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what-the--curtains · 4 years ago

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Alliance

Chapter 9 – The Hunt

(Mando x f!reader)

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Summary: After recovering you set off to find the man who tried to kill you. Killing him proves to be more difficult than expected when the ones you love are threatened, and on the other side of the choice, your own future.

Authors note: One more chapter to go!! Some angst at the end here! Hope y’all enjoy ❤️❤️❤️! (I also did some very average fan art if y’all haven’t seen it yet!)

Tw: sex is alluded to (not depicted), decapitation, force choke

Word count: 4.9k

Tagged list: @crazycookiecrumbles, @seninjakitey

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The planet proved harder to find than expected, despite Anya's best efforts, something was fogging up her tracking causing your coordinates to be constantly in flux. She’d easily lead you past the outer rim, but since then it had been akin to a wild goose chase.

“Any idea who tried to kill you.” Din asks, he'd been exceptionally patient throughout the journey thus far. Never questioning your methods just typing in the new location coordinates calmly and re aligning the ship on its new course.

“Did kill me” you correct, as your hand moves absentmindedly over the healed wound. “but no, I dont. They had a lightsaber though”

“Was it a Jedi?” he asks earnestly.

“Well based on the context clues, I'd definitely say at least Jedi adjacent” you laugh, for a savvy strategist who knew multiple languages you sometimes found yourself questioning if his brain was in fact functioning.

“Why would a Jedi try and kill you?”

“Your guess is as good as mine”

“How do they decide on colors?” He asks after a somewhat awkward silence

“Hmmm” you hum out in confusion, only half paying attention to what he had said.

“The light swords? Ashoka's are blue, yours is purple and the figures, well there's was red” your heart stops.

“It was red?” you ask, sitting up in your seat giving him your undivided attention.

“Ya does that mean something?” He watches your eyes slowly piecing together what he'd just told you.

“That’s impossible, the Sith were defeated. They died with the emperor.” you affirm, your sure red was a common colour used by Jedi nowadays, sure no one had ever seen one before, but there was a first time for everything right?

“So were the Jedi.” he points out.

“Do you always have to be right?” you ask slightly irritated for a reason you couldn’t quite explain. He doesn't respond; he knows a rhetorical question when he hears one but unsure what he had done to upset you. An uncomfortable silence lingers in the air, a sensation you'd never experienced with the Mandalorian before. Not wanting to stew in the quiet you head down to the lower levels and try and calm your frazzled mind. Sitting down you cross your legs, one over the other, as you close your eyes.

On the best of days meditating was a chore, but under the current situation it had become an impossible task. It wasn’t the threat of being ambushed that had you distracted, no something else was playing heavily on your mind. It was what was causing the punctuated silences, forced conversation and overall awkwardness in the atmosphere. It was your own doing. Seriously, who kisses a man whose face they've never seen! Idiots that's who and now it was stuck on your mind. In your defense you thought you wouldn't have to deal with the fallout so quickly. You should have known he’d have insisted on going with you, but you hadn't thought that far ahead, or at all and now you had to sit with the fact that you’d possibly ruined your comfortable friendship by planting one on him. Technically it wasn’t a real kiss,or maybe it was, how did Mandalorians kiss anyways? There you were down the rabbit hole again, this is why you couldn't focus, you curse yourself. Shaking your head you remind yourself it was only done in an attempt to get around him, a strategic move to protect the group, nothing more, nothing less. Keeping that in mind you manage to focus and you feel the galaxy's pulse emitting throughout the ship, inhaling and exhaling with the undulations around you.

Din, bored and missing the usually witty banter you offered him, decided it was time for him to clear the air in regards to the kiss. He hopes by telling you that he knew it was only done to get around him, you’d become more relaxed. The last thing he wanted was for you to be uncomfortable around him. He knew you'd never want to be with someone like him, at least in that way. As he turns around he sees you cross legged floating in the air, not wanting to interrupt he heads back up. Anya lifts her head as he re-enters, looking at him as if she knew what he was thinking. He’ll clear the air with you later, the two of you had plenty of time to talk.

You curse as your journey gets rerouted for what had to be the twelfth time in the past two days. Whoever was hunting you did not want to be found and no amount of swearing or whacking the console would change that. The closer you got to your destination the more you felt the malevolent presence grow. You found yourself wondering if it had always been with you, finding it hard to remember a time when it wasn't gnawing at your conscience. Each time you feel it scratching at your doors you remember Ashoka's words “be careful who you let into your head.” You'd made that mistake once with devastating consequences. You would not be making it again. Your energy was now primarily being spent keeping the presence at bay, not allowing it to penetrate any deeper than it already had. Sleeping only acted as an open invitation for the figure to torture you so you opted to forgo it altogether. Perhaps not the wisest decision, but what other choice did you have.

“The planet’s still a few days away.” Din says, noting the unraveled look in your eyes as you take your place next to him.

“Anything to do on this ship.” You ask, fidgeting in your seat. “like games or something” he doesn't respond “Hey beskar head! You awake under that helmet?”. You ask partially joking, partially annoyed that he wasn't talking to you.

“Yes.”

“Yes to games or yes to being awake?”

“To games” you smile, you never knew if he was actually making jokes or if you were just reading into it. The finer details of his personality artfully hidden beneath the metal exterior.

“Got Dejarik, you know how to play?” he asks, glad that you were back to yourself for the time being.

“I'm alright” you say smiling, you were better than alright, at least you think. To be fair you'd only ever played against one person and she was family and probably inclined to letting you win.

“You're cheating!” he exclaims, his annoyance apparent even through the modulator. Your skills were better than you expected especially after all those years, well either that or the Mandalorian was just that bad.

“How?” you ask, laughing at how frustrated he was getting. It was funny when you beat him the second time, but by gods it was even funnier when you beat him the seventh time.

“The force!” He says clenching his hand as he stares down at the board.

“I don't think the force bothers itself with helping me beat you at Dejarik.” you point out, as he grumbles something indistinguishable.

“Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are.” You tease pointing your finger at him eyebrows raised and a smirk plastered on your face.

“That’s not what I’ve been told,” he responds.

“About Dejarik or?” he laughs it off, but you seriously wanted to know the answer. After Cara told you he was allowed to have sex it was a question that you’d thought about a lot, more than you probably should have, but hey you were curious. Realizing the Mandalorian was now turning the game board over to see if it was rigged, you decide to change games.

“You still got that indestructible spear. The beskar one?” you ask nonchalantly.

“Yes, not something i'm planning on losing” he nods

“Fancy a match?” you offer you needed to work on your fighting skills, practicing on the air only went so far.

“Only if you promise not to slice through my ship.” He says, standing up.

“Only if you promise not to cry when I beat you.” you return causing him to scoff

“Oh im not going to be the one crying” he assures.

You stand in the ship's far corner across from Din who haphazardly twirls the spear in his hand as you open up your saber, raising it waiting for him to make the first move. He stays his ground, you and him were both defensive fighters and you knew he was far too stubborn to change his routine. Leaping forward you land in front of him, your saber making contact with the spear. After a few seconds spent testing his strength you know there's no feasible way for you to out muscle him. You'd have to out maneuver him. He’d seen you fight stronger opponents before so you’d have to think outside the box on this one. You move out from under the spear the release of your counter force causing Din to stumble forward. You turn aiming for his shin, but his arm reaches back the spear stopping your hit from connecting with his armour. You circle round him so you're once again face to face giving him enough time to stand back up. He turns quickly, swinging the spear as he does, aiming for your waist. You jump over the swipe landing behind him, hitting him in the back.

“Point to me.” you say

“No using the force” he says, turning to look down at you, his presence suddenly looming.

“I wasn't, I can just jump really high!” You lie.

“Likely story” he says brushing past you as he moves back to his starting spot

“What was that I said about crying earlier?” you question.

He's got you talking too long and he sweeps your feet out from under you knocking you on your ass and gently tapping you on the head with the spear.

“Point me” he says, offering you his hand.

“That was dirty” you say as he hoists you up.

“Who says we're playing clean sweetheart?” The term catches both of you off guard, but he's flustered himself more than you, allowing you to land the next two points.

“Hope your ego isn't too hurt darling.” you mock back at him as metal and light collide once again.

“It’s not over yet” he says, using all his strength to march you back towards the wall pinning you against it with his spear.

“You need to work on your attack, you leave a lot open” he says, breathing heavily.

“You need to work on a codpiece, it leaves a lot open” you retort, kneeing him in the groin, hard enough for him to drop you, but not so hard that it kept him down for long.

“Not enough beskar” he murmurs, hoping to get the last word in.

“Oh big brag for a man who just lost several games of Dejarik in a row and” your sentence is cut short as the spear taps the small of your back giving him the winning point

“And what?”

“Oh real classy Din, can’t win a fair fight” you say hand on your hip.

“It was fair considering I wasn't going 100%”

‘Oh you weren't” you mock, the smile telling him you were amused and not upset by his antics, the gentle slap on his arm further verifying this. The moments like this were nice, but as you continue to gain on your target they became fleeting. The Mandalorian watches as your ability to focus waivers, your frustration becoming increasingly evident in your training. Miraculously, you hadn't sliced through anything important, but the ship’s interior was constantly needing to be patched up. At least it kept him occupied and out of your hair. You looked like you were fighting a hidden battle, one he would gladly fight with you, if you'd let him. He didn’t know the full extent of your struggle, but he knew the anger he felt simmering inside you wasn't being aided by your refusal to sleep.

Your irritability, although caused by exerting tremendous energy keeping the figure at bay, was no excuse for the times you had lashed out at the Mandalorian. The most recent outburst occurred when he'd stepped on your foot after you had explicitly told him to watch out. In hindsight, threatening to melt his beskar down and turn it into a hearing aid for him so he could stop being such a nerf herder was a touch harsh. Alright, incredibly harsh especially considering he'd attempted to apologize before you went off on him.

“Sorry I threatened the beskar” you murmur sitting down next to him

“Are you going to tell me what's going on?” he asks

“Going on where” you ask

“Well it can't just be air in your head” he jokes, causing you to laugh for the first time in a few days.

“Seriously though , I'm sorry Ive been out of line, and it's not fair on you, you’ve been so understanding.”

“You know what might help with the outbursts?”

“A lecture?” you remark, your tone harsher than intended

“No, sleep, you should try it sometime”

“I'm fine without it” you say, the yawn escaping your lips contradicting your words.

“You should sleep.”

“ You don’t.” you remark hoping to catch him off guard, but he's obviously rehearsed this conversation a few times.

“ I don’t need to.”

“Neither do I.” You lie, almost a year later and you still had no idea how he slept so little, though your current working theory was that he would just take naps under the helmet when he thought he could get away with it.

“No, you can't sleep, there's a distinct difference.”

Not wanting to lash out at him for the third time that day and knowing he was right, you make a swift exit. You push the button that opens up to the tight sleeping quarters where you'd spent many hours lying awake. You were hoping that you'd reached an exhaustion point where your body would just shut down. You lay back on the bed not bothering with the covers, you weren't expecting to get comfortable. Anya had stopped trying to sleep in the same bed as you, usually getting inadvertently kicked or shoved out the bed by your constant movements. Your eyes can’t have been closed for more than a minute when they snap open. Despite their alertness your body's gone limp. What fresh hell was this? As your eyes adjust to the darkness you can only just make out the hauntingly familiar shape sitting at the edge of your bed. You go to call out for the Mandalorian, but no sound is emitted, nothing comes out at all not even air. You watch helplessly as the figure's arm extends ensnaring you in a choke hold, the yellow iris shining out beneath the hood, confirming your worst fear. A Sith. You scream yourself awake, the force causing items to fly to the ground, no doubt alerting the Mandalorian. You bring your knees to your chest grabbing at your scalp telling yourself it wasn’t real, but it didn't matter what you said. The truth was you couldn’t tell anymore all lines had blurred together. You get up off the bed looking around the room already exhausted at having to clean up yet another mess you had made. You lean over picking up the weapons that had fallen off the armoury hanging them back up when you hear the Mandalorian drop down the sound startling you.

“I'm sorry” you mutter embarrassed, not looking up as you move to grab the few dishes currently lying on the floor.

“What did I say about breaking the ship?” he says, chuckling slightly in an attempt to lighten the mood. He bends down to help you but you grab his arm stopping him.

“I made the mess. I'll clean it up.” You say gathering up the utensil and placing them back on the table absentmindedly stroking your throat as you turn to pick up the rest. As you reach for the chess board he grabs your hands, intertwining his fingers with yours, leading you back over to the bed.

“Get some rest, I'll clean up,” he says softly, sitting you down on the bed.

“Stop telling me what to do Din, besides it's not working.”

“You need to sleep.”

“I can’t and unless you can think up a way to make me then were shit out of luck.”

“I can think of a few ways.” he mumbles hoping it was loud enough for you to hear.

“Like what? Knocking me out with a blaster?” you scoff

“ A less violent way,” The words leave his mouth before he can fully assess the pros and cons of what he was offering to do.

“Reciting the entire code of conduct of the mandalore race to me?” Gods, how were you still not getting this.

“A less boring way.” He prays that you either catch on or he passes away suddenly so as to save him from any further embarrassment.

“Oh” you punctuate, lips parted slightly suddenly realizing exactly what was being offered to you “you think you can tire me out?”

“Only if you want.” he says, more confident now you hadn't outright rejected him

“Well I have been dying to see what’s under that armour”

“ You’ve seen it before”, and you couldn't wait to see it again.

“Not all of it”

“The helmet stays on,” he asserts.

“Not what I was referring to.” He stands there for a moment unsure how to proceed, not wanting to have misread the situation. “Well are you just going to stand there or are you not a man of your word?” That’s all the encouragement he needs.

“You want me to stop at any time, you just say so cyar’ika”

Once again the Mandalorian was right ; he was able to tire you out. Neither of you say anything after both at a loss for words, and not wanting to ruin the moment by saying the wrong thing. You fall asleep with his arm wrapped securely around your waist, as the other runs up and down your back. His heartbeat lulling you into a deep sleep, his presence managing to stay off any nightmares, at least for now.

He stays with you long after you’ve dozed off watching your back rise and fall in time with your breathing, he thanks the gods you were finally resting. He intently studies the faint purple markings covering your body, wondering how long they'd been there. His hand then tracing over the scars on your back, he wants to know how you got them. He wanted to know everything. Once this was all a distant memory he’d ask, if you chose to stick around that is. Knowing you won't want to find him in your bed when you wake up, he slides his arm from your waist and quietly, so as not to wake you, he puts his clothes back on. Re-donning his armour he heads back upstairs to check on the ship.

Your body shivers inadvertently at the loss of heat and your eyes slowly open. The room’s still dark, but the Mandalorian had gone. He must have left sometime in the night presumably his way of telling you it was a one off. Knowing Din to be a man of few words you knew talking about what had just happened was fully off the table. You sit up and stretch out, allowing your elbows to pop and your shoulders to crack as you roll them out, feeling a way that you hadn't felt in months. Well rested. Making your way over to the fresher you allow the water to wash over you removing any remaining scent attributed to the Mandalorian. After dressing you head up to the cockpit, slightly bow legged from the night before. You’d had your fair share of lovers and for a human, he was very well endowed and very eager to please.

“How far” you ask brushing any thoughts about last night from your head as you shoo Anya off your seat.

“You’re up sooner than I thought.” He says looking at you. He’d noticed the slight stagger in your walk causing him to smirk under the helmet, but the smile fades when you don’t look down.

“How far are we?” you ask again, picking up Anya who’s refused to move of her own volition.

“Close. About last night” he starts, wanting to make sure everything was okay, and that you weren’t regretting what had happened.

“ Look, we don’t have to talk about it. I know it wasn’t a big deal.” You say.

“It may not be a big deal for you.” you don't know why, but you take that tone as being pointed, referring specifically to your time spent in the rings.

“Why? because I've slept with half the galaxy? Something I did in order to survive an environment let’s not forget you put me in?” you spit out

“ No, I-I didn’t mean,” he starts. It's the first time you've ever heard him stumble over his words.

“ You never do.” You say, shutting him up for the remainder of the trip.

“Dropping out now.’ He says, 5 days, that's how long it had taken to get to where you were going, whoever was on the planet was committed to not being found, or at least committed to having you as sleep deprived as possible.

You step out with the Mandalorian close behind you, the planet's surface reflecting the ship's underlights back into its metal exterior. The mirrored rock had sprouted out into various forms and sharp geometric shapes, resulting in a beautiful, but sinister skyline.

“You sure this is the place? Doesn't look like any living thing could survive here.”

“Yes, I can sense a disturbance. You stay here with Anya.” you say placing a hand on his chest plate.

“No way.” Din responds

“I have to do this alone. It's too dangerous for you.”

“For me?” he says in disbelief.

“Wait here if i'm not back within the hour, leave.” You state ignoring his last question.

“ I'll give you two for good measure” he offers, holding out a blaster for you to take.

“It won't help.” You say pushing it back towards him before pulling up your hood and setting off into the unknown. Once he's sure you're out of sight, he follows you.

You close your eyes, letting your senses lead you through the sharpened planet careful not to cut yourself on the dark obsidian refelcting blurred images of the stars. A rock snaps under your foot and your eyes open. A voice calls out to you, uttering your name.

“Who are you.” you ask aloud, turning to face the cloaked figure who stands before you.

“ That is not important” he answers, lips not moving. Telepathy. So that’s how he'd gotten into your head.

“You tried to kill me I think it's at least relevant.” You return in thought.

“You came alone.” he asks, yellow eyes darting from side to side, despite the power this figure held you send a nervousness harboured deep within him, perhaps you should have brought the Mandalorian along with you.

“ Yes” you lie, hoping your force was strong enough to shield the bounty hunter.

“Good.” he snarled.

“Why did you kill me.” you ask not wanting to beat around the bush

“To see if I could. I needed to see your abilities, you’re stronger than I thought if you brought yourself back to life. The empire is rebuilding”, he offers not clearing the situation up in the least

“The empire died with Palpatine, they’re nothing but warmongering desolates now” you say shaking your head, not believing you had flown halfway across the galaxy for this.

“That’s what they have told you. We have been growing an army, led by the spirit of the emperor. We are seeking those with your abilities to help us rebuild.”

“You’ve lost your mind. The Sith were defeated long ago, the Jedi with them.” You turn to leave, no longer fearing this man, he holds no power over you.

“No” he shrieks, the sound drawing your gaze back to him, the noise frightening you slightly “You cannot leave. You cannot go. You will join us and rebuild a stronger galaxy.”

“I have no interest in joing a cult of fear and genocide.” you state calmly.

“It is more than a cult I offer you, something much better, power.” he was getting desperate, a few more days without sleep and you may have fallen for it.

“Power to what? Give you all the blood in my body so you can commit futile experiments on innocent people. You cannot create force sensitivity nor can you push it on someone who it has not chosen. Join you? No, I'll have to pass. Death and destruction will not be my path.”

“Not yet, but it will be. I see it in you, the pain, the sadness, the loneliness, that will all disappear once you join us.”

“Over my dead body” You say drawing your sabre. A violent clash of red and purple ricochet off the mirrored rock, lighting up the shadowed planets.

“Your grandmother trained you well.” He exclaims.

“ If you knew her then you should know that i'd never turn” You continue the fight. Managing to back him into a rock wall. Holding saber at his throat the light purple hue gleaning in the yellow irises beneath his hood.

“I understand why you ambushed me, not much of a fighter are you.” you snarl, pushing the saber into the robe, the scent of burning fabric filling the air. Then you feel it, the pulse of the fibers interwoven throughout the galaxy, something’s amiss. Something else appears under the glow of you saber, yellowed teeth, smiling under the light. You release him pushing yourself back, he wants you to kill him.

“ Do not fear it, I have seen this moment. It is what begins your reign”

“No” you say aloud to yourself, “No” you repeat turning off the saber and turning to leave.

“If you let me live, I kill the man with you.”

The Mandalorian whose been watching from afar hasn’t heard a word spoken in a while, watching you move towards him he thinks it must be over, whoever this person was, Sith or not, you must have come to an agreement. He almost walks out from his hiding spot when you stop dead in your tracks. He sees you look up, your eyes meeting his but only for a moment, before you pivot back to face the man.

“There’s…” you start.

“Don’t play me for a fool child, I have been playing this game long before you were even a thought in your mothers pretty little head. I know he is here. I know what you feel for him. You kill me and in time you will betray him, but you’d rather that, than lose him altogether.”

There's no thought process, no decision to make. With a flick of your wrist you throw the saber. You watch as it slices through the Siths neck before returning to your hand. You close it as his head tumbles to the ground. If Ashoka's words were a warning this, this was an omen. You had made a choice and now a path of irredeemably evil was laid before you. A path you were not prepared to drag anyone else down.

“I know you're there” you say after composing yourself. “I told you not to follow me.” You say making your way to the Mandalorians hiding spot.

“Are you alright? What did he say to you?” he asks, reaching a hand out for your arm.

“Nothing.” You say dodging him. The less he knew the safer he'd be. You weighed your options in your head on the walk back, but you knew there was only one way to avoid harming anyone. You had to hide away, become anonymous. Fall back into legend, never to be seen again. It was the only way Grogu would be safe, it was the only way Cara would be safe, it was the only way Din would be safe. As the ship takes off you say three words that would change everything.

“Take me home.”

“We're on route to Hoth now,” he says reassuringly.

“No, take me to my home. Grogu is back and safe. Our deal is done. Our alliance is over” You say, eyes plastered to the windshield.

“What did he say to you?” Din stresses, but you don’t answer. Silence was the only way to stop him from convincing you to stay.

“Don’t shut me out” he says slamming his hand on the panel. You don’t flinch, you don’t even look up. “We can figure this out together.” He says softly, if you hadn’t known any better you would have thought he was pleading with you.

“You’ve done enough. Take me home. If you don’t the force will.” He resets the GPS coordinates before standing up and dropping downstairs. Anya muzzles into you as you let out a sigh blinking back the tears you felt forming.

#alliance #din djarin x reader #din djarin x y/n #mando x you #star wars #the mandalorian #the mandolorian x reader #mando x y/n #mando x reader #chapter 9

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vampiregirl1797 · 4 years ago

Text

Time Travel & Epic Loves Chapter Three

Gif Not Mine

Series Masterlist

My Masterlist

Warnings: Tatia being jealous, some fluff, otherwise none i don't think?

Word Count: 3,307

A few days later, Klaus returned to his full health, the wounds on his back healing much quicker than they should have. Thankfully, due to what they knew about Anya, they didn’t question it, probably assuming the salve and tea had supernatural properties. Not even Katherine knew I had been slipping a few drops of my blood into the tea to aid with the healing and pain. Mikael and Ester didn’t appear to notice he had been missing, or they didn’t care enough to enquire about his whereabouts. Though, Elijah, Rebekah, Henrik and Kol had been frequent visitors. Finn didn’t come around once, but that didn’t surprise me. Kat and I had treated Elijah rather coldly during his visits, though Katherine’s anger eventually thawed when he saw how forlorn the elder Mikaelson was over what had happened to his brother. Personally, it was going to take a lot longer for me to be able to be civil towards him. I knew about Mikael’s abuse, of course, but hearing about it and witnessing it were two very different things. From what I heard Bekah had actually tried to kill and stop Mikael on multiple occasions, while Elijah never interfered. Kol had helped us, and I knew he was usually tasked with the responsibility of keeping Henrik away, not wanting the youngest Mikaelson to witness something so horrific, only the other day that task had fallen to Bekah, which explained their absence. Nik may not hold any grudges, but when I returned to the future Elijah was getting an ass kicking.

Anaya was confident she was almost ready to perform the spell—it would be done on the night of the next full moon, which was when Katherine and I suspected that Henrik was going to fall victim to the wolves. We had both been keeping our distance from the Mikaelson’s when we realised this, both fighting the guilt that came from knowing we could save Henrik. But we knew that if Henrik didn’t die, Ester wouldn’t go on to create vampirism. It made me sick to my stomach, because I felt like I was selfishly deciding everyone’s fate. But if we saved Henrik, too much would change and we couldn’t take that risk. I just hoped they would forgive me.

‘The full moon is in a week.’ Katherine said casually as we hung out our laundry to dry.

‘I know.’ I mumbled, glancing beyond the trees, where I knew the Mikaelson residence to be.

‘Are you going to say goodbye?’ She asked quietly, her gaze following mine.

‘I think I have to.’ I bit my lip. If I didn’t, it was possible Nik would come looking for me when his brother died, I couldn’t bear him finding out that I was no longer here at the time of him dealing with the loss of his youngest brother.

‘Me too. How much will this change? I mean, Elijah and Klaus won’t recognise me when they meet me in five hundred years.’ She looked over to me, her expression soft, ‘but Klaus will recognise you when he meets you in that bar. He’s going to wonder how you were alive.’

‘I’ll think of something.’ I assured her, an idea already forming in my head, but until I knew it was possible, I was going to keep it to myself.

I could tell that she knew I was holding back information, but before she could push me, there was a knock at the door. We shared a look before we both went to the doorway and hesitantly pushed the door open. I couldn’t stop the bright smile from forming on my face when I saw whom it was. Elijah was enamoured with Katherine while Nik and I were drinking each other in. We’d been avoiding them for a few days, but it felt like so much longer; in the future we were inseparable and if the whole family wasn’t hanging around together, we were with our partners.

‘Hello ladies, we were wondering if you would accompany us to the feast this evening?’ Nik asked, but his eyes remained glued to mine.

Katherine and I shared a look, the guilt clear in our eyes, but I knew neither of us would say no either.

‘Of course.’ Katy answered for the both of us and just like that we were walking towards the village. My arm was linked through Nik’s as we trailed behind Katherine and Elijah.

‘I haven’t seen you for a few days. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.’ Nik teased but I could hear his underlying insecurity.

‘I got my monthly bleed, I tend to avoid everyone during that time.’ I told him, hiding a smile when he looked a little embarrassed.

‘I apologise, I didn’t mean to impose.’ He ducked his head and I squeezed his arm a little tighter in assurance.

‘It’s fine. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted to see you but I tend to be… out of sorts.’ I bit my lip, my guilt growing as I fed the lie.

‘You don’t owe me an explanation, Arianna.’ He assured me, offering me a shy smile when my eyes met his.

I couldn’t help it, I never could. This wasn’t a side of him I got to see very often and when he allowed it out, I always reacted the same way. We came to a sudden stop when I tugged on his arm, he frowned, concerned but I paid him no mind as I reached up to place a kiss onto his mouth. He didn’t respond for a moment but his hesitation only lasted a second before his hands wound around my waist and he kissed me back with just as much passion. I pulled back before it could get too far, resting my forehead against his as we both caught our breath.

His hand came up to gently caress the side of my face and I felt my heart clench at the affectionate look he was giving me in that moment. His eyes were so soft, so open, and I couldn’t tell you how long it had taken for me to break down future Nik’s walls so that he would look at me like that.

‘Ari! Niklaus! Don’t fall too far behind now you two.’ Katy’s teasing voice pulled us out of our moment. Nik’s cheeks tinted red and I took his hand to reassure him.

‘Yeah, yeah, we’re coming Katy.’ I rolled my eyes and pulled on Nik’s hand to start us walking again.

When we reached the feast, the party appeared to be in full swing. I saw Tatia sat around the fire talking to a young girl, but it was if she sensed when we arrived. Her eyes looked up from the small blonde and over to us. When she saw that Nik and Elijah had Katherine and I on their arms, her eyes narrowed and I couldn’t help but bite back a smirk.

‘Nik! Arianna! Katarina! Elijah! Over here.’ Bekah called each of us over to the large table she was sat around with Finn, Kol and Henrik. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Ester and Mikael were nowhere to be seen.

There were enough seats to seat all of us comfortably. I ended up in between Bekah and Nik; Katy and Elijah were across from me, Kol was on Bekah’s other side and Henrik and Finn were sitting at the ends of the table.

‘Who cooked this?’ I asked after taking a bite of the stew I had been handed by Bekah.

‘I did.’ The blonde announced, biting her lip.

‘It’s delicious.’ I told her, smiling when she beamed, ‘I’ve never been much of a good cook.’

‘I can teach you, if you’d like.’ She answered.

‘That might be dangerous for everyone involved,’ Katy snorted in between bites of her own food.

I laughed at her teasing and threw a loose stone at her that I found on the ground. It hit her square in the forehead and landed in her food. Katherine’s expression was one of complete shock as she looked in between me and her bowl of half-finished food that she could no longer eat.

‘You little—,’ she started but when Elijah placed a calming hand on her arm, her jaw snapped shut.

‘There’s plenty more to go around, Katarina.’ The elder Mikaelson assured her, mirth and assurance dancing in his eyes.

Katherine nodded, managing to shake herself out of her daze and giving me a glare.

‘I’ll get you back for that, Ari.’

‘I don’t doubt it.’ I winked at her, causing her annoyance to melt into amusement and soon we were all laughing.

We finished our food and the conversation was flowing freely, like it always did when we were together. Though the presence of Finn and Henrik was a little different. Henrik was lovely, sweet and innocent. Honestly, in a way he reminded me of Nik. His hair was lighter, he had dimples, but he had a cheeky streak he got from Kol. It was easy to pretend Finn wasn’t there as he only spoke five words in the course of three hours, which I was grateful for; the eldest Mikaelson and I didn’t have the best history. Henrik was in the middle of telling a story about a deer he had managed to get close enough to feed an apple when he was interrupted.

‘And I was bringing the water up to my lips, I was so thirsty and when I heard a twig snapped behind me I turned around really slowly—,’ the annoyed look Henrik gave Tatia when she approached our table and cut into the conversation didn’t escape anyone’s notice.

‘May I join you?’ She asked with a smile directed at Nik and Elijah. I hid a smirk when Nik didn’t even glance in her direction, his hand was currently holding mine underneath the table and when she spoke he rubbed his thumb back and forth comfortingly.

‘Sorry, but we don’t have any room. Be on your way now.’ Katherine said in a tone that wasn’t sorry at all. I bit back a laugh and cleared my throat, deciding to at least attempt being civil.

Katherine hadn’t really been lying; there weren’t any chairs free, after all.

‘Sure you can,’ I offered her a forced bright smile. Tatia smirked and walked over to where I was sitting, probably expecting me to get up and leave. Who did she think she was, royalty?

I offered her a smirk of my own as I slid from my seat and onto Nik’s lap in one smooth movement. Nik stiffened in surprise for the briefest of moments before one of his hands went to my hip to hold me in place and the other took my hand again. Tatia glared at me and took the empty seat with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and sulking like a child. Katy and I shared a look before I rolled my eyes and started running my free hand through Nik’s curls, a habit I had picked up over the years. I smiled when I saw his eyes flutter as if he were struggling to keep them open.

‘So, Henrik you were saying?’ I prompted him, genuinely wanting to hear the rest of his story.

The youngest Mikaelson’s expression brightened as he dove into the rest of the tale, telling us how he had pulled out an apple he had picked on his journey down to the stream from his satchel. He had been planning to have it as a snack on the way back, but instead he held it out for the deer to eat. When it had taken the fruit, Henrik had been both delighted and amazed.

‘Father would not be pleased at that wasted opportunity, Henrik. Animals are for food, not to be fed by you.’ Finn berated him. I sent him a glare, feeling everyone else at the table do the same before I looked over to Henrik and offered him a bright smile, wanting the sadness in his eyes to go away.

‘I wish I could do that, for some reason whenever an animal sees me, it runs the other way.’ I frowned, leaning forward on Nik’s lap a little more to get a clearer view of the youngest Mikaelson, ‘what’s your secret?’

Henrik’s smile was brighter than the sun as he laughed. Nik’s hand went to my lower back, rubbing small circles of appreciation for subtly telling Henrik that liking animals was nothing to be ashamed of.

‘You have to be calm and show no fear,’ Henrik shrugged like it was no big deal, but his grin was proud.

‘You’ll have to teach me sometime.’ I told him, genuinely meaning it.

‘For sure.’ Henrik promised me.

‘Careful there, Nik, it looks like you have competition for Arianna’s affections.’ Kol teased, leaning forward and ruffling Henrik’s hair. He blushed and batted away his brother’s hand in annoyance and embarrassment.

We all chuckled, well everyone aside from Finn and Tatia. Maybe they would have been better together? They weren’t easily pleased; maybe they could please each other? It wasn’t long after that Finn excused himself to take Henrik home, much to his displeasure; he didn’t like that he had to go to bed so much earlier than all of his other siblings. Finn however seemed overjoyed that his mother had given him the task to take his brother home at the right time, so there was that at least.

‘So, Katarina, Arianna, where are you both from?’ Tatia asked and I flat out ignored her, sending Katy a look to let her know she could take this one.

My hand was still running through Nik’s hair, and I knew I was being more affectionate than this Nik was used to, but I couldn’t help it. This was how I was used to acting around him, and now that I had literally been placed onto his lap, trying to keep my hands to myself was pointless. But the guilt over Henrik was still bouncing around in my gut, I knew there was nothing I could do about it, but it didn’t help the ache. Nik detangled his hand from mine and brushed my hair behind my ear to caress my cheek.

‘What’s on your mind, love?’ he asked quietly, both of us ignoring the conversation happening around us. I leaned into his touch, enjoying the familiar warmth as I stared into his beautiful blue eyes that were full of concern.

‘I-I think I’m a little tired. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.’ I stuttered, looking down to my hands that were twiddling nervously in my lap. His index finger came underneath my chin and gently tilted my head until I met his eyes again.

‘You have nothing to apologise for. Come, I’ll walk you back to your hut.’ He said, waiting for me to stand up off his lap before pushing himself from his chair. I reached for his hand as soon as he was on his feet, another force of habit. Now that I had given in there was nothing stopping me, and so touching him at this point was basically muscle memory. Now that I wasn’t focusing on holding myself back, my body was falling into familiar habits.

‘I’m going to take Arianna back to her hut and then I’m going home.’ Nik told the others.

‘Okay, goodnight.’ Bekah smiled at me, ‘maybe you, Katarina and I can take a walk tomorrow? I think that would be lovely.’

‘It would. Come to our hut when you wish to leave?’ I said, squeezing her hand as I passed by her. She grinned and nodded. I gave everyone else a wave, ignoring Tatia’s sour face as Nik and I started walking away from the main part of the village.

‘You don’t really talk about where you’re from.’ Nik commented after a while.

‘I don’t like to talk about it.’ I lied, biting my lip and vowing to apologise profusely to Nik when I got back to my time, ‘my parents only saw me as a pawn to enhance their wealth. They promised my hand to a brute of a man. I didn’t want to marry him, so I ran away. Katarina was a friend of mine in our village, she was in a similar predicament and so she came with me.’

‘You’re very strong. It’s one of the things I like about you.’ He smiled his dimpled smile.

‘One of the things?’ I mused, taking his other hand with my free one so all of our hands were entwined as I turned him to face me, ‘what else do you like about me?’

‘You’re brave, compassionate, loyal, protective, funny… beautiful.’ He kissed my forehead and I felt my eyes close at the sensation. When I opened them I noticed he didn’t move away. Our lips were only an inch apart.

‘One of the things I like about you is how strong you are, too.’ I murmured, wanting him to hear the words.

‘What else?’ he breathed and the desperation in his eyes made my heart ache.

‘You’re sweet, kind, funny, loyal, gentle, talented and powerful.’ I told him, moving forward just a little more, I could feel his lips press against mine as I spoke, but it was only a whisper of a touch.

Nik’s hands untangled from mine and went to my waist, gently pulling my body flush against his. My own hands went to his biceps and then slid up to his shoulders. Before I could blink, his lips were on mine. But this kiss was different than the one we had shared on my first night. This was soft, slow and filled with so much emotion it made my knees weak. As if he could sense it, he held me tighter against him, his hand splaying across my lower back. It didn’t go any further and I was a little surprised. When I had first arrived, I was aware I had been a distraction, but tonight had been the first indication that he actually cared for me. It made my dead heart pound and filled my stomach with butterflies. A part of me wondered if the whole evening had been a ploy to make Tatia jealous, but the look in his eyes told me it wasn’t. It was a look I had been on the receiving end of many times in fifty years. He was looking at me how my Nik looked at me, with complete adoration and... love. It made my breath catch in my throat. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, before offering him my hand to continue walking back to my hut. He cleared his throat and took it, both of us sharing a soft smile as we continued on in comfortable silence.

When we finally reached our destination, I couldn’t help but cling to his hold a little tighter, not wanting him to go. Both Katy and I hadn’t been sleeping well the whole time we had been here; when you’re used to sleeping next to someone for five decades, it’s hard to suddenly have him not there. Thankfully he didn’t comment on my reluctance and he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

‘Goodnight, Arianna.’ He whispered, but I stopped him as he went to leave.

‘Wait. Do you… will you stay with me?’ I asked so quietly I wondered if his human ears would be able to detect the sound.

‘Of course I will,’ he offered me a soft smile when I looked up to meet his gaze.

Without another word, we went inside and for the first time since I had entered that century, I had a peaceful nights sleep.

#klaus mikaelson #klaus mikaelson imagine #klaus mikaelson x oc #katherine pierce x elijah mikaelson #katherine petrova x elijah mikaelson #kol mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #the originals #the vampire diareis

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Toons for Our Times: The Casagrandes: Four Course Catchup

I take some time to catch up with everyone’s faviorite mexican-american family with a four course meal of shenanigans.

Mexican Makeover: The thorny issue of racial identity erasure is handled via a lot of costumes, spicy food and a second Sergio, which suprisingly isn’t my own personal hell. Then again giving rusty a brother wasn’t either so there’s a precident. Uptown Funk: Carl goes full Zach Morris, minus the white privlage, and marries Adelaide to get a free train ride, then let’s his hallucinations talk him into nearly killing everyone. At least the Leprechaun in the sandbox isn’t telling him to burn things anymore. Bo-Bo Business: Hector won’t respect Bobby’s genius new ideas so Bobby sets shop at the near by hong’s market and procedes to nearly get murdered by bunnies. Dear god Anya was right. Blunder Party: Ronnie Anne and Sid host their first event as a couple, a sleepover campout on the roof with their running crew. Adilade and Carl crash it causing their sibling and cousin to send the two on a dangerous scavenger hunt. As you do. Context for what’s going on the page image under the cut.

So yeah I originally wasn’t going to add the Casagrandes to regular coverage.... but what can I say. I had way more to talk about with the recent crop of episodes than I thought, the show often airs with loud house so it increases my coverage output and most importantly.. i’ts just damn good. While still having some kinks to work out, like forgetting to use CJ, the show is just really charming and uses i’ts premise well. So yeah when the show, at least according to the wiki, so expect full coverage of both this years halloween special and the show in full when it comes back in november... and with bobby being hypnotized into thinking he’s a cat apparently.. so yeah i’d be watching anyway, so why not go all in. .So with that out of the way we’ve got a lot of ground to cover so, Golpeteo de pitter, which is spanish for pitter patter... maybe. If google translate mangled that I apologize.

Mexican Makeover:

Like with our last bit of loud house coverage, we start with the least of the episodes first. That being said this one isn’t TERRIBLE, just a waste of a good concept and something intresting to explore. It’s also a real shame given this episode is written by Lalo Alcaraz, the writer of the comic strip La Cucaracha who works as a consultant on the show and previously wrote my favorite episode of the season, Croaked!, which we’ll be talking about soon. But he seems like a great guy, but everyone dosen’t bat a thousand. This episode centers around Rosa, whose mother Mama Lupe, and her parrot sidekick Paco, coming to visit. Paco is a recolor of sergio which actually explains a LOT honestly, as I now feel Sergio is the Quaks to Paco’s Squaks.

As in the crappy recolor who dosen’t have as many skills. As you can tell I don’t like Sergio much. He’s annoying, not very funny and only rarely has his moments and also spent one episode constnatly being obnoxious to Bobby, who as we’ve discussed and will soon discuss some more, is my boy. My precious baby boy. So bullying him is the equilvent of slapping me with a dueling glove. So yeah Paco is better than Sergio, being more laid back, less obnoxious.. and voiced by, of all people, legendary cartonist and the namesake of the parrot sergio, Sergio Aragones. I grew up with the guy in middle and high school as he frequently, and I belivie still does, work for parody magazine MAD Magazine, and while I haven’t read it also did 80′s indie comic Groo the Wanderer with Mark Evainer of Garfield and Friends Fame. The guy’s really damn funny and it was a real treat to find out he’s involved here, especailly since the namesakes for the loud pets have all sadly passed, so it’s nice at least one pet namesake between shows gets to guest star. But my fanboying aside, Rosa is worried she hasn’t been making her family Mexican enough and thus goes a bit absolutley nuts. She steals the kids clothes and replaces them with various traditional mexican outfits, which is a bit psycotic, and gives us a shot of carl’s ass when he compalins about his underwear being replaced, which...

Yes thank you wayne. I’m sure even some of the 7 year old’s watching this don’t want to see a fellow 7 year old’s butt. Stop that. There’s a reason the parent show stopped the gag of having Lincoln in his underwear all the time and it wasn’t just because only chris savino thought it was funny. It’s especially creepy given after Savino’s sexual harassment, John K’s reveal of being a pedophile and whatever Dan Schinder did they refuse to talk about to the public but has ciruclated around, you TIHNK the’yd be more congizant of not showing borderline child porn. I mean it’s one thing to have a kid in underpants for a gag it’s another to have a close up of his butt. Just stop. Stop. So the episode goes as you’d expect, Rosa keeps pushing things harder without explaining herself, including trying to force the kids to speak in spanish, feeding them extra spicy food and againt eh whole replacing their clothes thing.. which\ do look nice though and we do get that blessed image of bobby up top. The kids eventually confront Rosa who reveals she just dosent’ want to give her mom a heart attack, they go along with it with Sergio feeding ronnie anne spanish, which is nice continuity as her not knowing i’ts come up before, and everyone putting on a show.. which goes horribly wrong with super spicy food understandably not being built for a 80-100 year old woman, and while i’ts nice Bobby’s buddy par, we’ll cover their episode at some point too, shows up he also heavy metals so hard it knocks her over and destroys the painting, which yeah of course. Rosa comes clean and Lupe.. is entirely fine with it and feels that culture is more in values than in what you know about it, though she will teach them a few things because knowing where you came from is still important. Also Paco returns and.. why coudln’t both he and Lupe stay. For all my issues with the episode besides Carl’s butt shot, which we’ll get to in a second, I do really like Lupe and Paco is better than sergio in every way shape and form apart from the name. just color him read and have him smother sergio in his sleep and we’re up a better parot.

Final Thoughts for Mexican Makeover: This one was eh. I saved my thoughts on the main plot for here because it IS a topic worth talking about: loss of cultural idetntity, especailly for first or second generation, as our main kids and their parents are, kids, how to ballance the cultures, what really matters.. it’s all good, deep really senstiive topics that i’m in no way qulaified to entirley judge because i’m very much white and am not going to whitesplain topics that I have no personal experince with. But I can at least say they could’ve done MORE with this. For one thing Maria was absent, and it would’ve been REALLY intresting to get her take on it since Croaked! established she didn’t really give Ronnie Anne at the very least much of a lesson in their heritage. You can’t really BLAME HER: She works a demanding job, ended up having to raise them alone, and is tired a lot. As I said i’ts a VERY complex topic that’s created some VERY brilliant works around the subject, and while i’m not asking for “Moonlight... for Kids!” I am asking you to explore something like this. How aclimated the kids are to white culture is a topic worth exploring and could’ve been a special and while yes I know, it probably would’ve been “A Very Special Episode”..sometimes you need to tackle complex topics for kids. The Proud Family was also a screwball comedy, but it tackled the civil rights movement, xenophobia and other heavy subjects from time to time.. it also thought music piracy was the root of all evil but as I said no one bats a thousand. And it wouldn’t lack jokes as Alcaraz’s career is in satire: He knows how to write jokes about heavily charged topics and be clever about it on the freaking comics page, and given The Casagrandes like it’s sister show is basically a comic strip in animated form, he has the right format tow ork with it just ultimately becomes instead the cliche “person is coming time to hide everything we’ve been doing plot”, which has never been that good and is even worse on top of a more interesting idea. I don’t expect the show to be super deep all the time but I expect better than broaching a clearly difficult subject and not really giving it any weight.

Uptown Funk: Now we’re past the one I was eh on because I knew how it’d turn out, and somehow got even less on board as it wasted a good concept and good ideas, and to the one out of the four I was most pumped for. And of all things it was a CARL episode. I passingly mentioned last time I didn’t like Carl, and that opinon’s started to change. I’m still not a huge fan, his voice is grating and he STILL hasn’t given up on Lori seasons later after Clyde long has and the other show long regonized this was a bad idea. Buuut i’ve come to realize he has his moments, with Monster Cash, which i’ll cover very soon for Halloween Havoc, and this very episdoe which is utterly fantastic. Though part of that is also the supporting cast, who were the reason I was pumped. I talked abotu the Changs Breifly in my Operation Dad review but since Adalaide and Stanley are more promenent here and Becca will be, if not in person, in Croaked!, i’ll gladly dive into them. The Changs are the Casagrandes next door neighbors and EASILY one of the best parts of the show. A lovely interacial nuclear family, the four are all really likeable and distinct. I’ve talked about Sid before, so we’ll save more of that for in a bit. Stanley her dorky dad voiced by Kim Jeong who works as the subway conductor for Great Lakes City. He’s just a treat, in both sense of hte word, and really sweet interacting with his daughter and has a tendency to make small apperances due to Ronnie Anne and Sid riding the subway wherever they need to go. As i’ve said it’s nice to see Ken Jeong get to play a goofy, normal-ish dad and be funny without having to either play an over the top lunatic, weirdo or asshole. I love community but Chang could be a lot but this Chang is alright.. and probably dosen’t speak to his community college student brother that often for his family’s saftey. He does have Rabi Chang, his other brother over a lot though. Look if Teen Titans go can be jammed into the same multiverse as ok ko and steven universe, this show can take place in the same unvierse as community.

Becca is stan’s wife and the head zookeeper at the zoo as well as the runner of their various shows, voiced by melissa joan hart and while not around as mcuh as her husband, is still a delight and it’s a delight to have clarissa back. Also together with her husband they make one hell of a couple to get sandiwthced between.. and no shame there, and yes i’m aware they have kids, i’d be happy to help raise them. I”m no asshole.

Anyways speaking of those kids, we lastly have Adalaide, the star of this show and an adorable 6 year old and as Sid calls her “A sass bucket” which is accurate both for 6 year olds in general, and for this one, though like most kids her age she flips from being adorable to entirely blunt when warranted. She also has a Frog, named Froggy II. We’ll get into what happened to Froggy I and how she met Froggy II in October.

So yeah two of my faviorite side characters, I consider sid main, PLUS one of my other faviorites Vito in a supporting roll. What’s not to love? As for the plot Carl brushes off Adalaide, because he’s a little jerk festival, but changes his tune when he overhears Stanley offering to have Adilaide join him on the train even see the control. Carl being a fanboy for trains among many other things which I shall list now: Things Carl’s a Fanboy For: 1. Money 2. Petty Schemes 3. Zack Morris 4. The Ladies 5. AC Slater 6. Luchadores 7. Trains.

He naturally has his eyes light up like a christler buliding and given numbers 2 and 3 on the list quickly comes up with a scheme to get that train ride, since Stanely offered her a plus one. Granted he could’ve PROBABLY just asked Stanley for a ride and being the upstanding guy he is, and given Carl’s also a train nerd and stanley is their king, he would’ve said yes, but this is the same boy who thought his adult cousin’s same aged girlfriend would want to go out with him when said girlfriend lives in a house with at least 3 girls close to his age instead she could set him up with. The boy is more of a short term planner, like most schemers in fiction really, he sees the dollar signs like eddy from ed edd n eddy and has some good ideas, but not the more obvious solutions that aren’t as scheme based around him. I swear if this kid didn’t have a moral center this would be him in 50 years

I mean the only reason the boy hasn’t used sharks or explosives is because his parents and grandparents won’t’t let him.

Anyways Addie is skepteical for about 5 seconds and my one real complaint about the episode is it felt like she was genuinely skeptical, and playing him slightly with their games.. but it turns out nope she just genuinely bought it. But as smart as she is she’s also only 6, and her being adorably trusting works just as well. So they play games. They have a tea party, with carl wearing a truly glorious peacock that I guarnatee sid has worn both for playing with her sister and just to feel fancy. They then play with Froggy.. which gets uncomfotable as Adaladie forces Carl to kiss him, and then basically goes full on “NOW KISS” when it fails to turn froggy into a prince and Froggy runs because he wisely dosen’t want to make out with Carl, and is omly passable and not disturbing instead because she’s 6 and dosen’t know better. They then play chase froggy, which Carl wins but gets flies thrown at him in hte process so does he really? They get to their final game superheroes, with carly playing his faviorite el falcone.. but also being the hostage while Adalaide saves him because this is 2020, she don’t need to be no damsel in distress. And this to me is why the episode works.. Carl IS a huge jerk here, manipulating a younger child who just wants to be his friend to get a train ride he could’ve gotten just by asking her.. but he gets put through the ringer, and most of his “humilation” is stuff that isn’t that bad: Tea is alright, there’s no shame in wearing makeup or a veil, and being rescued by a woman is awesome. It’s just Carl’s own baby’s first toxic masuclinity that makes these situations minus kissing froggy uncomfortable, so it adds to it as Addy’s doing nothing wrong really and any pain on carl’s part is an accident on hers. She’s just an imaginatiee little lady and he’s jsut a jerk. But they pair well together his underserved ego with her adorablility and creativity and as we’ll see smarts. Part of the reason I was so excited is their one real scene togehter in monster cash, when Carl is throiwng everyon’es money back at them which is also the best bit of the episode and we’ll get to that when we cover it her response is a stern “Don’t you even dare” and he hands it back to her because you don’t mess with Addy.

Addy then brings up pretend marriage and while Carl has his first , and probably not last, panic attack over comitment he does realilze this can be used and gets his train ride over it, with the two taking Froggy along as their baby. But being Carl, he’s not ready for marriage to a strong judge on the supreme court who makes him change the diapers and humilaties him in public, whcih i’d be more upset about if again he didn’t deserve it. We also have VITO! Local itallian, the Mercado’s best customer and Hector’s only friend. He also has his two winer dogs with him which.. yes. Just yes. And they have matching hats and sweaters because Vito is the best. Hedecides to toss froggy and book it for the train car. Adalaide realizes she’s been played and is understandably pissed but sadly, needing to find her friend her husband threw, dosen’t storm into Stanley’s conductor car and throw him off the train.

Instead Carl geeks out with Stanley over the train, which means he probably is meant to marry into this family, and Stanley’s glart awards. When Stanley’s called away to deal with the frog fracas, Carl is left told not to touch anything. So the obvious happens.. Carl hallunciates a bunch of pre school level choo choos who tell him to press the button. I love .. everything about this. It’s just pure hilarity and insanity and I’m here for it and a really creative, and insane gag and a nice take on the shoulder devil trope.

Naturally Carl, being Carl, presses the big button which turns on the ac and then blasts Stan’s train mix. Which sadly isn’t just this over and over and over and over again.

youtube

With Carl possibly banned from trains for life he naturally turns to his wife for help, who is none to happy with his bullshit, and not willing to help him because why would she? But Carl.. genuinely apologizes. It’s why I mentioned he has a moral center. Unlike say Zack morris 80% of hte time or Eddy from Ed Edd N Eddy at his worst, Carl can FEEL human emotions like guilt, and while he does need Addy’s help to not get in massive trouble, you can tell he genuinely feels bad about hurting her and is only asking because she’s his only hope and for the sake of the various passengers who if she dosen’t step in will go off the rails on a crazy train, she agrees. Turns out though Addy is pretty badass on top of being adorable, and uses Froggy II as a grappling hook, then turns out to have inherited her dad’s knowledge of trains, which was foreshadowed earlier as she said she’s gone with him a lot and was bored at his offer and won two time junior glart awards.. which given that likely includes teens and tweens, is Valeria Richards levels of acomplished. God damn kid. Kudos. Stanley gets understandably mad at carl But Addy covers for him and since she saved her dad’s awards, Carl can live.. and come back sometimes. Carl, first through his action figure then himself apologizes for being a jerk toa ddy and manipulating her.. a genuine one that shows he means it and finds she’s pretty cool. Gues this marriage CAN be saved. And so we end this episode as you’d expect.

No.. for one thing i’td be leprechaun-train monstrosity. For another the happy couple team up as superheros and thwart froggy being hit by a train , who greatfully smooches carl who, having grown, takes it in stride. Happy end

Final Thoughts: I love this one. It was funny, intresting and had carl develop as a character while fleshing addy out and giving us some great stanley stuff. It made having a jerk as the protagnist here work and made me go from begrudgingly liking carl to actuallyl iking him. while he’s pretty terrible here he suffers for most of his actions and learns from it, and he and Adelade ahve a great dynamic that we thankfully do indeed see again this very marathon. But first. IT’S BOBBY TIME.

Bo-Bo Buisness It’s my first episode starring Bobby on this blog and i’ts been TOO long and there will be more to come I promise. As i’ve made no secret of Bobby is my faviorite character here, and as you can tell that’s a tight race, and is just.. great here. The move to the city fleshed him out by giving him drive with his desire to run the mercado, franchise it, and go to buisness school to do all of it properly, while keeping his loveable sweetness, stupidity and relationship with Lori which has gone from deeply unhealthy to awwwwwwwww.

So naturally I was on board for another Bobby Bonaza, and this one like most of his eps is pretty good: This time around it focuses on Bobby’s hard work ethic and youthful energy..and it leading him AWAY from the mercado. Bobby tries setting up free wifi and a table like a cafe in the Mercado, but Hector flatly refuses and refuses anthing Bobby comes up with, citing his 30 years running the place sucessfully, while Bobby cites his less than a year of it and his book of ideas, though Hector refuses to budge. And what I like here is that while hector IS still the bad guy here, it’s not in a one dimensional “Jerk for the episode’ way this show’s sister episode tends to fall into. Or treating a character being a jerk like their the wronged party, or.. you get the idea. Point is hector has SOME points: He has run a small buisness in a huge city for 30 years, beating out gentrification, racisim, big buisness and other threats to run at thriving mercado, even with another market across the street. He also owns a sizeable apartment with room for two diffrent families, 5 adults, 6 kids, a dog and an asshole, and his wife is super for the building as a whole. He’s done MARVELOUSLY for himself and deserves to be proud and his stubborness likely comes from just how much he’s been able to acomplish while others fell around him. However.. Bobby is still sympathetic. It’s very clear working here is his dream job: His plan for his life is to expland the place into a franchise and run it himself one day, he’s the clear sucessor and Hector wont’ be around forever.. probably for a LONNNG time still, and his ghost will probably haunt the place with Rosa’s scolding him, but since ghosts can’t own property probably, someone has to take over. Bobby is his clear sucessor and his ideas aren’t bad.. poorly exceuted in this case, but not bad. As we’ll see in a bit the table idea can work, bobby just didn’t think it through and Hector could’ve HELPED HIM with it and as we’ll see most of the ideas Bobby ends up doing elsehwere are just common sense for this day and age and the one that isn’t is the one that does him in. But Hector, likely seeing any change as a threat to his bottom line and his legacy, rejects him out of hand. H’es likely scared that his protege can do BETTER, or worried that one wrong move could cost him his life’s work. I also find this ironic since a few episodes ago, though I still need to see it, Bobby himself had the same problem letting go and letting someone else control the buisness with his sister and cousins running the place while he had his anniversary with Lori. Bobby DESERVES to be given his shot.. and so when he decides to quit the mercado in a huff and take his table and his ideas with him.. you agree with him. Sure he’s leaving the family legacy.. but if Hector wont let him make it his own or appricate how much fucking work he does or love he has for the place, then what legacy is there? That got heavy. We get a great joke next as bobby makes a metaphor about the dinosaurs.. then wonders what happened to them and like me on any given day stops to google it.. and since he uses a laptop unlike me and my desktop computer or phone, and his table, he inadveratly sets up a table outside.. which fixes the problems with his idea, if by accident and impresses Mr.Hong the owner of a nearbye market who could use a fresh faced go getter like bobby and hires him right on sight and agrees to start putting his ideas in.

And the wifi table.. is a huge sucess and putting it outside gave the customers more room, so it fixes the one flaw in his plan, and serving out cafe and snacks I can’t prounounce or spell properly, bobby shows his idea WOULD have worked: instead of creating loiterers it simply gives customers like Vito, who pretty much lives at the Mercado anyway so why not, a place to sit, eat and check their email and stuff, and bobby’s a good enough salesman he can convince them to eat and given the mercado already has a customers only policy on toilets.. they could’ve just made the table purchase only, and once per hour, and their regulars would’ve lapepd it up. Hector refuses to accept this though and stews and drives sergio and carl away.. which yeah if you can out asshole Sergio, you may be the bad guy here. The two feud over dinner to their family’s confusion, and to Rosa’s annoyance and dope slaps when she spills her hard worked on food over their petty sniping but bobby’ sstar continues to rise with a music video for hongs including that bit seen above, rapping and just.. whatever the fuck that video was it was the third best rap in nick history behind that “nnnnnnick” rap and this.

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So yeah with the comeerical, Hongs has tons of customers, and Hector stews more. However things can’t be good forever, as the last 4 years have proven they can be bad for an especially long time but good? Sadly no, as Bobby gets what he always wanted: The keys to the store.. maybe not the store he wanted but still and gets to run hongs solo. Sadly though Bobby ends up fucking up, letting people bring their pets which wrecks the place, and ends up with bobby getting swarmed by an ever multiplying batch of bunnies.

As Bobby is cuddled to death, his exact words, Hector finally relents and saves the boy from literally drowning, and the two get the rabbits out.. but well with social media and all that hong knows what happen and bobby’s fired. But back at the Mercado, Hector rehires bobby, and genuinely apologizes. I do feel it comes a bit quick.. but I guess after your grandson almost got bunnied to death, you rethink your life choices. Bobby admits he was in over his head while Hector genuinely admits Bobby has good ideas and he was being a stubborn jackass and decides he can use them after all. Starting with the commerical where the two perform a nice mexican song, the whole family adorably dresses up like various mercado items as seen at the veyr top and we also get this.

Yes, yes to all of this. And we’re out.. for a moment then back in but you get it.

Final Thoughts for Bo Bo Buisness: While not the best Bobby episode, that would be the one that introduces Par and again i’ll get to that one, this one is still pretty good. While I do feel Hector turns around a bit quick, otherwise it’s funny enough and has enough character stuff with bobbby, even if i’ts mostly just from knowing him in this series to work out. I”m not ANTI-nonsense episodes, I just don’t want them there when ther’es clearly a way heavier issue your steping around. This wasn’t the BEST the series has done comedy wise but it was fun enough. Alright one more...

Blunder Party:

And we end on another pretty good one. And oddly for this show it’s the only Ronnie Anne focused one of the four. Usually she’s dead center but it seems the series is getting comfortable enough, much like it’s parent show, to ease out of focusing on just one character as the viewpoint and letting the others breathe. Still this was a good un and let’s talk about it.

It’s Party Time and Ronnie and Sid are having a sleepover on the roof. Their first party of a couple.. i’m so proud of by baby gays.. or gabies as I call them. I mean.. yes i’m not subtle with my shipping but they act less like close friends and more like two tiny lebisan awww factories. Anywho the whole crew’s here, which as with a lot of things this episode let’s talk about them: Casey, Nikki and Sameeer were introduced in a loud house I haven’t seen and naturally carried over to the show proper, showing up when Lincoln visted in an episode I will defintely cover at some point, and accepting Ronnie Anne wasn’t a born city kid. They have neat designs, are nicely diverse, and while lthey do need some fleshing out, given that like Lincoln’s own friend team squad they show up in a good chunk of ronnie anne episodes, we got time for that so we’re good. There’s also new addition Laird, the school’s own screech powers, and your standard awkward dork whose not that great. So yes even this group has a waste of a character, though he’s not AS bad as rusty or useless as Liam, just feeling a bit less essentail than Ronnie Anne’s running crew, who match her general vibne, and Sid whose her soulmate.

But as the pizza arrives via Sergio, because he has to be useful at least once, our heroes soon find the party crashed by Great Lakes City’s newest power couple: Carl and Adelaide! Looking like their fucking team rocket. Seriously I had other options for this episode, including bobby sliding around on his back comically, so it says something just how great that iamge is and how fucking gloriously smug yet awesome they look.

The two want to join and even outdo the big kids at stretcing and flinging pizza, but as many little siblings like myself know all too well, the big siblings don’t want you there. I can’t count the number of times I wanted to hang with my brothers friends, but he refused frome lementary all the way up to high school. It was maddening. SO I sympathize with them, but i’ve grown tor ealize grown up kids want to have their own time and fun so I sympathize with both parties: Carl and Addy just want pizza and games and to hang with the big kids and Ronnie Anne and Sid just want to host a party as a couple without watching their siblings.

However Carl forces a compromise.. by using his special mood.. whining loudly and summoning Rosa.. whos eriously just.. teleports behind the kids. I thought only Lucy could do that in this unvierse. Respect.

Rosa however is resonable. While she dosen’t want the kids to be excluded, and it’s understandable and nice of her: The kids just wan’t to feel included and Rosa is resonable enough to say they will have to leave eventually wehn it’s time for bed. A fair compromise. Also i’d wonder why Adelaide is here but I assume the Chang Parents had her come over there, which Rosa being the lovely person she is agreed to. I didn’t get into her above but I do like Rosa a lot as a character as she’s a resonable authority figure.. but liable to slip into her own foibles, and is kind and loving with her family if strong and strict when she needs to lower the boom. Mostly on Hector who i’m amazed survived last episode and getting his own grandson to leave in one piece.

But yeah I mean I can only imagine what’s going on there...

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Also sex obviously, but since I obviously can’t and won’t show you that, have this video to jodeci’s freak n you instead and let your imagination fill the blanks if you want.

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I will use this song any time I can. Anyway, Sid being the peach she is tries to convince Ronnie anne all is not lost. Earlier she used a metaphor saying how they had all the perfect ingredents like a smore, and now adds pizzza.. which ot be fair a pizza smore, but using bagles or something sounds great, but pizza on a smore sounds like my own personal hell.. though Sid likes it so i’ll let it live.. for now. That’s also why Sergio is alive. FOr now.

But even sid has a limit and the power couple soon break those: An attempted scary ghost story session goes bad as they break poor sameer by predicting eveyr story he has even the one the poor kid wings, and he and his prehinsile hair are sad. Cheer up kid at least you can probably go live on Krakoa at some point. Free health care, free housing, living on a giant paradise. Good stuff.

The two then ruin an attempted dance party, which unlike the above which was just bad timing, this time their just obnoxious as addy wnats to ballet, and Carl wants to... put it to his butt whle playing fart noises. Okay for starters.

Secondly if he wanted to do that he could’ve got a cd of Nickleback cheaper and no one would’ve noticed.. then again they might of thought the poor boy had Dihera. Somehow this isn’t the last draw. Nikki, being a real one, holds a gross drink contest which carl spits out on the crowd.. which really WHAT DID YOU ALL EXPECT. This is how those things end. WIth spit up and fury.

Anyways enough is enough, so our ambigiously gay duo hatch a plan and send the little kids on a scavanger hunt. So while the Ronnie’s Running Crew have fun, and spot bobby and his best buddy par and bobby flop on some mangos and slide around on mango juice all episode as a result, the dream team work on getting that list done. From getting one of Hector’s nosehairs to Mr. Nakamura’s faviorite sweatervest (which takes a while) , to Carlota’s diary they do it with flair. Of note is the two having to steal Sergio’s crackes.. and nearly getting murdeered by the parot who seriously looks like he’s about to skin a child.. thankfully when HE does a shining by crashing through the door, he just gets stuck so no child murder tonight. Horay! Well until Carlota finds out her diary missing then this happens.

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But things get dire when the kids think they see the smaller kids get stuck in par’s truck. Thankfully bobby knows where his best friend is at all times, because he’s consdierate and knows where he’s headed next, and the kids end up following him, while Sameer stays behind to distract with his hair puppets since Rosa wants to little ones to go to bed.

Sid and Ronnie anne and co head to the dump , shenagins insue and they think they lost their sibling and cousin.. only to find them, the two having gotten a mango that looks like Vito and won.. and Sid and Ronnie apologizing and admitting their scam. In a nice bit though while Carl gets upset, Addy quickly points out they DID ruin their fun, and crash the party, and Carl begrudingly admits he’s wrong. Again, keep them married show. Carl needs Addy to keep him honest and Addy needs carl to hide the bodies of her enmies. They make a good pair, just like their big sis and cousin.

Anyways, Ronnie Anne and Sid ask to have the kids for just a bit longer to repair them and again this is why I repsect Rosa. She finds out the kids disobeyed her or at least found a loophole but isn’t mad and gets both sides learned from it. Our kidlets get a giant ass smore for their heroic efforrts, Nikki returns Carlota’s diary in secret to avoid their deaths while Sergio is arrested for attempted murder of two minors. A good night all around. Bobby joins in to close out, which isn’t met with any resitance because who dosen’t love bobby, while Hector wakes up to the vito mango and wonders what happened to him.. okay apparently Vito’s been turned into a non-sapient piece of fruit before and I want details show. Final Thoughts Finally: A pretty good one. Carly and Adleadie continue to prove to a hell of a combo, whie the proven dream team of Sid and Ronnie Anne work well off their younger counterparts. It overall leads to a fun episode with lots of great gags.. and also bobby sliding around on his back comically like he’s a goddamn roomba and I am hear for it. Just overally really good stuff and a really fun plot. This really feels like stife of the party done right. Both sides screw up but make up instead of one just getting their way because protaganist. And overall this batch of episodes was really damn good and I look forward to watching the series reguarlly from now on. Until then, just one more day then this blog gets all spooky! SO stay tuned, stay safe and go team venture! Play us out nickleback! WAIT WHY DID i SAY THAT NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOO

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missluthorwillseeyounow · 6 years ago

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Pardonne Mes Lèvres (Clexa FanFic 1/3)

A/N: There are accompanying gifs on AO3

The first time Clarke lays eyes on her, there is no heat in her gaze.

Lust and desire are absent from the curious blue eyes hidden behind pink heart-shaped sunglasses as they take in the other little girl across the pool.

The throbbing need, the delicious current of craving for her that lives just underneath Clarke’s skin – those will come later. For now, hers is a clear gaze – devoid of perverseness or impropriety – as she pretends she’s not studying the young brunette girl as avidly as she’s studying Clarke.

Luminous eyes squint at her in the afternoon sun, and this is how Clarke first meets her – perched on the edge of a swimming pool at Woods Manor, skinny awkward legs kicking up little splashes of water, her wild, curly hair shining bronze in the sunlight, her mouth set, and her eyes wide in their scrutiny.

Lexa Woods

Clarke doesn’t know her, but it was really only a matter of time before they met.

Her mother is Chief of Surgery at one of the hospitals her family owns, and Clarke had been invited – forced – to attend the 12th birthday party of billionaire tycoon Philip Woods’ recently-acknowledged illegitimate daughter.

It wouldn’t hurt to make friends with the girl, her mother says. But Clarke has enough friends and she is wary of this strange, silent creature with piercing eyes.

Clarke sees the other girl – Lexa – rise from the edge of the pool where she had been sitting alone, and instantly, she turns away, busying herself by applying sunscreen on her arms, even though they already have a healthy layer of lotion slathered on them.

She doesn’t see, but Clarke hears the splash on the other end of the pool that tells her that Lexa dove in. A discreet glance confirms this. Lexa is in the water, her gangly arms and legs now coordinating with each other in broad strokes to propel the girl towards Clarke’s side of the pool.

Lexa emerges a few feet away from the deck chair where Clarke is sitting, and without a word, she beckons her forward with the curl of a finger. When Clarke doesn’t respond, Lexa only arches an eyebrow and beckons again.

There’s no escaping it. Surprised, and more than a little hesitant, Clarke unfolds her legs from the deck chair to crouch at the edge of the pool.

As she bends closer, Lexa rises from the water slightly, one hand gripping the lip of the pool, the other reaching out to remove the sunglasses from Clarke’s face – and before she can register her shock or annoyance at the girl’s actions, the polarized filter of lenses is removed, and Clarke is treated to the most vivid pair green eyes she has ever seen in her young life.

Verdite with threads of gold stare back at Clarke, equally mesmerized, and Lexa surprises her yet again.

The other young girl pushes up with both hands now, neck arching slightly, and Clarke finds herself breathless and wide-eyed as Lexa presses a kiss to her lips.

Her first kiss doesn’t last long, and tastes of cherry lip balm, Lexa’s favorite caramel ice cream and chlorine.

Lexa pulls away, but not before she whispers in Clarke’s ear words that she doesn’t understand. “Pardonne mes lèvres. Elles trouvent du joie dans les endroits les plus inattendus.”

And then she’s gone. Splashing once more into the water, leaving Clarke with a single inane thought in her head.

Dammit, why didn’t she take French in school?

....

They don’t meet again for years after that.

School is a busy time for Clarke, and she has had many kisses since the first one stolen from her at a pool party. The taste of illicit alcohol snuck into school dances where tongues met, hands wandered and skirts were hurriedly bunched at the waist, and the tang of forbidden cigarettes smoked under bleachers and passed from mouth to mouth have long overtaken the sweetness of cherry lip balm and party ice cream on her mouth.

It takes a summer in the country to remind her.

It’s at the beginning of this one that she sees Lexa again. At the cusp of seventeen, and, like Clarke, growing into her body and self, the promise of beauty surpassing that which she now possesses shimmering like a heat haze around her youthful figure.

She’s astride a bicycle, weaving aimlessly up and down the lane when Clarke spots her. Earbuds in, Lexa doesn’t hear her approach at first, her plump roseate lips – lips made to be kissed – mouthing words to a song only she can hear.

It’s hot, she’s wearing cut-off shorts that lure Clarke’s gaze to the seemingly endless length of her legs. She rises up for a moment to gain momentum, supple thighs squeezing together just so, legs pumping, and Clarke blinks slowly, mouth going dry.

She knows she’s staring.

“Clarke.”

Somehow, she thinks Lexa doesn’t mind.

....

They talk. About everything.

About Clarke’s dream of med school. About her love of painting and art. About how she never managed to find a happy medium between the two. About the new friends she’s made in school – the impertinent but surprisingly kind Raven, the endearingly annoying and reckless Octavia, and her brother Bellamy, whom she’d thought was a bit of an ass, but actually turned out to be a good guy. About the boys Clarke has kissed. And the girls.

About Lexa’s father and his harsh but firm lessons. About the people she’s met who work for her father – his gruff yet stalwart head of security Gustus Paunovic, his indomitable senior VP of Operations Indra Porter, even her brash yet doggedly loyal cousin Anya Lachman who’s being groomed to become VP of Special Projects, and all the various people under her father’s employ and protection. There’s fondness in Lexa’s voice and fervor in her eyes as she talks about people Clarke doesn’t know, but the way she talks about them, Clarke thinks she might want to.

They talk about Lexa’s stepmother, Nia Quinn, and her son Roan whom she’d been grooming to be the successor to the company. Until Lexa’s father learned of Lexa's existence and brought her into the fold. About Lexa’s half-sister, Ontari, who resents Lexa for taking her place as Philip Woods’ favored daughter.

They talk about Clarke’s mother and the enormous shadow she and her achievements and expectations cast on Clarke. About her father, her favorite person in the world, who holds their family together.

They talk for days.

And one night, Clarke manages to convince Lexa to sneak out of the house and meet her at the lake.

She hides her nervousness behind an brazen smirk and peels off her shirt and shorts. To her right, Clarke hears Lexa gasp when her panties – damp since they’d last seen each other, and soaked now that she’s in Lexa’s presence again – drop casually to the wood of the pier. Her bra is the last to go, and she can see that Lexa’s eyes are practically black in the paleness of her face as Clarke disrobes in front of her completely.

There’s total silence aside from the ambient sounds of nature and the lapping water of the lake. She thinks Lexa may have stopped breathing entirely.

Before she can lose her nerve, Clarke turns and launches herself into the lake, arms and legs unfettered by clothes flailing in abandon as she flies through the air and lands with a splash that finally breaks the silence.

She emerges from the water, slicking her hair back. Lexa is standing at the pier, gaping at her. Clarke grins, arms and legs moving to keep herself afloat. She can almost hear Lexa’s swallow and she knows where the other girl’s gaze is drawn to. After all, Clarke’s been told her tits are perfect more than once.

“What are you afraid of, Lexa?”

Deep verdite green, almost obscured by black, snaps to her face, and Lexa’s eyes narrow.

“I’m not afraid.”

As if to prove this, the other girl starts slipping out of her clothes, careful to hold Clarke’s gaze. She loses it for a moment when Lexa pulls her shirt over her head, but Clarke thinks it’s worth it when skin is revealed in the moonlight and she’s treated to the sight of a toned stomach and small, high breasts that she knows, without even touching them yet, would fit perfectly in the cups of her hands.

This is simultaneously the best and the worst idea she’s ever had.

Lexa’s eyes meet hers again, and Clarke, despite being submerged in water – with some parts of her decidedly more wet than others – suddenly feels parched.

Steady hands slide the cutoff shorts down those long, long legs until they pool at her feet. Slowly, they move to the waistband of her panties – maddeningly slow – and Clarke feels like yelling at her, but that feels too impatient, too much like begging.

When the offending piece of cloth drops and moonlight reflects on the moist, glistening skin between Lexa’s thighs, Clarke’s breath cuts off.

She’s so wet.

Clarke shivers.

Fuck.

For the second time since they met, Lexa dives into the water, swimming toward Clarke. She’s much smoother now, movements having acquired an assured grace that does nothing to return oxygen to Clarke’s brain.

Clarke’s not sure who initiated the kiss this time. Only that she’s so fucking glad they did.

This kiss doesn’t taste of childhood’s flavors and chlorine. This kiss tastes like moonlight on Lexa’s lips, and recklessness on her tongue. It tastes like youthful possibilities on palms that seek, and hunger heedless of consequences on naked skin.

There’s something both earnest and hesitant in the way Lexa kisses her that makes Clarke’s heart hurt and her cunt ache pleasantly, clenching on nothing, overheated even in the water.

”You make me crazy.” she pants wetly into Lexa’s trembling mouth, and she’s rewarded with a shaky laugh bursting from moist lips.

For a moment, it seems like Lexa will say something back, but she shakes her head and instead surges forward, displacing water around them, to press her lips back to Clarke’s, who returns the kiss just as hungrily.

But there’s no traction to be had in the middle of a lake, even for eager young bodies, and after a while the kiss slows, calms, and Lexa pulls away. ‘

At first Clarke thinks she’s heading back to the pier, but she surprises Clarke again by gently twisting her body away so she can float on her back.

The position reveals the full length of Lexa’s body for Clarke to see, and she wets her lips, but manages to find enough restraint when she sees the serenity in Lexa’s face as she gazes up at the starry sky.

God, she’s so beautiful.

Clarke copies her, laying on her back on the lake’s surface. Her hand finds Lexa’s somewhere in the water, and their fingers tangle together.

The stars are bright above them, and around them, the rest of the world is dark. The water partially covers Clarke’s ears, creating a calm, muted rushing near her eardrums, and if she pretends well enough, it’s as if she and Lexa are in a vacuum, a soundless, weightless bubble where nothing else exists but Clarke and Lexa and their hands clasped together.

They stay that way for the rest of the night.

....

The old turntable they found and stole from her father’s study is playing vintage records. Paints and brushes litter the room, and a half-finished portrait of Lexa sits abandoned on the easel.

This time, it’s Clarke who takes something from Lexa.

Something infinitely more than a kiss, she thinks even as their open mouths meet, Lexa’s desperate gasps mingling with Clarke’s own hungry breath. Their clothes are on the floor, the sheets are tangled hopelessly between Clarke’s canting hips and Lexa’s writhing legs.

She can taste Lexa’s inexperience in her lips, but it’s more than matched by her ardor. One of her hands has, after several tries, found Clarke’s clit – she thinks Lexa can be forgiven for that, not just because of her apparent inexperience, but because it feels fucking amazing, especially because Lexa is nothing if not a quick study, and she learns very rapidly how to make Clarke gasp and strain and moan. The other is tangled in her hair, pulling hard – and fuck, if Clarke doesn’t really, really like that.

Lexa’s eyes light up in satisfaction at that, even as her pupils dilate further. There’s something almost resembling a smug huff in her next exhale.

Clarke’s fingers curl inside tight, wet heat in retaliation – God, so tight, clenching madly, painfully sweet around two fingers, and there’s no way anyone else has ever been where Clarke is now.

Carefully, she experiments, changing the angle of her thrusts, varying her speed to gauge Lexa’s reaction with each change – each shattered moan, each sharp intake of breath, each arch of that elegant spine. She’s not loud, not like Clarke knows herself to be – but God, the way her voice breaks over Clarke’s name…

Everything feels like a discovery. Like something new and overwhelming.

Clarke curls her fingers inside, pressing down with her thumb at the same time, and Lexa comes sharply, crying out her orgasm into Clarke’s shoulder, in startled gasping moans.

Clarke’s name is buried somewhere there, in all that incoherence, and they cling to each other to anchor themselves amidst the trembling, violently tender, undiscovered storm that Lexa becomes in her climax.

Clarke quivers in sympathy, but there is no satisfaction, because it’s not an orgasm that makes her feel this way. It’s…. something else. Something she doesn’t know or understand.

Cautiously, she moves Lexa’s hand from her sex, ignoring the clamor of her needy clit and her empty cunt. Lexa, spent from her orgasm, protests weakly but eventually acquiesces when Clarke turns them both to their side and presses close, her fingers drifting over Lexa’s right arm.

This is new.

It feels big. Terrifying.

Intense.

Like Lexa.

For the first time, it feels dangerous. Like it could rip her apart. Like it could ruin her.

It’s too much, too soon. They’re both too young. There’s too much out there to enjoy, too much out there for them to ruin before they ruin themselves.

....

Eventually, summer ends, and so do they.

There was never any other outcome to be expected anyway. They had lived most of their lives apart before all this, and that was the way it would always continue. Like tangent lines barely touching the curve of each other’s lives before continuing their own separate paths beyond each other.

But the ache of guilt in Clarke’s gut refuses to quell, even as she leaves Lexa’s bed for the last time.

She gathers her clothes and the portrait of Lexa that she’d almost finished today before the very subject of that painting came in to distract her. It’s good, she knows it.

Clarke also knows it’ll never be finished.

She takes one last look at Lexa lying on the bed – dark curls spread wild over the pillow, blankets tangled around supple limbs, soft, pretty lips parted slightly in sleep…

Something in Clarke is itching to go back to her. To wake her with a kiss – a proper kiss goodbye that would hurt more than it helped.

The door closes almost soundlessly behind her.

....

Two months later, she sees Lexa again.

This time on the front page of an entertainment tabloid, under the extremely tacky headline: “Lady-Wood! Woods heiress caught on cam with mysterious new lady lover!”

Clarke’s hands are shaking as they practically tear the paper open to see the pictures, obviously taken with a telephoto lens, of Lexa kissing a beautiful young woman the rag had identified only as ‘Costia’.

Her first thought that there’s certainly nothing hesitant about the way Lexa is kissing this girl, and Clarke immediately winces at the petty bitterness she’s not supposed to be feeling.

Her second thought is that God, Lexa looks good. Also another thing she should not be thinking….

Her salvation comes in the form of one Raven Reyes.

“Clarke!” A shrill wolf-whistle echoes sharply down the block, causing a multitude of pedestrians to turn and stare at the short brunette in front of the club, waving to get Clarke’s attention. “Yo, Griff! Ready to get laid tonight?”

Any other time, she would have told Raven to keep her voice down, for fuck’s sake. But tonight…. Tonight, she’s determined to forget about verdite eyes and tabloids and photographed kisses that don’t belong to her.

Clarke snaps the paper shut and reaches into her pocket for her fake ID. She gives Raven and the bouncer a wolfish grin.

“Absolutely.”

_________

By SorrowsFlower

Title and the pool scene are from the film, A Good Year. Also, I don’t speak French, so please feel free to correct me.

Thoughts? I’d love some feedback.

#Clexaweek2019 #Day2 #NoStringsAttached #clexa #clarke griffin #lexa woods #alycia debnam carey #eliza taylor #clexa au #clexa fanfic

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taylorxdebnam · 7 years ago

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Step Mom AU

Chapter 1

Ask me what I’m thinking about I’ll tell you that I’m thinking about Whatever you’re thinking about

„Daddy Issues“ - The Neighbourhood

She was late and it was easy to say, it‘s her boss’s entire fault. He was a dick anyways, so why not just pretend to blame him. But she could see it on his face; he was about to complain. She forgot the damn papers for the Azgeda deal. She was supposed to fill them and bring them to her boss, but she was so lost in thoughts about this day, that she forgot the damn papers and now she was too late. It wasn‘t helping either.

There wasn‘t enough time to change her outfit. Not that her work clothes weren‘t appealing for this restaurant, but she wasn‘t really comfortable. Her blazer and shirt looked too much like business and the shoes she was wearing were killing her feet.

She was about to get to know her boyfriends second daughter and she was really nervous about it. She already met Anya, his first daughter and felt comfortable around her.

But Anya wasn‘t that much younger than Clarke herself. The girl already had a job, an apartment, and a life of her own.

Now that she thought about it, Anya kind of reminded her of Raven, Clarke’s best friend. They both were sarcastic assholes, but if you need one of them, they were the first who would come and help.

She was walking fast and could finally see the restaurant and when she opened the door, she immediately saw them. The girls’ backs were to her, but Rick, her boyfriend, was smiling and waving at her. She was so happy to call him hers, even though her mother was against it. “Isn‘t he too old for you?” she hears Abby’s voice in her head. But Clarke didn‘t care. She loved Rick and in one month she will move into his house.

That was the point of this dinner. They had been together for one year and six months and they thought it was time to finally move in with each other. It was way too complicated; because he was either at work and had to go home because he didn’t want to leave his youngest daughter home alone or Clarke was working to long.

Clarke knew Anya but not Lexa.

Lexa, who was sixteen years old and lived with Rick.

Lexa, who would be living under the same roof as Clarke in just four weeks.

Rick told her that the girl loved her mother and wasn‘t really over her death yet. But he also assured her that Lexa would accept Clarke and she hoped he was right.

Anya turned around and waved at her, but the younger girl didn‘t look at Clarke. All Clarke could see was a brown mane. She sat at the opposite of Lexa, but the girl refused to look at her and turned her attention at her phone instead. Clarke tried to ignore the nerves in her stomach and leaned over to kiss Rick.

Lexa hated this. Every second with this woman, who she refused to acknowledge as step-mom, made her angrier. What was her dad thinking? Just after three years of he and her mom divorcing and only one year after her death, he comes with this new young woman. Like it was that easy to forget her. It made her blood boil. The blonde was probably only with her dad for the money. Lexa wished that bitch would just leave, but of course her dad had other plans.

Soon, she’d have to live in the same house as this woman.

Lexa had refused to greet the blonde; she didn‘t have any reason to. Instead she was texting Echo, her best friend, who was at a party. Lexa would rather go to a million awful high school parties than have to pretend to be nice to… this woman.

She didn‘t even know the name of her Dads girlfriend, and when her father talked about her, she never listened. And he kind of talked a lot of her, how amazing she is, how kind and lovely. Bleh. Gross.

She couldn‘t believe that Anya even liked her; Anya never liked anyone! Her sister was this kind of person who hated everyone. Needless to say that she felt beyond betrayed by how accepting Anya was.

Her dad was glaring at her; she could feel it. She ignored his blatant staring, she wasn‘t ready to look up and face the woman in front of her.

“Lexa,” her dad said in a warning tone, but she just wasn‘t ready. She couldn‘t believe her farther just moved on like that, having this young bitch as his girlfriend for over a year now and letting her move in without asking Lexa, while she still cries herself to sleep, over her moms passing.

He should’ve known she wouldn’t be happy. Lexa knows all too well how she shouted her frustrations through the house when he told her his girlfriend would move in. He just said it, like it was nothing. Like they would get a dog or a cat. In the end she slammed the front door shut and slept at Echo’s place, leaving him behind.

Anya kicked Lexas’ leg, giving her a look. Lexa hissed in pain, subtly leaning down to rub the spot her sister assaulted her in. Of course her sister wanted her to behave; Anya supposedly liked this woman. Once, when she called her asking for a ride home, Anya told her that she was out with their dads’ girlfriend, drinking or something. Lexa just hung up halfway through, not wanting to hear nor caring.

The waiter approached their table and for the first time she was forced to look at the woman. Her blond hair fell easily on her shoulders and her eyes looked curious back at her. She had really beautiful eyes, Lexa had to admit that. They were a perfect shade of blue. A small shy smile was on the blondes face and Lexa rolled her eyes. She was so focused on the woman, that she totally forgot the waiter. Both were too focused on staring the other down.

“Lexa, your order.” Anya said and poked her arm. She broke the eye contact with her dads’ girlfriend and turned to the waiter.

Clarke couldn’t stop herself from wondering what Lexa’s problem was. Of course she knew how hard it is to go through losing a parent, she had firsthand experience. Her dad died when she was seventeen years old and it was the most difficult time in her life. The pain was too hard to bear with, it was eating her alive and killing her slowly. It was hard for both her mother and herself, and if they didn’t have each other Clarke wasn’t sure where she’d be right now.

But Lexa’s parents were divorced for three years, and this girls’ mother was pretty problematic from what Clarke was told. And Clarke and Rick were already together, when Mary Woods died. However, even though they were together over a year by now, Clarke never met Lexa before. She knows from being told by both Rick and Anya, that the youngest daughter is a little bit difficult.

Maybe “a little bit” is being too nice. Clarke had too much hope with Lexa from how she had gotten along with Anya. They went out together sometimes, she considered Anya a friend and not a “step-daughter.” Anya even got along with Clarke’s friends, especially with her best friend Raven. She wished she could get along with Lexa especially since she is about to move into the same house.

It wasn’t in Clarke’s intention to replace her mother and they don’t need to be friends, but Lexa doesn’t even try to be civil towards her. How awkward will it be living in a house with someone who hates you? After the waiter disappeared, the girl was shooting death glares at her. She could feel the tension, the anger, and even some confusion from the younger girl. It felt like Lexa was trying to read her or possibly find a reason to spit in her face.

But it didn’t matter anymore, when Rick put his hand on her knee and squeezed it. He was good at calming her down. She relaxed immediately, leaned over and kissed him.

Lexa hated how her dad touched this woman and how he looked at her, like she was a damn angel or that the sun shined out of her ass. How she drew attention with her golden hair, her bright smile and her light blue eyes, which could warm every heart. Lexa couldn’t hold back an eye roll.

At some point the other three decided to ignore Lexa and the brunette was surprisingly happy about that.

It was Friday and she had by far better plans than this stupid dinner. Echo’s party for example would be a better place, there she could hang out with friends or flirt with some girls.

“Get to know Clarke, you will like her,” she heard her Dad saying to her. Lexa didn’t know how to politely tell him she would rather choke to death on her meal.

The waiter brought their food and Lexa immediately started eating. Maybe when she finished eating, she could go hang out with friends and drink until she forgot this stupid dinner.

“Lexa?” her dad calls and she glances up from her plate at him, annoyed. “How was school?” she swallowed her food and mumbled a “fine.” She was quiet for the rest of the evening.

______________

thank you @aphrodites for proof reading!

#SMAU IS HERE #PREPARE YOUR LOCAL PRIEST #submission

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cutthecrxp · 7 years ago

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a kiss with a fist is better than none || oneshot

Over the past few months, Rita had become a little too comfortable in Cherry Grove. After she, Artie, and the rest of Foland's gang had been forced to hide out in the small town, in some lazy bid to save Foland's ass from Sikes, she'd been secretly relieved. While she knew Artie's stance on the whole deal, and how much he despised Foland and the whole prospect of running and hiding, she'd found a strange sense of solace in the town.

She hadn't ever told Artie the truth about Derek, and all the ways in which he'd hurt her. Every so often she'd show up with a new bruise on her face, or a broken rib or two, and she'd laugh the whole ordeal off, shrugging and giving some vague, half-assed story about a job gone wrong. It wasn't hard to believe, especially given the amount of fights and scuffles she and her best friend so often found themselves in, but he'd been starting to get a little suspicious. He'd made various, playful jibes about how she needed to be on her A game, and that it wasn't like Rita, of all people, to lose the upper hand in a fight. Still, she couldn't tell him the truth, and so she let him believe her reflexes had gotten a little slack, even if it wasn't doing great things for her own credibility as far as Foland was concerned.

After a short while in Cherry Grove, and her first run in with Livvy, she'd somehow managed to solidify a lie she was no longer even telling. Being caught out by the British wannabe-detective had been a bit of a blow to her confidence, but she'd tried to remain tall (or, rather, as tall as 5'4” would allow). Plus, it kind of helped that Livvy was cute, and had impressed her. She'd found herself weirdly endeared to the other guy over the past few months, developing potentially the weirdest crush of her life. Rita was a flirter, it was her thing. She'd flirted with Artie when she'd first met him, and on occasion still did, and she thrived off of the flustered look on people's faces when she complimented them. She enjoyed it, she loved the blush that coloured their cheeks, and she loved the idea that it was her that had managed to put it there. Even when it lead to nothing, and just a bit of light teasing, it made her feel good, and was a fun outlet for her own feelings. She didn't flirt with Livvy, though. There was something about her that told Rita to play it cool, certain that she probably wouldn't pick up on it if she tried (hell, she'd seen her with Milo, and despite the brains on that girl, she seemed entirely oblivious to the way her best friend looked at her).

Still, Livvy – and her own strange concoction of feelings that she'd buried deep – aside, there seemed to be plenty of reasons to wanna stick around the small town. In all honesty, Rita would be content anywhere she had Artie by her side, so she didn't really have it in her to be picky, but there were a lot of other perks too. There was Marie, for one. Sure, Rita wasn't sure how she felt about that girl either – she really needed to stop developing crushes on girls who, in Livvy's case, weren't interested and, in Marie's case, weren't even into girls – but she couldn't deny she enjoyed her company. She was gorgeous, and while she was the exact opposite of everything Rita usually stood for, she knew that she had a lot of heart.

So between two messy crushes that were playing tricks on her mind like she couldn't possibly wrap her head around, and all the friends she'd somehow managed to make over her time in Cherry Grove, she'd grown a little more attached than intended. There was Jack, who was hot as shit and great in bed, not to mention someone she considered a pretty good buddy. She and Artie had Oliver now, who she'd inadvertently taken under her wing and adopted as a brother, of sorts. And with Ron, Anya, Megan, Dimitri, and – dare she admit it? – Dizzi, as well as way too many others, having somehow managed to land themselves in her affections (though, whether she had any affection whatsoever for Dizzi was questionable, at the very least), she was annoyed with herself. She'd always had Artie, and then she'd met Violet and, in all honesty, that was all she'd ever needed. She always grew attachments, to people and places, and it always worked against her favour, her world crashing down around her and reminding her that she was better off alone.

And so, she was comfortable. Too comfortable. Cherry Grove had become something of a home for her, and a home was something she'd never had before, a sense of community. The closest to home she'd ever gotten before was a bench in Central Park with Artie at four in the morning, with pizza that they'd managed to swipe off of the back of a bike, and sodas that they'd scraped enough money together to actually buy.

Sighing to herself as she thought about every little decision that had driven her to where she was now, Rita frowned. She inwardly cursed her biological parents, whoever they might be, and every single care home and foster parent she'd endured, every boyfriend and girlfriend, every shitty teacher who had written her off. She hated them, all of them, for putting her in the position she was in. It had to be their fault, right? She couldn't think who else to blame, really, and she needed someone to blame. She'd spent her whole entire life quirking a brow and being hesitant of everyone that she ever met, any semblance of kindness offered her way was sugar coated in her own scepticism. She'd grown so accustomed to being fucked over that the prospect of people actually caring, and wanting her in their life, was a foreign one entirely. She wanted to be happy, to enjoy her new friends, her new life, and – though the thought of admitting it to anyone, especially Artie – to get out from underneath Foland's thumb, to actually do something worthwhile with her life. She had no qualifications or skills, she knew she wasn't shit, and that it was an empty dream, but was it really such a terrible thought?

Throwing herself down onto her bed – it was lumpy, and there wasn't enough space for her to have it all to herself, but it was better than nothing – Rita grabbed her laptop, lifting the lid and loading up her blog. She'd never had a blog before, and felt a little silly, juvenile even, for finding so much enjoyment out of it. It allowed her to let her guard down a little connect with strangers, and talk to people from around town. The laptop had been one of the only items she'd had with her when arriving in Cherry Grove, having stolen it from some high and mighty business man in a suit that made him look like Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (a movie she'd only even heard of thanks to Scott), but it had come in handy lately especially.

When the page to her blog finally loaded – the laptop might've been expensive, it didn't make up for the wifi she was trying to siphon from the bistro across the street – her interest piqued. She had a message. Pushing back all thoughts from before, she took a deep breath. She couldn't keep focusing on the how and the why, and whether or not her newfound friends were going to let her down some day, or if she was going to disappoint them. It was all inevitable, but she couldn't go through life living in fear.

Humming to herself, she wondered who could've been messaging her, and her finger hovered over the message and clicked it.

Rita's stomach heart plummeted in her chest as she stared at her screen.

The icon, the name, the url. All of it, it sent her mind into overdrive. Her vision was blurring as she tried to make sense of it, her hands shaking as she angrily slammed the laptop shut, shoving it as far away from her as possible.

There was no mistaking it. She'd seen his name, clear as day. Derek Loft, his icon clarifying her worst fears. His face had stared back at her, his features pulled into that same smug, hungry look he always wore, that same smirk he'd always worn especially for her. She'd seen it more times than she could keep count of, each time accompanied by another slap across the jaw, or kick to the ribs, or a hand to her throat. She recalled the last time he'd seen her, the look of pride he had worn as he'd snarled at her, his face inches from her own, his hand pressed to her stomach as he held her in place, backing her up against the wall. He'd told her that she could never leave him, and that if she dared bring the police into things, or Artie, that he'd make her pay.

Rita liked to think of herself as formidable, someone that wasn't to be messed with, but she'd never quite believed her own lie. She'd always quaked in fear if she so much as heard someone talk about McDreamy from their favourite tv show, the name Derek sending a jolt of terror through her that she'd never been able to put into words. She had the same, senseless triggers that linked her to countless people from her past, only she'd never thought about any of them finding her.

His message had read: “I hear Cherry Grove's pretty nice around this time of the year huh, Reets? See ya soon.”

#oneshot;#cw: abuse #ooc: this is literally Not Good

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cait-snow · 8 years ago

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Infinity

Part Three: Land

Pairing: Raven x Octavia Words: 4,610 Ch. Summary: There, in Raven’s arms, Octavia was home.

read on ao3

The first time Raven saw her on the ground, she barely recognized her. Her hair was braided back, her skin was covered in dirt and black paint. She wasn’t wearing the lockup uniform anymore; she was wearing black on black with leather boots. How Octavia got them, Raven had no idea. In her hand was a machete. Raven could have sworn that she saw blood splatter on Octavia’s gloved hands, but she wasn’t sure. The only things that were the same were her eyes, bright and beautiful, and her smile, wide and eager.

“Raven,” Her name fell from Octavia’s lips in a barely-whisper.

Raven smiled, eyes just as wide as Octavia’s. “Octavia,” She whispered back breathlessly, heart hammering in her chest because what was she supposed to do?

Miraculously, she made it to earth.

Impossibly, she survived the landing.

And now, now, she was standing in front of the girl she never thought she would see again, and she was real and she was there, and Raven had gone through millions of scenarios like this before in daydreams, but now that it was happening she had no idea what to do.

So, Octavia moved first. Nearly leaping in the air, she collided into Raven with such force, it nearly knocked the girl off her feet. Instantly, Raven locked her arms around Octavia, holding her tightly against her in fear that if she left go she’d disappear and this would all be some sick dream. Octavia held Raven just as tightly, burying her face in the crook of her neck and inhaling deeply. Engine oil and the faint scent of sweet grass filled her nostrils, and while it was a strange mix, it was home.

There, in Raven’s arms, Octavia was home.

They pulled away too soon, though, because a blonde girl Raven recognized as Clarke Griffin began asking a million questions. “Did my mom send you? Is she okay?” Her voice was anxious, begging yet scared for answers.

Raven nodded. “She was okay when I left. Now,” She trailed off, shrugging and looking at the grass. “I don’t know.”

“We can’t get in touch with the Ark.” Clarke went on, trying to not think about the possible fate of her mother.

“I know, that’s why I’m here.” Raven looked to the pod, then back at Clarke. “Abby sent me so that I could fix the radio.”

The blonde exhaled in mild relief. “Good, okay.” Clarke smiled despite the worry for her mother gnawing away at her. She wouldn’t get the answers now; she needed to keep busy. She turned to inspect the contents of the pod, then looked back to Raven. “Hey, Raven,” There was hesitation in her voice, like she didn’t exactly know what to say to the girl who just fell from the sky in a ball of fire. Raven kept her eyes on the blonde, waiting for her to continue. Finally, Clarke sighed and said, “It’s really good to see you.”

Raven half smiled. “Yeah, it’s good to see you, too.” They hadn’t been friends back on the Ark, in fact, Raven actually kind of hated her. For no other reason other than she seemed to have everything: perfect family, perfect friends, perfect life. But after Clarke’s dad got Floated and Clarke was arrested for treason, Raven saw the truth: Clarke wasn’t perfect, her life wasn’t perfect, and neither was her family; in fact, it was all kind of fucked up. She didn’t hate her after that, she disliked the fact that she had hated her at all, but Raven wasn’t first in line to become her friend, either.

“Come on,” Octavia grabbed Raven’s hand, locking their fingers together. “Finn is going to shit himself when he sees you.” She said, grinning widely and beginning to lead Raven back towards camp.

“Get the radio from the pod, okay Clarke?” Raven called over her shoulder.

“Got it.” Clarke called back, and then the two girls disappeared through the vast trees, Octavia leading the way, never removing her hand from Raven’s and Raven couldn’t stop the intense fluttering of her heart. Because she was there, there on the ground with Octavia, with the girl she loved.

She was alive, she was real.

“They’re so small from down here.” Raven mumbled in awe. She was currently laid out on her back, under the bright starry night sky with Octavia lying close beside her. She hadn’t left her side at all that day, not even when Raven had her reunion with Finn. No matter where she turned, Octavia was there, glued to her hip. Any other time, with someone else, Raven would have found it annoying, but this wasn’t any time and this wasn’t just some person; it was Octavia—Raven could never get tired of her.

Octavia nodded in agreement. “Three-hundred-years of living in space, of artificial light and recycled oxygen, and we’re finally here. We’re free.”

Raven looked over at her. “How did you all survive for a month?” She questioned. It’d been eating away at her, wanting to know how it was possible. How they all functioned together, how they built a little, thriving village from a broken down dropship, how they hadn’t killed each other the first chance they got.

Octavia shrugged a shoulder, not looking at the girl. “Not all of us did. Things were rough for a few weeks. But, once Bellamy got the stick out of his ass and actually listened to what others had to say—namely Clarke—things were better.”

“I still haven’t said one word to Bellamy.” Raven tried to keep the disdain from her voice, but it was a poor attempt.

Octavia looked at her then, reached out and lightly stroked her shoulder. “He didn’t want to leave you out of the plan.”

“Then why did he?” Raven asked, her voice a mixture of hurt and rage.

“Because I asked him to.” Octavia replied easily.

Raven sat up on her elbows, brows furrowed and forehead creased in confusion. “Why the hell would you do that?”

Octavia sighed and sat up beside her, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Because I knew the risks. I knew that if he got caught before getting onto the dropship then you both would… Bellamy and I both agreed, in the end, that you should have a life.”

Raven instinctively reached out and grabbed Octavia’s hand, squeezing. “You are my life. When I heard about Jaha getting shot, and then Bellamy disappeared and you were gone…it was like a hole had been carved out of me, Octavia.” Her voice cracked towards the end of her sentence and she felt her eyes stinging. She used her free hand to pinch the bridge of her nose to keep the tears at bay.

“I’m sorry.” Came Octavia’s soft reply, removing her hand from under Raven’s and putting it on top of hers, gripping it tightly. “I just didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

Something between a laugh and a whine escaped Raven’s throat. “I never thought I would see you again.” She nearly cried.

“Neither did I. Then you fell from the sky like a damn shooting star. I actually thought it was a shooting star. I even made a wish.” Through the light of the moon and stars, Raven noticed a little blush dance across Octavia’s cheeks.

“What did you wish for?” She asked, her heart thumping so loud she could hear it echo in her ears.

“That I could see you again.” Octavia said softly.

“Your wish came true.” Raven said, and god her heart was beating like crazy, she was surprised she hadn’t started hyperventilating. She was only talking to her, just talking, nothing else, and yet she felt like she was floating. Just being there, next to the girl she loved, it was more than she could have hoped for considering how stacked the odds had been against them.

Octavia smiled but it quickly faded and she ducked her head down, hiding it from Raven’s sight. She wiped her eyes before looking back up at the girl and saying, “I don’t know what I would have done if…” Octavia trailed off, her voice strangled by the lump forming in her throat.

Raven moved closer to her, gently cupping the girl’s cheek. “Hey,” She said softly, holding her head to the side as she gazed at the girl she loved. She wanted nothing more than to pull Octavia against her and kiss her, to reassure her that she wasn’t going anywhere, not ever again. But she didn’t. Instead, she kept her hand on Octavia’s cheek and said, “You don’t have to think about that. I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

Octavia opened her eyes and smiled sadly. “We’re in a war with the Grounders.”

Raven nodded, moving her hand down from Octavia’s cheek to her shoulder, where she pulled her against her against her side. “The people who survived the radiation.”

Octavia lead her head against Raven’s shoulder and nodded. “I’ll tell you everything about it tomorrow, right now, I just want to sit here, with you.”

“Then we’ll sit.” Raven said, tightening her hold around the girl.

It was peaceful, just the two of them, surrounded by the trees and the stars and the comfortable silence of two girls who loved each other. Raven didn’t want it to end.

It was an awful thing, having your heart broken. Raven thought it was worse than death—because when you’re dead you’re gone and you felt nothing and everything was dark. But when you’re alive and you’re shattered at every edge, you still had to breathe even though you’re practically suffocating and you still had to function even though you felt like you were about to combust. Everything was a grey haze; everything was a thick mist she couldn’t find her way out of.

And worst of all, she had to act like it was fine; she had to appear put together. She had to continue to pretend that she wasn’t breaking on the inside. Breathe, smile, repeat.

It was a vicious cycle she couldn’t bend or else everything would be ruined. But maybe everything already was.

“Sorry, O, but I can’t go.” Raven said a few days later, hunched over her work table, avoiding looking at the girl standing at her tent opening. The day before, Octavia had asked if Raven wanted to go with her and Clarke to meet with Lincoln, to try to figure out their next move against Anya and her clan. Raven agreed, of course, because she knew how badly Octavia wanted her to meet her him. But now, the morning they were leaving, Raven couldn’t fathom standing in the same proximity as him. Nothing against him, she just couldn’t fucking do it.

Because Octavia wasn’t just asking Raven to meet with a Grounder, she was asking her to meet her boyfriend. A peaceful Grounder. A beautiful man. The man Octavia had, much to Raven’s utter dismay, fallen in love with.

She didn’t know which was worse, that Octavia was in love with a Grounder, or that Octavia was in love and it wasn’t with her.

“Are you sure?” Octavia asked, disappointment lacing her tone.

Raven squeezed her eyes shut, hating that she was letting her down. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I have to get the radio working as soon as possible.” She held her breath. It wasn’t a lie, not technically, but it wasn’t the truth of course; there was no way in hell she was telling Octavia the truth.

Octavia bit her lip, shrugging, though Raven couldn’t see. “It’s okay. I get it.”

Raven turned towards her as she walked out and said lamely, “Tell Lincoln I said hey.”

“I will. Be back tonight.” Octavia said back, not looking at her.

Sighing silently, she turned back to her work and mumbled, “Be careful.”

“Always.” And she was gone, zipping the tent shut behind her.

“Why didn’t you go with her?” Bellamy’s deep voice carried through her tent and the last thing she wanted to do in that moment was have a conversation with him. Especially about that.

Raven snorted from her seat at the table. “‘Oh, Raven, it’s so good to see you. I’m so glad you didn’t crash and die. You’re going to save us all with that brilliant mind of yours.’ Thanks for leaving me out of the plan, by the way.”

“It was Octavia’s idea.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“One that you agreed with.” She said in a clipped tone.

“Well, yeah.” He shrugged, crossing his arms. He was waiting for her to turn to him, to at least acknowledge that he was there, but she didn’t. Glaring slightly, Bellamy walked farther into the tent and said, “Raven, you were needed on the Ark. You weren’t…you weren’t expendable.”

“Neither were you!” She exclaimed, finally whipping around towards the man, gripping the wrench tightly in her hand to keep from punching the table, or Bellamy’s face, whichever came first. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly through her nose, took a few moments to collect herself, then said calmly, “And neither was Octavia. You should have let me help.”

“I’m sorry.” He said sincerely.

“Wow,” Her voice was flat as she turned back to the radio in front of her.

Bellamy raised his brows. “What?”

“I think that’s the first time you’ve ever apologized for something.” She tried to keep her words harsh but there was no hiding the smile in her voice.

“Shut up.” He grinned.

A moment of silence, and then she turned back towards him and asked, “Are you really going to let her go see a Grounder?” She cringed slightly from the venom in her voice. There was no way it went unrecognized.

Bellamy raised his eyebrows in question, then crossed his arms and smirked once he realized the reasoning behind the tone of her voice. Raven arched her brows, waiting for him to speak. “You’re jealous.” He stated in amusement.

Raven laughed forcefully. “I don’t get jealous.”

He rolled his eyes. “Raven, you get jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.” She scoffed, turning back to the metal, hoping that Bellamy would get the picture that she wanted the conversation to end and needed to get back to work.

Either he didn’t get it or he didn’t care, because instead of leaving Bellamy walked around to the other side of the table so he was standing in front of her. Raven fought herself to keep her eyes trained on the metal parts and tools on her table. “Why are you jealous?” He questioned, his arms still crossed. He was rocking back on his heels and Raven knew when she looked up she would see that boyish smile spread over his face.

Raven looked up at him, scowling. That stupid smile. “Bellamy, I’m trying to work.” She motioned to all the stuff on her table, desperate for him to go away. If he kept probing, then he was going to find out, and that was something Raven did not want to happen. It was bad enough that Finn knew she was in love with Octavia, but for Bellamy to know? She’d rather die.

“Raven,” He pressed.

Her fist tightened around the heavy wrench again. “If you don’t get out of here, then I’m going to beat you with a wrench.” She threatened through a clenched jaw.

The man smirked, daring her. “No you won’t.” He taunted.

Sighing, Raven mumbled, “Just go away, Bellamy.” Her voice was soft, tired of fighting. She just wanted to be alone, she wanted to be in silence.

And without another word, he did. Raven sat alone in her tent, bent over her work table, eyes squeezed shut. She inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, then opened her eyes and got back to work. But the thought of Octavia with Lincoln wouldn’t go away.

Later that night, in an attempt to forget everything, Raven sat against a tree that oversaw the camp, a half empty canteen of Monty’s Moonshine in her hand. She wanted to numb everything—every thought of Octavia with him, every thought of getting communication with the Ark, every thought of possibly dying in a war against the Grounders—Raven wanted to erase everything and just…emerge herself into the bliss of nothingness.

But of course, the universe had other plans, as it usually did when it came to her.

“Drowning your sorrows?” Finn asked, plopping himself down beside her.

“I have no sorrows to drown.” She bit back harshly, then brought the canteen to her lips and took a large gulp. The liquid stung as it went down, but the pain was welcomed.

Finn rolled his eyes, leaning back against. “Sure.” He uttered under his breath.

She side eyed him, eyes narrow slits, “What’s that tone?”

He shook his head and shrugged innocently. “What tone?”

“You have a tone.” She sat up, continuing to glare at the boy.

“No, I don’t.” Finn clasped his hands behind his head, propping his foot on his knee and swinging it through the air.

Raven grumbled some curse words under her breath and leaned back against the scratchy tree again. “Sure,” She muttered, drawing the word out.

He arched a brow, looking at her in amusement. “Now you’re the one with the tone.” He jabbed playfully.

She kicked his foot off his knee and took a few more gulps of the moonshine. “You can leave.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then shut up.”

Finn gave up for the moment. He held his hand out, making a grabby gesture for the canteen. Raven took another greedy gulp before handing it over. Finn sipped it gingerly, which caused Raven’s annoyance to rise. Usually she was a fun drunk, but tonight she was bitter and angry. She wanted to drown in the moonshine, to chug the bitter liquid until it numbed her completely, or until she died from alcohol poisoning. Whichever came first.

“Is it about Octavia?” Finn asked after a few moments. He was leaning towards her and his voice was low in case any of the other delinquents were trying to eaves drop.

Raven stayed silent, arms propped on her knees as she stared forward at nothing in particular. Around them, the teenagers were laughing and talking in front of the large bon fire Bellamy and Murphy had built. Even Clarke was having fun. Raven wished she could join them. She wished she could forget the past few days. She wished she could erase her feelings all together, that she could become an emotionless robot instead of suffering like this.

Her life wasn’t over, she knew that, but goddamn it, it felt as if it was.

“She has a fucking boyfriend.” She finally answered, her voice void of emotion.

Finn nodded slowly. “Lincoln, yeah.”

“Lincoln,” Raven repeated his name, enunciating each letter. She didn’t know him. Didn’t want to know him. By default, she hated him.

“He’s…not that bad.” Finn said carefully, afraid to say the wrong thing and cause Raven to become even more distraught than what she already was. And she was extremely distraught, the most he’d ever seen her. She wasn’t even this upset when her mother got Floated—granted, Raven had a very negative relationship with the woman, so maybe that wasn’t a good comparison on his part. Bottom line, Finn had never seen Raven like this before; she had it together, she always had it together. So to see her like this, to see her as defeated as she was, well, it broke his damn heart.

Raven snorted and grabbed the canteen back. “Of course he’s not.” She chugged the rest of the moonshine, ignoring the searing pain as it trickled down her throat and burned into her stomach.

Finn placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”

She shrugged him off, grumbling, “Fucking peachy.”

“I’m here if you want to talk about it.” He offered, though he knew she already knew that. He’d always be there for her; that’s just how it was.

Raven slumped her shoulders and said, her voice small and low, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He nodded in understanding. “I know. I’m just saying, I’m here if you do.”

She looked up at him, her lips quirked up in a pitiful smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re in love with her.” Bellamy stated a few days later. He was leaning against the opening of her tent while she worked over her table. She didn’t turn to him, but he could tell by how her body straightened that he was right. He’d known for a while, truthfully, he just never said anything about it. He was hoping Raven would tell him. Would trust him enough to tell him.

And maybe she was going to tell him eventually, but he couldn’t take watching her sulk around camp anymore. Or see how her face fell whenever Octavia mentioned Lincoln. Raven was like—no, she was—his second sister, and it hurt him to see her in pain, even if it was emotional. Especially if it was emotional.

Finally, Raven looked up at him. They silently stared at each other for a few moments, just staring at each other until Raven heaved a sigh and turned back to her work. “She’s in love with Lincoln.” She finally murmured, defeated and tired.

Bellamy felt his heart break.

The worst part about everything was that she liked Lincoln. When she finally met him (she couldn’t avoid it forever, stars be damned), she found herself liking him. He was a good man, and he made Octavia smile. It’d been so long since Raven had seen her light up like that—the first time was when she went to see her in that tiny apartment in the Ark. She tried to hate him, she really did, but there was nothing about him to hate.

Octavia loved him.

Raven would like him despite herself.

The radio finally worked, and they were able to communicate with the Ark. The adults helped them survive, while the kids helped them find a solution. They wouldn’t talk about it much, but the Ark was still dying, and they were running out of time.

The sun was shining the day Anya and her Grounders attacked.

They had two days to prepare, but it wasn’t enough.

“Holy—fuck!” Raven’s voice echoed through the room as she fell to the hard floor, landing on her stomach and rolling to the side. She groaned, pressing her hand on the left side of her lower back, and when she brought her palm to her face. She saw dark crimson. “You shot me!” She shouted, too shocked to be pissed.

He looked at her, eyes as big as the moon and he placed the gun on the ground. “It’s not like I meant to.” Murphy shot back, moving towards her to help her up. It was true; he may have an asshole, but Murphy wasn’t completely heartless. The safety was off as he was reloading the gun, which, yeah, he should have checked, but he didn’t and yes, that was his fault, but he didn’t mean to shoot Raven.

Raven shook her head and swatted him away. “Don’t touch me. You might kill me this time.”

“Then what do you want me to do?” He was in a panic. If Raven died, then he was dead. Hell, he was probably already dead because Bellamy was going to kill him when he found out. Bellamy, Octavia, Finn, and Clarke. Finn and Clarke he wasn’t scared of. But machine gun wielding Bellamy and machete swinging Octavia? Yeah, he would admit to being afraid of them. Especially when it came to a hurt Raven.

She gritted her teeth, using all the willpower she had to not scream her lungs out. She’d never felt this amount of pain before. Sheer agony rippled through her like a river, spreading all throughout her body, but resonating in that specific spot on her left side of her lower back. “Go get Bellamy or Clarke or Finn or Octavia.” She finally got out, breathless and panting.

“Which one?” He asked, his voice elevated in panic. Raven was sure that was the first time she ever heard him genuinely scared.

“Whichever!” She snapped, flinging her hand through the air towards the door. Murphy said nothing as he raced from the dropship. Once he was gone, Raven let a slew of curse words pour from her mouth as she laid back on the cool metal. She was going to kill him; when she had the strength, she was going to kill that son of a bitch.

“You shot her?” Bellamy asked incredulously, looking towards Murphy as he was bent down beside Raven. He was the first to rush into the dropship, and when he saw her lying in a pool of blood, not moving, he nearly passed out. She’d groaned in pain, which relieved him slightly, and he helped her sit up against the wall of the ship. Clarke and Finn were right behind him, both wide eyed at the sight before them.

“I didn’t mean to!” Murphy shouted in defense.

Raven put her hand on Bellamy’s arm to somewhat calm him. “It’s true, Bellamy. As much as I would like you to beat Murphy’s ass, he didn’t mean to.”

“What do you need?” Clarke asked.

Raven shook her head and tried to sit up, but was met with searing pain. She grunted, biting her tongue as she sat back against the wall. “There’s no time; we have to rig the dropship to blow before the Grounders kill us.”

“Raven, you have a bullet in your back.” Bellamy said as if she didn’t know.

She rolled her eyes. “And if we survive this attack then Clarke can take it out. Until then, we have more important things to do.” That’s when she realized someone was missing. Looking up at Bellamy, she asked with worried eyes, “Where’s Octavia?”

“Guarding the perimeter with the others.” Bellamy explained, then kissed Raven on top of the head and stood, backing towards the door. “Finn and I are going back out there.”

Raven nodded. “Be careful, please.” The two boys nodded before leaving. Murphy followed after them, feeling out of place with Raven and Clarke. Once they were alone, Raven said, “Okay, Clarke, you’re going to have to crawl down to the control panel under the ship to rig it to blow. I’ll talk you through it.”

Easier said than done. Because while Clarke was smart in medicine and strategy, she was completely clueless when it came to engineering.

“Come on, Clarke, it’s not rocket science.” Raven sighed in mild frustration ten minutes into explaining how to rewire the dropship.

There was a beat of silence, Clarke cursing under her breath, then a gruff, “Actually, it is.”

Raven shouldn’t help smiling, a sad, small thing. “It’s pathetic, you know. I used to be picked first for everything. First in class, first in work. First, no questions asked.” She laughed bitterly, shifting uncomfortably on her side, hissing at the pain in her lower back that shot up her spine. “But now…now just look at me. How the hell did I end up here?”

“Hey, Raven,” Clarke called up to her, and a moment later, “I’d pick you first.”

Raven laughed despite the pain. “Of course you would; I’m awesome.”

Clarke said something else, but she couldn’t hear; Raven fell to the side and sank into the darkness. Her last thought before she passed out was of Octavia, if she was safe, praying that she survived.

And, she hoped Octavia knew that she loved her.

#octaven #octaven fic #the 100 #the100femslash #raven reyes #octavia blake #mine #myfic #ahmedsrizwan

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