelings were a mess, that he was a mess. That his last real relationship went so bad that he was afraid of fucking things up with her and losing her.

TAGLIST: @frommywindow17 // @lillianacristina // @shyartisanvoidwagon // @watersquirtpewpewboomm // @yomommaandyogranny // @shqwqrma // @florence-vikander // @bryjohn98 // @its-sappho-biotch // @mysardencut // @fan-goddess // @weallhaveadestiny // @hueanhdang // @ittybitty-rt // @fromasgardandback // @mmb-09 // @elisamoons // @harryisacuties // @little-diable // @angie2274 // @fallinlovewithevil // @mrsmikaelsxn // @naginithemage // @maleahcastro3 // @gwendolyngonzalez // @drawingdroid // @darkestnite // @ooostarwarsfandom501st // @lonelywitchv2 // @chixnugg22 // @moni-cah // @4-everm-0-re // @hesvoid34 // @princessvader15 // @nevess // @ilovenarrystoran4ever // @mecrazybish // @blueeyedbesson // @syko-juice // @thetinylittlebird // @b4b3tte // @chixnugg22 // @lily-strnlo // @leahdrads // @niclove // @bloatedandalone04 //

[signfromeywa]

AUNGIA TA EYWA (A SIGNS FROM EYWA)

Chapter 01: A difficult start️

Description:

Anastasia Novak is a behavioural scientist tasked with socializing a captive Na'vi on behalf of the RDA. The longer she works with the Na'vi and the closer she gets to him, the more she has to rethink everything she thought she knew and redefine her morals and values. Can she just carry on like this, or will she follow her heart?

Content: Rating +18, Avatar fanfiction, human x Na'vi ship, Na'vi captured

Characters: Human OCs: Anastasia Novak, Steven Turner, Patra// Na'vi OCs: Ean'tu,

Word Count: 4379

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❗️English is not my native language! I apologize very much if it reads a bit bumpy here and there.

I'm a German author and this is the first time I've tried to translate a story I'm working on into English and upload it. I still hope you enjoy it.❗

An automatic heavy iron door opened with a hydraulic sound. As it opened, it disappeared into the wall on both sides, revealing a young woman. 

" Mam, please raise your arms." Two guards approached her, both armed and in uniform. One of them stepped up to her. 

She raised her arms uncertainly. She didn't want to cause any trouble or complications. It was her first day at work and she wanted to make a good impression. 

The man picked up a hand-sized scanner and ran it along her body at a distance to scan her for metal parts and weapons. Since everything was inconspicuous, he nodded to his colleague. 

"All right, please go straight out to the airlock at the back. They're already expecting you." He pointed to a much smaller metal door in the distance next to a window. Behind it stood a man who seemed to be busy with something. 

"Thank you very much." The young woman made her way out and the guards resumed their positions. Her heart was pounding in her chest. On the one hand, this was her big chance, but on the other, she was terrified of doing something wrong. It would ruin her once and for all. 

When she reached the airlock door, the man behind the window looked up and noticed her. Then he disappeared from her field of vision and shortly afterwards a beep sounded, whereupon a light came on and the door opened. Behind it stood a man: very inconspicuous, white coat, files in his hand and dark circles under his eyes.

"Miss Novak I presume?" He examined her with his tired eyes. The man seemed overworked or had simply not slept well for many nights, or even too little. 

"Yeah, right." She walked through the door and held out her hand to greet him. He didn't seem to notice, as he turned away and went back to looking at his papers.

"Follow me Miss Novak." He simply walked off and, somewhat irritated, she stumbled after him. "I'm honestly surprised. You're a petite woman and yet you signed up for this job."

She blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?" 

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "But you do know what you signed up for, don't you?" 

"Yes, of course I do. The job description was clear." 

"Hmm..." He started walking again. "We'll see how you do. After all, we work with the highest security measures and technology. So we can assume that nothing will happen to you. But you should still be careful."

What kind of strange conversation was that? Was the guy trying to scare her? Or was he seriously worried? In any case, canceling was no longer an option. She hadn't flown here for three years only to go home again. No way. She was just right for the job. So far, every animal had been trained and tamed by her, and it would be no different here. She shouldn't let these statements unsettle her in the first place. She was the best in her field and that was exactly why she had got the job. 

They stopped together in front of another door with a keypad next to it. He entered the required code and the door opened to let them both in.

"This is the team's workplace, so it's yours too. Apart from the enclosure, of course." He pointed into the room. It had no windows, was made entirely out of metal and was artificially lit with white light. Two desks stood in one corner, close to a large filing cabinet with countless files. A few of them were spread out on the desks as if someone was still writing on them and a few more were stacked in boxes next to them. "You'll have a lot of paperwork," commented the man who still hadn't introduced himself. 

"Over here is the plant's equipment. Everything important is controlled from here, but you don't have to worry about that." He pointed to another corner with a huge control panel. With lots of switches and buttons, none of which the young woman understood.

"Keep moving, over here." They went through another door at the end. This led into a smaller room with a window through which you could see into another area. The employee led her to the window and looked through it with her. 

"You have a wonderful view of the enclosure from here." His gaze wandered vigilantly from right to left, as if he was looking for something. "You can't see it just now. It often hides in the treetops." He was probably talking about the animal she was supposed to look after. She had already seen a picture of the creature in the job advertisement, which had not come to her by coincidence, but through a special contact. Her eyes wandered along the tree. 

"Oh, don't bother. You can't see through the dense leaves from here." He turned around. "Here we have the monitors from the cameras we've installed all over the enclosure, so we can usually keep an eye on it... but it doesn't seem to be visible through them right now. So it really will be in the tree."

A man came in through the door. He was also wearing a white coat and sat bluntly on the chair in front of the monitors with his cup, without saying anything.

"This is Mr. Gonzales, he takes care of the surveillance in shifts. Then we have three mechanics for the enclosure and two people who look after the switchgear over there. So you don't need to worry about that. Just let us know if you want to know anything." 

The young woman nodded and looked at her counterpart with her brown eyes. 

"Oh yes, I'm Mr. Turner. I'd like to welcome you. Let's hope you can hold out here. That beast in there is giving us a hard time. It would be good if you could get it under control."

"Doctor Anastasia Novak, a pleasure. I'll be fine. I've managed to tame all the beasts so far. Don't worry about it." For the first time, Ana smiled. Her colleague seemed a little plump, but he probably didn't mean it unkindly.

"The facility is attached to the main building. The boss likes to come by and take a look at Sky," Mr. Turner said.

"I understand that. But he doesn't go into the enclosure?" 

"He was there once, with a guard. Sky bit the guard's ear off. Since then, he's been wearing an electronic collar and the boss doesn't go in anymore." He looked at Ana. "That's what you're here now for. You're supposed to work with Sky and socialize it to humans." 

"Sky seems really aggressive. It's a male, isn't it?" 

"Yes, but to us it's just an alien. I don't care if it's female or male. I've seen that thing attack our people. If you ask me, it's highly dangerous and just aggressive. I don't think you can get it to get used to humans," he said.

Ana crossed her arms "Any animal can be trained. But I can understand why you're skeptical. Are there any other safety measures apart from the collar?" 

"Someone is always in the control room. From here, a sleeping drug can be released via its collar if it can no longer be held. You have to go through two locks if you want to enter the enclosure. We also have automatic shooting systems that can detect and shoot the target at any time, whether it's sleeping arrows or live ammunition." 

Ana was amazed, but she knew it was necessary. A three-metre animal could certainly do bad things to a person and if she was really going to go in there to work with the animal, her safety had to be guaranteed. Mr. Turner had certainly been able to convince her of that.

She turned back to the window and looked into the enclosure. "Are there any medical records?" 

"Yes, I'll show you the files in a moment. There's not that much in them, though." He stood by her and looked now too. 

"I'll at least be able to file my psychological report there. That would be a start. I'd also like to go straight into the enclosure, is that possible?" Ana looked at Mr. Turner expectantly.

"Yes, that will work. I'll get your equipment ready straight away and inform the shift on duty. Then we'll watch your back from up here," Mr. Turner confirmed. 

"All right, let's get going! I need something to write on, would that be possible?" 

"Come with me." He went ahead into the other room to the desks to get a clipboard and paper. "Will that be enough?"

Ana took the pen from the table and clipped it to the board as well. "Yes, here we go."

Gradually, she could feel her heart beating faster. It wasn't the first alien she'd had to tame. But she could remember exactly what the job advertisement had said. Big, strong, fast. It was said to be somewhat predatory and very aggressive. Ana didn't think she had ever looked after such a violent animal. But she also saw it as a chance to prove once again that she was the best at her job. It was a challenge she wanted to take on and she wasn't just doing it for that reason. She loved all life, other species and animals. All life has its place, you just had to learn to understand it. You could live in harmony with everything, she was sure of that. The dog was the best example. Or the cat. If you found out more about the species and their way of communicating, then you could respond to them and come to an understanding. It would be no different here. She was sure of that. There was always a way.

Her colleague had guided Ana to the airlock door that led into the enclosure. "Here, put on the mask. The enclosure has the atmosphere of the moon, which is necessary for the animal. So you will have to wear the mask at all times when you enter." 

Ana took the mask and put it on. By now, she didn't need any help, as she had already been shown how to wear them a few times on the way here. It was also very easy. A short hiss confirmed that the mask was on properly.

"Good, I'll open the airlock door now. Go inside and wait until the pressure has equalized and the enclosure door opens. I'll have a view of you in the control room upstairs." He opened the door, which only opened with the ID card he had on his coat.

As the scanner light turned green, the airlock door opened, revealing a small room that resembled a larger elevator. Ana entered cautiously and startled when the heavy airlock door closed behind her. There was a small beep and then it started to hiss. The airlock had started to equalize pressure. When the hissing stopped, it beeped again. A light turned green. Ana's heart was now beating up to her neck. She knew she was safe, but she was still excited. After all, she was now entering a predator's enclosure unarmed. It had already proved often enough what it was capable of. 

The sluice door to the enclosure opened to reveal an artificially created natural enclosure. The ground was earthy and covered with grass here and there, bushes had been planted and at the end was an incredibly tall tree. Only now, from down here, could she see how high the treetop was. So high that the ceiling had to be extended and there was now a dome above the tree. But it wasn't made of glass. It was lighting in the form of huge spotlights on the ceiling that imitated the natural light from outside.

"Are the plants real?" she asked Mr. Turner over the radio.

"Yes, they're all real. We have extra staff in here for the flora. They're all real plants from the moon. To recreate the animal's natural habitat," he confirmed.

"So much effort," she marveled. 

"It had to be done. The first enclosure wasn't natural enough and the animal became very weak and ill. Then the boss had this enclosure built straight away." 

"He must really like Sky." Ana slowly stepped into the enclosure and looked around. "Have you spotted Sky on the cameras yet?" 

"No, nothing yet. But stay alert, the beast is damn good at sneaking up on you," warned Mr. Turner.

"Yes, thanks, I'll keep looking around." Ana walked on. The enclosure was surprisingly well maintained and had beautiful flora. It was hard to believe what the boss had taken on himself to make his pet feel at home. Keeping an alien as a pet wasn't easy. Only the rich could afford it. Ana was happy with a simple cat to snuggle up with in the evening. She walked slowly towards the big tree. Her colleague had said that it often stayed here. Maybe she would be able to see it. As she got closer and her gaze wandered over the tree, she spotted something in the branches higher up. It looked like branches tied together and seemed to be hanging from something similar to a plant.

She took out her clipboard and started to draw it. She had never seen anything like it and found it fascinating. "Mr. Turner, do you know what that tied branch is hanging from the tree? What did you hang it for?" 

"We didn't hang anything. It must be new. But it's not ours, at least I don't think so. I'll ask the staff later." 

"Thank you." Ana walked on. But it was unlikely this far up. How could people from the team have got there? It was several meters from the ground, among the branches and leaves. How unusual. 

Then she reached the tree and looked up at it. It was unbelievably huge, not even two full-grown people could have reached around the trunk. 

"How big is the tree?" she asked over the radio.

"Phew... it should be something like 47 meters," was the answer she got.

Ana was amazed. A tree that big was something rare on Earth and would mean that it was a very old tree. Would the growth behavior of the plants be different here? She cautiously placed a hand on the bark. 

Then she heard a branch crack and looked up, startled, but it was too late. All she could see was something large and blue pouncing on her and throwing her to the ground. Frightened and startled, she screamed and the clipboard fell out of her hand and landed at some distance on the earthy ground next to her.

Above her was that animal. Sky! Despite her panic, she recognized it from the photo she had seen. This was the animal she was supposed to tame. Only now that it was so close above her did she realize how big three meters were. But she didn't have time to think about that. She could hardly breathe. Sky had pushed her to the ground and placed his hand on her chest. He really was extremely strong.

Gasping for breath, she looked into the dark blue face. Deep red eyes glared at her. His face was contorted into a snarl and his ears were pinned back. It bared its pointed fangs in anger. She grabbed the animal's wrist, but Sky was stronger. 

"Mr...Turner..." she stammered choked and hoped he would hear the radio. 

Nothing came at first, but then: "Oh shit!" The first electric shock came immediately. Ana got the electric shock from the touch. Shit, that was painful. Her body spasmed under the brief electric shock. But it was enough. The animal had retreated in fright. But it was not in a peaceful mood. Sky crouched in front of her. He hissed at her and his tail whipped back and forth anxiously. 

"Get away from there!" she heard Mr. Turner's panicked voice over the radio.

Her limbs still aching, she picked herself up and tried to get away. Sky jumped towards her again. He was clearly not done with her yet. Ana had invaded his territory. She had been careless. But before the animal reached her, the electricity on the collar was activated once more. This time it wasn't a short shock, but a continuous stream. Sky slumped to the ground and writhed as he screamed. He was clearly in pain, but Ana knew it was her only chance to get away. She stood up and took a quick look at Sky before running off. Suddenly Sky's eyes snapped open despite the pain and their gazes met. 

Shit! None of this was right! What was happening here was wrong and she knew it. Animals shouldn't be tortured like this. A single electric shock or two would have been enough. But to let it suffer like this was not okay.

"Mr. Turner! Turn off the power, damn it. That's enough!" she radioed nervously as she stood anxiously away from the animal. 

"Are you crazy?! Get away from there! There's no way I'm turning off the power." 

"POWER OFF! NOW!" Ana shouted into the radio and looked angrily up at the window where she knew Mr. Turner could see her. 

After a moment's hesitation, the power went out and Sky went limp. "Shit! You must be crazy. Come out of there now!" 

"I'm here to get to know him, not traumatize him." Ana's words sounded harsh. She was annoyed. She certainly wasn't an animal abuser. She never had to use such educational measures before. She had just felt for herself how painful this fucking electricity was. It was not okay to expose the animal to this pain for so long.

Anyway, it was over now and Sky didn't move. He must have been exhausted from the pain. It was the perfect opportunity to get to safety. But that wasn't what Ana was here for. Running away wouldn't help her if she wanted to tame the animal. 

For now, Sky was exhausted. So exhausted that he would certainly not attack her again so quickly. This was a good opportunity to get closer to the animal. She approached cautiously. Just a few steps. Sky turned his head to the side, exhausted, and scrutinized her with his reddish eyes. He watched her closely. 

Ana ducked slightly and held out her hands. "It's all right... everything's fine," she said in a soft voice and continued to approach Sky. This time the animal didn't move. It just looked at her and it almost seemed like it was letting Ana. Why was it okay for her to go over to it now? The animal's tail lay still and its ears were no longer laid back. Only its watchful gaze told her that Sky probably wanted to say: "I'm keeping a close eye on you, I don't trust you completely yet."

She knelt down on the floor next to him. Admittedly, she was terrified. Now she had seen for herself what the animal was capable of. It was dangerous, but it also took courage to tame an animal. 

"Shit! What are you doing, Miss Novak? You'd better get away from there. The animal attacked you earlier. That's dangerous!" Mr. Turner was clearly very upset. His voice was shaking so nervously that Ana could hear it through the radio. 

"Yes, it is dangerous. But I have to start getting him used to me straight away, otherwise it will only get worse. You can't show any weakness," she explained in an equally nervous voice. Although she had tried to sound confident. 

Slowly, she reached out her hand to Sky, and just before she could touch his head, his ear twitched nervously. She paused briefly and waited to see what signals Sky gave her. The animal, however, also seemed to be waiting. Right now, he didn't see Ana as a threat. 

"Calm down, I don't mean you any harm," Ana said gently in a low voice to reassure it. Then she put her hand on its head and stroked it gently. Sky moved shortly afterwards.

"Miss Novak!" Mr. Turners sounded worried.

"It's all right, don't do anything. It's all right." Under no circumstances should he switch on the power now, Sky was behaving quite peacefully. There was no trace of aggression and Ana was surprised that he had changed his behavior so much. What had triggered it? Had it been the punishment? Was it afraid of being punished again? But that didn't make sense, animals don't actually learn the concept that quickly, unless they've often tortured it with electricity like that. The thought made her angry. That wasn't acceptable. 

Sky had sat up and sat in front of her. He still seemed exhausted. But his mind was awake and Sky looked at Ana warily. It wasn't friendly towards her, but it wasn't hostile either. It was more observant. 

Ana gently held out her hand so that Sky could sniff it. "It's all right, big guy, just relax." She smiled at him. 

Sky really was an extraordinarily beautiful creature. He had something human about him despite his predator-like features. The skin had a beautiful pattern and the eyes were a great color. The unique disorder of pigmentation that ran across his face and part of his shoulder also added to his beauty.

To Ana's surprise, Sky not only leaned forward to sniff her hand, but placed his hand in hers. The hand was much bigger than hers and very warm. Was Sky's species a primate? He acted very humanoid as he looked at her and held her hand. He certainly seemed smart. His nose, eyes and ears reminded her a lot of a cat or panther. Very curious. She would get some documents to find out more about the species. She hadn't gotten much information. Only the rough reports from the tabloids on Earth. But who knows how much of it was correct. News was not known for accuracy and scientific precision. 

"What's the name of his species again, Mr. Turner?" The word had completely slipped her mind.

"Na'vi is the name of these beasts," he said much more calmly now.

That's right, that was their name. The Na'vi were widespread on Pandora and known for their ferocity, which led to them attacking the bases of the drilling companies and killing the workers. In general, people told each other about the dangerous flora and fauna of Pandora, and the voices even got all the way to Earth. Even though there was a lot of publicity about traveling to Pandora to work for the RDA. The payment was good, but you were also far away from home. Ana had made it to Pandora and was now really sitting opposite of one of those dangerous Na'vis. At that moment, however, Sky was completely calm. 

Ana sat down too. Sky was so much taller than she was. It was impressive but also intimidating. Where should she start? Talking would not help the animal, body language was the most effective and the right charisma. She was no enemy of Sky, quite the opposite. She wanted to help him fit in and allow the helping presence of humans. 

Gently, she also reached out her other hand to him and he grabbed it, then something strange happened. Sky turned her wrist so that her palm was facing him and brought her fingertips to his chest, where she assumed his heart was.

"irayo..." she heard from Sky. 

Ana's eyes widened. What kind of sound, what kind of gesture had that been? It seemed so human, the way he was looking at her, touching her. Had he been trying to communicate with her? Or had it just been a sound? She didn't understand any of this. She looked into the Na'vis' watchful eyes and he looked into hers. 

It was completely silent. She was very still and breathing evenly. Somehow she had a strange connection to the animal. Sky was special. 

"Are you okay down there?" It was Mr. Turner's voice through the radio. 

Ana averted her eyes to look up at the window, it was quite small from down here, she could barely make out anything, but knew her colleague was standing up there keeping a close eye on her. 

"Yes, I'm fine. Everything's ok down here," she assured him, slightly confused, and then felt Sky let go of her hands. She turned her head back in his direction as he had already stood up and returned to the tree in a crouching position, partly on all fours and partly on his hind legs.

He seemed more insecure and dismissive again. He was clearly afraid of the radio message. "It's all right Sky, it's all right." Ana made a placating gesture with her hands and stood up as well. However, she had no intention of following the Na'vi. It had been enough excitement for today. She should let the animal have its space; after all, she didn't want things to escalate again. 

Besides, she urgently needed to gather herself now. She had gained so many new impressions and so many questions had now arisen in her mind. As soon as she was back at her desk, she would get permission to contact a research facility. She needed to find out more about the Na'vi and their behavior patterns if she wanted to avoid incidents like this in the future. 

Sky shouldn't have to suffer through the collar anymore. This stupid electricity hurt like hell, even if Ana only had it for a second. In future, it would be nice if Sky didn't need a collar like that at all. That would be Ana's goal.

Slowly she walked backwards to get safely away from the animal and Sky watched her closely. When he realized that she really wanted to leave, he swung himself onto a branch to withdraw. He probably wanted to get back to his hiding place in the tree. 

When Ana was far enough away, she turned around, collected her clipboard and made her way to the airlock. The doors opened as soon as she arrived and let her through.

[iheartcoffeecakesm]

"Anything" 💙 Curly x Anya

Chapter 4

Anya woke up feeling terrible. She sat up and went to breathe through her nose, but it was stuffy. "Oh no.. Am I sick?" She got out of bed feeling suddenly light-headed. After grabbing the thermometer, she sat down on her cozy couch. Mocha, her fluffy brown chow chow puppy, hopped up next to her and laid down. Anya pet Mocha gently. "Shoot. 102° Must have gotten sick from my family's party…" She sat there and put her head back before trying to stand back up, realizing she was too weak to do so. "I gotta call someone. I don’t want to be a burden…i know how busy everyone is… but I can't get up. Who lives kinda close?" Anya looks through her contacts on her phone. She scrolls through and stops at Curly's number. Her finger freezes.

Curly is cleaning his house up with some pop music playing. He funnily sways his hips to the music as he dusts his lamp. Ring ring! Ring ring! He hears his phone. "Anya? I hope everything is okay." He says to himself. “Hello?” He answers. “Hi-” She coughs. “I'm so sorry to ask this, but I'm sick, and I can't move. Can you help me out? I'm so sorry.” Curly's eyes widened “I'm on my way!” He hangs up quickly and walks out the door.

Knock Knock. Anya slowly walks to the door. She unlocks it. Curly is standing there with a concerned face, his eyes worried. “Curly thanks for..” She begins to say weakly.. and then begins to fall over. “Anya oh my gosh!” Curly catches Anya gently.

Anya wakes up in bed, hearing quiet lo-fi music. Her eyes flutter around the room. A bouquet of flowers is propped on the table, and Curly is lighting a nicely scented candle before he quickly picks up Mocha. Giving the dog lots of kisses. She smiles at him. He looks over “Ah your awake!” He sits on her bed to feel her head. “Oh.. I, um, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I don't want to make you uncomfortable.” He gets back up looking worried. “Curly.. It's okay. I promise.” Curly sits back down and feels her head. “You're still a bit warm. Stay still, please.” Anya blushes. “Are you okay?” Curly asks out of concern. “Oh yeah. Thank you. I just appreciate you coming..” She says quietly, having trouble talking. “I hope you don't mind me lighting a candle. I know some people are sensitive to certain smells.” She sniffed the pumpkin spice air. “It's so nice. Thank you.” Curly smiled. He gets back up. “What can I help you with today?” “If it's not a bother, could you just straighten my apartment up a little bit. It looks terrible here. It's embarrassing. I'm so sorry.” Anya closes her eyes out of guilt. “Please stop apologizing. I got you!” They smile at each other.

After a few hours of cleaning, Curly was finished up. He treated Anya to some of his Mom's special soup. Mocha was played with, and Anya loved watching Curly. She didn't know why, though. It was just kinda fun and cozy to watch a guy clean up her place. And the guy being Curly only made it more cozy and fun.

“Thank you so much, Curly. I will pay you back somehow!” Anya chuckles. “No you won't! Shush. No problem at all.” He laughs. “Have a great night, Anastasia.” Curly closed the door behind him. Her face felt warm but not because of the fever. She thinks to herself, "Anastasia? No one ever calls me by my first name like that.. I'm not complaining. That was really sweet. Oh my god, get yourself together, girl."

[shirbert-fanfictions]

Glitch

it's a little story, what would happen if Anne got know Winnie before the fair

"You should be seen by a doctor" - these were the exact words Marilla said when Anne complained to her about a persistent headache for the fourth day in a row. Immediately after the meal, they went to Charlottetown to Dr. Ward's clinic.

Unfortunately, the man had a patient there, patients, as said, this lovely girl- I mean woman, and laughed.

"My friend," she blushed, which, despite the headache, put a smile on the Anne's face, "is here with a sick man. I'm almost sure it's his friend. The man had a gum infection, so the doctor naturally wanted to give him an injection." "It turned out that my friend was terrified of needles." the women laughed, but only when she added that the boy in question was planning to become a doctor, Anne's hysterical laughter filled the room.

"Miss Rose, when I asked you to keep my patient company while her mother was away, I asked you to perform the task in silence." they heard the doctor from behind the open door.

"Of course, sorry, doctor Ward."

After the door closed, they burst into laughter again.

"Miss Rose?" Ania asked and laughed.

"Winnifred Rose, Miss," she lifted her chin and, with a great deal of drama, reached out for the girl's hand, "and the missus' name is…" she raised an eyebrow with a smile.

Anne got up and played the lady as best she could.

"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, Miss." she offered her hand to the woman, who raised it to her mouth and kissed it, bowing.

For the third time that day in twenty minutes, they laughed and sat down.

"How do you prefer to pronounce it?"

"Huh?"

"Anne with or without an e?"

Anne opened her mouth, but nothing came out, when her eyes filled with tears. Winnifred thought she shouldn't ask, so she mentally chastised herself and quickly apologized when she interrupted.

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Ever, Winnifred!" she threw herself into her arms, crying. "Do you feel it too? Oh, please tell me you do!"

"What, Anne?"

"That we are kinder spirits! Made to live together! Oh, it's a gift from God that your friend and his friend showed up here today, and Marilla - that woman who came here with me, my mother - had to run errands, otherwise I wouldn't have met you and… oh, it's a good thing I'm thinking too much about Gil-school, because it gives me a headache and now I'm here! Don't you think it's wonderful, Winnie? Can I call you that? Or maybe they call you something else? Or we'll come up with nice names for each other like Cordelia or Anastasia, definitely not like carrot or…"

"The doctor will see you now, Miss…" She was interrupted by a man leaving the room when Anne recognized him as Bash. "By holy mango, who do we have here! Anne Shirley-Cuthbert herself! Blythe! You won't believe me when I tell you…"

Bash is here! Anne almost threw herself wight into him, until she remembered what Winnie told her - his friend - Gilbert. Gilbert...?

"Gilbert!"

"Oh, no, it's Bash," he corrected her and laughed to himself. The thing they had was just... Let's say he didn't understand and couldn't do it, how a person can be that blind!

The hilarious necessity of this situation; Bash stood with a wet bandage at the speech, he could barely say anything due to the pain, Anne was both red and very surprised, and Winnifred was confused and didn't know what the hell was going on.

“I…” she won't communicate to Gilbert, she couldn't communicate, in the condition she was now; the device wasn't even properly braided when it was made, and in one second all the energy she had while talking to Winnie was gone. She wanted to run away. It was actually a very good idea. "I'm in a hurry and I'm basically feeling very good, so…" she turned around, ready to run away, but instead of a door, she met the wall. Really hard.

“Annie!” she heard the worried cry of her new friend who had caught and turned her to herself to look for any sign of demage.

But this scream was enough to make the last few person jump out of the office.

"Annie…"

Gilbert.

Oh God, you really do hate me.

"Hey."

Gilbert cleared his throat, scanning the room with his watchful gaze, only now noticing Winnie. He opened his mouth to speak when Dr. Ward spoke.

“Everyone, what's going on here?” He looked around at the faces of the others and saw that quite a scene was taking place.

If he had had the afternoon free, he would have let it unfold by itself without his help so he could tell his wife everything over tea when he got home, but unfortunately that was not the case, so he was left to ask his charges next time.

"Anne, yes?" she nodded. "Will Marilla show up?" she shook her head. "Okay, let's go check you out. Something terrible must have happened if you can't get a word out. Winnie, will you?"

"What was that, Blythe, huh?" Bash laughed to himself, after the three of them got to the room.

"Let's go home, Bash..." he replied, confused, his head starting to hurt from frowning.

She will be his death. His Anne with an e.

[heymickyursofine]

JONAS TAYLOR, THE HERO.

— CHAPTER 3.

Anastasia was in the med bay with Doctor Zhang as Heller was giving Jonas a checkup, making sure he was able to able to do the rescue, but she was pretty sure he'd be going either way.

The tension in the room was to the roof, Heller checked Jonas' blood pressure under his piercing gaze. "He's in perfect shape,"

"Just like the last time you examined me."

"Suyin took a glider fifteen minutes ago." Mac informed, walking into the med bay, "She's planning on taking the Origin back up."

Oh god.

Ana didn't know much about rescue missions but she figured bringing the Origin up in a glider was not a good idea.

"Take me to the sub." Jonas ripped the the cuff off.

"We're not done here."

"Yeah, we are. Lori's running out of air, and we're in international waters, which means legally, I can beat the ever-loving shit out of you, and get away with it."

Ana's eyes widened, she barely knew Jonas but she thought he was awesome.

He had the level of confidence and a take-no-shit attitude she so desperately wished she had.

She was shocked with herself about what she said to Morris earlier, she had come in contact with countless people like him, and some who were even ruder, but never once spoke back. She always rolled over and let them treat her however they pleased.

Heller turned to the other three in shock. "It's true," Ana and Doctor Zhang looked over to Mac, "Legally, I mean. Good thing he doesn't hold a grudge."

-

Anastasia was in the dive control room, ready to watch Jonas' rescue mission. Mac checked in with everyone, making sure everything was prepped and ready.

"Evolution, we are go for dive."

She watched Jonas on the screen, he turned the sub on and was dropped into the water.

"System go for descent."

Jonas stayed put, not listening to the automated voice, he was hesitating, understandably.

"System go for descent."

"Hey, brother. We're good to go."

"System go for descent."

The voice repeated, for the fourth time, and Jonas still hadn't moved. Everyone was looking around unsurely, was Jonas not going to it?

"Jonas." Mac was now wondering the same thing.

A few seconds later and Jonas started the descent, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Evolution successful launch."

Jonas got to work, moving around the sub.

"Evolution now passing 1,000 meters."

Jonas was descending quickly, causing his blood gases to drop, but Jonas disregarded Heller's worry about him blacking out.

"Suyin be advised, Evolution is now en route. Request you return to Mana One immediately."

"Negative. He can give us an escort on our way up."

"Tell her to get out of the way, Mac. More people means more risk and she's in way over her head."

"Jonas, you just told her yourself."

"What?"

"The little green button on your intercom, that's for single channel communication."

"Brilliant."

Suyin entered the Thermocline, and passed through the "bottom", while Jonas stated he needed to cut communication due to how fast he was going, leaving the crew puzzled.

Minutes later Suyin found the Origin, "There it is. I've got visual on the Origin. I can see most of it."

"Okay. They're alive." Anastasia let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her friends were mostly safe at that moment, Mac patted her on the back.

"I'm going to set up to tow."

"Range to target. Six meters...Four meters."

Ana's eyes were glued to the screen showing Suyin, feeling antsy at how close Suyin was to rescuing them, wanting to yell, hurry up!

"Target locked."

"Firing magnetic hook. Three. Two-" Suyin was cut off by her own scream, a loud thudding noise accompanying.

"Suyin? Are you okay? What's happening?" Mac's tone was too calm, Ana was freaking out on the inside, biting the inside of her cheek to try and calm herself down, to no avail.

"There is something down here. Something just hit my ship." Suyin's whisper made goosebumps flourish all over Ana's arms.

Suyin yelled out again seconds later, "Suyin what's happening?"

"It's a huge squid. It's got the glider."

"Warning. Capsule pressure."

"Mac, it's crushing me. It's crushing me! I don't think the glider can take it." Suyin's tone was full of panic. Anastasia's anxiety level rose, the alarm blaring in the background didn't help either.

"It's not gonna hold," Jaxx informed the obvious, but hearing it from an expert made it all the more terrifying.

"Suyin, engage the pressure compensator."

"Compensator will not engage."

"Capsule breach in ten seconds."

Tears pierced Anastasia's eyes, was she seriously about to hear her friend die?

"Capsule breach in five sec-"

The automated voice stopped, and silence took over.

"Oh god. It's a shark. It's like 20, 25 meters."

"It's a Megalodon."

A Megalodon?

When Anastasia was just a young girl she was obsessed with sharks, the theme for her eighth birthday was sharks. If eight-year-old Ana knew that Megalodon’s were in fact not extinct, her mind would've been blown.

"Impossible," Suyin whispered in shock.

"I'm so glad I'm not crazy." Jonas was speaking directly to Heller, who stared at Jonas through the camera, not believing what he was hearing.

Jonas made it to where Suyin was located, "Suyin, power down. It's drawn to the light. Shut everything down and stay dark."

"Shut down in 30 seconds."

"Shutting off everything but comms." The sonar started beeping rapidly, detecting the Meg coming back around. "It's circling back. Turn them off. Now."

"Shut down in 15 seconds."

"Mac, I have no control." Anastasia should've known the chaos wouldn't end when the squid got eaten. "Hurry," The shark was coming fast, faster than Suyin's glider could shut down.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five-"

The beeping stopped, and so did the countdown, Suyin was safe. "Now's your chance, blow your tanks." "No. I can help you save the crew."

"Your glider's damaged, there's nothing you can do. Blow your tanks now."

"Damn it."

"Doctor Zhang, your daughters clear. I'm heading for the Origin now.”

This time the sigh of relief wasn't internal, it was hard to know exactly what was going on down there, the cameras didn't show everything and had been cutting out occasionally, and only being able to hear Suyin's reaction to the once unknown creatures and not know what exactly she was encountering was the worst.

Anastasia felt only a tad bit relieved, she still had more friends down there, and Jonas, who she hoped would be her newfound friend, and only when they came back up safe would she be fully content.

It was the second waiting game she experienced that day, both involving Jonas, but this was the most nerve-racking.

The sonar alarm started blaring, again. The Megalodon was coming for the Origin, again.

No one seemed to be speaking, whether that was because Ana was so laser-focused on the sonar and tuned everyone out, or there was no one talking, all silent as they watched the Meg.

Then, right at the last second, the Meg sped away from the sub, and the beeping stopped.

Anastasia assumed that was a good thing, if the shark had swam away that quick then there was a good chance it got spooked by something, which meant all was well...?

Jonas was radio silent, and his video signal was off, so no view of what was happening on the inside. The beeping started back up, snapping Ana out of her thoughts, and once again, for what felt like the millionth time, the familiar blob popped back up on the sonar, coming for the Origin.

But this time, there was a visual on the Evolution coming back up, so good news.

Or not.

"Where's Toshi's vitals?" Ana stood behind Doctor Heller, pointing to the screen in front of him.

"They aren't showing," Heller replied, lowly, as if he already knew what happened, or was guessing.

She looked at Mac.

"Come in, Evolution."

No answer.

"Jonas, come in."

Silence, panic rising again.

"Are you all okay?"

Maybe Jonas lost the comms connection?

"Doctor Heller has vitals on Lori and The Wall, but we don't have Toshi."

Please be a lost connection.

"Is Toshi okay?"

Please.

"Jonas, is Toshi okay?"

TABLE OF CONTENTS. PREVIOUS<<. CHAPTER 4. Coming 7/3

READ ON WATTPAD: controversiallyoungf

[liesmyth]

OOOH for the WiP meme!! 🤔📄👻

🤔 Do you have any WIPs where you wish you had chosen a different fandom/character? — Not really! Because what draws me to writing fic is usually the characters and the situations I can put them in, and the fic is built around that.

👻Is there a scene that you find intimidating that you have yet to write? — THE ENDING OF MY TLT BANG. I'm putting it on hold for a while and go back to other stuff in the fandom while my brain cooks :D

📝Share a snippet of an unposted WIP, with or without context.

The HtN Dios Apate-centric AU that has been haunting me for 6 months

The long and the short of it is that Joy decides that Harrowhark should not die. She was always a sucker for a nun, she and John both, and together they bundle up the girl to keep her deficient body safe while her soul fights where they truly need her. Augustine doesn’t know how they’ve strongarmed the girl into agreeing, but he doesn’t mind it—as pitiful as the girl is, it’s far too soon for her to die. Gideon’s dull stone face doesn’t give anything away, but little Ianthe looks all too thrilled even as she’s going to her possible death. Oh, to be young and infatuated.

They leave their bodies behind. They fight for hours, from the banks of the River to the depths of the Barathron, and it’s Augustine who finally wrestles the Beast into hell. Good fucking riddance, he thinks, tired and drained, too fraught with nerves to feel victorious. He’s shaking. That’s one ancient enemy they’ve gotten rid of—one of six in a long myriad, and it cost them three of their number.

In the Mithraeum, John welcomes them eagerly. “Well done,” he says, shifting on his feet, looking restless. His voice is charged in a way Augustine has rarely heard before, but he’s too tired to linger on that thought. They won, nobody died; he needs to sleep. Ianthe, the chit, is bouncing with restless energy, finally feeling like a real Lyctor, and so is Gideon, who has never been happy in his life unless he’s killing something. He catches sight of John reassuring Harrowhark as he leaves. It’s ridiculous how diligently God has been cultivating their little almost-Anastasia, with her broken brain and painted face.

“Oh, it’s fine,” he’s saying, as Augustine stumbles away. “Don’t worry about it.”

He sleeps for two days. On the third day, they all eat together; John has assembled plates of flatbread and meats and steamed vegetables, and Augustine picks at the food half-heartedly. The air is not precisely merry—they are all recovering from the onslaught of the Heralds as well as the fight—but it is comfortable and easygoing; Augustine lets Ianthe pester him for stories of the early days on Korionthos, and even Joy appears relaxed. John, oddly enough, barely talks, but he seems very content to listen, a pensive expression on his face.

The next day, Gideon is gone. This is beyond unusual. John would never—he has never—sent them away on missions so soon after a Beast fight. But when asked about it, John only shrugs. “Oh, nothing too taxing, I promise. He didn’t mind.” That, Augustine believes; Gideon is often in haste to leave and find something else to stick his sword into. “He’ll be back soon.”

“If you say so, Lord.” Joy’s voice conveys perfectly her distaste at Gideon’s eagerness to depart his brother and sisters, as though she didn’t feel the exact same way about all of them.

On the sixth day, John invites them to dinner. Just Augustine and Mercy; he says that the girls are doing their thing, with a gesture that hints at the mystery of young people, and suggest they do dinner and drinks on their own.

“I want to try Cassy’s roast recipe, the one with the cranberries,” he says. “The last time I prepared a whole proper meal… well, must have been before I left for the Erebos. Will you humour me?”

He says it so earnestly. His eyes are terrible. Augustine should not wish to look into them as much as he does.

[icanbeyourgenie]

“ The God's... When they'll know about Helene's dagger... ” – Achilles to Anastasia

It was the first words Achilles said in about half an hour. Anastasia knew he was angry and she should thread carefully, but she was too happy at the mere thought of not wanting to kill him to be cautious.

“It's a gift. A gift I hated. She can't blame me for giving it away.”

“The gods can do whatever they want, Tya! We learned that the hard way.”

“When we broke their rules! There is no rules against me giving up a gift.”

They fell into silence after that and kept walking. Achilles was not usually so silent, he always had funny remarks to make, especially to her. But she could feel him thinking and going through the entirety of the emotions spectrum. He even refused the apple she gave him after she charmed a street salesman into giving it to her. And he really loved apples...

“I can see that you're mad at me.” Nastya finally said, when the silence became too much to bear.

“Yes, I'm mad at you, Anastasia!” The full name, she thought. Bad omen. “You said you just wanted to talk. See what it will cost to break a curse. And without consulting me you were ready to sell your soul to the Sea Witch! Without talking to me beforehand! Oh, I know it is because I would have refused it, but still, courtesy... What would I do without you in my life? Without you on this earth? Now was not the moment to be selfish, Tya.”

“Oh, you mean like all the time I spend without you?”

“It's not the same, you know I'll come back!”

“Yes, only to die again because of me!”

They were both angry know. Well, until they took a moment to breathe and Achilles' mood suddenly changed. Out of nowhere he started smiling and Anastasia wondered if she didn't accidentally changed his mood (She knew she didn't, he was the only person she'd never influence).

“We have time... That's what she said, yes? We have time now, we can do whatever we want... We have weeks, months years maybe. I don't care as much as I can spend that time with you!”

The change was so sudden. He took her in his arms, making her spin before kissing her many times, and she laughed like they were kids again, returning his kisses. She was more than ever aware of how little she wanted to kill him. It was as if the curse never happened.

“Yes we do have time love. All the time in the world.”

She knew it wasn't true, but she still smiled as she hugged him tightly.

Until he put her down and looked at her with a more serious look, filled with worries.

“Wait, what if it was a trick... What if we only have one day and tomorrow... ” This time Nastya bursted into laughing and he raised an eyebrow. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Yeah! It's funny to see you experiment every emotion known to man in a matter of minutes, but choose one and stick to it!”

Unfortunately it seemed like he chose anxiety, since the crease in his eyebrows deepened. So she took his face in her hands and use her most charming smile and soothing tone.

“Everything will be alright Ash. It's not a trick, I can feel it in my bones. I feel... lighter. Like I don't want to kill you at all. I know it'll come back one day, but not today. You trust me?”

“... Always.”

“Good. Then come. I feel like dancing tonight. And maybe stealing some really rich people.”

[anotheranonymousquill]

Happy STS! assuming your OCs have been invited/broken in to a super fancy party - what are they wearing, what are they there for, are they having a good time or have they been dragged in protesting?

Hi! So, yes.

I'm going with invited, but also looking for information or a meeting of sorts someone else at the event has. (I heard super fancy and went straight to formal gala/ball in the high society part of my world) So they were invited, or rather Tess was invited and bring Ethan to keep an eye on him, AND they get to steal information. A legitimate reason and a heist of sorts, because why not both?

Tess, the girl who's childhood best friend is her country's crown princess, is obviously well dressed. She's been dressing for elegance and to effortlessly fit in at these events all her life. She wears something blue, long, and elegant yet not overstated, pherhaps with a slight shimmer for flair. If we are going evening wear think something similar to the blue dress Anastasia wears in the Disney movie.

Ethan has never been to one of these things before, having grown up working and making sacrifices to keep food on the table and his sister safe, so he will be uncomfortable. High society events where everyone flaunts their success and status are foreign to him. He'd wear a borrowed navy suit to match Tess as her guest. Tess will have made sure it fits well though. She'd have told him what to expect beforehand as well, and he will be staying close to her throughout the night. They make a nice looking pair.

An added bonus, Tess will finally have a date to one of these balls who is tall enough for her to wear heels and not be the same height as or taller than him. Not that it really matters, but given how important appearances are to this class of people Tess will be pleased.

For the second part of your question, Tess will simply fall back into old patterns and probably enjoy herself less than she appears to. It's work for her. But having Ethan along will make it different. So that should help her have fun, even if she worries about him accidentally slipping up and drawing too much attention.

Ethan was curious to start with, and will be uncomfortable at various points throughout the night. I'd say he relaxes and enjoys himself a little more towards the end. Once Tess has accomplished her rounds and let's them chill on the edges, or hang out with Marian, Mark and Keith he'll like those moments. But I don't think he'd want to do it all again right away.

[hisadoringkitten]

2 days...

The timeline got moved up to Saturday, and we've realized the trailer will be unnecessary. The arrangements for the apartment are done, electricity and renters insurance are secured, documents are submitted, and the deposit is paid. All that's left is to set up the internet, but that should be quick and easy. The storage unit is signed for and paid. My last worker's comp appointment was this morning, I turned in my keys and letter of resignation at work and had a few drinks with my boss after. My things are packed, I've found a home for Reggie. All that's left is helping clean out the place tomorrow and spending Saturday with the kids before I leave.

It's surreal now that it's so close. I'm so excited to start my new life, but part of me feels like I'm waiting to die. I guess I'm a way I am... waiting for this life to end. It's not a bad thing, really but it's very strange. It feels like so much is being left unsaid, undone, but it's not. I've said my piece, I've done what I can.

Even my daughter sees it and understands, far better than I ever realized she would. Last night, she said "it's like you were working on a puzzle (your life before us kids) and didn't have it all together yet but then you got a new one (us) and started putting it together. You got that one all done and when you went to start working on the first puzzle, you realized you can't find all the pieces anymore so now you have to look for the pieces and maybe even try and make new ones to replace the ones you lost". She's wise beyond her years. We watched Anastasia last night and she also picked up on the line in the movie where Vlad talks about the name Anastasia meaning "she will rise again" she said "look mommy, don't worry, your name literally means you will rise again!"

I'm her mother, and here she is comforting me. Reassuring me. It's going to kill me to leave them. But better I leave now than draw it out selfishly for a few more days and leave them to process it in the car. It's a kindness to give them familiarity to process it all. I'm making the right decision, I know I am, I have to be. I feel confident in it, and I can not allow doubt to cloud it now, but he's such a mess. He's giving me no reassurance that he can handle this in any way. I worry for them, for how they'll live, for what he'll teach them, for how his negativity and aggression will affect them. I worry that by the time I see them again, he'll have turned them against me. That they'll no longer be my sweet babies. They're already so big, so grown. I worry he'll keep them from me, and I'll have to fight an ugly court battle to get them back. I worry for their safety and well-being. What if something happens and I can't help? What if they need me and I'm not there? How do I live with myself?

I'll deal, I'll process, I'll cope, and I won't let them see it destroy me, you won't let it destroy me. Even if right now I cry so much of the day, even if every quiet moment I die a little. I'll make it better for them, for me, for all of us. With your help, I'll survive this, too. I've survived so much already, and I've done it mostly on my own. With you to steady my gaze, to keep my focus and guide my path, I'll make the life they deserve.

[finclgrlarchived]

damn her work, for making this a mandatory conference. although she could usually leave her apartment for things like essentials without too much worry, an overnight trip at a hotel included too many variables for anastasia to truly feel safe. the trip had gone about as well as she was expecting, anyway— a delayed flight out of california, her preset rental car being MIA when she finally does land, and now the hotel was telling her they were still working on fixing a broken pipe in her room.

she feels bone weary as she lugs her suitcase into the hotel bar, eyes scanning the room first (one of the perks of it being after midnight, most people had gone to bed).

probably shouldn't sit alone....

finally she settles on someone who looks close in age to her, pulling up to their left and trying her best to smile like she means it. "is anyone sitting here?" when they don't respond immediately it admittedly stings a little bit— until she realizes they didn't hear her at first, dropping into the seat with a burdened sigh. "roommate? no, i'm— they're fixing a uh, pipe in our room." as if she was about to announce that she was staying there alone. "flight got delayed, they're working on something in the lobby." a nod as if to cement that story, before the bartender makes their way over.

"um, just a glass of water, please." she adjusted her watch to check the time again, hoping she wouldn't be down here for too long. anastasia thought about letting the conversation drop... but thinking of all of the people she had to talk to tomorrow made her realize she definitely needed the practice. "did your roommate really kick you out at one in the morning? that sucks, i'm sorry. have you been down here long?"

open to  :  anyone, 22+ muse  :  jester flores.  24.  drummer of fruitpunch.  they/she plot  :  one of my bandmates always hooks up with someone after the shows in the space we share so i’m left to fend for myself and you’re sympathetic to my plight

          jester isn't sure why they expect things to be different now that fruitpunch has gained some modicum of popularity.  fletcher still brings girls back to their shared room , forcing jester out for a couple hours to fend for themself.  at least the hotel bar is nice.  she noisily sips at what remains of a colorful non-alcoholic drink , moving the straw in the melting ice to get what she can out of it , and doesn't register that someone's asked them a question until it's too late to play it off.  they look up at the stranger and gesture to the empty seat next to them.     "     go for it.  i know why i look sad and lonely , but why are you here at     "    —  they tap their phone screen for the time  —     "     almost one in the morning  ?  your roommate put a sock on the doorknob too  ?     "

[signfromeywa]

AUNGIA TA EYWA (A SIGNS FROM EYWA)

Chapter 02: New ally Patra️

Description:

Anastasia Novak is a behavioural scientist tasked with socializing a captive Na'vi on behalf of the RDA. The longer she works with the Na'vi and the closer she gets to him, the more she has to rethink everything she thought she knew and redefine her morals and values. Can she just carry on like this, or will she follow her heart?

Content: Rating +18, Avatar fanfiction, human x Na'vi ship, Na'vi captured

Characters: Human OCs: Anastasia Novak, Steven Turner, Patra// Na'vi OCs: Ean'tu,

Word Count: 2954

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❗️English is not my native language! I apologize very much if it reads a bit bumpy here and there.

I'm a German author and this is the first time I've tried to translate a story I'm working on into English and upload it. I still hope you enjoy it.❗

The first thing Ana did when she made it out of the enclosure and back into the surveillance rooms was to approach Mr. Turner. 

"I need access to all of Sky's files," was the first thing she said as she burst into the room, taking her colleague completely by surprise. 

"Miss Novak, take it easy. Are you all right?" He took her by the shoulder and held her. 

"What? Oh yes, I'm fine. Nothing's happened."

"You were just attacked by a ten foot tall alien and electrocuted quite badly, no one is fine after that." He led her to a chair. "Have a seat first."

"I'm telling you, I'm fine. Nothing happened to me," Ana assured him, but sat down out of necessity. "I really need to look through the documents, and I'd also be interested to know what scientific institutions there are and what they're researching."

Mr. Turner seemed surprised by the question. "Why do you want to know?" 

"Do you know anything about it or not?"

"Well, only superficially, after all, you need authorization and a security clearance to obtain such information. The research reports are not available for everyone to see."

"Good, so let's start from the beginning." Ana placed the clipboard on her lap and activated her pen. "Are there any research facilities that deal with the life forms on these planets?" 

"I think I've heard that there might be." Mr. Turner didn't seem to like all the questions. 

"Na'vi too?" Ana wrote something down and then looked up at Turner.

"Yes, as far as I know... Miss Novak, what are you up to?" 

"Don't worry about it. As a behavioral scientist, it would give me a significant head start if my scientist colleagues would share their knowledge with me. Then I could speed things up and start socializing right away. Otherwise I'm starting from scratch." But she didn't tell Turner that there were behavioral traits about Sky that had made her suspicious. No one here seemed to think much of Sky, which she couldn't even blame them for after he had been so aggressive towards them. He had certainly tried to attack the staff many times. And he had just proved that he was dangerous.

"Well, if you say so..." He seemed a little more reassured. 

"Yes, do you have any contact details of professionals or a way to get this security clearance?" She was ready to take notes. 

"Phew... that's a difficult question. We tend to have direct contact with the boss and the security and maintenance company that looks after us. I think a former employee has moved to a research unit. I can write down her contact details. She's only a technician, but she might be able to tell you how to get in touch with the right people," Turner offered. 

Nodding, she handed him a pen and clipboard and he wrote down everything she needed. "Thank you."

"My goodness." He laughed a little dryly. "You're really stirring things up here." 

"That's what I'm known for." Ana laughed as well. "I'm a breath of fresh air."

Then she stood up. "Sky's documents are in the next room?" 

"Yes, I think everything that would be relevant to you is in the box. But it's not that much. The rest is more about the system and all the technical details. I don't think you'll be particularly interested in that," explained Turner. 

"Thank you very much. I'll take a look at the documents and use the desk. If I have any questions, I'll get back to you," Ana thanked him and then took the door to the next room, which housed the paperwork. There she went to one of the desks on which, as she had just discovered, were documents relating to Sky. She quickly found the box Turner had meant and took out the individual folders. They were surprisingly empty; Turner hadn't been lying. Not much had been documented about Sky. She quickly found the medical records. At the top were the most recent things, consisting of the latest routine examinations and vaccinations. Each of the examinations had probably been carried out under anaesthetic, because otherwise the doctor refused to treat the animal. He was too aggressive to justify any other form of treatment and unfortunately Ana could only agree.

She sat down at the desk and began to carefully inspect the documents. Everything was quite unspectacular, nothing special or of interest. But she got stuck on one folder. There were no more files in it, but the folder stood out. It wasn't from this institution. She couldn't say where it was from. However, she was disappointed when she picked up the first few pages. 

"Urgh... all blacked out..." she said quietly. What was that? None of the other documents were blacked out. Why this one? So she couldn't do anything with this folder. However, she photographed the coat of arms on the front of the folder. It certainly belonged to the institution from which the report was made. Then she put everything aside and turned her attention to the oldest folder from the institution. She picked up the pages and began to read. 

She could read in the report 'scratches all over the body' and 'completely emaciated and powerless'. That read terribly. Sky had been malnourished and injured when he had arrived here. He must hardly have been awake or had the strength to eat. What terrible descriptions it contained. Where did Sky actually come from? The way it read, he couldn't have been captured in the wild. Ana was pretty sure he wouldn't have been in such a bad state in the wild. She propped her face up with her hand. There was certainly much more to it than she could gather here. This past could have been to blame for Sky's lack of trust in humans. She was all the more glad that he was here now. In this facility, which at least took good care of him, and Ana was also here to look after him.

She leaned back in the office chair. Her thoughts wandered to Sky, to the enclosure. The image of his face appeared in front of her again. His watchful eyes that had looked into hers. The way he had taken her hand, almost human. No, she shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. It was the wrong approach and yet it moved her deeply. She needed clarity. That was why her mind was made up. She had to find out more about the Na'vis and about his past. Her cooperation with Sky depended on it. It was important to her that she was successful. Not just for herself or her boss. No. It was also important for Sky. He should no longer have to live in fear. The animal would certainly feel better if it was no longer afraid of people and could start to get used to its surroundings.

She closed the documents in front of her and neatly put everything back in the box. She took the drawing she had made in the enclosure of this strangely tied-up branch back with her for now. She could always file it away later. It was already late at night. She had only arrived late in the evening. But the time didn't seem to matter here. They worked in shifts around the clock to keep Sky under constant observation. 

Anastasia wrote her cell phone number on a small piece of paper and stuck it on the magnetic pinboard. Then she went into the surveillance room one last time, where her colleagues were sitting. 

Both men turned to look at her when she came in. 

"I'm getting off work now. I've put my number on the pinboard where you can reach me. If there's anything, please get in touch, ok?" she said.

"All right. The next crew bus should be right here," Turner pointed out, but Ana already knew that. The buses ran every two hours and took the teams and staff to their hostels. It wasn't unusual for many scientists or special forces to live on the bases, but Ana didn't. She lived in a hostel. She stayed in a hostel together with other civilian staff. 

"Yes, sleep well later. See you then." Ana waved goodbye and left the room, making her way out through the base. At the airlock outside, she was checked again and given a mask. Then she made her way out to the waiting team bus. As she boarded, she greeted the others briefly and sat down in an empty seat with her bag on her lap.

Shortly afterwards, the bus set off. Ana looked out of the window and was amazed by the landscape. it was so different from the earth, especially at night when everything glowed so mysteriously. She could never get enough of the sight. However, she was alone in this opinion. The soldiers on the bus with her paid no attention to the landscape and just seemed tired. Perhaps it would become normal for Ana, too, if she lived here for a while. She smiled. No, definitely not, she loved nature far too much for that. Even back on Earth, she had never had enough of it. Now, however, everything was ruined and the beauty had faded. Quite different from the moon, which was still alive. The flora was bursting with strength and life energy, it was a beautiful sight. All too soon the ride was over and she got out to go to the hostel. It wasn't a particularly large building and wasn't guarded by the military. It had everything you needed to survive.

She went in through the airlock and immediately took off her mask. She took it with her to her room, which was on the second floor. Her room was a single room and not particularly large. It had a bunk bed and a desk underneath. Opposite it on the wall was a built-in wardrobe and a mirror. She also had a small en-suite bathroom, which she was very grateful for. She also had a small adjoining bathroom, which she was very grateful for. At the head of the bed, at desk level, there was a narrow window through which she could see a little of Pandora and her beautiful nature. Otherwise, the room was made of concrete, walls and floors alike. Everything was gray and cold, just like on Earth.

Her suitcases with the private things she was allowed to bring were already in the room next to the wardrobe and a laptop that she had never seen before was on the desk with a document for the first registration. Ana took the painting out of her bag and then hung the bag with her jacket on the hook behind the door. She placed the painting on the desk and pulled back the chair to sit on it. First she would log in to her laptop and set her new password. As she did so, her eyes fell on the paper lying next to her. Mr. Turner had written the contact details of a former colleague on it. It wouldn't hurt to write to her, then she could answer her in peace until tomorrow.

She wrote a polite email asking for contact details or information about the research facilities. Once she had sent the message, Ana decided to take a quick shower and then go to bed. She had a lot of research to do tomorrow, so she needed to get a good night's sleep. Although she had spent almost three years in cryosleep, she felt completely exhausted and drained. Cryosleep was not without its challenges.

Without hesitating for long, she took a shower and, under the warm water, thought about how she could personalize her room a little. Where could she put things? Would a rug be a good idea? And would it be okay to have a couple of plants in the room? She already had one or two ideas of what she could do, which made her smile knowingly in the shower. 

When she got out of the shower, she grabbed a towel and walked out of the bathroom to her suitcases. There she picked out her sleeping clothes and put them on when a soft, unfamiliar beep made her sit up. She checked her laptop, which had received a new e-mail. Astonished and excited, she sat down in front of it and opened the email. 

"Good evening Miss Novak, I'd be happy to help you. Let's talk," the email said, with a link attached underneath.

This link looked like an invitation to a video call. Ana hastily got up and dug out her woollen jacket to put on and tied her wet hair into a bun. Then she accepted the invitation.

It took a moment to connect the call, then a window opened in front of her with a woman. She adjusted her red glasses on her nose, then smiled kindly. 

"Miss Novak?" she asked, apparently trying to recognize something. "This is Mrs. Patra. I need you to activate the camera."

Anastasia hurriedly looked where she could and found a small crossed-out camera symbol which she clicked. Now another video image appeared, showing herself next to Mrs. Patra. 

"Good evening. Sorry to bother you this late," Ana apologized.

Patra laughed. "No problem, I'm on the night shift and I'm still at work."

"Then thank you for taking the time."

"So you're working with Sky now? You'll have plenty of work to do. I'm sure you're new, I presume?" 

"Yes, that's right, arrived today. You changed jobs?" Ana asked. 

"Yes and no, I was removed and transferred. I actually work at a science base now. Delta Research Unit." She explained.

"What are you researching?" 

"I'm not researching anything." Patra laughed. "I'm one of the technicians. We make sure that the technology here purrs like a kitten and remains reliable. But the unit here is researching the flora." 

Ana became curious. "Do you know the units that are researching the fauna?"

"Well, there are many, all different specialties. Three of them are even under the strictest secrecy. I'm sure you want to know more about the Na'vi." She smiled. 

"You've got me figured out. As a behavioral scientist, it would help me a lot if I could access the research of these bases. Then I'd save myself a lot of own research and could start the socialization right away, you know?" 

Patra brushed a strand of black hair behind her ear. "Yes, I understand. I'm sure you want to establish contact. I can give you a contact, who I also approach when I need to make contact with the more secret research bases. However, you won't get any information that easily. At best, you could present your request and hope that it will be passed on to get a security classification. Once you've been checked, you'll also get approval for such documents." 

A lot of information, all of which Ana wrote down. "Yes, I see, thank you for the information. Can you email me the contact details?"

Once again, Patra had to smirk. "I can't possibly do that, that's why I called you, I'll give it to you verbally. Take notes." 

Which Ana did and wrote it down exactly. She then repeated what she had written to make sure she hadn't made a mistake. 

"You didn't get that information from me." Patra winked at Ana. 

"Yes, I understand, thank you all the more. I never thought it would be so difficult to get hold of useful research." 

"Why do you think there are so many rumors about Pandora and its flora and fauna? Not to mention what Earth is reporting. Those people at the top would prefer everyone to believe that the planet is uninhabited and dead. So that they can mine the raw materials in peace." She pushed her slipped glasses up on her nose again.

Ana had never thought about it like that before. Of course, the RDA was mainly here to mine the minerals. The research was just a necessary evil to make mining in the mines more efficient and to ensure the survival of the people. If there was nothing here, the company could do without all that and the moral questions about the destruction of an ecosystem. It caused Ana to think. 

"Now that you mention it... I don't know much about Pandora." 

"Exactly, that's what they want. Sometimes knowledge doesn't lead to knowledge, but to more awkward questions." 

Ana nodded. 

"All right, I wish you the best of luck getting your information and making progress with Sky. He's pretty wild, so take good care of yourself." Patra leaned back. "I'd almost say keep me in the loop, but I think that's going to be difficult."

Ana smiled at her counterpart. "You've helped me a lot, thank you very much. If you like, we can keep in touch as much as possible." 

Patra nodded. "Yes, that's a deal. I wish you a good night, see you soon." 

"Likewise." Ana hung up. 

The conversation with Patra had actually raised even more questions in her mind. She really had no idea what was going on on Pandora. She had just arrived from Earth and the only information she had was limited to what she needed to know in order to do her job properly. She probably had the lowest security clearance of all. Hopefully that would change soon so she could find out more about this beautiful moon.

Now completely tired, she closed the laptop. She undid her hair one last time and took off her cardigan before crawling into bed. It wasn't long for her to fall fast asleep.

Tag list: @twisteduniverse5 @yukilaaw @mooniequeen (If you want to get added, comment it under the post)

[epicene-humanoid]

some trans Jeff thoughts:

he realized he was trans in elementary school and just went fuck it I'll just start introducing myself as Jeffery and see if anyone decides to stop me (as we know, jeff winger can get away with almost anything)

he got top surgery the second he could afford it (around the same time he started at his law firm), and probably bribed someone to keep it a secret

"I'm jeff winger and i would rather look at myself naked than the women I sleep with" are the words of a man proud of his transition

he's really insecure about his fashion sense, which is why he mostly dresses like the douchey guys at his firm in the start of the show, he thought you can't go wrong with the sleazy lawyer look

he will never admit it but he feels super good about the dean hitting on him, because the dean is a (cis) guy, acknowledging that Jeff is more manly than him

i think he starts out stealth and comes out to everyone one by one, probably starting with abed because he knows abed won't judge him and will probably just see it as an interesting backstory.

abed just says it's cool and maybe worth a prequel exploring Jeff's transition, and jeff asks him to predict how all of the members of the group will react to him coming out.

abed's predictions:

britta will be over-the-top supportive and do a ton of research about trans history, probably put together a slideshow just to prove how progressive she is, and jeff will be a little bit weirded out, but also touched that she did all that for him, though he would never let her know that

shirley will be confused, because she doesn't know how someone she trusts and knows so well could be part of a group she was raised to hate, but ultimately realizes that there's nothing actually against the lgbtq people in the bible, and, as a cool character development arch, starts to advocate against use of the bible to justify bigotry

troy will just think it over and decide that Jeff's physique and coolness are even awesomer knowing how much work he'd had to put in to be like that, and respects Jeff's manliness even more

annie will give him a hug, say something sweet about how she'll always love him, and worry about his health, because even she read somewhere that taking testosterone makes you more likely to have a heart attack, jeff will explain that the risk is still only as high a cis guy, and she'll be the one to always remind him to take his shots

peirce will say at best say "jeff winger used to be a chick?" and at worst call him a slur, either way there's sure to be a lot of misgendering from him, and pestering to know Jeff's deadname (needless to say, Jeff just doesn't tell peirce)

the whole group goes out of their way to keep their beach trips a secret from pierce (the girls don't want him there anyways, he's too liable to be creepy) even though jeff knows that even if pierce saw his scars, all he would have to do is make up a story about some childhood accident and pierce would never question it

sorry this ended up being super long. can I hear some of your headcanons for him?

YES ALL THIS!!! yes yes i’m fully accepting this as canon oh my god

i’m about to type a whole ass ESSAY at midnight because i have been DYING to talk about this for months ajfdksljk,,, this is going to be obscenely long and i might end up adding even more to it as i continue to rewatch the show because there is truly no shortage of trans jeff content (especially when you’re trans and see transness in every little thing ajdkslfkjs)

spoiler warning for literally everything about this show under the cut <3

i 100% agree, i feel like he realized he was trans super young, especially since in the show we see him as a little kid a couple of times. 

like look at little jeff with the oversized sweatshirt and little ponytail!! that’s childhood trans fashion. not to be dramatic but part of me thinks that jeff’s dad left before he fully came out to his family (which gives him even more angst about it, because until that one Thanksgiving episode, he’s never able to prove to his dad that he’s a better man), but part of me thinks that his dad left after he came out (which adds that spicy i-should-have-stayed-in-the-closet guilt that he has to work through). 

either way, because his dad wasn’t there, he had to base his concept of masculinity on something else, which was becoming a lawyer!! there’s some line that’s like “after the dust and divorce papers were settled the only man i looked up to was [the lawyer guy]”. like, replacing your father figure in your mind with the concept of “a job where you can talk your way in and out of anything and distort other people’s concept of reality”? that’s trans.

 and the fucking THANKSGIVING EPISODE... i struggle to watch it without crying hehe <3 yeowch! the dichotomy of willy jr. being the “wrong” kind of man because he’s “too soft” but jeff also not being enough despite adhering to all the social standards of masculinity... fuck!! this whole scene of him telling his dad “i am Not well adjusted” and talking about how he gave himself an “appendix surgery scar” when he was a kid and he still keeps the get-well-soon letters from his classmates under his bed? oh my god. the implication of people loving him not despite his scars but because of them?? trans. i can’t think about this episode for too long or i’ll start yelling.

OH and this scene? where he talks about how his mom got him a girl costume for halloween?? and everyone said “what a cute little girl” and after a few houses he stopped correcting them?? and “once the shame and the fear wore off, i was just glad they thought i was pretty”?? THAT’S TRANS... the man needs validation oh my god... and then in all the halloween episodes we see he has these ultra-masculine costumes (a cowboy, David Beckham, one of the fast and furious guys even though he never watched the movies, a boxer with his DAD’S boxing gloves... god) costumes are about becoming something else and he always chooses to be hypermasculine and that is trans.

THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION EPISODE!!!!!!! being uncomfortable during P.E. is a queer experience. period. but him being specifically uncomfortable in the clothes someone else is assigning to him? trans. “are we gonna talk about clothes like a girl? or use tapered sticks to hit balls around a cushioned mat like a man?” TRANS. and him eventually stripping in public? celebration of transness. and the fact that he eventually becomes comfortable in both the uniform and his own style!! trans!! god i love this episode. 

AND AND AND!!! the gay dean coming out episode!!! where it’s the three of them discussing the best way for the dean to come out as gay despite not entirely identifying with that label!! so we have both frankie and the dean who are sort of ambiguously queer, and jeff who’s a stealth trans man who’s probably only out to only the study group at this point. this scene where the dean and jeff have this like eyebrow communication while frankie is talking is just so cute. queer-to-queer communication. “I am so curious” “oh?” “intellectually.” “oh...” ajfdksljfk this scene just screams high school GSA to me and i love it so much.

and SPEAKING of the dean!! i totally see you on that. i feel like jeff has some internalized homophobia/biphobia (like he’d throw punches over someone else, but when it comes to himself he has a lot of shame). and also seeing the dean so confident in all his different outfits/costumes has a weird affect on him bc it’s like “okay, the dean, a cis guy, can do that, but i as a trans guy could Not because that’s Breaking the Rules”. which, like, throwback to the halloween thing. of course there’s no right way to be masculine, but mr. winger does not know that.

another thing!! the episode where their emails get leaked? that includes his emails with his therapist. fuck!! he was outed to the whole world in that episode!! no wonder he was so fucking angry!! this whole episode (and really any time he mentions his therapist) is so interesting when you think about them as a person he talks to about his transition. OH which adds to the thing with the dean!! “and you told your therapist you wanted to be alone this weekend” and “not you jeff, i know you’ll be visiting your dad” ”I told you to stop reading my emails”. luckily his study group has his back and just makes fun of him for emailing astronauts lmao

and WHO can forget “they’re giving out an award for most handsome young man!!!!” what else is there to say about this line besides: he’s trans. you know he didn’t get awarded enough for being a handsome young man when he was a kid, and no amount of compliments when he’s fully-grown can really make up for that. some people crash a kid’s bar mitzvah to cope with the fact that they struggled to be seen as themselves when they were a teenager <3

also his weird relationship with pierce? where he kind of hates him (understandably lmao) but at times has this almost-friends-almost-father-son relationship with him? especially in this episode where he’s forced to bond with him and ends up having a good time by accident (at a barber shop no less, the perfect place to Be A Man with your Man Friend). idk what to say about him besides the fact that pierce says his mom wanted a girl when he was born and made him dress like a girl (and his middle name is anastasia!) so if they’re gonna do any bonding over transness it’s gonna be that. 

okay one last thing and then i’ll shut up for the night. this episode kills me (and almost kills jeff hahahahelpi’mcrying). it’s a very Trans thing to not be able to visualize your future self, it just is. growing up trans at the time he did? i don’t know what kind of future he saw for himself, but i’m so happy that he ended up with a group of friends who became his family and love him the way they all do. i’m so emotional over this asshole it’s ridiculous. 

in conclusion:

they’re trans, your honor <3

[prettyvampiress96]

The Malfoy Secret - Chapter 3

Since the traumatic death of her last living relative, Anna had since been a guest in the Malfoy manor . Although she was by now a little more than a guest. Her aunt was peacefully laid to rest and throughout the whole ordeal the Malfoys were her absolute anchor to reality. Anna however still couldn't put her thoughts in order at the situation. On one hand Anna had wanted to go home but on the other hand she rather enjoyed the company of the Malfoys. Anna had previously attempted to return home twice. The first time Anna had gone to return home , Draco begged her not to leave claiming he wanted to make the most of her company before his return to his last term of third year next week.. The second time Cissa began fretting about her wellbeing. Her being worried about Anna all alone in that big house. So Anna agreed to stay to ease Cissa's conscience but did say that she would return before her first day of work at the Ministry. What Anastasia didn't know was that she would be the right hand assistant to Lucius himself. The letter enclosing said information remained unopened in the Rosier mansion.

The following week Narcissa and Lucius bid Draco farewell at kings cross station whilst Anna was already in the Ministry of Magic for her first day along with another student from her year . Anastasia now knew that she would be working with Lucius , she was relieved at least it was someone who wouldn't judge her by her name. Though the thought of being in such a confined space with the white haired man had butterflies filling the pit of her stomach. Lucius strutted into his office in the department of Magical Law Enforcement, halting in his footsteps at the sight of his darling Anna stretching on the tips of her feet to reach a book higher up on the shelf, Lucius held back a laugh as he took in just how miniature she was even in a pair of heels. Even though he adored that about her , he couldn't help picture in absolutely nothing but those heels all stretched out for him and for cissa of course. Anna hadn't yet realised he had entered the room she was too caught up in finding the book Mr. Crouch had requested. Lucius took this as his moment . He walked as quietly as he could towards her . When Anna was in his reach, his large hands held her hips , his long fingers digging in slightly. Anna's back pressed flush against his broad chest. Leaning down to her ear. "You want my help with that darling ?" He whispered pressing himself further into the girl. Anna blushed at the feeling of his hardened member making itself known. Easily reaching for the book , his hand could reach without him even trying. "By all means you can say no and I shall just sit back and watch as that little skirt rides up more and more. Its taking I have not to throw you over my desk and worship you right here babygirl" Lucius smirked as Anastasia let out a squeak at the pet name he called her. Lucius brought the book down to Anna's eyesight, offering it out to her , Anna still pressed against the overly large shelf. Before Anna could respond in walked Narcissa. Narcissa drank in the scene in front of her , the sight of her husband and hopefully her soon to be princess. Anastasia's face flushed a deep red as she resisted the urge to run into Cissa's arms. " My darling how lovely of you to join us isn't that right princess?" Lucius turned to face cissa while slipping a wink to Anna. "I .. Uh..you...I should get this book to Mr. Crouch " she said shyly unsure of how to respond , after all neither of them had spoken since her and cissa kissed. Anna couldn't help wondering is Narcissa regretted it. Bowing her head Anna moved to rush from the room. "WAIT, STOP" Narcissa called after her smiling as annas feet immediately come to a halt." Hurry back darling there's something we should all talk about". Anna nodded in response quickly exiting the room. Anastasia walked with the book in her arms just down the hall, knocking respectively , Anna awaited permission before entering. " Mr Crouch I'm terribly sorry if I am interrupting I'm just bringing the book you requested from Mr Malfoy" Anastasia informed showing the book as if she needed the proof. "Ah right yes, good good I do believe you may have just missed crossing paths with our young Mr Weasley. He took it upon himself to retrieve that book . A good boy he is . If that is all Miss Rosier I am rather busy I'm afraid" Mr Crouch, the minister of Magic himself said without raising so much as his head. Anna walked back to Lucius's office , the sound of her heels clacking with every step, when suddenly body blocks her way. "You know you'd think the slimy Slytherin's would crawl back into their holes rather than working for the Ministry . Your father was a blind fool to follow the dark lord . Tell me what would daddy think of his daughter now. Oh no thats right he got himself killed before you could wipe the drool from your chin? " Percy Weasley sneered at her . Anastasia's blood fuelled an inferno of rage and Percy was about to get a taste of the fire. Passer's by began to stop and watch while office doors seemed to open for the fellow workers to do the same. Annas eyes glazed over and she smiled a

sweet smile. " Don't you ever speak of my family in that way do you hear me ? You want to know what my 'daddy' thinks , insult me again and you'll be finding out" Anna threatened in a low voice her wand drawn and pressed into the younger Weasleys throat. Lucius Malfoy was the first to intervene , his hand pushing anna's armed one down. He ushered the furious girl into the office and she slowly began following. " Enjoy freedom while you can I'm sure they've got a cell in Azkaban with your family's name on call it an heirloom. As cold, dark narcissistic murderers run in your family dont they. When you slip up Rosier and you will . I will be the one to put you there myself" Percy shouted at her back. Taken off guard Percy hadn't expected Anna to throw 'stupefy at him knocking him down the hall by a few good feet . " Funny that if I'm to go to Azkaban it'll be for killing you. You're a no good blood traitor and yet you think you actually have the audacity to think you stand a chance against me. I know spells your mother couldnt even dream of mastering . You think you can talk about my family when you know absolutely nothing . I'll escort myself to Azkaban right now once I've sent your cold body to your mother. That dark enough for you saint Percy? Anna fumed her wand raised . Arthur Weasley emerged from the crowd , his wand drawn protecting his son. Lucius drew his wand and stood directly in front of Anastasia.

"Princess go, back to the office head held high cissy is there and I'll be right behind you "Lucius whispers so low only Anastasia could hear it. Anna nods confirming she had indeed heard his words but she was reluctant to walk away. When Lucius firmly commands her once again to go as she reaches the offices, she can already feel the tears fill her eyes and the burning sensation in her chest. Anna just wanted to scream . Instead she shuts the door and walks to her desk with her head down. Realisation hitting her like a tonne of bricks Anna slides down the nearest wall. Narcissa immediately running to the sobbing girl sitting next to her , Cissa cradled anna against her chest, rocking slightly whilst rubbing a hand soothingly on the black haired girls back.

"I'm not a bad person I've followed every rule. I've never put a foot wrong yet I'm still painted with the same brush as my father am I destined to be alone. Perhaps Azkaban is the best place for someone with a name like mine". Lucius having now dealt with the pathetic Weasleys returns just as Anna sobs those words. Seeing her so broken and seeing his wife so affected at those words only tempted Lucius to go back and seriously damage the disrespectful boy. Weighing his options, nothing was more important than his family and as of that his girls needed him. Narcissa who was still holding Anna raised her head to look at her husband , she tilted her head to the side silently asking what had happened out there.

He ushered Narcissa over to him which she does hesitantly. Torn between leaving Anna and finding out what had occurred . Narcissa's curiosity got the best of her. "Anna I'll be right back darling" Narcissa whispered assuringly. Lucius explains in a hushed whisper briefly what happened. Narcissa can't believe what she's heard. How could someone say something so cruel about her baby girl. Lucius made his way over to Anna and bent down, lifting her chin up to face him. " Don't you ever let me hear say that about yourself . We would never allow you to be put in that wretched place. A name does not define you. That boy knows nothing. He is nothing. You are my everything. Our everything " he would say pulling cissa to him as she steps nearer not wanting to scare Anna . "I'm yours. Like both of you?" Anna questioned back , her green eyes wide and her pink lips pouted in slight confusion. " Why don't we all go back home a discuss this over a drink hmm?" Cissa hinted holding her hand out for her husband and Anna to take .

They arrive back at Malfoy Manor and Anna takes a seat on the sofa in the front room with Cissa sitting on one side of her and Lucius on the other side. Lucius gently takes one of Anna’s hands in his and with the other hand gently turns her head to face him “Anna I meant what I said earlier you are our everything and I want to discuss you becoming apart of our relationship” He nods at Cissa before continuing “There is no pressure Anna, you can say no and we’ll respect your decision. It won’t affect our working relationship either.” Anna doesn’t respond straight away, feeling a little shocked at his offer. “Should you agree to be with us boundaries would be set in place, which leads me to my next question. What are your boundaries Anna?” Lucius’ voice soft as he looks into her eyes.

“I don’t have any boundaries as I’ve never done this before” Anna answers honestly as she holds his gaze for a moment before looking down at her lap, a look of confusion washes over his face “Anna had never been kissed before I kissed her two weeks ago” Cissa explained. Lucius places his fingers under Anna’s chin lifting her head up “Just to confirm Anna, you are a virgin?” She nods at him and feels her cheeks heat in a light blush. “We’ll take things nice and slow; we’ll go at a pace that suits you…if you agree to be ours that is.” Lucius tells her with a smile on his lips and Anna couldn’t help herself, she looked down at his mouth and licked her lips. Cissa nods agreeing with her husband “We will look after you. You will be safe with us…always” Cissa took hold of Anna’s other hand in hers and begun rubbing small soothing circles on the back of her hand with her thumbs.

Anna looks between Cissa and Lucius before speaking “I’d like to be yours, both of yours but I’m worried I cannot offer you much in return” Cissa turns Anna’s head so she is looking at her “Just by agreeing to be with us is giving us more than you can imagine. All we want to do is to make you feel loved, safe and of course pleasure you beyond your wildest dreams” Cissa smiles and leans forward pressing her lips to Anna’s in a quick but sweet kiss.

“If we overstep a boundary or you start to feel uneasy or anything just tell us. In fact, to be sure we are all comfortable with this arrangement I recommend we use safe words” Lucius said softly, his breath warm against her ear “Safe words?” Anna asked shyly and he chuckled lightly “Ahh so innocent my sweet girl” His fingers brushing her hair aside as he placed a soft kiss to her neck before continuing “Each of us picks a word that once spoken the others know enough is enough. The moment the word is spoken everything stops…straight away, no questions or explanations needed” Anna turned her head slightly so she was looking at him over her shoulder “I’d like to be yours, both of yours” He smiled at her before capturing her lips with his.

Lucius and Narcissa both hand in hand with Anastasia began escorting her up the winding black marble case not stopping until they reached the door to the master bedroom. Both Malfoys stood watching Anna's reaction as Lucius twisted the handle of the door pushing it open , allowing Anna the first step inside. Anastasia was in awe at the decoration. With a flick of his wrist Lucius had set candles alight causing a rather romantic atmosphere. Anna's hand was still laced with Cissa's, she was reminded off that when Narcissa squeezed her hand. " What do you think babygirl?" Cissa asked brushing a loose strand of Anna's hair from her face, leaning in she placed a soft kiss on Anna's lips . "It's beautiful Cissy . It really is" Anna breathed looking behind her for Lucius. When Anastasia noticed him still stood by the door only now minus his dress shirt , she reached her hand towards him wanting to touch . Lucius noticed Anna's hesitation and stepped into her reach, taking her hands he placed them on the centre of his broad chest. Anna's hands ran up over his bare shoulders and linked around his neck attempting to pull him down to her level due to the height difference. Anna could feel his intoxicating scent overwhelm her and she took the plunge pressing her lips to his . His kiss was different to that of Cissa's it was rougher and more dominant . Lucius's hands reached over the curves of Anna's ass and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he walked them to the bed . A naked Narcissa joined the pair , running her fingers up anna's bare legs causing anna gasp allowing Lucius access to her tongue . Anastasia pulled back from her make out session , glancing at Narcissa, her eyes tracing over the perky nipples of her breasts. Anna's mouth ran dry . She had no idea what she wanted but god that woman was it. " Remember Darling we can stop whenever you like , tonight is all about you my pretty babygirl , mommy and daddy will make you feel so good I promise princess you just have to trust us" Narcissa spoke softly tapping her finger on the top button of anna's shirt. " Can mummy take this off baby " Cissa cooed , anna nodded and proceeded to remove the shirt herself only for cissa to stop her. "Let mommy do it angel please" Cissa asked again this time Anna nodded and allowed cissa to removed her top. Narcissa dropped the shirt to the floor her eyes never looking away from Annas full breasts, leaning forward cissa placed a wet kiss to the tops of her breasts. Ana in response arched her back unaware that her hips had rocked against the very non discreet package in Lucius's trousers. Narcissa's hands travelled lower and lower until they reached the waistband of the very tight skirt Anna had on. Cissa's fingers hooked into the band but waited for permission from Anna . "Princess Mommy's waiting for you "Lucius whispered in Anna's ear. Anastasia nodded fervently glancing down and the sight of a naked Narcissa between her thighs . Anna couldnt peel her eyes away. In a split second her skirt and panties were removed , Anna's core now slick and bare to Cissa who licked her lips in delight at the prize in front of her . "We can stop if you want to little princess, you just have to say and we promise we wont be disappointed in the slightest or should mommy continue" Lucius reminded . " No please Don't stop please dont stop "Anna pleaded . Her pleas were music to their ears. Lucius interlocked his fingers with Anna's , watching over anna's shoulder as his wife's head leant even closer to Annas blazing sex. Narcissa hummed as she dragged a finger through Anna's wet folds, shivering at the breathless gasp she made in response. Narcissa placed a soft kiss to either side of Anastasias inner thigh before connecting her warm tongue to her wet pussy. Anna's hips rose from the emerald sheets , her head thrown back into the crook of Lucius's neck and her grip on his hands getting tighter. " Is mummy making you feel good baby girl ? Let us hear those beautiful noises of yours petal" Lucius teased in advance. Anna mewled , feeling

an unfamiliar weight in the pit of her stomach. Narcissa continued flicking the sensitive bud while she introduced a single finger into Anna's tight hole preparing to stretch her out for Lucius. Slowly and gently Cissa began thrusting that finger in and out in time with the flicking of the bud . With her fingers getting so slick from Anna's running juices , cissa added a second finger and with every thrust in began spreading them apart . Anna's walls began to clench around Cissa's fingers locking them in place and her thighs tightening pulling cissa closer than she was. " Oh Oh Oh " Anna screamed as she rode her first ever climax down on Narcissa .Anna felt shifting from behind her as Lucius moved himself from the bed taking Cissa's place between Anna's thighs. Climbing above her Cissa placed a kiss to Anna's lips. "You did so well darling mummy's so proud of you. Does Daddy want a taste do you think? " Narcissa beamed down at her baby all glistening in sweat , glancing to her husband smirking. Lucius's hand reached across grabbing cissa at the chin, passionately kissing his wife all the while tasting the sweet nectar of his princess on her tongue. At some point during the exchange Lucius had removed his remaining clothing. Lucius tapped on Anna's thighs grabbing her attention. Narcissa sat near Annas head now it was her turn to watch the faces her baby pulled whilst screaming from the pleasure she was receiving. " Princess you need to listen just for a minute okay? Are you sure this is what you want? I won't lie to you my girl it might be a little uncomfortable at first but that passes. Are you absolutely sure?" Lucius needed to make her aware he'd never forgive himself if he hurt her . " Please I trust you Daddy I'd like to try. Help me try" Anna begged her voice sounding like a whine. Lucius wrapped his hand around his painfully hard cock swiping the pre-cum from the swollen head to lubricate it slightly. The combination of that and Anna's cum should be just enough.

As he slowly began to ease into her, Anna's walls clenched around him as a pained groan leaves her throat. Digging her nails into his shoulders as she squeezes her eyes shut tight, Anna's body tenses against his when he comes to a stop. His body trembling as he fights the lust inside him to thrust into his pretty little princess .When the pain starts to subside Anastasia slowly moves her hips .

"Please " was all Anna could muster out. Lucius takes her thigh and places it on his hip as he starts to slowly move against her . Quickly finding a steady rhythm, as his hips roll against hers both moving in perfect harmony , Anna could feel every thrust against her walls. Her nails leave red half-moon crescents on biceps. Narcissa sat back observing couldnt help but reach down and began circling her own clit. His name falls from Anastasia's mouth like a prayer when he finds that specific spot inside of her . "Fuck, Princess , you feel so good around Daddy" he moans as he thrust faster into her , pleasure invaded her senses as her vision begins to cloud , with her head thrown back Anna can no longer keep the moans inside of her . An inferno rages inside of her , Her hands fall from his arms to grasp at the sheets with such a force her knuckles began turning white. "Papi, I'm..." she moans out. " Let it go baby I'm here Daddy's here" Lucius coaxed. Anastasias walls enclosed around Lucius's cock , her nectar coating his manhood. With a last thrust into her Lucius emptied his load filling his princess up to the brim. Gently removing himself from inside her , Lucius laid to the right of Anna enclosing her in his arms, Narcissa laid to the left of Anna . "Our princess did absolutely perfect wouldn't you say so dear?" Narcissa asked Lucius. "Oh i couldn't agree more darling. How are you feeling Princess?" Lucius asked Anna. The three of them an entanglement of limbs. Until Narcissa rose from the bed and into the large bathroom followed by the sound of running water. " Come on Darling let us clean you up and put you in something comfy before you fall asleep" Narcissa commented. Anna however was quite tired and comfy as she mumbled incoherent words from where she was. Lucius scooped her up into his arms and took her into the bathroom himself. Narcissa already in the bath, held her arms out as he lowered his princess down into her lap. A scent of lavender and camomile filled their senses. Lucius lathered up a sponge and glided it over every inch of Anastasias body. Anastasia snapped from her dazed state smiling at both Lucius and Narcissa. Before putting her head down and playing with her fingers , a sign they had already noticed when she was nervous or embarrassed. " Princess Is everything alright darling? Are you hurt or in pain?" Cissa asked concerned she may be hurt . " No no nothing like that I was urm well I just wondered could I stay with you two tonight?" Anna asked so quietly that if they had been any further away they wouldn't have caught it. "Of Course you sweet girl you were always going to sleep in with us . We wouldn't have it any other way. Now why dont you let mommy wash your hair whilst daddy gets out and fetches you something comfy eh?" Narcissa said softly to Anna pulling her in for a cuddle in the warm water. With the girls dressed in Narcissa's nightgowns , Lucius had made a mental note to have cissa and anna go shopping soon. Lucius had already pulled back the covers and slid in, waiting for his girls to come out. "Which side should I sleep?" Anna asked Narcissa. They hadn't discussed that yet. " Why dont you sleep in the middle darling so that way we can both hold you" Lucius offered. Anna scrambled into bed followed by Cissa. Cissa took hold of Annas hand and kissed the knuckles.

"I'm so happy you agreed to be ours our darling girl "Narcissa expressed. Lucius turned on his side facing Anna and Cissa draping his arm across the both of them in a protective manner. " I love you both my precious girls" Lucius said lovingly. The three slept in each others embrace for the rest of the night.

[iloveslasher]

@bootybetterbebruised : So like I had an idea. Imagine being the s/o of Jesse and one day he decides to get surgery to fix his vocal cords so he’ll be able talk for the first time in his life. When he wakes up you tell him that the surgery was a success. The first thing that he says in his entire life is, “I love you y/n.” Then the next few days he just says everything that he has always wanted to say with his own voice.

Would anyone be willing to write this?

Sure chica!

Title: happily ever after.

{I'll use my OC for this, Asa is also in this story }

The idea was from: @bootybetterbebruised

I have been waiting for 4 hours now since they rolled him in the surgery room.

Being in an hospital never scared me this much, I'm scared the surgery will fail and he'll die. I know I must be overreacting but he's my husband I don't want anything to go wrong.

(one hour later)

My stomach is grumbling and still no news, I stand up and get a coffee. I sit back down and drink my coffee "Leah?!" I look up and see asa. I stand up placing my coffee on the table and run towards him. He embraces me and buries his head in my hair, I hide my face in the crook of his neck. "oh asa, it's been 5 hours and no news. I'm so worried" he caresses my back. "you shouldn't worry about him, he's being operated by the best doctors. He made sure of it." I sighed into his neck, somewhat relaxing into his body. He kissed my head and tightened his arms around me, not wanting to let me go.

"Leah Cromeans?" I looked up to see a nurse. "Yes, that's me." She smiled at me "if you could come with me please." I nodded tugging asa with me. He put an hand on my lower back, calming me down once more. We talked about the surgery and then we heard the news...

We walked into the room and I saw Jesse awake his head turned towards us. I smiled at him and walked towards him, I hugged him very tight. "oh Jesse..." I teared up, he tilted my chin to look up at him. My tears rolled down my face, He looked confused as to why I was crying. "the surgery... It was a succes!" asa said to him. He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off " nah-ah the doctor said that you aren't supposed to talk for a couple of days to let your vocal cords rest." I told him and he nodded "I was so worried about you Jesse" he smiled and shook his head. 'don't worry about me' he signed. "how could I not your my husband!" he smiled at me and hugged me closer. "let's get you out of this hospital." asa said grabbing our stuff. I helped Jesse get out of the hospital bed, onto the wheelchair. He looked at us confused "the doctor said you might still be a little loopy from the anastasia." he nodded and asa pushed him to the car,

Once at the car we rode home.

A week later

(no one p.o.v)

"alright jesse what did you want to talk about?" asa asked jesse. But instead of typing or signing he cleared his throat and spoke! "I want to suprise Leah." asa blinked a few times suprised by how deep and rough Jesse's voice is. "Jesus, your voice is deep." Jesse laughed and even that was hot! "how do you want to suprise Leah exactly?" jesse smirked.

(Leah p.o.v)

I open the door and drop my stuff on the ground near the door. I know asa might scold me for it but I just want to relax and see them. "babes, I'm home!" I yell jumping on the couch almost falling off. I look around confused why I don't hear anything, I get up and walk upstairs to the master bedroom. "Asa, Jesse?" I ask opening the door, I see them making out on the bed asa underneath Jesse. I clear my throat, they quickly turn around. "oh I'm sorry... Did I step on your moment?" i ask arching my eyebrow up. They quickly get off each other, and jesse stands up to walk towards me. "I'm sorry babygirl, do you know how much I love you? I want you to carry my babies later and we'll all die old and happy." I gasp my eyes wide, covering my mouth. "j-jesse! I-" i broke down in tears, he embraced me and kissed my head. "I love you too and your voice!"

We kissed and asa hugged us.

It really is an happily ever after!

[elysianfiction]

Hi! I'm turning 20 today and I was wondering how would the ROs celebrate this kind of life milestone with MC (especially Ronan 😉. I won't lie, I fell in love).

P.S.: You really are a fantastic author and I wanted to thank you for creating all those wonderful characters and sharing them with us. I'm absolutly addicted to everything you create. Hope you have a nice day!

Omg sweetheart, happy birthday! 💛

How would the ros celebrate such a birthday, hmm... 👀

Julian would do something simple. He loves chaos and festivities, but I feel like for once he would prefer to take MC somewhere quieter. A place where they can be alone, enjoy one another's presence without anyone to interrupt. However, since I'm a bit weak to this sort of trope, I can see Julian stealing MC away for the night and go into town full Aladin style.

Anastasia is a bit restricted with what she can and can't do, but she would find nonetheless the time to prepare something special. A private dinner, spending way too much time worrying about gifts. In her world birthdays are pompous celebrations, so she would try her best to make MC's as genuine as possible. She knows first-hand what it means to be surrounded by fakes.

Nyx is not that fond of birthdays, so she would have a little trouble coming up with something. She wants it to be special, but at the same time her people's traditions are so different from the rest of Niflven. And that's exactly the answer. She would introduce MC to the traditions, the forest's hidden treasures, perhaps rediscovering the joy of simple things along the way as well.

Ronan is... Complicated. He has this whole reputation weighting on his back, but then he learns about your birthday and how do you show affection when you're touch starved yourself? Altair is the only one who's been looking after him for a long time, he doesn't know how to be on the giving end. In the end, since I love tropes yes I'm garbage, I can see him and MC share a private dinner and then sway in the empty ballroom. Joined hands barely lit by fluttering flames, not a single note to be heard.