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arabellasleopardcoat · 6 months ago

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Taoba (Aemond Targaryen x Reader x Daemon Targaryen)

Summary: Daemon and Aemond settle their pending score.

Warnings: Aemond being a BRAT. Daemon being a sugar daddy (I guess?) Violence. Targaryen way of conflict resolution.

A/N: Final part of the Muña series. This is very unhealthy, but I needed to give it a satisfactory conclusion that felt in character to me, so it stopped using my brain space.

THERE IS NO Sept in Pentos. At least, not in the part of the city where the manse is located. You do not dare go exploring further than a few timid excursions to the surrounding markets.

Being out in the open makes you antsy. Your departure from Westeros is still too fresh, you have not yet settled into a life where you are not at war. Searching for a Sept in which to pray properly seems too trivial.

You still light your candles, one for each person you have lost, plus another one. For yourself.

Aemond is as unsettled as you are. To him, the loss is greater. He has had to shed his identity, cut his chair and remove the characteristic eye patch and leather clothes for more simple ones. He is now a dragonseed, brought along as a paramour to a happily married couple.

“What can I say?” Daemon had laughed, when questioned about it by a magister. “I love my wife, and she does love her toys.”

It had prompted a roar of laughter from his friends. You weren’t too sure you liked being known as a sexual deviant, but you had little choice in the matter. Everyone had to make sacrifices, after all.

Even Vhagar. She is now known as The Cannibal. The Essoi know so little about dragons that an intimidating name to match the intimidating reptile in their city satisfies them.

Daemon, in contrast, settles in as if he had never been at war. He has already been in one before, and has lost little. He still has his name, his money, and his marriage. He even has his old pentoshi friends. They had greeted him warmly, clapped him in the back, and it was as if he had never left.

While Aemond continues to share your bed, Daemon is content to haunt the place. You worry despite yourself when you realize he is not out whoring or drinking as usual. But you are too busy with your inner turmoil to try to fix him too.

Having run away from the only home you knew leaves you unsure about whom you really are. When the war started, you were different. You would have done anything to protect your people. Now, you were a coward who ran with her tail between her legs at the first hint of trouble.

It was difficult to feel such a passionate love for them when they had started resisting your orders. As soon as the Blacks gained a bit of terrain, they started questioning your leadership. By the end of it, they were cursing your name.

Running was easier, after that. Playing Daemon’s wife again wasn’t.

It all comes to a head one evening when you are asked to sweep into that role again. Daemon has insisted on hosting a dinner for some of his friends, and so, you have little choice but to squeeze yourself into a fine gown he commissioned for you. It seems fair that if he is housing you and your lover, you do something for him.

You plan the night to perfection. It is what you have been raised to do, and you thrive on it. There is such an innate sense of control that comes with choosing a menu, the seating arrangements, the entertainment. You enjoy the task so much, you wish you had put it into practice more in your other life.

Aemond sulks in a corner the whole evening, even when Daemon has gotten him a matching doublet. He seems to dislike the implication of being a bastard too much to enjoy himself in a company that cares little for his origins.

“I hate this dress.” He complains, once you have ushered out the last of Daemon’s friends. Aemond toys with the laces on the back of it, making you frown. “Makes you look washed out. Ugly.”

You flinch. You have never liked discussing your appearance, not after many years of mocking. During a good week, a remark about your looks can set your budding self-esteem back a moon. Hearing Aemond say so during a bad one guts you.

Aemond was supposed to understand you. To see you.

“I happen to like it.” You say, picking up the last goblets of wine and setting them into a tray to be taken down to the kitchen. Your household is sparsely staffed, Daemon’s savings not enough to keep it running at full capacity. You find you don’t really mind. The lack of resources during the war had made you go through much worse, and you find you enjoy the privacy. “I enjoy the fullness of the skirts.”

You are careful to keep your back turned to the men, but you cannot hide the tenseness of your shoulders, the stiffness of your spine. Perhaps the insult stings more because you do like the dress. Despite how tight it was, you had felt pretty after putting it on. The seamstress had complimented you, even.

The style was more form - fitting than what you usually wore, a bit more risky. It had been inspired by what the women here wore, and you knew Daemon wouldn’t let you embarrass him. That fact had prompted your confidence to wear it in the first place. But now, you just feel old and fat.

A hand presses to your back, warm and gentle. You stiffen more, thinking it’s Aemond’s.

“You look beautiful in it.” Daemon compliments, softly. And because he cannot resist it, he throws in a dig at Aemond too. “The boy is just bitter because he can’t pay for anything half as fine.”

“That is not true. I could become a…” Aemond starts, and you groan, pressing your hands to your eyes. You have heard the tale of the sellsword plenty. He is a good swordsman, perhaps good enough to take up that sort of life. But he is out of practice. Most of his battles have been from the dragon, not the horse. Unlike cavalry, dragonback doesn’t provide such experience.

“If you become a sellsword, you will die. And all I did would be in vain.” Daemon sits down, placing his boots on the table. You shove him. It’s not as if any of them do any cleaning, but Aemond is far neater. You do not clean either, but as the person in charge of the servants, you prefer not to be embarrassed by how piggish they can be.

Daemon has gone through great pains to secure you a home and safety. You try not to feel too indebted to him, considering the horrible years of marriage and shame, but cannot help it. He is finally behaving like you were taught a husband is supposed to behave, and it pleases your stupid brain.

He provides for you. Pays for your home, dresses, lets you run a household. He protects you. Keeps you safe from the outcome of the war, rescued you from the likely revolt from your tenants. He makes you happy. Daemon pays to keep Aemond safe and healthy, too.

It messes with your head. You shouldn’t feel grateful, you shouldn’t like him and yet…

Siege mentality. That must be it. Your current situation makes you believe it’s Daemon, Aemond and you against the world.

Aemond doesn’t seem to share the sentiment. He has been behaving oddly ever since you got here. The first week, he had been on edge, wary Daemon was going to murder him in his sleep. The second one, he had not left your bed. And then he had settled into an odd sort of depression that involved making everyone around him as miserable as possible.

Aemond was a man born and bred for war. It wasn't unusual that he was struggling with peace.

“Apologize, Taoba.” Daemon orders. While this is not the first time Aemond lashes out, it is the first time Daemon bothers with demanding an apology. It is also the first time Aemond’s temper has been directed at you.

“I refuse to apologize for my opinion.” Aemond smirks. He toys with his goblet, before leaning in. You know the look in his face. It’s the one he wears when he plans to deliver the killing blow. “The dress makes you look ugly.”

You suppose it is better than being outright called ugly. The thought isn’t as comforting as you thought.

“An opinion no one asked for.” Daemon’s tone is icy. You look at him, begging him to let it go. But Daemon has never listened to you, not in all the years you have been married. He won’t start now. “And a false one. I can’t just voice the opinion that the sky is red. Now, apologize or…”

“Or?” Aemond challenges. This time, you turn your pleading eyes to him. Out of the two of them, he is slower to enact his revenge ploys, while Daemon chooses to take immediate and decisive action. You hope that means he can be persuaded to postpone the confrontation.

“Aemond, why don’t we go to bed?” You ask, voice soft and meek. But Aemond’s gaze is fixed on Daemon.

The older man smirks. He leans back on his chair, forcing it to balance precariously on its hind legs.

“I’ll make you.”

It happens faster than you can react. One second they are glaring at each other, the next Aemond has lunged over the table, sending the goblets clattering. He punches Daemon, making him fall off the chair. But before Aemond can get any other punch in, Daemon grabs him by the hair and slams him against the table. You scream.

“My goblets! The tablecloth!” You realize you sound insane, but you feel it too. Your hands tremble. One would think war has desensitized you to violence, but it is one thing to know a battle is being fought and another to see the man you love get beaten by your husband.

You make an aborted motion towards them, unsure if trying to get between them is a good idea. You settle for clenching your hands into fists, powerless to stop the situation around you.

Daemon jerks Aemond upright, holding his hands between his back.

“Aōla gēlȳni iēnkā, taobus!” You can tell Daemon is mocking him. Familiar as you are with his methods, you step forward, hovering.

Were Daemon mocking you, this would be the part where you would defend yourself. Aemond, instead, simply smirks.

“Sa Tida, Kepus.”

Daemon’s face turns into an expression of absolute, murderous rage. His grip on Aemond tightens. He turns to you, almost in… Disbelief? You aren’t sure. You do not know what they are saying, but it can’t be good.

Aemond blushes with pleasure. He smiles a cocky grin, and his chest puffs up with arrogant satisfaction.

It is only at that display that color returns to Daemon’s face.

“I must admit, you had me fooled.” He releases Aemond, and gives him a shove. “But your games will not unnerve me tonight. Not again. We will settle this.”

“Daemon…”

“As much as it pains me, he is right.” Aemond sneers. “There is a debt to be paid, Muña. Do not interfere.”

He gives you a warning glance, before bowing his head. It’s the last time he looks at you.

His attention is now focused on Daemon. He looks up at him, body taut with fear. If you didn’t know Aemond that well, you would miss it. But to your well-trained eyes, it’s obvious. He is terrified.

Aemond ends up lowering his eye again. Daemon’s fierce stare seems to have him unbalanced, unable to hide his emotions as well as he usually does. Knowing Daemon, he must be delighted his intimidation tactics are making him squirm.

Daemon thrives on fear and humiliation. He has perfected his methods through the years, his reputation as a rogue only aiding him in his task. His eyes are like daggers. Instinctually, you know that is better to stay silent for now.

Aemond seems to share your thoughts. He averts his eyes, face red with embarrassment. You wonder what has Daemon said to him that he is so out of sorts.

“You should be kneeling.” Daemon finally says, his eyes on you. For a second, you think the instruction is actually meant for you, but before you can do anything about it, Daemon has turned back to Aemond. He towers over him, somehow, despite being the same height. “You're such a pathetic creature.”

Daemon steps towards him. Aemond takes a step back, and Daemon smirks. He can probably sense the weakness in the same manner wolves sense fear.

“Insulting your woman after claiming to be better than I. Hypocrite. But what more could you ask from a Hightower.” His face tight with anger, Daemon unsheathes his dagger and grabs Aemond's chin, tilting it up.

Never in a million lives you thought you would see Daemon defending your honor. How life surprises us all.

You pity Aemond. His skin is turning red where Daemon is grabbing him, and he is breathing hard, eye closed. He seems to be expecting pain, and it fills you with the urge to comfort him.

Aemond shouldn’t be having to brace himself. This is a storm of your own making. But he has asked you not to interfere, and you do not wish to wound his pride. You stay quiet.

The dagger Daemon holds is now pressed to Aemond’s throat and this time, it is too much. You advance on them.

“Stop it.”

Daemon ignores you. He leans in, close enough that he could kiss Aemond. His hair tickles Aemond’s face.

“And you still fucked my wife without my permission.” He snarls. “Open your mouth,”

Aemond swallows. He seems cowed, for the first time in his life.

“Stop this. Right this second.” You repeat, but neither heed you. Much to your dismay, Aemond makes eye contact with you before opening his mouth. Daemon’s dagger brushes against his lips. He shakes like a frightened bunny, but he still doesn’t attempt to defend himself.

“Open wider.”

Aemond has no choice but to obey. You are struck by how young he looks, how young he truly is. At least ten years your junior, twenty or so than Daemon. He has been a man for such little time, and yet, has done much more horrible things than most people twice his age.

The lesser of those sins is bedding a married woman.

Daemon’s voice is harsh.

“I said wider!” Aemond opens his mouth wider, obediently. “Now, stick out your tongue.”

“… Why don’t we all calm down..?” You feel your hands shaking. Daemon is capable of cutting his tongue. You know it. Aemond knows it. And still, he sticks out his tongue like an obedient dog.

“Your tongue would make a fine gift to my wife. An apology, for all the insults I sent her way.” Daemon smirks. “And a penance, for how you dared treat her, petulant child that you are.”

Your eyes sting. Something like a sob surges on your chest, but it doesn’t get out, caged between your ribs. It takes residence there, caught.

It’s unbelievable. Once, you had prided yourself on knowing Daemon. You had been so finely tuned to his moods, out of an urge for survival, that you could tell with just a glance what he was thinking. His anger had always been transparent to you.

This time, you aren’t sure if he is serious about cutting Aemond’s tongue for the slight, or if it is about the infidelity.

“I do not want his tongue. Daemon. Stop it.” You beg, stumbling back into your chair. You hold your head between your hands, realizing this is punishment for you too. For daring to be an adulterous wife.

Aemond’s face is pale. He is trembling slightly, and his tongue is caught between Daemon’s finger. It makes him drool. He attempts to pull back.

Daemon's eyes flash with anger. There is a dark satisfaction in his face.

“Don't move.” Daemon's voice is low and sinister. “Keep it there. Less my pulse falters, and I leave you without a tongue before deciding.”

“Don't!” You plead.

Aemond doesn't move, the blade still pressed to his tongue, his mouth open.

Daemon softens at the obedience. Perhaps because he has always liked control a bit too much.

“Good boy.” He grins. Aemond sends him a look made of pure hatred, but keeps still. His eye is glued to Daemon’s, set on not backing down.

If someone doesn’t intervene, something bad is about to happen. And there is no one else here, but you.

You stand up, furious.

“That is enough! I happen to like his tongue where it is, inside his mouth and unharmed.”

“You're nothing but a sniveling coward.” Daemon presses the dagger harder into Aemond's tongue, taunting him. “What's the matter? Do you like the taste of the dagger on your tongue? The feel of the metal against your flesh? Sick little boy.”

Daemon laughs. Aemond closes his eye, but both you and Daemon see it. A single tear falls down his face, mouth still wide open, dagger pressed inside. The sight is hauntingly beautiful, like one of the tapestries Daemon used to hang around showcasing Targaryen deviance.

“Do you like that?” Daemon leans in closer, his lips brushing the shell of his ear. You know through first-hand experience how devastating that feels. Somehow, seeing them together, Daemon holding Aemond almost in a lover’s embrace, makes you throb with shameful arousal. “Being completely helpless and humiliated? It should hurt. It shows you your place. On the ground, at my mercy.”

Aemond tries to close his mouth, but Daemon's hands keep his face pushed back as he presses the tip of the blade into his tongue. Aemond's face tightens, a look of pain flashing across his eyes, but he can't say anything. The only sound out of his mouth is a painful groan.

Daemon's expression is cold and hard.

“It feels good, doesn't it? Just like kissing the cunt of a married woman?"

“Daemon! Enough!” And this time, you finally gather the courage to do what needs to be done. You get between the two of them and shove Daemon out of the way. “That’s enough.”

Daemon licks his lips. Aemond swallows, a hint of blood in the edge of his mouth. You wonder if he is tasting copper.

“What a pathetic display of weakness. I've seen a thousand pigs slaughtered with more bravery than you.” Daemon sheathes the dagger. Aemond’s face turns frighteningly angry. Torching the Riverlands kind of angry.

His breathing is deep and labored, like a hurt animal. You rush to his side and hug him.

“You are bold to speak of weakness…” Aemond says, with great effort. His body shudders against yours, and it is a testament to how shaken he must be that he doesn’t jerk out of your grip. “When it was your own what led your wife to my bed. Make no mistake, Muña. An old dog cannot learn new tricks.” He then spits blood at Daemon’s face.

Daemon wipes his face with his sleeve, horrifyingly calm. He then looks at both of you, and bursts into genuine laughter.

“I was wrong, boy. You have balls.” He gives him a hand, helping him to a chair. “We might make a man out of you yet.”

Aemond accepts his help without fear. You stare.

“Both of you are unhinged.”

Daemon turns to you.

“Oh? Then what would you do in my situation?”

“Apologize? Agree to move on and let go of the past?” You offer, weakly.

Daemon scoffs at the suggestion. “Apologize? Apologize! You think that will solve everything?” But he does look over at Aemond, who has now relaxed in his chair, exhausted. “I suppose I should try to be diplomatic, if only for your sake. Fine. I apologize for calling you terrible things, trying to murder you and to cut out your tongue. How does that sound, Taoba?”

Aemond swallows again. He seems unsure if he should be trusting Daemon’s words. He gives you a look. You shrug. If they want to try normal conflict resolution, you won’t stop them.

“Thank you. I apologize for fucking her without your permission.”

Daemon gives him a small smile. Aemond meets his eyes. A strange mixture of emotions seems to pass between them. Daemon looks as if he is seeing Aemond for the first time. There is a new interest in his eyes, one you do not like at all.

Or perhaps, you like it too much. You can’t decide.

“Is that all, then? Or do you have more to say, nephew?” He purrs.

Aemond scratches his nape, embarrassed. He doesn’t seem to know how to react to being flirted with. Because this is what this is. Daemon is looking at him with utter hunger.

“Nothing.”

Daemon looks him over, inspecting Aemond like a predator sizing up his prey.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Daemon studies him for a moment, not looking convinced.

“Someone looks guilty.” He is like a shark, smelling blood in the water. Aemond looks painfully awkward, nothing like the cocky young man that seduced you moons ago. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you attempt to shift Daemon’s attention to you.

“I apologize for bedding him.” You offer, in your meekest tone.

Daemon doesn't acknowledge your apology, his eyes still fixed on Aemond, filled with curiosity.

“I accept your apology.” Then his eyes harden, his face turns serious. “Now, come here. Both of you.”

Aemond’s eye widens, but obediently gets up and creeps closer. Daemon reaches a hand towards you. You go easily.

“That wasn't so hard, was it?” Daemon teases, his eyes never leaving Aemond's face, searching for some hint of weakness.

Aemond nods silently, too intimidated to speak. Daemon grabs him by the back of his neck, firmly. He presses his forehead to his.

“Aōha ēdruta vāedas. Vezof jin azantys, vestri sȳz. Se ābra dracarys jēdo nūm.”

Aemond nods, solemnly. As if he were accepting a vow. Then, they both turn towards you.

“Consider this my repentance.” Daemon says, with a smirk. Aemond looks properly chided. Contrite, even.

“I apologize for being rude. The dress makes your cleavage look phenomenal. I was just… Jealous, I suppose. I used to protect you and now…” He offers, sounding much like a child who has gotten caught with his hands on the cookie jar.

“Now you find yourself in the unusual situation of having me as the protector. I have been shielding you from Daemon and Daemon has been…” You realize it as you speak it. Aemond had come to rescue from your solitude, and your evil, up to no good husband. You had been his damsel in distress, until you had stepped into the role of the protector and Daemon into…

“Providing.” The man himself barks out a laugh. “Seven Hells, am I a stand-in for Viserys? I thought I had issues.”

Aemond blushes.

“It isn’t like that.”

But Daemon insists. He takes a lock of your hair and twists it between his fingers.

“Fuck, I married Alicent. Fucking Alicunt.”

“I am not her!” You protest.

“You do look like my mother a bit. In the right light.” Aemond concedes, and you don’t know if to laugh or cry. “I… I want to do better. And I…”

“I want in. In what you two have.” Daemon’s smirk turns more devious, gently tucking the strand of hair he was still holding behind your ear. “Normally, I would threaten you with kicking you out, or hurting your lover over here. But I have been told it is in bad taste to try to force myself into your bed.”

So he had learned his lesson from the last time. You fight off the pleased smile.

“So. The choice is yours. My nephew and I reached an agreement already, one that will be void without your consent. Otherwise, we can go as we are.” Daemon finishes his offer, placing his hands behind his back.

You look between Aemond and him. Aemond seems encouraging.

“Will you be content to pay for your wife and her lover the rest of our lives? How selfless.” You arch an eyebrow, doubtful. It sounds too unlike him.

Daemon shrugs.

“What can I say? You inspire selfless devotion.”

“He is right. You do.” Aemond says, hugging you from behind. You feel him bury his face on your hair, quietly grounding himself. He has had a taxing evening, for sure.

“What do you think of this?” You ask him, voice low.

“If he is involved, I would feel more settled. Like it is not charity.” Aemond says, kissing your temple.

“I see you have learned from whores, haven’t you?” Daemon mocks, creeping closer. “Being my kept man and my kept woman. How lucky it is to be a prince.”

“Cunt.” You say, giving him a shove.

“Your cunt.” Daemon smirks. He leers at you. “And what a delicious one you seem to have…”

You slap a hand over his mouth, embarrassed. Aemond fights with a smile, and it is that which convinces you.

“Fine. You win. And we actually prefer trophy wife and boy toy.”

“Talk for yourself.” Aemond tugs at your hair, and you laugh.

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spatialwave · 2 months ago

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V's All That

Chapter 2 || The Invite

➥ Summary: Jayce Talis, the school's golden boy and a guaranteed pick for Prom King, seems to have it all—looks, charm, and popularity. However, when Kino presents him with the opportunity to win back Mel, his ex-girlfriend and the one who got away, Jayce jumps at the chance. The challenge? To transform Viktor, a snarky outcast who is as far from popular as possible, into Prom King instead. Jayce takes the bait, but he may have taken on more than he can handle. ➥ Word Count: 3.8k ➥ Pairing: Jayce Talis x Viktor || Arcane

🧡 beta'd by @spxllcxstxr 🩷 art by @wapimostosis 🧡 available on ao3

<- part 1. | part 3. ->

“You need to stop showing up uninvited,” Caitlyn’s voice rang clearly in her bedroom, sharp blue eyes analyzing the dozens of homework pages on her perfectly tidied desk. Her hair was tied back into a tight pony, a sign of concentration from the girl who’d spent much of her time reaching academic heights. Ready to tackle her upcoming senior year.

Jayce was sprawled out on the floor next to her bed, his back against the hard, wooden surface, his hazel eyes staring up at the stark white ceiling. He was lost in his thoughts, the day replaying through his head over and over again as he refused to answer Caitlyn.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a pink-haired girl who stepped over him and stared down with a playful expression of faux sympathy.

“I think he’s broken, Cupcake,” Vi murmured, cocking her head to the side and holding the football between her fingers just above Jayce’s face. She had it briefly before dropping it, letting the ball fall from her fingers.

He reacted almost instantaneously, swatting it away as it plummeted to his face, eyes narrowing at her in disbelief.

“What are you even doing here?” He grumbled, a frown creasing his forehead.

“Leave my girlfriend alone,” Caitlyn sighed in exasperation, spinning on her rolling chair to face them, her expression offering clear signs of annoyance. Not only was there a mountain of notes to be studied before the end of the day, but having Jayce and Vi around always led to unnecessary distractions. At least it was nice to know they got long—for the most part. “You didn’t come here to sulk, so spit it out. What did Mel do?”

Vi snickered under her breath, stepping over Jayce and collapsing onto Caitlyn’s bed, head hanging off the edge and powder blue eyes fixating on the boy on the floor. Reeking of sadness and desperation.

“Mel didn’t do anything,” Jayce lamented, dragging his hands over his face. Caitlyn cringed at his dramatics. I miss her, but that’s not the problem… God, I really miss her.”

“I can’t believe she dumped your ass. You really fucked that up,” Vi howled out a laugh, the sound vibrant, but was quickly shut up by a warning glare from Caitlyn.

“You’re so funny, Vi. It’s actually incredible. You should consider a career in comedy with all the jokes you have under your belt.” Jayce spat, though there was no real anger behind his words. Slowly, he sat up so he could instead hang his head between his bent knees. It was a pathetic sight that left both girls staring, knowing they had to at least try to mend the poor guy’s obvious broken heart.

Vi let out a quiet grumble, annoyed that she was dragged into the mess Jayce had served them on a silver platter. Since Mel broke up with him a couple of weeks prior, she’d been finding it difficult to find alone time with her girlfriend, but it was hard to blame the poor guy.

Heartbreak was tough, she knew that after a few rough patches with Caitlyn during their past year together. She shed plenty of tears, gave herself a butchered haircut that had just grown out, and spent one too many nights being consoled by Powder while they watched ‘80s romcoms and ate their weight in ice cream and junk food.

Caitlyn, now completely turned around in her seat and staring at Jayce, let out a sigh as she let her stress of the day release so she could focus her remaining energy on him. “What’s the problem?”

Jayce didn’t respond, sulking, his head still hanging pathetically between his knees. There was no response for a moment, silence filling the air until he asked in a quiet voice, “Is it hard to be my friend?”

Caitlyn and Vi exchanged confused glances, unsure of what Jayce was about to spring on them.

“A little–”

“No,” Cait interjected, lifting a finger at Vi and stopping her mid-sentence without even looking in her direction. She focused her attention entirely on Jayce, someone she considered a big brother after years and years of being stuck together at the hip. She knew him better than anyone; despite his flair for the dramatic and occasional immaturity, he had a big heart. For him to feel this way made it hard for her not to sympathize. “Why do you ask? I find it hard to believe someone wouldn’t want to be your friend.”

Sadly, he peered up, eyes shifting between the two girls. “You have no idea, Sprout.”

“Seriously? Mr. Golden Boy is having a hard time making friends. I call bullshit,” Vi said, rolling over so her chin rested on her crossed arms as she stared at Jayce. As a girl from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ it was hard to feel for the guy who had everything handed to him.

If Viktor was anything like her, he would be rather bitter about some of the school's wealthier and more popular kids. He wanted nothing to do with Jayce.

“Again, why are you here?” Jayce snapped, glaring daggers at Vi.

“Oh my god, this conversation is going in circles. Jayce,” Caitlyn clapped her hands together, grabbing his attention and forcing him to look in her direction, “What’s going on? You have to be transparent, or we can’t help you.”

Jayce scrunched his nose, his mind reeling at how to explain the situation, fearing judgment from them. They didn’t have to know about the bet, did they? Was it really that important of a detail to disclose?

Shifting to face them both while still sitting on the floor, he groaned and shook his head, “It’s Viktor.”

Both girls stared at him with puzzled expressions, the name ringing a bell in one of them.

“I don’t—”

“Viktor? Really? That dude Powder hangs out with?” Vi spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

Jayce’s eyes shot towards Vi again, “You know him?”

With a shake of her head, Vi replied, “Hardly. I know they get together to play that weird board game in our basement once a week. The one where it’s like—” She snapped her fingers a few times, trying to recall the information, “They fight dragons and roleplay. Real nerd shit. Mylo and Claggor join in sometimes.”

“Dungeons and Dragons?” Jayce clarified.

The pink-haired girl briefly narrowed her eyes at Jayce, a small smirk forming on her lips, “Didn’t peg you as the kind of guy to play that sorta’ thing.”

“I don’t play,” he scoffed, cheeks warm from embarrassment with a pink colour dusting over his tanned skin.

“Jayce, don’t get me wrong,” Caitlyn chimed in, “but why on earth are you trying to befriend him? He’s not really…”

“His kind of friend. I’m calling more bullshit.” Vi murmured.

“Christ, fine. Let me explain before you jump to any conclusions,” Jayce explained, hands moving with his words. “He’s in my chemistry class, and I tried to ask him for some help today, and he brushed me off like I was nothing more than shit on his shoe. I don’t get it! What’s so bad about helping someone out with some homework? What have I ever done to him?”

Vi raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, but what have you done for him? He’s not entitled to help you for no reason.”

“Don’t you have a 3.9 GPA, Jayce? Why are you even asking for help?” Caitlyn added, trying to wrap her head around the situation.

“That doesn’t matter,” Jayce brushed her off, running his hands through his perfectly styled hair as frustration consumed him once more. “I never ask for help. Can you just tell me how to get him to help me without judging me?”

Vi stared at the poor guy, huffing a quiet sigh as she sat on the bed, legs dangling off the side. While he buried his face in his hands again, she glanced at Caitlyn. She offered a sympathetic shrug, and Cait nodded, slowly slinking away from her chair until she was on the floor in front of Jayce.

Her delicate hands extended out, fingers with neatly manicured nails wrapped around his wrists as she pulled his hands away from his face.

Jayce was forced to look into her eyes, cheeks flaring bright with embarrassment. He wasn’t keen on asking for help, his pride often getting in the way, especially from someone he considered his younger sister. He was supposed to be the role model here!

“Can I give you some advice?” She asked gently, pulling her hands away to rest in her lap.

“Yeah. I could use anything at this point.” Jayce mumbled, at a loss for motivation as his eyes dropped to his hands that fidgeted together.

Caitlyn took a few short moments to consider her wording carefully. She had never taken advice-giving so lightly, especially with a passionate man like Jayce, who could take things personally. He was rather impressionable.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to get out of this, Jayce, and it’s not my place to ask if you don’t want to share, but you could try to put at least some effort into this. Vi’s right, there’s no reason for Viktor to help someone who… well, someone who doesn’t give him the time of day otherwise.” Her voice was gentle, but the words still cut deep for Jayce. A realization he needed but hadn’t been prepared for, shattering the assumptions he carried.

“Goddamnit,” he groaned, trying to fight the small smile growing on his lips despite his frustrations, “I hate that you’re always right.”

“Me too, man,” Vi said from her spot, raising her hands defensively when Caitlyn snapped her gaze to her, “Don’t look at me like that, babe. He said it first!”

Jayce let out a genuine laugh as he watched the two bicker, a rhythm in their relationship that he sorely missed in his own life. Mel was back on his mind again, and she hadn’t really left, had she? Yet, while he lay in bed later that night, he found someone else taking over his thoughts as he tried to sleep: Viktor.

The conversation from earlier that afternoon replayed in his mind like a broken record, the sound of Viktor’s annoyed voice clear as day: “I don’t want to help you.”

It made him cringe, his stomach churning and twisting as he imagined trying to talk to him again the next day, wondering how he would move past his poor attempt at conversation. He hated how invested he had become in this bet and how he had lied to Caitlyn about the actualities of this, hopefully, soon-to-be-friendship. He never lied to her.

To make matters worse, she was right; Jayce had absolutely no justification to ask for help from Viktor. He was already accepted into several prestigious colleges and was the fourth highest in their graduating class for grades. Where was Viktor on that list? Would Jayce even learn anything from him?

It was easy to fall into the repetition of insecure thoughts, a pattern of negative thinking he thought he had left behind long ago.

Groaning, Jayce rolled over to reach toward his nightstand, his fingers fumbling until they grasped at his portable disk walkman. In the dark, he pressed the play button, wrapping headphones over his ears as the foam earpieces blocked out the distant sounds of cars driving through the suburbs.

Instead, the familiar sounds of Simple Plan filled his mind and allowed him to drift off to a deep sleep—disturbed only by the loud blaring of his alarm clock at six a.m.

“Well, isn’t it the Prince of Piltover,” Kino’s voice rumbled loudly, catching Jayce’s attention as he walked through the halls confidently. There were only a few minutes left of their lunch break, and he’d been trying to figure out where Viktor would be lingering—no time like the present to attempt a second introduction. It was now or never.

The last person he wanted to see was Kino.

“Hey, man,” Jayce said, watching as his friend caught up to his pace, the crowds of students splitting open as they walked through like royalty. Girls gawking at them unashamed, and young freshman boys taking mental notes of how to be like them one day.

“You been avoiding me?” Kino asked teasingly, smirking as he nudged Jayce’s side with a sharp elbow.

“That obvious?” He teased in return, flashing a smile at the other as they turned the corner. It seemed that God worked in mysterious ways, and those ways were handing Viktor to Jayce at the worst possible times.

“Oh, shit,” Kino snickered, stopping in his footsteps in tandem with Jayce. His eyes focused on his friend, noting the nervous expression that flitted across his features, “You still haven’t talked to him since yesterday, huh? Dude, at this rate, it’s going to be prom night before he even says hi back to you.”

“Shut up, Kino,” Jayce hissed, brushing him off with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Can you just… fuck off for a second?”

Kino snorted a forced laugh, covering up the anger that swirled within him, “Yeah, whatever, man. Good luck.”

Jayce hadn’t paid any attention to Kino after that; instead, he paused in the hallway and stared at Viktor like a deer in headlights—unable to draw his gaze away, even if he wanted to. He watched as the tired-looking student stood at his locker, his cane put aside momentarily as he rummaged through his belongings and switched textbooks for afternoon classes.

When Viktor finally closed his locker with a sharp move, he nearly let out a yelp at the figure standing right next to him—wearing a toothy grin and leaning against the lockers much too casually for someone who had pissed him off the day before.

Viktor’s jaw clenched involuntarily, and he reached for his cane, his thin fingers wrapping around the wooden handle as he stared at Jayce with an uninterested and annoyed glare. “Haven’t I already told you no? Is that not an answer you like?”

Yikes. That was harsh.

Jayce let out a nervous chuckle, keeping himself calm and collected at the onslaught of Viktor’s obvious disdain for his presence. “I’m sorry. Yesterday, I came off a little strong, I realize that now.”

Viktor eased for a moment, hating the way Jayce’s laugh made his stomach flutter, shoving that feeling far, far down before it affected him any further. He couldn’t lie; an apology was a nice gesture, but it was far from enough to change his mind.

“The answer is still no,” he grumbled, a single hand tightening the lock of his locker, preparing to leave Jayce behind like he had yesterday.

“That’s fine, I totally get it,” Jayce replied coolly, but his heart was beating hard, and his hands were getting sweaty again. Trying desperately to figure out where he could pivot this conversation, “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

There it was—a gesture that worked wonders on Mel anytime they argued. It usually resulted in a bouquet of flowers and a night together, but he was certain that this bait for Viktor would go a very different route.

Viktor’s eyes narrowed slightly, golden hues sparkling in curiosity. He ignored the looks of passing students, the chatter of them whispering the same thing to each other again and again: ‘Why was Viktor suddenly so interesting?’

Jayce mastered the art of ignoring everyone around him, but it was for good reasons. His ego clearly loved the attention but knew how to give someone his full attention when needed. He wasn’t a total asshole.

“Anything at all?” He urged, that stupid smile on his lips making Viktor want to say yes, but he’d be damned if he’d let himself get caught up in whatever Jayce was aiming for. Jayce may not have paid attention to him, but Viktor had a knack for observing the world around him and would not admit the number of times he’d stared at the Golden Boy himself from a careful distance—usually from the back of the class.

He noted how academics came so easily to Jayce, how he would silently cheer to himself whenever he got an A-plus, or how he looked defeated whenever his performance was less than perfection.

“Jayce,” Viktor sighed, and oh, he hated how much he enjoyed the way his name rolled off of his tongue, “I really don’t think—”

“Viktor—oh! Hi, Jayce.”

Two sets of eyes looked to Viktor's other side as another student approached them, the same girl with rounded glasses that Jayce hadn’t been able to name. Once more, his mind was filled with a flurry of names, none of them fitting.

“Hi, uh…” Jayce cringed, desperately searching for her name, but it never came.

“Sky,” Viktor stated bluntly, his interest in Jayce disappearing, “Her name is Sky. She is in the three classes we have together.”

For a brief moment, Jayce’s eyes widened in surprise. Viktor had paid enough attention to him to know they had classes together. He wasn’t sure why that made his heart skip a beat.

“It’s fine,” she laughed, shaking her head at Viktor’s bluntness and trying to relieve the obvious guilt rising from Jayce.

“I’m sorry,” the taller student said, a lowly but sincere apology. “Sky. I’ll remember that.”

She beamed, smiling cheerfully from ear to ear at just being able to talk to Jayce. Unfortunately for Viktor, Sky was not immune to the charisma that oozed from the class president.

Viktor looked at Jayce, one of reemerging annoyance, “We have to go.”

“But—” Jayce protested, desperation in his voice, “You didn’t answer my question. Is there, uh…” he stammered, finding it harder to ask with a third-party listening in, “anything I can do to make up for my total shitshow of a favour yesterday? Seriously, I feel like an ass asking a lot from you on a whim.”

Sky perked up, smiling at how she noticed Viktor was ready to pounce if Jayce dared to overstay his welcome. It was one of her favourite qualities of him, the ability to so easily speak his mind and stand up for himself, but she interrupted before he could even utter a word.

She could be selfish for once, couldn’t she?

“You could fill in for our game tonight!” Sky’s voice was full of enthusiasm, excitement palpable.

“Sky.” Viktor snapped at her.

“What? He’s offering a favour,” Sky replied, pushing up her glasses that had slipped down her nose, “Both Mylo and Claggor can’t make it tonight; Powder just told me. It’s going to be a difficult session… we could use the help.”

She was received by silence as Viktor stared ahead at his locker, begging for this to end and hoping that both of them would get the hint and leave him alone. Sky didn’t let up, though. Neither did Jayce, whose eyes flickered between them eagerly.

“The Duergars kidnapped Miss Fortune,” Sky started on a rant, desperately trying to sway Viktor, “We’re looking at a death wish if we go through with playing tonight without another player. Do you really think a cleric and a warlock can take down the entire Duergar war camp? We’re only level four—”

With a swift motion, Viktor smacked his cane against Sky’s leg, light enough to just interrupt her ramblings.

“Enough. He doesn’t want to play.”

“I’ll play,” Jayce interrupted casually, and he hadn’t expected a look so cruel from Viktor, practically seeing the steam blowing from his ears. Anger simmering below the surface.

“Yes!” Sky beamed as her features lit up, “If you don’t have a character, Viktor has dozens of unused ones, so I’m sure you’ll find someone you like.”

“I don’t want to teach anyone to play. We’ll reschedule.” Viktor doubled down, eyes staring right into Jayce’s.

“You won’t have to,” Jayce replied confidently. Offering a sweet smile that made Viktor want to reach over and tear it off of his face. “I’ll manage.”

Interest flickered in Viktor’s eyes, intrigued by the confidence Jayce carried so easily. He hardly seemed like the type to pick up a roleplaying game in his spare time, let alone master in, but regardless, this could prove to be a great time to prove how little regard he has for anyone but himself. Maybe a chance to embarrass him right back, a way to show how badly he wanted to get him off his back.

He cocked an eyebrow, “Eight sharp. The address is two-twenty-five Pyke Ave. Don’t be late.”

Jayce perked up, eyes wide like an excited puppy, “Y-Yeah. I won’t be late. See you later, Viktor. Oh, and Sky!”

Without another word, Viktor leaned on his cane and began to walk away while Sky offered Jayce an excited wave before departing with her friend.

Jayce stood alone for a moment, watching the two of them walk away as he smiled to himself. He finally had an advantage. Very few people in his life knew this about him, but before he was the Golden Boy and just a peer among a sea of students in middle school, he dabbled in Dungeons and Dragons. Not quite like others, considering he never played a real game, but he was fond of learning about it. He had convinced his mom to buy him a player’s guidebook—a treasure he read repeatedly but never shared for fear that his friends would make fun of him.

He hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of Viktor, let alone other experienced players. He wasn’t sure if he could handle any more bruises on his already beaten-up ego.

Jayce avoided Kino for the remainder of the day, his mind reeling with the possibilities of the upcoming night and wondering how on earth he was going to manage to get on Viktor’s good side in just one session. After a short while of digging through his closet and making a mess out of his room, he pulled out a dusty book hidden deep in a box of trinkets and old treasures he’d meant to give away the previous summer.

The Player’s Handbook, second edition.

He scoured the pages for glimpses of information, some coming back and some lost over the years of trying to forget this interest existed at one point in his life. He flipped through the book until he was satisfied with the fact that he didn’t know as much as he let on and that this was more than likely going to embarrass the ever-living-fuck out of him.

But anything was worth it to get closer to Viktor.

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cottoncandyswisherz · 8 months ago

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birthday gyal

dom!matt x fwb!reader

warnings: unprotected sex, swearing, choking, love confession

the only thing worse than having your 21st birthday during the spring semester, was having your 21st birthday be on a wednesday during the spring semester.

as of may 8th 2024, y/n was officially of legal drinking age and she couldn't even go get shit-faced because she had a lecture the next morning. so instead of partying with her besties, she was at home in her robe, reading 'the mastery of love', while drinking her first legal acholic beverage, twisted tea.

obviously it wasn't what she wanted to be doing, but she knew that waiting until friday to go out was her best option because she knew she would need 2 days to recover from all the debauchery she intended to partake in.

so there she was, sulking, reading, sipping. whichever one you prefer honestly.

that didn't last long though.

matt <3

happy birthday sweetheart

thanks matt

come get your gifts

HOL AWWNNN YOU GOT ME A GIFT FR??

what kind of friend would i be if i didnt get you a birthday gift?

IM FINNA GET THAT GDAY DICKKKKK

youre insane.

and this is why y/n loved matt. he gave her girlfriend treatment without forcing her to be his girlfriend.

they were basically dating. they took each other out, they only fucked each each other, the slept at the others house often.

but the title. the title of girlfriend and boyfriend is what fucked them up. it came with so much pressure. and these two fools hated pressure as much as republicans hate the BLM movement. so they did things the way they wanted.

according to y/n and matt, they were friends. who fucked on a consistent basis.

it's not weird unless you make it weird.

slipping on her black bralette, sweats, shoes and jewelry y/n made her way out of her apartment and into her car. on her way to the triplets house, she wondered what matt had in store for her.

she got her answer as soon as she opened the door to his house.

in no way, shape, or form was matt a grand gestures type of guy. but when he did do something extensive, he believed the glory was in the little things so he made it a point to remember y/n current song obsessions, forming a playlist that played lightly through the house. there was purple rose petals sprinkled in a trail from the front door to matts bedroom door.

when she opened said door, her eyes fluttered shut at the sight before her. matt stood with in front of his bed with a bottle of tequila blanco. (AND THAT DAMN DON JULIO MAKE ME A FOOL FOR YEEEWWW) behind him, on his bed was an assortment of gift bags and amazon packages.

"happy birthday y/n." matt said, walking up to her and wrapping her in a comforting hug.

y/n shed a few thug tears as she hugged him back and planted a fat smooch on his lips. "thank you so much MWAH" she planted another kiss on his lips and began to open her gifts.

jewelry with her sun, moon and rising signs. a melanie tee and a lana poster for her room

by the time y/n was done opening her gifts, she was just one giant smile. all her toofs were on display and she wasn't even embarrassed because she was utterly happy.

she pounced on matt and gave him a hug with all the strength her body could muster. she kissed all over his face and thanked him like he'd just bought her dream car rather than a few birthday gifts.

"okay okay okay! i love you too but i need air to breathe!" he said in attempt to get her to calm down.

y/n reluctantly released the boy and hopped off the bed to grab the bottle and pour the two of them a shot. they toasted to her birthday and downed the shot.

sitting back down, y/n leaned her head on the headboard and placed her feet on matts lap because he was across from her on the mattress.

"do i get a birthday lap dance now?" y/n asked, cackling at the look on matts face.

after letting out a few dry laughs, matt answered her question. "no, but i do have one more gift for you." he pulled her closer to him by her ankles, causing her head to hit the pillows.

y/n's pant magically disappear along with her panties.

matt moves one to beside her head and leans down to trap her mouth with his. as she leans forward, the tip of his cock pushes against he entrance.

with his other hand, he circles the front of her neck. "i'll never hurt you, y/n." he kisses her cheek. "but i'll choke you a little. if that's what you want."

y/n's eyes widen and her lips part. matt feels her not before she does. and then he squeezes, knowing exactly where to press. y/n's eyes flutter shut.

her body shifts under him. her hips try to lift to take him inside him. but he doesn't let her. he just squeezes a little harder. her eyes open and her hands reach up to grab at his arm, not to push him away but to cling to him.

she looks up at him with those beautiful eyes and her body twitches. once.

matts leaking all over her slit. so fucking ready to bust. but he needs her with him. he needs her to feel as feral as he does.

but when her fingers dig into his arm and she twitches a second time, he releases his hold on her neck and slams his entire length inside her.

y/n's orgasm is instant. an implosion. her arms wrap around matt, clutching him.

and he's lost. he's surrounded by her heat, and he's fucking lost in it. he ruts her into the mattress, slamming his hips into hers as she whines and whimpers beneath him. feeling her pussy grip to keep him inside her each time he moves. feeling her breath on his neck with each thrust forward.

to him, she's everything.

he pulls free from her body, grabbing her by her hips. he flips her into her stomach.

he doesn't give her time to catch her breath. he rips her bralette, yanks her hips up, and shoves into her from behind.

her orgasm is still trembling through her body, but it's not enough.

reaching forward, he grips the front of her neck again and pulls her until she's upright on he knees before him.

her tits bounce every time his hips slam against her ass and its the best fucking thing he's ever seen.

he tightens his hold on her neck again, a little tighter than last time. because this time, he's closer.

he's so much closer to filling her with his seed, and he needs her to milk it out of him.

he places his mouth at her ear and slides his other hand down to belly to her slick clit.

"i'n gonna cum inside you, y/n. i'm gonna cum so deep inside you it'll be dripping out of you for fucking days." he rubs his fingers in circles around her bundle of nerves. "but i need you to cum first. so grab those titties for me. show me that you love it."

y/n doesn't even hesitate. her hands fly up to her chest and her fingers pinch and pull at her nipples.

her pussy starts to clench around matt, who tries to control his movements.

in. out. in. out.

but then her eyes start to roll back and he presses harder against her clit. and she cums.

he releases her throat and the sound of her ragged inhale is the last push he needs before his balls squeeze and he's unloading inside her.

he groans her name as he fills her with his release. "i love you. so fucking much. i fucking love you."

for the final pulse of his cock, he shoves himself as deep as he can get, the thrust tipping them forward.

he rolls off her and they lie there, silent. the only sounds heard, were the sounds of their heavy breathing.

he said he loves her. he knows he did. she knows he did.

did he mean it? or was that a post nut confession that he didn't mean to say?

but y/n came to the conclusion that whether he meant it or not, she loved him. and she wasn't scared to say it.

so she reaches over to where matt was laying with his hand behind his head and grabbed his face so he was looking at her.

"i love you."

and just like that, matt's world stopped.

he grabbed her hand and held it in his. "be my girlfriend." he spoke out. "i wanna tell everyone that breathes in my direction that y/n y/l/n is my girlfriend. i want everyone to know i'm yours. because i am. yours. so be mine."

she let out a laugh and leaned over, kissing his jaw. "matt. i was yours the first time we kissed."

niyah speaks this is for lilly bae.

remember that if no one loves you, mommy loves you (and by mommy i mean me)

taglist: @mattslolita @muwapsturniolo @mattssluttygf @zniyadgaf

#chris sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #matt sturniolo fanfic #sturniolos #Spotify

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emotionalhottiee · 20 days ago

Text

Made For Each Other!

Prologue

“While all the time that I was loving you

You were busy loving yourself

I would stop breathing if you told me to

Now you're busy loving someone else”!

Mary was singing my life rn as I cried my eyes out in my best friends Lexi’s lap.

“How he could he cheat, on me? How could he get someone i called a friend pregnant? After everything i did for them… this is how they repay me.” I babbled out in between each crying outbursts. Thanking God for my best friend Lexi who did her best to comfort me. While i laid my head in her lap she was running her fingers through my hair. She was trying her best to reassure me, that this wasn’t my fault and that i deserved better.

Deep down i know she is right. But that didn’t stop the pain of feeling like the man i once loved took an old rusty steak knife and had impaled it through my heart. I had gone through two boxes of kleenex and it still wasn’t enough to dry up the tears. At some point i gave up on the kleenex, using the sleeve of my jacket to wipe the tears that kept building up in my tear ducts. With one inevitable blink, they would come streaming down my face like dam breaking.

One of our mutual friends, that didn’t go to their baby shower seen it on another friends close friends. That someone i considered my friend, was having a baby with my boyfriend Dominic at the time. Literally seeing pictures of him posted up at her baby shower hands around her big ass belly. At the baby shower that i wasn’t even invited to. I guess now i know why i wasn’t invited. And her messy ass loser friends posting those pictures, knowing they’d get sent to me. All of this being dropped on me while i thought he had an away game, just broke my heart into a million pieces.

The realization that i had been stabbed in the back, by two people i had once trusted was just too much.

But i refused to let someone else’s betrayal ruin me.

“Well, I'm not gon' cry

I'm not gon' cry

I'm not gon' shed no tears

No I'm not gon' cry

It's not the time

'Cause you're not worth my tears”

Forcing the sadness to go away. I got up from Lexi’s lap. Wiping away the last of my tears. I decided that i had cried enough over this man, and HIS MISTAKES.

I believe in love. I know this is not the end of the road for me. And with that revelation i started to feel somewhat calm. I know that in my heart, i was the best partner i could have been. So i refused to let his actions make me feel like i am not worthy of being loved.

I’m thankful that with the help of my friends i was able to clear out the little bit of belongings i had at Dominic’s apartment. I could only assume it was while he was still at HIS baby shower.

As i got up to make my way to the bathroom, Lexi pulled me into a big ol bear hug. I be forgetting how strong her ass is, until moments like this. But nonetheless i returned the bear hug, not having the same amount of strength as she does but still. I appreciate my twin flame for being there for me, when i was at my saddest. Now i have to put on my big girl panties and just move forward. I am letting this be the only day that i sulk over that man. It’s obvious he couldn’t care less about how i feel.

Because i am starting a new life come Monday afternoon. Well perhaps not new, but i will be starting my new job, and i be will be taking advantage of all the new opportunities to come… Hopefully meet some fine new men on the road.

Because i know my worth. And i know that there is someone out there that will love me the way i deserved to be loved. I know that my soulmate is out there waiting to find me. A man who was made just for me!

series disclaimer!

#jey uso #jey uso fanfiction #main event jey uso #jey uso smut #fanfic #wwe fanfiction #wwe #alennyae

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yutxsgf · 1 year ago

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Kirishima fucks up and Bakugou and Kaminari are there to sweep up the mess and fix you out of your feels.

Cw; fluff, Café worker au, light hurt/comfort.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺

You and Kirishima had been friends throughout middle school, and it stayed that way. The light and happy feeling of being with your best friend. The soft smiles and the silly laughs, it felt great. Heavenly even. That was how it was.

Until you introduced them.

"Hey, I'm Mina Ashido! I've seen you around before, haven't I?" She said with a bright smile before sticking her hand out to the blank spikey haired boy.

Kirishima froze before clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck with a smile, "O–Oh, yeah! Nice to meet you, I'm Eijiro Kirishima." He replied with a sheepish grin.

You watched silently at the greeting, smiling at the smooth greeting, it seemed pretty nice. You were somewhat excited, you were thinking of being the awesome trio at Mustafa Private Middle School.

But that wasn't the case. Not at all. You never expected to be the one left out on hangouts let alone left behind. You never thought you'd be the one to feel that prickling pang of jealousy and pain as you watched your bestfriend and your other friend laugh and share a popcorn bucket at the movies. You were stuck on the end side as both of them sat by eachother, laughing and giggling at the movie loud enough for several people to give them dirty looks.

It wasn't as fun when you were on the butt end of it, was it?

This went on and on, and each time, you felt little bits and pieces of your enjoyment that was there before, shatter and fly away. It hurt, so bad, more than anyone could imagine. And it didn't help that you liked your bestfriend too.

You sighed before getting up off of the round, metal Café chair and grabbing your belongings. You had been mulling and thinking too much. People had offered you several little snacks when they caught you shedding a couple tears, which made you feign a smile. But the thankfulness and prick of gratefulness didn't last forever, which is why you decided it was better to just sulk at home and not embarass yourself.

You were about to ditch the Café before you heard someone yell. You whipped your head back at the voice, which was apparently the Café counter.

"Hey, you." A blonde guy called out with both palms on the counter as he looked at you. You glanced around before pointing at yourself and slightly tilting your head.

The worker nodded and grinned, "Yeah, you, c'mere." He motioned for you to come closer before dipping behind the small glass panel that slightly hid the drink he pulled out from behind it.

You slowly walked closer, clearly confused on why you were called out. Maybe it was because you stayed too long. You really didn't hope so, you were definitely in no mood to get an earful.

"On the house, hate seein' pretty people like you sob in here." The blonde said before sliding a [Favorite drink] to you with thin caramel lining that made up a small happy face.

You stared at him for a brief minute before pursing your lips, trying to decide if this was worth your smile right now or not. If you could even muster up one.

But, after a couple seconds, your body decided for your as a warm smile tugged at your lips causing an instant reaction from the blonde boy as his grin got wider.

"I– T.. Thank you." You said softly, taking the drink and pulling it closer before taking a sip and immediately feeling a tad better than you had before.

He tipped his little worker visor before flashing his amber eyes down at you with a soft smirk. "The names Kaminari. Denki Kaminari." He said softly.

You chuckled quietly, "[L/N], [F/N] [L/N]." Kaminari perked up before snatching an order paper and grabbing a pen from the table and writing down his number.

He slid it against the table towards you with a soft grin, "Use it however you please." He mumbled softly before making soft eye contact with you.

"Dunce face, God damn it! You better not be flirting with another customer again." A voice boomed from the back before a loud slam was heard. Everyone, including you and Kaminari whipped their heads over to whatever made that noise.

Another worker came from behind the wall before his eyes instinctively met the front of the counter, soon finding their way up to your slightly flushed, puffy face and just as puffy eyes.

He sucked his teeth before dipping back behind the wall and coming out with a duck themed sugar cookie and sliding it across the counter before stopping right in front of you.

"Damn Bakugou, didn't expect you to be the–" The darker blonde was quickly cut off with a cough as the other worker shoved an elbow into his abdomen, effectively shutting him up.

"Don't be goin' to a Café just to mope around n' not buy anything. That's just bs." The ash-blonde mumbled the last part before going back behind the wall with his hands shoved in his Café designed apron.

Your eyes followed him until he was no longer in sight, you were clearly slightly baffled with the mixed signals. Your attention was quickly snagged away from the ash-blonde to the Darker blonde that was clutching onto his stomach.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that." He wheezed out, giving his best attempt at a grin as he stared at you for a moment.

You chuckled for a moment before clearing your throat and straightening up as your expression took one of worry and concern, "Are– Are you.. alright?"

"Don't worry, 'm fine– He always does this." He spoke before coughing and straightening up. He cleared his throat before smiling warmly. "What I think Bakugou over there was tryna say is, don't be upset, everything's gonna turn out fine. Well, whatever youre goin' through will be." He shrugged with a hum sounding like the words 'I don't know.'

You smiled softly before nodding, "If that's the case, send him my thanks." You gave a farewell nod before turning around and making your way towards the Café doors.

"Will do." Was the last thing you heard before the small bell at the top of the double glass doors rang. You felt lighter than before, a little out of the dumps. You glanced down at the drink and little snack with a soft smile before taking a sip.

Maybe today wasn't going to be as bad.

And from that day on, you became a regular, always going back to that same Café to see those very blondes. At one point, they began to memorize your favorite drinks almost by heart just by simple glance at your expression.

You'd always pick the table closest to the counter so they'd always have the chance to start up small talk at times, and Kaminari took all the chances he could get.

Bakugou on the other hand, acted as if he didn't want you there which would normally hurt– if he didn't occasionally sneak you a couple cookies and small cups of whip cream.

"So how is our lovely regular doing today?" Kaminari asked with a soft grin as his chin resting in the palm of his hand for support atop the soft beige marble counter.

"I'm doing okay." You replied, making your way to the blonde as your other favorite blonde walked around behind Kaminari while making drinks for the other stray customers.

"Glad to hear." He beamed you a closed eye grin before spinning on his heel and making his way over to the drink station. Presumably to make your drink.

"Whaddya think you're doing, idiot. Go talk to them, I'm making the damn drink already." A harsh whisper was heard from Bakugou as his hands quickly worked at what looked to be a latte.

Kaminari silently mocked him before rolling his eyes and walking back to you. His expression shifted to one of softness as he saw you glancing up at their temporary sanrio menu.

"Thinkin' of buying one of those chibbi thingies from our menu today?" He asked, placing both of his palms on the edges of the counter as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

You pursed your lips in thoughts before smiling softly and nodding, "Yeah, can I get a... [Favorite sanrio character] themed bubble tea? Along with a [F/S/C] sugar cookie?"

"Coming right up beautiful." He responded with a wink before dipping in slightly behind the wall and shouting your order to Bakugou. Whom responded with a very vocal, "Don't yell at me, damn extra!"

You chuckled before glancing behind you at the sound of the little bell ringing as people entered. You were always a nosey one.

And then, your heart dropped.

You watched in slight horror and both Kirishima and Mina walked inside the Café arm in arm with cheerful smiles. You practically froze in place as you slowly turned your head towards the counter, praying to every deity there was that they wouldn't recognize the back of your head.

"Woah, what's wrong with you?" Kaminari questioned, cocking a brow as he stared at you with your sugar cookie in hand. His expression started to lace with concern as you remained silent and frozen.

"[L/N]–" You quickly shut him up before he could finish calling out your name by sending him a death glare that could send a small shiver down Bakugou's spine.

Kaminari quickly stayed silent before hesitantly glancing behind you to welcome the new customers before he too, froze in place.

He laughed nervously before pursing his lips, "Oh– Uh, hey! Your shift started 5 minutes ago [False name], come on." He ushered you over to the little gate stiffly, and you quickly complied.

You quickly, yet semi cautiously made your way over to the gate before pushing your body into it as it allowed you inside. You booked it behind the wall that always hid the rest of the small storage area only to be met face first into a thick pole.

"What the hell?! The fuck're you doin' back here? And watch where you're going!"

You glanced up at said pole that had two drinks up in the air as he beamed you a confused scowl. You quickly backed up before placing a hand over his mouth and glancing behind you where Kaminari stiffly took the pair's order.

Bakugou stayed still for a moment before placing both drinks on a nearby counter and grabbing your wrist. "What the fuck is going on." He said in a harsh whisper.

"The– Youknowthosepeopleitoldyouaboutthatleftmeforeachotherafteriintroducedthem?yeahwelltheyrehereandkaminarihel–"

"God damn it– Slow down idiot!" Bakugou said as he covered your mouth with his hand. He sucked his teeth before slowly retracting his hand from your mouth.

You remained silent for a moment before taking a calming breath and looking up at him, "Remember when I came in here crying?"

"Yeah, you looked like a fuckin' pimple with all that puffiness." He teased with a grin before clearing his throat and allowing you to continue.

You gave him a sharp look before huffing and continuing, "Well that reason why I was crying is here and talking to Kaminari."

Bakugou thought for a moment before pursing his lips in hesitancy. His expression of thought quickly turned into a narrow one as he shoved you out of the way and left from behind the wall.

You watched in terror as Kaminari tried to hold Bakugou back from blowing the whole counter along with Kirishima and Mina away. If this was a clean show, all you'd be hearing was that annoying beep.

"Bakugou– C'mon bro, fuck! Calm down!" Kaminari shouted, holding Bakugou by his the crooks of his neck as the ash-blonde's hands started sparking and popping. All you could hear was loud, violent I'll kill yous and Bastards along with streams of something that sounded like it could come out of Satan's mouth himself.

"Bakugou.." You said under your breath, walking slightly towards the chaos behind the counter. Both blonde's heads whipped towards your direction and froze.

What you didn't know, was that you walked a bit too far and you were now in view for both Mina and Kirishima to spot you and also freeze.

By now, all customers either began recording or scrambled away as far as they could from the very lively Café. But that was the least of your worries the moment you heard his voice.

"[Name]..?"

Your head whipped towards the voice with an expression that could break a man's pride. And well, it did. Throughout all Bakugou's stream of curses, all you could hear was Kirishima's small curses about how crazy your blondes were.

You stared at him as if he were crazy, insane, an outcast, like he didn't belong, like you didn't know who he was, like you disgusted by him, like you hated him. At this point, you could care less about the terrified Mina behind him, the only thing that went through your mind was the betrayal and the fact Bakugou lashed out on someone on his shift. For you.

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out."

"[Nam]–"

"Get. OUT."

All eyes and phone cameras were on you now, your shout having gained the attention from everyone. You pointed towards the double glass doors and sent him a glare of despair and hatred.

Kirishima recoiled at your sudden volume before Mina stepped in front of him and looked at you with confusion and sorrow. "[Nickname], what's going on with you..?"

You ground your teeth within your mouth briefly before turning away from her and walking behind the wall again. All you could hear afterwards was Kirishima beginning to call your name before getting stopped by a loud slam on the counter and a loud "Get the fuck out."

You sat quietly on a chair in the corner as you stared blankly at the wall infront of you. You counted atleast 104 cracks in the wall and about 3 faded ash marks on that very same chunk of wall.

"[Name]."

You flinched at the sound of your name before instantly calming down at the sight of Kaminari and Bakugou standing by you.

"Are you– Are you okay?" Kaminari said softly, coming closer to you and placing a warm hand on your shoulder as his eyebrows furrowed with concern.

Bakugou came closer before shoving his hands in his pocket and leaning against the wall in front of you with a soft scowl. "If you're worried about those bastards, I scared 'em off 5 minutes ago. Damn extras are so damn persistent."

You chuckled softly for a second at his last remark before clearing your throat and glancing up at both Kaminari and Bakugou. You slowly nodded before sighing, "Yeah.. Yeah, I'm okay. But, I just– I just wanna thank you both for what you did back there.. Helping me and stuff.. Just– Thank you. I really appreciated it."

"Don't be getting all sappy on me now, [Name]." Kaminari teased before ruffling your hair and grinning softly at you. "Plus, it was the least we could do for our favorite customer. Don't tell Amari I said that, she always tips me an extra five bucks whenever she comes here."

You laughed for a moment before smiling softly at both of them, "Noted." You let out another content sigh, feeling lighter than you did during the scenes of drama.

"Tch. Whatever, they deserved it. Wasn't like I was doin' it for you anyway, I got a lotta pent up rage dealing with those damn complaintent customers." Bakugou scoffed before turning his head away to look off to the side. "N' don't worry bout the Café cause I know damn well you will. Our manager will deal with the shit that comes with our mishap."

You couldn't help your smile as it widened at Bakugou's choice of words. After becoming a regular and always speaking with the two, you've come to learn what Bakugou truly means with his words. And this one meant, you're welcome and it's okay.

You stood up slowly before turning towards Kaminari and standing in front of him, just keeping eye contact before wrapping him up in a tight hug.

He grunted quietly in shock before grinning and instantly wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer. "God, I thought I'd never be able to do this." He whispered.

After a couple moments of content, you slowly pulled away and grinned at Bakugou, who was scowling harder than he was earlier.

You laughed before leaping forward and wrapping your arms around Bakugou's neck in a warm, happy hug. Bakugou grunted as well, a little louder than Kaminari before scoffing and hugging you back tighter with his arms around your waist.

"You're welcome nerd." He whispered in your ear as he leaned his head towards the crook in your neck.

Kaminari stood there with his hands on his hips, giving Bakugou an I-know-you-feel-it-too look before straightening up and clearing his throat as Bakugou glared at him.

You and Bakugou had a little bit of a longer moment as you both hugged in silence before you pulled away. He took the chance to ruffle your hair before shoving his hands in his pocket and leaning back against the wall.

"So.. whose up for a festival night?" You ask with a soft grin.

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hopelesslyromanticgay · 2 years ago

Text

An Americano, Please? Part 3

Word count: 1.3K A/N: Just an FYI, I don't usually upload twice a day, I just felt particularly inspired today. As always, italics in quotation marks signify the speaking is using romanian dialect.

Y/N's POV:

I gotta admit. It hurt when Jenna didn't send me a text immediately. It's been two days, and still nothing.

Maybe it was a meaningless banter. Oh well. I guess I just really thought something could come out of it.

"What are you sulking about?" Nessa asks me one day after our shift.

"I'm not sulking, I'm just a little sad because I didn't get a text from someone," I explain, "It's not like she owed me a text or anything, but I don't have to be ecstatic over the fact that she hasn't done so."

"Oh my god, you're into the American one," Nessa exclaims, "I knew it! I mean, she's gorgeous. Like if I were into girls I would definitely be into her." I take a sip of my cortado (half espresso, half milk) as I listen.

"Well in any case, she's probably not interested."

"Stop sulking, Y/N," Nessa scolds me, "Let's do something fun. Gotta get your mind off of this girl."

Since our shift just ended, and we have a whole afternoon ahead of us, Nessa and I take her car to Predeal, the closest thing to a modern city we have around here.

It's about seven miles, so about twenty minute drive. The town's mostly filled with ski resorts, but there's a few fun places to shop.

A great deal of the afternoon is spent sitting outside a store judging the tourists.

"Oh my god she's probably saying something stupid like, 'I know it's winter but my husband will love this hawaiian T-shirt I bought in Romania,'" Nessa mimics the normal thought process of the typical tourist.

"This guy's even worse though," I stifle a laugh, mocking his actions.

After a thorough mockery of all of the Predeal tourists, we head back to our town, content with our afternoon.

I still haven't stopped thinking about Jenna, though. I wish I could have gotten to know her better. It's so nice to finally have someone I can talk to in English.

All I can do is hope that she comes back to the shop. Even then though, she probably won't want much to do with me.

Nessa drops me off at my apartment, waving goodbye. Almost instantly, I shed my winter coat, relieved by the warmth of the building.

The first thing I do is turn on the TV and open Netflix. A new baking show just dropped, and I'm not the type to turn down new entertainment.

The show turns out to be a combination of baking and engineering. It seems cool, but it's hard to tell from the first episode.

My phone lights up with a bright reminder Remember to feed Cupid!

Sighing, I get up from the couch and grab my fish flakes.

Cupid is my purple betta fish. She's about a year old and as of yet hasn't had too many health issues, which is super lucky for both of us. She's at the point where she recognizes my face. So when I go up to the tank, fish feed in hand, she eagerly swims up to the glass.

"Hey Cupid," I laugh, sprinkling some food into the tank.

After feeding her, I head back to the couch, where I continue watching my cooking show. Before I know it, I'm five episodes in and the sun is starting to set. I look out of the window, trying to gauge the temperature and weather condition.

It's a fairly clear twilight right now. There's a good chance I'll get to see stars tonight. Actually, I've decided I will see stars tonight.

I don my winter coat and make my way down the apartment complex stairs. One of the perks of not living in a huge city is that I can see the night sky beautifully.

One of my favorite places in town is on the outer edges of it. At this point, all of the buildings are housing, be it apartments or actual houses. The long stretches of pavement are perfect for strolling down while admiring the night.

Not a lot of people choose to come out here late at night, which is honestly their loss. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm super into nature and the great outdoors, but when I am outside, I can find an appreciation for my surroundings.

So that's how I found myself strolling the streets of Bușteni Romania, not looking at the cement in front of me.

BAM! I find myself crashing into another person, almost knocking both of us over.

"Fuck, I am so sorry," I find myself defaulting to english, "I- I mean, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Y/N?" A familiar voice asks.

"Jenna?" It may be dark, but I can just barely see the details of her face. God I hope she's not mad.

"Yep, it's me," I hear her faintly laugh.

"Are you okay? I almost knocked you over."

"I'm okay, just a little rattled."

"Sorry for that again," I apologize, "I should have been watching where I was going."

"You could make it up to me by walking me to my apartment?" she offers.

"I'd like nothing more," I laugh, linking my arm with hers and we start to walk.

"So, Y/N, tell me about yourself," she starts the conversation.

"Well, my name's Y/N L/N, I work at a coffee shop. I speak English and Romanian, which is useful for when people like you come to the shop."

"I know that stuff," she interrupts me, "what do you like to do outside of work?"

"You know, the normal things, be around the people I care about, watch shows, I read sometimes, listen to music, that kind of stuff. What about you?"

"Well for starters, I'm Jenna Ortega, I also love to read and listen to music," she tells me, "I also like to write though, I have like, twenty scripts and stories sitting in my FinalDraft™ folder."

"Damn, you must really like writing," I respond, "that's pretty awesome."

"I guess so," she shrugs.

"Have you ever considered publishing your work?" I ask.

"Yeah, I actually published a book called It's All Love," she answers proudly.

"That's like, the coolest thing anyone's said to me all day," I tell her.

"I guess I'm just a cool person," she jokes, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, only an arrogant person would say that."

"No, you have reason to say, it. You're a published author, the lead in a TV show, and fun to talk to. Don't discredit your own awesome-ness."

She laughs, "thanks for saying that."

"Sure thing."

"So, does your offer to take me around town sometime still stand?" she changes the subject.

"I'm a woman of my word, Jenna, if you still want a tour, you have my number," I remind her, trying to sound kind and cool at the same time. Which is kind of challenging.

"Oh my god, I forgot to text you, didn't I," she gasps, "I'm so so sorry, Y/N. I've just had so much going on." She starts to talk herself into a panic, "I have work for like, eight hours a day, plus cello lessons, plus german and fencing, it's just so much." If I had known how busy she was I never would have felt so hurt. That must be so overwhelming.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm not mad about it." Which is true.

"That's such a relief," she exhales, "again, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, Jenna, it's okay. How about the next time you have a day off, we get in touch and I take you around town."

"Well, conveniently enough, my next day off is tomorrow, so how about I see you then?" she offers.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that," I smile, doing my best to hide how excited I am for this.

"Well this is my place," she announces, "thank you for walking me home."

"Anytime," I reply, sad to know the night is ending. She heads through the door to her apartment, leaving me to walk the short five minutes to my apartment alone.

As soon as I get home, I dash to my bedroom, putting on pyjamas and getting ready for bed. I'm tired from the day. At at the same time, I'm so happy I got to see Jenna. I'm so excited that she wants to see me again, maybe tomorrow! I can't wait to get to know her better.

My phone lights up with a text from a new number

+1 ***-***-****

Does 11 AM tomorrow work for you?

-Jenna

I smile, quickly texting back

Sure thing, see ya then :)

I can hardly wait.

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certifiedlovergirlsstuff · 1 year ago

Text

packing up to go

pairing: steve harrington x fem byers!reader

summary: the moving boxes are being filled and tears are being shed.

series masterlist

previous chapter next chapter

October 7, 1985

She kept saying, “Fresh starts will be good for everyone” “This is good for us.” Any variation that came to mind, Joyce Byers said it aloud to make everyone feel better. It never worked though, all four of you, plus your friends hated the idea of your family moving to the other side of the country.

California was thousands of miles away from everything you grew up loving and hating. Everyone was now a phone call, letter, or five-hour plane ride away. It sucked. So you sulked and held back tears as you packed the last of your room into cardboard boxes.

“I’ll miss you, Mr. Teddy. Nice and soft.” Steve’s voice bounced off your bare walls while hugging a stuffed animal from your childhood.

You sighed dramatically, “Guess that means you’ll mourn his loss more than mine. I get it, bears before girls.” Tapping off your box of clothes.

“Well, me and Mr. Teddy have a history. You wouldn’t understand.” Lovingly petting the plushies head.

You scoffed, “What history? You’ve ‘met�� him two years ago. My grandma gave me him for Hanukkah. When I was four.”

You walked over to Steve, who stared into the doll's cold black eyes, and you felt a pang of jealousy towards the doll. You can leave the bear with Steve and he’ll get to hug it to sleep every night, it’s cotton-filled ears won’t short-circuit whenever Steve says I love you. A stuffed bear will be able to stay with Steve when you can’t and it makes you sad.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Steve set Mr. Teddy atop your box so his hands could reach out to cup your cheeks. You didn’t realize you had tears falling until Steve was getting blurry and he was knuckling away the waterdrops.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to be separated from you.” A blubbering mess as you wrapped your arms tight around Steve's middle, trying to burrow into his yellow sweater.

“It's gonna be okay, baby. We’ll still talk on the phone and I’ll start sending letters and pictures so you aren’t missing out. And I’m gonna save money so I can visit you during the holidays.”

You sniffled your tears as Steve pressed a deep lingering kiss to your hairline. “I love you too much to lose you.

So you're stuck with me one way or another.” And he squeezed you tighter.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

taglist: heartyhope / @preciousbabypeter / @dessxoxsworld / piper3113 / @animiacorn / @burn1ngw00d / @drxwstxrkxy / @m-rae23 / @noisyeggsmoneystatesman / yournan69 / @thats-s0-ravenn / @ameliabs-world / @mayonesavegana / @gracella0709 / @gengen64 / @alecmores / choclate32 / @stvrdustalexx / @redheadedfangirl / @agustdeeyaa / @yappydoo / @liberhoe / hehehehannahthings / @ladybug0095 / @sweeter-innocence-fics / j-6o / @voteforevilthoughts s / @harrysflowercrownrry / @ilovereadingfanfics / @sorrow-has-a-place-here / @80strashbag / @sunsumonner / sweet1peach / @cierrajhill / we-out- here-simping / nix-rose-a / @x-theolivia / @stylesyourmine / @starkeylover / @ihatepeanutss / @yeehawbrothers / @parkershoco / @scorpiolystoned /

#the byers harrington story #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fic

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glitterguts13 · 4 months ago

Note

Omega Kinich suffering infertility and Ajaw is trying to comfort him but being around Saurian Eggs made it worse, Mulani and Kachina are both easing his pain and his body is starting to change, such as experiencing false pregnancy which hurts him more as various Saurians have him around their young to tend while out hunting.

I am in the mood for angst, so let's make this one hurt, yes?

"Are you just going to laze about?" the voice is high and shrill in his ear, "Sulking because you didn't get what you wanted?" gritting his teeth, Kinich brings his knees closer to his chest, face buried against the palms of his hands.

It hurt.

The emptiness in the pit of his stomach burned, hollow and void. Heat crept under his skin, eyes aching from all the tears he'd shed the last few nights. It felt as if he had weights wrapped around his neck and arms, muscles refusing to obey when he begged them to loosen

His body is twisted around a clutch of Saurian eggs, warming them against his skin and clinging to them for dear life. It hurt to be so close to the little unborn lives, but it hurt far worse to pry himself away.

"Ajaw, please," Mulani's brow knits in concern as she bats the 'almighty' dragon lord aside, "Kinich is in pain, have some sympathy."

The small creature 'hmps' and pops out of view.

"Here, drink this." a glass of warm, deep maroon liquid is brought to his lips, and Kinich obeys, opening his mouth and swallowing the sickly sweet nectar.

"This should help ease the various aches and pains. Kachina brought some sleep aids too if you feel like you need them."

The liquid sits heavy on his tongue, his stomach churning violently.

"It isn't....fair," tears threaten to spill over once more, and the words hurt as they fall from his lips, "Why...is my body broken?"

A small hand pets his hair,

"You aren't broken Kinich." Kachina soothes, forcing a wide smile. The site of the young girl only stirs that painful longing in his chest once more.

Would his children have been as joyful and bright as her?

Could he have raised such a strong child?

"An Omega...has one true duty...and my body can't fulfill it."

"Stop that," Mualani chides softly, "Your worth is not defined by your ability to bear children. So many people depend on you, so many people love you."

A broken sob finally spills over.

Kinich hates this feeling.

Like he was a child once more, running to his mother for comfort, unable to handle the scary truths about life.

"It hurts-"

"I know," Mualani whispers.

Groaning, Kinich finally unfurls from around the eggs, one hand pressing into the tensing muscles of his abdomen.

"Why-it won't stop-"

"Shhh," Kachina shares a worried look with the hydro user, "Should I go fetch a healer?"

"No...there isn't much they can do for him," the pity in her tone sends a chill down Kinichi's spine, "His body is just...angry."

That was putting it lightly.

Trying to expel a baby he would never carry.

Cruel, nature was just cruel.

#mpreg #genshin impact #kinich #mualani #kachina

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asahicore · 2 years ago

Text

iced matcha latte - sjh

part 2 of the coffee mini-series // prompt 70 of the 100 kisses list, an accidental kiss that confuses you both, but only a moment passes before you crash your lips back against each other’s

pairing. coworker!junghwan x fem!reader synopsis. Neither you nor Junghwan have said anything since he confessed to liking you at the end of January. You like the way things are slowly progressing, and anyways, you both know that the other likes you - or at least, that's what you think. Even though he's staying quiet about it, Junghwan might not be as reassured in your feelings for him as you think. genre. spring au, coffee shop au, just lots of fluff, they go on a date and are in love basically, also noona!reader word count. 4.5k a/n. hello lovelies sorry i took a thousand years to upload this second part but hope you guys like it <33 @zreamy cried beta reading so hopefully that means it's good 😣 as always lmk ur thoughts!! will try not to take three months to write the next parts next time lol

spring.

Flowers in bloom. A slight rise in temperatures. That weird in-between season where winter fruit isn’t good anymore but summer fruit isn’t quite ripe yet. Going to school or work when the sun’s already up, and heading back home before it’s gone down. The first rays of bright, warm sun making everyone shed their winter coats and wear lighter jackets instead. Turning down the heating a few notches. Maybe even having a picnic outside.

Where you lived, these were all signs that spring had arrived. They were all punctuated by a general sense of relief that the harsh coldness of winter was over and of anticipation for the even warmer days of summer. But for you and everyone else that worked at the café, as well as your regulars, spring made itself known through yet another sign.

“Six separate people have ordered iced matcha lattes. Six. We opened two hours ago.”

This was how your manager had greeted you as you came in for your shift, a look of worn-out exasperation on his face that you chuckled at. Yeonjun had turned his dislike of iced drinks not only into a personality trait of his but into a feature of the café as well - from early October to late March, no iced drink may be sold in his shop. Every spring, he acted like pouring hot drinks over ice cubes was costing him his life, even though those drinks made up most of the profit of the café during the spring and summer months. People particularly loved your iced matcha lattes.

“It’s a nice drink, Yeonjun. Refreshing,” you shrug, heading to the back to drop your stuff there and put your apron on.

Yeonjun’s still sulking when you come back out. “Milk shouldn’t be consumed with ice,” he almost hisses. You’re thankful for the customer that comes in then and unknowingly puts a stop to this conversation that you’ve had a thousand times before.

You give them an apologetic smile when Yeonjun lets out an audible groan upon hearing their order - an iced matcha latte.

What can he do? It’s spring, after all.

“Y/N, it’s been two months since the guy told you he likes you. How much longer are you gonna make him wait?”

If your manager complains about iced drinks every chance he gets, this is how Jayoon decides to fill the silence as soon as there are no customers during the shifts you share.

“Have you been counting the days, or something?” you say, trying to get her off the subject. You have to fight back a smile, though - the simple mention of Junghwan makes your heart skip a beat.

She’s right, though. It has been two months since Junghwan’s quick confession as he got on the bus, and neither of you have really mentioned it since. But the air between the two of you has changed - if before, you forced yourself to think of him as a friend because you didn’t think he saw you as anything other than that, now, you let all the eye contact and every discreet touch linger and let yourself bask in them.

With the way you react to every little thing he does, you don’t think there’s any way Junghwan doesn’t know you like him back. You’re not even doing it on purpose, you just can’t help but laugh at all of his jokes, funny or not, ruffle his hair (which is very, very soft) when he does something cute (which is often), or keep casting glances his way when you work a shift together.

You like that he’s not pressuring you to give him an answer. Of course, you want to date him, and you have no intention of leading him on, but you just want to cherish those heart-fluttering, innocent moments before things get more serious. You like how it all feels new, how his good morning and good night texts still surprise you twice a day and how your heart still skips a beat when he beams at you. Although, you have a feeling that even if you do get used to it, you won’t get bored of it.

Jayoon rolls her eyes impatiently at you. “Whether I have or not is not the issue here,” she says in a way that makes you think she has. “I have to admit I just don’t really get it. You know he likes you. You like him. He probably knows you like him. Why don’t you guys just date already?”

The volume of her voice increases as she speaks, garnering amused looks from customers in the café, and her frustration at someone else’s love life gets a chuckle out of you too. “You know that two of our regulars have straight up asked me if you guys were together? That means that plenty other people have thought the same, just didn’t ask.”

This fact makes your cheeks heat up. Were you and Junghwan really being that obvious? You couldn’t tell Jayoon that you’d also been asked about Junghwan by regulars that had noticed your recent chumminess - she’d only use it as another argument against you.

“I like the way things are right now, Yoon. It’s nice. We text everyday and hang out or study together when we’re not on the same shift. We’re just… progressing from colleagues to friends, if you will. That takes time,” you explain with a sigh. A customer comes in, and because they’re paying more attention to their phone than to you, Jayoon continues grilling you as you prepare their oat latte.

“But you like each other!” she whisper-yells. “Why can’t you progress from colleagues directly into boyfriend and girlfriend? You already act like it anyway. The guy walks you home, texts you cute shit, and I saw those heart-shaped cookies you gave him for his birthday. How come I never got heart-shaped cookies? Or any shape cookies, for that matter?”

You ignore your friend for a short moment as the customer pays for their drink. When they’ve walked away, you turn to her with another sigh and feign a concerned expression. “Is that what this is about, Yoon? Do you want me to make you cookies?”

“Of course I do, but I’m not letting you change the subject.”

“I swear this is at least the fifth time we’ve had this conversation. I’m telling you, it’ll happen naturally. I don’t want to force anything.”

“But aren’t you scared your spark will fizzle out?” she asks with a pout.

You think for a second. Every time you see Junghwan, your feelings for him grow. He manages to make you feel all giddy inside but wipe all your worries away at once. So, no, you don’t think your spark will fizzle out - you think it will grow slowly but steadily until it becomes warm and welcoming like a fireplace fire, the kind you want to bundle up in front of and feel the flames of on your face during cold winter nights.

As the pleasant thought crosses your mind, Junghwan enters the café, big brown eyes finding you immediately and lips coming up in that boyish grin of his you love so much. You return his smile, then look back at Jayoon. “No, I’m not,” you reply, smiling at her too. She shrugs, and you hope this was the last time she branched the topic.

You turn back to Junghwan as he crosses his arms over the counter, bending down on his forearms so that he’s the one looking up at you. The two of you probably look like idiots, smiling at each other like you’ve just shared amazing news, when all you’re happy about is simply seeing the other. “Your usual?” you ask, and he nods.

You get to work on his latte - two shots of espresso and one pump of vanilla syrup - then ask him what he’s doing here, since he’s not working today.

“I didn’t want to go to the library to study. I’m so tired, I’m probably just going to stare at my computer screen for a couple hours then call it a day. Being around people who are hell-bent on getting their essays done will just stress me out,” he explains with a sigh.

You chuckle. “Yeah, I get that. Students working to make a deadline are some of the scariest people I’ve ever seen. You don’t need that kind of bad energy.”

As you start on your latte art (he likes it when you make a bear, so you’ve perfected your bear-shaped milk foam drawing over the past weeks), another smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Plus, I wanted to see you.”

Junghwan always says things like this, and yet, it manages to make your brain stop working every single time. Your hand freezes and the hot milk continues pouring into the cup, effectively ruining the bear’s face.

Jayoon’s loud groan snaps you out of your daze. She then says something about not needing your kind of bad energy and heads to the back storage. You laugh at your friend’s dramatic antics, but when you lock eyes with Junghwan, you grow shy again, finding sudden interest in the marble countertop. You vaguely notice Junghwan’s smile only getting bigger at your reaction.

“You look really pretty today, noona,” he says, voice dropping in volume so that only you can hear him. You purse your lips together, making it obvious that you’re trying to suppress a smile, but you can’t help letting out a small giggle at the compliment anyway.

“Go study,” you say, handing him his drink then shooing him off with a smile and a tilt of your head. Three teenage girls have come in, and you don’t want Junghwan’s presence messing with your concentration. They look like the type who won’t say anything even if you completely mess up their order, but you’d still rather get it right.

“Yes, ma’am,” Junghwan replies, standing up straight and picking up his drink. Your eyes follow his movements, and you’d be lying if you said his height and the inches he has over you didn’t make your heart flutter.

It’s a slow afternoon, and Jayoon takes over for you once you’re done with the girls’ drinks (two vanilla fraps and one iced matcha latte - Yeonjun would throw a fit if he was there), so that you can go sit with Junghwan until the usual five p.m. rush. He complains that you’re distracting him, but even when you stop talking and busy yourself with your phone, he’s the one who breaks the silence or tries to get your attention again. You feign exasperation but he’s too adorable for you to pretend for long - all it takes is a smile from him and you simply melt.

“Noona?” he calls out suddenly after ten minutes of studying. You look up and hum, waiting for him to go on. His smile makes its way back to his lips before he speaks again, and you mirror it almost unconsciously. “Do you wanna do something together when your shift is over?”

Your grin widens, and you rest your forearms on the table, leaning in closer to him in a conspiratory-like manner. “What do you have in mind?” you whisper.

He imitates your position, and even though the sudden proximity takes you aback, you try not to let it show on your face. The way his smile turns into a slight smirk when he notices your eyes quickly darting to his lips doesn’t help you in the slightest. “Get take-out somewhere and eat at a park? The weather’s nice enough.”

Your face lights up even more at the idea. “Sound good?” Junghwan asks, seemingly relieved at your excitement.

“Sounds perfect,” you reply with a giggle, leaning in close enough to bump your forehead against his before sitting back in your seat. The small action takes the both of you by surprise, but if Junghwan’s growing blush is anything to go by, it’s a good kind of surprise.

Then, Jayoon calls you for help, so you send Junghwan an apologetic smile, to which he responds with an understanding nod of his head. For the better part of an hour, the constant stream of customers keeps you occupied, but the last quiet minutes until the end of your shift seem to drag on and on. As soon as the clock strikes six p.m., you hurry to the backroom and take off your apron, looking at yourself in the mirror to fix your hair before coming back out.

Usually, you’d stay an extra hour to keep Jayoon company and help her close the store. For once, you’re glad that your friend is such a fervent supporter of your and Junghwan’s relationship, so she lets you go easily - actually, she’d been telling you to just go for the past ten minutes.

Junghwan is already waiting for you outside when you leave the café. The sunlight of the late afternoon turns his dark eyes a golden color and reflects against his hair. You make sure to commit the sight of him like this, beaming as he holds out his hand for you to take, to memory. You gladly take his hand, heart swelling at the feeling of your fingers interlacing for the first time, and yet so naturally. He leads the way and tells you about the different spots you can pick up food at. You decide on a fried chicken place nearby that’s only a two-minute walk away from a nice park. Both of your stomachs are growling, so something you can eat quickly is the best.

Ever the gentleman, Junghwan insists on paying for your food. Once at the park, you find one of the last unoccupied patches of sunny grass and set camp there. Junghwan lays a blanket down, and with a small blush, admits to having thought of this before getting to the café. “I was just hoping you’d say yes.”

You tease him for about a minute, until his bright red face and the hunger in your stomach make you relent. You both dig in, letting out satisfied hums at the crunchiness of the chicken. He seems to go for all the pieces with bones, and although you like those too, the sight of him happily eating them is enough for you to gladly accept all the boneless ones.

Usually, people are quiet when they eat, and start talking afterwards; but for some reason, you and Junghwan are the opposite. You talk so much as you eat that it takes you over an hour to finish your food, and by the time you’re done, the sun has started making its slow descent in the sky.

These are your favorite moments with him - laughing as you share silly childhood stories and tell each other about the many stupid things your friends have done, or getting to know the other better as you listen to what’s been weighing on their mind lately. You just love hearing his voice and talking to him, no matter the topic. You also like pretending to be mad at him when he steals some of your fries, even though he has a lot of his left - if you pout hard enough, he’ll feed you to make up for his theft.

Either a food coma hits the both of you at the same time, or you’ve both decided to admire the sunset peacefully, but a comfortable silence falls over you.

His legs had been stretched out in front of him, upper body resting on his palms, but after some time, he decides to lie down completely, hands coming up behind his head in a makeshift pillow. You stay in your cross-legged position and try not to pay him too much attention, but the thought of snuggling up to him and using his body warmth to protect yourself from the growing cold is pervasive in your head. For a minute, you’re so caught up in the idea of being close to him, of being able to touch his hair and bury your head in the crook of his neck, that when he touches your hand, you jump back in surprise. This makes him laugh, but you feel too much like you’ve been caught red-handed to smile too - you barely even register as he intertwines your hands together and brings them to his chest, right atop his heart.

“What were you thinking about?” he asks. As if intent on betraying your thoughts, your eyes swipe over his upper body before you can stop them. You look away, hoping he doesn’t notice the flustered look on your face, the slight crease of your eyebrows.

“Nothing,” you huff in reply.

“Are you sure?” he insists, giving your hand a slight tug, and another one when you don’t react. “Wanna know what I’m thinking about then?”

When you look back at him, a playful smile is dancing on his lips. “What?” you ask, trying to keep a disinterested tone, even though you’re hoping he’ll have the same thing on his mind as you.

His smile widens. “Come here,” he whispers, releasing your hand to reach out to you. A sort of relief washes over your body as you let yourself lie down against him, head resting on his bicep and hand circling his middle. He’s kept one of his hands under his head to hold it up, but the other one rests on your shoulder, fingers sometimes trailing up and down your arm. You hope that he assumes the shivers that rake through your body aren’t due to his actions but to the chilliness in the early evening air.

Indeed, after some time, he sits up for a second to get his jacket out of his bag. “You must be cold,” he says with what sounds like genuine worry in his voice as he places the denim over your body like a blanket before returning to his lying position. He brings you closer to him, and your head shifts from resting on his arm to his shoulder. You just need to turn your head to brush your nose against his neck and breathe in the warm scent of his skin. Instead, you lift your head slightly to admire his face in the orange glow of the last minutes of sunset.

His eyes are closed and he has a peaceful smile on his lips. You’re suddenly overcome with affection for him - all you can think is that you want to keep seeing his smile, and you want to keep being the reason behind it, for as long as possible. You’re also grateful for all the moments spent together, for all the times he’s made you laugh or done something in the hopes it’ll make you happy, for his patience and his understanding.

You’re not thinking much, more letting your body do what it’s been longing to do when you bend down to press your lips against his cheek.

“You know-”

Whatever he was about to say is stopped by your lips against his, and you both lean back immediately with wide eyes. You’re not crazy, right? You had been aiming for his cheek, but the gods of bad (or perfect) timing had decided he should turn his head to look at you and speak just at that moment.

After the initial shock has subsided, you both burst into giggles. Even though embarrassment makes heat rise to your cheeks, you’re glad that Junghwan doesn’t seem to mind the incident, just lightly pinches your shoulder and continues laughing. You bury your head in his shoulder to hide your face from him.

“Well, that wasn’t how I was expecting our first kiss to go, but I’ll take it, too.”

The playfulness in his tone tugs at something in you, and your insides twist at the thought of him thinking of kissing you, much like you had over the past couple of months. You force your shyness away and look back up at him, a similar smile to his playing on your lips.

“Oh yeah? How did you think it would go?”

His eyebrows raise at your uncharacteristic forwardness, but you can tell that he likes it. His eyes drift down to your lips and stay there as he speaks, and his voice is so low, you almost don’t hear it. It makes you feel like it’s really just you and Junghwan in the whole park. “Should I just show you?”

“I think you should,” you reply, voice just as low as his.

So he does. He lifts his head to find your lips with his, on purpose, this time. The kiss is slow and tentative as you focus on finding your rhythm together, but it’s perfect. It makes you feel all fuzzy at the edges, makes you feel like your fingers are filled with electricity. As your lips move against each other, settling into a nice, comfortable pace, you can’t help but smile. Now more than ever, you’re glad the two of you hadn’t rushed into anything, because every single moment that has led up to this has been worth it and makes this moment even better. Your noses bump into each other, and you’re not sure where to place your hands, and you’re both so nervous you sometimes have to stop to let some giggles out, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Everything is just right. The last warm sun rays and the slight breeze picking up, the soft blanket underneath you, the chatter in the park, the boy who has stopped kissing you only to leave quick pecks all over your cheeks, nose and forehead as he hugs you close to him. He finds your lips once more, pecks them once, then a second time before kissing you properly again. You’re not in his head, but it’s like he’d tried to control himself when you started kissing, but now the nerves and excitement and giddiness have caught up to him and he can’t help but shower you with affection. You remember your hands and bring them up under his head so that you can rake your fingers through the soft locks of his hair. That seems to calm him down instantly - he hums against your lips and you fall back into your previous, slower rhythm. You can’t help but laugh at this, pulling away slightly to look at him. His eyes are filled with adoration, and his expression is nothing but bliss.

You peck his lips one last time before laying back down next to him to take a breather. He whines at the loss of your warmth and presses a kiss to your forehead, then to the top of your head, nuzzling his face against your hair. After a few quiet moments, you remember he’d try to say something before your happy accident, so you ask him about it.

“Oh, that…” he starts, but says nothing more. You look back up at him, even more curious now.

“That?” you echo. His eyes dart all over your face as if trying to commit every millimeter of it to memory and a smile grows on his face.

“Yeah… I was gonna ask if you, um, if you remembered what I said that day at the bus stop.”

How could you have forgotten? “You mean, as you got into the bus and gave me zero time to say anything in return?”

His cheeks flush slightly but he keeps on grinning. “Yeah, that. I didn’t wanna say anything, but you also haven’t mentioned it, so I was getting a bit worried…”

Even though he’s smiling, his words alarm you. Had Jayoon been right? Maybe, all along, you were sure you were being clear, but Junghwan had no idea what you were thinking.

“I’m sorry, Hwan. I was sure I was making it obvious.”

“Making what obvious?”

How did he not know? “That I like you, too.”

His eyes light up at your words. He shoots up, almost knocking his head against yours in the process, but is too excited to notice it. You sit up too, his jacket falling off of your shoulders as you do. He looks at you like a kid whose parents just told him they were going to Disneyland. “You do?!”

You giggle, pushing away some hair that had fallen in his eyes. “Of course I do.”

He pulls into a hug so tight, you can barely breathe. This boy really needs to learn to assess his own strength. “This is the best day of my life,” he says, making you laugh again. You wrap your arms around his middle, bunching up some of the fabric of his t-shirt in your hands.

“Did you really not know?” you ask.

“Well, I thought you might. Or at least, I really hoped so. But I wasn’t a hundred percent sure…”

“I’m sorry,” you repeat, but he stops you quickly.

“Don’t be.”

“But I am.” You pull back to look at him but keep your hands where they are. “I just… I really liked the way things were going.” You’d never been in a serious relationship before, never found someone that you really wanted to take that step further with. But now that you had that someone, you realized you had no idea how to take things from here.

His smile softens. “Nothing has to change. I like the way things are going, too.” He takes a breath here, as if trying to steady himself before saying what he wants to say next. “I just want to be able to call you my girlfriend at the same time.”

It takes you a second to process his words, but when you do, you smile so hard, your cheeks start to hurt. Was it that easy this entire time? Just say, hey, let’s be boyfriend and girlfriend now, and everything could go on as it had been before?

“Your girlfriend?” you echo, half to make sure and half to tease him.

He nods fervently. “Mh-hm.”

You press a chaste peck to his lips. When you pull back, he’s kept his eyes closed, as if savoring the moment. “I’d love that, Hwan.”

He opens his eyes as his smile gets impossibly wider, and engulfs you in a tight hug once more. He holds your face in his hands as he kisses your cheek, then the top of your head. You think you hear him mumble “my girl” against your hair, but the sound of your giggles is louder than his muffled voice.

The two of you stay at the park until almost everyone has left, chased away by the cold, chatting and holding onto each other for warmth. As always, Junghwan walks you home, but this time, he doesn’t let you walk through your door before getting one last kiss or two. You only break away when the upstairs neighbor has to awkwardly clear his throat to be let through.

Junghwan texts you not even a minute after you’ve exchanged goodbyes to thank you for the amazing afternoon. You reply immediately, and the two of you text the night away, until your phone screen starts to hurt your eyes in the darkness of your room and you really need to start sleeping.

Tomorrow, you’re doing the closing shift together - you already know that it’ll feel like an eternity, waiting most of the day until you see him again. But you know you will, and that’s all that matters. So you fall asleep with your phone on your heart and a smile on your face.

permanent taglist: @zreamy @sunghoonmybeloved @lalalalawon @sd211 @w3bqrl @raikea10 @wntrnghts @moonlighthoon @4imhry @rikisly @loves0ft @iamliacamila @theboingsuckerasseater9000 (ask to be removed/added!)

series taglist: @ineedsomezzz

treasure taglist: @mosviqu

#treasure x reader #treasure fluff #treasure scenarios #yg treasure #treasure imagines #so junghwan #junghwan x reader #junghwan fluff #junghwan scenarios #junghwan imagines

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glassofapplejuicee · 7 months ago

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ok ok so the idea of a camp au has been floating around in my head forever and at this point i just need to put pen to paper! now i’ve never been to camp so keep that in mind. and god only knows if this will become an actual fleshed out fic or a WIP that will collect dust in my drive forever-

anyways, it's called Camp Spruce Trails (get it, Spruce Trails, ST?) and I'm imagining this au is still set in the mid 80s, but none of the upside down stuff happens ya know? or maybe upside down stuff happens while they're at camp? but i'm kind of leaning towards letting these guys have a normal childhood-

the camp itself is your classic 6 week sleepaway camp, there’s canoeing, arts and crafts, knot tying, competitions, campfires, etc. going to camp is a borderline religious tradition for The Party and they will do everything in their power to make sure they attend. one of their favorite parts of camp, is the staff:

Argyle Franco: 17, Kitchen, he isn’t huge with the kids but Jonathan convinced him to apply for the job, fridays are always pizza nights, he keeps to himself usually but cheers on his favorite campers during their games

Robin Buckley: 18, Blue Cabin Counselor, frazzled 24/7 but trying her best, wears the handmade jewelry from her campers like it’s made of gold, knows all the camp songs by heart, cries when camp ends, no longer allowed in the kitchen after the incident of ‘84

Nancy Wheeler: 18, Yellow Cabin Counselor, by the books and her campers know that, but they still have fun, always excels in the art competitions (much to Billy’s dismay), she's the most strict counselor however she takes great pride in her ability to get all the campers in bed by lights out

Jonathan Byers: 18, Groundskeeper(?), no one really knows his exact job title, he just sort of shows up every summer and nobody says anything, he fixes leaky pipes, kitchen appliances, pulls weeds, whatever needs done, he helps out a lot in the art cabin though

Steve Harrington: 19, Green Cabin Counselor, mostly stable but the coffee rings stained into his clipboard are telling, tries to be the "cool counselor", and if you stay on his good side you’ll be fine, however he will not hesitate to drag your ass to the office and call your parents if you step out of line

Billy Hargrove: 19, Red Cabin Counselor, parents hate him, but his campers are loyal, they demolish every single athletic competition, stole Eddie’s whistle (now annoys everyone with it), also no longer allowed in the kitchen after the incident of '84

Eddie Munson: 20, Lifeguard, but he sort of pokes his head in wherever he pleases, was deemed unfit to be a camp counselor so they stuck him as lifeguard, plays guitar around the campfire at night, multiple writes up for smoking on the job

if i were to flesh this out more into a full au fic (or more realistically, a series of ficlets??) you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a giant love hexagon thing that will be going on as a subplot to the camp activities. i'm not even a huge multi-shipper or anything but picture it: Nancy asks Robin to watch her campers for a minute so she can go flirt with Jonathan? yeah sure why not. Nancy gets back and finds Robin sulking cause she's jealous? i'm sure Nancy would be happy to cheer Robin up with a kiss! Eddie and Argyle bump into each other smoking behind the shed? oh whoops my finger slipped and now they're shot gunning a joint. Steve find's Billy and Eddie chilling at Skull Rock? well shit now all three of 'em are making out a la Challengers.

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vibingandsimping · 1 year ago

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Hello hi- I humbly request male human x karlach, be it hcs or a story, I just want some hot buff teifling on the brain 👉👈

(This anon sent another request highlighting some details they forgot.)

But, yes, Karlach is such a sweet gal and deserves all the love in the world.

Karlach x M!Reader

Forewarnings: Angst/Comfort and some smut ahead…

The battle you faced that afternoon was gruesome. One companion needing reviving after being chopped in the gut… quite the sight. You weren’t much better off and sustained a good handful of wounds. The scratches healed with little effort but there would be some that needed stitches and rounds of magic. Halsin and Shadowheart, sadly, were spent after tending to who they could. You were left to your own device’s as you ran the needle through a gash on your thigh. Teeth clenching as you bite back a wail. The muscles in your body tensed and only increased the ache in them. You tried to ignore the way the moonlight reflected you onto the water. You needn’t a reminder to how grotesque you were surely becoming. It was already hard enough to recognize yourself in mirrors as you aged.

Karlach, who had been your lover for a couple fortnite’s now, noticed your disappearance. She searched for a little while until she found you a little ways from camp near a pond. You were bloodied and bruised- heart aching at the prospect she couldn’t help you in battle better. She barely got out there herself. She placed her warm hands on your shoulders and you instinctively stiffened. Only for a moment til recognition slipped in and you relaxed as the shaking of your hands steadied. You never realized the effect she had on you. Her lips planted on the top of your head with a hum and you finished the last few pierces of your needle before tying it off and snapping the thread.

The silence between you two was deafening as she watched the way your body sulked as you looked in your reflection through the body of water. You were shirtless and pant-less; save for your undergarments and anything that didn’t heavily restrict access to the flesh. “Soldier,” she spoke as you gave her a sulking look, “what’s on your mind?” You shrugged and attempted to brush it off. Telling her it’s nothing and you were just exhausted from the battle. She knew you well enough- she served in the war for too long to not know distinction between the physical and mental. She dug her thumbs into the blades of your shoulders a couple times before sitting beside you. You finally give in at her puppy-gaze. Tears nearly brimmed in your eyes as you detailed your insecurities in your flesh. The fear of being inferior and having to come to terms with scars and change. Her expression was soft-understanding.

“Have you never noticed my right arm?” She almost whispered as she lulled you from the depths of your thoughts. Cold thoughts- truthfully. You furrowed your brows before inspecting it more thoroughly as she shed the clothing that concealed it. It didn’t really cross your mind but it was almost all scar tissue… along with literal holes in the flesh to pump the heat and exhaustion from her mechanical chest. For a minute, you almost felt silly for being insecure in something that now felt minuscule. “We all have scars. Small or large. It just proves our journey in life and as a warrior. It makes you strong.” She boasted with a flex of her scarred arm before returning to her softer demeanor. You smiled at her and she drew you into a kiss. “Besides, I like them.”

After she said that her lips trailed to a scar on your bicep. Down to your chest… following each and everyone she could find as your breath hitched. Her lips were impossibly hot despite her engine being fixed and cooled off. The blaze of her passion and being so intense. Her hands settled on your thighs as she lingered on a particularly dark scar. Karlach drew back up and reconnected with your lips. Intense and hungry as she drew your hair into her fingers. You planted your hands on her hips and tugged her forward. The tiefling worked your body like a wonder and you could feel the front of your pants growing tighter. You’d almost feel shameful if it weren’t for the fact she seemed so thrilled by it. Her groin grinding against yours with a soft moan. You breathed in through your nose against her lips with the friction. One hand moving down her pants and towards her wanting sex. She lost herself in the teasing for only a moment before she grabbed your wrist and pulled it away. “Not yet,” she whispered, “I crave it so dearly, I do.” She got onto her knees and pressed her head against your thigh. “But for now… I want to show you how handsome I think you are. Inside and out.”

Her fingers made quick work of the material shielding your erection. If she hadn’t been so pent up for ten years perhaps she’d be more keen on proper foreplay. For her, she’s ready to jump just about anybody’s bones, especially yours. You drew a hiss in at the crisp air kissing the warm and sensitive flesh of your cock. The woman drew in a pleased breath at the sight as she leaned in and licked a strip up the base to tip. Once reaching the head, she took it all in with one fell swoop. Pressing against the back of her throat as you stared down in awe at the mess of horns and hair at your pelvis. Her throat was warm and almost painfully hot. God, everything about her was hot so who the hell were you to complain? You wrapped a hand around her remaining horn and started bobbing her on your length. Her tongue worked avidly along the underneath while she sucked what she could as you took the reigns. This was a pattern for several minutes with occasional rough moans leaving her throat. She was surely soaking as you could tell she was taking pleasure in it. Whether it was simply the act of the sex or you taking dominance- you weren’t sure. What you did know is that you wanted to plant her on the ground and fill her up so beautifully after. Hear her moans ring through the air clearly as you helped her reach heights she so deserved.

Yes, you’d do exactly that, you decided as everything began to reach a fever pitch. Your thighs shaking as your air caught in your throat. Hand gripping her horn tighter but the motion going slack as you focused on the building pleasure. The tiefling was acute to your condition and worked desperately to help you reach that high. Reach it you did. Head knocking back and a groan escaping your lips while you filled hers in exchange. She drank everything you gave her enthusiastically, tail swaying behind her in satisfaction. Once you spent your first load she lifted off you and wiped her lips of her drool and your mess. You never thought she looked more attractive than she did now. Lips swollen, pupils blown wide and so needy. You had much in store for her- so much you wanted to show and give her. Thanking her for her support and ensuring that she’d stay with you.

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kourabiedes · 10 months ago

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Carmine and Kieran Roleswap AU: Teal Mask Edition

Sweet Arceus do I have a long AU for ya, because I am Very Normal about the Kitakami siblings and definitely don't go out of my way to find new ways to mess with their heads. Long AU summary under the cut! Beware all ye who enter here, for there are Ogres afoot.

There is now an Indigo Disk continuation to this!

So the most important thing to understand before we start is that Carmine and Kieran still retain aspects of their normal personalities. A 1:1 swap would be kinda boring (specifically, boring for me). However, their life experiences have changed here and that does give us some new juicy tidbits to explore.

Sketches provided by @funakounasoul... except for the Ogerpon sketch. I made that.

Kieran is the older sibling in this scenario. He's still shorter than his sister, but he's now older than the player character and probably has some devilish good looks. He's generally goodnatured, and being the older sibling and having to look out for a younger sister has balanced his personality a little bit. He's more mentally stable and mature than his standard self. He still has a pretty huge fondness for the ogre in the old legend, admiring its independence and strength. The major change to his personality here is that he's not as insanely shy, since he hasn't had a big scary savage sister to hide behind all his life.

Younger sister Carmine is shy of strangers and still wary of outsiders. Her posture visually in the Teal Mask is probably kind of stooped, like she's trying to hide how crazy tall she is. She has a bratty, slightly spoiled attitude in this scenario, because big brother Kieran is always hovering nearby to keep her out of trouble. She appears to be the player character's age or maybe a touch younger. Despite the initial shyness though, she's all aggression when she feels she or her family or really any of Kitakami as she sees it is threatened. She still dismisses Kieran's ogre obsession, but chalks it up to boys liking scary things. (You know, cuz girls never go for that kinda thing </massive sarcasm>)

The PC would meet them both for the first time in Mossui and Kieran is welcoming while Carmine glowers at you from somewhere behind him. Kieran's all about helping your classmate get safely to the community center and probably runs off to help, or perhaps to get the caretaker. Maybe you battle Carmine then because she's definitely not enjoying having these tourists in her fucking town. Whatever the scenario, Kieran and the caretaker get the rest of the Random Paldean Students safely to the community center and you get settled in.

Now, for a while, things don't change much in this scenario, except for Kieran not being super emotionally unstable. The next day, you're being introduced to the Blueberry kids properly and Kieran immediately suggests you and he pair up. Carmine isn't thrilled but as he points out, it's not like they can pair up together based on Briar's directions to make interschool pairs. She sulks off to find a Paldean student to deal with. Your character and Kieran have a friendly battle and he admires your skills. You go find the first two signboards and follow him up to the Dreaded Den more or less the same way as in Teal Mask. Then he invites you to the Festival of Masks and you go back to the family home. Carmine is not overly pleased to see you still hanging around, but she's unbending a little bit since you and Kieran obviously get on so well. They only find the two masks in the shed, Kieran tries to offer you his ogre mask, Carmine stops him, you get to the festival and do some balloon popping and maybe even beat Carmine's score.

It's Ogerpon's appearance that changes the story dramatically. At first, you are the only one that sees her, but then Kieran comes looking for you after pacifying Carmine. Ogerpon spooks, drops her mask, and you both have a moment of shock as you realize this is not a child, this is the damn ogre. Then Ogerpon bolts, leaving you with the Teal Mask. Kieran is stunned -- the ogre was so smol! And seemed so nonaggressive! And holy shit this mask is beautiful, except there's a chip in the big crystal! He's excited as hell to have one of his childhood dreams materialize before him. He wants to go after Ogerpon, but Carmine turns up at that moment. She has deeply internalized the ancient Kitakami legend of the Loyal Three, and when Kieran excitedly tells her you just saw the ogre, she insists it can't have been, because you and he are both not fucking dead. She and Kieran argue for a minute, long enough that once it's over, Kieran has to reluctantly admit you'll never catch up to the ogre in the dark. He tells you to hold onto the mask and you two can go ask his grandpa about it in the morning. You do, and it's Kieran who is with you when you hear the story of Ogerpon. Carmine appears at one point and is shooed off by Kieran, but overhears the majority of the story herself. Unlike Kieran, she can't believe it -- the heroic Loyal Three, actually villains?? Impossible! She realizes that if Kieran believes this story, he's likely to go chasing the ogre again, and probably get himself killed, a prospect that chills her to the bone. She ambushes you both as you leave the family home and demands that Kieran (and just Kieran, she doesn't care what YOU do) not go chasing monsters, making no effort to pretend she didn't overhear the whole damn thing. Kieran tries to correct her, but she insists you both go have a look at the final signboard, the one that reminds everyone that the ogre murders anyone it comes across without a mask on. You go, but discuss with Kieran how the story doesn't make any sense compared to the ogre you both saw and the story Kieran's grandpa told you. You go back mutually determined to get Ogerpon's mask back to her after gramps fixes it.

You go off to the community center and Kieran goes home. Something he says at home will alert Carmine to your resolve, and that kicks off the next event. Carmine demands you meet her at Loyalty Plaza, where she makes an impassioned plea to her brother not to be fooled into getting himself murderated. He tries to explain that she's still got the wrong impression and she blows up on him, refusing to listen to reason (he almost certainly points out that Gramps has no reason to lie to his own grandkids, for example). Truth is, she's afraid, afraid for his life, and that's making her act irrationally.

And then a thought occurs to her, a thought that marks a huge turning point in this scenario. It's you. You are making her brother act this way. You are the reason he's doing these insane things. She accuses you directly of manipulating her family. Kieran protests, but she's convinced.

Now, in canon, I am convinced that the venom in Kieran's thoughts is what somehow channeled Pecharunt's energy (or some variant thereof) into the Lousy Three's grave and brought them back to life. In this scenario, imagine the same, only it's the poison of fear which is rapidly spreading through Carmine. Her fear is being expressed as anger, but it's still fear, and it's consuming her rapidly. Before either sibling can argue further, the grave splits open, and the Three emerge. No one knows quite what is happening, so no one can really react effectively as they take off to Kitakami Hall. It's only as they're already receding into the distance that Carmine realizes they must be the Three.

You and the siblings rush to the Hall to hear the news of the Three's arrival and retrieving of the other masks before going up the mountain. Kieran starts to rush after them, but suddenly Carmine blocks the way. She is going to save him from himself if it's the last thing she does. You battle her and defeat her, and the idea that you are the cause of all this etches itself that much deeper. She has no choice but to step aside, but you can feel her furious eyes on your back as you run to save Ogerpon.

Poor little ogre is getting the shit kicked out of her and you save her, driving off the Three. She is nervous around Kieran because he smells like a local and therefore Dangerous, but while a little hurt, he is not crushed by this. You take her back to the town (she refuses to enter of course) and consult with Kieran's grandpa. He promises to fix the Teal Mask for Ogerpon if you and Kieran go get a crystal from the Crystal Pool to replace the chipped one, and suggests you and Kieran go pound the shit out of the Three to get Ogerpon's other masks back. Carmine is sulking at home and overhears the conversation. You and Kieran go to the Pool with Ogerpon shadowing you, but Carmine blocks your way at the top, angry at Kieran too now for bringing an outsider to this sacred place. The standoff is broken by Briar also appearing at the summit, distracting Carmine. Kieran slips past her and you stop her from following with a battle. Ogerpon stays near you, and her presence only serves to enrage Carmine more. Kieran retrieves a crystal cluster during the battle and you both bolt back down the mountain to give it to Gramps, leaving Carmine fuming. He begins to work on the mask and you turn your attention to finding the Three.

You find the Three with Kieran's help and return the shit kicking they gave Ogerpon threefold, retrieving her masks. Ogerpon becomes more comfortable around Kieran as you go. You return to the town only to discover Carmine stole the Teal Mask after Gramps fixed it and left Kieran a message telling him to come to the Dreaded Den. Gramps notes that she spoke with him about the story of Ogerpon before she left and seems to be disturbed by how the ogre has acted since the whole mess began -- Kieran guesses her good sense is starting to win out over her fear. You go back to the Den with Kieran and Ogerpon and find Carmine there. Kieran confronts her, finally convincing her that the story of the Loyal Three was indeed wrong, and she's been wrong about Ogerpon the whole time (probably aided by Ogerpon with her sweet lil face staring like a sad puppy at her).

Carmine finally accepts the truth of the matter, and apologizes to him and Ogerpon.

But there's one thing she hasn't let go of. She hasn't forgiven you. And Kieran doesn't realize that she's still hung up on that part because, while he's a lot more emotionally stable in this scenario, he's still pretty oblivious to subtle emotional cues from other people. When Carmine walks away from the Den, it's with a venom-filled look in your direction. Insert Heart's If Looks Could Kill here.

Inevitably, Ogerpon wants you as her human, because you're the damn hero. This version of Kieran is disappointed, but not shattered by this. He's spent a lot of time over the last couple days with you and the little cutie, and he's had time to get used to the idea. It's Ogerpon's decision where she wants to go, and he lets go of the long cherished dream with regret, but nothing worse. He does ask to have a battle with you and her in the morning, after which Briar calls to tell you to get your asses to the community center to finish the actual school trip thingy you'd probably forgotten all about. Kieran also tells you that Carmine has holed up in her room and won't talk to anyone.

You know more or less how this ends, with Briar yoinking the Kitakami sibs back to Unova to prepare for some globetrotting and the antagonistic sibling swearing to get stronger so they can kick your ass. In this case it's Carmine, and boy does she hate you right now. In the end, Kieran came to no harm, and Ogerpon was not a monster, but it doesn't really matter, because rationality went out the window for her where you're concerned a while ago. She's going to get stronger, and she's going to hand you your ass for humiliating her so often, and she's got a great idea for making that happen...

#pokemon #scarlet violet #gen 9 #teal mask dlc #musings #alternate universe #carmine #kieran #ogerpon #fan art #sketch #pokemon carmine #pokemon kieran #okay now for the funny blooper reel tags #I am so tempted to dub this Kieran “Stoner Kieran”#He really has that vibe #Carmine has graduated to Full Unhinged status #The moral of this story is don't be a younger sibling if you can help it #Also starring Juliana's back

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livwritesfics · 2 years ago

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𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞

A/n: Hey everyone! Thank you for choosing to read this fic. Reader will be a female for this one Warning: death

❃ When y/n gave birth to a beautiful daughter, both parents were overjoyed.

❃ It hadn't been part of their plan to create and raise a child, nonetheless, the child was here... screaming and crying in her father's arms.

❃ "It's a girl y/n-ya!" He announced, shedding tears of joy. This was the happiest moment of his life! He was in love with a beautiful woman and had a daughter with her.

❃ Suddenly y/n became paler and paler. Law knew what was happening. He handed his child off to Bepo and started seeing what was wrong.

❃ "I feel so weak Law." y/n reached for Law's hand. Her voice slowly giving out on her.

❃ "I'm doing the best I can to fix whatever is wrong with you my love. You'll be better before you know it!" Law desperately exclaimed, putting a hand on her face.

❃ "I'm going to die Law, you can't save me." She whispered. "No! No, you can't leave yet! Our daughter needs a mother! I need you and so does she!" Law argued sobbing uncontrollably.

❃ "I know you'll be a great father Law, you'll take care of our daughter. She will be the luckiest, most happiest daughter there is." Law continued sobbing and this. Y/n placed her hand on Law's cheek and he quickly placed his hand over hers. "I love you sweetheart. I will always be with you."

❃ "Goodbye y/n... my love." He placed a final kiss on her forehead.

✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲

❃ Raising a child on his own wasn't easy. Law tried his hardest though.

❃ For the first few days after his girlfriend's death, he's by himself in his room. He hasn't left the bed and hasn't eaten.

❃ The crew has been helping out in his place. They took care of the baby during their captain's absence.

❃ Law was worried sick for his baby, but he knew she was in good hands.

❃ The day he does come out of his room, he's hungry, tired, and stinky. He's been sulking for about a week.

❃ It doesn't matter to him. As soon as he comes out of his room he goes straight to his daughter.

❃ "I'm so sorry I haven't taken care of you lately. But don't worry, I'll be the best father in the world... or at least I'll try." he whispers to her. "I will name you Nadine. Because you bring me hope and courage for the future."

❃ From that day on Law will be there. Always. He's there for her first steps, for her first words, for her first everything.

❃ He secretly keeps a photo album in his desk drawer. This album is his treasure. It has photos of when y/n was pregnant, the ultrasound, them preparing for their little one... up to now, Nadine being almost a year old now.

❃ He misses his girlfriend deeply and will always be crushed by her death. However, he intends to keep the promise he made for her. Being a father to their daughter

A/n: Thank you so much for reading! I hope this is okay!! Should I make this a series? I have a few ideas for Nadine as she is growing up!

#trafalgar law #onepiece #fanfics #one piece #trafalgar d water law #one piece trafalgar law #trafalgar d law #trafalgar law fanfiction #trafalgar law fluff #trafalgar one piece #trafalgar water d law #trafalgardwaterlaw #daddy!law #dad!law #father #original character #growing up #reader death

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rachelsshowerthoughts · 9 months ago

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Some musings on how the Aware AU might be best structured as a story and like:

Prologue would presumably be the party. So Adrien & Chloe have already started shifts in behavior that will be contextualized for the audience alongside other characters and flashbacks.

This is because it lets one introduce all three abused kids & Marinette and justify the Marinette/Kagami relationship.

This would likely be followed with Origins, but with the aforementioned Adrien in class, desk squabble, Nino biting the bullet but being intrigued ETC.

But there could be an interlude with Kagami contacting Chloe & Adrien secretly to be like, "Please tell my mother I made a good impression on you so she'll let me go to school here, I just made my first friend." & are instantly like, "Oh she's just like Adrien/me for real" and help her out, thus absorbing her into their duo making a trio.

The above however could be covered in a flashback.

Marinette is bamboozled how they know her Kagami & they are shocked Marinette is the friend she wanted so badly. Well Adrien is, Chloe is probably mentally sulking about how easy it is for Marinette to make friends. But Kagami likely explains what she can & things move on.

Anyway, if there are shifts in Miraculous or numbers then they'd happen, her but the prologue & Origins would be used to establish the status quo for the story going forward.

After which I imagine it can basically be broken up into a sort of "Era of understanding" IE, how little or how much does Marinette understand of their situation & how much do they understand themselves?

Nino would be useful as the sort of intermediary person whose ahead of the curve but between two parties.

But yeah, first half of season is no understanding, then Nino understanding, with the season 1 finale, serving to not bring about total understanding but definitely break some barriers.

IE, Marinette is likely at least at a stage where she thinks Chloe & Adrien's parents aren't very good at being parents, but not that they are actively abusive. So the dynamic cools a bit but remains easily ignited.

Season 2 would likely then build up to the full revelation and confrontations as barriers break. With Lila also being worked into the trio to make a quartet, much against her will, and Kagami's breaking moment probably being the big "Oh fuck" moment for everyone pre Heroes Day.

(Though gods if it continued and Kagami could be the Chat Noir)

But yeah I feel like that gives a loose but generalized shift that meshes well enough with the characters and time allowing for growth.

First season is all awkward growing pains, fumbles and such, while season 2 is once everyone's shifted into a stable if not perfect dynamic that can finally allow the main stage of self awareness to be reached.

This was way more organized my head, sorry.

(K first of all: Mood. My train of thought is really eloquent, until it has to change rails so other people can see it)

This all sounds good! It sort of reminds me of a rant I went on a bit ago, about how to do Senti-Adrien even if they only thought of it late. You don’t backtrack to have it make sense, you have characters commenting on the changes.

Like, the Senti-Thing, I said just have it that Adrien's already shedding his programming, already becoming a Real Boy(tm), so don’t have him suddenly be obedient. Have Gabriel come to the REALIZATION that his son is no longer obedient, and have flashbacks backing up how Adrien USED to be. (If you wanna find the rant, search @princess-of-the-corner blog's submission tag, it'll be far down, but it’s honestly faster than trying to find it on my blog. Please note there are two, one serious, one comedy)

But yeah, similar thing here! Have the party establish their "new" behaviour by everyone commenting on how weird it is, and showing flashbacks. I might have a specific scene where we see the inciting incident for Adrien and Chloé. Like, don't make it long, don’t give context, just a quick taste of the fact SOMETHING happened. Maybe a scene from Chloé comforting Adrien after Emilie disappears?

Another thing that might help/hinder Marinette would be Alya. Or, like, maybe to help show contrast with Nino? Cause, I think you said it before, Alya's kind of living out her tropes right now. She's the best friend of the Nice Girl[tm], Chloé's obvious the Popular Mean Girl [tm]. Alya would agree with Marinette that Chloé is a brat who needs to be taken down a peg. Meanwhile Nino, who has been in the same class as these two since diapers, is a bit more mellowed out. He isn’t seeing tropes, he's seeing people. Like, he has no clue what's going on, but he knows it’s more complicated than "Rich Bitch Spoiled Princess". Actually, I might have that be what kills Nino's crush on Marinette. Like, he still likes her fine. They're still friends. But Marinette's initial inability to see Chloé as anything but a bully and Spoiled brat, and how it’s colouring her perception of Adrien, might cause Nino to lose his infatuation with Marinette. Like, if I had a crush on someone, and they refused to believe that one of my friends might be abused, I would stop liking them real quick.

(The train has switched rails from my head to the page. It was not smooth.)

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itsjuststardust · 1 month ago

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Heaven in Hiding - Chapter 21: The Dance

Heaven in Hiding Masterlist

Chapter Summary: She’d gathered up all of that old, bitter Alaina from before. The person she was before Mando brought her to their moon, and she saw her serpent again. Like her serpent, she shed her skin and became someone new.

Word Count: 18,405

Author's note/Chapter Warning: Just shy of 18.5k words, this chapter is officially the longest chapter in the story 😅 I've spent the last week reading and editing this until I can't see straight. So, apologies if there are more mistakes than usual. Chapter warnings are angst and canon-typical violence (because why wouldn't there be at a dance? 🤪) I can't believe I've been posting this story for NINE months. As always, your likes, reblogs, and comments are so appreciated. Enjoy, and happy reading... 😈 🎵Chapter Soundtrack🎵 ‘Hymn to Virgil’ - Hozier MINORS - DO NOT INTERACT - 18+ ONLY

Chapter 21: The Dance

The cold mountain air was bitter and sharp, the perfect distraction after this very long, very confusing day.

The balcony off their bedroom faced the ocean, giving their room an exquisite ocean view. Even from the top of the mountain, she could hear the ocean’s waves crash below them. The orange moon hung low in the sky, providing enough illumination at night that Alaina didn’t feel she needed to turn the balcony lights on.

“He did tell you about us, didn’t he?”

Alaina pursed her lips and tried to blink the tears out of her eyes. Mando had mentioned that he knew a King, but he hadn’t mentioned that King was in a relationship with someone he had also had a relationship with once. That felt like something that at least warranted a footnote before they all sat down for dinner together. Not only that, but then he had to embarrass her in front of his former… whatever you wanted to call her when he argued about whether or not Alaina was capable of being another set of eyes at the dance tomorrow. By the time they’d returned to their bedroom suite for the evening, Alaina’s head was spinning. Between her head, the thin mountain air, and their dinner with the King and Shadow Queen, Alaina suddenly found the massive chamber rather stifling and excused herself to the balcony.

The crisp air had initially helped clear her mind, but it wasn’t long before she lost control of her downward-spiraling thoughts, and chaos erupted.

She wasn’t naive enough to think Mando hadn’t ever had other relationships. He’d admitted as much back on Sorgan, but coming face to face with one of those with whom he’d… shared a bed—especially one who was so beautiful, was not an outcome Alaina had anticipated.

As far as Alaina could tell, Iris Haze was the complete package. Beautiful. The King’s Chief of Security. The Shadow Queen.

The sad part was that Alaina could actually picture them together. Din deserved someone like Iris. That was the kind of person Din wanted. He wanted someone put together, poised, quaffed, and able to handle herself. Not her. Not the broken girl with eyes too big for her features and a head of unruly hair. Alaina was a burden—someone he had to care for—a hindrance. He didn’t even think she could be another set of eyes while dancing… Not to mention, Alaina thought she would become a vegetable only the day before, which wasn’t exactly earning her any points in the pointless contest she’d derived between herself and the other woman.

The door opened behind her, and Alaina closed her eyes. She took a deep breath through her nose, letting the crisp mountain air fill her lungs. She knew he wouldn’t let her sulk out here forever, but she was not ready to have this conversation with Mando yet.

Mando’s boots walked cautiously up beside her, and she let out her breath and opened her eyes, keeping them directed at the ocean. She watched him rest his arms against the railing out of her periphery, mimicking her position. “You’re going to freeze out here,” he started quietly.

“I’m fine,” she replied sadly.

Mando sighed, “I can explain—”

Alaina shook her head, “Not now, Mando.”

She watched his helmet turn to look at her when she used his pseudo. “Alaina—”

“You said I couldn’t use your name outside the Crest,” she reminded him. “We’re outside of the Crest, Mando.”

Mando let out another sigh, slightly more irritated than the one before. “I tried to find the right time to tell you about… her—”

“Mando,” Alaina sighed, cutting him off. She wasn’t ready for this conversation, but it couldn’t be avoided forever. She turned to look at Mando, analyzing how the orange moon’s light shone off its curves. This could go one of two ways. She could throw a tantrum (which she really wanted to do), making the rest of their stay here even more awkward than it was tonight. She closed her eyes and inhaled the cold mountain air, letting it burn her lungs as she remembered kissing Mando that night in the rain for the first time… Or… she could let it go. Prove to Mando that she wasn’t as naïve as she appeared. Prove to him that she was capable of being an asset. Prove she was capable of being his partner. “It’s… it’s okay,” she finished, letting out her breath and giving him a strained, tired smile.

He cocked his head at that, looking as if he didn’t quite believe her. “It never meant anything,” he whispered, grabbing her wrist.

Alaina closed her eyes and took another deep, calming breath. Part of her wanted to fly off the handle and berate Din for bringing her someplace where she would have to meet someone he’d been with, but she couldn’t, not after everything he had done for her. The situation was uncomfortable, but if uncomfortable was the worst thing that happened here, then Alaina Corra would consider it a blessing.

“I believe you,” she finally told him with a nod.

“You—” Mando began and then stopped, tugging her wrist to pull her closer, looking like he was studying her face from behind his helmet. “You do?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t believe her or was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“What do you want me to say, Mando?” she asked with a shrug. “You told me back on Sorgan that you’d shared beds with others. I wasn’t expecting to meet one with whom you’d shared said bed... or an alley wall,” she grumbled, feeling the jealousy rise again. “But… I trust you,” she continued, grabbing his other hand to hold his wrist where she knew his bracelet was hiding under his glove. “You wouldn’t have brought us here if you didn’t trust them. And while I think that the situation is weird—”

“It is,” he cut in. “Actually, Iris and Rhoam would take weird as a compliment.” Alaina smirked at that and let Din pull her in to wrap his arms around her. “I wanted to tell you, but you were too out of it for most of the trip here. And when you weren’t, you looked too exhausted, and I didn’t think it was the right time. Then we got here, and it was too late.”

Alaina nodded, “Just—Why me?” she whispered.

Mando pulled her away from his chest, and his helmet pulled back in surprise at her question, and he asked, “Why you?”

Alaina sighed and shook her head. “I—I just—Nevermind,” she breathed, shaking her head.

“Don’t shut down on me now,” Din said, gripping her shoulders. “I can feel you, remember? I know you’ve felt off since dinner. Talk to me,” he finished in a quiet, reassuring voice.

Alaina let her eyes drift down to look at the stone balcony they were standing on while she tried to gather her thoughts. “I’m not her, Mando,” she finally settled on.

“You’re not who? Iris?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused. Alaina had to glare at him when she heard the chuff of a laugh escape from under his helmet. “Alaina, I’m very much aware that you’re not her. In fact, I find it one of your better attributes,” he tried to clarify, and Alaina’s glare intensified when she detected what sounded like him teasing her. “Seriously,” he nodded. “She scares me,” he finished in a whisper as if he was afraid Iris would magically appear on the balcony with them.

Alaina rolled her eyes. “Stop that,” she glowered.

Mando’s helmet cocked, “Stop what?”

She thrust a finger at his helmet and pursed her lips, “You’re trying to be cute, so I’ll forget why I was frustrated with you in the first place.”

Mando took a step closer and grabbed the arm in front of his helmet to pull her closer to him so he could try to warm her up by rubbing his gloves up and down her arms. “Is it working?” he asked, tilting his helmet.

Alaina smirked. She stepped into his space and smiled when he wrapped his arms around her. “Maybe,” she pouted, smiling when his arms tugged her closer to him. “Here I was worried about you causing a scene with Rhoam—”

“If he kisses your hand again, I’m going to snap his wrist,” Mando growled.

She lifted her head to stare up at his helmet as if to prove her point but then felt her face shift to a smile. “As I was saying. I was worried about you causing a scene with Rhoam because you were already jealous, and I hadn’t even met him yet. And then I turned into the jealous… whatever you want to call me the second I realized who Iris was to you. I’ve been angry about relationships before, but I’ve never felt jealous like that… I don’t like it.”

“Iris and Rhoam are… Iris and Rhoam. They’ve been like that since I met them. Iris isn’t anything to me. And you’re right, you’re not her,” he said, turning serious. Alaina tried to duck her eyes, but his glove came up, so his fingertips forced her head to look back up at him. “You’re you.”

Alaina gave him another strained smile, wanting to believe his words but was finding it difficult.

“I’m not good with words,” Mando admitted, and Alaina scoffed at him. “How can I prove to you that it’s you I want?”

Alaina softened at his question. He’d done nothing but prove himself to her. “I think you proved yourself as we were dropping out of hyperdrive,” she said, looking up at him with her best seductive smile. Mando chuckled, and her smile broadened.

They’d only been here a handful of hours, and she’d missed the easy camaraderie they’d developed on the moon. This wasn’t remotely close to the relationships she’d had in her teens… This was the kind of relationship she’d dreamed about. Well, she hadn't dreamed about being with a Mandalorian exactly, but now that Din was in her life, she couldn’t imagine it any other way. She’d lost a chunk of her adulthood to Penn Pershing… she didn’t want to lose more of it because of her.

She’d gathered up all of that old, bitter Alaina from before. The person she was before Mando brought her to their moon, and she saw her serpent again. Like her serpent, she shed her skin and became someone new.

Her smile turned to a smirk, and Mando cocked his head at her, silently asking what she found funny. “Did they really ask you to be their third?” she asked, unable to stop her smile from overtaking her face, imagining how awkward Mando would have been in that situation.

“Yes,” he groaned, shaking his head like he was trying to shake that memory from his mind. “I gave them a lift back to Dietes after I caught my quarry. Rhoam had his mechanics do minor repairs to the Crest as payment for returning them home. They all but cornered me in the hall with their proposition. Because the mechanics had the engine taken apart, I couldn’t leave, but I stayed on the Crest for the duration of my stay here.”

Alaina laughed, imagining Mando hiding away on his ship instead of staying in a karking castle.

“Can I tell you something?” she asked, pinning her arms between their bodies to warm them. When Mando rubbed his hands up and down her back, she took that as her sign to continue. “During dinner after Iris announced that the two of you had… yeah. Well, after that, I wished that you would have taken us to the gang of convicts instead, just so I wouldn’t have to be around one of your girlfriends,” she admitted, hating how surprisingly jealous she became.

Mando’s hands stilled on her back, and as the seconds ticked on, Alaina frowned in confusion until the light turned on in her brain, and she shoved herself away from Mando’s chest to glare at him. He was really testing her patience tonight.

“Seriously? You were with one of the convicts?! The ones you said probably would have tossed you out the airlock?” When Mando could only sigh in response, Alaina rolled her eyes and turned from him to head back inside to escape the cold.

Thieves turned royal guards turned Shadow Queens. Convicts. Ballerinas… There was a common denominator there, but it wasn’t Alaina, and if she didn’t stop trying to figure out why Din was with her when she didn’t fit the obvious mold, she was going to drive herself crazy.

“Alaina, wait,” Mando sighed, following her into the massive room they had been given while they stayed on Dietes.

“It’s fine, Mando,” she sighed as they reentered the bedroom. “Is there anyone else you need to fess up to while we’re at it? A senator, maybe? Or a Hutt?” she teased.

“A Hutt?” he laughed.

Alaina shrugged, poking her tongue out at him. Din tried to grab for her, but she spun away from him in a clumsy pirouette. “For all I know, you’ve got a girlfriend in every sector of the galaxy,” she accused sarcastically.

“The only one I care about is here in this room with me,” came his smooth reply.

Alaina rolled her eyes, “Charming. I’m going to go take a bath,” she chuckled, unable to hide her smile from Mando as she turned toward the privy to take advantage of one of the enormous tubs. A knock on the door made them both pause, and Alaina looked questioningly up at Mando. “Were you expecting anyone?” she asked, and he shook his head.

Mando motioned for her to stay behind while he went to see who had come to visit them. When he opened the door, the same older woman who had escorted them to dinner stepped in, rolling a cart with a tray of food and a bottle of wine on it.

“Lady Haze said you needed to eat your meal in private,” the older woman said, bowing her head at Din. “We will make sure that you receive the appropriate accommodations in the future.”

“Um, thanks,” Mando said as the woman left, shutting the door behind her. He turned to look back at her, and Alaina wasn’t sure if he was surprised or uncomfortable by the gesture.

She just raised an eyebrow. “Well, at least one of your girlfriends made sure you got fed,” she deadpanned and grabbed her bag of belongings from the bed before she headed to take her bath. The heavy sigh that Mando let out only made her smirk.

Try as she might to take the high road, she'd be damned if she didn't give Din a hard time while she walked it.

As she walked through the changing area, she paused at the crib the staff had brought their tiny guest. She tiptoed to the ornate wooden crib and smiled at Grogu sleeping soundly in the soft bedding and blankets. The sight of the sleeping toddler grounded her. She could never stay mad whenever she looked at him. Leaning over the edge of the crib, she kissed the kid’s head softly, whispering sweet dreams before she turned away from him and walked into the privy, slowly closing the door behind her, not wanting to disturb Grogu’s sleep with the sound of water running.

The privy was well stocked with just about anything you could have thought. There were the usual toiletries one would expect to find in a hotel or inn, but this was a castle. Aside from the normal, there were also the softest towels she’d ever felt, along with various soaps, oils, and salts for the bath. There were even silk robes, slippers, hair pins, and clips that Alaina took advantage of to pin her hair up on top of her head because she was not ready to go through the hassle of rewashing it yet.

Soon, Alaina had one of the massive marble tubs filled with hot water and a combination of salts to help with her sore muscles, which still ached after her body protested after she floated the stone back on their moon. She even added a little sweet-smelling soap to add some bubbles to her bath because why not?

Now, Alaina allowed herself to lean back against the tub's wall, her entire body submerged in the water (save everything above her chin to keep her hair dry). She closed her eyes and let the hot water and bubbles soak away the headache she felt brewing along with her earlier foul mood.

She felt a little childish now, but that’s exactly how coming face to face with one of Mando’s one-night stands or whatever you wanted to call Iris made her feel. Childish. It only reinforced the fact that she was naïve and inexperienced, and Mando was... not.

Those thoughts led to other, darker thoughts. Like the thought that Mando was only settling for her because of their bond… because out of all of the options he had at his fingertips in the entire galaxy, why else would Din pick her?

But then she remembered back on their last few weeks together. How close they’d grown before they had gotten trapped in her mind. Mando’s passionate kiss in the rain… Maker, she could melt away at the memory of that kiss under the lightning… That wasn’t the kiss of someone who was settling. That kiss held untold hopes and whispered promises. They’d kissed since. They’d done more than kiss since, but nothing had matched quite that kiss in the rain.

The soft clink of glass echoed quietly around the small privy, and Alaina’s eyes snapped open at the sound.

She jolted at the sight of Mando sitting on the ledge of the tub, dressed in his full armor. “Kriff!” she exclaimed, nervously waving some extra bubbles to ensure she was covered under the suds. “That’s it, I’m getting you a bell.”

“You took it off,” he started, holding her anklet that she’d left on the edge of the tub, and Alaina was surprised not only to hear but feel his hurt through the invisible string that connected them now.

“I didn’t want to ruin it,” she answered quickly, but Mando stared at the handmade piece of jewelry instead of answering her. “I just didn’t want it to dissolve if I decided to spend all night in here,” giving him a soft smile.

Mando’s helmet tipped up from her anklet at her explanation. “You’ll dissolve if you stay in there all night,” he countered, but at least he sounded more at ease. He placed her anklet across his thigh and reached to grab something off the floor. Alaina smiled when he brought a stemmed glass and bottle of wine to pour her a glass.

“You’re not exactly making me want to get out of here, ya know?” she commented, smirking over the lip of her wine glass.

Mando shrugged. “Consider it a peace offering,” he said, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Mando,” Alaina sighed. “No peace offering is necessary,” she told him, looking him straight in his helmet. “I won’t lie and tell you I’m not weirded out, but that’s a me problem. If you say that whatever happened between you and Iris meant nothing, then I believe you. Really. Iris at least thought of having dinner sent to you so you could eat,” she reminded him, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Go eat. I’m fine.”

Mando hummed. “I was going to come to join you,” he admitted, his voice low but still sheepish as if he was embarrassed to admit that. “Then I saw how relaxed you look. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look like that when you’re awake. Especially after you used your powers back on the moon. You haven’t looked well since. You’ve got bags under your eyes, and you’re even more pale than normal, which is saying something.”

“Gee, you really know how to make a girl feel pretty,” Alaina snarked.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “You looked peaceful.”

“You wanna know what I was thinking about?” Alaina asked, placing her glass on the lip of the tub. When his helmet tilted to look back at her, she said, “Our first kiss. In the rain,” she finished, giving Mando her best apologetic smile. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t,” he sighed, shaking his head.

“No, please,” Alaina stopped him, placing a hand on his thigh. “I haven’t had any kind of relationship since my mother died,” she began and then paused to gather her thoughts before continuing. “And even then, I was a teenager. I never had anything real. I never had anything that lasted. And I may be clueless about some things… but Din, I’ve never felt like this with anyone before. I want this. I want this with you.”

Mando’s gloved hand covered hers, resting over his thigh. “At least you’ve been in a relationship that lasted longer than a night or two,” he countered, and Alaina could hear the nerves in his voice. “I’ve never had—I’ve never wanted something like this with anyone before you.”

She nodded in understanding and scooted closer to where Mando was sitting. She stood on her knees so she could almost be on the same level as him without altogether leaving the warmth of the water and tried not to focus that she was naked and exposed in front of him. Alaina grabbed his helmet between her hands and leaned to kiss its center tenderly. She smiled into the kiss when she felt him relax and push his helmet into her lips. Reluctantly, Alaina pulled away from his helmet, but her hands continued to hold the beskar helm between them.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, nodding her head. “Neither of us knows what we’re doing,” she continued, stopping as she struggled to find the right words. “I spent five years being a lab rat instead of getting to be a normal girl. You’ve never had a relationship. We’re just two clueless people trying to figure it out. Just know that if I have to be clueless, I’m glad I get to be clueless with you.”

She relaxed when she felt a warm glow through their connection, as if Mando had applied a calming balm directly to her soul.

Mando chuffed and rested his forehead against hers. There were more words to say, but they were best left for another day that hadn’t been filled with jealousy and awkward tension. Maybe after they left, Dietes and Alaina could find the proper words to tell Mando how she felt. To tell him he was forgiven.

“Can I ask a question?” she whispered, nervous but needing to know. When Din nodded his helmet, she pursed her lips, afraid of the answer she would get. “The others… I mean—Have you ever kissed anyone else?”

“No,” came his immediate reply. “Only you,” he whispered.

Alaina smiled and nodded into his helmet. His answer brought a surprising amount of relief. The fact that he’d never kissed anyone else made her feel special. He’d had others, but he’d only kissed her.

“Good,” Alaina began, pausing to give him a teasing smile. “Now, what was that about you joining me?” she asked, blinking her eyes pleadingly. “Because I think I need to prove myself if I’m the only one you’ve ever kissed.”

His laughter bubbled up, rumbling his chest as he pressed his forehead into hers one last time before he pulled away. “Enjoy your bath, Tranyc.”

“Are you turning me down?” Alaina pouted, sinking further into the tub.

Mando shook his head and knelt beside the edge of the tub. “Close your eyes,” he murmured, motioning for her to come closer with a single finger.

Alaina scooted over to where Mando was kneeling on the other side of the tub, smiling at Din as she closed her eyes and folded her arms over the edge.

When she felt his bare hand hold her chin, she felt a beat of anticipation, and her heart pounded inside her chest. Finally, his lips met hers, and Alaina thought her heart might burst right there. It was a sweet, simple, chaste kiss that made her heart sing and her head swim. It was the new way she wanted to end every day.

“You have nothing to prove, Tranyc,” Mando murmured into her lips. “There have been others, but there is only one you,” he continued before leaning in for another quick kiss. “You are sunlight, Alaina. There is no comparison.”

Alaina’s hands shot up to grab his head between her hands and pull him in, deepening the kiss. When she felt Din smile against her lips, she was tempted to pull him into the tub with her until he pulled away. She kept her eyes closed until she got the all-clear, perfectly content to smile like an idiot in the tub by herself in the meantime.

“Don’t dissolve,” he said. The familiar, modulated voice returned, and Alaina opened her eyes.

“I’ll try,” she smiled up at the silver helm.

Mando nodded and turned to leave her alone in the tub, but a thought that had been lurking in her mind for some time came forward again. Still feeling on cloud nine between his kiss and his words, Alaina decided to go ahead and ask it.

“Can I ask another question?” she asked.

Mando paused a few steps away and turned back, tilting his helmet at her and giving her the silent go-ahead.

“What are the rules about your clan being able to see your face?” He stared back at her, his helmet giving nothing away, and Alaina shrugged, grabbing her wine glass for a sip. “You said only your clan could know your name, but is that it? No one ever gets to know what you look like ever again?”

His helmet tilted adorably further to his shoulder before he asked, “Why?”

Alaina smiled, “Just curious. Even more curious what the man under all that looks like,” she admitted, scrunching her nose nervously. “But I’m okay if I won’t ever get to learn what you look like.”

“You are?” he asked slowly, sounding skeptical of her admission.

“Of course,” Alaina answered quickly. Din’s helmet stared blankly at her, and she gave him her best reassuring smile. “Knowing what you look like won’t change who you are under there. You’ll still be Din Djarin. That’s all I need.”

Din’s helmet stayed locked on her, but Alaina could feel their connection flare to life. She knew he appreciated her words, even if he couldn’t find the words to say so.

“The Way of the Mandalore states that I am not to remove my helmet for anyone,” Din began slowly. “It states that if I remove my helmet in front of another living being—that if another was to see my face—then I am no longer permitted to wear it. I’ll no longer be considered a Mandalorian.”

Alaina nodded along, appreciating that he was sharing a bit of his religion with her until the weight of what he said hit her full force, and she froze in the tub. “But… Wait—Din, you’ve taken your helmet off in front of me!” she told him, panic rising in her chest. No. No, he wasn’t telling her—

“Tranyc,” he murmured, and Alaina’s wide eyes shot to his helmet. “You’ve never seen my face,” he whispered.

“But you’ve taken your helmet off in front of me! And—And I saw you when you were a boy in your memory!” she reminded him. Her heart clenched, remembering the dark brown eyes and dark brown hair of a young Din Djarin in his mother’s arms.

“Which was before I took the Creed,” he informed her. Alaina continued to stare at him with a sinking feeling in her gut. She couldn’t understand how Din was staying so calm right now. “Yes, I have removed my helmet, but I don’t feel I’ve broken the Creed because you’ve never seen my face. The dark, the blindfolds, and you closing your eyes… are loopholes. It’s a delicate situation,” he admitted. “But you’ve never seen my face,” he finished and then tilted his helmet as if another thought occurred to him. “Since I’ve taken the Creed,” he added on.

Alaina studied him in the dimly lit room, trying to wrap her mind around this new information. “And you’re… you’re okay with that?” she asked him, dreading his answer.

Din’s chest expanded as he drew a deep breath before saying, “You’re the sorceress with the magic powers. Can’t you sense what I feel?”

She focused her gaze on his helmet, searching for the answer to her question. The familiar, calm green waters filled her mind. They were warm and relaxed, filling her with a sense of peace in his decision. But there was something else there—something new. Mando was still filled with his seas of green, but now a braided gold cord was wrapped around him, glowing strong and bright.

“You’re sure?” she repeated, needing to hear him say the words.

“Yes,” came his steadfast answer. “For you, I am sure. I’ve never removed my helmet for anyone before you, Alaina Corra,” Din continued, nodding his helmet at her. “I’m at peace with that.”

Tears welled in Alaina’s eyes, and she nodded back at him. What could you say to that?

Din returned her nod with one of his own. “Don’t dissolve,” he reminded her quietly and turned to leave her to her bath.

Alaina turned her head to face forward while she attempted to process everything Din had revealed to her. Everything he said and everything he didn’t say… Her head started to throb, and she wasn’t sure if it was due to her briefly using her powers to read Din, from the stress of the day, or from the heat of the water she’d been in, but Alaina attempted to close her eyes and find that feeling of peace she’d felt before Din had disturbed her.

“Marriage,” his deep rumbling voice returned, startling her.

Alaina’s eyes snapped open, but she didn’t dare move to turn and look back at him as she tried to figure out if she thought she had heard him correctly. “I’m sorry?” she whispered, her heart pounding against its confines.

“To answer your original question,” he answered, his voice soft and steady. “My spouse can see my face.”

“Oh,” was the only thing Alaina could say to that.

Marriage.

That was… That was…

She used to dream of being married. Of having a husband. Of being in love.

She used to believe in fairytales.

And then her best friend, someone who she loved once, had the paperwork done behind her back that made them married. There was no fairytale love story. There was no love. There was only Penn’s obsession with her. He then proceeded to experiment on her for five years. He experimented on her for five years and not only took away her original powers but took away her ability to love along with it. Penn Pershing turned her into a hollow shell—a shadow of who she used to be.

He turned her into someone who didn’t know how to love.

Love was an almost forgotten concept.

A concept she wasn’t sure she fully understood anymore.

Love was a fairytale, and Alaina Corra feared she had outgrown fairytales.

Alaina bit down on her bottom lip as tears spilled over her cheeks.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed in there contemplating Din’s revelation, but when she realized she was shivering, Alaina decided it was time to leave the tepid bath waters.

She dried herself off and redressed in one of the black silk robes available and nothing else (thanks to Din ripping her last pair of underwear). She went through her normal bedtime routine, staring at the hallow, green eyes that reflected back at her as she combed and braided her hair to prevent it from becoming a tangled mess while she slept. Mando’s earlier comment about dark circles was an understatement. There weren’t dark circles under them, either. There were smudges—dark smudges that stood out painfully on a sallow, pale face.

Maybe finding her powers again took more of her than she realized. When she started having visions, she remembered being exhausted initially. Perhaps learning to use them again was like working out and working through the soreness. Only her brain was the muscle in question, which was out of shape. Maybe if she exercised it more, it would slowly get easier.

Was it worth it?

Alaina blinked at her reflection. Hell, even Din commented on her exhausted look. It hadn’t even registered with her back on the Crest. It’s what she looked like for five years when she was in the Empire’s custody. She hadn’t even noticed the changes to her own body over the last few months. She’d regained some of her muscle mass by working out with Din and eating on a regular basis. Her body had filled in the gaunt, bony angles with muscles and curves. Even her breasts had filled out slightly. She’d never been voluptuous by any means, but it was strange staring back at herself and seeing someone with (some) curves after five years of looking like a ghost. She was still no Iris…

“There’s no comparison.”

Alaina frowned at Din’s words as she tied off her braid and tossed it over her shoulder. She was exhausted, and staring back at her reflection only amplified that exhaustion. It wouldn’t do her any good to continue dwelling on matters. Hopefully, with a good night’s rest, she would avoid the headache she could feel brewing and wake up in a better headspace tomorrow.

With a tired sigh, she returned her anklet to its place on her right leg and shuffled out of the privy, wearing the black silk robe to wear to bed, leaving her boots and dress behind in the privy. She walked past Grogu, snoring soundly in his crib. She trudged past him to the main room and found Mando sitting on the bed with his back propped up against the headboard, waiting for her. She wasn’t surprised to see him still awake but had hoped he would have fallen asleep by the time she came out.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his helmet studying her closely in the darkened room.

She gave him a tired smile and nodded. “Tired,” she mumbled as an explanation as she pulled the plush, midnight blue comforter back so she could crawl into bed.

Thankfully, Din didn’t press her further.

The mattress felt like heaven. No offense to the bed Mando had made for her with the hodgepodge of mattresses he put together, but this bed was perfection. The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyes drifted closed, and the last thing she felt before sleep overcame her was Din’s bare hand stroking her head.

And then the nightmares came.

They hadn't disappeared entirely during their brief interlude on the moon, but the frequency in which they came had decreased drastically. She should have known that her luck wouldn't hold out forever. Every time she drifted off, it was only to wake up from a different nightmare.

The first one was in the regular rotation of her nightmares. It was waking up back in the main lab in the lava flats on Nevarro as if the months with Mando and Grogu had never happened. It was the same thing every time she was strapped to the cold metal table in the lab with Pershing and Gideon standing on either side of her, staring at her. She tried to scream, but her mouth was gagged, preventing her from doing so. There was one notable difference with this dream. Instead of being gagged with a cloth or her mouth taped closed, Alaina realized that it was her fanned rawl, in its new frightening red color that had wrapped around her head and mouth, preventing her from screaming. The serpent coiled itself around her mouth tighter when her green eyes locked on its red ones, and when the rawl hissed at her, she snapped awake. She had to do a double take at the room to reassure herself that she wasn’t still a prisoner. It was only when she heard Din’s even breaths coming from the man sleeping next to her that she let herself relax.

She was so tired that it didn’t take long for her to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, her mind wasn’t done tormenting her. The second nightmare was in the cell Pershing had locked her away in, isolating her for days on end. Only this time, there was no Mandalorian hallucination to keep her company. There was only the red rawl. The serpent was coiled beside her, staring at her with its red eyes. Alaina could only stare at it, petrified and frozen in fear. When the viper launched itself at her, attacking her leg where her anklet was, Alaina shot awake again.

“It’s okay,” Din mumbled in his sleep beside her. “You’re safe.”

Alaina sagged back into the mattress at hearing his words. It took her longer to fall back asleep the third time. She lay on her back for some unknown period of time, staring up at the black gauzy canopy above the bed until her breathing leveled out. She was eventually lulled back to sleep as her breathing matched Din’s even breaths.

The third and final nightmare was not one she’d had before. She instantly recognized their moon, her slice of beauty, and heaven in the galaxy… but it was dead. The tall lavender grass had turned black to match the dense forest and the shore of the emerald green lake that had long gone dry. Standing on the black pebbled shore barefoot, she was dressed in her hospital gown with Penn Pershing in his crisp, white uniform before her. “My wife,” he smiled at her. Alaina felt herself go cold at his words and frantically searched for any sign of Mando, but he was nowhere to be found. After a minute of searching, she heard the familiar hissing sound of her fanned rawl. She looked down at the ground and saw the red viper with its crimson body wrapped around Din’s empty beskar helmet. She blinked in shock at the beskar helm sitting beside her feet with no sign of its owner to be found.

She jolted awake after that. After three nightmares, Alaina felt more exhausted than she was before she crawled into bed. Even though she was exhausted, she decided to stay awake instead of risking a fourth nightmare. At some point between her second and third nightmare, Din had pulled her into his arms and had fallen back asleep with her wrapped protectively against his chest. Alaina tried to draw comfort from his embrace but was finding it difficult to do so as her mind worked overdrive analyzing her nightmares.

Were they omens? Or were they nothing more than her mind processing the events of the day?

It was easy to correlate the wedding nightmare with Din’s empty helmet to their talk earlier in the evening… But the more Alaina analyzed the red rawl’s positions in each dream, the more she thought back on the dream or vision she’d had where her mother had returned to her. Right before her mother had walked in, Pershing, Gideon, and Mando all stood over her on that table, trying to determine what was wrong with her. Pershing had suggested her mind, and the red rawl wrapped around her head in the first dream. Gideon had suggested her leg because Alaina never forgot his comment at their dinner—“Something tells me there won’t be much left of you, and, well, that would be a bit like a ballerina without the use of her legs… pointless.” In her second nightmare tonight, the viper attacked her leg… Of course, Gideon had technically been talking about her mind, but the thought of being unable to run if the opportunity presented itself had stuck with her. But it was Mando pushing his finger into the middle of her chest that cemented the connections for her. “The problem is here,” he’d said, pushing his finger into her chest. The problem was her heart. The third and final nightmare had her fanned rawl wrapped around Din’s helmet.

Her heart.

Once again, she found herself thinking of fairytales and nightmares and love. The problem was her heart… because as much as she wanted to believe she was getting better, she was still broken.

But why did her dreams come tonight? Especially three nightmares, all featuring the red fanned rawl?

If there was a connection… if they were omens… what was it trying to warn her of? That there was something wrong with her? Well, what wasn’t wrong with her at this point? Her mind was wounded. She was prone to run away from her problems… and her heart… well… her heart was currently holding the broken pieces of her in his arms.

Or was her rawl trying to warn her of something with Din?

Or was she just trying to find connections? Were they nothing more than bad dreams? Was the new red rawl working with her or against her? Was it a warning that she shouldn’t use her powers? Or was it showing her that she, too, could change?

Was it worth it?

Was she worth it?

The hours ticked by as she watched the light shift from dark to light outside the glass doors leading to the balcony as the sun rose. Din’s breathing had remained even and deep since she awoke from her last nightmare, and she did her best to feign sleep so she wouldn’t rouse him. One of them should be able to get some sleep, and Din’s upcoming role was more important than hers. However, as the sun breached the balcony, bathing their room in a muted orange light, she could feel Din’s body shift from sleeping to awake as he tightened his arms around her.

“How long have you been awake?” eventually came his question, and Alaina smiled, enjoying how deep and scratchy his voice was when he first woke up.

“Just a little while,” she lied.

Din shifted, and as he moved, he made her roll over to face him, which she could only assume was to study her face. She tried to give him a forced smile, but she knew he saw straight through it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she soothed, placing her hand on his chest. “Just tired.”

“You’re lying,” came his quick accusation.

“Not lying. Just a little headache,” she told him, which was at least partly true, but she didn’t want to tell him she’d spiraled after their conversation last night. He didn’t need to concern himself with her nightmares. Other more important things required his attention today. Ensuring a King didn’t get assassinated today came first. “Probably should have listened to you about staying in the tub for so long last night,” she admitted, giving him a tired smile.

Mando hummed as his helmet inspected her head. “The altitude takes some—”

Alaina never got to hear the rest of that sentence because, at that moment, the black iron door to their room slammed open, startling them both. Mando shot out of bed faster than she’d ever seen him move. In less than the blink of an eye, he was standing at the foot of the bed, putting himself between Alaina and harm’s way, with his blaster trained on their intruder while Alaina struggled to sit up and ensure her robe was wrapped tightly around her.

“Good morning!” came Iris Haze’s exceedingly jovial greeting as she strolled into their room, wearing her turquoise guard robes. When she found Mando standing at the foot of the bed and Alaina dressed in only the black silk robe she’d borrowed, the woman pretended to be surprised as she asked, “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I interrupting something?”

Alaina rolled her eyes as her heart finally began to beat again. Then she glared at the woman, who looked as if she had absolutely zero regrets about her entrance.

“Iris,” Mando barked, lowering his blaster. “What the hell is your problem?”

“It’s the big day today!” Iris smiled at him. “I have exactly nine hours to turn your new bedwarmer into a Queen,” she sneered. “Besides, you’ve been summoned by Rhoam to join him for a meeting with the guards and go over plans for when the Dukes and their parties begin to arrive.”

“Aren’t you his Chief of Security?” he growled. “Shouldn’t you be a part of that meeting, too, instead of barging into bedrooms at the crack of dawn?”

“Mando,” Iris smiled as she stalked closer to them. “I have the most important job of them all,” she continued, her eyes sliding to Alaina’s on the bed. “I am in charge of ensuring the future Queen’s safety,” she mocked, lifting a challenging eyebrow at the Mandalorian before she plopped down on the bed next to Alaina’s feet. “At least until it’s time for the dance, and then she’s your responsibility again. Besides, I want to get to know the kind of person my new sister Queen is.”

Alaina shared a look with Mando, but they both knew there was no escaping the inevitable. Especially if they had any hope of making people believe their story. So, when Mando cocked his helmet, silently asking her if she was okay, Alaina grimaced and gave him a nod.

“Looking forward to it,” Alaina said, with her grimace still plastered on her face, not believing a word of what she just said.

“That’s the spirit!” Iris grinned, slapping the corner of the bed. “Now, you have places to be, and this,” she paused to wave her hand around the room, “is officially a no boys allowed zone. So, you and whatever the little green goblin is need to leave.”

“Hey,” Alaina cut in, glaring at the chestnut-haired woman. “His name is Grogu, and he's not a goblin.”

“Then what is it?”

“Ours,” Alaina growled defensively, sitting up a little straighter.

Iris’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “My, my,” she tutted, twisting her lips into a smile. “Looks like there is a backbone in there after all. And I was worried today was going to be dull.” The woman jumped up from the bed and strode toward the kitchenette. “I’m going to get us a cup of caf, and the boys better be gone by the time I’m done.”

Mando shook his head, walked around the bed to Alaina’s side, and paused to look at her before asking, “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

Alaina nodded and rolled off the bed, tightening her robe around her chest. “It’s just one day. I’ve been through worse,” she shrugged.

“Let me know if you still feel that way after spending nine hours with her,” he grumbled sarcastically. With one last lingering look, he walked to wake Grogu up from the changing area.

Alaina took a moment to study the other woman from across the room, who appeared to ignore her as she focused on making their caf.

At least the woman’s surprise entrance chased away her exhaustion from the adrenaline spike she caused. She could do this. Nine hours with an obnoxious, beautiful woman who had apparently gotten to experience Din taking her up against an alley wall… Alaina pursed her lips and tried to push away the surge of jealousy returning at that thought. She’d survived being a lab rat for five years… she could survive nine hours of Iris Haze.

Mando walked out of the room with Grogu blinking sleepily in his arms, and Alaina couldn’t help but smile at the vision of the hulking armored man with the tiny green toddler. That image alone would be what she used to get through the next nine hours.

“Good morning, little one,” she cooed, walking to meet them. She gave Grogu a quick peck on the top of his wrinkly head. “You behave yourself today, understand?” Grogu just slowly blinked at her. “Make sure Mando behaves himself, too,” she told him, sharing a conspiratory smile with their ward.

“Find me if you need anything, okay?” he murmured lowly, and Alaina nodded back at him. Mando shared their look for only a second before he nodded and strode out the door with Grogu in tow, leaving Alaina alone.

With Iris Haze.

The other woman watched as the door closed and turned her gaze to Alaina. Alaina lifted her chin slightly, challenging the woman as she appeared to assess her. She poured them each a mug of steaming caf before she walked toward her. Alaina prepared herself for whatever was coming because she could do this. She would do this, and they would leave. She would do this and, with any luck, prove to herself and Mando that Alaina Corra was worth it.

And if she could do it, then maybe she wasn’t as broken as she thought. Maybe Din, her heart, had put some of her pieces back together. It was a small light at the end of a tunnel that gave her a glimmer of hope.

Nine hours. That was it. A blink of an eye, really.

Iris walked with their mugs, stopped at the sitting area in front of the fireplace, and placed their drinks on the table. “Come sit,” she invited, nodding to one of the uncomfortable-looking leather chairs. “Let’s chat.”

Alaina nodded and trudged to join the other woman. Instead of taking a seat, Iris walked past her chair to the door Mando and Grogu had just exited. She listened briefly before opening the door and checking the hall. When she found no one there, she set her sights on Alaina.

“Okay, he’s gone. You can drop the act,” Iris said, marching to come toe to toe with her. Alaina’s eyes went wide, and she tried to take a step away from the woman, but Iris’s hands gripped her by her shoulders, preventing her from leaving. The woman studied her face and then asked something Alaina would have never dreamed of leaving the woman’s mouth, “Are you safe?”

“Safe…” Alaina repeated dumbly, blinking her eyes in confusion at the scrutinizing chocolate ones staring her down.

“I’m not an idiot. He’s a bounty hunter. So, be honest with me. Is he holding you against your will?”

Oh. Alaina blinked again as her mind slowly caught up with what Iris was trying to ask her, and shook her head.

“It’s okay, you can tell me,” Iris continued, and like watching her peel away a mask, Alaina watched as the woman’s entire body language changed from one of a snide, petty bitch, to one of a protector. “Say the word, and I will get you someplace safe. I have a best friend that specializes in this. We can get you somewhere safe, where not even a bounty hunter would be able to track you down.”

“I’m safe!” Alaina jumped in, nodding quickly once her brain caught up with what Iris was implying. “I promise! Mando and I are… well, it’s difficult to explain, but it’s not like that.” This time, she thought, but kept that to herself. Whatever look came over her face made the other woman narrow her gaze, so for good measure, Alaina added, “I swear.”

Alaina watched Iris’ chocolate eyes study her for another moment before the woman apparently made up her mind and let her go. Alaina watched the other woman, still feeling confused, as Iris flopped into the chair opposite the one Alaina was standing next to. “Good,” she said, grabbing her mug. “I would have been disappointed to hear he wasn’t the kind of man I had pictured him being.”

Alaina’s mind felt slow and sluggish as she tried to process what was happening. She felt dumbfounded as she just stood there and blinked at Iris. “Wait, so this whole time, you thought Mando was holding me against my will?” Alaina asked, trying to wrap her mind around the abrupt change in the woman’s attitude. “That’s why you’ve been a…” she tapered off, stopping herself before she said something offensive.

“A?” Iris prodded.

Alaina cringed, “A mildly unpleasant person?”

Iris smirked and took a long sip from her mug. “Partly,” she admitted with a shrug and an apologetic smile. “The other part is because it’s just as fun as I remember to get under his armor. Are you just going to stand there, or are you gonna have a seat and join me for some caf? Trust me, you’ll be thankful for the extra caffeine by the end of the day.”

In a daze, Alaina walked to sit in the chair. She grabbed her cup and sniffed it, pleased to find it already smelled better than the instant caf Din had on the Crest.

“So, tell me,” Iris began, and Alaina looked up as she took the first sip. “How’s the sex?”

Alaina sputtered and accidentally inhaled a swig of the dark brown liquid down the wrong pipe. “Iris!” she choked out.

“What?” Iris questioned her, looking like Alaina had grown another head, but then, soon, the evil grin that Alaina was more familiar with reemerged. “Just a hunch based on that delicious-looking bruise you’re sporting on your neck. Didn’t see it last night with all your hair.” Alaina’s hand flew to her neck to hide the giant hickey that stood out against her pale skin. She could only hope that Din's teeth marks were no longer visible. “Oh, calm down,” Iris chided. “It’s nice to see that you’re maybe not quite the perfect little angel Rhoam is convinced you are,” Iris groaned, rolling her eyes. “Although…” she continued, leveling a dreamy look at her. “In the spirit of honesty, I admit I wasn’t lying last night. I did try and get him to be our third.”

“I heard,” Alaina replied, still grimacing at the burning caf she had just inhaled.

“Oh, so Mando kisses and tells… pity,” Iris said, winking at her. “But honestly, can you blame me? You’ve seen Rhoam. And you’ve seen whatever you’ve seen of Beskar Boy. Tell me that if you had the opportunity to be sandwiched between the two of them, you wouldn’t jump on it?”

“Iris!” Alaina scoffed and felt her cheeks flush at the woman’s comment.

“Of course… Rhoam’s bed is big enough for four…” she tapered off, wagging her eyebrows suggestively at her. “And if Mando is still against joining us, there is always room for a third…” Iris tapered off again as her chocolate eyes swept over her. “I bet you’re a screamer.”

She felt her cheeks flush hotter, but she tried to fix the intimidating woman with her best glare. “I’m flattered, but I think we’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself,” Iris shrugged, but Alaina didn’t sense the woman was actually disappointed by her refusal. “Now, I have nine hours to turn you into a Queen—” Iris paused and narrowed her eyes on her face, making Alaina uncomfortable again. “Alaina, your nose is bleeding,” she stated, alarmed.

Alaina blinked, brought her fingers up to her nose, and was surprised to find bright red blood on her fingertips.

“Are you okay?”

She quickly placed her mug on the table and rose from her chair. “Excuse me,” Alaina mumbled, heading to the privy and leaving a concerned-looking Iris behind.

Once alone in the privy, Alaina inspected her face in the vanity mirror. The blood was minor. Almost nonexistent compared to the bleeds she’d had before… but those were usually associated with using her powers somehow. With a frown, Alaina used a tissue to clean her face and relaxed when she saw that the bleeding had already stopped. It was probably because of her headache. Stress, the altitude, her brain attempting to melt away—

“Everything okay in there, sweets?” Iris asked, knocking lightly on the door.

Sweets? Maybe she had died in the tub last night. If not last night, maybe she died from the shock of Iris surprising them this morning and had woken up in some alternate universe—a universe where Iris Haze was a decent human being.

Alaina blinked, staring back at the green eyes of her reflection. The bleeding had stopped for now, and she had other things to worry about. The top of that list was why Iris felt it would take nine hours to turn her into whatever the other woman thought she should look like to pass as a Queen.

She took a deep breath to steel herself for the day to come. A day with whoever this new bizarro Iris Haze was.

Her green eyes hardened, and she nodded to herself. She could do this. Because the question was no longer, was it worth it?

It was—was she worth it?

And if Din Djarin, her heart, was going to risk his status as a Mandalorian for her…

Then, Alaina Corra would do everything in her power to ensure she was worth it.

“Yes,” Alaina called out, tossing the bloody tissue in the bin. “Just the dry mountain air,” she covered, exiting the privy and smiling at the brown-eyed, brown-haired woman. “So, what did you have in mind for today? I only have three outfits, and none of them would probably be considered acceptable to wear tonight. I’ll probably need a dress for tonight—”

“You’ll need more than just a dress,” Iris commented, raking her eyes up and down her body.

Alaina pouted, “I’m not that bad… am I?”

The answering raised eyebrow was answer enough.

When Iris continued to stress that they only had nine hours to prepare her for the dance tonight, Alaina thought she was being sarcastic.

She was not.

The morning started with a stop at the medical ward, where Iris had someone use a dermal regenerator to make her hickey and dark smudges under her eyes disappear. After Alaina let it slip that the nosebleed and headache were from the altitude, Iris had the medic give her some kind of vitamin injection that surprisingly made her feel better. Her headache disappeared almost instantly, making Alaina pleasantly surprised that her fib turned into fact.

“The altitude is no joke,” Iris confirmed. “Just wait till you adapt to it and leave.”

Now that she was clear-headed and no longer looked like a ghost, Alaina felt like a new person. A new person who realized that she was walking around a castle in nothing but a short, silk bathrobe.

Iris seemed to have the same idea. So, before they left the med bay, Iris had a purple robe that matched Rhoam’s from yesterday when he greeted them at the landing pad, and a pair of slippers were brought to her so she didn’t have to walk around wearing only her silk bathrobe. Also, somehow, caf seemed to magically appear from nowhere for them as they left the medical ward toward their next destination.

Alaina took everything in. The castle was even more gorgeous in the daylight, with the sun shining through the high arching windows. Iris told her there would be time for a better tour later, but when Alaina’s face lit up as they passed by a courtyard with one of the castle’s five gardens, she allowed a slight detour.

“You shouldn’t have brought me here because I might never leave,” Alaina told her, looking around at all of the plants and flowers she’d never seen before. Vines covered all four walls of the courtyard with leaves that provided a gradient from deep, dark purple to a brilliant, bright orange, which made Alaina feel like she was walking through the sunset. There were two small ponds on either end of the garden, and when she saw a black frog hop off one of the lilypads into the water, she made a mental note to remember to bring Grogu back here.

Iris was surprisingly… pleasant.

The two talked and drank caf while they walked through the gardens. It was like being with one of her friends from home. She was easy to talk to, had traveled everywhere before she settled here, and became an orphan around the same age Alaina had become one, making her even easier to talk to. As they strolled through the gardens, she would pepper in pieces of information about the Riverlands to make Alaina’s backstory appear real. Iris had also made it her mission to get it through Alaina’s head that she was supposed to look and act like royalty.

Whenever Alaina went to open a door first or would shrink away slightly, Iris was there instantly. “You’re gonna be a Queen. Act like one,” she reprimanded Alaina, batting Alaina’s hand away from the door so Iris could hold it open for her as they left the garden.

They continued their leisurely stroll through the castle until they stopped at a door resembling all the other black iron doors. “And this is where the magic happens,” Iris informed her before opening the door.

The magic happened to be an entire team of strangers ready to pluck, wax, primp, and polish Alaina into someone she didn’t recognize. Two people were assigned to her wardrobe, two to her hair, and two more to makeup and ‘prep work.’

Immediately upon entering, Alaina found herself standing on a pedestal in the middle of the room, surrounded by six people. She was forced to shed her purple robe and now wore only her thin black silk bathrobe in front of a room full of strangers. The people talked over one another while they dissected her to create the perfect look for the evening.

Alaina had no idea how they could understand anyone else’s input, much or less their own thoughts, with how loud they spoke. Should they let her keep her curly hair? What color gown would look best? They even discussed what kind of undergarments she should wear underneath her dress.

She felt invisible, surrounded by this team of people as they closed around her, taking measurements, tugging at her curls, and holding fabric swatches against her skin. Meanwhile, Iris found a chair in the corner of the room and looked content to let the team work while she sipped her caf and studied something on a datapad. The only time the other woman had any input was when someone brought in a gaudy ballgown that would have made Alaina look like a rhinestone-encrusted marshmallow.

“Absolutely not,” Iris scolded the woman carrying the sparkling dress around. “No one will be able to find her through all that tulle. She needs something dramatic. Something that will make a statement when she walks into the room. Something that accentuates her eyes.” One of the other wardrobe members walked to Iris to let her peruse what Alaina assumed were other dress alternatives on their datapad. Alaina’s frustrated glare went unnoticed by Iris or anyone else in the room, for that matter. Because why would Alaina have any input on the dress she would wear? Iris swiped through a few options before she paused and looked up at Alaina with a smile. “That one.”

Once the dress was decided, she was swept away to another room with the two team members responsible for the bulk of the prep work. At least these two spoke to her. Or, more precisely, spoke at her. The two men in charge of her hair were infatuated with her curls and chatted about this and that while they combed through her hair. Thankfully, no one asked her any questions about Rhoam or the Riverlands. Alaina wasn’t sure if Iris had instructed them not to or if they considered her one of the many Iris would eventually chase off.

Once they had her hair slathered in some sort of mask, they left her alone in the room with two rather burly women who had no time for Alaina’s modesty. They set to work waxing almost every hair below her eyebrows from her body, and when Alaina commented on using lasers instead, she swore one of the women yanked their strip harder. After an hour under their hands, Alaina seriously reconsidered her offer to help.

“Everything okay in there?” Iris called from the other side of the door, startling Alaina out of her thoughts.

Alaina blinked at the woman staring back at her in the mirror. She’d long forgotten what it was like to keep up with certain beauty rituals, but this was beyond anything she ever did. The woman staring back at her was almost unrecognizable.

Her hair had been straightened and trimmed (slightly), and the hairdressers even added some highlights, brightening her golden locks. They’d then done some very tiny intricate braids that formed what looked like a flower or a knot on the left side of her head that forced her hair to fall over her right shoulder. A few random pieces and the ends were curled, giving it a more polished look. Alaina tracked her hair as it fell to her hips. She remembered straightening it once when she was in school, and it took her hours only for her curls to start coming back halfway through the day, and she decided after that it wasn’t worth the hassle. Whatever mask they used had to be magic.

As for the rest of her… the word dramatic was an understatement.

The makeup artists accentuated her eyes with a flared cat eye and a smokey finish, making her emerald irises pop against her dark lids. Her lips were a muted, dusky pink that was just a shade or two darker than her natural color but didn’t detract from her eyes. She’d forgotten what it was like to wear makeup and get dressed up. This particular look was more dramatic than anything she would have done herself, but gorgeous nonetheless.

And the dress… Maker. The dress was exquisite. It looked as if it had been molded or painted on her body. It was strapless with a deep cut in the front that went just past her sternum. There was another embarrassing moment where the wardrobe team had to tape her breasts to the dress to prevent any slips, but it only added to the illusion that the dress had been painted on her. She’d never seen a material quite like this dress, either. It looked as if tiny shards made up the fabric, making it look like the gown was glass or liquid metal the way it gleamed under the lights. The bodice was a dark emerald green color that slowly darkened as it reached her waistline until it faded into black as it reached her calves and carried on to the hemline. The metallic texture only added to the look. Alaina couldn’t even find it in herself to be embarrassed that her back was exposed or that there was a slit up her right leg that went all the way to her hip.

She was no longer the lost, demure ballerina.

She looked like she was meant to be there.

Hopefully, she would prove to herself and Mando that she was meant to be there.

Alaina blinked at her reflection in surprise. With a smile, she felt another broken shard slide into place when she realized that for the first time since Mando rescued her on Nevarro, Alaina wanted something.

She wanted something more. She wanted Mando and a real life with him and Grogu. It didn’t matter what that looked like. It was okay that it didn’t match her childhood fantasies. She just wanted them. Her family.

“Alaina?” Iris called again, knocking on the door.

With a deep breath, Alaina pulled herself away from the mirror in her dressing room and opened the door.

Iris’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and the woman let out a low whistle as she took in her final look. “I have excellent taste if I say so myself,” she commented, giving Alaina a little wink. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you, Iris,” Alaina offered, stepping out of the dressing room. “Were you able to find my bag?”

Iris nodded and handed her the black canvas bag she’d gone to retrieve from their suite while she was changing. Alaina stuck her hand in the bag and felt around until she found her dagger and pulled it out.

“Speaking of stunning,” Iris whispered, yanking her mother’s dagger from her hand to examine it. “This is gorgeous,” she commented, running her fingers over the hilt and scales of the fanned rawl. “Beskar?” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the weapon.

“Yes. How can you tell?” Alaina asked, surprised that the woman could tell. So far, Din was the only one who appeared to notice, but she just assumed it was because he wore beskar from head to toe.

“When you’ve been playing with weapons for as long as I have, you can tell. Dang, Beskar Boy has it bad for you,” Iris said, passing her the dagger back as she shook her head in disbelief.

“Actually, it was my mother’s,” Alaina told her, smiling sadly at the dagger.

The look of surprise grew on Iris’s face, “Your mother was a Mandalorian?”

Alaina huffed out a laugh and shook her head. Finding out her mother was possibly a Jedi was enough of a surprise for one lifetime. “No, it was a gift to her from my father,” she explained.

“So your father was a Mandalorian?”

“No?” Alaina answered, confused by the question. “He was a soldier. Why do you think one of them was a Mandalorian?”

Iris looked at her with an equal look of confusion. “I mean, beskar is a Mandalorian staple. I know that after the Empire got their hands on Mandalore, more and more beskar ended up on the black market. So, anything is possible… I’ve just never seen something like that,” Iris paused to nod at her mother’s dagger, “in the hands of someone who wasn’t a Mandalorian.”

Alaina frowned at the dagger. She recalled Din saying something to that effect on Sorgan, but she hadn’t thought anything of it. “Well, I can confirm I am not a Mandalorian. After being with Mando, I got the impression that not a lot of Mandalorians were trained as ballerinas,” she laughed.

Iris’s eyebrows shot up at that comment. “I’m sorry, did you say ballerina?” she asked, looking at her as if she’d grown a second head. “How did you end up with Mando?”

Alaina chuckled, “It’s a long story.”

“I can only imagine,” Iris replied, giving her one last look before shrugging. “Anyway, the dagger is a good call,” the other woman commended her, making Alaina smile. If Iris thought it was a good call, then hopefully, Din would be proud of her for thinking of having a weapon on her, too. “Something for protection without being too obvious. And I’ve got just the thing for you to go with it,” she continued, turning around to find her own bag resting in the chair Iris had been in most of the day.

At some point, while Alaina was getting dressed for the dance, Iris changed out of her turquoise guard robes for a black shirt, tactical pants, and boots for whatever stealth operation she had planned. The woman rifled through her bag, muttering to herself, until she finally popped back up, holding something with black straps in her hand.

“Now, remember,” Iris began as she knelt in front of her, and Alaina jumped in surprise when the woman reached into the slit of her dress to strap the garter to her left thigh. “Let Rhoam do most of the talking. He’s good at it and loves being the center of the attention,” she continued. “Stay by his side as much as you can, and when you can’t, stay in Mando’s eyesight. Something tells me Beskar Boy will find it difficult to look away from you,” she said, giving Alaina a knowing smirk. Alaina blushed at her comment, but Iris ignored her, holding her hand for Alaina’s dagger. “When you have to converse, keep the conversation light. Remember your backstory. The Duke of the Riverlands is Rhoam’s cousin and has already been filled in on the ruse. You can trust him, but I wouldn’t trust anyone else,” Iris told her seriously as she slid the dagger into place in the garter holster and stood back up.

“How long do these dances typically last?” Alaina inquired, adjusting to the feeling of the dagger and garter hugging her thigh.

Iris shrugged. “A few hours. Long enough for people to get drunk and forget why they are mad at each other after their meeting,” she continued, with a quick roll of her eyes. “They only do this once every five months, so they tend to take advantage of it—especially the significant others. The Dukes’ partners will no doubt glob onto you at some point. I trust them even less than I trust the Dukes, but you may be able to learn something from them. They all hate me. Use that to your advantage if you want. Just proceed with caution.”

Alaina nodded as someone knocked on the door.

“The food and drinks have all been tested for poisons,” Iris carried on as she went to answer the door. “But don’t consume anything that isn’t offered to you by Rhoam, Mando, or any of my guards.”

Alaina nodded again, nervously running her hands down her dress as Iris opened the door to let Rhoam in. The King had been dressed in a black suit with dark, emerald green accents that matched her dress. He looked sharp in the dark outfit with his slicked-back brown hair. She couldn’t help but wonder what he would have been dressed in if Iris hadn’t stepped in to prevent Alaina from becoming a tulle marshmallow.

“My love,” Rhoam greeted Iris, giving her a bow before grabbing her hand and pressing a lingering kiss to her knuckles. When he stood to his full, towering height, Iris nodded for him to look in Alaina’s direction. Rhoam turned his electric blue eyes to her, and Alaina gave him a nervous smile when she saw those eyes darken. “Angel,” he breathed out, leaving Iris to inspect Alaina’s outfit. Rhoam circled her once, making her feel self-conscious under his scrutiny, but when he returned to her front, he stopped and fixed her with his stunning smile. “You are absolutely breathtaking,” he told her, reaching out to pull some more of her hair over her right shoulder. “The look suits you, dark angel,” he murmured, grabbing her hand to plant a kiss on her fingers.

“You clean up pretty well yourself,” Alaina responded, grabbing his suit's dark, emerald green lapels to straighten them.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Iris interjected, leveling a look at Rhoam. “I already asked her to be our third, and she turned me down.”

Rhoam’s blue eyes sparked in amusement. “Pity,” he answered, giving her a wink. “Although, something tells me that even if she did, there would be a certain Mandalorian who would have a different opinion on who Alaina should be spending her time with.”

Alaina blushed and ducked her head. The thought of Din seeing her like this made her more nervous than the rest of the plan for the evening. He’d seen her wearing various items of clothing they’d picked up along the way, but he’d never seen her wearing something so formal.

“He’s going to love it,” Rhoam said, reading her mind. “And if he doesn’t, then we’ll just keep you here for ourselves,” he said, giving her a wicked smile.

“You two get a move on,” Iris ordered, nodding to the door. “I’ll come join you once we’re done. If something happens, my guards will contact me, and I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

Rhoam nodded and looped Alaina’s hand through his arm. “Our meetings were rather tame today, so I’m hoping that will continue tonight.”

Iris fixed him with a pointed look, “Still—”

“Still,” Rhoam said, cutting Iris off with his soft voice, “we will be cautious. Be safe, my love.”

Iris nodded, “You too,” she whispered, giving them a tight smile before she walked up to Alaina. “Remember,” she started, taking her hand to tilt Alaina’s chin up a touch higher. “You’re a Queen. Act like it,” she said before she spun out of the room, disappearing into the hall like a shadow.

This was it, Alaina thought, staring at the open door. She looked around, half expecting Mando to step in, but he never did.

“I had Mando wait in the hall to keep an eye on our guests,” Rhoam told her as he escorted her out of the ready room and toward the dance. “Hopefully, he will still be able to keep an eye on them after he sees you,” he teased.

“Mando’s a professional,” Alaina answered smoothly. But a not-so-small part of her secretly hoped that Mando would like her outfit.

“Yes, well, as professional as he may be, I won’t come looking for you if the two of you disappear for a minute… or ten,” Rhoam smirked.

Alaina flushed at his implications. “That won’t be necessary,” she told him, holding her head high. “I’m your intended for the evening.”

“Don’t tempt me, angel,” Rhoam told her with a wink. “Besides, my mother’s cousin was only too eager to go in on our little act. He made sure to let everyone else know any chance he got that a Riverlands girl would be the next Queen. I think there will be enough interest in you that you and your Mandalorian won’t be able to slip away even if you tried to. Then again, if the night is boring, that might work in our favor. To have someone discover my intended being taken by a Mandalorian…”

Alaina snorted, “Not my style.”

“Whatever you say, my dark angel,” Rhoam said lowly as they turned the last corner.

The corridor leading to the hall where the dance was to take place was lined with guards in turquoise robes with their staffs. Upon further inspection, Alaina realized that the staffs the guards all carried were actually spears. They weren't close enough yesterday for her to realize that. When Rhoam nudged her, Alaina directed her head forward, copying Rhoam’s gestures as they walked to the banquet hall entrance. She could hear the muffled sounds of music and people talking on the other side of the door before she heard someone announce their arrival.

“Here we go,” Rhoam whispered, tightening his looped arm around hers as the doors opened.

The music stopped, and people dropped their conversations as they walked through the door, pausing at the top of the black marble staircase. There was a beat of silence, and all of the guests' eyes were on them before all the men in the room dropped to one knee, and all the women bowed their heads.

Except for one.

Mando stood at the foot of the staircase, with his helmet locked on her as Rhoam escorted her down the imposing marble staircase. Alaina did her best to keep her head directed forward but couldn’t stop her eyes from finding the silver armored sentry waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

When Alaina felt their connection flare hot as they reached the last step, she gave Mando a little smirk before returning to the room to find that all eyes were on her.

“Mando,” Rhoam greeted, and the two men gripped their forearms in greeting. “I’d like to introduce you to Dietes’ future Queen, Alaina,” Rhoam said, pulling Alaina to stand between them.

“My Lady,” Mando said in greeting before bowing his head.

“Now, now,” he tutted, “save it for the bedroom,” Rhoam teased under his breath and then spun away from Mando, leading Alaina to the others eagerly awaiting to meet their next Queen.

Alaina blushed as the King escorted her across the hall, but when she looked up, she gasped at the glass ceiling that allowed the moon to be the main event.

"The blood moon," Rhoam explained quietly. Alaina had to force herself to pull her attention away from the bright red moon, remembering that she was supposed to act like this wasn't her first time seeing it. "If you are to believe the ancient stories, in one of the battles, the blood moon revived a dead man on this very mountaintop," he told her, shrugging his shoulders. "That man became Dietes' first King, and his blood has flowed through the royal family ever since."

Alaina smiled, hoping it didn't look like a million questions were running through her mind as they stopped before Dietes' other leaders.

The introductions to the other Dukes seemed to drag on. Iris had already given her a brief rundown, but Alaina still struggled to remember everyone’s names. She was doing well, just to keep all of the territories straight. Aside from the castle’s territory and the Riverlands, there were the Plainlands, the Woodlands, the Crystallands, the Traillands, and the Starrylands. The Duke of the Riverlands was Rhoam’s cousin, and the Duke of the Crystallands was the same age as his Riverlands counterpart.

The other four were roughly Rhoam’s age, and she remembered him telling them at dinner last night that he’d grown up with them. Alaina had to force her smile as they reached the younger generation. Something, her gut or her ability to read others, made her wary. There were so many people in the room that she couldn’t narrow down exactly who made her uneasy, but she had a sinking suspicion that Iris might find something on her fact-finding mission.

“You just let me know when you’re ready to hear all of his embarrassing schoolboy stories,” Kane, the Duke of the Woodlands, told her, earning him a playful shove from Rhoam.

“I’d love to hear them sometime,” Alaina told him with her fake smile plastered across her face. Her cheeks hurt from forcing her smile, and they’d only finished the introductions.

“Let’s not scare away my new intended just yet,” Rhoam joked, placing a protective hand on the small of her back. “Or, at the very least, wait until we’re all good and sloshed at the end of the night, so she hopefully won’t remember a word you tell her,” he said, giving Alaina a little wink while the group around them laughed. “Speaking of, I’m parched, if you’ll excuse us,” he nodded, directing Alaina away from the group toward a long table lined with food and drinks.

Once they were no longer facing the other Dukes, Alaina let her smile drop. She relaxed slightly now that they were out of the immediate line of inquiry, thankful that Rhoam had taken them away from them. The further they walked away from the Dukes, the more the uneasy feeling faded until it disappeared completely.

“You’re doing great, angel,” he murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her exposed back.

The sound of someone quietly clearing their throat from somewhere behind them reminded her that Mando had been following them at their heels and now had the perfect view of Rhoam’s hand on the open expanse of her back.

“You know,” Rhoam began with a sly smile. “I just remembered that I need to check in on… something,” he mumbled vaguely, giving Alaina a wink. I’m afraid I will have to leave you in Mando’s company for a minute… or ten,” he teased. Rhoam motioned for two drinks and passed one to Alaina before walking down the table to find one of the guards standing in the corner of the room.

Alaina smiled at the server in thanks and turned to walk in the opposite direction of the King to a quiet corner of the hall with her Mandalorian sentry on her heels. She sipped her drink, which was some kind of blue champagne with red berries at the bottom of the glass. It was surprisingly sweet, and it would be easy to go through several glasses if she wasn’t too careful.

“Grogu?” she questioned as they came to a stop.

“Nursery,” came Mando’s gruff response. When Alaina gave him a concerned look, he followed up with, “Several of the Dukes brought their children. If they were planning something for tonight, I doubt they would leave their heirs there.”

Alaina nodded and returned her attention to the hall, watching the musicians begin to play music again while the other guests mingled.

“I think Iris is right,” Alaina told Mando, trying to appear casual.

Mando, ever the professional, kept his helmet on the King, who was still standing on the other side of the room speaking with the same guard. “What happened?” he asked, tension thick through his baritone voice.

“Nothing. Yet,” Alaina shrugged, sipping her drink. “I just got a… feeling when I was introduced to the younger Dukes.”

His helmet did a slow, cursory examination of the room, pausing briefly when he landed on the Dukes in question. “What did Rhoam say?” he asked as he returned his gaze to the King.

“Somehow, the topic of my witchy powers, as you like to call them, hasn’t come up,” she said sarcastically. “I wasn’t about to try and convince him that he shouldn’t trust his friends because they gave me indigestion.”

Mando snorted under his helmet, and Alaina couldn’t help the smirk that popped up from hearing it.

“I’ll trust your indigestion any day, Tranyc,” Mando informed her with the smallest lilt of amusement in his voice.

Alaina couldn’t help but turn to look at him to give him a fake, charming smile. “The words every girl dreams of hearing,” she replied, laying on the sarcasm. When she turned to look back at the dance floor, her smile turned to a more natural one as she watched some of the guests begin to dance. “You know, I used to get dressed up all the time. Whether it be for performances or to go out with friends,” she began, shifting slightly. “And this was fun for half an hour, but I’m already ready to get out of this thing.”

“You’re not to take that dress off once this night is over,” Mando murmured lowly next to her.

Her lips quirked at his command. “It’s not very practical,” she said, shifting slightly so the slit that went up her right side exposed a tiny flash of her leg.

Mando hummed, clasping his hands in front of him while they stood side by side. “You look beautiful,” he told her, trying to keep his voice casual.

Alaina blushed at his compliment and sipped her drink to try to calm herself. “Do I look like a Queen?” she asked, smiling at him.

“No,” came Mando’s firm answer, and Alaina knew she did a poor job keeping the hurt from her face. “You look like a goddess,” he said, sounding deadly serious. “And everyone in this room knows it.”

Alaina’s heart thundered in her chest at Mando’s words. She slid her eyes to his helmet before she said, “There’s only one person’s opinion in this room that I care about.” When she paused, she felt the invisible string that tied them together grow warm. “That would be Rhoam’s, of course,” she deadpanned, giving him a smirk before looking back at the dancefloor.

“Brat,” Mando growled quietly.

Alaina couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. “How about I stay in this dress just long enough for you to take it off?” she countered, pretending not to look at him. “Then you’ll be able to find where my dagger is hidden on me,” she told him, smirking into her glass when she saw Mando’s helmet twitch from the corner of her eye. Apparently, the Mandalorian was struggling not to ogle her in front of the guests.

“I’ll hold you to that promise, my lady,” he answered, dropping his voice down an octave as he said the words, my lady.

“Alaina, was it?” a woman’s voice said from the other side of her, and Alaina cleared her throat to right herself. It was just in time because three of the Dukes’ partners were walking right toward her.

Alaina greeted the women as they approached with a polite smile, holding back the urge to outstretch her hand. They stopped and proceeded with a formal bow, giving Alaina time to give a panicked look to Rhoam before they righted themselves.

“So, we’ve been dying to hear the story of how you met King Rhoam,” the one in the middle said, eying Din with an annoyed look as he stood beside her, pretending not to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“My sister is one of the handmaidens for his cousin, the Duke of the Riverlands,” Alaina began. “I happened to be at the castle visiting her and quite literally ran into Rhoam,” she told them, giggling as she spun their made-up tale. “I was so embarrassed at the time, but I guess you could say it all worked out,” she finished, giving her audience a sly smile.

“I’m surprised that the off-worlder hasn’t chased you off already,” the woman on her right commented with a sneer.

“Yes, I’m surprised I haven’t seen Iris lurking around,” the woman in the middle said, looking around for the chestnut-haired woman.

You’re a Queen. Act like one.

Alaina held her chin a little higher and tried to look bored. “I’m afraid that Iris and I had a difference of opinion on who the actual Queen of Dietes was. She’s probably still back in her chambers licking her wounds. I’m sure she’ll show herself at some point this evening,” she finished haughtily, rolling her eyes.

The three women all shared matching looks of surprise before they returned their predatory smiles to her.

“It’s so refreshing to hear that. It’s about time Rhoam finally found someone to stand up to her.”

“Off-worlders.”

“Maybe we’ll finally get a real wedding this time.”

“Ladies,” Rhoam’s smooth voice greeted as he reappeared by Alaina’s side to grab her hand. “I hope you won’t mind if I steal this exquisite creature for a dance?”

Rhoam didn’t even wait for their reply. He snatched her drink from her hand to pass to Mando before dragging Alaina away from the vultures with a spin.

“You looked like you needed saving. The one in the middle is Kane’s wife. She puts on a show for the others but is known to be a decent person from time to time,” Rhoam told her once they were on the dance floor, away from prying ears.

“They don’t seem terribly fond of Iris,” Alaina remarked.

Rhoam smirked, but Alaina could see a proud glean in the King’s eyes. “No one outside myself or the castle staff is terribly fond of Iris,” he admitted. “Off-worlders are frowned upon on Dietes. Besides, she can be a bit of an acquired taste,” he said with a bit of a chuckle, but his face softened. “She means well, though.”

“Well, she’s made a friend in me,” Alaina told him, smiling when the man beamed at her. “How did your meetings go?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Boring. Almost too boring,” Rhoam answered, keeping his smile plastered across his face as he led her across the dance floor while avoiding running into other dancers. “Usually, someone throws a fit over something, but everyone was on their best behavior today. I couldn’t tell if that was because they were laying low in an attempt to avoid arousing suspicion or if being met by a Mandalorian as they disembarked their shuttles set the tone for the day.”

Alaina’s eyes found Din instantly. His silver armor made him stand out like a sore thumb in a room of people in formal attire. He walked the perimeter of the hall, staying in the shadows as he monitored the room, but Alaina knew he had one eye on her the entire time.

“Iris seems fairly certain someone is planning something,” Alaina commented as Rhoam took her in for a dip.

“Iris is paranoid,” came Rhoam’s quick response. “But that’s her job. She trusts her sources, and I trust her.”

She watched Mando tilt his helmet as Rhoam raised and twirled her just as the song ended.

“I trust her too,” Alaina told him. “Kane and the others… How well do you know them?” she asked.

“Oh, not you, too,” Rhoam grumbled as the music restarted with a slower melody.

Alaina smiled apologetically. “You must know there is a chance the rumors are true and that one of them may be behind them, or you wouldn’t have jumped when Mando contacted you for help,” she said, giving him a knowing look.

“What a bleak world we live in when those who I once considered brothers are possibly now my enemies,” he answered, and Alaina gave him a sad, understanding smile as Rhoam waltzed them by Mando. “I think our mutual acquaintance is rather smitten with you,” Rhoam teased her, changing the subject.

“Oh?” Alaina questioned, trying to keep her face neutral, but the smile on her face gave her away.

The King leaned in to whisper conspiratorially in her ear, “He mentioned you twice today.”

Alaina ducked her head to hide her blush.

“For a man of so few words to spare them on you…” he tapered off, wagging his eyebrows at her. “It must be love.”

Alaina’s heart clenched in her chest at Rhoam’s assessment. Her eyes slid to Mando, who tilted his helmet questioningly at her. She gave him a quick smile to tell him she was fine before she turned her attention back to Rhoam. “It’s… It’s complicated.”

“Love isn’t complicated. It’s your head that makes it complicated.”

Alaina gave him a tight smile as she considered Rhoam’s words.

The song ended, and the uneasy feeling from earlier returned, giving her something else to focus on instead of trying to decipher her heart.

“Alright, my friend,” a new voice said from behind her. “I think it’s time I have a dance or two with your most recent intended. I need to ensure she meets my criteria to be your wife,” the Duke of the Woodlands, Kane, said as he stopped beside them.

Rhoam smiled brightly and clapped the Duke’s shoulder. “I suppose I can spare her for one dance,” he told Kane, giving the man a warning look. “Just one, though. Don’t want you getting any ideas,” he said, smiling at Alaina as he passed her hand to the Duke’s. “Don’t fret, angel. I won’t let him steal you away.”

Alaina gave Rhoam a strained smile as she tried to swallow down the feeling, but it wouldn’t go away. Her head turned to look at Mando, finding him rigid in place, looking like he was debating whether or not she needed aid. A bonus of their bond, Alaina thought.

“Are you okay?” Kane asked, frowning at her.

Alaina’s heart rate spiked, and she could feel the beads of sweat forming along her brow.

“Yes, Alaina, you look unwell,” Rhoam commented, and she could see him motion for Mando, who was already walking toward them, out of the corner of her eye.

“Indigestion,” she grimaced.

When she felt the telltale throbbing inside her head, her heart felt like it plummeted out of her body.

Oh no. Not here. Not now.

“Let’s go find you someplace to sit down,” Kane suggested, bringing his hand to rest on her shoulder.

The moment the Duke’s hand touched her shoulder, lightning struck inside her mind, lighting it up in blinding pain as the vision began.

The rapid-fire pictures started spinning in her mind so quickly that Alaina had difficulties processing them.

The purple stalks of the lavender plains on their moon under the night sky. One of her kneeling in a pile of rubble with blood on her hands. Standing alone in the hall, Kane locked eyes with her and said, “There.” Seas of green. Mando’s helmet moved in slow motion as she watched his gloved hand drop it to the floor of the Crest at her foot. Bright, shining sunlight disappeared as it became eclipsed by the moon. “Will,” Kane’s voice continued over her visions. Blood covered her hands, and she watched as a single vermilion drop dripped from her fingertips. She looked down at her feet, surprised to find the hall flooded with green water. Alaina looked up to see Kane smiling at her as he said, “Be.” The green waters continued to rise, passing her knees, and she felt herself growing cold. “Nothing,” Kane’s voice continued as the waters rose, washing away her bloodied hands. “Left,” he finished as the waters completely engulfed them.

Through the green water, Alaina could see Kane sitting at a table with his wife and two others she didn’t recognize. “We’ll set them up while the King,” he spat, “is dancing his last dance. We’ll let them drink and dance and enjoy their last moments. When I pick someone to dance with, that will be our cue to leave,” he explained to the table. Then, in slow motion, his head swiveled to look directly at her as he said, “There will be nothing left.”

“Alaina!” another voice yelled for her from somewhere distant, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself lying on the dance floor with Mando’s concerned helmet swimming above her as he shook her shoulders.

“Vermilion fingertips,” her whispered words left her lips as she tried to process what she saw.

Mando flicked on a bright light and shone it directly into her eyes, making her hiss. She slammed her eyes closed, but he pried them back open. “Hey, are you with me?” he asked, fear evident in his voice as he held her head. “What happened? Did you have a vision?”

Alaina grimaced and nodded. She batted his hands away, and Mando flicked the light off but refused to let her go. The world around her moved slowly as if everyone was slow to move in the nonexistent green waters, as her mind attempted to reboot. Absently, she noted that she was on the ground with Mando kneeling on her left side and Rhoam kneeling on her right. She felt something wet on her face and was unsurprised that her nosebleed had returned with full force after her vision.

“Vermilion fingertips,” she murmured again, staring at her fingers.

“Alaina?” Mando questioned, but Alaina didn’t look at him.

Instead, she rolled her head to her left passed Mando to stare at the man hovering behind Mando.

Kane stood just behind Mando, looking concerned and confused after witnessing Alaina's episode. A small audience surrounded them, and several guards in turquoise robes kept the curious crowd back with their staffs.

Alaina locked eyes with Rhoam’s alleged friend, and Kane’s face became even more confused when he realized her attention was entirely on him now.

“There will be nothing left,” Alaina whispered. Her whispered words were quiet but loud enough for those near her to hear them.

Including Kane.

The man’s eyes widened in shock as he realized she had repeated his words exactly—Words that Alaina should logically have no way of knowing.

“It’s him,” Alaina whispered, turning her panicked look to Mando. “It’s Kane. He’s done something.”

“Are you sure?” Mando questioned her, looking between her and the Duke.

Alaina nodded, “I don’t know exactly what, but whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it tonight.”

“Kane?” Rhoam’s voice asked as he looked at his friend.

Kane scoffed, “Are you really going to listen to this madness? The woman is obviously ill or possessed.”

Rhoam looked torn as he looked between his friend and Alaina before his sights narrowed back on Kane. “As unbelievable as Alaina’s words may be, I still have to ask if they are true?” Kane’s face shifted, and Rhoam’s electric blue eyes flashed as he put the pieces together. “Is this true?” the King questioned, his words turning from shock to anger as he spoke.

Kane snarled, looking between her and the King with wide, feral eyes.

The crowd around them grew eerily quiet as they watched on. The rest of the room around her appeared to be moving normally, but Alaina felt as if she was frozen for a moment in time.

Mando turned to go after Kane, but the other man was already on the move. The Duke surprised the guard beside him, disarming the man and taking his spear for himself. The Duke spun the weapon with an experienced ease as he returned his furious look to Alaina, launching the weapon at her with a growl.

Alaina gasped and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the fatal blow.

In the span of only a second or two, her entire lifetime passed before her eyes.

Her mother was there. They were laughing together as they walked arm in arm back to their cozy apartment after one of her performances.

Mando coming back for her on Nevarro. How he refused to listen to her request to leave her behind and instead held out his hand for her to take before he repeated her words from years past to her, "A Mandalorian and a ballerina? They'll never see it coming."

Mando jumping into the lake with her in his arms.

Mando kissing her in the rain.

Alaina’s eyes opened in confusion when she heard the sound of people gasping around her.

The blow never came.

She was alive.

Mando was leaning in front of her with his arm outstretched, yanking back on the whipcord he’d shot out of his vambrace. He’d managed to get the metal cord around Kane’s leg, taking the Duke to the ground.

Alaina stared at Mando as the tiny bubble of time she’d been trapped in seemed to fast forward until it caught up with them, and she watched in shock as Mando collapsed to the ground with the spear meant for her sticking out of his side.

“No!” she screamed as she shot up to inspect the damage.

The staff was firmly embedded into Din’s abdomen at just the right angle to avoid his armor. No. This couldn’t be happening. Hadn’t she just discovered that special spot back on the moon when she found that the imposing Mandalorian had a sensitive ticklish spot? Had that stubborn Tin Man taken a spear to his core for her?

“No,” she whispered as she watched his blood begin to seep and pool from the wound. In a panic, Alaina brought her hands up to try and apply pressure around the spear, attempting to keep the blood from flowing.

“Alaina,” Mando whispered, and her head shot to his helmet at the sound of his voice. “I—”

“No!” Alaina growled, cutting off whatever he was about to say. She was vaguely aware that she was crying as her cheeks felt wet, and she tried to shake her head, ignoring them. “Whatever you’re about to say, you can tell me later because this isn’t goodbye, do you understand me?” she demanded through her tears. “You stubborn, stubborn man,” she accused him. “Why did you do that?”

“Alaina,” Mando sighed, and when Alaina heard the slight slur in his voice, she looked down at the wound, and she sobbed when she saw his blood seeping through her fingers.

“Someone get some help!” she screeched, looking around at the circle of people gawking around them.

“Help is on the way,” Rhoam said, reassuring her by placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hang in there a little longer, my friend,” he pleaded with Mando.

Alaina returned her desperate look to Mando when she felt the string that tied them together dim.

She applied more pressure to the wound with her hands, forcing Din to grunt in pain. “Don’t you dare die on me,” she threatened through her tears. “You don’t get to just save me and make me… make me fall—”

“Alaina,” he whispered, silencing her with a weak hand on her forearm.

A flurry of activity from beyond the crowd distracted her from Mando. She sagged in relief when she saw Iris leaping down the staircase, barking orders, and having her guards clear a path for the medical personnel.

“Help is here. Okay? I need you to stay a stubborn man a little longer for me, okay?” she pleaded, nodding at him. “Don’t die. Please. Don’t leave me alone. We were going to go get my mom’s trunk, remember? And—and you promised me we would go back to our moon. Don’t leave me and Grogu,” she sobbed. “We need you.”

“Tranyc,” he rasped. “It’s okay,” he grunted and gripped her wrist tighter when Alaina frantically shook her head. She couldn’t help the sob that left her because this was the opposite of okay. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. “Let me see your eyes.”

Alaina thought she would crumble apart at his request but kept her eyes locked on his helmet, hoping he would see something in them that would keep him going. When the medical team finally arrived, they tried to pull her away from them, but she refused to leave Mando’s side. She shoved one of the people out of the way so she could kneel at Mando’s head and grip his helmet between her hands, staring intensely into the unforgiving beskar.

She imaged the dark brown eyes she saw on the young Din Djarin, but a little older and a little wiser, but no less, still kind, staring back at her, and she wished she could kiss him. Since she couldn’t kiss him, she leaned in to kiss the center of his helmet.

“Don’t let them remove my helmet,” he told her as her lips pressed to the silver helm. “Don’t let them remove my helmet,” he repeated, words becoming slower.

Alaina nodded into his helmet, pressing another kiss to it before she was pulled away from her Mandalorian.

She watched helplessly as the medics used a floating gurney to lift Din’s body.

The world around her didn’t register. There was just her and Din. Everything faded as the invisible string, her special bond to Din, grew cold. For something they’d only shared for a handful of days, it felt as if their bond had been a part of her very soul for her entire life.

Someone new entered her private bubble with Din, breaking her concentration on the cord that bound them together. She watched numbly as Kane cut free of Din’s whipcord and scrambled to break away from the crowd, using their distraction to his advantage.

There will be nothing left.

In a moment of crystalizing clarity, Alaina knew what she had to do.

She wouldn’t allow this deceitful, wretched man to live while Din Djarin was dying or very possibly already dead.

Calmness washed over her as she locked on to Din’s attacker on the other side of the room.

“No,” she growled as the calmness was replaced with a rage she’d never felt before.

She would burn everything for Din Djarin.

Something constricted around her forearm, and Alaina's emerald eyes locked on to the vermilion ones of the red fanned rawl. The serpent hissed before lowering its head to spit at the Duke.

The rage flared inside of her, like a wildfire blossoming to life in the wind.

Her blood-curdling scream left her lungs, and all eyes in the room were on her, but her eyes were on him.

Somewhere, deep in her consciousness, she registered that people were screaming, and the lights flickered around her as glass rained from the ceiling, but she couldn’t be bothered with that at the moment.

She focused on Kane as the Duke stumbled just before reaching one of the servants’ doors and clutched his throat in alarm. She watched his wife rush to his side as her husband’s face turned red as he struggled to breathe.

With her eyes locked on Kane’s face, she felt pride as she watched it begin to turn an alarming shade of purple. So intent on him, she missed Iris Haze looking between her and the Duke, putting the pieces together, and then looking at Rhoam.

“Not like this, angel,” Rhoam whispered, gripping her shoulder. “We still need to know what he’s done. I need to know how to save my people.”

With a devastating final cry, Alaina released her hold on the Duke and collapsed into Rhoam’s arms. Exhaustion washed over her, but Rhoam’s arms supported her, preventing her from collapsing to the ground. When she looked down at her hands, she watched as blood dripped from her nose to her hands, which were still covered in Din’s blood.

“I give you my word that you can decide Kane’s fate once I know everyone is safe,” Rhoam muttered darkly, hugging Alaina tighter against his chest.

Alaina looked up from her hands and saw that Iris had Kane, his wife, and their entire party in cuffs with armed guards surrounding them. Kane was coughing and choking as he tried to gulp air down. As if sensing her eyes were on him, the Duke stared at her, eyes wide in terror as he tried to crawl away. He didn’t get very far before Iris stopped him by using her boot to step on his back and pin him in place.

“Come, angel,” Rhoam murmured, keeping his voice even and calm as he tugged her to follow him. “You need to be with Mando.”

She nodded and let Rhoam guide her as they followed after the medical team rushing out of the hall with Din on their gurney.

She didn’t register the silence that settled over the hall, or how the others in the hall all but ran from her, giving her a wide birth as she walked past them, or that Iris motioned for a handful of guards to follow them out of the room as they headed toward the med bay.

Alaina could only concentrate on the cold, empty feeling that had returned inside her chest. Not even the wildfire that had coursed through her veins minutes before could reignite their bond.

As she entered the med bay and watched them remove the spear from Din’s abdomen, she wondered if her physical heart would continue to beat if the metaphorical one stopped.

Author's Note #2: I would burn the world to bring some heat to you. - Hozier

Tag List: @racheldon @zenrobbins0021 @locked-ness @smoochispoof @hipcheckchick @dinispunkk @againstheodds

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