#ok just wanted to share my vision I gotta get ready for work

[spicyet]

It would be rare, but his purring is the best.

[georgeweasleyslostearhq]

REQUEST: So a girl named y/n is Steve’s best friend. But they are very attracted to each other. Steve once dreamed that he and Y/N had sex. So one evening, Steve comes to watch a movie at Y/N, they talk about the dream and then…the smut part. @safinkd

SHOW ME, STEVE

Steve woke up in sweat and out of breath, his mind filling with the imagine of you, and him, naked on his bed doing things that best friends shouldn't do

he sat up, leaning on one arm as he ran his other hand though his hair.

he looked down at his pants and cursed under his breath

"fuck"

he got up and groggily walked to his bedroom to clean himself

he didn't know why his unconscious state would come up with something so... freaky, especially with you.

Steve has had his fair share of wet dreams before, but it's never revolved around you, and it has never been that graphic before, it was almost as if it was a memory

he went back to his bed and looked at the clock that sat on his nightstand

6:39am it read

he shook his head at the time and groaned.

the image of you in his head was something he couldn't shake off, it was imprinted on his mind and it had no intention of leaving anytime soon

of course he's thought about it, there's no way that in the 14 years of knowing you, he was bound to think about it sooner or later

-

Steve heard the phone ring from downstairs and since his parents weren't home, he had to get it

he took his time going down the stairs and into the livingroom

he walked to the phone that hung on the wall and picked it up

"hi, harringto-" he stared grumpily, sick of saying the same thing over and over again when he picks up the phone

"steve!" he heard your voice

"who is this?" he joked, knowing you hate it when he does it

"oh shut up, Steve" he could practically hear the eyeroll "just checking in to see if we're still on for tonight"

Steve's mouth went dry, he had totally forgot about his plans with you to go to your house that night

how could he face you with the image of you both in his bed running in his mind, still not leaving

"Steve? you there?" you questioned

"yeah, yeah, I'm still coming over tonight" he spoke up after clearing his throat

"ok, good- and please, for the love of god pick a good movie, Steve. I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can handle watching vision quest again" you sighed

it was an understatement to say Steve liked the movie vision quest, he took you to see it in the theatre when it came out not too long ago and every time he would come over to watch a movie at yours he would rent out that movie that you've gotten sick of it

"so I rent out vision quest?" he asked, wanting to annoy you

"Steve i swear to god if you bring Vision quest again I'm not letting you into my house" you huffed

"you will"

"no I won't"

"you will but whatever, I gotta go now, I need to get ready for work" Steve argued

"alright, bye, have a terrible day" you yawned

"bye"

-

Steve knocked on your door, a copy of back to the future in the bag full of your favourite candies

you opened the door slightly, peeking your head out, glaring at him warily

"what movie did you rent?" you asked dully, not letting him in until you had an answer

"vision quest" Steve lied with a smirk on his face

you continued glaring at him "seriously?"

"no, back to the future" he replied, taking it out of the bag and showing it to you

"ok, I don't have a problem with that" you smiled, opening the door and letting him in

he looked at what you were wearing and almost flinched when he saw almost the exact outfit you were wearing in his dream

"c'mon, I'm hungry" you groaned, grabbing his arm before pulling him in, shutting the door behind him

you ran to your room as he chased you up.

you went to the phone on your table and looked at the list of numbers named with restaurants next to the digits

"pizza, chinese, what do you want?" you asked as he sat down on your bed

"pizza sounds good" Steve shrugged

you ordered the pizza and flopped onto the bed next to him, not noticing the way he tensed up

"how was your day?" you asked casually, sitting up and getting comfy in your bed next to him

"it was fine, work was boring" Steve took a deep breath, rubbing his hands on his jeans

it was boring, he barely got anything done and was distracted by you, even if you were there, you stayed in his mind the whole day, never leaving

"no hot girls in groups coming in to flirt with you?" you questioned, tilting your head

there was a few girls that tried to get his number by he paid them no attention, ignoring them completely, letting Robin take care of them, they seemed more her type anyway, even if she didn't care either

"I'll get the movie going" he said, getting the movie and putting it into the tv, getting the remote and putting it on while you waited for the pizza

around 10 minutes into the film you heard a faint buzz from the front door.

you ran down stairs with money your parents gave you and paid for it

you got back to your room and put the pizza on the bed

"dig in, Harrington" you grinned before crawling into your bed again, getting close to Steve as he took the first slice, the movie still playing as he didn't unpause it.

Steve looked over at you at some point in the movie and stared as you watched the movie, eating your favourite snacks he brought

"Y/n?" he spoke up making you raise your eyebrows, your eyes still on the film

"yeah?" you whispered

"do you ever have weird dreams?" he asked curiously

"depends on what you classify as weird" you took another slice of pizza

"about me" he hesitated

you looked at him with a tilted head, not quite following what he was saying

"Steve, what do you mean?" you smiled, confused by his words

"have you ever had a-" he paused, closing his eyes tightly "a sex dream?"

you sat next to him, stunned and frozen

"uhm- well uh- not that I remember, why? have you?" you answered

"what if I did?" Steve took a deep breath

Steve was never nervous around girls, especially you. but he didn't know what to think, he's never reacted to a wet dream like this before, but then again, it's never been about you, it made him confused and awkward around you.

you shrugged "I guess it's a normal thing to happen"

"yeah" Steve nodded vigorously, watching as you smiled tightly, going back to watching the movie

Steve shifted as your thigh brushed against his

"what if- what if it was about you?" he blurted out

your head whipped in his direction with wide eyes

"did you have a sex dream about me, Steve?" you wondered nervously

"yes"

it stayed silent for a bit, you just staring at him while he fiddled with his fingers under the blanket

you let out a light laugh as you found the situation funny

"what did we do?" you asked

Steve grew confused at your reaction but then all of the nervousness washed away did you like the idea of it?

"wouldn't you want to know?" he chuckled lowly

you sat up straight and turned to him

"I would actually, or would you prefer to show me?" Steve noticed you biting your lip slightly, you did like the idea of it

"really?" he moved back slightly, getting a good look at you

you slowly nodded your head, leaning towards him

"show me what we did, Steve" you mumbled, getting closer and closer

he leaned in and waited to make sure it was ok

you nodded again and he kissed your lips gently. he felt you kiss back and he smiled against your lips

he laid you down and put you in the middle of the bed, the kiss deepening as he held your cheek

he took his other hand and held your waist, his hand going up your shirt just a little and rubbed your skin with his thumb

he moved down to kiss your jaw and made his way down to your neck, letting it bruise as he sucked on the delicate skin of your sweet spot

he heard your breath hitch as you closed your eyes

soon enough, he had your shirt off as was staring at your chest, admiring the way they looked through your light baby pink laced bra

"where'd you get this?" he questioned, playing with the strap, pulling on it and letting it go, hearing the clap noise it made when it hit your soft skin

"Victoria's Secret" you sighed in content, looking up at him with soft eyes

"I don't think there's gonna be any secrets to tell after I take this off" Steve smirked

"well by this rate you're getting nothing, you're taking your sweet ass time" you teased

"is there something wrong with admiring the view? I'm just taking you all in"

"I thought I'm the one supposed to do that with you?" you smirked playfully, laughing at the face he made when he realised what you meant

he reached behind your back and unclipped it, letting it pop off.

he slid it up your arms and took a deep breath when he looked at your exposed chest

he took both of his thumbs, running them over both of the nipple

he leaned down and took one in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the bud while holding the other, giving your tit squeezes and pinches

you stopped him and took his shirt off, throwing it on the floor, not caring where it ended up

he smiled at you before kissing you down your stomach getting to the top of your jeans

he looked up at you from your torso and silently asked for approval

you bit your lip and nodded your head, watching as he unbuttoned your jeans, unzipped them and slid them off, chucking them off from the rest of your clothes

Steve felt himself become hard at the sight of your panties that matched the bra that was abandoned only a few moments ago

he gripped onto your leg and lifted it up before kissing on the inner thigh, getting closer and closer to your clothes heat with each kiss

you stopped him again and told him to get off his pants, he leaned up and rushed to get them off, he pulled them down and shook them off before going back to you

"hurry up" you whined "show me, Steve. show me what we did, Please"

that was all Steve needed to hear before he slipped your panties down, slowly, making you whine more

he felt his mouth water as the sigh of your fully bare body in front of him, desperate for his touch

he lifted his hand up and reached to touch it, looking at you to make sure you were ok

his index finger ran along your folds, that had grown wet at some point in the process of getting your clothes off

"steve" you sighed lightly

he sat up and took his boxers off, letting them go wherever

he leaned down and leveled with you, giving you a kiss, letting his head fall to your shoulder before he pushed himself in

you let out a painful moan- painful because of how long it took, how desperate you were

"you ok?" he asked

"perfect"

he started moving in and out, watching the way your eyebrows would furrow and how your mouth would open, the noises you made sounding exactly how they did in his dream

his pace quickened and he held your hand that started to harshly dig into his back

"oh, Steve. fucking hell" you moaned, arching your back as he hit all the right places

he felt you tug at his hair and pulled it back, making him look up at the ceiling

he wasn't a very vocal guy when it came to sex, but he couldn't help but groan and grunt at the feeling of him inside you

he never thought he would be in your room, both naked and pleasing each other, it was something that he would often find himself thinking about, but he never thought it would ever actually happen

"steve" he heard you moan quietly before you let out a squeal of surprise when he reached down at began to rub your clit

"yeah?" he replied, out of breath as he thrusted deep inside you, feeling every part of you

"I-" you paused, the feeling becoming too much "I'm gonna- I'm gonna"

"you can do it" Steve encouraged, feeling himself grow to the point of an orgasm as well

a few more deep thrust, it began to get sloppy and you let out a load, long moan as you squirmed in your spot, only staying still from his hand that held your hip

he held it in as he let you finish before pulling out, letting himself finish on his hand

"is that all we did?" you asked, trying to calm yourself and catch your breath

"that wasn't even the beginning"

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

if you couldn't tell by the shit writing, I don't really enjoy writing smut because I'm shit in that area of writing

[madchild-dennis]

So, I'm going to start this with the fact that I know it's going to look like an obsession. However those who know, KNOW, this is NOT me and I have moved on. I barely even utter his name, whether it's the mean name I gave him or his real one. I have MOVED ON, currently texting the NEW option.

Now let's go into 1st what I did, then what God did.

So valentines day I posted this:

Actually before that I was on a sort of desperation for a husband. It was out of frustration with my parent's FUCKERY. I was SERIOUS. Once a guy with the ability to help, liked me and helped me and I saw a future, I would have started with him. BUT NO ONE CAME.

So then I got a lawyer myself, instead of with a guy's help, and was back to my old NOT DESPERATE FOR A MAN self. Caring less about anyone specific. Even a crush I had from someone I worked with that I still remembered. The last time I was that desperate I was in grade 8/9 praying and crying for a boyfriend.

Anyway, I was living my life to then see the same account I had a conversation with on Sept 4 2021 about the fucking man-child in question followed my instagram account on my birthday. I made these post about it:

So I thought she'd get over it and unfollow or I just ignore it. However God said NO. Then I posted this:

PLEASE REMEMBER THE ACCOUNT I TOLD YOU FOLLOWED MY TUMBLR.

Funny story. After I posted this Saturday early morning. God woke me like 4 am to post it:

They unfollowed:

Then the Saturday night I saw this:

Anyway, those following often KNOW I am focused on how FREE I feel as that boy choose the path he kept choosing publicly and my posts about OTHER people. Mainly on whoever the potential future bae will be, reminiscing on an ex and my 4 beauties:

So I have been focused on my new life. a Moved on life.

In fact right before I got the information that is the reason behind this post, I was moving on. I gave me a number to a guy I am currently texting. Technically he's difficult. But I was excited about that journey even if it leads nowhere.

I mean I post it EXCITEDLY post it READY.

To then hear the person come with same bullshit GOD is back with. This time showing me that HE can do whatever without me.

What I am talking about?

In this, I said I know Ms. Samantha's Grandmother (or such) Obeah me and that she tied him:

How I came to that was a spiritual thing God revealed to me over time the Obeah attempts. The knowledge of her tying him, came straight to me last week Friday when the owner of the Nursing home brought me back to the nursing home from her house (hiding us from the Ministry Of Health). Someone was saying loudly that she know someone got TIED, very loudly to someone else as I pass.

God to me right as I heard it: THAT Me to God: What, Raheem got tied. God: YES Me: 😂 him damn lucky.

I left it be because he made his bed and so he has to lie in it. Hence, the post on Saturday morning. Then I refocus back on my life. (I have to mention that, from about Saturday night God has been waking me up to tell me that the guy loves me, but that's not new and I do NOT CARE. He can't be wanting others in the day and crying for me at night and I am to CARE about that shit at ANY POINT.)

Anyways, I did NOT KNOW is God already had the tying dealt with by the same person who I overheard talking about they know someone got tied.

Do you know what that person told me yesterday?

That on that same Friday, before I arrived and heard the tied attempt, she told me that she was lead by the Holy Spirit and started to speak in tongues. Directing her, who in a similar relational problem as me, to release someone who is TIED. She wasn't sure who. Then after she finished speaking in tongues and breaking the demonic bonds being made. She told me a name came to her.

She said the person the Holy Spirit led her to say is doing it is SAMANTHA.

She said she asked others if they know of a Samantha and didn't mentioned or asked me about it until yesterday. And I did not tell her that name until yesterday, after she said the name.

You don't even KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW how broken I was when I heard. Not because she did whatever, but because God wont FUCKING LET UP. The fucking dude made his bed, he chose his path. Even if she is the reason. I warned him and I am sure so many others. NO.

HIS FATHER AND MOTHER WARNED HIM FOR YEARS.

Because of his and his mother stubborn personality and he was raised hella spoilt. He has to have shit his way, comfortable and EASY. So, he chose his FUCKING PATH AND HE MADE HIS FUCKING BED, so he LAY IN THAT SHIT.

Now God using someone else to break him out of it and I know God is NOT going to leave it there.

I am FUCKING TIRED OF THIS SHIT.

Plus this person who told me all this told me how God uses her FOR YEARS spiritually breaking and doing strong spiritual battles. I think she was who broke the obeah attempt on my life the night I came here. Plus God keep putting a special approval on her. I ALWAYS wondered why. What God is going to use her to do in my life. So when she told me I KNEW....SIGH

I am NOT HAPPY because that weak bitch-ass could be free RIGHT NOW and he'd run right back to that bitch, just because of his bruised ego, pride or for ease.

I DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR HIM

Nor do I care. Why should I? He's a scared little bitch that will just try some other thing to hurt me, prove some point or fill his fucking pride.

I have HAD ENOUGH OF HIM AND ALL OF THIS with him and HIS MOTHER. I am FUCKING TIRED OF HIS SHIT!!!!

You don't even know how much I cried last night.

[crumbledcastle28]

Chapter 5: An Old Friend

Warnings: this one is mostly fluff, so I don’t think there are any warnings. Maybe references to past trauma? If I’m missing one please lmk!

Author’s Note: Chapter 5!! Enjoy!!

(gif gotten from javierian)

After the little…. predicament with the last mission…. you couldn’t deny that you had gotten closer with the anonymous man you had been living with.

You made pleasant conversation, never too deep, but you felt more comfortable in his company. You had felt the same way with Peli… but this was different.

Your heart rate would increase whenever he would talk to you, and your mood would increase as well. You were excited to get to know him! This man who had taken you in knowing absolutely nothing about you. The least you could do was make him feel comfortable around you, and that didn’t even feel like enough.

It made you happy when he would ask you questions, like “did you enjoy the dinner last night” or “how did you sleep.”

It felt good to have someone be curious and care about you in your present state, not just your past or your abilities. And you loved to ask him questions too.

If you were lucky, he would tell you a story about an old job he did, and those were the best. It was like getting little pieces to a much larger, beautiful puzzle. A puzzle you prayed you would see finished by the end of your time with him.

The best interaction you had, by far, was when he finally ate with you.

It had been a nice day. You guys had stopped for supplies and it felt good to stretch your legs a little bit.

You found a great little food stand that had fresh meat and vegetables, and you knew you could make a delicious meal out of it. You shared your excitement with Mando, who nodded and helped you carry the supplies back to the crest.

Once you made it back and put all the supplies down in the incredibly tiny kitchen, you went to work.

You used amazing spices that you hadn’t tasted in weeks on the meat, and made sure to brown the vegetables in the same pan you used for the meat. That way they would soak up the amazing rendered flavors that the meat left over. After that, you put it all together in a pot and poured savory chicken broth in to mix the flavors.

Your stomach was grumbling at the smell alone.

The kid was hungry too, you could tell by the way he stared at you while you worked, so you made sure to save a hefty serving for him when you poured the meal into serving bowls.

You gave the little guy his serving and set yours right next to his on the dining table. You then carried Mando’s serving to the cockpit to give it to him.

You had an idea…. and you hated how you got your hopes up that he would agree.

You stood behind the pilot’s chair for a moment, until you finally took a deep breath and said, “Dinner is ready.”

Mando spun around in his chair and took the bowl from you.

“This smells amazing. Thank you,” he said and got up to walk to his room. He always ate in there because of his creed, and you felt a pull on your heartstrings every time you would think about him eating all alone. You wanted him with you and the kid. You felt full when you three were together, and Mando eating alone felt like you were leaving him out. You knew what that felt like, and you never wanted to inflict it on others.

This was it. This was the moment.

“Wait,” you said, and he turned back around to you, still holding the bowl in his hands.

Every time he looked at you straight on you felt your nerves creep up your spine and your hands become fidgety. You felt cheesy and stupid. This man was basically your roommate, not some partner you needed to impress.

But why does it feel that way?

“I uh… I was thinking that maybe.. we could figure out a way to eat together? I feel bad that you have to eat alone in your room, so maybe I could.. I don’t know.. turn around? And get the kid to do that as well? If you aren’t comfortable with that I totally get it, I just.. feel really bad that you don’t have anyone to eat with,” you say.

Of course he will say no. Why would he trust someone to just “turn around?” As if they wouldn’t want to catch a glimpse?

Your hopes were sinking every moment he stood in silence, and you weren’t liking your chances.

He looked down at his bowl and then back up at you, and these were the moments you wished he wasn’t so good at hiding his emotions. You wanted to see and feel what he was thinking, but he was impenetrable. He was like a stone wall, and you hated it.

He sighed, obviously thinking about what you said, and you just waited. You didn’t want to pressure him anymore. He can make his own decisions, and you can deal with them.

“If I do that,” he says, “you have to swear to me… you won’t turn around. And you won’t let the kid turn either.”

Your eyes widened.

It worked, you think. How the hell did that work?

“I swear Mando. I will not turn around on any circumstance, and I will do everything in my power to keep the kid at bay. If he doesn’t want to cooperate, I will eat with him away from you just to be safe. I promise,” you say and he nods.

“Ok,” he mumbles, and you smile at him. A genuine smile. A smile that says all the things you wish you could say, but are too afraid.

You hoped he wasn’t as good at reading people as you were.

“Ok. Let’s go,” you say and he follows you back to the table.

“Ok kid. You’ve gotta turn around for me ok,” you say to the kid and he babbles something incoherent.

“Thank you for the compliment on the food. I’ve known that recipe for a while,” you say with a giggle while turning his chair around.

You turn yours around as well and grab your bowl to set on your lap.

You and the child are now facing away from Mando, eating your dinner, and you couldn’t be happier.

Your belly slowly becoming more full calms your excitement, until you hear a small hiss and the sound of metal scratching the floor.

It’s off. Mando’s helmet is off.

You take a deep breath and close your eyes.

He did it. He really trusts me to do this.

You hear the sounds of him eating the soup and you swear this couldn’t get any better.

You go back to eating with a huge grin on your face, and you keep the child in your peripheral vision to make sure he doesn’t turn either.

You had connected with him through the force a couple of times since your first meeting. You had gotten better at reading the little one, and you could see just a faint look of understanding in his body language.

He didn’t waver. He didn’t squirm. He just ate as still as he could, and you were so grateful.

Seriously? This was all it took for the kid to behave, you wondered to yourself

Mando mumbling, “This is really good,” shatters through your thoughts like ice.

Mando’s voice. His true voice, just hit your ears for the first time ever, and you wanted it burned into your brain forever. You never wanted to hear anything different.

It wasn’t just the sound of it, but the feeling. You could hear the gratitude in his voice and it sent chills down your arms.

It was him. His voice. Something no one could ever replicate. It was truly his own.

“Thank you,” you say and take another sip of your soup. Your appetite has basically vanished at this point, and your ears just yearn to hear more.

“I think the kid is enjoying himself,” you say, and you pray you get Mando’s rarest gem of all in its rawest form.

And you do.

He gives a soft chuckle of a laugh. “Yeah, I think so too,” he says and takes another bite.

If you dropped dead right now, you would die a happy woman.

How do you even iterate what that felt like? What it felt like to hear this big, scary, metallic man give off something so vulnerable to you.

Had other people heard this at all? Maybe not even since he was a child?

Your hands started to shake from the endorphins and you finished your bowl. You took the kid’s bowl as well and placed it inside your own and just sat. Just soaked in this happy moment that you never wanted to end.

If only you knew how big of a smile Mando had on his face behind you.

~~*~~

A few days pass and the energy on the ship is the best it’s ever been.

You had eaten dinner together every day since then, and you wondered how something so simple could make you so….happy.

Mando was at his pilot’s chair (as usual) and he called for you to come to the cockpit.

Luckily it was pretty late, so the kid was passed out.

You made your way to the cockpit and saw that Mando had an image broadcasting from the ship’s holoprojecter. The image was of a man with a darker skin tone and flecks of grey in his hair. He looked like he had been through a lot, as his clothes were slightly tattered and ripped.

“I’d like you to hear this,” Mando said before pressing play.

The man in the image proceeded to explain how ranks of ex- imperial guards were ruling over his city and they needed Mando’s help to take them down. He proposed that Mando return to Nevaro and bring the child as bait, and once they got near the client, Mando would kill him.

The man said that if Mando succeeded, he would have his name cleared in the Guild and he can keep the child.

The clip ended and Mando turned to face you.

“What do you think,” he asked, and you looked to the floor with knit eyebrows, thinking.

“Bringing the child as bait is incredibly risky, but if you trust that man, I don’t see a problem with it. You can take down ex- Imperial guards no problem,” you say, and he nods.

“I’m just confused how you even know that man,” you say.

“He’s… an old friend,” Mando says, and you don’t like the sound of that.

“We kinda got off on the wrong foot last time we talked,” he said, and you nodded.

“So… he is saying you get to keep the child if you succeed, but we have had him this whole time?”

“There’s something you need to know,” he says, and he goes to explain how he really got the child, and how he has been being hunted by the Empire this whole time.

Throughout the explanation, you listen intently, nodding and keeping eye contact with Mando.

You would think that the fact that the Empire had been on your tracks the whole time would scare you, but it doesn’t.

It fuels you. You three were pissing the Empire off, and there was nothing you liked doing more.

You felt powerful. Unstoppable. For once you were making them mad, not the other way around. And you liked it.

You are not angry at Mando, not even a little. You feel relieved.

This perfect man who had given you nothing but happiness….wasn’t perfect. You had so many demons, and you found someone who did too. Someone who did something bad for the right reasons. You found a good person, who did the right thing because it was right. He had a good heart rather than an ego, and he let you in on something so precious to him. This child.

And you were not gonna let the galaxy rip him away.

Once he finished, you took a deep breath. You looked at him and smiled.

“You know…I am pretty relieved Mando,” you say, and he cocked his head to the side slightly in confusion.

“I thought you looked like that under the helmet,” you say, gesturing with your head to the sleeping green creature behind you, and you laugh.

Mando’s shoulders relax, and his grip on the arm rests of the pilot’s chair softens.

“Seriously Mando, it’s ok. You did the right thing. 99% of people would have just dumped the kid and left. I am proud of you. I am proud to be on this mission,” you say.

“If saving a baby from the Empire gets me arrested, then by all means let them arrest me.”

Mando’s shoulders shake a little. It probably felt incredible to get this off his chest. He had been keeping this from you for a while.

I wonder if eating with me helped him trust me more?

“Ok,” he breathes out of his helmet. “Good. I was hoping you’d stay.”

“Oh I’m staying alright,” you say and he gives a breathy laugh.

“But this is your decision Mando. I am up for going or staying. I know you understand there are risks in both options,” you say, referring to the offer the man on the recording had given you earlier.

“Whatever you want to do. I trust you,” you say and his head snaps back to make eye contact with you.

You give him a weak smile, and allow what you said to sink through his beskar and into his skin.

I. Trust. You.

After a moment, he turns back to his controls and stares into space.

If you’re being honest, you have no idea what you would choose. If you don’t go, the kid will keep being hunted and at risk. If you do go, that man could betray you and get you all killed.

Mando is in deep thought, as are you, and you jump a little when he starts punching coordinates into the controls.

“Sorgan? Why Sorgan?” you ask.

He turns to face back to you, and you can only imagine the cocky smirk he has on his face.

“An old friend.”

Tag list:

@leahkenobi @pinkninja200 @bookloverfilmoholic @farfromjustordinary

[wrenhyperfixates]

A Perfect Proposal

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: In which you propose to Loki. Warnings: Did anyone order fluff? Well, here you go :) A/N: Sending love out into the world for anyone who needs it. If you’re feeling down on yourself and like no one will want you (as so many of us oft think) just remember your real life Loki isn’t as far away as you think :)

Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant​ @lunarmoon8 @twhiddlestonsstuff @lokistan @lowkeyorlokificrecs @gaitwae @whatafuckingdumbass @castiels-majestic-wings @kozkaboi @cozy-the-overlord @birdgirl90 @myraiswack

Disclaimer: Gif not mine 

“I love you, dearest,” Loki said, placing a small kiss to your temple.

“I love you, too,” you replied. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life and every moment after.”

“I feel the same way.”

Unfortunately, for as much as he insisted that, Loki had yet to take the next step in your relationship. He’d been your boyfriend for nearly two years now, and you were both madly in love with the other. You honestly had no doubts about that at this point, but it was frustrating being stuck where you were, nonetheless. There wasn’t even anything wrong with your relationship, per se, but it had been the same thing for a while now. The problem was that you loved him so much, you wanted more. Marriage. You’d talked about it a while ago, and he seemed open to the idea, but he had yet to pop the question. With all the hints you’d been leaving recently, you thought he would have asked by now. There was nothing else you could do short of asking him yourself.

“That’s it,” you gasped, jumping up from the couch. “Sorry, Loki. I gotta go. I’ll see you later, ok?”

You gave him a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying off to find your friends, leaving a very confused god in your wake. Zooming into another common room, you found them locked in concentration on an intense game of MarioKart.

“Bucky, Wanda, Nat. Important announcement,” you said to get their attention.

“One second,” Bucky shushed. “I’m about to win.”

“In your dreams,” Wanda snickered.

You impatiently tapped your foot as you let them finish the final lap, about ready to burst with excitement from your idea. Bucky and Wanda both groaned as Nat snatched the win at the last second.

“And that is how it’s done,” she said high-fiving you. “Now, what’s the emergency?”

“I’m going to propose to Loki.”

Wanda squealed in excitement and threw her arms around you in a hug. “That’s awesome! I’m proud of you!”

“Thanks, but before I can go through with this, I’m going to need a ring.”

And so, your little band of friends snuck out of the Tower and headed to a jewelry shop in the city. You were marveling at all the beautiful bands, as your friends argued over which one would be best. They all had different ideas about what you should get, though you didn’t really have a clue yourself. You were sure you would know it when you saw it.

“I’m telling you, this is the best one,” Bucky insisted, holding up an antique ring.

“Are you crazy? It’s so worn. No offense, but who would want that one?” Nat said.

“Steve would like it,” he murmured.

“How about this one?” Wanda called.

She pointed to a slim, ebony black band in the display case. It was understated, yet pretty. You considered the shiny trinket for a moment. It seemed like something Loki would like, and yet it wasn’t quite right. Continuing to walk through the store and take in the countless options, something in your peripheral vision caught your attention. Your head snapped back to it, and you let out an audible gasp.

“This is the one,” you declared.

Your friends came rushing over to see. The ring was fashioned as a gold, double-headed snake with emeralds as eyes. Far from a typical engagement ring, but you and your boyfriend weren’t much for conventional.

“We’ll take it,” you told the chipper store clerk.

To thank your friends for their help, you treated them to some coffee. As you sat in the cafe, you began to obsess over how to propose to Loki, though they insisted you were overthinking it. They were acting as if it were easy to speak from the heart. Then again, Loki was the love of your life, so maybe the right words would just flow out in the moment. Still, you’d like to have some kind of general outline.

Your planning was cut short by your ringtone, and you knew it must be Loki as he was the only one who bothered with calling anymore. Everyone else just texted, but he hadn’t quite figured out how to do that yet. You had to admit, his ineptitude with technology was kind of cute.

“Dearest, can you hear me?”  he asked. “Is this accursed magic box working?”

“Yes, my love,” you laughed. “It’s working just fine.”

“Very good. I was wondering if you would accompany me to dinner this evening. Say, 7:30, the balcony where we first met?”

“Absolutely.”

You remembered meeting Loki as if it had only just happened moments ago. You’d heard the stories of the monster he’d been at the Battle of New York, but standing there in the moonlight, he’d just looked fragile. You’d missed introductions earlier that day, having been on a mission, and approached with caution, careful not to rip him from his quiet reverie.

“Whatcha thinking about?” you’d asked softly, leaning next to him on the railing.

He’d looked slightly bewildered, whether because you snuck up on him or he didn’t know who you were, you still didn’t know.

“Nothing much, mortal,” he’d said.

“Well, that’s not very nice.”

“What?”

“Calling me ‘mortal.’”

“Well forgive me, but you did not introduce yourself,” he’d snapped back.

“Oh, well, yeah. Ok. I guess you’re right.”

You told him your name, and he said it softly, tasting the foreign word on his tongue. He tested it out a few times before coming to a conclusion.

“I like that name very much, mortal,” he teased.

“Haha very funny. How mature.”

Despite trying to sound angry, you couldn’t help but smile. You’d talked for a while after that and didn’t split up until the first light of morning began to fight through the darkness. Needless to say, you didn’t get much sleep, for even when you’d reached your room, your heart was pounding too wildly to allow you to slumber. You were too excited from meeting this handsome stranger. This god. Loki.

But that was then, and this was now. You walked out onto the balcony decorated with twinkle lights, candles, and your favorite flowers, the napkins and tablecloth your favorite color. You nervously checked to make sure you had the ring carefully tucked away one more time before going out to meet Loki in an embrace.

Throughout dinner, you mainly managed to keep your cool, but your leg would not stop bouncing with anxious energy. If Loki noticed, he didn’t say anything, though he did appear to be a little nervous himself, what with the constant fidgeting of hands and all.

Waving away your empty dishes with a flick of his hands, he began asking what you would like for dessert, but your mind was already far away. You jumped a little at the sound of Loki’s voice.

“I’m sorry, what was that again?” you asked, snapping back to the moment.

“Dearest, are you feeling alright?” he questioned, voice laced with concern. “You seem worried.”

“No, I’m fine,” you said as he raised an unconvinced eyebrow. It was now or never. “But I have something to say.”

“By all means, please share.”

“Ok,” you began, sucking in a sharp, anxious breath. “As you know, we’ve been dating for some time now, and I love you more than anything in this world. Even when we fight, that doesn’t change. Every moment I spend with you, I feel loved. Safe. Happy. You’ve been there for me in ways no one else in this world has. From the moment we met, something was screaming in my mind, ‘This is the one.’ It hasn’t stopped saying it since. I want to be with you, be there for you, for the rest of my life. Loki, my heart, my love, the light of my life, will you marry me?”

You got down onto one knee and popped open the ring box for a very stunned Loki. You gulped nervously as he seemed to regain his senses.

“Well, this is awkward,” he said. Your mind immediately jumped to worst-case scenario, assuming he was about to break up with you, but before you could speak your fears, Loki was also down on one knee, also opening a box. “I was just about to say the same thing.”

Now it was your turn to be stunned. You’d truly thought he was too hard on himself to ever actually ask for your hand in marriage, and you were elated that he loved you enough to work past that.

“In case the answer wasn’t obvious, yes. Yes with my whole heart!” you exclaimed, launching yourself into his arms.

Pulling back from him, you kissed him passionately. You slipped his ring onto his finger, and he did the same for you. It was exactly what you’d always hoped your engagement ring would look like. You beamed at Loki, completely happy.

“I love you, dearest,” he said.

“I love you, too. I can’t wait to be with you for the rest of my life.”

“And every moment after.”

[hela-avenger]

To the Stars Who Listen- Part 6

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 1790

Summary: When Loki desires to never fall in love, he casts a spell to prevent such a thing from happening. Except, well, in the matters of love and magic, you never know the result it may have in the end. Loki x Reader

A/N: Oh this one was fun to write. Please do enjoy the chaos of this part! Tags are open! (Send me an ask/message/response.)

TTSWL Masterlist

You walk into the kitchen quickly gravitating to the freshly brewed coffee pot. You’re not the only one awake in the early morning as Bucky and Sam are bickering from their seats on the counter. 

“I didn’t fall asleep,” Sam exclaims. “You did!” 

“No, I didn’t,” Bucky scoffs. “I was awake from the start to the very end. You’re the one who can’t hang after your early bedtime.” 

“You want to come after my bedtime?” Sam repeats. “At least I get the recommended eight hours of sleep every night. I'm a healthy individual. What do you do? You stay up all night doing God knows what and sleep in all day. You got bags under your eyes, old man!” 

Your chuckle breaks the tension in the room as you settle across from them. 

“Are you two… sleeping together?” you ask. 

“Me and him,” Bucky answers as he points at himself and Sam. “He wishes.” 

Sam looks offended.

“I’m so way out of your league and besides, you’re not my type.” 

“I’m everybody’s type,” Bucky argues. 

You roll your eyes at them wondering how you managed to end one argument just to ignite another one. 

“Guys,” you exclaim, capturing their attention immediately. “If you’re not dating, then why are you arguing about who fell asleep first?” 

Sam and Bucky share a look and you knew the answer would not be to your liking. 

“Tell me.” 

“We were just keeping an eye out for you, doll,” Bucky answers. “Loki knew what he was doing when he chose the room right in front of yours. Sam and I thought it would be for the best to station ourselves in your hallway throughout the night to make sure he doesn’t pull anything.” 

“Yeah, but then I fell asleep on my shift,” Sam sighs. “So we lost surveillance for the rest of the night.” 

“Ha! You admit it then!” Bucky exclaims. “It was your fault!” 

“Oh, come on,” Sam scoffs. “You should have had an alarm ready to take over for your shift. What’s your excuse for not waking me up?”

“Well, I snoozed my alarm,” Bucky confesses with a shrug. “I expected you to come over to wake me up but you didn’t.” 

“So what I’m hearing is that it’s both of your faults…” 

“Yes,” both answer. 

“...And that you guys invaded not only Loki’s privacy but my own for stalking my hallway the entire night...” 

“Yes.” 

“...And not only did you fail in your appointed surveillance job but you have also now severely pissed me off,” you conclude enjoying the alarmed look falling upon both of their faces. You take a sip of your coffee and hum. “I hope you know payback’s coming.” 

They continue to stare at you with mouths gaped open. 

“I know I should be afraid but I find myself very attracted to you right now.” 

“Same.” 

You stare at Bucky and Sam in surprise. 

“Did you guys mean to say that out loud?” 

Bucky scowls before you find his face turning alarmingly red. 

“I mean you’re hot when you’re mad and threatening and in charge...” 

“I think what Bucky is trying to say is that we have a thing for women in power and why did I just tell you that,” Sam stammers out. “I… Wait, are you doing your thing? Your confession thing? Oh, you are! You sneaky…” 

You frown when you realize that you were indeed doing it again. You were in control of this power inside of you but you didn’t know how to make it stop. Part of you wondered if you even wanted to. 

“I gotta go,” you interrupt as you set your mug down. “I gotta go now.” 

You don’t wait to hear their responses as you run out of the kitchen. You just wanted to make your way into your room and figure it out yourself but luck was never on your side seeing as a cheerful Wanda appeared around the corner. 

“Good morning,” Wanda greets. “Do you wanna hear a secret? Vision and I have been secretly seeing each other. No one knows!” 

You can’t hide the shock on your face and neither can Wanda as her smile drops. 

“Why did I just tell you that?” 

You don’t offer a response as you sprint out of the hallway hoping to just reach the privacy of your room. It doesn’t surprise you when you run into somebody else but you are relieved at the face you find. 

“Loki,” you sigh. “Good, great… Let’s go.” 

You take a hold of his wrist and start to lead him out of the building and away from the facility overall. You stray from the paved path and start descending down a random hill. Loki waits for his monitor to go off but nothing occurs. 

“Where are you taking me, little mortal?” Loki finally asks. “Why are we so far out?” 

“I can’t shut it off,” you exclaim as you let him go. “I was just having breakfast with my friends when they started to confess things to me. I didn’t even realize it until they were spewing things I didn’t need to know. I’m not manic like I usually am. I am in full control here and I don’t know how to turn it off.”

Your chest suddenly feels tight and you can’t take a deep breath. 

“Can I even turn it off? Am I stuck this way?” you ask as your vision begins to fade out. “Oh… Oh I don’t feel so good. My heart should not be beating this fast and I feel really hot. I feel like I’m going to…” 

Loki is quick to grab you as he notices your imbalance. He helps settle you down onto the ground and advises you to breathe.

You do but it doesn’t ease you at all. 

Loki didn’t have to touch you to feel the power radiating from your body. Once again it had alarmingly grown overnight to the point that it was no longer being held into your body but around it like a protective cloud.

 “Don’t panic.” 

You glare at him in response seeing as you were currently in a state of panic. 

“Well… don’t panic more than you already are,” Loki corrects. “But your power has grown once again and seeing as you are in control then we must resort to other methods in how you deal with this excess power.” 

Loki waves his hands in a circular motion and a pair of golden gauntlets appear out of thin air. 

“These should help,” Loki states as he kneels down in front of you. He takes your hand and slips one on before doing the same with the other. “Just don’t take them off.” 

You inspect the gauntlets that you were now sporting. The metal was cool against your skin and laid heavy around your wrists. A light stone rested on your palms and you watched as it shifted colors. 

“What are these?” you ask him. 

“Siphons,” he answers. “The stones embedded on the palm of your hands come from Alfheim. They store and help young seidr-wielders to manipulate magic more precisely. I used similar ones when I was younger until I grew into my powers.” 

“But I won’t have that same luxury, will I?” 

“No, no you will not,” Loki answers. “You will have to wear these for the rest of your life and expel the collected power over time. If you go too long without doing so the stones will become overpowered and break which wouldn’t go well for you.” 

“I end up dying, right?” 

“Yes.”

“Alright, great,” you mutter. “How do I do that? Expel power?” 

Loki tries to find the words to explain but finds himself at a loss. He can’t help but think back to how his mother had given him his own siphons when his power started to affect everyone around him. 

“Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and focus. Conjure up your intention and then trust your magic to make it real.” 

Loki uses those same words with you and watches how you follow his instructions with more ease than he had all those years ago. 

A bright light flashes from your hands shooting into the wooded area nearby. Two tree branches crash to the ground and you flinch at the sight of them. 

“Ok that’s kind of scary,” you comment as you look down at the gauntlets. “Was that normal?”

“In a way…” Loki mumbles realizing the alarming power that you held in the literal palms of your hands. “Like I said, you’re stronger than I presumed you would be.”

“Great, that’s great,” you mumble. “Now I know how Tony feels with his thrusters.” 

You look down at the palm of your hands noticing the siphons lighting up once more.

“They’re up and running again.” 

“As I’ve said before, you’ve been bestowed a great power.” 

You can’t help but pause and think over your entire interaction with him. 

“A power that you seem immune to,” you point out as you turn to look at him. “The others… they confessed things without prompting. You didn’t. Why?” 

“We’ll both be immune to each other in one way or another,” Loki explains. “I can never lie to you since you’ll be able to tell. Of course this means that you won’t be able to lie to me because that is my area of expertise and I’ll know.” 

“But why?” 

“Because balance,” Loki repeats. “You and I are two sides of the same necessary coin. We are the light and the dark, the sun and the moon, the good and the bad... ” 

“Right, the truth and the lies,” you sigh but something still didn’t fit in his explanation. “Why does it feel like you’re not telling me everything?” 

Loki is surprised that you have caught on to him quickly. You were adapting fast to your new power. Trusting it instinctively and so naturally as if you already accepted it as a part of you. 

He can’t help but stammer out in surprise. 

“There are loopholes,” Loki answers honestly. “Manners in which I can evade the truth without speaking dishonestly.” 

You narrow your eyes at him. 

“You could certainly work around that though as you did now. I’m sure with some training you could manage to catch on to the evasions quicker.”

“Are you going to train me in that?” you ask. “Or are you going to keep those secrets to yourself?”

Loki can’t help but chuckle. 

You were bold and unafraid of him. Not many of the new agents had that same courage nor the strength to be fighting alongside Midgard’s merry band of heroes. You were one of a kind. 

“We shall see,” he answers. “For now, let’s focus on the siphons. Become familiar with them, get used to the feel of them, and most importantly, learn to aim.” 

TTSWL Tag: @catsladen @is-it-madness @manyfandoms-marvel @mejusttryintogetby @illogicalfangirl @ariel-snow-tmnt @islinglivesinshire @musicconversedance @missmadwoman @smaranshakthi @adaydreamingdragon @poetic-fiasco @like-a-wildfire @jasminecalia @ha-tep @charbokbok @setsuna-meiou31 @ms-blvck @country-cowgirl-101 @bepo-is-sorry @hufflautia @waitforthehurricanrose @fictionalhoomanofnowhere​ @sanniegirl1214​

Loki Tag: @unicorniorosacomefrutillas @thesilentbluesparrow @oddly-drawn-muse @josiehosiedaninja @hp-hogwartsexpress @sadwaywardkid @wolf-lover74 @sizzlingbarbarianglitter @sigyn-nightshade @aoirohi @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals @just-a-donut-who-reads @day-dreaming-fox

All Works Tag: @jmb959 @astudyoftimeywimeystuff @hellocookiecutter @steve-rogers-personal-hell @buckybarnesyard @not-zari-tak @strangersstranger @thefridgeismybestie @ariel-snow-tmnt @badhollandfluff @what-a-flammable-heart

[bucky-iss-bae]

My Girl (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

A/N: I started writing this at 11.30pm and its now 12.50am, I accidently wrote it. it was supposed to be a drabble, but it turned out to be more than that. Sorryyyy. 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (AU) 

Fandom: MCU/Marvel

Prompts: “Love is Stupid” – “Take my Jacket, its cold outside” – “I’ll walk you home” “Don’t look at me like that” 

Warnings: Possesiveness?? The slightest bit of smut that its actually incredibly tame. Also 100 spelling and grammer mistakes bc this is a rush job. 

Word count: 2075 (Sorry, I can’t write drabbles for shit lmao)

Masterlist 

Fandom list

Growing up and turning into adults with such a big group of friends meant weekly linkups at your local bar had slowly turned into fortnight linkups, and that slowly turned into only a few people turning up, and everyone hanging out properly probably once a month.

Some were starting families like Stark, or already had a family like Barton. Others were slowly getting into relationships, and only a few of you were single.

It was weird being single and watching everyone else fall in love, grow families, considering that you guys had been friends since high school, or for some since pre-school. It was weird watching some of your friends get into relationships with one another, or with others. Seeing Peggy and Steves relationship grow was a beautiful one, she was one of the strongest women you knew, even in high school, no one ever messed with her. Along with Buck and the rest of you, no one dared to mess with Steve before he hit puberty and ended up towering over everyone, and even being the star athlete in senior year.

The same went for Tony, some thought he would never settle down, but his heart always belonged to one person. Vision and Wanda had only recently gotten together, it was weird because they flirted and had always been there for one another, they had an unspoken bond. You were just scared that soon you would have to find a new roommate. It was difficult when Natasha had left, but being just the two of you, you got buy, you had good jobs and rent was fine, but you knew it would be a difficult process.

Only a few of you were single now, both you and Bucky, although you would gladly change that any day. James Buchanan Barnes. A man you had fancied for years. He was too blind to see it of course. Not that you showed it. The two of you constantly fought, but also joked, if anything you saw him and Sam the most, probably because the three of you were the single ones. There was Peter, but he was a few years younger, and even he had a girl.

Meeting up with everyone on Friday after everyone had finished work was weird, you were sat with Sam and Buck, not everyone could make it, but of course the three of you were ready to turn up. Although you hated seeing playboy Bucky, although those years were long gone.

“You good?” Bucky asked nudging your shoulder,

You grimaced, “I’m fab Buck. But like… Love is stupid” you said looking around at the lovey dovey couples,

He chuckled and smiled across at you, “Ahhh, it’s not that bad” He said, “Look at all those rom coms you watch. You call it cute then”  

“That’s because they are cute Buck, but now I want my friends” I whined, “But ok no, I want what they have” I said dropping the dumbest hints.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone soon, we just gotta make sure they’re good for you”

Bucky had a smirk on his face, “Don’t get all protective over me now Buck”

“Naww, I’m always protective over you” he said putting his arm around you and pulling you into his arms slightly, “You’re my best girl” He stated,

All you could do was smell his aftershave, over the years his smell had almost matured more and more, but it was sexy as hell. Whenever you stayed over at his and Sam’s place after a drunken night, you always ended up in one of Buckys hoodies, or tops, and the smell was just as intoxicating to you now as much as it is then.

“That’s sweet Buck, but it makes me feel like I’ll be single until I turn 35, after that, Sam and I made a pact when we were kids that if we’re both still single, that we’d just end up marrying one another”

Sam winked at me, “You got it, your present for your 35th birthday will be an engagement ring from yours truly”

Bucky tightened his grip around you, “Shame, Steve broke our pact like that. He’s got a girl and everything”

Steve overheard this and turned our way, “Still hurting over that huh, and to think, everyone thought you would’ve settled down first playboy”

“Still hurts that you left me like that Stevie”

Everyone laughed at that, but conversations carried on, Buckys arm had dropped down to your waist now instead, lingering there, although you acted like you couldn’t feel it, the whole time it’s all you could think about as it made your heart hammer in your chest.

Both Nat and Wanda had shared a glance before the both of them looking at you, Peggy also catching on quickly.

You rolled your eyes at how dramatic they were being but a smile still on your face, this happens often enough, the two of you don’t necessarily flirt, but you do, you want to believe there is chemistry there, the way he treats you, the way he plays with your hair, always makes sure you’ve eaten, makes sure you get home safely.

Everyone soon slowly started to disperse, Wanda told you that she would be staying the night with Vision which meant you had to walk back or grab a taxi to your place alone.

“I’ll walk you home” Bucky offered once Sam had managed to pull,

“I’ll be fine Buck” You smiled at him as you walked outside, the cold breeze hitting your face, making you realise how hot and stuffy that place can get,

“Like hell am I letting my girl wander around the city by herself at this time” He said putting his elbow out,

You intertwined your hand through his elbow, as the two of you started walking, “Tonight was nice, makes me miss everyone though” You mumbled leaning your head against his arm, you could feel his bicep, and you knew you would only be lucky to be wrapped up in this mans arms,

“Same, scary how everyone is starting families, and we’re just… here”

You chuckled at that, “Only a matter of time before Wan moved in with Vis”

“Yeah? Well whenever that happens, Steves room is still free” He grinned at you, “Then I’ll have my girl a lot closer” He always said this, always called you his girl but never acted on it. The only time he got close to acting on it was when you were being hit on by a random guy in the bar. He got possessive and attractively dangerous at certain times.

“Eugh, imagine living with boys full time” You joked trying to ignore the comments.  

He let out a loud laugh, “Oh, trust me it’ll be a big difference than living with Wanda and Nat”

“I’ve stayed there and I know, and it’s mostly me here anyway, at the moment I’m enjoying my peace and quiet, but also missing the commotion”

“Don’t blame you, at least it’s not a bad set of apartments around here”

You lived in a nice neighbourhood, especially considering New York rates, but you had a very well paid job, no family responsibilities, and put in your savings just as much as you spent on rent. You were fine.

“They’re very nice” You murmured with a small shiver,

Bucky had noticed this and as soon as he did, he stopped, “Shit, sorry Y/N, I promise I was raised better than this” He said,

You stared at him confused, wondering why he stopped but he soon gave you his jacket, you were in awe at the fact that he gave you his jacket,

“Bucky” You pouted, “Thank you” You wrapped yourself in his jacket, the smell of his cologne stronger than before, but so much warmer.

“Anything for you sugar, besides you look better in it than I do, I like you wearing my stuff” He murmured kissing your forehead,

The two of you carried on walking, mostly in silence, it was nice though. Times like this with Bucky meant the world to you.

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours” He asked when you were only a block away from your apartment building,

You shook your head, “I just… like this” You said, “Spending time with you, it’s nice”

He smiled at that, his pearly whites on show, and his beautiful blue eyes twinkling, “I knew I was better company than Wilson”

You laughed at that, “I’m being serious Buck, you just… I don’t know. You make me feel safe and happy, even at 1am walking through the streets of New York”

“Good, because I’m always here to keep you safe” He said,

You stared up at him, so often, when he made comments like that it made you think, does he feel the way you do. Does he want to be with you as much as you want to be with him?

“You’ve got a dangerous look on your face there sugar.”

“No I don’t buck” you whispered before going into your apartment building, nodding at the doorman who also smiled at Buck,

“Yes you do” he said following you into the lift,

You couldn’t help but raise your eyebrows at him and crossing your arms across your chest, he always made fun of you for this but you couldn’t help it,

He tried to supress his smirk, “You look cute sugar, and what was that dangerous look for huh?”

It was just the two of you in the elevator, you didn’t expect him to come up with you,

“I don’t know Buck… like sometimes, sometimes you just make some comments or act a certain way and it makes me overthink. It’s stupid”

He didn’t say anything, instead he had an intense look on his face, his thinking face, although rarely was he this deep in thought, the elevator stopped on your floor and the two of you walked across the landing towards your door, he still hadn’t said anything as the two of you entered your apartment, you kicked your shoes off, and didn’t take Bucks Jacket off until you got to your room, Bucky Still following you.

He stared at your intently, “Don’t look at me like that” you grumbled taking his jacket off, missing the warmth it had and his smell and hanging it back to him, he threw the jacket on the bed before coming up to you, he seemed so much taller right now since you took your heels off, he brushed a strand of hair out of your face, still giving you the same look,

“You know, these last few years, I was hoping at some point you would realise why I’ve scared off any guy who comes near you. Why I’ve always been there to look out for you, making sure my fav girl knows she’s my only girl. But you just… you don’t see it. But I think you do. I know you do” He voice was so deep and low, turning you on slightly, he had a dark look in his eyes, but his blue eyes still piercing into you,

“Maybe youre the one whos not caught on Buck, come on, I’ve not cared about any other guy for years, especially when youre the only guy I can see” You whispered at him,

That’s all the conformation he needed before pinning you up against your bedroom door, you gasped at the strength and speed he had, a hand caressing your jaw slowly, before he pressed his lips against your own, you moaned at this he kept you pinned against the door. The kiss was rough but held all the passion your needed, he grabbed your wandering hands before holding them above your head in one place with one of his hands, the other grabbing your hip, pressing himself up against you, the kiss soon turned into kisses down your neck as he bit and sucked his way down,

“Buck” You moaned out feeling a small wetness between your thighs, shocked at the sudden pleasure, if you knew your body would react like this, you would’ve said something sooner, the pleasure this made caused you within seconds was more than any man had done before.

“You’re mine Y/N” He growled out, “You’re mine, and I’m going to make sure it takes more than just my cologne all over you for you to know that” He said before picking you up and throwing you on your bed before joining you.

The two of you making love in ways you didnt expect with him, not realising he felt the way you did, and him giving you want you wanted, no needed. 

A/N: Lol I’m so sorryyyy I’m trying to write more and moreeee. Hope you enjoy though, any requests send them my wayyyyyy 

[fraidy-farfelle]

Hey, for the ask game. Maybe 19 with either Frankie or another character of your choice? Thank you and hopefully this ask is good and helpful

Ok so I got WWAAAAAYYYYYY too carried away with this. Thank you for the ask! I’ve only ever written for a female reader, so I hope that this is okay. I’m still working out if I want to take the time to write out Frankie’s lines with his accent or not, so any feedback on that would be appreciated! I hope you enjoy it!

“Where would you Mark me? Could you point it out?”

It was a crisp morning in Toria. Autumn had made its debut; biting winds carrying the colorful leaves in beautiful patterns. Frankie turned up his collar and huffed in annoyance at the latest breeze. Why, he wouldn’t even be out if not for-

“Frankie!~” He instinctively snapped his head in the direction of the voice calling for him. ‘Ah yes, the Dame of the hour…’ He thought to himself, a smile disguised as a smirk made its way onto his face. A woman came into his vision, running towards him with a radiant smile, her cheeks red from the cold. He couldn’t help but muse over how angelic she looked with her (h/c) hair flowing behind her, almost looking metallic in the pale sunlight. She screeched to a halt before him and took a moment to catch her breath.

“Whaddaya think ya doin, runnin around like a chicken with its head cut off?” Frankie said, gently brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “I had to swing by my place to grab some stuff, and Jack decided he was in a talkative mood. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long!” She said once she finally caught her breath.

“Ya gotta learn how to tell people to fuck off, (y/n). You certainly ain’t beholdin’ to that striped bastard.” He said with a frown, taking the backpack that he noticed slung over her arm from her. She reached to take it back, but he gently batted her hand away. “You know I’m too nice to do that. Besides, we both know what he’s capable of. It’s better to be kind to him.” He nodded his head in reluctant agreement, and busied himself with buttoning up her coat. He opened his mouth to chide her for trying to catch a cold, but she rolled her eyes and held her arms up to accommodate his mother hen nature.

“Ya still ain’t told me where we’re goin, love.” He said, finally satisfied. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?” She said with a giggle and took his hand. “Ready?” “You lead, an I’ll follow.”

After walking through the woods for a bit, they came to the shoreline of a lake. Frankie had been to this lake before, but he noticed something new. “Has that cabin always been there?” She laughed and shook her head. “No, you haven’t missed anything. This is what I’ve been working on this past month. Shall we say, somebody owed me a favor?” Frankie was in awe. The cabin was small, but had a covered porch and the timbers seemed to fit seamlessly together. He didn’t get much time to think on it, as she tugged him forward. She used a strange looking key to unlock the door and they stepped inside.

The inside of the cabin was a single room; a kitchenette on the left side, and a bed and wardrobe to the right. A rustic fireplace dominated the back wall, with a door on either side. “(y/n), what exactly is this?” A bashful look adorned her face, and she held his hand in both of hers. “Well, in the simplest of terms, I built it for you. I know how hard it is for you to live at Hookman’s and I also know we can’t just go on vacation. (He opened his mouth to apologize, but she squeezed his hand to silence him.) I knew what I was signing up for when we started dating, Stitches. It’s okay. But, I see you getting so stressed out. Between Jack, Will, and now Issac, and all of the jobs Bell sends you on, I had to find you someplace where you could get away from everything. I didn’t find one that already existed, so I decided to make one! I called in favors for the materials and the actual cutting of the logs, but I brought them here myself. You and I are the only people who know about this place.”

She looked down nervously, unable to meet his gaze. Frankie dropped the bag unceremoniously to the floor, and pulled her into a warm embrace. (y/n) immediately melted against him and held on to his jacket. After a moment, he pulled back and cupped her chin with his fingers, forcing her to look at him. He had happy tears in his eyes that fell as he tried to blink them away. “Thank you, (y/n). I love you. So much.” He then pressed a gentle kiss on her lips to drive his words home.

Later in the day, after they had caught their food from the lake and had a fire roaring in the fireplace, they spent the day walking in the woods. Unfortunately, (y/n) had tripped and fallen on a tree root, and had managed to bring Frankie down with her, leaving them both covered in cold mud. Laughing at themselves, they made their way back to the cabin.(y/n) made her way to the door to the right of the fireplace, motioning for him to follow. Behind was a small bathroom with a shower, and the room was heated by the bricks of the fireplace. “Oh! Um, you use blockers so I can’t really tell. You’re not nearing your rut now, right?” “No.” “Just checking! That means we can share. If you’re comfortable, that is!” Her face was now tinted red in a blush, unused to speaking so candidly. He smiled and ruffled her hair. “It’s alright with me if it is with you.” With that, they shed their clothes and hopped in.

“Sorry, the hot water doesn’t last long. This way we won’t freeze to death.” She said, starting to lather up her hair. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I may be an Alpha, but I can control myself.” “Woah!” (y/n)’s foot suddenly slipped, sending her face first into Frankie’s chest. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her. “...I have to admit, this does make it more difficult.” Frankie quipped. (y/n) knew she should apologize and right herself. But with Frankie holding her so closely with nothing between them, she finally could make out his scent. Notes of sandalwood and leather completely enveloped her. With the warm water coming down on them and the warm feeling of Frankie’s skin, she couldn’t find it in herself to pull away. Frankie made no move to push her away. The contented sigh he heard from her made it impossible. He closed his eyes and relished in this moment, while doing his best to not get too excited.

The Omega in his arms suddenly spoke. “Frankie?” “Hm?” “We… we are going to be mates, right?” “What brought this up?” She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. “I’ve wanted to be your Omega for some time now. I just… didn’t want to push you. I figured since you lost Amy, bonding with someone would be too painful. But, I love you more than anything! I’ve noticed your jobs have been more dangerous lately, and now I’m terrified that I’ll never have the chance to be with you!” Frankie was stunned into silence. He could see the worry and love in her expression clearly, and he realized he hadn’t been good at conveying his feelings at this point. The stress of her emotions was causing her to emit a sweet smell subconsciously, and it made his mind reel for an answer. “I… didn’t mean to make you feel so anxious. I’m sorry. You’re right, as usual. I was afraid. I love you more than I thought I had in me. I’d be proud to be your Alpha.”

Squealing with joy, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oi! Careful, it’s slippery in here!” “Where?!” “Where what?” “Where would you Mark me? Could you point it out?” “I’ll just show ya.” Frankie said with a smirk and lowered his face to the left of her neck. He started leaving open mouthed kisses between her neck and shoulder, until he found her sweet spot. She sang his name out like a hymn and with a triumphant “There!” he gently broke the skin just enough to leave a love bite. Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “I promise to make it official once we’re done here.” “Well then, what are we waiting for!” She exclaimed and happily hopped out of his arms, nearly making him lose his footing. “Jesus Christ, Woman!” he yelled out, but could only shake his head when all he got in response was laughter.

[ashyblondwaves]

Just Ask Her (Part 2)

Part 1 can be found here. Also posted to AO3. 

There were ingredients everywhere. Fresh green beans and artichokes, chicken and lemons. All in disarray. It certainly looked much easier on television, when all the ingredients were already prepared and measured. All the host had to do was dump them in a pan. Vision realized he wasn’t so lucky. He didn’t have a behind the scenes team to prepare his ingredients for him. It was all up to him.

“That should be everything,” Tony said, putting the last of the canvas grocery bags in the kitchen drawer. “Before you ask, candles are already in holders in the dining room. Left you some matches too and I told the team the kitchen and dining room were reserved for you tonight. If they want food they can go out and get it. They should leave you alone.”

Vision stared at Tony, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over him. “Mr. Stark, you’ve done far more than I asked and I don’t know how to thank you for that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony said, nonchalantly. “Don’t say I’ve never done anything for you. I gotta go, I’m taking Pepper out to dinner tonight. You got it from here?”

“I hope so,” Vision replied, reaching for the bundle of green beans. He looked at the long stems coming from them. “I guess this is what I trim then?”

Tony nodded, looking at Vision almost sympathetically. “Yeah, just get rid of those stems. I used to do that all the time as a kid. It’s actually really cathartic. Try it, just snap off the end.”

Vision plucked a green bean from the bundle and held it between his fingers, using his other hand to bend the stemmed end. With a satisfying crack, the bean was trimmed.

��Magic,” Tony said, waving his hands through the air. “Alright! I have to go.” He moved around the kitchen quickly, yelling over his shoulder as he left. “Good luck, you’ll be fine. I’d tell you not to do anything I wouldn’t but that wouldn’t be very fun!” With a slam of the door, he was gone.

Vision stared down at the ingredients once more, quickly forming a plan to tackle it all. He didn’t hear Wanda pad into the kitchen.

“Vis?” She asked gently. “I hope I’m not underdressed for the occasion.”

When Vision looked up, all he saw was Wanda standing in front of him. She’d changed out of the clothes she went shopping in and was now wearing a soft, gray sweater that hung off her frame in all the right places. Vision couldn’t help but notice the soft skin of her shoulder peeking out from the lush fabric. With it, she wore a pair of black leggings that hugged her legs so perfectly it almost felt wrong to look at them. Her feet were bare. She looked perfect. Truth be told, according to Vision, she could have worn a potato sack and still looked perfect.

“You look stunning,” Vision said, snapping a green bean and dropping it into a bowl. “Dress codes aren’t implemented in my kitchen.”

“I didn’t realize this was your kitchen now,” Wanda laughed, walking closer to the kitchen island. “Is there anything I could help you with?”

With a sigh, Vision gave in.

“Normally, I wouldn’t dream of asking you to help prepare your own meal,” he said, looking down at everything still in disarray. “But would you be willing to finish trimming these beans so I can work on the artichokes? I’m afraid my knife skills leave a lot to be desired. I can chop ingredients easily, but the finesse required for this part may take awhile.”

“Of course,” Wanda said, hopping up onto a stool at the island and sliding the bowl of trimmed beans in her direction. “I know you want to do this on your own, but it’s ok to ask for help. Besides, I’ve always liked the idea of cooking a meal with my…” she trailed off for just a moment before finishing her sentence. “Friend.”

Vision couldn’t explain it, but the slip in words gave him a jolt of confidence that the night wasn’t going to be a complete disaster. She almost said boyfriend, he thought, smiling to himself as he grabbed a knife from the drawer and set the oven to 425. They were on the same page. They had to be.

They worked in silence for the next few minutes as Vision broke down the first artichoke, peeling away leaf after leaf in search of this so-called heart.

“It seems very wasteful to buy all these artichokes just to use one piece of it,” Vision said, pulling another leaf from the vegetable.

Wanda looked at Vision with sympathetic eyes. “I’m pretty sure they sell cans of artichoke hearts you could’ve used.”

“I certainly wish that chef on the show I watched had mentioned that,” Vision said, looking down at the mess of artichoke parts in front of him. “At least I know now.”

“Wait,” Wanda paused, green bean in hand. “You watched cooking shows for this?”

Vision nodded. “I wanted to be a little more prepared for the task than I was last time. But it appears I’ve hit my first obstacle.”

“This’ll be fine, Vis,” Wanda said, pushing the bowl of finished green beans away. “Give me a few of those artichokes.”

They tackled the artichokes together in companionable silence until each one had been stripped down to the heart.

“Thank you,” Vision said gratefully. As he spoke he tossed some thyme onto a baking sheet with the green beans and started with the seasoning. “That went much faster than if I’d done it all myself.”

The rest of the cooking went surprisingly smooth once the artichokes were on the baking sheet with the green beans and in the oven. Vision moved swiftly through the kitchen, grabbing a skillet for the chicken and quietly seasoning it and browning it.

“Okay,” Vision said with a relaxed sigh. “Lemon, please!”

“Here’s your lemon, sir!” Wanda played along, plucking the lemon from the countertop and handing it to Vision, who cut the lemon in half and placed the halves in the skillet with the chicken. To finish it off, he added the rest of the thyme and put the skillet in the oven.

The finishing touches were easy. It was just a matter of combining everything into one dish. Tossing in a little more parmesan, Vision plated Wanda’s meal and stood in front of it proudly.

“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks,” Vision said. “Follow me to the dining room?”

The dining room was dimly lit, the candles arranged on the table in such a way that it gave the illusion that the table was smaller; just enough for two people on a date rather than the large and luxurious piece of furniture it really was.

“Here you go,” Vision said, setting the plate down and pulling out a chair for Wanda. “Dinner is served.”

As Wanda settled in with her meal, Vision lit the candles. They flickered, casting a beautiful dusky glow throughout the room. Vision sat quietly across from Wanda, watching nervously as she took her first bite.

“Mmmm,” she hummed, nodding enthusiastically as she finished her bite. “Vis, this is really good. Really good.”

A swell of pride filled Vision’s senses. “Thank you,” he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“I should be thanking you,” Wanda replied, finishing another bite. “I would have been ok with Mac and Cheese out of the box. But this is absolutely delicious. Thank you, Vision.”

They stared at each other for what seemed like days, smiles wide on both of their faces. Now, Vision thought. It was time to ask her.

“Could I get you something to drink?”

No! Wrong question.

“I’m okay for now,” Wanda said, cutting into her chicken. “But a nice glass of chardonnay after this will hit the spot.”

Vision nodded, taking note of Wanda’s request. But now was not the time to discuss an after dinner wine. If he didn’t ask her now, he was afraid he never would and they’d spend the rest of their time together dancing around the idea of being something more.

“Wanda,” Vision started, steeling himself for what he was about to say. “As you know, I regard our friendship very highly. Getting to know you has helped me learn so many things. Happiness, sadness, laughter but most importantly.. love.”

By now, Wanda had stopped eating her meal. She clutched her fork in her right hand, eyes wide and body at attention as Vision continued.

“Please stop me if you think I’m overstepping any boundaries,” he said. “But I get this feeling that there may be more between us that we’ve yet to talk about, let alone explore. Is that something you feel, too?”

Wanda stayed silent and Vision immediately wondered if he’d said something wrong. Had he made her feel obligated to say yes? Maybe a meal wasn’t the right idea after all.

“You can tell me,” Vision assured her, resisting the urge to reach out for her hand, just in case. “No matter the answer.”

With a shaky breath, Wanda finally answered.

“So much that sometimes it almost hurts,” she admitted. “Just being near you brings me so much comfort. But I’ve been wondering what it could be like between us.. as more than friends.”

“I’d really like to find out,” Vision said, finally reaching across the table and taking Wanda’s hand. “This game we’ve been playing..”

Wanda shook her head. “It’s not working anymore. Maybe it never did.”

“I think we were just fooling ourselves,” Vision agreed. “And wasting time where we could have been together.”

“Soo..” Wanda urged, running her thumb over Vison’s hand. “Are we done wasting time?”

“We are done wasting time.”

They shared a quick smile as Wanda picked her fork back up and dug into the rest of her food and continued on in silence back to the kitchen to clean up the cooking aftermath.

“TV in my room when we’re done?” Wanda asked, scrubbing her plate at the sink. It’d become a nightly routine with them, but she still always made sure to ask him and let him know he was welcome to join her.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Vision said over his shoulder. He tackled the mess of artichokes before joining Wanda at the sink to finish the dishes.

“Hi,” Wanda said coyly, bumping Vision’s side with her shoulder playfully.

There was a sense of relief between them now. One that finally allowed them to do all the little things that they’d been skirting around for months for fear that it would escalate into something they weren’t ready for.

“Oh,” Vision said, pretending he hadn’t seen Wanda next to him. He scooped up some bubbles from the sink and flicked them in Wanda’s direction. “Hello.”

Wanda laughed a genuine, hearty laugh -- one that Vision had never heard before --  and returned the favor, spraying bubbles all over Vision’s sweater before turning the sink’s sprayer on him.

“Unfair advantage!” Vision yelled, trying to shield himself with his arms. “Unfair advantage!”

“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” Wanda teased, releasing the button on the sprayer and setting it back in its place. “You may have to take that sweater off.”

Vision narrowed his eyes at Wanda, a lopsided grin spreading across his face, ready to play along. “You certainly don’t expect me to do that here in the middle of the kitchen, right?”

“Nooo. I wouldn’t dream of it,” Wanda hummed. “You can take it off in my room.”

Wanda grabbed Vision’s hand and pulled him down the hallway with her toward the bedroom. Once inside she closed and locked the door, sending Vision’s thoughts reeling. They always closed the door but never did they lock it. Tonight was going to be different.

“Before I take this off,” Vision said, toying with the hem of the sweater. “Can I kiss you first? I realize I should have kissed you twenty minutes ago in the dining room and I didn’t, which was foolish.”

Wanda took a step forward, nodding her approval.

Vision took Wanda’s hands in his and pulled her close until their bodies were touching. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, feeling Wanda’s body melt against his. There were no fireworks, no fanfare, but something stirred deep inside Vision that kept him rooted to the spot, lips working against Wanda’s. As far as first kisses go, Vision didn’t think he did half bad.

When they finally parted, Vision pressed his forehead to Wanda’s, whispering his next sentence.

“I’ve wanted to do that for far too long.”

Wanda sighed and closed her eyes, letting her hands wander underneath Vision’s wet sweater. She ran her hands along the unique combination of vibranium and skin, feeling it contract as her hands roamed. Soon, Vision’s hands were at the hem of his sweater again, pulling it up and over his head in one quick motion and without a word, he kissed her again.

They moved toward the bed, movements clunky but effective and climbed in. Vision went to his usual spot at the head of the bed. He sat with his back against the headboard and watched as Wanda hung back just for a moment. In that quick moment, she pulled her own sweater off, leaving her in just a bra and her leggings.

“I wanted to join you,” she said, shrugging at Vision’s surprised look.

Without another word, she crawled across the bed and toward Vision, straddling his hips when she reached him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, bucking her hips so her middle rubbed against him.

“Can you feel that?” Wanda asked, grinding against him again, lips grazing against his with each word. “Does that do anything for you?”

“Yes,” Vision groaned. “Keep going.”

Wanda didn’t need to be told twice. She continued her movements, smiling against Vision’s lips when she started to feel him even more between her legs. She wasn’t sure if it’d work. If it was something Vision was even capable of, but with each snap of her hips he groaned a little more and grew a little harder underneath her.

They spent their night taking turns on each other. Exploring, teasing, tasting. Learning what combination of hands, fingers and tongues made them come undone the most.

As they lay in bed, naked and sated for the moment Vision remembered something Wanda had said earlier in the night. He propped himself up on his elbow and asked her the question.

“Did you still want that chardonnay?”

[bausbitch]

I'm sorry

Reid x reader

ANGST AHAHA

Req but @blankets-for-bees

Warnings: kidnapping, established relationship, gunshot, Spencer being an ass at first, also this IS NOT really funny as my other works //read: I'll try because I'm just such a naturally good comedian,,,or a mental asylum escapee,,// 🤩 OH and a happy ending

Spencer had been,,,,

Awfully cold to you

For the last 6 months

Yeah, it was beginning to get on your nerves

It felt like living with a whole ghost 👻

And it wasn't like it was his work

You two had the same job for fucks sake

You even shared a home

But lately

Spencer would ONLY talk to you at work

And only when it was life or death

So basically when hotch paired you two up

And omg

The team

They had no idea

So they insisted you two sleep in the same room on this case

Bc you two are their fav couple!!!!!

But they didn't know that for the last six months

You were practically single

Except you couldn't go anywhere

And you wouldn't go out to flirt with people

Because you were a good s/o

*cough* unlike Spencer *cough*

Ok so this usub

The universe said

Fuck you, yn yln 🤩🤪🤡

This particular unsub

Kidnapped failing couples

And threw them in a house

A giant doll house

And sedated them

And played with them like dolls

And made them kiss and stuff

Like

Idk how to explain it

Like when you were little

And you didn't know you really LIKED liked girls

But you were always making your Frankie and ghoulia monster high dolls kiss in the first grade????

Or like

I think it's like ep 12 season 5

My best friend and I watched that one

Sigh

I miss her

Anyways

When you finally moved rooms

You walked in

And it felt like the weight of the world was lifted

Off of your shoulders

Don't worry the world is still pretty heavy

Issok though the world doesn't have to be a skinny legend

WAIT

This is supposed to be an angst

Ok

AHEM

Angsty angst angst

So you were like

Hell yeah

I'm gonna go chill in the jacuzzi

Then I'm gonna come back

And I'm gonna have a level head

Key words: come back

See, I don't think you have the facilities for that, big man

Okokok

So you were vibing in the jacuzzi

Then you saw Spencer

And

Gasp!

A woman that didn't look like any of the girls on the team was going into his room!!

You knew

You were being irrational

But you were like

Son of a bitch >:(

Alexa play jealousy by Monsta x

Anny. W. Ays

You went into the room

Or at least you knocked

And gasp

She answered

Ok

She seemed,,,

Suspicious

Probably bc she's the unsub yn you dumb bitch

And you were like

"Hey is Spencer in there?"

Like you WEREN'T his h*cking gf

And she straight up

PUNCHES YOU

Ok more like

Knocks you out with a blow to the face

And draws you inside

Ok now Spencers pov bc you're getting too much attention and he needs an explanation for making me play jealousy

Spencer

Oh god that I don't believe in how do I explain him

He was having a tough time

Ok wbk he's smart as hell

But when I comes to people who are FINE

Such as yourself

He gets a lil

*Patrick star from Spongebob noises*

So

Even if you guys had literally been dating for like

Five? Six? Years

He was starting to get scared

Bc

Ok so you guys had said the L world

You said it all the time

But

Spencer

He

He wanted to propose to you

Like

On one knee

Ring and everything

But he was scared

He was really really scared

Bc he wouldn't know what to do if you said no

Which

Why would you

You two were practically already married

You literally had a drunken, unofficial ceremony at Rossi's place one time

But he felt like

You wouldn't be ready

So he was like

Ok gotta set up a back up plan

If they reject me

And I have to go to work and see them

How do I not see them

How do I live without them?

Ah

I ignore them

😌

Plan: set

Spencer : fucking idiot

SO HE

He acted like you weren't there

And he eventually thought you were mad at him

Bc you weren't reaching out any more

Dumb bitch they think YOU'RE mad at them

Okokokok

Back to kidnapping

When he woke up

He was,,,,

*drum roll*

In a house?

A really nice house

Or at least the bedroom was nice

Or the roof of it

And what he could see from his peripheral vision

He could see you though

He could feel you

You were laying on his chest

Your arms around him

And he could tell you were still asleep

His serotonin levels went up higher than they had in months

Over the last six months he hadn't said a word

And he'd let you sleep on the couch

Smh and I thought he was a genius

But he missed you

But he had to make sure he was ready

To be honest

He probably knew what he was doing was irrational and the definition of idiotic

He also knew that by doing this he was maximising his chances of you not wanting to marry him

But he just

"Y'all hear smth?" -Spencer Reid, about his problems

Annie Oakley

Anyways

While he was too busy making heart eyes at your sleeping figure

Ya boy forgot to check if he could move

Turns out,,,,

He couldn't

Bc,,,,

*puts hands together like cat in the hat does*

This unsub, like I said before

SEDATED YOU TWO

So he waited

Until

The woman he unwillingly let into his hotel room, all by the service of a gun and a threat to his life 😄

Came and did whatever the fuck she was gonna do

Play with you guys more than my 6th grade crush played with my heart

And she did😋🥳🤩!!!!

But don't fret

She wasn't gonna hurt you

You had actually concluded the deaths were accidental

Just like me

Okoko so

She was strong

Like really fucking strong

Because she hauled both you and Spence

Into a little dining room

And served and fed you breakfast

You were connected to iv tubes

But still

But everything

The creepiest detail

According to me at least 💁✨

Was how all the food and everything

Were wood

Like

Toys for kids

Or something karuna satori would use in an asmr video

-

You woke up in the middle of,,,

Watching a movie on the couch with Spencer????

It was still daytime

Or so you thought

Bc the unsub pulled up

WITH A GUN

You don't have many things in life rn, but here's a list if things you do have, to cheer you up 😋

A lovely hole in your arm! V v useful for holding very small, thin, cups!!!

A v sad Spencer Reid! Comes with his own tears and despair!!! How fun!

And last but not least!

A wonderful speech from our sponsor!! //read: the unsub//

"Why must everything bad always happen to me! You two are very bad dolls! No one is a good doll, you're all useless and now I have to kill you >:("

Lmfao why does she sound like my bratty baby cousin

Anyways

"The FBI is at the door! Which one of you called them? You whore! It was probably you!"

First of all,,, how dare she

You didn't even THINK about other men in the 6 months your boyFRIEND ghosted you

So

Jokes on her

Second of all

You were bleeding out and Spencer was wiggling behind you

Probably a victory dance smh 😤

But then

GASP!!!

she went upstairs 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

And you heard voices

Morgan!!! Hotch!!! *insert police's name*!!

Then you passed out bc

💥bloodloss💥

And when you woke up

Spencer was fine

Physically

But he was hunched over

"Yn I'm so sorry. I love you so much and I was so scared I'd lose you if I proposed too early, and now I'm probably going to lose you without even saying a word. Honey I love you, I love you so much-"

And you were like

Hold up

LET GO OF MY HAND MF YOU MAY BE SKINNY BUT YOUR STRONG WTF

Then

"Did you say purpose?"

And he was like

"Yes(?) "

And you kissed him for the first time in sixth months

"Yes I'll marry, now let go of my hand"

[nalgenewhore]

Too Late To Turn Back Now - Nine

masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

TW: Mentions of child abuse, PTSD

+*+*+*+*+*+*

She hadn’t had a nightmare in years. At least, not one that would wake her up in the middle of the night, drenched in cold sweat, hot tears pouring down her cheeks.

Elide couldn’t stop the sobs that ripped from her raw throat, utterly terrified as she thrashed to get away from the hands that would hurt her. Her ankle felt like someone was holding a branding iron to it, pressing against her flesh with no reprieve.

Blindly, she reached out, searching for the warm body beside hers, why hadn’t he woken up, but all she felt were cool, if slightly rumpled sheets.

Lorcan had to leave, that badly, in the middle of the night? The whole day before – it had to have meant nothing because he couldn’t stand to sleep in the same bed as her. The thought had her choking, her pathetic cries dying in her throat before she sobbed anew, unable to stop anything, unable to stop the near screams that spilled from her lips, unable to stop feeling like she was drowning, unable to stop the crack of her heart.

Oh gods, she couldn’t breathe.

Nausea grew in her and before she could even think about making it to the bathroom or even the balcony, she sat up and threw up, bile stinging her ravaged throat. She gagged and emptied her stomach again, her eyes watering as she heaved on nothing.

It wasn’t a second longer that the bathroom door slammed open and Lorcan was there, staring for a moment at the scene before he ran to her side and effortlessly picked her up, cradling her against his chest. “Princess, oh my gods, baby girl, fucking hell,” he whispered, his heart thundering.

Elide screamed again, fighting against him. “El, Elide, it’s just me. It’s me.” He had thought she was being murdered. He’d been gone for a minute, just a minute, had left her sleeping peacefully on the bed they shared to use the bathroom.

“Lorcan? Where did you go?” she cried, letting him hold her against his chest, his cheek resting on her forehead. 

“I was just in the toilet,” he assured her, cradling the back of her head. “You’re alright, it was a dream, just a dream.”

“I-I th-threw up,” she cried, fighting for a breath of air, snot running from her nose, her eyes filled with unspilled tears. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey, no, don’t apologize,” he shushed her. “Come on, baby, you gotta breathe, in and out.” He pulled air into his lungs through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, watching her imitate him. Lorcan could see in her eyes that she was panicking, desperate for oxygen and the fact that she was apologizing—

Fuck, he didn’t care about the vomit on the bed, didn’t care about anything except her. Elide sniffled once and cried again, shaking in his arms. With barely an effort, Lorcan walked back into the bathroom and filled the bathtub, putting her down on the cool tile.

Elide watched him as he glared at the collection of bath oils and essences and salts as if it had personally and egregiously offended him. “I like cedar,” she whispered, drawing her knees up beneath her chin. “And sandalwood.”

Lorcan was too concentrated to register that those were the scents of his cologne, the one he wore everyday. He nodded, perfunctorily, and dumped them in, then turning to her and taking her hands in his, letting her ground herself to him as he checked over her.

Small and frail, that’s what she looked like. Slowly, Lorcan got a face cloth and held it under the bath tap, wringing it out before carefully tipping her chin back and cleaning her face. Her eyes fluttered shut, her lashes brushing against her red cheeks, tears still slipping from her eyes.

When her face was cleaned, Lorcan got her cup of water, grinning teasingly as she smiled softly and took it with two hands, “Think you can handle some water, Lochan?”

She rolled her eyes and nodded, still sipping carefully though. “Can you get my toothbrush, it’s just… icky.”

Lorcan nodded, half-crouching as he kissed her forehead before getting her toothbrush for her.

He turned off the bath as she brushed her teeth, deeming it to be acceptable. “Bath’s ready, princess.” Elide nodded and stood, holding up her arms as indication for him to undress her.

He did and it was… a lot more natural than he thought it’d be. It was intimate, yes, but not in a sexual way, nothing heated in his movements as he pulled her top off and kneeled in front of her, tugging down her sweats.

Elide delicately stepped out, completely bare under the soft light of the bathroom. Without any hesitation, Lorcan scooped her up and set her down in the water. Before her hair could fall from the barely held-together bun it was in, Lorcan efficiently drew it back for her and clipped it up with the hairclip she’d left on the counter.

His heart was still beating way too fast and he crouched by the side of the bath, running his fingers over her arm. “E.”

She turned her face towards him but kept her eyes half-closed. “Hmm?”

“I’m going to change the sheets, but I’m not leaving, ok? I’m not leaving you.” He needed her to understand that he wouldn’t abandon her, not now, not ever.

That had her opening her eyes fully and looking at him, truly seeing him. “Ok.” It was such a tiny word, so small, but Lorcan knew what she meant. They seemed to just… understand each other. Even before the deportation hanging over their heads, they had a way of silently communicating with each other.

Satisfied, Lorcan stood and even then, left the door open as he stripped the bed and made quick work of putting on new sheets. He checked on her before going to the laundry room.

When he got back, Elide wasn’t asleep, she was too scared for that, but she was barely awake. Her cheeks were rosy pink, her body relaxed as she soaked. Silently, she stood up, grabbed a towel, and dried herself as he got her clothes to change into.

Hers were right there, he could’ve easily gotten them but instead, he grabbed his hoodie and his sweats, walking back in to find her standing on the bathmat. Her skin gleamed in the light and she gave him a small smile as he held up the clothes for her before dressing.

She had to roll down the waistband and roll up the ankles, but she left the hoodie alone, simply flipping the hood over her head. “Can we go outside? I need to…” she trailed off, fear as though he would deny her that simple necessity heavy in her eyes.

Without a second thought, Lorcan was agreeing and picking her up, not even letting her take one step on her own. Elide had no qualms about it and exhaled softly, burying her face in the crook of his neck as her arms wrapped around his neck and she locked her legs around his waist. I love you, she thought, still thinking about how she had said it, but in the coward’s way – in a language he didn’t speak. I love you so much.

He carried her down to the beach, after grabbing the heavy blankets, and set her down just as the grass turned into cool sand. “It’s perfect,” she whispered, hooking her pinky around his.

Lorcan grinned down at her, the tightness in his chest easing just a bit. He had thought that her falling into the arctic ocean had been the scariest thing he’d lived through, but seeing her so scared, completely detached as she sobbed and screamed, thrashing away from whatever visions she was having, straining away from him, made fear sink into his skin far worse than anything before.

She began to walk along the sand and he just stayed there, keeping an eye on her as she bent to collect something or dipped her toe in the cold water. Eventually, long after he’d sat down and wrapped a blanket around himself, Elide wandered back to him, a collection of finds cradled in her hands. She looked so proud of herself as she kneeled in front of him and spread them out on the other thick blanket, silently combing through them. “I just want one.”

He didn’t question why she only wanted one, didn’t question why they were all shades of black, didn’t question as she held up a piece of sea glass to his eyes and nodded once to herself, tossing everything else away. He didn’t ask her anything – he was just there. As steady and always as the waves that crashed gently against the shore.

Then, when Elide was curled up between his legs, her back against his chest, she finally spoke, burying her toes in the sand. “I haven’t… had a nightmare like that in a long time. I think it just built up.” Her breath caught and she pressed herself closer into his solid warmth, tugging his arms tighter around herself. “My uncle… he used to lock me in this root cellar. One of those ones that was built into the floor and I could barely fit into it. It was really dark and I couldn’t see anything and it was so cold. Even in the summer it was cold.”

She took a shuddering breath and it hit Lorcan so hard in the chest he floundered for air. Elide was not the tough, unfeeling, and heartless lawyer that he saw all the time. She was his age, she was young, and she was broken too. But, she seemed to trust him with her ravaged heart. Something had changed, something had changed for her to hold it out for him to safekeep.

He wouldn’t betray that. He loved her, with every shattered piece of his twisted heart, he loved her.

Knowing she didn’t want his words right now, and certainly not those ones, Lorcan wrapped her up further in his arms, hoping his eternal warmth would seep into her. “I just saw darkness,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the bright moon. “It was so cold.”

He wanted to thank her for sharing, for offering him that bloodied and broken piece of her, but Elide was drifting off. In her sleep, she reached for his hand and pulled it into her chest, pressing it against her heart.

Eventually, Lorcan scooped her up, blanket and all, as he stood and walked them back to their room, nodding once to his mother when he saw her in the kitchen, drinking a mug of tea. Odette just smiled knowingly and stood up, kissing his cheek and Elide’s as well. “Take care of this girl, my son. She is not as strong as she seems.”

“I will, mama.” I always will.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

The bed was empty when he woke up and he frowned, searching across the mattress for Elide. Lorcan groaned into the pillow his arms were wrapped around and sat up, squinting his eyes at the sun that streamed through the windows.

Sighing to himself, he dressed, putting on his glasses, and sought her out, finding her down at the beach, a book in hand. He watched her in silence for a moment or two before walking up behind her and sitting down, pulling her back into his chest. “Hi, princess.”

Elide hummed, pressing into him, “Hi.”

“How are you,” he murmured, tucking his chin in the crook of her neck. It wasn’t an innocent query.

“I’m good. Promise,” she answered, putting her book down and turning in his arms, straddling his lap. “Thank you for taking care of me.” He had done it without question, without hesitation. He’d seen her at her worst, so deeply entrenched in her past that she could barely recognize him.

“Always.” He tilted his head back to look up at her, sliding his hands down to her ass. She rolled her eyes but let him keep his hands there, hers resting on the sides of his neck. 

“How are you?”

Lorcan smirked, “Never been better.”

Elide rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Slim fingers slid into his thick locks and he buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of her elderberry and cinnamon perfume and his cedar cologne mixing together on the hoodie of his that she wore. “I could stay like this forever,” Elide whispered softly, her lips on the crown of his head. She felt safe and secure - here in his arms, like nothing could touch her.

“Then why don’t you,” he said, leaning back and arching a brow.

She looked at him, really looked at him, something unreadable in her eyes. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“There’s nothing I want more than that. Stay.”

His heart beat hard, frantic until she grinned and nodded, kissing his lips, “I’d like that.” She kissed him harder, grinding herself slowly into his lap. 

He opened his mouth to deepen the embrace when someone called their names. They both looked up to find Maeve beckoning them to her. Lorcan turned back to Elide, a deep frown gracing his face. “I hate her.”

“I know you do, baby,” she replied, pushing his glasses up after they slipped down his nose. “Let’s go see what she wants, ok?” He grumbled but did as she asked, tangling his fingers in hers as Elide picked up her book and they leisurely strolled back up the sandy beach after Elide had brushed off the sand on the pair of sweats she had stolen from him. 

Lorcan found he didn’t mind that she took his clothes.

“You two need to come with me.” That was all Maeve said before she was striding away and Lorcan clenched his jaw, following her at a much slower pace. Elide paused, making Maeve wait a little while ahead as she shoved her hair into a low bun. Maeve huffed and then led them into the living room of the guest house she occupied, where there sat a man whose presence they dreaded.

Benson.

“Well if it isn’t the happy couple!”

Lorcan whipped his head to Maeve, “What did you do?” She didn’t say a thing. “What did you do?”

She regarded him with a cool gaze. “Benson called me yesterday. Said you were lying so Elide wouldn’t get deported. Told me you would get caught and go to prison.” Lorcan narrowed his eyes and she continued, “Your mother knows nothing - let’s keep it that way. All you have to do is tell the truth.”

The agent stood and addressed Lorcan, both he and Maeve ignoring Elide as she slunk back, folding in on herself. Lorcan didn’t notice as she let go of his hand. “Your auntie here flew me up and we worked out a deal. All you need to do is tell the truth and this thing will all go away. No charges, no trouble.”

“And Elide?”

Benson made a face, “Mmm, she won’t be as lucky. No, she’s going back to Terrasen and won’t be let back into the country. Ever.”

“Why would I say yes to that?” he spat, livid as he stared down his great-aunt.

“You’re making a mistake-“

“That’s none of your fucking business even if I am!”

“L, it’s fine,” Elide whispered, trying to calm him but he wouldn’t have it.

“The hell it is. No, it is not fine!”

“Blah-blah-blah,” Benson said, “just tell me the truth and we’ll on be on our way. You know she doesn’t love you. This is all a business deal to her - you must realize that. She doesn’t care about you.”

Elide took Lorcan’s hand, her eyes open and unguarded - for him, only him, “Just tell them. It’s fine, I’m fine.”

Lorcan looked at her for a long moment before he sighed through his nose and turned back to Maeve and Benson. “You want to know the truth? Listen up. Two years ago, I started working for Elide. We started dating six months ago, fell in love, and I asked her to marry me and she said yes. Happy?” He didn’t bother waiting for their responses before he was pulling Elide out of the house, storming away.

They were halfway down the stairs when Lorcan stopped and turned back, black eyes flashing as he snarled, “If either of you two show up tomorrow, I’ll throw you out myself.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Elide slipped out of their room when Lorcan was in the shower, padding out onto the patio, where she found Aelin. The woman smiled brightly, “There’s the blushing bride. How are you, darling?”

Elide didn’t return Aelin’s enthusiasm and her smile faded as she stood up and guided Elide to the couch. “What’s wrong?”

She took one look at the woman who’d become her close friend over the past four days and burst into tears. She only cried harder when Aelin hugged her close and whispered quiet nothings, making soothing sounds to calm her. “Let it out, girlie. Talk to me.”

Elide spilled everything, the entire unbelievable tale tumbling from her lips. Aelin didn’t say a word during the story until Elide let out a huge breath at the end. “Wow. It’s like a movie!”

“That’s so not what I want to hear right now.” Elide hiccupped, tears sliding down her cheeks again. “What do I do? He’s still going through with it, but I can’t let him ruin it all just for me.”

“Honey,” Aelin said, brushing back Elide’s hair from her brow, “I’ve known Lorcan for a long time, he’s like my brother and I love him to death. I’ve never seen him this happy, even when you two were pretending, which I don’t believe. Seriously, the chemistry is off the charts-“

“Relationships aren’t just chemistry.”

Elide received a sharp flick to the tip of her nose and exclaimed in shock, rubbing the inflicted area. “I know that, listen to what I’m saying. Whenever someone tells a joke, he looks around to see if you’re laughing too. He gives you random hugs just because. He kept you cooped up in that room after you fell in the water and fussed. That ridiculous boy doesn’t do that stuff to people he doesn’t care about. Trust me.”

“But-“

“Elide, listen to me. Lorcan is my best friend - we’re family, ok? When we first met, we hated each other. Couldn’t stand to be around one another without getting into screaming matches. One night, he found me hiding out in a corner, avoiding my ex at a party. Lor sat with me the entire night and shit-talked with me all night. The next day, I saw him telling my ex he’d kill him if he ever came near me again,” Aelin said, her eyes bright and warm. “I know what it’s like to see him care for someone. That boy is falling in love with you.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

When she got back to their room, Lorcan was in the bathroom, his attention focused on his hair. Elide walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her lips against his tattoo. She didn’t know what the symbols on his skin meant, but she knew he held them dearly to his heart – a way for him to bring a piece of his home everywhere with him.

“Benson’s left.”

“Hm.”

Lorcan turned and tilted her chin up, wiping away the stray tears that leaked down her cheeks. “Princess, please don’t cry. They’re not going to take you away from me - it’s gonna be fine.”

Elide turned her face to kiss his palm, closing her eyes. “I’m just tired, Lorcan. Come to bed?”

He was unconvinced but relented, not letting her get one step away before he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her to bed.

He fell asleep first, his body a comforting weight keeping her pressed into the mattress. Despite what he had said and what Aelin had told her, she knew that there was only one option possible. She had taken so much away from him already and though just the thought of it made her heart ache, Elide knew she would be leaving the Northern Isles alone.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

an: oopsie 😳

@mythicaitt​ @tinywolfofeyllwe​ @schmlip-scribble​ @the-regal-warrior​ @westofmoon​ @empire-of-wildfire​ @rhysands-highlady​ @city-of-fae​ @shyvioletcat​ @alifletcher2012​ @tangledraysofsunshine​ @ttakeitbacknoww​ @tswaney17​ @ourbooksuniverse​ @flora-and-fae​ @thesirenwashere​ e @queenofxhearts​ @maastrash​ @mynewdreamwasyou​ @cursebreaker29​ @superspiritfestival​ @yikesitsmaddie​ @flowerspringsea​ @queen-of-glass​ @sleeping-and-books​ s @b00kworm​ @bat-wing-rhys​ @poisonous00​ @empress-ofbloodshed​ @feyrethedarklady​ @gorl-power​ @keshavomit​ @ifinallygavein​ @rosegoldannie​ @pilesoffriles @julemmaes​​ @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln​​ 

[tobiomlk]

39 for kageyama if you can ....... please :')

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿. kageyama tobio

𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁. #39 “don’t cry.”

𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲. hurt / comfort !!! tobio is no good with tears and i love him

Kageyama knows it’s bad when Suga-senpai confronts him about it.

“So,” he ambushes him during lunch time, around the vending machine (Of course he waits around the vending machine, Kageyama’s favoured spot to get his daily dose of milk). “What happened?”

Kageyama frowns. “About what?”

“You know what I mean.” However, Sugawara smiles, in that nurturing way of his that always makes Kageyama feel a little lighter. And a little troubled as well, because he can’t believe how utterly transparent he could be at times.

Kageyama chooses to direct his glowering towards the vending machine, gaze flickering between a carton of milk or yogurt, a predicament he struggled with each day— but which was considerably easier to deal with, next to the one he currently had at hand, that’s it. He growls when he notices the guilt is dawning upon him, again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sugawa asks, gently as ever, and Kageyama wants to say no, because a part of him does not wants to talk about it. But the other part, the vulnerable, insecure one, seems to be taking over him more often than not these days, and so he decides there’s no harm in speaking to a familiar face.

Far too violently, Kageyama presses both buttons simultaneously and lets the vending machine do the decision for him. “We had a fight,” he says, quietly. 

“So I heard,” Sugawara recognizes, but Kageyama isn’t really phased about it. Suga is, like, everyone’s go-to when it came for a comforting presence. He’s reliable, a good listener, and just as great at offering advice. He’s the type of person with lots of strengths that Kageyama himself lacks, and Kageyama can’t help but envy him, just a tiny bit. “It was that bad?” he probes, and Kageyama purses his lips in a flat line.

To put it truthfully, it wasn’t supposed to be that bad. To put it very frankly, it was incredibly and thoroughly moronic of both of you to have gotten so worked up over such a silly argument. Because that’s what it was; a silly argument, a minor discussion that the two of you blowed out of proportion and allowed to scalate the way it did. Stupid, sensitive teenagers.

“Have you tried talking to them?” Sugarawa asks.

“Yes,” Kageyama replies, but he doesn’t seem precisely happy. “but they don’t wanna talk to me.”

“The cold shoulder, huh?” Sugawara sighs, very much like a father would do. “Well, they can be quite petty, too.”

Kageyama nods in silence, lacking for better words. It frustrates him to no end, to be on such terms with you, to have you completely overlooking his existence. It frustrates him. And he doesn’t even gets to apologize or raise the flag of truce because you won’t even look his way. The mere thought is enough to have him slamming his head into the wall and scream at the top of his lungs.

“What are you planning to do, then?” 

Kageyama stops himself from doing so, though. “What can I do? They’re gonna ignore me anyways.”

“But you don’t want to let things go on like this, do you?”

Kageyama’s frowns deepens (if that’s even possible), but before his brain’s broken wires can sort out a way out of this fucking mess, his focus is taken away by a tiny little drop in his right cheek— followed by another one, and other one—

“Well, no one told me that it would be raining today,” Sugawara says as he looks up, gray clouds gathering above them. “C’mon, let’s get going before we get soaked.”

Kageyama agrees, although half-heartedly. For whatever reason, the light drizzle failing upon them seems to be reminding him of something, but he can’t exactly put his finger as to what it is. He always brings his umbrella, he couldn’t possibly have forgotten it—

Oh.

“Oh, fuck it.”

Powerless, you stand at the entrance of the school as you take in how the harmless rain at the beginning of the day had evolved into a massive downpour. Most of the students proceed to head off under the shelter of their respective umbrellas; shelter you can’t afford because, mind you, you rarely cared enough to bring an umbrella of your own. 

Tobio always shared his with me, after all…

No. Don’t think about Tobio. Don’t think about Tobio and his pouty face and how he always puts up a fight before letting you get away with whatever you want, the space under his umbrella included. Don’t you think about it. You’re supposed to be mad at him, and rightfully so. He was mean (and so were you) and said mean things (and so did you) and you weren’t going to let it slide just like that. You had a pride to keep. Yes. You had one. 

(But what about him?) No, this isn’t about him. This isn’t about him. (He’s probably hurt, too) And that’s on him. He started it all (let’s be real, you kinda were at fault as well) and he’s gotta live with it. (But he tried? To apologize? Several times?) NO. You don’t wanna hear it. You’re mad, reasonably mad, and it’s perfectly warranted. You could be mad for the rest of your life, if you wanted to (but you didn’t). End of the discussion.

The rain comes down steadily. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop any time soon. Fuck it. You’re not letting the rain keep you stuck with your inner conflict any longer. You bend forward to make sure your shoes are strongly tied and place your backpack over your head, making the perfect shield. You’re Unstoppable now. No rain is getting into your way.

Ready, steady...

“What are you doing, dumbass?”

Go— Ok, no go.

You’re torn between offering him a snarky reply, scowling at him or simply icing him out, but once you lock eyes with Tobio all you want to do is (redacted). Oh, would you look at that, you brain has already repressed that memory!

“None of your concern,” you end up saying, immediately averting his gaze. Tobio can’t even feel glad about you finally breaking your vow of silence towards him.

“Is that so,” he replies, and you hate how defeated he sounds. How can you be mad at him if he doesn’t make it easy for you?

“Are you heading home?” he tries once again, and you’re definitely not endeared by it.

“Well, I was going to before someone stopped me.” 

“It’s raining,” he points out.

“It certainly is,” you agree.

An uncomfortable silence follows. It’s one you aren’t used to at all, especially around Tobio. It felt so wrong.

You’re oh-so interested into the tip of your shoes that it startles you a little when a familiar umbrella suddenly appears in your field of vision. You didn’t even feel Kageyama coming closer, but there he was; standing a few steps away from you, handing his very own blue-ish umbrella. It takes you a second to take in the whole situation.

“Here,” he says, not budging an inch from his position. There are so many things you could question, but you can’t even find your voice to do so. Kageyama scoffs. “Don’t give me that look. You never bring one yourself, do you?”

And then it hits you. Violently, like a sudden epiphany, even when it’s something you’ve known for a long time now.

He cares.

Seeing you aren’t trying to accept the offer, Tobio nudges the umbrella in your direction, vehemently. Nothing. He knits his brows together. He knows you’re stubborn, but so is he, and he isn’t taking a no for answer— Wait.

“... Are you crying?” 

It’s crazy how all it takes for you to crack are three words, because suddenly you’re choking on your own tears, so it’s kinda pointless to try to keep appearances now. And Kageyama dies a little, because oh my god you’re crying.

“Hey… Hey!” he flails, voice admittedly cracking. “Why are you crying? It’s— It’s something I did?”

But since you’re in no condition to speak up, his questions remain unanswered. He has never been at such a loss for words as he stares at you, sobbing and whimpering and scrubbing at your face just to let more tears stream down your cheeks, pretty much like a kid would do, which only makes it all the more heart-wrenching. All the more unbearable to witness.

Kageyama unconsciously searches in his pockets for a handkerchief or a tissue or anything that would make you stop crying, really, only to realize he doesn’t even has one of those to offer up. But there’s something in the way you cry your heart out that shakes him to the very core, that disarms him and calls for desperate measures. So, he does something he usually wouldn’t.

You flinch noticeably when a hand hesitantly brushes against your cheek. The touch is awkward, yet undeniably gentle, and you momentarily stop your crying to blink up at him through the tears. It’s blurry, but you can still make out his deep blue eyes. The way he freezes as soon as he’s caught, like he’s just broken some sort of unspoken rule by initiating physical contact and is waiting for divine retribution or something. His lips pursing in that signature pout of his. You take in every part of him, gratefully.

“You hate me?” You don’t even realize how uncalled for your question sounds until it’s out, but what is done is done, and Kageyama seems so genuinely bewildered— It’s almost laughable.

“How could I possibly hate you?”

And that’s all you need to put aside every bit of your stubborn pride.

“I don’t wanna fight anymore,” you state, finally.

Kageyama needs an actual second to register your words. “Ok,”

“I hate fighting.”

“Me too,” he admits, far too quickly to be insincere, far too unfiltered for your liking.

“I don’t wanna be mad at you,” You’re probably just running your mouth at this point, but you just can’t bring yourself to stop. “and I don’t want you to be mad at me, either.”

“I’m not mad at you.” he says, and it’s as comforting as it is nerve-wrecking. “And you don’t have to be mad, if you don’t want to.”

Sniffle. A tiny, selfish tear attempts to slip away, but Tobio wipes it before she gets too far. “So don’t cry…”

But crying does not obeys anyone’s command, so you keep sniffing and snivelling for a while until you’re finally done with it, and Tobio stays. He’d stay forever, if you’d let him.

Eventually, the rain ceases.

[paganvamp]

Saving Grace: Chapter Seven

Meet Damon Salvatore!

(Holy shit this a long chapter)

2009 AD: The Other Brother

Elena was soaked, standing chest-deep in the muddy lake as Ric looked on from the woods above.

“Damon! How are you even here?”

“Thanks for the tip, brother.” Damon’s voice, disapproving and frustrated, sounded from his place behind Ric, leaning against the tree trunk next to him. Neither of them seemed too bothered that he had just launched Elena into the water, though Ric did have the decency to look a bit sheepish.

“You sold me out!” Elena accused.

“You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?”

“Get out of the water, Elena.”

“If I get out of the water, you’re gonna make me go home.” Elena protested.

“Yes, because I’m not an idiot like you.”

“Right now, you’re both acting like idiots.” Ric groused, rolling his eyes, and walking further away from the bickering pair.

“Well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Probably won’t be the last.” Grace’s voice could be heard before she came into view, but it was clear from the tone she meant the jibe with affection and good humor.

“You dragged Grace all the way out here just to babysit me?” Elena frowned at Damon.

“He dragged Grace all the way out here because she doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.” Grace responded in Damon’s stead. A moment of silence as Damon and Elena stared accusingly at each other.

“You gave up on him, Damon.”

A klaxon-sounding bell tore Grace from her vision-dream, and she was momentarily too discombobulated to realize it was her own alarm clock. Who the fuck are Damon and Ric? Grace sighed. And why the fuck are they looking for werewolves? She���d just gotten over her strange Stefan vision, and the uneasy feeling of her hand in his. Elena liked him, seemed to trust him, and Caroline thought he was God’s gift… it was only Bonnie who seemed to share Grace’s reservations.

Pulling her phone off the charger, Grace found she had a string of new messages. Navigating to the three-way chat between herself, Bonnie, and Elena (some things needed to be Caroline-free), she noticed that the other two girls had apparently had an entire conversation while Grace was asleep.

E: Any word on the psychic front? Am I gonna win the lottery today?

B: ha-ha. I told you, Grams was drunk. No winning lottery numbers here

E: 2 bad. Aunt Jenna really wanted that new tv

B: Grace, I hope Ur not ignoring us. That’s very rude

E: She’s probably still asleep, Bon. It’s like 5 am

There were more, as well as some texts from Caroline, but all Grace could see was one word floating in front of her eyes: psychic. She’d prayed that Bonnie would show some inclination toward magic, that she would have someone to talk to and practice with. Could this be the first signs of her Tapping into her powers?

Quickly - so quickly her first draft was unrecognizable as English – she typed out a response to Elena and Bonnie.

G: I’m awake. Psychic???

While waiting for a response, she alternated between reading the rest of her notifications and beginning the arduous process of brushing and braiding her elbow-length hair. Strangely, Grace had yet to receive Caroline’s customary ‘good morning’ message, which usually consisted of a precise list of all the plans she’d made for the entire day, and maybe an actual ‘good morning,' if she remembered. She did, however, have multiple texts from Caroline dated the night before.

C: If you notice any new tall, dark & handsomes around town, know I’ve already called dibs – 8:00 PM

C: could you please tell Elena she just needs to jump S’s bones already? She listens to u – 8:30 PM

C: OK srsly, I’m asking — has Vicki always been such an attention whore – 8:45 PM

C: don’t answer that – 8:46 PM

No other texts had come in from Caroline until hours later, when she sent the last message of the night:

C: Elena may be a prude, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get some. Don’t wait up ; ) – 10:30 PM

So, clearly Caroline had run into her ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ last night and taken him home. The last part of the message, ‘don’t wait up ; )’, sent a pang through Grace. She remembered when she was the one sending her friends texts like that. Not now, Grace. It’s school time. Mostly, she was fine, didn’t think of Bryan at all… but sometimes a memory would hit her like a fuckton of bricks. She shook off the sudden melancholy and gathered up the scattered grimoires and spiral notebooks strewn across her room from the night before. No wonder she’d stopped answering messages at 8:00 – after pouring over magical tomes for hours, she had fallen asleep early.

“Grace, hurry!” Aimee’s voice urged from her room across the hall. “Don’t you have practice today?” Oh, shit. No matter how good Caroline’s mystery man had been last night, she would happily skewer Grace over a bonfire if she were late for practice again, and her practice clothes were in her duffel in the school locker room. If she was late to school, she wouldn’t be able to grab them before class, which would mean she’d have to detour before practice to get them and… well. Either way, she needed to move her ass or she’d be late to first period. She winced; It was kind of a habit of hers, unfortunately.

“Shit, Aims, I really have to go! Are y’all ready, or can you get dad to drive you?” ‘Y’all,' a phrase reminiscent of her childhood in Louisiana, usually only made an appearance around family members or when she was in a hurry.

“Neither.” Chloe called grouchily from the bathroom, down the hall from her sister’s rooms. She was not a morning person — which was lucky for her, since she’d somehow ended up with study hall (aka an hour to sleep in) first thing in the morning. “Dad left already, which you would know if you ever woke up on time.” Since she didn’t have time to argue, Grace let the snide comment go this once.

“Then get in the car, we have to leave, Chloe!” Where is my damn history book? Grace’s room was a mess of grimoires and textbooks and writings by and for witches. The history book was buried somewhere in the sea of paper and ink.

Chloe’s head popped out from the bathroom, a furiously indignant look on her pretty face. Her hair was to Grace a rat’s nest of clips and curlers and bobby pins, though she was sure it made sense to Chloe.

“Not all of us are okay with looking like Leif Erikson every day, you know.” As mothers are wont to do, Cecile somehow sensed an argument brewing and appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Grace, you go. Take Aimee if she’s ready. I don’t have anything until the afternoon – I can drive Chloe.” As Assistant Curator of the history museum in the city, Cecile worked strange hours and dealt with a fairly lengthy commute every day, but she and Joseph – manager at a bakery in town — felt it worth the sacrifice.

“I’m ready!” To prove her point, the only brunette among them sailed past her mother and sister down the stairs, bag over her shoulder and shoes already on. Shoving her feet into the first pair of tennis shoes she saw, Grace stuffed her history book — found under her bed, for some reason — into her bag and followed Aimee to the car.

Grace needn’t have worried about Caroline’s wrath; when she reached the school, Caroline was nowhere in sight. Bonnie and Elena were, though, so after saying goodbye to her sister, she headed their way, just in time for Stefan to join them.

“Good morning, Elena. Good morning, Bonnie, Grace.” Grace smiled and nodded at him, more focused on Bonnie’s reaction to him than a warm welcome. She hadn’t had any time to see if either of the two girls had responded to her inquiry about Bonnie’s supposed psychic powers, so she’d just have to observe and bring it up later.

“Hey,” the greeting was short and uncomfortable, even for Grace, as Bonnie cast her eyes around for an escape route, “Um, I gotta find Caroline. She’s not answering her phone. So, I’ll see you guys later.” Late and unreachable? Maybe mystery man was more Ted Bundy than Casanova? But before Grace could ask if Caroline really was AWOL or simply being used as an escape route, Bonnie was gone.

“She doesn’t like me very much.” How astute.

“She doesn’t know you.” Elena corrected gently, smoothing ruffled feathers as usual. “She’s my best friend. She’s just looking out for me. But when she does, she will love you.”

“Bonnie’s one of those resistant-to-change types, at least when it comes to the friend group.” Grace offered. She felt awkward, as she agreed with Bonnie but was standing with Stefan.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do.” Uh-oh. That’s her ‘I have a plan’ voice. “Are you free tonight?” Grace didn’t need any powers of divination to see where this was going.

“Yes.”

“Perfect. Dinner; My house, 8:00; You, me, and Bonnie.” Elena turned to Grace, an invitation on her lips.

“Oh, no. I’m not getting in the middle of that. This is Bonnie’s thing.” No need to mention her own reservations, especially if it meant getting out of the sure-to-be-awkward dinner.

“Fine. Stefan and Bonnie will spend some quality time and she’ll get to see what a great guy you are. Mission accomplished.” Elena had quite the self-satisfied smile on her face, as if she’d solved world hunger and not Bonnie’s bad attitude. In the silence, a familiar voice sounded in Grace’s ear.

“….Do, Ty?” It was Matt, clearly, but the words were faint. Grace could only make out a few of them,“…made…choice.”

“…One.” Tyler responded.

“Hey, I didn’t know Matt was here already.” Grace exclaimed, just to say something. Elena gave her a strange look.

“What are you talking about? How do you know Matt is here?” Elena knew Matt’s voice as well as Grace did. It should have caught her attention as well, shouldn’t it?

“You didn’t hear him and Tyler?” It was Stefan’s turn to give a strange look, but this one she couldn’t decipher. She wasn’t willing to read him again, so she was left bewildered at the searching expression on his face.

“…Ty, don’t! Ty!” That was louder, but before Grace could make a comment, Stefan was whirling around to catch the football that had been aimed directly at his head. He threw it back — a good throw, maybe better than Tyler’s. Elena laughed at Tyler’s shocked reaction, but Grace was focused on something else. They’re so far away… Grace had always had good senses — perfect vision, a sometimes-too-sensitive consciousness of smell, good hearing — but that was almost… inhuman. No wonder Elena was confused. She hadn’t heard a thing they’d said. Noticing more students arriving, they made their way inside the school, where Elena was not ready to forget Stefan’s display outside.

“That throw was insane. I didn’t know you played football.”

“I used to.” He looked nostalgic for a moment. “It was a long time ago.”

“So why don’t you try out for the team?” Grace asked. Football player and cheerleader may have been a cliché, but it was a cute one.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Stefan appeared to think the suggestion was ludicrous.

“So, you don’t like football?” Elena clarified. I hope the mixed signals aren’t a Thing with him.

“No, I love football. I think it’s a great sport.” Grace would beg to differ, though she would never tell Matt. “But in this case, I don’t think football likes me. You saw Tyler over there, and we both know how Matt feels.” The word ‘both’ let Grace know she was heading into third-wheel territory, so she told Elena she’d see her at lunch and made her way to her locker, where her worst nightmare had come true.

Tyler and Vicki. Kissing. She supposed the pair were always either fucking or fighting, so no option was great, but at least when they were fighting, they weren’t a unified front. They wouldn’t tag-team to make her day more difficult. In fact, one of them might even go out of their way to make her life easier, just to spite the other.

Maybe she was glad to be single after all.

“Luctor et emergo.” Grace muttered, as she elbowed her way past the writhing couple to her locker. Grace’s parents had insisted on all three of their children learning both Latin and French from an incredibly early age. Back then, Grace simply thought they were classists or wanted to set their kids apart somehow. Now she knew their true motives – Traditional Magic, and its spells, were almost entirely recited in Latin; the witches of the Quarter use Ancestral Magic – a large part of which was in French. Since childhood, Grace had a habit of slipping into another language in times of stress or hardship — similar to her use of ‘y’all’ — which seemed to be happening a lot more lately. Luctor et emergo: I struggle and emerge. A frequently used phrase when walking the halls of Mystic Fall High School. Another thing becoming more common lately was upper arm work-outs — for days, Grace had been shoving every textbook and spiral bound she could into her backpack and lugging it around all day, just so she could avoid the two forces of nature currently sucking each other’s faces off. The one bright spot was that Vicki had seemed to loosen up on her vendetta against all associated with Elena Gilbert.

Slamming her locker door shut, Grace glanced at her phone again. Bonnie was right — not a peep from Caroline. She began to type a message when the warning bell clanged, signaling two minutes to get to class. She would have to locate Caroline later.

Cheerleading practice was the highlight of Grace’s day. There was almost nothing she loved more than the rush that came from flying and tumbling, except maybe magic. Yes, she hated football — basketball was much less boring, without all that stopping and starting — but cheer was worth it. Of course, she’d made her three closest friends through the squad, and it was one of the few subjects she and Chloe seemed to agree on. Then there was the adrenaline rush, as well as the benefits of having to keep her body in such good condition. It didn’t hurt that the uniform was adorable, either; Grace was proud of the body both nature and cheer had given her, and tended to prefer silhouettes and styles that accentuated her curves, complimenting her features — which, of course, the uniform was basically designed for.

After dropping her water bottle and bag at the edge of the field, Grace began stretching near Bonnie.

“Seriously, if you could maybe make yourself look a little uglier next practice, I think we’d all appreciate it.” Bonnie japed, eyeing the cherry-red spandex shorts and black sports bra Grace had donned for practice.

“You’re one to talk.” Dana, doing the splits a few feet away, called to Bonnie. “Like, could you turn down the glow a little bit, Bonnie?” Grace herself dropped into the splits, having loosened up enough, and slowly rotated forward until she was flat on her stomach. She looked up to see Bethany, a fellow senior, inches away doing the same. Beth, who shared Grace’s weird sense of humor, grabbed Grace’s hand.

“Tell my family…” she whispered, as though she were dying. “Tell my family I died well.” She collapsed loosely on the grass as Grace wailed in feigned grief.

“No, Beth! Come back! I’ll miss you!” Before the charade could continue too far, Grace heard Bonnie’s voice from just outside her limited field of vision.

“Oh, my God! You’re here!” She sounded stunned.

“Yep.” Elena! Grace contorted herself as far as she could without spraining something and saw her two friends standing above her. “I can’t be sad girl forever. The only way to get things back to the way they were are to do things that were.” Grace wasn’t sure that made sense. She slowly pushed herself back up into a sitting position and Bonnie and Elena each grabbed a hand to help her up. “Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight.” This could end poorly.

“I am?”

“Mm-hmm. You, me, and Stefan.” Bonnie gave The Look. “You have to give him a chance.”

“Tonight's no good. Have you seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times.” So, Caroline was still missing… Grace was seriously starting to worry. Missing practice was perhaps the most Un-Caroline thing that could possibly happen.

“Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett! You're going to be there.”

“Fine. I'll go.” No one could talk Elena out of something when she set her mind to it, not even Bonnie Bennett.

“Good.”

“Can I circle back to the Caroline thing?” This was probably an appropriate time for Grace to circle back to the psychic thing, but anxiety was gnawing at her. “Neither of you have heard from her. Like at all?” They both shook their heads, then all three girls looked around as if Caroline might pop out of a bush.

“Seriously, where is Caroline?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like her.” Grace was already reaching into her bag for her phone.

“I’ll try her again.” Before she could, however, a car pulled up to the field, containing none other than Caroline… and ‘Damon’. Dream Damon. Grace couldn’t equate Caroline’s sexy-bad-boy mystery guy to the obnoxious but lovable older-brother type she’d dreamt earlier.

“Uh…”

“Oh, my God. That must be the mystery guy from the grill.” Grace suggested. Her friends seemed dumbfounded, and some part of her found it good to know they were just as lost as Grace.

“That’s not a mystery guy.” Or not. “That’s Damon Salvatore.” Grace’s head swung toward Elena so fast she almost gave herself whiplash.

“Salvatore, as in Stefan?” So, she’d had visions of both brothers within days of each other? Each one an indication of future best-friendships? Caroline sauntered over to them, looking smug as all hell even with that ridiculous scarf around her neck. I’m all for a fashion statement, but at cheer practice?

“I got the other brother.” She said to Elena. Well, that explained some of it. Grace knew about Caroline’s deeply buried resentment of Elena, and the fact that never dealt with it or addressed it — she didn’t need to be an Empath to know that, because Caroline had told her. But even if she hadn’t, Grace could practically smell it radiating off of Caroline, she was so upset. “Hope you don’t mind.” Clearly not true. “Sorry I’m late, girls.” She addressed the whole squad this time. “I, uh, was busy.” That little smirk at the corner of her mouth let Grace know that she wasn’t completely wrong about Caroline’s activities the previous night. “All right, let’s start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say?” The girls quickly formed lines, never willing to risk Caroline’s drill-sergeant-esque wrath, and Caroline began counting. Grace, who was behind Elena, could see the younger girl struggling with the maneuver and wondered if Caroline had chosen it on purpose. “Elena, sweetie, why don’t you just observe today? Okay?” It was never a good thing when Caroline used the word “sweetie," and smoke was practically coming out of Elena’s ears. “Keep going! Okay. Do it again, from the top! And 5…” as she went back to counting beats, Grace and Bonnie threw Elena as many commiserative looks as they could. But Elena’s attention had been drawn to the football field, where Stefan Salvatore himself was running plays. The girls watched as Tyler rammed into Stefan, all his weight behind it, and they went down.

“…Gonna live, Salvatore?” Coach Tanner called to the boy, still prone on the grass. Grace could fucking feel Tyler’s emotions from across the field, he was so worked up; he was pissed that some new guy was climbing the popularity ladder so fast, and though a part of him truly did hate Stefan for Matt’s sake, mostly he was jealous himself. It was moments like this when Grace remembered why she hated Tyler so much. The douchebag is using Matt as an excuse to deal with his Alpha Male Complex. Maybe next he’ll pee all over the school like a dog, just to mark his territory.

Stefan got up, and the boys huddled up again; Grace turned her focus back to Caroline’s instructions.

Grace was not looking forward to the football game. Between Caroline’s pettiness being at peak capacity, Elena’s patience at an all-time low, and Bonnie still refusing to come around and give Stefan a chance, Grace figured every moment spent not cheering would be in mediation. As soon as she arrived, she made it her mission to finally talk about the ‘Bonnie’s psychic’ text that had been hovering around her mind all day. Along the way, she ran into Elena, who had apparently quit the squad, and Stefan, who had apparently joined the football team — not quite the stereotypical couple she’d imagined earlier, but whatever.

Finally managing to locate Bonnie, Grace dove straight into what she’d been itching to ask all day.

“So, Bonnie. Psychic?” Bonnie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“You know how my Grams will get drunk and then start telling me all these stories about magic and fairies and everything…”

“Yeah, I’ve experienced it a time or two.” Perhaps because Sheila knew Grace herself was a witch, she had even less of a filter when Grace was around.

“Well, the other day she starts going on about how I’m psychic.” As Bonnie explained Sheila Bennett’s drunken rambles, Grace realized what Bonnie had yet to put together. Her Grams was telling the truth – Bonnie was a witch. A powerful one, judging by her lineage and psychic abilities — not as strong as Grace’s, but present enough to mean Bonnie’s powers were likely almost unparalleled. “… I mean its crazy, right?” Bonnie was laughing, but there was the smallest part of her that was starting to think maybe it wasn’t so crazy after all.

“Yeah, maybe.” Grace didn’t think it was quite time to reveal herself to Bonnie, but she didn’t want to be unsupportive either. “But, I mean, I totally predicted the end of that movie the other day, so maybe Grams is on to something.”

“Guys, hello?” Caroline had found them. “Are you going to cheer, or are you going to chat?” The two girls rolled their eyes.

“Good to see you, too, Care Bear.” Caroline ignored them, instead using that freaky talent of hers to hone in on the slightest of imperfections.

“Hey, Tiki, it’s all wobbly. Can you stand straight, please? Could someone please help Tiki?”

Grace had her arms wrapped around Matt, despite his protests that he was fine.

“You’re not fine, you dumbass. You just found your teacher and coach…” She didn’t want to say it out loud. “You’re the one who found him, okay? Don’t pretend that didn’t suck.” They were standing by his stupid truck, the light from the ambulance and police cars throwing strange red and blue shadows over everything. The cab door was open, as Grace had bodily slammed into Matt’s back as he made to get inside and clung to him like a monkey.

“Yeah, Gracie, it sucked.” He sighed. “What kind of animal would do something like this?” Caroline’s mom had made the announcement not long ago – Coach Tanner was the victim of another animal attack, this time right in town. Grace shrugged.

“A starving one, I guess.” But Tanner hadn’t been eaten. Just attacked. Like the others. Matt rubbed his hand down Grace’s back as if he were the one comforting her.

“C’mon, Gracie. I’ll drive you home. You can get your car tomorrow.” He walked her around to the passenger’s side, the door of which sometimes stuck shut, and helped her climb up before finally getting in himself. The air conditioning rattled, a comforting, familiar sound in the silence. Grace toed off her white Nfinities, flexing her aching feet. She’d been an idiot in practice last week and fucked up her ankle during a particularly poorly executed scorpion stunt. She’d wrapped it in elastic wrap her mother had spelled with healing charms before the game, but it was no miracle cure. Matt must have noticed her grimace, because he glanced at her with a disapproving big brother look, despite being a year younger than her.

“How many times have I told you to keep your legs straight?”

“Well, look at you, Mr. Cheerleading Expert.” Grace mocked him, not wanting to admit that he had told her that countless times. After nearly 7 years of watching (and sometimes unwillingly participating) in backyard cheer practice, Matt was somewhat knowledgeable in the sport. Knowledgeable enough to know a stunt will fall if the flyer can’t keep her fucking legs straight, anyway. “Don’t worry, Caroline already tore me a new one.” Damn, had she ever. The moment Grace went down, she’d felt Caroline’s hawk-like gaze on her, even through the bodies of her bases. ‘Stop giving me excuses, Sinclair. It’s been four months! Get it together.’ Elena had been in Grace’s stunt group when her parents were killed, which left the foursome someone bereft of a base when she quit. Caroline had frantically rearranged but getting used to a new base was always an adjustment. Selfishly, Grace was just glad none of this had happened when she was captain.

“Yeah, well Caroline can be a nutcase but this time she’s kind of right.” Grace could feel herself getting defensive, even though he was once again correct, but didn’t want to say something that might stall the effectively distracting conversation. Matt might pretend to be blasé, but Grace was calling bullshit.

“Yeah, I get it mom, I need to be more careful.” By this time, they’d reached Matt’s house and, despite Grace living literally fifteen feet away, Matt drove past his own driveway and pulled into hers. “Seriously, dude?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m a gentleman,” Matt smirked, “sue me.” Rolling her eyes affectionately, Grace moved to unbuckle her seatbelt when she noticed Matt staring toward her house with a strange look on his face. She’d seen that look before. She waited for him to break the sudden silence, but he was lost in thought.

“Matt?” She prompted quietly. She knew what he was going to say, and if talking about it was going to keep his mind off Tanner’s mangled body a little longer, then she’d talk about it.

“It feels weird.” That’s specific. “Looking at… this.” He gestured vaguely towards her house, then back towards his. “I mean… yours is so…”

“Big?” It wasn’t really, not for a family of five — it was actually a completely average house in every way. Two floors, four bedrooms — well, three bedrooms and a converted office — two bathrooms. But next to Matt’s she supposed, it did look a bit extravagant.

“And your car is so…” Again, he trailed off, searching for a nice way to call her spoiled. She didn’t take offense.

“Fancy?” She did drive an Audi - cherry red and the love of her life — but (here comes the justification, she nearly cringed) her father had wanted an Audi for years. By the time they’d saved up enough, they had three little kids and it was impractical. So they kept the savings set aside and when Grace turned 16, her dad finally got his dream car… for her. ‘If you so much as scratch the paint, this car is mine,' her father had warned. Chloe, much to her disappointment, had gotten a Honda as her first car. It was a perfectly good car, but certainly not an Audi. Matt sighed and gave her a sheepish look.

“I’m sorry. I just look at the difference between the two… who knew one yard could feel like such a big divide?” It wasn’t like Matt lived in the “bad part of town” and Grace’s house happened to be the closest. His house should have been perfectly normal, just like hers. But his mother wasn’t the best with finances… Or upkeep… Or mothering. She hated that her family’s good fortune made Matt feel so inferior.

“Well, if anyone can bridge that divide, Donovan… it’s you.” Matt would almost certainly settle quite happily into the small town life, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be a better small town life. He smiled at her, shaking off the seriousness.

“Well, it certainly won’t be the girl who can’t even keep her legs straight.” She punched him, both of them laughing. She gathered her shoes and bag and jumped down onto the still-warm asphalt.

“Goodnight, Donovan.” She called, circling around to his side of the truck. “But seriously. If you’re ever not fine…” she paused, searching for a way to end that statement that didn’t sound too smothering. “Well, you know where I live.” He smiled at her, backing out and pulling into his own car port, before waving goodnight as the side door into the kitchen slammed behind him. Making her way inside, Grace was nearly tackled to the ground by her sister, and she suddenly knew what Matt must have felt like when she leapt on him at his truck.

“Oh my God, Gracie, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Aims. I wasn’t…” I wasn’t there. But she was there, was just around the corner when a wild animal viciously attacked a man she knew. “I didn’t even…” I didn’t even see the body. But she had, just before the coroner draped a white sheet over her old history teacher and loaded him into a van headed to the morgue. “Matt found him.” Matt had it worse. That’s what she meant. She wasn’t fine, but Matt had it so much worse, so how could she admit that? Maybe that’s what Matt himself had felt, in some form.

“Oh my God, that’s awful.” Her sisters weren’t at the game, thank God, as Chloe had dance rehearsal and Aimee a date. All of their knowledge was second-hand and incomplete, which possibly made their worry worse. Or would, when rehearsal was over, and Chloe checked her phone to undoubtedly find dozens of messages ranging from factual to wild rumor. “Was it really a bear?” Grace snorted. She had no idea what kind of animal had attacked Tanner, but whatever story Aimee had heard probably involved some hulking Goliath of a grizzly storming onto the football field and biting the coach in two.

“I have no idea, Aims. No one saw anything.” So it was probably not a bear. Something stealthier, like a cougar. “Have you spoken to mom and dad?” Their parents were also out on a rare date night and Grace wasn’t sure if the news had reached them yet. If so, they were likely speeding their way home at this moment. But Grace’s younger sister shook her head.

“I don’t think they’ve heard yet. I didn’t want to spoil date night and tell them.”

“What about your date? I’m sorry it was cut short.” It was Aimee’s turn to snort, sounding just like Grace.

“I’m not. He spent the entire time bouncing between checking his phone and his reflection.”

“Yikes.” Grace knew her sister’s pain. “I guess maybe one good thing came out of this evening then, yeah?” Aimee worried her lip, something clearly on her mind. “What’s up, Aims?”

“I just… all these animal attacks… do you know of anything that could help?”

“What, like hunting the thing down?”

“No, doofus. Magically. Are there… protection spells or talismans or something, so I don’t have to constantly worry about you and Chloe and mom and dad?” As the only non-witch in the family — though their father practiced very rarely – Aimee’s knowledge of magic had limitations.

“Um, sure. Probably. But I’ve already got my jet.” To illustrate the point, Grace held her hands out her sister, the black rings sparkling on her fingers. She wasn’t technically supposed to wear much jewelry while cheering, but the thumb ring was inconspicuous and unlikely to cause problems. It was also a security blanket of sorts. The other one, the one she’d bought for herself only a few years ago, she took off right before cheering and put on again immediately after.

“Yeah, I don’t know if Chloe’s into the whole black-jewelry thing.” If Grace was into it, then Chloe likely wasn’t, more out of conscious decision than personal preference, but it didn’t matter. There were other alternatives. Grace sat at the dining room table, sliding her mother’s grimoire to her sister.

“Pick your favorite, then.”

Grace completely fucking forgot about the Founder’s Party. Like, literally, would not have remembered to go if her mom and sisters didn’t scream at her to ‘go get ready because your date is picking you up in an hour’. Actually, they walked into Matt’s house, uninvited — where she had been celebrating the news that the culprit of all the animal attacks had been killed (a cougar, like she thought) — and marched her back home.

When Jeffrey Lockwood-Hamilton had approached her and asked her to go to the Founder’s Party with him, quote ‘because it’s going to be so boring and you might actually make it bearable,' she’d been flattered, if confused. It wasn’t that she and Jeffrey were unfriendly, but they didn’t associate much, what with him being two years younger. Grace supposed that, the times they had hung out had been at other excruciatingly dull parties such as the Miss Mystic pageant, which Caroline required Grace to go to every year for ‘moral support’. They’d entertained each other while their respective ‘dates’ had been occupied, so she supposed it had become somewhat of an unspoken tradition that she and Jeff would hang out at parties.

So, here she was, digging her red party dress out from the closet and wincing as Chloe none-too-gently twisted her hair into an updo. The dress was pretty, standard, just passed the knees with a simple, straight silhouette and thin straps. She threw on some strappy sandals and grabbed a purse right as Jeff rang the bell.

“Ready to have some fun?” He asked sarcastically by way of greeting.

“Cheer up, Jeff.” Grace coaxed. “There’s always champagne.”

When they arrived, Grace immediately spotted a potential problem: Damon Salvatore, looking unfairly handsome in his dark suit, was on Caroline’s arm, and they were chatting with Elena and Stefan. Caroline was still sporting that weird-ass scarf.

“I’m about to be super fucking tacky, Jeff, and leave you alone for a few minutes.” Grace grimaced as she made her excuse. Jeff laughed.

“You’re fine, Grace. Go say hey. Bring me back a glass or two of champagne if you can sneak it past my mom.” He nodded to the corner, where his mother had one eye on the heritage display and one on her son.

“Sure thing.” As Grace approached, Caroline began dragging a wary Stefan onto the dance floor before spotting the older girl.

“Gracie, you’re here!”

“I am! And you’re with Stefan.” It was a question phrased as a statement.

“Damon won’t dance with me,” Caroline pouted, “but apparently Stefan is quite talented.” He looked like he would rather be anywhere else.

“Well, he’ll have to be to keep up with you, Miss Mystic.” Caroline beamed at the reminder of her potential title and the compliment.

“Why don’t we find out?” Stefan suggested, motioning Caroline forward. That was clearly code for “let’s get this over with,” but Care either didn’t notice or didn’t mind. Grace continued forward to Damon and Elena, who were studying the heritage displays.

“…I just… I hope you two can work it out.” Elena was saying, in her “Elena voice”.

“I hope so, too.” Damon’s tone rang of double entendre, but Grace dismissed it and made her presence known.

“Founding Families, huh?” She asked, looking over the document they were in front of. “Riveting.”

“You make fun, but you New Orleans-folks have your traditions too.” Elena poked fun right back at Grace, the age-old debate familiar and affectionate. Damon turned to her.

“You’re from New Orleans?”

“I am. I’m Grace.” Knowing he was Stefan’s brother, Grace was beyond reluctant to shake his hand and experience that same slimy emptiness, but it would be extremely rude not to.

“Damon.” He extended his arm and Grace placed her small hand in his, hoping she didn’t look as apprehensive as she felt. His hand was warm, but his soul was cold. Cold and dead, like Stefan’s, but there was something else… a warmth not from life or love, but bitterness and hate and malice all festering inside of him. There’s more than this to him. The Damon she had seen in her vision, the one she had been friends with — closer even than her and Stefan would become, judging from the emotions in her vision — was not this embittered, cancerous thing currently in front of her. So, she pushed deeper and deeper, shoving her way past all the black and bad, until finally, finally, there was something else. Something surprising. Insecurity and… longing. Love, or… something he thought was love. Something that maybe used to be love but was now merely the impression of it. Intelligence still glimmered in every corner of this part of his soul, but it wasn’t the cold cunning of before. It was hard won, a lifetime’s worth — several lifetimes worth — of mistakes and knowledge and experience. This was the Damon she would come to know, someone broken but too proud to show it, who used acerbic humor as both a defense mechanism and a show of support for those few he cared for. Suddenly becoming aware that this handshake was starting to become too long to be normal, she pulled her hand away as he looked her over, assessing. Too deep. She’d pushed her powers too far, had already reached her limit and was practically exhausted and out of breath, like she’d been running. She tried to covertly catch her breath, hoping Damon and Elena didn’t notice.

“Have you been? To New Orleans, I mean.”

“I lived there. Once.”

“Really?” Grace’s eyes widened. It wasn’t often she met other people who’d experienced the magic of New Orleans, let alone lived there. “Do you miss it? I know I do.” He smiled a touch nostalgically.

“Well, it was a long time ago.” There was something in his voice as he said "long time,” the same thing that had been in Stefan’s as he said the same words about playing football. Something that implied more. “But it was a hell of a lot fun.” Grace gave him a once-over.

“You know, Damon, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.” Damon’s eyes gleamed with something even she couldn’t quite place.

“I look forward to it, Grace.”

As Damon and Elena headed off toward the dance floor and their respective dates, Grace noticed Bonnie sitting at a table by herself. She knew that she was ignoring Jeff, but she hadn’t spoken to Bonnie all day, and she had the rest of the party to hover by his side. She made her way over, but when she was a few feet away, the breeze blew out the candle sitting as the centerpiece on the table. Bonnie turned her head, focusing her attention on the candle.

It re-ignited.

Grace stumbled, nearly fell over. Bonnie started, blowing the candle out and glancing around to make sure no one saw. From this short distance away, Grace could feel Bonnie’s budding realization that her Gram’s drunken rambles were true, her fear and confusion, her paranoia and loneliness. And Grace couldn’t let Bonnie believe she was alone in this. So, she righted herself, marched over to her friend, and grabbed her arm. Bonnie looked up at her, obviously scared she had witnessed the candle incident.

“I think we need to talk.” Grace pulled her friend out of her chair and away from bustle of the party. “There’s some things you need to hear.”

[ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff]

Goodnight, Aaron (Aaron Hotchner x OC) Chapter 5

Summary: After being grilled about his ex-girlfriend on what is meant to be a fun birthday outing, Sebastian gets some new information dropped on him by a worn-out Jack.

AN: Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Been a bit busy with job and family stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter. This chapter is mostly unedited sorry!

Tagging: @sunlight-moonrise, @clean-bands-dirty-stories, @genevievedarcygranger, and @davidrossi-ismydad

Chapter 4 // Masterlist // AO3 Link

“They asked you to coach?”

Sebastian watched Jack run off to warm up with his team, then he turned back to Hotch who clicked the car keys to lock, “Do they know what you do for a living? And they’ve asked you to coach before? Mental.”

Hotch let out a chuckle at how utterly ridiculous Sebastian made it sound. And, truth be told, it was “mental” that Hotch was still coaching his son and their team when he still had to wrangle together his own team back at the BAU.

Sebastian adjusted his bag strap, “You need to learn to say ‘no’ to some people, Aaron.”

Hotch shook his head, playing into that teasing tone that had worked its way ito the conversation, “Well I don’t suppose you would be up for it?”

“I know nothing about football.”

“Soccer.”

“Soccer,” and Hotch laughed at the way Sebastian’s nose wrinkled as he mimicked the accent – albeit with heavy exaggeration on the vowels.

“Dave!”

Hotch’s hand raised into the air, catching the attention of his co-worker. Sebastian felt the pressure crank up to eleven as David Rossi sauntered over. He did not look like he was about to coach little league. He looked like he was about to go to one of his many villas in Europe and lounge around there for two weeks drinking wine.

 “David Rossi, this is Sebastian Porter.”

“Jack’s nanny, of course,” Rossi shook his hand heartily. Sebastian immediately wanted Rossi to be the cool uncle he never had.

He couldn’t think of anything wittier to say than this: “And you work with Aaron. On and off the pitch.”

“Couldn’t let him do it alone,”

“My ride’s here, so I’ll see you this evening. Nice meeting you, David.”

Though Sebastian was already behind schedule, he spared himself the embarrassment of his boss watching him lightly jogging over to his companions - and said companions clowning him for said light jogging.

“Aww, a lil peewee match?” Bellamy teased loudly, though not loud enough for the team to hear her.

Sebastian wanted to give her a playful shove, but he didn’t trust that she wouldn’t slide off her rollerblades deliberately, so instead he retorted, “Bullying kids, Bellamy? I thought you couldn’t stoop any lower.”

Klaus stopped rolling back and forth on his BMX, “Which one’s the boss then?”

“Wearing the white polo and shorts, not holding the clipboard.”

Klaus squinted behind his par of wholly unnecessary sunglasses, “Hmm, both are fit.”

“Come on, you’re staring,” and Sebastian twisted Klaus’ baseball cap around backwards before climbing onto the back of the bike.

As Klaus gave an indignant retort, he pushed off and began to cycle away. Sebastian’s hands gripped his shoulders tight and he opted to send a smile in his boss’ direction as opposed to a wave. Bellamy, the embarrassing mom type that she was, waved with both hands and skated backwards as she went.

Their afternoon sesh was off to a rocking start when Sebastian refused even one drink – sticking instead to a diet soda – while Bellamy and Klaus went for bottomless Bellini’s.

Bellamy discussed what children the new term had brought her. A short summary was that they were all little shits whom she adored and would protect with her life. That had been her track record for the part three years she had taught at this high school. The trio clinked glasses in celebration to her track record.

“Honestly, they’re so ready to get to using the Bunsen burners. It’s gonna be bonkers,” She beamed as a server brought her a refilled glass, “Can’t wait to bust out the copper.”

“As much as I love you talking science to me,” Klaus paused to put on a solemn mask that was cracked from the triumph he was wearing beneath, “We have to talk about Pippa while I’m still partially sober.”

When both his friends zeroed in on him whilst sipping their Bellini’s through straws, Sebastian all but exploded with excuses, “Oh my god, I get it! You told me so! It’s been a month! Can we drop it?”

“You went back to her!” Klaus ignored Sebastian’s “I know’s” with his head craning to reach over his friend’s voice, “After everything she did to you! You that desperate for attention?”

“Yeah!”

Both Bellamy and Klaus ceased their teasing, Klaus dropping back into his chair as he said, “Woah, ok, sorry dude.”

“It’s ok.”

Bellamy took Sebastian’s glass away, “Babe, that’s really depressing, you sure you haven’t been drinking?” She took a long sniff, her nose twirling around the rim before sliding it back to Sebastian, “No, he really is that deep.”

“Ha ha.”

Both Bellamy and Klaus sobered up considerably, the tone of their voices shifting into quiet support as Bellamy draped her arm around Sebastian’s shoulders, “I’m glad you got out of it, Bash.”

“Me too. And Rachael.”

“Ooo, how is Rachael?” Klaus pushed his sunglasses up his nose. How he looked like such a douchebag, shades on indoors, yet so happy with that status, Sebastian didn’t care to think about right now.

“She’s got a job in a firm now, big proper one.”

“Oooh! Can she get me out of my parking tickets?”

Suddenly the lights dimmed and Bellamy whipped out her phone, grinning behind it as Klaus looked up and around with a baby’s curiosity.

A troop of servers marched over with the birthday cake Bellamy had dropped off earlier that day. Its bright red buttercream icing Klaus went very quiet, a bashful smile glowing in the candlelight as the restaurant turned its attention to sing “Happy Birthday” to him.

“Happy Birthday, Klaus.” Bellamy and Sebastian kissed both his cheeks at the same time, a perfect photo op that one of the servers took for them.

The birthday boy was gracious enough to share his cake and give Sebastian a ride home after a few more drinks. Of water, Sebastian insisted that Klaus sober up a little so they weren’t going to crash the bike before his night out.

At the crossroads, Bellamy turned left when they went right, her arm stretching out to them like she was watching her loved one get shipped off to war. Sebastian was dropped off shortly after, just outside the block of flats, and Klaus was already off before Sebastian could tackle him with a hug. So he shouted after him. Nothing expletive, but it was enough for Klaus to look over his shoulder and smirk, swerving not a second later to avoid an incoming pedestrian.

When Sebastian entered the flat, Hotch and Rossi were in the sitting room, lounging in the settee over a bottle of whiskey artistically placed on the coffee table.

“Hey, how was the training?”

“Tough, but those kids are tougher.” Rossi raised his drink to his statement, and Sebastian thought about how he could subtly slide some adoption papers across the coffee table.

“Do you want a drink?” Hotch asked.

Already going to the kitchen, Sebastian checked in the stew he’d prepped that morning in the slow cooker, “I’m good, thanks.” He was a little peeved that he’d spent the afternoon sober, especially during the bashing of the ex-girlfriend, but he could always grab a nightcap later on. “Where’s Jack?”

“I SCORED A GOAL!”

Sebastian smile strained as he saw the state of Jack’s shorts once he rounded the corner to the kitchen. His shirt was off; clearly he was in the middle of getting changed.

“That’s brilliant, but if you come at me with them muddy keks, I’ll score a goal with you! Come back in your jammies and we’ll celebrate properly.” And he shooed Jack away to the bathroom. The star striker to be disappeared, his muddy rear skidding into his bedroom with the door closing quick behind him.

“‘Keks’?” Rossi repeated with an eyebrow raised.

So Sebastian clarified, “Trousers.”

“You mean pants.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Hotch’s so-called correction before saying again, “No, keks.”

Thankfully they saw the funny side of it, allowing a hint of strain to drop from Sebastian’s shoulders just in time for Jack to come running back in. This time, he was wearing pyjamas.

Sebastian caught him neatly and plonked him on the countertop, “Tell me all about practice!”

As Sebastian prepared the rest of dinner, Jack babbled away about the training and his teammates. His energy by comparison to the other conversation between Hotch and Rossi caused theirs to stagnate in favour of joining in. Sebastian carried Jack across to the other counters without impeding his speech, keeping an eye on him and the food, while Hotch and Rossi joined in the storytelling.

At Jack’s description of Hotch and Rossi’s demonstration of a paired-up passing game, Sebastian’s abandoned phone began to buzz.

“Sorry Jack, I gotta get this. But why don’t you set the table?” Sebastian took him back down to Earth and shuffled him in the direction of the cutlery drawer before he picked up his mobile, “Hey, what are you doing up? Go to bed, young lady.”

Rachael replied with a heftier helping of snarkasm, “I’m in bed at the moment actually. Have you rung Mum and Dad yet?”

“I have, don’t worry,”

“Ok. Just checking.”

“Texting exists, you know? Not that I don’t delight at the sound of your grumpiness.”

“Yeah, well, you’re starting to sound more American.”

Casting an eye over to see Jack was nattering away to Hotch and Rossi, Sebastian whispered, “Shut your goddamn mouth.”

“I’ll call you after work. Love you, bye.”

“Bye.”

Sebastian hung up then slapped his free palm against his face.

Hotch caught his attention, leaning ever so slightly into his range of vision with concern, “Are you alright?”

“Forgot to say I love you, she’s gonna hold that against me for five years at least.”

As the person dishing up and the last to get to the table, Sebastian sat beside Rossi with Jack opposite him and Hotch diagonally across. There was a tautness in Sebastian’s back as he tried desperately not to gauge Rossi’s reaction to his food.

Instead Rossi reminded him of their meeting earlier, “Interesting choice in mode of transport today.”

Like a deer in the headlights, Sebastian tripped his way through his explanation, “Thanks, we’re desperately trying to reclaim our youth.” Then he popped a forkful of meat into his mouth to excuse him from further conversation.

Except Jack didn’t get the memo. “Who were you talking to on the phone?”

“My sister, Rachael, she’s got a big case on tomorrow.”

“She’s a lawyer,” Rossi pointed across the table with his fork, “Hotch was a defence attorney.”

The information was so shiny and new to Sebastian, that he forgot to implement his “you’re my boss” filter and he said, “You look for ‘intimidating’ in your job descriptions?”

No time for regret, Jack once against filled the space. “Intimidating?”

“Yeah, intimidating, big into justice, likes his suit,” and instead of back down, Sebastian leant over his plate as if to tell a secret, and Jack opposite him leant close too as Sebastian said, “Your dad’s basically Batman.”

Jack’s face lit up at the comparison, one he had made in the past, and he continued to grin as he ate his stew.

“Anyway, our kid’s following up on some advice about getting my deposit back from my bedsit. Landlord’s being an absolute bad word.”

“If you want, I can take a look at it,” Hotch offered.

Sebastian looked back at Jack with fond bemusement, “Told you, your dad’s Batman, just no billions minus the brutality.”

Hotch’s cutlery slipped and collided loudly with his plate as Sebastian said, “It’s all good, thank you. I just sent him some photos of what the mattress looked like when I first moved in, should get him to give up.”

The conversation stagnated from Sebastian, still worn out word-wise from his afternoon drinking non-drinking outing, so he was grateful for the fact he finished first and Jack finished second.

“We can leave the grown-ups now,” he said in a loud whisper, already walking off with Jack to his bedroom.

Over his shoulder, he heard Rossi say not so quietly an I-told-you-so about how “men can be nannies” and that Sebastian was a good choice. While Sebastian was relieved at he had made a good impression on Rossi, he was not so much feeling the inferred sexism his boss held. Still, he was hired now. Microaggressions could be tackled when he got to them.

Cross-legged on the carpet, Jack set about demolishing the rocket. Bricks flew across his little zone of construction. One stray red brick hit Sebastian right between his sock and his cuffed jeans.

“What are we on today, bud? Pirate ship?”

But Jack was quiet. His energy levels were definitely crashing after such a big day. Sebastian gave him space to answer if he wanted, taking charge of organising the bricks into sizes for Jack to pick from.

When there was no reply for a solid minute, Sebastian asked, “You ok?”

For a while, Jack continued his silence. He was busy looking for a very specific shape of brick. His fingers searched over the top of the pile then dove into it, fishing out the perfect piece. Then he spoke.

“Batman beats up the bad guys,” Jack said, his voice hushed, “But so does Daddy.”

Sebastian blinked then recovered just as quick, “Oh I’m not sure about that.”

But Jack shook his head with his eyes still on assembling his boat, “He beat up the man who killed Mommy. Don’t tell him, it’s a secret.”

“A secret from him?” Sebastian didn’t know he was whispering too until he had already spoken.

“He doesn’t know we know. Can you make the mast please?”

And Jack held out a square block. Sebastian blinked again and accepted the piece. Clearly Jack thought this was a very casual conversation, something that Sebastian should keep from Hotch very easily. And he was making a ship.

“Jack, have you told that to anyone else?”

“No.”

“How tall do you want the mast?”

Jack measured with the space between his hands. Taking note, Sebastian continued to stack bricks until the desired height was reached, and Jack took it off his hands, placing it in the middle of the boat.

“I’m gonna get a drink. Do you want anything?”

The little guy shook his head, now completely absorbed in his construction projects. With a pat on his head, Sebastian twisted his legs around to stand and went to stand in the hallway. The door closed behind him and he pressed his forehead against the wall. He took a deep breath, rolling his head to the left, and pushed back his shoulders. A crack from his neck introduced him to the kitchen, where he tossed a half smile at Hotch and Rossi. Then he busied himself with getting that drink. A few drops of water splashed against his wrist.

“Hey Sebastian?”

Said person looked around to see Rossi rocking on the back legs of his chair, “I don’t suppose Hotch ever told you that, when you were taking your trial day, he nearly called you every hour to see how you were doing?”

“Dave,” Hotch said with something that was clearly intended to be a warning tone. The smile he was fighting to keep off his face betrayed him.

“No, he didn’t.” He hid his smirk in his glass. It dropped fast though. The Batman comments were still heavy in his mind, and now with Jack’s context on the brutality aspect, he wasn’t really jazzed to crack another joke lest he stumble across some more unfortunate information.

Rossi didn’t seem to care about that so much, “I had to micromanage his micromanaging.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t’ve minded that.” Sebastian’s foot idly dragged across the tile in front of him, “I’m sure Jack wouldn’t’ve either. And speaking of-” He pulled out his phone and pulled up the website he and Jack had browsed during breakfast, “I have a very important question for you: can we get this bouncy castle for Jack’s birthday?”

He showed the photo of the dream castle to the two men.

“You mean a ‘bounce house’?”

“No, I mean bouncy castle. He was telling me all about wanting a slide one, he’d be over the moon if he got to bring his classmates around to go on one!”

“I suppose if we removed all my furniture and knocked down the walls, we could fit it in here,” Hotch said smartly. His eyebrows were raised as he looked away from the screen at Sebastian, who snorted. God, it wasn’t even that funny.

Once again, Rossi chimed in with his brilliant contributions, saving Sebastian from utter shame, “You know, we could have the party at my home.”

[moonchildsaurora]

The social butterfly of a Tech Genius

»»—— Crew Member #6 of Space Pirates ATEEZ ——««

all aboard The Perihelion, welcome to the co-pilot’s log system! here you’ll be able to access the crew’s profiles should you wish to read about their journeys: (no nsfw content)

[CAPTAIN] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

an underestimated intellect with huge love for the cyber world and technology  

you hear him before you see him in a crowd

a Drex’un who was born and lived his life in the technology-thriving city of Vollurn up until he was invited to join Hongjoong and Seonghwa on their journey

[database file: Drex’uns are often described as demon-borne even though not all bloodlines are derived from infernal ancestry. Purely for the fact that prominent horns protude from their heads, a prehensile tail that’s used for grabbing things and will coil around their legs when upset/nervous, sharp canines and eye colours that cover the entire sclera. Depending on bloodline, some Drex’uns have elemental abilities]

Mingi isn’t sure about his bloodline as he never knew his parents, though his intelligence goes far beyond that of an average being’s. Not only does he process knowledge extremely fast, his memory is remarkable; able to recall even the tiniest details and his ability to analyse/break codes allows him to have free reign in the cyber networks

his teal-coloured horns and tail have onyx gradient tips, adorned with a few gold jewellery (his actual ears are also pierced with hoops) to complement his molten gold eyes

making heads turn, be it for his energetic presence or fashionable attire; “just because I grew up on the streets doesn’t mean I have no pride for my looks”

learnt to be resourceful and street-smart at a young age, knows all the short cuts and side alleys of the city like the back of his hand (he’s had a lot of time to wander around). Also found out that he had a knack for by-passing security systems whenever he needed shelter for the night

frequents the ‘Merripalace Arcade’ where it’s both an underground hangout for tech whizzes and the cyber battlegrounds for competitive players. The first visit gave him a taste of a different kind of freedom and an introduction to the world of hacking. It’s probably one of the few places he’s felt a part of a community; no judgement of your species nor your background but rather your digital reputation is more valued and the sort of technological talents you bring to the network

if there’s one thing Mingi is a natural at it’s socialising, he could walk into a club alone and come back out later with a new social circle if he so wishes

“ok who DON’T you know here?”

“just look at that face, how can you say no to him?” – Mingi is walking proof that Drex’uns can pull off the puppy-dog face and get away with it

he was gifted a second-hand mirage drive by Einux, a Nagzoid [database file: a reptilian humanoid being with serpent ancestry so they tend to have more snake-like features] who became a shot-term mentor figure after Mingi unintentionally helped crack a system code for a database Einux was commissioned to work on (because Mingi thought that guy was just really bad at math on first glance)

[database file: a mirage drive is pretty much a miniature tablet with a hologram touch-screen and every tech whizz would protect theirs with their lives; especially when were layers of secret activities and programs stored into it]

“you remembered to wipe clean the data trail and replace the originals with the dud files right?”

“yeah of course...does planting a virus in the system that will cause ‘Time Warp’ to play every time they try to click open a file counts?”

“Mingi, I…….”  

Einux introduced Mingi to his network of contacts and helped set him up with his first commission, safe to say Mingi was at a loss for words when he got his first pay up front (and that was just the deposit)

by the time Yunho had come across Mingi at the Tech Institute, he had been in the cyber scene for 4+ years already and never once had to deal with someone catching him in the act  

Mingi.exe has stopped working

he’s met a couple of Sheirzois before but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t lowkey checking out the blue-haired giant whilst panicking on the inside, he’d argue there’s always time to appreciate beauty

two options popped into his mind then and there; either he bribed his way out (as his mentor taught him) or he attempted to maybe throw some punches and then make a getaway

(expectation) looks like he’s intimidating & can fight vs. (reality) he’d probably cry if he hit someone & is just a soft boy all-round

extra trivia: ironically for an infernal being, Mingi doesn’t deal well with anything supernatural/ghosts-related. Once Woo and Yeosang pranked him, Yunho helped a little but he doesn’t need to know, and convinced him that the basement storage hanger was haunted after totems started appearing in odd places along with ominous noises. Mingi was so ready to abandon ship before Hongjoong did damage control & Jongho promised he’d fight all the ghosts for him 

was already metaphorically weeping at the thought of having to empty his money pouch but turned out that Otis (his multi-coding bot) had somehow manage to win the Sheirzoi over along with an invite to drinks

“I’ve got many questions for you regarding your efficiently adorable bot”

“…and I to you as well, BUT first do you have a name? And secondly have you been to ‘Le Apollon’? Coz if not they make some really mean Northern Drops there!”

Yunho turned out to be one of the most chilled individual Mingi has met and he didn’t mind the other’s enthusiastic discussions about all technological inventions, and was even just as enthusiastic to share with Yunho about his own passion for cyber tech

one too many drinks later Mingi was accidentally spilling secrets he definitely wasn’t meant to and even ended up dancing on the table at some point, all while Yunho hyped his new friend up on the side

was forever grateful that Yunho never ratted him out to the authorities and consider him shook for the 2nd time in that day when he was offered a roof over his head, a more permanent one too

“do you want to be the big spoon, or is it my turn? We can rotate!” 

thus the bromance of all bromances was born

living with Yunho not only meant Mingi would wake up to good vibes, but more than often would wake up to either the screeching of the smoke alarm or “HOLY SMOKES WHERE ARE THE WATER PODS? DID WE RUN OUT OF THEM? AGAIN?!”

putting out accidental fires became second nature to Mingi, initially he’d aggressively fret over Yunho but now he’s come to accept such is the life of a chaotic bright inventor and this is fine

in fact when Hongjoong and Seonghwa came across their humble abode (thanks to Yunho’s cleaning bot) it was an iconic first meeting over smoke. Yunho did most of the talking when Hongjoong pitched his desire to recruit a crew for space voyage, Mingi too busy sitting there staring at the two new-comers with shooting stars in his eyes and hearing about the prospects of an adventure. Within that day the crew had gain 2 more members, because Mingi and Yunho are a combo package deal

“oh has the system be glitching? If you don’t mind, would you like me to have a look at it?”

Hongjoong did a happy dance on the spot knowing that not only did he now have a talented inventor on his ship but also a gifted tech genius, he put Mingi in charge of managing the mainframe systems along with intel collecting this decision that Hongjoong would later semi-regret because (at times) the word “self-control” doesn’t seem to exist in Mingi’s vocab

Seonghwa adopted him and Yunho pretty easily and space mum’s cooking is Mingi’s fave, occasionally using his puppy-dog face he’s perfected over the years to his advantage in gaining extra midnight snacks (being everyone’s baby, no one’s really immune to this)

“Hwa you’re supposed to be the one disciplining the kids!”

Mingi and Yunho were known to be the chaotic fun duo, but with Wooyoung is just chaotic – not to mention he got his Yunhogizer confiscated by Hongjoong for almost a week after, “I thought we were all comparing assets, Wooyoung sent his to the group chat so I figured this was some kind of crew bonding”

also was one half of the reason that the ‘whatever happens at the Tav/clubs, stays at the Tav/clubs’ rule got implemented and one-night sexytimes were banned aboard The Perihelion after Jongho witnessed a random still semi-nude humanoid trying to sneak out of Mingi’s room without being noticed (Hwa went on parent-mode and panicked yell whilst covering Jongho’s eyes)

Jongho avoided Mingi (out of sheer embarrassment) for a few days and that was pretty devastating, considering how close the two became in their friendship that Mingi was one of the very few people in the crew whom Jongho was openly clingy with at times

no one can argue about Mingi’s loyalty to his crew/new family, and under his care-free flamboyant exterior he’s a genuine listener and will not hesitate to offer his shoulder for his family to lean on whenever they need it

recently he’s created new software to enhance Seonghwa’s cybernetic lenses (as a birthday gift) that’d allow him to see clearly miles ahead, in the dark and lock-on tracking function. What Mingi failed to let Hwa know was that he still hasn’t disconnected the sync link to his mirage drive and therefore if, for example, an image was sent through it’d appear in the other user’s field of vision

“wait for it, wait”

“what exactly are we waiting for Mingi? And why are you giggling over a screaming pink…starfish?” (that’s Patrick Star by the way)

seconds later there was a clamouring from the bathroom, the solid sound of someone falling before, “MINGI!”

“that my good lads, is what we were wa-oh whoops gotta go!”  

(moodboard made with love, by @s1ardusk​ ♡)

[pulpwriterx]

SOLO’S RUN

For Reylo Week 2020. A Star Wars AU in which smuggler Ben Solo never falls to the Dark Side, but in a way, still becomes Kylo Ren,

Ben Solo extinguished his lightsaber, unclenched his fist, and looked at the blood on it.

And Luke Skywalker lying in a heap on the floor.

Ben panicked. 

“Oh shit. Shit!  I am in so much fucking trouble! Farkled! I am farkled!  What do I do? I gotta get out of here. For good. Forever. This is too much. I almost…maybe I did kill him.”

Ben walked over to where his Master, his Uncle,his guardian since he was 15 lay unconscious against the wall.

He crouched down, got Luke’s lightsaber, opened the housing, and pulled a few wires out.

Just in case his uncle wanted to attack him,again.

Then he gently shook his Uncle’s shoulder.

“Master? Uncle Luke? Are you dead? Please don’t be dead. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. Give me a happy ending, here!”

His Uncle groaned

“Ben. Fight the Dark Side. Ben…”

Then he was out again.

“Yeah. That’s it! No more running from the Dark Side!  I will fight it!  After I get as far from this place that focuses Snoke into my head like a laser beam. Master Snoke. Sith Lord. He’s the badguy. I hope you can still hear me.”

In a panic, Ben was shoving all of his belongings into his pilot’s chest.

“I’ll never get out. He’s here. Maybe right outside this hut. I’ll kill myself. I’ll cut my own fucking head off before I join him. He’ll never get me. Never. But I don’t want to die. I want to live. I need help. But you’re too crazy to help me, Uncle Luke. And you’re unconscious. Mom will never believe me? And I still love the Old Man, but he’s kind of a fucking asshole. I wish Uncle Chewie was here. He’d know what to do. What do I do? Where do I go? I’m all alone. Armi’s gone, and Hela. Back to Arkanis. None of the girls really give a shit about me, and I don;t have any other friends. I’m all the fuck alone.”

“You are not alone, Ben. You have never been alone. I have always been with you. I only wish you could hear me. And see me. The way you used to.”

The room glowed softly blue.

The hulking man in Jedi robes standing in the doorway was about the same size as he was, and he had the same prominent features; his hair was reddish brown, though, instead of black.

“Grandfather?” Ben asked.

He could feel fear leaving him.

“Yes, Ben! You can see me, again? Finally?”

“Grandfather!”

Anakin Skywalker was glad that Ben could see him, glad that he could give the frightened boy the reassuring hug that he needed.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Grandfather. I’m really farkled.”

“You are not really farkled.” Anakin assured him.

“How?”

“I’m here to help you. I can already feel your fear leaving you. That is good. But you can’t relax your vigilance. Listen to me. Now that you know my presence? Don’t be fooled by anyone imitating me. Your instincts are sound. It’s time for there to be no Dark and no Light. No Jedi and no Sith. Time for a new path. A path of balance, where the Force is United. But you do need a guide. But I know now is not the time. It’s not always the time for philosophy.”

“Tell your son that.”

“He never listens to me. What you need now isn’t philosophy. You need to feel safe. Protected. You will have me to protect you. I am more powerful than Master Snoke. I will keep him away from you, until you have recovered from this terrible attack.”

“Can you get me out of here? Without him getting me?”

Anakin opened the door.

Master Snoke was lying on the ground, unconscious.

“The pretender is no match for me, Ben. He’s no match for you, either. He has lied to you. You are strong, where he is weak. He wants to hide behind your strength. Use your power. But without you? He is only a Pretender to the Emperor’s throne.”

“Why did Uncle Luke attack me?”

“He sensed a great darkness here. A great evil. He saw what you might become. Luke shared your nightmare.  And he was afraid. And when Skywalkers get scared, rage comes. You know that, Ben.”

Ben nodded.

“I know. I was angry, too. But I was more frightened than angry. I knew I could never out-duel him. But I’m a big guy, and he’s a little guy, so I did something he wasn’t expecting and punched him out. I punched him too hard. He flew all the way across the room! Like a rag doll!  Will he be OK?”

“Yes, Ben. My son is a Jedi Master. He had enough time to reach to the blow, but not avoid it. But had you punched an ordinary man like that? You would have crushed his skull and killed him. Learn from this? A big man should never punch a smaller man or woman as hard as he can. Unless you are in combat, and you are justified in killing. Also? Sometimes retreat is your only option for victory. Had you given in to your rage and struck my son down with your lightsaber? You would be a pawn in Snoke’s hands, now. Luke is as frightened as you are. Leia will be furious. It will be her instinct to immediately focus her considerable powers to destroy the threat. It falls to me to lead you all. I have been waiting. I am ready.”

“What should I do, now? Find my own way in the Force?”

“You must reach your own balance between the Dark and the Light, Ben. Then I can guide you. But first? You must admit that both live in your soul, and only then can you find your equilibrium. While you undertake this task? I will protect you from Snoke. But, after I become your guide? You will have to learn to deal with him.”

At least it was a plan that made sense to him.

“What about right now?”

“We well go to the spaceport. I must leave you, once we get there. But you can get on a freighter at first light, and leave this planet. After? When you are stronger, talk to your mother. And I will speak with my son. Eventually, you must speak to him, too. But not yet. As for Snoke? My daughter and I will deal with him, for now. But in the future? When you are strong enough? You will destroy him, and his evil.”

“You will be my Master, grandfather?”

“No. You will be your own Master, Ben. I will be your teacher. And your guide. You will be safe. You will not dream of the Dark Side.”

“Will I see more of you now, Grandfather?”

“Yes. Almost as much as if I were alive. All the love and attention that you have not had from your mother, your father and your Uncle? You will have from me. I have no other distractions. No other purpose, Ben, than to love and teach and support you. My love for you gives me form, and purpose, and the ability to come to this world. The next time you lay your head down? Sleep well, my boy. Sleep well every night, knowing that Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, is watching over you. I am your sword and your shield, until you learn to defend and protect yourself. Sleep. And know how well you are loved.” Anakin promised.

“Yes, grandfather. What do we do, now?”

“Sometimes, Ben, a student asks his teacher a question he knows the answer to. Try to answer your own questions, before you ask your teacher.”

Ben thought about it.

“We should hot-wire a speeder and get the fark out of here.”

“An excellent idea. Get your trunk.”

After Ben ran out, Anakin ignored him cursing Snoke, and kicking him in the ribs.

“Motherfucker!” Ben spat.

“Don’t kick him twice. Once is enough.” Anakin instructed.

Anakin got a pillow, and put it behind Luke’s head, and covered him up.

“I will take the boy’s training from here, my son. You have more pressing matters to deal with. The Sith have regained their strength. The Empire will rise again.”

***

“Hey, mister. You need to load up, faster? I can carry twice as much as the guys you’re using. I know how to fly. And I can fix most of the things that go wrong on a vintage YT-1300 Frieghter. I grew up on one.”

The Mandalorian captain took a good look at the big kid.

He was big, about six and a half feet tall, and he looked strong.

He also looked nervous.

If he was waiting around the spaceport at dawn, with his pilot’s chest packed and his gun hand twitching nervously, moving from the hip where his blaster was to the hip where his lightsaber was?

He was in trouble.

Also, he was dressed like one of those Jedi apprentices.

And he had a lightsaber.

“Are you over 21?”

“I’m 23.”

“Did you do something wrong, kid? I don’t care if you’re just tired of Jedi school. Or maybe you got in trouble with a girl. I mean did you break the law?”

“I didn’t. Somebody at the school tried to cut my head off with his lightsaber in the middle of the night. I’ll level with you, Captain. My father is a smuggler. I wanted to go into the family business. This Jedi School shit was my mother’s idea. I never thought it was worth my time, but it’s sure as fark not worth my life.”

“Do I know him?”

“I don’t want to get him involved.”

“Okay, kid. I get it. I’ll get you off the planet. I’m on my way to the Outer Rim. If things work out, you can stay on. If not? I’ll drop you off.”

“Great. I’m Arkanian. So that’s good news.”

“Oh yeah? What clan?”

“The Raven Clan. I’m a Skywalker. No relation to the Jedi Master.”

“I guess you can tell I’m a Mandalorian. I’m a Saxon, myself. Din Saxon. You got a first name, Skywalker?”

“Kylo.”

“OK. Kylo. Grab your gear, and I’ll show you where you bunk. Then you can start loading.”

***

Luke Skywalker awoke with a splitting headache, and a bloody nose.

There was a pillow behind him, and a blanket over him that told him his vision of his father had not been a dream.

Anakin had dire news.

The Sith had regained their strength.

The Empire would rise again.

And Ben was gone.

When they were at crossed lightsabers, Ben had punched him in the face, as hard as he could, and Ben was as big as Father, and just as strong.

The blow sent Luke flying to the far wall and he had hit his head.

He had a vague memory of Ben, in a panic, checking to see if he was OK.

Poor Ben.

Luke knew he had failed his nephew,

He stood up, shaking his head, and saw that Ben’s hut was cleaned out, and his pilot’s chest was gone.

“Shit!” Luke exclaimed.

He went to his own hut, got cleaned up, announced to his students he had been called away on Republic business and they had a free day, and then jumped in his speeder.

The spaceport was about two miles away.

Maybe he could still catch Ben.

Luke spent the whole day, asking around about Ben by name to the people who knew him, and by description to those who didn’t.

One of the dockworkers said he’d seen a young man answering to that description ship out with a Mandalorian on a YT-1300, but he forgot the name of the ship and didn’t know the Mandalorian’s name.

Try as he might, without a warrant, Luke couldn’t find out any more details.

He didn’t want to face his sister’s wrath, so he went back to the Temple, and radioed the Falcon.

“Han, I…I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think Ben’s run away for good. Maybe from all of us.”

“What? What do you mean, Ben ran away for good? What happened?”

“I made a mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“You know, Ben isn’t like my other students. Let me finish, Han. I’ve dismissed kids because they aren’t of the Light. It’s tragic, but some people just are of the Dark Side. With Ben? It’s a shifting balance between the two. And you know Ben. He doesn’t like rules, he doesn’t get along well with most kids his age, and he’s not a joiner-in. I would have let him go his own way, find his own path, but he’s just so powerful. I’ve never seen power like his. It scares me, Han. I mean it. And this obsession he has with his grandfather? Not just Anakin Skywalker. But Darth Vader? That scares me, too.  Ben just…he understands Father’s duality too well. He even looks like him. If he didn’t have black hair and dark eyes, they could be twins. I always feared that Ben would turn. And I have sensed the Darkness in him. And around him. Last night, I had this overwhelming feeling of evil, and it was coming from Ben’s hut. He was asleep. Dreaming. And I saw into his dream. I saw what he could become. I saw war, Han. And death on a horrendous scale. I panicked. I drew my lightsaber, and…I was going to strike him down.”

“You mean kill him? Because he was having a bad dream? Luke, are you out of your goddamn mind?”

“I was. With fear. And my fear led to anger. Ben sensed it woke up. And when I saw the terrified look of betrayal on his face, I knew I had it all wrong. He was just my nephew, Ben, a terrified boy who’s master had betrayed him. He was having a nightmare. Some Dark Force is pursuing him. Trying to seduce him. Haunting his dreams. That’s why he’s always running away from the Temple. I realized the truth, but it was too late. Ben got his lightsaber and jumped up. When we were at crossed sabers, he hauled off and punched me in the face as hard as he could. I went flying back into the wall, and hit my head. Before he left, he checked me, to make sure I was still alive, and he told me about a Sith Lord. Master Snoke. When I woke up it was morning and he was gone. I asked around the spaceport, and I found out he made the spaceport by dawn and took off on a YT-1300, like the Falcon, with a Mandalorian captain.”

“Saxon. Din Saxon. I know him. Ben doesn’t. He’s OK. Especially for a Mandalorian.”

“What do we do, Han?”

“Ben’s not a kid, anymore, Luke. He’s 23 years old. Old enough to decide what he wants to do. If he wanted to go off with this Dark Side Sith guy, Snoke? You gave him the motivation. And if he wanted to be a good little Jedi, he would have laid there and said “Yes, Master Luke” and let you cut off his head. But what he did was knock you could, bug out, and get on the first freighter at first light with the first smuggler he spotted. I’d say Ben’s made it pretty clear what he wants to do. I’m going to let him do it.”

“But what if we never see him again?”

“Don’t be so fucking dramatic, Luke. Let the kid go. Let him find whatever he flew off, looking for.”

“You’re saying that because you know you’ll see him again.”

“Well, for a while? Maybe you shouldn’t. And I am not explaining this to Leia. You farkled up. You tell her.”

***

Captain Saxon liked Kylo Skywalker, and his work, well enough that he didn’t drop him on Arkanis during his first run.

He kept the kid on for several runs.

After the second run, he almost left Kylo on Arkanis, because he was an hour late for takeoff.

The Mandalorian waited, and what showed up almost scared him.

“Kylo? Is that you under that mask?”

“Yes. What do you think? I’ve had the whole thing made for me, special.”

“I think you look like another Darth karking Vader. I don’t want any of that kind of trouble, Kylo.”

“I’m not thinking of joining up with those assholes. I’m going to use this when we board ships. To intimidate people. I finished my lightsaber, too. I want you to get the full effect, Captain.”

Kylo ignited his lightsaber.

The blade was red, and it had a hilt that was made of two deadly beams, as well.

“It’s pretty goddamn terrifying, Skywalker. And I’m a Mandalorian. And you were intimidating to begin with. OK, next time we board a ship? You can try it out.”

 ***

The Mandalorian’s next port of call was on Chandrila.

At the spaceport, they saw Crimson Dawn’s flagship freighter.

And from the way his dark eyes lit up, the Mandalorian knew that Skywalker had ideas.

The thing about Skywalker’s ideas, they were always crazy.

The other thing was, they always worked.

“Captain? You see what I see?”

The Mandalorian peered through the snow.

“Yeah. A Crimson Dawn guy smoking a good cigarillo.”

“Past him. You see the way that whole fucking freighter glows? It’s full of coaxium. Chock full. How do you feel about Crimson Dawn?”

“Fuck Crimson Dawn. They make the Hutt Syndicate look like the Jedi Knights. There never would have been an Empire without Crimson Dawn. But there’s nothing we can do about it. Unless you’ve been having another one of your big ideas. Talk to me, Skywalker.”

“My grandfather was a Jedi. He was betrayed and murdered by the Empire. They turned him to the Dark Side, and used not just his Force sensitivity, but his personal power, his physical strength, and his skill in battle for their own uses. And when he realized that they had fucked him over, royally? They murdered him. An Arkanian never forgives a betrayal, and never forgets one.”

Saxon laughed, under his helmet.

“Leave it to an Arkanian. You’re just as tough as we are, but I think you’re a little crazier. So you’ve got a blood vendetta against the remnants of the Empire, and anybody connected with them?”

“They want me, too, Captain. I almost lost my head over it. And I mean they want me. They want my work, my life, my soul, my total allegiance. They’ve wanted it since I was a little kid. I used to think I could just run for it, but you know something? I’m not a little kid, anymore.”

“You’re done running, and now you’re ready to stand and fight?”

“Yeah. And That New Republic bullshit about no capital punishment, letting Sith cultists live? It was a disgrace.  Not to mention,  Crimson Dawn with a ship full of coaxium means just one thing. Another of those “last stands” the Imperials keep making is in the works. Now, us with a ship full of coaxium? That means money. Serious money. Fuck you money.”

“I don’t get you, Skywalker. You talk about revenge and honor, and then in the same breath, you talk about money.”

“I can’t live on revenge and honor, can I?”

“No. But you know you’re a madman, don’t you?”

“Why? I want that coaxium.”

“So do I.”

“And I want to see all those Crimson Dawn fuckers dead.”

“So does everybody. I’m waiting to hear about your plan.”

“OK, then. Let’s be real friendly to the crew at the cantina. Get ‘em real drunk. Then, when they go back to their ship. We board ‘em, kill ‘em all, take the coaxium, and blow up the ship and the hangar. I can see just how intimidating my uniform is. I was born here. Chandrila is a real quiet place. This is their biggest city. They’ll have every cop and fireman on this side of the planet investigating the shitstorm we ignite. It’ll be a perfect cover for a nice,  clean getaway.”

“Skywalker, I like the way you think. You’re a real ruthless fucking pirate. Your Old Man must be proud.”

“He might be. He will be, if I pull this off.”

“How good are you with that lightsaber?”

“Supernaturally farkling good.”

“You had better be. This is Crimson farkling Dawn”

***

After completely fucking Crimson Dawn, and blowing up a hangar and their flagship Freighter, Captain Din Saxon and Kylo Skywalker blew out of Chandrila in a hurry.

Saxon decided to take his ship and his half of the coaxium back to Mandalore.

The Arkanian wanted to take his part back to Tattoine.

“My ship is at the Mos Eisley Spaceport, right now. You and your guys help me load up my share of the coax, and we’ll shake hands and part as friends.” He explained.

“What about the Hutts?”

“That’s my problem. I’m square with the Hutts. You can just help me unload. It won’t be a problem.”

They had disguised the coaxium in crates that were meant for transporting equally volatile but far more mundane industrial chemicals, so it wasn’t the cargo that was remarkable.

It was Skywalker’s ship.

It was a YT-2400, but a definite custom job.

The ship was raven-black, except for blood-red trim, and Beskar chrome accents.

She had black opaque molded domes over all her external cannons, and even for a YT-2400, she was sleek and streamlined.

There wasn’t a port, or a flap or a rivet that wasn’t flush with the body of the ship; her lines were custom-built smooth and close to perfect.

“I call her the Hellfire. I’ve been thinking about her, and planning her out since I was 13 years old. When I turned 21, I got some money from my mother’s family, and I sunk every penny into my ship. I even helped them buld it, on Corellia.  Everything inside and out was made to my exact specifications. Even the compartments on the inside for swag are specifically designed for each kind of cargo. And she is the fastest ship in the Galaxy. While she was under construction, I took her out and put her through the Kessel Run. I kept making modifications until I made it in 11 and a half parsecs. It was the domes on the guns that got me that extra half a parsec. And she has one of those experimental space-time hyperdrives. That cost me the most money. I melted down two engines before we got it right. But she’s worth every penny. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved.” Skywalker proudly explained.

“You can’t fool me, kid. You Skywalkers might be from Arkanis, and it’s good to see you’ve taking your ancestors and your clan seriously, but you’re a Solo. From the ground up. When your old man sees that ship, and finds it full of coaxium? He’ll be the proudest father in the Galaxy.”

“You think so, Saxon?”

“I know, so, Skywalker.”

***

They knew Ben, well, at the Mos Eisley Cantina.

By his name, Ben Solo, and by his alias, Kylo Skywalker.

By now, everybody knew that some crazy son of a bitch had ripped off Crimson Dawn for the biggest coaxium heist since the one Han Solo pulled to get in the game when he was a kid.

A heist that involved killing ten Crimson Dawn members, and blowing up their biggest freighter and their private hangar on Chandrila.

There was one survivor, and he told a terrifying story about a big man, a huge man in a black mask, dressed all in black, wearing a black hooded cape and a black mask, a man with a red lightsaber that had a glowing red hilt for a tripartite blade, who dealt swift death to the other ten men as if they were rookie Stormtroopers.

“He was unstoppable. And I never saw anybody who could move like that. Use a lightsaber the way he did. It was like the blade was part of his own flesh. I’m not a young man, I’ve been with the Dawn since I was his age, and once I saw Darth Vader, in action. That’s the last time I saw anything like that. This man was another Darth Vader. I’m sure he only let me live so I could tell what I saw. And he told me something else. He said that we had crossed the wrong man. The Empire, the Sith and all who served them. And now? We were all going to pay for it. With our fortunes. And our lives.”

The survivor told the story all around the Outer Rim, and there had been that persistent rumor, for decades that Luke Skywalker was somehow related to the man who became Darth Vader.

In fact, old timers on Tattoine would tell you that Ben Solo looked like a negative of a photograph of Anakin Skywalker, who had been a Jedi Knight.

People in the rest of the Galaxy might have believed the story that Ani Skywalker’s father was the Force, but on Tattoine and Arkanis, people knew that Ani Skywalker was the illegitimate son of Kylo Skywalker, the Chieftain of the Raven Clan of Arakanis who had died in battle after a betrayal by a usurping cousin, who sold the concubine Shmi Skywalker and her son into slavery on Tattoine, making way for his own legitimate heirs.

Ben Solo knew it, too.

Hence his alias.

Clearly, it would take a Solo to plan such a daring heist, and have the balls to pull it off, and a Skywalker to have the skill to carry it out.

This was Ben’s way of getting the word out that he was a Solo, and a Skywalker, and nobody had better forget that

When Ben loped in, a few tough customers were sitting in a certain corner table, Han’s table, and even though neither Han Solo nor Chewbacca were in sight?

They got up and left so Ben Solo, in his black pilot’s shirt, vest and pants could slide into the booth.

Back to the wall, facing the door.

He ordered two meals and they were both for him.

As Chewbacca’s godson he was a member of a Wookiee clan, and it suited him; the man was the size of a short Wookiee and he ate like one.

Ben was halfway through his first pitcher of beer when everything stopped and a purple Hutt in a purple hat wearing a purple belt filled the doorway.

“Junior!” he yelled.

“Muffkin!” Ben called back.

They shook hands.

“You got out! Big time! Good for you. All that religious nerfshit? It’s bad for business.”

“I appreciate you letting me and the Mandalorian unload here. I’ve sent a token of my esteem to your palace.”

“I got it. That’s why I’m here. You’re too generous, Ben. Let me pay you something.”

“A man can never be too generous with his business partners.”

Maude, the owner, brought Rotta’s drink.

“When the rest is on the market? I’ve got a bid ready.”

“We’ll take your bid first, Mufkin. And give you a discount. I stole it, so it’s all profit. Fuck Crimson Dawn.”

Ben raised his pitcher and Rotta his glass

“Fuck Crimson Dawn!” Rotta replied.

Ben Solo and Rotta the Hutt drank to their mutual dislike for Crimson Dawn.

“You know, nothing I did was ever good enough for my Old Man. He was the Mighty Jabba, and I was always going to be just Mufkin. I’m still in his big, fat shadow. I hope this gets you out of Han’s. But more important, Junior. I hope the pirate bastard finally thinks you’re good enough to be his son.”

“I hope so, too. Mufkin.”

The root of the friendship between Ben and Rotta that was behind their business partnership was their difficult relationship too and with their legendary fathers.

Rotta thought if he could crush Crimson Dawn, then he would be proved worthy of the great Jabba the Hutt; it was the young Hutt’s life’s work.

“I sent my people to the Hellfire, with your goods. They’re in your hangar. Meanwhile? I need charger packs for blasters.”

“I’ve got zip. But the Old Man has some. We'll bring a couple pallets, later this month.”

“So you’re done with that Jedi business?”

“Done with the Jedi. Done with the Sith. I have a different path to follow. I won’t let the Jedi take my balls, like they did to my Uncle and tried to do to my grandfather. And I won’t let the Sith take my soul, like they did to my grandfather. Nobody but me cares about vengeance for Anakin Skywalker. Or Darth Vader. Nobody but me cares about finishing what he started, and bringing balance to the Force. So it’s up to me to do it.”

“I respect that, Junior. The only problem with it is, there’s no money in it.”

“There will be, the way I do it.”

“Because you’re a Solo, from the ground up, Junior.”

“And I think you’re a better Hutt than your father was, Mufkin.”

“Well, I don’t want to be here when Han shows up. It’ll be awkward. I’ll see you around Junior.”

“You know you will, Mufkin.”

***

Han and Chewie showed up just as Ben’s food arrived.

Ben got up, and yielded his father’s place at the booth to him, sliding down a little.

“You know, I could probably do 11 parsecs in the Hellfire, right, kid?”

“That’s why I’m never letting you fly her unless I’m there with you, Dad.”

Maude came over.

“Just three more of what Ben’s having. And a pint for me, and a pitcher for Chewie.”

“OK. Han.”

Ben was looking at him, expectantly.

“Chewie, will you remind me that Ben takes everything I say absolutely literally? Look, kid. I know I’ve never been the Father of the Year. Especially not when you were little.”

“Yeah, but I was a rotten kid.”

“No, you were a weird kid. That’s why we sent you off with your Uncle. He’s a weird guy, too.”

“Skywalker men are all weird guys.”

“Yeah, but you were never weird in a bad way. I don’t know what to tell you, Ben. I never planned to be a husband. Or a father. I did my best.”

“I don’t know, Dad. I think you did a better job when I was a little kid. You made me food, and taught me how to fly the Falcon. And how to beat up bullies. And you never gave me bullshit when I asked you a question. You didn’t let me down until you gave me away.”

“I just thought your Uncle would be better at the whole thing than me. But I took you back when you ran away from Jedi School! I did that.”

“Yeah, Dad. But you always sent me back there.”

“I thought it was good for you!”

“I begged you not to send me back there.”

“Yeah, but you never told me why you hated it so much. The worst thing I ever did, though? It was all that stupid shit I said to you, a couple years ago. It was all shit, and I didn’t mean a word of it, and I’m a fucking asshole for saying any of it. But I was pissed off when I said that shit to you about how you weren’t the son I wanted. I had just spent a small fortune buying you back from Fenrir Darkstar, because you literally lost your ass to Hela in a Sabacc game! I didn’t mean it. You’re not weak, you don’t disappoint me, and after thinking about it? I do understand you, Ben. You want to be your own man, and make your own way in the world. But look, you didn’t have anything crazy to prove to me that you have balls of Beskar steel. I’m your father. I love you, even though I’m not good at it. And I know you’re tough. You get that from your mother. She’s the toughest son of a bitch in the Galaxy. So, do me a favor? Don’t do any more crazy, suicidal shit to get me to notice that you’re a Solo, too. I never would have let you make one run with me if I didn’t think you had what it took, kid. That said? Gimme a hug, you crazy bastard!”

Ben couldn’t remember the last time his father hugged him.

He hugged Han back.

“I knew it was you. The day I heard about it? I told Chewie, that was Ben. Ben did that. I didn’t figure I’d ever hear from you again. You coulda knocked me over with a feather when you said you wanted us to meet up. Son? I’m really proud of you. Even if you weren’t cutting me in? I’d still be really proud of you. You know what this means, Ben?”

“It means you’re back in the big time, Dad.”

“It means I’m finally Han fucking Solo, again! And I can say fuck you to everybody.”

“I’ve always wanted to be able to say fuck you to everybody.”

“Now you can. You and me, kid? We are going to take this whole fucking Galaxy for every penny its worth!”

Ben’s smile spread all over his face.

And as for Han?

He felt like he finally had a handle on this father thing.

“You have no idea, Dad. It’s all money, Dad. All of it. Everything is for the taking. Snoke gave me all the details about the First Order. They’re what the remnants of the Empire are re-naming themselves, for their next uprising. He tried to sell me all this shit about my place and my destiny, just like Sheev Palpatine tried to sell it to my grandfather. Well, Grandfather put me wise to that shit, long ago, and you can’t fool a Skywalker twice. But you know what I was hearing?  The sound of money. Money beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. Dad, you wouldn’t believe what these First Order assholes are like.  They’re just as dumb as the Empire.  It’s all about their goddamn conquest. They’re so stupid. You wouldn’t believe what they have. Just lying around! The spoils of almost sixty years of conflict. And I know where all of it is!  Everything. Money. Guns. Good booze. Cheap booze. Cigarillos. Rubbers. Coaxium. Uniforms. Medical supplies. Food. Imperial Gold Coins by the chestful. Wealth and swag beyond my wildest dreams. You know where they keep it? Warehouses. Farkling warehouses! They got the goddamn Imperial Gold Coins on a goddamn Star Destroyer that’s older than I am. With a skeleton fucking crew. And their defenses are shit. Total and complete shit. I mean, the whole Galaxy is about to be at war, and they’re just sitting on all this stuff. And I can’t farkling sleep at night, thinking about all the places we can move all this shit to once the shooting starts, again. We’re already back in with the Hutt Syndicate. What’s Mom calling the new Rebel Alliance?

“The Resistance.”

“Yeah. Whatever. So we can sell guns and uniforms and medical supplies to the First Order and the Resistance. I mean, it’s all profit, because we’re going to steal it all, so we can sell her the good stuff cheap and sell the First Order back their own cheap shit garbage at crazy prices. They’ll shit their pants to do business with Kylo Skywalker, the grandson of Darth Vader. As soon as they see the outfit, those old Imperials will be down of their knees, wanting to suck my dick. Get this?”

Ben leaned over.

So did Han and Chewie.

“The Hellfire is fucking loaded with coaxium and Imperial Gold Coins. I swept onto that Star Destroyer in my new uniform, telling them I was Kylo Skywalker, Lord Vader, Master Snoke’s apprentice and they had better get my money onto my ship, right now. Most of them just started following my orders? This one prick Admiral tried to give me some shit, so I Force-choked him into the ground and after that? It was “Yes, my Lord.” These assholes are completely fucking brainswashed. It’s so much gold that looking at it all in the smuggling compartment on my ship made my dick hard! It’s that much gold!”

“Shit, Ben, we can buy off all the guys who guard or own all those warehouses without ever firing a shot. Holy mother Force, we can buy anything we want!”

“But there’s so much more, Dad. The way they loaded my ship up, I know that score was just a fraction of the Imperial gold the Empire still has. We can do it all. Crush Crimson Dawn. Even corner the market on coaxium. We could be the richest me in the Galaxy, Dad. It’s gonna be great.”

“There’s only one problem. It sounds like the Empire is gearing up for the Big One. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume they really needed you for their side. But even without you being Vader Junior for them? Shit’s going to get bad. We might have to get into it, if it looks like they might really win.”

“That’s even better for me.  Mom made a mistake, letting one Sith live. Or any of the Imperial high ranking officers. Pardoning the little guys was alright. They were either out and out slaves, or just grunts. But look what happened because she didn’t just line the bigwigs up against a wall and shoot them, like you used to tell her to? I’m not making that mistake. No fucking way. Those cocksuckers are going to pay for what they did to me. And to my grandfather. To my whole fuckin’ family. I used to think Uncle Luke was just a cold man, but the older I got, the more I realized? He’s not there. Uncle Luke is so fuckin’ destroyed inside by the war, he’s just a wrecked shell of a man. They’re gonna pay with their fortunes, and with their lives. That’s a fuckin’ promise.”

“Your mother won’t go for that kind of talk. Her and your Uncle Luke don’t understand that dead men make no trouble and tell no tales.”

“Then I won’t tell her that part.”

“Good. So, how much coaxium are we going to give the Republic Army?”

“Give? Whaddya mean, give?”

“Hey, it hurts me, too, kid. But if we don’t give your mother something, now? She’ll never pay us for more, later. And you have to face your mother, Ben. I know you don’t want to. But you have to.”

“Yeah, you got a point, Dad. But I’ll let you negotiate with her.”

“Good idea.”

 D’Qar- The Newly-Built Resistance Base

Ambushed, again.

The Old Man had said that his mother wouldn’t be there, to receive the coaxium in person.

He probably believed it, too, from the way he was trying to charm her pants off.

Literally.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Solo boys. Smells like war? Time to make a fortune!” she snapped.

“You should be glad to see me. It’s been three years.”

“Don’t try to charm me, Han. Just don’t. You and I are going to have a nice, long talk, later, in my tent.”

Ben kept unloading the coaxium.

“I know what that means. I’m staying on the ship. And if you guys meet on the Falcon? I’m staying in a tent.”

“You wait till you get married, Junior. It’s not all fun. Sometimes you have to fight, first.”

“You guys have done nothing but fight and screw for, like, my whole life. And you can never do it, quietly. I will never get married.”

“Just unload the crates, kid. As for you, Your Worship? I don’t want you getting my son involved in another one of your Galactic Wars. He’s safer with me, on the money end of it. I was right about that Jedi shit being bad for him. And other than selling you the good stuff, cheap? I’m not getting involved, either, unless things are completely farkled for your side. I don’t want to get killed, and I don’t want to get Ben killed!”

“Now you care about Ben? Now that he’s old enough to make you money, and big enough to throw crates of swag around! He’s only doing this because of you, Han! Because he wants to feel like he’s a good son, and his father loves him, and is proud of him! And you think you’re doing a great job, because you’re letting him prop your old ass up!” Leia snapped.

“That’s not true! Why do you have to twist everything up, and make it sound terrible that me and Ben are trying to do something as father and son?”

“Because it’s piracy!”

“Well, if it wasn’t for piracy, Mom, your shiny new base wouldn’t have coaxium. Or uniforms. Or tents.”

“See? He’s defending you! Ben, stop that! Put those crates down! You too, Chewie. We have people I pay to do that work. Ben, you don’t have to live your father’s life. You’re a Prince.”

Ben stopped working

“Aw, shit, Mom! Can you just stop with the Little Prince Organa-Solo deal! I am not that guy! I will never be that guy! Your fucking ambassador for all your political lies and bullshit! Mom, I am not Prince Organa-Solo, Jedi Knight. Look at me. Just look at me, just once and see me for the man I really am, whether you like him or not!”

That surprised both Leia, and Han.

“You want to be honest, Benjamin? We’ll be honest. You’re right about what I wanted from my son. And you’re right about me spending years trying to shove you, a square peg, into a round hole you were never going to fit into. I was wrong. I admit it. But I’m still your mother, Ben, and I don’t want to see any potential you had in your life to go swirling down the toilet because you want to be a piece of shit criminal! That’s who your father was, when I met him, and even he didn’t like that guy! Did you, Han?”

“Well, uh, I…I really didn’t know anything else, Leia.”

“That’s right, Han. You didn’t. But you don’t have that excuse, Ben. You’re just lazy, because you had everything handed to you, and being a pirate, for you is like falling off a wet log! You like to fight, and you love money and pussy, and as long as you have both, you figure, fuck it, let’s have another pitcher of beer!” Leia chastised Ben.

“What’s wrong with that?” Ben demanded.

“Because you do know better! You knew better that to spend all your money on drinking and girls and you did it, anyway.”

That made Ben angry.

“I did not! I built my ship, Mom. The one I’ve been planning since I was a kid. The Hellfire isn’t just a dream, anymore! I made it a reality. I even helped build her! And I’m not this wicked seducer you think I am. What girls are you talking about?’

“You might have been a late bloomer, Ben, but I know you know about lot of girls.”

“You mean like Trixie at the Yavin-4 Spaceport Cantina?”

“Please tell me you didn’t. Even if you did.”

“I thought about it. Yeah I know a lot of girls. But it’s not like you think. I know just about every girl at the Jedi Temple who’s over the Galactic Age of Consent. Not that I’m complaining. But they only like me for a little while, or they only like me at night, without my pants on. Like at the Temple. They all act like they didn’t even know me. Until they did. Sure, I like women, but I don’t use them. I’m not that kind of man.”

“No. You let them use you, and you like it.”

“So? I’d spend some money on a girl, if I could keep one.”

“All of ‘em, kid? At the Temple.” Han interrupted.

“Yeah. I still don’t know what they see in me. But I let them have it, just the same.”

“Good job, son.” Han told him.

Ben blushed.

Leia wanted to laugh.

“Ben, your female classmates took a vow of chastity. They can’t act like they're crazy about you in public.”

“I never thought of that. You think maybe they miss me. I miss them.”

“They?”

“Yeah. I had the girls spaced out to different days of the week. Every day, I miss that day's girlfriend.”

Leia was at a loss for what to tell him.

And she was still trying not to laugh.

“I used to do that.” Han mused.

“Han? Stop. Ben, you’re still too young to worry about getting serious about a girl. It will happen when it happens. We’ll talk about your lack of respect for yourself, later. Tell me about your ship.”

“It’s great! I’ll bring her here, Mom and take you for a ride! All black, black as a raven’s wing. With red piping and Beskar steel chrome. And I had  mouded retractable housings put over all the guns. To make the ship more aerodynamic. She has the latest model hyperdrive, and I specifically designed the, uh, secret compartments to fit their different cargoes. Two layers. Where each false bottom has a false bottom. And in the cargo bay, a station for my TIE Fighter. I had the whole interior done in Beskar chrome, black leather and red Endor mahogany. I made the Captain’s cabin a little bigger than usual, so it’s big enough for me. Wait till you see her, Mom.”

“See, Leia? He’s in love, already.”

“I can see that. Space really is your home, isn’t it, Ben?”

“I am a Skywalker. The stars belong to me.” He replied.

“Well, since you’ve got your own ship, that means you should finish your last year at the Republic Academy.”

“I don’t need a commission to be a pilot, Mom.” Ben bristled.

“But you liked the Republic Academy. And as well as you fly it will be six months. You want to be a pilot, not a Jedi? I accept that. But you have to finish your education. Even your father finished school at the Imperial Academy. I want you to finish school.”

“Do I have to? Dad, do I really have to?”

“I’m with your mother on this one, kid. Like she said. Even I finished school.”

“On Coruscant?”

“Yes. Maybe you and your old man can come home for the Fall semester. I haven’t sold the penthouse, yet. I’m not living at this base. It’s just a precaution. In case this latest Imperial uprising gets out of hand. Or First Order. Whatever they are calling themselves, now. And we can do family shit, until you graduate. Yell. Throw things at each other.”

Ben laughed.

“I could do that.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Han agreed.

“Ben, I want you to concentrate on what you want to do. Who you want to be. I admit it. I was wrong. I pushed you too hard to do what I wanted. So, can we compromise on this? You can go play pirates with your Dad, as long as you finish school. You know. In case you ever want to do anything else with your life.”

“I’ll give it a shot, Mom. You’re…you’re not mad at me? Really?”

“No, Ben. I’m not. I’m furious at your Uncle, though. What was he thinking? He could have killed you.”

“I keep telling you that Luke’s losing his mind.” Han told her.

“I have to talk to him. Well, Ben? Do you trust me, yet?”

Leia felt the conflict in Ben.

He wanted to trust her.

But he was afraid.

“Also? I had a long talk with my Dear Old Dad. I hate it when he’s right and I’m wrong. But I have to admit it. He was right. I was wrong. And now I’ve got big problems. Especially with this Sith Lord. Somebody just needs to kill this guy, and take him off the table.”

“I can do that.”

“No, Ben. You can’t. At least not yet. But back to your grandfather.  I’m not opposed to him guiding you. As long as he lets me in on what he’s doing. And I think I'll take over your non-metaphysical training. “

“Mom, I already…”

“Ben, just because you paid some nut to make you a Vader suit and you built yourself a scary new lightsaber and you killed a bunch or drunken pirates with it does not make you ready to battle the Sith! Not even close! You’ve created quite a persona for yourself. Not that I object. In fact, I might be able to use you as a double agent…”

“A double agent? When? Now?”

“Hey! Over my dead body!”

“Not until he’s ready, Han. Let me talk to Ben. You know about the smuggler stuff. I know about the Arkanian warlord stuff. Okay?”

“Because you are one, Your Worship?”

Leia didn’t reply to that.

“Ben, there’s no short cut to mastery. And you may not want to hear the philosophy. I didn’t. But you need the practical training. That’s something I know. You need to develop your strength, your resilience your endurance. Your toughness. Both mental, and physical. The next few years aren’t going to be easy for any of us, and you need to be ready when things go bad. I can train you for that. Lightsaber drills. Obstacle courses. Beating the drone with the blast shield down. Except I’m not going to coddle you, like Luke coddles you kids. It’s going to be hard. The way reality is. I’m not going to nerfshit you, Ben. You’re a tough kid. But if you want to step into Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader’s boots and piss off the porch with the big boys? You’re going to need more than a big dick. You’re going to have to get one fucking hell of a lot tougher. You know. Like me.”

“That’s pretty tough.” Han agreed.

Ben had to laugh.

It swept the last of his conflict away.

He knew she was with him.

“Can you teach me to talk as tough as you do, too? I don’t know if I can ever be as tough as you, Mom. But I can try.”

“Good.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me to do or do not. There is no try.”

“No. Because every time your Uncle Luke said that to me? I wanted to cut his head off.”

 Jakku. Five Years Later.

For the next five years, Ben Solo/Kylo Skywalker worked hard under his teacher and grandfather's watchful eye.

This was how he would find his balance.

It didn’t give him much time to think about metaphysics.

Or listen to voices from the aether.

By the time he was 27, he was a graduate of the Republic Academy, officially Captain Solo, of the Hellfire.

He had mastered his mother’s tough, practical, and entirely non-mystical brand of what he came to think of as Grey Jedi training.

And he wasn’t just Han Solo's kid, anymore; Ben was a pilot and a pirate in his own right.

They had an official business in Anchorhead, Solo Shipping and Receiving, and Leia was proud that Ben actually had his father doing some legitimate business.

But then again, being a pirate was legitimate business on the Outer Rim.

Ben had found his balance, and in his 28th year, he was a year into his grandfather's teaching about the New Path of the Force United.

Anakin and Leia were no longer blocking Snoke from Ben’s thoughts.

He had the strength, the confidence, and the raw power to do it, himself.

In the legit business realm, Ben had bought salvage rights on Jakku, Yavin-4 and Endor, because there was a fortune out there, rusting.

He heard the best scavengers in the Galaxy were on Jakku, and he wanted to hire the best, so he would know what was garbage, and what was gold.

He had no idea that meeting the best scavenger on Jakku was going to change his life.

***

The Force is strong with this one.

Ben almost slapped himself for thinking that.

Especially about a young woman that he’d been looking at, for the job, for weeks.

Maybe he was looking at her for more than the job.

There was something about her, something alchemical.

Whatever it was, the Force is strong with this one, was an insult to it.

It was just the kind of arrogant, shitty, self-important Uncle Luke bullshit that he had always hated.

What did Grandfather teach him?

If you want to think for yourself, learn to think in your own words, not in the cliches and platitudes of others.

She has abilities she doesn’t understand that saddle her with responsibilities she doesn’t even know about.

And she’s always here first, with the best stuff.

And?

She’s looking at me, again.

Maybe she feels the same thing.

Time to talk to the girl, but don’t give her the Ben Solo, Hotshot Flyboy and Ruthless Pirate snow job.

Be honest.

The Force flows from her; she’ll know if you’re lying.

“Hey, Rebel Girl!”

“What? Oh, the X-Wing helmet. It’s to keep the sun off my head. You looking for something, Flyboy?”

“Yeah. And not what you’re thinking. I’m looking for a scavenger. Are you looking for a job?”

“You mean a real job?”

“Yes. A real job. I’m Ben Solo. I’m a pilot, and I’m in the transportation business. I just bought salvage rights here on Jakku, and on Yavin 4 and Endor. I know there’s gold in that garbage. But I wouldn’t know the trash from the treasure. I need to hire a good scavenger. There’s good money in it for you. Plus a roof over your head and three meals a day for the next month. If things work out, I’ll probably hire you for the Endor and Yavin-4 jobs. I might hire you to be a part of my crew, after that, if things work out. What do you say, Rebel Girl?”

“You’re really Ben Solo? Why would you want to hire me? I’m nobody.”

“Not to me. To me, you’re the one I’ve been looking for.  I’ve been watching this trading post for days. You’re the best. So, does Plutt own you? Do I have to buy you from him?”

“No! I’m not a slave!”

“Don’t get upset. There’s no shame in it. My grandfather was a slave on a desert planet. And my father was so poor he didn’t even have a last name. The Empire gave him one as a joke. Well, nobody laughs at the name Solo, now. Or Skywalker. What’s your name?”

“Rey. I'm so poor, I don’t have a last name, either.”

“We’ll find you one. It’s a big Galaxy. The flat I hired only has one bedroom, so you can sleep on the couch. I don’t fit on it. I’m too big. You got any stuff to pack?”

“This knapsack. This spear.”

 “Good enough. You tell me. Where’s a good place to eat?”

“Do you mind cantinas?”

“I do most of my business in cantinas. Show me.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, aren’t you even going to ask me if you have to sleep with me, first?”

“I was kind of hoping you would expect me to sleep with you.”

“You’re a hungry Little Rebel Girl, aren’t you. That’s OK. I like hungry girls. But this is my work we’re talking about. I have money in this. So, business before pleasure, OK.”

“Okay.”

 ***

Rey knew her table manners were lousy, but so we’re Ben’s.

Both in style and quantity, he ate like a Wookiee.

For dinner, he had four sandwiches, two pitchers of blue milk, one pitcher of beer and a bowl of baked potatoes.

Rey, who never got to eat real food ate about half as much.

Eating so much made her sleepy.

She sacked out on the couch, and woke up in the middle of the cold desert night covered in a blanket with a pillow under her head.

He had also taken her boots off.

Rey got up, and found the bathroom.

From the sound of the snoring, she figured the bedroom was right through the other door.

She liked Ben; he wasn’t a liar, and for a guy as big and blessed with such dark, saturnine good looks as he was?

He didn’t even seem to realize he was good-looking, let alone have an attitude about it.

But there was something different about him.

Something that drew her to him.

He didn’t act like the pampered son of a princess, and though he seemed more like the tough, hard-bitten, streetwise son of a tough, hard-bitten, streetwise pirate?

That wasn’t all there was to him.

Rey opened the door that led to his bedroom, silently, and the room flamed with red light.

She saw his face, with the thin pinkish white scar from his forehead across the side of his eye and over to his nose, in the red light of a lightsaber with a crossbar like an old-fashioned sword.

So, that was it.

What he was hiding.

When he saw it was her, Ben extinguished the lightsaber and put the bedside light on.

He had the sheet pulled across his lap, and his feet were on the floor.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that, Rey! Never sneak up on me in the middle of the night, if I’m sleeping. You can knock on the door, or yell my name, but don’t creep around. OK? That’s a good way to lose your head. Or get sliced in half.”

“Where did you get a lightsaber?”

“I made it.”

“At the Jedi Temple?”

“Don’t bother, Rey. The Jedi take all the joy out of your natural Force abilities. And the Sith will use you as a weapon. Find your own balance, within yourself, between the Dark and the Light. Then? Follow your own path to Enlightenment.”

“How did you know that I am Force sensitive? I hardly know it.”

Ben shrugged.

“I can feel it. It’s one of the reasons I asked you to come work for me. I don’t want to see those Sith bastards or fucking Jedi hypocrites get you, and rip your soul apart. It’s not an easy thing to stick back together. And it leaves scars.”

“How do I find this path? Or this balance?”

“The balance you find within yourself. But you'll need a teacher or a guide to find your path. Or you can just keep using your abilities for the little things you do, and forget the whole thing. Just stay away from anyone who tells you about Dark Side, Light Side, all that shit. Okay?”

Rey just nodded.

“What did you want, Rey? I know I didn’t want to go through all this shit, the first day I met you.”

“I wanted to see what the bed was like. It’s huge. And bouncy!”

Rey bounced onto the bed.

“You do know I’m holding this sheet where it is because I am 100 percent bare ass naked, right?”

“Do you pay extra for bathwater? Can I take a bath?”

“Go ahead. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Don’t you want to take a bath?”

“Rey, I’m trying to be chivalrous. But I’m not the good guy. I’m a ruthless fucking pirate, and if you keep asking for it, you’re going to get it.”

“Ok, Mr. Ruthless Pirate. Mr. Tough Guy. Mr. Make Your Own Path. Mr. Rules Are For Other People. If I want you, and you want me, why should we be miserable for another week? Or two? Or a month. What’s the point, Ben?”

“You’ll leave. It never fails. I like you and I hired you to do a job. I don’t want you to leave. So I’m not fucking you.”

“Don’t you want to?”

“Do you always fuck on the first date?”

“Yes. Don’t you.”

“Yeah. That’s my problem. I’m too easy.”

“It’s not that I’m easy. It’s just that flyboys? They’re here, and then they’re gone. I’ve only had three first dates. And other than once? There was never a second. Men leave me, too. I won’t leave you.”

“Women always leave me. Especially after I go to bed with them. I’m telling you, it starts out, oh Ben, you’re the greatest, and goes to oh Ben, you’re so moody, and then it’s oh Ben, if you’re in town, come over on a Wednesday. After 9. No, you can’t sleep in my bed, now that we’re finished, you should go.”

“Me too! Flyboys always leave me! I really loved the first one. I was 16, then. I’m 18, now, so you’re a couple years past Galactic Consent, don’t worry. He promised me the stars, and took me to them. It was nice, while it lasted. But then he left. He comes back, every once in awhile. Makes me more promises. Then he leaves. There were two others. But they just left and never came back. I wouldn’t leave you, Ben. I know how that feels. And I wouldn’t treat you like a dirty man-whore, either. I don’t know how that feels. But it must be awful.  People are awful to you, when you’re weird, aren’t they?”

“Always. People fucking suck.” Ben agreed.

“Ben, listen. I have no money. No home. No family. My parents left me when I was a little girl, with Unkar Plutt. You’re offering me a job. Money. A chance to travel the Galaxy and learn about the Force. And you’re a mean, moody, magnificent flyboy with dark, saturnine good looks. Why would I leave you? I’d have to be crazy.”

“Can I write that down? It sounds better than moody and bad-tempered and funny looking. I believe you. But go back to the couch. I’m ten years older than you, and I just saved you from slavery and poverty. I would feel like I was taking advantage of you.”

“Ben, the guy I was telling you about? He’s forty-nine, now. He used to be an Imperial Pilot. For Darth Vader, once, even. He can still squeeze into his old uniform.”

“Really? Darth Vader is my grandfather. I own his TIE Fighter. It’s convenient for short trips. And the passenger seat goes all the way back. And I am wearing Imperial jackboots. I always wear Imperial boots. They are made the best. You want me in an Imperial-type Uniform? I have one. Custom made.  Also? I’m a Republic Captain, so I even outrank this guy. Go back to the couch. But, by all means? Think about the future.”

“Ben, I don’t want you to think I sympathize with the Empire. I just…”

“Yeah, I know. The whole Imperial Flyboy deal. I get that all the time. And I never tell women about my Imperial connection.”

“Why did you tell me?”

“Because the Force has bonded us together. And because I wanted to outdo your boyfriend. Couch. Now. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Why do you have an Imperial Uniform?”

“To wear to First Order meetings.”

“Those crazies? The fake Imperials who yell on streetcorners? You’re one of them?”

“Nope, Rebel Girl. I’m a wrecker. I like to go to their meetings and be imposing, authoritative and disruptive.”

Rey laughed.

“You really are a weirdo, Ben Solo. But I like it. I like you. I’ve always been a weirdo, myself. It’s a big bed. Are you sure I can’t sleep in it too?”

“Not yet, Rebel Girl.”

“Why?”

“Because I like you. A lot. And that scares the fark out of me.”

“It kind of scares me, too. But I still don’t want to leave you. I will, however, go back to the couch. Because if we really like each other? We shouldn’t just do it. At least not tonight.”

“Exactly. We should wait, like a week? Do you think a week is good?”

A week sounded like a long time to Ben, who happily went along with just about any girl who crooked her finger at him.

A week sounded like forever to Rey, who was used to her little romances not lasting more that 12 hours.

Even Dack had never stayed with her for a whole week, after the first time he had taken her off-world.

“That’s a long time.”

“Yeah. It is.”

Rey chewed her lip.

Ben frowned.

She grinned at him, impishly, and started tugging, a little on the sheet.

“Stop that, you little monster! You just won’t let me be a nice guy and do the right thing, will you?”

“I really don’t like nice guys who do the right thing. And you’re not that guy. Why pretend you are?’

“Good point. Let’s go take that bath? And whatever happens? It was just meant to be.”