#its like. this time around i actually Perceived them. and not watched them like. every time liv looks at el its like. she cant believe it

[ohtendril]

two of you. always in sync

[collaredsoldat]

Stained.

summary: Soldat continues to have nightmares.

warnings: Post!HYDRA Winter Soldier | Post!HTP and abuse | PTSD | Nightmares | Minor injury | Flashbacks

a/n: So sorry it took so long for another part. Been super distracted with other blogs and life stuff. There's a few more things I will write about for this 'series' then I will start another one with him. This one's a bit shorter but I have another one almost completed. Anyway enjoy comforting the baby <3 Unedited. ;; wc: 2.7k

His screams were so chilling.

They seemed to pierce through the very walls of your home. The haunting sound reverberated in the air, leaving an eerie silence in its wake that was almost as unsettling as the screams themselves.

Every single night, without fail, they never ceased. You could almost set your watch by their occurrence, anticipating the exact moment when the torment would begin. As the clock ticked closer to that dreaded hour, you'd find yourself tensing, waiting for the inevitable.

Then, right on cue, you'd hear him thrashing violently, desperately fighting against the blankets that enveloped him like a straitjacket. In a frenzied panic, he would scramble to the corner of the room, his movements frantic and uncoordinated. His eyes splayed wide with terror, darting around the room, seeing horrors that only he could perceive. His breathing came in ragged gasps, as if he had just breached the surface after being submerged in the depths of his nightmares, desperately gulping in air as if it were his first breath after a near-drowning experience.

The nightmares were a relentless, unyielding torment that plagued him night after night. They seemed to have a life of their own, cruel entities that delighted in tormenting him, forcing him to relive moments he desperately wished he could forget. These nocturnal demons dredged up memories from the darkest corners of his mind, parading them before him in vivid, terrifying detail, making him relive everything. It was as if his subconscious were punishing him for abandoning his previous affiliations, determined to extract every ounce of pain from his past experiences, leaving him raw and vulnerable each morning.

Just like its old handler had.

In an attempt to provide some comfort, you began a nightly ritual of telling him goodnight every evening. He began to seek out your company, a noticeable shift from his previous isolation, over the previous few days. He would actually spend time with you, choosing to sit by you as you watched TV on the couch. Although he still maintained a certain distance, unwilling or unable to fully let his guard down, he would position himself near your legs, just close enough to feel your presence without fully engaging.

Occasionally, in moments of vulnerability or perhaps seeking comfort, he would lean against your legs. You would gently, almost hesitantly, reach out to touch his hair, those fleeting moments of him actually initiating contact were rare. The contact was brief, barely more than a whisper of touch, before he would inevitably pull away, retreating back into his shell. But even these small moments of connection felt like monumental progress, a tiny crack in the walls he had built around himself.

Tonight had been a bit rough.

The weather conditions had deteriorated as the season switched from fall to winter.

A fierce snowstorm had been mercilessly battering the exterior of the apartment building you lived in for hours without reprieve. The violent gusts of wind sent snowflakes, dense and numerous, into a frenzied dance through the air, creating an impenetrable curtain of white that obscured nearly all visibility. That meant anyone driving was pretty much driving blind, and some places in the city have closed until the storm stops.

The persistent howling of the tempest as it wrapped around the building created unfamiliar sounds throughout your apartment, though these disturbances never bothered you when you slept. You had slept through thunderstorms before, howling wind wasn’t anything to bug you. Soldat, situated in the other room, was experiencing quite the opposite reaction to the weather.

There were things he remembered from HYDRA, memories that haunted him like persistent shadows, but the cold remained the most vivid and haunting of them all. The experience of cryo was something permanently etched into his being, a sensation that lingered long after each freeze. He could still feel with crystal clarity the way the freezing process felt. The gradual slowing of his blood flow, the painful stiffening of his muscles, and the biting chill that penetrated deep into his bones.

The cold would wrap around him like an unforgiving blanket, creating an impenetrable cocoon of ice that sealed him away from the world. In those moments, he became more than just a prisoner of HYDRA - he became a prisoner of winter itself, trapped from which he could never fully escape. Even now, warmth felt like a distant memory, a comfort that his body had forgotten how to truly experience.

No matter how many blankets he covered up in, no matter how hot the shower was, he still felt cold.

You shifted position in your bed, consciousness gradually returning as you stirred from sleep, your eyes fluttering open while your hands instinctively moved to clear the lingering drowsiness from them. You were going to just roll back over, but the unexpected presence of a dark silhouette towering above your bed startled you wide awake. Pure adrenaline rushed through your system, causing you to let out an involuntary shriek as you scrambled away from the mysterious figure. You realized it was Soldat, and you let out a breath you had been holding.

"Fuck...y-you startled me!" You exclaimed breathlessly, your trembling hand pressed firmly against your chest where your heart continued to thunder against your ribcage like a drum.

The man watched you intently from across the room, maintaining his silence. When the wind howled against your window panes with renewed intensity, his cold, calculating eyes briefly darted towards the source of the sound before returning to fix on you again. Before you could break the silence between you, he moved forward and crawled up onto your bed.

His movements were awkward and cautious, like an animal discovering new texture beneath its paws. His every motion was measured and uncertain, acting like the bed was going to fall out from beneath him. The soldier finally settled himself onto the bed beside you, positioning his rigid body so that he was facing away from you.

This was really unexpected but...you weren't going to complain. He was clearly struggling with something so you decided to just be quiet and pretend he wasn't there. Hopefully that would somehow make this fragile moment less overwhelming for him.

When you finally drifted back to sleep, consciousness returned abruptly as his sudden movements jolted you awake. He had jerked and scrambled, pressing himself firmly against the headboard of the bed, his rigid posture betraying his distress. His eyes were wide with an unnamed fear, darting frantically around the darkened room, searching desperately through the shadows for phantoms that existed only in his mind. His breathing came in rapid, shallow gasps, his chest rising and falling with an intensity that suggested he had been running for miles.

His fingers were wrapped so tightly around the bedsheets that his knuckles had turned white and his metal hand was whirring with pressure, the fabric bunching beneath his iron grip. When you spoke his name, his wild gaze snapped to your face, focusing on you with an intensity that was almost frightening. "Soldat...what's wrong?" Your words came out thick with sleep, barely audible against the war raging in his mind.

"What's wrong?" The handler's voice dripped with cruel sarcasm as his boot connected violently with the asset's stomach, sending a spray of crimson across the pristine floor as it doubled over, coughing and choking. "Can't sleep? I told you to quiet down." Its handler had a particular hatred for nighttime disruptions, especially the ones he deliberately orchestrated, taking perverse pleasure in ensuring the asset's nights were filled with terror while simultaneously punishing it for displaying any signs of disturbance.

The asset remained silent, managing only to expel the remaining blood from its mouth as it struggled to regain its upright position. Through its blurred vision, the handler's eyes stood out with terrifying clarity, piercing and unforgiving as they bore down upon the asset with unmistakable malice. His voice cut through the silence like a knife, the handler’s demeanor shifting to become much more threatening. "You stained my fucking carpet."

He shook his head vigorously, scooting away from you until he reached the edge of the bed and lost his balance. "Shit," you moved forward instinctively, witnessing his unsteady stumble and the harsh thud that followed as he tumbled off, he let out a small grunt as he hit the floor. "You okay?" You asked softly, your voice gentle as you carefully made your way down and knelt beside his huddled form.

Your bed was positioned close to the wall but not touching, creating a small, sheltered alcove that provided him with a sense of security. A perfect hiding spot where he could feel somewhat protected from the world, he had ventured from the small spaces in the spare room but he tended to resort back to them when he felt especially anxious.

"Hey, you're bleeding," you noticed with concern as a thin crimson line began making its way down his forehead and along his brow. His hand shot up immediately, pressing against the wound in an attempt to stem the flow. A flash of unmistakable panic crossed his features, causing your stomach to twist with worry. "It's okay, I'll go get something for it..." You reassured him gently, rising to your feet and making your way to the bathroom where you kept a small first aid box, tucked away under the sink.

When you returned to his side, you knelt back down and carefully held out some small pieces of sterile gauze. His lack of response to take them gave you an invitation, you took his stillness as silent permission to help. Your hand carefully guided his away from the injury, replacing his trembling fingers with the soft gauze, which you held there with the lightest possible pressure while maintaining a strong enough hold to stop the bleeding.

As you held the gauze against the wound, his eyes slowly trailed down to the floor by his feet. A deep frown creased his features as he noticed two tiny red droplets seeping into the little strings of carpet, expanding like delicate watercolor paint on wet paper. The crimson spots seemed to grow before his eyes, each fiber darkening as it absorbed the blood. "I...I'm sorry," He rasped, his voice so rough and broken that you almost flinched at the sound.

The words hung heavy in the air between you, and before you could register that he actually spoke to you again or even understand what exactly he was apologizing for, he spoke again, his voice growing more distressed with each repetition. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he whispered, his gaze fixed intently on those small drops staining the carpet. He curled in on himself even more, the apologies falling from his lips over and over again like he were completely overwhelmed with a foreboding sense of incoming danger.

You followed his line of sight downward and observed the tiny marks yourself, finding yourself fighting back an inappropriate smile at the situation. Here he was, clearly distraught over what amounted to barely more than pinpricks of blood on the carpet. The whole concept almost felt ridiculous, that among everything else happening, this would be what concerned him so deeply.

You couldn't understand why he'd be so genuinely upset about such a minor stain, but his distress was clearly real and you didn’t want him to feel this way over something so minor. "Hey, hey. It's fine, don't apologize," you assured him gently, trying to draw his attention away from the floor. "It's just a few drops. No big deal..."

He looked back at the crimson droplets that had dripped down the soft carpet, then shifted his gaze towards you while carefully avoiding direct eye contact. His shoulders hunched inward defensively as he spoke. "I...I stained." The words emerged as barely more than a breath, his voice trembling and uncertain, barely managing to push the confession past his lips.

"And stains can be cleaned." You responded, keeping your voice steady and reassuring. "It's not a big deal at all. I'm not upset - they're just a few tiny drops. And honestly, even if it had been a much bigger mess, I wouldn't be angry that you bled on the floor. Getting upset about something like that would be completely ridiculous..."

"Ridiculous thing you are." Its handler spat with venomous contempt, "Clean this up immediately. The more you bleed, the more you are corrected for staining my goddamn floor."

It wasn't fair.

Soldat shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the vivid flashback that had seized him. As your words continued in their gentle cadence, so different from those memory-echoes, the sharp edges of panic began to soften and recede. You remained unaware of the depths of his psychological turmoil, but at the same time, your very obliviousness to his internal struggle served as an anchor that helped guide him back from the brink of his mounting anxiety.

If you had known earlier, your choice of words might have been different, more carefully selected to avoid triggering such a response.

However, for the moment, the situation appeared to have stabilized - his breathing had steadied and his trembling had subsided to occasional shivers. You gently finished cleaning and examining the minor abrasion on his forehead, the injury was superficial, requiring nothing more than basic first aid. Once you were satisfied with it, you helped him rise to his feet, "Would you like to try sleeping again?" you asked in a soft, reassuring tone, making sure to keep your voice steady and calm, "I can stay awake and keep watch, if that would make you feel better."

He remained silent, his eyes meeting yours with an expression that seemed vulnerable and childlike, caught between trust and uncertainty. The unfamiliar sensation of feeling protected and cared for seemed to war with his instincts to panic, but something held him back. Perhaps it was the realization that throughout this entire ordeal, you had been nothing but patient and had shown genuine concern for his well-being.

His response came in the form of a single, slight nod - brief but unmistakable. You accepted this minimal communication as a positive sign.

You guided him back to bed, allowing him to settle into a position that felt natural to him. Sleeping in a bed after literal decades of sleeping on the floor, cots if he was lucky, took getting used to again. Taking up your own position nearby, you reached for the television remote and switched it on, being mindful to keep the volume low so it wouldn’t be too loud. He assumed his previous position, curling up with his back towards you, creating a small barrier between himself and the world. The soft background noise from the television seemed to provide a comforting ambient sound without causing him any distress.

After an episode of the show you were watching passing by, he gradually shifted his position to face in your direction. Though his eyes remained closed, you had your doubts about whether he had truly drifted back to sleep so quickly. The distance between you had noticeably decreased as he moved closer and your heart ached with the desire to wrap him in your arms, yet you remained perfectly still, not wanting to make any sudden movements. The fear of startling him kept you frozen in place, patiently waiting to see if he would choose to close the remaining gap between you.

To your surprise, he continued his careful migration until his body was snugly pressed against yours, seeking comfort in your presence. You felt your throat tighten with emotion as you felt the warmth of his body against yours, touched by the fact that he had deliberately chosen to seek out your closeness. Slowly, you lifted your arm and positioned it behind him, keeping it relaxed and loose while he adjusted himself, eventually settling into a position where he used you as an impromptu pillow, his breathing steady and peaceful.

You eventually fell asleep after a while too, unable to resist. By now he had huddled against you, his metal arm draped across your form, the weight of it both reassuring and comforting against your body. The steady rhythm of his breathing and the warmth radiating from his presence definitely helped you grow drowsy.

Knowing he was at last getting the peaceful rest he so desperately needed brought a sense of contentment to your heart and gave you enough comfort to slowly drift off too.

Dividers by @/strangergraphics

Cover images from Pinterest. I do not claim them as my own.

Taglist: @millercontracting | @teafangirl | @questionableratatouille00 | @buckybarneswife125 | @hazydespair | @leighta | @knoxic | @ghostlyfleur | @beckies000 | @seventeen-x | @freyjhasdesiredreality | @curlycow01 | @blackstabbath6 | @devilslittlehelper | @regics | @honeybee-hayes | @buckys-arm-and-rios-dagger

Let me know if you'd like to be added/unadded anytime.

[ifyoucandaniel]

I want to thank you for making your list of recommended long batfam fics. I have been making my way through it and I am really enjoying them! ESPECIALLY cards on the table (I also love Dark Matter but I had already read it). Please let us know if you ever get more long batfam fic recs 🥺

okay so ive been waiting to answer this until i had gathered a good chunk of new long fics and ive been getting a lot of similar messages asking for recommendations, so here is another list of my fav long batman fics!

Jason and the Three Terrors by @cdelphiki, 220k, ongoing, T. if i can get you to read one thing, let it be this. ohhh my god where to even begin, this is a fic where jason stays with the league after his dip in the lazarus pit for a little while and winds up being charged with getting damian, his cousin, and his sister out of the league safely. this fic is just so fucking good, cdelphiki always writes such seamless relationship growth and watching jason go from "im dropping these brats off first chance i get" to "im a single mother of three and i need to provide for my kids" is phenomenal. 1000/10, the writing, the kids, the relationships, please do yourself a favor and read this.

A Collision of Masks by Movaz, 169k, completed, T. !! guys. this is such a good dick grayson-centric fic. this is set in an AU where batman never joined the justice league so the justice league knows very little about batman inc. and consequently dick never joins YJ so the YJ team is tasked with checking out a new hero called nightwing in bludhaven and police officer grayson is tasked with helping the team in their investigation :) really good fic exploring dick juggling all his identities and finally gaining people he can rely on! i actually did a bind of it so you know i love this story so much

Life Happens by @cdelphiki, 176k, complete, G. ok so this fic is probably one of the most beautiful stories of growth and love i've read. its about tim and damian being transported from their world into ours where they're only comic book characters and they start to build a life for themselves here. cdelphiki is one of the most amazing authors, im currently going through all of their works, but this one has just stayed with me and i dont think anyone should pass it up. watching tim and damian grow together and seeing damian have a real childhood and just the whole concept of life happening wether you want it to or not is so beautifully done. cannot recommend enough.

Honoring Promises by LananiA3O, completed, 14k, T. okay this isnt actually a long fic, but its one of my favorite fics ever and i need it on this list. if you're like me and you love UTRH aus where instead of sticking around as red hood after bruce threw a batarang at his throat jason fucks off and disappears to live a normal life, this is for you. from dick's pov, he realizes jasons last letter was a last attempt at reaching out and stalks him until he finds out what really happened to his little brother. i think about this every day and wish it was 10000 words long

The Time Before by @cdelphiki, 80k, completed, G. at this point this is basically just a cdelphiki fic rec lmao when i said everything by them was good, i meant that shit. this is a fic where jason is sent back into time when he was 9 years old but still has all his memories from the future. he goes to bruce for help despite wanting to do literally anything else and is surprised to realize maybe everything isn't how he remembers it 10 years in the future and maybe theres a chance he can go home when hes older again. once again cdelphiki hitting me in the feels with this one, really amazing study on how time and pain can change how you perceive and remember things and also just forgiveness and fixing mistakes and accepting mistakes were made. very good, highly recommend

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors by Sophene, 80k, completed, batlantern, T. I have no excuse for this, this is such a fun and funny fic i love it so much. basically HOA president single dad bruce with his 10 million adopted kids and then hal jordan moves in next door and plays his music too loud at 10pm on a school night and throws parties and bruce has a stick up his ass about it. i really really love the shift in hal when kyle comes to live with him as his ward (? i cant actually remember if hes adopted or just a ward) and seeing him finally understand why bruce acts the way he does when it comes to his kids. also seeing bruce just being a tired dad 90% of the fic when he isnt glaring at hal is so good.

Option C by CasualGeek, 78k, completed, T. this has, in my opinion, a very unique and interesting premise. basically, what if instead of becoming red hood, jason comes back to gotham and manages to get Joker put on trial for the murder of sheila haywood and get the insanity plea thrown out. really interesting approach to batman and joker and jason technically doing things through the legal justice system and what that means for him and the people around him. very good, read it all in one sitting

butcherbird, fly away home by e_va, 41k, completed, M. lost days jason todd loml! basically what if when jason was off on his world tour one of his tutors kidnapped bruce wayne and jason has feelings about it against his will. "what if lost days jason was stuck in the same room as a sick bruce for more than 10 minutes and actually had to talk to him without punching him" AU and i throughly enjoyed it. @darlingatlas recommended this one and she never misses with the jason recs

this kind of weather by r_astra, 55k, completed, T. this is the fic something in the static was originally inspired by and if you know me, i love that series, and i love this fic too. another what if jasons mom didnt die until later and social services gets involved before he can bolt and bruce seeks him out with some very interesting news. i love fics that display jason’s relationship with crime alley and him being one of them. very good, i love jason so much

ok now these aren't actually long fics but i need to get them out here because i love them so much and highly recommend!

To My Brother by a_silly_gander, 7k, completed, T. Lost days jason au where he starts sending post cards from his travels to dick on a whim while we follow his time away and the people he meets. i love this one so much, please read it if you love jason and dick, its so special to me.

Enhanced Fashion Sense is a Perk of Being a Cat by 12pt_timesnewromanfont, 23k, complete, G. selina breaks into drake manor to steal a cat artifact and accidentally meets the drakes ten year old son they left home alone. then she starts keeping tabs on him and eventually adopts him and makes him stray. i really love selina finding tim before bruce and taking care of him <3 10/10 i wish selina would adopt me

[starreyblueberry]

Me when Timmy Turner is a perfect allegory of abuse and neglect from a child's perspective, how while def not intended, the fact the show is mainly from his perspective can explain how cartoonish his parents seem to be as well as the people around him, when in reality his parents, babysitter, and teacher aren't actually as humorous as Timmy perceives them but he's actually in a lot more danger/harm then the audience can see. I know it’s not the intent but if it was it would be almost perfect, his escapism getting more and more intense and his fairies seeming more more close due to the fact they can see how horrible Timmy’s life in general actually is. Like whenever people say “Why does Timmy have fairies and not Chester”, it’s cause Chester isn't miserable.

Chester is happy where he is, and he loves his dad and his mobile house, which is why he doesn't need a fairy’s. Compared to Timmy, where he dosent have much to be happy for, he doesn't have that dad who will say he’s proud of him and watch Sunday Cartoons. He dosent have the freedom of doing what he wants cause of the fact Vicky is his baby sitter (I know Vicky is also Chester’s, but it’s assumed that it’s def not as much as Vicky babysits Timmy almost every single day, leaving little room for other kids.)

Anyway back to my main point- when you actually properly look at what Timmy has to deal with, the whole cartoonish sitcomey/none of it is in the next episode, makes sense, cause he's a kid! He thinks that people are just idiots, not that this is out of genuine uncaringness, or true neglect. Its why Cosmo and Wanda never seem actually concerned, cause this is how TIMMY sees the world, and in his eyes his parents are loving but just busy, rather then uncaring people who don't actually take time for his son, and the only people who actually love him for who he is are creatures from a whole other world! How the people in his life arent failing him personally, their just "cranky adults" when in reality now that we've seen Hazel + other kids parents, it really is just Timmys life. Hell if Dev was the main character of Fairly Odd Parents a new wish, there would be a good chance his dad would seem a bit better, cause when your a kid 9/10 you don't think your life is actually shit. He probably thinks that his life is normal and its just him, when in reality, he deserves so much better :(

[imagineredwood]

Daddy Yandere Chibs with A? Number 3?

I have a HUNGER for Daddy!!!

Summary: Chibs has honored your foolish wishes for a separation for the last month, but you still haven't come to your senses yet, so it's time for Daddy to bring you back home; by any means necessary.

Warnings: ...it's a yandere drabble 🧍🏻‍♀️ So stalking, manipulation, what could be perceived as emotional abuse because of the manipulation. As always, these are just for fun, not to be taken as a healthy or safe relationship. No means no and turning up at someone's work when they don't want you to or anywhere they're at for that matter is creepy af in real life!! Also daddy kink. I wrote it with somewhat of a big age gap in mind but it doesn't have to be read like that 💕

Also just as a reminder, since dark content isn’t for everyone, I don’t use the regular tag lists for these, only specific taglist for those who want to read the darker content. I wouldn’t want to expose someone that didn’t want to read it. So if you DO want to be tagged, let me know

"You shouldn't be here. This is my workplace. I don't have time for this."

Chibs didn't flinch as you rejected him, his stance relaxed as he leaned against the wall of your breakroom. He'd been dying to see you. He'd given you the space you had asked for, knowing that of course that wasn't what you truly wanted. But he'd given it to you anyway. You would see soon enough that being apart from him wasn't actually what you wanted at all. Yet it was going on a month now, and he had decided that enough was enough.

So he'd ridden over to your job to get you back and now here you were, acting as if you were simply too busy to speak to the man who had loved and protected you these last few years.

"Oh course ya do, Lass. You're on break. You've got,"

He made a show of looking down at his watch and calculating.

"Got 24 minutes left of break, I reckon."

You swallowed dryly, realizing that he did have a point. You took your break at the same time every day. You'd used that break to talk to him on the phone most days. Of course, he would remember. So you tried a different tactic.

"How did you even get in here? It's employees only back here."

The Son nodded, eyes warm as they regarded you, a hint of playful ridicule there as well.

"I've lived in this town a long while, love. Longer than you. All I had to do was ask."

He pulled off the wall then, standing at his full height, taking each slow step one at a time.

"Everyone knows me here. Knows us. All that yellin' about me being so controlling, yet you didn't tell your work to keep me out?"

You gulped as he stalked toward you, eyes on you every second.

"Didn't put me on some kinda list? Didn't tell them that if they saw me to call the cops? None of that?"

You stared at him as your heart pounded in your chest. He wouldn't hurt you; never. But you wouldn't put it past him to somehow manipulate you and the situation into ending with you giving him another chance. All if would take is the feeling of his hands, warm and loving as they caressed you, and your resolve would fall apart. And he knew as much.

You took one more step back and bumped against the wall, the giant silver fridge blocking you on one side, and Chibs arm coming up to block the other. You whimpered, willing yourself to be strong as the scent of leather, cologne, and cigarette smoke flooded your senses. It all smelled just exactly as you remembered and you ached for him, the stone you'd fortified around your heart beginning to crumble.

"Even with all the arguments and disagreements, you know you've always been safest with me. Safe, and at home. You've proven your point. It's time for you to come home with Daddy now, yeah?"

You hesitated for a moment before your head was nodding slowly of its own volition. The Son clicked his teeth and offered you a smile then, eyes trailing down your front. He brought a ringed finger up and traced down the valley of your breasts, eyes raking over you how a lion would a gazelle. His voice was low when he spoke again.

"Twenty minutes left."

"Huh?"

The sentence threw you off, your break no longer on your mind as you looked at him.

"You've got twenty minutes left before they start looking for you, so I've got time. You look delicious. I won't stop until I've tasted every bite."

Dark fiction taglist 

@whitetxilwxlf @kikijackson-blog @ben-c-group-therapy @ravennaortiz @mama-mischief

[cressidagrey]

Indelible Scars - Chapter 6

Summary:

Azriel knew pain. So did Galena.

Also known as: Azriel’s mate is a healer and the first time they meet, he nearly dies on her.

Warnings:

Irresponsible use of Sleeping Potions, Rhys bashing

(thanks to @cafekitsune for the super pretty dividers!)

Like calls to like. 

That’s what Galena had been told all her life. 

She easily admitted that she had never actually taken it seriously. She had never thought about what exactly it would mean for her . 

But she knew that she definitely hadn’t expected a mate with the same scars on his hands as she had…a mate whose magical power matched her hit for hit. 

When Galena tried to cast that diagnostic on Azriela…he had blocked her at every turn. His own magic, ice cold and harsh, against hers. 

It was…lovely. She had never thought that she would get to feel that. Didn’t even think that it was possible. 

But there it was. A perfect mirror of her own magical abilities in this male that was supposed to be her mate. 

She could feel something inside her unspool, as the world around her tilted on its axis, as his magic rushed at her…

Galena expected pain. Braced herself for it in fact…expected his magic to protect itself against a perceived threat and lash out at her.  Instead, it hesitated, just for a second… before suddenly it enveloped her like…like she belonged right there. 

His , it seemed to whisper to her . His. Theirs. Yours. 

She was frozen in place, eyes wide as she saw the shadows appear. 

The General had told her that Azriel was a shadowsinger but somehow between the thought that he was her mate and that he was a step away from dying…she hadn’t truly…she hadn’t truly thought about what it meant . 

The shadows appeared before her and then slid towards her, surrounding her. She didn’t dare to move. 

Not one single inch as she felt them touch her. Touch her delicately and gently, like velvet, rasping against her scarred skin and she swallowed. 

What…They touched her like they knew her. Like they knew every inch of hers, knowingly, gently, like…like she mattered. 

Not once shying away from her scars. She could have started to cry just because of that. Just because they touched her like…like they didn’t care. Like they didn’t even see the scars. 

They wrapped themselves around her hands like they wanted to tell her that she belonged to them, that she was theirs now. She wanted to weep. 

There you are. 

One voice, many voices…she didn’t even know what she was hearing. She didn’t know what…Was it him? 

Was this her mate? 

Was…

The shadows seemingly sensed her inner turmoil. Otherwise, she couldn’t explain why they slipped over her skin, over her face, around her neck…never painful, a comforting presence, regardless of how insane this sounded. 

They shouldn’t be this comforting to her. She didn't know them, she didn’t know her mate, he was just…

Master needs help, they whispered to her. 

She wondered weakly if they were trying to entice her to do something. She just couldn’t possibly imagine what they wanted from her. 

“I…I know that’s why I wanted to cast the diagnostic charm,” she managed to bring out, her voice only slightly shaking. “I didn’t want to hurt him, I swear. I just need to know what medication he has been taking. So I can help him.” 

The shadows stilled for one moment, still curling themselves against her neck…like a cat maybe, seemingly humming with pleasure from pressing themselves against her naked skin…

Check the other bedside table,  the shadows whispered. Master couldn’t sleep. 

She watched how the General was the first to move, crossing the room, all traces of amusement gone from his face. 

He opened the single drawer at Azriel’s bedside table…and pulled it out completely. 

It was filled to the brim with little potion bottles, the crystal and glass tinkling and clinking as he pulled out the drawer. 

He stared at it. 

“May I?” Galena asked, her voice near silent. 

Before he could do so much as offer it to her, the shadows snatched it out of his hands and brought it to her…like an offering to a benevolent goddess. 

She had no idea what to think of this either. 

So Galena did what she always did. She fell back into her training. 

She could only weakly reach out and take it from the shadows, let them go back to rush over her hands and envelope her wrists, one tendril of shadows curling itself behind her ear, another one wrapping around her throat like a scarf…

She had no idea how to react to it. 

So Galena did the only thing she could and stuck her hand in that drawer, pulling out an empty potion bottle at random, uncorking it and sniffing at it. 

Sleeping Potion. Not her recipe. 

“What are these?” the female asked, her voice hoarse, just as she uncorked a different one. Pain Relief Potion. A third one. Sleeping Potion once again. Different recipe. More Mirthroot than she ever would use. 

“Potion bottles,” Galena answered. “Different medications.” Many of them the look after. There must have been at least a hundred in there. 

“What has he been taking?” The General asked, his own voice sounding far, far away.

“He has been self-medicating with Sleeping Potions for… at least 6 months,” she said with a grimace at the pure number of empty bottles in that drawer. 

6 months. 

Her mate. 

He must have been utterly miserable to go through these lengths. 

This wasn’t good for him. No self-respecting healer would ever even think of telling any fae to take them for a longer time period. 

They weren’t exactly addictive but it was still not good for one to become dependent on them. 

Not good at all to be honest. 

“How often has he been taking them?” she asked the shadows, unsure if she could expect an answer. 

2 nights out of three.

They did answer her. Seemingly pleased that she even dared to ask. 

“For nightmares?” she checked. 

Master couldn’t sleep, they repeated. 

“Insomnia?” she asked and they seemingly hummed their agreement. 

She opened another potion bottle, sniffing at it again. The smell of lavender was overpowering. Also not her recipe. 

She lined them up on the other bedside table, by how the bottles looked and how they smelled. 

She caught some of her recipes, which explained why her magic had been leeching all over him. At least that was calming. She hadn’t accidentally forged a magical connection to him. 

Which was good. 

It wouldn’t have been fair to do that to him. 

“Him taking them wouldn’t be a problem per se,” she said quietly. “If he had just been taking the one we sell, it would have been fine. But we never would have sold so many of them to one person,”  she explained with a shake of her head.  “They are always just supposed to be a stop-gap measure. Not an actual solution.”

Master was tired. Master needed to sleep, The shadows explained. Master didn’t want to bother anybody. 

She watched how both the General and his mate, that beautiful and fierce, silver-eyed female exchanged a look at that. She reached out for her mate, taking his hand in both of hers and still Galena watched the look of utter…despair on the General’s face. 

“So he bought himself more from different makers?” The General asked her hoarsely. 

“At least four different apothecaries. All of them use different ingredients. He has been slowly poisoning himself and didn’t even realise it,” Galena said, her voice quiet. “Which isn’t on him, but on whoever sold him some of this. He could have just been getting blackout drunk every night, it would have been better for him.”

Master tried that, it didn’t work. 

Right. 

“Is that all he has been taking?” The General demanded harshly. The shadows hissed sharply, one particular tendril rushing at the general and seemingly threatening him to keep his voice down. 

He just stared at it, but the shadow didn’t back down. 

“Pain Potions as well but rarer. A powder I made against stress headaches he had,” she said after rummaging through the drawer for another few seconds. “Anything else?” Galena asked the shadow, still wrapped around her wrist. 

No, it answered, gently slithering over her skin in response. Just the Sleeping Potion and Pain Relief Potions whenever Master was hurt.

Small mercies. 

Now that she knew with what she was dealing…well, she could work on slowly cleaning it out of his blood. It would take a little while, but it would…

“What exactly has been going on here, for cauldron’s sake? ”

She had not expected a pissed-off High Lord to appear in the doorway. Followed hot on his heels by the High Lady. 

Galena had also not expected the defensive position the shadows took on, seemingly building themselves into a wall around her and Azriel. They were protecting him, swirling around him like furious vipers…

“Rhys,” The General said tightly. Then with a wave of his hand: “Azriel’s shadows decided to make an appearance.“

Violet eyes took in the room. Took in her. 

She had met him once…centuries ago. Right after…

She couldn’t remember much. She could remember that for the blessed time of two hours, he had taken away all her pain. Everything.

Something like terror was on his handsome face now, though she wasn’t aware if it was the shadows that were still swirling around her or the scars that covered her face. 

She said nothing, hands curling around the drawer she still held on her lap. 

“Come here, Galena,” the High Lord said carefully, holding out a hand, but he hadn’t even ended that sentence before the shadows stroked out…

Do not touch her.

It was no warning. It was a pure, undiluted threat. 

Something in the room shifted. 

“I have a patient to take care of,“ she answered carefully. She was not in the business to be caught in the fray but… “And I’ll need their help so I am not looking to anger them either.”

She very carefully didn’t allow her mind to wander in the direction of why the shadows behaved as they did towards her. 

We won’t be angry at you . To say that their voice was very different when talking to her was an understatement. To her, they were gentle, crawling over her skin, concentrating on her hands…To her…to her, they talked nearly soothingly. Like there was no need to be scared because they were there and they would take care of her… 

“But at the High Lord?” The general asked, sounding doubtful 

The High Lord thinks he knows better than anybody else, the shadows hissed back. 

“Wait, the shadows have their own opinion?” the High Lady asked, sounding curious. “Aren’t they…”

Of course, we do. Master keeps us tightly leashed, The shadows responded, like the idea that they didn’t have their own opinion was ridiculous. Or we would have taken care of this a long time ago. 

“Did you just threaten me?” The High Lord asked, eyebrows climbing into his hairline.

You started it , and the shadows seemingly snapped. But if I see you panting after her again, I'll make you regret it. You said that High Lord. You said more. 

Galena was definitely missing something here. And she really didn’t know if she actually wanted to know. 

“When exactly did you say that, Rhys?” The General asked, his voice quiet. 

“So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck  someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her.” 

The room felt like a tomb. 

Galena had no idea who Elain was. Nor did she know under what circumstances that had been said. But did it matter? Did it really matter? Was there a set of circumstances under which it was alright to say something like that?

“How fucking dare you?” The silvery-eyed female seethed. 

You have threatened Master. We do not like it if somebody threatens Master. The shadows said, sounding very much like they were pleased with how that was turning out, while Galena really wished to be everywhere but here. 

Family Feuds were not her area of expertise. 

“I had my reasons,” the High Lord snapped right back. 

“What kind of reason could you possibly have had for talking to Az like that?!” The General snapped. “What kind of reason is there for talking to our brother like that!”

Her attention was pulled from the screaming match that was unfolding in front of her, right back to the male laying back in the back, right back to the way the wheezing had returned even when she was still trying to modulate his magic. 

Which didn’t want to be modulated, not when it was whipping itself up in a frenzy, even the shadows moving to soothe their master. 

“Out, both of you,” Galena raised her voice. Something she did only rarely, but it cut right through whatever tirade either the High Lord or the General wanted to start.  “I am not going to let you upset my patient.”

“I am the High Lord!” he said, unbelieving that she would dare to throw him out of the room in his house, but Galena couldn’t possibly care less.  

“I don’t care that you are the bloody High Lord of this Court. You could be the emperor of all of Pyrithian. You are upsetting him, so get out,” she repeated, her voice harsh. 

“He’s unconscious,” the General told her unbelieving and she turned to look at him. 

“His heart rate picked up, his magic is in a state of flux,” she stated firmly. “He may not understand what you are saying but he is clearly hearing your screaming. So get out and have your screaming match outside. Where he can’t hear you.”

Galena had half expected them to protest again, but the General grasped the High Lord and dragged him out of the room, growling something under his breath. The High Lady and the other female exchanged one glance, the other female following along with her mate, while the High Lady stayed in the doorway. 

“You know, not many people would have dared to do that,” Feyre Cursebreaker finally said quietly as Galena carefully put the drawer on the floor next to her. 

She turned around and faced the High Lady with the full brunt of her scars. Nearly imperceptibly she flinched back.  

“I have looked a monster in the face. Even he was just a male in the end,” she said evenly. Besides, she was a healer first. She always would be. 

“Are you… a priestess?” the High Lady asked her and Galena couldn’t help but snort. 

She. A Priestess. 

That would go over well. Not. 

“Because of these?” Galena asked, gesturing to her face. “I am a healer. Madja is my aunt,” she explained drily. 

“Madja is your aunt,” The High Lady repeated.

She nodded. “Yes. Galena Kosciarz, High Lady,” she said calmly, turning back around to him, lying on that bed. His heartbeat had calmed again, the shadows stopping swirling around like they had before…He seemed more at ease, more relaxed. 

“Just Feyre,” the High Lady, Feyre, said quietly. “I didn’t know that…”

“I existed? Mostly I stay in the stillroom. I only come out if the situation is…dire”. And even then not always. She had been consulted when the worry of the High Lady’s pregnancy had become apparent. 

But the research she had done for that…well, it had been turned away by her aunt, because she was forgetting the “personal cost” once again. 

For the record, Galena hadn’t . She knew that cutting open the abdomen, cutting through 7 different layers of fat and muscle and skin and organs getting to the baby like that was dangerous but she had done her research, damnit . It had been a calculated risk. And weeks later when there had been no other fucking option for Cosima, she had done it and Cosima had survived with no lasting damages. Cosima and Orion, her son. Both of them, completely healthy. 

Galena's proof of concept. 

“Bad?” Feyre asked with something akin to amusement. “Am I allowed to approach or are the shadows going to get angry again?” she asked drily. 

Yes, High Lady. Something akin to amusement was in the shadow’s voice as they said that. 

“You don’t normally talk to us,” Feyre commented as she stepped closer to the bed, her eyes fixed on Azriel. 

Galena had no idea what to say to that. The shadows curled themselves closer to her, still wrapped around her hands and wrists. “I have also never seen them try to touch anybody as they do to you,” she commented with a glance at the coil of shadows in her lap. 

She’s helping Master. We need her ,  the shadows hissed quickly, though the way they tightened around her in response, made her wonder if that was…the whole reason. 

She picked up the vial of blood she had taken from him and poured it into a small bowl. 

Time to actually help him. 

She started to cast at the blood, checking the levels of the different compounds he had been taking, making mental notes of what she could give him that would neutralise the medication in his bloodstream. 

“What are you doing?” Feyre asked her curious. 

“I need to neutralise everything that he has been taking. To do that, I check the levels…then I’ll make a draught and then he can drink it. An antidote of sorts. Then we have a clean slate to work with and can start to actually help him with that cold he’s been having,” she explained absentmindedly.  “I’ll work through the night. His blood will be clean by the morning.”

[yanderedbdimagines]

Hi dear, i have a special request. What about yandere Entity with a reade who find a way to escape. The Entity obvious don´t whant them to leave. <3

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Creative ask! Underneath normal circumstances, I believe that it’s basically impossible to escape the Entity, so I had to get creative xD I hope that the method of escape I picked is lore-friendly enough! And I hope you like it as result!

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The Entity

The Entity is a mysterious force that lures unsuspecting souls into its realm. Souls that have often been tainted- touched by death’s essence.

To the outside worlds- past, present and future, alternate reality or not, it is but a myth. A whisper in the dark. But to most of those who find themselves trapped within its grasp, it is a nightmare made into reality.

You stumbled into this otherworldly domain after the death of a loved one, drawn in by an eerie curiosity just outside of the crematorium center that soon swayed you into the unknown through a trick of the eye.

Little did you know, your mere presence instantly awakened the Entity’s interest, and eventually its possessive nature, after you started traversing though the fog- eventually trying to find a way out. 

At first, the Entity appeared as a benevolent guide, offering solace and shelter in its strange realm from dangers you could sense, but never see. Yet, behind the veiled kindness laid a sinister desire to keep you captive, to possess your every thought, whim and every little part of your being. Your soul especially.

You quickly realized the Entity’s infatuation, its twisted affection made further prevalent after you accidentally stumbled upon a haunting replica of your own past. A memory made physical, but never real. The people you cared about weren’t there, and the animals you did see just didn’t look alive. As if they lacked heart. 

As the night stretched ever endlessly, you came to yearn for freedom- for a way out of this suffocating imprisonment. With every attempt to escape, the Entity's affection morphed into perceivable fury from the surrounding environment, its once soothing whispers turning into menacing warnings. You knew the risks, the danger of crossing such a mighty being, but the desire for freedom burned brighter than any fear. Even though you were still unaware of the realm's true purpose, its minions, and the actual victims trapped within.

Through sheer determination and cunning, you eventually pieced together forgotten fragments of lore and ancient whispers, not only revealing to you the realm’s true nature, but also uncovering a hidden passage that promised escape after a long time of searching. With a pounding heart and trembling hands, you set your plan into motion, long since haven found a way to evade the Entity's watchful gaze by using a strange yellow flower that oozed with a fluorescent yellow substance.

In the distance, near a tunnel made up mostly of stone bricks and various human body parts in different states of decay, you eventually found this potential way out. And it was made further evident as the yellow ooze’s potency sharply reduced after you jumped through the black mists that originally blocked up its entrance.

The escape was fraught with peril, every step echoing with the Entity's enraged cries and your nose tormented by the constant scent of decay. Shadows and mist alike twisted and writhed, attempting to ensnare you, but you pressed on, fueled by the flickering hope of freedom as you warded it with the unusual flower’s nectar. As you neared the exit, the Entity's desperation peaked, unleashing its full wrath upon you, a whirlwind of dark energy and desperate pleas. Even the unspoken threat of using the killers against you as you heard the rearing of chainsaws and the bone chilling screams of monsters echo from all around you.

With a final surge of willpower, you broke through the threshold, a familiar world outside welcoming you with open arms. Gasping for much needed air and a heart pounding wildly, you glanced back at the realm- a large hole in the surrounding morning mist that seemed to collapse in on itself. The Entity's form flickered beyond it in the distance, a mix of fury and heartbroken anguish etched upon its fading shadows- writhing in on itself.

You had escaped the clutches of the Entity, but its haunting presence always lingers in your memories. The chilling whispers and phantom touches serve as a constant reminder of the harrowing ordeal. Yet, with each passing day, you have found some solace in the newfound freedom, vowing to never forget the haunting dance with the possessive being that may almost have claimed your very soul, and to make sure that you’d never fall into its shadows ever again.

After all, despite your escape, the Entity persistently seeks ways to reclaim its hold, attempting to ensnare you from afar—a chilling reminder to remain ever vigilant against its unseen clutches.

[secretwhumplair]

Solstice, p.1

1,494 words | No Warrior (sequel to Solstice, p.0)

Content | Idk what to put. Dealing with past trauma, perceived betrayal?

Notes | Well that went well! Until it didn't.

Excited to get back to this story and give it its long-awaited finish! We're not there yet. But I am full of optimism.

Taglist | @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi​​ @castielamigos-whump-side-blog​​ @whump-me-all-night-long​​​​ @whumpadump1939​​ @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight​​

@whumpzone​​ @angel-stars @kixngiggles​ @whumpsy-daisies​​ @briars7

@yet-another-heathen​​ @rosesareviolentlyread @cupcakes-and-pain @hollowtreesinhollowwoods​​​​ @much-ado-about-whumping​​

@nine-tailed-whump​​ @whump-em​​​ @itsleighlove​​ @newbornwhumperfly​​​ @tears-and-lilies

@deluxewhump @whump-cravings @wolfeyedwitch @melancholy-in-the-morning @neverthelass

@whumpsday @silent-orchid-lady

Runar felt bad for not offering Yves the option to stay at home with him. But it was the solstice festival, and—no matter how callous and selfish it felt in the moment—he couldn’t put every part of his life on hold for him.

It was, therefore, doubly relieving that Yves seemed to be okay. He kept close to Runar’s side as they made their way to the hilltop where wood had been stacked up twice as tall as Runar was, the yet unlit pile silhouetted against the dusky sky, but that might have been due to how narrow the paths through the snow were—more had fallen just this morning.

It was about time for winter to begin its slow retreat, and Yves seemed to welcome it as much as anyone. There was a shadow of a smile on his face, even.

Runar was irrationally proud of how brave he was being. »I’ll go say hi to my family, and then we can check out the food, yes?«

Yves nodded timidly. They hadn’t had lunch yet; after all, the potluck feast would begin as soon as the bonfire was lit once dark had fallen, which would be soon, and last as long as anyone could still eat. Runar had offered Yves to snack with him, of course, knowing how starved he had been when he first found him, and not wanting to stir up dark memories. But Yves, after hearing his explanation, had declined, had wanted to wait for the feast with him. That, too, Runar was proud of for him.

They trudged their way up the hill, and Runar could feel his mood rise along with their path.

It was going to be good.

* The stars were coming out, and Yves felt nervous to the bone.

Nervous enough to trail closely after Runar, no matter how pathetic it felt, no matter how much it stirred the bitter, helpless anger seething inside him all the time now. It ebbed and flowed—his sword practice, as silly as it was, seemed to help, but then there were moments like this, when his anxiety peaked for no real reason and there was nothing he could do, and it felt so deeply unfair. He wasn’t even properly scared—he knew nothing bad would happen to him, and somehow that made it worse. If his nerves could at least save themselves for actual threats—they should have enough experience with them to know the difference.

Still, Runar’s company comforted him, and the joy he and his family shared rubbed off. When Ingunn smiled at him, he found it easy to smile back.

»Yves! Glad you came too, it’s a big day!«

»Yes… I’m glad too.« And it was true. The air was filled with cheer and excited chattering, even among the cloudy wisps spewed forth by every breath. Soon, the warmth would come—first from the fire, and then, eventually, from the sun.

It was an important event.

Watching the crowd made him feel better as they gathered around long tables set up around the fire, some already taking their seats, but most standing and occupied in various tasks, or simply commenting on the stake and the food the tables were laden with, even as families were still carrying up more filled pots and plates.

No one would go hungry tonight, that much was certain.

Even actually spotting Brandr, who stood with two other warriors near the stake and seemed to be engrossed in discussing the quality of the wood or some such thing by the way he gestured aggressively at one log or another, couldn’t fully dispel the warmth of the occasion.

If Brandr confronted him again, this time, Yves would stand his ground. Or so he told himself, even as his heart beat faster at the thought.

He balled a gloved hand. No, he would. He wouldn’t let anyone take this from him, not when Runar’s family was so welcoming. They wanted him to enjoy the night, and he did too.

Dusk crept by slowly, the rising darkness dispelled only by their cheerful voices, but they became quieter and quieter, until darkness and silence were complete.

That was when the eldest lit a torch, its brightness momentarily burning in Yves’ eyes. Everyone watched, rapt, as she approached the wood and with one decisive strike pushed the torch into it.

The center, carefully constructed from dried leaves and twigs, caught fire at once, and cheers erupted from the crowd. Runar joined in, and Yves, too, though his voice was still drowned out.

The flames licked at the larger wood pieces, climbing up and up, until the bonfire reached high into the night sky. The light and the warmth lifted Yves’ heart. Maybe it was all going to be alright. Maybe the darkest days were truly gone now.

Once the cheering was done, the feasting began. After that, it wasn’t long before musicians picked up their instruments, and many voices joined in songs that must be long familiar to the community. Even Yves had heard some of them before by now, though his voice stayed quieter than the rest. Soon people were dancing, and Runar, after checking in with Yves once more, like he always did, like he never abandoned him without notice, jumped into it too.

Yves was undecided, and even that seemed big. He hadn’t danced in—a long time. It seemed fun. He didn’t know the local dances yet, though, and in truth, he felt a little out of place. So he simply sat and watched.

After a while, Signy fell into the now vacated stool opposite Yves, laughing, one of her spouses on each arm. Her wife let go of her and chattered something about getting some of the fish that was being roasted over the other side of the bonfire before she disappeared. Signy noticed Yves sitting opposite her, and gave him a wide grin. Her face was heated, not just from dancing, but her demeanour was, if anything, more jolly than usual. »Yves! How’re you holding up? Having a good time?«

Yves nodded, smiling without effort. He was having a good time. He was having something close to fun, just like he had wanted. He was still a little nervous, yes, but the all-around cheer of the event was rubbing off on him, and he wasn’t feeling unsafe.

»That’s good! That’s good.« Signy’s grin turned into a warmer, deeper smile for a moment, then she focused on her husband again, so intensely Yves looked away, heat creeping into his own face.

Signy’s wife returned to release him from the awkwardness of the moment—or make it worse, who knew—carrying a plate of freshly grilled fish, which she sat down before Signy, in the middle of the three of them.

»Thanks, s͏w̧e҉e͟t̸ḩe̵àr̀t͢« Signy said and kissed her wife’s mouth. When, turning back to the table, she noticed Yves staring at her, she just gave an enthusiastic little wave with her knife before she tucked into the fish.

Yves, though, sat frozen with realization, unable to avert his eyes from her and her—her wife. Her lover.

Her sweetheart.

Each breath caught in his throat. Was that how Runar saw him—what he expected of him?

Since when had he been calling Yves that? He couldn’t be sure, not with the way his mind raced, but it seemed to him it had been since ever. Since the very start?

Was that the reason he had rescued Yves?

Had all his kindness been a ploy to get Yves to-? The thought was terrifying. But why bother? He could easily overpower Yves.

What did he really want? And why hadn’t he been honest about it?

Yves’ head was reeling, and he dug his nails into the stool he was sitting on, desperate to find a grasp on reality.

»Yves?« Runar.

Yves couldn’t answer, or even look at him. He just stared down at the plate in front of him, trying to figure out what this was, even what feeling it was that was rushing through his heart, fear with flashes of fury.

»Are you okay?«

»No.« The word plopped out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and a spike of panic shot through him. He pushed himself up forcefully, still without looking at Runar. »I’m. Going home.«

»Yves… ?« But Runar didn’t move to stop him, and a word was not enough to, not anymore. There was a bitter triumph in it.

As he walked off into the night, he could hear Runar ask Signy and her companions what had happened, heard Signy’s full-mouthed, »No idea.«

It angered him more. How could they be so oblivious?

It was unfair—how would they know?—but everything was unfair, anyway; why should it only be unfair to him? The darkness swallowed him, the light of the bonfire only faint reflections on the snow as he escaped.

Home, he had said, and he almost regretted it.

[gingerteawrites]

THE CLOCK TICKS - GETO SUGURU

A/N: Guess who is done with finals!!! Thank you Jesus, I'm so relieved. Now I actually have time to write more often so prepare to be sick of me.

I was browsing Pinterest last night and got inspired to write something for the prettiest of princesses. And as always, everything tied to him has to have some angst. Hope you enjoy!

Content: Suguru x reader, fluff, a teeny tiny bit of angst, not beta read.

Banner by: @anitalenia

Geto is unconcerned with trivial matters. With the fact that most people avoided him because of his perceived "eccentricities". He cruised through life. Indifferent to the flow of time because everything was the same anyway. The world was still rotten and he was still fighting to find himself through it all.

But over the years, Suguru finds himself noticing the clock more. The herald of time that he had never cared to pay attention to seemed ever present in his mind now. Its insistent ticking punctuating every moment with you. Ruthlessly numbering them.

Tick... tick... tick...

"Nice to meet you, I'm ____," you extend your hand towards Suguru in greeting. You had seen him around campus before, but never had the balls to talk to him.

His eyed widened slightly. Why were you approaching him? Most people preferred to sit far away. He was the weird one after all. The one who acted like he was better than everyone else. Did you not know?

You cleared your throat when all he did was stare at you blankly for a few moments, leaning in closer with your hand still outstretched and smile even wider.

He looked down at his desk, a slight frown taking over his features.

"I'm Geto Suguru."

Somehow you took that as an invitation to sit beside him in the large lecture hall. And continue to do so for every day of the semester. Stubbornly trying to spark conversation until he started responding.

Tick... tick... tick...

"Wait, you've got something in your hair!" You called loudly from behind Suguru, causing him to pause his walk.

He had grown comfortable with your presence. Gradually opening himself up to you, a saving grace in this ugly world. Suguru did not know when he exactly it happened, but he was no longer drifting. He was letting himself be pulled by the gravity of something else. Someone else.

"What is it?" he questions when you finally come to a stop beside him, taking a minute to catch your breath from the little sprint you did from the other side of the yard.

You reach for his hair, and he bends down slightly so you have access. When did he start doing this? Giving you access to him. You pull out a small pink flower from between his locks, and hold it before you tenderly, showing him.

All his eyes could focus on were your own.

"Pretty isn't it?" you caressed the petals, lips pulled in a wide grin.

"Yes..." he found himself whispering back. Pretty.

Tick... tick... tick...

You rested your head on Geto's shoulder, eyes focused on the movie that played before you. His hand held yours. And as always, his fingers fiddled with the ring on your own. Spinning it around your digit. Absently reminding himself that you were his, and you were near.

"Are you even watching the movie, Suguru?" Your eyes are glued to the screen but you ask with amusement tinging your tone.

His fingers trace up and down your arm leaving goosebumps in their wake. He smiles at the sensation, moving closer to kiss your temple.

"What? Am I not allowed to admire my lovely spouse?" he retorts playfully.

You finally look away from the bright screen and direct your gaze to your husband. His long hair was down, cascading onto his shoulders in pools of dark ink. A darkness that you had grown to love. In all its unfamiliarity. But also all its mellowness.

You reach for it, tucking some of the raven strands behind his ear. He takes the opportunity to nuzzle into your hand, eliciting another chuckle from your lips.

"Who would have thought the edgy Geto Suguru would be such a softie?" He closed his eyes for a beat, reopening them with no hurry. Still, the clock ticked in the confines of his consciousness.

Tick... tick... tick...

"Only for you, dear." He pushed the noise away. The never-ending metronome. "Let's stay like this for a bit longer?" His voice betrayed a sudden desperation, and you nuzzled closer, finding your place in the warmth of his embrace.

Since he found you, Geto has been painfully aware. Aware that the moments with you were finite. Oh, how he wished he could stretch them into infinity.

This cruel thing called time sadistically ticked away. Now that he cared, it seemed to run even faster. Slipping from between his fingers.

All he could do was to cherish every moment in your embrace. Warm smiles and touches, sweet words and kisses. However short they were he would hold onto them. Hold steadfast until the clock ran out.

Hope you enjoyed, hehe. Please feel free to request things for me to write, I am so open to suggestions, especially now that I have time.

Comments are reblogs are much appreciated(❁´◡`❁)

[ero-heart]

Alright alright while I am making your request

Imma request another Reader x Ruv

A funny one i guess

Ruv getting attacked by Reader's pet crows (probably like 20-30 crows)

THIS IS AMAZING YES

This fic can be perceived as either platonic or romantic

It ended up being another hurt/comfort- Ruv has a lot of inner struggle

Cw: self harm, light description of violence

THE COUNCIL

(Ruv x Reader + crow army)

Ruv didn’t knew you very well, he was curious though, something about you just seemed to spark curiosity in him. Sarvente budged him to speak to you, eager to make him socialize, he begrudgingly complied. Now he was on the church’s stairs, trembling, waiting for you to arrive to your weekly visits. Quietly preparing a conversation starter on his mind.

“Hey, I want to be your friend!” This sounds stupid; “I find you cool let’s hangout!” Also stupid. Everything he came up with was stupid, everything would work with anyone else but him.

Ruv takes off his hat and throws it on the ground in a fit of anger, grabbing fists of his hair. Taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Ruv curls in a ball as he dig his fingers into his head. Still taking deep breaths, he didn’t notice the dark creature slowly approaching to peck on his hat, another flies down to also inspect the object. When Ruv opened his eyes, there was five crows picking on his hat. Ruv got up to retrieve his hat from the creatures before they flew farther from him, with his hat in one of their beaks, loudly cawing. Ruv sighed before charging at them, granting more cawing as they flew away farther. He felt something grabbing at his hood, discovering another crow with its claws secured on the fluff, pushing Ruv while it flies. He tried to shoo the crow away but another one rapidly flew in front of him, getting caught off guard and falling on the ground. More cawing.

“Tsk”

Ruv was ready to break those bird’s necks when he realized, in mild horror, the quantity of crows surrounding him. On the church’s stairs, the trees, the sidewalk, everywhere.

What. The fuck.

Soon his moment of shock was cut off by a familiar voice, quickly turning around to see none other than y/n, face filled with confusion. A crow flew past them, dropping his ushanka right on their hands. Realizing what was happening, y/n came running towards Ruv.

“Shoo don’t bother him! Shoo! Shoo!”

Some crows went away while others remained to watch y/n apologize profusely for what just happened.

“I am so so so so soooo sorry! I really am! They are such menaces! I am really sorry-“

Y/n kept on as they put Ruv’s hat back on him and brushed some dirt off his clothes. Ruv just looks at them, why are they apologizing.. for the crows?? His adrenaline still ran high with doubt and shame, but he managed to speak up.

“S’ ok..”

Y/n grabs his hands and pushes up, it took a while to Ruv to realize that they were trying to help him get up, so he lifts himself from the floor, immediately towering over y/n as they smile up at him.

“Are you sure? Are you not hurt?”

“I’m.. no I’m not”

“Then I am glad!”

They sighed as they continued:

“They do that all the time! Every person in my life has gone through that!”

Were you murder’s caretaker of some kind? Those birds were yours? That was interesting, that was actually a great way to start a conversation.

Both of you sat on the church’s stairs as you told your story with your crows, Ruv was a great listener, intrigued with your experiences. Sarv eventually went outside, worried with y/n who until now hasn’t showed up yet, to find both them and Ruv circled by crows, telling stories and jokes as the crow laughed with you.

Ruv could get used to that.

Haa that was it!~ it was a small one but I really hope you liked it! I’m sorry if it’s too ooc haha stay safe everyone ❤️ happy pride

[aidlyncanon]

Lets Talk: Tyler Hernandez

a.k.a. sai explains sbg

When I think of mischaracterized sbg characters I almost immediately go to Tyler Hernandez. Why? because he's so mischaracterized due to people focusing on ships too much.

This isnt a post for me to say "fuck you ik these characters better and im right" since people to perceive things differently this is just more me sharing my full Tyler analysis which I find most people (ive talked to) agree with me.

This is gonna be separated into four categories: personality, full death analysis, relationships, my opinion on fanon tyler takes.

I didnt realize how long this is gonna be until I actually started typing it so warning it's a long one :)

Personality

Were going to go from start to current on this.

Not much is known about how Tyler acted before his father's passing, other than he used to be your average loving kid. He enjoyed playing baseball with his father and his dad taught him and Taylor a few songs on the guitar one of them being Happy Birthday (which he later taught ben). Once his dad died his entire life practically got uprooted.

I find it odd that theres a chapter explaining his development and character yet he's still so mischaracterized. He slowly lost interest in everything, never doing anything fun. Instead focusing on taking care of his family like he watched his father do.

Despite how some portray it, Tyler doesn't find joy in playing baseball anymore. It became just a way to get into college. He doesn't see the point in indulging in things that he deems distractions or stupid. For example at the Sorrel Weed House he (rightfully so) found the phantom "prank" stupid, dragging Taylor out of the building. Like Ashlyn he too saw no point in friends. He didn't have time for 'such distractions'.

He's not one for sugar coating or beating around the bush, he'll be blunt. Such as him telling Logan he's pathetic for being scared of Barron while they deal with phantoms every night. While even Ashlyn acknowledges he was harsh she stated he did have a point, that Logan needed to learn how to defend himself.

Despite being easily annoyed and irritated at the beginning he cared for them in some form early on. Like when Logan got hurt in the bus he went to check on him, or when he heard Aiden yell Ashlyn's name when she got taken onto the roof Tyler almost immediately went to go check what happened.

Whether he realized it or not the others were beginning to be of concern to him. He slowly began warming up to them. This is first majorly seen after they get the jeep from Ashlyn's house. This being the first time we properly see him smile. He also shut Logan down when he tried to dodge Aiden's compliment. Telling Logan he should be proud of himself.

Tyler also is relatively observant, noticing and acknowledging the fact that Logan wants to do something to help Barron's new victim (Noah). He assures Logan that they'll all be there if he needs help. Not only showing how he's grown to care for them but that he'll help them when needed.

At Lily's birthday Ashlyn acknowledges that Tyler's become less of a jerk, quite literally stating in the comic that he's grown and become more comfortable around them. Allowing himself to make friends despite growing up thinking it was a waste of time.

I would talk about his death itself but the section below is gonna go into depth about it.

He has no will to keep himself guarded in front of them. His only concern being getting to Taylor. That's a pattern with how he operates. He WILL put those he holds closest above himself. He quite literally was about to die but the only thing on his mind was the fact that he'd be leaving them alone. That something might've happened to Taylor. That he needed to get to them.

Taylor states in the season two premiere that he began having fun with them, possibly beginning to see the group as his family. (Theyre family its canon shush). When Ashlyn goes to apologize to him he appears shocked but he doesnt accept her apology. Why? because he doesn't blame her, he knows it wasn't her fault. He cares for her, we can see how much he has grown. He even gave her a nickname that wasn't a form of insult. By which I mean he calls Aiden idiot and other things but not a genuine nickname.

After finding out that Aiden also died but woke up before him Tyler went to text Aiden. Whether that was to check on him or just to have someone to talk to who knows.

He's let down his walls for the group significantly, like when Logan, Ashlyn, and Ben found him in the facility. He in his own way asked for comfort, thanking Ben when he comforted him.

Overall Tyler's grown to care for all of them, seeing them as family. He's allowed himself to be open and vulnerable. Relying on the others at times (throughout his injury) as well as letting them rely on him (like when telling Logan the group will be there when he talks to Barron)

Death & Aftermath

His death was a pivotal point which is why I made a whole section dedicated to it. Not only is it a turning point for Tyler but for the story and everyone else.

NOTE: so I was going to do a full analysis here on this HOWEVER i'm just going to make it a separate post since this is long enough as it is and I want to keep this focused on Tyler whereas his death and aftermath discussion will be about everyone.

Relationships

Ethan Hernandez

Not much is known about his dad other than the fact he played a huge role in Tyler's life. He taught the twins a few songs on guitar, Happy birthday being one of them. This allowing Tyler to teach Ben for Lily's birthday.

Mariana Hernandez

After losing his dad, Mariana essentially wasn't mentally there. She's still dealing with her grief causing her to at times be unable to remember her husband isn't alive. This was shown when she wondered why her husband wasn't off work for Lily's party.

Tyler had to take care of both her and Taylor. When she came back to reality after Tyler died she stepped up to take care of him and be there for her children. He cares for him mom a lot.

Taylor Hernandez

Most of this goes without saying, hes protective of his sister, after all he needs to be. I assume this comes from the fact the twins canonically have separation anxiety (stated by Red on insta). This likely stems from losing their dad at an early age.

His sister is always his priority, when he woke up his first instinct when he heard a scream was to get to Taylor.

Ashlyn Banner

They don't hate each other despite what some fans believe. They actually never hated each other.

At the beginning they had conflicting ideals, Ashlyn thinking it'd be smarter to wait while Tyler wanted to go back to the Sorrel Weed House. This caused them to bump heads at times.

During the first night when Tyler cause Ashlyn to snap at him telling him to "be useful" he, despite being irritated prior to this, did make himself useful by helping with the chair legs. Ashlyn noticing his silence and wondering if she was too harsh. Showing that even then she had nothing against Tyler.

Tyler grew to care for others this includes Ashlyn when he hears Aiden yell her name, he also ended up carrying her to the car when she got concussed. The feeling of care is mutual first shown when the fight at the arcade happened. When background guy punched Tyler, Ashlyn immediately kicked the guy square in the head.

Ashlyn commented on how he was less of a jerk and how it was nice of him to teach Ben Happy Birthday for Lily's birthday since he can no longer sing it.

When Tyler died Ashlyn felt guilty, blaming herself for the incident. She was so upset that she couldn't protect him and the others. Tyler on the other hand didn't blame her at all. Brushing her apology off as if it was nothing. Because it WAS nothing, from his perspective she had no reason to apologize.

She was the first to find him in the phantom dimension. She was the one to administer the sedatives. Telling him "we're going to get you down... okay?" to which he responded with "okay..". She waited until he was sedated and she was off the ladder to fully react. Putting himself and his wellbeing first. She checked on him when they parked the car in the school that night.

When looking for the others in the facility she made note that she was worried for him (and aiden), remembering the way she last saw them both. Once finding Tyler and his bloody room she was shocked and concerned. Unable to react at the sight.

When Ashlyn revealed that she was the one to bring their parents into the phantom dimension Tyler shut her down real quick. Saying she was being melodramatic and that she would be the one who could get them out. Adding the "and anyone else who you decide to drag in" to which she replied saying she didn't decide to bring anyone in. With him ending the discussion with "then stop acting like it".

"they hate each other" they never have

Aiden Clark

Aiden and Tyler mutually made digs at each other. Aiden getting on Tyler's nerves easily. Overtime their arguing turned into playful banter. They grew to care for the other.

Aiden was worried when Tyler had died, while still managing to partially keep up his facade it is easy to tell he was worried for his friend.

Aiden not typically dropping his smile except in moments where someone he cares for is harmed. Tyler's no exception to this, as when he sees Tyler on the Tree he is visibly scared and in shock. Literally shaking from the sight.

Over the course of the comic Tyler grows accustomed to Aiden being around. His jokes and just presence. Eventually allowing Aiden to rest against him while they shared a wheelchair.

Ben Clark

Tyler offered to teach Ben guitar for Lily's birthday. The two have grown close. When Tyler died and woke up at the hospital Ben was seen with a "r u ok?" message on his phone. Tyler trusts Ben. We can see this when after they get Tyler off the tree Ben carrys him on his back. In the back of the car Ben keeps his eyes on Tyler.

Ben goes back to carrying him while they walk through the school. Once they get to the room he sets Tyler down and begins to re-bandage him due to Tyler bleeding through the bandages. When the roof begins to collapse Ben can be seen protecting Tyler's head and body under the desk.

When they find Tyler's room in the facility Ben too is shocked. Once Tyler says "...you know it doesn't really... make me feel... any better if you... react like that..." Ben immediately kneels next to him, ruffling his hand and giving him a smal thumbs up. As his way of trying to be there for him. This getting a small thanks from Tyler. Ben then sends Logan and Ashlyn to find the others and get a wheelchair while he stays with Tyler.

Ben can be seen redoing Tyler's bandages multiple times. He also was the one to push Tyler's wheelchair while they were walking around the facility.

Logan Fields

At the start Tyler thought Logan was pathetic for beinf scared of Barron. Eventually, like the others, he grew to care for Logan. When Logan got hurt he went to check on him.

At the arcade he noticed Logan wanting to do something about Barron so he encouraged it, telling Logan that him and the others will be there just incase.

When Tyler reunited with everyone in the hospital Logan can be seen crying, relieved his friend was okay. Like Ben and Ashlyn, Logan was shocked at Tyler's state in the facility.

During the walk through the facility Tyler mentions that "we should probably be a bit faster" where we got logans iconic "youre the one in a wheelchair" retort (love him).

My Takes

These are just my own personal opinions.

"Ashlyn and Tyler hate each other" you dont need to like the ship but to blatantly ignore their development is crazy. I wouldn't even put it up to development since they never hated each other. Theyre both just the type to believe and stick with their opinion and positions. They had conflicting ideas which lead them to debating but to say they hate each other couldn't be farther from the truth.

I honestly can't stand the way SOME fans make it seem like tyler hates everyone except Logan for some reason. He wouldn't be close to anyone except the GROUP. Why? because like ashlyn he didnt see the point in friends, not cause they hated everyone but because it was a waste of time in their minds.

Also he wouldn't use cringy ass nicknames or petnames, the only real nickname hes given is "carrot top" which yeah is funny but it's not like babyish does that make sense? Other than that the only thing person he really calls names is Aiden who he uses like insults PLAYFULLY. Again he doesn't hate any of them.

I don't understand how people can manage to mischaracterize him so bad when there's an entire chapter that explains about half of his character. Quick focusing on just early S1 sbg cause he had plenty of development in the first season alone.

If you've actually read this im fucking shocked, this shit took me like two hours to write omg.

Who next? (minus Logan until the little bit of backstory we now have is public not fast pass)

[and-then-there-were-n0ne]

A while ago someone called Joseph wrote a comment on my post Picky women are not the (sole) cause of the failures of the dating market. Joseph insisted that women on the present-day dating market are actually very picky, and that they are showing it outright. 

“Women these days seem to see themselves as a prize and often act like dating is 'for them'. They expect the guy to make the moves, make the plans, put in most if not all the effort in an attempt to 'win them over'.”

Joseph reasoned that this is a relatively recent phenomenon that has developed during the last few decades. All in all, he argued like someone who was difficult to ignore. 

So I started to investigate the issue as scientifically thoroughly as possible: By watching high school movies with my family. First I watched some high school movies from the 1990s and then a couple of brand new ones for comparison. The movies I saw supported Joseph's claim. The girls depicted in the late 1990s movies were clearly more agreeable than those in the modern movies. In the high school movies from the late 1990s, high school was a universe of its own, centered around friendship and romantic love. The girls did their best to be nice and attractive, sometimes to the degree that they became stereotypically stupid bimbo girls. 

By contrast, in the present-day high school movies (which are, by the way, not called high school movies any more, but teen movies) I watched, high school was a bleak place the protagonists aimed at going through in order to get to college. During the course of the movie, the female protagonists learned that there actually is something more to life than studying and getting to college: There can be some friendship and love in high school too. 

Not pleased to meet you

Beside my very scientific comparison of movies, I have another reason to believe that young women have become more unpleasant as dating partners: Not a very long time ago, I was a young woman myself. And in that role, I learned a few important things:

In every situation, young women need to exhibit a certain dose of unpleasantness. 

The appropriate dose of unpleasantness is highly dependent on the situation. 

Situations where casual sex is common require the most unpleasantness. More or less, there is a sliding scale where the appropriate dose of unpleasantness is proportional to the possibility of casual sex to happen. For a young woman, some situations require a tough, unpleasant surface, while other situations allow naive openness.

For that reason, I find it entirely plausible that the dating market of today requires more unpleasantness than the dating market of a few decades ago. If the possibility of casual sex has increased, the perceived necessity for pleasantness is likely to have changed too. 

I guess that most young women don't even notice how they are fine-tuning their variable levels of unpleasantness. The only reason why I noticed that thing when I was a young woman is that I sometimes failed spectacularly in putting in the right dose of unpleasantness on the right occasion. Only that way it became evident to me that young women need to be more unpleasant in some situations compared to others. 

When I was young, I was in a slightly unusual situation compared to most young women. I spent most of my time looking unavailable to men, accompanied by husband and children or visibly pregnant. And then, occasionally, I would get out into the world all alone, looking like any woman of my age. At such occasions I had a tendency to act naively and to be over-friendly. I was so used to being protected by my matronly status, that I was unable to adapt when I temporarily went out of it. 

For example, once when I was 22 years old I left Anders and our baby son in order to travel to Berlin to find an apartment for us. I boarded a budget flight all alone. A man was sitting on one row of the airplane. He was about 35 years old, blond with an Eastern European look and a hard, serious face. He wore a t-shirt with a cross symbol on it (some Polish right wing symbol, he would explain). He made eye contact with me and signaled for me to take the seat next to his. 

I complied. Not because I liked anything about him; just because I had forgotten how to say no to people. With a baby by my side, I didn't need to say no to people. Instead, I needed people to help me lift a pram over staircases and on and off buses and trains. The year with a baby had brought me out of synch with the task of rebuffing sexual advances. I wasn't reflexively unpleasant anymore. Not even a little. So when a man made eye-contact with me, I just approached him. 

When I realized my mistake, it was difficult to get out. We tried to make conversation, but Right Wing Man From Poland apparently wasn't a man of words. He bought us ridiculously expensive icecream, without asking me if I wanted it, and I felt obliged to eat it. I was trapped like an animal and I was being fed like an animal. It certainly wasn't my life's most socially graceful moment. 

With time, and after a few more mistakes of the kind above, I learned that suddenly regaining my shape after pregnancy and leaving home without a baby left me unprotected. After every pregnancy, I had to gradually build up my levels of unpleasantness again. On the occasions that I just threw myself out into the world, I was initially too defenseless. 

Personally I don't like to be unpleasant. So with time I learned tricks to avoid that obligation. Most of all, avoiding socializing during night time was an important rule to follow. Curiously, in Western societies there is a strong, invisible norm that flirtation should be done in the evening. Like if evenings and nights are “sexy time”, as Borat says in his eponymous film. In the Muslim world (the limit line is at the Bosporus, in my experience) there is no important difference - all time is sexy time there. But in Europe, most men restrain themselves during daytime. Just avoiding social settings during evenings and nights did the trick to a remarkable degree. 

Rules no more

In the casual sex market, men have the role of beggars. A few are robbers, a few are entertainers, but most fall into the beggar category. Basically, men who try to obtain casual sex use the same tactics as beggars tend to use: They use their targets’ instincts for friendliness to catch their attention. Then, when they have got the target’s attention, they steer the topic into casual sex/money for nothing. For that reason, young women need to learn to be unfriendly to men for the same reason that people in general learn to be unfriendly to beggars. 

When group A wants something from group B that most members of group B do not want to give, someone needs to be unpleasant. Either there needs to be unpleasant rules saying that members of group A are not allowed to ask members of group B for what they want. Or the individuals of group B need to act unpleasantly themselves. 

Laws against begging are a case in point. Banning people from asking for money they might desperately need is unpleasant. It also prevents the minority that feel good from giving money to beggars from doing what they like. Laws against begging moves the obligation to be unpleasant from individuals to society as a whole. 

I think the same principle applies to the casual sex question. Either society makes unpleasant rules and norms that protect young women from requests for casual sex. One obvious price for such rules is that a minority of women who actually want casual sex will miss out on opportunities. The upside is that young women will not have to be unpleasant themselves. The rules will be unpleasant in their place.

What happens when rules for relationships are abolished one by one? What happens when everything is allowed, as long as it is consensual? Then the burden to say “I consent” or “I do not consent” lies squarely with the individual. Individual women need to radiate “I do not consent”. [...]

20 years ago, when I was on the dating market myself, there were still rules of fair play. A young woman who naively dated a handsome man only to discover that he dated several other women simultaneously would be justified to blame him for being dishonest. Today, she would need to feel stupid because she didn't discuss the terms with him.

In the dating environment from 20 years ago it was also considered entirely normal for women to be naive and even a bit stupid. People knew that such an attitude could pay off. There was even a stereotype for that, called the bimbo. The bimbo only cared for her looks. And she was pleasant. That way, she hoped to be taken good care of. 

Where have all the bimbos gone now? The bimbo look has gone so mainstream that the word became obsolete. Fake nails, thick layers of make-up, hair extensions and platinum bleached hair was considered conspicuously superficial two decades ago. Now it is normal. But the credulous personality that was supposed to follow that look is completely out of fashion. Feminism did not only give ordinary women the right to stand up for themselves. It obliges them to. Because no one is doing it for them.

Being unpleasant is probably not the best strategy for a young woman to signal that she stands up for her own value. Thinking hard about what she is looking for and searching out where to find that sounds like a more sympathetic strategy. 

Needless to say, all people are not good at thinking hard. Especially not around emotionally charged issues like romantic love and sex. In a situation where people are asking for too much, unpleasantness is the instinctual reaction. And when the elaborate cultural conventions for how to build relationships have been abandoned, instinct kicks in. 

When one group wants more than another group wants to give, someone needs to be unpleasant. In civilizations, society tends to take on more and more of that role: It collects taxes so local strongmen won't have to. It removes criminals from the scene so ordinary people don't have to lynch them. And, for long times, it also upheld norms for how expensive sex should be, so ordinary women did not have to signal how awfully expensive they were. 

Those of us who ask for a more pleasant society should be careful what we wish for. Many times, we only get more unpleasant individuals instead. 

[dumbbitchenergy17]

Clan of Three - Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One: The Spies

Plot: A Mandalorian, an infant with a history of the jedi, and a teenager with similar powers and a heavy role to bear. Now reunited their journeys across the galaxy are just beginning to complete their final mission.

Word Count: 8K

Pairing: Father Figure!Din Djarin x Platonic!Teen!Reader

Warnings: fighting/violence, injuries, some wholesome moments, father-daughter moments, character death, massive angst, PTSD, just really fucking sad and depressing

------

An evil out in the galaxy, the remnants of a destroyed empire forced to hide in the shadows slowly rebuilding until they can make their return. A man in imperial armor flanked by several soldiers wearing white armor and red sensors. He enters a laboratory full of tanks holding deformed and growing lifeforms, entering a conference chamber that was already going on via holograms.

“The New Republic is vulnerable, but we must be cautious and show no sign of our true strength.” One of the imperial officers states.

“Easy for you to say, Captain. There’s a fortune to be had plundering the hyperspace lanes,” A bald male commander disagrees as the man in the room actually watches the disagreement.

“Commander, your hit-and-run operations are gaining too much notice,” Captain Gilad Pellaeon reminds the commander, “If we are perceived as anything other than a group of unorganized remnant warlords, the New Republic will increase their efforts to hunt us down.”

“There are citizens loyal to the Empire on every planet in this galaxy,” A female officer speaks up, “They’re already getting sick of this New Republic and its rules and regulations.”

Another bearded officer nods agreeing to the woman’s statement “And if we give them a show of strength, they will rally behind us.” The woman nods but Pelleaon shakes his head

“But that strength must not be wasted. Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return will herald in the re-emergence of our military, and provide Commandant Hux enough time to deliver on Project Necromancer.” Pelleaon mentions the formidable Admiral. Hux smiles and the imperial warlord steps forward and Hux motions to speak.

“Captain Pellaeon, you always speak with much authority, and yet, I see,” He scoffs looking around, “Once again, that Grand Admiral Thrawn is missing from your delegation. Any word on when he will be able to participate in the Shadow Council?”

Pelleaon scoffs before replying, “With respect, our one hope for success relies upon the secrecy of his return.”

“Captain, secrets are my stock-in-trade,” The warlord reminds him, “I hear whispers from one end of the galaxy to another, and never a word of Thrawn. You have spoken of his imminent return…perhaps, it’s time we look to new leadership.”

“Hear, hear.” The female imperial officer agrees and Hux nods, “Project Necromancer is in place for that.” He asks the warlord.

“Yes, Commandant.” “What has become of Doctor Pershing and the research you promised us?” Hux asks and the warlord is silent, “Doctor Pershing was captured by the New Republic. His research is lost. For now, at least.” He says and Hux nods,

“I also hear whispers, Gideon. You held Pershing and were attempting your own experiments on Nevarro.” He questions the warlord, Moff Gideon. 

“The creation of clones is your obsession, not mine. I account for what goes on in my sector, no more, no less,” Gideon looks around at the council, “The same can be said of every member of this Council.”

“Yes.” “Of course.” “That’s right.” “Yes.”

“And yet, we individually scrape and claw resources awaiting the grand plan to take shape, while you and Pellaeon amass countless resources and equipment which should be shared,” Gideon observes each warlord and Hux nods holding a datapad, “Oh, we already received your request. Three Praetorian Guards,” He scoffs, “Sounds like someone is concerned about an assassination attempt.” Gideon is silently his hand scratching his chin feeling the scars that litter his face. It was more of a second chance of an assassination attempt.

“And he thinks I’m being the flashy one,” Pelleaon remarks, “But following your first attempt it’s remarkable you’re still standing today.” The news had spread quickly through the empire of Gideon’s capture before he was soon rescued. The warlord with control over Nevarro and eyes all over the Outer Rim. But he had a key asset to taking control of a vital planet that could bring the return of the empire and it was thwarted by a man in beskar armor but the scars that would stain his skin forever caused by a young girl with abilities assumed to be extinct.

You stand over him the Darksaber in hand ready to deliver the killing blow. The rage and wrath you were going to enact your revenge.

“And reinforcements for your TIE interceptor squadron,” Hux asks and Gideon lowers his hand from the scars marring his face pushing away those memories, “And… bombers.”

“Yes, I see. And what is your security concern?” Hux asks and Gideon moves towards the middle of the room, “Mandalorians.” The council is confused by this information.

“What? They continue to be an issue?” An officer asks and Gideon nods, “They do. I am increasingly confident that they are preparing to retake their home world of Mandalore. They have a Jedi among their ranks as well that is Mandalorian too.” The council knew of this Jedi girl that had been involved with Moff Gideon but the news she is Mandalorian as well the pieces connected. The name whispered in alleys, through bounty hunters, even the New Republic was looking for her, is seen as the person who took down the Warlord Moff Gideon. Of Mandalorian and Jedi blood. The granddaughter of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Duchess Satine Kryze and current wielder of the Darksaber.

“A resurgent Mandalore would hamper our efforts.” Pelleaon remarks and the warlords a nervous about this news.

“Which is why we need to stamp them out now.” The others agree as he meets Pelleaon’s gaze, “You’ll have your reinforcements and your guard.”

“We shall be rid of the Mandalorians once and for all,” Gideon turns around looking at his fellow warlords, “Long Live the Empire!”

“Long Live the Empire!”

All repeat as Gideon leaves the council with only one thought in mind. While the Mandalorians were a threat to him only one stood out to him, a man who was willing to tear the galaxy apart for two individuals and his daughter that wouldn’t let someone stop her from finishing off the warlord. Din Djarin and Y/n Kenobi-Kryze were a threat to him but to finish this once and for all both parties need to be separated. The young princess would have wished she accepted his offer so long ago…

The planet Nevarro is serene and peaceful when the loud rumble and citizens look at the sky in shock, High Magistrate Greef Karga works in his office when he notices the tremor seeing a shadow overcast his city. “High Magistrate! High Magistrate!” The protocol droid enters the office, “An Imperial shuttle is advancing over the city.”

The Magistrate moves to the balcony viewing the large fleet over Nevarro City, “First, that’s a light cruiser. And second, it’s not Imperial.” “With apologies, sir. According to my data, it is.” The droid says from its information, and it wasn’t wrong technically.

“No, no. It was an Imperial ship. Look at the markings,” On the bottom of the light cruiser is the large design of the mythosaur, “See, those, my friend, are Mandalorian privateers. I’ll bet you, half that fleet was captured from the Empire.”

“So, they’re on our side then?” The droid asks and Greef nods, “I should hope so. They’re our welcomed guests. Come.” From the Mandalorian covert, the Armorer emerges from her tent other members of the Tribe gaze at the approaching Mandalorian fleet in wonder. On the Gauntlet the four of you fly before the fleet approaching the covert,

“I hope these two groups get along. They’ve never met, and what little they know of each other, they hate.” Bo-Katan says warily, with the new fleet and the new owner of the Darksaber a lot of pressure was on her.

“They will if they wanna survive.” You say trying to soothe her worries as the Gauntlet and the rest of the fleet land. Exiting the ship Bo-Katan led followed by her followers as they move forward as the Mandalorians of the Child of the Watch stand on opposite sides.

“Take the children inside.” Paz Vizsla orders his son and the boy is leading the children away from the situation between adults. You spot amongst the tribe the copper and white armor relieved to see him again. Bo-Katan and her followers remove their helmets as silence fills the area the tension between two groups of different beliefs. You were certainly a fight was to break out when a clanging fills the air you sigh of relief as the Armorer lowers her hammer and tongs.

“Welcome, fellow Mandalorians,” She greets the newcomers, “We invite you to make camp. Let us prepare a feast for our guests.”

It was uncomfortable and tense leading to the feast of the animosity between two tribes as you were pulled away, meeting the new IG-11 when Din and Grogu returned inside the droid while you were with Bo-Katan and the Armorer. You caught glances of the Mandalorian you wished to see but you were too far apart and when he left to join the hunting party for the feast you didn’t see him until night. A large bonfire was used to cook the animal but also to light the area, the two fractions divided a very awkward meal with only half eating the other not allowed to eat before others. They talk amongst their own clans before Bo-Katan rises to stand knowing she has to say something,

“Mandalorians. It is time to retake our home world. Even though the planet is not cursed, there are still dangers. Dormant species have been awakened from the bombings. The remaining magnetic interference has made it impossible to scan the surface from above the atmosphere.” She explains as they all listen in, “Which is why I’m proposing that we leave Nevarro and move the fleet into orbit above Mandalore. We send down a small recon party. We’ll scout the surface, find out what remains of the Great Forge, and establish a safe perimeter. Only then, will we bring down the others. I need volunteers from both tribes.” She says and silence fills the encampment of those averting their eyes from their technical leader’s gaze. You look around before making eye contact with Bo-Katan who tries hiding her nerves but you can feel them.

“I will go,” Din speaks up and Bo-Katan nods gratefully, “Y/n and Grogu as well.” He says and Grogu coos while you nod. It’s quiet once again before you see Koska Reeves grab her helmet holding it to her side as she stands.

“I will go.” She says and Bo-Katan nods now having two from each tribe, “I will go.” Woves says with a nod rising to stand.

“I will go.” Paz Vizsla states standing up as well his gaze meeting Woves as they watch each other. “I will go.” You hear Kaz’s voice and you spot him standing his gaze meets yours and he gives a small nod and you return one back. Soon others are standing volunteering themselves before the Armorer speaks up, “I will go as well.” The scouting party created the rest of the night a bit tense but lighten up.

You don’t even wait for Bo-Katan to return to your small group, you’re already up moving away from the adults towards the person you’ve been dying to see since returning to Nevarro. Din sighs watching you disappear amongst the Mandalorians seeing where that boy Kaz once was is now gone from his spot too. Bo-Katan pats his shoulder as she takes your seat, “She’s going to be alright, besides it’s good for her to be a normal teen for once well I guess adult.” It didn’t seem real that you were an adult, just yesterday Din met the girl on Arvala-7 and Bo-Katan didn’t know it was her grand-niece while helping hijack an imperial cruiser.

“I know..” Din sighs breaking apart pieces of meat for Grogu to eat who accepts it with open hands, he spots you and your Mandalorian off to the side beside the tents your hands holding the sides of Kaz’s helmet. You speak to him with a large smile across your face as he presses his helmet against your forehead. “I don’t want her to have her heartbroken…I wouldn’t know what to do. I barely got her back from Gideon.”

“Kid…hey cyar’ika..will you please look at me?”

He calls out to you, he feels like he lost two of his children, one with the Jedi that had long left and the girl in front of him but seemed to be millions of lightyears away. Moff Gideon was removed from the light cruiser going off with Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and Cara Dune on the Slave I. Leaving himself, you, Bo-Katan, and Reeves as they went to meet up with the other Mandalorians. The female Mandalorian that was apparently your grand-aunt had allowed you two to stay willing to bring them anywhere in the galaxy before they went off for their plans to reclaim Mandalore though without the Darksaber that was now in your possession.

Your eyes were glazed over but they seemed to be focused on an item gripped in your hand as your breathing suddenly picks up. Din looks realizing the weapon in your grasp, prying from your strong grip and throwing it off in the private room you two were given. Din still hadn’t put on his helmet there was no reason to try to hide at the moment, he had already done the worse thing any Mandalorian of his creed could do. Remove one's helmet in front of a living person and he did it for you and the child.

“It’s gone..okay it’s gone.” He whispers holding your face between his palms forcing you to look at him and you barely even register him tears welling in your eyes. The blood drips to the floor from your fingers as it freely bled, your knuckles were shattered no doubt just drenched in your blood and the Moff’s. Your clothes were bloody parts of them ripped and tattered a large open hole was at your stomach and on your back and he assumes it was from…he didn’t want to think of that. He still wasn’t sure how you were standing before him and he thanked his gods and the Force that comes from you. Blood speckles your face and your messy hair as he tries swiping at the dried blood as a tear slides down your cheek wetting some dried blood before another one and they pour down your face like a waterfall. Din felt helpless seeing your innocence completely stripped away from you. Your lip wobbles as a strained whine like a wounded animal is held in your throat as you try not to break down. Din feels his own eyes burn but forces his own sadness to be pushed down as you choke back a cry. It was repressed as you hold in your cries your shoulders shake and before Din can try comforting you hit the ground a cry of pure terror comes out. Din hits the ground with you as you frantically start rubbing at your arms tearing at your skin blood spewing from your deep scratches.

“get it off…get it off…Get it off!” You scream as you try to rid the blood that marks you and Din has to wrestle with your arms to pull them away from each other and from you to stop causing harm to yourself. “Stop it Y/n! Stop!” Din yells fearfully of you being so terrified of Moff Gideon’s blood on you that you were hurting yourself in your panic. Tears blind your vision as he looks over you forcing your hands into one of his and cups your cheek with the free one. He could only describe pure fear in your voice and your face as Moff Gideon continues to plague you despite the fact he was lightyears away from you. “He tried to…” You break down as he pulls you into his arms holding you in the crook of his neck your arms clutching his cape.

“Oh cyar’ika…I got you…you’re safe..it’s just us.” He reassures you blinking away the tears from his eyes as you sob in the safety of his arms, “Din.” You whimper as he presses a kiss to the top of your head whispering into your hair.

“You’re safe…you’re alright. I’m not leaving…I got you cyar’ika.” It was a promise…a vow to always protect you to make sure this never happens again. To never see another tear be shed, shelter you from the harshness of the world, to keep yours in his embrace safe in his arms. He would put his life on the line, let himself die, and break his creed a thousand times over to make sure you never go through this kind of pain ever.

Din watches you speak to that boy as he holds you in your embrace Bo-Katan sees the nervousness and fear coming off the bounty hunter, “She can’t go through it again. That kind of pain isn’t meant for her…this life isn’t meant for her.” He voices his worries. He would bring you away from here, hide you away from the world even if you would hate him for the rest of your life if it keeps you safe he was willing to. But he couldn’t be selfish…he couldn’t live in a world where you hated him, and they were so close to the end. Returning home to Mandalore, start anew and when that time came he would hang up his blaster and sit back and watch you grow older and be a father, not a bounty hunter. So he watches you be happy in this moment of serenity praying to the highest being to keep that boy safe for the sake of your heart.

The next morning after bidding goodbye to Magistrate Greef Karga, the fleet, and its Mandalorians depart from Nevarro to Mandalore. The Mandalorians sit in the hull for the drop while you, Grogu, Bo-Katan, and the Armorer sit in the cockpit. Both the N-1 and X-Wing left on the light cruiser and R4 sadly stays on the cruiser. He was a bit disappointed but you reassured him, he would be the first person you bring when you return from the scouting party. All the ships exit hyperspace reaching Mandalore as the Gauntlet heads towards the stormy surface, “Scouting party descending to surface. We’ll lose comms shortly.” Bo-Katan says speaking to the people in the back as the ship rattles entering the thunderstorms that surround the planet’s atmosphere. Soon you’re breaking through the storm flying over the destroyed cities of your homeworld.

The doors slide open as Din enters holding onto your seat to stabilize himself, “They’re ready.” Bo-Katan presses on a keypad, “Secure infill zone.” Soon the Mandalorians depart to the planet you remain hovering over before you hear a transmission come through, “Gauntlet, landing zone secure.” Woves announces and the ship lands the five of you disembarking. Grogu controls IG-12 as you touch the glassy surface.

“Somewhere below is where our ancient capital once stood,” Bo-Katan tells the other Mandalorians, “We’ll survey the surface until we find the Forge and create a safety zone. Only then will we begin to bring down the settlers. We start scouting in that direction.” She points in the direction of the sunset.

“Form up.” Your expedition begins walking in pairs through the terrain, you walk beside Kaz in front of Din and the Armorer. A large distance is covered before you sense something. You pause and Kaz and Din look at you confused.

“Kid?” “Something’s heading towards us.” You comment to the Mandalorians sensing a large presence looking out and seeing something on the horizon, “There, on the horizon.” You point out as a large land ship with wheels approaches.

“Nite Owls.” Bo-Katan commands and the Nite Owls quickly get into position the rest of you holding your weapons ready for whoever it was. “Flanking left.” You were more surprised about the fact that people were actually here and if so how did they survive the Purge? The ship comes rumbling to a stop a distance away before a voice shouts out.

“Do you have food?” “We do.” Bo-Katan replies and another man onboard shouts, “You wear the crest of the Nite Owls?”

“I should hope so.” Bo-Katan says, “They’re Mandalorians.” The Armorer says.

“Is that the voice of Lady Bo-Katan Kryze?” Your party is silent as Bo-Katan decides to confirm, “It is.” Suddenly three Mandalorians activate their jetpacks leaving their ship and landing in front of the scouting party. They remove their helmets revealing tired but hopeful faces.

“We knew you would not forsake us, Lady Bo-Katan. We have failed you, but our blasters remain in your service.” They lower their heads slightly bringing a hand to rest over their hearts. Your group found itself on the ship eating dinner only those who took off their helmets at. You sat between Din and Kaz with Bo-Katan at the head of the table.

“They intercepted any ships they saw leaving. They took no prisoners. They bombed every surface twice over. They punished us as a warning to the whole galaxy because we refused to surrender.” The Captain of the landship explains and Bo-Katan grows quiet.

“That’s not true….I did surrender.” She says and the Mandalorians went silent before whispering amongst each other, “After our forces were annihilated in the Night of a Thousand Tears and defeat was imminent, I met with Moff Gideon. The ISB had reached out to me to negotiate a cease-fire. In exchange for submitting to the Empire and disarming, all remaining cities and Mandalorian lives were to be spared. That is how Moff Gideon came to possess the Darksaber. I didn’t trust him, but it was the only chance I had to save our people. And then he betrayed me and we were helpless to resist the Purge of Mandalore.” She explains. The air is tense as the truth of the destruction of this planet is revealed.

The Captain swallows harshly turning to the still helmet Mandalorians, “How did these others survive?” “We were hidden on the moon of Concordia.” The Armorer explains.

“Are you Death Watch?” The Captain questions a bit suspicious of the terrorist group that went into known hiding on Concordia, “Death Watch exists no longer. It shattered into many warring factions.”

“Our people have suffered time and again. From division and squabbling factions,” Bo-Katan says looking over the table, “Mandalore has always been too powerful for any enemy to defeat. It is always our own division that destroys us.”

“And what does a Jedi have involved amongst our kind? The last time Jedi and Mandalorians fought side by side was the Seige of Mandalore during the Clone Wars,” The Captain says remembering fighting there as well, “I thought the Jedi were all killed off?”

“That is true…I make no sense here. To some, I am an enemy..to others a reminder of the past allies you once fought alongside,” You say holding your hands over the table, “I am here to return to my home planet and see the rise of Mandalore and its people. My father once wished for Mandalore to be a planet for all Mandalorians despite which fraction or division they came from to have a homeworld, no matter if you are Mandalorian by blood or Mandalorian by Creed.” Your gaze meets Bo-Katan's and then Din’s.

“Though I no longer wield the Darksaber….I fight alongside my grand-aunt for the chance that we and the Mandalorians scattered across the galaxy may all return home.” The table is silent surprised and shocked by the words coming from you. The diplomacy and leadership exuding from you, Bo-Katan sees her sister in you with your words.

“You’re…her grand-niece.” The Captain says shocked many of the Mandalorians stuck on this planet see the resemblance between you and the redhead. “I am Y/n Kenobi-Kryze.”

You leaned against the railing of a secluded part of the land-ship it was stationed the traveling continuing in the morning. The breeze cooling on your skin as your elbows rest on the wood looking out on the destroyed planet that was the home of your family. “That was a good speech…told you I can see a leader in you.” Kaz’s voice comes from your side as you glance over at him. You hum returning your gaze to the open space of Mandalore, you only wished you could have seen this planet in all its glory.

“Do you ever wish you were here on Mandalore when it was still standing and in all its glory,” You ask and he leans against the railing beside you as he thinks for a second, “I think it would have been nice being on a planet of our people, but I don’t think I would have survived the Purge of Mandalore.” He says honestly and you give him a look.

“That’s morbid.” You say and he chuckles slightly, “No but it also meant we wouldn’t have met. I mean if you were here you would be in the capital as a princess and me just a lowly commoner.” He says teasingly and you shove him producing a laugh from him.

“I am definitely no princess. Maker imagine me in a dress and those uncomfortable shoes!” You ramble and you notice him silent watching you, “What?” He keeps looking at you before shaking his head and looking away, “No you can’t just not tell me!” You grab his arm and he looks down at you.

“Does my princess command me?” You hear the smile on his tone and you roll your eyes, “Yes she does now tell me.” You cross your arms across your chest and he’s quiet before leaning forward and pushing a piece of hair that gets in front of your face.

“I think you would like quite pretty in a dress.” He says and your face flushes and you turn away making him laugh, “What you told me to tell you!” He says between laughter before he spins you around to look at him and he presses his forehead against yours and you close your eyes slightly.

“Naboo.” You say and he leans back looking at you confused, “What?” “I will only wear a dress on Naboo. I was told that it’s the most beautiful planet in the galaxy. And there are lakes and waterfalls and fields of flowers and plants as far as the eyes can see. So if you want me to wear a dress it has to be on Naboo.” You explain and he nods.

“With the uncomfortable shoes?” He asks and you smirk, “We’ll see.” The two of you stare at each other a silence falling over you two its two magnetics coming together. His hand covers your eyes the other pulling off his helmet then his lips meet yours. He drops his hand seeing your eyes closed his hand wraps around your waist and pulls your closer while the other holds the back of your neck. Your hand plays with the back of his hair the other holds his face as you kiss him. It’s gentle but filled with passion as you both pour in your affection for each other. There wasn’t any room left between you two as he slightly bends over and you push yourself on your toes. You both pull away holding your face against his chest trying to catch your breath and you feel the rise and fall of his own chest. A pair of lips press against your hairline and you smile into his chest before you hear the metal hiss as his helmet is put back on. You pull back staring at the copper and white beskar as you feel his gaze on you his thumb strokes your cheek.

“I should go before Din starts his own hunting party.” You say a small chuckle comes from the two of you as he nods. He leans forward his forehead meeting yours, “I’ll see you tomorrow then mesh’la.” You pull away giving one last glance at him before you head back toward the group. You spot on the second level of the ship just before the group is you see the flash of silver beskar under the moonlight. Heading up the stairs spotting the familiar armor of Din and you’re silent as you join his side. He seems to have the same idea of lean against an object and pondering.

“You alright?” You ask and you can feel his brief glance at you before you both stare forward. “That boy…Kaz, is he your partner?” He asks and you're surprised by his question and more of his phrasing.

“Kaz and I aren’t together like that! I mean I don’t think so…we haven’t really talked about it.” You ramble as he looks over at you, “But you do like him.” You’re quiet now that you think about it you two discussed what you two were. Sure he said he liked you and you liked him but did that make you two together? It was all strange new territory that you had no guide to help you.

“I do...It’s just...I’ve never had this before..people like me like that,” You felt embarrassed what if you had it all wrong and this was just a big thing you thought it was. You bury your face in your hands, “Maker I’m so stupid..” Din leans on his arms on the railing looking at you.

“Look, I have no idea what that boy’s intentions are, but…I do know that he would be lucky to have you.” Din says and you lift your head up looking at the older man, “Really?” You ask and he nods and it grows silent once more before you speak up.

“Do you feel like everything is going right that it’s meant to go wrong?” You voice your fear for only him to know, “I mean everything we’ve been through, Grogu and I get rescued by you and the Mandalorians--we get the bounty hunters to come after us, we get to meet Ahsoka and she can’t train us, we go to the seeing stone--the empire gets us, even on Tatooine we got Cobb and the people of Freetown and he almost died. Every time we get close to winning something horrible goes wrong,” Your tone gets slightly frantic all the possibilities making you more nervous.

“What if something happens to the Mandalorians, to Grogu, to Bo-Katan, or you!? I don’t know what to do if you’re gone-” “Hey calm down nothing’s going to happen,” Din grabs your shoulders making you look at him, “I promised you I was never leaving you and I’m not. Ever.” He reassures and you nod before he pulls you into his arms just holding you there. His chin rests on the top of your head nothing is said between the two of you but you could tell he meant every single one of his words.

“I love you, dad…” You say and he freezes slightly before his arms squeeze you tighter to him, “Love you too, kid.” He responds his voice thick with emotion. He was glad to have the beskar helmet on his head covering the tears in his eyes. Hearing the title you called him and the meaning of it to both you and him. Din would always be there for you, to protect you and care for you as a father would.

The following morning the landship returns to the Gauntlet so the Armorer and the weak Mandalorians can return to the fleet to be taken care of while the others lead you to where the Forge is. “Onward, Mandalorians! To the Forge!” The Captain yells to his crew as you set off. Sat on a crate beside Din you see most of the Mandalorians resting or waiting for the arrival of the forge. Two however play a game of chess. Vizsla grabs his enforcer making a flank jump and Woves sighs, “You can’t move an Enforcer like that.”

“It’s a flank jump. And you’re about to submit.” Vizsla says and Woves gives him a look, “But only the Wing Guard can flank jump.”

“The Enforcer moves like a Wing Guard when it’s flanking.” Vizsla retorts and Woves sighs shaking his head and turning to his companions with a laugh, “These primitives make up their own rules for everything.” Insulted by his accusation of cheating Vizsla draws out a vibroblade.

“Seriously?” “Submit or fight.” Vizsla demands to Woves who looks at the Mandalorian, “Can you believe this?” The two suddenly break into a brawl with their blades, punches, and kicks both getting their fair licks in.

“Should I step in?” Din questions and Bo-Katan shakes her head, “Neither side can step in. It was bound to happen sooner or later.” The two continue fighting both ready to strike each other with their blade when Grogu comes between them with IG-12 breaking up the fight as he spams the droid’s vocabulator,

“No. No. No. No. No. No. No.” The two men are silent before retracting and heading off to different sides of the deck, “You taught your apprentice well.” Bo-Katan comments and Din looks over at the child who is looking at the three of you,

“He didn’t learn that from me.”

A sharp whistle fills the air as the Mandalorian in the highest peak shouts down to the Captain, “There, on the starboard bow!” The ground crackles ahead of you all seeing the green glass shatter and some dragon-like monster appears from the ground its tail swinging down on all of you

“Abandon ship!” The Captain shouts and you feel arms wrap around your waist you quickly wrap your arms around their neck as you’re sent up into the air as the tail smashes into the ship it exploding in a ball of flames. Landing a distance away, Mandalorians land haphazardly around you as debris rains down on you and Din covers you with his body. He pulls back looking over you as people around you shout, “This way! This way!” “Hurry up! Faster!”

“You good?” He asks you and you nod you’re brought to slightly underneath the surface but the rocks above you shake falling around you, “We’re not far. We need to go further down.” The Captain yells and you’re all sent underground the rumbling of the creature that attacked you recedes the deeper down you went. The cave leads to a tunnel that opens up to a large open space.

“Where are we?” You ask looking at the enormous machines that lined the deep trench, “This is what’s left of the Great Forge. This was once the heart of our civilization. But the fires have been extinguished since the bombings.” Woves says as you walk alongside the small outlook showing the forge.

“You lived here?” Vizsla asks and Reeves glances at him, “We all did.”

“We never left,” The survivors’ captain adds, “Survived by migrating along the surface until the war ended. Some tried to explore below, but none survived.” The distant sound of jetpacks echoes through the cave and you see a multitude of them heading toward you all.

“Jet packs?” Din says confused, “More survivors?” Woves comments when you notice the design of the armor and a wave of panic rushes over you. That bad feeling of being close to winning and something going horribly wrong starting.

“Those aren’t Mandalorians.” You call out as they immediately take fire, ambushing you all, “They’re Imperials! Take cover.” All the Mandalorians take cover firing at them. Your saber pulls from your belt instantly deflecting blaster fire it hitting the armor in return but making no impact as they continue firing.

“They’re wearing beskar armor!” You shout as a few land before you and you dodge blaster fire spinning your blade around and aiming at spots not covered in the lightsaber-resistant metal. It’s harder combat against them, one grabs your hair pulling you towards the edge and a vibroblade is stabbed in the trooper's neck releasing you. Kaz’s hand pulls you to your side as you go back to back fighting against troopers that try to get the drop on you.

“We’re pinned down. We need backup.” Din shouts while fighting his own pair of troopers. Casualties happen on both sides as many questions run through your head through the battle. Where had they even come from?! You thought you were the only ones on Mandalore unless they were tracking you and followed.

“I can make a run for the fleet and get us reinforcements.” Woves volunteers firing at the troopers that are up in the air raining down on you all. “No, it’s too far.” Bo-Katan disagrees not wanting to lose any more men and women.

“I can make it. It’s our only shot at taking the planet back.” Woves pushes.

“There’s a split in the ceiling there.” Vizsla points at the opening leading to the surface and moves forward with his large machine gun, “I’ll lay down cover.” Blaster bolts are fired at the troopers some getting hit fatally as Woves takes off. One tries attacking him mid-flight when its armor is crushed quite violently and send falling to the ground. Making brief eye contact with you he continues and flees to the surface. You spin around stabbing your saber between the gaps of armor your free hand pushing out Force pushing them into the cavern. The dwindling troopers against the resistance you show make them retreat into another tunnel.

“They’re retreating!” Vizsla shouts as Bo-Katan reloads her blaster before rushing forward, “Advance.”

“For Mandalore!” The Mandalorians shout as you run alongside Kaz firing after the troopers, Din reaches your side as you suddenly leave rocky terrain and enter imperial flooring and walls. That sense of nerves adds weight to your chest the deeper into their base. The troopers fly off on the jetpacks leaving you all in the base. You take in the TIEs and Bombers that wait patiently to be deployed your fear only growing stronger. The Imps didn’t follow after you…they were here on Mandalore all this time, and with how much was here they must have been here since the Purge.

“What is this place?” Bo-Katan says as you look around when a door hisses shut and you spin around seeing all of everyone minus, yourself, Kaz, Din, and one other Mandalorian on the other side of the blast door. You raise your saber to cut through the door when you hear Din shout and an alarm goes off.

“It’s an ambush!” A squadron of Imperial commandos lands on the platform firing at the four of you. Spinning your blade to deflect blaster fire but it was too many as one takes down one of the Mandalorians. Din and Kaz fire their blasters at them when a fibercord whip wraps around Din’s neck yanking him back. “Din!” You shout barely dodging a blaster fire blocking the attack as he fires another cable wrapping around his wrist and he sends a wave of flames. You thrust your hand out crushing the trooper that was choking Din, his limbs snap in a horrid position as he crumbles to the ground. A loud cry fills the air and you feel the life drain from your body. Spinning around and seeing Kaz holding his hands to his side as he crumbles to the ground, you release a yell raising your saber to attack his perpetrator when a blaster rifle slams against your temple. Stars blind you as you hit the ground your saber falling out of your hands and your quickly jumped by three troopers. Their hands grab your arms and pin them behind your back as you thrash violently.

“Let me go! Kriffing let me go! You son of a bitch!” You shout feeling cuffs being placed around your wrist and you try calling your lightsaber but it remains laying on the floor. Your shouts fill the air as you see Kaz on his side his hands pressed to his side blood quickly spilling from his side, “No! stop it. Stop it! Kaz!” You cry out struggling more and your face is slammed into the ground and blood spills from your mouth and nose.

“Don’t you touch her!” Din roars seeing three of them manhandle you to the ground. He fights against his own restraints, the cable tightly around his neck and one on each wrist forcing his arms to cross his chest so he couldn’t use them as three troopers for him bringing him to his knees. Your gaze is focused on Kaz as he bleeds out, alive but losing blood too quickly. Someone lands on the platform seeing a person in Dark Trooper armor, the Mandalorian-style helmet with spikes on the crown similar to the Armorer.

“Disarm them.” A modulated voice calls out and you struggle in your assailants’ grasp as they remove your blaster and vibroblade from your holster. The Dark Trooper motions to the troopers restraining you and you’re pulled from laying on the ground to shoved on your knees as you fight in their grasp. You watch them grab their helmet removing it and the air leaves your body and it’s silent as you stare back at the man. Who tormented you, ruined your life, kidnapped, assaulted, and tried to murder you, the man you tried to kill but failed. He wasn’t meant to be here…this wasn’t real you would open your eyes and be back on Nevarro or at the Great Forge and you never got into a fight with the Empire. He wasn’t real..this wasn’t real. But when he spoke your worst nightmare was confirmed,

“Thank you for gathering the Mandalorians into one place,” He says, and you are unmoving. Moff Gideon was back. He finds delight in seeing the horror and pure terror in your expression as the Mandalorians behind the blast door has no choice but to watch. “You were a talented people, but your time has passed. However, as you can see, Mandalore will live on in me. Thanks to your planet’s rich resources, I have created the next-generation Dark Trooper suit forged from beskar alloy and the most impressive improvement is that it has me in it,” Gideon holds his hands out showing his suit off. If looks could kill Din would have killed Moff Gideon a billion times over, his gaze kept moving from Gideon, to Kaz who continues bleeding out, and you who was paralyzed in fear.

“You see, every society has something to offer. The cloners. The Jedi. And even the Mandalorians. By aggregating the best of each, I will create an army that will bring order to the galaxy.” Gideon felt power knowing his plan had worked and he had everyone where he wanted them to be. “Why don’t we take your fleet off the board while we still have the element of surprise? Activate the interceptors and bombers.” He orders and Bo-Katan slams her fist against the glass.

“No!” The Klaxon alarm blares as the Interceptors and Bombers are activating, “In but a few moments, the Purge of Mandalore will be complete.” Gideon grins and a harsh cough fills the air he looks down and spots the weak Mandalorian a few feet from you still kicking. You see Gideon’s gaze on Kaz and you go feral fighting harshly against their hands.

“Don’t you kriffing touch him! Leave him out of this!” You shout blood mixing with tears and your words and emotions reveal the one weak card he was willing to fully exploit. “Strip him of his armor.” He orders and the pair of troopers keeping guard moves forward as you scream for mercy they pull up the Mandalorian to his own knees as one holds him the other being pulled off his armor.

“Let him go! Stop it, please! If you want your heirs you can have them! Please let him go…please!” You shout out as Kaz cries out in pain as he’s stripped of his armor leaving his helmet on Gideon strides forward kneeling before you admiring the tears in your eyes and the blood that comes from your injuries. You hear Din yelling from behind you and Bo-Katan as well. Gideon grabs your chin forcing you to look at him and you feel sick staring at the man his touch sending you into shock.

“Unfortunately that offer is now off the table,” He rises back up and you see him walk towards Kaz not before reaching down and grabbing your saber as you scream and cry out realizing what he was going to do. Grabbing the Mandalorian by the chin of his helmet he rips it off him and you’re staring back at the man you had cared for, giving your heart to. His skin was pale but not sickly, his features sharp with a few cuts littering his perfect face. He was beautiful with short straight black hair you had felt in your hands but didn’t know the color of anything and his eyes piercing and blue like the clearest waters. They were filled with pain but also sadness as he looks at you and you see the acceptance in his gaze that sends you into a panic.

“Kaz, get up. Kaz, kriffing get up and fight. Please stop! Please don’t do this…I’ll do anything please don’t. I beg you!” You shout as he takes in your features one last time though tear-filled and bloody you still look beautiful in his eyes, “Kaz, please get up!”

“I love y-” The blade cleaves through his body and a scream of anguish rips through your throat. Kaz keeps staring at you until you see the life fade before you and Gideon as the boy you loved crumples to the ground.

“Nooo!” You were dead this wasn’t real. Screams and cries tear you apart as you hunch over in the troopers’ arms sobs raking through your body as the air is ripped from your body gasping for air. The Mandalorians behind the blast door and the one behind you are silently looking in horror as Gideon kills the love of your life and worse with the saber that was the symbol of your kind. The weapon of a jedi used to slay your lover. Your gaze was focused on Kaz’s lifeless one as he stared at you with those empty eyes already glossed over. “I’ll kriffing kill you...No! No...I’ll kill you.” You shout not a threat a promise with hatred in your voice. As Gideon holds your weapon in his grasp attaching it to his person.

“Take him to the debriefing room and bring the dear princess to the command center.” Gideon orders and Din is forced to his feet struggling in their grasp seeing the lifeless look in your eyes as you scream out into the air. He failed you, to keep you safe, to make sure you’re heart would never be broken. Din had seen you lose everything important to you and he knew you had lost a part of yourself with this final strike.

You’re pulled to your feet but you can’t stand weak and nauseous as they hold up your weight, “None of this would have occurred if you had accepted. He’s dead because of your actions, princess.” Gideon mocks you as you’re sent into a spiral sobs racking your body and hyperventilating from the shock that has taken over. You’re pulled as you cry out whispering to the man you failed. “i’m sorry…i’m sorry…i’m sorry.”

You didn’t see the meaning of waking up in the morning, a reason to smile, to eat, to breathe, to live. You had lost greatly and your heart could only take so much. His love with haunt you like a phantom, his touch burns and scars your skin, his kiss a mere memory, and his death will drown you until you too leave this plane of existence. You didn’t deserve happiness…you would never love again. You had nothing left in you to love. Your happiness, your love, and yourself had died right alongside him held in his arms with dead promises to visit the far-off planets you dreamed of.

A/N: I'm sorry🫣 Also for those wondering the face claim for Kaz is Freddy Carter. I live for Kaz Brekker so just picture that gorgeous man. One more chapter left!!

[theobsidianempress]

The Nanny

WARNING: This story contains strong language and sexual themes. If you are UNDER the age of 18 - GO AWAY!

Summary:

Everything was going well for you. A good paying job, just graduated with your masters in child psychology and development along with your teaching certificate. Things seemed to be on the up and up until your boyfriend’s ego go in the way. Before you knew it you were living with your mom again in your childhood bedroom. You decided that rather than wallow in self pity, you’d put your degree to some use only that seemed to be harder than you thought. At the end of your rope you decided to look at the private ads and answered one for a single working father with two daughters. That turned out to be one of the best decisions you ever made.

Chapter 1: Perceived Slight

You had graduated from university with your masters in Early Childhood Development and Psychology about a year ago. You had always wanted to work with children. The only problem was finding a job that worked with you. Working in a school sounded like a good idea until you realized that you weren’t a morning person and dealing with a classroom full of toddlers first thing in the morning sounded like hell on earth. You had to do that as an internship and while you loved the kids you helped teach, you knew you could not do that again. You thought about opening your own private practice to be a child therapist… only there was a lot of fees and red tape to get through. So, to make ends meet while you figured your life out, your boyfriend graciously offered you a job at his store in Ginza.

Working in Ginza in a high-end suit shop definitely had its perks. The amount of cute guys that would stop in to look for a suit to purchase was mind boggling. Only, your boyfriend was the manager and it would have been wildly inappropriate to flirt with the clientele even if they openly flirted with you. You did your best to shut down their advances and, most of the time, they listened to you. This seemed to placate your overly jealous boyfriend. He would watch you like a hawk when you welcomed in someone that was mildly more attractive than him. He knew he was nothing to sneeze at but he should’ve had more faith in you. You loved him. You would never leave him for someone else just because they were more handsome. That was vain. You were anything but. You could definitely appreciate a pretty face, any woman would but that wasn’t the only thing that mattered to you.

You tried time and time again to explain this to him but he was so far up his own ass that nothing you said mattered. Usually you two would fight and not talk for a few days before you would cave in and beg him to talk to you. That song and dance had worn you down so much that you threatened to leave him. Multiple times, actually. But every time he would throw a fit and threaten you back, whoever you managed to get with after him, your mom, anyone he could think of. One time he even threatened to end himself. Each time he got you to cancel the break up and stay with him and put up all over again with his toxic bullshit. His constant flirting with other women, his backhanded and degrading comments and so on. You figured he would have changed back into the sweet man you’d fallen in love with. The one who would bring you flowers, bring you coffee and buy you lunch unprompted. You hoped that he would go back to the way he was but after every fight, every comment, every time he talked you down, that hope seemed to fade away.

The door to the shop swung open bringing you back to reality. You looked around and every single one of your coworkers were occupied, so this client was yours to attend to.

“Welcome! How can I help you today?” You put on your best customer service smile and approached them. You couldn’t help but notice, aside from how tall he was, that his hair was snow white. He tipped his round dark shades down his nose to look at you. His eyes were the bluest you had ever seen. It became all too clear who was standing in front of you — Gojo Satoru, the owner of G-Tech Industries. It was like seeing a unicorn. You saw his face plastered on ads all over the city but you never once thought you’d be graced with his presence. You played it cool and acted like he was just another client. You had to. If you began fawning over him like he was the second coming of Jesus, you’d get your ass chewed for a lifetime from your boyfriend, who was of course staring you down from the till.

“Well aren’t you just the prettiest little thing? You’re gonna be helping me today, huh?” He said. Aw shit… Not only was he an ungodly amount of attractive, he was also a flirt.

“I’m not all that pretty, sir.” You down played his compliment, “What can I help you with today?” You repeated.

He put away his shades in his blazer pocket as a smirk tugged on his lips, “Pretty and humble. Cute.” He strolled right past you into the show room as he spoke, “I’m looking for a new suit for an event I have coming up. I want something a little different from the usual boring suit but nothing ostentatious. Think you can help me with that, gorgeous?” He asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

You knew the inventory inside out and luckily, you had gotten some pieces that would work with what he was looking for. “Absolutely, sir. It just so happens we got some new pieces in that I believe would suit you quite well.” You said confidently, “Please follow me so I can get your measurements.”

It didn’t take a genius to know that Gojo was checking you out. You really were pretty. Nice figure, nice size chest, sweet face and a melodious voice. You made anything you wore look good and even the worst of news sounded pleasant. As you lead him to the fitting area you could feel his diamond gaze graze over you. It wasn’t something you were used to. Yes, you were used to being ogled but this was on a whole new different level. You couldn’t deny that being looked at did something to you, but it wasn’t like you could do anything about it. You were at work and you could see your boyfriend out of the corner of your eye pretending to do inventory while he watched you. That’s right… you had a boyfriend whom you were committed to and no amount of sensual eyeing would change that.

Gojo glanced over his shoulder at your tailing boyfriend. He quickly pretended to be doing something else but now it was obvious he was watching you.

“Pathetic…” You heard Gojo mutter under his breath.

Normally, you would have defended your boyfriend’s actions, but now you had to agree. His behavior was pathetic, but there was nothing you could do. You pulled a set of measuring tape from your pocket and began taking his measurements. That was a task and a half. You were on the shorter side, hitting no more than five foot four. So taking measurements for someone that was six foot three and seemingly all legs was hard. It took you several attempts to make sure you had the right numbers. The last thing you wanted was to come back with something that was too short. He had to deal with that enough. It wasn’t until you realized you had to take his waist measurements that your heart decided that your throat was its new home for the time being. No matter how hard you tried to swallow it back down and hide the flush of your face, it became increasingly obvious that Gojo did get to you. Anyone else you’d take their measurements and keep it moving. Since the illustrious Gojo Satoru was your client, the idea of being so close to him — even for just a moment — had your stomach doing flips and your heart threatening to stop. It didn’t matter what side or what angle you approached him, it still made you blush. You could see your boyfriend’s face redden with anger. That seemed to put your heart back into a normal rhythm.

“I am a professional and I have a job to do.” You thought as you went in.

You ignored the amused smirk on Gojo’s face as he watched you wrap your arms around him. Even though it was something you’d done a million times before with a million other clients, somehow he managed to fluster you. Or maybe it was the fact that your jealous boyfriend was watching you fiercely.

You scribbled the last of his measurements in your little note pad, “Alright! I’ll be right back with your options, Mr. Gojo.” You turn on your heels before he can say something flirty. You feared that if he did your boyfriend would kill the both of you right there.

As you’re picking items and scan the racks for anything that will work with what your client is looking for you, you feel a hand on your shoulder spin you around. Your heart sank into the depths of the ocean when you saw your boyfriend.

“What the hell was going on out there?” He seethed.

“Nothing. I’m just doing my job.” You say as you attempt to finish.

He let off a cold chuckle that would make the winter wind jealous, “Nothing? You really expect me to believe that that was nothing?” He gestured behind him.

“Yes. Now we are at work and I have a job to do.” You put up your own cold front and try to move past him.

He didn’t move. In fact, he dug his heels into the carpet, “Oh, no. You’re not getting away that easily.”

You looked up at him through your brows, “I don’t care how you feel right now. We are at work and have jobs to do. If you’re incapable of doing that then go home.” Like you had any power to send him home. You watched as his fist and jaw clenched and unclenched. Steam was practically pouring out of his ears and it looked like it was taking every ounce of control he had not to throttle you right then and there. Without a word he moved aside and let you finish your picking before you scampered back out to your awaiting client.

He was sitting there, leaning back with one leg propped up on the other in one of the plush seats scrolling on his phone. He hopped up when he saw you with arms full of options for him. You led him over to the changing room and hung up everything nicely for him.

“Sure you can’t join me?” He quipped.

“I’m afraid not, Mr Gojo. That would be highly inappropriate.” You said as you left him to change.

As you waited for him to emerge, you felt cold. You knew that today, after work, you were absolutely fucked. You hadn’t done anything wrong but in your jealous boyfriend's mind you might as well been sucking Gojo’s dick right then and there.

“No matter what I do… It’s like he’s always looking for some reason to be mad at me…” You muttered to yourself. You shook your head trying to reset like an etch-a-sketch. You needed to be present for your client. That’s what mattered right now. It didn’t matter if your boyfriend was the manager or not. He could take his fragile ego and shove it up.

As if on cue, Gojo emerged in a navy blue suit with subtle detailing throughout. It wasn’t noticeable from afar. It was once you got up close and personal, you could see the detail in the fabric. You could tell by the smile he wore that you’ve done your job. It fit him well and the darker blue made his eyes pop more so than they already did.

“What do you think?” He asked.

You smiled, “I think It looks great.” You were just doing your job and affirming what Gojo already knew.

He went back in and changed back into the suit he came in with. He handed you the options he didn’t want and you put them on the ‘go-back rack’. In his arms were the midnight one he had modeled for you along with a black one that was similar.

“Is this all for you, Mr. Gojo?” You asked as you gestured to his haul.

“Not quite.” He said as he wandered over to the display for ties and tie clips.

You helped him pick out a few ties and tie clips for the suits as well as a few sets of jewel studded cufflinks. When he was ready you lead him up to the till where your manager of a boyfriend was waiting. You paid no mind to the rage burning behind his eyes. You typed in your code and began checking out the items for your client. Commission came standard with working for a luxury store, but that was the last thing on your mind as you cared more about the experience you provided. As you rang up his purchases, your mind began to swim with the amount of zeros you saw. Okay, you cared a little about the commission. You were gonna eat good with that commission check. You held it together as you gestured to the card reader. Unlike most places in Japan, your store was card only. It made sense with the type of clientele you dealt with.

You watched as Gojo swiped his black card through the reader. It sang its song of approval and you began to bag his purchases. You walked him over to the door and handed him the bag with both hands and a respectful bow.

“Thank you for shopping with us, Mr. Gojo. I hope your experience was a good one.” Your customer service smile was on full display.

He took his bag with a sly smile, “It was better than “good”, it was phenomenal, thanks to you, beautiful.” He gave a wink before putting on his round shades and leaving.

The second the door closed the other girls came swarming around you saying how lucky you were and fangirling over the fact that you got to help THE Gojo Satoru. They shot off questions faster than a Tommy gun. You only answered questions you heard and downplayed the entire experience. It wouldn’t be long before another customer walked in causing all of you to scatter and look busy.

The rest of the day went by as normally as it could. You would help customers that would come in, your pathetic boyfriend would tail you under the guise of doing work around the store and you would carry on as if he was nothing more than a lingering fart in the air. Rinse and repeat until you got to clock out. Since you were staff, you got to leave earlier than your boyfriend and you couldn’t thank the Gods above enough for that. Your two cats greeted you at the door with happy meows as if asking you how your day was.

“Hello mommy babies!” You chirped. You dropped to your knees as you beckoned them both to you.

“Hi, Yuki. My little snowman.” You pet his soft white fur as he gently headbutt your left hand.

A larger tabby cat came trotting up to you with a happy twitching tail, “Hi Mochi! My chunky boy!”

You had an hour or maybe two before he would come storming into your shared apartment and cause a ruckus. The anxiety that racked you couldn’t be quelled no matter what you did. Take a shower, soak in the tub, have a glass of wine, read a book - none of that helped. All you could do was listen to the door noises. Listen for his footsteps thunder down the hall and his keys jingle as he unlocked the door. Only this time… He didn’t come thundering down the hall like an angry bull. He didn’t fling the door open hard enough to bounce off the wall. He didn’t shout at you and look around the apartment until he found you. He came home like nothing happened and that worried you more than the latter would have. Your boyfriend was not the ‘calm’ kind of angry. When he was pissed the whole building knew. So, what the fuck was his deal?

You poked your head out from your shared room, “Babe?” You called cautiously, “Welcome home.” You practically tiptoed out to the kitchen where you could hear him rummaging around in the fridge.

“You hungry? I’ll make you a sandwich” He said as he closed the fridge with his foot.

You stared at him like he had two heads, “He’s being nice? What happened? Why is he not throwing things and screaming at me?” You wondered.

“You good, babe?” He asked as he grabbed some plates from the cupboard.

You shook your head, “Y-yeah. I’ll take a sandwich.” You smile.

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. No screaming, no yelling and no breaking and throwing things. You cuddled up to him with your cats resting on your feet. You fell asleep as if nothing happened.

Even the next morning played out like nothing happened. You two ate breakfast together and even headed to the store together.

“Something isn’t right…” You thought as you walked alongside your boyfriend. Sure he was playing as if everything was fine but you knew in your core that something was amiss. You knew that he was planning something. You just had no idea what or when it was coming.

The two of you clock in and began working as normal. You were with a client when you noticed the District and General manager walk in. That also struck you as strange because you knew for a fact they weren’t due for a visit until the end of the summer. It had just turned spring.

“What the fuck are they doing here?” You barely had time to explore the thought before your client called for your attention. Today had turned out to be a busy day. Client after client coming in running you and your colleagues ragged. Only later in the afternoon did the rush die down. You were sitting on a plush chair chatting with another one of your coworkers when the district manager approached you.

“Y/N, would you mind coming back to the office with me?” He asked.

You looked at your coworker then back to the district manager, “Sure.” You hopped up on sore feet to follow him. Call it intuition or pure anxiety but you knew something was wrong. Why on earth would he want to talk to you? Somehow you knew this wasn’t a sort of “You’ve been doing so well we’re going to celebrate you” type deal. Yeah you were good at your job, but you weren't an employee of the month/year good.

The second the door opened to the office it became clear why he wanted to see you. The district manager took his seat next to the general manager and, next to her, was your boyfriend and another one of your coworkers.

“What’s this about?” You asked cautiously as you sat down.

The general manager shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “We’ve gotten reports of inappropriate behavior from you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, “Inappropriate behavior? You’re not serious. In my time here, I’ve not done anything that could be considered inappropriate.”

“This is no laughing matter, young lady.” The district manager said, his tone akin to a father scolding his child, “We cut you a break when you began dating your manager, but now you have the gall to flirt with clients.”

It was at that moment it clicked… You were getting fired all from a perceived slight of your pathetic excuse of a boyfriend.

“Sir, I can assure you that I was not flirting with clients. Nor have I ever done so.” You were done for and you knew it. There was no saving you but you weren’t going to go down like a bitch.

“That’s not what we heard. We also have witnesses to back up this claim.” The district manager said.

You glanced over to see your boyfriend and your other coworker smiling smugly. There were no cameras in the store to protect the high end clients that came through the store. The more you thought about it… there really weren’t any other witnesses that could attest on your behalf. Everyone else was occupied with either a client or some other work that needed to be done, or they had gone to lunch. All except her… All except that smug bitch that was sitting in the corner with your boyfriend’s hand on her thigh.

Oh… Oh… it all made sense now. Why he wasn’t mad with you. He had someone else and this was his way out.

You took a glance around the room. Taking in the disappointed looks of the general and district manager and the smug grins from two trashy humans. Normally you’d be shaking and crying, but something in you didn’t seem to care anymore. You couldn’t find a single fuck to give and that was alright with you.

“Frankly, I don’t care what your false report or witness has to say about my behavior. I did nothing wrong and I will stand by that.” You turned your attention to your well ex, now and his new girl, “You have got to be the most pathetic and jealous man I have ever had the displeasure of dating. You were a waste of my time and energy and I hate that I fell for your garbage for so long. You are disgusting for using your power to get me fired over nothing. But since we’re here for ‘inappropriate behavior,’” You used air quotes, “How about we talk about the fact that you’ve been stealing merchandise from the store and reporting it as sold? Or the fact you’ve been shorting people on their commission for MONTHS? Yeah you didn’t think they’d notice did you, babe? When you have me run reports for you because you’re too lazy to do your damn job, I noticed a thing or two.” His smug look was immediately replaced with one of shock and anger. You turned your attention to his new girl, “You can have him, honey. Trash deserves trash. Just be prepared to cut all of your other male friends and family out of your life. And may the heavens help you, if so much as look in the direction of another man. His jealousy is absolutely atrocious, but he can flirt with all the other women in the world and you just have to be okay with it.”

There was nothing that they could say. He knew you were right about him using his power and more than likely using your other co-worker to back up a false claim but he wasn’t expecting you to come in with shots of your own.

You turned your attention back to the general manager and district manager who were looking at you with shocked looks on their faces, “I’ll save you the trouble of paperwork and quit. I refuse to sit here and be lectured about something I didn’t do and have my name dragged through the mud. I’ll expect my last hourly check and commission check to be in the mail, all of it better be there.” You got up with your head held high and walked out of the office. You cleaned out your locker only taking what was yours and changed into normal clothing, leaving your uniform on the counter. You said bye to the coworkers you liked then left. However, the second you rounded that corner the facade you wore crumbled like a crappily built sand castle. You didn’t ugly cry but you were crying as you headed back home. You furiously wiped away tears not wanting anyone to notice. You did your best by putting on your sunglasses and wiping stray tears that fell past their reflective guard. As you made your way into the apartment your phone rang.

“Hello?” You sniffled.

“You have two hours to get your shit together and leave.” It was your ex. Figures he’d kick you out, too. Bastard.

“Two hours? You can’t be serious!” Your voice cracked.

He was oh so nonchalant about this whole thing, “I am. If you’re not out in two hours when I get home, I’m calling the cops. You’re not on the lease anyway.”

Your sanity was hanging on by a thread, “Fine. I’ll be out in two hours.” You hung up the phone and resisted the urge to break down even further. You scrolled through your contacts until you found what you were looking for. You hit the call button and held your phone up to your ear. Each ring was agony, “Please pick up… please….” You begged through gritted teeth.

“Hi sweetheart! How are you?” You let out a sigh of relief at your mother’s voice.

“Hey, mom… Can I come stay with you for a while?” You asked timidly.

Your mom paused, “Did you two finally break up?” She finally asked.

You nodded as if she could see you, “Yeah… It wasn’t pretty.”

“I’ll be there in an hour.” You could hear her grab her keys.

“Thanks mom.” You hung up and knew it was time to get to work.

Fuck being nice and leaving this apartment tidy. You were mad and you were gonna take it out on him. You needed to dump your cats’ litter boxes so why not all over his bed? You decided out of the kindness of your heart to polish his expensive cufflinks… with sand paper. You also bent them out of shape and took the backings that held them in place, replaced his shampoo and conditioner with your hair removal cream, placed shrimp shells in the curtain rods and lemons on top of the cupboards where his 5’6” ass couldn’t reach.. You took a red cream lipstick and wrote in big bold letters “FUCK YOU!” on the bathroom mirror, took all the chords to his game systems and cut all wires to the TV and his PC, unplugged the refrigerator and left it open. You even took all the good food and threw it into the cat litter mess and, for good measure, sprayed all the condiments on it as well. When all was said and done, his place was wrecked. It wasn’t like he could tell building management either. You weren’t on the lease anyway.

You took only the clothes and shoes that you bought and liked. Anything else that was gifted to you by him was ripped and torn to shreds so he couldn’t regift or sell it. You packed your jewelry and sentimental items (that didn’t include that rat bastard of an ex), managed to wrestle your cats into their carriers and we’re ready to go. You locked the door and slid the key under it. All you had was a suitcase, a backpack, your cats and what belonged to them. You sat outside in the chilly evening on the steps as you waited for your mom to come and get you. You tried to shush your cats who were meowing up a storm because they were very stressed and confused by all of this as were you. This day was the second worst day of your life. The worst being when your dad died. You wished he was still alive so you could tell him about what just happened, sure he’d handle it by beating that asshole into the next century.

A dark blue Toyota rav4 pulled up in front of you. Out came your mom with wide open arms. She knew you needed a hug and by god she was going to give you one. The second her plush arms wrapped around you, you broke down into ugly violent sobs.

“I know, baby… I know… Momma’s here.” She soothed. She might have been old, but her hugs were just as warm and as tight as ever. She soothed you and rubbed your back as you wailed all the while telling you, “It’s gonna be okay.”

When you had decided that you had cried enough, did she finally let you go. Through hiccups and sobs, the two of you loaded your things and cats into her car.

“Thank you…” you said as you ran your sleeve across your face. Your mom reached over and squeezed your thigh, “You don’t have to thank me, baby. You know I’ll always be there for you.”

[crazylittlejester]

I come forth with some fluffy headcannons this time around.

Groose has already planned Sky and Sun's wedding without either of them realizing. The entirety of Skyloft is currently holding their breath for when Sky proposes, some even are holding bets for when he does.

Time cries every single time a baby animal is born on the farm. No matter how many times he has seen it before, he is a mess of sobs as he lovingly praises the mama and holds himself back from cuddling the newborn baby. If Malon seen him cuddling Epona and the mare she had, she never mentioned it.

Warriors and Artemis love each other so much that they are oblivious to the other. It not even funny, and Impa is forced to witness them be idiots all the time. Somebody save that poor woman.

Twilight goes to Wind for pointers on dealing with a little sister since at this point the daughter Uli and Rusl had would be 4. He just wants to be a good big brother.

Wind collects all kinds of trinkets and collectibles to give to Aryll and Grandma. His bag is just full of them.

The fight Hyrule and Legend had when they first met (the one Jojo talked about) Hyrule won.

Four likes watching the sunrise, so he often takes last watch to do so.

(I hope you're doing good! You better be having a great day and taking care of yourself.)

These were wonderful to read!! Thank you!!

- I think its so funny that all of Skyloft is probably just so involved in those two, they probably have bets placed on when Sky will propose

- Time is SUCH an emotional guy when it comes to baby animals, I can see him carrying around little guys because he loves them so much (and he definitely gets super sad when he can no longer physically carry them)

- Poor Impa is probably sitting there ripping her hair out, those two are idiots 😭

- THATS SO CUTE, i imagine Twilight is one of the best at handling kids, he’s already a big brother to like all of the village kids, but the idea of him asking Wind for pointers is so cute

- Wind and Legend are the biggest trinket collectors, they just have HOARDS of trinkets

- Oh Hyrule definitely won that. To me, Hyrule looks like a thin 15 year old, but he’s actually 18 and has quite a bit of muscle hiding where you can’t see it because his clothes are a bit baggy on him at first (he definitely fills out more during the journey and grows into them), making him look much smaller than he is. So when Legend runs into what he perceives as a child who looks small, he underestimates him and gets his ass handed to him. Hyrule is deceptively strong, him and Wars both, they don’t look it, but they’re just as strong as the others, and the other members of the group don’t doubt their strength at all once they actually get to know them

- I can see Four battling people for that last watch so he can watch the sunrise, and I can see some of the others joining him sometimes :)

I hope you’re doing good and taking care of yourself as well!! :)

[sauriansolutions]

Here's a little snippet thing to get myself started at having a blog with, like, content.

I was inspired by the absolute silliness that is the class of TWST item called "Secret Snacks." I just adore the concept that you can boost your friendship with game characters by, apparently, stealthily feeding them illegal snacks during class?

All my (excessive number of) Jade cards have full vignettes *cries* but I just want to keep feeding him forever... help...

"Secret Snacks"

You are sitting next to J.ade in class before lunch. You can hear his stomach growling and whining every few minutes. 

You occasionally catch him frowning down at himself after a particularly egregious rumble, like he's trying to scold his belly into silence. You can't help but let out a quiet giggle at his stern expression, and Jade, realizing he's been perceived, shoots you a sheepish grin.

"So sorry," he mouths, sotto voce.

You reassure him that it's alright. 

Towards the end of class, you notice Jade reaching down to fold one arm around his middle. His stomach's complaints have gotten quieter, but they've also become more frequent, to the point that the gurgles have become a near-constant background noise. 

As you watch, Jade looks up to check the clock for the umpteenth time, then sighs quietly and slumps forward a bit in his chair, lips pressed tightly together in a disappointed pout. You look up, too, and note that here's still about fifteen minutes before lunchtime.

Poor Jade. Since agreeing to switch seats with Leona (who wanted a spot behind the tall student so the professor couldn't see him as well), you've noticed that Jade gets distractingly hungry like this every day, around the same time. 

Jade is usually perfectly attentive and studious during class. But you've heard he also has, what he terms, "poor fuel efficiency. So, you guess that this is around the time his energy reserves from breakfast are nearly depleted. 

His empty, grumbling stomach clearly makes the mer student unhappy and fidgety, shifting in his seat, shuffling papers aimlessly, or doodling in the margins of his notebook. 

You've seen Jade's actual sketchbook, so you know the eel is quite artistically talented. But, humorously enough, as lunchtime draws near, Jade's sketches seem to inevitably devolve from nearly-photorealistic drawings of mushrooms, trees, and plants, to simplistic and almost cartoony renderings of his favorite foods. 

Octopus dishes, you couldn't help but notice, feature prominently. 

You've even caught Jade gnawing on the decorative filigree around the edges of his magestone pen, once or twice. Thankfully, the pens are apparently spelled to be highly durable and shatter-proof. Still, the grinding sound of Jade's razorblade teeth on stone or metal makes you wince every time you hear it. 

Jade, now nearly drooling, is putting the finishing touches on a drawing of what appears to be a steaming plate of grilled octopus. 

... Not for the first time, you find yourself wishing you had something to feed Jade. 

Students technically aren't allowed to bring food into the classroom, but you've seen your fellow classmates covertly munching on candies, meal bars, and the like enough times during class, that you feel like sneaking in a snack or two couldn't be *that* big of a deal. 

Maybe tomorrow, you think, you'll slip Jade one of those packets of barbecue-flavored dried squid that are on sale right now at the Mystery Shop. 

Smiling, you jot down a quick reminder to yourself in your planner. Next to it, you draw a little cartoon eel. You give it a big, toothy smile, and add lots of cute little sparkles in its eyes. 

Satisfied with your work, you close your planner and wait for the bell to ring. 

Classes have been getting increasingly more difficult, as midterms are approaching. 

But now, you think, you have at least one reason to look forward to tomorrow's lesson.