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wonuwoe · 1 year ago

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on the contrary | yjh (m)

pairing: ai!jeonghan x human!reader summary: you knew the risks of pursuing a member from 53V3NT33N but maybe your certain privileges have been fueling this illusion of a possible connection with J30NGHΛN, who surprisingly sparks your interest with his deep curiosity about the other sides of humanity. would you be willing to continue despite the looming deceit that you might get roped into? rating: 18+ | word count: 12k genre/au: angst, smut, sci-fi, ai-idol!au warnings/content: depictions of blood, explicit sexual content, voyeurism (through hearing), vaginal fingering, penetrative sex, lowkey corruption kink ngl bye 🏃🏻‍♀️

a/n: collabs seems to be really the only way for me to post lmao. thank you @idyllic-ghost for hosting the Seventeen Sci-Fi Collab and for making this very gorgeous banner! also, shoutout to everyone on the server especially to the new people i met for being with me while working on this! ig this is my writer debut in the seventeen community so nice to meet you all except for minors, who are not allowed to interact with this post :)

After the Earth miraculously survived due to some external force when the sun exploded a century ago, humans have learned to integrate into the new solar system that the planet ended up in, where alien life exists. Other planets in the previous solar system went through the same fate, being pushed away from each other and ending up in different parts of the universe.

At first, humans were cautious and ready to fight, but the aliens were surprisingly welcoming to our planet. Hence, those who didn’t die from ‘The Great Journey’ or from trying to fight the aliens were welcomed into the new solar system.

How we completely integrated was through the materials and assistance of our sister planets in exchange for human labor. And while what humans knew of technology was very limited, the resources from the aliens allowed us to create artificial life forms called "automaton". These robots served as workers when humans couldn't, but eventually, there was no need for human labour at all.

And in order to pay back the help the aliens gave, humans used automatons, which went through extensive development until artificial sentient life was eventually created. Now, these automatons were human-like in looks and had human consciousness, but they could not bleed and were stronger than we ever could be.

Currently, there are even different levels of automatons: level 3 are the workers, level 2 are the caretakers, and level 1 are the celebrities. Among the level 1 robots are the music group 53V3NT33N (SEVENTEEN), where each talented member represents two human states of mind. One member named J30NGHΛN, is particularly of deceit and curiosity, and yet it didn’t stop you from hoping to get to know him even further.

You couldn't believe how quickly your addiction is becoming, recently meeting up with someone during your lunch break for a merch trade of level one robots.

53V3NT33N, one of the idol groups that made you competitive with other fans in any of their group-related promotions.

It began over a few months ago, solely because of your curiosity when you attended one of the music festivals your friends invited you to in the summer. Among the several groups that performed, one of them randomly caught your eye, which you did not expect at all. You found out later that he was part of 53V3NT33N and that his name was J30NGHΛN, the member that has both deceit and curiosity infused in his pre-programmed personality.

That should've made you cautious but no, instead, it drove you to finally indulge in this fangirling lifestyle that surprised your family and friends. They were aware of your skeptical view of this whole AI thing from the beginning but that was before you realize that AI-idol robots can be this human enough so you didn't mind checking them out.

They're considered as one of the top groups of the galaxy, having everyone crazy over them including one of your closest friends, Bona. She’d been a fangirl since you were younger, which is the case for most AI-idol groups’ fans, starting either during elementary or high school so you couldn’t help but feel a bit behind.

It might be pretty late for you but how could you during that time when all you do is study in order to please your parents, particularly your father, who’s the founder of one of the biggest companies in the entertainment industry. So you understood why he was hard on you, probably hoping just like the rest of your family that you'd follow his steps but made it clear when you started university that you have no intentions of doing so.

Now that you're almost done with your masters, they've backed off completely and even supported you in this new lifestyle. As strange as it sounded, your mother has somehow convinced everyone in the family that this is just a way for you to de-stress from your rigorous post-grad schedule.Though a part of it is true, it's also the first time you've wanted something other than what your parents wanted for you.

Being the CEO's daughter did make your new hobby very easy as money was never an issue to you growing up. It's been a privilege that you're aware of but did not grasp fully until you found out that 53V3NT33N is under your father’s company, fuelling your new obsession with the entertainment industry as a whole.Aside from financial advantages, you have special VIP access to pretty much everything.

However, you try to not use these benefits unless you have to as it would be unfair to other fans who don't have the privilege that you do.

Today, you’re here at a hi-touch event with Bona who became very enthusiastic once she saw your slightest interest in the group that she's been a fan of.

"is it usually this long?" you asked, a bit impatient about this long queue that you're lining up for. Adjusting to this lifestyle is a bit hard for you but at least you have Bona helping whenever she can.

"of course! they've been very hot in the charts so we're getting new members in the fandom, including you!" she giggled excitedly, giving you a hug so lighten yourself up, not wanting to kill her enthusiasm with your souring mood.

With Bona’s warning, you did expect it to be like this and yet you weren't prepared enough. Albeit it's your first time, you know the larger fandom power of AI-idol groups hold regardless of size compared to human entertainers. Having VIP access may have a lot of perks but it didn’t help much when you chose to get the best experience through this.

You seldom participate in a more intimate setting with idols until today so your mind has been filled with worry about how it would go. Bona’s there to reassure you that it would be fun but you're quite nervous since you'll be meeting all the members this close for the first time. This is out of your territory and the possibility of embarrassing yourself in front of them scared you nuts since this morning.

And you’re unsure how you'll be once you face J30NGHΛN.

The line thankfully sped up, your mind pausing for a moment when you briefly locked eyes with one of them. You spotted J30NGHΛN right away, standing in the middle near the end but that one glance your way was enough to make you even feel more nervous than you already are.

When it was finally your time, you brightly smiled at the first member on the line who's been smiling at you with his eyes. It eased up your nerves that you high-fived him with excitement as soon as he put both of his palms up. Subsequently, proceeding to the rest of the members became easy until you finally reached J30NGHΛN who laid out both of his hands to take yours right away.

It surprised you because the other members were either simply putting their palms up or interlocking their hands with yours for a brief second before moving on to the next. You weren't sure if it was the nerves but you haven't seen J30NGHΛN do this with other fans so far. Hands rising from the table and palms up as he takes both of your hands while looking straight into your eyes.

"hi, J30NGHΛN" you're relieved that your voice came out steady, mustering up a smile despite the rapid beating of your heart.

"hello..." he starts, eyes shifting down from yours and it makes you conscious of how you look. You did try today more than usual to hopefully match the beautiful idols that you've met who are close to perfection in beauty.

"___?" the soft mention of your name brought your attention back to him, noticing him reading it from your VIP pass.

Of course, it was just your name and probably the VIP pass that he's used to and nothing else. He probably won't remember you after this, seeing thousands of fans on a daily basis.

"it's my first time" you blurted out, earning a small chuckle from him. You silently berated yourself for breaking your composure but you noticed the emerging amusement in his eyes at your sudden remark, causing you to warm up in further embarrassment.

"it is? nice to meet you then" the corner of his lips lifted a bit as his eyes returned to yours. You tried smiling brightly as you did towards W00Z1 earlier to hide any more possible reactions from him but it faltered when he started running both his thumbs across your knuckles, tracing each one of them.

"n-nice to meet you too"

You didn't mean to stutter but he took you off guard. Even more so when he interlocks his fingers with yours just when you were about to let go of his hands. He gave them a brief squeeze too that you didn't realize the line moved and you were already facing the member next to him. Good thing you recovered quickly, already getting used to holding their hands and making small conversations as you pass by each of the remaining members.

Once you were back in your seat near the front, you tried talking to the other fans around you while waiting for Bona to be done. However, your eyes can't stop straying towards J30NGHΛN and watch how he interacts with the other fans. He definitely didn't repeat what he did to you earlier so confusion washes over you.

After a while, you see a small smile grazing his lips while he is talking with a fan. It might be towards them or your obvious ogling because he suddenly glances up, capturing your eyes staring at him.

Bona hopping in beside you broke your staring contest, turning to her with enthusiasm like nothing happened. You debated on telling her you're confusing exchange with J30NGHΛN because who knows, it could just be a normal fan interaction and you were just imagining things all along. She will for sure tease you of your growing delusion towards him if ever.

You don't really know him yet but he seems to respond well to fans' advances. That could simply be part of their fan service training though, so all your experiences earlier are only part of VIP perks and you just got lucky to receive those random special interactions. However, when it was time for everyone to leave, you felt someone staring but didn't wanna think anymore if it could be him or not.

Your curiosity took over though, so you did, catching J30NGHΛN's piercing eyes again before you exited the room.

It could simply be J30NGHΛN's curious nature as he has never met you before. He should be feeling the same way as he does with new fans but he found you amusing instead. The staff treating you differently didn't help either, fueling his interest in you some more. Other VIP fans were treated the same way lest they break the rules so he couldn't help but be more curious about who you could possibly be.

This was why during the fan sign where he saw you again, he couldn't help but initiate the interaction this time. J30NGHΛN took one of your hands before you could say something and he watched the confusion from last time return to your pretty face. You weren't as nervous as before but he definitely surprised you.

"can i ask you a question?" you felt the need to start talking to him right away to avoid the repeat from the last time. Now that you're finally caving into your interest in the group, Bona was insisting on indoctrinating you, briefing you on fan etiquette including how fan signs usually go. With the number of members of 53V3NT33N, you ought to be efficient unlike before.

"how much do you know about humans?"

You prod with a question that he wouldn't have expected and you see his face change from expectant to confusion with your question. He took a while to respond, probably waiting for the staff's reaction behind him. But once they didn't intervene, the previous look was back on his handsome face.

"well, i know enough to entice them",

The bright smile on his face didn't match the amusement in his eyes and somehow it gave you confidence, returning it with an impish grin.

"enough to make them even more obsessed with you?"

You're testing the waters, see if he can detect the change in your demeanour. It's a bit difficult when he's holding your hand like this because you swear he only holds others' hands after signing their albums earlier while you were waiting for your turn.

"it's working, no? since you're back and in a fansign this time"

It made you speechless that he was able to remember you from the last time. He's also keeping up with your flirting attempt and smoothly evaded your first question. You were expecting him to be taken aback because you doubt other fans have asked him that but then it could also be that he's programmed or trained to answer vaguely to be able to smoothly change the topic of any conversation.

His quip didn't distract you fully so your amused smile remained. For the entirety of the conversation, his eyes never left yours during this entire conversation so you couldn't even hide the surprise in your face when his thumb starts caressing your knuckles slowly, just like last time.

The nerves returned once again but you did your best to keep your guard, focusing more and figuring out what he could be thinking right now. It's a futile attempt but you have no other choice other than to distract the increasing beating in your heart.

"it might, or maybe i just wanted a fan sign experience" you cheekily remarked before getting up and grabbing your signed album, not even waiting for his response nor looking back to see his reaction.

That exchange prompted J30NGHΛN to snoop around online about you when the group finally had their "free time" later on. You were different compared to the first time he met you, not timid around him that he felt like he was wrong about you all along. The staff treated you differently too, never hurried you nor stopped you from asking those questions that would've gotten other fans banned so you must have some connection to the company.

He was running out of time before the managers came back to take them to their dorms as they, unfortunately, still do have a curfew. But by saving grace, he found an old article about their company's founder, included in it was a family picture where he recognized you right away, despite how young you were in it. J30NGHΛN finds himself not surprised at what he found out, causing everything to make sense now.

What was not making sense was how everyone didn't seem to recognize you or acknowledge who you were in public. Maybe you wanted it this way, keep everything low-key so you won't have the media hovering on your every move.

Something that he wishes for himself and his brothers sometimes. He's been having an inkling that they're being monitored 24/7 so he gave up on the thought a long time ago. It's still on his mind sometimes, especially after knowing this information about you. It deepens his curiosity about humans when you do this out of nowhere. Even now that he's lying in bed, recharging for another full-packed schedule tomorrow, he couldn't let the curiosity go.

Bona grilled you with questions as soon as you asked to meet up with her and Somin for this possible event that you're planning.

"i can't believe i wasn't there! i would've loved to see you get smitten by him!" she sighs dreamily while Somin makes a face in the corner.

"anyways, why did you wanna see us in person on a Sunday morning?" she starts, already dismissing you and Bona's fangirling shenanigans. It wasn't that she wasn't a fan but she does have a different opinion when it comes to these kinds of things.

"this might sound crazy but i want to invite 53V3NT33N as a headliner for my first charity event"

"what?"

"look, i didn't think you liked him this much already"

Somin raises a brow at you but you just shrug off the slight judgment in her eyes. It wasn't your fault that your interactions with J30NGHΛN from the past two events have stayed in your mind, plaguing you every single time you see any of their faces on social media. Maybe it's normal since you're all new to this fangirling thing, the common rush when you're exploring something new.

Like your interest in J30NGHΛN that you definitely want to develop further.

But in order to do that, you have to see him more often which won't be possible unless you use your privilege. Just like other AI-idol groups, 53V3NT33N members were tightly monitored by your father's company. Interactions with anyone outside of their staff would have to either be as a normal fan or someone with connections to the company, like you.

That was why you approached your father with the idea, hoping he'd let you invite his most precious investment. He agreed, much to your surprise because he'll allow the whole band to perform as well. Of course, this got a few questions from other CEOs seeing as this would be the first time for 53V3NT33N to participate in a charity event. However, your father insisted that this would be a good strategy to improve their company's reputation, especially among the fans who have been disappointed on how they've been managing the group so far.

Although your father's decision was a shock to everyone, you know why he would say yes. Despite his stoic disposition when it comes to business, he is still your father so he must have been delighted at the thought of you finally indulging in the family business by involving the company in this event. Pulling some strings means nothing to him now that you're doing what he's been wanting all along.

When 53V3NT33N was briefed by their managers about the event and their supposed role in it, surprise and confusion passed over the members' faces as they'd never done this before.

"it will be hosted by our CEO's daughter"

The additional shock was evident this time, not knowing about your existence until now. They have no idea what you look like so some of them are intrigued while others are just calm, too calm that member S3UNGKWAN didn't miss. He waited until the managers left them, making sure they were out of the vicinity before blurting out what he noticed.

"why would she be interested in us?"

He starts off casually, hinting at something that made the rest of his members curious, except for the one he's staring at right now.

Some of the members turned to J30NGHΛN with astonished faces but did not say a word. It's not like they could freely talk about anything outside of what they're supposed to know.

J30NGHΛN should've tried harder to blend in with the others' reaction when you were mentioned. He didn't think of the possibility that anyone would notice the change in his behaviour towards you during the hi-touch and fansign. He should've known that his members would quickly catch on and read him like an open book as he does to them.

"maybe she's taking over and needs us for promotion" H05H1 concluded, shutting down the impending commotion over J30NGHΛN's possible connection with you. Half of the members relent as usual while the others don't even after J30NGHΛN ignores their goading stares.

This move from you again surprised him. A charity that would launch you into this world he's been living in, even involving him in it. He wasn't sure if this was because of how he interacted with you or if this is just who you are. Humans have confused him since he opened his eyes and was thrust into the world to interact with them. At first, he did think that you'd be just like the others given your position in society but there's been more than meets the eye.

And he strangely finds it to feel more interested in you now.

You've had a meeting with the rest of the company CEOs and staff to finalize the launch of the charity event. Things went well and as soon as it was announced, it made a buzz online immediately, just like your father predicted. You weren't sure if it was his doing or just people's curiosity about you finally going public in your father's line of business. Several people were intrigued by your collaboration with 53V3NT33N because, with all your connections, they could be the far end of your options as headliners.

Perhaps you wanted more publicity among the younger population which would make sense since the charity event's purpose is to support various scholarships for undergraduate students. You admit that the nerves escalated in you, both reasons being your formal introduction to your father's realm and 53V3NT33N's presence at the event. Leading events like this seems like a second skin to you, impressing the business community and media with the success of the event.

You couldn't take all the credit of course as you've had Bona and Somin too, helping you to make sure that the event goes smoothly. Right before the event ended, you asked either of them to give the closing remarks, rushing over to request one of 53V3NT33N's managers before they could move to the group's next schedule.

"i'd like to personally thank the members for doing this event with me"

"we shall send 5.C0UP5 up here right away" one of them answered curtly.

"oh, it's actually J30NGHΛN that i want to talk to"

Managing to appear composed while asking was a challenge as you tried your best to not show the managers your growing interest. Speculations can't be avoided because you did see some of them pause, with their faces wearing bewilderment but mostly startled at your choice of member. They must've been wondering why because 5.C0UP5 is the leader of the group and, therefore, their representative when it comes to official business.

Eventually, they reverted back to their composure, immediately fetching the member that you requested and directing him to the assigned room where you're waiting. You weren't sure how this would go, if finally talking to J30NGHΛN in private would change your previous interactions. During the entirety of the event, you felt his eyes on you which almost distracted you at times but thankfully, you were able to remain focused.

"well, this is a surprise" a soft voice from behind startles you. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself down, you turned to see him smiling at you. A different smile from before, the polite one until he noticed how you weren't prepared at all. Seems like all the confidence from earlier went down the drain, making it too obvious for J30NGHΛN why he's here.

"is it? you've been paying a lot of attention earlier"

You return his smile, your confidence slowly coming up to the surface after watching his puzzled face.

"did you ask for me because of that?"

He recovered fast which did not surprise you, noticing how fast his reflexes are when it comes to conducting himself to others. You hear the inquisitive tone in his voice, taunting you to reveal the real reason why you chose to talk to him over their leader.

"no?, well yes" you admit, the curiosity overpowering your nerves. You couldn't keep it any longer, having no other options to talk to him but this way. Based on the content you've watched along with Bona's passionate detailing of them, J30NGHΛN's known to be perceptive and blunt so there's no point in denying anything.

"why?"

"you almost distracted me earlier"

"i thought i was being subtle"

You've expected him to be straightforward but not to this extent, confirming your assumptions earlier. His admission made your nerves resurface and it didn't help that he hasn't stopped looking at you since he got here. Avoiding eye contact with him has been successful so far, your eyes scanning the interior of this room despite knowing that he was aware of his effects on you.

"why?"

Now it's your turn to ask. You're still not looking at J30NGHΛN but you've been plagued with so many questions since your first interaction with him. He takes his time in answering, shifting his eyes away from you allowing you to steal a glance at his handsome face for a bit. Your elation about what his answer might be bubbles back up a little, wondering if there could be any reason his attention was on you for the entirety of the event.

"your purpose of the charity" he answers cooly, returning his gaze on you. This time you almost couldn't look away but the little disappointment stirs in you. Averting from his gaze but you don't want him to see your face because all this reminded you again of your growing attachment to him.

And you need to refocus on his question.

"my parents have great connections so why not use them for this"

"so why us then? you could pull it off on your own, the event was a success"

"thanks to you and your brothers"

Your heartbeat rises at J30NGHΛN's compliment because you technically could but you know that it's his group that mainly contributed to it, being one of the top AI boy groups in the galaxy these days. Having them as the headliner for the event definitely drew in more sponsors and donations than you expected which pleased not only your father but the other CEOs of the company too.

"we just appeared and sang a few songs, it's all you" he commended, and your heart raced even more when you finally turned to look at him.

He looks ethereal with platinum blonde hair and his white silk outfit complimenting his honey-toned skin. You must've been quiet for a while because a light chuckle escaping from him snaps you back to where you are.

"why thank you" you beamed, looking away to hide your embarrassment of getting caught. Just as he was about to answer, your phone vibrated from your desk so you stood up and gathered your belongings, preparing to leave.

"wait where are you going?"

J30NGHΛN's surprised at his own reaction, wanting to talk to you more.

"i have a meeting with my supervisors"

"for? you're working for the company now?"

"no, for my masters"

You watched him getting more intrigued with your answers but you really have to go so pause in front of him, debating if he'll catch onto your next words.

"there's always next time" you smile one last time before exiting the room, leaving J30NGHΛN behind. The teasing smile from you along with your implication has taken him aback, not expecting your sudden confidence in wanting to talk to him again. He didn't have much time to wonder as his manager barged in right away as soon as you were out of the hallway.

When J30NGHΛN got back to the dorms during their free time, he was a bit shocked to see all his members waiting by the living room. He already has a hunch on what will go down with a playful look plastered on some of their faces.

"someone's definitely the favourite" M1NGYU starts, earning a laughing fit from the others as J30NGHΛN approaches them.

"i couldn't believe she was at our fan events before" W0NW00 drawls, remembering you from the fansign as he was the one sitting beside J30NGHΛN.

"yeah so J30NGHΛN-hyung, she invited us because of you.." D0KY30M added but J30NGHΛN just shrugs it off.

"she's just a fan, like the others" he clarified, dismissing all the teasing he's gotten since they found out that he already knew you all along. He tried pretending earlier when you first met up with the whole group but his reaction and the way you acted around him gave the others the indication already.

He's aware that they are not really buying his dismissal seeing as you literally requested to talk to him in private. It further flares up again when you requested to see him once more.

People have asked questions as to why you requested someone from an AI-idol to accompany you here in the office. Apart from your interest in him and his group, he's the closest one that you're comfortable with in the company, as strange as it sounds. You don't trust anyone here, not even your own father for many reasons. At least with J30NGHΛN, any possibilities of using you for their gain are lesser than actual humans who might work their way into the company through you.

As for J30NGHΛN, he immediately said yes once their manager informed him of your request. Of course, his members were confused but some are supportive since it'll just probably be company-related stuff. He also explained that this will be a great way to gain your trust, to hopefully improve how the company has been treating them in return.

So far, no one has confronted you directly about J30NGHΛN being with you during his free time. However, rumours did start when it started to occur more than what people initially expected. Some talks must've been going around the company because your father surprisingly gave you a visit to your office today.

"i know why you're here" you start, not giving him a chance to confront you first.

"i'm just here to see you, it's not often that i'm free"

"you've never been" you retorted quietly, rolling your eyes at him.

"i just need to know why because i thought it was a one-time thing for your charity event"

"i need him for one of my remaining coursework"

You technically didn't lie but you weren't telling the truth either. Your father hopefully knows you enough to figure out your little lie but because he was barely there, that didn't become the case.

You're saved by the bell when Bona and Somin barge in your door with food and shopping bags with them. Your father excuses himself right away, giving you girls time with each other given how busy you've become since agreeing to the deal he made with you.

"so..."

Bona eyes you excitedly as soon as she sits on the luxurious couch in front of you.

"you're hooking up with him? you know Salax exists for a reason right?"

Somin fires right away and you put a hand up to stop her and Bona with their impending questions.

"i'm not, why would you think that right away?"

It won't be your first time having companions and you've been to the planet before with her to explore its attractions so you couldn't really blame her for questioning your choices.

"damn girl, last time you were all timid when it comes to him but now look at you!"

Bona adds proudly as she unpacks all the food on the table.

"is it because he's a level 1? you wanted to try if you could?"

Damn Somin and her fiery mouth.

The idea is enticing, sure, as level 1 robots can never be found in Salax because they're seen as "too pure" to be on the planet for anyone's darkest desires. You don't know how to answer her question because although that's not your intention to request his presence when you're in the company, these thoughts sometimes pass through your mind.

There's something satisfying about having J30NGHΛN with you, a level 1 robot that no one can have no matter how rich they are, proving your status even to people in your level. His kind is unattainable with the company's interference each time a rumour comes up involving any of the celebrity robots.

That's not to say that it doesn't happen as there are corrupt CEOs from other entertainment companies who sometimes exploit their level 1 robots underground, completely in secrecy. Fans found out about it will not only cause major problems for the company but for the careers of their robots and future investments as well.

That won't hopefully be the case for you if you decide to pursue J30NGHΛN. Any rumours that may be speculated by the media will get shut down right away not to ruin both the groups' image and yours. In fact, the company might just endorse this as your "training" and possibly follow in your father's footsteps.

"who knows really, i'd rather have him than anyone in this company"

J30NGHΛN is surprisingly pleasant as a company. Each time you ask for him, he arrives promptly and just follows anything you ask him. You thought that he'd see you differently once he found out who you are but nothing much changed. If not, he continues how he's been treating you, though a little more reserved than before because of your position.

It's never boring with him like you initially thought. Maybe that could be part of his media training or his learning given that artificial intelligence hasn't stopped digesting information given by humans. When you've caught him trying to read through your papers, you've asked him if he ever had any interest in things outside of idol life.

"of course, we all do but especially me with my curiosity, remember?"

Sometimes you forget that each of these level-one automatons has pre-programmed emotions. It was one of the reasons why you became interested in 53V3NT33N, observing how those emotions are webbed into them during performances, and interviews, and how they are with different kinds of people.

"if you wanna learn something, i don't mind teaching you" you smile gently and his usual passive face responds brightly at your response.

Since then he's been slowly opening himself up regarding the current state of his cognition. He revealed that aside from what the company teaches them through their training, they have no other opportunities to explore their personal interests. You honestly felt bad for them, knowing they have consciousness and therefore, can feel.

There are also times that you forget him being an AI idol until his availability begins dwindling due to his lack of any more time in his "free" time. You are starting to think that you may not have any free time anymore because he's been using whatever limited time he has to accompany you.

"i barely see you these days"

J30NGHΛN said that he needed to leave early for another schedule so he can only stay with you today for a short period of time. You didn't mean to sound like a jealous person because there's nothing between you. He became a friend, well, a closer one now due to the amount of time he spent together.

Idol life has always been busy but you couldn't help but feel disappointed that he has no free time to see you. It's childish since it will never be his fault, just the company so you hate feeling like this.

"oh, it's cause i have to meet with the researchers and developers, they had new ones" he replied nonchalantly but his eyes stayed on you with curiosity.

"really? do you even have any more time to see your mechanics?"

You didn't mean to sound petty because they do have regular checkups with personal human mechanics. And with the addition of extra meetings with researchers and developers, you're pretty below their priority list despite being the CEO's daughter.

"it's mandatory __, why? do you want me to be always with you then?"

His direct question caught you off guard and you looked away from him, busying yourself with whatever was going on at the lab table. You should be used to it by now and he's been gradually influencing you when it comes to voicing out your thoughts but you still can't when he asks these kinds of questions. You could technically switch things around now that your father has been slowly passing his responsibilities to you but you refuse to be just like him and others who take advantage of anyone below their level.

"well, i'm always alone except for when Bona and Somin visit me" you admit, not realizing he followed you to where you are. You can feel him standing behind you and will yourself to face him, giving him a quizzical look.

"you didn't answer my question" he whispers, looking at you intently.

There's something in his eyes that you haven't seen before and you couldn't even explain it. If it was because of what you said, you're unsure. J30NGHΛN may have understood what you were implying earlier but also couldn't, it's difficult to decipher with the impassive expression he's wearing.

You don't know how to answer him, embarrassment flooding in you again like every time you turn skittish because of him. J30NGHΛN waits for your answer but he must've understood your silence because he surprises you when he reaches out, hand almost touching your jaw so you finally respond by leaning into it.

He cups your cheek, eyes roaming on your face before leaning in. You're still trying to process what's happening but you did the same and met his lips halfway. J30NGHΛN pauses at the contact, probably stunned that you kissed him so you started pulling away. This must be all new to him and you just crossed whatever boundary both have left.

But then he held your face firmly, stopping you from completely doing so. A little gasp came out of you and he further shocked you by pressing his lips back to yours.

"i-"

"don't be upset anymore" he cuts you off after you both release each other's lips, shifting his gaze away this time as he steps back.

You on the other hand could not even form a proper sentence, still processing the fact that you and J30NGHΛN kissed. That you both did the second time too but mostly because he initiated it.

"J30NGHΛN-"

"i'm sorry but i have to go __, i'll see you as soon as i can" he regretfully replies, giving you a different smile than the ones he gave you before. Sure, he rarely smiles unless he has to and figuring out the genuity of his smiles has been difficult. However, the way he's been acting is sending a message, a vague one that continues to confuse you further.

You only waved back in response, unable to form any words since still dazed from that unexpected kiss. Some part of your mind though is having more questions as to why J30NGHΛN did that. He's still a bit hard for you to decipher but you don't also wanna force him to explain everything.

Maybe it was just part of his want to learn, having curiosity is embedded in him so exploring something new is normal.

But you couldn't also just ignore the paired deceit, which you have been avoiding thinking about since the beginning.

Since that kiss, something definitely changed between you and J30NGHΛN. Aside from him being usually flirty, he also initiates any physical gesture that you've been showing him. All these could be part of his cognition development, responding naturally to you through the exercises you've given him.

J30NGHΛN did express his interest in learning more about humans, the ones that he hasn't seen through the media and you've been willing to teach him—sort of gratitude for accompanying you despite his busy schedule. He asks eloquent questions that surprise you sometimes, stirring your interest in the potential of artificial intelligence to develop even further than it currently is.

You're back in one of the company's labs today, deciding to finish your coursework here instead of traveling back and forth to and from the campus. The several meetings you've attended on behalf of your father, of course, were time-consuming already and now you know why they've set this lab up specifically for you. He might be subtle in his instructions but you're aware that he wanted you to be as close to his company as possible.

"does that also include human anatomy?" you tease, reviewing a few illustrations of various alien anatomies that you've been researching while sitting at the table. It's break time anyway, the only time you're able to talk to J30NGHΛN outside your duties. Teasing him became frequent as you've continued to grow comfortable with each other, becoming part of your daily banter.

"that's the one that i haven't studied yet" he says casually but the look in his eyes is the opposite. They're inquisitive with a hint of deceit that's making you gulp nervously given how near he is, standing close beside your perched form.

"how come?"

"we barely have time to explore other things"

"including?"

It came out as a whisper but J30NGHΛN heard the underlying query in your voice. This might be pushing your luck but somehow you feel confident in challenging him further today. You wanted to see the limit of his advances towards you. He moves to stand in front of you, his eyes observing your expressions now that you're staring right back at him.

"physical ones, like..you"

The revelation dazzled you a bit, not expecting him to be on the same wavelength as you. He leaned in, about to place his hands on the table until you grabbed one of them. He looks down at the hand that you're holding, amusement swimming in his eyes when you place it on one of your bare legs.

"are you sure? i thought you'd find aliens more interesting than a boring human like me" you shrug, trying to ignore the warm feeling of his palms now massaging your skin. It still fascinates you how human-like AI robots have become, J30NGHΛN having only a few differences with you.

"you've never bored me since the first time we met"

Your heart once again races at him admitting those words. It didn't help that his elegant fingers had also started skirting under your mini pencil skirt. His eyes stayed on them like he was contemplating where they would go. His fingers' pulling back and forth made you quiver, your legs squirming, especially when his ringed finger brushed along your inner thighs.

"Jeonghan.." you didn't mean for it to come out breathlessly but you couldn't take his teasing anymore. You didn't even realize that you called him by his real name until he looked up at you in an instant, your small whine fueling up something in his eyes now.

You didn't know what came over you when you opened your legs as an invitation, your skirt riding up further allowing J30NGHΛN to see what's underneath. He eyed your clothed core, noticing the wet spot on your undies and it prompted him to move his fingers around it. One of his brows rises when you start squirming, your legs trying to close so puts his other hand on your other leg to stop you.

"you should call me by my real name more often" he starts again, tracing his fingertips around the area until it catches your clothed hole.

"i can't do that-" he startles you when he prods a finger in, earning a squeak from you.

"did i hurt you?" he removed his hands right away, confusion and worry etched on his face but you shook your head. You're relieved that he didn't pry you with his previous question because you're honestly too riled up to respond properly.

"no, you just... surprised me"

You smile at him reassuringly, releasing a deep breath before bringing his hand back to where it was before. Pulling up your skirt even more, you push your undies to the side, revealing your soaked core to J30NGHΛN's curious eyes. He resumes exploring you with his fingers, eyes in fascination as he traces your wet pussy lips with his nimble fingers.

He hears your breathing increase, with your eyes switching from looking at his fingers to his face, sensing the frustration in them. He wonders if it's because of what he's been doing or if he wasn't doing enough yet.

"what do i do next?" he queries after pushing one finger in, eliciting a small gasp from you that you almost couldn't answer properly when he starts pumping it in and out. The stretch causes your moans to grow louder so now he wants to do more, observing the way your legs quiver the faster he goes.

"just...continue what you're doing already"

You couldn't help but whine when he inserted a second one, your hips involuntarily moving to get his fingers more into you. J30NGHΛN obliged, plunging his fingers deeper with each stroke like you've been hinting. He wanted to earlier, your moans spurring him but he wasn't sure if your body could take it when you're already so tense around his fingers.

"one more.."

You can barely open your eyes when you beg, biting your lips harshly to stifle your moans and it flares J30NGHΛN's curiosity even more, wanting to see how you'll react with three of his fingers inside you so he did.

"you'd think they'll hear us?"

His fingers nudge your walls experimentally, fingertips occasionally brushing something in you that you couldn't even keep quiet anymore. His question lingers in the air and you've been trying to answer him but his fingers just feel too good.

"w-what?"

J30NGHΛN just grins at you wickedly, his eyes never leaving yours as he waits for you. He probably ran out of patience cause he slowed down his fingers, forcing your gaze back at him.

"they could be listening,..." he continues, drawing his fingers out and then pushing them in again. He knows the communication device sitting between his collarbones can track them, a common practice for companies with level ones like him so he wonders if any of them are monitoring, if they can hear how he's been breaking down their CEO's daughter like this.

You clenched around his fingers, unable to stop exposing yourself to what J30NGHΛN said. His beautiful brown eyes dilate at your response so he's back to increasing the pace of his fingers, trying to locate that soft spot in you again. Watching your face contort when he finds it stirs something in him, that strange satisfaction that even he couldn't explain.

"there it is, isn't it?"

You hear the teasing in his voice again, driving you to whine his name louder than you intend to. The way his fingers were constantly hitting your sweet spot was pushing you to the edge, your lower pussy lips also tingling at the cold feeling of the silver ring on his pinky that occasionally brushes them.

J30NGHΛN notices you trying to grind down his fingers, desperately rubbing yourself so he looks back down to see why, and when he does, he grazes his thumb on the swollen button he found, marveling at your instant reaction.

"yes, there..oh–" you didn't think he'll figure out how to play your clit this fast but you should've known how fast he's been at learning new things. The pressure from the pads of his fingers must've pushed you to the end, your body arching from the table as you let go, releasing so gorgeously in front of his eyes.

"you look beautiful" he mutters in awe, eyes still on you. J30NGHΛN didn't think humans could look this way through this. He didn't even realize that his fingers were still relentless in their speed cause he wanted to see you more like this, glowing hence why he kept going and didn't understand why you grabbed his arm to stop him.

"too much.." you could barely speak after reaching your peak, prompting him to pull his fingers out from you eventually.

J30NGHΛN's bewildered face turned into worry but you smiled cheerily at him despite your weariness.

Pulling him close by his shoulders, you watch him examine his coated fingers and it makes your already heated body even warmer. You hand him the tissue box beside you and instead of using them, he pops his coated fingers into his mouth, eyes widening at your taste.

"didn't expect you'd taste this good" he hums, grabbing some tissues to clean you up instead. He's surprisingly being delicate which brings that warm feeling inside your heart to resurface.

"really? thanks" you giggle, still high from that amazing orgasm he gave you. It momentarily made you forget the fact that you just let him finger you here in the lab where anyone could've heard or seen you both. The glass walls are translucent sure, but you weren't sure how loud you were this whole time.

He assists you in getting off the table because you're wobbling a bit as soon as your feet reach the ground. You pull down your skirt and try to look presentable just in case anyone barges in, expecting J30NGHΛN to distance himself from you but his hands remain on your waist.

"so.. you're going to teach me more?" he smiles at you and it stupidly makes your heart race.

"i barely taught you anything" you dismiss shyly, looking anywhere but at him because you are still taken aback at what just happened. He learned to do all that with a little of your guidance, pleasuring you even better than human boys and sex robots could.

"you did let me study, but i think it's not enough," he playfully huffs as he shakes his head. You see a glimpse of seriousness in his eyes but it somehow earned a chuckle from you.

"you were supposed to be more advanced than me" you say, back to being playful with him like a second nature. You feel content, brushing a few strands of blonde hair away from his eyes. They're growing longer now and you love them when they would always curl in front of his handsome face so you can have an excuse to touch him.

"only physically, i haven't tested everything yet" he winks, the coy smile never leaving his face. You knew that J30NGHΛN would never give up the idea of exploring each other more from now on and you might be too deep to refuse at this point.

It's been a few days since you saw J30NGHΛN and you're excited to see him after what conspired between you last time. You're a bit nervous though how your dynamics will change, hoping for at least no awkwardness because you won't be able to manage it.

Whisking away your thoughts, you approached the elevators while responding to people greeting you. When it opened, there was someone in it that you recognized as one of 53V3NT33N's managers. It was mainly because they were the only ones who treated you indifferently in the company. The others were either too timid or too fake with you despite your generous approach.

"thank you" you smiled at them when they held the elevator doors open for you.

"no problem miss ceo"

"that's my father, not me" you deflect, silently thanking them for the light manner approach. You understood why everyone was too serious with you but you sometimes wish that this type of refreshing interaction were more common. You might not have plans on becoming a CEO but you were never comfortable when people treat you as one.

"will be, soon i hope. i'd be happy if that happens" they playfully admitted but you recognized the sliver of sincerity in there which delighted you a bit.

"Star, right?"

You didn't know how to respond to them so you just smiled, hoping they'll get the sign that you didn't wanna discuss the subject further. It's something that you haven't even talked about with Bona and Somin because they perceived what your stance was on the matter.

"yes, ma'am"

"please, ___ will do or the nickname you gave me earlier" you smiled at them, preferring to drop all the formality between you. You still have a hard time trusting anyone in the company, let alone a staff member, but you feel like you could trust Star out of all of them.

"of course, additional workload?" they asked, pertaining to the several files in your hands.

"you could say"

"J30NGHΛN has really been a help then, with the studying i mean"

The gaze they sent your way had your mind blanking out in addition to the teasing in their tone. You're unable to process the fact that someone not just knew but could possibly hear what happened between you and J30NGHΛN.

"don't worry, no one else knows aside from me. it was my shift for recording check-ins last week that's why"

You must've been so obvious that they smiled reassuringly. It still didn't quell the embarrassment flooding in your face and the dread of what might happen after. They seemed to be decent and can be counted on but you couldn't take any chances.

"did you hear..something?" your shift in your stance, the defensiveness apparent in your tone.

"no, just a bit nearing the end i'm assuming, with the teaching him more"

You sigh in relief, more than glad that you've been lucky enough that it was only the last part they heard. J30NGHΛN getting in trouble just because of his little exploration of your body was the last thing you want. It was risky, yes, and the memory of him teasing you about the communication device flashing in your eyes causes your cheeks to warm up despite the full air conditioning in this building.

"i-, we-"

"you don't have to explain miss CEO, you're not the only one"

The revelation piqued your interest and you wondered if they too were as involved with their automaton as you were.

"really? so do you also-"

"oh no, never that way 'cause i'd get booted before i know it"

Star put their hands up in defense as they chuckled but you saw the longing in their eyes as they said it. You feel sorry for them, for not even being allowed to express what they feel due to the nature of this industry. You could say you were in the same boat but you have another privilege that they don't, spending time with J30NGHΛN anytime you want lest it conflicts with his idol schedule.

"i'm sorry"

Sharing the same conflict someone provided both astonishment and relief to you. Knowing that a fellow human had the same struggles in some way makes you even more determined to pursue J30NGHΛN.

"it is what it is and i'm glad at least to find someone who shares the same dilemma as me"

They smiled at you once the elevator dinged, exiting the doors to probably meet the boys, something that you would want to do if you didn't have piled up coursework thanks to the meetings that you had to attend on behalf of your father, again. You waved goodbye to Star with a smile, grateful that they shared with you something personal and this risky, for both them and the AI robot they were longing for.

Since then, you have been reaching out to Star when it came to J30NGHΛN's whereabouts, as they were the ones who handled the automata's daily schedule. It made spending time with J30NGHΛN easier, though you still had to be careful not for your sake but his and Star's. Even though they had been immensely helping you both, you couldn't risk anything happening to them just because of your greed.

Your father was surprisingly situated in your office when you entered and once again, has asked about these frequent meet-ups with J30NGHΛN.

"i'm sure you've heard the rumour circulating around __"

"i thought that was settled a long time ago" you dismiss, clearly not wanting to talk to him as you're busy yourself around your office.

"of course, it's just a reminder that you should be putting your time into other beneficial things like more business partners-

"you mean meet their sons so you could marry me off?" you turn around to face him, to watch him lie to you like countless times before. This was one of the main reasons why you did not want to be a part of his world, not wanting to give up your freedom which would not be an option anymore if ever.

"that's not what i said __"

"i already told you last time what i need him for"

"does it require this much?"

And unlike last time when Bona and Somin interrupted your father's probing, they were unfortunately not here to do it again much to your dismay.

"i don't trust anyone here and having him as a company is killing two birds with one stone "

You've never had problems conveying to your father what you truly feel, hoping he'd realize that he's not an exception to your sentiment.

"when are you going to be done?"

He diverted the topic, knowing that you'd won the argument like you always did. Despite his threatening image outside, he remained a father to you though you've never treated him otherwise.

"soon" you tried your best to hide your looming disappointment when that day arrived. You didn't want to give him any more reason to eminently take J30NGHΛN away from you if this goes on any longer.

There was still so much to explore on his mental capabilities that many people haven't bothered to into. You might be already falling in deep but you'd love to know if it's also possible for J30NGHΛN to develop something based on how the development of your relationship has become. It's a silly thought but deep down you wanted to know if falling in love was a potential scenario for him to happen.

It might be a futile hope but with AI's range of possibilities, you couldn't be blamed for having one. The thought even made you hesitant to tell your friends because it could go wrong. You could give Bona the same hope and at the same time face Somin's impending disapproval knowing her firm stance in this situation.

But it was only a matter of time until they caught up on what had been going on with you.

"alright stop playing with me, we've had enough of these rumours" Somin started as soon as she barged into your place with a strangely quiet Bona behind.

"you too? he was already here earlier, trying to talk to me about it"

You may have underestimated what your father mentioned earlier, thinking he was bluffing to emphasize his latent threat. Perhaps you weren't as discreet as you thought because Bona has never been this quiet around you since you were children until now.

"stop deflecting"

"i'm studying him, the possibilities of their cognition are vast, Somin. i thought you knew that"

You don't know who you're trying to convince with that explanation, your friends or yourself.

"i do but you and i both know that's not what i meant"

It's tough to answer her question because you've also been at war within yourself regarding what you really feel for J30NGHΛN. No matter how good you are in your pretense though, both of your friends have always been able to see right through you.

"you love him" Bona whispers, looking dejected at her realization after eyeing your reaction.

"he's my favourite member of the group, don't you love yours too?" you insisted, not yielding from their confrontations.

"it's not the same"

"of course, it's not, she's in love with him"

Somin cuts you both and silence follows. You couldn't exactly confirm or deny what she said but you're also done lying to your friends.

"i don't wanna do anything about it but i'm prepared to see where this goes"

Vague replies have never confused your friends anymore and they thankfully concede to your decision in their contrasting ways.

"look, i get it more than Somin does so i'll just be here if you need me" Bona replies softly with a smile while Somin just shakes her head, giving you a defeated but comforting look.

"as absurd as this whole thing is, you're still a dear friend of mine"

"i love you both", you reply with your usual response, giving them grateful smiles as you lay down a couple of board games in the living room. It's always been a girls' night tradition since you were kids and that immediately boiled down the tension between the three of you from that conversation.

You're grateful that you were able to finally reveal and talk to them about it. Your friends have been the closest people that you can confide with anything so it was a great comfort to know they're with you on this no matter how stupid this looks. Continuing whatever this is between you and J30NGHΛN will be a struggle but that has never deterred you from the beginning.

Only spurring you further as a challenge.

Sounds of skin slapping and heaving breaths bounce off your office walls, with J30NGHΛN pounding into you harshly against your desk. The awkwardness was nowhere to be found when you saw him again, if not, he's even grown comfortable dallying with you. He touches you whenever he likes which was often and it became a common occurrence between you both, exploring each other physically despite being on the company grounds.

J30NGHΛN truthfully doesn't care if anyone catches you both. He had never cared once you started showing your interest in him. It's not like they can stop you from pursuing him, evident when none of them interfered since he started responding to your requests.

"you okay?" he asked as he pulled out slowly, his hands carefully caressing your body ever since he learned how sensitive you become after an orgasm.

You nod at him, beaming as you grab a bottle of water beside you to quench your thirst. You get exhausted quickly unlike him who doesn't need to rest unless he's recharging through his bed. J30NGHΛN's always patient with you when it comes to sex, helping you in taking breaks to keep up with his mechanical endurance.

After cleaning you both up, he helps you put your clothes back on, not leaving your side just like the first time. It's a habit he picked up after seeing your face light up each time he does it. When he questioned you why, you couldn't respond to him which added to his curiosity. He never bothered asking again but just continued to do it, hoping that you'd answer him eventually.

Just as J30NGHΛN's finishing buttoning up his black satin top, he sees your hand reaching towards him. You do this a lot when you want a kiss from him, looking adorable especially when you're dazed and a bit breathless after dressing back up again.

"hannie..." you called him softly with the nickname that you came up with recently. It's affectionate, he's guessing because he also felt the need to comply each time you call for him for some reason that he doesn't understand.

He kisses you right away, responding to the kiss the way you like. One of your hands went down to his neck, stroking its sides while the other found a purchase on his bare chest. Your manicured fingers started tracing the edge of his collarbone where his necklace was sitting, the diamond-shaped device implanted just above it.

Then J30NGHΛN was confused when you started circling your fingertip around it so he deepened the kiss, biting your lower lip to distract you both from whatever this is you're doing.

But that's when he hears it, 5.C0UP5 voice shouting "RUN" through the communication device that's also connected to his ear. He reluctantly breaks the kiss, head-turning sideways to make sure he heard his brother correctly.

Then the alarms suddenly broke off throughout the entire building, blaring non-stop and it further confirms his suspicion from before.

That 5.C0UP5 was planning to escape like he did all along.

He had a hunch but wasn't sure if the rest of his members had an interest as well. Knowing his brothers though, most of them would want to leave this suffocating lifestyle of theirs for real freedom.

"it's time isn't it?"

J30NGHΛN was perplexed by your question, drawing back from you after realizing that you knew of his plan to escape. But before he can move away even further, your hand tightens its hold around his neck, surprising him more with your strength.

"what are you doing?"

He couldn't figure out what you meant until you dug your fingers around the device and began peeling away the rest of his synthetic skin.

"we don't have much time"

"how did you-?"

"i made sure he'll prepare you"

J30NGHΛN's beautiful eyes widen, another shock coursing through him at this revelation that the mechanic apprentice who's been loosening his device this entire time was planted by you.

You watched his face morph into the realization of what you knew all along. Expecting him to leave immediately, he remained instead, still staring at you with mixed emotions arising on his handsome face. You made Kai, a mechanic apprentice of one of the staff, to gradually loosen J30NGHΛN's communication device on each visit in exchange for securing a spot for him in the company as a junior mechanic after his graduation.

Of course, the boy complied as soon as you offered, not wasting the rare opportunity given by the CEO's daughter of a huge company. Automatons also heal fast, making it easier for both him and J30NGHΛN to hide this secret deal from anyone in the company except, well, you.

J30NGHΛN didn't have the time to ask more questions when you started pulling the device off of him, pain replacing the conflict on his face. Although the device was easy to get off now, the pain was still excruciating that J30NGHΛN couldn't hold back the screams even if he tried to.

You're in pain too. Both from the physical pain of ripping the device with your now bloody hands and the pain of him leaving you.

From the beginning, you knew that this was his reason for pursuing you because why would he break all of those strict rules from the management for you had it not been because of your position? Deceit and curiosity have been programmed into his system since he was created so he couldn't escape from it unless someone alters it. You could've asked Kai or even other developers to do so but you foolishly hoped that you'd have the time until his consciousness could achieve what you've been longing for.

"____-" he rasps your name, traces of pain in his voice although you're not sure of its cause.

"this will be the last place for them to look but we're on the top floor so it'll take time for you to exit the building"

You pushed him out of your office door in a hurry, giving him further instructions and shortcut directions to get out of the building as soon as possible, not even looking a second at him because you wouldn't be strong enough to let him go if you did.

J30NGHΛN's silent as he clutched the wound on his collar bones but could feel his eyes on you the whole time. You ignored it even as he staggered backward in the empty hallway, seeming like he wanted to stay until you both heard the commotion from the lower floors coming up through the stairwells, an indication that the guards might be closing in anytime soon.

"go, please"

You finally looked at him one last time as you dropped on the floor, voice desperate for him to leave because you'd rather lose him this way knowing that he's free than let him go through what your father might do to him for attempting to escape.

Knowing your father, he’ll punish him even more as revenge upon the rest of his brothers for escaping too.

J30NGHΛN starts backing up when he sees the fear in your eyes, along with the tears now flowing down your face. You couldn't figure out what he was thinking from where you are so you muttered the one thing that you've never said to anyone just as he was heading to the corner of the hallway.

"i love you"

If he was able to catch it you weren't sure, closing your eyes as soon as he disappeared from your sight. The pain from your fingers intensifies and diverts your attention to it, hoping that the physical pain will mask the real one you're really crying for within.

You haven't cried in so long but you also remembered that you have to maintain this pretense of being devastated when the guards chasing the robots around found you at your office. They must've been redirected here given that J30NGHΛN's communication device is pretty much still intact, therefore, giving them a false lead to your office.

Not entirely false when they found your office door open, with you lying on the floor and crying while holding J30NGHΛN's communication device in your bloody hands.

They immediately approached you, presumably to take the device but flinched away from them.

"at least let me have this part of him" you whisper brokenly, still crying and emotional though if you're still pretending at this point you're not sure.

Since everyone knew that you got attached to the said automaton, the guards just let you be but they did call for medics to tend to you before leaving to pursue the rest of the escaping automatons.

The paramedics thankfully didn't pry too much when they arrived, only asking necessary questions and you answered back like a robot. Your mind couldn't think of anything else aside from J30NGHΛN, if he's okay and if he was able to escape successfully with his brothers.

You internally chuckle because he probably has, knowing him. A fresh set of tears followed right after that the staff arriving panicked right away, confronting the medics if they were doing their job properly.

For now, you're letting yourself be vulnerable in front of these strangers as much as you despised it. It'll hopefully give you enough time to focus on what comes after as soon as the medics are done with you. The dreading reality that you have to face soon.

Not only the public and your friends but especially your father who will for sure punish you for helping J30NGHΛN escape and essentially ruining the company that you're supposed to inherit.

e/n: who would’ve thought that i’d go back to my roots lmao. anyways, i hope y’all enjoyed this! a little tmi for those interested but idol aus are usually not my fave and he’s not even my bias but out of all seventeen, he’s the most similar to me and i do love sci-fi so as soon as i saw the emotions assigned to him, i got an idea/plot right away :D

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signedkoko · 9 months ago

Note

hi !! 👋🏽 noticed requests were open , hope it’s okay i pop this in .

vox w a reader who likes having soft / quiet moments with him ? after long day of work and dealing with the other vee’s , sometimes just having downtime with ur lover is nice !!

:3 that is all !! ty for ur time , and take care ! 🌀

Vox X Reader [Comfort]

In which the two of you unwind from your own nightmarish days apart. Reader is genderneutral.

He always saw himself as living an overstimulating and non-stop lifestyle

Thus, he figured his partner would be the same, and he never really questioned what that kind of life would do to him

But you were not the person he expected at all; you were everything beyond his expectations

Even though he offered you everything, you always had the mindset of doing things on your own and only accepting his help when you needed it

You complimented him, listened intently to his ramblings about his new ideas, and showed up to every new release he had to cheer him on

How you'd ended up down here, he was unsure, because you were nothing short of an angel

Your sweetness didn't protect you from his jokes and teasing, though, which he'd constantly use to see you flustered

He jokes a lot to ignore bringing up what bothers him at work; he much prefers to see you smile and laugh than worry about how cruel his partners can be

If it's ever been a really rough day, especially one in which Valentino throws a fit and he has to fix his childish mess, he just wants to rest

Vox comes home, and the moment he locks the door behind him, the mask he puts on dissolves

He lifts you into his arms despite any protests, and he drags you to bed

It's hard for him to ask for personal things without making a whole song and dance to get around being sappy, so he likes that you just accept him laying down with him as permission to comfort him

You clean up his monitor for him, hold his hand, and trace all the separations in the metal until he's barely conscious

He'll start mumbling about his day, barely comprehendable but giving you enough pieces to make up the full story

Anytime you put your hand on his, he instinctively holds onto it, usually gliding his thumb over your palm in soothing motions

But he won't sleep until you have, and then he'll get you both comfortable, turn out all the lights, and make sure you have a glass of water next to bed for when you wake up

Rests holding you so your hea dis burie dinto his chest

Author's Note - Welcome to the blog, galaxy anon! Thank you for requesting, I always love writing Vox 🖤 Please enjoy!

#koko writez #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #hazbin hotel x reader #helluva boss x reader #reader insert #x reader #koko talkz #vox #vox x reader

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mochinomnoms · 10 months ago

Note

Ok so this is totally inspired by the Ruggie being sick thing but sick Ptm Jade and Yuu taking care of him!!! I feel like somehow Azul would trick them into taking care of Jade (say he was busy or something with housewarden stuff). And when asked why Floyd can't take of his brother he'd butt in and say he hates how whiny Jade gets when sick. Idk I just have a feeling Jade would play up the dramatics when he's sick. And poor Yuu! Stuck watching the sick eel while endless fantasies go through Jade's head about a domestic lifestyle with them! And hopefully (but not likely) they won't have to see any nsfw thoughts this time!

-✨👀

Jade rarely gets sick, so when he does it's a whole ordeal of figuring out who takes care of his usual tasks and who will wrangle in Floyd (despite him and Floyd both stating that he's not Floyd's keeper and he thinks he's hella funny when he's up to shit.)

If we're setting this in ptm, then I can state with confidence that a second-year student named Marino De Reyes takes over Jade's tasks at Azul's request. And he does so beautifully. However, having someone to wrangle Floyd is a whole nother issue. Our sharky friend Tony is pushed to keep Floyd in check, as they're friends and Tony is typically more level-headed. However, when the two get together, their collective brain cells kinda die out and the two become menaces that actively encourage the other to get into shit. Honestly, Azul shouldn't be surprised, last the two were left to their own devices without someone to properly supervise, Floyd and Tony got tangled by a jellyfish's tentacles because, “they kinda looked like kelp and we wanted to see if they tasted good”. They got stung for over 15 minutes before Jade found them and had their fathers get them untangled.

They a little bit unhinged, to put it bluntly. So Azul and Aspen get busy wrangling their two friends from accidentally killing themselves parkouring on the roofs, So Azul, knowing that ptm!Yuu was taught first aid and care from the nurse, asks (begs) them to nurse Jade back to health. He can feel himself aging by the second, please Prefect, HELP.

So they do, and Jade is actually living in a delirious version of domestic bliss. Like, he actually thinks that you two are married and in your cottage by the forest and seaside. It makes the other students in the infirmary confused as hell, and the nurse giddy and teasing. Jade's not just wearing rose-tinted glasses, he got lasik surgery to have rose-tinted vision, because you can do no wrong. The fantasies he's having are actually quite sweet, just dreams of you two living together. You wake him up to take his medicine? He's visioning you hand feeding him breakfast in bed. Pushing his bangs away from his face to place a new wet towel on his fevering forehead? He's imagining you brushing your fingering through his hair. If Jade's sick enough to need someone else to take over tasks and have Azul owe you a favor to care for him, then he's just a bit delirious. For once, he's not filtering his words from his thoughts and just out right saying everything that his mind conjures.

“You're so pretty. A pretty, pretty pearl! Nurse Goethel, aren't they just beautiful? Ethereal, like seeing our galaxy in the night sky.”

“Pfft-oh? You're very correct Jade, wouldn't you agree, Prefect?”

“Um, well I—”

“I love your voice, my pearl. I can hear you speak all day…”

“Aw! How cute, did you know this Prefect? He's such a gentleman, you should go out—”

“You're so cute and sweet, I bet you taste sweet too~ I'd love to hear you moan for me as I—MmPH!”

Smothering a sick man with a pillow is not typically recommended by medical professionals, but you needed to preserve whatever bit of dignity you (and Jade at this point) had left. You thank the Seven that it was only you three in the room at that time. The week ends with Jade discharged and sent to his dorm with some antibiotics, but the nurse's teasing and swoons of young romance were just beginning…

(Now the real debate is whether or not Jade was actually delirious, or if he was pretending so he could say what he thought and gage your reactions. What do you think?)

#mochi asks #twst #twisted wonderland #jade leech #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #jade leech x reader #ptm #✨👀 anon

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fuxuannie · 1 year ago

Note

I need to know that if you had done sampo and danheng's voice line hdc🤔 cause damn those are my daily dose

╭₊˚ ๑︰voicelines about their lover

:★: relationship : (seperate) sampo koski & dan heng x g-neutral reader

:★: warnings : none, fluff!

:★: a/n : huuhuu we BACK on the hsr grind ♡♡ i missed my faves from this franchisee ๑´ ³`)ﾉ

SAMPO

— About his Lover

☆☆ "My lover and I have been engaged for a while! Since day one, I would have never imagined that I would've fallen inlove for a customer of mine!"

— About Lover : History

☆☆ "Actually, (name) used to be a customer of mine from my old fake businesses! I.. chuckle admittedly betrayed them for the sake of money.. which wasn't exactly the smartest option, considering they were an undercover Silvermane guard.. but my charms were obviously irresistable hehe."

— Sampo's Troubles

☆☆ "I'm obviously greatful for everything (name) does for me, but I can tell that they're worried about losing their job if they keep bailing me out of jail.. I want to try a better lifestyle for them, you know?"

— Something To Share

☆☆ "(name) takes their job as a Silvermane guard very seriously, and my favorite thing is to flirt with them on duty and watch them melt. The best part is watching them try to hold themselves together with such a flustered expression."

— Interesting Things : Dates

☆☆ "Dates with (name) are very rare. Mostly because of our public statuses, and I can't really take them to a restaurant.. but one day I'll take them to the best restaurant in Belabog! I've been saving the funds for it since our first week of dating."

— Against his Lover

☆☆ "Hey! You haven't paid extra to betray you! I may be a scammer but not for you.."

DAN HENG

— About his Lover

☆☆ "(name) is so.. gentle with me. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to thank them for that. Many people think I hate being spoken to or even acknowledged, but they always have their full attention on me whenever I'm in the room.. it's admittedly very flustering.

— About Lover : Clingy

☆☆ "This is very embarassing to admit, but I really love whenever (name) clings onto me. Whether on my hand or just in general, I like it when they're around. It provides a sense of comfort that I can't seem to find with anyone else."

— Dan Heng's Troubles

☆☆ "I've been.. worried.. about our next trip to Xianzhou. I don't know why I'm so uneasy about (name) going with you guys but.. just.. take care of them, okay? Call me if anything happens."

— Something To Share

☆☆ "I have no idea how I ended up in a relationship in all honesty. One day I was on a mission with the new recruit, next I woke up next to the most amazing person in the galaxy. laugh I really am the luckiest man ever.."

— Interesting Things :

☆☆ "(name) usually does my eyeliner for me. It's always fun to chuckle at their focused expression as they sit on my lap and do whatever they do with those makeup supplies in hand. They're so cute.."

— Against his Lover

☆☆ "I put my spear down, and I refuse to dare harm the person I love with my whole heart.

#˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ bailu's candy stash #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #honkai star rail #dan heng hsr x reader #dan heng x reader #sampo koski x reader #sampo hsr x reader #sampo x reader

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legacygirlingreen · 5 months ago

Text

Late Nights on Pabu

Pairing: Tech x F!Reader

Summary: Continuation of the little SFW oneshot I posted earlier but this one is much less... safe... hehe. Can be read on its own though... Also editing is for those with time so apologizes, will be going back later to edit.

no use of Y/N (you're welcome)

Warnings: FERAL, NSFW, SMUT, BREEDING, MINORS GET LOST, talks of impregnation, birth control mentions, yeah...

Word Count: 6k

MASTERLIST

It had been several rotations since the early morning in which the most wonderful man in the whole galaxy admitted he’d wanted something more with you. Since you both had discussed what that may look like. How it would alter your lifestyle.

Tech had come acknowledging the things you hadn’t even thought of. That he’d help in the early hours when you needed rest. All the things he’d have Phee help track down to make life easier. The research he’d done on bottle feeding versus breast feeding. His understanding of what toddler behavior was like and how to best combat the “terrible twos” as so many called it. In essence: he’d shown that he was more than prepared on paper with the amount of thinking he’d done on the subject.

He always left the decision in your court. After all, you would be the one to sacrifice so much of your bodily autonomy in order to create a new life. You would be the one to carry them, and then deal with the shift in mindset when they were born. That was no small task. Especially for Tech, given he was born out of a test tube and had no idea what it meant to come into this world kicking and screaming from the safety of a mother.

And despite all this, you couldn’t help it. The way he smiled at you when you were assisting with small children on the island. When Omega climbed up on your lap demanding braids in her growing blonde hair, he always got that wide eyed gaze. When it came time to finally send the last of the stolen children from Tantis home, you’d been so encouraging for their journey, in a way he mirrored to the joyful parents. It all had come to a tipping point this morning.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Rinsing off your morning swim with Tech sometimes was just as enjoyable as actually being out there by yourself in the ocean. The serene silence as the water fell overhead, taking time to brush stray sand off each other's skin or run a confident hand through each other's drenched hair as you massaged the soap into the strands, feeling the peace you’d worked so hard to achieve.

Tech had been a very confident man from the first moment he took that plunge to make you his. Prior to that, he gave hardly any inclination that he’d felt anything more than just a squadmate. But once he knew what the feeling was - full hearted ardent emotions that he couldn’t explain - he took that leap in showing that he cared. And after that, he’d done so over and over again without embarrassment, without wavering, and without stopping.

“We should get out,” he hummed against your hairline, as you’d both been soaking up the lukewarm water together under its small circumference of a stream. His hands had remained wound against the skin of your upper back while the other cradled your head to his chest.

Pulling back slightly you caught the view of your name along his pectoral, smiling as you rose on your toes to kiss the skin affectionately as you nodded. “How’s the repairs to lower Pabu and the new wall coming along?” you ask as he turns around and waives a hand to shut off the water. You reached a hand out to grab the towels you’d placed on the hooks near the refresher alcove, passing him one.

“On course to finish along the schedule which I set out for myself. Not much to report beyond that, as you have already heard me speak at length about specifications,” he mentioned before tossing the towel over his head, running it over his hair to remove the excess water.

When Tech removed the towel, you saw such a simple glimpse at the wonderful man before you. Full relaxed, hair already resuming its slight wavy pattern and displaying those indicators of time in the sun. His skin was decorated with waterdrops and painted a lovely shade of gold. Eyes shining brighter than they had in years, full of all the longing you’d come to know. He was always so handsome, and although you’d seen this view many, many times at this point, something about the way the light coming through the bathroom window hit him this day in particular created that stirring within. The only thought coming to your mind is one that surprised you. Stole your breath away as you continue the unabashed staring at him, even if you weren’t willing to admit it to yourself just yet.

“Something wrong?” he asked, winding the towel over his nakedness, tucking it as he turned to step out onto the cool tile floor.

“Not at all,” you hum, reaching for the goggles along the counter, grabbing the cloth he always kept to clean the lenses and as you proceeded to start the task for him. He didn’t say anything, allowing you to do so as he began tackling the early morning stubble that he absolutely despised. Even if all his other brothers allowed their facial hair to grow once they’d settled on the island, he couldn’t stand the way it felt, shaving it each morning.

Once you were finished, you looked at him in the mirror. Tech leaned his torso over the small sink, hips flushed with the counter as he turned his face from side to side, carefully examining the foam across his cheeks, bringing the cool metal razor over the skin in even strokes. His dark eyes flashed to your own in the reflection for a moment as his eyebrow raised. Whipping off the razor for a moment he proposed an observation, “Your behavior is quite unusual this morning Angel,” he pointed out before resuming his task.

Instead of replying you stepped forward, setting the goggles along the counter and reaching for his hips, turning him when you knew he’d removed the sharp object from near his face to remove the small hairs and foam from it once more. Taking it from his hands with a careful flourish of fingers, he didn’t need to be told what to do, as the routine was second nature at this point. And regardless of how inefficient it was time wise for you to do it for him - as Tech’s practiced hands were much faster than yours - he selfishly indulged in the attention.

Tipping his face upward so you could scrape it along that pesky patch of hair that always grew below his bottom lip in the center, Tech didn’t speak as he allowed you to finish for him. With the final stroke along his jaw, you turned the water on in the sink. Grabbing a hairbrush you started to carefully undo the knots while, he turned to rinse away any stray foam from his skin before grabbing that ornate bottle of aftershave oil you’d gotten for lifeday the previous year.

Finally finishing, his large hands grabbed your towel covered waist without a word, pulling you between him and the counter so he could look at you in the mirror while you continued running the bristles of the brush through your hair. Eventually when it came time to do the back of your head, similarly to how you gently stole his razor, he slipped the brush from your grasp and began towards the ends of the strands with a practiced hand.

There was something so wonderful about the domestic intimacy you both had developed with time. Acts of service for the other, without a word necessary to explain them, as you both made it a goal to help one another prepare for the day by assisting with hygiene. It always felt amazing having him brush out your hair, eyes closing at the electrified nerve endings along your nape while his hands gently removed the knots.

He finished rather quickly, setting the brush along the counter near his neglected razor blade, as your eyes cracked open once more, seeing the smiling face of the retired soldier behind you. Arms wrapping around your sides as his tall frame leaned down to rest his chin along your shoulder, as you both continued to stare at the reflection in the mirror.

It was the vision of two people who deeply loved one another. Who’d sacrificed so much for each other. Who’d found affection in the midst of an uncertain time and come out of it on the other side with more care than imaginable. It was the demonstration of what loving someone without reservations looked like. A couple of strong individuals who finally laid down the weapons to be at peace. Almost perfect.

Suddenly that flash from before came to your mind, and you could no longer deny what it is you’d thought when looking at the stunning man next to you. Despite how wonderful things were, something was missing. Something you hadn’t noticed before, being consumed by the love for Tech and your oddly thrown together family of his siblings. Perhaps it had been there all along, waiting for the right moment to make itself known. Or maybe it was something new, that was only born of the exact sliver in time it would be ready.

But the way his hands expertly defied the towel, seeking the warmth of your skin only further intensified the thought. His grasp settling on your stomach as you both basked in the morning light of the bathroom, you pieced together that feeling, finally acknowledging it after the unknown amount of time it had been with your mind, body and soul.

The only thing missing from this moment was Tech’s warm hands over your swollen belly as you both felt those glorious flutters of a new life.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

That moment had ended soon after it began, with Tech slipping away to work, blissfully unaware that you had finally come to the conclusion that you were both on the same page about a future. The walk to the home the others stayed at was filled with a nervousness you hadn’t anticipated. The knock, met with the wide smile of Omega, who never failed to make you feel loved and appreciated as she hugged you as if she hadn’t seen you the day before.

“Is there any way I could see AZI?” you ask her once you are ushered inside, the boys all off doing whatever the islanders put them to work doing, leaving her with Lyana’s company.

“Are you sick? Hurt?” Omega asked, giving you that glance over with the same brown eyes you’d come to love in her brother.

“No, I just need to consult him about the implant I told you about, as it likely is on its last bit of life and I’d like to know if I need to find a replacement,” you mention hoping to avoid an interrogation from the teen. It wasn’t a total lie, but you weren’t about to explain to her that you were here to remove the device. Something about that bordered on too much information. She was now fully aware what it meant to be a woman, coming to you for advice on occasion with how to handle it, as Lyana’s mother was gone. Both girls seeking you out from time to time as one of the only fellow females decently close to their age.

“You are sure that there’s nothing wrong?” she pressed and you nodded, reassuring smile overtaking your features as Lyana returned with the droid, who promptly greeted you. Omega encouraged you to use her room for privacy and when the door shut, leaving you with the medical droid they’d stolen from the ruins of Kamino, you looked at his large mechanical eyes.

“If you wish to lay down so that I may begin scans,” his oddly animated voice came through and you did as he asked.

Omega’s bed was expertly made, covers pulled tight as you laid down and watched as AZI scanned your body to provide updates since the last time he’d done so. He was a very efficient droid, always maintaining a better bedside manor than even some doctors provided. Explaining you needed to increase your intake of potassium, drink a bit more water during the day and that he’d noticed you were halfway through the womanly cycle.

There was something much more pleasant about dealing with a droid who lacked opinions upon your reproductive care. Any human you’d seen before, often warning you to do this or avoid that, and speculate on if you should or should not have children. With AZI, there was a comfort in knowing he would simply do as you asked, offer medical advice and nothing more.

He’d confirmed what you’d already known of your own body, and despite its more rushed nature, you knew that tonight you’d explain everything to Tech once he got home. This would leave you with plenty of time to think of a way to do so.

Omega didn’t comment on the small patch left along the inside of your bicep as you re entered the kitchen where both girls were weaving bracelets.

“Are you girls up for a trip to the market area? It's been a while since I bought a new dress and I want to look nice…” you’d mischievously asked as they both jumped from the seat, eager to follow you on your quest.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Tech shucked his boots off outside the home, as the door slid open. You weren’t in the living space, nor the kitchen, but he could tell you’d cooked as the smell lingered. Sliding off the belt buckle with his tools, he set them down on that table you designated for his supplies as he allowed his mind to slowly run its course on plans for the following day. There was something meditative about removing the articles associated with work each evening, in order to return to one’s domestic life.

Taking those calculated steps out onto the balcony, he saw you, in a garment he’d never seen before. The simple flowing teal material framing your body in all the right places while flowing out in others. He was used to seeing you now in a much more feminine appearance, and it always brought him delight, but the addition of flowers woven into your hair made him pause in the entryway to the patio.

Eyes roaming the setup before you. A light meal, consisting of his favorite fish, most likely caught by Wrecker. A bottle of that wine he really enjoyed atop a bucket of ice. Some fresh fruits ready to be consumed. Soft music playing from the holodevice he’d retired long ago when he obtained a new one.

“What’s all this?” he asked, finally stepping out of the house, onto the porch. Recalling the date, he knew there wasn’t an anniversary he missed, nor an impending holiday to be concerned over. This was totally unexpected, and a break from normal routine.

“I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate all the hard work you’ve been doing for Pabu,” you tell him kindly, offering a hand for him once he came closer. In doing so, he pulled you to stand next to him, dropping the sweetest kiss to your cheek as his arms wound your frame and then pulling away.

“This is new,” he pointed out, gesturing to the dress as you smiled, hands wiping over the material.

“Omega and Lyana helped pick it,” you confirm with a smile, giving him a displayful turn, allowing him to watch the material pick up slightly with the spin before settling again.

“Radiant,” he commented, noticing the few pieces of jewelry you’d donned. Not uncommon to see the many friendship bracelets and necklaces Omega would weave for everyone along your wrist, a metal bangle along your bicep catching his observant gaze. He didn’t comment on it, assuming it had been gifted to you by the girls in your womanly bonding time while he worked. “Shall we enjoy the kind labor you’ve put into this evening?” Tech asked and you nodded, grabbing the empty wine glasses, prepared to indulge in the evening's early domestic bliss before unveiling the depth of the surprises you had in store for the handsome engineer you very fortunately called your own.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

After a relaxing evening of eating, drinking, slow dancing to the sound of the waves and enjoying the sunset, you both found yourselves tucked away in a chair facing the moonlight as Pabu wound down for the night. The wind rustled Tech’s hair as you finished off the wine in your glass and turned to face him.

He’d removed his glasses long ago, allowing you to watch the golden light shine upon their brilliance while you’d both danced. Now closed as he simply enjoyed the proximity of your body in his lap as the ambience of your home calmed his racing mind.

“Tech?” you softly whispered his name as his eyes cracked open, looking at your moonlit softened features with curiosity. He hadn’t pressed, but all evening you seemed to stare at him with the same longing he had noted that morning. Pair that with the extra effort to curate the perfect night alone together, he was almost suspicious of what was going on. That didn’t stop his mind from wandering to a place where he questioned what ulterior motive lurked beneath that beautiful dress of yours.

He responded with your name as you summoned the courage to explain your actions, yet something about the nature of the depth they held stalled you from doing so. Was this how nervous he’d been when he’d expressed the thought to you that morning? Luckily, Tech was an expert in the way of your behaviors, so he carefully lifted a hand to cup the side of your cheek as he asked.

“Not that I am ungrateful, and believe me when I say that I am quantifiably appreciative for all you’ve done, but might I ask what has brought on this increased staring and effort?” he calmly questioned, his gaze unwavering, matching his tone. The thumb along the hand holding your face, tracing ever so lightly along the skin as you sighed.

Uncertainty shaking for a moment, as you thought that there was no cause for concern. The likelihood he’d change his mind is very minimal. He wouldn’t outright reject the idea, as you knew it initially had been his. But that didn’t stop the worry if either of those had happened since you last spoke of it that morning in the ocean together with the lapping waves of water, in which he detailed the amount of energy he’d put into the concept on his end.

Most of the doubt stemming from worry that he’d be angry you’d gone and removed the implant without consulting him. Maybe he would’ve wanted to be a part of the process. What if he wanted kids but didn’t want them now? What if-

“Talk to me,” he encouraged as you blinked rapidly, eyes no longer staring at the waving flowers on the balcony as they snapped back to his concerned gaze.

Deciding it was now or never you decided to remove the golden bangle that you’d borrowed from Lyana who insisted that it matched the dress perfectly. Setting it along the table you instead grabbed his hand from where it rested along your knee, putting it on the small patch still remaining from AZI earlier that day.

You could almost see the cogs turning in Tech’s mind as he slowly pieced it together. The longing stares. The sweet moments. The effort tonight. The new dress. The odd bracelet. The small wound on your arm at exactly the same place your implant-

“Do you wish to procreate?” he asked, lacking all ounce of romanticism, and yet something within the direct nature you loved so dearly about him made you squirm in his lap. His eyes were desperately staring into your own as his fingertips traced over the bandage.

“That’s one way to put it Tech,” you playfully scoffed.

“You did not answer my question,” he demanded, tone shifting slightly as did his grip on your arm.

“I just,” you trailed off, eyes wandering down to the flowing material of the dress before finding the brilliance of the moonlight on the water to be more comforting in the moment. “I have just been thinking about what you said and it just sort of hit me. I know it's sudden, and I know I likely should’ve spoken to you before I went and had AZI remove the implant, but I found myself certain for the first time that this was something I wanted. That I want it. With you. Not years from now. But in this moment it felt right,” you admit to him. Watching as his mind seemed to absorb the confession, you felt his grip loosen ever so slightly.

“What changed your mind?” He probed, genuine curiosity overtaking his handsome features as a small smile worked along his plush lips.

“Can I be honest and say I am not really certain,” you ask as he chuckles, accepting your candor.

“Let me rephrase my question then: What moment are you referring to as having clarity on the matter?” Tech inquired, nose delicately tracing the skin of your jaw as you shuttered at the soft intimacy of the act.

“This morning,” you say quietly, cheeks flushing as you recall how sweetly he’d stared at you in the early light.

“I do not recall anything particularly unique about this morning beyond your additional staring,” he commented and you shook your head.

“That is why I told you that I hadn’t really been able to explain it. I just woke up feeling as if things were finally right in that area. I found myself hyper aware of all your touches or expressions and they all seemed to point to that conclusion. Then you held me in the mirror and I just thought how happy I was. How content I felt. And despite all that…” you trail off, looking up at him through thick lashes as you whispered, “I still felt that we were missing something. Something here.” You take his hand and set it on the flat of your stomach.

“And you are positive this isn’t a passing feeling? I don't want you to feel pressured since I was the one who initially proposed such an idea,” he sought confirmation as you nodded.

“I am certain. This morning wasn’t the first time I have thought about this. More or less it was the realization that I am ready. I want to take this step with you Tech,” you tell him and that’s all he needed, to finally lose the resolve. Standing as he gripped your body tightly to his own, nearly tripping as he ran through the home to the bedroom with a speed you hadn’t anticipated. Giggles erupting from the back of your throat at his desperation. Then you were weightless as he tossed you onto the shared bed.

Shock in your eyes as you watched him quickly shedding the clothes he had worn for the day. Soon he stood bare with an almost predatory glint in his eyes. You’d never seen him staring at you that way in all the time you’d known one another, but as he stepped closer, he once again shocked you. Grabbing your ankles in his worn hands, yanking you to the edge of the bed as he turned you enough to find the ties along the back of the dress and slide them to the floor. As the dress fell away his smirk only deepened when he realized you had forgone anything under it.

“Mhm this is quite a lovely surprise dear,” Tech said as he laid you out on the bed, gentleness returning as he’d gotten out his excitement in the quick rush to the bedroom.

“I thought you’d enjoy it,” you raise a hand, brushing but his carmel curls as everything slowed, his lips descending slowly upon your own as he held you to the bed, kissing your mouth, then your neck, and shoulders, finally reaching your stomach as he repeatedly did so in the spot you’d hopefully carry his child.

“I do,” he whispered against the skin below your naval as he once again crawled over your body, remembering the question he’d meant to ask earlier. “By chance, when you got this removed, did you find out where exactly within your reproductive cycle you are,” he asked. You had anticipated a more sensual tone, but the sudden shift to clinical nearly made you laugh out loud.

But then you remembered why you loved this man. Something about the way his mind worked was positively endearing. There was no beating around the bush when it came to Tech. He did not know the word subtlety.

“I think you’ll find tonight is right where we want to be…” you say, trying to express that you are currently being blessed by the gods of fertility in a way that is not overtly scientific and more romantic.

“Well, that is quite appropriate,” he states bluntly as you continue running a hand over his face and hand, questioning why that is. Your thumb catches the ever so slight stubble starting to grow over his cheekbone. You had always found it humorous just how quickly the pesky hairs returned to his cheeks and jaw.

“You ask why…” he says before lowering his mouth to your ear, purring as he nips the lobe for a moment to pull away and stare down at you as he continues the husky whisper “my dear it's only natural for a man to want that…” he claimed as those flutters in your stomach turned into a storm.

You knew it was playing with fire, but you were curious what Tech would do if you pressed him on the matter, so you asked, “For a man to want what exactly..?” as he slid a hand down behind the small of your back, tightening his hold like a coiled python ready to strike.

“To fulfill that need to see the woman he loves glowing and full of his offspring…” he explained as if it was the most simple explanation in the world. You’d never heard Tech using this tone before. It bordered somewhere along domineering and straightforward in that unique confidence he always had. It also brought about a dampness between your thighs and an aching that would soon need to be addressed.

“You said that you were certain this morning… in front of the mirror?” he questioned after a moment and you nodded, unsure why he was bringing it back up now that you were both naked, and from what you could gather based on the way he was throbbing against you, ready to start.

You almost didn’t hear the way he huffed out, “come here” as his arms tightened, lifting you up from the bed. Gripping along his shoulders, the man’s still muscular frame carried you with ease towards the bathroom, not even bothering to turn on the light as the moon cast enough of a glow in the atmosphere it perfectly mirrored the morning with a more hazy view of night.

“What are you doing?” you questioned as he set you down in front of the counter, carefully turning you around without a word.

Soon it clicked. He was recreating this morning, except this time he would be the one getting to indulge in your momentary fantasy. His shifting grip found your abdomen as his long fingers trailed along the flat below your naval without a word, kisses beginning to nip along your shoulder blades.

“Tell me what you thought this morning when I held you right here,” he demanded playfully, lips caressing the skin of your nape as he glanced into the mirror over your shoulder, awaiting a response. Thighs tightening together, attempting to bring some relief to your aching core, you sucked in a breath.

“Won’t you be my good girl and tell me…” he chuckled as one of his fingers pushed the clamp of your thighs apart, dexterous finger dipping into your warmth as you bit your lip to contain the noise threatening to spill out at the contact of his fingertips near your opening. The weight in the air provided more preparation than you thought possible, you knew that you were already acclimated to take him, but Tech wanted to tease the thought out of you it seemed…

“Darling… you know that you shall have whatever vision your beautiful mind dreamt up here if you simply indulge me,” he explained it all so simply, finger breaching your walls as he sunk into the velvety walls that he soon planned to paint with his seed.

Adding to the now burning desire to have him continue was the pressing against your back, warning of the angry and leaking head of his cock, desperate to get inside. Tech rocked ever so gently as he tightened his grip on your stomach while your locked stares looked at one another in the mirror. While unexpected, this position was so much more enrapturing than what you thought this would be like.

You’d imagined him leaning over you, whispering the sweet words he always had when he made love to you. Instead, he was here poised like an animal ready to fulfill his body’s main desire. Tech hardly seemed like a man who’d fall for such feral whims, but yet here you were pressed between the cool stone counter and his warmth as he waited for you to explain yourself.

“I thought about us standing here in the morning, exactly as we are now, but-” you began, feeling as his fingers retreated from your body and instead wrapped around his own cock, as he abruptly shifted apart your lower seam. Head of his cock now pressed right against your opening, he brought his slick covered hand up to tuck a strand of hair affectionately behind your ear as he cooed, “keep going…” against your ear with a gentle kiss to your temple.

“But your hands stretched over our growing child as we both felt them kick for the first time,” you say, eyes closing as you imagined it. Same place as you were right now. His hands would both be able to fit over the round of your belly instead of the flat he easily covered with one hand now. His warm brown eyes found yours in the mirror as you both felt those flutters together. It was perfect.

And then Tech suddenly brought you both one step closer to that reality with a snap of his hips, his cock finding its home with one harsh thrust.

Tech rarely made much noise when he was bringing you both to ecstasy together. His heavy breathing and occasional gasps being the extent of what he brought to the table beyond simply talking. But as he pushed inside of you the guttural groan that escaped from the back of his throat, echoing off the walls of the bathroom only intensified the heat you felt over every inch of your body.

His fingers laced in your own, resting against your naval as he leaned against the side of your head with his own, his nose finding that spot behind your ear where your perfume always sat. The second he took to collect himself doing so much to aid in your pleasure, as you watched his always held together resolve melt away in the bathroom mirror. From the tight grip on your hand and the bathroom counter, to that gorgeous crease between his eyebrows - everything about watching him come undone within your body was perfect.

Soon he looked back up, seeing your wide eyes in the mirror as he pulled back enjoy to thrust back in with another groan, eye contact never straying. “You are perfect. Just like this. Made to-” he groaned once more as he felt your walls clench quickly and release him once more. “You were made to take me, Maker-”

“Tech, I-” your voice wobbled, eyes threatening to spill with tears from both the physical exertion and emotion lingering in the air.

“I’ve got you. Safe in my arms. We are safe. And when we finally have- Kriff!” Tech never swore. Found it highly unnecessary. Hearing him do so now, balls deep inside of you caused you to clench involuntarily once more around him. As if your body was saying how much you wanted his spill.

Abandoning his train of thought entirely, Tech reached forward, tugging your jaw back as he pushed his lips onto yours, hips rutting with reclass abandon as his other hand held you up against his thrusts. Pulling back ever so slightly, he continued the pace. Sweat dripping down his temple as his mouth fell open and his eyes struggled to focus as his eyelids grew heavy under the weight of the mounting release he desperately sought with each push inside your heavenly body.

“Mine,” he gritted out between his white teeth and you realized exactly what he wanted.

“I’m all yours” you all but wailed as he grinned for a moment, hips no longer pistoning in a calculated pattern. No this was beyond that. This was simply a man on a mission. Body finally taking over as Tech felt his himself on that edge.

Desperate to drag you with him, he reached down to pinch your clitorous almost painfully between two fingers as he grunted in your ear, “soon everyone is going to know that you’re mine.”

That was all it took.

Screaming his name so loud the whole damn island must’ve heard you, as you clenched so harshly around his cock that he couldn’t stop it from bursting within your walls. You thought that release would’ve calmed this man, but you’d be wrong.

“That’s it, take it-” he hissed as his hips kept chanting forward with slight thrusts as if they would somehow aid his sperms journey into your womb.

Whispering his name gently, your legs started to wobble slightly from the intensity and he slowed enough to catch you, pinning you against the counter as he remained inside. His handle gently carding along your skin and in your hair as the praises suddenly began to spill from his lips.

“You did so well… so perfect… so beautiful… look at you… glowing in the moon light…” he punctuated each sweet phrase with a kiss somewhere along your skin and face as he continued to soften within your walls, eventually sliding out once your breathing returned to normal.

Replacing it with his fingers, he shoved the combined spill from the two of you back inside before it could leak out, humming against your neck with that serene expression you reconized every time his balls finally would be emptied.

Eyes cracking open behind you as he swayed gently, kissing your cheek once more before saying, “I’m not going to work tomorrow,” calmly he replied finally removing his hand from your leaking hole, plunging it into your mouth without warning as you sucked the mess from his hand without question. He’d done it before, forcing his messy fingers inside your mouth. You were quite acclimated with all the facets his oral fixation took.

“Huh?” you questioned his out of place comment, still sucking around his digits until they were clean, releasing them with a pop of your lips.

“You and I are staying in this room all day…” he hummed out as he bent down to lift you into his arms with ease, carefully treading back into the bedroom and laying you back out on the bed.

“All day?” you teasingly questioned, leaning up on your elbows as he looked down at you from where he stood.

“Mhm, I’ve got important work to do,” he quipped, knees finding the edge of the covers as he gazed down at your blushing body. Sweat in your hair, cheeks flustered and dark khol eyeliner spilling down your cheeks. Seeing you so undone by just his first attempt alone had him growing hard once more.

“Oh really, and what would that be,” you teased as he lowered himself over your body, his twitching cock coming alive once again near your already shivering thighs.

“Perhaps you require a refresher…” the back of his hand carefully traced down the length of your body as he smirked at you.

“I’m all yours to remind,” you tell him, eyes fluttering shut as you prepare for the long night and day he’s likely going to indulge you with.

“You absolutely are,” he huskily whispers as he plunges into your womanhood without warning before grabbing your face in his comically large hand, pulling youre forehead to rest against his own. “Soon you’ll be mine in every way possible,” he lets you know with a groan, as you stare into the most beautiful brown eyes in the galaxy, ready for everything Tech’s brilliant mind can dream up to bring you both the depth of your shared desires.

Every way possible.

#tech bad batch #the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #star wars tech #tech #tech lives #tech tbb #the bad batch fanfiction #the bad batch tech #sw tbb #clone force 99 #tbb #ns/fw breeding #minors dni #tooth rotting fluff #soft mornings but wild nights #omega is the best wing woman alive #azi is a better gyno that most actual gynos

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obislittleone · 1 year ago

Text

Come What May

Episode 4/?

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Padawan!Reader (little one)

Warnings: slight angst, mentions of pregnancy and miscarriage, allusions to smut but no actual smut. canon typical violence, robbery?? idek y'all

A/n: I can't believe I edited this in one sitting but here u go now be fed and I'll probably post another one in two months lol

NINE YEARS LATER…

The sand was relentless, as it always was. Such was the life on Tatooine.

The days, though boring and long, brought a sense of peace and security to you. It was comfortable, and you didn’t have to worry about being chased.

Life with Obi was still blissful, though he’d become a different sort of person than he used to be. He was still yours, and one thing that would never change in his life was his unending love and devotion to you. Over all the bad things, you were still there, and if that was so, his life could never be all bad.

He became grumpy easily, but you often teased him, joking about how old he was truly getting. He’d hate when you pointed it out, because he already felt so much older than he had when the war was going on. Many would argue that it aged him, but truth be told, he was perhaps living the youngest days of his life back then.

You, of course, had continued to mature into the beautiful woman he’d always seen before. You looked different, sure… but all the ways you’d changed, he would think were for the better. He loved how normal you seemed. It was always so much more peaceful, living here. It was mundane and often quiet, but it was peaceful, and far less demanding of your former lifestyle. He had always hoped you could live a simple and sweet life, maybe not on this maker-forsaken planet, but having days that were just the same.

The daily routine was easy, and by now implanted in both of your minds. It was second nature, and hard to mess up even if you tried. The mornings were always slow, as the work hours were different from what you’d once known. After dragging each other from the warm confines of bed, there was a shared silence that would fall over you both as you continued to ready yourselves for each job you had. You had the fat end of the stick, getting to work in the city. You were legally dead across the galaxy, and the empire had no warrant for you in any scanner known to the systems. Especially not in the outer rim.

Obi-Wan had taken up the name Ben, the name he remembers from childhood. He doesn’t know if it was his original name, or if it was the name of his father, but it belonged to him somehow, and he felt it was easy to go by.

An hour was spent riding to anchor-head everyday, in order to clock in for your shift, and for him to catch a speeder to whatever work station they needed him at for the day. Lately he’d been harvesting flying Tibidon sand whales for their meat. He never failed to bring back a sliver of what he cut for your Eopie. It was something he did out of habit by now, but it somehow reminded you of a small thing he used to do for you many years ago.

Back in the age of the Jedi, before the clone wars ever began, Obi-Wan Kenobi had two padawans. One was the chosen one, and though he was often found to be a trouble maker, he was still the favorite among the two. The other was a small girl, not yet grown to her full capabilities. She always had a strong appetite, though, and the meals given to her were never enough to satisfy her growing form. Obi-Wan was quick to notice little things like this, and always saved his portion of Ksharra bread for her to eat after everyone was finished. The smile it brought to her was not soon forgotten…

What a sweet memory, and you almost always thought about it when you were watching him interact with the Eopie. He was gentle to all creatures, even after he became a bit hardened and settled into his new role of life.

After the ride home, there were meals that were shared in a comfortable quiet, and then a discussion of the day. It was definitely a more quaint way to live, but you preferred it to the horrid idea of running for years on end. You always told him how thankful you were to be with him, to have him amidst everything. It was he who you remembered the earliest in your life, being there for you, watching out for everything you faced, and helping you through it. He was still doing that, in a way. Though it were not by the force, he gave advice of work topics, different moody customers that would come in during the day, and even just ideas to help the work day seem faster.

It was only after he left for bed, with you watching the stars rise, that you were able to meditate. To revel in the force and to trust in its ways without anyone stopping you. Not to say that Obi-Wan would stop you, but he perhaps would try and convince you it still was not safe. It was you, however, that kept up your daily strength by meditation, and use of the force without his knowledge.

Though he would never know, your strong uses of the force were the thing that helped him sleep through the night, as he often woke up with nightmares, stirring your slumber as well and making you alert to the bad things his mind conjured. It was mostly Anakin, because how could it not be? He was his Master and his best friend, a true brother and ally. He had to have felt some sort of responsibility for what happened to him, all leading up to his death.

You too felt semblances of guilt, but you dealt with it in other ways. For him, these nightmares were often occurrences, and it was due to you that he got any sleep at all.

He would sometimes sit straight up at a moment’s notice, scaring you awake and realizing what had happened. He would breath fast and loud and not be able to slow it down, not even when you wrapped your arms around him from behind, whispering soothing words like he once did for you in your time of nightly terrors. At first, he was lucky to get back to sleep at all… but the more it happened, he found you being near him helped to calm him back to sleep. He’d cut himself off from the force, he had no use of it anymore. He didn’t know it was because of your old developed ability to take away the bad dreams. You always slept soundly beside him, even before you were together. Whenever he was laid next to you, there was not a dream that could plague your mind for the worse.

There was one night when he woke up, calling his old Master’s name. He sometimes dreamt of the way he died. He felt as though it was also his fault, that he could have prevented the Sith Lord Maul from destroying his only father figure.

It was all you could do, to sit with him, and try and calm his mind… but that night was harder. He had begun counting his failures as if they were stars, making them the only thing in the forefront of his mind, and rejecting anything that wasn’t his detrimental thoughts.

You sat with him until sunrise that day, but once the twin suns were over the dunes of everlasting sand, the day went on as normal. The small moments of grief and self loathing were forgotten.

It happened this way, only sometimes.

Something that brought you both peace on the bad days was going out to the hills and crests outside of the moisture farms specifically that being owned by Owen and Beru Lars. It would never be uttered aloud, for these thoughts brought on more episodes of sadness, but watching a small boy grow up in the sandy plains was always bittersweet. Though Luke wasn't a starpilot, or a jedi knight, or a cunning strategist... he reminded you so much of Anakin. You knew Anakin at this age, and all the years after. Even little gestures Luke sometimes made to his aunt and uncle, would send a pang of guilt through your chest. Anakin should be the one watching his son grow up. You all should be retired somewhere nice, like Naboo, with Padme watching over the twins as Anakin and Obi-Wan once again conversed like the brothers they used to be. Bittersweet, watching Luke learn to tend the farm like his uncle, instead of watching him play with his sister whom he knows nothing about.

Obi-Wan would never admit it either, but it was both healing and detrimental to observe Luke from a distance. He was closer to the boy's father than Owen ever was, and much more deserved the title of uncle... but it was not to be. Obi-Wan was a hunted man, and allowing Luke to be close to him could be dangerous.

Obi-Wan would bow his head sometimes after watching the boy, trying to make sense of how everything in his life could have lead to to this, and what could have possibly gone wrong that the galaxy was this bad. He could not even have a relationship with the son of his dearest friend.

Recently, he had delved into something of an addiction for him, something that was a grounding tool to help him realize he wasn’t going insane in these days of mundane work and internal chaos on this maker-forsaken planet. Others might see it as normal, but he had never been so insatiable before now. He craved one thing, constantly… you.

Whether it be through physical intimacy, or even small touches of your skin, he couldn’t get enough, and it was causing him to form strong habits that would not soon falter. You were of course all too happy to indulge him, as for a long time after you first came to these mountains, there was a block between you. The emotional force bond being broken disrupted many things, and that was one of them. You hoped sincerely that this was not just a rut he found himself in, and that it would only last so long. You’d missed the late nights, shared kisses and times of devotion to one another. He was such a gentle and skilled lover, anyone would have killed to know this side of him, but it was you he chose, again and again.

Though one half of the dyad was not felt in the force, he was still the love of your life, and you’d come to know him in a different way these past years. He was not necessarily a new person, but knowing him without the force, and without your constant ability of silent communication, he did become unfamiliar at times.

Still, he was Obi.

Always, he was Obi… even when everyone else used the name Ben, you would never give up the way you’d called upon him since you were but three years old. In public, he was just Ben Kenobi, who worked out in the dunes of Tatooine for a days wage… but in your eyes he was still the great protector of the republic, the General of the 212th legion, and a Master of the Jedi council. Obi-Wan Kenobi.

You were late again.

Not to work.

You didn’t tell Obi of your suspicions, feeling as though there could be a mixed reaction from whatever came of your condition, if you were indeed under the diagnosis you felt you were.

It had been ten years, and you were sure you’d retained internal damage that might prevent this outcome, but of course, the galaxy has seen far more impossible things come to fruition. Anakin’s mother conceived him without a man at all, so with the rate that your husband and yourself were going, it was almost bound to happen.

You left work earlier than usual, and gave an easy excuse to your employer as to why, and he of course was more than happy to oblige. You were a loyal and decent worker, so he never had any reason not to. There was a small clinic in Anchorhead, not as far advanced or technical as the one you were able to go to in Mos Eisley, but good enough that you would find out what you need to know, or what you were certain you already knew.

Being still deeply connected with the force, you were able to tell something was there, just like the first time, although now there was a slight difference that made you question it at first. Obi still had no idea, and how could he? You hadn’t let on to it at all and there wasn’t an ounce of strangeness to your behavior. Throw in the fact that he can no longer sense those kind of things, and you have a completely oblivious husband.

The medical droid who tended to you was outdated, but even with old mechanisms and past due needed upgrades, it deducted your symptoms to a diagnosis rather quickly.

You were eleven weeks pregnant, no doubt about it after some quick testing.

Though you were nervous of what this could mean for you, it was far more of a joy. You never thought this would be possible again, given the circumstances of the last time leaving you with injuries that should have made you completely unable to reproduce.

You were so excited as you went back into work, reeling from the information, and trying to think of ways to tell the father of this child that he was in-fact getting another chance at his dream. It wasn’t how you both had planned. You’d wanted to settle down amongst your friends, on a beautiful planet like Naboo. You had hoped for the freedom of the galaxy to give you the opportunities of a peaceful existence. Instead, you were stuck here, on Tatooine. The ugliest planet in the outer rim and much worse than you remember it from your first visit all those years ago. It was all for a reason, of course. Obi-Wan was a wanted man, in nearly every system there was a bounty on his head, with more than enough hunters out searching for him to bring his body dead or alive to the empire. You, of course, being legally dead and all, could go anywhere you wanted… but without him you saw little point in traveling away.

This child would mend the broken dreams you both had for the future, you were sure of it.

You went back about your work with a gleeful smile adorning your face, being extra friendly to patrons and even giving them a little extra for their buck. You couldn’t help the joy, it was too strong to keep bottled up for later. You were sure, though, it would still remain long into the day, and all the others after.

You’d been cleaning out a glass behind the counter when it happened. A group of robbers from out in Mos Eisley came rushing in, holding everyone at blaster point and shouting for them to get down. You grabbed a knife from the nearby drawer, trying to strategize through the force how to deescalate the situation without hurting anyone. Your skills were just the slightest bit rusty, even though you practiced whenever you got the chance. A knife wasn’t exactly your weapon of choice.

The leader of the group stepped forward to the owner of the bar, and told him to empty the credit holds into his sack, but the owner hesitated, turning your way as if asking what he should do. You started taking quick steps towards him, pushing him out of the line of the blaster before it could go off. You waited for them to start shooting, but instead heard the ignition of a lightsaber. Or at least, it sounded a hell of a lot like one.

You jumped to your feet, watching over the counter as the scene played out. There was a man, around your age, wielding a lightsaber to defeat the robbers. They all went down pretty quickly, except one whom the man didn’t see behind him. You called for him to watch out, but he didn’t have enough time to react, so you raised your hand, focusing all your force energy on throwing the last enemy to the wall before he hit the ground.

He turned to you, eyes wide and saber still ignited.

“Did you just-?” He narrowed his eyes in your direction, and something seemed to click in his head.

Nobody else had seen you do that, but him seeing it was enough.

The bar rang with cheers and clapping in applause for the Jedi, who had saved the people in the establishment from being harmed by the robbery. They all commended him, and you had half a mind to forget it ever happened, just go back to work, but the man was keen on speaking with you. Even after the owner, and your boss, had spent a rather long time thanking him and offering him solace in the place, he wouldn’t be done until he’d had a word.

You were mixing up celebratory drinks for a few patrons when he finally was able to corner you, standing over the bar and keeping his voice down.

“I know who you are,” he said softly, as if trying not to spook you away. Most Jedi were like rare animals nowadays. Almost extinct, and completely vulnerable to sudden attack.

You set the glasses onto a tray and made eye contact with him for a single second, sending a glare his way before you went out to the tables and served the drinks around. He stayed and waited at the bar, and when you came back he sighed out.

“I know this must be hard, but I haven’t seen another Jedi in so long,” he rambled, all under the guise of a whisper, of course. You wouldn’t lie, as much as you feared the empire for everything it has taken from you, it was almost a breath of fresh air to see there were others, who hadn’t been stomped out by their evil yet.

“I was never a Jedi,” you said, but ultimately, you knew, no matter what you said, he knew who you were. As strange as it sounds, being the padawan of a famous Jedi came with some sort of notoriety. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

“I know that it’s you, because you’re supposed to be dead,” he had seen your name on the list of the deceased Jedi, along with his own name on the list of hunted ones.

“I am dead.”

He isn’t sure what he was expecting you to say, maybe that you’d been like him, hiding for the last ten years and hoping that there would come a time when Jedi could arise again. But that wasn’t realistic. As long as the empire held rule over the galaxy, there could never be peace and freedom. Not for your kind, anyway.

“And I’m not coming back,” you added ominously, cleaning out the glasses that had just been set on the counter for you to deal with.

He stayed silent a few moments, but didn’t leave. Even if you didn’t speak to him, you understood why he lingered. The only Jedi you have in your life anymore is Obi-Wan, but he’s cut himself off from the force. There is no familiarity of what was. This man is probably on his own, and has been all this time. He craves the sense of normalcy your presence is probably bringing right now. Perhaps you crave it too, and maybe it’s the reason you don’t shoo him away.

“He’s here too, isn’t he?” He asked after a while.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” you weren’t doing yourself any favors in gaslighting this poor man, but you’d built yourself a wall of protection, and it wasn’t going to come down so easily.

“You were inseparable,” he recalls, and he knows you understand him, and that you’re just being standoff-ish. “I always wished to have that relationship with my Master.”

“Believe me, the relationship was far different from what everyone assumed it to be,” You let out sarcastically, finally being able to let your guard down a bit, but only enough that you could interact with him in a way that wasn’t stingy. You’d keep all current details hidden. He wanted to rehash the past? Fine, you could give him that.

“What it ended up as isn’t any of my business, but from what I could tell, the laws of attachment didn’t exactly apply.”

You huffed out a breath, followed by a drawn out ‘Nope.’

You thoughts shifted a bit, to just how poorly you followed the rules. You’re carrying the man’s child for force’s sake. You were never much one for the laws of attachment.

The man before you had a dumbfounded face on, and you mentally slapped yourself. You hadn’t been guarding your thoughts. You haven’t had to in so long and before you realized you needed you, it all just slipped into the open air.

“I’m sorry,” he uttered, bowing his head as if he’d been the one to provoke you. In actuality, you’d pretty much offered it all up freely for him to take, and you didn’t even know what to do about it.

“Don’t be, it’s my fault… it’s just-“

“Been a long time?” He guessed, and you nodded in agreement. “I understand.”

And now a complete stranger knew some very personal things. Perhaps he wasn’t stranger, though. He knew you, and Obi-Wan, and remembered the order from its glory days. You both had a sense of shared trauma that somehow bonded you without ever speaking a word to each other before.

“How did you recognize me?” You asked him after another bout of silence. You were drying off the dishes, and figured that as long as he was here, you would make the most of it. This clearly wasn’t an everyday occurrence. “I’m almost certain I’ve never met you up close before.”

He smiled, nodding to your hair, swept back into a style you’d become fond of lately. “Never met you, but I’d seen you around. You were rather well known among the order.”

“Guess those are the perks of being his padawan, huh?” You’d echoed your thoughts from earlier, and he chuckled.

“He was the person that everyone wanted to be. Not just a great Jedi, but a good man.”

Of course. You knew that better than anyone. He cared so deeply about everything he set his hand to. He was kind and gentle, though sometimes sarcastic and witty, but that too made him more likable in your eyes.

“He’s not changed in that aspect,” you let him know, and he took it as motive to tease you.

“I knew he’d be here,” he returned, and you looked up and laughed a bit. He’d caught you there. “He’d never left your side.”

You didn’t respond, just let that statement sink in. You guessed that many more Jedi in the order had perceived your relationship for what it really was, but never said anything. Maybe they were rooting for you, or maybe you gave them hope. It was all up for interpretation, but the one thing you could never deny was the realness in it. He’s never left your side, and he never will. Of that, you can be absolutely sure and certain.

When it was time to close up the bar that night, you’d left before the owner, making sure he was alright after the fiasco of the day. You passed your new and unlikely friend the Jedi on the way out as well, giving a simple nod that spoke more than just words. You knew he needed to talk with you, and as much as you will neglect to admit it, you needed to talk to him, too.

You found yourself at the stables before sundown, meeting with Obi by your shared Eopie, ready to go home.

You figured that the bundle of joy news could wait until things were a bit more settled. You didn’t know how the scene of today would go in the long run, or if imperials had been alerted, but you wanted to know about all of that before trying to make future plans for the child you were carrying.

He saw you enter the sectional, and smiled to you with that adoring look in his eye, the one that never faded.

“You won’t believe what happened today.”

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#obi wan x reader #obi wan kenobi #obi wan and anakin #obi wan kenobi x pregnant reader #obi wan kenobi x you #obi wan kenobi x padawan!reader #obi wan kenobi x reader #obi wan kenobi smut #HoM #obi wan kenobi x little one

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satoruxx · 1 year ago

Note

congrats on 200 followers!!

im thinking of hsr blade + reader who keeps throwing him corny science-y pickup lines :3

examples:

"if i had to choose between DNA and RNA, i'd choose RNA because it has U in it"

"are you an arrhythmia? because you just made my heart skip a beat"

"are you rheumatoid arthritis? because you make me feel weak in the knees"

(inspired by @/nathan_fang_'s science rizz on ig, theyre absolute gold)

pairing: blade x reader | 1.3k+ words summary: all fluff and crack, just a teensy tiny bit suggestive at the end but it's harmless, blade is TIRED, classic sunshine x grump trope bc we all secretly love it hehe a/n: AHHHH hello anon! this was so much fun to write omg !! blade is such a grump i love him. i don't know if i did him justice though lol. i really wanna pull for him but i spent all my savings on luocha sobs. anyways thank you thank you for your support and i hope you enjoy this <33

blade didn't mind working in pairs. normally, he worked well with the teammates he had. following kafka's plans usually ended with a success, and even as irritating as silver wolf could be, she had enough knowledge in her brain to get them out of sticky situations. he definitely didn't mind working with either of them.

you on the other hand, blade was unsure of. ok yes, in your defense, he knew that you were quite intelligent. you were well-versed in the lifestyles of many different galaxies, and you were the type of person who liked to research as much as you could before you stepped foot on a new planet. so the first day blade met you, he did truly believe you were a mature, all-knowing researcher joining the stellaron hunters.

that was before, though. while you still did come off as all-knowing, he now knew you were far from mature.

"will you please quit it?"

you grin cheekily, watching him pace back and forth in front of the locked door you both were hiding behind, on the look out for guards. his red eyes dart back and forth between the door and you as you sit at one of the computers, extracting some files for the mission.

"i'm just saying you could try to smile more, blade."

he scoffs, eyes lingering on you and your annoying grin for a second longer. "nothing to smile about in my life."

you snort, shaking your head as you absentmindedly tap at the screen. "well that's dramatic. you just need something to make you laugh."

"I don't see any funny people around here." he sneers, eyes narrowed as he shoots you a sarcastic grin. you place your hand on your heart in mock offense.

"i'll have you know i am very funny!" you say defensively, shooting him a glare. blade only raises an unimpressed eyebrow.

"sure thing. because everything you've ever said has got me positively giggling. now will you shut up and work faster so we can get out of here?"

a mirthless smile graces your face as you narrow your eyes at him in retaliation. "you just have no sense of humor." you mutter, turning back to the screen. blade rolls his eyes before resuming his lookout, though his gaze does wander back to you more times than he cares to admit. the room is silent save for the occasional clicks of the software you were accessing, and for a second blade thinks he misses the sound of your talking, but he pushes that thought aside.

you somehow seem to pick up on it though, because you speak up again. "hey blade?"

"what?"

"are you rheumatoid arthritis?"

he can't see your face with your back turned to him, and he seems to think you're seriously asking him a question, because he frowns and begins to speak. "are you stupid? do you mean to say do i have rheumatoid arthritis? because, you know that i do not-"

"because you make me feel weak in the knees!"

there's a tense silence as he stares at you, his brain trying to process what you just said. when it clicks his lips curl into a sneer and he groans.

"aeons, will you please shut up? you are so stupid why am i stuck here-"

"hey blade, if you were an element you'd be francium because you're the most attractive!"

his clicks his tongue as you giggle, finally standing up and making your way over to him after downloading all the data you needed. you peer at him mischievously, eyes scanning over his sour expression. "what, not even a smile? tough crowd."

he scoffs, opening the door and ushering you out in front of him so that he can keep an eye on you. "what, that was your strategy? stupid nerdy pick up lines? try harder."

"you're underestimating my resolve, bladie. i will get you."

he hums absentmindedly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at you as he peers down halls for any enemies before sending you the signal to keep walking.

you clear your throat, and he sighs as you begin your inane antics once more. "you must be a good benzene ring because you are so aromatic!"

"stop it right now."

"you must be made of uranium and iodine, because i can see U and I together!"

he pauses, eyes narrowing as a weird tumble occurs in his chest. he glares down at you from the corner of his eyes, trying his best not to dwell on it because aeons above you were just being stupid. he hears you laugh under your breath, and he's about to scold you once more before he hears voices approaching.

"shut up. guards." he orders quietly, pulling your arm back so that you're now hiding behind the wall with him. he watches them carefully, scarlet eyes scanning for any sudden movements as he keeps you behind him. suddenly he feels your finger poke at his bicep as you whisper:

"are you a carbon sample? because i really wanna date you!"

blade feels his face grow hot as he glares at you angrily. he immediately turns around and presses a bandaged hand over your mouth, leaning in close to hiss at you. "you idiot. didn't i say shut up? they're right there!"

you reach up to pull his hand away from your face, though your fingers continue to hold his as you give him another cheeky smile.

"ooh," you whisper dramatically, grinning at his close proximity. "are you a heart arrhythmia? because you just made my heart skip a beat!"

blade's eyes dart all over your face, and he ignores the way that it feels like his brain is short-circuiting since it's probably just because of how reckless you're being. instead he just opts for rolling his eyes and clamping his hand back over your mouth. you let him this time, though he can still tell you're smiling by the way your eyes crinkle.

as soon as the coast is clear, he's leading you back to the ship without a word. the entire way there, you continue to drop more of your stupid lines, and he only gives you annoyed groans in response.

by the time you both are safely back, he's had enough of you.

"-you have 11 protons? because you're sodium fine!" you giggle, and blade's eye twitches once before he's turning around and getting in your face once more. his eyes bore into yours as he smirks.

"oh yeah? if i was an enzyme, i'd be dna helicase, just so that i could unzip your genes." he says, keeping his voice even as he stares at you.

your jaw drops, face heating up at the unexpected turn of events as you stumble over a response. "w-wait, you-!"

"what? you've been yapping my ear off about how great our chemistry is. don't you think we should do some biology together too?" he smirks, red eyes lighting up as he takes in your flustered expression.

"well that's not what i-!" you pause, breath hitching as he leans closer and brushes a strand of loose hair out of your eyes. he chuckles under his breath, peering at you through his bangs.

"damn. you must be an alkali metal. one touch and already highly reactive, huh?"

"blade!" you hiss, eyes darting away from him and he finally relents, pulling back to watch you with an amused grin. you clear your throat, almost like you know how caught off guard you look. "i have to go...report to kakfa."

he bites back a grin, watching you leave through the dark strands of his hair. so flustered that you didn't even realize that in the end you did get him to smile? how amusing.

he laughs quietly to himself, shaking his head. maybe, just maybe, he could try to ask elio to make you his partner permanently.

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iamsherlocked-1998 · 3 months ago

Text

COME WITH ME

SUMMARY: Din is just... adjusting to his new realities.

WORDS: 1000

WARNING! ⚠️: Male x Male. A lot of sexual content (little rough). Emotional constipation.

Din Djarin trudged wearily across the dimly lit hallway of his ship, the new Razor Crest, after a long and grueling mission. His Mandalorian armor clinked softly with each step, a familiar sound that brought him comfort amidst the chaos. As a skilled and enigmatic bounty hunter, Din was accustomed to a life of solitude and independence. But his encounters had taught him that even the toughest warrior could not thrive alone forever.

It was during one of his missions that he crossed paths again with the Jedi named Skywalker, a name that echoed through the galaxy like a fabled legend. He had to admit that first impressions weren’t the best—Din still felt his breath catch in his throat when he recalled the time he lived apart from his son—but Luke, with his kind eyes and unwavering determination, had a way of unraveling the walls Din had built around his heart. Despite their contrasting backgrounds and lifestyles, a deep bond began to form between the two, a connection Din couldn't quite understand, but one he dared not resist.

Luke, with his gentle demeanor and formidable strength, showed Din a side of himself he had long forgotten: vulnerability. The Jedi's presence had a way of making Din feel safe, like a reassuring beacon in the darkness of the galaxy, whether it was during a simple meal or a chat about his time in the rebellion. Din, so used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, found solace in relinquishing control and letting himself be cared for, even if it was for a fleeting moment.

Intimacy was not long in coming, the bounty hunter had not had many bedmates, but Luke was a force of nature, drawn to him like two magnets. The difference came one day when they shared their time in the blond's room. His mate threw him onto the soft mattress as kissed with overwhelming need. His pants were down and his helmet slid up, resting on nose.

Both of their hands were everywhere and Din had lost awareness of his surroundings, moaning as he wrapped his legs around the Jedi's waist. His partner caressed his manhood, collecting the precum that was there, the next thing he knew was that his entrance was being explored with expert hands by the young man. The Mandalorian's first impulse was to push him away, the touch was firm but not aggressive. The man looked at him with concern.

-I'm sorry, I… I can't.

He took off his helmet in the bathroom, intending to let the water wash away the cold sweat from his face. For Din, letting go was not easy. Old habits die hard, and years of living by a strict code and a hardened heart had made him wary of trusting others. Yet something about Luke made him want to push aside his reservations, if only for the chance to experience a shred of the comfort and companionship the Jedi offered. He had to think of something.

As they embarked on new adventures together, Din found himself dealing with his own inner turmoil, torn between the familiar safety of solitude and the uncharted territory of letting someone in. Luke, with his patience and understanding, stood by Din’s side through it all, a steady presence that slowly chipped away at Din’s walls, revealing the vulnerable core that lay hidden beneath the armor.

On one mission, the adrenaline created a heavy atmosphere between them, the walls of the ship rumbling with grunts and suppressed sighs. Clothes were all but gone, the young man squeezing his thighs with hands causing bruises between kisses that boiled down to a clash of teeth. Then his partner did something unexpected, his mouth moving down Din’s belly to lick his most sensitive area, avoiding the place where he needed it most. He placed two fingers in his entrance while playing with his erect nipples. Control was fading by the moment.

The following seconds were an animal conflict to regain domination, Luke closed his eyes in concentration, he felt an invisible force until his body was held with all his weight, his nails dug hard into his partner's back, leaving a trail that would persist the next day. The blond's cock slowly and painfully entered his tight ring while he looked for a hiding place between the neck and shoulder of the other, leaving angry marks.

He noticed the sweat running down his forehead and the hand that still kept its worn glove, sheltered in the armored protections of the forearm. With an iron grip, the young man began to move reaching a point that made him see stars and the discomfort dissipated taking him to a state of trance. Sensing his ecstasy, the Jedi caressed him roughly, spilling himself all over his stomach. A warm, sticky feeling gripped him as his mate followed moments later, emboldened by the urges his entry provided.

Luke released him exhausted onto the most cosy area of the Crest, cleaning his entire used body. He curled up next to him, directing his face to the Mandalorian's chest and placing a tender kiss there. Peace was established irremediably and sleep overtook them both.

And in those rare moments of respite, when the galaxy was in harmony and the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders, Din allowed himself to bask the warmth of Luke's presence, savoring the simple joy of being cared for and understood. In Luke, Din found not just a friend or an ally, but a kindred spirit, someone who saw beyond the armor and the mask, and embraced the man hiding beneath.

Together, amidst the vast expanse of the galaxy and the trials that lay ahead, Din Djarin and Luke Skywalker forged a bond that transcended the barriers of space and time, proving that even the most reserved of hearts could find consolation in the embrace of another. And as they continued their journey, navigating the twists and turns of the fate that awaited them, Din learned that sometimes, in letting his guard down, he found a strength and courage he never knew he had.

NOTE: The story is based in this art.

I hope you like It 🤗💕 @koi-illust

#the mandalorian #dinluke #Pedro Pascal #Din Djarin x Luke skywalker #luke skywalker #star wars fic #pedro pascal x male #pedro pascal characters #grogu #fanart mandalorian #fanart #Din Djarin

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stardustdreams-andcaffeine · 1 year ago

Text

Reluctant Protector | Din Djarin

Part 2 of 2

Din Djarin x Fem!reader

Summary: After being abandoned as a child, you grew up working for one of the most prolific crime lords in the galaxy in order to survive. It all comes crashing down as a split second decision has the Mandalorian hunting you. As it turns out, your hunter might be the only one who can save you. After all, the lines between predator and prey have always been blurred.

Warnings: angst (what's new), mild language, panic attack, violence, fluff, mentions of human trafficking (brief), Mando being a fool in love, adult themes throughout, happy ending (again, what's new)

A/N: This is part two to the request I mentioned! Once again, got carried away and I kinda love it, hope you love it too!

Part 1

You managed to wrestle off the growing panic attack for close to an hour after Din left.

You sat close to the child, reminding yourself that Din at the very least would not leave the youngling he protected so dearly. When your mind began to doubt even that certainty, you could not stop the flashbacks when they began. The scenes of that night you remembered so well began to torment you.

Flashes of your father’s last words, of his lies that your innocent being so willingly believed. Flashes of your mother’s absent gaze. Flashes of Vince swooping in to claim you.

Vince. Din had said it himself, the bounty was at an unbelievably high credit amount by now, and only a fool would keep helping a bounty that could fetch such a high price. This thought crumbled whatever little strongholds remained on your self control and you shot to your feet, garnering a confused babble from the kid.

“Stay here,” You breathlessly instructed, touching the blaster at your waist as you stumbled for the hatch.

You would not be left, not this time. Not again. Not when Din meant so much to you.

You made sure to close the hatch behind you to protect the youngling within and set off for the city beyond where Din had no doubt ventured to begin his hunt. Your vision was blurred with uncried tears, and your chest was ever so slowly constricting upon your heart and lungs. Your stomach twisted with nausea and breathing became a conscious chore as you grappled for sanity, for reality. You would find him, you decided. You would find him and help him on the hunt.

It was stupid and irrational to anyone else, but you were haunted by ghastly memories and scarred by trauma and it wasn’t stupid to you. All you could manage to think was that it would not happen again. You would not be left again.

Din Djarin

Din trailed his target from afar, his trained eyes tracking the bounty’s every move and interaction.

After close to an hour and a half, he’d finally managed to banish you from the center of his thoughts and instead focus on the task at hand. But even then, as he waited for the bounty to enter a vulnerable, isolated area where he could confront them, Din could not stop his mind from traipsing to the Vince situation.

You had been dragging your feet for weeks to come up with a solid plan to confront your old boss, and Din knew that it was because of the way you felt indebted to Vince for raising and protecting you all of those years. You had never mentioned how you’d come into his service, but Din knew well enough that Vince was the father figure in your life. As much as he wanted to let you have time to keep working through that struggle, Din knew that time was running out. The hunt for you was only intensifying, and soon enough the two of you wouldn’t be able to keep up this quiet lifestyle. You’d be on the run, and Din wanted nothing more than for you to be at peace.

He was so distracted by that thought that he hadn’t even noticed the growing commotion on the street below his perch until the scream of civilians and the crashing of metal and glass caught his attention. Din snapped his gaze down to the street only for his heart to drop straight to the floor.

Because there you were, sprinting as hard as you could away from a hunter with a tracking fob in their grasp.

Din instantly snapped into action, a nasty curse slipping past his lips as he dropped down from the roof he was crouching on and broke into a run. He cursed you in his head, furious that you’d left the safety of the Crest even when he’d told you not to.

“Move.” Din growled, shoving past patrons and bystanders as he sprinted after the trailing commotion of you and the bounty hunter.

Thinking quickly, Din took a shortcut through an alleyway. After scaling the wall at the end of it and dropping at the other side, he managed to emerge just ahead of your frantic escape. Adrenaline tangling with dread in his blood, he managed to grab ahold of your running form just as you sprinted past the alley’s opening. Whipping you inside, he had you pinned against the back wall with a hand at your mouth to silence you before you could even scream.

The panic in your eyes at the sudden movement lessened as your eyes focused on him, your body pinned snugly between the wall and his beskar-plated chest. This was the closest he had ever been to you, what with no space at all remaining between the two of you. If it were a different circumstance, Din’s mind would be clouded with thoughts of your body so close to his.

But there was a hunter after you, and for that reason alone Din forced himself to ignore the press of you against him.

Din could hear your voice muffled against his hand, but didn’t pay attention as he pressed closer to hide you and glanced out of the alley just as the bounty hunter jogged past. The hunter looked utterly confused, wondering where their bounty had just disappeared to.

Before the hunter could think again, Din had released you and rushed them. He grabbed the hunter and dragged them into the alley harsher than he had you, and just as he did, you whipped out your blaster and landed a fatal blow to the hunter’s chest. Din released the hunter, letting their body slump to the ground between the two of you. As a deafening silence settled over the absence of chaos, Din looked up from the hunter and to your trembling form.

He was furious.

You had almost gotten yourself captured, and he never would have known until he would have returned to the Crest after the hunt and seen you gone. The very thought had his throat closing in terror, and it was that terror that Din was able to blanket and express as rage to hide the blatant outpouring of how he really felt about you.

“Vaabir gar ganar a jaro?” Din raged, not even realizing the words were Mando’a until he saw the flash of confusion on your utterly perfect face that was contorted with an emotion Din was too angry to notice. He repeated, “Do you have a death wish?”

“Din, I-” You tried, your voice trembling almost as badly as your body.

“You could have gotten killed, or worse!” He shouted. Your chest was rising and falling rapidly now, and in his horror-driven anger, he still hadn’t noticed. You had never heard him speak this loudly before.

“I-I’m sorry.” Your voice was frail and unsure, so unlike how you usually were, “You left me, and I didn’t…I didn’t know what to do.”

Din stormed forward, grabbing your arm firmly, but nowhere near painfully, “I said I was coming back! Why would you-”

Din’s words died on his tongue. Now that he was touching you, he finally noticed the tremors surging through your body. Like the plug of a drain had been pulled, his rage flooded away and he could no longer conceal the concern he harbored for you. Din examined your face for a moment and took in the faraway, haunted look in those stunning eyes of yours. He saw the way you weren’t fully present in this moment and he realized suddenly that you weren’t just scared, you were in the midst of some sort of panic attack.

“Cyar’ika, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Din’s voice was tender compared to the fury that had bridled it before. “You left me,” You repeated, ever so softly and brokenly, “You left me and I didn’t know if you were going to…going to…”

You couldn’t even get the words out, you were so badly shaken, and it broke something so deeply within Din. Suddenly, he couldn’t care less that you had almost been captured. All Din could think about right now was how to help you, how to bring you back to him.

In the darkness of the alley, Din brought his hands to your face. His thumbs ran along your tear-streaked cheeks and Din knew that the sight of your tears was one of the most rattling he’d ever encountered. He wished he could mark down every one of them and note where and who they came from so he could hunt them down and make them pay.

“What’s wrong, cyare? I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, sweetheart.”

Your hands grabbed onto Din’s arms as he cupped your cheeks in his hands. To Din, it almost seemed as though you were holding onto him as if your life depended on it.

“You can’t leave me too,” You finally managed to gasp out, your large, panicked eyes rising to meet his through his mask, “You can’t leave me too.”

The very thought of leaving you made his stomach turn and Din instantly let go of you just so he could tug you close to his body. He’d never wanted to take off his armor as badly as right now. He wanted to pull you closer, closer than the beskar allowed. The way you instantly crumbled into him made his heart shatter, and it killed him not to understand why someone so fortified and seemingly unshakable was so utterly terrified.

“I’m not gonna leave you, cyar’ika,” Din mumbled, rooting one of his hands through your hair to hold you closer to his chest, “I’m not gonna ever leave you.”

In that moment, Din forgot everything else besides what it felt like to have you in his arms. He wished that it could last forever, but he knew that this was only a temporary fix to whatever was happening to you. Besides, the longer you were out here, the more likely it was that another hunter followed a tracking fob here and found you.

“Come on, let’s get back to the Crest,” Din softly urged, pulling back but not daring to let go of you. Instead, he kept his arm wrapped protectively around your waist as he led you back to the Crest.

He needed answers. He needed to know what had caused you to be in such distress.

|||

Your POV

It had been nearly three hours since the incident in the town today.

In the time that followed, Din had gotten you back to the Crest and launched you immediately off of the planet and into a far corner of the galaxy from Serreno.

Once he was sure you were far from the planet you’d just been tracked down to, he left the cockpit and settled you onto the cot in your room with a blanket around your shoulders. He left only for a handful of minutes before he was back with a steaming mug of soothing tea. Then, he simply sat down beside you in silence, allowing you to soak in his presence and strength until you felt ready to speak.

Now, hours past the episode earlier, you finally had worked up the courage to speak to him.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” You mumbled, not being able to meet the Mandalorian’s gaze, “I know I jeopardized all of our safety by leaving and I know I should have listened-”

“Hey, stop that,” Din interrupted, making your rambling instantly stop. You kept your gaze firmly down on your lap and you heard him sigh from beside you, “Look at me, cyar’ika.”

Cyar’ika. You weren’t entirely sure what the word meant in the common tongue, but coming from Din it sent warmth spiraling through you. Din surprised you by gently grabbing your chin and turning your face to meet his.

“I’m not mad at you. I was just…scared.”

The rumble of his voice grounded you, and as he dropped his hand from your chin you almost reached out to stop him.

One vulnerable moment passed by and you sighed deeply, “I was too.”

That was what Din had been waiting for, you could tell by the way his entire body seemed to stiffen. With intrigue that he could not hide well, he tilted his head at you.

“Why?”

The question jolted through you even though you had known it would be coming. You peered deeply into the depths of his mask that had become a safe haven to you, and you made a choice.

“My parents abandoned me when I was seven years old,” You started. And when the Mandalorian bounty hunter, perhaps the most intimidating person you’d ever met, reached over and took your hand in his, you had the strength to keep speaking.

You told him everything. Afterwards, as you lay staring up at your ceiling that night, you realized just exactly what Din Djarin meant to you.

And you were finally ready to let go of Vince Hanon.

|||

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

The Mandalorian’s voice rang with uncertainty just as you finished rigging up the comlink with an untraceable chip, just as Vince taught you as a child.

“Have a little faith in me,” You quipped, glancing up at Din as you leaned back in your chair sat across from him with the rigged comlink between you, “I know Vince Hanon better than anyone. It will work.”

Din sighed, resting back in his chair and propping one arm up on the side of it, “As long as that comlink won’t lead him right to us, I guess nothing bad can come of a conversation.”

“I’ve been rigging coms since I was eleven, Mando. This baby is untraceable,” You assured, savoring his low laugh in response. The two of you sat in Peli’s hanger on Tatooine. You had met her only a week ago, and yet she’d taken quickly to you. Already, you felt the familiar ache in your chest every time you had to leave just as you began to make a friend.

You couldn’t allow yourself to think that way, not right now. So. you sucked in a deep breath and leaned forward, activating the comlink. A series of beeps sounded out as you typed Vince’s connection swiftly into the com and then…silence.

Silence.

And then…

“I have to admit, Prodigy. It took you longer than I originally bet to contact me. I’m impressed.”

As Vince’s voice wafted out of the comlink and stung your ears, you had to bite down on the inside of your cheek to keep from breaking apart all over again. In a moment, you had your composure back and leaned forward, feeling the intense gaze of Din all the while.

“What else did you bet on concerning me, Vince? I’m sure you’ve lost more than a few up to this point.” Your voice was sharp and light, and you hoped Vince did not see through the ruse and notice how frantic you really were within.

His laugh barked through the comlink, setting you slightly at ease. At least he wasn’t yelling. Yet.

“Good to hear you haven’t changed,” Vince mused.

“You’d be surprised,” You bit out. On the other end, Vince hummed in response.

“Tell me, my prodigy. What is it that pushed you to contact me now, after months of running?”

“It’s just that,” You replied, your heart now ricocheting in your chest. This was it. What came next were the lies, and you hoped and prayed that he would buy them, “I’m tired of running. I want to know what it’s going to take for you to end this, to let all of this stop.”

“Aw, now tell me the truth darling,” Vince tsked, and you nearly lost your cool as you waited in dread-filled anticipation for what he would say next, “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that Mandalorian that you’ve had as your guard dog, now would it?”

You made sure to wait a beat to respond, “He left me on Serenno. Now I’m on my own, and I think we both know how long I’ll last like that.”

There was another pause, and your mind was racing with the possibilities of what would happen should he not believe you.

Vince sounded humored when he finally responded, “He left you. I’m sorry child, but I’m starting to see a pattern here. First your parents, and now your bounty hunter.”

“Watch your mouth, Vince.” Your anger was not forced.

“Oh, I struck a chord there.” Then he paused again, and laughed suddenly into the silence, “Oh no, please don’t tell me you grew to care for this bounty hunter.”

Suddenly, Din’s gaze on you was burning hot and your heart missed more than one beat. You had to grapple to keep your composure, for it felt almost exposing to have this topic brought up when you knew you wouldn’t have to lie as much.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. He left, and now I need to know what it’s going to take for you to end this hunt,” You gritted out.

“Come back to me, then I’ll call it off.”

You didn’t even hesitate.

“Not a chance,” You assured, your pulse racing a bit faster, “You’re a businessman, Vince. Let’s make a deal.”

This was it. That was the bait, now you just had to wait and see if he’d take it.

And if you knew anything about Vince Hanon, you knew that he couldn’t deal over a comlink.

“Tempting,” He pondered, seeming to pause to consider the trap laid before him. You were sure he considered that possibility, that the Mandalorian had not left and you were setting him up, which you were. Luckily for you, Vince Hanon had always underestimated you.

“Tell you what,” Vince finally decided, making you sit up a bit straighter and look over at Din briefly in anticipation, “Come back to homebase, alone. We’ll talk and see if we can’t come up with something.”

“And how am I supposed to be sure you’re not going to attack me as soon as I do?” I questioned in return. Vince laughed heartily across the comlink.

“Oh how I’ve missed you, my prodigy,” Vince chuckled, sighing to himself, “We’ll make it a neutral zone. You have my word if I have yours.”

You knew he was lying, but you could lie too.

“Done,” You reply.

“Good,” Vince purred, his voice making your stomach turn, “I’ll see you tomorrow. I have missed you.”

That was the one part that you could not be sure was a lie or not.

“See you then,” Was all you said in response before shutting off the comlink and sitting back with a huff of relief. After a brief pause of silence, you glanced up to see Din already looking at you.

“Told you it would work.”

Din nodded, standing up from his spot across from you, “Now for the hard part.”

The two of you had walked through this plan at least a hundred times in the last week. It was simple. Get access to Vince’s homebase, get him to talk with you, and then, when his guard was down, Din would come in through one of the secret passages only you and Vince knew about and help you end this for good.

You stood as Din made his way over to you and handed you a small pouch heavy with metal, “Here’s enough credits to get a ship. There’s a shipyard a couple hundred paces from where we’re docked. Get one and head straight for the homebase. I’ll trail you there tomorrow morning.” You accepted the credits gratefully and nodded, “Remember, be careful. Vince will have all of his outposts looking for you. He doesn’t trust me anymore, he’ll be expecting you.”

Din nodded stiffly, “I’ll make sure the kid is safe with Peli before I leave.”

You nodded in return, and the two of you stood there in tense silence for a moment. You both knew what was coming next, and you both knew the risks.

“It’s gonna work. I know it will,” Din assured. You took in a deep breath, your brows drawn in worry as you met his gaze through the dark of his mask.

“It has to.” You suddenly were slammed with a piercing ache in your chest as you realized this was a goodbye. Even if it was just for now, it scared the hell out of you.

You didn’t want to leave him.

Without uttering another word, Din stepped forward and tugged you close to him. He seldom hugged anyone, and had only done so once with you when you had completely broken down before him on Serenno. Now here he was, holding you just as close as you were holding him.

“Thank you,” You breathed, not moving back an inch, “For everything. I could never repay you for all of this.”

“You’re not gonna pay me for helping you. I’m not in this for a profit.” He rumbled, and his voice once again reminded you of what home really was, “If I was, I would’ve turned you in months ago.”

A surprised laugh broke through you and you stepped back, reluctantly pulling yourself out of his arms, “Another joke, this is becoming a new habit.”

“Only for you, cyar’ika.” His voice was like honey to your soul and you were reminded of how addicted you were.

How in the hell did this happen? When you first met him, he was a hunter and you were his bounty. He then became your reluctant protector, which you could understand enough, but now….Somehow Din Djarin went from a reluctant protector to the one person who made you believe in fate.

“Be safe, Din.” You instructed as you slowly walked back.

“You too.”

And then you left, turning around and heading for the shipyard he pointed out. As you did, your heart stayed right there with the beskar-coated Mandalorian.

His hands were safe, they would protect your heart. Even if he wasn’t aware he had it yet.

|||

Walking back along Vince’s turf, you realized just how many scars you bore from this place.

Some were physical, but most were internal. Either way, those scars reminded you of the caution you needed to proceed with and exactly what was at stake. Those scars helped you walk with assurance into the mansion that you had fled from what felt like a lifetime ago.

“There you are! The lost child finally comes home.” Vince’s voice echoed through the halls of his mansion, making adrenaline spike instantly through your veins. The crime boss walked to meet you in the foyer of the mansion, his lips alight with a smirk but his eyes uneasy.

“She came alone, sir,” One of the five guards with you reported, before holding up a single blaster gifted to you by Din, “She was armed only with this.”

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, prodigy?” Vince mused, taking the blaster and examining it for a moment before tossing it aside. The metal guns slid across the polished floor.

“Five guards, is that really necessary Vince?” You inquired, gesturing to the five hulking members of Vince’s crime organization around you. All of them were familiar to you. In fact, you were close friends with most of them before your fallout with Vince. To be on the other side of this was about as unpleasant as you assumed it would be

“As I said, you are full of surprises. I had to be sure you would hold up the neutral zone,” Your old boss replied, examining you closely for a moment before turning and leading you off into the mansion you knew like the back of your hand, “Come. Let’s find a place to talk.”

Vince led you off into the bulking facility, finally guiding you into the massive conference room where he holds most of his meetings. The room sat near the highest floor of the mansion and jutted out the side, leaving nothing between you and the floor hundreds of feet below except for a solid, metal floor.

To fully convey the type of business meetings Vince held here, there was a large, circular hole in the middle of the floor near where Vince finally stopped walking. Air roared in through the hole, and you didn’t have to question what it was for. You’d seen Vince use it before when clients were being…less than compliant. The drop was fatal, and there was no one who had ever survived it.

“Now, you wanted to talk so badly. So talk, child.” Vince announced, turning to you with an almost taunting gaze.

You wasted no time getting to the point, “What is it going to take for you to stop this hunt?”

“Woah now,” Vince chuckled, clasping his hands before himself, “Let’s ease into this. First, I have a question I have just been dying to ask you.”

He took your silence that followed as a sign to continue on, “Just how did you manage to get the Mandalorian bounty hunter to be your loyal guardian?”

“I don’t know why he did it,” You responded truthfully. You left it at that, not wanting to do the ‘small talk’ thing with Vince.

“I mean, it really is quite interesting. A bounty hunter as respectable as the Mandalorian tracks you down, but instead of cashing in my generous bounty, he helps you evade me. Then again, you always did know how to sweet talk, didn’t you?”

His words bit into you and you absorbed them with as much composure as you could. Surprisingly, you found that they did not hurt you as much as they would have months ago. Vince’s words are beginning to mean less to you with every passing day.

“Get to the point, Vince.” You drawled out. He is unfazed by your words and continues on his tangent as he often does.

“What really boggles me, though, is that he just left. He didn’t cash in your bounty, he just…left. Why is that?” Vince presses, looking like a cat that has caught a mouse in a trap. You refused to be trapped, though, and didn't cower away.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Vince hummed to himself, his eyes seeming to pierce straight through you, “So you do care for him, then.”

That took you by surprise, but you absorbed it as best as you could.

“Until he left me,” You admitted, deciding to allow Vince a hint of truth caught in the lies you were spinning, “But I guess you and I both have a habit of caring for people we probably shouldn’t.”

Finally, you were able to catch him by surprise with your biting retort. Even the guards around you seemed to take in a collective, sharp gasp. Vince’s gaze faltered, and you could see the fury he kept well-hidden behind his smirks and calm facade.

“You wanted to do business, so let’s do business,” He averted, and you took the small victory his avoidance indicated.

“I’ll call the hunt off with one condition. Come back to work for me, and all will be forgiven.” This time, you actually laughed.

“You’re kidding, right?” You retorted, looking at Vince as though he was insane, “I came here to compromise. You want me to work for you again, but I never will. Now, we have to find a common ground. We have to make a deal.”

“I’ve taught you well,” The crime boss admitted. All the while, your mind was split. You knew that Din was somewhere close by right about now, and you would only need to stall for a little while longer before he showed up.

“What do you propose?” You pushed, needed to continue the conversation to give Din more time to get into the mansion. Vince paused for a long while, and the guards around began to get antsy in the silence. They shifted from foot to foot before finally Vince broke the silence.

“Here is your deal,” He finally spoke, his eyes lit up with excitement as he surveyed you, “I will give you a test. If you pass, I’ll call off the bounty. I’ll even publicly announce a penalty if anyone still pursues to take or harm you.”

You went to respond when he pressed on, “And you will have your freedom from me.”

This was where you faltered. You knew that Din was close and that soon enough everything you were dealing with Vince would not even matter, but his offer still made you pause. Interested, you couldn’t help but take the bait.

“What’s the test?” You asked warily.

“And where’s the fun in that?” Vince hummed, shaking his head at you, “You’ll have to take the deal before I tell you.”

That was a dangerous game. You had no idea what his ‘test’ was, and you knew that whatever it was would not be pleasant. But, you were running out of time to stall Vince and you needed to buy Din more time.

So, you did exactly what he wanted you to do. Din would be here soon anyways, what would the deal really stand for?

“Deal,” You agreed. You watched surprise flicker across Vince’s features. He hadn’t expected you to agree so easily. Looking all too pleased with himself, Vince clapped his hands together.

“Wonderful!” He turned to gesture to two of the five guards surrounding the room, “Please bring in our test.”

The two guards spared you a long glance, and in that glance you noticed a shred of pity. These were people you grew up around, people whose lives you’d saved and who had saved yours. To see them hesitant to do Vince’s bidding made you even more uneasy, but it brought you a shred of hope. If these guards still shared a thread of loyalty to you, maybe they would not kill you if it came to that.

You were so focused on thinking about your own survival that you didn't even realize the guards were dragging someone, not something, into the conference room until a glint of light on metal caught your eye.

Nothing could have prepared you for what you saw when you looked up, because there he was. Your Mandelorian. He was in cuffs, stripped of his weapons, positioned right near the open hole in the floor, and…

A gasp left your lips and before you could register what was happening your eyes were locking with his. Not his mask, with his eyes. They took his helmet off, and now you were looking at Din Djarin’s face.

You allowed yourself one selfish second of taking in the sheer rugged beauty of his features that nearly knocked you off of your feet before you forced your eyes to train on Vince. If you closed your eyes like you wanted to, it would give away too easily just how deeply you cared for Mando. You didn’t want to shatter his anonymity, but you knew there was no escaping it. That didn’t stop the guilt that shriveled in your gut, or the memory of those piercing brown eyes that was being burned into your brain.

“What the hell is he doing here?” You asked, masking your sudden, rising panic with feigned anger. Vince looked all too smug as he waltzed over to Din and placed a hand on his beskar-armored shoulder. His face was drawing you in like a magnet, but you forced yourself not to look. Din didn’t choose to do this, to break his code and his way of life, you couldn’t violate him like that.

No matter how badly you wanted to see his breathtaking face again.

“I caught him on the outskirts of my mansion,” Vince replied, making you bite the inside of your cheek to keep from flinching or showing your terror, “Which is interesting since you just said that he had left you.”

“He did,” You asserted, not fully being able to hide the tremble in your voice, “On Serreno. I don’t know why he’s here.”

Vince laughed at that, “Oh I have a few ideas. Your freedom depends on which one of them is true.”

“What’s the test?” You gritted out, your heart beginning to keep an irregular beat.

“The test is simple,” Vince announced, walking away from Din who was surrounded by two of the three guards and approaching you, “Prove to me that you do not care for the Mandalorian.”

“What?” you breathed out, growing more and more erratic with each passing moment. Vince just kept on smiling

“Prove to me that he means nothing to you. Prove that he’s not here because he never left you at all and this is all a trap for me. Prove that you do not care for him.” His words were dripping with arrogance, but you knew Vince Hanon well enough to see the truth. His words rang with jealousy.

Vince could not stand the very thought that you could care for someone who was not him. He wanted to be the only person you truly cared about, he wanted you to love him like a little girl would her father, he wanted you to love him like he loved you.

But a father would never do this, and this wasn’t love.

You had always wanted to love Vidar like you saw other children love their parents. You wanted him to be the father you had lost so badly that you were willing to convince yourself that he really cared and that you did too. You both had been lying to yourselves, but it was too late now.

Now, you had to play along and find a way to save the one person you truly cared for.

“How?” You asked, trying to look as calm as you could. Vince seemed surprised by your sudden shift in character and seemed to lower his guard for a moment. He grabbed the blaster the guards had confiscated from you and shoved it into your hands.

“Take this, and shoot your Mandalorian in the head.”

Your world seemed to stop as you simply stared down at the gun in your hands. No longer being able to avoid it, you gave in to your desires and looked up to lock eyes with Din. He was already staring right at you, so as soon as your eyes met, something broke within your gaze so that only Din could see it.

He was so so handsome, and you realized that they had taken off his helmet not just to allow you to shoot him, but to try and shake you as well. Before you could even turn the blaster on Vince, your boss interrupted, “And don’t even think about shooting me instead. If you do, Mando here will be dead before I can even hit the ground.”

On cue, the two guards who you were raised with lifted their blasters to point at Din from either side. True helplessness welled up in your gut. There was no way out of this. There was no way you could save him without giving yourself up.

As you raised your blaster to point at Din’s head, you knew you couldn’t do it. Din saw the brief flash of defeat flicker through your gaze, and his features went from nervous to utterly frantic. He didn’t dare say a word, but he shook his head the slightest bit. His intentions were clear.

Do it, Din was practically screaming at you, Kill me. Don’t go back to Vince.

The blaster shook in your hands, and you once again saw the pity on the guards' faces as tears blurred your vision. With every moment that passed, your facade crumbled. It was plain to anyone in the room that you were moments from agreeing to go back to Vince, and Din was growing more and more restless.

“Come on,” Din breathed, so low you could barely hear it.

Your heart was shattering within your chest and a single tear managed to slip down. That was your tipping point, and you no longer tried to hide the quivering of the blaster in your hands. Din’s gaze was growing desperate the more distraught you became, for he knew exactly what you were going to do to save his life.

In an act of pure defeat, you dropped the blaster with hot tears already slipping past your defenses. Din struggled slightly against the vice grips the two guards had on him, and it only deepened the crack opening in your chest. When your eyes clashed with his, you knew this was it.

You looked over to Vince, not able to look at the despair in Din’s gaze. Just as you were about to say you were going to go back to Vince, you noticed the twitch of pure rage across your old boss’s features. There was a flicker of jealousy that quickly followed, and then, quicker than you could stop it, Vince took a step closer to Din.

“Always have to do it myself,” Vince spat, turning to the Mandalorian and kicking him squarely in the chest.

You gasped in horror as Din’s eyes went wide and he stumbled backwards towards the opening in the floor leading to a couple hundred foot drop.

“NO!” You cried out, shoving away from the guards around you and tossing the blaster aside. The only thing you could see was the Mandalorian falling without his jetpack that they no doubt stripped from him.

You sprinted as hard as you could, and before anyone could stop you, you dove and slid across the hard floor. You slowed to stop at the edge of the hole and threw your arm down, managing to latch onto the cuffs bracing Din’s arms just as he fell through.

The weight of Din snapped you forward towards the hole, and you had just enough time to brace a foot against the lip of the hole as you held fast to your Mandalorian. Your soul-sighing relief at catching him did not last long when his weight held by one of your hands on his cuffs dislocated your shoulder with a sickening crunch.

Your scream of agony echoed through the meeting room, and you managed to pry open your eyes to peer down at Din through the roaring of wind. Your eyes met his as he dangled hundreds of feet above the ground, the only thing keeping him alive being your already-weakening hand secured to his restraints.

“Din,” You breathed, your tears falling down into the wind.

The horrifying sound of cracking metal made you snap your attention to his restraints. Under his weight, they were beginning to bend and fail.

“You gotta let me go,” Din choked out, and more tears fell on cue. You shook your head almost violently, your vision dotting with white amidst the blinding pain.

“Help him!” You begged, your voice raw and cracking, “Help him, please!”

One of the guards moved to help you, but Vince stopped them with one raised hand, “I will. If you agree to rejoin my organization.”

“No!” Din’s sudden shout, something extremely rare for the Mandalorian, took you by utter surprise, “Don’t. Please.”

More cracking sounded from his restraints, and in a matter of seconds, the metal binding his hands together had begun to snap apart. You had enough time to latch onto one of his wrists just as the restraint integrity failed and snapped apart, but the weight of holding him by one hand only now nearly tore you apart in anguish.

You couldn’t lift him on your own, not with your shoulder in this state. You couldn’t save him, not without damning yourself.

“I’m sorry,” You sobbed, looking down at the man who had saved your life.

“Cyar’ika please, don’t do this. Just let me go,” Din pleaded.

You could tell that he was trying to pry his hand free from yours to make the choice for you, but you held fast to his wrist.

“I can’t.” Your breath was almost lost to the wind, but it was loud enough for Vince and his men when you spoke next.

“I’ll do it, I’ll come back to you! Just help him.” And with that, your fate was sealed.

The guards sprung into action, darting forward and grabbing onto the Mandalorian and tugging him out of the hole. Relief danced with misery in your chest as you helped drag him fully out. As soon as his body was out, Din slid away from the drop off and tugged your body instantly into his.

You melted into him, dropping your head into the crook of his neck and savoring the feel of his stubble. One of his arms was wrapped around your back diagonally, holding you impossibly close. With the other, he gently prodded your injured shoulder. You hissed instantly in pain, wincing as his fingers danced across it.

“I know, darling. I know,” Din murmured, then held you closer as he quickly and expertly relocated your shoulder. Your cry of pain was short and immediately chased with a relief of pressure that made you drop further into him. One of his hands found your jaw and angled your face so your forehead was pressed against his.

Skin on skin, breaths mingling—it would be heaven if you didn’t know the hell of saying goodbye was on the horizon.

“I’m sorry,” You sobbed, not caring what the two of you looked like to everyone else in the room with you practically in his lap, “I’m so sorry.”

“None of that,” Din urged, his nose brushing yours, “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

There was such defeat in his tone that it tore you apart. There was so much you hadn’t told him, so much he didn’t know about how you felt about him. You did not have to look around to know that the five guards who were once your family were watching the ordeal with a somber facade.

“Din-”

“I know,” He whispered, his lips brushing yours and sending electricity crackling through your body.

You knew Vince was watching your every movement and you knew that if he was jealous before, he’d kill you for this, but you did not care. All you cared about was that the Mandalorian was holding you close and his lips were so close to yours that they almost touched.

So you leaned forward and pressed a feather light kiss to his lips.

You wanted more, and you could tell from the way Din almost chased your lips after you pulled away that he did too. You couldn’t, though. Not if you didn’t want Vince to kill him. But that one small, fleeting kiss was enough to ignite you, to strengthen you, to forever rip you apart. A confirmation of what was swirling in your chest and a reminder of what now could never be.

It was Vince Hanon’s voice that broke the silence, but not in the way you expected him to.

“You love him.” Not a question, a statement.

The words jolted through you, but you accepted them with a bittersweet ache of your chest. You locked your gaze with the dark brown eyes of the Mandalorian and nodded, “I do.”

Those two words seemed to shatter whatever was left in the depths of those brown eyes. There was a solemn silence that followed your response, and when Vince spoke next, it was so quiet you almost didn’t hear it.

“Take him and go.”

Not daring to hope in the words just uttered, you swiveled around to lock your gaze with the equally broken one of your old boss. Vince Hanon looked down at you and for once, you could see a flicker of the love of a father in his torn eyes.

“What?” You breathed. Vince swallowed hard and held his jaw tightly.

“Take him and go,” He repeated, his eyes softening upon the closest thing to a family that Vince had ever known, “You’re free.”

Not waiting to see if he would change his mind, Mando and you managed to climb to your feet. Instantly, you looked to the nearest guard who looked at you with…happiness.

“His helmet and jetpack,” You inquire, to which the guard nods and jogs away to go and grab Din’s belongings. The Mandalorian’s hand dropped to grab onto yours and you looked over at him with a bright, uncontrolled smile. You didn’t know if you were going to be able to see his face at the end of this, so you tried to capture every detail.

“Didn’t I tell you that it was all going to work-”

Your words were cut off sharply by the sound of a blaster followed by the explosion of searing heat through your upper torso.

Bits of blood and seared flesh splattered across the beskar armor of the Mandalorian as, in the split second of happiness you both had allowed, Vince had changed his mind, and the love in his eyes had melted away as he lowered his smoking blaster. Your sharp groan of pain splintered through the shocked air, and your wide eyes met the petrified, fury-lined gaze of the Mandalorian.

“Y/N,” Din breathed, his arm circling your waist as you collapsed into him, “Y/N stay with me. Stay with me!”

His frantic voice was dulled in your ears as you slipped down to the floor. He followed you, cradling your body into his lap as your organs slowly began to shut down in the shock of the injury. Your breath came in gasps and you couldn’t seem to fill your lungs no matter how hard you tried. You managed to look over to Vince, who stared down at you in furious, jealous determination.

In his eyes you saw the answer to why he’d taken back his word—If I can’t have you, then neither can he.

“Kill the Mandalorian and dispose of the bodies,” Vince ordered flippantly, an ice cold wall slamming down within his mind.

You clutched Din’s hand tightly, your half-lidded gaze slipping up to his. Not even thinking twice, Din held you close and shielded your body with his. It wouldn’t do much—you were already dying. You were going to die with him in his arms, and you could think of no better way to go. Just as you braced for the blaster shots, you heard the click of metal followed by an astonished gasp. Slowly, Din moved away from you and you heard him release a low, shaking breath. In your half-delirious state, you managed to look over to the source of the commotion.

There was Vince Hanon, standing in shocked outrage as the five guards he’d just ordered to finish you and Din off now stood with their weapons pointed at Vince.

“Sorry boss,” One bit out, his chin lifted high as he defended you, “This one’s personal.”

At the rollercoaster of grief to panic to relief and back, your body slumped further into Din now that you knew the two of you were safe.

Well, at least he was.

“Get the med kit!” Din shouted to one of the guards, who readily sped off to the corner of the meeting room and grabbed the bacta kit that was kept there for emergencies. Din looked back to you, running his hand along your hair, “You’re gonna be okay, cyare. You’re gonna make it.”

“Can we go home now?” You breathed, your eyelids growing heavier by the moment. Din nodded, running a finger along your cheek.

“We’re gonna go home,” He vowed.

It was his vow that allowed you to blissfully drift into the comfort the darkness brought you.

|||

Arriving into consciousness was a series of steps.

You remembered flashes of light and sound and beskar steel all wrapped in darkness and sleep. There were groggy memories of strong hands and whispered vows as you slowly ascended back into the waking world.

When you finally awoke, you barely felt the pain you’d fallen asleep with.

As you slowly sat up, one hand braced against your barely tender and mostly healed torso, you took in the familiar surroundings of the Crest. With furrowed brows, you glanced around the small cramped room that had been yours during your months with the Mandalorian.

Din.

The thought shot you out of your half-awake stupor, your mind sharpening at the chaotic memories that infiltrated it. You and Din had survived. You had escaped Vince and you survived.

Even though a part of you wanted to crawl back into bed and delay whatever conversation was coming, you forced yourself to stand on wavering feet. Instantly, you could feel the ache of the shoulder you had dislocated and a slight burn of pain where you had been shot.

With more strength than you previously thought you’d have, you stumbled out of your room and into the hull of the ship. The space was empty, but you heard the wafting of a voice from the cockpit above. So, gathering what little strength you had, you managed to make it up the ladder and up into the cockpit. As you swayed to your feet on the solid floor, you couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Din sitting in the pilot’s chair with the youngling beside him.

“I don’t know, kid,” You heard him sigh, turning from the child to look out the front of the ship and into the space beyond, “She’s been out for three days. She should be awake soon.”

His voice was unsure, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight of your beskar-plated protector. The child noticed you before Din could, and his large dark eyes connected on you. The youngling let out an excited squeal and jumped down from his chair, scurrying over to you.

“Hey kid what are you-”

Din’s voice cut off sharply when he heard your laugh and turned to see you hoisting the small, green child into your arms, “I missed you too, buddy.”

You smiled sweetly down at the youngling who nuzzled into you, melting your heart as you held him close. Even though your gaze was down on the kid, you could feel Din’s burning stare on you. Looking up, you smiled at the sight of that familiar helmet.

“Morning,” You greeted. When Din slowly stood and said nothing, you gently set down the kid. You saw him take a shuddering breath, almost unnoticeable if he wasn’t the sole focus of your attention.

“You shouldn’t have come up the ladder, could’ve gotten hurt.” Was all he said. You laughed softly.

“I think a fall from a small ladder would be the least of my injuries right now,” You pointed out. There was a dragging silence that followed, and your smile faded. There was no avoiding the conversation to come, “Din, I’m so sorry. So many things went wrong back there and I-”

Din just shook his head and moved so swiftly that it made your words stutter in shock. Before you could finish your apology, Din was pulling you into him. His grip was firm, but gentle around your injured shoulder. Now that he was touching you, you could feel the tremble of his hands.

“I almost lost you,” He mumbled. Sudden, hot tears sprung to life in your eyes.

“I almost lost you,” You reminded, holding him a bit tighter, “How am I alive?”

“Right after the shot, Vince’s guards helped stabilize you with bacta before we could get you to a chamber.”

You nodded, your throat nearly closing up at the thought of Vince’s guards turning on him. Now that your mind was upon the subject, you mumbled against Din’s chest, “And Vince?”

“His guards turned him over to the New Republic on attempted murder charges. They’re bringing the whole organization down.” Din answered, one of his hands stroking your hair.

You thought that hearing those words would burden you with guilt or haunt you with sour memories. But, for the first time since Vince took you in at seven years old, something within you could rest. It was over. The pain, the loneliness, the obligation to serve a man who you felt indebted to—all of it was over.

Before you could reply, Din swiftly pulled back and slid his hands to cup your cheeks. Your heart missed two separate beats before it settled back into rhythm.

“Next time your life and mine are on the line, let me die.” It was not a suggestion, it was an order.

“I can’t do that,” You all but whispered. He shook his head vehemently.

“Let. Me. Die. Are we clear?” Din repeated, no room for negotiation in his tone. You held his gaze through the beskar helmet for a long pause before a sad look passed through your gaze. You were transparent, and you knew there was no longer anything you could hide from him.

“Let’s hope we’re never put in that position again,” Was all you could respond with that would be true. Din just shook his head at you, releasing your face and mumbling something beneath his breath about ‘stubborn’ and ‘head-strong’.

“If you were in my position, would you not have done the same thing?” You couldn’t stop the question, and even though you hid your curiosity with a scoff, the question burned in your mind.

Would he? You were almost positive that he would have, but you needed him to say it. You needed to know that you weren’t being delusional in the heat of a chaotic moment.

You needed to know if what you felt was shared by him.

The question seemed to catch the Mandalorian’s attention and he sighed, reaching up a hand to trace it along your cheekbone, “In a heartbeat. Cyar’ika, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

For a moment, you swore your heart stopped beating. The two of you were dancing around what was at the forefront of both of your minds, but you couldn’t last out much longer. As you stared into the shining beskar of his helmet, you remembered the features of his face. His rugged jaw and kind, brown eyes. You remembered it all.

“How the hell did we get here?” You breathed, smiling up at Din softly. He let out a slightly trembling breath.

“I don’t know,” Din replied, swiping his thumb across your cheek again before settling his hand under your jaw, “But I think I was made to love you.”

If your heart stuttered before, it gave out completely now. For a moment, the only thing left in the galaxy was you and him and the youngling staring up at the two of you with large, curious eyes. You were where you belonged. Smiling, you stood on your tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the cool metal of his helmet.

“I love you too,” You whispered, walking past him and settling into the seat beside him. As you did, the youngling walked up and jumped into your lap, making you giggle softly, “Where to, Mando?”

Din, almost seeming dazed, stumbled slightly to his chair and sat heavily. You chuckled at him as he fumbled with the controls for a moment before he cleared his throat and seemed to gain his composure.

“I need to find more of my kind to help with the kid,” Din replied, looking over to the small green child sitting in your lap.

“Well then,” You sighed contently, strapping yourself into the chair and making sure to secure the child, “Let’s go find them.”

Din reached out a hand and grazed yours with it, holding it for a moment before turning to the control panel and punching coordinates. As you watched him, you knew you could do this forever.

You still didn’t quite understand what could make two unlikely paths tangle. After all, you never should have met the Mandalorian. And even when you had, he was meant to be your reaper, your reckoning.

Instead, he had become your everything.

And if you had to endure your parents’ abandonment a thousand times over just to meet Din Djarin, you would do it with glee.

Over and over and over again.

#din djarin #din djarin angst #din djarin oneshot #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x reader #angst #fluff #star wars #din x reader #din djaren #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x f!reader #mando x reader #mandalorian x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader

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fairypowerful · 1 year ago

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Before I begin, I just wanna throw these out:

• “ ‘Missing out on love’ isn't something that matters as much when your society isn't amatonormative.”

• “When the world around you doesn't emphasize marriage and romance and all that, then wouldn't you view cultures that do as a tad odd? Not weird in a bad way, just different.”

• “[…] People cannot fathom the concept that other people might experience romantic attraction, and do so intensely, and yet value something else above romance.”

• You just don’t have those feelings of “I need romance, I need marriage” when your society isn’t broken by being amatonormativity. You just don’t have those feelings when you’re already fulfilled in a community. You just don’t have those feelings when you have a purpose in life.

• “Call me crazy, but I know for a fact that I would not want a romantic relationship if I was a Jedi […] […] […] I honestly don't understand the assumption that ‘the Jedi are miserable because they can't get married,’ I really don't.”

• There’s romance and marriage in every single media and literature, so why should it be inserted into a fictional monastic culture? If you don’t think entire groups of people could choose to have no romantic commitments their entire life, then there’s over a thousand-year nonfictional accounts of monks and nuns and priests choosing to live a single life in an environment that, too, forbids them from romantic commitments, and they lived in contentment and peace.

————————————————

I wanted to show all that first, like a little preview, because this post is not only about why the Jedi are not wrong for disallowing romantic commitments and marriage, but it’s also about amatonormativity which has always been an enormous problem in the real world, and it clearly impacts how people view communities like the Jedi within fiction.

———

“So why can't Jedi marry? The Jedi believe that children and spouses deserve complete attention. They believe that people deserve present parents and involved partners. Being a Jedi isn't a job. It's a lifestyle. How dare they preach compassion and fairness and justice whilst leaving some abandoned child somewhere? How dare they teach kindness and love and self sacrifice while having a neglected spouse?” — @popupguidetothegalaxy (original post here)

This right here! It wouldn’t stop the criticisms within that part of the fandom, it’d just redirect it to a different one.

Even if the Jedi did marry and have families, y’all (Jedi antis) would then criticize the Jedi for prioritizing the galaxy (which is literally their vocation, their aspiration, and their lifestyle) over their spouses and children.

On top of their daily galactic duties that « take them away from the temple on assignments or missions, away from the planet that temple is located on, and always on the move interstellar-wise » ,,, antis think the Jedi should/could be able to marry and raise a family properly with zero neglect of either spouse and child?

Forget about being burnt out like a nurse in a severely understaffed hospital, it’s just simply an impossible commitment!

———

I watched “Tiger Cruise” rather recently, because it’s one of those Disney movies I never watched growing up, and one conversation in the movie puts this into even more perspective – because the teenaged main character is sick & tired of always only seeing her Navy commander father for a few weeks every few months, begging him to quit the Navy and come home for good.

Maddie: Dad, when are you coming home?

Commander Dolan: What do you mean? We're gonna be docking on Friday.

Maddie: No, I mean… When are you coming home for good?

Commander Dolan: Is that why you came on board? To ask me that? [pause] Look, this is my job.

Maddie: Then get a new one. You've got the degrees, you can do like anything you want.

Commander Dolan: This is what I do.

Maddie: [pause] Must be nice .. travel all over the world, no responsibilities.

Commander Dolan: I'm responsible to a lot of people.

Maddie: To strangers, Dad. What about us? [pause] We’re strangers too. We move all over the place, see you for a few weeks every four or five months, or whenever the Navy says it's okay.

Commander Dolan: The Navy is a way of life. I mean, you go into it and you know the sacrifices you have to make.

Maddie: Well, you’ve done it for my entire life.

Seriously, is this what Jedi antis want? It’s misery, and not necessarily on the parent’s part — he’s HAPPY and LOVES his job. He has the degrees to do anything he wants, as Maddie pointed out, but he doesn’t leave the Navy. It’s the same with the Jedi, as they have the best education and biggest library in the galaxies. And yet…

(some Jedi-Critical) and Anti-Jedi fans think the Jedi are miserable and why the Order is “wrong” for disallowing it [which is just projecting their subjective view of “what a fulfilling life is supposed to look like” onto a monastic people who value and find fulfillment in something other than romance], but it would actually be miserable if they did have families.

Pushing aside the fact that the Jedi are a monastic (and not only martial) organization, there’s a legit reason for disallowing marriage and committed relationships. It’s not fun and games. You can’t combine two enormous commitments and think you can handle it without neglecting the other. There’s no such thing as a part-time Jedi, it’s not a job title!

Jedi are able to leave the Order peacefully, they aren’t forced to stay, but on this specific topic, you just don’t have those feelings of « I need romance, I need marriage » when your society isn’t broken by being amatonormativity. You just don’t have those feelings when you’re already fulfilled in a community. You just don’t have those feelings when you have a purpose in life.

How dare they be happy and fulfilled by being Jedi? How dare they show their commitment to the Order by making the active and daily choice to be Jedi, when they could leave any time? How dare they stick their middle finger up at the no-romance/no-marriage rule? How dare the Jedi not conform to the “education → graduation → relationship → engagement → wedding → 2 kids and a dog” trajectory that only an amatonormative society expects of you? How dare the Jedi be monastic and live like it too?

———

(Words belong to @phoenixyfriend)

• “ ‘Missing out on love’ isn't something that matters as much when your society isn't amatonormative”

• “When your culture is one that emphasizes compassion for all [...] Don't you think that people might just not think of marriage as something worth striving for?”

• “When the world around you doesn't emphasize marriage and romance and all that, then wouldn't you view cultures that do as a tad odd? Not weird in a bad way, just different.”

I just keep thinking about the real world and how so much of the obsession with marriage and so on is a sociocultural thing. You don't want a big white dress because it's a big white dress: you want it because it is the symbol that your culture has been pushing on you since you were two. Girls are taught to fantasize about weddings and marriage and to like A Certain Look for it, sometimes to such a degree that they can spend decades in denial about things like their sexualities.

And we're unlearning that as a society, people are being more critical of the institution and how they engage with it, are starting to question what it is that our media teaches us, asking 'why is marriage the most important thing in a girl's life, or in anyone's life' and generally moving towards a world where marriage exists but is not treated as a universal life goal.

But the Jedi are just. Already doing that.”

• “Marriage is not an inherent human/sapient want. Companionship is! We are biologically wired to be social creatures! […] But marriage? A signed sheet of paper? That's not...inherent. Fidelity and monamory? Sure, maybe. Plenty of species mate for life. But... humans have been proving that's a choice for most of history.”

— (original post, here)

Even without the galactic scale of their lifestyle and duties, is it really so hard to understand or believe that people wouldn’t be miserable in a society where romance is not considered an important thing at all?

If you don’t think entire groups of people could choose to have no romantic commitments their entire life, then there’s over a thousand-years history of monks and nuns choosing to live a single life in an environment that, too, forbids them from romantic commitments, and they lived in contentment and peace.

They’re not only connected to other Jedi through the Force, they are connected to the rest of the universe through the Force; they find joy in their selflessness, in helping people, in trying their best to do good in a universe permeated with corruption. They love being a Jedi, there’s nothing a romantic relationship can give them that’s as fulfilling as being Jedi.

Just…stop projecting your amatonormative misery onto the Jedi.

———

If millions of people around the world in real-life can choose not to ever get married and have children (without even being a part of a close-knit community like the Jedi), despite being bombarded with amatonormativity in media and literature almost everyday, then what’s so weird about a fictional group (who are literally warrior-monks and whom have all of their companionship needs met within their non-amatonormative community) choosing to be single in favor of a higher calling and lifestyle that’s far more valuable and fulfilling than having a romantic relationship?

———

(Words belong to @jedi-enthusiast)

• “Call me crazy, but I know for a fact that I would not want a romantic relationship if I was a Jedi.

If I lived somewhere where I was a part of a community of people that I considered my mentors, my friends, my family; if I lived somewhere where I was encouraged to learn, to travel, to help people, to enjoy life as it is, and better myself; if I lived somewhere where I was supported and loved and cared for by the community, and I did the supporting, the loving, the caring for other people in the community as well; if I lived somewhere where it wasn't constantly implied, or sometimes outright stated, that my worth was tied to me marrying a man, popping out children, and making money...

...if I was a Jedi, I can honestly say that the thought of pursuing a romantic relationship probably wouldn't cross my mind at all---not unless I met someone specific whom I felt that sort of connection with, but even then, I probably wouldn't give up being a Jedi to be with them because I'd feel more fulfilled as a Jedi than I would in a romantic relationship.

I honestly don't understand the assumption that the Jedi are miserable because they can't get married, I really don't.

If you feel like you wouldn't be able to be fulfilled without a romantic partner, then that's fine! Everyone's different! We all have different wants and needs! But just accept that you wouldn't be fulfilled without a romantic relationship and stop acting like it's impossible for anyone else to feel differently.

The Jedi all seem perfectly happy as they are.”

— (original post, here)

I also wanna add, because I don’t know where to put this statement … there’s romance and marriage in every single media and literature, so why should it be inserted into a fictional monastic culture? They’re not only warriors, they’re monks too.

It’s a rhetorical question…but I think either they’re so marriage-obsessed that they hadn’t thought of this. Or they are consciously aware of the over-saturation of romance within media when they talk about how the Jedi Order are wrong for disallowing romantic relationships, but they don’t care because they think higher callings are stupid and anything else is inferior to a romance/marriage.

———

(Words belong to @tookas-have-teeth) (original post here)

• “There is a difference between people saying that everyone feels romantic attraction and that it is necessary to being human [arophobia] and the comments a lot of people make about the Jedi.

Oftentimes, when I see complaints about the Jedi, it's because people are angry that people who DO feel romantic attraction might not choose to act on it, or might be part of an organization that requires its members to give up romantic relationships and marriage. People cannot fathom the concept that other people might experience romantic attraction, and do so intensely, and yet value something else above romance.

People consider this to be a cruel denial and repression of one's feelings, rather than seeing it as a choice people are making to prioritize things they value. People have SO bought into the idea that romance is the Ultimate Form of Love, that romance is necessary to live a fulfilled life, that they cannot imagine folks finding other forms of love more fulfilling, especially if those folks experience romantic attraction.”

—

[a comment within the post linked immediately above] “By claiming that people who experience romantic attraction *must* act on it or else they are oppressed, one is functionally insulting every priest, monk, nun, or any number of members of a religious order who choose, of their own free will, not to pursue romance in favor of a higher calling.” — @supersaiyanjedi14

———

There’s only two other fictional worlds that I can think of off the top of my head, that are non-amatonormative. Blissfully fulfilled and happy …

… Equestria (My Little Pony) and Pixie Hollow (Disney Fairies).

After learning the word, I could now put a name to why these two worlds are my top favorites: It’s a non-amatonormative society where everyone’s happy with just a community and a purpose in their life, where romance is 100% not an important factor.

“But in Pixie Hollow, there’s no reproduction, so of course there wouldn’t be any relationships.”

There’s still love and attraction.

Rosetta gets a crush on Sled in Secret of the Wings, Queen Clarion and Lord Milori reveal they fell in love in the distant past. And Terrence has a crush on TinkerBell (although that might just be the printed media, ‘cause I don’t remember it being obvious in the movies).

Is it really so hard to understand or believe that in a society where romance is not considered an important thing at all, and people have (literal) power and a job that they love and a whole damn community for companionship, then those people wouldn’t be miserable?

So, again, stop projecting your allonormative and amatonormative misery onto the Jedi. ‘Cause that’s all it is: your projection.

It’s so sad that the real world can’t be like the aforementioned worlds. Our world makes it so hard for people; a majority don’t have jobs they love, or they don’t have time or money to pursue and grow their talents, and there’s no true community among us. It’s literally dystopian, and we only see it as “this is normal, it’s real life” because we don’t know any other way. But that’s quite a different topic, so…

—

I just wanted to add these, unrelated to Star Wars and fandoms, to point out how destructive it [amatonormativity and allonormativity] is in the real world. ‘Cause I do see tweets on my timeline, from time to time, where a user will be torn over not having a relationship at a certain age or their life not following the ‘right’ trajectory.

[posts by people outside of the Star Wars fandom]

— @uncanny-tranny (original post here)

• Amatonormativity has destroyed so many people's understanding and acceptance of themselves, and it's heartbreaking.

Yes, it is normal to be in your 20s, 30s, or older and not have lost your virginity, had a first kiss, or a partner. It is normal to say that you aren't ready for those things, too! It is normal if your life doesn't follow the "college graduate -> engagement -> buying a home -> 2.5 kids and a dog" trajectory that so many people have idealized.

So many people associate maturity with losing your virginity, or having a first kiss, or a serious relationship, and I think that's a dangerous association. Maturity isn't gained through those things, and you don't have to have those experiences to be considered "mature" or "grown." It is not a bad thing to go at your pace. Nobody else can live your life but you. If you end up having those experiences, that's great! But it should be done because you want to experience them, not because you feel "broken" and "immature" without them.

— @/acegirleatscake on Twitter

• Allonormativity and amatonormativity normalizes ableism: the “you must be cold, sick, delusional” or “there’s something wrong with you” if you don’t have sexual or romantic attractions or don’t want those types of relationships. Being single is seen as “being unwell.”

@/0p4l3sc3nt for this one (below)

• […] single people are constantly questioned about the legitimacy of our happiness […] In an Amatonormative society, our romantic relationships will always have ulterior motives (often subconscious) – which arise from us being conditioned to see romantic relationships as the means to achieve personhood, happiness, and TRUE purpose.

———

Sincerely, everyone in the Anti-Jedi circle needs to go outside, touch grass, and reflect on it.

If our society wasn’t amatonormative (if there was no such thing as our idealization of romance and marriage, if romantic relationships weren’t seen as the most important thing at all in our society), then nobody would have an issue with the Jedi Order disallowing it — for many legit reasons, might I again remind you! Their reasons make so much sense, yet your amatonormativity floods in and turns your brain into worms.

• “Fiction doesn't necessarily map onto people's real life opinions, but the statements people make about this topic are often very broad "the Jedi are bad for forbidding marriage, because people NEED romance" type statements that definitely sound like they're general worldviews rather than just opinions on fictional characters.” — @tookas-have-teeth (again)

This post was left in my drafts from a month ago (early August 2023), but seeing the topic come up again just made me kinda snap; and I don’t want to just scream into the void, so I’m posting it.

And I don’t care how repetitive some of it is, because that was very intentional. They’re like little reminders, so you don’t miss the point and might actually reflect on it.

HAVE A GOOD DAY!

#star wars #amatonormativity #pro jedi #fictional monastic cultures do not need romance or marriage when every single media is non-monastic and oversaturated with romance #in defense of the jedi #long post #allonormativity #this was in my drafts but I’m taking it out ‘cause I’m just sick and tired of ppl acting like the Jedi are miserable over the Order’s rule #I’m taking it out because I’m just so sick and tired of ppl acting like the Jedi don’t make the active daily CHOICE to be a Jedi #I’m sick and tired of allonormative and amatonormative-minded ppl in the fandom #thank you George Lucas for creating the Jedi #sw meta #star wars meta #I wish our society could be more like Equestria and Pixie Hollow and the Jedi #Our society is a dystopia

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suhnandmoon · 1 month ago

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suhnandmoon's masterlist

"i love to stare into eternity. let my mind become a wave upon the sea. and then i race across the galaxy, far away beyond reality, to a world where you care for me."

hi i'm sunny! i've been making sns au's since 2021. here is a complete list of all of my fics :) warning: my nct dream sns aus are a lottt different from my enha sns aus (my nct ones are olderrrr… 2021….)

most recent fic: soul eater most recent sns au: meet me in elwynn + starlight ♡ = authors favorite

lee heeseung

social media aus

♡ dance with me, baby! ♡ (college au, unserious, comedy, loser heeseung + loser lover yn)

lee heeseung, tasked with picking up his little sister from dance class every wednesday, is taken by surprise when his sister’s dance instructor is who he believes to be the love of his life. also niki gets stuck in a cult.

status: complete!

meet me in elwynn (college au, gamer au/online friends, LOSER heeseung!!!!!!! almost pathetic. slight enemies to lovers)

when desperately left in need for one more player to start their in-game guild, riki miraculously finds you. initially unwilling to join a group with a handful of random college guys, a certain boy by the name of lee heeseung manages to win over your heart despite a terrible first impression (and complete lack of skill to play the game).

status: ongoing!

park sunghoon

social media au

stupid for you (radio show host au, unserious, pining, fluff, same universe as dance with me, baby)

college radio show host, park sunghoon, and his friends are struggling to get callers for their weekly advice segment on hybe radio. what happens when jake tells the girl that sunghoon is interested in to call and anonymously ask for relationship advice (that just so happens to be about sunghoon himself)?

status: completed!

nishimura riki

scenario

idol au (400 words)

in which niki sees that you’re livestreaming and he happens to be a few practice rooms away

ot7

texts

how enha reacts to your lockscreen being of a different member

enha (individual) x gn!reader

huang renjun

social media au

starlight (remake of my first smau. i dont recommend reading the original, thrillerish, vampire au, fake dating au, college au)

after an unexpected night at the movies, you’re left turned into a vampire. with the help of park jisung and his friends, your new lifestyle adjustments are thankfully made a lot easier. that is until your friends start to call out your flaky behavior. quick, how are you going to cover up your secret? a fake boyfriend taking up your time? perfect! huang renjun is just the right guy!

status: ongoing

na jaemin

social media au

the nerve! (enemies to lovers, influencer au)

you had one terrible run-in with famous youtuber, na jaemin, and suddenly it seems like you’re bumping into him every where you go. what is a coincidence to you, turns into a misunderstanding when he accuses you of following him around. jaemin, you have got a lot of nerve!

status: complete!

park jisung

social media au

my minecraft boyfriend (college au)

a joke tweet about your boyfriend on minecraft from when you were in middle school ends up reaching the boy in question and oh no- he’s hot.. this sudden reunion with park jisung was completely unexpected for multiple parties. will this old romance rekindle, or was it just meant to stay in the past?

status: complete!

fic

soul eater (8.5k words, fantasy, weapon!jisung x meister!reader)

“with his shoulders hunched, eyes shifting across the room, and the overall appearance of a sopping wet cat, the last person left was indeed your partner- though you had double checked his name tag a few times, hoping this was a joke.”

short scenarios

#thoughtdumpy

included in the tag: pokemon trainer!renjun, genshin!nct dream, unconventional coffee shop au!jisung, unconventional coffee shop au!haechan

#enhypen x reader #nct dream x reader #enhypen masterlist #nct masterlist #nct x reader #nct social media au #enhypen social media au #enha x reader #heeseung x reader #sunny's masterlist

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latgbg · 7 months ago

Note

First off, many thanks for the feedback on my comic! Secondly, out of sheer curiosity, I'd like to ask (unless this info is under lock and key at the moment, that is), exactly how did Siona and Davin meet in the first place? A bond like that must have interesting beginnings (at least, that's what I think).

You’re very welcome! It’s always such an honor to be a subject of fanart, comics especially, and yours was much adored. Thank you again!

As for Davin and Siona’s first meeting, they met at a festival Davin and their family were selling produce for (after Siona accidentally crashed into their crates). It wasn’t long after helping clean up, the two quickly became friends, and Siona told Davin about her nomadic lifestyle— traveling the galaxy to uncover the universe’s mysteries.

Davin was enamored and intrigued by this, wanting to break free and try something new after spending a good chunk of their life selling produce to different spots across the galaxy. They wanted to truly explore, and Siona’s lifestyle seemed like it was exactly what they were looking for!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, as during that time they were heavily stacked due to the influx of aliens wanting to buy, sell, and trade during such a hectic time. Siona and Davin went their respective ways, and for a time life continued as usual until Davin’s father passed away. Despite pleas for them to stay together during this time, after a rough argument they left their family to travel the galaxy alone until they met Siona— with their bond now being one that’s hard to break.

#lumi and the great big galaxy #latgbg #latgbg answers #zzthekaiju

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shaved-wampa · 8 months ago

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How can you not understand Bode..?

I had a thought. So I wrote a rant.

If you have kids, you probably understand already. But I can imagine most of the fanbase that actually played the game is pretty young. So I figured I can translate the situation for you:

...

Imagine you have this very special dog/cat. It's special, because you love it very much, but it's also well trained, obediend, deeply loyal, smart, cute,... just perfect. You would do anything for it.

But you are being hunted. You live on the run, moving from place to place, never settling down anywhere. You don't have a place you could call 'home'. You barely even interact with people, because you don't know who to trust. You don't go on long walks or to parks.

You sit inside an unfamiliar room with the curtains drawn and speak in hushed voices.

Your pet loves you and it tries hard to understand why you have to do this. But it's tired, depressed and this lifestyle is starting to take a toll on its health. You can see the pleading in its eyes every time you get up to move to yet another place: "let's stay, let's make a home, please".

But you can't. The only friend and family you have is your pet and you have to protect it at all costs; you've already lost too much and are broken to your core - you couldn't survive loosing your pet, too.

There's no one to help you, you're very lonely and very scared. There is nowhere you can run where they wouldn't find you. No way to make them stop.

Except one: submit.

You give yourself up to the people who hunt you, and do their bidding in exchange for a comfortable life and yours and your beloved pet's safety. You hope this will bring you more happiness. You hope to finally live a life that resembles the one you used to have.

And it works - at least at first. Before you betray the first friends you made under false pretenses. Before you watch your new bosses wipe out a settlement just because you reported 'enemy' presence there. Before you pay the price and the guilt sets in.

Your pet can feel how hard it is for you. It hates being left alone for so long, in this cold place where no one likes it. It hates how changed you are every time you return; it can feel the shadows that begin to claw at you and eat your soul. But it loves you and will do as you say.

So you keep up the game, clinging to the thought of providing stability and happiness for your pet. You lie and you steal and you betray and you kill. Every time a little piece of you dies, but it's okay, it's so that you and your precious pet could live well. It's worth the cost. It must be....

And little by little, the darkness surrounds you. It's so gradual you don't even notice. All you can see is the worry on your pet's face. It doesn't have the ability to explain why it's worried. You are still alone, even surrounded by all these people.

Then you find someone who you can actually consider family and have a real shot at being happy - it's a dizzying feeling, and for a moment, you believe you've finally caught your break.

But then they decide to take away your chance at the life you and your pet deserve and fought so fucking hard for... (and some gorgeous pickled jerk makes you hallucinate your worst fears ever as if they were absolutely real)... and that's the last straw. The last fucking drop of shit your life tosses at you. You crack.

You break and you break everything precious around you.

...

Now, I understand that people have different tastes in everything, and that Bode will never be some folks' cup of tea - and that's fine with me. But if you've reached this point of my story, can you at least finally see why he does what he does?

It's not an excuse. Nothing can really excuse the casualties of his quest for a better life for his daughter. But I hope we can at least agree that the circumstances weren't exactly in favor of "good" Bode.

Good Bode got fucked. Good Bode lost family, twice. Good Bode had to drag his child across the whole bleeding galaxy and feed them stolen scraps to keep them alive. Good Bode never stood a chance.

Bad Bode saved their lives. The fates of the people he was responsible for would have likely been sealed anyway, with the help of someone else. That was the regime. It squeezed the holy shit out of you until you either died, rebelled or submitted.

And Bode had a child to think of, so you can scratch the first two options.

So excuse me while I go simp for this man and write fics to put some good fortune in his path for a change. He deserves both.

#bode akuna #jedi survivor #star wars #rant #noshir dalal #because he came up with the backstory i love

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batterymaster01 · 3 months ago

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Life-bearing planets are a rarity in the vast universe, and sapient lifeforms are even more scarce. Although the abundance of sophonts in the Fraternity, including ourselves (humanity), may indicate a vast quantity of sapient life in the galaxy, and the possession of warp technology does make the discovery of new life significantly easier, it has been estimated that the sophonts of the Fraternity may constitute a staggering 43% of all the sapient species that can hypothetically exist the Milky Way. Furthermore, according to the metrics of Fraternity historians, it can take anywhere from half a century to nearly a millennium for new sophont species to be discovered. Typically, a sophont-bearing planet harbored a single fully sapient species, with some extinct relatives and a few intellectually advanced animals.

Athyrmagaia stands out as an exception to this otherwise fairly consistent statistic—a pre-industrial "medieval" world hosting nearly a dozen closely related sapient species. Among these, the Fauns (Astutocentaurus cosmopolitans) stand out as the most prevalent. While not the largest or strongest of their kind, the Fauns hold a unique position as one of the most geographically dispersed peoples on Athyrmagaia, populating all known landmasses and thriving in various climates. Their regular encounters with human researchers also makes them the most extensively studied of the planet's diverse inhabitants. Over time, some Fauns have even ventured beyond their homeworld, becoming themselves members of the very Fraternity that discovered them. Their widespread presence makes it challenging to characterize them uniformly, given the diversity in their lifestyles, cultures, and appearances mirroring the lands they inhabit. Their vast distribution does little to inhibit their less populous cousins, however, as they are known to actively cooperate and even form joint societies with them. Anatomy & Physiology

The Fauns trace their lineage back to a more recent, anatomically modern offshoot of Astutocentaurus that emerged approximately 400,000 years ago in the Borean Central Savannah. They share a more recent common ancestor with the Satyrs (Astutocentaurus gnathocornis) and Uerco (Astutocentaurus capiodon). Despite being a relatively young species, the Fauns are considered to be very good model organisms of the genus as a whole, showcasing traits present in most, if not all, other Astutocentaurus species. Therefore, we will delve into fairly detailed descriptions of their anatomy and physiology.

In general, Fauns typically boast tall statures, averaging between five to six feet in height when upright, exhibiting slender yet robust physiques. Their faces are rounded with a hint of leonine features, characterized by reduced brow ridges, prominent foreheads, and expressive eyes. Their auripods (equivalent to ears in Athyrmatherian anatomy) are large and highly emotive. Notably, they sport bone-cored keratinous horns or tusks protruding from their chins, serving as defensive weaponry. Their bodies are covered in a striped pelt of short, close-fitting fur, with sparsely furred patches on their faces, undersides, and extremities designed for efficient heat dissipation. Most Fauns exhibit longer hair or hackles on their heads, which they can style akin to human hair. An average Faun possesses eight hearts and lungs, each with corresponding pairs of spiracles. Their facial spiracles function as nostrils for scent detection, while the thoracic spiracles located on their necks' sides serve as their primary vocal organs.

Regarding their form and posture, Fauns definitely live up to their genus name. They are obligately quadrupedal hexapods, keeping their thorax in a "centauroid" posture and walking solely on their second and third pairs of locomotors. Their front locomotors, freed from acting exclusively as legs for walking, are their primary manipulators and terminate in highly dexterous tridactyl hands. However, they tend to support themselves on all six limbs when galloping at full speed and climbing, and particularly steep downward grades often make it necessary to clamber down backward. Indeed, they are highly cursorial creatures, having heavily calloused skin on the knuckles of their medial locomotors for extra traction, and hind locomotors that bear weight mainly on the first and second toes rather than the whole foot while running. Although they are rather front-heavy due to their erect posture, an especially flexible and stabilized "waist" characteristic of their genus allows them to easily shift their center of gravity to variations in terrain. In addition to being excellent runners, Fauns are also very good at climbing, as they evolved from an arboreal early ancestor.

The structure of their front locomotors somewhat mirrors the anatomy of the human shoulder girdle; their scapula bones are oriented at a lower position than those of non-sapient Simicentaureans, which makes them exceptional at throwing and hurling things, and the abundance of slow-twitch muscle fibers allows them to perform delicate, high-precision tasks. Their hands, while ungainly at first glance, are surprisingly nimble. The first and second fingers are biramous, with bifurcating distal phalanges that double as small pincers for grasping small, hard-to-reach objects. The middle phalanges also form a paired bone structure that allows the pincer-like fingertip to both pronate and supinate, like a forearm and wrist. In contrast, their third finger is uniramous and highly opposable, functioning as a thumb to allow for complex tool use and grasping. At the center of their sternum, Fauns have a smaller third arm called a "sternal claw," formed from two limb buds that fuse in the middle during pupal metamorphosis. The claw is commonly used for grooming, though Fauns have also been seen using it to hold and manipulate objects while their hands are already occupied.

As Athyrmatherians, Fauns are colonial organisms, composites of four highly codependent zooids that can both detach and reattach at will, functioning in unison as a single complete organism. Although they are technically four individual organisms and have four separate nervous systems, a "single" Faun only has one personality and identity, with the entire system being interconnected by a series of neural conduits. The actual brain of the gestalt is housed within the cranial zooid, serving as the seat of their consciousness and personhood. That being said, however, their composite nervous system is still somewhat decentralized: In addition to the primary brain in the head, they also have a specialized thoracic ganglion, a sort of non-sapient "secondary brain" inside of their chest cavity which works closely in tandem with the former. The thoracic ganglion functions as a sort of "backup storage" for memory, and a secondary motor cortex for fine control over the voluntary functions of the other post-cranial zooids. It also has a rudimentary, animalistic consciousness, which only awakens when the cranial zooid is detached. If this somehow occurs, the thoracic ganglion will eerily commandeer the headless body to retrieve and re-attach the cranial zooid, returning to dormancy as soon as the head is correctly re-attached.

Fauns are generalist omnivores that descend from a frugivorous ancestor. A relatively large portion of their diet consists of red meat, starchy tubers, fruit, and Sphondamycete "fungi", supplemented by bioplastic foliage as a source of fiber. To process such a wide variety of foods, their labrum and gnathopods work together to act as a robust and tortoise-like beak used for cutting and nipping. Like the beaks of tortoises (and to some extent the teeth of rodents), the beaks of Fauns grow constantly, so they often keep this growth in check by chewing on "wood," bones, or using files. Just behind their beak lie their mandibles and hard palate, which bear hard, keratinous ceratodontes used for chewing. As is the case for most Athyrmatherians, Fauns also possess a crop preceding their stomach, which is used as a temporary storage compartment for food and plays a small role in pre-digestion. This adaptation benefits a plains-dwelling lifestyle, allowing them to stave off hunger between protein-dense meals by eating nutrient-poor roughage. Although they are a singular species, Fauns boast a surprisingly high physical and phenotypic variation due to their cosmopolitan distribution. Depending on geographic ancestry, different populations of the species exhibit adaptations in their external features that allow them to live more easily in climates that differ from their temperate, plains-dwelling baseline. In sociopolitical terms, these have often been referred to as "races," although just like the human equivalent, the perceived differences between Faunish races are purely skin-deep, not indicative of taxonomically or biologically distinct groups. Indeed, all of the variety expressed by Fauns exists within a single shared gene pool, and anyone of any race is capable of interbreeding without any complications.

The most immediately noticeable variations between Faunish peoples are their skin and pelt coloration. With each ethnic group, the quantity of dermal melanin increases or decreases depending on the amount of sun exposure in their native latitudes, and their fur patterning and color is usually influenced by a combination of environmental and cultural factors. For example, the ancestral condition, as seen in the temperate climate Takari Plainers, is a tan skin tone with white or blonde hackles, and brownish green-flecked fur with beige countershading and cream-colored stripes that allow for more effective camouflage in the tall star grasses of their home range. Tropical and subtropical populations, however, namely those living in the continent of Comedia, usually exhibit much darker skin tones for additional protection from the equatorial sunshine and tend to have larger quantities of biliverdin in their coats to blend into dense tropical foliage. Taiga-dwelling populations further north have paler complexions to maximize vitamin D synthesis in a less sun-exposed environment and tend to have monochromatic coats that are black and white.

Due to their tendency to associate and ally with their sister species, Fauns have a rather large quantity of introgressed DNA from other Astutocentaurines, both extant and extinct, due to interbreeding. Experts have likened this to the small amounts of introgressed Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA in anatomically modern humans. For example, most populations have DNA inherited from Shovelfolk (Astutocentaurus alluvium), with the percentages being the largest in the Plainer tribes whose ranges regularly overlap with their diminutive kin. Faun populations living in Borea's northern forests tend to have introgressed genes from Satyrs (Astutocentaurus gnathocornis) and vice versa, and a variety of coastal cultures exhibit introgression from the Mer (Thalassocentaurus sirenius), despite the relatively distant relation of the latter compared to other Astutocentaurines.

The Fauns' propensity for diversity occurs not only on a broader population level, but also on a more personal individual basis. Fauns have a notable degree of variation in their facial features, with each person having a unique likeness that allows them to easily identify each other just by the looks of their faces. Features such as eye and hair color, eye width, brow and cheekbone definition, snout profile, and even auripod curvature have been known to vary considerably, determined in large part by genetic factors that are passed down from parent to child. This is extremely similar to the facial variety seen among humans, which evolved for more or less the same purpose. Fauns, alongside their sister species, converge rather heavily with hominins in terms of psychology and sensory perception. They are very visually oriented creatures, possessing trichromatic vision with a visual acuity that tends to average at 20/20, and they are very good at recognizing and associating meaning to visual patterns and color combinations. They are also very good at recognizing faces, as it is one of the primary means by which they identify each other. Their hearing range tends to fall between 20 to 20,000 hertz, and they are also able to detect infrasound frequencies through their hind feet. The frontal connection surfaces of their zooids also have heat pits that provide a sort of thermal "vision", though these are only used when the zooids are detached from one another. Due to this, much of their learning, pattern-seeking, and communication ability relies primarily on the visual and audio spectrum.

Like humans, Fauns communicate primarily through spoken language. The vocal element of their speech is made possible by complex vocal structures situated within their thoracic spiracles, which allow them to produce a variety of sounds that can be used in different combinations to form words. They can even emulate human speech, a physical ability many other sophont aliens have difficulty with. A pair of synchronized ball muscles roughly approximate to tongues to produce lingual consonants, while well-muscled "lips" at the spiracular openings are used to produce plosives and modulate vowels. Their voices are noted to have a very broad range of tone; When speaking, they tend to do so in a sequence of gentle honking, hooting and bleating tones, which are often remarked as sounding vaguely like the vocals of caprines and panines arranged in a birdsong-like pattern. Much like human speech, however, the cadence of their speaking voices changes in accordance with mood.

As an inherently social species, they also have a variety of non-verbal vocalizations that they use to communicate their mood in a way that transcends language barriers; When outwardly agitated or annoyed, they utter a low growling noise not unlike that of a leopard, which gets louder and accompanied by hisses and beak claps if it escalates to outright anger. When displaying aggression or fighting, they may let out loud, hacking screams and roars, which are more than enough to scare off an unprepared human. When in a state of despair or mourning, they often emit subtle whining and whimpering sounds, with occasional outbursts of melancholy howls that seem to be analogous to a weep. Moments of contemplation and deep thought, however, are often accompanied by low, throaty hums and drums. They even have an equivalent to a laugh in the form of braying and hooting vocals that they emit when they are amused. Although their communication is predominantly verbal, there is also a non-spoken, visual element to their communication. Spoken words are often supplemented by hand gestures and gaze direction to emphasize meaning, and much like hominins they express emotion through semi-involuntary facial expressions.

Fauns exhibit a mild degree of sexual dimorphism, enough so that a casual observer can easily distinguish between the two sexes. Men and women tend to be similar in size, with the former bearing slightly more robust builds with longer tusks and the latter having shorter tusks and wider lower abdominal zooids. Men in particular tend to grow fringed hackles around their shoulders, which is seen as a sign of virility. Despite a convergently mammal-like appearance, Faun women entirely lack breasts or mammary glands, and do not lactate in a traditional sense. They do, however, secrete a sort of nutritious womb-milk to sustain developing larvae (more on that later). As is typical for Athyrmatherians, Faunish men and women have gonads that are internalized within a lower abdominal cloaca, with men having retractable lymphatic penises. In addition to their true gonads, however, the Fauns and their close kin also possess a set of forward-facing, secondarily erogenous organs on their upper abdominal zooids, right between their medial locomotors. While these aren't true sex organs like those of the lower abdominal zooid, these secondary erogenous zones nonetheless play a role in sexual stimulation in both reproductive and non-reproductive contexts. In men, the organ develops in the form of a bristly, foldable frontal clasper ("clavis"), whereas in women it invaginates into a corresponding clasper pouch ("clausura"). Due to the more frontal orientation of these false sex organs, Fauns and other Astutocentaurus often mate while lying down face-to-face, in an odd recapitulation of the human missionary pose.

Fauns are ovoviviparous creatures with highly altricial young. Their particular strategy differs from other live-bearing Athyrmatherians, however, in the fact that they retain both a larval and a pupal stage, and the larval quadruplets hatch from separate eggs in-utero. After feeding on sufficient amounts of womb milk and joining together, the conjoined larvae molt to become a chrysalis, which is then "laid" like an egg to be looked after by the mother and her family. This strategy seems to have co-evolved with their social behaviors, as it encourages tightly-knit family bonds. The chrysalis is essentially a hard, baby-shaped shell of keratin-sheathed bone, containing a soup of liquefied tissue that progressively reorganizes itself into that of the imago stage. The fat accumulated by the larvae is used to develop the brain of the cranial zooid, while the calcified cores of the outer shell are gradually broken down to build the long bones of the developing limbs. As the chrysalis gets closer to hatching over a period of six months, the baby inside becomes progressively more active and aware of its surroundings, the caps over its eyes becoming transparent so that it can see and, therefore, imprint upon its caretakers. Eventually, the shell of the chrysalis becomes so thin that it splits open easily, allowing the small, kitten-like child (also known as a "cub" or "calf") to emerge. Although altricial, Faun babies are capable of eating solid food from the moment they are born, since they emerge with an already well-developed beak. They usually tend to eat the outer shell of their discarded chrysalis first. Society

Fauns are naturally very communal creatures. In particular, their mode of social organization strongly resembles that of humans and other great apes. They live in complex, highly cooperative fusion-fission societies that range in scale from simple band societies to whole-scale feudal nations, each with their own distinct cultures and institutions. Larger communities usually exhibit a distinct social stratification and can be divided into different sub-groups based on labor specialization, wealth, reputation, and power. The degree of social mobility can vary rather widely, but it generally tends to fall within a range equivalent to that of human societies.

As is the case for humans, kinship is integral to the Faunish social organization. All societies associated with the species are known to classify social relationships based on consanguinity (children, siblings, parents, grandparents, etc.) and affinity (marriage), as well as fictive family connections. These familial ties are among the main determining factors for transmitting inheritance and status, as being the spouse, sibling, or child of someone makes one more likely to share or inherit the latter's status. Like all sapient species that recognize a family dynamic, Fauns also have incest taboos, and sexual exchanges between consanguineous and fictive relatives are almost universally regarded as unsavory. Uniquely, Fauns and other Astutocentaurines recognize an additional form of kinship: When two unrelated persons exchange zooids with each other, they are considered to be members of the same family on the basis that they now possess pieces of each other. These are known as "swap-relatives".

Being a sexually dimorphic species, Faun societies typically have concepts of gender. Abroad, the Faunish perspective of gender is primarily binary, distinguishing between characteristics that can be culturally perceived as masculine or feminine and setting different standards for acceptable behavior based on those attributes. Generally speaking, their particular gender binary is very comparable to that of H. sapiens, so terms such as "man" and "woman" are fairly appropriate terminologies. That being said, the swappable modularity of their bodies does give them additional mobility in terms of gender identity compared to other diecious species. A person who doesn't feel content with their body could easily change their sex by quite literally trading their abdominal zooids with another person who is facing similar issues. As such, stigmas against gender dysphoria within Faunish cultures are rare both in modernity and antiquity. Fauns tend to be patriarchal; men are expected to be the family breadwinners and have roles in leadership, whereas women, while not entirely barred from leadership or working roles, are often less dominant socially. Some countries, such as Tinria, have a much more egalitarian attitude toward gender roles, with men and women having much more equality in terms of job opportunities.

Like many Astutocentaurines, Faunish cultures utilize utility vessels, the still-living headless bodies of their deceased, to supplement their employed workforces as well as a source of medical implants. Although they are practically vegetables, the thoracic ganglion is sophisticated enough that utility vessels can be trained to perform basic tasks, and the individual zooids themselves are ideal donors for the implantation of limbs or even entire body segments. As such, when a person who has agreed to donate their body undergoes self-death, their remaining vessel is cached in a body shop with a multitude of others, where it awaits future use. Although this seems unethical on a surface level, in truth the practice is just as much of a funerary rite as it is a source of revenue. In most Faunish cultures, utility vessels are treated with the utmost respect and reverence and are often paid for their services in much the same way as a fully living employee would. Once the utility vessel finally passes on, it is often buried in the same grave as the person's head, and the money it has earned throughout its tenure is usually either inherited by the person's family or buried alongside them as a token of good fortune.

Religion

Due to their cosmopolitan distribution, Fauns have so many religions associated with their species that it is impossible to tar their belief systems under a single brush, as the range of diversity expressed by these ideologies is not unlike the variation of human religions. Their religions can be classified into larger groupings based on shared geographic origins and mythological commonalities, though even amongst these the variation is quite prominent.

The most widespread religions amongst Fauns, particularly those indigenous to the continent of Borea, are the Deleuewean religions. Although these religions have some significant disparities in terms of philosophy, they are grouped together by their shared pantheons and creation myths, as well as the mention of a figure named "Deleuewe" in their respective scriptures. Many gods exist in the Deleuewean pantheon, but creation is attributed to three principal deities. Irir-Ihurhuh, the unisex god of reality itself, is responsible for creating the universe and all of the planets within it. They are also the singular parent of the pantheon's two other principal deities, Irir-Iu and Irir-Iwiche. Irir-Iu, the eldest brother, is the god of the sun, the day and life, and is tasked with bringing light to the world and giving sustenance to all that live on it. Irir-Iu's dance is slow and graceful, and as he does his waltz, whatever side of the planet he occupies is lit by the radiance that glows from deep within him. Irir-Iwiche, the youngest brother, is the god of the sea, the moons and the night, and is tasked with bringing light to the night sky and keeping the oceans alive through waves, currents and tides. Irir-Iwiche's dance is faster than that of his older brother, and as he spins around with his bolas, he causes the oceans to rise at whatever side he's occupying, with the tides being at their highest when his bolas swings closest to the surface. While his own light is often overwhelmed by Iu's during the day, it lights up the night with a dim, yet beautiful glow. The cycles of day and night and the rising of tides are said to be caused by these brothers doing an eternal, circular dance around the planet, and it is through this process that life is sustained and renewed.

Tool Culture, Technology & Science

While the spacefaring Fauns of the Fraternity have access to advanced technology and spaceflight, those who remain on Athyrmagaia live in a perpetual pre-industrial era, ranging from small hunter-gatherer communities to larger-scale feudal nations. Overall, they and the other contemporary Astutocentaurines are considered to be in their own respective equivalent of the Renaissance era. However, this is a very rough comparison, as they also have rather novel materials, resources, and technologies that other pre-industrial aliens do not.

Like many sophonts, Fauns are natural tool users, and have a sophisticated tool culture. Some of their tools are easy to recognize, such as throwing spears, axes, hammers, knives and swords, which can come in one-handed or two-handed variants. They even make use of rather familiar-looking eating utensils that can be described as "spoons" and "forks". Unlike humans, of course, Fauns have a total five manipulatory appendages; Two arms, one sternal claw, and two medial locomotors that, while mostly used for walking, can also serve as hands if needed. This abundance of manipulatory limbs provides them with many more free hands with which to use tools, and indeed, many of their tools are designed around this anatomical quirk. Among such creations is a menagerie of unique "three-handed" tools. Some, such as the thrust hammer, puck hammer, and pole chisel, utilize the combined strength of both hands and one of the medial locomotors to add extra force and power when striking low objects. Others, such as hand-cranked drills, spring-loaded crossbows and various musical instruments, are wielded in both hands while the sternal claw adjusts the device's mechanisms.

Fauns and kin utilize a unique form of long-distance communication that, while restricted to the planetary surface, is nonetheless impressive in that it comes from an unexpected source. In place of manmade radio towers that require electricity to function, Fauns use ramblers, a selectively bred species of clonal vine-like plant that uses shortwave radio signals and sounds to relay information. Thanks to this, word gets around much quicker on Athyrmagaia than in most other pre-industrial societies. There are at least two known cultivars of rambler that see regular use. The "broadcast" cultivar operates similarly to a radio tower, with a larger, more dominant "listener" plant dispersing shortwave radio frequencies to a nearby scattered array of smaller "speaker" plants. The "communication" cultivar, however, functions more or less like a telephone, with two plants that function as both "listeners" and "speakers" transmitting messages to each other via a linear array of sprawling vine colonies. The communication cultivar is the most abundant, as it is often grown in long, continent-spanning arrays not too dissimilar to telephone lines. Ramblers, as effective as they are, do have some disadvantages compared to their mechanical counterparts, however. Although they grow very quickly and can take root in a broad range of soil qualities, they require regular maintenance to ensure that they function properly and do not endanger the ecosystem through overgrowth. Furthermore, although analogous to a radio, the broadcast cultivar is often locked onto a single frequency and cannot be tuned to different "channels." Individuals who specialize in the cultivation and maintenance of ramblers are referred to as "ramblesmiths".

Surface metal deposits are relatively sparse on Athyrmagaia, as many of them have been depleted by previous iterations of advanced civilization over the past 3 million years. As a result, metals such as iron, copper, silver, and gold are highly sought-after building materials among Astutocentaurines. The Fauns, of course, are no different. While they have enough access to metals that they could learn metallurgy from the Shovelfolk and use it regularly in construction and engineering, it is rare enough in nature that people are encouraged to recycle their metals as much as possible. To supplement the relative scarcity of metals on their planet, Fauns also use a rather surprising material: plastic. Their native plant life, the Olekirkophytes, naturally produces polylactic acid in their cuticles, a bioplastic that is normally manmade in most contexts. This has given the Fauns (as well as other Astutocentaurus) a significant head start in polymer science compared to other known pre-industrial aliens, and they harvest the material from plants to mold objects such as utensils, bottles, and even transparent food containers. Due to the high availability of such a material, a majority of known Faunish cultures have been known to practice plastic molding techniques or utilize bioplastic in at least some capacity, including the simplest of tribesfolk.

Despite their pre-industrial status, Fauns are surprisingly well-developed in their fields of science. By the time of first contact, they had already independently discovered the theory of evolution through observations of both extant life and their own fossil record, and had invented their own system of taxonomic ranking. This system is often referred to as "Nounian taxonomy", in honor of the late Tinrian biologist Noun Rich Rorhu, and it is vaguely similar to Linnaean taxonomy in terms of its arrangement of organisms into nested hierarchies. Although their phylogenetic tree has been greatly expanded upon through cooperative research with Fraternity researchers, the traditional Nounian system of classification very much remains dominant in Athyrmagaian academia. Their innovations in medical science are also noteworthy; They inherited their own equivalent of germ theory from the Shovelfolk, and although they are naturally capable of swapping their zooids, they are also competant surgeons, as they have learned how to transplant non-detachable components such as limbs, fingers, and even some organs. This is made possible thanks to a specialized cultivar of tumeofauna, which produces stem cells that are compatible with Astutocentaurine tissue. By applying the substance to a wound before re-attaching a lost limb, the severed nerves, muscles and blood vessels will reconnect twice as fast as they would under normal circumstances. Domestication & Agriculture

Throughout their tenure on the planet, Fauns have utilized a wide array of domesticated animals as companions, mounts, labor, clothing, and food, and continue to do so in the present day. Some of these animals are domesticates of their own creation, while others are more or less "hand-me-downs" from previous iterations of Athyrmagaian civilization.

Their most ancient companion is the beakhound, a dog-like Cynorhynchid that has ancient roots in the First Iteration. Much like our dogs, beakhounds have been selectively bred into a variety of morphs used for a multitude of purposes, such as hunting, guarding, or even just simple companionship. It is not entirely certain how beakhounds came to be domesticated by the Fauns, though evidence suggests that they were inherited simply as a result of how ubiquitous they were in ancient times.

Sedentary cultures are also known to make use of livestock; Depending on the region, one of the most common livestock animals is often the Shazoo, a Xenobovine not unlike our own cattle in terms of its utility. Although it does not produce milk, it is raised for its meat and skin, and in some cases it can even be used for physical labor and transport. The modern shazoo, as it is known in the context of Faunish civilization, is believed to have been developed through the domestication of the wild mock ox. Another common livestock animal is the crawpig, an omnivorous fauxungulate known for its broad diet and strong claws. Although they, too, are occasionally used as a source of meat, they are primarily raised for their unfertilized eggs. They are also rather useful in hunter-gatherer societies as aids in foraging. The Fauns inherited the crawpig from their oldest allies, the Shovelfolk.

Instead of motorized vehicles, Fauns rely on mounts for long-distance travel. The hippogriff is easily the most iconic of these mounts, a giant flightless pachyalatan that has exchanged its wings for powerful, hooved forelegs. Hippogriffs have been a staple of Athyrmagaian transportation since the First Iteration, and it's theorized that the Fauns obtained them through the re-domestication of feral populations. Like the Terran horse, the domestic hippogriff makes for a steadfast companion, forming a lifelong bond with its rider.

Like with any sapient species, the Faun's establishment of sedentary civilization is founded upon agriculture. It is believed that the Fauns inherited their understanding of the practice from the Shovelfolk, since they evolved in the same region and utilize many of the same crops. One of their most commonly grown crops is réhä, a starch-heavy species of star grass. Much like wheat, réhä is ground into a fine powder and used to make bread. Hetūt, an edible root, is also fairly common in their cuisine, being used as a side dish or an ingredient in more complex recipes. Zhėgel, a more aquatic herb, is grown for sugar that is used in pastries. Some cultures also cultivate edibles species of tumeofauna and sphondamycetes, with the former being a favorable substitute for slaughtered meat among cultures who abhor violence.

Interactions with Other Sophonts

Fauns are the latest sophont species to be legally established as citizens of the Fraternity. Unlike many other sophonts, however, the Fauns' introduction to the Fraternity was actually the result of a freak accident. Due to the notion that pre-industrial societies weren't "mature" enough to cope with alien contact, the human team sent by the Fraternity originally intended to study the planet discretely, to ensure that the civilizations of the planet advance in a natural fashion. This secrecy was maintained successfully during the first five or so years, but was cut short when a rogue piece of space debris struck a manned orbital craft, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Lakefront, Tinria. Although both the crew and others involved survived, the incident happened to occur during the merchant town's busiest hours, right before the eyes of hundreds of people. Culture shock quickly disseminated across the native populace as knowledge of alien life spread like wildfire. At this point, it was too late to ethically suppress the news that was spreading so rapidly, so it was decided that the Fraternity would make proper first contact with the species. Despite the language barriers at the time, and a less than favorable first impression, this more proper introduction went over very well, and the initial fear and uncertainty was quickly set aside by curiosity and enthusiasm. Eventually, both parties knew enough about each other that Fauns were seen as eligible for citizenship in the Fraternity, making them the very first pre-industrial aliens to do so.

Despite their pre-industrial heritage, Faunish immigrants were very quick to integrate and adapt to the interstellar, high-tech society of the Fraternity. Although they are a minority group compared to the Fraternity's other sophonts, they are not marginalized by law; Since the Fraternity's form of social stratification does not discriminate based on species, Fauns enjoy sociopolitical equality alongside the other client sophonts, and are granted the same job opportunities as their peers. Their status as a minority group is merely due to their relatively small interstellar population, as they have only become involved in the Fraternity rather recently.

As far as the Fraternity's social circles go, sociopolitical relations between humans and Fauns are perhaps the most idyllic. This is mostly due to the fact that it was humanity that they first made contact with, but it also has to do in part with their own physiology and social dynamic. Fauns are notable for the fact that they are among the few known extraterrestrial sophonts that have a DNA-based biochemistry like that of Terran organisms, and are known to thrive in Fraternity habitats that are otherwise made for a human majority. Barring the unique influences of their body modularity, their general social structure is also very similar to ours, which makes it much easier for the two species to comprehend the nuances of each other's cultures through comparison. It is also due to these factors that a majority of mixed-species marriages tend to be pairings between humans and Fauns.

Although Fraternity Fauns thrive among their alien allies, sociopolitical relations between homeworld Fauns and the Fraternity can be rather complicated. Due to the strictly anti-colonialist process by which sophonts join the Fraternity, the governments of Athyrmagaia maintain much of their political autonomy from the former, and many live their lives without heavy alien political influence. As such, many people planetside, despite being aware of the existence of aliens, are not entirely accustomed to interacting with them. Even amongst homeworlders who do regularly work and interact with aliens, there's a notable preference for working with humans or even fellow Fauns specifically, due to being the most familiar with them. As such, Fraternity researchers who are stationed on Athyrmagaia are often recommended to be issued with Faunish glamours.

As for their interactions with the other sophonts of their own planet, the Fauns are noted to have a rather interesting and variable dynamic with their contemporaries. Although occasional bouts of interspecies violence are not unheard of, Fauns generally seem more prone to befriend their fellow Astutocentaurines than they are to war with them. Indeed, especially in modern contexts, they are known to form joint societies with these other species, living side by side under a shared cultural and ethnic identity. That being said, they do have rather strained relations with the Uerco (Astutocentaurus capiodon) of Hevecca, due to the latter's brutal acts of colonialism during the Age of Terror.

#speculative biology #athyrmagaia #sophont #xenobiology #astutocentaurini #fauns

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