#ocs: the strays' squad

[bntarwarn]

they

[cuntnikida]

draw your ship like this:

[matchademi]

Falls:Hey, captain! You will not believe what the idiot squad did!

Lix:I see you picked up another stray rexter

Rex:Shut it, he is Kix's stray, not mine, plus your just as bad....I'm also not a jedi kriffer

Lix:*kicks the back of his knee* Unlike you, I don't adopt every shiny I see, and again, she is hot and can beat my ass soooo

Falls:Oh! Captain Lix, right? One of yours was also involved

Lix:dammit....I swear if it was Whiteout....

[loverselegy]

Listen to the sound of my voice, my dear.

The year is 20XX, and the world's population has finally succumbed to a disease. While such an event was expected, this disease didn't turn anyone into zombies or wipe out an entire population due to sickness. It is a sickness, sure, but nothing like what was expected.

It all started with a steep increase in crime.

At first, the constant murders and missing persons' cases went unnoticed. These things happen all the time, especially in big cities. As the amount of crime increased, so did the panic. With thorough research, which took about a year and a half to complete, the cause was discovered. This disease caused people to go insane, caused them to obsess over one singular person. They'd do anything and everything in their power, even murder, if it meant keeping the person they were so incredibly infatuated with close to them. In short, it turned people into what a person would call a yandere.

The disease spread rapidly throughout the world, leaving insanity and death in its wake. Despite the steps taken to counteract this, nothing helped. This disease continued to spread, continued to destroy what people used to know as their daily lives.

It's now been two years since the disease was officially announced on live television. While most of the world's population are now classified as yanderes, a few unaffected by the disease still remain. Among those few are, luckily for those reading, you! Somehow, you, the reader, have managed to make it this far. Congratulations! You've made some friends along the way as well.

Nirvana, thorn in your side turned coincidental ally after the panic began. He confessed to you before this whole thing fell apart. Though, that’s in the past. No need to dwell on his feelings for you, right? (TAG: leNirvana)

Alistor, (or, Alis), a single father who’s been searching for his son amidst the mess of a world. He takes great pride in his status as a father, but he hasn’t told you much about his ex husband. (TAG: leAlis)

Finally, Ambrose, a triplet who doesn’t seem too upset about his separation from his family. He’s a massive tease and flirt, but he keeps your group feeling positive. (TAG: leAmbrose)

Your little squad has been just fine, everyone has managed to fend off any stray yandere along the way to safety. These guys do make everything easier, and finding supplies is much easier with more people around.

Lately though, all three of them have been acting strangely.

Hi! It's me! The author! You may know me from @buriedpair ! This is a two-sided yandere oc x reader blog, featuring my friend (Look for their half here: X).

[angstywaifu]

The Lost Sister - Part 12

Synopsis: Xaden is known as an only child due to his sister who 'died' during the Rebellion. Little do they know she didn't die and has been so close this entire time.

Garrick Tavis x OC

A/N: I don't have much to say other than, the talk you have all been waiting for is here. Enjoy. The Lost Sister Masterlist | Masterlist

Tonight everyone celebrates. The dining hall is loud and chaotic as every riders is here. The kitchen had gone all out with the food for tonight, and someone had definitely spiked the lemonade. Tonight we are all riders, celebrating as one. The second and third years who had kept their distance, now welcomed us with open arms. We had proven we had what it takes to be riders, and had dragons of our own to prove it.

As the night goes on, people start sneaking off to each others rooms to celebrate in another way. I see a few of my squad mates among them. I can’t help but smile as I notice Rhiannon sneak of with Sawyer. Not long after Bodhi disappears as well with a first year he had been talking to most of the night. With his departure I was on my own. My eyes scan the room hoping to see the familiar curly hair of the one I’m looking for. But I come up short, and I can’t help but feel disappointed. I had tried to find him after we had all received our relics, but he had disappeared along with Xaden. Judging by the look on Xaden’s face during it all, I wondered if it had something to do with Dain kissing Violet. Another two who were also missing. After this morning I had hoped to grab him and talk to him. But it seemed tonight was another night where he was nowhere to be seen.

The walk back to my dorm room is quiet, with most people back in the privacy of their dorms celebrating, or back in the dining hall. Seems most people were smart enough to put silencing wards on their doors or go to a second or third years room. I round the corner to where my new room is and stop in my tracks. There leaning against my door is the tall and muscular, curly haired figure I had been searching for all night. Garrick. I hadn’t made a sound but as if he knows I’m there, his head turns to where I stand. My heart flutters as our eyes meet. I can tell he had been waiting a while. A small smile forms on his face as he see’s me, pushing himself off the door to stand up straight as I make my way over. Only he could make a normal sized door look small, his head getting very close to the top as he stands.

“Was wondering where you had gotten to. Was starting to think you’d found other ways to celebrate.” I say, trying to make a joke of the situation as I stand in front of him.

The way his eyebrows furrow at me tells me he is not impressed at my attempt at a joke. “I told you the other week, I don’t do casual hook ups.”

”But you did.” I point out, referencing his past times with Imogen.

He sighs and drops his head, his curls falling in front of his eyes. I don’t know if its the spiked lemonade talking, but god do I want to run my hands through them. Like I use to back in Aretia. Back when I would always be over at his place. His mum never complained about me being there. Hell she had complained if I wasn’t there. After dinner we would always sit out on the balcony or on his bed, his head in my lap as we would talk or just simply enjoy each others company. I would run my fingers through his hair out of habit. I wondered if they were as soft as I remembered.

”And as I also said. If someone else wasn’t ‘dead’.” He uses his fingers to emphasise the word dead as he looks up at me. “I wouldn’t have done so.”

The intensity in his stare has my heart skip a beat. I’d been avoiding the conversation, and now there was no way to avoid it. It was very clear that Garrick was here to talk about that moment in the Healers Quadrant. And honestly I wanted to have that talk. Especially after talking to Xaden the other night.

“Yeah, I remember.” I mumble as I look down at my hands and pick at a stray fingernail.

”Surprised you do with how quick you ran off and have been avoiding me.”

And there it is. I feel as if Garrick has just dropped a brick in the pit of my stomach. He wasn’t wrong. The only reason we hadn’t talked was because of me. He had tried, and I’d run off as soon as I’d seen him. The only one I had really talked to since was Bodhi. Even Xaden had been victim to some of it till recently. Bodhi and Imogen were both quite impressed at my ability to avoid my section leader and wingleader.

Garrick reaches out and grab my hands, stopping my fidgeting. My skin feels like its on fire where his hand grips mine. I look up to see him looking down at me, the same look he had given me in the Healers Quadrant that day. His eyes hopeful I will say what he wants me to say.

“I shouldn’t have run off. I was…” What was I? Scared? Shocked? Unsure.

A bang at the end of the hallway startles both of us, our gaze shifting to a couple trying to get into one of their rooms. Garrick tugs on my hands and opens my door before leading us inside. After closing the door he leads me over to the bed and sits me down as he kneels on the ground in front of me. It’s one of the few moments Garrick and I are at the same height.

”In all the years I’ve known you Ophelia, I don’t think I have ever seen you that scared before.” He starts, reaching out and taking my hands in his again. “But correct me if I’m wrong, but I think I saw happiness to. Like you had been waiting to hear what I said.”

I sigh and look down at our joined hands. He wasn’t wrong, but there was still that part of me that was scared what would happen if it went badly. I didn’t want to be what came between Garrick and Xaden. I pull my hands from his and stand up, pacing back and forth behind him. He stands and watches me, concern in his eyes. His heart is essentially in my hands right now. And I know that terrifies us both. For me I could say something wrong and wreck this completely. For Garrick. I know he’s never been like this with anyone. He’s never laid out his emotions like this to someone. And that terrifies him. I know it does. If I turned him down, something tells me he would never let anyone in like he has with me.

”You’re right. I won’t deny that Garrick. I’ve been dying to hear you felt the same way I did since….. Since I don’t even know when.” I start, a small smile on the edge of his lips. “But I am so terrified.”

I stop and turn to him from my spot near the window. His eyes meeting mine in an instant due to him watching my every move.

”I am terrified that if this,” I gesture between us, “Goes wrong, then it affects more than us.”

He sighs and nods. “You’re worried about mine and Xaden’s friendship. All of our frienships. You don’t want to come between us.”

I nod. Its as if he can read my mind. “If this went so badly that we don’t want anything to do with each other, it would tear him apart. Not to mention he would probably tear you apart if we did get together.”

”He already knows my feelings. It was kind of hard to hide them five years ago.”

I look at him confused, unsure as to what he is referring to. Then it clicks. Very soon it would be five years since I had ‘died’. Garrick sits on the bed looking down at his hands. As if preparing himself for what he’s about to tell me.

”It was already an emotional day as it was. Watching our parents die and getting our rebellion relics. But we all had each other.” He starts as his gaze flicks to mine before going back to his hands. “I was stood next to Xaden. He and I had just gotten our relics.” His arm with the relic twitching as he tells me the memory. “We all go to leave, but Melgren stops Xaden. I remember how he pulled the bag we had last seen you with from his dragon and threw it at Xaden’s feet.” I swear I hear his voice shake slightly. “I remember the closure breaking and the contents tumbling to the ground. He didn’t say anything to us. He didn’t need to. We knew what he was hinting at.”

He pauses and looks up at me. And my heart nearly breaks at the emotion in his eyes from retelling the memory. I swear I see tears in his eyes before he blinks them away.

“The rest is a blur. Bodhi told me a group of them had to hold me back as I tried to go after Melgren as he walked away. After he went, apparently I just knelt by your things staring. Even Xaden couldn’t snap me out of it. Apparently I even tried to fight him when they tried to get me to move. A few days later before we got shipped off to our new homes, Xaden pulled me aside and I told him everything.” He pauses again. My heart breaks. I never knew what happened. I never knew how they found out. I just assumed they would think I had gotten away or got caught up in our escape. “He just sat there and listened to me as I broke down and told him every single thing. I think he’s the only person to see my cry besides my mother. I swear I even nearly got him to cry as I told him how much I cared for you. How I had planned to find you after all this was done and tell you. But then, I didn’t think I would ever get the chance to.”

Its as if I can see the memory through his eyes. Even I want to cry and I wasn’t even there. I was the one they were mourning at the time. He stands and walks over to me, placing his hands on my hips tightly as if he’s worried I am going to run again. His thumbs rubbing into the exposed skin where my top has ridden up.

“I have waited too damn long to tell you how I feel, and now I’ve been given a second chance. And I will be damned little one, if I don’t take it. Because I am not losing you again.” He rests his forehead on mine, his hazel eyes staring into my green ones. “I am willing to risk everything to give this a go, and I will do everything I can to make sure this does not end. I am yours, and you are mine.”

I know every word Garrick speaks is true. Every word he spoke is fuelled with emotions he’s been holding back. I know without a doubt, if we go down this route, this is it for him. There is no going back. And he will fight with everything he has to make this work. And I know I will to. I barely nod my head before Garrick grasps my face in his hands and his lips are on mine.

A/N 2: Next part might be a little bit..... spicy

Part 13

Tag List: @riorgail @going-through-shit @fw-gt @bbkissme99 @xceafh

[loversberceuse]

Allow me to guide you through this experience.

The year is 20XX, and the world's population has finally succumbed to a disease. While such an event was expected, this disease didn't turn anyone into zombies or wipe out an entire population due to sickness. It is a sickness, sure, but nothing like what was expected.

It all started with a steep increase in crime.

At first, the constant murders and missing persons' cases went unnoticed. These things happen all the time, especially in big cities. As the amount of crime increased, so did the panic. With thorough research, which took about a year and a half to complete, the cause was discovered. This disease caused people to go insane, caused them to obsess over one singular person. They'd do anything and everything in their power, even murder, if it meant keeping the person they were so incredibly infatuated with close to them. In short, it turned people into what a person would call a yandere.

The disease spread rapidly throughout the world, leaving insanity and death in its wake. Despite the steps taken to counteract this, nothing helped. This disease continued to spread, continued to destroy what people used to know as their daily lives.

It's now been two years since the disease was officially announced on live television. While most of the world's population are now classified as yanderes, a few unaffected by the disease still remain. Among those few are, luckily for those reading, you! Somehow, you, the reader, have managed to make it this far. Congratulations! You've made some friends along the way as well.

Valkyrie, who you managed to save from an awful eye injury after some chaos in your hometown two months ago. While he did still lose his eye, he's still happy to come along and help keep you and the rest of the group safe. (TAG: lbValkyrie)

Lune, though apprehensive about joining this small group due to fear of catching the disease, has become a great friend to everyone in your little team. He dislikes being touched, though, so you've learned to keep your distance. (TAG: lbLune)

Elias is.. Well.. He's simply just someone you ran into one day. He seems fairly reserved, but is also probably considered the most "normal" of anybody else in the group. Not much else is to be said about him, he's an alright guy. (TAG: lbElias)

Your little squad has been just fine, everyone has managed to fend off any stray yandere along the way to safety. These guys do make everything easier, and finding supplies is much easier with more people around.

Lately, though, all three of them have been acting strangely...

Hello! Welcome to my blog! This is a two-sided yandere oc x reader blog! My friend, who will be writing for the other three, has their own blog for this as well (You can find it here) .Speaking of my dear friend, all art on my blog (unless said otherwise,) was made by them! (They can also be found here at @buriedpair )

[froopinghiddles]

Say howdy to Capsa, everyone!

Thanks to @squad-724 making a Clone OC Picrew, I have finally done what I have been putting off for ages: I have made myself a boi!

I detailed him out a bit more from the original, the most important distinctions being his tattoos and paint.

Going back to the roots of his name and thinking about what materials ancient field medics had on hand, I thought primarily about herbal medicine and medicinal flora.

That sent me down a rabbit hole, and I finally landed on chrysanthemums, which were used in many cultures as a holistic panacea - antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, digestif, etc. - and decided to use abstractions of the mum as Capsa’s motif, both for his tattoo and his paint, albeit in different ways.

The tattoo is stylized to still resemble the original picrew design, whereas I modeled the design of his paint off of Western-style button-down shirts, as a nod to both the original joke I made in the notes and the personality and interests I’ve developed for Capsa.

I imagine Capsa as being very mindful of the lack of bacta to go around and gaining an interest in local medicinal flora of whatever planet their next battle is taking place on, just as a stopgap measure until he can radio to get troopers back to the ship and a legitimate med bay. But in reality it looks more like he’s forcing his poor, already injured vode to eat questionable looking plants and fungi lmao HE’S JUST TRYING TO BE RESOURCEFUL

Capsa spends his downtime listening to the Star Wars equivalent of Southern Rock and Country, with a soul connection with Spolly Parsec (Space Dolly Parton, obvi), and watching Western Holodramas coming out of Wild Space. His favorite drink is iced shig (half sweet, half unsweet) and would not say no to some chicken and waffles (he is my son, after all).

He tries to go out dancing when he’s on leave but he truly has no sense of rhythm. He’s doomed.

He’s trying to figure out the sexuality thing but he hasn’t settled on anything yet so he’s going where life takes him, there. Pretty eyes will do him in, always, though.

The scar on his cheek is from shrapnel, which also nicked his ear at the same time. His batchmate Junco (@lamaenthel!) jokes that it makes him look like a stray tooka. Capsa says that it makes him “distinguished” but privately mourns the fact that it messed it the tattoo on that cheek.

(Bonus points to whomever translates the auresbesh on his chest plate lol)

[butterflydemons]

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Chan comes across a picture on his for you page of a baby and notices that the infant shares the same similarities as him.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: bangchan x biracial!oc ( Miya )

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3,607

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Fluff.

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: Hope you guys enjoy.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @michelle4eve @lovesunshinefelix @resi4skz @kaciidubs

⇢ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ ——— ɴᴇxᴛ

Chapter II🧸: The Truth Comes Out

『 July 20, 2022 』

   AS OF LATE, Chan found himself thinking back to that glorious night on his birthday last year. Since that evening, he often thought about Miya. What she was doing, where she was, or if she thought about their shared time together. There was a night where he even masturbated thinking of her naked body beneath his. Whatever he did, Chan couldn’t get her out of his mind.

   Chan was with his bandmates filming an episode of SKZ Code on Jeju Island. It was a warm sunny day so the staff decided why not film there. The beautiful blue sea reminded him of back home in Australia when he’d go to the beach. Listening to the waves crash against the shore gave Chan a sense of relief and peace. Nothing beats being at the beach, especially with people you care about.

   Staff had the group divided into two squads. Team Wear Your Seatbelts was a white sedan, and Team Screwdrivers was a black vehicle. Each member chose which car, cracking jokes about each other. For their mission on their two-day stay, all the members on the first day would eat at a restaurant, play in a swimming pool, and have a fun barbecue, ending it with a day of a video diary. It was simple.

   After laughing at Changbin as he acted as if he was going to leave Han, everyone settled in, and the divers got on the road. The members sat back for the ride, jamming to their music and relaxing. Everyone said hello before heading to the table when they arrived at the restaurant. Employees handed Chan and his teammate's menus before they ordered their food. All of them enjoyed the delicious food and each other's company.

“I’m going to start with some red-handed lobster,” Changbin replied, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks. “Mmm, it’s good.”

“We should do this all the time,” Chan responded, glancing at all of his members, laughing and being happy.

“I could live on Jeju Island forever.” Han smiled, laughing with Felix, who sat beside him.

“I'm so full, but I can't stop eating.” Felix groaned, rubbing his stomach.

   It’s safe to say the first mission of their two-day stay on Jeju Island was a great success. The group filled their conversations with laughter and good food. Once everyone was well-fed, they wanted to enjoy the view and take pictures of each other. Chan felt a sense of peace and joy as he watched his members be themselves while running around. Sometimes, being in the spotlight got to all of them, and they reveled in this moment.

   Chan walked on the beach as Minho found a stray cat and started petting her, being the only feline owner in the group. Yet again, he found himself thinking of Miya. Pulling out his phone, Chan began taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. He smiled at how the photos turned out. Walking along the sand, Chan grabbed his phone and scrolled through Instagram.

   When he tapped on his for you page, he saw a picture of an infant. He saw that the person who posted it was a mutual friend of his friend Hyun-Jung. Suddenly, Chan realized it was the girl he slept with on his birthday last year. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the picture. The baby girl shared similarities with him.

   She had his nose and lips. The wheels in Chan's mind started spinning. Was the child his? When did she have a baby? How old is the infant? Many thoughts kept running through his brain. Chan contemplated whether he should message her directly or ask Caleb. He didn’t want to catch her off guard or seem weird, so he asked Caleb.

   Clicking on the direct message button, Chan began typing his text. After sending the last message, Chan's heart tightened, realizing his added dates. If he were correct, that would mean the baby girl Miya posted is, in fact, his daughter. Holy shit, he has a kid. He couldn’t believe it. Chan had to keep a straight face, knowing that he was filming. 

   Quickly tapping on his phone, he ordered a bouquet of pink flowers for Caleb to pick up and give to Miya with a specific note attached. He sighed, running his hand through his hair as the new information settled in. The wheels in Chan’s head had him so wrapped up he didn’t hear Felix calling him until he tapped his shoulder.

“You okay?” Felix asked with worry written on his face.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good.” Chan nodded, smiling at his Australian friend.

   Chan and Felix walked over to the other guys, letting loose while enjoying their time on Jeju Island. The entire time, Chan couldn’t get the image of that baby girl out of his mind.

Miya walked into the kitchen of her house as the television occupied her daughter’s attention to make her a bottle. After discovering she was pregnant, Miya resigned, but since her boss was understanding, she allowed Miya to take an extended leave from work. She fled Korea to California to live with her parents. Her family supported her decision to keep the baby and continue the pregnancy. Kaya and Karsyn missed their friend so much.

   In all honesty, Miya missed them too, so during her twenty-ninth week of pregnancy, she decided to fly back to Korea from Texas. At thirty-six weeks, Miya gave birth to a 7lbs 5oz baby girl named Bang Cheon-Sa, whose English name is Noémi. She was the cutest baby when she was born. Miya cried, holding her newborn daughter to her chest. Not believing she pushed out a 7lbs infant from her vagina.

   Of course, her mother flew down with her friends to help with the recovery process, so she knew she was in good hands. It’s safe to say that Noémi has her mother's friends wrapped around her fingers. They’d do it in a heartbeat whenever Miya asked them for something related to the baby. Hell, they’d even offer to babysit for her while she worked. 

   Miya shook the warm bottle as she exited the kitchen, and when Noémi saw what her mother held, she started whining, motioning with a grabby hand. The young woman shook her head as she placed the bottle in the toddler's mouth. She smiled at her daughter before sitting on the sofa and continuing her reality show. As Miya went to check on her baby, her cell phone started ringing, making her turn back around. Picking it up, she saw Kaya’s contact name on the screen.

Hello, bestie.

Bestie🤍🥤- Hey, what are you doing?

Watching a reality show, what’s up?

Bestie🤍🥤- I’m with Caleb, Ryan and Karsyn. We’re on our way to your place. We have a surprise for you.

What is it?

Bestie🤍🥤- It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.

Whatever. Well, I’m at home.

Bestie🤍🥤- How’s Noémi?

She’s on her way to sleep. I gave her a bottle.

Bestie🤍🥤- I can’t wait to see her if she’s still awake. Well, we’re almost there.

Okay, I’ll see you when you get here.

Bestie🤍🥤- Bye.

   After Miya tossed her phone aside and got up to see Noémi staring wide open at her, the toddler showed her mother a gummy smile as Miya shook her head. She raised her arms, making Miya chuckle before picking her up and hoisting the baby on her hip.

“You know what you’re doing.” Miya smiled, kissing her chubby cheek. 

   Miya held the toddler to her chest as she patted Noémi to sleep. As she closed her eyes, the doorbell rang, echoing throughout the house. Holding the infant to her chest, Miya stood up and went to answer the front door. When she opened it, she saw Kaya, Ryan, Karsyn, and Caleb holding a bouquet of pink flowers. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she allowed her friends inside.

   The four took their shoes off before slipping on their assigned slippers and following Miya to the living room.

“Noémi’s always sleeping.” Karsyn pouted, poking the infant's chubby cheek.

“That’s all she does is eat, sleep, and poop,” Miya replied, rolling her eyes as she laid Noémi in her playpen. She glanced at Caleb, who sat the flowers on the table. “Who’s the floral arrangement?”

“It’s yours,” Celeb answered, sitting beside Ryan on the other sofa.

“Mine? You didn’t have to buy me flowers, Caleb.” Miya smiled, feeling a sense of appreciation.

“I didn’t buy them. None of us did.” Celeb denied, shaking his head. “I’m just a delivery guy.”

   Now, Miya needed clarification. If Caleb, Kaya, Ryan, or Karsyn didn’t buy her flowers, who did? She looked at her friends before reaching over and grabbing the card from in between the petals. Flipping the card, she read the note the person wrote there.

   𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝑀𝒾𝓎𝒶,

   𝒜𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝐼’𝓂 𝒷𝓊𝓈𝓎 𝒻𝒾𝓁𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓀 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈. 𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓎 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝐼𝓃𝓈𝓉𝒶𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓂 𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒. 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝐼’𝓂 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝐼 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇. 𝐸𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈.

   𝒮𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓁𝓎,

   𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓃 찬

   Miya read over the note again, again and again. She knew that Chan would see the pictures she posted of Noémi and put the dates together. It was just up to her to confirm it. 

“What does the note say?” She heard Ryan ask from his spot on the sofa.

“The flowers are from Chan, saying that he knows about Noémi and would like to talk when he’s free,” Miya explained, looking at her friends. She felt guilty and anxious. 

“How does he know about her?” Kaya questioned, reading the note over Miya’s shoulder. 

“I think he saw the picture I posted of when she was born and added the dates together,” Miya answered, staring at the beautiful flowers and gently running her finger over a petal. 

   She didn’t know how to feel at that moment. Her heat heated wildly in her chest, and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Was it love? She didn’t know. Could it be that she was nervous? Who knows. All Miya knew was that she didn’t know how to feel.

   Yes, she has had boyfriends who bought her things, but this is different. She had a daughter with a K-pop idol, and he wanted to be in her life. Most men who have a one-night stand where the woman ends up pregnant deny the baby and want nothing to do with it. Miya didn’t want that to be her, so she was prepared to raise her daughter as a single mother. With the help of her family and friends, she knew she had all the support she needed.

“Are you okay?” Kaya asked, seeing a tear roll down her best friend’s face.

“S-Si Bal.” Miya cursed, wiping her face. She laughed as her friends pulled her into a hug. ( “Shit.” )

“What’s on your mind?” Karsyn asked, putting her chin on Miya's shoulder.

“I don’t know. I-you see men wanting nothing to do with the women they impregnate or the baby, and here I am in a similar situation, but the father wants to be in her life.” Miya sniffled, explaining her feelings. “Plus, he’s an idol, so I’m thinking of everything that would or could happen if and when his fandom finds out.” 

“Which is why you have to talk to him,” Kaya said, rubbing her back soothingly. “That can be one of the things you can bring up in the conversation.”

“Yeah, I know.” Miya nodded, sighing as she wiped her face. “It’s just that sometimes I can’t believe what my life has come to.”

“That’s understandable.” Karsyn smiled, lying her head on her best friend’s shoulder.

“I guess I’m just emotional,” Miya responded, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe it’s the birth control I’m taking.” 

“We understand. My birth control does that to me, too.” Kaya nodded as she laughed.

“Yea, one minute I love on Caleb, the next I hate his fucking guts,” Karsyn replied, shrugging her shoulders and making her boyfriend look at her. “He knows I love him, though.”

“Okay, enough crying. Are you guys hungry?” Miya asked, wiping her face of tears. 

“Always if you’re cooking.” She replied, rubbing her hands together. 

“I’m in the mood for some tteokbokki. Are you guys okay with that?” Miya questioned, walking to the kitchen. 

“Hell yeah,” Ryan shouted, almost waking the sleeping child. 

“Shut your loud ass mouth.” Kaya shushed her boyfriend, smacking his shoulder.

“Sorry.” He apologized, turning to the television.

   In the kitchen, Miya started grabbing ingredients for spicy & cheesy tteokbokki. She heated the skillet, adding Korean red chili paste, red chili flakes, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar before simmering it with chicken stock. Miya was in her element. She loved cooking. It relieves her when she’s stressed. She didn’t like when someone else was in the kitchen with her; it was unnerving.

   After thirty minutes, Miya sat the pan on the table before calling her friends over. “Come and get it.”

   The four friends got up and walked over to the kitchen table, gawking at the meal Miya prepared. One thing they loved Miya for was her cooking. No matter what, she’d cook for them with no questions asked.

“Gamsahabnida.” Yeong-Sik, also known as Ryan, praised, smiling at his friend. ( “Thank you.” )

“Cheonman-eyo,” Miya replied, sitting next to Karsyn as everyone helped themselves to a serving. ( You’re welcome.” )

   As Ryan went to eat the food, he moaned at the mere smell of the spicy & cheesy tteokbokki. The spices' flavors exploded in his mouth when he started chewing his food. 

“I love your cooking so much.” Caleb nodded with a mouth full. 

“Aww, thank you.” Miya grinned, putting food in her mouth.

The group talked amongst each other, laughing when Caleb received a message from someone.

찬 Chan🐺 - You think she’ll be mad at you if you give me her number?

No, Miya is a very humbled person.

찬 Chan🐺 - I’m nervous about texting her. Being a mother is all new to me.

You don’t have to be nervous, and it’s all new to her too. She’s taking it day by day.

찬 Chan🐺 - Thanks again for giving me her number. Anytime man. 

   Caleb sat his phone down and continued eating when the cry of Noémi made the friends look over at the child. She stood up in her playpen, staring at them teary-eyed, poking her bottom lip out. Miya moved to get up to get the toddler, but Caleb stopped her.

“I got it. You can eat.” He said, nodding for his friend to stay seated.

   Miya nodded as she watched Caleb go over to her daughter. The toddler reached her hands out for him to pick her up. When she was safe in his arms, she squealed at him, showing him her gummy smile and kicking her feet. Caleb placed Noémi in the high chair beside Miya, and she began feeding her. Of all Miya’s friends, Caleb was the closest with Noémi.

   When she was born, he held her for hours and wouldn’t let anyone take her from his arms. From the moment Noémi clasped his thumb, he vowed to protect that baby with every fiber in his body. Caleb had always wanted siblings, so when he met Miya, he instantly became like an older brother to her. Now that she has a daughter, he’s like a protective uncle. He may not have had a good life or any siblings, but Caleb loved Miya and Noémi like one.

   As Miya made funny faces at her daughter, her phone dinged, signaling she had received an incoming text. The screen lit up, and she saw a message from a number she didn’t recognize. She unlocked her phone, tapped the notification, and saw what the number sent.

(850) 961-3198 - Hey, Miya, it’s Chan. I got your number from Caleb, if that’s okay.

Um, yeah, it’s okay. I didn’t expect it.

So what’s up?

(850) 961-3198 - I’m waiting to continue filming.

What are you guys filming?

(850) 961-3198 - We’re filming a four-part episode of SKZ Code in Jeju Island.

That sounds so fun. I miss Jeju Island.

I’ve been there once.

(850) 961-3198 - With everything going on, we decided to film a relaxing episode.

(850) 961-3198 - We’re going go karting tomorrow to film some more.

Sounds like you guys have a busy schedule.

(850) 961-3198 - A little bit, but not really. However, we've been filming all day. 

(850) 961-3198 - Did you like the flowers?

Of course, I did. The pink roses were beautiful. Thank you.

(850) 961-3198 - You’re welcome, but I would like to meet and talk when I have a free day.

That’s fine. Just let me know. 

(850) 961-3198 - Thank you.

*photo attachment* She has your features.

(850) 961-3198 - What’s her name?

Bang Cheon-Sa or Noémi.

(850) 961-3198 - That’s a beautiful name.

   Miya smiled as she stared at the picture she sent Chan of Noémi. Setting her phone down, Miya looked up to see Noémi wanted more food. She scooped a helping onto a small plate before cutting the rice cakes into tiny bits and handing them to her daughter.

“Did you give Chan my number?” Miya asked Caleb, making him look up at me.

“Y-Yeah, I did. I hope you’re not mad.” Caleb nodded, answering me with food in his mouth.

“I’m not. I just wished you had said something to me first.” She responded, staring at him as she spoke. 

“Sorry.” He apologized, bowing his head.

“It’s fine,” I replied, smiling at him.

   Miya wouldn’t be angry at Caleb because she knew he had her best interest at heart, and he did it for a good reason. After eating, Miya cleaned up Noémi and took her out of the high chair. She approached Caleb, leaned over him, and kissed his cheek.

After the group ate, they took a mini break to take pictures. Chan and his group members arrived at the house where they would stay on Jeju Island. Everyone ran around the home searching for the rooms they wanted. Some had to share, but the boys didn’t care. Of course, Chan had the most enormous room out of everyone.

    Chan proceeded to lock the door before he plopped on one of his beds and sighed through his nose as relaxation took over him. Once Chan pulled out his phone, he went to his messages and clicked on Miya’s number, which took him to their conversation. He couldn’t help but stare at the last thing she sent him. It was a picture of their daughter. The beautiful being they made.

   He could see the resemblance between them. Noémi had his eyes and Miya’s nose and lips. A smile came to Chan’s mouth as he found himself thinking about how this happened. That night, he shared with Miya in his hotel room. All he needed was consent, which she gave, and he devoured her.

   Never in his wildest dreams did Chan think he'd have a child with a girl his friend introduced him to on his birthday, probably when he was a little older, maybe in his thirties when he matured more, but not in his mid-late twenties. It seemed surreal to him. Just last year, Chan traveled and performed; now, he has a ten-month-old daughter. The whole situation blew his mind away. Chan started thinking of how his parents and Stays were going to react.

   Once everyone relaxed and took a thirty-minute nap, it was time for their next mission. Swimming was one thing Chan loved to do. The water was his lover, and he could live in it forever. After he had changed, Chan met the rest of the guys by the pool. The staff divided into two teams for their first game, wore blindfolds, and attacked the other team, taking their eye coverings.

   The game was fun overall, and Chan wouldn't trade it for anything else. Seeing his friends laugh and have fun, what more could he ask for? Nothing. Not a damn single thing. At all. 

   After having fun in the pool, the group got out, showered, and lounged around while Minho and Seungmin went to the local market to get food for their dinner tonight. Little did they know that the staff rearranged their rooms. Hyunjin and Han took it upon themselves to switch the blue and yellow stickers, laughing as a joke. When everyone went to their rooms for the night, Chan grew excited, knowing he was sharing a bed with Seungmin. Of course, Seungmin didn’t like that and switched the colors back to their original places.

   As the guys settled into their beds, they ended the day with a little video diary. They talked about their upcoming shows and lives and told Stays to be healthy and careful with what’s happening worldwide. 

   Miya rubbed lotion into Noémi’s skin as she got her ready for bed. Her friends left a few hours ago, so she put Noémi down for the night. After getting her daughter dressed in pjs, Miya sat in the rocking chair and started putting Noémi to sleep. Within ten minutes, the toddler was knocked out in her mother's arms. As Miya got ready for bed, she stepped out of the shower, dried off, and replaced her towel with an oversized t-shirt.

   She took out the clip, holding her hair up when she showered, and let her hair fall down her back. Miya climbed into bed and started playing around on her phone. Right before Miya put her phone down, an incoming message from Chan came through.

(850) 961-3198 - Goodnight.

Goodnight Chan.

[cros-s]

Shooting the shot

imagine having a crush on Captain Vangeance for a long time, then you met him as "William"

this delusional thought has been living rent-free in my head for a long time now... that I finally did something about it. Took me a very long time and some help. Also, it's my first time putting my Black Clover OC in the wild, hehe~, just for this one-shot, cuz I really like the delulu thought. Feel free to leave your thoughts :P

It's this time of the year again, Clover Kingdom's Star Awards Festival. The street lights that line up along the streets, lighting the cobblestone roads that leads the people from every social status to eye-catching stalls, lively street performers and some more magical spots that this event brought.

Although the festival is lively and peaceful, security should is still be one of the top priority. This year, the Golden Dawn squad has been assigned to patrol the streets, with William Vangeance, their masked captain, taking the lead, despite having to attend the awards ceremony that will conclude the celebrations.

In his patrol, and despite being a focused leader as he is, he couldn't help but pause at some spots that seems to tug his attention. The warmth, the music, the liveliness of the attendees—the kingdom he swore to protect, it calls to him as if asking to be appreciated.

On a different side of the festival, Hera moved through the crowds, capturing every moment that caught her attention through her camera. From the flowers being sold by the roadside to the group of friends passing by with big smiles on their faces, these were the kinds of moments she wanted to keep.

As she focused her camera on a certain stray cat resting atop of empty crates in a quiet alley, she walked backwards to find the perfect angle. In her distraction, Hera slipped on a fruit peel she hadn't noticed.

Her camera flew up in the air, while her head processes multiple thoughts at the same time. Torn between catching her camera or protecting her head from hitting the curb, all while internally blaming herself for not hanging the camera straps around her neck.

Then just when she accepted she cannot do either of them a hand wrapped around her waist, saving her from the inevitable headache. She sighed in relief and gasped at realization. "Captain Vangeance!?" She exclaimed. Just as soon as his other hand catches her camera, saving them both from damage.

It's him. She thought. The captain of the squad she had always admired. No—the captain she had always admired. She never thought she'd ever see him upclose but here she is, wrapped in his arm. "Are you alright?" He asked. His voice waking her from the daze.

"I... yes... thank you.. and I'm sorry for the trouble" she answered, as he help her regain her balance.

“There’s no need to apologize,” William said gently, handing her the camera she had almost dropped. “The festival is crowded. It’s easy to lose track of where you’re going.”

Hera smiled sheepishly, taking the camera from him. “Thank you… I didn’t expect to see you.. the... Captain Vangeance, in here” she said, as she tried to steady her thoughts to suppress the awe that's bubbling inside.

“I’m here on patrol,” William explained, though his voice softened as he continued. “But it’s hard not to get caught up in the festival.”

Hera nodded, her eyes scanning the vibrant setting of the festival. The lights, the sounds, the movements—it was all so beautiful, and she couldn’t help but feel inspired.

Then, on an impulse, she looked at William, her eyes bright with an idea. “Would you mind if I took your picture?” she asked, her voice starting out hesitantly.

William blinked, surprised by her request. “My picture?” he repeated, as though unsure why someone like him would be worthy of a photograph.

Hera quickly explained, her excitement bubbling to the surface. “well... it’s just… you’re always so calm and composed. I think it would be interesting to capture that in a photo. Plus,” she continued with a small grin, “it’s not every day that someone gets to photograph a captain of a Magic Knight squad."

For a moment, he was hesitant but she was enthusiastic and her eyes were determined. "Please, just three shots. And it will be just for me." She added. William sighed, he figured she wouldn't take no for an answer.

“All right,” he said, his voice low but firm. “Three shots.”

Hera beamed, grateful for his trust. She raised her camera, while adjusting the settings as she find the perfect angle.

“Okay, just relax,” she said softly, framing him in her lens. “First shot.”

Click.

The first picture was taken, William standing tall in his usual calm and enigmatic demeanor, the soft glow of the streetlamps framing his form.

“Now something a bit less formal,” Hera suggested, a playful glint in her eyes. “Try relaxing your shoulders.” she added, as she roll her shoulders as an example for him to follow.

William complied, slightly loosening his posture. Hera smiled, appreciating the subtle change.

“Second shot.”

Click.

The second photo captured William looking slightly less like the intimidating captain of the Golden Dawn, and more like a person simply enjoying the festival.

And then came the third shot.

Hera lowered her camera for a moment, looking at him through her eyes, not just her lens. “For the last one… I want something special..." she trailed as if in thought "Something real.”

Something real. His chest fluttered at the thought. The words lingered in his mind. Having been placed on a pedestal for so long, his life had been about maintaining an image, about being a symbol for others—something he longed to change. And today, he was taking his brief chance.

If she was looking for something real, then she wasn’t asking for the captain of the Golden Dawn—she was asking for William, the man behind the mask.

"Hmm.." he hummed and nodded, as he slowly reached up and, to Hera’s astonishment, removed his mask.

Hera gasped softly, her eyes widening in surprise. It wasn’t just the fact that he had revealed his face—it was the trust, the intimacy of the moment. She had never seen William unmasked before, and not even a single newspaper talked about it, but now, in this brief exchange, he was showing her something he didn’t show to just anyone.

It was as if, in this fleeting moment, he had chosen to let her in–a stranger.

Hera fumbled for her camera, her fingers trembling slightly, not from nervousness, but from the weight of what was happening.

“Third shot,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

She lifted her camera, and through the lens, she framed William as he truly was—calm, strong, but also vulnerable. His white hair reflecting the lights, his face... serene, his eyes reflecting a softness that few had ever seen. For Hera, this was more than just a photograph... it was a glimpse into a side of him that felt like a gift, a special moment that belonged to her alone.

Click.

The third photo was taken, and Hera slowly lowered her camera, while breathing out the breath she's been holding.

“Thank you,” she said, as she smiled at him with sincerity, “for trusting me.”

William chuckled softly, “You’ve shown me that some moments are worth capturing,” he replied, his voice just as soft.

As he placed his mask back on, there is something else that lingered in the air. A connection between them that has formed. Faint, yet, more real than anything.

The celebrations around them continued, with its music and lights, but for William and Hera, this moment would forever stand still—captured not just in a photograph, but in their hearts.

something to share: the dialogue color is the same as their eyes. I also wanna do something base on this for his birthday, it's next month! >u<)♥ draft here

[bntarwarn]

drawing of A I quickly whipped up in class for custom oc keychain thing :3 (i am trembling with excitement (it'll take roughly a week for it to arrive (this is one of the ways i'm coping with finals season)))

someting something the 3 death gods + i've actually gotten around drawing the guardian gods' designs yippee

turning my ancient oc into a new character (who still has the same fuckass fluffy blue hair + name). kong, the child of the ocean goddess yadayada. sai is there bc i've realized he kinda has the same big floof hair + floof ponytail hairstyle and they have similar(?) issues in different flavors

(im still developing him)

melos + sai. thought i might as well give melos a timeskip/older/somethingtothateffect design

and then their identical twin/sarlos + melos. sibling rivalry-like relationship turned into actual beef that involves sarlos hunting melos down for reasons yadayada

atp i should make pages for melos and sai shouldnt i

[averagewriter-inthedark]

It’s A Long Way To The Top 🎸 | Pete Maverick Mitchell / Top Gun Maverick Imagine

Takes place after the events of TGM

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell x 80s Rockstar!reader (romantic), Bradley Bradshaw x reader (mother/son-type relationship), Dagger Squad (platonic) Hondo (platonic)

Content warnings: Fluff, slight profanity, flirtatious banter, light suggestive content, mentions of past drug use. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 13.5k

Social Media matching HC

Premise: The Dagger Squad didn’t know much about their former instructor turned friend, Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. Only Rooster had insight on all there was when it came to the famous pilot, and his love life certainly fell into that. When the squad shows up unannounced to Maverick’s San Diego home for his birthday weekend, they are greeted with the shock of the lifetime when it’s revealed Maverick’s lady once ruled the radio of the decade they were born in. And what better way for them to properly meet one of the greatest rockstars to ever exist than by attending the bands reunion concert that night.

Note: So TC was born in 1962 and that what it also says for Maverick (although with his rank I doubt it lines up but Imma just go with it), so for this imagine you were born in 1964 and were the front woman of a famous 80s rock band who Mav meets after the events of Top Gun. I love rock music and have been listening to it nonstop the past week and this inspired me. At first I was gonna do this with Rooster or Phoenix with a modern day rockstar, but then I thought Mav was better suited for what I had planned.

Also in my research I found that the Staples Center (which is going to mentioned a lot) opened in 1999 and is now called Crypto.com Arena, but for this just imagine it opened in the 80s and is still called the Staples Center. Personally I will always refer to it as that even though it got a new name. Last thing, my favorite band is AC/DC and i use two of their songs as ‘your’ songs verbally said. The album/era names are ones I thought of off the bat, and feel free to imagine your friends as your bandmates, I just gave them names to make it easier when writing. And the photo on the collage is to show the outfit reference—I don’t write with any indication of race/ethnicity/etc unless it’s for an OC. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

————————————

“Are you guys sure about not warning Rooster we’re coming?” Bob voiced from the passenger side of Nat’s car. In the backseat were Mickey and Payback while Hondo drove the car behind them containing Hangman and Coyote.

“Bradshaw will spoil the surprise,” Fanboy reminds him, “And the whole point of this is to surprise Mav. We haven’t seen him in months and this is the first time we’re all together again.”

“I know,” Bob sighs, leaning back into his seat before glancing at Nat, “How did you even get his address, Nat?”

She doesn’t stray her eyes from the road as she responds, “I may have convinced Admiral Simpson to give it to me, saying we all wanted to send Mav a birthday gift but didn’t have his permanent residence. I know he’s often in the Mojave desert during his vacation, but Cyclone gave me his San Diego home address.”

“Hondo didn’t even have Mav’s address?” Mickey says more to himself, surprised the man did not. He was Mav’s closest friend and had been with him since the Darkstar project.

“Hondo only had his Mojave camp—which isn’t really an address when you think about it. It’s quite literally on an old airstrip that’s not even used by the Navy anymore,” Nat tells him, “Mav lived there during their assignment so it makes sense why he only had that one.”

“So what I’m hearing is you deceived Admiral Simpson so we can show up on Mav’s doorstep like ‘surprise! We’re here!’ And Cyclone just gave it to you with no questions asked?” Payback raises a brow, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror.

“Not entirely,” she defends, “I mean we are sending him a birthday gift…..it’s just we are the birthday gift.” At the laughs from the men Nat rolls her eyes, “Y’all are in this too, so I don’t know why you’re laughing. We’re almost there. GPS says ten minutes.”

The Pacific Ocean was to their right, the sun high in the sky as the time reached one o’clock. They noticed as they traveled down the road that the houses were becoming more distant and eye-catching. “Damn,” Fanboy whistled under his breath at one point.

When they got to the turn to enter the neighborhood, they were greeted with a closed gate and security. Nat mentally cursed, not anticipating Mav lived in a gated community.

Now the jig was up and they were gonna have to call Rooster.

While Nat spoke with one of the security guards Bob was already dialing Bradley, who answered with a confused, “Hey, Bob. What’s up?”

“Rooster, hey, I’m sorry to bother you but the squad and I were planning to surprise Maverick for his birthday tonight and well….we’re kinda at the entrance to his neighborhood. We didn’t think it would be gated and needed confirmation from the resident to get in.”

“Ah damn,” Bradley said with a laugh and Bob could hear him fiddling with his keys. “I wish y’all would’ve told me, but then again I know I probably would’ve ruined it.” It was the truth, Rooster could not keep a secret if his life depended on it. Last year he unintentionally spoiled Nat’s surprise party when she got promoted. Soon it became a running joke amongst the group. “Just hang tight, I’ll be right there.”

“Wait, are you at Mav’s house?” All eyes in the car turned to Bob, the WSO catching the sound of Rooster’s Bronco starting up.

“Yeah, I’m on the list and can get y’all in. Hang on, imma tell him I’m running out to get beers.” There was a pause on the receiver before a car door shuts and Rooster says, “I’ll be there in two minutes.” Bob stayed on the line before hanging up when they caught sight of the bright blue vehicle approaching from the other side of the gate. Rooster pulled off to the side, exited the car and approached the security hut where another officer met him in the middle. The team watched as they exchanged words before the guard Nat spoke with was called over.

When he returned seconds later he said, “we’re gonna open the gate and if you could please pull off to where my buddy directs you and step out. We have to check the cars.”

“Sure thing,” Nat says with a wave as he goes to relay the same to Hondo. Passing the gate, she parks the car where the guard instructs and all four step out from the vehicle. Hondo pulls up seconds later with Hangman and Coyote coming over to stand with the group as Rooster approaches.

“Well this sure is some special treatment,” Hangman jokes when an officer comes up with a metal detector to begin scanning the squad while the two search their cars. He notices one of the officers writing down the car information, including the license plate number. “Never seen this before when I’ve been to a gated neighborhood.”

“It’s just precaution since it’s your first time” Rooster says, dabbing up the guys when they are finished being scanned. “It’s good to see you guys.”

“It’s good to see you too, Bradshaw,” Nat gives him a hug and appears apologetic. “Sorry we didn’t let you know in advance.”

“Ah it’s all good. Like I told Bob I probably would’ve ruined it.” They all laugh, some muttering sounds of agreement. It was all in good heart though, Bradley wasn’t offended. He was just happy to see his friends again and celebrate Mav’s 60th with them.

The only thing….they were in for their own surprise when they got to the house.

“Does the governor of California live here or something?” Javy jokes, but judging by the way Rooster reacts he’s certain there is some truth to it.

“All clear!” The main guard shouts, nodding to Rooster. “Y’all are free to go, just make sure to call in if you leave the area and return later on.”

“Will do,” Rooster salutes, shaking his hand afterwards. “Thanks again, Frank.” Telling his friends to follow behind him, they all got into their respective vehicles and headed down the road leading to the neighborhood.

“Sheeeesh,” Mickey says in awe at some of the houses they passed. They looked to be a million bucks. Literally. They were distanced quite a bit like something you see in Calabasas and had long entrances. “Mav should be on MTV’s cribs. How the hell does a naval Captain get something like this?”

“Probably by saving for that perfect retirement home,” Nat comments, eyes lingering on one house that caught her eyes.

“Nah,” Payback shakes his head, “I’ve seen Admirals with places not even to this extent. No offense to Mav, but I don’t see how an O-6 could afford a place like this.” About a minute passed before they were turning into a long driveway, all four jaws dropping at the sight of the home.

Yeah they needed to know Pete’s secret.

It was a gorgeous two-story mediterranean style home with an iron gate surrounding the perimeter. The exterior was beautiful, with flowers and various plants on the grounds. A front enclosed patio was the first thing they could see connecting to a foyer where the front door was located. Only one word could describe the home: marvelous.

The driveway was crescent shaped and could fit at least four cars with a side entrance leading to the garage. Rooster pulled up to the furthest spot allowing Nat and Hondo to pull up behind him. “Holy shit,” Fanboy says in awe, hopping out of the car and shutting the door behind him.

Shutting his own door, Hangman whistles, “If this is what retirement looks like, I can’t wait.”

“C’mon,” Rooster chuckles, nodding his head to the entrance. “Mav’s in the garage working on his bike.” The squad all rushes to get the gifts, beer, and food they had brought for the pilot, following behind Rooster while trying to not make it look like they were gawking at the home. They hadn’t even seen the inside yet but could already tell it was going to be as incredible as the outside.

Putting a finger to his lips, the group remains quiet at Rooster’s command as they ease their way into the garage. It was very similar to the one at his camp hangar in the desert. Pictures hung on a wall with several plaques. Motorcycles lined up and sitting in the corner was a gorgeous 1966 Dodge Charger. Coyote had to put a hand to his mouth to keep from making a sound when he saw it.

“That you, Bradley?” Mav said with his back to the group, unaware his practically surrogate son was not alone. He was dressed in a greased up white tee with some old light washed jeans and boots. Playing on the radio was the 80s on 8 channel from SiriusXM.

“Yeah it’s me,” Rooster places a case of beers the squad brought on the counter near the fridge. “I brought some strays too while I was at it.”

“Strays? What—?” Mav laughs, moving to turn around which resulted in his mouth dropping and wrench clinking to the floor.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouted, grinning widely at their former instructor who was completely speechless. “Happy Birthday, Mav!”

“Wha-oh my gosh!” The pilot's feet moved before he could stop them, embracing Phoenix first since she was closest before doing the same to the others. As he pulls away from Hondo, patting his back Mav goes, “What’re you doing here?”

“Surprising you for your birthday, old man,” Hangman lightly punches his shoulder. “You’re turning the big six-zero, there was no way we were missing it.”

“Aww thanks guys,” the man blushes, grinning when they bombard him with gifts. “It’s so good to see you all—I-I wish I would’ve known you were coming.”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, Cap,” Fanboy points to him with a knowing look.

“True,” Mav laughs, directing the crew to put the bags and all on the counter in the garage where the sink was located. “Thank you all so much, you really didn’t have to do all this.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen ya, Mav,” Phoenix tells him, accepting the beer Rooster offers her that was already in the fridge. He passes them out to the crew, except Bob and Mav who kindly decline. Phoenix waves a hand, “Quite the place you got. Rooster had to come save us at the gate.”

Mav raises a brow at Rooster, “You didn’t know about this?”

“Nope,” he pops the ‘p’, “I’m sure you can guess why.” It takes Mav a moment, but then he chuckles, thinking back to the many times Bradley did ruin a surprise. Nat’s promotion party, Hondo’s birthday dinner, and the tickets the group got Mickey to attend SDCC’s Star Wars reunion panel.

“We hope we didn’t catch you at a bad time,” Bob says. “Dropping in unannounced. We weren’t sure if you had anything planned this weekend, but we all took a few days off—got rooms in TLF back at Fightertown, so we would love to take you out for dinner or something this weekend.”

Mav glances at Rooster, who gives a knowing look to the pilot while sipping his beer. The two share a silent exchange of words before he scratches the back of his neck….a few catch the reflective metal of a gold on his left ring finger. Phoenix and Bob’s eyes widen, looking around to see if anyone else spotted what they did.

“Um, well we did have plans tonight—but I can make a call and figure something out. Tomorrow for sure I’m free all day so whatever you guys want to do I’m game.”

“What kind of plans?” Coyote asks before Payback and Hondo nudges him for being nosy. “Owwww.”

Hesitant to reply, Mav gives Rooster another look before nodding his head to the door, “why don’t you guys come inside. Make yourself comfortable while I make a quick call.”

“Are you not going to—,” Mav is quick to cut Bradley off with a wink. Confused, the entire squad look at each other with the same expression before following behind Mav while Rooster is the last to enter and shut the garage door.

Pete doesn’t have to turn around to know they were all gawking at the interior of the home. The first rooms closest to the garage were the laundry room, open kitchen and dining room. Sounds of approaching steps alerted the group and several audibly reacted to the adult Dalmatian, white husky, and golden retriever puppy racing after them.

“Oh my gosh,” Javy kneeled down to pet the Goldie pawing at his legs. “Your dogs are adorable.” The husky was licking at Jake’s face while Phoenix and Bob were occupied with the Dalmatian before each dog inspected each of the guests. “What are their names?”

“That’s Ice,” he pointed to the husky first then the Dalmatian, “Bella.” Lastly he pointed at the puppy, who was kissing up on Mickey, “and Goose.” They spend a good three minutes right there in the kitchen allowing the dogs to receive attention from the squad before Mav directs them to the living room.

And that’s when they pass the cabinet.

A cabinet that was just one of many.

“Uh, Mav,” Payback stops, causing those behind him to do the same, gaze locked on the floor to ceiling glass cabinet—if you could call it that, it was more like a shrine.

Dedicated to one of the world's most renowned rock bands.

“Yeah?” Mav already knew what they were looking at. And that was only scratching the surface compared to the others in the house.

“Say, uh—,” Payback tilts his head, pointing to the cabinet, “Are you like, obsessed with ‘Y/n & the Romantics’,” several eyes trailed along the various shelves lined with actual Grammy awards for ‘Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group’, ‘Best Rock Album’, ‘Best Rock Song’, ‘Record of the Year,’ & ‘Album of the Year,’ going back as 1980 to 2021 as the most recent. Other awards included almost a dozen in MTV Moonmen, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and an Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’. Framed photographs of the band hung on the walls and perched on the shelves. Some included them with famed music legends like Cher, Prince, Micheal Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Def Leppard, and Duran Duran….those of which the squad could make out the signature on the photograph itself. An eye catcher was the USA for Africa signed photograph of every artist, including the Romantics, featured in Michael Jackson’s “We Are The World.”

One shelf pretty much was reserved for all the times they were the musical guests on SNL. Four times to be exact. Another shelf, that had their eyes boggling, was dedicated to their 1999 Super Bowl Halftime performance with a football signed by the band and head coaches of the teams that played that year.

Fanboy nearly shit his pants when he saw the guitars mounted on the wall. Not only were they signed by absolute icons, including Elvis fucking Preseley, but one of which was the iconic checkered neon pink Fender Stratocaster frontwoman Y/n L/n played in the 80s.

Y/n L/n. Dubbed the ‘daughter of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ with a voice that had people say she was what an angel would sound like if they rebelled from God to become a rockstar. Together with some of her best friends from high school, formed the group ‘Y/n & the Romantics,’ signing with a small label in Atlanta, Georgia in 1978 at aged 14 after being discovered on the corner of a street playing covers of Elvis, The Beatles, and Billie Holiday. What had the producer write up a contract right there was when he heard Y/n’s rendition of ‘Crybaby,’ by Janis Joplin. It was as though Janis had been reincarnated. Her voice was unlike anything he’d ever heard.

They released their first single on New Year’s Day of 1979. That first single that had RCA Records knocking on their door and shot them into becoming one of the best selling rock bands of all time. When MTV launched on August 1, 1981, their music video for their Grammy Award winning single was the third to be played after ‘Video Killed The Radio Star,’ by the Buggles, and ‘You Better Run’ by Pat Benatar. Y/n & the Romantics became teen sensations, dominating the 1980s and 90s before going on hiatus in the early 2000s. Y/n was not only known for her recognizable, unique voice but also her split dye hair, leather outfits, stage presence, and signature pink guitar she named, ‘Dirty Shirley.’

And it was in Maverick’s house.

“Holy shit,” Phoenix breathed out, patting Payback to look to the left. That’s when he noticed the wedding picture hung on the wall not too far from where they were standing. The bride, kissing Maverick in the photo, was the same woman holding a Grammy with her bandmates.

Eyes bulging out, Payback whistled and asked what they were all thinking, “Or…. you got something to tell us?”

August 15, 1989. Los Angeles, California. Club Electic Idol

“Tell me, Pete—or do you prefer Maverick?” The blue light shining above her in the bar had the glitter on her face reflect. She was dazzling. Unlike any woman he’d ever met. And Pete met a lot in his career, though they never captivated him like she was now. He wanted to dance with her forever

Arms around his neck, their bodies pressed together as they swayed to the beat of ‘When Doves Cry,’ by Prince. The leather adorning her body was smooth against his fingertips. Completely ignorant of the flashing of cameras from the side and envious gazes of both men and women around them. Never did the pilot think when he, Ice, and Slider agreed on coming to that bar after the concert that he would end up with the frontwoman in his arms. They were just looking for a place to grab a quick drink, maybe dance with a girl or two, and chill before heading back to their hotel.

Guess Y/n & the Romantics were looking to do the same. Fate seemed to bring them together.

“Either is fine, sweetheart.” She smirked at the nickname, finding it amusing. God, even her smirk was sexy. Everything about her was.

“You do that little show of yours each time you see a pretty lady? Or am I just special?”

Damn she caught him.

Truth be told it scared the shit out of him to even think about doing it. Had it not been for the light buzz from drinking a couple beers and encouragement from Ice saying, “You’re the only bloke in this bar who could probably get her into bed if you tried, Mitchell. I saw her eyeing you when you went to pick a song on the jukebox.”

At first he refused. It was Y/n fucking L/n of all people. And there were plenty of people, men and women, who were taking a shot at swooning the rockstar. Left and right they were offering her drinks and asking her to dance. Mav would only go up to her if Ice and Slider sang with him. There was no way in hell he would embarrass just himself. Especially if it didn’t turn out the way he wanted.

The fact it actually did work had the pilot thank his guardian angel, who no doubt had to have been Goose.

“I’ve only done it a few times. The first crashed and burned. Second time actually got me a date,” his lips curled up, “Now I’m hoping the third time’s a charm.”

“I see,” she hummed, never taking her eyes off him. The silence that indicated she was deep in thought. “What are you hoping to get out of it?”

“Honestly, maybe a kiss when the night comes to an end if you’d allow me the honor. But if not I would want you to never forget me. Just like I won’t ever forget you.”

“After a performance like that, Lieutenant, I’ll remember you till the end of time. And about that kiss….” She brings her mouth closer to his, but still enough distance to keep them apart. Pete felt his heart skip at the proximity, the perfume she wore filling his nostrils. “Keep impressing me and it just might come true.”

Present Day

“Wait-wait-wait,” Phoenix laughed with the guys as Maverick finished telling the story of when he went with Slider and Iceman to see Y/n & the Romantics perform at the Staples center in 1989. They were all seated in the living room—which had more framed photos of not just Y/n and her band but also of her and Maverick over the years and Rooster as a child.

Jake took photos of that on his phone to hold for blackmail. Now it made sense why Rooster was always singing their songs on the piano when they would go out.

After giving a quick tour of the first floor of the home, they all settled in the living room with his dogs as Mav sent a text to his lady to call him after soundcheck. Beers were brought out and some snacks, the crew still processing the news as they took it all in. Eventually after a quick explanation, Pete answered the many questions they had, including just how the hell he managed to pull one of the greatest rockstars to ever exist.

Whose band literally had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in just a few months.

“So from what I’m gathering,” Nat points to her forehead, as though she were deep in thought, “If my brain is right on track here….you were, to put it lightly…a groupie?”

“Now hold on—.” Mav tried to say but was cut off by the obnoxious laughter that was Javy, Mickey, and Jake while Bob and Hondo just shook their heads, although they were grinning wide at the insinuation. Rooster was smirking like, ‘told you so.’ Mav sighed, but he was smiling as the laughter died down. “I was not a groupie. Okay—yeah I had the hope I would meet her after the show, but I didn’t go out of my way to make that happen. They just happened to come to the same bar that night—I swear!”

“That literally sounds like what a groupie is, Mav,” Hondo pats his back. “You just got lucky it went in your favor.”

Blushing, Mav coughed lightly as he laughed with the group before adding, “I’d like to point out that nothing … you know, happened, alright? We simply had some drinks, danced…I may have tried serenading her with my rendition of ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,’” the laughter got louder, making his blush deepen, “and then we exchanged addresses to send each other letters—because that’s what you did back in the day or call on the landline. It was history from there.”

“Don’t forget, Mav,” Rooster points at him. “You guys made out and then you exchanged addresses before leaving.” Mav has to cover his face to hide his blush when the group hollar and cheer.

“So how long y’all been together?” Rueben asks, finishing off his beer.

“Since 1990. But we didn’t get married until 2002 after the band went on hiatus.”

“How come?” Phoenix tilted her head curiously.

Though Phoenix and most of the guys were not die hard fans of Y/n & the Romantics, they were familiar with their music of course. As one of the most influential rock bands of all time everyone had heard of them in some way, shape, or form. Their parents often played their records, or they’d hear them on the radio and in movies. The squad were all born in the 1980s & early 90s so by the time they got into their teenage years the band had already stopped releasing music. It wasn’t until late 2020 they announced a reunion with the release of their latest album and were currently on tour across North America. During the hiatus however, Y/n still wrote songs for other artists and even released a few solo records. Some of the Grammy’s in the case belonged to only her and not just with the band.

Personal lives of the band members were not something they knew too well. The only people in the group who had knowledge of some details were Mickey, who was a big fan growing up, and Hondo. Bob was also a fan, having played the drums as a teenager and cited them to be a big influence. On google information showed that the group consisted of Y/n, the lead vocalist who also played guitar, Maya the bass player, Evan the lead guitarist, Danny the drummer, and Ronnie on keys. All of them provided backup vocals on tracks.

Maya and Evan ended up falling in love, confirming long time rumors they were together in 1987 and had three kids over the course of the 90s. Danny married a famous actress in 2000 with whom he had a son. Lastly Ronnie was once married to the lead singer of another rock group before divorcing and finding love with a movie producer from when she landed a role in a tv drama, the two adopted a son and daughter in the early 2000s.

Y/n’s information did actually include the fact she and Maverick met in 1989 when they played at the Staples center, that he was a Captain in the Navy being the only man to shoot down five enemy planes in the last 40 years, and were together for over a decade before finally getting married. They did not have kids and the text read how they liked to keep their personal lives private.

Rooster of course knew everything. The first time he met Y/n was in 1991 when he was 7 years old and looked at her like a second mother growing up. She taught him piano and guitar, let him attend shows when the group were on tour in Virginia, and was always a phone call away even after he and Maverick were at odds. Since she didn’t have kids, Bradley was the closest to what it was like having a son. There was no way she was going to let them drift apart after vowing to Carole she would take care of him. They spoke almost weekly with Rooster updating Y/n on his career and asking when she was getting the band back together, knowing she missed going on the road and performing.

“Soon,” she would tell him with a laugh, “I’m working on some songs in the meantime. We all agreed once the kids are older that we’ll come back.” That was in 2012. Now it was 2022 and finally Y/n & the Romantics were on stage performing for a sold out crowd full of people from all ages. They were all in their late 50s but still knew how to rock n’ roll like the good ole days. Y/n never lost her stage presence, the audience thrived on it. Over the years she took care of her voice so she would sound exactly like she did in the 80s. It was her staple after all.

Answering Nat’s question, Mav gave a light shrug, “It just sorta happened that way honestly. We were happy with how things were—marriage was not for us until then. I should say legally married actually, because here in California the relationship was viewed as common law marriage since we had been together for so many years,” Mav explained before taking a sip of water, “Around the time they disbanded the others had young or were starting to have children so they decided to take a break until the kids were grown up.”

“I think that was the first time I saw my mother cry,” Bob chuckled, fixing his glasses as all eyes turned to him. “My mom was—is a huge fan. Anytime we went on road trips she’d play one of their albums. I think she even saw them live when she was in college—said it was one of the best nights of her life. She had a crush on Danny if I’m not mistaken.” Mav smiles, not surprised it was Danny. In the 80s the man was quite the heartthrob.

“How come you never told us?” Mickey cut in. It was a question all were curious to know. Hondo knew Mav was married, but not to whom. He and Penny had history and were friendly at the Hard Deck so they assumed they were together or possibly going to. Finding out he’s been in a long time relationship with Y/n L/n was the shock of their life.

“We like our privacy. It’s why we waited to get married also, because of how big they were in the 80s and 90s. I got followed by paparazzi in the beginning—which was causing problems with my job. We actually pretended to break up in the late 90s to get them off my back,” Mav shrugs again, “I also don’t like the idea of bragging that my wife is Y/n L/n. I love and respect her so much. Yeah I was a fan of her music, but what made me fall in love with her was getting to know her for who she was. Not Y/n the rockstar, but Y/n the girl who replays her favorite songs if someone talks during it. Who can quote every single line from ‘Dirty Dancing’. Who will scold me for leaving seven half filled water bottles on my nightstand.” Laughs rang out at that. “We personally enjoy letting people discover it on their own, rather than telling them upfront.”

“I still can’t wrap it around my head,” Jake waves a hand to emphasize his point. “That you pulled pretty much the woman all our dads, maybe even moms, had a crush on. Your game is on another level. Like please tell me your secrets, pops.” Phoenix playfully slaps Hangman on the shoulder.

Before he could answer the pilot, Maverick’s phone rings causing him to jolt from the couch. “Give me a moment guys,” excusing himself he goes around the corner into the hallway before answering, “Hey, honey.”

“Hey, is everything good? Your message sounded urgent.”

Mav heard sounds in the background, possibly the crew setting up the stage for the night’s show. “Everything is great….uhh-say is tonight’s show sold out?”

“Yessss,” he could hear the confusion laced in her tone. “At least that was what I was told by Hank. Why? Did Bradley want to bring a friend? I’m sure I can get a pass.” Mav let out a sigh, scratching his chin.

“If it’s too much to ask then don’t worry about it, I know you gotta get back to soundcheck and have a few hours until the concert starts. But my former students from a few years ago surprised me today to celebrate my birthday. They’re here at the house—Bradley didn’t even know they were coming, honey.”

Y/n laughed, “I wouldn’t have bet money on him to know,” they laughed together, Y/n following with, “But that’s so sweet of them! I know how much you’ve missed them since you retired last year. How long are they in town?”

“Just for the weekend. They all got rooms on base and were hoping to take me out either tonight or possibly tomorrow. I told them I had plans tonight….”

“But you didn’t tell them what plans, huh?” Mav could picture the smirk on her face. “Do they know?”

“About us? I just finished telling them why I never mentioned anything. They seem to understand and were apologetic for dropping in unannounced. But…..I have not told them that the last stop in your tour is tonight at the Staples Center and Bradley and I were going to be leaving in a few hours.”

“Who all is it?”

“My buddy Hondo from when I did the Darkstar project—I think I’ve told you about him, the two foxtrot teams I did the uranium mission with and two of my reserves. So seven total.”

“I see,” Y/n humed, finding her husband’s situation amusing. He let out a groan, apologizing but she just laughed and said, “Well since it is your birthday and I’ve been wanting to meet your little dagger ducklings forever now,” he smiled at the nickname Y/n had given the pilots. They really were his ducklings. “Let me talk with Hank and the venue manager. Show doesn’t start till seven so there’s plenty of time. Just hang tight and I’ll call you back, okay? I know you're probably losing your mind because you don’t want to miss tonight’s show knowing it’s the last of the tour, but you also want to spend time with them while they're in town. Imma make sure you get both, pretty boy…..and maybe a little something more when the night comes to a close.”

Fuck that got Mav blushing, knowing exactly what she was implying. “Y/n…”

“Love you, Pete. Wait for my call.” Telling her the same, Mav hangs up the phone and reenters the living room. Rooster immediately meets his eye, lifting a thumbs up to which Mav returns with a gesture to signify he was working on it. For the next thirty minutes the squad makes small talk until his phone rings again. “Hey.”

“Would it be okay if you put me on speaker?”

A smile forms on his lips, “Sure thing,” he looks at the group to catch their attention, “Someone wants to say hi,” they all, minus Rooster who’s smirking, watch with confused expressions as Mav hits the speaker button and places the phone on the table. “What have you got for us, honey?” The second the pet name leaves his lips, Mav sees Fanboy drop his now empty cup of water, Phoenix slap a hand over her mouth, Javy pushing Jake and vice versa muttering ‘holy shit.’ Everyone else pretty much does something similar when Y/n’s voice echoes through the receiver, “Hello hello, aviators.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yo this ain’t happening right now.”

“Guys, guys, shut up—holy shit.”

Y/n laughed at the reactions. “It’s so nice to finally—even if it’s over the phone at the moment—meet you guys! Pete talks about you all everyday.”

“I-I wish we could say the same about you, ma’am,” Payback nervously laughs. “We didn’t even know the man was hitched until an hour ago. Also we apologize for the fanboying-fangirling, it’s an honor to speak to such a legend. You’re an icon.”

“Oh you’re too kind,” she awes, “thank you so much. I hope you guys can forgive him for not saying anything—he meant well.”

“We understand,” Phoenix says on their behalf. “We’d also like to say sorry for showing up to your house uninvited—your home is beautiful by the way. We-we just wanted to surprise Captain Mitchell since it’s been so long since we were all together and he’s done so much for us.”

“I think that’s so amazing you guys did that! I wish I could’ve been home to greet you guys and see the look on his face. Did he cry by any chance?”

“Honey please…” Mav pleaded, causing everyone to laugh.

“I’m sorry, babe. Anyways, Pete tells me you guys are in town for the weekend and well……tonight the Romantics and I are playing our last show in L.A at seven. Bradley and Pete were set to leave San Diego around four to make it on time and if y’all are up for the short drive…..I have seven passes reserved with your names on them.”

The reaction of the dagger squad could only be described with a singular word: chaos.

First it was more of denial, but then they saw Maverick and Rooster’s face and realized Y/n was in fact serious. She was inviting them to her concert. The final show in her band’s reunion tour. The soon to be Rock n Roll Hall of Famers.

Yeah, they about lost their minds.

“I gotta call my mom—she’s gonna flip!”

“How the hell am I supposed to continue living life after this?”

“This is your birthday Mav!” Phoenix pointed at him while Bob had his hands in his face, expression unreadable. “You’re not supposed to be giving us anything, it's the other way around!”

“Nat, I would love nothing more than to spend my birthday with you guys at the concert tonight.” That just about made her tear up.

“Yo so this is legit?” Coyote held up a hand, trying to calm his excitement. “We’re actually going?”

“Hell yeah!” Jake said, Rooster and Payback agreeing with a high-five. “What the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets.”

“Y/n, thank you so much,” Hondo said on their behalf. “I’m sorry if you can’t hear over these clowns in the background, but I’ll speak for everyone when I say that we are so grateful for you to invite us to experience your show together and celebrate Mav’s birthday. I don’t think we’ll stop thanking you so be warned.”

After a few more minutes of mainly the squad bombarding the rockstar with words of gratitude and thanks, Y/n informs Pete of where to go when they get to the venue and she’ll meet them backstage to give them the passes. When they say their goodbyes and hang up, Coyote goes, “Okay so I don’t know about y’all…but I cannot walk into a rock concert dressed like this,” he gestures to his gray Navy t-shirt and torn jeans, “How much time we got, Cap?” The question has Pete check his watch.

“If we wanna get there before the doors open, I’d say we should leave in about two hours. It’s gonna take at least two hours to get to L.A, and we gotta consider traffic.” Mav thinks for a moment before saying, “I may have something that can help. Follow me.”

In one of the many closets used as a storage place, Pete removed a box from the self and opened it to reveal a bunch of vintage t-shirts of Y/n & the Romantics.

“Oh my gosh this is so cool,” Fanboy awed. Some of the shirts were literally from the 80s and 90s but looked to be in new condition, meaning they must have been extras Y/n kept for safekeeping. Nowadays it was hard for someone to get their hands on anything with the classic logo of Y/n & the Romantics unless it was from Etsy or a private seller. Stores like Hot Topic, Spencers, and those dedicated to the 80s or retro-like were the only places to buy the new style of merchandise. But these in the box, they were classic.

“Look through and see if you can find anything. There’s several sizes and styles—most of these were from their ‘Heartbreaker’ era but you may find some from ‘Love is the Eighth Deadly Sin,’ or ‘Rock ‘n’ Rolling to Heaven.’ We have some leather jackets I’d be happy to lend you guys—and Nat, Y/n wanted me to tell you that you’re more than welcome to borrow anything you’d like.” Her eyes go wide.

“Oh I couldn’t possibly—.”

Rooster claps his hands excitedly, cutting Nat off much to her annoyance, “Time to turn you guys into rockstars. Fuck yeah! This is gonna be the best night ever!”

So that’s how the famed naval aviators ended up in their vehicles on a two hour journey to Los Angeles. It was far from what they expected when they set out to surprise Pete Mitchell, but in Maverick fashion things take a different turn when one least expects it. The couple’s dog sitter was called to tend to their animals since it was likely they would not be coming home till the next day. Just after 3:30pm the squad, now dressed like they were straight from the 80s by cutting holes in their jeans and wearing leather jackets and chains Maverick provided, gathered in the cars and hit the road. Maverick and Rooster ended up driving, with Hondo, Coyote, Hangman and Payback in Mav’s SUV and Fanboy, Bob, and Phoenix with Rooster in the Bronco.

Upon instance from Y/n after chatting briefly with her on the phone to make sure it was okay, Nat relented on wearing the red leather Prada two piece set the rockstar wore at the 1994 MTV video awards. It fit like a glove on the pilot, jaw dropping when she looked at herself in the mirror, “Damn.” While in the car she applied some black eye pencil and smudged it out to give her that 80s grunge appearance, to which she made Fanboy and Bob do the same, “Bradshaw, I expect you to rock this too.” At a red light he applied it like a pro, like he’d done it many times before not even needing to fix it.

The entire way both vehicles played Y/n & the Romantics decades worth of music. It surprised a lot of the crew when they recognized some songs from movies and tv shows they had no idea were by them. “This was in Stranger Things!” Coyote shouted over the sound, head banging his head along to the beat. Another song had Bob go, “Wasn’t this in the Guardians of The Galaxy?”

By the time they got to L.A the city life was at its prime. Traffic was insane as usual but thankfully they made it to the Staples Center just before six o’clock. The sign outside the venue glowed bright with ‘Y/n & The Romantics—Rockin’ Down Memory Lane Reunion Tour. TONIGHT ONLY—SOLD OUT.’ Pete pulled in front of Rooster to speak to the guard when they got to the back gate. After speaking through a radio for confirmation they allowed the two cars to enter and directed them on where to go.

When they get in the building it’s buzzing all around them. Crew members of both the band and the venue run past and speak into radios. They could barely make out the words combined with the faint rumble of the crowd inside. Before a security guard could ask why they were there, Y/n’s managers, Hank and Tasha Robinson noticed them and rushed over. “Pete! Great to see ya!” The pilot exchanged hugs with the couple. They then greet Bradley, who they’ve known since he was a child, and the squad, “You guys must be the pilots! It’s nice to meet you all—are you excited for the show?”

“Absolutely.” “Can’t wait!” “We’re so excited.” “Thank you for allowing us to come on such short notice.”

“You all look great!” Tasha grinned, gasping when she saw Nat’s outfit, “Oh my goodness. Hank, look! You recognize this?” Blushing immensely, Nat didn’t know how to react besides laughing nervously as they complimented her. “You look fabulous, darling.”

“Thank you. It’s an honor to wear it—I-I hope I did it justice.”

At that moment Y/n came around the corner, a slight skip in her step until she was lifted into Pete’s arms causing her to break into giggles. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two weeks while she was touring the west coast cities. It filled the squad with warmth seeing their mentor/friend so happy. Nerves filled them, they were about to meet one the greatest voices of rock music.

Mav spun Y/n around before setting her back down, the two sharing a sweet kiss. “Missed you, baby.”

“I missed you too,” he says against her lips, kissing them once more before guiding her to the group. Bradley is the first to hug Y/n, who squeals in delight since it had been months since they last saw each other.

“Hey sugar, look at you! It seems like every time I see you, you got a new look going on,” she fluffs his hair which was now lighter in tone after he got some highlights. “You look good, Roo. Is this a new shirt?” she gestures to the Hawaiian shirt beneath the leather jacket Bradley was wearing.

“Had to pull it out for the special occasion,” he gives her a sweet kiss to the cheek while handing her the bouquet of flowers he and Mav got. Thanking him, Y/n grins at the sight of the group standing behind him.

“And you fellas must be the famous dagger squad I’ve heard all about!” They were literally speechless as they stared back at the singer. She literally was what one would envision when they thought of a rockstar. Smudged eyeliner with sparkly eyeshadow framed her eyes, dark red lipstick and her outfit was black leather that showed a bit of skin due to some cutouts, but was still modest. Where the skin showed they could make out intricate tattoos and both her arms had half sleeves of ink. She had on a harness with silver chains, thigh high boots with studs along the sides.

She was THE rockstar.

Though in her late 50s, Y/n was still breathtakingly beautiful. Yeah there was some grayness to her otherwise shiny, healthy hair, and some age lines around her eyes and mouth that poked through the makeup, but Y/n could literally pass for mid to late 40s. Same with Pete who just turned 60 and looked amazing for his age. Standing next to each other, they were one hot ass couple.

“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you guys—in person now! Ah I’ve been buzzing with excitement since we got off the phone earlier,” she clapped her hands, moving to Fanboy who was internally losing it like his namesake.

“I-I hi, w-wow. I’m Mickey Garcia—or talk about irony, you may call me Fanboy. It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. L/n—Mitchell uh-I’m sorry. I’m a big fan.”

Y/n giggled, shaking his outstretched hand before bringing him into a friendly hug. “Oh honey, I don’t even know what to call myself sometimes. But, please call me Y/n. You guys are family now.” She goes down the line to meet each pilot, shaking their hand and hugging while saying their name back to instill it in her memory. Of course she knew their names and faces from photos, but meeting them in person was completely different and Y/n wanted to make sure she would remember who was who. When she gets to Natasha’s she can’t help but shriek, “Yay you wore it! You look amazing-oh my gosh!”

“Thank you so much,” Nat blushes again, this time because the owner of said outfit she wore was gushing over her. “Thank you for letting me wear it—I will do my best to not let anything happen to it.” Y/n assures her to not worry about it and the two have the band photographer take a couple photos of them. The guys video the whole thing causing Phoenix to flip them off at times which has the married couple laugh. Soon the band comes out, causing Fanboy, Bob, and Coyote to almost lose it and before they know it everyone is conversing like it was an ordinary Friday night. Hondo, Mav, Y/n, Phoenix and Payback are off to the side with Maya, Evan, and their kids while the others are chatting with other members and their families who came to the show.

“It’s unreal to think this year marks forty-four years,” Evan said, sitting on one of the chairs with his hand on Maya’s lower back who stood beside him.

“Yeah,” she agreed with a smile, “just a group of kids we were then. With a dream only the effects of good ole weed could give us the confidence to have our asses out at that park and hope someone would hear us.”

Y/n drops her head laughing, aware of the somewhat surprised looks of the aviators and Hondo. “Wait-really?” Y/n was known for her exhilarating stage presence. She was like Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Micheal Jackson, always captivating the crowd and keeping them hype. When watching the performances it was like Y/n was in her own little world and thrived on the energy.

“It was the 70s,” she shrugged, still smiling which made her eyes crinkle. “Believe it or not we all used to have stage fright—especially in the beginning when we first started performing. We were….gosh fourteen when we signed, fifteen when we performed on Johnny Carson. Good Lord I was shaking in my boots in the dressing room,” she gave a mock shake of the shoulders, reliving the memory, “The only way I could get up there and sing was if I had smoked. Took the edge off.” Maya and Evan nodded in agreement, Y/n leaning into Maverick’s arms as he stood behind her chair. “I think it was after we toured in ‘85 for ‘Love Is The Eighth Deadly Sin,’ that I could perform without anything. Though I still did it at times,” her smile fell into more of a sad expression, adding, “and unfortunately being in the industry at that time, and being so young, we were exposed to other things.”

She didn't have to explain to the aviators, for it was public knowledge when they read up on the band during their drive that Y/n, Ronnie and Danny had admitted to experimenting in the 80s with cocaine. It was common in that era, with many artists and actors in Hollywood able to get their hands on it easily. For Y/n, it was the frontman of another rock group she’d been romantically linked to who introduced her to the drug. Thankfully nothing ever happened that caused a big scandal or had the members needing professional help. They had their family, the support of their crew and each other so they never let anyone fall too deep to where they couldn’t get back up.

“But we survived,” Maya emphasizes, beaming at her husband, “and it sure has been one hell of a ride since. I can’t wait for November—I think I’m more excited for the induction ceremony than I was for the Super Bowl.” Evan goes on to playfully reject the claim, insisting his wife was way more excited about getting that call over 20 years ago than the news just last month about the Hall of Fame.

Y/n just shakes her head with fondness, leaning more into Maverick, who kisses the top of her head.

“Brings back memories, huh? Here at the Staples Center again after so many years.”

“Yeah,” he says softly, his friends chatting with the guitarist and bassist. “I just wish Ice and Slider were here. Then it would really be a blast from the past.”

“I saw Slider when we played in Florida. He brought the whole family—it was amazing.”

“Yeah he called me afterwards. Said you guys put on the best show of the year,” his lips curled up, leaning more towards her ear, “he also told me you threw in a song in the set I was going to get a kick out of.”

Y/n mirrored his smile, eyes full of mischief, “Oh you will, but I ain’t saying nothing, hot stuff. You’ll have to wait for when it comes up.”

“Can’t wait,” he chuckles, kissing her cheek lovingly.

Roughly ten minutes later the stage manager was rushing over, “We’re down to t-minus twenty till showtime people—we gotta start clearing!” Immediately the band are hurrying to say their goodbyes. Y/n practically runs to find the person needed to take the group to their seats. When she does, they hand out the passes to each person, “Julius is going to take you all up to the room. It’s gonna be one of the VIP boxes, the closest to the stage I believe, and it should have sodas, water, alcohol, and food. But if you need anything then just run it by him.”

They all spit out words of gratitude, blown away by the special treatment they were receiving. Y/n takes her time to hug each one of the pilots, who wish her good luck and thank her again for everything. Rooster lets his hug linger a bit longer, as does Maverick who brings the woman into a passionate kiss. “Thank you for doing this, baby. I owe you.”

“It’s your birthday, Pete. You know I would do anything to make you happy,” she lowers her voice into his ear, kissing the area just below, “Sorry it couldn’t be like the good ole days when I would sneak you into my dressing for some fun.” His hands squeeze her hips, sighing at the memories as she giggled.

“There’s still the after party,” he warns her, tone thick with something she knew all too well.

“I’m well aware, hot stuff.”

They share another kiss. And another. And another before Y/n pushes him away at the teasing shouts of everyone around them, Pete bidding good luck to her and the band before he sets off with the group. Rooster nudges him, smirking at the retired pilot, “well that kiss sure would motivate anyone about to go on stage.”

“Don’t start, Bradley.”

By the time they reached the room, they could literally feel the rumble of the crowd when the lights in the arena shut off. “Holy shit,” Mickey said, the first to open the balcony door of the room where they would view the show. Inside were couches, chairs, tvs, and refreshments. Coyote had his phone out, videoing the scene for his instagram story as they all grabbed beers and water before taking spots on the balcony.

The sight was surreal. The stage was to their left and extended out, splitting the floor in half. Approximately 20,000 people could fit in the Staples Center, and from the looks of it 20,000 people were in attendance. It was a sold out show after all. People from all age groups were there. Hell Bob swore he saw some young kids on the shoulders of their parents. The most were obviously the older crowd who likely grew up in the 80s, but there were definitely college kids and Millennials.

It got louder and louder when the two minute countdown appeared on the Jumbotron, along with a video montage of the band. Some clips showed them when they were first starting out up to them preparing for the reunion tour. As it drew closer to zero, the video showed a pre-taped montage of each member taking their place on stage. Maya wrapping the strap of her bass around her shoulder, Evan with his guitar. Ronnie taking place in front of the keyboard and Danny sitting at his drums. Lastly Y/n strutted up to the microphone, the clock hitting zero the moment her hand raises in the air and the arena goes black.

Not even a second passes before Evan’s opening guitar riff sends the crowd roaring. It was the opening to, ‘Thunderstruck,’ a song that literally was in almost every modern day action movie known to man. It was hilarious to see the guys and Phoenix lose their shit, recognizing the iconic song. There was a black curtain keeping the actual stage hidden from everyone's view, but chills came onto everyone’s arms when Y/n’s voice filled their ears

“I was caught in the middle of a railroad track.” The crowd echoed the ‘Thunder,’ with the band. “I looked ‘round and I knew there was no turning back.”

“THUNDER!” The squad shouted, fist pumping and beginning to dance. Already they knew it was going to be the best night of their lives.

When the curtain gave way as Y/n hit the chorus of the song, the audience literally exploded, increasing in volume when she shouted into the mic, “Los Angeles let me hear you!!!!” The camera’s were glued to her as she strutted down the middle of the stage where it split the floor. Her voice carried with each lyric, living up to the hype and sounding as though it was still 1985.

Nat—scratch that all of the guys, especially Maverick, were in awe. Jaws dropped, except Rooster who was living his best life having experienced a Y/n & the Romantics show as a teenager. Now as an adult man the aviator was overjoyed seeing his second mom performing on stage again with her best friends.

“Cap, your wife is the coolest person on earth!” Hangman shouted against the loud music. Maverick simply beamed, eyes never leaving his wife, “I know.”

When the song came to an end, Y/n sighed lovingly, “Ahhh it’s good to be back. We’ve missed you all dearly. Did you miss us?” She paused, screams igniting before adding, “That’s what I’m talking about, baby. It’s been twenty years since we last performed here at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and we’d like to thank you all immensely for welcoming us back. We’ve worked hard the past two years putting this show together for you, the fans. For all of you regardless if you’re just discovering us, or have been rockin since 1979.”

The energy was off the charts the entire concert. Y/n was feeding off of it on stage, and in turn her presence was feeding the crowd. In between sets she interacted with her friends/bandmates, often coming close to those on the floor to ask how they were.

“You having fun tonight?” Everyone nodded frantically, a woman close to the stage shouting, “So much fun! We love you!”

“We love you too, doll. Don’t worry the night is just getting started.” After the first couple songs Y/n informs the crowd, “I hope you all don’t mind, but as you know this is the ‘Rockin’ Down Memory Lane’ tour,” cheers erupted from every angle, “so as a treat for you fine folks this evening, we won’t just be rockin down our own memory lane. We wanna give some shoutouts to some of the greats rock music has ever seen, and some of the friends we made being a part of this world thanks to all of you. And what better way to start than by kicking it off with the song that got us discovered in the first place.”

The audience was going crazy, die hard fans knowing damn well what song the rockstar was referring to. “Whoooo!!!” Coyote felt the chills when Y/n belted out the opening of ‘Cry Baby’ by Janis Joplin. “Damn girl, sing it!” One of the hardest songs to sing, Y/n had so much emotion it nearly brought a tear to some of their eyes. Rooster brought his finger to his mouth to whistle when the song finished.

The band would do three more of their songs or a medley before covering another artist/group. “Y’all may have heard the rumor…..of the special club we’re being invited to join this fall,” Y/n smirked, hand on her hip next to Maya. Cheering indicated the crowd were aware of the news. “We’re not the only ones. Some friends of ours were also invited. You may have heard of them….Duran Duran?” She pauses to let them scream, the woman chuckling before bringing the mic back to her lips. “They just played recently at the Garden and gave a special rendition of our ‘Highway To Hell,’….so we thought to return the favor,” pausing again, Y/n nods to her band where they begin their cover of ‘Hungry Like The Wolf,’ sending the audience into a frenzy.

“I fucking love this song!!” Nat screams excitedly, passing her beer to Rooster so she could freely dance without worrying about spilling it. The outfit she wore likely cost more than her college tuition. She’d be damned if she let anything happen to it.

“Darken the city, night is a wire,” The smile never left Y/n’s face, “Steam in the subway, earth is afire.” Chills happened along her arms when the entire stadium echoed, “do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.”

She couldn’t wait to see how the guys of Duran Duran, who she and the Romantics were lucky to call friends, react to them singing their song. On Twitter she hinted at wanting to do another collaboration after seeing the video of the band perform their ‘Highway To Hell’. In 1988 the two groups released a single together, topping the Billboard charts for nearly 30 weeks. Plus both were being inducted in November to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Surely it would the collab of the century if they did.

Halfway through the show they took an intermission. During that time everyone had a bathroom break, ate some of the food provided and grabbed more drinks. Thankfully Mav did inform them Y/n’s managers got them hotel rooms not too far from the venue so they didn’t have to worry about driving back to San Diego late. When the band returned on stage for the second half of the show it appeared they had changed outfits. Y/n now sported black leather shorts that ended midthigh with fishnets tucked into her leather knee-high boots and a cropped Def Leppard shirt. The sides were cut out showing off her lace bodysuit beneath it. They went straight into songs from their ‘Love & Thunder’ era that took place in the early 90s.

Not too long after she was flagged down by the stage manager, Rick, who was in front of the floor barricade. “What do we have here?” She hummed curiously, taking the two evelopes from him. Rick shouted that it was from the couple directly behind him, who were waving frantically at the singer. The envelop on top said ‘read first.’ Confirming she could read it aloud, Y/n brought the audience to a low tone so everyone could hear.

“Dear Y/n, Maya, Evan, Ronnie, and Danny,” she read off into the mic, glancing to her friends who appeared just as curious as her. “Our names are Damien and Alana Michaels, we’re both 31 years old and met six years ago because of our shared love for your music,” Y/n awed, beaming at the couple then laughed when the letter followed, “We met at a record store and practically fought over the last copy of your limited edition vinyl of ‘Rock n Rollin to Heaven’. We were over the moon when you announced the reunion tour and feel we’ve come full circle tonight seeing as that we fell in love because your music has been an influencial part of our lives. Alana is five months pregnant with our first child,” cheering erupted, causing Y/n to speak louder into the microphone with a giant grin, “Would you do us the honor in revealing the gender of our baby?”

Y/n let the crowd scream for a moment before calming them down again, settling her gaze on the couple, “This envelope right here,” she holds up the unopened document, “has the gender of your baby?”

“Yes!” Alana shouts in glee while Damien nods, mirroring his wife’s expression.

“Give me one moment, honey—don’t go anywhere.” The stadium watches the rockstar rush to her friends, calling them over away from the mics to have a quick chat. Opening the envelope, the camera catches their reaction for the screen and they all talk for a moment before taking back their respective places.Y/n runs over to the couple again, a little out of breath, “Alright! Alana, Damien, congratulations are in store. You are bringing a new life into the world, and the Romantics and I think the best way for you to welcome them is by singing this song when they arrive,” she then looks to the crows, “To anyone who knows the words, feel free to sing along. On three guys,” she points to her friends and counts off, “One…two…three!”

“Isn’t she lovely?” Alana visibly broke into tears while Damien jumps up and down in joy. The band where harmonizing with the frontwoman, the stadium so loud it was hard to hear at times, but thankfully the speakers were at full amp to hear them sing. The couple embraced each other, consumed with happiness at the news. “Isn’t she wonderful?”

“Isn’t she precious?” Staples Center practically echoed with 20,000 people singing Stevie Wonder’s song. Y/n grinned, loving ever second of the coordinated tune. “Less than one minute old.”

“I never thought,” Y/n belted out, “through love we’d be.”

“Making one as lovely as she.”

“But isn’t she lovely, made from love,” Drawing out the ‘love’ Y/n finished the verse by shouting against the screams, “IT’S A GIRL!” Handing back the envelope with the gender to Rick, Y/n asked if she could keep the letter to which the couple agreed. Pocketing it in her shorts, Y/n says, “Congratulations Alana and Damien! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this exiting moment. On behalf of the Romantics and everyone in attendance, we wish you the absolute best on bringing your daughter into the world and may she be blessed with joy all her life….and maybe unleash her inner rockstar from time to time,” laughter erupted, “give it up for Alana, Damien, and Baby girl Michaels!!”

Fifteen more minutes pass of the band performing their songs before taking a five minute break to set up for their next cover.

“Alright,” Y/n takes a breath, walking down the end of the extended stage. “This next trip down memory lane, has me want to ask you all a question. Ready to hear it?” When they respond with an echo, ‘yes!!’ Y/n allows the smirk to appear, “Do you guys have that one song…that you would call, your stripper song?” A laugh escapes her by the increase in volume from the sold out arena. She could just picture what looks her husband received from his former students. “You know that one song that has you thinking, ‘Gosh give me a pole and I will work it better than anyone has before,’ that kind of song?” Y/n stops halfway through the long stretch of platform, glancing around to the various sections of people.

“I would like to sing for you my stripper song—o-oh okaaaay that’s a nice reaction,” she chuckled, winking at a few spectators on the floor who were like, ‘Hell yeah!’ Pointing a finger out to a random direction, she says with a knowing look, “Now if this happens to be your stripper song too, don’t you get naked—this ain’t that kind of show,” laughter fills her ears, “Plus there's children here tonight, so technically this is a family show. So I would like to apologize now to the parents, but then again, this is a fucking rock show,” the cheers escalated, agreeing with the woman on what she was about to say, “So if you didn’t want them to see us in our element, you should’ve left them at home. But please, for the love of God, keep your clothes on if this song happens to get you in the same mood it gets me. Ready guys!”

“We're ready, babe!” Maya shouts with Evan, Danny and Ronnie giving a thumbs up.

“Step inside!” Y/n yells into the mic.

“Walk this way!” They shout into their own.

“You and me babe!”

“Hey! Hey!”

unworldly, was the way best to describe the Staples Center when the opening chords of Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me,’ sounded through the speakers. No wonder she wore the band’s shirt, hinting they were going to cover one of their songs at some point. Fans went crazy when Y/n did some of her iconic moves like crawling on the floor, flipping her hair back and forth and even usuing the mic stand as though it was a pole. She was in her element, the stage was truly where she shined.

Some of the guys were hollaring, patting Maverick on the back with knowing looks. The older man was blushing mad when they realized something was on his mind with the way he was staring at his wife. It didn’t help Y/n was biting her lip, running her hands along her body during the ‘Sugar me sweet,’ line. The camera was glued to her the entire performance.

“I know that look!” Hangman pointed out the Captain’s expression.

“Yeah, Mav, if you plan to sneak off to the dressing room after the show, don’t worry we won’t say anything.”

The band went straight into ‘Hollywood Nights,’ by Bob Seger as way to pay homage to the fact they were performing in Los Angeles, Hollywood not too far away. Jake was a big fan of the song and Rooster videoed the pilot dancing his heart out, spinning Nat around at times as they belted the lyrics.

Coming down to the final 30 minutes of the show, Y/n called the crowds attention, “This next song….is dedicated to someone very special in the audience. He’s turning 60 tomorrow and I’m celebrating twenty years of marriage with him in October.” Her smile became wider at the cheers, walking to the side of the stage closest to where Pete and the gang were.

“That’s you, my man!” Rooster playfully shakes Mav, the squad cheering when the camera pans to him. Giving a little wave, Pete blows a kiss to Y/n, who pretends to catch it.

“Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell everyone,” she pauses lightly, “With him tonight is someone who is practically our son—Lord knows I treat him like one,” Rooster does a little dance, the camera zooming out from Mav to capture the aviator next to him. “And some of his former students, the Navy’s finest fighter pilots, who I like to call his, ‘Dagger ducklings.’” The squad awed at the nickname, Fanboy and Coyote hugging up on the man.

“Does this mean you’re our papa duck, Mav?”

“Imma let y’all in on a little secret,” Y/n leans into the mic with a whisper, “That whole thing about us breaking up in the 90s? Yeah, it didn’t happen.” Laughing, Y/n stands back straight, “Right now I’m feeling a little sentimental. Pete and I actually met at a bar about two blocks away after we played here in 1989. It was there he….to put it lightly, swooned me like nobody had ever done before.” Dropping his head onto the railing, Pete’s shoulders shook as he laughed, the memory of that night replaying in his mind. “Maya knows what I’m talking about.”

“Sure do,” the bassist replied. “I think he put on better show than we did.”

“Oh God,” Maverick put a hand to his mouth to cover his grin. So many emotions were flooding him. Mostly warmth, but a tad of embarrassment.

If only Ice and Goose were here to see this.

“He sure did. And tonight I wanna take him and I down memory lane. So ladies and gentlemen, this is for anyone who’s lost that lovin’ feeling.”

Words couldn’t describe what Pete felt listening to Y/n sing, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.’ Maya and Ronnie provided the back up vocals, harmonizing with Y/n during the chorus. The entire time she sang Y/n was swaying and keeping her body faced to the section Pete was at. The two connected eyes at times, lost in each other’s gaze causing the two to feel the love radiate one another.

She sounded so beautiful. Of course it was well known Y/n was very versatile with her music and voice. She could take it high and low, mellowing out for a slow tune. There was a lot of soul in her and the band, which is not surprising since they starting in Atlanta. They grew up on blues, jazz, and classic rock. Inspired by the greats like Billie Holiday, B.B King, Janis Joplin, Elvis, Little Richard, and the Mama’s & Papas.

Pete cheered the loudest in their group when the song came to end, whistling along with Rooster. Y/n blew him a kiss, “Never lose that lovin’ feeling with me, honey.”

Not too long after it came time for the final number. “Imma need ‘Dirty Diana’ for this one,” Y/n announced, moving to the middle of the stage where the mic stand was. A crew member appeared from the side, handing over a neon green Fender Stratocaster. She pulled the strap over her shoulder, “Los Angeles, as we come to tonight’s closing I want you to know you all have, without a doubt, been the best crowd ever. L.A, you know how to bring the energy and we can’t thank you enough for what a blast it’s been playing for you all. What a way to end our tour—can’t believe it’s already over, but fear not…we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Evan, Maya, Ronnie, and Danny all say a few words, then they all thank their managers, crew, friends, and family for allowing them to put on a great show. Lastly they thank the fans in an tearfelt speach, finishing it off telling everyone to have a safe journey back home and to keep rockin n rolling. Y/n closes it out with, “Los Angeles sing this last one with us. It’s been a long way to the top,” the screams got louder, “but worth every damn second.”

Staples Center erupted, Y/n letting her hands work magic on the guitar as she played the opening riff of ‘It’s A Long Way To The To (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) .’ Then Evan came in his riffs followed by Danny’s drums. Maya and Y/n banged their head together, leaning toward one as they feed off each other’s energy.

“Oh shit!” Payback whistled, shaking his shoulder along to the beat. This was a song he used to dance to in college with his buddies. It brought back memories for the pilot, nostalgia filling him just like it was to many in the crowd.

“Ridin’ down the highway. Goin’ to a show. Stop in all the byways. Playin’ rock ‘n’ roll.”

“Gettin’ robber, gettin’ stoned, gettin’ beat up. Broken-boned. Gettin’ had, gettin’ took. I’ll tell you, folks, it’s harder than it looks.”

Pretty much everyone shouted the lyrics in the chorus, one of the most recognizable ones in music history.

“It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll!”

“It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll!”

It went crazy during Y/n’s solo that had all the pilot’s, minus Mav & Rooster, jaws drop. The entire show she hadn’t played the guitar much save for maybe two songs, but it was not to the absolute greatness she was displaying now. Evan guitar solos were off the chain, as were Danny’s drums. Then they had Ronnie tearing it up on the keys with Maya crowning herself the queen of the bass. The voice of the band, Y/n showed she was as talented with the instrument as she was putting lyrics to paper and belting them out for her heart’s desire.

They truly were one of the greatest rock bands to exist.

Even after the song ended they were going hard on the instruments, finishing the show with a literally bang. Lights were flashing, every single person on their feet, Danny and Evan hitting one last solo and instilling the moment as one for the history books.

“Thank you, Los Angeles!! We’ll see you next time! Good night and keep on rockin’!!”

11:58 pm, two blocks away at Melvin’s Planet Enterprise Bar

“Feels like deja vu,” Y/n laughed, dancing with Pete to the tune of ‘When Doves Cry’ in the familiar bar. Though it had a new name and owner, it still gave the same effect as it did in 1989. This time, however, there were posters of Y/n & the Romantics, one of which was signed and framed just above the jukebox playing classic hits and even some of theirs.

Y/n had changed out of her clothes again, wearing black jeans and tank top with a blue leather jacket that had studs and chains attached to the sides. Her makeup had been touched up, hair pulled in a ponytail. It was almost comical how the scene was just like that night in ‘89 with blue strobe lights shining down on them, making her look illuminated.

The dagger squad were in their own little world, dancing and drinking with each other and the band’s crew members. Jake was getting along quite well with someone from Y/n’s glam team, Nat chatting with a member of the security. Then there was Coyote dancing with the oldest daughter of Maya and Evan. They had rented out the place after the show, everyone hauling ass to celebrate the end of the tour. All grown up, the children of the Romantics could enjoy the night as well, not having to worry about being underage now that the youngest of the bunch had turned 21 the previous month.

When they arrived the party was in full blast, Rooster pulling Y/n to the dance floor to share a dance. Then they duetted ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ with him on the piano. Everyone sang at the top of their lungs. Pete held Y/n, head banging with her at the ‘Mine! Mine! Mine!’ bit and sneaking kisses during, ‘kiss me, baby!’

When her feet started to hurt from standing, Y/n sat in Pete’s lap and nursed a cocktail while they chatted with Hondo and Ronnie’s wife. Over in a corner Bob was on the phone with his family after his sister saw Phoenix’s instagram story, “You saw Y/n & the Romantics tonight!?! How the hell did you manage to get tickets—they were sold out!”

“Uhh….you remember my instructor from that mission awhile back? Turns out he’s marrried to Y/n L/n.”

“WHAT!?! Pete Mitchell was your instructor!?” Bob swore his mother about went into cardiac arrest, screaming when Y/n appeared on screeen after he politely asked if she would mind saying hello to his mother. The rockstar of course said yes, she loved interacting and meeting supporters. They were the reason she got to live her dream. Bob nearly cried seeing his mother in tears, overcome with emotion at the fact she was meeting her favorite singer of all time. After the call ended Y/n gave the WSO a tour program she had all the members sign, “give this to your momma for me. Tell her I hope to see her on the next tour.”

The dagger squad were literally becoming Y/n’s adoptive children by the second. Mickey couldn’t believe he got her to do a tiktok with him, then she had a shot of tequila with Reuben. As Nat danced the woman hyped her up with Maya and she had a semi dance off with Javy. Throughout the night stories were told about meeting Princess Diana in 1995, playing in New York on New Year’s Eve of 1999, the Super Bowl, and their iconic performance at the first MTV video music awards in 1984. They were like children gathered by the Christmas tree listening to her read a book. All they could think was how cool she was and the fact the band had truly changed the world of music over their spand of 40 years.

Prince’s iconic ‘When Doves Cry’ started to play just before midnight and it was like slow motion for the rockstar, moving to her husband who was already staring at her with the same expression. Now they really were back in 1989.

“It does,” Mav beamed at his wife, the song hitting it’s second verse. “Only thing missing are the cameras flashing, Ice and Slider sending me a thumbs up, and jealous looks from patrons.” His words make her giggle, throwing her head back slightly.

“Ice is definitely giving you a thumbs up with Goose,” her voice turns soft, stroking the side of his neck, “Bradley’s got his phone out. No doubt videoing us as I speak. He knows how significant this song is.”

“Remind me to have him send me it,” he tells her, dipping her suddenly causing her to squeal. Lips press to her cheek when he pulls her back up.

“Wanna know something though, hot stuff?”

“What?”

The light hitting her eyes shows off the mischief matching her smirk, “This time ‘round, you won’t just be getting a kiss goodnight. You actually get to take me home.” Thank god the lighting hid the color of his face, otherwise she would get a good look at how red it was.

It didn’t stop her from seeing the smile however, Mav shaking his head playfully. He didn’t have to reply for her to know what he was thinking. Just his laugh was enough.

As the clock stuck midnight, Y/n brought him into a sweet kiss, “Happy Birthday, Pete. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby. Thank you.”

The rest of the night was filled with celebration, not just for the epic end of the tour and impending induction as Rock ‘N’ Roll hall of famers, but also the life of the Navy’s most famous pilot. Until it came time to leave, not a single minute was wasted in having the best night of their lives.

All of which happened because two souls decided to go to the same bar after a concert. One a spectator, the other the performer. Both who made names of themselves in their own right, embedding their legacy forever for generations to come. It took a hell of a time to do it, but as one knows….it’s a long way to the top you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.

……………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan, @caitsymichelle13, @poppyalice2001, @cutelittlepotatofry

[plaidbooks]

Darling, may I have “snowstorms and warm cuddles” with either Helnik or Mathias with reader/an oc 🥹🥰❤️

Of course, my love! This will be Matthias x reader, and it takes place before he meets the Crows - while he's still in the drüskelle.

This also covers the Snowed in/Blizzard square in @storiesofsvu bingo!

~~~~~~~~~

The wind whipped against the sides of the tent, and Matthias suppressed a shiver. It was nice and toasty within the canvas walls, a roaring fire in the center. The only opening to the outside world was the sealed entrance and the hole way up in the top of the tent, which let the fire's smoke out.

His squad had left hours ago on a recon mission; he was still salty that he had been elected to stay behind. Matthias normally led these types of missions, but he recently received a rough blow to his side during a skirmish, and he was still bruised and sore.

So, he stayed behind to protect their equipment. And with how a blizzard was stirring up outside, he knew that he'd be alone for a few days.

For a moment, the wild quieted, and the sound of snapping twigs could be heard. It only took Matthias a moment to have his rifle at the ready, his sword on his side within reach.

He waited in silence, facing the sealed entrance, body tense for battle. But all he heard was the howling wind and his own heartbeat in his ears.

Matthias barely blinked, his breath steady; in, out, in, out. There! The wind shifted and footsteps in the slush outside could be heard. Only, they seemed...sluggish. It wasn't the sound of marching troops or stealthy assassins.

It sounded like one, tired person.

Keeping his rifle at the ready, Matthias inched to the canvas door. Slowly, carefully, he cracked it open. Cold wind and snow blasted him in the face, and if he hadn't spent his entire life in Fjerda, he would've had to shake it off.

Instead, he trudged outside, aiming and looking at his surroundings. A twig snapped to his right and he whipped that direction. But instead of a soldier or Grisha, it seemed to simply be...a woman?

Matthias opened his mouth to ask you to identify yourself, but your eyes rolled back and you collapsed forward.

Dropping his rifle in the snow, he barely caught you before you landed on the ground. He only had a moment of indecision before he lifted you, carrying you back into the tent.

He laid you by the fire before going back and resealing the entrance. If this was some sort of trick, it was very believable; though you were bundled up, your visible skin was tingled blue.

If Matthias didn't find a way to warm you, you'd surely freeze to death.

Trying not to think to hard about what he was seeing, he started to undress you, throwing your cold, drenched clothes to the other side of the fire for drying. He left you in your underclothes - they were dry and kept some modesty for you.

Then, he collected every stray fur he could muster, wrapping you in them. At one point, as he was covering you with a bear-skinned blanket, he noticed that your body was shaking.

Good, he thought, the shock has worn off. She is warming.

Once piled with furs, Matthias laid down next to you. He knew you wouldn't feel his body heat with all these layers, but he wanted to hold them tighter to you.

Gently, his hands dove underneath the furs - he didn't make it to bare skin, but close enough that he could rub the furs against you, the friction creating more heat.

He wasn't sure how long he held you like this, trying to force warmth back into your body. But after a long time, you finally stirred.

"Hmm?" you hummed, voice weak.

"Just rest," Matthias replied. "You're going to need it."

You went silent so long that he figured you must've fallen back asleep. That is, until you mumbled, "thank you, sir."

A warmth that had nothing to do with furs or fire blossomed in his chest. But before he could question it, you slipped back into unconsciousness.

[banal-isenatha]

"No Better Love"

Lin Beifong/Criminal!OC

Her fingers twitched slightly as Lin’s whole focus never strayed from you, the sound of the key locking into place faint in the room as you dropped your shirt too, quickly followed by your bra, both garments forming a pile on the desk, right over the paperwork scattered there.

Lin remained leaning back in her chair, chin in the palm of her hand as she had her elbow propped up on the armrest while the fingers of her other hand tapped against her thigh. The picture of unbothered seriousness, but you knew better.

She was a coil, ready to spring at any moment once given the right push.

And you just knew how…

Lin sipped calmly on her tea, her eyes closing at the warm yet bitter taste. Headquarters was quiet, nothing was on fire yet, the late afternoon breeze was coming gently through the window at her back and cooling her office, and her desk was thankfully empty of paperwork for once.

Peace and quiet…now this is a miracle.

The metalbender let out a soft sigh, relaxing further in her chair.

Peace and…

The sound of rushing footsteps echoed in the hallways beyond her door, followed by increasing murmurs that grew louder the closer they got until the door of her office was slammed open.

…quiet.

“Chief! We have a situation at the Probending Arena. A fight broke out.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, placing her mug down.

“So? Send in a squad-”

Her words were interrupted by another officer coming in, his green eyes wide.

“Ma’am, the First Gentlemen is on the phone for you.”

Great…

With a low grunt, Lin reached over her desk, picking up the phone.

“Chief Beifong here-”

“WELL, ABOUT DAMN TIME!” she gritted her teeth at the loud voice, holding the phone slightly away from her ear, “THIS IS A MESS THROUGH AND THROUGH! I WANT THE BEST OFFICERS HERE ASAP! YOUR ENTIRE FORCE ON THE CASE!”

“Quit your screeching, Varrick. What happened?”

“WHAT HAPPENED?! I WAS VICTIM OF A TERRORIST ATTACK, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED!!”

Lin’s eyebrow furrowed as she stood up from her desk.

“Are you injured? What-?”

“YOU THERE! PUT THAT THING DOWN YOU HEAR ME-!?!”

As the line went dead, the metalbender bit back a curse, her hand slamming the phone down before she rounded her desk, marching out of the room and barking out.

“Get me all available units to the Probending Arena this instant!”

.

.

.

“…in hindsight, we might have overplayed our hand.”

“You think?”

Ren rolled her eyes at her brother’s deadpanned tone, her expression only slightly apologetic as the two non-benders were currently handcuffed one next to the other, several police officers around them while the rest were busy calming the crowd of the arena, Varrick’s voice jumping off the walls as he relayed the incident and making Dai’s eyes roll in annoyance.

“He’s screeching louder than a lizard-crow.”

“Think anyone ever managed to shut him up?”

Dai scoffed with a smirk, looking at his twin.

“Obviously didn’t work. I wonder how the President handles it.”

“Yeah, right?” Ren snickered, “Bet she just tapes his mouth shut.”

“Bet he talks in his sleep.”

“And I bet Zaila is going to chew you two alive.”

The twins stiffened as they looked up from their position on the floor, their light eyes meeting the unimpressed ones of Chief Beifong as she stared them down with a raised eyebrow.

“…Chief Beifong.”

“Dai. Ren.” Lin crossed her arms over her chest, nodding at the officers around to leave the three of them alone before she spoke up again, “What, exactly, are you two doing here?”

“…watching the match?”

“Really, hm? Who was playing?”

“…”

She raised an expectant eyebrow at Ren’s silence, letting the two know she wasn’t going to fall for it.

“If I may.” she looked at Dai as he spoke, the boy acting as nonchalant as ever, “I don’t remember it being a crime to come to the Arena. So, it’s not like we should be in cuffs.”

The young man looked up at her with a challenging expression, the mannerism reminding Lin so much of you she wanted to snort loudly, but she still managed to keep her expression impassive and instead looked at Ren, her innocent smile never once faltering under her glare.

Spirits help me, she has literally split into two.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lin let out a deep exhale, muttering to herself under her breath, and turned towards two of the officers next to the entrance, calling them over.

“Take them outside, I’ll join you shortly.”

With a nod, the two grabbed the non-benders by their jackets and pulled them up to their feet before walking them out, Ren’s shouted “I want a lawyer!” making the metalbender roll her eyes. Letting out another sigh, she then approached another one of her men closer to the Presidential Suit, her hand waving his salute away.

“Fill me in.”

“It’s less interesting than what it looks like, ma’am.” the Sergeant spoke, reading through his notebook, “A bet gone wrong. Apparently some big shots had bets on the match, which turned out to be rigged. The two non-benders we caught were posing as heirs of some rich noble from the Earth Kingdom and were in the Presidential Suit when everything turned to chaos. A small scuffle, and a…’priceless bottle of champagne’ was thrown over the railing as the First Gentlemen called us.”

“…a bet gone wrong. That’s it?”

“Yep.”

I’m going to slap that idiotic-

Lin massaged her brow, screaming on the inside until she gave herself a headache, and looked at the Sergeant, nodding tiredly and gesturing around herself.

“Very well. File a report and make sure to clean up this mess.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Once the Arena was cleared off, Lin walked towards Varrick, who had by now (miraculously) calmed down and was sitting on a bench outside, a blanket over his shoulders and a mug of steaming tea gripped in his hands. As soon as he spotted her, the man stood up quickly, the blanket falling off his shoulders and making his assistant scramble to catch it before it hit the ground.

“Chief! I was the victim of a heinous crime!”

Before he could stomp his way towards her, Lin raised a hand to his chest, holding him at arm’s distance.

“Calm down, Varrick.”

“Calm down!? I lost one of the biggest bets of the season!”

“Gambling over Probending matches seems hardly worthy of your position. Does Zhu Li know you’re here?”

The man tsked, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Of course not! It was a surprise.” he called his assistant over, clapping his hands and letting him wrap the blanket around his shoulders once more, “Besides, it was a friendly bet.”

“With whom, exactly?”

“Me, two entrepreneurs, and four ambassadors. But that’s not the point!”

Lin sighed under her breath, her eye twitching as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“There’s a point?”

“Those two,” he pointed at one of the police cars, Ren’s hand waving at him from inside while her brother raised an eyebrow, “Double rigged the match, which I had spent days rigging myself!”

Silence fell between the two as the Chief of police looked at the First Gentlemen, her olive-green eyes impassive as his face showed his indignation.

“…you’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking? Do I??” Varrick moved closer, his face almost touching Lin’s before she pushed him off her, “Lost me several contracts and one of my favourite airships!”

“You rigged a Probending match?!”

“No, I re-rigged an already rigged match and was double rigged by those two! So, technically speaking, I had re-made the match legal before it turned illegal again!” he raised his eyebrow then, holding his chin as he tilted his head to the side, “Though I suppose that makes it triple rigged, not double.”

“Just…shut up for a second.”

Lin bit out, massaging her temples as she battled another headache. Having your kids on the scene was bad enough, but finding out they had rigged a Bending match the First Gentlemen had bet on?

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she looked at Varrick, pointing her finger at him.

“If I catch you pull another stunt like this, I’m going to tell Zhu Li and you’ll have to deal with her.”

She watched in sick pleasure as the man’s face paled in terror, the threat of her snitching him to his wife no doubt managing to get through the poorly-arranged mess he had for brains. She then looked at the police car behind her and the two non-benders inside.

That woman’s family will be the death of me…

Giving Varrick a last meaningful look, she walked towards the car with a stony expression, the people and officers alike around moving out of her way.

“She’s chewing Varrick a new one.”

“Happy days.” Dai snorted, his hands working at the lock of his handcuffs, “What else?”

“Now she’s threatening him.”

Ren grinned, her cheek pressed against the window of the police car as she made faces at Varrick, until she froze, pulling back.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?”

“Now she’s looking at us.”

Dai looked back at his sister, following her line of sight as he stopped fidgeting with the cuffs and met the Chief’s glare, watching her stomp her way over.

“Now she’s walking towards us.”

The front door of the car opened shortly after, Lin’s narrowed eyes going over the two non-benders silently.

“Now she’s-”

“Yeah, I see that, Ren. Thank you.” Dai nudged his sister with his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Lin, “So, can we go?”

Without a word, Lin slammed the door closed once more, making the two almost jump, and turned the engine on before driving off, Ren’s sarcastic voice speaking up after a moment.

“Dai, I may be off here, but I take that was a no.”

“…thank you, Ren.”

.

.

.

The car ride was, in one word, awkward.

Lin drove down the streets silently, her olive-green eyes fixed on the road as she held the steering wheel with one hand, the other holding up her head while she rested her elbow on the door.

In the back, the twins were keeping quiet, Ren busying herself with watching the passing buildings and cars while Dai went back to picking the cuffs around his wrists, which was quickly picked up by Lin.

“Stop that.”

“I’m literally just sitting here.”

“You’re trying to pick the lock, so quit it before you scratch the cuffs.”

“Oh, I’m sorry if I’m not exactly comfortable having metal chafing me.”

“Say,” Ren suddenly spoke up, tilting her head to the side, “you can just make new ones with metal, no? Why do you care about a pair?”

Lin felt her eye start twitching again, her fingers massaging the spot slowly while her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Spirits, please, give me the patience…

“One: you have them on because you’re, in case you’ve missed it, under arrest. Two: while I can make new ones with metal, I’m not going to waste my time doing it every time. Three: stop. picking. the. lock!”

The car went silent once more at the final outburst, Dai’s eyes rolling while Ren let out a soft ‘sheesh’ under her breath, the two non-benders sagging back into the seat of the car.

Small mercies.

Reaching for her radio, Lin changed the frequency before speaking into it, waiting for someone on the other side to pick up. And she didn’t have to wait long.

“Hello, sweetheart~” your voice sounded clearly over the radio, filling the car, “What can I do for you?”

The metalbender ignored the snickers coming from the back seats, her cheeks flushing slightly before she spoke in a clipped tone.

“Zaila, your kids are here.”

“…oh, are they now?”

The smile in your voice was gone in an instant and Lin watched from the rear mirror as both non-benders tensed, the winces on their faces almost satisfying. Almost.

“Got caught rigging a game in the Probending Arena. Apparently there’s also a false personation charge to add to the pile, not to mention destruction of both private and public property.”

“Hey! We didn’t throw that bottle-!”

“And we didn’t break that table-!”

“Kids.”

The metalbender let out an impressed sound as you shut the two up with just one word, her eyes going briefly to the mirror again as she watched Ren and Dai look down at the carpet under their feet, looking thoroughly chastised.

Biting back her snort, Lin focused back on the radio as she heard you sigh before speaking again.

“I’ll be there in half an hour. That works for you?”

“Sounds good.” she nodded, making a turn towards the street leading to Headquarters, “We’re almost back.”

“Thanks, Lin. And kids, behave. I’ll be there soon.”

This time, Lin didn’t bother with containing her snort as she saw the twins wince again at your tone, their muttered words of affirmation following right after. Placing the radio back, the metalbender drove silently for a bit more before her eyes fell on the non-benders’ disgruntled expressions and after letting out a silent huff, she raised her hand with a lazy movement, the handcuffs coming undone and dropping onto the seats.

“Awesome…”

“Finally…”

The two different reactions pulled a small smirk from Lin, her gaze focusing back on the road as the building of Headquarters became visible.

After a while, she saw from the corner of her eye Ren move closer to the mesh separating the front seats from the back, her face practically pressed against the metal.

“For the record, just because you two date each other doesn’t mean we’ll call you ‘mum’ anytime soon.”

“You ever do that, I’ll make sure not even Zaila will be able to find your remains.”

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

Lin sat down at her desk with a deep exhale, her head tilting back until it was resting against the dark leather, and closed her eyes, taking a moment to recentre herself.

Finally…

“Someone looks exhausted.”

The metalbender’s lips twitched at your voice, her eyes not opening yet.

“And the day is not even over yet.”

“Poor sweetheart.” you chuckled, leaving your spot behind the door and walking towards her, “Running all over the city.”

She felt more than heard you move behind her and place your hands on her shoulders, your fingers moving over the metal of her uniform and reaching the back of her neck, where they started rubbing. Leaning over her, you trailed your lips along her forehead, your long, black hair falling over your shoulder and caressing her cheek.

The sensations made Lin’s chest expand with another deep exhale, her eyes fluttering open and meeting your warm emerald ones staring down at her.

“Your family is a lot to handle, you know that?”

“Oh? And yours is all sunshine and rainbows, hm?”

You chuckled at her annoyed frown, pressing your lips over her forehead in a gentle kiss as your fingers scratched the back of her neck. Seeing the woman relax under your ministrations, you moved your other hand to her jaw, tilting her head back until she was resting against your front, your thumb stroking her cheek.

“The twins gave you much trouble?”

“If I say yes, will you ground them?”

“Perhaps.” you snorted softly, shaking your head, “Was it that bad?”

“It’s more the emotional and psychological damage of having to listen to Varrick yell my ear off because of them.”

“I can imagine.”

Stroking her cheek with the back of your fingers one more time, you slowly walked around her chair before stopping in front of her, leaning back against her desk with your arms crossed over your chest. Lin watched you silently for a moment longer, her fingers playing with the edge of your jacket as it touched her thighs.

“I’ll have to keep them here for the night.”

“Will you?”

“Yes, I will.” Lin frowned up at you, her eyes hardening, “I can’t bend the rules, you know that. There were witnesses and one of them was the First Gentlemen for crying out loud.”

“I admit, that does complicate things.” you nodded, conceding her point, “Any chances I’ll get them out on bail?”

“With Varrick screaming murderer? Doubt you’ll get anything before twenty-four hours.”

“Hmm. Fair enough.”

You ran a hand through your hair, tsking under your breath.

“Getting caught over a rigged match of all things…”

“I imagine they didn’t really think it’d escalate that far.”

“Oh no, I’m disappointed they didn’t think about their cover better. Heirs of a noble family from the Earth Kingdom? Really? They should have gone with a diplomat or something.”

Lin blinked at you for a moment before rubbing her brow in exasperation, her lips moving as she muttered under her breath.

“Of course that’s what you’re worried over…”

She felt your hand reach forward and cup her chin, the touch making her eyes focus on you once more.

“I’m sorry if they gave you lip.”

“Considering they’re yours, I expected no less.” she snorted softly, raising an eyebrow, “Are you going to leave them here then? No staging a jailbreak or anything?”

“They can look after themselves. Besides, a night in a cell is hardly that terrible.”

“You’re the expert there.”

You both chuckled at the quip, your fingers tilting her chin up while you leaned forward, lips a breath away from hers.

“That I am. Now, how can I make it up to you…Chief?”

You saw the way her eyes darkened with lust, the way her lips parted as your ran the pad of your thumb over the lower one, your smirk widening as she grabbed your wrist in a gentle, yet solid grip before nodding at the desk.

Humming softly in understanding, you reached up and started taking your jacket off, letting it fall on the side of the desk, your fingers working at the brown button-up shirt you wore and slowly letting it fall down your arms and torso.

“You’d better lock your door before you scar the rookies.”

Her fingers twitched slightly as Lin’s whole focus never strayed from you, the sound of the key locking into place faint in the room as you dropped your shirt too, quickly followed by your bra, both garments forming a pile on the desk, right over the paperwork scattered there.

Lin remained leaning back in her chair, chin in the palm of her hand as she had her elbow propped up on the armrest while the fingers of her other hand tapped against her thigh. The picture of unbothered seriousness, but you knew better.

She was a coil, ready to spring at any moment once given the right push.

And you just knew how, your fingers trailing between the valley of your breasts and down your abdomen to your hips, tracing the leather belt briefly before you felt the buckle undoing itself, followed by the fly of your trousers.

“Impatient, are we?” you chuckled, raising your foot and placing it on her chair, the boot shy of her crotch, “Care to do the honours?”

She didn’t need be told twice, the metalbender’s fingers pulling down the zip of your boot and slipping it off, her actions repeating for the other boot until she moved forward, her lips touching your stomach and lower belly while her thumbs hooked in the waistband of your dark trousers.

“Hmm…that’s it…”

You murmured against the crown of her head, your skin shivering as she pulled your trousers together with your underwear down your legs, letting them pool on the floor. Once done, you felt her fingers trail up your thighs and back to your ass, rubbing and squeezing your skin and leaving goosebumps behind while her lips made a path from your navel down to your pelvis, right above your crotch.

You let her kiss and touch as much as she wished, your fingers playing with her hair until you gripped the gray strands, tilting her head back gently so she was looking up at you.

“Take that thing off.”

Smirking at her clenched jaw, you trailed your finger along it before letting go, watching on as she stood from her chair and moved her arms apart with a quick gesture, the metal armour of her uniform bending off her frame and leaving her in her dark pants and white tank top, the sight making you ‘tsk’.

“Remind me that I need to take you shopping. You have way too many of those.”

“They’re comfortable.”

“And colourless.” you pointed out, pressing her back into her chair with a hand on her chest, “Something green…to match your eyes.”

“…I wear them under my uniform. No one is going to see it.”

“No one but me, you mean.” you smirked at her exasperated huff, pulling the tank top up and over her head, “Though you know I prefer you with nothing on anyway.”

Before she had the chance to respond, your lips were already trailing over her chest, nipping and licking at her breasts from over her bra until you pulled it off too, teeth closing around one of her nipples and biting down until she grunted. Your hands weren’t idle either, your fingers moving slowly down her body until you had reached her pants, and you looked up at her, grinning as you slipped your hand inside and stroked her.

“Wet already, hm?”

Lin could only bite her lip to prevent the moan that she holding in to come out, her eyes fluttering as she let you play her like a fiddle. Your lips and tongue teased her breasts, nipping and licking away at the soft mounds while your fingers circled her clit before moving her underwear to the side, the digits running up and down her folds and teasing her entrance.

“Always working so hard…” you leaned up, whispering in her ear, “Let me take that burden off for a moment, hm?”

Kissing her jaw and neck, you sped up your movements, your fingers no longer teasing, but stroking her purposefully, her pussy becoming wetter the more you kept at it, and once she was ready, you slowly slipped two inside, then three, watching her back arch under you and her lips part in a silent moan.

The stretch felt divine, the fullness causing Lin’s breaths to catch in her throat, and after you had given her a moment to adjust, she felt you start to pump your fingers, curling them against her walls every time you went to pull them out before slamming right back in.

“F-Fuck…”

“You’d better be quiet, my love.” you smirked, licking her pulse point, your teeth trailing along the spot, “Your officers are right outside, remember?”

“You…make it quite difficult, you know?”

Her attempt at glaring was undermined by the way her lips were parting, her eyes fluttering anytime you’d find just the spot and curl your fingers against it, leaving her rocking her hips against your hand.

“I do.”

With a low grunt, Lin reached forward, her hands gripping at your sides and ass, the desperation in her movements making you shiver and bit your lip to keep yourself from making any noise. Moving forward until you were practically straddling her, you let out a soft grunt as one of her hands moved from your ass to your chest, squeezing and rubbing your breasts while her teeth closed around your shoulder.

She was close, you could tell. And with that knowledge, you shifted your wrist until you could press the palm of your hand right against her clit with every pump, your fingers hammering in and out of her drooling cunt.

Lin could feel the pleasure building up inside her, her body trembling as it grew closer and closer to the edge. Her fingers gripped on your sides like she was holding on for dear life, her teeth bit into the skin of your shoulder, muffling her moans and grunts as the tension grew and grew until-

You watched with half lidded eyes as her whole body shook under your naked one, the sight alone causing your core to clench around nothing and your lips to part with the silent breath you took in. As the metalbender sagged back into her chair, you didn’t give her the chance to rest that you were gripping her jaw again, forcing her head up to meet your gaze.

“Tell me you have it lying around somewhere.”

Her eyes blinked slowly at the demand, her brain struggling to make sense of what you were saying before realisation finally dawned on her, her head nodding towards the small closet in the corner of the room. Patting her cheek, you made your way over to the furniture in question, opening the metal door and pulling out the duffle bag in there, your hand reaching inside blindly until you found what you were looking for. You then quickly made your way back to Lin, throwing the toy in her lap and watching impatiently as she pulled her pants down and put it on, the stiffness of her movements making you almost snort.

Once she was ready, you straddled her once more, you knees on either side of her thighs as you looked down at her, emerald meeting olive-green, the lust in your gaze mirrored by her own.

Slowly, torturously so, you sank onto the toy, the sharp moan you almost let out muffled by her quick hand as her other one gripped your hip, making sure you were pressed down against her. The two of you panted softly, giving yourself a moment before you moved your hands to her shoulders, quickly picking up a rhythm as her hands on your hips aided you.

The chair creaked under Lin, the metalbender praying with her whole self that it would resist, but the thought was quickly replaced by the sight in front of her of you bouncing in her lap with your mouth buried against her neck to silence your moans, her own grunts lost in the small space between you two as she held onto you until your skin bruised.

“Fuck…that’s it…” you whispered in her ear, spurring her on, “That’s it, baby…”

Her teeth gritted as she panted harshly, her mouth moving to your collarbones and leaving bites all over the soft skin, and she quickly moved a hand between your bodies, her fingers flicking against your clit and forcing you to bite down harshly into her shoulder, the pain and pleasure becoming one and making the metalbender’s eyes roll back.

If anyone were to pass by her office, they would have definitely grown suspicious from the sounds coming from inside, the thought alone making Lin’s blood pump faster and adrenaline rush through her system.

What if someone knocked now? What if they burst in and found us like this-?

She opened her eyes, taking in the way you were holding onto her, your head tilted back, your lips parted in a silent moan and your eyes screwed shut as you rode her for all she was worth. As she pounded into you from below and left bruises and scratches all over your hips and sides.

Lin’s jaw clenched, her pace picking up suddenly and causing you to let out a sharp grunt, her hand slapping over your mouth once again while her hips pumped up into you with renewed vigour.

Let them come. Let them see how beautiful you looked, how lost to pleasure you were because of her and her alone-

She felt more than saw you crashing over the edge, your cunt clenching so tightly around the toy she had trouble moving, her thrusts turning into shallow ones that made your high last longer until you were shaking, your forehead falling against her shoulder. The sight paired with the delicious pressure of the toy against her clit caused her own peak to barrage through her, her body shaking with the strength of it.

The two of you sagged against each other on the chair, worn out and pleasantly exhausted, and as the last tingles slowly started to fade away, you pulled back with a low groan, a lazy smirk on your lips as you looked down at Lin’s dazed expression.

“And that…is what I call a success…”

You chuckled at her quiet snort, her eyes closed as she rested her head back against the chair, and slowly moved off her, a soft gasp leaving you as the toy slipped out, leaving you empty. Reaching down, you unbuckled the strap from Lin’s hips before dropping it on the floor with a low ‘thud’, and pulled her pants up once more, smoothing them out a bit.

“I could…have done it…myself…”

“With those jelly legs of yours, I’d be surprised if you can stand.”

Stretching your arms above your head, you sighed dreamily at the pleasant soreness, starting to put your clothes back on while Lin watched you through half lidded eyes, her expression pulling another chuckle from you.

“Don’t you just look the picture of ‘fucked out of your mind’, hm?” you teased, buttoning your brown shirt up, “Not that I’m complaining.”

When she didn’t even bother with a response except for an eyeroll, you let out another quiet laugh, putting on the rest of your clothes before leaning towards her, your lips pressing gently against her scarred cheek.

“Must you go…?”

“Well, unless you want your entire force to find out you entertained a Triad leader in your office, doors locked, for the past…two hours and a half? Then yes, I really must go, sweetheart.”

You couldn’t describe the look on Lin’s face as anything else other than pouting, her hand rubbing her face as she let out a sigh. Not that you were going to point it out. Not now anyway.

Smiling softly at her, you moved a loose strand of hair behind her ear, tracing her jawline before pulling away.

“I’ll be back tomorrow to pick up the twins. Try not to stress too much, you’ll ruin all my hard work.”

Lin let out another sigh before standing from the chair with a nod, her arms wrapping around your waist and bringing you close in a warm embrace, running her lips along yours as you hugged her back.

“I’ll make sure to check in on them later, if you want.”

“Thank you.”

With a last peck on her lips, you finally moved away from her and towards the open window, turning to look back at her with a teasing smile.

“See you tomorrow, Chief.”

She shook her head in fake annoyance as she watched you jump out of the window, the sound of sandbending filling the air for a moment as you made your way down, her eyes following your form disappear down the street.

Lin stood at the window for a few minutes longer before stretching her neck left and right with a soft sigh, her hand reaching out to close the window. She still had some work to finish after all, and once she had cleaned up the…evidence of your meeting and bent her uniform back on, she sat once more at her desk, the soreness between her thighs causing her lips to pull up in a small smirk.

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

“I spy with my little eye…”

“A wall.”

Ren huffed under her breath as she turned to glare up at her brother, his leg dangling from the bunk-bed above hers.

“I hadn’t even started.”

“It’s been the only thing we’ve been able to see for the past day and a half.”

“Well, you do it then.”

Sighing under his breath, Dai rolled his eyes before speaking in the most monotone voice he managed.

“I spy-”

“A wall.”

“What happened to letting the other finish?”

“Was I wrong?”

“…no.” the young man groaned loudly, throwing an arm over his eyes, “This is the most boring thing ever.”

“My turn.” he bit back a scream as Ren started again, “I spy with my little eye…”

“A wall.”

“Nope. It’s the Chief and Zaila.”

The words made Dai sit up quickly, he and his sister looking at the cell door where Lin was standing…right next to you, your raised eyebrow and unimpressed expression making the two wince internally.

“Well?”

Getting up from their bunk-beds, Ren was the first to speak, her brother moving to her side.

“Okay, it’s not as bad as it looks like-”

“And we really didn’t do anything that bad, we swear-”

You watched on as the two tried to explain themselves, your eyes glancing at Lin after a moment, giving her a nod to silently ask her to open the door. She did so with a wave of her hand, the metal bars pulling back to allow the non-benders out, their expressions morphing quickly as you slapped both of them upside their heads, hard.

“Nobles from the Earth Kingdom. Why didn’t you straight up tell them you were Wu’s long lost siblings while you were at it?”

Lin hid a snort into her fist as the twins rubbed the spots you had hit, their lips pulled back into matching winces as they looked at you.

“And really? The First Gentlemen? That was you, Dai, wasn’t it?”

“…look, it’s not like he could tell the difference anyway- ow ow ow-!”

His words were suddenly interrupted by your fingers pulling at his ear, his sister receiving the same treatment despite her having stayed quiet.

“You want to do a job, the least you can do is do it well.”

“…Is that really the teaching here?”

“One of many.” you looked at Lin’s raised eyebrow, finally releasing the two, “Second is: don’t get caught.”

“Right.” the metalbender deadpanned before she turned to the twins, her arms crossed over her chest, “The First Gentlemen has decided to drop the charges, provided you two stay away from him for the foreseeable future. As for the bail, you’re free to leave.”

Dai and Ren let out a breath of relief at the news before nodding, still rubbing at their now-slightly-red ears, and at your gesture, they walked down the small corridor and out of the metal door, leaving you alone with Lin.

“Got some dirt on the First Gentlemen I don’t know about?”

“Just some hobbies that are hard to die.”

“Uh-huh.” you placed your hands inside your jacket, walking with her towards the exit, “Hopefully nothing too permanent. I’d hate to have some leverage…”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to work on that yourself.”

Lin raised an eyebrow, watching as you chuckled along before coming to a stop in front of the metal door.

“Alright. I enjoy the chase anyway.”

“Clearly.” she moved closer, making sure no one was in earshot before speaking again, “Dinner, at my place?”

“How could I ever refuse?”

Moving forward, you pressed a quick kiss to her lips, pulling away before either of you decided to deepen it, and looked at her with a small smirk.

“Until tonight then, sweetheart.”

Hiding her own smile, Lin fixed her expression and uniform before following you outside and into the main building, watching on as you walked among the rows of desks and officers, their expressions varying from guarded, to surprised, to downright contemptuous.

After a moment, she saw Mako come up at her side, his amber eyes following you and the twins before turning to her.

“Everything alright, Chief?”

She waved his concern away, her scowl back in place.

“Don’t worry about it, Mako. She was just here to bail the non-benders out.”

The firebender nodded at her words, following her to her office.

“Zaila and her Triad have really turned it all upside down. At this rate, I doubt anything we do will keep them behind bars.”

Letting out a soft hum as she stood in front of the window, Lin watched down the street as you got into your Satomobile, Dai and Ren following right after before you drove off.

“Sometimes, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Mako’s head snapped up from his reports at that, his eyebrows furrowing on his forehead.

“What do you mean, Chief?”

“I mean that, considering how things used to be in Republic City not even a year ago, having the Sand-sharks keep control of the undercity is not the worst-case scenario.” she looked back at him, raising an eyebrow, “You remember how they helped Korra and the evacuees, not to mention their recent involvement with the reconstruction of the city. Can you think of another Triad willing to do that?”

The firebender seemed to ponder her words, his expression turning pensive before he spoke again.

“But Chief…isn’t our job to protect the city from them too?”

Lin turned back towards the window, her olive-green eyes watching over the skyline of Republic City. Her city.

“It is. But things are not always black and white, Mako. If they ever are. And sometimes…sometimes what we consider a downside might actually be an opportunity.”

A moment of silence fell over the two benders, only interrupted by the faint noises coming from outside the window and the closed door of her office, both officers seemingly in deep thought.

After a while, Lin rolled her shoulders back, the action making Mako focus on her once more as she sat at her desk, grabbing the reports he handed out to her.

“Now, let’s get back to work. We still have a job to do.”

[staycalmandhugaclone]

Star Wars Rant - Take 2!

Guys. Guys, I’m sorry. I had a thought on the way to work today… and now I’m going to force it upon all of you, too, so that at least I won’t suffer alone.

Kaminoans do not value emotion. They value perfection. In fact, the social demand for genetic perfection is what led them to cloning and thus gave us our lovely copy/ paste cornucopia of delicious potential for OCs, wartime angst, and brotherly shenanigans. We know each clone ended up developing a unique personality even as cadets, but imagine the first batches. They didn’t have older clones to look up to, to learn that becoming their own person was okay. They had asshole mercenaries, the legendary original source for their DNA, and, most abundantly, the Kaminoans to raise them.

Children learn through mimicry. They see their guardians interact with the world, and that’s the initial outline for who they become. If they spent most of their time around the Kaminoans, that means they would likely view emotions as a detriment, with some interplay offsetting that from Jango and the mercs.

Fast-forward a couple generations to the discovery and implementation of said clones, during which time the Kaminoans have likely done away with anyone who strayed too far from their ideal soldier, furthering the general understanding that emotions are dangerous and something to be stifled. Then, suddenly, here are these Jedi Generals who fall all over the emotional spectrum! Shaak Ti shows them compassion. Yoda shows them acceptance (and chaos, let’s be real). Anakin shows them fun (also chaos. So much chaos). Obi Wan, the biggest flirt in the damn galaxy, just completely upends whatever textbook definition of romance may have been briefly taught to “prepare” them as cadets.

What I’m really getting at, though, is that clones were brought up without love. They were created by a race that pretty much bred out any tendency toward affection, trained by a man who regarded them as lesser copies of himself, and *decommissioned* if they displayed too much independence (I know there are caveats to this, such as Alpha-17 and the CCs, but they had much less patience for the CTs). And here are these Jedi who love in such a blindingly open and overwhelming way. How do they cope with that? How do they not become insanely loyal to these kind, generous beings that don’t treat them like numbers for the first time in their lives??

And then there’s the other side: the squads that have the misfortune of being paired with Jedi less prone to  that innate goodness, the squads trapped with Krell and Ki-Adi-Mundi. They never get the chance to feel valued as anything other than a tool. They may have heard the word “love” but would never be allowed to experience it, platonic or otherwise…

I don’t have any grand ending thoughts here beyond the absolute tragedy that those men suffered, but I will say, it does tempt me with some utterly angsty and beautiful thoughts for emotionally crippled clone OCs and emotionally traumatized reader OCs accidentally find each other through various whumpee ways… be a shame if someone was inspired by this and tagged me in whatever may or may no come of it...

[rose-of-oz]

WBW for any of your new Tinkersquad OCs?

Gonna go with Iris for this, thank you so much!! Also gonna tag the Descendants gang, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @manyfandomocs, @ginevrastilinski-ocs, and @welcometotheocverse!! <3 <3

BASICS:

full name: iris lucinda lux.

gender: cisgender female.

sexuality: biromantic demisexual.

pronouns: she/her.

OTHERS:

family: iridessa (mother), unknown father.

birthplace: pixie hollow.

job: star-counting talent fairy, high school student.

phobias: complete darkness, getting hit in the face.

guilty pleasures: finding stray cats to cuddle, staying up super late.

MORALS:

morality alignment?: neutral good.

sins - lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath.

virtues - chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice.

THIS - OR - THAT:

introvert/extrovert: ambivert.

organized/disorganized: organized.

close minded/open-minded: open-minded.

calm/anxious: calm.

disagreeable/agreeable: agreeable.

cautious/reckless: cautious.

patient/impatient: patient.

outspoken/reserved: outspoken.

leader/follower: follower.

empathetic/unemphatic: empathetic.

optimistic/pessimistic: optimistic.

traditional/modern: modern.

hard-working/lazy: lazy (but only in certain ways).

RELATIONSHIPS:

otp: iris/doug.

ot3: iris/doug/jane.

brotp: iris/the pixie squad.

notp: iris/mal.

send me an oc!!

[enby-jellyfish]

Introductions

Introduction to Melodies of War

OC Clone Commando SCUBA Squad X GN!Melodie!Jedi!Reader (POC friendly)

Pronouns: You/Your, They/Them

Summary: The Clone Wars begins.

Warnings: Canon typical depictions of war/fighting.

Word Count: 2318

A/N: I fckin love clone troopers.

You knew this was coming. You could sense the conflict growing throughout the galaxy, causing you to be sent out on negotiations more and more.

You are good at that, negotiating. You never did have much taste for fighting physical battles, despite your skill.

So now, here you are. Having been called by Master Windu to rescue your dear friend Obi-Wan, but knowing him probably also Anakin, both of who you met when you were Padawans, and Padmé, who you befriended on one of your many peace-keeping missions.

The dry air of the desert planet tickles your throat as you jump out of the shuttle, your old master, Kit Fisto, right beside you. “Stars, places like this make me miss the ocean, or just, water in general.” Kit chuckles as you move towards the Petranaki Arena. “I couldn’t agree more.”

You and a few other Jedi put on the hoods of your robes and quietly sneak into the arena through one of the many tunnels. Keeping your head down you wait for Master Windu’s signal. Looking down from the balcony you see your friends fighting off the creatures meant to execute them, they seem to be doing just fine.

Suddenly, thousands of battle droids appear. That is signal enough you suppose. Throwing off your robe, as it would only get in the way, and igniting your lightsaber you jump down into the arena, using the force to make sure you don’t break you ankles upon impact. The other Jedi doing the same.

You quickly fall into a rhythm, dodge, slash, deflect, stab, and repeat. Letting the force guide your movements it almost feels like a dance.

The odd sight of the head of a 3PO-series protocol droid attached onto a battle droid’s body interrupts your flow, the head yelling out apologies while the body continues blindly shooting. Kit uses the force to knock the mismatched droid over but its final stray shot manages to scrape your arm before hitting one of the bigger droids, taking it out.

“Are you allright?” Kit looks at you worriedly as you breathe, quickly checking out your arm. The scorch mark feels hot, some blood trickling from the wound, but doesn’t seem severe. “Yeah, just a scrape.” He smiles widely at you, satisfied that you are mostly unharmed, before leaping back into battle.

You look around for a moment, catching your breath. The jedi are severely outnumbered, many of you having been struck down. You continue fighting but are quickly surrounded along with the other remaining Jedi. With Kit and Obi-Wan flanking you you listen to Count Dooku offering you the chance to surrender.

Master Windu, of course, declined his offer and right when Dooku gave the order for you all to be slaughtered several gunships entered the arena, thousands of men in white armour pouring out when they got close enough to the ground.

You think you see master Yoda in one of them but it’s hard to tell while dodging both enemy- and friendly fire in the resumption of battle. The sky is now filled with assault ships, using aerial bombardments to knock out the Geonosian launch hives. You continue deflecting blaster shots untill you suddenly turn and come face to face with one of the soldiers.

Suddenly, everything freezes. The sounds of battle fading into the background, time seemingly slowing down. For a moment you and this soldier are the only people in the galaxy.

“Out of the way, please! Out of the way!”

Shocked out of your daze you quickly jump out of the way as another soldier comes barrelling past you, body slamming a droid before using its blaster to shoot another. You return your gaze to the previous soldier. He shrugs and gestures to the gunship behind him.

You nod, understanding his intention and rush towards the opening while deflecting more blaster shots along the way, the soldier following close by.

The ship starts evacuating a few seconds after you enter, a couple of other soldiers jumping in after you, quickly getting into position. As the pilot manoeuvres the gunship, expertly dodging explosions, you feel a tap on your shoulder.

“Let me patch you up.” You turn slightly, considering the soldier, he has a red symbol on his left shoulder plate. The gash on your shoulder is starting to hurt again with the adrenaline wearing off. “How fast can you do it?” Time isn’t something you can waste right now, especially on a fairly minor wound.

The soldier scoffs at you. “Please, I can fix you up before we hit the ground.” You are assured by his confidence and let him treat your wound. As he gets to work you observe the soldiers on the gunship. There are a few soldiers in the ship with you, all dressed in the same white armour.

There is obviously the medic, tending to your wounds with skilful hands. There is the pilot in the cockpit, expertly manoeuvring to avoid the explosions, the first soldier you met is behind him, they seem to be discussing strategy. In the two missile launchers on the sides of the ship are two other soldiers, one of which seems to be having a great time, letting out loud giggles you can hear from the hull whenever he manages to hit a particular hard target.

The medic finishes bandaging your wound when you land, everyone getting off when the ship hits the ground. The air is filled with dust and blaster shots are flying all around you.

You immediately rush to Master Windu when you see him talking to a few other soldiers. When he notices you approaching he immediately gives you orders to take a squad and attack the droids.

You nod and rush back to the ship you came from, the soldiers still standing there. They are finishing up unloading weapons from the ship when you arrive. “Follow me!” You ignite your lightsaber and lead your newly found squad into battle.

For a while everything goes well, the six of you not having a fully thought out plan and yet working together perfectly.

At some point your comlink alerts you and you answer to hear Padmé calling your name. “, oh, thank goodness. I need backup. Anakin and Obi-Wan went after Count Dooku. I got knocked from their ship by a cannon blast. You need to help me get to them!”

You deflect another blaster shot. It is getting more and more difficult due to the continuously rising dust from the Federation core ships being shot down. “Alright, we’re coming Padmé! Just hang tight and send me your coordinates.” You aim your attention to your squad.

“Change of plans, boys. We’re picking up the senator!” With that you and your squad retreat to find a free gunship, immediately taking off when you find one.

It took a bit but due to the expert piloting skills of one of your soldiers you manage to pick up Padmé and the soldier that had fallen with her and reach the hangar Dooku had retreated to unharmed. Unfortunately you weren’t fast enough, arriving right when he took off.

You lock eyes with Master Yoda for a moment as Padmé rushes past you towards the other two Jedi, embracing Anakin and… Kissing him? Huh, that makes sense you suppose. You quickly look away and make sure Obi-Wan is alright, which aside from a few minor wounds on his shoulder an thigh, he assures you he is.

As the battle comes to an end you return to your squad. You overhear them discussing how the battle is ‘nothing like the simulations’ as they stand by the entrance of the hangar.

“It usually isn’t.” They turn around at the sound of your voice. Despite being unable to see their eyes you can feel their gaze burning into you, making you feel like you have to say something else.

“But it does get easier” Your words seem to bring some comfort. You remember your first battle, how different it was compared to sparring with droids or your master.

“You boys did good.” With a final nod you move back to your fellow Jedi, departing for Coruscant for your wounded to get treated.

A few days pass, allowing for the wounded to heal, the dead to be cremated, and the council to discuss how they want to move forward.

Word quickly spread about how the soldiers that came to your aid were clones. These so called ‘clone troopers’ were created by order of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas on the planet Kamino, which had been erased from the archives.

It is when you are waiting for your former master to come out of the high council chamber so he can explain how you are to move forward when you see Anakin again.

“So, how’s the senator?” He gives you a look. “She’s fine.” You hold up your hands in surrender, clearly he isn’t in the mood for teasing.

It’s quiet for a second. “Hey, back on Geonosis, when you came to find us after Dooku, you didn’t see anything right?”

You did see.

“See what?” he seems relieved. “Nothing. I just- Nothing.”

You inhale sharply, unsure if you should say what you are about to say. “But. If I did see something I would tell you to be a bit more inconspicuous next time.”

Anakin looks like he is about to say something but is interrupted by the doors to the council chamber sliding open and the Jedi Masters pouring out.

You and Anakin quickly bid each other goodbye before going to find your respective masters who hopefully have news on how you are to proceed in the newly started war.

Kit notices you and together you leisurely walk through the temple. “It feels so empty here since Geonosis.” Kit inhales sharply before replying. “It does. The war has barely begun and the losses we’ve had are already too many.”

You stop before one of the healing rooms. Inside is your master’s new Padawan, Nahdar Vebb. The Mon Calamari is looking to becoming an accomplished healer. It seems like he’ll be quite busy in the future. “And the Jedi are intervening?”

Kit chuckles humourlessly. “We already have in the eyes of the Republic. All Jedi Knights and Masters are to become generals to the clone army from now on.” You inhale sharply at the news. A general? You? Fighting in one battle is one thing, but a full on military title?

Your racing thoughts are calmed by Kit’s hand on your shoulder. “I know this isn’t the ideal solution, especially in your mind, but it is the only one.”

He is right, the Separatists are not going to back down, especially with their new droid army. Sometimes, you suppose, being a protector of peace means going to war.

“I’ll send you the information of the squad assigned to you. You’ll be sent out tomorrow. As will I.”

“What about Nahdar? He hasn’t finished his training yet.” Kit sighs and looks at his Padawan. “There is little I have left to teach him. This war has called me elsewhere. I’m afraid he’ll have to face the following trials alone.” You can sense the conflict and sadness in him as he speaks.

The Padawan in question finally seems to have noticed you standing in the opening of the doorway, moving towards you. “There you are! What’s the news, master?” Kit shares a look with you. It’s best to give them some privacy.

“I’ll get going then, it was nice seeing you Nahdar.” You smile at him, giving his shoulder a squeeze before you leave for your chambers.

That night you read through the file Kit sent you. It contains the description of your mission for tomorrow and the personal files of the troopers in your squad.

When you enter the hangar the next morning you see your squad standing by the ship assigned to you. They are being briefed by who you assume to be the sergeant.

“You guys ready.” They turn around at your voice, straightening up and saluting you.

“General.”

You hold out your hand for him to shake. “Sergeant, I assume.” He takes your hand and you can feel him relax slightly through the force. He lets out a soft chuckle. “You assume correct, Sir.”

You let go of his hand and introduce yourself to the squad. “, it’s nice to meet you all, despite the circumstances. What are your names?”

They share a look. “What’s wrong? Do you not have names?”

Your sergeant responds. “No, we do! it’s just… unexpected. The Kaminoans never bothered to give us names, let alone learn them.”

Oh.

“Well, considering we’ve fought together on Geonosis and we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, I want to learn your names.” This seems to stun them.

“Erm, how did you know that was us? I mean, we all look the same.” One trooper says.

You chuckle. “The force. Every single living being has its own personal signature. I could pick any of you out of a million other troopers.”

They all take a moment to concider your words. The trooper that asked the question pulls out a data pad and starts furiously typing.

“Huh, that’s pretty neat!” Another trooper spoke. “My name is Bullseye, your sniper!” He waves at you, even though you are only a few steps away from him. You smile and wave back.

“I’m Nemo, the strategist and pilot!” The trooper that asked the question says, excitably waving his data pad, nearly hitting his fellow trooper in the process.

“And I’m Dreamer, that’s Flow and that is Bubbles.” Your sergeant motions to final troopers behind him. “They are our weapons specialist and medic respectively.” They both nod at you in acknowledgement.

“Well it’s very nice to officially meet you all.”

With that you all enter your ship, starting the first of many missions together.

Next part (TBA)

Masterlist

Thank you for reading <3