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chaussetteblanche · 4 months ago

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just like the wind - II

word count: 1'800 warnings: none

“Where are you taking us?” Frodo asks, trailing behind you and Strider, amidst his friends.

“Into the wild.” Your companion does not bother turning back. Back in the day, his lack of explanations and emotion used to irritate you infinitely. Today, you know why he does it. The less the Hobbits know, the better. Not long after, the halflings start whispering among themselves. You can hear what they are saying with your elf abilities, but seeing as they aren’t keeping very quiet, you’re certain Strider can too.

“How can we know these Rangers are friends of Gandalf?” Merry asks, rightfully suspicious.

“We have no choice but to trust them.” Frodo seems less anxious than he did the previous evening.

“But where are they leading us?”

“To Rivendell, Master Gamgee,” you answer over your shoulder, “to the House of Elrond.”

“You hear that?” Sam all but squeals, “Rivendell! We’re going to see the elves!” You bite back a scoff and share an amused glance with Strider. The Hobbits had been travelling with an elf for the better part of a day: you. You are reminded of your hood with a small gust of wind. They had only seen part of your face, which was why they didn’t know you were an elf yet.

You and Strider have to adjust your pace to the Hobbits’ little legs and general unfitness. When you stop for the umpteenth time, you suppress a frustrated groan. Strider sighs as he turns around, expecting to find the Hobbits hunched over, catching their breaths or complaining about the pain in their legs.

“Gentlemen,” he calls, “we do not stop ‘till nightfall.” Confused at his words, you turn around as well and let an amused smile grace your features. You find the Hobbits sitting on the ground, ruffling through their bags, clearly hoping to have a meal.

“What about breakfast?” Pippin asks, a confused frown on his face. “You’ve just had it.” You cross your arms over your chest, brows furrowed.

“We’ve had one, yes,” Pippin’s voice is conciliating. “What about second breakfast?” He raises an eyebrow. Strider sends the Hobbits a strange look before trudging off, continuing your journey. You shake your head with a small chuckle before following your companion.

“I don’t think they know about second breakfast, Pip,” Merry sighs as he slings his bag over his shoulders.

“What about elevensies?” Pippin splutters, “Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? They know about those, don’t they?”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” You feel sorry for the little creatures and throw each of them an apple you’d grabbed off a tree earlier.

When the cover of darkness starts instilling itself, you stop at the bottom of a hill. Remains of a tower still reside on its peak. “This was the great watchtower of Amon Sûl,” Aragorn speaks.

“We shall rest here tonight,” you state, walking up the hill. Weary from the trying day, the Hobbits lay down their bags and huddle together. You and Strider decide to take turns either keeping watch or scouting the base of the hill for possible threats. You start the first round and, after laying down your bag, being your stroll about the hill.

When a light catches your eye, you realize that the Hobbits had started a fire. Heart hammering inside your chest, you curse their ignorance and rush towards them. The flame goes out but when you perceive the shrieks of the Nine Riders, you know it’s too late. You see the Wraiths all but fly up the hill and push your legs to go faster, breaths coming out in quick, white clouds in the cold night. When you finally reach the top of the hill, you assess the situation before placing yourself between the helpless Hobbits and the Riders.

Knowing there was no time to fetch Strider, you pray he joins you soon as you pull out your sword. You jab at the monster the closest to you and slash at another. You narrowly dodge a blade, hearing your blood pump in your ears. You manage to keep them off for a little while before the Riders turn their attention to you rather than Frodo, who you were standing in front of. With all their blows aimed at you, you barely have time to dodge each hit. You realize with horror that it would only a matter of seconds before you were overpowered. Nine wraiths against one half-elleth, you stood no chance.

It's no surprise when you block a jab aimed at your neck and are suddenly pushed to the side. You fall to the ground with a grunt. A heavily armoured foot nearly crashes into your face, you just manage to roll out of the way in time. You push yourself to your knees, pulling out your dagger with a snarl before you’re picked up and thrown into the air.

What the-

The ground barely has time to look far away before it’s hurtling towards you. The scream you hadn’t been conscious of it cut off when you plummet into the ground with a harsh “thump”. You gasp, your breath having been knocked out of you. What feels like forever later, you’re greedily gulping in air, lying flat on your back. You groan in pain as you push yourself up, coming back to your senses. Suddenly, you feel everything. The pain in your skimmed knees, the large bruise on your hit, the cut in your cheek and your bruised and bleeding nose.

You painstakingly make your way up the hill again, clutching your most-probably bruised ribs. You push yourself to get there as fast as you can, but you are too late. When you reach the top of the hill, Sam is kneeling on the ground next to Frodo’s motionless body and Strider is trying to fight the Wraiths off. You’re at his side in a second, fighting with your dagger, your sword long forgotten.

You manage to fight four of the Riders off and set fire to the other five. Their screams would forever be etched in your mind. When the threat is no more, you hunch over, leaning on your knees, catching your breath. Strider puts a hand on your shoulder, panting.

“Are you alright?” he asks, concern lacing his tone as he takes in your injuries. He wipes at the blood on your chin, brows furrowed. You don’t have time to answer him as the Frodo’s cries of pain reach you both.

“Strider! Ira!” Sam panics, “Help him!”

Clutching your aching ribs, you kneel beside the Hobbit. You hiss as the pain in your knees as you examine the wound in Frodo’s chest. Strider picks up the blade the Hobbit had been stabbed with, but the blade turns to ash the second it’s picked up. He lets the hilt fall to the ground with a clatter. You share a knowing, worried look.

“He’s been stabbed by a Morgul blade.” Strider offers a rare elaboration for the Hobbits.

“This is beyond my skill to heal,” you turn to your companion, “He needs Elvish medicine.”

Strider nods and picks up Frodo, still groaning in pain. You resume your trek towards Rivendell more hastily than before. The Hobbits almost have to jog to keep up with your long, worried steps. You illuminated the path with a torch while Strider made sure Frodo didn’t fall off the horse you had brought along with you.

“We’re six days from Rivendell! He’ll never make it!” Sam voices your thoughts. Though you know he’s right, you don’t answer. Neither does Strider. Sam uselessly cries Gandalf’s name into the wind, and you set your jaw. That wizard would have some explaining to do when you’d next see him.

After a few hours, you stop walking at Strider’s command. As bags are being unpacked, you turn to Strider.

“Strider, if we want Frodo to have any chances of survival, we must continue to Rivendell.”

“That is far too dangerous. We’ve already walked enough during the night. Fire brings us unwanted attention,” argues Strider.

“It is the only way. This poison travels extremely fast,” you insist, taking a step closer to him. “We wouldn’t stop, and the Riders wouldn’t be able to catch up with us. It’s the better option.”

“Look at them!” Strider snaps quietly. “They are not made for this! They have about ten meals a day! You cannot expect them to walk continuously for six days! They are stay-at-home creatures; they are no Rangers! And even less are they Elves!” As the volume of his voice increases, the Hobbits start listening in on your conversation. They seem to really see you for the first time, without your hood and in the firelight. If they notice your elf traits, they do not comment. You feel your temper rising quickly.

“I am not relying on their strength, I am relying on their determination and love for their friend,” you spit before turning to the Hobbits: “We would barely stop. We’re running out of food and are being chased by Wraiths. Make your choice.” Merry and Pippin exchange panicked looks, unsure of what to say.

“Look, all I know is that we’re wasting time, here! We’ll ride!” Sam exclaims. You nod and send him a small smile. You admire his heart. You start picking up your things.

“This is your problem, Ira,” Strider hisses as you trudge past him, “You never think about the consequences!”

“I do think of consequences! Right now, the consequence to us continuing at this pace would be Frodo’s death! I am trying to avoid that!”

“And you would prefer three Hobbits to die instead?” “They can take it. However, I’m all ears if you have another solution,” you snap. He remains silent.

You stop three days later to rest for the night, despite your protests. You have enough knowledge of healing and medicine to know that Frodo will not survive much longer. You have come up with a solution, but you refrain from sharing it with Strider. You know he would not approve, and some things are easier without asking for approval. After making camp and waiting for the Hobbits to fall asleep, you tell Strider you would take the first guard. He nods. Things have been tense since your argument but neither of you are willing to back down.

Once you are sure he is asleep, you pack your bag with a small amount of food, making sure the other had enough left. You write a little note explaining your departure to Strider before mounting the horse and setting off. Just before you’re out of sight, you throw a twig at Merry. The young Hobbit shoots up and shakes Strider awake. Strider finds your note and shakes his head, pursing his lips.

You disappear into the night, unaware of the troubles ahead of you.

#legolas x reader #legolas greenleaf #legolas #legolas x you #lotr

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heart-select · 4 months ago

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Of "Gone Off" Hobbits

It was Isengar, the youngest of Old Took's, that visits Bilbo in Bag End a mere 4 days later after news of the boy's return (in the middle of an auction of his sister family’s home belongings!!) spread. Mad Baggins they called him, oh posh, 13 months the boy had gone, but that boy is from sister Belladonna, what did they expect really?

He's already well and bothered Fortinbras to help deal with the unrespectable behavior of the Shire on the properties of Bag End; why, Baggins maybe by name but if sister Belladonna did not rise from the grave to give him an earful for not taking care of her only son, Mother surely would! He grumbles of unrespectability, not that he can talk— he's much a Took through and through with his own youth adventures though he's well fortunate enough to have people vouch for his dealings during his 3 long years absence with his own adventure (a smile quirks to his lips, a memory of elven companions by the sea).

He's getting on in his years but he still sees clear, the windows open, a faint smoke billowing on over hill to where the kitchen most likely is and there were no more furniture and mathoms and such in front of the house. Isengar walks up, rings the bell and waits.

The green door opens and Bilbo, in all the traits of his father, grumbling and worrying as he does, gives a small smile, reminiscent of his beloved sister and starts. “Uncle Isengar?”

“Hullo! Good morning, dear nephew. Just visiting, I hope I'm not encroaching on breakfasts? Sun is getting on but I wasn't sure if I still had it in me to walk so I might be late for the breakfasts and too early for elevensies.” Isengar greets with a smile, patting his legs for emphasis of his age.

Bilbo laughs. “Oh, I'm sure you could stroll all up to frogmorton without a sweat on your brow, Uncle. Well, it is a bit early but come in, come in! I have some scones and biscuits still and I've brewed a new pot of tea.” His nephew ushers him in, padding along the still somewhat barren smial into the kitchen. “Bell, Gaffer's wife, gifted some quality tea from their gardens. Bless the Gamgees, went and took off some of my precious belongings before greedy hands got to them.” Bilbo says, using a familiar tea set and pot.

Isengar sits in the kitchen, being served tea as Bilbo rambles on, quietly observing. The house was more barren than it was but spotless and aired out, and Bilbo was clean and at a glance, very much so seemed as respectable of a hobbit that he was before he ran off to his own adventure though, now accompanied by a tiredness over his shoulders. He smiles at his tea.

“I've talked to Fortinbras on the matter of your belongings should you ever need the help. He's new to the Thain work but Isengrim and Isumbras have well trained that boy on disputes and such so don't hesitate to come knocking if any of the rude ones start stirring up trouble!” Isengar huffs, his tea cup softly clinking as he sets it. “Now, on the matter, how are you, boy?”

Isengar sees his nephew freeze, his polite smile dropping slightly. Bilbo opens his mouth to answer then closes it and Isengar knows that face. The hesitation that comes on “odd hobbits” that return after seeing the world. A hand settles on Bilbo's reassuringly.

“Bilbo, my boy.” Isengar softly starts, squeezing the hand in his and a spark of mischief lighting up in his eyes. “Have I ever told you about the sea? or did that old Gandalf spoil my stories whilst you were off?”

Isengar, the youngest of Old Took's and younger brother of Belladonna Took-Baggins, is the first of many idle visits and visitors of Bag end after Bilbo’s return. He sees the change in his nephew and his heart aches as he sees the faint grief much like the one he sees on his own in the mirror. He didn't need his dear mother Adamanta or sister Belladonna to rise from their graves to yell at him that no Took be left behind, especially not like this for all the oddness they already reputed themselves with. So Isengar sips on his tea, patting the chair next to him to usher his nephew to sit. Bilbo's the better storyteller between them really but he weaves his tale to his nephew, glad of the soft smile that delights the smial even if not wholly unburdened.

—

Bilbo listens and for that day, gives himself a rest from all the busy he has been with retrieving his belongings as Uncle Isengar fumbles through his adventures. Of Elves and men and of wide plains and cities and the sea. And he hears the same longing when his heart sings mountains. And when his uncle leaves before dinner as the sun slowly turns to late afternoon, with promises to visit again, he shuts the door and it is later, as he walks into the parlor after supper has all been cleaned up and night has arrived, he falls.

The hearth is warm with fire and he hears a distant hum, a memory of 13 dwarrow mourning a home they will soon reclaim. Bilbo falls and falls, in wretched sobs and heavy sorrow. No hobbit leaves the shire to see the world and returns unchanged, Bilbo realizes and he cries and cries and cries. He's accepted the madness they've already labeled him with but a comfort settles in his heart. He has changed. Perhaps more than the other “gone off” hobbits that have returned but despite it, he regrets none of it, holds it all close to his beating chest and he is comforted by the kinship his Uncle brought, not just by blood but of heart, never pushing Bilbo of his own tale because hobbits who go off and out of Shire do not return the same (and they were the same, in all their Tookishness).

He takes a spare mattress out back to the parlor where he rests when he can no longer busy himself, not having the heart still to settle into a home that feels changed just as much as he has and treat it the same as it were but finding comfort in the hearth that held memories and the presence of an armchair miraculously not taken in an auction. And for the first time in days, he sleeps restfully, dreaming of a mountain from a view of a high rock, and a quiet hum that made him want to see it all to begin with.

–

A/N: I havent written in a long time and well half illiterate most of the time. this started out slightly as bilbo dealing with grief and was a bagginshield but i quite like it ambiguous and short as is now so I thought mmmm perhaps it doesnt hurt to share. I like it being just Bilbo and exploring the people around him and how he dealt with that and how they couldve also supported him. I cant imagine just casually pushing through all that he experienced and keeping it all in without breaking and in the end, Bilbo for all his eccentricity by hobbit standards, didnt really break. Isengar is indeed one of the gone off hobbits but I took some liberties on history and personality. I think there's a lot of comfort in knowing you're not alone esp in an insular community and this little thing kinda just ran itself towards that direction. anyways, again, i dont write prose often and despite my extensive ao3 history, i am also just p bad at reading but I hope this is an okay read.

#the hobbit #bilbo baggins #Isengar took #Took-clan #hobbit fanfic #my writing #despite it all im quite happy with this. just one of rhose Ive had a thought bugging me and i must write it down #There's a little prose before this part abt how Bilbo might even feel glad that his house has been ransacked #like atleast he can get busy incomparison to if everything was just the same as it was it'd feel more disconnecting for all the differences #about him and the home he left behind #lotr #tolkien fanfiction #lord of the rings

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lotus0kid · 3 months ago

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Do you have a scene you really liked but weren't able to fit it in a fic? Would you care to share? Do you have a most recent favorite line or scene? What is it?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Hmm. Maybe not a whole scene, but here's a little Bagginshield flirting that I had to cut from Green-Handed (good thing I've started subscribing to the "cryogenically freeze your darlings" method of editing):

“Apart from elvish design, I can’t think of anything that differs more than hobbit and dwarven tastes in architecture and decoration,” Bilbo said.

“Is it impossible to imagine that my personal tastes differ from the consensus views of my people? Perhaps if I had remained a sheltered prince within this mountain, that would be the case. But I have journeyed about in the world, Master Burglar. I didn’t wear a blindfold while I was at it.”

“What a shame if you had done. For the world.” Why did I say that? Why? Oh my days! The problem is when he forgets to be nervous. His guard drops, and all he can do is wait to hear what Thorin will say next to challenge, surprise, or amuse him. And then volley it with his own challenging, surprising, or amusing response. It’s just so easy, and Bilbo can’t quite nail down the exact moment when it became so.

As for recent favorite lines and scenes, I was surprised by how much I liked writing Fili and Kili. They bring out Bilbo's sass, which is extremely important:

“See how we’ve become like hobbits, Bilbo?” Fili says with a grin, “Softer of body, fonder of food. Does this count as second breakfast or elevensy?”

“Elevensies,” Bilbo corrects with an arched brow, “And neither. Where’s the tea?”

“How could you forget about the tea, brother?” Kili jokingly scolds while Fili releases a rueful sigh.

#bagginshield #green-handed #fanfiction

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macksting · 2 years ago

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I’ve really been getting into Sailor Moon lately. Lemme tell ya, that’s a wild and funny thing to be doing after bouncing off it for over twenty years, each time finding “this just isn’t for me.” My lovie has been an earnest fan of it longer than I’ve known her, and now binge-watching the 1990s Sailor Moon has become a frequent date for us in the evenings, and she gets to see me call out attacks and get maudlin over character stuff like a teenage girl, because let’s face if I’m over the hill and simultaneously not long into a second puberty, so I am in fact getting a do-over of sorts and I’m a bit of a mess. Granted my gender expression has always been odd, and I’ve always been something of a cry baby, so that’s no change. Heck, my mother once punched one of her gaming buddies in the face in her living room for telling me “boys don’t cry.” (We all thought I was a boy then.) This says more about my awesome mom than it does about me, of course. I digress. So by reasonable standards I have now seen two Sailor Scouts express gender dysphoria. Makoto talking about making up for appearing unfeminine by being tall and boyish and fighty by becoming an excellent cook in the Pure Hearts storyline, and a brutally rebuffed and emotionally wounded Usagi wandering into a cosmetics store following its promises of making her desirable and acceptable when Mamoru is pushing her away out of fear for what will happen to her in the Black Moon arc. (Trans folks, I would hope we’d be the first to say, have no monopoly on gender dysphoria; we merely have an unusually poignant set of sources of it.) Last night I saw a Sailor Moon episode about the false promises of beauty products. I mean, other things too, but basically preying on young women's fears to sell them stuff, as a means to destroy goodwill to advance a literally fascist goal of Preserving The Human Spirit Through War. That's some old Italian Futurist shit, and one sees it in other places too. (Actually, it reminds me of a scene in Legend Of The Galactic Heroes, come to think of it.) It’s possible I’m reading too much into it, but honestly it ultimately doesn’t matter to what extent a theme is deliberate or not, if the result is meaningful. I’m at least as happy to see a thing that should be addressed, addressed accidentally, as I am to see it deliberately done. Stumbling upon themes by accident often gives unique perspectives that are valuable and have nuances that might be missed if engaging with a thing purposefully. (e.g. Tedd’s worries about losing her friends due to hyperfocus and a differing experience of friendship degradation over time compared to them in El Goonish Shive, being accidentally an example of the author’s undiagnosed ADHD and related neurodivergences) Also if you used those cosmetics for long, it was explicitly the goal of the Evil Baddies to make it so that you were dependent on beauty products by them stripping away natural oils, etc., so that you had to use them thereafter. In fact, and holy shit this is kinda transition goals in a way*, the android who was selling them had her whole eyes painted on, and had to redraw them. FUCK that’s cool. I won’t say it’s perfect in any dimension, but I’m really really appreciating the incredibly frequent wholesome and supportive takes in old 1990s Sailor Moon. Sure it has some dubious stuff too, and of course its characters are sometimes ridiculously flawed for funsies and drama, but even those flaws are often used to gently make some really valid point or another, by writers who really cared for their characters and how they interact and see the world. It’s not as if my love for my wife needed any particular rekindling, but this has thrown a lot of fuel on the ever-raging fire of my love for and appreciation of her, and I think also hers for me. And I know I at least am getting some much-needed gender euphoria out of expressing my passion for this show. * look I am dysphoric about having eyes and always have been and I have no reasonable explanation for that, it’s weird, I just want that dress of proximity detector mesh from “Is There In Truth No Beauty” (star trek TOS), it’s complicated and prolly has to do with eye contact and my light sensitivity

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natimiles · 9 months ago

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All of Me (Arthur x Isaac)

Summary: Arthur decides he and Isaac need a break after not leaving their own bedrooms for a while because of work.

Words: 2158

Tags: tooth-rotten fluffy; romance; established relationship; lots of kissing; romantic Arthur is so romantic it hurts.

Notes: I got the meaning of red tulips from this site.

Moodboard: Arthur&Isaac | Picnic Date

Isaac doesn’t even have to look up to know who barged into the bedroom. There is only one person who is brazen enough to not care about knocking before entering his room.

He senses Arthur walking up to him, standing behind his chair and peering down at his work. He feels a finger lightly running up and down his ear, caressing the adornment at the top of it, sending goosebumps down his body. He tries to keep his composure, but when he feels a light kiss and the tip of Arthur’s tongue tracing the piercing, he shivers and tries to hide his ear, looking sideways at the culprit, who is chuckling very close to his face.

“Hi, luv,” Arthur smiles and gives him a peck on the lips, flustering him even more. “Finally looked away from this work of yours!”

“Hi,” Isaac huffs, but his blushing cheeks give away that he isn’t mad. “Like you’re one to talk.”

“And that’s why I’m here,” he straightens up, one hand on his hip and the other hidden behind his back. “To take you outside and enjoy the sun. I think we both need to leave our rooms for a bit.”

The physicist turns around to get a better look at his boyfriend. Arthur has dark circles under his eyes, and their beautiful sapphire color isn’t as bright as usual. His hair is disheveled in the way it gets when he is nervously running his hands through it, his shoulders are slumped, and he looks pale. He is undoubtedly exhausted.

“Did you even sleep last night?” Isaac asks, eyeing him suspiciously.

Arthur chuckles. “Did you?”

And Isaac knows he isn’t much better if the concerned look stamped on Arthur’s face is any indication.

“Mmm…” He slowly gets up and stretches his arms, only then realizing how long he’s been sitting there and how tired he really is. “What are you hiding there anyway?” Isaac notices that Arthur still has one of his hands behind his back.

“This, my lovely Newt, is for you.” He takes a step closer to Isaac and presents him with a bouquet of red tulips. “So, will you give me the honor of going out on a date with me?”

Isaac blushes, and Arthur giggles at the sight. Bringing his hand to his boyfriend’s cheek, he traces the redness with his fingertips until he reaches the hair covering almost half of Isaac’s face, tucking it behind his ear. The physicist looks down at the bouquet to hide his blush, taking it into his hands. It’s ridiculous how Arthur makes him feel, even after dating for some time.

“Assuming I agree,” he clears his throat, trying to keep his shyness in check. “Where are we going?”

“Mmm, that’s a surprise,” he says mischievously, winking. “A good one, I promise!” he adds when he sees the grimace on Isaac’s face.

“Fine,” he sighs, agreeing.

“Great!” Arthur flashes him a bright smile and pecks his lips. “I’ll meet you in the foyer in ten minutes, is that okay?”

“It is. I’ll just freshen up. Maybe eat a snack before leaving.” Isaac looks at the clock on his desk to check if it’s already time for his elevensies.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be eating out. And if you get too hungry, you can always bite me,” Arthur says, wiggling his eyebrows, and Isaac rolls his eyes.

As agreed, they meet in the foyer. Arthur is carrying a basket, and Isaac cocks an eyebrow, eyeing him suspiciously. The writer only smiles and takes his hand, intertwining their fingers while leading him outside the mansion.

“Are we walking there?” Isaac asks when he realizes they’re not heading in the direction to get a carriage.

“Yes. Don’t worry, it’s not far. We won’t get more tired than we already are.”

Isaac hums and looks around. “You’re really not telling me where we’re going, right?” He tries again, curiosity speaking louder when he notices they’re not heading town. He doesn’t remember ever walking this way before. Arthur glances at him with a smile, and he knows he won’t get any answers. “Fine, I’ll just follow you blindly.”

“Oh…” The writer’s smile widens.

“I won’t put a blindfold on to walk there,” he says matter-of-factly, already anticipating where the other’s mind would drift.

“Will you put it on when we’re back home then?” He grins slyly, and Isaac deadpans at him, his cheeks turning red. “It doesn’t hurt to ask, huh?”

“I guess I should’ve seen this one coming,” the physicist sighs, rolling his eyes, though his lips curve into a tiny smile the next second.

“Well, we won’t have to use the blindfold now anyway.” Arthur slows to a stop and lifts their laced hands to point at his boyfriend’s other side. “We’ve arrived!”

Isaac looks at the intertwined hands in the air and then turns in the direction they are pointing.

“Oh…” It’s the only sound he lets out. He smiles softly at the field of colorful flowers ahead. The sun shines down, making their colors even brighter. The wind blows, messing with their hair and spreading the gentle fragrance of the flowers. The nearby trees create the perfect spot for them to sit down and enjoy.

“Nice, huh?” Arthur steps beside him, taking a good look at his features, and showing a matching smile when he sees Isaac likes the place. “Come on, let’s settle down.”

Arthur guides them through the flower field to a spot near a tree, where they can enjoy the sun but also have a nice area to rest. He swiftly retrieves a blanket from inside the basket and lays it out on the grass with Isaac’s help. Gesturing for Isaac to sit down, Arthur places the basket in one of the corners to hold the blanket in place and settles between the basket and his boyfriend.

He is really proud of his accomplishment — he set up his first picnic all by himself. Well, he asked for some tips from Sebastian, but he put them into practice on his own. He made the sandwiches, brewed coffee, fetched some blanc and rouge, and, of course, got some apples.

Isaac stares silently while Arthur takes everything out of the basket. He frowns when he sees the apples, even though he knows they’re not meant to tease him — not anymore, since Arthur actually grew to like the fruit after teasing Isaac for so long. He can’t help but notice how happy and proud his boyfriend looks right now, and he wonders…

“Did you make all this?” He voices his thoughts.

“I did. Sebas gave me some tips, but I did it. Not the cake though,” he points at a little strawberry cake in the middle of all the displayed food. “I will admit I bought it, but only because I didn’t think now was a good time to test my baking skills. I was short on time because I decided to do this after breakfast and didn’t want to end up ruining everything. I would gladly try next time though.”

Isaac blinks once, twice. He is suddenly hit by the notion that Arthur planned and executed their entire date in just a few hours, probably after noticing that he hadn’t left the room for breakfast again that morning. His mind drifts back to Arthur barging into the bedroom and the bouquet he brought, and he feels his face heating up. He doesn’t know what red tulips mean, but he bets they symbolize something; Arthur always gives him things that mean something.

He doesn’t even notice he’s been staring at Arthur for so long until he hears a chuckle. Suddenly, blue eyes are watching him from very close, and he feels a light kiss on his lips.

“Why lose yourself in thoughts about me when I’m right here, darling?”

Isaac frowns and averts his gaze. He reaches for a sandwich, fiddling with the wrapping in his hands for a minute. He glances back at Arthur and watches the writer pour coffee for himself. Arthur has always been an excellent observer, and he became even better at it after they got together. The physicist considers pretending he doesn’t know what Arthur is talking about, but it wouldn’t work — it never does. If anything, every time he tried it, his too-cunning boyfriend saw right through him and made him ten times more flustered and embarrassed.

“Arthur,” he calls, his voice soft and low, but his boyfriend hears just fine and turns to him, giving his full attention. “I was thinking about... the, um, flowers.”

“You want to know what red tulips mean?” Arthur asks, watching for every little reaction from the other man. Isaac lets out a low sigh and nods once, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, the kind that emerges when he wants to know more about something. “Mmm, I wonder,” he feigns ignorance.

Isaac swats his arm with the back of his hand, an adorable pout on his face. “I know you know! You wouldn’t give it to me if it didn’t.”

“Someone’s been paying attention to my meaningful gifts,” he smirks.

“Ugh, never mind.” The physicist turns back to look at the flower field ahead, opening the wrapper of his sandwich to eat in silence.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” Arthur places a finger on his chin and turns his face back to him, looking intently into his eyes. “I’ll tell you,” he whispers.

He extends his hand and waits for his boyfriend to take it. Isaac raises an eyebrow but concedes, putting down his sandwich to grasp it. Arthur gently squeezes the hand and brings it to his face, planting light kisses on the knuckles, his gaze never leaving Isaac’s flustered expression.

“What are you—”

Arthur silences him with a shush. He opens the hand he’s holding and places it on his chest, securing it in place with his own hand. “Just feel it,” he says in a low voice, his expression serious. Isaac nods, and they fall into silence. It takes only a few seconds for him to grasp Arthur’s intentions.

He feels the heartbeat going crazy under the palm of his hand.

He blinks, and Arthur flashes him a loving smile. Isaac doesn’t have time to say anything, not that he would know what to say in the first place, and he feels soft lips against his own. Arthur is still holding their hands against his chest, but he brings the other one to Isaac’s neck to deepen the kiss. Isaac complies, and it feels like his whole world has shifted.

Arthur has been nothing but a charmer and a good boyfriend, and Isaac feels flustered and shy almost on a daily basis, but he also feels loved and cared for like never before. However, it’s a whole different feeling being able to feel how fast his boyfriend’s heart is beating now, to know he could elicit the same reactions from Arthur. He didn’t realize until now that he could feel even more loved than he has since they started dating.

“It beats like this only for you,” the writer breaks the kiss to speak in a low voice, his lips still close and brushing against his boyfriend’s.

He chuckles when he hears Isaac’s breath hitching and sees his whole face reddening; such an endearing sight. He lets go of Isaac’s hand to cradle his face, brushing his thumb against his red cheeks in a loving, gentle caress. Isaac doesn’t let his hand fall, quite the opposite. He fists Arthur’s shirt and pulls his body closer, laying back on the blanket. Isaac is better with actions than words, and they’re kissing again in the next second.

However, Arthur hasn’t finished saying what he wanted.

“I love you dearly.” He kisses the red, hot cheeks of his boyfriend, and proceeds to punctuate every sentence with a kiss. “You’re the only one I love.” A kiss on the forehead. “The only one I want.” A kiss on the tip of the nose. “For as long as you’ll have me.” A kiss on the corner of his lips. “That’s the meaning,” he concludes with a kiss on the lips, one that Isaac tries to deepen but Arthur pulls away to finish professing his feelings. “That’s what I promised you since we started dating months ago. True, deep, and undying love.”

“God, you are… so cheesy,” Isaac rasps, his voice barely audible.

Arthur knows his boyfriend well enough. He knows Isaac is overwhelmed and doesn’t know how to react when love is expressed so intensely. With a smile, he runs his hands through Isaac’s strawberry-brown hair, gently pushing it back and holding it there.

“And you still love me.”

“Yes,” he replies with a shy smile. “And I still love you.”

They eventually eat and drink everything Arthur prepared. It takes a while, as it requires them to finally let go of each other and keep their hands to themselves for a few minutes.

Masterlists

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevamp fanfics #ikevamp arthur #ikevamp isaac #ikevamp arthur x isaac #ikevamp isaacona #ikemen vampire fanfics

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jgvfhl · 8 months ago

Text

The Number Lads Have Midnight Crises

And it's much tastier than the title would have you believe. Yes, folks, this is it! The final chapter. I hope this ties things up nicely enough for you, and thank you all so much who have read along with the lads and their adventures.

Words: ~5500 Warnings: None! Link to Master List of Chapters on Tumblr Link to full story on Ao3

Double Trouble: kinda wild that it’s almost been a year since everything almost went completely to shit

Loopy: has it??? Force…

RedBoiiiii: holy shIT you’re RIGHT

Leafs: I’m shocked it’s all held together as well as it has

CrispyDomino: me too tbh

CrispyDomino: suddenly adding almost two million citizens to the Republic’s census is a lot

Loopy: well it wasn’t that sudden

RedBoiiiii: yeah they’re still rolling it out right? Supposed to finish by the new year festivals

high fives: That was the plan I saw on the holonews

#1 Boy: oh!!! Who has their new ID yet???

CrispyDomino: I think Skywalker pulled strings to get ours to us so quickly

high fives: no i think Senator Amidala pulled strings FOR him

CrispyDomino: true

d0nut man: the 118th got ours!

RedBoiiiii: i think we’re getting ours in rancor next week??

Loopy: i’ve got mine

DressedtotheNines: 212th got ours a couple months back

Double Trouble: AND THE NEW IDS DON’T HAVE TO HAVE GENDER MARKINGS???

Leafs: That is how they work

Submarine: Nova Corps got ours just this week :)

Double Trouble: I CAN JUST BE AN ENTITY!!!!!

RedBoiiiii: YEAH BABYYYYY

high fives: NICE

#1 Boy: right??? so nice!!! and you can pick a last name??

d0nut man: you can use your designation as a second name!

Leafs: Oh, yes, that was one of the updates to Republic law meant to accommodate us.

Loopy: oh sweet. not doing it.

high fives: yeah i already got a first name for that

CrispyDomino: yeah we kinda had an easy choice for second names

high fives: Domino Brothers!

RedBoiiiii: awesome!!!

Loopy: i’m waiting for it…

Leafs: Waiting for…?

#1 Boy: yeah didn’t you say you got your ID card Loops?

RedBoiiiii: OHHHHHH WAIT COMMANDERRRRRR

Loopy: there it is

RedBoiiiii: WAHT IS YOUR SECOND NAAAAAME DO YOU HAVE YOUR NEW ID???

Leafs: ah

Double Trouble: lakdjlkglskd oh my gods you people XD

#1 Boy: oh :P

RedBoiiiii: WOW okay you idiots, i feel so seen

DEATH: Why is this any of your business?

RedBoiiiii: Because!!!!

d0nut man: Wait is it the same as your batchers?

RedBoiiiii: OH RIGHT YOU SERVE UNDER HIS BROTHER

Double Trouble: ELEVENSIES, WHAT IS CMDR THIRE’S SECOND NAME

DEATH: I’m not sure if I should be happy you’re finally using your brains

DEATH: or disappointed it took you all that long to remember I have batchmates.

CrispyDomino: lol

RedBoiiiii: okay in MY DEFENSE!!!! I still don’t even know where cmdr Havoc sleeps

Double Trouble: commanders don’t have lives outside of the command wym

RedBoiiiii: how am i supposed to remember about batchmates???

DEATH: Do-si-do, if I don’t have a life outside of command, what the hell am I doing here?

Leafs: I ask myself that all the time, more or less

Double Trouble: Numbers

RedBoiiiii: yeah you didn’t have a choice in us

DEATH: So I’ve discovered

high fives: he’s still dodging the question!!!!

#1 Boy: Commander Thire Nitta!

d0nut man: yeah same for Nero

Loopy: what…?

DressedtotheNines: That’s a very normal name for a batch called Chaos

RedBoiiiii: yeah… >_>

CrispyDomino: oh my gods

high fives: NO… really????

DEATH: Domino, think very carefully

RedBoiiiii: WHAT IS IT DOMINO

Double Trouble: WE MUST KNOW!!!!

CrispyDomino: Hey, who’s gonna be on Trip Zip soon? We can get together, hang out

high fives: there’s a fun pizza joint we found a few weeks ago

Double Trouble: NOW WHO’S DODGING THE QUESTION?????

DEATH: Good thinking, Domino.

~scene break~

Of the things Trees had experienced and/or discovered in his life—mainly including those things experienced and/or discovered after meeting Sevenset and Do-si-do—he had to admit, this was a new one. He opened his comms messages again, double-checking that he had the address and the meeting time correct for this informal Numbers meeting. It was in-person, which was always nice, but it was also being hosted at 22:30 hours, which, even for clones, was a bit late at night to be going out somewhere. They were diurnal, after all.

But no, that was when Domino had said this place was open. Trees looked up at the building in front of him. It was on a lower level, and the light coming through the storefront windows was warm and inviting. The sign blinking purple and green above the door read Pizza Crisis, with a portion of a pizza pie replacing part of the letter peth in the first word. Cute. He wasn’t sure he was really hungry for pizza, but he could probably get a drink or something small to share with the others.

The doors slid open when he approached, and it didn’t take him long to spot the others when he stepped inside. The Pizza Crisis restaurant’s interior was mostly round, with a flat wall that led to the kitchen behind a curved counter at the far end of the large room. Booths and tables filled the floor. The Numbers already gathered were seated around a circular table off to one side, probably meant for larger parties like theirs. Elevensies waved him over.

It was… really nice to see everyone out of their armor. Even those who hadn’t chosen to leave the service had changed into civvies for this. Do-si-do had discovered they simply adored long skirts, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them wearing one with a cropped hoodie that Trees thought looked chilly.

��Trees!” Sevenset smiled, just like always. “Glad you could make it.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to get up for early classes tomorrow,” he replied, taking the empty chair between Loops and Elevensies. “Is this everyone we’re expecting?”

He’d seen a few of the RSVPs on their group comms chain. Fours and Nines were off-world for the time being. Fours was at school too, but on Cerea, studying agriculture and botany. General Mundi had made it perfectly clear that any of his troopers who chose to would find a warm welcome on his home planet, and many had taken the offer. His school had a break coming up, so he might come back to Trip Zip then. The commander had only said something about having other plans, and not even Elevensies had been able to wheedle them out of him. Nines had sent a message that morning with the news that he wouldn’t be there, since he had the evening shift for the week where he worked at one of Coruscant’s many animal rescue shelters. Apparently, the 212th’s penchant for running into random wildlife on nearly every ground campaign was a marketable skill. Zero was on-world, but apparently too busy to stop by that night.

“Yeah, this is it,” Loops confirmed. He looked downright cozy in a grey knit sweater with a high collar. “How are classes?” he added, turning to look over at him.

Trees shrugged. “It’s fun, honestly.”

“That’s awesome,” Do-si-do said. “You’re gonna be planning buildings in no time!”

“Uh…” Trees said. He had just started his second semester studying architecture and material engineering on Coruscant—well, he was on Coruscant. The university was on Naboo, and eventually, he would be too. “There are a lot of in-between steps, but. Sure.”

“I suspect you’ll be in high demand with all the destruction the war caused,” Fives said, stirring his glass of soda with his straw. His twin nodded next to him.

“Maybe.” Trees looked around the restaurant, now noticing a few more tables occupied by recognizably nocturnal or at least more crepuscular species. Looking to the counter against the flat wall, he saw a pair of cathars speaking to each other while wiping down some glasses. “Have you all ordered anything at all?” he asked.

“Just drinks,” Sevenset said, pointing to the glass of pink-colored something in front of him. “Server said they’d be back soon, though.” He reached over to a black square inlaid in the table in front of Trees and pressed it. A holographic menu sprang up. “Have a look.”

“I’m not sure I want pizza this late at night,” Trees said, scrolling through the first few menu options. Why was this section labeled Crises for Every Occasion?

“Scroll to the side,” Elevensies urged. “They do dessert too! I’m getting the Sweet ‘n’ Salty Quandary.”

Whatever those words meant, Trees wasn’t going to question it. He flicked the menu over to the side, and a new section popped up. It was labeled Quandaries for Any Mood. A quick skim revealed Elevensies was right, and it was entirely desserts. Judging by the pictures, they were mainly cookie-based, with the occasional appearance of ice cream or milkshakes. Now this… this wasn’t so bad.

“Why are they called that?” he asked. “The… crisis and quandary thing.”

Loops shrugged. “Dunno.”

Fives spoke up. “It’s a joke, sorta. It’s so you can say ‘Oh, I’m having a crisis in the middle of the night,’ and you’re actually having a pizza.”

“Yeah, I think it was created during a sleep-deprived brainstorming session,” Echo said. “But the food’s amazing.”

After a few minutes of browsing the menu while the others chatted about their lives (Do-si-do always had some fun stories from cosmetology school to tell), one of the cathars made their way back over to their table with a datapad in hand. The thin coat of fur across their body was pale, with brown stripes and whorls along the arms. Their hair was dyed a gradient of midnight blue over the top to sky blue layers underneath, and the dim lights overhead caught glints of metal piercings all over their ears, nose, lips, and brows.

“You all ready to order?” Their voice was slightly raspy and had a darker quality about it that somehow matched the environment very well.

“Yep!” Sevenset said as they all nodded. “We’re all here now.”

The cathar—for the life of him, Trees couldn’t settle on any obvious outward gender presentation, and was silently begging this person to introduce themselves—nodded with a smile. “Cool. I’m Asterix, by the way. So.” They held up their datapad. “Are you having crises or quandaries tonight?”

“Both!” Do-si-do said with a smile.

“Alright, nice,” Asterix replied. “Crises first, if you don’t mind.”

Sevenset started, ordering a Naberrie Crisis with extra olives for him and Do-si-do to share. Fives and Echo ordered something called an Carnivore’s Omnivore Crisis to share, and Elevensies got a “personal crisis” with sausage and mushrooms. That was apparently the smallest sized pizza they served here. Cute. Then, Asterix went around for the Quandaries, again starting with Sevenset. One by one, they placed their dessert orders. Trees had settled on a True Midnight Quandary, since it had the most chocolate of anything on the menu. He really loved being able to have real food now. No more rations, no more tasteless nutrient bars… and he really loved chocolate. He also requested some water, since he hadn’t been present to order drinks earlier. Asterix finished with their orders and left them with the message that they would be ready shortly.

When they were on their own again, Loops spoke up. “So how’s the service lately?” he asked, looking towards the three ARC troopers.

“It’s good,” Fives said with confidence. “I think we’re mostly through the stage of dozens of troopers leaving daily, so the ranks have finally had some time to settle.”

His brother nodded in agreement. “Yeah, hopefully the numbers will stay where they are for the next year or so. They’re a good bunch, though.”

“And there are still thousands of kiddos on Kamino left to grow up,” Sevenset added. “Luckily, they have some options now.”

“That partnership with Naboo and Alderaan, right?” Echo said.

Trees recalled the headlines from a couple months ago. Kamino’s cloning facilities were obviously shut down, and many of the scientists had been slowly trickling out to other scientific facilities around the galaxy where their skills would be useful. That still left all the clones, from embryos to teenagers, who now had no war to fight. Naboo and Alderaan had opened their first of what would hopefully be many education centers on each planet, created with the intention of taking the strain off of Kamino’s dwindling staffing resources.

Sevenset went on. “Yeah, that’s the idea. The older ones are going first, usually around five to ten standard. The littlest ones we’re keeping on-world for the time being. There are still plenty of brothers left there to take care of them, and a few of the nattie trainers were kept on too.”

“I’ve heard a lot of medics are basically retiring there,” Loops said.

“Kind of, yeah,” Sevenset said. “I wouldn’t call it retirement, exactly, but it’s a hell of a break from field medicine.”

“And you get vacation days, now,” Do-si-do added with a smile.

“And we get vacation days now!” Sevenset beamed. “And something resembling a salary.”

“Resembling,” Fives repeated dryly.

“Yeah, they’re doing their best,” Echo said. “Two million new citizens is a lot to handle.”

“At least we get free education,” Trees pointed out. He hadn’t paid a credit to apply to or attend his university. “For now, I guess.” He held no illusions that the charity would last forever, but it was a good start.

“Yeah, for now,” Do-si-do said.

There was a moment of easy silence, then something occurred to Trees. He cast his mind back, trying to remember the most recent conversations from the group comm chain. With a small frown, he looked at Domino. “Did you ever tell us why the commander’s last name was odd?”

The two of them smiled knowingly.

“They didn’t!” Sevenset said, pointing at them accusingly.

Do-si-do jostled Fives’ shoulder. “C’mon… you can tell us off the record.”

Elevensies clasped his hands under his chin. “Please!”

“Alright, alright,” Fives said. He took a sip from his drink and leaned forward conspiratorially. “Echo had to do some digging to confirm it, but we figured it out. The Chaos Batch all chose the last name Nitta, right?”

They all nodded, all leaning in as well.

Echo picked up the story seamlessly. “Turns out, there’s only one family on Coruscant with that last name.” He paused for dramatic effect, and Trees had to admit, the effect was good. “Mira and Saleha Nitta.”

Sevenset and Do-si-do’s jaws fell open, and Elevensies gasped. “The noodle ladies?” Sevenset asked, his eyes already lit up with glee.

“Yeah, the noodle ladies,” Fives grinned.

“Did they adopt them, or what?” Loops asked.

“They can do that?” Elevensies wanted to know. He looked from Loops back to Domino.

Echo answered, “No. Well—technically, yes. But that’s not what happened.”

“Yeah, wait—” Sevenset cut in. “They’re already part of a Mandalorian clan, remember? Clan… Ves? Their trainer adopted them.”

“Mandalorian space is still outside the Republic’s jurisdiction,” Trees pointed out.

“Yeah, but clan ties are still recognized under Republic law,” Sevenset replied. “So why didn’t they choose Ves as a second name?”

Fives and Echo shrugged together. “Dunno,” Fives said. “Their choice, obviously.”

There was a pensive second of silence while they all processed the information. Trees supposed it made sense. That command batch had been living in the Noodle Bar for quite a while before the Numbers ever discovered it. Clearly, Saleha and Mira cared a great deal for the four of them as well, as evidenced by their willingness to help Elevensies and Ahsoka on Sixes’ word alone, not to mention the whole thing with the chips and Palpatine.

Do-si-do hmph-ed quietly, sipping at their drink through the straw. As their eyes drifted over the restaurant to Trees’ back, they paused. If Trees had noticed, he knew the others had as well. Do-si-do shook their head, letting the straw drop from their lips. “Dude, I’m telling you, he’s Force-sensitive,” they said, mainly to Sevenset next to them.

“What?” their friend answered.

Do-si-do just grinned. Then they sat up tall and stuck a hand up in the air, waving. “Hi, Commanders!”

The whole table of them turned to look. Sure enough, the four very recognizable figures of the Chaos Batchers had appeared near the front doors to the building. Two of them had left the service entirely. Nero was still commanding the 118th, but Sixes had mentioned that recently he’d been looking into expanding into other methods of earning a living. Trees had his suspicions those other methods might skirt dangerously close to illegality, but he wasn’t going to question it. Sixes, while not an active military member anymore, was still employed training the pilots coming off of Kamino or out of the civilian population. From what Trees could tell, he liked it well enough. Considering the man’s military file, he deserved the break. Bacara and Thire were out completely, though Trees didn’t know much else beyond that.

Sixes broke away from his brothers to walk over to their table. It was still weird seeing him in plainclothes instead of uniform, but at least his color palette hadn’t changed much. He still wore mainly black, greys, and dark blues, and had recently found a leather jacket somewhere that he’d been wearing frequently. He had it on tonight, anyway. “I had wondered which new pizza place Domino had discovered,” he said when he was close enough. “Good choice.”

“How long have you known about this place?” Do-si-do asked.

Sixes shrugged. “Couple years. It was one of the best places open after we were done with work during the war. That, and Nero’s got some personal vendetta against getting a full night of sleep, so coming here kept him off the streets.”

That seemed to make sense with the other information they had on Nero.

“How’s training?” Fives asked.

“Good,” the commander replied with a small smile. It seemed like he’d softened a bit since leaving active service. They saw more smiles and received fewer reminders of their own mortality, at any rate. “Feels better knowing I’m not sending them out to certain death. Just probable combat,” he added.

The three ARCs still in service all nodded. “Hear hear,” Echo said quietly.

“How are the little ones, Sevens?” he asked.

Sevenset smiled, though not with the full brilliance he sometimes gave. “Hopeful,” he said after a second to think.

That brought a smile to everyone’s face. The commander dipped his chin slightly. “Well, that’s about as good as it gets, right?” They all nodded in general concurrence. “How’s everyone else?” he went on. “How’s school going?” He looked around at Do-si-do, Trees, Loops, and Elevensies.

“I get to take a semester abroad in a few months!” Elevensies announced. “We’re going to Kashyyyk for our macrobiology class.”

“That would be the place to go for macrobiology,” Fives said.

“Yeah, they have giant spiders!” Elevensies said, sounding far too excited over something so horrible. But, to each their own. This was why Trees was studying things that weren’t alive.

“Why are you here?” Do-si-do asked instead of answering the question. “Having a midnight crisis on this fine Tuangsday?”

Sixes hummed, appearing to consider his options before answering. Curious. Finally, he turned around to find his batch. They’d been seated not too far away at a round table much smaller than the one the Numbers currently occupied. “Hey, Cara! Why are we here again?”

The former Marines Commander looked up. An uncharacteristically wide smile split his face, bending his tattoo slightly. “I got engaged!”

His other batchmates smiled with him, clearly happy for him. After a second for the announcement to sink in, the Numbers joined in.

“That’s awesome!” Sevenset said, looking between Sixes and Bacara.

“Who?” Do-si-do demanded, a little more insistent. “When? Do you need a stylist?”

Bacara blinked at them, slightly taken aback. “Uh… neither of us has hair?”

“I can do makeup!”

Sixes raised an open palm towards Do-si-do, a smile still hovering on his face. “Alright, take it easy. It just happened today.” When they sat back in their seat, momentarily quieted, he explained further. “It’s one of Saleha’s grandsons, Mubi.”

“Well, at least he won’t have to change his last name,” Sevenset said. The look he gave was an obvious provocation. His typical Look What I Can Do expression, waiting for a response.

The commander was silent for a second, never having lost the ability to make his expression entirely unshifting and unreadable when he so chose. Then he smirked. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”

“Hey, we did all the hard work,” Fives pointed out. “He just begged us for the intel.”

“Yeah, I think of you four as one unit of delinquency,” Sixes replied, gesturing with one hand to Domino, Do-si-do, and Sevenset where they all sat in a row around the table.

Loops snorted, bringing his hand up to muffle his giggles. Trees smiled, watching Elevensies dissolve into quiet laughter as well. That was quite a way to describe those four. Trees liked it.

Echo put his hand over his chest, a kind of mimicry of his armor paint. “What? Me?”

“Yes, even you. Delinquency only succeeds when people understand which rules to break and exactly how.”

Echo didn’t have a response to that. Fives supplied one. “I mean, that has been our M.O. in Torrent since we got there. He’s got a point.”

Trees felt a tap on the back of his chair, and looked up at the commander. Loops was doing the same. “Trees, Loops. How’s school?”

Trees nodded. “I like it. And it’s never tried to kill me, so that’s nice.”

Do-si-do grimaced. “The one thing I think entering customer service will change for me,” they muttered.

“Um, yeah. School’s good,” Loops said, his eyes on the tabletop. “I like the professors.” He fidgeted with the cuffs of his sweater. Something was up. “I uh… I started seeing someone from one of my classes.”

Sevenset and Do-si-do both leaned over to him, their expressions lighting up with curiosity. “Really?” Sevenset asked, nudging Loops with an elbow. “That’s really exciting!”

“Yeah!” Do-si-do seconded.

It was good news to hear. There was a ripple of positive comments around the table. After an entire existence being… whatever they had been in the eyes of the law, it was nice to hear about one of them having such normal experiences.

“Hope it’s okay, I guess,” the commander added with a shrug.

They all looked over to him with varying expressions of confusion.

“Thanks?” Loops said, his brows furrowed.

“You’re welcome,” he replied like nothing had happened. “I’m going to go enjoy my quandary with my brothers.” He reached out and ruffled Elevensies’ hair, then wandered back over to his batchmates.

There was silence for a moment, then Sevenset said, “I will never understand him. I really had hope sometimes, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

“I think that’s as nice an endowment as you’re gonna get, Loops,” Echo said.

“He’s not my commander,” Loops pointed out. “I’m not begging for his approval to go out with someone.”

“Okay, but I’m begging to know more about this person,” Do-si-do said, leaning forward again. “Spill.”

So, for the next few minutes, Loops, only a little begrudging, answered a slew of questions about this new person in his life. He seemed to enjoy it, as much as he rolled his eyes and huffed at the questions Sevenset and Do-si-do asked. Together, they learned that this person was human, and she was from Alderaan, and her name was Meila. She was studying engineering, and Loops had met her in one of his mathematics courses. She sounded very nice, from what Trees could tell. The interview finally came to a close when the food arrived. Asterix was accompanied by the second cathar Trees had seen earlier. This person had a larger build, reddish brown fur, and darker hair.

“Three crises, coming in,” Asterix announced, setting down little metal stands on the table. As they named the orders, their companion would place the correct pizza down on the stand closest to its recipients. When all the pizzas were set out, Asterix said, “And Obelix and I will be right back with the Quandaries for the rest of you.” Looking around at those of them who had ordered pizzas, they added, “We’ll hold off on yours until you’ve finished your Crises.”

“Thank you!” Elevensies beamed.

The conversation thinned slightly with several of them now engaged in eating their pizzas. But, those several were among the most talkative of the group, so the table was never quiet for very long. After a couple minutes, Asterix and Obelix returned with quandaries for Trees and Loops, since the rest were still demolishing their pizzas.

“I didn’t know you all knew the Chaos Commanders over there,” Asterix commented, tilting their head towards the table of four nearby. They must have seen some part of the conversation with the commander. “Those four have been familiar faces here for a while, if you’ll forgive the expression.”

“Oh, yeah,” Echo said.

“Well, we know one of them better than the others,” Fives added.

“I used to serve under one of them,” Elevensies said.

The two cathar nodded. Asterix smiled. “Nice. Well, enjoy. We’ll be back with the other desserts later.”

Trees looked at the beautiful collection of chocolate on the plate in front of him. He was absolutely coming back here during finals week when he stayed up too late studying. The True Midnight Quandary was truly a wonderful thing. The base was a chocolate cookie about eight inches across, studded with gooey chocolate chunks. Atop that sat chocolate mousse in a slowly melting hemisphere about half the size of the cookie. The entire plate was sprinkled with chocolate shavings, and had a generous few stripes of chocolate sauce drizzled over everything.

“Do you think that’s enough chocolate, Trees?” Loops asked pointedly. “I think they missed a spot.”

“It looks like a black hole,” Fives remarked, flipping a string of cheese back on top of his pizza slice.

Trees lifted his chin. He grabbed the bundle of cutlery wrapped in a purple napkin and spread the napkin on his lap. “I didn’t make comments about Loops ordering a cookie that’s not even baked, so I think you guys should just leave me to my black hole over here.”

“My cookie is gonna be amazing,” Loops replied. His order was called something like A Stone-Cold, Half-Baked Quandary, and started with a circle—smaller than Trees’ cookie, thankfully—of raw chocolate chip cookie dough. On top of that were two scoops of ice cream, one chocolate, one vanilla, a dash of rainbow sprinkles, a flower of whipped cream on each scoop, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Trees was sure that, if one actually liked raw cookie dough, it would be amazing.

Trees was not of such a mind, however, and instead cut off a chunk of his still-warm cookie with his fork and put it in his mouth. It was perfect. Now that everyone had something to eat, the conversation did die down a bit, but never too much. Elevensies started telling them about a holoseries one of his old squadmates was working on. Apparently, he’d gotten a job with one of the local film studios on Coruscant shortly after the war had ended officially, and this was the first project he was part of. It was still nice to hear about clones slowly integrating, even after all these months had passed.

Even the clones who had been imprisoned during the war—mostly for deserting or something of that kind—were slowly being put on parole as their cases were brought up for reexamination. The first few had made headlines. The next dozen or so, not as much, but the news had gotten around quickly among the troopers anyways. News often did.

“Oh, hey,” Sevenset said during a pause in conversation. “Domino, how is Skywalker doing? He hasn’t been on the holonet so much lately.”

Echo smirked. “Probably because Senator Amidala’s maternity leave ended last month, and he’s been busy picking up some of the slack.”

“I’m sure he’ll have a whole bunch of cute pictures once he gets the time to post them,” Fives added. “The twins already have half the galaxy wrapped around their little fingers.”

“They’re so cute!” Elevensies said. “Leia looks so much like Gener–-uh, Mast–uh… her dad!” There was still a constant problem among clones as far as what to call their former superior officers. Skywalker was doubly confusing since he had left the Order altogether only a few months after Palpatine’s death.

“Yeah, I’m sure the Jedi will be fighting over who gets to train the little tykes later on,” Echo remarked.

“Everyone except Kenobi,” Fives cut in quietly. He smirked as he took another bite of pizza.

Echo continued. “Rex and Cody fighting over who got to hold them first was bad enough.”

“Oh, really?” Do-si-do asked around a bite of pizza. “Who won?”

“There’s two of them and two twins,” Fives said. “No one ‘won,’ much to their disappointment.”

His brother added, “It did make for funny pictures, though—the two of them glaring at each other while holding these adorable little babies.”

Sevenset and Do-si-do laughed quietly. “I wanna see those pictures,” Sevenset said.

Echo nodded. “I’ll put ‘em in the group chat tomorrow.”

Honestly, finding out Skywalker had had a secret wife—a secret pregnant wife—had been one of the tamer revelations when it came out. For Trees, anyway. The whole thing with Palpatine and the chips and Dooku seemed far more important in his memory, but that was understandable, since he’d risked his life going after Dooku. The public had no such connection. The press had stopped running regular stories about Palpatine’s death only a couple months after it happened, but the rest of the clone troopers like Trees were stuck trying to get brain surgery or something as fast as possible. Only months later, after most of them had gone under the knife—or the laser, really—did a group of doctors come forward with a better idea.

Actually, he remembered one of those doctors being the strange Kaminoan Zero and Domino had mentioned coming to Umbara to pick up the commander. Tal Mu, wasn’t it? He and his team had figured out how to alter some kind of bacteria to consume the chip while it was still inside the body. After witnessing some of the troopers in the 41st go through what looked like the worst cold imaginable, Trees was grateful for the surgery. But, once it had been proven effective, the injection became standard for chip-removal. Sevenset had told them that the injection was standard practice on all clones of a certain age now, and that some of the younger clones had started looking at it as a new milestone, since they weren’t allowed off Kamino until the chip was gone.

A little later, when the pizzas on the table had been thoroughly devoured (they still maintained elevated metabolisms, even if they weren’t all fighting a war), Asterix and Obelix returned with the rest of the desserts. Do-si-do looked particularly pleased with their Fruitcake Quandary, which had far more colors in it than Trees had expected a dessert to have. When they had passed out all the dishes and collected the empty pizza trays, Asterix set down a cardboard box in the middle of the table. The box was labeled with the restaurant’s logo, and had a clear window at the top into its contents.

“These are from us, free of charge,” they explained. “We know who you are, and we know what you did for the Republic.”

“Oh, sweet!” Do-si-do smiled, leaning forward to get a better look at the box. “Thanks!”

“Or you’re welcome, I guess?” Sevenset added, also leaning to look.

“Enjoy,” Asterix answered simply. Then the two cathars retreated back to the counter against the far wall.

Fives frowned slightly. “They didn’t do that when Echo and I were here before.”

“They were really busy last time,” his brother said. “What kind of cookies are they?”

Loops reached out and pulled the box closer while the other five dug into their Quandaries. Trees looked on beside him. Through the clear window in the box’s lid, he could see about a dozen cookies. They were pale sugar cookies, much smaller than the one he had just finished. The cookies all had the Republic cog baked in the center in a chocolate dough. The clarity of the design was impressive for the medium.

“Sugar cookies,” Loops answered. “We can divide them up so everyone can take some home.”

“Ooh, yes!” The exclamation was a little muffled, since Do-si-do’s mouth was full of chopped fruit and “fun-fetti” cookie.

Later still, when the plates were scraped clean, and they were all sitting quite contentedly, Sevenset tapped his fork against the edge of his glass with no great purpose, it seemed. But then he set down his fork and picked his glass up, nearly empty though it was. “Well,” he said, holding the glass towards the center of the table. “Glad we could meet up for pizza and cookies. Here’s to life.”

Echo and Fives picked their glasses up. “To thriving, not surviving,” they smiled, perfectly in unison without even looking at each other.

Do-si-do raised their glass with a familiar sly grin. “To hopefully getting invited to Bacara’s wedding, because the food there will be amazing.”

“Oh, you’re so right,” Sevenset agreed, lowering his voice slightly.

“To cookies, baked and otherwise,” Loops said tiredly. He was still smiling, though.

Elevensies repeated that sentiment with more enthusiasm about the baked option.

Trees sighed and raised his own glass. “To the Numbers, whatever we call ourselves. I’m… I’m glad we’re still around. Could’ve ended pretty ugly, but it didn’t.” A little pessimistic, maybe, but it was true.

The others nodded, finding no fault in it that they would speak aloud.

“To pretty endings, everyone,” Sevenset said decisively, moving his glass farther into the middle.

They repeated the phrase. They put their glasses together with a discordant jingling sound at the center of the table, and then drank what little they each had left inside them.

To pretty endings, indeed.

And behold! That is the end! As much as I wanted to include all the Numbers for this chapter, I... just couldn't figure out how to make it work and not get bogged down in dialogue. I think this works nicely. I can't remember who I saw first use that "chip-eating-bacteria" concept, but it wasn't an Owlie original here! Not claiming it's my idea, cuz it was not. Anyway. Tags! @23-bears @theultimatesandwich @thechaoticfanartist @soclonely @rndmpeep

#number lads #numbers gang #i write things sometimes #tcw fanfic #clone trooper ocs #star wars ocs #star wars fanfiction #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #domino twins #the clone wars #star wars #commander bacara

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